#think a lot about how much they’d both miss each other when nick goes to uni and why

[peaceoutofthepieces]

#13 hug with nick and charlie?

more post canon content because there can never be enough nick-in-uni fics. warnings for discussions about charlie’s ed and other mental health issues in this one, along with the usual overbearing amount of fluff and nick being hopelessly in love <3

13. the hug to hide your tears

Nick had been mastering the art of turning himself into a blanket-burrito when the knock sounded on his dorm door. He closed his eyes and huffed a sigh out through his nose, burrowing deeper into his pillow, debating whether he needed to answer or not. There wasn’t really many people it could be, and he wasn’t really in the mood to see anyone. 

He had a relatively good number of friends here, though not many who’d show up at his room. He’d always been used to merging naturally with people, until he wasn’t, and while in one way it came to him easily when he first got here, it was very difficult in another. Internally, he was much more cautious. He hadn’t paid enough attention to, hadn’t cared enough about, what the friends he’d made so easily in secondary school were actually like, and ultimately, that hadn’t gone well for him. He wanted university to be different.

He discovered quite quickly, though, that it was. He’d almost been sick the first time he’d met the rugby team, and while some of the locker-room, overbearing-masculinity was still present, it was different. Maybe it was because they were all older, and a bit more mature, but Nick knew there were more than a few of his teammates who would step up for him if necessary. Some he definitely considered friends, others he was happy to chat with as part of the team, and only few he felt it was best not to acknowledge too much. Aside from that, he had friends from his classes and the dorms and generally around campus—many of whom were queer in some way, which settled some clawing thing in Nick and made him feel a bit more at home. 

But of them all, there were very few who were likely to show up at his door at this time of the evening for any good reason. 

It was, most likely, something that could wait. Nick could simply stay where he was, and wallow a bit more in the dull mood that had been swallowing him for the past few days. He didn’t have to deal with anyone; eventually, they’d get the message, and leave. If it was really important, surely they would have texted him first. 

There was only one person Nick really wanted to see, and he was a couple hundred miles away. 

He tucked himself up tighter in his blanket, and bit down a frustrated groan when a second knock came—louder, more insistent. 

He rolled out of the bed, mournfully shedding his blankets before he marched to the door, yanked it open, and—

Froze. 

Charlie stood in the doorway, hand half-raised as if suspecting he’d need to knock again, with a duffel bag slung over his shoulder. He gave Nick an awkward little wave, even as his lips instantly split into a soft, beaming smile. “Hi.”

Nick stared at him. His hand slowly slid away from the door handle to hang limply by his side. “Charlie?”

The smile slowly started to slide from his boyfriend’s face as he lifted the strap of his bag over his head and clutched it tightly in his hand. His boyfriend, who was here, standing right in front of him. His boyfriend’s face which he could reach up and touch, if he wanted to, so familiar and beautiful and close, not in a crackly video call or an Instagram post or a goofy selfie sent between classes or late at night. 

Here. In person. Where Nick could look without any glitches; where he could reach out and touch if he wanted to. 

God, did he want to. 

“Sorry, I—I wanted to surprise you, and anyway it was kind of a last minute decision, but I should’ve texted, you’re probab—”

Nick cut Charlie off by yanking him into a fierce hug. 

“Oh,” Charlie said. 

His bag thumped onto the floor by Nick’s feet and his arms came up to wrap around Nick’s waist, and Nick let out a shuddering breath, holding on tighter. Charlie had voiced his appreciation for Nick’s hugs more than once, commenting on how comforting they were, how much he liked that Nick always held onto him so tightly. Nick hadn’t realised before then that Charlie hadn’t realised Nick clinging onto him as if his life depended on it was not exactly for Charlie’s sake. He was just glad to know Charlie appreciated it, regardless. Nick had no issue with hugging him as often as possible. 

He eventually cleared his throat enough to mumble, “You’re really here.” He tucked his face into Charlie’s neck, nuzzling his way past the creases of the hood of Charlie’s coat. Underneath, Charlie’s skin was soft and cool when Nick pressed his nose against it. 

Charlie burrowed closer to Nick in return, a shuddering breath escaping him. “Yeah. So are you.” 

Nick pressed his face harder to Charlie’s skin, enough so that his lips brushed the hammering beat of Charlie’s pulse and Charlie made another soft, choked sound. “God, what are you doing here?” Nick asked. He didn’t actually care; he had Charlie in his arms, and all the hows and the whys in the world didn’t matter. But he wasn’t entirely convinced this wasn’t a dream, or a trick hallucination his mind was playing on him in an attempt to save itself. If it was rationalised to him, if Charlie offered him any how and why that made sense, then Nick would be more readily able to believe it. 

“Can I come in first?” Charlie asked into his shoulder. Nick walked backwards, taking Charlie with him and nudging his bag further into the room with his foot, then flapped a hand out to close the door. To close them in. Together again, after much too long. 

Nick pulled back from Charlie just enough to kiss him. It would be a better confirmation than any explanation Charlie could offer him, anyway. Kissing Charlie Spring was an experience Nick could never perfectly capture in a dream, not even in his wildest imagination. The Charlie of Nick’s dreams would do whatever he wanted, go with Nick’s flow and know just how to make it work. The Charlie in Nick’s arms knew what he wanted. He knew how to surprise Nick while his dreams never could. He’d gathered all the right tricks up his sleeve through a couple of years of practice, and he knew exactly how to make it work, too, how to take Nick apart with one simple suck of his lips or idle flick of his tongue. He knew that he’d only have to press the very tips of his fingers to Nick’s bare skin after deftly slipping his hands up the back of Nick’s t-shirt, and Nick would be all his. So he did, and Nick was. 

“Charlie,” Nick said. Then all he was able to say was, “Charlie, Charlie, Charlie,” over and over and over again, aligned with every thump, thump, thump of his heart. 

Charlie retorted, “Nick,” a protest as much as a plea, and Nick ripped his mouth away even as Charlie’s hands pressed flat to the small of his back, chilled fingers against warm muscle. 

He dropped his forehead against Charlie’s and sucked in a breath, only to have it stolen by the feel of Charlie’s on his skin, soft ripples of air over his lips and chin. So close they could breathe each other in. Nick’s heart stuttered at the repeated realisation. “If you keep kissing me, I won’t let you stop.”

“That’s fine by me,” Charlie breathed, which Nick really should have expected. Charlie’s eyes were still trained on Nick’s lips, his fingertips still digging into the meat of Nick’s back, and his curls—grown out and feathery soft—brushed against Nick’s forehead, tangled in the swoop of Nick’s strands to make a blend of black and gold. As different as night and day; neither able to exist without the other. 

Nick stroked Charlie’s cheek, letting his other hand fall and loop around Charlie’s waist, keeping him tucked close. “Are you okay? When did you decide to do this? I thought we weren’t going to be able to see each other for another two weeks.”

Initially, they’d hoped they could see each other every two weeks. Charlie would take the train to him, or Nick would take it home, and they’d get all they could out of a weekend together before they had to return to the real world. But as it turned out, the real world carried into those weekends. Charlie was doing his final year, and he was a good enough student that Nick knew it could go extremely well for him, if Charlie just kept neatly on track. Nick was doing his first year, and trying his best to work out a new rhythm, to find his feet without tripping up and flunking anything, bringing the experience to an end before it could even properly begin. 

It was a lot, for both of them, and it meant a lot to both of them, and they both wanted nothing but the best for each other. And that meant weekends of Nick holed up in his dorm room scrambling to finish an assignment or off campus altogether for an away rugby match, and it meant weekends of Charlie bogged down with homework and studying or carefully working his way through college searches and applications without working himself up too much over the unknown. 

It meant more time apart than they would have liked, and it meant that Charlie here, in his arms on a Thursday night, was nothing short of a miracle. 

Or some sort of breakdown. 

“Yeah, well, that’s why I decided to do this,” Charlie said, aiming for light and not quite reaching it—not with how tightly he still clung to Nick. His breath hitched. “I just—I really missed you, Nick. God, I missed you so much.”

“Char,” Nick whispered, heart cracking with the memory of that same aching absence he’d been feeling less than thirty minutes ago, and Charlie’s eyes welled up. 

Nick bundled him back into his embrace and squeezed his eyes shut at the hitches of Charlie’s breath against his shoulder, the damp press of his cheek at Nick’s neck. As much as he wished to sink into Charlie with as little as possible in the way, he was glad now that the bulk of Charlie’s coat caught the majority of his own tears. 

“I missed you, too,” he mumbled. “I always miss you.”

The next hitch of Charlie’s breath was more pronounced. “Really?”

“God, yes,” Nick said emphatically, not even bothering to keep the whine out of his voice. “You know I do.” 

It had been the thing, at the start. Nick never considered not going to university, but he had thought a lot about how much he would miss Charlie, and he still hadn’t fully realised quite how hard it would be until he got here. He’d gone from seeing Charlie basically every day for a couple of years to hardly seeing him at all, and the full distress of it only took a week to hit Nick. 

And was still hitting him, constantly. Hence his earlier attempt at curling up in a ball and hiding away. 

He still wanted to do that, but now he wanted to curl around Charlie and hide away with him, never needing to be parted again. It didn’t help that the more he thought about why Charlie was here to begin with, what his I missed you so much meant and what was driving those tears, the more worried he felt. 

“Hey,” he murmured, pulling away enough to thumb Charlie’s tears from his cheeks—entirely ignoring his own—and give him another gentle kiss. “Come on, come sit with me.”

Charlie didn’t have to be asked twice. He let Nick push his coat off his shoulders and toss it onto the desk chair, then allowed himself to be pulled onto Nick’s bed. Nick settled against the headboard and Charlie settled himself against Nick, shuddering once and tucking in as close as he could get. 

Nick wrapped his arms around him, burying his face in Charlie’s soft curls and taking a moment just to breathe, to feel Charlie’s fingers trace and press wondering touches along his ribs. “I can’t believe your mum let you come. You have school tomorrow. She did let you, right? Oh god, wait, Charlie, if you’ve run—”

“Oh my god,” Charlie interrupted, laughing slightly as he squeezed Nick’s side. “Calm down. She let me. Dad even drove me to the train station.” He paused, but tacked on an explanation before Nick could ask. “I think she was more worried about what would happen if she didn’t let me than about me missing a day of school.”

Nick’s body locked up, arms tensing around Charlie. He lifted his head to look down at him, but Charlie’s face was half-mushed into Nick’s chest and tilted down. “Char. Are you…you didn’t—”

“No, no,” Charlie hastily reassured him. “I’m fine. Well. I’m not—it’s—I mean, a little crying definitely worked to my advantage, but I didn’t…I haven’t relapsed, or anything.”

It was only a mumble, but it was firm, and Nick pushed his face back into Charlie’s hair and let out a breath, hugging him just a bit closer. “But you were thinking about it?” he asked quietly. 

Charlie shook his head slightly, with another adamant little, “No.” Nick was ready to prod the denial when Charlie, again, elaborated on his own. “I mean, not anymore than it’s just…there. I don’t think I would have,” he said, which wasn’t perfectly reassuring, but which was honest, and Nick always felt that was better. Then Charlie added, even quieter, “It wouldn’t have been your fault, if I did,” and this time Nick was the one to shudder and burrow closer, wondering how Charlie always managed to cut off his worries at the root so quickly. 

It wasn’t what Nick hated most—that was being away from Charlie, full stop. But the concern of being away from Charlie and Charlie needing him ate at him frequently, especially in those same first few weeks. He’d sat then, more than once, in the middle of the night with his phone clutched in his hand, staring at his text thread with Charlie and feeling his stomach roil. Typing ‘are you alright?’ and ‘everything’s okay, yeah?’ and ‘I love you’ over and over, then continuously convincing himself not to send them. Because Charlie was just sleeping, and Nick had only talked to him a few hours ago, and he was fine, but what if he wasn’t and Nick’s phone was actually about to start buzzing with a furious, frantic call from Tori, because Charlie wasn’t alright but if anyone, if Nick, had just been there—

It had driven him crazy, and when he’d gone home the first time, Charlie had noticed. It was probably hard not to, with how obviously Nick had gone directly to his house and latched onto him, then refused to let go for the rest of the weekend. How constantly he’d been running his hands over Charlie could probably have been brushed off as missing and wanting, and the distance had definitely amped up the urgency to do things, for both of them. But even in the quieter, stiller moments, Nick’s touch would be there—checking Charlie over. 

They’d talked about it, then. They’d talked about it even before Nick left, but they talked about it then, again, and Charlie had bluntly reminded Nick that even his being a ten-minute distance away hadn’t been enough to stop him, so far. That Charlie’s struggles were his own, and Nick couldn’t keep him from them twenty-four-seven, but he knew Nick was still there. And so were his parents, and their friends, and Tori, and Geoff, now, if it came to it. Charlie had evidently even gone to Tori, as well, who cornered Nick the same day just to say, “I’d probably think to text you even before mum. Don’t be an idiot. You’ll know anything you need to know once I do,” which was both more reassuring and gratifying than Nick had expected it to be. 

Then, once he’d gone back, she’d texted him after only a day, and he’d almost had a heart attack. But it had been a short video of Charlie, Oliver, and Michael playing Mario Kart, with Charlie very audibly cackling as he inevitably slaughtered them. The message had read ‘he does miss you a disgusting amount, but it clearly isn’t stopping him’. After that, he got something from Tori at least once a week. He always replied, and she usually didn’t, but that was fine. It was a system put in place to reassure Nick that Charlie wasn’t simply lying to him, and he appreciated it more than he could say. Plus, it was a photo or video of Charlie about seventy-percent of the time, with the other thirty composed of Tori’s short, dry, borderline-sarcastic assurances that never failed to make Nick smile, regardless. 

Sometimes, she’d be a bit more genuine, like at the start of this week when she’d messaged him, ‘he’s been a bit quiet. hasn’t skipped dinner yet, but hasn’t been clearing his plate. be extra nice, and check in with tao maybe, yeah?’

Nick had checked in with Tao, and Charlie wasn’t completely skipping lunch, either, but he was ‘cranky’. He hadn’t been when he was talking to Nick, though. Nick had made a point of calling more than texting him, and he had sounded tired, and he’d sprinkled ‘I miss you’s into the conversation more frequently, but he’d also still laughed easily at Nick’s stories and hadn’t skipped any of his usual teasing. He hadn’t been overly distressed or panicky when he picked up on Nick’s own dwindling mood. But he’d been sympathetic and even quieter, and today, Nick had barely heard from him at all. 

Now he supposed he knew why. Maybe he already knew why Charlie’s mum was a bit worried, too. 

It would be the automatic next step, to berate himself for likely making matters worse, but Charlie had already deemed him free of fault. 

So instead he just said, “What’s been going on, then?”

Charlie didn’t answer immediately. He was still trying to press himself closer to Nick, fingers fluttering and gripping by Nick’s ribs and knees knocking together in an attempt to fit. Nick decided enough was enough and drew Charlie into his lap by hooking a hand behind Charlie’s knee and lifting it over his legs. Charlie made a soft sound of surprise, but quickly adjusted, shuffling until his knees were pressed into the bed either side of Nick’s hips. Nick put an arm around his waist and pressed them chest to chest, then tucked Charlie’s head into his neck, and pressed a kiss to his temple. 

“It’s just really hard,” Charlie said, eventually. 

Nick passed a hand through Charlie’s hair, and Charlie sunk into him. “What is?”

“A levels,” Charlie muttered darkly. 

Nick blinked. 

Then he said, “Oh.”

Instantly, he understood. He’d been there, a year ago. Nick was not the most easily stressed person, and it had easily been the most stressful period of his life thus far. Different, even, to his coming out and Charlie’s stint in the hospital—more mundane, and more drawn-out, and all the more stressful as something he should have been able to control, while feeling like he had no grasp whatsoever. With everything else, he’d had to ride it out. He and Charlie had done that together. And Charlie was always there, when he was studying for his exams and taking his exams and figuring out what came after, and still, the constant stress and pressure was in Nick’s own head, filling his chest. It was something he had to deal with, and it had been a lot.

In all his worrying about Charlie, and not being there, and their conversations about exactly this, he hadn’t thought about Charlie having to go through that same experience, now. Because Charlie was smart. In all his struggles and doubts, Charlie had still always remained an extremely impressive student. None of them doubted he would do well in his A levels. 

But Nick knew that didn’t help. He wondered, if anything, if the easy expectations stressed Charlie more. 

“Oh, Char,” he murmured. “How stressed have you been?”

Charlie heaved a sigh. “What do you think?”

Nick made a distressed, sympathetic sound and gave him a squeeze. He petted a hand through Charlie’s hair again, and relaxed some when Charlie melted a little further. “I’m sorry. I should’ve remembered how awful it gets right about now.” How much more awful it must be for Charlie, when it was something he had to worry about on top of everything else. Nick had barely remembered to eat, some days, when he was sludging his way through piles of homework and a shoddy study schedule and uni applications. Charlie had been the one to reprimand him for it more often than not, slipping into Nick’s room with two plates and a flurry of gentle, reassuring kisses. That Charlie had any appetite for even one of his meals in the day right now was a small miracle. 

“It’s okay,” Charlie said. 

“It’s not,” Nick insisted. “It’s a lot, and I know that. You’re doing so well, Charlie.”

Charlie sighed again. “All things considered, you mean?”

“Well, yeah,” Nick said. Honesty was still the best policy. He moved his hands to Charlie’s face, cupping his cheeks and tilting his head up so Nick could look at him. “A levels are stressful for everyone and they make it hard to keep a steady routine. It makes sense you’re struggling.” He tilted his forehead against Charlie’s, offering him a soft smile. “Honestly, I’m impressed you’re still managing what you are. You’re doing so good.”

Charlie didn’t have to ask how Nick would know, because none of them pretended Tori and their friends didn’t update him, and because Charlie was likely to update Nick himself before he would anyone else. He nuzzled his head against Nick’s now and bit his lip. “Do you think?”

“Absolutely.”

“Well. Geoff’s been helping me, a bit.”

Nick’s smile softened further. “Yeah? You have been talking to him about it, then?”

Charlie nodded. “Yeah. It’s—I’ve been—I know Tori and my parents have noticed I’m not finishing any of my food. But they haven’t said anything. I got…I was really annoyed with myself about it, before that, but Geoff said I shouldn’t think of it that way. He said at the start, I would’ve hardly been able to even look at the plate, and I didn’t have exam stress like this then. He said it was impressive that I was still sticking to a schedule and eating what I could. He helped me work out a new plan, so none of the meals feel as big or don’t take as much time, or whatever.”

“And is it better?”

Charlie’s own smile was a little wobbly, and he admitted, “Not really.” Nick rubbed his back, and he ducked his head back into Nick’s neck, bringing his arms up to wrap around Nick’s shoulders. “I guess because that isn’t, like, actually the main problem right now. I just…I needed a break.” Charlie’s voice cracked, and Nick hugged him tight again. “I needed to see you.” 

“That’s okay,” Nick whispered, pressing another kiss to Charlie’s temple, rubbing his back once more. “Geoff’s right. Whatever you can manage is better than nothing, yeah? Knowing what you need and working on it is what matters.”

“Thanks,” Charlie whispered back. “I was just—I’d been doing so well, and I don’t want it to…”

“You’re still doing well,” Nick insisted. “That’s what matters. Some days are going to be harder, and that’s okay. Just do it one at a time, right?”

Charlie’s lips curled in a soft smile—Nick felt it against his skin. “See, this is why I wanted to see you.”

Nick made a mock-affronted noise. “What? Not because I’m so sexy you couldn’t stand another day without my killer kisses?”

Charlie snorted. Loudly. Which Nick could’ve pretended to be offended by, if he wasn’t wearing such a massive grin. Really, he thought, this was why Charlie would have wanted to see him. Because this was what they were like. No matter how low or stressful things got, they’d thread through a little bit of light with their love. They would find something to laugh together about. They would share soothing kisses wherever it hurt. 

Which was surely what Charlie intended now, if the way he looked coyly up at Nick from under his lashes was any indication. “Well, I guess there’s that, too.”

Nick’s grin widened, and then Charlie was kissing it away, and then there was a lot more grinning and kissing in a much less joking way. It was harder to miss Charlie when he was weaving his hands through Nick’s hair, or sliding them under Nick’s shirt before Nick could peel it off, or tossing his own shirt aside with no hesitation and pressing them back together. He wasn’t thinking about missing Charlie, and he wasn’t thinking about how many assignments he still had due within the next few weeks, or the upcoming rugby match the team already seemed sure they were going to lose. And he didn’t think Charlie was thinking about A levels, or meal plans, or missing Nick, either. 

It had concerned Nick, too, at the start. That he’d just started to feel like he was getting good at doing things and that it was something they both frequently wanted to do in the first place. He’d worried that maybe he’d forget, or that Charlie would struggle with shyness all over again, and it would be like another first time but worse, because they’d feel like it shouldn’t be so awkward, now. 

But it wasn’t. It hadn’t been, any time. It was familiar and comfortable and deliriously good when combined with the euphoria of simply occupying each other’s space again. He’d wondered why he’d ever been worried, but it didn’t matter, because he wasn’t now. He knew exactly where to fit his hands and press his lips and sweep his tongue, and how, and when, and Charlie worked him over just as easily, with just as little hesitation, in return. 

It was a bit like riding a bike, Nick thought, then wondered if that made him the bike in this situation, and laughed a little deliriously. Charlie gave him a crinkled, curious look that Nick took to mean you’re so weird and I love you and blessedly didn’t stop. 

“Seen as much of me as you wanted, now?” Nick asked teasingly, once he was sated and breathless and had Charlie tucked into his side once more, no longer burrowing or hiding but quiet and content as he returned to tracing Nick’s ribs, fingers now tapping along bare skin. 

He pulled himself up to kiss Nick’s cheek, then pressed his nose there briefly, tucking his leg over Nick’s. “Never,” he said honestly, and Nick turned to kiss him again. 

When Charlie’s stomach rumbled ten minutes later, Nick made them a toasted sandwich to split. Charlie ate every pick of his half with his curly hair mussed around his face and one of Nick’s jumpers hanging from his shoulders. Nick took a photo to eventually add to the collection on his wall. It was a sight he knew he wanted to see every day. 

Charlie gave him a half-amused, half-unimpressed look. There wasn’t even a hint of the sadness of an hour before. Nick just grabbed him by the waist, and held on, and kissed him, and held on, and held on. 

The good thing about being in uni with a boyfriend that didn’t live ten minutes away anymore, was that when said boyfriend came to visit, he had nowhere else to go when the sun went. There was no one to tell him he couldn’t spend the night in Nick’s bed, or to wake him within ten minutes of falling asleep on Nick’s shoulder and order him home. When he was here, he was here to stay, and Nick loved it more than he knew how to put into words. 

It was all he could feel, though, when he looked at Charlie asleep next to him. Charlie, who looked soft and worry-free, asleep, the creases of stress all gone as he snuffled into Nick’s pillow and unconsciously tightened his grip on Nick’s waist. Nick easily went where he was wanted, pressing a featherlight kiss to Charlie’s head. He knew all those bits of stress would come back, and would likely get worse, now and again, throughout the year. He knew even while Charlie was here, or in whatever time Nick spent at home, he wouldn’t be able to prevent it completely. Probably not even at all. 

But he could make things a little less awful, maybe. He could make Charlie smile, and provide hugs and kisses, and feed him when Charlie let him. He could be there as much as possible, like Charlie was for him, and in between, they’d work on each day as it came, and that was all that mattered. 

And eventually, Nick wouldn’t have to be worried about missing Charlie again even when the sun came up. They’d fall asleep just like this, and wake up just like this, and they wouldn’t be dreadfully counting down the minutes they had left. It would be just like the past couple of years since they’d met, only better. Nick would forget completely what missing Charlie felt like, and A levels and long distance and taking the late train on a Thursday evening just to catch a break would be distant memories. 

Someday, Nick promised himself, holding Charlie that bit tighter and finally letting his eyes slip shut once he was sure Charlie was here, and he wouldn’t disappear. Everyday, soon.

hug prompts

[tickle-bugs]

Justice League Headcanons

So...yeah. Blame @fickle-tiction and @fanficsandfluff but I can’t get JL out of my head. I know next to nothing in terms of canon and I only enjoy a handful of DC movies, so this is the beginning of what I am calling the BEU (Bug Extended Universe). 

Essentially, in the words of Nick Fury, ‘I recognize your canon, but seeing as it’s a stupid-ass canon, I have elected to ignore it :)’. A mish-mash of everything I’ve learned about DC through osmosis and my own personal vibe checks :)

This is absurdly long so everything is under the cut:

Clark Kent

- Superman? NO, Superdork. 

- He’s extremely clumsy. If he wasn’t as fast as a speeding bullet he’d get his ass handed to him ten times over. He has two left feet. 

- He has a sweet tooth like no one’s business. Lois once found him perched on the kitchen counter at 3 am eating the donuts she brought home from work. 

- Super playful and affectionate! King of bear hugs! Country boy I love youuuuuuu

- Curses like a sailor. Do you really think Clark ‘Smallville, Kansas’ Kent is wholesome? He stubbed his toe once and yelled FUCK so loud that the windows vibrated. Everyone who isn’t in the league thinks he’s a boyscout but the league knows the truth. 

- Forgets about his powers a lot. He has been known to run through walls/take doors off their hinges when he’s excited. 

- Goblin. He loves messing with Bruce and roping Barry into his schemes. 

- Clark being ticklish is actually smth that can be so personal? His laugh is so loud and he always goes ‘sorry’ and tries to be quieter but it does NOT work. He has flight instincts more than fight instincts so he often starts unconsciously floating away when he’s tickled it’s so cute. He giggles a lot and he’s not particularly embarrassed by it.

- Do NOT get me started on ler Clark I could write a dissertation. He is SO playful and teasy but also sweet? He definitely is the type to laugh along with his lee. He definitely allows any sort of retaliation/fighting back like,,, if you manage to crawl away it’s because he let you, and if he wants too, he can be very mean and immovable.

- Bruce and Barry are his favorite targets. He doesn’t go after Diana because, frankly, he doesn’t have a death wish. He loves to cause problems on purpose by squeezing Arthur’s side and then blaming it on Barry. (Hal Jordan isn’t in the DCEU Justice League but I wish he was...they’d be partners in crime <3)

Bruce Wayne

- Okay let’s clarify some things: he’s not actually an asshole. He can be abrasive and snarky but he’s more towards the sarcastic gruff side vs straight-up mean.

- A lot of people think he’s genuinely an asshole/disconnected rich guy because he has a terrible habit of zoning out/interrupting people? Bruce actually just has intense ADHD that he refuses to get diagnosed, no matter how much Alfred pushes him. He doesn’t care what people think about him and he’s mostly learned how to manage it, so he leaves it alone.

- That being said, his friendship with Barry has me :’) Yes, he thinks Barry’s a pest (affectionate), but they share a few science-related hyperfixations (robotics, chemical engineering, etc). They can frequently be found holed up in the Batcave with a week’s worth of food and caffeine, and they’re just....tinkering. Watching them at work is amazing because as much as they annoy each other, they respect each other :)

- He’s 100% a cat person. He doesn’t have a problem with dogs, he just prefers cats. He feeds the strays that hang out around the Manor all the time...

-...which Alfred begs him not to do, because Bruce is severely allergic. He thinks he can power through the allergies until one of the stray cats does the face-headbump thing and he’s incapacitated emotionally and physically for the rest of the day. 

- He severely restrains his emotions but like...catch him on a good day or in a good mood and he’ll smile and laugh, especially in friendly company. He just generally believes in maintaining a poker face so no one can read him. 

- Not to be disrespectful but...thighs. I am Looking. 

- Bruce has a wonderful laugh. He’s not much of a giggler tbh but he has this open, clear, slightly scratchy kinda laugh (his voice is permanently hoarse from the Batman Voice). It’s so lovely. He has a habit of covering his mouth bc he’s embarrassed of his smile but if he finds something very funny he’ll laugh openly. 

- Thee Batman is ticklish and he...doesn’t hate it? Like of course he protests ten ways from Sunday but he more minds the ‘guys stop you’re ruining my dark and brooding facade’ bit. He hates being teased though and he will throw hands. 

- Circling back to the emotions thing, he’s very good at controlling his reactions, which means he has thoroughly convinced everyone he’s not ticklish. Except Clark, stupidly perceptive Clark, because he can hear Bruce’s heartbeat and see the way he clenches his jaw to avoid smiling. 

Diana Prince

- WIFEY!!!!! 

- Diana is hilarious okay? She’s just...so fucking funny. Her jokes never miss. You wouldn’t think she’s the quippy type, but she is, and she’s damn good at it. In a distant alternate universe, Peter Parker senses a rival. 

- Loves fresh fruit, but especially strawberries? She makes frequent trips to the local farmer’s market. 

- She also has a raging sweet tooth. She and Clark work together to steal sweets and buy snacks. 

- Will not back down from a challenge, ever. It’s kinda a problem.

- She has such a sweet laugh :’) It’s so bouncy and melodic and she scrunches her nose. She WILL snort and it’s the cutest thing ever. Yes she’s ticklish, but no one gets more than five seconds of laughter out of her before she turns the tables. 

- World’s meanest ler. Not only is she frequently on the prowl, she is near-ruthless, especially if she’s been baited. Once she sets her sights on someone, she won’t rest until she’s heard their laugh. 

- Diana is very mischievous and loves hearing her friends laugh. It’s impossible to be in her vicinity for more than five minutes without at LEAST a few pokes. She is not above just,,, random tickles either. 

- Nails. That is all. 

Arthur Curry

- Why are his tiddies always out? Someone please explain.

- The most targeted for pranks ever. Diana especially. Something about him just attracts goblinism. 

- He’s coming for Clark’s bear hugger crown. He picks people up so often that they’re just used to it now. 

- Playfighting and roughhousing is his love language. He absolutely loves wrestling with anyone who’ll humor him. He and Diana frequently tussle because they’re both good sports about it (Bruce is a little bit of a sore loser. Just a smidge). 

- Thinks he can get away with anything, which is decidedly not true. He just nopes his way out of the room and everyone’s like D:< get back here and atone for your sins!!! But Arthur’s already in the Pacific Ocean. 

- I like to think he’s ticklish, just not super ticklish y’know? He probably has a couple hidden spots that make him lose it though. Like he’ll definitely laugh and fall over, but he can and will fight back. Oh boy, will he fight back. 

- Batman: No fear.

Diana and Arthur sneaking up behind him:

Batman: One fear. 

- Y’know that picture of Jason Momoa sneaking up behind Henry Cavill on the red carpet? That is extremely relevant. Arthur loves to sneak up behind people and just...take them down. 

- Thinks Barry is annoying (affectionate) and the two of them are constantly chasing each other around. Barry is fast but Arthur’s strong (and wayy less ticklish than Barry)

- Physical affection!! He always has his arms around someone’s shoulders or something. He’s just a touchy kind of guy :)

Barry Allen

- Speedy boy! ADHD king! Sometimes his thoughts are also at superspeed, which means he talks way too fast and no one can understand him? But Bruce speaks fluent Barry and he translates often (though not without a labored sigh beforehand). 

- Physically affectionate but casual about it? He likes to play with people’s hands while he’s talking, bump shoulders with whoever he’s next to, etc. He doesn’t really realize he does it either. It’s not uncommon for him to be talking to Clark or Diana and they just...unconsciously give him their hand before he reaches for it.

- Okay so y’know how Bruce feeds the strays? Who do you think lets them in the first place? Barry has tried to adopt every stray he comes across, and when Alfred inevitably says no, Barry runs them to the shelter himself :’)

- Gifting is his love language!!! If he sees anything that remotely reminds him of his friends, he brings it to them. 

- He likes to hang out with Victor because he’s quiet, but doesn’t mind when Barry rambles, which he tends to do quite often. Barry will catch himself rambling and trail off, but Victor will encourage him to keep going, because he’s listening. 

- Thee Pillsbury Doughboy. Just these high-pitched, bouncy, frantic giggles that only get worse and eventually morph into cackles. He hiccups a lot too :’)

- Okay so he’s not a flailer but he’s super squirmy. Barry will cling onto his ler’s arms just to hold onto something. He kicks his legs too (he does this when he’s not being tickled either, if he laughs and he’s sitting somewhere he kicks). He also just constantly tries to crawl away. If he isn’t pinned down he will drag himself to safety. He also has a habit of curling up :’)

- Absolutely invented the speed-tickle. He actually doesn’t often use his powers (unless he’s chasing down Clark, because Clark isn’t above breaking the sound barrier to escape). He’s just got incredible hand-eye coordination and precision. His hands will be absolutely everywhere and he is so teasy about it. 

- Tries not to start fights he can’t finish, but he always gets roped into Clark’s mischief and gets targeted with revenge tickles. 

- He has tickled Clark once. It was incredible, amazing, showstopping, spectacular. Literally his crowning achievement. Did Clark absolutely destroy him afterwards? Yes, but it was so worth it. 

Victor Stone

- Quiet and stoic, but he’s always preferred listening and interjecting with a joke or two. 

- Closest with Barry and Diana, but he’s making an effort to bond with everyone.

- Unfortunately not ticklish :( I like to think soft touches on his face will make him smile and lean away, but it’s not going to get a laugh from him.

- Doesn’t often get involved in tickly shenanigans, but when he does, he surprises everyone with how much fun he has. A different, warmer side of him comes out when he’s among his friends.

- He’s a hugger! Definitely awkward about it, but he loves hugs and just...holding his friends. 

- He collects hoodies. He can’t really feel them when he’s wearing them, but he likes them and the idea of it. Barry seems to slip him a new hoodie every week. Victor has no idea where he gets them from but he’s not complaining. 

- He is an enabler. He will look at Bruce like :| “no, I don’t know where Barry and Clark are, nor do I no what they’re planning” But they’re literally right behind Bruce, about to squeeze his sides. 

- That being said, he won’t do that with Diana. If she asks where they are, he’ll subtly nod his head in their direction. Even in jest, he will never lie to her. Which makes him Thee person to avoid when Diana’s on her mischievous streaks.

[dream-a-little-bigger-x]

Parallels | Chapter 18

Add yourself to my taglist! | Here’s my masterlist! | Parallels Masterlist

Characters: OC! Violet Grace Dawson, Luke Patterson, Julie Molina, Carrie Wilson, Bobby Wilson, Reggie Peters, Alex Mercer, Flynn nolastname, Willie nolastname, Nick Danforth-Evans, Dirty Candy 

Guideline: Sunset Universe is the universe in which Sunset Curve is famous and Violet is friends with Carrie, Julie and Flynn. Candy Universe is the universe in which Dirty Candy is more famous and Sunset Curve has broken up. 

Song(s) used: When The Sun Goes Down - In The Heights | Make You Believe - Little Mix 

Warnings: Lots of crying, bit of angst, goodbyes

Words:  3,983

The tension during the rest of rehearsal was real. No one really knew what to say, so they just kept themselves busy with the music they were making together. Today might just be the very last time they’d be able to do this with Violet. 

That same night, Violet had dreamt about a song. Something in the pit of her stomach told her it was Rose’s song, but she wasn’t certain anymore. It was a hazy dream. As though the connection she had with her universe was fading. 

“Can’t believe I didn’t notice it wasn’t actually you,” Luke said when he and Violet were the first ones in Julie’s garage. He knew she was going to be early, so he had come early, too, as he wanted to have a chance to talk to her, alone. 

He’d startled her ever so slightly as she was busying herself with the song she had written with the memory of the hazy dream in the back of her head. Though hearing his voice and seeing his gorgeous face and bright eyes immediately calmed her down. 

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you,” Violet replied softly whilst Luke took a seat next to her on the piano stool. A spot they’d found themselves in a lot of the time. 

“It’s okay,” he said. “I understand it wasn’t easy to tell anyone. I probably wouldn’t have believed y–” A soft jolt went through Violet again, shutting him up straight away. “Sorry.” 

Violet shot him a smile, telling him it was all good. She didn’t quite know what to say to him. Today was their last day together, she could sense it in the pit of her stomach. And there was so much she wanted to say before she went away for good. There was so much she wanted to tell him. 

“Have you figured out how to get back yet?” he then asked solemnly. He didn’t want her to leave, he liked this version of Violet a lot better than the bitchy, sassy girl he’d had a crush on since Middle School but wasn’t reciprocated. 

She softly nodded her head and showed him the song in her notebook. “I think it came to me in a dream, but I’m not sure anymore. My connection with the other universe seems to be getting weaker…” 

“Make you believe again?” he asked, scanning the paper. 

“Mmh,” she hummed. “I think because my unfinished business was getting the band back together, I made you guys believe in music again…” she trailed off because there was more to her theory, more than she wanted to say. More than she could say. 

Luke let out an airy chuckle, “Well, you made me believe something else too.” His eyes landed on Violet with that sweet, tender smile plastered on his face. She had been wishing for Luke Patterson to look at her like that for years. 

His eyes then flick down to the piano, that same smile playing on his lips. Violet could swear there was a slight blush coloring his cheeks. Then, as Violet felt her heart clench, Luke’s voice floated through the garage. 

“When the sun goes down You're gonna need a flashlight You're gonna need a candle”

With a small smile on  her lips, Violet responded. 

“I think I can handle that”

Luke chuckled at this, looking back up at Violet. 

“When you leave town I'm gonna buy you a calling card”

As the next words rolled off Violet’s lips, Luke felt his heart beat faster. 

“'Cause I'm falling hard for you”

Violet let her eyes fall on the garage door, reminding herself of what was awaiting her. The two of them then bounced back and forth, responding to each other’s sentences. 

“I go back today”

“And I will try to make my way”

“Out west to California”

“So we've had this summer”

“And we've got each other Perhaps even longer”

Luke suddenly got up from the stool, capturing Violet’s attention again. His voice sounded stronger, more powerful. So powerful, it sent shivers down Violet’s spine. 

“When you're on your own And suddenly without me Will you forget about me?”

“I couldn't if I tried”

Luke grabbed Violet’s hands, pulling her up from the stool as well and guiding her towards the middle of the garage. 

“When I'm all alone And I close my eyes”

“That's when I'll see your face again”

“And when you're gone You know that I'll be waiting when you're gone”

Violet pulled him closer, to make sure the message she wanted to convey came through to him. 

“But you're here with me right now”

“We'll be working hard, but if we should drift apart”

Tears pooled Violet’s eyes, thinking about not seeing Luke anymore. Not this Luke. 

“Lukas”

“Lemme take this moment just to say”

“No, no”

“You are gonna change the world someday”

“I'll be thinking of home”

She took a step closer towards him, their chest pressed together as their voices blended together into a gorgeous harmony. 

“And I'll think of you every night At the same time”

Not being able to withhold himself anymore, Luke’s hands reached up to Violet’s cheeks, pulling her closer until their lips collided in a passionate, long-awaited kiss. The world seemed to spin around them as their lips moved in sync. Her hands had to grip at his shirt as she was afraid she’d fall if she didn’t. 

As they came back up for air, Luke pressed his forehead against hers. Their voices floating through the garage once more in a soft mumble. They only had eyes for each other. As though they were the only people in the world. 

“When the sun goes down When the sun goes down When the sun goes down”

The loud, ear-piercing squeals erupting from the garage doors caused the two of them to snap up out of their dream-like state. At the door stood all six of their friends. Alex and Bobby had their hands pressed against Reggie’s mouth while the girls were jumping up and down in excitement. 

The leather jacket-clad boy pushed the hands of his friends off him, “FUCKING FINALLY!” he screamed out, flailing his arms in the air. “Pardon my French,” he then added, a little more subdued whilst straightening his jacket. 

A blush spread across Violet’s cheeks. She hadn’t wanted to kiss him. She did. But she also didn’t. She was leaving today and she wasn’t going to see him again anytime soon. This kiss was going to haunt her for the rest of her life, knowing she wasn’t going to kiss him ever again. 

“I found a way to get me back,” she then said, moving away from Luke and back to the piano where she had left the notebook with the song scribbled down in it. “I think – the dream was a bit hazy. But I do believe this was a song Rose wrote to get herself back.” 

Julie perked up at this and made her way to Violet, who showed her the song. “My mom wrote this?” she asked in a whisper. Violet nodded. “Would you mind if I kept this? You know, after…?” She didn’t even have to finish that sentence for Violet to hum in assent. 

“So, guide us through it,” Alex told her, climbing behind his drum kit. 

She had to heave in a deep breath before she could start explaining the song. She started with the beat, then the rhythm, then the melody and then she went through the lyrics with the girls. 

“How does this work then?” Flynn questioned after they had received the information. “You’re just gonna disappear and the Violet from this universe is just gonna appear?” 

“I don’t know,” Violet sighed. “We’re gonna have to let the universe do its work. All we can do is try…” 

“Can I… say something, before you go?” Julie asked solemnly. After receiving a nod from Violet, Julie continued. “I wanna say thank you… You brought me closer to my mom, in a way. You brought me and Carrie back together. You gave me the best summer ever, since my mother died last year. You made me believe in the power of music again. So, thank you, Violet.” 

A teary smile etched its way to Violet’s face. She didn’t quite know what to say to that, so instead, she wrapped Julie up into a tight hug. “You are amazing, Julie Molina. Never stop shining,” she whispered before the two broke apart. The both of them had tears streaming down their faces. 

The next person to wrap her up into a hug was Flynn. It was abrupt and Violet didn’t have enough time to register who had scooped her up, but the cotton candy perfume that wrapped her up was a dead giveaway. “Thanks for bringing my Julie back,” she whispered. 

“Thanks for bringing me back,” Violet whispered back and then it was Carrie’s turn to hug. “Thanks for this crazy adventure, Care.” 

“Thank you,” Carrie responded. 

Then, Bobby, Reggie and Alex hugged Violet at the same time. “Thank you for bringing the band back,” Alex said before pressing a kiss to her hair. The boy had always towered over her, which she had loved. Especially when he hugged her. Because he’d always kiss the top of her head. 

“You guys gonna continue as Sunset Curve again?” Violet asked when they pulled away. 

“No,” Bobby replied. “We’re gonna go on as Violet Sunset. You’ve brought us back together, it’s only right we honor that.” 

A wide smile broke on Violet’s face whilst tears rolled down her cheeks. “Take enough breaks from each other, yeah? And talk to each other when something’s bothering you. I don’t wanna be hearing you breaking up again, okay?” 

The three boys nodded their heads, all three of them with tears pooling their eyes. 

“We’re gonna miss you, Violet Dawson,” said Reggie, wiping his tears with the sleeve of his leather jacket. “A whole lot.” 

As the boys stepped aside, Luke moved over towards her. He was already crying, which had Violet crying even more. “You’re gonna change the world someday,” he whispered with a small chuckle while grabbing her hands. “Like you changed mine.” 

“I’m gonna think of you every day, Luke Patterson. Don’t ever forget me, okay?” 

He smiled, “I couldn’t if I tried,” he responded before dipping down and kissing her. The saltiness of their tears mingled with the passion and love in their lips. It was a bittersweet feeling. Kissing him. Saying goodbye to him. 

“Shall we do this?” Luke then asked when the two pulled away again. 

Violet gave him a nod before he pressed a kiss to her forehead and grabbed his guitar again. The others took their spots again, ready to start playing this song. They didn’t even know if it was going to work, but even if it didn’t, they had another great song they could add to their setlist for the next gig. 

Violet counted the girls in as the first part would be a capella. Their voices blended together perfectly, bouncing off these garage walls for the very last time. 

“Ah ah ah Ah ah ah Ah ah ah I'll make you believe again”

The boys then chimed in on their instruments whilst Julie took the first verse and made it hers. 

“Down on your knees She made you feel like you're worthless You just don't deserve this, no no How does it feel? To think that you gave all you could Wish you did but you would”

Carrie then took the pre-chorus for her account while Violet prepared herself for the chorus by wiping underneath her eyes. She probably looked like a raccoon by now, but she wasn’t sure if she cared.  

“I'll be the ears you talk to The doors you walk through The arms to hold on to You're safe with me”

Flynn and Violet joined in with Carrie and Julie on the chorus. While Julie interacted with Reggie and Flynn with Bobby, Violet focused on the space ahead of her. She couldn’t look at Luke. Not right now. It would hurt too much. 

“Your hearts been stolen Eyes weren't open Trust is broken But I'll make you believe again Make you stronger So we'll live longer You've lost your faith in love But I'll make you believe again”

In a moment of weakness, she turned her head to her left, where Luke stood. His eyes flickered with both love and sadness. She finally grabbed the mic from its stand and turned towards him completely, singing the next verse. 

“Where do you run? Who do you turn to, it burns you cause you though that she was the one She threw it away Left you with nothing but pain You won't feel love again”

Leaving this universe was going to burn. This was her place, these were her people. It made her realize that she had been born in the wrong universe. A universe where she felt out of place all her life. While this universe was one where she felt right. She felt great. She felt at home. 

This wasn’t the right thing to do for her, but it was for the other Violet. They had to restore the balance. They had to switch back. There was no going back now. 

 A knock to his bedroom door caused Alex to startle a little. He was working on a song by himself, being inspired by Violet’s songwriting and felt the need to create something himself. And then the angel herself stood in his doorway. 

“Am I interrupting something?” she asked with a smile. 

Alex smiled. “No, not at all, come in!” He patted a spot on the bed as an invitation for her to sit down. “I’m working on a song,” he said proudly. “Would you mind checking it out and bestowing me with some of your wisdom?” 

Violet smiled and leaned over, so she could read along with him. 

Tell mе, am I broken? I can never lеave Biting on my tongue and Checking if it bleeds Oh, is it lost on me? All the things I believe Something like an omen I can never keep Moving on and on, so very bittersweet Is it lost on me? All the things I don't need

“This is amazing, Lex,” she whispered. “It’s raw, it’s real. Definitely has a ton of potential to become a big hit.” 

The smile on Alex’s face was wide and bright and warm. “Thanks, but I don’t think it’s something we’re ever gonna  be allowed to put on an album.” 

Violet knew immediately what he meant. Their management was shit. Neither of them was allowed to come out, all four of them hiding in the shadows without ever being able to completely, unapologetically be themselves. 

“You need a new manager,” Violet told him matter-of-factly. 

Alex chuckled. “I don’t think –” he started his sentence, but Violet didn’t let him finish. 

“No, Alex, I’m serious. I know you guys tried really hard to get a manager in the first place, but this isn’t what a manager should be like. You should be able to live your life the way you want to, with Willie. Being out and proud to the world because that’s who you are. And who you are is fierce and amazing and fantastic.” 

A single tear rolled off Alex’s cheek. “I’m gonna miss you, Violet,” he whispered before wrapping his arms around the girl’s body. He buried his face in her neck whilst she rubbed soothing circles on his back and tried not to cry herself. 

“I’m gonna miss you too, Alex,” she whispered back and then, “Promise me you’ll talk to the boys about finding a new manager? About coming out to your fans? About being the authentic you?” 

The boy nodded his head while disentangling himself from the hug. “I promise. Thank you… For making me believe there’s still good in the world.” 

Violet smiled at this. That was exactly what she needed to hear. 

“Let’s get to the music room, yeah? Time for this bitch to get back home.” She proudly pointed at herself at the word ‘bitch’ before getting up and reaching out a hand towards Alex. 

Intertwining their pinkies together, Alex and Violet made their way down to the basement where everyone else already was. A nervous flutter went through her stomach. She was going to have to say goodbye to this lot. The people she had come to love. The people that had become her best friends. Even more so than the people in her own universe. 

“Hey guys,” Violet started, capturing everyone’s attention. They all looked at her with interest and solemn flickers in their eyes. Except Luke. He was scowling. She knew he hated her for having to leave. He hated her for lying to him. For keeping a secret. For making him fall in love with her and then disappearing. “Before I go… I just wanted to say thank you for making me feel at home here. Especially you girls, I know I said some things that I didn’t mean and that it wasn’t easy for you to believe me. So, thank you for making this adventure a little more bearable.” 

“Thank you for giving us the best summer ever,” Julie replied before leaping up towards Violet and wrapping her up into a hug. Carrie and Flynn followed her example, throwing themselves into the group hug together. 

Giggles filled the space while tears rolled down their faces. These girls had found a special place in Violet’s heart and she was going to miss them even though they were back home, too. It wouldn’t be the same. 

Violet carefully pushed the girls off her, facing the boys now. “I just wanna say one thing to you boys: get a new management team. Stay true to yourself. Be yourself. Keep writing absolute tunes and travel the world. If I ever do get back here, make sure you’re on your world tour, yeah?” 

The boys chuckled and even Luke let out a small huff. 

“We’re gonna miss you, Vi,” Reggie stated and opened his arms for her to walk into. He wrapped her up into a hug, then took a step aside for Bobby and Alex to do the same. When they broke apart, the boys stepped aside and Luke appeared in front of her. 

Her heart skipped a beat upon seeing him. He still looked angry. He didn’t even look at her. This wasn’t how she wanted to say goodbye to him. Not with him being mad at her. 

“Luke,” she started softly. This was the other’s cue to move to the other side of the rehearsal space, just so the two could have some sort of privacy. “I’m sorry for not telling you sooner. I’m sorry for all the hurt I caused. I’m sorry for–” Luke swallowed her last words by pressing his lips to hers. 

It was sudden and Violet wasn’t sure what was happening at first until his arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer. She melted into the kiss. She melted in his arms. She completely melted into him. 

All the sexual tension, the jealousy, the daydreaming about him,... it all washed away with one kiss. 

“I had to do this once more before you left,” he whispered, pressing his forehead to hers. “I know you can’t stay, but please, come back when you can?” he asked but his voice could barely carry. These were words just for Violet. No one else should be hearing them. 

“I’ll try,” she whispered back and wiped the single tear off his cheek before it could fall. 

There was so much more they wanted to say to one another, but no words could ever possibly describe it. So instead, Luke wrapped Violet up into a hug. Her arms snaked around his waist, her face buried in his neck as did his in hers. She inhaled his scent one last time. He pressed his lips in her neck to taste her one last time. 

Soon enough, the others engulfed the couple into a group hug. All of them were crying. All of them felt the pain and sadness of a goodbye. This was the hardest goodbye they ever had to endure. Harder than saying goodbye to family before heading off on tour. 

This was goodbye forever. 

“Okay, let’s do this,” Violet whispered, disentangling herself from her friends. 

Wiping at their eyes, everyone took their spot and their instruments. Violet guided them through the song a few times. Explaining the chords and notes. Explaining which verse was whose. All while her chest hurt and she felt like crying even more. 

This was the last time they were ever going to sing together. The last song as a band. The last song ever. She didn’t want it to end, but as they went through verses and choruses, the end came nearer and nearer. 

“I'll be the ears you talk to The doors you walk through The arms to hold on to You're save with me”

Violet felt a tingle in her toes. Would this be the feeling she felt before zapping back to her universe? 

“Your hearts been stolen Eyes weren't open Trust is broken But I'll make you believe again Make you stronger So we'll live longer You've lost your faith in love But I'll make you believe again”

The boys slowed down with the instruments as Violet’s voice chimed through the amps. The girls quickly joined into a beautiful harmony that sent shivers down everyone’s spine. 

“I'll give you the strength that you need to forget I'll be the last thing that you would regret Make you believe in love again”

The tingling feeling in her toes rose up to her legs, then her stomach to eventually nestle in her chest. It felt as though Violet was floating through the air and she had to shut her eyes. She was scared that if she kept them open, everything would disappear in front of her. 

“Ah ah ah Ah ah ah I'll make you believe again”

“Oh oh oh Oh oh oh”

“I'll make you believe”

The tingle in her body disappeared and when Violet opened her eyes again, she wasn’t in Julie’s garage anymore. She was in a spacious room, surrounded by the people she knew best; Flynn, Julie, Carrie. Even the Sunset Curve boys were there. The actual Sunset Curve boys. She knew she was back. Luke wasn’t wearing his comfort flannel anymore and wore a sleeveless shirt instead with the orange beanie she had come to love. 

“Oh oh oh Oh oh oh I'll make you believe again”

The confused looks on their faces told her they weren’t sure if it was really her or her parallel self. They exchanged glances with one another, trying to figure all of it out. 

“Your hearts been stolen Eyes weren't open Trust is broken But I'll make you believe again Make you stronger So we'll live longer You've lost your faith in love But I'll make you believe again”

“Oh oh oh Oh oh oh I'll make you believe”

“Oh oh oh Oh oh oh I'll make you believe”

The boys quit playing their instruments, so it was just the girls’ voices that carried through the room. The four were facing each other and judging from the way Violet was looking at them with that proud, ‘I missed you’ smile on her face, they were pretty certain it was her. 

“Ah ah ah Ah ah ah I'll make you believe again”

Violet lowered her microphone and panted from exhaustion. “Gosh, I’ve missed singing with you.” 

“It’s really you?” Carrie asked. “Our Violet?” 

“Yeah,” Violet whispered. “It’s me, it worked. It actually worked.” She was a little surprised herself. 

“Welcome home, Violet,” said Alex from behind his drum kit. 

Home. She was home. 

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[periminkle]

Orphic | 04

After moving into your own place, it seems life is finally going your way; the path to independence leading you to a quaint suburban town where even the grass seems to grow a little greener. Although a shocking encounter leads you to believe that perhaps appearances can be quite deceiving.

pairing: hybrid!jk x reader (first person)

genre: hybrid au, angst, fluff

word count: 7.6k

rating: PG-15

warnings: swearing, descriptions of blood and cleaning wounds, mentions of cannibalism (o.o)

author’s note: mMMm setting deadlines is effective but exhausting, so the pacing of this might be a bit weird? also im def not late bc it’s still sunday in some timezones so ;))

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I stared intently at the grungy nick in the otherwise spotless wall, mind racing a mile a minute.

The better half of the last hour had been spent pacing back and forth, gaze unmoving from the unconscious man in fear of missing the twitch of a finger or the flutter of an eyelash. His complete stillness persuaded me to check on his pulse frequently, glad to feel the faint, yet steady, beat beneath layers of smooth skin.

When I received a second call from my cranky saviour to inform me that he was nearly here, I forcefully sat myself down and practiced that infamous square breathing that every zen yogi swore by. By the persistent bouncing of my knee, it was evident that the yogis had failed me.

Rain was pounding down in thick sheets onto the pavement outside and at this point I was convinced the world had it out for me, using every trick in the book to further complicate this surely doomed rescue mission. Nonetheless, I optimistically hoped that the incoming storm would soon subside.

My unfortunate lips dealt with the brunt of my merciless canines, rendering the skin raw by the time a distinctive series of raps against the sturdy door caught my attention. It was the very same pattern in which I’d regularly knock on the door to the cleaning storage, craving the company of someone other than the three musketeers I’d gotten to know better than my own blood.

Although I ordinarily would be enthusiastically welcomed and greeted with nothing less than a wide, heart-shaped grin, the circumstances now were undoubtedly exceptional. Thus, the crinkle between his brows and the disgruntled glare fixed on my sheepish smile were to be expected.

Needless to say, Hoseok was not impressed.

“What the hell?” the typically friendly janitor barked out, huffing out his frustration at having his slumber disturbed. “You do know that it’s almost two in the morning right? How did you even get in here? Why couldn’t this wait for tomorrow?”

His hair stuck up in a multitude of different directions, evidently having rolled out of bed, slipped on a jacket and came to my rescue. The wrinkled, blue horse character on his pajama set eased some of my nerves at the familiarity of its nose, in the shape of Hoseok’s smile that was, understandably, nowhere to be found with the current circumstances.

I gripped the distressed male by his lithe shoulders, imploring him to slow down. “I’m not coming in tomorrow. Listen, this is gonna sound absurd but—”

His eyes drifted past my smaller form and I firmly shook at his torso to prevent him from spotting the other man. “Hey! Eyes down here.” A hint of curiosity bled through his agitated exterior when he focused on my stern exterior once more. “You can’t freak out, okay?”

Hoseok shrugged his approval, murmuring, “Yeah, I get it, directly disobeying the head researchers is pretty satisfying and all, but did you really have to drag me into this? Especially when you know I start early on Saturdays?”

At the reminder of his strict schedule, I withered marginally as I originally hadn’t intended to involve him at all. A shameful appreciation began to eat away at my conscience, grateful for his presence in spite of my outrageous request. I wouldn’t know what to do if Hoseok hadn’t come through and in my eyes, he remained an angel who was too good to be true.

“I’m sorry, I promise this is really important.” I brought my arms back to my sides, glancing down at my feet in order to organize my swirling thoughts. “I wouldn’t call you if it wasn’t an emergency.”

What I didn’t notice while lost in my reverie was Hoseok’s rebellious stare, wandering over the injured man’s form. “What the fuck?” He gently shoved me aside, stumbling deeper into the laboratory. When he was planted by the stranger’s table, he repeated, “What the actual fuck?”

My head tipped back in exasperation, disappointed that not even my last minute backup strategy was going according to plan. “Hobi, please.”

I could practically envision the gears whirring in his head, a natural reaction considering the mutant in front of him. When he finally craned his neck back to me, he mumbled with wide eyes, “Say sike right now.”

“Stop talking for two seconds.” I groaned, marching up to position myself between the janitor and the table in an attempt to calm him down. Immediately upon noticing his trembling digits, I reached out to clasp them within my own quivering hands. “Listen, this experiment they’re conducting? From what I know, it’s all some screwed up excuse to inject animalistic characteristics of their choosing into humans. And their track records point to a lot of predator species.”

“Predators? Wha—why would they even want to create a predator-human hybrid?” Hoseok took a tiny step back and out of the fear that he would flee, I fiercely clamped down onto our conjoined limbs.

“I don’t know yet,” I faltered. “But, honestly, I couldn’t care less because of how unethical they are in their approach to this project.” At his puzzled expression I somberly gestured to the unmoving lump in the corner, willing myself to postpone any tears for a safer location.

Hoseok must have connected the dots at the midnight black shade of fur peeking out underneath the fabric matching the colour of the hybrid’s ears and tail, as his stare hardened and his breathing began to even out from the rapid pace it was at before. “I’ll need more details later on, but let’s get him out of here first.”

At his command, I retracted from Hoseok's hold, scoping out the rather barren area for something other than the masses of files and papers strewn about. “You think we can carry him together?”

Simply comparing the difference in size between the stranger and Hoseok, there was no doubt the copious, hulking mass of muscle outweighed my friend’s slimmer figure. Our combined strength would have to somehow prove formidable against his bulky body.

Hoseok’s grimace spoke volumes about his faith in that idea, although there wasn’t much of a choice considering the alarming time crunch and our limited accessibility to other parts of the laboratory. Due to my blind confidence in the ostensibly foolproof scheme I constructed, the only cameras shifted were directly located in the path from the front entrance to the changing room to the upstairs lab.  

Oh, how I was regretting that naivety now.

Using an abandoned stretch of fabric that had been stuffed into one of the drawers I rummaged through earlier, I covered his immobile body with the thin cover to provide some decency and act as a layer of defence against the torrents outside.

While Hoseok stood directly behind his head, leaning forward to loop his arms underneath the hybrid’s triceps and around his chest, I grabbed each of his ankles, cradling them to my abdomen. Even with our best efforts to avoid any of his wounds, there was no way to avert the countless scratches and bruises that littered every inch of visible skin. We counted on the sanguine belief that he wasn’t conscious enough to feel any of it, reluctant to use any tranquilizers when we weren't aware of how much juice they’d already injected him with.

“On the count of three?” Hoseok asked.

With a nod, I tightened my hold and widened my stance. “One, two,” after taking a generous inhale, I heaved, “three!”

The two of us managed to maneuver the stranger down the length of the dingy hall before we were forced to gently place him onto the ground, desperate to grant our aching muscles the break they demanded. Currently, construction was being done on the elevator, which meant that the flight of stairs was the next obstacle to be tackled.

I lost the brief, but fierce, battle of rock-paper-scissors and endured the frightening prospect of marching down the stairs backwards—in the dark. All because Hoseok was unwilling to sacrifice the slightest bit of his comfort for the both of us to step sideways.

It was safe to say the stairs themselves took ten minutes to clear.

On the first floor, we were able to cross over to the main entrance in a breeze thanks to the spacious nature of the lobby. After scurrying to Hoseok’s car and laying the hybrid in the back seat, I returned to the lab to dutifully lock up the front door and jogged back to the vehicle.

Hoseok sent me a befuddled brow lift from the front seat when instead of the passenger’s side, I hesitantly stood a stride away from the driver’s door. “He’s fine, hurry up already so we can get out of here.” He motioned to the space beside him with the flick of his chin, his bed head dancing along with the movement. “It wouldn’t look too great if anyone caught us right now, especially with the man-cat knocked out cold in the back. Plus, the lab just radiates spooky vibes at night, look at my goosebumps!”

“Okay, okay, give me a second,” I grunted, opening the door to the back seat as I bowed inside to avoid a painful meeting with the roof of the vehicle. While gripping the back of the stranger’s skull with one hand and his upper back with the other, I lifted his torso and slipped inside. Tenderly, I placed his head on my lap.

“What are you doing?” Hoseok stared at me through the mirror, evidently unnerved by my proximity to the man. “He could literally wake up at any minute and there goes your throat!”

“Or he could get juggled around from your shitty driving and open his injuries again,” I countered, “which I think is a lot more likely, no?”

He scoffed, taking full offence to my jest. “Never mind. I hope he throws you out the damn window for calling my driving anything less than spectacular.”

The rush of excess blood coursing through my veins as a result of my overactive heart pounded in my head, nearly loud enough to block out the boisterous revving of the engine echoing throughout the empty lot. Tires squeaked against the pavement, jolting the hunk of metal into action as we sped away.

“Where were you thinking of leaving him?” he asked, taking a breath before mumbling, “that is, if you thought about this at all.”

“Hobi!” My jaw dropped dramatically at his not so subtle jab, shaking my head as I commented, “You’ve been hanging around Yoongi too much lately. I mean, all this sass couldn’t have come from nowhere.”

He slowed down behind the only other car in sight, flicking on his signal to turn. “Don’t change the subject.”

“I’m not, I was just commenting on your drastic change in behaviour,” I rebutted, crossing my arms across my chest at his determination to aggravate me tonight. “For your information, I actually planned this out for weeks; who do you think got the key card to the upstairs lab, the keys to the building itself, moved all the cameras—

Despite the leather seat between us, I knew he was sporting a sly smirk, for his conceit was bleeding through his supercilious tone. “And who begged me for help halfway through this ingenious plan?”

My jaw clenched shut, astounded at his cheeky retorts. At first, I was unsure of how the relationship between the jovial custodian and the chilly facade that Yoongi donned among strangers would progress, but judging by the sheer number of occasions in which I’d walked into a room with the two chatting away—gummy smiles all around, it seemed to be advancing better than expected.

“Whatever, you came anyway.” I sank back into my seat, careful not to disturb the comatose man peacefully resting on my thighs. Hopefully he was narcotized enough to remain oblivious to the various disturbances around him and would only rouse when the sun made an appearance.

Hoseok blithely sneered, pressing harder on the pedal as he spun the steering wheel to the right. “Yeah, well it’s kind of hard not to when you claim that Hyunho’s going to sue your ass for thousands of dollars.”

“And was I wrong?” I recalled our earlier conversation, where I hadn’t yet mustered up the courage, much less the patience, to confess to the details of my crimes. In a panicked state, I simply presented the consequences which would follow Hoseok’s absence—Hyunho’s wrath.

“No, now you’re just gonna get your ass handed to you by Namjoon and Yoongi,” he countered. “But I guess you’ll save some money while you’re at it.”

Merely the thought of their reactions to my late night escapade made me want to shrivel up in a ball. “Who said I’m going to tell them?”

“You’re not telling them?” The car slowed as he gradually came to a graceful stop behind a red light, turning his torso to face me with the help of his hand on the central console. “You know better than to release the man-cat, he’ll just get caught again.”

Rolling my eyes like a petulant child being scolded, I muttered, “I’m not releasing him.”

“But you can’t deal with him on your own either!” he snapped, the lack of sleep shortening his tolerance. After a pause to regain his senses, Hoseok rapidly shook his head and twisted back to focus on the empty roads ahead.

"Listen," I gritted out between my teeth, my own temper flaring. “I think you’re forgetting that I was well aware of the fact that I would be housing some kind of animal for a while, just didn’t know he would be this big.”

“Or this dangerous? This costly?” His firm grip on the wheel tightened, knuckles turning white as his emotions boiled over. "You’re not prepared to deal with him, I'll just take him back to my place."

A puff of air escaped my throat at his ridiculous solution, stating, "You live with your sister. There's no way she won't find out."

"Like you're any better off," he quipped, staring me down through the rearview mirror. "You live alone. If he were to do anything to you, we’d be none the wiser about it."

"Well, we can't risk anyone discovering his existence. There's no other way.” By watching the stranger’s chest rise and fall with each elongated breath, I was able to simultaneously avoid Hoseok’s prying eyes and collect my own thoughts.

While impatiently waiting for his arrival back at the lab, my mind had trudged through copious possibilities, overwhelmed with the pressure to choose the right one. Eventually, I came to the disconcerting conclusion that, be that as it may, the most secure option remained to bring him back to my place.

I reassured, "Don’t worry, I cleared out my bedroom so that there’s nothing in there that could potentially be used as a weapon. We'll secure him down, lock the door, and I'll camp out in the living room."

"Y/N, we don't have any clue what this guy is capable of,” Hoseok stressed, worry colouring his voice as he sharply gesticulated with his free hand. “Hell, look at him! He has cat ears, Y/N, and do not get me started on his tail.”

I stole a glance at the accused appendage in bewilderment, unsure of why that aspect was at the forefront of Hoseok’s concerns regarding the mutant boy. “What’s wrong with his tail?”

“My point is,” he accentuates, “we have no idea what we’re dealing with here. What if he has some kind of monstrous super strength and his diet consists of human flesh? He could probably rip right through any restraints and bam! That'll be the end of you."

I held my tongue at ridiculing his absurd speculations when some sort of man-cat hybrid was currently strewn across the back seat of Hoseok’s run-down Corolla; a dim display exposing the current, ungodly hour of the early morning.

“Do you have any better ideas?" Although my question was met with radio silence, we steadily continued on the potholed path headed away from my house. I spoke up again, "Where are you taking us?"

"We're going to Namjoon's place, and we're gonna think of a better alternative all together."

"Hoseok," I seethed, fists clenching next to my thigh. "He'll make us take him back. We're already too far in to go back now."

The car jerked violently due to the bumpy road and being suddenly reminded of the wounded boy, I shot out to grab at his thin waist in order to nail him to the seat. Despite my best efforts, crimson liquid soaked through the thin blanket and I cursed under my breath.

"I can't leave you there alone with him!"

"Please, we'll be careful." A beat passed as I greedily inhaled the fresh air flowing in through my open window,  gathering ideas to negotiate. "I'll stay awake the whole time and I'll text you every hour."

Regardless of my pleas, the car kept at its incessant pace to Namjoon's apartment. Sweat began to accumulate at my temples at the unsure fate of what censure awaited me. To distract my nerves, I gripped the fabric that covered the man’s body, tugging it over his shoulders to rest just below his chin while pressing a bunch into his side in an attempt to stop the bleeding.

Past the low hum of the vehicle, a gentle utterance met my ears. I lifted my head to inquire whether the sound was merely a figment of my fatigued imagination when Hoseok repeated, "Every half hour."

My eyes widened, darting to examine his stoic expression from the rearview mirror. "Yes! Yes, yes of course. I can even do every ten minutes if that’s what you want." I shrugged my shoulders, pointing out, "I'll be up all night anyway."

"No, I'm good. Unlike some of us, I don't deserve to be punished for my crimes and would like to salvage the little sleep I can get," he declared as he performed a U-turn at a wide intersection.

My grin expanded exponentially at the change in direction. "Suit yourself."

I allowed my thoughts to clear, tracing a clear droplet on the window as it raced to engulf another, merging into one, larger globule that ran down the smooth expanse until it was out of sight. Unknowingly, I mindlessly carded my fingers through the stranger’s dampened strands; more so for my own comfort than for anyone else.

Before I knew it, we’d arrived at my quaint cottage and with the addition of another individual residing under its roof, the place seemed tinier than ever. Hoseok and I shuttled him over to my bedroom as gracefully as we possibly could, aiming to avoid whacking into any obstacles along the way.

Other than his lengthy legs knocking into two door frames, we were clear.

The second his back met the rigid mattress, we collectively released a weighty exhalation from the excessive exertion that strained both our physical and mental states. Although the chances of the stranger waking up now were low, seeing as he was out like a light throughout the whole journey, I hurried to collect the sturdy ropes that I purchased in advance.

“Ooh, you’re into some kinky shit, huh Y/N?” Hoseok quipped, taking the material from my hands.

My eyes rolled back at his stupid antics, glaring at the pleased crinkles forming next to his drooping eyes. “Ha ha, very funny. Now help me tie him up, so I can kick you out of my house.”

“And what’re you gonna do to him when I leave?”

Snatching the rope that he stole from me, I shoved Hoseok to the side by pressing against his firm bicep—which definitely carried more than his fair share of the hybrid on the way here—and grumbled, “Guess If you want something done right, you gotta do it yourself.”

Hoseok burst into a short fit of contagious laughter, invoking a couple quiet giggles that I was unsuccessful in fighting down. As he raised the stranger’s arms to the bed frame, I looped the braided, nylon material snug around each of his wrists. Along the way I checked to ensure that the restraints weren’t too tight before moving onto his ankles to repeat the process. Luckily enough, his height stretched the entire length of my minuscule bed with his feet dangling off the ledge.

“Tell me you brought more tranquilizers in case?” Hoseok asked immediately upon securing the last knot. Throughout a tedious explanation on how foolishly lax I was behaving with the hybrid, he went back to inspect my handiwork, tugging the ends of the cords closer together into a grip that nearly cut off the hybrid’s blood flow.

Over his nagging, I sneaked a victorious grin as I displayed the syringes I’d nabbed from the lab. He spent a few more minutes fiddling with various safety measures consisting of the pepper spray he stealthily retrieved from my purse, the bedroom door’s lock and an air horn that he remarkably pulled out of his coat’s pocket. Although it was questionable if the blaring sound would awaken even my closest neighbours due to the sheer distance between our houses, I didn’t dare attempt after imagining old Sangmin marching over here on his rickety cane to bark my ears off.

Refusing to bother expending effort on pondering over the rationale behind Hoseok’s little magic trick, I blithely shooed him out before any more ridiculous objects could be plucked out of his jacket.

The last straw was his finger approaching the sensitive button on said air horn. Unwilling to face the consequences of his brash actions, I slammed the front door closed behind Hoseok, the space suddenly void of his rowdy antics. I wearily blinked the drowsiness out of my eyes, the stillness and tranquility of the early hours slowed my heart rate from the fast paced, action packed night.

My sock-clad feed padded their way back to the bedroom, snatching my phone out of my black hoodie to fiddle around with an app that I discovered upon moving out. In order to relay my continued existence to my family, I scheduled texts to be sent every week, which would prove useful at this time as well. Knowing my own forgetful nature, one update to Hoseok would slip my mind, and either four, furious men would burst through every available entrance or I would have the whole police force upon my front steps in minutes.

To prevent such a disastrous event from taking place, I tampered around with the settings and added the fretting male to the list.

I halted in my tracks when faced with the mundane sight of the four walls where I spent most of my sleeping hours, not a hair out of place other than the addition of the injured hybrid on my dirtied bed. The crimson stains jolted me into action, retrieving my brand new first-aid kit and finding it hilariously ironic that the dressings were going to be used on the very same criminal that broke in to steal such supplies.

In order to fight off any cold that could have possibly slithered its way past the weak barrier draped over his body, I peeled the flimsy, sodden cover off and replaced it with a puffy comforter. Traversing through the storm that continued to rage outside definitely put a strain on his already weakened state, and his pale countenance wasn't very reassuring.

I slid the blanket down to access the sullied wound at his rib cage and grabbed a couple pads of gauze to firmly press onto the area. Thankfully, some blood had already begun to coagulate around the edges, so I didn’t have to wait too long for the trickling stream to cease. With a clean towel, I wiped the surrounding skin to get a better look at what I was dealing with, grimacing at the bruises forming galaxies across the jagged edges of ripped skin.

He was in worse shape than either Hoseok or I could have predicted. At this realization, the fleeting worry that he might succumb to the severity of his wounds grew, festering a nasty doubt in my mind.

Deciding whether to clean the laceration commenced another strife within the whirlwind of emotions inside my head, but I poured a few drops of antiseptic onto a cotton ball anyway, fearful of infection. As I tried my best to carefully dab the soaked material across his wounds, I peered up at his face to search for signs of consciousness.

My eyes involuntarily softened at the small cuts littered across his neck, travelling past his jaw and over the slopes of his hollowed cheeks to his forehead, which was partially hidden under his dark locks. When the cotton was thoroughly besmirched with a blend of bright crimson and a muddy brown, I drenched another and advanced up to other regions after the more serious lesions were taken care of.

A closer look at his sinewy torso allowed me to examine the scars scattered all around, mostly clustered around his upper arms. Absentmindedly, I wondered whether their appearances were linked to the cruel methods of the laboratory. How had he gotten within their clutches in the first place? For how long was he suffering under the justification of being an experiment?

What were they trying to accomplish with him?

My mind raced with all the different possibilities of what could have brought the hybrid into this situation in the first place, and before I knew it, I was pushing back the disheveled strands on his forehead to clean the last of his cuts. There were definitely more on his dorsal side, but I wasn’t willing to undo his restraints and flip his hefty weight over on my own. I would either wait until he woke up or ask Hoseok to stop by again after his shift.

In my current position, I was close enough to feel his warm breath fanning across my skin, observe the tiny brown mole under his lip and how utterly breathtaking this man was underneath the cuts that marred his skin. He was undoubtedly attractive at first glance, although I wasn’t able to appreciate his masculine features while under the stress of saving him.

Once every laceration in my reach had been disinfected to the best of my limited abilities, I swiftly bandaged his side again and stuck Spider-man themed band aids onto the smaller cuts in memory of the Hello Kitty ones that decorated his body earlier. I settled back on the chair, admiring my handiwork and fighting back the looming threat of dormancy that approached with every elongated blink. My head leaned back as I crossed my arms, thinking that a little snooze never hurt anyone.

I was blind to the cocoa orbs drinking in the darkness.

The bright light streaming in through the numerous cracks between my blinds prodded my eyelids apart, pupils struggling to adjust past the groggy haze of an unexpected slumber. Rather than revelling in the bountiful energy supplied by a restorative nap, an obnoxious cramp in my neck made its presence known alongside the bleak, obstinate tingle of dormancy that lingered within every tightened tendon, pulsating throughout my entire body.

Although the pain gradually ebbed away after I rolled my head around in wide semicircles, I knew from experience that the ache of sleeping in an uncomfortable position would linger.

Gold streaks were painted on the hardwood floor as a result of the sun’s harsh rays, a stark contrast to the dusk of a few hours ago. As I began to fuzzily recollect the memories from yesterday, I spotted the growing number of discrepancies between the room I’d seen before I closed my eyes and now, from the open door to the ruffled sheets, devoid of any sign of life.  

Fortunately, I seemed to be in the same position, seated on the tough chair that I snoozed off in a few hours ago. However, I found it odd that it was particularly difficult to do much else than squirm around, and that was when I realized the problem lied in the nylon material tied around my wrists and ankles, binding me to the furniture.

A cold dread washed over me, much like a freezing bucket of ice being poured over my head. The hybrid escaped.

Well, at least he didn’t exact his fallacious revenge on my sleeping form.

“Awake?”

I squeaked at the whiplash that followed the movement of my head twisting a second too quickly, intent on identifying the furtive speaker. My eyes widened exponentially at locating the muscular hybrid, black ears twitching at my cry and tail swishing in curiosity. Being clad in only boxers, I shifted my gaze away out of instinct, a fiery blush overtaking my features despite having ogled the man’s ripped physique before.

It felt completely different when he was unconscious and my only intent was to treat his multitudinous wounds though.

He slowly blinked, clearly finding my astonishment puzzling with the bewilderment laced in his orbs. Waving a large palm in front of my face to get my attention on him, he calmly said, “No hurt.”

The tight rope that currently hindered my motion was definitely the same one that had been previously occupied with restraining the hybrid to the bed. Yet the very same male stood in front of me, free as a bird. “H-how did you get out?”

Instead of answering verbally, he extended his defined arms out to the side, imitating the position he was tied up in, then robustly swinging both limbs towards one another. So he broke through those thick, durable ropes with sheer strength and willpower. Comforting.

The tranquilizers laid scattered across the floor, much too far to even consider reaching them.

“Where’s your blanket?” I questioned, suppressing the tremor in my voice as I found it outrageous that my throat was still intact at this point. There was no guarantee that he wasn’t harbouring any motives to rid the world of my presence, but the fact that he wasn’t actively making any moves to rip my heart out was a good sign.

The mop of dark chestnut swayed along in the same direction that he tilted his head over to; a habit revealing an emotion that I couldn’t place on the stranger. “Warm. No like.”

His broken English revived a flurry of trepidation. I recalled the night of the break-in, the terror and hysteria that I’d buried away under the incorrect pretense that a burglar never hits the same house twice.

I didn’t know if that sentiment applied to kidnapping the criminal and using your place as his hideout, as well.

As I noisily gulped, I felt his stare dart to my esophagus and in a wild panic, my wide eyes met the doe-like curve of his own. The hybrid edged closer to my trembling form before treading past me, out of sight. I closed my eyes in preparation.

This is it. Goodbye world, it was pretty shit while it lasted.

I heard the rustling of fabric behind me and silently applauded the man for thinking of a quick and easy suffocation to reduce the amount of clean up afterwards.

His bare feet slapped against the floor, trekking over to my front again. When a couple seconds passed and none of my airways were blocked nor was there any piercing pain to be felt, I cautiously cracked an eye open to see the stranger standing there, the puffy blanket from before wrapped around his broad shoulders.

“Good now?” he inquired with a bunny-like smile.

My jaw dropped slightly as I nodded, attempting to formulate a sentence but coming up empty. The stark contrast between the brawn enveloping his body and his innocent features threw me in for a loop. This must have been part of his grand scheme to ruthlessly murder me—lulling me into a false sense of security before executing me on the spot.

Outwardly, the hybrid appeared to possess more human features than his animal counterpart, leading me to wonder which instincts ruled over the other. Was he more level-headed and rational or was he unable to suppress his bestial instincts? Did he get sudden, violent mood swings or go on occasional, bloodthirsty rampages?

The lack of knowledge I had regarding the man, who had somehow gained the upper hand through his brute strength, was worrying. A tinge of regret for not skimming through a few files on said hybrid before Hoseok’s arrival made me softly curse under my breath.

As I shifted in place, I was reminded of my own predicament. “So, uh, any chance you’ll let me go?”

With his broad grin still on full display, he made his refusal clear by shaking his head back and forth. It was worth a try. “Not fair. I tied, now you tied.”

His childish logic caught me off guard and a bark of laughter shook my stiff shoulders, marginally relaxing at the prospect that he might postpone the bloodshed for a later time. The mystery laid in how he could distinguish my harmless intentions from the head researchers’ diabolical ones. Maybe it was the lab coat?

I made a mental note to never wear my own lab coat in front of him.

A grumble snapped me out of my reverie. I observed the stranger’s startled features as he glanced down at his abdomen, then, unabashedly, back up to my face. Recalling his screams of horror back at the lab, the barbaric treatment he received there was indisputable and based on his raging stomach, I guessed that it had been a while since he’d eaten anything of substance.

Of all times, Hoseok’s ridiculous words of the hybrid’s diet consisting of human grade meat played back through my brain and jitters erupted over my limbs, wanting to please the man before he was picking his teeth with my freshly cleaned bones.

“Hungry?” I prodded, pushing other priorities to the side in favour of feeding the rumbling beast.

His dark orbs immediately lit up with pure, unadulterated glee. The hybrid gracefully tied the ends of the fabric around his neck like a cape and rounded closer to me with mirth written across every crease on his countenance.

Unsure if his giddiness was attributed to the assumption that I was offering up the meat lining my organs, I squirmed in protest, attempting to cause a ruckus in order to spur his excitement towards another source of protein in the fridge.

Not having much choice in the matter with my limited range of motion, I watched in worry as he scurried out of sight again. “Hey, let’s not get ahead of ourselves here and—”

Despite being prepared for his unpredictable nature, a yelp flew past my lips when I was effortlessly lifted into the air, chair and all. His forearms caged my thighs as he gripped the bottom of the seat, hot pants of air blowing onto the back of my neck from his position.

His elation was practically tangible as he flew past the open doorway and sped off through the foyer. He must have ventured deeper into the house while I was blissfully unaware, since his strides towards the kitchen were filled with nothing but confidence in every step.

Hastily, I spat out, “I’m not that delicious, trust me! My budget’s been pretty strict this month, so I’ve just been eating junk, and I don’t imagine that’ll taste very go—”

The force holding me upright loosened when we reached the fridge, permitting my feet to find the floor. “Dee-lee-shiz?” He tried to imitate, turning to point straight at me.

“No! No, no, not delicious.” I corrected, violently shaking my head.

His outstretched arm retracted to his side, staring like a hawk at my chin tipping towards the metal cooling box behind him, and I repeated, “Delicious.”

As he flung the door to the refrigerator open, nearly ripping it right off its hinges, he yelled, “Dee-lee-shiz!”

Utter fascination at the chilled temperature and the rather meager array of food etched onto his features, sending relief through my veins. I encouraged him to ravage the tenuous stock of food while simultaneously rejoicing at successfully having deterred him from eating me alive.

Packs of eggs, blueberries, condiments, and essentially anything within his reach was hauled out, forming a growing heap on the countertop. When a zucchini found its way into his grasp, he took one puzzled look before chomping down on one end. I wasn’t too sure how raw zucchini would taste when eaten as though it were a cucumber, but he seemed pleased enough to take another bite that resounded throughout the space with a loud crunch.

I reclined back into the stiff chair, content on observing the ravenous hybrid empty my fridge and taking an occasional nibble on snacks that piqued his interest. Although, his grab at the bundle of raw chicken was when I decided to voice my concerns. “Ah, that has to be cooked!” At another tilt of his head, I explained, “You could get sick if you don’t cook it.”

By his furrowed brows, I deduced the concept flew over his head, but he threw the package onto my lap anyway and peered down expectantly. “Cook.”

“You tied me up, remember? I need some mobility to cook.” I tugged at my subdued arms to demonstrate my current inaptitude.

He hummed in thought, enveloping his lower lip between his lengthy canines as he weighed the pros and cons of being able to consume the meat by setting me loose. Finally, after clearly expressing how torn he was between his hunger and his teasing, it seemed that he��d come to a conclusion when he latched onto my left forearm.

Just as I was about to jib that I was no longer on the menu, a searing pain ripped across my wrist. I hissed through my teeth with my fists clenched as I teared my tender arm out of his grip, protectively cradling the limb to my chest.

He flinched away from the sound, taking a step away from my defensive form. At the sight of my disgruntled frown, he withered into himself, chin to his chest while I examined my sore wrist, whimpering at the edges of the flaming red, torn skin. I was a second away from viciously reprimanding him for the bruise that was more than likely to form by tomorrow, but one look into his guilty, fearful eyes made me pause.

With his strength, there wasn’t a doubt in my mind that he possessed the ability to do much worse, which didn’t seem to be his intent from all the fretting—ears tucked into the crown of his head and tail hanging low. As he seemed to be repenting without a chiding needed on my end, I redirected to a softer approach. “It’s fine, just be more gentle next time, okay?”

“Mm,” he complied weakly, his prior enthusiasm having substantially deflated. Before I could dismiss the topic and entice him with more food, he knelt down to my ankles, gripping the rope with both hands this time as he effortlessly tore the material apart, careful not to graze my legs in the process.

A shiver crawled down my spine at the display of power, mentally noting that there was probably enough strength in his fingers to flick my stunned form across the room; yet the man proved his duality by proceeding to grab one loose end of his makeshift cape and gently tie it around my unscathed wrist. “No run.”

Surprisingly enough, I hadn’t made it a break for it as soon as I was liberated. Although I sustained minimal injuries, he expressed his remorse and made no moves to consume my flesh, which was another good sign. As more time passed, he was revealing to be more and more of a passionate bunny stuck in a wrestler’s body.

After all, I hadn’t gone through all the trouble of kidnapping him just to sprint at the slightest sign of trouble. I confirmed, “No run.”

Some of his original ardour reappeared at my acknowledgement, along with a faint giggle that evoked a tiny smile on my own face. I figured that with his minimal experience revolving around homemade dishes, simply slapping on some salt and pepper to flavour the meat with a side of boiled vegetables would suffice. Thus, I took the package from my lap and got to work.

Cooking with another, rather useless, individual essentially attached at the hip was difficult, to say the least. In the beginning, the man fired question after question, curious about every ingredient and spice going into the dish, but after realizing that he lacked the correct vocabulary to obtain the information he sought, he became a silent observer.

Basically, he followed me around like a lapdog while munching on another zucchini to occupy his restless hands.

After pulling him around left and right, occasionally giving a soft tug on the blanket when he would unintentionally zone out, I finally threw all the components into a single pan, deciding to serve a simple stir-fry. With only the expanse of the puffy fabric between us, I was constantly elbowing the hybrid while mixing the ingredients together, which I considered a redeeming form of payback for his carelessness with my arm.

While the mouth-watering scent of lunch wafted around, he extended the wrist connected to mine, sidestepping over to the island to fish for a bag of baby carrots before coming to stand next to me by the stove. Spotting my stare, he flashed another blinding grin and I couldn’t help but imagine long, bunny ears extending off the top of his head, his slender tail replaced with a fluffier ball of fur at the back. That seemed to better suit his ardent personality.

The chicken gradually changed colour as the exterior of the vegetables softened, and I brought the meal along with the chair by the fridge over to my tiny two-person table, prompting him to take a seat in front of the steaming plate. I expected him to ravenously dig in and devour every crumb, yet he refused to move a muscle, staring out the glass doors to the backyard and into the forest instead.

“I hurt.” He stumbled over his words, somberly bringing his gaze to my cocked brow. “No mean to hurt.”

Thinking back to the scuffle that seemed eons away at this point, I flashed a reassuring smile his way, explaining, “I get it, you were injured. Um, I was kind of mad at first because you broke my door and everything,” I offhandedly gestured towards the broken contraption, “but I forgive you.”

“No.” He clenched his jaw, analyzing the surface of the table as if the words he was searching for were etched on the surface. “Now. Sorry now, too.” To drive his point home, he delicately grabbed the arm not wrapped in the blanket, streaks of red decorating my wrist like a tight bracelet.

I hummed my understanding. “Ah, I told you it’s fine already,” I reassured, patting his hand.

Content at my acceptance of his makeshift apology, he began to dig into the chicken. His nose twitched at the unfamiliar taste, but he made no complaints. Anything was better than nothing, in the end.

I let him enjoy his food for a bit before asking, “Did you have a name? Something like J3?”

His eyes went back to scanning the outdoors, the sound of his chomping coming to an abrupt halt when he spotted a sad lump on the porch.

“Bud?” he inquired, the light glimmering in his irises.

The nickname stumped me, as I had difficulty imagining Hyunho or Minzy affectionately calling their experiment ‘bud’. “What are you talking about? Is that your name?”

His finger poked out to the cylindrical pile of tuna outside, then back to himself, “Bud.”

Befuddled now more than ever, I tried to laugh it off and nodded my head towards the plate again, silently advising him to continue eating.

Unfortunately, he didn’t seem too keen on evading the topic, whimpering in frustration at either my lack of understanding or his incapability of properly communicating due to the language barrier. His unending appetite was going to be put on hold for this. As he stood up, the chair behind him screeched, and he clutched on to the blanket, pulling me towards the back door.

Refusing to allow history to repeat itself, I rushed ahead to slide the hairband off and pushed the door open, allowing him to slip through. I figured that when the man drifted off to sleep tonight, I could replace the rapidly decaying tuna in hopes that my kitty would visit again.

While I was lost in thought, he undid the knot connecting the two of us and sprinted into the forest.

His back disappeared within the thickets fencing the towering maple trees and I froze in place, my jaw going slack in an ugly mixture of bafflement and betrayal, believing that he had simply taken advantage of my hospitality then ran off. Although, all attempts at making sense of the hybrid’s actions were cut short when familiar noises of horrifying, crackling sounds met my ears, causing the hairs on the back of my neck to stand on end.

When the underbrush twitched, leaves fluttering from the movement of an animal hidden within their cover, a sinking feeling entered my chest. And that was the moment I met the vibrant, emerald eyes that had dug their own space within my heart.

[aussiearrow]

Who's Got Your Love - Chapter 12

Tagging ( If you want to be added please just let me know) : @bitterendbrutalizer @hotyeehawman @daddyslittlevillain

Who's Got Your Love - Chapter 12

Week 4 Chapter 3: I know what you did

Briana

Most of the day went by the same way as all of the others. Briana liked how all the girls actually looked like they were enjoying themselves. There was Kat whose shell seemed to be non existent as Preston made sure that he didn't let her go back into that way. It was a nice sight to see.

All the girls were sitting in their room getting ready for the day while actually talking the very next morning.

"So you and Preston seem to be getting along well." Briana asked Kat who just decided to shrug.

"I guess you can say that." Kat said with a smile as she applied her makeup.

"Come on you have to give us something." Layla said.

As Kat put down her brush," All I have to say is Preston is great at cuddling."

"And that's it? What about those hands girl?" Briana asked with a laugh.

" Wouldn't know if we're being honest." Kat said, " But he told me something about Jay and I don't know how I feel about it."

"Oh yeah? What did he tell you?" Layla asked.

"About how he kissed you the night or so before you picked him that one day so it wasn't so out of the blue like he originally told us that it was." Kat said as everyone looked at before she responded with a shrug.

"Do you believe Preston?" Alex asked her.

"I feel like I have to talk to Jay and ask him."

"Why not Layla?" Briana asked.

"I just want to see what he'll say but for now I just want to have a good time. Now come on let's get ready for the party."

"What do you think they are going to wear?" Callie asked.

"I don't even know, but I'm excited. I feel like Ethan's going to be wearing something that shows off his body."

"Oh for sure, Kenny too. Just because he has to show Alex that he shouldn't be counted out just yet." Kat said with a laugh," He just about fell over when Ethan pulled those tricks."

"His ego was definitely bruised a little bit." Callie said.

Briana laughed," Ethan's on the other hand filled up at least by 50%." As all of the girls agreed.

"Well let's go see what these guys came up with."

As the girls all walked out to see the guys dressed up as. Kenny had on all black with his shirt open and sunglasses on, Chuck dressed like a lumberjack, Cash was dressed up like he came out of an old school kind of movie, Preston pretty much dressed up like a hockey player, and Ethan on the other hand had a karate uniform on of some sorts.

Briana nudged Alex," Well he certainly isn't leaving much to the imagination." Alex couldn't help but blush a little bit as they all made their way over to the guys who greeted them.

Alex

As the girls all made their way over to the guys, Alex's eyes seemingly more less focused in on both Ethan and what he was up to in an outfit that left little to the imagination. And on Kenny who looked like someone straight out a movie.

But Ethan had this way about him that seemingly always grabbed her attention. So it shouldn't have surprised her as she walked towards him.

"Hey there." Alex said," Nice look."

"Hey, oh yeah you like this look?" Ethan said with a laugh as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder," Can I get you something to drink?"

"Something strong if I got to stare at your outfit this whole time."

"I'm sure we can figure out a way for it to come off." Ethan said as he grabbed a drink and handed it to her with a wink.

Alex tried to hide the blush on her face as she took the drink from him and made sure to take a drink to focus her mind on something else.

"So Alex, what are you hoping to get out of all of this?" Ethan said as he sat down on the chair and brought her down to sit by him.

"I just want to find that connection with someone, same as everyone else pretty much I never thought I would ever do something like this in order to find it but you know it's great way to bring someone out of their comfort zone that's for sure." Alex said honestly as she looked up at Ethan with a smile as he nodded," And what about you?"

"I'm going to be honest my friends signed me up as a joke, told me it would be a great way of getting myself out there. But than I started going through the whole process, got scared and just about backed out when it first started up but something made me watch it and I just knew I had to do it. To go for it." Ethan said honestly and for the first time that night Alex saw Ethan for more than just an ego. He actually had some true character behind him that she took the time to actually get to know him for most of the day leading into the night.

"I know you and Pete have this thing going on but I really would like to kiss you right now unless I'm reading into this whole thing completely wrong." Ethan said as he looked at Alex.

"No you didn't. I want to kiss you as well. Actually I really want too. I think Pete and I both understand what we're here for so." Alex said with a shrug before Ethan began to lean in and just as she was about to lean in as well a shriek came from somewhere behind them as they both looked back at what exactly was going on behind them.

They saw Preston making his way over to them with Kat slightly hung over his shoulder as they both let out a laugh," Hey everyone's wondering where the two of you have been." Preston said as he let Kat down once they got to where Ethan and Alex were.

"Yeah, Kenny also really wants to talk to Alex if Ethan here can stop hogging her." Kat said with a laugh.

"We were just having a really great time getting to know each other better." Ethan said.

"Oh shit did we interrupt something?" Preston asked.

"Yes we did now let's leave them alone, I told you that it was a bad idea." Kat said as she grabbed Preston's hand and brought him back over in the direction they came from.

"So where were we?" Ethan said.

"I think we were about to go and join everybody."

"I uh I don't think that was it but if that's what you want to do than that's more than okay with me." Ethan said as he stood up and held his hand out for Alex to take.

The two walked back over to the group who all seemed very comfortable amongst each other. Alex had to admit that it was nice to relax and not worry about who was going to stir up some drama next, no matter how interesting that was.

"So what is everyone up too?"

"We just played a game of never have I ever and boy was that interesting." Layla said with a laugh.

"Apparently Callie and Cash have a lot more in common than we thought so they may finally be on the right page." Kenny said as he looked over at the two on the couch that looked rather cozy.

"And Chuck has some interesting stories to tell." Layla said as she nudged him a little bit as he blushed.

The conversation flowed with Ethan and Alex getting filled in on things they missed out on while they talked. The drinks and jokes kept coming leading for most of the girls thinking that this was one of the best nights since they all got here.

But Alex knew that most good things needed to come to an end , she knew that while this was a distraction a lot of people needed she also knew that their time with these guys was going to end sooner rather than later. It was almost like she spoke too soon when Ariana arrived and now stood in front of the group.

"I'm so glad you are all here ladies."

"Has it been a week already?" Briana asked.

Ariana laughed," Not quite yet but it is seriously time to start thinking about what you would like to do. With that being said please boys if you would give us some time." Ariana asked as the guys filed out of the way," Maybe this will help some of you clear things up." Ariana said as everyone gave a confused look.

"What's going on?" Briana asked as Ariana showed an iPad that was on a stand.

"What if I tell you that on this iPad is sneak peeks of what's been going on in the boys villa." Ariana said with a smile," And Layla you're up first."

Layla

Layla looked at the iPad as Ariana asked her whether she wanted to share with the group or watch it alone.

"Honestly I want to share with the group." Ariana nodded as Layla sighed not to sure about what may be said and showed.

The girls all waited as a video of the guys popped up on the screen and they watched as Nick introduced himself to the girls before it cut to the guys and the new girls all sitting around which must have been when they all were playing the game against each other.

"Last but never the least, find a partner to kiss and make it count winning point goes to the group who makes things more believable." Pete said as the girls watched when the camera zoomed in on May grabbing Nick once one of the guys said they'd sit out and plant a kiss right on Nick as Layla scoffed a little bit.

Before it switched over to Nick talking about wanting to find a connection as Layla shook her head as he stared at May almost the whole time he said all of that before the video came to an end.

"Layla, how do you feel?" Ariana asked.

" Me and Nick never truly talked about our feelings but he seems to love to say the same thing to all the ladies when we talk to him." Layla said as Callie agreed. "Alex? Do you want to share or watch alone?"

"Share definitely."

As the video of Pete began as it flashed many different things where Pete, Nick, and Jay always seemed to be around the girls where some of the guys were notably missing.

As the group sat there and went through what they all wanted and they all listened to Pete tell everyone that he just wants to make sure that both he and Alex knew for sure that this is what they both want while in the same breath he was also saying how they don't need a name for a game cause they got some drinks and they got some girls.

Layla looked around really quick at all of the girls, she watched as Briana seemingly waited for James to pop up somewhere. As Callie waited to see or hear anything pertaining Adam. As Kat watched Jay involved in almost everything and was just waiting for the band aid to be completely ripped off. Layla herself was thrown for a loop as she looked at Alex who pretty much had the same look on her face.

"Alex, how are you feeling?"

"I don't really know when I see some of these things it's just I don't see the Pete that was in the villa. I see a side that I'm not sure that I like."

"And do you think Ethan will be different?" Ariana asked.

"I don't even know. A lot of conversations if you will need to be had." Alex said as Ariana nodded.

"Briana, would you like to share?" Briana wasted no time in nodding her head yes.

"Everyone else has so why not." Briana said as the video of James played and while most of it just made all the girls laugh it wasn't until it was Trent, James, and Adam sitting away from the group and talking amongst each other.

"He's acting like such a good player and that everyone will just fall at his feet and it's worked for the most part." James said as Trent obviously looked heated about something as he looked at the other two men.

"I should have kissed her and not given a damn about Jay and whoever was going on with all of that." Trent said as the girls looked at Kat who blushed a little.

As the girls all started to make until James voice broke through," And I should have fought harder to make sure Alex didn't end up with Pete but we both can't change it."

"Oh yeah you still have a thing for Alex?" Adam asked.

With that the video completely cut off.

"Did he just say that?" Layla asked as Kat nodded her head.

"Yes, yes he did." Kat said.

"Briana?" Ariana asked as she looked at her with a sad look.

Callie

As everyone waited for Briana's response Callie looked back at Alex to see how she felt about the whole ordeal as she saw the look of confusion and also the anger written all over her face.

"So we're all not surprised he said that right?" Briana said as the girls nodded," Parts of me knew all about this cause of what I've seen but also from our conversations but I guess it still doesn't suck any less. And obviously he sees the way Pete is acting and I'm just thinking like what if he decides to try and go back to Alex." Briana said as she looked over at Alex now like she was begging her to say something but sighed when nothing came out.

"Kat? You're turn." Ariana said as Kat sighed," Are you ready? Do you want to share?"

"No I'm not ready but yes I want to share with all the girls. I'm sure most of us have been waiting for what ay could be up too next."

'Well let's see."

From the moment Jay’s video started his smirk seemed to stay present almost the whole entire time. The videos showed just how easy it was for Jay to get comfortable with another girl while Kat or none of the other normal villa girls were around, it showed an argument with Trent and some of the other guys. Before it showed them all lounging around in the pool.

“ What about you man? You’ve been the one who has been more all over than any of us really.” Pete said as he looked at Jay.

“ I don’t know.” Jay responded.

“Kat? You look like you’re thinking about a lot over there, what’s going through your mind?”

“ A lot. But mostly just how none of what I seen in the video surprised me at all.” Kat said as she looked down at her hands,” I think it’s also funny how he keeps being adamant on it being both of us that don’t know what we want.”

“ Do you think you know what you want and it’s him that doesn’t?” Ariana asked

“ Yeah, yeah I do. I think the last few days really gave me a clearer look on a lot of things.” Kat said as she looked up a Ariana with a slight smile.

As Ariana dismissed everyone parting with since Trent and Adam are technically single it wouldn’t make much of a difference to show what they were up too.

The girls all made their way into the house to get ready for bed as Callie decided she wanted to relax outside for a little bit on her own.

“ Are you okay?” Callie turned to see Cash walking out to join her on the balcony.

“Yeah. I’m fine thanks for asking.” She said with a smile.

“ Okay cause the way almost all the girls came back like someone told you all collectively some bad news didn’t seem so promising.”

“ Well in a way we did, some of us at least. Ariana showed us clips of what the guys have been up too and I really don’t want to see what half the girls go through once we go back.”

“Only some? What about you did you not like what you saw?” Cash said as he looked at Callie with hopeful eyes.

“No, I uh didn’t get to see a clip, guess it was only for people in a couple. But Adam was in a few clips of the other girls guys stuff and I think I seen all that I needed to see if we’re being honest.”

“ Oh yeah? And how does that make you feel?”

“It makes my decision a lot harder.” Callie said,” I’m going to head to bed.”

“Can I join?” Cash said as Callie just shrugged her shoulders and offered a faint sure as she made her way through the doors and into the bedroom.

Kat

When all was said and done, Kat got dressed for bed in hopes that she could avoid a lot of chats but as the girls filed in it seemed like the last thing any of them wanted to do was start a conversation that neither of them currently wanted to have, Kat especially.

She wanted to scream to the world about how sure she was when Jay walked through the door for the first time. But she knew it would be a lie cause than she never would have sent Trent even just the smallest of second glances. But than there was Preston, man oh man she had a lot of things to say about the way that he made her feel. And for the once since she walked into this villa it was all nothing but good things.

As Kat was stuck in her own mind she didn’t realize just how long she stayed seated in the girls room where she finally came to and realized that she was the only one left and the bedroom was awfully quiet.

She sighed as she slowly made her way into the room as she saw that mostly everyone was sleeping figuring Preston was as well she slipped into the bed and got herself comfortable before she felt the gentlest of touches on her hip.

“Hey, you okay?” Preston asked her quietly as she turned around to face him his hand never leaving her hip in the process.

“ I didn’t know you were awake.”

“Waited on you everyone seemed to come back pretty bummed out so I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

“Yeah, Ariana just showed us all clips of what the guys have been up to in their villa. And I don’t know why everything still comes as such a surprise to me but it did and it sucks.” Kat said with a sigh as Preston brought her closer and placed a kiss on her head.

“If you want to talk about it, I’m here. It doesn’t have to be right now.”

“Good,I don’t want to talk about that right now.” Kat said as she just about clung to him,” All I can really say for sure about that is just that it’s making things that much more clearer.”

“ Oh yeah? How so?” Preston said.

“I can show you better than I can tell you. “ Kat said as she looked up at Preston who smiled down at her as she placed a kiss on his lips.

[just-jordie-things]

She’s Changed - Nicholas Scratch

word count: 5295 warnings: rough breakup stuff summary: (y/n) goes through a difficult breakup, the guy just couldn’t accept both parts of her life, mortal, and witch.  But Nick Scratch is there to put the pieces back together, and remind her that love accepts all parts of a person.

(y/n) was so excited to have a night off from the Academy, so she could go to Greendale and visit her mortal friends, and more excitingly, boyfriend.  Ever since her sixteenth birthday, after she’d signed her name in the Book of The Beast, she’d been attending the Academy of the Unseen Arts, and rarely had the time to go into Greendale to see her friends.

She’d gotten ready to go while Nicholas Scratch, her best warlock friend and resident sweet talker, was studying in her dorm to keep her company.

“I hope we go to the cinema,” She said to him, while he pretended to focus on his spell book.  But he couldn’t help his eyes from wandering up towards where (y/n) was applying a bit of makeup at her vanity.  “The last time I saw a movie was before I came here… a year ago I suppose”

“Mortals and your fascination with filmed entertainment” Nick mused, and she turned to look at him, sprawled out on her bed like it was his own, surrounded by books and notebooks.

“I’m a witch, Scratch,” She said teasingly.  “Just as much as you”

“Mhm” He hummed, and diverted his eyes back to his work, while (y/n) went back to her mirror.  She smiled to herself as she put on a dark shade of lipstick, rolling her lips to spread the color before turning to Nick again.

“It’s been a year,” She repeated, and he looked back up at her.  “Would you ever want to come with me again? To Greendale?”

Nick pursed his lips.  Admittedly, he had a great time with her, because he always did.  But he couldn’t stand the mortal world she’d grown up in.  Her friends had looked at him like he was a threat, and her boyfriend looked at him like he was scum.  Usually, he wouldn’t care about other people’s opinions, especially those of mortals.  But these were (y/n’s) friends, her family, and it bothered him that they despised him so much, and looked at him so strange.

“I… don’t think so, (y/n/n),” He answered unsurely, not wanting to hurt her feelings.  But she frowned, turning around in her seat completely to look at him.  “Third wheeling you and your mortal boyfriend sounds like the biggest bore of the century”

(y/n) chuckled, shaking her head.  “It’s not just him, Roz and Harvey and Theo will be there too,” She assured.  “It could be fun, you could get to know them some more”

“I’d rather staying here and getting to know you more over a bunch of mortals” He said.  She rolled her eyes but there was still a smile on her face.

“Fine, send me alone,” She said, cleaning up the slight mess she’d made.  “I’ll be back around eleven, I think, if you’re still free later tonight” She told him.  Nick grinned as he gathered all his books to get going.

“Can’t get enough of me yet?” He asked, and she laughed nodding her head.

“Yeah, let’s call it that” She replied with a playful wink that made his grin widen.

“I’ll maybe come by, the big Astrometry test is tomorrow, so I might just stay in my room and study” He explained, and she nodded as they followed each other out her door.

“Make sure you sleep,” She warned him as she locked her door.  “No more staying up all night to memorize everything you can, it’s unhealthy”

“I’ll use a focusing spell,” He replied, and she gave him a bored look, making him chuckle.  “Alright, Alright.  I’ll try,” He said.  “Maybe when you come back I’ll bring my things around and you can tell me about your boring night with mortals while I study”

“So you can tune me out?” (y/n) quirked an eyebrow at him as they walked through the hall together.  Nick laughed, shaking his head as he was about to turn down the hall of his room, while she was heading to the front doors.

“I’ll see you later, (y/l/n),” He said, kissing her cheek quickly, “Have fun tonight, be back before the witching hour”

“I always am” She grinned back at him, her cheeks pink from his kiss.

“Tell your boyfriend I said hello” He called as he walked away, making her chuckle to herself and shake her head before heading to the doors.

Nick Scratch was something else. ____

(y/n) walked into Cerberus’s with a smile and a bit of a skip in her step.  She found her friends and boyfriend in their usual booth.  She broke into a light jog and threw her arms around him, pressing a kiss to his cheek before smiling at Roz, Theo and Harvey.  They smiled, happy to see her, but she could tell that they all looked a bit nervous.

“It’s been so long,” She sighed, trying to ease the awkward tension of her not being around for weeks.  (y/n) was certain that her distance from Greendale was the reason for the tension.  “I’ve missed you guys so much”

“We’ve missed you too,” Roz said sweetly, reaching over the table and setting a hand on (y/n’s).  “How’s… school?” She asked unsurely, and (y/n) nodded her head.

“Really good, I like it a lot, I wish I could bring you guys and give you a tour”

She looked to her boyfriend, who’d remained silent ever since she’d gotten here.

“Why can’t you?” Harvey asked curiously, brows furrowed as he drank his coffee.

“Strict no mortals rules” (y/n) replied, and her boyfriend took in a sharp inhale.

“Mortals?” He asked, finally saying something, but she felt her stomach twist with discomfort.

“Yeah… you know like.. Humans”

“Like normal people?” He asked, and she looked down at her hands, unsure of what to say.

“(y/n) we know it’s not like that,” Theo said, giving his friend’s boyfriend a pointed look.  “Did you want to order something? I’ll go up to the counter with you, I want a refill”

“Uh… yeah, sure,” (y/n) answered, and followed him up to the register to order a coffee.  “Can I ask you something?”

“Go for it”

“Is everything… okay? It seemed so weird back there” (y/n) asked, wringing her hands together while she waited for his answer.

“I think it’s just been really weird without you, (y/n),” Theo explained.  “Like… unbalanced.  (y/bf/n) never wants to hang around us even, this is the first time in a while that we’ve seen him”

“Really?” (y/n) asked, glancing back at the table, where Roz and Harvey were talking and giggling, while her boyfriend just sat there on his phone and sipping coffee.  “Why? Because of me?”

“I guess,” Theo shrugged.  “He must’ve only ever hung out with us because of you”

(y/n) frowned as she stepped up to order her drink.  (y/bf/n) had always had a good time going out with her friends when she was still living in Greendale, and attended Baxter High.  Maybe she wasn’t around as much these days, but nonetheless, that shouldn’t have changed the whole group’s dynamic.

“Hey,” Theo called when (y/n) was just standing there, holding her mug of coffee.  “Are you alright?” He set a hand on her arm, face contorted into a worried expression as he looked at her.  (y/n) forced a smile and nodded.

“Yeah, just… zoned out I guess” She shook it off and they walked to the table.

The rest of their time was spent chatting, catching up on everything they’d each missed in each others lives.  It wasn’t as awkward as before, unless you count (y/bf/n) barely talking the whole night.

When the gang packed up their things and were about to leave, (y/n) followed next to him, taking his hands and smiling softly up at him.

“Hey, are you doing alright?” She asked quietly so the others that were a ways behind them wouldn’t hear.  “You seem real quiet”

“Yeah.  I’m just... thinking, (y/n)” He sighed.  The witch frowned, worried about him, and hoped he’d open up, but he didn’t.  So she pried a little further.

“What about?” She asked, and he shrugged.

“To be honest, us” He answered bluntly.  She wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad thing, but he didn’t seem too happy, so she supposed bad.

“What about us…?” She questioned again, her concern seeping through her voice.

“About whether or not this is going to work” He replied, his words were harsh due to his annoyance with her pestering, and her eyes went wide in shock at the outburst.  (y/n) stopped walking.

“What?” She no longer sounded worried, but upset.  “(y/bf/n), what do you mean? What does that mean?”

“It means…” He trailed off, “I just don’t think this can work anymore”

“Why not?” She asked, brows pinching together as tears pricked her eyes.  She didn’t want to cry, it would be incredibly embarrassing if she did, but her boyfriend trying to break up with her in front of their friends would be even worse.

“You’re a witch now! It’s different!” He was angry, and the way he yelled made her skin crawl, the way he called her a witch, like it was unfamiliar in his mouth, made her bristle with anger.  “Are you a spawn of Satan?”

“It’s not like that!” She hissed back.  

Their friends were a few feet away, and could easily hear everything that was happening, but hung back so they didn’t have to get involved.  (y/n) and (y/bf/n) never fought.  Ever.

“All that’s different is I’m at a new school, so I’m not in town that much, how much of a difference does that make?” She asked, hands moving so much she was almost spilling her drink.

“Any time you don’t spend here, you spend with- with him! Your witch boyfriend!”

If she wasn’t pissed off before, she was now.

“Warlock,” Her voice was a growl.  “Are you suggesting that I’ve been cheating on you?” She spoke so low, that her friends could barely hear her from where they stand.

“If the witch sized shoe fits” (y/bf/n) muttered back.

With a large push, she shoved him in his chest, her vision was blurry from her tears now, but she no longer found it in her to care if she cried.  Her emotions clouded all her judgement.

“I can’t believe you would suggest something like that!” She yelled at him.  “I love you! I would never cheat on anyone, you know me better than that!” The tears ran freely down her cheeks now, ruining her perfected makeup and smearing mascara under her eyes.

“Do I know that!?” He yelled back.  “None of this is the same, (y/n)! Don’t be so naive to think it is.  Ever since you started going to that school you’ve been distancing yourself from here and you know it!” He accused, and she wanted to slap him across the face so badly, but refrained herself from doing so.

“You don’t love me, how could you? How could you love anything?” He asked, and she was certain that the wind was just knocked out of her.  “You’re a witch, (y/n), that makes you evil, and I want nothing do with it.  I don’t want to be anywhere around you when you snap someday and turn into full Satan-”

Now she slapped him.  Sharply across his cheek.

“I didn’t need Satan for that, did I?” She snarled.

“(y/n)!” Harvey called, walking towards them to interfere, this had gone on long enough.

“I’m going home,” She said, wiping the tears off her face and turning to walk away. “My real, home.  The Academy” She stopped part way down the sidewalk, looking at the mug she was still holding.  She groaned before just throwing it on the ground and leaving it there, shattered.

She teleported home so no one else could see her crying. ___

Nick was exhausted from all the studying he’d been doing, but he knew that (y/n) was probably back by now, so he decided to get up and head to her dorm to finish studying with her.

Did he want to hear about her night? Not really, he knew it’d be all heart eyes and sappy stuff about her boyfriend, the mortal prick, and the strange mortal things that they do for ‘fun’, but at least he’d get to be in her company and listen to her talk.  

He knocked on her door before letting himself in.  It was locked, but he had a special enchantment that let him in whenever he pleased, just like she had one into his.  It was originally for emergencies, but now they just used it whenever they pleased.

“Hey (y/n) ready to tell me about your mundane evening-?”

He spoke as he walked in and shut the door, but stopped when he realized all the lights were off, and she was in a lump of blankets on the bed.  He could hear her crying, even though she was trying to muffle it in her pillow.

“Woah, hey, (y/n/n),” Nick went over to her, pulling back the covers, but she pulled them up over her head.  “What’s going on?” He asked, hands caressing her shoulders and trying to prompt her to come out of the blankets, but she stayed put.

“I want to be alone” She mumbled.

“What’s that? I can’t hear you from under the blankets” He said.  She whipped them away, glaring at him, but it didn’t hide the fact that she’d obviously been crying for a long time.  Her eyes were red, as were her cheeks, and her lip was quivering with every breath and every word she spoke.

“I want to be alone” She said with more of a snap, before rolling over to face away from him. Nick sighed, and crawled over her to lay on the other side of the bed, where she was facing.

“What happened?” He asked softly, his hand cupping her cheek and wiping away her tears.  “Was it your friends?” He asked, but she just kept crying, and remained silent.  Nick frowned as she reached to pull the blankets up to her chin.

“I’m never going back to Greendale” She whimpered out, and fresh tears began to spill over her lashes.

Nick’s brows rose as his mouth made an ‘oh’ shape.  He hadn’t expected that.

“(y/n), you love Greendale, it’s almost freakish,” He joked, and pulled her blanket back a bit to uncover more of her face.  “Come on (y/n/n), talk to me” He said softly.

She sniffled, and pushed his hand off of her face as she wiped the tears off her cheeks.

“(y/bf/n) broke up with me,” She mumbled, meeting his eye for a moment before staring down towards her blankets.  “He said I was… evil… and that he doesn’t… doesn’t want to be around me anymore”

“Oh, sweetheart,” Nick sighed, and wrapped his arms around her blanketed self, pulling her close as she continued to cry into his chest.  “I’m sorry”

“He hates me, I know it,” She wept.  “He was so angry, you should’ve heard him, the way he called me witch”

Nick held her tighter, and tried not to let his own anger take over, so he could focus on comforting her.

“You should’ve made his teeth fall out” He told her, and he could feel her hands grasp the front material of his shirt.

“I pushed him”

“Pushed him?” Nick repeated.

“Yeah.  And then I threw a mug of coffee on the ground”

“You threw coffee on the ground?” He repeated again.

“Yeah”

Nick chuckled, and rubbed her back.

“You’re hilarious,” He told her.  “You really handled it like a champ”

She laughed, through heavy breaths and tears, but he was just happy to make her laugh.

“I thought so too” She said.  He laughed quietly again, and then they just laid there together in silence.

A long time passed, but at least she wasn’t crying anymore.

“It’s late, do you want me to go?” Nick asked after a while, but she shook her head against his chest.  

“No, I changed my mind,” She said, holding him a little tighter.  “I don’t want to be alone right now”

He nodded, but didn’t say anything else.  Just adjusted his hold on her so that he would be comfortable in his sleep. ___

It had been two months since (y/n’s) breakup, and she had to admit, she was doing pretty well.

She channeled all of her anger and hurt into doing better in her classes, and had risen to the top of her class.  And in her free time, she hung out more with Nick, which they both enjoyed, a lot.

But as good as things were going right now, they both knew that she missed Greendale.  She missed her friends, the place she grew up.  She tried to hide it, but Nick knew her better than that.

He brought it up one afternoon that they were on the front steps of the courtyard.  She had been drawing away in one of the textbooks she was supposed to be reading, and he had been pretending to be reading while thinking about the last two months with her.

“Why don’t we go to Greendale tonight?”

She scoffed, and continued drawing over an unimportant section of her book.  But then looked up to see the genuine look on his face.

“You’re serious?” She asked, brow furrowing when he nods.  “Why the Heaven would I want to do that?”

“Is me going not incentive enough?” He asked, and she laughed humorlessly.

“No, it isn’t,” She answered.  “Maybe when I’m dead, I’ll go back to haunt the place” Nick rolled his eyes, leaning against the railing wall of the stairs.  “Don’t you roll your eyes at me Nicholas I’m just… not ready, I don’t think”

“Yeah you are, it’ll be fun.  We’re going” He decided, and finally started to read his book.  (y/n) stared at him, her mouth agape and eyes wide.

“What? No we aren’t-”

“We are” He said firmly, a playful smirk on his face.  (y/n’s) expression turned into a bored one as she stared at him.  She knew he wouldn’t back down, and she also knew she was dying for something from Cerberus’s.

“Fine,” She grumbled, trying to hide her smile as she went back to drawing.  “But I won’t be happy about it”

“Mhm, sure” Nick hummed. ___

“I don’t get why you want to do this so bad,” (y/n) said as they walked side by side along the sidewalks.  “What do you get out of it?”

“Time with you, of course,” He grinned big, but she just rolled her eyes and stuck her hands in her pockets.  “You’ve been begging me all year to come into town with you more, and now I am”

“But I hate it here” (y/n) grumbled.  Nick gave her a look in response.

“No you don’t,” He stated.  “You want to, I know that, I get that, but you don’t”

“Why do you know me so well?” She asked, a slight roll in her eyes from feigned annoyance.

“Because you spend just about every waking minute with me,” He grinned, and again, she rolled her eyes.  “You’ve changed, (y/n), you used to beg me to come to town with you, and now I had to beg you” He nudged her arm with his elbow as they waked, and she shrugged her shoulders.

“Heartbreak will do that to a person,” She mumbled down to the sidewalk, and then glanced over at Nick.  “I’m not the same, but I’m still… me… I think I just needed some space from here for a while.  A little distance to… move on”

“Moving on doesn’t have to mean forgetting everything and leaving it behind” Nick said.  She smiled sadly at him, and nodded in agreement.

“Yeah,” She said softly.  “Cerberus’s is right up here, let’s get some co-”

She cut herself short as she looked into the small diner, and right there, sitting by the large picture window of the store front, was (y/bf/n).  With another girl, a junior that (y/n) recognized from Baxter High.

“(y/n)?” Nicholas questioned, and followed her line of sight into the coffeehouse.

The witch had frozen up as she watched the sight in front of her.  All she could focus on was how he smiled at her, how he was laughing at what she was telling her, how he leaned in across the table to whisper, his attention fully on hers.

“Ah… the ex,” Nick hummed, before taking her hand and forcing her attention back on to him.  She didn’t look like she was going to cry, but her expression was carefully crafted as not to let any of her emotions show.  “You want to go somewhere else?” He asked quietly.

(y/n) took a deep breath, looking back to the window, and then to Nick again.

“No,” She stated firmly.  “We came here so you and I could get coffee, and we’re gonna get coffee”

Nick smiled at her, and just as he was about to release her hand and walk towards the diner, she interlocked their fingers and tightened her grip a bit.

“Just don’t… vanish” She said unsurely, the nerves of walking into Cerberus’s with Nick, in front of her ex, were starting to eat away at her insides.

“Vanish? And leave you behind?” He asked, almost teasingly.  “I would never”

She laughed quietly as they walked inside, the little bell of the door ringing and announcing their presence.  (y/n) made sure that she didn’t even look (y/bf/n’s) way as they walked past and settled in their own booth.

“You look nervous,” Nick commented as he sat across from her.  “Relax, it’s just you and me here, and you have to tell me what I’m supposed to order because I don’t know what any of this means”

They were laughing as he handed his menu to her in defeat, and they both leaned in close while (y/n) told him the various types of drinks he could order.

“I can’t believe you drink this stuff so late,” Nick said, as he finally settled on a simple cappuccino.  “How does the caffeine not keep you up?”

“It does,” (y/n) answered, making him chuckle again.  “But it’s worth it”

They talked and laughed quietly amongst themselves while drinking their coffee.  It was nice, and for a little while, it felt like they were the only two in the the shop.

(y/n) almost forgot about her ex boyfriend that was just across the diner.

She’d been telling Nick adamantly about her studies in demonology, when a figure walked up next to their booth.  Nick had looked up before she had, and couldn’t help the smug look that came over him as he stared down the guy.

He looked him up and down as though it was his first time seeing (y/ex/n) and realized, perhaps for the first time, that not only could he take this guy, he had him beat in every single category.

(y/n) did not have the same reaction as Nicholas did when she looked up at him.  Her heart skipped a beat, and for a moment, her throat closed up, prohibiting her from forming any words.

Until eventually, “(y/ex/n)”

He smiled, albeit awkwardly, under the intense glare of Nicholas, and the confused glances that (y/n) was shooting at him.

“Hey, (y/n/n),” He greeted, and Nick rolled his eyes at the lame nickname.  “How’ve you been?”

(y/n) looked to Nick, as if she was asking if she should even say anything to him.  She opened her mouth, but then close it again, unsure of what to even say.

“Busy” Nick answered for her when she began to trace her fingers around her mug.  She tended to fiddle with things when she was anxious.  (y/ex/n) nodded, and licked his lips as he looked from (y/n) to Nick now.  His eyes narrowed for a moment, and Nick smirked back at him.

“Yeah,” (y/n) chimed in.  “Pretty busy.  Witch stuff, you know?”

Nick chuckled at her response, his fingers moving to cover his mouth, like he cared whether or not he appeared rude.

“You?” (y/n) replied, but he interest sounded incredibly fake a she batted her eyes and forced a smile on her lips.

“Also busy.  Girlfriend stuff, you know?” He mocked.  (y/n) only had a moment to be taken aback before Nick spoke up again.

“Right, why don’t you get back to that before you ruin it again, why don’t you?” He said, sitting up a little straighter.  And when (y/ex/n) squared his shoulders and opened his mouth to argue back, Nick stood up, and clapped a hand on the guy’s shoulder.  “I don’t repeat myself.  But I’m gonna give you this chance to walk back to your table, tail between your legs, and sit back down.  Satan doesn’t give you very many chances at these things”

(y/ex/n) grimaced, but the expression on Nick’s face was threatening now, and at least he was smart enough to give up and go back to his own table.

“Well.  You look great.  See you another time”

(y/n) watched him walk away, eyes wide as she stared at his back.  She was carefully steadying her breathing, but the rise and fall of her chest was obvious to Nick.

“Hey,” He said quietly, sitting back in his seat and reaching his hand across the table, setting it on hers.  “You wanna get out of here?”

She nodded, and they both placed some money on the table, and walked quickly to the door.  She kept her hand on Nick’s arm the whole way out, like he was grounding her.

“Thanks for making me come out tonight” She said, and he frowned, feeling terrible about how their night went.  He just wanted her to come back to Greendale for a little bit, and enjoy having some time together, but now he’d just made things worse.

“I’m really sorry, (y/n), I just wanted you to come home for a little bit, it’d been so long and I… I shouldn’t have gotten involved”

(y/n) stopped walking, and shook her head, a small smile on her lips.

“No, I meant it,” She told him.  “I’m glad you brought me out tonight, really, Nick” She said, her smile growing a little bit.  She squeezed both of his hands in hers for a moment.  “It was a little strange but… before that it was… nice” She spoke slowly, nervously, and her hands let go of his.

“Yeah?” He asked, smiling back at her, and she nodded, a pink blush now on her cheeks.  “Good” He grinned completely now, and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, tugging her into his side as they continued their walk.  She giggled quietly, wrapping her arm around his back as they kept walking in that position.

“We going home?”

“Why don’t we go see a movie?” He proposed.  “Even if we run into more of your exes, they won’t be able to talk to us since we’ll be in a theater”

She laughed again, and nodded.

“Yeah, sure, why not” ___

The rest of the night was spent stuck close together.  Even throughout the movie, Nicholas kept his arm around her, and eventually she grew confident enough to lay her head against his shoulder.

The longer she rested the there, the less she focused on the movie, and more she thought about Nick.

He’d done everything he could to make sure she had a good night.  All he’d wanted was for her to have a good night, and be able to still enjoy her hometown, besides the bad memories that lurked in it.

And even before tonight, when she refused to leave the Academy, and she knew she was being difficult, he was still there, every step of the way as she got over (y/ex/n).  He never left her for a second.

(y/n) glanced up at him for a moment, and smiled to herself before tucking her head against his shoulder again, and reaching out to take his open hand.

Nicholas was a bit surprised, since he was always the one who initiated physical contact, but it was nice nonetheless, so he let her intertwine their fingers throughout the rest of the film. ___

“You know, for a mortal film, that wasn’t so bad,” Nick said as they left the theater, still hand in hand as they walked back towards the Academy.  “Maybe the mortal world isn’t a total waste of space,” He added, grinning down at (y/n), who hadn’t spoken since they left the theater.  “Hey, you alright, witch?” He asked, slowing down a bit as he realized that she hadn’t said a word.

“Why’d you want to come to Greendale if you hate it so much?” (y/n) asked curiously.

“What? So you’d come home for a little while and not completely abandon it,” He said, like it was obvious.  “You had me worried for a while, I really thought you’d lock yourself up in your dorm at the Academy forever- what is it?”

Her eyes had watered up, and the smile on her lips couldn’t stretch further if she wanted it to.  She was looking at him in a new light, in a new way, and he could tell.

“(y/n)?” He asked, brows furrowing as he watched as she just stood there, smiling at him.

She was still staring at him, before she stepped forward and held his jaw in her small hands.  He looked confused, but she was smiling and she looked so happy that he didn’t care what she was doing.

“Thank you” She told him, quietly, before leaning up on the tips of her toes, and pressing her lips against his.  Even though the action took him by surprise, he kissed her back, but just as his hands set on her hips, she pulled away, smile still on her lips.

“Not that I’m unappreciative, because here in a minute I’m going to do that again,” He spoke, making her let out a small giggle, her thumb swiping gently back and forth along his jaw.  “But what are you thanking me for?”

“Because you hate it here.  But you came here with me anyways, so that I wouldn’t shut out my mortal roots, and the life I lived before I came to the Academy,” She explained.  “(y/ex/n) was never able to accept both parts of me”

It took a minute, and his brows stitched together, still a bit surprised, but Nick smiled back at her, his hands reaching up to cup around her face before pulling her lips against his again, kissing her deeply this time.

The way he’d always wanted to kiss her.

When they parted, the blush on her cheeks was everything he’d ever wanted to see on her.

“Come on dork, let’s go home” He said, pulling her into his side and kissing the top of her head as they continued their walk.

“Let’s just teleport” She suggested, but he shook his head.

“I’d rather walk with you” He told her, only to make her giggle and grin again.  She leaned her head against his shoulder as they walked back home together.

“Okay” She murmured.

And they did just that, and walked home.

tagged: @reblogserpent @strawberryfields-forever

xoxo ~ jordie

[dammitadolfnomorecake]

Once Bitten, Twice Stupid prt.39

Armed with fair sized stick, Keith headed upstairs to Lance’s room, hoping the stick would cheer his kind of boyfriend up. Letting himself back into Lance’s room, the sweet smell of Lance’s arousal smacked him in the face. The vampire had shed the blanket covering him, soft puffy pants falling from his lips as he slept. The idiot had worried himself so much that he’d brought a wave of heat on himself. Carrying the stick over to Lance’s bed, Keith propped it up against the nightstand before climbing onto the bed, Lance’s features pinched with pain. These heat things were no joke. Lance had tried to cover the best he could, when clearly he’d been in agony with each wave. He really should let Lance sleep it off, but he felt the need to try to help.

“Lance?”

Gently shaking Lance’s shoulder, dazed blue eyes opened slowly with a groan

“Keith?”

“I didn’t want to wake you, but you’re in pain”

“Hot...”

“I know. You worried yourself into heat”

Keith didn’t like the word “heat” Lance wasn’t a werewolf or animal, but neither of them had another name for it. Rolling on his side, Lance wrapped his arms around his stomach

“Hurts”

“I know... I know. How can I help?”

“It’ll... pass... just need to let it pass?”

And how much pain would Lance be in if he did?

“Can I stay? What do you need?”

“To be pinned down to the bed and fucked senseless”

Lance looked mortified, too out of it to keep coherent

“I’m not taking advantage of you when you’re like this”

It was hard not to. Lance’s scent had already gone straight to Keith’s crotch. He felt dizzy and high, like he really wanted to throw respect out the window and do just what Lance had said

“I’m sorry... can you... can you go? I... don’t want to hurt you”

Going wasn’t happening

“I’m not letting you suffer through this. Let me help you”

“I don’t want to hurt you, Keith”

Shit. Lance’s blue eyes flooded with tears, his bottom lip quivering as he sniffled

“You won’t. I’m staying here, with you, until this passes”

Moving to lay down facing his boyfriend, fuck Shiro, Keith held his arm out until Lance slowly curled into his hold. The vampire shaking as he kissed Lance’s sweaty hair

“Now, tell me what you actually need”

“It’s... embarrassing...”

“You need to come, don’t you?”

Lance groaned at him, Keith supposed he could have phrased it a bit better. Lance liked romance, he knew that from the vampires watch history

“I don’t know... maybe... it’s stronger than it was...”

“Let me get you off”

“What?”

“I don’t mean sex... we’re taking it slowly, but we can see if getting off helps”

“No... no... I’m not going to rush you...”

“I’m offering. Besides, how can I not help my boyfriend?”

“You... told Shiro?”

“Not yet... but I told him I like you. And I do”

“But...”

“If you don’t want me to, I won’t”

“I... should... be asking... ow... fucking ow...”

Lance whimpered, Keith’s heart hurting over how his boyfriend was hurting

“Lance, it’s okay. Neither of us know what we’re doing, but we’ll work it... right now, I want to touch you as much as you want to touch me”

“What if I lose control?”

Then he’d deal with it. He could afford to lose a little bit of blood, plus he was sure Lance wouldn’t hurt him intentionally

“You won’t. I know you won’t... lay back for me?”

Squeezing his eyes closed, Lance nodded his consent

“Just... not...”

“No sex. Just touching”

“Okay...”

Lance was shy about spreading his legs. Keith finding it kind of sweet how hard Lance was blushing before he’d even gotten his boyfriend’s pants undone. Shiro had told him not to do this, but his brother didn’t understand how being with Lance felt. He hadn’t seen what Lance was going through. He didn’t understand how hard he’d been trying to work out his feelings for Lance before Lance wound up confessing to him. He liked Lance. He wanted to be with him, or at least see where this thing between them went. That didn’t mean he wasn’t scared or nervous as fuck as his heart raced. And he knew he was probably going backwards about this whole thing when they’d barely kissed and now they were jumping to making out. Freed of his jeans, Lance was trying to hide his crotch, legs shaking as he stared up at Keith with those big blue eyes. The real Lance was so much better than a dream. The smell coming from him was stirring up inside. Unbuttoning his jeans, Keith shimmied them down, Lance blushing harder as he stared at Keith’s dick

“See something you like?”

Lance blinked at him, before nodding. Neither of them really knew what they were doing, being sober with someone he actually liked made this a whole new experience all over again

“Can I kiss you?”

Again, Lance nodded. He wasn’t one to find a lot of things cute, but Lance was being kind of cute.

Lance was hesitant with the kiss, Keith could feel how hard he was trying to restrain himself. The vampire’s teeth nicked his bottom lip, Lance immediately pulling back

“I’m sorry...”

Keith didn’t want to hear it. These things happened. Capturing Lance’s lips again, he tried to guide Lance, to show him that a little bit of blood was okay. Whether it was the blood or the fact Keith was still kissing him, Lance finally let him deepen the kiss. Rocking his body against the vampire’s, Lance moaned, throwing his head back as he did. Smirking to himself Keith rolled his hips again, drawing a more descriptive moan

“Shiiiiit...”

“Feel good?”

“Mhmm... kiss me again...”

Lance really seemed to like kissing him. And other than the blood, Keith seemed to also really like kissing his boyfriend back. Awkward fumbling kisses turned to Keith jerking them both off as Lance swapped to moaning in Spanish. Pent up from weeks of nearly, and foggy minded on Lance’s scent, the pair of them came so fast that Keith would have been embarrassed if it hadn’t happened with Lance. Lance covering his mouth as his fangs extended, Keith kissing his hand before flopping to lay on his side by his boyfriend

“Fuck...”

He felt like he’d come hard enough to fill Lance had he been in him, and now all Keith wanted to do was cuddle with Lance, who still had his fangs covered

“... I don’t mind your teeth”

Lance stared at him like he’d grown an extra head. Keith supposed he’d gone straight from bliss to over thinking things

“Seriously, you don’t need to hide them”

“They came out...”

“I already know you’re a vampire. You don’t have to hide them”

“But...”

Snaking his arm around Lance’s waist, Keith ignored the mess across Lance’s stomach and chest. The both had enough to trauma to sink a ship, and it’d take a lot of reassurances on both their parts to work through it together

“Nope. Don’t hide them...”

Lowering his hand, Lance’s fangs looked every bit as dangerous as they were. A shiver of fear ran through him, but at the same time, he knew Lance wasn’t about to tear his throat out with them

“They’re ugly”

“They’re fine. I know you’re not about to bite me”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because I just gave you a great orgasm”

Lance finally smiled at him, wriggling closer to Keith

“It was pretty good”

“I know... I’m fucked”

Lance snorted at him, before his expression fell. His teeth piercing his bottom lip, Keith now not able to kiss him which was kind of annoying

“Not yet... but the cramping’s easing... I... hope I... I wasn’t...”

“You’re fine... we’re fine... you didn’t do anything wrong”

“I didn’t know what to do”

“Neither did I...”

Lance sighed at him

“I don’t know whether that makes me feel better or not”

“We both know we’re inexperienced in things like this”

Lance’s body temperature was starting to drop again, Keith realising that was another thing Lance would probably be self conscious over

“I didn’t want to be bad”

“You weren’t... fuck, do you reckon they’ll miss us if we stay like this?”

“I reckon Shiro might murder me...”

“He’ll be fine when he’s had a nap. He was all sangry”

Lance raised an eyebrow at him

“Sangry?”

“Sleepy angry”

That was what finally got Lance smiling again, Keith feeling his still racing heart gave that familiar funny beat

“You’re starting to sound like me”

“I know. Shiro had no idea what I meant”

“We should talk about him. He wasn’t keen on us being close, was he?”

“No, but that’s because he’s overprotective. He did help me out... apparently all these things going on with my heart are because I have crush on you”

“Did you tell him how long it’s been happening?”

“Yeah... I tried to tell him I like you. He said it’s because I’ve never had a crush before”

“He’s your brother, he only wants what’s best for you”

“That and he’s a moody arsehole when he’s been travelling... we should clean up”

Talking about his brother while pantsless with his boyfriend was kind of weird... Keith’s arm was starting to feel crusty now, as were other places now. He hadn’t used Lance’s bathroom before, but he didn’t want to creep around the house naked with three other guests out there somewhere

“Keith, if this is too much... If all that comes with me is too much, I’ll understand”

“We’re not having that talk again. I want to see where this goes. I know it’s not going to be easy, but it’s what I want... He was talking about us moving out, and all I could think about about was staying here. Garrison’s backwards and small, and kind of creepy, but you’re here. So are Pidge and Hunk... Platt’s... ugh. Plus, I’m not looking forward to the traffic”

“Oh, that’s right, you have a motorbike, don’t you?”

“It’s not so bad on my bike, but Shiro says I have a horrible sense of direction. Are you trying to change the topic?”

And everyone said he was clueless. He noticed that subtle topic change just fine

“Maybe? Or, maybe I really can’t be bothered moving?”

“Oh, my poor old man. Do I need to carry you?”

“It’s not that... and stop calling me old, I’ve got enough complexes as it is... It’s selfish, but I want to have you to myself a little longer. I know I have to get up, get organised and make an attempt with everyone, but right now I just... I don’t want to feel like we fooled around and now it’s time to split because the fun bit is over”

Oh... that made sense. They had to play it cool around everyone else... Well, they didn’t have to, but until Shiro woke up from his nap, and his brother was prepared to listen, they’d have to be friends without the boyfriend bit...

“I get it. You’re worried about everything that’ll happen once we leave your room”

“Yeah. Kind of. Matt and Rieva are going to smell you all over me... I don’t know him, I don’t know her, and Shiro’s not happy with me as it is. I don’t know how to start making things up with Matt, and I’ve barely been able to let Curtis in as it is. We all have to live here together, I don’t want to be lying through my teeth, nor do I want to cause any trouble”

“If you’re that worried, we can take a shower together. I’m already borrowing your clothes, and if they start asking questions I’ll say we sat on your bed and talked”

“But we didn’t... we did other things. You shouldn’t have to lie because of me... I knew this would happen. This is why... I don’t let people in. I don’t know what to do. I’m used to living alone, keeping me to myself so no one got hurt. I’ve never dated, I don’t know how to date. I don’t want you lying to your brother and fucking things up there. I don’t want to hurt you”

“Lance, you’re spiralling. We’re taking things slow, remember. Kissing and touching happens... I’ve never been sober and gone that far before... but it’s not like I’ve knocked you up so we’re suddenly having a shotgun wedding. We like each other, and after how long it took to work that out, I think I’m okay with taking things slow and without the complications of everyone’s opinions”

“But Shiro is your brother”

“Me dating you isn’t going to change that. I won’t let it change that. I’m old enough to know that for the first time in my life I want to see where this goes”

“Secrets hurt, Keith. You know that, I know you do”

Keith was starting to get angry

“And what? We give up?”

“I don’t know... I don’t know if we should have done that. Or if we only did that because my body is fucked up”

“I kissed you because I wanted to”

“Because I...”

“You confessed to me”

“I know”

“So stop worrying about it so much. You’re going to turn back into a bat at this rate”

“God. It’d be easier if I did... I could find myself a nice spot on the ceiling and hang out there until everything settled down”

“You do know you’re completely useless as a bat. You couldn’t even walk straight”

“Ha, jokes on you, apparently I’m not that straight as it is”

Keith had had enough of Lance dooming them before they’d given things a chance. Moving to sit up, he then crawled across the bed, before climbing off of it. Watching him with almost fearful eyes, Keith ignored the way Lance was looking at him as he walked around the bed and held his hand out

“What?”

“We’re going to take a shower, then you’re going to have something to eat while we figure out what we’re going to feed everyone”

“We are?”

“Yeah. And if you’ve got a problem with that, I’ll hit you with my stick”

Lance looked to the bedside table

“You actually went and got a stick?”

“I sure did. I thought it might make you smile”

“I don’t think I’ve ever found a stick so sweet before”

“You don’t need to make a big deal over it. I just wanted to do something for you”

Raising his hands, Lance scrubbed at his face

“I’m being stupid, aren’t I?”

“Yeah. You’re deciding all these things without talking to me. I told you I want to help, so let me help”

“I forgot how forceful you can be about getting your own way”

“You can blame Shiro for that. Now, enough wallowing. I’ve never used your bathroom, so you’re going to have to show me where everything is”

Taking his hand, Lance let himself be pull out of bed and to his feet, Keith using his momentum to pull him into a hug

“Smooth move”

“I know right. See, I met this guy who taught me all about how not to be smooth, and he doesn’t know it. He’s stubborn. He makes me talk and feel all these weird things. I’ve talked more in the last month than in the last decade. He hates himself so much that he’s worse than me. It makes me sad, because he’s pretty much the dorkiest person I’ve ever met and I thought we’d gotten closer. I really like him, and I’ve never liked anyone or wanted to let them close... He thinks I don’t get it, but I do. Because I’ve always felt I’m not worth people caring about me”

“I gotta admit, when I met you, I kind of hoped you’d be hit by truck... but you’re like this secret softy... I hate that people hurt you”

“It was a long time ago”

And not long enough at the same time

“That doesn’t matter. I like you enough to punch a truck if it tried to hit you”

“I kind of want to see that”

Would Lance be able to stop a truck? Would he be run over and flattened? Or, would he kind of bounce back up like one of those inflatable arm waving things?

“No you don’t, the next punch would be right in the dick for making me worry”

“Please don’t punch me in the dick”

“I reserved the right to make the judgement after the fact”

Lance would punch him and they both knew he would... whether it be the dick or hopefully elsewhere, he was going to have to do his very best not to be hurt during a hunt. Vampires and werewolves could be arseholes, but a broken hearted angry Lance... Keith never wanted to see that first hand.

[birdyisanightingale]

THT S4 Predictions: Brazil Trailer

Back by popular demand, I’m going to be doing a comprehensive set of predictions based on the Brazilian S4 trailer which has additional footage to the main one. If you want to watch it, here’s the link: https://www.handmaidsbrasil.com/2020/12/exclusivo-assista-ao-novo-teaser-legendado-da-quarta-temporada-de-tht.html

SPOILER ALERT!! Please be aware that if you keep reading there will be major S3 spoilers and potentially some S4 ones too!!

First up, we appear to have some sort of scene where June has been captured by eyes (or someone posing as the eyes - I’ll come back to this) . I think this must be at least an episode or so in because she seems to be walking fine and she doesn’t have any obvious injuries (she was basically dead at the end of S3). Another good sign is that she appears to be alone, so if she has indeed been taken by the eyes, they haven’t managed to capture all of the ‘magnificent seven’ (this is the new term being given to the fugitive handmaids from the end of the S3 Finale). 

However, considering the remote location, it looks likely that this scene may be an attempted execution of June. I know what you’re thinking, this is Gilead - if they want to kill you they won’t bother making it private, they’ll make an example out of you and leave you hanging on a wall until you rot. But think about it - at this point, killing June will not be an example, the resistance in all its different forms has gotten too big for that. If they kill June now, they will only be creating a martyr, and the only way to avoid that is to kill her secretly and get rid of all the evidence so no one knows if she’s dead or missing or maybe even escaped to Canada without telling anyone - a great way to crack a resistance is to take away the element of trust! Anyway that’s why they’d make her execution a quiet affair.

But here’s why I think it was only made to look like the yes have taken her. Judging from the location and costumes (although admittedly costume variety is particularly limited in this show), while this is later in the trailer, it looks like a continuation of the same scene. It looks almost like Nick knew that June was in a situation where either he intervened or she was captured (or worse) for real. He obviously still has to make it look somewhat legit because he’s a commander now and he needs to keep good standing to be able to help June and Mayday (not to mention, staying off the wall). 

I think this element of Nick being an asset to Mayday will be explored quite a lot this season, and beyond. Nick’s character development is particularly interesting because we’ve almost had a different Nick every season, but the writers are still finding new ways to surprise us with new dimensions to his character. In S1 we had ‘Nick the Eye’ who was battling this sense of duty and obligation that he had never bothered to question whether he agreed with his orders or not, with finally finding a reason to question those orders - June. Then in S2 when he’d finally gotten to a point where he’d chosen June over duty, we saw ‘Nick the husband’. We know from his flashbacks that he had a religious background before Gilead so he’s had ‘the sanctity of marriage’ instilled in him from a young age. So he’s somehow trying to reconcile his new role as a husband with his love for another woman who’s carrying his baby. And then we get the (admittedly infrequent) S3 ‘Nick the Soldier’ who we know absolutely nothing about, and how dominate that side of him is. Not dominant enough and Nick won’t have enough influence to be useful to Mayday, too dominant and he could potentially betray Mayday... we’ll have to wait and see...

“You can’t save her; some women don’t want to be saved.” Oof, literal chills. I’m really looking forward to this character dynamic. Both are commanders, both helped to create Gilead and regret it, and both have a connection to June. I know this is scene is talking about Nick wanting to save June and probably get her to Canada, but I can’t help thinking that the writers specifically wrote this line to have an underlying tone about Eleanor as her death will still be very fresh for Lawrence. 

This isn’t a prediction so much as a musing but I really hope there gets to be some sort of interaction between June and Lawrence about the circumstances of her suicide. Every time I watch the funeral scene where June and Lawrence just look at each other, I get more and more sure that Lawrence knows that something else happened that she’s not saying - he’s a smart man, after all.

Maybe this scene is a continuation of the ‘secluded forest/potential eyes’ scene. He could have asked her to stop “playing handmaid commander” (I believe this was a direct quote from S2, tell me if I’m wrong) and go with him to Canada and she refuses, hence why he goes to see Lawrence. That would fit the potential timeline as Lawrence would have to have been released from the interrogation scenes we saw in the main trailer, and we’ve established that the forest seven must be at least a few episodes in.

Speaking of rebel handmaid shenanigans, this looks fun! June is heard saying “Where we’re going isn’t safe.” and Mrs. Keyes (Mckenna Grace) replies “It’s not safe anywhere!”. I mean, straight off the bat, it looks like we’re going to get one hell of a performance from Mckenna Grace who seems insanely talented for 14! We’ve had it teased to us by different producers and show runners that Mrs. Keyes will be the confident teenage wife of a commander, who helps to facilitate the resistance. And, I mean being a child bride is horrifying so I can understand why she’s willing to help!

As where they’re actually going, I’m thinking that it’s got to be another ‘attack’ by Mayday. What that will look like is hard to say - another Lillie Fuller style bomb seems unlikely since the bomb-maker was moved and it doesn’t really seem like June’s style anyway (she’d rather go for the targeted kill without Handmaid/Martha casualties), and all remaining kids in Gilead will be under heavy security after the S3 Finale. My money would be on a plan to get out Handmaids/Marthas - in the originally trailer we hear June saying “These women deserve to be helped” which supports that theory. I think her efforts will particularly focus on handmaids since a lot of the kids they got out were kids of handmaids before Gilead so she’ll want them to be reunited where it’s safe to do so.

Right - my guess is that this scene must be following whatever Mayday attempted (successful or not...). Remember in S2 when June was looking at all the Marthas who had been hanged and she said that they had been hanged for being heretics and not for being part of resistance because officially there was no resistance because there was nothing to resist? I think what we’re seeing is June has been caught and she’s being given one of the hanging bags with the symbols on to say why they were hung, pre-execution (which I assume June will somehow survive - my guess would be Nick gets her out before the execution). June’s bag has a cross because she’ll be hung for being a heretic, because officially there is no resistance - although this seems like a bit of a stretch of a story even for Gilead considering what Mayday just pulled off. It’ll be interesting to see the story that Gilead do use to explain what happened.

Another thing I just want to quickly touch on is the costume - mustard yellow with a red strip. It’s a bit out there but I’m putting my money on ‘death row uniform’ - here’s why: the colours of the uniforms all have biblical connotations e.g. the wives where blue because it symbolises the purity of the Virgin Mary, handmaids wear read to symbolise Mary Magdalene who is a redeemed sinner etc. In Revelation (final book of the bible that talks of the end of the world and second coming etc.) the four horsemen (bringers of the end of the world) are described as being yellow as sulphur and red as fire. So the colours yellow and red would symbolise ‘the end’ i.e. a salvaging/execution. This is purely speculation so make sure to comment your thoughts!

Now the opinion you’re probably all here for - Hannah. In the shots shown in the trailer, she can be seen in some sort of glass prison with a doll, and she draws an eye in the dust. There’s been a lot of speculation about the context of this scene with the overriding theory being that this scene is a dream. In some ways this makes sense: June is in the yellow costume but she doesn’t have the same injuries shown in the other footage where she’s wearing this costume (although this could just be that this scene is slightly before that scene), the idea of a glass prison doesn’t really make sense in relation to what all the other cells look like that we’ve seen, the eye that Hannah draws is just way too precise for a drawing done with dust let alone a drawing done by a child, the idea of Hannah drawing an eye is also a strange drawing for a child whereas June would dream that because of the connotations to Gilead spies and ‘under his eye’. Not to mention it makes sense that June would be dreaming about Hannah being trapped as she’s been spending time with Mrs. Keyes who is a child bride close to Hannah’s age.

In all honesty, I don’t really know what I believe. I think that placing Hannah in a glass prison and allowing June to see her and be centimetres away but not be able to get to her is a very Gilead style power trip. Gilead officials know that the only reason that she’s still in Gilead is because of Hannah so it makes sense for them to hold her in a place that is blatantly obvious to June so she can be used as leverage in stopping an on-coming attack. Gilead pretend to be all about protecting children but we all know they’re not above cutting off a limb or two - as long as she still has a working uterus. So if this isn’t a dream and Hannah is being used as leverage, this puts a spanner in the works on my death row theory because you only keep leverage on someone if you need them for something and they won’t kill her if they still need her for something. There’s a number of things that could be - stopping an on-coming attack, intel on Mayday and the Martha network, maybe they’re blackmailing her to tell Luke to stand down on trying to get Fred and Serena convicted?

Anyway.... that was A LOT. Please reply to this post with any ideas you have or to prove me wrong - this is all we have till S4 drops!

Blessed be the fruit loops, bitches x

[timelordthirteen]

Killing Time 23/35

Detective Weaver/Belle French, Explicit

Summary: A Woven Beauty Law & Order-ish AU. Written for Writer’s Month 2019.

Chapter Summary: Belle and Weaver get a big break in the case, but find it tempered by the mountain of missing pieces.

Notes: For my August Writer's Month prompt: We’re all a little stronger than we think we are. I've barely read this over before posting, sorry for all the typos.

[AO3]  

We’re all a little stronger than we think we are.

Dr. Hopper’s parting words replayed in Belle’s mind as she walked the three blocks back to her office.

The last few days had been lighter than any since her work on the Branson case had begun. A weight had been lifted by her confession to both Archie and Ian, and the therapy session which she was just leaving had only added to it. Today, their topics focused on ways she could relax and control any future panic attacks, which she assumed she would probably need no matter how much she wanted to tell herself otherwise.

The weekend had been quiet and comfortable. She and Weaver had worked some on Saturday, but admittedly they were distracted by movies on TV and each other. Sunday, they’d gone for a walk in a nearby park, and by the time they got back to the apartment, she was ready to tear his jeans off. Smiling, she pulled a lock of hair away from her face and tucked it behind her ear. She was quite certain that the only other time she’d had more sex in a forty-eight hour period was when they’d been on their honeymoon.

He hadn’t said anything about the miscarriage after Friday night, and she hadn’t either. She wasn’t sure what he was feeling or thinking about it, or if he was at all. Several times she’d almost brought it up, but always hesitated when the moment came, afraid to shatter the cocoon of safety and happiness they’d created for one weekend. She was determined to talk it over with Dr. Hopper next week, before she dared to breach the subject with Weaver. Archie would know the best way to go about it, and he would help her get her mind straight beforehand, as he had many times when she was practicing her closing argument for an important case.

Monday had brought no news from Nevada, but this morning she’d gotten a call from Clark County letting her know to expect something by no later than Wednesday. It put an extra spring in her step as she pushed the revolving door to the city building that housed the District Attorney’s office. Her cell phone chirped in her coat pocket, and she pressed the elevator button before pulling it out. An notification lit up on the screen, an email to her official account, but the lift was already moving and her signal went out as it began the slow climb to the sixth floor.

Belle shoved her phone back in her pocket and stepped off the elevator, wanting to wait until she was with Weaver before she read the email, just in case it was good news. Her lips parted as she rounded the corner and saw his outline through the frosted glass of her office. He was seated at the conference table, leaning back, as far as she could tell, and a naughty idea on how they might celebrate this possible good news flashed across her mind.

Weaver turned as she opened the office door, and smiled. “Go well?”

She nodded and walked over to her desk. “Pretty good.”

“Good.”

Then she held up her phone and grinned. “I have an email.”

“Just one? I’ll alert the media,” he deadpanned, pushing back from the conference table.

Belle rolled her eyes and dropped her purse in her bottom drawer before kicking off her walking flats and wiggling her feet back into her work heels. “From the Clark County Clerk.”

Weaver stood, his mouth curving crookedly. “Say that five times fast.”

“You’re the worst.”

He laughed as she pulled out her chair. “And yet you love me.”

She huffed and pushed up on her toes to press a quick kiss to his lips. “Allegedly.”

He made a soft ‘oh’ sound and slipped an arm around her, pulling her flush against him. “I have a fair bit of evidence from this weekend that says otherwise.”

Belle bit her lip and smiled as he dipped his head and kissed her neck. “None of which is admissible in court.”

Weaver’s nose nudged at her ear as he chuckled and whispered, “You’re the only judge I care about convincing anyway.”

Giggling, she shoved his chest until he stepped back, and then shook her head. “You’re incorrigible. Now, can I check my email?”

He gave her a sly look, but motioned towards her computer. Her stomach flipped as she sat down and opened the lid of her laptop, hoping that what they would find wouldn’t kill the delightful buzzing anticipation between them. It seemed to take twice as long for her email to open and the new message to appear, and she started tapping her foot impatiently while Weaver’s hand squeezed the back of her chair. She clicked on the message, opening it in a full window so they could both read it.

They exchanged a look, and Belle scooted forward, saving the attached documents to the folder for the case. There were three in all, a scanned image of Molly Macreedy’s foster care agreement, and two exported PDFs from the Nevada DMV database containing the records for her foster parents. The image had been pasted into the email and stated her foster parents’ surname as Tremaine. Belle opened the DMV records for each parent, putting them side by side on the screen before she sat back in her chair.

“Holy shit.”

“Yeah,” Weaver said, breathless.

“No wonder we couldn’t find anything on Eloise Gardener,” Belle said. “She never existed.”

“Eloise Tremaine,” Weaver began, sticking the DMV photo up on the whiteboard next to a picture from Eloise Gardener’s autopsy. “Former foster parent to our first victim, Molly Macreedy, aka Baby Jane number 3-2-5. She was left at a fire station in North Las Vegas, estimated to be about three weeks old at the time.”

Detective Rogers shook his head and put up the DMV photo of Robert Tremaine on the other side of the board before turning to face Captain Graham Humbert, Belle, and DA Midas. “Robert Tremaine, real estate developer from Henderson, married Eloise Smith in 1993. They had no kids of their own, but had at least fifteen foster children, that we know of.”

“We’re still waiting on all the records from Nevada,” Belle added.

“Robert died in March of 2013,” Weaver continued, leaning against the wall of bookshelves in Belle’s office. “No particulars on that just yet, but shortly after that any paper trail on his wife goes cold.”

“What about his estate?” Graham asked, frowning.

Weaver shrugged. “Real estate records show the sale of the house was handled by an attorney. That’s all we have on that so far.”

Midas leaned forward on the table. “Tremaine’s business, anything about that? Real estate development in Vegas was pretty lucrative at that time.”

“And fairly shady.” Rogers’ eyebrows lifted. “We’re looking into possible organized crime connections with that, but that’s a whole can of worms unrelated to our serial murders.”

Graham flipped through the small packet of papers Belle had compiled thus far. “What was Eloise doing in Seattle?”

“We don’t know,” Weaver answered. “If there is a link to the mob with her husband’s business, it would stand to reason that she’d want to get away from Vegas, but Seattle doesn’t seem far enough to run from that kind of thing.”

“But,” Belle interjected. “It doesn’t explain how Jack and Nick Branson knew about the history between Molly and Eloise, or why they were killed.”

“So...you have adoption records and foster parents for one victim, from another state, and not much else.” Graham looked around at the group and dropped the papers back on the table.

“Hey, we -”

“Now wait -”

Weaver and Rogers start defending themselves at the exact same moment, but stopped when Midas stood up.

“Captain Humbert is right,” Midas said. “It’s interesting background, and it’s a possible lead to - something - but it’s not helping us build a case against the Bransons, and this office -.”

“Nick Branson worked construction in Las Vegas,” Belle interrupted. “Maybe that’s the connection. Maybe it’s through Robert Tremaine’s business that he - I don’t know - came into some contact with Eloise.”

Midas frowned and looked at Graham a moment before fixing Belle with a hard stare. “Follow it up, but don’t waste time on goose chases and rabbit holes. The murders were here in Seattle, not in Las Vegas. We’re not even sure Eloise was murdered by the Bransons -”

Belle attempted to interrupt him again, but his glare quieted her immediately. “You’ve shown me no definitive proof that she was. Meanwhile, we have five victims that we do know they killed, and a trial for them starting in two months. I’d like to avoid that kind of public spectacle if at all possible and get these two psychopaths to take a deal on those five murders.”

The tension in the room made Belle uncomfortable and her eyes darted to meet Weavers’ before shifting back to her boss.

“Am I clear, ADA French?”

She swallowed. “Yes, sir.”

“Thank you, detectives,” Midas said, nodding to Rogers and Weaver. “Captain Graham.”

Midas strode out of the office, and everyone left in the room collectively sagged in defeat. The air of excitement that Belle and Weaver had maintained for the last thirty-six hours at the news of Eloise Gardener’s real identity fizzled to nothing as Belle laid her head down on the conference table.

Weaver shot a look at Graham. “What the hell crawled up his arse?”

Graham sighed and ran a hand over his face. “The mayor,” he said, counting on his fingers as he spoke, “the city council, Alderman Samedi, Victoria Belfrey…”

“Belfrey?” Belle said, lifting her head. “What the hell does she care?”

“Apparently she had a deal with Samedi to build cost controlled housing on that vacant lot,” Graham explained. “The whole thing is in limbo now because the lot is a crime scene and hasn’t been released, and we can’t do that until we move forward on Eloise Gardener’s, or Tremaine’s, or - whoever the hell she is’s - murder.”

“So no pressure then,” Rogers muttered flatly, snapping the cap on one of the dry erase markers.

Belle pushed back from the conference table and stood up. “Okay,” she said, holding up both of her hands, palms outward. “We need a new plan. Rogers, figure out where the hell Eloise was living in Seattle. Hopefully having her actual last name will yield more results, but there could be something under her husband’s name, or his company. Ian and I will focus on the other victims, and see if any more of them are also adopted, or were in foster care.”

Then she turned to Graham and gave him a sickly sweet smile, that hand him rolling his head back and looking up at the ceiling. “Captain Humbert, if you could please reach out to your federal law enforcement contacts, and see if there’s even a whiff of organized crime around Robert Tremaine, that would be most especially helpful.”

Graham let out a snorting laugh, and gave Belle a salute with two fingers before he gathered up his things. “Yes, ma’am.”

Plans made, and men dispersed, Belle was left alone in her office. She sat down on the sofa, head in her hands, and took a deep breath, blowing it out slowly between her lips. Archie’s voice was once again in her head, and for a long moment she let herself focus on it, trying to block out the irritated voice of her boss and the nagging on in her head that set her anxiety up to an eleven.

Feeling calmer, Belle looked up, her eyes staring straight ahead at the white board with pictures of Robert and Eloise Tremaine hanging side by side. She pushed to her feet and walked towards her, her vision narrowing to the image of Eloise, with that awkward expression so common with driver’s license photos.

“Why were you in Seattle, Eloise?” she asked no one. “What were you running from?”

[angelicspaceprince]

Ouija

Author: Ama

Title: Ouija

Pairing: Possible Future Beetlejuice/Reader

Character/s: Beetlejuice

Word Count: 2, 473 words

Warnings: Beetlejuice has dyslexia, I do not, I tried.

Tags: @yankyo, @justballoonfishthings, @breadbudzo, @aethersghoulette, @ironically-deadinside, @beetlejuicecansteponme, @beetlebitchywitch (some of you asked, some of you I just tagged bc)

Prompt: You find a Ouija board and end up communicating with a ghost who has trouble spelling. Together you figure out a way for him to communicate with you a little bit easier.

Notes: I promised this fic like ages ago, based off of @slut-4-beetlejuice hcs that they wrote ages ago and we kinda did a dance of reblogs where we added to each other. But yeah, this is what I came up with! My plan for this fic is to do it in two parts and if y’all want more I can write more later, but I’m basically gonna portray your side of the story and then our favourite residential ghost with the most. This, obviously, is the reader’s side of the story. This is my first attempt at writing Beetlejuice as a fic, not as a hc so please be gentle with me. I hope y’all enjoy!Also, I had speechie friendo talk to me about dyslexia and I based Beej’s spelling mistakes around the notes she sent me.

Ouija Board Inspiration

Buy Me a Coffee

Ouija

It had started out innocently enough. You were bored and decided to spend the day exploring your new attic. You found a box filled with old games and decided that you wanted to sort through them, see if any were unusual or rare that you could keep. Most of them, you planned to donate somewhere, or put them back into storage.

You weren’t expecting much. Maybe a torn-up game of Twister, or Mouse Trap. Half a pack of Uno cards, or a ruined game of Trouble, and for the most part, you got what you expected. But when you found the Ouija board, you were a little surprised. Most of the games were for children, and weren’t in good enough nick to keep, let alone play. But the Ouija board looked like it just came out of the factory that created it. You go to lift the case from the bottom of the box, surprised by how heavy it was when you started to lift, nearly dropping it twice when you finally got it out and onto the table in front of you. Carefully, you lift the lid.

No wonder it was heavy. The Ouija board was wooden, and bigger than you were expecting. The dark wood had been engraved with the usual things a Ouija has, Yes, No, Goodbye, numbers 0-9 and every letter of the alphabet, the outside decorated with various designs you couldn’t make out in the dark. The one you could recognise was the pentagram engraved between the Yes and the No on the board. The planchette was also heavy, made from the same wood as the board, engraved with just two x’s, indicating where to put your finger.

You look over at the board as you hold the planchette in your hands. You were bored, yes. The attic was now in a state, yes. But the urge to test out the Ouija board was beginning to get too great. You organise yourself on the floor, placing the planchette in the middle of the board and just.... waiting. Not really sure on what to do now.

“Uh…hello?” Your voice is uncertain before you yelp when the cursor on the board begins to move. Yes, your fingers are on the x’s, but you weren’t providing any pressure. It just moved on its own.

‘H – I.’ The cursor spells out as your brain sort circuits as it returns to the centre of the board.

“Uhhhhh.” You pause, not sure how to proceed. “I’m Y/N. What’s your name?” The planchette seems to shake a little before moving towards the ‘No’ part of the board, returning to the centre. “You don’t want to tell me?” It moves back to the ‘No’. “That’s ok then. Can I ask if you’re really dead?” It moves to the ‘Yes’. “Is that yes I can ask, or yes you are?”

‘YES, I – A – M – D – E – D.’ You repeat the phrase once you’ve spelt out the letters quietly to show you’re aware of which letter the ghost was indicating with. “Sorry, I didn’t think I’d get a response, or one so soon.”

‘F – L – G – U – R – E – D.’

“Can I ask some questions about life after death?” You wait for the cursor to move over the Yes before continuing. “Is there a hell?”

So, it continued. Every day, after work, you’d come home and race up to the attic and spend time talking to your ghostly friend, who still wouldn’t tell you their name. All you knew was they were dead, had been for centuries, were bored, and were something called a bio-exorcist (which took a couple of attempts to spell). You also learnt that any form of parental figure, they hated, and any form of rules and regulations was not something they enjoyed.

You also noticed that they had a weird tendency to refuse certain questions or struggled to spell words correctly when they did. Sure, exorcist, intelligence and February weren’t easy words to spell when you weren’t writing them down, but replacing b’s for d’s and p’s for q’s, c’s for o’s and n’s for m’s. There were a lot of little things you picked up over time made you think perhaps there was more to this story.

So, you changed direction. One evening, you were talking about work and things that annoyed you and a question you thought they’d be fine answering, but the planchette just started to shake. You pause for a second, trying to figure out what was wrong. “Do you want to answer the question?” The cursor slides quickly and heavily to the ‘Yes’, causing you to move your whole body with it before it tentatively returns to the centre of the board. You think for a second as the planchette continues to vibrate with what feels like annoyance. “Can you spell the answer?” The planchette stops moving and everything is still. It’s so quiet, you could hear a pin drop. You wait for thirty seconds before you say “Hello?” and like that, the cursor slowly, tentatively, goes over towards the ‘No’ part of the board followed by a ‘A-L-W-A-Y-S-B-E-E-M-A-B-A-D-S-P-E-L-E-R. “Oh. That’s ok, I’m pretty rubbish without spell check too. Take your time.” Everything stops for a second, the energy that is always humming when you’re up here seems to have dropped to a low throb, and you slowly remove your hands from the planchette as you think.

‘How can I make this easier for them?’ You hum for a second before returning your hands to the board. “Would you prefer yes or no questions?” The planchette slides quickly over to the ‘Yes’ and you smile. “Ok, if something isn’t a yes or no question, I’ll provide answers and you can slide to the numbers to tell me which one is appropriate. Does that work?” Again, ‘Yes’.

Life moves on. It was weird at first, but you got used to asking only yes or no questions and becoming content with that as a response. A few more weeks went by, you slowly began to spend more time talking to the ghost in the attic. It was fascinating, and you were lonely and suspected they were too. Why else would they talk to you night after night after night? You never brought up the idea that perhaps they may have been lonely, but you focused on making sure like they felt like they had a friend.

A few more weeks had passed before you came up with a new idea. As good as it was to make them feel like they weren’t stupid for their spelling, you felt like you were muting them or speaking on their behalf. So, on your Saturday evening as you ate your dinner and you asked a question about if they enjoyed scaring people whenever they got the chance and the planchette moved by its own accord, you stared down at the board for a few minutes in shock. “You can move things WITHOUT me helping?”

‘Yes.’

“Why the fuck do I have to hold it then?” You forget to offer options as you take a breath, hearing the planchette slide across the board. “Its fine, I was just in shock.” You explain, not looking at what the ghost was being said. An idea pings in your head. “With your bad spelling, does it affect your reading or is it easier? One for both are hard, two for reading is easier.”

The planchette wobbles for a second before it slides over between the two. ‘R-E-A-D-I-M-G-I-S-S-T-I-L-L-H-A-R-D.’ It spells out. ‘B-UT-N-O-T-A-S-H-A-R-D-A-S-S-P-E-L-I-M-G.’

You can sense the confusion in the room as you nod, already thinking of a plan. “Have you always struggled with reading and spelling?” ‘A-L-W-A-Y-S-B-U-T-I-N-J-U-S-T-S-T-U-P-I-D’ You you’re your heart break slightly when they call themselves that. “Sweetheart, have you ever heard of the term dyslexia?” ‘No’. “It’s where your brain struggles to recognise letters or sounds, it makes it hard for people to read and write. They often miss letters or get letters mixed up, or sometimes even add letters that aren’t meant to be there.” You explain gently. “I think you may have the same kind my friend has. He reads a lot even though it’s a struggle, but if you get him to spell, he’s absolutely hopeless. Amazing at math, though. Like a walking calculator.” You smile as you get distracted before you shake your head and bring yourself back to the present. “I don’t think you’re stupid, love, I think perhaps your brain just isn’t wired to like letters and words.” You explain as you fiddle with your hands, unsure on where to put them. The planchette doesn’t move, but you can feel the air growing thicker.

‘N-O-T-S-T-U-P-I-D’ – the planchette draws a question mark over the entire board. You shake your head.

“Not stupid at all, pet.” A few seconds pass before the planchette moves over to the ‘Goodbye’ section. You sigh, slightly disappointed that they wanted to leave so soon. “I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

You ran late to work the next day, replaying the conversation in your head with your resident ghost over and over again as it kept you up later and later into the night. Your plan wasn’t well thought out at this stage, but you could get things started.

You stay late after work to make up for the hour that you missed this morning before rushing to the bookshop, making it there 10 minutes before they closed. You found what you wanted and quickly purchased it before rushing home, making sure to grab something for dinner as you drive home.

The moment you arrived home and placed your bags by the front door, the house felt empty. For the first time since using the Ouija board, the house felt like you were the only one in it. Pulling out the Ouija board, you asked if they were here. Nothing. You put your fingers on the planchette. Nothing again. You call out to them to see if they were there, nothing. You sigh before packing it back up. Perhaps your new-found friend had moved on.

It was a few days before your ghostly friend returned. The house had felt barren the entire time they were gone, you had stopped bringing out the board the day they returned, figuring that they just weren’t going to come back. A loud crash from the living room caused you to run out from the kitchen where you were preparing dinner to see what had happened. On the floor was the Ouija board, set up and ready to go with the planchette moving wildly across the board, so fast you couldn’t keep up.

“Hang on, hang on, hang on.” You rush back upstairs to grab the item you had purchased for them the week prior before rushing back downstairs and putting it next to the board with a satisfying thud. “I got you a dictionary, they had one with pictures which I thought could help.” You explain to where you hoped the ghost was. You put a pen in front of the giant book. “Just…. point I guess to the word you want to say. If you want to try it this way that is, I thought it might be easier for you.”

The air seemed thick as you waited for something to move, the planchette or the book. Suddenly, the cover of the book seemed to gingerly open as the ghost slowly looked for the words he was looking for. ‘IT-IS-EASIER’ they indicated with the pen. You smile as the pages begin to turn in a flurry, clearly excited to be able to communicate with you a bit easier.

So, life continued. The ghost (who you later found out was a man) would follow you from room to room, carrying the pen and the book to indicate different words to you, making comments on nearly everything that he wasn’t able to before, from the shade of paint on your walls (he thought they should be green) to what you were wearing (he was really into you wearing stripes for some reason), he would readily give your opinion on everything. It was weird, but you could feel yourself slowly falling for the now forever talking ghost. The freedom that came with the dictionary meant that your conversations become more…. conversation like. He wasn’t restricted to just yes or no answers, and you weren’t restricted to staying in one room. You found yourself having dinners next to the constantly page flipping book and laughing at his bad jokes and giving some back of your own. You found small doodles on the outside of the dictionary too, his own little crude drawings he did when you weren’t home. It was nice, it felt like some kind of perverse kind of domestic.

It had been months since your initial contact with him, and you still didn’t know his name and, to be honest, it was beginning to bug you. You didn’t say or show your annoyance about not knowing his name, but you figured it was time you knew. So, when you came home that night and had set up your dinner in your usual set up, you finally decided to ask. “Can I know your name?”

It took a minute before your squatter decided to respond. ‘ORION-BRIGHT-STAR’.

“Orion’s brightest star?” You say, almost as a question as you pull out your phone to do a quick Google. “Beetlejuice?” You look up to see a fury of pages flying as he quickly makes his way over to the ‘A’ section of the dictionary.

‘AGAIN’

“Beetlejuice?”

The pen slams back down on the page. ‘AGAIN.’

You hesitate. “Beetlejuice?”

There was a crash, a bang, and way too much smoke that filled the room as bright green lights seemed to radiate from outside your house. You cough and wave your hand to clear the smoke from your mouth when you finally hear it.

“Thanks for that babes, I’ve been wanting you to see me for months now.” You blink before you see him. He was-

Cuter than you were expecting. Shorter too. Not the scary man you had envisioned, but rather an adorable guy dressed in arguably way too many stripes, even though it seemed to suit. The green in his hair was vibrant and his whole being seemed to shake with excitement. For the first time in a long time, you didn’t know what to say.

“What’s wrong babes? Cat got your tongue?” He leans in closer to take a better look at you, but all you could focus on was the bright green of his eyes.

“You’re hotter than I imagined.” You heard yourself say before you turn bright, bright red. The grin on his face widens as he chuckles lowly, sending a shiver up your spine.

“Oh babes, we are going to have so much fun.”

[jlf23tumble]

My 1D-related fic faves of 2019

I've read a TON of great fic this year in all kinds of fandoms, Jeeeeeeeeeesus, there are so many talented writers out there, but I won't list it all here (or even list everything I bookmarked this year). Instead, I'm gonna stick with 1D-related works released in 2019 that pulled me in hard and made me stare at the wall and/or read again and/or scream about with other people, and I'll try to do it in cutesie number order because WHY NOT make it that extra level of arbitrary, lmao. I love fanfic because no matter what fandom I'm dipping in, something new is gonna jump up and kill me (this year in particular, I've subscribed to a lot of "new to me" writers that I LOVE, and I hope you know who you are [do you know who you are, etc.]). Thank you for the free gifts, for your time, for your blood, sweat, and tears! I owe you hugs, coffee, and my undying love, gratitude, and support! I'll put my list under the cut to avoid some v. v. real screen scroll rage--happy new year, y'all!

2 lactation kink fics

(aka the Jaerie category, nobody else is out there writing this even as Harry's tits get bigger and milkier and why am I the only one fully appreciating all of it?????)

I Think You're Already Home, by jaerie, Seeing Louis Tomlinson today, it would be hard to guess that he was ever once a member of the world's most famous boyband. These days he doesn't even the leave his own house. The truth is he can't leave his own house. (a December gift to remember for all of us! a/b/o dynamics, famous Louis, omega Harry--which is practically canon at this point--crippling agoraphobia, lactation-related sexiness, I would read at least ten (10) more chapters of this)

freaks from the internet, by jaerie. Harry sells his breast milk to freaks on the internet. Louis turns out to be one of those freaks. He also happens to be Harry's ex. (I legit can't believe this came out this year, I rec it all the time! it was anon for forever, and I was low-key obsessed because I just wanted mawrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr of it, and I got it, thank CHRIST)

3 fics for meeeeeeee

(These works were gifts to me, and I am so truly hashtag blessed to receive!!!)

I Just Wanna Taste It, by @homosociallyyours​. In his mind it's watermelon and sticky strawberry sweet, and he craves the feeling of his own round, firm belly warm under his hands on a summer evening. (Megan loves to kill me with Harry mpreg imaginings, and this one feels like canon to me!)

Powerless (and I Don't Care It's Obvious), by objectlesson/ @alienfuckeronmain​. He should not be getting turned on by Harry’s full-bladder discomfort, his little twitches, his hips-stuttering. And yet. (AND YET!!! I don't even know where to start with how much I love Phoenix, what a treasure her work is in ANY fandom, how shitty this particular fandom has been to her, how much I'm gonna miss harry/louis fic gifts from her in the future, how HOT this pee kink fic is in general, dot dot dot)

Tuxedo Classic Dance Party, by Blake/ @newleafover​. Instead of flying out to meet his touring boyfriend in Madrid, Louis sticks around to be responsible and do things like dance at Lady Gaga night at the gay cowboy club in West Hollywood. (Blake has written at least five fics in various fandoms that I would say are my favorite fics of all time, but they really topped themselves with this one!)

4 fic series

(I feel like there are probably loads more that qualify, but these ones grabbed me in their own particular way)

Not That Gone, by abrighteryellow/ @a-brighter-yellow​. Louis’s 20-year high school reunion takes a turn when a celebrity classmate – who also happens to be Louis’s long unrequited crush – unexpectedly shows up. (this was inspired by Chris Evans, and both parts stand on their own, tbh)

Maybe I Miss You, by 13ways. Louis is on his way back to London after the Hits Live Birmingham concert. Harry is flying to New York for the Met Gala. They connect. (from the very first story in this series, I was HOOKED, canon angst that builds up to something truly wonderful)

There's something I want to try..., by TheMagicWord. Harry wants to try something. Louis's not convinced. Until he is. (the installments are super short, super hot)

One More Time Again, by orphan_account. On the morning of his second sold-out performance at Madison Square Garden, Harry wakes up to find that he's sixteen years old, on The X Factor, and that he has a chance to make things right. (I'm sad that this author orphaned, but I seem to recall her getting a TON of shit, which is unfortunate because this is a great read, and part two is an imagining where Louis goes back instead)

5 fics featuring holidays

(These ones are basically from Christmas and Halloween of this year, so quite recent!!)

once bitten and twice shy, by @pinkcords​. In a rush of bravery only senior year can bring, Harry confesses his feelings in a letter to his neighbor and best friend, Louis, only for the entire school to hear it and laugh him out of their small town in Wisconsin. (the notes on this one blew me away: first-time author, pinch-hitting for a fest, and damn, a knock out)

you've set my soul to dreaming, by we_are_the_same. Thirty-year-old Harry Styles goes to bed single on Christmas Eve, only to wake up on Christmas morning with a husband in his bed and a son down the hall. (I'm not always into this trope, but when it's done well? NICE, and this one did it well)

when half spent was the night, by @juliusschmidt​. I’ve skimmed your website and am interested in hiring you to be my doula. I’m 7 ½ months pregnant and not keen to do this whole labor and birth thing alone. After looking around, I thought you might be a good fit. (girl direction advent fic with pregnant Louis that’s incredibly well done, especially given how short it is, I was so sad to see it end, but the author says something about act II coming??? YES!!!)

Fictober 2019 Collection, by flowercrownfemme/ @lesbianiconharrystyles​. Features lots of monsters and creatures and Harry Styles being a general nightmare as well as a few Girl Direction drabbles and a timestamp for Fool For You and one for Treat Mothman With Kindness. (Chloe's Halloween drabbles, each of which could outrival other stories 4x the length...she's a GIFT)

Cat & Mouse, by jaerie. It's the one day out of the year that Harry doesn't have to hide and can be himself — at least he thought so. Louis is just a little more observant than he anticipated. (I'm not a big hybrid fic fan, BUT GOD THIS STORY IS SO GOOD, it's so short I wanna cry, but so good!!!)

6 a/b/o fics

(I can handle "traditional" a/b/o if it gives me my dose of omega Harry, but I absolutely adore "untraditional" a/b/o, you know, where it actually is NOT about straight dynamics being put on a m/m or f/f couple (excuse me, a/a or o/o)...these ones NAIL IT, as did the entire gaybo ficfest)

violence of my own touch, by 14hrflight/ @silverfoxlouis​. Louis hasn’t said anything, but Harry knows something is wrong. Harry’s rut had ended a few days ago, and Louis had kept him under as best as he could. (whenever I read Chi's alpha/alpha fics, I find myself internally screaming "CHI!!!" god, do they Get It, and I really hope they continue this one!)

Amor Victorious, by HappyPrincess/ @pattern-pals​. Louis finds himself following Harry on a journey through Italy, complete with long train rides, greasy food, naked Christs, and too many lingering touches. They're definitely not like other tourists and he definitely doesn't have a crush on his best friend who happens to be an alpha, too. (this one came out during Thanksgiving week, so I held it to savor, and BOY, DID I SAVOR, it's so incredible, the gorgeous writing, the visceral, indescribable feeling of reading it, sighhhhhhh)

do you know me by heart, by HappyPrincess/ @pattern-pals​. Harry comes back wearing alphas' scents, a pleased smile and a lace dress. Somehow, Louis still ends up making him come until he cries. (for me personally, 2019 was the year of Nina: getting to know them, catching up on all their writing, falling in love with the way they can kill us all with beautiful angst and the hint and hope of redemption...here's a tissue, you'll need it!!)

the way that you're thrilling me, by @hereforlou​. Alphas were smelly and cocky and mostly arseholes, in Harry’s experience. Or at least they were at school. He didn’t understand how his friends—lovely, soft-skinned, sweet-smelling omegas—could actually want to touch them, or be touched by them. (this is just one of the many, MANY faves I had from the gaybo ficfest, A+ all around)

Constant Debauchery, by Blake/ @newleafover​. Harry is an alpha who loves getting his mouth knotted by other alphas. Louis is happy to serve. Fun smut! But also angst and sexual awakenings. (Blake knows how to sum up their writing, lol, but YEAH, me as at least one of the comments both public and private saying they'd want to read 100k more of this)

how many nights did I crash against the waves, by Blake/ @newleafover​ Louis is going into heat and Harry thinks it's hot. (the SKILL of writing something that's 1.7k, yet builds a complete--and v. v. hot--world)

7 fics with Harry and someone else

(I still have a few I need to read in this category--I'm getting there! But these are some from my fave authors that really had me pondering some walls [heh])

I Want Your Belly, by @glasscushion​. Harry wants Adam to knock him up. Inspired by on-stage thirst, the Instagram Stories Shirt, Watermelon Sugar, and Harry’s persistent baby fever. (Adam/Harry, mpreg kink of the finest order!!)

Rachel, Nevada, by @vondrostes​. Harry has a close sexual encounter of the fourth kind. (Jeff/Harry, Rachel/Harry, and I honestly can't even BEGIN to describe this, holy WOW)

Sea Salt, by @glasscushion​. Nick's drunk, and he can't avoid his feelings forever. Set in 2013 and 2019. (Nick/Harry, rip gryles...the grylers I know had an absolute field day in terms of angst, damn!)

all my lies are safe beside you now, by HappyPrincess/ @pattern-pals​. They both know what it was like to love Louis Tomlinson fiercely, irrevocably, ghosts of it on their skin, even if the traces were etched in vastly different ways. (Zayn/Harry, and FOR REAL, this is a huge ouch)

call me anything you like, but my name is, by @wishforwishes​. Some conversations are better left forgotten, some conversations are worth remembering, and some conversations you never get the chance to have. Featuring three mentors, two tea parties, one and a half recording studios, and a reference to Archie comics. (Harry/CHASM, essentially; LISTEN, I am obsessed with this fic, you don't need to read part one to really Get It, but the bits with Zayn, and James/Ben, and all the parts with Harry working through gender? SO GODDAMNED REAL)

Come Out and Play, by @dinosaursmate​. Harry and Louis discover a new kink in their relationship, and it brings all the boys closer than they could have ever imagined. (ot5 orgy, so not really Harry with anyone so much as everyone with everyone, and let's call this one canon)

Like a Rolling Stone, by @vondrostes​. By the end of it, Nick realised his tea had gone cold in his hand. He’d barely taken a single sip in the hour-plus he’d been sat there, unmoving, transfixed by Harry’s songs—haunted by the knowledge of what had inspired them. (Nick/Harry, rip gryles)

8 canon fics

(This was a VERY hard category to narrow down, but yeah, a big push this year from "newer" writers = lots of nuanced fic)

Per Aspera, by @sedfierisentio​. Louis’s throat feels tight, his heart like a hammer in his chest. You know my rot, he thinks, and I know yours. I love you still. (these achingly beautiful time stamps are centered around taste, and if this fic has taught me anything, it's that buying an author a coffee has a ripple effect)

A Nullo Amato, by @sedfierisentio​. Inspired by Harry carrying books around outside LAX, a canon-compliant, Canon AU fic set between 2014 and 2015; mostly, timestamps roped together by a common theme—literature. (this was removed four years ago and reposted, so maybe it's a cheat??? i don't care, it was brand-new to me and a lot of other people, I'm so glad the author shared it again!)

no love like your love, by @dykes4louis​. A collection of tumblr drabbles. (Hima is REALLY burying the lede on this one because each of these is short and SCORCHING, her skill, check out her other works, too!)

Dancing in My Dreams, by @kingsofeverything​. Louis doesn't mean to imply that Harry's too old to dance for him, but Harry takes it that way, and sets out to prove him wrong. (this is one that *could* go in the series pile, but I love it as a standalone...feels like canon to me, regardless!)

Sonic Sounds, by @glasscushion​. "Harry takes a deep breath, suitably embarrassed, “I’m just really...” and he can’t say the obvious. He can’t just say "really wet." Or Harry loves feeling embarrassed. Louis is happy to help. (I'll never look at those One Direction electric toothbrushes quite the same way again)

Bruised Fruit, by @glasscushion. Louis is obsessed with the way Harry smells in the heat of LA. (hey, you know what, me, too, bitch, you ain't special...the way this fic SMELLS, my god, I"m obsessed)

be my once in a lifetime, by HappyPrincess/ @pattern-pals. Just like there are only four other people who will ever understand what it’s like growing up in One Direction, there’s only one other person who knows what it’s like to find your soulmate just before you’re thrown into the spotlight and forced to acknowledge that the both of you have too many flaws and vices to make it through fame together. Or: It's all about having sex and being sad. And drunk. (can u believe Nina wrote this before Fine Line???)

in this dress, by cabinbythesea. Louis is so lost in his eyes and his words he feels if a step above heaven exists, it has to be Harry. Loosely inspired by Harry’s dress from the director’s cut of Lights Up. (I sure hope we see even more fic inspired by every bit of this album/every video it produces)

9 fics by Phoenix/ @alienfuckeronmain

(This fandom doesn't deserve her, and I hope everyone's reading her other works because they're all so amazing, she's such an incredibly gifted writer, my fave of faves, my life is so much brighter with her in it...I could rec her all goddamned day, and I do slash will!!! Here are nine she cranked out this year, each one a gem in its own way)

Silver White Winters. In which Louis catches a cloud and pins it down, aka, a Sound of Music AU (the shittiness in the comments underlines why we can't have nice things, but jesus CHRIST, this is so pure and good, and she cranked it out in, like, two hours)

I don't do that dance. Harry is easily the worst ballet dancer in her whole Intro to Ballet class. Except maybe Taylor Swift. (I adore how Phoenix writes girl Harry, but the way she writes Taylor? Unparalleled...nails her perfectly!)

magic, madness, heaven, sin, by @kerasines. It’s the flashing lights painting colors on her eyelids, it’s the drumming bass competing with her heartbeat. It’s the manic energy rippling through the crowd in waves, the deafening, frenzied passion filling the stadium that remind Eleanor that she actually used to like going to concerts. (technically, this one is FOR Phoenix, from Kim, but it takes a pairing that Phoenix is making her very own, so I'm counting it, lol)

Snakes and Stones. If you call a girl a snake enough, sometimes she becomes one. Her legs lengthen and fuse, her pupils shrink to slits. She gets colder and colder, until she has to spread herself on the warm cement beside the pool, soaking in heat, sipping gin and tonics to warm her blood so she does not turn to ice and shatter to bits. (god, I'm blanking on this ship name, but El/Taylor is such an inspired pairing, and I hope that P's drabbles make it over to ao3 in full)

Something good (will come from here). Taylor does not answer, because she is too busy licking her lips and pitching forward, as if Eleanor is the sky, or the sea. (you can practically SMELL this fic, El/Taylor drabble)

I Must Confess (I Still Believe). Harry is the new girl at an all girl Catholic Girl's School, and Louis is the unattainable, dashing senior who changes her forever. (this fic breaks my heart, the entire experience of its production and aftermath will forever be bittersweet, a gorgeous swansong)

Only One at the Finish Line. “I want to be another alpha’s omega,” is what he says, and it comes out like something reckless, something wild. Like he doesn't care anymore if Louis hates him or not, if Louis understands, he just needs to speak his truth aloud to darkness, to the slender pines that surround them like a jury panel. (Phoenix was the gaybo mod, and this was her contribution, and it is PERFECTION PERSONIFIED, fest goals)

The Pink Ghost of Princess Park. The thought of the vibrator does not go away. It’s sitting there collecting dust all through January, and every time Harry and Louis have to leave town for a press event or a show or to record or what have you, they come back home, and it’s still there, the Pink Ghost of Princess Park, the fucking glittery haunting that Harry cannot stop thinking of Louis stuffing up his arse. (a very good year in general for Princess Park clapbacks)

Life Saver. Louis is a sweetheart punk with a theater background and a heart of gold, Harry is an inexperienced nerd who plays by the rules. Classmates, lab partners, and eventually friends, what happens when Louis knows he’s in love, but doesn’t know how tell Harry? (this one came out a year ago tomorrow, and it had a tough birthing process, but it's so good, so hot, my love for virgin Harry gettin’ it on knows no bounds)

10 AU fics

(yes, yes, this could be LOADS longer, but I’m sticking to my theme!)

breathless for an eternity, by cabinbythesea. Harry conquers double duty on SNL and Louis wishes he was Nick Jonas. (dangggg, this came out too late for me to rec it along with my other snl-related fic, but it joins that lofty canon!)

Pretty Baby, by @littlelouishiccups. Louis helps Harry unwind after a busy week. (I was NOT expecting a new chapter in the iconic sugar baby Harry series, but HERE WE ARE)

into another (another) serotonin overflow, by @mercutionotromeo. Sweet first time sex wherein Harry's adorably awkward, Louis is achingly cool, and Harry rides Louis wearing his jersey. (this is one of my all-time fave fics, and I'm not sure what changed in it to get it reposted, but yeah, HERE FOR IT, THANK YOU!!!)

'Sup, by @mediawhorefics. All Louis wants is to finish the play he’s been commissioned to write, but one of the regulars at his local coffee shop keeps distracting him. ft. older larry, pushy gemma, harry being a disaster gay and silver fox louis. (this is so short but so tantalizing, GOD, DO I WANT MORE OF THIS UNIVERSE)

Tan Lines and Some Memories, by twoshipstiedup. Harry Styles is the indie movie darling he’d been avoiding ever since Louis saw his movie at Cannes and harbored an unreasonable grudge against him. A unicorn t-shirt finally brings them together in person. (I honestly thought we'd get more unicorn shirt fic, but this is a wonderful standard-bearer, banter city)

Bitter Tangerine, by purpledaisy/ @daisyharry. Nine months after they break up, a twist of fate brings Harry and Louis back together at Christmas. (so much ouch in this, but wow, do you feel like you're reading fully realized, realistic, growing characters)

We're Driving in Your Fast Car, by @sadaveniren. Harry felt himself light up - both with excitement and the thrill of getting what he wanted. “Really?” “Of course, anything for you." aka Louis and Harry are car thieves about to pull off a million dollar job. (another one I'd love to read more of...how did they get here, where are they going, etc.)

remember you well, by @fondleeds. Harry’s a criminal, Louis’ a cop, and they’re stranded overnight at the Motel 6. (what's with me and my love of heist/caper fics this year?)

Tied Down, by HamPalpert/ @ham-palpert. The most interesting case in Liam and Niall's careers falls directly into their laps, courtesy of an epic fuck-up of one Harry Styles, partner to the almost-infamous drug dealer Louis Tomlinson. The investigation yields an unexpected yet satisfactory outcome for Liam and Niall. For Harry and Louis, however, things are far more complicated. (SEE ABOVE, JESUS, I THINK ABOUT THIS FIC...ALL...THE.......TIME)

Harry Styles Cooks..., by sunsetmog. Louis owns all of Harry Styles’ cookbooks, and he never intends to cook a single thing out of any of them. (yeah, it's a wip, yeah, I flatline every time it updates, what of it, I'm living my best life vicariously through it!!)

[abigailnussbaum]

Legends of Tomorrow, Season 5

I was going to write weekly reviews of this season, and then with one thing and another ended up dropping it in the spring (hey, remember when there was so much weekly TV that you couldn’t keep up with all your shows? Wonder how long it’ll be before that happens again). I caught up with the entire season this weekend, and honestly, that feels like a better standpoint from which to write about it - I think if I’d stuck with weekly reviews, I would have ended up saying the same thing week after week.

A couple of years ago, Emily VanDerWerff suggested that there is a standard lifecycle for high-concept, large ensemble, off-the-wall genre shows: 

Season 1: still figuring this whole thing out 

Season 2: now we’re cooking with oil 

Season 3: we can do anything! 

Season 4: whoops, no, we’ve gotten a bit over our skis here 

Season 5: ??? 

Legends, I think, encapsulates this progression to a T. The show’s second and third seasons were some of the best and most exciting genre storytelling on television, but last year was a bit of a mess. That’s not entirely the writers’ fault - Nick Zano’s limited availability due to family obligations forced them to beef up the Time Bureau’s role in the season, and their desire to keep Maisie Richardson-Sellers on board even after Amaya’s story had wrapped up led them to create a character, Charlie, who had no real reason for being on the Waverider. But a lot of it was self-inflicted. The cast was too unwieldy, the Time Bureau story seemed designed to expose the thin spots in the show’s self-presentation as irreverent but fundamentally compassionate (it certainly didn’t help that the decision to rewrite Nate Sr. into a good guy was made almost at the last minute, requiring the entirely unconvincing argument that forcing magical creatures to perform in a circus act is somehow morally superior to forcing them to be secret agents), and some of the character choices felt entirely parachuted in (Zari/Nate, anyone?).

Season five, therefore, had a lot of clean up work to do, while also demonstrating that the Legends formula had more life in it than just those two transcendent early seasons. And while this is undeniably a more successful, more enjoyable season than the one preceding it (which also does a great deal to address some of the show’s structural issues, chiefly the overlarge cast), I also can’t help but notice that instead of finding new places for the show to go, what the fifth season delivers instead is a hodgepodge of story elements from seasons two and three. So we’ve got a mystical object that can rewrite reality (The Loom of Fate vs. season two′s The Spear of Destiny); a token hunt across time and space in which the Legends face off against the estranged relatives of one of their members (the totems in season three vs. the search for the pieces of the loom, Amaya’s evil granddaughter vs. Charlie’s evil sisters); a late season loss that forces our characters into a nightmarish alternate reality in which they don’t even remember who they are (the Legion of Evil rewriting the Legends’ lives to make them ordinary and unsatisfying vs. being stuck in TV shows in a world run by the Fates); which comes about because of a betrayal by a member of the team (Charlie in season five, Mick in season two) whose eventual return to the fold enables to Legends to win in the end. There’s even an abandoned, abused girl who has turned evil, and has to be won back to the side of good through the offer of true companionship and understanding (Nora Darhk vs. Astra Logue).

This isn’t exactly a bad thing - a lot of these storytelling beats cut to the very core of what Legends is and what makes it work, so it’s not necessarily wrong for the show to repeat them. And even if the basic structure is the same, Legends just keeps getting more adventurous in how it delivers that structure. I’ve already written about how well done the season’s mockumentary episode was, and the same can be said for the 80s slasher movie riff, the Mr. Rogers parody, and of course, “The One Where We’re Trapped on TV”. Like the multiple universe episode in season four, these are things the show couldn’t have done when it was just a few seasons old, and they’re proof that whatever other issues it has, Legends is constantly pushing the envelope in terms of the kind of tropes and genres it can graft onto a superhero template. That said, there’s a very real possibility that this is all the show will ever be - a standard story template, enlivened by increasingly gonzo riffs on existing tropes.

Some more thoughts on where the season worked and where it didn’t below.

THE GOOD:

I really hated the decision to make Nora a fairy godmother in season four, not least because it felt like yet another way of infantilizing her (it certainly didn’t help that it was a choice she was forced into, and that she spent the remainder of the season catering to the every whim of Gary, a character I still have very mixed feelings towards). But season five really reclaims that choice. Having Nora embrace the fairy godmother life as a way of both helping children and working through her own issues makes a lot of sense, and the character feels happier and more confident than we’ve ever seen her (certainly a step up from how gloomy she was last season). I even like the wardrobe change - once the fairy godmother dress was ditched except for specific occasions, having Nora dress all in teal is a nice touch, and certainly an improvement over her rather boring season four wardrobe. I still think Legends missed a lot in how it handled Nora last season (I will never stop being annoyed that she and Sara didn’t develop a deeper friendship, given how similar their life trajectories have been), but this was a good way of righting the ship, even in a very limited timeframe.

I already mentioned this in the episode review, but watching the rest of the season really cemented my admiration for how quickly the show embeds Behrad into the crew, and makes it feel as if he’s always been there. That’s all the more impressive given that Behrad doesn’t really get an arc in season five. Most of that storytelling energy goes to establish Zari 2.0, and Behrad is, of course, absent for much of the latter half of the season. And yet he feels almost instantly like a fully-rounded character who is integral to the show, so much so that you’re heartbroken by his death (and convinced that it will be rolled back, even though Zari could easily take over his superpower). That’s really excellent work by both the writers and Shayan Sobhian.

I was a bit nervous when Zari 2.0 was introduced, because replacing a heroic, cool-girl-coded, nobly self-sacrificing character with a version of herself who is extremely femme-coded and obsessed with things like fashion and social media is the sort of move that is ripe for easy misogynistic point-scoring in the guise of feminism - of course the Zari who is good with machines and eats donuts is superior to the one who has a perfume line and spends hours in the bathroom every morning! But the show very quickly established that Zari, though certainly not without her flaws, is awesome in any guise, and it did so without trying to change her into “our” Zari, eventually even establishing that they are two completely different people, each with a right to exist (though not simultaneously, unfortunately). I get why the show didn’t keep both Zaris around - it would be asking a lot of Tala Ashe to play two characters, much of the time against herself, not to mention a production nightmare - but I appreciate that it didn’t decide that Zari 2.0 was the lesser version. (Also a nice touch: Behrad, though obviously fond of Zari 1.0, doesn’t think of her as “his” sister, even though to us she’s the “real” version of the character.)

Similarly, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when Ava moved to the Waverider full time - obviously, it would be an improvement on her playing a tinpot fascist at the Time Bureau while the show pretended that this wouldn’t really bother Sara, but at the same time Sara and Ava are both so similar in their functions and abilities that I worried they’d step on each other’s shoes. Instead, the show leaned into their differences and made the season about Ava finding her place as captain of the Waverider, a role she fills in very different ways than Sara while still doing a good job at it. It also allowed her to expand her point of view a little - bonding with Zari 2.0, or reaching out to Astra, both things that would have been outside of her comfort zone in the past. Obviously, this is setup for Ava taking over as captain in season six now that Sara has been abducted (though I hope not for very long - Legends isn’t Legends without Sara), but good on the show for taking the time to bring Ava to a point where she’s ready for this, and in a different way from Sara.

And speaking of looking ahead, the show takes the wise step of thinning out its cast. Personally, I would have kept Ray, Nora, and Mona and written off Constantine and Nate (and possibly also Gary), but either way, it’s good that the writers realized their cast was getting unwieldy. I was concerned, for example, that the show figuring out what to do with Charlie and giving her an elaborate backstory was a sign that she would stay on, but instead she leaves once that story is resolved. And I think that in an earlier season, Astra would have been positioned to stay on the Waverider after the end of the season, but instead she’s clearly a one-off character, who goes off to live her own life once the show has brought her story to a satisfying conclusion. (This also, however, means that Legends has written off two black women in a single season, not to mention Mona, and in fact has only one WOC main character remaining; I hope that’s something season six addresses.)

THE BAD:

I realize that I am very much in the minority on this, but I’m sorry: John Constantine does not belong on Legends of Tomorrow, and certainly not as a main character. Season five feels, in fact, like a perfect demonstration of this simple truth. The early parts of the season feel like two different shows, the Legends show and the Constantine show, that happen to have some points of intersection and shared characters. And even once those storylines converge, it’s notable how John’s quest for the Loom of Fate very quickly becomes Astra’s quest for it, and then Charlie’s, and how they both feel more grounded in that story and more affected by it than he was. What it comes down to, once again, is that John Constantine is a character who can’t change, and putting him on a show that is all about change and growth can’t help but feel unsatisfying for both the character and the show. Season five tries to suggest that change is possible for him - he finally comes clean with Astra and make a real apology to her; he admits that his pursuit of magic has cost him relationships and a chance at happiness; he reaches out to his friends when he thinks his life is about to end; he even quits smoking. But the character just doesn’t have that much give in it. To be John Constantine, he has to be the cynical, arrogant, self-destructive fuck-up we’ve always known. On a show like Legends of Tomorrow, that can work in small doses, but not as the main character that Constantine has been positioned as.

Though I’m glad that the show figured out something to do with Charlie before writing her off, the similarities between her story and Mick’s can’t help but shed a light on how poorly thought out this character has been, and how much her season five story is parachuted in. When Mick betrays the team at the end of season two, it’s barely a season after they’d put him off the ship for being perennially untrustworthy, leading to him becoming their nemesis. They only take him back out of pity for the decades of torture he suffered, and sympathy for the loss of his only friend, Captain Cold. His betrayal is a direct outcome of those cracks in the relationship - he does it because he wants to live in a world where he hasn’t been hurt or hurt others, and where his friend is still alive. When he changes his mind at the end of the season, it’s a culmination of two seasons of character growth, the realization that holding on to the pain in his life is worth it if it means he gets to keep the friendships he formed on the Waverider, and to continue to grow as a person - as expressed by his choice to put Snart back in his timeline, where he will become a better person (and eventually inspire Mick to do the same) but will also die. Charlie’s very similar storyline just doesn’t have this kind of depth. Neither her heel turn nor her face turn feel particularly earned, and a lot of that has to do with the fact that it took the writers so long to figure out who this character even was.

For a season of Legends, this was an awfully heteronormative stretch of episodes. Sure, Sara and Ava are still center stage, and that’s fantastic. But every other romantic relationship in the season, and there are quite a few of them, is a straight one. You might blame this on the fact that season five is a housecleaning season, wrapping up dangling storylines like Ray/Nora or Nate/Zari. But even the new characters like Behrad or Lita express only opposite-sex attraction (I guess Astra never demonstrates a preference). I mean, if you give John Constantine two different love interests in a single season and they’re both women, surely something has gone terribly wrong?

And speaking of John Constantine’s love interests, is putting him together with Zari meant to make the old her’s romance with Nate look organic and true to the characters in comparison? Because I can’t think of another reason for it. Do not want.

THE UGLY:

Words cannot express how much I hate the Damien Darhk episode. Not all of it, obviously - the Mr. Rogers riff, as I said, is pretty good (and pays off handsomely later in the season), and pretty much all the Ray/Nora stuff, especially the moment where she realizes she’s not going to lie to her father about the man she loves and the life she’s chosen, are golden. But it is simply mind-boggling that after two seasons in which Nora was firmly established as the survivor of a lifetime of abuse, Legends takes an entire hour to not only rehabilitate Damien, but pretend that he was always a loving father who just made some mistakes. For crying out loud, the man fed his daughter to a demon in order to gain power for himself. It was always an interesting wrinkle in his character that he clearly saw himself as a loving, protective parent, and was even capable of some level of self-sacrifice on Nora’s behalf, but I had assumed that the show realized this was at least partly a self-serving lie. To discover that we’re actually meant to think that one act of sacrifice cancels out a lifetime of abuse is nauseating. I wanted Nora to stand up to her father, but as a victim calling out her abuser, not a loving daughter trying to renegotiate a relationship with an overprotective parent. It certainly doesn’t help that the episode features inexplicably popular wedding story tropes, such as the groom asking the bride’s father for permission to marry her, or the father trying to keep the couple from physical intimacy before the wedding, which are gross in any context but especially so here. I suppose in the end it’s all worth it to be rid of Damien once and for all, but I was squirming with discomfort and rage throughout the entire episode.

[kristenbeeapples]

Fic idea: Kristen Applebees trying to be a good big sister after leaving her family

Allison you absolutely READ my MIND. Thank you for giving me an excuse to finally put all my (many, many) thoughts about Kristen and her siblings onto paper. Under a read more because this spun wildly out of my control!

***

“Ready?” Fig asks.

Kristen blows a loose strand of her out of her face, pockets her crystal, and nods. “Ready.”

Fig takes her hand and squeezes it, and then they appear with a burst of fire in her younger brothers’ bedroom. Adaine steps out of nothingness next to them a moment later.

“Kristen!” Cork yells, and leaps off the bed into her arms.

“Hey, buddy,” Kristen says, smiling. He smells like he hasn’t had a bath yet, he’s spilt something sticky down his t-shirt and he’s drooling a little, but she does not care one bit. She squeezes him tightly. A second later there’s another thump as Bricker runs up and hugs her from behind. With difficulty, she extracts an arm from underneath Cork so she can hug him too.

They start chattering excitedly, I missed you and Guess what I did at school today and Mom and Dad said – but Kristen interrupts, putting her finger to her lips. “We have to be quiet, okay? We don’t want Mom and Dad to hear.”

They both nod, their faces determined. It’s very, very cute.

Helio – no, not Helio, Yes – she’s missed them.

“Alright, Cork, you go with Adaine, Bricker go with Fig,” Kristen says, lifting Cork down off her hip next to Adaine. “I’m going to go get Bucky.”

“Okay,” Bricker says, and darts over to Fig.

“Hey, kid,” Fig says. “Let’s do this!”

“Yeah!” he says.

Fig holds her hand up, and Bricker jumps to give her a high-five. They both vanish.

Cork has suddenly gone shy, and hides behind Kristen’s legs. He’s met Adaine before – all her brothers have met the Bad Kids, after a weekend towing them along on investigations when she was meant to be babysitting – but it’s been a while, and it dawns on her that the last time was probably the night of prom when the house was attacked. She crouches down and gives him another hug.

“It’s okay,” she says. “Adaine’s cool. She won’t hurt you, promise.”

Adaine, who’s been hovering to the side a little awkwardly, kneels down beside them too. “Here,” she says, and hands over Boggy to Cork. “This is Boggy the Froggy. He helps me when I’m scared. Can you look after him for me?”

Cork takes Boggy, his eyes wide. “Coooooool,” he breathes.

Kristen presses a kiss onto the top of his head. “Go with Adaine and Boggy, I’ll be there in a minute, okay?”

Cork nods, focused on Boggy’s big eyes, and takes Adaine’s hand. Kristen mouths a thank you to Adaine as she misty-steps away, and then stands and sneaks out into the hallway.

Bucky’s room lies at the end of the hallway beyond the stairs, and as she creeps past, she can hear her parent’s voices from the floor below. Kristen freezes, heart rate picking up. She thought she would be okay coming here, but now all she can think about is angry voices, axes thrust in her face, get that out of our house -

A door creaks open, and Bucky pokes his head out. “Kristen?” he whispers.

Kristen steadies her breathing, using one of the tricks Adaine taught her. “Hey,” she whispers back. “Ready to go?”

He nods, shutting the door quietly, and gives her a hug. He’s so tall now, she thinks, but doesn’t say it out loud because she knows it will annoy him. Instead she takes out the Sword of Shadows, on loan from Riz, and misty-steps outside after the others.

Cork and Bricker are happily playing with Boggy on the street, but both stop and rush back over to her when she appears, so that all her brothers are gathered in her arms for the first time in months. The Applebees siblings, she thinks, and grins over the top of their heads at Adaine and Fig.

“Alright,” she says, as they break apart. “Who wants ice-cream?”

***

It’s early evening on a Saturday, so Basrar’s is fairly busy, but since he owes Adaine a favour they manage to get them two booths next to each other. She and Fig take one, and Kristen sits with her brothers in the other. She buys them as much ice-cream as she can with the last of the money she’s been saving from her old allowance, and tells them all about how the Bad Kids slayed a dragon and saved the day (the PG version, of course, and she neglects to tell them she died again.) They listen in awe as she tells the story, oooh-ing and aah-ing in the appropriate places, and then ask her lots of questions about what it was like being inside a dragon, delighting in the grossness she describes.

In return, she asks them about their lives, school and church and home, all the mundanity she’s missed, and listens contentedly as they all start talking at once. Possibly, this much sugar was a mistake, but Kristen doesn’t care. They’re here, they’re together, and that’s what matters.

As Bucky regales a story about his class trip to Bastion City, Kristen begins anxiously checking her crystal. She ignores the frantic calls from her parents (she’s sent them a text, it’s fine), and scrolls through her messages with Tracker. She said she’d be here at half seven, and it’s nearly eight – where is she? Did she bail? Does she not want to be Kristen’s girlfriend anymore?

Just as she’s about to ask her brothers to wait a sec and call her, Tracker appears at their booth. “Hi,” she says, with a nervous smile.

“Hey!” Kristen shuffles over awkwardly – Cork decided halfway through his ice cream that he wanted to sit on her lap and hasn’t moved since – so she can sit down. “Guys, this is my… friend, Tracker. Tracker, this is Bucky, Bricker and Cork.” She looks at each of her brothers, pointedly. “Say hi, and be nice, okay?”

“Hi!” they all say in unison. 

There’s a pause for a moment, all of them a bit unsure in front of a new person. Tracker, too, doesn’t seem to know what to do; when Kristen asked her to come, she admitted she hadn’t been around a lot of kids.

“Tracker’s a werewolf,” Kristen blurts out to break the silence before she can stop herself.

Tracker raises her eyebrows, and Kristen mouths sorry, but the boys all light up at once.

“How loudly can you howl?” Bricker asks.

“Can you transform right now?” Bucky says, excited.

“Do you bite people?” Cork asks, worriedly.

Tracker laughs at that last one. “Okay so – pretty loud, I could but I won’t because I don’t want to scare anybody, and no, I don’t bite, I promise.”

Cork sighs, relieved, and leans back into Kristen, whilst Bucky and Bricker look like they’re gearing up to ask more questions.

“Guys, don’t be rude,” Kristen says, vainly.

Tracker smiles at them in a way that makes Kristen melt. “No, it’s okay. Come on, what do you want to know?”

Her brothers spend the next ten minutes grilling Tracker about lycanthropy before Tracker starts telling them funny stories about her and Jawbone. Kristen can’t keep a dopey grin off her face as she watches all her brothers fall as in love with Tracker as she’s found herself falling in the past couple of weeks, and she thinks: this is what family should feel like.

When there’s a lull in the conversation, Tracker says, “I’ll be back in a bit, I’m going to go say hi to Adaine and Fig.” She stands, giving Kristen a thumbs up like they’d rehearsed, and goes to sit with the others in the booth behind them.

“So, do you guys like Tracker?” she asks, pulling Cork closer to disguise the shaking of her hands.

There’s a chorus of enthusiastic yeahs. “She’s awesome,” Bricker says fervently.

“She is.” Kristen takes a deep breath. “How would you feel,” she says, “If I told you Tracker is my girlfriend?”

Cork doesn’t seem to be listening, licking the remainder of his ice cream from his bowl, but the older two both look solemn as they process the information.

“Like, how cousin Nick has a girlfriend?” Bricker says.

Kristen nods. “Yeah, just like that.”

“But you’re a girl,” Bucky says, slowly. “And so is Tracker.”

“Yeah, we’re both girls.” Kristen says. 

“Does that mean you’re gay?” Bricker asks.

Saying it still feels a little like a confession, an admission of guilt, but she’s trying not to think of it like that. She’s trying to be proud.

She lifts her chin up, looks them directly in the eyes, and says, “Yeah, I am.”

Bucky narrows his eyes. “Mom and Dad and Pastor Amelia say that’s bad.”

Kristen’s heart sinks, though she keeps her expression neutral. She had known this was coming, had practised with Tracker to prepare, but it still aches.  “Yeah, they do,” she says. “A lot of people think that. But a lot of people, like me, and Tracker, and my friends, think it’s actually a good thing. What do you think?”

Both of them consider this. “Well,” Bucky says, eventually. “Tracker’s cool. And you’re, like, fine. So I guess it’s okay.”

“Rude,” Kristen says, but she’s smiling. They don’t hate her. They don’t hate her. There’s still hope for the Applebees. “But, thank you. And you know, if you guys have any questions about this stuff, about me being gay, or religion, or literally anything at all, you can always, always, come and ask me, okay?”

Bucky and Bricker both nod. Cork, who’s wriggled off her lap to play with the sugar packets on the counter, looks up and says, “Does that mean you guys kiss and stuff?”

Kristen grins mischievously. “We do. A lot.”

“Ewww!”

“Gross!”

“Bleugh.”

***

On the way home, Fig and Tracker race ahead with Cork and Bricker on their backs, Adaine misty-stepping ahead of them to judge the winner. It’s a warm summer evening, the setting sun bathing the neighbourhood in honey-coloured light, and a cool breeze carries her friends’ and brothers’ laughter down the street towards her. Kristen walks slowly with Bucky, swinging his hand up and down like she used to when they were younger, and thinks about how lucky she is. Her family is not broken: she is building it up again, better and stronger this time. Things are going to be okay.

As they round the corner onto the Applebees’ road, Bucky says, “You’re not coming home this time, are you?”

Kristen looks down at him, surprised. He’s a smart kid, but she forgets, sometimes. In her head he’s still just her little brother, running around causing chaos and annoying her when she’s supposed to be praying. “No,” she says. “I don’t think so.”

He nods. “I thought so. Mom and Dad wouldn’t say, but I could tell.”

“How are –” She bites her lip. “Are things okay, at home?”

Bucky shrugs. “They were better when you were here.”

“I know,” Kristen says, pushing down the guilt that overwhelms her. “I’m sorry, Buck. If I could stay, I would, but Mom and Dad are… they don’t want me around, anymore.”

“Because you have a girlfriend?” Bucky says.

“A bit because of that. A bit because of some other stuff.” Kristen says. “But even though I’m not at home anymore, I’m still your big sister, okay? If Mom and Dad ever say or do anything that upsets you or Bricker or Cork, you call me on your crystal, and no matter where I am I promise I’ll come get you.”

“Okay,” Bucky says, and squeezes her hand. She squeezes it back, and they carry on walking.

Outside the Applebees’ house, Kristen gathers her brothers to say goodbye, taking a sleepy Cork from Tracker’s arms.

“Did you guys have fun?” Kristen says, as they walk up the driveway.

Bricker nods energetically, still hopped up on sugar. “Yeah! Can we do this again?”

“Absolutely,” Kristen says, smiling. “Just don’t tell Mom and Dad where we went, okay? It’ll be our secret.”

“Okay,” Bucky says, “We pinky-promise.”

The four of them put their little fingers together, and Kristen laughs. “I love you,” she says, hugging them one by one. “I’ll see you soon.”

There’s a chorus of goodbyes as Kristen lets them go and bolts back down the driveway before her parents answer the door.

“Don’t go!” she hears Cork say from behind her as the door opens, and though her heart breaks she doesn’t look back.

She runs back to the others. “We gotta go,” she says, panicked, her parent’s yells echoing behind her.

Fig nods, grabs Kristen and dashes away on her skateboard, Adaine and Tracker chasing after them. She manages to keep the tears from falling for a bit, but by the time they’re safely back at Strongtower Luxury Apartments, she’s fully sobbing down Fig’s back. Tracker pulls her off the skateboard into a tight-armed hug, and Fig and Adaine pile on too, until they’re all in a wet, sweaty pile of limbs. She cries and cries and cries, feeling joyful and sad and terribly old all at once.

“Kristen,” Fig says, breaking away as she starts to catch her breath. “I gotta say, your little brothers are awesome. I’m gonna to teach Bricker to play bass the next time we do this.”

“You’d do this again?” Kristen says, blowing her nose on a tissue Adaine silently produces from her jacket.

“Yeah, of course, dude!” Fig slings an arm around Kristen’s shoulders. “I don’t have siblings, this is my one chance to spread anarchy to the next generation.”

Kristen laughs, wiping away her tears. “Oh, god.”

Adaine hands her another tissue. “As someone with an absolutely terrible big sister,” she says quietly, “I think you’re doing great. They love you so much.”

“Fuck, Adaine,” Kristen whines, sniffling. “I just stopped crying.”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to – ” Adaine starts, hands flapping anxiously.

“No, I didn’t mean it, you don’t have to apologise,” Kristen says, taking her hand and squeezing it. “Thank you. Really.”

Adaine and Fig hug her again, and then head upstairs with a knowing glance, leaving Kristen alone with her girlfriend. The word still feels new and lovely, and she gets a little burst of happiness every time she says it. My girlfriend. My girlfriend.

Tracker loops her arms around Kristen and pulls her in close. “I really like your family,” she says softly.

Kristen gives her a watery smile. “I think they really like you, too.”

Tracker kisses her, and the sadness doesn’t go away, but it feels a little lighter. “You’ll see them again soon,” she says.

“Yeah,” Kristen says, and it’s a vow. “I will.”

[xhanisai]

Hey there been a few days. Did the money thing get sorted yet? In any case for your consideration: Kiss AU Reflekdoll episode. (I'm a sucker for Lady Noire). But seeing as they have to kiss to transform you might have to get creative as to why they swapped.

Yo! I’ve managed to successfully pay my rent thanks to everyone’s support (everyone pretty much saved my life here cos my scholarship money has been cut almost by half loooool) 

I’ve answered about how they kiss in this ask ---> (x) So, before sure to check everything in the Kiss AU tag on my blog in case you have questions that are already answered (That goes to everyone else too!) But anyways, let’s get to it~

- So we start off with Juleka wanting to model Marinette’s designs, Luka giving her some good ol brotherly encouragement and clipping her hair to the side so that we can finally see her beautiful face~~~~

- Adrien has already been decided to model for Marinette’s site; it’s not the first time he’s done it and certainly isn’t the last. They’re looking for someone to model as a female counterpart to emphasise that the designs are unisex. Adrien has suggested numerous times for Marinette to do so but she keeps shying out.

“But you’re so beautiful and your designs would look so cute on you! Come on Marinette~”

“No-ooo, we need someone taller, someone with a chic style, someone who would look level with you,”

“No one else looks better with me than you,”

“Pfft. Flirt.”

“I’m being serious. I’ll even ask the other girls for their opinions and I can guarantee that they’d all agree with me.”

“DON’TYOUDARE-”

- That’s when Juleka appears with her new hairdo, asking so shyly if she can model. Everyone else just melts and gives her a huge hug- Adrien included. He and Marinette could model another time but he’s super happy that Juleka is trying to come out of her comfort zone. 

- In Marinette’s room where everyone is setting everything up, Juleka not only freezes up and has a panic attack, she faints on the spot because she’s so overwhelmed. When she comes to, everyone’s apologising to her, trying their best to help her out.

- Juleka feels shitty and thinks she’s ruined everything so she takes a break downstairs, changed back into her original clothes. Rose comes down and talks with her. We get some really cute Julerose moments here~~ (those two are also definitely dating hue~~) 

- Meanwhile, the girls finally convinced Marinette to dress up in Jules’ place since Adrien really needs to head out soon (was it fencing practise? I don’t remember). 

- Both Tikki and Plagg warn them about taking off the miraculouses but they get brushed off. (Same as canon basically).

- Adrien totally sees her checking him out and combusting on the spot. Being the lil shit he is, he wraps an arm around her shoulder, asking “What did you say just now?” in the most innocent tone possible. Marinette gets revenge by replying back with “I said that you’re lucky that everyone else is here otherwise I’d have kissed you till you passed out cos you’re so unbelievably hot. Satisfied?!” Adrien turns into a puddle of happiness and shyness. 

- Although there was some professional shots, the girls made Marinette and Adrien do some romantic poses as well for the sake of it. We have Adrien dipping Marinette in one whilst there’s another where she’s holding him bridal style. Rose left earlier on to join them whilst Juleka brooded alone in Marinette’s room (even though she told Rose to leave).

- Boom! She gets akumatised by both Mayura and Le Papillon.

- When Marinette and Adrien realises that an akuma has surfaced, they hide away together to avoid getting hit. 

- They quickly kiss to transform only to open their eyes in shock when they see that it hasn’t worked. They try again plenty of times before they realise that they don’t have their miraculouses with them.

“Why- Mm!- Isn’t- Hnn!- It- M- WORKING!?” Marinette growled out after the umpteenth kiss, fingers digging into her partner’s shoulders whilst his were on her waist. The chaotic duo tried to catch their breath, panting and confused. 

“Have we leveled up or something? Do we need to use more tongue? Is there any other-” Adrien was halted when he spotted Marinette’s brows furrowing. She quickly picked up his hand, eyes widening at the lack of the ring and then immediately shot her hands to her ears. 

“Our miraculouses are still in your bodyguard’s car along with Tikki and Plagg...” Both of their skins paled before simultaneously rushing towards the vehicle, trying their utmost best to avoid the blasts.

- Unfortunately, not only do they get seperated, they get turned into Reflecktor clones. However, as per canon, they get approached by the opposite kwamis and immediately transform in order to find the other.

- Mister Bug finds Lady Noire in amidst the battle field, catching her eye so that she can follow him. 

- They get that cute, spiderman kiss, with Mister Bug dangling upside down and Lady Noire playing along. As a result, they feel more of their powers rushing in which promptly causes Buggaboy to fall down in a slump. (they don’t notice Alya who’s transformed as another Reflektor clone, taking a few pics).

- We get lots of banter, clumsy teamwork and many close calls. The duo agrees on instead of trying to be LIKE each other in the suit, they should follow their instincts. Marinette manages that with ease but it takes a while for Adrien to follow suite. He does so in the nick of time.

- Plus, with a few clues from Lady Noire, Mister Bug manages to work out his Lucky Charm and the duo saves the day.

“Always told you that you’d make a great kitten, My Lady~” Mister Bug coos, kissing the tip of his partner’s braid with a wink. She in turn playfully rolled her eyes, flicking his chest.

“Though I do miss your bell, you look lovely in spots,” She winked back, laughing at the way the boy swooned. “What is with the extra padding though? Trying to achieve that superhero abs look?” She knocked on his chest playfully.

“Padding? But they’re real.” 

“W-What?”

“If you don’t believe me, I can always strip for you?” 

“NO THANKS!” The boy only cocked his head to the side innocently as his counterpart babbled incoherently. 

- The girls regroup with Mari and Adrien, Juleka apologising to them all for getting akumatised. Everyone is quick to assure that it’s not her fault and that they can do the shoot again so that Juleka can model. 

- With a few puppy eyes to Gorilla, the bodyguard let them go.

- We get a cute Julerose kiss towards the end in a picture with everyone else cheering in the background~

Hope you enjoyed!

[foxtophat]

another long one, coming in at 9k words because i am goddamn trash

HEY GUYS SORRY ABOUT THAT UGH today just didn’t go the way i wanted it to. you ever feel like that?  well anyway here is the 11th chapter!!! fun fact: hurk and sharky show up! second fun fact: i am 90% sure that it is not moonshine they’re peddling.  3rd fun fact: i don’t know if they know what an apple looks like any more

i don’t have much to say about this chapter, although i will say it involves casual drinking if you’re not into that.  i think i’m gonna go have a newcastle myself once i’m done writing this up... which i guess means now!

as usual my dudes, i want to thank you all for being so tolerant of my bullshit and so open to my dumbassery! it’s so nice to feel MOTIVATED to post for once, which might not come through when i get delayed like i have the last 2 chapters, but it’s true! i have so much trouble working on things without feedback, so you guys really have been awesome.

if you wanna contact me, my askbox is always open! as always, i appreciate any and all comments, kudos, likes, reblogs, casual links, private discord messages, idk whatever i don’t even use discord

below the cut is the full chapter for those of you who don’t wanna go off-site! thank you again for reading guys, and i will talk incessantly about this fic soon!!!

The next three days are marked by a surprising peace. Nick had suspected that once the cat got out about John, they would be fielding a flurry of calls, or maybe even some in-person confrontations, but so far they've been left completely alone. Maybe telling people on their way out of the county has something to do with that. Maybe they'll need to wait for Hurk and Sharky to come back and spread the news if Jerome's decided not to do it himself. Nick's not sure if that's even what he wants , but it feels like the inevitable next step. Eventually, if the community is going to come together, the cat's gonna have to get out of the bag.

John is just as nervous than before, although it only shows whenever they hear distant engines or a far-off gunshot. The night after the caravan, he and Jerome spend a full thirty minutes on the radio, but it only makes him more pensive and reserved. Nick wouldn't mind so much if Carmina weren't also acting bummed out — sure, she's just upset that she lost a friend before she could make one, but it still sucks to see his daughter acting as morose as John.

At least Kim's optimism hasn't been phased. She's been determined to look at the situation from every positive angle available, and none of Nick's uncertainty has put a hamper on it. She rallies them all for a second day-trip down to the river, hell-bent on cheering each and every one of them. It's a day of sunlight and clear water, and the fish are jumping like mad. It must be spawning season, or something, because the suckers are easy pickings.

The nice weather and the easy fishing both do wonders for Carmina's mood, which is becoming more and more fickle every day. Nick dozes in and out with a rod in hand, and although John spends most of the time staring at the water, he touches base with reality once in a while. Mostly just when Kim includes him in conversation, but it's still enough.

It's... nice. Nick doesn't know the last time he felt so relaxed. He doesn't think that memory exists anymore, lost to time like so many other positive thoughts, but he's enjoying the reminder to relax his shoulders and turn off his anxious brain for a few minutes. With the sunshine just as warm as ever and the water a bright, nearly unnatural blue, Nick figures all they need is an umbrella and some beach towels to drive the point home. Hell, at this point, they might as well claim this as their private waterfront.

Grace shows up after breakfast the next day, ready to take Carmina for some target practice at her range. She isn't strictly speaking to Nick yet, but she keeps it cordial, even friendly with Kim. Maybe Jerome talked with her, or maybe she came to accept the situation on her own, who knows. Either way, Grace ignores the sight of John out on the back porch and treats Carmina to a genuine smile when she comes downstairs, rifle in hand. Finally, three-quarters of the year later, the situation with Grace has finally returned to normal, taking one more weight off of Nick's shoulders.

She promises to have Carmina back before sundown. She also promises to leave her radio on, just in case. Nick knows what she means by just in case , but he can't say no to the added security.

Nick retreats out back, letting Kim have some time with Grace without the awkward tension of his presence. John pointedly refuses to look at him, sorting through a box of components as though he hasn't already picked it apart.

It isn't until after Grace and Carmina leave that Nick remembers he has an out — well, now it's just a regular chore. He's got to deal with the so-called freezer in the hangar, which is full of fish and sucking up all the fuel for the generator. Either he has to make it viable to use long term, or they're going to be shit out of luck for food preservation beyond salting and pickling.

From the look on his face, John wishes Nick would ask for his help, but Kim has already called on him to help harvest the last of the spring planter, so he's shit out of luck there. Nick doesn't have any damn sympathy for John — gardening is boring, and Nick will do anything to avoid it, especially something as easy as throwing John under a bus.

So, the good news is that the freezer still turns on. Nick hadn't expected much after finding it under part of the collapsed roof, but it hasn't shorted out once since they hooked it up to the generator about a week ago.

The bad news is that it's not a good use of power at all. The rubber seal is nearly worn off, so it keeps losing coolness, and there's definitely a coil burnt out or something in there because it barely manages to keep its temperature lower than the air around it. Sure, maybe it'll come in handy around winter , but that's not going to help them with summer around the corner.

As it is, Nick's only sure that the fish from yesterday are still good. There's a covered pot of stew underneath that they put in after the caravan left, which is probably fine, too... but Nick wouldn't put money on the rabbit they put in at the start. After all, it hadn't been all that fresh to begin with, and it's been wrapped in cloth for a little too long.

Well, maybe once they get some chickens and find a post-apocalyptic appliance repair center, it'll be worth being the energy sink that it is. For now, Nick has to figure out what to do with these goddamn fish and the leftover stew from the other night. It's their own damn fault, thinking they'd still have company after revealing John, but that doesn't change the amount of food they have on hand.

At least when Grace comes back, they'll have something to repay her with, although Nick isn't sure she's willing to eat any of their food yet. She'd been okay about seeing John in the backyard, relatively speaking, but there's no way she actually believes any of the progress being made. And as much as Nick would like to tell her that her distrust is unwarranted, he can't exactly tell her how to feel. It's just gonna have to take time, and she's going to need a different kind of proof than Nick.

They aren't expecting any visitors, so the sound of engines on approach shakes Nick out of his thoughts and puts him on immediate high alert. He can't make out the number of vehicles, but it sounds like a goddamn posse, which can't be good. When he goes out into the yard to check on Kim, he finds her missing; John is the only one standing there, waiting nervously by the planters and looking for any sign to bolt.

"Stay here," Nick tells him as he approaches, heading straight for the front.

"Yes, I know ," John snaps, but Nick isn't going to stop to argue with him. He slows his anxious jog as he comes around the side of the house, catching sight of Hurk's motorcycle through the trees coming down the drive. Kim is standing in the front yard, arms loosely folded over her chest; she looks cautiously excited for the company, although neither of them are sure if this is strictly a social call. Nick sure hopes it is — he's not sure they could hold their own against a group with an RPG and a whole lot of crazy.

Hurk kills his engine once he sees they've got an audience, leaving his bike with the others in the drive. The big, blissed-out guy and the smaller, wild-card one stay on their bikes, while Sharky talks to somebody sitting on his ATV briefly before following his cousin's tracks.

Kim greets them with a warm smile as they come up. "Hey, you guys. We weren't expecting you to stop by again."

"We radioed ahead," Sharky grouses. "But nobody answered."

"Sorry, I wasn't near the receiver. We've been out back all day."

Hurk pulls off his sunglasses with a dramatic flair. "Yeah, I figured it was something like that," he says, with a tone that implies Sharky had a different theory, one Nick imagines involves John staging some sort of coup. "Well, whatever, we're here now!" Looking around coolly for a second, Hurk realizes he still needs to explain himself and bashfully elaborates, " Somebody oughtta know we got back alright, so we can get hired out again and whatnot..."

"Everything cool?" Sharky asks. He makes no effort to hide how he's looking for a fire that he can blame on John. Well, at least he's trying to find a good reason to beat John up this time.

"I should be asking you that," Kim counters, wearing a smile that's enough to disarm Sharky's gruff posturing. "How far did you get?"

"We hit Great Falls before we figured any further was a one-way trip. They're probably past Missoula if they kept up the clip."

"And how'd everything look?" Nick asks. "I mean, relatively speaking."

Sharky shrugs. "A whole lot of the same," he replies. Hurk rolls his eyes in his cousin's direction, fixing him with an annoyed stare that eventually wears Sharky out. Shoulders slumping in defeat, he opens up semi-reluctantly. "It wasn't the, uh... wild wasteland I was expecting. Lots of empty land and road stops. Some friendly, some... uh, not so much. But that group can handle it."

Nick is happy to agree, and not just to placate Sharky. "Yeah," he says. "Hope County breeds tough people."

"Did you guys pick up somebody along the way?" Kim asks, having just done a headcount of the remaining posse. Nick remembers the two on their bikes; the new guy, he remembers from the third car, quiet and quick to leave but otherwise unmemorable.

"Oh, that's Mud," Sharky says, pointing at the three who probably can't hear much over the rumbling engines. "He was with the caravan, but he changed his mind." Sharky's chest puffs up as he confidently tells them, "He's ridin' with us now."

"That's great!" Kim exclaims. She's genuinely excited by the news and the chance to socialize, and the effect of her positivity is hard to fight. Sharky can't help but smile back, even if he's trying to act tough, rubbing his hands together as he casts another approving glance back at his gang.

"Are you going to do anything to celebrate?" she asks.

"Not much to celebrate, he's kind of a nerd."

"Come on," Kim laughs. "You left home and came back with more people than you started with. I think most people these days would count that as a win." She rubs her hands together, looking briefly at Nick and suggesting, "We could have a fish fry?"

"Hey, that's an idea," Nick replies. "We caught some bass yesterday and they're just gonna get composted if we don't do something with them."

"I dunno about that," Sharky says, cutting off Hurk just before he can excitedly agree.

Kim presses her hands together. "Come on, stay," she pleads with a smile. "At least let us feed you. When's the last time you had something more than jerky and booze?"

"Well..." Sharky trails off uncertainly.

"Kim's right," Nick cajoles. "We got plenty to spare."

"Grace is going to be back with Carmina in a few hours," Kim adds. "I'm sure she'd be glad to see you guys."

Sharky rubs his beard, looking back at their waiting posse. "Grace, huh?" he repeats. He trades a few unsubtle glances with Hurk before finally turning back to Kim and Nick. "Yeah, that should be okay. Except — ah, shit. We promised Wallace and Tiny we'd start doing things democratically now that we won't keep tying over everything. Hold on, gotta go confer with the boys."

They only spend a minute talking it over before the two motorcycles kill their engines, which is all the confirmation Nick needs to know they're hosting company. "I'll go tell John," he tells Kim under his breath. "Somebody should give him a heads up before Sharky punches him again."

Kim sends him off with a pat on his shoulder as he heads for the backyard. John is still waiting by the planters, although he's staring longingly for the safety of the hangar. Nick can't blame him — he's still sporting a dark and noticeable bruise from the last time Sharky socked him. Hopefully, seeing his lingering handiwork will satisfy Sharky, otherwise, John might wind up with a matching set.

"Sharky and Hurk are back," Nick says. John doesn't exactly relax, but knowing he doesn't have to prepare for another ugly reintroduction keeps him from bolting. "They're, uh, gonna stick around until Grace gets back."

"Then I probably shouldn't be around," John replies.

"What, you wanna go hide all night?" Nick rolls his eyes. "No, don't be a baby. Worst that'll happen is you'll get knocked down again." John doesn't look convinced, so Nick tries another route. "Come on, we went through all that just so you wouldn't have to hide out every time we have company. And people are gonna have to get used to you eventually — at least Sharky and Hurk already know you're alive." Finally, when none of that seems to work, he sighs and promises, "I'll make sure nobody decks you for no good reason, c'mon."

John finally relents, sighing and gesturing vaguely. "Fine," he says, "Whatever you say."

And, even though Kim isn't around to force him to it, John sits back down at the planter and resumes pulling carrots. It's probably entirely out of spite, but at least it keeps him busy while the posse of would-be raiders filters into the backyard. Nick stands awkwardly at first as Wallace and Tiny stare aggressively at John's back, but when Kim rounds out the group and nobody takes a shot at either of them, he forces himself to ease up on the suspicion. From here on out, Nick is going to try his damnedest to act like everything is absolutely normal. Well, as normal as it can be.

Kim has Sharky talking from the outset, which makes it easy for him to avoid acknowledging John at all. It helps that she's genuinely interested in what he's been up to since they last saw each other — other than open-channel conversations on the radio, the Ryes haven't seen them since the world ended. With only one car and not a lot of fuel, they haven't had a chance to go exploring the east side of the county since climbing topside.

As it turns out, Sharky and Hurk have shacked right back up at the old trailer park. They'd met up with Wallace and Tiny sometime after coming topside, and right now the four of them are in the middle of making the park more hospitable. Sharky keeps mentioning a reception area, and Hurk says something about expanding the lot, so Nick suspects they're looking to cash in on the heretofore abandoned hospitality industry.

For now, though, it's just home to four wildcards and one multi-use distillery made from old airplane parts. "It's pretty much fucked," Sharky says, although truthfully, Nick thinks it sounds kind of badass. "But with enough elbow grease, we'll probably be able to make it livable." He looks around, craning his neck to eyeball the mostly-intact hangar and their secure house, and offers a genuine compliment. "You guys got lucky. No hate, just glad you had somewhere to hole up in. It would suck to really have to rough it with a kid around."

"Tell me about it," Kim agrees emphatically. "Although, it took a lot of work to make it this nice, and there's still a lot more to do."

Sharky and Hurk settling in around the fire-pit is all the invitation their crew needs to make themselves more at home. It's no surprise that they pretend like John isn't there — nor is it a surprise that John returns the favor. It's a little tense and a lot awkward for Nick, but for now it's at least a peaceful holding pattern.

"It sorta sucked, seeing everything as trashed as it is here," Tiny says somewhat morosely. "I mean, at least we ain't alone, but..."

"Hope Valley got the best of it in general," Wallace says. "Right in the sweet-spot. Ideal Collapse."

"He means most everything else got blasted," Tiny clarifies, a sort of post-Bliss interpreter. "You can tell when you leave the county. Eases up after a couple of miles, but there's, like, a big old ring around us."

"No doubt, no doubt," Wallace agrees. "Protecting the good stuff."

"It's pretty fuckin' weird," Hurk says. "But I don't know nothin' about nu-clear thermodynamics and whatnot. Could be normal as the albino deer and shit."

"Uh, you think that the caravan's gonna be okay out there, if everything's just as wrecked?" Nick asks.

"Oh, sure," Hurk drawls. "There were all sortsa people makin' due out there, one way or another. They'll be fine ."

Sharky sighs, opens his mouth, then thinks better of whatever he was going to say and changes course. "They made it pretty clear they would be happier without help," he says. "Hope that works out for them. Me? I'm ride-or-die Hope County. At least 'til Hurk here goes international again. Then, uh, I guess I'm gonna be ride-or-die Miami."

"Hell yeah!" Hurk shouts. "Gonna get the business back in business, y'know what I mean? First stop: check in on mama and Xander. Second stop: top of the world, baby!"

The posse rallies around Hurk's promise with excited whoops. Nick doesn't know what Hurk's job was before the apocalypse, but considering the contraband he used to get his hands on, it's probably something that will only flourish here in the apocalypse.

"'Course, she's probably dead," Hurk adds somewhat morosely at the end, sort of ruining the whole vibe.

Sharky slaps his shoulder a few times out of sympathy. "Don't know 'til we go lookin'," he says, which manages to prop Hurk's mood back up for the time-being. "Anyway, we got a whole slew of islands and mountains and shit to explore once we get established. Spending the rest of my life riding around Montana sounds like a waste of a good apocalypse, if you ask me."

The new guy, Mud, looks more confused than Nick about these future plans. "So, what'd they offer you for joining up?" Nick asks him. "Ten-percent of Boshaw-Drubman LLC?"

Startled, Mud shakes his head frantically. "No way. Uh-uh." Bashfully, he says, "I just, uh... got cold feet. But I don't got much out here, not since the, uh..." He glances past Nick, definitely eyeballing John, then swallows and edges around the truth. "Well, um, Sharky let me ride back, on account of the — well, uh, I didn't wanna get left behind either direction. And since I don't got anything, I offered to join up." He frowns, "Except I don't have a bike, or gas for a bike, or a gun, or bullets for a gun..."

"I told you," Sharky scolds like a mother hen, "We'll figure that shit out later."

"It's smart to stay together," Kim says when Mud fails to pick back up again. "It's what we should all be doing. Does that mean you're staying with them at the trailer park?"

Mud nods, while Tiny goodnaturedly jokes, "Not that there's much left to stay at..."

Sharky is quick to defend their home, even if he doesn't sound super convinced by his own argument. "Hey, we just haven't had time to, y'know, clean and all! We've been busy, man, you know that! Gathering ammo, building the still, brewing ..."

"Would be nice to have a roof over our heads, that's all," Tiny laughs.

"Where do you want me to go, the roof store ?"

The argument is mostly playful, but Nick knows it's only a matter of time before that playful resentment becomes real. Hurk already looks bored by the ribbing, which tells Nick a lot about how long this joke has been running. Even John is paying attention, although Nick only catches an uncomfortable backward glance.

It's a contentious problem for the gang, for sure. But Nick doesn't have to reach far to come up with an easy solution, one that he figures will benefit everybody involved. After all, even considering their own needs, they've got more than enough spare scrap to spare, and Hurk and Sharky's goodwill comes with guns and alcohol, so...

"You know," he says, "John and I found a lot of scrap cleaning this place up. Maybe you can use what we can't."

Sharky opens his mouth to say something, probably pretty rude, but he catches himself before he gets that far. "Wouldn't want to put you out like that," he mutters.

"Hey, we're all in it together, right?" Gesturing towards John, who looks like he'd rather fade back into the dirt around him, Nick offers a sort-of compromise. "We've been trying to figure out what to do with the surplus. This seems like a better use than anything we came up with."

"Well, I guess it couldn't hurt," Sharky admits reluctantly.

Kim recognizes the need for some decisive action, and so she claps her hands together and takes the reins from her grateful husband. "Nick, you and John should take Hurk to look at what we've got. Then, all three of you can bring some wood back so we can get the fire started."

Sharky opens his mouth to object, but Hurk speaks up before he can. "Sounds good!" he exclaims, throwing himself to his feet with ease. Nick can't help but envy him — the guy's got twenty years on him, but Nick doesn't hear his knees popping randomly when he stands up.

"Y'all don't go startin' trouble," he warns his gang, waving Nick on. "Let's do it!"

John turns and heads immediately for the hangar door, disappearing inside without a backwards glance. Hurk lingers once they reach the door, casting a wide look around the empty wash of dirt leading out to the old landing strip before following John inside. He doesn't seem concerned in the slightest that John might be waiting to ambush him.

"Sorry about Sharky, by the way," Hurk says once the three of them are standing in the shade of the tarp overhead. "He's been real stressed is all, tryin' to act all fuckin' responsible and shit. John here making it after the deputy beefed it just hit hard, I guess."

Well, if that's the way Hurk's been referring to it, then no wonder Sharky's sensitive about it. "It's, uh. It's fine. We figured there'd be some... y'know. Reasonable resentment."

John does that thing where he pretends he can't hear he's being talked about, going straight to the log pile stacked against the back wall. Hurk doesn't seem to notice the silent treatment, turning to the organized junk spread out over the cracked concrete. From broken two-by-fours, bent fence-poles, chainlink scraps, and stacks of not-quite-moldy plywood, there's gotta be something here that can help fix up the trailer park. Nick makes sure to highlight the best scrap for Hurk's consideration, although he avoids mentioning their surplus of nails and stripped screws for now. No use showing his whole hand, right?

"Damn," Hurk says at last, looking around in mild astonishment. "Can we hire y'all to do this to our scrap?"

Nick laughs. "Yeah, like I wanna do all this again ."

"What about you?" Hurk asks John's back, ignoring the way he tenses at being directly addressed. "How do we rent you out?"

"You don't," John says, his tone briefly icing over as he turns, regarding them coolly over his armful of logs. He's more petulant than angry when he explains, "I don't owe you my life, so I don't owe you my labor."

"Fine, I'll just save you from a burning building or some shit," Hurk replies, as if he couldn't care less that it's John Seed he's bantering with. "I guess we gotta talk trading, now," he sighs reluctantly. "Man, I fuckin' hate this barter-system bullshit. You know, actually, I got a box full of bottle caps if you wanna..."

Nick waves away the extremely bad offer to invest in an unbacked currency. "Hey, don't worry about it," he says. Hurk frowns heavily at that, so Nick suggests a compromise. "Look, if you and Sharky wind up with your own microbrew, you owe me a case — and yes, I will take payment in installments. That sound fair?"

"If ?" Hurk replies. He lets out a big laugh. "Buddy, I got news for you."

Hurk, John and Nick each take an armful of wood back to the fire pit, where Kim seems to have everything under control. Sharky is less openly hostile when John reappears, anyway, which is a good sign. Mud and Tiny have apparently been given fire-starting duty, jumping to the task as soon as they drop off the wood. Sharky, a true pyromaniac, manages them from his seat by shouting directions at them as they stack the wood in the pit.

Before they can sit back down, Kim turns Nick and John back around for the fish. It's a one-person job, but John doesn't complain about being sent away.

"You okay?" Nick asks John when they reach the freezer.

"Yes," John replies automatically. Nick stares at him for a solid five seconds before he cracks with a frustrated sigh. "I'm just a little overwhelmed. That's reasonable, isn't it?"

"Sure," Nick agrees. He picks up the old bin they've been using to cart fish back from the river. "You can stick around here for a bit if you want. Take a breather."

John scoffs at the idea of taking a break, as per usual. "I thought the point was not to hide," he replies tersely. He reaches out to yank the cracked plastic container from Nick, a frustrated and instinctive reaction that he curbs at the last moment, fingers curling briefly into a fist as he forces himself not to just take things from Nick.

Taking pity on the dumb bastard, Nick pushes the bin into John's arms, flipping open the freezer door and staring down at the slimy, not-yet-smelly fish. "Well, if you need a break, just say you're gonna get more firewood." Nick shrugs. "Someone's gotta check on you eventually, but Kim knows the drill."

John doesn't respond as Nick loads up the bin, but Nick hopes he takes the out to heart. There's not a social obligation out there that Nick hasn't gotten out of by dedicating himself to some dumbass chore nobody else wants to do.

They return to find a roaring fire that is... hopefully under control. The mismatched seating has been pulled back to accommodate the fire's larger-than-average size, accompanied by a couple of chairs from inside to make up the difference. Sharky and Mud have disappeared, although they return just after Nick, each carrying a variety of bottles and jars of different sizes.

"Shit, I didn't think you brought the entire brewery with you!" Nick exclaims, not in the least bit upset by the development.

"Not until you clean all those up," Kim says before Nick can get ahead of himself. "You don't want to be handling a knife right after a shot of... whatever that is."

Nick groans, but she's right. As much as Nick would like to get drunk off his ass on torpedo juice, he has to get his priorities straight. Still — there's a lot more fish than Nick's willing to handle by himself, so he enlists a willing Wallace and Tiny to help out. He picks them mostly because they're openly carrying hunting knives, and because John is just plain bad at deboning fish. John stares at him resentfully, but since he hates handling food as much as he hates gardening, Nick's sure he'll get over it before dinner.

Nick doesn't have much control over the food once it's been cleaned, as Sharky and Hurk have some kind of bet going about who's the better cook and they don't need anybody else throwing their hat in. As far as Nick's concerned, their cooking tastes delicious but indistinguishable. Of course, Nick's waiting for his own dinner, so other than a few bites to try and judge the difference, he doesn't get to eat much of it.

Tiny and Wallace split and down an entire mason jar of mysterious dark liquor while they wait to eat. Nick wants to join them, but Kim's waiting until Carmina is home to start drinking and really, Nick should be doing the same. From the way John's watching distrustfully from the side, he's not likely to get into any moonshine himself.

Nick manages to hold out until after he's finished eating, but then Hurk offers him some moonshine directly and he can't say no. It would be in bad taste, right?

Oof. Turns out the moonshine is in bad taste, but that's what he should expect from something that's easily 120 proof. Nick takes one swig and immediately regrets it as it turns his chapped lips to fire and carries the heat all the way down the back of his throat. There's no taste or anything, just an intense, full-mouth burn and this lizard-brain instinct that everything is going to go horribly wrong if he drinks more of whatever that is.

"Jesus Christ !" he gasps. It's only Hurk's quick reflexes that keep the jar from crashing to the dirt, but Nick doubles down before Hurk can pry it out of his hands. Even as he struggles to form a sentence more complex than, " Poison ," he's got to go back for a second sip. As if somehow a second one would make things better — but of course it doesn't. At least, not to begin with; first, it's gotta turn his shredded lips inside out and throw his tear-ducts into overdrive better than an overripe onion.

"Well don't drink more of it," Kim huffs, way too late.

"Now be honest," Hurk asks, "Can you taste any apple?"

Nick pushes the jar back into Hurk's attentive hands, choking disbelievingly on the word, "Apple ," although now that he thinks about it... No, nope, no after-taste whatsoever. It does , however, warm him from the inside out, leaving him feeling a decent buzz for two conservative swigs.

"Whatever it is," Nick sighs at last, after a big swig of water, "It's great."

"You know," Kim says, "The sooner we put the stew on the fire, the sooner you can eat. Maybe then you could handle more than a couple of baby sips."

Nick clicks his tongue, taking some childish offense at his wife teasing him about his tolerance. At the same time, she's right — and Nick is getting hungry. There's still enough uncooked fish left for when Grace and Carmina get home, but if he wants them to have as much as everyone else, he'll have to settle for the three-day-old stew. At least Kim and John are stuck in the same boat as him.

Before he can get started on that, though, Grace surprises him by returning early with Carmina. Admittedly, it's still pretty late in the afternoon, but he hadn't expected her back so soon. She isn't surprised to find company, which is also a surprise, although she eyes the whole group somewhat distrustfully as she and Carmina round the side of the house. When she sees Hurk and Sharky drinking from their unsanitized brewing bottles, she finally relaxes, letting go of Carmina's shoulder so that she can join the not-necessarily child-safe group.

"Grace!" Sharky exclaims, leaping from his seat and almost grabbing her for a hug before remembering personal boundaries are a thing. "Holy shit, the world literally ended last I saw you!"

Grace returns Sharky's enthusiasm with her more subdued version of it, smiling fondly and following through the rest of the hug for him, the same way she'd grabbed onto Nick and Kim when they'd first come back topside. "Sharky, it's good to see you," she says, her voice deep with emotion.

"I radioed her while you were getting firewood," Kim mentions to Nick as Hurk takes his chance to get a hug from the usually reclusive sniper. "I thought she would appreciate a head's up. And, you know, it cheered Sharky up."

"Hey, good thinking."

Carmina approaches gleefully, carrying the rifle over her shoulder triumphantly. For a nine-year-old, she's pretty natural with the thing, which is a mixed blessing as far as Nick's concerned.

"Aunt Grace made moving targets!" she exclaims, excitement overriding her confusion momentarily until she looks at the group. "I didn't know we were having people over today..."

"It was a happy surprise," Kim tells her. "These are the guys who were helping that caravan heading west, remember?"

"Yeah," Carmina says. She looks immediately to John, who is way too busy staring tensely at Grace and Sharky's reunion to notice her.

"Don't worry," Nick says. "Everything's fine."

"Uh-huh," Carmina says, unconvinced. Thankfully, she doesn't seem too worried about another fight breaking out. That probably has something to do with her attention being focused in an entirely different direction. "Do we have pulleys? I wanna make a shooting range here! It's really easy!"

Nick's gut reaction is to say no, but Kim interrupts him. "Maybe while your dad is getting the stew, he can check," she offers, looking from Carmina to Nick significantly. "Then we can have some dinner and talk about it."

Although it looked like John hadn't been paying any attention before, he stands as soon as Kim mentions going to the hangar. "I remember seeing one," he says.

"You can help me look, then," Nick offers. "Maybe get some more firewood?"

"Yeah," John says absently. Nick barely steps into his line of sight, but that's all he needs, turning and making his way to the hanger down the same invisible path he was glued to before. Nick sighs, rolls his eyes at Kim entirely for show, and follows. Maybe once they get some food in him, John will stop being such a cagey bastard about the whole thing, and they'll be able to actually put things to rest with Grace and Sharky at last.

When the world ended, Nick had figured that meant the end of life as he knew it. In some ways, he'd been right — things will never be as easy, as safe, as peaceful as they used to be — but when his expectations had been wrong, they'd been completely off-base. He'd expected a nuclear wasteland, only to find a lush and thriving field. He'd expected roving gangs of murderers, and instead, he's only encountered desperate, decent people who would rather not waste the bullets. Hell, he'd expected to spend every day struggling to survive, and here he is, sitting in the backyard with a full belly and a shot of liquor to wind down. Sure, the gathering is a primitive knock-off of a barbeque, but Nick knows now that all they need is time and practice. Maybe someday, they'll even have a grill — burgers, corn on the cob, the whole works.

But hey. That's for the future, and right now, Nick isn't going to complain about some bad liquor, mediocre food and Hurk's stripped-down Slayer's cassette blaring from his beat-up stereo.

Carmina finally gets a chance to show off her skills to people other than her family, and so Hurk's boys take turns calling out targets for her to cap in an attempt to take her down a peg. Nick isn't sober enough to trust his daughter with a gun, but Kim hasn't gone back for another taste of "apple" moonshine yet, and Grace is sober as a rock, so they're more than capable of handling things. Mostly, they nix any particularly dangerous targets, keeping Carmina's shots focused out in the yard. Well, for the most part — neither of them can resist watching Carmina shoot the wind-vane still clinging to the roof, even if it means going right over everyone's heads.

It's all in good fun, of course. And, to their credit, not one of the guys even jokingly suggests taking aim at John as he sits apart from the group. It's a good thing, too — John looks uncomfortable at how good a shot Carmina is. Maybe Nick would be uncomfortable with it too, if he hadn't drunk a bottle-neck's worth of moonshine beforehand.

Nick doesn't have to drink a lot to feel downright tipsy, which is great. Back in the day, he used to like getting buzzed every so often, but he'd given up ever feeling safe enough to get inebriated as another lost memory from yesteryear. This... this is nice. And once the guns get put away, it'll be even nicer.

"I think you might be a better shot than Tipsy over here," Wallace tells Carmina, gesturing towards Tiny, who is indeed too tipsy to be a decent shot at all.

"Only one way to find out!" Tiny shouts, failing to move after his declaration.

"Maybe another time," Kim replies uncertainly. "When alcohol isn't involved?"

"Hey, Carmina," Hurk coos, pulling his battered gun into his lap, "This is a Kalashnikov, you ever shoot off one of these?"

"Ooh, no!"

Grace is much less diplomatic than Kim, cutting him off before he can feed Carmina's excitement any more. "Hurk!"

"What? Oh, uh... she's probably too young for an automatic, huh? What is she, nine? I got a Magnum in my saddlebag..."

It's not long after that they run out of targets, forcing an end to Carmina's demonstration of skill. Kim thankfully takes the gun so that nobody gets hurt, and Carmina spends the next twenty minutes peppering the crew with questions about their guns, their tattoos, their trip out with the caravan, and whether or not they have a moving target range like Grace does. Nick relaxes when he realizes that none of the guys are keen on giving a little girl another weapon, more interested in spinning drunken tall-tales that, truthfully, might be a little too PG for Carmina. At least Grace is listening in to fact-check any of their more problematic bullshit.

John isn't any less tense now that Carmina is disarmed, but Nick's not surprised. Sitting on the opposite side of the fire from everybody else, he might as well be hiding in plain sight. That goes against the entire point, but it's also his modus operandi these days. Normally, Nick would just ignore it, maybe even avoid John on purpose to show him how bad it feels, but tonight calls for a more direct approach.

"Need to get some firewood?" Nick asks him, coming to stand in his line of sight.

John squints up at him around the firelight. "No," he mutters, lying through his teeth before changing the subject. "Carmina has good aim."

"That's all Kim's genes. I'm more of a spray-and-pray kinda guy."

John doesn't quite hide his sarcasm, replying, "You don't say."

Nobody's offered John any liquor yet, he's pretty sure, so Nick holds the bottle out in an easily declined gesture. "Wanna try?" he asks, just in case he's being more subtle than he thinks. "Supposed to take like apples."

John gives the bottle an unimpressed once-over. "I don't think so," he decides, not sounding entirely sure about it. He adds defensively, "My tolerance is shot."

"If you say so," Nick replies, pulling the bottle back. "It's not like I'm gonna peer pressure you. This isn't high school. But, uh, try to relax. If anyone was gonna take a shot at you, they would've done it by now."

"Easy for you to say," John sighs.

It is easy for Nick to say, but he hopes John actually listens to him for once. He's not expecting miracles or anything, but if John's going to stick around, he's going to have to learn how to relax. Well — at least that's one learning curve that everybody is struggling with. Baby steps, right?

Nick leaves John alone for now; maybe he'll warm up into the idea of mending some metaphorical fences before everyone leaves, which would be ideal. For now, Nick goes back to the rest of the group, taking a few more sips as he listens to Carmina start to spin her own tall tales. Now that she's recognized the pattern in all of the stories the adults have been telling — larger-than-life enemies, intimidating names, lots of Foley work — she's attempting to match their vivid stories with a highly interpretive retelling about the turkey she saved her mom from a few months ago. The way she tells it, Nick would've expected the turkey she'd brought back to be at least the size of a car, but if Kim is playing into her part as a damsel in distress, Nick isn't going to ruin things by being the cynic realist.

They trade a few more stories. As they do, Kim takes a few extremely sour drinks of whatever the dark stuff is. She's been on hosting duty all day already, and Nick hasn't done much to help, getting tipsy right away with the rest of the guys like he had. But, with things starting to get late for a family of three, Nick decides it's his time to step up to the task of parenting.

Carmina hasn't had enough life experience to have many stories to share with the encouraging group of drunken manchildren, so once the attention turns to Tiny's story of his first swim after the world ended, Nick uses the out as a chance to usher her away.

"I think we oughta get you ready for bed," he tells Carmina, who boos under her breath but doesn't put up a fight, mostly because the story involves lots of nudity that she isn't at all interested in hearing about. Nick can't blame her — he doesn't wanna hear about Tiny almost getting his nuts bit off by a demon fish, either.

"Okay, but I want a good bed-time story," she demands, reasonably enough. Nick doesn't have anything as funny as Hurk's story, or anything as action-packed as Sharky's retelling of the first roadblock they encountered out on the road, but he has to at least try.

The good thing about Carmina not knowing anything about life before is that Nick can stretch some truths without repercussion. So when he tucks Carmina in, he decides to tell her the story of when she was born — this time, though, he doesn't leave out the roadblocks, or the deputy's shitty driving, or the narrowly-missed explosions. Couched in a long line of tall tales and exaggerated stories, Carmina doesn't believe most of the true stuff and only playfully believes in the bullshit.

Between Nick's bedtime-story voice and him gently stroking her hair, it's a wonder Carmina stays awake for as long as she does. Eventually, though, well before he finishes the story, she closes her eyes and finally stops resisting the chance for a good night's sleep. Nick stays put, lying next to her for a few minutes as he listens to the faint sound of conversation outside. He tries to make out the voices, to decipher who might be talking to who, but he only hears a dull hum.

He'll get up in a few minutes, go down and have a real drink with his wife for the first time in nine years, but the alcohol he's already had entices him to lie still just a little longer.

He doesn't know how long he dozes for, but when Nick is next aware of his surroundings, the light has changed in the room from the rising moon and the conversation outside has shifted in tone and pitch, the way any party might as it enters the late-night phase. Sitting up, Nick immediately knows he needs two things — more water, and one or two more swigs of that awful moonshine, just to keep the hangover from starting before he actually goes to bed.

The back porch is still wide open. The fire has died down, although it's still enough light to see by as Nick reappears. Kim sees him immediately, lifting a half-empty jar of dark liquid in his direction and waving him down with her free hand.

"This one is much better," she tells him as he approaches, holding out the jar. Well, Nick isn't about to reject his wife's kind offer, although he immediately regrets it when he takes a swig.

" Ugh ," he chokes around the harsh burn, feeling it drain all the way back into his throat. "That tastes like paint thinner!"

"Trade secret!" Hurk exclaims, adding immediately after, "Not that there's any paint or thinner in there, or anythin'. Nope. It's 100% organic malt liquor!"

Nick has no idea how Hurk would manage to find barley, but sure, he'll buy it. Another sip doesn't do any better, and to his surprise, he realizes that he actually prefers the moonshine.

As he hands the jar back, Nick does a quick head-count, coming up two short. "Uh, where's John?" he asks.

"Oh," Kim says. She points towards the hangar. "We needed firewood," she says. "Except, eventually, we really needed firewood. I sent Sharky to get some." It seems like only when she says it does she realize what a bad idea it is. "Well, we were in the middle of something, and I was distracted," she explains reluctantly.

"I wasn't," Grace utters next to her.

Kim rolls her eyes. "You should go check on them. I mean, it's fine. But maybe you should, anyway."

Nick looks over at the hangar. There aren't any lights to speak of out here, but Nick can see the glow of the lantern through the open doorway, shadows moving around behind the worn-out wall. "Yeah," he agrees, turning and heading across the wash. He only thinks of grabbing a drink for the journey after he starts walking, but he's already halfway there and he doesn't have time to turn around and come back.

Sharky appears in the doorway, forcing Nick to pull up short to avoid running into him. He looks — fine? There's too much beard and too little light to see his expression clearly, but Sharky doesn't seem phased in the least to find Nick in his way. He passes by Nick with a few logs under one arm, patting Nick heavily on his shoulder with his free hand.

"It's cool, bro," he says, "We're all good."

"Uh... okay," Nick replies, deeply unsure as Sharky casually heads back for the fire. Briefly worrying that he might find John knocked out on the ground, Nick tries not to stress out as he heads inside.

John is sitting on a discarded chopping block by the woodpile, the lantern settled by his feet. Nick doesn't see any blood or a new black eye; just John, rolling a nearly-empty glass bottle between his palms as he drifts in thought.

Nick almost feels bad interrupting, but John catches sight of him before he can retreat undetected. He looks surprised — genuinely, openly surprised to see Nick standing there, sincerely confused when he says, "I thought you went to bed."

"And miss out on all the action?" Nick chuckles. He gestures at the bottle. "So much for your tolerance being shot, huh?" he teases.

"Oh, hmm?" John looks down at the bottle like he'd forgotten about it. "Only enough to get them off my back." He sighs, following it up with a swig that he barely winces through. "After all, saying no ain't my thing ." Nick isn't sure if that drawl is for sarcastic quotation purposes, or if John's had enough moonshine to play at being white trash. "Then again, I only quit drinking because of Joseph. No point resisting now."

"I guess," Nick agrees reluctantly. "Is that, uh, what you and Sharky were talking about?"

John rolls his eyes. "No," he says. He holds out the bottle, waiting until Nick takes it to elaborate. "Kim suggested they sleep out here tonight. He was making sure there's room."

"Oh." Nick takes a drink; maybe it's just the malt liquor talking, but now Nick can sort of taste the apple around the burn. He takes one more swig, just to make sure, then hands the bottle back. "Well, as long as he wasn't hassling you."

"No more than I deserve," John says. Nick must make some kind of face, because he sighs and placating adds, "It's fine, Nick. I'm more than capable of handling a few sarcastic comments from some hillbilly outlaw." He looks down, tipping the bottle a bit to swirl the moonshine inside.

"He... means well," he says eventually. "Everyone means well."

"You don't have to sound so bummed out about it."

John chuckles. It's the first time Nick's heard his laugh and not mistaken it for a cough or wheeze. "I don't mean to be," he says. He takes a drink and looks up at Nick with a... weird look on his face. Open. Genuine? Nick's not sure. But despite the topic, John's expression radiates a deep, contemplative peace. "It's more generosity than I can bear from people I genuinely thought of as the enemy."

He is definitely drunk. "Oh, boy," Nick sighs, reaching out for the bottle before John drops it or finishes it off himself. "To be fair, uh, it's easier to be nice to you since we won, and all."

"Oh, I do not doubt it." John relinquishes the drink, seemingly aware enough to admit, "I've had more than enough."

"I think everybody's had enough," Nick says, proving his own point by immediately regretting his next swig. "God damn . Okay, well — we should probably get some wood. I gotta feeling those guys are gonna be up for a while, and we wanna keep them happy."

John nods, but he doesn't rise from his spot. "Wait," he says when Nick goes to pass him, so Nick obligingly stops, raising an eyebrow at John's half-lifted hand.

"You have to understand," he says. "I'm not — I don't know how I'm supposed to express my gratitude towards you. With Joseph, with — well, everyone , I've always known how to express my loyalty. I knew what they expected from me, what would make them happy, what... wouldn't. But with you, with Kim... I don't know anything. I feel like a child. I don't know how that makes me feel, other than like an idiot."

He heaves a frustrated, heavy sigh, ducking his head towards his nervously entwined hands. "Just — thank you," he finishes miserably.

"Wow," Nick utters in response. He doesn't know what else to say, really, except the obvious, but he genuinely means it when he replies, "Well, you're welcome. Man, and here I always figured you were playing me for a sap."

John laughs, shaking his head. "Manipulation has never been my strong suit," he admits. "I'm too heavy-handed for that crap. Intimidation and brute force, on the other hand..." He lets out a relieved sigh. "Thank God I was too sick to revel in my self-destruction."

"Yeah, I'm glad I didn't have to shoot you," Nick chuckles. "Sorta would've gone against everything I'm trying to build, you know?"

"I do now," John says. "I only wish I'd realized it before the end of the world."

"Hey, the world hasn't really ended," Nick points out. "There's still a whole left to do." He gestures towards the woodpile. "We can start by making sure Kim doesn't leave me for the raiders giving her free alcohol."

John stands, shaking his head as if he could clear the smile from his face. "I'm sure you have nothing to worry about."

"Yeah, not until they figure out how to brew a decent beer. Kim was going without for the baby. She probably would've murdered me if it meant she could've had a case of Newcastle in the bunker for a few months there."

Then again, she had also been freaking out about the nuclear apocalypse occurring above-ground, so Nick really should cut her more slack.

"You definitely have nothing to worry about," John reiterates. "But fine. No more back-talk."

"Yeah, fat chance of that. C'mon, give me a hand."

Nick leaves the bottle on the chopping block and utilizes John's uncanny strength, loading him up with an armful of wood before taking a few logs for himself, to give the appearance of helping. John doesn't complain, which isn't unusual by itself, but tonight it feels like genuine complacency, not just something he's doing to survive. And when they return to the fire, dropping off the wood for Mud and Tiny to utilize, John doesn't retreat to the safety of the other side of the fire. He instead lingers by Nick, going so far as to play along whenever Kim asks him questions, just to make him feel included. He, unlike Nick, is smart enough to refuse any more of the malt liquor Kim's taken a liking to, but he holds the jar for show from time to time, just to keep Hurk happy. In a weird way, Nick feels like he can actually see John taking those wobbly steps Kim is always hoping to see, and even weirder than that, the anxiety that maybe he's making a mistake fails to manifest, leaving Nick with a warm, fuzzy feeling that could very well be pride.

[buckybarnesbingo]

BBB Week 23 Roundup!  

We have exactly 450 fills so far in this round of the BBB, which is just AMAZING!  Make sure to leave some love for our wonderful participants!

Title: Guarding You - Chapter 8: Guardian Angel Collaborator: Fighting_for_Creativity, Purple_ducky00 Link: AO3 Square Filled: B5 - Letting go (for Ducky) Ship: WinterIronHusband Rating: Explicit Major Tags: Shooting, Violence, AU Bodyguard, AU College/University, College Student Tony Stark, College Student Rhodey, Bodyguard Bucky Barnes, Fluff, Angst, Happy Ending, Dorks in love, Falling In Love, Fade to black sex, slices of life, Mention of alcohol, creep tries to creep on Tony, James "Rhodey" Rhodes is a Good Bro, Pining, Minor Carol Danvers/Maria Rambeau/Nick Fury, mentioned dog, betrayal, Violence, Natasha Romanov Is a Good Bro, Steve Rogers Is a Good Bro, Injury Recovery, Clint Barton Trolls People    Summary: Though he was fired, Bucky saves Tony's life. Word Count: 12,353

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Title: Laying in wait Collaborator: kalee60 Link: AO3 Square Filled: Y4 - First Time Ship: Stucky Rating: Teen Major Tags: Alternate Universe, Friends to Lovers, First Kiss, First Time, Getting Together, THERE WAS ONLY ONE BED, Implied Sexual Content, Puns & Word Play, Light Pining Summary: When Bucky’s sister gets engaged and has a destination party, he’d never imagined that they’d overbook the hotel and he’d be stuck sharing a bed with his best friend. Which of course wouldn’t have been an issue, not at all, except that pesky part where Bucky had been in love with Steve his whole life. But maybe, just maybe this rooming oversight might just be the push he needed to see what was right in front of him the whole time. Word Count: 1599

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Title: You better make sure you put me in my place Collaborator: call-me-kayyyyy Link: Tumblr Square Filled: U3 - Till Death Do Us Part Ship: Stucky Rating: Mature Major Tags: art, no serum bucky, no serum steve, wedding Summary: No-Serum AU where long-haired mechanic!Bucky and skinny artist!Steve tie the knot. ❤️

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Title: Here come the champs Collaborator: abitnotgoodiebag Link: Tumblr Square Filled: C1 - Paintball Ship: BuckySam Rating: Gen Major Tags: art  Summary: Paintball isn’t just recreation for these two, it’s a lifestyle.

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Title: Perfect Soldiers Collaborator: phoenixgryphon Link: Tumblr Square Filled: U3 - BAMF Bucky Ship: none Rating: Gen Major Tags: art, Jurassic Park AU Summary: A Jurassic World crossover; Russians had interest in purchasing the Indoraptor, what if those Russians were the Russian branch of Hydra? Hydra took immediate interest in the specimen, it was strong, fast had no metal arm and deadly, making for a fine counterpart to work alongside their existing Asset. Of course there was the whole issue of making it comply, but to Hydra that’s nothing a little programming can’t fix.aka you don’t get any more bamf than TWS working with a dinosaur.

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Title: Guarding You - Chapter 9: Guarding You Collaborator: Fighting_for_Creativity, Purple_ducky00 Link: AO3 Square Filled: K2 - Forgiveness, Ducky Y3 - Take the Shot, J_Gun_I Ship: WinterIronWar Rating: Explicit Major Tags: Shooting, Violence, AU Bodyguard, AU College/University, College Student Tony Stark, College Student Rhodey, Bodyguard Bucky Barnes, Fluff, Angst, Happy Ending, Dorks in love, Falling In Love, Fade to black sex, slices of life, Mention of alcohol, creep tries to creep on Tony, James "Rhodey" Rhodes is a Good Bro, Pining, Minor Carol Danvers/Maria Rambeau/Nick Fury, mentioned dog, betrayal, Violence, Natasha Romanov Is a Good Bro, Steve Rogers Is a Good Bro, Injury Recovery, Clint Barton Trolls People Summary: The boys do what they have failed to to so far, talking it out. Word Count: 13,650

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Title: gentle and soft Collaborator: plutosrose Link: AO3 Square Filled: Y4 - Kink: Gentle Sex Ship: Stucky Rating: Explicit Major Tags: Bucky Barnes Recovering, Gentle Sex, slightly pwp, Established Relationship Summary: Bucky tries to understand why he wants Steve to be so gentle with him. Word Count: 1288

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Title: Missed Dance- Second Chance Collaborator: fightingforcreativity Link: AO3 Square Filled: Y4 - Surprise Dancing Ship: WinterIron Rating: Gen Major Tags: Soft, Fluff, Angst, Bucky Barnes Feels, Soft Tony Stark Summary: A mission delayed Bucky's plan to go out with his boyfriend. Thankfully said boyfriend was nothing if not resourceful. Word Count: 980

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Title: I Thought You Were Smaller Collaborator: ariasfandom Link: Tumblr Square Filled: C3 - Free Square Ship: Stucky Rating: Explicit Major Tags: Smut, WWII era Stucky, dirty talk, size kink Summary: It’s the first night Steve and Bucky are together since Bucky was shipped out months ago, and Bucky wants to make up for lost time, and show him how much he loves his partner and his new body. Word Count: 1975

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Title: Kill List Collaborator: shadow-ravin Link: AO3 Square Filled: B1 - Kill List Ship: Bucky & Steve, Bucky & Natasha Rating: Mature Major Tags: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, 5+1 Things, Friendship, Killing, Character Death, But only bad guys die, Torture, Revenge, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence Summary: 5 times Bucky killed someone and one time he didn’t have to. Word Count: 805

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Title: Snowed In Collaborator: steves-on-a-plane Link: Tumblr Square Filled: U2 - Sharing Body Heat Ship: Bucky/Reader Rating: Gen Major Tags: not listed Summary: The last person that Reader wanted to be paired up with on a mission is the quiet and elusive Bucky Barnes. When the pair get snowed in together during a mission they have no choice but to warm up to each other. figuratively and literally. Word Count: 1373

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Title: bruises make for better conversation Collaborator: nightwideopen Link: AO3 Square Filled: K1 - AU: Supernatural Ship: WinterHawk Rating: Not Rated Major Tags: Blood/Gore, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Comics/Movie Crossover, Supernatural Elements, Vampire Clint Barton, Pain Kink, Lovers to Lovers    Summary: “Jesus Christ, Barnes, what the hell is that?” Bucky let Clint feed off of him last night, and it got kind of… intense. To say the least. But he can’t exactly tell Tony that because he doesn’t know where Clint’s at with their whole… sexual blood sucking thing. Also, no one knows that Clint is a vampire. Word Count: 4331

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Title: Speed Dating Collaborator: arrowsandmixtapes Link: Tumblr Square Filled: Y5 - Speed Dating Ship: Bucky/Reader Rating: Not Rated Major Tags: A few poorly placed easter eggs. Summary: Your desperation pays off when you meet a handsome man at a speed dating event. Word Count: 820

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Title: Vacation Gone Wrong Collaborator: jurassicworjd Link: AO3 Square Filled: K3 - Going On Vacation Together Ship: WinterHawk Rating: Teen Major Tags: swearing Summary: Marvel meets Jurassic World. Bucky knew from the beginning it was going to go wrong when Clint told them that he bought tickets to the famous Jurassic World theme park. Yet somehow, he allows his boyfriend to drag him out there anyways. Word Count: 3183

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Title: You Alone Collaborator: 27dragons Link: AO3 Squares Filled: Chapter 1: C2 - IMG: Tony working on Bucky’s arm Chapter 2: U4 - Take the Shot Chapter 3: U5 - Abandonment Issues Chapter 4: Y2 - Kink: BDSM Chapter 5: Y3 - Last TImes/Farewells Ship: WinterIron Rating: Explicit Major Tags: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - No Powers, single parent tony stark, Omega Tony Stark, Alpha Bucky Barnes, War Veteran Bucky Barnes, Protective Harley Keener, Meddling Kids, First Dates, First Kiss, Past Tony Stark/Tiberius Stone, Panic Attacks, Sex, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Anal Sex, Light BDSM, Multiple Orgasms, Knotting, Weddings Summary: Life as a single parent isn’t easy, but Tony is proud of what he’s accomplished over the last fifteen years. He has his own electronics repair shop and has managed to keep his son Harley away from his toxic ex. So what if every alpha he sees puts him on edge? Most of his customers are omegas, anyway, and he’s content never to date again if it means never again having to go through the shit that Harley’s sire put him through. Bucky is more than intrigued by the smart and beautiful omega who’s repairing his arm, but Tony smells like fear, and Bucky doesn’t want to make things worse. He has to put a lot of effort into making sure not to trip Tony’s triggers -- made doubly hard by the fact that Tony doesn’t want to talk about them -- but he thinks it could be well worth the effort in the end. Word Count: 14,938

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Title: The Red Star Collaborator: startrekkingaroundasgard Link: Tumblr Square Filled: U5 - AU:Pirate Ship: Bucky/Reader Rating: Explicit Major Tags: m/f explicit smut, choking, public sex, exhibitionism, prostitution, name calling Summary: Pirate captain Barnes of The Red Star makes port and goes directly to the reader, his favourite prostitute, for some release. Word Count: 1305

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Title: (my hair) Through your fingertips Collaborator: darter_blue Link: AO3 Square Filled: C5 - “Kiss me.” Ship: Stucky Rating: Mature Major Tags: emotional hurt/comfort, Bucky Barnes Recovering, Canon Divergence - post Captain America: The Winter Soldier, hair washing, first kiss Summary: The asset left Steve by the river. Damaged. Broken.The asset himself is both of those things. But Steve should be neither.The asset needs to find Steve to makes sure he’s okay. Needs to right his wrong (just one of so many). And he needs to find Steve because he WANTS to, though he may not fully understand what wanting even means.Something inside him feels peace at the memory of Steve’s face (the only memory the asset can hold onto) and he maybe just wants to FEEL things again. Or for the first time…He just can’t remember… Word Count: 3651

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Title: Between a Rock and a Hard Place Collaborator: queen-of-the-avengers Link: Tumblr Square Filled: U4 - Rebecca Barnes Ship: Bucky/Reader Rating: Not Rated Major Tags: minor angst, crack fic, fluff and implied smut at the end Summary: ou and your two best friends are fighting, and you’re caught in the middle of it. The only person who will listen to you is your boyfriend, Bucky. Word Count: 1.1k

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Title: Aria in B♭ - Chapter 8 Collaborator: 27dragons Link: AO3 Square Filled: B4 - Alcohol Ship: WinterIron Rating: Explicit Major Tags: Alternate Universe - Historical, opera singer Bucky Barnes, nobleman Tony Stark, Prostitution, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Dubious Consent, Pining, Dueling, Gambling Summary: Lord Stark has his faults -- a bit too fond of a drink, a little too reckless at cards, and entirely too happy to flout his good fortune in his rivals’ faces. But a man as wealthy and powerful as Tony Stark is bound to have a few peccadillos. What he is not, is the sort of man who would force himself upon another unwilling, unlike Lord Killian, who seems to have taken a particular shine to an opera singer in the troupe Killian is hosting. Tony rescues Mr. Barnes from Killian’s untender mercies, moves the troupe into his own home, and takes Mr. Barnes as his bed companion for the season. The arrangement provides protection for Bucky and the troupe from Killian’s spite, and tweaks Killian at the same time -- a win all around, as far as Tony is concerned. He wasn’t counting on Bucky being so utterly charming and wonderful, or for the possibility that he might actually, after so many years a bachelor, fall in love. Word Count: 28,643

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Title: Siren - Chapter 3: Roundtable Rival Collaborator: Writing_mermaid Link: AO3 Square Filled: B5 - language Ship: Bucky/Reader Rating: Mature Major Tags: Language, mention of injuries, Steve is an asshole Summary: Y/N is a mutant, a Siren, the last of her kind, with deadly dangerous powers and a hidden past. If most of the Avengers likes and get along with her, Steve doesn’t, and it’s getting worse when Y/N and Bucky become close. After all what can bring two broken souls together if it’s not a dark past. Word Count: 5564

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Title: Obnoxiously Perfect Collaborator: plutosrose Link: AO3 Square Filled: B2 - Alpine Ship: Stucky Rating: Mature Major Tags: Alternate Universe - Teachers, Alternate Universe - College/University, Developing Relationship, Coffee Date, Brief Mentions of Grief, Self-Esteem, Finding Your Crush and His Ex on Social Media, Brief Mention of Past Sharon Carter/Natasha Romanov Summary: After hooking up with Steve at a faculty reception, Bucky consults Alpine for advice. Word Count: 2899

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Title: It's Only a Paper Moon - Chapter 1 Collaborator: SierraNovembr Link: AO3 Square Filled: B3 - Bucky/Tony Ship: WinterIron Rating: Teen Major Tags: Depiction of a mental asylum, established relationship, Edwin Jarvis Summary: Fighting aliens alongside Captain America? A loving, supportive fiancé who overlooks the many flaws of Tony Stark? Tony often thought his life was too amazing to be real.  He might just be right about that. Word Count: 831

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Title: We Shall Be Monsters - Chapter 2: Dead All Day Collaborator: tisfan Link: AO3 Square Filled: Y1 - Hallucinations Ship: WinterIron Rating: Mature Major Tags: mentioned torture, Frankenstein inspired, reincarnation, rise from the dead, gross, dead bodies Summary: This is your 6:30am Rise from the Dead call... Word Count: 1370

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Title: Worth It Collaborator: darter-blue Link: AO3 Square Filled: Y4 - Pet rock Ship: Stucky Rating: Mature Major Tags: Modern Bucky Barnes, Fluff, Romance, Post-Serum Steve Rogers, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting Summary: Bucky is not having a great time here, speed dating was not the ‘opportunity to meet someone great’ he had been promised. This was just a faster, more efficient way for Bucky to get dumped. Until someone new sits down gracefully into the seat opposite him. Bucky’s looking up from where tight blue jeans around thick thighs have slid into the seat, up to a broad chest in a t-shirt that has to be two sizes too small, up to shoulders so wide they could carry a bus, and up, up, up to the most beautiful face Bucky has ever seen in real life. And he’s smiling. A real, enthusiastic smile.At Bucky. Word Count: 2051

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Title: Moments with You (Part 2 of 5) Collaborator: shield-agent78 Link: Tumblr Square Filled: U1 - Confessions Ship: Bucky/Reader Rating: Mature Major Tags: angst, anxiety, stress Summary: Both you and Scott Summers yearn for a beautiful remembrance that cannot be reached. Scott, in the form of Jean Gray, and you in wanting Scott to move on with his life and realize that love can be found again. Word Count: 1285

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Title: 5 Times Bucky and Winter Courted Tony, and 1 Time Tony Realized He Was Courting Back Collaborator: newtypeshadow Link: AO3 Square Filled: K1 - Steve Rogers Ship: Tony/Bucky/Winter Rating: Mature Major Tags: Alternate Universe - Shapeshifters, Domestic Avengers, Avengers Tower, 5+1 Things, Flerkin Shifter Tony Stark, Wolf Shifter Bucky Barnes, Symbiote Winter, Bucky Barnes & Winter Soldier are Different Personalities, Courtship, Mutual Pining, Oblivious Tony Stark, Kidnapping, Rescue Missions, Canon-Typical Violence, Dead animals, fresh meat, Cannibalism, technically, flerkins and symbiotes don't understand why eating delicious human meat is bad, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, murder fluff, Crack Treated Seriously, Getting Together, First Kiss, Aliens, Alien Cultural Differences, Polyamory, Flerkin Tony Stark, Cat Tony Stark Summary: There's a dead bird next to Tony's coffee maker. Gross. Except when Tony shifts into a flerkin. Then it's a delicious gift. Doesn't explain why Bucky and his symbiote, Winter, left it in Tony's kitchen though. Word Count: 10,630

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Title: They Never Went Further, They Never Went Back Collaborator: eachpeachpearplum Link: AO3 Squares Filled: Y2 - rescue mission (chapter one) C3 - free space (chapter two) C1 - recovering Bucky (chapter four) U4 - shoot first, ask later (chapter five) Y1 - hurt/comfort (chapter seven) Ship: Stuckony Rating: Teen Major Tags: identity porn, vigilante Iron Man, polyamory negotiations, asexual Bucky Summary: Steve and Bucky’s truck breaks down while they’re out searching for the vigilante Iron Man. Fortunately, mechanic Tony is willing to offer them a place to stay for a few nights. Word Count: 26,893

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Title: Hallucinations Collaborator: ShakespeareanQueer Link: Tumblr Square Filled: B2 - Hallucinations Ship: Stucky Rating: Teen Major Tags: Induced hallucinations, angst Summary: When Steve doesn’t make it back on the time travel platform, Bucky asks Wanda for a weird favor. Word Count: 3223

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Title: Better the Devil you know Collaborator: Kalee60 Link: AO3 Square Filled: C4 - Wings Ship: Stucky Rating: Explicit Major Tags: Alternate Universe - Angels & Demons, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Mutual Pining, Explicit Sexual Content, Falling In Love, Bottom Bucky Barnes, POV Bucky Barnes, Idiots in Love, Light Dom/sub, they should really just talk..., Demon Bucky Barnes, Angel Steve Rogers, Denial of Feelings, Misunderstandings Summary: Attending work conferences was never Bucky's idea of a 'good time' - especially when the rival company was Heaven and he happened to be a demon from Hell. Even more unbearable, he'd been tasked to present a seminar (against his will) - Bucky was more about doling out punishments, less about educating his peers.So of course, while Bucky is already down, Steve Rogers turns up, an angel Bucky had been trying desperately to forget for the last millenia… for an array of reasons. Bucky now finds himself in close quarters with his feathery nemesis, and after living multiple lifetimes, was maybe finally learning that there really was a fine line between hate and lust, and an even finer one tethering it all to love? Word Count: 19,912

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Title: Know Your Enemy, Know Yourself Collaborator: rebelmeg Link: AO3 Square Filled: B1 - Mexican standoff Ship: Bucky & Winter Rating: Mature Major Tags: blood and violence, Winter is a separate personality, graphic depiction of violence Summary: The fight between Bucky Barnes and the Winter Soldier might happen in his head, but that doesn't make it any less real. Word Count: 771

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Title: Unshackled - Chapter 2 Collaborator: LiraelClayr007 Link: AO3 Square Filled: C1 - through a scope Ship: WinterHawk Rating: Explicit Major Tags: Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Amnesia, (of the short term), Sharing a Bed, Fluff, Angst, Winter Soldier Bucky Barnes, Implied/Referenced Mind Control, Deaf Clint Barton, Hurt Clint Barton, Hydra (Marvel), Slow Burn. Will add more tags and characters as they come up, Escape Summary: Nausea roils in Clint’s stomach, and he’s suddenly glad there’s no food in his stomach. Mind control. HYDRA’s perfected brainwashing and mind control. He needs to get out of here, he needs to tell… But of course it doesn’t matter. Because he’s shackled to the wall across from the fucking Winter Soldier, deep within who knows where surrounded by who knows how many HYDRA goons, and he hasn’t eaten for...how many days now? Even if he could get to his bow, he’s not sure he’d have the strength to draw it.In other words, he’s well and truly fucked. Word Count: 5970

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Title: Aria in B♭ - Chapter 9 Collaborator: tisfan Link: AO3 Square Filled: I3 - Disability Ship: WinterIron Rating: Explicit Major Tags: Alternate Universe - Historical, opera singer Bucky Barnes, nobleman Tony Stark, Prostitution, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Dubious Consent, Pining, Dueling, Gambling Summary: Lord Stark has his faults -- a bit too fond of a drink, a little too reckless at cards, and entirely too happy to flout his good fortune in his rivals’ faces. But a man as wealthy and powerful as Tony Stark is bound to have a few peccadillos. What he is not, is the sort of man who would force himself upon another unwilling, unlike Lord Killian, who seems to have taken a particular shine to an opera singer in the troupe Killian is hosting. Tony rescues Mr. Barnes from Killian’s untender mercies, moves the troupe into his own home, and takes Mr. Barnes as his bed companion for the season. The arrangement provides protection for Bucky and the troupe from Killian’s spite, and tweaks Killian at the same time -- a win all around, as far as Tony is concerned. He wasn’t counting on Bucky being so utterly charming and wonderful, or for the possibility that he might actually, after so many years a bachelor, fall in love. Word Count:31,979

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Title: [Art] Bingo Clusterfuck - Chapter 11: come on with it, come on Collaborator: call-me-kayyyyy Link: AO3 Square Filled: B5 - Kink: Vibes in Public Ship: Stucky Rating: Explicit Major Tags: art, semi-public sex, bottom bucky, top steve, fun-ishment Summary: Steve was done. He was absolutely sick and tired of Bucky riling him up on purpose in front of their tower-mates. Bucky loved making him blush with dirty comments during Avenger's meetings. Flustering him by "accidentally" brushing against his crotch in the community kitchen. Steve had had enough and it was time to teach Bucky a lesson. He sees his moment while their making out like teenagers in front of the big open windows in their apartment. "You like everyone watching Buck? You like it when I get all flushed and hard in front of our friends?" Bucky whined and kissed Steve harder. "Well lets see how you like it, huh sweetie? I'm gonna take you apart, right here where anyone can watch," he growled into Bucky's ear. "Rub your sweet spot till you beg for my cock. Let all of New York see how much you love being on all fours for me." Bucky was gonna learn his lesson alright, maybe twice.

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Title: Dog Days of Summer Collaborator: hddnone Link: Tumblr Square Filled:  K5 - “Oh, hell no” Ship: WinterIron Rating: Mature Major Tags: temperature play with ice Summary: Summer was the worst season to have a metal arm.Fortunately Bucky had a boyfriend who would fix that for him. Word Count: 997

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Title: something like home Collaborator: nightwideopen Link: AO3 Square Filled: C4 - Canon Divergence Ship: WinterHawk Rating: Not Rated Major Tags: Graphic description of injury, mentions of brainwashing Summary: After the fall of the Triskelion, Clint retreats to his last refuge, the farm house in Iowa that he grew up in. On the way there, he finds an injured dog on the road leading to the Barton farm. Spoiler alert: it's not a dog.It's Bucky Barnes. Word Count: 13,048