#this is p much all my repeating things ive heard said by people who know a lot more than i do haha

[bucephaly]

It's kinda shocking to me how few people seem to know how prevalent the 'my great grandmother was cherokee' myth is and how it's almost never actually true, especially when it comes with things like 'never signed up' or 'fell off the trail' or 'courthouse burned down destorying the documentation' etc etc.

People just don't even seem to know the history like.. when the Trail happened. My great great great grandfather was 2 years old during Removal in 1838, so peoples 'my great grandmother hid in the mountains!' is so clearly wrong. And we have rolls. From before and after removal, rolls done by cherokee nation and others by the government, rolls that were not stored in one random flammable courthouse. It's not difficult to find the actual evidence of ancestry.

And just.. there are lots of ways those family stories get started. It was a practice during the confederacy to claim cherokee ancestry to show one's family had 'deep roots in the south' that they were there before the cherokee were removed. Many people pretended to be cherokee and applied for the Guion-Miller payout just to try to steal money meant for cherokees - 2/3rds of the applicants were denied for having 0 proof of actual cherokee ancestry. [We even see lawyers advertising signing up for the Miller roll just to try to get free money.] And the myth even started in some families in the cherokee land lotteries, where the land stolen from us was raffled off, including the house and everything that was left behind when the cherokees were removed. We have seen people whose families just take these things stolen from the cherokee family and adopt them into their own family story, saying that they were cherokee themselves.

If you had some family story about being cherokee and you wanna have proof one way or the other, check out this Facebook group run by expert cherokee genealogists that do research for free. Just please read the rules fully and respect the researchers. They run thousands of people's ancestries a year and their average is only around 0.7% of lines they run actually end up having true cherokee ancestry.

[foryouthegays]

techno liveblog w timestamps lets go for ‘a new home (dream SMP)’ stream

good laugh times: 00:13:50, 00:14:55, 1:38:45, ik it doesnt look like a lot but like u should watch the stream anyway bc philzas there and his laugh is amazing and they just go so well together

times techno calls phil his friend: 00:6:00 00:37:00, 00:45:17, 0:1:09:30, 01:11:15, 01:26:35, 01:50:05, 2:35:00

FSDJKFAF;LS HE KEPT THE MUTED INTRO IN JHKADFLS (ends at 00:1:25)

i like how, when faced with Leaving Youtube, techno would choose to be an author. i want a book by techno. reblog this if u want a book by techno (with an audiobook by him as well) /hj. 00:1:33

i love how he says ehhhhhh so much lskjhdfas (abt 2 mins in) 

who the FUCK just remembers that the word fortuitous exists wtf 00:5:17

00:7:45 PHILZA TIME PHILZA TIME LETS GO

00:8:55 tommy time :/

0:14:10 rANBOO JUST WALKS IN, LOOKS AROUN ,AND LEA VE SIM CRYING 

i love how much philza laughs at technos jokes bc pretty much everything he says IS a joke he just says it in such a serious voice that p much everyone else is like,,,yeah,,,,yup,,,,and phil just knows when hes joking and his laugh is so good with technos voice. sbi? whos that? i only know philza and technoblade

00:19:30 ghostbur joins! this is my first time hearin ghostbur btw

00:19:40 haha string axe technos so bad at crafting what a fool /j

00:21:07 ghostbur: “Even I remember how to make a fishing rod!” ghostbur u just MURDERED technoblade oh my god im gonna scream hgjdfksla i love ghostbur so much

00:23:55: GHOSTBUR NO!! DON’T DIE YOU’LL BECOME A DOUBLE GHOST!!!! -technoblade 2020

00:24:55 technoblade neva lies -guys he almost did the technoblade neva dies ahh!!!!!

i havent heard anyone talk about this but techno has a dedicated roleplay voice. like listen to him talk to tommy at 00:25:08. his voice gets more even, he uses names a lot more often (seriously, listen to his theseus speech. he says tommy so often, its incredible.), and his voice gets,,,,deeper? not deeper but smoother, in a way, and he repeats what he says for emphasis instead of humor. and his voice is louder, and he seems more assertive. 

00:27:30 philza: where we goin, by the way? techno: to our- to my new home. 

techno cmon let phil live w u wed get so much more content cmonn

00:28:50 the fact that he calls the manhunt theme “dream music” makes me laugh so hard. and then his version of it,,,,,m love he (also he sings it here and at  01:14:20)

00:35:10 why is ranboo so cryptic im-

why does he just casually know the word sentry wh at i hate him 00:39:45

this is the worst sentence (structurally) ive ever heard techno say im gonna cry 00:49:33 ‘im too busy thinkin of new ideas to sleep so i could actually execute them’ and tubbos *oh?* after is just hdsfgkjlka

LKSJDHFJK 00:51:49

00:54:30

techno: thats one of dreams powers, he can just stop the rain

tubbo, quietly: like jesus!

i love them sm dsfhkjla they kept going but i jus gdfhjksa jesus has op

techno @ being the second worst thing to ever happen to those orphans: haha funnie!!

techno @ having fun w religious stuff: i wILL BE CANCELLED NO-

00:58:10 “hey if ur [ghostbur]  a ghost, do instant damage potions heal you now?” “...no,, they hurt me still :(” DSIULZKJHFSLKFJH 

01:04:00 his brother named the cow bob im- aww 

also he has a fanart wall again!!!

01:09:30 “phil, you’re the only friend i have left in this world.” aWWWWW HE GAVE HIM THE COMPASS 

“dont smoke, it’s a joke” -technoblade 01:14:15

ROLEPLAY SPEECH VOICE IS BACK AT 1:16:10 “they pillage my base for everything i’m worth, they use me for the revolution, but oooOOOoo i took a pickaxe with his consent? oOOOooOo i’m a thief!”

holy shit 01:17:15 “you know what, phil? for you, the world, alright? it’s fine.” oH MY GOD HHHHGHG (context, right before they were arguing bc phil took some blocks from his base and techno thought that when he said phil could take anything he meant from the chests)

the COMIDY of that villager coming in and sleeping while techno was readin donos at 01:22:05 RIGHT AFTER phil freaked out abt inturruptin his dono readin im SFDHKJLA:

techno talkin bout the winstreak and how he wont be able to live up to that sort of playin at 01:22:30ish is super important and ill transcribe it tomorrow, but if u can id highly rec watchin it. 

01:24:20 “[readin dono] what’s your favorite movie? uh, the princess bride is pretty good” techno ily that movie rocks also he said it so fast like hes ashamed of it noo

techno says no to canon ranboo son btw! 01:25:30

01:25:55 “i wasnt in that story, therefore it doesnt matter” all of technoblr be like 

01:37:49 is great lemmie transcribe

“how have you still not gotten a second monitor?? holy shit.”

“let me tell you something. and im only telling you this because i know that so many people in the chat are gonna be furious. so i recently realized- i think the second monitor can just be any ol’ monitor, right? you literally just plug it in, and its set up? well i mean you have to turn on some settings, but like, thats it, or something?”

“yeah,,,,, uh techno you fuckin destroyed my chat, by the way, oh my god, [earlier techno told his viewers to twitch prime philza] there has been like 40 primes just flying through”

“yeahhh twitch prime!!! twitch prime philza yeahh!!! so anyways the other day, i like, i looked to my left, and realized that my old monitor has been like, five feet away from where i sit and stream for the last three years?”

“oh my god...”

“so i- i literally do not have to leave my room to set up a second monitor and i havent. and i’m still usin my laptop for this stream.

“is this gonna be one of those situations where you like, you have a thing, you just refuse to do the thing?”

“listen, my desk is-

“yOU STILL HAVENT OPENED UP THE HYPIXEL PACKAGE!!!”

“AHHHH I HAVENT OPENED UP THE HYPIXEL PACKAGE! I HAVENT EVEN OPENED UP MY MCC COIN! DUDE I HAVENT EVEN OPENED UP MY ONE MILLION SUBSCRIBER PLAQUE! ITS STILL THERE RIGHT BEHIND ME! ITs sTILL IN THE BOX! i never made a video on it....”

“bruhhhhh [philza laughs] thats FREE VIEWS what are you doing??”

“ill open it at 8 mil :/.”

“you could LITERALLY make a video of you just like, throwing it off a wall, and then thumbing up, like doing a thumbs up, and then that would be it. 10 seconds. ten seconds. thumb and elbow in shot. [laughs]”

techno is such a disaster i love him

01:34:18 the way techno says “tommy, that statement has NEVER been true” i dont like sayin i simp for block men but GOD sometimes his voice is nicer than usual hhhgn

“man i sure wish tommyinnit was in this stream” -nobody ever (just after previous timestamp)

01:40:15 is fuckin hilarious and im actually crying oh my god techno just says things and says them well with a completely straight face how does he do it

i cannot WAIT until theres a president w the last/first name andy so we can say president andy and think abt technoblade

IM CRIASDNGUSFHD 01:44:38 PHILZA LOOK OUT LOOK OUT PHILZA  LSKJDAFJASD;LKF

i love when techno talks abt his vids. like u can tell he puts a lot of thought into the vids (esp these ones) and like at 01:47:00 he talks abt the “I DIDNT PUT DEAPTH STRIDER ON THOSE BOOTS, FUNDY!” and how its just that creepin realization that you were doomed from the start and how he made the armor, he isnt intimidated by the netherite bc he didnt enchant it all the way and only he knows that,,, and i just,,,hgg he

he reveals that hes writin the next arc at 01:48:00: “oh, speakin of arcs, chat, i’m writing the next arc. so, you know. hope nothin bad happens in two weeks, chat!” IM SO EXCITED like he clearly has his character fleshed out and is SO good at writing and retellin history im so so excited to see where he takes it AHHHH and also taht means he might stream more bc he might make his character more important (keep in mind this is the guy who wrote self insert hypixel fanfics. he has no shame in puttin himself first and i respect him so much for it) 

01:51:20 “they’re tryin to get a second customer but they’re riskin their first” is lowkey a good line

has anyone else noticed that techno says wise a lot? like at 01:55:10 he literally says “wise dragon armor” as a joke but like i think he says wise so much BECAUSE of skyblock like hjkfdsla

01:57:30 techno plea se eat 

ok 1:58:45 is hilarious and all but at the end of his ramble he says “come back, i miss you” and lowkey im crying 

techno needs to stop knowing his audience more than we know ourselves im hsfkjda 02:05:25 “the chat’s spammin ‘eat technoblade, eat!’ like they’re not gonna start, like, theyre not gonna get super sad if i ended the stream right now, like theyre not gonna all cry ‘i miss technoblade *sniffs* why- whyd he leave to eat food, why did he listen to our advice noooo’”

02:14:50 NEW VIDEO POGGGG CARL THE HORSE POGGGGGG  NOT A STREAM HIGHLIGHT POGGGGG

02:17:40 “i could start a potato farm out here to show how much ive changed” techno last time u made a potato farm u started an entire war that lasted a year that does NOT say calm and retired to me lskgdfjagsldj

02:23:00 why does techno just reference greek mythology so much. makin me scared for his arc. 

also he talks abt smp earth a lot in this stream i love it so much

i also just. love?? how much sbi respect tommy like they bully him but when talkin bout him they just have so much respect for how much work he puts into youtube and i just,,,,hgnn they r friends 

02:33:13 sbi streamer house lets go cmon

02:34:15 “i think if i streamed every day i could keep up” on one hand YE S  but on the ohter oh god techno no we have to keep up tho

hearing techno say “violence isnt the answer” is so scary  02:35:40

02:37:30 technosneeze 

hiS BROTHER SENT HIM 46 DISCORD MESSAGES SFKDJLFLKASF 2:49:25 i love his end screen so much hes just sadness,,,,retirement,,,t,echnoblade,,,the government is going to fall on its own due to lack of organization and ideals,,,,,,subscribe,,,,,sadness,,,,,also 2:50:45 is making me laugh so hard its just sad music and technos like??? whys phil in my house drinking milk????? 

overall, fantastic stream, if ya want some chill techno philza content i highly recommend. 

[exitwound]

favorite three squalloscope lyrics? I always get so excited when other people also listen to her music ❤️

OK OK OK SO i discovered them only a few days ago and gliterally every lyric sticks an electric whisk into my brain i cannot pick just 3 i cannot explain the things squalloscope does to me but w the disclaimer that i haven’t listened to everything yet bc ive been sucking sugar out of the high-calorie tracks of domino, z-e-p-h-y-r, pando, bloodbath for birds, hate cake, heart hearth earth, three minutes for a detuned diorama, mistakeism, and hips & envelopes on repeat instead of listening to anything else out of the way these are the lyrics currently making me go off the walls honkers to bonkers

but oh how i want you to undress for me / and oh how bored i’d be if you did

THIS ONE. THIS ONE MAKES ME FEEL LIKE AN NPC GLITCHING INTO A WALL. MOST LYRIC OF ALL TIME. HHSNVFONFHW

i’m the copy of a copy of a copy of a woman / you’re the copy of a copy of a copy of a guy / but the way we behaved towards each other / makes me think that even this could be a lie

no comment i am going to run outside and scream

i got here wearing a coat made of other people’s fingers / i’ll exit wearing nothing but my own soft shell / maybe i could be a hermit or snail if i wanted to / as long as i look like a gazelle

🪅🦪🧄🧅🫒🌽🧃🧼🪞🕸📂 [eurydike does not exit] .... like.................. yeah ... ... . .. fuck .... this hits. and then i remember my hand in unloveable hand relationship with ballet and girlhood and it knocks me out cold 1 hit ko 360 noscope

those are probably my top three but: extremely honorable mentions under the cut

this reminds me of the way you kicked my love into the sea / the sea shot fishes at our houses and the houses shot at me / and i took all my things and ran, i lived on trains and trams / and i said yes to everything

oh my GOD i need a FUCKING MOMENT. and she said YES TO EVERYTHING

bring me the head of the past, i need to see it / how big is the monster looking over your shoulder / how big is the river in which you are the boulder / i wish my heart would manage to grasp it all

@ ppl who haven’t heard this one .. you gotta hear it in the song. you’ll understand then... transcendent. .. maybe i’m biased bc this song was written specifically to mash-potato my myelin but the lines definitely also stand on their own

i am aging as an act of rebellion / taking up space is my first million

repeating this in my head clutching it as prayer pressing it as promise into the heart inside my heart. i am reheating the cold spaghetti i am aging as an act of rebellion

and i woke up every morning not knowing where i was / and if the white outside was snow or salt or painted on the glass (...) split the darkness with a plastic fork, it will swallow you whole

okay i cannot do z-e-p-h-y-r justice just picking a few lyrics..... it’s one of those songs with emergent properties of lyrics that don’t reveal their true forms until u hear it.. just go listen

there are no monsters left under the bed / we used their bones to build the thing / stuff the mattress with bulletproof vests / and next week just let us sleep in / and we lie here in the summer naked and laughing / and that’s when we’re not haunted by ghosts / fear is a business and we’re self-sufficient / our love is a fresnel lens that spins and spins (...) wearing a three-piece suit like the dude on top of the cake / wearing sequins that move like leaves (...) i guess i grow nails for a number of reasons / i guess i lose faith for about the same 

all of pando is sooooo much. we dont give a shit we just multiply!! i cant speak about it any more or my head will fall off and explode 

THANK U for asking  🍰🧃id love to know what urs are!!!

[maraudererasmut]

Black and White (Part XXVIII)

Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V | Part VI | Part VII | Part VIII | Part IX | Part X | Part XI | Part XII | Part XIII | Part XIV | Part XV | Part XVI | Part XVII | Part XVIII | Part XIX | Part XX | Part XXI | Part XXII | Part XXIII | Part XXIV | Part XXV | Part XXVI | Part XXVII | Part XXVIII | Part XXIX

((Remind me again why I chose to use Roman Numerals for the chapters?! Anyway... ENJOY!!! <3))

Remus arrived at Black and White early in the afternoon, wearing his one and only suit. He was clean-shaven, his hair was brushed, and he looked as presentable as he could manage, all things considered.

As he entered the gallery, he noticed that there were already a few people there. James and Lily were walking around, organizing tables with food and pamphlets. There was a makeshift bar set up, where a server was sorting the alcohol and setting out glasses. Sirius was talking with a member of the waitstaff, giving directions and explaining what needed to be done throughout the night.

Still feeling the weight of anxiety pressing heavily on his shoulders, Remus headed over to the bar.

"Hey…" He managed to get out, smiling at the woman behind the counter. She gave him a confused look. "Oh, uh… I'm one of the artists. I'm… I'm allowed to be here, I promise."

"Oh!" She said, beaming at Remus. "Well, your work is very beautiful!"

"Ah… thanks…" Remus felt himself smile, despite the whole Sirius situation; it was really nice to be complimented on his work and it happened so rarely in his life. The bartender returned his grin, a slight flush falling across her cheeks.

"You'd better get used to people saying that. This night is all about you and your art."

"Heh… yeah," Remus answered awkwardly. "I suppose it is."

"You look like you could use a glass of wine…"

"You know what…" Remus eyed the collection of fancy wines behind the bar; wines that he was allowed to try for free thanks to his art. He had worked hard to get to this point, and regardless of how his personal life was looking, he knew he should still take a moment to be proud of himself. He had come so far in just a few weeks. "I think I will have one. I deserve it."

The bartender poured Remus a glass, which he graciously accepted and brought with him as he walked through the gallery. He paused in front of his most recent work, taking in the depth of the painting, remembering his emotions as he had brought it to life. He was still experiencing the same turmoil, still struggling through the same complex feelings.  

"Do not get drunk tonight," a voice said from behind the artist.

Remus froze, feeling his stomach tighten and his shoulders tense. He turned around to face Sirius, hardening his expression.

"It's a glass of wine, Sirius. I think I'm entitled to it," he spat, glaring at the gallery owner. Sirius was purposefully causing trouble at this point.

"Yes, well, we don't want any mean old gallery owners taking advantage of you when you pass out." Sirius had a sneer on his face as he taunted Remus, and the artist clenched his fists in fury.

"What the fuck is wrong with you, Sirius?!" Remus' voice was louder than he intended and it rang through the gallery, echoing across the walls.

Sirius was about to retort, most likely some snide comment, when James approached them.

"Office. Both of you. Now!"

Remus had never seen James that angry before. His voice was sharp and aggressive, paired with a deep crimson glow spreading across his cheeks. The dark umber of his eyes flashed with intensity. Remus shrunk before his penetrating glare, feeling surprisingly small before the other man.

"This is my gallery, Potter! You can't tell me what to do!"

"Sirius, you're embarrassing yourself," James growled, stepping towards the gallery owner. "There are people here. Act professional. You and Remus need to go into your office and sort this shit out, do you understand me?"

Sirius looked like he was deliberating, considering his retort, before he changed his mind and turned around in a huff. He marched himself straight to the gallery office and Remus dutifully followed, feeling like a child that had just been scolded.

Once the two of them were in the office, James stuck his head through the door.

"If this isn't settled by the time the show opens, so help me—"

"Yes, James," Sirius grumbled, acting more like James' son than his brother.

James left Remus and Sirius alone in the office, closing the door behind him. Once they were by themselves, Sirius turned to Remus, glaring at him expectantly.

"Well?"

"Well what?" Remus snapped angrily. He was tired of Sirius playing games with him. He understood that he did something wrong, but the gallery owner had no right to provoke him and try to draw a reaction. "You're the one who came up to me!"

Sirius crossed his arms and let out a pfft while rolling his eyes.

"I was just making sure that you knew not to get drunk this evening, so as to not repeat past mistakes."

"Fuck off!" Remus yelled, forgetting himself for a moment and allowing his frustration to take over. "You know what? Yeah! I thought we hooked up while I was drunk! Is that such an absurd thought?! Is it really so farfetched that I thought I had sex with you?!"

Sirius looked taken aback.

"Yes, Remus! You were drunk!" He was clearly upset, his pale skin turning a bright shade of red across his cheeks and ears.

"So what?!" Remus shouted, finally putting words to the feelings that had been boiling up inside of him. "I thought we fucked! I've spent the past three weeks thinking about it, of course I'd assume that Drunk Remus would act on it!"

Sirius' mouth was hanging open. He blinked.

"You…"

Sirius was at a loss for words. Remus rolled his eyes and continued his tirade.

"Yeah. There it is. The whole damn truth. Pathetic little Remus had feelings for Sirius! Laugh it up! Tell me how stupid it is that someone like me could even fathom being with someone like you! I know it's insane! I get that! And I know I'm an idiot for thinking it could actually happen! And I'm sorry! I'm sorry that I thought we had sex! I'm sorry it felt like I thought you were a bad person! I didn't. I just assumed that… maybe… I just…"

Remus cut himself off. What did he assume?

"... you're not an idiot." Sirius muttered, his eyes drifting down slightly.

"Shut up, Sirius! Just… shut up! I don't need your pity! I don't need everyone's pity! I don't need people feeling bad for the pathetic artist who isn't good enough to make it on his own!" Remus didn't even know what he was yelling about at this point, he was just yelling. He was getting all of his feelings out, the ones that didn't fit into his paintings, and he seemed to have broken the damn.

"I don't think you're pathetic..."

"God dammit, Sirius! I just… I thought maybe… just maybe… there was a chance that… that you liked me too. That's why I assumed we had sex. I just… part of me… and it's so stupid, I know that. I see that now. I just didn't realize it at the time."

"... you're not stupid."

Remus stared at Sirius, completely floored. What was Sirius playing at? A moment ago, he had been inexplicably rude to Remus. Why would his tune change so suddenly?

"Don't patronize me! Don't you think you've made me feel bad enough?! I never meant to accuse you of anything! It was a mistake!"

"...I know."

Remus stopped. He stared open-mouthed at the man before him, whose face was crestfallen and… guilty?

"You know?! Yesterday you yelled at me about this!"

"I didn't know yesterday. But… I get it now."

"What are you talking about?!"

"I— I hadn't realized…" Sirius looked up at Remus, stormy grey eyes clouded with remorse. He looked lost, sincere, authentically apologetic. Remus felt his breath catch in his chest as he stared into Sirius' eyes, remembering their night together talking in the gallery. It had been so honest — a different side to Sirius that rarely came out.

"What hadn't you realized, Sirius?" Remus' voice was quivering. He was still upset, but he wasn't shouting. He didn't feel like he needed to yell anymore in order to be heard.

"I— I didn't know that you— that you wanted— " Sirius' body moved forward the slightest amount, an infinitesimally small step that brought their two worlds that much closer together. "I didn't realize that you had feelings for me."

"Fuck off," Remus swore, rolling his eyes. "Of course you knew. You've spent the past few weeks shamelessly flirting with me! Only now I realize that I was just a plaything for you." Remus didn't notice how harsh his words were until he saw the hurt painted across Sirius' features. "Is— isn't that what you were doing?"

"I… I flirted with you because I liked you, Remus… I just assumed you…" Sirius eyes flickered away for just a moment. "You never flirted back, I just assumed you weren't interested."

Remus stared at Sirius, confusion written across his face.

"The fuck? Sirius, you're… you're the gallery owner. Of course I couldn't— I just— what the hell is going on?" The artist ran a hand through his curls, trying to think, trying to sort out the past few weeks in his mind. "Then what was that out there?" He gestured wildly towards the rest of the gallery. "What the hell was that?"

"I was mad, Remus! I thought… I thought you had blamed me! I thought that you thought that I took advantage of you!" Sirius scrunched his face up in frustration— still looking surprisingly attractive— before brushing his bangs away from his eyes. "I was mad when you left and assumed we did it because I thought you thought the worst of me. I was hurt."

"I told you—"

"I know! I just… it never crossed my mind that… that you thought we hooked up because it was something you wanted to do… it just… never occurred to me that— that you'd even want to!"

"Of course I'd fucking want to…" Remus mumbled before he caught himself. "Shit… I mean… not that… I just—"

Before Remus could explain to the gallery owner why he just admitted to wanting to have sex with him, Sirius was suddenly there, in front of Remus, raising a hand to brush an errant curl from the artist's eyes. Remus blinked up into swirling blues and greys, wondering what the hell happened in the last few minutes that caused this.

"Sirius, I—"

"Remus…" Sirius muttered, barely audibly, the name lilting off his tongue. The pad of Sirius' thumb grazed Remus' cheek, an almost imperceptible touch of skin on skin. "Remus, I fancy you. I have for a while now. And I probably should have told you sooner."

"B— but…" Remus stammered, trying to make sense of everything. "But you were so mean out there… and— and— and you were so mad at me!"

"I was an idiot. I didn't think someone as perfect as you could ever care about someone as broken as me. And I built up barriers between us... I am so sorry."

Sirius' voice was tender, affectionate, paired with such an earnest gleam in his eyes. Remus felt himself melting before Sirius' smouldering gaze, felt the wall between them finally shatter.

"I'm not perfect…" Remus mumbled. It was all he could think to say in response.

"I want to kiss you…" Sirius' words were barely a whisper, and Remus' heart was racing. His mind flashed back to the previous weekend, the feeling of Sirius' lips against his own, the way their mouths moved. Remus wanted this, more than anything, but he felt a tug in his stomach. The voice in his head was warning him against this, reminding him of their dynamic, of gallery owner and artist. Sirius was in a position of power over him, and yet…

Sirius hadn't moved. He was waiting for Remus to respond. He refused to act on anything without Remus' express consent.

Remus closed his eyes and closed the gap, pressing his lips into Sirius'. He felt Sirius' hand cup his face, the other one weaving around his body. He felt Sirius' lips moving in sync with his own. Remus could have sworn that he was floating, his feet lifting off the ground. He felt fireworks in his stomach, exploding and crackling and causing a ruckus so loud, he was sure Sirius could hear it.

This was exactly where Remus wanted to be— where he wanted to spend the rest of his life— right there in Sirius' arms.

Knock knock knock.

Remus almost yelped, he was so startled. He immediately pulled away from Sirius, breaking their connection and the magic that tied them together. The expression on Sirius' face told Remus that he was equally as surprised and dismayed.

"I don't hear yelling. Should I be happy, or is one of you dead?"

Sirius cleared his throat and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

"N— No one's dead, Potter. Don't worry." He turned to Remus and offered a sheepish smile before straightening himself up and adjusting his tie. "I think… I think things are worked out."

Sirius gave one last glance over to Remus, who was still standing there, mouth agape, wondering what was going on. Sirius reached out and gently brushed his fingers against Remus' arm, offering the artist a timid grin filled with emotion. Then, as if transforming into a different person altogether, Sirius turned around and threw his Gallery Owner smile onto his face.

Sirius opened the door and nodded at James, who was waiting just outside of the office.

"Not to worry, Potter. Remus has assured me that this misunderstanding won't happen again."

The artist stood in the office for a moment, briefly considering staying there all night. He shook his head out, rubbed his eyes with the heels of his palms, and took a page from Sirius' book. The man who emerged from the office was Artist Remus: feigning confidence and ready to perform the song and dance required of him to sell his work.

((So? Was it all worth the wait? ;) ))

[fmdjoosungarchive]

【✧】━━━━ ♥ a u g u s t    t h i r t y - t h     p l a y l i s t ♥ ━━━━【✧】

except of seven song’s from sung’s goodnight’s show on august 30th. from a mun perspective, six of these songs are just songs that got stuck in my head the last few days that i’ve compiled when i thought sung would like them. but LISSEN that is a valid way to compile this bc like i had mentioned in the last playlist, sung sometimes makes his list for the show in a similar way. this day, he was feeling a bit anxious, which led him to thinking of songs that both express that anxiety for him, and help him loosen that up. there are his pre-playing monologues for six of the tracks, and a longer para style explanation for the first because our songs

i. alarm by jaewon

(wc: 547)

shakes amongst his bones felt almost like an ache. a near pain. sometimes, when sung had songs released, this feeling had flipped on its head, to the other side of the coin, bringing energy and endorphin raising excitement to his every move. this feeling was blackened with worry. for hours, he’d been flipping between wanting to completely avoid public reactions, and furiously seeking them out.

our songs wasn’t just about him. it was about his value as a songwriter, as element’s songwriter, and member, as an employee under gold star. he knew he’d worked himself up more than usual with those kinds of thoughts.

sung got into the sun’s goodnight studio early, fearing that his nerves might get the best of him and leave him messing up. after nearly two years on air, he didn’t want to be a disappointment now. he’d readied his papers, checked over his equipment again, and again, then again once more, before finally sitting down to wait out his signal.

his lungs filled, expanding his ribcage forward, and on its way out, his head swum.

“welcome to sun’s goodnight. i’m dj sun, and i’ll be spending the next while with you, as we chat, listen to music, and wind down our day. please listen well.” a brief pause, as he transitioned out of his opening statement. “today is a big day for dj sun. for those who don’t know me,” he said, though he hadn’t looked into the statistics in a while, it was likely still that many of the listeners weren’t directly his idol fans, “my name is choi joosung, and outside of this studio, i’m largely referred to as element’s sun, an idol. i have always hesitated to call myself a songwriter. up until about a year ago, the majority of my songwriting had been done alongside other, much more experienced writers, who helped me come to where i am now. where i am now, is, participating in a competition show called our songs, which is all about songwriting. today, our first songs were released.”

he took a deep breath, and let it out with a soft laugh. “i have been so terribly nervous about this release all day. there are not many released songs of mine that have been completely penned by me. and so, i hope that the reception turns out kind. in times like these, i turn towards music, as i believe many people do. a song from one of my competitors continued on repeat for me, today, as i dealt with this anxiety.

jaewon is someone i feel grateful to call a friend, and am lucky to be competing against. his song from the show, called alarm, gave me the feeling of being understood. our situations were not the same, and yet, this song gave me a peacefulness i would not have been able to get otherwise. the message is something i believe sun’s goodnight listeners should listen closely to, and take to heart. when you are tired, please rest. this, is jaewon’s alarm.”

as the song began to play, sung leaned back, and took deep breaths, eyes closed. he’d have to play smile after this song, and be in real time for his listeners’ reaction. this was the least he could do for himself. release.

ii. blink by kevin abstract

“ah this next song, it’s quite different with the version i can play on radio. one of the nice things about not understanding english in music too well is i can focus more on the sound of it. this is, mm, one of those songs that can be felt without understanding what’s being said. the composition is very disjointed in a way that sounds like it might almost fit.”

iii. two time by jack stauber

“to me, there are artists with music i’m not sure if i’d ever feel comfortable enough to try out myself, but they continuously inspire me nonetheless. jack stauber is like that. i’d originally heard him on the app tiktok, and i’ve been fascinated ever since. his music is something completely different from anything i’d ever heard before. this song tonight, is one of my favorites from him.”

iv. shadow by taemin

a breathy laugh. “i hadn’t realized it until now, but i’ve managed to pick quite a few songs for the earlier part of the show that express my feelings of this day. in it’s lyrics, it can be quite dark. it reminds me of a song by the same name from the group f(x), actually. in a strange way, they’re both comforts to me. --i might be biased for being a fan of both artists, however, i hope that this song can give you comfort as it does for me.”

v. mirotic by tvxq

“let us begin to let the worries of our days pass, shall we? this song, i believe is a good place to start for that. even my grandmother knows this song. there’s something beautiful in nostalgia, don’t you think? a comfort that can only be brought on by the fickle nature of memory. i’d like for this time, this night, to be like that for you.”

vi. now that i found you by carly rae jepsen

“the next track up is one that makes me particularly happy. love is a common theme in music, from the beginning of time. i believe part of that is because of how powerful the feeling of love is. this applies to family, friends, pets, lovers. finding those that you don’t want to let go of is magic, and i hope you all have or find people like that.”

vii. velvet by silhouette (sohee)

“closing out our show, i’d like to leave you a song from a sunbae that is admire quite a lot for her musical ability. i’ve spoken quite a bit about fellow idols tonight. it is a part of my life, yet, we are all still people, just like any of you listening to this show right now. our music is how we show our feelings, and share it with you who might be feeling the same way. please take care, listeners, and sleep well. this has been dj sun, and here is velvet.”

[incorrecttwoset]

Lesson time with Dani:

I think the thing we all learned here today is classical music is still very, VERY much alive. And that pop could be a pretty iNtEreStInG way to indoctrinate introduce people to classical music. I've been listening to a bunch of pop lately and honestly? It was a WEIRD experience. I kept getting befuddled by the amount of music there was (3 minutes of catchy beats is nOTHING against a half hour of intense musical dialog, argument, and passion) and the repetitiveness and simplicity of it (like dude wheres the motif? Is the motif your beat? Why is it playing the same thing over and over? Huh?). But, its still good music. There were a couple outliers too, that really gave me an experience. (Check out seasonal feathers by hitoshizuku it broke my heart) Look, what im trying to say is- classical and pop are both amazing genres of music that can do incredible things and I'm just happy that they can coexist together in one... piece? Of music. (My opinion might be a lil different compared to my lesson time on their other vid but hey people change)

So, lets get on with the songs!

Road to Kingdom - T. O. P. (Covered by Golden Child) and Swan Lake - Tchaikovsky. I... honestly, I didn't hear it at first. The electro music covered up much of the phrase. (please forgive my horrible usage of musical terms im just a kid thats really into classical music, in still learning how to understand and appreciate it everyday mkay?) Well, that's what I thought at first but I guess the transition from electro pop to singing along with classical jarred me so much that I had to listen to it a couple times before catching it. Anyways, the singing kinda vibed a lil with the music but when they changed singers or went a higher key, it started loosing that (already really loose) connection because even though I knew the tchaik would go higher, the singer went higher in a different key and it felt pretty weird and strange like what Eddy said. But overall, id listen to it. ...which isn't really that high of praise since I listen to everything (oh man... the days when i could still rap eminem's rap god to perfection...)

Shinhwa - T. O. P. and Swan Lake - Tchaikovsky (again). I'm not mad at them for using this a lot actually. I've been trying to watch the ballet on youtube but my classical music listening and appreciation and understanding skills are not yet that refined. (Aka i was already a goner when aCT ONE SCENE TWO WAS STARTING. Sigh, i need more training... and more Inside the Score) aNYWAYS- To quote Eddy, oh tHATS SO WEIRD. I literally said it at the exact same time as him lol. But like seriously thoooo. I thought it was gonna like, transition to the piece but like. No. They're just... singing to the tune. I mean like, you can't ruin perfection you guys but like- add a tune? Or something of your own? That isnt just lyrics? Ah shit, now I cant stop imaging playboy!Tchaik ugh. Thank you for making my brain run a mile a minute and being the reason why I won't be sleeping for a couple hours.

Top Dog - Topp Dog and Symphony in G Minor, No. 25 - Mozart. When I heard the first notes of the piece, I reacted the same as both of them. Aka, i recognized it but I forgot the name. As you do with classical music. I've always wanted to download and listen to that piece. Maybe this is a sign... Anyways, the piece here really just vibed with the song ykno? I think its because they decided that they didn't want to overpower the piece by slapping their own music on top but like... they accented and accompanied and complimented it without the spotlight being stolen from them. They brought their own little twist to it and I feel like thats why it works so much. But, I still prefer the orig because it isnt just tHREE MINUTES LONG. (cue airhorns and fire emojis) But its a great combo overall. 10 out of 10, would classical again.

Jimin - Lie and La Vida Breve - Manuel de Falla. Honestly, to me, i feel like literally anyone could come up with that tune. Its like, a really fast beat. You know how almost every basic piece of music uses dun dun tss as a beat? Its kinda like that to me. Because, speaking from my own personal opinions here, fast beats sound nice and that doesnt necessarily mean that it was inspired by a fast part in a piece. Or maybe Jimin listens to classical. WhO kNoWs?

Cherry Bullet - Hands Up and Beethoven's Fur Elise. That "EeeEeeeh" part made me laugh out loud the first time i watched this vid. It still jarrs me like oh my god what the heck why. Dude, they literally just slapped that part into different parts of the song and im- you didnt need to give me more reason to be sick of the opening of Fur Elise. I feel like if I listened to that, the opening is gonna be stuck in my head forever. At least they didnt repeat the "EEEEEE" thing. And honestly, id love to agree with the bois on this one but like... the opening of the song itself broke me im so sorry im so hung over this one detail gOD.

Gfriend - Summer Rain and Schumann - Dichterliebe. All i can say in this part is... Thank you editor-san for adding in that one detail those precious boys missed. But, as ive only seriously gotten into classical recently and therefore arent familiar with a lot of composers works, i can only hear the influence in the beginning instrumental of the song. So uh... might give it a listen for detail. But, i probably wont.

And, oh yeah is it just me or do they seem really tired? Or just... kinda out of it in this one? Because at the end, Eddy was just kinda... playin around with ding ding while Brett carries the energy for the both of them. Hope theyre not stressed but if they are, i hope they get some much needed rest and energy. I also wonder what was up with yesterday. Aka, they didn't post a vid yesterday and i got cONCERNED. I just hope theyre alright.

[unofficialkfamtranscripts]

King Falls AM - Episode 7: Major Tom to Ground Control

View on Google Docs

Summary: August 1, 2015 - The boys at King Falls AM receive a phone call from a familiar voice that sends the show, as well as the residents of King Falls, into an uproar.

[podcast intro music]

Sammy And thanks so much to Vernon from Vernon’s Vermin Vestibule for that thorough and intense interview.

Ben And those slides he brought in! I- I d- I didn’t need to see that.

Sammy You and me both, Ben. So, changing gears here, we’re just gonna take a quick pause for the cause. We’ll be right back to take your calls, King Falls. [quietly] (So much rhyming) — 424-279-3858.

[classical music]

Beauregard Ladies and gentlemen, I am Howard Ford Beauregard III, and I implore you, dare I say demand that you turn off this radio station post-haste. King Falls AM used to be a place you could trust your ears to. Wholesome, family-oriented, fair and balanced. Now it’s ran by dirty, lying filth mongerers[sic] spreading rumor and dissent throughout our peaceful community. Samuel Stevens and Benjamin Arnold should be proclaimed Public Enemy Number One. In all my years, all my family’s years in our idyllic town, I can’t recall anyone being allowed to disparage our good name so open and freely and till the fertile lands of distrust… Friends, please heed my advice and turn off this impurity. Let me save you from the mire and muck King Falls AM fills you with. Do yourself a favor. Go outside, breathe the fresh mountain air, go read a book! Perhaps an e-book! more so, the e-book “King of King Falls” by yours truly. Be well, compatriots!

End this transmission Celestia!

[KFAM theme]

Sammy You gotta be sh[bleep]ng me.

Ben I hate that guy but ads pay the bills, Sammy.

Sammy We’re not gonna have bills without a show, Ben!

Ben [light and disingenuous] You don’t think this has anything to do with him coming in the studio a few weeks back, do you?

Sammy [sarcastic and annoyed] Oh, of course not, whatever could have put that bee in his bonnet.

Ben I’m just saying maybe he hated us before we kicked him out of the studio and insinuated he was the Lord Vampire.

Sammy *sigh* Moving forward—

Ben Board is lit up, Sammy! Let’s take some calls. You’re live on King Falls AM

Caller [Definitely Pete Myers doing a very bad snooty voice] Samuel Stevens, Benjamin Arnold.

Sammy [muttered]Oh this is gonna be good— uh, you’re live.

Caller You two heathens can kiss my ass and this listener goodbye. Treating Mr. Beauregard like that! I will never listen to this filth again! [pronounced “a-gAYn”]

Ben [petulant] Go watch Channel 13 then! We don’t want you to listen!

Sammy [voice-of-reason]Ben, don’t take it personally. Obviously Beauregard is a… trusted personality in this town, and he’s- gonna have some sway with people, [harsher] but it’s funny we’ve not had one complaint in the two weeks since that crackpot was on the show.

Ben Power of media man, bringing out all these sheeple.

Sammy Alright, line eight, welcome to King Falls –

Line 8 Beauregard’s right, this is filth!

Sammy Okay, sir, what exactly is the issue with the show?

Line 8 You’re muckrakers! I don’t recall King Falls being so damn torn apart before you came into town, Sammy!

Sammy I’m just doing my job! I was hired to fill this time slot with news and information that—

Ben [cutting him off] Who is this?

Line 8 None a’ ya damn business, Ben!

Ben Pete Meyers? Come on, man!

Pete N- noo. Is not!

Ben Yeah, it is. W– Would you like to explain to everyone why Beauregard’s gardener is calling in?

Pete Don’t go working your voodoo on me, alright? I’m just statin’ my opinion. I’m never listening to 660 again. [quickly] King of King Falls, buy the ebook! [click]

[dial tone]

Sammy Folks, we’re open minded here on 660. We listen to you and talk about the things that you care about. I’m sorry if a vocal minority that we’ve offended but—

Ben Line four, you’re live with Sammy and Ben.

Tim [feedback] [audio broken and distorted] Is thIS King FaLls AM?

Sammy You’re live, sir.

[feedback]

Ben Whoa! Uh, the feedback! Uh tur- t-turn off your radio, sir.

[deep, unnatural thrumming behind feedback]

Sammy Ah, you know, I hate to do this, but that feedback is just too much. Give us a call back and—

Tim [worried, there’s a slight echo to his voice] DOn’- don’t hANg up. PleASE doN’t hang Up!

Sammy Who is this?

Tim I-it’s Tim- It’s Ti-TiM JE-Nsen?

Ben Tim! Where are you?!

Tim [feedback] He-EL-LO?

Sammy Tim, can you hear us? You’re on with Sammy and Ben. Are you okay?!

Tim I’m aLI-IVe. PLEase teLL mY wI-IFe thAT I –

Ben You’re breaking up, Tim. Uh where- where are you? We’ll come to get you right now—

Tim I’m okA-aY, plEaSe don’t StoP-P—

Sammy [hurried] Ben can you call—

Ben [on it] Troy’s on hold.

Tim TheY’Re- thEy’RE doIN— so M-Any oPEr-a-ATioNs O-n m-E. Please Help m-eE.

[sound starts, a high pitched buzz, growing in volume, like a racecar accelerating, this repeats for the rest of the call, louder each time]

Sammy Tell us where you are, Tim. We’ll send help immediately.

[buzz is louder than voices]

Ben Tim!

Tim I love my wife, Mary. I miss my kids… King Falls, please hELp mEEE!

[noise stops leaving just static]

Sammy [almost shouting] Tim! Tim, can you hear us?

[dial tone]

Ben [softly] He’s gone… Deputy Troy, you’re live.

Deputy Troy I heard him, fellas. Without a shadow of a doubt, that was Tim.

Sammy I- you know I d- I don’t know what to make of it, Troy, is there anything you can do?

Deputy Troy Ben texted me all the info he had on the call but— It ain’t making any sense. Has he called since, y’know, the uh, the disappearance?

Sammy Not to us I- you know, I just couldn’t make out a lot of what he was saying.

Ben Lot of interference from something. Or… someone.

Sammy He said Mary, right?

Ben You think we should—?

Sammy Oh God, no. God. We wouldn’t wanna put that poor lady on the spot with something like this. I mean she’s just been through so much already— [slightly desperate] I mean, that could have been anyone, right?

Ben That was Tim, Sammy.

Deputy Troy I wish there were something more we could do, boys, but- I don’t even know where to start. I was just listening to the show in Rose’s Diner and… I couldn’t believe it. [police radio can be heard faintly in the bg] Dollars to donuts, dispatch is gonna be lightin’ up tonight, boys. I’m gonna go finish my French cruller and make the rounds. I’ll catch you later, boys.

[click, dial tone]

Sammy [somberly] Line one, you’re on King Falls AM.

Cynthia Sammy? Ben?

Ben You got us, ma'am.

Cynthia Was that just Tim Jensen on the air?

Ben We… we believe it was. We- we don’t wanna cause an uproar here—

Sammy Per usual.

Ben But we have every reason to believe so. Uh d- do you have any information about Tim?

Cynthia I Do Not. I was calling to voice my concerns about him coming back from God-knows-where.

Ben Is this- Cynthia Higgenbaum?

Cynthia It’s Mrs. Higgenbaum to you, Ben, and thanks for broadcasting my info all over the tri-staate.

Sammy Cynthia, you say you have some concerns about Tim being found? Why?

Cynthia “Concerns” would be putting it mildly.

Sammy Okay, he’s a missing man, Cynthia. He’s been officially gone without a trace for over three months!

Cynthia Oh, don’t give me that “official line” of Horse Hockey! We all know Good and Well he got picked up by the lights off 72.

Sammy *exasperated chuckle* With all due respect—

Ben [cutting him off] He was abducted, Sammy. You know it, I know it, Cynthia knows it. The X-Files, this ain’t. They got him.

Sammy Okay, let’s just hold it together folks—

Ben But for goodness’ sake, Cynthia, why in the world would you have an issue if we finally found him?

Sammy I- you know, I’m just happy to hear that he’s alive. We all should be.

Cynthia Yeah yeah, he’s alive, hooray and such. But I’m gonna level with you boys.

Sammy [acerbic] Uh-huh.

Cynthia I Don’t Want Tim coming back into this community after gallivanting around the galaxy for three damn months with aliens or what-have-you. Who knows what kind of diseases he’s bringing back!?

Sammy Oh stop it!

Cynthia Martian Measles, Pluto Pox- who can say? I Don’t want my kids around that. Does Obamacare even cover Jupiter Jaundice? *scoffs* Doubtful!

Ben Cynthia, I think bringing Tim home safe and sound is of the utmost importance.

Cynthia Are you gonna pay my doctor bills? I didn’t think so.

Sammy Cynthia, we are talking about a man.

Cynthia We are talking about some weird sh[bleep]t Tim is bringing back, by golly! I know Tim. I worked with Tim for a few years, and he’s a nice enough guy! But he’s not nice enough to let his Ground Control to Major Tom[1] ass quarantine my babies at Area 51. Priorities!

Ben Sammy, Mary Jensen is on line five.

Sammy I’m sorry, Cynthia, we have to take this.

Cynthia Oh, good. I’m gonna go check my shelter and inventory my air filters. I suggest doing the same.

[click, dial tone]

Ben Mary Jensen.

Sammy Hi Mary, this is Sammy and Ben at King Falls AM?

Mary [morosely] Hi Sammy. Hi Ben.

Ben Mary have you… have you been listening to the broadcast tonight?

Mary I was. That’s why I called. Since Tim’s been gone I- *sigh* I don’t know which way is up. My sleep has been turned around, the kids…

Ben I’m sorry, Mary.

Mary [shakily, clearly trying not to cry] I wanna thank you two— Sammy and Ben- for all you’ve done during this ordeal.

Sammy We don’t have to get into that.

Mary No I-I think we do. I know that there are people that think that you two shouldn’t be on the air, but since Tim has been gone? You guys at the station have checked on me and the kids at least once a week. You’ve made donations. Ben even took the kids to the library last week so I could have time to myself!

Sammy [softly sarcastic] You’re a sweetheart, Ben, and to the library no less!

Ben [almost whispered] Don’t.

Mary [probably crying] I know you want Tim back in my arms almost as much as I do.

Sammy Mary, I wish we had more to tell you but you heard exactly what we did.

Mary I just thank- God— whomever is up there- that he’s still alive. He sounded okay right? [fearfully] Didn’t he sound okay?

Sammy He didn’t sound hurt.

Ben We appreciate the kind words, but- that can’t be what you called for.

Mary It wasn’t the only reason but um… make no mistake about this: the Jensens stand with you two. No matter what.

Sammy Thank you, Mary. I mean it’s obvious that Tim has reached out to us for a reason. You’ve told us in the past that he absolutely loved listening to Chet’s Jazz Corner and loved King Falls AM in general. Let’s hope he’s listening to you now, Mary. What would you like Tim to know?

Mary *sniffs* That, um- [tearfully] we’re okay, Tim. Please don’t worry about us. *sniff* And I- I know he will anyway but, we are okay. We are safe. We’re home, but *sniff* home isn’t home without you. I love you, Tim. *sniff* I know without a doubt that one day you’ll be back with us… I can’t wait for that day, but I will wait… [clearly struggling] Please be okay… Please be safe. *sniff*

Sammy Our thoughts are with you, Mary. And Tim.

Mary [choked up] My- my little one is up. Can she say something, Sammy?

Sammy Please, of course, by all means.

Mary [aside] Come on, sweetie, Daddy’s listening.

Bella Daddy?

Mary He called Mr. Ben and Mr. Sammy tonight.

Bella Daddy!

Sammy He’s listening right now. Tell him whatever you’d like.

Bella I love you. Please come home, I don’t want Mommy to cry anymore.

Mary Thank you Sammy… Ben… King Falls.

Sammy If you need anything, you just let us know.

Mary Yeah, of course. *small sob* Sorry, bye.

[click, dial tone]

Sammy Tim— if you’re listening— godspeed.

Ben Sorry to interrupt, Sammy. Line twelve.

Sammy Good evening, you’re live on King Falls AM.

Riley Please hold the line for Mayor Grisham.

Sammy [angrily] Hey, I wanna talk to you! I have got a bone to pick with you! Hello?

Riley Mayor, you’re on with Sammy and Ben.

Grisham Boys, boys, come on. Are we live?

Sammy Mayor Grisham, you have five seconds before this call self destructs.

Grisham It’s my understanding that Tim Jensen just reached out to you guys.

Ben [quickly] Five four three two—

Grisham I come in peace, guys! I’m sure you two will get everything you can regarding the call to Sheriff Gunderson’s office. I just wanted to say “thank you,” for being there for Tim— still in his time of need.

Sammy You have my curiosity, Mayor.

Ben Sammy, my horsesh[bleep]t radar is off the charts right now! It’s, it’s hitting Seabiscuit[2] levels.

Sammy Did you just bleep yourself?

Ben Yeah, I mean, come on, man. You want fines on top of trouble, too?

Grisham I’ll be as friendly as a pen pal, gents. I just wanted to speak to King Falls. That is, if you two will allow me.

Ben Horsesh[bleep]t radar is still solidly at “circus pony.” I- I don’t know if this is a good idea.

Sammy You know, you’re ridiculous. And generally I would agree, Ben, but this is for Tim. The floor is reluctantly all yours, Mayor.

Grisham *clears throat* Thank you… Ladies and gentlemen of King Falls and everyone listening to this broadcast, I just want to let you know we are doing all we can to bring Tim back home, safe and sound. We are working day and night to make sure his lovely daughter and his wife get to hug their father and husband again. I want to reiterate that if you have any information about Tim, his disappearance, or subsequently his call tonight for help, please do not take matters into your own hands. Please call the hotline set up at–

[KFAM outro]

[CREDITS]

References

[1] “Ground Control to Major Tom” - a well known line from David Bowie’s “Space Oddity”. Major Tom is a fictional astronaut who features in several of Bowie’s songs.

[2] Seabiscuit - Seabiscuit was a champion thoroughbred racehorse in the United States who became the top money winning racehorse up to the 1940s.

[pokemagines]

slipping. (alfonse x reader)

anon asked: “I know FE requests are closed...but can we maybe have a little angsty thing about Alfonse's impending doom? Pwease? You're good with these things..”

a/n: LISTEN THIS IS SO GALAXY BRAIN IVE BEEN IN AN ANGST MOOD AND I SAW THIS AND ??? im screaming miss hel please give back my blueberry boy !!! please he is my husb i have children ,,,,

also this is def nothing canon i just really wanted to write angst but stil @ intsys hire me --mod touko

day one:

   you had not had enough time to process what was going on. in some strange way, it was like a fever dream. her words, cold and bitter as ice didn’t even seem to reach you. you were far away in your own thoughts, as you tried to push down any proof that your boyfriend was going to die. it wasn’t real, and you weren’t going to accept it. 

   and then he got sick.

day three:

   it started out with a small cough, one that he tried to hide from you as you spent all day at his side, refusing to leave. alfonse assured you that you would find a way to undo her curse, but you didn’t know. it seemed impossible: odds that you had beaten before, yes, but you weren’t sure your luck would hold on for much longer. he notices how distant you look despite keeping a grip on his arm at all times as you flip through ancient books on curses and anything you can find on the realm of the dead.

   alfonse sits beside you, flipping through book pages with one hand and letting you hold his other. every so often he finds something that could prove useful for you to write down in your notes. so far you really don’t have anything besides a bit of information on hel and others who have succumbed to her curse. 

   eir doesn’t seem to want to speak on it, as she says she doesn’t remember much about her mother’s curses, but she looks grim when you ask her if there’s any way you can get rid of it. 

day five: 

   each day you spend time with alfonse, trying desperately to find answers in askr’s library, but it seems hopeless. the prince seems determined though, reassuring you over and over that you would find a way to fix this. anna was working to help eir remember anything, while sharena was keeping watch. if hel struck again you would be ready.

   you started noticing physical changes in alfonse, where it was just once a cough, now he seemed paler and more tired. when you mentioned it, he said he was fine, that he just didn’t get enough sleep last night (despite the fact he slept soundly beside you from what you remembered. if anything, it was you awake worrying about the next few days). he even fell asleep on your shoulder during the day’s meeting, something that he would never do were he well.

   you let him sleep, while you listen to all of anna’s intel gathered while talking to eir and some of the villagers who had heard of hel. it wasn’t much but you were clinging to every bit of knowledge you could get. anna’s gaze softens as she looks at you, the prince still asleep on your shoulder.

   “we’ll save him,” she says, her usually chipper voice now serious. “i promise.” you want to say you know, that you’ll do it together like you always did, but your voice catches in your throat. 

   “gods, i hope so.”

day six:

   it’s over halfway to the day where hel promised to take alfonse. you feel desperate, like an animal slowly being cornered with no where else to run. 

   you can’t stand how people shoot you sympathetic glances in the hallway like he’s already dead. he’s not, not if you had any say in the matter. despite the pessimism of the first few days, it’s like a fire had ignited in your chest. you couldn’t mope around and do nothing, reading books and trying to find a way around this was better than nothing. 

   meanwhile, alfonse refused to leave your side, despite the some of the healers pleading for him to go to the infirmary ward. he didn’t seem to be showing signs of any certain disease. every day he grew weaker, until the point he could hardly walk without leaning against you for support. you didn’t mind helping him, you could handle helping him around for the rest of your life if you needed to. 

   he can’t keep his hands off you. you don’t know if it’s weakness or what but seems to have lost all his inhibitions as he kisses you over and over no matter where you are, even in front of others. 

   “why all the affection?” you chuckle, as he places another kiss to your cheek. you’re in his lap as you continue to rummage through books in the library, your tired eyes hardly able to understand what it is you’re reading, but you press on nevertheless.

   “just... in case.” he mumbles, resting his chin on your shoulder, his arms encircling your waist. “you deserve so much love, [name], i’m just giving you everything i was too afraid to give you when i wasn’t... sick.” it sounds like he’s given up, so you turn to face him, straddling his lap.

   “hey, you’re going to be around for a long time, okay? don’t say things like that...” tears threaten to spill over, but you force yourself to be strong. for him. 

   “...of course.” his voice sounds sad.

day seven:

   he could now not walk. he was confined to the bed in the medical ward, you and healers surrounding him all day. nothing seemed to be working though, and with each hour, it seemed like he was slipping through your fingers.

   “i brought you something.” sharena says, and despite a smile stretched out on her face, it doesn’t reach her eyes. you know she’s suffering as much as you, and so you accept the small gesture. placing the soup she has on the bedside table for later. 

   “any news?” you ask her, your voice gravelly from lack of use. she grabs your hand, squeezing reassuringly.

   “no, nothing we haven’t thought of.” she sighs, leaning her head on your shoulder. “hel’s forces have been silent. there’s nothing we can do now but wait.” hearing that from sharena, a carefree optimist somehow hurt more than the words from hel herself. 

   “when hel comes to take him... i’ll...” you clear your throat, “i’m going to ask her to take me instead. maybe she’ll--”

   “no. you can’t do that!” she squeaks, “you mean so much to this army and--”

   “but he means so much to you. and to me. he’s a prince and i’m sure there are other summoners out there the universe can choose but--”

   “but none of them are you!” her voice breaks, tears stinging at the corners of her eyes. “you... you can’t... you think alfonse will ever forgive himself if you do?”

   “i’ve decided. i’m sorry sharena but...” you squeeze her hand, “i have to. it’s the only way.” she’s silent, the gears turning in her head. it’s then she makes up her mind. she smiles at you, a real smile this time, full of warmth.

   “i don’t think you’ll need to do that, [name].” 

day nine:

   you sob, holding onto alfonse’s hand as he slowly slips out of consciousnesses. he’s so deathly pale and weak he hardly looks like the man who confessed to you, nervously spilling his guts to you with the brightest blush on his face as he awaits rejection. it never came, much to his delight. you could never reject someone as sweet and kind as him. his eyes were bright and full of hope as he thanked you after you told him how you felt in return. you can still remember those words loud and clear: 

   “i don’t know the true reason why you were brought here but… without you, i dare not think where we would be… where i would be. you make me want to be a better man, so… stay by my side forever?”

   he promised forever. he promised. it wasn’t fair. 

   hel sits on the railing of the balcony, looking at you with pitying stares. you, sharena, and anna all hugging each other and crying. you begging for him to keep his eyes open, stroking his face lovingly. despite his weakness, he told sharena to be the responsible leader he knew she could be. asked anna to continue leading the army with courage. he assured you that you could be happy, even without him there. to not lose your optimism and hope that you gave to everyone in the army. alfonse apologized for not being able to be there for you three.

   you couldn’t save him. you lost. he was going to die and you had to sit helpless and watch him suffer until his last breath. god, why didn’t he listen to his father for once? why did you encourage him to take on hel? you sob harder into his chest, his hand gripped tightly in yours.

   hel creeps closer, slowly as to let you say your goodbyes. the three of you finally notice, and anna draws her weapon. she looks to the redhead, then back to alfonse. 

   “hel! please,” you beg, voice breaking off, “take me instead, i p-promise just... don’t let alfonse die. please.” you’re desperate, and now that you’ve got her where you want her, you have to say your part. nothing could kill her, she was death itself, but maybe she would make a trade.

   “it is not destined for you to die, little one.” she touches your head, her fingers ice cold and you feel like lunging at her. hel floats above alfonse, readying her scythe, and you scream at her not to. “i would say my last words, if i were you.”

   “wait, if not them, than me.” sharena’s voice is defiant, angry tears in her eyes. “you want a child of askr? then take me.” anna grabs her arm, telling her to stop, but hel freezes, turning her steely, indifferent gaze to sharena. 

   “very well.” she says, “either child will suffice. and i see a determination in your eyes that intrigues me.” you scream at sharena, telling her to stop. hel extends her hand, and the blonde gives the two of you a smile, leaning over and kissing the tears on your cheek. you grip onto her, telling her not to do this, before she extends her own hand to hel.

   “i'm sorry.” she whispers to you, “take care of alfonse for me, ‘kay?” she tries to sound chipper, before the two disappear into nothingness.

   “...[name]?” alfonse whispers, rubbing at his head, “i’m... what happened?” you sit in shock, both you and anna silent as you try and process what just happened. “you did it.” he squeezes your hand, which you had been gripping the whole time.

   “where’s sharena?” he asks, and you can’t look in his eyes. once more, he repeats the question. hot tears fall down your cheeks, your eyes puffy and red from all the crying you’ve been doing. anna looks to you to see if you’re going to answer. his grip grows tighter.

   “where is she, [name]... anna?”. he says, much quieter and scared this time. you can only whisper out a weak: 

   “she’s gone, alfonse, i’m sorry.”

[yourstateofdreaming]

The Favor [Gwilym Lee x Reader] Part IV

Masterlist | Gwilym Lee Masterlist

<<Previous | >>Next Part

Pairing: Gwilym Lee x Reader

Warnings: Fluff, also again: daddy-daughter relationship (SORRYNOTSORRY)

A/N: so... I have a chapter that kinda goes before this...it was meant to be part three but I found it too long and containing no Gwil, I’ll post that later so you can read more if you’d like and get a better understand of the story. Enjoy!

She picked up Roger’s clothes from the dry cleaner, got his vitamins from the pharmacy, picked up a package from his P.O. Box and then stopped at his favorite coffee place before arriving at the Taylors’ home a quarter to 12.

“Morning!” She called out from the entrance with her hands full.

The usual odd chorus of voices let her know that Tigs and Lola were here, Sarina in the studio and Roger upstairs.

A regular Wednesday for the Taylors.

The two blondes ran out from the kitchen to say hello, staring at (Name) with expectations of something showing in their gleaming eyes.

“Hi, what’s up?” She gave a puzzled smile.

“We heard a rumor from Dad,” Lola teased without hesitation.

Tigs giggled.

“We heard somebody from dad’s movie might be into you?” Lola hinted. “What’s with this Will guy?”

All blood rushed to her feet. She cleared her throat and started going to the kitchen.

“Gwilym.” (Name) corrected her. “He’s,” she did not look back or over her shoulder, “a friend!”

She felt embarrassed. If they knew...if only they knew what had happened just the night before. She reprimanded herself in silence, she should have not done it, but she gave in. Who could deny it? The two had chemistry, they knew each other and it was about time... if only it wasn’t such an inappropriate relationship. Why did she let him stay last night?

“(Name)?” Roger greeted her with a peck on the cheek and an empty cup of what must have been tea in his hand.

“Hi!”

She could not help but come off as super excited.

“So, busy day, Rog! Busy, busy day! Have you got your shoes on? Let’s go!” She clapped at Roger and waved at his daughters. “Sorry, girls! Come on, Rog! Car’s waiting outside!”

“Kitten...” Roger followed, although complaining felt like the natural response to (Name)’s behavior, “later, girls!”

While (Name) sat with Roger in the back of the car, he kept staring at her. Roger was trying to figure her out, there was something about her this morning that gave him an odd vibe. It wasn’t until she shifted in her seat and looked to the side that he thought of it.

“Kitten, do you have a boyfriend?”

(Name)’s brows skyrocketed up her forehead, or so it felt like. She smirked at her boss, smart-assing the man without a gram of shame.

“Why? Are you trying to hook up with me now, Rog?”

The drummer laughed, throwing his head back for a second.

Roger would never try such a thing, she was Tigs’ age and even if she was a bit older, the way she got along with everyone in the Taylor family made her almost a family member too; Roger knowing her dad and that (Name) was an only child, he felt somewhat like a father to her half the time.

“Well, do you?” Roger insisted.

(Name) shrugged, she took a deep breath and looked him in the eye.

“Not really.” She watched Roger’s brow furrowed. “No,” she insisted. “Maybe.”

Roger did not need to say anything, (Name) gave in and told him about some guy. She liked him but she said that because of their jobs it would be too difficult to be together, as a side note she did find other guys attractive.

“So, it’s not set on stone, kitten. Take your chances!” Roger advised her, patting her knee. “And cover up the neck, dear.”

(Name)’s hand flew to her neck and she used her phone to see. A love mark showing just above the collar of her shirt. The man sitting on the opposite side of the car smirked as she fidgeted with a scarf in her handbag.

“Shit...” she mumbled.

The drummer laughed at her and seeing as the car was moving through the streets a bit faster than usual, he chose to talk to his young assistant about a certain invitation his manager received earlier that morning. 

Peter (Y/L/Name) was a well-known wildlife photographer, his successes in art brought him to South Africa, where he worked with Save The Elephants and other organizations. (Name)’s father was a real animals’ rights activist, his job teaching about the world around us; it was odd to see him with his daughter, who he loved but with whom he would only spend time on rare occasions ever since she started uni. In fact, Roger could recall seeing his young assistant with her father only once, while at an event much like the one he had been invited to. 

Brian was pressuring Roger to RSVP, he was fascinated with Peter’s work, he and Anita had already confirmed their assistance to P. (Y/L/Name)’s exhibition. 

“Are you going?” 

She looked up from the agenda, the day of the exhibition was one of her rare days off, but she would not mind seeing Roger, which she still sort of planned on doing. 

“Do I have time?” 

Roger leaned over her shoulder and read the bright orange note saying “Fend for Yourself Day - Kitten’s Day Off’”. He put his index finger up in the air. 

“Ah! I guess I’m seeing you there!” He winked. 

She nodded and scribbled something down on a different page, mentioning to Roger that she would arrange for a car to pick them up at a decent time so he could be fashionably late to the event, just enough to be classy and not as much to make Brian anxious. 

“Hey, Rog?” She wondered when they arrived at the label’s building. 

The older man walked out of the vehicle with his sunglasses in his hands and put them on as soon as he heard her, mumbling a “yeah”. 

“How come you always call me Kitten?” She giggled as she finished her question. 

It was pure curiosity, (Name) never had a nickname before. Her father would always call her by her name or say “child”, so she was not used to the affectionate sound of “Kitten” when Roger first started using it a while after she started working for him. 

“Well, you see...” Roger put an arm around her shoulders and they walked together as the car drove away to the parking lot. “I realized you are not quite as tall as my Tigs, so what’s smaller than a Tiger?” He brought his hand out, waving it in the air as he spoke. 

(Name) shrugged, arched brow and pout on her mouth. 

“I dunno,” she straight up said the first thing that came to her mind, “a cub?”

Roger stopped walking and the silence grew between them for a second before he shook his head and repeated the word “no” over and over, almost chanting it. 

“A Kitten, (Name)! A Kitten! Has a better ring to it too!” 

They waited for the lift and once the shining silver doors opened, (Name) walked in first, followed by Roger. 

“You really are your father’s daughter...” He commented. 

Having spoken to the man a few times before, he knew where her previous comment was coming from. 

For days, (Name) tagged along with Roger, she never got to sit inside the offices where the Rock Idol had his meetings with producers and important people, she would only be outside, at the ready with a notebook and a pen; agenda in the pocket. She knew how to do her job, she did it quite well and had received no complaints from Roger or his family ever. 

It was indeed, during her last day shooting for the movie that she had the chance of chatting with Gwil. He had asked, of course, he was curious about the assistant; it seemed Roger could get along just fine without her but she also made everything move faster, with more efficiency, and for sure by more modern means. 

“Oh, I graduated from business school a bit early. Dad was in South Africa, I needed a job and thought, why not start at the bottom?” She explained, “I didn’t think I would be Roger Taylor’s assistant, that sort of happened thanks to my dad’s manager.”

Gwilym’s expression, now that he was in his Brian costume, was soft as usual, although upon hearing her his brows shot up in the funniest of manners and left (Name) giggling like a school girl. It might have been the beautiful contrast of the dark wig and Gwilym’s blue eyes, she felt weak in the knees. 

“Your dad’s manager?” He wondered, his hands on his hips, the pants provided by the costume department flattering his long legs.

She made the mental note that Gwil was slightly thicker than Brian, but she was not quite sure and thought asking about it would only serve to fuel the rumor going by among the crew that there was something romantic going on between the two of them.  

(Name) blushed, she never bragged about it, her last name would oddly come up in conversation and even if it did, it never caught much attention - unless she was speaking to a wildlife enthusiast or an animals’ rights activist. 

“Uh,” she felt her voice going quieter as she moved her lips to form the words, “yeah, Peter (Y/L/Name)” 

It was not shame what overtook her. She loved her father; he had fought to give her everything she had, and he had struggled to build his own career from scratch - not an easy thing, especially since he raised her on his own. What (Name) felt was embarrassment. Now she was under the impression that she should have mentioned it sooner.

“Oh, he’s having an exhibition next month! Right?” Gwil reaction was the usual, a small smile appearing on his face when she nodded. 

He pulled her sparkling black jacket closed over her chest once the cast was called in to get another take. 

“Well, darling Fake Wife of mine...” he called and (Name) rolled her eyes at the lame joke the two had, “on with the show!” 

(Name) made a terrible attempt at playing the air guitar, earning a laugh from Gwil, who stood the closest to see and embarrassingly enough, a cheer and chuckle from Brian and Anita. 

“Take off the wig, Gwil, you’re being replaced!” Joe yelled from another part of the set at what was going to be Freddie’s crazy house party. 

“Oh, shut it you!” She yelled back, grabbing Gwil’s face with as much delicacy as possible to avoid ruining whatever makeup he had on, Gwilym had to lean down so she could play with his face, “this is the face of a man! A man whose parents have some explaining to do!” She turned to Gwil, “are you sure Brian’s not your dad? You look so much like him...I’m doubting this.” 

At (Name)’s pout, Gwil smiled. He shook his head as he pulled back and put his arm around her shoulders to go back to their marks. 

For the entire time they were there, Anita was hypnotized by Gwilym, she took pictures with him and gave him the sweetest compliments, at which the actor could only blush and look around for help. Brian’s wife also told him funny stories about a younger version of her husband; all the while Ben, Joe and (Name) kept trying to stay out of trouble but somehow still causing it, of course. Rami was the only one of the group who kept it quite professional, he was the leading man and nobody would hold it against him if he was in character more than he was himself. 

“Hey,” Anita, grabbed (Name)’s hand and held it absentmindedly while she spoke, oblivious to what she was about to do, “Brian has been teaching Gwil how to use his camera, why don’t you bring him to your father’s exhibition?”

The small woman looked up at (Name) and then at Gwil. She did not know what to say; she had already made plans to bring someone else...someone she had been seeing for some time. Gwilym noticed something was happening in her mind and opened his mouth to excuse himself only to be interrupted by the brunette. 

“I think my dad would love to teach you a thing or two as well.” 

“It’s a date!” Ben yelled. 

The blonde gave Gwil a pat on the back and exchanged a look with Joe and Rami, all three of them grinned. 

Next One  >>

Tags: @tv-saved-the-teenage-girl @naturalswifty89 @itsametaphorbriansblog @i-want-to-break-free-39 @stomp-stomp-clap

[bookmawkish]

"Remember Me" our OTP =P

Leave a “Remember Me” in my ask, and I’ll write a drabble about one character trying to get another to remember them [be it from an accident, meeting them after years apart, feel free to specify]

————————————-

“First of all,” Tony says, as they walk very briskly down the corridor (they’re not running, no, because running would suggest life-or-death urgency, and this wasn’t that, not at all) “don’t freak out. Okay? He’s fine. He’s absolutely fine. He’s awake, he’s hungry, he’s watching TV. He’s fine.”

“Apart from the small issue that he doesn’t have the first idea who any of us are.”

“Aside from that. Hey, I’m sure there’s hundreds of people in the world who don’t know who I am, and they’re all doing great. There’s that one tribe on an island that - ”

Loki’s expression could have cracked mesozoic granite. Tony’s face fell.

“You’re freaking out, aren’t you. I specifically said not to do that. And look, we’re here, you don’t wanna scare him by being all wrath-of-god, right? Chill. Okay? Chill. Happy faces. Here we go.”

He pushes open the door. Heckyl is sitting in the expansive comfort of the medbay’s surgical couch, covered in blankets and with the bedhead propped up at a comfortable angle to allow him to watch the big screen on the opposite wall. As Tony had confirmed, he’s halfway down a pint of Ben & Jerry’s Chunky Monkey and seems as alert and cheerful as a kitten. The only glaring sign that anything is wrong is the strapping that binds his left shoulder and the neatly taped square of surgical gauze that’s covering his left temple. He looks up as they enter, and Loki’s stomach clenches.

His gaze isn’t…empty. Not at all. There’s all the usual intelligence and shrewdness in that look, but now it only seems to highlight what isn’t there: because there’s a way that Heckyl should look when he looks at Loki and he’s not doing it now. He looks only enquiring, interested….and confused.

“He knows who he is,” Tony had reassured, earlier. “He knows his name, favourite colour, shoe size, that kind of thing. He knows he’s on Earth, and that Snide is gone, and that he’s safe with people who aren’t going to hurt him, he’s just…a little fuzzy on the details.”

“Am I a detail?”

“Ok that came out wrong. He’s having trouble remembering people. And some past events.”

Like me, Loki thinks, looking at Heckyl and trying not to let his own anger and anxiety show through in his expression. Like us.

“Hi, Tony,” Heckyl says, and seems gratified when Tony finger-guns him, indicating that he’s got the right name for the right face. “Ugh. Not more tests? It’s only been an hour.”

“No no. Your veins and involuntary motor functions are safe from me. I brought you another visitor though, stave the boredom off.”

Loki steps forward, brushing past Tony and not caring if it’s rude. Tony sighs, and withdraws, the door swinging behind him.

“Hi,” says Heckyl, and he smiles, but he looks guarded and cautious.

“Hello,” says Loki, and sits down on the edge of the bed. “My name is Loki.” Is there a hope within him that the name alone will be enough, that Heckyl will smile at him properly and say he remembers? Of course there is. But of course Heckyl does not. Indeed he flinches slightly, as if he’s uncertain about strangers getting that close. Loki tries not to let it bother him, although he aches to reach out in that familiar fashion he’s become accustomed to, pet Heckyl’s hair, let him know that he’s wanted.

“Loki,” Heckyl repeats, as if trying the word out, and something must have slipped in Loki’s expression because then he frowns. “Oh. I know you, don’t I. And you’re upset that I don’t remember you. The doctor - “ and he blinks once, an effort - “Bruce said this would happen.”

“I’m not upset,” Loki lies. “I just want you to be well. How are you feeling?”

“I’ve got a headache,” Heckyl pouts. “My arm is sore. And I’m not allowed out of bed. I’m bored.”

The whining, demanding edge to his tone is so familiar and normal that Loki almost laughs.

“Well then,” he says. “I shall have to entertain you.”

And he does. He spends the next hour speaking of nothing important. Stories, but not of their past adventures - children’s stories from Asgard, some of which Heckyl says he remembers, but when gently pressed, cannot say when or where he first heard them. And Loki does a couple of small, pointless magics. Creating a swarm of glowing butterflies to fill the clinically sterile room with bobbing green lights (Heckyl is delighted) and then his old favourite, duplicates of himself all about the room doing all kinds of things from fighting moves to juggling (Heckyl is seriously impressed).

It’s during the duplicate invasion that the real Loki, moving unmarked amongst ten ephemeral dopplegangers, sneaks up and brushes the very tip of his forefinger to the centre of Heckyl’s forehead. He does not follow it up with magic. It’s just contact, simple and gentle, driven by a pure need to touch his mate, feel the reassuring living warmth of his skin. To know that even if forgetful (and Heckyl’s memory has never been the best, not since the dark energem) he is here. Loki is here and will not leave him. Because he knows how much the ancient orphan hates to be alone.

Heckyl draws in a sharp hitch of breath, and the sound is enough for Loki to be distracted. The illusions all vanish, and there’s just one Loki sat there on the edge of the bed, hand hanging where he has lifted it away from Heckyl’s brow.

“Oh,” Heckyl says, and he suddenly looks terribly tired. “Oh. Oh, no. Not again.”

Loki, suspecting what’s happened and knowing what he must be thinking, moves in on instinct and pulls him into a hug. He knows he’s right when Heckyl immediately relaxes into it, clings to him, hugs back. The relief is immense on both sides.

“It’s only been a few hours,” he says. “You were knocked out. Nothing more sinister.”

Heckyl is silent, his head buried into Loki’s neck, under the long black hair. He is quiet for a long time: and when he speaks his voice sounds slightly choked.

“You bastard. You never got me that pizza you promised me. And don’t you dare tell me that you did and I forgot. I may forget people, but I never forget food.”

Loki laughs.

“Liar,” he chides, happily.

[flamewyrmz]

a late night rant from twitter im putting in one place, because its a trainwreck of several threads there. mostly copy/paste and still not proofread, but a collection of thoughts on gender, sexuality, personal identity, and love and support within the lgbtq community. i do really lay myself bare here so id like to ask that if you disagree or have criticism you do so respectfully and with that in mind, thank you <3 and if this means something to you itd mean the world to me if you shared it

dunno if ive said this here before but like. if you think you might be bi/pan but youre on the fence cos maybe youve never had a crush on a nonfictional guy or get more crushes on guys than on girls and you find yourself tied up in knots like "well im gay but im also attracted to nonbinary people unless theyre mostly woman-aligned but i dont wanna say im bi/pan because then people will think i like girls and like i like them theoretically but--" let go. just say fuck it! im bi/pan! 

try it out and if it doesnt feel right it doesnt feel right and thats fine and in the end no matter what youll have learned a little about yourself. this is actually my advice on any gender/sexuality dilemmas you might be having. go wild. try it out. see how it feels. dont feel like you have to confine yourself to something just because youve stuck with it for some amount of time. 

if youre questioning dive right into the deep end! no matter how it goes youll be a better swimmer in the end. its all not quite rigid and a little fluid anyways (for some more than others obv) so if youre unsure, man... go for it. its ok to backpedal

--

this is important advice to me because ive struggled with it multiple times in the past and this has only recently clicked and i really wish it had sooner. first it was with being... not straight in general. like i was actively dating someone of the same gender and i never considered that that meant, uh, im not straight. always "do you like boys or girl?" "uhhhhhhhhh. uh. UH" 

then with being in the range of aro/ace spect. then with being nonbinary! then with being nb but primarily male. and then goddammit im just a boy. accepting that God I Love Men And Only Men (and with it that i *wasnt* aro or ace in ANY capacity) and then, very recently (like up until a couple months ago. like im p sure this year. not 2017), going back on that and admitting i was bi. it is so so freeing to just say "fuck it" and test those waters!

hell, you find something you resonate with but looks a little silly? go for it! use those bun/buns/bunself pronouns. go with stargender! ace-flux demibiromantic? hell yeah rock that shit! it can always change and you can always decide its not right and go back! h4y dudes

--

all of that especially goes for teens who dont know what the fuck theyre doing. im only 20 yea and barely 20 at that but man i wish id heard this sooner

and please dont take that as me saying "well if youre a lesbian sexuality is fluid and maybe youre actually bi"! hell no. if youre a lesbian and you KNOW youre and lesbian and couldnt ever be anything else then rock on you funky little lesbian! but if you id as a lesbian but are teetering on something like "well im attracted to some fictional and theoretical men but not any real ones and maybe its just compulsory heterosexuality but im not sure and--" dont be afraid to try a different label. its all what feels right to you and theres absolutely no harm

--

people bash on like. """mogai genders""" and nounself pronouns and the split attraction model and all that and like. yeah! those things can hurt people! personally i struggled with the split attraction bit combined with how broadly people define the ace spectrum. it can be used to hurt. and it is used to hurt. sometimes its deliberate, sometimes its not. but the hurt is there. but its not inherently good or bad. 

and yeah, some of it sounds silly. hell, it sounds silly to me sometimes! but to some people hearing that label makes everything click into place, even if just for a little bit, and i take that very seriously. it is one of the best feelings in the world and i want as many lgbtq people (of any age) to experience it. 

for some people it feels right to zoom waaaaaaay in and section it into lots of little bits and for others its "fuck it! i dont know shit! im just queer!" and those are both equally valid (that words been thru 12 garbage disposals but i cant think of a better one) maybe you go back n forth and thats fine too! as long as youre open to it changing or being wrong it cant hurt and, like i said, its one of the best possible feelings to have it click like that

--

as an aside: being bi can *totally* mean "im attracted to men and nonbinary people are long are they arent primarily woman-aligned" or it can mean "im attracted to everyone fuck it" personally? i use bi over pan because i feel like it better encapsulates that i *do* have preferences (i say this all the time but God I Love Men) but ultimately gender doesnt really matter to me cos everyones cute and hot and generally attractive and im not leaving anyone out because im just a little more inclined to kissing boys. but thats me!

--

as Another aside: i do still to some degree identify with uhh this is gonna sound contradictory but agender boy? or more like boy agender? boygender with left none? i just dont personally feel like its worth taking the time to explain over n over. but it used to be, for me, n i dont regret that a single bit! i wouldnt regret that even if i *didnt* still feel that way in any capacity. honestly? 

i dont regret any of the ways ive identified in the past even though feeling stuck and cornered into some got a little harmful to me (and if youve gone through somethin similar and DO regret it and wish youd never heard whatever term you used thats good too. im very strongly advocating for "use whatever labels you want and if it dont fit it dont fit" here but if they did hurt you and youre still hurting about it i understand 100% just dont use it to pull others down. if it concerns you say your piece and let them decide)

--

this is personally a little hard to admit so bear with me here 

honestly? ANY sort of strong identity didnt start developing in me until i was.... 14 or so? and very slowly at that. like gender evened out around 18 and sexuality just a few months ago LMAO. but up until i was a teenager i didnt really feel much of anything re: gender or attraction (and the attraction thing is pretty normal for kids and even teens tbqh!) 

and i just.... didnt really think about it! i had This Name and apparently was a girl and i didnt really get what it was like to BE a girl but thats what people said and i didnt know there were other options so i went with it! the name didnt bother me either (except for when people made jokes about a Certain Historical Figure with the same one. just thinking about that i get tired) 

and when it came time to actually grapple with the whole concept of being *into* people i just kinda... slunk away! no joke until like 10th grade if someone started a rumor that i was dating x or y had a crush on me i would start to avoid them entirely. lost a friend in 4th grade that way but then in hs hed turned into a TOTAL DICK so no loss there. i think part of that was also people making the assumption that i was straight though? big shrug! 

i didnt even realize attraction was a thing i had until i got asked out and just kind of "oh wow??? that sounds so nice??? i feel the same??? yes??" and thats WHY i went thru varying aro/ace labels. cos it unfolded slowly (which again is totally normal if youre a teenager, so dont worry about it if youre going thru that. roll with the punches. and if youre a teen and youve got it figured out? thats totally normal too!) 

and the gender thing was similar once i learned that it was an actual possibility (especially being nb, and ESPECIALLY especially being agender) i slowly just... poked at it until i figured something out (fun fact: what set me off to finally go "fuck it im not a girl at all" was being stuck in an awful hair salon chair while my mom got a haircut that took FOREVERRRRRRRRR and i was having godawful period cramps. like i knew not being a girl wouldnt DO anything about them but i made that decision then n there n didnt look back!) 

and then i kept pokin at it and watching it like the seed id planted finally started to sprout and i realized i didnt actually know what kind of seed it WAS. i guess ive always been very nebulous in those aspects and its just now forming into something solid. like i said, its a little hard to admit and i... dont think ive actually talked about this in this depth before to, like, anyone? 

because the "oh ive always known" narrative is the only one you ever see in popular media and sometimes even from the community itself! and theres nothing wrong with having always known! but theres also nothing wrong with being like me! but i still feel a little anxious talking about it like it somehow means im a sham. 

hell, id even go so far as to say i WAS a girl as a kid! i WAS varying shades of agender and nonbinary and ???? as a teen, and i AM, like, 95% a guy right now! maybe in a few years ill be something else. none of those things contradict each other. things like that can change! its not set in stone (but like i said: for some people it is! or, like, set in slime that you left out for 5 years so now its pretty much a rock but if you really try it still squishes into something else?? none of these things invalidate the others! were all unique). 

i wouldnt say that at any point ive been cis or straight, cos even when i just went with being a girl and stuff it was always a little ??? but, yknow. even if i HAD been those things at some point it wouldnt matter to me? things just are the way they are and were the way they were

--

im making myself really vulnerable here and my thought process is a mess and i ramble and repeat myself and my memory and attention span is like 2 seconds and i dont proofread but. its important i think. i dont have a lot of followers and fewer still thatre active but... that really doesnt matter. 

maybe someone will retweet at least one of these messy, messy threads. maybe link it to a friend. maybe screenshot it and post it on tumblr [note: LMAO YEAH AND ITS YOU DUMBASS], or to keep for themself. if any of my words help anyone out even a little then it matters and honestly? then its the most important thing in the whole danged world. if even one person sees any of the things ive said tonight and it means *anything* to them, even if just "oh, im not alone in this" then ive succeeded here. 

i dont want any of us to ever feel trapped or alone because shit! lifes too fuckin short for that! its goddamn hard being anything but cisgender and straight! sometimes it sucks! like really sucks! there have been so many times ive broken down completely over being trans and felt like, for myself, its the most awful thing in the world. its why prides so important. its why community is so important. 

because even when the pressure of the world brings you down so low you think youll never escape theres something or someone there to take your hand and pull you back up, put you on your feet, and say "i know its hard. and itll get hard again. but i believe in you, and youre strong enough for this, and im here with you through every step". that goes for anyone but especially goes for us. and im not just talking about lgbtq youth here. all of us. which is *why* im laying myself completely bare here. 

most of this stuff? ive either never talked about or only vaguely mentioned. but im putting it out there. because there was a point where i needed it but didnt have it, and even if its just one person, i want to give someone this advice so at least they dont have to deal with the same stuff i did. and if youre reading this? i love you. im here for you. im my dms are always open and if for some reason they arent its almost definitely an accident and if you say something ill reopen them. 

and if youre someone who hates me? maybe even mutually? if it came down to it id let you come to me at your lowest moment, no questions asked, no judgement held, and at the end of it still be the same kind of enemies we were before and never speak again. there are some exceptions of course but honestly ill forgive a lot for someone who needs that kind of support. and if youre one of the people this applies to, i know youll probably never take me up on it. i dont expect you to. i dont expect you to even for a second be comfortable with that idea. thats fine. but if for some reason you ever need it, its there. 

i can count on one hand the ex friends that i wouldnt give that to and thats ONLY because theyve legitimately hurt me and left lasting damage (and for some of them? its mutual. and im sorry for that, regardless of how i feel about your treatment of me im truly sorry for my actions. that probably sounds fake and anyway i digress) 

and if youre a complete stranger? someone who follows me but has never interacted with anything ive posted? a mutual i havent spoken to yet? im here. and im bumbling, and awkward, and not the best at comfort but you can always come to me if you need someone. im only one man and im under a lot of stress but i swear ill do the best i can, even if its only reading and replying 3 days later and even then just listening and offer whatever gentle comfort or reassurance youll accept. 

because thats important to me. thats the impact i want to leave on this world. i dont ever want anyone to feel as small, as scared, as worthless, as alone as i have. im no fighter. im not going to lead any revolutions and hell im too anxious to even go to protests but im here for support. im here to help and heal. and thats important too

--

and if you listened to that? thank you. if you just skimmed? thank you for that too. if you shared it with someone? thank you (so much). and if you dont? thank you anyways, just for the time

just know this: i love you. i dont care who you are, if youre reading this i love you and im behind you 100%. im here if you need it. stay strong, do something that makes you smile if only for a moment. take that leap of faith. dont restrict yourself for even a second

i meant to go to bed at least two hours ago so goodnight <3 be safe, drink some water, if you have any kind of pet give it some love. take care of yourself. youre the most important person in your own world and never forget that, even if you dont think you are. even if theres something or someone you treasure above everything else. dont diminish your own worth! you are alive, and you are here, and theres nothing more important than that, really. the things you love matter more than anything else. hold them close

[freshoutofthegutter]

Lunch, continuation.

Your clothes", she giggled.

"Put your hand out",

She complied instantly.

She knew it was a ring but didn't expect it to be anything like this.

He placed it on her right hand's forefinger.

As he stroked the one on her right.

"This is spectacular", she put the ring up in better light.

He watched her eyes pop in recognition as she held the ring up to his face.

"It matches your eyes", she jumped in excitement. Jumping in his arms and wrapping her legs around his waist.

"And the pools", he added. Cheekily.

"No fucking way!", she made cute puppy noises. In contentment.

"Yes baby. Yes fucking way", he laughed as he carried her up the stairs.

"What should I get you as a present?", she spoke out loud as he began stripping.

"Well. I do have something in mind",

"Shoot", she sat on the vanity.

"Just accept the love that you'll receive today and try not to panic", he placed his forehead against hers.

"Okay",

"And dont hide away or doubt yourself. Know that I love you and I think you love me", he shrugged.

"Nah man", she pinched his side.

"Behave?",

"Kay", she smarted back.

She had to lotion her entire body and take the crazy ring he had given her from the collection. When he told her no more hiding. With her hair straight and clothes she walked to her side of the closet to pull out the jewels.

She was putting perfume as Drew rang her.

"Helllloooo, morning", she dragged.

"Hi, sup",

"Wow you sound like Tina", she commented.

"Ikr",

"Whatsup", she murmured putting shoes on.

"I just wanted to say, that I'm.gonna deal with the issue today and good roast yesterday", he praised.

"Oh, oh yeah that thanks man", she smiled. Putting shoes on.

She stayed on the phone with Drew as she walked down the stairs it was almost 12.

"Okay talk later".

"Bye".

"wait"

"what Drew?" she was now growing impatient and the caffine wasnt helping either.

"know that ive sent a fish too". Drew spoke leaving her confused. it was when the bell rang. She reconsidered calling him again but didnt have the time. maybe he wanted to pick a fight.

She walked to the foyer to see the door open, their staff standing outside as cars carring their relatives began to come in. As usual Tina and kitty were the first ones to get out. Tina was well aquainted with their entire staff and security. What puzzled her the most was that both her sisters were carrying white boxes no bigger than six inches each. it took about a minute for the family to pass through. Uncle Peter's car was the second on to pull up right outside the stairs assending into the house. she was about to ask Celine where her husband dearest was he appeared from the left and helped Dado out of the car.

"Nona, welcome". he greated kissing her cheek. she laughed and patted his hand with adoration. Tirza was just about to explain but she saw a look of understanding on Dado's face. Tirza took her moment to greet dado before moving to her own parents. Oliver was pouring compliments out like they were free. she took the time to greet everyone her aunt and uncle and both the twins.

laughter was heard. Celine was introduced. Christina and dad were going to make a Celine Dion joke but didnt.

"where are papa and shalom?", Tirza asked as the girls too had boxes identical to Tina and kitty.

"they are getting something on the way", Uncle p said.

"whats with the boxes", she asked hugging Tina.

"why did you not tell me", tina whispered.

"bout what", she asked hearing Oliver's english accent shifting into an italian. to say something humerous.

"b12", Tina glared.

"Oliver told me not to, heck man i didnt even know", she pointed with her chin.

"whats with the boxes", Tirza raised her eyebrows.

Tina's head shot in Oliver's direction, "Oliver".

she looked at oliver who had began directing their estemed guests to the outdoor sofas.

"are we having a bbq?", she asked puzzled, "and why are we not ging inside", her anxiety was picking at her.

"Cara, Mia all will be known", he spoke in italian kissing her shoulder as they walked to the elevated levels.

everyone was gobsmacked by the elegance and vastness of the property. The boxes were now stacked on top of eachother. The family began to indulge in conversation.

dad, uncle p, Aimen and Oliver talked about the pool, while dado began pouring tears of joy.

it was then, when her own mother asked why they weren't at church today.

"we had a small work emergency, Tina didnt even know about it", tirza explained.

her mum and aunt listened cautiously.

"thats why she left early, this morning worried. i was worried too", her mom added.

her aunt expressed how everyone was excited to meet them as a couple.

uncomfortable by that she ended up sitting on her hair, in an attempt to free them they ended up getting stuck in the teeth of the ring on her right hand.

she had to take it off and pull her hair to the side. "a hair tie perhaps?", Celine offered.  her mother and aunt agreed.

"its absolutely fine, i spent 20 minutes getting my hair done, there", she spoke putting the ring back on.

"why arent we going inside?", one of the twins spoke. bored.

"Babe...", she began.

"carissima, two minutes more", he did an italian accent.

she mentally face palmed. as he explained the meaning to aimen in english. that too accented.

"why is he doing that accent", it was kitty this time. Tirza had asked the same thing to celine. who replied with an unsure "non lo so".

"tutto bene". she supplied, as the aunt asked if Celine spoke urdu. to which Celine replied in urdu.

"Cosa va bene?", he asked repeating the question in english.

"i understood what that meant, but mio amore, why are you doing that accent?", she asked everyone seemed to quiet.

"what accent?",

she turned to Celine who nodded.

"im messing with Aimen", he winked at her stroking her jaw.

"its a joke between them", her aunt spoke.

"he only does that with Aimen", Tina entered the conversation.

"like taking early morning selfies with me", she pulled out her phone to show proof, it was in front of the small fountain.

"you guys took selfies without me",

"yea, what would someone want to take selfies with you, ya look like a troll", tina sassed.

"wooooohhhhhooo!", tina cried, almsot jumping up, " what are those", she pointed to his feet.

"dess are my sandles", he laughed,

"you planed that didnt you"

"ofcourse",

"come", he extened his hand to Tirza, as the last car pulled in the drive way.

papa, stella mama, sumbal and shalom carrying three more boxes walked up.

stella mama was in tears as she hugged the happy couple, she asked about joy and his grade.

"what about baba?", tirza asked as they bagan to walk towards the right. not using the front door. Annie walking along dado on the steps.

"through that door please", Oliver pointed raising his arm to point to the narrow door.

"where are we going" Tina asked.

"celine will show you". he told her.

" i love you so fucking much", he whispered as he grabbed her hand and they ran across the steps.

she was still processing this when she saw her entire family gathered at the edge of the pool that had the koi's swiming in it.

"thank you all for coming to our home", Oliver began she squeezed his hand in motivation. "gratzie", he whispered quickly.

" Tirza doesn't know what's going on", he revealed. "So this is for you too. Dillito mio", he kissed her. Someone hollered. Tina prolly.

"Okay. The miracles of abundance involves fishes", he pointed to uncle Peter. "Right" who nodded back. "Fishes in various cultures represent blessings and prosperity", people nodded. Hooked into his every word.

"When Celine asked you all not to bring gifts or sweets. Some of you must have been shocked. Because she asked you to get a small living fish of your choice",

Everyone nodded again. This was news her.

"Thank you Celine", he nodded at her.

"To my family a fish represents acceptance, honour and protection", he continued.

"I've asked you to bring a fish, it is because it is a part of you that will stay in our house, beautify it", he explained.

"We", he pulled her into his side.

"Promise to protect and nourish the gifts that you have given us, as the representation of our relationship as a family",  a few sniffles were heard. All the moms were wiping their tears.

"I would like to ask Pastor Peter to pray and then we can commence", he requested.

Tirza clung to her man as uncle peter prayed. It was a moment of extreme peace. She felt her tears flow but they were tears of love. She felt acceptance. No hatred existed.

When everyone said Amen.

"Darling this is yours", he handed her a small glass bowl with a lone fish swimming in it. A small black and gold spotted fish.

"Our home becomes yours, our walls become yours. As long as your fish is here security will never stop you", he announced before releasing his fish into the water. And so did she.

There was so much joy and excitement.

Some of the cousins recorded.

"Mio Amore", he called tapping her shoulder. As she was speaking to Shaloom.

"Just a minute", she said to her cousin.

He had a box in his hand that as labelled joy. He walked up to Stella mama who was talking to Dado.

"This is Joshua's fish, do you want to put it in the water", he asked offering her the box. She understood and did what he asked. Laughing happy tears.

"Its orange", Tirza observed. An orange Koi. "Its his favourite colour",

"Drew told me he sent a fish too", Tirza remembered.

"Yes and I asked Tina to release it and I had it recorded". He winked.

"One more stop", he said directing her to her other aunt.

"This is Michelle and Caleb's do you want to do the honours?", she laughed loudly and accepted the offer.

It was a moment to remember for a very long time.

"Can I bring a turtle, the next time I'm here?", kitty asked.

"A lion would suit you more but we will agree with a turtle for now", he agreed.

"Then I want a cat", Aimen butted In.

"Sorry that's not possible", he declined.

"Because we already have a dog", Tina jumped in.

The girls jumped with excitement.

"Take. Me . To. It", kitty punctuated.

"Ask Celine nicely. And maybe she will give you a nice house tour". He pointed.

"House tour!!!!", one of them shouted.

And soon relatives began to follow.

When alone.

"Thank you so much, it was a wonderful gesture.", she kissed him with love and adoration.

"It was nothing. It's not my original idea I must admit", he linked their hands and began walking as the other staff began to pick up the discarded boxes.

"So who's idea was it", she nudged him in his side.

"My mother but that's not the interesting bit.", he looked at his nails.

"Oh wow its 12:37". He announced.

"Do continue", she urged as the crossed the door. And was now walking towards the front fountain.

"My aunt once irked my mother and she took her fish out and put it in a container and had it transported to my aunts house", he recalled. He opened the front door. And found everyone waiting in the foyer.

"Papa has a present for you", Annie announced. Shalom was holding the a white box. With gold swirls on its borders.

"From all of us to you", Papa said.

And handed it to Dado who presented it to Oliver.

"What is it?", Tirza asked. Genuinely intrigued.

"Picture", papa laughed. As Oliver lifted the top of the box.

"A picture of us from the wedding",  he was shocked.

"Dios Mio", he was really happy.

"Best day ever", Oliver commented. Looking at Tirza. She knew what he meant

And winked back.

"My heart", he placed his hand as if experiencing a mortal wound.

"Can we please have a house tour now?", Tina spoke from the stairs.

"Si", he agreed.

"Celine, please do the honours", Oliver requested.

"Alright upstairs or downstairs", she asked.

A small debate started about upstairs and downstairs. The younger people went upstairs while the Parents sat in the semi formal sitting area.

" technically it's not a house tour. It's a dog hunt", Aimen pointed out with much enthusiasm.

"What kind of dog is it?", her dad asked.

"A mastiff", she recalled.

"Where are baba and nathan?", She asked taking her own mimosa.

"Sharak pur, apparently one of Nathan's many cousins are getting married", Papa joked.

Everyone laughed.

"When did you get the house?", Uncle P asked.

"We saw the property an year go. Finalised it 8 months ago. A few things needed to be fixed", he admitted.

"Its very nice", he appraised.

"Thank you I'm glad you like it", he smiled sipping his drink.

Lunch was an outstanding success to say.

People over indulged in meals and around 4 was when they all had tea. Oliver and Tirza in true Italian fashion settled for an espresso.

" you never finished your story", she poked his side as they lounged on the Divan.

"Ah, yes", he agreed sipping his bitter brew.

"Where was I?", he tried go recall as he played with a wisp of her hair. Tracing it across the back of her ear.

"How mama had the fish transported to your aunt's house", she filled in.

"Yes. My aunts house", he looked into distance. She slipped her hand into his because he had began to play with her hair again.

"And so my aunt's fish. Was packed in a Tupperware with adequate volume of water, but the delivery guy didn't bother with a fragile sticker and neither did he make the delivery his primary priority", he stopped to take a small sip of his coffee and kissed his wife softly.

"Because when the box recieved its destination the fish had almost died", he huffed. She visually flinched.

"Your mom is scary", she admitted after a moment of silence.

"That's precisely how my sisters reacted. But I saw my mother fill the box with water with my own two eyes", he stroked her face. "She didn't mean to harm the fish but the universe wish otherwise". He grinned.

"Was the purpose of this story to scare me regarding your mum?", she leaned back to observe him.

"The purpose of this elaborate tale. Regina Mia is that my mother didn't mean to harm the fish but to merely send it back. But if these people try" he laughed at that. " think that they can try to harm you. Then I will simply have their fish isolated in a separate bowl outside.", he suggested.

"Where exactly?", she eyed him.

"You know somewhere and we will name it the pollution pond. That fish was making the other sick. Now we cant have that can we", there was a dangerous gleam in his aqua orbs. Which he winked at smiled at her to calm its intensity because he saw her shiver.

She out of habit placed her hand at the pulse point in her neck. Which was somewhat flushed. He had to make a herculean effort to pull himself off the sofa. He picked both of their cups and walked away from her. She was still processing what he had said to her. He would protect her and eradicate those who wish to hurt her.

[pythonees]

Old Friends - II - S.Harrington

December 15th, 2017

Word Count: 1,846

A/N: Turns out I came up with more faster than I thought. Enjoy the second instalment of this story.

Part: I -- current -- III -- IV -- V -- VI

The next morning Y/N woke up alone to the smell of pancakes flooding her senses. Y/N got up, pushing the blanket off of her but stopped when she heard something clatter to the ground. On the foot of the bed were her clothes from the last night, washed and folded and on the floor was a toothbrush and some toothpaste.

Y/N made fast work of getting ready, going to the bathroom to brush her teeth. Going back to Steve's room, Y/N threw on her clothes, dropping the ones she borrowed from Steve in his hamper. Quickly checking her hair in the mirror, Y/N slid on her shoes, following the smell of pancakes downstairs to the kitchen. Y/N turned the corner to find Steve standing in front of the stove flipping a pancake, dancing to music only he could hear.

"Good morning," Y/N mumbled, rubbing her eyes as she leaned against the counter next to Steve. He jumped, spinning around to look at her with an embarrassed smile on his face.

"Morning," Steve slid the pancake onto the plate next to him, "I couldn't remember if you liked pancakes or not."

Steve passed one of the plates over to Y/N, grabbing the other for himself as he steered her towards the dining room table. There were two glasses of orange juice and cutlery set out already, so Y/N plopped herself down in her old spot next to Steve.

"It's fine, thank you."

They ate in silence, Y/N not having anything to say and Steve not knowing what to say. When they were done they quickly washed the dishes, "I can take you over to your house so you can get your books and change."

"Alrighty then, let's go," Y/N said, moving towards the front door with Steve right behind her.

"Are you going to be okay?"

Steve let out a deep sigh, leaning back heavily in his seat. His hands gripped the steering wheel tighter as he stared at the school. He looked tired, and Y/N couldn't blame him. From the looks the two of them were getting, people already knew what happened.

"I don't know, I don't even want to see her."

"Well, just go through your day, and whatever happens, happens."

"Whatever happens, happens," Steve repeated, giving himself an encouraging nod, "Thanks, Y/N."

"Don't worry about it," Y/N said, getting out of the car before more people got to the parking lot, "If you need me, you know where to find me."

Y/N didn't wait for a response, walking straight into the school to her locker. She got to her math class early, wanting to finish the last of the homework she didn’t finish because of the party while also avoiding the rest of the student body.

During Y/N fourth period spare, was editing her essay when someone dropped heavily into the seat next to her. Y/N jumped son hard her knee hit to bottom of the desk, tipping her pencil case over and spilling her pens across the desk.

"Shit, sorry," Steve said, collecting Y/N pens and stuffing them back into her pencil case, "Didn't mean to scare you."

"It's okay," Y/N said, looking at Steve's face for the first time. He looked empty, drained of any and all energy, "It didn't go well, did it?"

"I asked her what she remembered, and then when she couldn't remember past spilling punch I told her what she said. And when she claimed she was drunk and didn't remember any of it I asked her if she loved me. She couldn't say it."

"I'm so sorry Steve," Y/N said, shifting her chair closer to him. Steve leaned up against her side, resting his head on top of hers. Y/N left him be, turning back to her essay to get it done. They sat like that until the bell rang, Steve taking comfort in his old friend while Y/N thanked every god that nobody was in the part of the library they were in to see him that weak.

The next day Y/N was back in the library when Steve came to her again. "I have a plan," Steve stated, looking determined as ever.

"Do you now?"

"Yup," Steve popped the 'p', turning to Y/N with a bright smile, "I'm gonna bring her some flowers, and we're gonna have a talk."

"You should apologize."

"For what?!" The librarian shushed them, and Steve calmed down before repeating himself in a whisper, shooting the woman an apologetic look.

"For overreacting," Y/N shrugged, turning back to her science homework, "I don't know. It won't hurt though."

"Alright," Steve nodded, and Y/N almost laughed at the serious look on his face, "but you have to come with me."

"What? Why?" Y/N completely abandoned her homework now, wanting to know what Steve was up to.

“For moral support,” Steve stated as if it were obvious, and at the glare he got in return he turned desperate, “Come on, Y/N! Please? For me?”

“When?” Y/N sighed, but smiled when Steve's face lit up. He wrapped Y/N in a quick hug before standing up.

“This Saturday, I’ll call you!”

The librarian shushed him once more, and Steve gave her a bright smile and a wave as he left. A weird feeling settled in Y/N’s stomach, but she pushed it away, collecting her things to head to her next class.

Saturday rolled around, and as Y/N opened her eyes that morning, she wished with every fibre of her being that Steve forgot about her being his moral support.

Y/N continued her day as normal, changing out of her pyjamas into comfortable clothes. When she went downstairs the house was quiet, and Y/N looked outside to find the cars in the driveway gone.

She spent the whole day alone in her room reading by her window. It was late afternoon, just before dinner, when the phone rang. Y/N ran downstairs, flopping down across the couch as she picked up the phone, already knowing who was on the other side, "Hello?"

"You ready to go?"

"I guess, I just don't-"

"Okay great, I'll be there in two minutes," with that Steve hung up, leaving Y/N to glare up at her ceiling. Not knowing how long they were going to be, Y/N went to the kitchen to find something to eat. Just as a honk came from outside Y/N spotted a jar of cookies. Quickly grabbing two, Y/N ran out the door.

Y/N didn't even have time to close the car door before Steve was driving off. She kept quiet, listening to Steve mumble words of encouragement to himself while eating her cookies. In no time they were pulling up to Nancy's house.

"Wish me luck," Steve said, grabbing a bouquet of flowers from the back seat as he left. Y/N watched him walk to the house, but movement from her right caught her attention. Dustin was there, holding his bike up as he watched Steve.

Dustin marched up to him, talking to him for all of two seconds before grabbing the flowers out of Steves' hand and walking towards the car. As he got close to the passenger side he noticed Y/N was there.

He moved to opened the back door but turned to Steve when he asked where Nacey was.

"Doesn't matter, we have bigger problems than your love life," Dustin stated, tossing the flowers into the back seat, "Do you still have that bat?"

"Bat? What bat?"

"The one with the nails," Dustin said as if Steve was stupid. Y/N couldn't be any more confused, looking between the two of them.

"Why?"

"I'll explain it on the way," Dustin got into the back seat, clearly done with the conversation. Y/N twisted around to find Dustin watching her suspiciously.

"What are you doing here?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing," Y/N said, jumping slightly when Steve wrenched his car door open, dropping heavily into the seat.

"Okay, so what’s going on?" Steve asked, driving away from the house.

"I may have found a baby Demogorgon in my trash on Halloween."

"You found a baby what?"

"A baby Demogorgon."

"That doesn't explain anything Dustin," Y/N said, glaring at the boy. When he glared back Y/N turned back around in a huff.

"I don't have time to tell you the whole story, okay?! I found a baby Demogorgon, which I thought was a lizard, but it got bigger and escaped my terrarium. So I locked it in the storm cellar."

Steve and Y/N sat quietly, absorbing the information Dustin gave them. It was dark out now, and Y/N was not looking forward to dealing with whatever Dustin found in the dark.

"Wait, so how big is it," Steve asked, looking back to the road. He kept an eye on the mirror to watch Dustin.

"First he was this big," Dustin spread his thumb and index finger apart on his one wand, then moved both his hands apart, almost twice as wide as his head, "now he's like this."

"I swear to god man it's just some little lizard."

"It's not a lizard."

"How do you know?"

"How do I know it's not a lizard?" Dustin had so much attitude Y/N swore he could rival a teenage girl.

"Yeah, how do you know it not just a lizard?"

"Because his face opened up and he ate my cat."

"It ate Muze?!" Y/N exclaimed, turning around to Dustin. He nodded, looking to Steve with a raised eyebrow.

As soon as they pulled into Dustin’s driveway he was jumping out of the car, Y/N and Steve following behind. The two of them went to Steve's trunk and Y/N watched wide-eyed as it opened to reveal the baseball bat embedded with nails.

Steve took the bat, giving Dustin a look as he closed the trunk. Y/N followed behind silently, coming to a stop in front of the chained up storm cellar. Steve stared down at the doors, leaning over it slightly with a glare, "I don't hear shit."

"He's down there." Steve banged on the door a couple of times, and when no sounds came from the other side he whipped around, shining the flashlight in Dustin's face.

"Alright listen, kid, I swear if this is some Halloween prank and you wasted our time," Steve gestured between Y/N and himself,  "you're dead."

"It's not a prank, get it outta my face." Steve sighed, giving Dustin one lost glare before turning to the storm cellar.

"You got keys for this thing?"

M A S T E R   L I S T

Tagged: @clickyourheelsandaskforseb -- @stevieboyharrington

[lazyfox411]

happy birthday keith: a sickfic

so a little while ago, I put out a post asking for suggestions on what to write for keiths birthday. @radiofreekerberos suggested shiro throw keith a surprise party (thank you sm btw), and I tried a lot of different ideas but nothing was coming lol so went to my default which is sicfics. and even then here I present the worst thing ive ever written :P

but the only way i wouldnt write for my boys birthday is if i was dead. 

Fall was a pretty good season. Pretty colours, Halloween, pumpkin spice everything, perfect jacket and scarf weather—usually. Today, Keith had realized too late, was perfect raincoat and boots weather.

He shivered, pulling his sweater tighter around his shoulders. He was already miserable, and now this. Granted, it was just a light rain, but he had also been plagued with a persistent case of the sniffles. After sneezing and shaking all day, suffering through school and work like a braindead zombie, Keith was more than ready to go home and rest, rain be damned.

When he had clocked out of work, he'd felt a nagging in the back of his mind, like he'd been forgetting to do something. But he'd done everything he was supposed to, hadn't he? Clean the tables, sweep the floors, empty the register, lock up. That was it. He'd done it all. Maybe he just felt off because he wasn’t usually the one to lock up he diner. It was Hunk’s diner, and he was usually the last one out, so naturally the one to lock up everyday. But today he'd left Keith in charge for the last hour before closing time, claiming he had some sort of important business to take care of. He refused to say what this business was, which was odd because Hunk usually never kept secrets. It was pretty much physically impossible for him, and even today he'd looked like he was about to burst.

It was odd, Keith thought, Hunk had been avoiding him most of the day. Unlike the odd feeling of a forgotten obligation.

Keith checked his bag. He went over all his possessions, taking inventory. Textbooks, work clothes, pencils and papers. A few assignments his professor had handed back today. Keith was actually pretty proud of those; they’d gotten good marks. Maybe he was forgetting an upcoming college project. He checked his phone, but there were no reminders.

After coming up emptyhanded, he decided to push away the feeling and just focus on getting warm. The rain was freezing, and his teeth were chattering, nose running, fingers numb. He wasn’t sure if it was raining harder now, and that was why he couldn’t see, or if his vision was just going blurry because he was exhausted. He didn't care. He just wanted to be home, in bed. His clothes were soaked now, and his shoes pooled with water wherever he stepped, squelching on the pavement.

There were about two blocks to go until he would be home. Keith tried to focus on that. He plodded along, head down, trying and failing to avoid all the puddles. When he looked up to cross the street, his body couldn’t keep up with his eyes, and the world started spinning much too fast and he was stumbling out into the street.

A flash of headlights and the too-loud sound of a horn, the screech of brakes. The car slammed to a halt just feet away, spraying Keith in a shower of dirty puddle water. The driver screamed at him, but Keith couldn’t make out what was being said over the torrential downpour and the ringing of his ears. He scurried out of the road, trembling even harder because now not only was he freezing, but holy shit he'd almost been hit by a car.

The apartment door was locked. Shiro must not be home, Keith figured. He liked sharing an apartment with Shiro. It was easier on rent, and it was nice to not be alone. Keith had been alone a lot, and while he did like his solitude, Shiro had made him realize that being all alone all the time wasn’t all that great. Keith clumsily wiped the water from his face as he searched for his keys, and he didn't want to admit it, but he wouldn’t be surprised if a few tears had been wiped with it, because now he was thinking about a little raven-haired kid, all alone on the streets, no idea who his mother was, no clue where his father went, scared and hungry and tired and ready to give up. Until Shiro had taken him in and given him a real family, for the first time.

Keith finally found his keys, and as he slid them into the lock he was silently berating himself for getting so emotional all of a sudden. What was wrong with him? Why couldn’t he get a grip? And why was he so cold? Pointless questions swirled in his mind, and the more he thought, the worse it got, until he found the strength to grip the door handle. At least he was pretty sure he did, he still couldn’t feel his fingers, all he wanted to do was get inside and go to bed, but there was still the feeling he'd forgotten something and not knowing was making him feel sick to his stomach—

“SURPRISE!!!”

Keith nearly toppled over backwards from the sheer force of the six voices all screaming in unison. He blinked, trying to take in the scene in front of him. Shiro, Hunk, Lance, Pidge, Allura and Coran were positioned around the room, wearing pointed paper hats and cheering and throwing streamers. Pidge had three kazoos sticking out of her mouth and was violently blowing out a tune that sounded oddly similar to “Here Comes the Bride,” and she was spread out like a starfish, holding a sparkly happy birthday banner that was nearly as big as her. Evidently it had been made by Lance, who was covered head to toe in glitter and waving around a bunch of balloons. Hunk stood behind the kitchen table in front of a cake. The yellow headband he always wore had been replaced by a weave of ribbons.

“Happy birthday, Keith!” Lance shouted. Keith just stared at him.

“You didn't forget your own birthday, did you?” Shiro asked. He had a large red gift box held in his arms.

Keith blinked again. He could see Allura and Coran out of the corner of his eye. Coran had his hands held behind his back. Allura’s were pulled up under her chin, excitedly awaiting Keith's reaction.

Keith continued to stare. The room fell silent. The banner drooped. The gift was set down. The balloons stilled. Keith just stared, at his friends, the decorations, the cake. It was too much. Too much noise, too many sparkles, too many people. Too much for his rain-soaked, pounding head to compute all at once.

He felt his face grow hot. His knees went weak, and he sunk to the floor, and before he could stop himself, he was sobbing.

He didn't process what was being said, but he heard voices, words. They sounded worried.

“Oh, dear.” Allura.

“Perhaps we surprised him too much.” Coran.

“Aw, gee, man, you walked all that way without an umbrella?” Lance.

“Guys, he doesn’t look so good.” Hunk.

Keith felt a pair of tiny hands gently finding his wrists, and he curled his fingers around them. Through a haze of tears, he saw light glinting off Pidge’s glasses. “Hey, Keith, what’s the matter?”

“I-I-I-I’m-I’m ss-sorry,” Keith cried. He wiped furiously at his eyes, fists stilled balled up with Pidge’s teeny little fingers. He could barely talk, his throat felt so tight. How could his face fell so hot when the rest of him was freezing cold?

“Hey, it’s okay, Keith, it’s okay.” Keith felt a strong, warm hand on his back, and he leaned towards it, into Hunk. Hunk was warm, and it helped ease Keith's shaking.

“I’m sorry,” Keith repeated.

Shiro looked down at him thoughtfully. “What’s wrong?”

“I just…don’t feel very well.”

Suddenly there was a hand brushing his bangs from his forehead, blessedly cool on his too-hot face. Keith sighed in relief as Shiro moved closer and shifted the hand to cup his cheek, and press against his brow.

“He’s burning up,” Shiro said. Keith got the feeling Shiro wasn’t talking to him anymore, because everyone else seemed to jolt to attention.

“You mean he’s sick?” Lance asked worriedly.

“Aw, Keith, why didn't you say anything?” Hunk frowned.

“Didn't give me much of a chance,” Keith mumbled, chasing the last traces of tears from his face. He was still shivering.

Shiro wrapped an arm around his shoulders and helped him to his feet. “Let’s get you some dry clothes, huh?”

Keith nodded, and before he could protest Shiro was scooping him up off the ground. There wasn’t really any sense in trying to wriggle free now, Keith figured, was there? He coughed wetly, congestion settling in his lungs. He really should have taken an umbrella.

“We’re terribly sorry, Keith,” Allura said softly. “We thought a surprise party might be a good way to celebrate your birthday. I see now we were wrong.”

Keith shook his head lightly, managing a soft smile. “It’s okay, Allura.”

“Is there anything I can do? Perhaps Coran and I could run to the drugstore to get you some medicine?”

“Ye—” Keith was cut short by a harsh coughing fit.

“That would be great,” Shiro answered for him.

Shiro brought him to his room, helped him towel off his hair, and found him some dry pyjamas. Keith changed, and crawled into bed. The soft enclosure of blankets made him sleepy, and he vaguely thought that this was the most content he'd felt all day.

“You do know it’s your birthday today, right?” Shiro sat next to him on the bed.

“I, uh…might have forgot.”

Shiro sighed. “I’m really sorry, Keith. This whole surprise party was my idea. I know we never really did anything for your birthday other years, but this year I thought you might enjoy it. I'm sorry I've ruined your special day.”

“Shiro, you didn't ruin anything. I'm sorry I messed it all up by getting sick. I—" Before he could say anything more, there was a knock at the door, and Lance, Hunk, and Pidge appeared. Hunk held a steaming mug of tea in his hands, which Keith accepted gratefully.

“How do you feel now?” Lance asked. He sat on Keith's other side.

Keith decided to just be honest. He'd probably already made a fool of himself anyway. “I feel cold.” The rain had somehow seeped into his bones, and now he was chilled all the way through. Shiro put an arm around his shoulders and rubbed the goosebumps that dotted Keith's bicep. Lance found his way to Keith's side, and Pidge spread herself over his legs. Keith felt their warmth, their love and support, and he was pretty sure it was the best birthday present he had ever received. He told them as much.

“Oh, speaking of presents,” Hunk jumped up, “you still haven’t gotten to open yours.” He ducked out of the room and returned moments later with the red box. “From all of us,” he said.

Keith inspected it closely. Nobody had ever really given him a birthday present before, other than Shiro, and that had always been something like a candy bar, or a pair of socks. Not that Shiro didn't care, of course, he just knew that Keith didn't like making a big deal over things like that. This year was different, though. Keith had begun to come out of his shell, and Shiro had noticed, or else he wouldn’t be surrounded by all his closest friends right now.

Keith tentatively tore at the paper.

“Come on, dude, don’t be scared,” Lance grinned. “It isn’t gonna hurt you.”

Keith ripped the rest off, and opened the box. From the folds of tissue paper inside, he produced a thick, leather-bound book.

“Open it, “Shiro encouraged.

Keith flipped open the cover. The paper inside was a warm, off-white colour, thick and grainy. Each of his friends’ signatures were scrawled around the page, around a photo of the seven of them laughing and making silly faces. It was a scrapbook.

He turned the page, nervous under his friends’ expectant eyes. This page was filled with more photos, candid shots of playing video games with Pidge and Lance, him and Hunk with frosting on their noses, Shiro spraying them all with the hose, selfies in bathroom mirrors, sitting at coffee shops, walking down trails. Keith kept turning pages, a smile creeping up his face as he remembered all the days these pictures had been taken. There were other things, too, a movie ticket, a receipt from the hospital when Keith had broken his arm, a fallen leaf from the national park. There was so much, but all of it had one thing in common: every photo, every memory, was of a time when Keith and his friends had all been together.

“Wow, guys, I…I don’t know what to say. Thank you so much. You have no idea how much this means to me.”

“We’re glad you like it,” Hunk smiled.

“And look,” Pidge’s eyes glowed as she thumbed through the remaining pages, “we left you some blank ones, so that you can add your own stuff.”

Keith couldn’t help the dumb grin that was splitting his face. “Thank you,” he repeated. “I can't believe you guys did all this for me. I'm just so sorry I messed it all up.”

“No way,” Shiro said. He tightened his grip around Keith's shoulder. “You didn't ruin anything. We’re sorry we forced this onto you.”

“Well, if it makes you feel any better, this is one birthday I'm sure to never forget,” Keith said. It was true. Not because he was sick, not because he'd burst into tears—though that would probably haunt him for some time—but because this birthday had been spent with people he cared about. And they, in turn, cared about him. Keith rested his head on Shiro's chest and let his eyes flutter shut. He felt Lance's breathing even out next to him, Pidge on his legs, and Hunk’s warmth by his feet.

By the time Allura and Coran returned with the medicine, the five of them were all asleep.