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hurlingsupport · 8 months ago

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Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous (Gender Neutral Reader Insert)

Chapter 4: Cattle Drive

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“We thought it’d be fun,” Darius narrated as the fire crackled. “We thought we’d be safe, but…”

You listened patiently as he went on; he was certainly good at creating a sense of unease with his words alone. Ben’s fearful grip on your arm distracted you from his storytelling, however.

“We didn’t realize the… horror waiting for us on the island. Claws… teeth… screaming…”

Sammy let out a startled gasp, her knee clutched tightly to her chest.

“So much screaming.”

“How much screaming?” Ben’s hold on you tightened momentarily as he asked for clarification.

Kenji quickly shushed him. “He’s getting to the good part.”

Darius continued, “The T. Rex stalked closer, her jaws opened wide.” His arms stretched out to mimic his description.

And just as his mouth opened to describe what you thought was going to be a gory death, a camera flash and shutter interrupted him.

Almost involuntarily, you groaned at Brooklynn’s interruption. It seems it wasn’t too hard for others to follow in your footsteps as a series of confused muttering filled the air.

Brooklynn instantly held her phone up. “For the vlog,” she simply stated, before adding more fuel to the fire. “Keep telling your little story!”

Although the scary mood dampened by her intrusion, Darius brought his hood back over his head and continued where he left off.

“Oh, here we go.” Kenji eagerly whispered.

“The T. Rex sta-”

“Dang!” Brooklynn cut him off yet again.

Kenji let out a misery filled wail as he covered his eyes.

“Out of space. Wait, I’m sorry, hold on.” She scrolled through what you assumed to be her photos before adding on. “I just don’t want to delete my selfie on Mount Everest, you know?”

Sammy let out an amazed, “Ooh!” As Brooklynn showed said photo off.

“Maybe I should start over.” Darius said in a defeated tone.

Ben immediately disagreed. “No! In fact, you can just stop!”

“Dude, chill. He’s not even telling the story right now.” Kenji reasoned, which was rather unexpected. Though telling a scary story over a campfire seemed up his alley, so it wasn’t too odd.

You shook Ben off your arm as his hold was becoming rather uncomfortable with each passing second. However, it appeared fruitless when he only squeezed harder as Darius started the story up again.

“So, the T. Rex stalked-”

“Shouldn’t we call Yasmina over? I bet she’d love this story.” This time it was Sammy who interrupted.

Exasperated, Darius flopped onto the wooden bench he was originally just sitting on. Now, he laid down completely, as it was obvious no one was going to let him finish his narration.

You huffed in disappointment; it was just getting interesting too.

“Maybe she wants to be by herself.” Brooklynn answered.

There was a pause as Sammy continued to stare at Yasmina.

“I don’t understand.” Sammy said with a dead stare.

“You know how sometimes people just want to be… left alone?” Kenji tried.

Sammy stared at him for a few silent moments before bursting out into laughter. “Kenji, you’re hilarious!” She slapped her knee as she laughed.

Suddenly, you realized Ben’s cheek was resting on your forearm. Since the scary story was over, you nudged him off of you to which he reluctantly allowed to happen.

“I think she’s just shy and doesn’t know how to make camp friends.”

In a flash of light, thunder struck and everyone let out surprised yelps. Just as instantaneous as the thunder, rain began pouring down.

“Maybe we should go inside!” Sammy yelled, her arms covering her head.

“Way ahead of you!” Ben yelled, and he literally was. By the time your eyes found his form, he was sprinting up the path to the door.

There were various complaints as everyone ran for the door.

“Aw, man!”

“Oh, it’s coming down fast!”

“Well, that was a waste of time.”

Noticing Darius’s unmoving figure, you stayed behind.

When he made a move to get up, it was with a scoff and a sarcastic, “Thanks, Brooklynn.”

Right, she kept interrupting him, not to mention that last remark. Her rudeness was likely because of her not getting any footage tonight for a new video, but that wasn’t an excuse.

As Darius pulled the hood of his jacket over his head, you gave him a sympathetic pat on the back, similar to the one you gave him when you first met.

His eyes met yours as another clap of thunder rolled.

“Your story was cool while it lasted. If you wrote it down, I think the others would read it.”

He pursed his lips in thought and shoved his hands in his pocket. “Would you read it?”

Your eyes drifted to the side in contemplation before answering. “Yeah, as long as your handwriting isn’t too bad.”

At that, he cracked a smile, as did you in celebration at successfully lifting his mood.

However, that mood instantly went back down as Ben bombarded him with unnecessary criticism.

“Darius, it just wasn’t that great of a story. I wasn’t engrossed or anything.”

“You seemed engrossed by my arm.”

He didn’t seem to have any complaints after that comment.

It seemed Kenji decided it would be fun to play a game of Foose, whatever that was. And so you five went off to do whatever while Sammy made it her mission to become Yasmina’s first friend.

You’re just glad Sammy didn’t deem you pathetic enough to do the same, or maybe you were just lucky that she hadn’t noticed your reluctance before Darius and Ben forced their friendship onto you.

Remembering both the balcony incident and the egg shell incident, you quickly reminded yourself that you partially started these friendships. Therefore, you definitely couldn’t say they forced their friendship onto you, definitely not in the way Sammy was forcing hers onto Yasmina.

But really, who were you to judge? Perhaps you wouldn’t like it if someone did that to you, but maybe Yasmina was someone that needed a little push. You definitely couldn’t decide for her, and you didn’t want to.

So with that, the campfire story night ended.

The next day rain clouds were prominent in the sky, which worried you a bit considering the activity for today.

Despite that, everyone else seemed excited, particularly Darius.

“Yes!” He screamed.

“This is gonna be so much fun!” Sammy added.

“Oh man, I’m driving.” Ben whimpered.

Darius put a hand on one of the clear spheres in front of you all. “We get to drive gryospheres? Cool!”

“Saddle up dudes and dudettes. We’re going on a cattle drive, but with dinosaurs!” Dave strolled over with his clipboard in hand.

He did a strange pose while making a connection no one else would make. “It’s a dino drive!”

Ben walked forward nervously. “And just to be clear, all these dinosaurs are herbivores, right?” He fiddled with his fanny pack while awaiting an answer.

“Well, they only chewed on the last kid a little, so we’re like… 99 percent sure they’re cool.” Roxie teased.

Ben grimaced, holding his arms to his chest like he always does when he’s scared. Which is something you’re not sure why you noticed.

Roxie explained what exactly your group was going to be doing for this day. “Park personnel are moving a group of dinosaurs to fresh grazing lands across the island, and we get to ride along behind the herd.”

You wouldn’t deny how excited you are for this, perhaps not on Darius’s level of excitement, but definitely excited.

He proved this by holding his hands to his head as he shouted, “Are you kidding me? Dinosaur migration patterns are my jam!”

“You may wanna consider a new jam, bro,” Kenji said as he put a hand on Darius’s shoulder.

After Kenji showed his concern for Darius’s jam, he sauntered towards the Camp counselors and put his arms around their shoulders. “So, uh, you sure these things are waterproof?”

He pointed to the dark storm clouds above them as he carried on. “Looking pretty grim out here and hair this awesome does not come easy.”

Ignoring the hair comment, you’re glad that you’re not the only one to notice the dark sky.

Flipping through the papers on his clipboard, Dave assured Kenji that his hair would be fine. “Storm has already moved up the coast, away from us.”

Kenji pumped his fists. “Cool! Time to show these fools what a gyrosphere master can do.”

Right, Kenji’s dad owned a condo here or something, so he probably had experience with the gyrospheres.

That must’ve rung some alarm bells in Roxie’s mind because she snatched his wrist and said, “No way! You are riding with Ben. As a passenger.”

Alright then, that knocked Ben off your list of people to drive with. Now that left Darius and… actually, he was the only person left on your list.

Your eyes quickly searched for him, determined not to be seated with someone you barely knew so that you wouldn’t have to deal with any avoidable awkwardness.

However, as you were doing so, you realized something that made you nervous. Nervous enough that you questioned the counselors, which was always the last resort.

“Um, why are there only three gyrospheres?” You asked, and it seemed the others noticed now too.

Darius spared a look around before agreeing. “Yeah, there’s only two seats in each, and there’s seven of us.”

Roxie apologetically smiled. “Yes, we thought there’d be problems like this down the line.”

With the confused stares of the children put in their care, Dave butted in. “Ya see, there were originally going to be eight campers, but one if you didn’t show up. Super rude, especially since we already planned everything out with eight people in mind.”

“But that doesn’t explain why there isn’t another gyrosphere.”

Roxie nodded her head, “Yes, well gyrospheres need balance. A gyrosphere with only one person would be unbalanced and henceforth unrideable.”

You really didn’t like her explanation, but it seems like they already set it in stone. You just hoped it wouldn’t be you.

But of course it was.

Sammy and Yasmina got in one together while Roxie practically sentenced Ben and Kenji to one another. This just left Darius, Brooklynn, and you. You weren’t fond of Brooklynn, and considering last night, you thought Darius felt the same. But she was better than Kenji, so you won’t complain. At least not in her face. That’s rude.

However, you are going to complain about being sentenced to sitting with Darius in your lap. Now that’s just weird.

“Can’t I just sit this one out?”

Darius grabbed you by the shoulder and shook you, while Dave simply laughed.

“There’s no way I’ll allow you to miss out on this! Does being Dino-buddies mean nothing to you?!”

“He’s right, sport. You guys are friends anyway! Sometimes friends are close like that. It’s not the weirdest thing!” His addition to the conversation just made it feel weirder.

“If it helps, you can sit in my lap instead?” Darius offered.

You shuddered, “No way. That’s even worse.” You sighed.

To make matters worse, Brooklynn was not-so-subtly recording the entire ordeal. To save yourself the embarrassment, and to just get it over with, you sat in the driver’s seat of the gyrosphere.

You tried not to be too tense when Darius inevitably sat on you. You could see over his head, so you weren’t too worried about that. What you were worried about was the snickering coming from your side.

Taking a glance only made you more annoyed. Although she was no longer recording you, Brooklynn didn’t need her pink phone to make you feel embarrassed about the entire situation.

When she finally took her eyes off the two of you, it was to check on new comments.

“Alrighty campers!”

Seems like the so-called dino drive was starting.

“The headsets are for emergencies. You can always reach us on channel six,” Roxie helpfully added.

“Let the herding begin!” Dave narrated as if this were some sort of race.

The view was amazing. It was as if you were a dinosaur yourself; the herbivores didn’t bat an eye at your presence. You supposed they were used to ogling eyes, considering this was Jurassic World after all. They weren’t wild.

If it weren’t for your predicament, you’d be thoroughly enjoying this ride, however Darius’s head would occasionally bump into yours given the proximity of you too. Not to mention that he kept whipping it around because of his excitement. Every time he would apologize, but after the 4th time he seemed to deem the apologizes a waste of time, as did you.

At least Darius didn’t make it too awkward. His attention was solely on the dinosaurs. That was until Brooklynn read some of her comments aloud.

“Used to be cool? You made Jurassic World boring? Lame. Lame. No one likes you anymore?”

Her comments weren’t only getting to her, but to Darius as well.

He tried redirecting her attention. “Uh, hey, can you believe that an Ankylosaurus’s tail is strong enough to shatter bone?”

“Can you believe I don’t care?”

With this, Darius couldn’t bring himself to talk with her anymore.

You’d pat his back, but it’d only seem like you were pushing him off you because of your closeness. Which is certainly not what he needed right now.

Your hands gripped the seat harder as you wondered what you could do in this situation. Really, this was between Darius and Brooklynn, but you were trapped so you couldn’t just walk away from the situation like you wished you could.

For what seemed like an eternity, there was tense silence. Until Brooklynn finally realized how unnecessarily rude she was and apologized.

“I- I’m just… having one of those days.”

Darius didn’t respond, but you could tell he was listening as his head tilted towards her.

“There’s a lot of pressure when your whole life is about being popular, and I’m not like you.”

Definitely not an excuse, but it’s an explanation, at least.

“I can’t just tell a lame story and move on.”

“Wasn’t that lame,” Darius mumbled under his breath.

Brooklynn’s explanation really wasn’t doing much, considering the fact that she kept giving backhanded compliments. You couldn’t really blame her though. When you’re raised by the internet, nothing can seem as genuine as you’d like it to be.

“Trust me, it was. It totally was, but you’re not even fazed.”

Darius opened his mouth to once again insist that his scary story wasn’t as bad as she was making it out to be, however Brooklynn continued before he could get any words out.

“I just need people to… to like m-”

Her words seem to get caught in her throat, and with the curious eyes of both you and Darius, she can’t seem to bring herself to admit the truth.

With a solemn expression, she turns away from the both of you. “You wouldn’t understand.”

The rest of the ride is draped in an uncomfortable blanket of silence.

It looks to have ended early when Dave drives the car in front of all of you.

“Hey, gang, new plan. Storm’s getting worse, so we’re all going back to camp. Fun, right?”

You’d think he was being sarcastic if it weren’t for the smile on his face.

You’re thankful it ended early, considering the tense atmosphere inside your gyrosphere. As soon as the circular doors opened, you would’ve shoved Darius off of you if it weren’t for him having the same idea of getting out of that ball as fast as possible.

There were multiple complaints coming from your fellow campers.

“Don’t blame me. Blame the storm.” Dave sighed.

“I blame them both.” Roxie said from the driver’s seat of the car.

“We’re not gonna let a little rain stop us, are we?”

Darius made an attempt to persuade them, though Roxie only had to deny him once for him to stop.

She spoke into her two-way radio, “Hello, hello! Roxie here. Can you hear me? Anyone?”

The radio crackles with static, and though you hear indistinct chatter, no one clearly answers Roxie’s call.

“Okay, new, new plan.” Dave says with a wave of anxiousness. “Storm’s interfering with the radio, so Rox and I will drive ahead and tell the others we’re pulling out.”

That sounded like an absolutely terrible plan. There’s no way they’d leave the seven kids put into their care all alone on an island full of dinosaurs.

“We’ll be right back. Stay together and stay behind the herd.” And with that, they drove off.

Wow.

Seeing as you couldn’t do anything but follow their instructions, you got back into the suffocating gyrosphere.

As soon as the circular doors closed, thunder crackled, frightening a sinoceratops into running away from the herd.

“That sinoceratops is gonna get lost. We need to go after her.”

Brooklynn shrugged. “You heard Dave. Let’s just chill out and wait here.”

You nodded, for once you agreed with Brooklynn. “She’ll probably get back to her herd once the storm passes.”

“I’ve read everything about sinoceratops’s behavior. We can get her.”

Noticing that Brooklynn wasn’t entirely listening, Darius sweetened the pot.

“Plus, your followers might really love a thrilling dino-chase.”

“Is that what this is?” You mumbled.

Darius spared an apologetic glance, but it seemed he would not change his mind. It was times like this that you really wish you weren’t trapped in a gyrosphere with the Dino Maniac and Ms. In-On-Anything.

Brooklynn thought it over for just a few seconds before grinning at Darius. That was enough of an okay for him, and he sped off.

As soon as you did, the headset on all of your left ears crackled to life.

“Wait. Are you guys going after her? I really don’t think that’s a good idea.” Sammy said with concern. “I’ve seen cattle spook before, and-”

She’s randomly cut off, most likely by Yasmina. Her words echo in your brain, and you’re now more concerned than you were previously.

“Hey, don’t you think we should listen to what Sammy says? She literally lives on a farm.”

Darius scoffs. “So? What’s a farm got to do with dinosaurs?”

You go quiet at that. He made a point. Cattle and dinosaurs were not the same.

“Almost got you, girl.” Darius says once the gyrosphere is right next to the sinoceratops.

Brooklynn holds her phone up, and for some reason Darius seems to look through the camera instead of the gyrosphere glass. Because of this, the sphere drives into a short uphill.

You all yelp but quickly get back on track despite the mess up. Brooklynn almost drops her phone and lets out a relieved sigh once she gets a good grip on it.

“Sorry, that was close.” Darius apologizes.

“This is why I don’t go along with your dino adventures, Darius.” You say, out of anger or fear, you’re not too sure.

He once again spares you a glance, though this time it’s not filled with sympathy. It’s filled with determination. And if that doesn’t confuse you, then what Brooklynn does next certainly does.

She sends a smug look your guy’s way, and sticks the gum she was previously chewing to the back of her phone. And then she stuck it to the little dashboard between the two of you.

“Voilà! Instant phone mount.”

Darius shares a concerned look with you, but responds to Brooklynn with positivity, as always. “Great idea! And also… ew.”

“Gross.” You grimaced at the thought of her picking the dried gum off later.

The headset came on once more when Sammy began talking again. “Um, let’s just settle down a bit. We don’t wanna get too close or-”

She cuts herself off with a yell and you look back in worry. You watch as Ben and Keiji almost hit their gyrosphere with a sudden swerve.

Brooklynn told Darius to get closer, and Darius gave out orders to the rest of the group.

This went on for a bit, and you were getting more and more anxious as Sammy’s attempts at speaking up were continuously ignored.

With one final movement, Darius maneuvered the sphere in front of the sinoceratops in order to cut it off from spooking the herd.

One second, you all were driving just fine, but with a simple flick of the head from the prehistoric animal the gyrosphere spun out of control.

Darius’s head hit into your nose, causing you to yelp as your glasses made a sickening ‘crack!’. Everyone started screaming when the spinning wouldn’t stop. You couldn’t get a grip on anything but the seat you sat on, so all you could do was sit and wait for it all to stop.

To make matters worse, the out of control gyrosphere collided with some dinosaurs in the herd, and the next scene played out like a game of pinball.

Even when the sphere stopped the spinning torture, spooked dinosaurs hit the sphere left and right. And then the spinning started up again.

It was like a sick and twisted carnival ride that you were forced into. You surely would’ve thrown up if you were someone like Ben.

For a second the spinning stopped, as did your guy’s screaming. But it wasn’t long before the tail of a brachiosaurus sent you all flying once more.

It seemed almost never ending. And with a liquid you didn’t have time to identify leaking out of your nose, you were becoming lightheaded.

Eventually Darius got control of the gyrosphere back as fewer dinosaurs were making collisions with it. You breathed heavily through your mouth, but you weren’t sure why until Brooklynn gasped.

“Your nose!” Her brows furrowed with worry.

You couldn’t convince yourself to let go of the seat to feel the damage, instead you held it tighter.

Darius attempted to look back at you, only to scream as he spotted an ankylosaurus running straight for the sphere.

It seemed to spot the rolling vehicle at the same time you all spotted it, as it let out a bellow before swerving to the right. Its side spikes briefly hitting the sphere with urgency.

The sphere stopped suddenly, and with a quick look back, you all realized you would be trampled if you stayed in place for too long.

“Go, go, go, go, go!” Brooklynn hurried.

Darius shakingly gripped the gear stick and pushed it forward. It delayed for a second, and in that second, the dinosaurs caught up to the sphere.

You never thought you’d hold a fear for herbivores, but before this, you never considered the possibility of being trampled by them.

The gyrosphere rushed into the forest, thunder crackled and the sky lit up for a short moment. Overall, you three were utterly terrified.

Eventually you came to a clearing, and the sphere slowed to a stop. The sphere was filled with huff and puffs as your bunch caught your breaths.

“I think we lost them.” Darius said with an exhausted sigh, leaning back into you.

“I think we lost everyone.” Brooklynn said grimly.

As if he suddenly remembered you existed behind him, he gasped and spun around. His eyes surveyed your face and your worry grew as he grimaced.

“Did I do that?” He muttered.

“What? What’s wrong with my face?” You said hurriedly.

Brooklynn’s hand grabbed hold of your chin so she could get a better look. Normally you’d call this invasive, but you’d let it happen because you couldn’t look yourself.

Her fingers gently pressed on your nose, and upon seeing no reaction from you, she let out a relieved sigh.

“Okay, it’s not broken. It is bleeding, though.” She took another look. “A lot.”

You huffed in annoyance. Darius made it seem like something way worse.

“Also, your glasses cracked…”

Your head spun towards Brooklynn, before you finally let go of the seat you formerly had a death grip on. Reaching up towards the frames on your face, your fingers delicately traced a foreign pattern that now decorated them.

“Shit.” You cussed.

Darius suddenly sat up. “Look!” He pointed, moving the gear stick to rotate the gyrosphere.

In front of you stood the same sinoceratops that had flung your vehicle. You gulped, hands flying back to your seat just so you could have a hold on something.

“Okay, think.” Darius said, turning towards Brooklynn since he knew you weren’t one for risky adventures. “Sinocceratops’s are fast on open ground, so we just need to corner her, then we can get back to the herd.”

“Haven’t we done enough for this dinosaur?” You whispered, fearful of the sinoceratops noticing you all.

Darius gave you a pleading look. “Come on, we can’t give up after doing so much!”

You wanted to correct him that doing too much is what got you all in this situation, but you didn’t want to argue with the boy. Although reluctantly, you allowed Darius to continue explaining his plan.

“Great. Here we go! Another Brooklynn exclusive!” Brooklynn said excitedly, pushing a button to open the gyrosphere doors after she undid her seatbelt.

“Keep watching, ‘cause it’s about to get real!” she said as she leaned in front of her phone.

It was now that you realized the pink device had been recording the entire ordeal. Oh, that’s right, this all started because Darius wanted to gain brownie points from her by offering a cool video prompt.

Darius hurriedly unbuckled his own seatbelt while yelling hushed pleas for Brooklynn to wait for him.

As they both got out of the gyrosphere, you stayed in place. You were scared out of your mind, you’d admit it. It didn’t help that only seconds later, the sinoceratops let out a bellow, with Darius and Brooklynn’s screams following not long after.

“Too real! Too real!” Brooklynn yelled as they both rushed back into the gyrosphere.

Darius had barely buckled his seatbelt back into place before the sinoceratops came running towards the gyrosphere. A flick of the head and the sinoceratops’s horn busted through the glass of the sphere.

No matter how much you bent your limbs away from its horn, you seemed to fall back towards it. The dinosaur raised its head, taking the gyrosphere with it as it tried to shake it off.

With one final aggressive tilt of its head, the sphere soared across the forest. Trees and bushes alike failed to stop the rapid speed of the gyrosphere. After some time, it came to a stop.

You all gasped for air, out of breath from your screaming. And once Darius pushed the seatbelt off of you both, you guys broke into chuckles. You weren’t sure if they were out of relief, or if your brains had become mush from all the spinning.

Either way, the chuckles came to an abrupt stop once you all realized that the gyrosphere was sinking.

It seems the thing that had put a stop to your spinning had been some sort of muddy quicksand pit. Or perhaps it was a quagmire?

Either way, you all were sinking, and it wouldn’t be long before you all would be six feet under. Or however deep this pit goes.

Brooklynn immediately spoke into her headphones. “Help! Can you hear us?”

You had half the mind to tell her that she shouldn’t waste time asking if anyone could hear her, and instead tell them your guy’s situation. You kept your mouth shut though, because you didn’t want to worsen the situation by being nitpicky.

“We’re stuck… mudhole and we’re sinking! Help!” Her words were jumbled in panic.

You three waited for a reply, or some sort of assurance that someone was listening, but nothing came.

Your breath quickened as you surveyed the gyrosphere. Considering the hole made by the sinoceratops, eventually the mud would leak in and you’d all drown.

You had to calm down, but really, how could you? There was nothing you could do in this situation. You couldn’t break the glass, you’d need a force stronger than a bullet. So that was a no-go.

There was nothing you could do. Once that fully sets in, you sit back in your seat. You sat silently as Brooklynn and Darius yelled for help.

You should yell too. You should do something, anything. But you just couldn’t bring yourself to do anything but stare at the mud encompassing the gyrosphere.

Everything around you felt like a blur, like you were looking back at a memory, and that everything happening right now was set in stone.

You only snapped out of it when Brooklynn tumbled to the other side of the sphere. You wanted to tell her to move back to the right, so that you all didn’t fall deeper. But it seemed so pointless.

One of them grabbed your shoulder, and your eyes met theirs for a second before you went back to staring at the color surrounding you. The gyrosphere was clear, but now brown is the only color you can see.

Your shoulder is shaken, and your name is called. The ringing in your ears blocks their voices out. At least until a voice appears right inside your ears, the voice of Sammy.

“Brooklynn? Darius? Y/n?” she asks, though the answer to who’s present should be obvious.

It’s only then that Darius releases your shoulder as he speaks into the earpiece. “Hello? Sammy?”

“Do you read me? We’re coming to help!”

You all crowd the left side of the gyrosphere. Looking above the mud, you see one gyrosphere heading your way. Brooklynn and Darius started up their pleas for help, and this time, you joined in.

Yasmina and Kenji tried pulling or even pushing the gyrosphere out of the mud, but because of its circular shape, they couldn’t get ahold of it. You suppose that would be good in the event of a carnivore attempting to attack one? However, in this situation, it was more than just an inconvenience.

“It’s going to pull you under!” Ben warned.

As Yasmina and Kenji ran out from the pit, you noticed the sinoceratops had made another appearance. It seems Ben noticed too, as he called out nervously, before falling over in a heap.

As the dinosaur bellowed, Sammy made a proposition. “What if…” she muttered before standing up. “I have an idea.”

Your eyes widened as she calmly strolled up to the large creature, fallen tree branch in hand. As she inched towards it, she turned the branch around, showcasing the leaves it held.

It roared, and she merely flinched before continuing. She spoke, her words so calm and quiet that you weren’t able to hear her from your sinking state.

Her bravery astounded you. You couldn’t imagine yourself in her place. In fact, if you had been riding with anyone else, you would’ve simply stared at the sinking gyrosphere in pity.

After all, if things didn’t concern you, you couldn’t bring yourself to care. It was the same when Darius wanted to sneak out to see dinosaurs. It was the same when Darius stared at you with sad eyes as Roxie punished him and Kenji for doing that previous thing. And it was the same now, fantasizing about being someone else staring into the gyrosphere and doing absolutely nothing to help Darius and Brooklynn.

Really, why did you force yourself to care? Especially when doing so just got you involved in Darius’s horrible ideas? This was really all his fault. If he wasn’t so desperate to earn brownie points from Brooklynn, you wouldn’t be in this situation. Maybe you would’ve lived if you simply got into Sammy and Yasmina’s gyrosphere.

Maybe you should just avoid Darius altogether, that is, if you get out of this.

You’re pulled out of your thoughts when the sinoceratops bites down on the branch Sammy was holding. A touching moment, it seems.

Brooklynn agrees, though it’s definitely not the same. And you all beg them to hurry it up because you’re all still sinking in a mudhole.

They immediately go into action, doing what? You’re not sure, the mud is now almost complete surrounding you. They threw a vine across the hole made by the sinoceratops, and Brooklynn makes quick work at grabbing it.

Not so long after that, the mud pours into the gyrosphere as you and Darius tie the vine to the seats of the sphere.

You three sat with bated breaths. There was a chilling silence as mud slowly filled the sphere. You assumed they were going to use the sinoceratops to pull you all out. You just had to hope it would be cooperative.

Finally, you all appeared to be out of the pit, though it was certainly hard to tell because of all the mud covering the glass. You were only completely sure when Yasmina forced open the doors to the sphere with a stick.

As she turned towards you three, Darius let out an awkward, “Hey.”

Yasmina falls backwards and laughs. Out of victory or relief, maybe even both. Everyone gave out cheers of joy.

“Cowgirl for the win!” Kenji shouted, clapping hands with Sammy.

“Seems Sammy knows more about dinosaurs than you do .” You muttered towards Darius.

Ben let out a yelp when he caught sight of you.

“Are you alright?” He hesitantly whispered your name, catching the attention of the others. They shared varying looks of concern once they saw the blood staining your lower face, along with the noticeable crack decorating your glasses. Their cheerful smiles are gone in an instant.

Wide eyes only stray from your form once a car pulls up.

“Hey look! Dave and Roxie!” Sammy says in relief.

Darius, Brooklynn, and you peer out of the gyrosphere at them. While you’re happy the adults were finally here, you couldn’t help but dread the oncoming lecture you knew was coming.

Back at the camp, that’s exactly what happens.

“You could have been killed! What were you thinking?” Roxie shouts as she presses the button for the elevator.

“That we found a lost dinosaur… and Darius, Brooklynn, and Y/n.” Sammy says proudly. Though her proud look vanishes once she utters your name.

She sends a look back at you, staring openly at your stained face.

This causes a wave of looks that makes your brows furrow in annoyance. It was a bloody nose, nothing to be too worried about. What they should worry about is your glasses. You didn’t have any spares, and you couldn’t get new ones while you were at this camp.

Your only options were to either deal with the cracks, or just not wear them. Luckily, they weren’t an absolute necessity.

There’s a bit of chatter about the victory of saving you three, though your little accident seemed to dim it a bit.

“Now stay in your bunks, you hear me?” No one objected to Roxie’s orders.

The ride up wasn’t too bad, at least for everyone else. For you, it was suffocating because of Darius’s ogling.

You’d think you would be immune to a suffocating atmosphere considering you almost suffocated in a sphere, but no. Apparently Darius made the impossible possible, and if he didn’t? Well, he’d try his hardest.

When the elevator comes to a stop and you all walk out, Darius grabs your arm.

“Hey, I’m really sorry about your nose.” He pauses, noticing the absence of an accessory on your face before adding on. “And your glasses.”

You pull your arm away before nodding. “I just hope this stain comes out of my sweater.” You pull the collar of your sweater up, revealing a blood stain.

Darius purses his lips, brows lowering in guilt.

“Sorry, I should’ve been more careful or…” He couldn’t seem to come up with a scenario where this didn’t happen.

“It’s whatever.” You said with a sneer.

He winced at your tone, head lowering but eyes still staring up at you.

“Are you mad?”

You don’t answer.

“I managed to get all the mud off,” Brooklynn suddenly butts in, sensing the growing tension. “Which is more than I can say for these fingernails.”

You all sit on the lounging couch, already tired of standing because of the ‘adventurous’ day.

“Never a dull day at Camp Cretaceous, right?”

You cross your arms and stare off into the blurry distance. Darius doesn’t respond either.

Brooklynn leans forward in concern. “Hey, what’s up with you two?”

You stay silent, but Darius speaks up about what’s troubling him.

“I thought I knew everything about dinosaurs, but… all I did was mess up today.” He sighed.

“I�� I just wanted…” He began.

“People to like you?” Brooklynn finished for him. Darius briefly cast his gaze in your direction at her words, before meeting her eyes.

“Yeah.” He tried to smile, but it quickly fell. “Guess we have that in common.”

“Well, tomorrow’s a new day.” Brooklynn encouraged. “And thanks to you, I’ve got a new video to show the Brooklanders, so, um… I’m gonna go edit it and post.” She chuckled awkwardly.

“Later, dino-nerd and so-called wordsmith.” So she remembered that little nickname Dave gave you? That’s surprising.

With her departure came a heavy silence.

“You can be mad at me. I mean, I definitely deserve it.” Darius murmured.

You huffed at that.

“But, just so you know, I really just wanted to do something cool with you.” He rubbed his neck. “And Brooklynn too, of course.”

You let out a hum to show you were listening.

“I care about you, so I’ll try not to include you in any future crazy ideas of mine.” He laughed sadly.

You stared at him in confusion. “Why? You don’t know me.”

His eyes wander across your form, as if he was scared to truly lay his eyes upon you. Fearful of what your eyes may tell him if they were to meet.

"I’d like to.” He breathes.

It’s quiet for a time. The quiet isn’t uncomfortable for once, but you feel bare.

“Maybe tomorrow you can start. It’s a ‘new day’ or whatever Brooklynn said.”

Darius smiles, and for the first time in a while it stays on his face for longer than a second.

“Yeah, now that’d be cool.” You laugh and he follows. Then you call it a night.

As you’re lying down in bed, Darius peacefully asleep in the bunk above you, you come to a conclusion that you don’t know what to do about.

You probably should’ve come to it sooner. It seems obvious now that you’re truly thinking about it.

Darius’s words echo in your mind. He cares about you. Despite only knowing about you for a few days. Despite your cold gaze and your dismissive words. Despite everything wrong about you. He cares when you never will.

Just earlier that day, you were thinking about never speaking with him again, yet his care for you never once faltered. You just couldn’t understand how he could care for someone so quickly. Someone like you.

You think you’re selfish.

#gender neutral reader #reader insert #x reader #jurassic world camp cretaceous #camp cretaceous #jurassic world

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janicho88 · 1 year ago

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When It All Falls Apart -Chapter 4

Pairing- Jensen x Padalecki Reader

Word count- 2,648

Warnings-Pregnancy talk (Will last a good chunk of the story) But it's not the reader. Some language. Implied smut. Jensen isn't the best boyfriend. I warned before this started posting it would contain angst, if you need another reminder, here it is. If I missed something let me know!

A/N-A little off canon, SPN ended after 10 years. We still got all the characters in during that time though. Thank you to @writercole and @leigh70 for your help with this. You two are amazing!!

Summary-Y/N Padalecki loved acting on Supernatural. Working alongside your older brother and your boyfriend, but after ten seasons the guys have chosen to hang up the guns. Now the three of you are moving on to other projects, but that’s all that needs to change right? While you have moved to Austin to be closer to your family and boyfriend, Jensen is working elsewhere. Distance is only the start of your troubles.

Series Masterlist

“You’re back, you’re back, you’re back!!” A small voice screams while climbing on your bed way to early Monday morning.

“I am, and I was sleeping Tom.”

“Wanna come play with me?”

Rolling over you squint at the clock, and almost swear out loud when you see it says 5:15. “Thomas, I love you, but no. I will play with you later, Aunt Y/N had a long weekend and would like a little more sleep. Why are you even up so early?”

“Scary noises in mommy and daddy’s room. I called mommy but she didn’t come, do you think they got hurt.?

“No, but they’re going to,” you mutter to yourself. To your nephew, “how about you lay with me for a bit and I’ll play with you later, after breakfast, okay?”

He huffs out his agreement, and the two of you manage to drift back off to sleep. Two hours later you are following the little guy down to the kitchen. No one else is up yet, so you help Tom get his breakfast and pour yourself a glass of juice before sitting down next to him.

A perky Gen soon makes an appearance. “Hey, how are you two doing this morning?”

“Aunt Y/N got me breakfast,” Tom answers.

“Oh she did, that was nice of her.” She turns to you, “thanks for helping him. I’m surprised he’s up so early, he was trying his best to stay awake until you and Jared got home last night.

“Scary noises woke him up, he came into my room a little after 5.”

“What scared him?”

“From what he said it was you and my brother doing something I don’t even want to think about. But Tom just thinks someone was getting hurt.”

Her jaw drops at your words, “Oh, snap. We didn’t mean to wake him up, it's just these dang pregnancy hormones have me all…”

“Nope, nope, nope, there are some things that go on with you and my brother, I don’t need to know about. At least someone is getting some.”

“What don’t you need to know about your brother,” Jared asks, walking into the kitchen.

“Apparently, we got a little loud this morning and woke Tom. He in turn went and woke up Y/N.” She then turns to you, “what did you mean about that last part? Didn’t you just see Jay?”

“Yeah, but we had separate rooms. Wasn’t exactly the weekend I was hoping for, but he said he’ll be here this weekend. So, I’ll be clearing out of your house for the weekend.”

“What are your birthday plans for Saturday?” Gen wonders.

“I don’t know, Jensen didn’t say. I’ll try and get it out of him later this week. I’m good with a day hanging out at the house, I don’t need anything special.”

You grab a muffin from the counter as you are leaving the kitchen. Walking into the living room, you listen for Tom, trying to figure out where he ran off too. You hear giggling behind the couch and decide to sit down there.

“I came to see if Tom wanted to play, but I guess he isn’t here.” Next thing you know he is running around from behind the back.

“I’m right here!”

You spend some time with him before taking a trip to the grocery store for Gen. Back at the house you spend a little time out by the pool before helping her with dinner.

The three of you are sitting on the patio after eating watching Tom play in the yard, when Jared turns to look at you.

“So what do you think of Ackles’ news? I think it’s about damn time, I’ve been telling him he should do that for years.”

You turn to your brother in confusion, trying to figure out what he means. Nothing comes to mind. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“The album.”

“What album?”

It’s Jared's turn to stare. “Are you just pretending not to know? You don’t have to, he told us about it at dinner Saturday night. Dude seems pretty excited about it.”

“Jared, again, what album?”

“You really don’t know?” he asks.

“That’s been established, babe. Let’s move on to the explanation,” Gen cuts in.

“Ackles is making an album with his buddy Steve Carlson. They’ve been working out the details and writing over skype calls. You seriously didn’t know?”

“No, he never said a word.” Great, you think, one more thing to keep him busy.

“Maybe I wasn’t supposed to tell you, make sure you act surprised alright?”

“Sure.”

The conversation dies down, and you spend a few more minutes watching Tom before you excuse yourself to head to your room. You don’t even try to reach out to Jensen tonight, what Jared has told you shows you are just moving further down the list of his priorities.

Thursday comes around, and you hadn’t heard from Jensen since you’ve been back. You have texted him, two you saw were read, another one still hasn’t been. That evening you give him a call, trying to figure out your weekend plans.

“Hey honey, how’s it going?” you ask when he finally picks up the phone.

“Fine, I’m just walking into my place. It’s been a long week, the scenes we’re filming this week are something else.” He goes on to tell you a little more, without giving many spoilers away. “So what’s up?” he finally turns the conversation back over to you.

“I had a few questions for you. First one, what time are you flying in? I’ll come pick you up.”

“You don’t have to drive all the way over there. I’ve already got it covered.”

“The airport is just half an hour away.”

“I’m not flying into Austin, I’m going to Dallas.”

“Oh. Stopping to see your parents before coming home?”

“I’m staying in Dallas this weekend. Mack and Josh want to have a family get together on Sunday, they have been hounding me about coming home this weekend. I’ve got some meetings on Saturday, and I’m flying back here Sunday night.”

“Oh.”

“Jared said your parents were coming back to Austin Saturday night, so I figured you’d be busy all weekend.”

“Yeah, right.”

“Did you have another question?”

“Nope, not anymore.”

“Okay, I’m filthy and beat, so I’m going to go hop in the shower. Have a good night. Love you.”

“Yeah, love you too, Jay.”

That phone call definitely dampened your spirits. Maybe he was still going to surprise you Saturday, and he didn’t really have any meetings.

Gen takes you out for a mani/pedi on Friday, then out to lunch. While you are sitting in a quiet corner booth she starts talking about your plans for the next day.

“Any idea what you and Jay are doing tomorrow?”

“No, he said he wasn’t coming to Austin. He has meetings in Dallas and then is spending time with his parents. I think he’s just trying to surprise me.”

“I’m sure. After all the craziness I bet he just wants to do something special for you.”

You smile and nod, hoping she is right, but something in your gut has you wondering.

“Well, we’ll be home all day hanging by the pool if the two of you want to join us. His pool isn’t open yet, right?”

“No, since he wasn’t going to be around and I was busy and mostly spending time at your place.”

“I didn’t think so. We can order from your favorite Italian place for dinner.”

“Thanks, I’ll see what tomorrow brings and what he is thinking.”

Your food comes and you discuss some of the plans for Father’s Day on Sunday.

Saturday morning hits you like an almost four year old tornado. You are sleeping soundly when your door bursts open and Tom is throwing himself on your bed.

“Happy Birthday, Aunt Y/N!! Happy Birthday!”

“Thanks, Tom,” you groan, rolling over.

“Thomas Padalecki, didn’t I tell you not to wake her up?” Gen scolds her son from the doorway.

“I’m sorry Y/N, but happy birthday since you’re awake now,” she says, turning to you.

“Thanks Gen, it’s alright I should get moving anyway.”

“Daddy said he’d make breakfast this morning.”

“Is he even awake yet?” you question looking at the clock, surprised when it actually says 7:48. Tom wasn’t as early as he could be some mornings.

“He’s in the kitchen with his grown up drink.”

You look over at Gen, too sleepy to understand why your brother is drinking this early.

“He’s downstairs with his coffee.”

“That makes more sense then I was thinking.” Tom rolls off of you so you can crawl out of bed. Throwing a sweatshirt over your pajama top you follow your family downstairs.

“Morning birthday girl,” Jared greets you with a smile.

“Morning, I hear you are cooking breakfast,” you reply, sitting down on a kitchen stool next to Tom.

“I made your favorite, blueberry pancakes and a cup of hot chocolate. Gen says you need to go all out for birthdays, so she cooked some orange cinnamon rolls.”

“Wow, thanks guys.”

Tom hops down and runs off all of a sudden, you look to the other two in the kitchen, both of them shrugging. Then you hear his little feet running back. “I made you a card,” he yells out, as he waves it in front of you.

“You did, thanks buddy.”

You enjoy a nice breakfast, before going up to shower and get yourself ready for the day. Throwing on shorts and a tank top, you throw a few makeup things in a bag you might need if you have to dress up later to go out. After saying your goodbyes you leave for Jensen’s. Gen is sure to remind you of her offer again.

You pick up a few things around the house, water the plants and go through a few of your things. Your phone has gone off multiple times with text messages from friends, your parents have called, but no Jensen. Changing into your bathing suit you go out back to lay in the sun until you hear something.

Your phone rings as you are walking into the house for a cold glass of water, “Hi Donna, how are you?” you greet Jensen’s mom on the other end of the line.

“Happy Birthday, sweetie. I’m fine, how is your day going?”

“It’s good. I’m just hanging out at Jensen’s house right now.”

“Are you doing anything special today?”

“I don’t know. Jensen just told me that he had meetings today, I think he’s hiding his plans.”

“He left this morning, but didn’t tell us what his plans were. I hope you have a wonderful day. Alan wants to talk to you, I’ll talk to you later. Love you sweetie, happy birthday again.”

“Thank you Donna! I’ll talk to you soon, enjoy your weekend.”

Alan gets on the phone next to wish you a happy birthday, you talk to him for a few minutes before wishing him an early happy Father’s Day and saying your goodbyes.

A short time later another call comes through, “Hey,” you answer.

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY Y/N!!!” is yelled from the other end of the line.

“Thanks Mack, how are you?”

“I’m good. Wasn’t sure if you were going to answer, or if you were busy with my brother. I’m glad I caught you. How are you doing?”

“I’m okay. I haven’t seen your brother yet, I’m just hanging out at the house right now. How is that new husband of yours?”

“He’s good.’

“Any big summer plans?”

“Not really. We need to get together soon. When do you wrap that mini series you’re doing?”

“We finished last week, I’m out of work until Walker starts.”

“Okay, we definitely need to figure something out then. I won’t keep you. Have a fabulous birthday, talk soon. Bye girl.”

“Thanks. Bye Mack, take care.”

You get off the phone with a smile. You and Mackenzie weren’t too far apart in age, and had always gotten along very well.

As you are walking back outside, another text comes in. Looking down, you are quickly disappointed to see it isn’t Jensen. As long as you have been together, if he isn’t with you in the morning he has always been the first phone call you would receive in the morning.

Another hour passes and it’s almost 2 o’clock now. Gen’s name comes across your screen as your phone lights up again.

“Hey, just to see if you know your plans for the night yet.”

“I don't know. He's not here, and I haven’t talked to him today.” You refuse to call him at this point.

“You haven’t heard anything? Y/N, come back here and hang out with us. He can find you when he comes to town, but I don’t want you to be alone.”

“Alright.”

Grabbing your things, you lock the house back up and make the short drive back to your brother's place. Jared and Tom are out in the pool when you arrive and Gen is waiting for you in the house. She gives you a big hug when you walk in.

“Are you alright?”

“Yeah, peachy.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“No, there is nothing to discuss. I’m beginning to think he really did have some meetings today. I’m not going to call and force him to talk to me. Besides, if he doesn’t answer, it’s just going to frustrate me more.

You spend the afternoon with them, your parents arrive early in the evening. Somehow you miss Jared sneaking out to get you a cake and your favorite ice cream. Dinner is ordered from your favorite Italian restaurant. You open your present from your parents. Once Tom goes to bed the adults gather in the living room to watch a movie.

Gen catches you when you are walking out of the living room. “This is from Jared and I. We got it a few days ago, but I wasn’t sure you would want to open it in front of your parents.”

Taking the envelope from her, you carefully tear it open. You laugh when you open it. Disney princesses are around the number 5 on the front.

“Your brother picked out the card. I made him put the ones about unicorn farts back.”

That has you snorting, “Sounds like Jared.”

You open the card and a plane ticket falls out, you look up at Gen.

“Jared called Eric last week to see when Jensen might have a lighter filming schedule. He gave him those dates, it’s next weekend. We weren’t sure how long you would want to stay, so it’s just four days right now, but you can change your return flight. I really hope this helps you two straighten everything out.”

“Thank you. I really hope so too.”

When you are getting ready for bed, your phone dings again. Checking the notification you see Jared has tagged you in an Instagram post. It’s a birthday message from him and Gen with some pictures from the day. You scroll down the home feed and see Jensen also has a new post from today. It’s not the usual birthday shout out he has done in the past, but a picture of him along with his friend Steve. The caption underneath says `Good time catching up with an old friend, making big plans.’

That must be a nod to the record Jared had mentioned. Closing your phone, you lay down and try to fall asleep. It’s a bit of a struggle. Your mind is racing with many thoughts tonight. After the last few months, should you really be surprised how today played out? How is your trip up to Toronto going to go? Will it help fix your relationship, or be the end?

Thank you for reading!

Chapter 5

Tags

SPNForevers- @winchest09 @flamencodiva @whatareyousearchingfordean @waywardbeanie @deanwanddamons @emoryhemsworth @atc74 @sandlee44 @akshi8278 @fantasydevil2002 @writercole @440mxs-wife @nervousfandom @lunarmoon8 @thoughts-and-funnies @downanddirtydean @katelyn--renee @that-one-gay-girl @lyarr24 @pineapleavocado @siospins2 @ariesbabe1993 @graciebear73 @stixnstripesworld @spnbaby-67 @treat-winchesterswith-kindness @charmed-asylum @winchestergirl2 @hobby27 @amyzombie1013 @sexyvixen7 @leigh70 @krazykelly @nancymcl @candy-coated-misery0731 @kmc1989 @supraveng

WIAFA Masterlist

@woodworthti666 @spnfamily-j2 @stoneyggirl2 @creative-writing92 @kaz11283 @deans-baby-momma @let-me-luv-you @senjoritanana @itzabbyxx @djs8891 @tmb510

#supernatural #jensen ackles rpf #jensen x female!reader #jensen ackles x reader #Padalecki sister reader #When It All Falls Apart

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kindaoptimisticsquirrel · 1 year ago

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Trigun Bookclub Trimax Vol14 Part 1

Vol01: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Vol02: Part 1 | Part 2

I don't wanna do this, but I have to! Aaah Chapter 1 is already killing meee. This will be long, probably only 2 chapters per post...because I need to save every picture!

Chapters 1 and 2 review under the cut!

It's early Vash! And everybody is smiling and happy...even Knives!! Just imagine what this manga would be like if it was a story about two alien boys helping out the humans on a strange planet with their fun and weird powers and shenanigans. The Office style, Knives looking sceptically into the camera while you can hear Vash shuffling around in the background and crashing things. Then even Knives has to laugh when he sees something funny outside of the camera view.

Chapter 1:

Alas, we are a manga with a darker story so hmm let's get on with it.

Loving Vash's little "haha no you haven't" :D And then trying to backtrack.

And again, we're getting Vash's thoughts...so very few moments throughout the whole series that every time it feels special and monumental. And this, it's...it feels like in this world full of bandits killing would be such a meaningless act, nothing to really ponder about. I mean, go on Vash, defend yourself, if the others die in the process it's not your fault! But he doesn't. And I really like that he's not being portrayed as this cool gunman that kills 5 bad guys with one bullet or smth, but he's defying every rational way of living under these surroundings to follow his belief.

The fight between Legato and Vash looks awesome and a lot is happening which I don't follow haha! But here I was thinking maybe Legato is pulling all those debris stuff that falls from above (the spaceship?) down on Vash with his powers, so that Vash's feathers are momentarily distracted with defending himself, and in the meantime Legato can get closer!

I really can't recall what happens with Chronica and I've read the series 2 times already...so...hope she's ok down there!

AAAH Legato you're fucked. We all love Vash when he's fun and friendly but BOY do we also like it when he's terrifying, don't we? That look!

Is it....secret shoulder pad weapon??

Get terrified, Legato.

This is such a damn cool Vash panel.

The text: Ough.

The middle panel: AAAAAH legit scary, imagine being Legato right now.

Also thi? Holy shit. He's just moving the prosthetic right through the gun. That is NOT an opponent you want to mess with. I think they are both screaming here.

(Small Elendira!! <3) Aso yeaaah ok Legato you can have a little of my sympathies. The sky looks so clear and wide and full of hope and how he's looking up at Knives..aaw dang.

Get crushed, Legato....this is the most brutal we've ever seen Vash be towards someone, isn't it? In terms of purposefully inflicting wounds.

What a cool change of emotion in this scene!! Legato really wants to die and he finally...sounds and looks at rest? And the moment he realises Vash won't do it, it's just pure anger. This is such a cool scene!! And Vash looks so conflicted!! He wants this fight to be over...but he cannot give up on his way of living.

Vash panel for the collection ♥ (and I kinda get where Legato is coming from.

Savage page....

(in any other scenario that Elendira/Livio blob could be a sexy pose but Nightow had to make one dead and both with a nail stuck through their torso)

Also the image of Elendira and Livio swooshing with high speed through the battlefield to Legato's place...how many poor citizen will be haunted by this picture for the rest of their live??

Because why you would want to work with someone, why you deem someone important, is only based upon their usefulness, right? Hmm, Legato? Mister I-need-to-be-useful-to-Knives?

Just imagine me screaming along with Vash here.

AAAHJDDAD BUUUHUHUHU that...that is Wolfwood in Vash's memory. Smiling, proud, upright, looking forward....aaaah buhuhuu. As I've said in an earlier chapter recap, I tend to overlook the fact that Vash and Wolfwood do NOT have the chance of a future together because of all the fics and art I see and think about, but pages like these always slap me back into reality. Thanks! Damnit.

*making the Cowboy Bebop pose* Baang.

Chapter 2:

Someone wrote smth about this being Wolfwood's ghost talking to Livio. It could be Razlo? Probably not! I'll wait for later in the volume with the other scene to write my thoughts about that.

Savage page...Overkill indeed (Interestingly enough, the "Overkill" title can also refer to what the earth has planned with their attack on Knives!)

And immediately breaking down

I wonder what the meaning is of Vash's coat turning red again. The black was thought to represent to last of his powers being used. But he's not gained any more powers, so was it also a sign of the pressure Legato put on him? Him being cornered, resisting the urge to kill until..he finally couldn't?

Also somebody else already wrote a post lots of weeks ago about how Vash, who lived his whole life after his firm believe to not kill, killed one person in the end for Wolfwood. Because he couldn't bear to let Wolfwood's death be in vain. A life for a life, but one life was indefinitely more important to Vash than the other. And, it's such a cruel story, but I love it. I love it because there's no moral to take from it. Because Vash as the main protagonist does not keep his higher moral ground by never pruposefully killing anyone. And it doesn't matter if it's Legato or a less evil person, the reader has learned throughout this series that this isn't important (and to Vash makes no difference) because a life is a life. Trigun isn't a story where the good people can always do good stuff because sometimes, life doesn't let you. It's just...a story. Shit stuff happens. Good stuff happens. The only thing that is permanent is the hope for the days to go on somehow. I'm getting sentimental before I'm even at the last chapters.

Nightow serving double punch after double punch! Of course now Vash has to get sad as he realizes how much his words must have hurt Wolfwood...and he can't take them back anymore. He can't apologize anymore! And we know they hurt Wolfwood because he's been often enough thinking about them. (But it was also these words that made Wolfwood get up, because he could NOT be a coward, he did NOT want to give up hope) Fuck, these two.

Yeah, I imagine it wasn't that much of a difficult decision for the earth government, sitting far far away, dooming some humans on some distant planet out there.

Silly Vash face!!

Turning them around so I can get a better look at these boys...the way Livio is broken up about this, he KNOWS what it must have meant to Vash. That Vash would take such a sacrifice for him (and for Wolfwood, by that)...I doubt he'd ever thought smb would sacrifice so much for him. Vash just earned himself a sworn brother for forever!

Meryl, who has seen so many memories from Vash's past, maybe she can grasp best what this means for Vash. And finally...finally this is the moment where someone will take some burden from him! And cradle him a bit, Meryl :( That man needs him. While he's laying in your lap, stroke his cheek, comb through his hair, wipe away some of the blood...someone please be soft to him and Meryl, you're the perfect one for the job.

Mr Vance has risen in my esteem!

Aah I have reached my image limit, but I wanted to post the last image with the feather...well. On towards the next chapters!! This will be a long read through but I really enjoy taking my time with this last volume. Gotta do it justice.

#trigun #trigunbookclub

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racingtoaredlight · 10 days ago

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Mort Crim's Chump of the Week: James Montgomery

I watch these ridiculous true crime series.

You know the ones. Forensic Files I & II. Killer Cases.

And man, I'm deep down the rabbit hole, let me tell you. Today's story is from Love, Honor, Betray. I'm scraping the proverbial pipe for a hit of resin these days. I've seen it all, man. I've seen it all. So it takes a lot to impress me.

James Montgomery impressed me.

...this is that colloquial "impressed me with how big a piece of shit he is" not literally impressed me.

***

Right off the bat, let me tell you he didn't kill anyone. Maybe. There's a probable chance, but this isn't about that. This isn't even that big on the scale of things. It's a fraud. He defrauded 3 women out of a cool half million. It's really not that big of a deal.

It's the brazen, just straight up shitheel sociopathy that's hard to believe. It's an episode of Love, Honor, Betray on one of the streaming platforms. I think the last episode of the series.

You really gotta see this guy in action to understand what I'm getting at. Given this guy's small potatoes, watching him walk around and talk is just unbelievable. He's an Australian too, which makes it all the better.

Long story short, this guy was a bum. No job, no money, no intentions of getting either. He was just a parasite going from host to host, when one relationship imploded from financial strain, he had already lined up another woman. Several in some cases.

He checked all the hilarious failed con man boxes...

Lied about being an Australian/NZ Green Beret.

Lied about previous/current marriages.

Numerous failed business dealings, including a Titanic (movie, not boat, and/or maybe antiques he bought thinking they really came from the boat) theme park in Atlantic City*.

Lies about looking like a famous person (Sean Connery).

Lies about age.

Lies about money.

Lies about emotional connection.

Met all his targets through Wild West early 2000's online dating.

*This whole business deal thing with the Titanic is not made clear, but they kept talking about it.

He was running this weird Ponzi scheme of women.

This guy was charsimatic and a very smooth talker. He carried himself with the same type of teflon confidence that Trump does, and this isnt hyperbole. He even uses his own business failings to expertly manipulate his victims to want to support him more.

He was an expert liar, watching him work is scary because how genuine he comes off. The whole time you know he's lying because the show's telling you how big a piece of shit he is, and then you see him and think "I can totally see how they'd fall for it."

He'd meet one woman, drain her financially through a series of failed/made up financial dealings that just dang shucks didn't work out. Money gets tight, relationship gets rocky, he's gone. Rinse, repeat. It was not a sophisticated scheme...but it was flawlessly executed on his part.

Everything was just believable enough, and he danced on the edges like Baryshnikov. By the time everyone knew what was up, it was well too late. The main victim's story, I think she was a journalist, was the wildest.

He drained her of a quarter million dollars, the majority of which went almost directly to support his mistress and child. The recording of the phone call was incredible how deftly he shifted his moral and ethical code, and by the time she lawyered up and did her own digging, she realized he'd been with 20-30 women during the course of their relatively short marriage. 20-30.

The kid was after they'd been married too. Fast forwarding through to the judgement, she was awarded $227,000 in restitution plus $1mm for damages...that she got none of because the only bank account they could trace to him had $517 in it.

Montgomery married his mistress 11 days after that phone call. He didn't quite understand the law because he kept getting married while not being officially divorced. So he had that going for him.

He also had this beard with a rectangle cut out that he wore for formal occasions.

So I'm writing this thing and thinking to myself "it's not like this guy quick bang made $500k, it took him well over a decade...I wonder what a mailman made in the mid 90's."

Instead of fucking over a bunch of, what seemed like, totally pleasant, innocent women (and some children)...this guy could've just been a mailman and ended up better off, when you think about things like healthcare benefits and a pension.

That'll earn you Mort Crim's Chump of the Week.

***

If you're not familiar with Mort Crim's Chump of the Week, well...

...I can't help you there, because there aint shit on YouTube, so here's an unrelated Detroiters clip.

youtube

Also, despite the title, this is not the funniest scene from Detroiters. That'd be the payoff from the episode-long clown joke.

#Youtube

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sshbpodcast · 2 years ago

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Scotty, don’t beam me up yet, I’m taking a sh–: Transporter accidents in Star Trek

by Ames

[image from Jake and Ames’s visit to the Star Trek Original Series Set Tour, Ticonderoga, NY]

Cheeky blogpost title aside, the transporter in Star Trek is a horrifying invention and has proven to be dangerous countless times throughout the franchise. Well, maybe not countless, as we here at A Star to Steer her By are going to count the times right now! We talked about how great they are in our future tech article, and now we’re going to look at all the numerous downsides.

We’re not about to have the “do you die every time you go through the transporter?” debate because that’s a little too philosophical for this listicle (and who can beat this CGP Grey video?), so let’s see what McCoy finds so scary about beaming up. There’s a lot to choose from: getting split in two, ending up in another dimension or back in time, or just never getting reassembled correctly again. Check them all out below, listen to our discussion on the podcast episode (discussion starts at 1:02:09), and energize!

[images © CBS/Paramount]

“The Enemy Within”

Our first bungle in the jungle happened very early actually. The fifth aired episode of all of Trek was the well-known Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde allegory that we disliked so much way back in the day. And as transporter accidents go, it was enough to make any audience member wonder if these danged contraptions are worth using in the first place. For some it’s an intriguing look at what facets make up a person, but for others it’s clearly not something to mess with lest you get split into two people who cannot survive on their own.

“Mirror, Mirror”

It was due to some transporter wonkiness and ion storms and other technobabble that we first shimmered into the mirror universe. And it was a pretty interesting outing once you ignore all the illogical coincidences which we can mostly forgive for the sake of a story that depicts other ways Trek society could have gone if not for all the idealism and general not being fascist. A little less forgivable is how subsequent series would overuse the mirror universe so much, but who can really blame “Mirror Mirror” for that?

The Motion Picture

It isn’t until we hit the big screen that the transporter starts to get legitimately scary. In a mentally scarring scene, we witness what happens when the transporter goes really really wrong. Kudos to the sound effects team for making the unfathomable deaths of two crewmembers something so gross and frightening. We may not understand what is truly happening, but it’s clear that it’s Galaxy Quest’s “turned inside out and exploded” kind of terrible. And each new cut of the movie makes the scene progressively more stomach-turning. Check out the latest director's cut if you haven’t seen it yet, if you dare.

“The Next Phase”

It took The Next Generation much longer to get clutzy with the transporter – all the way to near the end of the fifth season! – but once they did, they were all butterfingers. One of the better uses we recall of the trope is when La Forge and Ro end up phased after failing to transport off a damaged Romulan vessel. Like earlier instances from TOS, it becomes more of a character study, this one focusing on how people cope with loss, as well as a bit of a survival adventure. 10/10 would go to that funeral.

“Realm of Fear”

The sixth season of TNG has basically a transporter accident every other week. They really should have shut these things down after a point because it was actually a little silly. We start off exploring Barclay’s well-deserved fear of transporters in the episode that introduces us to transporter psychosis. The whole thing is trippy and confusing, and there are shapes in the interspace between beamings that are both people and also quasi-energy microbes? I dunno if I fully understood this episode, or if anyone did, but I’m with Barclay on this one: I’ll just be taking the shuttle after this.

“Relics”

Literally two episodes later, a new problem comes out of the transporter! This one’s a good problem to have though, as it’s an old familiar face in Montgomery Scott. We also explore the possibility in this episode of storing a person’s signature in the pattern buffer basically indefinitely. Now in this instance, it only worked for one out of two test subjects, which are abysmal odds if you ask me. Redacting spoilers: We see the buffer used to store a person with much less fatal results in Strange New Worlds, so that’s nice to see. And maybe a little in Star Trek (2009), but I’ve blocked most of that movie…

“Rascals”

One of the worst things the transporter ever gave us was the episode “Rascals,” about which I’ve certainly shared my opinions before. As if de-aging back into children isn’t obnoxious enough, the physics behind the transporter contradict themselves scene by scene depending on what was needed to make the story progress. Luckily, what the transporter breaks it usually also fixes so we don’t have to deal with this mess of bad child actors, absolutely nonsensical science, and kiddie show gags for very long.

“Second Chances”

Prepare to have an identity crisis with this one. We’ve already seen in “The Enemy Within” that the transporter can split you in half, but in this case the two valid, self-sustaining copies are virtually identical, not some personality grab bag. Both Rikers have the same legitimacy to the name and life of our favorite trombonist, so what does it mean for a person to have two lives that fork so significantly? The question haunts me to me very souls.

“Past Tense”

One of these days we’ll cover all the time travel episodes (subscribe to the page if you haven’t yet!), but the two-parter that brings our Deep Space Nine heroes to the Bell Riots is the only time that transporter shenanigans are the cause. As if getting thrown back in time to a perilous era isn’t enough, we also see O’Brien and Kira collecting chronitons so they can replicate the accident and go back to various points in time, mostly for the effect of the sight gags we get. Peace and love!

“Our Man Bashir”

Somehow we got a combination of a transporter accident and a holodeck malfunction wadded together into an episode that is simultaneously both and neither. In the end, it’s all a happy excuse to let most of the cast chew the hell out of the scenery in a genuinely fun, over-the-top espionage thriller parody thing! We’ve got to credit Eddington and Rom for quick thinking when the transporter just isn’t cutting it when they find a rare excuse in Deep Space Nine to do a holodeck episode, another topic we’re sure to revisit (like and subscribe!).

“The Darkness and the Light”

The last time we had a really gruesome death in the transporter was way back in The Motion Picture, and frankly, we’ve gotten too comfortable with the thing. So when Kira's resistance friend Fala gets horribly murdered in a transporter that’s been sabotaged, it’s a bit of a wakeup call that when these things go wrong, they go very very wrong. What’s your take? Is the TMP death more gruesome than “The Darkness and the Light”? Thanks, I’ll just take the stairs.

“Treachery, Faith, and the Great River”

Okay, I’m just including this episode because it’s when we learn of the report on how Weyoun 5 died: in a transporter accident and definitely not because of anything that Damar was up to. Not even a little bit. Why would you even think that? Damar 2024.

“Jetrel”

Update 1/28/24: Holy Robert Oppenheimer, I forgot one! Whatever the hell Jetrel was trying to do and failing utterly at definitely deserves mention on this list because it was downright horrifying in the same way as some of these other instances are horrifying. The Talaxians have already been through enough, dying traumatically in the Metreon Cascade, but when Jetrel attempts to put someone’s loose particles back together and it just looks like a being getting tortured, that’s another step into nightmare land.

“Tuvix”

You’ll remember we were big fans of the episode “Tuvix” when we wrapped season 2 of Voyager because the ethical debate it presents us with is so fascinating. Like an episode that splits you in two, it presents you with a crisis of identity so profound it leaves minds reeling, but this time a little bit the opposite. Having two people merged into one to create a whole new person with their own sense of self is just interesting to watch and also heartbreaking in its obvious conclusion. Never trust orchids.

“Drone”

This week’s podcast episode covers this one more in depth, so I’ll be brief here. Transporting someone with Borg nanobots and someone with a mobile emitter from the future yields an even more magical mobile emitter capable of spawning new life if it gets a bite of tasty tasty human flesh. Which of course it does. What we’re left with is One, who is a darling little freak of nature who gives more evidence that individuality is a right, regardless of what certain Borg Collectives have to say.

“Strange New World”

If all of the transporter accidents we’ve seen so far have been reckless, dangerous, and downright horrifying, then obviously the device was only going to be more unsafe when it was brand spanking new. When we see early uses in Enterprise, the characters are basically flipping a coin every time they use the thing, as is shown in the season 1 episode “Strange New World,” in which a crewmember is transported during a windstorm and the debris and sticks and stuff from his surroundings freakin’ merge with his flesh! How did this thing make it past testing?!

“Daedalus”

In season 4 of Enterprise, we meet the inventor of the transporter, Emory Erickson, who just proves to us how dangerous the device is. Erickson has been working tirelessly to rescue his son Quinn, whose pattern got lost during an experiment, leaving his form in kind of a limbo space between existence and the buffer, a ghost that haunts space as much as his predicament haunts his father.

“Much Ado About Boimler”

Y’all knew that Lower Decks would repeat a couple of the tropes we’ve seen before, but with their own twists. The first transporter accident we see in the cartoon is basically “The Next Phase” again, but with only half the characters and only half phased. What we’re left with is a partially phased Boimler and a good bunch of jokes about how Starfleet treats crewmembers with disabilities.

“Kayshon, His Eyes Open”

That’s not the last time Boimler will have a rough time with the transporter since Lower Decks tends to drag his character a little bit (read: a lot). After foreshadowing it for quite a while with jokes about Will and Tom Riker from “Second Chances,” the episode pays off with a decent punchline of having a similar transporter accident create two Boimlers who are also the both same and yet also kinda hilariously different.

—

Congratulations, you’ve made it to the other side! Thank you for beaming with us today; please exit the transporter pad in an orderly fashion. Keep watching this space for more great Trek topics, keep up with our watch-through of Voyager over on SoundCloud or wherever you get your podcasts, friend us on Facebook and Twitter, and don’t forget to tip your transporter chief.

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kiwibirbs-library · 4 years ago

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Not What You Expected

a/n: hi hi so i had this idea after seeing a bunch of things on how everyone thinks kags is super scary but he really is a cinnamon roll and about how hes only really seen like because of middle school. So imma play off that. im thinking about making this a type of series but idk on who other than like three charcters soooo

btw this is kags second year so the third years arent there there to much. Im also going to warn you right now this is INCREADABLY LONG as crap and the stories are uneven i got carried away

word count: 3460 words

warnings: fluff of the century, not read through

pairing: Kageyama Tobio x fem!reader

summary: Tobio Kageyama looks like the type to be mean at any time of day to anyone. Of course of the past couple of years you’ve learned different. Over plenty of moments you’ve seen that reputation get proven wrong.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

not my art

The Day You Met

Tobio Kageyama.

The name is known around Karasuno now that he’s a second year. Normally that’s a good thing. But his name was known for being a guys the was mean and snappy. A name known for a guy with no friends and no sociability.

You had never met the guy. Never even seen him in all honestly. You had transfered from Fukurodani half way through this year so it wasn’t to surprising. Still you would think you would at least see him at some point. I mean he even came to the school while you were there. Bokuto had told you about him enough times to know that much.

So when one of your friends invited you to a practice game they were having,, you took the chance to finally see the dude. And dang when you saw him, you SAW him.

There, in the middle of a game that tired YOU out by watching, was this guy running around and jumping like crazy. Everyone was so focused on him and how he was moving. Your eyes how ever were focused on the tall boy with black hair near the net. He seemed so focused on everything. The players, the ball, the net, everything. It was crazy to watch him. He seemed so serious at first but then when he would score a point with a serve his eyes seemed to sparkle. He didn’t smile to much or anything but his eyes just screamed excitement.

When he set the ball for set point and it landed the whole team yelled in excitement. The tall boy whipped around to his team. Before his eyes could lower from the stands they locked on yours. You both just stared at each other for a second before he went back to teams celebration. Your friend pulled at your arm so she could go talk to the friend that told her of the game.

She hooked her arm with yours and started down the stairs toward the gym doors. Who was the friend again? Ya- something? You two waited in the hall when a small girl came through the doors. She gave your friend a small smile, walking over to talk to her.

“Y/N this is Yachi! She’s the teams manager, Yachi this is Y/N,” she introduced you two. She smiled, saying hi. You three talked until she needed to go back to the coachs. Thats when you saw him again. He was walking with the small speed demon from earlier. He seemed like he was snapping at him but the small kid wasn’t phased by it. He turned forward where you were standing, locking eyes with you again. You didn’t miss the light pink that hit his cheeks. None the less, he ignored you as they passed by.

Tobio Kageyama, interesting.

Your friend waved goodbye to you as she got into her mom’s car. As they drove away you grabbed your jacket from your bag. When you looked back up you could see Kageyama at a vending machine in the corner. He leaned down, grabbing a carton and stabbing a straw into it. You watched him as his eyes sparkled again when he grabbed it. You laughed a little as you watched him. Here he was getting so excited over a carton of milk.

You watched him as he left. He was going in the same direction as you. As you followed behind him the sun began to set. There was a quiet meow from a bush up ahead. Your eyes wandered to the noise. When you reached the maker you found a small black kitten. As you stepped closer you found someone else there too.

Squatting behind the bush, holding a finger out trying to get the small cat to notice him, was Kageyama. He looked frustrated that the cat wasn’t paying him any mind. The kitten turned its head away towards you. It immediately started to you after it saw you. Kageyama followed the animal with his eyes until he saw you. You were sitting on your heels, scratching behind the kitten’s ear. He watched the exchange for a second before standing up to leave. When you looked up it was a lot darker and he was slowly leaving your sight. The wind started picking up and there was wierd rustling coming the trees. All of it was slowly starting creep you out. Looking in front you caught sight of the tall boy again and before you thought about it you were running up to him.

To say he was shocked when his sleeve got pulled was an understatement. He jumped comically high into the air. He looked down at you with fear before relaxing a little. He was tense and looked a bit confused.

“um can I help you?” he was leaning away from you but you still had his sleeve in hand.

“oh I’m sorry. It just got kind of dark and I was hoping I could stick closer to you? Sorry I just wanted to not have something happen,” you said letting go of his sleeve. He looked throughly confused still but (ahem he does have a sister after all) he nodded.

“ya that fine,” you smiled at him and he blushed slightly. As he walked you followed close behind. Then he turned to you. “are you going to stay back there?” he looked over his shoulder to you. It took you back but you took the offer. Jogging up besides him and thanking him a comfortable silence drifted over the two of you. You would have thought you would be scared or intimidated but no, it felt really nice to walk next to him. You turned to him.

“by the way, I’m Y/N L/N. Nice to meet you.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When You Met The Team

You were with Kageyama at the vending machine before he had to go to practice. He pressed the button, handing you your own drink before grabbing his own. You leaned on the wall as you two talked.

It had been a couple months since that walk home, and you had made an effort to say hi every now and then. You didn’t really know why but it was nice talking to him then. And now you were comfortable enough to meet up everyday before his practice. It was always a peaceful interaction and he was always so quiet and calm.

Of course when a little ball of energy came into the picture that changed fast. He came running around the corner and barreled towards Kageyama, not seeing you yet scince you were hidden by the vending machine.

“KAGEYAMAAAA!” Kageyama flinched turning to the smaller kid. “Come set for me before practice starts!” he hopped up and down.

“ya ok I’ll be there in a second,” Kageyama turned back to you. “sorry I’ll talk to you tomorrow Y/N.” You smiled and nodded to him.

“ok have fun with your practice.”

Hinata froze. That was a girls voice. A girls voice that was talking to Kageyama. He poked his head around the vending machine. When he saw you and confirmed that it was a girl he whipped around to look at him.

“YOU KNOW A GIRL?!” he yelled out. You flinched back while Kageyama jumped back.

“WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN?! YES I KNOW A GIRL HINATA YOU DUMBASS!” he yelled back. As they yelling back and forth, you slipped out from behind Hinata.

“um Tobio I’m gunna head out,” you patted his shoulder before giving Hinata a small smile before walking off. They both quieted down, watching you go to the road look around then walk down the sidewalk. As you disappeared the two boys turned to each other before Hinata smirked. He bolted down in your direction, Kageyama chasing after him. He raced in front of you, sliding to a stop.

“Hi! I’m Shoyo Hinata! What’s your name? Do you know Kageyama well, you called him by his first name too,” he smiled widely at you. You however had been incredible surprised by his sudden show that you were stumbling backward. Kageyama was the one to stop you from fully falling over.

“I- uhh hi? I’m Y/N L/N, um yes I do know him,” you stuttered. Kageyama, who was still holding onto your arm, glared at Hinata.

“HINATA DON”T DO THAT YOU IDIOT SHE ALMOST FELL!” he yelled. Your eyes widened. You really hadn’t heard him yell other than that first practice game you watched. He stiffened with his tone, remembering you were still listening.

“SHUT UP! Oooo wait did I embarrass you or something?” he snickered “No way, did you actually get a girlfriend?!” he looked shocked.

“SHE IS NOT MY GIRLFRIEND YOU IDIOT!” you looked up to see his beet red face an you laughed. They both turned to you with a confused look.

“is there something wrong Y/N?” Kageyama asked you.l

“no no I- I’m sorry. It’s just I’ve never seen you like this, you’re normally calmer than this,” you laughed. Hinata snorted

“Pfft I don’t think I have ever heard anyone call him calm,” Kageyama seemed to almost growl at him. You and Hinata continued to laugh however. Thats when Kageyama’s worse nightmare happened. “OH Y/N you should come to todays practice!” he bounced on his heels. You smiled widely and nodded, both of you turning to face Kageyama. “isn’t that exciting Kageyama!” Hinata poked.

Kageyama glared at him mumbling something.

“Tobio? You good?” Hinata smirked at the sound of his name. Kageyama blushed slightly, continuing to glare at Hinata.

“no whatever come on were going to be late,” he turned on his heel and started back to the gym, Hinata and you skipped after him. Hinata went on about the other kids on the team. He was in the middle of saying something about a tall guy with glasses when there was a yell.

A guy with a shaved head was standing in the door way, hands on his hips and a wide, kinda scary smile, on his face. A small guy slid into the space behind him, a bleached section of his hair swinging with the momentum.

“well you two are never late wh- oh...” the guy with the buzz cut stopped when you came out from behind Kageyama.

“helloo pretty girl I have never seen before! Whats your name?” the short one asked with a smile. You just smiled and introduced yourself. Hinata bounced into the gym, telling them about how he invited you to watch. They followed along with the excitement, introducing themselves and throwing in some complements here and there. They whole time Kageyama was grinding his teeth and glaring. He stayed quiet though, not wanting to full on yell in front of you. He followed behind you into the gym, the other third years noticing you as well. The three came up to you and introduced themselves. The captain, Enoshita, was in the middle of telling you where you could sit when Nishinoya flew in out of nowhere almost jumped on you in the process. You weren’t paying attention to what he was saying out of surprise.

There was a faint snickering from somewhere, gaining your attention. A tall boy in glasses sat on the floor, laughing into his hand.

“honeslty, you should calm down around Kageyama’s girlfriend a little. If you don’t it looks like he’ll crack a tooth,” he said quietly. You turned to Kageyama and sure enough, he was glaring on the wall quietly, teeth grinding again. You laughed lightly at how he stiffened and yelled at the kid with glasses. Noya snickered along with him, switching his attention to poking at Kageyama.

“its not like that idi-”

“Y/N!?” Yachi came barreling up to you. You smiled, finally seeing someone you were familiar with. She gave a glance to the boys, gently pulling you away. “sorry if they were a bit overwhelming,” she laughed as you two got the stage area.

“oh don’t worry its actually really nice to watch. Not to mention I’ve never seen Tobio so, I don’t know, uncalm I guess,” you laughed. Yachi gave you a look.

“oh you’ll get used to it. He’s normally like this. I do have to admit that hes a little more intense today,” she giggled.

You ended up staying throughout the whole practice. You watched on the stage as they played against themselves, walking over at one point to help Yachi through the balls up. At one point Kageyama missed a set or two and they bounced off his head. It took about ten minutes each time for the boys to refocus from teasing him.

By the end of the practice it was dark outside. Yachi had already left, her mom calling her to get home for dinner a little earlier tonight. You waved a goodbye to the team and walked outside, sighing at how uncomfortable you were with walking alone at night.

“wait up!” you turned to the familiar voice. Kageyama jogged up beside you. “sorry I just remembered you don’t like walking home alone at night,” he rubbed the back of his neck. You smiled up at him.

“thank you Tobio,” you paused for a second. “sorry for embarrassing you in front of your team.”

“you didn’t embarrass me. It was actually nice to know you were watching,” you looked back up to him. He was turned away but you could see the red glow to his cheeks. You laughed lightly, returning to the peaceful silence you two could always hold with only one thought.

‘scary my ass’

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Day You Started Dating

Out of all the time you spent with the young setter, this was both one of the sweetest and scariest.

You had a steady schedule now. You went through your classes, went to the vending machine to meet Tobio for lunch, more classes, and then meeting the boys for club. After meeting them all you became a somewhat unoffical manager, helping with set up, clean up, and over all practice. You were enjoying it, and when you all went to matches you were able to meet people and socialize more than you were.

You were especially excited for this coming up trip. It was a training camp with the tokyo schools and you were ecstatic to see Bokuto and the team again. As you all filed onto the bus you were practically bouncing off the walls with Hinata in tow. The newer first years watched in slight fear that you two might explode. Even though you sat with Tobio you were still basically having a race with words with Hinata. Unknown to you, however, the tall boy had been waiting for your attention the entire ride.

“Y/NNNNN!” Bokuto was speeding down the stairs in front of Shinzen.

“BO!!” you yelled back. he picked you up and spun you around in a hug, both of you laughing. The rest of Karasuno watched the interaction in semi-shock.

“you need to come visit at some point! I haven’t seen you since you transfered!” he said as he set you down.

“I know, I know I’m sorry,” you both continued talk as the rest of the team came down. Akaashi casually slide into the conversation when he met up with you both. Soon enough he was calming Bokuto down a couple knoches after detecting Tobio’s aura of death from beside the bus. The team was able to catch onto it too, snickering and poking at him.

This continued throughout the rest of the week. Between Bokuto’s constant hovering with you and the overall simpingness from E V E R Y O N E with all the girls in general, not leaving you out, Kageyama was on the edge of murder. He really wanted your attention more and more throughout the week, but you were busy half of the time. It wasn’t until the third day that he fully snapped.

Karasuno had just lost a set and were taking a breather before their next match and you were talking with the shinzen manager. Shinzens new captain came up to you and joined into the conversation. Kageyama noticed immediately, his attitude getting worse by the minute. He unconsciously moved closer to hear.

“so you’re with Karasuno right?”

“yes I am.”

“oh cool cool. So are you... seeing anyone up there?”

“umm not really,” his head whipped in your direction. You were alone with the captain now, he was slowly leaning closer to you as you backed away.

“not really? So is that a yes or no?” he asked again. It wasn’t even like he was making a big scene or being mean about it, but you were still uncomfortable. You probably looked normal but Kageyama could see it. The way your eyes were shifting between him and around the room. The way you were leaning backward and shuffling backward at the same time. The way you held his gaze when you found it. He immediately stood up and walked over to you. The captain took notice quickly and backed off a little with the glare he was getting.

Tobio grabbed you hand, throwing one last glare, then pulling you away and outside. He sat down and pulled you in between his legs. You were currently confused, flustered, and scared. Confused because what was happening. Flustered because you were now located basically in his lap with his head on your shoulder. And finally scared because the glare he just gave the other player was scarier than any other he’s ever thrown to Hinata or Tsukkishima.

“um Tobio?” you tried to turn around to look at him but he help you in place.

“I really didn’t like it,” he said quietly.

“what?” you turned your head a little.

“I really didn’t like him hitting on you. I didn’t like how I haven’t been able have your attention these past few days. I really don’t like that,” he mumbled into your shoulder. You smiled lightly. You knew you should be trying to comfort him in a way but, listening to how he was talking, you could only smile .

“Tobio can I turn around?” he stiffened slightly before letting go of your waist. You turned, sitting on your knees. “you know, if you wanted my attention, you could have just asked,” you giggled.

“harder said than done with a girl that is constantly surrounded by guys,” the start of a smile spreading on his face.

“oh please, you could steal me away at anytime and I wouldn’t complain,” you flirted. He blushed at the comment.

“so like does that count at school too?” he asked looked back up to you.

“as long as anytime means what I think it means, then yes,” you laughed again.

“and at random times of the day?”

“yes,” the laugh you had was growing.

“and at practice?”

“oh.my.GOD. Tobio just ask me out!” you laughed into his shoulder. He was bright red and had been for a while. His smile was growing despite that though.

“isn’t it cheesy if I just ask ‘will you go out with me’?” he was starting to laugh too. You both just sat there, his hands on your waist and you head on his shoulder, shaking with laughter.

Little did either of you two know you would get caught in a couple of minutes by one shocked coach Ukai after not being able to find Kageyama.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Graduation

It wasn’t anything really special. Just everyone after buzzing with excitement about after parties and pictures. You had run out to meet your family and friends a little late. You saw everyone in a little group, the now third years on the team, their families, and a couple others. You could see Nishinoya and Tanaka jumping up and down and patting Hinata and Kageyama’s heads. You smiled as you got closer to them, knowing that they didn’t need to come. Kageyama saw you and smiled softly. You sped up slightly, running head on into his chest as he wrapped his arms around you.

There were groans from the boys, while their parents cooed and awwed. He always was like this with you though. No matter how pissed or upset he was he would always smile when you showed up. It meant a lot to you, knowing how he hated the teasing.

Thats when he did what he never does. He pushed you away slightly, then taking your chin in his hand. When he kissed you there were quiet gasps and gags from your little group.

“sorry I just needed to do that,” he mumbled against your lips. Once again you could only think one thing as you smiled back to him.

‘scary my ass’

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

a/n: dang that was long ok thanks for sticking through it tell me if you would like this with more of the charcters :)

#haikyuu!!#haikyuu #haikyu x reader #haikyuu x reader #kageyama #tobio kageyama #kageyama x reader #volleyball #oh my god #ok but when i wrote him asking Y/N out ahhhhh

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captainseaweedbrains · 4 years ago

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The Hunger Games Again Ch. 6 Thoughts

I am chugging through finally! Here are my rambling thoughts on chapter 6:

I remember our Carson’s had a see-through elevator in it and I used to *love* going up and down it as a child. This just reminds me how young and pure Katniss is wanting to ride the elevator again.

She and Haymitch will be overseeing us right into the arena. In a way, that's a plus because at least she can be counted on to corral us around to places on time whereas we haven't seen Haymitch since he agreed to help us on the train.// I am just imagining these two wandering aimlessly if they were just left in Haymitch’s charge and have a little chuckle

Effie knows everyone who's anyone in the Capitol and has been talking us up all day, trying to win us sponsors.

"I've been very mysterious, though," she says, her eyes squint half shut. "Because, of course, Haymitch hasn't bothered to tell me your strategies. But I've done my best with what I had to work with. How Katniss sacrificed herself for her sister. How you've both successfully struggled to overcome the barbarism of your district." // Similar to the prep team, I cannot help but love her because Effie is just so tone deaf to how she comes off. It's funny.

what's she basing our success on? Our table manners? // You absolutely know she is, Katniss

I said, and this was very clever of me, I said, 'Well, if you put enough pressure on coal it turns to pearls!'" Effie beams at us so brilliantly that we have no choice but to respond enthusiastically to her cleverness even though it's wrong. // It’s stuff like this that endears me and everyone just goes along even though they’re like “wtf. No, idiot.” *wipes tear* You’re so stupid, Effie. I love you.

"But don't worry, I'll get him to the table at gunpoint if necessary." // It is with a curling wand and she is lethal with it

Yo. Sign me up for this instant dryer and hair detangler. I need that NOW.

A meal presided over by just Effie and Haymitch is bound to be a disaster. // I would pay to see it. And they totally do after the war Yes I am a Haffie shipper Don’t @ me

Katniss, you are not wrong. Sweet wine is the best.

Haymitch showing up right as the food is coming out is my kind of style. No, I don’t want to socialize. I am here to eat and I need to make that as clear as possible.

I wonder who’s the unfortunate soul who is stuck cleaning Haymitch up. Do you get paid enough for such a task? Probably not

Last time I mention it, but ughhhhhhhh with the food descriptions.

Katniss’ reaction to seeing Lavinia warms my heart for whatever reason and then I get sad because it’s connected to sadness

Peeta coming to Katniss’ slightly drunk rescue...What a saint.

WHAT DID DELLY EVER DO TO YOU, KATNISS? Calling her LUMPY? Part of me wonders, because clearly Peeta is close to Delly as childhood friends and the fact he thinks of her right away despite the two girls looking nothing alike, if there is a tiny itsy bitsy part of Katniss that is jealous of her. Maybe not so much because Delly and Peeta are close (though perhaps…), but I imagine Delly can easily thank people and talk to people and Katniss, bless her caring heart, does not have that natural skill. So there’s bitterness there and Katniss turns that bitterness into unfair slander on my girl. SLANDER.

Again, can we just talk about how these two work so well as a team? Picking up easily where the other leaves off? Amazing. Brilliant. We stan.

I still have many thoughts on Cinna and the hand holding. Clearly he was working with the rebellion and they were waiting for the right match to set it going. Maybe Cinna was just wiggling his way in and more like opportunity came a knocking?

When we get to my door, he leans against the frame, not blocking my entrance exactly but insisting I pay attention to him.//Peeta, your popular jock boy self is showing.

Maybe sharing a confidence will actually make him believe I see him as a friend.// I know you don’t fully trust him, Katniss, but your subconscious seems to disagree with you if you’re willing to share anything with him.

I really enjoy how SC does this. She distracts us with the flash and glamor and then swiftly reminds us of the horrors that is Panem and the whole reason Peeta and Katniss are here. So similar to how we handle information today and how the news and government try to change our focus to other things to hide from the big, scary picture.

*cries because they read each other so well and pick up meaning behind what the other is actually saying*

You do have the sense that we might be under surveillance here. // They are, no worries

Lmao at it just being such an obvious thing that Katniss and her dad hunt(ed). I know the Mellarks trade(d) with them, but still funny. The not-so secret of the district

There was a moment, after the bird call, but before the hovercraft, where the girl had seen us. She'd locked eyes with me and called out for help.// I love when Katniss tells stories of her past. It’s so haunting and somber. Very clear to picture, and the obvious guilt she feels here. Gets me every time.

Peeta takes off his jacket and wraps it around my shoulders. I start to take a step back, but then I let him, deciding for a moment to accept both his jacket and his kindness. A friend would do that, right? // *weeps* Peeta is such a good egg. A true gentleman. Yes, Katniss, accept his kindness.

HOLD THE FRONT DOOR. He *buttons* the coat? Peeta is really going all “Last few days of life. We’re just going for it.”

The 1950s vibe of giving the girlfriend the letterman jacket I feel in this Chile’s tonight

And now begins Terri’s frequent comment about how Peeta Mellark is a rebellious boy by nature and does not get the credit he deserves by helping set the building blocks for Katniss later on in the book/series

Sldkmflm PEETA, YOU ARE SO OBVIOUS. Asking about Gale all ~casually. iS He yoUr CoUsIN??? As if you don’t know.

Peeta is a really good liar, yes, Katniss. but he would never lie to you

I find it interesting that Peeta flat out says Mr. M probably wanted a daughter, yet in fandom, it’s Mrs. M.. Interesting.

The idea that I might ever have been discussed, around the dinner table, at the bakery fire, just in passing in Peeta's house gives me a start. It must have been when the mother was out of the room.// Now all I’m imagining is Peeta talking about Katniss to Delly, his confidant, and her just patting his head.

It seems impolite to say she never mentioned the baker except to compliment his bread // Dang, Mrs. E.. Show us how you truly feel.

We're at my door. I give back his jacket. "See you in the morning then."

"See you," he says, and walks off down the hall.//

I know Katniss is going through A Lot right now, but child, pick up your clothes before you shower.

At least she apologizes.

But still.

You don't forget the face of the person who was your last hope. // Honestly, one of the best lines of the whole series. Fight me on that, but it’s so true.

I wonder if Katniss has anxiety with how her thought process goes with the guilt and her feeling like she’s not good enough, etc..

On to the next chapter!

#The Hunger Games #thgagain #The Hunger Games Again #Terri reads The Hunger Games #My thoughts #I have feelings

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isoscele · 3 years ago

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Lumberjanes Week Day 4/5 - AU Day & OTP Day

Was a day late and a dollar short with my planned Infinity Train AU, so I decided to make it extra Hes/Diane and give you two for the price of one. I don’t know if they’re actually my Lumberjanes OTP, but goddamn are they the most fun to write.

The second most infuriating thing about the Evil Forest Car (as Wren had so optimistically dubbed it) was that the door was absolutely impossible to find.

The most infuriating thing, of course, was its goddamn denizen.

She looked so human that, for a moment, Hes had really thought that they were going to get another member of their sad little party. This fantasy had lasted for most of the day, during which time the denizen had hacked away a cluster of branches and led them to a river of clean water with an unerring sense of direction. She had looked more irritated than afraid, and Hes had suddenly found herself dreaming of getting some actual competence into their group.

But then, of course, Hes had to glance at her hand. For two beautiful seconds, she forgot where they were, forgot that a normal hand was a Bad Sign. Diane had long fingers, well-trimmed nails. Her skin looked smooth, but Hes knew that was kind of a weird thing to think about.

It hit her like a train from the Getting Hit By Trains Car: no number. Not a passenger.

Diane was something else.

For a moment, Hes could only stare, too freaked out to even tell the others. She had no problem with denizens; some were pretty awful, but most that they’d encountered were either pretty neutral or outright benevolent. Barney had even adopted a cat from one of the earlier cars that could do some really weird stuff, but seemingly only when Hes was keeping watch (Hes could now say that she had seen a magical kitten ask who’s going to believe you with just its eyes).

Denizens were like people. Some of them sucked, some of them were great, but a lot of them were just trying to go about their super-weird days. Still, though, Hes had never seen one look as human as Diane did. That was a terrifying thought, that all their cars could be filled with people who acted like passengers but weren’t. Who had motives that Hes was so far from ever understanding.

So she handled the situation in the most graceful way she could think of, which was to stop short in a pile of rotting leaves and yell “Denizen!”

Diane threw her a look of pure loathing. “Dude.”

“Oh dang, where?” Emily scanned the tree line with interest. “I thought I saw a funky-looking squirrel a moment ago, is that it?”

“Um.” Hes glanced, panicked, at Diane, whose mouth was pressed into a thin line. “Um, it’s gone now.”

“I hope it’s another moose,” Mackenzie said reverently.

“If we meet another talking moose, you are not allowed to talk to it,” Wren shot back. “Jeremy would have helped us if you’d just shut up.”

Mackenzie was unapologetic. “He was wrong about hockey teams.”

“--that’s it, I’m going squirrel hunting. Wren, you wanna come squirrel hunting with me?”

“No squirrel hunting,” Hes said, because there was really no world where that didn’t end in fire and tears. “I guess if it . . . wants us to know, it’ll show itself.” She pointedly wasn’t looking at Diane, which wasn’t helped by the fact that Diane was staring at her.

Hes clenched her right hand behind her back. She knew she was making a bad call, and she didn’t need some stupid mathematician train god to tell her so.

Shockingly, they didn’t find the door. Hes, Diane, and Emily were supposed to take watch that night, but Emily went up the nearest tree about six seconds in, so then it was just Hes and Diane and the terrible inscrutable look on Diane’s face.

They were getting nowhere. They were totally lost, and Diane was probably evil and they were all going to die in what was easily the lamest car so far, and it was going to be all Hes’ fault.

“Stop looking at me like that,” she mumbled.

“What is up with you?” Diane said. “Do you hate denizens or not?”

“I don’t hate denizens,” Hes said. “I just think it’s weird that you’re pretending to be something you’re not.”

“I’m not pretending! You’re pretending, keeping your hands shoved in your sweatshirt all the time like you don’t want us to see that you’re, like, quantifiably messed up even though all of you are. And I never said I was a passenger, you just assumed.”

“Yeah, okay,” Hes said. Diane was deflecting. Hes wasn’t hiding anything, her hands just got cold a lot. “But you were acting like--like you want to get out. Like us.”

“Uh, newsflash, I do want to get out.” Diane said. “This car straight-up sucks. But I don’t need your help to do it, by the way, ‘cause I bailed on my original car ages ago. I’m helping you. Out of the goodness of my heart.”

Hes stared at the ground. She hated the cars that looked like places that could really exist. She wanted to go back to the Cotton Candy Car, or the Literally Just a Huge Washing Machine Car, or any of the six Star Trek cars (excluding The Animated Series, because that one was just. So weird). Here, though, it kind of looked like she could pick a direction to walk in and find a ranger station and a place to buy Cool Ranch Doritos and her mom, who was probably really worried about her.

She didn’t know why she couldn’t just wake up the others and tell them that Diane was a denizen. They deserved to know. They probably wouldn’t be huge jerks about it like Hes had been. Maybe it wouldn’t even change anything.

“What car are you from, originally?” Hes said, instead of doing that.

“Why? Trying to take me back?” Diane said, with a snideness that probably hid some real anxiety.

“No! I just--I don’t know. I’ve never really thought about how a denizen like, knows where they are. Or what to do.”

“We know a lot more than you think,” Diane said, which had the dual effect of being genuinely chilling and making Hes feel a little guilty. Then, for whatever reason, Diane softened. “I’m from the Greek Mythology car. I don’t know if you’ve been through it.”

Hes hadn’t, but her capacity for surprise was basically nonexistent at this point. “Sounds kinda nice.”

“Gets old.” Diane picked an acorn from the ground and started throwing it in the air and catching it. Hes tracked its motion with her eyes. “Anywhere would. The only way to do it is the way you guys do. Always moving around.”

Hes curled into the tree. She thought about the constant low-grade snarl of hunger, how much her feet hurt from weeks of walking. How even the fun cars were a little scary, in their own ways. “That gets old, too.”

“Then I guess we’re at an impasse, huh.” Diane flashed her a rare smile. “Only thing you can do is get your number down and get out.”

Hes started. She’d sort of guessed some of that, but confirmation from a denizen was something else. “We can leave? Like, leave-leave?”

“Think so. Not like anyone tells us anything.” Diane was quiet for a long moment--maybe thinking about how leaving was a passenger’s privilege. For her sake, Hes hoped they ran across some really amazing car soon, someplace Diane would be happy. Sarcasm Car. Puppy Car. I-Can’t-Believe-It’s-Not-Earth! Car.

“Well, okay.” Hes watched the acorn, going up and down with a kind of lovely carelessness. “Thanks for helping us, I guess. Sorry for, um. All this.”

“No worries.” Diane turned to face Hes all the way. She had startling eyes. They were altogether probably the most human thing about her, and the rest of her was very human. “Can I tell you something? I think the door is behind the waterfall.”

Hes squeezed her eyes shut. She knew.

Everywhere they went, there was always some catch. Some waterfall, infested with something darker and bigger and more watchful than Hes had the words to describe. The thing about the insane creativity of all these cars was that the horrors were always inarticulable. Bad in ways you had never known anything could be bad.

The waterfall had one slick hand around Hes’ thoughts. It made quiet sounds when none of them were talking, like a low laugh or else a funeral bell. The water seemed very swift and very cold, and behind it there might be a door or there might be something that they would never recover from.

“Maybe you’ll all get out before we have to check,” Diane said, but she didn’t sound hopeful. “What’s your number?”

Hes removed her hand from her sweatshirt pocket and gave it to Diane. Diane turned it over and over, staring at the number as if it had some hidden depth. Hes normally didn’t like people looking at it for too long, like they were just trying to peer through to see what was wrong with her, but she didn’t mind when Diane did it.

And then they were just holding hands, and Hes had to admit that that was pretty nice, too.

#lumberjanes #infinity train #lumberjanes week #my writing

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chainofclovers · 3 years ago

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welcome to my self-indulgent ted lasso fic meta

My own dang tumblr feels like the ideal spot for some self-indulgent meta about things I've written. It's happened before and it'll happen again! Here is some self-indulgent meta about the (barbecue sauce) series (Ted Lasso, Ted/Rebecca/Keeley/Roy love square + other relationships within), and specifically about the final installment, also called "(barbecue sauce)."

Writing this series, especially the third part, was a feverish yet coherent experience, if that makes any sense whatsoever, and I realized I really wanted to write down some of the stuff I was trying to do in terms of the structure and content so that I don't forget. I'm putting it behind a cut in case you would prefer not to see all this detail or if you have not read it and might like to someday!

big picture structural stuff

I wanted each story to be about very, very private things that progressively reshape both the public and private reality for all four people involved in the love square, even though we don’t get each character’s interior perspective in every story.

"as fearless as" (Rebecca POV): the shocking new reality of saying what you want out loud and trusting that another person--or people, in this case--will be able to respond honestly. Ted and Rebecca get their first inkling that even if their living situations are very complicated, together they can create something that feels like home, and they don’t have to be in the same physical location for the feeling to work.

"face to face" (Ted POV): negotiating not only the dynamics of a new relationship structure but confronting a former home that no longer fits. Even though Ted’s son is the most important person in his life, his body and spirit are rejecting all the old familiar places, and it exhausts him to the point of rawness and leaves him open to seeing himself not only as someone who loves Rebecca and can accept that she loves him back but not only him, but that he could actually participate in the poly dynamics for himself, too.

“(barbecue sauce)” (POV shifts from Rebecca to Roy to Ted to Keeley to Ted to Rebecca): happy endings, and how finding that happy ending doesn’t mean life stops being hard, but being uncompromising in one’s commitment to happiness does make it possible to navigate even the most panic-inducing things.

little picture bbq sauce things

The first draft of the final installment started with a lot more relationship establishment stuff, but the most liberating thing I could do for the story was scrap those details and start with a zoomed-out happy ending. Rebecca’s figuring things out with Ted and with Keeley and even with Roy, and all four of them are committed to each other, and no matter what happens, they aren’t going anywhere. She is loved and adored and sexually and financially and spiritually safe, and she's able to share that love with her partners in return. I really wanted the first section to end with a paragraph that felt more like the end of a story. They love each other, bad stuff could happen and they’d still be together, boom.

But then I wanted actual challenges to come up and prove the happy ending right. This part actually happened kind of organically, insanely enough, but each section’s conflict gets progressively more intense:

Roy imagines what their love square would look like from the outside and does his own Diamond Dogs-style pep talk to reassure himself that perceptions don’t matter as much as what he actually feels

Ted and Roy spend time together alone and start to confront the possibility of having sexual feelings for each other, something that is very scary to explore

Despite feeling disrespected by her mother, Keeley listens to her mother’s wishes and brings Rebecca home to meet her and it doesn’t go well--but instead of trying hard and smoothing things over, Rebecca reassures her by showing Keeley she sees her mother for who she truly is (sometimes being judgmental instead of open-minded is actually the best way to show your love for someone...a lesson Ted ironically exhibited when he saw through Rupert instead of assuming the best of him and told Rebecca as much)

A conversation between Ted and Michelle goes south really quickly, with Michelle botching her reaction to the revelation that Ted is in a queer poly relationship. He panics, terrified that Michelle could withhold Henry from him, but is able to keep himself together enough to reach out to Rebecca for help

Rebecca has to process the realization that Ted has deep-seated fears about mortality that relate to his father’s death and his fear of leaving Henry prematurely (or maybe he already has), but instead of giving in to how scary it is to hear Ted talk about his own death during his panic attack, she stays calm and takes care of him, and they end the night having sex with the promise that in the morning Roy and Keeley will join them and they’ll all be together to continue processing everything that’s happened, and planning Henry’s party, and doing the best they can

I totally knew it was gonna feel a little intense to end the story a) with a really painful intrusion into their happiness and b) while Ted and Rebecca are literally in the middle of having sex. But I wanted the midpoint of sex being the end of the story to kind of imply that things are still going to keep happening even after the story is done. And because we already know they’re committed to making this work out within the love square, the real happy ending of the story is Ted and Rebecca’s ability to weather this panic-inducing experience even if it’s obvious there will be many more challenges ahead. I wanted it both ways: to suggest a long and complicated future that these four humans are capable of weathering together, and to conclude the story with one of the most intimate and lovely things humans can do together.

I also made a decision about halfway through writing this story that even though there would be a decent amount of sex and allusions to sexual experiences, there would be no descriptions of orgasms in this story. I mean, the love square is having great sex. They are having orgasms. But I didn’t want to actually describe those moments of heightened build-up and release because I wanted the increasingly challenging self-communication and communication with others to feel like leveling up. This is actually a somewhat embarrassing sentence to write, but the real climax of the story is Ted mustering up the strength to call Rebecca during his panic attack and Rebecca arriving to be with him. I didn’t want any physical climaxes to muddle it up or get confused with the triumphs of communication.

Anyway, I told you this meta would be self-indulgent. I fucking adored writing this series. While there are things I could have done differently and things I might indeed do differently if I were to write this as a better writer some number of years in the future, I was able to accomplish what I wanted in this moment, and I’m so glad I had the experience of writing a callback to the little murmur of “barbecue sauce” in 1x8, which is my favorite moment of Ted Lasso so far and possibly the most wonderfully written shorthand for home I’ve ever witnessed.

#ted lasso #meta by me #(barbecue sauce)#writer things #about me

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supernaturallyobsessedchic · 4 years ago

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Emergency! Part 4

Part 4 – Treehouse

Summary: A boy with an inner ear condition can’t hear and is trapped in a treehouse. Cas has a fear of heights, thankfully someone knows sign language. Dean and the reader head out on their vacation, a camping trip. But their trip is cut short when a fire breaks out, they turn into victims really quick.

Warnings: Smut (p in v, unprotected (wrap it up boys), shower sex), language, suspense, scary situations, fluff.

Word Count: 3,776

Series Masterlist

Main Masterlist

Mobile Masterlist

a/n: First time writing suspense, please let me know what you thought of this part. Feedback is much appreciated.

Dean was up before Y/N’s alarm gone off.

She always got up to her alarm despite being off work today.

Laying on his side, killing some time he played with her hair. His mind wondering.

Where would he be without her? Can he imagine his life with her?

He’d be lost without her; he can’t live a day of his life without her. Not since the day they met in the hospital.

She stirred awake.

“Morning handsome.” She says groggily as she tries to wake up.

“Morning beautiful.” He says with a soft smile on his face. His hand still playing with her hair.

He wishes he didn’t have to work; he wish he could just stay like this.

“What’s going on?” she asked when he stilled, his gaze absent as he stared off into space.

“Move in with me.”

“Okay.”

“Really?” he asks, shocked.

“Yeah, I was going to ask you at some point, but yes really. I want to live with you Dean.”

He smiles, leaning in to give her a loving kiss on her soft lips.

Their lips began to dance along with one another, slowly heating up.

“Dean, you got to get ready for work, I don’t want you late.”

“You’re right, why not come in with us? Wouldn’t hurt having a nurse with us on a call.”

“I don’t see why not. Gives me something to do today.” She says, getting up out of bed.

“Did you shower yet?” she asks.

“Nope, I got up early and just didn’t make it out of bed.”

“Let’s shower together, save water.”

“Or waste it.”

“Dean, I don’t think having sex in the shower would be safe.”

“You’d be safe with me.”

“Coming from someone who is in the hospital more than his own team.”

“Hey what can I say, I’m a hero.” He smirks.

“My hero.” She returns a smirk.

They head into the bathroom, undressing and stepping into the shower as the water warmed up. The cool water waking them up quickly.

Just as they finished washing their hair, Dean’s hands wondered her back as she stood in front of him beginning to wash her body.

Though the water was not too hot but hot enough, goosebumps formed on her shoulder and arms as his fingertips ghost across her back.

She turns to face him. Their lips meeting in a heated and needy kiss.

He lifts her up, she wraps her legs around his waist, feeling his growing hard cock between her folds.

“Better make it quick Dean, don’t want to be late.” She pants against his lips, pulling away slightly from their kiss.

“Quick is my middle name.” he says, adjusting her so he could use a free hand and guide his member through her wet folds.

His hips began a fast rhythm. Hitting all sorts of sweet spots within her.

Her head in the crook of his neck as a moan escaped her.

“Dean.” She whines.

“Almost baby, go for it.”

And a few more thrusts and her walls clamped down hard around him, throwing him through his high.

As his thrust began to slow to a stop, the water began to cool down, and they stared intently at each other.

“I love you baby girl.”

“I love you too baby.”

“Y/N, it’s good to see you, what brings you here to our lovely station 51?” John asked as Dean and Y/N walked in.

“A little separation anxiety.” She says in a joking tone. John chuckling rolling his eyes.

“I wouldn’t be surprised; Dean won’t shut up about you.” Gabe says with a coy smirk.

“Good, good to know I’ve made an impression him.” She says looking up at Dean with a smile.

Dean kissing her on the check. Gabe making a fake gagging noise.

“Need to get that image out of my head.” He jokes.

“You don’t want Aphrodite to find out about being a fuck buddy?” Dean asks with a dark smile.

“I’ll stop teasing you guys. I’ll tease Cas then.” Gab says walking toward the kitchen off next to the garage in another room.

“Thanks.” Cas says rolling his eyes.

“Just roll with it and he’ll get bored.” Dean suggests.

The alarm going off just as the sun breached the horizon.

“Squad 51 person trapped. 465 Courtly boulevard. Cross street Hartley Court.”

“Want to ride along?” Dean asks.

“If it’s alright with John.”

“It’s okay, you’re a nurse, could be of use to my boys on the call.”

“Then, I’m coming along.” She says with an excited smile.

“Then lets hit it babe.”

They arrived to the location, walking to the side door.

“Over here!” the lady waved out.

“You called?” Cas asked.

“I am, it’s my son Brad. He has a condition, Ménière's disease.”

“That’s a disease of the inner ear.” Y/N says.

“Yes, he ran away last night and heard him crying out.”

“Where is he?” Dean asked.

The mother looked up to the neighbors treehouse.

“Oh god.” The nurse gasped.

“He had to have had a drop attack, he’s has been quiet for some time now.”

“Dean, they also suffer from vertigo really bad and suffer hearing loss.” y/n warned.

“Oh, when Brad has a bad attack and can’t hear for some time, we’ve all learned sign language.” The mother pointed out.

“I know sign, Dean, I can go up with you to check on the boy.” Y/N says.

“Cas you want to go up with Y/N?” Dean asked.

“Um, no thanks man, you go ahead.”

“What, why?”

“Dude, I can’t do treehouses.”

“I’m not Michael, I’m not Gabe. No one is going to mess with you or hurt you.”

“Don’t care Dean, I just can’t bring myself to do that.”

“Dean, it’s okay. You and I can do it.”

“Alright, Cas, we’ll tell you his vitals, communicate it to Rampart okay.” Dean says.

“You got it.” Cas says, setting down the drug box.

“Dean we might need the station to get here with the stokes and some latter’s.”

“Call them for assistance.” Dean says.

Cas nods and gets on to the radio.

Y/N Grabbed a hanging rope to climb to a make-shift latter made on the tree leading up to the treehouse. Dean followed not far behind.

They emerged from the trap door entering the treehouse. She saw him laying on his stomach, knees curled into his chest.

He looked to be in his early teens.

“Hey, son, I’m Y/N, I’m a nurse. Are you okay?” she asks.

He didn’t respond.

She went to face him; she shook his shoulder gently. He looked up at her, his eyes wondering in a manor as if he just got done spinning.

That’s vertigo for ya. She thought.

She signed, spelling out. “Are you okay?”

He began to sign back to her.

“I can’t hear, and the world is spinning.”

“It’s vertigo, it’ll pass eventually. But my paramedic friend here, and I, we’re here to help you.”

“Please.”

“Don’t worry honey, we will. Keep your eyes closed, and lay on your side. We’ll help.” She signed.

“Dean, lets get him on his side.”

“Alright.” Dean helps moving the boys legs to allow him to lay in a fettle position.

Y/N checked his pupils response. “Pupils react naturally to light.” She notes.

Dean began to work on getting his blood pressure.

“How’s his BP?”

“Normal, 117 over 75.”

“Cas!” Y/N shouts down. “You got Rampart on?”

“I do!”

“Pupils react normal, BP 117 over 75. Currently experiencing vertigo and can’t hear.”

Cas gave the thumbs up and began to relay it to Rampart Hospital.

“Wonder why Cas won’t come up here despite being high up in other places?” Dean wondered.

“It’s childhood trauma. If something happened in a treehouse that traumatized Cas, he’s going to stay away from treehouses at all cost.”

“I almost want to throttle Michael and Gabe for whatever they did to Cas that scared him this bad.”

“There may be no getting better, best case scenario, we get him in a treehouse, have nothing happen to him during his time in it. Warm him up to it. Worst case, he keeps staying away from treehouses all together, not wanting to get better.”

Dean nodded as he heard the sirens of engine 51 approach the house.

“Dean!” John shouted.

“Yes sir!”

“We’re getting the stokes up to you now, catch the rope okay.”

“Got it!”

The threw one end of the rope up, working on lifting the stokes, a basket they can use to lower the patient in safely.

Y/N helped get the boy into the stokes, strapping him in, and covering him with a yellow tarp blanket.

“Okay, keep your hands in here, and keep your eyes closed.” y/n signed.

“Okay.” The boy says with a nod.

They carefully lowered the boy down and another station with an ambulance responded onto the scene to transport the boy to the hospital.

“I’ll go down first sweetheart; in case anything were to happen.”

“Oh, you worry wort. Come on, lets go.” She says with a sweet smile. Dean returning it as he climbed down.

“Sweetheart be careful, this handle got knocked lose somehow.” Dean warned.

“Gotchya.” She says as she continued to climb down.

Dean jumped the remaining way down, feet landing with a soft thud.

Her foot felt the handle Dean warned wobble under her weight. She slowly lowered herself to the next handle when she heard it creak.

And before she knew it her foot fell with the broken handle. Her hand not letting go of the other handle.

“Ow, god dang that hurt.” She grunted as her weight was caught by her hands, catching her from falling.

She tried to get her footing on the tree, but her feet kept slipping.

“Babe, just let go, I’ll get you.” Dean shouted.

She saw Dean stand below her and she took the chance and let go.

Sure enough, she felt his hands catch her from losing her balance as she landed.

“You okay?”

“Hurt my hands a bit, but I’ll live.” She says showing him her hands.

“You got some splinters in there, lets head to the squad and I’ll patch you up really quick.” Dean says.

At the back of the squad truck Dean pulled up the drug box, grabbing the tweezers and working on getting the splinters of wood out of the skin of her hand.

“Wood must have been rotten.” She says as Dean pulled out a sliver of wood.

One after another.

“It felt like it. They must get that fixed before anyone else goes climbing in that tree again.” Dean says.

She couldn’t help but admire Dean as he worked on her. Her gaze stayed fixated on Dean.

“I feel you staring.” He says with a smile.

“Good, you know that I’m admiring you.” She says with a loving smile.

He looked up to meet her gaze, giving her a chaste yet loving kiss. And worked on bandaging her hands up.

“You scraped up your hands pretty good, better be safe.” He says.

“Now where would I be with you Dean?”

“Lost.” He answers with a sweet smile, kissing her cheek.

“Seems to me we both would be lost without each other.”

“Damn right baby.”

“Dean go home, your shift’s over.” John ordered.

“I better help Y/N pack.”

“When are you two gonna be up at the cabin?”

“Hopefully by tomorrow afternoon. Is it just the deck you want me to work on?”

“Yeah, the stairs and rails are bad. I just need you to replace them.”

“Will do dad.”

“Keep your girl from walking on the deck. I don’t want her getting hurt.”

“I’ll try dad. She’s pretty stubborn.”

“She’s just independent. That’s different. Drive safe you two and call me if you need anything.”

“Will do dad, see ya.”

Dean hurried to the Impala to hurry home to pack for he and Y/N’s first camping trip together.

Dean packed his duffle and supplies quickly before heading to Y/N’s apartment. Dean, letting himself in.

“Baby, you ready to go, we need to beat traffic.”

“Just about, I just want to make sure I have everything.”

“It’s almost that time of the month isn’t it?”

“Yeah, I’m due in a few days and I don’t want it sneaking on me.” She says, coming out with her duffle and bag of toiletries.

“How is it camping if we’re gonna be staying at your dad’s cabin?”

“Oh, there’s old style camping and there’s Winchester Style camping.” He says with a smirk.

“Oh, and I take it this is the Winchester Style?”

“You know it. Now lets hit it if we want to get there before sundown.”

“Right, I know. I’m ready, let’s go.”

They had arrived sooner than anticipated, allowing Dean to start working on the deck early.

Y/N finding everything in the kitchen, getting the gas on to be able to cook lunch. Keeping all the drinks in the cooler while the fridge started cooling off.

Dean had managed to get plenty of gas for the generator so they could have the basic necessities.

Y/N keeping it simple with hot roast beef sandwich melts. Dean having already dismantled a good portion of the deck.

“Dean, want to take a break and rehydrate?”

“I spy good food.” He says from his latter by the deck’s ledge.

“And its getting cold, come on. Eat up and you can finish.” She says placing the plate on the table.

Dean coming around the house entering from the front door.

“Working hard?”

“Think I’ll be done with the rails by tonight hopefully. And I can start the stairs tomorrow. Then our fun can really start.” Dean says with a smirk.

“Oh, we’ll scare so many animals out of this forest.” She giggles.

“It’s a promise, I want to play and see if I can’t make you scream.” Dean growls in her ear, kissing at the base of her ear. Sending shivers down her spine.

“I’ll hold you to it.” she says. Kissing Dean on the lips as he pulled away from her neck.

“Dean!” y/n shouted.

Dean looked around, didn’t see her anywhere around him.

Until he looked behind him. He saw her standing by a clearing. They could see the mountains in the far distance, and the rolling hills in combination. Even the dark ribbon of road that wound its way around the hills and into the mountains of the park.

“What is it?” he asks. Walked to her side.

“Look.” She says.

Dean followed her gaze. They can see what looked like smoke coming behind a mountain.

“We don’t exactly have cell service out here sweetheart, and I didn’t bring my radio. I wouldn’t worry. No one has come out here to tell us of any wildfires in the area. We should be fine.”

“You sure.”

Dean looked back out to the smoke. The wind was still. Dean tried to guess if the fire was even under control or not.

“No, but worrying never helps. We’ll worry once we cross that bridge.”

They went to bed that night, sound asleep, when a gust of wind gently began to pick up.

“Dean!” y/n shouted.

Her screams were faint. Dean shot out of bed with a jolt.

“Y/N!” He shouted trying to find her.

She was no where in sight in the cabin.

He found her in the same place as yesterday, staring of in the now smoky distance.

He rushed outside to find flames closer than yesterday.

“We need to leave.” He says urgency in his eyes and tone.

“Dean, the fire is crossing where we have to get back into town.”

“There are other ways into LA, but we need to get out of the path. Like now.”

“It wasn’t this bad yesterday.”

“My guess is the wind picked up last night. And a spark carried on this far. Could be a separate fire, I mean we are in a drought.”

“California is always in a drought when aren’t we in one.”

Dean shrugs. Good point.

“Yeah, well these things happen fast when the wind isn’t on your side. Now, pack back up and we leave. Now.” Dean ordered.

They ran inside, hearing sirens as they entered.

“It’s a deputy, pack and I’ll talk to him.”

Y/N ran fast to their room they slept in, packing quickly making sure not to leave anything behind.

“I radioed station 51, they’ve responded to the fire.” Dean says behind her.

“You have an escape route in mind?”

“I do, I just hope it’s far enough away from the fire.”

They rushed their items to Y/N’s car, Dean’s 67 Impala unable to handle the rugged terrain.

Dean getting in the driver seat and driving quickly but safely out of the park.

“Dean, there are flames here too.”

“I see that y/n, just stay calm.”

“I’m trying, kind of hard when Hell just rose.”

“Joys of being a firefighter.”

Dean tried to weave his way around traffic who were also trying to leave.

Traffic coming to a standstill.

“The flames are getting closer.” Dean mumbles to himself.

“What do we do?”

“Wait here, I’m gonna see what’s going on.”

Dean puts the car in park, putting the hazard lights on. Getting out to scout ahead to see what was stopping traffic.

He saw a woman in distress and panic.

“Ma’am, I need you to stay calm, I’m a fireman and paramedic, what’s wrong?”

“It’s my daughter, she has asthma, and she’s having an asthma attack and we didn’t bring her inhaler. We forgot it in a panic.”

“It’s okay, my girlfriend is a nurse, everything’s gonna be okay.”

Dean hurries back to the car, getting to Y/N’s side.

“What is it?”

“A car stopped ahead, a mother just needing help. Her daughter has asthma, and is having an attack but no inhaler.”

Not saying anything she follows Dean to the distressed mother.

“We forgot her inhaler!” the mother cried as they approached.

“It’s okay,” Y/N assures.

She see’s the girl hunched, clutching her chest.

“’Kay, honey, I’m a nurse, I need you to sit up straight as straight as you possibly can.”

The girl tried her best.

“Take long deep breaths for me okay,”

The girl nods and tries her best attempt.

“Okay.” She tells the girl. Then turning to the mother.

“Dean, how much farther?”

“I need a radio to see where this fire ends.”

“I have a drone.” A teen boy, possibly early twenties.

“Get it out and fly it straight up give us a birds eye view.” Dean orders.

The drone being up in the air for a quick minute Dean could see this is going to be a never ending battle. They just need to get to the emergency vehicles.

“I can see where the fire trucks are. But its still a ways out. And with this wind the fire is going to be chasing us.” Dean says as the boy lowered his drone.

“Stay on this road, go straight. Don’t stop. We all need to get out of here.” Dean orders the woman.

The mother nodded, getting into their car and driving off.

“Dean, are we going to make it?”

“We need to hurry, then maybe we will.”

Everyone rushing to their cars, coughing at the increased smoke in the air as the fire neared them. Everyone speeding their way out of the flames as best as they could.

After a few miles around a bend.

“Dean!”

Dean slammed the breaks to a screeching halt.

“Rockslide.”

“Damn it,” Dean cursed. “Did you see any roads back there?”

“No, none.”

“Shit!” Dean cursed again, slamming a fist on the steering wheel.

“What if we go on foot? How far are we?”

“It’s not safe, all this smoke in the air. And the wind is not letting up.”

“Moving the rocks on our own?”

“Maybe the small ones, get it to a single lane.” Dean says, putting the car in park.

Y/N got out to help Dean move rocks off the side of the road, other drivers doing the same.

Everyone began to struggle with the smoke, even Y/N couldn’t stand up right with her coughing fits.

“Hang in there sweetheart, we almost got it clear.”

“I know,” she coughs.

Just as they saw the road open up from their hard work, the flames were a few feet away.

“Dean!”

“Get in the car! Drive don’t stop!”

“Hopefully there’s not another rockslide.” y/n mumbles, loud enough for Dean to hear.

Everyone hurries to their cars; Dean not even bother with a seatbelt he puts it in drive and presses hard on the accelerator. The tires screeching against the pavement. Y/N not paying any mind to it. Their lives were at stake.

“Cap, they’re saying that’s everyone.” Gabe says. After talking with the other stations and police deputies.

“No word from Dean? Or Y/N? They were up at cabin?”

“A deputy saw them leaving and that was an hour or so ago.”

Before he could worry more, he heard roaring car engines speeding past. One honking it’s horn.

John seeing his son and his girlfriend in the car. Coughing but alive.

“Dad!” Dean shouts getting out of the car, coughing.

“Dean, Y/N, you’re okay!” John says. “Get these two on oxygen now!” He ordered.

A paramedic from another station coming by with two tanks and masks. Giving them each one.

At the hospital, Dean and Y/N both having a room while under observation for slight smoke inhalation.

Y/N asleep at his side as they sat in Dean’s bed.

“Alright, you two are free to go.” Jack says coming in with their chart.

“Good, we’re exhausted.” Dean says. Y/N stirring awake.

“We good?” she asks with a yawn. Before letting out a cough.

“Yeah, you’re good. I think you can recover at home now. But if you don’t feel right, come back in.” Jack insisted.

“Will do, thanks Jack.” Dean says.

“Don’t scare us like that again Y/N, you’re one of my best RN’s, it’s be a catastrophe if we lost you.”

“I wouldn’t let that happen.” Dean says.

“I’m sure you won’t. But you’re one of 51’s finest. Just be safe next time okay.”

They smiled with a nod.

“Go on and get home, and get some rest.”

They got up gathering their things.

“When do you want to move in?”

“I thought I already did?”

“You’re apartment still has furniture in it silly. I meant—”

“I know, I was messing with you. ASAP, I want to start living with my man.”

“Then once we’re 100 percent, we’ll get right on it.” Dean says holding her close.

And then maybe, they could work on forever.

A/N: How was it? Let me know, feedback is much appreciated. :)

Dean Girls:

@pandazombie69, @luci-in-trenchcoats, @supernatural-jackles, @becs-bunker, @evansrogerskitten, @winchesters-favorite-girl, @mlovesstories, @jayankles, @jeaniespiehs20, @akshi8278, @flamencodiva, @anotherspnfanfic, @megzdoodle, @lyarr24

Copying and reposting someone else’s content is plagiarism and illegal. This work is property of supernaturallyobsessedchic. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. These works contain material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of these works may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author / publisher. An electronic reference link to the original posted work may be provided for purposes of promotion or assistance of publication by the readers discretion, if proper credits are given to the author in the re-post. 3/24/2021

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izzyfandoms · 4 years ago

Text

The Colour In Your Eyes

SHIPS: Patmile

CHARACTERS: Emile Picani, Patton Sanders

WARNING: Nothing

GENERAL TAGLIST: @quillfics42 @aj-draws @phantomofthesanderssides @phlying-squirrel @sly-is-my-name-loving-is-my-game @because-were-fam-ily @imtryingthisout @a-creepycookie @emo-disaster @littlestr @spooky-scary-virgil @fuyel @mimsidoodles @soupgremlin @aroaceagenderfluid @birdsbookshiddeninrealbirdsskin @quirkalurk @gingers-trashy-stuff @iinyxtello @justaqueercactus @melodiread @mrbubbajones @glassferns @pun-master-logan @gayturtlez

Masterpost

A Series Of Soulmate AUs Masterpost

Emile was always daydreaming about colours.

He’d read as much as he could about them, memorised every little description he could find and asked anyone he knew who could see them to tell him the colours of everything around him.

He knew of the warmth of red – the way it was like sun on your skin, anger and love and everything hot and burning. He knew of the coolness of blue – like sky and water, all that was wet and cool and calm. He knew of the life of green: vegetables and vegetation and the way you could practically taste the colour on your tongue when you ate your greens.

He knew exactly how every colour felt, had a basic idea of what each of them looked like, but he had never seen one.

His vision was grey, just like everyone else who had a soulmate but had never met them. Some people were born with the colours in their eyes, but Emile was not one of them.

He was glad he had a soulmate, and he was so, so excited to meet them, but he was just as excited to finally get to see the colours: to watch all his favourite cartoons the way they were meant to be watched, to see life the way it was always meant to be seen. He couldn’t wait for the moment the world turned bright and vibrant.

So, it was strange that the moment that colours first filled his vision, he almost didn’t notice them.

He was lost in a pair of soft, grey eyes.

The prettiest eyes he’d ever seen.

But then, he noticed the pink at the corners of the whites of the eyes – a colour he’d never seen, but one he’d researched and knew the name of. The cheeks were pink, too, as were the parted lips, and the hair was light and curly and a colour that Emile assumed was blond. There was freckles across the bridge of his nose, and Emile suddenly realised that he’d leant in much closer the moment he realised that he could finally see the colours.

It was okay, though, because the other man had leant in just as much, too, so close that it would’ve only taken a slight movement for their noses to bump and their glasses to collide.

(In the past, when Emile had imagined meeting his soulmate, he’d always thought that he’d spend minutes, possibly even hours, looking around at his surroundings and taking in all of the colours. But, right now, all he could do was stare at the other man. There was nothing else he wanted to look at.)

“Wow,” the other man breathed, finally snapping Emile out of his daze and prompting him to take a step back, out of his soulmate’s space. “You’re my soulmate.”

He sounded so, so happy, which was a mood reflected exactly in Emile’s heart, and Emile couldn’t help but let out a delighted laugh and beam at him. He opened his mouth to speak, and what he’d meant to say was ‘they’re so pretty,’ referring to the colours that had blossomed in front of him, but something else came out instead.

“You’re so pretty,” he said softly, and then his eyes widened and his hand flew up to cover his mouth when he realised what he’d just said.

His soulmate blinked at him, startled, before he brought his hand up to his mouth and giggled.

Emile’s heart skipped a beat in his chest, and he suddenly felt all warm and fuzzy inside, as that laugh was now his new favourite sound.

“Gosh, you’re just- wow,” Emile’s soulmate smiled sweetly, before he held his hand out for Emile to shake. “I’m Patton,” he introduced himself. “Patton Sanders. You?”

Emile took Patton’s hand without hesitation, shaking it. “Emile Picani.”

“Emile...” Patton repeated slowly, like he was savouring the name. “That’s a pretty name.”

“Thank you.”

“So, Emile,” Patton said, smiling. “Are you doing anything today?”

“Nope, it’s my day off.”

“Great! Can I take you out, then?”

“I’d love that,” Emile said genuinely, with a soft smile that matched Patton’s exactly.

“Oh, wonderful!” Patton beamed, but when he opened his mouth to continue talking, likely about the date, he suddenly cut himself off with widened eyes when he finally took his eyes off of Emile’s face. “Oh my gosh, look at all the colours!”

That prompted Emile to do the same thing, and he was no less astonished and amazed when he took in all of the colours around them. The world had never been more vibrant, and it had never been more beautiful.

The first thing Emile looked at was the sky. The fluffy white clouds were the same as they’d always been, but this time against a backdrop of a colour he knew was named ‘blue,’ inside of grey. It was the exact same colour of the polo-shirt Patton wore, under his grey and white cat hoodie. The bricks of the nearby buildings were a warm dark colour he assumed was red. The grass and the bushes in the park across the road were a colour he knew was green. The flowers in the windows of the shop they were stood in front of were all kinds of colours, and now far more pretty than Emile had ever found them before.

He looked down at himself, and found he really liked the colour of his tie – which his brother had called pink: like red, but lighter.

“Those flowers are gorgeous!” Patton said, sounding just as breathless and amazed as Emile felt as he admire the flowers that Emile had just looked at.

Emile straightened up. “I’m going to buy you a bouquet,” he announced.

Patton turned back to him. “Aww, really?”

“Yup! Come on.”

Emile hesitated for a moment, before he held his hand out to Patton. Patton took it immediately, and Emile found that his hand was warm and soft and he never wanted to let go of it again. Emile squeezed his hand, and Patton squeezed his back.

As they pushed the store door open and stepped inside, Patton spoke up again.

“Do you like puns?” He asked.

“Of course, I like puns! Who doesn’t?”

“How about dad jokes?”

“They’re the best kind!”

“Wow, you really are my soulmate, huh?” Patton joked, and Emile laughed.

“Do you like cartoons?” Emile asked.

Patton nodded eagerly. “Of course!”

“Disney?”

“Yup! I’ve got all of their songs stuck in my head, like, all the time.”

Emile beamed. “Oh my gosh, we have got to have a movie marathon some time.”

“I’ll bring the popcorn!”

“It’s a date!”

They stopped in front of the flowers, and Emile found that they were all much prettier and more vibrant up close. They weren’t as gorgeous as Patton, of course, but Emile got the feeling that that was pretty much impossible.

“Which ones are your favourite?” He asked Patton, gesturing with his free hand.

Patton hummed, looking them over. “Gosh, I really don’t know! They’re just all so gorgeous, you know? Who knew that colours were so beautiful!”

“Yeah,” Emile nodded in agreement. “Ooh, how about these ones? They’re the most colourful.”

“Oh, they’re so pretty!” Patton agreed. “But, dang, you know, I really wish I knew the names of all these colours. They’re all so pretty!”

Emile picked up the bouquet with his free hand, looking it over. He then pointed awkwardly at one of the flowers with the hand still in Patton’s. It likely would’ve been easier to point if he let go of Patton’s hand, but he definitely didn’t want to do that.

“I think this one is blue,” he said. “It matches the sky – same as your polo-shirt.”

Patton looked down at his shirt as if he hadn’t noticed it. “Oh, you’re right. I think this is my favourite, it’s so pretty!” He then looked back up at Emile, meeting his eyes and giving him a soft smile. “And it’s the same colour as your eyes.”

Emile smiled back. “Yeah, my brother told me that.”

“Oh, you have a brother?”

“Yup! His name is Remy, he’s three years older than me and he’s gotta be the coolest person I’ve ever met. He met his soulmate, Logan, when they were twelve, so he’s been telling me about colours for a while.”

“Aww, that’s sweet. I have a brother, too. His name’s Virgil and he doesn’t have a soulmate so he’s always been able to see them. He’s my roommate, and he keeps telling me that the colours of my socks always clash, but I think I prefer them that way.”

Emile looked down at their feet, and saw that Patton’s socks were two different colours, one that he recognised as a dark blue, and the other that he didn’t know the name of, though it was bright and looked like the opposite of blue, so he assumed it was orange. The blue one had many differently-sized white spots across it, and the orange was covered with dark and light grey cat faces.

He loved them.

Emile smiled at him again. “I like them.”

Patton beamed. “And are those foxes on your socks? Where did you get them?”

“I’ll have to ask Remy, he got these for my birthday,” Emile said, before gesturing with the bouquet he still held. “So, these flowers, do you like them?”

“Oh, yes, they’re perfect.”

As the pair made their way to the checkout for Emile to pay for the flowers, Patton squeezed Emile’s hand to catch his attention.

“Hey, what do you call a girl with a frog on her head?”

“What?”

“Lily!”

Emile laughed, and Patton gave him the fondest look imaginable, seeming incredibly pleased with himself and his pun.

“Okay, okay,” Emile said. “Why did the woman not like camping?”

“Why?”

“Because she found it too in-tents!” Emile laughed at his own joke. “Get it, ‘cos you camp in tents?”

Patton giggled. “Ooh, what do you call it when two flowers start falling in love?”

“I don’t know, what do you call it?”

“A budding romance!”

“Aww, that one’s cute.”

The cashier gave them an amused look as they handed her the flowers and she scanned them.

“First date?”

“Yeah,” Emile said. “How’d you guess?”

“You guys just have the look,” she said, as Emile handed her the money.

“Yeah, uh...” Patton gave Emile a fond look, squeezing his hand. “We’re actually soulmates. We just met.”

She smiled at them as she handed Emile the flowers. “Aww, that’s sweet. Well, I hope you have a nice date.”

“Thank you,” Emile smiled at her.

The couple walked away, and the moment they stepped out of the shop, they stopped. Emile turned to Patton, and made a show of dramatically handing him the bouquet. Patton giggled, taking them happily.

“You’re quite the gentleman, aren’t you?”

“Oh, they’re just flowers,” Emile responded. “You haven’t seen anything yet.”

“Well, I can’t wait.”

Patton held the flowers up to his nose, taking a deep breath and then sighing happily.

(Emile had been smiling so much he could already feel his face start to ache. But it was impossible to stop: it was impossible to keep his immeasurable joy from bubbling up. He and Patton had only just met, but he was already excited to spend the rest of his life with him. That voice was already his favourite sound, and that smile was already his favourite sight.)

“So,” Patton squeezed his hand, and Emile automatically squeezed back. “How about ice cream?”

“Sounds great.”

“Okay! There’s a place just a few streets away, I go there basically every week. The ice cream’s just so good!”

Emile nodded, and Patton immediately began walking in the direction of the ice cream place, gently tugging Emile along. Emile went along with no complaint, and he already knew he would follow that man anywhere, to the ends of the earth.

When Patton glanced back over his shoulder to smile at him, he caught another glimpse of those pretty grey eyes, and he couldn’t help but smile back.

Emile had been daydreaming about colours since he was old enough to daydream, but never had he once considered that his favourite colour would end up being grey.

#me #writing #patmile #momile #sanders sides #cartoon therapy #emile picani #patton sanders #fluff #human au

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techouspeaks · 4 years ago

Text

Real Rip-Offs!: Fate: The Winx Saga

It’s the infamous show that takes the magic of Winx and flushes it down the toilet! May contain spoilers.

Where the frick do I even begin with this? Like what the hell!?

Like everyone else, when I saw the teasers and trailers for this I wasn’t too thrilled with the whole thing, but I decided I’ll give it a watch and boy...this is bad. Really really bad! Omg! Not very long into the first episode and already I wanted to turn it off! I usually get that feeling within maybe the second or third episode of a show but no! This was bad even from the beginning.

Let’s put a side the blatant obvious issue with replacing Musa and Flora’s race, which Captain Marvel kinda already did that. She was black for a while then they made her white again. No one gave a dang but okay. Priorities I suppose. But this series does things that fails already on arrival.

First, we’re introduced to Bloom AFTER she finds out her powers. Yup! We’re just thrown in there like Mummy Returns, she’s like boop! We’re there! Right after a farmer gets killed by something called a “Burned One” right at the beginning! A blatant shadow monster you only end up seeing in the distance in the shadows. When I first played the episode, I thought I accidentally played an episode of Goosebumps at first and I mean it in that sense. It wasn’t scary, it was pathetic! Are You Afraid of the Dark had more nightmare fuel and that show was on Nickelodeon!

The dialog already dated! Bloom actually says the word “mansplaining” and is already a total b@#$ to Sky and they haven’t even dated! Gosh, at least when Bloom had troubles with Sky they at least established they’re dating! Despite the whole “feminist” agenda, Bloom is a freakin moron and needs to be saved by Aisha and a teacher. The whole use of smartphones, at least in the older series, they made up their own tech so the series could take place at any time.

Let’s not forget the wonderful, unique personalities of each of our favorite girls (except Techna) has been replaced with “troubled teen with parent/social issues”. Like every single girl in this is awful! There’s no good guy to root for!

Like I don’t expect teens to be happy all the time. I suffer mental health problems including anxiety! I know that depression isn’t about being sad all the time either! I have friends who have it! My teen years weren’t the greatest and I wouldn’t relive those years either. However, even with all that, the way this show depicts emotional troubles and mental health, it makes it seem like if you’re not troubled all the time and you’re not moping about your problems more often than not, you don’t have mental health issues or emotional problems!

There’s taking light of it where characters don’t seem to face real issues and then there’s over exaggerating it and this does just that. It over exaggerates what teen life and mental health is like.

Not to mention, but none of the characters seem likeable cuz again, there unique personalities were replaced with “troubled teen”. You don’t even to know their names. The only thing that sets them apart is the reason why they’re miserable and the boys, don’t get me started with them. Just a heartthrob with no brain that has to back down when a girl gets mad at them cuz girls can’t be strong unless the man backs down to let her be. Which is the opposite of what that whole girl power agenda is.

News flash, a woman isn’t strong if they run into danger without a brain. Like they don’t need to be super smart but at least know how to think on their feet. That’s what old Bloom did at least and a woman isn’t strong if the man has to back down for her. What made Mulan (1999) a strong character was cuz the guys didn’t back down on her. She had to learn to fight and never gave up on it. Same with Bloom and the other girls of the old series. They fought a long side the dudes and saw them as equal. They didn’t use “mansplaining” cuz girls and guys were equal.

There’s also no comradery. I get that in the first episode, the Winx weren’t that close yet in the old series, but they at least weren’t mean to each other. They at least were chilled with each other, were polite with one another and thus would already be comfortable around each other. You could be friend any of the old girls and get a long with them fine. Had any one treat me the way these new girls did back in my day in school, I wouldn’t have befriended a single one! Everyone’s so riled up in their own personal problems and they just act mean that, even when they’re trying to sympathize with each other, it all comes across as insincere.

I get teens can be mean. I wasn’t always nice either but not this mean. Everyone gets so offended and that’s the thing. The boys get a long with each other fine. The girls always act like they’re ready to slit each other’s throat and already to mope about something or get mad about something. So basically this is the stereotype of what people think feminism is. Girls are total emotional which is somehow a personality, “so much better than the boys” and the guys are laidback idiots with “duh” as a personality.

I was even shock that the replacement for Flora “Terra”, nearly kills Riven by hanging him by vine. Like, she down right tries to kill him! That’s attempted murder, yet it’s brushed a side for whatever dang reason! Flora wouldn’t do this, not even to her enemies! She would get mad but she would never use her powers against someone that clearly wasn’t an enemy and even then, she wouldn’t go that far. If murderous tendencies counts as strong, the people who made this show and the people who agree with that scene, need serious therapy!

Flora was strong cuz she was kind. She used her abilities to the best of her own, stood up even when she was scared and showed kindness to even people being mean to her. That takes a lot of skill and to some that’s “unrealistic”. Well you know what? It is realistic! I know people who do their best to avoid conflict and always stay kind cuz kindness is a rare thing!

Now and I know people who attack people for hating Terra cuz they believe it’s body shaming if you do, but no! I don’t like Terra not cuz she’s not skinny. I shame on her cuz she like her I would say friends but more so they’re enemies under the same roof, are stereotypical “my life is bad or it isn’t perfect so I must act like a rude, stuck up brat and mope around a lot” and for showing that murderous tendencies = edgy and strong, which is dangerous. Sure, it was a quick moment and but I’m with Riven, he could have died and who knows, what if Riven had asthma or other breathing problems, Terra doesn’t know!

I also watched where Bloom finally gains her wings and the effects for that is so bad, even the effects for Power Rangers are more credible despite this series being a “adult version”.

This series is just bad! It’s not even fun kind of bad. All the characters are either mean or stupid or both, you can’t root for them. No one has a personality outside edgy, stupid or troubled teen. Has dialog and themes that make it dated on arrival. The school and settings are uninspiring. The effects are down right pathetic! The outfits are ugly! Not even as a teen would I wear stuff like that and I wore some tacky choices. I’m a 90s girl, I had tacky stuff but man! Bloom half the time looks like she’s wearing curtains from a haunted mansion and not even from the Haunted Mansion. More like a frumpy, sad knock off version of the movie.

Yeah, this series is the worst! It’s not even just the controversial stuff that makes it bad. It’s just all around bad in everything it gives! I can’t even stand watching a single episode. It’s so bad I don’t even want to use pictures or screenshots of it for this review! I give Fate: The Winx Saga 1 out of 10 stars! I would give it 0 if I could! Just don’t bother! Watch the old Winx and World of Winx cuz those two series for kids are surprisingly more adult than this piece of crap!

Now excuse me while I go enjoy another episode of Aikatsu Planet! At least that show is fun to watch and the characters don’t make me want to slap them!

Also for my rip off reviews I don’t read the notes usually. You can reblog, rant at me and call me whatever, but you’re writing to no one so have fun! If you like this show more power to you! Not everyone wants to worship it though!

#fate winx club #world of winx #winx club #Winx

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bittywitches · 5 years ago

Text

Baby Girl | G.D [Part Two]

Part One

A/N: Sorry for taking an extra day to post this 😬 Brief summary in Part One! Thank you for reading <3

Warnings: Insinuating smut?? I think suggestive is the word lol ; Asthma

Word Count: 5.3K

“What are you doing??”

“Hold still!”

“No, stop!”

“Look, I searched it up, and apparently honey helps! Now stop moving!”

You groaned, finally letting Cameron grab you and hold you steady while she tried to smear some honey onto your burn.

“Ugh, this is gross.”

“Shut up, it’ll help.”

Ethan walked into the kitchen, holding a phone in his hand. “Hey, Cam, I think Angela called-”

He looked up to see what you both were doing, and immediately furrowed his eyebrows.

“What did I just walk in on.”

Cameron rolled her eyes. “Get the fuck out of here.” She snatched the phone away from him, and he shrugged, walking back out to the living room.

Cameron checked her missed calls and tapped on your sister’s name, bringing the phone up to her ear.

“Hey! You called me?”

You heard your sister’s voice mumbling. Cameron looked over to you.

“Is your phone dead? Apparently she tried calling you.”

“Oh shit, I forgot I shut it off so I wouldn’t be distracted. My bad.” She nodded at you, repeating the same thing to Angela.

“So what’s up?” Another series of mumbles, but you were able to make out her saying ‘sorry’ a few times.

“Oh, don’t even worry about it. She’ll be fine. Yea, okay. See you later.” She brought her phone down from her ear, now licking the remaining honey off of her finger tips.

“She said she’s gonna be a bit late to come pick you up. Apparently there was a mix up with one of her clients and she accidentally delivered the wrong cake to the venue.”

“Oh.. okay.” You glanced up at the clock, the time already reading 8:30pm. “Do you know when she’ll be coming?”

“She said she might be a few hours.”

“Oh, you know what I can just take the bus then-”

“No, you can stay here as long as you need.”

You bit your lip. “I don’t wanna impose…”

“Shut up, you’re fine.”

“Cam this isn’t even your house.”

“Well when I’m staying here it might as well be.” She could see you were still tense however, and sighed. “You know I’d call you an uber, but you never seem that comfortable going in those.”

You crossed your arms. “Sorry..”

“No, stop.” She grabbed your arm, pulling you into the living room.

“Cam-”

“Shut up! Just sit.”

You looked up at the room, seeing the twins sitting on opposite sides of the coffee table, staring at the both of you with blank faces because of your sister’s outburst.

Your eyes went to Grayson, who was staring at you with an expression you couldn’t identify. He was relaxed on the couch, an arm draped lazily over the back with his phone in the other hand. He tilted his head at you, raising an eyebrow at your stunned expression, only causing your nerves to go even more haywire. You desperately wanted to just walk over and sit yourself down in his lap, grab his face and kiss him again. Oh, how you needed to feel his lips once more, how you ached for his hands to roam your body. You couldn’t-

“Angela’s gonna be a bit late. That alright with you guys?” Cameron asked, sitting herself down next to Grayson on the sofa, much to your relief but also a bit to your disappointment, nonetheless snapping you out of your daze.

“No problem,” Ethan said, patting the seat next to him on his couch, an inviting smile on his lips. You had to take a second to reroute your brain, but you grinned at his welcoming demeanour, gently placing yourself down next to him. Your eyes shot up quickly to meet with Grayson’s, finding that his eyes were already on you, a gentle smile on his lips. His calm expression was disturbed however, when Cameron shook his shoulder, trying to ask him something.

You turned away from his gaze quickly, looking back over at Ethan. “Sorry, I don’t want to disturb.”

“Oh, don’t worry about it.” He turned a bit in his seat, so he was facing more towards you. “So, Caltech, huh?” He asked with a friendly smile.

“Yep.” You returned it, relaxing a bit. You liked being around Ethan, at least you’d deduced that from the limited amount of interactions you had with him. It felt easy being around him, and you just felt like you could be comfortable in his company.

“Excited to graduate?”

“Oh, definitely.” He raised an eyebrow at you, and you added: “Not that I’m sick of high school or anything; Just ready to get it over with.”

He chuckled. “Yea, I can understand that feeling.”

“Yea?” You fiddled with the end of Grayson’s sweatshirt. “You were tired of senior year too?”

“Well, no.” you tilted your head at him, and he cleared his throat. “Gray and I actually dropped out freshman year.”

Your eyes widened a bit. “Oh..” you began, but he rushed to cut you off.

“Don’t think we’re just a couple of dumbasses though,” He laughed. “Don’t worry, we did graduate. Just didn’t go to physical school.”

“Ohhh.” You said, nodding your head.

“Yea. Because of that we were actually able to get our whole directing thing going for us.”

“You guys direct?” You said, intrigued.

“Yea, nothing too big though. Short films, small documentaries, ads and stuff for bigger companies… that kinda stuff.”

“Wow, that’s really cool!” You said, and you meant it. “So you’ve got your own company?”

“Pretty much, yeah.”

“Dang. You guys are so young too.. That’s so cool.”

He laughed. “Yea, well, it is pretty cool to do stuff like that for a living.”

“So, anything I might’ve seen?”

“Uhhh… probably not to be honest.” He paused. “We do have this Youtube channel where we post some of our personal projects.”

“Oh?”

“Yea. We go by the Dolan twins.”

“‘The Dolan Twins’.” You repeated to yourself. “I like it. Has a nice ring to it.” You scrunched your eyebrows together. “Feel like I recognize it.”

“Maybe. There was this one music video we did a while back that got pretty popular. Hawaiian Party?”

Your eyes lit up. “Yea! I’ve seen that! I really liked the music video for that song-” Your head whipped around back to him. “You guys did that??”

He grinned “Yep.”

“Oh my god, you guys are so talented! That video is so good!”

He shrugged, waving his hand at you. “Stop, you’re embarrassing me.”

“No, seriously. It’s really good. And you guys are so young!”

“You keep saying that. And says you, Miss ‘high school senior’.”

“Hey!” You shoved his shoulder, and he laughed. “You guys are actually doing stuff. You’re like, out there, creating things. That’s really cool.”

He rubbed his shoulder, but a smile was plastered on his face. “Thanks, bookworm.”

“Please don’t call me that.”

“I think it suits you.”

“I don’t like it.”

“Would you prefer Wise girl?”

“Bookworm it is.”

“Hey, do you guys wanna watch a movie?” Cameron interrupted you both.

“Sure, why not.” Ethan responded, and you nodded your head in agreement.

“Cool.” She grabbed the remote, and started scrolling through the most popular section on Netflix. “Tell me if you see anything interesting.”

“How about that one?” Grayson chimed in, stopping Cameron’s hand when she hovered over the one he liked.

“Aight. E, can you turn out the lights?”

“On it.” He jumped up from his seat, rushing over to the turn off the switch while Cameron started the movie. He quickly scurried back, falling back down on the couch beside you.

“Wanna share a blanket?” He whispered to you as the intro began playing.

You nodded slightly, so he bent around the side of the sofa and pulled out a large, fuzzy cotton blanket. He threw it over the both of you, making sure you got most of it.

“You good?”

“Yea, thanks.” You replied, smiling. However, after returning your attention to the screen, the dark, moody tone of the film worried you a bit.

“Is this a horror movie?” You questioned.

“Yea, is that an issue?” You heard Grayson’s rough voice say. It wasn’t a problem, per se, but you weren’t really too fond of horror movies, considering you got spooked incredibly easily. But you didn’t want Grayson to know that.

“N-no, it’s fine.” You faltered, bringing the blanket up and over your shoulders.

“You okay? We can change the movie if you want.” Ethan interrupted, giving you an understanding look that immediately eased you.

“No, it’s seriously fine.” You fumbled, giving him a thankful smile still.

“Okay..” he could tell that you were bluffing, but didn’t wanna embarrass you.

“Shut up, the story’s starting!” Cameron scolded, making you all turn your attention back to the movie.

You were fine for most of the beginning, feasting on the popcorn Cameron had given you so you had something to focus on. When the real scary stuff started happening, though, you were really on edge, jumping at every little sound. At one point, you flinched so hard when you heard Cameron drop the remote on the floor you’d nearly knocked the blanket off of both you and Ethan.

“Hey, hey, chill out.” Ethan whispered with a chuckle, going to grab the blanket at both of your feet.

“Ah, sorry..” you mustered, gripping tightly onto the blanket he handed you.

“Jeez, relax, bookworm.” He rubbed you shoulder gently, trying to calm you down. “S’just a movie.”

“I know..” you sighed, relaxing into his side as he continued to rub your arm. “Sorry.”

“Don’t apologize, just stop spazzing out, you big baby.” You smiled, thankful for his joking attitude to take your mind off of the movie.

The rustling movements on the other couch caught your eye, and your eyes drifted over there to see Grayson’s hooded eyes pierced right at you. His jaw was clenched, hard. The look his dark brown pupils were giving you scared you more than anything in the movie you’d seen so far. You turned away, focusing back on the television.

What‘s he looking at me for?

...

“Did you fall asleep?”

Your eyes shot open at the sound of Cameron’s voice, but you groaned when you saw her cocky expression.

“No,” you objected, naturally going to rub your eyes before pulling your arms down quickly. “I just...”

“I think it might be past her bed time.” Ethan interjected, returning from the kitchen with a mug in his hand, and you narrowed your eyes at him as Cameron chuckled along with him.

“Can’t believe you got so tired you slept through a horror movie.”

“Shut up, Cameron.” You groaned, shoving at her shoulder.

“Fine fine.” She yawned. “Honestly I can’t blame you, that was a shit movie anyways.” She yelled that last part, turning back towards the kitchen, and you could hear Grayson’s gravelly voice groan. “Next time pick a better movie, dumbass.” She said as Grayson appeared from behind the wall, an annoyed look on his face.

“You said you were okay to watch it.” He pointed out, crossing his large arms against his broad chest.

“Whatever.” She turned her attention back to you. “Angela called me again. Said she might be here in a half hour or so.”

You nodded. “‘Kay.” You grabbed your phone, checking the time. It read 11:40. “You should go to bed, Cam.”

“You don’t want me to wait with you?” She rubbed your shoulder reassuringly.

“I’ll be fine.” You assured her, and she gave you a thankful smile.

“Good.” She got up, stretching her arms up and above her head. “I really would stay with you, but I am so fucking exhausted.”

“Didn’t you just make fun of me for falling asleep?” You retorted.

“Hey, there’s a difference between being tired and falling asleep. I’m stronger than you.” She chuckled, then bent down to give you a hug. “Okay, see you tomorrow?”

“Yea, okay.”

“I think I’m gonna head in for tonight too.” Ethan added, stifling a yawn.

You nodded, standing up as he walked over to you.

“Glad we finally got to meet, Y/N.” he said, and he leaned in to give you a tight squeeze.

“Yea, me too.”

“Alright, good night hon.” Cameron said, leaving her for her room, Ethan following suit.

“Gnight guys.”

You plopped back down onto the sofa with a sigh. You looked up, seeing Grayson standing before you with a stone cold expression.

You cleared your throat. “You’re not going to bed?”

“No, not feeling tired.”

“Oh... okay.” You mumble, your hands fiddling in your lap. Why did you have to be alone with him? Why did he make you feel like this?

“So,” he finally said, breaking the silence, and sat down next to you. “You and E getting pretty close?”

“Uh..” you rubbed your shoulders. “Sure.”

His jaw tightened again.

“I-I mean, not really. I just met him today.”

“What, so we’re not that close?” He leaned in suddenly, his face now just inches from yours. “We just met today, didn’t we?” His hand came up to gently caress the side of your cheek.

“I-I...” all you could focus on was the feeling of his hot breath on your lips.

He leaned in closer, the tips of your noses touching, his eyes burning with longing, and yours in turn with need. You closed your eyes, and you felt like his lips were almost brushing yours..

He smirked. “M’just teasing, baby girl.” He let go of you, causing your eyes to flutter open as he got up from the couch and walked back over to the kitchen, leaving you astonished and tense. Reaching for his body that was already gone.

Why did he have to do this? Why play with you like this? Why did he have to make your chest pound? You craved him, you needed his lips and his warmth and his scent and his hands and-

“Do you want something?” Grayson stopped before disappearing into the hallway, looking back over at you.

You practically choked, panicking as you wondered how he could tell what you were thinking.

“W-what??”

“To eat. Like, dinner? Did you have that?”

“Huh? I- Ohh..” you realized, calming down from your outburst.

He chuckled. “Why’re you so on edge?”

You, you wanted to say, but shook your head. “Sorry.. tired.”

“You have to stop apologizing for everything, sweetheart.” He hoisted his arms up onto his waist. “M’gonna make some avocado toast, want some?”

“I’ve never tried it before.��

“What??” His eyes widened at that. “Okay, we are going to rectify your mistake right now. Cmon.” He grabbed your hand, pulling you up abruptly, your nose getting buried in the thin cloth of his T-shirt.

“Gray-“

“Come onnn.” He dragged you to the kitchen by your wrist, and you eventually gave up trying to break away from his hold, following him.

“Okay, c’mere.”

“W-“

He grabbed your waist suddenly, causing a small yelp to leave your lips. The warmth from his hands spread through your body, but it was short-lived, since he let go as soon as he hoisted you up onto the kitchen counter.

“You better prepare your tastebuds, because this will taste so good.” He leaned up and over you to get some bread out of the cupboard.

You brought your hands together to clasp them in your lap. You watched as he threw a few slices of bread into the toaster oven, then went to grab some avocados from the fruit basket.

He looked so cute and homey in his sweats, now cutting the avocados in half and removing the pits. You felt like he was your boyfriend, making you breakfast in the morning. You blushed at the thought.

“Hey, sorry if it seemed like I was forcing you to watch that movie.” He peered up at you as he scooped the flesh into a bowl. It appeared that he had been thinking about that for a while, because you could see his shoulders relax after saying the words out loud.

“You know, if I’m not supposed to apologize for things, you shouldn’t either.”

He smiled at that. He brought the bowl over to you, setting it beside you on the counter top. “Can you mash this?” He asked, handing you a fork.

“‘Kay.” You took it and placed the bowl in your lap. Grayson walked over to the toaster oven, gently opening it to see if the bread was finished. He took another fork from the drawer, and carefully took the pieces of bread out of the oven and placed them onto a plate beside it.

“So..” you began, becoming uncomfortable in the silence. “E was telling me about your guys’ directing n stuff.”

“Oh yea?” he replied, now reaching up to a different cabinet.

“Mhm.” He shuffled over, and sprinkled some salt and black pepper into your bowl. “I think it’s really impressive.”

“That’s sweet of you.”

“I-I mean, I’ve only seen one of your projects but…” He raised an eyebrow at you. “I really liked it.”

He shook his head, smiling. “Thanks.”

He brought the plate over, which had slices of bread that he had lightly rubbed garlic onto, and two shakers with sesame seed and red pepper flakes in them.

“Here.” He took the bowl from you, and grabbed the spoon he’d left on the counter, scooped up some of the flesh and smeared it onto the toast.

“You sure this is supposed to taste good?” You asked, fiddling with your fingers. “Looks kinda weird…”

“Ok, if you say something like that again I’ll have no choice but to be mad at you.”

“Well, I definitely wouldn’t want that.” You tittered.

His mouth dropped open a bit, a little surprised. “Were you just being cocky right there?”

“Nooo,” You pulled some loose strands of hair behind your ear, giggling.

“Wow. Never thought a little girl could actually have an attitude.”

“Hey!”

“Alright, my bad.” He laughed, finally sprinkling the shakers over the toast. “Okay, here, try it.” He lifted the piece of toast up carefully, feeding it to you.

You took a bite, not expecting anything out of it, but it actually turned out to taste a lot better than you expected. “Wow, this is really good.” You admitted, your mouth full.

“I told you.” He grinned.

“Mmm gimme another bite.” You mumbled, leaning in to chomp down on the bread in his hand again.

“Hey, slow down.” He chuckled, setting the toast down on the table. You swallowed, giving him an affirming hum of approval.

“Oh, hey.” His hand suddenly came up to your face, surprising you. He leaned in a bit as his thumb swept across the bottom of your lip. “Bit of avocado.” He muttered, bringing his thumb up to his lips to lick it off.

You suddenly became incredibly aware of everything going on right now. Aware of the constant beating in your chest that just wouldn’t settle down. Aware of Grayson’s hovering hand next to your waist. Aware of his hazel eyes lingering on yours. Aware of his baby pink lips.

And before you knew it you were both leaning in, smashing your lips together, arms connecting with bodies all at once.

Your arms went up and around his neck, one of your hands tangled up in his long hair while the other held the back of his neck. His hands immediately went to your waist, as if they were longing to touch you and were being restrained until this moment. He pulled you closer to him, sliding you up to the edge of the counter so he could press his body up against yours. He pushed his sweatshirt up a bit higher, and he slipped his warm hands under your tank top.

The overwhelming warmth of just Grayson against you caused you to moan into his lips, your arms now roaming his broad back. While before, your kiss had been deep and intimate, this one was hot and fueled by lust. He pulled his lips away from yours only to press them firmly against your cheek, under your lips, your chin, leaving a sloppy trail down to your neck.

“Ohh..” You moaned, your hands drifting down to grip his neck, causing him to growl into yours. You gasped when he teethed at your sensitive skin, making your nails dig into his neck. He trailed down further, nipping at your skin before resting at your collar bone, where he gently pressed a kiss to your burn, getting a taste of the sweet honey, emitting a sigh from you. But he then moved to the other side of you, sucking on your chest. Your eyes widened when you realized, he was planning on leaving another bruise there.

“G-Gray…” you stuttered, your hands going to cup his face, but he kept going as if he hadn’t heard you, his hands sliding up your back as he did so.

You loved it, but you were scared he would actually leave a mark. “Grayson..”

His lips finally left your skin, and he straightened up to look at you. His dark eyes locked on yours, filled with desire.

“I want you so badly.” He leaned back in to kiss you, and his lips made you feel like you were walking on air.

“Mmmm..” You hummed into his lips.

He pulled away, but pressed his forehead against yours, his loud breath filling the room. He bit your lip, and your glossy eyes were mesmerized by his lustful ones. You were intoxicated by him. He leaned closer into you, and you left a soft “oh” escape your lips when you felt him press up against the inside of your thigh.

“G-Grayson...” Your face flushed. He bent down to nibble at your earlobe.

“Let me make you feel good.”

Your core was throbbing almost as fast as your heart pounded in your ears. God, you wanted him. You wanted him bad. But it would be wrong… and were you even ready?..

His hands drifted down your back. He gently dipped his fingers under the waistband of your sweatpants. You gripped his biceps, burying your face into his shoulder.

You couldn’t…

But when you felt his fingertips graze against the edge of your panties, you absolutely lost it, blood rushing to your face.

“Ohhh..” You groaned into his shoulder, but finally pulled away to look at him, eyes matching his.

“Okay.”

That was all Grayson needed to hear for him to grab your ass cheeks and hoist you up onto his waist. You yelped, folding your legs around his waist and wrapping your arms tight around his neck. You gasped because you could feel him in his sweats, and your crotch was basically resting on top of it.

“Ohh fuck-” but before you could get anymore embarassed, he connected your lips again, his large arms supporting your weight as you felt him begin to walk out of the kitchen.

He walked into his bedroom, kicked the door closed with his foot, and then pressed you up against the door.

“M’gonna make you feel amazing, baby girl.” He kissed your lips, then went to kiss your neck again.

“Oh god, please.” You pulled at his hair, making him growl again.

“Fuck, C’mere.” He carried you over to his bed and lowered your gently onto it, gnawing at your lip while doing so. He bent over you, kissing you so passionately you genuinely could not think straight. He crawled over you, his hands traveling up under your tank top, finding the edge of your bra. You swore he could feel your heart pounding in his fingertips.

“Is it okay if I-”

“GRAYSON!”

You jumped, shrieking at the sudden voice you had just heard.

Oh my god, who was that? Did you just get caught? What on earth were you doing-

“GRAYSONNN!”

“You have got to be FUCKING kidding me.” Grayson groaned, lowering his head onto your chest.

It was Cameron.

Your chest heaved. “I-I thought she had gone to bed?”

“Apparently not.” He grumbled, getting up and off the bed. “Lemme go deal with her, okay?”

“...’Kay.” you nodded, watching him walk out the door, and then gently close it shut.

You sat there for a few seconds, staring so hard at Grayson’s door it felt like you could burn a hole through it. Grayson’s door. And you were in Grayson’s room.

...You were in Grayson’s room.

“Oh my god.” You held your head in your hands. What were you doing? What the FUCK were you doing? Were you seriously just about to have sex with Cameron’s brother? Your heart started pounding louder than before.

Badum. Badum.

“Oh god, oh god…” You pressed a hand to your chest, trying to calm yourself down. But what the fuck were you thinking? Were you seriously thinking about losing your virginity to this person you didn’t even know?

Badum badum

Had you lost your mind? You were in no state to make this kind of decision for yourself. You were still in high school! What the fuck did you know about sex-

Badum badum badum

And what did you plan on doing, really? Were you just going to sit there while Grayson expected you to do something? You would embarrass yourself completely, you didn’t know how to do this-

Badum badum badum badum

He’d realize you weren’t able to do this, and he’d look at you weird, god you’d never be able to show your face to him-

Badumbadumbadum

You’d never be able to show your face to Cameron again, Hell you’d never be able to be seen by any of them, jesus christ you were not ready for this-

Badumbadumbadumbadum

“No, no, no…” You held your head, cradling yourself, but the pounding in your ears was only getting louder and louder-

Badumbadumbadumbadum

“No, please,” You got off of the bed, trying to clear your head. You could see where this was heading, you could already feel it-

Badumbadumbadumbadum

“No, stop,” You looked around the room, trying to focus on something, but your eyes landed on the mirror, immediately going to Grayson’s sweatshirt you were wearing.

He’s never gonna want that back now, not after you’ve worn it.

“Nonono NO!” You frantically pulled the sweater over your head and threw it onto the bed, pressing your back up against the wall farthest away from it, as if it was poisonous. But now your legs were shaking, and you had to press your hands to the wall to keep yourself from falling over. Sweat trickled down your forehead, and it felt like, the room was turning fuzzy?

Badumbadumbadumbadumbadumbadumbadum

“Fuck, no, jesus,” You could feel your chest tightening. Your back ached. You tried to breathe in, but it only came in short bursts. You started coughing and wheezing, but your only thought was:

I have to get out of here.

You followed the wall until your fingers felt the cold doorknob, twisting it and throwing the door open. You turned so fast to get out of the room your head started spinning, and your shaky arm had to grip onto the door frame to keep yourself from face planting into the floor. Your breaths were coming even shorter now, and all you knew was that you needed to get to your bag. You pushed yourself to walk as fast as you could before you smashed into a broad chest.

“Where’re you going, baby girl?” Grayson smirked.

badumbadumbadumBADUMBADUMBADUM

“G-G-Gray-”

His cocky grin immediately faded as soon as he saw your red, sputtering face. “Oh my god, Y/N, are you okay??”

You gripped onto his biceps to steady yourself. “I n-nee-d-” You started wheezing even more, and Grayson gripped onto your elbows tightly the more worried he got. “M-m-y inh-h-haler,’ Your legs finally gave out, and you toppled over into his chest. He grabbed your body, trying to keep you upright.

“Y/N are you having an asthma attack??”

You tried to nod, and he could feel you move your head against his chest.

“Jesus, fuck- Where is it??” He pulled you away from him, gripping your shoulders. “Y/N, where is your inhaler?”

“Ba-ag-- c-couch-”

“Okay, I’m going to get it, okay? I’m coming back,” He propped your shoulder up against the wall, and rushed to the living room.

Your chest hurt so bad, and you could barely breath. Your legs gave out once more, and you sank to the floor, your hands flat against the cold hardwood to try and keep yourself up.

“I GOT IT! I got it, I’m coming-” Grayson appeared in the hallway again, and seeing you on the floor only added to his fear. “No no no Y/N I’m here, I’m here!” He ran to your side and dropped to his knees.

“Y/N I got it, look up at me, come on,” He popped the lid off of your inhaler, shaking it while he propped you up with his other arm. Your eyes were hazy, sweat all over your face.

“Here, here, open your mouth for me.” You did just enough so he could place the nozzle within your lips.

“Okay, I’m gonna count to three and you’re gonna breathe in, okay?” You nodded.

“One,

Two,

Three,

Breathe.”

You inhaled, and a split second afterwards Grayson pressed the button. You let out a big sigh, the pain in your chest easing.

“You’re okay, Y/N.” Grayson gently wrapped his arms around your shaking shoulders, rubbing your arm soothingly. “You’re okay.”

Finally your breathing gradually slowed down. When you realized that you really were okay, that was when the tears started to pour down your face.

You trembled, crying into your hands as you stayed curled up in Grayson’s arms.

God, you had made such a fool of yourself.

“Y/N? Y/N, are you okay?” he pulled you up to see your face again, his worry increasing again.

You shook your head, small sobs escaping your throat. “I’m so sorry.”

Now Grayson looked angry. “Hey, look at me. Look at me.”

He tilted your chin up so his eyes met his. “You NEVER have to apologize to me, okay?” He wiped the tears off of your face with his thumb. The horrified look in your eyes hurt him so much, so he took you up in his arms again, letting you rest your head against his chest as he stroked your hair. “Never.” he whispered.

You bit your lip to stop any more tears from flooding over, balling up his t-shirt into your hands. You buried your face into the cloth, inhaling his scent that calmed you down more than you thought was possible.

You both stayed there for a while, two bodies sprawled on the floor, entangled in each other. But before you knew it your cell phone was ringing from the living room.

“Oh.” You said, pulling away from him. You looked at his eyes. You’d seen them fueled by so many different emotions already, but now they were gentle. Kind. Loving.

“I-I should get that.”

“Right.” Grayson let go of you, letting you get up and walk to the living room.

You turned the screen over. It was your sister.

You took a deep breath before answering. “Hey!”

“Hii, I’m outside.”

“‘Kay. Be out in a minute.”

You shut the phone off, throwing it into your bag with the rest of your stuff. You sighed, running your hands over your face and hair as you exhaled. You slung your bag over you shoulder, and turned around to see Grayson standing there, as if waiting for you.

“Um..” You sniffled. “My sister’s here.” You gestured towards the door.

“Oh. Okay.” Grayson scratched the back of his neck, but he didn’t move from his spot. He didn’t know if he should. Or if he could.

“Well… Bye.”

“Bye.” You walked over to the front door, gently turning the knob and pulling it open as quietly as possible. You turned back one last time to look at Grayson, who gave you a small smile and waved. You couldn’t return the smile, but you waved back to him, shutting the door closed behind you.

You exhaled.

- - - - - - - - - -

tags: @yourkidsfavbabysitter @melodiesforari @coxxkaty @pumkiinpasties

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undeadsnorlax · 4 years ago

Text

Can Anybody Tell Me Why I’m Lonely Like a Satellite?

heyyy my first fic for @badthingshappenbingo. starting things off with my favourite space boy

Ao3 link

Prompt: Loneliness

Fandom: The Umbrella Academy (TV Series)

Warnings: mentions of self-harm, angsty as hell

Wordcount: 2603

A day in the life of Luther on the moon.

***

Wakey-wakey.

“Urgh…” Five more minutes…

Come on. You need to get up.

Luther groaned, rolling onto his back and squinting up at the blank metal ceiling. It took him a few more minutes to open his eyes properly, and a couple more to roll over and check the clock with another groan. 22:47.

“It’s early,” he mumbled, swinging his legs around and rubbing his face down. Well, early in his sense, at least.

Fifteen minutes won’t kill you. Means you could go to bed earlier later tonight, technically.

Luther considered this and nodded, slowly getting to his feet and walking toward the door-

Thunk!

“Every time!” he cried, rubbing his forehead. He’d learn to duck eventually.

He stretched his arms until his fingers brushed the ceiling, then placed a hand at the bottom of his back and arched it, grunting at the dull crunch his spine made.

With a few more stretches, he dragged his feet over to the counter, smiling at the small potted umbrella plant there.

“Evenin’ Ben,” he said softly, large fingers stroking the leaves before picking up the tiny watering can.

Hey Luther.

Luther let out a sigh, tapping one of the radars beeping away on the workstation below the plant.

Something wrong?

“Nah, nothing.”

He shrugged and went about doing his other ‘morning’ chores. Checking the base’s oxygen levels, collecting any trash, seeing if there was any response from home.

Nothing. Of course.

Luther dressed in his space suit, taking the bag of trash out and dumping it with the rest.

He allowed himself a moment of freedom, pure gleeful joy as he bounced light as air across the moon’s surface. He’d been up here two and a half years and this part still never got old. He was in space!

He pushed off from the ground hard, floating a foot higher before landing with a weightless thud. Grinning behind his helmet, he tilted his head to look up at the Earth in front of him.

It was awesome, thinking about how one planet could contain so many billions of people going about, living their lives.

Including four of the ones he’d grown up with. What would they be doing right now? Vanya would definitely be going to bed, and maybe Allison was doing a late night movie shoot. Klaus would probably be partying and Diego doing...whatever he did.

Luther let out a heavy sigh, his grin fading. No use in wondering like that. Just reminded him of how everything fell apart.

He was brought back into focus by his stomach rumbling. He clasped at it for a moment, staring blankly at the stars, before trudging back to base to eat.

Running low on those.

Luther narrowed his eyes as he opened a packet of soy paste, slumping down heavily on the nearest chair.

“I know,” he said quietly, squeezing every last drop into his mouth ravenously.

He also knew this would do nothing but numb his hunger for only a few hours, knew this wouldn’t have been enough food for him even before his accident. For as little as he did physically up here, his body still craved energy, and this shit just didn’t cut it.

You asked Dad for more, right?

“Every time.” Luther glared at the plant. “I’m due more soon, okay? Today or tomorrow…”

He drummed his fingers against his thigh, staring at the empty packet. Reluctantly, he went to the box and got another, pretending it was something more elaborate instead. One of Grace’s amazing dinners, a rich beef casserole in a thick red wine sauce, with potatoes and vegetables, maybe some kind of pie for dessert, with ice cream-

He groaned, swallowing the mouthful of saliva he’d formed at the mere thought.

Not helping?

“I miss real food.” He rubbed his middle, feeling at least a little more full, enough to concentrate on work.

Have you checked your bandages?

Luther licked his lips, before shaking his head, looking away like a naughty schoolboy getting a scolding.

Do that. Please? It’s been a few days.

“Okay, okay.”

He went to the cramped bathroom, looking at himself in the mirror first. He looked rough.

Dismissing that observation, he slowly zipped down his top, careful to not get it stuck on his body hair.

How’s it look?

“Better. Honest.”

The bandage itself, on his right side just above the ribs, looked a little grubby, dried dark brown stains having seeped through. Carefully, he picked at the medical tape keeping it in place, wincing every time it caught a stray hair, but managed to rip it off and inspect the wound underneath.

A laceration done in such a way there was a small chunk of flesh missing, but it was healing nicely.

Luther reached for his first aid kit, pouring out some antiseptic onto a cloth and pressing it down. He winced again, gritting his teeth, but knew it was all worth it to help it get better.

As he prepared clean bandages to patch it up again, Ben chimed in.

It was scary when you did that. You were so scared.

Luther’s gut churned with unease, remembering the frantic, near manic state he went into a few days prior. It wasn’t the first time it had happened either. A sudden burst of wild emotion overwhelmed him, forcing him to his knees as he tried to let it pass, but the feeling inside him just got worse and worse.

Are you okay now?

“I don’t know.”

He bandaged himself up again, before he traced along a similar mark on his stomach, healed now into a bright pink scar.

His fingers curled into a fist, zipping up his top again before he could do more damage to himself. Ignoring the urge hadn’t done much good the last few times, but maybe this time he’d figure out a way to not hurt himself again.

Doubt it…

He went back to sit at a console, rummaging through the mess of paper cluttering the table.

What’re you doing today?

“Going through these.” Luther scratched his chin as he thought, eyes skipping down the page. “Need to arrange them in order, rewrite them neater...pretty boring, right?”

What work isn’t?

Luther chuckled, splitting the paper into small piles. “Got that right.”

And then silence. Luther became engrossed in his work, only moving to either stretch his back or use the bathroom, and even that wasn’t often.

Sure, it was boring but...it was his kind of boring. One of his earliest memories was pouring over a book on the solar system, using it to try and figure out the constellations he could see from his bedroom window. Him and Five raced to have their hand up first during their physics classes.

It became a one man race after he vanished.

Luther tapped his pen against his temple, chewing the inside of his cheek. His mind was drifting, thinking of his siblings again.

He tried not to think of Five too often, but he still wondered what the hell could have happened to him. Sometimes he wondered if his brother had just settled somewhere. Gotten taken in by a nice family who looked after him.

He didn’t like the alternative. The portrait that hung in the living room reminded him every day for over a decade of the alternative.

That’s how he tried to feel about Ben. He was in a better place. He was at peace. Happier, maybe.

Again. Better than any alternative.

He wasn’t even sure he believed in an afterlife.

With a heavy sigh, Luther pressed his head down against the desk, closing his eyes for a second...

Luther…?

He jolted to sit up again, muscles tensing for a moment before he relaxed, picking the piece of paper that had stuck to his forehead. “Wha’?”

Drifted off bud. Not long.

“Ah. Right.”

You have been working hard for a while.

“It’s not that long-“

Luther cut off upon seeing the time. Eight hours had passed since he started. “Oh. Dang.”

You deserve a break.

“No, I’m...I’m nearly done, it’s fine.”

Luther…

“It’s fine.”

He didn’t mean to snap. He flinched the moment he did, putting his head in his hands.

Look, I get it.

“No you don’t. You’re a plant.”

Luther turned on his seat to face said plant, scowling at the thing. “You’re a voice in my head.”

Helps though, doesn’t it?

Luther wrinkled his nose a little, turning away and tapping a finger against the desk.

Helps to have someone to talk to.

“Crazy Luther Hargreeves, all alone on the moon with a plant that sounds like the brother he let die,” he muttered.

You know that’s not true.

“It’s true enough.”

He suddenly became aware of another console that had been letting out several beeps. Luther gritted his teeth and made his way over, reading the screen.

DELIVERY INCOMING

ESTIMATED ARRIVAL 0823

“Told you more food was coming,” he said, going to suit up once more. He’d missed it landing with his quick nap by about ten minutes.

Out on the moon’s surface, Luther tilted his head back, taking a slow deep breath. He could see the pod the package came in at the usual spot, but he desperately needed some quiet.

Inside his base, there was always some kind of noise. Little things, the consoles and monitors gently humming away in the background, the soft drip of a tap he might have left on. Constant.

Even back home in the mansion after everyone left, he grew used to the creak of floorboards, the structure settling around him. Every opening door making him perk up and hope someone was walking through, coming back.

Outside, on the surface, it was silent. It was like he could hear his body working, every thump of his heart that sent blood coursing through his veins.

In space no one can hear you scream…

So he did. He bent his knees, and took a deep breath and screamed at the top of his lungs. Everything contained within his helmet.

Straightening up, he screamed again, a rush of catharsis overwhelming his brain. It felt good to scream. He should do this more often. Better than hurting himself.

His chest ached a little as he caught his breath once more, staring dazed at the ink black sky above him.

So much...nothing. The night skies were never this clear back on Earth and maybe now he was glad because being confronted with such a sheer vast nothingness every day was sure getting to him. Would explain why his plant was talking.

Luther scrunched his eyes tight, and went to get the delivery. He dragged it inside, changing from his suit once more and tearing the box open.

Anything good?

He glanced up, narrowing his eyes, before getting out smaller boxes of soy paste. He sighed, inspecting the writing. They always said they were different flavours, but he mostly got the same soggy muesli or stale bread taste with every packet he consumed.

That…doesn’t look like a lot.

“Shut up, I know…”

Luther set one aside and put the rest in his food cupboard. He didn’t take a chair this time, just slumped down on the floor and gently squeezed the contents through the packet, huffing heavily.

Luther, that’s not going to last.

“I’ll make it last,” he mumbled, unscrewing the top and sucking gently, trying to savour it, “I have to…”

He tried to focus on the gentle hum of the base instead, closing his eyes to help. He wasn’t sure what had happened in recent months that his food packages were becoming less frequent, and less in amount, but it didn’t help anyone to dwell on that. Dad was busy, he had stuff to do…

C’mon big guy. You know that’s bullshit.

Luther glared up at the ceiling. That was new. Hearing Ben’s voice had happened surprisingly quickly, the moment he decided to name his plant after him. He never heard anyone else’s voice, but having Diego’s growling in his brain was almost a welcome change.

Almost.

You really think he’s that concerned for you up here?

“Shut up…”

Should’ve gotten out when you had the chance.

“Shut up!”

Luther slammed his head back against the console, grunting from the quick hit of pain. When Diego’s voice didn’t go away, kept taunting the same message of should have gotten out when you had the chance, he did it again...and again.

Until there was silence.

Too much silence.

Using the counter for support, he got to his feet and went back to his desk, staring at the piles of paper in front of him.

“This mission is of the utmost importance, Number One.”

That’s what his father had told him after explaining he was going to the moon. He’d blankly affirmed, not pointed out how pointless it was to refer to him by his number when it was just him left (because look what happened last time he said that), and gone along with it.

His whole life, Luther had been raised to lead a team and save the world. His team had left one way or another, and the ‘world saving’ work he did was mostly thankless.

But here he was. On the moon. Part of the mission. Everything was part of this lifelong mission. All the data he was collecting, the experiments he ran, they were important for...something.

Luther stared at his hand, the greyed skin and dark fur that kept making him forget it was his hand. This was all part of it too, somehow. It had to be.

Otherwise…

He finished his work. Filed away the pages neatly and made plans to send them out tomorrow.

For a moment, he hesitated by the umbrella plant, reaching to touch it’s delicate leaves.

“...Ben?” he said softly.

Nothing. Of course not.

With a heavy sigh, he dragged himself back to his bedroom, grabbing his personal notebook from the side table. He flicked through the pages until he landed on the poem he’d been struggling with for the last week, tapping his pen against the words.

Constellations are families, each star has their purpose, their name and position.

They work together as something bigger, part of the galaxy’s nightly exhibition.

There must be times where they can do nothing but fight,

When it grows so tiring to always be shining so bright.

Luther clicked his tongue, frowning at the words. Of all the hobbies he could have taken to pass time up here, he never anticipated poetry, but he was really getting into it, having filled pages already, some of which he’d sent back...just in case Dad was curious.

He could just see his plant on the counter through the door. He went to call Ben’s name again, but he cut himself off and shut his eyes, focusing on the hum of the base once more instead.

The voice in his head was never Ben. Ben was dead. Five had gone long ago. Allison, Diego, Klaus and Vanya were back on Earth living their lives. Had been living their lives quite easily without him.

He’d managed by himself. He was exactly where he wanted.

In space. On the moon. Just him.

Number One.

By himself.

Like it had been for years now.

Tomorrow he’d wake up and go through this again. The self-doubt and the spiralling and the focusing on work so hard to forget what was really happening. Maybe his plant would start talking to him again.

But really they know that no matter how much they argue and moan,

Being a family at odds is far better than being one star all alone.

#the umbrella academy #trope: loneliness #tua fic #luther hargreeves #undeadbthb #badthingshappenbingo

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thanksjro · 5 years ago

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More Than Meets the Eye #16- All the Greatest Love Songs are Secretly About Heroin

Dang, been a minute since we got into the series proper. What all happened again?

Oh. Right. That.

…So anyway, let’s brush up on our Ultra Magnus history!

There was a massive fight on top of a spaceship. Swoop was there, Impactor was there, Overlord was there, Heretech was there, Killmaster was there- shit was lit. Ultra Magnus was doing his thing, though it looks like this was before he got LASIK done, because he’s got a visor on.

Then Ultra Magnus got shot in the gut and fell off the spaceship. It was so scary his hand started spasming.

Later on, we return to a place we’ve seen before, albeit from the Decepticon side.

Magnus, your badge isn’t up to code, my guy! Better get that sorted, before your current self comes out of his medically induced coma, invents time travel, and comes to beat you up.

Also, Pious Maximus? What is your friggin’ DEAL, bro? What the actual hell is your deal?

All the K-Cons start falling out of the sky, and Magnus orders everyone to take cover, as a familiar-looking bomb that literally has his name written on it lands bang on target. It’s such an intense experience, his hands start spasming.

Later still, Magnus is in the middle of dealing with the Simanzi Massacre, and it looks like his visor’s seen better days. Hopefully it was a reading pair, and not something he actually needed to see. Rotorstorm is also there, because his character apparently only exists to suffer. Magnus and his team rise from the muck and the mire, coming ashore right on top of a Cybernought, which promptly fries Magnus with its hand lasers. He gets so crispy, his hands start spasming.

For anyone having trouble parsing the scraps of rended metal that used to be Rewind of Lower Petrohex here, allow me a moment to break him down. That cylinder in the lower left corner is his camera, the wire coming off of it is where it plugged into his head, and that squarish chunk with the clean, round hole in it is probably part of his helmet. The other chunky bits I couldn’t tell you what they are, but I think it’s pretty safe to say that Chromedome absolutely put the dog to sleep with that blast last issue.

Inside the Lost Light, Swerve’s trying to be a nice guy by putting on some tunes for Ultra Magnus, who got his spark shot by Overlord last issue, but all it’s really done is make Ratchet get distracted.

Magnus is in a bad way, as was established by First Aid last issue, and it doesn’t seem like Ratchet’s having any more luck than had been predicted. Swerve’s here for emotional support, and also because he’s got medical training. Tailgate’s here for cleanup duty. Drift’s off in the corner making snide remarks about the medical equipment, probably because he’s mad his legs are still off.

Drift looks like he’s been chiseled out of stone here, and I kind of love it. Forget softboi uwu Dwift, I want more of this guy who’ll bite into a teddybear cactus and not even flinch.

Agustin Padilla’s back on the scene for this issue, and he’s decided that everyone’s going to be elongated in as many ways as he can manage in 20 pages. Tailgate and Swerve? Tallest they’ll ever be in the series. They’re as tall as Cyclonus, and he’s a fucking space jet. Someone’s got a chevron? You better believe that thing’s scraping the gotdang ceiling. Drift’s kitty-cat ears almost never fit into the panel, because those suckers are LONG today. It’s like they’ve all been put through a taffy-puller. There are a lot of little quirks with this art, but this is one I can kind of get behind, if only because it’s so distinctive.

Getting back to the story, Drift’s talking about the Death Clock here- no, not the animated band from Adult Swim, but an actual medical device that can calculate the moment a shrinking spark will give out, down to the second. It only measures the lifespans of the terminally ill, so Swerve hasn’t accidentally given himself even more depression by sticking his little hands in the shiny light without a thought as to what the device he’s messing with might do.

Ultra Magnus has about ten days to live. This makes Tailgate incredibly upset, because he, unlike everyone else on the ship, hasn’t experienced the horrors of war and death.

Ratchet’s right, though. There’s certainly a chance that Tailgate, who’s been shown to react to stressful situations by having panic attacks to the point of blacking out, could have a very severe response to what is his first major catastrophe. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder usually isn’t an immediate development, but being proactive about your mental health is never a bad thing if you can swing it. Hell, with how bad the Overlord situation was, I wouldn’t be surprised if Rung was booked solid long enough for Tailgate to actually have time to develop PTSD.

Rodimus is on the intercom to address the situation that just took place, because man oh man, was it a doozy. He intends to hold an inquiry to figure out just what the hell happened and how Overlord got on the Lost Light to begin with. As he tells everyone what’s going to happen, our focus shifts to Chromedome, who’s standing on the outside of the ship, staring off into space.

Man, I hope Chromedome’s on the front half, because this is a fucking grim scene to witness.

Skids comes out, having been looking for Chromedome. Trailcutter of all people pointed him in the right direction- which I suppose makes sense, given that he was on the Ethics Committee on Kimia. He probably would know Chromedome and Rewind decently well by this point.

Chromedome turns around to show off his mourning black Autobot badge, freshly photoshopped onto his chest for our viewing pleasure. It’s especially blatant when contrasting with Padilla’s rougher linework style.

Skids asks our brand-new widower how he’s holding up, and Chromedome says he’s fine, which is funny, because the other day he was all:

Chromedome has a moment of reminiscing, playing connect-the-dots with the stars like he and Rewind used to do all the time.

Skids, they were married for 250,000 years.

Skids might actually have been one of the worse people to have found Chromedome, if this is what he’s going to say, and then immediately leave. He’s so awkward and clearly uncomfortable and doesn’t want to be there. Does he feel weird about Chromedome knowing more about him than he himself does? Does Skids not have access to any of his memories related to mourning? Geez, I hope nobody needs him to help them through a difficult emotional time for a good while, because this was painful to watch.

Back inside the ship, Rung’s come over to Rodimus’ room to see what all the crashing and banging is about. It would seem our dear captain’s upset, and has decided to work through his frustrations by destroying his private quarters, perhaps in an attempt to summon the wrath of Ultra Magnus, thus saving him through the power of his own mess-induced rage. Rung comes to sit with Rodimus, I guess giving up his search for Chromedome, and the two of them discuss Magnus. Specifically, they discuss Magnus’ memos, and how much Rodimus despises receiving them, because they make him feel like he’s not doing his job right. He stopped even opening them, they made him feel so bad.

If you subscribe to the headcanon of Rodimus having ADHD, you could potentially read this as being a manifestation of Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria. As it is within the story proper, Rung’s decided to ignore this tidbit of information to get at the more pressing issues, like why exactly Rodimus felt the need to wreck his room.

This is about the point where the art for Rodimus becomes roughly 90% spot blacks, and it’s highly suggested that Rung get out while the getting’s good.

Oh, well this is going to be awkward.

Later on, we’re at the funeral. There’s five coffins, though not all of them actually contain a body. Everyone’s here to see their friends off, even Cyclonus, who was invited to the wake by Chromedome himself. Awful nice of him to do that, given their history.

The lineup in the front row is a bunch of chatterboxes, and they prove that very quickly as Swerve, Skids, and Whirl theorize on the contents of Brainstorm’s mysterious briefcase, which is also here at the funeral. Swerve swears himself to the duty of finding out what’s inside, on threat of death should he fail.

A short time skip is had, and Rodimus is revealed to be wearing his ceremonial funeral cape and terrifying vampire arm spikes to this shindig, as he sends Tripodeca, who is surely the most beloved of all Autobots, off with as many kind words as he can muster in the time they have. Everyone says goodbye, and we get to Rewind’s turn. Rodimus has a moment of pause, as Rung gives him the most withering look I believe he will ever produce in the entirety of the run of MTMTE/Lost Light.

Rodimus concedes to giving Rewind the credit for saving everyone from Overlord posthumously, as well as Fortress Maximus and Chromedome, labelling himself as a failure on that front. Chromedome comes up to the podium for a few words on the love of his life.

…well, it’s been a long day for everyone, I suppose.

Chromedome sits back down, right next to Brainstorm because they’re besties, as Brainstorm stares him down like he knows something Chromedome doesn’t.

Probably because he does.

After the funeral, Brainstorm pays Chromedome a visit, finding him in the middle of spring cleaning. He’s taking all of Rewind’s stuff and shoving it in a box to be destroyed.

Does it count as foreshadowing if it’s like a page before the reveal? I guess so.

Chromedome is trying to ease Brainstorm’s mind about the inquiry Rodimus is conducting, saying that the guy ought to talk to Drift before he gets TOO antsy about spilling the beans- perhaps a touch too late there, Domey- but Brainstorm isn’t here for any of that.

So you’re saying Chromedome/Dominus isn’t going to be endgame.

Turns out Chromedome’s been collecting dead spouses, and he wasn’t even aware of it. When faced with this inherent truth about his personal relationship with grief, Chromedome only has this to say:

Time for a pop quiz!

When the burden of life is too much to bear, what is an addict most likely to do? Is it:

A) Quit cold turkey

B) Seek help for their addiction

C) Relapse

If you answered C, you get a gold star, and a harsh reminder that addiction is a fucking monster that will devour your life and meaningful relationships, leaving you with nothing but itself for company.

Chromedome has had a problem with injecting since he got good enough at it to get his own set of finger needles, and he’s been completely dependent on other people to get himself to even close to stopping the habit. His character bio on the crew roster page has, up until this point, outright claimed this.

Now Rewind’s gone, and there’s really nothing stopping him from just taking that pain away. Brainstorm certainly can’t do it, though not for lack of trying.

Chromedome says that he won’t go through with his plan, but Brainstorm knows he’s lying, because they’ve done this song and dance before. At this point, asking Chromedome to not inject is just a courtesy to the deceased.

No wonder Chromedome invited Cyclonus to the funeral- probably figured why the hell not, since he wouldn’t remember it anyway.

Brainstorm gives Chromedome a data slug- the last one Rewind ever made, shot through the door just before it sliced Chromedome’s arm off, and found by Fort Max. Brainstorm leaves, probably to go prepare himself for that awful, hollow feeling he’ll be getting the next time he sees Chromedome.

Over in the shuttle bay, Rodimus is addressing the crew, Chromedome is retconned into being Toxin because he’s not supposed to be in this scene, and Drift is named as the sole conspirator in the Overlord debacle. Rodimus just starts tearing into Drift, and while he does, we cut over to the medibay, where some zombie nonsense is going on.

Golly, seems like there’s some flavor of undead on the Lost Light every other week, doesn’t it?

Rodimus strips Drift of his Autobot badge and tells him to get the fuck out.

Back at Chromedome’s room, he’s decided to take a gander at what Rewind left behind, plugging the data slug into the computer.

Man, this part always makes me a little weepy.

I can’t do Rewind’s final message justice, not in the choppy format I present here- which is perhaps a bit ironic, given the nature of how it’s presented. In the final moments he had, Rewind pieced together a plea for Chromedome to love himself, and to remember that he was- and still is- loved. He shared his own fears of them being apart, and how he knows how hard the coming days will be. He begged Chromedome to be kind to himself, because he- whether he believes it or not- has grown from the person he was in the New Institute.

As this message plays out, we see Drift swarmed by furious Autobots, who get violent as he makes his way off the Lost Light, only to be helped back to his feet by none other than Ratchet, before climbing into a shuttle, surely never to be seen again.

Shane McCarthy slipped Roberts a twenty to set up a slowburn between his OC and Ratchet all the way back in MTMTE #4. This is the start of the pining portion of their relationship.

God, just- there’s a reason Roberts has claimed this issue as one of his best, and it’s this fucking message. Please, if you somehow have gotten to this post without reading the comics- well, first, how, and second- go and READ THEM. I promise it’s worth it, they’re beautiful and funny and full of heart, even when everyone’s being a dick to each other.

Rewind leaves Chromedome with one final piece, which probably didn’t feel like enough, but was all he could manage in the time he had left.

I’m basically legally obligated to post this panel.

Let’s take a moment to consider Rewind as a character. He’s an archivist, and one who’s gotten very good at his job over the millennia. The guy’s OBSESSED with history, and recording as much of it as possible.

Which stands to reason that he knew about Chromedome’s past conjunx endurae. I mean, why wouldn’t he? It would be public record- even if you don’t necessarily get a marriage license on Cybertron, Chromedome would have been on the paperwork with these other guys somewhere, and the fact that he wouldn’t be able to answer the question of “Who’s this guy you lived with for several thousand years?” Would imply some… rather unfortunate things.

Rewind also has a hard time letting go of things- he gets jealous of Chromedome’s past relationship with Prowl any time it’s brought up, and he’s still looking for his ex-husband after what’s probably been at least a million years. That, combined with the way Rewind lives his life- you know, recording every single moment of it- gives me the impression that he really, really wouldn’t enjoy the idea of being forgotten. He wants Chromedome to stop injecting because it’ll kill him, of course he does, but he also wouldn’t want to be erased.

The video cuts off, leaving Chromedome alone. It’s all up to him now, whether Rewind gets to stay in his heart now.

Chromedome/Dominus is still on the table.

With THAT crisis of love dealt with, we move back on to that weird zombie nonsense we saw a little bit ago. Ultra Magnus is missing. Odd, that.

Ratchet, how many times are your patients going to have to disappear from your medibay before it’s less of a “them” problem, and more of a “you” problem?

As Ratchet goes off to search the rest of the ward, Tailgate accidentally bumps into the death clock, which gives him a nasty little surprise: apparently he’s only got three days to live.

Yeah, this is the point where the comic kicks into overdrive, plotwise- there are no brakes on this train anymore.

#transformers #jro #mtmte #issue 16 #maccadam #Hannzreads #text post #long post #overthinking about robots #incoming analysis #comic script writing

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