#though if you want me to draw him enraged in a.. GAY way you can always shoot me another ask pookie😏🥺❤️

[bagheerita]

So I just finished Empire of Gold and need to gush about The Daevabad Trilogy for a minute.

(I try to be vague, but that's exactly when I up and hit you with low-key SPOILERS, so be aware.)

My rambling is only barely organized into the format of randomly selected topics in order to provide a vague outline for my outflowing of affection for each book.

CITY OF BRASS

Favorite character: Definitely Nahri. I love a woman who isn't afraid to go after what she wants, and boy howdy do I love me a pragmatist. AND do I love me a girl who can keep her head on her shoulders even when she's in-lust with man. As much as she is truly falling in love with Dara, she never forgets the way he looked at her when he thought she was shafit and his relief when Ghassan said she wasn't. She would have married him if he had offered I think, but she was smart enough to make him take the first step to cross the gap that his prejudice had put between them.

Most impressive thing: The way the author uses her narrator to tell a story that the narrative character doesn't always fully understand. This mostly comes through Ali's chapters at this point cause he's a little naive, but it's really skillfully done.

 KINGDOM OF COPPER

Least favorite thing: There are some moments that just felt... weirdly written. There's three big ones that come to mind...

At the beginning- the way the writing describes the environment. I'm paraphrasing because it's been a week since I read it and I don’t remember details, but it's like "the only sound in the graveyard was the distant sound of cats fighting" then, five minutes later "The only sound was the sound of coins jingling in her basket."  Like, where were those coins five minutes ago?! Also, why does an experienced thief put coins in a jingly basket that is easy to steal or drop instead of hiding them on her person??? (That's super nitpicky, but it was the first chapter, so I noticed it more.)

The second big moment that annoyed me was... okay so Dara learns that Muntadhir is bisexual through mind-reading powers that he's never previously demonstrated? I mean, there are enough clues about how he does it, and it makes sense to the character's history that he can sense peoples’ desires, but it felt weird that this is the only time we really see him use this power- here, as the inciting incident to the third act, where so much of the plot revolves around it. Dara already knew that Ghassan was planning to force Nahri to marry Muntadhir, they'd already talked about this, so I'm not sure what about Muntadhir being in a relationship with a man, as opposed to the multiple women he’s slept with this week, was enough to make this prospect so immediately repugnant that Dara goes absolutely stupid about it and incites the climax of the book.

Then there's the epilogue that basically just exists to point out what we already learned about Muntadhir and Jamshid. I thought that was kind of unnecessary, as no one in this epilogue scene, including the reader, doesn't already know about this relationship. Though the epilogue does also contain what I think was supposed to be foreshadowing, but which sent me off on a weird mental tangent where I spent most of the second book thinking Jamshid was the reincarnation of Rustam...

Favorite character: Muntadhir, hands down. There is one scene in particular, where he sasses Dara while dying of poison that is just my favorite scene in the entire book. I mean, I think part of my enjoyment was that I had been worried that he was about to be a victim of the Bury Your Gays trope, so when he shows back up still not dead I was so relieved to see him I literally squeeeed, and then he's bragging to Dara about something I explicitly know didn't happen, just actively involved in assassinating his own character because he has nothing else he can give to save his brother at that point except trying to distract Dara by enraging him... omg, do I love me some brotherly feels- my second favorite scene was the three siblings in a closet plotting a coup.

Least favorite thing: Dara lying to himself and justifying Manizheh's actions for the entire book. I get that the fact that he was lied to and betrayed by the people in power that he should have been able to trust is a big part of his arc, but I was not excited to have his POV added to this book just to have him and everyone around him spout off more prejudiced victim narrative bullshit every time I flipped to his chapters, like I wasn't getting enough of that from practically every other character in the story.

Most impressive thing: The author draws some really great parallels and contrasts between the 3 main characters and their journeys that I absolutely love. In chapter 2, Nahri says something like "Where's your sense of adventure?" to her new friend and then literally in the next chapter Ali says "Have you no sense of inquisitiveness?" to his new friend. (I don't like to call ships that early in the story, but I was like- these two are fated to be best friends if not something more.)  A bit later in the story, Dara is presented with a choice: to do the easy thing or to do the Right thing, and he chooses the easy path even though he knows that it's wrong. After this, Ali is presented with a choice: to do the easy thing or the Right thing, and he does the Right thing, even though he knows that it ultimately probably won't help. I just really love that this story always feels like every narrative POV and every chapter fully develops the character and contributes to the world. 

I also really love the twists and turns that Ali and Nahri’s relationship has taken over these first two books. They really have grown as individuals, and have believed the best and worst of each other, and understand each other in a way that is a great foundation for a truly lasting friendship (which is, of course, the best bedrock for building a more intimate relationship).

 EMPIRE OF GOLD

Favorite character: Sobek. I have a soft spot for unrepentant murderers who have a soft spot for the people they find interesting.

Least favorite thing: It ended? I know this book was long enough to be an entire trilogy on its own, but I would have loved more at the end from the side characters. Like, I want 100 more pages just about Jamshid and Muntadhir. I was explicit confirmation of what Zaynab and Aquisa are up to, and a sequel trilogy about their adventures. I want more about Fiza and what her plans are for the future. I want orchard shenanigans with Mishmish. I want more about Sudha and her family. I want more about Nahri conning everyone into making a functional government, and I want more about the trials of everyone in the city learning to not hate and judge as a first reflex. Just MORE!

Most impressive thing: Overall I was just impressed with this entire book. If I had to pick one thing, I would probably say I was most impressed, and pleasantly surprised, by Dara's ending. By this point in the story, I was certain that Dara had transgressed every transgression that it was possible to transgress, and lied to himself the entire way, only deciding upon the Right course of action when it was exactly 2 minutes too late, so I was prepared for him to find Redemption in Death. But once again I was pleasantly surprised at this story's refusal to follow popular story tropes, when it instead granted him true freedom as he perhaps had never known in his life, and the ability to choose who he would live that life in service of- choosing to help those who, like him, had been victims of the ifrit. 

I want more stories like this, about characters who are unforgivable, but who are forgiven- not by people or by those they have wronged, but by the narrative itself. Who are able and allowed to rededicate their lives to something, choosing to see their own actions and commit to helping people instead of just blindly following.

 OVERALL

Favorite character: I want to say Nahri, though I also really appreciate Ali and his quiet growth from being naive and kind of annoying to a man who is finally comfortable with and understands himself. But I think I’m going to have to choose Jamshid. I really like characters who are honest with themselves about their motivations, and I really admire his willingness to be open to change, to having his entire world and beliefs be turned upside down and try to go with the new way of being instead of holding on to the past, to confess his sins and be honest with Nahri, to believe in the people he knows rather than in what others say about them when Manizheh tries to manipulate him, to have been through everything he's been through and still retain a sense of humor and a generally upbeat personality.

The author does a good job of presenting all of the characters as fully rounded people so that there isn't really a character that I find poorly written. I definitely disagree with a lot of characters, and dislike them as individual people, and Manizheh comes the closest to being someone I truly hate, but you can see the paths that brought these people to be who they are. There are some great lines- where I think it's Nahri who notes that Ghassan's father make him like he was by his abuse, as he had twisted Manizheh  up with his own abuse, and that Muntadhir could have easily become just like his father. All people have the potential inside of them to be good or to be evil, and they are formed by the circumstances of their lives, the choices they make, and the power they give to the relationships they have.  I also loved that, once she learns the truth about her parents, Nahri notes how much of herself she gets from her Egyptian mother, just as much as she got her Nahid heritage from Rustam, and that it's a part of her that she can be proud of and celebrate.

 Most impressive thing: I don't like "realistic" fantasy, where lots of people die, because that tends to be an excuse for the book to just be really depressing. This story really surprised me by being realistic but in a way that was still full of hope. Sometimes people are terrible, or they are broken by the world and can no longer see anything beyond their pain, and a lot of the time the institutions we have created are terrible and are built on terrible things. But there is still always a need for people who do the right thing, who stand up for those who are being treated unfairly, who are willing to make sacrifices to break down the "us" and "them" that divides people. Who are willing to see change not as something to be feared but as a beautiful potential.

Least MOST favorite thing:  As Chakraborty herself notes in her afterward:  "There are days when it feels silly and selfish to spend my days crafting tales of monsters and magic. But I still believe, desperately, in the power of stories. If you take any message from this trilogy, I hope it is to choose what's right even when it seems hopeless - especially when it seems hopeless. Stand for justice, be a light, and remember what it is we were promised by the One who knows better.

“With every hardship comes ease."

I also believe in the power of stories, and I’m so excited to have been able to experience this one.  <3

[lilsherlockian1975]

The Nose Knows

A little soulmates AU, mostly fluff. Here’s part one. This is NOT beta’d, sorry for any mistakes. Huge thanks to @mel-loves-all for helping out with editing the images since I’m an ignorant goose penis when it comes to all that business. Blame me for the quality of the pics... it’s what I picked out for her. ~LiL~

-o-o-o-o-

He catches it on a breeze. It hits him like a physical blow and he instantly knows what he’s smelling, if not... who.

He and his cousin Daven are sitting on one of the few available benches on the Quad. Addam, his best friend since childhood, is talking about some girl he’d met at a sorority mixer the night before but as soon as the scent drifts his way, Jaime pretty much tunes out the sordid tale of sloppy, near-anonymous sex. It’s a gorgeous Spring day, not a cloud in the sky and no hint of rain for the first time in at least two weeks. This fact alone has driven most of the student population out of doors, making it almost impossible for him to quickly assign the scent to its owner.

Jaime is instantly ill at ease, which is unfortunate as moments ago he’d felt entirely in his element. He and his twin sister had celebrated their twenty-second name day the weekend before and prior to the scent, he’d been feeling at the very top of his game. Now he’s... confused and excited and anxious all at once.

Less than two months and he will be finished with this gods’ forsaken town and its massive university. He’s already been accepted at Crakehall School of Art & Design for his post-grad, which is, incidentally, where he originally had planned to study. His father’d had different ideas, forcing Jaime into the business programme at KLU. Thankfully, he had managed to slip a minor in Architecture into his degree by selling Tywin a load of shit about wanting to ‘propel Castlery Corp. into the modern era’. The minor had added a full year to Jaime’s studies and without a major in his chosen field, he will have to take supplementary classes at CSAD but he’s certain it will be worth it in the end.

None of that matters now. Tywin Lannister had died of a massive stroke seven months ago. Jaime supposes he should feel worse about that; should feel some kind of loss or sadness, and maybe he does, though not for the reasons most sons would for the death of a parent. But the old man was never a real father. He’d been indifferent toward Tyrion, dismissive toward Cersei - though he could occasionally be somewhat warmer to his only female child - and constantly demanding that Jaime ‘live up to the Lannister name’. Jaime can feel sympathy for their mother, of course, she did love the old bastard, but neither he nor his sister are overly damaged by the old man’s death. Oddly enough, their father’s death seems to be affecting his little brother the most.

The scent assails him again and this time he stands, walking towards it, leaving Addam sputtering objections and calling him names. Jaime doesn’t care. The only thing he cares about is the originator of that smell.

He passes small groups of fellow students, all equally excited about the respite from the spring rains. The Quad is packed, of course, so it’s no easy task. Not to mention that he probably looks like some kind of weirdo, walking around, nose first and… sniffing. But he’s being driven by something entirely out of his control. 

Though he’s never really given much thought to the idea of soulmates, he knows they exist - his Uncle Gerion and Aunt Briony are soulmates, for instance, but it’s rarely talked about within the family, almost as if it is some dirty secret. Actually, for some unknown reason, talking about soulmates seems to be taboo in ‘polite society’. Uncle Gerion - his favourite uncle -  however, is quite outspoken against Lannister Family tradition and societal norms. The phenomenon, as far as he knows, is very rare these days and Jaime has never once even considered the possibility for himself. 

Now… Now there's no doubt. He can smell her - them? - whoever! Jaime’s never been attracted to men, but somehow he knows that if the gods have seen it fit to match him with a man… so be it! 

Shaking himself, he chuckles as he moves to another group of students. It won’t be a man, he thinks. Surely the gods would have given him some kind of inclination towards his own sex if… Suddenly, he’s engulfed with the scent. They’re close, they must be!  He turns, following his nose like a damn toucan. 

The crowd thins a bit; it’s the top of the hour and people are rushing off to class. Jaime’s eyes and, yes, his nose, zero in on his target. Shit! It is a dude! He’s taller than Jaime by maybe an inch or so with short, straw-like blond hair, broad shoulders and… He’s just about to resign himself to a future that he’d never even considered (okay, so he’s maybe had the odd thought here and there about other guys - everyone has, right?! Right?) when they turn around and…  

“You’re a girl,” he says without thinking. 

She (oh, thank the gods she’s a she!) narrows her eyes, straightens her spine and glares. “Yes, I am. And you’re not very original, I’m afraid,” she says coldly before stalking past him. 

What?! No! She’s… she’s supposed to know. She’s supposed to smell him too. What in the seven hells is going on?! “Wait!” Jaime calls out but she doesn’t stop. He can’t give up, he just can’t. Sprinting to catch up, he reaches out for her, wanting to stop her, to talk to her. He doesn’t make it that far, though. Just before he touches her arm, she jerks back - maybe she saw him in her peripheral vision, maybe it’s some strange side effect of their connection, he doesn’t know - but when he sees the look in her unbelievably blue eyes, he’s the one flinching away. 

“I don’t know who you think you are,” she practically growls, “but you can’t just go around insulting people, chasing after them then touching them as if it’s your right!”

“But it is,” he replies lamely because... how doesn’t she know?

Her responding laugh is mocking and he can’t deny that it hurts him in a way he never imagined being hurt. Shaking her head, she sneers as she looks him up and down. “Guys like you are all the same…”

There are no guys like me, he thinks but luckily, this time he holds his tongue.

“I know I’m an easy target - hard to miss, low hanging fruit and whatnot - I’m just not in the mood for this nonsense today.”

Jaime knows he should give up, regroup and try again later, but patience has never been his strong suit. “I wasn’t… It wasn’t an insult. I was…” ‘Surprised’ sounds insulting and really, how does she still not know? His mind scrambles for a word to properly describe his condition. Finally, he settles on, “Confused?” though it unintentionally comes out as a question.

This seems to only further enrage the girl. She takes a step back, draws a deep breath and, once again, shakes her head. “Find someone else to help you figure out your sexuality!”

Okay, there’s a story there, Jaime’s sure of it but he doesn’t have time to ask. “No-no, you’re misunderstanding me. I know I’m not gay.” Although the fact that he considered it for thirty seconds or so is something he’ll deal with later! “I’m saying that…”

“I really don’t care what you’re saying.” Again, her eyes travel over him and Jaime has never felt so judged in his entire life. “It’s nothing new, it’s nothing I’ve not heard before. Do you really think you’re the first prick to want to screw with me? I’m guessing it’s another bet. Who put you up to this? Red? Bushy? If it was Hyle, I swear to the Seven...”

“None of them! I don’t even know who you’re talking about!” When he thinks about her words, an intense feeling of protectiveness overcomes him. “What bet? What did they do?” 

Her pale, freckle-covered cheeks turn an interesting shade of pink as she hitches her messenger bag higher on her shoulder before crossing her arms over her chest. “Nothing. Never mind. Just… Just leave me alone. Please.” The last word comes out softly, pleadingly and it just about breaks Jaime’s heart. Turning, she starts to go.

“I’m not a creep!” he calls out, managing to stop her escape. Looking around, he notices that, miraculously, the Quad has pretty much cleared out. If their fellow students hadn’t been in such a rush to return to class he and the angry girl would have surely drawn a crowd. He takes a deep breath and tries to calm himself before continuing, “And I’m not a prick. I am sort of an arsehole, but not - I think, not like those guys you mentioned. Whatever they did... hurt you enough to make you make that face…”

She whips around. “What about my face?” 

With a sigh, he says, “It looks sad. Too sad. It’s not supposed to.” And what does that even mean? he wonders as the words leave his mouth.

She’s surprised for a split second, then all emotion seems to drain from her features. “I don’t know why you’re doing this but please just… leave me alone.”

So he does. For now.

-o-o-o-o-

There is a very good reason that Brienne doesn’t know ‘who’ Jaime is. This is just the first part, I’m working on the next bit. Please let me know what you think. Thanks ~Lil~

[romansleftshoulderpad]

Secret Siren

Words: 3,459

Ships: Platonic LAMP, background pining analogical, mentioned background Remile

First fic of 2020! This is Part 2 of the Building Bridges Arc, so I suggest reading part 1 here. 

Warnings: Mentions of Deceit, mentions of Remus, teasing about crushes, jealousy, insecurity, lying, as I am not genderflux the description of it ended up sounding rather Textbook-y so I would like to apologize to any genderflux readers in advance

WCBI Tags: @fandermom @patchworkofstars @poisonedapples @hogwarts-my-love @opaque-puppet @omni-hamiltrash @darling-elm @madly-handsome @strickenwithclairvoyance @limitededitionsanderssidesblog @ultimate-queen-of-fandoms2 @ab-artist @sometimeswritingsometimesdying @because-were-fam-ily @gattonero17 @analogical-mess @joaniejustwokeup @whycantihavemorethan32characters @viva-la-pluto-dam-you

---

Roman wasn’t at Logan’s very much. Logan very rarely had guests over in the first place, but somehow that made days like these a little more special.

It seemed like a perfect recipe for stress, but days just sitting in Logan’s room and watching the sky were the most relaxed he ever felt. It was a side of Logan only he and Virgil got to see. He was laying across his bed, bundled up in a NASA hoodie and tossing a pink rubble ball up into the air on loop. He seemed to not notice Roman sketching him as they listened to music on Logan’s old CD player.

“I still don’t understand why you don’t just get a Bluetooth speaker,” Roman teased as if he hadn’t heard the answer a million times.

“Your lack of comprehension disappoints me, Roman. Truly, I am saddened by this.”

“Holy shit!” Roman gasped. “Logan Zander Hamilton has feelings?! Are pigs flying too?!”

“Thanks for the heart attack, asshole,” Logan said, chucking the rubble ball at Roman who caught it without flinching. “You are, by far, the worst of my close friends.”

“Aww, you said we’re close friends,” he teased. “Can’t believe I'm worse than Remy though.”

“Remy is only a close friend when he isn’t being an asshole.”

“But he’s always being an asshole.”

“Exactly.”

Roman smirked and tossed the rubber ball back to Logan. “So what’s the rundown?”

“Rundown?”

“The list. Come on, you can’t tell me you have a ranking of your close friends and not tell me the ranking.”

“It starts with Virgil and the more you push this the lower you get,” Logan said.

“Aww. Where’s Narcissa?”

“Number four.”

“Patton?”

Logan rolled his eyes. “Having powers does not constitute friendship.”

“That’s harsh,” Roman said. “Toss me the ball back, would ya?”

Logan tossed lower than Roman’s hands and smirked as the force smacked straight into his stomach. “I just... I don’t trust him, I don’t know.”

“You didn’t seem too wary of him at Emile’s party. Hell, you even sat next to him!”

“Falsehood, I was simply looking out for his best interest regarding Seth. That doesn’t mean I trust him any more than the one-eyed little cretin.”

“Nice Monsters Inc. reference.”

“Thank you, I try.”

“Aww, for me?”

Logan cleared his throat. “Nonetheless, I think we just need to be more careful with our trust. We still don’t know what he’s capable of with his powers.”

“We don’t know what Virgil is capable of either. Plus, Patton’s powers already put him in the emergency room quite preposterously.”

“Never put that much alliteration into a statement ever again,” Logan said. “And of course we can trust Virgil, we’ve known him for years.”

“My point,” Roman corrected, “isn’t that we shouldn’t trust Virgil. My point is that we should give Patton a chance.”

“You’d almost think you have a crush.”

“A squish! No- I- I mean, there’s nothing, but you know crushes aren’t my thing.” He sighed, running his fingers through his hair. “Not this easily at least.”

“Because of your crush on Virgil?”

“You bitch!” Roman yelled, laughing as he smacked Logan with a pillow. “I’m over it, I swear. And the bigger issue here is your crush on Virgil and don’t you dare try to deny this you two are one heartwarming conversation away from becoming the next Remy and Emile.”

Logan turned bright red. “You honestly believe that Virgil would-” He hid his face in his hands. “You’re the worst.”

“I’m saying if he could open his fucking eyes and get it through his thick skull that you’re gayer than the crowd of a My Chemical Romance concert than maybe he’d actually try to ask you out.”

Logan slowly looked up from his hands. “He- What?”

“If you’re honestly surprised he’s into you, then-”

“No, no, that actually makes sense. He thinks I’m straight?!”

Roman sighed. “We’ve been trying to tell him.”

“Smart enough to make honors but not enough to realize I’m gay. Wow. This is very troubling, Roman. Am I- dare I ask- Am I not gay enough?”

Roman laughed. “Could be gayer.”

“I’m going to have to write ‘raging homosexual’ on my forehead, aren’t I?”

“I’m afraid so. Don’t worry, I’ll write ‘enraged  aroace’ on mine so we’re even.”

Logan laughed and something seemed to radiate from him. When he opened his eyes they were a perfect reflection of the night sky. He was able to blink this away but it still managed to cause a sinking feeling in Roman’s gut.

Magic.

Of course...

+

It was impressive, to say the least, watching Virgil work. They were deep within the forest as Virgil ran amuck and Roman sat against a rock with his umbrella on one side of him and his sketchbook in his lap.

“Okay, okay!” Virgil yelled excitedly. “Get your umbrella ready, I’m going to make it rain.” Electricity sparked from his hands and surrounded him.

“I highly doubt that,” Roman teased, opening his umbrella. “Unless you mean cash-wise because I’m willing. I’m even willing to strip for you if you pay me. I’m a broke bitch, Virgil. Give me your money.”

“Shut up,” Virgil laughed. “You’ll break my concentration.”

He ran past Roman, jumping into the air and landing in a superhero pose that had clearly been rehearsed. With a loud crack of thunder, it did, indeed, begin to rain and Roman raced to sketch Virgil as quickly as he could before his subject moved.

“Well,” he muttered to himself. “At least I’m faster at drawing now.”

“You okay?” Virgil asked, sitting down next to him. The rain hadn’t been strong, and it was already starting to clear up, but it was just enough to wet his face and cause his shirt to cling to his muscles.

“I’m fine it’s just... I don’t know. I’ve been thinking. Bad thinking.”

“Phone a friend or call a national helpline?”

“Phone a friend,” Roman said. Virgil visibly relaxed. “Specifically some magical superhuman friends.”

“Still worried about your powers?”

Roman sighed. “I just... you have that cool shit you just did! With the lightning and rain, and Logan is starting to develop his powers too. Even Patton, we may not entirely know what his powers are but he has them!”

“Maybe it’s like puberty.”

“This is not like puberty. I haven’t been able to do anything since the cave and just- I can’t stop thinking about if something happens. What if someone is in danger and we all need to help them? I’d be completely useless to you!”

“Roman, you’re never useless to us. And nothing is going to happen.”

“How can you be so sure, Virgil?” He looked down and whispered, “What if someone goes missing?”

“That’s a very Logan thing of you to say,” Virgil teased, bumping into him. Roman leaned his head on his shoulder.

“We don’t know what’s going to happen. There could be anything out there.” He sighed. “And I want to help if it does.”

“You’ll get your powers, Roman, and I’ll be here to help you every step of the way.”

“You’re a good friend, Virgil.”

“Only because you’re a good friend in return.”

And so, they sat there, leaning against each other as the rain fell softly around them. It was calm, watching the rebirth of nature, as the deepest of Roman’s anxieties buried themselves away, giving him a break- even just for the time being.

+

Roman had gotten used to being at Patton’s house pretty often. Dot and Larry had seemed to warm up to him (and since Patton started seeing Seth, Larry seemed more trusting of Roman). “Happy New Year, Mrs. Hart,” Roman greeted with a smile.

“Oh, Roman, you can call me Dot.”

“No, I don’t think I can, Mrs. Hart,” he said, still smiling.

“Oh, very well, will you be staying for dinner tonight?” Dot asked.

“Oh, well, I wouldn’t want to intrude on your family time and-”

“Nonsense!” Larry laughed as he passed through. He leaned towards Roman and stage whispered, “You’re one of Patton’s better friends anyway.”

“Larry!” Dot scolded as Roman blushed in embarrassment. “What my husband means is that you’re always welcome to stay as long as you’d like.”

“Mom, are you embarrassing my friend?” Patton asked as he came down the stairs, he wore a baggy sweatshirt and gym shorts and his hair was messy as if he had just woken up.

“Patton, you need to look presentable for company!”

“He’s seen me look way worse,” Patton justified.

“I’ve seen Logan look worse, which I think is way more important.”

“Go get changed,” Dot said.

“Fiiine,” Patton groaned, quickly running up the stairs. Roman couldn’t help but laugh at how their sweet and gentle Patton could so easily turn into the human version of a lemon.

“I’m sorry about him, he’s just been so off lately.”

“Every teenager is during the break, Mrs. Hart. You turn nocturnal. I’m sure he’s just making up for being awake past four A.M or something.”

Dot sighed. “I suppose you’re right. And I suppose you should also tell your mother you’re staying here for dinner.”

“Fine, fine,” he laughed. “You’ve twisted my arm. I’ll go call her.” He stepped aside from the kitchen and sent out a quick text. He knew his parents didn’t care, but he still felt bad about lying to Dot.

He looked up as he heard a thump down the stairs. Patton was standing in front of him, hair-styled meticulously with a white and blue floral button-down tucked into a pair of lightly ripped jeans with cat socks on. Somehow, even his glasses looked perfect.

“You clean up nicely,” he said.

Patton rolled his eyes but held a tiny sliver of a smile. “Whatever, my mom just worries about ‘presentation’ all the time. You don’t have to play along.”

“No, I mean it,” he said. “You, uh, look really nice.”

Patton laughed. “Well, thanks. You don’t look too bad yourself.” Roman blushed as they headed up to Patton’s room. “I’ll warn you, it’s a bit messy. I’ve been trying to reorganize but, well, you know how it is.”

“Can’t be worse than Remy’s,” Roman shuddered. “We never ask why it’s messy. Not after the incident with Dad’s car.”

“Cool, so, uh, remind me to never go to Remy’s house ever again.” He opened the door and carefully toed boxes away, clearing a path to his bed. “New decade, new me.”

“So what are your resolutions?” Roman asked, moving a pile of clothes out of his way.

“I’ve never been one for resolutions, they’re so overwhelming and discouraging when you mess up,” Patton explained. “I just try to be me, you know. Every day is an opportunity to grow and be better. To move on from the past. I don’t need a calendar to tell me when to grow up.”

“That’s a very admirable ideology, Patton,” Roman said. “My goal is to just be even gayer.”

Patton laughed as he moved away unfolded clothes and miscellaneous stuffed animals. “That’s a good goal to chase.”

“Indeed it is, but I think you called me here for more than just resolutions,” Roman said, waving Patton’s notebook in the air.

Patton took the notebook and grabbed a pen. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be, this just means you owe me a movie date,” he teased. “No superhero movies, though. I think we need a break from superhero stuff.”

“A movie date,” Patton laughed, flipping through his notebook. “I don’t think Seth would like it very much if we called it that.”

“Then we can go on our movie date and Seth can continue being the human version of Avengers: Endgame.”

“Endgame was good,” Patton said weakly. He looked away from Roman’s stare. “Okay, fine, it wasn’t. But that’s not the point. The point is that we’re trying to figure out who this mysterious victim is.”

Roman’s stomach dropped like an apple from a tree. “So, we’re sure this is going to happen?”

“We’re being prepared in case it does,” he said, scribbling names quickly. “I still can’t differentiate past from future in these dreams but... I think this might be both.”

“Both?”

“He’s taken Remus before. Or done something to him. The name Moira comes up a lot, I think that might be the name of the woman from the club.”

Roman grabbed his sketchbook and held his hand out. Patton tossed the pen at him. As he quickly scribbled, he thought aloud, “Was Moira a random woman in a club? Or was she Morality?”

“Morality is a girl?” Patton asked. “That would explain some of the dreams, but when we met he- she? They?”

“I don’t think he’s a girl now,” Roman said. “She’s definitely not cis.”

“Too bad we can’t just ask.”

“Morality doesn’t talk to you?” Roman asked. “Sometimes I wish Remus would shut up.”

“Maybe that’s your power,” Patton teased. He made a grabby hand towards Roman for the pen. “Thank yooouuu.”

“That’s a lame power,” Roman said. “Plus I’m pretty sure Logan does that weird meditative thing with Knowledge.”

“Too bad there’s not a way we can all talk to the spirits and figure this out. Wait-” He scribbled something quickly just off from the chart he had been working on. “We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.”

“So who’s getting kidnapped?”

“I’ve seen Logan in the hallways of where I believe our victim is getting kidnapped. It’s not him.”

“Okay, good to know.”

“You’re always with me whenever I see the missing poster. And everyone else I’ve only seen at the party, which had nothing to do with that man.”

“So it’s not Logan and not me,” Roman said. “There’s a lot of people that aren’t me or Logan.”

“I haven’t seen Virgil in any dreams,” Patton said. “Do you think it’s him?”

“No, no, it can’t be. He’s super powerful when he’s just dicking around in his backyard. In danger? I don’t believe he’s our victim.”

“Okay,” Patton sighed. “Okay. We still don’t have much to work with.”

“We have time, right?”

“I hope so.”

“Time for what?” Dot asked in the doorway.

“Studying!” Patton lied. “Yeah, uh, we’re studying for, um-”

“Patton has Mrs. Green for chemistry,” Roman said. “And her class is the absolute worst. Luckily for him, I had her back in my sophomore year so I’m helping him study.”

“Aw well isn’t that nice,” Dot cooed. “Dinner is almost ready so you boys might want to start heading down.”

“Sounds great, Mom. But you should head down now, I smell burning.”

Something shone in Dot’s eyes. “Oh dear, I smell it too! Hurry down boys!”

“You’re a shit liar,” Roman said. “I hope you know that. I’ve literally never seen anyone as bad at lying as you are. You’re so bad.”

“Okay, okay, whatever. I don’t feel comfortable lying.”

Roman reached out to cup Patton’s cheek. He stiffened up but made no move to get away. Roman brushed his thumb across the skin under Patton’s eye. “Interesting...”

“What are you doing?”

“Your face turns pink when your powers work, well, part of it does. It’s like the night you first, you know.”

“I still don’t know how to get rid of it! Dinner will be ready any second now, what do I do?!”

“Relax,” Roman said, pulling something out of his bag. “This was too light for me, but I think it can work for you.” He opened a small thing of concealer and put some on his finger. “Hold still.” He leaned forward, gently applying the concealer and fully aware of Patton’s breath against his face. He silently prayed that neither of the Hart parents walked in.

He leaned back, ignoring the blush on Patton’s face. “That should work. Keep this in your blog in case something ever happens at school.”

“You think something like this will happen at school?”

“No, but it’s still better to be precautious. Now let’s go get some food, I’m starving.”

+

Roman had begun to spend a lot of his free time in the art room. He’d eat his lunch in a hurry, if he even ate at all, and quickly head over with his sketchbook in hand. It was nice to have a quiet space with just his earbuds and his art supplies.

Mostly quiet.

The earbuds hadn’t granted him silence for very long.

“She’s pretty,” EJ commented. “Sorry, I don’t mean to be rude. You’re very talented though, who is she?”

“I’m not entirely sure,” Roman answered.

“So, like a mystery woman?”

“More like a design I’m working on.” He flipped to a new page. “Is there anything I can help you with?”

“I guess not. I’ve never seen you around here before. Typically no one I know comes in here.”

“I’ve been a bit more motivated these past few weeks.”

“With mystery women?”

“You could say that,” he said. “I like your bracelet.”

“Oh, um, thank you,” EJ said, fiddling with the orange beads that spelled out “THEY-THEM”. “Not too many people notice it.”

“Are you fluid?”

“No, but I am non-binary,” they said. “I’m a demigirl but I’m also genderflux, which just means that how strongly I feel my gender changes. Sometimes I feel very strongly like a girl, other times I hardly feel like one at all.”

“So the pronoun bracelets.”

“When I don’t feel like a girl, she/her just feels wrong. They/them is fine whenever though, so if you’re not sure you can just use that.”

“Good to know,” Roman said. “I’m he/him all the time. I’m sure you already know Narcissa uses she/her, but the rest of us use he/him. Logan also finds they/them acceptable if that’s worth noting.”

“Good to know,” they teased. “Your group really knows how to throw a party.”

“Yeah, we all saw you and Narcissa on New Years,” Roman said. EJ blushed pink.

The bell rang, signaling the end of lunch. Roman quickly packed up his art supplies and put them in his bag before swinging it over his shoulder. “Where are you headed?” he asked.

“Art is my next class,” they explained. “I find it easier to wait here.”

“Fair enough,” Roman laughed. “I’ll see you around, then?”

“You certainly will,” they said with a smile as Roman left. Their eyes never left him until he was completely out of view. “And I’ll be seeing you.”

+

Roman was alone in his room, sketching every fine line and detail that came into his mind. He was never able to figure out his powers with the others. Could he figure them out on his own? He looked at himself in the mirror, his irises were red and his hair was turning grey. Green smoke twirled around his pen. “Are you just here to tease me?” The smoke didn’t answer. “You’re not very charming, you know. You can at least help me with this Patton mystery. I think he’s onto something here.”

Roman looked down at the drawing and saw Patton on one side of the page and Virgil on the lother. He glared at the smoke. “You’re a real asshole, you know that?”

He pulled out his phone and flipped to a new page. He had taken a good amount of photos from New Year’s Eve, and he wanted some drawings that weren’t strange magical lines. He pulled up a group shot from the party they had talked Seth into taking for them. He zoomed in on EJ’s face, the lighting gave them an almost orange halo. Roman picked up his pencil and started sketching. There was something familiar about their eyes. He brushed off the thought, deciding he needed to work on developing a more unique style.

He scribbled the rest of his friends onto the page, paying special attention to the highlights on Virgil’s skin and the curl of Logan’s hair along with the crookedness of Patton’s smile. By the time he was finished with the drawing, the smoke was gone and he looked like himself once again.

“Your tricks are getting rather tired, Remus,” he scoffed quietly. “You’ll need to find a new way to get my hopes up.”

He checked the time and realized it was getting late. He quickly put away his art supplies and headed to the bathroom, turning on the shower as he did a few more chores.

He turned on his speaker and let his Disney playlist play, putting away his phone as he quickly stripped down. He stepped into the hot water, imaging his stressors melting away down the drain. He closed his eyes and massaged shampoo onto his scalp, singing along to a song from the original Mary Poppins and completely oblivious to the soaps and hygiene products levitating around him.

[onthevirgeofdestruction]

Plea for My New Self

Sanders sides Vampire College AU - it’s gay - it’s full of fun fluffy tropes - a bit o’ hurt/comfort - mostly fluff

Words: 4,531 Warnings:  Extreme sass, Arguing, Alcohol, Illness mention Characters: Virgil, Roman, Deceit (Logan and Patton Mentioned) Ships: Prinxiety, Anxceit, Eventual LAMPD/CALMD Universe: Plea for my New Self Rating: T Genre: Prinxiety Bickering

Chapter 28: Sir Prize

Chapter 1 for New Readers - ffn mirror

   “It’s absolute bullshit, Virgil! No freshman can play the lead role. Ugh! He can’t even waltz! One of us will have to teach him!” Roman shouted, waving his arm in dissatisfaction. Virgil held Roman gently in the middle of the dorm floor while he fumed wildly about the audition results, trying to console him with very little success. He rubbed Roman’s back a while and sighed with exasperation. Just getting him back to their dorm was hard enough. Virgil was still pissed about Mitchell’s bullshit and only just managed to start saying consoling or productive words. He mostly was just hissing and grousing as he guided an enraged Roman across campus to their room. Roman tried to run off to punch things on 4 separate occasions. Virgil nearly let him until he realized Roman would dent or damage whatever he hit, and Virgil wasn’t in the mood to deal with that.

   “Well, at least you’re not playing a womanizer,” Virgil rolled his eyes and shifted Roman in his lap to sit more comfortably.

   “I was clearly better suited for and more capable of playing Septimus than that Anton jerk!” Roman hissed angrily. Virgil ran his hand through Roman’s hair and continued to try to settle him down.

   “I thought so, too, but at least you get to threaten him with a sword,” Virgil offered in solace. Roman looked more interested in that over everything else he’d tried to say to calm him down. He should have known threats of violence were the answer. When weren’t they, really? He knew what he’d like to say to that- nope, nope. Deal with Roman’s anger and his own anger would calm down.

   “That is a bonus,” Roman huffed and crossed his arms. “But Septimus’s lines are more fun, and Captain Brice is barely in the play,” Roman groaned bitterly, his fingers balled into fists. Virgil kissed Roman’s forehead and stroked his hair again.

   “And you’ll deliver those lines way better than anyone else on the stage, and they’ll see their dire folly,” Virgil cooed, slightly running his nails gently along Roman’s scalp and returning to stroking his back.

   “Quit patronizing me, Virge! It’s a travesty of justice!” Roman objected loudly, flailing an arm again in righteous indignation. And people called Virgil a drama queen. Roman was the drama king and Virgil was a drama knight at worst compared to him.

   “I’m not patronizing you, I’m giving you the gift of the greatest and most powerful driving force behind all human endeavors. Spite,” Virgil smirked. If nothing else works, appeal to spite. It had always worked for Deceit in the past, anyway. Roman blinked at him for a moment, processing what he said.

   “You devious bastard,” A grin broke out and spread slowly across Roman’s face. Roman grabbed Virgil’s head and jerked him forward to kiss him. “Bless you,” He held his face and said emphatically. Virgil hissed facetiously at the blessing. Roman looked shocked and pulled back quickly.

   “Sorry, vampire joke,” Virgil chuckled, having amused himself, and lightly scratched Roman’s neck. Roman shivered slightly at the gentle motion.

   “You sound exactly like a cat when you really mean it, it’s surprising,” Roman said, looking slightly baffled up at Virgil.

   “We can go blow off some steam somewhere, if you like. I know it’s getting late and a school night, but you’ve never seemed to care,” Virgil shrugged. Anything to cheer Roman back up so Virgil wouldn’t go stalk Mitchell and… cheer up Roman. Staying in control was important.

   “Get me drunk, Virgil,” Roman held Virgil’s shoulders and stared seriously into Virgil’s eyes.

   “What, for real? You sassed the shit out of me when you thought I was drinking under-aged,” Virgil huffed angrily, shaking his head. The audacity of this bitch.

   “I never implied that I was free of sin,” Roman crossed his arms, continuing his intense stare.

   “Let me guess, you and your brother were teenage bastards and got drunk at house parties?” Virgil took a guess, but he was positive he was right.

   “Hey, Remus was the bastard. And it was only a couple of times during my senior year. I’ll have you know I was a perfect gentleman,” Roman glowered at Virgil and held his hand to his chest.

   “Nobody is a perfect gentleman drunk. You probably only thought you were,” Virgil rolled his eyes and shifting Roman again so he could reach his upper back to scratch that.

   “Excuse me, ladies hung around me like moths to a flame,” Roman said proudly but melted quickly after Virgil started moving his hand.

   “I’m sure they just knew you were safe because you’re gay and your eyes or hands never wandered to their anywhere,” Virgil chuckled and started rubbing Roman’s back instead, not wanting to accidentally cut Roman.

   “Okay, in hindsight, maybe that’s true. But I never broke any vases or threw anybody into a pool,” Roman said defensively, though his expression was still relaxed.

   “Speaking of gay hindsight, are you thinking about coming out of the closet yet?” Virgil asked, gently scratching the back of Roman’s head again.

   “I… I don’t know if it’s the right time,” Roman muttered, closing his eyes.

   “It’s not like they can cut you off anymore, you already cut yourself off. You’re the one who thinks it’s important,” Virgil reminded him.

   “Okay, so I’m nervous about it, so sue me!” Roman shot Virgil a cross look.

   “You? Nervous? I don’t believe you,” Virgil laughed airily. Roman swatted him on the arm with a sour look on his face.

   “Are you going to get me drunk or not?” Roman pouted, returning his arms to the angrily crossed state.

   “Fine, fine, we’ll drink away your casting woes. Do you want me to sneak you in a bar or do you want to just get a hotel room and some high-dollar tequila?” Virgil listed Roman’s options, not feeling like fighting it any longer.

   “Oh, I didn’t realize the second one was an option,” Roman hummed, sounding like he was mulling it over.

   “We can’t bring alcohol on campus. I’m stealthy but I’m not risking expulsion over you being moody about some guy who can’t even waltz,” Virgil said, tilting his head and rolling his eyes at the ridiculousness of it all.

   “Let’s do the high-dollar tequila one, I don’t want to get arrested at a bar,” Roman decided. Probably the better choice of the two.

   “Smart. Do you want to invite anybody?” Virgil asked, returning to running his fingers through Roman’s hair and humming contentedly.

   “Patton and Logan both don’t approve of under-aged drinking,” Roman frowned. “They’re not up for it and they probably don’t want us doing it either,”

   “That’s true,” Virgil shrugged. “And I’m not boozing up the whole drama club minus Anton, I draw the line there. How about D? He’d also find it a travesty that you weren’t cast as the lead,” Virgil suggested with a slight smirk.

   “His hobby seems to be embarrassing me, Virge, why would I want to do that?” Roman asked incredulously, tilting his head from side to side.

   “Because he is the most affectionate drunk on the planet. He would whisper you sweet nothings instead of you being stuck listening to me make fun of you all night,” Virgil explained his reasoning with a little shrug.

   “Oh, are you drinking with me?” Roman raised his eyebrow. So Roman remembered that Virgil was a bitchy drunk. Virgil chuckled through his nose and took Roman’s hand.

   “Why wouldn’t I? I’m buying it. I’m not watching you have fun all night, that’d be the real travesty of justice,” Virgil grinned evilly as he watched Roman return to righteous indignation in a second flat.

   “No worse than Anton’s acting, I assure you!” Roman blurted irately, glaring at Virgil.

   “He’s not that bad, Princey. I thought he was good,” Roman looked extremely offended and made a wide variety of upset noises. “You were better, hands down! But he’ll be good enough,” Roman made a variety of offended noises. “Fine, he’ll be an absolute disaster. So much of a wreck the entire theatre collapses due to his sheer ineptitude,” Virgil rolled his eyes and pulled Roman’s hand up to kiss his knuckles.

   “Now you’re definitely patronizing me,” Roman crossed his arms again and scowled. Virgil dropped his hand and pulled him in close for a kiss. He maybe restarted this mess, but he didn’t want Roman to get riled up all over again and turn Virgil into an angry idiot. Roman was sour at first but kissed back after a moment. He didn’t care about the placating words much longer.

   “If you want to, text D and ask him if he wants to get drunk with us. I can’t reach my phone without moving you. So get off so I can start looking for a liquor store and a hotel,” Virgil asked him after he pulled away. Roman looked a little dazed and blinked a few times before shaking it off and pulling out his phone. Virgil kissed Roman’s hair while he texted. “So those party examples earlier were very specific. Your brother did break a vase and throw someone in a pool, didn’t he?” Virgil raised his eyebrow.

   “Yes, yes, he did. It’s really not a particularly splendid idea to get him drunk,” Roman smiled knowingly. There was probably a story there, and that little smile intrigued Virgil.

   “That just makes me want to get him drunk, Princey. Don’t threaten me with a good time,” Virgil laughed. He wanted to see this guy party.

   “Your ancient unhinged ass is probably the most dangerous combination with him,” Roman looked a little horrified at the thought. “You must never get him drunk,”

   “You know I’m cautious, what makes you say that?” Virgil asked, nearly feeling offended at the implication. Virgil could control himself just fine. Assuming he stayed in control, anyway.

   “Because it doesn’t take very much to flip that caution into fuckitville when it comes to low-risk things, and sometimes if you do enough low-risk things the higher risk stuff seems more acceptable. Remus would find a way to change your mind and he’d abuse it,” Roman insisted seriously.

   “You’re no fun,” Virgil stuck his tongue out.

   “You probably want an excuse to do stupid shit deep down. Remus once jumped off a roof to see if he’d bounce,” Roman motioned to Virgil and looked very convinced he was right.

   “Oh, a scientist,” Virgil chuckled. Roman was probably right.

   “See?” Roman glared at him, gripping one of Virgil’s shoulders.

   “Fine, I trust you! I get that I have a poor sense of boundaries and sometimes imagine brutally murdering people,” Virgil rolled his eyes, taking Roman’s hand again.

   “God, Virgil, don’t joke about that,” Roman furrowed his eyebrows at Virgil.

   “No, I do. I don’t want to do it. Well, sometimes I do. I know better, anyway,” Virgil shrugged dismissively.

   “You should probably feed on me,” Roman said deliberately and nodded.

   “Ro, we talked about this. I’m not sure what’s the compulsion and what’s you,” Virgil huffed. This wasn’t the first time this week he brought it up. Roman was probably just trying to wear Virgil down like he always does.

   “You’re having murder thoughts and I have tasty tasty blood that solves that problem! Deceit will back me up!” Roman said fiercely, trying to tempt Virgil.

   “If he wants to come out with us to a hotel, anyway,” Virgil said dismissively. Deceit would back him up. He did just shove him off the bed to drink from Logan the other day. Murder thoughts just came with the whole package, and D knew that. But D was never afraid to take what he wanted, including what he wanted for Virgil. Roman checked his phone.

   “He doesn’t. He wants us to come to get drunk at his apartment,” Roman said, showing Virgil the screen.

   “With my baby grand? Sold!” Virgil shot up, still holding onto Roman. “My violin is there too,” Virgil beamed brightly and twisted around, spinning Roman with him.

   “Put me down you fucking dork,” Roman said humorously, pushing off of Virgil. Virgil set him down gently. “I want to wear something nice,” Roman went to his closet and started sliding around hangers.

   “I thought you were dashing in that silk top,” Virgil winked, watching him dig around in his closet.

   “I’ll think about it. It was hard to wash the club smell out of it last time. You should probably put up your hair or it’ll get alcohol in it somehow. It always happened at parties to people with long hair,” Roman suggested and motioned to Virgil’s hair. Virgil hummed in agreement and stepped into the bathroom so he could French braid it in the mirror.

   “Will you flit me there?” Roman asked, sounding like he had found something and started changing into it.

   “That’s dangerous, Ro, I can’t adjust gravity for anybody but me,” Virgil groaned as he slid his fingers through his hair and pulling it all into a braid.

   “Oh, like you’d ever drop me,” Roman huffed disbelieving.

   “If I get attacked mid-air I might,” Virgil growled. Roman had absolutely no survival instinct. How did Roman survive this far, exactly?

   “How often does that happen?” Roman asked, very obviously poking around for a reasonable place to argue for his cause.

   “More often than zero. We should make sure to get you some food to eat,” Virgil said, trying to change the subject. Virgil knew if he let Roman go at it too long, he’d change his mind.

   “I can bring some leftovers in a bag. He’s got a fridge, right? I’ve got a half-sub and some penne. I still think you should carry me. It’d be way faster than a car if you’re anywhere close to D’s speed,” Roman changed the subject back. Damnit.

   “I’m faster,” Virgil grunted. “Ever so slightly, though. D’s pretty fast for a turned. But you don’t want me to go that fast. Your body isn’t wired for it,” He wrapped the bottom of his hair in a hair tie he dug out of the bottom of his shower bag and started pinning up loose hairs in the mirror.

   “Seriously, Virge, more often than zero is probably you saying it doesn’t happen that often,” Roman objected, and he wasn’t wrong. He still was an idiot, though.

   “Yeah, it doesn’t, but it’s still dangerous,” Virgil grunted back, making sure everything was in place in the mirror.

   “I’ll let you drink my blood,” Roman sang temptingly from the bedroom.

   “That’s you getting two things you want, Ro. You’re not fooling me,” Virgil rolled his eyes and slid another hairpin in.

   “So you admit that you know I want it and it’s not just the compulsion!” Roman shouted out suddenly. Holy shit, he wasn’t willing to drop either subject.

   “Hecate, save me from this evil,” Virgil groaned and ran his hand down his face in frustration.

   “Don’t you want to make me happy?” Roman asked sweetly. He was a dog with a bone and he wasn’t letting it the fuck go.

   “All the time! I just- augh, you are so frustrating!” Virgil growled. Roman came into the bathroom and wrapped his arms around Virgil, kissing his neck from behind. He had changed into a jewel tone red long sleeve button down with decorative stitching instead of the plain white button-down he auditioned in.

   “Do it,” Roman hissed temptingly in his ears, like the evil siren he is.

   “I thought your brother was supposed to be the one who was a dangerous combination with me,” Virgil groaned, looking at Roman’s smug face in the mirror. Roman clearly knew he was winning.

   “Once again, I never implied I was free of sin,” Roman smirked to Virgil’s reflection. “Wear a dark lip color, you look so good in it,” Roman smiled and kissed Virgil’s neck again. Virgil sighed and changed his makeup to something cleaner and more defined with a dark purple lip. “Stunning. Now take me flying,” Roman demanded.

   “You’re very bossy for a sub,” Virgil chided in a low voice and smirked darkly at Roman’s reflection. Roman sputtered wildly, letting go of Virgil. Virgil laughed loudly, holding his sides while Roman babbled partial objections.

   “I- I’m not!” Roman eventually stammered out.

   “I just wanted to shut you up, Princey,” Virgil smiled and pulled Roman back in, kissing him. “I like the outfit you picked. The embroidery on the sleeves is very classy,” Virgil felt the stitching on Roman’s top. It was flimsy as best, but it looked nice. 

   “Thanks,” Roman blushed and rubbed his arm a little sheepishly. “I hope Pat’s figured out shielding better or they’re probably very confused right now,” He mused.

   “I’m 100% positive you confuse them on at least an hourly basis. But this is what they wanted,” Virgil shrugged, grabbing Roman’s hand and leading him out of the bathroom, then twirling him around the middle of the dorm floor.

   “An hourly basis? Please. You’re at least as bad as me. You freaked out because found a song you really liked earlier,” Roman objected as he spun into Virgil’s chest. Virgil pulled him in and pouted.

   “It was a really good song,” Virgil growled defensively.

   “And that organ at the theatre? You’re a massively irredeemable music nerd,” Roman kissed his cheek. “Come on, take me by foot,” Roman pestered him again, but it was clear in Roman’s tone he already knew he’d won.

   “Fine, but I’m leaving you alone on a roof while I pick up the alcohol,” Virgil grunted in concession.

   “And put on a flowy blouse,” Roman smiled sweetly.

   “Oh, my hallowed Hecate. I need Pat around with you at all times. You’re like a shoulder devil unopposed all by yourself,” Virgil sighed dramatically and let go of Roman to go change tops.

   “You don’t seem that resistant,” Roman crossed his arms and shifted his weight to one foot while he watched. “You’re not really going to leave me alone on a roof, are you?” He asked as Virgil found a blouse that matched the description, still black of course, and pulled off his hoodie and shirt to change.

   “Oh, absolutely. You’d rather be left alone in a dark alley?” Virgil smiled mischievously before sliding on the new top.

   “Of course not!” Roman said, very irritated.

   “They smell absolutely splendiferous, you’ll love it. Nothing like the smell of roofing tar and gravel in the middle of a city,” Virgil said smarmily and smirked before pulling Roman back in.

   “You’re an absolute bastard,” Roman grunted.

   “And you’re a terrible influence,” Virgil smiled, and they kissed again. Virgil assaulted Roman’s face with a 62 little kisses and Roman’s expression melted into a sweet expression with a little giggle in his throat.

   “How do you get up to the roof to leave, anyway? They lock the door there,” Roman mused after a moment of finding his bearings.

   “I just pick it. So does Deceit. I’ve never met a vampire who couldn’t pick a lock,” Virgil twirled Roman around again.

   “That’s objectively terrifying,” Roman said, looking very concerned when he came back.

   “So am I,” Virgil flashed his fangs. “You’re just an idiot and Patton’s got kinks,” Virgil said derisively.

   “What about Logan, then?” Roman huffed, surprisingly not objecting to being an idiot this time.

   “Intellectually curious. He normally has the good sense to keep his space. But also I think he might have a thing for goths,” Virgil shrugged. “Pack some food for your human intestines,” Roman sighed and went to the fridge to pull out some leftovers. Virgil grabbed a bag out of his closet and tossed it in Roman’s way. Virgil watched him pack the food, feeling pretty satisfied with himself. He knew how to make Princey shut up about wanting to go flitting again.

   “To the rooftop, your majesty?” Virgil held out his hand. Roman lightly rolled his eyes but took Virgil’s hand, anyway.

   They locked up and headed out of their dorm and up the stairwell. Roman didn't whine about taking the stairs for once, even though there were a few flights to climb. When they got to the top of the stairs, Roman crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, motioning to the door with his arm and looking unimpressed. Virgil flipped a sharp pin set out from behind his ear and listened for the tumblers, picking the lock swiftly. He opened the door and bowed, holding it open for Roman with his arm outstretched.

   “You’re such a fucking show off,” Roman groaned, but he was clearly impressed.

   “I just like seeing your dumbfounded face,” Virgil slid the pins back into place and checked to make sure the straps of the bag were tight enough before pulling Roman up into his arms. “Do not let go of my neck under any circumstances or I’m never doing this again,” Virgil hissed. Roman wrapped his legs around Virgil’s Torso and nodded. Virgil supported him and held him close.

   “Oh, so this isn’t a one-time thing?” Roman smiled knowingly.

   “I think you’ve proved your point about how I’m an idiot,” Virgil held Roman tightly and walked to the edge of the roof. “You swear you don’t have vertigo, right? I don’t want to get thrown up on,”

   “I would have gotten sick when you first roller-coaster’d me,” Roman replied blithely.

   “Great,” Virgil grinned mischievously and held his foot off the edge of the roof.

   “What are you doing?” Roman screeched at Virgil and gripped tighter. Virgil stepped off the roof. They dropped and Roman screamed in terror. Virgil reoriented against the building and pushed off two stories down and Roman possibly tried to choke Virgil out in anger with how hard he was squeezing.

   “You think it’s a smart idea to choke a person who’s got you 12 stories up?” Virgil laughed as he jumped off the next building.

   “You absolute fucking basilisk!” Roman screamed as Virgil bounded again, lifting his gravity and jumping higher.

   “This is what you wanted, Princey,” Virgil cackled in delight. That shut him up for sure.

   “I wanted you to jump off a roof, not fall off of one!” Roman retorted, his expression completely enraged. To his credit, other than futilely trying to choke Virgil in revenge, he hadn’t let go.

   “I’ve jumped off multiple roofs,” Virgil said smugly, making sure Roman was secure in his arms.

   “You know what I meant, you bastard,” Roman hissed furiously.

   “Enjoy the ride, Princey, you’re the one who was pushing for this,” Virgil cackled again, jumping into the skyline.

   “Promise to not do that again!” Roman demanded. Probably fairly.

   “I have to do that sometimes,” Virgil knew he was being a smartass, but Roman’s reaction was just too good to stop.

   “Then warn me!” Roman growled his revised demands.

   “Fine,” Virgil laughed. He only intended to scare him like that once, anyway.

   “Jump the next one backwards, I want to see,” Roman requested, much less crossly this time.

   “You’re an absolute madlad,” Virgil shook his head and complied. Roman cheered excitedly and Virgil faced forward again before landing. Maybe it was worth it to make him this happy. Roman’s enjoyment was addictive. He really didn’t feel things by halves.

—

   Roman groaned on the living room couch at Deceit’s. It served him right for telling Virgil to speed up. Virgil smiled and wrapped Deceit up into his arms and cherished kissing him ‘hello’. Deceit hummed happily and kissed back.

   “You wanted to get here fast, Princey,” Virgil sassed Roman after pulling away. Virgil smiled like an idiot, happy to be back in Deceit’s arms and held him close.

   “I also wanted to keep my intestines where they are, but I suppose it was too much to ask,” Roman groaned, grabbing a throw pillow and falling over, holding it tightly to himself.

   “It’s just some lag, you’ll clear up in a moment. I’ll get you some cold water,” Virgil said and kissed Deceit’s temple before letting go to grab one of his mugs from the cabinet. Virgil dispensed some ice water from the fridge for Roman and tossed Roman’s food in the fridge. Virgil put it down on the coffee table for Roman when he got back up and deposited the bag on the floor. He yanked Deceit down on to the couch with him, wrapping his arms around Deceit and pressing a kiss into his neck.

   “So what did you bring to drink, darling?” Deceit asked, eying the backpack next to Deceit’s coffee table.

   “Whiskey, tequila, and rum,” Virgil smiled into Deceit’s hair.

   “You did always prefer having options,” Deceit smirked. “The French braid is cute, love,” Deceit angled his head to steal another kiss. “You’ve only got 30 minutes until you can’t play anymore, so perhaps you should serenade us while Roman’s intestines settle back into place,” Deceit smirked when Roman failed to throw a punch at him and moaned weakly into the couch again.

   “Promise you’ll take us back to the dorms slower, you rapscallion,” Roman groaned pitifully, pointing shakily to Virgil.

   “We can take a car back if you want,” Virgil offered. He didn’t mind going slower, Roman was the one who wanted to speed up in the first place.

   “Don’t even talk about motion right now,” Roman grumbled. He was the one who brought it up, but Roman was the one suffering. Virgil stroked Roman’s hair gently, feeling bad for him.

   “If you throw up on my couch you are cleaning it up,” Deceit said haughtily, wrapping his arms around Virgil’s arm.

   “Okay, I’ll throw up in your shoes,” Roman shot back. A-plus rebuttal. Deceit glared at Virgil for that errant thought. Virgil just smiled smarmily back.

   “Do you want to lie in bed, Ro?” Virgil asked, checking on Roman as he stroked his hair.

   “If you lift me again you die,” Roman hissed weakly. It was so damn cute when humans pretended to be scary. Deceit chuckled and nodded in agreement.

   “I’ll carry you, you massive idiot,” Deceit rolled his eyes and got up, scooping up Roman slowly and taking him into the bedroom. Roman whined feebly, but he probably wanted to lie in bed or D wouldn’t have bothered moving him. Virgil got up and headed to the spare room to grab his violin and checked on it carefully. He made sure the strings were tuned and ran the bow across them, checking on the sound. Virgil walked over to the bedroom and Roman was laying back, looking much less distressed, and Deceit was leaning back on the edge of the bed.

   “Requests?” Virgil asked, picking somewhere in the room not too close to Deceit to start playing.

   “Partita No. 2,” Deceit suggested smoothly, crossing his legs.

   “I haven’t touched a violin in over a month and you want me to play that?” Virgil rolled his eyes.

   “I doubt you’re out of practice. Woo me, love,” Deceit smiled and folded his hands, the challenge clear in his tone.

   “You just like torturing me,” Virgil huffed and pulled the violin in position to play.

   “I never said I didn’t,” Deceit smiled and Virgil stood upright and started to play.

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[mobius-prime]

134. Sonic the Hedgehog #75

I Am the Eggman!

Writer: Karl Bollers Pencils: Steven Butler Colors: Frank Gagliardo

We have a very important question to address here at the beginning of this story. Apparently, all this time, it wasn't Robotnik who was activating the satellites and tormenting the Freedom Fighters in secret. If that's the case… who was it, then?

So! Do you remember, aaalllllll the way back during StH#19, when I said that that issue would introduce a very important character, someone who would shape the course of the entire comic? Didja forget about that? 'Cause I sure didn't! Here he is, ladies, gents, and enbies - Robo-Robotnik, AKA the alternate, roboticized version of Robotnik from another zone! Don't worry if you don't remember - he gives us a nice rundown of exactly how this all came to be, just for those of us who may have forgotten him between then and now. But first, just to make sure no one escapes or attacks before his villainous monologue is over, he encases the Freedom Fighters inside an egg-shaped energy field, which knocks Bunnie out when she tries to punch her way out.

So here's how it went down. Way back when Robo-Robotnik was taken back to his own zone after his interdimensional defeat, his consciousness was stranded aboard a space station in orbit of his own version of Mobius. Then, as chronicled in StH#22, Robotnik Prime ended up aboard the same station when he was thrown out of his own dimension, and gave Robo-Robotnik just the pep talk he needed to get back to hunting down his enemies and taking over the world. However, what we didn't know until now is that at the moment Robo-Robotnik sent Robotnik Prime back to his own world, he tapped into his memories, learning of the scattering of the Giant Borg suit's pieces across all dimensions. Yep, that makes him the mastermind behind the Crossover Chaos plot as well!

I just have to stop everything for a moment to go over what Robo-Robotnik said up there again. He straight up nuked Mobotropolis and killed everyone within. If you'll remember in StH#22, the Sonic and Sally of his zone had already grown up, gotten married and had two kids at this point. Their world followed basically the same general path laid out in the Sonic in Your Face! special - everyone had grown up, the world was idyllic, Robotnik was thought to be long defeated, new families had been born and peace reigned. They had absolutely no idea that they weren't safe. That one day, without warning, a goddamn nuke would drop onto their beautiful city, killing everyone within. Sonic, Sally, their two kids, and everyone else they ever knew - dead. Vaporized. That is ridiculously dark.

So, as we can see, this version of Robotnik is even more terrifyingly evil than the previous one. And apparently, his whole extended gambit with the satellites and random disasters was implemented not just to test the capabilities of this world's Sonic and friends, but also, to finally lure them out of the city for the culmination of his plan…

Okay, Nate, why the hell didn't you use your badass laser-eyeglasses to fight back against the thugs who captured you before? He and Amy rush to the palace, where Geoffrey is informing King Max about the resurgence of the swatbots. The king has the cryo-tube containing the queen carried out of the palace to safety, and orders that everyone within Mobotropolis be evacuated to Knothole. However, before they can get much further, Robo-Robotnik contacts them from a screen in the med-lab, mocking the king and informing him of his daughter's current captivity aboard his space station. The king immediately takes a knee and offers himself in exchange for the safety of everyone on the station, which is quite a notable gesture considering how traumatized his stay in the Zone of Silence had left him, but Robo-Robotnik simply laughs at him as at that moment more swatbots - or shadow-bots, as he calls them - burst into the room demanding their surrender for roboticization.

The more we see of Elias, the more I like him. Back up in the station, Sonic insists that they have to get free to help the Robians, but Robo-Robotnik only mocks him some more, and brings forward none other than Uncle Chuck, Muttski, and Sonic's mom and dad to enrage him further. Sonic begins flinging himself against the energy field trapping them, which only injures him every time he does it, despite Sally begging him to stop.

Within the city, Geoffrey and the other members of the Secret Service focus on rescuing civilians from the shadow-bots' attack. Valdez stays behind to cover their retreat as they rescue Rosie and the children she's looking after, and despite Geoffrey trying to go back for him, Hershey insists that "the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few or the one," drawing a pretty bizarre parallel between her and Mr. Spock. Up in the station, the energy field trapping the Freedom Fighters suddenly disappears, and they turn around in shock to see who released them…

Snively insists that he needs them to be able to escape this station, and Sally agrees to bring him along. She uses Nicole to order their space shuttle to dock with the station (seems weird that that wasn't their plan from the beginning, rather than exiting the shuttle and entering the station through a damn trash chute) before setting an explosive charge to blow the place in five minutes. Sonic pulls out a power ring that Nate gave him before they left the planet's surface, saying he's going to go find his family before they leave. Sally tries to insist he shouldn't go, since Snively already mentioned Robo-Robotnik was loading the Robians onto a transport back to Mobius, but Sonic heads out anyway. Come on Sally, you should realize at this point that once Sonic has his mind made up about something he wants to do, literally nothing, not even you, can change his mind. He speeds through the corridors, soon finding Robo-Robotnik loading the last of the Robians onto the shuttle, including his family. The door shuts, and Sonic attacks Robo-Robotnik, thinking that at least his family will be safe when this place explodes. However, as Robo-Robotnik pins him to the ground, a pair of voices startle them out of their fight.

Noteworthy for being the third panel in which Sonic visibly cries, which if you'll remember is something that Sega put strict limits on in the comic later on. Been a while since we've seen that, and it's the first time it hasn't happened in a somewhat silly scenario. He races back to the shuttle with his parents in tow, and they make their escape just before the place blows. Sonic asks how his parents maintained their free will, and they explain that they were in Knothole just hours ago when every Robian suddenly turned and began to mindlessly file out of the place. Their wedding bands made out of power rings began to glow, protecting them from being affected by Robo-Robotnik's bug, but they followed anyway, playing along as though they were also being controlled and hoping to find out where everyone was going. As they fly back to the planet, safe for this brief moment, dusk falls over Mobo- uh, I mean, I guess we have to start calling it Robotropolis again. And underneath the city…

I really can’t express how funny this page is to me. I mean, can you imagine if Robo-Robotnik transferred his consciousness into the one in the middle, and was just going around looking like a gay 80's biker dude for the rest of the comic? Regardless, this is actually a good way for the comic to justify redesigning Robotnik into his more modern Eggman style. He laughs to himself that an explosion won't be enough to do him in, especially now that he has this new body… and as a somewhat jarring conclusion to this story, Sonic and the others smile and pose happily on the final page as though nothing devastating has happened, promising to us that if we liked these last 75 issues then the next 75 will be even more exciting. I suppose this is actually somewhat noteworthy however, as from here on moving into the fourth era of the comic, the inclusion of specials and sister series abruptly taper off, leaving us with just the issues of the main comic for quite a while. Unlike the third era we're leaving behind, where over half the content came from issues of KtE and Super Specials, the fourth era consists almost entirely of the main comic. But for now, I suppose we must say goodbye to this era of peace, as now that Eggman has risen from the ashes, the world is back to being embroiled in war…

[baseballbitch116]

Misunderstandings

Pairing: Sonny Carisi x reader

Prompt: Sonny thinks that you are cheating on him

Word Count: 2008

Warnings: None

Masterlist

Prompt List | Submit A Request

For the last week, you have been distant from your boyfriend Dominick. He hadn’t noticed right away, thinking that maybe you were just in a bad mood or stressed about work. But when you began turning him down a lot, he grew suspicious.

It started when he came into your shared room after getting home from a long day. You were on your laptop, and didn’t even notice when he entered the room. He stood in the doorway for a moment, looking at you, waiting for you to acknowledge him, but you didn’t. He clears his throat and comes in, heading over to his side to put away his tie and change into night clothes. “Oh, hi.” You mumble, only glancing up for a moment before returning to your laptop. He feels a little hurt, as he missed you all day and you don’t seem to care that he is finally home. “Yeah, hey.” He responds dryly, and you don’t question his tone.

When he gets in bed beside you, you close your laptop, hastily, catching his attention. “What’re ya workin on?” He asks, growing suspicious.

“Nothing important. You going to sleep?” You ask, grabbing your cell-phone and unlocking it with your fingerprint rather than password.

“Thought we could lay here for a while, maybe watch a movie?” He asks, stretching his right arm out to rub your back and invite you into his arms, but you ignore him, too wrapped up in whoever you are texting. “Doll?” He speaks, growing irritated, wanting your company.

Your phone begins buzzing and you toss the blanket off of yourself, standing up to answer, not responding to Sonny.

“Hello? Hey. Yeah? I-.” You speak to the person on the other line, then remember that Sonny is in the room. You glance to him, who has a displeased look on his face as he brings his arm back to his side, and decide to take your call in the kitchen, exiting the room without another word.

The next night when Sonny gets home, you are asleep on the sofa, your laptop beside you. He bends down beside you, whispering that he’s going to take you to the room, but you only groan and tell him no, that you’re comfy. He stands back up, feeling mad and a little insecure, wanting nothing more than to hold his girlfriend, but instead trudges into their shared room to sleep alone.

This continues for a few nights in a row, of you falling asleep on the couch or staying up late on your laptop. Whenever Sonny would come near you when you are on your laptop, you would close it or switch the tab, and you would get these calls late at night that you would take out of the room.

The final straw was when Sonny finally had a day off and asked if you wanted to go out to lunch together, but you told him you already made plans. You did apologize to him, and give him a quick meaningless kiss on his cheek, the most affection that he has had from you all week. Sonny felt angry and hurt. He finally gets a day off and you would rather spend it with someone other than him. He knows he might be being a little childish, but is it a crime to miss your girlfriend?

He ended up calling Nick, asking for his advice, fearing that you could be cheating on him. Nick explained how Maria was acting when he thought she was cheating on him, and tried to assure him that he could be wrong just like Nick was, but it only worried Sonny even more. You are acting just like Maria was.

He decided to to press you a little as you got dressed to go out. You put on a nice pair of jeans and a new shirt that he hadn’t seen before. “Who are you going out with?” He asks as he lays in bed, not paying attention to the show he put on.

“Just a friend.” You respond nonchalauntly. Sonny feels his chest tighten. In the past, you would always tell him who, where you’re going, when to expect you back. Now, “just a friend”.

“You gotta dress up for this ‘friend’?” He asks, scoffing. You turn from the mirror where you were doing your makeup and give him a look.

“I’m not dressing up. Excuse me for wanting to look presentable.” You respond, turning back away from him, pissed off.

“Haven’t worn anythin but sweats round the house all week. You wanna look presentable for this ‘friend’ but not for me?” He complains, raising his voice, and stands up, stomping out of the room and slamming the door behind himself.

You do feel bad, you know that you have been distant this week. You just can’t be around Sonny, he knows you too well. He can tell when something is up, as seen just now, and you aren’t ready to tell him yet. So you finish your makeup then grab your bag and head out to the living room to get your shoes. You chose your black booted heels, and look over at Sonny for a moment, debating what to say or do. He is sitting at the counter, a beer in hand, clearly pissed off.

You walk over and give him a kiss on his cheek, moving a loose piece of hair out of his face. “I’ll be back in a few hours.” You mutter, then walk out the door without another word. He turns back to face the door, staring at it for a moment, feeling the pain in his chest. He wants to trust you, but you have never acted like this before. He takes another big swig of his beer then slams it down, pulling on his shoes and grabbing his keys, heading out to his unmarked police car to follow you.

He successfully trails you to the strip mall, parking across the street as he watches you wait outside of a store for someone. He prays that he is wrong, that it will just be one of your girl friends and he is overthinking. But then he sees a man with dark black hair approach you and you smile at him, giving him a big hug. He feels the rage building up in his body as he stares at you talking and laughing with this man he has never seen before. It takes everything in him to not go over and beat the guy up, but he tries to wait and see what you two do.

He follows you guys to a little outdoor cafe, where you sit side by side and talk. It certainly looks like you are on a date. From how far away Sonny is, he can’t quite see your facial expressions, but to him it looks like you are having a good time. Then he sees you rest your head on this man’s shoulder, and he draws the line. Clearly you are on a date, and he is furious. He gets out of his car, slamming the door shut hard, and stalks across the street to where the two of you sit. “Are ya serious?!” He hollers, startling you, who quickly take your head off of the man and sit up straight. Sonny walks right up to the guy and lifts him off his seat by his collar, preparing to hit him until you jump up and get in the way. “Sonny stop!” You scream, shoving him. He stares at you, enraged that you are taking this guy’s side over his.

He releases the guy, turning his attention to you. “I can’t believe you followed me!” You exclaim, not caring that you are causing a scene.

“What was I supposed to do?! You have been weird all week, I knew you were cheating on me! How could you?!” He hollers, his eyes unintentionally tearing up at he stares at you. He had taken notice of your smeared makeup and red eyes, but said nothing, not putting two and two together.

“Cheating?! Zack is my cousin! My gay cousin! That I have told you all about!” You exclaim, shoving Sonny again angrily. He turns to look at the guy, who stands there, arms crossed, and gives him a sassy look. Sonny looks back to you, suddenly feeling crazy.

“You could have told me you were going out with him then! Not just ‘a friend’! The hell was I supposed to think, seeing you laying all over some guy here?!” He yells, his tone a little lower than before. He is so frustrated, he doesn’t wait for you to reply, just stalking back across the street to his car. You follow after him, not finished with him yet. “I cannot believe you followed me!” You exclaim, causing him to spin right back around.

“You have been avoiding me all week! Changed the password on your phone, closing your laptop when I’m around! Never being on the phone around me, you haven’t even acknowledged me all week!” He replies, and you feel your heart sting as you see his heartbroken face. You hadn’t realized you were being that distant, that it affected him so much.

“I…” You start, not sure what to say.

“Forget it.” Sonny huffs, getting into his car, slamming the door again, and drives off, leaving you standing there feeling guilty.

Later that night, you come home, closing the door behind you quietly. You have to tell him the truth, you just don’t want to. You head to your bedroom and spot him laying there, television on, looking miserable. He is happy when he sees you, though he doesn’t let that be shown. He was worried that you wouldn’t come home.

“I’m pregnant.” You announce from the doorway, getting it over with. His head shoots to look at you and he sits up straight. “I’ve been doing research all week on my laptop and I have been on the phone with Amanda and Zack, trying to figure out what to do. I’ve been avoiding you cuz I didn’t know how to tell you.” You explain, arms crossed as you lean against the doorframe, your face emotionless. You are mad that Sonny followed you and caused a scene, but you do understand why he did.

He only stares at you, his eyes wide, clearly stunned. Everything makes sense to him now. You feel like he doesn’t believe you so you walk over to your side of the bed and put your password into your laptop, handing it to him. You have four different tabs up about pregnancy and doctors in the area. He stares at the page for a while, trying to process this, then places the laptop aside and stands up.

“I’m so sorry doll.” He mutters, his eyes tearing up again. You huff and open your arms to him, letting him envelope you in a big hug. “I should have just talked to you. I’m so sorry.” He mutters, running his hands through your hair and down your back. He is afraid to let you go, and it feels so good to have you back in his arms.

“Yes, you should have.” You start, talking against his hard chest. “But I understand how you must have felt. I’m sorry too.” You say, pulling back with your arms still around his torso, leaning up as a sign for him to kiss you. He cups your face leans down, kissing you passionately, melting into your presence.

When you pull away, he grins at you happily. “What?” You ask, confused by his sudden change of emotion.

“I’m gonna be a dad?” He asks, and you smile at him, nodding. He picks you up, spinning you around the room and kisses you again before setting you down. “This is great!” He begins rambling about all of the stuff he has to do and how to prepare, pacing around the room and you just sit down and watch him, shaking your head adoringly.

—

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[n0rdicalien]

Pride Month; Experiences of a Gay Man

Story One - Coming Out: 

I thought I could trust my brother, but It turned out not a good idea. I believe around the time when I was 15 years old? I tried to come out to my brother as bi. The whole terrible gateway to homosexuality conversation from a gay person to a straight person thing. And this was in a car on my way home from school. My brother progressively got more aggressive and offended by the fact I was bi. Drawing attention to the fact “YOU LIKE IT IN THE ASS?” all enraged. I had to lie to him via text saying that I made it up and practicing my acting for a school play. He bought it. When I entered high school, I came out to my friend who I thought I trusted. She ended up blabbing to a friend. I forgave her for it because It really forced me into being who I am and confident. Though later this girl developed a taste for drama and attention. She is a very nice person now. I later came out to my parents, where my dad took it fine. And my mom was a little worried as if it was a phase. 

A friend tried to come out as bi, and I got super offended because I thought he was like.. making fun of me as if it was some kind of fad. This group was really into emo/scene kids. He later fell out of the group and found a closer relationship to drugs. I only found out because he one day asked for cash to buy some from the school's drug dealer. I hope he is doing well. I realized maybe if I had not felt like that.. he may have been my first boyfriend. I did have my first legit boyfriend till i was about 20. Was a big shame because I was pretty love-struck and lonely all through high school.

Story Two - Harrased: Back in high school, a guy harassed me for being depressed and gay (I was on adderal and concerta, and its side effect can cause depression and anxiety. It made me severely depressed/anxious/nauseated. Family environment didnt make it any better). He would message me online calling me a faggot and trying to coerce me to kill myself. And because he went to my school, I felt very unsafe, stalked, and had to ninja around campus in hopes to not be near him. In fact we had mutual friends, whom Im unsure if they really intervened. Ya'know that whole socially irresponsible thing "oh hes nice to me" but yea hes trying to convince your depressed gay friend to kill himself. I later found out that he got caught trying to rape someone. Was a mutual friend's friend's girlfriend??? I never thought to tell my parents/adults at the time. I think I was 16. I think one friend at the time actually really stuck their neck out for me to help me feel safer. Story Three - An encounter. As mentioned before, I was pretty lovestruck in high school. When I was 18, I had been talking to these two dudes from adam4adam. We’d skype often. What happened was it was really one dude, pretending to be two. He would use software to intercept his webcam (when I asked for proof). He played it off as if they were roommates and I was a complete idiot because he played me pretty well. I didnt figure it out until I noticed some inconsistencies in chatting, webcams, as well he accidentally shared the wrong feed through the webcam showing himself.  Before I found out he was a creep. I had planned to meet one roommate, which didn't follow through so I met the other. It didnt really occure to me that this kind of situation should of been a red flag. That the one dude I wanted to meet just couldn't come. Ill add Im really into tall dark haired guys. And this dude I wanted to meet was that. But I met this other dude, and when he got to this park where I lived. He got really aggressive and started forcing me to kiss him. It was my first kiss, and his breath smelt like milk. I said “No, this isnt a good idea” and he's just told me it was fine. ANd after a bit I kind of just gave in as he held me really tight. I am kind very uncertain if I could call this sexual assault or rape. But I know from a technical standpoint, not giving consent, in the beginning, it could be called that.  Story Four - The First I never really thought Id be so averse to Public display of affection. Nothing more than any straight couple would. And its not like I dont like it. Its just the very clear negative attention I noticed. My first boyfriend, I dated a pretty “confident” theater major. We sat in a park at a club event... just on a bench in relationship distance. I believe he was just laying his head on my shoulder.. and I noticed this older dude doing a double take around the corner. It was the first time I experienced bad vibes in this kind, and it occurred to me what potential danger could look like as a gay couple. And I know the double take was at us for different reasons. One body language, the dude was facing towards us, Two, Eye contact, he was literally looking at us, three, environment, the path was straight, where the left side was lined with bushes. I dont believe he could be looking at anything else. This just painted a picture and gave me confidence in the experience.

[lilyvandersteen]

Masterlist of my Glee fanfiction

Klaine fanfiction

Weave Your Magic verse (WIP + one-shot)

Summary:

This is an AU in which Blaine and Kurt never met in high school. Blaine is an elementary school teacher and the author of several picture books. Kurt is a former child actor and now a men's wear designer, who writes thrillers under a pseudonym. They meet at a book fair.

Rating: Mature for the main story, general for the oneshot

Word Count: 287,088 so far

Tropes: Famous Klaine, Writers Klaine, Actor Kurt, Designer Kurt, Teacher Blaine, Ensemble Fic

Free Hugs

Summary:

What if Kurt and Blaine met in a train station, Blaine helping out Kurt after he'd bumped into someone and dropped all his belongings?

Rating: Teen and Up

Word Count: 4,124

Tropes: College Klaine, Meet-Cute

Of Devils, Desserts and Architectural Delights

Summary:

Kurt and Blaine spend the summer after their wedding touring through the United States and then through South America, Europe, Asia and New Zealand. This episode of the Klaine Road Trip 2015 takes us to Ghent, in Belgium. Prepare for lots of food descriptions, sightseeing and the story of Gerald the Devil. Enjoy!

Rating: Teen and Up

Word Count: 2,791

Tropes: Married Klaine, Road Trip

Stop Flirting!

Summary:

Kurt Hummel is returning to Lima for the summer. On the plane, he's lost in his book and not paying attention to his surroundings. All of a sudden, someone slaps him in the face and accuses him of flirting with her idol. Huh?

Rating: Teen and Up

Word Count: 27,611

Tropes: Famous Blaine, Pop Star Blaine

Catch Me A Catch

Summary:

Blaine is a hard-working pre-law student and part-time barista, whose brother Cooper has snagged a role in Funny Girl. Kurt is a diligent NYADA student and intern at Vogue dot com, whose roommate Rachel is the new Fanny Brice. Cooper and Rachel hit it off immediately, and then start scheming to get Kurt and Blaine together.

Rating: Teen and Up

Word Count: 17,825

Tropes: College Klaine, Barista Blaine

Worth the Wait verse (main story + several one-shots)

Summary:

Kurt and Blaine meet at a music festival, hit it off straightaway and spend a wonderful night together, but come morning, Blaine finds Kurt gone. On the nightstand is a ring, hiding clues as to where Kurt can be found. Intrigued, Blaine strives to solve the riddle, only to find the challenges don't end there... Fairy tale Klaine AU.

Rating: Mature for the main story, general for the one-shots

Word Count: 27,868

Tropes: Soulmates Klaine, Fae Kurt, Fantasy, Model Kurt, Broadway, Reunion After Time Apart, Fairy Tale AU

First Halloween

Summary:

Kindergartners Kurt and Blaine each go trick-or-treating for the first time. Shameless fluff.

Rating: General

Word Count: 1,937

Tropes: Kiddie Klaine, Halloween

Picture Perfect

Summary:

Kurt makes a pact with an evil spirit to save his father's life in return for many years of servitude. The spirit wants sexual favours, too, but is rebuffed by Kurt's soulmate protection. Enraged, the spirit traps him into a painting and tells him only his soulmate will be able to rescue him. Fifty years later, Blaine discovers the painting and is struck by its beauty. 

Rating: Teen and Up

Word Count: 25,029

Tropes: Soulmates Klaine, Fae Kurt, Fantasy, Kiddie Blaine, High School Blaine, Age Gap

A Shoulder to Lean On

Summary:

Blaine meets Rachel and Kurt on a plane, and is instantly smitten with Kurt.

Rating: General

Word Count: 2,838

Tropes: Meet-Cute, College Klaine

Erased

Summary:

Kurt and his family move to a new house, where Kurt finds plenty of hidden treasures. They all seem connected with a boy that lost his life after a gay-bashing. Only, Kurt keeps seeing visions of him, and Brittany claims she can see the boy too. According to her, he’s not dead, just erased, and Kurt can bring him back to life. What?

Rating: Teen and Up

Word Count: 19,407

Tropes: Soulmates Klaine, Ghost Blaine, Supernatural, Fantasy, High School Klaine

Happy Accidents

Summary:

Blaine, who is going to the same coffee shop every morning, at the same time for his morning fuel, is confused. At the coffee shop, he often sees the same faces - of the other regulars. There is one particular face he looks forward to seeing, though, but Blaine is just not sure if the face belongs to one or two men (twins). Kurt has shared custody of his kid. The weeks when he is dad, he dresses one way, the other weeks he is more sharply dressed.

Rating: General

Word Count: 3,111

Tropes: Coffee Shop AU, Single Parent Kurt, Designer Kurt, College Blaine

Going the Extra Yard

Summary:

Cooper and Blaine go to a yard sale in Lima. Blaine notices a boy manning a stand with only plush toys, and sees that everyone passes him by, so he decides to help the boy out and make sure his stuff gets sold. Kiddie Klaine fluff.

Rating: General

Word Count: 2,718

Tropes: Kiddie Klaine, Meet-Cute

A Rose for You

Summary:

Rachel and Kurt go to theatre camp together. Kurt ends up working backstage, but still manages to catch the eye of an admirer...

Rating: General

Word Count: 4,911

Tropes: High School Klaine, Oblivious Kurt, Pining

Puppy Eyes verse (main story and a smutty one-shot)

Summary:

Blaine teaches graphic and digital design at Parsons, and is under a curse that turns him into a dog for a week, every once in a while. He lives with Trent, who's been looking after him in his dog phases for years. Now, though, Trent has met someone and is very happy and going on dates all the time, and the next time Blaine turns into a dog, Trent doesn't look after him but just shrugs and contacts a dog walker service. And you can guess who is sent to look after Blaine...

Rating: Mature

Word Count: 77,966 for the main story,  3,125 for the one-shot

Tropes: Fantasy, College Kurt, Professor Blaine, Werepuppy Blaine, Angst with a Happy Ending

Santa’s Super Sleigh

Summary:

Blaine is enchanted by the caroling elves in the mall, especially the boy elf.

Kurt keeps seeing the same cute boy in the audience when he is singing with Rachel and Santana.

Will they ever get the chance to talk?

Rating: Teen and Up

Word Count: 4,648

Tropes: Holiday Fic, Christmas Fic, Barista Blaine, Meet-Cute

Turn Around Bright Eyes

Summary:

This is based on the following Tumblr prompt: you work in a coffee shop and are in the middle of a hella rendition of ‘total eclipse of the heart’ and get WAY too into it, and a (really hot dammit) customer tried to get your attention by singing “turn around, bright eyes” AU

I turned it into a fluffy coffee shop Klaine romance with bonus Cooper :-)

Rating: General

Word Count: 2,814

Tropes: Coffee Shop AU, Barista Kurt, Pining Blaine, Wingman Cooper, Fluff & Humour

Facing Your Dragons (WIP)

Summary:

After a fight with Dave Karofsky, Blaine is punished with a week's suspension and forty hours of community service. At the home where he volunteers, he meets Kurt. Badboy Blaine and Skank Kurt AU. 

Rating: Teen and Up

Word Count: 11,723 so far

Tropes: High School AU, Badboy Blaine, Skank Kurt, Fluff

Never Saying Goodbye to You (WIP)

Summary:

Based on a beautiful drawing by @thisdoesnotsuck, this is a story where Kurt travels through time to the 1920s and falls in love with his great-grandfather’s secret beau. Featuring a family curse, doppelgängers, angst and confusion. I promise the ending will be happy, though :-) 

Rating: Mature

Word Count: 10,030 so far

Tropes: Historical AU, Time-Travelling Kurt, 1920s Blaine, Family Curse

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

Brittana Fanfiction

Never Seen You With Your Clothes On

Summary:

Santana models for a live drawing class, and one night, she nods off after a gruelling day of work. Rather than mortified, she's happy about this development, since it gets her an introduction to the beautiful blonde she's been admiring from afar.

Rating: Teen and Up

Word Count: 2,304

Tropes: College Brittana

I Knew You’d Be Beautiful

Summary:

Ghost Santana has successfully scared off every tenant of her former apartment. Brittany, however, proves a tough nut to crack.

Rating: Teen and Up

Word Count: 3,162

Tropes: Ghost Santana

Anderbros Fanfiction

Brother Love

Summary:

Cooper liked being an only child. And he certainly didn't want or need a brother. Or did he?

This is a story that could be canon. It sketches the relationship between Cooper and Blaine Anderson, from the moment Blaine is born to Episode 3.15 of Glee.

Rating: General

Word Count: 6,297

Tropes: Kid Fic, Sibling Rivalry

Kurtbastian Fanfiction

With A Snap Of The Fingers

Summary:

Kurt works as a waiter. Sebastian turns up as an obnoxious customer, snapping his fingers at Kurt. Did Sebastian come by just to annoy Kurt, or could there be another reason?

Rating: General

Word Count: 672

Tropes: College Kurtbastian

Blamchel Fanfiction

These Magic Hands (my very first fanfic, and it shows - it’s terrible)

Summary:

Anyone else out there who was disappointed when Rachel said no to a massage from Blaine in Episode 5.17, Opening Night? Well, this is Rachel dreaming about what would have happened had she said yes :) Did I mention Sam gets involved, too? Short one-shot. 

Rating: Mature

Word Count: 958

Trope: Crackfic

That’s So Rachel 

Summary:

This is what I pictured would happen after Season Five. Rachel needs a male lead to play opposite her in her new TV series, and when she fails to show chemistry with one actor after another during the castings, she grows desperate and contacts Sam and Blaine to help her out and audition.

Rating: Mature

Word Count: 1,424

Trope: Actors Blamchel, Famous Blamchel

[sevitent]

@timaeusstestified @timaeusstestified @timaeusstestified

ch 1:

[a/n: wrote this in class so there might be errors gomenasai!! arigatogozaimasu for reading!!]

“aku-chan-senpai!”

it was after school on a friday. most of the students had gone home for the day, leaving only the two of them, alone in the courtyard. jun rifled through the pockets of their authentic komaeda jacket (they had obtained it only the day before, besting komaeda in a knife fight and taking it as a trophy), taking out a pink envelope carefully decorated with glittery pink hearts.

“aku-chan-senpai?” they tried again to get the other’s attention, fidgeting nervously. after what seemed like an eternity, akutagawa turned to face them, a scowl scrawled across their face.

“what do you want, peasant?” [a/n: i think jun wants to be called a peasant? might be a fetish idk] he looked down on jun, despite them both being 5’8, and jun hesitantly extended the letter towards akutagawa-

only for it to be ripped to shreds in their hands by rashomon.

ch 2:

“tch. i can’t believe you think i’d ever be interested in you.” akutagawa turns and starts to walk away, leaving jun behind. jun falls to their knees, scrambling to pick up the torn pieces of their letter. they give up bc there’s too many of them and stand up, walking in the opposite direction while crying loudly. their 100% genuine komaeda shirt is getting soaked but they don’t care. the love of their life just rejected them.

they don’t see that akutagawa has stopped in his tracks, feeling immensely guilty. turning, he calls out. "jun-chan, wait."

jun spins, looking up hopefully. cherry blossom petals swirl around akutagawa; he looks ethereal in the fading sunlight. “yes, aku-chan-senpai?”

he shoves his hands into his pockets, blushing heavily. “hey, i feel bad, so like, wanna go on a date with me?” he looks away. “it’s not like i like you or anything though, baka.”

“really? you want to?” jun looks up, hope shining in their eyes. komaeda has succeeded, hope has spread just a bit further today. too bad he’s dead.

the two run towards each other, and they collide in the middle, akutagawa wrapping his arms around jun. there are still cherry blossoms falling. it’s so romantic.

“so where do you want to go?” akutagawa asks.

jun’s stomach growls bc they just ran 420 miles for xc. “can we get food?”

ch 3:

an hour later they’re walking through a park that’s somehow completely empty except for the two of them.  akutagawa has ice cream and jun has bubble tea. they just ate at restaurant or smth idk. their fingers are intertwined and they’re gay.

jun hod insisted on being romantic so they wandered off the path and got lost in the forest, but eventually they manage to find their way back to the official path and not get mauled to death by bears. walking forward a bit, they come to a courtyard which is somehow also empty. anime magic.

they decide to take a seat on the edge of a fountain and fall into an easy silence. it’s super chill and stuff, but jun has a question.

“aku-chan-senpai, what do you like most about me?” jun looks up at him curiously. akutagawa ponders for a second before responding.

“your sunglasses. they’re really neat.”

“:o [a/n: what the fuck jun. how did you say an emoticon. are you okay.] i got them from this really nice man. i had to kill him for them tho.” they sip their bubble tea. “they look really nice though. definitely worth it.”

akutagawa nods in agreement, reaching into his pocket. “jun, now i have a question for you.”

“okay!” jun turns away to set down their tea, but when they turn back, akutagawa is kneeling in front of them, a small box in his hands. they open it to reveal a ring.

ch 4:

“jun, will you-“

suddenly, out of the bushes by the fountain leapt sasuke, having just gotten off from work.

“jun-chan! i can’t believe this!” jun looked into his eyes and saw a mixture of sadness and disbelief as they stepped towards him.

akutagawa stood up, confused. “babe, who’s this?”

“im his boyfriend, fUCKER.” sasuke was rabid. “and who do you think you are?”

akutagawa turned away, pulling jun close. “tch. *im* the one he’s in love with.”

not wanting to enrage sasuke further, jun stepped away from akutagawa. it was a mistake. he immediately looked ready to cry, distress written in every feature of his face. “aku-chan-senpai! don’t cry!” but it was too late. akutagawa had fallen onto his hands and knees, the amount of tears pouring from his eyes rivaling the amount of water in the fountain. jun has to step away so they don’t drown.

“that’s what i thought.” sasuke said smugly. he crossed his arms and strode over to pull jun towards him. “why would jun want to be with you, when he could be with me, a world famous stripper.” he paused “besides. you have rabies and that’s gross.”

jun pulled away with disgust. “you have rabies too, sasuke.”

sasuke screamed in horror. “JUN!!1! i trusted you not to tell anyone!”

jun shrugged. “you were being mean to akutagawa.” they turned away, hiding their face. “i don’t think this is going to work sasuke... we need to break up”

ch 5:

akutagawa, who had finally stopped fucking crying, looked up in joy. “jun-chan!”

sasuke gasps in horror. “this can’t be happening jun…after all we’ve been through” he looks down. “i broke up with naruto for you…we even got matching haircuts..." sasuke stares at the ground sadly, tears welling in his black orbs.

jun's heart aches and they reach out with one hand. "we can still be friends bro..."

sasuke's head jerks up and his eyes are bright red. “i even got you that ninja band!” he pauses, breathing heavily. “i thought you were bae…” he looks away. “turns out you’re just fam…”

jun trembles in a mixture of sadness and fear, but akutagawa grabs their arm, pulling them away and steadying them. “i’ll protect you, jun” he turns to glare at sasuke, rashomon crackling around him and jun. it’s very romantic.

looking up into akutagawa’s eyes (despite them still being the same height), jun is filled with love. [a/n: love is stored…in the ~~rat~~ jun] “senpai….”

“no!! this can’t be happening!!1!1” sasuke is rabid 2, electric boogaloo. he pulls out 69 kunai, drawing his arm back to attack.

before they know what’s happened, akutagawa shoves jun behind them, blocking them from the attack. rashomon blocks all the pointy knives and akutagawa opens his mouth to say something smug when he freezes and puts a hand to his chest. turns out sasuke also had the little ninja star things.

ch 6:

akutagawa falls backwards into jun’s arms. jun’s crying. akutagawa’s crying. “aku-chan-senpai!!! you can’t die! we-” jun chokes on their tears. they’re very sad. “we were going to get married….”

akutagawa gently touches the side of jun’s face. “don’t worry-“ he coughs blood. it stains jun’s 100% authentic komaeda jacket but they don’t care. “jun…” they make eye contact. “jun, i will always love y-“ his head drops. he’s dead can we get an f.

“no! noooo!!!” jun screams, shaking akutagawa. there’s no response. “this can’t be happening, this can’t, this can’t,” they’re muttering to themself.

sasuke laughs. “see! i told you i was the stronger one! look at that, he couldn’t even protect you.” he holds out his arms. “now come here”

jun doesn’t respond. they gently let akutagawa down, reaching under their coat to grab something. reaching up, they untie their ninja band, letting it drop to the ground. with their back to sasuke, they stand up.

“give your boyfriend a hug~” sasuke sounds happy.

turning on their heel, jun reveals what he had taken from akutagawa: a gun. who gave an emo teen a gun tf. “sasuke…” jun’s voice is quiet. they’re probably in shock idk.

sasuke sneers. “you can’t shoot me, coward. you love me too much.” he drops his weapons, t posing [a/n: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16507784 ]. “pull the trigger, i dare you.”

jun’s grip tightens on the gun. “sasuke……….i can’t believe you’ve done this….i used to love you….but now-“

theyre cut off by sasuke. “stop monologuing and pull the trigger. my arms are getting tired, you fuck.”

jun aims, puts their finger on the trigger, closes their eyes, pulls the trigger [a/n: fuck the safety]. there’s a really loud bang. so loud that jun goes deaf.

and everything fades to black.

coda:

there’s a loud beeping noise and jun opens their eyes to be greeted with ceiling komaeda. that means theyre in their bedroom, so…

they roll over, checking their phone. it says that it’s 6:01am on friday, april 20.

was it all a dream…?

they get up, performing daily rituals: greeting ceiling komaeda, kissing their mettaton poster, praying at their sasuke shrine, making their daily sacrifice to their guy fieri shrine. they decide to wear their komaeda outfit with their replica mettaton boots and their favorite sunglasses. it just feels right. when they pass their desk, something on it catches their eye: a pink envelope carefully decorated with glittery pink hearts.

“oh god oh fuck.”

[a/n: hope you enjoyed!!!]

[jojobaimagines]

{¥ 1/2} Match up please! For jojo! Im a gay guy so any cute guy from any of the parts. Trans Guy. Cancer, INFP introvert, I like cute things, and horror/gore. my hobbies are drawing, working out, and casual video games(fighting/rpgs). I'm 5'5", I've have black short hair that's in a men's quiff hairstyle. Dirt brown eyes with black thick glasses because I can't see a thing without them. My physic is slightly dorito shaped from my work outs. My skin is a tanish brown and littered with scars b/c

{¥ 2/2} I’m very accident prone/bad luck, everyone I know makes jokes about how the universe is out to get me (me too tbh) I like to make my friends laugh b/c it makes me feel good. I’m very awkward and shy around strangers b/c I have an anxiety disorder. But once I make friends I’m myself again. I’m friendly, jokey, a bit of a bleeding heart- I care for my friends alot, and even though I won’t do harm, I won’t take any shit expecially not towards my friends.

————————-

I match you with Okuyasu!

First things first, he loves working out with you. The very beggining of your relationship was like “Yo bro let’s go get some gains” “Sure dude, want to go to the arcade later?” And then one day you were on your way to the gym walking hand in hand.

He absolutely loves your scars and, if you are ok with it, he would like to kiss and caress them. Him having a pretty big scar on his face, knows how it is to get weird looks and rude comments because of it.

When you tell him about how the universe is trying to kill you, he gets enraged at shouts to the universe? That they won’t take his boyfriend from him. Ever.

Okuyasu isn’t really the most charismatic or social guy out there, buthe will help you whenever you feel anxious around strangers. In his own Okuasyu way.

He would really appreciate if you were friends with Josuke too so he can hang out with his two favorite persons at the same time!

And don’t worry, he won’t take shit from anyone that dares to even mock you. He is really to scrape the bastard into oblivion.

EXTRA! Alternative matches: Speedwagon, Narancia.

—————————-

-Lettuce

[theclosetpoet7]

Unintentionally Going to Second Base

Disclaimer: Naruto isn't mine.

Notes on chapter: In which Sakura and Sasuke suddenly take their relationship to the next level.

Rating: T, very slight M

It shouldn't have bothered him.

It really shouldn't have.

Come to think of it, this should've come naturally.

And it shouldn't have made him this uncomfortable.

It shouldn't.

But it did.

Uchiha Sasuke finds himself completely frozen the exact moment her soft skin makes contact with his. And it takes him a millisecond to realize what he had just done. And another for his whole body to feel overbearingly warm.

His dark locks drip lightly on her exposed sun-kissed shoulders as they rode the harsh waves that covered them just above their knees. The arm he has around her involuntary tightens as he pulls her closer to his hard form.

And she gasps, she just gasps when the reality of the situation finally dawns on them.

The fact that they were currently facing the rest of Rookie Nine, plus Sai and Team Gai.

The fact that everyone was just gaping at them.

.

.

.

And the fact that Uchiha Sasuke currently had both his hands on Haruno Sakura's breasts.

Her white bikini top floats slyly by a few meters away.

He wonders how it managed to stray so far in such a short while.

And the former wanderer berates himself inwardly for having been too stunned to think of any other way than this.

There were a lot of possibilities actually.

He could've just pushed her under the water, it might have hurt, but she was a strong kunoichi who had experienced worst.

Or he simply could've flashed in front of her, the people at the sidelines would have seen but at least... No,...no one was allowed to see.

Or maybe

He could've just burned down the volleyball net to have all of them look at something else.

But nope.

The moment his girlfriend's bikini string started unwinding as she jumped up to hit the ball with her powerful fist,

(The volleyball by the way, ended up hitting Rock Lee on the face, though the Konoha beast wasted no time in praising the cherry blossom for being blessed with the spring of youth.)

And the moment her slim form made contact with the ocean's waters as she lets out a victorious "Shannaro!",

Her pearly white, oh, and strapless bathing suit came undone.

And as those skimpy traitors began to slide an inch down, Sasuke couldn't help but let his instinct take him to his probably oblivious teammate. However, instead of pushing the garment back to her sexy physique, his hands ended up under them...

That was how it happened.

That was how his hands (He thanks his past self for finally giving in to the pinkette's request of accepting the artificial limb.) ended up in the most embarrassing position they ever found themselves in while in public.

Over Sakura's boobs.

For the first time.

With their friends' shocked faces there to witness it.

And Sasuke almost whines. He almost whines.

"Teme?!"

"What the hell Uchiha? Akamaru! Don't look!"

"Oh my beloved cherry blossom, your purity has been tainted."

"Traitor. You're a pervert."

"Sakura-san... "

"Oh my forehead! He finally made a move!"

"This is... troublesome."

"Naruto-kun, did you... see it?"

"Shut up for a minute!"

Her enraged voice shakes his whole person, and her erratic breathing prompts his heart to try to catch up to it. Sasuke couldn't think of anything to say. Nothing at all. She was gonna punch him. She was so gonna punch him. He looks up to the sky and allows his mismatched irises to relax as they focus on the seagulls floating above them.

Might as well enjoy it, his hormones tell him. She'll never let him near her again. Or she'll probably tear his limbs off. He was after all, groping her... at a beach,... with their friends around them... So... he tells himself to calm down and to wait for the impact. To allow himself to finally take a minute to assess how his koibito feels like.

Soft.

Full.

Perky.

Just the right fit in his hands.

and

Perky.

Real perky.

On the outside, he was a total mask of absolute indifference. It almost seemed like what he did had no effect on him at all.

But it did.

It really did.

For some time now, with their tongues in each other's mouths, and their hands exploring their partner's bodies but never quite reaching the next step, Sasuke had wondered how she'd feel like. How Sakura would actually respond to his forward touch... A part of him he wishes to ignore twitches at the thought.

"Sasuke-kun..."

He gulps down his nervousness.

"Sasuke you idiot! Release Sakura-chan's boobs!"

Their blonde teammate's irritating screech dispels his ears' ringing and Sasuke, by brotherly instinct, stupidly decides that it is the right moment to bicker with him.

"If I do, you'll see my girlfriend's breasts."

"Yeah, but I, you..." an uncontrollable blush graces the Jinchuuriki's cheeks.

"Idiots. If you guys don't turn around right this second, I swear that all of you, except the girls, will have broken bones by the time I'm done with you.

And that's when everybody, including the females, face the opposite way to give the couple some privacy.

For some reason, Sasuke feels completely alone now.

And though he enjoys being alone with the young pinkette, this situation actually scares him a little. So he takes a deep breath.

"Uhm. Sasuke-kun?"

Her soft voice, again, stirs his insides. He is sure that she is blushing right now.

"Sakura."

"What is your next p-plan?"

She stutters and the young Uchiha blushes with the fact that she was also unsure of what to do.

And the fact that his hands were still holding her soft... soft...

"Ne, we have to do something, the waves carried it far so quickly."

"Hn."

He tilts his head to the side and spots the offending garment floating on the other side of the net, approximately thirty-two feet away from...

Naruto.

Of all people.

"I guess we can try wading into the waist-deep part of the beach? And I can just sit and cover... uhm... myself, while you go get it for me? Onegai."

He subtly nods his head and starts taking a step to his right.

"Wait."

The confused young man stiffens again.

"Could you... let go of me?"

.

.

.

"Other people will see."

It had occurred to him that they were not the only people on the beach, inevitably, their little spectacle had attracted a few civilians.

"Right..."

He takes another step and she follows him. In truth, it only really took them about nine steps to get to where they wanted, but it seemed like an eternity. And as Sasuke checked his surroundings to make sure that the coast was clear and that his girlfriend was submerged in water for anyone else to see her state of undress, the sharingan wielder, carefully, and a bit regretfully takes his hands off her.

It wasn't how he envisioned it, going to second base with her.

But as Uchiha Sasuke bends down to get her white bikini top, his hands wouldn't stop shaking, and his pulse wouldn't stop throbbing, and the heat, the heat would not go away.

There was no turning back now.

He decides that he will definitely make things better for them.

The next time he touches her will be in the confines of their bedroom.

And it wouldn't be by accident and in mortification.

It would be special.

He would make sure of it.

He did after all book the largest suite for the both of them during this summer trip.

(Much to the other ninjas' envy.)

.

.

.

His hands continue to burn with the feel of her as Sasuke allows the young sannin some time to put the bikini top on again. But he almost looses his footing when Yamanaka Ino's voice reaches his ears as she teasingly helps Sakura adjust her swimsuit.

.

.

.

"Forehead, you do realize that you could've just replaced his hands with yours instead of walking to deeper waters with those on your boobs don't you?"

__________________________

A.N.:

Koibito - sweetheart

I will probably make a part two of this. This little thought has been typed up in my phone for quite some time now. Hee hee. I hope you guys enjoyed that!

Here's a little announcement for my plans for my future SasuSaku fics. I've already typed up most of the next chapter of "Revolution" and will hopefully be uploading it soon. I have a new story coming up too. It will be a multi-chapter fic which will have a different circumstance after the Fourth War. It will also feature one of my artworks. I'm also planning to write a one or three-chapter story about what happened between chapter 16 and 17 of Sorega ai deshou. (I wanna know if anyone is interested in reading that.) And another relating to the "White Wine, Bitter Sunlight Series" which will tie up all loose ends.

Most of these stories have been typed up or have concept outlines but i do hope I'll be able to share them soon. Again, thank you all for reading and especially for your reviews! They continue to inspire me to keep writing.

Oh, for my Love & Roll fic, I know you guys already have an idea what its basic plot is. I have a couple of ideas but would like to hear about yours too. Maybe like a prompt or something?

P.S.:

Aside from writing, I'm actually experimenting with honing my skills in sketching and painting. It's been so long since I've drawn SasuSaku and unfortunately I left all my sketchpads at home, in another country. So I bought one and have started drawing and painting. 

And my postscript is too long.

R & R!

Eat, Pray, Love, Breathe and Think SasuSaku

[jojen-hewitt]

“Better luck next time.”

Bank Robber AU for @ambiguous-eyepatch for the Valentines @aftgexchange!

I had a lot of fun drawing these and I hope you like it! 😃

I realized too late that this wasn't exactly what you meant by your prompt, sorry about that, but I hope it's still okay!

The rest of my mini-fic/headcanons/ramblings about this AU are below the cut:

Okay, so right off the bat I got a little carried away with this AU and its way longer than I thought it'd be, so tldr version; Andrew and Neil are rival thieves who sometimes help each other out. Neil gives fake names, Andrew finds him interesting. Two finger salutes are used back and forth. The others make appearances. Neil's a little shit to Riko. Totally impractical, illegal, and very convenient scenarios ensue. Exactly what you'd expect from what was supposed to be a Bank Robber AU but turned more into a Cat Burglar AU. Again, sorry about that!

So, *rolls up sleeves*

Andrew, Aaron, and Nicky are a gang of thieves (Aaron is the tech/medic guy, Andrew's the thief, Nicky is usually the distraction/get away driver). The three of them have been doing this since the twins were in high school. ("It's expensive raising two twin boys as a single parent. Especially when one has expensive tastes in cars and the other wants to be a doctor!" "For the last time Nicky, stop telling people we're your kids!!")

Although Andrew has been doing this on his own for a while (it's how he got himself thrown into juvie)

Neil takes to becoming a thief after his mom died. They still went on the run because they stole from his father, so he thought that would be the best way to keep up some kind of income. He changes name and appearance to avoid police and his father (heads up now, this is the last time Nathan's mentioned, didn't know how else to add him).

Neil threw his outfit together at a thrift store (Orange was the only colour of bandana left, ok).

Andrew of course bought nice, expensive, dark clothes that can blend easily in a crowd. Also to make him look ninja like, not like anyone but Nicky would dare to admit it though.

These two first meet at the Hernandez Museum in Arizona. Neil tries to steal a painting; Andrew whacks him in the gut with his poster portfolio before grabbing the painting and high tailing it outta there, (Not before he gets a fake name from Neil (probably Stefan)),

"Better luck next time." *two finger salute*

As Neil moves on to South Carolina, sometimes the orange gets recognized, so the papers have taken to calling him The Fox ("Really, Matt? That's what they call him?" "Yeah, you know, orange face mask and he's a thief. Dan came up with it. Makes sense if you ask me.")

Side note, Neil is Matt's new roommate and Matt has no clue what's going down, but accepts that his roomie runs at weird hours and prefers to keep things surface level in conversation. They're still bffs during the day when their schedules intersect.

Dan, the investigative reporter interested in this string of robberies, lives with Renee next door to the cousins, those shifty looking guys who are always angrily whispering in German at each other and coming and going at weird times, but Nicky seems nice enough and Dan thinks Renee has a thing for Andrew, (she does not, they just spar together once a week, and Renee may or may not teach Andrew some lock picking techniques... maybe), so they let it go. 

Allison is a close friend of the girls and owns some of the valuables/buildings that get targeted. She's sort of confused when some of these items return a few weeks after Dan reports about them stolen, with a fox sticky note attached

(Neil may steal for a living, but he feels bad when he finds out some of that stuff is hers, so returns the more sentimental items. Andrew does not.)

Kevin is the detective trying to catch these thieves with his new partner - Andrew, who uses info to get a good location/hit or cover his trail. (also puts that criminal justice degree to some use).

*I debated making Kevin a security guard but liked the idea of Andrew being his partner while also being the criminal they're trying to catch dynamic better*

Kevin eventually joins up with Andrew's crew because Riko (Kevin's old partner, also on the robberies case) just took things way too far and sort of snapped, almost injuring Kevin. He won't take part in the robberies himself, but he'll help give a lead or distract the attention of the other officers when Andrew needs it. (He just wants Andrew to help keep him from Riko again.)

Kevin takes his job very seriously, but when he finds out Neil, an old childhood acquaintance, is The Fox he warns him to run before more trouble starts up with Riko (Neil does not, he's found a life here, even if some of its a lie, and he's gonna fight for it).

Kevin starts drinking around this time. (seriously, all he wanted was to be a good detective like his mom and dad, now he's covering for two thieves he's supposed to be apprehending for lord knows what reason)

Seth is a security guard who Nicky takes great pleasure in knocking out (he overheard the guy said some shitty things about gay people while they were staking out the place earlier)

Erik is the cousins' international seller.

Wymack is the police chief/commissioner and doesn’t get paid enough.

Now back to the thieving.

Neil keeps running into this guy at his heists and it turns into a sort of one sided rivalry of Neil trying to case the joint before Andrew gets there.

It barely works, Andrew always beats him there, but he gets better at it. (and someone would be lying if they said Andrew doesn't wait sometimes to see if the Fox shows up)

Neil's taken to calling Andrew the Monster because Allison hates whoever keeps stealing her stuff (also, getting hit by a portfolio tube hurts, Andrew, of course he's gonna think you're a monster at first) but after one time he hears Aaron yelling over Andrew's earpiece, he extends the title to "the Monsters".

which is also roughly when Andrew gives him some sort of name in return to Neil's alias (Chris this time around) because this has been going on for months now.

Andrew eventually makes a deal with him to help each other out because this thief is a train wreck and is gonna get them caught eventually (Andrew will keep the police off his tail and Neil just has to help Andrew with some of the trickier robberies).

Andrew tends to chat a little with this weird Fox named Alex or Stefan or Chris or Duncan or whoever he is today, just 'cause these robberies have started to bore him, but this,

this guy is something interesting

And they start to learn little seemingly inconvenient things about each other

("Oh, there's knives in those? Good to know." "Your mom's dead? Same for my brother. Paid for my car." "Favourite color is grey actually!" "You're more a raccoon than a fox." "Actually my family never celebrated holidays. What brings you to a jewelry store on Thanksgiving?" "I don't like being touched." "Tell your friend that I can in fact understand what he's saying in German... And fuck him too." "Ice cream is the best goddamn food in the world and I will gut you for saying otherwise!")

... Ok, last one is more context than verbatim, but you get the point...

As he gets better, Neil starts to leave little fox sticky notes behind with insults towards Detective Moriyama (because fuck that guy, he keeps bad mouthing The Fox in the news and saying it'd be easy to catch "an amateur like this flea"!!)

Kevin and Andrew have mini heart attacks when they find them ("why agree to my protection when you clearly have a death wish?!")

Eventually, Neil has perfected the art to the point where he can get the item/money before Andrew arrives, but against his better judgement (and the screams of his mother in his head to "Just run! Run! Get out of there while you can!") he stays, even just to leave Andrew with a new fake name.

One of these nights Neil almost gets caught by Riko on patrol, (who is still rather enraged by the last note; how does the Fox even know about his daddy issues?), so he has to change his appearance last minute to not get recognized on the streets.

Matt is the most surprised by the new auburn hair and blue eyes, but again, he rolls with it. Recommends that his girlfriend's roommate is really good with dying hair if he wants to mix it up again though.

Andrew and Aaron get into some trouble (*cough*Drake*cough*) so the Monsters are out of commission for a while.

Neil feels slightly responsible (somehow his tip off to Andrew leads to it, I don't know).

They haven't seen each other since that night.

Andrew eventually gets back into the swing of things ("Andrew are you sure..?" "Yes Nicky, now get in the fucking car.")

One night Kevin gets him a tip off about an opportunity at the EVRMR Private Bank (inside info from Jean who just so happens to hate working there and the Moriyamas, who own the place).

So as Andrew makes his way to the roof, he hears something below (hurried foot steps from all too familiar worn out shoes below) and he takes a glance and sees a flash of orange.

And there's that bothersome shadow who was only supposed to be a brief distraction from routine,

but now he's got a slightly new look and what appears to be a duffle full of what's supposed to be Andrew's cash.

Neil senses eyes on him and sees a figure on the roof and just knows.

Cue two finger salute. "Better luck next time!!"

And he's gone.

(Andrew still checks the vault and finds a fox sticky note that says 'Abram')

*cue Aaron's screams of annoyance and Nicky's demands to know if this guy is at least hot if they keep letting him take their marks*

(Kevin probably is downing a vodka bottle somewhere, but that's a given)

Next day, Riko is out for blood. Jean eventually quits and goes to work at the Trojan Bank.

Later, Dan decides to throw a house party for reasons (maybe a successful article? Matt got a promotion? A doomed attempt to get Renee and Andrew together?)

Renee calmly asks Andrew to come and he agrees for the sake of free booze (also Nicky has been making annoying puppy dog faces at the door ever since Dan asked him and he had to say no)

He's bored and tired and hates that his boss and Kevin are there

(Dan spends so much time hounding the police station for stories that Wymack has essentially adopted her)

Then Matt comes in with a quiet, auburn haired roommate called Neil.

That's when things start to get interesting.