#under the same roof that I lowkey have to help take care of in some way or another

[sepiasys]

Hey so I immediately regret watching this because uh I feel funny and weird but in a specific way but like HE'S NOT HERE RIGHT- (uncontrollable smiling and/or laughter because this is rlly rlly dumb which makes it funny)

I'm assuming he isn't here and doesn't exist anymore if he ever did actually :3 👍

I LOVE YOU HOE || REBOOT ANIMATION

🌀🌀🌀

AHHH THIS IS MY FAV ANIMATION SO FAR BECAUSE IT MAKES ME SMILE REALLY HARD!!!!!

✨ REBOOT WALLY AU BY:

@bloodrediscream

The end parts were a PAIN to animate but.. it was so, so worth it.....

[therealvampira]

Noah's Arc Circus Headcanons (Since nobody ever does them) [Joker and Beast]

Hello, all! I am suffering from writers block at the moment, not to mention I've got finals coming up, but I'm still trying to push myself to post something, so have these random-ish headcanons. (Reminder that I won't be doing all of the characters, just Joker and Beast since I'm stressing lowkey 😭😭- I will definitely write more for the other circus members in the future)

Joker

Before Joker and the others were took in and founded the circus, he reached a point where he had no hope for his future. He really just thought that was it, and that he'd be living on the streets with his family until he died, probably at a young age too.

As a result, this is why after he and the others were taken in by Baron Kelvin, he felt such a strong obligation to serve him and follow every order he was given.

At first, it was seemingly simple tasks, and I like to believe they were originally hired as servants or something along those lines, but as Kelvin's obsession with Ciel and being perfect took a turn for the worse, that is when he told Joker and the others that he wanted them to run a Circus.

Joker, just being thankful to be under somebody else's care, assumed it was some sort of fundraiser for them to accumulate some extra wealth.

But very quickly, things took a dark turn. In the beginning, there was a lot of arguing (rightfully so), but eventually Joker gave in, feeling like this was his obligation, as if he was paying his dues to Kelvin for taking him in along with the others.

Deep down (not really that deep down, it's very evident to him) he knows what he's doing is horrible, but it's almost like he can't stop, he has to do it to make Father happy. The others have probably tried talking him into going some place else, but nothing seemed like it would work, so they eventually all gave up, feeling the same sense of hopelessness only now with a roof over their head.

(Moving on from the sad backstory, heres some less depressing stuff)

Joker probably takes a while to fall asleep, like...longer than normal. I know I said these would be the less depressing HCs, but I feel like he got so used to having to constantly wake up in fight or flight mode while living on the streets, he probably takes longer to fall asleep even years later.

Consumes so much caffeine. Like he'll probably have 5 cups of tea every day and then coffee if they have it (probably not a lot since coffee wasn't as common in England given most people preferred tea).

But then again, he's a busy man you can't blame him. (totally not projecting.)

Doesn't really think about his mother that much, since he most likely has no idea who she is, but sometimes wishes she'd just keep him and didn't throw him away. He often contemplates how his life could've been different if so and so happened.

Rarely ever gets sick for some reason. Like, the rest of the members have probably gotten a cold or other sickness plenty of times, but Joker just seems to be in decent health all the time, which is somewhat surprising considering how rampant disease is throughout victorian England.

Looking at his hair, it is very intricately done and nice looking. However, some of the little pieces of hair are "crunchy" sometimes because he'll have to use insane amounts of pomade if he's having a bad hair day that day.

Speaking of, he's definitely a little artistic, given that he could style his hair and makeup after living in the streets for most of his life. In the beginning, he would help the other members with their costumes or makeup.

If Joker were to ever be in a relationship (I don't remember if he is or not), he'd be really kind to his partner, always trying to cheer them up and keep them happy.

While he wouldn't exactly be the manipulative type, he'd still be careful to hide everything he's been doing from them, afraid they'll leave him if they know about his actions.

That is, if they don't already know. If he knew that his partner already knew about what he was doing and still decided to be understanding about it, he'd be a lot more comfortable with them, like a weight has been lifted off his shoulders and he has one less person to keep secrets from.

He'd almost constantly give you flowers and do small gestures for you, doing the best with what he has. (I mean, it's a circus..)

Sings to himself kind of often, especially if he's feeling anxious (as seen in the anime). It sort of soothes him and distracts him a bit.

On the surface level, he seems to be a very cheerful and energetic person, but when alone or with the other (original) circus members, he can be much more serious.

If he had a partner, he'd really be sweet to them, but not to a point where he's exaggerating. He'd just be his "normal" self, seeming a bit more quiet than he is to strangers.

Back to the previous point, he would do everything in his power to keep all of the secrets about Kelvin and the missing children from you. If you ever confronted him about whats being said in the newspapers, he'd probably just play it off a mistake, or just bad rhetoric.

As nice as he is, or as he may seem he doesn't give that easily into emotions, which is one thing that makes him so difficult. The others already tried it, but he just doesn't seem to budge whenever anyone brings up the topic of running away or quitting.

"Missing children ya say? ah, don't worry about that- probably just folks who don't want a circus near them is all!" He'd say, making it sound like it was the most obvious thing ever.

He seems just a little too relaxed about it, making it almost suspicious. If you did find out, he'd be devastated. He would probably try to leave you before you can leave him, just assuming that you now hate him.

If you took the opposite route and decided to be understanding, he'd appreciate your empathy very much, but would still be cautious around you for god knows how long, until he fully trusts you again.

He really wishes he could spend more time with you, but he has so much to do all the time.

Probably one of those people that wakes up as soon as the sun comes up. It's like he can literally feel the sun rising, even though the tents have no windows and he's just like "Yeah, I need to get the hell up" 😭

If his mother had the chance to name him, she'd either name him Ryas or Jesse.

Beast

She knows that Joker is probably never going to consider leaving his job working for Kelvin, but she tries time and time again to get him and the others to run away and find some place else where they don't have to keep doing such bad things.

She honestly feels bad, and if you talk to her personally, you can tell just by looking at her that she isn't happy.

Spends a lot of her time alone, except for when she has to meet up with the other first-string members to discuss important matters.

She never learned how to read until she and the others were taken in by Kelvin. They would all read books to enhance their reading abilities, and while doing so Beast actually found she enjoyed it.

While she doesn't get to read often given her environment, she'd definitely be down for it when given the chance.

While she can come off a bit cold to people she doesn't know, she is seriously the sweetest person ever, like...

She's just such a genuine and nice person, even if she has to do bad things to survive.

She hates working under Kelvin. She hates it. But she is still grateful that she can walk on her own, thanks to the prosthetic limb.

In all honesty, her outfit does make her uncomfortable at times. She wishes she could wear something a bit less revealing, since it gives her a lot of unwanted attention, which she can't stand. Don't even get her started on the creepy stares from some men in the audience, she could go on all day!

A lot of the time when she's alone, she likes to pet and cuddle Betty. It's therapeutic for her to pet her- she definitely considers her a friend, despite her being a tiger for a circus act. Beast really feels like they've bonded over the years.

Speaking of that, she probably has a lot of patience even though it may not seem like it. Think about it, her situation with Joker has probably been getting at her for a while now, but she still hasn't snapped.

As for this specific situation, it's definitely one of those instances where a part of her has given up, but the other part still has hope that things can finally get better and they'll all run away together.

She'd like the smell of sandalwood- to her it's one of those scents that you can't exactly remember where it's from, but it's still kind of comforting and makes you reminisce.

She can't always remember all of her dreams, but she has had multiple nightmares of Kelvin harming her and the others because they "messed up" something.

Beast has a sharp intuition, she kind of knows whats up, even if those around her don't believe it. She can sense when people lie, or when something bad is going to happen.

She's generally just a lot smarter than she has been letting on.

Unlike Joker, Beast seems to be a lot softer. Not in a bad way or that she's "weak", but she's a lot more worried about things, and has a stronger desire for stability and safety than Joker does.

Her gut has been telling her to "get the hell out of here" for years, which is starting to really get to her. She knows that herself and the others are mostly unhappy, so why keep living like this?

If she had a partner, she'd definitely try to get them in on running away. If you agree, or even consider it, it would be like all of her hope has been restored.

All she needs is genuine, real reassurance but she just never seems to get any, which is why she'd probably seek that from her partner.

I imagine if beast was real, she'd have big eyes. Not like inhumanly large or anything, but enough to stand out. (No I'm not just saying this because I love all the girl characters from Black Butler because they're so pretty.)

Gets cold pretty easily which kind of sucks, given how Englands climate is, so she likes when the Circus travels to warmer areas.

But then she sweats, so now it's too hot. She can never catch a break oh my god

Gets so frustrated when her hair won't stay in a certain position after like 50 cans of pomade.

Doesn't get to eat them often, but she loves little cakes and pastries.

She doesn't particularly have a sweet tooth, though. She's okay with most types of foods, but probably doesn't eat spicy stuff.

She really enjoys sleeping, since her mind is finally quiet and thoughtless for once. I feel like she's that one person that always needs a nap.

[jackrrabbit]

College AU drinking HCs /// Dabi, Shigaraki, & Overhaul x f!Reader (18+)

A/N: A little background for this college AU—imo the PLF would be a social frat and the Shie Hassaikai is a professional frat (pre-med). Sooner or later I’ll write general college AU headcanons for them…

Tags/warnings: implied dubcon/drunk sex, alcohol, problematic frat culture things, pressure to drink, brief mentions of public sex/exhibitionism, drug use, a tiny bit of degradation, Hawks is vaguely in it too

Dabi

A basic frat bitch who drinks beer 80% of the time

Surprisingly he can’t tolerate cheap beer and is kind of a snob about people who drink shitty beer but he doesn’t bring it up enough to be annoying about it. Constantly blowing the frat’s alc budget on bottled beer instead of cans, not the super expensive craft bullshit but a step above Natural Light at least, right guys? Come on

Dabi always volunteers to go with Keigo (the frat’s social chair) to pick up the keg because both of them have a crusade against the cheap stuff—Keigo because he wants people to get drunk on it at parties and Dabi because he wants to drink it himself. They lowkey have a bromance over it and sometimes go to breweries together to fuck around and daydrink. The two of them are always trying new beers and will generally keep a different sixpack in the fridge every day—if any of the other brothers drink their overpriced IPAs by accident there’ll be consequences

Speaking of Keigo, him and Dabi are both into making jungle juice. They both get really excited about it, it’s kinda wholesome except they’re both just plotting on how to get cute girls like you as drunk as possible without realizing. They’ve spent a bunch of weekends together trying different mixes and recipes for the best flavor/alcohol content combination

Dabi is a whole ass heavyweight. He’s been getting drunk since he was like 11 so a couple rounds of shots are basically water to him. He can’t even remember the last time he was really, really drunk, he just gets tipsy now. And believe he absolutely uses this to his advantage

You’re drinking together? He’s going to fill up your cup every time he fills up his own, so before you realize how much you’ve been drinking, you’re five drinks in and swaying on the spot while Dabi is completely unfazed. He’ll tease you about having no tolerance to make you drink more

Drinking games!! Once again his tolerance gives him an advantage. He’ll pull some fake chivalrous shit like offering to drink for you on the first round of beer pong and then after that he’s just going to demolish you until you’re so plastered he basically has to carry you up to his room (which has empty liquor bottles lined up on the shelves as “decor” because he’s such a stereotypical frat bro)

Ok this is kinda weird but bear with me—Dabi actually dislikes that alcohol makes you less responsive/makes it harder for you to cum. Doesn’t mean he’ll hesitate to get you drunk but he wants you to feel everything he’s doing to you and alcohol isn’t really conducive to that

Very laid-back when he’s tipsy, you can barely tell the difference from when he’s sober ♡

Shigaraki Tomura

A liiiiiiiightweight. 3 drinks and Tomura’s out bruv, out like a goddamn lightbulb, I said what I said

Although tbh it’s more like he gets drunk really quick and then sobers up really quick. Like he’ll be nodding off at the pregame but by the time the party starts, he’s ready to get going again

A wimp when it comes to alc preferences. Hates the taste of strong liquor and will never take shots without a chaser. Prefers to mix vodka and tequila rather than doing shots, preferably with root beer/sprite. Gets pissy if the party runs out of shit to chase with. The frat has a steady supply of amaretto and kahlua because of Tomura, he really likes sweet drinks

Genuinely hates beer and will take white claw over beer any day of the week. But he’s a frat president so he avoids talking about it bc it’s pretty embarrassing

Don’t tell anyone but…Tomura doesn’t really like drinking? Since he’s the president he has to be in charge of a lot of shit when they have parties. Drunk freshmen puking in the backyard? Tomura has to tell Dabi (recruitment chair) to find some pledges to clean it up. Fight breaks out? Tomura has to make sure no one gets hurt enough to get the frat in trouble with school admin. Undercover cops? Tomura’s the one who has to announce that they’re out of alc and shut it down

It’s annoying enough for Tomura to deal with that shit (not to mention get Keigo to stop fucking freshman girls and pull his weight as social chair) when he’s sober, and it’s 100x worse when he’s drunk

On the other hand, when Tomura gets drunk he’ll get really drunk. Doesn’t dance so he’ll just sit on the couch and maybe play handheld games, and he’ll get super annoyed bc he’s shit at games when his vision is blurry and his hands are shaking

Pretty suggestible when he’s been drinking. If you’re dating Tomura you can get him to do all kinds of crap after you get a few shots in him. Make him do your skincare routine with you and put face masks on together :,) He’ll never admit it but he likes being taken care of when he’s wasted

ON THE OTHER HAND THO…….if you’re not dating and instead just some random chick at one of his parties? Tomura will absolutely use being drunk as an excuse to creep on you. e.g. at kickbacks he’ll get you to play never have I ever/truth or dare so he can ask invasive questions

Are you a virgin?

How old were you when you lost it? Oh wow, you’re a slut/prude.

Body count?

Do you like sucking cock?

Ever let a guy tie you up/choke you/cum inside?

You keep answering because he seems super detached/disinterested, like he doesn’t really care about your answers or he’s just joking around. Little do you know…

Honestly a sneak creep—Tomura seems like he doesn’t give a shit about you until he’s groping you under your shirt on the dance floor, hands squeezing your tits before he shoves them into your shorts and tells you he’s going to wreck this little pussy as soon as he gets you alone ♔

Chisaki Kai

You know Kai drinks, but you never really see him drinking? It’s weird…he’s always holding a bottle when you run into him at parties but he never takes off the cloth mask he’s wearing

Brings his own alcohol to parties because no fucking way he’s going to be drinking the same nasty shit that the hosts are providing. Jungle juice? You’ve got to be fucking kidding. Do you have any idea how unsanitary that is? Even thinking about it makes Kai want to throw up

Highkey a drug dealer although he doesn’t do much himself except maybe coke or adderall…Kai can sell you basically anything and all his shit is that high-quality you can’t usually get from a campus dealer

At the same time, if Kai’s planning on fucking you he probably won’t give you that much because he doesn’t want to babysit you when you get crossed

Likes Asian liquors, very on-brand for him. Baijiu, shōchū, sake, that kind of thing. Drinks a fair amount of soju but he exclusively buys boring flavors like “fresh” or “classic”

When it comes to Western liquor, Kai has better taste than most students. Would rather drink vinegar than any alcohol that came out of a plastic bottle, box, or bag. He likes top-shelf whiskey and gin and he’s good with strong alcohol; if you wince after taking a shot he’ll definitely look down on you

Prefers afterparties and kickbacks to big parties, and will take roof/outdoor events over crowds. Hasn’t set foot inside a social frat since he was a freshman and doesn’t plan to. Very much the “let’s get out of here, I have something stronger at my place” type

Fuck, you’re so trusting when you’re drunk…he could probably put a leash and collar on you and you’d thank him. It’s sort of baffling how bubbly and sweet you are when Kai gets a little liquor in you; he can’t decide if it’s annoying or a turn-on

Kai has average tolerance but unbelievable self-control and awareness, so he’s careful not to get too drunk himself

Likewise, if he’s interested he’ll keep a close eye on how much you’re drinking and how trashed you are, because when he gets around to fucking you he wants you to be fuzzy enough that he can easily take advantage but not too sloppy. Wouldn’t want you gagging on his cock after all

Loves watching you stumble around and fall over shit while he’s just shy of sobriety. Only time you’ve ever seen Kai laugh is when you drunkenly asked him for help walking once. No way. If you can’t walk by yourself you should just crawl

When Kai actually gets drunk, he’s pretty much the same except a little more sleepy/lazy. If he’s sitting down he has a habit of nodding off in the middle of conversations. It’s lowkey cute but Setsuno brought it up once and Kai got pissed so don’t mention it to him ♢

[huenjin]

𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐘 𝐊𝐈𝐃𝐒 𝐓𝐄𝐋𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐈𝐑 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐒 𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐈𝐑 𝐒/𝐎 (𝐎𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐌 𝐅𝐈𝐍𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐎𝐔𝐓)

genre | fluff, toothbiting fluff, and slightly suggestive

warnings | hints at nsfw in slight occasions, but it's still very sfw.

members | bang chan, minho, changbin, hyunjin, jisung, felix, seungmin, jeongin

note | tried at making it gender neutral. also, this is my first hc, if this is what it is, so please do tell me if it's any good.

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐍

downright going to be the most classic one. he'd bring you over for a christmas dinner, his mum and dad looking at you quizzically and you swear to god it was the most raveling moment ever in your whole life. the fear, the anxiety and the pain of being rejected by his parents weighs far too much in your head. however, chan would hold your hand, rub small circles at the junction between your thumb and your other fingers and tell his parents that you're his bestfriend, his lover, the one he loves in the present and hopefully for a long time. that he wants to spend his christmas with every single human being that he loves under the same roof. it is only after this that his parents calm down, cheer up and are overjoyed that their son has found someone to be with — to share his happiness and sadness with. will go down in your history as one of the best christsmases you have shared.

𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐇𝐎

here to spread the college boyfriend!minho agenda. this was off this ad that i saw the other day and idek why i found it cute but it was dead cute and i knew that's definitely minho. 100%. so you're over at his lodging room in college in his shirt — minho swears to god he finds you the cutest in his shirts — watching this romcom on netflix on his laptop. you're cuddled up against him on his bed and minho's kissing your cheeks occasionally when you're too engrossed into the movie, making sure he gets the gasp and the chuckle exactly from you. and all was going well till he gets a video call notification from his mother and he's scrambling up from his bed, angling the mirror away from you as he answers, "hi, mom." his mother would ask of him to show his new room, something he was supposed to do earlier and he sighs, "can we do this tomorrow? it's late and i have this assignment to do?" but his mother wouldn't have it any other way and insists — determination running through their family veins evidently. and here you are, scrambling around his room everytime he moves to show his room to his mum, just to avoid the camera. until you can sit back on the bed and minho's rushing to end the conversation, "can i please go do my assignments now, mum?" you know you're royally fucked when minho's mother laughs, only to ask her son, "does your assignment wear your shirts now? you should introduce them to me."

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐁𝐈𝐍

changbin's whole family knows you already. in fact, if anything, it was his sister that forced him to finally ask you out because he has been crushing on you forever. the following events happen in this particular order: you're the cute cashier at his favorite drink place and if college has taught him one thing, it is never to miss out on an opportunity and he knows he must ask you out. his sister is with him and finds him all awe eyed at you and she knows. she also knows that her brother is a wimp and won't ask you out so she nags him over throwing litter all over in his room if he doesn't. changbin thinks it's the extra push he needed and he does ask you out while paying his bill — a mere, "uhm, i think you're cute. if you happen to have some, uh, free time this saturday evening, we could go watch a movie or something. oh, i mean, of course, if only you're free and if you haven't watched the movie and like everyone seems to be busy and you're just so so pretty i ha—" changbin still remembers the way you giggled, the way you held your chest and the way you smiled and nodded. changbin's family knows that very evening because siblings are snitches deep down and his sister yells as soon as she enters the home, even before she has taken her shoes off — "listen, listen! our changbinnie grew up. guess who has a lover, guess who, guess who!" all changbin could yell back was, "they are prettier than you and nicer than you!" and stick his tongue out. needless to say, changbin was found picking scrap paper off his room's floor at 2am.

𝐇𝐘𝐔𝐍𝐉𝐈𝐍

lowkey his parents are suspicious of you and think you're not a great person and this is another episode of hwang hyunjin getting overly attached and loving another human. you can't blame them. experiences make parents cautious and when all of hwang hyunjin's relationship has ended him with an aching heart, you know you'd be suspicious of the next person he brings home too. he brings you home for dinner and his parents were definitely not expecting another member. it starts with frigid stares and hard, short answers and hyunjin has to hold your hand to stop you from crying because you feel like you lost your chance even before you had it. that is till, hyunjin speaks up, "mum, dad. i love them. and i know you guys are doing this because you fear they're going to break my heart—" "i wouldn't," you mumble, "you're going to break mine if this ends." and hyunjin chuckles, kissing your cheek before his parents. he turns to them and repeats the same, "i love them. so much and i hope you can accept them and not pin all my bad experiences on them. please." it takes a few more meetings for his parents to warm up to you but it happens slowly over the time, till — you're now spending every other weekend with his mum to bake cakes.

𝐉𝐈𝐒𝐔𝐍𝐆

so jisung, as much as he needs the caring and loving, is an eccentric man. he's so eccentric you're so sure you fell for him because of that, because of how he manages to make you always smile. so eccentric that he had a whole ppt presentation on why everyone should be like you. and this stupid boyfriend who is oh so in love shows this before his parents to announce how he's dating you. it's like a one slide presentation. he's planned it all out for days. he'll bring you over in the guise of being a friend and then surprise his parents after dinner by turning this great one slide presentation on. it'll have a picture of you on the side and points in bullets to the left — of how you're pretty, of how you're funny, how you make him want to be a better person, how he wants to continue going to the orphanage to help every sunday with you, how he wants to give you his world. how you're the nicest person he knows. your parents are smiling and they know. they know even before the announcement that you're his lover and better half and you make him happy and so does he. and courtesy of jisung's great brain, the animations rotate and land and the last two lines are so big that you blush and are embarrassed but god fucking help you, you're so in love with him that this makes your heart race. "be like y/n. be my lover," races into the screen and you think the animations makes it even more quirkier than it already is. until his mother makes everyone laugh even more by asking, "are you asking us all out, sungie? doubt they would like that."

𝐅𝐄𝐋𝐈𝐗

another one of the classic introduction types. felix asks you if it's alright for him to finally introduce you to his family and you nod, heart fluttering because you know for sure this is a huge step. upon much consideration, you agree to go for dinner with his parents at his place the following weekend. you're asking him over the week if this dress was alright or if you should go for formals and as much as he reassures you that it's not a huge deal — it is a huge deal to you. you want his parents to know how serious you are of him. you even being a gift home that night and bake some muffins and his mother is just really impressed (if she wasn't already flustered by all the stuff you brought). and when you know you have warned up enough to them, you know his mother is going to show the embarassing pictures just to fluster her son and it works. you do spend some good hours with his parents — his dad giving you a thumbs up to be new fashioned as you leave and his mum waving you good bye — and it is only after this you sigh in relief, tension off your shoulders. you've left a good impression and felix knows this too as he kisses you in his car.

𝐒𝐄𝐔𝐍𝐆𝐌𝐈𝐍

seungmin is the softest boyfriend ever. i mean seriously, if the whole world already didn't know the two of you were dating would be a surprise — it's the pretty bracelets you wear, the matching hoodies found in your closets or how you're just always in his blue hoodie. always. and so when seungmin is rushing you, two weeks into official dating for you to meet his parents, you're wide eyed. all he has to say is, "i'll be going to marry you either way. why wait till the day before marriage to show you off to my parents also." and he'd be so thrilled. seungmin's mum is enthralled because he is enthralled. he is so excited to tell his parents about you and about how you're his lover. his to show off. his to love. for years to comes. and you're blushing in front of his parents, ears heated up at the term. seungmin's dad jokingly pats his son's back, laughing, "have you grown up already to bring someone home?" and he nods, smiling like the dork you fell in love with. his mother rushes to sit you down by the table, ready to take care of you and you realise — seungmin's family will always be as accepting as he is. the fruit doesn't fall that far away from the tree, after all.

𝐉𝐄𝐎𝐍𝐆𝐈𝐍

trust me, he's the reckless kind. he'll care for you, love for you and be there for you but he's so bad with dates and timings and everything that mistakes like this were bound to happen at one point. he's shifted to his own place and jeongin is so excited that he calls you over — "y/n, you must come here. even the bed is warm." and you know what that meant. the bane of every mankind's downfall and every civilization's achilles' hill. that is exactly how you ended up next to jeongin, his hands cupping your face and him kissing you like he has all the time in the world now that he has his own place. until the two of you hear the door click and jeongin pulls back, swearing and in panic. you hold his shoulder in worry and he's telling you that his parents were supposed to come over, today. that he didn't know it would be this early, however. and the only thing his oh-so-bright brain could come up with in that moment is to shove you and himself into the small closet till his parents leave. and even if it meant a few sweaty minutes in the closets in each other's warmth, moans and giggles in the air albeit the warning of silence, and jeongin kissing you in places the heavens shouldn't know, you'll happily brace it all for him. the two of you come out of the closet only after you hear the door shut again. the two of you walk down carefully to see if his parents are away, only to find a small yellow post it note stuck on the fridge — you should have told us you had someone over. you bury your face into his shoulders in embarassment as you ask, "they heard, didn't they?" he chuckles, "probably. we'll get you to officially meet then soon. my mum loves pies and you bake the best ones. she'll fall for you like i did. instantly."

[topsytervy]

Wisdom Teeth ~ JJ Maybank

Blurb: JJ takes care of you after you get your wisdom teeth out. Not gonna lie, this post is kind of a mess

Word Count: 1,890

Warnings: mentions of blood, swearing, small mention of alcohol/drinking, I think that’s it.

I’m just going to say that this is based off of my wisdom teeth experience. I didn’t get gassed or put under, my moms friend suggested me holding alcohol in my mouth cause she did that when she got hers out and it worked for her (it worked for me enough to let me sleep like the dead, and my mom kept laughing at me.

I aged JJ and the reader to 19 cause why not.

I also lowkey started thinking of JJ taking care of his kids after their wisdom teeth get pulled and thats shows in the ending. 

anyway, small shoutout to @taylathornton who got me thinking about this after she said something about JJ or Rafe taking care of the reader when they get their wisdom teeth out.

~~~~

You walked out into the waiting room, gauze on either side of your mouth, your boyfriend standing by the counter as someone gave him the same rundown they gave you post-extraction. 

JJ smiled as he saw you, not that you could see with the mask over the bottom half of his face, and pulled you into his side.

"Just remember that if you still feel pain while taking the prescription he gave you today, call back and he'll prescribe you something stronger." the lady said. 

You nodded as you shoved the sheet filled with the instructions, prescriptions, and the extra gauze they gave you into JJ's hands. JJ said a quick thank you to the lady and then directed you to the door, every penny being covered by your insurance.

Thank God.

"How do you feel, princess?" He asked, intertwining your fingers together.

"You didn't tell me the extraction was such a violent process." You told him.

Well, attempted to tell him but the gauze in your mouth wasn't helping. The mask definitely added to muffling your voice.

JJ chuckled. "What?" He asked, unlocking the truck.

"You didn't tell me the extraction was such a violent process." You said slower, louder, and slightly more enunciated. 

JJ helped you into the truck. "Didn't want to scare you, Y/N/N."

"I can do it myself. I wasn’t gassed or anything. Just numbed." You swatted his hand away as he went to buckle you in.

He held up his hands. "Alright. I'm sorry." 

"Besides the lady said that I was surprisingly calm during the process." You informed him as you took off your mask.

"That's good." He closed the door and walked over to the driver’s side, climbing in as he also took off his mask. "Since you were so good during the process, how about you remind me in a week to take you to Dairy Queen and we'll get you some ice cream." He suggested, leaning over the center console and brushing some hair out of your face.

"Can I get chicken tenders too?" You asked, looking at your blonde boyfriend with the best puppy dog eyes you could muster.

JJ let out a laugh as he started the truck and began to pull out of the parking lot. "Yeah. You can get chicken tenders too, princess."

You smiled, reaching into your mouth to readjust the blood-soaked gauze only to have JJ swat your hand away. "Don't."

"But I feel like I’m swallowing the gauze every time I go to swallow my saliva." You whined.

JJ sighed. "That’s because the roof of your mouth is swollen so it makes it difficult to swallow the saliva. Just leave the gauze where it is."

You shot JJ a look before bringing your hand to your mouth again. JJ reached over and grabbed your wrist his eyes never leaving the road.

"Y/N." He warned.

"JJ." You imitated.

"I said don't touch it." 

You took your wrist away from him and crossed your arms, looking out the window. 

"Keep that up and you won’t get dairy queen next week. I'll get myself dairy queen and you can keep eating soup and mashed potatoes." 

"You're so mean to me sometimes, J." You whispered.

"Only cause I love you and care about you, baby." He smiled, his hand going to your thigh and giving it a light squeeze. 

You uncrossed your arms and took his hand in yours. "You're so sweet."

JJ shook his head. "Flip-floppy today, huh. 3 seconds ago I was mean and now I'm sweet."

You shrugged. "You're a flip-floppy guy. You threw me off the dock once when it was chilly outside and then gave me clothes to change into not even three minutes later."

"That's called being a gentleman." He smirked. 

"No. It's called being an asshole with a heart." 

JJ snorted as he pulled into the pharmacy parking lot, pulling into a parking space before throwing the truck in park and grabbed his wallet along with your prescriptions.

"Stay here. I’ll be back." He kissed your temple before putting his mask back on, adjusting it so it was over his nose.

You shot him a thumbs-up as you pulled out your phone, taking the time to reply to Kie and Sarah who wanted to check in on you. They both offered to come over and take care of you but you told them you were fine cause you had JJ with you.

Kie immediately replied with a 'that's why we're offering.'

You let out a small giggle before sending them an 'I'm sure JJ can handle it' before locking your phone and pulling down the sun visor to look in the mirror. 

You opened your mouth and made a face as you looked at the inside of your mouth and saw the dried blood on your lips.

JJ opened the door and slid back into the driver’s seat, placing the bag with the two pill bottles in your lap. "You know, technically you’re supposed to keep pressure on the gauze for an hour so it clot and shit."

"You didn't tell me the inside of my mouth looks like it’s having its own little period. I smiled at you with my mouth looking like I took a baseball or something to the teeth." You scolded.

"Princess, and I mean this with all the love in my heart, you look like a hockey player who took a puck to the teeth." JJ laughed as he put the car in drive and made his way to the grocery store.

"JJ," you whined, not finding his comparison cute in the slightest.

"What? It's more accurate than the baseball comparison you said." 

"Stop laughing at me, J. It's not funny." 

"I'm sorry. You're just so whiney right now and it's adorable to me. Makes me want to bundle you up and hold you in my arms and protect you from all the evil in the world." JJ glanced at you. You crossed your arms over your chest and looked out the window. “Y/N, don’t be like this now.”

“You’re being mean to me.” 

“I am not.”

“Yes, you are. I’m over here bleeding, preparing for the numbness to wear off and the pain to set in and you’re laughing at me.”

JJ grabbed your hand and pressed it to his lips. “I’m sorry, baby. Can you accept me buying you soup as my way of asking for your forgiveness?”

He stopped at a stop sign and looked over at you, giving you his best puppy dog eyes.

You sighed. "I suppose."

He grinned as he squeezed your hand lightly. “See, you can’t stay mad at me forever, Y/N/N.”

You rolled your eyes before leaning your head against the headrest. “It’s because I need you to take care of me while I’m healing.”

“Oh?”

“Mhm. As much as I love Kie and Sarah, I don’t think their cuddles can compare to yours.”

JJ nodded. “Fair enough. That’s all you need me for? Cuddles?” 

You shrugged. “We’ll see.”

****

Within two hours, you were tearing up as the numbness wore off, the pain coming in at full force. You laid on the couch in the living room of the apartment you and JJ shared, a blanket thrown over your body.

JJ walked over with a glass of water and the pills you were prescribed. “Alright, here’s your amoxicillin, and here’s your ibuprofen.” He handed you the pills as you sat up.

You popped the two pills into your mouth, taking the glass of water from your boyfriend’s hand before taking a sip and swallowing the pills. JJ took the glass from you and set it on the end table as you sniffed.

“You know what might help?” JJ asked, walking over to one of the cabinets and opening it. 

“What?”

“I know you’re not a big drinker, Y/N, but I remember Mr. Heyward telling me when I got my wisdom teeth out that, if you take vodka, whiskey, tequila, whatever, and kind of hold it in your mouth, tilting your head left and right, it’ll help with the pain. It almost renumbs it and because it’s alcohol, it also helps fight infections.” JJ explained, grabbing the bottle of vodka he had stashed away.

He grabbed a shot glass and filled it up before bringing it over to you. 

“JJ, baby, I don’t think I should be having alcohol after taking a 600 mg ibuprofen and a 500 mg amoxicillin. Besides, I’m pretty sure that’s what the amoxicillin is for anyway.” 

JJ sighed. “I know, princess, but I’m trying to help you out here. It hurts me to see you hurting.”

“And just two hours ago you were saying it was cute when I’m all whiney.” You joked.

“You are cute when you’re whiney and not in pain. Now you’re just in pain and I don’t like it.” 

You looked at JJ with a frown. “How about we just cuddle for the rest of the day? Maybe take a nap because I’m all tuckered out.” 

JJ smiled lightly, downing the shot of vodka before heading over to you and picking you up. You wrapped your legs around his waist as your arms snaked around his neck, him holding you up by your thighs. He carried you into your bedroom, taking one of his hands and pulling back the blankets before gently setting you down and tucking you in. 

He climbed in on his side, gently pulling you into his side, putting a pillow on top of his upper arm so you weren’t resting on his arm, knowing that it wouldn’t help the pain at all.

“Comfortable, princess?” He asked.

You hummed in response, your arm draping across his stomach. 

He kissed the top of your head, brushing your hair away from your face. 

“I’m sorry in advance if I drool on you. I’m even more sorry if it’s bloody drool.” You muttered.

“It’s alright. You can drool on me whenever you want, bloody or not.”

You smiled. “And Kie and Sarah were worried about you taking care of me.”

JJ scoffed. “I always take care of you so Kie and Sarah can shove a sock in it.”

You giggled. “It’s okay, baby. I defended you and your ability to take care of me.”

“I would hope so. After all, I’m buying you Dairy Queen next week. I don’t buy Dairy Queen for anybody, you know.”

“I know.” You sighed.

It was quiet for a few minutes and you were almost asleep before JJ spoke again.

“You gotta eat your soup and mashed potatoes though or else you don’t get chicken tenders next week.”

You let out a laugh. “Oh my god, JJ. You sound like my dad when I had to go get shots.”

“That just means I’m prepared for when we have kids. The whole bribery part of parenting, in the bag.” JJ stated with a nod.

You nodded. “Alright, baby. I can’t wait to tell our kids how you knew you were ready to be a father because you told me a week after my wisdom teeth were removed, you were going to buy me chicken tenders and ice cream.”

JJ smiled. “And I can’t wait to be saying the same thing to them when they get their wisdom teeth out.”

~~~~~~

[7spaceace7]

Ego Holiday Headcanons

Haven’t decided if I’ll make more after this, but here’s some festive headcanons for the Septic boys! (tagging as Yuletube for my submission for the past two missed days, hope that’s alright!)

Henrik Von Schneeplestein

-The host of the Septic Ego Holiday Celebration (est. 2017)

-STRESSED

-If he wasn’t stressed enough by being a doctor (and parent lmao), HE IS NOW

-Getting all the egos together for the holidays and making sure they DON’T kill each other?? Someone give this man an award

-Everyone keeping their limbs would be his only Christmas wish

-He does not get said Christmas wish (see: Robbie)

-Switches up his black coffee for coffee with peppermint creamer

-Chase eventually hooks him on peppermint tea instead, he knows the Doc needs sleep

-Can be found humming along to the Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy as he cooks holiday dinner

-Definitely has a “kiss the cook” apron

-Chase crossed out the “the” on it with “zhe” in sharpie

-Day 5, Schneep still hasn’t noticed

-Loves it, but still wears his doctor coat on top of it

-Gets very cold easily, so the fire is always burning

-Has a nutcracker collection

-It’s getting out of hand

Chase Brody

-Holidays are,,, hard for him

-Still sends his kids cards and presents, never actually knowing if they get them or not

-They do, I promise

-Wasn’t originally keen on celebrating with everyone, he has a tendency to self-isolate

-But once he gets there, he’s glad he did

-IMMEDIATELY tackled in a hug from Jackie

-”YOU’RE HERE!! Couldn’t start without you, dude!”

-Everyone else smiles and gives the appropriate hug

-(Anti does not, but no eye roll this time at least)

-Absolutely loves warm apple cider and has a good recipe to make his own

-Favorite Christmas movie is Elf, no I do not take criticism

-Has a soft spot for Mickey’s Once Upon A Christmas though because of his kids

-Holiday puns, you CANNOT get this man to shut up with the puns

- “Where’s Anti?” “Up to SNOW good! There’s SNOW way we can REIN him in now!”

-Once it snows, this boy is sledding down every hill in SIGHT

-Teaches Robbie how to catch snowflakes on his tongue

-Marvin makes him a “World’s Best Dad” sweater

-He totally cries and does not take it off the rest of the season

Jackieboy Man

-Christmas is his favorite holiday

-Good luck getting him to sit still around this time

-Has super strength, so he doesn’t quite have the same “don’t do that, you’ll hurt yourself” factor that everyone else does??

-Nearly giving Henrik a heart attack everytime he moves, but make it Festive™

-”Guys it’s snowing!!” “JACKIE GET ZHE FAHK OFF ZHE RAILING”

-Slides down the stairs anyway

-Marvin made him a whole ass “ugly supersuit” instead of just a sweater

-It is a w f u l, but on purpose

-Ofc Jackie adores the shit out of it

-Loves snowball fights!

-Always gets targeted by Anti tho

-Eventually it turns into a snowball war

-Pulls Chase over to tag team him, then discovers Marvin has an alliance with Anti

-They will be here a while

-Time to break out the reindeer-themed boxers

-They go along perfectly with his red and blue sweater-suit

-Eventually able to settle down when it gets dark out, bonus points if there’s hot chocolate involved (courtesy of JJ)

-Don’t forget the marshmallows

-Wants to help everybody out with their plans, always does his best

-Even if his best includes falling off a roof

Marvin the Magnificent

-Made everyone sweaters, even Anti

-Spent too much time on the design parts to make em perfect, so he had to rush getting them all sewn

-Uses his magic to sew like three at once

-December 1st, 12:00am is when the Christmas music starts

-Mariah Carey impressions that slowly get higher as the month goes on

-Performs a “Let It Go” rendition that could rival Idina’s during christmas karaoke night

-Switches his regular mask for his holiday one with snowflakes instead of card suits on it

-The decorating master, with JJ as his apprentice

-Favorite part is designing for the lights outside

-Learned a spell to make it look like it’s snowing inside

-Forgot to learn the spell to make it stop snowing inside

-Ended up just sticking with those paper snowflakes dangling on the ceiling

-Asks Jackie for help with the lights on the roof, not because he can’t easily do it himself, he just knows that Jackie likes to help and this is the one thing he knows he can’t break

-Did not expect Jackie to break himself by falling off the roof instead

-Ends up finishing the lights with his magic anyway (after he untangles his boyfriend from the lights, that is)

-Can and will destroy Jackie during snowball fights just because he can

Jameson Jackson

-THIS BOY oh this boy

-Brings out the classic holiday music and sets it up on the gramophone

-LOVES making up dances to the music

-May be a classic boy, but his guilty pleasure is Michael Buble

-(Robbie calls him bubbles whenever he comes on)

-Goes ALL OUT with the holiday baking

-Cookies of all kinds, homemade gingerbread for the houses, so many pies, even learns how to bake his own bread

-Everyone agrees that his pumpkin bread is the best

-Anti especially loves the cherry pie for “aesthetic purposes”

-Has a whole “Twas the Night Before Christmas” puppet show routine

-His job is making the decorations while Marvin sets them all up, it’s a great dynamic

-Definitely makes those traditional popcorn garlands for the tree

-for some reason puts an orange in his stocking?? The others are confused, but he’s so excited so they just let him do his thing

-Now everyone has oranges in their stockings

-They still don’t know what it means

Antisepticeye

-Die Hard is a Christmas movie, dammit!

- “Grinch Bitch” is what his sweater from Marvin says

-Secretly likes it, but fuck off

-Wears it to sleep every night in Winter

-You know that thing where cats get under Christmas trees and swat at the ornaments? Yeah that’s him

-Loves the white elephant gift game

-Ends up getting a present and it’s a turtle

-His name is knives

-KING OF SNOWBALL FIGHTS

-Fills his snowballs with fake blood so they explode on people

- (at least we hope its fake)

-If it doesn’t snow enough, he is the bitch who throws water balloons instead

-Henrik still has work leading up to Christmas, so Anti listens to him rant when he gets home

-Christmas patients are fuckin crazy and he loves it

-One time fell asleep and woke up with a red nose and antlers

-Chase was never safe after that

-Kept the antlers though, they jingle

-Saved them all from Chase’s puns that day

- “Where’s Anti?” *distant, staticky jingling* “Ah there he is”

Robbie the Zombie

-LIGHTS...pretty lights…

-He loves the lights, and will try to eat them if you’re not careful

-Says they’re static candy

-Doesn’t get cold because he can’t feel it, so he often wanders around in the snow

-One time he came home without his left foot and Schneep nearly had a heart attack

-Turns out it froze in the snow and snapped off his leg

-The Great Foot Search Party of 2020

-Please don’t forget to bundle this boy up before going out

-Anti has knitted him a hat and scarf for just this reason

-Henrik was the Proudest Dad that day

-Totally gets to put the star on the Christmas tree every year

-Marvin levitates him high enough

-Favorite holiday movie is The Polar Express

-One time JJ came out with his signature hot cocoa during the movie scene and Robbie was THRILLED

-Talking almost knocked him over thrilled

-Tries to sing along to holiday music, the lyrics don’t work out much

-Really good at keeping a beat though

-Marvin made him a sweater with bells on it

-Adores the bells, flaps the too long sleeves to make them jingle

Shawn Flynn

-Likes Christmas, but like lowkey

-He’s a toymaker!!! He makes adorable toys for all the egos as their presents from him!!

-Didn’t really have a family to go back to in his days at Joey Drew Studios, so he was used to spending Christmas alone, usually working

-NOT ANYMORE!

-Now he has Too Much Family (but in the good way)

-Absolutely gets nicknamed Scrooge at first, probably because he really likes A Christmas Carol and he’s a grump

-Often can be found being pulled off to dance by the gramophone with JJ

-He’s got two left feet, but JJ doesn’t really care

-If anyone still believes in Santa, even just a little bit, it’s because of him

-Has a giant red sack that he fills up with toys he’s made and/or the ones no one could sell back at the studios and donates them to orphanages

-Usually sticks to his old timey clothes, but when he does wear modern Christmas attire like the sweaters, he has,,,no idea how to match things

-It’s ‘cause he’s red/green colorblind

-once asked why Marvin had “yellow” hair

-JJ makes sure that his decorations have lots of blues so it’s not so much strain on his eyes

[carrotmakar]

Mercy

Pairing: Roommate!Harry Styles x Reader

Word Count: Exactly 4,100

Summary: Having a roommate is hard, benign in love with them is harder. What’s hardest, though, is them not loving you back.

Warning(s): Mutual pining, sadness, both parties being lowkey dumb, sudden changes, a letter, absolutely no dialogue

A/N: This is my third piece for the Illuminate Masterlist!! I don’t personally like the way that this one ends, but I do like the fact that this is my first piece without any dialogue. I hope everyone enjoys it!! I cried writing it, but that may be just because I’m emotional. Hopefully it’s not too bad jfhdskaj.

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You've got a hold of me Don't even know your power I stand a hundred feet But I fall when I'm around you

Having a roommate can be hard, that’s a known fact. You must get along with your roommate, communicate, and have compatible personalities for the arrangement to work. If any one of those things are off, the entire thing can fall apart.

Having a roommate is hard, but having clearly unrequited feelings for your roommate is even harder. There were multitudes of issues that came with this.

He couldn’t see you in your shared living space without his stomach tying itself in knots. When you were in the same room with him, close enough to where he could smell your perfume and hear you breathe, his heart goes into overdrive. It’s like his pulse is trying to get first place in the race, and he can’t slow it down for the life of him. Which isn’t always a great thing because he’ll get out of breath quickly and then he’ll have to go on the search for his inhaler because he genuinely cannot breathe.

It hadn’t started like this, Harry hadn’t always had feelings for you. But after living with you for almost a year, he had gotten to know every part of you. He had seen the ups and the downs, the good and the bad. He was there when you were laughing so hard that tears were streaming down your face, and he was also there when you were sobbing to the point that you almost got sick. 

He had seen you at your worst, but that didn’t mean that much to you. He was just a friend, a close one at that.

That killed him. More than anything, he didn’t want to be your friend. He yearned to be the person that you fell asleep with and woke up curled into. To be the person that got to show you the love and affection that you deserve. To get the privilege of loving you.

But he knows that the feelings are unrequited, knows that you don’t see him that way. At first, he had thought you could. That maybe, just maybe, you could have the tiniest hint of feelings for him.

But that thought was quickly squashed by the boyfriends, and the one night stands, and the crushes. All of which you talked to him about. He knows you, talking to someone you like about things like that isn’t something that you do.

Harry had spent a long time mourning something that had never begun, and then he realized that the feelings weren’t going to go away. He hoped and prayed that they would, but they never did.

So, he spent just about every single day wishing that he was yours, but never being able to say that he was. 

He spent his waking hours being constantly brought down by you. Not in a purposeful way. It’s just that as Harry Styles, the worldwide musical sensation, he was sort of used to getting what he wanted. He wasn’t cocky or anything, but he was confident in who he was. But there was just something about you that made him feel completely inferior, all because he wasn’t someone that you had feelings for.

Show me an open door Then you go and slam it on me I can't take anymore I'm saying baby

Living with Harry was pure torture. There’s no other way to put it. Living under the same roof with someone that you’re head over heels for, but not being able to show them is absolute torture. 

You had tried to tell him, tried to hint to him that you were into him. For a while, you would hug him more, would just go up to him and hug him at random times. You’d order him food when you ordered your own, even if he didn’t ask for it. You’d invite him to watch movies with you and then say you were cold so that you could share the blanket with him. 

He never seemed to take the hints, however, never seemed to understand what you were trying to say. At first, you thought ath he was just being dumb about the whole thing and not realizing that you were trying to show him how much you cared about him.

But then you pulled the timeless trick, the one that everyone used at least once in middle school, you talked about other guys to see if he got jealous. When he didn’t, when he just talked about them with you and gave you advice on how to get with them, you realized that it wasn’t just the fact that he didn’t see the hints, it was that he didn’t care. And that hurt more than you thought that it would.

After that, you were scared that you were going to act differently around him, so you closed him off a little bit, stopped dropping hints and just went back to how you used to be. It made everything feel weird at first, seeing as you had been acting that way for months. 

What really confused you about the whole thing, though, was that he seemed to not have feelings and to not care if you would date someone else, but every time you would bring someone to meet him, he automatically hated them. On any occasion when you were just lounging around the house, he would randomly come up to you and put his arms around you, cuddling into you and holding you close. For a while, he would always find a way to be touching you.

You thought that you would be happy that he was like that, but the mixed signals that he was throwing out were driving you crazy. You didn’t know how you were supposed to get over him, to accept the fact that he didn’t reciprocate the feelings that you had, when he acted the way that he did.

Please have mercy on me Take it easy on my heart Even though you don't mean to hurt me You keep tearing me apart Would you please have mercy, mercy on my heart Would you please have mercy, mercy on my heart

In all honesty, he knew that you didn’t mean to put him through the pain that you did. He’s completely aware of the fact that you don’t purposefully break his heart. You just don’t have the same feelings that he does, and that’s okay. He’s not going to beg you to love him. He just wishes that the pain of living with you and not being yours would subside.

There are a lot of things that he’s learned since the two of you moved in together. But the most life changing thing that he’s learned in that time is that not everything works out. And not everything can be fixed or altered to where it does work out.

There are just some things that aren’t meant to happen. He didn’t want to believe that for a long time, didn’t want to think that there are some things, some aspects of life, that are truly unattainable. He’s always believed that everything is possible, so for him to realize, and accept, that not everything can happen was a major step for him.

He thought that realizing that you were out of reach would make it easier to cope with the pain of unrequited love, but that’s not what happened in the slightest.

If anything, it seemed to make it even worse. He would look over at you while you were eating dinner or watching a movie together and he’d get entranced by your beauty. And then, ultimately, he would get sad and want to go back to his room.

The fact that you were so perfect, so wonderful and lovely, yet so out of reach killed him inside.

He found himself wanting to find a new place, to move out so that you didn’t have to deal with his pining (that he knew just had to be completely obvious) and so he didn’t have to torture himself by loving you and being so close yet so far away from you.

He ended up deciding against that idea, knowing that it would take you forever to find a new roommate that you liked and that you couldn’t pay the entirety of the rent by yourself. For a bit he thought about paying his half of the rent until you found a new roommate, but he knew that if he wasn’t actively using the space, then you wouldn’t accept his money.

And regardless of how he felt, he wouldn’t leave you to struggle on your own.

I'd drive through the night Just to be near you, baby Heart open, testify Tell me that I'm not crazy

You’d do anything for him. How does he not see that? How does he not care? 

In the time that you had been sharing an apartment with him, he had never once let you help him with anything. It was frustrating more than anything.

You caught him one night stumbling through the door at three in the morning. He was so clearly drunk, and by the looks of it, he wasn’t doing well. You tried your hardest to help him get to bed, but he pushed you away, claiming that if he needed anyone’s help, it definitely wouldn’t be yours.

The night, you had gone to bed crying, not understanding why he was so against you helping him. 

The next day, he didn’t say anything about it, and neither did you. He acted like there was nothing to talk about, and you just didn’t want to relive the embarrassment of being told that he’d rather have anyone else help him than you.

What you did to get that side of him, you couldn’t figure out. You hadn’t done anything to him at all, especially not lately. 

Maybe he just figured out exactly how whipped you are for him and he finds it weird. Maybe he thinks you’re crazy, maybe even a little pathetic for being so in love with him when he couldn’t care less about you.

I'm not asking for a lot Just that you're honest with me My pride is all I got I'm saying baby

There’s nothing that Harry hates more than hurting you. He hates himself every time the flicker of it passes through your eyes when he pushes you away. When he lies straight to your face and tells you he doesn’t need you. When he pushes you away.

He tells you that it’s for the sake of your friendship. That no matter what, he doesn’t want to ruin that with you. But the truth, the part that he doesn’t want to admit, is that he’s trying to make everything easier on him. 

He knows it’s selfish. He’s aware of the fact that he’s being rude to you for reasons that aren’t valid. He feels like an awful person for it, but he doesn’t know how to stop doing it. He wants to treat you how you deserve to be treated. He wants to stop making you upset, but he genuinely can’t figure out how to. 

He wants to tell you everything, explain it to you so that maybe you’ll understand. But Harry can’t even let his pride go. It always gets in the way of him making the right decisions. 

Usually, he can stop his pride from getting too involved in situations. He can stop it from ruining things. But here he was, hurting you, and not being able to fix it because of his pride.

Please have mercy on me Take it easy on my heart Even though you don't mean to hurt me You keep tearing me apart

You were indecisive. Always had been, probably always would be. This is the exact reason why you’re up at the crack of dawn debating the pros and cons of moving out. 

You don’t want to leave him, that’ll probably hurt the most. But there’s just so much that you can’t take anymore. You can’t handle him pushing you away more and more every time that you’re around him. You can’t handle the way the apartment feels empty even when both of you are home. You can’t handle the way that the silence is deafening because nobody ever speaks.

There’s a part of you that thinks - or more like hopes - that he doesn’t mean to hurt you like this. That maybe there’s just something going on with him that you’re not aware of. 

But the bigger part of you, the part of you that is thinking logically, believes that he knows exactly what he’s doing. 

Would you please have mercy on me I'm a puppet on your string And even though you got good intentions I need you to set me free Would you please have mercy, mercy on my heart Would you please have mercy, mercy on my heart

He was slowly going insane sitting in his room and not having the guts to just walk down the hall and knock on your door. Anyone else would have told you by now. Anyone else would have just gotten over themselves and told you how they felt. 

Why couldn’t he just get up and make his way to you? Why couldn’t he seem to make the right choice here?

For the past few months, everything had felt like it was being controlled by you in some way. It wasn’t like you were legitimately controlling his actions, but there was always that thought in the back of his mind asking what you would do or what you would want him to do. 

While lying on his bed, he’s aware of the fact that you would want him to just man up and tell you, that you would just want him to have the courage to go after what he wants.

For the first time in what felt like years, he goes against what he thinks you would wish for him to do. He’s relieved at the time. He’s so glad that he has the willpower to act the complete opposite of what his thoughts about you tell him to.

If he had known just how bad that one decision would have messed up everything, he wouldn’t have been nearly as relieved that night.

Consuming all the air inside my lungs Ripping all the skin from off my bones I'm prepared to sacrifice my life I would gladly do it twice

You feel bad for leaving him, for deciding to move out. But after thinking about it, the cons majorly outweighed the pros. 

That night, you decide that you’re moving out. You’ll pack your clothes and some boxes, load up your car, and have your friends come pick up whatever’s left. 

You don’t really want to leave without saying anything to him, but there’s nothing that you could say to him that you think he would listen to. He doesn’t even want you around him most of the time. There’s no way that he’d want a face to face about why you’re leaving.

So, you do the next best thing. You write a letter. You sit down at your desk and pick up your favorite pen. Pulling out your notebook, you begin to write. 

After you’re done, you take your clothes and the few boxes that you could get packed to your car. Before you say your final goodbye to the space that you’d called your mind for so long, you leave the letter on the counter next to the coffee pot. 

He’d find it in the morning, right after he woke up. You’d be long gone by then.

You shrug on your jacket and make your way out of the apartment, locking the door behind you and holding back the tears that had been threatening to surface since you had the initial thought of moving out.

Consuming all the air inside my lungs Ripping all the skin from off my bones I'm prepared to sacrifice my life I would gladly do it twice

He didn’t sleep well. His brain had kept him awake, coming up with scenario after scenario of how things could have gone if he just told you how he felt. More often than not, though, those scenarios ended up having a horrible outcome.

He trudged out of his room at the crack of dawn, knowing that once he woke up he wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep. Not after how hard it was to get to bed in the first place.

The entire walk to the kitchen, something feels off. It’s like there’s something missing. He doesn’t dwell too long on it. He’s not usually out of bed this early. Maybe you’re still asleep.

When he gets to the kitchen, he doesn’t go straight to the counter. He stops at the pantry first, pulling out some crackers to snack on. He makes his way over to the counter to brew some coffee and the envelope that he’s faced with makes his blood run cold.

Why was there an envelope with his name on it on the counter? In your handwriting? And why did you feel the need to write a letter instead of just coming to him and saying whatever needed to be said?

He doesn’t open the letter yet, deciding instead to brew a pot of coffee and drink a cup. He knows that he’ll most likely need to be completely awake to read the contents of the letter.

Please have mercy on me Take it easy on my heart Even though you don't mean to hurt me You keep tearing me apart

You didn't know when he’d be up. You didn’t know when he’d see the letter. You didn’t even know if he’d read it. What you did know, however, is that you weren’t ready for the next twenty four hours. If he found the letter and decided to read it, he may text you to talk about it. Or even worse, he may not text you at all. He may just let everything die right then and there.

Your worst fear of the entire thing, though, was that he wouldn’t read it at all. That he would notice that you left and feel such a sense of betrayal that he would just throw out the letter. 

If he never read it, you wouldn’t know. Chances are, you wouldn’t know what he did in general. But there was a part of you that was wishing upon everything that he would read it. That letter said everything. And if he decides to read it and not want to say anything, then that’s fine. But the thought of his not reading everything that you wrote down was gut wrenching. You had poured your soul into that letter and left it for him.

Would you please have mercy on me I'm a puppet on your string And even though you got good intentions I need you to set me free

He took the letter back to his room after checking the house for you. You were gone. He had pushed you to the point of leaving. Had he really been that daft? Were you really hurting that bad? He had been so caught up in himself that he didn’t even realize that you were going through things of your own.

As he opens the envelope, he can feel his breathing get heavier. He doesn’t know if he’ll be able to get through this.

He unfolds the papers that you poured your heart into and behind to read.

Harry,

By the time that you read this, I’ll be gone. I’ve thought about this for a long time. Thought about the pros and the cons of leaving the apartment. I know it’s awful of me to leave without saying anything to you, but I just can’t take it anymore.

I also know that it’s horrendous to tell you what I’m about to in a letter, but there’s no way that I could have been brave enough to say this to your face.

I’m in love with you. Like head over heels, wrapped around your finger, whipped. I don’t know for sure when it happened. I don’t know the exact day. I do know that there wasn’t one single moment that made me fall in love with you, it was a collection of every memory that we have with one another. 

It was the first time that I saw you. You were the most famous person that I had ever met, but I didn’t even know that. I’ve always stayed away from social media and there were a limited amount of people in my life. But you walked into that store that day and you were immediately the only person that I could see. You blushed at me, stopped and asked if I wanted something. I was so confused at the time, but now I understand that you probably thought that I was a fan. When I said no, you just smiled and went on with your day.

It was also the day we became roommates. You called about my ad (which probably was an awful way to find a roommate now that I think back on it, but I’m glad that I did it because without it I wouldn’t have found you again). You were so nervous. You looked like it was the most important meeting that you had ever been in. You impressed me with how nice you were.

It was all the times that you held the door for me. All the times that you put me first when you didn’t have to. It was every time that you let me borrow your clothes because they made me feel more comfy.

It was every time you’d look me directly in the eyes while we talked. I knew you were listening to every word that I had to say when you did that.

It was everything that you did for me. It was like every action was a piece of the puzzle that made me fall in love with you.

I’ve been meaning to tell you for a long time, but there was always something holding me back.

At first, it was me. I was scared that I’d ruin the friendship. That someone like you could never in a million years like me. I was terrified that if I told you about the feelings that I had, you’d be disgusted. 

Then, we were drifting. I don’t know if it was you, or if it was me, or if it was the both of us. But we weren’t the same that we were. We were different, farther from each other than we ever have been.

And then you came in drunk and I tried to help you. I tried to get you to bed. You told me you’d rather have anyone else’s help than mine. Anyone but me.

That’s what really pushed me. I couldn’t live under the same roof as you and be so helplessly in love with you and have you not even want me around. 

So, I made the decision to move out. I know that you’ll need to find a new roommate. I already have a few people who are looking for one. I’ll leave their numbers at the end of this letter along with their names.

This has gotten a lot longer than I ever intended for it to be, but the point is: I’m in love with you. And if you want to leave it at this, that’s okay. If you never want to talk to me again, that’s okay. I don’t need you to be in love with me. I just want you to be happy. Do what makes you happy, H.

All the Love,

Y/N

I'm begging you for mercy, mercy Begging you, begging you, please, baby I'm begging you for mercy, mercy Ooh, I'm begging you, I'm begging you

By the time that he finishes the letter, there are tears freely flowing down his face. He can’t hold it back.

You love him? God, he messed this up big time, huh? 

He doesn't know what he can do to fix this, but he knows where to start.

I read your letter, saw the numbers and names. Thought I’d tell you that I don’t want another roommate. I just want you.  Can we meet somewhere to talk?

He puts his phone down, waiting for the reply that he may never receive.

*

Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed this little piece that I whipped up :))

If you have any questions or comments, you can send me an ask here!!

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[hufflepuffhollander]

apocalypse: tom holland imagine

a/n | this is my second submission for @hollandsrecs​ 1k bingo event! truth be told i hardcore fell in love with this as i wrote it and lowkey want to dedicate more parts/lil featurettes to it... 👀

summary: a toxic storm that has wiped out most of the world’s population has you taking shelter and fighting for survival with an unexpected ally.

tom x fem reader | contains alluded family/pet death, mentions of depression, angst, language, and generally morbid themes, but also fluff, love and hope so there’s that | word count: 2.7k | enjoy!

Ever since the rain, you’d lost everything.

That dammed day the skies turned black, your family had been one of the Burned. But you’d been stuck inside with a cold instead of going out with them that morning, and you didn’t know then that you’d never see them again. You’d woken up to earth-shaking thunders and faint shrieks, opening the windows to find torrential rain that resembled pure tar pouring from the sky. The power had gone out, and without any streetlights, you couldn’t see anything in front of you past your windowpanes, even though it was only noon. Without a clock, anyone would’ve looked outside and thought it was midnight. The only thing you had was a crank-powered radio your family kept for hurricanes, and you listened and learned through static and horror that the rain falling wasn’t rain at all — it was acid. And nobody caught in the first storm had survived.  

It rained black for a week straight, and you had to ration what food and water you had as you glued yourself to the radio, hoping to hear that maybe, just maybe, somebody had turned up saying they’d survived the rain, and that there were other survivors taking shelter elsewhere until they could safely come home. But the whole of England had been swallowed by the storm, and there was no hope for clear skies ahead. Yes, you were safe, but you couldn’t go outside. You couldn’t see outside. And you were completely, entirely, and wholly alone.

With each passing day you spiraled down further, darkness of the earth encroaching deeper within you, realizing that your family wasn’t coming back. Nobody was. You fell asleep in the dark listening to the thrashing of the rain that you had gotten used to, tears streaming down your face, and cursed your unsteady heartbeat for mimicking the rhythm of the weighted raindrops hitting your roof.

On what would’ve been day eight of the rain, you awoke to a dull orange light bathing your bedroom walls. You shivered under the pile of quilts you’d amassed as it was autumn in London and electricity was a luxury of the past. Confused at the image of your own hands in light, you bolted upright at the complete silence and stillness in the air. You moved your curtains aside to see the world painted in a bleak tangerine mist—and there was no black rain falling from the sky.

Your breath hitched in your throat and you clambered over your bed to reach your radio, tuning station to station, disbelief ringing in your ears.

“...it appears that the rain has ceased...”

“...the storm has lifted over London-”

“Officials have yet to deem it safe to go outside as we continue to track where the rain could have possibly gone, and if it is coming back...”

You felt unable to take your stare off the outside as your mind raced. Could you finally open your door, try to find other survivors? Was it safe? Did you even care? The stiff air in your house had you going stir crazy, depressed, out of your mind with delirium. Your heart was racing with no hope of slowing down; you had to try to go outside.

Without thinking you opened the front door, holding your breath. Your eyes still hadn’t adjusted to the light and you felt blinded, falling against the doorframe. Taking uneasy, slow steps onto the street, you shivered into your sweatshirt and peered through blinds of unmarked houses to see if anyone else had made it through, knocking on doors and waiting on silence. Cars were left with doors open, remnants of daily activities frozen in time in front of you, and just the sight sent another wave of chills through you. Was there anyone left?

Only a few houses away did you hear faint footsteps, getting louder and louder, were they...running? You whipped around in all directions but couldn’t see past a few feet in front of you due to the lingering mist in the air. The footsteps became increasingly menacing, and within half a minute you heard a voice.

“Hey, are you fucking crazy?”

Who was that?

You felt a strong pair of hands take hold of your shoulders and pull you into an empty garage, closing it behind them, shining a single beam of light in your eyes so you so all you could see of them was their orange-inspired silhouette.

“Gotta take cover...” he muttered in the chaos.

“Hey, you can’t just grab-”

“What do you think you’re doing wandering around outside?”

“You almost gave me a heart attack!”

“...I’m sorry.” his voice became a thousand times softer. “I...I haven’t seen anybody else in a week.”

Your own heart sank further in your chest than it already was.

“Neither have I.”

“You don’t have any family?”

“They were burned.”

“...right.”

“Sorry, who even are you?” you asked, shaking, the reality of the situation hitting you with a bolt of fear.

“Right, I’m Tom, Tom Holland. Sorry. I live a few streets down.” Strangely, you didn’t feel at all threatened by him.

“Why are you outside?”

“I’ve...I’ve been by myself, my dog was in the yard when the storm came. When it was quiet this morning, I thought I heard him bark...I couldn’t forgive myself if I didn’t go looking. It’s stupid, I know. He’s gone.”

“Where’s your family?” you mirrored his weary interrogation.

Tom looked down, stifling back a soft whimper. He crossed his arms tightly over his chest and quickly changed the subject, trying to regain his composure. 

“Look, I don’t know who else has made it through the week, but from what I’ve gathered, there aren’t many survivors, at least not around here. And since we’re both alone and the rain is coming again, I think we should stick together-”

A pang of fear. “Wait, how do you know it’s coming again?” A pulse of trepidation. “I don’t know you and I don’t trust you.” Tom grimaced at the inevitable struggle this was going to be—he didn’t care about who you were, he just wanted to survive—and flashed the light up onto the ceiling so you could see each other better. 

Synchronously you both let out a breath of relief that you were likely the same age, neither of you looking too much like a serial killer, both of you...well, beautiful, actually. But he’d never tell you that. 

“Does it matter? Half the world is dead. And you found someone else who survived, accidentally, and you’re about to turn around and flee back to face whatever comes next alone?”

You pondered what he said and reluctantly realized he was right. You would be absolutely crazy to willingly go back to where you were before and keep on going alone. How long could you survive like that?

“Okay, fine. But there will need to be boundaries.” You felt a sense of relief thinking about having another body nearby if another wave of darkness ever came, but you tried to push that thought out of your head before it could manifest.

“Whatever. Can you grab some of those batteries over there? The roof of my house is starting to give, so we’ll have to go to yours after I pick up some things.”

You nodded and found a box to fill up with anything you could find that looked useful. Tom opened the garage door again, eyebrows scrunched together in worry, and looked back at you. 

“Stay on my left so I know where you are if the mist gets in the way. Try not to get any water droplets on your skin. If you hear or see anything, tell me.” And with that, he was off. He seemed much more suited to the survivor lifestyle than you did.

You started walking with a huff. “And my name is y/n. Thanks for asking.”

~

You made it back to your house a long time later, and you were exhausted, feeling as though your lungs had been filled with toxic fumes from being in the mist.

Tom set his things down and walked around your house, weaving in and out of rooms like he was on a mission.

“What are you doing?” You stared at him puzzled as he stood on the couch and moved his hands in weird patterns along the ceiling.

“Trying to see if there are any cracks that water could get through,” he said, deep in concentration.

“Can you get off the couch?”

“Sorry.” he coughed.

You spent the next two days mending any loose boards or fixtures in your house, running into a lot of awkward conversation and sleeping at opposite ends of the house at night. The headspace you were both in was a hard one to shake, but you couldn’t deny that having someone else to navigate this new meager existence with helped tremendously. And you could tell Tom had a soft side that would show itself the more that you both sat on the couch together, wrapped in your own blankets, listening to the radio static for the hourly news updates on the storm tracking. In those moments, you would look at each other when you heard the voices come on, a glint of hope passing between your eyes, growing closer in the cold, pale air of your living room.

One night, the broadcaster put on a song in between updates, letting Nocturne No. 2 by Chopin flow through the speakers, and you and Tom danced to the simple melody together, just content to feel that warm feeling of a smile again. The change of pace was more than welcome, and you held each other close and spun around the living room as if it were a regular evening in a regular life; as if you hadn’t collided running from the apocalypse.

“You never told me you could dance,” you smiled at Tom.

“You never asked.”

On the fifth morning that Tom woke up in the guest room across your house, you were the first thing he thought of as his eyes fluttered open. Being in your presence had been his only refuge since the rain had come, and he had been on the brink of mental collapse before he ran into you wandering the streets that day. In a way, you had saved him from himself, and he still barely knew you outside of a few soft moments you’d shared. 

He noticed you were still in your room with the door shut instead of out on the couch, listening for news and reading like you usually were, and went to knock on your door when he heard muffled cries from behind it.

“y/n, are you okay?”

You sniffled and hurriedly wiped away the streamlines of tears that had streaked down your cheeks.

“Yeah, fine. Sorry.”

“Can I come in?” He opened the door without waiting for a reply. You were sitting against your bed on the floor, with a photo album spread open on your lap, looking at pictures of your family. You looked up at Tom through blurry eyes. “I miss them.”

His whole expression softened and he came to sit on the floor next to you, moving closer than he’d ever been to you. You took a leap and leaned into his chest, and he put an arm around you, pulling you in closer. You let out another silent cry, and he lightly rubbed your arm up and down with his hand.

“I know.” 

You reveled in his embrace and warmth, and tried to close the album, but he held it open.

“Tell me about them.”

“You don’t want to hear about that,” you sniffled.

“Yes, I do.”

He took a blanket off of your bed and wrapped you both up in it, sheltering you from the cold in the air, and you pointed at each picture and gave him an anecdote about every one that was taken, already feeling like they were stories of a past life. You smiled and laughed and even cried together, sitting for hours exchanging stories about your childhoods that weren’t really all that different. Before you knew it, it grew dark.

The house felt more sultry then, with the lantern you used at night burning its oil and the connection between you growing more palpable with every passing second. But you were both shortly jolted out of your trance by a loud alarm screeching out from the radio. It was choppy and hard to decipher.

“...there appears to be activity-”

“Reports are flooding in-”

“Red alert; we repeat, red ale-”

You and Tom stared at each other shell shocked for a moment before he hurried over to the windows.

“It’s dark, y/n.”

“It’s nighttime,” you tried to reason.

“Look at the clock for me,” his voice was shaky.

You felt your blood run cold as you did.

“It’s...3:30 in the afternoon.”

You both thought it was nighttime, but it’s only because the sky had turned black.

“Tom...”

The radio tuned on again.

“If anyone is out there listening...it appears....that the rain has returned. We do not know how long this second wave will last, or when we will be able to broadcast again. We urge you all to stay sheltered and not to go outside. May god be wi-”

Another loud beep, and the signal had disappeared.

You let out a panicked whimper and Tom ran to and hugged you like he would lose you if you didn’t.

You heard a clash of thunder, and your windows shook. Then, the unmistakeable, dreadful sound of a torrential, violent rain. A tornado siren tolled in the distance, filling the watery noise with an abysmal blare. You could see nothing but the lantern in front of you; your body going into shock as your outside was warmed by Tom’s embrace but chilled to the core with fear.

"We need to go take cover,” Tom said quietly, lacing his fingers with yours. The storage room attached to the garage was the only one without windows, and you had set it up days ago with blankets, pillows, candles and food just in case you needed it, all while praying you wouldn’t.

Your legs barely carried you to the small room and Tom helped you to settle down on the mattress inside. He went to sit on the floor next to you, but you refused to let go of his hand.

“Tom...stay with me. Please.”

He silently obliged and laid down next to you, covering himself with the same blankets, pulling you close into him and wrapping his arms around your body, and he smelled like home. You closed your eyes and tried to take in every molecule of him, felt your whole chest sink down, the pressure that filled your head dissipating. Wrapped here in his arms, you could’ve almost forgotten that, on the other side of this wall, the world was ending all over again.

He breathed you in all the same, thanking anything that was left that he had you to cling to.

"We’ll be safe here,” he almost whispered.

“I’m scared, Tom.”

“I know.”

You took a breath to speak, and he pulled his head back just enough so that he could look into your eyes. They searched yours frantically, like he was just seeing you for the first time, only by the light of the lantern.

“But I’m a little less scared with you.”

He let out a slow sigh, attempting to steady his pulse, and rested his forehead against yours, bringing a hand up to idle in the crook of your neck. You didn’t know it, but he needed you as much as you did him in that moment.

“We’re in this together, y/n. You and me.”

A window shattered somewhere outside, followed by what sounded like a loud, shrill scream. You looked away in horror.

“Hey, hey. Look at me. Focus on me.” he spoke softly and turned your chin back with his thumb, rubbing your cheek in slow, calming circles. “We’re gonna survive this.”

“H-how do you know?”

“Because I’ll be damned if I was only given a week to know you.”

“Tom...”

There was another vicious rumble of thunder, and your body shook involuntarily. It sounded like the heavens themselves were opening up onto your ceiling. Tom squeezed you tighter and pressed a soft kiss to your forehead.

“Talk to me, love.”

“About what?”

“Everything.”

You stayed that way for countless hours, until the lantern ran out of oil, until you both were lost in dreams of days where the sun shone again. Maybe, one day you would be able to see it together.

tagging some mutual pals :)

@peterspideysstuff​ @living-life-underoos​ @chloecreatesfictions​ @londonspidey​ @parkersroses​ @marvelhoesworld​ @tomhollandsmut​ @sad-thinker-over​ @marvelousnat​ @bunbun9396​ @thegreatestlovesofalltime​ @spideysquackson13​ @photoshopart15​ @sailingintothenight​

[naruto-ichigo-soul-kyobabe]

Stray kids reaction to you hurting yourself (based off of stupid things I have done)

Chan

-you were waiting for Chan to come home from practice 

-you heard his keys in the door and instantly started running from your bedroom to the door 

-slipped going down the stairs because you forgot to put your slippers on 

-chan opens the door to see you falling down the stairs 

-“omg! Baby, are you okay?” He asks as he runs to you worried 

-you nodded and say you’re okay, even though you have pain in your arm, which later bruises 

-he kisses your forehead before helping you up and bringing back to your bedroom 

-gets ice and wraps it in a towel and rests it on your arm 

-“Y/N, next time don’t run down the stairs in just socks.. you know how slippery the hardwood can be” he says to worryingly 

-cuddles you for the rest of the night 

Minho 

-You and Minho were snuggling on the couch having a movie night 

-“ugh, too hot” you whined 

-“I know I am, baby” Minho responded with a smirk 

-“not you, meant I’m sweating under the blanket.” 

-“so you don’t think I’m hot?” Minho asked raising an eyebrow 

-“of course I do.” You giggle as you removed the blanket off of you, exposing your bare legs, that were covered in bruises and a couple scratches 

-“Ya, Y/N! What happened??” Minho cried out. “Where did these bruises come from? And you have scratches!?” 

-You looked at your legs and sat their wondering the same thing. “Hm.. good question. I don’t know where they came from.” 

-he looked at your flabbergasted. “What?” 

-“hm, the scratches are probably from the cats.. I just don’t remember them scratching me though. And the bruises.. hm I get random ones all the time so honestly I don’t know” 

-you shrugged and turned you attention back to the movie 

-“Aish, Y/N, baby. I’m gonna have to baby proof this whole place now” he took you into his arms protectively. “I’m also gonna wrap you in bubble wrap because clearly you’re a danger to yourself” 

Changbin 

-the two of you decided you would go to your cousin’s house in the country and do some four wheeling 

-neither of you had really done it before, so your cousin suggested you and Changbin ride on one together (mostly because he knew you were clumsy and couldn’t drive for shit 

-Changbin was confident in his driving skills, so you climbed on behind and wrapped your arms around his waist and snuggled your head onto his shoulder 

-your cousin lead you guys down a trail he was certain would be smooth and easy to ride on - at least that is what he thought 

-the terrain after a few minutes began getting really bumping and you were having a hard time hold on 

-after a really bad bump that lifted the four wheel in the hair you lost your grip around Changbin and you went flying off 

-“OMG! Y/N!” Changbin screamed running towards you “Baby, are you okay!?” 

-You just blinked a few times not believing that just happened “Yeah, I’m fine you said” 

-“What do you mean? You’re arm is bleeding! Damn it!” He yelled worrying looking at your arm that blood running down it. 

-you looked at your arm and realized he was right “oh, I don’t feel a thing” 

-“Because of shock!” He said, “Uh why don’t I have anything to wrap your arm up!?” 

-“Eh, it’s fine. We’ll just go back and clean it up.” You said calmly. 

-Your cousin came back to see where guys went and sighed when he saw you were bleeding. He took off the bandanna that was on his belt looped and went to tie it around your arm. 

-Changbin snatched it out of his hand. “I’ll do it! She wouldn’t be bleeding if you didn’t take us down this path” 

-he wrapped up your arm and kissed your cheek. “Let’s head back so we clean this up.” 

-he glared at your cousin before turning around and brining you back to the house. 

-“We’re never doing this again, got it?” 

Hyunjin 

-You were in Hyunjin’s room helping him look for his daisy necklace that Seungmin had given him 

-“How’d you loose it?” You asked searching the desk in his room. 

-“I took it off for a second because it had gotten caught in my hair and I put it in my hoodie pocket.” He said pouting “If I don’t find it, I will absolutely die.” 

“Dramatic as always” you giggled. “Were you in your bed?” 

-You walked over to his bed, where he had already stripped clear of everything. 

-“Oh, Y/N, are you trying to imply you want to be in my bed?” He said raising an eyebrow. “During such a heartbreak I am experiencing?” 

-You rolled your eyes at your dramatic as hell boyfriend. Honestly, some days you don’t know how you put up with him. 

-“No. I just want to know if we should be searching in this area, to actually make progress.” 

-“Then yes. I was in my bed. But I already stripped off the blankets and shook them. But nothing feel out. 

-“Maybe it fell under the bed? Between the boards?” You asked picking up the mattress. “Hold this while I look.” 

-He did what you said as you went underneath and maneuvered your way between the planks. Eventually a certain necklace caught your attention near the corner of the bed frame. 

-“Found it!” You shouted as you made your way back. 

-Hyunjin was so excited and forgot to wait until you emerged before letting mattress, which landed on your head and pinned you to the bed frame. It wouldn’t have been so bad, but it caused you to bite your lip- hard. 

-“ahhh, Hyunjiiiin” you whined 

-“oooh sorry!!” He lifted the mattress back off for you to roll out. You say on the floor and could feel blood running down your chin. “GAH, Y/N! Your lip is bleeding.” 

-“Because it bit it by accident. Anyway, here’s your necklace.” 

-“Omg but this is serious! Thank you, by the way, but we gotta clean your cut! TT” 

-He ran to the bathroom and gathered all the supplies he thought he would need and started to clean your wound. “I’m sorry, baby, I shouldn’t have dropped the mattress so soon.” 

-“It’s okay. No big deal.” You said shrugging. You saw the pain in Hyunjin’s eyes as he looked at your injury, you were hoping it would make him feel less bad. “I’m clumsy anyway, so don’t worry about it.” 

-“I promise I won’t do anything to hurt you again. Next time you hold the mattress.” He kissed your cheek gently, afraid that he might somehow hurt you. “I’m sorry. I’ll do better.” 

Jisung 

-You were babysitting your neighbour’s daughter. Your families were very good friends and a few years ago you gave their daughter your old bed frame. It looked like a little house. It had a roof and a little window you could open. You lowkey missed that bed. 

-you climbed onto the roof of the bed like you would do when you were younger, and sat down looking out at the room. 

-you and your neighbour were playing fighting while up there, and you lost your balanced and fell off. You twisted your arm the wrong way as you fell, and felt some pain when you moved. You thought you might have sprained your arm, until you realized you couldn’t move your fingers. Your neighbour was worried and grabbed your hurt arm to check on you. 

-you had to hold back the scream you wanted to do. Tears instantly filled your arms. You were most certainly sure you broke your arm. 

-You called your boyfriend, Jisung. “Baby,” you choked out when he answered his phone 

-“Y/N, babe are you okay?” He asked concerned. 

-“N-no. I think I broke my arm.” You cried out. “I’m babysitting and I fell off the roof and twisted my arm the wrong way.. but I think it’s broken” 

“YOU WERE ON THE ROOF!?” Jisung yelled in disbelief

-“Aha nooo, the roof of the bed.” You said as you started crying a bit more “C-can you bring me to the hospital? P-please?” 

-“Bed roof-? Doesn’t matter. Yes of course! I’ll be soon!” 

-Jisung brought you and your neighbour to the hospital, where it was confirmed you broke your arm and would need a cast for at 6 weeks. 

-“Babe, I don’t trust you to take care of yourself during this time. So I will be staying with you.” Jisung said as he drove you back home. “I can’t believe I even need to say this, no more playing on roofs” 

-he took your hand and kissed you fingers gingerly as not to hurt you. 

Felix 

-you and Felix were baking cookies in the kitchen. Felix’s cookies were to die for and when he asked if you wanted to help, you jumped at the chance, really you just wanted to spend more time with him. 

-you two had a lot of fun baking cookies and even got into a flour war, which caused Chan to yell at you guys for the mess you made 

-you cleaned up all the flour you threw and spilled while the cookies were in the oven. 

-I couldn’t wait for them to be done, you knew they would be delicious. 

-once the timer went off you told Felix you would take them out. You opened the door and grabbed the cookie tray, your mistake was you forgot to put on oven mitts TT 

-You yelled in pain and dropped the tray back in the oven. You looked at your hands and saw your burnt fingers, which were already starting to blister. 

-“Y/n! Omg! Why didn’t you wear oven mitts!!” Felix grabbed your hands and brought you to the sink to run your hands under cool water. 

-It helped a bit, but you couldn’t help but cry a little bit. You were in so much pain and you ruined the cookies 

-“I’m sorry, ‘Lix. I wrecked the cookies” you cried. 

-“Wha-? Darling, I could care less about the cookies. I’m more worried about you! How are your fingers?” He asked taking your hands gingerly in his and putting them closer to his face so he could inspect. 

-“Burnt.. and in pain” You said mustering a small laugh. 

-“I think we have some cream for burns. Run them under the water and I’ll be right back” 

-Felix came back with the cream and applied it to your fingers. “While your fingers heal, you can stay here. That way I can take care of you and make sure you don’t hurt yourself further.” 

-You nodded, you knew you would need his help for a bit. He kissed you before going to clean up the mess in the kitchen. After that he had you sit his lap so he could cuddle you without worrying about hurting your hands. 

Seungmin 

-You and Seugnmin went out on a walking date. You two didn’t want to necessarily do anything, just wanted to be together, and away from the others. 

-After a bit of whining, you eventually got him to give in to hold you hand, which you swing happily as you walked. 

-“Y/N, keep doing that and I will let go of your hand.” He said pouting 

-“But I’m happy to hold hands with you.. I can’t help it!” You smiled sweetly at you. “Please keep holding my hand, Minnie” 

-He pursed his lips and looked away from you, light blush on cheeks. “Fine.” 

-You giggled. You knew he secretly liked holding hands, just wouldn’t admit it. 

-You guys were walking up an uneven sidewalk. Being the clutz you were, you lost your balance and fell over, landing on your foot weirdly. 

-“owww” you whined as you held onto your foot, which had already swollen significantly. 

-“Honey, are you okay?” Seungmin asked kneeling down. 

-“I hurt my foot.” You said pouting. “It’s so swollen, I can’t even take my shoe off” 

-He helped you up, but once you put pressure on your foot you cried out in pain and clutched to him. 

-“Ahh, does it hurt that bad?” He asked worried. You nodded with some tears in your eyes. “A-ah. Okay. Hope on my back. I’ll carry you home.” 

-“W-what?” You were taken aback by his suggestion. 

-“You can’t walk like that. So just get on my back before I change my mind!” He bent down in front of you, making it easy for you to get onto his back. 

-You wrapped your arms around his neck and snuggled into his back. “Thank you. I really love you, Minnie” 

-“Yeah whatever.” He said flustered. “love you too.” 

-He brought you back home and wrapped up your foot, elevated it, and refused to let you walk anywhere until it was fully healed. 

Jeongin 

-You and Jeongin were playing a game of one-on-one basket ball. You were pretty good and wanted to show your skills off to your boyfriend

-You has pretty good skills, but since Jeongin was taller than you, he had advantage. He was able to block your shots and grab the ball when it was in the air. 

-“Ughhh no fair!” You whined. “Why do you have to be taller than me?” 

“Uh, I think it’s because of genes?” He said laughing. “You are good, but I’m better.” 

-“Yeah yeah, whatever.” You said annoyed and took the ball from him and started dribbling. He was coming after you quickly and went to steak the ball from you. You both smacked the ball and it came back at you and pushed your middle finger farther than it should. You cried out in pain holding your hand, forgetting about the ball that Jeongin had stolen from you. 

-he made a shot not realizing you hurt yourself and turned back to see if you saw him. When he realized you were injured he ran over to you. “ahh, baby what happened? Let me see” 

-He examined your swollen finger. “Ahh I think your sprained it. You’re always doing things like this.” He let out an exasperated signed. He didn’t realized he would be constantly worrying about you 25/8 when he started dating you. You always managed to hurt yourself and he just wanted to lock you away from the world. 

-“Let’s go back to the dorms so we can put some ice on it. Maybe go to the doctors?” He grabbed your non-hurt hand and intertwined his fingers with yours. “Honestly, what am I going to do with you? How am I suppose to keep you safe if you’re always hurting yourself?” 

-You giggled. “Sorry I don’t make things easy.” 

-“It’s okay. It just means I have to try harder.” He kissed your cheek and took you to the dorms to take care of you. 

[werezmastarbucks]

Whitmore Guy claims his last victim (it’s not Damon)

(moodboards made yet again by @stfudipz​ who gets me and Mal like no one else)

Whitmore Guy masterlist

word count: 2537

warnings: clinical insanity

music: good things fall apart by illenium, jon bellion and travis barker, afraid to forget by hammock, hope is gone by moby, a part of me by neck deep

this is the last chapter

She woke up to him singing. Her eyes were burning as if she’s been crying and then stopped, and Mr Sandman brought his dry salt and sprinkled some into her eyelids. Her head leaned against the door, vibrating with the friction of the wheels with the road. Sunrise was on. From the east, long coral pattern of light fog was stretching, lighting the sky. The air must smell like dew and tears, but there’s the sun behind the low roofs in the straight streets of Lavonia. She wondered how Kai (the name was strange; she had to remind herself it’s Kai, not Mal) hasn’t woken her up earlier, with the music blasting so loud, and with his unapologetic singing. He did have the sense of rhythm, but didn’t use it too often. He mainly preferred to squeal like tires.

“I know I can be dramatic, but everybody said we had it”, his head snapped to her, as he saw her move, “hmmm, hmmm. You’re up? What did you see?”

“Them two killing Atticus Shane”, she whispered. Kai’s vampire ears caught the sound. She could now explain a lot of things. Now that she knew. She looked at him. Her head was heavy, as if she’d banged it several times. Although she’s apparently been out for no less than three hours, she didn’t feel rested. It was like a fever that’s just stepped back, and the heavy afterglow was still lingering. Even blinking was hard.

“How did you give me that vision? And what was she doing, giving you magic? How?”

Kai frowned.

“Don’t say ‘she’. It’s you. It was you”.

“I’m sorry, she just felt like another person. I don’t remember her, either. Together with you, it’s like I’m robbed of the memories of myself”.

She looked at the long, thick scar on her hand, crooked like a hook. The cat’s sharp teeth. It was white and bulgy now, several years later.

“That’s what Malivore does. It robs of memories” he shrugged. Then he granted her with a long glance. Rows of houses were flying by outside, as they strode through a housing estate. There were fields ahead. Y/N didn’t want to think about where they were going. At the same time, she wanted to be there.

“But it can’t take away the feelings. I mean, you should record me say it, hehe”, he grinned, “me talking about feelings. Anyway, you kinda feel empty, right? All those times you told Mal… your best friend in the world and your lowkey crush… about you missing something, and that thing about the reverse doorframe syndrome. You were missing me, poor thing. But now it’s over. There’s no spell to reverse the Malivore effect, but thankfully, you and I, we were meant to be together, by nature. So, I will fix that. You know, I can just show you whatever you want”.

“And by nature, you mean that weird thing she… I was doing? The zip?”

“You’re feeling it?”

Kai smiled and took her hand. The light sensation was there again.

“It’s me taking magic from you. You’re a vessel. Ever heard of that?”

“That’s the first time I ever hear this. I think Bonnie would’ve told me if it was a thing?”

The witch vampire shrugged dismissively.

“Vessels are rare. They’re hidden. They’re only meant to feed siphoners. A vampire can’t spot it, especially if the vessel doesn’t know what it is. A witch can only detect it if she knows what she’s looking for. Bonnie could touch you all she wanted, you’re just a human on the outside”.

He bit his lip hard, and looked like he was deeply, fundamentally proud.

“You only work when I’m near you”.

She sat up, stretching her back.

“Is that why you are so obsessed with me?”

Kai shot her a warning gaze.

“And what’s with all the psychotic behavior? You think you can control me? Bae?”

He laughed out.

“Of course not. It’s just… now, unfortunately, I’m the only adult in this relationship. And you know I’m not very good at being an adult. I need to steer you in the right direction, but it takes patience and finesse, and honestly, I feel like I’ve used up all my patience while being that… Mal Osbourne. That’s us”.

He stopped the car where the housing estate ended, and the road took deeper into the countryside. The long line of fields stretched forward on, but on the left, below the whitening sky, there was a mass of trees so dark it mesmerized the sight. The motel Y/N stayed at last year was further on, about two miles down the road. Here, it was quiet and absolutely empty. No birds even.

She couldn’t wait anymore. She left the car, her feet trembling at the sensation of hard, cold asphalt cooled up during the night. The grass was already dry and pricky, ready to die for the winter. Kai slapped the door closed and went around the car.

She was looking at the forest.

“Is that where Malivore is?”

“Uh-huh”.

He was standing at the trunk of the car, looking at her. In the complete silence, she asked herself what he had there. Without another word, he opened the trunk, but she couldn’t see from here. Her heart sunk. It was pounding so hard her eyes went blind for a second. Kai bowed and started pulling something out.

God please let it be my things. Let it be a suitcase with my things.

It was Damon Salvatore.

She realized Mystic Falls was left behind, five hours exactly. And that her phone was still in the pocket of his jacket. It wasn’t a choice of one or two, it was now a complete mess. Her head was still numb with the night vision. She watched herself in the rearview mirror of the car, excited eyes, the mouth that keeps crooking in an entertained smile, the tilt of her head leaning towards Kai. She was completely smitten by him, he had possessed her. She was trapped.

“Up”, Kai threw Damon’s body on the ground and crouched above him, slapping him on the side of his face gently. “I want you to be awake for that. Come on, it wasn’t that much vervain”.

He looked up at her and smiled as if saying, what a weakling! and expecting her to share his scornfulness . She was mute, walking up to them. She knew that was exactly what Kai’s been talking about earlier. The choice.

Damon moved, his face distorted with pain, and opened his eyes slowly. He was weak. Like a wounded animal, he looked at them both, trying to focus, to make his limbs move, but the poison in his blood was too strong.

“Interesting how it took all of you, and a spell, to take me out”, Kai said, venom in his voice, “but it took only one of me to knock down both you and your little brother. I can’t help thinking you’re a bitch ass baby compared to me”.

He looked at Damon with indifference, his eyes opaque, like the vampire was an insect. Before she could say anything, he put his hand into Damon’s pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. He then handed it to her without raising his head. Damon’s eyes shifted on her, and he did what he always did. First of all, he checked up on her.

She took the paper with hard hand, unsure if she even wants to see it.

Listen here, Damon, it’s me. I mean, you. You’re sitting in your car outside the cave in Georgia right now, confused about what you’re doing here. The first thing you do now is, you leave and read this completely and utterly alone. Bon Bon wanted to know, too, because she’s a brave soul, but honestly, he’s not worth it. Don’t tell her.

The lines were jumping in front of her eyes. To take a breath, she looked at Damon whom Kai was trying to get to stand, pulling on his shoulders. Damon was forced to take his hand for support, and was furious about it.

“What is this? Is it a letter to yourself?” she cried.

Damon sniffed like a wolf, his eyes hard silver. He wasn’t sorry.

“I’m not sorry”, he said. Kai clicked his tongue.

Her heart was breaking again, and again, as she looked at Damon. Always, he has been there to cover her, and he’s always had that way about it, the way that expressed that he knew better. That he had it all under control, regardless of what others think. His decisions were always authoritative. He didn’t really care for her, he cared for his version of her wellbeing. She had to comply with what he thought was best.

How was Damon different from a psychopath kidnapping her barefooted then?

“Read it, read it”, Kai waved his hand, “I need to say something to Damon”.

“I’ll be damned”, the vampire growled. Damon was strong. He was a strong, skilled fighter. But apparently, there was something that broke in Kai, like a string that let out this hurricane of power. He seemed untouchable, like the earth itself was giving him strength. As her eyes were sliding down the lines, she realized he’s been to hell, she realized all the things Damon was describing must have made him the ultimate killer, inescapable.

Damon charged at him, his strong hands wrapping around the witch’s throat, but Kai motioned his hand like witches do.

“No touchy, please”, he said shortly. With a sweet whistle, Damon flew through the air and crashed on the field meters away. Kai followed him.

“You know what?” he said, a bit louder.

She walked after them both.

“Kai, please, don’t kill him!”

Damon was getting up. He got up again and again, as Kai put him on the ground effortlessly time after time. One was resilient and refusing to back down. The other had all the power in the world, fueled by anger.

“I almost had it all together, you know”, Kai snapped. He sure didn’t realize who he was yelling at.

“And then this”, he pointed at Damon, “took it all away from me. And I almost felt for you, bastards. You liked Mal so much, what a bunch of losers. I almost forgave you, can you believe it? I was about to call the whole thing off. Then I remembered how we were so happy and normal – a luxury that my girlfriend here”, in the heat of the moment, Kai grabbed her by the neck, and she yelped again, with surprise. He shook her like she was a ferret. “Doesn’t have. What am I supposed to do about her? You know, Damon, you’re the villain here. I was just trying to get it all together”.

“You’re a fucking psycho”, Damon grumbled. There was dry grass in his hair. Y/N fought out of his clutch. “I would chain you up to a mountain in Malivore myself if I had a chance, anything just to keep you away from here”.

“Joke’s on you, idiot”, Kai chanted, “there are no mountains in Malivore. No lakes, no cities, no nothing. There’s just… nothingness. And you. Alone”.

Damon panted, showing his teeth.

“All your family is dead”, Kai said, and the hammering silence fell again. Damon and Y/N froze.

“What?” Salvatore uttered. Kai snickered.

“They’re all dead. Your brother, Elena, the witch, the bossy blonde, the teacher. They’re gone. But you don’t get to join them”.

“Dead?” Damon repeated, like wind flew off his mouth.

“The hunters I brought into Mystic Falls. The FBI guys. They were mine”.

He turned to Y/N and looked at her. He reckoned, at that moment he had the same look that he usually gave Sandy when he didn’t want her to scream. He tried to imagine tearing Y/N’s jaws apart and was upset. She’ll be sore now for a long time. This whole relationship thing is such work.

She was clutching Damon’s letter in her fist so hard her nails were hurting her hand. She didn’t ask why. She knew why. She understood him perfectly, but at that moment, the last pieces of her were stomped away. She realized he took away everything from her, everybody, punishing her, somehow, for forgetting him. There was nothing now: only him and this eternal pink sky stretching in all direction of the cosmos. And nothing else.

She saw in a slow motion as Damon jumped forward, his face a mask of pain. Y/N was rooting then for Damon, knowing perfectly well the bad guy shall have the upper hand. Like in the movie, she felt distant, unpresent. She knew these were the last moment she would see him. She looked at his silhouette in the air, black ink spot on the light morning background. She thought of that time he ripped a heart out of a vampire to save her, and stood with it, scarlet blood dripping from his fist. She was falling into the abyss, slowly, her mind leaving her. As Damon reached Kai, they both disappeared, and she was left alone in the field, and only then she let out a shriek.

She decided she would kill Kai Parker. One day, when he’s lost caution. When he thinks it’s finally over, and she’s over it. When they live somewhere else, in Ohio, because Ohio is for lovers. When he thinks life is finally good, and everything he’s done is justified, that it’s all for love, she will kill him somehow. Of course, it will take a lot of thinking, because he seems like he has no weak points. But she’ll come up with something.

The sun was now blazing on her cheek with the first rays, rolling up above the field and spreading golden newborn light, brilliant and clear, over everything. She was shredded; like a vegetable, she was now peeled of her layers, and only the animalistic red core was left, all instincts and no reason. She undid her fists and pushed away some garbage laying at her hand.

She watched Kai return from the forest, picking and pulling at the flowers as he went. He rubbed his face like a sleepy child. She stood up, rubbing her knees, and took full lungs of air. She will kill him one day, that is how it will end. She has no choice. But now, she’s incapable of that. All she can do is love him, for now.

Kai approached her, taking her in his arms, and they kissed, morning sunlight sneaking between their lips. The car was waiting for them on the side of the road, warming up slowly.

“Where now?” he asked. His hand was slowly caressing her shoulder, and she shivered with pleasure, snuggling close to him. The air was still a little chilly.

“How about a shoe store? You fucking brute. My feet are cold”.

Kai chuckled. As they reached the car, he turned back as if admiring the sight.

“Babe, what was I doing there?”

She got into a car and tried to close the door but Kai was in the way.

“I don’t know. Taking a leak?”

Kai shrugged. He looked at his left palm, puzzled. Turned it and showed it to her, a smudged word in a black marker.

“Who’s Damon?”

She blinked.

“No idea. Get in! Come on, Kai”.

“You’re driving”, he winked. She puffed and crawled over to the driver’s seat. Kai Parker got into the car with a wide smile on his face and closed the door.

[dibidibifiction]

A Hundred-dollar Bill: PART 4

Warning: foul language, fluff Word count: 1.9k

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction made for personal entertainment of readers. The writer does not ever intend to offend her readers nor does she aim to spread false information about anyone as to pay any disrespect to the real-life persons whom the characters are based on. She also does not claim ownership to any of the images that are being used.

masterlist PART 3

I gently pull away from Taemin’s cuddle to get up. He immediately rolls his whole body the other way, finding Kibum who is spooning Minho on the other side. Once again, I stare at all my best friends. This time they’re sleeping so soundly and this, for me, is enough to provide me comfort. However, I somehow feel sorry for getting them into this mess. 

I adjust this one blanket for them to squeeze in.

I grab Minho’s cigarette pack and head to the roof of the building to wait for the sun to rise.

Once I’m sat on the dirty, dusty cement, I light a cigarette to my satisfaction.

I think of my parents. I don’t really believe in life after death but I genuinely hope they’re happy and together wherever they may be. I wish there was a way to let them know how much I miss them. Also, I really hope they don’t see how I’m doing right now because my dad would for sure beat me up.

“Hey, can I get a hit of that?” I hear someone say after a couple of minutes of my alone time.

I turn my head to look behind me. It’s Taemin. “Oh, hey.”

“That ‘hey’ doesn’t sound like you’re happy to see me,” he giggles. He takes the cigarette from my lips and then to his.

“A singer isn’t supposed to smoke, right?”

“Who says I’m a singer?”

I stare at him in confusion after I light myself another stick. “Spill it.”

“Nobody knows this. Well, except for Kibum Hyung since he’s all for social media and happened to find the article. Thanks for looking it up by the way,” he jokes. “About a month ago,” he starts. “Euisoo Hyung handed me the news that he handled my situation and proved to the media and to everybody that the rumors about me are wrong. I don’t know how he did it, I didn’t ask, but I’m just grateful. Not to mention relieved. He said that I can get back to work as soon as I’m ready. And I asked him to give me some time to think about it.”

“What? Taemin, what’s there to think about? This is your dream.”

“It was. I already lived it for six years and I couldn’t feel more honored and fortunate, but…” He hesitates. 

“But what?”

He sighs. “I have a new dream. I realized that living a lowkey life made me happier, less pressured, especially with the person I love. I decided to go back to the original plan, which is to become a dancer. Not exactly a singer,” he says, tipping the cigarette butt out of his hands.

I watch his eyes twinkle under the upcoming sunrise sky. There is not a drop of doubt that he’s really sure about this. I always wondered how hard it was for him to recover from all the hate, and his fans cancelling on him. He didn’t really open up this deeply. Now, here he is, rising from the ashes. 

“Last night, when I went out while Kibum Hyung rested, I talked to Euisoo Hyung again.”

“Really? And?”

“He told me that I’m going to have a meeting with the board of the directors about my choreography and songwriting career. Turns out there still is a reputation to ruin I just realized. So…”

“So what happened last night can’t happen again,” I finish his thought.

“Well, not everything that happened. There are some moments I want to make happen again.” He gives off a grin, trying not to giggle at his own flirty information. 

“Wait, let’s get back to that part where you mentioned somebody you love. What’s that about exactly?” I join his kidding around.

Now he can’t hold his laugh.

We stare at each other for a while as the laughter fades. Slowly, he begins to lean into me to gently put his lips onto mine. Then carefully slides his tongue against mine as they start to dance together.

It feels different this time. It’s more tender and more passionate. It’s less wild but more gentle. Less lustful but more pleasant. Less exciting but more caring. 

He pulls away. “Look, I know we’ve never talked about this. Us. I never brought it up because I want everything to stay the same and I don’t want to fuck it up.”

“Yeah, I know, me too. I like the way we are.” I smile brightly at him, involuntarily. I take a deep breath as I’ve decided to say what I’m about to say. “I love you though.”

Tears form in his eyes like they wanted to say the same thing to me. I watch them close as he starts kissing me again.

The sun has come up which marks the end of everything reckless and rebellious and the beginning of something prudent and responsible.

. . .

We wouldn’t see one another for months after that day. We lived separately for a bit to focus on our own lives, to be better. 

But we did hang out from time to time, just not as often as we did before. Lucky for us, we had each other—we still do—to realize that it’s never too late to start over. It’s from each other where we learned that each of us is like a hundred-dollar bill. No matter how much we’re folded, crumpled, and stepped on, we never lost our value. 

We never experienced what it was like to be living free as youngsters because our lives fucked us up so early. That’s also why we lived it in our late twenties. Although one certain thing we know is that we have no regrets, especially after we found each other.

It is now six years later and so much has changed. Our individual lives have never been better, and we’ve never been happier. 

Taemin is now a well-known, well-esteemed singer turned choreographer and songwriter, working with famous pop groups and soloists. He would make a comeback once in a while as a singer but it doesn’t become his priority. 

Four years ago, just a year after his career peak, Taemin showed Kibum’s secret sketched designs to a famous designer he worked with for some time for his comeback.

Long story short, Kibum finished fashion school where he was sponsored by that same designer, who also became his mentor. Later on, his social media following started growing and he would be interviewed and be featured by different magazine and publishing companies. He would work on his own clothing line little by little in collaboration with various famous fashion icons. 

Minho served the military for two years after he ran away from his father, who patched things up with him recently. After his military service, he reunited with his former soccer coach in college and they trained day and night without taking any breaks at all. I would cook and prepare us a picnic, then the rest of us would visit him in the field. He would soon make the national team. And after being reserved in the bleachers for so long, just months ago, he was responsible for their team’s rare championship and is awarded as the Most Valuable Player this season. Now, Minho becomes one of the famous successful football players who peaked in their thirties. 

. . .

As I’m tidying up for closing, I hear the bell ring as somebody enters my bakeshop. I turn around to see Taemin, who instantly puts a smile on my face.

“Hey, you,” he greets with a warm hug.

“Hi,” I say before placing a sweet kiss on his lips. “I’m almost ready. Hold on a second.”

After I check all the lights in the back rooms and am about to walk out the front door, all ready to go, I catch Taemin lost in thought. He admires the place, then looks at me. Staring at me with twinkle in his eyes. 

“What wrong?” I ask.

“Nothing,” he shakes his head and loses eye contact. “I’m just so proud of you,” he says, trying not to smile so widely.

This was the same café where Kibum and I first had lunch. This was the place where our friendship grew. This was where the rest of our lives began. When I found out that they were selling it a year ago, I had no second thoughts and did everything to get it. And now, here we are.

“Yeah, well,” I grab both of his hands and sigh in serenity and bliss. “I am proud of us.”

He looks at the ground, cringing all of a sudden.

I wrap my hands around his neck to draw him closer, and kiss him tenderly, catching his tongue on mine.

He hums in pleasure. “Do we still have time?”

I pull away, laughing at him. “No, we don’t.”

He sulks and shows a childish sad face.

“Come on. We’re late to meet the guys.”

After a half an hour drive, we arrive at Kibum’s newly renovated, newly furnished house. Now’s only the first time we’re all visiting because he wanted it to be a surprise. When I finally recognized the place, it made me almost cry. Even though he changed almost all its features, it still brought back the memories we shared out here. It’s the place where we broke in six years ago, almost getting caught by the police.

While Taemin goes in through the front door to deliver the cake I baked and the champagne we brought, my impulse orders me to head to the backyard where the swimming pool was located.

I catch Minho out on the patio, grilling meat and sausages. I spy the rest of the area, and my sight lands on the swimming pool. Turns out it’s the only feature that hasn’t changed. Although, it’s way cleaner and way more gorgeous.

I can’t help but let the tears fall.

Minho finally sees me when he takes a sip of his beer. “Y/n, hey, you’re here!” He was about to welcome me with open arms but then he notices that I’m crying. “What’s wrong?” 

My voice breaks. “I know it’s silly, but it’s just we had such memories here, and now we’re—” I can’t go on. I’m already weeping.

“Come here,” he hugs me anyway and places a peck on my forehead.

“Minho, what’s going on out there?” Kibum finally appears, Taemin following behind him holding four glasses in between his fingers and the bottle of champagne in his other hand.. 

“Nothing!” I say, holding back tears even though there’s no point.

“Oh, honey.” Kibum reaches out and wraps his arms around me. Taemin and Minho are behind me embracing each others’ hellos too.

So we have dinner at Kibum’s patio. Later on in the night, we all jump into the very swimming pool that I never thought I would see again. Back then, I thought I’d have to cherish every moment because I might not be able to live it again. But that moment happens again right now. And it will keep on happening.

We bond all night like we always have. Minho’s competitive rock-paper-scissors, Taemin’s harsh tickling, and Kibum’s savage comments. Although this time, we’re not fucked up adults anymore. 

Once again, I propose a toast. “To fucking friendship.”

“To fucking friendship!”

[waspgrave]

Covid-19 experience

I’m but a commoner (like thousands of others right now) and can’t get tested despite my symptoms being very clear. The reasoning behind it is America has few tests (and a corrupt government who wants to keep reported numbers low) and can’t spare the resources on someone who can’t pinpoint the person who infected me or recently traveled to the major hotspots. 

Even explaining that I was a barista who worked in a high tourist/traffic area wasn’t good enough for them so MEH, I called urgent care and was instructed by a doctor to not come in unless genuinely suffering or potentially dying and to handle my symptoms at home and call if I needed help so hm, woo ‘murica.

Anyways so here’s what’s happening with symptoms through the last week for me. It’s pretty long, but I would’ve liked to have seen something like this as it was happening because my anxiety has been through the roof when I have had no clear answers. No real advice to be given aside from standard flu stuff.

Day 1 - i didn’t notice anything the day before and then it hit me like a truck. High fever (common symptom), dull ache in my throat (a rarer symptom). I think it’s the flu. 

Day 2 - about the same as when it first happened. Fever. Aches. Tired. Easily winded. Still think it’s the flu (denial, lol). I quarantine myself just in case because I live with my wife and next door to my grandmother and another older woman who I frequently talk to.

Day 3 - Loss of appetite. I’m exhausted. Lungs start to hurt and taking a deep breath becomes harder, but I can breathe, it just feels extremely uncomfortable. Pressure forms in my chest. Swallowing is harder. the HEADACHE, good lord the headache. Bad fever. Dry cough.

Day 4 - Mostly the same as Day 3. I can’t lay on my back because of the pressure forming in my chest so I sleep reclined or on my side and propped up with a few pillows. There’s a pinch in my lungs. It feels like the beginnings of pneumonia. No fever! Bad headache. Still coughing.

Day 4 - a little worse. Bad fever. Sweaty. Sensitive skin. Labored breaths. There’s a rattle in my chest when I breathe deeply. This one is harder to document because I slept most of the day.

Day 5 - shaky. Fevers, but not as bad as Day 4. Still achy all over and really cannot find it in me to move. My sore throat returned. Still a rattle in the chest. 

Day 6 - A little energy. Not much, but eh. Dizzy. Poor balance. On and off headache. Cough is still there, a little worse now and with a little reverb, but not coughing up anything. 

Day 7 - Pretty much Day 5, though my throat doesn’t hurt as bad. Now starting to cough up mucus, but it’s colorless which is a good sign. No appetite. Tired and slept 5 hours after driving to the market with wife to let her grab something real quick. Woke up. Slept another 3. 

Day 8 (today!) - more energy again, more so than Day 6. It’s hard to describe but I am slowly starting to feel a little better. It could change because I’ve had moments where I feel fine and then it feels like i’ve been beaten over the head with a really heavy pillow a few hours later. Idk if it’s a tolerance thing or what, but other people I’ve talked to with the virus say their symptoms can be a little turbulent as well. No fever yet. I’m still coughing up some stuff and my chest is very tight and there’s a persistent ache under my left breast and through my ribs/back which means my lung is now inflamed. I’m still winded. If I breathe in, there’s a pinch there so not good but it could be worse and I’m keeping an eye on it. I still have a headache that has pretty much lowkey been there through this all.

All in all, it’s a flu and it’s a gnarly one especially to people who are high risk and the elderly.  

For me (i’d consider myself a moderate?? risk), it’s toeing the line of pneumonia but is thankfully not crossing it. When I get sick, it typically lasts a long time so I expect this to either simmer down in the next few days or go to the reported 3 week mark which is when it may become serious. The symptoms (for me) are manageable, just annoying and frustrating especially in isolation where it gets lonely and boring. If they get worse, I’ll call urgent care to warn them and rush in. 

Things that are helping me right now, but i’m not using at the same time. Take my advice if you’d like, but call your pharmacist to consult potential reactions with medications or if these things are ok for you, personally, to take together. Given that I’m on Lamictal/Trazadone/Adderall, MY side effects may be different than yours. 

Dayquil/Nyquil help treat symptoms in this virus that correlate with a cold or flu. Be careful with a lot of medication because the combination can and will likely make you dizzy and sleepy. I’m not kidding with even common stuff like this, so call your local pharmacy to get a better input.

Mucinex which loosens up the chest. Be warier here, because this one can have a rare side effect with medications that can cause serotonin syndrome which sounds great in theory but is fucking awful and not something you want on top of Covid-19. I’m using this one right now given what’s happening with my chest.

Tylenol for fevers and headaches if i haven’t already taken Dayquil/Nyquil. I don’t think they have adverse reactions to each other, but again, better safe than sorry.

LOTS of water. This shit dehydrates tf out of you. Gatorade for electrolytes. Ginger ale for a queasy achy tum from not eating. I’m allergic to citrus but orange juice would be p poppin for that immune system, I’d imagine (don’t drink grapefruit juice if you’re on antipsychotics) 

That’s that! Scary, I know, because it’s so new and different and every report seems to tell a different story. Just know if you have weathered the worst flu of your life, then this one will likely be no different or even milder. Right now, i seems like the contagiousness is the scariest for us between the ages of 18-30, because even people who ARENT getting sick (idris elba or my wife for example) are likely carriers who can spread this to vulnerable populations and to other carriers, rinse and repeat. 

Stay inside, wipe every surface you can with disinfectant (if some sheephead hasn’t fucking horded it all) wipes or spray. Boil your toothbrushes and buy new ones and keep them from other household members. Wash your sheets. Clothes. Watch anime. Write fanfic.  Rest. 

Report your job if it’s non-essential to health officials if you get sick or are forced to come in despite you and your family’s health. It’s a health hazard and they’re putting thousands at risk with that one exposure.

[carefulvenom]

Bag of Bugles and a Spell

sheogasms said: had an idea for a carol x fem!reader(pre relationship): carol has been trying to hide her feelings for the reader but, on a mission, she gets hit with some charm/spell that makes her even more stupidly in love with the reader. it makes her super soft and extremely flirty towards the reader, no matter who’s around. possible comedic fluff? (also thank you sm for doing these ur writing is amazing and im gonna lowkey keep bothering u w prompts)

A/N: omg this is the cutest prompt ever!! I was super excited to write this although I feel like I suck at fluff!! thank u for sending in I love hearing all of your ideas, hope I do them justice! also, I made Carol a lil bit of a cornball...she’s just weird

Word Count: 2k

Warnings: some language and minor violence/shooting

You’ve had three missions with Carol this month. The missions have been fairly easy and they’re over pretty quickly, which makes sense considering you and Carol are a hell of a team. You and Fury seem to think so and you’re hoping Carol thinks the same. You like spending time with her, even if you’re drenched in blood and dirt and killing people at the same time. There are not many people who you can experience that with, and that’s why Carol is so great. She cracks jokes, you tease each other, you have hilarious banter, she sends funny looks your way when you overhear something stupid over the coms, and she’s very confident and energetic. 

So, when you find out Fury had paired the two of you up again, you’re ecstatic. Even if it’s a stakeout mission. You’re geared up and ready to go, standing patiently outside the entrance of the Avengers compound, when you see Carol walk up to you in her suit. She looks great, but she does a stupid dance and spin to show off her suit that you’ve seen endless times. You sarcastically clap.

“Hey, partner,” Carol smiles kindly at you. “Ready to kick- watch some ass?”

You giggle. “Yes, ma’am. Let’s watch that ass.”

--

You and Carol have laid on the same roof for what seems to be hours. You brought snacks with the hope that you could stay filled up and energized while doing basically nothing. Too bad Carol’s been eating them all. She shakes the last of the bag of Bugles into her mouth and chomps on the crumbs just leaving you to stare at her. She turns her head to look at you and her mouth is full and crunching. You’re staring at her, saying nothing. She’s eating all your damn snacks.

She swallows quickly. “These were to share, right? I’m good?”

“Yeah, they were to share. Too bad you ate them all.” You try to scold her but end up giggling.

“Well don’t blame me! It’s boring! What am I supposed to do, just stare through these binoculars?”

“Yes, Carol, that’s exactly what we’re supposed to do.”

“Well, Y/N, how about I just...ya know...not do that,” Carol suggests, wriggling her eyebrows. But you have no idea what she’s suggesting.

“Fuck are you on about? You’re already doing nothing. You’re not even watching the subject.”

“Perhaps I shall get in on the action myself, m’lady.” Carol proposes with a very bad cockney accent.

“Okay, what?” you sigh and press your fingers to your eyebrows. You’re sat there, shaking your head when you start to laugh. You look up at her and she’s laughing back too. 

“I mean...hold my beer.”

“Carol, wh-” you start. There’s not even a beer anywhere. 

Carol, of course, makes a big scene by doing jumping off the ledge and doing her trademark superhero landing on the roof of the building in front of you. She starts to run and you immediately get off your feet and jump down to follow her. Of course, she’s running to the action, the girl can’t sit still for more than 5 minutes. You understand that completely, but you don’t understand why she would disturb something that’s meant to be observed. You’re supposed to keep a log and report back to S.H.I.E.L.D with the information. But, Carol decides to run ahead of you and you have to follow her, climbing down fire escape stairways and jumping on trash bins. 

You’re finally caught up to her when she hiding on the side of the building you’ve been watching. She’s waiting for a proper time to enter. You genuinely don’t even know what to do. You would try to stop her but you know Carol isn’t one that is stopped. You’d try to talk to her but she’d just run away into the building. You sigh probably a bit too loudly. You suppose you’re going in with her. 

The subjects you’ve been watching are a small threat, hence the fact that you’re just watching them instead of capturing them. That might change soon, though. Carol can be a wildcard at times but it’s dealt with considering that she’s just so powerful. She makes a signal with her hand and enters the building. You follow reluctantly with your gun in hand, checking corners and behind you before walking further. She leads you to a room in the back that seems to be empty and looks out of the door cautiously but curiously.

“Carol, we didn’t even check the security. They probably know we’re here.”

She puts her finger up to her mouth, gesturing for you to be quiet. You’re sure your eyes roll back into your head, but she gives you a playful push backward and giggles very lightly. 

You’re caught up staring at her and her cheeky smile when you see a person in front of you. Carol is turned towards you, unaware. You duck away quickly, grabbing her by the waist to bring you to the ground with her as your hand extends your gun to shoot. You shoot him, but it’s too late. Carol seems to be unconscious. You try to wake her quickly and look on her for any wounds but you can’t seem to find anything. She must’ve gotten a spell put on her.

You stand up, looking out the doorway. You see two armed men and you shoot both of them, allowing an opportunity to exit. Stealth and speed are very important in this situation, so you grab Carol quickly and you carry her in front of you. You’re running at full speed out of the building with Carol in your arms and you make it far enough down the block into a hidden alleyway to hit your com.

“Carol was being a dumbass. Got a spell put on her or something. She’s unconscious but she has a pulse and vitals seem fine. I’ll be making my way back to the spot. I’ll keep you updated.”

Maria Hill’s voice comes through the speaker. “Okay. Make sure she’s safe and head back as soon as you can. Need any backup?” 

“No, I got it. Thank you.” You click off your com.

You decide to go inside the building this time, unlike Carol who decides to jump off things and run down fire escapes. You hurry into the elevator and try to avoid as much eye contact or attention as possible. You head up to the roof and place Carol on the spot where she was laying before.

You wave the empty bag of bugles in her face, smacking her with it. “Hey, goofy, wake up.”

She’s still unconscious. You sigh, and reach your hand back, about to slap her hard. Her eyes flutter open all of a sudden and you immediately pull your hand down.

“Hey! Hey Carol,” you smile. “I’m so glad you’re awake now.”

“Mmmmm,” She moans and sits up slowly, staring at you for a few seconds. “Hey, gorgeous. Goooorgeous. My jaw hits the flooorgeous.”

Your jaw opens and your mouth is agape. You turn your head and chuckle, blushing hard. She never ceases to surprise you. You wonder what type of spell she’s under or what she’s coming off of.

“What, they got you drunk or something?”

“No!” Carol yells, very loudly. She looks and sounds like a toddler. It actually startles you. “But I’m drunk off of youuuu.”

“Okay. Understandable. I’d flirt with me too. But I’m gonna need you to quiet down and help me pick up this stuff so we can go back to the compound,” you reply, trying to keep your cool. She’s flirting with you and you love it. You’ve been waiting for this.

“You cute dumbass! I’ve been flirting with you this whole time!” Carol yells again. She definitely sounds drunk, but man, are you reveling in this. It feels so good to hear.

“No, listen here. You’re the dumbass. Be quiet and let’s go.”

“Ooooooooh. Yes, ma’am!” she salutes. “A woman in charge. That’s what I like about you. Not to mention how beautiful you are.”

You’re actually blushing like crazy, but you’re worried she’s not meaning anything she’s saying, so you’re trying to be serious. Also, you’ve got places to be.

“Carol, can you ple-”

“And THAT ASS. It’s a MARVEL. Captain Marvelous Ass over here! God damn!” She starts cracking up at her own joke and you can’t help but laugh too. You knew you’d have fun on this mission. 

“You’ve got a pretty nice ass too, Miss Drunk Toddler.”

“I am not a trunk ogler!” Carol whines, crawling over to you and placing her head on your shoulder. You're both sitting criss-cross and staring off at the cityscape. “I am a Y/N lover. And I love it.”

“Carol, you’re the cutest thing I’ve ever seen. You drive me crazy. In a good way and a bad way.” Mostly bad way. You’re always blushing whenever she’s around, and you’re always wanting to just place your hand on hers. You like Carol. You have ever since you met her.

“Let’s go to the museum and get ice cream. I want to take you on a date. Take you to paradise.” she drifts off, then gasps. “Two tickets to paradise! Eddie Money!”

“Yeah, that’s right. Eddie Money.” You say softly, looking down at her. You can see the moonlight accentuate how her eyelashes lay on her cheek. You can see her blonde hair framing her beautiful face in just a way that makes you want to kiss her nose. You can see a smile sitting on her lips and a dreamy sigh come out of her mouth.

“I like you, Y/N. I want to be your girlfriend. I want to take care of you, I want to do everything together. I’m starting to feel a little bit more normal. But this is right. Feels good.”

“Does feel good, doesn’t it Carol? I like you too. I always have.” you smile down at her. 

She looks up at you, surprised. She nearly gasps. She pats your chest excitedly, like a child or a dog, and she leans her head back on your shoulder. 

“Although I’d be the one taking care of you, you big dummy.” you tease, tousling her hair and then kissing her head. “I  hope you remember this.”

You sit in silence for a bit, feeling the breeze run through your hair and the warmth in your heart radiate to your body. You’re happy, and you’re staring at the city and stars in front of you. You have Carol, what else could you need?

Maria’s voice comes through your com again, startling you. “Everything okay?”

“Everything’s fine, she’s just a little out of it. We’ll be packing up in a second and we’re gonna need a car.”

“Sounds good.”

You nudge Carol and stand up, extending your arm for her to grab your hand. You lift her up and she doesn’t let go of your hand.

“Can we pack up now, please?” You ask her, softly. She nods quickly and grabs the binoculars on the ground as you fold up the blanket. You take the binoculars from her and put them in your backpack. Putting the backpack on, you extend your hand for Carol’s again. She’s picking up the Bugles bag and looking inside, frowning. 

“You literally just ate them all. Did you think they were going to reappear?”

“Shut up. Maybe I did.” Carol laughs and takes your hand. You make your way down to the lobby and get in the backseat of the car. The driver nods to you and you nod back. Carol rests her head on your shoulder again.

--

After tucking Carol into bed, you find your way to yours and plop down face first. You squeal and smile into your pillow and hope to god she remembers this. Or at least, meant it. 

You wake up in the morning and check your phone first thing. There’s a text from Carol.

I meant it all. We still going for ice cream and a museum trip?

Oh, and I’m sorry for eating all your Bugles. I’ll get you more on our date.

 All you can do is smile as you lay down in your bed, taking in the warmth of the sunlight shining through your window. 

Finally.

[brittle-bone-gabe]

Losers Holiday

Summary: Richie and Eddie decided to invite the Losers over to their new house for their own holiday.  Pairing: Eddie x Richie (Reddie), Beverly x Ben (Benverly), Stan x Patty Read on Ao3: Here

The winter holiday months had always felt... off... for the Losers. Well, not when they were younger, when the holidays had a magical feel to it, Santa, close family, presents and all that. There must be a time in everyone’s lives where the holidays just don’t feel the same, not like they used to, especially when you had to work, to pay bills, take care of yourself and family didn’t really feel like family anymore. Growing up sucked. That much was clear. 

When they were kids, the Losers would always celebrate their own holiday in December. It wasn’t exactly Christmas, mainly out of respect for Stan, even though he told them over and over that he didn’t care. Instead, they called it the Losers Holiday. It was fun, they’d drink cheap alcohol from whoever could sneak it from their parents’ stash, some of them would smoke cigarettes, and as they got older they would bring pot, and they would bring each other presents. Growing up and eventually apart, the Losers never felt the same joy during the holidays as they did with their Losers Holiday. 

Especially Richie, once he moved out of Derry after he graduated high school he hasn’t celebrated any holiday ever. Not Thanksgiving, not Christmas, he would get black out drunk on New Years, but that was about it. He felt bad about leaving Derry without saying goodbye to the remaining Losers, but he needed to do it for his sanity. He had a great home life, he and his mother had struggled seeing eye-to-eye at most times, but loved and cared about each other... well... until Richie came out to them. His dad was happy for him, saying that he should do whatever makes him happy, but his mom was silent. She didn’t say much, but certainly treated him slightly different afterwards. Eventually Richie couldn’t take it anymore and left, with little money he saved up from working, only the clothes on his back hoping he would make it somewhere. 

Beverly didn’t celebrate Christmas anyways while she was living with her dad in Derry, in fact, she never did until she moved in with her aunt in Seattle, Washington. Still, the amount of positive family around her and the presents didn’t compare to the holiday memories that had slowly started to fade from the move. She could never put her finger on why it didn’t feel right, now until going back to Derry to meet back up with the Losers Club. All the memories had flooded back, everything made sense. She knew there was a reason she always bought cheap alcohol during Christmas time, it wasn’t good, but it brought back memories that she couldn’t exactly pull from the back of her mind. 

Mike, living on his grandfather’s farm and not having a mom and dad to celebrate Christmas holidays always kinda bummed him out. Yeah, his grandfather tried his best, but they didn’t have much back then, all the money they had went into bills and farm related purchases. Mike always told himself that he didn’t need a Christmas like he saw on the holiday TV movies, he had a roof over his head, food, a place to sleep, and the best friends a person could ask for. So when the Losers started their Losers Holiday he was awkward with giving out the gifts he picked out, not sure if he wrapped them right, if they were good enough, etc. The smile he had plastered on his face when everyone expressed how much they loved their gifts was something Bev wished she could’ve taken a picture of and frame it, she swore she never seen him so happy before. Living in the library all these years waiting for It to come back didn’t help, he had nobody to celebrate it with in general and it lowkey made him depressed. 

Ben got spoiled for the most part of Christmas. The kinda kid who believed in Santa until he was almost thirteen, his parents wasn’t going to ruin his holiday fun. The Losers’ face when Ben said ‘Santa’s coming in a few days.’ Everyone was silent until Richie broke out in laughter, telling Ben that was a good joke, but when Ben gave him a confused look his laughter had died down and for the first time in his life he shrunk, not wanting to be the one to tell him the news. Nobody really wanted to poke at that, but Bev was the one who broke the news, saying it was just his parents putting presents under the tree. Then why would the label say it’s from ‘Santa’? That’s when it hit him that it was in his mom’s handwriting. Whoops. 

Eddie did not like Christmas. Mainly because whenever he went out of town to meet up with family every Christmas Eve someone in his family was sick, and he would return home sick. Like, actually sick with a cold. His mom would keep him in bed for an extra week from school so he could get well again, even when Eddie kept saying he felt fine enough to go back, she just wouldn’t allow it. His mom would always say things like ‘I couldn’t get you much this year because I had to buy you all this medicine for your illnesses.’ So yeah, Eddie was drilled into feeling guilty during Christmas and it fucking sucked. Oh, yeah, not to mention that going out this time of year was gross; the stores were always more busy than usual, more people bumping into you and spreading their germs. Disgusting. 

Stan couldn’t care less about Hanukkah, to be completely honest. Yeah, his dad was a Rabbi and was always stern with him about his studies, but Stan just. Did. Not. Care. He never really felt like dealing with it, but when the Losers made their own holiday he finally felt like he was involved with something. He enjoyed drinking and giving presents to his best friends, he liked showing that he cared about them when he felt like he hasn’t in the past. 

Christmas was never the same to Bill since Georgie died; he would always remember how excited his younger brother would get that Santa was going to come to their house and bring them presents. Something about a child getting excited over Christmas always made Bill smile and play along to whatever they were talking about. Bill noticed that Christmas slowly started fading away in his house as a kid, his parents moped around in December, eventually they even stopped putting up a Christmas tree. Which was understandable, but it still made Bill sad that they still couldn’t hold onto one more thing. Oh well, the Losers Holiday instantly replaced it, and he got just as excited as Georgie did when Christmas rolled around. 

Now December was rolling around again and since the Losers were finally reunited after all these years they were excited to do their little holiday again. It was actually Eddie who brought it up, asking the other Losers if they wanted to do it as his and Richie’s new house that they recently bought. Everyone was excited to come up to Chicago to see the house and celebrate. Yeah, it’s only been a few months since they met up in Derry for the first time in years, and yeah, they texted in their group chat all the time, but they would rather see each other in person. This was going to be exciting. 

                                                               -----

“Will you please get off your lazy ass and help me clean?” Eddie asked Richie, who had his feet kicked up on the coffee table in the living room as he was drinking a beer on the couch while watching some shitty Hallmark Christmas movie. 

“Eds! I can’t!” Richie said, acting as though Eddie should’ve known that.

“Why the fuck not?”

He gestured towards the TV, and Eddie had no idea what he was supposed to be looking at, so he folded his arms across his chest, raising an eyebrow. From what Eddie could tell it was almost the end of the back to back to back to back Christmas movies. Who knows? They were all the goddamn same. 

“It’s almost the last minute, Eddie!” 

“The las- what?”

“The last minute. These boring ass cookie cutout couples don’t kiss until the last minute of the movie.” He checked his watch, not thinking about the beer can he was holding in the same hand, almost spilling it on his shirt. “Annnd....” He held up a closed hand, still watching the seconds on his watch before snapping his fingers and pointing at the TV. “Now.” Exactly as if on cue, the couple on the TV finally had their first kiss. “Awww,” Richie said sarcastically, “why can’t we have that, Eds?”

“Because I’m not a woman who works too much on Christmas and you’re not the man whose gonna change my ways at the last second,” he said, grabbing the remote and turned off the TV, “get up.”

“So oddly specific, I love it,” he said, standing up from the couch, stretching as he did. “I can put on a blonde wig.”

“Oh god...” 

“Get an office job, work my way up,” he moved over to Eddie, wrapping his arms around his waist, pulling him closer so he had to look down at him, “become an important business woman. You swoop in and change my ways. Romantic.”

“I said I was the woman. Not you, Trashmouth.” 

“You’re right.” Richie reached up, rubbing the sides of his face with one hand, “this scruffy bastard isn’t pretty enough. But...”he booped Eddie’s nose, causing his face to scrunch up, “you are.”

“Th...” Eddie had to take a second to process anything Richie just said, “thanks, Richie.” 

“Oh, you are so welcome!” He leaned down, pressing his lips against Eddie’s. “Have Bev do my makeup,” he said against his lips. 

“Okay that’s enough,” he said, pushing Richie away playfully. “Beep beep, Richie.” 

“Beep beep, Richie,” he mocked, rolling his eyes with a smile on his face. “But, what is there to clean? You’ve been cleaning and deep cleaning since you invited everyone over. I think it’ll hold up through tomorrow. Oh!” Richie said, switching back to his stupid joke, “Bev can make me a custom made dress!” 

Eddie rolled his eyes. It was clear Richie was getting excited, he was talking so fucking much. Times like this really showed Richie’s ADHD, he would talk a mile a minute and keep switching subjects back and forth and expect everyone to keep up. He wasn’t medicated with Adderall, he said he didn’t like the way it made him feel. Apparently the first time he took Adderall was at a college party, while everyone was taking it to get high, it did the opposite for Richie, in fact he went home to clean his entire dorm and do some homework instead. Why would I want to be productive, Eds? Was what Eddie recalled him saying when he had suggested him going to the doctor for his ADHD. 

“They won’t care what the house looks like,” Richie continued, swapping the subject again, following Eddie into the kitchen, “I mean, it’s spotless, babe. It’s not like they’ll gonna check for tiny specks of dust.”

“I know they won’t.” He opened the cabinet under the sink, looking for... something. Cleaning supplies most likely. “But Patty is coming with Stan so...” 

“Son of a bitch,” Richie said happily, “we finally get to meet the great Patty.”

Eddie pointed at him with the duster, causing Richie to put his hands up shoulder height as if he was pointing a gun at him. “You will behave.” 

“When don’t I?!” 

“Richard.” Richie clicked his tongue, giving Eddie a wink, Eddie let out a sigh. “Please?”

“I’ll do my best.” 

Eddie kissed his cheek. “Thank you.” He shoved the duster into Richie’s hands so now he couldn’t refuse to help.  “Get cleaning.” 

“Aw hell yeah,” Richie said before he began shaking the duster. Either just because he was bored or to piss Eddie off, the smaller man couldn’t tell, but he was sending dust everywhere. All the work Eddie put in the past week was quickly being destroyed unintentionally. 

“Richie!” He snapped, snatching the duster away from him, his eyes were wide in surprise and confusion. “You’re not helping! Just…” Eddie let out a sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose, “I dunno…. go…. um…” When he looked up at Richie he had a smile on his face, ready to do whatever task was given to him. Goddammit he was too cute for this world. Eddie snapped his fingers. “I know. It’s a job even you can handle.” 

“Ouch.” 

“No, shut up, you’ll like it. Go to the store and get the cheapest alcohol you can find.” 

“Cheap?!” Richie put a hand on his chest as if he was wounded by Eddie’s words, “Richie Trashmouth doesn’t buy cheap! Only the best for my pack of Losers!”

“We used to only drink cheap alcohol for our holiday.”

“We used to steal it too. Oh.” Richie smiled. “Is it for the aesthetic?” Richie knew that was a meme, Eddie didn’t. That’s what made his expression even more hilarious.  “You want me to rob the liquor store?” 

“Shut the fuck up.”

“I can see it now!” He wrapped his arm around Eddie’s shoulders, bringing him to his side, using his other arm to wave it across them as if they were standing in lights. “‘Richie Tozier under fire for robbing a liquor store of their cheapest alcohol. More at five.’ Ah? Would you like to see that? I’d like to see that. Aesthetic.” 

“Just…” Eddie had to stop as he let out a laugh from his stupid jokes. He put a hand on his face, looking at his boyfriend lovingly. “Jesus fucking Christ. Just go, Richie.” 

“Once I get my ski mask from the closet it’s over for those bitches at the liquor store.” Eddie was startled when Richie pulled him in close, planting a quick kiss on his lips before getting ready to face the harsh winter that was the outdoors. 

                                                                 -----

It was hard for Richie and Eddie to sleep, no matter what they did they just could not sleep for the life of them. Eddie was panicking about the shape of the house, did he do this? Did he do that? All of these constant self doubt questions were swarming in his head in the middle of the night, rendering his ability to sleep. Richie, on the other hand, was too excited to sleep. He couldn’t wait to see the Losers again after all these months. Yeah, texting them was great but tomorrow would be even better. 

Throughout the night they were blaming each other on their inability to sleep. You keep tossing and turning. Yeah, well you keep mumbling shit in your sleep. Eddie has gotten fed up with Richie fidgeting, tapping his fingers and bouncing his leg in bed, so eventually he climbed onto the taller man and laying on him for the rest of the night so he would stop. Richie didn’t know that. Richie thought Eddie just wanted to cuddle, so he held him close and that’s when they eventually fell asleep.

A night of tossing and turning and a deep sleep never mixed too well. In fact, Richie and Eddie overslept well into the afternoon the next day. Y’know, when the Losers were supposed to show up to start their holiday. The two idiots didn’t even hear their many, many, many set alarms that they needed to even wake up in the morning. Yikes. 

Richie mumbled something under his breath when his cell phone started vibrating next to his head on the mattress. He wasn’t ready to wake up, he was still tired and needed just five more minutes. He tried rolling over to get away from the noise, but Eddie was still laying on him so he couldn’t move at all. Eventually Richie opened on eye, looking over at the red LEDs of their digital alarm clock. Without his glasses he couldn’t even try to make out what it said. 

“Okay, okay…” he said under his breath as he reached for his phone. He had to squint hard to be able to make out the time on the phone through his already blurry vision and his tired eyes. 12:44. Wait, was that right? Richie bolted upward, almost knocking Eddie off the bed. “Eddie!” He almost yelled, shaking his boyfriend a little to wake him up. “We’re late!” Eddie mumbled something, his eyes still closed as he waved a hand to Richie as if to signal ‘five more minutes.’  “Eddie!” 

“Why are you always so loud,” Eddie said, clamping his hands over his ears, rolling over onto the empty mattress space next to him. 

“It’s-” 

“Shush!” Eddie said, attempting to put a hand over Richie’s face to shut him up, but couldn’t quite reach. Richie grabbed his wrist as he put on his glasses. “I don’t want to hear a word from you until the alarm clock goes off.” 

“That’s wh-”

Richie was interrupted again when the doorbell rang, followed by some pounding from someones fist. “They’re here!” He announced happily. Eddie’s eyes shot open, looking at the digital clock on his nightstand. 

Oh fuck they overslept.

“Oh shit, I’m not even dressed yet!” Eddie whined, sitting up and swinging his legs over the edge of the mattress. “I’ll just text them-” 

“Too late!” Richie yelled as he ran out of bed in only a t-shirt and boxers with a huge smile on his face. 

Eddie let out a groan of frustration as he smacked his forehead. Well, okay, fine, as long as it’ll give Eddie time to get dressed and ready. 

Richie unlocked the door, swinging it open, leaning against the door frame with the same huge smile plastered onto his face. “Losers!” He said loudly and happily when he saw the five adults standing outside in the cold. Richie shivered from the gust of winter air that entered their house. 

“For f-f-fucks sake, R-Richie,” he could hear Bill groan. 

“I was just so excited to see all of you,” he gestured to himself, “forgot to put clothes on.” Bill pushed past him, entering the house as he hated the cold and didn’t want to stand outside any longer. “Oh, yeah! Come in.” He moved aside more, holding the door open so they could come in. “And who-” he stopped, remembering that he and Eddie were meeting Stan’s wife for the first time ever. “Ah, shit. This is not the first impression I wanted,” he told the blonde haired woman holding onto Stan’s hand. “Oh God, Eddie’s gotta save this,” he mumbled, “Hi! I’m Richie Tozier,” he reached over, shaking Patty’s hand, “so glad Stan the Man found someone. I thought he’d be alone forever.” 

Patty laughed, but Stan wasn’t having it. “Nice to meet you, Richie. Stan’s... said a lot of great things.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, fuck you, dude,” Stan said, holding up a middle finger, causing Richie to laugh. 

“Yeah, fuck you too. I am a delight.” 

“Richiiee, the house is beautiful,” Beverly said, moving over to pull him into a hug, planting a kiss on his cheek.

“You think so?” He wrapped an arm around her, “apparently three people were killed here. Eddie didn’t want to go for it, but... the house has history. Nice wholesome family home. You guys want kids?” He nodded towards Patty and Stan. 

“Richie,” Bev said, lightly smacking his side. 

“What?!” 

“Oh, God, where’s Eddie? We need you to shut up,” Ben said, glancing around. 

“We’ve been trying,” Patty said with a smile, pressing up against Stan’s side so he wrapped an arm around her, bringing her in closer. 

Everyone could tell just the look on Richie’s face he was going to make a stupid, awful joke. So there was a collection of “Beep beep, Richie”’s from everyone. 

“I didn’t say anything!” 

“You were going to,” Mike said, taking a seat on their couch, “Eddie!” He called out, “come get your man!” 

There was a small bumping around coming from their bedroom before Eddie came out fully dressed, a stern look on his face at whatever it was Richie could’ve said. 

“Richard,” Eddie said in between clenched teeth, a wave of ooooh’s filled the room, “what did you do?!” He stomped into the room, but once he saw Patty his entire mood change. “Oh, hi,” he said to her, “I’m Eddie,” he held out his hand, shaking hers in return. 

“I’m Patty, it’s really nice to meet you.” 

“I’m sorry you already met Richie.” 

She giggled. “No! It’s okay, he’s sweet. In his… own loud way.” 

“Wooow,” Richie said, folding his arms over his chest, “rude. I love her.” 

“Eddie, the house is beautiful,” Bev said, moving away from Richie to give him a hug. 

“Y-yeah, h-h-how l-long did it t-take to clean?” Bill asked. 

“Probably like twenty years,” Ben added playfully. 

“Twenty- like…” Eddie was trying to think back when he actually started cleaning up, with Richie making a constant mess it kept setting him back, “I dunno, a week.” His eyes moved back over to Richie who was still in his boxers. “Jesus Christ, dude. Go put on some clothes.” 

“Awww, don’t be jealous, Ed’s. I’m still taken only for you,” he said with a wink, causing Eddie’s face to turn pink before moving back to go put something on. 

“Something nice!” Eddie yelled over his shoulder. “We overslept,” he told the Losers before plopping down next to Mike on the couch. 

“That’s what you get for overworking yourself,” Stan added. 

“I don’t overwork myself.” 

“Eddie, honey, you do,” Bev added, linking hands with Ben, “everything looks great I promise.”

“You know what else looks great?!” The Losers could hear Richie yell from his bedroom, “anyone who isn’t Eddie come in here and tell me what you think!” 

“I am not going to look,” Stan announced, folding his arms. 

“Oh, I am!” Patty said happily, dropping his hand to catch up with Beverly who was accompanied by Ben and Bill

Mike didn’t want to know either. He had a long drive and didn’t want to stand up yet, he was too tired and just had a feeling he was going to shake Richie for whatever stupid prank he had planned. 

“Sorry we overslept,” Eddie apologized, seriously feeling bad about it. 

“It’s okay, Eddie,” Mike said, patting the smaller mans back, “we’re all here and that’s what matters.” 

“For the first time in years it actually feels like a holiday,” Stan added as he took a seat on a fold out chair, “we were glad you invited us over. Patty wouldn’t stop talking about it since.” He smiled as he thought of how excited Patty became when Stan asked her if she wanted to meet up with his childhood friends for their own holiday. It was priceless. 

“Richie!” 

“Do not wear that around Eddie.” 

“H-he’s gonna k-kill you, dude.” 

Eddie groaned when he heard Ben laughing hysterically, sitting back on the couch pinching the bridge of his nose. He should’ve guessed that Richie had something planned for today. The moment Richie steps back into the living room Eddie had the feeling he was going to beat him up as soon as everybody left. This was the guy Eddie wanted to marry? Unbelievable. 

The four Losers came back out without Richie, their faces red from laughing so hard trying to contain themselves when they saw Eddie’s face. 

“It looks great!” Patty said, giving Eddie two thumbs up as she sat down next to Stan. 

“We gotta c-call the funeral home once Eddie sees him.” 

“How bad is it?” Eddie asked them, moving his hand from his face. 

“It’s goo-... it’s….” Bev stopped, trying to think of the right words to say, “it’s festive,” she settled on. 

Ben couldn't say anything as he was having issues trying to contain his laughter and eventually had to cover his mouth. 

Would it be too soon for Eddie to start drinking the cheap alcohol that they picked up? Either way, he was going to be the first one to drink tonight. 

“Just…” Eddie out a sigh, “let’s see it, Richie!” He called backed to his room. 

Eddie could hear the sound of Richie’s socked feet and slight jingles as he was making his way into the living room. He had to close his eyes, he wasn’t sure what to expect, even thinking the worst case never prepares Eddie for whatever jokes Richie had in store. 

Somewhere along the way Richie had put on a headband that had little antlers on the top that provided the source of the jingling. The moment he stepped into the living room Ben lost it again, basically crying as he laughed. 

“Goddammit, Trashmouth. What the fuck is that?” Stan demanded before letting out his own laugh. 

“Eddie. Eddie. Look at me. I bought this because of you and I want you to look.” 

“Don’t look, Eddie,” Mike said in between his own laughter. 

The smaller man let out a deep sigh before moving his hand away from his eyes. What he saw standing in the living room made him want to deck Richie as hard as he could. With that trademark goofy smile he was wearing an ugly holiday sweater with an elf plush at the bottom with the words When I Think About You I Want To Touch My Elf. 

“Whatdoya think?” Richie asked, his hands out by his sides waiting for an answer.

“I hate you. I hate everything about you. You are sleeping on the goddamn couch forever. I cannot stand you,” Eddie said slowly, his face turning red. Why was Richie like this? 

“Aww, he likes it!” 

“I do not like it! The second you take it off I am burning it.”

“Oh, in that case I will never be taking it off. Mike! What do you think?” 

“Eddie can we put him outside for awhile?” Mike asked, completely ignoring Richie. 

Everyone was agreeing with Mike on that one. 

“No! Trashmouths don’t like the cold. We thrive in warmth. Like in an uptight risk analysis’ warmth.” He plopped on Eddie’s lap, wrapping his arms around his neck so Eddie couldn’t just shove him to the floor. 

“Where’s the alcohol?” Eddie asked as he tried to stand up, a loud dramatic whine came from Richie as he did as if to say pay attention to me. 

“Why can’t we be like that?” Patty asked Stan. 

Stan’s face was actually priceless. If he ended up getting married to anyone like Richie he would rather die. He was quiet and reserved and Richie… Richie was the opposite of that. 

“I th-think if a-anyone had to be with Richie they would th-throw themselves off a c-c-cliff,” Bill added with a smirk on his face. “S-s-seriously Eddie, how do you d-d-deal with it?” 

“Lots of alcohol.” 

“Please. You drink once or twice a month and get drunk with one drink. You love me!” Richie planted a kiss on his cheek. 

“They were made for each other!” Bev added, playing with Ben’s fingers. 

“Yeah, they’re both annoying,” Ben added. 

“We’re not annoying!” Richie and Eddie said at the same time. 

Richie scoffed, “None of you will be getting presents then.” 

“No wait.” 

“Yeah, that’s what I thought. Shut up.” 

The evening was nice. The Losers spent almost an hour opening their gifts, they were all super nice and thoughtful. Richie went on a long rant after opening up his present from Stan as he had gotten him a kids joke book with a card that read: Use these, they are probably better than your jokes (: he joked that he was going to use these up on stage then thank Stan personally for giving him new material. Everyone could tell before looking at the name tag on the gifts which ones were from Eddie, as his wrapping skills were seriously unmatched. Then you had Richie’s who looked like a kid was trying to hurry up and get through the wrapping process. 

It was nice catching up with everyone again face to face rather than texting or the occasional phone call. They all went out to get pizza before finishing up the night with cheap alcohol. Eddie had tried to convince Richie to change his shirt before leaving the house, but the comedian was having none of it, saying something about how the world needed to see his Sunday Best outfit. Of course, while they were out Bev and Patty took plenty of pictures and selfies with the other Losers (even if it was against their will), just to remind them that there were more Loser Holidays coming up in their future. To Eddie’s horror there were fans of Richie who asked to take a picture of him wearing that god awful ugly sweater that he couldn’t wait to get his hands on and burn. 

Overall it was a great night with great food and so-so alcohol. Nobody really got drunk except for Eddie, who anyways, was always considered a lightweight. Everyone was trying to convince him that he loved Richie’s sweater, but drunk Eddie still wasn’t having any of it, saying if he had to he would burn Richie alive along with the shirt. 

This was the holiday spirit that they all remembered and missed dearly. The staying up late telling stories about their childhoods, laughing and spilling alcohol everywhere on accident, hell, just for the fun of it, the eight of them played truth-or-dare like they would used to. Of course, Richie would make anyone who picked dare lives miserable. There was a reason none of them cared for the overhyped and oversold holidays, because this was the best one. The one where you’re surrounded by friends you’d consider family over your own family having an amazing time. That was the best type of holiday.

[wxnhvs]

                ♚◞  𝑨𝑺𝑲 𝑴𝑬𝑴𝑬  .  »   scarlett choi  &  red gangmoon .  ˎˊ˗       @seosoojae​​

.    *    ◜  𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞 ?  :  

          once upon a time, when the big bad red gangmoon caught sight of lil red riding choi - he didn’t waste time in asking her out on a date. he’s always known what he’s wanted from the get, you know. after taking they went to a PHO spot for dinner, he took her to get some ice cream ( which ends up being their go - to spot in the future ). naturally the night doesn’t there folks as they had back over to his place, climbing up onto the roof with some blankets to do some good ‘ol stargazing.

.    *    ◜  𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐚 𝐭𝐲𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐟𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ( 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 ) 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐬 ?

          they RARELY ever fight, usually always on the same page. HOWEVER -- when they aren’t ?  two alphas going at it ? you best believe there’s a lot passion & frustration when the other doesn’t see their point of view. it’s also because they feel so deeply for each other & really can’t stand anything come between them. he’s probably slamming his fist against tables or walls while she’s yelling and throwing her hands up in the air to emphasize her points. unsurprisingly, they’re also the ones to get caught up in the heat of the moment and really just get it on, ripping clothes off and shit -- as soon as its over though, she’s kicking his ass out of their bedroom. even if he ends up on the couch, essentially so will she because she’s one weak heaux for that man.           any other point in the week, they’re finding any excuse to rile each other up. if you think they’re just getting under each other’s skin to get under each other’s clothes, YOU RIGHT.

.    *    ◜  𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐲 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐝𝐨 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐞𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫’𝐬 𝐮𝐩  :  

         it doesn’t take much for scarlett to cheer him up ; she does what she always does. sitting down beside him, she pulls his arm around her frame, interlocking their fingers as she curls into his side. she doesn’t have to voice that she’s there for him, because he knows. they’re basically each other’s person -- she knows that if he wants to talk about what’s on his mind, he will on his own time.

.    *    ◜  𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐰𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐮𝐩 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐤𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬 ( 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 ) ?  :

            SCARLETT ; red is more of a handsy type meanwhile she’s pressing kisses against his shoulder before leading a pathway up to his neck, simply lean up to nuzzle her nose into the crook of his neck before dropping kisses along his skin, all the way up to his jaw and to the shell of his ear, whispering a “ wake up.  ” red gonna wake up READY TO GO. IF YOU FEEL ME.

.    *    ◜  𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐩𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐮𝐩 ?  :

            NEITHER ; i can’t see either of them pouring water over the other unless they’re already wet. so like, it could either be the shower or if they’re taking a dip in the pool & she splashes him with water. 

.    *    ◜  𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐦𝐲 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐰𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫’𝐬 𝐮𝐩  :

            she’s falling asleep in his clothing -- whether its his t-shirts, racer backs, wife beaters, sweatshirts, he’s slipping one hand beneath the fabric to graze his fingers over her smooth skin, while the other is slipping between her thighs. she’s stirs awake, hot and bothered and he insists it’s because her skin is so soft & because he really can’t help it. we all know what they boutta do next pls.

.    *    ◜  𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐚 𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐟𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 ?  :

           BOTH ; scar is prolly attempting to whip up some red velvet cupcakes with red not too far -- he’s not bothering her really, he’s offered to help but he’d distract her if he did. but his gaze keeps flickering & when he spots her lick some batter off her finger, he can’t stop himself from reaching over and dipping his own finger into the bowl of freshly whipped batter. she’s staring at him as if he’s lost his goddamn mind & then he goes ahead and drags the batter - covered finger over her lips in an ‘ X ’ & instead of scolding him for CONTAMINATING THE BATTER, she closes the distance and rubs her puckered lips against his cheek. nobody’s having cupcakes lbr.

.    *    ◜  𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐬𝐮𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐮𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐣𝐮𝐚𝐧𝐚 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐧𝐢𝐞𝐬 ?  :

          NEITHER ; we all know red would never do such a thing, considering he takes such pristine care of his body. she’s really not the type to either, EXCEPT -- there’s probably been an incident where she’s decided to have some weed brownies with callie & ness. she most likely didn’t wanna go home until she came down from the high but all she could think about was getting her hands on her man and demanding cuddles ( and probably more tbh. )

.    *    ◜  𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐢 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐨𝐰 ( 𝐨𝐫 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 ) 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐬𝐚𝐲 𝐢𝐭 ?  :

            SCARLETT ; the two have been infatuated with each other ever since their first date. she’d been lamenting over it for what felt like forever but the night of a big game when it all ties in for her. she’s standing amongst the cheerleaders, he quickly jogs over to her during the team’s warm - up, just to drop a lingering kiss against her lips & remind her that she’s his lucky charm. -- she’s SWOONIN’. so after the game, rather than joining the rest for the after - party, she insists on separating form their friends. do they find themselves on his roof top with her uttering the three words under the stars ? YOU BET.

.    *    ◜  𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐩𝐡𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 ?  :

          BOTH ; pre & post- apocalypse red is definitely the type who’d destroy anyone who ever tried disrespecting his girl. he’s the type to protect the ones he loves fiercely, so i can’t imagine any other reaction from him. it’s safe to say chad is gonna get his ass beat when he finds out that not only did the loser try to make a move on his girl, try to have her killed by ghoulies, but also FRAMED her for the ghoulie - incident.

         pre & post - apocalypse, scarlett is more the type to have a war with words. it’s more than obvious that her & red are openly obsessed with each other, so if some trick ass heaux really tried coming on to her man, she’ll have to assert her authority on her.

.    *    ◜  𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐩𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐩𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 ( 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐞𝐭 ) ?  :

            SCARLETT ; she’s literally gonna show up to their place with a whole ass house for their new pet guinea pigs, without giving him any sort of heads up. he’s really not gonna have any choice but to adopt them with her. 

.    *    ◜  𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐫 ( 𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐛𝐞𝐝 ) ?  :

           IN BED ;  they’re both loud & they don’t really care either. she’s always calling him ‘ baby ’ in breathy moans & he just goes wild. they’re always letting the other know just how well they’re doing. if anything, they’re really trying to see how far they can go, both being quite the talkers -- always challenging each other. similarly,           OUT OF BED ; if they’re not getting it on -- they’re always on some clown behavior with each other. red never fails to make her laugh, even when he’s trying to get under her skin ( on purpose ofc. )

.    *    ◜  𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐤𝐬 ( 𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐛𝐞𝐝 ) ?  :

            IN BED ;  they’re actual freaks. literally always trying something new in bed & surprising each other with it. scarlett is always shook with how breathless he leaves her every time -- though, it’s the same on his end when she decides to take charge.             OUT OF BED ; being that they’re leaders of their own respective factions, taking risks comes with the title. they have to decide on what’s most ideal on behalf of their entire tribe. let’s forget red put his entire relationship on the line for the sake of the jocks, if that’s not a risk idk what is.

.    *    ◜  𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐮𝐩 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 ‘𝐝𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐲’ 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 ?  :

           NEITHER ;  she’s never seen him as the ‘daddy’ type when he’s her baby -- it just ain’t their cup of tea, fam. the one kink they’re not about.

.    *    ◜  𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝, 𝐟𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐤 ?  :  

           okay, first of all -- what isn’t a kink for these two ?  flexibility -- her being a cheerleader has lead to more pros than she ever imagined. she's performed splits and stretched her legs out in ways she never thought she would. manhandling -- even though she’s small and strong, he’s bigger & probably stronger. he’s really just grabbing her & throwing her around, pressing her against the wall, the counter, the sink, bed, ANYTHING. they both end up doing a whole ass workout & end up with bruises by the end of it. NO REGRETS. they’re really getting it on anywhere and everywhere. in public ? you best believe that even if they’re with their friends, she’s sitting on his lap, pressing into him with the most innocent smile, probably in a candid convo with her girls, like she’s not trying to drive him insane. pls. she lives to do the exact opposite. also, hickies will 10/10 be a thing, even more after they get back together. although, she’s lowkey annoyed at ever seeing one from another girl on him. so, it’ll take time for that one to come back in full swing.

.    *    ◜  𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐭𝐲𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐤𝐢𝐬𝐬  :

           it’s safe to say their pda is pretty out there -- if they’re ever parting ways, she’s starts with just a peck which ends up turning into five of them as they whisper promises of staying safe. i can also see him randomly dropping against her shoulder blades whenever they’re exposed. in private, their kisses were a culmination of all the times they hadn’t. he’d kissed her as if to stop would be to asphyxiate ; as if by standing as close as possible and holding as tightly as possible, scarlett might be absorbed into him, to become that missing piece he’d always known her to be. and while red’s mouth pressed hard and desperate and sure against hers, his hands cradled her head like it was the most precious thing he'd ever held.

.    *    ◜  𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐦𝐲 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫’𝐬  :

           even though he’s known as the badass jock leader, scarlett loves to coddle him when they’re alone. being a leader of the chearmazons, she knows how overwhelming it could become. she becomes his confidant and his ally, offering him any type of support he could need. even though he’s stubborn as hell & always wants to be the one protecting her -- she forcefully plants the idea of  “  i can take care of you, the same way you take care of me,  ”  in his head. she’ll beat a ghoulie’s ass if she needs to.

.    *    ◜  𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧  :

           i think it’s safe to say that their favorite ways to give affection is pleasing each other intimately. even if there is room for two, she’ll end up on his lap with his arm around her waist & her fingers playing with the hair by the nape of his neck. even though they act like two alpha heauxs on the field, in private they’re completely opposite. he likes coddling her just as much as she does. he’ll straight up lift her into his arms so she can wrap her legs around his torso and rest her chin onto his shoulder. i think they really just try to find excuses to touch each other at all times, whether it’s her hand on his knee, his hand on her thigh, her hand on his arm, or his hand grasping the back of her neck.

.    *    ◜  𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐞 ?  :

           umm, is this a question ? it’s more like, who isn’t dominate ? they’re both dominate af whether it’s in or out of bed. they’re both about going for what they want & what they feel like is right.

.    *    ◜  𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 ?  :  

            SCARLETT ; that’s if she’s alone & it’s really more humming than anything. her showers are usually long & there’s always something on her mind that has her distracted. red can tell when there’s something on her mind & will probably end up joining her -- they’ve had some pretty serious talks in the shower t b q h.

.    *    ◜  𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐰𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫’𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐢𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 ?  :

            BOTH – scarlett has introduced the male to the wonders of conditioner, training him just how or when to use it. it always started off with him massaging his fingertips into her scalp, attempting to brush her hair even though it was wet. she elbows him and insists on at least waiting till after he conditions it !! considering their dramatic height difference, she will all but climb on top of him & he has no problems holding her close as she leaves gentle pecks while rubbing shampoo into his hair.

.    *    ◜  𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐞𝐱 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐡 ?  :

            BOTH ; if he’s already holding her with her legs wrapped around his torso while she’s massaging shampoo into his dark locks, you best believe they’re about to get it on right after it’s all washed out. they’ll show up late to brunch, THEY DON’T CARE.

.    *    ◜  𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 ?  :

            BOTH ; the way scarlett will not hesitate as she runs her foot up his leg if he’s ever sitting across from her. it’s the same way he won’t care that his little brother is sitting at the table, when his hand accidentally slips his fingers past the waistband of her shorts. they really got a get a room, i hate them.

.    *    ◜  𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐢𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐜 ?  :

       SCARLETT ; you can’t really pinpoint it -- she’s either listening spanish music, old pop, or hardcore rap ( preferably eminem’s rap god ). it doesn’t really make sense, but prideful over it. majority of her playlist is filled with maluma & ozuna.

.    *    ◜  𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧 ?  :

       RED ; though it’s not really dancing what they’d do -- the rain begins to come down on them as she begin to jog back towards their base, it really just becomes red chasing after scarlett with the two laughing. do the two ever get out of the rain without getting completely soak ? probably not.

.    *    ◜  𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐮𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐠𝐞 ?  :  

       NEITHER ; well, red was already planning on purposing before the entire chad incident -- a fact she was unaware of. though, it wouldn’t have changed anything. scarlett most likely would’ve said ‘ yes, ’ regardless of how young they were. after patching things up & she caught wind of his intentions, she 10/10 would be the one to propose -- y’know, surprise him. she’ll ask him to sit down before getting down on one knee bc he’s too tall, you know. she’ll barely finish the speech she prepared before he joins her on the ground & finishes it for her.

.    *    ◜  𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐧 ?  :  

       this is the story of how NOBODY expected red to become a father of three girls & HE DID. but what they did expect from this oh - so - colorful family is for them to name their kids just as colorful ( their friends probably have bets on it ). they named their three girls :  violet, pinky & olive.

.    *    ◜  𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 ?  :

       lbr, their children will be just as chaotic as scarlett & red. bad bitches brigade, you feel me. they're 100% daddy's girls, the man spoils them senseless. meanwhile, they’re scared of their mom -- but then so is red. if they’re trying to ask someone for permission, they’ll go to their dad first, who simply goes for the whole, “  ask your mom.  ” they don’t even both asking her because she’s most likely gonna say no. it’s gotta be red who convinces her into giving them permission.

[imissthefire]

General Winter Headcanons

Okay, so I never thought I would write anything about this character, but damn. I got sent two anons (one of which I accidentally deleted before answering it, the other I’ve been keeping in my inbox so that I’m constantly reminded that I need to write this) and they asked for some backstory on him and what his life is like. I just gotta say, huge thank you to whoever sent those because I went ham on these. I also will have probably at least one other set of HCs for him coming out in the next week or so (I didn’t want to post all of it at once because it was way too long for my liking, and it also kinda felt better to make them two seperate sections) 

A quick thing I wanted to mention before we get into this, since we don’t know what his true faerie name is, I just refer to him as Winter throughout this just so that it’s easier to follow along rather than making one up. Okay, now without further ado, here we are with General Winter’s backstory and where it all began.

·         He grew up in the earlier days of King Arawn’s rule

·         King Brahm had just passed on the throne to Arawn when Winter was fairly young

·         Winter wasn’t always pledged to the Unseelie courts

·         In fact, Winter grew up in a small village on the outskirts of the Seelie lands

·         Winter’s parents were both artisans, masters in their crafts

·         His father was a smith and wood worker, his mother was a seamstress

·         They were both in high regard with the Seelie court and many of the lower courts of both sides

·         When Winter was growing up, he was always very studious and had an appreciation for beautiful things that his parents would make

·         His mother often made dresses for ladies of varying courts

·         His father forged weapons, but occasionally using his metalsmithing to make some decorative pieces as well

·         They were both masters in their craft, Winter always knew he wanted to master whatever it was that he would take on

·         When he turned nine, his father gifted him a halberd, the staff carved with intricate filigrees and vines, the head a leaf-blade

·         He was growing up quickly, but was always a kind child

·         Around this age, many children of the fae would go off to practice and hone their craft and begin apprenticeships with different Folk

·         He never had much desire to stray too far from his family, they got on well and they were of high regard—he didn’t want to lose that

·         So, he started to train with his halberd, testing out various weapons forged by his father as well

·         Even though he was young, this age back in his day was a pivotal time in a Faerie’s life

·         He soon decided that he would take up work with his father, working in the forge

·         He and his father had a super close relationship, and their working together brought them much closer

·         At this point, there wasn’t too much tension between the Seelie and Unseelie courts—King Brahm had recently passed the throne onto his successor, and The Seelie Queen had yet to wage any war against the new King of Unseelie

·         Since this was a relatively peaceful time in the lands, there wasn’t much need for new weapons

·         But, Winter and his father still would think up new designs, trying to optimise functionality as well as the aesthetic of the weapons

·         Winter would test different concepts and see how they could improve—this made him very capable to fight using anything

·         Another few years go by, and his family expands, welcoming a baby girl

·         With his mother needing a bit more time to care for her, Winter’s father steps back to help raise their daughter and allows Winter to be the main man in the forge

·         Yes, by the age of eleven (as it’s been a few years at this point), he’s working the forge mostly independently

·         As much as he loves spending time in the forge, he’s sure to take time to hang out with his little sister

·         He always loves showing her the beautiful pieces he makes, and as she gets older, sneaking her out at night to the forge to show them off to her

·         She’s just as amused by them

·         Of course, he doesn’t let her near any of the weapons or potentially dangerous items

·         They make a habit of this, every few nights, they sneak out and head to the forge

·         Winter doesn’t always show off creations, many nights the pair of them go to the roof of the forge and watch the stars, talking about different ideas and enjoying each other’s company

·         By the time his sister is about seven, tensions are rising in the courts

·         Though she’s still a bit young, she’s taken to helping out with sales and orders for the business

·         She and Winter are the best of friends; however, like any sibling-relationship, they have their fights and their petty grudges every now and again

·         But in a time like this, there’s more fights to worry about than their own

·         Faeries are disappearing without reason, some rioting; royal guards are becoming more and more needed to protect the higher courts from other courts

·         Winter begins noticing a slow but steady increase in the demand for weapons—but not just simple ones

·         People need things to fight, to kill

·         He doesn’t want to give them a hand in murder, but he knows that they need this business, they can’t fall out of respect for the courts—especially at a time like this

·         He’s also lowkey created many swords and daggers in trying out various carving and smithing techniques, so it isn’t like he doesn’t have anything for them

·         His sister is reluctant to help him move sales, she wishes they could get by without bloodshed as much as he does

·         But a battle bigger than either of them is brewing, and they hardly have much choice

·         He starts learning of a divide in the people of the lower courts—the call for unity only divided some of them further, and leaving some of them lost in between

·         Meanwhile, as they belong to no one specific court, they’re stuck somewhere between all of this mess

·         However, having been in high regard in the Seelie court, it’s no question that his parents are strongly siding with the Queen during all of this

·         They hear that she is taking this time of a new Unseelie ruler as an opportunity to try and unite the courts under her rule

·         Winter also hears the Unseelie Court is demanding to unite all courts under their rule

·         Wishing for the simplest of unity, follows his parents to side in the Seelie Court, obeying their queen and supplying them with weapons of destruction

·         His family, having been in high regard by the Queen and many of the courts that sided with her, is graciously welcomed

·         The ruler of the court of Blossoms, a lower court falling mostly under the reign of the Seelie Court, has become the Seelie Queen’s right hand man

·         He makes a vow on behalf of the Queen to protect them should they continue to assist them in the battle

·         The family, of course, agrees to help

·         So, Winter and his father work together on weapons

·         His mother works on armour and gear that can better protect their soldiers

·         Winter’s swordsmanship is constantly being improved day by day as he helps forge and test out different weapons

·         He studies ways to make blades so powerful that even a small slit from one can cause a death so painful—but finds it too harrowing to even consider

·         He instead settles for making poisoned blades—ones with a less horrific death—and painfully works through making iron arrowheads, burning his hands to affix them to rowan wood shafts

·         This battle is building, and before they know it, an all-out war has begun

·         Winter always is sure his sister is well protected in the court

·         She’s young, she’s trusting, and kind

·         But despite all that, as with many of the Fair Folk caught in this war, she’s terrified

·         Some Folk are taking their young ones away to mortal realms in hopes of avoiding conflict

·         Others are running into the deepest woods, hoping to never be found

·         But that leaves them vulnerable to knights scouting out more recruits for their armies

·         And the knights are scouting out more and more Folk as their armies slowly fall against the Unseelie court’s

·         It isn’t long before they recruit in Winter, deeming him in peak physical condition to fight, dragging his father in as well

·         His father manages out of it, using his place as weapon-maker as his escape from being thrown into the battlefield, saying how he’s too valuable to lose

·         Winter, however, couldn’t do the same

·         They’ve seen him practice with every weapon under the sun and know he’s damned good with whatever he chooses

·         He splits his time training with the royal guard as well as working in the forge

·         Winter’s skill with any weapon is astounding

·         He’s a warrior by mistake, he never wanted to use his skills for harm

·         He’s not yet to be sent out to battle, but they’ve begun a plan of attack on the Unseelie court

·         Their general, Cadwalader, notices Winter’s expertise with many and any    weapon he may choose, but encourages him to pick one to specialise

·         That night, when he’s back with his family in their little home, he brings up the topic of selecting a priority weapon

·         His sister, having sparred with him—though at the time, it was only for fun—suggests the swordstaff, saying how he’s always excelled with it

·         He takes her suggestion to heart, knowing that though their spars were merely for fun, he always did subconsciously favour the swordstaff

·         By his next training session with Cadwalader, he’s declared his weapon of choice and is soon practicing with other specialists in it

·         Training and perfecting his combat was something he managed with ease

·         He tended to play it more defensive, but was soon finding that fighting more offensively worked better for him as with his long range, he managed to get an upper hand on most of his sparring partners

·         After some months, Winter is called into Cadwalader’s war room

·         He’s being deployed in a part of the Seelie lands to hold down a fortress                                                                                                                                          being overwhelmed by Unseelie soldiers

·         He has a day to get prepared, and will be sent out with a group of four other soldiers to an outpost at dawn

·         He’s forged many swordstaff before, but he puts extra work into one for himself

·         He’s been practicing with a less-than-perfect one for the past few months

·         Knowing time is limited, he keeps the pole, re-forging the blade and running a small vein through it, allowing it to be filled with poison that will seep from the tip of the weapon

·         He wastes no time getting everything he needs in order

·         He’s running through the tiny home that’s shared between the four of them, going back and forth to their forge

·         Since his back-and-forth leave to the army, his father took on a new apprentice to help him keep up with their weapon stock

·         His mother was taken in with a group of other seamstresses and jewellers to make various chainmaille and leather armours, using her advantage of having access to the forge to help with other armour pieces

·         Though his parents are deep in their work, they all share the evening together to wish Winter their best and have a small celebratory “go kick ass, kiddo” dinner

·         Before they bid a goodnight, Winter’s mother gave him a bag that she had made for him

·         It was enchanted to be able to hold much more than it appeared

·         She insisted he use it and take extra precaution and bring more weapons and supplies than he initially had set aside

·         With a tearful smile, she wished him the best, kissing his cheek, commenting on how her little boy had grown into such a strong warrior

·         That night, knowing sleep is beyond him, Winter leaves out to the forge

·         He grabbed a few extra knives, daggers, a sword, and an extra head for his swordstaff

·         Heading out to the forge past sundown wasn’t a new thing for him

·         He’d done this for the past few weeks when he couldn’t sleep—head out to the forge, reminiscing to when he was younger and would watch the stars with his sister

·         As if on cue, his sister comes out to the forge, asking if he really ought to leave

·         During the time of forging weapon after weapon, going back and forth to training, he managed to carve out time to work on a necklace

·         He knew eventually he was going to be sent out to fight, but just never really processed that it would happen when it did

·         He wanted to give it to her, and today, potentially being the last time he may see her, was the perfect time to do so

·         He pulled it out from behind one of the work benches, showing it off to her as it dangled in his hand

·         The necklace is on a titanium chain, the pendant being a delicately carved heptagram made of the wood from a hornbeam tree

·         He tells her of it, saying how the chain is of the strongest metals—nearly unbreakable; and how the wood, often referred to as iron wood, was among the strongest as well

·         He gives her this and tells her it all to remind her that no matter what happens, that they are strong, that she is strong

·         He says to her that the heptagram is to remind her of who they are, and also that if she finds herself missing him to just look up at the stars and know he’s under the same ones—wherever he may be—looking up at them, too

·         She allows her big brother to drop the necklace over her head, freeing her hair from it once it rests on her collarbones

·         In silence, the pair of them climb out to on top of the forge, lying down on the roof, watching the stars as though they were children again

·         Breaking the silence, she asks him to promise to come back

·         But he knows that he can’t make that promise

·         She knows it too

·         He says the next best thing that he can, telling her that he promises that he will lie down with her again and watch the stars with her the next time he sees her

·         By sunrise, he was already gone, headed to the meeting spot that Cadwalader had given them

·         He along with four other soldiers went off to check out the status of a fortress that had been ravaged by Unseelie knights

·         They had an outpost a distance away, hidden in a thick copse of trees where they set up basecamp

·         In turn, they would as swiftly and silently as possible skirt around the outside of the fortress where they couldn’t be seen, watching and trying to gather as much information as they could

·         They remained at the outpost for nearly two months, a messenger arriving every nine days to gather information to return to General Cadwalader

·         From what Winter had gathered, the Unseelie troupe would take as many forts and huts as they could, and plan a raid once they had the Seelie Courts blocked in

·         Four days after the messenger had last met with them, he was back

·         Winter had greeted him at the edge of the outpost, asking of his unusually early return

·         He said he was simply there to alert them that they were to return promptly, their mission being fulfilled

·         They had never heard word of how long their mission would be, but they somehow had expected it to be longer, or at least more eventful

·         Upon their return, the Queen of the Seelie Court had asked an audience with Winter

·         This set off several red flags in his mind: the Queen never asked an audience with anyone, and if she did, there would be much trouble to follow

·         Cadwalader led him to a barren room, only the Queen and the light of a flickering candle casting shadows in the room

·         Winter kneels before her, his voice calm as he asks what he may do for her

·         She is dressed in a delicately embroidered gown, it sweeps the floor as she walks back and forth before him

·         Her jaw is set, her back is arrow straight

·         She wears an unreadable expression on her face as she scans Winter up and down

·         “Son of our head weapon-maker and one of our beloved seamstresses, I must inform you of events that took place several days prior to your return”

·         Winter, still kneeling, looks up at her as if asking she continue

·         She meets his eyes and ceases her pacing

·         “Your parents have been murdered”

·         She breaks eye contact with him as if allowing him a moment to himself before she continues to pace and speak

·         “They were killed by a group of Unseelie knights that broke in one evening and burned down your dwelling”

·         Winter is furious and terrified

·         “My Lady, if I may speak”

·         She simply nods

·         “You swore to protect my family in return for our assistance in your battle. Why were they left defenseless?” he asks, treading as lightly as he can with his accusation

·         At this, she lets a small smile ghost across her face

·         “I did no such thing, boy”

·         Before Winter can get any words out, she continues, turning to pace in the other direction

·         “Sir Molaff of the court of Blossoms, my advisor, told you this, correct?”

·         “He did, My Lady”

·         “And did you know that Sir Molaff is half mortal? That he can speak untruths?”

·         The smirk on the Queen’s face is half hidden by the shadows in the room, but Winter still catches a glimpse of it

·         “You betrayed us,” Winter growls, “you conniving, treacherous tyrant”

·         “Molaff is a treacherous tyrant, I am but who he answers to”

·         Before Winter can get his rebuttal, the queen cuts him off again

·         “Now, you and your family swore to obey me in witness of Molaff,” she stops her pacing and turns to him, eyes burning as she locks eyes with him, “you will obey your queen and return to where you left off before Cadwalader recruited you. I am hereby removing you from his garrison, you are no longer to be within an hour��s walk of him or his army”

·         Despite Winter’s detest to have joined Cadwalader and his army, he had grown used to it, almost as though he may have enjoyed it

·         “You will return to what is left of your forge and double the production of weaponry with the apprentice that worked alongside your father”

·         He’s fuming, clenching his teeth and staring daggers at the Queen, but trying to keep somewhat of a decent composure

·         At this point, the Queen steps back from Winter, her arms behind her back

·         Winter’s eyes drop to the floor

·         But in all of this talk, he’s yet to have heard a word about his sister

·         She was just to turn nine shortly after he had left, and now there was no word of her

·         He was afraid to ask about her, perhaps she didn’t even know about her

·         But he had to know that his sister was safe

·         Grinding his teeth and blinking hard, he looked back up to the queen

·         “What of my sister?”

·         The Queen took a breath, shaking her head as she met his eyes once again

·         “She disappeared in the incident. Her body was nowhere to be found”

·         He lets out a breath he had been holding in, she wasn’t dead for sure

·         Though this wasn’t exactly what he’d wanted to hear, he knew it meant that there was still a chance that she was alive

·         “I will tell you this, I surveyed the scene. There is no mistake of it. I give you my words in honour for the promise to serve that you made me the year that your family joined our forces.”

·         Winter was biting the inside of his lip, trying to keep from his still simmering anger

·         “You will now honour that promise you pledged to me and return to the forge at once. You are no longer recognised as a knight or a soldier of Cadwalader’s army. You are allowed two days to grieve, and will be expected to continue your work in the forge once the sun has risen by the second day”

·         With that, Winter was taken out of the room by two guards and escorted to the burned remains of his home

·         He walked through it, finding nothing but ash and flowers

·         He had the bag his mother had given him, he emptied it of many of the extra weapons that he had on him, grabbing some of the few surviving items

·         Among those items were three notebooks: one being his father’s, two being his mother’s

·         They each contained plans and research for their respective fields of work, ways to enchant garments for optimal protection, methods that would create stronger blades and bows

·         He then walked into the forge, seeing it only partly torn through

·         He sat on a work bench, swinging his legs as he went through one of his own notebooks on research for poisoned blades

·         He rethought of all the words that the Queen had said, trying to figure out what his options were

·         Yes, the Queen had commanded him to return to the forge and create more weapons for destruction, but she could only command him to do so under an oath that he had sworn to her

·         Winter’s parents had pledged their allegiance to the Seelie Queen, vowing to serve for her, that much was true

·         But Winter never did

·         The Queen was ordering him to honour a pledge that he never made

·         He was not tied to her orders

·         On top of that, he had been stripped of his rank, and he hadn’t been instated as a smith since his call to the army

·         He wasn’t tied to these lands

·         He had no reason to stay here

·         As much as he hated Molaff for betraying them, he felt a deep satisfaction in Molaff telling the Queen that he had sworn allegiance to her

·         Not long after pondering his options, Winter stuffed as many old scrolls and notebooks full of plans and research of weapons that he deemed important enough

·         He felt a sting as he held tightly to the bag his mother had given him

·         It was her parting gift to him, but the circumstances that proved today were opposite to what they had been before

·         They thought that Winter would be the one to die in his leave, not them

·         With a final scan through the forge, he spots a notebook underneath one of the benches

·         Picking it up, dusting it off, he opens it

·         Winter recognises the weapon design

·         It was one he had found a few years ago, so complex that it took up a third of a book of notes

·         The weapon, in its complexity and horror was one that he never dared to make

·         He swiftly closed the book and slid it into the bag

·         It was full of notes, books, scrolls, and a few weapons

·         He wouldn’t leave these plans for anyone

·         He wouldn’t let anyone cause this destruction

·         Winter went to the furnace, lighting it up for the final time

·         He gathered armfuls of wooden weapons, setting them alight in the flames

·         He took armfuls of the metal weapons, throwing them deep into the fire

·         This court had betrayed his family, this court let them burn

·         He would let their supply burn in his leave

·         When he exited the forge, it was impossible for any passerby to notice anything amiss

·         The forge was always smoking from the chimney above, it was always burning and melting materials to be wrought

·         Nobody would suspect a thing

·         It was late evening, many of the Folk would be settling in for sleep or awaking soon

·         More simply said, not many Folk were out at this time

·         He stole away then, casual in his depart as to not alert any suspicion

·         He went in the direction of the training tower he used to frequent

·         Knowing he was forbidden from being near Cadwalader didn’t stop him, he knew that the Queen’s advisor would be there as he often was

·         Sir Molaff often would arrive to check the progress of General Cadwalader and his fighters

·         Surely enough, when Winter wandered by, he spotted him

·         He was dressed in a velvet doublet with the insignia of a the Seelie Court embroidered on it

·         He was walking down the trail from the tower, his point in the path near the treeline that Winter was walking through

·         Carefully, Winter pulled his swordstaff from the bag, creeping silently towards him

·         He knew Molaff knew he was there, but if he had a care of it, it didn’t show

·         Winter had never felt such a bloodlust in himself until this very moment

·         He sprang into action, barring Molaff against the trunk of a honey locust tree with his swordstaff, where no one could see them

·         “You let them die, you betrayed us”

·         Molaff laughed at his accusations, his face amused by Winter’s words

·         “You are a disgrace to this land,” Winter spat, feeling his heart thundering in his chest

·         He pushed Molaff harder into the tree, the thorns of it pricking his skin as it began to bleed

·         Molaff’s laughter ceased as he realised what was happening, his visage remained amused despite the fact

·         “I may be a disgrace to this land, as you claim, but I am not nearly as disgraced as you will be for killing your Queen’s personal advisor”

·         “Who said she was my queen?”

·         Molaff’s eyes went blank in the moment, as though truly seeing the bloodthirst in Winter’s eyes

·         Winter held Molaff fast against the tree at his chest with one arm, the other dropping his weapon and drawing out a dagger with a toothed blade

·         “If you are to kill me, young smith, perhaps allow me a fair duel to keep the remaining shreds of your dignity in tact?”

·         “What fairness should I offer you?”

·         Winter rested the blade on Molaff’s shoulder

·         “The same fairness that you gave my family in a false oath of protection?”

·         He sliced across Molaff’s chest, the teeth of the dagger tearing his skin

·         He went wide-eyed as he stared at Winter in utter horror

·         “The dignity of a man so willing to betray a humble smith and seamstress?”

·         He drew the serrated blade down again, cutting across his cheek

·         As his blood poured and his the ground, blood-red blossoms grew from the grass

·         “We share the same dignity, you and I; but the only difference?”

·         He stepped back from Molaff, his arm no longer holding him against the wall

·         He fell to the ground, clutching at his chest

·         Winter wiped the bloodied dagger off on the soft mossy earth beneath them, picking up his swordstaff in turn

·         “The only difference is that I have nothing left to lose”

·         With that, Winter drove the bladed staff through Molaff’s heart, watching him bleed out into the grass

·         His blood trailed down into the ground, more blood-red blossoms sprouting in its wake

·         With Molaff dead, he began to seemingly melt away under the forming flowers, Winter took a step back

·         He just killed somebody

·         He just killed somebody

·         And the worst part of it?

·         He felt no remorse

·         He fled from the place of the murder of the Queen’s royal advisor

·         The sun was nearly set, the light was fading quickly

·         Winter felt powerful

·         He had never felt so much power, the adrenaline was coursing through his veins

·         Winter made way running through the Seelie lands

·         He had to get out of there before anyone saw him standing at Molaff’s dissolving corpse

·         He also knew that when the Queen found out Molaff had been killed, she would almost certainly know he was the culprit

·         So he stole away to the in-between lands, the land of the Wild Fey who refused to pledge themselves to the Seelie or Unseelie Courts