#why did i not get the mention tumblr notification system is hell

[spaceraceart]

Mentions

uhhh just fyi, it seems like i’m not getting mentions?? whenever i go to the mentions tab on notifications, it says “check out this tab when you make a post to see Mentions” and uh.... ive definitely made posts before lmaooo. does anyone know how to fix this??

either way, i havent been getting mentions for some reason. this has happened at least twice to my knowledge, with me finding these posts instead through reblogs.

so until i have this fixed, if you want my attention in a post, try mentioning @spacerace127 or @spaceracespam instead? because those blogs seem to get mentions just fine lmaooo. or DM me the post if ya want, i dont mind.

edit: i might be shadowbanned so you probably cant DM this blog lmao. DM the other 2 blogs if ya want idk

edit 2: this was fixed so mentions and DMs should be fine now!

[shijiujun]

hey so uh, it's 110% Not Your Job, but can i ask for like a crash course on these chinese bl series that are everywhere around me but i don't know them. like i'm familiar with the untamed or however many names it has but i'm seeing two or three more???? help please if you can thank you

hello!! oh no worries, i happened to be looking for a distraction too so this was timely hahaha although it’s a pretty broad question since there are so many new live adaptations coming out (and some which have already come out which are featured as bromances), but let me see if I can like round this up for you a little. 

*i may be giving you a bit more than you need or like irrelevant stuff, but i guess i’m bound to hit something hahaha

Okay so the chinese BL series you’re talking about is The Untamed, and since you said you’re familiar I won’t get into it in detail, BUT just for like flow’s sake:

The Untamed (Chen Qing Ling) is based on the danmei (BL) novel written by MXTX, called Mo Dao Zu Shi (and yes however many like English translations to this title there is), or MDZS for short. You watched the live-action, and there’s like a lot of other versions of it e.g. the anime, the chibi anime, audio dramas etc. etc. the list goes on. In case you still haven’t seen any of those, just glance through this masterpost made by @the-social-recluse​ - In any case, right now everything is sort of already out EXCEPT:

MDZSQ - chibi donghua, cutest shit you’ll ever see

More MDZS merch 

Some teasers from MDZS mobile game which has been one year and developing

Now moving on to other BL series floating around so frequently - MDZS is the second book that MXTX wrote. So there’s SVSSS (The Scum Villain’s Self-Saving-System), which is also called lovingly by others in the fandom by Scumbag System/Villain in short, this is MXTX’s first danmei novel. Right now if you’ve seen this on Tumblr, it’s the anime (donghua) version - 10 episodes only for Season 1, available on WeTV with subs, finished airing like a few weeks ago. Translations of the novel are definitely out in full somewhere.

An absolute mess, but an organized one

Tried to do a manhua but failed

Everyone thought the donghua wouldn’t air on time either (it has a history of dropping development halfway) but it did

Would probably be the most entertaining if ever dealt with a live-action

And then there’s arguably, the most beloved child out of all three novels (at least right this moment) - TGCF (Tian Guan Ci Fu, or Heaven Official’s Blessing). This is the third and so far last (???) danmei novel MXTX has written, main pairing invented love. Strawhat-wearing scrap collector smiley angel with devoted kid-turned-adult-turned-ghost-king who follows smiley angel for like many years because he loves him. Anyway, if you’re seeing this, once again on Tumblr a lot, it’s the donghua version you’re seeing. Still airing, I think we’re midway through the whole season, the yelling starts Saturday (Asia time zone) and then extends into Sunday, sometimes Monday.

There’s like a god-tier Eng translation in full for TGCF by Suika

There is a manhua for this as well, only like 45 chapters in, but the time Jan/Feb 2021 rolls around, the donghua would have overtaken the manhua progress on the storyline HAHAHA

Apparently the director/production team who did CQL/The Untamed managed to get the rights to filming its live-action, but heh nothing much about that just yet aside from casting rumours and fans worrying that the casting will be done wrongly and also that they won’t be able to do justice to the story.

Alright now that we’ve more or less cleared MXTX and what everyone is hyping over (for good reason), let’s move on to the other CHINESE BL stuff you could be seeing (although I feel like you might not actually be asking about this), and these will all be live-actions (I’m also only clearing SOME of this year’s stuff, so none from before 2020, don’t ask me why I didn’t leave Guardian or SCI up here):

✨✨✨ Already aired, done and dusted or maybe ongoing, just ones I see on my dash and notifs so I definitely am biased ✨✨✨

The Sleuth of Ming Dynasty (Cheng Hua’s Fourteenth Year) - Many episodes, much bromance, base novel is gay af, but live action is cute af. Read more here and full translation is not yet done I think

My Roommate is a Detective - THIS IS A SPECIAL MENTION. NOT BL. Doesn’t even have like a book to go along with it, it’s just I’ve seen people getting into this again and creating content, so idk, imma just leave this here. It ain’t BL but it got the most glaring BL-esque relationship I’ve ever seen in my life. You’ll get what I mean if you watch it

The Lost Tomb Reboot - AGAIN another special mention, because many handsome young-ish men who you know, head into tombs, much bromance. Based on a huge series of novels, totally not BL, but as always with like a lot of men put into one story, ships happen. This year as well, in case you’ve seen it floating around

✨✨✨  Upcoming Chinese BL live-action adaptations, confirmed + casting + filming. You may have seen some of these because like posters were recently released etc. - As far as I know these are all slated for 2021 ✨✨✨

Faraway Wanderers (Tian Ya Ke) - A danmei novel by Priest, filming wrapped up, should be airing soon. Leads are pretty cute, although I’m sure they’ll turn this bromance. One of the male leads is known for a lot of period web dramas, and Gong Jun, the other male lead, is known for more contemporary modern dramas, but damn Gong Jun’s jawline

Winner is King (Sha Po Lang) - Another danmei novel by Priest, filming wrapped up recently as well if I recall? Posters recently released, and this is arguably Priest’s most famous and popular danmei

Immortality (Hao Yi Xing) - A super popular danmei novel called 2ha or The White Husky and His White Cat Shizun by Meat Bun. Filming also... wrapped? I think, because posters came out the next day and everyone from Earth to Pluto went mad, definitely one you should look out for next year spring i think, but I’m pretty sure there’s gonna be a hell lot more teasers, posters etc. coming up and then half of danmei Tumblr will probably go into cardiac arrest

The Society of Four Leaves (Zhang Gong An) - Ehhhh I think this hasn’t yet been filmed but casting was recently confirmed (contentiously).  Concept posters are up though. This technically isn’t classified officially as a BL. There are no CPs officially in the novel, but apparently it’s very like idk flirty etc., also slated for next year

*There are a few more by Priest, e.g. Liu Yao, but no concrete news that I’ve seen (by now like at least 60% of her danmeis either have a live-action contract or a donghua contract or both lmao)

✨✨✨  Upcoming Chinese BL donghua adaptations (2021-ish). All by Priest✨✨✨

*Throwing this in just as a by the way thing, because these are also recent news (these two weeks). There might be more but I haven’t seen anything yet personally :D

Imperfection (Can Ci PIn) - Space AU, the novel won like two national literary awards if I recall like last year? Anyway a brief trailer recently came out last week I think, and main lead is handsome af, and once again it’s space and space wars so it’s pretty cool

Silent Reading (Mo Du Zhe) - Novel is called Mo Du, and honestly I think the donghua has been like teasing fans for like idk years, but it looks like we’re finally getting to the donghua as the team previewed the first ep like... two weeks ago live to an audience? Modern crime thriller thing, there’s a masterpost going on Tumblr

Lie Huo Jiao Chou - Another Priest fan favourite, a historical + modern danmei combination. Much angst from what I’ve seen, but donghua teaser looked good also, released also last week

---

anyway hopefully some part of this or at least one part answers your question? if not, just send me another ask or like, DM me hahahaha

[wee-little-book-notes]

Some Crazy Stranger - Notes/Explanation/Characters/Etc.

(This post is linked to the Masterlist for my "Some Crazy Stranger" series. It is to help explain things about the story for people who might have questions. I know there are a lot of things people might be asking so I just want to make sure they're able to get answers without having to go through my inbox + wait for an answer. If you have a question and the answer isn't here, please don't hesitate to ask!)

I have a tendency to be repetitive when explaining things, so bear with me.

The stories are on my main account, @wee-little-book! This is just a secondary blog for the sake of notes/explanations, etc.

Alright, guys! First things first. If you saw the original story, then you know that was an absolute DUMPSTER FIRE and I apologize for ever putting that on the internet <3

I rushed the HELL out of it and ngl I was too afraid to add in my own scenes so I just ended up shuffling around the scenes in TWD to fit in my character. In this new version of "Just Some Stranger" I'll actually be taking time to add in my own scenes, but there are still going to be original scenes from the show.

***THE WALKING DEAD SPOILERS***

If you watch the show, then you know that a lot of the scenes in the show are detrimental to who Daryl becomes as a character. That's why it's called character development.

I know most fanfictions usually do some kind of spinoff and never include the actual show, but I'm going to be doing something different!

Eloise TW - Health Issues

As usual(you can tell if you read anything else I've written), Eloise has problems with her immune system. To avoid any sort of conflict, I won't be naming this illness. Long story short, she just gets sick very often.

Eloise Greene is an OC of mine. She was made long before I thought to write this story.

I noticed her name was the same as Maggie/Beth/Hershel, so I went ahead and decided to add her into the mix. She's Beth's sister, coming from Hershel's second wife, Annette. She went to college to be a veterinarian just like Hershel.

I'm taking into account that people did evacuate before the fall, and I'll say that her college had closed due to said evacuations. For the sake of time and accuracy with age, I'm going to say that she was supposed to graduate just before the world went to shit.

Scene Writing + Editing TW - Usual TWD Tags/Spoilers

For this story, I'm going to work much harder to implement my own scenes. I was always afraid I'd be going way off track with who Daryl is and wind up making a story that doesn't make any sense. To avoid that, I'm putting in Eloise as a main character in the show like Maggie. Glenn, Beth, etc. As expected, with new characters comes new scenes - and altered scenes.

I won't be doing anything major to the large scenes in TWD, but I will have to make some changes in order to make it feel like Eloise isn't just wandering around with them and not doing anything. While this is mainly a Daryl Dixon x OC, I still want to have her gain relationships with other characters. Who knows, I might even make a love triangle! (The love triangle idea was amazing in @naughtyneganjdm's "The Guest" it's one of my favorite fanfiction series on Tumblr. Please go read their stuff! It's all amazing! 100/10! also if you see this I'm sorry for the notification/mention I just want people who see this post to be able to find you <3)

So, back to the reason as to why I'm not just making a whole new spinoff.

I love the show, and I don't want to fuck with the show.

Daryl's scenes are extremely important to who he is/becomes. He needs those scenes to happen in order for him to get that character development. However, if I were to make some spinoff where Daryl goes off on his own and isn't around the others, then I'd either end up having to completely skip the scenes that actually happened/give a short description of them happening/or just pretend he wasn't there for them. For the sake of keeping Daryl as Daryl, I'm going to write it as if Eloise was one of the cast and have it be a semi-slowburn with Daryl.

Trevor/Her Boyfriend TW - Abuse

Her boyfriend, Trevor(totally not the name of one of my ex-boyfriends because it's not my work if it's not self-insert), came home with her from college. It doesn't take much reading to realize he's starting to become an abusive cunt-bag after everything fell apart.

*spoilers for SCS in next paragraph*

As the story progresses, it's made clear that Trevor was the manipulative/verbal/mental type of abuser. After the fall/the main cast arrives on the farm, that's when he begins to get physical. I added Trevor in as a character because I wanted to initiate some kind of protector role for Daryl. He's always trying to protect everyone, so I figured that would be a decent way for them to be able to come together, and we all know how daryl is one of those "PUT YOUR HANDS ON THEM AGAIN I DARE YOU" types and we love him for it <3 and just to clarify a little, yes it does kind of seem like Eloise is gonna cheat on Trevor or something, but she breaks up with him before anything like pre-marital-hand-holding happens <3

[missbeautyandherbeast]

Delicate

Leo X Reader (High School AU)

Summary: Senior year and here you are, ready to just get through it with no mishaps. It was not going to be anything like last year. You swore it to yourself... But a certain blue eyed guy seems to be derailing that plan.

Summary: Who’s ready for another High school AU? Because I am!! Not quite the same universe as my other one (but let’s see what I can do and maybe that’ll happen) but this time with Leo. I was going to write something angsty, but then this happened so.... I love you all and let me know what you think!!

Tags: @brightlotusmoon​ @boatloadsofheart @legandarybeauty​​ @crazywritingbug​​ @bitch-kms @ravn-87 @just-a-casual-fangirl-011​​ @unicornjoos @stuckoutsideofthebox @ilikestuffproductions​ @whygz​ @coffee-addicti​​ @sugarspooks15@leslieebee@serperiorkb@blossom-skies @fantastical-67impala-fangirl@coresan​ @big-banging-red​ @iceprincess2019​ @raphaeladdict​ @thirstyforvenom​ @merindagriese​ @depressedemo-152​ @bengewatch @corabmarie​ @bitemebro522​ @tmnt-queen​ @muleka-loka​ @violet-sky-96​ @curadopordeus​ @artemismohr18​ @thewhisperpen​ @xjupitermoonsx​ @bisexualbumblebeesstuff​ @merindagriese @oceans-daughter-3​ @dixonreedusfangirlforever 

I saw him in the halls all the time. We were almost in the same sphere of friends. Except that I kept myself away from people like him. The partiers, the drinkers, the “popular.” Sure, if I tried, I could get into the circle, but I didn’t want to be like that. Ever. I knew who I was, and I was okay with that.

Not that I hadn’t tried. My entire junior year looked like the movie Mean Girls and I was Cady. It was exhausting trying to keep up with who hated who and who was friends with who. I had better use of my time, and emotional quota.

Still, some part of me wanted to think that he was different. Now that it had been a few years since the Mutant Act was introduced, Leo and his brothers had no problem finding their place in our school clicks.

He was a football player, the quarterback. He had every cheerleader talking about him and every college looking at him.

Not that I was looking or talking about him. No. Of course not.

We had Chemistry together. The class not... We were lab partners, that was it. Got it? 

Good. Because my heart didn’t.

First hour chem, bright and early at seven thirty in the morning. What a joy. I took my seat at about seven ten and scrolled through my Tumblr notifications, answering what I could. He sat down next to me at about seven fifteen.

Taking out a binder that wasn’t for this class—not that I was nosey, but I knew what Shakespeare looked like okay?—He skimmed through a few pages and tried to underline, hesitating to write.

“Engle?” I asked softly, looking up from my phone. “I think I have him an hour before you,” I offered a small smile.

“Yeah,” He nodded and sighed. “Why of all things would he choose Macbeth?” Leo muttered.

“He’s a Harry Potter fan. It’s in there. So, he probably likes the familiarity.” I shrugged. “And there’s a lot of good symbolism and stuff in it to write about.”

“You actually understand this?” He looked at me shocked.

I let out a small laugh and looked down quickly, trying not to blush. 

“Most of the time,” I admitted.

Bri perched at the edge of our table and quickly captured his attention, talking about the game Friday. I sighed internally and took out my stuff for class. Class droned on, covalent bonding... real riveting stuff.

All the while I watched as Leo tried to do both, chemistry and English work as he tried to decipher both codes. Deciding that I had no control over my heart anymore, I took out my other binder—my English binder—and slipped out my “No Fear Shakespeare” Macbeth book from the pocket and slid it over to him with a soft smile before giving my attention back to the teacher.

“Thanks,” He offered it back to me at the end of class.

“Keep it, I’ve read it enough times.” I hugged my binder to my chest. “And I think you need it more than I do,”

He let out a little sheepish laugh and looked down. “Yeah, probably. Thanks Y/n,”

“Anytime,”

I watched him walk away and sighed.

“You like him,” Megan nudged my shoulder, grinning—she was a sorta friend of mine. We had done a few projects together—I gave her a shrug.

Maybe I did. But maybe I didn’t want to admit it. 

“I can set you two up,” She smirked.

“No, God no, I’m not like that anymore Megs, you know that. That... that part of me is gone.” I shook my head as we walked to second hour together—Engle.

___________________________

Leo stared at the book in his hands. Your notes were all over it and there were so many little tabs and dog eared pages. He couldn’t quite figure out your system, but there had to be some importance for what you highlighted or marked.

And then there was the matter of why you had given it to him in the first place. You were smart, he knew that. You blew past him in every class and he had no idea how. Your homework was always done, and your essays were always exemplified. And you had given him this book. Your holy grail of Shakespeare notes. And you told him to keep it.

He knew who you were, last year you hung out with him and his—your—friends, but this year, something changed. It was like you removed yourself all together form his group. He hadn’t heard any drama that went down, or fights... you just sort of fell out.

“Who’d you pay for that?” Raph joked, nodding to the book. “Or did you steal it form some nerd?”

“It’s Y/n’s.” Leo narrowed his eyes at his brother, “She gave it to me.”

“You still like her then?” Raph raised an eyebrow.

“No,” He shot down quickly, then sighed, “It’s complicated... over the summer. I don’t know what happened. We just don’t talk anymore.”

“Well, have you made an effort to talk to her?” Raph mused. “I know you act like some bigshot athlete, but you are still my brother, fearless. You’re not fooling anyone, and I don’t think you’re fooling her either.”

“How could she possibly know anything?” Leo muttered.

“She’s a smart kid. Weird at time sure, but she did something I have to give her credit for.”

“What?”

“She stopped pretending.”

____________________________

My phone buzzed as I was combing through my math homework—curse you, derivatives. I picked it up and saw that it was a snap message from Leo.

Cursing Megan internally, I opened it. 

—Leo: thanks for the book :)

I stared at the message, trying to figure out if Megan had talked to him or not. But if Megan knew, so did the whole cheer squad probably. I didn’t think that Leo did though.

—Y/n: sure

There, totally casual.

—Leo: I think engle thinks I’m cheating because I suddenly got good at understanding macbeth

I chuckled at that and shook my head. Yeah, that would be Engle. Maybe I would talk to him about it.

—Y/n: He would

See? Still casual. No reason for alarm. It was almost easier talking to him like this. There were no expectations, no one was watching. It just...was.

—Leo: you going to the game Friday?

 Okay, so maybe not.

—Y/n: I dunno, not really my scene. 

—Leo: You used to go all the time last year

—Y/n: Things change...

—Leo: It wasn’t something that I did was it?

I stared at the letters, trying to make sense of what they meant. Well I knew what they meant; I just didn’t know where they came from. Why would he think that he was the problem? We barely talked at all least year. Maybe a streak here and there on snapchat... but nothing...

—Y/n: Why would you have done something?

—Y/n: It’s fine, I just stopped trying to impress people whose opinions didn’t matter

—Y/n: Not that your opinion doesn’t matter to me

I quickly added that.

—Leo: oh

—Leo: okay

What was I supposed to make of that? I groaned and rubbed my face.

—Y/n: I promise that it wasn’t anything that you did

—Y/n: I was just tired of living up to other people’s expectations

—Y/n: So, I stopped

He didn’t respond for a few minutes, so I put down my phone and started to read the next equation, when my phone buzzed again. It was him.

—Leo: It’s not the same without you around

Okay, what the hell was that supposed to mean? How the hell was I supposed to respond to that? My heart was elated that he had said something like that, but I didn’t want to hope that he had missed me. There had to be something that I was missing. Maybe this was a set up...

—Y/n: I’m still here

There. Nonchalant. I set down my phone and ignored it when it buzzed again, determined to finish my homework before midnight.

The notification wasn’t him. It was just an email.

 ________________________

Leo walked into class the next morning and found you sitting there. Not like you hadn’t been there before him every morning of class. But it seemed different, though you remained the same.

He sat down next to you, almost nervous, and not knowing why. 

“Morning,” He offered.

“Hi,” You looked up and smiled.

He could see that something hid behind your smile, but he didn’t know what. He wanted to know. It dawned on him that maybe he never really knew you at all last year. Just a persona, like you knew his mask.

_______________________

“Do you like Harry Potter then?” He asked, almost hesitant.

Confusion flitted across my face as I looked up at him, turning off my phone. He continued.

“You mentioned it yesterday. You knew that Macbeth was used in Harry Potter...”

I smiled as he connected the dots for me.

“Uh, don’t tell anyone, because someone will be out for blood. But no, not really. I haven’t read them... and I’ve barely seen the movies,” I admitted, embarrassed.

“Really?” Genuine surprise lit up his face. “God, Donnie would have a heart attack. He and Mikey are so into it. It’s hard to go without one of them mentioning or referencing something,” He sounded annoyed, but with endearment.

I laughed, knowing what that was like.

“Yeah, I’m... I know a lot of fandoms... but never go into Harry Potter. I’ve tried, believe me, but,” I shrugged. “I think I missed the right time in my life to read them ya know?” My eyes met smiling blue ones as he nodded.

“So what fandoms are you into?”

“Oh, we don’t have enough time for that,” I laughed as the bell rang.

“Who knew miss popular over here was such a nerd,” He teased as the teacher started the class.

.

.

Like my stuff? Here’s my masterlist!

[captcas]

Worth Fighting For (6/?)

WORTH FIGHTING FOR by capthamm

Killian “Hook” Jones is a dominate up and comer in the UFC while Emma “The Savior” Swan’s career was cut short. When Hook’s manager moves up and the office brings in UFC’s youngest legend to keep him in check, will either of them be able to handle it?

read on ao3 // tumblr: ch 1/ ch 2 / ch 3 / ch 4 / ch 5

[CHAPTER 6/?]

“Humbert, huh? Didn’t peg him as your type, Swan.” When Emma called to move today’s check-in meeting with Regina to tomorrow afternoon, he pried as to why. He was foolish to assume it had something to do with him.

Why would it? It’s not like she kissed the living daylights out of him on Friday.

One day he’ll stop chasing this woman.

“Yeah, well he asked if I wanted dinner and I figured why not.” She’s deflecting, and he can sense she didn’t plan on telling him this. “That’s none of your business anyway. Can you move the meeting or not?”

“As you wish, Swan.” He hangs up after agreeing to her new meeting. Not wanting to hear anymore about her date.

He had hoped the kiss meant something, that he meant something.

Seems like foolish is the word of the day.

He calls up Will and Robin and they agree to meet him at the pub for a drink. He doesn’t care if it’s a Monday, the radio silence after their kiss followed by this phone call warrants at least one glass of rum. Killian spent the entirety of the weekend trying to run into her again. He worked out more than he has in months, feigning the need to train but really just hoping to catch a glimpse of her at the gym. She never showed. He sits at the bar waiting for his friends and replays Friday night in his head for what must be the hundredth time.

He knew nothing good would come from challenging her, or kissing her, but he couldn’t help himself. It’s like he loses all sense of balance around her, his entire world tilting on its already unstable axis. He pinches the bridge of his nose, trying to numb the migraine that’s been pounding in his head since she kissed him.

He thought his life may actually be looking up for a change. Foolish.

Robin and Will walk through the door as he polishes off his second glass. The looks on their faces mirror one another and he knows they’re going to make him talk. “Not tonight, mates. Just drink.”

He waves for the bartender to bring over their drinks as Robin speaks up, “We are not playing that game, Killian. You don’t call us on a Monday for ‘just drinks’ if there’s nothing to talk about.”

Sometimes Killian forgets Robin isn’t really his father.  

“Aye, out wit’ it, mate. Who’s the lass?” Will wiggles his eyebrows clearly amused by whatever Robin told him. “I haven’t seen ya like this since–” Robin elbows him in the side. “Oi, mate what was that for?”

Robin shoots Will an icy glare before turning back to Killian, “Come on, what happened?”

Killian sighs, knowing there's no way around this, “Emma and I shared a kiss.”

Robin chokes on his whiskey (again) and Will whoops and slaps his back. “Aye, mate! Thatta boy! What ya looking so down in th’ dumps fer then?”

Robin rolls his eyes before turning to Killian warily, “What happened after?”

Killian shakes Will’s hand off his shoulder, and finishes his glass of rum. He responds through the burn of the liquid coating his throat, “She moved our meeting with Regina because she has a date,” he holds a finger up to Will who looks ready to order a round of celebratory shots, “with Humbert.”

Robin hisses and Will lets out a low whistle, “Aye, that’s rough, mate. Next round on Rob.” Robin goes to argue but it falls short to Will shouting their order. In an unspoken agreement, they spend the rest of the night talking about anything but Emma Swan.

This is why he called them, enough humor and good sense to help him ignore everything that’s weighed him down for the past three days.  It works until he finds himself alone in his room wide awake at 2am. Finding the events of Friday night flooding his thoughts once again.

Where’d he go wrong?

He couldn’t have “gone wrong”; she kissed him.

He grabs his phone, accepting his fate of yet another sleepless night. He mindlessly scrolls through Twitter begging for anything to take his mind off the woman who won’t leave his thoughts. Before he knows it, the glow of the clock threatens 3am and he feels his body gives in where his mind would not. The last thing he hears is the slight ding of what is probably a Facebook notification before drifting off to sleep.

. . .

This date is probably the worst idea Emma’s ever had— besides maybe kissing Killian Jones— jury’s still out on that one.

It’s not that the date is bad, it’s actually damn good . The food is fantastic, Graham is a complete gentleman, and the conversation is easy. It feels like she’s known him her whole life.

So why does it all feel so wrong?

She has no idea until they’re standing on the sidewalk and Graham is chatting about some ancient bottle of whiskey he has back at his place and she tries to smile at him in that specific way she wants to reserve for Killian.

Killian.

She suddenly understands why this entire night has felt off. That kiss with Killian meant more to her than she ever wanted it to– she had really hoped it would get him out of her system, not engrain him deeper into it. She knows it’ll more than likely take some time, and they should really know more about each other than their fight records, but she finds herself oddly willing to put in some work.

Dammit, Killian Jones.

She smiles politely before thanking Graham for the food and feigning exhaustion despite the fact that she’ll be lucky to catch even a wink of sleep tonight. She’s positive he expected their night to continue, but she’s not in the business of leading men on. Graham isn’t stupid and can probably tell this is their last date, but he’s nice all the same and ends the night with a chaste kiss to her cheek and helping her into the cab.

She gets home and thanks Ruby for watching Henry, before checking to make sure he’s actually sleeping. Ruby tries to ask about the date but gives her a knowing look when Emma practically shoves her out the door. “That’s ‘cause it was with the wrong hottie.”

Emma rolls her eyes when she hears her friend through the door and decides pretending like she never heard that is probably for the best.  She jumps in the shower, her mind racing with all the realizations she had after one night with a man who was not Killian Jones. She  isn’t sure if it's the buzz of the wine from dinner or the electricity that is still lingering in every single nerve from their kiss on Friday night, but as she lays in bed she finds herself grabbing her phone before she even realizes what for. She scrolls to his name and types out a ridiculous amount of text messages before landing on something decidedly simple:

Emma: Tomorrow? Same time. Same place. I’ll buy.

She fully expects to regret it in the morning, so she’s surprised at the anticipation which she feels stirring in her gut. Emma’s not usually one to kick things off– she doesn’t usually kiss men like that either– but with Killian Jones she finds that fear dissipating leaving behind only excitement and maybe the smallest trace of hope.

Emma wakes to find an abundance of texts– mostly from Graham who apparently didn’t get the hint– but is disappointed to see her text to Killian left unanswered. She tells herself he’s probably not up at the ass crack of dawn like she is– kids will do that to you and she’s pretty sure he doesn’t have kids. She makes a mental note to ask– subtly of course– he doesn’t even know about Henry.

Shit.

She somehow makes Henry breakfast and wonders the best way to tell her client/guy-you-kissed that she has a son. She’s truly shocked when she gets said son to the bus on time, and walks into the office around 8:15 giving her enough time to prepare before her meeting with Killian. As she’s settling in at her desk, she sees Regina call her over. Emma sighs, nerves fluttering in her gut for more reason than one, and walks into Regina’s office.

“It comes to my attention you’ve never attended a Fight Night?” Regina asks while stirring creamer into her coffee. She’s not sure how Regina knows that; she mentioned it to Sidney in onboarding, but— well, that’s how she knows. There’s no judgment in Regina’s voice, but Emma can’t help suddenly feeling inadequate for the position she’s been given.

Emma sighs before rambling a bit, a habit she’s consciously trying to kick, “Well... obviously I’ve fought in them... but that was when UFC was still on Fox... and since they’ve moved to ESPN I haven’t–”

Regina cuts her off, “Alright then, we will set up a time for you and Jones to attend one. I will book the hotel rooms and secure tickets. It will be good PR for him and a good way for you to get a lay of the land before his first official fight.” Regina is scrolling through her calendar now, Emma assumes looking for the next time there’s a fight relatively close. “Ah, yes, Miss Swan, they are in Maine this weekend. Can you make yourself available Friday and Saturday night?”

“Of course, Mrs. Mills. Thank you, Mrs. Mills.” Emma stands up to leave her office as Regina speaks again.

“Oh and Miss Swan, I trust you can tell Mr. Jones of his new obligations for this Friday and Saturday.”

Emma’s excitement at the prospect of attending a Fight Night without actually having to work seems to have overshadowed the realization that Killian would be attending as well. She sighs, “Of course Mrs. Mills, I have a meeting with him now. Thank you again.”

Emma leaves Regina’s office and immediately pulls out her phone to see if Killian got her message. There’s still no reply but she supposes she deserves that– she did ghost him after kissing the holy hell out of him. She shoots off a message to Mary Margaret asking if they’re available to take Henry this weekend, and grabs her laptop. Taking a leap of faith, Emma grabs walks to the coffee shop with only a sliver of hope that he’ll be waiting for her at all.

She can’t help but let out a sigh of relief when she sees Killian sitting at their usual table– with two drinks. He’s scrolling through his phone and doesn’t notice her walk in. She takes a deep breath— and a selfish moment to really drink in every piece of him— before approaching him. As she enters his space, he looks up politely, meeting her eyes. She can’t help but notice they are almost navy, a stark difference from the normal sea blue she usually finds there. She realizes that she’s staring when he clears his throat and chuckles,  “Good morning, Swan.”

. . .

He didn’t expect the notification he heard just before shutting his eyes for the night to be from her– definitely not after the way he acted during their last phone call– but Killian would be a bloody liar if he said his heart didn’t do something absolutely stupid when he saw her name on his phone. He didn’t answer– a slight jab, sure– but he’s allowed to be petty.

It killed him.

Killian had hoped she’d still come –had thought it daft but had hoped all the same– so when he caught the flash of blonde out of the corner of his eye, it took every ounce of his willpower to not look up. As she approached the table he scrolled through his email inbox (as though he didn’t clean it out every morning), not reading a single word.

She steps awfully close to him and he can no longer play ignorant to her presence. He looks up and meets her emerald eyes. They’re almost hesitant in their gaze, but she’s staring. He smirks at that thought and decides to put her out of her misery with a slight grunt and a greeting. He uses her nickname despite himself, more out of habit than endearment today.

The smile she responds with is radiant.

He’s never going to be able to stay away from this woman, how could he when her dimples– whoa, Jones .

She sits down next to him. “I said I would buy.” She seems happy and he can’t help the flare of envy which runs up his spine.

He turns back to his phone, hoping to filter her ability to read him by averting eye contact and the words slip out before he can stop them, “How’s Humbert?”

He regrets it immediately, but she doesn’t even flinch. “Well, based on the 23 text messages I received today, I’d imagine much more interested than I am.”

Killian’s head snaps up and he has to physically put his hand under his chin in order to stop his jaw from dropping. She smirks - almost knowingly- as he answers, “That bad, huh?”

She shrugs, but it’s everything but nonchalant, “Not bad, just not interested.” She pauses, presumably for him to say something, but he’s already made up his mind. This is her race, he’ll follow her to the end of the earth or time or wherever the fuck she wants to go, but she’s driving. He just nods with a smile and she seems to take that as a hint to keep talking. “Anyway, I have some news.” His breath hitches entirely involuntarily— don’t be ridiculous, Jones, Humbert wouldn’t have proposed after one date — she rolls her eyes. “Not bad news. At least I don’t think it–”

“Come on, Swan, out with it.”

She relaxes as he cuts off her nervous babble, “Mills is sending us to the Fight Night this weekend... in Maine. I’ve never gone as anything but a fighter -and not since the network switch- so she said it’d be a good idea for me to go and learn the ropes. She wants you to come for a PR stunt promoting your match, which is in four weeks by the way...”

Her voice trails off in his head as he wraps his mind around spending a weekend with her. He’s not sure it’s a good idea– he’s hovering awfully close to the line of professionalism Emma seems determined not to cross– but he doesn’t care. This is his chance to really get to know her and he’d be a damn idiot not to take it.

“...Killian are you even listening to me?”

She’s giving him one of her token annoyed looks that he knows means she’s not really annoyed and he can’t help the smirk that forms as he answers, “Aye, love. This weekend is Maine with you, and four weeks until my next fight. Do we know who I’m fighting yet?” He takes a sip of coffee to hide his obvious nerves at the last question.

She rolls her eyes, but he can tell it’s all in jest, “I literally just said that, Jones. They emailed me today. It’s some newcomer, Phillip “Sleeper” Rose. They’ll officially announce it after the fights this weekend. He was on the Contender Series last season and has only fought twice– seems reckless to put him up against you and his lack of fights will probably make training tough...”

Killian nods his head in agreement. It is a stupid stunt and will definitely throw off his usual training which includes researching his opponent’s past fights– usually theres more than two. “Aye, it will.”

Bloody hell.

He sighs, scrubbing his left hand across his face. He’s not usually nervous for fights but somehow he feels like he owes Emma a win, like her career depends on him– it sort of does. She must notice his worry and she reaches across the table. Killian flinches at the unexpected contact but she holds a bit tighter. He should love this, but honestly confusion washes over him first. He can’t read what she wants and it’s driving him insane.

He needs a break.

Killian pulls his hand from hers and he internally winces at the wave of disappointment that crosses her face, but he can't do this. He doesn’t want to sway her opinion of him and he’s worried he won’t be able to take it slow. “Anyway, love,” he winces again– habit betraying him once more, “is there anything else for today?”

She looks confused and he feels his own heart breaking, but it's for the best. He wants this decision to be her own. “Uh, no I don’t think so. Just remember we have the check in meeting with Regina this afternoon.”

“Of course, Swan. I’ll see you there, aye?” He gives her a soft smile and basks in the one she gives back for as long as possible before standing up and heading towards the door.

. . .

Emma isn’t really sure what just happened. The Killian she’s been working with for almost two weeks now was not the one sitting across from her right now. She could read the conflict all over his face.

She did this.

Fuck.

“Killian. Killian! Wait!”  What is she doing?

He turns around at her voice, seemingly stunned by the fact she followed him– she doesn’t blame him. “Did I forget something, Swan?” He smiles warily and scratches nervously behind his ear– she’s not saying it’s adorable, but it’s adorable.

“Uh,” wow, she does not do this, “Can we talk… not about UFC?”

His smile reaches his eyes. “Of course, love.” He leads them back to their table– they have a table– calm down, Emma.

“So, this is weird now, right?”

Killian chuckles at her bluntness and she can’t help but relax a little bit. “A bit, love. I’m just not entirely sure where we stand.”

She sighs, “Me either. I sorta fucked this all up. I want to be a team– friends even? Can we... start over?” She gives him a hesitant smile.

“I’d like that.” She doesn’t think she’s ever heard a more genuine string of words…  or seen more genuine eyes… and that smile. God damn, Emma. “Killian Jones.” He reaches out his hand and looks at her expectantly.

She chuckles to herself and grabs his hand, desperately pretending she doesn’t remember the way it felt tangled in her hair, “Emma Swan.”

He smiles that smile, “Pleasure, love.” She can’t help but smile back. “I’ll see you later, hm?”

She nods, “Friends?” He winks and suddenly life feels back on track.

“Friends.” He’s still smiling and she’s pretty sure it could power the entire city of Boston. “Later, Swan.”

She smiles back and it’s real and she realizes she’s happy. “Friends.”

Really happy. They’re going to Maine this weekend free from awkwardness and the kiss she’s pretending she regrets and they’re friends— they can definitely do friends.

[diningpageantry]

Scales, Fins, and other Fishy Daydreams

Archive Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18215168/chapters/43151156

Chapter 3/10 of It’s A Handheld Disaster

Word Count: 1553

Chapter Summary: Baz takes Simon's shitpost text a step further, and the outcome ends up spreading a few rumors.

SIMON

bi-sammy: sammy would still fuck huxley if he looked like the fish from shape of water

I grin smugly at my screen, sitting in a dark room with nothing shining but my mobile. The shutters stay shut, and the light from the bottom of the doorway barely filters into the room. It’s just me, this scratchy blanket, and Baz, somewhere else in England on another screen. I absolutely adore that.

gaystrell: why would you say something so controversial yet so brave.jpg

Sometimes, I catch myself smiling. Other times, I elect to ignore how real it feels. It’s weird, given that it feels like I’m just chatting with someone who I see everyday. The casualness of this reminds me of texting Penny in the afternoon on a Thursday.

Except, given the current time, it could be interpreted as more intimate than that of a friend’s text.

8am on a Saturday is usually a time reserved for comfort. For staying warm with someone you care about. Instead, I’m just messaging Baz.

bi-sammy: because im right

bi-sammy: hear me out here ive got a brilliant idea

gaystrell: whoever taught you the definition of a brilliant idea was clearly misleading you

bi-sammy: dont be an arse until youve heard it

bi-sammy: wanker

gaystrell: you’re truly proving your point

bi-sammy: ANYWAY

bi-sammy: shape of water au

bi-sammy: thats all

gaystrell: i’m appalled.

gaystrell: hold on.

I don’t think much of it. Occasionally, he disappears for an hour to two. I don’t bother asking, assuming it’s none of my business, but I do tend to worry a bit. I hope he’s alright.

After clicking off my phone, my head settles against my pillow as my eyes fall shut.

There’s something about this. There’s something about him. It’s a bit hard to pinpoint what it is, but the overwhelming feeling of comfort I have in the notifications I get from him just answering my bullshit is incredibly welcomed. He’s semisweet. I don’t know why I didn’t see it earlier, but he’s a fantastically bitter person.

My head slowly turns over, eyes opening and straining in the darkness.

I hate my empty room.

I hate the absence of comfort--I hate the plainness of these walls.

I want to say I hate my foster dad, but I also feel like I’m not allowed to say that. Not because the system will take me again and throw me back (even though I could have left a year back, if I was still in it). Instead, I feel like I shouldn’t hate him. Theoretically, I should be thankful for what I have. I’m not in a boy’s home, and I haven’t been since I was 11, but the remnants remain. The fights don’t go away, and neither do the weeks of starvation.

Still, I sort of despise living here under Davy.

That’s what he makes me call him. His name. His nickname. Not dad; of course not dad. He’s had me in his care for roughly six years, but he’s still Davy to me.

Shitty fucking Davy, with his strict curfews and practically using me as a housemaid because he’s too cheap to care for himself.

Shitty fucking Davy, not letting me add anything to my room because the day I turn 18, I’m out of here until his next kid (and cheque, apparently) come in. Told me I’d wreck the walls and ruin his furniture if I did put anything on it, too.

So that’s what I’ve got. Blank walls, blank furniture, blank everything. It’s like a jail cell for a bedroom, and everything I’ve got to show for myself is in a backpack and two dresser drawers/

But, at least, I own my mobile.

Every summer job, mixed with odds and ends shit and whatever I can do for my bill. It’s all mine, and Davy can’t fucking touch it.

Maybe that’s why, when I feel it buzz against my chest, it makes me feel more alive. It’s a reminder of all that work just to be able to talk to someone freely.

Arguably, the best feeling in the goddamn world.

I grab it and flip it over. It’s just an email about uni.

Fuck.

I end up scrolling through tumblr for a little while, doing nothing but liking and reblogging a thing here or there. It takes a little while before a little drop down falls from the top of my screen.

gaystrell: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1r7Wkwj7MSFk0--DgquHGhYVBbqneEYq0J01t0uMRmxA/edit?usp=sharing

gaystrell: feel the need to apologize before you click the link, but then again, you asked for this hell

When I click on it, it pulls up a doc titled just “crackfic”, and I’m floored with the first sentence alone.

“Fuck my fish ass harder, daddy.”

My hand flies up, covering my mouth as I practically wheeze as quietly as possible. A few paragraphs in and I’m nearly crying into my palm, muffling my laughter as I read through pages upon pages of the most ridiculous fic I’ve ever laid my eyes upon.

I check the word count out of pure curiosity, and it somehow makes me laugh harder.

bi-sammy: holy fucking shit

bi-sammy: i swear to god if you don���t post that i will

gaystrell: already in the process of making the archive post

gaystrell: i seriously believe you underestimate my sincere ability to be the biggest dick on the street

bi-sammy: i dont know whether or not u meant that as ur literal dick or the big dick energy in making that a post but id probably agree with you in both

bi-sammy: tag me in the post pls i want to be the first to reblog it

gaystrell: you’re a ridiculous, sad, little man

gaystrell: of course i’ll tag you

Within minutes, it’s uploaded with the absolute worst slew of Archive tags attached to it, and as soon as he tags me in his post, I tap the notification.

Scales, Fins, and other Fishy Daydreams

Word Count: 3,192

Summary: Fish!Huxley and Sam get it on Shape of Water style

@bi-sammy this is your fault (you're welcome)

I immediately slam like and pull up reblog, rapidly typing out my response before posting.

absolute madman. cant believe youve done this. i trust you with my entire life.

As usual, he's quick to reblog back.

anything for the absolute pain in my life x

Smiling shamelessly, I ride on the moment's high as our conversation stays out in the world. I quite enjoy this version of his softness. The public, taunting replies to mine. In all this time of following him, I can't really recall him ever being this friendly with anyone but me.

Makes me feel special. Maybe too much so.

BAZ

The jarring shock of the seemingly endless notifications rattles me momentarily speechless.

It isn't even 15 minutes after I'd replied to Snow and there's already a few people reblogging it with comments about him and I. A quick “i ship y'all’ to “powermove of the century”. Each make me flush deeper as the replies flood in.

If I were to be practical, I'm aware that I shouldn't be so flustered over the concept of us being a couple. It's most likely my overactive, sad, lonely imagination, but the idea of being loved just makes me blush. Especially since it's someone who doesn't seem to absolutely loathe me.

gaystrell: are you reading these?

bi-sammy: the what?

bi-sammy: i have. nothing to read. i cant read.

gaystrell: use your two remaining brain cells look at the notes for the crackfic

bi-sammy: holy shit

bi-sammy: im cackling

A notification pops up, making me snort this time. I pull up the post and send it off to him without a second thought.

gaystrell: sent a post

gaystrell: “sounds like something huxley would do for sam”

bi-sammy: stop im gonna piss myself shits too fucking funny

I pull it back up, scrolling down to reblog and adding a quick reply that, in all honesty, I should have thought out more. Secretly, part of me is glad that I sent it.

huxley wishes he was this smooth ;)

Within seconds, replies flood in from everywhere. From jokes about Snow and I possibly dating to the concept of Huxley writing (purposefully) shitty homoerotica about himself as a fishman. I quite like the conversation about the latter, while the former makes my chest knot in ways inexplicable.

Going through the notes makes me smile, even if it's mildly embarrassing. The amount of times I've seen the eyes emoji used is definitely excessive, but still somewhat welcomed.

Even my archive has a few comments already, although more based around the fic itself. More ironically, though, is the one person who probably took it seriously and just commented, “Nice fic!” I love the abundance of shameless appreciation for obscure fanfiction in the depths of this community.

Snow's messages roll down my mobile screen as I'm checking the comments, continuously replacing the previous message for the top slot.

bi-sammy: mate

bi-sammy: i love you

bi-sammy: also every time you reblog something of mine i get like 5 followers

bi-sammy: if you mention me i get 10

bi-sammy: youre???????????? a god????????

bi-sammy: can i marry you????????????

I slowly close my laptop, eyes on my phone with an absolutely gleeful grin.

gaystrell: when and where?

[jeniiii]

Clichés and Basketball Games || p.p

Summary: In which Peter falls for the girl behind the counter

Words: 1297

Warnings: A few swears, shit writing if I’m being honest

Comments: I know I’ve been inactive for a long time, but school became a pain in the ass, but I’m back with a sorta decent (not really, lmao) imagine. I just wanted to thank you guys because I have 294 followers and I’m so extremely thankful and confused??? Like, why are you following a loser like me, haha. Just, thank you for following me and supporting me, despite the fact I still suck at using tumblr and am barely on here most of the time. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!

************* 

Peter wasn't really one to attend basketball games.

But, after the non stop chiding from Ned (who unfortunately got stuck as the score keeper of the night, thanks to a certain experiment gone wrong in chem and an angry - not to mention blue - science teacher) and the slight taunting from a certain little rich boy, Peter found himself sitting in the bleachers of the Midtown High gymnasium, watching a bunch of sweaty dudes running around and tossing a ball to each other.

It was no surprise that Peter wasn't exactly enjoying himself, barely paying attention to the game and more so on the watch that sat on his wrist. His duties as the one and only masked superhero of New York never seemed to be at rest, leg bouncing at the chance to jump up and save whoever was in danger that night. His watch flashed with nothing but the time. No alerts, no notifications telling him to slip right into his Spidey suit and into the night sky. Nothing. He started to wonder if this watch was of any use to him, as he was still working out the bugs and programs he placed into it the night before.

"Ned, I'm telling you, I tried to get into the police station's radio and connect it to the watch's system, but all I got was some old folk-song french shit. It won't even turn off now and I'm pretty sure May is getting suspicious with the random noises coming from my room."

He shook his head, getting up from his seat and heading down the stairs to the booth Ned currently sat at, watching the boy's leg bounce anxiously under the wooden table in front of him.

"I'm gonna get a snack. You want anything?"

Distracted with keeping track of the points and the many fouls on the court, Ned barely glanced at Peter before replying, "Uh, yeah, could you get me a hot dog? This job is killing me, man. I mean, the rules don't even make sense!"

Letting a laugh slip past his lips, Peter nudged Ned's arm and headed out to find the concession, still glancing at the watch that sat silent on his skin.

*****

Peter stood in line, watching his finger tips play with the many buttons attached to his watch. The line for the concession turned out to be way longer than anticipated, countless minutes spent in an unmoving queue as rowdy teens waited impatiently to finally order their food. Peter didn't mind much. The longer he was away from the sweat and heat that was found in that gymnasium, the happier he was.

A crease formed on his forehead, watching as the object on his wrist lit up, a white light flashing across his face. He smiled, containing his excitement, before lifting his eyes to the line in front of him. Many heads were bouncing up and down, trying to get a closer glimpse as to why the line seemed constantly unmoving for several minutes. Peter grew tired of waiting, him too moving head along with the others. He didn't quite understand why the concession was taking so long. Surely this wasn't their first high school basketball game?

After a few minutes of exasperated sighs and mumbling swears, the queue finally started moving along, teens excitedly singing their orders and waiting off to the side. Soon enough, Peter found himself right in front of the menu, squinting to get a better look at the prices.

"Hi! Sorry the line too so long. Jerry broke the damn popcorn machine again and we had to get the janitor up here to fix it." She let off a nervous laugh, feeling her voice cut off after realizing the boy in front of her had no care for her words. "Um, what would you like?"

Peter barely glanced at the girl speaking to him, totally enraptured in the ridiculous prices pasted above him; five bucks for one hot dog!? That's bullshit.

"Uh, yeah, could I get two hot dogs please? Oh! And a bottled water." His head nodded, glad he didn't completely mess up his order.

"Perfect! That'll be twelve dollars."

Peter scrunched up his nose at the amount of money he had to lose at that very moment, grabbing the money out of his wallet and handing it over to the cashier. After staring at the food items for frankly, more time than necessary, Peter didn't bother to acknowledge the girl who's been serving him the past seven minutes. But when his eyes met hers, he felt his whole body shut down.

She was beautiful; bright and smiling and absolutely gorgeous. Peter didn't know what to say - what to do and soon he found himself just staring into the eyes of the girl in front of him. His hands began to sweat, all social skills flying out his head and into the middle of nowhere. Everything was silent, the two teens sharing a moment of absolute bliss before -

"Il était une Dame Tartine. Dans un beau palais de buerre frais - "

His eyes widened, flying down to the watch sitting on his wrist. The song played loudly, causing many people's attention to be pulled towards the fumbling boy in front of the concession stand.

"What the f - please stop." His teeth nervously gnawed down on his lip, glancing at the girl who, frankly, couldn't help from letting a few giggles pass through her lips.

"Here," she smiled, reaching across the counter and grabbing Peter's wrist. "You just have to press this button."

Soon, the music shut off, relief flooding into his system. "H-How did you do that?"

"My dad has one of those watches too. A smart watch, right?" Peter didn't feel like it was necessary to blab his secret identity to some - absolutely stunning - girl, simply nodding. "Yeah, he had some troubles with it too."

Peter smiled, before he felt a nudge behind him. A man stood, shadowing over him with a scowl painting his lips. He took that as a sign and quickly handed his money off, practically running away from the girl of his dreams without another word.

He didn't want to go back. No, not after he completely embarrassed himself in front of the cashier. But, assuming Ned was starving his ass off in the gym, and he, himself missing dinner and about twelve bucks out of his wallet, he had no choice than to go pick up his order.

A few moments passed by before Peter heard his order, staring down at the ground before going to grab his food. No way was he making anymore eye contact with the girl behind the counter.

"Here are your two hot dogs and a water." He reached out his arms, careful to avoid the eyes of the girl staring back at him."Thanks for ordering, Peter."

His head shot up, wondering how in living hell this girl knew his name. She simply winked, pointing down at his tray before going back to her job. Soon, he found himself searching the tray, looking like absolute madman as he pushed his way through to the bottom. His eyes caught sight of a little piece of paper, small words written across.

'You're pretty cute and smart from what I've seen during the two classes we have together. I'd love to talk more with you. Text me sometime.' Peter felt so stupid, oblivious to the fact the girl he was completely infatuated with was in two goddamn classes with him

Nonetheless, he felt his heart rate pick up and a smile graze his lips, staring down at the number and name scrawled to the bottom of the note.

Maybe he enjoyed basketball game more than he thought.

[theonetheycallhannah]

The Treatment of Captain Syverson-Prologue: History

Characters: OFC (Shane Benton), OMC (Elliott Thomas)

Summary: Shane Benton is a hard-working physical therapist and a loving girlfriend…but her boyfriend has a less than desirable way of showing it.

In case you’ve fallen behind or want to read more of my drabbles!

Word Count: 1.5k

Warnings:  Language, mature themes, angst, infidelity, domestic violence (moderate). Yeah, this may be a tad rough for some readers, but I tried to be mild, and mostly implicit. It was hard still, to see my fictional offspring go through this, even if she gives as good as she gets!

Author’s Note: Oh, y’all. When I needed a break from the sweet tenderness of Chapter 8, I came here and put Shane through some hell. (You can blame one of my friends I was talking about for this angst as they’re the one who put me into angsty headspace by cheating on my other friend! It’s been weighing on me! But I guess at least I’ve been able to use it!) I really hope you enjoy a bit of backstory on our heroine! I really liked writing her ferocity.

Also, I meant to have this posted yesterday, but because of some tragedy in one of my other fandoms (and the world, in general! Rest In Power, Chadwick Boseman!) and a bit of craziness in my personal life (my HS bestie wanted to hang out this weekend, so I spent a lot of time with her…also…I’ve been talking to a real live fella! OMG! And it’s entirely too soon to say that I like him, but like…I very much do…but he’s far away and recently single and things are complicated in just, several ways, so it just can’t happen at this point. But…like, we have been talking a ton recently, and…sigh. I have found it difficult to focus on the matters at hand. But, rest assured, I’m working on Chapter Nine, and it will be up just as soon as I find my rhythm!

Disclaimer: Unbeta’d because this is for fun and escapism. (Well, this isn’t a super fun chapter, I guess!)

Tags: 

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@bloodyinspiredfuck

@agniavateira

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@omgkatinka

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Hope I’m not forgetting anyone! If you want to be notified when I post a new chapter or work, I’ll be happy to add you to my tag list! (Also, if you’ve asked and aren’t on the list...well...that would be because I forgot to add you and reminding me will not offend or upset me. I think I might have ADD, or something, and being reminded about things is kind of how I survive!) Stricken blogs are getting personal messages from me when a new chapter is uploaded because Tumblr’s faulty tagging system will not stand in the way of me delivering what the people want!(?) lol! (Although…their lackadaisical notification system might…sorry for that. I have no control. lol!)

X@X@X@X@X@X@X@X

5 years ago-

Shane got home from work, exhausted. The new electronic documentation system they'd just implemented was kicking her ass. And Anita's, whom she constantly had to help with it, all the while hearing Anita bellow "When can I retire?!" which lost its charm on about the third day.

"Elliott, I'm home." She didn't smell anything cooking, despite the fact that she knew he was off all day today. Whatever. She was used to him doing virtually nothing but whatever hipster bullshit he got up to on Instagram and YouTube, trying to get off the ground as an influencer with a brand…spare her. Since when did that become a job? She didn’t mind to get takeout though, if only she knew he wasn’t cooking. Maybe she should have asked. "Honey, I could have picked something up if--" she was startled by him in the doorway to the hall, in only his anime boxers, looking like he was trying to not be surprised she was home. "What?"

"Nothing, just…excited to see you! How was your day?" Elliott asked, scratching the back of his neck, displacing his mid-length, slightly moppy light brown hair, already disheveled. That was his tell. Something was up. She knew it.

"What's going on? Are you hiding something from me?"

"Why would you ask me that? Don't you trust me, baby?!" he guilted. Knowing just the buttons to push for empathy. It wasn't gonna work today. The machine was all out of that selection and full of his bullshit currency.

"Now that you mention it, no. I sure as hell don't." she walked around to enter the hall and investigate the rest of the house. "Let me through." he wouldn't budge. He had the advantage of physical size, but she was still wearing her work uniform including sneakers…he was more than half naked. She stomped hard on his instep and smacked him in the ear as he doubled over. She felt marginally bad for that in the moment…at best he'd get mild tinnitus for a while. At worst, he could have permanent hearing damage. She'd check later for blood coming out of his ear and see if she should feel worse about it then.

She rounded the corner to their bedroom. The quilt her grandma had made her was carelessly crumpled with the top sheet and blanket at the foot board. She noticed a swatch of an orangey red lipstick on her pillow. The same shade smudged onto the full mouth of the panicking strawberry blonde frantically donning clothes in front of her antique mirror, and the same shade, she was guessing, that was smeared across certain places on Elliott’s body that were now covered by those boxers that she had always hated. You know what, Elliott, she thought to herself. Fuck Bleach, and fuck you!

"I'm sure you're a lovely person who's just been lied to by a very charming and manipulative man, but…you still only have ten seconds to get to my front door before I call the cops." Shane threatened the girl, who couldn't have been more than twenty-one…and he was thirty-three.

"She's my guest." Elliott defended.

"You're not even on the lease. Your credit was too bad." she said over her shoulder while still squared off with the girl. She turned back to her. "I'm trying to be calm here, sweetie. But do not make me tell you even one more time to get out of my…fucking…house." the girl picked up her shoes and a small messenger bag from the floor near where Shane stood, keeping as wide a berth as she could, and skittered out of the room in terror.

"How many times, Elliott?"

"Don't do this, Shane."

"No, I think this is something we should do. Count the times you’ve broken my trust. Kissed another girl, fooled around with one, fucked one…I mean…I've never caught you in our bed before, so this LOOKS like a first…I sure hope it is…because I don't recall you doing any laundry since you've lived here. And if I thought you let me sleep in the same sheets that you…I can't even look at you, you son of a bitch."

"It's not what you think, Shane." he said, calmly, as if he'd simply picked up the wrong consistency of peanut butter from the store. The wrong brand of milk. Not that he ever did the shopping.

"Bullshit. Bull. Shit. Elliott. I come home and find you like this, and there's a girl in OUR bedroom, and her lipstick is all over MY pillow, and your balls, no doubt. Not gonna make you prove it, because at this point, I don't give a shit anymore. I've lost count of how many times I've forgiven you, even times you didn't care enough to ask me to. Times you probably don't even know that I know about. But it's done. You're gonna pack up all your things. And you're gonna be gone by the time I get home from work tomorrow. And don't expect me to be late…because I will not be."

"You're acting crazy. You can't do this. Where will I go, Shane?"

"That's not my concern anymore. Find an apartment that accepts Likes and subscriptions and followers as rent and cherish it. But your free ride here is done. I'm not your mom, your maid, your cook, or…anything to you anymore, Elliott."

He was getting angry now. His nostrils flared and his breaths came more quickly.

"Is this because you're fucking another guy? Hmm?" he got in her space, but she was out of the bedroom and back into the hallway. She shouted back.

"Oh, NOW you're gonna try to deflect this onto me? When in holy hell would I have time to get with anyone but you, when we don't even have sex anymore?! It's been, what, two, three months?"

"You work with guys."

"You have no idea who I am. To think that I would do something like that. No idea at all. If I don't have time at home, I certainly don't have time for sex at work, and you can ask any of my coworkers, male OR female. That place is an unsexy, unholy shit show 90% of the time. And the other ten, it's just above bearable."

"Well, I'm still not going anywhere."

"You are. Like I said. You're not on the lease. And all I have to do is call the landlord and tell him you're here without my permission and he'll have the cops here." she had gotten a glass of water…although she needed something stronger, and was standing by the sink with it. Her mouth was getting dry. She couldn't take much more of this without breaking.

"You wouldn't really do that to me though. I'm the only man who can give you what you want." he grabbed her by the arm, hard.

"Let go of me, Elliott."

"Or what." he asked for it. She got the other instep, his groin, and threw water in his face. She grabbed her purse and bolted out the door.

She got quickly on the phone with Heather her closest friend who had recently been hired on as a secretary for her clinic.

"Yello." she said, cheerful.

"Two things: can I crash at your place tonight and what kind of phone do you have?" she asked.

"Yes and a Galaxy something, I dunno, but what the fresh hell are you talking about?"

"I'll explain when I get there. I’m on my way to CVS for some essentials. Do you need anything?"

"Sounds like we need wine and ice cream!"

"Already on the list." She thanked Heather and hung up, calling her landlord.

“This’s Sam.” She heard over the receiver.

“Sam, I’m sorry to bother you, but I have a situation at the house.”

“What’s goin’ on?” He asked concerned. She’d never rented from anyone so kind. He’d become almost family. Like an uncle.

“Long story short, pest control. I’m kicking Elliott out and he has until the time I get home from work tomorrow. I told him you’d be there with the cops if he didn’t comply because he’s not on the lease. Is there any way you can help me and make that good?”

“He hurt ya, Shane?”

“Not, umm…not physically.” Although she had been rubbing the place on her arm where he’d grabbed her, certain there would be a bruise.

“That’s all I need to know. I’ve got a buddy or two on the squad here in town. I’m sure they won’t mind to help me out. You need anything?”

She held back the tears until she could hang up. “I’m staying over at a friend’s tonight and headed into CVS now for a few things I didn’t take time to grab after I kneed him in the groin and ran out.” She had just pulled into the parking lot.

“Well I’m nearby if you need anything when you’re back home.”

“Thanks. I guess just watch for smoke from the place for now. I don’t know what he might do, honestly.”

Up Next: Prologue: Onset of Injury (Sy)

[theonetheycallhannah]

The Treatment of Captain Syverson- Chapter 7: Non-Productive Time

Pairing: Captain “Sy” Syverson x OFC (Shane Benton)

Summary: On a slow afternoon, Shane remembers a couple of fun evenings with Sy, and can’t help but start texting him…he turns out to be a bad influence.

Don’t want spoilers? Click me first to catch up!

Word Count: 2.3k

Warnings:  Language, mature themes, a steamy scene that bumps up against the line of smut/not smut…it looks like smuttish is, in fact, a thing, (see what I did there? Toss a high five to your fic writer for the paraphrased Witcher quote in these here notes! lol! Sorry, i’m tired...and in a weird mood tonight...) so, anyway, using that. I love it. 

Author’s Note: This chapter was about half done before I even started SI1 and SI2! So that’s why it’s come along so quickly in the wake of them. It could also mean that there are some continuity issues…I found a couple during the re-write of the first part, and more when I was proofing, so it should be good, but…fair warning, one or more could have escaped me! Also, let me know if the text convo is hard to follow. I’ll try to reconfigure it to be more clear. It seemed to me like context was enough, and they’d had text convos before, and no one said anything…this one’s longer by about 300%, though, so…feedback and constructive criticism is always welcome and appreciated!

Disclaimer: Unfortunately for me, Henry is not mine, le sigh, and all mention of him, his characters, any characters from his films, or his precious doggy, Kal, are strictly for transformative and recreational use. I neither ask for, nor accept payment for the work I post on Tumblr or AO3. Unbeta’d because this is for fun and escapism.

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@omgkatinka

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@suavechops

Hope I’m not forgetting anyone! If you want to be notified when I post a new chapter or work, I’ll be happy to add you to my tag list! Stricken blogs are getting personal messages from me when a new chapter is uploaded because Tumblr’s faulty tagging system will not stand in the way of me delivering what the people want!(?) lol! (Although…their lackadaisical notification system might…sorry for that. I have no control. lol!)

Time seemed to pass slowly when Shane wasn’t with Sy. When they weren’t having dinner together, or doing their typical date thing. She thought about their second date. One of the bars in town, chosen for its above average bar food but mostly, it’s pool tables. The warning he’d given her via text had made her laugh:

We’re goin’ to Cade’s for apps and pool, if that's okay. As gorgeous as you looked in that blue dress you wore last night, I recommend jeans and a T-shirt for tonight, okay?

She took his suggestion. A simple black tee, because she was a food klutz from hell, layered over a red camisole, and her favorite jeans. It showed off her dainty arrow necklace well.

While they played, they drank beer and talked about life, getting deeper into things than they could at therapy sessions.

“Dad split when I was about ten, I guess. Mom did her best with her only son, but she sent me to my grandpa’s a lot when she was working or just…needing her own time. He’d been an army man. Fought in Korea. His dad was in World War II. It felt like…I don’t know, this pull, like I was meant to join up.”

“Destiny?” She asked. A dreamy tone overtook him when he talked about his family and his now former career.

“I guess. Never though too much of all that before.”

They smiled at one another. Knowing.

“What was he like? Your grandpa?”

“Oh, Pap was the best. He was a mechanic in the service and so he could get anything hummin, ya know? We fixed up and built motors for all kinds a’ shit. My first car was a ‘67 Shelby Mustang with the fast back all because when I was about 14, he found most of one at a salvage yard and basically rescued it from the crusher. Got it for about nothin’. For two years we collected parts and did body work on that thing. And by the time I turned sixteen, it was the most beautiful, show-ready Kerry green machine you ever seen.”

“One of my favorite cars! I’d love to see pictures!”

“I’ve still got ‘er.” He grinned. “When Pap died, it got…hard for me to drive her, ya know? So…special occasions only now. And he left me his truck, which he’d just bought brand new while I was on my first tour. That F150 crew cab we came here in, with all the bells 'n whistles. I couldn’t let such a fine automobile go to waste.” He grinned.

“You’re such a gear head.” She chuckled.

“Hey, you may be glad about that when you need somebody to get your own motor humming.” He teased back at her, bending over the table to take his shot and sinking it deftly. He said they would only play for fun, but he was still winning this round…which she didn’t think was that fun.

“Okay, I deserved that.”

“The shot, or the innuendo?” He asked to clarify.

“Yes.” They laughed. He eventually did miss, making it her turn.

"Ya know, I'm disappointed in this date, Shane." He baited.

"How come?" she asked, a bit hurt.

"A guy only asks a girl to play pool with him so he can show her how to shoot…and you already know."

It was true. She'd played a lot growing up and even a bit as she got older. She and her siblings loved billiards. Her whole family, really. And although she was no professional, she wasn't half bad for an amateur.

"What do you mean?" she asked innocently, sizing up the table for her next shot, but knowing with a fair amount of certainty what he was implying.

"You know. I wanted to get all close to ya. Show ya how to grip that cue in your hand. How to stand, bent at the hip, where to eyeball your shot from." he smiled. "All that shit ya see in movies that makes the girl all nervous and excited that the guy's touchin' on her. Pressed up against her."

Shane grinned, picked up the small, blue cube of chalk and rolled the concave side over the tip of her cue…she had no need to do so, most people didn't, really…but she made herself look really sexy doing it and asked Sy, "Is that right? Well, I guess you'll have to find another way to get your cheap thrills, because this girl has been known to run a table." She bent over the green felt seductively, the angle at which she did so displaying her décolletage in his direction just enough to tantalize him into licking his lips. She took her shot at the 10 ball, but sunk the 8 instead, losing her the game…damn. She shouldn't have gotten cocky.

"Run it where, sunshine? Into the ground? Off a cliff?" he laughed as she stomped over and began to poke him mercilessly in the ribs.

"Come on, Minnesota Fats. Let's pay the tab and find something a little cozier to do."

"Oka--wait, did you just call me fat?" he was incredulous. She laughed.

"Oh my God, you thought YOU were gonna teach ME about billiards…Minnesota Fats is like the most famous pool player of ever. I am not calling you fat."

"You messin' with me?" he squinted.

"Sy, google it. I promise. I would never call you fat. You're… my sexy man bear."

"Technically a bear is a fat animal." he sulked.

"Why don't you tell that to one when it's chasing you down to make a meal of ya!" Shane laughed. "Come on. Remember? I think I mentioned something about… finding another way for you to get cheap thrills. Lets explore that, shall we?" she whispered into his ear. He dropped some bills on their table nearby to more than cover their food and beer, and they hauled ass into the night.

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

They had definitely been exploring. In the two weeks since they'd been given the green light to see each other outside of therapy--the day Sy basically handed Shane's boss her own ass--they'd spent most evenings with each other, unless Shane had a particularly late evening at work or an early day the next day. A few nights, they had been together so late, that just staying over seemed the most reasonable option. But they had both agreed to take things slowly with the physical stuff. It had been a long time since either of them had been in a relationship, and given their patient/therapist situation, waiting a while for the sex had seemed like a good idea…on paper. On the sofa had been a different story.

One day last week, she'd had to make an early night of things, and stood up from his couch, but was pulled back down to straddle his lap.

"Hold on a minute, sunshine. Why don't you gimme a proper goodbye before ya go, hmm?" he held her so close to him at every curve of their bodies, like the pieces of a puzzle snapping flush together. His kisses were deep and agonizing, his beard gently brushing her mouth, teasing her with its uncommon softness. She returned the ardor, squeezing him in every way she could.

She couldn't contain the desire pooling at her center, especially when he clearly couldn't contain his, either, straining against his shorts, pressing against her so deliciously, right where she needed him. She didn't hold back. And he was nothing if not encouraging to her endeavor.

"That feels so good, baby. You're so warm. Mmm." he whispered as he nipped at her ear and bit at her neck. She hadn't intended to, but she felt herself slipping over the edge, into pure euphoria and gripped at his hair, still rather short, though growing out from the mandated buzz. The length made him even more sensitive and when she ran her hands up his neck and over the back of his head, the result was like an electric current straight to his manhood. His body tensed as his release followed hers seconds later.

"Fuck." he said. "I'm sorry."

"What for?" she was truly confused.

"For losin' it like a teenager." he sighed and laid his head against the back of his couch in surrender…an unfamiliar sight, Shane was certain.

"Don't worry about it. I mean…it's not quite how I pictured our first time, but--"

"Oh, hell no. This doesn't count as a TIME, sunshine. This is batting practice. A warm up.”

"Ooh, you and your baseball references again. I told you, I need to leave, Sy. You can't get me worked up with that kinda dirty talk." she kissed his cheek, and stood. "Walk me out?"

He did. And they stood holding one another in the dark, leaned up against her Explorer, Sy's back against the door, Shane's cheek on his bare, hairy chest, and the turning of the earth all but forgotten.

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

She had to stop thinking about him. About their dates and the time they'd spent together. But her schedule had fallen apart for the day due to a nasty storm that had blown in, she had no more education to work on for now, and she could only clean and organize her treatment room and desk so thoroughly.

She guessed…the secretaries knew she was available if need be…and she was salaried…what was the harm in texting Sy? She'd stayed late and came in early and overworked herself in general so much for this clinic. She could justify a bit of downtime.

Hey! Whatcha doin?

Just did some exercises that my super hot PT gave me! *winky face emoji*

Uh-Oh, should I be jealous?

Mmm, hard to say, sunshine. I guess it'll depend on which one of you sleeps with me first. *devil emoji*

Smart money is on the one who’s already let you get to second base…and basically third, even though…does it count if it’s basically because of a dare. Induced by Jack Daniels?

I think it counts if you came…*smirk emoji*

Damn those skilled fingers and Tennessee whiskey.

What can I say. I told ya I knew how to get a motor humming. *cool guy emoji*

You certainly do. No doubt about that.

So how's your day goin', sunshine?

Eh, everyone's cancelled on me. I have no one until 4:00, and I have nothing to do until then. I've decided to see it as a blessing and text my favorite fella.

And when he didn't respond, you resorted to me? *smirk emoji*

Hey you know that you have no competition for my affection other than like, my dad…and Chris Evans. Lol

Your dad, I'm sure I couldn't compete with if I tried, from what you've told me. Chris…well, I'm a REAL captain, not some guy jumpin' around in tights.

Mmmm, shame. I bet you'd look good in a getup like that. *heart eyes emoji*

You think so?

Yup! *American flag emoji*

You wanna be my Black Widow?

I mean…I've already basically got a costume…*embarrassed monkey emoji*

*several lines of big eye emojis*

Yeah, a few Halloweens ago…I was Romanoff. Now you know. I'm a total nerd.

I'm a nerd, too, sunshine. Serious nerd.

How am I just finding out about this? There's next to no merch at your place, and you never wear typical nerd shirts…*skeptical face emoji*

You haven't seen my whole place…*wink emoji*

What, are you telling me you have Batman bedsheets? *lol emoji*

Oh, it's much…much worse than that. The bedroom is pretty neutral, but…I have a…kind of rec room in the basement that is basically nerd central.

Oh. Em. Gee. I can't WAIT to see that, Sy!!! And how dare you hold out on me!!!

Well, I mean, I didn't wanna lay out all my cards right off the bat. I'm playing the long game.

Ah, so, when do I get to see this nerd trap?

Come on over, sunshine. *smiley face*

I said, I've got a patient at 4:00.

Everyone's cancelled on you. Can't you cancel on them for once?

Not unless I'm violently ill do I ever have any patients cancelled on my behalf.

So…say you're violently ill and come see me. *shrugging man emoji*

I dunno, Sy…

I got stuff to make that soup you like…

She had made it clear to him how much she loved soup, especially a good creamy potato soup, and on one of their dates, he'd had her over and there was a big pot of the stuff on his stove, made from scratch. She'd never had better, and he almost got lucky that night…and I mean…he still got a little lucky. He cooked for her AND cleaned up, AND let her pick the movie that night. She still picked an action movie, because she wasn't really a romance movie type, overall. Even so. Could she leave him hanging?

She opened her thread with Heather in her messenger app on her laptop.

Heather, is there anyone who could take my last patient, Mr. Lopez?

Looks like Cheri has a cancel around that time. Need me to move him?

If you could. I'm not feeling well.

Are you pregnant?

Omg, every fucking time. Why when anything is amiss in a woman's life must it be pregnancy?! And why is it okay to ask that question?! Ugh! She loved Heather like a sister, and it probably was just a joke, but uuuuuugh!

Yes…yes I am. *eye roll emoji* I've got a killer headache that's making me queasy. I'll email Susan. Thanks.

You bet. Tell Sy I said hi. *wink emoji*

Shut up.

After a quick and concise email to her boss, she picked her phone back up. One unread message.

You there, sunshine?

She simply replied,

Get that soup ready, Captain, I'm on my way.

Up Next: Chapter Eight: Heat/Ice