#STAFF FIX YOUR GODDAMN SHIT I FUCKING HATE THIS IT MAKES ME NOT WANT TO USE TUMBLR
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I fucking hate that ads on mobile aren't muted by default now (at least for me). There's this one fucking ad I see every 3 goddamn posts that starts with like loud gunshot-like sounds and there's no option to dismiss it (I used to be able to report an ad for seeing it too often (and other things) but now I only have a prompt to "go ad-free" which I don't want to do while the app's going to shit) and it's driving me up the fucking wall it freaks me out and there's no way to mute/dismiss that ad by default as far as I can tell so far. It's annoying for every ad but that one really fucking loud and sudden one freaks me out and I hate even opening this app because it's the first thing I fucking hear now and have to hear again every! Three! Posts!!!!
#I've only listened to the very start of the ad because i Don't want to hear it#but I'm assuming it's drums not gunshots‚ they just sound really similar in this specific few seconds#it sounds like the first four notes of 'The Valley' by The Oh Hellos if that gives any idea?#BUT THE THING IS. WHEN I HEAR 'THE VALLEY' IT DOESN'T FREAK ME OUT. BECAUSE I ACTIVELY CHOSE TO PLAY IT AND KNEW LOUD DRUMS WERE COMING#AND I ONLY HAVE TO HEAR THAT SOUND FOR THE FIRST FOUR NOTES AND THEN IT MOVES ON TO THE REST OF THE SONG#I DON'T HAVE TO LISTEN TO THAT DRUM LOOP CUT OUT AND REPEAT FROM THE BEGINNING EVERY 12 SECONDS#UNLIKE THIS GODDAMN AD WHILE I TRY TO SCROLL PAST IT#STAFF FIX YOUR GODDAMN SHIT I FUCKING HATE THIS IT MAKES ME NOT WANT TO USE TUMBLR
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My 2023 recap (but it's through all my favorites posts I've made this year)
Part 2! (part 1 here)
Aug 14th
Me @ the prequels haters:
Aug 14th
Aug 18th
He did it for me specifically and I thank him every day ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Aug 20th
Me progressively spiraling in my latest sw posts:
Aug 26th
Discovering you’re ace is wild cause like, you guys were serious when you said you wanted to fuck that character/celebrity?
We weren’t just exaggerating and being silly?? UH???
Aug 27th
Watching the end of ROTS: a moodboard
Aug 30th
Having a R2d2 and C3po cameo might be the laziest form of Star Wars fan service but you know what that shit work my dumbass goes “OMG it’s R2 and threepio 🥺🥺🥺” everytime
Aug 31st
Tumblr staff be like: somehow they’re still using desktop, lets add an evil clown
Aug 31st
“I want the main character to end up with this person, even though I hate one of them who sucks and doesn’t deserve to end up with such a good-”
My brother in Christ call me crazy but I don’t think you actually love this ship. Read an x reader or x OC fanfic at this point jfc.
Sept 4th
Me sending a feedback report to complain every time tumblr makes another idiotic change:
Sept 10th
I’m always so scared to assemble it
Sept 15th
I love doing research, I am not tearing my hair out (lying)
Sept 21st
Im so good at forgetting my blorbo is a child murderer you wouldn’t even believe
Sept 29th
Lowest luminosity setting is not low enough why is my iPhone a fucking beacon of light burning my retina with the force of a thousand suns
Sept 30th
Me every few months:
Oct 4th
Oct 18th
Me reading fanfic titles on ao3 after first becoming a Taylor Swift fan:
Oct 28th
My boy was so sleep deprived this would have fixed him.
Oct 29th
Can’t believe you hate on my ship just because it’s toxic, unhealthy and has disastrous consequences for everyone around them. Grow up. 🙄
Nov 11th
I have beef with TCW Anakin
Nov 14th
When people go “ew why would you be into this ship when it’s toxic and problematic” and I’m just
Sometimes you don’t need another reason than "it makes my brain go brrrrr” it’s fiction babes it doesn’t have to be good or healthy ❤️
Nov 15th
I thought “oh it would be fun to randomly send a kitten picture to this one mutual” and then I went insane 🧍♀️🧍♀️ sorry about that besties
(this isnt a good post but since i'm making this as a 2023 recap I want to commemorate that time I sent kitties to all the beloved mutuals LOL)
Nov 18th
I love these “what do you most associate with [insert US state]” polls bc my non-American ass is always:
Baby I literally have no idea what you’re talking about ❤️
Nov 17th
hate when people are like “why would Padme be into cringefail Anakin it’s so unrealistic”
Like, um, CLEARLY she saw his pathetic weepy eyes and immediately decided she wanted to fuck that. What’s hard to understand.
Nov 20th
I think when you break up with someone their memory of you should be wiped men in black style thank you
Nov 22nd
Philosphy class be like
Nov 25th
Me when the known mass murderer starts murdering
#you’re telling me my genocidal babygirl is in fact genocidal???
Nov 26th
The thing about philosophy class is that most of these dudes you have to learn about just suck.
“Ohhhh humans only use each other and every relationship is only built on the potential advantages you can get from it” So your heart has never exploded thinking about how much you love your friends?? Sounds like a you problem.
Nov 28th
Snow being judgmental and having a constant sense of superiority…. brother you can’t even buy a new shirt HUMBLE YOURSELF
Nov 28th
Me starting the Ballad of songbirds and snakes and reading snow’s inner monologue: this guy sucks lmao I will NOT be rooting for him and Lucy Gray to be together 🙅♀️
Snow:
Me: oh goddamn it
Dec 1st
“I liked this thing before it was cool!“ Boohoo you’re not special. You just stumbled upon it before other people, congratulations.
"I still like this thing after it was cool, now that public opinion has shifted from being overly positive to considering it bad and cringe” now that takes strength. Courage. Who I aspire to be.
Dec 3rd
Snow: is always nice to Sejanus, helps him distribute food to the tributes, offers him a seat, gives him advice, CALLS HIM HIS FRIEND, save his life-
Also Snow: wtf this bitch thinks we’re friends????
#babyboy you are so stupid
Dec 4th
Me when I see my friend sadposting: I will smother you with kisses and love. Do you need me to kill someone btw
Also me, when I’m sad posting and friends send me encouragements: Friend??? 🥺 Friend cares about me??? 🥺🥺 friend wants to cheer me up? 🥺🥺🥺
Dec 7th
Tumblr rn feels like a landlord trying to make its tenant leave by not fixing shit and cutting utilities, but unfortunately for everyone involved, I am a rat
Dec 10th
No but seriously no one should try being tumblr famous, this website is for one thing only, and that’s having a silly time with your friends and mutuals 😤
Dec 12th
If your mutuals don’t say hi in the tags when they reblog one of your popular posts from someone else then what is it all for
Dec 12th
“Ew liking unhealthy ships is so toxic-”
“Actually toxic ship are INTERESTING unlike those boring healthy ships that have no flavour-”
Meanwhile me, who can appreciate and enjoy any ship dynamics:
Dec 18th
I’m like an old man shouting at clouds except I’m a 20 years old trying to make everyone listen to La Lumière by pomme asdagshdjfk
#I don’t think anyone is buying what I’m selling but I shall keep trying 😔
Dec 20th
Snow when being friendly to Sejanus results in becoming friends with Sejanus
#bro was really like: you’re telling me the person I’ve been treating well and interacting with regularly thinks I’m his friend??? #and that everyone else also think we’re friends???? #like yeah bby that is how friendship works ❤️
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all the tsubasa references in clear card are both one of the only interesting things about it and also arguably its biggest flaw. and the fact that it's one of the only interesting things about it contributes to it being its biggest flaw.
like, i'm obviously not saying to get rid of the tsubasa references. they're fun when they're done right, they're to be expected, they're even integral to the story. after all, the whole magic staff thing connects to tsubasa. which is the point of clear card
this sequel would not exist without tsubasa because really the only purpose it solves is to be like "oh see she has another staff after she gives the other one away". which is a problem. this is a sequel that does basically nothing for the original story, it only exists to aid a single scene in a separate story, and yet it's 30 fucking chapters longer that the original ccs manga for no good reason.
they try to replicate tsubasa sooo hard in clear card and it just does not fucking work 99% of the time. the reason they try so hard to make akiho and kaito carbon copies of sakura and syaoran [which doesn't fucking work by the way, i'm just acknowledging that's what they were ATTEMPTING]? well, other than a lazy way to try and get us to like them without trying... you know what story has two syaorans and sakuras in it? the one they keep fucking paralleling. cause the parallels also extend sometimes to akiho and kaito, especially kaito (I HATE IT HERE.)
why are we suddenly throwing in random timeline changing shit at the end?* oh wouldn't you know it tsubasa has a plot about an altered timeline (which, while it gets revealed near the end of tsubasa, happened before the story started, so it doesn't feel nearly as sudden as clear card's timeline shit)
and the last chapter... she has the original cards back and the new ones are gone but can be found again, the whole real name shit, some characters staying back while others go to keep travelling and they kind of hint at meeting up again... there are so many parallels throughout the story i'm not even bothering to put here because you get the idea already surely.
but just... starting off clear card acting like you might not do the gross age gap shit anymore only to shove that stuff in our faces super hard by the end, introducing characters then ignoring their original traits to try and make them copies of already existing characters, using the original ccs story and tsubasa as crutches to avoid making something original... guys come on we're better than this. and the fact that she doesn't even get to keep the clear cards by the end (minus flight) feels like an extra slap in the face cause it's just like oh okay it was ALL pointless then
not to mention so much stuff just passively happens to sakura instead of her actively doing stuff in clear card. it's fine in the beginning when she doesn't know what's going on, but then when she learns, and then she's still subconsciously making cards, and then the most important thing (and only purpose of this goddamn sequel) happens, when she conveniently gets a second staff, it's not because of anything *she* did. it's because it was a byproduct of kaito's timeline fuckery. and then when she fixes the timeline (because the only thing she gets to actively do is fixing someone else's fuckup i guess!) she still has two staves so it's just. agh
anyway what was i saying? oh right clear card frustrates me to no end and if i wanted to read tsubasa i would go read tsubasa so stop trying to copy your old shit clamp
*yeah i know that's what kaito's plan was building up to, what i mean is the timeline gets changed and it gets resolved in such a short amount of time (i mean chapter wise, i almost forgot there was that random ass long time skip)
#omg sorry for the essay-length post its been a WHILE good to know i still have it in me#and you know they were dragging that shit on because the volume count got extended twice. they probably wanted that nice even 80 number too#except it never should have been anywhere near 80 chapters#chapters 26-31 ish really felt like the halfway point to me and then it just kept going and going and going#i could have forgiven it being around ccs length or slightly longer but 30 chapters??
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Scarfox finally got a big update and while some things are neat the real juicy bits are staffing only traits, them still not having hired any MYO mods after two fucking months, and kakiwa wanting nothing to do with scarfoxes now.
LMFAOooo. okay let's break this down
cool, more artwork of the biomes. i woudn't say fully necessary considering other shit is more important but also these look good. also wondering if nocti got any compensation for these works
@Major Update On to the next part, we have been working on some new tasty traits for drum roll icon the UNSTABLE POTION that will be releasing at the start of October as Ocotber is a very spoopy month
fucking hate that buzzword now
and it's dear to our hearts in the Scarfox-Realm. We are currently finishing up the new traits as well as gathering information to make it easy on our community members to understand.
i don't know why that sentence rubs me the wrong way oh wait yes i fucking do. scarfox has been notoriously terrible at communicating with their community in the most assbackwards of ways and the way this is written makes it seem as if the community's too fucking stupid to understand the staff when it's been the staff's fault every single time at being obtuse. while it's well intentioned it just feels patronizing as everything else
These traits will have new examples that are unlike the old ones displayed on the site with a very new base applied. Please do not ask any further questions about the traits at this time as we are still working towards them and getting them out in a timely manner.
this could have been worded way better literally 'we don't have much to tell you on these traits so far in order to work on them and get them out in a timely manner, so we cannot provide any answers to your questions yet' instead of literally telling people who are curious not to ask. makes people who actually are curious feel shut down like it's a small fucking thing but so far with the above wording it just shuts down the potential excitement. a very much 'not now mommy's busy' tone
The Unstable Potion will only be available through Raffles, Event Rewards, and Cash Shop. Due its rarity the Unstable Potion will be account bound if earned through prompts, raffles, or events. If you wish to rid of it, please let a mod know and we will raffle it off to the community as this potion is still new and will probably have certain fixes in future.
so even if you fucking bought one you can't resell it?
To add to this we now will have Staffing Traits, these traits will only be accessible through OTAs, Raffles, Customs, Auctions, etc., through mods only. These traits may become available to members in the future, and are locked to mod use only to better flesh out the traits examples and ideas. Staff traits will be a darker colored hue to the normal pastel colors, and will have another effect to their image to help visually separate it from our usual traits! These images will be reverted to look like the other images if moved to community usage in the future, followed by an update!
more artificial scarcity. it's a 'hey check out these cool new traits! only way to get them is by sucking the staff's toes as hard as you can and throwing money at them'. wanna bet the traits are shit that was brought up as a suggestion but rejected.
also these are the examples they put for the new traits and i have to fucking wonder how long it'll take any of these traits to become 'concrete' when it took them 2-ish months to draw some bedsheet arms, use a stamp brush, and draw a single glowy eyeball
@Major Update Next thing is Crystal Currency. As some of you have seen there is a lot of crystal out on the site at the moment and as the mod team we have decided that we will be lowering crystal earnings from prompts, events, and minigames.
'people haven't had any reason to spend their crystals so they're just laying around uselessly. instead of giving them more uses let's fucking lower their goddamn earnings' scarfox you never fail to reach new lows
We have notice this influx of crystal to a point where Scarfox of the Month and Crystal Gallery are not being used as crystal earnings and our goal of implementing this is to encourage the community to participate in these said crystal earning availabilities. However, if this is too little of crystal earning we will proceed with changing the amount in the future. These changes will be applied on October 1st and will also affect the year long prompts.
because people got crystals through prompts, aka the main fucking activity in the group. no one wants to fucking draw someone else's character they want to draw their own. crystal gallery also was so fucking annoying to submit to that no one bothered. but thanks for punishing people for playing the ARPG how it should be played.
Regarding Crystal Currency, I would like to also add that the pets will have a crystal currency exchange for the Exchange Shop also releasing on October 1st. The pets currency will depend on their rarity within the eggs that they come from. Pets like Mother Kanga and the Coco Rats will not be available for exchange due to them only existing in one egg.
no comment. pets should really not be the priority though especially when the scavenging/gathering/foraging shit they were made for in the first place isn't implemented yet
On another note, we are still going to be looking at new MYO mods to help with future designs updates and MYO approvals. I will be speaking with @benaberrry in regards to the future mods. We will also be working towards updating all the old references for the traits and as well as old NPCs that were designed by Kawiku/Kakiwa/ KoraJora due to them no longer wishing to be known for the past creation of Scarfoxes as they have moved on to other projects.
shouldn't new mods be a full staff decision i've no fucking clue why you decided to tell us you're talking with just benaberry about it.
and unsure of why korajora is leaving specifically but i can take a fucking guess. korajora wasn't making the same amount of money from scarfox and darci wants to claim full originality for the species so either korajora is being pushed out and doesn't care, or is literally cutting ties entirely with scarfox due to its incredibly terrible management. either way, it's darci's trashfire entirely. any hope of more korajora scarfox don't exist, darci will work her way into trying to horde more, and continue to suck the dwindling community try
We will be introducing a new bot that will automatically delete messages in the trading hub, that way the community no longer will have to bump their messages repeatedly. We will closing the trading hub in a few days, sometimes between Friday and Saturday. You will also get a heads up update to let you know that the channel will be closing for the day. We also have new pets coming in for that nice Spoopy season made by @Lokidokiarts
the designs, nothing to really say about them or the trading channel stuff.
@Major Update In regards to the October spoopy month we will be including the new theme for Foxtober 2022, these themes will be released on October 1st along with our other events and prompts for the months. We would also like to state that according to Community vote all images of clown theme/based Scarfoxes are to be spoiler marked through the month of October as a respect to members who have extreme phobias of the certain theme. We do know that there are several community members who have Scarfoxes based on these theme including one of out NPCs who will also be Spoiler marked on the event page during this time along with a warning. Please we ask that you have a Scarfox based on this theme that you respect the community members that have said phobia, this applies to both the discord and the website. Unfortunately, with DeviantArt we cannot control what goes on in the site due to us not having any ownership of the site. We will be giving out warnings and strikes if people are constantly breaking this rule of spoiler marking. There will future updates with more information but this is all for now. If you have any questions you're welcome to ask but please again avoid asking questions about the Unstable traits as they are currently being worked on. Thank you. Also a website sneak preview~
very little to say on this other than if people have a clown phobia how about don't fucking make the event include clowns
and because it exists i also wanted to get in on the added shit with the poll regarding the crystal earnings
Topic: Crystal Earning Adjustment
Time to vote: 24 hours as we're running a bit short on time before october hits!
not enough fucking time assholes
After receiving community response from todays update, we're looking to see what would be favored as a choice of change for crystal earnings!
this poll was made two-ish hours after the above announcement meaning lmao
In short, the prompts coming out from 2022 and some of 21 have been releasing way more crystals than ever before. In tie with the 2k crystals earnable from foxtober last year, prompts averaged around 200 to 350 crystals per reward entry, alongside things like potions and other items. To help rebalance the rarity of items and the worth of crystals, we have taken in some community suggestions via our chat rooms for you guys to vote on! If none of these are of interest for you to pick, vote with the kiwi emote and add input on what you feel could work well using our suggestion form linked below! The options are as follows:
🍑 -raise the prices of crystal earnable items in the shop, and include more options to spend crystals (ideas include: crystal entry raffles, crystal purchase of extra entry tickets, and bringing in common myos in limited stock for crystal purchase, or in unlimited stock for a higher price (one member suggested 20k)
the more reasonable decision that should've been the one implemented in the first place
🫐 -keep the idea offered of lowering prompt rewards to encourage fotm entry
people don't want to fucking draw the scarfox of the month get it through your fucking heads that is an ADD ON to the arpg not the fucking main event
🥝 other suggestion (please enter it into the suggestions form with the title of this topic!)
Suggestion form: https://forms.gle/Djt1y5wb2MU8A5jEA
two months later and this is what we have. honestly I'm indifferent on things because scarfox just isn't worth getting riled up for. It definitely feels like people have low patience on both ends and that everyone's burnt out, which isn't what you want after a 'vacation' lol
more traits to jump through hoops for, for myo that have been back up for two months, and more emphasis on some stupid half-baked halloween 'spoopy' event that i already feel will be underwhelming just like last year's. making staff-only traits is a definite kick in the teeth for any species to include no matter the reasons, especially since they're 'untested' which is a very lackluster explanation.
people don't fucking want new pets or clowns, darci, they want their fucking myos approved in a timely manner. they want to be able to use them in prompts and get rewards. they don't want to grind for half a year for a fucking common myo or be forced to draw someone else's stupid ass fox.
they want you to fucking focus on them for a change and all you've done is throw out myos and potions to the point they're worthless whilst also slowing myo approvals to a goddamn halt, and then focus entirely on your stupid new event and biomes and clowns and pets as if this shiny new thing no one asked for will make up for the fact PEOPLE CAN'T FUCKING GET THEIR MYOS APPROVED
I know i sound angry and am nitpicking but i honestly am just more tired than anything. the staff has always felt unapproachable and that any questions to them was a huge burden to deal with and it still does. none of the core things have changed or improved in the slightest and they're just enduring the high tensions and strained relationships they themselves created. even korajora won't be associated with scarfox anymore and this is likely the official end of the era. there's nothing of its original enjoyment left
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[ Moving my rants from FB to here for a while so I don't accidentally block a bitch and get fired ] 08/24/22
And in comes today's dilemma of honesty or just plainly taking it with a nod and moving on. I can't deal with the whole 'fix your tone' bullshit because that's what it is; absolute bull.
Fixing my tone is just another way of telling me to suppress my emotions which clearly indicates how passionate I am about what I believe in and the authenticity of airing my concern indicates how I take my responsibilities seriously.
I don't cuss nor throw insults, but when I'm upset I'm not about to pretend that I'm not. I'm not about to shift my entire personality because how people define professionalism is so flawed that it basically means to put your head down.
I'm not soft-spoken and I'm not sorry about that either. I hate small talks and flowery sentences when we can just be upfront about things and get it dealt with. Have more room for propositions and proper talk.
More and more do I feel like this company's a fucking chore to work with. I love what I do, the task at hand, but the fucking process changes is making it difficult for us. Certain processes we could do gets taken away, updates done without prior notice, and the way unreasonable Kens and Karen's are dealt with remains primitive.
Why not stand up for us, huh? Why not tell them they didn't read the email right? Why not go after how fucking shitty they are for not watching ACTUAL LOOM VIDEOS made tailored to their concerns? WHY NOT LOOK AT THE MTHRFCKIN SCREENSHOTS, YOU DUMB BITCH?
But yes, customers are always right. No argument about this that would ever impact how the corporate runs you down like slaves because they pay your fucking bills.
...
I have to be coached for a few negative ratings because some bitch specifically said 'she thought' there was no workaround when I just gave her the fucking workaround with a fucking screenshot.
And another because our company product cannot do what she wants to, which was edit what a button would say on her checkout page. And there I was, being the even dumber bitch for trying, went out of my way to conjure a code she could use (even though we do not support coding assistance), offered it TWICE (to which she declined) went on a tirade about how our product is so shit.
THEN BITCH MOVE.
Now comes the big decision of being honest or just taking the L and moving on. And by honest, I mean really calling out the fact that:
The assigned support staff has the audacity to remind us to always acknowledge (even with a tiny emoji) call-outs and posts when I FUCKING TAGGED YOU TWICE TO MAKE A FOLLOW-UP ON THIS GODDAMN BITCH, TO WHICH YOU ACKNOWLEDGED WITH YOUR SHITTY EMOJI,BUT DID NOT FUCKING DO. OH AND DID I TELL YOU ABOUT HOW THEY'RE NOT GONNA SCRUB OFF THAT NEGATIVE RATING OFF MY GODDAMN SCORE, WHICH ELIMINATES ME FROM BEING A CANDIDATE FOR A PRIZE MONEY? BECAUSE IDK, I FUCKING NEED IT?
And then my boss. My boss is cool and kind, informative and shit. But same deal tho. You want us to always acknowledge shit, but you leave DMS the whole day unanswered? Tagged you in. Nothing. I get you have work more than us or even meetings, but a whole day tho? Even messages when I call in because I'm sick get unanswered. Cool fam. How tf am I supposed to know if I'm getting goddamn attendance points or not?
I had over forty, going fifty tickets amidst our 30-35 limit. I did chat and made no complaints from shifting my schedule from email to chat to chat to email because we had an outage. We were told to endorse potential bad - rating tickets and I did. I always do. I fucking always do because I take my fucking job seriously.
But I guess I fucking shouldn't, should I? Maybe I should just be mediocre at work and clock in between the hours I'm supposed to be and get the fuck out?
God fucking damn it, I am so fired up.
Fix my fucking tone. I'll fix your fucking face.
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Fix the Fucking Attitude + I Have No Idea Who You Are, but goddamn, I Already Hate You - Matthew Tkachuk
I got a few requests with Matty T and I decided to combine two of them.
-
“First days are always difficult,” you mumbled to yourself as you washed your face, “but it’ll be good. This will be fine.”
Spoiler alert: It wouldn’t be fine.
It wasn’t your first go at working in a restaurant, you’d been doing it since you were a teenager, but it was your first time filling a general manager position. ‘Shape’ was an upscale eatery located in downtown Calgary that had a recently dwindling reputation due to poor management and hands off ownership.
It had recently been sold to new owners and they had hired you to run the restaurant. Despite having new ownership and management, most of both the front and back of house staff stayed on.
“Hi guys,” you stood at the front of the dining area in front of your new staff as you introduced yourself to your new, first, staff.
“I’m really glad we were all able to get together and finally meet. I know you all know each other, but I want to you to get to know me too, and I want you to know that I’m not one of those managers that sit in the office and do nothing. I’ve been in your position and I’ve had that type of manager more than once, so you can always come to me and ask for help or anything else. I am completely available to you guys because the only way this works is if we work together.”
“If you’re going to be that accessible, I’m going to need you to send me your number,” someone sitting at one of the tables against the back wall spoke up.
“Absolutely, I’m going to my post number outside the office and you can reach out to me whenever you want about whatever you want.”
“I can say whatever I want? Literally anything? That’ll be fun.”
You fought the urge to roll your eyes at whoever was being a clown and continued your speech, touching on what kind of boss you were, how you expected your staff to behave, among other things.
“Dave never cared what time we got to work, it was a miracle if we even fuckin’ showed!”
“Dave didn’t give a shit if we were nice to the customers!”
“Dave wanted nothing to do with uniforms, dude found them suffocating, sucks you’re gonna make us wear them!”
This idiot was constantly heckling you and you were reaching your breaking point. You had no plans to fire any of the old staff but this one was on his way out the door. It wasn’t until he said it, that you finally fucking lost your cool.
“Dave wouldn’t have sucked my dick though, so yeah, glad Dave’s gone!”
The mother fucking audacity of this idiot had you stopping in the middle of your sentence.
“Why don’t you come up here? You’ve got so much to say and we can’t all hear you clearly from the back of the restaurant, so come on up.”
“No problem, babe.”
You recoiled at the word but didn’t let it show. This fuck was probably like nineteen years old and, to you, that was a child and you had to keep your cool.
Matthew Tkachuk jumped out of his chair and made his way toward you, clapping his coworkers on the back the whole way. As soon as he was close enough, it was obvious to you that he wasn’t a stupid teenager and as annoying as it was, you found him kind of hot.
“Hello, pretty girl, I’m glad we’re finally meeting in person.”
You rolled your eyes and weakly shook his hand but didn’t miss the ocean blue color of his eyes and the way he ran his hand through his red, unruly curls.
“Hi Matthew. It’s not acceptable to call me pretty girl because I’m your boss now.”
“You know my name? I should be surprised but I’m not, of course you know who I am.”
You’d met plenty of people like Matthew Tkachuk. They were annoying, extra and incredibly narcissistic. The behavior wasn’t acceptable when you were working as a server, and now that you were in charge of a whole ass restaurant, it definitely wasn’t going to fly now.
This fucking idiot, you thought, I have no idea who you are, but goddamn, I already hate you.
“Lucky guess,” you dropped your customer service voice, “you’re not as fucking hot as you think you are, I promise. Also, fix the fucking attitude, because the last I checked, I was in charge here."
Matt was left speechless while the rest of the staff cheered in your favor. You knew this wasn’t the end, though. He had so much more shit to stir.
*
“Ooh, you look good today, gorgeous!”
Unfortunately, you weren’t able to fire Matthew Tkachuk because his family had helped fund ‘Shape’ so you had to deal with him.
“Shut up, you have tables that probably need water refills.”
You couldn’t fire him but that didn’t mean you were taking his shit.
“I took care of them already,” he leaned on the counter and flashed you his stupid white smile, “i’d love to take care of you next.”
“No thank you, Matthew, not now, not ever.”
“You sure? I’m incredibly giving when I want to be.”
“Good for you, go help the busser.”
“Nah,” he shrugged your statement off, “i’m gonna go take a break.”
This man, you learned he was a whole ass man in his twenties, got under your skin more than he should have and there wasn’t shit you could do about it.
So you dealt with it, with him.
For the time being.
-
prompts! Is this finished? Let me know!
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Let Sleeping Dogs Lie
This is part of an ongoing story that can be read here on AO3. Reading the previous chapters is highly reccomended for context. This chapter has been posted here for Whumptober 2021 and @whumptober-archive
Day 9: Rumors of my Death Have Been Greatly Exaggerated
A/N: Massive thank you to my amazing beta @welcome-to-the-sin-zone andto @thinkinghardhardlythinking for the initial inspiration for this story.
TW: Suicide, Implied Character Death, Massive Angst
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[Text to: Duke]: Hey
[Text to: Duke]: You haven’t responded to anything I’ve sent so either they’re not letting you use your phone or you don’t want to answer
[Text to: Duke]: I wish you’d respond either way, since I don’t know where you are
[Text to: Duke]: I miss you. Things haven’t been getting easier around here. I wish I could talk to you for real
Your texts went unanswered, as usual. It had been almost a month since the arrest and, despite your best efforts, you had no idea where Duke was being held or if he was still alive or anything. It was like he dropped off the face of the Earth.
Meanwhile, you were back on the ranch. The money you’d won did help, more than you’d initially thought even. But it didn’t fix everything. And, as much as you hated to think it, you were really considering selling some land without Dad’s say so because he was getting very, very annoying with his insistence that there just had to be another way to solve your problems. Selling horses was all well and good but there weren’t major profits to make from it. Renting the land was an option but it wasn’t very good for farming and ranchers don’t rent anything. You didn’t have nearly enough staff to run any kind of camp or lessons. You were running out of ideas and nothing you said seemed to get through to him. And the worst part of it all?
Duke was gone. He’d only really been in your life for about half a year but that meant the world to you all the same. He’d been a listening ear and a source of support where there hadn’t been one before. It didn’t hurt that he was attractive and very good in bed but that wasn’t all you cared about. For a few months, you’d had someone to be there for you, someone you could lean on when you wanted or needed to, and that was amazing. But you didn’t have him anymore and your world seemed a lot lonelier than before.
“Y/N! Where are you?! We got shit to do around here, you know!”
You sighed and slipped your phone into your pocket. Dad was getting more irritable these days and he was right; you didn’t have time for wallowing.
“Coming….”
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[Text to: Rotten Bastard]: Maybe it’s better I don’t know where you are. I want to punch you right now
[Text to: Rotten Bastard]: My period was a week late and you really had me nervous
[Text to: Rotten Bastard]: Not that it would have mattered if I was pregnant. I don’t want kids and right now, I really don’t want yours
[Text to: Rotten Bastard]: If you do see these, I hope you thank your lucky stars I can’t reach your dumbass
After about a month, you’d gotten over the sadness and made your way to anger. How could he do this to you? How could he make that promise, taking you to dinner after your win, knowing how unlikely it would be for him to fulfill it? How dare he lead you on and make you think any of it was real? How fucking dare he ignore you?
You’d managed to turn your anger into something productive and channeled it into finding these fabled paths of medical-debt forgiveness. Who knew pure rage was enough to get you through hours of sitting on hold and dodging red tape bullets? Because you were angry. You were angry at Duke for leaving, your dad for being a stubborn mule, your siblings for being unhelpful, the world for being a goddamn fuck-fest, your life in general at the moment, etc.
Anyway, you'd managed to get a lot of those hospital bills forgiven and that was something to be happy about. There was still some left on the tab of course but it was more manageable. If only you could do that with the bank debts now looming over your head….
You were worried about your dad too. Good days were few and far between as the revenue slowed but the bills didn't change. With rodeo season ended, there wouldn't be more quick fixes for your finances for a while and that had both of you on edge. Add that to the looming reality that he'd have to sell some of his land to make it out of this year alright and…. Well, you could only imagine what was going through his head.
Plus...the anniversary of your mother's death was nearing. He always got more than a little down at this time of year and it made you nervous. He’d never admit he was having problems, but you could always see it. It’s part of why you always went with him when he visited Mom’s grave.
“Hey, Dad,” you said as he entered the kitchen one morning. “When do you want to head out?”
“Head out where?” he grumbled as he poured himself a cup of coffee.
“To see Mom.”
He set the coffee pot down and took a long drink from his mug. “I’m not going this year.”
“I-Okay. If that’s what you want….” You chewed your lip. “Will you be okay around here if I go ahead?”
“Yep.”
You weren’t sure if you believed him or not but going to see her grave was a yearly tradition that you weren’t ready to let go of. Besides, you could use someone to talk to after everything. “Okay. I’ll probably go out after lunch then?”
“Whatever makes you happy, sweetheart. I love you.”
You smiled softly. “I love you too.”
You went out after lunch that day and spent a few lovely hours talking with your mom. Even if she couldn’t physically be there, you knew she was listening. You felt her warmth in the sunlight and heard her laugh in the breeze. It had been a long time since you let yourself feel this content with the way things were. Sure, they weren’t great. But they would get better. “This too shall pass”, right? You came back home feeling much lighter than you had that morning.
You didn’t think anything of it when you noticed Dad wasn’t in the house at first. It was still a while until dinner time and there was plenty of work to be done. You didn’t worry until it started to get dark and there was still no sign of him. Phone calls went unanswered and he wasn’t within yelling distance of the house, so you took Phillip and headed deeper into the property.
You found him about half an hour later. He was under the oak tree he and Mom had planted when they first got married almost 40 years ago. He almost looked peaceful, sitting against the trunk. If it weren’t for all the blood or the gun in his hand, he might’ve looked like he was taking a nap.
You don’t know how long you just sat there and stared. At some point, you got down and took a step towards him, only to crumple to your knees and sob. Phillip stayed with you, nuzzling your face gently as the tears flowed down your face.
It was a very long time before you found the strength to stand.
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[Text to: Please Answer]: If I knew where you were, I would’ve gotten you out so just to have you here with me
[Text to: Please Answer]: Despite everything, I’d feel better if you were here. All I can think about is you hugging me or letting me curl up in your lap or even just standing near me.
[Text to: Please Answer]: I’d hate you for making me miss you all over again but I just miss you too much
“Who’s that?”
You jumped and dropped your phone at the sound of your sister’s voice so close to you ear. “Sophie, hey,” you said. “I- When did you get here?”
“Just a few minutes ago; David already took me around but we couldn’t find you,” she explained. “Who were you texting just now?”
How could you even begin to explain who Duke Culpepper was? “I- No one. You wouldn’t know him….”
She clearly didn’t want to accept that answer but your dad’s funeral was hardly the time to needle you for answers about anything. “How are you, Y/N?” she asked instead.
You shrugged. “I’m… I’m awful,” you replied honestly. “I- First it was Mom and then the ranch started going down and now Dad…. I have no idea how I’m gonna pay for this funeral or if Dad had a will or anything I’m- I- I don’t know what I’m doing.” It wasn’t like you to open up like this, even with your siblings, but after keeping it bottled up for so long you needed an outlet.
She nodded and pet your shoulder sympathetically. “I had a feeling. SO I’m gonna stick around for a bit and keep you company. Daniel will too. At least until we get everything settled and we know you’re going to be okay.”
Ordinarily, you’d get defensive about the idea that you wouldn’t be able to handle yourself, that you were just the little kid that needed looking after. But after recent events, you were glad for the offer. You knew the house would just feel too empty and big and scary with no one else in it and you didn’t even want to think about the ranch work. “Speaking of Daniel, where is he? I haven’t seen him since he got here….”
Sophie looked around. “Probably the kitchen. I’ll go get him and then we can start figuring out how to get these people out of here so we can have some proper mourning time. Will you be okay by yourself for a few minutes?”
You nodded. When she was gone, you reached for your phone to keep texting a number you knew wouldn’t answer but paused when someone else approached you. “Little Y/N?”
You looked up to see Abeline Walker. “Oh, hi. Yes, it’s me. Thank you for coming.” Abilene was an old friend of your mother’s, though you hadn’t seen her much in the last few years. It was understandable, given what her family had been dealing with lately. You knew her husband also had some dealings with your father, though you rarely saw him outside of business.
SHe smiled kindly. “Of course. I’m sorry about your father. He was a good man. I didn’t spend much time with him but your mother loved him to death and Bonham spoke highly of him.”
“That’s kind of you to say,” you murmured. Your dad was a good man, regardless of his stubbornness or his recent mental health issues. “Is Bonham here?”
She nodded. “Yes, he’s somewhere here. Oh, speaking of…” Abilene gently grasped your hand. “I want you to know that if you ever need anything, you can come to us. We’re just on the other side of the creek, practically neighbors.”
You nodded, a small smile pulling at your lips. “Thank you; that means a lot.”
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[Text to: Duke Culpepper, RIP]: I don’t know why I bother
[Text to: Duke Culpepper, RIP]: You never answer. You don’t give me read receipts. I have no idea if you’ve even seen these.
[Text to: Duke Culpepper, RIP]: And you’ll definitely never read these. Because you died. In a shoot out with the FBI. After you, apparently, got out of prison. Without telling me. And then you died.
[Text to: Duke Culpepper, RIP]: I heard about it on Twitter
[Text to: Duke Culpepper, RIP]: How fucked up is that?
[Text to: Duke Culpepper, RIP]: I went from waking up next to you, to hearing about you from second-hand sources
[Text to: Duke Culpepper, RIP]: Do you do that to all the girls or am I just special?
A knock sounded on your door and you closed the pointless chat on your phone just in time for David to open the door. “You know, most people wait for an invitation before they enter a room,” you muttered as he entered.
“Older brother privileges,” he responded, setting a bowl of cereal on your night stand. “Do you feel like getting out of bed today?”
“Not particularly….”
He sighed and grabbed the stool from your vanity, pulling it over to the bed for what was definitely a Talk. “I...I know our relationship has been...strained over the years. You and Dad were always closer to each other than you were to me and Sophie and you were definitely more attached to this place than we ever could be. And…. Maybe I could’ve been nicer about the financial situation here. But- Look, Dad’s lawyer is coming by later to go over the will and we’d like it if you joined us.”
So there was a will. “I’ll be there.”
“I- Okay. I’ll see you there.” David left you alone until the lawyer came. You didn’t touch your cereal. You used the time to do some secret mourning for a man no one knew about. If Sophie and David found it odd that you didn’t bother wiping the tear tracks off your face when you came down to meet the lawyer, they didn’t say anything.
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[Text to: Duke]: You know, I always thought about inviting you back here. Even with the arrest, I figured I could talk my Dad into giving you a job here. You were really good at clearing out stalls lol
[Text to: Duke]: I guess now I wouldn’t need Dad’s permission since he left it all to me. I could just hire you myself. Then again, I’d probably just be walking into an HR nightmare….
[Text to: Duke]: Jk
[Text to: Duke]: We don’t have HR ;)
Dad had left almost everything he had to you. He left you the land, the house , the business account, almost all of the money, even his old knick knacks. He split the rest of the money between David and Sophie and lef them a few of the things Mom left with him. Sophie got Mom’s wedding dress and David got her old sewing machine. You were just glad your siblings weren’t bugged by how little they got in comparison
Of course, it’s possible they were just glad they didn’t get the burden of responsibility for the mess your dad left. Things may have been worse than you thought; apparently, Dad had taken some money and played with the stock market. It had not gone well. You had to admire his attempt to help out without losing the things that meant the most to him, even if he didn’t really know what he was doing.
Unfortunately, it meant finishing this year out of the red was going to be a challenge, assuming it was even possible. You considered reaching out to David or Sophie but you weren’t sure if you really wanted to talk to them. After they went back to their respective lives, you felt reluctant to reach out. You loved them but it seemed like you really only ever talked with each other when things weren’t going well. Not anyone’s fault, just the way the chips fell. It sure left you feeling lonely though.
Abilene Walker’s words from the funeral came back to you suddenly. Could you....? No. They had enough of their own problems lately. Besides, you doubted they had much extra funds. They were ranchers too and even if they would be understanding, you couldn’t ask them to potentially dig themselves into a hole just to get you out of yours.
Still…. Maybe you could just reach out? Start a friendly conversation? Just...talk to someone? It might help you feel better to send a message to someone and actually hear back.
You called Abilene later that day. She didn’t answer but you left a voicemail asking if you could meet for lunch one day. You felt a little better once that was done.
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[Text to: Duke]: I can’t believe I still do this
[Text to: Duke]: Almost feels like I’m cheating on Abby, if I’m honest
[Text to: Duke]: Anyway
[Text to: Duke]: I’m selling the ranch. I don’t want to and I know Dad’s probably rolling in his grave right now. But I can’t keep this up anymore. The money’s not enough to cover the bills and the debts and everything. If I’m being honest, it’s either this or losing it to the bank.
[Text to: Duke]: Good news is, I’m selling it to people I trust. Fun fact: a good chunk of the land here used to belong to the Walkers before they had to sell land during the depression. Found that out when I was going through old records. Fun stuff.
[Text to: Duke]: I’m heading over there today to sign the papers and everything. I’ll let you know how it goes.
[Text to: Duke]: Christ. Maybe I should invest some of the leftover money in a therapist
You knocked on the door to the main house on the Walker property. You were surprised Abby and Bonham agreed to the sale so quickly, but apparently Bonham had been setting aside money to buy back the old Walker property for some time and he’d just been waiting for the opportunity. You were glad you could make the sale. You could clear out the remaining debts with the money and...figure out what to do with whatever you had leftover. Maybe you’d get a condo. No, wait, where would you put Phillip?
Whatever.
The paperwork was pretty straightforward. Bonham had his son, Liam, draw up everything properly. You just had to fill in the blanks on your side and sign your name and it would be done.
“What are you gonna do after this?” Bonham asked as you went over some of the fine print.
You shrugged. “I haven’t really thought about it much. Kind of just...taking it one step at a time, you know.”
He nodded. “Well…. If you’re up for it, I’m gonna need some extra hands handling the extra land. I’d be more than happy to give you a place here.”
The tears came as a surprise. It would be a dream to stay. Working on the ranch, being with Phillip, staying near the places you loved…. It was practically the perfect solution. “I- Thank you,” you whispered, fearful your voice would betray your emotions.
“Of course. Why don’t you-”
He was interrupted by the sound of the front door opening. “Daddy? I know I have a level somewhere but I can’t find it. Do you- Oh, hey.”
You looked up and did a double take. Logically, you knew this was one of Bonham’s sons. But his face…. If you didn’t know any better, you’d say this was Duke Culpepper back from the dead. And with a decent haircut.
But...why did it look like he recognized you too?
“Hey, Cordell. This is Y/N; she’ll be working here on the ranch from here on out. I’ll get that level while you two get to know each other.” Bonham left you alone to ponder what exactly you were looking at.
It couldn’t be.
“Y/N...I can explain.”
Explain?
“I was going to tell you, after the rodeo. But things didn’t go as planned and it all got really complicated and I didn’t want you implicated so I blocked and deleted your number so no one would question you but I forgot to write it down and I never actually got your address and then it just felt like too long and-”
“Stop,” you whispered. You didn’t understand what you were hearing. Or maybe you did and you just didn’t like it. Because if you did understand it and it was true….
If it was true, Duke Culpepper wasn’t dead. He never existed at all. And yet here he was, right in front of you, alive and well and still so fucking gorgeous.
“Y/N-”
“I said, stop.” You pushed past him, only stopping when he grabbed your arm. You wrenched away from him and slapped his cheek. “Don’t. Just- Just don’t,” you hissed. Then you ran out the door.
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[Text from: Unknown]: Y/N I can explain
[Text from: Unknown]: Please just talk to me
[Text from: Unknown]: I didn’t want you to find out like this
[Text from: Unknown]: Y/N?
[Text to: Unknown]: Fuck you
[Text to: Unknown]: Just
[Text to: Unknown]: Fuck. You.
You turned off your phone and curled up on your bed, tears flowing unbidden from your face. You didn’t want to cry over that worthless piece of garbage. So you cried for yourself, for everything that you gave him, everything you’d never get back.
You deserved the tears more than he ever would.
#whumptober2021#no.9#rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated#walker#fic#suicide tw#death tw#depression tw#cordell walker x reader#angst#it's complicated with a capital c
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a fine line, part three
a/n: okay. here we go. part three bitches. tbh i write these author’s notes before i start writing, which is why i also have one at the end of the chapter-- so idrk how many more parts this baby’s gonna have. also, tumblr fucked up and ate my first draft, so fuck you tumblr. but here we go! enjoy, again, thank you for reading/sharing/commenting/reblogging whatever etc etc. i love you all! <3 -ali
wc: 2.5k
-
You truly think that you’re going to throw up.
You haven’t moved out of your apartment since you came back from James’ apartment.
Your phone has been non-stop vibrating since you got off your phone call with Natasha, and she’s the only one you’ve kept updated on the situation. You told her she could... vaguely explain to Wanda and Carol what happened, but you couldn’t bring yourself to leave your apartment.
You were a mess, to say the least.
Natasha had tried to come by to see if you were alright, but you couldn’t let her in. You were embarrassed. James kissed you, and he made you look like a fool. He thought he could make things better by kissing you, but every time you remembered what his lips felt like on yours, all you could feel was humiliation.
Did he think you were that easy? That if he kissed you and slept with you, that it would erase your past with him?
You didn’t know what to think, and it was eating you alive.
You usually knew. You knew how to think rationally, to think things through, and to make the right decision.
But now, you felt like you knew nothing.
And now, you have to show up to class next week and teach alongside the man who made you look like a joke.
-
On the other hand, James was quite literally losing his shit.
He felt like an idiot.
After he kissed you, he realized two things.
One, he was idiot.
And two, he liked you. A lot.
Well, it was more or less Steve that led him to both conclusions, but hey, he got there.
When he called Steve after you quite literally fled his apartment, he realized just how fucking stupid what he did was.
“Buck, you gotta see this from her perspective. For a year, you ridiculed her every chance you got, and all of a sudden you spring all this shit on her that you didn’t mean it, etcetera etcetera. And then you kiss her. She’s quiet, shy. I don’t talk to her about personal things much, but Nat knows. She trusts her, and she tells her about everything she’s been through. A week ago, she thought you hated her. You just humiliated her and made it look like she was easy, someone you could kiss and fuck and move past your history with her.” Steve spoke through the phone to his friend.
After listening to everything that Bucky said, Steve couldn’t understand just how stupid his friend was.
“I- I never meant for it to be like that. I do like her, a lot. And I feel like such an idiot for what I did before. She- After watching her sit in my house, after seeing her with Alpine, I just... I realized just how fucking wrong I was... And now she’s never gonna talk to me again.” Bucky realizes, and it hits him like a ton of bricks.
“Okay, you’re being dramatic, Buck. You guys still have to teach together next week. You just need to find a way to straighten things out with her by then, or else someone’s gonna report back to Fury that you two aren’t doing what you’re supposed to. And we all know that you don’t wanna be in trouble with him.” Steve continues to explain.
‘You’re right... But how do I even reach out to her? She’s not gonna answer a text or phone call, but I don’t think she would appreciate me just showing up where she lives... And I don’t even know where she lives.” He tells him, trying to think of any way to reach you.
“Well... I don’t how much I can help you from here. Just... be careful, Buck. Don’t end up doing more harm than good. Okay?” Steve carefully warns him.
“Yeah, I know, Steve.” Bucky tells him. “I gotta go, I’ll talk later man.” He concludes, promptly ending the call.
-
It’s Saturday, and Bucky’s panicking.
Why, you may ask?
Well, other than the fact that he made a dumpster fire out of his relationship with you, he singlehandedly made all of your friends who were staff at Avengers University hate him.
He’s spent the morning calling Natasha, who promptly picked up and hung up right after. Then Wanda, who didn’t even bother answering. Finally, Carol. Carol didn’t really give away much, but she did want to help.
Carol didn’t tell him which apartment you lived in.
But she did tell him what building you lived in.
“And why should I help you, Barnes?” Carol asked, well on her way to her meeting.
Bucky was running to catch up with her, clearly walking faster to avoid him.
“I- Listen, just, give me something. Natasha and Wanda ‘ve been avoiding me, and I know they’re not gonna help. I-I’m desperate.” Bucky practically begs, and Carol can’t say she’s not shocked.
“Well... how far are you willing to go?” She stops her walking and asks.
“I-I’ll do anything. Please, Danvers. I’ll buy you coffee for a week. Y-You can have my parking spot! Anything!” Bucky was ready to get on his knees if he needed to.
And that’s exactly what Carol wanted to see.
“Hmm... I don’t know... How do I know you’re actually sorry for what you’ve done?” She questions, nose in the air.
“Carol, I know I fucked up, alright? Steve and Sam can barely even look at me, Natasha and Wanda are ready to rip my head off on sight, and plus...” he paused, trying to lift the weight off his chest, “...plus, Y/N means a lot to me. And I know I acted like a goddamn idiot before, but it’s different now. I... I like her, a lot, and I never meant to hurt her. I... I need her to understand that.” Bucky was out of breath from his rant, and Carol squinted her eyes at him.
“I’m giving you one thing. You have to figure it out from there. Or else Y/N, Nat and Wanda would kill me.” The blonde says after a moment of silence. “She lives in the Livingston Towers. That’s all you get. I’m late to my meeting, bye.” She says, flipping her hair while strutting away.
Now, it’s Saturday morning and Bucky’s at the lobby of your building. Although it’s definitely not half as lavish as his own, it was still lovely. Warm, cozy. The man sitting at the desk watches him as he approaches his small desk, and Bucky looks pale as a ghost.
“H-Hi, I’m looking for someone who lives here?” He asks more than he says, making the man even more weary of him.
“Does this person know you’re coming to see them?” The young man asks dismissively.
“No, but uh, I was hoping I could see them anyways? I just need to know what apartment they’re in if you don’t mind-” Bucky speaks but is cut off short by the young man with the name tag that reads “Adam.”
“Listen, man, you’re not the first shmuck to show up here, begging me to let them up to see their ex that they ‘need to make it up to.’ If she’s not answering her phone when you call, maybe that’s a sign you need to let that shit go, dude.” Adam tells him, looking at his phone screen.
“Hey, kid, listen. She’s not my girlfriend, but I do need to make it up to her. I fucked up, but we’re colleagues, and we have a project that we’re supposed to work on starting tomorrow, but I don’t think she’s gonna show. I-I just... I need to see her. Please.” Bucky’s about to get on the ground, but instead another idea pops into his head.
Just as Adam’s about to dismiss him again, Bucky pulls out his wallet.
He pulls out a crisp $20 bill, slipping is across the counter.
“Please?” Bucky’s voice is hanging on by a thread.
“Fine, man, this girl better be worth it, I could lose my job-”
“Yeah, yeah, get on with it. Her name’s Y/N Y/L/N.” Bucky says, waiting for the boy to type in the name.
“She’s in 10C. Good luck, bro.” He says, sitting back lazily in his spinning chair.
“Thanks,” Bucky can barely say before he clicks the button to call the elevator, hopping in and pressing on the 10 button.
He finds your place with quick ease, but he stands there for a few seconds, pondering. If he knocks, will you even answer? If you know that it’s him, will you open the door? What if you’re out, what if you went to grab coffee or something for Lucy? What if-
And before he could think even further, the door swings wide open, shocking Bucky.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Your voice was hoarse, like you hadn’t used it in days.
You looked... horrible, to say the least. But James was glad he was even looking at you right now.
“I-I we need to talk. Please.” He says, hoping you’ll hear him out.” Just give me five minutes. I’ll leave after that.” He pleads.
Wordlessly, you walk away from the door, leaving him just standing in your doorframe. He assumes this means you’re agreeing to the five minutes.
“Well?” You say, sitting back down on your couch, waiting for James to plead his case.
“L-Listen. I... I can’t even begin to explain to you how fucking sorry I am. I’m a complete idiot for thinking that kissing you was going to fix everything between us, for making you feel like I was trying to embarrass you by kissing you. I just- in the moment I thought it could’ve been the right thing to do, but after it happened I realized just how dumb I was to think that. And you have every right to be upset with me. Also... we still have to do our lessons together starting tomorrow, and I just wanted to know that we could still work together.”
You sat in silence, petting Lucy who was curled up into your side. You held a mug of coffee in your hand, watching James intently.
“Also, how did you know I was here?” He asks, brows furrowed.
You snort at the question, shifting in place.
“Adam called me to warn me that a very persistent man was coming up, and that if I needed to escape to go out the fire escape or the storage closet and hide.” You say, giving no indication as to how you were feeling.
“He may be easily swayed, but he’s not a complete idiot. But you... you are a complete idiot.” You tell him.
Bucky’s chest tightens in an uncomfortable way, in a way that makes him want to throw up his breakfast.
“Did you just come here to see if I was still going to work with you?” You ask, waiting to see what he’ll say.
“Well, that wasn’t the whole reason. I needed to know that you were alright. I hurt you, and I understand that. I also don’t expect you to forgive me, but I need you to know that I know I fucked up. I’m sorry I didn’t realize it right away. And I’m even more sorry for making you feel like you weren’t enough this past year. I guess...
I guess it was just my way, albeit childish, of coping with my feelings for you. When I first met you, I thought you were so beautiful, and I wanted to get to know you. But you were so quiet, and I just thought that was you rejecting me... So, I’m sorry. For everything Y/N.” James concludes. He stands up, moving towards your front door.
“James, wait.” Your meek voice rumbled out as you stood up.
“You... you did embarrass me. Borderline humiliated. You shouldn’t have acted that way with me, I’m worth more than that kind of behavior. That being said, I appreciate you coming here to try and work things through. I... I was so hurt. You hurt me so bad, James.” He opens his mouth to apologize yet again, but you shake your head, continuing.
“I liked you too. When I first met you, I thought you were so attractive. Intelligent, handsome, friendly. But then you started acting so... so different around me. I- I didn’t know what I’d done to make you so angry with me, enough to tear me down every chance you got. I was new, lost, fresh meat. But when you started saying those things, I was reconsidering my contract with AU. I appreciate the apology, but I’m going to need some time to process... whatever this is. Of course I’ll still do the lessons, but that doesn’t mean we’re buddy-buddy now, okay?” You finish.
He’s looking at you. It’s like there’s something more you want to say.
“I just... I- how do I know you’re for real? With all this, I mean. How do I know you’re really sorry?” You ask, finally letting it out, your voice crackling.
“Y/N... How about this; this week, while we teach together, let me make it up to you. Let me show you just how sorry I am, that I’ve really changed. Please, let me make it up to you.” Now, he’s literally on his knees in front of you.
Lo and behold, James Barnes. In front of you, on his knees. On the floor of your apartment.
“James, get up, please.” He promptly stands back up. “You have one week. One week to show me you’ve really changed, that you really mean what you’ve just told me. That’s all you get.” You tell him, staring at him.
“Okay. One week. I’m not gonna let you down, Y/N. I promise. You’re gonna see how sorry I am, I swear.” James says, slowly making his way out.
“Okay. I’ll see you at work tomorrow, Barnes.” You say, holding the door, ready to shut it.
“Here I was, thinking we were on a first name basis.” He jokes, already outside.
“Watch it, Barnes.” You put extra emphasis on his last name, shutting the door as he steps into the elevator.
As you turn back into your house, you look at Lucy, who’s watching you with big eyes.
“What the hell is he gonna do, Luce?” You ask, plopping back down onto your couch and mindlessly turning on the TV again.
You couldn’t even pay attention to it, just thinking of what this week will bring.
-
a/n: ooookaayyyy hey yall! end of chapter check!! sorry this one was short, this week has been literally kicking my ass. i had 6 labs due for my anatomy class today. anywayssss.... what do we think bucky’s gonna conjure up for this week? lmk in the comments what you think !!! kk, love you, bye!
#bucky barnes fic#bucky imagine#bucky barnes x reader#bucky barnes fanfiction#Bucky Barnes#college professor au#professor!bucky#prof!bucky x prof!reader#prof!bucky#a fine line
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Oh, can I please ask for one of your folklore prompts? “And I can go anywhere I want, anywhere I want/just not home” my tears ricochet For a young Tony, maybe? It doesn't have to have a pairing if you don't want to. :)
A house and a home are different. Tony did not know this until he was in college, much to his surprise.
A house is somewhere you live. A central place that you come back to in between visits to other people or places or countries or anything else. It is not personal. It is something you use until you no longer see the need or the desire. You can move to a lot of them.
A home lingers. A home is where you smile late at night over drinks. It is where crumbs reside from last night’s takeout, and you spend lazy Sundays.
(Tony also didn’t know what that was either.)
He’s lived in a lot of houses. He has a lot of houses. There’s the one in New York that is looming and lonely and probably would be his least favorite except it’s in New York, which earns it its redemption.
There is sunny Malibu with its beaches and great views. There are a few others.
None of them are homes. It’s just a place to rest for a couple of months or a year or until Howard decides it’s not enough.
He gets to MIT and gets a dorm room, same as everyone else. It is pitifully sad, he gets sun only in the mornings, and that sucks. He kind of hates it. He guesses that’s the college experience.
He also has a roommate. Jarvis had told him it’d be good for him, and Tony had had to talk Howard out of about twenty-seven different legal documents that basically said “if you ever breathe a word of anything to anyone, you’re being legally sued.”
James Rhodes. Literally studying to become a rocket scientist, has questionable taste in posters, and waves at Tony when they meet each other.
“Call me Jim.”
“...Jim. Are you eighty or something?”
It’s probably the wrong thing to say. It definitely is the wrong thing to say by Jarvis’ raised eyebrows and down-turned frown.
But James Rhodes takes it in stride.
“You can call me something else if you want, but it has to be good and I have to approve it. Can’t be my last name, can’t be Jimmy. Anything else is fair game.”
Different reaction. That’s...that’s weird.
So Tony shrugs, smiles as Jarvis leaves, and realizes that he’s alone and Howard doesn’t really have an influence--except he does, god he does--and Tony asks James Rhodes if he’d like to get pizza.
“You know anywhere with good pizza?”
“Wanna find out if Hemingway’s is any good?”
“It’s either going to be artisan hipster or the worst. Hell yes.”
It’s artisan hipster. It is bad, and James laughs as he tells a story and burns his tongue when he’s reenacting his mother is chewing him out, using his full name, and:
“Rhodey,” Tony gasps out.
“I told you that you couldn’t use my last name!”
“It’s technically not your last name, sugar plum,” Tony mocks, using one of his mother’s nicknames against him. “You are forever now Rhodey. Forever.”
-
From there, friendship progresses. Tony’s never actually had a real friend before, not that he tells Rhodey that. Besides, Rhodey probably knows. Tony just automatically assumes he’s paying for everything, and he’s not sure what to do with genuine affection for a couple of months.
He looks at Rhodey with such love and affection. He does, really. Rhodey has created a whole new world for him.
-
And then, the holidays.
Thanksgiving is Tony’s least-favorite-holiday for a variety of reasons. It’s all a fake kind of gathering. “Coming together to celebrate gratefulness” is the biggest goddamn crock of bullshit he’s ever cooked in his life, and for once his family isn’t doing a PR stunt, so his mother has announced that he’s welcome to be back home, but they won’t be there.
Howard is taking Jarvis with him on a trip to England to visit Aunt Peggy and probably talk shop about Cap and ice and stupid fucking theories about the degree of alive he’ll be when he’s found.
(When. What pretentious bullshit.)
Tony doesn’t want to be alone in the house, because that’d suck shit and MIT would be better. At least he could make shitty ramen and cry and only get a noise complaint instead of one of the cleaning staff members saying that he probably needed therapy.
“You are not staying in the dorms, what the fuck man,” Rhodey says. “You’re coming home with me.”
“Now darling, I thought you said we weren’t going to be forward about this whole thing,” he purrs, putting on an old Hollywood accent. “Are you finally coming up and seeing me?”
Rhodey rolls his eyes.
“I’ll be as forward as I want,” he decides, and Tony wishes he wouldn’t say things like that, because that seriously get’s a man’s heart rising. “Besides, I told you that you need to have my Aunt Kendra’s rolls, and that’s a promise. So, Thanksgiving is now with the Rhodes’ family.”
Tony doesn’t know if they know that he’s coming. He also doesn’t know the dress code, and Rhodey is absolutely no help.
“What do you mean by casual?” Tony squawks. “Is it business casual? Dressy casual? Jeans casual?”
“What do any of those mean?”
“Oh my god, I’m going to look like a failure at this shindig. Your mother will die over her cooking because I’ll pull out of the wrong wardrobe and be a fool. I’ll die, and you’ll have to bury me, and you won’t even know which outfit I’ll want. God, this is going to--”
Rhodey shuts him up, putting a hand over his mouth.
“Just wear your red turtleneck and your dark jeans or whatever. That looks nice.”
“You noticed?”
“You don’t give me as much credit as I deserve,” Rhodey grunts. “Early wake-up on Monday. I’ll supply coffee as long as you give me gas money.”
“I’ll give you anything for coffee. I’ll give you my hand in marriage for coffee.”
“Don’t tempt me,” Rhodey teases. “I might actually do that.”
God, I wish you would.
-
Rhodey’s house is a nice place, a wire fence bordering with a porch swing covered in a light dusting of snow, and swinging slightly with the wind that blows through the neighborhood.
There are quite a lot of cars parked in the driveway and in the street, and Tony can see at least six people inside the house, which is more family than he actually knows on either side.
It’s all warm and yellow, and Rhodey moves with an ease that Tony didn’t know happened outside of those cheesy family shows.
He throws open the door and there are shouts of joy and happiness and “Jimmy-boy!”
“I didn’t know Jimmy-boy was on the table,” Tony remarks dryly. “And here it’s been for months, Jimmy-boy.”
Rhodey groans.
“This is worse than Rhodey,” he mutters.
A woman who could only be his mother steps forward, grinning.
“Call me Mama, darling. And what’s this I hear about ‘Rhodey’?”
“He burnt his tongue on pizza while telling me about a time he got a well-deserved talking-to by your own graceful words, Mrs. Rhodes,” Tony says. He’s charming. Oh, he’s very charming.
She giggles.
“I said mama, but I can’t say I’ll mind too much when you talk like that. Jim, you should’ve had us meet earlier.”
“You see I would’ve, but I happen to value myself,” Rhodey says.
“You do?” a man says. Mr. Rhodes, tall and a smile that could put any of the fake veneers in Hollywood to shame. “Could’ve fooled me.”
Rhodey gets pulled into a hug, and he laughs, and Tony has the Distinct Memory that He’s Never Been Hugged by his Father.
Well, isn’t this a time to realize family inadequacies!
“Rhodey, light of my life, where am I setting up my suitcase?” Tony asks.
“Come on up with me. We’re sleeping in my room, hope that’s alright.”
It’s more than alright, and Tony smiles when he sees Rhodey’s room.
He loves it. It’s decorated with model airplanes hanging from the ceiling, a peeling Star Wars poster that has most definitely been needed to be thrown away for more than five years (but won’t be), and a few trophies from soccer.
Tony’s never had his own room decorated with anything but the current trends, his mother hand-picking his comforter and the decorations in his room. And they all say he’s so “fashionable” and “keeps an eye out for trends.”
(Ha.)
It’s odd for him to see a house look so...lived in.
“Welcome home,” Rhodey says. “I haven’t grabbed it yet, but I’ll use a sleeping bag and you can take the bed.”
Tony snorts.
“No way, honeybee. I’m not kicking you out of your own bed. We’ve shared a bed before, this is no different.”
"Only if you’re sure,” Rhodey says, smiling at him. “This is a bit different than both twin beds being crashed together because we wanted more space for the fridge.”
“This time we don’t have the fridge,” Tony quips as Rhodey laughs.
“Come on, let’s head downstairs. Mama’s probably gonna have us wash dishes or something. Maybe set up some more chairs.”
What actually happens is that their laundry machine has gone rebel-mode, and is currently trying it’s best to fling the door open and spew laundry everywhere.
“Shit,” Mr. Rhodes says, looking at it. “Another call to the repairman this month...”
“He won’t get here until a week after Thanksgiving,” Mama says, sighing. “How much do you mind your jeans freezing up a bit?”
He smiles a bit at his wife.
-
Tony’s never seen that. But he likes it.
-
“I can fix it,” he says. Family turns to him. This is all quite embarrassing. “I, uh, I’ve taken apart some washing machines before. I think I can figure it out, if you don’t mind me poking around.”
“I wouldn’t mind a bit,” Mama says. “Jimmy, I like this one.”
Rhodey rolls his eyes.
“I’ll go get the toolkit for you. Need anything?”
“Towels and you, honey-pie.”
“You get one out of two of those options.”
“You treat me like a vagrant,” Tony declares. Rhodey laughs as he heads to go get supplies.
-
The night goes on. People occasionally check in, and Rhodey assures them that it’s going well.
“Instruction manuals are such bullshit,” Tony says. “Half the time they’re written by someone who doesn’t even know how to do it themselves. The other half, no one uses them.”
“Well when you take over your company, write better instruction manuals,” Rhodey says. “Pass me a towel, things are about to get sudsy.”
Forty-five minutes later, the washing machine is probably doing better than it was even at production, and Tony gets a kiss on the cheek and cheers all around him.
“This calls for cookies,” Rhodey declares. “Tony, let’s go get some.”
They sit at the kitchen table, and Tony learns so much about Rhodey’s family. He sees him laugh and relax and tell the funniest stories about when he was little and got stuck in a tree.
-
It’s home. That’s how he finally understands it. Home where you keep on going long after, with people you love.
He doesn’t have one of those.
He thinks, maybe, that he could make a home of his own. Maybe he could have AC/DC posters lining a wall, or have the pictures of friends and vacation in the kitchen.
And Rhodey would be there. For now, he’s going to enjoy his hot chocolate and try to get more embarrassing stories about his best friend from his family.
#lovelyirony writes#rhodeytony#ironhusbands#the difference between a house and a home#mit era#rhodey#tony stark#jarvis#anyways yeah i don't think tony would actually know what a home looks like#he's Deficient
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Companions React: Institute Offers Surgery To Intersex Sole
Note: Please let me know if I mishandled this or anything came across as insensitive so I can come back and fix it! I would hate to make anyone feel misrepresented or offended by the way this was written. Thank you and thank you for reading.
CW: Uh, a lot of anger and violence mentions. Lots of swearing.
The Scenario: Every time Sole sat the companion down for a serious conversation they lost about ten years off their life; no one ever did that to give good news. As soon as Sole announced they had something to tell the companion, they sat and looked up at Sole warily. After a moment, Sole took a deep breath and sat down across from them. “Do you know what intersex means?” They asked.
“Yeah.” The companion’s tone was more questioning than anything.
“I’m intersex. And I want… your opinion on something. The Institute offered, uhm, surgery. If you catch my drift.”
Cait:
Cait felt fury rise in her as soon as the words left Sole’s mouth. “And did ya ask for it first?” She stood, fists clenched.
Sole shook their head and looked down at their clasped hands, trying to push away their internal confliction to listen to Cait. “Then it’s none of their goddamn business, ya hear me? You’re perfect the way ya are, and unless taking up their offer is gonna make you happier, they can stick their offer where the sun don’t shine!” She was indignant, practically shouting by the end of her speech.
Sole laughed at Cait’s way with words, comforted by the fact that she was so furious on their behalf. “Thank you.” They replied quietly.
“Gods, they have nothin’ but audacity. Can you imagine?!” She was talking to herself at that point.
Cait paused and shook her head. “Now listen. I’m not gonna tell ya one way or another, ya know how I feel about them. If it would make ya happy it’s worth it. But never let anyone tell ya to change a goddamn thing. Especially not the Institute, of all people!”
Curie:
“I’m afraid I don’t understand. Why would they offer surgery if there’s nothing wrong?”
Sole laughed quietly. Curie was nowhere near naive, but she had yet to deal with the full spectrum of human ignorance. “It’s, uh. How do I put it? For some people, it makes them more comfortable since it’s what’s... expected.”
“And you? Would it make you more comfortable? That’s the only thing that matters.”
“I don’t know… I don’t think so. I think I’m just fine.”
“Then that’s it. You’re just fine. They should mind their own business.”
Curie stood, smoothing out the front of her shirt as she looked around thoughtfully. “Quite insulting that they were in your business like that.” She shook her head. “Disgraceful. They call themselves scientists, yet have no respect.”
Danse:
Danse had no hesitation when it came to getting angry at the Institute, but this was a whole different level. The absolute nerve astounded him. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, reigning in his anger at the fact that they would so blatantly disrespect Sole. “How do you feel about it?” He asked. After all, their opinion was the most important.
“Offended, to be honest.” They let out a short, wry laugh. “I don’t think I want it.”
“There’s no reason to change yourself to appease the absolute ignorance of an institution that helps no one. They don’t have your best interests at heart, so unless getting the surgery would make you happier, I’ll make sure you get to blow the first charge when we get rid of them.”
Sole laughed. “I’ll take you up on that offer.”
Deacon:
“What?”
“They offered surgery.”
“No, I think I must’ve heard you wrong. You’re not saying they offered you surgery because you’re intersex, right?”
Sole nodded, biting at their bottom lip in discomfort. Deacon simply began to laugh dryly, though his clenched fists and the twitching of his upper lip showed he was very obviously not impressed, nor humored. “Bold bastards. I’m sorry they’d insult you like that, Sole, you deserve better.” There was a beat of silence. “I should’ve asked first; do you want the surgery? Would that make you happier?”
Sole shook their head. “No. I’m good the way I am.”
Deacon smiled and nodded, lifting his arm for a fistbump. “Exactly.”
The two stood and returned to their tasks, silence reigning in the small room as they both got lost in thought. After a couple moments of Deacon tinkering with his weapon and Sole writing down their inventory list, they were startled by Deacon slamming his screwdriver down. “The absolute nerve of them, though! What the fuck?”
Sole simply laughed in response, shaking their head. They had no idea either.
Gage:
“And you shot them, right? Their brains are currently splattered across their grossly clean walls, right?” Gage’s gaze was intensely stern.
Sole shook their head, tempted to laugh at his protectiveness. “No. I didn’t, don’t think I would’ve made it back in one piece if I did.”
“You’re not gonna listen to them, right? They’re sick as fuck, Sole, I wouldn’t trust their standard for anything as far as I could throw one of their scientists.”
“No, I didn’t listen to them. They’re considered fucked up for a reason, Gage. I know better. It just… sucked. That they thought it was obvious or something.” Sole shook their head and played with the sleeve of their shirt. “I dunno.”
“I’ll kill them. Say the word. I swear to God.”
Sole laughed. “You can’t take on the entire Institute, Gage.”
“Watch me. Those pieces of shit need to learn their place.”
Hancock:
Hancock said nothing and simply opened up his arms. Being confronted with the fact that certain parts of society considered you different was nothing strange to him, and he knew how much it could sting. When they accepted his offer and rose from their seat to fold themself into his arms, he felt his anger surge to a new level. How dare they make them feel this way? Carefully, he rubbed their back. “You okay?”
“Yeah.” They replied, voice muffled in his coat. “Just insulted, y’know.”
“Yeah, I get it, sweetheart.” Hancock moved his hand to squeeze their shoulder. “We’ll get those bastards back, and then some, yeah?”
Sole nodded and pulled away with a resigned sigh. “Don’t worry your pretty head over it. Their opinion means nothing, y’know? God knows I’ll have to ruin them if they stress you out.”
MacCready:
“Fu-fri-no, y’know what? They deserve it! Fucking pieces of shit!” Mac cursed, voice raised.
Sole looked up at him, a bit stunned by the outburst. “Sorry.” He muttered, turning his head away. “What did you tell them? How do you feel about it?”
They shrugged. “I don’t want it, I’m pretty sure. Thought about it a lot. I just wanted your opinion, I guess.”
“What the hell does my opinion have to do with it? Whatever makes you happy is priority, Sole. Both the Institute and I can get screwed if we try to interfere with that.”
They gave him a small smile. “Thanks Mac.”
MacCready nodded and reached over to squeeze their shoulder in reassurance. He shook his head at the situation, but gave them a smile. “It’s gonna be alright, Sole. Don’t take anything they say seriously.”
Nick:
Nothing about this surprised him, and he had to roll his eyes at the Institute’s audacity. “Yeah, sounds like them. What did you say?”
“I said I wasn’t interested. I don’t know, I thought about it and it’s not something I care to get done.”
Nick nodded and fumbled with his cigarette, watching the smoke plume thoughtfully. “As long as you’re happy, yeah? I’ll walk back into that hellhole and hold your hand the entire way if you need me to.”
Sole grinned. The detective was short with words, but he always knew what needed to be said. “Thanks, Nick, but that’s not something you’ll need to worry about.”
He tapped the ash off his cigarette. “Good. They’re idiots anyway, you don’t need to change a thing.”
Piper:
Piper hadn’t felt rage overcome her that way in such a long time. Her hands shook as she placed her head in her hands and took a deep breath. “Bastards!” She cursed, then, “Sorry, Blue. What did you say?”
Sole shook their head. “I said no.”
Piper nodded and smiled bitterly. “Good.” She stood and stepped away, biting at the skin next to her nails. “Who even says something like that out of the blue? Like that’s a normal offer to make?” She threw her hands up, eyebrows narrowed in enraged confusion.
Preston:
Preston resisted the urge to clench his jaw. Maybe this was something Sole wanted, maybe it would make them feel more comfortable, despite the fact that the offer was coming from somewhere disgusting. “How do you feel about it?”
“Kind of insulted, actually. It’s not really any of their business, and I definitely didn’t ask.”
Preston nodded and pressed his lips together, cracking his knuckles absentmindedly. “We should check in with Sturges on how close to complete the plan is.” The look in his eyes conveyed all the anger Sole needed to see.
They sighed. “It’s not worth getting riled up over, Preston, really. I dunno. I suppose it might’ve been coming from a place of concern, albeit ignorant concern.”
“I won’t start something over it if you don’t want me too, but there’s a few choice words I’d love to get their way before we blow them into the sky.”
X6-88:
X6’s expression grew colder. “There was a mistake.” He stated simply.
“No, Six. They meant it.”
“Which scientist was this? What team?” He asked, calm despite the chill his expression was sending through Sole.
“Uhm, I’m not sure the specifics of her team. Doctor O’hara, with the medical staff. I was in there for vaccinations.”
X6 nodded and stood, movements stiffer than usual, which was saying something. “And this question. It was invasive and disrespectful, if I wasn’t mistaken by your tone?”
Sole nodded, not sure where he was going with this line of conversation. “I will be… speaking to her supervisor.” They had to raise an eyebrow at the inflection they gave to “speaking.” They watched him leave, wondering if they should say something, before blowing out a sigh. They’d hate to be part of that team right now.
#Fallout 4#fo4#companions react#fluff#hurt comfort#Cait#Curie#Deacon#Paladin Danse#Gage#Mayor Hancock#RJ MacCready#Nick Valentine#Piper#Preston Garvey#X6-88
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run.
aight this one is kinda silly, i like it but then i dont ya know anyway the way i got this idea is really weird imma explain it at the end and uh yeah enjoy
words: 2341
warnings: cursing, alcohol, fighting (implied)
Pryce walked down the long hallways with her coffee, along with her many files about the latest rebel activity. To be honest, she was extremely proud of how it turned out. She had worked hard on this particular file the night before, also why this was her 5th cup of coffee that morning. However, she was sure that when high command read the file, it would all be worth it. Of course, considering this was the Empire, she also had low expectations, but no matter what they had to say, she was sure that this was going to be good.
But she was so in thought of her little project that she wasn’t paying attention to where she was going. And in result, she bumped into you. Fortunately she didn’t spill her coffee, but she did drop her files, which was technically a datapad. You reached down to pick it up, and seeing that it was already turned on you read a little bit of the file. Pryce did not stop you, as she wanted to see what you would say about her hard work.
You smiled politely while reading it, “Wow, Pryce, this is really good. I’m sure high command will agree.'' Pryce's pride shot through the roof, but it immediately died out when your smile dropped. “Oh, you have a typo here. It’s supposed to be ‘their’ not ‘they’re’.”
Handing it back to Pryce, you started to walk towards your destination. You turned back to give her a comforting smile. “I’m sure the high command won’t notice, though. See you around!”
Watching you walk off, she gripped the datapad with unknown force. “I fucking hate my job.”
Deciding that the high command could go fuck themselves, she headed towards the bridge where they would be waiting for her work.
--------
Eli was actually surprised with how well Pryce’s work was. Not saying that she was terrible at her job, but this was extremely well put. Besides a few typos, but if the rest of the officers wanted to bitch they could bitch.
Thrawn was certainly impressed, and even though it might’ve been hard to read it, it was obvious that he was from his almost non existent facial expressions. He turned to look towards you to see if you were the same way, but he didn’t see you at all. He looked around the bridge, only to see that you weren’t there. Were you late? No, if you were, you would’ve been here by now.
Thrawn seemed to see how confused Eli was, and leaned towards him. “If you’re wondering what they mean by the attacks on naboo, they mean the ones that happened last week.” Eli turned to him, a little offended that he thought Eli didn’t understand what they were talking about. “Yeah, I got that, I’m trying to look for _____, have you seen her?”
Thrawn straightened himself, before replying, “Last I heard, she was heading to Tarkin's fleet for a meeting. She will be back by tonight, so do not worry.” Eli felt a little hurt that you wouldn’t tell him, but then again, Tarkin liked to pull you from Thrawn's fleet for random meetings, probably just shit talking sessions, so he didn’t hold it against you.
They all turned their heads towards the intercoms when they heard the long ‘beep’ that played out when something long was about to be announced. Eli sighed and waited for a few seconds. But nothing played. Confused, he looked around the room to see if everyone else had heard it. They did, and they were all looking confused as well. Then, there was the faintest sound of audio being picked up, before it seemed to be… playing a recording.
Before anyone was able to ask what was going on, strange music started to play through the halls, and then Eli realized that the song that was playing was the “Coconut Mall” theme from Mario Kart. It got a little louder, then a little lower, before it stopped being adjusted.
Everyone in the room just stood there, listening to the theme song, wondering what the hell was happening. Finally, after almost 2 minutes, the song ended. Thrawn stared at the intercoms with a slight glare, but he turned back to the group to talk about Pryce’s excellent work but got interrupted when something else started to play. This time it was caramelldansen, out of all the songs.
Eli turned to his datapad and opened a new browser and looked at the security cameras, where he then went to the area where they would play the weekly announcements or just emergency alerts. However, the place was in shambles, with the people who were supposed to be controlling the comms were all trying to stop whoever was messing with them. Eli tapped thrawn on the shoulder and showed him the camera footage. Thrawn stared at the panicking staff, before he pulled out his own comm, which could technically be broadcasted to the entire ship and walked over to one of the control panels and inserted it into the panel.
After a bit of typing, he was pleased with what he could do, and pushed a button that would technically override the comms, but before he even spoke, the control panel beeped, before a error message played out on the screen, reading, “CANNOT OVERRIDE EMERGENCY COMM”. Thrawn seemed to be even more confused, and continued to type away at the panel, but the same error just appeared on the screen. The typing started to become louder and louder almost as if he was trying to drown out the song that was playing overhead, but it was no use.
Whoever planned this was extremely smart in making sure that they wouldn’t be able to get the comms fixed. Finally, in an act of frustration, Thrawn just raised his fist and banged it onto the screen panel. However, the spinning wheel of death came to a halt, revealing the words, “CANNOT OVERRIDE EMERGENCY COMM”. With this, thrawn took out his comm, and then tried to broadcast his own voice, but the same message played. By this point, the song was almost over, and everyone thought that this would be it. Whoever was playing this prank was sure that they were going to be caught.
But unfortunately, it didn’t.
After a few seconds, a new song played. All Star by Smash Mouth.
By this point many of the technicians were heading towards the intercom area, to see what the hell was going on. Most of the crew on the bridge were impatiently waiting for the speakers to be fixed and so that they could find whoever was playing the songs. Pryce looked like she wanted to murder someone for ruining her presentation, and Thrawn had a resting bitch face, which eli was able to tell from the way he would galre at anything and anyone.
The first time the song ended, everyone was waiting for which new weird song would play. But the same song repeated itself. Which was weird, considering the fact that they had played a different song each time. But Thrawn didn’t seem to care, simply talking over the song telling people to resume their normal duties and that the song should be down by the end of the day. How wrong he was.
The song played for a third time, and at this point Eli was starting to focus more on the song then his work. Whoever is doing this is gonna wish that they were hiding…
Then, a fourth time. Pryce came into Thrawn's office where Eli resided with Thrawn, because, well, Thrawn had his room soundproof, so that he could scream in peace when the Empire was complete bullshit. Since the speakers in his room were designed to be quieter so he could work in peace, it was a godsend for Eli, especially now.
The fifth time it played, it almost seemed as if the quiet speakers were useless. Eli was starting to get the song stuck in his head and it was bothering the hell out of him. Pryce was trying to revise her presentation in case she missed something, but everytime she went to edit it, her brain tried to write the words she was hearing. Thrawn was just about ready to reveal a flask filled with alcohol if the song didn’t stop.
The sixth time was when shit hit the fan. In the middle of the song, Eli heard running from outside the door, and he then heard, “WHICH ONE OF YOU FUCKS ARE DOING THIS, I’M GONNA BEAT YOU ALL TO-” and then the sound of people fighting each other. Someone probably got tackled to the ground. Eli didn’t even want to go outside to see what was happening.
The seventh time was complete insanity, Eli was able to hear the screaming and fighting outside. He had no idea how this would have happened on the ship, but it was absolute chaos. Looking at the security footage, there were at least 6 different viewpoints with multiple fights. He was just about to call a goddamn containment breach.
Then, out of nowhere, a new song started to play. It was Wii music. He was almost able to hear the cries of relief from the crew, and as it played he tried to fall asleep to drown out his problems. He listened to the calming music of the speakers that brought peace to his mind, and he was about to fall asleep, when.
“SOMEBODY ONCE TOLD ME,”
Screams could be heard from across the ship as the eight time, and people started up their fights again. Eli saw from the corner of his eye Thrawn pulling out a datapad and he started to type to someone. This continued for a minute before he pulled out a holopad and turned it on. He pulled out your contact and called you. When you answered you were sitting down somewhere, holding a random datapad probably from Tarkin.
“Thrawn? Are you good?” Thrawn seemed almost to cry in relief when you answered his call. “No, my dear, I am not.” He then went on to explain the situation, before he hung his head low, almost wanting to die having to explain this to you of all people. You stared at him for a moment, before reassuring him, “Don’t worry, I’ll get them to send someone with experience to help you out. They’ll be there in about half an hour.”
Well. Could be worse. Eli found two pillows and stuck them on his ears trying to drown out the song.
------
The ships came earlier than expected. Then again, the place where Tarkin usually resided wasn’t too far from their post, but he wasn’t expecting Tarkin to bring about 4 ISD to the scene.
However, it became apparent why when Tarkin stepped off the smaller ship that had been sent out. Along with you. The song had still been playing, the goddamn tone was getting to Eli so much.
Walking through the halls was a mess in itself. People were trying to restrain others, they were fighting each other, it reminded you of the time the whole Life Day incident happened. But this wasn’t the same.
When the two of you finally reached Thrawn's office, the place had been put on lockdown, still the damn song playing. You did have to admit it was starting to get annoying having to hear it on repeat. You couldn’t imagine what it would be like for an hour.
Walking into Thrawn's office, you saw Eli in the corner, on the floor, with two pillows held up against his ears, Pryce sitting on one of the chairs with her elbows on her knees, head down, and her hands covering her ears, and Thrawn had a tipped over flask on his desk. Overall? A fucking mess.
However, before anyone could explain anything, the music stopped mid play. It was a relief to everyone. Pryce lifted her head like she was seeing an angel for the first time. Thrawn looked almost the same, but his eyes held relief. Eli didn’t hear it stop because the pillows were so good as sound blockers that he didn’t have to worry.
Tarkin gave a smirk, before asking, “So, you needed help with what exactly?”
------
That same day Thrawn held a bounty to whoever could find out who did the prank. A lesser reward for whoever had any info on them, but it was all the same. The ship had to be cleaned up from the whole ordeal. Multiple cleaning crews from other ships had to be requested. Even the Emperor got attention for what happened and had a good laugh (in private).
Vader was supposed to appear for a meeting the next day, but it had to be postponed from the damage.
You, Thrawn and Eli had a secondary, more private meeting in Thrawn's office, where Eli explained what happened. You had to hide your laugh as a cough, which worked better than expected.
After the mini meeting was over, Thrawn left, but you asked Eli to stay for details on what happened that you knew Thrawn wouldn’t want to remember. Eli begrudgingly agreed and told you what happened in detail. You had a good laugh, and Eli did as well, long forgetting his anger towards the situation. After a bit of laughs, you gathered your things, telling Eli that you would be getting on with the report you had to give to Tarkin about the situation.
However, before you left, you turned back to face him. “You know, I’m surprised that those emergency comms had that much range. I was expecting it to die out, you know? But I guess they’re called emergency comms for something.”
Eli stopped, dead in his tracks, and turned back to face you. You gave an innocent smile, before saying, “Hope you didn’t mind. See you around, Eli.”
Eli was left with a feeling of betrayal from one of his closest friends, and a feeling of emptiness.
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did it. ok so the way how i got this was that i was scrolling through someones blog and i found a funny video about john mulaney and that whats new pussycat and i was like oh hey didnt something happen to my brother and so i asked him about it and long story short in highschool someone had played pumped up kicks like 3 times i think and there was a fight somehow that ended up with someone going to the hospital so yeah. also i havent edited this much so pls tell me of any mistakes lmao anyway heres the guys who imma tag:
@theninjahobbit666 @danger-xylophones @justalittlecloud @queenie-chi-cosplay @ssevent33n @fallenrepublick
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quality time
rwrb and the five love languages | part four
in which bea nearly crashes from the stress of party-planning (aroace rep)
Princess Beatrice buzzes around The Masquerade, double-checking place cards, straightening table settings, and pulling dried rose petals from the centerpieces. She rented the concert venue for the night to throw a modern Valentine’s gala to benefit Henry’s queer youth center in London. He and Alex are around here somewhere, probably hooking up in a broom cupboard and definitely not nitpicking every detail like Bea is. Her assistant follows her with a clipboard and updates her on the schedule: t-minus three hours until guests arrive and, in the meantime, she needs to give final approval, soundcheck with the band, and get dressed up. Jeans and a blazer, while royal casual, are not party-appropriate, and tonight needs to be perfect.
She usually hates royal events like galas, but this one is special. Not because it’s Valentine’s Day—Bea could not give two fucks about the holiday—but because ever since coming out as asexual around Christmas, she’s been looking for an opportunity to help other queer people, or at least give them a public figure they could point to and say, “See Mum and Dad, she’s like me.” Henry and Alex got their chance, and now this time, it’s hers.
The stage lights up with pink and red; it’s cheesy, but Bea digs it. The concert was the one thing she would not budge on with her royal event planner. Did she want to reach into wealthy pockets? Yes. Did she still want to have a good time? Hell yes. And the band she’s joining for one night only happens to be just as queer as the charity they’re supporting.
Permanent Record, local to London, tune their instruments on stage. Bea has met them dozens of times over the last month and vibed with them instantly. Margot, the too-cool lead singer always decked out in a leather jacket and Docs, is ace like her, and as much as Bea has wanted to get to know them, there’s been no time. Turns out, party-planning and party-executing steals the host away from all meaningful human connection. She’s only been able to keep up with Henry because he’s partly responsible for this event.
The pit, full of tables covered in pink and gold, finally looks perfect enough for Bea to hand-off any other minute fixes to the planner and finally have her soundcheck with the band. But then, a large crash comes from the back of the venue, and she hears a loud shriek coming from a familiar voice, the one that’s been shrill and disapproving for the last month. When Bea runs up, she sees hundreds of shattered champaign flutes and her planner on the floor, blood oozing from her hands.
This cannot be happening. The only reason Bea kept this woman around was to take most of the day-of duties off her plate. But she’s in the back of an ambulance now, and Henry is nowhere to be found. Bea’s stress levels go from tolerable to unbearable as she orders her assistant to track down replacement flutes. The staff are quick to fill her other requests: a couple of people start sweeping, someone runs off to find her co-host, another tells the band Bea’s soundcheck will be postponed, and a brave soul steps up as a temporary assistant and follows her around the back tables to check for broken glass. Bea knows she doesn’t have to be the one to do this, but it seems like the success of this event lies solely one her shoulders. If something goes wrongs, it’s her face—not Henry’s—in the papers the next day. Powder Princess Crashes and Burns at Gay Ball. Christ.
After an hour, everything is sorted. There’s no glass. The planner is getting stiches. Permanent Record has started their soundcheck and sound amazing. But even their chill indie tunes can’t calm the princess. She needs to get on stage, but her stylist specifically requested she have at least two hours to work his magic, which is not going to happen.
Bea tells her assistant to get her stylist and his team to the venue, because she won’t be able to leave, and warn him he’ll only have an hour at best. Henry and Alex have already taken off to get ready, and she has to remind herself to smack them later for abandoning her.
She tugs off her blazer, drapes it over a chair, and rolls up her sleeves. If she does get her hands on a guitar, she’ll explode. It’s all she can think of to stop her from raiding the bar at the back.
“Better late than never, eh, Princess?” Margot says as she huffs on stage.
One of the stagehands gives Bea her beautiful sleek, black Fender Stratocaster, and her anxiety reduces itself to a hum. Music can’t cure all, but it certainly keeps her from wrecking every good thing in her life.
“Let’s just play,” she says.
But it’s anything but perfect. Whatever chemistry she had with Permanent Record somehow jumped into the Thames between their last rehearsal and now because this is an absolute travesty and she’s only playing two songs with them tonight. She’s forgotten measures of one song and can’t find the chords fast enough in her solo of the other. Utter shit.
Why does she even fucking bother?
She always fucks everything up. Always. Why did she think she could put this on? Sure, she’s chaired these events before, but not ones she actually cares about, not ones she’s actually put her heart into. Christ, no wonder. She should’ve known it would turn out like this. She’s the anti-Midas; everything she touches turns to shit.
No kid will ever see her as a queer role model. She’s the girl they point to and say, “See Mum and Dad, what a waste.”
She needs a hit so fucking bad.
Which is why she has to get out of here ASAP. Before she does anything she’ll regret. She won’t slip again, and she won’t be the reason this gala fails. Henry can handle it without her.
So when Margot calls for a five-minute break, Bea excuses herself and hands off her guitar. On her way out the door, she tells the stagehand to find her assistant and tell her to have Henry take over. The hard part is over thanks to the planner actually being brilliant at her job, even if she and Bea would never get along.
No doubt, cameras are already lined up outside, so she hides in one of the green rooms and locks the door behind her. If she just takes a deep breath and calms down, she can bring herself back from the edge.
Five things she can see: The 1975, Arctic Monkeys, Oasis, Solange, and Fiona Apple’s signatures on the artist wall.
Four things she can feel: the worn leather on a crusty couch, the chipped-paint walls, her toes in her shoes, and her fingers through her light brown hair.
Three things she can hear: the ticking from the clock, the click of her heels as she paces, and a knock at the door.
Two things she can smell: decades-old musk from artists past—no doubt coming from the couch—and her light perfume on her wrist.
One thing she can taste: a hint of coffee from earlier.
She breathes in and out, and the knock on the door continues.
“Bea, are you in there? Could you let me in?” Margot. Essentially a stranger. She supposes it’s better than facing a disappointed Henry, so she opens the door and promptly relocks it as soon as they’re inside.
“Christ, this place is legendary, isn’t it? Everyone’s played here—is that Bob Dylan? Fucking nuts,” Margot says, pointing to the wall.
“I’ve seen loads of people here. Always wanted to play here myself,” Bea tells them. She traces Lizzo’s signature. That was a fun night; Nora and June flew out for a girls’ night, which was ultimately crashed by Pez.
“Me too, and the rest of band as well, I suppose.” Margot looks at Bea and smiles. They’re brown eyes crinkle in the corner, and it reminds her of Alex. “And now we get to, eh, Princess? Couldn’t’ve gotten here without you. The whole world knows Permanent Record now.”
“You could’ve done it without me,” she says. “You will tonight anyway.”
“Hey.” They reach for Bea’s hand. “Everyone has some hiccups before a big gig. It’ll be grand, but only if you’re there. This is your night as much as it is ours or the youth center’s. You have no idea how important it is for your lot to shine a light on causes people shy away from.”
That makes Bea smile. For so long she wanted to hide from her position. She wanted freedom to do whatever she pleased, but now she understands the power she has, even if people still see her as “The Powder Princess.” No matter what she wears, millions of fashion influencers share links to her clothes. If she walks into a restaurant, their yearly profits skyrocket. When she told the world she was ace, thousands of people messaged her and said the same. One of them was Margot, telling her about their undiscovered band from South London.
She tells Margot how that was one of the first times she really felt like herself. Completely at peace with who she is. How that peace got away from her and turned this gala into a near-panic-attack-inducing event, she doesn’t know.
“Have you let on how stressed you’ve been to anyone?” Margot asks. The two sit together on the couch after Margot bravely plopped themself down on the dirty, old thing.
“Hadn’t the time,” she says. Truthfully, Bea doesn’t think she’s had a genuine conversation with anyone since the gala’s conception.
Margot throws their hands in the air. “Well, there you go then! You’ve got to take the time! To take care of yourself. To hang out with your mates. Just to have some goddamn fun, Bea! Come on! You think I’d be a functioning human if I didn’t let loose with my mates every now and then? This—” They gesture to their body, covered in tattoos and tattered black clothing. “Doesn’t happen on its own.”
Bea laughs. It’s been so long since she’s laughed from anything other than stress. “Right, so how does this all happen then?” She swirls her hand in Margot’s direction.
As they chat, Bea relaxes. They talk about their families and uni and music and coming out. Bea tells Margot about the time she and the gang went to the karaoke bar where Henry got wasted and sang Queen horrifically. Margot tells her about the time in year twelve when they got dared to try out for the school play and ended up playing an old man in the most unbelievable bald cap.
Eventually, the two of them pull out their phones and play a few games of Among Us until Bea’s desperate assistant finds her and pleads for her to get ready though the door. They only have an hour before guests arrive.
“You all right?” Margot asks. “Want to go out there and try again?”
Funny how it doesn’t seem so scary anymore. How it only took a short break, a nice chat, and a little pink astronaut to put Bea at ease. She smiles. The notes come back to her fingertips.
check out the rest of my rwrb and the five love languages series: part one, part two, part three, and part five. (links to come as they’re released)
listen, my permanent headcanon is aroace bea and you will never convince me otherwise and i will never write her as anything else bc i love her so much!! (that being said, if you ship her with anyone, i totally understand). also, i reference a fic of mine i wrote for winterfest so if you want to check out my version of bea’s coming out, you can do that here! and finally, i know this wasn’t a romantic fic for romance week but like i said in part one, valentine’s day is different for everyone. <3
rwrb romance week | @rwrb-fests
#rwrb#princess bea#beatrice fox mountchristen windsor#my writing#rwrbromanceweek#rwrb fest#rwrb fanfic#fanfic#red white and royal blue#casey mcquiston#alex claremont diaz#henry fox mountchristen windsor#nora holleran#june claremont diaz#stick up his arse philip#president claremont#oscar diaz#rafael luna#zahra bankston#queer lit#queer books#queer authors#aroace#nonbinary#ace rep#nonbinary rep#love languages#quality time#valentines#valentines day
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I saw “The Protege.”
Michael Keaton is the only reason I saw The Protege.
I don’t like violent movies. Hate them, actually. I don’t find violence entertaining, and I don’t understand people who are entertained by it. I don’t get any kind of vicarious release from watching people doing godawful physical things to each other. I’m not against these movies. I just choose to avoid them, the same way I avoid watching football, reality TV shows, and ballet.
I read all the spoilers about The Protege, as well as a few reviews, so I pretty much knew what I was in for. Except reviewers rarely mention the level of blood and bone-snapping in movies anymore. Ever since CG became so incredibly realistic, films, and TV, have taken advantage of the tech to show horrible things in detail. Children have grown up watching The Sopranos, Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead. Why would reviewers mention something that even little kids are used to?
So I wasn’t prepared for the sights and sounds of people having nightmarish (to me) things done to them. A couple happened so suddenly I wasn’t able to close my eyes in time. I kept them closed, but the Foley artist’s sounds were very effective in getting across what was happening. I felt queasy a couple times from the audio alone.
The plot was rife with tropes, which is fine, because it’s a thriller.
Being Hapa, it was great to see a Hapa woman as the MC. I loved her bookshop and her kitty. Keaton’s character walking in was like a Villy fanfic where Modern V.A. comes into Milly Farrier’s bookshop. Anna banters with him the way I’d love to write Milly bantering with V.A.
How could I not think of V.A.? Remember that Dumbo promo poster, with Vandevere in a blue suit he never wears in the movie?
Welp, he wears it in this movie.
At dinner he wears an ascot. This is fanfiction Modern V.A., I swear.
Now that I think of it, he does have a gray suit. Also like V.A.
It was really annoying when the Villy-inspiring moments were interrupted with heads being blown apart and bashed in, arms being snapped, stabbings and shootings. I impatiently munched on Raisinets while I waited for the next Anna-Rembrandt scene.
My patience paid off. Not only was there Hot Banter While Threatening to Kill Each Other Over Dinner . . .
. . . there’s THAT scene.
SPOILERS AFTER THIS
Rembrandt and Anna are trying to kill each other, they keep grabbing each other and looking hornily at each other, and Anna accidentally turns on a stereo which plays hot, horny music. They’re on a glass table, Rembrandt flips them, and they fall, crashing through the table and onto the floor, Anna on top of Rembrandt. He rolls them over, and, while on top, he growls, “You’re going to have to make up your mind. Either kill me or fuck me.”
Immediately the scene goes to a bed, with shirtless Rembrandt rolling off Anna, and they lay next to each other, huffing from the exertion of what must have been intense fucking.
SHIRTLESS MICHAEL KEATON, Y’ALL
But this is where I get pissed off. Before this there’s been explict gore and blood, tons of it.
But they couldn’t do an explicit, or damn near explict, scene of Keaton humping?? They couldn't show Anna arching her back and crying out as Keaton groans and pumps like mad?? What the actual not-explicit fuck??
I don’t reread my own fics, but now I need to reread As Long As You Love Me So, because I need a V.A.-and-Milly-fucking fix.
Also, there was a continuity glitch. The scene starts off with the sheet down as far as Rembrandt’s waist, or close enough. It then switches to Anna talking. When it switches back to Rembrandt, the sheet’s higher. But still can see that lovely, curly gray chest hair that would make Milly, and me, swoon and pet him.
To be honest, I felt no chemistry from Anna/Maggie Q toward Rembrandt/Keaton. She said the lines, but her face just looked kind of . . . not really feeling it. I think, like Milly in Dumbo, Anna is meant to be so traumatized from her really godawful childhood that she can’t express emotions well. But, even as I type this, I realize that’s not true. Samuel L. Jackson plays a man who saved her as a little girl and was her surrogate father. You can see Anna loves him deeply. But I got no real lust from her for Rembrandt.
As for Keaton, he did better. But it wasn’t hot, panting lust. It was like those acting classes when you’re trying to do a scene with a partner who’s just not as committed as you are. He was, but Maggie Q., not so much. Now that I think about it, I’ve never really seen Keaton do hot, horny lust. With the exception of Beetlejuice. (but there are lot of his films I haven’t seen yet)
There’s an air of pining around Rembrandt for the rest of the movie. When he and Anna have their final face-off, he’s trying to convince her that there can be more, for both of them. But, of course, there can’t be a Happy Ending. One has to kill the other. It’s Anna who walks out alive. I was spared seeing Rembrandt killed; it happens off-screen.
I wanted the last scene to be Rembrandt and Anna in their bookshop, him petting the shop kitty while she sells a rare First Edition. But that’s a fanfic ending.
If you’re a Keaton fan and don’t mind gore and a not-challenging plot, the movie’s worth it for Keaton. But just Keaton. As this review says:
Review: As soon as Michael Keaton shows up, he elevates 'The Protégé'
I noticed that Keaton’s face is starting to show his age. But. At 70 (as of Sept. 5) he looks like 60. And he moves like 40. Whatever, he’s still hot as hell.
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Extra crap about the movie that has nothing to do with Keaton:
The Evil Villain Rembrandt works for who Anna’s trying to kill lives on his own island in Vietnam. Yes, the Evilest of Evil has an Evil Island, because all Evilest of Evils have one.
Naturally, the island is packed end to end with security forces. They’re in full SWAT gear, have flocks of drones, tanks, helicopters, dogs, probably some Lovecraftian monster swimming its perimeters. Because of course you have to convince the audience that No One Can Breach This Impenetrable Fortress It’s Impossible Don’t Even Try It It’s A Waste Of Your Time And Ours.
And of course Anna does. By chopping her hair super-short and impersonating a waitress.
Because I guess this guy’s Evil Empire Staff didn’t do a background check? I had to fucking pee in a cup and have my background scoured when I applied at a frickin’ jewelry store, but these guys, who are protecting a man tons of people want to murder, didn’t make absolutely goddamn sure any and all references and work histories were sound? I guess Anna and Samuel L. Jackson mocked up a false identity so iron-clad the Evil Empire HR looked at her resume, shrugged, and put it in the Probably Not An Assassin pile.
Call me ruthless, but thrillers do not know how to wipe out an Evil Empire On An Evil Villain Island.
Two words:
Napalm.
Sarin gas.
OK, that’s three words.
Now this shit is so truly evil that no one uses these as weapons in movies. Hitler didn’t even use gas, because, putrid heinous scum that he was, even he was traumatized by what mustard gas did in the trenches in WWI.
And people in Vietnam know exactly how indescribably abhorrent Napalm is. So do those of us who grew up watching the results of it on the 6 o’clock news.
Plus, in a movie, those weapons are too effective, and aren’t good visually. You can’t shoot or stab Napalm or gas. You can’t blow them up or break their necks. In a movie thriller you want bullets blasting everywhere at 100,000 miles per hour, gouging holes in walls, ceilings, and floors. You want fighters in a clinch, punching, spinning, flipping, until the final Kill Move.
This is why thrillers bore me, because I’m not interested in any of that stuff.
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Death of a Bachelor - Part 16
A/N: The bitch is back! Thank you EVERYONE who has showed me love and patience and grace while I took time for myself to get back in order. If you’d like to refresh your memory or catch up, you can do so here. This is by far the longest chapter of DOAB so far, because no one can make messes like the Delos’ can. Tags are at the end, please let me know if you no longer want to be tagged! (or, if you want to be added) There is a scene akin to a panic attack if that’s a trigger for anyone- please proceed with caution! Alright, I think I’ve talked enough. Please enjoy Sweet 16!
The night before Jim’s retirement party, you were curled up next to Logan. Both of you couldn’t be bothered to get dressed after soaking, and perhaps a bit more, in the bathtub together. Since there were still so many last minute details to take care of, Logan had been out of the house most of the last week. You hadn’t seen him for more than the 5 or so minutes when he came home and kissed you goodnight before sliding into bed next to you since last Thursday. He still found time during the day to text you, telling you how much he missed seeing you, how that kiss he got at the end of the night, when you were still half asleep and flushed, was the best part of his day. Sure, Logan could be a shithead, but he was sweet when he wanted to be. And he was yours.
His skin was still warm and just the slightest bit slick as he propped himself up over you, eyes searching over your face. The look on his face, the soft one with the adoring eyes and just slightly upturned lips, was your very favorite expression of his and one you simply couldn’t resist. “I missed you. I missed this,” you murmured, moving your hand over his collarbone and down to his bicep.
“Promise I missed you more,” Logan smirked and nuzzled into your neck.
You arched up enough to press your lips to his, savoring the fact that you could finally take your time kissing him. Logan was eager to acquiesce and slowly, teasingly, ran his tongue along your bottom lip. Just kissing him was already making you ache for round two. But just as you were about to grab his hips and drag them over yours, Logan pulled back and looked you in the eyes again.
“You’re everything to me,” he mumbled, running his large palms over your hips. You couldn’t help the stupid, dopey grin that spread over your face.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah,” he smiled. Logan surprised you then by rolling off you and walking out of the bedroom without saying a word. You snapped to attention and sat up in bed, letting the blanket fall around your waist as you debated whether or not to follow Logan. But, he returned only a moment later, now with his hands behind his back. Still standing in the doorway, he paused and let out a breath. “You look so beautiful right now,” he mused, unable to tear his eyes from you.
“C’mere.” You smiled and patted his side of the bed. Logan quickly complied and sat down, taking one of your hands in his. He looked a little nervous and you couldn’t pinpoint why.
“I know I haven’t been around a lot over the last couple months, and really not around this week. But I hope you know that I would always much rather be here, rolling around naked in bed with you,” he smirked. You let out a single laugh and squeezed his hand.
“I absolutely believe that,” you giggled.
“So, I kind of got you something. Just to say thank you.” Logan pulled a larger, flat black box from behind his back with a black silk ribbon around it. You took it from him, still looking in his eyes.
“Lo,” you started, smiling, “You didn’t have to get me anything. You know I understand.”
“Yeah, but,” he shrugged, almost looking a little bashful, “It’s something I want you to have.” You tugged the ribbon loose and opened the top of the box on its single hinge. Inside, there was a breathtaking diamond pendant necklace. It was simple and elegant and totally you.
“It’s beautiful,” you breathed out. “Thank you, Lo.” He could only nod his head, his gaze now fixed on your still joined hands.
“The, um,” he started, his voice shaking just a little before he was forced to clear his throat. “The stone is from one of my mom’s rings.” Your gaze snapped up from the necklace to Logan, your mind going completely blank. “I meant what I said, princess. You’re everything to me. And I was hoping maybe you’d keep a little bit of me with you.”
The Logan you met in the coffee shop, the Logan who hung over girls and guys to make you jealous, the Logan who damn near overdosed to forget who he was…all those Logans had grown and morphed into the man sitting beside you. You couldn’t wrap your mind around him giving up something of his mom’s willingly. This was a lot for him. This wasn’t him just custom making some expensive piece of jewelry to say sorry. He loved you. Logan Delos really and truly loved you. The tears that sprang to your eyes were sudden and free flowing.
“Of course. Of course, I’d love to,” you choked out. Logan finally looked back up then and saw your tears, which he quickly thumbed away. You understanding what he was trying to say without him having to say it took a visible weight off his shoulders. He leaned back against the headboard and let out a breath he must have been holding. You wasted no time climbing into his lap and peppering his face with kisses. Finally, Logan broke into a grin, which you couldn’t help but kiss straight on. “Thank you, baby. I love it. And I love you.”
“Anything for my princess,” he mumbled against your mouth. And, yeah, you believed that.
-----
The guests were all just beginning to arrive. You recognized a good handful of them, familiar faces from other Delos events. But a lot of them were old friends of Jim’s. They all had that distinct look of asshole with way more money than brains and old enough to be the father of the girls they had hanging from their arms. The sight made you a little more than uncomfortable, but it seemed very on brand for the company Jim kept.
Juliet, and Logan to a smaller extent, had done a beautiful job putting together a retirement party worthy of a billionaire. Jim fawned over Juliet, going on and on about how wonderful she did, bragging proudly to anyone who would listen. Though he acted like he didn’t care, and truthfully, it was what he’d come to expect from his father, Logan could be seen in quiet moments with just the barest trace of a frown. True, he hated Jim, but that was still his father. And his father was still refusing to acknowledge any of Logan’s successes, even the small ones like picking a five star caterer. Even though Juliet had taken up a lot of the actual planning and arranging, it was still Logan’s idea to event throw this party. Logan was still technically the one hosting. It broke your heart. After over a year, it had become a familiar sight, but time did nothing to dull the pain it drove into your chest.
As you scanned the rest of the crowd, sending a close mouthed smile to a woman you recognized, you felt John slide up next to you.
“Logan ditch you?”
“Momentarily,” you said with a small laugh. “Something about Jules and puff pastry.”
“Sounds about right,” John smiled. “Who knows what kind of disaster there would be if he wasn’t there to intervene!”
“You say that like he wouldn’t be the one causing the disaster,” you laughed as you felt a pair of arms wrap around your waist.
“You are so cruel. All the time.” Logan’s lips connected with your next once and then twice before sporting a full grin.
“You’re in a much better mood than this morning,” you noted, leaning your head back against his shoulder.
“No fucking joke. You were a little bitch this morning,” John laughed. Honestly, John wasn’t too far off the truth. Logan was worried about being able to pull off this party the way he had planned it out in his head. So, once you got to the Delos compound that morning, he went from 0 to 60, ordering staff around and groaning over wrinkles in his dress shirt.
“You know what, fuck you both,” Logan said with absolutely no bite. If anything, his grip around you tightened. “I can’t believe Billy is late to this. Jules is going to fucking kill him.”
“Hopefully,” you and John said in unison. It was odd, though, that William hadn’t showed up yet. He was already a fashionable 30 minutes late to his future father in law’s retirement soiree. And, to his knowledge, this was the same man whose company he was taking over, so it was not a good look for him to be running so late. As if she could sense the topic at hand, Juliet stormed over to your group, grabbing a flute of champagne off a tray and downing it in a single go.
“He’s getting on my last goddamn nerve,” she all but growled, staring at the front door, waiting for her fiancé to slide in.
“I’m sure he’s on his way,” you said, resting your hand on her arm comfortingly.
“He knew, he KNEW how important this was to me and he couldn’t even be bothered to get here on time! Dad’s supposed to hand Delos over to him in front of all these people. You’d think he’d show a little more respect.” Juliet crossed her arms and looked down at the floor, disappointment lacing her voice. Logan conveniently lifted his drink to his mouth as she spoke, not wanting to make Juliet feel worse about her piece of shit fiancé.
From the corner of your eye, the front door opening drew your attention away from the conversation at hand. William was walking in with a slender, beautiful blonde woman you didn’t recognize. If you didn’t know any better, you’d say he looked guilty as hell. “Jules,” you said quietly and pointed your chin toward the door. She let out and exasperated sigh and shot him daggers.
“Darling, I’m so sorry,” William tried, leaning in to kiss Juliet. All he got was her cheek as she turned away from him. “Jules, please. I had to pick up the pianist like you asked me to, remember?” he said gently, not wanting to incur any more of the younger Delos’ wrath. She looked back him at the mention of that. Evidently, that was something she had tasked William with.
“Fuck. I forgot. There’s been,” she let out a breath, “There’s been so much going on.”
“I know. But, I got her here!” he said with a cruel smile. His expression confused you. But when you felt Logan freeze completely, you knew whatever it was that William did, he did it for the express purpose of making Logan uncomfortable.
“Thank you so much for having me. This is a beautiful home,” the pianist said with a pleasant smile as she shook Juliet’s hand.
“You have to be fucking kidding me,” Logan mumbled to the group before releasing you and taking off for the staircase, not stopping for anyone in his way.
“I should…” you started before following the path he took up to the second level. All of the doors were closed, which made finding Logan a little more difficult. But, you remembered from coming her a handful of times before which one was his childhood bedroom. You knocked lightly on the door. “Lo? Baby?” you called, not getting a response. Gently, you opened the door and saw Logan sitting at the foot of the bed, his head hung down with his fingers laced together behind his neck.
You could see his toe tapping erratically on the floor, a tell-tale sign he was anxious. With the door shut behind you, you kneeled down in front of him and put your palms low on his thighs. “What’s going on?”
“I can’t do this,” he said softly. “I can’t…Fuck!” he cried out, tugging at the roots of his dark hair.
“Shh, babe,” you cooed, rubbing your hands in gentle circles. “Take a deep breath.” It took some effort, but Logan managed to gulp down a shuddering breath. “One more.” He repeated the action with more success. “Talk to me, Lo,” you said, encouraging him to open up. Logan had made so much progress with opening up and being vulnerable with you, it broke your heart to see him shut down so completely.
“She…” he began. So, it was the pianist. Perhaps she was a former lover. Did he know by now you wouldn’t care if she was? You trusted Logan and you knew there would be an ex fling or twenty still around LA. The thought didn’t bother you. Was there something about this one? He said he’d never been in love before, so what could be so bad that would send him running on sight?
“Who is she?”
“It’s Delores.” That was not an option you had considered. In your mind, you’d placed Delores into a box of ‘evil robot still in Westworld’ and therefore unable to get to your Logan out here in the real world. You had assumed he was safe now. He was healing. Shit, he was thriving. But she walked into a day Logan had planned out from sunrise to sunset and completely threw him off course.
“Oh, baby,” you cooed. “What can I do? What do you need?”
“I don’t know,” Logan sighed. “How many fucking piano players are in LA? There have to be hundreds! And that stupid fuck had to bring her here. He had to pick the one person he knows will rattle me.” He let our a sharp breath, running his hands down his face. “And he fucked her! He fucked her and fell in fucking love with her and brought her around Jules?” You could feel his blood pressure rising even from where you were kneeling on the floor. “I hate him. I him, baby,” he said, his eyes glassy as he finally looked at you.
“He’s a piece of shit, Lo,” you said simply. Logan was still being tortured by a man who very clearly had no sense of respect or decency. The thought of the hurt he was causing Logan and Juliet, if she knew about his clandestine relationship, was enough to make you charge back downstairs and lay him out yourself.
“This is so stupid. I shouldn’t freak out just seeing one stupid robot,” he muttered.
“Hey.” You pulled his hands away from his head and stood just enough that you could hike up your dress a bit and straddle Logan. His arms instantly wrapped around your waist and he let his head rest on your shoulder. “It’s not stupid. They both did unthinkable things to you,” you whispered into his ear. “I’m sorry she’s here and this is happening to you. But Lo,” you lifted his chin to look into his deep, dark eyes, “I am so proud of you. You worked so hard on not just this deal or this party, but on yourself. And I know how hard it’s been for you. So you’re allowed to freak out a bit, ok?” You both laughed lightly, but a lone tear fell from his eye, which he quickly wiped away.
“I don’t say it enough, I know. But you know how much I love you, right?” Logan asked, his gaze soft as his palms moved along your sides. The light reflecting off the necklace he gave you the night before caught his eye, and just the barest trace of a smile formed on his lips. He looked so handsome and so open, you couldn’t resist leaning down and placing a single long, firm kiss on his soft mouth.
“Of course I know. I love you too,” you smiled and he grinned right back.
“Mmm, say it again,” he smirked and you shoved his shoulder.
“I love you, dummy.” Just as you threatened to laugh, Logan tilted his chin up to kiss you again, this time taking control and letting his tongue trace over yours. The spark between you ignited immediately and Logan pulled your hips just a little bit closer to his. His half hard cock was noticeable as he adjusted you in his lap. Your heart was hammering in your chest as Logan moved his lips from yours to trail along your jaw and down to your neck. Logan took his time kissing that spot right at the base of your throat that he knew you loved. “Logan,” you breathed out.
“Hmm?” he mumbled against your skin, unwilling to move his lips too far from you.
“We should consider heading back downstairs,” you said before moaning at his teeth scraping that same sweet spot.
“Or,” you could feel Logan smirk against you, “We could stay up here for a bit and you could ride me.” Given what Logan was currently doing to you and what was going on downstairs, you were greatly tempted to give in to him. But you knew he was hiding behind sex again, which you didn’t mind, but the sensible part of your brain knew there was unfinished business to attend to before you could give Logan the kind of sexual attention he deserved.
“How about we go back downstairs and get this day over with and then tonight, I’ll let you do whatever you want to me out on the deck?” you bargained, knowing he likely wouldn’t say no to semi-public sex.
“Anything I want?” he asked with an arched eyebrow and you nodded. “And I can do it out on the deck where I can show everyone how fucking incredible you look with me inside you?”
You nipped his bottom lip before standing up and holding your hand out to him. “Anything for my love.”
His eyes went bright as he looked over you, his smile soft. Logan pulled you tight to him and placed a light kiss on the top of your head. “Thank you,” he whispered.
“I’ve got you. I’ve always got you,” you whispered back before kissing him one more time.
The two of you walked back downstairs to rejoin the party, Logan waiting at the bottom of the staircase to take your hand and help you the rest of the way down. Now that he had calmed down a bit, he kept your arm in his as an anchor, something to ground him and keep his thoughts occupied. You gladly accepted the job and squeezed his bicep reassuringly.
“There you are!” Juliet was clipping up to you and Logan, irritation burning in her eyes.
“Here I am,” Logan smirked.
“Shut up. Dad’s about ready to make his little speech, so I need you up front.”
“Why? So he can look at me like I’m a piece of shit while he gives my company over to Billy?” Logan bit back.
“Please don’t do this right now,” Juliet sighed. “I just need you to smile for five minutes and then you can go right back to wishing he was dead.”
Logan conceded and kissed you once more before following Juliet outside where the bulk of the party goers had gathered. You spotted John up near the front and made your way to him, not wanting to be left alone in a sea of billionaire strangers. John made room for you and threw his arm over your shoulder.
“You ready for this?”
“I really don’t know.” You were nervous. You worried about any potential fallout and just wanted Logan to be happy at the end of it all. That was all you really wanted these days.
“Attention, attention,” Juliet sang out as she gently clinked a fork against her glass. “First, I want to thank you all so much for coming. It means a lot to our family that you’d be here to celebrate my father and his many accomplishments.” There was a small bout of applause and you couldn’t stop your eyes from rolling. “I know he wants to make a few remarks of his own. So, without further ado, Jim Delos,” Juliet said with a smile.
Jim took the spotlight and gave her a tender kiss on her cheek. “Thank you, Jules. Can we have another round of applause for the wonderful job she’s done putting this event together?” The crowd clapped and you could hear Juliet try to say something along the lines of ‘Logan too!’, which Jim promptly ignored.
“I started Delos 30 years ago with the hope of changing how the world viewed VR and on a broader scale, the world around us. In those 30 years, I made a lot of sacrifices to grow Delos into the corporation it is today. If I were asked to do it all again,” You looked to Logan and saw the little glimmer of hope in his eyes, “There’s not a goddamn thing I’d change.” You couldn’t bear to look at him a second time. There was no way you’d be able to stomach the hurt we was undoubtedly trying to hide on his face.
“And while I initially set up my succession to have the business stay in the family, I was presented an offer I couldn’t turn down.” Murmurs broke out among the crowd, trying to understand what Jim was trying to say. William stood tall with his jaw set, confusion set on his face. Juliet had an almost identical look on her face as well. Next to you, John started to move forward, but not before shooting you a comforting wink. “It’s my pleasure to announce the new owner of Delos, Mr. John Collins.”
Confused and scattered applause started up, most of the guests still confused by what was going on. William had been acting head for some months now, so the sudden change was throwing nearly everyone present for a loop. “Thank you, Jim.” The two shook hands and Jim gave him a hearty clasp on the back. “J&L Ventures is very excited to be embarking on the adventure that is owning Delos. We have a strong vision on where we see Delos 5, 10, even 20 years down the line. And, yes, Jim is correct in calling me the owner of Delos. But I’m just the charming, eloquent half of the J in J&L.” John succeeded in getting laughs. John did have that bit of charm about him that people seemed to latch on to immediately. “Please, L, join me up here?”
Logan took four proud, certain steps forward and stood at John’s side, smug and sexy as he’d ever been. Now it was time for the crowd to gasp and loudly chatter. It was comical, you thought, the collective clutched pearls of those around you. You were so taken by how proud Logan looked that you almost forgot to check for William’s reaction. He was bright red and downright murderous- at Logan or Jim, you weren’t sure. Perhaps both. Juliet looked like she had seen a ghost and all color had drained from her face. It would have been nice if she’d been able to be looped into all of this, Logan had regrets about having to keep this from her. But, he also knew there had to be as few people as possible who knew about the sale of Delos.
“WHAT?” The roar from Jim pulled all attention to where he stood.
“L. You know, like for Logan? My name?” Logan chirped back. “Let me recap- you sold Delos to John. John is my business partner. John is also my best friend. It’s not my fucking fault you weren’t around enough growing up that you can’t even remember what my best fucking friend looks like!”
“How dare you speak to me like that!” Jim bellowed. He began to berate Logan as another argument broke out between William and Juliet.
“Did you know about this?” William growled, violently taking her arm in his hand.
“Does it look like I knew about this!” she yelled, yanking her arm away. “Don’t you ever fucking touch me! You really think I’d keep a secret like this from you? Do you know me at all?”
“Well, I thought I did. But maybe you’re just a cheat like everyone else in your goddamn family!” He was spitting mad and inching closer and closer to Juliet. But, being the big brother he was, Logan stepped between the two, pushing William back by the chest.
“Take another step closer to her and I’ll fucking kill you,” Logan said plainly. He didn’t need any theatrics for William to know he was serious. He stormed off into the house, leaving with a huff and pulling at his hair. Logan turned then to check on his sister, who was thankful for his intervention but clearly hesitant to even speak to him right now. You couldn’t hear their conversation, but it must not have gone in Logan’s favor. Because just as you approached, she threw her hands up and also made for the house.
“Hey,” you said, putting a hand on Logan’s back.
“Hey, princess.” Logan pulled you into him and kissed the crown of your head. “Was that enough of a show?”
“You always did know how to steal the spotlight,” you laughed. “Are you ok?”
“Well, my dad really hates me now and Jules is a little pissed at me. But, I’ve never been better,” he smirked, leaning down to kiss you softly. “I should go find Jules though. I suppose I have somethings to explain.”
You nodded and walked into the great room with him, hand in hand while he tried to find Juliet. It was a scream from down the hallway that drew both your attention. There was banging and yelling coming from the library. Logan pulled you with him to find the source of the commotion.
“GET OUT!” It was Juliet screaming at the top of her lungs. Suddenly, the door flew open, William tumbling out of it into the hallway and landing flat on his ass. His shirt was thrown at him from beyond where you could see. The shirt was followed by a vase, which shattered as it hit the wall behind William. All you and Logan could do was watch as the scene unfolded. Delores was pushed out next, looking disheveled in a distinctly sexual way. You knew William was capable of evil, but you didn’t think he was dumb enough to fool around with another woman right under his fiancé’s nose.
“How long?” Juliet cried out.
“Remember when we took that trip to Westworld?” Logan interrupted. Juliet snapped her attention to him. “I didn’t want to hurt you, so I didn’t say anything. But damn, Billy. You really are good at pissing off everyone around you, huh!”
“Oh, and I suppose you think you’re some saint, huh? You stop shooting heroin for 8 months and suddenly you know everything? You only fuck one bitch and now you’re the relationship expert?! Well, congratulations on doing the bare fucking minimum!” William laughed. That was it for Logan and he was charging at him and grabbed William by the shirt he had shrugged on.
“You can disrespect me all you want. But you’re never going to fucking talk about my sister or the love of my life.” Logan spat. “Get the fuck out of our house.” He released William roughly and herded him down the foyer.
The Delos’ siblings glowered as William grabbed his jacket and let himself out. Delores was still hovering in the doorway. Logan nodded toward the front door. “Sorry, was that unclear? That get the fuck out extended to you too.”
Delores looked down as she shuffled out of the Delos compound and into the passenger seat of William’s car. The peeled off into the California twilight, hopefully not to be seen again. Bombs had been dropped that night, now all that was left was to sort through the debris.
TAGGED: @thesandbeneathmytoes @marvelcapsicle @something-tofightfor @songtoyou @abroadcastofthemind @its-my-little-dumpster-fire @gollyderek @dylanobrusso
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TouyaMight
sdkfjhsdkf listen don’t judge mE
this is a thread ive been writing on twitter since november,,,,,
--------------------------------------------
Pissing off his father always gave Touya the greatest thrill. To know he was the one to put the angry scowl on his face and the furrow between his brows, well, it brought him a sense of sadistic joy.
What? He deserved to give his old man shit considering all the fucked up shit he had to go through
So whenever an opportunity came up to fuck with the number 2, Touya took it.
Painting over the billboards that had his dad’s face? Kids play.
Ruining his costumes with bleach in very strategic areas? Amateur hour.
Bulk ordering All Might Merch to his agency? Done and done.
So when Touya joined his father and siblings at the most recent Hero’s Gala and saw the number 1 hero was also in attendance well…. He couldn’t just /miss/ a perfect opportunity like this! It would practically be a crime!
Fuyumi of course knew him all too well, he could see her bee lining to him, and he just /smiled/ and gave her a jaunty little wave, ignoring her calling his name as he sidled up to where the number 1 hero was conversing with others.
Touya could practically feel the heat of his father’s stare as slides in close to the blonde, one scarred hand delicately placed on a deliciously muscular arm.
“Hey, I don’t think we’ve met before this, the name’s Touya Todoroki, it’s a pleasure to meet you All Might.” Touya flashes him his best smile, a soft curl of his lips and a fluttering of his eyelashes.
He knows he’s a sight, white hair styled back, slinky black dress with high slits, heels, and of course the multitude of burn scars covering a majority of his body.
Endeavor had nearly blown a gasket when he showed up like this, it was only the fact they were in public that kept him from scolding Touya.
“Young Todoroki! It is a pleasure to meet you! It’s certainly unfortunate we haven’t been able to meet before now, I do not often attend these sorts of functions!” All Might’s smile was wide and bright and Touya kinda wished he had a pair of sunglasses damn those pearly whites were shining in his eyes.
“It /is/ a shame huh? We could always meet up afterwards, I know a few restaurants.” The temperature in the room rose by several degrees and Touya could hear his sisters groan and Natuo’s muffled snort.
The conversations around them had fallen into startled silence at the fact the son of Endeavor, All Might’s biggest rival, had just asked the number 1 hero out.
All Might could only stare at Touya in shock, the offer of a date was unexpected and the hero couldn’t fight the flush that burned the tips of his ears, “I appreciate the offer young Todoroki but unfortunately I will have to decline.”
Before the white haired man could reply Endeavor is there, large hand wrapped around the slim arm and pulling him away, face positively thunderous.
“Maybe next time All Might!”
Touya laughed even as Endeavor dragged him out of the event.
Mission accomplished.
--------
The argument Touya and Enji got into once they reached home almost made the spectacle not worth it. Especially when the argument got heated enough and accusations thrown around that Touya’s tenuous control on his quirk slipped.
The dark burn across his arms didn’t even hurt, not really, and that was the bad part. It meant that he’d burned straight past a 2nd degree burn to 3rd and he was going to be stuck in the hospital /again/.
He hated being stuck in the hospital, he practically lived at the goddamn place. The whole staff knew him since he'd been coming there since he was young, how fucked up is that.
The pitying looks as they gave while they looked over his burns and decided whether or not he’d need another skin graft were so fucking annoying.
He hated all of it.
If he snarked more at the staff then necessary it wasn’t his fault really. The place was boring and stressful and he hated being stuck here.
There were never that many other patients for him to talk to, the hospital was a private one for top heroes and their families, so Touya rarely saw other people. Most of his day was spent chatting with doctors and nurses and bitching about the extra meal replacement drinks he had to take.
So when he noticed the frail looking blond man, he couldn’t help but be interested. The man was sitting outside in a hospital gown, and Touya took a seat next to him.
“Damn, what’d happened to you?”
At least the guy didn’t look offended, a win in Touya’s books honestly.
No, the guy snorted a laugh and gave Touya a surprisingly soft smile that made the gauntness of his face soften and Touya couldn’t help the thought that he wasn’t bad looking when he smiled.
“A fight with a villain unfortunately. He got a lucky shot in and damaged me pretty bad.”
“Damn that’s gotta fucking suck. Especially since you’re stuck in this boring as hell place now.”
That earned him another smile.
“Oh I don’t think it’ll be that bad, after all you’re here no? The man who asked out All Might is quite interesting I think.”
“Damn, so you saw me get rejected! Well, then you already know me, what’s your name? Since it seems like we both might be stuck here a while.”
“I am Yagi Toshinori, it’s a pleasure to meet you properly Touya.”
-----
The next time Touya meets Yagi several days have passed by. He finds the older man slumped over in one of the comfier chairs, IV line in his arms and he looks absolutely /miserable/.
Touya can’t help but feel bad for the poor guy, he looks worse than usual, his tanned skin unhealthily pale and breathing laboured.
So he settles in next to Yagi, arms and legs thrown over the arm rests of his chair.
“Damn, you’re lookin’ worse today Yagi-san, what happened?”
The tall man blinks at his new companion, a small smile stretching across his face.
“Ah, we’re trying a new treatment today and well… it’s a bit taxing. I’m afraid I won’t be very good company today Todoroki-san.”
“Ah man, don’t call me that, makes me feel like my brothers or dad. Call me Touya.”
“Touya-san then.”
Touya fixes his eyes on bright blue ones and grins, he thought it would’ve been more of a struggle to get the blond to call him by name.
“Well, since you’re feeling bad, how about a story? Natsu and the nurses used to read me some when I was stuck in bed.”
He doesn’t even really wait for a response before starting.
“So you like, remember how I told you I asked out all might yah? Lemme tell you about it. So like, there’s this party, and dad wants us all to go because the public has been asking about his family and all that. And so I came to the party, dressed amazingly right. Like I got this bOMB ass dress. Dad nearly blew a gasket when I came in it."
Touya wiggles his fingers and arms, making motions as he tells his version of the events. The growing smile on Yagi’s face just made him be more dramatic with his storytelling and movements.
-----
"And there he is. There's All Might. The big kahuna himself. And my little brain gerbils start moving. And I get the idea. ‘How else should i make dad mad today?’ And that’s when it comes to me. ASK OUT ALL MIGHT."
“Wait was this before or after you kicked the guy who whistled at you?”
“After- so anyWAYS-”
-----
"And then the car explodes."
"What????!"
"Okay not really. Figuratively. Dad burned the roof again."
"Okay so maybe a little literally? I dunno english is hard."
"Touya were speaking japanese"
"Fuck"
-----
By the end of the story they’re both laughing and Touya feels light and happy as Yagi chortles at the selfie he managed to take while being dragged out of the party.
It was nice to see Yagi smiling again instead of hunched in on himself in pain and discomfort.
“Thank you Touya-san, your story really did help. You’re quite the story teller. I’d love to hear more of them from you.”
“Sure! I always love having a captive audience, it’s the drama queen in me. “
-----
Yagi is the one to find Touya next time.
He finds the younger man pressed in a dark corner under a staircase of all places.
He wouldn’t have even noticed him if he hadn’t heard the soft sound of sniffling, and his heroic heart couldn’t just leave someone that’s so obviously in distress alone.
It's a bit uncomfortable to climb under the staircase to settle next to Touya, listening quietly to his sniffles. It makes his heart squeeze a little and Yagi has to fight the urge to give the younger man a hug.
Touya eventually notices him, big turquoise eyes meeting his own blue ones, there's tears clinging to the corners of his eyes.
“Do you want me to call your nurse Touya-san?”
Touya shakes his head, lips pursing together before he drops his head down onto his arms.
“No. ‘S okay. ‘S nothing they can do. ‘M not allowed any more pain meds until tomorrow.”
The confusion on Yagi’s face has the unscarred parts of Touya’s cheeks flushing.
“I.. had some issues with getting a/ddicted a few years ago. They’ve kept a tighter control on my medications since then. ‘S kay tho. The pain’s not too bad.. I’ll get over it soon.”
“Then.. how about I tell you a story? Let’s see… there was this time when I was in America…”
By the time Yagi reaches the end of his crazy tale Touya’s smiling and laughing, pain forgotten for the moment.
“Honestly Yagi-san! How do you accidentally steal a penguin!”
“Ah well! That’s a mystery not even I know! And I was there!”
The tears on Touya’s cheeks were from laughter this time, and Yagi smiled so softly, a big hand reaching up to gently brush them away from Touya’s cheek.
And Touya /leans/ into his hand, eyes fluttering shut as he pressed into the warm and calloused palm.
Yagi can feel his heart race faster and his ears burn red at the serene face.
“Thank you Yagi-san… will you tell me another one…? It’s.. it’s a good distraction from the pain.”
“Of course Touya-san.”
The two of them spend hours like that, sitting under the dark staircase, Touya eventually leaning against Yagi’s bony shoulder, eyes shut as he listens to the deep voice rumble out tales of his times in America.
It’s how their nurses find them.
They’re practically frantic with worry considering the two have been missing for hours.
They get scolded thoroughly and before they separate Touya wraps one hand around one of Yagi’s own and gives him another one of those smiles that makes the blond’s heart race.
“Let’s have lunch tomorrow Yagi-san.”
“I would love that Touya.”
-----
It becomes a new part of their routine, meeting up together to have lunch.
The both of them were on pretty similar dietary plans, both meals were full of high calorie foods. Yagi explained it was to keep his weight up as he adjusted to the loss of his stomach. While Touya told the blond that his quirk burned through his calories so fast that if he didn’t constantly eat he’d easily end up malnourished.
They end up closer as the days turn into weeks. It wasn’t uncommon to find them together, sitting and chatting, even occasionally finding them leaning against each other, the fatigue taking hold as they napped against each other.
You could say the nurses had a field day with that one and took quite a few pictures. And if Touya and Yagi might’ve asked for their own copies well.. That was their business.
If Yagi had a picture of them tucked into his wallet no one needed to know.
And if Touya had his tucked into his desk drawer, that was for him to know.
Occasionally visitors would come for Yagi, a small old man, a rather plain looking man and occasionally a man he recognized as All Might’s sidekick, Sir Nighteye. Those days he wouldn’t see much of Yagi, his lunches were spent alone in his room craving the presence of the other man.
Yagi asked him about it, the day after he received Sir Nighteye as a guest again, and asked him why his family never seemed to visit him.
Explaining to Yagi that his father didn’t let his siblings come visit was… awkward. The frown that crossed the normally jovial blond’s face at his explanation made Touya feel…. Ashamed? Awkward?
He wasn’t quite sure honestly, but his cheeks burned and he rubbed at the back of his neck, unable to look into those piercing eyes.
So he didn’t notice when Yagi moved closer to him.
Not until those bony arms were wrapping around him, pulling him into a gentle hug, his bony chin resting atop the fluffy white mess that was Touya’s hair.
And Touya just /melted/. He slumped into those arms, cheek rubbing against Yagi’s shirt as he clung to the older man. He could feel the pressure building up in the back of his throat and had to blink back tears.
How long has it been since someone’s held him?
“It’s alright Touya. I’m here.”
The soft voice and warm hands resting on his back, it was enough, and Touya shook in those deceptively strong arms, soft sobs leaving him as his tears soaked into Yagi’s shirt.
They spent hours like that, Touya curled in Yagi’s arms, the blond never letting him go, even when his tears ran dry.
It was so warm.
Touya never wanted to leave his arms.
-----
Then the day came for Touya to be discharged.
He’d stayed in the hospital for over a month now. The skin grafts on his arms had attached properly and had healed enough that he could go home. Fuyumi told Touya that she’d be the one coming to pick him up, Dad was going to be at work and unavailable.
She told him she’d be there after school let out.
Touya felt something sink in his chest as the nurses removed his bandages for the last time. His arms were… hard to look at and he avoided it as he slipped on the loose long sleeved shirt. Touya packed away the few clothes he had, fingers pausing over the picture of him and Yagi sleeping against each other.
His chest squeezed tight at the thought of leaving. He didn’t want to leave the blond man. Ever since that breakdown in his arms Yagi had been so kind, the blond man was always touching him, lingering touches on his hands and shoulders, bringing him into hugs more often.
Touya didn’t want to lose that.
He… didn’t want to lose what connection he had with Yagi.
He didn’t want the blond to forget him.
He….
He liked him.
Touya had to find Yagi before he left.
-----
It wasn’t hard to find him.
When Yagi wasn’t in his room or with his nurses and doctors, it's a safe bet to say he’d be outside relaxing, and he was. Seeing him sitting there made Touya’s stomach flutter and fuck he felt /nervous/.
The smile Yagi gave him when Touya stepped towards him made his heart beat faster, he could feel his palms getting clammy with sweat. Fuck.Touya had never felt like this before. It was.. Overwhelming.
“Touya! It’s good to see you!”
How could one man be so adorable?
“Yagi… you’re.. You’re looking good today.”
Touya could feel the nerves twisting up at his insides as he took the offered seat next to the blond, the hot cup of tea Yagi gently pressed into his hands helped ground him a little. He could do this. He didn’t know if there’d be another chance.
“I’m being discharged today.”
Yagi’s smile shrunk and he sighed deeply, “So soon..? I’m going to miss seeing you. I’ve greatly enjoyed your company here Touya. It’s made my stay much more bearable.”
“Yagi. I…”
Touya trailed off as those bright blue eyes stared into his own, and he couldn’t help himself.
His scarred hands gently cupped sunken in cheeks and Touya leaned up, pressing his lips softly against the older man’s, just a soft press of their lips that made Touya’s stomach flip flop in joy and dread.
“Yagi, I really like you.”
Yagi’s stunned silence filled the small courtyard, beautiful blue eyes wide with surprise as a bright flush grew across the tops of his cheeks.
Touya thought he looked gorgeous.
“I. Well, I ah, I’m flattered Touya but.. I am many years older than you. I’m older than your father.”
/That wasn’t a no./
“So what? I don’t care about that Yagi. You /know/ that. I like you. I really really like you. I want to spend more time with you Yagi. I want, I want to hold your hand, I want to kiss you again, I want to eventually take you out on dates. I. If you really don’t, feel like that. It’s /okay/. I just. Fuck-”
He was rambling, his eyes squeezed shut and hands gripping his pants. Touya couldn’t put into words all the things he wanted. He just.. Wanted Yagi.
Larger hands gently wrapped around his own and Touya blinked watery eyes up, and Yagi was much closer now, mouth quirked in a small smile that made the white haired man’s stomach flip pleasantly.
“Touya. Is this.. Do you really want this?”
“/Yes/.”
And those lips were pressing to his again and the dread in his stomach disappeared as those big hands held him so gently, like he was something fragile and /precious/, and Touya clung to the taller man, pressing kiss after kiss to his mouth.
By the time they stopped they were both flushed and panting, lips swollen and wide smiles on their faces.
“Well then, I suppose you should call me Toshinori now.”
Touya laughed and kissed the man again.
“Whatever you say Toshi.”
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Stupid For You, Chapter 6 (Crygi, Jankie, Jaida x Nicky) - Metaluna
Fic summary: A cliche lesbian AU. It’s the summer before Gigi goes to college, and she decides it’s time to take a job at a local amusement park. There, she meets Crystal, a beautiful girl that she with bonds over the anxiety of the service industry. Almost immediately, Gigi gets it BAD for Crystal. Meanwhile, Jackie definitely ISN’T gay. She likes men. Only. Men. What happens when a beautiful girl named Jan comes into the picture? And lastly, Nicky flirts with anything with a pulse. Jaida falls for anyone who gives her attention. This is going to be one interesting summer.
Chapter summary: As things are tense between Gigi and Crystal, Jan tries her best to intervene.
Crystal couldn’t sleep. All she could think about were the words she said that so deeply hurt Gigi. She didn’t know where they came from. They weren’t at all from a place of malevolence. It was as though the words came out and Crystal couldn’t stop them. Before she even realized what she had said, it was too late. She understood if Gigi didn’t forgive her, considering she wasn’t sure if she’d forgive her if the roles were reversed. After tossing and turning for hours, she looked at her phone. 6:30 A.M.
Since there was no point in sleeping for half an hour, she forced herself to get out of bed. Normally, she put on a full face of makeup. Today, she couldn’t even be bothered to do her eyebrows, opting instead to wear her thick rimmed glasses. Instead of her methodically done space buns, she threw up all her hair on top of her head without brushing it.
Walking to work was the last thing that she wanted to do, but her parents had to work, and she knew Ryan would still be mad. Right as she shut her door to embark on her walk, she heard a rumble of thunder. Shit.
Even with an umbrella, by the time Crystal arrived to work, she was soaked. Crystal sighed as she put her damp backpack into her locker. She tried her best to wipe the raindrops off her glasses, but smudged them in the process, making them worse. Even though she knew it wasn’t a big deal, Crystal was at the point emotionally where every small occurrence felt like the end of the world. She felt tears form. As she wiped them away, she hoped to God no one saw.
“Hey, are you okay?” a voice asked kindly. It was Jan, who was standing next to Jackie.
Shit.
“Yeah, I’m great!” Crystal could hear the fake enthusiasm dripping from her voice. “Just… something in my eye!”
“Sis, we know something’s wrong.”
Jackie agreed. “You don’t look like yourself. Let’s go sit.”
The second Crystal sat down, she started crying. Jan reached out to hold her hand. “Talk to us.”
Crystal sniffled. “I think Gi…one of my friends, hates me.”
“Why would she hate you?” Jackie asked. Crystal could tell that both Jackie and Jan caught wind that she almost said “Gigi.”
“I said some really nasty things during an argument. I mean low blows, things that no one should ever bring up, especially not during an argument.”
“Listen here, gorg. If your friend really is your friend, she would understand. We all say stupid stuff that we don’t mean. I say stupid shit to Jackie every day and she still keeps me around.”
“Jan’s right. I’m sure if you apologize to your friend, she’ll forgive you.”
“Well, here’s the thing. I don’t deserve forgiveness. This is stuff that she told me in confidence. She trusted me with this information, and I literally threw it in her face.”
Crystal looked up and saw a skinny blonde out of the corner of her eye. She and Gigi locked eyes. Almost immediately, Gigi’s face turned from a neutral expression to one of malice.
By this point, Crystal was sure that Jan and Jackie figured out who she was talking about. “Gigi’s never going to want to talk to me again. Did you see the way she just looked at me?”
“Maybe it’s not what you think,” Jan said optimistically. “Maybe she just realized she forgot something. I’ll go talk to her.”
With that, Jan left Crystal confidently got up from the table and walked over to Gigi. Strategically, Jan made sure that the two of them were standing out of Crystal’s view.
“Jan, I’m not talking about this right now. Not here. Not now,” Gigi said firmly.
“But Crystal’s a wreck right now.”
“I don’t care.”
Jan was taken aback. “Okay, wow. I don’t know what happened between the two of you, frankly it’s not any of my business. But, something bad must have happened if you went from being hung up on her to not even being able to look at the girl. Right?”
“Be quiet! No one else knows I’m…” Gigi trailed of raising her eyebrows.
“Gotcha. But damn, whatever she said was a lot, wasn’t it?”
Gigi nodded. “I just don’t want to talk to her right now. I need time.”
“I respect that, and I’m sure she can too.”
The second Jan came back to the table, Crystal demanded, “What did she say?”
“She said she needed time.”
“Okay, but could you tell how much time?”
Jan shrugged. Crystal knew she looked pathetic, and she didn’t care. One way or another, she was going to make it right with Gigi. She cared way too much about her to give up.
–
On her break, Gigi absentmindedly scrolled through Instagram. She felt her jaw clench as she saw a picture of Crystal and her boyfriend on a hike. She noticed how radiant Crystal looked at sunset. In the picture, Crystal was kissing Ryan’s cheek, and all Gigi could think of is how much she wished it was her. She mentally kicked herself for thinking that, because she was supposed to be mad at Crystal. If anyone knew how to hold a grudge, it was Gigi. She wanted nothing more than to be mad at Crystal, to completely shut her out. But, there was something about Crystal. Gigi couldn’t bring herself to stay mad at her. As Gigi looked up she saw that Crystal was sitting at the table diagonal to her. They locked eyes for a moment, and looked away at the same time.
Even though she told Jan she didn’t want to talk to Crystal, Gigi knew it was a lie. She wanted nothing more than to run up to Crystal’s table and to talk about what happened. As she stole a glance at the redhead, Gigi saw Crystal stare at her phone intensely. After appearing to type a small novel, she tossed her phone on the table and laid her head in her hands.
Gigi looked down so as not to raise suspicion. Once a few seconds passed, Gigi deemed it an appropriate time to look up again. Gigi had never seen Crystal look so stressed, but when Gigi decided she was going to go talk to her, Crystal left in a hurry. Something was very wrong.
–
Jan had a tendency to insert herself in her friend’s problems. It wasn’t her fault, she just wanted to help. If ever there was a time to help sort out friendship problems, it was now. Jan couldn’t stand to see Gigi any less than happy, and seeing Crystal without a smile on her face hurt. Jan promised Jackie she would stop “meddling” in her friend’s problems. But she had to step in. She had to, especially after Jackie told her horror stories of how friendships were ruined over petty drama each summer. Jan had a feeling this was a little more than petty drama, but she’d be damned if her friend group would get split up.
While she was in the bathroom fixing her eyeliner, Jan heard crying one of the bathroom stalls.
“Hello?” she called.
No one responded but whoever was crying tried their best to muffle them.
“Who’s in here?” she tried again.
Jan sauntered over to the bathroom door. She opened and then closed it, and waited. Eventually, Jan heard the stall door unlock, and as she heard the faucet turn on, she rounded the corner to see Crystal staring at herself in the mirror, eyes red and puffy.
“Crystal? What’s wrong?” Jan asked sympathetically.
“Just boyfriend stuff.”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
Crystal shook her head. “No.”
“Okay, well if you change your mind, you have my number.” Jan dramatically turned to leave.
“Actually…”
“Yes?” Jan answered, turning around a little too quickly. Now was her chance to fix things.
“So, Ryan, my boyfriend, found out that I got really drunk at the party. He asked who got the alcohol, and I told him it was Gigi, and now he doesn’t want me to talk to her anymore.”
Jan raised an eyebrow.
“What?” Crystal questioned.
“Do you want me to sugarcoat it or do you want my honest opinion?”
“Can you sugarcoat it?”
“Actually. No. Crystal, that is the stupidest fucking shit I’ve ever heard in my goddamn life.”
Crystal flinched. “Damn, tell me how you really feel.”
“You can’t let a boy tell you what to do.”
“He’s not just a boy… he’s my boyfriend.”
“Crystal that’s even worse!” Jan exclaimed. “Never let a significant other tell you what to do.”
“I don’t want to make him mad!”
Jan looked down at the bruise on Crystal’s arm, Instinctively, Crystal covered it with her hand.
Jan groaned. “Crystal. Listen to me. If you let your boyfriend tell you how to live your life, you’re going to miss out on a lot.”
“But I love him,” Crystal whined.
“That may be so, but I can tell that you value your friendship with Gigi. Right?”
Crystal nodded.
“Okay, well you can’t ruin that.”
“I don’t know what to do.”
An idea formed. “I have an idea! Tomorrow’s National Roller Coaster Day.”
“And…?”
“And the park is staying open after close for all the employees to ride the rides. Me, Gigi, Jaida, and Nicky are all going together. You should come with us.”
Crystal hesitated. “I was going to hang out with my boyfriend. He’s gonna get mad if I cancel.”
“Come on, Crystal. When else are you going to get to hang out in an empty park with all your friends? Besides, like I say, it’s better to ask forgiveness than permission.”
“I don’t know Jan…”
“Just think about it, okay?”
“I guess.”
“’I guess’ is better than ‘no,’” Jan said with a smile.
As she closed the bathroom door, Jan was confident that she was going to make things better.
—
The next day, the excitement of the staff of Paradise Isle was palpable. Even for the rides staff who were working the event were excited, mainly for the overtime pay. As soon as 9 P.M. rolled around, the event was officially underway. Gigi had never seen the leads and supervisors clear the store so quickly.
As she and Jan headed to the bathroom, they planned everything they were going to do.
“I promised Jackie I’d bring her a funnel cake,” Jan said as she changed into a t-shirt with her future university’s logo. “It’s the least I can do since she’s working.”
“That can definitely be arranged,” Gigi said tucking her uniform into her backpack.
“Gigi…” Jan began.
“Yeah?” Gigi slung her backpack over her shoulder.
“I uh, may have told Crystal that she could join us.”
“You what?”
“I thought that it’d be a good idea. I thought that if we were in a group it wouldn’t be weird and you could maybe make up or something.”
“Oh, shit. This is bad. Jan… Why?” Gigi groaned.
“In hindsight, this was a horrible idea.”
“You think?” Gigi’s tone was harsh, which made Jan cringe. “I’m sorry.”
“No, I deserve that. I’m sorry. I should have ran it by you.”
Gigi sighed as they left the bathroom. “It’s what it is. It’s done now. Maybe you’re right.”
Nicky texted the Gigi that she and Jaida would be waiting for her and Jan at The Landing. After scanning the area for a moment, Gigi saw her friends and waved.
“Hey, bitches!” Jaida greeted with a hug.
“What’d you two do today on your day off?” Jan asked.
Nicky and Jaida just exchanged a look.
“Ah. 10-4,” Gigi said rolling her eyes.
“Is Crystal joining us?” Nicky asked.
“I sent her a text, let me see if she responded,” Jan said as she unlocked her phone. “Damn. She said she’s going hiking with her boyfriend, and that she wishes she could have come.”
“Well she could have,” Jaida said with an eyeroll.
Gigi didn’t say anything, but internally was filled with relief.
Everyone was having an incredible time. Not having to wait for more than ten minutes for anything made the rides even more fun. After riding Sinbad’s Adventure, which was the smallest of the three roller coasters in the park, three times in a row, Jan announced. “Ladies, I need a break.”
The others muttered in agreement, and made their way to a table.
“What’s our game plan?” Jaida questioned.
“Hmm,” Nicky began. “Do you want to do all the lame rides on The Boardwalk?”
“I could take lame right about now,” Jan said. “Plus I told Jackie I’d get her funnel cake.”
“Why did she decide to work?” Nicky asked.
“She wanted doubletime pay. Plus, she claimed that once you go to an after-hours event, the novelty wears off.”
Gigi rubbed her back. “Are you going to be okay?”
“Yes!” Jan sprung up. “Let’s go ladies.”
Gigi had to admit, the rides that Nicky called lame were some of her favorites. They brought upon a wave of nostalgia of when she and her sister used to come to the park every summer. The way all the carnival-style rides’ signs lit up made her heart soar.
Once they did all of the rides on The Boardwalk in record time, Nicky asked. “Jan, do you feel up to going on The Genie?”
Jan nodded. “Jackie texted me and told me if I didn’t bring her a funnel cake soon, she’s going to eat her left foot.”
“We can’t let that happen!” Jaida said dramatically.
Gigi and Jan linked arms as they skipped to The Backlands. By the time they made it to the roller coaster, Gigi’s legs felt sore. She made a mental note that she’d have to make use of her university’s gym come fall.
“Baby!” Jan exclaimed as she saw Jackie at the greeter position.
“Gimme!” Jackie said as she snatched the funnel cake, taking a bite.
“Are you supposed to do that?” Nicky questioned.
“I’m your lead, how dare you speak to me like that!” Jackie said haughtily. “Nahh, literally no one gives a shit right now. I’m not even supposed to be standing here right now. Greeter isn’t a position that’s up right now.”
“Let’s ride in the front!” Jaida suggested.
“Oh, Jesus,” Jan groaned.
“We can ride in the second row,” Gigi suggested.
The front was an extra cycle’s wait, but no one cared. As they waited, Gigi looked around, and in the fifth row Gigi saw familiar red hair in familiar spacebuns. She felt her stomach drop harder than the Jinn ever did.
Gigi felt her body tense, which Jan noticed. “Gigi, what–”
“Shit,” Nicky breathed. She and Jaida weren’t well-versed in the situation, but they both knew something was up with Gigi and Crystal.
Crystal was standing next to Widow, and her expression went from excited to deer-in-the-headlights. Gigi felt her heart pound. Did Crystal really hate her that much? If she didn’t want to see her, why didn’t she just say so? Gigi had so many questions, and knew she wasn’t going get answers to any of them. Without saying a word, she through the exit gate.
“Should we…” Jaida trailed off.
“I got it,” Jan said.
“Are you sure?” Nicky questioned.
Jan nodded. On her way out, she gave Crystal the nastiest look she’d ever given in her life and said, “You really fucked up. I hope you know that.”
#rpdr fanfiction#gigi goode#crystal methyd#jan sport#jackie cox#jaida essence hall#nicky doll#crygi#jankie#jaida x nicky#lesbian au#slow burn#stupid for you#metaluna#s12#submission
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