#You didn't need to walk around shirtless through the whole ship you know

[crowned-clown-rising]

Watching Star trek Tos for the first time and there is only one thing I know for sure and that is how much of a slut Kirk is.

#You didn't need to walk around shirtless through the whole ship you know #Like damn this man #he is very much out there #I swear as soon as I wrote the prev tag Spock said in the background ep I have on “He is out there” about Jim #uh he is picking up a diamond now #are the diamons your best friend captain? #He really said I will seduce a literal robot into feeling #I mean an actual robot not Spock guys #But also he seduces Spock on a daily basis so #star trek #star trek tos #james t kirk #captain kirk #kirk #spirk

[obaex]

the one that chases you (four) - rafe cameron

summary: you learn the lengths that rafe has gone to chase you and make an important decision about your future together that has ripple effects across the island.

word count: 1.5k

series masterlist

It had been nearly four weeks of starting every morning on a run with Rafe. Despite the early starts, you found yourself jumping out of bed to get dressed and meet him in your driveway, eyes eagerly scanning the gate at Tanneyhill for his sauntering gait. It had quickly become your favorite part of every day. Your body had gotten stronger, allowing you to push your runs further, the prize of extending your time together the motivation that you needed. Well, that, and the bets you placed along the way.

"If I beat you to the next street, you have to run home shirtless" you panted.

"What?" he said - and you were off before he could register the challenge, your unfair advantage securing your win, enjoying your eye candy all the way home.

Mornings together turned into afternoons together, laying by the pool, riding in his golf cart or going to the beach with your friends who had all welcomed you back to the kook life with open arms. You weren't sure where things were headed with Rafe, but you could tell he was serious about you. You would catch him staring at you throughout the day, a goofy smile on his lips, not to mention he was very openly affectionate with you in front of everyone, touching you constantly, whether it was a hand on your leg, his arms wrapped around you, resting his head on yours, or peppering your face with kisses despite the teasing he endured from Kelce and Topper.

Before things went much further, you realized you needed to tell Sarah.

You caught up with her one morning after your run as you and Rafe were getting water in the kitchen at Tanneyhill. She came in the front door, a brief trip home to get a change of clothes before going back to John B's.

"Well hellloooo" she said, taking in the two of you in your sweaty running clothes.

"Hey girl!" you said, reaching over to give her a hug as she ducked away from your sweaty body, both of you laughing. "Can we catch up?" you asked, tilting your head upstairs and she agreed. You gave Rafe one last look as he shot you a wink and reached out to smack your ass on your way.

You lay flat on Sarah's floor, staring up at the ceiling, not wanting to get sweat anywhere as she walked around her room, swapping out clothes and repacking her duffle bag.

"So there's something I wanted to tell you" you started.

"I figured as much" she said, smirking at you.

"I'm kinda seeing someone" you admitted.

"Mhmmm" she said encouragingly.

"You know him, he's a really great guy."

"Yeah?" she said.

"Yeah. I'm really happy."

"I can tell, you are literally glowing Y/N, although that might be from the sweat?" you both laughed at that.

"Promise no matter what, you'll have an open mind?"

"Oh my gosh you can stop dancing around it already, I know you're hooking up with Rafe, the whole island knows."

"What!?"

"This is headline news! People have been shipping the two of you for years."

"Why didn't you tell me?" you said, cheeks flush with embarrassment that Sarah had heard so much about you both.

"Because he's my brother!? I don't know. It weirded me out at first when people started talking about it but at the same time, I know he's had a thing for you forever. I think it's kinda sweet. I mean I know I told you to wait for the boy that chases you, I didn't think you'd take me so literally" she laughed.

"What do you mean?"

"Rafe hates running, hates it. Once he graduated and quit lacrosse he vowed never to do it again. But he saw you out on your run one morning and realized you did it every day, so he went out there and tried to keep up with you."

You sat up now, listening intently as she continued, her back to you as she rifled through the clothing in her closet.

"I don't know, maybe he likes it now? He ran every day while you were gone, too, even though he'd be moping around when he got home" she paused "I think he wanted to make sure he didn't miss you coming back."

The idea of Rafe Cameron waking up every morning for six months to do something he hated for the chance to spend time with you melted your heart.

"Thanks for your blessing" you said quickly, popping up to give her a sweaty hug despite her mock annoyance as you ran back downstairs.

You found Rafe in the kitchen leaning against the counter on his phone. He looked up at you as you entered the room, "How'd that go?" he asked, putting his phone down as you sauntered over to him, popping up on your tiptoes to slide your hands around his neck, pressing his back into the counter and kissing him deeply. You could feel his smile kissing you back as his arms circled your waist. "Mm, that good, gorgeous?"

"Sarah shared some pretty interesting information with me" you said mischievously. He stopped kissing you, eyes narrowing as he looked at you skeptically. "Yeah? Like what?"

"Like how much you love running" you said.

An embarrassed smile came across his face as he hung his head in defeat. "Guilty as charged" he said. "I hated it. Seriously. Who would put themselves through that kind of torture voluntarily? It's so boring and tedious and painful."

"Why didn't you tell me!? We've been doing it for weeks!" you said, slapping his shoulder playfully.

"Because I know it makes you happy. Plus, I didn't know any other way to strike up a conversation with you at first without it being weird. Eventually it just became our thing and I grew to love it, love doing it with you..." he trailed off. He looked like he wanted to say something else and you studied him inquisitively, tangling your fingers in his, encouraging him. He looked down at your hands, avoiding eye contact, rubbing your knuckles gently with his thumb as he continued.

"The first morning you weren't waiting for me in your driveway, I didn't know what to do. I knocked on your door and no one answered. I called and you didn't pick up, so I ran anyway, thinking maybe you had started without me. But, no matter how fast I ran, I couldn't find you. It didn't even cross my mind that you just weren't going to be there anymore. I did that for a week and then weeks turned into months and then one day you're just back sprinting your brains out ahead of me. I thought I was delusional. I saw you slow to a stop and I didn't know what to do or say, I panicked so I kept running. I didn't make it another quarter mile before I turned around and ran after you, but you were already back in your driveway." He paused, rubbing the back of his neck, clearly a little embarrassed to admit that he had literally been chasing you around the island without you knowing it.

"That is the sweetest, saddest thing I have ever heard" you said, laughing kindly.

He lifted his eyes to yours, drinking in your face, your sweet smile. "Been chasing you for a while, gorgeous, just glad that I finally caught up" he said earnestly, pressing a kiss to your lips.

"Apparently the whole island knows" you muttered between kisses.

"Good" he said simply

"Yeah?" you replied

"Yeah, I want everyone to know you're my girl."

"Your girl?" you said eagerly, eyes twinkling, trying to play it cool, but the excitement in your voice extremely obvious.

"If you want to be?" he said, hesitantly.

"Of course I want to be your girl, Rafe Cameron" you replied.

He scooped you into his arms, your legs circling his waist as he kissed you deeply, his heart soaring.

The pogues were sitting around the bonfire at the chateau, Kie strumming her ukulele, Pope and Sarah deep in conversation, JJ laser focused on rolling a blunt as John B scrolled through his phone.

"Wait, what?" he said out loud before he could catch himself.

"What?" asked Sarah.

"Nothing, never mind" he said quickly, casting a knowing look at JJ.

Missing his glare, Kie insisted, "Well now you have to tell us."

"Not important" he replied curtly.

"What is it bro?" JJ asked, picking up on the tension.

"Here" John B said, tossing his phone to JJ, resigned, knowing that he was going to find out sooner or later.

JJ scrutinized the picture closely, face scrunching up in disgust as realization dawned on him and he looked over to Sarah, "So, what? They're together now? Is she fucking him?"

"Real nice, JJ" she sneered "That's my brother and my best friend you're talking about and you lost the right to ask that question two months ago. You made your bed, now you have to sleep in it."

Cursing loudly he stomped away from the bonfire, up the steps and inside, slamming the door shut behind him.

taglist: @louie-bug, @wh0reforbucknasty, @magnificantmermaid, @houseoftwistedspirits

part five

series masterlist

#rafe cameron #obx rafe cameron #rafe obx #rafe outer banks #rafe cameron fanfiction #rafe cameron x reader #outerbanks rafe #rafe cameron imagine #rafe imagine #obx fanfiction #obx fic #obx imagine #outer banks #obx

[thebahwrites]

I saw your thing about needing a prompt....

mav finding out about Jake and Bradley's relationship?

no one look at me, I've kept these prompts for days like this, I'm needing inspo, LET'S GO!!!! mavdad + hangster

Maybe it's his own fault, really, Maverick thinks.

Because the years had gone by and he hadn't been around Bradley that much so maybe he hadn't registered the fact not only his boy was a fully grown man. But he was a fully grown man very much with a whole life of his own. He was a fully grown man, with a sex life of his own.

And really, Pete thought, standing in the doorway – he should've thought about that before walking in unannounced.

No, really, it was his own fault. For being up too early on a Sunday morning and wanting to stir up Rooster for an impromptu drive and hop. Maybe. Just maybe, you should consider he might be busy with something else, Ice would've said. Maybe you should actually spare a thought sometime, Mav.

Yeah, okay. Ice, wherever you are in heaven, this one goes to you for being always right.

But really Ice, how could have he known???

Nope. That was entirely on him, standing aside to let a shirtless Hangman walk through. The blond aviator covered in hickeys and bite marks that were still too fresh to be bruises yet, clearing his throat and clearly unsure if he should meet Maverick's eyes. Or even salute. He's all but rushing outside the door, pants barely pulled up. Red from his chest to his ears, blond hair all mussed.

Maverick really wants to say he's sorry and leave but the damage's been done, instead the man is bolting like a deer. If Bradley hadn't actually held him, he was sure Jake would've jumped right out the window.

"Uhm," Hangman clears his throat as he's all but running outside the door. "G-good morning Captain." He blurts uncharacteristically bashful before disappearing. Pete follows him with his eyes for a moment as his poor subordinate struggles to find what happens to be his bike keys and pull out the driveway in record time.

Leaving Maverick still standing in the old house's doorway with Bradley sitting on the couch, pants barely pulled up, head hanging into his hands. Silence lingers between them and Pete can't help bursting out into laughter a minute later.

"IT'S NOT FUNNY MAV!" Rooster shouts back with no real heat, clearly a desperate laugh in the back of his throat as well. It was. It was damn funny.

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" Maverick manages to spit out mid-laughter, one hand coming up his eyes. "I didn't know! I didn't think you would have anyone over!"

"Clearly!!!" Bradley's exasperate, no real anger but clearly in turmoil, moving to find his phone lost somewhere between the couch cushions, head shaking. And then he starts laughing as well. "So uh.... you and Hangman huh?" Pete can't help himself, smirk slipping into his mouth, closing the door behind his back.

He's answered with a flying pillow to the face.

(send me a ship and prompt for a ficlet!)

I'm sorry this might not have been what you expected but the thought was so funny to me, if u send an ask for a sequel I'll make the cute/serious part of it I JUST THOUGHT IT WAS SO FUNNY

#top gun maverick fic #hangster #sereshaw #mavdad #rooster x hangman #tgm ficlet #abt: my writing #prompts #jake hangman seresin #bradley rooster bradshaw #pete maverick mitchell

[not-goldy]

Tkks once again in group chats accusing Jk of being a shit headed boyfriend to Tae, while ignoring Tae walked hand and hand with Jennie. Where was your sympathy for Jungkook bitch? If JK is dating Tae like you claim. Imagine how Jk felt seeing Tae parading Jennie around in public and throwing his relationship with her around in Jk's face. This is the picture you are painting of TK right? So why does Tae get a pass to shit on Jk's feelings and gets to fuck around with other people, but you draw the line at Jk doing it? Why does Tae get to take vacations with Jennie. To NY, Jeju and Paris, but you draw the line at JK vacationing with Jimin in NY/CT and Japan? You ignore pictures of Tae and Jennie on vacation, Tae in her bed. Pictures and videos Jk had to see by the way, but you wanna raise hell over Jikook taking shirtless pictures on vacations and Jimin posting one for his birthday. That's too much, but Tae in Jennie's bed is okay. You don't actually give a fuck about Jk and you know deep down TK isn't real, you just want a reason to hate on Jimin cause you're jealous lonely fucks. You focus on Tae, but you also want him to be a helpless victim being emotionally abused by Jikook, cause you get off on it. You are sick twisted fucked up in the head mental cases who need lots of therapy. I am not joking or being funny. Ignoring Tae has a whole entire girlfriend and still focusing on Jikook. Can you just say out loud, you think Jk loves Jimin more then you think Tae loves Jennie and it threatens you. See with Taennie out of sight, means out of mind and you can relax a bit. Jikook however are in your faces and you are forced to watch Jk in love with Jimin and not your fav.

Don't get pissed off at Jikook cause your favs had to catch up through videocall and Tae didn't even know Jk cut his hair, when y'all said TK would shave them together and enlist together and its not happening, while Jikook been snuggling in each other's beds for months on their private trips and making big future plans together for months behind the scenes and about to take their next journey together, in the military together. You had a chance to be happy for Tae and Jennie. You had a chance to support Tae and support his happiness a relationship that made him so giddy and so happy. You didn't. Instead you chose to lick your tkk leaders chronic lying assholes who has gaslit you and continued to ignore every red flag and ship two men who aren't dating and now you mad cause the walls of truth are caving in on you. Should have got out of your imagination when Tae told you.

Smh

We should put them on an intergalactic slave ship and send them off to another galaxy for aliens to do with them whatever they please 🥺

[chicoriii]

Season 4, Episode 4 - Mr Pigeon 72

I have no idea where to start. This episode has some good things and some extremely stupid.

Marinette isn't still completely fine, but I prefer when she deals with it through being hyperactive than being a whining crybaby.

I know people don't agree with me, but personally I don't buy the whole revealing identity to Alya. It's not a problem with Alya herself, I would say the same about every single character who is not named Alix Kubdel at this point of the story. I haven't written anything in my post about Gang of Secrets, because I thought it would be undone in some way at the start of the next episode. The creators did nothing to explain why revealing identity of Ladybug to anyone was super dangerous and would result in a catastrophe in seasons 1-3 and the first two episodes of S4, but it's magically fine in episode 3. Only Alix made sense to me, as she will be the rabbit Miraculous holder, so she is destined to discover identities of everyone sooner or later and Marinette is aware of that. While it's not necessary to learn identity of anyone to other temporary Miraculous wielders, including Alya. Also that reveal hasn't been foreshadowed in season 3, while the show usually does it, especially if it's about something as important as that! More, in late S3, it's been shown that Alya still can't resist to not talking about Marinette's love life with Nino, despite she asked her to not do it. Now the girl, who is overly excited about superhero stuff, has no problems with even accidental revealing anything to Nino or someone else. She's even "stealing" Bunnix line that she's great at keeping secrets (sorry but you, the creators, haven't shown us that she's indeed is before!). This is why I think that reveal hasn't been planned before they started writing season 4.

But okay, I can deal with it, even if I don't buy it, but things these happened in Mr. Pigeon 72 are even more inconsistent with previous seasons. I have been worried about it, so it doesn't surprised me. For some reason Guardian related-things that have been kept in a secret before from everyone minus current Guardian and the future Guardian, are now fine being done in front of Kwamis (remember, they haven't been allowed to learn about making potions before!) and a civilian who is just a temporal Miraculous holder, not someone who is supposed to be trained to be a new Guardian. You can say - new Guardian, new rules, but why? Marinette has been portrayed as someone who respect authorities, she has never questioned any Fu's rules. It wasn't even said in the episode that she's going to change the rules. I hate that the writers don't even bother to explain us what's going on. Probably they don't bother about consistency, they think the audience is going to be too excited about Alya knowing Ladybug's identity and helping Marinette to question anything about it? How Alya could be allowed to learn the Guardian secrets? She is just best friend of the protagonist, she is not one of the main characters to get that special treatment. I makes zero sense to me. Especially since Su-Han will be introduced in episode 6 and he should help Marinette with understanding the Grimoire, Alya isn't necessary here for any other reason than fanservice.

In my opinion the way how they discovering how to make charms that protects from akumasitation was the most stupid thing that happened this season and one of the most in the whole show. Marinette who is the new Guardiand and portrayed as someone extreme intelligent and creative couldn't find the solution for days, but Alya with zero training magically discovered it in a few hours at worst. And when she told her the solution in not even very clear way, Ladybug did it immediately with no effort. That was so anticlimactic. At least the animation was fine, but other aspects of it was just a big disappointment, and I was looking forward for it. Thank goodness it's just the beginning of the season, I hope later important events of the season will be better written and portrayed.

Also I find it absurd that Rena Rough is walking with a page from the Grimoire like it's just an ordinary book and she's talking about it in front of a random civilian, like things that are written there are nothing special. She or Ladybug are not careful about Miraculous lore anymore. Not to mention that they are giving hints that Rena is very close to Ladybug in public, suspiciously close. And now with them being too careless, that's not hard to suspect that Rena Rouge is someone very close to Ladybug, maybe even as a civilian. Shadow Moth knows Rena Rouge's identity, and it's easy to him to learn who is Alya Cesaire's best friend if he doesn't know it yet, after all his son is in the class with her. Marinette has always been super careful and serious about her duties before, why that sudden change with zero explanation? It's just very out of character to her in my opinion.

I didn't like the akuma battle either, it's now the worst fight of the season in my opinion. It was so short and felt very lazy. I only liked that Plagg got some action and interaction with Ladybug (though it should be suspicious for her that he managed to reach to her that fast). He should be aware now that Alya knows Ladybug's identity but he acts like nothing happened. Not a word about it being unfair towards his kid or something, weird.

Thankfully the rest of the episode is generally more or less fun to me. It was nice to see Marinette and Kagami interacting again. I loved Kagami in the episode, although it was a bit weird to me that she isn't seemed to be affected by her breaking up with Adrien. Like her crush was very shallow, so she managed to recover herself from it very quickly. While it's been shown that Luka is hurt, despite Lukanette always seemed to be much more shallow than Adrigami in my opinion. But maybe it's because she's so down to earth, so being less emotional makes sense for her character. I liked how her attitude was opposite to Marinette's hyperactive: "No, I don't want to be in a relationship with Adrien again, he disappointed me, just let me live!!!". And she's another character who said that Marinette and Adrien are made for each other. I'm not surprised that Kagami sees it now when she tried to be with him and that didn't work. She's observant, sees more than many other characters. It seems she's an Adrienette shipper now. It's also good that her issue with Adrien wasn't resolved that easily and too fast. They need more time, but I'm sure they will be friends again.

So, we've gotten shirtless Adrien. I remember seeing a tweet of Thomas in which he answered to a question if there will be a beach episode and he said we will get something similar. I wonder if he meant this episode. Oh, they just remembered that Adrien is supposed to be allergic to feathers. It seems Adrien has allergic reactions only when it's somewhat related to the plot. When it's not, he's completely fine.

The reference to the famous Umbrella Scene™ out of nowhere in a random episode? It probably means something. I can see "reverse crush" supporters interpreting it as a proof to their theory, especially since this time Adrien did something clumsy and Marinette is laughing because of it (actually both of them). Or maybe because it's the first episode of season 4 with Marinette and Adrien interactions, they decided to be that much gracious for Adrienette fans, to compensate lack of it in the first three episodes. Oh wow, Marinette managed to propose spending more time together to Adrien without stuttering. Probably because she has done it spontaneously. Marinette is the most nervous when she's planning and thinking what could go wrong too much. This time she had no time to it, so it went more smoothly. It's like they building development of their relationship, but it didn't seem in Guiltrip (that's episode 11 chronologically) that something changed.

Seeing screenshot above, you can easily imagine how great friends they could be, being very comfortable around each other and laughing together, if not Marinette's anxiety. We need Adrienette development so much to get more moments like this.

Oh and I just realized that it's also one of the veeeeery few episodes with no real Ladynoir at all (the only other one I remember is Style Queen). So if there was no Adrienette it would be an episode without interactions of two main characters at all (although we almost got Ladrien). It could be another reason why this episode is that nice for Adrien and Marinette ship.

After seeing overly excited Marinette dancing in the rain, I can't believe she can manage completely give up on Adrien. It doesn't look like this at all.

Also we've seen three photos of Adrien wearing THAT scarf. It could not mean nothing different that foreshadowing that he's going to discover the truth about it somewhere this season. But I have no idea what Ladybug's mask with shining eyes could mean.

I don't know what to think about the episode. Despite absurd Guardian-related things, I still liked it much more than Gang of Secrets, but I have no idea if I generally enjoyed it more than other episodes of this season or not. At least it's an episode without stupid drama, which is amazing.

---------

I'm currently less active on social media, because my internet connection is very unstable, it often works very slowly to the point I'm not patient enough to visit Tumblr. Also I block spoiler tags again, because I don't want to see spoilers from the episodes those are going to be released very soon, as I feel that they reveal too much to me once more. We're currently in a marathon of the new episodes and since watching them is the more more enjoyable, the less I know about them, I decided to try avoid spoilers as much as I can. The only bad thing is that I can't be read discussions about the new episodes, reblog them and adding something from me until Optigami will be aired.

#miraculous ladybug #ml mr. pigeon 72 #ml season 4 #ml spoilers #ml spoiler #chicoriii about S4 episodes #ml season 4 spoilers #chicoriii #original post

[eryiss]

Ship: Freed x Laxus [Fraxus]

Rating: Teen

Alternate Links: Fanfiction, Archive of our Own

Request: Something based off the official Rockband Raijinshuu art.

Summary: Being a rockstar, Laxus had to endure far too many chat shows. Usually he would grin and bear it, let the pointlessness of it roll off his back, but not this time. He was alone, forced to keep his budding relationship with Freed secret, and done with it. Fucking done with it all! But he had a way to fix it, and all it would take was a little courage.

Notes: This was a request by @fuckyeahfraxus. Just a warning, it has a bit of homophobia near the end, but nothing too vicious. I hope you enjoy it.

The Life Of A Song

Fuck chat shows. Fuck their hosts. Fuck their producers. Fuck their directors. Fuck their too-hot lighting, their stupid uncomfortable sofas, their tiny changing room's, their cramped green rooms with too many camera, their always cheering audiences and their utter lack of anything interesting or unique. Fuck the whole damn thing.

But Laxus' opinions on the matter weren't important. What did matter was that he smiled, laughed, told anecdotes and sat in a way that showed off his thighs and crotch just enough so that his Twitter stans - what a shitty word - made him trend once it was over.

Still, fuck chat shows.

This particular show, Late With Jase, was one of the worst. The host was young, overly enthusiastic, and his name was Jason rather than Jase which pissed Laxus off more than it should. He'd somehow dragged an audience of Netflix only watchers back to mainstream, with a mix of meme crap that Laxus cringed at, and celebrity gossip that would make a tabloid envious. But the ratings were skyrocketing, celebrities who went there usually got a boost in sales of their latest projects, and Laxus' manager had insisted he take his turn.

It would have been fine, were he not alone. If Ever, Bix and Freed were with him, they could take the responsibility and he could fade into the background. They had been a band for years, and that was how they always dealt with interviews. But they weren't there, because according to their management, Laxus was the moneymaker and all they needed.

"So Laxus," Jason turned in his chair to look at him. "Let's talk about Thunderstruck. What a success that's been? You must be thrilled.”

"It's doing well, yeah," Laxus nodded. He wanted to cringe at his words.

"It's doing more than well. You can hardly escape it," Jason laughed, and the crowd laughed with him. Laxus chuckled, even though he didn't find it funny. "But this is the first song that you've written, isn't it? And it's one of the most popular you've had. Must feel good."

"Well, it wasn't just me," Laxus swallowed slightly. "Everything we make is collaborative. Freed worked with the lyrics a lot, and Ever composed it."

"They're your bass player and electric guitar player, right?"

"I wouldn't call them mine," Laxus mumbled slightly.

There was a beat of awkward silence, and Laxus relished it just a little. Jason recovered quickly, which was annoying, and flashed a happy smile. Laxus would have preferred the man to stew in the uncomfortable silence, it would be a fitting response to him being dismissive of the band's contributions, but perhaps it was a childish way to think of things.

"Well we'll be hearing the song live at the end of the show," Jason continued, and Laxus' eyebrow twitched. The rest of the band were in the damn building and yet were being treated like shit. "But let's talk a bit about how you came to write it. Heavy rock and love songs have a troubled history, and you managed to make a hit out of it."

"Just lucky I guess," He shrugged. "Got good people around me too."

"Don't be so modest," Jason dismissed. Laxus wasn't being modest; luck was the dominant factor in successful music and without the band, Laxus would be fucked. "So, take us back. Where did the idea start."

"Well, hard to pinpoint I guess," Laxus murmured. "But, I suppose it was at the end of our last tour."

——

Performing live was indescribable. It was an assault on all his senses, in the very best way.

Everything was exhilarating. The feeling of vibrations on the stage, the cheers, roars and singing from the crowd, the sweat running down his back, the roar of his voice cutting through his throat as he sang. It all flowed through him, removing any sense of doubt or self consciousness he might have. On stage, before a stadium of fans, he was Laxus Fucking Dreyar. King, God and Dragon. Nothing was better.

They were on their last song of the set, a roaring anthem that the crowd could sing along to. It was thrilling to hear a song he'd worked on sung by thousands. Freed's words were being screamed at them, with the passion and love of their fan base. It was indescribable.

"We are The Thunder God's Tribe," Laxus yelled into the microphone as the instrumental began. The crowd roared in response.

Freed, Ever and Bix held the crowd's attention, and Laxus looked over the gathered mass of thousands. They were all there for them, because they loved them and wanted to experience them in person. A loud roar of appreciation cut through the stadium as Bickslow finished a drum solo that always brought the house down. How he managed to do that night after night while never screwing it up was beyond Laxus, but it was incredible.

Laxus sang the final verse, putting his whole heart into the performance. It was the last show of the tour, the last time they'd sing in front of a crowd like this for two years. He loved songwriting, but this was the best part of his work. The crowd, the music, the experience.

God he would miss this. This high. This buzz.

The lights died around them as the song ended, plunging them into darkness as the crowd roared their appreciation. The four of them could still see their fans as they cheered and yelled, and they took a few moments to appreciate it. He would miss this.

As they were taken from the stage, the adrenaline didn't waver. Laxus could run a marathon, deadlift any weight, swim any ocean in those moments. It was pure euphoria.

Evergreen trailed off to her dressing room first, scraping her nails down her bodyguard's chest before dragging him in with her. They were no longer pretending they were simply platonic anymore; Bickslow walking in on them must have removed any hope they could keep their relationship a secret. Good for them; Ever worked hard and deserved a big man to fill her bed.

Bix's groupies appeared out of nowhere, two men and a woman. They clung to the drummers bare chest instantly, and he cackled as he was dragged away for a night of depravity and booze. Laxus grinned; the party boy really had hit his stride this year.

Glancing at Freed, he saw the man looking equally amused.

A shared moment of eye contact sent a pulse of heat through Laxus. They stared at one another for a moment, and Laxus found his eyes crawling over Freed's shirtless torso without shame before he could stop it. Hard muscle and flexing abs were fully shown, and the heat in Laxus' face settled down lower. The rush of the performance was still running through him and he knew he wasn't in his right mind, but dammit Freed looked fucking hot in that moment. Tousled, sweating, shirtless; who could fucking resist that?

Laxus had always known Freed was hot. They spent hours upon hours together, it couldn't be missed. But he'd never thought too hard about it. You didn't fuck your badnmates. You didn't fuck your male bandmate.

And if he weren't coursing with adrenaline and dunk off of the cheers, he might have stopped.

With a stride, he surged forward and wrapped a hand around the back of Freed's neck. He pulled the man against him, pressing their lips together in a passionate, needy, energetic kiss. Freed dragged him back, pushing himself against the wall and taking Laxus with him. Hands were roaming over his chest, and Laxus groaned as they slid lower.

"Wait," Laxus whispered, pulling apart. A string of spit hung between them, and Laxus felt a twisted form of delight at it.

"What?" Freed asked, and his husky voice ran down Laxus' spine.

"We better take it inside," Laxus murmured, and Freed grinned.

They snuck into the nearest changing room, locking the door behind them. It was only in the next morning, when Laxus' mind was focused on something other than mindless, unadulterated pleasure, that he began writing a song. That he felt the need to write in a way that he'd never felt before.

Because kissing Freed was music. A high unmatched by anything else, and one that Laxus would find himself addicted to.

——

"And how did it come about?" Jason probed. "You've never written before. Did you find your muse?"

He had. But Jason didn't get to know it. Not that their manager would let it happen.

"Well, you know how bands work. You tour, make an album, then tour with the album," Laxus shrugged, reaching for his glass of water. "Your mind goes into production mode, I guess. You see things a little different, put a little creative spin on the things happening around you. Something struck me and I started writing," He laughed, awkward. "Not that interesting, really."

Not the fake story he'd been told to say, anyway.

The audience didn't seem to care about how crap the anecdote actually was, and applauded his words for some reason. Jason forced out a laugh, as if his statement had been a self-deprecating joke rather than a simple fact. What he'd been told to say wasn't interesting.

"Well, maybe you weren't struck by some divine intervention, but whatever happened it certainly worked out well," Jason continued, and the small screen beside him showed the album cover. Laxus hated the cover, it was just him. Not the four of them. It should be the four of them, or none of them at all. "It shot to the top of the charts and seems like it'll be there for a long time. That must feel good."

"It's incredible," Laxus agreed, and it was.

"So talk us through the writing process," Jason promoted, grinning. "I can't imagine you hunched over a desk night after night?"

"Well, the first draft only took a couple hours, really," Laxus confessed, blushing a little. The lights would cover it, but it was still embarrassing. "But me and Freed spent a couple nights together, and it became what you've been hearing."

——

"You always this tried?" Laxus chuckled, placing a takeout cup of coffee beside Freed.

The bassist blinked slowly up at Laxus, removing his face from its resting place against his arm. He glanced towards the coffee he'd been given with a thankful smile. Laxus smiled a little as Freed sat up straight, running a hand through his loose hair and letting it flow over his shoulders. He had bags under his eyes and a yawn split open his lips.

Laxus found himself slightly transfixed by the sight of Freed picking up the coffee, bringing it to his lips and drinking it in large gulps. His throat bobbed, pale skin stretching and chords tightening.

"Better to be tired that not focused," Freed smirked a little as he placed his coffee down.

"I think me looking at you is exactly the kinds focus we need," He grinned, and Freed chuckled.

The two of them were writing alone. After a fair amount of hesitation, Laxus had shown Freed the draft lyrics he'd written, and Freed had instantly presented ideas on how to fine tune it. He hadn't been patronising - nor had he teased Laxus about the fact he'd written a damn love song about him - and instead decided to encourage and help him make it a hit. They'd spent three subsequent nights in their studio, completely alone, and Laxus was loving it.

He'd never written a song before. Words weren't his forte, at least not the writing of them, and he much preferred to show passion through performance. But hours of Freed and him in the studio, bouncing ideas off each other, was thrilling.

Laxus suspected any time alone with Freed would be thrilling now.

Walking behind Freed to get to his own seat, Laxus leant down and pressed a soft kiss atop his head. Freed made a small sound and leant back against his chair to get closer to Laxus. He chuckled, ruffling Freed's hair slightly as he sat beside him.

"You made any progress?" Laxus asked, stretching slightly. He didn't miss Freed's eyes roaming over his chest. "What were you saying about being distracted."

"Until you wear looser fitting clothes, you don't get to talk about me being distracted," Freed smirked.

"Maybe I'd agree to that if I didn't know how uncomfortable those jeans you're wearing are," Laxus smirked. "Flatters the ass but crushes the balls, right? Regretting it yet?"

Freed didn't answer, but blushed a little and Laxus cackled.

They quickly fell into step, working on the song again. They were focusing on the second verse, which Laxus had dubbed the catalyst chapter. It had initially been a torrent of ways to describe how explosive his kiss with Freed had been - though names were vague enough for nobody to know that. With Freed's help, it had turned into a well written lyrical explanation to the first flushes of a romance. The burning passion, the fire between the two people, the erotic rush that could ignite from a simple glance. Watching Freed write, Laxus had to hope he was writing about his own feelings for Laxus.

He also had to stop himself from jumping the man, because Freed knew how to write a hot song. A really hot song…

Taking his espresso and gulping it down, Laxus looked away from his lover. Perhaps if Freed were anyone else - if he weren't a guy, or if he weren't in the band - Laxus might have given in and kissed him. He wanted to, but couldn't,

Once they'd been signed, te band had been given a long speech about how you couldn't screw your bandmate by their manager, how it could ruin things and screw up the dynamic. When Laxus had discovered he was bi, and wanted to come out as such, multiple crisis meetings were held. Not only had Laxus not been allowed to speak about his sexuality, with the risk of his contract being terminated immediate held over him, but he'd also been forced to stage pictures with a woman so he looked to be dating.

There had been backlash even then. His fans were vicious to the poor model, many seemed angry at him for supposedly betraying them by dating someone, it was fucking insane, and Laxus hadn't known hot to take it, but it had scared him off relationships for years.

So, he couldn't date. Definitely couldn't date bandmates. Certainly couldn't date men.

And knowing that, he'd still come back to Freed. Slept with him after their tour, then in the hotel later that night, they'd even fumbled about in the tour bus to the airport when everyone else was sleeping. They'd been in dates - or as close to dates two famous men could get - and a week prior had sat down and talked. They didn't care about the rules, because their budding romance was too damn good.

Never let it be said Laxus kept things comfortable for himself.

"Stop that," Freed scolded.

"Stop what?" Laxus asked, looking from the song and towards Freed.

"Torturing yourself," Freed explained, taking Laxus' hand and stroking it. "It'll do you know good. Certainly not when we're trying trying to write a ballad about the two of us."

"Sorry," Laxus hunched.

"Don't be, I think about it too," Freed admitted, leaning towards Laxus and against him. "But drowning in what ifs and self doubt is hardly going to make things better. We might as well enjoy what we have while it's still between the two of us, and deal with the fallout should it present itself.”

"You're right," Laxus nodded, blinking himself back into focus. "Not sure I can write tonight, though. Not in the mood."

"You don't want to write sonnets about how much you want me? Should I be offended?" Freed smirked, and Laxus laughed. "Or perhaps should I see it as a challenge to refocus your attention."

A hand ran down Laxus' inner thigh, and his breath hitched slightly. "Really?"

"Well, the song needs to be finished eventually," Freed hummed a little. "The sooner the better, I'd say. So getting your mind back on me seems the only thing that makes sense,"

"Really," Laxus tried to make his voice sound seductive, but Freed's wandering hand made him crack slightly. "H-how d'you think you'd do that."

"Well, let's say that in five minutes you find yourself in the instrument store down the hall," Freed mused aloud. "And let's say you find me already there, and I happen to be kneeling there waiting for you. Well, we can hardly be blamed if we find ourselves distracted."

Laxus swallowed. "Here? You sure?”

"There's no one around," Freed shrugged far too nonchalantly, and then grinned a devilishly handsome grin. "And I must admit, making you come undone in here has been a fantasy of mine," His hand squeezed Laxus thigh, before he stood up, and all flirtation was gone. "I should find a guitar, we can hardly write without practice. Perhaps I'll see you in there."

And then he was gone, walking away with his ass hugged perfectly in his jeans. All doubts about his future with Freed disappeared, replaced by the uncomfortable tightness in his boxers.

He found himself grinning, and a few minutes later he found himself in the instrument room, panting and moaning.

——

"It was pretty normal," Laxus continued, not looking to Jason. "We wrote, we practiced, we rewrote."

"Keeping your secrets close to your chest, I see," Jason laughed. "Now, speaking of secrets, the rumours have been flying on Twitter about who this is written about."

"I hadn't heard about that," Laxus tried to dismiss the statement.

"I'm sure you haven't," Jason nodded almost patronisingly, clearly not believing him. It was fair, Laxus supposed. #WhoIsThunderstruck did trend for a week. "But you have to admit, a virgin songwriter making something so powerful on their first try, and in a song so distant from anything else you've ever made, does seem to suggest maybe you've found someone to inspire you."

"I'm around a lot of talented people," Laxus shrugged. "They know how to make a hit."

He was squirming now, and not because of Jason. Their manager was seating in the front row of the live audience, and a quick glance his way showed Laxus a glare. This was a topic he had to avoid, because his fans needed to think the song was about them. It was patronising, Laxus thought, but they'd found success with their manager for a reason.

"So," Jason continued. "Have you found yourself a special lady?"

And then something ridiculous happened. Laxus found himself furious.

Such a simple statement, so innocuous and normal for Laxus' life, had opened the floodgates for Laxus. Because why had he assumed it would be a woman? Why had he assumed he could ask a question like that? Why was Laxus in a position where he couldn't answer something so simple when he really fucking wanted to?

Every ridiculous injustice seemed to swarm over him at once. How was it fair he had to parade himself on shows like this, on his own despite how his band deserved as much love and respect as he did? How was it fair that he'd known he wanted to be with a man for five years, and he'd never allowed himself to indulge before Freed? How was it fair that he'd been forced to endure meeting after meeting about how 'stupid' he was being for hooking up with Freed? How was it fair that he couldn't go out for a fucking pizza with his boyfriend without starting a ridiculous internet scandal? It was all so bullshit.

"Nah," Laxus answered, leaning back in his chair. The anger gave way to confidence; every interview he'd been on edge, but not any more. "Not a girl."

"So nobody's tamed the dragon slayer then?"

"Not a girl," Laxus repeated. "A guy. I'm bi, and for the last couple months I've been dating Freed," There was silence, and Laxus grinned and turned to Jason. "Bet you wished you'd gotten him on stage with me now, huh?"

"You're…" Jason seemed at a loss for words.

"Screwing the bassist, yeah," Laxus laughed, exhilaration flooding through him. "Inevitable really. I've known I liked guys for five years, and there's a load of fan pages who talk about how hot Freed is, so it was bound to happen," He grinned, running a hand through his hair.

This felt so good. Fuck, he didn't know how much he needed to do this.

"So," Jason tried to recover. "Well, erm, we have r to go to break now. Maybe we'll talk about that when we get back, I really don't know."

The moment the cameras cut, people began approaching Laxus. His manager, his PR team, and most importantly, his band. Ever and Bix attempted to run interference on their management team, but the angry man and his cronies pushed through them with fury on their faces. Still, Freed met him first, and wordlessly grabbed Laxus by the collar and brought their lips together. It was more passionate and desperate than any of their kisses had been.

"I'm so proud of you," Freed whispered. "And we are definitely talking about how you know those fan sites exist."

"Who d'you think made 'em," Laxus grinned, and Freed laughed.

Their small, shared moment ended when a throaty cough cut through them. Their manager was looming over them, and Laxus met them with a cruel grin, knowing it was too late: that was the problem with live TV.

"Problem?" He asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"What the hell were you thinking?" The manager snarled. "You just fucked all of us, do you understand that? How fucking selfish are you. You've ruined this album, you know that? You think your bandmates will forgive you?"

"Nothing to forgive," Bix said immediately.

"You're a dick for not letting him do it before," Evergreen agreed.

Their manager seemed to flounder for a moment, before narrowing his glare at Laxus again. "Do you think your fans will want to see that?" He growled again, voice getting louder now. "You think they'll still want you now they know that. Now they have to think about you being with… with him!" He motioned to Freed disparagingly. "They'll leave you. You've fucked yourselves, you know that."

Silence filled the soundstage, and their manager seethed. Laxus grinned, then looked past him towards the audience, half of whom had their phones pointed towards them.

"Since you're always talking about PR," Laxus smirked. "How d'you think you'll look once this hits Twitter?"

Their manager halted, then slowly turned. He turned sheet white, and it was brilliant.

"Oh, and in case you're worrying about your little threat to drop us if I came out, don't," Laxus smirked, though looked up to his band, who all nodded. "Yer fired, so fuck off."

#Fraxus #Freed Justine #laxus dreyar #freed x laxus #Fairy Tail #Fanfic #Writing #Request #One Shot #fuckyeahfraxus #Word Count 3.8k

[fics-n-stuff]

Empty Castle

Pairing: JJ x reader

Summary: Three weeks after John B and Sarah Cameron were lost at sea, Kildare is still reeling from the dramatic events surrounding the death of its sheriff. JJ in particular has been struggling to get back to normal, so Y/N goes to try and help him get back on his feet. Sequel to Holding Cell.

Warnings: tiny bit of swearing, v sad JJ

Word Count: 4.2k (about double what I originally intended)

A/N: This took way longer than expected and I didn't mean for this to be so sad but it got real sad, so there isn't really anything beyond platonic until towards the end. I would highly suggest that you read Holding Cell first (perhaps because I worked hard on it and I want people to read it) but if you really don't want to then all you really need to know is that JJ and Y/N were childhood friends but hadn't spoken for two years until they both got arrested on the same day and they decided to be friends again. Cool, enjoy! :)

The bell for the end of school rang and the crowd of teenagers swarmed out, and you made your way to the bike rack along with your friends.

"So, my house for movie night?" Jess said, and the rest of your friends chorused in agreement.

"Actually, I have something else to do." You replied, fastening your helmet. "I'll come by after if I finish up in time."

"What are you doing?"

"I need to go see someone." You replied, quickly getting on your bike before any further questions could be asked. "Later guys."

You cycled out to the house that you knew was where John B lived - basically the entire island knew where he lived after everything that had happened - and left your bike on the porch. The front door was open.

"JJ?" You called tentatively. "Are you here?" You heard movement from one of the rooms and turned towards it, seeing JJ walk out a few moments later. He looked disheveled, shirtless and with messy hair.

"Y/N?" He asked, surprised. His voice was slightly gravelly, like he'd woken up not long ago. "Why are you here?"

"I came to find you, JJ. School started on Monday, you've missed the whole week."

"School started?" His question made you frown in worry. "Wait, how did know I'd be here?"

"Because you're not anywhere else." You answered, putting down your school bag. "Nobody's really seen you. I stopped by at your house and your dad said-"

"You did what?"

"Relax, JJ, it's not as if he has any idea who I am. And he told me that you haven't been home in two weeks."

"I'm surprised he's kept track." JJ muttered.

"Clearly you haven't." The comment made JJ pause. He ruffled his hair and let out a long sigh, looking down at his own appearance. "What have you been doing these past weeks?"

"I don't know." He shrugged. "It's kinda blurred. I go to work, I go fishing, I smoke. I really didn't realise that school had started." He crossed the room to the sofa and grabbed a tank top off of the back of it, throwing it on before making his way to the kitchen.

"So I take it you've just been living here." You stated, looking around the mess that had accumulated in the house.

"Yeah. Pope and Lie have been staying away from the place ever since, uh..." He trailed off, pushing his tongue against his cheek and clearing his throat. "But me, I'm here basically all the time. They use Heyward's boat so I've got the HMS Pogue all to myself; they use Kie's car, I get that busted up van." He laughed, but there was a real sadness behind it.

You watched JJ as he made himself a sandwich, and even from a distance you could tell that there was barely any food in that kitchen. A few seconds passed and you spun on your heel, starting to collect empty food packages from around the room.

"What are you doing?"

"Cleaning." You answered matter-of-factly. "If you insist on staying here, I insist that you keep it clean."

"Why do you even care?"

When you turned around to face him JJ was leaning against the kitchen door frame. He wasn't looking at you, rather he was staring at the floor. His body language was relaxed but you knew that that wasn't how he was feeling.

"What happened to the 'giving to whole friendship thing another try' deal?" You replied. "I'm just trying to live up to my side of the agreement."

"Maybe that wasn't such a great idea."

"Okay." You muttered after a stretch of silence. "Let's try this again later. You go off back to your bedroom or whatever, I'll clean up here and we can reconvene at a later time." You pushed past him into the kitchen to look through the cabinets for trash bags, and when you found them you pushed past him back to the living room.

"Y/N-"

"I'm not leaving, JJ, so don't even try it." You interrupted, throwing empty bottles and cans into a trash bag. You heard him mutter something under his breath and disappear down the hall, slamming the door shut behind him. You scoffed and continued clearing the house.

You got rid of all of the trash from the living room and the kitchen before knocking on the door to the room JJ had shut himself in. By now he'd had about half an hour of preparation for a civil conversation.

When you opened the door he was lying on his back on the bed with a hat covering his face, but you knew he was awake because he kept fiddling with his fingers and tensing and untensing his jaw.

"You ready to talk about it?" You asked softly, taking a seat at the foot of the bed.

"No." He mumbled, his response muffled by the hat over his face.

"Want a hug?" He didn't answer, so you took his silence to mean 'yes but I don't want to say it out loud'. You kicked off your shoes and shuffled up the bed so that you were lying beside JJ, draping an arm over his body and resting your head on his chest. He let out a long sigh and slowly wrapped his arm around your body, pulling you in closer.

You stayed like that for a long time, just listening to yourselves breathe while you waited for JJ to be ready to talk to you.

"We really ran off a cliff, didn't we?" He finally broke the silence, his voice quiet and full of emotion as he removed the hat from over his face. "Pope lost his scholarship, I've become a complete pothead, John B and Sarah are missing. We don't even have the gold."

"Gold?" You questioned.

"We found the wreck of the Merchant, Y/N." He whispered, staring up at the ceiling. "And we found the gold, underneath the Craine house, and Ward Cameron took the whole lot out from under us while the town was on a manhunt for John B."

"Oh my god, JJ!" You exclaimed, sitting up. "You seriously found the Merchant gold?"

"Yep. To finish what Big John started. But it doesn't matter now, it's gone. Just like John B." His voice broke as he said his best friend's name, and you lay back down beside him.

"I'm sorry."

"They could still be out there, right?" JJ murmured. "I mean, they found the Phantom but they didn't find John B and Sarah. Maybe they got picked up by a ship."

"Yeah of course, that's totally possible." You nodded. The silence stretched out again, JJ sniffling every now and then as if holding back from crying.

After a while you sat up, getting JJ's attention and he turned his head to look at you.

"Let's go grocery shopping." You said. "There's barely any food in this house, you need some supplies."

"I haven't really got the money, Y/N."

"My parents just left town and I never spend all of the money that they leave so we can use that." You replied adamantly. "You need to get some human contact, okay? So let's go."

You climbed off of the bed and put your shoes back on before pulling JJ up as well. Reluctantly, he put on some shoes and grabbed the keys to John B's van.

+++

The two of you were out for about an hour. You stopped off at your house to grab the cash before going to the grocery store, where you ended up leading the shopping trip because JJ apparently had basically no knowledge of nutrition. Being with another person seemed to bring JJ out of the haze that he had been presumably for the past few weeks; he even smiled at a joke you made while you were at the checkout.

"I didn't expect you to have enough money for a full grocery shop." JJ said as the two of you packed the food away in the kitchen.

"Well, because my parents don't talk to each other they also don't coordinate their trips out of town which most often results in them both leaving money for me." You explained. "I never tell them, I just keep the extra cash as compensation for the neglect." You smiled, closing the cabinet you had been packing things into and turning around to take a seat on the counter. JJ finished putting away the last of the groceries and leant against the wall opposite you, folding his arms over his chest.

"Why'd you really come find me?" He asked.

"Well, after John B and Sarah got lost in the storm it was obvious that you weren't going to be doing the best." You answered, watching him carefully to gauge how he was feeling. "And when you didn't show up for school all of this week, I figured that you might need a friend to bring you back to reality."

"I, uh, I appreciate that." He nodded, his lips turning upwards into a small smile.

"Happy to help." A silence settled between you again, as it had many times throughout the evening, but it felt a little different this time; slightly more tense, but not in a bad way.

"Do you wanna go out on the boat?" JJ suggested. "The sun's about to set."

"Sure. Sounds nice." You replied, hopping off of the counter. His smile grew and he kicked off the wall, adjusting his hat on his head as he headed back to the front door, you following after.

You took a seat on the bow of the boat while JJ got it going, and you stayed in silence as he drove you out into the marsh. The sky was orange and violet when he anchored the Pogue, and he came to take a seat beside you.

"It's nice, isn't it?" He said quietly, looking out at the sun setting over the water. "I come out here most nights if I'm not still at work."

"Yeah, it's beautiful." You nodded. "What's your job?"

"Busboy in a hotel restaurant. You got a job?"

"Nah, I've got my absent parent money." You looked over at JJ and you could see sympathy in his eyes. "Don't feel bad for me, it's really not so terrible." You chuckled. You didn't need sympathy; certainly not from JJ, who was in a far more difficult situation than you.

You talked idly as you watched the sunset and when the sky turned dark you had settled into silence and lay back on the boat to look up at the stars. The two of you were lying with your hands on your stomachs, your elbows touching with the proximity in the small boat.

"What if they're not out there?" JJ whispered, barely audible.

"Then... we learn to keep going." You answered, turning your head to look at him. "Look, JJ, I was never as close to John B as you were, and I have no idea how you guys became friends with Sarah Cameron, but whether they're out or not, and whether they cane back, you'll always have them with you."

He turned to look at you too, tears shining in his eyes, and you reached a hand out to grab his and interlocked your fingers.

"I know it's cliché, but it's true." You smiled reassuringly. "They left you a piece of themselves to keep in your heart, and nothing can ever take that from you." He held onto your hand tightly, a single tear escaping his eye as he tensed his jaw to try and hold back any more.

"I really miss him, Y/N." He sniffled. "He was my brother, you know." You quickly moved to hug JJ, your body half on top of his as he wrapped his arms around you tightly and buried his face in your shoulder as he started to break down.

You maneuvered the two of you into a sitting position so that you could wrap your arms around him properly, cradling his head in your hand. He held onto you tightly, his tears soaking through your t-shirt and his body shaking with his sobs.

Minutes passed before JJ calmed down, and you held onto his shoulders as you broke away from the hug.

"You'll be alright. Okay?" You said softly, and he nodded. "I'll drive us back." You wiped away the tears on his face with your thumbs with a smile, before getting up to bring up the anchor.

JJ stayed where he was sat while you drove the boat back to John B's house. You docked the boat and went inside, the atmosphere heavy. He took a seat on the sofa while you flicked on the lights.

"Can I tell you something, Y/N?" He asked.

"Yeah, of course."

"I used to have the biggest crush on you when we were kids." The confession left you a little shocked, but you didn't show it, and JJ continued. "John B used to tease me about it all the time. When we were thirteen, after, like, four years of pining after you, he told me that I just needed to man up and tell you... but I never did, and then our friendship kind of just fell apart."

"Why are you telling me this now?" You questioned, and JJ let out a sigh before shrugging.

"I don't know. With John B missing and you suddenly back in my life... it just feels weird." He answered. "But I'm glad that you're here. I think I really need it."

"I think you do too." You chuckled. "Now, I'm gonna make us something to eat."

"Us?"

"What, you don't want me to stay?"

"No!" He defended himself loudly, making you laugh. "No, that's not it at all. I just wasn't expecting you to."

"Well, I have nowhere else to be." You smiled before disappearing into the kitchen.

You busied yourself in cooking, cutting up some chicken and vegetables and throwing them into a stir fry. You were completely absorbed in what you were doing, humming to yourself while you pushed the food around the pan with a wooden spatula, so when you felt a hand on your shoulder it made you jump.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." JJ apologised quickly, taking a small step back. "I said your name but you didn't hear me."

"Oh, really? Sorry." You chuckled. "What did you want?"

"Just... You weren't weirded out that I used to have a crush on you?" He asked tentatively.

"No, of course not." You shrugged turning back to the pan. "I'll admit it was a little surprising, but we were kids and we were super close. Jess used to tease me about that all the time."

"About us being close?"

"Yeah. I remember one time she totally freaked out because you called me pretty. Can you get a couple of plates out for me please?" You heard JJ open a cupboard and take out a couple of plates.

"For what it's worth," He said, setting the plates down on the counter beside you and taking out some cutlery. "I still think you're pretty."

"Aw, thanks JJ." You smiled. "You're not too bad yourself."

"What's that supposed to mean?" He countered, feigning offense, and you laughed.

"Nothing. You're a good looking guy; not at all like the chubby cheeked little kid that I used to know."

You dished up your meals and you and JJ went back to the living room to eat. You kicked you legs up onto the sofa with your plate on your lap and tucked in. It was later in the evening than you would usually eat, so you were eager to get some food into your stomach. Even still, JJ practically vaccumed in the food and finished before you did. He took the plates back through to kitchen when you finished.

"You gonna head home any time soon?" He asked.

"I'm not in a rush." You shrugged. "I'll just be going back to an empty house." JJ hummed in acknowledgement. He lifted your legs up to sit on the couch beside you, putting them back down on his lap once he'd gotten himself situated. Maybe him being in such a vulnerable situation earlier had accelerated your connection, but it was like those two years that you didn't talk at all never even happened; you were just as close as ever, if not more somehow.

"You're gonna stick around, right?" He said, turning to look at you. You tilted your head slightly.

"Of course." You reassured, smiling. "I'm not gonna leave you now, of all times. Besides, I missed you and we were supposed to be trying the friendship thing again anyway."

"Yeah, the friendship thing." He muttered, downcatsing his gaze, and you frowned.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"JJ, you can tell me." You took your legs off of his lap and crossed them under you, shuffling forwards towards JJ and lowering your head to try and catch his gaze.

"I..." He began but trailed off immediately. He let out a loud sigh, running a hand over his face and through his hair before taking a deep breath. "I know that I might just be saying this because I'm kinda fucked up in the head with my friends being lost at sea and all, but I think I still like you Y/N. As more than a friend." He rambled.

"JJ, we didn't speak to each other for two years." You replied, taken aback by what he was saying and trying to introduce some reason into the conversation.

"I know- I know that, Y/N, but... it doesn't feel like anything has changed for me." He explained, mirroring your body language and crossing his legs under himself to face you. "I get it, it's stupid, but I can't help that. I mean, I know that we were literally twelve years old but when we were friends before I think that there was something there. Maybe I'm biased because I liked you, but maybe..."

He looked at you, his eyes searching for any tell of what you were thinking, and there was a long pause while you thought.

"Even if there was something." You started slowly. "We were kids, JJ."

"We still are kids. We're sixteen." He argued. "When we were at the sheriff's station I felt something there, even though we hadn't spoken for two years. Tell me you didn't feel it too."

You looked away from him and took a deep breath. You would be lying if you said that you never had any feelings for JJ - he was probably the first real crush that you had - and it was probably your feelings for him that made you react so strongly when he would get himself into trouble. And you did think that being with JJ again felt much the same as it had done back then; plus, you hadn't been lying when you said that he'd grown up to be pretty handsome. Even still, he was going through an incredibly difficult time and you didn't think it would be a good idea to start any kind of relationship.

"Maybe... Maybe there might be something." You mumbled. "But right now really isn't the time to try it."

"Why not?"

"Because... well, you..." You struggled to articulate what you wanted to say.

"Y/N, I know it's a really messed up time, okay? Two of my best friends are lost at sea and I haven't spoken to the other two in weeks. I have lost all of the people closest to me and I feel completely alone, so maybe the fact that you're literally the only person that I have right now is making my feelings more extreme - I recognise that - but that doesn't mean that they're not real."

"JJ, I can't in good conscience agree to pursuing anything with you right now." You replied softly, shaking your head. It hurt you to have to say no.

"Don't you want to try?" He asked, voice a little weak as he looked into your eyes. "It doesn't need to be a huge commitment, we can just give it a try."

You looked over his face, the cogs turning in your mind as you thought through the situation. You really did want to give it a try, you were just worried that it might do JJ more harm than good. But the longer you ĺooked and him and the more you thought about the possibility, the more you wanted to pursue it.

"No promises, no big commitments... but I'll stick around." You smiled slightly, and you put a hand gently against JJ's cheek when he smiled back. "I just don't want you to get into something that's not good for you." He chuckled, taking your hand from his face and holding it in both of his.

"You've always been looking out for me." He mumbled, brushing his thumb over your knuckles. "Where would I be without you?"

"Somewhere messy I'm sure." You smiled.

"Definitely."

You sat in silence for a minute. You were watching JJ's face while he fiddled with your fingers. He let out puffs of air every once in a while like he had just remembered something funny, and it made you smile. You yawned, suddenly realising that you were actually really tired.

"Since I'd be going home to an empty house anyway," you began, breaking the short silence. "Would you be alright with me maybe staying here for the night?" JJ looked up from your hands with an amused smile.

"Of course." He answered happily. "I could use the company."

"Great."

He stood up from the sofa and gently pulled you up after him. Your hands remained connected as he walked you through to the same bedroom as earlier and flicked on the lights.

"This is where I've been crashing." He said, quickly scratching the back of his neck. "You can stay here with me if you want, or you can stay in the other bedroom if you'd rather do that." He became noticeably more tense at the mention of the other bedroom, and you just knew that it was because that was John B's room even though you'd never been there before.

"I'll stay here." You smiled, giving his hand a comforting squeeze. "Can I borrow a t-shirt?"

"Yeah, sure." He let go of your hand and crossed the room to a duffel bag in the corner. "There's stuff in all the drawers so I've kinda just been living out of this thing." He pulled out a t-shirt and handed it to you.

"Thank you." You smiled as you took it. JJ nodded awkwardly and shuffled past you out of the room, pulling the door shut after himself.

You quickly rid yourself of your school clothes and put on the t-shirt that JJ gave you - which was long and baggy on your body - before hopping onto the bed and covering your legs with the covers. He came back in not long later carrying two glasses of water.

"I figured you might want a drink at some point." He mumbled, setting the glass down on the bedside table. You gave a grateful smile and quiet thanks as he turned on the bedside lamp and then went to turn off the main light.

"We used to have sleepovers sometimes when we were kids." You mumbled as he walked around the bed and climbed in beside you. "Do you remember?"

"Yeah, of course I do." He smiled, lying down. "We used to stay up until midnight thinking that it was a big deal."

"It was back then. Midnight is really late when you're ten years old."

"I miss when little things like that could be so exciting." He sighed, staring up at the ceiling. You looked down at him thoughtfully, absentmindedly reaching out to brush a piece of hair out of his face.

"Well, anything can be exciting with the right company." You said softly. His eyes shifted to connect with yours and he smiled ever so slightly. "We have the whole weekend ahead of us, maybe we could do something fun. Go surfing, like old times, maybe?"

"That sounds nice." He murmured.

You shuffled down the bed to rest your head on the pillows and reached over to flick off the table lamp. You lay on your side facing JJ as he remained looking up at the ceiling. With the moonlight coming through the window you could just see the silhouette of his face and a slight shine where the light reflected off his eyes.

"What are you thinking about?" You whispered after a while.

"Lots of stuff."

"Wanna talk about it?"

"Maybe tomorrow." He answered with a sigh, turning his head to look at you. "But thanks."

"No problem." You smiled. "We'll talk tomorrow." You shuffled towards JJ and curled into his chest as he wrapped an arm around you. You felt him press a very light kiss to the top of your head and it made you smile. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight." He replied, holding you a little tighter, and you fell asleep in each other's arms. For the first time since John B and Sarah went missing, JJ had some comfort and you were happy to be the person to provide that for him.

#obx #outer banks #obx fanfiction #obx jj #jj obx #jj outer banks #jj maybank #jj x reader #jj x y/n #jj maybank x reader #jj mayback x reader

[amiandthechaos]

Title: Mamka Mu

Ship: Ron x Blaise x Viktor

Words: 3k

@hptriadsnet all-male poly ships challenge

I want to dedicate this to @ff-sunset-oasis for giving me the idea of this fantastic ship <3

Ron let the newspaper fall to the floor and closed his eyes. It didn't make any difference, because the image he kept playing in his head like a three second movie on a loop, with the headline conveniently repeating itself in his ears.

Viktor Krum's Romantic Italian Getaway: Who is Blaise Zabini? Rita Skeeter Exclusive.

Ron groaned. He hated how much this affected him, it made him feel like a pathetic loser. Well actually, that newspaper was three weeks old, which meant that he was more like the king of pathetic losers.

Is not like Blaise was cheating on him. They had only been out a few times before he had to leave London on a 'business trip', and Ron apparently got unnecessarily attached to what was clearly just a fling. Just another fling. But it still hurt that Blaise hadn't said anything to him, and he could have considering it certainly looked like this wasn't his first time meeting Viktor Krum.

Ron knew that Blaise returned tonight and they had agreed to meet up as soon as that happened, per Ron's suggestion back before Blaise left. He had been so blissfully naive and smitten with the man that seeing him as soon as he came back had seemed like the best idea.

Right now though, he wasn't sure if he wanted to see Blaise or his ridiculously charming smile.

Before he could make up his mind, the floo lit up in green flames, sending Ron's heart into frenzy. He quickly picked up the newspaper and balled it in his hands before sending it flying under the sofa. He didn't need physical proof of his shameful moping.

"Hello," came a low voice from behind the momentary cloud of soot, and it literally sent shivers down Ron's spine.

"Hi." He stepped forward, trying not to sound as nervous as he felt.

Blaise walked into Ron's living room, wearing a brilliant button-down that fit him like a glove and those typical posh black trousers of his. But the Italian weather had obviously agreed with him, because he seemed to be glowing; skin darker and radiant and a fresh smile on his face.

Ron stood awkwardly waiting for Blaise to make the first move. For all he knew the man might have decided he didn't want anything to do with Ron anymore, not after being with Viktor bloody Krum.

Blaise looked confused at Ron's actions for a moment but then he strode forward and embraced Ron in a tight hug, his arms around Ron's neck. Ron wrapped his own arms around Blaise's middle and tried not to think about how wonderful he smelled, like his usual cologne mixed with the unmistakable scent of the beach.

They stood like that for a moment, just being close to each other as Ron willed himself to be strong and not fall in his trap so quickly again.

"I missed you," Blaise whispered in Ron's ear and then his hands trailed down to Ron's chest before he started kissing his neck and it all happened so quickly and smoothly that Ron could only gasp as a response, his head involuntarily falling back to allow Blaise more access to his skin. Like the first time they did this, Ron found it hard to think, let alone speak, because in all truthfulness he didn't think he cared enough about Blaise and Krum to put an end to...whatever this was with Blaise. He was more worried about what other people would think of him for going out with someone who was also going out with someone else; even Blaise himself might think less of Ron for allowing something like that.

Plus, he couldn't possibly compete with Viktor Krum.

Ron decided to worry more about that later, because right now all he could focus on was the way Blaise was pushing him back and heading straight for the sofa. Ron curled his hands around the fabric of Blaise's shirt and started pulling as well, refusing to let Blaise control the whole situation. When he felt the sofa on the back of his knees he boldly let his hands fall and grabbed Blaise's arse before sitting down and pulling him along so Blaise straddled him. Blaise inhaled sharply and held onto Ron's shoulders, looking at him with intense dark eyes.

They leaned in at the same time and kissed hungrily, as if they had never done this before, but Ron's body was reacting in a painfully familiar way to Blaise's touch and judging by the rapidly growing hardness between them, Blaise too remembered the taste of Ron's tongue.

But even as he was enjoying immensely having Blaise here, so willing and so completely his, Ron's brain wouldn't stop supplying the image of Blaise and Viktor together; both men shirtless sunbathing in a private beach, looking at each other over their sunglasses and their hands joined in a perfectly relaxed fashion.

Without really knowing what he was doing, Ron had unbuttoned Blaise's shirt and with a grunt he broke the kiss and started working on his collarbone, sinking his teeth in the firm flesh of Blaise's chest.

"Fuck," Blaise breathed out, burying his hands in Ron's hair. "I really fucking missed you, Weasley."

Ron stopped for a split second, because it was rare to hear Blaise speak so earnestly, without being intentionally charming. Plus, he called Ron 'Weasley' which he only did when they were getting hot and heavy.

He continued nipping and biting Blaise's chest, but his mind was somewhere else now. He wanted to say something, maybe tell Blaise he'd missed him too, or something less emotional and more sexy, but Ron felt distinguishable bad at being sexy. Viktor probably didn't have any problems being sexy. No wonder and and Blaise got along so well. The two of them must have had the most mind-blowing sex of their lives. He just wished he…

"Viktor," Ron heard himself whisper and then everything froze. He and Blaise stopped all they were doing and the air itself seemed to be standing still waiting for Ron to do something.

Ron felt himself get red everywhere and with a torturously slow movement, Blaise pulled back to look at him. Blown pupils stared at him with equal parts surprise and confusion.

"I-I didn't…" He couldn't even fathom how to explain this without coming off as a jealous prick. "I was just thinking that…"

"You read the article, didn't you?" Blaise asked him, his expression hardening a bit.

Ron nodded and Blaise sighed. "Look, I can explain-"

"No," Ron interrupted him. "You don't need to do that. I understand we're not...exclusive. I just think you could have maybe told me."

Blaise straightened up and for a moment Ron almost forgot the man was currently sitting on his lap because he looked professional and serious. "You're right. I wanted to tell you but...I thought you wouldn't want to continue with this."

"I don't mind. I mean, I think I don't." Ron ran a hand through his hair and huffed an uncomfortable laugh. "I mean shit...it's Viktor Krum. You're dating Viktor Krum."

"Is not really dating but...yeah." Blaise smiled a bit and then he leaned back down and started kissing Ron's jaw. "Thank you for being so cool about this. I'm sorry I didn't tell you before."

Ron felt like a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders now that they had cleared the air. "You know, I used to have a big crush on him when I was younger."

Blaise pulled back again. "Really?"

Ron nodded. "It was when I realized I also liked blokes."

"He remembers you, you know?" Blaise said and his mouth formed a devious smirk. Ron's heart skipped a beat.

"Y-you talked about me?" Ron now imagined Viktor and Blaise in that beach and Ron's name fallking from Viktor's lips.

Blaise shrugged. "Only him, really. He doesn't know about us either. But he remembers you very well."

Ron could tell exactly what Blaise was going with this, and he was torn between laughing and being scared shitless. "You really need to be more honest with the people you're sleeping with."

"You're right and I will. And maybe I'll start this weekend when Viktor is coming to town for an event. You could come with me." Blaise trailed his fingers up and down Ron's chest and stomach.

Ron's insides seemed to burst into flames. If Blaise was suggesting what he thought he was suggesting…"That's...insane."

"So is this but yet here we are," Blaise said and then emphasized his point by grinding down on Ron and making him moan with embarrassing ease. "We don't have to if you don't want. I'm just telling you that Viktor definitely remembers you."

Ron pulled Blaise closer to him, their faces inches apart. "Are you being one hundred percent honest about this? Do you really think Viktor would be...interested?"

Blaise nodded and Ron kissed him and a thousand images flashed behind his eyes, each one more enticing than the next. He couldn't believe what he had just agreed to, and maybe he was the crazy one. But right now, he had a job to do.

.

The event that Viktor Krum had to attend was the opening of a new Quidditch store in downtown London, the biggest one in Europe yet. Blaise worked as an advisor to the company that opened the store, and Viktor would be the face of the brand for the next three years at least. Ron had never been among so many famous people before, besides Harry of course. Dozens of athletes, models, and reporters filled the premises, and yet he could only think about two people and one of them wasn't even famous.

During the first hour Blaise and Ron walked around mingling and chatting with people Blaise knew, most of which had heard of Ron in the past. It was an interesting experience, but as time ticked by Ron began getting more and more nervous, because he knew the moment to meet Viktor was approaching fast.

After a particularly annoying couple of reporters finally let them go, Blaise leaned into Ron's ear as casually as he could. "Look to your right."

Ron's stomach dropped to his feet and he gulped before turning his head to the right slowly. Viktor Krum was posing for a photo next to two beautiful women in high heels. It was strange not seeing him in Quidditch gear, but in a suit. Then again, Ron couldn't shake the image on Viktor in his bathing suit. He was smiling brightly to the camera, a full dark beard framing his perfectly white teeth. Ron bit his own tongue.

When he looked back, Blaise was staring at him with a predatory look that made Ron's knees go weak. "This is your last chance to back out, Weasley."

"When have I ever, Zabini?"

Blaise smirked and led the way towards Viktor, who was now posing next to different women. Viktor noticed Blaise approaching and broke into a far more genuine smile before looking back at the camera man. "Can ve continue later? Thank you."

The women left, looking rather sour was they watched Viktor embrace Blaise in a hug. "Thank god you're here, I vas getting very bored."

Ron stood behind Blaise, giving them their space and also not really knowing what to do. What would they tell Viktor? Is not like they could straight up tell him that Blaise and Ron were also seeing each other and then go from there.

Viktor and Blaise separated and Blaise stepped to the side. "Viktor, I'm sure you remember Ron. He's my date."

Ron almost choked on his own saliva at Blaise's lack of subtlety, but thankfully he managed to compose himself enough to offer Viktor his hand and smile politely.

"Yes, Ron Veasley!" Viktor exclaimed as he shook Ron's hand with a lot of force. "How are you?"

"I'm good, thank you. How about you?" Ron had no idea what he felt the need to be so polite and formal with someone he had technically met before more than once.

"I'm great!" Viktor turned to Blaise. "So he's your date?"

Blaise nodded. "We've been going out for a while now. Sorry I didn't tell you before, but I wanted you both to meet today."

Viktor smiled and Ron thought he might have blushed slightly under his beard. "That's okay. But ve already know each other, right Ron?"

Ron nodded perhaps too much. "Yes. Sure."

Viktor looked around the room with a bit of distaste. "I think I've spent enough time here already. Ve should go get a drink."

Blaise's hand found its way to Ron's back and Ron almost jumped, not expecting him to be so physical right then. "That sounds great."

They found a pub a few blocks down, in a street so questionable that no reporters would be found wandering there. Viktor removed everything but his button down shirt, and even then he seemed to be uncomfortable with the clothes.

"I don't like how fancy these events are," he said once they sat down with drinks. "I vish ve could have them in a place like this and be more relaxed about it."

As Ron learnt during the evening, Viktor seemed to be relaxed about everything. He had a million responsibilities as a celebrity athlete, but all he really wanted to do was play Quidditch and have fun.

"You should have told me you knew Ron," Viktor told Blaise and then turned to look at Ron. "I vas telling Blaise last week about Fleur's vedding. Do you remember that?"

"Of course, it was at my house," Ron laughed, feeling the alcohol giving him courage and staring into Viktor's dark eyes. He thought of Blaise. "That was the last time I saw you."

Viktor sipped his drink and nodded. "And now you're dating Blaise. That is vonderful!"

Blaise laughed his usual charming laughter and Ron saw as he swiftly placed his hand on Viktor's knee as if it wasn't a big deal. "We're not exactly dating yet. We've been out a few times, like you and me."

Ron's heart beat frantically as he waited for Viktor's reaction. The man smiled nicely, almost sweetly. "Ve had some good times, yes."

Ron was also learning that Viktor Krum was completely clueless.

Blaise cleared his throat and gave Ron a side look that felt strangely intimate before he looked back at Viktor. "Yes. So, are you seeing anyone right now, Viktor?"

Viktor shook his head. "No, not right now."

"And would you like to?" Ron was very surprised when he heard himself ask the question instead of Blaise. He had also moved his hand in the table so it was right next to Viktor's. He must have been drunker than he thought.

Both Blaise and Viktor looked at him with different degrees of shocked. Blaise looked like he wanted to launch himself over Ron, which made Ron feel more confident. And Viktor seemed to be doing some very hard dot-connecting in his head which eventually left him gaping like a fish out of water. He looked down at Ron's hand and then at Blaise's still on his knee.

"Mamka mu," he whispered mostly to himself and in such a thick accent that it made Ron discover that he was attracted to foreign accents. He wondered if Blaise could speak Italian.

Before Ron would even ask what he'd said, Blaise spoke. "He said the equivalent of 'fucking hell'."

Ron frowned. "You speak Bulgarian?"

Blaise shrugged one shoulder. "More like I know how to curse in many languages. I don't want anyone insulting me without my knowledge."

Ron stored that important information for later use.

Viktor still looked shocked. "You vant to have a threesome?"

Ron's face immediately flushed with colour. Having it spelled out like that was both exciting and embarrassing, especially because he was certain the old man on the next table heard.

"We want to know if you'd be interested in going on a date with us," Blaise explained calmly.

Viktor suddenly laughed and the sound was rich and thick like the rest of him. "You're very diplomatic, Blaise. And I'm sure this vas your idea, right?" He looked at Ron for confirmation. Ron nodded and smiled.

"Well, is not my fault two people I like happen to like me back and also like each other." Blaise looked from Viktor to Ron pointedly and Ron couldn't help but glance at Viktor, who was already glancing back. "This kind of thing doesn't happen often and I'd be a fool not to take advantage of it. And not to mention that we are a war hero, international Quidditch star, and wealthy businessman, if this thing works out," he waved a hand between the three of them. "We could rule the fucking world."

Ron didn't know about Viktor, but Blaise's words made him feel like he was on a rollercoaster and he didn't even know which emotion to focus on.

"Vorks out?" Viktor asked and Blaise seemed slightly taken aback. It was the first time Ron saw him like that.

"I mean…" Blaise trailed off. "I mean if we…"

"If we decide we want to do more than just fuck," Ron supplied because seeing Blaise struggle to find words was more distressing than actually saying it himself, even if his cheeks were burning.

Again, Blaise looked as if he wanted to jump on Ron, but this time Viktor wasn't surprised, he merely grinned and looked into Ron's eyes like he had never done before; with a weakening combination of fondness and lust.

"But…" Ron hated to ruin the wonderful tension that had settled between them at his words. "What if it doesn't work out?"

Blaise shrugged. "Then we all had the best sex of our lives. I've already slept with both of you and I can only assume that our talents will multiply when combined."

Ron rolled his eyes but still smiled. "That's so romantic."

Blaise smirked and for a moment they shared another strangely intimate look before more rich laughter made them focus on Viktor again.

"You two are very good together," he said while grabbing both Ron's and Viktor's hands in his. He was very warm. "I hope I'm the right fit too."

Ron had a feeling that he would be.

#ron weasley #blaise zabini #viktor krum #ron x viktor x blaise #ron x viktor #riktor #ron x blaise #blon #viktor x blaise #vliktor? #lmao #hp triads #hp polyamory #i might write a super smutty sequel #who knows #these 3 are super hot #no regrets #hprarepairnet

[sharpen-jadescythe]

Panthara Taming Party: He Wants Only Love

First the IC explanation, then the campy OOC story of how Sharpen tamed his new cat pet. LOL

Caution: This is a long read and utterly ridiculous.

...

I think I mentioned before that I like to put on Britney's Slumber Party, then because I'm a goofball, go on a Taming Party expedition to find a new hunter pet. Usually, it's not even about the pet, but the crazy wall I have to jump off of to glide over half of Shadowmoon Valley to sneak into the base on a low level character who needs that specific pet, or laughing at all the weird ways my toon dies while trying to get through an impossible hike up a mountainside for that ghost moose, or the unintended quest chain that intrigued me and I got sidetracked for a few days and forgot about getting the pet.

Usually, it's about exploring. And often, I try not to look up things too much because I grew up with video games that tested your cleverness, that were a fun puzzle to solve. I like that thrill, and all the other euphoric feels that come with discovering something new on your own.

Sharpen, the Night Elf himbo hunter we all know and love, is usually my poor guinea pig for these adventures.

I took Sharpen out to get a panthara recently. First off, I always assumed those came from the Tanaan Jungle. (I stopped myself from going that far, at least; I made myself check to be sure first.) When I saw they were actually on Argus I thought it'd be a quick trip. However! I never did any of the Argus quests really (I just do whatever in-game), so flying through that whole storyline end-to-end over a couple days turned out to be amaaazing. It was a helluva lot of fun!

So one taming party turned into me unlocking two Allied races (didn't even realize that would be a part of it which was a great surprise) and loving the Illidan storyline I got to see unfold. AND Sharpen freaking out, running from that Legion assassin boss, cussing the whole way as this guy tries to machine gun him lol.

Watching Sharpen solo a lot of that stuff was very amusing, imagining him being perplexed, but not all the way, because he has this super-positive himbo attitude. He gets spanked by demons but just hisses how it hurts and walks it off.

"Well Velen really needs my help so, I'm going to try my best!"

*EXPLOSION*

"Aaaaah! Why did I sign up for this?? What possessed me?! For the love of Elune, no!!"

It's me. I possessed him.

Poor Sharpy.

Heheh.

So now here's the campy IC version of how this last Taming Party went. Cue the Britney music!

Sharpen wipes sweat from his brow, and stands shirtless in the Tanaan Jungle. The natives say they've never heard of the mythical panthara cat in these parts.

Sharpen clutches his rifle. Sneers, flexes those tanned, coral-colored biceps. He tosses long, jade-colored hair directly into the wind. "Well Sharpy, looks like your princess... is in another castle."

He mounts up and bravely flies his hippogryph through a portal back to Stormwind!

Next, striding through the Exodaar, Sharpen catches sight of Prophet Velen in the Vault of Lights. Oh, and the Night Elf hunter is still smeared with jungle dirt and shirtless.

"Prophet. I'm on the trail of a rare beast. A beautiful big cat attracted to magic, very hard to track down. I got a tip that your people may have some answers."

Velen raises his gray eyebrows, and speaks in his heavily accented, sage drawl. "Ahh, Champion. You speak of the rare panthara cat." He strokes his beard thoughtfully, pain just tinging his forlorn gaze. "Much time has passed since the last battle with the Legion. I never thought I'd look again upon that place. But the panthara cats you seek... are on Argus."

"Argus! To get that far, I would need--"

"Yes. The Vindicaar. A space ship. I am afraid, young Sharpen, that I cannot commit my people's greatest technological and military achievement to your hunt. Unless... you were to do some favors for us? We still need a great deal of help healing those lands from the Legion's destruction."

Sharpen flips his rifle around, to rest on his bare shoulder. "A hunt. To end all other hunts..." then he awkwardly clears his throat. "Sorry, I'm actually a nice guy. But I sneer all bad boy and talk like this whenever my Taming Party theme song is playing. You understand, Velen."

Velen, the camera in the cinematic cutscene zooming in on him overly-dramatic, "...I do."

A few space ship flights through space and time later...

At last, while shooting enemies with his big gun at the ruined Seat of the Triumvirate, Sharpen spots a panthara cat! Plenty are being used by the void invaders for unscrupulous ends. Now is his chance, at last, to rescue one.

Throwing a frost trap at the void being, Sharpen races into action. He slides on the ancient stone as the cat leaps at him. His big shoulders tense. He braces for the bone-breaking impact and hears a sickening crunch when his timing is off by mere moments.

Evenso, he grapples with the beast, clutching its forelegs in his fists, snarling as aggressively as the pearl white panthara. At the final moment, their eyes lock and Sharpen pushes back, harder than ever to keep hot white teeth and claws off of him. He then takes a chance to reach and grasp the scruff of the cat's neck, at the back of her head. He holds tight like a mother cat, holds on. He means no harm, only love. He wishes only to save this poor beast if she chooses to come with him.

An abnormal feat for anyone, to change a beast's loyalty in the midst of a battle. But Sharpen is a beastmaster, and far from a normal man.

In the next moment, the frost trap melts, Sharpen struggles to get off his back and save himself. The panthara cat must make her choice.

Sharpen shouts a desperate command, hoping he's won, and the clever, exotic beast shows what she's always been worth. She launches at her old captor, the void wretch, and tears him apart with teeth and claws!

Exhausted Sharpen draws his rifle, gets onto one knee, aims, and helps his new panthara pet finish off her old tormentor.

BLAM!

Back on the Vindicaar...

Sharpen is somehow even more unwashed now, handsomely bloodstained and grimey, and with ripped pants. And maybe a flimsy bandage across his chest because technically he did get hurt during the fight scene. Mainly, it's fashionably hanging off of his broad pecs. But the pearl white panthara cat that ripped his clothes, she pads along confidently and silent beside him. The two are at perfect peace.

Sharpen walks up to the command station where Velen is standing and salutes him. "Sharpen Jadescythe and his cat Aebenna reporting for duty. We're more than ready to get some more revenge on those demon bastards!"

Velen nods once and grins, wrinkles forming at the edges of his old eyes. He sheds a single tear.

"Yes, my son. That'll do, Sharpy m'boy. That'll do."

-fin-

#Youtube