#i was sort of afraid that the show was going to wait until matt was in the picture - ESPECIALLY for foggy

[somuchbetterthanthat]

if i was foggy nelson i would punch Matt in the face (it's the one love language he can understand) and then i would kiss him to shut him up until he forgets that he is depressed and sad and self destructive and remembers that, at heart, he's a cocky, impulsive slut.

#daredevil s3 #watch their reunion #matt you stupid idiot i love you so fucking much #Foggy saying you're my best friend asshole he is so real for this #i appreciate genuinely tho that the first episodes established Foggy and Karen's lives now #and that both of them immediately tried to do something about fisk #i was sort of afraid that the show was going to wait until matt was in the picture - ESPECIALLY for foggy #stealing your best friend's wallet after telling him it was a mistake to become his friend JUST after going 'hey im alive' #- Matt Murdock's love language sure is VERY HARD to follow

[shirophantomvox]

Hisoka With a Short S/O

Hello, anon! I posted your other request but I’m very surprised that it didn’t receive any traction. I’ll have to re-blog it. It could be that there are a few posts about Hisoka with a tall S/O but I have not seen any posts about Hisoka with a short S/O. I won’t lie to you, this one was a bit challenging because I am not short in real life. In fact, I’m tall; too tall in my opinion. I hope you enjoy! As always, my inbox is open!

Headcanon 1: Endless amount of teasing. As tall as Hisoka is, being with a person that is nearly 3 feet shorter than he is is both amusing and adorable. He is 6 foot 3; he can reach the top of the cabinet, can touch the ceiling, and will hold your belongings over your head if he dislikes your attitude or if he feels like playing.

Headcanon 2: He enjoys being the superhero in most situations. Although he isn’t depicted as a superhero, he is considered to be one of the 5 main protagonists of the show. Unlike headcanon #1, he actually assists you if needed. If you want cereal and it is on the top shelf in the cabinet, he’ll get it for you. If you cannot reach the remote while laying in bed, he’ll toss it to you. During any situation where you need help, he will not tease you.

Headcanon 3: Sometimes his taunting could be rather sweet and innocent than hostile. If you have come from work and you appear to be upset, angry, or neutral, Hisoka will take it upon himself to cheer you up. Still distant from the whole “traditional affectionate phrases or names”, he’ll run to you and scoop you up into his arms. Instead of calling you and traditional pet names, he might call you his “little gnome” or “little Smurfette”.

Headcanon 4: He hates it when you ignore him. When you are feeling affectionate, Hisoka is often amused by what he considered begging. It’s not actually begging, but more of him being a stubborn mule. You’d throw your arms up in anger and walked away. As time went on, you caught on to Hisoka’s game and played it better than him. Whenever he tried to play hard to get, you walked away appearing to be unbothered. Hisoka didn’t mind either that is until he became “starved” or “hungry”. He turned into the beggar (pouting like a kid) for your attention, kisses, and cuddles. It was quite amusing to see him in this state and so tempting to capture the moment. To add insult to injury, a few times when you were watching TV or about to go out with friends, you purposefully applied glossy or matte lipstick 4 inches away from his lips. When he tries to steal a kiss, you jerk away telling him to buzz off until he has apologized. Once you return, you come home to the magician on his knees cupping his hands apologizing.

“Small fry--”

“What,” you ask plainly raising an eyebrow.

“--I mean cupcake.” He chuckles nervously. “I’m sorry for my teasing words. I shouldn’t have disrespected you like that. Please forgive me.”

Boy! Could you imagine if Illumi caught him in this extremely vulnerable state? He’d probably throw up for weeks!

“Fine, I forgive you. Now get off my freshly vacuumed floor, please.”

He jumped up and swept you off the ground. You gasped a little out loud because his grip was heavy and quick, causing air to rush against your face. Meeting the magician’s small piercing golden eyes made your heart flutter, a feeling you hadn’t felt in a couple of months. A smile crept on your face, patiently waiting for his lips to meet yours. The sound of both pairs of lips crashing into each other was a joyful, passionate sound. Oddly enough, the kiss felt different as if Hisoka was actually sorry for his actions. He’d apologize many times before but in the past, those kisses did not feel like the one you were engaged with right now. Once he released, the sound of wet skin made you both blush deeply. Although Hisoka could be quite annoying at times, this particular kiss made you fall in love with him again. Not only did his quirky behavior make your heart pitter-patter but the goofy appearance after every intimate act left you laughing.

“What’s so funny, cupcake,” he asked growing slightly.

“Some of my glossy lipstick smeared on your lips. Good luck removing that!”

Headcanon 5: Pampers you if you ever injure yourself. There has been a bruise on your left shoulder that formed as a result of glass falling on from a cabinet in your childhood home. Your mother was trying t get the cup for you but ended up slipping out of her hand and severally cutting your shoulder. Hisoka found out about this bruise during his usual flirting matches where he pulled down the shoulder part of your beautiful purple blouse. He was shocked. He is so used to using Texture Surprise to fix everything that seeing an actual bruise almost made him cry. He tried to use TS on your damaged skin, but it wouldn’t work. By then your scar shows a permanent line but is healed. On occasion, that shoulder would hurt if you lifted too much, wore a tight undershirt, or burn yourself from hot shower water. Anytime you wince in pain, Hisoka gently presses a few kisses against your healed skin to calm your senses. Trailing kisses up and down your arm, he finished by kissing the back of your hand.

Headcanon 6: He (sometimes) refuses to bend down to kiss you so you can stand on a basketball, stool, or something else to reach him. Just the height difference between you two is astonishing! When you two are out in public, people can’t help but stare because they just can not wrap their minds around he two pf you dating. On a normal day at hime, yes, Hisoka will not kiss you if you are not standing on a stool of some sort. In the public eye, since you cannot carry a stool with you, he will often place his hand around your waist and lift you up nonchilantly.

Headcanon 7: Loves letting you wear his suited shirts. His crop-top shirts always look like a full t-shirt on you and the view is so adorable to him that he takes multiple photos of you and uses them as wallpaper. Besides the height difference, Hisoka is much bigger than you. Everyone loves sleeping in baggy or large t-shirts (As do I IRL) and a plus is the strong, satisfying aroma emitting from his freshly washed shirts. He loves to wear Dior!

Headcanon 8: If you are not tall enough for certain activities, he will not participate. This applies to amusement parks that have height requirements. What fun would it be if he went on the demon drop and he could not witness your terror? If you were to afraid to enter haunted houses, he would be very upset but would pass up the opportunity.

#hunter x hunter headcanons #hunter x 1999 #hunter x hunter #hunter x meme #hunter x reader #hunter x 2011 #chrollo x reader #chrollo x you #chrollo x y/n #hisoka x y/n #hisoka x reader #hisoka fluff #hisoka with a short s/o #hisoka morrow #hxh #illumi hunter x hunter #illumi zoldyck #illumi x y/n #hunter x hunter x y/n #chrollo lucilfer #hxh fandom #hxh 2011 #hxh reader #hxh hisoka #hunter x hunter hisoka #hxh illumi #hunter x hunter imagines #hunter x hunter fanfiction

[sevilemar]

You've sorted the main characters of TVD, but what about the others: Bonnie, Caroline, Tyler, Katherine, Jeremy, Matt, Alaric, Klaus, Elijah, Rebekah?

This one has been sitting in my inbox for a long time. And let me tell you, sorting with the sorting hat chats system is hard, especially for a show that is so ridiculously snake primary biased as TVD, while fighting my own snake bias. I had to get in reinforcements, and therefore I had to wait until @wyrdnis has seen at least the first three seasons. Now they have, and we discussed it, et voilá:

Sorting "The Vampire Diaries"

Bonnie Bennet: Bonnie has already been sorted as a double lion, and we don't see any reason to go against it. She stands firm in her convictions, and she's not afraid to stand alone because of it. When she decides on a course of action, she does it. Simple as that.

Caroline Forbes: Caroline is a lion/bird with a nice badger model. Her convictions are felt, and like Bonnie, she is not afraid to stand up and/or alone for them. Unlike Bonnie, when she is stressed out, she makes lists and organises everyone like an army general. Just look at the way she copes with her mother's death, or the way she has her humanity-free life completely planned out, right down to the day she's going to flip it back on. We do not see it often, but she does a lot of volunteer work, organizing events, etc. That suggests some kind of badger influence, either primary or secondary.

Tyler Lockwood: Tyler is a badger primary who dehumanises a lot in the beginning, but who learns to open up throughout the show. He was in a lot of sports teams at the beginning, and later he's in neck deep with the hybrids, or leaves Caroline to help a werewolf pack. His lion secondary is very loud and very obvious and in your face.

Katherine Pierce/Katarina Petrova: She's a double snake, a house match to Damon. It's why they get each other and hate each other so easily. Her primary is burned, and unburns a little throughout the show, first for Stefan, then for Nadja.

Jeremy Gilbert: Jeremy's sorting gave us a lot of grief; we finally decided on double bird for him, with a lion secondary model. Bird primary because he is very good at accepting earth-shattering new facts when he is not grieving his parents. He has no real problems accepting that vampires are real once he has researched them on his own from multiple sources, and Elena's revelation that she is adopted doesn't faze him much, either. He needs the outside information, which is also why he is so pissed when people conceal things from him. His system is pretty people-centric and snakey, or at least gets that way throughout the show. Bird secondary for the way he plays the long game with Anabell in season 1, all for a chance to be with Vicki forever. And he keeps secrets, a lot, but not in a snakey way. Lion secondary model because there are these moments of charge-taking and using the right moment.

Matt Donovan: We sorted Matt as a double badger. It's difficult to tell, because the show does not give us much interactions with groups of any kind. But he goes from bartender to sheriff because he believes that Mystic Falls, or more accurately the human population of MF needs protection. He has a hard time accepting Caroline as a vampire in the first place, and starts to other vampires in the later seasons (since they are a different species, it's somewhat justified). Badger secondary because he is dependable, he does the work, and he believes in doing things the right way, be that helping a friend or an enemy, or protecting the town.

Alaric Saltzman: We are unsure of his primary. I think he might be snake, because of his fixation on Isobel, Jenna, Meredith, Jo; they all feel like they've been his person, or he's tried to make them his person. @wyrdnis thinks he might be badger because of the way he takes over guardianship of Elena and Jeremy after Jenna's death, even though he's not really that close to them initially. We tentatively agree on badger secondary, because let's face it, when he is in his right mind, he is the dependable one, always there to save the day even though he said he wouldn't. And there's a fun bird secondary model, collecting all those weapons, doing all the recon on Damon before he corners him about Isobel. Maybe he is actually bird secondary, it's hard to tell.

Niklaus "Klaus" Mikaelson: We agree on his lion secondary, because it is rather obvious. I think he might be a burned badger primary, with all his focus on his hybrids, and becoming a king in New Orleans. @wyrdnis thinks he is a burned snake because he only cares for very few people, and he mistrusts everyone.

Elijah Mikaelson: Elijah was also a puzzle. We think he's a very chivalrous bird primary, with a very primary-influenced, sedate lion secondary. Like Jeremy, he accepts new facts easily and with an almost detached curiosity. His system is based around his family, especially Klaus. He can be persuaded by a well-reasoned argument, even after the people who made it have just betrayed him. There is not much charge-taking; he prefers to let Klaus lead. But he can make split-second decisions if he has to, which points to an improvisational secondary, and his weird way of telling everyone exactly what he is going to do and then doing it feels liony.

Rebekah Mikaelson: Rebekah is easy. She's a snake lion who wears her heart on her sleeve and tries to prevent herself from burning her primary at any cost.

And to complete the cast:

Elena Gilbert: double lion who develops an impressive snake primary model over the show.

Stefan Salvatore: double snake in denial, with a lion primary model with badger values. Between Damon, Klaus, and Rebekah, he burns his secondary in season three and never really recovers.

Damon Salvatore: unapologetic double snake.

In short:

Bonnie Bennet: double lion

Caroline Forbes: lion/bird with badger model

Tyler Lockwood: badger/lion

Katherine Pierce: double snake with burned primary

Jeremy Gilbert: double bird with snakey system and lion secondary model

Matt Donovan: double badger

Alaric Saltzman: snake or badger/badger with bird secondary model

Klaus Mikaelson: burned snake or burned badger/lion

Elijah Mikaelson: bird/very primary-influenced lion

Rebekah Mikaelson: snake/lion

Elena Gilbert: double lion with developing snake primary model

Stefan Salvatore: double snake with lion primary model (badger values) and later burned secondary

Damon Salvatore: double snake

#sortinghatchats #sevil sorts #the vampire diaries #ask answers

[omg-im-such-a-masochist]

ILLICITUS: CHAPTER 6

Prompt: Y/N is a respectful narcotics agent, she worked hard to have her work recognized in a prominently male work field. She‘s assigned to the most important case of her whole career, investigate and apprehend the biggest drug dealer of U.S.A, the only thing she didn’t count on, was for the bastard to be so damn charming.

Word count: Long-ish

Pairing: Mob!Roman Reigns x Reader

Warnings: +18, dirty talk, mentions of drugs, cursing, conspiracy.

Tagging: @ziasaph , @saccreigns , @marlananicole , @nicolewoo , @mindofasagittaruis , @reigns-5sos , @auawdo , @lilred91 , @lustyromantic , @bayley-no-friends , @babydee17 , @yungbludjazz360

Notes: To catch up with the previous chapters just hit my Masterlist! Y’all know the drill loves,sorry for misspellings,english isn’t my first language (bla bla bla),check out my other stories if you’d like to(it would make your girl here very happy 😊) You can check them out on my Masterlist. Okay,now let’s get to the fun part, shall we? Hope you’ll enjoy 😉

The cool air of the air conditioning system was already burning my skin like ice. Thinking no one would ever come for me, I almost screamed for help, when the door suddenly opened.

“They’re gone. Come on out” Roman offers me his hand and I took it, appreciating the warmth of his palm on my hand as I crawl out of the little panic room.

“Thank you” I shivered and Roman hand me a black hoodie, which I assume it was his due to the size.

I sigh in comfort once the large fabric hugs my body and I am surrounded by his spicy, musky scent.

Roman motions for me to sit down on his californian king bed.

“What did you told them?” I ask eagerly

“The truth. That I didn’t knew where were you these past 4 days”

“Ok..did you told them where I was now?”

“Why would I hide you inside a panic room in my bedroom if I was going to tell them where you were right now, Y/N?” He cackled

I lightly smile at my own dumb question

“You’re right”

He takes slow steps towards the bed, like a predator to it’s prey. One knee sinking down on the mattress, beneath my legs, he lightly pushed me down and quickly hovered his body on top of mine.

“Where were you these last 4 days, Y/N?” He whispered, oh so softly.

“I don’t know. The only thing I remember is you calling me to have lunch with you so we could talk about the tracker”

“And previous to that?” Roman pecked my neck and face

“I honestly don’t remember” I murmured

“What’s this?” Roman asked, pointing to the side of my neck

“What?” I urgently questioned

“There’s a small mark on your neck, like a sting or something like that” He caresses the marked spot

“A sting?”

“Yeah, it almost looks like..” He trailed off

“Like what, Roman?” My voice is filled with despair

“A needle, like a needle mark”

I pushed Roman off of me and ran to his bathroom, so I could look on the mirror the so called mark.

“What the fuck?” I whispered in shock, touching the marked spot “How is this even possible?” I ask him when I caught his sight on the mirror

“I don’t know, but something definitely happened those 4 days and we need to know what it was”

“We?” I raised my eyebrows in shock

“Yeah, if someone is that eager to fuck you up they might be trying to find something about me, and I don’t like people sniffing around my business”

“How are you so sure this has to do with you?” I question him, slightly offended

“Has this ever happened to you before?” He asked and I shake my head

“So there’s your answer” He smiled pretentiously

I rolled my eyes, bumping into him lightly as I passed his figure leaned against the en suite bathroom and begin to gather my things to leave.

“What are you doing, Y/N?”

“Leaving, I got work to do and explanations to give” I answered, lacing up my boots

“So that’s how’s gonna be huh? You just gonna use my body and then leave, like I’m some sort of cheap whore?” He pretended indignation but I could here the amusement behind his voice

“Oh I’m sure you can live with that. And if it makes you feel better, you were the best cheap whore I’ve ever fucked” I smiled widely making him laugh

“What if I don’t want you to leave?” Roman is now walking towards me

“I’m afraid that’s not an option, sir” I cackled

“Yes it is” He pushes me down on the mattress and covers my body with his “I didn’t even got the chance to eat this pussy” He pouts “One of the things I want to do the most since I saw you is to eat you out until you‘re begging me to stop. It’s not fair to leave me hanging like this” Roman sucked my bottom lip “C’mon, Y/N. You’re not gonna leave before I can taste that sweet pussy, right babygirl?”

His lips are brushing mine with every word he says and I can feel my strength slowly melting away.

“Roman...don’t make this difficult for me, please. I really need-“

“You really need to shut the fuck up and let me take what I want.”

His lips roam down my neck, towards my chest. Once he started to kiss the tops of my breasts my phone rang and Jeffrey’s name light up on the screen.

“I really need to pick this up” I whispered

“Really?” Roman groans in frustration

“Just let him waiting a few more hours, Y/N! He already waited 4 days anyways” He begins to grind his hips again and I answered the call

Roman looks at me in disbelief as I listen to Jeffrey’s ‘dad lecture’ of ‘what the fuck was I thinking and where the fuck was I’ these past 4 days.”

“I don’t know, Jeffrey. Everything’s blurred” I sighed “Ok, ok I’ll be there in 10 minutes” I hung up and Roman is just staring at me

“What?”

“You’re really gonna leave?” He sounds offended

“Roman, is not like I have a choice! I have to go”

“So I’ll have to deal with the situation with my own hands?” He motions to his fully erect member

“Sorry?” I awkwardly asked

“Not what I’d like to hear” He sighed quickly standing up and away from me

“Roman...this is a delicate situation-”

“And fucking painful” He adjusted himself on his jeans

“I really need to know what’s going on and-“

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever” He brushes me off

My brows raised in disbelief to such a childish behavior “Jesus, how old are you? Five? Well, excuse me for having a life where you are NOT my main priority but my own ass is! I have someone trying to do God knows what to me and why and all you can do is whine about the fact that we can’t fuck right now?! That’s really mature of you, congrats!” I spat, quickly storming out of his house and into my car on my way to the DEA building.

......................................................................

“So you don’t know what happened?”

“For fuck’s sake Jeffrey, I’ll tell you for the last time: I.don’t.know.what.happened! The only thing I remember is leaving your office to meet Mr. Reigns about that tracker thing, then my phone ringing with your name on the screen and your screaming of ‘Where the fuck are you?’ That’s all I remember”

“And that sting on your neck?”

“I just realized after you called, when I was on the bathroom”

“Well, there are no signs of physical aggression or sexual assault on your body and your blood exams came back clear. Whatever substance was injected on your body is long gone by now. Whoever did this made sure to use some type of drug that would not be detectable on a blood test.” He sighed

“So we’re back to square one?”

“I’m afraid yes, kid. But let’s not get hopeless, maybe something will show up” Jeffrey smiled fondly

Suddenly there was a knock on the door and Matt picked through the door crack

“I found something”

Jeffrey beckons him to enter.

“What you got, tech boy?” Jeffrey rushes him

“Well, I was looking through some of Y/N’s internal number previous login entry days and there’s something off”

“What do you mean?” I asked

“Well, those 4 days you were missing somebody was logging on the system with your number and searched through some old case files”

“Whose?” Jeffrey questioned

“There wasn’t an individual’s name, just the operation name”

“Spit it out, boy!” Jeffrey spat

“Messiah. Operation Messiah”

“Rollins” Jeffrey and I both whispered

TO BE CONTINUED....

Please let me know your thoughts on this series so far? Some feedback is always appreciated.

#roman reigns x reader #roman reigns fanfiction #roman reigns imagine #roman reigns #wwe x reader #wwe fanfiction #wwe imagine #illicitus series #masochist writes

[comphersjost]

All for You | 4 ➸  Brady Tkachuk and Matthew Tkachuk

thank you all so fucking much for all of your kind words and support and love. i though about making an epilogue type of part to tie up loose ends, if that’s what you guys want. let me know?

A week after Matthew walked out on you at the arena, his teammates show up at your door, dragging their wreck of a teammate to the only one he wants - but refuses - to see: you. 

word count: 3.5k+

warnings: alcohol, using alcohol to cope, mentions of sex, quite a bit of angst

part one

part two

part three

part four

part five

masterlist

The moment the vibrating starts on your bedside table you know that something’s wrong. The Caller ID reads Noah Hanifin. You should have deleted his number really. Especially after the trainwreck of a game last week. But you couldn't bring yourself to do it, needing some sort of lifeline to Matt. 

You watch as your phone stops ringing, revealing the notification for 4 missed calls from Noah and the time: 2:04 am. The screen lights up with a photo of him again, and this time you pick up. 

“Hello?” you answer groggily, sitting up to turn on the lamp as you rub the sleep out of your eyes. 

“Open the door.”

“What?” Your head feels heavy from being woken up in the dead of night. “Noah what are you-” 

“Is that Y/N?” you hear through the chaos in the background, and your sleep addled brain faintly registering that the words came from Elias. 

“Y/N!” you hear another voice exclaim, and suddenly you're wide awake. “Hi, Y/N, Hanny, dude, tell her she's the most beautiful girl in the world - Hanny listen to me - and her Instagram post was so cute - hey, Hanny!” 

You hear more shuffling over the line, and a sharp “Shut up Chucky!” from Noah. Suddenly there’s silence, and Noah’s voice comes out clearer than before. 

“Hey,” he says, “We’re bringing Matty up in the elevator, please open the door.” 

“Why?” you ask, “He made himself pretty damn clear at the game that he didn't want to see me so -” 

“Jesus fucking Christ,” Noah interrupts, voice seeping with frustration. “He won't let us take him anywhere but here, okay? He saw you post that photo today and got all sad and mopey when he left practice and then Lindy and I found him like this. He’s been drinking since like 6 o’clock and we barely managed to cut him off like an hour ago and he's a fucking wreck so, please, Y/N, just open the door.” 

Maybe that lifeline was a good idea after all.

Cursing under your breath, you reluctantly get out of bed, turning on the lights as you make your way through your apartment. Just as you're swinging the door open, Matt is stumbling out of the elevator, each of his arms thrown around Noah and Elias. 

Matt’s eyes light up when he sees you, attempting to escape the grasp of his teammates to rush towards you. “Woah!” Noah says, grasping Matthew’s arm so he doesn't go anywhere. “Dude, relax, you can barely walk.” 

You see Matt pout as they get closer, and for some reason the sight makes you tear up. There's something about the way he looks right now, helpless and wide-eyed, being carried by his teammates like a child, that makes your heart ache. When they finally reach your door you try to hide your grimace at the smell of liquor on his breath. 

“Hi pretty girl,” Matt slurs with a grin, his head lolling to the side. “Did we wake you up?” 

“Yeah,” you say softly, stepping aside to let Noah and Elias practically drag him inside. “That's okay though.” 

Matt mumbles something unintelligible as his teammates deposit him on the couch. Noah turns to you when he’s sure Matt won't fall over. 

“I'm sorry-” he starts but you put your hand up to stop him. 

“It’s okay, Noah,” you reassure him, eyes flickering to the curly-haired boy on your couch. “Is he…?” 

“No,” Elias pipes up from beside Matt. “He's the furthest thing from okay, Y/N.” You flinch at his harsh tone, even though you knew he was right. This was your fault. Elias’s expression softens when Noah shoots him a reprimanding glare. “I'm sorry,” he steps towards you, “I didn't mean to-” 

“You're right,” you say abruptly, gaze focusing on Matt’s face. His eyes are closed but he's not sleeping, that lopsided grin still on his face. “You're right, Elias. Thank you for bringing him here.” 

Noah opens his mouth to say something but is interrupted by a complaint from the couch. 

“Why are you guys still here?” Matt whines, “I wanna hang out with my girl.” Noah and Elias both glance at you sideways at the last words, but you just sigh. 

“You guys can go,” you say softly, “I can take care of him, I got this.” 

The two men hesitate for a moment, glancing at each other and seemingly having a silent conversation. They seem to come to an agreement as Elias claps Matty on the back and stands from the couch. You follow the two of them to the door, leaning on it as the two turn to you. 

“Guys,” you say, stopping them as they turned to leave. You pause, unsure if you should even ask but- “What did Brady say on the ice?” 

Elias inhales sharply, looking at Noah as he attempts to mask the reluctance in his eyes. 

“Please,” you whisper. 

Noah looks at Elias for a split second before he sighs and his shoulders slump. “He said-” Elias cuts him off before he can finish. 

“He said that if Chucky wasn't such a wimp that was afraid of his feelings he could’ve been the one to get the girl.” 

You stop breathing. 

“That little shit,” you seethe, curling and uncurling your hands before you punch something. “He's such a fucking instigator I'm going to kill him.” 

“Why?” Noah asks, tilting his head in confusion. “I mean, Matty came at him for it but, he’s right isn't he?” 

“What?” your head snaps towards Noah, eyes wide in shock. “What are you talking about? Brady and I tested the waters and figured we’d be better as friends. He started a fight because he could.” 

“No way,” Elias says, “Chucky said-” 

“He would have known if he just listened to me!” Noah steps back at your exclamation, glancing to each side down the empty hallway. Your voice drops to a hoarse whisper, “He would have known if he stayed in the fucking trainer’s room and let me explain!” 

“You fucked his brother,” Noah reminds you. 

“I was in love with Brady, Noah!” you snapped, “That was the point of this whole thing - of everything! And then he told me he loved me out of nowhere!” 

Noah scoffs, though he doesn't miss your use of past tense. “It wasn't out of nowhere, Y/N, and you know it. He brought you to games. He brought you to team events. He bailed on us at least once or twice a week to hang out with you. Have you ever even seen him flirt with a girl since you've moved to Calgary?” 

“I didn't know what to do! I’m sorry!” 

“You don't have to apologize to us,” Elias reminds you, motioning behind you. “He needs you, he's been needing you and I don't - he can't keep doing this to himself. If he's not at practice or a game he's drunk off his ass and even then he can't stop fucking talking about you. God, Y/N, do something and fix this.” 

You nod, wrapping your arms around yourself. “I'll try,” you whisper. “Thank you for bringing him here.” 

The two bid you goodbye, leaving you alone with Matthew for the first time in months. 

“Hi Matty,” you say gently as you find your back to the living room. You brush your fingertips against his forehead, pushing his hair back. His eyes flutter open, adoration and sadness practically shining through his gaze. 

He reaches for you, making grabby hands until you sit beside him, maneuvering the two of you so that his head was in your lap. He hums contentedly as you run your fingers through his hair, scratching at his scalp lightly. 

“I saw your Instagram post,” he says quietly. “With you and the ice cream? I love that place, it reminded me of when I took you when you first moved to Calgary.” You can't help the smile that tugs at your lips as he rambles. “I cried when I saw it. I cry a lot lately.” Your chest aches. “I thought it would be easier by now. I thought it wouldn't hurt as much but -” he cuts himself off. Neither of you speak for a few minutes, sitting in silence as the thoughts whirl around your head. 

“Y/N/N?” The use of your nickname has you humming questioningly. He hadn't called you that in nearly a year. Whatever it is you thought he might say, nothing could have prepared you for the next words out of his mouth. 

“Why don't you love me?” He doesn't sound sad, but his tone tells you he's given up, and you can feel your heart shatter. You stay silent, unsure of whether or not he even wants you to answer. You know it was the right decision when he keeps talking. “Like, why him? Why not me? I love you, did you know that? You know that. I told you, right? You're so pretty Y/N/N, did you know? And you're funny. So funny. And my friends like you, my friends never liked girls I brought around before you moved to Calgary. I didn't like them either - isn't that weird? I don't know why I even bothered. It was always you. Even when we were kids.” 

You freeze your movements at that, holding your breath and waiting to see what he says next. 

“I mean, I didn't like, know that, yet,” he continues, words slurring slightly. “I always just thought that like, if you asked, I guess, I don't know. But it's always been you. But you kept picking him and I just wanna know why I wasn't enough for you, you know? Elias keeps telling me I’m being dumb and shouldn't be mean to myself or whatever but like, you're it for me, and I just want you to love me like you love him.”

“Matty…” you start, but you're interrupted by a squeaky hic from Matt. You stare at each other for a moment, before the two of you burst into giggles. 

“I have the hiccups,” Matty snickers, one hand coming up to grab yours. He intertwines your fingers together, squeezing as your laughter dies down. “God, I love you. You probably don't wanna hear that huh? Well, I missed you. So much.” 

“I missed you too Matty,” you lean down to whisper the words against his forehead, kissing the spot gently. “I wish you would've let me explain.” 

“Why?” He asks, scrunching his nose. “You love him don't you? I promised to help you and I-” his tone falters for the first time since he got to your place, and he pulls his hand away from yours. “I did what I promised and I thought - I thought maybe when you saw that I loved you like you wanted him to that maybe you'd realize. I thought maybe if I didn't tell you about Autumn you'd finally see that it was me that loved you this whole time. But then you just, you left when you found out and I - I’m sorry, Y/N. I should have never kept it from you. But it's always been him for you right?” 

“Not always,” you say quietly. “Not since last year.” 

Matt pulls away from you, staggering for a moment from dizziness as he stands up too quickly. 

“You can't say that!” he cries desperately, tugging at his hair. “You can't say that to me when you're - when Brady - you and him -” 

“Me and him, what, Matty?” you stand up as you ask, taking a step towards him and grabbing his collar to make him look at you. “Me and Brady, Matt, we’re not - I didn't mean for this to happen.”

“I know,” Matt murmurs, eyes flashing to your lips before he squeezes them shut. “I didn't mean for it to happen either.” 

“He's still my best friend.” Matthew’s eyes fly open at the statement. 

“Wha-what do you mean?” His voice is shaky and uncertain, but there's an unmistakable hint of hope. “Last week - at - at the game?” 

You open your mouth to reply, finally say what you've been meaning to for so long and - Matt sways where he stands, his hand flying to cover his mouth as he turns on his heel and runs. You follow him quickly into the bathroom as he falls to his knees in front of the toilet just in time to retch out the contents of his stomach. 

You rub his back gently, murmuring sweet things in his ear when his stomach has finally stopped heaving. He coughs a few times before slumping over to the side, head lolling back weakly. You clean him up as much as you can and flush, attempting to help him up. You struggle slightly as his 6’2 frame slumps against you. 

“Matty, you gotta help me out here,” you nudge him gently, “I can't carry you, bubs, c’mon, stand up okay?” 

He mumbles something about how tired he is, but still stands up as straight as he can. With Matt’s arm around your shoulders, you manage to get him to your bed, letting him slip out of your grasp as he collapses on your bed. You turn to leave the room but a soft groan from your bed stops you. 

“Please don't go,” Matt whines softly, grabbing your hand, eyes shut as he lies still over the sheets. “Please.” 

“I won't,” you brush his hair away from his forehead affectionately. “I just have to go turn off the lights and get you some water okay?” He hums in acknowledgement and reluctantly drops your hand. You turn off all the lights in your apartment as quickly as you can, grabbing a water bottle from the kitchen and a bottle of ibuprofen before going back to your room. 

“See?” you said as you placed the water and pills down on the bedside table. “Not even two minutes.” Matty grumbles “Still too long” under his breath and you snort in amusement. You pull his arm so that he's sitting up on the bed, kneeling in front of him. His eyes flutter open, blurry for a moment before focusing on you. A dopey smile spreads on his face as he watches you take off his shoes and socks. 

“C’mon, arms up,” you instruct, rolling your eyes when he wiggles his eyebrows suggestively at you. “Matt, you have to go to bed, arms up.” He sighs and relents, letting you change him out of his clothes without any more suggestive looks. You manage to get him into a pair of sweats and t-shirt he’d left months ago. 

“Is this mine?” he asks tiredly, smiling softly when you nod. “Thanks for keeping it.” 

“I don't steal your clothes just for the fun of it you know, I actually wear them?” you tease, pushing his shoulder lightly. He lets himself fall backwards when you do that, sighing as he pulls the sheets over him. 

“You'll stay, right?” he whispers into the dark room after a moment. “Even if you kick me out in the morning, and Brady beats me up again, right now just, please don't leave me again.” 

“I’m right here, Matty,” you reassure him, scratching lightly at his scalp. “I promise I'm not going anywhere.” 

“Y/N/N?” 

“Matt, what part of you need to go to sleep don't you understand?” 

“I know lemme just -” he rolls over to his side to face you, resting his cheek against the palm of his hand. He stares at you for a few moments, blinking slowly to try and fight the exhaustion. “I'm sorry for fucking everything up.” Before you get a chance to respond, Matt is out cold. 

-

When your eyes flutter open a few hours later, Matt is still dead asleep. It's times like these you're thankful for your body being used to waking up semi-early. You figured while Matt sleeps his hangover away you could make him breakfast, and maybe actually have a long overdue talk. 

You're flipping the last piece of french toast when you feel eyes on you. You turn to see Matt standing awkwardly in the entrance to the kitchen. He seems hesitant, closed off, and you notice he’s wearing his clothes from the night before. 

“Hey, good morning,” you smile gently at him, “I was just making some -” 

“I should go.” The words are abrupt, and they feel more like a knife to the gut than a slap to the face. “I'm sorry about last night, it won't happen again.” 

With that he's turning towards the door but really - you've had enough. 

“Sit. The fuck. Down.” 

He spins around quickly, eyebrows furrowed into a deep frown. “I really shouldn't be he-” 

“No!” you shout angrily, ignoring Matt’s taken-aback expression. You transfer the last piece of french toast to the place and turn off the stove, taking a deep breath. “Do you remember anything about last night?” you ask quietly. 

“Not much, bits and pieces.” 

“Well you're not walking away from me again,” you hiss, pointing at the dining room table. It’s already set, the only thing missing being the plates of french toast and eggs in your hands. “Sit.” 

Surprisingly, Matt does, watching you carefully as you set the plates down and sit. 

“Why didn't you tell me about Autumn?” you ask slowly, watching as he tenses, sitting up straight. “Tell me the truth.” 

He's silent for a moment, opening and closing his mouth as he tries to get the words out. “I was sick of seeing him hurt you,” he finally admits. “I watched him hurt you for so long, Y/N, I held you while you cried and I - I never want to be the one to make you feel like that.” 

“It hurt more when Brady said you knew.” Matt grips the edge of the table so hard his knuckles turn white. “And then you said that you loved me and - we’d spent so long trying to get me to tell Brady how I felt that I didn't know what to do. I didn't know what else to do except walk away.” 

“I know,” he says quietly. “I'm sorry.” 

“I know,” you repeat. 

Matthew clears his throat, eyes focusing in his lap as he says his next words. “Living without you is the worst thing I’ve ever had to do in my entire life. And I know it’s my fault. It’s all my fault. And I’m sorry.” A tear slips down his cheek and you hesitate for a moment, before reaching out and brushing it away with your thumb. You tilt his head towards you, taking in the defeated expression on his face. He keeps talking. “I should have - I shouldn't have told him for you, I shouldn't have told you that I loved you and I - god, Y/N, I’m so fucking sorry for everything.” 

“You didn't let me explain last week either,” you remind him.

“I know,” he says, “He just - he said -”

“I know what he said,” you cut him off, “Matt, when you saw me and Brady in December-” 

“I really don't wanna hear about you and Brady’s-” 

“Shut up, Matt!” You know you're probably being too harsh on him, but you're so incredibly tired of feeling like there's something - someone - missing, and you need his stubborn ass to just listen to you. “Brady and I are not together.” Matt’s mouth drops open, before he frowns. You know what he's going to say and you speak before he can. 

“I didn't just fuck him just because Matt, we were - we were testing the waters, okay?” You pause for a moment to try and discern his reaction. When he says nothing, you take a deep breath and say what you've been meaning to for too long. “It didn't work, Matt. Brady is my best friend but, he's not it for me.” 

Matt’s eyes are wide, cheeks reddening with every passing second. He grabs a piece of toast and shoves half the thing in his mouth. He chews for a moment, swallows, and then clears his throat. 

“He's...not it for you?” You shake your head. 

“And…?” 

You laugh, reaching for his hand. “And you are, Matty. It just, it took me a little longer than it should have to figure it out.” 

Matt seems frozen in place, unsure of what his next move should be. Instead of speaking he wolfs down the rest of the toast. 

“So you mean to tell me,” he stands, pacing in front of you, “that Brady was fucking with me?” 

“Of course he was fucking with you,” you said exasperatedly. “It’s Brady. He's a dumbass though so he fucked with you over something that was causing you real pain. I - I was causing you real pain. And myself. And I’m sorry.” 

Matt freezes, turning on his heel to face you. 

“Say it,” he says, reaching a hand out to you.

A grin spreads across your face as you take it, letting him pull you up until you were standing chest to chest with him. He looks down at you with bright, hopefully blue eyes. He's already leaning down to meet your mouth with his when you say it. 

“I love you too, Matty.”

fin (sort of)

#thank you guys so fucking much #matthew tkachuk imagine #brady tkachuk imagine #all for you series #calgary flames #ottawa senators #nhl imagine #hockey imagine #smut #angst

[rosaliepostsstuff]

Little steps (George Weasley x reader) | pt 4 - Attention

Pairing: George Weasley x reader, OC x reader

Part 1 • Part 2 • Part 3

Summary: Y/N and George try to figure out what the Yule Ball changed in their relationship; life gets back to normal and goes on, Y/N is a confused teenager™ and has a hard time sorting her shit out

Word count: 6897

warnings: cursing, mentions of sexual themes, mentions of alcohol, canon character death

a/n: It’s a wild ride and honestly I don’t know what else to say about it. I hope I left as little mistakes as possible, it’s long. The next part will be the last, my dears. Also, I’m not sure if drinking lemon balm tea is a thing outside of where I’m from so I’m sorry if you got confused 😅 - I drink it and I like it.

Walking up the curved steps you felt his tingling gaze, you held your breath in, until you were out of sight, and you seemed to shake more with each step you took. The door handle to your room felt colder than ever. You stepped into the room where Hermione was getting ready for a shower, picking up her cosmetics, you felt dazed as if you just stepped out of a fairy tale and you didn’t know how to function in the normal world anymore. So you closed the door behind you, your friend stopping in her tracks, trying to read you. You took a deep breath, leaning your back against the door and looked into her eyes – and that anchored you. Tonight really did happen, in the real world. Your face broke into a huge smile and you didn’t have to say anything, you just squealed and charged at her – both of you jumping grinning like fools, squeezing each other tight. 

“I need to calm down, take a shower and just lay down” you started rambling after you let go of her “otherwise I’ll never fall asleep. Oh, I hope I can fall asleep normally, we both know I’m as good as dead if I don’t get enough sleep- “ you went on as you started picking up your own toiletries, kicking off your shoes in the meantime, while Hermione waited for you, chuckling at how dramatic you were. She was glad to be distracted from her own whirlwind of thoughts after that evening.

The following morning you woke up, debating whether getting up at all, was a good idea. But your rumbling stomach won. You washed up and stood in front of the mirror in your room, wondering what to wear. Why would choosing an outfit be too difficult? It was a normal morning after all.  – a skirt with a button-up? no, that’s trying hard… - I mean, you never cared about how you looked- or wait, scratch that. You never questioned your judgement or had much trouble with it – maybe just some sweats? ugh, but then people would start assuming you’re in a bad mood, or hungover… - looking good just came naturally to you and you weren’t a try-hard, as you kept telling yourself.  So you put on a pair of fitting jeans with a sweater and put your hair up in a high ponytail. It’s just a normal morning.

You knew Hermione left before you and you didn’t see Harry or Ron in the common room, so you stepped through the heavy wooden door leading to the great hall, alone. If your wardrobe this morning didn’t confuse you enough, now you faced another dilemma. How did you usually choose a place to sit? Why was existing and decision making so difficult that morning? Surely, you didn’t get enough sleep. That was it.

Still deep in your thoughts, your feet were awkwardly following along the Gryffindor table. I mean, normally, when you weren’t already with your friends, you would just take any empty spot. Today should be the same. Your seat at the breakfast table shouldn’t be a statement, yeah?

“Hey, Y/N,” said Hermione, shifting a bit closer to Harry, so you could sit by her other side. You didn’t realize you had walked up to them. “Hi,” you said, slowly taking your spot and unsuspiciously scanning the perimeter. “-everyone..” you added when you met George’s eyes as he was bringing a coffee mug up to his lips, smiling to you. You broke the eye contact to pick some food and get on with your breakfast and just missed how he hit his teeth with the mug, spilling a bit of the liquid and earning a snort from Fred.

——————⁛⁙⁘◊⁘⁙⁛—————— January, 1995

“-have you ever noticed that?” said George staring dreamily at your confident smirk after you probably made some cheeky comment, sitting with your friends by the fire on the other side of the common room. “No, can’t say I have,” answered Fred in a bored tone with his cheek resting on his palm and elbows on the table, until he got a punch to the side. “Ugh, what do you want me to do?” he said wincing a bit and rubbing the sore spot as his twin glared at him, feeling betrayed. “-you’re absolutely smitten with her since the ball and it’s getting boring. Get over yourself!” “Could you be any louder?!” George whisper-yelled “ -wait no, don’t answer that” he quickly followed, holding his hands up as he knew the look in his brother’s eye well. “Look, all I’m saying is – that’s still Y/N we’re talking about. And this- “ Fred gestured widely at George’s position “-isn’t helping you.”

——————⁛⁙⁘◊⁘⁙⁛——————

Much too soon for most of the students, the new term came along. You fell into a routine, very similar to the one from the previous term, only with a few slight changes. You had calmed down a bit when it came to George, who would now, along with Fred, hang out with you from time to time. He also got back to his confident self around you. His new approach was hard to get used to at first, cause it meant frequent compliments, winks, attempts to show off, distracting you when you tried to study in the common room and those damned, so hard to resist smiles you always had to return.

January was coming to an end and you were eating lunch with Hermione, boys not with you, brainstorming about the clue Harry got after opening his egg. As you stopped reaching new conclusions, the conversation topic shifted and you recalled how you got involved in one of the twins’ pranks. “-then I just told him how I was going to tutor George and Fred that afternoon and threw in a couple of insults, saying how insufferably dull they are etc, to appeal to him and avoid further questioning,” you explained how you covered for them with Snape. You were one of few if not the only, non-Slytherin student he respected didn’t despise. It was probably thanks to a mix of your character and having two older brothers that you knew where to pick your fights and weren’t afraid to swallow your pride if it ultimately meant benefits. It came very useful with Snape.

“-all that was left was for George and Fred to put some finishing touches and voila.” You said munching proudly. “George and Fred?..” asked Ginny, confused, leaning out from behind Hermione, reminding you she was there the whole time. “Yeah, I mean, it was their plan, so-“ “No, no- George and Fred?” she continued and looked at Hermione who was just as confused as you. “I mean- it’s always Fred and George.” she said looking between you two “it sounds weird the other way around” she got back to her food, “no one says that..” but she didn’t push further as Hermione was biting onto her bottom lip trying to keep a straight face and you put your fork down, suddenly not hungry anymore and -so- weirdly warm.

——————⁛⁙⁘◊⁘⁙⁛——————

February, 1995

You’ve been distracted from worrying about your schoolwork and figuring out how to help Harry with his second task, by the arrival of Valentine’s Day. After putting a bit more effort into your appearance you headed to the Great Hall for breakfast feeling excited, although just a tiny bit conflicted. You were on your way to your friends, walking between the tables of Gryffindor and Hufflepuff, where your eyes found Matt who shot you a sly wink that made you bite your lip before he turned back to his friends. You never got to really celebrate Valentine’s before, but now you were sure he had something prepared for you. Your mind was taken off of it as you chattered with your friends over breakfast and then headed to your morning classes. As your Transfiguration class was about to start, you opened your bag to reach for your books, but you were surprised. On top of your books was a note, tied to a colourful box you knew well. You looked around the class and took your spot, taking out your things to avoid McGonagall’s attention. Trying to keep a poker face you opened the note:

You look beautiful, as always. Got your favourite Fizzing Whizbees because you ate like a ton at the ball, Secret Admirer

You read and in your attempts to stay quiet you made a tiny squeal mixed with a giggle, which caused confused Ron to turn around and you tried to mask it with a cough. You repeated the words a few times in your head. George thought you were beautiful.

——————⁛⁙⁘◊⁘⁙⁛——————

About a week later, it was a fine afternoon for Fred and George. They sweet-talked their way out of detention with Professor Sprout after borrowing an ingredient from one of the greenhouses and were currently on a quest for dinner, walking through one of the quiet corridors surrounding the courtyard near Transfiguration.

George thought the day was going brilliantly and his mood was great until he saw something in the corner of his eye and subconsciously turned his head slightly in that direction. Some couple snogging against a wall, not an extraordinary sight in an otherwise empty corridor. He was about to shrug it off, but then it hit him like a train – his feet got nailed to the ground, blood was draining his body and his smile quickly fell. You were the girl. Fred noticed him stop and followed his gaze. “Who’s the git?” He said with a disgusted expression. George didn’t know, but he recognised him as the Hufflepuff you danced with at the ball, whose hands were now roaming all over your body. “Come on, now.” Fred didn’t know what to say to his brother but he knew watching wouldn’t do him much good, so he grabbed his shoulder and headed to the Great Hall once more. Approaching Ron, Harry and Hermione, Fred tried to think of a way to loosen their tongues about the Hufflepuff git without showing that he or George cared. “-that’s why we’ll ask Y/N what she thinks, you know she’s better at it..” said Hermione and Fred’s opportunity came “Just saw her with her boyfriend, she looked busy..” he said lazily flipping his legs over the bench and George followed. “Boyfriend?” Harry questioned as all three of them looked over confused “Nearly sucked his face off-“ he said earning a kick in the shin under the table from George. “Who is he anyway?” “Hufflepuff, tall, dark hair..?” asked Hermione and Fred nodded still determined not to show too much emotion. “Aah, Matt?” said Ron with his mouth full and a bit of his food fell out, earning Fred’s disgusted look. “Matthew Aston. He’s in our year. But they’re not dating. He’s not her boyfriend.” said Hermione shortly, looking down at her plate. “So keeping it casual then, huh..?” Fred raised his eyebrows slightly and slowly nodded. “It started around the start of the semester, weird you haven’t noticed.” said Harry shrugging slightly “Yeah, he hangs out with us sometimes, he’s alright.” added Ron. When you arrived at the table you decided not to ask about everybody being weirdly quiet but made a mental note to bring it up later.

That evening, after they told you, you took a long bath in an attempt to sort out your thoughts. It was all true. Matt didn’t like seeing you with George at the ball (or at all, frankly), so not long after, he made a move you couldn’t resist. And being with him was comfortable. He knew you well, was attractive and so very into you, eager to please. And it was all good, but not enough for you to commit. You kept thinking that maybe one day you will, but you refused to call him your boyfriend. If that wasn’t confusing enough, then there was George. He felt right, and he felt real in a way you couldn’t describe. That only made you all the more careful with him. You’ve never felt that way towards anyone so you preferred to sit back and wait where it takes you. But you couldn’t help but feel guilty. While you felt a bit stiffer around George in the next few days, he slowly came around. He still didn’t like the idea of anybody else being close to you in that way, even if not officially in a relationship, but from his interactions with you, he concluded all was not yet lost. And for now, he found an outlet for his negative emotions in subtle glares whenever he saw Matt around the school.  

——————⁛⁙⁘◊⁘⁙⁛——————

As the second task of the Tournament was getting closer, it occupied your mind. Lunchtimes, afternoons and evenings spent in the library to no avail, you were getting more desperate in finding a solution for surviving an hour underwater. You had less and less time, and now you found yourself watching the last sunset through the library window, before the day of the task. You had secretly given up on finding anything in those books, Ron did not hide it anymore and Hermione felt insulted as the library had never failed her before. “Oh this is no use,” Hermione said, snapping shut Weird Wizarding Dilemmas. “Who on earth wants to make their nose hair grow into ringlets?” “I wouldn’t mind,” said Fred Weasley’s voice. “Be a talking point, wouldn’t it?” The four of you looked up. Fred and George had just emerged from behind some bookshelves. “What’re you two doing here?” Ron asked. “Looking for you,” said George, which perked up your curiosity “McGonagall wants you, Ron. And you, Hermione.” “Why?” said Hermione, looking surprised. “Hang on, why those two?” You narrowed your eyes. You got why she could’ve excluded Harry, but if she took Hermione and Ron, you’d expect her to ask for you too. “Dunno… she was looking a bit grim, though,” said Fred. “We’re supposed to take you down to her office,” said George. Ron and Hermione stared at Harry, and you shared a concerned look with him. “We’ll meet you back in the common room,” Hermione told you two as she got up to go with Ron — both of them looked very anxious. “Bring as many of these books as you can, okay?” “Right,” said harry uneasily and you just nodded. You and Harry stayed in the library a bit longer, until Madam Pince kicked you out, then made your way to the Gryffindor tower with a stack of tomes each. You waited and waited, but Ron and Hermione never came back, and so around midnight, you excused yourself to go to bed, advising Harry to do the same. The next morning you missed Harry at breakfast and headed out with the crowd to watch the second task, hoping he was already getting ready. It felt weird not having Hermione or Ron beside you on the way to the lake. By the boats, you were looking for any familiar faces to group with, when you heard two well-known voices behind you, taking bets. You walked in their direction waving, hoping they’d notice your small figure amongst the crowd. “Hello, sunshine!” George beamed at you, slamming the suitcase shut. “A beautiful morning, innit?” added Fred, as you scooted closer to them and away from the moving crowd. “The sky is literally grey,” you said looking up but he just waved his hand and rolled his eyes, mouthing ‘details’. “Shall we get a boat?” you looked at the water and back at them “or are you staying here?” “Yeah we’re coming,” said George before Fred could speak up. After George helped you out of the boat the three of you headed towards the seats higher up, where you spotted Lee. You walked up the stairs to see a few black-and-yellow scarves in the seats towards the back. “Hi, Y/N/N,” said Matt with a single wave, making Eric’s head shot up with a grin “Heey, Y/N!” Out of the corner of your eye, you saw that George’s head was still turned towards you when Fred took his seat next to Lee. “Hi,” you said with a smile and a little wave, then turned to Fred and Lee and took a seat with George. After the had jumped into the water and out of sight, you decided to make yourself comfortable – you took out a blanket and some snacks you prepared in the morning. The boys had noticed as you picked up the blanket to unfold it and laughed a little “Getting cosy, huh?” Fred said with an amused grin. “We’re gonna be here for an hour and it’s not like there’s anything to watch, really” you pointed at the water surface “might as well.” You brought your legs up and sat cross-legged and given how close you were sat, your knee rested on one of George’s legs. “does that bother you?” “No, it’s alright,” George thought it was cute, really, how you were getting comfy and covered your legs, but above all, he didn’t mind that bit of physical contact. “What- you’re not gonna share?” he acted appalled and looked at your blanket, then back at you. You rolled your eyes, suppressing a smile, then unfolded the blanket fully, covered his legs, earning a grin, and even threw it over Fred and Lee’s too. You picked up a bag of snacks and the four of you spent the remaining time chatting, playing some exploding snap, and you even managed to pull them into exchanging some gossip.

——————⁛⁙⁘◊⁘⁙⁛—————— March, 1995

After the second task, the three of your friends were in the spotlight, which sort of affected your life, too. But the real problem was the pile of work you ignored while helping Harry prepare. That’s how you found yourself, early Saturday afternoon, at one of the smaller tables in the common room with your notes and various books in front of you as the sun rays were shyly poking through the window, asking for attention before spring officially started.

You had been sitting there for some time now and felt like you should probably take a break as the information was becoming harder to understand and took longer to assimilate. But you also couldn’t bring yourself to pause, with still so much to go over and you tried not to panic each time you glanced at the ‘to-do’ pile.

You were leaning on the table and nervously fixed your ponytail, when a mug with steaming, familiar liquid was placed in front of you. You looked up to see George as he leaned back against the table.

“Lemon balm. You drink it often in the evenings.. helps with anxiety, right?” he said with a small smile as you stared at him in shock. “Yeah- yeah I do..” You looked down at the tea again. “Is that for me?” you asked, just to make sure, but George just shook his head in disbelief and laughed softly, which you took as a yes. “thank you, then” you took a sip. “Can I join you?” “Yeah, sure, of course”

He mentally high-fived himself. He saw you earlier, slouching over the books with a worried expression and realized he wouldn’t be able to just enjoy the rest of his Saturday if he didn’t do anything about it. Tearing you away from your work was out of the question – you were no Hermione but you had a sense of responsibility, so if you had to study, you would study. 

His best bet was to make it easier for you. You were often found doing homework in study groups and you found working around others to be motivating, even if you were doing completely separate things. He had a bit of trouble deciding if revealing he knows your favourite herbal tea was cute or creepy but he took his chances. When you thought about it that evening in the shower you didn’t believe he was actually studying, but he pretended to, and it worked.

It made your heart flutter, thinking of how caring George was. He seemed to genuinely care, and you couldn’t help but want more of it. You loved the idea of him caring about you. Over the last few months you were almost positive he had -some- feelings for you, and you did too. But after that act, you realized, you started falling. Seriously.

——————⁛⁙⁘◊⁘⁙⁛——————

A week later, you stepped out of the great hall after lunch, headed to the dungeons with Matt, wrapped up in a conversation. “Ugh, he just doesn’t know when to shut up..” he said with hands in his pockets and you chuckled lightly “but I guess quidditch boys just can’t help themselves” he paused, his gaze straight ahead “like the Weasleys.” Oh-ho, if he said that name then he’s definitely in a bad mood. Your expression fell a bit. “They’re just obnoxious, I really don’t know why you keep hanging out with them.” “They’re not always that obnoxious, I know them well. They’re alright” He scoffed. “Alright… but they’re not like us.” You furrowed your eyebrows. Matt has been subtly hinting dislike towards the twins, or George in particular, and suggested you didn’t spend so much time with them before, but it was unlike him to act like an elitist shit. You stopped. “I like them.” “Yeah, that’s the problem, isn’t it? I think you got a bit confused. One of them might be thinking you like him a little too much.” He fake-smiled. You didn’t know what to say, and he looked you straight in the eye now “Cut it out Y/N, I mean it this time. I don’t want you hanging with them anymore.” “Well you don’t have a say in that, do you?!” You knew you hit a weak point. “You know what?! This whole thing was getting boring anyway.” You kept your voice even, as you were fuming inside. “We should end it before you think I like you a little too much. You can go fuck yourself, friend.” You turned around and with shoulders straight and you walked away in quick, long steps. He didn’t go after you.

It wasn’t until you reached the grand staircase that you slowed down a bit and allowed yourself to calm down. With each step, you were more glad you did what you did. When you stepped through the portrait you immediately realized Merlin still had your back. Fred and George, right there at the table. With your mind set, you walked up.

“Hi boys. You busy?” You sat down and they turned their attention to you. “Not really, what is it?” “I just wanted to hang out, I’m in need of a good time.” You said smiling at them both and they shared a look. “Flatterer,” said Fred, flicking his hair. “D’you wanna go outside?” asked George It was quite warm, so you nodded. “I’ll just run up to my room and grab a few things.”

When you came back George was waiting, lounging on the couch and Fred nowhere in sight. When he noticed you he jumped up and beamed at you “After me.”

You walked in comfortable silence for a bit, which you broke only after you left the castle. “Fred not coming with us?” you asked in a non-suspicious tone “Not this time, had something to take care of. Why, disappointed?” he teased you and you bumped his side earning a small laugh. “So, why were you in such a desperate need of a good time?” he tried to start a conversation. You were silent for a bit, thinking things over. “Matt and I had a fight.” you opted for honesty “Oh,” he tried not to sound hopeful. “I ended things with him. “ George raised his eyebrows “Did he do something? I thought you liked him.” “He didn’t do anything. He was okay, but that was it, really. And then he liked me too much.. and that was his problem.” you said looking down at the ground. 

George tried not to be selfish, he was happy you came to him at that moment. He wanted to be there for you and not think too far ahead about how that would benefit him. But something about you saying Matt liked you too much was worrying.

“Not to whine, but I came to you hoping I wouldn’t have to think about it anymore” you looked up at him and brought him out of his thoughts. “Ugh- of course, erm..” he scratched the back of his head “There’s something I wanted to show you.”

You walked along the shore of the lake for a bit and took a turn to walk between some trees and found a steep pathway leading up a bit and back towards the lake. In the end, you found an opening between the thick trees and bushes, its edge a few meters above the edge of the lake. You took in your surroundings and found the spot cosy, you could also see the castle in the distance, though you could’ve sworn you had never seen this place from there.

“Like it?” George asked from behind you, standing with his hands in his pockets and shoulders slouched a bit. You turned around and met his warm eyes, your amazement etched into your expression. “Love it,” you said and immediately cringed a bit. But it warmed his heart to hear that, he hadn’t brought anyone there before.

“Yeah, I like it here.” He said walking up to the edge to look over it. “I don’t think many people know about this place, which makes it even better.” he turned back to you making the butterflies in your stomach go crazy. He took a seat on the ground near the edge and patted the spot next to him, which you took.

“Soo.. what do you wanna do?” He asked leaning back on his arms. Your mind went to a few possible options, none of them appropriate. “or we could just talk” he tried to take some pressure off of you. At that moment you remembered something and started looking through your bag. You took a deck of cards out and held them up

“You ever played ‘treachery’?” you smirked and wiggled your eyebrows a bit and he shook his head after a bit of thought. “We face away from each other,” you said as you shifted in your spot and he reluctantly followed. “Lean back.” “Like that?” he said pushing his back onto yours and in result folding you in half, earning half-groan half-laugh from you, before he sat normally. Feeling the warmth of his back on yours and the vibration of his voice made the experience surprisingly intimate. You were so close, but you didn’t see each other’s faces, which made both of you feel a little less self-conscious. You explained the rules of the game to him. He caught up pretty quickly and you played a few rounds before getting bored with it. Then you talked, about everything, and nothing really. 

You sat on the edge with one of your legs dangling over, a wide smile plastered on your face. The early spring sun was slowly setting and your stomach started to remind you it was almost dinner time. Just a few more minutes, you thought to yourself.

On your way back, the steep path proved more difficult and you gladly accepted when George offered you his hand to take. However, when you reached the bottom, neither one of you let go. He slowly intertwined your fingers and the two of you continued to walk in silence along the lake. You had done things that would seem much more intimate before, but nothing felt quite like it. It was exciting and calming at the same time, it felt completely new but so natural and right.

As you approached the castle, the clocktower courtyard in sight and you could see other students walking about, you both, mutually, loosened the grip until you let go.

——————⁛⁙⁘◊⁘⁙⁛——————

April, 1995

Ever since George took you to your spot by the lake, you spent more time with him. He always took a moment to ask about your day and little things when he saw you around the school, and you felt more comfortable to just walk up to him to chat.

April Fools’ or twins’ birthday came on Saturday. You didn’t see them at breakfast and they sat far away during lunch. You still haven’t got the chance to wish him a happy birthday – a simple act you were quite looking forward to, to show that you cared and see his reaction. Mother Nature was being very generous with the weather, the early afternoon was quite warm and sunny and you took that opportunity to set up a blanket for yourself under one of the trees near the training grounds and read a bit.

You don’t turn seventeen every day and Fred and George took it very seriously. That’s why they had just stashed with Lee all the necessary party supplies in the boathouse to celebrate that night and were now headed back to the castle. George saw you lounging on the blanket, he noticed you from afar as if it became his seventh sense. He gazed at you for just a moment, his hands in the pockets of his shorts and felt a jab at his side.

“The fuck was that for?!” he grimaced at his snickering twin. “If you ask me, she looks as if she’s about to run away. You’d better catch her before she realizes you’re coming.” Fred said with fake seriousness, earning an eye-roll. However, George’s mind was too preoccupied for a witty comeback. “I’ll see you.. later.” “Just don’t embarrass me even more!” Fred shouted after him. When he walked up you closed the book on your finger and seeing his bright smile, you couldn’t not smile back.

“Hello,” you said enthusiastically. “Hi” he did a little wave, standing on the edge of your blanket. “Happy birthday” “Thank you,” you put a bookmark in your book and put it away, then sat up. You were silent for a bit and George shifted on his feet. “You’re just gonna stand there?” George’s mind went blank and you saw his shocked face as he opened and closed his mouth a few times “I mean that you can sit down if you want.” “Ooh,” he replied with a slight relief and quickly made himself comfortable on the soft blanket, the two of you now sat cross-legged, facing each other.

“So how is it being a responsible adult?” you asked making him snort “That’s likely.” You giggled, biting on your bottom lip, something George has grown to love. “What’re you reading?” he asked nudging your thigh with his foot lightly. “You really wanna know?” you asked, with a slight doubt, but you were excited to tell him a little bit about your interests. “I really wanna know.” He said, lying down on the blanket and looking up at the tree above. You started with telling him about the book you were currently reading, then you talked about what the two of you generally enjoy reading and then it just continued like it always did with him. 

You quickly found yourself on the blanket next to him, looking up at the leaves swaying with the gentle wind and eventually his hand found yours, tracing patterns on your palm and playing with your fingers absentmindedly.

——————⁛⁙⁘◊⁘⁙⁛—————— May, 1995

You and the three of your friends crept out of your dormitories at daybreak near the end of May. It was really important for you to send an owl to Sirius. You were still debating the events of the previous night, what happened with Victor Krum and Mr Crouch when Hermione shushed you all. You heard footsteps going up to the owlery and two arguing voices.

The Owlery door banged open. Fred and George came over the threshold, then froze at the sight of you, Harry, Ron, and Hermione. “What’re you doing here?” Ron and Fred said at the same time. “Sending a letter,” said Harry and George in unison. “What, at this time?” said Hermione and Fred. At this point, you were looking all over everyone with narrowed eyes. Fred grinned. “Fine — we won’t ask you what you’re doing if you don’t ask us,” he said. He was holding a sealed envelope in his hands. Harry glanced at it, but Fred, whether accidentally or on purpose, shifted his hand so that the name on it was covered. “Well, don’t let us hold you up,” Fred said, making a mock bow and pointing at the door. Ron didn’t move. “Who’re you blackmailing?” he said. The grin vanished from Fred’s face. Harry saw George half glance at Fred, before smiling at Ron. “Don’t be stupid, I was only joking,” he said easily. You furrowed your eyebrows and kept listening. “Didn’t sound like that,” said Ron. Fred and George looked at each other. Then Fred said abruptly, “I’ve told you before, Ron, keep your nose out if you like it the shape it is. Can’t see why you would, but —” “It’s my business if you’re blackmailing someone,” said Ron. “George’s right, you could end up in serious trouble for that.” You agreed with it and was concerned about what they got themselves into. “Told you, I was joking,” said George. You felt disappointed. He walked over to Fred, pulled the letter out of his hands, and began attaching it to the leg of the nearest barn owl. “You’re starting to sound a bit like our dear older brother, you are, Ron. Carry on like this and you’ll be made a prefect.” “No, I won’t!” said Ron hotly. George carried the barn owl over to the window and it took off. George turned around and grinned at Ron “Well, stop telling people what to do then. See you later.”

You took one last look at him and it was like looking at a stranger, you’ve never seen his eyes this cold, then he and Fred left the Owlery. Harry, Ron, you and Hermione stared at one another.

“You don’t think they know something about all this, do you?” Hermione whispered. “About Crouch and everything?” “No,” said Harry. “If it was something that serious, they’d tell someone. They’d tell Dumbledore.” Ron, however, was looking uncomfortable. “What’s the matter?” Hermione asked him. “Well…” said Ron slowly, “I dunno if they would. They’re… they’re obsessed with making money lately, I noticed it when I was hanging around with them — when — you know —” “We weren’t talking.” Harry finished the sentence for him. “Yeah, but blackmail…” “It’s this joke shop idea they’ve got,” said Ron. “I thought they were only saying it to annoy Mum, but they really mean it, they want to start one. They’ve only got a year left at Hogwarts, they keep going on about how it’s time to think about their future, and Dad can’t help them, and they need gold to get started.” You and Hermione were looking uncomfortable now. “Yes, but… they wouldn’t do anything against the law to get gold.” “Wouldn’t they?” said Ron, looking sceptical. “I dunno… they don’t exactly mind breaking rules, do they?” You felt slightly sick. “Yeah but not that kind of rules.” “This is the law,” said Hermione, looking scared. “This isn’t some silly school rule… They’ll get a lot more than detention for blackmail! Ron… maybe you’d better tell Percy…” “And what would that change?” you said. “Are you mad?” said Ron. “Tell Percy? He’d probably do a Crouch and turn them in.” He stared at the window through which Fred and George’s owl had departed, then said, “Come on, let’s get some breakfast.”

——————⁛⁙⁘◊⁘⁙⁛—————— June, 1995

After the encounter in the owlery, you barely saw George or talked to him. It was the day of the third task. When you saw that the empty spot left for you was next to George you panicked a bit and felt stiff at first.

When Harry came out of the labyrinth with the Cup, the orchestra started playing and people cheered. But you felt something was wrong and felt a chill down your back – you noticed Harry’s face first and leaned forward to see what was on the ground next to him.

You felt faint and all the noise around you was muted. You stepped back without looking and stumbled a bit but George grabbed you. “He-he's dead…” you whispered still looking at Cedric’s body.

“What?..” George’s expression fell immediately as he brought you a bit closer and looked over the crowd to see for himself. “Ced’s dead..” said facing George. He took you in his arms and you hid your face in his chest, your hands clinging to his shirt tightly. He couldn’t get a word out, just held you tight and placed his chin on top of your head. The moment was interrupted as all the Weasleys started ushering out of the stands, Y/N and Hermione with them. 

The next few days weren’t easy but you came to terms with the reality – Voldemort was back, he killed Cedric Diggory and you were certain the future of you and your friends would be challenging.

——————⁛⁙⁘◊⁘⁙⁛——————

With a few days left before you’d all leave for the summer, you and Hermione decided to enjoy the warm, sunny afternoon and lounged on the grass in one of the courtyards. The exams were done with and you forgot about all the danger for just a day.

You were soaking in the sun, your eyes closed, when suddenly you felt a shadow cast over your face. You opened your eyes to see George crouching beside you.

“Fancy taking a walk?” “Oooh but Hermione and I were having our gal pal time. Weren’t we, Miney?” You said with an exaggerated pout. She chuckled at you. “I think we went over every boy in the school,” she started getting up, “I’ll see you later.” “Bye, bye, girlfriend!” you waved to her and George helped you get off the ground.

“Was there something, in particular, you wanted to talk about?” you asked after you started walking. George bit his lip and looked straight ahead, “There is, but let’s go to the lake.” “Ok,” you said with a small voice, wondering where this was going.

“Were you avoiding me?” He asked once you got to the lake and kept walking along the shore. Were you? – you thought. “Something changed. You didn’t talk to me, you wouldn’t smile like you did before.” He said with genuine hurt in his voice. “I missed that.” he paused for a bit, “was it about the blackmail thing?”

You didn’t know what to say.

“because I didn’t tell you anything?” “Look, I know it was kinda stupid of me. You don’t owe me anything and you don’t have to tell me anything. And I didn’t avoid you.. on purpose.” you stopped and faced the lake, “I guess I just- I kinda hoped you would want to tell me, you know..?”

A few seconds passed and you turned back to see him looking at you. He looked at his shoes and took a deep breath, then held out his hand with a serious expression. You took the few steps towards him and took the hand you missed so much. You started slowly walking again. “Remember when we went to the World Cup?” he started. “Of course.” “And how Fred and I placed that bet?” You hopped up and walked along one of the larger rocks “…Ireland wins but the Bulgarians get the snitch – I remember. Brilliant by the way, I still can’t believe you got it.” you hopped down. George smirked for a second. “Brilliant indeed. You may or may not remember that we asked for our money right after the match ended. Old Ludo wasn’t happy with it, but eventually, he paid up.” you nodded “The catch is, he gave us leprechaun gold.” “Noo... What a dick!” you said in genuine disbelief. “I know,” he replied grimly. “Bagman seemed fishy, I think I heard my dad rant about him once, but that… “ “Yup. We tried getting him to pay up multiple times – nice at first, but he wouldn’t. And now he apparently up and vanished, so it’s over - a lost cause.” You were speechless for a second. “George, I’m so sorry. You gave him all your savings..” you moved even closer to him. “It’s alright.” He let go of your hand to wrap an arm around your shoulder, “we’ll just have to work even harder. But we’ll get there. Still got a year left in here.” “That’s right… You know I forget you’re older sometimes. But I’ll still be here for 2 more years after you graduate.” You looked up at the castle across the lake, in the distance. “It’s gonna be weird.” “How? Boring?” he asked, expecting a snarky response. “Yeah” you gave him an honest one instead. “Don’t worry, love, we’ve still got a year.” he squeezed you closer, making you chuckle. “Will you write to me this summer?” He asked. “Only if you write first.” “Have you got any parchment on you?”

With your moods significantly better, you headed to the Great Hall for dinner, the future suddenly not so scary anymore.

Part 5

#george weasley #george weasley x reader #george weasley fanfiction #george weasley imagine #harry potter imagine #x reader

[broadwaybandito]

✨More Ramblings About Daredevil S3E8 Because There’s So Much To Unpack✨

Today I’m going to be focusing on two scenes that go hand in hand: Karen’s confrontation with Fisk and Foggy’s debate with Blake. Because both scenes are truly incredible and one of these days I’m just gonna analyze the heck out of every single line of dialogue from them.

Karen goes to confront Fisk as a way of showing the world what kind of horrible person he is. He’d recently taken up a public position as sort of a hero, giving up criminals to the FBI and getting them arrested. Sure, the public still hates him- but the FBI is being played by him, and the government is where the power lies for Fisk. If he can sway the government, he can sway the public. And in the events that ensue as the season progresses we see how easily Fisk can twist the public’s perception- for example, how he managed to frame both Karen and Matt by the end of the season.

Karen’s intentions going in are simple: expose Fisk to the FBI by getting him to confess to killing his father. A simple enough plan- until Fisk throws a wrench in it by taking the upper hand and inquiring about Matt’s identity as Daredevil. So Karen’s plans shift to a more reckless approach: provoke Fisk, get him to attack her, and ultimately get him back in prison where he belongs. Her goal is to keep people safe, because Karen always prioritizes the safety of others over her own safety- it’s one of the focal points of her character.

Karen’s priority lying within the preservation of other lives has been a core value of hers ever since season one- she just got a lot better at executing it. You’ll recall that Fisk killed Ben for speaking to his mother- a situation that Karen got him into. It’s not Karen’s fault that Fisk broke into Ben’s house and murdered him. As Ben’s wife reminded her- it’s impossible to drag Ben into a story he doesn’t want to write. She doesn’t blame Karen, and I’m sure Ben wouldn’t want Karen to blame herself either. But whether or not the blame is on Karen, the fact still remains that it was Karen’s idea to speak to Fisk’s mother, and that Fisk killed Ben for it. And Karen? She’s someone that carries an immense amount of guilt.

This, like her desire to protect people, is something that has always been true of Karen’s character. Both things go hand in hand. From the very first episode we see Karen experience survivor’s guilt as a result of Daniel Fisher’s death. This event was in no way her fault- it was Union-Allied’s- and yet Karen blames herself for it. Everytime something goes wrong, Karen blames herself for it. So naturally when Ben dies she’s going to feel the same way.

But what does this say about Karen in season three? It shows that her methods of protecting others have changed. She got Ben involved in taking down Fisk, and he was killed for it- something that Karen will likely never forgive herself for. After this event, Karen is more careful. She doesn’t want to lose anybody else like she lost Ben. So, though she still works with Matt and Foggy, she’s more prone to go through with her more reckless plans alone. Because she’s afraid that if she gets either one of them involved in her plans like she did with Ben, they could die too.

Karen, in a way, begins following a path that mirrors Matt’s- working in the shadows, even engaging in illegal activities to get to the truth. Though she doesn’t isolate others at the same extent that Matt does, she’s stopped getting other people involved when she can avoid it for fear of losing them. Karen’s focus has consistently been keeping other people safe, and so she’s adapted her methods of doing so to reflect that. The whole reason Karen risks her own life taking down threats is because she wants to stop innocent people from being harmed, and if she gets others involved she fears they may be hurt anyway. She’s a hero- she doesn’t have superpowers, yet she’s constantly putting herself in danger to help others. It’s just the kind of person she is.

The scene where she confronts Fisk is fantastic for a lot of reasons- hence why I keep talking about it- but I love it particularly because it shows just how much Karen has grown while still maintaining the properties that make her Karen.

Karen’s still reckless. Her recklessness and bravery are what make her herself. That never changes throughout the entirety of the show. Her guilt is something else that never changes. She consistently blames herself anytime people get hurt, so she has stopped getting others involved in her plans. In the past she’s let her own foolish recklessness trickle out onto the people that she cares about, and has paid the price for it. This is something that has changed about her. She, by season three, though still reckless, isn’t willing to make the same mistakes as before.

Karen didn’t tell Foggy what she was doing because she knew he’d stop her. Karen, for reasons previously mentioned, doesn’t want Foggy to get involved. And even though Foggy likely wouldn’t be harmed by that specific situation, Karen was afraid that his desire to protect her would prevent her from stopping Fisk, which would overall result in people continuing to be hurt. Karen is more than willing to put her own life on the line to stop Fisk from hurting more people, because she’s sick of innocent people suffering.

That scene is not only the perfect display of Karen’s core values and motivations whilst also showing how she’s changed over the course of the show, but Foggy’s reactions to her actions are equally important.

Foggy cares about Karen. That’s a no-brainer. They’re best friends. So when Karen puts herself in danger, of course he’s going to try to do something about it.

Once Foggy realizes what Karen’s doing- which was some fantastic deductive reasoning on his part as it didn’t take him very long to realize where Karen was- he does not even hesitate to leave the debate to go find her, even though he was winning. He stops mid sentence, swears a bit for good measure, and leaves to find Karen. This is not only embarrassing for him, but he is prioritizing Karen’s safety over being elected, which is yet another measure that could help stop Fisk. He is jeopardizing both he and Karen’s chances at stopping Fisk to keep Karen safe.

This really solidifies his place in the Daredevil trio, as well as show what kind of friend, and person, he is.

His priority lies within protecting Matt and Karen above protecting Hell’s Kitchen. Matt and Karen, though fiercely loyal to each other and Foggy, have been known to put themselves at risk for the greater good. They have a tendency to isolate themselves to protect their others, or even subconsciously guard their own emotions. Foggy’s not like this, and it’s what makes him such a great friend. His priorities always lie within his friends.

Sure, he gets pissed at them sometimes for being so headstrong and reckless, but he never gives up on them. He never stops seeing the good in them even when they’ve given up on themselves. He never hesitates to put them first when they need him, even when they claim they don’t need any help. During this scene, Foggy abandons his shot at taking a position of power to rival Fisk without hesitation, because in that moment he realizes that Karen is in danger and that’s all that matters. The people of Hell’s Kitchen can wait- Karen is the priority. Not only would taking down Fisk be easier with Karen, y’know, alive, but Karen is one of the most important people to Foggy and he’s not just going to let her put herself at risk. He knows she’ll be pissed at her for ruining her change at exposing Fisk, but a pissed Karen is far superior to a Karen with her head busted open. He knows that Karen is more than capable of taking care of herself, but he’s not willing to take a chance at losing her. So he leaves his post, contacts the necessary officials to apprehend Fisk, and retrieves his misguided bestie before there is no misguided bestie to retrieve.

Foggy is always going to prioritize protecting his friends before stopping the bad guys because, even though stopping criminals is the moral thing to do and will stop more deaths in the long run, his friends are his priority. Said friends are very lucky to have him.

And all of that is without diving into the contents of Foggy’s debate and Karen’s witty dialogue- which is both good at getting under the skin of certain assholes and providing insight into Karen’s own feelings- which I would love to ramble on about for eternity but for now I’ll just settle for this revision of an analysis I wrote a long time ago.

#marvel #mcu #marvel cinematic universe #daredevil #marvel’s daredevil #netflix daredevil #karen page #deborah ann woll #matt murdock #Matthew murdock #Charlie cox #Franklin nelson #foggy nelson #elden henson

[anotherimaginethatblog]

cruise

Pairing: Kenny x OC

Summary: this is cheesy af with all the clichés, but I could not help myself. apologies in advance for the ending. its not my fave but there maybe a part 2.🤷‍♀️ - you and Kenny have had a flirty friendship for years, neither admitting to feelings until a room mix up on the Jericho cruise forces someone’s hand

You would never publicly express it, but you had been excited for this for months. The cruise was the highlight of many pro wrestlers’ year, it was hard work and tiring but also kind of like a vacation. You had sold it yourself as a work trip, when Kenny had asked if you would be attending you gave your usual nonchalant shrug and said, “don’t know I’ll see”, you really wanted to go but the thought of being trapped on a boat with Kenny was hell to you, I mean it is bad enough having a thing for your friend but a friend that you can’t escape? Yeah.

He looked disappointed you noticed, to you he was a good friend you had met on your first tour of japan, hed showed you around and the conversation and good times had flowed. You kept in touch, talking every day, and to Kenny it was a way to feel close to you, the truth was he really liked you and he figured that friendship was better than nothing so over the years you settled into your usual routine of dinner, exploring and video games whenever you happened to be in the same place together. Neither being brave enough to make a move more than the odd kiss goodnight that you would awkwardly forget the next day.

A few days after your non-committal response to Kenny you had replied to the email booking you for an appearance on the cruise, you figured it would be fun and since the boat was so big the chances of actually having to run into him where slim. You were amazing friends, but you were afraid of your feelings getting in the way and ruining what you had spent so long building. The thought of losing him was too much to bear, that and the million questions you would have from your mum if you told her you and Kenney had fallen out. She was convinced he was the perfect man for you, something you denied to her face every time while thinking how right she was in your head.

Arriving at the docks in Miami you had already bumped into a few familiar faces who seemed surprised you actually come along, none more so than Kenny of all people who you just happened to run into while waiting to check in “so much for ill see (Y/N)” he said teasing you.

“hey you” you shot back with a smile “I figured why not, I mean who doesn’t love the Bahamas and being surrounded by fans at every turn” you said turning to look at the mass of fans outside dying for a glimpse of their favourite wrestler.

“and there was me thinking you just wanted to hang out” he laughed. “I’m glad you’re here though, really I am” he replied, you could hear the sincerity in his voice and it gave you a warm feeling that no matter how much you tried to push away, would not leave your body.

“booking under (Y/N)” you said as you stepped up to the desk.

“one moment let me just get my supervisor” said the assistant behind the desk, after completing multiple attempts to book you in. this was not your first rodeo, and you knew this never ended well. “I’m so sorry miss, we have your reservation but I’m afraid due to a mistake you haven’t been allocated a cabin” the poor girl told you, the look on her face bracing herself for your wrath.

“okay, so where am I supposed to sleep? A lounger on deck?!” you replied attempting to keep your cool.

“what’s up?” Kenny cut in before you could continue your tirade at the poor girl behind the desk.

“so, I’m booked on the cruise but they don’t have a cabin for me, I mean how does that even work” you sassed looking directly at the assistant.

“just stay with me, I have a suite so there’s room, you take the bed ill sleep in the lounge its fine” he said.

“you can’t sleep on the couch in your own room Kenny, ill just call the agent and let them know I’m cancelling, I’m not doing this” you quickly answered him

“woah, wait. You cant cancel and your here now, it’s not like we haven’t roomed before it’ll be fine” said Kenny softly grabbing your arm to stop you leaving.

“fine, if that’s okay I will. But I’m not happy about it no offence” you added.

“none taken” said Kenny as he approached the desk.

“what’s up with you?” asked matt Jackson as you were waiting for Kenny to finish sorting your situation

“well….cruise line messed up my booking, sharing with Kenney’s you started

“check in girl flirting with your boyfriend” matt interjected.

“wow, no, okay why would you even…” you trailed off. Matt wasn’t stupid, hed known you and Kenny long enough to see the way you looked at each other and knew you where both stubborn enough to not do anything about the sexual tension between you two.

“look, I see the way he looks at you and you at him, plus the way you act around each other you may as well be dating” he said “just do yourselves a favour and work your shit out” he finished before walking off to talk his family.

Kenny approached you after standing back so he could watch you and matt talking, he wasn’t dumb, he knew what matt had said to you. He said it to Kenny often enough “ you ready to go” he said smiling at you offering you your own key to his suite.

“sure I need to change after travelling all day anyways” you said trying to act cool but you knew you where coming across as a bitch.

After making your way to your room, arguing over who was taking the bed (Kenny insisted you take it) and a quick shower and change you where finally doing your favourite thing; sitting in the lounge with a large tequila and tonic. Kenny was nursing a coke zero, he didn’t drink but being around you when you did made all those feelings begin to bubble to the surface, because he knew what was coming. When you drank you got chatty, and you made him promises you (and he) knew you wouldn’t remember in the morning. “stop looking at me like that, it makes me nervous” you told him laughing

“what?! I cant look at you now” he laughed “you shouldn’t be so pretty” he finished making you blush but want to leave immediately.

“why do you do this?, tease me then go back to just pretending we can only be friends” you stated oblivious to the gang sat around the table with you. You got up to leave and Kenny could only stare open mouthed not sure how to reply.

“(Y/N) come back I didn’t mean to upset you” he pleaded, you knew he hadn’t but you couldn’t take another round of the flirting that would lead to a kiss before you both woke up the next day pretending it hadn’t happened.

“go after her you dumbass” hangman said over the rim of his glass “secretly that’s what women want when they make that dramatic exit” earning laughs from your friends around the table. Gingerly Kenny got up and made his way to your room, if things got too awkward he could always room with hangman or nakazawa.

“(Y/N)” Kenny softly said knocking on the bedroom door “open up for me, I’m sorry I upset you. I just cant do this anymore” he said sadly.

“do what, you don’t want to be my friend anymore?” you asked sadly, stepping out the room closer to him. You where not drunk by any means but the strong drink had made you a little brave and he stiffened when you gently touched his shoulder leading him to sit on the couch.

“no, (Y/N). I don’t want to be your friend anymore” he replied. “I want more, id be lying to myself and you if I wasn’t honest. Its killing me to lie, I think we can be more than friends, we are both adults and I’ve wanted more for a long time. If you don’t that’s cool, but I cant do this anymore I’m sorry” he blurted out, all his words coming out at once. Looking visibly relieved and worried all at once.

You knew he was right, you had got to know each other on a level so deep you where practically a long distance couple, suddenly that bravery lept up and out of you and before you knew it you kissed him. He was shocked at first but soon returned it, deepening it “ we really gonna do this (Y/N)” he asked breathless “we gonna make out then pretend we didn’t over breakfast”.

“no, not this time” you replied kissing him again. “I’m sorry weve danced around each other for so long, I should have had the balls to tell you how I felt” you told him staring into his eyes, he could see all the sincerity and vulnerability you had in you at that moment and he knew you could see the same in his.

“I want this to work” said Kenny, “I want you (Y/N)” he stated,

“right now, here on the couch” you smirked, he knew your humour and knew you full stop. “at least take me out to dinner first” you teased .

“you know what I mean” he replied giving you that jaw dropping smile of his “but I mean, if you’re serious. I could eat” he laughed.

“shut up omega” you laughed kissing him again, he moaned into the kiss and you knew that was a sound you wanted to hear again. Maybe the cruise messing up your room was fate you though to yourself. Before getting distracted by some wandering hands.

“I was serious about dinner though ken” you deadpanned after breaking the kiss Making him laugh. Which was slowly becoming your favourite sound … after the kissy moaning.

#kenny omega x reader #kenny omega imagine #kenny omega fanfiction #aew imagine #aew fanfiction #wrestling imagine #wrestling fanfiction

[deathonyourtongue]

Sanguine Nocturnus | 5

Summary: Even after 2000 years, the world can still surprise you. Pairing: AU!Henry Cavill x OFC Word Count: 2.7K Warnings: It’s a vampire fic. Death. Blood. Gore. Sex. Horror. Not for the kiddies or the squeamish. I mean it. A/N : Sorry this took so long. Hope y’all enjoy it!!

The night was cool, despite the sun’s remnants still radiating from the cobblestone roads like a thin blanket, the heat spreading up Henry’s legs as he and Vinicius made their way to a matte black Ashton Martin Vanquish, the car looking as though it had just rolled out of the dealership.

“Spending wisely, I see,” Henry smiled, taking in the car with an appreciation he shared with most mortal men. While it wasn’t a sturdy black stallion, it would certainly do the trick.

“It was a birthday present from Lucy, I had no say in the matter.” Vinicius answered with an equally cheeky grin, unlocking the car with a push of a button, the engine roaring to life simultaneously. It was only once the doors opened that Henry noticed Gregory sitting in the back seat, looking around anxiously, like a junkie looking for a fix.

“I’m afraid he’s still famished. Nearly emptied the vaults of A+, and yet he’s still ready to bite the first thing that moves,” Vinicius explained, nodding towards Gregory, who barely acknowledged him before turning in his seat to look over his shoulder, watching for anything that could pass as food.

“So m’lord, tonight we go hunting for your first real meal!” Vinicius announced as he looked through the rear-view mirror at Gregory.

“I’ve hunted before,” Gregory replied in a defensive, whiny tone, his gaze showing his confusion. In that moment, Henry read the young vampire’s thoughts and had to discreetly move his hand over his mouth to keep from laughing. Hunting, for Gregory, had consisted of going to a nightclub and picking up the most self-conscious girl there. Their new elder hadn’t even bothered to try and pose her in a way that would keep the Carabinieri from asking questions. It was amateur at best, and Henry was certain Gregory’s victim hadn’t gone to her death in ecstasy. 

“Not the proper way. Not even close,” Henry smirked, sharing a knowing grin with Vinicius as the Vanquish sprinted out of the city center, heading North towards the vineyards.

Once clear of the light pollution, Vinicius eased his foot off the accelerator, preferring to take the two-lane roads at a more leisurely pace, something which, judging from how fidgety he was being, was pure torture for Gregory. 

“What have you lined up for us tonight, oh Master of Feasts?” Henry joked as Vinicius began to look around, watching as much for buildings as he was for the road. It didn’t take long for him to find the farmhouse, the small amount of light coming from the dwelling's windows confirming that it was a family owned vineyard they would be enjoying. Henry could hardly keep the grin off his face.

“Lesson number one, Gregory. If you are going to feed on a human, do so with discretion. Pick wisely, and choose only the sweetest of bloodlines.” Henry explained as they veered off the road and onto a gravel laneway.

“And never drink them dry. That’s the easiest way of getting ill.” Vinicius added, glaring jokingly at Henry, both having gone through the undead equivalent of the stomach flu when they were newly-turned. 

As Vinicius pressed a button on the dash, Henry heard a sudden whoosh of air spill from the tire in front of him. Briefly shocked, his smile grew into one of awe and mischief as he realized why Vinicius had kept such a present.

“You fiend! What else does this contraption do?” Henry laughed, knowing that they now had a verifiable excuse to ask for aid. Shaking his head, he could only chuckle as the car came to a slow stop and Vinicius cut the engine.

“We have a flat. Come on boys, it looks like there’s help just up the drive,” Vinicius smirked, motioning for the other two vampires to follow him.

Vinicius exhaled deeply, invigorated by the fresh blood he’d just pulled from the now-limp girl in his lap. Looking around, he found their new Elder still suckling from a hearty old man—the owner of the vineyard—and Henry looking down at the seemingly-sleeping form of the wife that he’d just drunk from.

With a sharp look to his oldest friend, Vinicius pointed out Gregory’s quickly-approaching error. Eyes narrowed, Henry waited until the last possible moment before sweeping in and yanking the man’s body out of Gregory’s grip, a move which was met with understandable hostility and a hiss of aggression. 

“I wasn’t finished!” Gregory lamented, standing and wobbling a bit as the blood coursed through his veins, shooting straight up to his head. 

“You would have been if you’d kept drinking any longer,” Henry answered, shaking his head. “If you’re lucky, you’ll get a stomach ache. If you’d kept on and tried to drink her dry, you might very well find yourself in the ground next to her…permanently.” He explained. No vampire to his knowledge had ever tried to drain a meal, but the warning had been there as long as he’d been a creature of the night, and Henry wasn’t about to take the risk of finding out when the vampire in question was the head of the Roman coven. 

“Good stock.” Henry commended Vinicius on his choice of victims, both men ignoring Gregory’s silent thoughts regarding how they could wipe out an entire family so easily. It was natural for a young vampire, especially one thrust into such an important position, to question the nature of how they came about their food. While many newly-turned preferred to stick with the donation system, those born before the 1900’s were accustomed to feeding from the source. It was imperative for Gregory to become accustomed to both, especially since he would be parlaying with the heads of other covens, most of whom expected the luxury of a fresh meal whenever meetings were held or visits were made. Though it was still too early to tell, Henry didn’t foresee Gregory’s initial reaction being any sort of hindrance to his rule. 

“Dessert is back at the house, so if you two don’t mind, we’ll be on our way.” Vinicius announced, getting up and all but throwing the poor girl to the ground, stepping over her as one would step over litter on a sidewalk as he made his way to the front door.

Gregory's fidgeting only increased on the way home, his mind filtering through both Vinicius and Henry at the speed of sound, most of them relating to food or his fear of being prosecuted for murder. The two older vampires smiled, both restraining their laughter at the new vampire's paranoia and hunger.

"Don't worry. We're untouchable." Henry smirked, allowing the thought to filter into Gregory’s mind so subtly that it would seem like his own idea. He watched in the fold-down mirror as their new Elder’s anxiety diminished, allowing him to slump back against the seat and actually relax for a moment.

Almost as soon as they arrived, Gregory was accosted by no less than six coven members, all of them offering their fealty in the form of gifts, all of them desperate to get on their new Elder’s good side, lest they incur his wrath. In a flash, he was being made comfortable; fresh blood, warmed to perfection, a luxuriant housecoat and the finest tobacco. Like any new child in a household, he was being spoiled, something which would only make Henry’s job of teaching him that much harder. It was bad enough he had to walk a newly-formed vampire through the ways of his new life; to do it with one who would be ruling over all of Italy for the next 100 years would be near-torture. 

The older he grew, the less patience he had for new vampires. Though he did his best to stay in tune with society and culture as it progressed at faster and faster speeds, having to put up with the endless questions, insatiable hunger, and now the endless fixation for social media would be trying for even the most saintly person. It was one of the many reasons he could never be convinced to sire his own fledglings. 

Finding the whole scene distasteful and feeling a touch jealous of the boy, Henry turned on his heel and headed back out into the night, his mind venturing back to a time not long after his own immortal birth, when he was still ravenous and wild.

Four years had simultaneously been an eternity and a single moment. Through it all, his hunger had never abated. Romans who dared live in the darker recesses, or outside the city gates knew to fear the creature that came unbidden in the night. The one who left nothing but terror and blood in his wake. Prayers were useless, as were offerings. Even sacrifices to the gods did nothing to keep him at bay. 

The hunger ruled his every waking hour and removed any notion of sanity, allowing him to commit unspeakable atrocities to anyone unfortunate enough to be in the domos he entered. He drank five to seven bodies’ worth a night, sometimes more if any of them were particularly small. Man, woman, child; It made no difference. They were all massacred, left in pieces, ripped limb from limb in his blind need for satiation. 

When the high of drinking his fill wore off--and it wore off quickly--Herminius inevitably found himself sickened by what he’d done. Many tears were shed over the corpses of those he’d sent to Charon, a litany of apologies whispered over bits of hair and skin before the hunger invariably took over once more, the ache in his belly unquellable.

Night after night, he scoured his birthplace, looking for those who were already near death’s door, those too feeble to cause a scene when his teeth sank into their flesh. More often than not, their blood did little to satisfy, and he would be forced to find a family of young, healthy, Romans to feast upon. It was a vicious, never-ending cycle that Herminius thought would be nearly impossible to break. At his most desperate, he attempted to end his existence, but not a single method he attempted did anything other than temporarily open his immortal vessel. 

When it became clear that Rome was no longer a safe haven, Herminius wormed his way into the hull of a ship heading for Alexandria. By the time it reached the Pearl of the Mediterranean, he was the sole inhabitant of the vessel. Though he’d learned some restraint on the voyage, being in a new city seemed only to amplify his need for blood.

Herminius had only been in Alexandria a few nights when Caesar’s men--his former brothers--set the port alight, maligning any chance of him returning to his beloved Rome without further risk to his life. His maker had only taught him one lesson, and it was one which made travel nearly impossible for one such as himself:

The sun is your death. 

Homesick and famished, Herminius watched as the library of the great jewel burned along with the port, the vast knowledge turned to mere ash by the carelessness of men he’d once fought alongside of. He wondered if any of his brothers had given any thought to what they were doing or, if like him, they’d thrown themselves headlong into the task with blind fury. Though they were now two very different animals, seeing the glee on their faces eased his guilt some; at the base level, all people were bloodthirsty creatures.

His hunger eased some that night at hearing the cries of anguish from learned men who were forced to watch as their life’s work disappeared before their eyes. By the time the fire was extinguished, nearly half the library had been engulfed, tiny scraps of papyrus floating through the air like the snow in Gaul that had so marveled some of his brothers.

He drank from only one soul that night, that of a young prostitute. Unlike the madness of meals past, where anger and desire coursed through him in equal measure, this time, Herminius sought only to drink and enjoy the nubile woman beneath him. For the first time, he heard the sweet music of pleasure come from his prey, her body writhing, begging him for more. Piercing her neck with his teeth as he pierced her core with his cock, Herminius made the girl sing. Her slim figure trembled in his arms as he slowly drank, fingers pressing her down until he felt the familiar ripple of delight sprint its way up her back. 

She took no note of the blood streaming down her neck as he moved his lips down to her small breast, nipping gently until he found the perfect place once more. Sinking his teeth in brought another moan from the girl, Herminius smiling as he drank what little there was left of her. Her final breath came as he spilled his impotent seed, unlatching from her breast just as she went limp in his arms. 

Setting the girl down, Herminius covered her and quietly slipped out the window, feeling solace for the first time since he himself was bitten.

A few patrons still lingered at Romulus when he entered, and though it was accidental, Henry couldn’t help but feel some satisfaction when his scowl had them all scampering for their belongings, not one of them making eye contact as they headed for the door. 

“Wow, you sure know how to clear a room,” the bartender smirked as she dried a row of shot glasses, unphased by her other customers’ quick exits. 

“It’s a gift,” Henry murmured, taking a seat in front of her, still feeling the barbs of anger pushing into every fiber of his being. 

“Long night?” She asked, ducking her head a bit to try and catch his gaze. Henry finally looked up, feeling the edge begin to dull on his mood as he was met with a warm, open smile. 

“You could say that. Glass of the old stuff with a splash of bourbon, if you please,” Henry requested, jerking his chin towards the wall behind her, pointing at the bottles of Sanguinem that held a place of high regard among the other booze.

“You and your buddies are real fond of this stuff, huh? I’m not sure I get the appeal,” Carla chuckled, shaking her head as she got everything ready to go. 

“There’s a certain…generation of us that grew up having sips of it. It became an old habit.” Henry explained, giving her a wink, his smile growing as he saw a blush flood Carla’s cheeks.

He fell silent as he watched her prepare the drink, intrigued when Carla took a shot of the sanguinem before looking over her ingredients. Eyes narrowed, she chose carefully. Henry was hooked as he watched her light a few Cloves until they smoked, quickly turning what he assumed would be his glass over the smoldering herb and a sprig of Thyme before allowing the glass to cloud with the white plume. In her shaker, she put the sanguinem and his requested shot of bourbon, sprinkling cinnamon on top before shaking it up, knowing better than to add ice, as she’d yet to see any of the patrons who ordered it ask for it on the rocks. Finally, she turned the glass over, quickly pouring the drink into it and trapping the smoke in amongst the alcohol. 

“I present to you, the Caligula. Get it, ‘cause the sanguinem tastes like blood?” She beamed, taking a joking bow before watching Henry take his first sip. 

Before he could even let the liquid touch his tongue, the scene brought him back to the Rome of old, Henry’s eyes closing of their own volition as he drank. Savoring it, he did his best not to swoon, memories of meals past coming back as though he’d just finished them, the flavor bringing back with it memories that actually made him smile. 

When he finally came to, Henry’s expression had softened into one of wonder and appreciation. Staring into Carla’s eyes, he felt something he had felt in ages; attraction. Without allowing his mind to crawl into the decrepit place it usually went when it came to any sort of relationship outside of friendship, Henry let his mouth and heart do the work. 

“Carla,” he read her name tag, “my name is Henry, and you, bellissima, have just created the only way I’ll take this drink for the rest of my life.”

#henry cavill #henry cavill x ofc #sanguine nocturnus #deathonyourtongueoriginals

[mrallnight57-blog]

The Crystal of Mordokia

Chapter 6

Gothic Mirror stood on the second floor, above the stage watching the Punk Rockers, and other members of the Gothic Lights prepare for tonight's event. Suddenly he felt a tap on his shoulder.

    Gothic Mirror didn't like being touched, especially by those he felt were inferior. He slowly turned to the man touching his shoulder, and gave him a stare that showed he greatly disapproved of the man's actions.

    The man tapping his shoulder was one of the Punk Rockers. Gothic Mirror noticed that the name on his jacket said Spin Doctor. When Gothic Mirror began staring at him. The man immediately put his hands up to try and show, he was not there to cause him any trouble.

   "Hey... uh Gothic Mirror was it? I'm not here to start any trouble... I.. I'm just here to ask a couple of questions."

    Gothic Mirror just stared at Spin Doctor in silence. Spin Doctor looked away, and began scratching his head. It was at this point Gothic Mirror realized he needed to say something, or the complete moron was just going to keep standing there, and not say anything. So Gothic Mirror broke his silence. "What? What do you feel you need to ask me?"

     "Oh... uh... thanks." Spin Doctor smiled. He was happy he finally got permission to speak. "So The Disciples aren't going to be playing there music until midnight tonight. What are your plans until then?"

     Gothic Mirror seemed confused by the question. "What do you mean?"

    Spin Doctor began to elaborate. "Well, you don't have any food, also I imagine there probably not going to be any music until the band plays. So I was wondering what you had planned."

    Gothic Mirror stood there puzzled for a moment. "Well I rarely plan events like this."

    Spin Doctor scratched his head again. "Wait. You're a leader of a new religion, and you don't plan events for your followers."

     Gothic Mirror began to get offended. "I'm a very busy man, and I depend on others to get the message out!"

    Spin Doctor backed away. "Dude! I'm trying to help you out here. Look, before I joined the Punk Rockers, I was a dj. Let me get the boys to go out and get some food, and I'll go back to our hide out, and get my music."

    Suddenly Gothic Mirror noticed Mr. Tucker and some teenagers enter the room below. Gothic Mirror then turned back to Spin Doctor. "Okay. Do what you think is best. I have business to tend to."

    "Cool." Spin Doctor smiled. "What kind of music you want. Rock, heavy metal, alternative. I also got some rap and hip hop."

    Gothic Mirror reached out with both hands, and grabbed Spin Doctor by his jacket. "Heavy metal and alternative is fine, but heaven help you if you play any rap or hip hop in this building! If you do, I will have you pissing your pants, and hiding under your bed for the rest of your life!"

    Spin Doctor was shaking. He swallowed hard. "O..okay, well, I will not grab those cds then."

   Gothic Mirror let him go. "Good. Now begone with you." Gothic Mirror began walking towards the stairs, so he could greet Mr. Tucker.

     "Oh yeah! One more thing." Spin Doctor had called out to Gothic Mirror.

    Gothic Mirror was getting agitated. He turned to Spin Doctor and yelled. "What!?!"

    At that moment Gothic Mirror could hear Mr. Tucker telling his guest. "Don't be afraid. Our leader is actually a very kind man."

   Gothic Mirror felt a rush of embarrassment come over him. Normally he could keep his cool, but the stress of the event, and the inoance of being bothered, got the best of him.

     Spin Doctor took a deep breath, and very quickly said, " I just wanted you to know that Rolo was preparing The Disciples dressing room. So that when they got here, they would be comfortable."

     Gothic Mirror was trying to calm down. "Excellent. Tell Rolo thank you for putting me in contact with them." Gothic Mirror then turned, and made his way down the stairs.

    Once Gothic Mirror got down stairs, he began making his way to Mr.Tucker and his students. Once Mr. Tucker spotted him. Mr. Tucker began walking towards him to greet him. "Master it is so great to see you. It's been quite sometime since last we saw each other.

   Gothic Mirror rolled his eyes, they had actually saw each other that morning, during the break at the government lab. In fact the break in had caused Tucker to be late for work.

    Gothic Mirror gave a faint laugh. He was pretending to be happy to see Tucker, but truth be told, he could care less about him, or anyone else for that matter. People were just tools to him, and the moment they lost their usefulness, he throw them out, or dispose of them.

    Gothic Mirror looked over at the students. "I see you brought some fine re...cruits." Gothic Mirror trailed off for a second, because one of the students took him by surprise.

    Gothic Mirror stared at Franklin. He was a little confused by why someone like him would be here. "An African American?"

   Franklin's eyes widen. It was at this point he noticed Gothic Mirror staring a hole through him, and all he could think was. Oh shit! This guy is racist. After a few seconds of awkward silence. Franklin decided to say something. "Um... you can just say black."

    Gothic Mirror gave an awkward laugh, he realized he was freaking the boy out. He also didn't want the boy to think he was racist. Truth be told Gothic Mirror wasn't racist at all, because he hated everyone equally.

    Gothic Mirror smiled at Franklin. "I do want to say, and I mean no disrespect, and I want you to know all is welcome here. I was just taken off guard, because..." Gothic Mirror paused trying to think of a polite way to say what he wanted to say.

    Franklin finally intervened. "I think you're trying to say, you never met a black person interested in the a cult.

    "Exactly!" Gothic Mirror smiled.

    "It's cool man." Franklin said with a smile. "You see,  my boy Matt and I have been friends since kindergarten, and when he started getting into it. I sort of got into it too. I actually hear that shit all the time, my parents hate that I'm into it. They were hoping I would get into basketball, or football instead. So I'm use to people being shocked, that this is what I'm into."

    Gothic Mirror turned to Matt. "Ah so you're the one who has brought this group together. You must be a very wise young man."

    Suddenly Gothic Mirror heard one of the young ladies clear her throat. "Actually I'm the one who brought us together."

   Gothic Mirror stared at the young woman, and under his breath muttered. "Of course it was a woman who brought them together." Gothic Mirror hated young people. Even though he himself was only twenty nine. He felt that he was more wise and mature than people three times his age. Most young people were rude and felt intitled. Which was the biggest reason why he didn't want to deal with them, but he needed them to spread his message.

    

      He also currently wasn't very fond of woman and girls. This was for an entirely different reason, which he didn't want to think about it at this moment.

    Gothic Mirror turned to the young woman who spoke. "And you are?"

    "Samantha!" The girl extended her hand.

     Gothic Mirror stared at her hand for a second before reaching out and gently grabbing the tips of her fingers, giving it one shake and letting it go."

     Samantha looked at her hand to make sure nothing nasty was on. Normally guys couldn't wait to touch her hand, or some part of her body, but for some reason, this guy seemed  to want nothing to do with her. For a second she thought. Maybe this guy is gay.

     Mr. Tucker approached Gothic Mirror and put his arm around him. Gothic Mirror stared coldly at Mr.Tucker as to tell him, that he did not want him to touch him. Mr. Tucker seem to ignore the que, and began whispering in his ear. While pointing at the tallest member of the group. Which happen to be Tim.

     "Look at this young man over here. He be perfect for... Mr. Tucker paused. Then nodded towards Tim. "The plan."

    Gothic Mirror smiled. "Ahh, yes this lad would be perfect."

   This got both Tim and Katey's attention. Mr. Tucker turned to them and said, "Tim tell our wonderful leader about your time playing football."

    Tim was taken a back by the inquiry, and didn't understand why his time in football mattered. "Well, I was middle line backer last year, and I did it, was because my parents forced me. I actually hate football."

    Gothic Mirror removed Mr. Tucker's arm from around his shoulder, and stepped towards Tim. "Yes. I agree. Football is a barbaric sport, but seeing that you are a powerful young man. We could definitely use someone like you."

   Katey was beginning feel uncomfortable, while Samantha fully confirmed to herself, that, yup the man was gay. Katey didn't like how these older men were talking about, and looking at her Timmy. In fact Mr. Tucker just freaked her out in general, and his so called Master, seemed like a scum bag. Katey just couldn't stay silent for any longer. "Hey! Aren't you guys suppose to be showing us a Demon!?!"

     Gothic Mirror and Mr. Tucker looked at each other and laughed. Gothic Mirror then turned back to Katey. "The Demon is not set to appear until after the concert."

   Katey folded her arms. "You know. I'm starting to think you guys are full of shit!"

    Gothic Mirror smiled, then began walking towards Katey. Katey's friends began urging her to calm down. Tim even said, "Babe, be quite. You are going to fuck things up." But before anyone else could say anything. Gothic Mirror was in front of Katey.

    Gothic Mirror smiled, and placed a finger on Katey's temple. She tried to back away, but for some reason she couldn't move. It was like her body completely froze.

   Gothic Mirror leaned in close to Katey and whispered. "You want to see a Demon. I'm going to show you a Demon.

#horror #supernatural #super hero #my writing

[thoughtfullyyoungduck]

No more

A/N: I’m so sorry it took me so to finish this requests, I hope you still like it though! 

Summary: can you do one where Eddie's son gets into a fight to defend Richie?

Myra is a very opinionated person. Matt’s been on the brute end of her opinions more than once, and he’s done his best ever since to refrain from eliciting any argument pertaining his mother ever since. It’s simply easier to smile and nod along to what she says, to hear her words and realize how wrong she is but to still be quiet regardless. His father was the prime example of how to do it, nodding to whatever she was going on about at the moment but not retraining any info while doing so, and Matt’s picked that habit up, but lately he’s been feeling guilty.

Guilty because, in light of everything: his father leaving, him getting admitted to the hospital, him moving away to live with a guy and suddenly coming out as gay and talking about marriage with said guy, Matt still absolutely adores Richie Tozier.

It’s weird, because his mother despises everything about the man, and always has. He remembers watching one of his comedy shows a while before his dad left for Derry, and she had screeched his way to get that vile man of her tv screen and out of her home, stating that she got a sick hunch in the back of her mind whenever she saw his face. As can be expected, Eddie leaving her for him has not helped her see the light of the end of the tunnel for him.

By all accords, Matt should hate Richie Tozier with every fiber of his being. He doesn’t necessary like his mom or support her views, but he still loves her, because she’s his mom. Tozier is part of the reasons she’s hurting now, with her husband leaving her behind while starting a new thing with him. And, if Matt needed more ideas on why to hate him, the newspaper articles about how he murdered somebody was plenty to seal the deal.

Still, when his father had invited him over to go see his new house and meet the new love of his life, a lot more lively and happy, even daring to leave the house in the summer without putting sunscreen on, Matt agreed. His curiosity was peeked and with his phone at the ready to dial 911 at any given time should it be necessary, a cautionary directed to him by his mother, Matt assumed he was prepared to meet Richie.

He was wrong. In spite of all his expectations, Richie was fun, loving and an over the top good person. It was almost ridiculous how terrific he was, to the point where Matt was ashamed to admit to him that he had such bad expectations of him. Richie replied with a simple, ‘just like my parents’, and Eddie, fond but peeved, threatened to throw away his favorite mug and received a kiss on the check as a pardon. Matt decided right then and there, that as long as Tozier made his dad happy, Matt would like him the same.

Once Myra heard about the positive things Matt said about Richie, she promptly cut off all his contact with both his dad and Tozier alike. She justified her actions by saying that she was afraid she was going to lose Matt like she lost Eddie, but failed to understand that she was the one pushing Matt away by implementing all of her fanatic rules.

She obtains these crazy laws, as if she in any way could change the way Matt perceives things by simply by ordering him. She’s completely held in the dark, and has no idea that every day after school Matt makes a pit stop to hang around his dad and occasionally Richie. Those times are fun, but Matt misses Eddie more than anything, and he’s tired of having to keep his visit short and fleeting. He’s tried to talk to Myra about it, but she trampled all over him off before Matt even had time to debate his arguments.

He’s desperate for more time with his dad, who suggested Matt come live with him for a while, but he also feels weirdly guilty towards his mom at even the abstract idea that he would accept. She’s got no one besides her own son, and so he bears a big amount of responsibility towards her. He doesn’t mind the task, though he’s also not fond of it, but he had hoped there would be some sort of balance between his parents. That doesn’t see possible anymore, not with the way Myra’s been blocking Eddie’s attempts at conversing.

The metaphorical bomb shell, the destruction of the carefully planned strategy Matt used to keep his parents affairs separated, explodes on the day Matt tells her he’s going to spend an evening with Richie and Eddie. He tells her he’s going, he doesn’t ask, because if he posed it as a question, Myra would never allow him to go.

Still, the first thing that comes out of Myra’s moth is a very firm no, followed by a threat that she’ll take Matt’s cellphone away if he doesn’t listen. After Matt rebels against her, by stating that it’s technically not up to her, she shoves her chair back, picking up their plates aggressively and practically throwing them in the dishwasher. Matt follows her.

‘Mom stop. I haven’t ever held anything you said about dad against you, so why can’t you do the same for me? I’m okay with Richie being around, but that doesn’t mean I love you any less.’

‘How can you love me and still hang around those… those pigs that did this to me? Do you have any idea how hard this has been on me? I’ve got one less paycheck coming in, and I still have a whole lot of mouths to feed, my friends are gossiping about me and I can’t go into any room without it reminding you of your father. And it’s all Richie Tozier’s fault.’

‘No it’s not mom,’ Matt spits in a brief moment of exponential anger. He diminishes at once, ashamed that he spoke to his mother in that way. ‘I’m sorry’, he explains before his mother’s resentment can be misplaced onto him. ‘But it’s not his fault, he would never do anything to hurt dad. And dad wouldn’t have left if he didn’t want too. You know how he is.’

‘I thought I did, and I thought I knew you. I was sorely mistaken. This isn’t a time for to hang around someone who is mentally your age. I’m sure Tozier is very friendly around you and allows you to do anything you want, but that’s nothing but a ploy to get you on their side.’

She paces towards the fire mantel, blowing out a candle she lit before lunch. Clearly, she does this as another way to state that the conversation is over, but she can’t help herself but to throw more shade Eddie’s way.

‘If your father wasn’t so clouded in his judgment, he would realize that he’s still allowed to visit you. In our home, without that filthy man, but he’s not. Because of that, you need to choose, and you need to choose right now. A stranger or your own mother.’

‘You can’t do that mom, that’s not fair.’

She swivels on her heels with her nose high up in the air, dismayed at Matt contrary comments to her. ‘Then I guess you have made your choice.’

‘Mom,’ Matt calls out to her, ushering no other signs for her to halt her movements. He wouldn’t even know what to say anyway. Her mind is already made up, there is no room for both her and Richie in Matt’s life.

For once in his life, Matt fights against the urge to run after his mother and pamper to her needs. He doesn’t go up and apologizes, and he also doesn’t call to cancel the outing. He’s old enough to decide for his himself the type of people he associates with, and for once, it won’t be him that backs down from an argument.

He writes her a quick message on his phone, hurrying over to the front door so she won’t be able to stop him if she tried, and slips out quietly. Outside, Richie and his dad are already waiting for him, and once they see him, they wave excitedly like a bunch of kids. Matt shoulders sage, his worried cease to exist for the rest of the day, because he’s sure Eddie will never bring up problems with his mom up in front of him.

Eddie playful slaps Richie’s hand away, but instead of the later reciprocating, he leans in and kisses Eddie’s check. Matt rolls his eyes, but he can’t help the playful smile tugging on his lips. The fight with his mom will continue to nag at him until they make up, but he’s not regretful for sticking up for Richie and his dad, and that sense of rightness isn’t something that he’s had many times before.

#reddie #reddie imagine #eddie kaspbrak imagine #reddie as parents #eddie as a dad #richie as a parent #technically #Myra Kaspbrak #eddie x son #My writing #This is primarily between Myra and her child I guess

[lambourngb]

"Explain the tearaway pants again?"

“you can stay afraid ( or slit the throat of fear and be brave)” - title from Gang of Youths, and that’s all @haloud ‘s fault.

“Explain the tearaway pants again?” Alex asked, picking up the soft, shiny fabric from the box with an incredulous look to Kyle. Of all things he would have predicted as a birthday gift from Kyle, tearaway stripper pants was on the last page of the book, right before a father-son vacation voucher. 

Which he had also received, as a birthday gift from Eric, his latest and most recent now ex-boyfriend. His heart was in the right place, since Alex did say he was estranged from his dad, and well-meaning but ignorant Eric, who called his parents daily, thought a trip to baseball parks would help.

It was hard to explain to anyone he dated that when he said he wasn’t close with Jesse Manes, that it wasn’t just parental tension over his sexuality that could be eased with more talking. How do you say to someone that your dad didn’t just hate his sexuality but had attacked and maimed a teenager over it. That even drugged up with Alex waving a white flag of surrender, even faked as it was, his father had shut down any mention or acknowledgment of who Alex was. 

It was just easier to say that he and his dad did not see eye-to-eye and that it was unlikely to change. Alex had that weird thought that people, even alien shaped people, should be treated with dignity and not eradicated from the earth. There was no common ground to be found over genocide.

“I thought on the weekends, when you were wearing the prosthesis, you might find some use in easy to remove pants if you had your boyfriend over.” Kyle smiled, and moved to show him the tearaway seams that were cleverly hidden. “You told me that sometimes the mood fizzled because of getting undressed-”

“Ah,” Alex acknowledged, looking down at the box again. Another small white lie was coming back to bite him. It was true, getting undressed with someone new, was an ordeal. Forrest had handled it the best, outside of Michael, knowing just when to offer help and just when to back the hell off, but ultimately the secrets and running off because of a text about alien nonsense wore thin with him. After Forrest, he gave up on trying for a deeper relationship considering the number of secrets he guarded and went back to using a dating app which resulted in a few less-than-desirable responses to his leg.

Blaming the fizzle, on his awkward way of undressing, to Kyle was easier than mentioning that some guys lost their interest when the theoretical knowledge of his amputation became factual.

“You hate them.” Kyle reached for the box, which Alex tightened his grip on stubbornly.

“No, these are great and thoughtful, thank you. I was just thinking about the fact, I ah, Eric and I broke up today.”

“What?! Seriously?” Kyle glanced around Alex’s house with a clenched fist, as if he was waiting to see Eric appear, so he could fight him. “That dick broke up with you on your birthday? I never liked that douche.”

Alex smiled weakly, “You thought Eric was great, don’t lie.”

“I thought he was great because he didn’t act weird about your friendship with Guerin, and he’s one of the best scrub nurses in the OR but if he broke up with you on your birthday-”

“Okay well no need for workplace awkwardness, I broke up with him. In fact, you should probably take his side.” Alex gathered the wrapping paper to ball it up, and stood up to head into his kitchen, with Kyle following on his heels. He lifted the trash can lid, picking up the trip voucher on top to hand over to Kyle before disposing of the colored paper. “It’s not his fault, he is just probably too idealistic about the world for my taste.”

“Jesus, a father-son bonding trip? Yeah, no.” Kyle shook his head, before leaning against the countertop and studying Alex intently. “I don’t blame you for dumping him, I mean, you told him about how your dad treated you right?”

Once upon a time, to keep Kyle from demonizing Jim Valenti, the only man who was ever kind to Alex, he had revealed the extent of the abuse he suffered growing up. He never imagined that Kyle would end up being a part of his daily orbit, so it was at the time, a safe admission. The only reason he had any sort of comfort around Kyle now was he knew that Kyle had his own reasons for hating Jesse Manes. The support he received wasn’t pity, it was shared pain. Kyle understood, and of course Michael understood, but the rest of the world? He couldn’t trust it.

There were days when he wished he had been able to conceal the truth from Maria as a kid.

“My dad is a level of evil that approaches comic-book villain. It’s hard to come up with the vocabulary to explain it. It’s definitely not first date ground to cover.” 

“You could just say what you said to me, that he was an abusive, homophobic dick.”

“I tried that actually, with Matt, but his dad is Army, so he thought I was just talking about typical macho man bullshit. His dad called him a fairy and won’t pick up the phone when he called his mom, but he’d never tried to kill him for being gay.” Alex rubbed at his forehead, and shrugged dismissively, “even if I could explain it, there’s still alien bullshit to worry about. Forrest couldn’t deal with my secrets, so…”

“Now that, my friend, we can commiserate over. Even if Stef understood my friendship with Liz, she was less supportive of running out on her to answer Isobel Evans' every little call. As Rosa calls it, those bitch ass aliens, strike again.” Kyle picked up his half-empty beer from the counter to clink against Alex’s in solidarity.

Later, after Kyle was gone, Alex wandered out to his patio to light a fire. Despite the voucher from the now ex Eric and the funny gift from Kyle, his birthday had gone well. Maria had treated him to an amp for his sound setup, an expensive gift had it been new, but this one was reconditioned by Guerin. Liz and Max had treated him to lunch at the Crashdown with a four show pass at the local concert hall. Rosa had baked a gourmet cake, and even Isobel had dropped off a bottle of expensive scotch. 

Though it hadn’t worked out, Forrest had texted a nice birthday message along with an invitation to join a group of his friends for an antique market trip to Santa Fe. 

Alex tipped his head back in his chair, listening to the crackle of the firewood settling in the pit and finally allowed himself to think about Michael, or more specifically the absence of Michael today. It was pressing on a bruise, to consider the gift from Maria might actually have been a joint gift. He didn’t think they had gotten back together again, but he wasn’t sure.

The gap in knowledge about Maria warred with the feeling that maybe Michael had forgotten, and it ached. He wasn’t sure which hurt more. 

His phone vibrated against his leg. Alex placed his beer on the ground next to his chair and opened the notification. It was his security system letting him know that someone had pulled up to the front of the house. His heart thumped painfully but hopefully as he recognized Michael’s truck.

Sitting with his back to the gate made him itch in anticipation but not fear as he heard the crunch of Michael’s boots against the gravel. “You’re late.”

“Yeah, sorry. Um, happy birthday” Michael replied as he closed the distance in the dark to Alex’s chair. He threw himself into the chair gracelessly, before picking up his phone to check the time, “I’m not too late am I? This says it’s after midnight.”

Shivering a little, even though it was warm, Alex took a sip of his beer. “You’re never too late, Michael.”

The words settled between them, weighty and revealing. Alex immediately wanted to take them back. That was too truthful. Perhaps he was getting maudlin because of his birthday, but having Michael, someone who knew him inside and out, after a day of feeling just out of step with everyone else, was a balm on his heart.

Michael placed his hat next to them on the patio, glancing back toward the house with a sympathetic glance. “I figured. And um, I heard from Valenti about Eric, so, I thought you might not turn me away if I showed up.”

“Is that why you’re here?” Alex took another long swallow, staring into the flames, as the previous comfort of Michael’s presence faded. Not a pity visit. He couldn’t take that. Not daring to look at Michael because seeing his profile lit up by the firelight always did things to Alex’s heart, he finished his beer. Things he was still working on letting go of for his own good. “I’m fine, it wasn’t serious with Eric.”

“I’m glad you’re fine, but that’s not why I’m here.” 

There was a rustle of paper that caught Alex’s attention, and as he finally turned to face Michael, he froze. There was a folder in Michael’s hand. He couldn’t help but remember the recent past, where the cover of a folder barely covered the horrors of within. It was always gruesome intake forms or grisly after action reports that gleefully detailed the murder of civilians and the incarceration of aliens.

Michael shook the folder gently, “go on, it’s not gonna bite.”

Pressing his lips together in resignation, Alex reached for the folder. As rocky as things had been in the past, he was certain Michael wouldn’t try to hurt him on his birthday. It wasn’t his fault that Alex was a pessimist. Flipping open the manila cover, he paused again. His eyes roved down a list of names and numbers, along with a familiar family name.

“That’s my grandmother’s name,” Alex furrowed his brow in confusion looking over to Michael, as he leaned forward in happy anticipation.

“So last year, remember how I went to Texas with Max,” Michael began, and paused at the pained expression on Alex’s face. Right, it was unlikely that the beginning of Maria’s feelings had been forgotten. “Dumb question, okay well, we met an old woman from the Mescalero Res and her granddaughter. They were practicing some fake faith healing con game, which kinda pissed me off, until I realized the props they used were drawn from a visitor they had.”

“A visitor?”

“Yeah, they used lights to make their hand glow when they healed. She described a woman who lived there, and never spoke but had that ability. I drove there last month to ask her more about it. It turns out this woman was introduced to the tribe by your grandmother.” Michael smiled broadly, his fingers tapping with impatient energy. “So I went to the Diné people to ask about her. I know she’s passed on, but she left stories. An oral history. Err, they didn’t want to talk to me, being a white guy, but after I fixed just about every car on the Res-”

“That’s where you’ve been every weekend?”

Michael looked pleased, “You noticed?”

Caught out by just how aware he was of Michael’s movements, Alex gestured, “That’s not important, um keep going with your story.”

Still looking pleased, Michael picked up his tale, “So after I fixed every piece of shit car, every finicky generator, and promised that I would only repeat this to another member of the People, they told me what happened. Your grandmother and great-grandmother ran a sort of underground network for women in trouble. One night, in 1947, a group of ...visitors found her and her mom on the side of the road. They were waiting for supplies, from a sympathetic doctor.”

“Wait,” Alex stuttered, looking down at the list of names and numbers. “Are you saying-”

“They saved ten crash survivors that night, and scattered them to other tribes for safety.” Michael reached over to tap the paper, “I have no idea where they went, that’s still a secret to me, but… some of my people lived, free. Because of your family.”

Overwhelmed, Alex squeezed his eyes shut tightly. It was no use, he could feel the tears spilling out rebelliously down his cheeks, as he sucked in an unsteady breath. The weight of his name, of the evil done by his father, was still there, but now there was a counter-balance. Harshly Alex gasped for another breath, shuddering as a sob broke through his control.

“Sweetheart, oh god, I didn’t mean to make you cry-” Michael murmured, distraught as he shifted closer, placing a tentative hand on Alex’s shoulder. The simple touch unleashed what shaky hold on control Alex had, as he collapsed into Michael’s arms. Without hesitation, Michael pulled Alex into his embrace, letting him shake in the safe confines of his strength.

The poison that Alex had felt, writhing under his skin, from as long as he could remember was slowly being lanced and drained. It didn’t matter that Michael had never blamed Alex for his family, no words could touch that reservoir of toxin inside him that marked him a Manes Man. Only actions could. 

On the day celebrating his birth, Alex could finally feel peace regarding the blood in his veins.

“I’m sorry, I should have let you know I was looking into your family after Arizona’s grandmother mentioned it. I was going to, if my campaign of fixin’ shit didn’t work, ‘cause you’re a member, they would have talked to you, I just wanted to give you some good info. But if I crossed the line, I’m sorry-”

Alex silenced Michael’s apologies with his lips.

His action halted Michael for a moment, before he groaned against Alex’s lips and deepened the kiss hungrily. His hands came up to cup Alex’s skull gently even as he increased his efforts of climbing into Alex’s skin through the sheer connection of the kiss. Long moments passed as Alex bit gently before diving into the silky heat of Michael’s mouth.

The need for oxygen won at last over his other instincts and reluctantly Alex broke the kiss. He kept his forehead pressed against Michael’s as they traded deep breaths in the silence. Closing his eyes, Alex spoke quietly, “If *I* crossed a line just then-”

“You didn’t, as long as you’re not sorry.”

Looking up at Michael’s dark, still slightly stunned eyes, Alex smiled weakly, “I’m not, but I admit, I didn’t see this happening. With you. I thought you didn’t want to go down this road again.”

Michael reached up, combing his fingers through Alex’s soft, growing dark locks gently. “I don’t want to go down the *same* road, but I was hopin’ we might find a different path. And full disclosure, we’re kinda ahead of my plans. I didn’t think you were gonna dump Eric today-”

Huffing a soft laugh, Alex replied wryly, “I wasn’t planning on it, but he thought my dad and I could patch things up by going to Wrigley Field together. He bought me a Field of Dreams-themed trip for me and dear old dad.”

“What. The. Fuck.” Michael blinked a few times, clearly running the words through his mind for meaning. “For one thing, you don’t even like baseball, and for another, your dad is a homophobic murdering psychopath.”

Alex burst out laughing at the offense in Michael’s voice. Pieces slotted into place, knowing that Michael understood not just on a theoretical level, but a deeply personal level just how fucked that suggestion was about Jesse. “God, you’re right, I hate baseball.”

He captured Michael’s hand, still stroking through his hair, and pressed a soft kiss on his rough calloused palm. Hands that had spent weeks working tirelessly for free just to get Alex some answers and peace about where he came from and who he was. A fresh burn of tears threatened as he thought about the effort Michael had expended.

“More tears?” Michael remarked softly, feeling the wet brush of Alex’s eyelashes against his hand. 

“Happy tears.” Alex straightened and got to his feet, holding onto Michael’s hand. He cast a considering eye on the fire, deciding it had burned down low enough to install the fire pit cover. Rubbing his thumb against the silky seam of his pants, he tugged Michael toward the house, “So Kyle got me these pants for my birthday, and they were the second best present I had today.” His smile turned wicked as he led the way toward the bedroom with confidence, “I would really like to show you how they work, if you’re interested...”

#malex fic #andrea-lyn #malex #roswell new mexico #clings to well adjusted future malex #malex trash here #sunday fluff #malex is endgame

[kafka-ish]

how to be a heartbreaker | b.d.

y/n wants to get her crush to notice her but she has no idea how. luckily, beverly comes to her with some valuable advice.

word count: 2,845

warnings: fem!reader

request: (from anonymous) “hiii! could i request a fic for bill denbrough where the reader is very flirty with everyone in the losers club and bill is flustered whenever she flirts with him? i was thinking that w/n could be like the female richie just more tame haha. ty!”

a/n: i was so excited to receive this request as it was my first one !! i hope i did it justice. 

-

y/n didn’t always wear tight tops and make cheeky comments. 

That’s why Bill was so surprised when she arrived at the quarry in a skirt so short, he could the lace peeking from her underwear when she bent down, and a smart mouth almost identical to Richie’s. But Bev smirked to herself as she watched the scene unfold, remembering how y/n had come to her last weekend, asking for help. 

“Who do you like?” Beverly’s question was innocent, yet somehow it managed to make y/n’s skin crawl and her throat turn to cotton. 

“What makes you think I like anyone?” y/n’s fingers absentmindedly began to pick at the purple comforter neatly draped across the twin sized bed she was perched on. 

“Can I guess?” Beverly ignored y/n’s previous statement and eagerly began listing names. “Is it Matt from gym? Or Cameron from chemistry? If you like Cameron I can see why... That blond hair and smirk can really do things to a girl.” 

“No.” y/n laughed at her friend’s guesses; more so at how far off she was. “It’s neither of them.”

“Then who is it?” Beverly turned around in the vanity chair she was sitting in, in order to get a better read on y/n’s features. That’s when y/n knew her friend was persistent on learning her crush. 

“It’s Bill.” The words left y/n’s mouth in a whisper, but Beverly didn’t need her friend to repeat herself to pick up on what she was saying. 

“Bill Denbrough?” Bev’s voice raised an octave. “Why haven’t you made a move yet? You see him practically everyday!”

“Well, I...” y/n took a moment to readjust herself. She stretched out on Beverly’s bed; each limb reaching each corner of the mattress. She stared at the ceiling which was covered in glow in the dark sticky stars. They’d been there since Beverly was five. She had intentions of removing them, but the adhesive stuck horribly. Beverly also didn’t want to risk ruining part of the building’s architecture since her family was renting it out. And if she did, her dad would do more things than just yell at her. 

“You what?” 

“How am I supposed to make a move?” y/n groaned. Beverly could tell this was something that upset her. “I freak out whenever I’m left alone with him. Hell, even when I’m just sitting next to him. I can’t find the right words to say... Or any words for that matter.”

“You and Bill have that in common,” Beverly said. It was a cheap shot at Bill’s stutter. But she should’ve known y/n was above laughing at something her crush couldn’t control. “Why don’t you just feign confidence?” Beverly’s helpful for once suggestion became of interest to y/n. 

“What do you mean?” 

“Richie does it all the time.” y/n heard a snort coming from the other side of the room. “Just... You know, pretend.” 

“How am I supposed to conjure up some alter ego if I can’t even conjure up some simple hello.” Of course y/n was a skeptic to the idea. But it wouldn’t hurt to try, right?

“That’s exactly why you need to do this!” Beverly countered. She couldn’t seem to contain her excitement at the thought of playing matchmaker with her friends. “We can start with a new wardrobe.” Beverly jumped into bed with y/n and her eyes trailed down to the girl’s figure. She was silently judging her friend’s outfit and y/n didn’t know if she should feel offended or uncomfortable. “We’ll go shopping tomorrow.” 

Their shopping haul consisted of mainly crop tops, skinny jeans, and some of the shortest skirts y/n’s ever seen. Beverly picked out a blue ruffled skirt that barely covered her butt when she leaned over and a plain white crop top to match. 

“You have to wear that when we all go to the quarry!” Beverly said over the phone (it was more of an order than a friendly opinion). 

Nonetheless, she did.

y/n was the last to show up at the quarry; wanting to make a big entrance. It was big alright. She greeted every one of the boys with a kiss on the cheek and a grin wide enough to stick an orange slice in.

“It’s been so long, you guys!” Only enthusiasm could be detected from her voice. y/n sat down on a rock next to Eddie and ruffled his hair which he quickly patted down afterwards. 

“It’s only been a day,” Stan deadpanned. But who was he to burst the bubble of newfound elation coming from his usually reserved friend? 

“A day that’s been far too long!” Her eyes playfully rolled to the back of her head and she leaned forward to boop Stan on the nose. “So, are we getting in the water or what?” She stood up, allowing for a showcase of her long legs and started to strip. 

“You got that right, doll.” Richie whistled as y/n’s shirt hit the ground. Off came his shirt, too; the rest of the Losers following suit. 

y/n was the first to make a splash. She cannon-balled into the water, giving the boys a full view. A second whistle was about to reach Richie’s lips, but Bill stopped him. 

“Yo-you know, in uh-other places th-that’d be illegal.” His tongue stuck on the “L” sound in illegal for a while. 

“Good zing we arrren’t in other places.” Richie had been trying out his new “comrade” accent for the past week but no one else in the group except him was impressed. Bill, especially, was not impressed and shoved Richie into the water. “I’ll get you for this!” He yelled immediately after being able to come up for air. Though Bill couldn’t hear him. He was already already making his debut into the water. 

“Hey cutie,” y/n said, swimming up from behind him as he landed. He was taken aback at the words that had left her mouth and frankly so was she. 

“H-hi, y/n.” Goosebumps materialized on his arms, legs, and chest, and Bill didn’t know if it was because of how cold the water felt, or the recent effect y/n had on him. 

y/n giggled at the sound of her name coming from his mouth. “Be my chicken partner? You’re the only one strong enough I can think of.” She purposely avoided his gaze. In fact, she looked everywhere but at him. 

“I-if yo-you wuh-want.” Bill’s stutter had gotten notably worse and he wanted to curse himself for it. Would he seriously let almost four years of speech therapy go to waste just because of a pretty girl?

“Oh, I definitely want.” y/n’s eyes thoughtfully roamed Bill’s bare chest which he suddenly grew conscious of. Her fingers traced his collarbone and traveled down to his bicep. “I just remembered.” Her hand pulled away and she met his eyes. His blue eyes that she could get lost in for all eternity if she weren’t careful. “I need to go.” y/n didn’t honestly have to go—rather, the advice Bev had given her earlier parroted itself in her head:

Don’t be afraid to go all in. But always leave him wanting more. 

Leave him wanting more. 

y/n gave him a half smile before making her way towards the rocks. 

Bill watched as she did. The sun’s light reflected against her slicked hair in the most alluring manner. She somehow managed to make walking through water graceful. Bill’s eyes stuck to her figure until it disappeared. His trance soon broken by the sound of Eddie’s cries and the feeling of cold water dousing his back. 

“You were great today!” y/n smiled at Beverly’s voice from over the phone. She was sitting on her bed. One hand was holding the phone to her ear while the other was twirling a finger around the cord connecting the receiver piece to the landline. 

“You really think so?” A new feeling had begun to rise in her chest. Cockiness? Pride? Accomplishment? Whatever it was, it felt good. 

“Well, Bill couldn’t seem to keep his eyes off you, could he?” And y/n didn’t have to see Beverly’s face to know she was raising her eyebrows because the tone of her voice already gave it away. 

“I guess not..” 

“Why don’t we all meet for dinner tomorrow?” Bev suggested. It wasn’t really a suggestion, though. It was more like an ‘I’m-telling-you-this-now-and-I’ll-tell-the-losers-after-we’re-done-talking’ sort of thing. 

“Sure,” y/n agreed, because she knew it was useless to try and stop Beverly—she was too far ahead of herself.

“Great!” The busy tone then rung in y/n’s ear, indicating that Bev had hung up. 

Thus, allowing her to be the blame when y/n showed up to Derry’s local diner in a strappy plaid dress and enough attitude for the whole table. 

“Oh, baby!” Richie grinned at the sight of their friend finally coming out of her shell. “You didn’t get all purty for me, did ya?” 

“You wish, trashmouth,” y/n said, taking a seat next to a now shuddering Bill. “Hey, Billy!” Unexpectedly, the girl threw her arms around the boy, wrapping him in an embrace tighter than she was willing to admit. 

Bill opened his mouth, about to say something, only to close it again. The words were caught in the back of his throat and it didn’t help when the sweet scent of her floral perfume reached his nose, leaving him lost in any contagious thoughts of her that he’d unconsciously dreamed of before. 

She withdrew from him, prompting a harsh swallow from Bill. 

“Cat got your tongue?” No matter how much she wanted to, she didn’t let herself  wait long enough for an answer. Abruptly, she broke eye contact and settled on Ben for the time being. 

In a voice higher than normal, y/n had told him he was the best writer in their grade—something Bill found himself strangely jealous hearing. “My parents said I need an English tutor...” In one hand, she swirled her root beer with a straw. Her other hand was holding up her head that rested on it. “I was wondering if you’d be mine?” 

“Wow. Yeah, y/n, I’d love to help!” Ben said with a little too much pep in his step. 

“That’s awesome!” They'd settled on the library to meet up at the next day, but oddly enough Ben wasn’t there. 

Bill was. 

“What-what are you doing here?” It was hard for y/n to try and keep her cool. Especially when the boy whom she was harboring a crush for was standing right in front of her in place of her supposed-to-be English tutor. 

“I’m tuh-tutoring yo-you in En-engl-hish. Of cour-course.” He seriously needed to get a grip on that stutter of his. It was no use, as he could even feel his thoughts stammering against each other. 

“No, Ben’s my tutor,” y/n corrected as she sat her book bag down on the library desk. She riffled through the mess of folders stacked in her bag; an ‘aha’ noise inadvertently leaving her mouth once she found the red one marked ‘English’. “Where is Ben?” It became increasingly harder to keep up the act Beverly had helped her come up with. It grew much more apparent to y/n that it was easier to flirt with friends—not someone she had a full blown crush on. 

“He, uh, he cou-couldn’t mm-muh-make it.” So what if Bill had lied? So what if Bill had told Ben that he didn’t need to go to the library anymore as he took his place instead? 

“Hey Bill!” Ben had just gotten done trading out his History book for his Pre-Calculus one.

Bill was standing right next to his friend’s locker—how Ben hadn’t seen him walking up remained a mystery. 

“What’s up?” 

“y/n tuh-told me that she-she didn’t need an English tutor an-any...anymore.” 

“Huh.” Ben chewed the dead skin on his lip before he continued. “y/n told you this?” 

“Ye-yeah.” Bill nodded his head in order to seem convincing. “Since sh-she doesn’t have any class-classes with you, she wuh-wanted mm-me to tell you.” 

It was a dirty trick and even Bill didn’t know what came over him when he decided to play the lying game. 

y/n didn’t say anything. She only sat down and begun to organize her pencils. 

“Is-s th-that okay?” A surge of nervousness pumped through his veins while he posed the question. He looked down at y/n who was still quiet. 

“Oh, so you think you’re good at English?” y/n raised her eyebrow. She’d finally plucked up enough courage to put on her alter ego and face Bill. 

“I nuh-know I’m guh-good at English. A-according to mm-my tuh-teachers. Str-straight A’s.” He eventually took a seat next to her. It gave y/n a case of the jitters she’d force herself to get over. 

“Well, if that’s the case...” y/n leaned closer into Bill’s side. Her shoulder brushed against his in a feather light touch. “Teach me everything you know.” 

Bill felt himself beginning to choke on his spit. Ever since that day at the quarry, y/n had started acting different.  For one, she actually talked to him. She also traded her regular mom jeans for skirts and graphic tees for tank tops; clothes that showed the most skin. It took him a solid minute before he could clear his throat and begin to explain the differences between a run-on sentence and a comma splice. 

“I have to ask you something.” y/n stopped him in the middle of his explanation of different clauses. 

Bill looked up from the paper he was using to demonstrate. His eyes dwelled into hers. He knew where this conversation was leading to, and for the record, he didn’t necessarily want to go there. “Wuh-what is i-it?” 

“Did Ben really call this off?” He knew at least some variation of those words were going to come out of her mouth. “It just seems unlike him. And we see each other at lunch—”

“Act-actually...” Bill heaved a sigh, unwilling to reveal what had really happened. But it would be for the best, right?

Bill missed how the perpetual softness of her features had developed into a sort of smug look that y/n wouldn’t usually sport. “Bill...” Her hand reached up to cup his face. “If you had something to do with it, I wouldn’t be mad.” He didn’t realize her delicate fingers were carding through his auburn hair up until she pulled away. 

At this point, so many sensations swept through his insides. If a butterfly had flown out rather than actual words, Bill would only try to find out what species it was. 

“What.” He stopped to exhale. “Wha-what muh-makes you thi-think I had... had something to-to do with—” 

“Just a girl’s intuition.” y/n seemed serious for a second and Bill couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “I’m kidding, duh. I got a text halfway through our study sesh.” She took out her Nokia to show him. 

Bill told me about cancelling our sessiom. Good luck in engkish. 

A chuckle tumbled from his lips, noting the obvious typos. “Fo-for a guh-guy wh-who was goin-gonna tu-tutor you.. he ca-can’t spell for sh-sh-shit.” 

y/n’s head fell back and she lost control of her body momentarily as laughter consumed her. Bill could tell she gained control again when she turned to him once more. Silently, she waited for an answer. 

“So... so wuh-what i-if I de-did.” 

“If you did, then, I’d think you conned Haystack out of an opportunity to teach me,” she said, her voice all sing-songy. She instantly noticed Bill’s frown—how he looked down in a sort of shameful way. “I’d also say you were pretty good company.” 

“Really?” Bill’s incredulous mood had egged y/n on even further. 

“Obviously. Who wouldn’t want to hang out with a total dreamboat like you?” She jabbed at his stomach. Bill would normally flinch at this, but his mind was too busy analyzing what she just said. 

“Dr-dreamboat?” His thick eyebrows drew together. Suspect crossed his face. 

“You heard me, Denbrough.” y/n cocked her head to the side. She shifted closer to him- that is, if she could be any closer. 

He tried to speak but all that came out were a bunch of incoherent stutters.

“Shut up.” She thought of pressing her finger to his mouth, but an idea even better sparked in her mind. 

y/n forced a quick kiss onto his lips. She didn’t stay that long; not giving him the chance to kiss back. She was met with his eyes closed and his lips left in a gathered state after parting. 

“Wowo-woah.” Bill sighed, opening his eyes. His already pink lips were stained a slight red from the lipstick that colored y/n’s own. 

“Was I good?” y/n’s alter ego had completely left her body at this point. Her previously shy and hesitant self was now fleshed out perfectly for Bill to see. 

Bill shrugged before pulling her in for another kiss. This time it was long and slow. This time Bill had the chance to kiss back. 

“Ye-yeah.” His expression was kind. “Amazing.” 

#it 2017 #it 2019 #it chapter 1 #it chapter 2 #it x reader #it imagine #it fanfic #it fic #bill denbrough #bill denbrough x reader #bill denbrough imagine #bill denbrough fanfiction #bill denbrough fic #bill denbrough fanfic #bill denbrough fluff

[dammitadolfnomorecake]

Once Bitten, Twice Stupid prt 206

206

Keith did not enjoy seeing Lotor again. He didn’t think it possible that the amount of annoyance he felt for the man was actual, until he saw his face again. Hair pulled back. Ridiculous purple and blue suit. Ridiculous blue leather shoes. One look at him and he wanted to kill Lotor. He wanted to kill him, but for a bastard, he was a nimble bastard.

Laying on the floor of the training room, Keith’s chest heaved as he fought to catch his breath. They were “playing” tag. Coran recording each session to monitor Keith’s growth. So far the only thing that had grown with these stupid session was Keith’s bank account. He couldn’t catch Lotor, and he couldn’t turn into a damn werewolf. He could catch up to Lotor, then as if by magic, Lotor would be out of his grasp again. Surely if Keith was meant to learning how to live, move, and think, like a werewolf, a werewolf teacher would have been better? Matt had been in a huff over someone else teaching him, but he didn’t have time between being head over heels for Rieva and working at Hunk’s dad’s garage. Rieva had the time, but didn’t have the right words. She’d tried to talk him through grasping his ego and letting the shift happen. It hadn’t happened.

“Get up. Let’s go again”

Rolling his eyes at Lotor, Lotor could go again. He could go and keep going. Keith might even drag himself up off the floor to get the door for Lotor on the way out

“Fuck off. You stick and you make a lousy partner”

Lance smelled like “good death”. Lotor smelt like fish left in the sun to rot in a plastic bag, then someone had come along and poked a hole in it

“The little werewolf all out of bark. Maybe I’ll take it on myself to show Lance how nice it is to be around a fellow vampire rather than a flea riddled mongrel”

Snarling at Lotor, Keith wished he didn’t bite every time Lotor baited him. The vampire had asked how Lance was, Keith had told promised him that he’d kill him if ever did again. Forcing himself up, the werewolf reminded himself that this was all for Lance and buying Lance the engagement ring of his dreams. The physical exercise bit felt good, his body felt good for now active he’d been, yet Lotor couldn’t let him have that... Noooo. He was “too slow”. He couldn’t go any faster than the limits he’d been hitting. He gladly would if he could. Lotor’s throat would feel so nice between his teeth. He, and his ego, hated Lotor with so much passion that Keith truly expected his inner wolf to break free.

“It’s obvious to anyone who looks at you that you’re nothing more than a rotting sack of meat and bones. We should have killed you when we had the chance”

Lotor laughed, Keith not amused as he’d been deathly serious. His nails long, teeth extended, and he knew he was pulling his “scary face”

“You wound me, Keith. Do you really hate me, or are you simply jealous that I could snatch your life away before you even blinked”

“A piece of shit like you who values nothing could never understand”

“Says the turned runt who can’t lay a finger on me. I must say, you are lacking in every single point in your personality. You must be a hell of a fuck, for I no other reason for Lance to keep his pet dog around”

Lotor could rile him up, but the moment he mentioned Lance, he crossed the damn line. Snarling, he locked his gaze on Lotor, chest heaving as rage threatened to boil his blood

“I’m going kill you. I’m going to sink my teeth into your throat and enjoy the blood running down my throat”

“You have to catch me first”

*

Lance scrubbed his face tiredly as he watched Keith and Lotor on the camera feed. The pair were as bad as each other, and reminded him painfully of his training with Lotor. Lotor was an expert at exploiting a persons weakness

“Have they been like this for the whole week?”

“Indeed they have, my boy. Lotor refuses to rein his ego in, constantly provoking Keith until he loses his cool”

“Keith’s gotta learn how to control himself, I’m getting tired of him coming home in a bad mood”

Keith didn’t know Lance had come to pick him up. The vampire escaping Rieva’s wrath and fussing. Feeling like doing some yoga and light stretching, she’d scared the crap out of him by yelling “boo!”. As a result he’d bitten through his tongue and smacked his face on the coffee table as he lost his balance. The whole reason he’d been practicing so close to the coffee table was so if he lost his balance he had something to grab for. Spending half an hour patching him back, she’d shifted into talking about his birthing plans and lectured him for sleeping too much during the day. He didn’t have birthing plans. He left that for Coran. If he went into labour, he went into labour. Keith would take him to VOLTRON, where Coran would perform the Caesarian. He loved Rieva, but he’d also loved stretching in near privacy because his body felt so stiff from sleeping all sorts of odd hours, not that he could help it. Now he’d not only been interrupted, and felt highly embarrassed being sprung in yoga pants and an ill fitting shirt, but was slightly slurring as his tongue was taking forever to heal its damn self, almost like his stupid arm that’d taken a whole stupid week to fix itself.

“Shall I have a word with Lotor? I’m quite sure he’d stop antagonising Keith if I were to ask”

Allura had the vampire shaking his head

“Nah. This is something they have to work out. Keith’s holding back too much. I can see him thinking. He’s thinking he wants blood, but the good part of him is conflicted about going too far and potentially hurting Lotor”

Crossing her arms, Allura wore a heavy frown that didn’t suit her beautiful face

“I’m more worried about Lotor hurting him. I understand he needs to provoke Keith, yet he is quite disrespectful”

“Keith has to learn how to cope with it. It’s no good if he goes up against a group of vampires and finds himself overwhelmed. I don’t like it, and I’m not fond of Lotor’s methods, but this is for Keith’s sake. I wish I could go down there and tell him to give it his all”

Coran and Allura knew he’d snuck out, Allura giggling as she covered her mouth

“Afraid you’ll be in trouble for running away?”

“Hey, I know I’m going to be in trouble. Keith’s very protective of me and if he knew Rieva upset me, he’d probably try to throw her out the house”

He’d left in tears. Well, he’d held his tears in until he was squashed into his car, then burst into tears over not having a birthing plan

“That’s no good. If he’s not getting along with them, that makes for a stressful situation”

If they talked to Lotor and gave Keith a win, he’d be devastated by the fakeness. Lance naturally wanted Keith to win, but he believed his fiancé and knew Keith would work his arse off harder after each defeat...

“That’s not the problem. He’s cranky over Lotor beating him day after day. We both get on with Matt and Rieva, even if Matt keeps pushing Keith’s buttons. Rieva had to stop them from murdering each other last night. Matt cheated on the game they were playing together and nearly got the controller embedded in his head for it”

Allura’s giggle turned into a proper laugh. She could laugh it up as she hadn’t been there

“Trust me, it’s not that funny. Matt tackled him on the sofa and I swear they nearly broke it. Rieva put Matt in a time out and Keith refused to talk about it when we went to bed”

Coran wiped an imaginary tear from his right eye, gushing as he did

“I think it’s lovely that you young folk get along so well. Perhaps I should give Keith the day off? I don’t want to upset him so much that he doesn’t return to active duty. He’s grown so much. Oh, he’ll make such a wonderful father to the twins...”

Great. His family were weirdos. He didn’t need Coran gushing over Keith, his ego was happy enough to do that about their mate as it was... Keith was strong and brave, that knowledge was what kept him from marching down there and going Lotor for the hurtful things he was saying

“Coran, that has nothing to do with what’s happening now. Isn’t there any way you can get Keith to shift that’s actually helpful? Rieva tried to help and he had no luck there”

“No. I can manipulate his quintessence, but I would prefer not to. Keith needs to focus on finding those feelings that’ll trigger that change in him for himself. How has been after his second moon?”

Lance wasn’t sure there was much of a difference after the second moon seeing Keith had made such a big stride in learning he could be himself around Lance. His fiancé never violent or threatening towards him, just frustrated and cranky to Matt and Rieva... Mostly Matt, and mostly deserved at the time. Matt and Rieva understood it was ego related, and weren’t actually able to help Keith calm it back down

“You’ve seen him more than I have. He’s here from 9am to 4pm every day. All we’ve got time for when he gets home is dinner, snuggles on the sofa, then bed early because he’s worn out. The first thing he does when he gets home is take a shower. He thinks it helps lessens Lotor’s scent, but it doesn’t do much when the scents on his clothes and I’m the one who puts the washing on. I made the mistake of mentioning I could smell Lotor and it really upset his ego”

Coran hummed. Lance mentally agreed. Humming summed things up perfect, as if these sessions didn’t start improving, they’d have to look at other options. Lance knew if Keith could just land that one hit, his confidence would skyrocket and he’d start believing in himself again.

Giving Keith another half an hour, Lance couldn’t let the pair of them go on any longer. Keith kept lashing out, and Lotor’s laughing had gotten on his nerves. Sometimes a vampire had to take matters into his own hands. Pushing his chair, back Lance bit down a groan a he pushed himself up. Coran shifted back, the fae raising an eyebrow at his actions

“Lance?”

“I’m going to go talk with Keith”

“My boy, I hardly think now’s a good time. I think it best we wait until these two tire fire the day”

“That’s why now is the perfect time. I just remembered something that I think is going to help Keith and I want to see if I’m right”

“You should let me go in first...”

Coran worried too much

“Coran, it’ll be fine. If Lotor tries something, Keith will lose it. Lotor will know that the moment he sees me, and this can’t wait”

“Still, it’s better to be safe that sorry”

“I’ll be okay. This is something I have to tell Keith properly and alone. Just keep watching over them”

Waddling his pregnant arse down to the training room, Lance knocked before he opened the door. Lotor casually leaning on one of the training dummies across from Keith. Their egos ridiculously strong, but he wasn’t going to back down now that he’d cured his own stupidness over the situation. Snarling at him, Keith needed a few moments to register him before his body slumped

“Babe?”

“Sorry to interrupt, Keith, I need to borrow you for a moment”

His fiancé sounded frustrated as he muttered

“We’re pretty much fucking done here...”

“Don’t. Just come out here for a moment. Lotor, give us a few minutes then I’ll send Keith back in”

Following him out into the hall, Keith threw himself to lean against the wall as Lance shut the door behind him

“What are you doing here?”

“Escaping Rieva and her birthing plans”

“So I suppose you saw how badly I was doing?”

“It wasn’t that you were doing bad... Look, I’m an idiot. I didn’t think about it, then I remembered something important”

Keith seemed pretty disinterested in this “important something”, gesturing for him to continue

“Well, watching you two, it reminded me what it was like to fight Matt”

Rolling his eyes at him, Keith kept with the muttering

“Matt was a proper wolf, not like me”

“You are a proper wolf. But that’s the thing. You saw how hard it was at first for us to get along comfortably until we had that fight. It made me think about how I felt. Your ego doesn’t respect Lotor because he doesn’t respect you”

“Tell me something I don’t know”

“Well, it’s basically because you’re holding back. I didn’t hold back when I fought Matt, and he didn’t hold back either. You need to stop holding yourself back”

“Thanks, Sherlock. No fucking shit”

Nope. Keith was not going to get under his skin

“When you go back in there, you have to stop seeing Lotor as a person. He’s not. Matt tore me to shreds, but I healed right up. Remember? I know it scared the shit out of you to see what it was like, and I think that’s part of what’s holding you back. You’re scared you’re going to hurt Lotor, even if it’s subconsciously, the thought is still there. You’re thinking too much like a human. Think of him as your pray. The hunter become the hunted. You are nine-hundred-and-fifty-zillion times the man he’ll ever be. You have the skills. You have the training. I know you’re scared of yourself because I have moments when I’m scared of myself”

Keith threw his hands up

“I’m not like you, babe. I don’t know how to cope with this. I’m sorry, but turning me into a wolf was wasted on me. I’m useless”

Lance snapped hard

“Keith Kogane, you are not useless. You’ve had two fucking moons and you’ve already settled into living with a vampire for a lover. God. I want to shake you right now. I felt how badly your egos were clashing in there. You were an absolute fucking bad arse hunter before you turned. You need to have faith in yourself”

“Yeah, and what if I can’t fucking turn back from being a wolf?!”

“You will because I know you will. Matt and I worked things out because our egos accepted each other as pretty much being mutual bad arses. Lotor, is Lotor. Everything he’s riling you up with is shit. You are my fucking mate, and I love you. When you go back in there, remember that you’re top dog. The only vampire who’ll ever now down to you is me. The only way to get Lotor to respect you is to make him bleed. It’s not pleasant but that’s how our stupid egos work. You can do this. You can do this because I know for a fact you can”

“And what if I take it too far?”

“Coran will stop things before that happens. Babe, we can’t help or protect people from the bad things if you can’t get out of your own head. You’re amazing. You’re amazing and I love you. Even if Lotor kicks your arse, we’ll watch it over and over and we’ll figure out where you need to make adjustments. Even if he makes me cry because you’re bleeding, I‘ll be there to patch you up. You’ve got this, and I’ve got you”

Shuffling over to him, Keith wrapped his arms around him

“You’re the amazing one. It’s nothing like how it was when you fought with him”

“That’s because I’m older than you. But you have a secret a weapon that he doesn’t. You have me on your side. Your very pregnant me”

“I feel like I’m back at the beginning again”

“Because you are. That’s not a bad thing. You haven’t picked up a lifetime of bad habits. Your stances are sloppy and your feet are too far apart. Raise your head and be confident. Then, once you’ve won, you can buy me dinner”

“I’m sorry I’m so weak”

“Aw, baby. No. You’re not weak. I was traumatised for a very long time after my turn. But when facing someone like Lotor, you can let that last little bit of fear fuck right off. You’re a werewolf. You’re my werewolf. Remember all that shit he used to go on about, about the “blood of kings”? What’s so good about it? When you fight, you’re fighting to protect families like ours. I’ve got your back”

“You always encourage me... I don’t deserve it”

“You’re always encouraging me too. You encourage me to go to bed. You encourage me to stop scrubbing at the grout in the kitchen...”

Keith snorted at him, the sniffled. His poor fiancé had shocking self esteem since his turn

“I don’t think you’re using that word right. And why do you have a lisp?”

“I bit my tongue. Rieva scared the crap out of me when I was doing my yoga in peace. I don’t know if that was better or worse than her insisting I need a birth plan”

“I thought the plan was that if you went into labour we came here?”

“I know right?! But nooo. Apparently wolves do it different? Anyway, I’m going to go back up there, and I’m going to be cheering you on”

“I don’t...”

“Nope. No. Nooo. No bad mouthing. That’s like insulting my ego and my choice in men. I refuse to be anything but proud of you”

“I’m proud of you too... but please don’t ever go that close to Lotor again. Not when we’re... training”

“For you, I won’t. Now go get him!”

*

Slipping back into the training room, Keith felt his ego flare at the feel of Lotor’s. Lotor was standing there checking his phone, giving Keith a sideways glance as if his presence was worthless. Lance had it all figured out. Turning into a wolf terrified him. He didn’t know if he’d be able to control himself, or how to move his body once he shifted. He didn’t know if he’d lose his mind and go Lotor with dire consequences he’d have to live with. Lance was also right. He couldn’t not draw on his wolf side if it meant protecting people. Him being cowardly could cost Curtis and Shiro their lives.

“Everything okay?”

The way Lotor asked with obvious curiosity instantly got under his skin. Taking a deep breath, Keith nodded. He had Lance on his side. His fiancé hadn’t cared about Lotor. He’d barely glanced his way when he’d opened the door to the training room, and that’d done wonders for Keith’s twinges of jealousy. Out of the two of them, Lance had chosen him all over again. He now got what Lance meant. There’d been a little respect between him and Matt, allowing them to fight as equals. He didn’t see Lotor as his equal so he’d been fighting on his back foot, half a step behind. Wounds would heal. This was training and not real life. He could afford to test his limits because neither he nor Lotor had to currently worry about the consequences of them going all out.

“Fine. Nothing for you to worry about”

And a lot less for him to worry about. Lance was watching over him. He’d stop him before he fucked up beyond repair. Lotor didn’t respect him... it pained Keith to admit he needed to show more respect towards the vampire and treat training much more seriously than he’d let himself previous

“Are you sure? Lance seemed positively ready to burst on the spot”

“What do you except? He’s heavily pregnant with our twins. Are we going to do this or are you too busy playing on your phone?”

Lotor sighed at him

“We’ve spent hours accomplishing nothing. Perhaps it’s time you tucked your tail between you legs and trotted back home? I doubt that wolf inside you is anything more than a yapping puppy”

Keith could feel his wolf... he could feel it and that was the whole problem. Him not being himself. He didn’t want to be that kind of person. He was too scared Lance would reject him for letting his wolf out. But Lance had soothed him, told him to go for it, he hadn’t been very talkative at home thanks to all of this weighing on his mind. He was working through his fears, but needed to grow sure of himself again. It felt like he had to rebuild himself bit by bit ever since he’d woken up. He’d never admit to Lance that he wanted to give up almost every single day, even with all the love and support poured on him.

“You want to see my wolf?”

“Isn’t that the whole reason we’ve been tasked with this ridiculous endeavour?”

“Remember you asked for it”

“I’ll remember that when I’m wiping the floor with this human form of yours”

*

Shuffling back into the monitoring room, Lance let out a sigh of deep relief to be off his feet the moment his butt hit the chair. He could totally go for a nap right now, but had to stay awake. He had to see what Keith could do, and if his words had helped in any way

“Everything okay, my sweet boy?”

“Just had to remind Keith of something. Did I miss anything?”

“Only Keith watching Lotor as he taunts him”

Coran sounded annoyed with Lotor. Lance was as annoyed, but egos were like that. The way the room had felt left him feeling grimy, egos so thick he could taste it on his tongue. Any longer in the space he would have fallen to his knees with his head bowed and in labour. His stomach cramping from the few moments of intense pressure, not that he’d let it show. Not that his ego would let it show. They were a vampire, and Lotor was no otherworldly demon.

Coming up behind him, Allura looped her arms around him

“How do you feel?”

Patting Allura’s arm, Lance rubbed his cheek against hers. He still hadn’t replied to Veronica. He really needed to reply to Veronica

“Good. Allura, I should probably warned you that I told Keith to stop holding himself back... He was thinking too much as a human and not enough as a werewolf”

Allura kissed his cheek. His ego didn’t want to be touched by anyone other than Keith, but he’d never turn Allura away. She knew is as she quickly drew back

“I’m not surprised. Keith has quite a soft heart. I do hope Lotor doesn’t hurt him”

“If Lotor doesn’t hurt him, then he didn’t listen to me. Watching them reminded me of when Matt and I fought to settle our egos. Neither of them want to acknowledge the other out of personal pride. And Keith’s scared of losing himself to his wolf. We should be in for something good... well, not that I want Keith hurt, but you know”

“We do love stubborn men, don’t we? Perhaps we should get some popcorn as we watch them make fools of themselves?”

“Allura, sister from another mister, I couldn’t agree more”

Coran sent himself for snacks, being pregnant had its perks as all he had to do was fake the idea of leaving VOLTRON to retrieve them and Coran was quick on his case about how he’d go while Lance rested. Lance felt a little bad, for a few moments, before he was beaming at the screen in front of him. Carefully Keith had watched Lotor. They’d circled each other, then Keith had torn his shirt off. Damn if his fiancé wasn’t the hottest man on Earth, Allura copping a snarl at her low “oh my”. Rolling his neck, there was bloodlust in Keith’s eyes. His claws extending further, initialling resisting before shifting before their eyes.

Lotor packed himself. Well, Lance liked to think he did as Keith’s huge wolf form lunged for him. God knew Lance swooned on the spot. The power and speed well and truly befitting the man he loved and prided himself on being the mate of

“He’s certainly larger than I believed”

“You should see him in real life. He’s so fluffy and soft...”

“Coran had said he acted rather tame”

“Mhmm. Unless I’m threatened... Those jaws of his are no joke. My arm’s only just regained full function, which was a pain in the arse to hide from him”

“He bit you?”

“Only a little. Pidge was watching movies with me and he got startled by her”

“Shouldn’t you have healed?”

Ugh. Tell him about. Memory loss. Napping all day. His arm and his tongue... his hips... He had the utmost respect for pregnant people who were able to work through everything right until the end of the their pregnancy

“I can only guess everything I’ve got is going to the twins”

“Lance, you can’t be so careless with your body. We would all be devastated should something happen to you”

“I’m fine, Allura. I’ll be fine. It’s only a little longer and they’ll be here”

“Perhaps you should come stay here until you give birth? You could share my space... and we could have movie nights whenever you wished. Do each other’s hair. Paint our nails”

That sounded so damn tempting

“Thanks for the offer, but honestly, being home feels best. And Keith needs the space”

“I just don’t want you to feel like you’re alone...”

“I’m not. Besides, I know I always have you and Coran right here”

“Don’t you ever forget that. You’re like a brother to me...”

“And you’re like a sister to me. I can put up with some discomfort for a little while longer. It’s all going to be worth it when we finally get to meet them”

“I hope you know Allura is a fine name”

Lance chuckled

“I do. I’m sorry to tell you, but out of fairness to all our friends, we’re not going with your names. I love each and every one of you, and could never replace any of you. No. I have one name in mind, but we’ll wait and see”

“Alfor’s also a good name. So is Alfie...”

“And one day, when you have a child of your own, what are you going to do when I’ve stolen your name?”

Allura sighed

“I must admit, I hadn’t thought of that”

“You’ll be a great mum. But even if you don’t have kids, you’ll be a great aunty to the twins...”

“Oh, I’m going to spoil them rotten. We’re all so happy for you and Keith”

“I know... and speaking of Keith, I think he’s got Lotor on the run”

Pulling a well used trick, Lotor had scaled the wall and was now frowning down on Keith who was patiently watching his every move. Lance didn’t know if Keith would remember shifting, but he sure as heck was going to brag about it when they got home. His fiancé was best boy. He just needed to believe in himself the way Lance did.

#once bitten twice stupid #oncebittentwicestupid #ashratherose

[sparklygoblin]

So I found this absolute banger in my YouTube recommendations, " as the world caves in" by Matt Maltese, and since this is my life for now, I thought it would be kinda cool to write some angsty Nuclear Apocalypse!Haikyu headcanons for the ships. So this time I present fresh, spicy, radioactive trash.

Imagine they're just in school, all of the boys are just going about their days when the notification hits, this life will mean nothing in about eight minutes.

Daichi and Suga

Daichi is the one who cries surprisingly. Panicked, hot tears as he looks frantically through the crowded halls, when they find each other, Suga merely gives him a watery smile, the acceptance in his eyes making Daichi sob harder. They go to the club room, because they know they won't have time to make it home, and there they lay, wrapped around each other, as Suga traces patterns on Daichi's back

Asahi and Noya

Noya's first thought is actually of Asahi, he's up and out of his seat before anyone else even thinks to move, he finds Asahi in the closet where they fought that one time, and he can honestly say he doesn't mind dying if it means he can catch Asahi's glass heart one last time. So he's shocked when Asahi catches his too, when the older boy reaches his warm hand up and wipes away Noya's tears instead of his own. He finds himself sobbing then, because he thinks he could've loved Asahi for a long time, if he'd ever been given the chance.

Tanaka and Ennoshita

Ennoshita bumps into Tanaka on his way to find a hiding place. It's not necessarily anything but kindness when Tanaka grabs his hand, and they silently agree to die together so they don't have to do it alone. They lay under some desks in the back of an abandoned classroom, and Tanaka talks about his child hood and Saeko, and Noya all while Ennoshita rubs circles on Tanaka's open palm. This isn't a bad way to die at all, Tanaka finds himself thinking when he finally grows quiet enough to really look at Ennoshita.

Tsukishima and Yamaguchi

They were in the same class when the notification sounded, and while everyone ran, they stayed seated. Kei thought vaguely of Akiteru, but he had the one person he really needed right in the same room. The feeling was clearly mutual, the two didn't say a word, they simply laced their fingers together and waited for the world to end like they did everything else, together. It was all very calm until Yamaguchi heard sniveling from next to him, and turned to see a distraught Kei. Kei wrapped his long arms and only managed to get two words out before the world imploded around them, "Gomen, Tadashi."

Kageyama and Hinata

Hinata is a mess, of epic proportions, and normally Kageyama would tell him to stop carrying on, but he can't, because Shoyou has every right to be a mess. He should be too. But he can't be, because he needs to keep it together, for Hinata. Hinata, who is currently screaming about Natsu and his mother, about how he can't get to them. This goes beyond volleyball, his wails shake Tobio to his core because they are filled with not just soul bending grief, but guilt and frustration, as well. Finally, out of a love he hadn't realized yet, he pulled his tiny giant into his lap and held him close to his chest while he shook. "R-Remember what I said, Shou? With me you are invincible. And you're with me, so everything will be okay." They both know he's lying, but it quiets Hinata down, and they cling to each other until the world ends, and even after that.

Yachi and Kiyoko

Yachi almost dies in the hallway, trampled by her panicked peers, when Kiyoko pulls her up, and they sit on the bench in the desolate gym, Yachi playing with Kiyoko's hair while Kiyoko swipes at Yachi's bloody nose. Yachi kisses her gently on the lips, because she has bigger things than rejection to fear in the last few minutes of her life. Kiyoko merely smiles and pulls the girl in again, and that's the best way to die, they're sure of it.

Kunimi and Kindaichi

Kindaichi has never seen Kunimi show any sort of emotion off the court, so he immediately forgets his own tears when he notices the seemingly apathetic boy sobbing in the desk next to him. Great, silent sobs escape Kunimi despite his best efforts and Kindaichi's stupid confused expression only seems to make it worse until he musters up all of his courage and decides not to die alone, and grabs Kunimi's hand. Kunimi then shocks both of them as he leans his head into Kindaichi's chest, after a moment, Kindaichi wraps his arms around Kunimi, and they think about all of the things that could've happened, if only this one massive thing had never happened.

Yahab and Kyoutani

Yahaba ran to the Aoba Johsai gym for some odd form of shelter originally, but nearly turned away the moment he saw Kyoutani punching the walls, enduring angry sobs. But the world was ending, and Yahaba was too afraid of other things to be afraid of Kyoutani, so he grabbed Kyoutani's wrist, and pulled his bloodied fist closer to his own mouth, and pressed a soft kiss to the Mad Dog's knuckles. They shared a meaningful look and then simply sat together, fingers interlocked, and tears flowing freely.

Iwaizumi and Oikawa

They're in the same class as well, Oikawa is talking with some of his admirers, but when the alarm sounds, all he sees then is Iwaizumi. That's how it was always going to be with them, in the end, they both only really saw each other. Then Oikawa thought of Takeru, dying with a bunch of strangers in a little classroom, and promptly threw up, all over his desk. The girls who hadn't already run were certainly on their way out now as Iwa pulled Oikawa into his arms. He let's out a watery chuckle as he wipes Oikawa's normally perfect face and says, "You know I would've married you someday, right? That I would've spent my life giving you my everything?" Oikawa cries then, and together they mourn the loss of the future they would've had and their story ends the way it started, with each other.

Kuroo and Kenma

Kuroo finds Kenma, wide eyed and shivering in a corner of the Nekoma hallway, he pulls his ingenious setter away from the crowd and outside onto steps they had sat on many times together. He tucks Kenma's hair behind his ear and freezes in shock when the small boy simply grabs Kuroo and pulls him into a melancholic kiss. " I just thought you should know." Tears are rolling down Kenma's cheeks now and Kuroo is sobbing because not only did Kenma just kiss him, but he'd never have time to do it nearly as much as he wanted to. Making the best of the worst, Kuroo leaned in again, he wouldn't let Kenma die feeling anything but loved.

Lev and Yaku

The giant Russian didn't mean to find Yaku, it just sort of happened, and then he went into protector mode (even though Yaku could take care of himself just fine, thank you very much) and picked Yaku right up, running through the people in the hallway with ease while Yaku screamed in his arms. Lev stops when they reach the Nekoma locker rooms, and the moment his feet touch the ground, Yaku is screaming at Lev as Lev slides down the lockers and onto the floor, tears rolling down his cheeks. Yaku is still yelling when Lev interrupts him with a sharp "I love you", that shuts the Libero right up. After a moment he simply mumbles " alright then" and proceeds to climb right into Lev's lap. They sit like that, Yaku's face hidden in Lev's neck and Lev's arms wrapped around Yaku's waist, right until the world ends. Yaku pauses at the last second to whisper something that sounded suspiciously like "I love you too" in Lev's ear.

Bokuto and Akaashi

Bokuto F R E A K S out, and Akaashi can't really explain it, but it's like he can feel Bokuto freaking out, like he can feel Bokuto needing him. He finds the Ace curled up in the corner of the boys bathroom, and pulls him into his arms, laying on the filthy floor with the broken boy he had come to love so much. Bokuto kisses him softly, and it tastes like salt because Bokuto isn't the only one crying. Akaashi draws soft circle patterns on Bokuto's arms while Bokuto runs his fingers through Akaashi's hair. They're calm now that they know they'll go together.

Ushijima and Tendo

Tendo fully expects to go alone, whether it was in eight minutes or eight years he just assumed he would endure whatever happened to him by himself. What he doesn't expect is Ushijima asking him oh so politely if he would grant him the honor of dying with him. Well with a stunning proposal like that, how could he do anything but pull Ushijima into his hiding place with him? They simply talk in hushed tones about silly things until the last few minutes when Tendo leans over and presses a gentle kiss to Ushijima's forehead. They hug then, and just like that, Tendo was happy, really happy, for the first-and last- time in his life.

#daisuga #haikyuu yamaguchi #haikyuu!! #hq oikawa #iwaioi #iwaizumi x oikawa #kagehina #asanoya #daichi x sugawara #haikyuu noya #hq tendou #hq ushijima #tobio chan #hq tobio #oikawa tōru #oikawa tooru #levyaku #kyouhaba #kyoutani kentarou #hq yahaba #azumane asahi #haikyuu nishinoya #sugawara koushi #hq sugawara #sugawara kōshi #daichi #kuroo tetsurō #kuroken #kenma

[sea-side-scribbles]

Fanfiction: Sympathy For A Downer

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22737214/chapters/73379652

Chapter 52

Arthur was overwhelmed with feelings when he went back to his hideout. His life as a Downer had been changing ever since he met Nick. And now, he wasn’t alone anymore. He met Nick everywhere. He wasn’t only in the tunnel, but also in every shop, in every house he broke in - yeah, he had to admit to himself that he was breaking into people’s houses, not very often, but it happened, because he couldn’t find everything he needed in the Garden District - but also on the street. Nick’s music was playing everywhere. He was certain he had heard the entire new record multiple times now. Also the Wellies sang his songs while strolling around. 

But most important was his own voice - it was as if Nick kept talking to him, comforting him.

On the one hand it made his lonely tours more pleasant, on the other hand, he had to take care that Nick didn’t distract him too much. There seemed to be a swarm of butterflies fluttering up whenever he heard just a single note. 

While taking a shower, he caught himself humming one of his songs to himself. “Smile Again“ was somehow fitting, as if Nick had secretly written the lyrics for him.

One moment, he found it absurd that he was standing in a scruffy shower, in an abandoned tunnel where some time ago some workers had most likely perished from a bad badge of Joy, warbling a song to himself, and feeling happier than ever before.

The next moment he told himself to stop wondering at things in a town like this. The only one he thought he should wonder at was Nick.

How could a fucked up place like this create someone like Nick? Someone as innocent and peaceful? Everyone thought he was crazy, but instead he was the most sensible Wellie he had ever met. 

Well, perhaps not that sensible, because he got involved with someone like Arthur.

Arthur was in fact surprised about himself, that he didn’t make a mess already. Nick seemed to bring out the best in him. With him by his side, he suddenly enjoyed everything in Wellington Wells, even the depressing Garden District. And he couldn’t stop thinking about him.

Arthur was in fact taking a shower because he didn’t want to approach Nick being all dirty and smelling of Motilene. In the old days he had been so rushed and afraid, that he hadn’t spent too much time on cleaning before running to the next hatch. He didn’t like the shower too much. The water was only lukewarm, and full of Joy. 

Cleaned and properly dressed, he went to Nick’s suite, that he also kept clean. Only the surfaces of course, he wasn’t digging into Nick’s private stuff, but enough to keep this in it’s original state. The suite was the only pretty place in this tunnel and he didn’t like it when something so neat got dirty. And in a way, it was also his home. 

“Nick?“, he asked carefully, but unfortunately he didn’t get an answer. He assumed the rockstar was still busy. Then his gaze fell on a silver shimmer that came from his bed. That was new. Arthur stepped closer and found a letter that had his name on it. Curiously, he lifted it up. 

“Arthur, darling,

I brought you a little something.

I miss you too,

yours Nicky“

The message was written with a pink pen and circled with a heart. It looked incredibly kitschy, yet Arthur couldn’t stop staring at it. Then he eyed his gift and his heart missed a beat. 

Chocolates. 

No one had given him chocolates before. It was something you don’t buy for yourself, it was something romantic. Arthur carefully opened the box and marveled at the little pieces of chocolate that looked almost to neatly to be eaten. For a second he had to pause and fight the tears back that forced themselves on him. 

By the looks of it, he now had his own kitschy and romantic relationship, with flowers and chocolates, strolls in the park, dinners in expensive restaurants and wild nights, the way he only knew it from the penny dreadfuls that had sometimes found their way into his hands in lonely evenings. The way he thought it would never happen to him, until he believed he would hate it anyway. And there he was, almost crying. He wanted to thank Nick for everything he did, for everything he had already given to him. But he assumed that would look rather silly. 

Still, he thought about visiting the rockstar again. Mrs. Oliphant was pestering him anyway, telling him he should write another article soon. The “O“ Courant really had a crisis. Nothing happened, or at least nothing they could inform a decent Wellie about, so they had to exploit their old articles over and over, hoping that no one would notice. So Arthur could just as well come by with the excuse that he had more questions about the band’s new success. At last, that felt better than copying his old article. 

He didn’t dare to touch the chocolate yet. He put it back on the bed, saving it for the moment he would come back here with Nick and try it with him. He hummed another song while walking to his house.

The Bobby at the entrance remembered him. 

“Here, Constable, for your supply“, he said and handed him a sandwich. He didn’t want to knock him out after all. 

“That’s too kind of you, Mr. Hastings“, Hunt said cheerfully. “I’m afraid Mr. Lightbearer is away, handling business with Mr Memento. But the rest of the band is here, in case you want to ask them out.“

Arthur wasn’t too disappointed. He knew it was never easy. So he could at least do his job while waiting for Nick. Hunt let him enter.

“Virgil, is that you?“, someone asked and came round the corner.

“No, it’s just me, Arthur. From the “O“ Courant. Do you remember me?“

“Arthur“, said the man he recognized as the drummer. “Of course I remember you. Could it be that you’re not here for entirely selfless reasons?“

“Oh, well…“

Now also the two guitarists joined them.

“You’ve come just in time to play a  game with us“, they said.

“A game? Well, if you think…“

“Sure. First you help us, then we help you. Come on, it’s gonna be fun!“

“Don’t be a Downer, Arthur!“

”A Downer, me?“ Arthur laughed nervously. “How ridiculous.“

He looked into their faces, realizing that there was no way out. Games were almost sacred in Wellington Wells, you didn’t just refuse them if you didn’t want to raise suspicion. So he went along.

“So…what are we playing?“, he asked and then jumped backwards.

The lead guitarist had brought out an electric truncheon. Arthur prepared for a fight, but Chris calmed him down.

“Hey, don’t worry, it’s not a real weapon. It only tickles. It can be very useful though.“

He eyed the truncheon, almost lovingly.

“If you’re into that sort of thing…“ Arthur didn’t like where this was going. The last time he saw one of these was in the Reform Club.

„Come on, who doesn’t like Simon Says?“

Arthur laughed with relief. “Oh, I do. I love that game!“

“What did you think?“, Brad asked him grinning.

Arthur made an embarrassed noise.

“Nothing, I had no idea.“

He followed the band to the telly, that they turned on to watch Uncle Jack announce the game.

“Did he say we need an electric truncheon for this?“

They laughed.

“No, but we like to spice it up a little“, Matt explained. 

“If everybody is a winner, where’s the challenge?“, Brad added.

“Heads up, it’s starting“, Chris said.

Arthur did his best to act like he had a blast. Uncle Jack’s instructions were quite easy. He remembered it to be a bigger challenge to follow his orders, but he guessed that the Joy had made it harder to remember them. He kept thinking about Nick and the moment he would finally come home and find Arthur like that. But he wouldn’t mind, right? It was the town’s most favorite game after all, no matter that it looked silly.

Suddenly something hard and cold hit his hips and a spark of electricity ran through his body. It was enough to startle him.

“What are you doing?“, Matt asked him laughing. “Are you even listening?“

“I’m giving my best, I swear“, he replied, adjusting his hair with his hands. He feared it would stand on end. Promptly, another shock hit him.

“Wrong order, or do you have your feet on your head?“

“I wasn’t finished !“, Arthur protested.

Now moving was harder.

“Are you sure this is harmless?“

He didn’t get an answer. Instead he had to turn around in a circle, so that they wouldn’t zap him again. Uncle Jack was now more mean, aiming at tiring the players out. Anyway, Arthur felt ridiculous. He remembered it being more fun, but now he couldn’t imagine it being everyone’s favorite game. Victoria Byng for example. In fact, she had never appeared to the breaks when they had played Simon Says, and that would have been a show indeed. He imagined her slapping her own face. A very funny image that made him grin widely. His grin vanished when another shock came upon him, making him gasp in pain. The shivering was more persistent now, so was the tickling.

“Poor Arthur, looks like it’s not the best of your days“, Chris teased him, not noticing that Uncle Jack was giving another instruction. Sniffing his chance for revenge, Arthur grabbed the tickler and gave him a charge that made his hair stand on end too. With his long hair it looked even more funny.

“You have to pay attention!“, Arthur shouted. But the tickler was soon snatched out of his hands and used against him.

“He didn’t say Simon Says!“, Brad informed him. Arthur skillfully wriggled the fake weapon out of his hands and payed him back.

“I think he did!“

Because of his carelessness, the tickler could change his owner again, this time it was Matt.

“This isn’t about what you think“, he said laughing and hit Arthur’s leg. For a second it gave up and Arthur fell on the floor, dragging the bass player with him.

“Holy shit.“ Arthur crouched away fro the other man, still shivering. The tickler rolled away.

“Oh, no no no…“ He followed it to make sure he wouldn’t get another shock from it. It was enough for today. But Chris quickly stepped on it.

“Not so fast, Artie. You have to give others a chance too.“

“Not in this game“, Arthur decided and turned on the electricity. It ran along Chris’ leg and he jumped away, moaning. With his loot in his hands, he planned to climb on the coffee table to ask for a break, but a moment later he lay on the ground again. Nobody payed attention to Uncle Jack, everyone just tried to get the truncheon from Arthur. Arthur, who wasn’t quite all there anymore, dealt out shocks until Brad shortly but effectively twisted his arm. Then he himself got his share. The typical scent of electricity filled the room while they exhausted their own energies. Some time later they all lay on the floor, moaning and scratching their itching spots.

„And that’s Simon Says for today! I hope you had just as much fun as me - but what am I saying - of course you had fun! And you’re sure to turn on tomorrow, at the same time, for another episode of Simon Says with Uncle Jack, that’s me!“

“Fuck off“, Arthur thought. He heard that a door opened in the corridor. His flight instinct came back, but he was too exhausted to get up. He only moaned a little louder. Footsteps came closer.

“What happened in here?“, he heard Nick ask. “Must’ve been a drop-dead program“, the rockstar giggled over it. Then he found him

“Arthur!“ Nick knelt down next to him.

“What did you do to him?“, he asked the helpless band that couldn’t answer. When he tried to touch Arthur, a spark flashed over his fingers.

“Ouch!“

“Careful!“, Arthur heard another voice say. It had to me Morrie’s.

“I won“, Arthur suddenly muttered. It had occurred to him as important for a second. Nick stared at him, but there were no more words.

“Looks like Simon Says to me“, Morrie said while Nick watched him pick up the tickler. “Does that belong to your special inventory, Nicky?“

Nick felt the tickle at the mere thought.

“I forgot I still have that.“

Then he shoved his hands under Arthurs back and knees and lifted him up.

“I…better put him on the couch…he’s my guest after all…“, he explained to Morrie and put Arthur down on fluffy cushions.

“Are you okay? Are you hurt?“

Arthur made an incomprehensible noise as an answer.

“How did they get him to play?“

Morrie took it calmly. “I’m sure he came here all by himself to stick his nose in our business again.“

Nick sighed. He believed to know better.

“You’re probably right“, he however said. 

Looking back to Morrie, he saw that he had lifted up Matt. Nick feared it would look suspicious if he gave Arthur to priority, so he helped Morrie to give the others a softer bed. Even though he thought they didn’t deserve it. He was sure they had planned to knock Arthur out so he couldn’t ask any questions. Teasing the journalist, as usual. He had to admit that most of them were a pain in the arse, but not Arthur. Nick would’ve loved to tuck him up, but that would’ve been even more suspicious. 

“I guess we can only wait for them to wake up“, he told Morrie.

“Or we go upstairs and enjoy our peace and quiet“, his lover whispered.

Nick understood that he couldn’t watch over Arthur now.

“He’s safe here“, Morrie added, forcing Nick to set himself in motion. He took the tickler.

“I better confiscate this, just in case they plan to play another round.“

Morrie eyed the weapon. “Looks like this is going to be an interesting night.“

“I’ll do whatever you say, Morrie“.

His lover gestured him to follow him, before he went upstairs. Their day had been wonderful so far and Morrie was in a very good mood. 

“But don’t over do it, like some people“, he added. His lover kissed him.

Arriving in Nick’s room, he said: “You worry about Arthur, don’t you?“

“Well…’worry’ is too big of a word, but they could’ve been more careful with him.“

“You like him“, Morrie said and Nick felt a shiver run down his spine.

“He’s okay for a reporter.“

He didn’t like Morrie’s look.

“What?“

“I don’t trust him“, his lover said thoughtfully. “He’s hiding something.“

“Oh, Morrie, everyone hides something. Us too.“

“Still…we shouldn’t allow him to come so close. It’s enough that he stays overnight.“

“Of course, Morrie. We have to wait until he can walk. Tomorrow, we answer his questions, so people remember us again, he goes home and all is well.“

“And then he’ll come back.“

“Sure…Any reporter would try to get at us sooner or later, there’s nothing we can do about it. And why not him? His article was smashing and the photos were stunning - especially yours. He must have a soft spot for you.“

Nick stroked Morrie’s half unbuttoned shirt.

“What’s that supposed to mean?“ Morrie gave a flattered grin.

“Well…it could be the reason why you don’t trust him.“

Morrie’s eyebrow twitched.

“What are you getting at?“

Their fingers played with each other.

“Perhaps that you don’t like to let people get close to you“, Nick said quietly.

“I let you get close“, Morrie whispered back.

“For that I am deeply grateful“.

They kissed again, explored each other as if they met for the first time. They liked what they found.

“Just be careful, okay?“, Morrie asked after a while.

“Yeah“, Nick sighed, searching for his lips again.

“You can decide who your friends are.“

Nick impatiently bit his jawline. He was done thinking for now. Pulling his lover into a tight embrace, he hoped that he would grant him some tickles.

A dazzling night later Nick awoke, wrapped into a pleasant cloud of sleepiness. He lay on Morrie, who was reading a book.

“Well, my long sleeper, how do you do?“, Morrie quietly said and kissed his forehead.

“Are you awake for long?“, Nick asked, eyeing the book.

Morrie turned back. “I guess, a few pages…“

“Why didn’t you wake me up?“

“Because you need your beauty sleep, my darling. And also I found it very cozy in here.“

Nick chuckled a bit. “I wonder if our manager ran away. I didn’t hear anything from him yet.“

“I’m sure he’ll come back soon enough with a last-minute appointment.“

Nick yawned and stretched extensively. Then he stayed in bed anyway.

“Wake me up when he’s back“, he muttered from under the blanket.

“Oh, I will.“ Morrie put down the book to look at him. “And I’ll protect you in case that reporter dares to bother you again.“

A sudden realization flashed through Nick’s body.

“Oh…right…he’s still waiting for me“, he muttered, trying to sound annoyed.

“Perhaps not anymore. It’s late after all.“

Nick felt remorse. “How late?“

“Almost 10 o’ clock“, Morrie said, looking at his watch. 

Nick sat up.

“Are you getting up for him now?“, Morrie promptly asked.

“What if he’s still here?“, Nick replied. “The earlier I talk to him the earlier he’s gone.“

His lover had to agree to that. Nick left the room, adjusted his looks in the bathroom and went downstairs, following the sound of chattering. He found his band and Arthur sitting in front of the telly again, talking and looking alright.

“Good morning, lads“, Nick made himself noticeable. “Are you okay?“

“Nicky“, he was greeted happily. “You’re up so soon, what’s wrong? Is Kitty coming back?“

Another shiver ran down Nick’s spine. “Not that I remember…“

“You’re long awaited“.

Nick looked around, all alarmed until he noticed that they were pointing at Arthur.

“Oh, I guess I’m at your mercy now.“

“It won’t take long, if you haven’t got the time“, Arthur said.

“I have time“, Nick assured him. “Virgil isn’t here, right?“, he asked the band.

“No, I guess he has better things to do“.

“So there’s plenty of time“.

Nick led Arthur upstairs into the third floor, because he couldn’t invite him into his bedroom when Morrie was still there. He hoped that Arthur didn’t mind. They made themselves as comfortable as possible. At least they had a bar in that floor.

“Are you thirsty?“, Nick asked, pointing at it.

“Er, no, thank you.“

“Are you sure?“

“I don’t drink alcohol before noon…Not that I’m judging it or something…“ He stuttered, wishing he could kick his own shin.

“Okay“. Nick looked rather amused. Then he turned more serious. “Are you alright? I can help you if you’re hurt.“

He took his hands.

“Yeah…I’m okay…“ Arthur returned Nick’s squeeze.

“Listen, Nick, I only wanted to thank you. For your present. I was so happy to get a message from you after that lonely night…“

“Oh, Artie…“ Nick lifted his fingers up to his lips. “I don’t like to leave you alone. But I have to go back to my band now and then, or this won’t work.“

“I know. I see that you’re busy. This is a full house.“

“Yeah…but beautiful, isn’t it?“

“Yeah…it’s like a different world that I’m invading.“

“Arthur…you’re not invading, you’re welcome. There’s always someone to let you in.“

“Right, someone else who’s busy…“

“So what? You’re a reporter, you have to do your job. People have a right to read about me“, Nick joked to cheer him up. “Did they hurt you. Did they force you to play?“

Arthur shook his head. “No, they’re quite nice. I think they wanted to play anyway and I just came by. I’m surprised they didn’t kick me out. Anyway. When we could move again they downright swarmed around me to see if I was okay. Then they let me stay overnight even though it wasn’t curfew yet. And this morning they told me you normally sleep late and spent even more time with me. They answered my questions so I can give my boss something to read.“

Arthur couldn’t hide how much he wondered at that.

“See? They like you“, Nick said softly. “After all, what’s not to like about you?“

Arthur was flattered.

“I think Morrie Memento doesn’t like me.“

Nick gulped. “ Well…he…I think he feels that you are…different“, he beat around the bush. “I mean that you’re not taking Joy, maybe…“

Arthur tensed. “Shit….I should really go.“

“Oh Arthur, I’m so sorry…“

“It’s not your fault, it’s mine. I can’t stroll around like that and expect no one to notice…“, he said more bitterly than he had planned.

“I’ll come back soon“, Nick whispered. “You don’t have to put yourself in danger to see me.“

“I was so naive coming here…“

“Don’t beat yourself up, my dear. Nothing happened so far.“

Arthur nodded, looking like he was eager to leave.

“Hey, Arthur“, Nick held him back. “We still have some time. Morrie won’t watch us now and when I escort you to the door you’ll be fine. If you want your interview, you can get it.“

“You don’t have to…“ Arthur shyly pulled out his notepad.

“Nonsense“, Nick said cheerfully, putting his legs on the table. “I could talk about myself all day. What do you want to know?“

#we happy few #whf #wehappyfew #whfnick #whf nick #whfarthur #whfarthurhastings #nick lightbearer #nicklightbearer