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halfbloodprill · 2 months

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Some smut for Luke, he and the reader are exes, and at one of the bonfire parties, Luke sees the reader flirting with another guy, and he gets jealous, something with enemies to lovers. :)

authors note- hiii thank you for leaving this request i LOVEEE it. i’m so sorry it took me so long to get to it i have been crazy busy 😣 i hope u enjoy <3

smut below!!

Things with luke worked for exactly 8 months. it was great. you had picnics together, you trained together, and you always shared your evenings together at the bonfires. you laughed and loved each other, your energy feeding into the growing flames with embers flitting through the smoke. towards the end, things got rocky. luke became a more angry person. even if he wasn’t outwardly angry, you saw the scowl that had now seemed to permanently rest on his face when he was deep in thought. you never missed the acerbic comments he made about the gods every once in a while that you just chose to ignore for avoidance of sparking another debate about how awful the gods were at being parents. this tension left unhappiness tainting your relationship, so you called it quits. Luke was hesitant and when you finally got all your stuff back, he was angry at your decision to leave him. in complete disbelief. the camp’s golden boy was dumped? how?

it was quite the scandal at camp too. the seemingly happy couple decides to call it quits. people whispered for a few weeks but eventually it all died down. you missed him though and you knew he felt the same way too. you never missed his stares across the fields or during meals, and you never stopped yourself from searching for his familiar face during the day. but you knew this wasn’t healthy anymore. so you wanted to branch out more, and tonight’s celebration would be the perfect time to mingle as every cabin gathered around the bonfire.

you had set your eyes on a tall Ares kid. He seemed nice enough, a bit gruff at times but you were determined. you put your hair up in your best style and put on the slightest hint of makeup ( courtesy of the Aphrodite kids) and made your move. you left your seat from your friends and walked over to sit next to him instead. you settled between him and his sibling. he sat in a perplexed manner until you introduced yourself with your soft voice and extended a hand. He took your hand, engulfing it with his much bigger one, and you got to talking. everyone was engulfed in conversations. no one paid attention, except you could feel a pair of watchful eyes. you look across the flames as the Ares child talks of something Clarisse did recently and you see a pair of eyes, one lacerated with a scar, peering angrily back at you. you held eye contact firmly. you slowly peeled your eyes from luke and back to the ares boy, laughing at his remarks and placing your soft hand on his forearm. your knees were touching and he had a flush on his face that was not from the heat of the dancing flame.

luke felt anger boiling in his stomach. yes you two were over but there is no reason for you to be touching that ares boy like that. you were his. always his. he would show you. He continued to watch as you laughed and thoughtlessly played with his hands. he noticed that somehow you two were getting closer. he jumped from his own seat when he saw that you two were standing up and trying to retreat back to one of the cabins. He stormed over before you two could leave.

“Hey man. I’ll take it from here,” luke intervened.

You both stared at him in pure confusion.

“I’ve got her. We were gonna go somewhere more quiet,” the ares boy replied. you clung to his arm which furthered lukes anger.

“No I wouldn’t advise that. She can come with me now. Right, sweetheart?” luke looked at you and you firmly held his eye contact.

“No, luke. I wanna go with him,” you answered in a firm manner while looking at the ares boy.

“You don’t even know his name. He just wants a quick fuck. Some whore to help him do what his hand can’t do anymore. You’re coming with me. Now.” Luke’s voice was stronger and he grabbed your wrist tightly.

“Hey that’s not true. She can think for herself. this is why she dumped you,” the ares boy replied, now growing tired of Lukes interference. you winced at his unwise words.

“Are you still here? I told you to leave her the fuck alone. You can go now,” lukes eyes flashed with anger. He pulled your wrist and you towards him successfully. He continued to pull you along with him and back towards the cabins.

“Luke where the fuck are you taking me?” You questioned as you stumbled behind him.

“Shut your fucking mouth and just follow. You always have to ask your questions,” luke replied heatedly. so you continued to follow him until you saw a building in front of you.

“Why are we at the Ares cabin?” you questioned.

“Just shut the fuck up and go inside,” luke says annoyed and pulls you inside. he leads you to one of the bunks and pushes you on.

“did you forget you’re mine? i’ll have to remind you,” luke basically growls.

he kisses firmly. his teeth are clashing with yours. his tongue is swirling in your mouth. You can’t keep up with his pace.he’s ducking your tongue and searching every inch of your mouth with his own tongue. he missed the familiarity of your mouth. his hands are firmly in your hair and cradling your head. he can smell your shampoo on you. he’s still sucking at your mouth when he comes up for air, panting and a string of saliva connecting you two.

“missed you so much princess. need to remind you who you belong to,” he says before he started to attack your neck. he’s nipping at your neck, sure to leave marks on the column and side of your throat. you’re whining at the feeling of his teeth on your neck and hips wiggling from the stimulation. he’s kissing up your neck and to your chin and mouth again before he sloppily kisses you again. saliva coating his own mouth and chin from his attacks on your neck. your mind has already gone fuzzy. his hands are finding the button and zipper of your jean shorts and tugging them down as you kick off your shoes. he laughs at the eagerness of your movements and starts to grab the hem of your shirt. he makes eye contact with you in a way that asks if you’re sure that you want this.

of course you do.

he pulls the shirt over your head while you lay back onto your elbows. he’s spreading your legs and stares at your pussy in a tantalizing manner. He groans at the sight of your glistening folds. it’s quiet before you hear him and feel him spit on your cunt. he lays his tongue flat on you and your head is thrown back at the pleasure of his tongue on your heat. he’s attacking your cunt. his tongue goes from fucking inside your tight hole and sucking vigorously at your clit. the amount of pleasure has your grasping at the sheets and pulling at his hair, grinding your hips against his face. he pulls back, chin and mouth glistening before speaking. “Someone’s eager huh? do you think he could’ve fucked you this good?”

you shake your head dumbly and pray he goes back to his ministrations. he leans back down and you can feel the tip of his nose gliding against your wet clit. the pressure alone has you squirming so much he has to put a hand against your stomach to hold you down. before you can cum, he pulls away and wipes his mouth with the back of his hand.

“you’re ready now, right? you can take me? you’re lucky i even prepped you,” he says with a malicious glint. he pulls his cock out and you can only stare at it. it’s so pretty. so long and veiny. he holds his hand out expectantly before saying “spit.”

you gather spit and spit onto his hand before he rubs his length. he grabs it and measures it over your stomach to see how deep it will be reaching inside you. “It’s been too long without your pussy baby. you’re sure you can still take me?”

you nod quickly because you just are so needy and need him in you so badly. to feel him using and bruising your gummy walls with the head of his cock and every vein you feel so well.”

“I can take it. Swear I can. I’m your good girl still. wanna be good and warm for you please sir,” you start whining and begging in such a pathetic manner. luke coos at you for how pathetic you look. “my baby is so desperate yeah?” he says before he reaches down and cups for face with one hand. he slaps you a few times. “take it slut,” he growls before he plunges in fully without a warning. the air has been pushed from your lungs and you whine loudly at how quick he intruded.

he starts a brutal pace. his hands goes from your cheek to around your throat, the other one pushing down on your stomach.

“you feel me here right? so deep. you’re mine. all mine. gonna put a baby right here. show everyone,” he says while pushing harder to emphasize. your head is fuzzy because of the lack of air, from the pleasure and his words that turn your brain to goo.

“yesss i’m yours sir. i wanna be yours. always. give me a baby. bree- breed me,” you slur out.

“oh shit yeah. i’m gonna breed you. that’s all you are. a toy for me. gonna cum as many times as it takes for you to be round with my baby. fuc-fuckk,” he says as hr throws his head back.

he’s fucking you hard still. and you’re so brain dead until you hear voices growing closer and realize the bonfire has ended and campers are heading to the cabin.

“Luke! they’re coming back, stop!” you exclaim. your face painted in worry.

“Let them. Hope he sees who you belong to. only one who’s gonna come is you. right. now,” he punctuates those words with hard thrusts that have your eyes rolling back. you’re teetering on the edge and finally crash over, but see the light from outside as the cabin door opens.

#smut #luke castellan x reader smut #luke smut #luke x reader smut #luke x reader #percy jackon and the olympians #charlie bushnell #dom luke #jjk smut #pjo smut

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lunajay33 · 1 year

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Destiny🐺

Summary: Paul has just shifted to his new life as a wolf and feels empty without his imprint hoping he finds her soon, y/n just moved to forks to live with her sister Bella and decides to go to the bone fire to make new friends

“Y/n hurry up we’re gonna be late” bella called out to me

“Okay give me a second” I ran down the stairs pulling on my jacket and shoes and she went and got in the truck

The engine roared making me laugh to myself and the horrific sound

I jumped in and we were off, I always loved forks, I never wanted to leave but Bella didn’t want to live away from me, so I decided to visit dad at least twice a year, after bella stopped going I still went, I always felt like I lived in her shadow, she always got all the attention and I was just kinda….there

But hopefully now I can reconnect with some of the La push people again, when I’d visit with dad I’d hang around Leah, Seth and Jacob, sometimes the others but they made me nervous sometimes

Bella was the awkward one while I was the shy one, I liked being with people but I couldn’t seem to ever start the conversation out of fear of what might happen, it was silly but I couldn’t help it, hopefully being around those rowdy boys might help break me out of that

As we drove down to Jacobs house, the beautiful forest flashing past, I knew I was always meant to be here, for some reason I always had this pull and connection the La push, I’d come and sit on the beach or walk through the forest and just feel at peace

We pulled up to the little red house I loved to see, I jumped out and ran over to where Billy and Jacob were, this is the first time I’ve seen them since moving back

“Billy! Jacob! I missed you guys!” I said yelling in excitement as I finally reached them

“Y/n you’re here! It’s so good to see you” billy smiled as he motioned me into a hug, I bent down and he squeezed me tight, he was always like a second dad here

I pulled back and looked back over at Jake

“Woah what happened to your hair man?” I said as I ruffled his short hair

“It’s new, not my favorite but it needed the chop” he said but I somehow felt like he was lying

“Now come on the elders should be here soon” billy said as Jacob started pushing him to fire

“Wait what? Elders? Are we allowed to be here?” I asked nervous, not wanting to intrude

“Oh it’s fine, we invited you so you’re more than welcome” Jake said as we finally got to the fire

I felt relieved, Bella sat down next to Jacob but they was only enough room on the log for them so I didn’t know where to sit, I glanced around looking for a spot

Interrupted by Seth, he ran up to me pulling me into a hug

“Y/n! Why didn’t you call and say you’re here, me and Leah missed you, we were sad when you didn’t move back with Bella”

“Sorry I wanted to move back, I never wanted to move away in the first place but my mom needed help with somethings before I could come back, I missed you guys too though” I said as I moved over seeing Leah and giving her a hug, she didn’t seem like her old self but she did seem excited to see me

“Finally another girl around to talk to” she smiled

“I’m glad because the people in forks don’t seem to like to make friends”

“Well you’re always welcome at la push” Seth said, he was almost jumping out of his skin

I went back to looking for a seat when I saw an open spot neck to a guy I remember as Paul, I always remember when he’d be around I’d always get butterflies in my stomach but never really thought too much about it until now

The light from the fire was glowing on his skin, his smile was so nice, he has become so handsome, he was even more buff now

I took a deep breathe and walked over to him

“Hey do you mind if I sit here?” I asked before I sat down

He looked up at me but froze, there was this look in his eyes like he never wanted to look away, I was usually uncomfortable with this amount of eye contact but….I loved it, I sat next to him without breaking contact, I didn’t even care what was happening around us

“Paul you good?” I heard Sam call, breaking us both out of our trance

“Oh uh sorry” he said

“It’s okay, how’ve you been Paul? I haven’t seen you in so long?”

“Good just the usual here, glad you’re here” he smiled and the butterflies erupted again

“I’m glad I’m here too, you cut your hair too” I frowned as I brushed my fingers through his hair, gently tracing down to his cheek, noticing how he leaned into my touch

Billy went on to tell the history of the tribe, it was so interesting, I looked at Paul again noticing his he sat closer to me, seeing how all the boys were so entranced by the story, sure it was an amazing story but for these boys to be so entertained made me think that this story might be real

Part.2<-

#y/n #paul lahote #paul lahote x reader #paul lahote x y/n #la push #forks aesthetic #twilight #bella swan #edward cullen #jacob black #seth clearwater #leah clearwater #embry call #sam uley

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swiftllama · 8 months

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Anthony Complimenting Ian ☀️🔍

“I think that’s a big difference in us reuniting, is I am so willing to praise you and mention your strengths.”

Hey guys! Been working on this post for a while and so happy to finally share!

Before we knew of their reunion, there was this window of time where Anthony kept complimenting Ian on social media. That stood out to me then, especially after having very little interaction between them in so long. But now having the context that they were actually hanging out again behind the scenes, and that Anthony now makes a conscious effort to compliment/praise Ian makes it all the more sweeter. The said compliments I mentioned were posted at the time but the fandom wasn’t as active as it now is again so I wanted to compile a list of all the moments of Anthony complimenting Ian from their reunion to present for anyone who might’ve missed it. Enjoy!

Pre-Reunion

Okay so this first post is actually from before they reconnected. We know from the Smosh Reunion t-shirt that they reconnected in November 2022 and this post is from July 2022.

I like to think Anthony was in a better place with his emotions towards Smosh/Ian by this point, and that Ian had been on his mind and so a nice little compliment was to be had.

Post-Reunion

April 2023

5 months post-reunion and Anthony’s feeling more confident to joke around whilst still complimenting Ian. You love to see it! And Ian’s reply, him getting all embarrassed is cute 🤭

It also reminded me of these tweets from back in September 2017 :-

Confirmed: Anthony has a thing for calling Ian ‘daddy’. Noted. 👀

May 2023

Less than a month later and Anthony was back at it again with the compliments

Ian looks good and Anthony is determined to tell him at every opportunity!

And then…

June 2023

THE (PUBLIC) REUNION

And so ensued an abundance of compliments.

Anthony’s Interview

First lot of praise we saw from Anthony to Ian was in his interview with him. Tumblr sadly doesn’t allow you to add more than one video to a post so these are all quotes from said interview.

Like the tweet above of Ian getting his first chain necklace, they reference it once again. Ian is talking about how even though they’ve grown as people they haven’t changed that much, he references the fact Anthony has “more bling and tattoos” now, Anthony then interjects with :-

“Hey, you got a little bling too, let’s not discount it.”

Ian then shows the jewellery off and Anthony comes in saying “Baby’s first chain.” I like to think he was the first one to say that when Ian got the chain and where Ian got the inspo for his Twitter caption. Anthony then finishes this topic of conversation off by adding on that Ian also got “face bling too” in reference to his glasses. I know this isn’t really a full-out compliment and they’re just kinda messing about, but I think it still stands with Anthony saying that’s something that’s changed between them now is that he’s willing to compliment him, and I love how when Ian tries to downplay something about himself, Anthony jumps straight in there to lift him up too.

Another complimentary moment from the interview was when Anthony was talking about when he was 15 and came down with an autoimmune disease resulting in him missing half a year of school and Ian got a bunch of people to sign a ‘Get Well Soon’ card to give to Anthony to make him feel better.

“There is one moment, one thing that you did for me, when we were younger that really stood out to me that I never mentioned to you and I never thanked you for. I’ve been holding it in and I have never expressed it…. I don’t know how you got it to me, but somehow you got a ‘get well soon’ card that you gave to me - Okay, I don’t know if it was you who came up with the idea or your mom, or if like your mom told you, you had to do it. And a whole a bunch of people signed it and you wrote a message like ‘get well soon, we can’t wait to see you again’. And that, it really meant a lot to me, and yeah, it kinda kept me motivated and focused, and I don’t know why but for some reason it motived me to learn how to program a website, program a game, and I feel like because of that in some ways I was able to channel all my energy into creating the things that eventually culminated in what the foundation of Smosh was.”

I really love this moment, and I think it really shows Anthony’s growth. As was revealed in his letter to Ian, there was a period of time in which he felt he had more of a hand in creating Smosh in the early days, but the fact he can now acknowledge and recognise Ian’s input in it all, even before Smosh was a thing, and thank him for it really shows how far Anthony has come.

The last lot of praise from the interview is actually something Anthony has mentioned multiple times as you will see later on in this post and that is about their dynamic and how they work together.

“I think the fact we work in such different ways, like I’m able to really hyper-focus on something and put all my energy, just like back-to-back constantly in one chunk, I think that works really well when compared against the way that you work, where you are super creative and..”

Ian interjects by saying his head is “up in the clouds” when he works. Anthony continues by saying that Ian needs to be there to come up with the ideas that he does and then praises him once more :-

“I could never come up with most of the ideas that you come up with, but I feel I know how to formulate it and put it together.”

Next lot of praise for the month was this tweet :-

Anthony praising Ian, along with everyone else who had a hand in keeping Smosh going all these years. Similar to something he said at Vidcon when he interviewed Ian once again :-

“I just want to say huge, huge respect to you for staying with Smosh. For having that faith in it that it could continue to grow and be something bigger…” [audience cheers and Anthony points to Ian] “So huge, huge respect to Ian. That took a lot of tenacity - the tenacity you said I had, that’s where you really showed up. And Ian had to learn how to be a leader, Ian had to learn how to do all these things where he was just thrown into that because I made the decision to leave because Smosh, what it had become, was eating a hole in me and I felt I needed to walk away to figure myself out, to just grow on my own and I’m so thankful that you stuck around to keep it going so that we could do this [own Smosh again].”

And there was more where that came from and leads me onto the next lot of compliments :-

Vidcon 2023

“When Ian came over to my place to write… I remember I was sitting on the coffee table writing these jokes and you would say something and it would totally catch me off guard just like you used to do.”

Anthony said this so fondly to Ian, the “just like you used to do.” It goes back to what he said during his interview with Ian, which he got emotional about, that during the lunch where they reconnected properly for the first time, he saw his childhood friend in that moment. That despite how much they had both changed, the Ian he knew, the only one who can make him laugh like he does, was and is still there.

Anthony goes on to bring up their working dynamic again as he did in his interview :-

“While we were writing that sketch, while we were shooting it, there was this feeling - I didn’t realise it, but there was something missing from my creative process. Especially in creating comedy, that Ian just perfectly… I don’t know if I want to say yin and yang - I don’t know what I want to say about it. But it was just this perfect balance, that feels like in order for us to reach our fullest potential creatively, us working together is, in my heart, the only way for that to really reach its fullest capacity.”

Ian then responds in his usual way, trying to downplay his efforts by agreeing that their dynamic works well that way because he’s, in his own words, “kind of lazy.”

Anthony is quick to jump in though :-

“I think that’s a misconception, you’re not lazy.”

I love how he just outright refuses to let Ian talk down about himself nowadays. He will absolutely not have it!

Ian continues on and compliments Anthony in return by saying he is very ‘tenacious’ and ‘focused’, and ‘particular about things.’ Whereas Ian’s way of working, as Anthony goes on to say, is “throwing stuff out” and Anthony likes to pick out the best of the best from those ideas. And this is when we got the first of the ☀️🔍 analogies :-

“It feels almost like Ian is the sun radiating all these ideas in every direction, and then I’m the magnifying glass that’s like ‘let’s focus on this one, let’s make this one fire. This one’s amazing.’ And something about just the way that we work together just meshes so perfectly, and I think that’s how we became best friends in sixth grade, that’s how we established our sense of humour and why the Smosh videos that we created resonated with so many people, is because there is that perfect dichotomy between us.”

Do you think Anthony thinks their dynamic is perfect? I don’t know 🤔 I don’t think he mentioned it enough.

Jokes aside, it is very sweet. And I love how much he loves their connection.

The next lot of compliments come straight after the quote of Anthony praising Ian for sticking with Smosh whilst he was gone :-

“I’m super thankful - you know for the past six years it just felt like there was a hole in there [in his heart]. You know I’ve been creating my own interview series and it’s felt like this is a great way for me to be able to express a part of me, but not all of me. And that other part of me that wasn’t being expressed is that part of me that I now get to experience with you, and working with you, my childhood best friend, in creating something and being able to capture that magic and express it, and be able to present it for all of you [the audience], it’s a really, really great feeling.”

Ian then responds with another little compliment of his own :-

“I think on my side, you know when you left I was still making sketch comedy, I was still writing, but I never found the same kind of writing partner that I did after you. It was never the same. The way that we work together, I never quite found that kind of person to easily bounce ideas off to, so I kind of stepped back a little bit from the writing.”

It also reminds me of something Ian said during Anthony’s interview, about how they have this level of ‘trust’ between them, that Ian never found again with anyone else after Anthony left. Makes me so soft, they feel so lucky to have each other again. No one quite gets them like the other does and they can never replace what they have. Their connection truly is special.

This is more of a silly one and just them joking around but I’m including it anyways! They had a Q&A session with the audience after the interview and the person asking the question starts off by introducing themselves and saying how they met Ian the other day and apologises for calling him “old.”

They both laugh and Ian pretends to begin to walk off stage. And then, you guessed it, Anthony swoops in with a retort :-

“Hey! He’s 35 years young.”

Moving on to later the same day, after playing a live version of TNTL with the cast, they all had a sit-down Q&A :-

Q: “What inspires you? What made you who you are?”

And of course, as if he hadn’t already killed us enough, Anthony has to go and say this :-

“I’m about to say something totally whack. I’d say, Ian and my friendship when we first started really connecting. I feel like Ian taught me to not take myself too seriously and his sense of humour is just all over the place and I eat that shit up, I think it’s so funny.”

Like wtf. WHAT THE FUCK.

Ian’s reaction to him saying that pretty much sums up my emotions.

And that was it for Vidcon!

Except if you count this little cherry on top and the perfect closing to June as the picture is from Vidcon :-

Anthony being obsessed with Ian on main! You love to see it!

July 2023

Started off July with a bang and the ☀️🔍 article :-

Never getting over this! Anthony just loves the sun and magnifying glass analogy and I couldn’t be more here for it. Ian is the sun in his life 💛🖤

Ian Reads Anthony’s Angry Letter

And then came the infamous letter video. Which even though there were a few hurtful things revealed, there still managed to be a few nods of acknowledgment towards Ian even in that hurt Anthony felt.

As mentioned earlier in this post, in part of the letter Anthony writes that in the early days of Smosh he wanted it to be something ‘he’ made with Ian’s help, and that he considered Ian to only be “tagging along”. He goes on to apologise [in the letter] for if he ever made Ian feel like he didn’t deserve as much credit as he did.

“You may not have done some of the heavy lifting I did in the early days, but definitely encouraged us to keep going and you kept things light and full of laughs as we did it. We accomplished so much and I am just now realising how important you were in making that happen.”

Anthony then brings up something that happened recently between them :-

“But that thing that you read there - you did, and this was actually really nice for me to hear from you. It was a few days after we had confirmation that we had bought Smosh, you came over to my place, we had a little celebratory hang; very luxurious. We chilled with cigars and some whiskey, and we just bro-ed it up, and you said that to me. That exact thing - you said, “hey, I don’t think I ever really acknowledged the heavy lifting that you did in the early days” and you said that you “felt really lucky to be there at that time and that I included you in that.” And that was really nice to hear, even though I know.”

So I know technically this compliment/praise/acknowledgment isn’t new as the letter was written in 2017, but it’s ‘new’ to us. But I’m glad to hear that Anthony does acknowledge Ian’s involvement in Smosh’s success, even in the early days when Anthony was doing more of the technical things. He acknowledges that Ian still had a role to play in it all being what it was.

Ian agrees with what Anthony is saying, and that he always felt ‘guilt’ over the fact Anthony had to do the things he didn’t have the skillset to do, but recognises that he didn’t acknowledge or thank Anthony enough for it because he was ‘afraid’ that he might have to do more when their whole thing was about doing “equal work” because they felt as a duo they had to, and that if the other felt they were doing more work then there was some resentment there. Ian tries to downplay himself by joking “In most cases you were doing more work than me…” but Anthony is quick to jump in again and not allow it.

“I was doing more hours, but I think you were doing more of the creative heavy-lifting which is more taxing in many ways. So I think that you needed your time to recoup your energy, cause you’re coming up with funny stuff, and at that time I was like ‘I’m doing so much work’.”

Also another mention of Ian’s creativity and humour when it comes to writing, that Anthony acknowledges he wouldn’t be able come up with. But you can see where the ‘resentment’ they talked of came from, and why Anthony felt he was doing more. When in reality it’s just that’s their strengths lie in different areas, but that doesn’t make the work they both do individually any less important. So I am happy they can see that now and praise each other for the unique ways in which they shine which compliments their own strengths in their own special ways.

WE WERE ROBBED! Watch Party

It happened again. Anthony calling Ian ‘daddy’. Can we just all agree that he has a thing for it? Okay. Good.

They’re discussing how everyone in chat is poking fun at Ian for saying “you guys are a fun bunch” to the rest of the group during the ‘Do Men Know Reproductive Anatomy?’ Smosh Pit video and how it was a ‘dad’ comment. Ian reads out a comment talking about how Arasha called him ‘dad’ and he says “[she] can because she’s my son”. And then Mr ‘Ian is Daddy’ Padilla jumps in with the correction once again :-

Anthony: “I think you’re becoming ‘daddy’.”

Ian: [asks if it’s when he puts his glasses on]

Anthony: “Especially.”

Ian: [puts glasses on]

Anthony: “Oh damn, daddy.”

Like why is this Anthony’s thing now? Whatever the reason - I’m here for it.

Also, Ian doesn’t like to be referred to as ‘pops’ but Anthony’s into it. So, Daddy and Pops. It’s settled. Love our parents 👨‍👨‍👧‍👦

Smosh Mouth

And just like we started July, we ended it the same - with a bang!

I urge you if you haven’t seen it yet (or even if you have), to go watch this video. It may as well have been named ‘Praise Ian Hour’. Not only have we got Anthony, but also Shayne and Amanda coming in to add to the many compliments.

I know all these compliments the others were giving Ian were probably making Anthony’s heart swell with pride. To know that not only himself, but everyone else also recognises Ian’s strengths. To know that these things he loves about Ian, others see in him too.

So a lot of the video was the others complimenting Ian rather than from Anthony himself, but he agreed with everything they were saying and added a few little tidbits. So this next lot of compliments will be what Shayne and Amanda said, along with Anthony’s comments :-

Amanda: [talking about when she first auditioned for Smosh] “And I’ll never forget after I did that [read the script], it was really fun - they asked me a question, and I was in a really interesting place in my life… And they were like “If you could have one superpower, what would it be?” and I just said “Vulnerability.”… And I’ll never forget, Ian stood up and went “Do you write comedy also?” and I said “Yeah!”, and he went [nods] and he shook my hand.”

Anthony: [grinning ear to ear] “He knew. He knew.”

Happy boy loving hearing people praise his bff 🥰

“I think honestly that statement alone is exactly why you’re doing a podcast. I think Ian was able, if he really did know in that moment, I think it probably was seeing that there was more to you than just the comedy, there’s more depth there, there’s multiple layers, and you can build on that a lot more than just somebody who can only do one type of thing.”

A very sweet comment. How Ian recognised the talent in Amanda from that one thing she said, and also cute how well Anthony knows Ian so can see exactly where he was coming from in seeing that talent in her and why she ended up at Smosh.

Shayne: “…I’m curious how you [Anthony] think things were going in the years you were gone? It’s been fun to see this arc of Ian. And being honest I’ve gotten to know Ian so well over the course of 6 years and that’s what’s so interesting about you coming back. You know Ian better than any of us-”

Anthony: “But I don’t know the Ian from the past 6 years as well as well as you guys do.”

Shayne: “…But you haven’t seen president Ian.” [talks about how when Anthony was still there both him and Ian were so busy under Defy that they weren’t around much to act as leaders]

Anthony: “Yeah, there was no leadership really coming from Ian and I, except that I think we showed excitement and passion… We showed that, and I think that’s where we kinda led, but it wasn’t really ‘we’re the leaders’ and when I left, and especially when Defy collapsed and Ian was left there making a lot of those decisions, he had to be the leader that had to lead by example and get everyone onboard with his ideas, and that was a really unique role for him because he was kinda forced into that position, and he was forced to get really good at it. And I think, over the 6 year time period that I was gone, I’ve seen him, observing from the outside, I’ve seen him get better and better at that role. Even though I know he doesn’t ‘love’ it, he’s not like ‘I can’t wait to go and be a leader when I go to work’, and he’s told me that he feels like he thrives most when we have the dynamic between us where I can pick up when he’s not really-”

“observing from the outside” 🥺 the fact he was still checking up on Ian even when they weren’t close anymore, it shows that the care was still there despite the strain on the relationship. It also reminds me of what Ian said during Anthony’s interview, that he could tell Anthony was floundering when he first left :-

Ian: “I could see very clearly what you were doing and what was going on. It was very clear that you were trying to find your individual creative voice. And with the types of videos you were putting out it felt very much like you’d throw this out and see if that would stick, you’d throw that out and see if that would stick. You’d get excited about something - I could tell there was a time when I think you were watching Nathan For You, and you were getting excited about this one kind of style.”

Anthony: “Damn, you read me like a book.”

It’s just like Shayne said - they know each other better than anyone. And that extends to even when they weren’t speaking, they still knew the other inside and out.

Amanda: “He’s glowing right now.”

Shayne: “He’s been so happy.”

Anthony: “It’s really, really cool to see because you know watching from the outside, I was able to observe his mannerisms and kind of get a general idea of where his headspace was at, but even then I wasn’t able to fully understand him because I didn’t fully understand him for so many years leading up to it, so I was just an outside observer trying to just keep tabs. But I do notice a stark difference, ever since Ian and I had that discussion, and were like ‘you know what, let’s buy Smosh and anything we can do to make that happen, let’s do it’. And after that conversation I’ve been keeping up-to-date with the content a lot more and I’ve seen Ian shine in such an interesting way, where I don’t even know if you guys felt it - like before the announcement, you felt something good was coming?”

Is everyone sufficiently in tears? Good, because me too. This isn’t even the end of this convo, I just had the pause to go over all of what was just said. Both Amanda and Shayne saying how happy Ian is now, I don’t know how Anthony didn’t cry on the spot! I did and it’s not even about me! Like hearing that, knowing it’s because of him that Ian is so happy 😭 and I think the same can be said for Anthony. They’re both so happy to have each other again ❤️

Shayne: “I did start to notice a change these past few months. I started to notice - this dude, there’s something about him, like the ‘cool’ factor started to change. He started wearing a chain! He started tucking shirts in.”

Amanda: “Oh yeah! He tucked in every shirt. He wore a chain. He was glowing. And our conversations were about life and joy and not really what he was reading on the internet.”

Shayne: “His confidence level has changed this year. When you guys announced the whole thing [buying Smosh], you walked into the building and I was like ‘Okay this makes sense!’ He’s feeling a lot more confident because things are feeling more certain and this place is going to turn into more of what he wants.”

Anthony: [agrees, and talks about how he thinks the confidence comes from a place of Ian now knowing the future of Smosh is secure under them after not knowing for a long time] “And I think for some reason, just naturally his confidence started growing as - I don’t know if this is related, but he is so good at writing and coming up with jokes, and I think for a long time he got the impression in his head that he wasn’t good at that anymore. And I think the Smosh channel moving away from written stuff, which I feel like he just really shines at - these absurd ideas, and when they come to life on screen maybe I’m able to help keep them a little bit more focused. But I really love that, cause he has so many great ideas and I started noticing just how many good ideas - he would throw out like 30 ideas and 20 of them were brilliant. But I feel like he started to gain confidence too in our writing sessions where he realised, ‘oh this isn’t a fluke, I wasn’t just funny in the past’ - I don’t know if this was the worry that was going on in his head, but it certainly was in mine. I was like, ‘was I only good at this in the past? can I be good at this now?’ and we both discovered together that what we were good at in the past, was more of a representation of our innate abilities and personality on our own but also the dynamic between us, and it seems like his confidence was growing there, and on camera when I would watch him from the outside, even hosting ‘Let’s Do This’ - when I saw him hosting these things it seemed like he was much more confident and he was able to take initiative.”

I love how much Anthony talks about how good Ian is at writing and coming up with jokes, and how much he reiterates that nowadays. I love that he recognises that talent in him and acknowledges how his own abilities complement Ian’s so well and why their dynamic is so special and works so well.

Shayne: “Ian is so much funnier than he realises. And maybe he’s realising it now-“

Anthony: “Yeah, I hope so.”

Aw Anthony 🥺 well if he doesn’t, you’re there to remind him tenfold.

Shayne: “But over these past years, I think the thing that has always frustrated me is - as you said [Anthony], he’ll throw out ideas but he’ll be like ‘oh this one’s dumb’ and I’m like ‘no that’s really funny, man’…. But whenever he goes 100% and he commits fully it’s always great.”

Anthony: “Always great.”

Shayne: “And I think he really does that in your guy’s sketches, there’s no doubt - the Ian that people know and love is that guy. And I think when he’s able to write and know what it is, he goes full force. But I will say even with the improvised stuff he held himself back - he’s so good, but he just needs to allow himself go full force.”

Anthony: “I think he would second guess.”

Shayne: “He second guesses. And I feel bad talking about him without him here, but it’s all good things. Cause reality is he’s really, really talented.”

Anthony: “The truth is he was doubting himself, but the less he’s doubting himself [he’s able to go full force].”

Shayne: [talks about how Ian has said 2019 was one of the hardest years after Defy collapsed and he had to step up as a leader and figure things out on his own] “So suddenly one day Smosh is gone and all these people are just gone, they don’t care. And I remember talking to Ian and being like “hey, so what are we gonna do?” and I remember this look of just - it’s still Ian where everything’s very casual and just kinda shrugged off almost, but I remember him just being like “We’re gonna figure it out. I’m gonna get this together”, and I was just like “That’s the most confident you’ve ever sounded about anything.”

Amanda: “It’s cause he was a single dad, he had to figure it out.”

Shayne: “But Ian’s always like ‘yeah, I dunno’ but this was the first time he was like ‘we’re gonna - I’m gonna - we’re gonna have it.’

Anthony: “And I feel like we see that [confidence] a lot more from him now.”

Shayne: “Yeah, and that was the first time that I was like ‘Dude, this Ian’s crazy. This guy’s not fucking around.’ and he had to do so much behind the scenes that I didn’t see, but he was making business deals and he was working all day, every day to get that shit together. And you know people say Rhett and Link saved Smosh, it’s like Ian saved Smosh. Rhett and Link were there to make that deal happen, but Ian was the one who put that shit together.”

Anthony: “For sure.”

Loved this from Shayne! Because it’s so true, yes R&L were there when Smosh needed a home, but Ian was the one who put in the hard work to make that happen. None of it could have happened without him. And I’m glad Anthony agrees, and as his comments at Vidcon suggest, he’s very thankful that Ian was there to save Smosh so he could come back and they could rightfully own what is their’s, doing what they love, together again.

Shayne: [talking about how Ian and Anthony going their separate ways needed to happen] “You started this thing forever ago when you were kids and it’s completely overshadowed your own lives and your friendship. To be able to take a step away and figure out who you guys are on your own and then come back - you guys at a certain point were forced to be best friends on camera and that’s tough and it becomes a product more than an actual friendship, so to be able to walk away and leave that alone and then choose to be best friends again.”

Not so much a compliment, just loved this. It’s the choice to be best friends again that gets me. Something they’re actively choosing and put above everything else, they’re never going to let anything get in the way of their friendship again and that is so special.

The famous quote comes to mind :-

“If you love something, set it free. If it comes back, it’s yours.”

Shayne: “I said it to Ian when he was on the podcast - I really respect both of you for your both individual journeys in all this. Like your choice to leave the thing you made forever ago as a kid, that meant everything to you, that’s an insane choice. And you made it for your own good, and you recognised your own happiness and that was gigantic. And Ian, I think really was scared to be a leader here, he was scared to be on his own, like president, and he really did it and he’s stuck with it through crazy [times] - not only the shutdown where he stepped up, but the pandemic as well, where we were all filming stuff on our own by ourselves, and he stuck with it, man. That dude, he’s had some endurance with all of this and so to see you guys back together, I know for him there’s pressure taken off because he has you, and I can see there’s so many aspects of the job that he questions himself - I think he’s great at it, but he questions himself and I think you can fill in that part for him where he’s like ‘oh sweet, I know I can rely on you’.”

Anthony looks like he’s about ready to cry when Shayne said that and I don’t blame him because I could too.

Knowing just how important he is to Ian. That he is the only person Ian can rely on when it comes the leadership side of the business, an area where he’s been alone in for so long, doubting himself, I’m sure it makes Anthony want to hype him up and reassure him even more that he’s doing a good job.

Shayne: “And I said this to you, I think the day you first came back, but I’m like - you both together is one of the greatest YouTubers ever.”

Anthony: “I appreciate that.”

Shayne: “You individually - super successful. Like you went and you were successful on your own. Ian maintained Smosh on his own. That’s really cool to see that there was success from both of you individually, but together - I mean when we’re at Vidcon and we’re talking to other YouTubers, Smosh has, there’s something to it right? Like other YouTubers go ‘Oh! Smosh!’ that’s a big deal.”

It’s so emotional how this thing that Ian and Anthony created together as teenagers is what it is now 🥲 and it’s so true - together, they’re something special.

Anthony: [discussing how he discovered his interview format for his videos after trying lots of different kinds of content after leaving Smosh] “I thought that my lane was making sketch comedy so I was writing out some stuff. But I realised that on my own, without Ian, I am not a very strong writer. I do not have the funniest jokes.”

Again, Anthony recognising Ian’s talent when it comes to writing and the Yin and Yang of their dynamic, and how they need each other to really be at their best.

[Amanda says how Anthony seems like an extrovert in his interviews. He says it’s an illusion and that he’s really introverted - Shayne agrees that he is]

Shayne: “I mean I’m just now hanging out with you again recently, but I always got the sense, and I get the sense still, that Ian is the outgoing one.”

Anthony: “Yeah.”

Shayne: “Ian’s super outgoing, and people maybe don’t clock that… At parties, Ian will walk up to any group of people and he’ll just join the conversation.”

Anthony: “For sure.”

Amanda: “You’re right, he does.”

Shayne: “It is shocking to me. And he’s so chill about it.”

I know this was mainly just Anthony agreeing, but I found it interesting and it made me wonder if that is another reason their dynamic works so well and if it’s maybe also a comfort for Anthony? As a fellow introvert, I know how much easier it makes things when you have an extroverted person with you in social situations that you feel uncomfortable with. So I wonder if it’s the same for Anthony with Ian, that he has him there to lean on, knowing he’ll take the forefront in those types of situations if he needs it.

And that was it for the podcast and for the month of July.

And so draws to a close the first instalment of this compliments series. I plan to continue this month to month, or every few depending on how much content there is - you’ll be able to find all parts in the Compliments Masterlist.

Thank you for reading and catching up with the world of the Anthony Padilla Ian Hecox Fanclub with me. Hope you enjoyed and I shall see you next time!

#this took me so long so rb are appreciated 😅#wanted to get this out end of July but didn’t finish in time #started adding august onto it forgetting you can only add 10 photos on a post 😑#but anyways! so happy to finally get this out to you guys!#smosh #ian hecox #anthony padilla #ianthony #☀️🔍#ianthony compliments #ian and anthony #smoshian #smoshanthony #smosh ian #smosh anthony #my posts

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justwearthegoddamncardigan · 4 months

Note

hi I’m obsessed with your Maze Runner stories and was wondering if you could do a fem!reader x Aris set during scorch trial. Where reader is really shy and has trust issues so when their at WCKED the only person she talks to is Aris and once they escape the others thinks that she’s just stuck up so one night when reader is asleep they mention it to Aris and he defends her and tells them about her past. That’s all I’ve got I hope it makes sense. But don’t stress if your not able to write it🫶🏻

First aris request!!! <3

It's you and me

Aris x fem!reader

Set during scorch trials (movieverse)

Warnings: injury including a twisted ankle and Crank bite, language/swearing

"So we know there's something off about this place," says Aris, voice hushed.

"I mean, yeah," you say.

For days now, you and Aris have watched the continuous cycle of scientists wheeling new bodies in daily, into a room you can't even access through the vents.

The two of you sit at the top of your bunk; the bed you've been sharing since the other girls from your Maze have been gradually taken away, supposedly to a safe place.

"I think we're in danger here," you say quietly.

"Yeah," agrees Aris. "Listen, we need help."

"Help?"

"I saw this guy today, Thomas. He's from Group A. I think he might be able to help us."

You frown. "You think we can trust him?"

Aris squeezes your hand. "We're just two people, we'll need more if we want to do anything. I think we have to trust someone."

You sigh, flopping back in your bed. "Fine, you're right."

Aris lies down beside you. "I'll talk to Thomas tomorrow."

"Okay," you say, turning to him. "Just- be careful."

⭒----⭒

It's a couple days later that you're standing outside a storage room while Aris picks out a new shirt, and someone starts walking towards you.

"Hey, it's Y/n, right? You're with Aris?"

You blink at the guy, confused. "Yeah," you say cautiously. "Who are you?"

"Minho," he says with a friendly smile. "Thomas told me about you and Aris."

He swings his gaze around the corridor before leaning forward to whisper to you, and you instinctively take a step back.

"Listen," says Minho, voice low. "These bodies you guys saw, any ideas on what they actually mean? Cause Thomas is going a bit crazy about it, and we wanna-"

"I'm sorry," you cut him off. "I- I don't really know you, and I'd rather not talk about..." you trail off, ducking your head.

Minho blinks in surprise, and you turn to peek into the clothes room. "Aris, got something yet?"

"Yeah, hang on." There's a few muffled sounds from the changerooms before; "Okay, I'm done. Let's go."

"Uh-" You turn back to Minho, who's still standing there awkwardly. "It was nice meeting you," you manage to say, before grabbing Aris' hand and tugging him away.

"What was that about?" asks Aris as you're lining up for checkups.

You shrug. "He just wanted to talk."

You eye his new shirt, a dark grey abomination with both horizontal and vertical stripes (but somehow not checkered?). "Really?"

"What?" huffs Aris.

"Nothing, I just thought- given that you were in that room for ten minutes, you were trying to pick a really nice shirt."

"Hey, I like this," says Aris in mock-indignation.

"I'm sure you do..." your gaze drops to the uneven white hem. "Did you pick an ugly one on purpose to annoy me?"

Aris answering grin is the only confirmation you need.

You roll your eyes and prop your elbow up on his shoulder, leaning on him as you wait in line. "You're making me miss that cursed hoodie."

"Don't lie, you always loved that hoodie," replies Aris, nudging you with his shoulder.

You snort, ducking your smile into your sleeve.

You spot Minho across the checkup queue, and think back to the conversation you had with him.

Look, you know you're not always the nicest to people, you've just had some trouble... trusting, in the past.

You gaze at Aris, the only person left from your maze, your rock and the one person you trust with everything.

He turns to you as he senses you looking, raising his eyebrows. "You alright?"

"Yeah. Just- thanks, for everything. The person you've been for me this whole time."

Aris huffs out a laugh. "Where's this coming from?"

You shrug. "Just wanted to say it. I've been lucky, to have you."

"You'll always have me, Y/n. Always."

⭒----⭒

"Hurry, this way!" yells Thomas.

It took about ten minutes for whatever Aris and Thomas' plan was to go sideways, and they'd come rushing back into the rooms telling you and the rest of Group A to run, get out.

You managed to find their friend, Teresa, and now all of you are sprinting towards the main doors.

WCKD guards chase behind you and one of them manages to kick out your leg.

You trip, and pain shoots up your leg as your ankle twists. "Fuck!"

"Here, come on, come on, quick!" A Group A boy, Frypan, punches the guard behind you and grabs you off the floor.

"Don't touch me," you hiss, smacking his hands away.

"Here, I got her." Aris loops your arm over his shoulder, his other arm going around your waist.

You run as best you can, before stopping at a massive door. Thomas reaches forward and turns down the handle, wind gusting in as you step out into the desert.

"This way!"

You run until you're sure your too far for WCKD to find you, ducking down into some covered abandoned-looking place.

You bend you inspect your ankle, the others' arguing going over your head. It's swollen, and twinges with pain when you move, but you follow the group as they pull up a door into some storage room.

"Looks like people lived here," says Minho, rummaging through some supplies.

Around you, lights click on as the group finds torches and lamps.

"Here," says Newt, tossing one to Thomas. "Y/n, want one?"

You turn in surprise. "Yeah, thanks," you say, catching the torch.

"Pack up some stuff," says Thomas, to the group. "Anything you think you might need. We'll split up, meet back here."

You move into another room, sorting through some clothes. "Oi, Aris."

"Ye- woah," he catches the shirt you toss towards him.

"Get out of that sweater," you tell him, grinning at his responding laugh.

You turn away as he gets changed, finding a jacket to pull on over your shirt. You uncover a box of supportive boots, thinking of your twisted ankle. Perfect.

You find a chair nearby and sit to put the shoes on. You hiss softly in pain as you tug off your old shoes, jostling your ankle.

"Here."

Aris kneels down, helping you slide the boots on.

"It's fine, I can-"

"Just let me help," he insists, shooing your hands away.

You let go of the laces, sitting back. You watch as he ties the shoes for you, carefully tugging the sides of the boots around your injured ankle.

"How's it feel?" asks Aris, looking up at you.

"It's good," you say softly. "Thanks."

He gives you a smile. "You're welcome."

You hold his gaze for a second, until you hear shouts coming from nearby.

You jump up, feeling oddly shaken as you snap out of the weird haze you'd felt.

The shouts draw closer, and you realise what they're yelling.

"Run," breathes Aris.

You grab the bag you packed, throwing it over your shoulder.

"Is your leg..." Aris reaches out to support you.

"It's fine, just go!" you urge him.

The two of you catch up to Newt and Frypan, looking over your shoulder to see Thomas and Minho being chased by...

"What are those things?" exclaims Frypan.

"Go!" shouts Thomas. "Move!"

The group runs through the building, ducking through enclosed passages. You start to lag to the back of the group, keeping on Teresa and Aris' heels as Newt runs just behind you.

"Watch out!"

You smack into Teresa's back as the group skids to a halt, three Cranks blocking the way.

"Other way, other way!" yell Thomas.

"Y/n, look out!"

You duck at Minho's warning as a withered arm swipes at your head, but you shout in pain as you feel teeth sink into your forearm.

"Y/n!"

The Crank goes down as you kick it, and you scramble back as Aris jumps in using a metal bar to beat it back.

"Here, this way!"

Aris grabs your uninjured arm, pulling you in Thomas' direction away from the Cranks. You run until you escape the building, finding shelter under some crumbled buildings in the desert.

"We should be safe here for the night," says Thomas, voice slightly unsure.

Everyone is equally doubtful, but too tired to object, so you settle down, using backpacks as pillows.

"You guys need to wrap your wounds," says Newt, passing bandages to you and Winston.

"Thanks," you say.

"I'll help Winston," says Frypan.

"Y/n, want a hand?" offers Teresa.

"I-" you hesitate, before nodding. "Yeah, okay. Thanks."

⭒----⭒

"Winston's getting worse," murmurs Newt, eyes clouded with worry.

It's been just a day, a day of inching slowly across the desert towards mountains that seem to get further every day.

"Have you checked your arm, Y/n?" asks Thomas.

"No," you respond, running your thumb across the bandage.

Thomas leans forward, and you instinctively pull your arm in, holding it protectively to your chest.

Slowly, Thomas reaches to grab his bag, raising his eyebrows at you slightly.

You mentally shake yourself, embarrassed about how jumpy you seem.

You turn as Aris squeezes your shoulder, giving you a comforting smile. It's fine, don't worry. "Get some sleep, Y/n."

You're asleep within a minute, exhausted from travelling.

"Hey, Aris," says Thomas, voice low.

"Yeah?"

"Does Y/n... not trust us?" asks Thomas.

Aris shifts slightly, flicking his gaze over you and seeing you're sound asleep. "What do you mean?"

"It's just- I always feel like she thinks we're gonna hurt her, or something," explains Thomas. "Like just then."

"Really?" Thomas and Aris look to Minho, who's lying down but apparently still awake. "I'm gonna be honest, I always thought she was just kinda stuck up. ...sorry, Aris."

"It's not something to be sorry for," says Aris steadily. "But if you're sorry you should be talking to Y/n, not me."

"Well I-"

"What Minho means," interrupts Newt, frowning at his friend. "Is that it's hard to connect with her. I'd think she's just not a people person, but she seems close with you," says Newt, nodding to where you're pretty much leaning into Aris, sleeping in a half-slumped position.

"We're not trying to insult her," clarifies Thomas. "It's just that we're gonna be a team from here on out, so it'd be nice to get to know her."

"I mean, okay, look," begins Aris. "That's great, and you should get to know her, cause... well she's the best person I know. But you've gotta respect her boundaries. She does have a few trust issues, and you're gonna have to work through those. But if you put in the effort she'll meet you halfway, cause I think she's really trying.

"It... it's hard for her to even be here, with you guys." Aris looks down at you as he speaks, voice soft.

"What do you mean?" asks Thomas. "If you're okay with, uh- telling us."

Aris takes a deep breath. "Alright, I don't know how it was in your Maze, but for our group the first few months was hell. They sent thirty of us in at once, with a Box full of weapons and resources. People saw the weapons and got the wrong idea. So many people were hurt and killed in those early days."

"Dark days," murmurs Newt, staring into the ground. "It was the same for us."

"Yeah," says Aris. "You could hardly trust anyone. Everyone ended up broken into groups, mostly small groups since no one really felt safe with other people. We only had five in our group.

"There was this girl in our group, and she and Y/n were close; really close, practically bonded like sisters at that point. Until this girl betrayed us for the largest group. We had resources they wanted. She practically led us to be killed," says Aris, eyes clouded.

"Y/n got pretty fucked up, cause of that," he continues quietly. "That scar on her shoulder? It's from just barely dodging her best friend's knife to her heart."

"Jesus," mutters Minho.

"Even after all of us got our shit together and started working with each other, Y/n only really trusted our old group. But WCKD's got Rachel now," says Aris, gaze dropping. "And Harriet and Sonya just disappeared."

Aris trails off, lost in his memories, until-

"Alright Aris," says Thomas, sitting forward, voice resolute. "This is what we're here for. We're getting away from WCKD. We'll find our own peace, in a safe place. You and Y/n, and anyone else we meet, we'll protect you. Cause we're a team, and we're gonna look after each other. I'll talk to Y/n later, of course, but that's the promise I'm making you now."

Aris grins at Thomas' intensity. "Thanks," he replies. "And if you do get Y/n's trust, she'll protect you too, all of you. The embodiment of ride or die, that girl. Trust me."

⭒----⭒

The group stumbles upon an abandoned supply area the next morning, and you pull Aris away to collect water alone.

"I heard you guys, last night," you tell him.

Aris turns to you, not nearly as surprised as you thought he'd be. "Yeah? How much?"

"Just the end of it," you say, capping a water bottle and passing it to him. "I wanted to say thanks, for explaining for me. And I'm gonna try, you know, talking to the others."

"That's great, Y/n," says Aris, smiling.

"I can tell they're good people. And I want... I miss having people, I guess. Friends. You know."

"What, gotten bored of me already?" Aris quirks an eyebrow at you.

You huff out a laugh, shaking your head. " 'course not."

"Good," says Aris. "Cause I'm planning on sticking around your stuck-up, traumatised ass for years to come."

"Thanks," you say flatly, hiding your grin.

Aris' expression shifts. "Speaking of years to come... and generally living,"

He reaches out, pulling your arm into his grasp. "Can I?"

At your nod, Aris unwraps the bandage from your arm, revealing the Crank bite marks, present as ever but visibly healing and uninfected.

"How does it feel?" he asks, hope clear in his eyes.

"Fine, honestly," you say softly. "I'm okay."

Aris lets out a breath. "Thank god."

"Yeah," you say, smiling.

"So you're Immune," says Aris.

"Right... Okay, listen," you say, finding your own voice tight with emotion.

You swallow. "If I hadn't been Immune, I would've been... content, happy even, to just have lived this way- with you."

Aris blinks at you.

You frown in thought, quickly ducking around the tank to check on the others still gathering supplies.

"So I-"

"I wouldn't be," interrupts Aris.

"What?"

"You're saying you would've been fine to die, just cause we've had a few years together? Fuck no, Y/n."

"I don't-"

"I want a long, peaceful life," Aris barrels on. "And I want it with you. Because I love you."

What? You take a breath, barely daring to hope. "...platonically, or-"

"Jesus, Y/n. I'm in love with you. Idiot."

"Hey, I'm just making sure," you protest.

You duck your head, kicking the sand lightly. "I was- I was trying to lead into a confession," you tell him.

"I know, I figured," huffs Aris. "But you were struggling, very cutely by the way, and I had to beat you to the punch."

You snort, shaking your head. "I'm unbelievably lucky to have you."

"Nah, I got all the luck," he says, voice soft.

You look into his eyes, the corners crinkled with his smile, and lean forward to press a kiss to his cheek.

"We should get back to the others," you say quickly, grabbing his hand and marching towards the group.

You glance over your shoulder to see Aris looking straight at you, cheeks dusted with pink, before he leans forward.

"I think you missed my lips."

You grin back. "Next time."

Harriet and Sonya were enemies to lovers, btw. Sonya was with Y/n's team, but Harriet was in another group in the early days.

Thanks for reading <3

#the maze runner #aris x reader #tmr aris x reader #tmr aris #my writing

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bajablastwrites · 2 years

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You’re just mad that I’m built different!

Saiki x fem reader

Summary: Typical reality shifting into your favorite anime headcannons, nothing to see here!

Authors Note: I’ve always liked this trope ngl, not sure if I’ll make a full blown fic about it since figuring out an ending for something like that lowkey overwhelms me. It’s a nice thought tho. Also I just suck at writing stories lol.

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You were chilling in your room rewatching Saiki K— or at least that was your plan until you accidentally went to sleep while it played in the background. The next thing you know you wake up and everything looks all animated and 2D. Your room looks animated as well so you looked in your mirror and recognized the art style was from the Saiki K anime!

You originally thought you were having a very lucid dream until you knocked on your wall and felt that it was solid and very much real. You already looked in the mirror and recognized your face (fun fact: the brain can’t recognize or make faces properly while you’re dreaming) so convincing yourself that you were dreaming was completely out of the question. You went out to your room and see a man and a woman that you’ve never seen in your life and nearly freak out until the woman says that she was about to call you for dinner.

After the initial scare, common sense kinda kicked in a little and you immediately made the connection that if you somehow did shift from your reality then these must be your parents. So you ate with them and decided to worry about everything else later….so later rolled around and you were a step away from a full blown anxiety attack. Do you have documents in this reality? Is there any documentation of your existence before you accidentally shifted? How are you going to get back home? Can you go back home? The real kicker was the realization that you’re now separated from your family and friends with the potential of not being able to return to them, you’re now alone, everything you’re familiar with has been ripped away from you and that’s when the wall of suppressed stress and anxiety caved in on itself and you completely broke down. You spiraled into a never ending wave of pessimism, what if you don’t become friends with Saiki? What if he ends up not liking you? Can he even help you? Will he even believe you? You don’t know but you can’t worry about that yet since you haven’t even met the guy yet— personally that is. You managed to calm down a little and make a vague plan in your head on people you can get along with to slowly ease your way into Saiki’s circle if you somehow can’t talk to him directly and who to go to if he for some reason can’t help you get back home. Unfortunately, Saiki’s brother is the only person who’s smart and competent enough to help, so you really only have two options— he’s your last shot home if all goes to shit so you’re really hoping Saiki would be able to help you out.

After you managed to calm down and compose yourself you decided to check your room out a bit more to see if anything’s changed. You found the PK academy uniform in your closet, which was kinda cool since you’ll be able to hang around Saiki and his friends— at least you hoped so. Thankfully you still had your phone with almost everything still intact (yes your music and pictures are safe), except your contacts which was completely empty say for the numbers of your new mom and dad. Everything else in your room was relatively the same, if you had posters or anything from a brand like Apple or something then it was slightly altered because copyright. After looking around you decided to go to sleep and hope that tomorrow is a better day.

So now you’re being introduced as a new transfer student, you shoved your anxiety to the side, introduced yourself to your new classmates and took your seat. You didn’t miss the fact that saiki was practically staring you down while you were in front of the class. You were sat behind Saiki for the plot’s sake and everyone started to introduce themselves to you. You obviously knew who they were but it would be creepy to say that you know who they are, you know. Everything is going really well actually, you’re already friends with Saiki’s group and they all seemed to really like you. You were still a bit worried about befriending saiki himself but you’ll cross that bridge when you get there.

Saiki knew something was off about you the minute you set foot into the classroom, for starters being that he couldn’t read your mind. He assumed you were like Nendo but decided to watch you to make sure you’re not a threat to him. You seemed pretty normal and that’s unusual for the transfer students in this anime, so you’ve already caught his attention.

Your school day went pretty well,— ignoring the fact that a boy with bright pink hair was always nearby, just watching you from a distance. He’s not hard to miss since you’re not under his mind control— you’re literally not from this reality after all. But you still wanted to confirm that he was following you just in case (even though you already knew the answer to that) by being the last one out of the class, so you purposely packed your stuff up slowly or checked your phone until saiki actually left the room, you still decided to wait a little longer just to be sure as well. Saiki long left the classroom but the feeling of being watched told you that he’s still nearby, probably using his x-ray vision or clairvoyance somewhere. So you leave the classroom and start walking down the hallway and instantly hear faint footsteps behind you— you knew they belonged to Saiki, so you walked at a slow pace just to see if he was going to pass you but he never did. Anytime you sped up or slowed down he did the same while also keeping a good distance from you, which now confirmed to you that he’s actually following you and to be honest it’s getting a little creepy now.

It didn’t take long for you to become nervous and start to slowly pick up speed, a male following a girl while she’s alone is never a good sign after all. You saw a woman’s restroom and felt some relief because if you go in he can’t come in there, right? So you picked up the pace as you got closer to the restroom then booked it inside. You know that scene in Beastars where Juno chases Haru— that’s basically what happened between you and Kusuo. You walked at a slow pace, then a speed walk and then a full blown sprint with Saiki being right behind you.

You made it to the bathroom thinking you were safe, but what you didn’t expect is for saiki to come in after you, grab you by the throat and have your back pinned to the wall. He wasn’t choking you but the idea that he can easily crush your windpipe with his super strength just by gently pressing down on it isn’t exactly a comforting feeling and suffocating to death in a school bathroom isn’t exactly how you want to go out.

You started to freak out internally when he demanded to know who you are and who sent you. This isn’t how you wanted your first interaction with Saiki to be and you prayed that it wasn’t your last. So you nervously told him your name, saying that you’re just a student attending the school as your hands automatically found themselves grabbing his wrist and attempt to get him to let go of your throat but to no avail. Saiki gave you a blank stare and looked you dead in the eyes, you didn’t know what he was thinking and hoped he believed you since you were technically telling the truth. This is a comedy anime, they wouldn’t let you die like this would they? Do those rules even apply to you? Oh god oh fuck.

You had to explain to him that you’re just a student and nothing more to him twice— leaving out the whole “I’m from another dimension” part out because you’re not trying to die at the hands of a psychic right now. He finally lets go of your neck and tells you to follow him, he felt like you weren’t telling something and he suddenly became aware of his current situation. That being that he’s a guy in a girls restroom, and he has a girl pinned to the wall by as she begs him not to hurt her. It isn’t exactly a position he wants to be in if someone were to walk in— his telepathy obviously lets him know when someone’s near but he won’t have time to be able to leave if they were to walk in, at least not with you being with him. He needs to confirm you’re not a threat after all.

So now you’re following him to his house where you were greeted by his parents and for the plot you were made to stay over for dinner. After dinner you were dragged up to Saiki’s room for more questions. You figured you should tell him about your situation now since it’ll make things easier for both you and him. So you did just that and surprisingly he didn’t need too much convincing since his powers not working on you kinda proved your point and showing him your music, seeing as the artists don’t exist in this universe— or at least not in the way they do in your world because of copyright. His staring kinda made you nervous though but let’s not talk about that.

Like in every headcannon or fanfic you’ve read, saiki’s mom made him walk you home because of how dark it was. So he did and it was a pretty silent and uneventful walk home, though Saiki won’t lie that he was curious about how you ended up here in the first place. But he’ll keep those questions to himself and watched you walk inside your house, then teleported back home once he knew you were inside your house.

Next day rolls around and your mom is calling you down saying that a friend is at the door waiting to walk you to school. You were thinking it was going to be Nendo or one of the girls but to your surprise it was Saiki himself.

On the walk to school you guys are telepathically communicating to each other. Mainly consisting of how or why you got here and your plan on getting you back home— because as much as you like it here, you don’t belong here and you have people to get back to in your world as well.

So getting you back home is top priority and Kusuo will do anything in his power (literally) to get you home safe and sound.

#kusuo saiki x reader #saiki kusuo x reader #saiki k x reader #kusuo x reader #saiki x reader #saiki k headcanons #saiki headcanons #saiki k hcs #saiki hc #the disastrous life of saiki k.#saiki kusuo no ψ nan #saiki kusou no psi nan #saiki k no psi nan #saiki no psi nan #saiki k

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eigyu · 1 year

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lost inside a daydream pt. 1 (c.sc.)

Memories that I want to cherish forever, all lived with you, are both lost and engraved in my mind. I try to build myself from all the pieces we left behind, but I still can’t seem to be complete, is it because it’s you who I’m missing?

minors dni!

word count — 1,7k

pairing — choi seungcheol x reader

content — strangers to friends to... (?), kinda right person wrong time? idk, fluff everywhere (only at the beggining), college student!seungcheol, college student!seungcheol, seungkwan and mingyu appear here too at some point!, jeonghan and joshua too since the 95z should never be separated ^^ // i wrote this thinking about longhaired cheol (anyone mv.) and i could not be stopped

warnings — there’s going to be cursing, drinking, and some other things (maybe smut) in the upcoming parts, so if that makes you uncomfortable please don’t read these

author note — so i felt confident enough to post the first part of this little thing i’ve been working on?? i’m kinda confident with this one but i’m also kinda scared to post it so... better to leave it here and run away from my blog asap i guess! hope y’all enjoy it and give me some nice feedback because i’m in serious need of it ;-;

btw i haven’t proofread it so if there’s any mistakes please let me know! hope you enjoy it <33

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What do you do when you feel like you found the one? That one person you can completely let all your guards down with. Some decide to rush fully into something with them, others are too afraid to even jump from the shore. When people let themselves fall in love, they let their guards down somehow.

That's how falling for Seungcheol felt like, it wasn’t something too rushed, but you grew confident around each other pretty fast for two people that didn’t really know each other for long.

You first saw him going around campus, and you just noticed how he was always when two other guys that you supposed were his friends. At first, you preferred watching it all from the sidelines, deciding that it was better if you didn’t get too close to them, also considering that they had enough girls going all over them.

Whenever the three of them crossed paths with you, you would always linger on their walking figures, noting how they had an infatuating aura going around. Maybe the girls were crazy for them for a reason.

But you never noticed how Seungcheol would also look your way when he was far enough, paying attention to you silently.

And for that your friends, Mingyu and Seungkwan, would always tease you: "Are you sure Seungcheol and you don't have like a secret relationship or anything?"

You would deny it and justify your stares by saying that he wore such comfy outfits and that you thought about getting a hoodie like his. None of them bought your lie though, knowing how bad you were at lying.

Maybe denying the small crush, which you weren't going to act about, you had developed for the older guy was something that wouldn't really help you forget about him.

You weren't expecting him to approach you at your favourite coffee shop though. "Hello, is this seat taken?"

You couldn't believe your eyes, was the Choi Seungcheol really talking to you? Glancing up you replied to his - quite random - question "Oh, no, but there's another table-" You couldn't really finish your sentence, because he was already sitting down across from you. Smiling at you and letting you see his gummy smile and crescent moon eyes.

"Thank you, Y/N. I really appreciate having some company, especially yours."

Boom, boom, boom. Was that your heart ringing in your ears? Why was he flirting with you so blatantly?

"Are you that straightforward with every girl you talk to?" His bluntness didn't make you uncomfortable, but maybe a bit nervous, since you usually never received any compliments from other people that weren't your friends.

"I try not to, but I find you quite interesting, so I thought that I might as well get to know you a bit better" he winked at you. Did he have to be so flirty? You were trying to keep your heartbeat under control, having someone flirt with you wouldn't help your hopeless romantic self.

Actually, you usually kept it in check, since Seungkwan and Mingyu always brought your feet down when necessary. But, right now, Seungcheol was playing with the strings of your heart.

Coming back to reality, you decided to cut his act: "As long as you let me work in silence, you can stay"

"Sure, angel" he winked at you, again.

"And don't call me angel, please"

"Alright, Y/N"

You kept reading your book and noting things down, but from time to time, you tried to take a quick glance at the figure across from you. Surprisingly, he kept quiet the whole time, something you really appreciated, considering this coffee shop was your safe haven when you needed to hide for a little bit. How did Seungcheol know that you were here, though?

"May I ask something?" being taken by surprise, you noticed how he looked up from his phone the instant he heard your voice.

"Go ahead"

"How did you know I was here? Only two people from campus know I come here." You only confided in Seungkwan and Mingyu to let them know that if they couldn't find you, you most likely were here.

"Well, sometimes when I pass by I see you from the outside" he confessed "But I decided to say hi today for the first time, I didn't really want to look like a stalker. I don't look like one, do I?"

"No, not really, but it did take me by surprise, considering we never spoke before and I'm not the most known person on campus or anything"

He moved his gaze from you to the window before speaking up again: "Well, it doesn't matter whether you're known or not, I want to spend time with and get to know you"

"Sure thing you do..." you muttered under your breath.

You both stayed like that for a while, he was just keeping you company, and from time to time your stolen glances were a habit of yours he picked up, looking at you from time to time too.

It was almost 9 pm when you decided you were done for the day, and ready to head home. "Hey, Seungcheol, thanks for the company. I'm going to be heading home now, it was nice seeing you"

You tried to leave as fast as you could, but he grabbed your wrist before you took a turn to leave: "You're just going to leave without letting me accompany you home? Am I that scary?" Like a deer in headlights, he caught you. Scary? No, he wasn't scary at all, but his presence was numbing your senses and you weren't sure how much more time you could spend this close to him without turning to putty.

"Scary? You wished. I just want to get home quickly, take a shower and have some dinner before bed."

"Let me keep you company though, I'm not going to let you walk around all alone at this hour" he seemed serious, so you guessed it couldn't be that bad if he was alongside you on the way home.

"Alright, but which way is your house? I don't want you to go the opposite way or anything"

"It's fine, we live in the same neighbourhood anyway" He took you by surprise, how did he know that? You didn't want to press on, but that kind of sparked your curiosity, was he paying attention to you from time to time too?

"Okay then" you both left the cafeteria, your wrist no longer being held by his hand, but you felt all the electricity it left behind.

For some reason, even if rush hour was over, the underground was busier than most days, which left you no choice but to stand awfully close to Seungcheol. His strong perfume and closeness was, yet again, numbing your senses to the point that you were dissociating.

What if you said something about it? About how good his hair looks? Would it be the start of something?

You guessed that it was better not to do anything, thinking he would find you weird and disturbing. Feeling nervousness creeping into your cheeks, you moved a little, getting a bit closer to him.

"You're kinda cute, do you know that?" he whispered into your ear from behind.

You had no time to reply to it, since you just got to your stop. So, instead of saying anything about it, you jumped out of the train, kind of hoping he wouldn't follow you.

Unfortunately, while you were taking out your underground card, you saw him from the side of your eye. “I said I would accompany you home, and that is what I’m going to do, so don’t run away from me, please?”

Finding it hard to retort his question, you just gulped and nodded, extremely aware of his eyes staring straight into your soul.

“Now let’s go, we need to get you home safe and sound” he decided to grab your hand just so you wouldn’t try to run away from him again.

You noticed how his hand was bigger than yours, engulfing it and keeping it warm. Was the action making you feel warm in other places too? Seungcheol’s touch was electrifying, and for some reason, your heart was hoping that he was feeling that electricity running along his body too.

The walk to your apartment from the underground station wasn’t really long, but having someone accompany you for sure did something to ease the anxiety of having to go back home at night. You two didn’t really talk much while walking, but felt comfortable nevertheless.

Once you got to the door of your apartment building, you turned around and looked Seungcheol in the eyes, flushing when you noticed that he was looking at you too. He was making you feel like such a flustered mess.

“Thanks for keeping me company, Seungcheol”

“It’s no problem, we can even do this more often if you’d like” he shrugged, “I like spending time with you, anyways”

“Is this where you confess your undying love to me?” you took all the courage that you could possibly have within your body and decided to say something that was a double edged sword. Were you going to get cut?

“So you want me to confess how I’ve been unable to take my eyes off you at any chance I see you on campus?” you choked on your own saliva, not expecting this back and forth with him to end like this. “Because I can do it, I just don’t think you would believe me.”

Would you not? He really didn’t know that every single detail of any interaction the two of you might have had in the past could make you write a whole chapter on how the tingling sensation was growing each day. But you wouldn’t confess that, not even to your friends.

You weren’t a really stoic person, but some things and situationships in life made you suppress your feelings, just in case anyone was coming with their guns pointing at your heart, ready to aim at any moment. So, for you, it was better to just build some walls around your heart in order to protect it.

“I might or might not believe you, but I’ll let you guess” you winked, taking all the courage possible to be subtle and leave him wanting more “Tomorrow, around 4pm, I’ll be at the cafeteria again, if you feel like keeping me company again. So see you tomorrow?”

“You’ll see me, I’m sure of it” he winked at you too, making your heart jump again.

You might need to keep your heart inside a cage if you were going to meet Choi Seungcheol more often.

#seungcheol x reader #seungcheol fluff #seungcheol imagines #seungcheol x y/n #seungcheol fanfic #seungcheol scenarios #seventeen x reader #seventeen fanfic #eigyu writes #seungcheol drabble #seventeen drabbles #im scared of posting this but who cares anymore

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eugeneroehoe · 8 months

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Hi, @mylastresortiswriting! I was your short story gifter for HBO War Daily’s short story event! Thanks for your help in letting me know what you wanted from my anon ask. It was VERY difficult for me to write something within the word count, but I hope you enjoy what I came up with :)

Home

Edward ‘Babe’ Heffron & Eugene Roe

Babe can’t figure out how to deal with the after effects of war, and goes to the only person he knows can help.

Word count: 994

Going home was harder than Babe could’ve ever expected, somehow. War seemed like hell, but it wasn’t until it was over that he realized how used to it he’d become. And he wasn’t even one of the guys who had been in it from the start.

He thought about how this was the last time he’d have any reason to wear this uniform on the train home. Unless Hitler had a brother he didn’t know about, or something.

No more uniform, no more explosions, no more death. That should be a comforting thought. But when he laid back down on his real bed at home the first night, he didn’t sleep at all. He got up and went for a walk around his neighborhood as though floating, just a presence rather than a person. It was his home, and somehow he felt like he no longer belonged to it.

His family wanted to celebrate his safe return, but it only reminded him of Bill’s not-so-safe return, and made him upset. They opted for a special dinner of all of Babe’s favorite foods, but resisted inviting the entirety of Pennsylvania over and kept it to close family only. It was nice, but Babe was mostly quiet.

Anytime someone asked him a question about what he saw while he was gone, he just shook his head. There was no way he was going to ruin the innocence of his loved ones by giving them even a hint of what it really was to feed their imaginations. Imaginations were usually worse than reality when it came to thinking of horrors, but Babe thought this might be the only exception. What he saw was worse than anything a mind could conjure up.

Days turned into weeks, then months, and eventually his family gave up on asking him if he was okay. They knew the answer would always be the same lie.

Working a regular job was weird. He woke up to his mother’s soft voice calling to him instead of screaming or explosions. He’d go in, talk to his coworkers, many of whom were in the exact same situation as him, and pretend like nothing was wrong.

He visited Bill a lot after work, so much so that Bill’s ma stopped asking who was at the door when he knocked, instead just opening it for him with a smile.

Sometimes he and Bill talked, other times they said not much at all. This time had been different, though. Bill wasn’t exactly the most intuitive guy, but even he could tell something was on Babe’s mind.

“What’s wrong, kid?”

“Have you talked to any of the guys? Since?” Babe mumbled, fumbling with his sleeve to get some of his nervous energy out. He kept his eyes downcast, but he could feel Bill staring holes into his face.

“A little,” Bill answered with a small shrug that Babe couldn’t see. “Mostly Toye. I thought about writing to Winters just to say…well, I don’t know what. Somethin’. But I haven’t yet. Why?”

“I’ve been thinkin’ ‘bout them. A lot. ‘Specially Gene,” Babe admits quietly, glancing up and then back down quickly, as though afraid of what Bill’s reaction would be.

Bill nodded slowly, rubbing his chin with his hand. “Hard not to. You took a liking to him, I seem to remember.”

Babe doesn’t deny it.

“Well? Didya write to him?”

“No. I don’t know what to say.”

“Then go see him.”

“What?” Babe exclaims, eyes wide. “Unannounced? That’s kinda rude…”

“Oh, Christ, Heffron. I can’t believe you of all people are worryin’ about manners.” Bill rolls his eyes and shifts on his bed.

“But if I don’t know what to say now, how the hell will I when I’m standin’ right in front of him?”

“If you really miss him, you’ll have something to say,” Bill says simply, almost dismissively. Babe knew then that he’d lost.

Then he was on the front steps of Eugene’s house, taking it in as if it were something more grand than it really was. When he’d gotten off his bus and asked the first person he saw for directions, he immediately recognized the accent and only then did he truly know how much he’d wanted to hear it again.

He’d much prefer it coming from the mouth of his friend, which would come true if he could bring himself to knock on the damn door. He sits down on the steps instead.

“Edward.”

Babe nearly jumps out of his skin and turns to look over his shoulder. After the war, he’d been so sensitized to sound, but he hadn’t even heard the door open. Gene was always like that, silent.

“How did you know I was out here?” Babe asks dumbly, too stunned to think of anything a little more touching. He quickly takes in the sight of Gene in civilian clothes, almost stunned by it. Like he’d been expecting him to open the door to his home with that same red cross on his arm.

Gene’s lips pull into one of his almost-smiles, small and subtle, and Babe feels like he might cry. “I saw your shadow through the window. Thought maybe you were a ghost.”

“Funny, I kind of feel like I am.”

“Is that why you’re here? I can’t bring back a dead person.” It’s meant to be a joke, but Gene’s eyes are empty as he says it.

“Gene, I-” Babe’s own throat won’t let him speak, and his eyes burn.

Eugene tilts his head a little, gently closes the door behind him and approaches Babe. When Babe continues to say nothing, he sits down on the step beside him. Babe just looks at him.

Babe inhales sharply. “I thought I’d know what to say.”

“Then maybe you don’t need to say anything at all.”

Babe’s shoulders drop, then he pulls the man into a hug. They stay like that, and for the first time in months, Babe feels okay.

#band of brothers #band of brothers fanfic #eugene roe #babe heffron #hbowarshort23

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sly-s-n0nfusion · 7 months

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Sly’s ✨personal opinion✨ on Octopath Traveler’s english voice acting

Ok it’s been a while since I’ve wanted to do this! I tend to play almost all games with the jp voices when I play jrpgs but that doesn’t mean some English VAs didn’t do a great job! :)

All respect towards them and everyone else who has different opinions; I will simply rate them with ✅ passed and ⛔️ not passed basing on my personal tastes

Octopath 1

Ophilia: ⛔️ not passed - I really don’t like how artificially high-pitched her voice is?? It just sounds a bit fake :((( really not a fan

Cyrus: ⛔️ not passed - Listen I know a lot of people love his English voice and while I do agree that it’s not half bad I also must admit it just doesn’t fit him 😭 compared to the young, honey sweet voice he has in jp I think he sounds a bit too old? If that makes sense. Like he’s 10 years older or something 😂 I like how the VA exaggerated the tone of certain expressions tho, very dramatic!

Tressa: ✅ passed - I LOVE how snarky and bratty she sounds! The VA did a great job, she sounds just tomboyish and childlish enough

Olberic: ✅ passed - ok we’re talking about Patrick Seitz guys what do you want me to tell you!! He’s great and I don’t mind a more booming and intimidating Olberic compared to the quiet and brooding jp one. Fits him so well!

Primrose: ✅ passed - one of the exceptions where I prefer the en VA to the jp one. While the jp voice is sweet an and soft, the English voice has a coldness and edge to it that just fits Primrose’s personality so well. Great job!

Alfyn: ✅ passed - a biiit more soft spoken compared to the deeper, louder jp voice but I still think it fits him. Not much to add

Therion: ⛔️ not passed - I’M SORRY because this is another fan favorite but I really don’t like how the va completely changed his personality, going from the quiet, soft spoken, wary thief to a snarkier version of sonic the hedgehog 😭😭 also malus because they didn’t bother to make him fake the merchant voice during the disguise moment in his ch1 :((((

H’aanit: ✅ passed - MOMMY- I mean I LOVE her en voice SO MUCH. Like her jp voice was also great, but the VA somehow managed to keep the deep, cold sound of her voice and use it in a way that’s just so in character. The “NGAAAH” she makes when you boost her attacks is still implemented into my brain and I love it

Octopath 2

Ochette: ✅ passed - I love how faithful to the jp voice the actress was! She really did a good job also because it was a challenging role imo. Nailed the little growls and rawrs! Adorable!

Castti: ✅ passed - A nice interpretation, not much to say. The eng VA has a sweeter voice than the jp one, who added a bit of raspiness to her I really liked but overall a neat job.

Throné: ✅ passed - LOVE the VA’s voice. Deep, cold, but at the same time you can sense warmth in it. Excellent interpretation :)

Osvald: ✅ passed - The best adaptation in ot2, hands down! I know his Va is also a vtuber and a professional in his job and it shows. SO GOOD MAN! The tone, the personality, 100% nailed. Even though jp Osvald is also great this one HAS to take the crown

Partitio: ✴️ passed (?) - This one was hard to decide for me because while the eng acting does nail the southern accent and the overall vibe it’s also a bit too soft spoken for an energetic and loud personality such as Partitio’s. There’s like a huge difference between the jp acting and the eng one and I’m usually not a fan of that because it completely changes a character’s personality in a way

Agnea: ⛔️ not passed - again with the fake high-pitched voice 😭 idk it might be a pet peeve of mine at this point but. Idk I can tell when a va is clearly trying to fake a tone of voice that is really different from theirs and it bothers me so much

Temenos: ⛔️ not passed - I’m sorry but this one is a big no from me :( I know many others also found his eng voice a bit too emotionless and plain, it really misses that playful and snarky tone the jp VA gave him. Not to mention the part when [redacted] happens in Stormhail ch3, the emotions just… aren’t there. I’ve also heard the eng VA was a novice though so I’m sure he’ll have time to improve :)

Hikari: ✅ passed - I really like his eng voice and interpretation! It’s faithful to the jp one and suits his personality well. A great job!

Well these were my opinions that absolutely no one asked for! I’m sure all the VAs did their best and put a lot of effort in their job ❤️

#octopath traveler #octopath traveler 2 #octopath traveler ii #I wanted to ramble about voice acting tonight #I respect everyone’s job!#I wanna hear your takes too if you wanna talk about them!#just be civil of course :) thank you!#sly rambles

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tuiyla · 1 year

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“Why isn’t Santana nicer after coming out”

Okay so I bring this up in the meta post I’m working on and I don’t want to hijack a post about Quinntana with just my issues on how the fandom perceives Santana so here goes, side note rant post.

As a Santana stan first human being second Gleek third, there are many many aspects of the larger fandom’s interpretation of Santana’s character that bother me. Unsurprisingly to anyone who’s talked to me for more than a second most of my issues come down to a gross misunderstanding of her inner turmoil and particularly all the mess surrounding IKAG. Santana spell it out in Sexy when she confesses her love for Brittany that she’s a bitch because she’s angry and she’s angry because she’s scared. Some people, even though it’s an excellent moment of self-reflection that could serve as a basis for understanding much of Santana’s character, still choose to get so close to the point and then miss it by about a mile.

I’m referring to the take that “Santana should have just been nicer when she was out.” I’ve witnessed legitimate confusion surrounding her behaviour post-outing (emphasis on outing) because people are shocked she’s still a bitch even after that, I suppose. Her anger and therefore her bitchiness was supposed to come from fears regarding her sexuality, so being out should solve all her problems and make her a nice person, right? I hope that writing it out like that makes people see the problem here. First off, obviously and most importantly but somehow still in a “needs to be said” way: Santana was outed. She didn’t come out, she was outed. She was terrified of what people would say if they knew she was a lesbian and then suddenly everyone knew, before she was ready. Shocking, I know, but for some reason that didn’t solve all her problems. Not to mention, being out came at the cost of being rejected by a close family member that undoubtedly shook her sense of self. That Santana continued to be angry “even after” having been outed shouldn’t be some big revelation. No shit she didn’t suddenly find enlightenment and inner peace upon being dragged out of the closet through an act of cruelty.

Second, coming out, even when one is outed as a lesbian to her whole state on television, is a process. Santana’s main source of fear wasn’t the process of coming out but the state of being perceived as the Other. She was terrified of being an outsider and judged for her sexuality and her fears are only proven right once the secret is out. That’s something she’ll carry for the rest of her life, even when she’s happily married and her relationship with her grandmother begins to mend. And that’s not to sound all bleak about queer existence because it doesn’t mean she’s doomed for a sad, angry life or anything, it just means that dealing with her deepest insecurities and fears is... a process. When we leave Santana as a newlywed, she’s around 21 years old. Honestly, it’d be a miracle if she had it all figured out by that point, particularly given her acute allergic reaction to vulnerability. Does she strike you as the kind of girl who willingly walks into therapy to sort out her misplaced feelings of anger? Didn’t think so.

Third, and this is two-fold, Santana is both considerably softer in the later seasons than she used to be and she’s also just never going to be a nice person, period. We could make it three-fold and point out that progress isn’t linear but let’s take it one step at a time. Santana is a kind person but not a nice one. From season 3B onwards and particularly in seasons 4 and 5 we see her forming deeper bonds with people other than Brittany and she even has a realization about using her bitch powers for good by the end of season 5. She has been using them for good ever since she first opened herself up to the possibility of letting people in and being her true self around them. So to me, complaining that Santana isn’t suddenly a ~much better person~ after being out is faulty on account of her does becoming a better friend and person as the show goes on. I think people’s problem is that she doesn’t become nice, but like I said that’s because she’s not. She just isn’t. In my ideal Glee future where Santana does get the help she needs and sorts out her emotional baggage, she becomes a much healthier adult capable of not sabotaging her friendships. But that still doesn’t make her nice. She will always have her signature snark and and she’ll always be ready to dish some insults out. Is that a good thing, that’s not the point here. The point is that she does become less cruel and more open to letting her kind heart actually show as the series goes on and still being rude to people doesn’t negate that.

I could go on, such as about the fact that Santana’s still a fictional character whose snappy one-liners and page-long takedowns are a part of her appeal. Glee wasn’t gonna stop utilizing Naya’s comedic delivery and turn Santana into a less recognizable version of herself, nor should they have. And like I say, nor should Santana’s continued prickly behaviour take away from the fact that she does soften as the show goes on. Then we have the issue of progress not being linear and faling back into old habits being perfectly realistic, and then we can also talk about how Santana’s issues go far beyond accepting her sexuality so it’d be unrealistic for her to drop her all defense mechanisms even if she becomes perfectly content sexuality-wise. She rightly identifies fears about being perceived and judged for her sexuality in Sexy and concludes that that’s why she’s angry and lashing out all the time, but it’s only a source of that. Although it’s a big part of her character and journey, it’d be wrong to reduce Santana just to her sexuality. That’s how you reach false conclusions like “oh she should have just been way nicer post-season 3,” because you ignore her general feelings of insecurity and how deep-seated this instinct to close off and lash out is.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this impromptu Santanalysis post, it’s been a while since I’ve written one not as a reply to an ask. Quinntana post coming soon, until then please remember to read way too much into a decade old silly Fox show and when someone misinterprets your faves, go get that shovel and start digging.

#glee #santana lopez #santanalysis #santana's anger #listen two- THREE things that piss me off re: bad readings of santana's ch #1) the outing 2) pretending she isn't a damn good friend 3) taking her word for things and refusing to look deeper #and felt it was about damn time i wrote this so thanks other essay i'm working on for giving an excuse

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futurewriter2000 · 10 months

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Conversations - pt. 2

A/N: I have all 30 fic titles written on paper and in a jar, so I kind of pick them out and this one came out, so I’m doing this one for now. Hope you like it. We’ll see where this takes us shall we, don’t think I won’t make a nice lil angsty plot twist.

It seemed that some form of a friendship was built on that day. The two of you started to talk as if you had known each other for years. You had suddenly felt something extremely new inside your body, experiencing for the first time in your entire life; comfort.

From all the people that you had met, you didn’t think James Potter would be the one that would make you feel quite comfortable and safe. It was as if you wanted to be around him all of the time. Besides that, there was something new starting to build in your soul... Something you would call a consciousness.

You never considered yourself to be smart or intelligent, neither did you consider yourself to be anything special in this world but talking to James made you feel like you had been holding back on some parts of yourself that you did not know existed yourself. You would think that all you had to do in your life was finish school, get a job and work until you die but something opened up inside of you. Something completely new- a brand new you.

Never realising that the both of you went up to the bleachers more times than you ever confessed, it was only the two of you never really went the same time until now. You had always managed to get schedules from all the Quidditch teams. It wasn’t hard to get, it was literally pinned on the public board next to the Great Hall all year. So you always waited around hour to two before you went there, just missing him. It was similar with meals in the Great Hall. He was an early riser, you were a late one. He always came first and you always came last minutes. Somehow, the two of you were like day and night but as opposite as you were, the two of you were somehow identical in your way of thinking.

“Hey there!” he caught up with you and started to walk by your side.

Your whole body lit up like a candle that has been sitting out there cold most of nights. You beamed at the sight. “Hi! I thought you were already up there.”

“Nah.” he waved his hand. “I’ve been causing some ruckus with the boys, so I’ve been running late.”

“Want to tell me what you did this time?” you eyed him and he laughed.

“I think you’ll find out soon enough.” he winked and grabbed two brooms on the bottom of the bleachers. “I left them out here for us.”

“Why?” you raised an eyebrow.

“So we can fly up there.” he chuckled.

“I’m not flying up there when I can have the stairs.”

“You’re joking?” he laughed. “You hate the stairs.”

“Does not mean I won’t get a nice bum out of it.”

He started to laugh and threw you the broom. “Stop joking. It’s easier, come on.” he climbed and so did you, pushing yourself off the ground.

“God, I haven’t flown since our first year.” you laughed as you made a circle or two.

Bewildered, he turned from the bleachers and after you, making his position right next to you. “You fly?!”

“We all do, JJ.” you smiled. “You know, since our First year.”

“Yeah, but you’re not bad.” he followed you.

“I’m not bad, but I’m not Quidditch material also.” you rolled your eyes. “Wanna race?” you narrowed your eyes and he laughed.

“You read my mind, (y/l/n).”

The two of you tried to go as fast as you could on those old school brooms, turning sharp corners and twisting around. The two of you even flew over the lake, passed some of the students then turned back around to the field.

As you said, you weren’t bad, but you weren’t Quidditch material either. You loved to fly, skate, rollerblade, ride a bicycle and do all sorts of things, but you never committed yourself to any of them. You were simply just a natural at these things, but you weren’t in love with them either.

The two of you landed on the bleachers, laughing and laying down. Nothing was specifically funny, but the whole journey pumped the two of you with adrenaline that whatever you did seemed to be funny enough to laugh.

“I can’t believe you never joined the Quidditch team. You would have evolved your skills sooner rather than later. You could become a professional at some point and we would play together at the World Cup.”

“Your dreams reach far but I’ve never been a sports type of girl. I always preffered books and arts over anything really.” you sat up, seeing him doing the same.

“So is it a painter, writer, pencil hand-drawing...?”

“I love all of it. I just love art in general. I see it everywhere, you know. In nature especially, in people, memories, objects. It’s quite an odd quality to have.”

“Yet it seems to be a really good one.” he cut you off and the two of you met eyes for a brief moment, letting the candle in you burn and melt.

“Yeah,” you shyly turned away and brushed your hair behind your ear. “I’ve never really paid much attention to it, but you asked which one and I think it would be writing.” you finished and waited for his response but all he did was listen, so you continued. “I never really had much material or time to draw certain things, since drawing and painting takes time. You really have to have a large amount of time on your hands to start a project, but with writing, it is simply just sitting down, pen and paper and you start. You can do anything with art, releasing yourself to the imagination. You can create characters or beings, cities and objects. You can create secrets that never exist or people to your liking or to your hatred. You really have infinite choices.” you started to smile brightly, making James observe every facial movement you did and all of those were so interesting to read.

He never really much paid attention to people, but you seemed to have this light inside of you that made you shine so brightly. He remembered you before speaking any word to you in all his 7 years he had known of you. Your lips were in a thin line, your eyebrows straight and showing no emotion- then there was your whole aura or energy that seemed to be closed off to anybody, restricted even and intimidating yet everybody knew when you had entered a room. It was as if you were calling people through your silence. Speaking to you for the first time made him nervous, but when he did, you seemed to be more relaxed and open to a conversation than he thought you would be. He let loose quickly and he seemed to trust you just as fast. Something about you pulled him to take interest in you, but he did not know how he would take that. You were an absolute beauty compared to him. You showed your culture, your lineage through your looks, and you had those elegant and attractive movements that just made people in awe. It was as if you had held power you did not realise you had and every day, he gets to know you more and more, he finds out that you are the most humble person in this whole school, kind as well, nicely mannered and you have this depth to your character that you continously find out with him next to you. You say something and he can see the realisation hit your face. It makes him excited and brightens his entire day.

So how come a beauty like you, does not men kissing your feet?

“You know you’re really beautiful.” he started and you shot your head to him, confused.

Your heart sunk into the depths of your stomach yet somehow still beat really fast in your chest. The sweat started to come out of your every pore, yet the wind made sure you cooled down. “Thank you.” you murmured out, barely.

“How come you don’t have a boyfriend?” he continued to ask questions that hit like bullets.

“I-uh-” you stuttered for the first time in forever, just telling your journal a few days ago how you made no emotional reactions to anybody or anything. That was mostly related to joy, anger and sadness. Now there was another emotion at play, the one you never thought you’d be familiar with. “I dunno.” you shrugged and avoided the eyes that started to pierce into you.

Your hands started to get clammy and you felt like you couldn’t breathe in your clothes. Why was he asking you these questions and why is he looking at you like that? Oh, his eyes are getting dark as the sun starts to set and you are setting yourself to explode from anxiety. However, you seemed to compose yourself.

You tried to let loose as much as you could, putting your legs over his just as you usually did. You turned your head back at the stars that started to show in a darker shade of blue and you smiled.

“I’ve always been picky with everything, even boys. I’ve never thought about them, really. It’s always been something else on my mind, so I have never took any interest in any of them... besides that-” you choked on your own words as he started to move his hand up and down your thigh, caressing it gently and innocently. “Uh- yeah...” you swallowed thickly as he pulled you closer to him. “I-uh... I thought that- umm... I’ve must have lost that train of thoughts.” you laughed nervously as he approached you, observing your every movement with his seductive eyes.

“You said you’ve never took any interest in them...” he hummed, his lips only a breath away from yours.

“Yeah...” you said, hearing no word that came out of his mouth as his hand was the only thing you have felt and thought of, meanwhile his lips were a second away.

‘Him. It’s him.’ - you heard a voice in your head. ‘You want him.’ - it continued.

The tension between the two of you was extremely heated, letting your soul know that it was burning all of you from the inside out. Your gut was twisted in a knot, your chest heaving from the lack of air and it felt like this one moment would last forever.

“Just kiss me already.” you seemed to say without any control and he leaned in, his lips crashing into yours as his hand gripped your thigh. At first you couldn’t find the flow of it and you thought you didn’t like it but the moment he pulled away, you could feel a tingle on your lips that wanted it back. Your heart felt like it was scratching under the surface to pull him back. So you did, you pulled him back to you, feeling that same fire multiply inside of you. You had caught the flow of it and it was sensational. His hands gripped your waist and before you knew it, your whole body moved on top of him. You felt as if you had no control, kissing him deeply, passionately and with every inch of power you had inside yourself. He kissed your neck and you heard yourself release a sound, you had no idea you could.

You felt as if you could trust him with anything, even your body that you never thought you would give a glimpse to a living thing. Now there he was, breathing so heavily into your breasts and kissing them. All you could do was hear yourself release those newly found moans. It just came out of you and it felt as if it was the most natural thing in the whole wild world. You knew you wanted your lips everywhere on him and his lips everywhere on you.

It was only supposed to be a conversation, though, right?

#james potter x reader #james potter #james potter imagine #marauders #marauders imagine #marauders imagines #marauders x reader

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luciehercndale · 11 months

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congrats on your new milestone 🎉🎉 Don't know if you still take requests, but if you do, can I request a free card on Wessa or Jessa or Herongrastairs. you chosse 💖

Thank you very much! 🥹✨😺

And this is for you <3 It isn't set during a specific time. Let's say it's between TID and TLH. It's mainly Wessa, but a lot of the TID characters appear and help solve the plot. I hope you like it! 💖

Read on A03

To Beard, Or Not To Beard

One day, Will decides to grow a beard.

Will Herondale liked to change style every once in a while. He wasn’t the type of person to follow fashion – it moved too fast for his liking – but somehow, thanks to his tailor Lemuel Sykes, he was able to stay updated with the latest trends.

“You know, Mr. Herondale, there’s something missing in your style,” the tailor mused one afternoon, admiring how the black velvet made Will’s eyes pop. “Especially with this outfit you’ve requested. And the coat.” The suit wasn’t finished yet, and it was meant for a masquerade ball that would be in a month away at the London Institute.

“I’m curious, please tell!” Will said enthusiastically, always looking for fashion advice. “Perhaps it’s a hat? A scarf? A bowtie? I will have to attend the ball –”

“A beard,” the werewolf replied bluntly. “You should grow a beard, why haven’t you? With those cheekbones and those eyes…” he sighed. “It’s very fashionable among people your age. Plus, you’ve shown me the photograph of the character you’re impersonating at this ball. The fella has a beard.”

Will didn’t seem too sure. “I’ve never grown a beard, it’s a hassle when you eat. I thought I could still do the costume without,” he frowned. “And I wonder if my wife will like it?”

“Then ask her,” Lemuel turned away, checking some brocade fabric on a chair. “But, if you ask me, I’d say yes,” he chuckled, then disappeared into the adjoining room and Will knew he was dismissed.

He thought about the beard on the way home. Sykes was right. The character he was going to go dressed as at the party had a beard, a medium beard, at that. Would it be the same without the beard? Probably not. He used the disguise the invisibility rune gave him, to stare at the mundanes minding their business in the busy streets of London. He was fascinated with how many different kinds of beards people could wear, and he told himself he could try growing a beard too. After all, what impersonation would be credible without such a signature feature?

First, though, he wanted to hear other people’s opinions about the topic. “What do you think about beards, Tess?”

Tessa sat at the vanity in their bedroom brushing her hair, and she stopped for a moment to glance at him from the mirror in front of her to answer him. “Well, it depends on the beard. Which beard are you talking about? Sideburns? Mustache? Van Dyke?”

“A nice one that won’t make one look like a rascal or like a grandfather,” he replied, checking himself in a small mirror he had on the nightstand. “Something not too excessive.”

“Are you thinking of growing one, Will?” she inquired, a hint of a smile on her lips.

“Would you hate it if I did? The tailor suggested it, and I never thought about it until today,” he revealed. “I thought I could grow it in time for the masquerade party.”

Tessa mulled over it as she walked to the bed, after tending to her long brown hair. “I don’t think I would hate it, but it’s your decision to make,” she sat down next to him. “I think you would be handsome with a beard too, but,” she sighed, and drew in a long breath.

“But what? Perhaps I would look ancient?” he wondered. “Maybe I shouldn’t indulge in this. The costume would be good even without the beard.”

“Quite the opposite,” she studied him, tracing his face with her finger, stopping on his chin. “I think you would look even more desirable than you are now. People would covet you even more.”

“Covet? I think that some would mock me, that’s for sure,” he took hold of her hand and kissed it. “I would only rethink this if you found me obnoxious.”

“Then you’re set? You’re getting a beard?” Tessa questioned with interest. “In case you don’t like it anymore, you can still shave it.”

“I hereby declare,” he stated with a firm voice, “that I’m going to grow facial hair. This is my final decision, Your Honor.”

It didn’t take long for friends and family to acknowledge Will’s new style, even when his facial hair was barely a five o’ clock shadow.

“Have you been on a trip recently, Will?” his sister Cecily asked him a few days after he had made his decision. “Or maybe you are sick?”

“The answer for both is no,” he folded his arms on his chest. They were waiting for the tea and the scones to arrive. “Why do you think that?”

His sister glanced at her husband, who sat beside her, and she bit her lip. “Because of the thing on your face, Will,” Cecily answered, stifling a laugh. “Have you lost your shaving set? I didn’t know you fancied this style.”

“Well, what if I did, Cecy?” he peered at Gabriel, noticing that he was smiling too. “If Gabriel got a beard one day, would you kick him out of the house?”

“I would not, under any circumstances, get a beard,” Gabriel declared firmly. “I don’t want to look older yet, nor does it suit me.”

Will opened his mouth in disbelief. “Then it means you tried once! Too bad I wasn’t there to witness,” he said, and Gabriel rolled his eyes, hinting that he was probably right.

“Too bad we are here to witness it,” he echoed, and Cecily couldn’t stop laughing until they left.

Two weeks later, the stubble had grown so much it looked more like a serious beard. “You can barely see my skin underneath,” Will told himself while looking in a mirror in his office.

“Will, we’re here,” Charlotte announced herself and Gideon, who needed to visit the Institute for bureaucratic matters. “By the Angel,” she gasped when Will turned, a hand placed on her chest. “I thought it was Maurice Bridgestock for a second.”

“I can’t believe you’ve just compared me to that sick rat, may he rot in hell,” Will sneered, adjusting some documents on the desk. “I see you’ve noticed my beard, or what is truly beginning to resemble one,” he scratched his chin proudly.

“It’s impossible not to notice, Will,” Gideon commented sourly. “Did you make a bet with someone?”

“Why do you all think I made bets or I am unwell,” he shook his head, trying to find a pen. “Even your brother and my sister believed the same thing. I don’t think I am that predictable.”

“You’re right, you’re not predictable,” Charlotte agreed, “but you’re also someone who keeps his promises, when they lose bets with random people in town.”

“Unlike someone,” he stared directly at Gideon, “I always pay my debts.”

“Who did you pester this time?” Gideon wondered instead.

“I did not pester anybody, Mr. I pretend I don’t owe Will a few pounds,” he glared at his friend, who pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation. “I chose to grow this because I wanted a change and because of my costume for the masquerade party.”

“Are you going to dress up as Frederick Barbarossa? Because if so, I suggest to use red dye –”

“Please, do not give him ideas, Gideon,” Charlotte frowned, her voice laced with worry. As if there was something to be worried about.

It was just a beard.

Will wondered why everyone wasn’t taking him seriously, but he had expected it. He took a few days to get used to his fresh appearance as well, but after a while, he believed the beard made him look powerful. He thought himself a Roman hero who, stranded in another country, was fighting a war for his Empire and was hoping to survive. A hero from another period, one who couldn’t have possibly shaved because there wasn’t the time. At least, Jem liked it. Or so, he thought. When they met, he stopped in his tracks before he could come closer to Will. He took it as a sign that he was deciding whether or not it suited him.

I see you changed your style, Jem told him. Change is good, but not for good.

“Do you like it?” Will showed him the sides, but Jem didn’t say anything. Cryptic as ever. Perhaps he was just speechless. Either because the beard blinded him, or because it disgusted him.

He hoped people in the London Enclave would fear him more with this new imposing look and not mock him like his friends did. He was aware that people talked behind his back. Either way, the beard had a purpose, he did not care what anyone thought. Nor did he mind what his son and daughter thought. His mustache was growing, but for his costume, he had to grow it a little more.

“Can I write a character who looks like you? A pirate who is earthsick and who is feared among the seven seas,” Lucie studied him, taking notes.

“An earthsick pirate? Does that word even exist?” Jame scrunched his nose. “Papa, I think you look weird,” he confessed. “But you also remind me of someone.”

“Write whatever you want, Lucie,” Will conceded. “Who do I remind you of, Jamie? Let’s listen,” he tilted his head on the side, “a hero? A Romantic poet? I will tell you who I’m going to dress up as at the ball, if you guess correctly.”

James couldn’t recall the face, and why he looked so familiar. Only when his father left, he remembered the picture of the man who resembled Will with the beard. He’d seen it in the newspaper a lot recently. It was the photo of the heir apparent to the British throne.

The day of the masquerade party finally arrived. Will's beard resembled the one of his original inspiration after a month, and he was beyond himself with excitement for the ball because he couldn't wait to show it off.

“The resemblance is close,” Tessa observed, stroking her husband's beard. “And I like facial hair, it’s so soft to the touch. I may grow attached to it.”

“Then perhaps I should keep it for a while,” he stated. He will think about it after the party. “Let’s go get the rest of my costume before it's too late. The party is going to start soon.”

When Will tried the rest of the costume, the tailor couldn’t help but admire his handiwork. Sykes finished the suit a week prior. It already waited in the closet of Will and Tessa’s bedroom at the London Institute, and he couldn’t wait to wearing it.

“I admit, Lemuel, that your work is astounding,” Will commented, moving from left to right to look at the waist-length velvet coat with a row of gilt buttons on the front and gold embroidery on the cuffs. “It is identical to the one he wore in the newspaper.”

“Thanks, Mr. Herondale, but you know that I’m the best,” Sykes offered a smile as he adjusted the coat on Will. “And you’re one of my best clients, and one of the most handsome,” he winked, but Will only wanted to know Tessa’s opinion.

“How do I look?” he asked, but his wife’s grin and her sweet and lovely eyes were already telling him what she thought.

“You are very handsome, indeed,” she said, and moved in front of him to fix the lapels of the coat, but to also steal a caress on his cheek. “I can’t wait to wear my dress so we can match.”

The tailor sent them away because he was running late, and Will and Tessa hopped on their carriage to go back to the Institute.

“My desire for tonight is that our family and friends will like this party,” Will said later, when they were seated in the comfort of the carriage. “And I hope that they come dressed as famous characters as we requested. Otherwise, what kind of masked party is it?”

“They will, I made sure to specify that in the invitations, don’t worry,” Tessa said. “I wrote that they should be dressed as a person from history.”

“Do you think they’ll get the assignment? Sometimes I think that –” The carriage abruptly came to a halt, and the jolt pushed Will and Tessa against the upholstered seats. They glanced at each other, both startled but otherwise unbothered. “Are you okay?” Will asked his wife, his hands on her shoulders protectively.

Tessa nodded. “Yes, I’m fine, simply shaken by whatever blocked our path,” she told him, her heart beating loudly in her chest out of stupor. “Should you check?”

“We’re not moving yet,” he observed, his head tilted toward the window in hopes to hear sounds of whatever ruckus had stopped the carriage. “Maybe it’s just a mouse, Balios is scared of them,” Will mused, “but I should check the horse nonetheless, in case it sprained its leg.”

“It’s better if you do,” she agreed, although she wasn’t sure why she felt a wave of uneasiness crawl down on her spine. A sensation she couldn’t put off after the carriage had halted. “Just,” she cautioned, resting her hand on his shoulder, “be careful. It could be a demon. Evening fell, after all.”

Will’s expression softened. “I will come back before you know it, fy nghariad,” he kissed her lips briefly. “I won’t let any mouse nor demon stop me from attending this party,” he offered her a smile. “Stay here,” he told her at last, before he came out of the vehicle to see if everything was really fine.

Tessa waited sixty seconds. If everything was fine, Will would come back inside before time was up, she told herself. He wasn’t the type of person who would want the people he loved to worry, and he had been excited for days on end for this party. She knew he wouldn’t want to lose time to get ready and for the celebration to start.

She counted silently in her head, but she came out of the carriage before she got to thirty. She should’ve come out of the carriage when he did, she chided herself. If her husband protested, she would say she wanted to make sure everything was okay. She didn’t need any excuses for wanting to check on her husband, when all she heard after he exited the carriage was silence. I didn't hear your voice and came to check, that would be her excuse.

She thought there was an explanation for silence, the carriage was, after all, driven by Balios alone. When she came outside, though, that feeling of agitation crept in her stomach again. The street was peaceful and lonely, a sign that most of the shops had already closed for business for the day.

She would take even the smallest sound as a sign that Will was where he told her he would be, but when she got to the horse, she found it waiting by itself. He grunted when it saw Tessa. “Balios, where is Will?” She asked the horse, knowing that it would understand. It bobbed its head as if bothered by something, which made Tessa notice there was a handkerchief on the muddy cobblestones. It was Will’s, she would recognize it anywhere. It had his initials sewn on the bottom left in dark blue. She wondered where its owner was.

Tessa looked around, her heart beat louder than after the shock of a few minutes ago. Her heart protested that Will wasn’t there, there was no one there but her and the horse. She didn't know what to do, and she didn’t want to lose control. She couldn’t lose control. They had been married for years, it wasn’t the first time they found themselves in such circumstances. It wasn’t the first time they lost sight of each other, and then found each other again.

The first thing, the easiest thing she could do immediately, was screaming his name to the empty street around her. No one answered, but at least she had tried. But she had to try harder, otherwise – she didn’t want to think about it. She would find him, and they would go to the masquerade party together, just like they had planned. She tried not to panic. She needed help.

She knew that the masquerade party would start any moment, and that even without them, Lucie and James would greet their friends and family in their stead. She shook her head and scoffed. It wasn’t the time to think about the party, but the party was probably the only place she should go asking for help. Thus, she got on the front of the carriage with a new resolve and ordered Balios to take her to the London Institute, hoping to get a helping hand or two.

As she suspected, a few carriages were already parked outside of the Institute when she arrived, and a few more were on their way behind her. She spotted her best friend Sophie coming out of one that had just stopped near the steps with her husband, both of them wearing a mask, and she ran to her frantically.

“Tessa,” Sophie acknowledged when she looked up after descending her family carriage. “What happened? You are in distress,” her brows knotted with worry.

“I’m coming from Kensington,” she started, “we were ambushed.”

“What? Who ambushed you? Was it a demon?”

Tessa tried to keep calm, but it was impossible. “I don’t know,” she said desperately, as Sophie held her hands, “we were coming from the tailor when the carriage halted. Will came out to check if the horse was hurt, and then I didn’t find him outside anymore.”

“Wait, what? Did they take Will?” Gideon asked. In the meantime, Gabriel and Cecily also arrived and joined their little group. They also wore masks and fancy dresses. “Who could have done this?”

“He has a lot of haters,” Gabriel said, trying to be funny, but Cecily elbowed him in the stomach and tried to comfort Tessa. “I mean, it’s true.”

“I don’t think it was someone we know,” Tessa replied sullenly, trying to gather her thoughts. “I didn’t hear any sound, and it couldn’t have been a demon. It wouldn’t have vanished just like that.”

“What’s this?” Sophie asked, seeing that Tessa had something in her hand.

Tessa showed them the customized handkerchief she found on the scene. “We can try using a tracking rune, can't we?” she wondered. “That’s why I came here and I didn’t go after him by myself.” I can’t do anything with my powers, she wanted to add, but she didn’t want to sound more desperate than she already was.

“It’s better that you came to us,” Cecily said. “If someone took him, they could’ve taken you too.”

“Cecily is right, it’s better that you alerted us,” Gideon nodded. “This way, we have better chances to safeguard ourselves when we find him, and to get him out of wherever he is. We don’t know who kidnapped him.”

“Do you think they kidnapped him, then?” Gabriel wondered.

“There’s only one way to find out,” Tessa affirmed firmly, offering the white cloth to whoever was willing to draw the rune that could help them find him.

It was Cecily who took the kerchief. “I’m coming with you, that’s for sure,” she glared at Gabriel, who didn’t seem too bothered.

“We’re all coming with you,” Sophie added, squeezing Tessa’s hand.

Cecily finished the true north rune by then, and it started pulsing. She felt an electric current running through her, then she started to move towards the gate, letting the rune lead her where to go. The five of them followed her, and they went back to Kensington, from where Tessa came. She realized they were approaching the exact place when the carriage had halted, and was about to tell her friends, when Cecily stopped as well.

“It led here” she informed the group, glancing at the tall building in front of them. It was a bakery, and Tessa remembered it was already closed for business when she and Will passed.

“How can it be,” Tessa sighed, “this is where they ambushed us. How can he be here?”

“They could have taken him inside of this shop. It would be the perfect decoy,” Sophie commented.

“Maybe the shop has a basement,” Gabriel added, looking closely. “A lot of these shops have them. They have kitchens where they prepare bread and other pastries, so they don’t need to get the product from a seller.”

“How do you know that, Gabriel?” Cecily seemed impressed. “I think we should open the door and get inside, just, you know, to check. It won’t hurt.”

“We can use an open rune,” Gideon agreed. “This way, the owner won’t know that we entered his shop. Even if he discovered us, we shouldn’t care,” he shrugged. “The tracking rune took us here, which means that he should be inside of this building.”

Sophie, who was closer to the door, drew the open rune. Before entering, everyone but Tessa drew a silent rune to avoid being heard. It would be useful to be noiseless, but everyone did what they could, and she was doing her best. They found the door that led to the basement behind the counter, and one after another, they descended the stairs. She hoped that Will was there, otherwise, she would have to find him in other ways.

When Will came to, his head was pounding. He slowly opened his eyes, adjusting fast to the darkness of the room, the only source of light coming from a row of windows at the top of the wall he was facing.

He faintly remembered what occurred before he woke up in that place.

He remembered that today was the day of the masquerade party they organized at the Institute. He also recalled that his tailor Lemuel Sykes had made him the perfect costume, and that he and Tessa, his beautiful wife, went to get it before the party would start. Then, he remembered the jolt. The carriage halted in the middle of the road, he got out to check what was wrong, but someone came from behind. Lastly, he remembered the acrid smell of a substance, and darkness following.

Tessa. Where was she? Was she with him?

He scanned the room in search of his wife. He thought whoever took him prisoner might’ve taken her too, but he was alone. He was relieved, at last, but what if they took her somewhere else? He tried to free his hands, but they were tied behind him. Unluckily for the wretches who were holding him hostage, he knew how to free himself from ropes.

“I wonder how much he’ll take to wake up,” he heard someone say behind his back, footsteps approaching.

He started untying himself nonetheless, trying to be as silent as he could. He saw the faint shadow of a person on the wall. They brought a gas lamp or perhaps a candle in the room, and he realized they were indeed in a basement. A kitchen basement, to be precise. There is a bakery store in Kensington, he thought, maybe I am closer to home than I think.

“The effect of the chloroform lasts for half an hour only,” another one replied. “I think.”

“What you goin’ to do when he wakes up, duh? Just threaten the royal family that we got this lad, and they, ugh, give us money?”

“I thought we talked about this,” a female voice said, “yes, we are going to threaten the royal family. We are going to send a letter saying we have his royal highness the Prince of Wales George, and that if they want him back, they need to give us 5,000 pounds.”

“They really gonna give us that, Emy? They would want to see he is the right fella,” the guy huffed. “We sure this lad is this George heir?”

“Of course we are,” the lady, Emy, answered with confidence. “Didn’t you see him trying on that royal costume at the tailor shop? I’m positive it’s him.”

Someone snorted, and he heard footsteps. “I don’t know, I believed his hair was lighter, judging from the photos in the newspapers, y’know.”

“You know nothing, Danny,” Emy spat. Will thought she was the boss here. Interesting. “Let’s see if he wakes up, shan’t we? It’s going to be a long night.”

Will knew they were coming to see him now, and he wasn’t afraid. He was a shadowhunter, and these three – he imagined it was three of them, judging from their voices – were mundanes. Unless they used deathly weapons on him, he was sure he could best them and come out of that basement unscathed. Or so he hoped. He had been hoping too much lately, but it didn’t hurt to hope more. Hope was free, and so he would be, in a few minutes’ time.

He had already untied his hands while they were talking, but he didn’t remove the ropes just yet. When he heard them approaching, he closed his eyes, pretending to be unconscious.

“Still sleeping, I’ma afraid,” one of the men said, kicking one of Will’s feet. “Should we wake him?”

“Suit yourself,” Emy said. Her voice seemed further than her sidekick. “But be quick. I’m starving. Let him confirm that he is who he is.”

“Should I call him your majesty?”

“No, call him jolterhead,” she suggested. “He’s not a majesty yet, you idiot.”

The man cleared his throat. “Yo’, jolterhead! Wake up!”

“Danny!” Emy chided, stomping her feet on the wooden floor. “I didn’t mean it literally, you stupid!”

Will decided that was the time to act. He opened his eyes at once and freed himself of the ropes around his hands, but he did not discard them – they could be useful as he found out that they took all his weapons. Emy and the sidekick were still arguing when they realized he freed himself and got up from the chair.

“Danny, get him!” but Danny was not very fast, and when Will kicked him between his legs, he crumpled to the floor crying, and then ran away from the room altogether when he realized things could get messy. “Useless piece of trash,” Emy said, irritated. “I didn’t know princes of Wales could fight,” she looked left and right for the other sidekick, but he was nowhere in sight.

Will grinned devilishly, the rope tight in his hands. “I didn’t know people could be so daft, either,” he commented. “Mistaking random people from Wales to be princes,” he snorted.

“And you’re a good actor, too,” she clapped her hands. “It’s useless to lie, you highness.”

“It’s useless to kidnap innocent people who know how to fight, too,” he echoed. Emy unsheathed a knife from her coat, and she aimed at him, but Will dodged her easily, using the rope as a means to shield himself. “And you also stole my knives, thief!” Will said, trying to get it back, but the woman wasn’t bad at protecting herself.

“I steal whatever I want,” she tried to elbow him, but Will anticipated her moves, swift as an arrow. They kept this dance for a while, until Emy’s knife cut the rope in two, rendering it useless. Will frowned, fuming. He glanced around for a makeshift weapon, but the closest object available on the kitchen counter that he could have gotten was still too far from him. Emy took advantage of Will’s distraction and grabbed his beard, pinning him to the wall, the knife she was holding dangerously close to his throat. “What, now? Cat got your tongue, prince?”

Will grunted. He felt the blade of the knife she stole from him graze his skin. It was a runed knife, but still, it was a knife all the same, and if he wasn’t careful –

Everything happened fast. “Bloody hell!” Emy cried in pain. Will barely registered a knife hitting his captor’s hand. She let go of his beard because of the shock, and the knife she was holding clattered on the wooden floor. He took the chance to stomp on her hand with his foot, he didn’t care she was a mundane. She was still a mundane who tried to murder him. Emy helped, but at least she was sedated. She cried in pain, holding her bruised hand in her other hand.

Will gazed up, trying to see whether the person who threw the knife was a friend or a foe, and he beamed when he realized who was at the bottom of the stairs.

“Tessa!” he called, but it was short lived.

“Will, behind you!” she shouted, and he turned just in time to dodge a blow by the third sidekick, elbowing him in the stomach. The man fell on the floor unceremoniously.

“What a pest!” he exclaimed loudly, hearing Emy cry in the background. “Serves you well, thief. I should call the police, should you kidnap the real prince George. But unfortunately, I have a party to attend.”

Everyone but the kidnappers either rolled their eyes or chuckled.

They got back to the Institute using the Lightwood’s carriage, which was too small for six, but they had to make do. His sister Cecily, along with Gabriel, sat in the driver’s seat, while Sophie and Gideon sat with Will and Tessa inside the carriage.

Will explained what happened after he woke up, after he had fainted because of the chloroform. They tried to be ironic and say that it was the beard who got him into trouble, but Will brushed it off as being in the wrong place, at the wrong time. And having the wrong costume. His friends didn’t seem so sure but it didn’t matter. Then Tessa explained to him how she found his handkerchief and how their friends helped her track him.

“I let it fall when I realized someone was behind me,” Will said. “I knew it would be useful. And it was,” he glanced at Tessa first, then at his friends. “Thank you all for helping Tessa.”

They returned to the Institute, and the party was still in full swing, and it would be for a couple of hours still. The Lightwoods took leave once they got inside, claiming they needed a drink in order to refresh. Will couldn’t blame them. They had, after all, helped Tessa with the True North rune, and it was thanks to that, that they had found him. They deserved anything they wanted, and more.

“Don’t you want to go upstairs and rest, my darling? You’ve had quite the day,” Tessa said, lingering outside of the doors of the ballroom, where everything was quieter. “You must be tired.”

“Shouldn’t we also call Jem to check on my health?” he wondered sarcastically, but Tessa frowned disapprovingly. “I’m sorry, Tess. I didn’t mean to brush off your suggestion, but I think I should stay. I really wanted this party, and the only way for me to distract myself from my misadventure is living the party.”

Tessa wasn’t convinced, and he suspected that was the reason why she kept in the alcove close to the ballroom but making no move to walk over there. “What if they drugged you? Maybe we should call Jem, you know,” she bit her lip nervously, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.

“Tess. Tess. Tessa,” he smoothed her cheek with his forefinger. “My love, don’t cry,” he grabbed her, and she held the back of his vest in her fist as she sobbed quietly.

He let her vent until she had enough, his hand caressed her back to calm her down. “I hate this beard,” she muttered.

Will chuckled softly, holding his wife’s body closer to his. “You know what, I dislike it too.”

“Then why did you grow it?” Tessa asked, gazing up into his blue eyes.

He mused about it for a moment. “First, because Sykes’ suggestion wasn’t bad. I never tried growing one, and I was curious how I would look,” he shrugged. “Second, it was because of this damned prince of Wales costume,” he rolled his eyes. “One thing is for certain, though. I’m never attempting to grow a beard ever again.”

“I concur,” Tessa managed a smile. “Even though, I must admit, I will miss it a little. I liked trailing my hand through it when we kissed,” she beamed.

“Well, if it’s any consolation, you can still trail your hand through my hair while we kiss, or when you want. I still have plenty,” he made a crooked smile, and he knew she liked the proposition.

“It is a good consolation prize, indeed,” she nodded. “Thank you very much for the proposition, your royal highness, prince of Wales.”

He shook his head. “Only until the party is over,” he declared gravely. “Then I want it gone. Erased from my face. Can you do it for me, when we retire in our rooms, Tessa? I want to go back to being the old Will Herondale, please.”

“I will do anything you want, Will,” she touched his cheek lightly. “But first, let’s get something to drink and to eat.”

“Whatever you want, my darling. Whatever you want.”

Ending Notes: jolterhead is an authentic insult from the Victorian and Edwardian era, it means "a stupid fellow".

#tweety's celebration #tsc #tsc fanfiction #tlh #will herondale #tessa gray #wessa #gabriel lightwood #cecily herondale #gideon lightwood #sophie lightwood #gabrily #sophideon #the infernal devices #clockwork princess #clockwork prince #clockwork angel #tweety.writes

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boots-with-the-fur-club · 2 months

Text

Chapter 3 of The Teenage Mutant Phantom of the Opera!

@daboyau

The next few days of production began filling with incidents. It started out small, the other lead actor’s oolong tea was replaced with green tea. The practice was so busy that he didn’t notice until his throat got sore.

Usagi had to take over for him.

Then, another day, the actor somehow got trapped in a storage closet for hours. Usagi once again filled in while others looked for him.

It was very clear that these incidents alone annoyed the actor.

The others were driving him close to the edge.

His belongings kept going missing, some turned up broken or just never turned up at all.

It became a talking point amongst the entire production crew.

Since Usagi didn’t talk to most of them unless it was to help with the scenery or coffee, he was mainly left out of these conversations.

Except with Donnie.

He actually advocated for Usagi to be doing more practices because of all the incidents happening.

They were taking a break together.

“This a serious streak of bad luck….”

“Oh please, you don’t need to act like you care. I admire your ambition but you’ve been way too obvious about the whole thing.”

Usagi furrows his brows in confusion.

“Uh….could you explain?”

“Everyone knows it’s you messing with the production.”

“What!? No! I’m not doing any of this!” His ears shoot straight up.

“Look, it’s not like I can prove what you say, you can tell me.”

Usagi frowns and then realizes two things.

One, Donnie was making the same face he always makes when he’s giving a weird excuse for being late.

Two, there was a quiet humming coming somewhere from him.

“Are…..are you recording this?”

Donnie’s face immediately grows nervous, eyes darting away.

“Noooooo….?”

“Oh my god! You think I did it and wanted get proof!”

“Aha! So you might have confessed!”

“There’s nothing to confess! I didn’t do anything! I wouldn’t!” Usagi stomps his foot, then immediately feels his face flush in embarrassment.

It was something he couldn’t help as a rabbit yokai. People who didn’t know or understand just thought he was acting like a kid.

Now he felt upset and embarrassed.

“Who else could be doing this? The phantom? Likely story that there’s someone unseen you can blame for all this.“ Donnie scoffs.

Usagi is taken aback.

Would he be doing this?

It is true that he’s only learned simple things about him during their practices. He held true to his promise and told him a new piece of information each time, but so far it was his favorite food, color, and drink.

Nothing that could help him tell if he was capable of going this far.

He’s been kind to him without fail, though.

Donnie hasn’t.

Usagi feels the need to defend himself, and the phantom.

“How dare you? I’ve been helping the crew members every second I’m not practicing! When would I even have the time or ability to do the things you’re accusing me of!?”

“It’s busy, you could have snuck away-“

“Someone would have noticed their errand boy was gone for that long! I’m not evil, I’m not jealous, I just want to sing! That’s all. I wouldn’t mess with someone just to get a part, and if I ever did, it would be you!”

“Me!? After I thanked you and gave you advice!?”

“You just tried to get me to admit to something I didn’t do while you recorded it! And just because you treated me a little better than everyone else doesn’t mean you’re nice! You’re rude, Donatello. You’ve rubbed getting the part in my face so many times. I really don’t mind you did! I’m happy for you, in fact! You’re good at singing and you have style!”

“You….like how I perform?”

“That’s what you take away from all that? Seriously!? I can’t do this anymore today, I’m going home early.” Usagi rushes down the steps in a huff.

Donnie says nothing, only looking at the floor until he’s gone.

Usagi returns to the building that night. He didn’t want his mood to make the phantom think he abandoned him.

Thankfully he still had keys from the late night work.

Leo sits there on the edge of the stage, legs dangling.

“Welcome back.”

Usagi smiles softly at him before sitting next to him.

“Hey. I hope I didn’t make you worried being here later than usual.”

“It’s alright, I know that you’ve been busier with getting to practice.”

Usagi frowns.

“Do you remember the incidents that have been happening?”

“Of course.”

“I’m getting blamed for them. I probably should have seen it coming with how much everyone has it out for me. Donnie even tried to get me to confess!”

Leo prevents the scowl that wants to form on his face.

His blood boils, and it’s difficult to not react as much as he wants to.

He tightens his fists instead.

“Yuichi, that’s horrible. I’m so sorry.”

“He said the only possible culprits would be me, or….the phantom.”

Leo turns his head away from him and stares straight ahead.

“You think I’m doing this.”

“No, no! Not at all! I promise! That’s just what he said!” Usagi frantically waves his arms around.

“It’s okay. I understand why. We both know it wasn’t you, so there’s only one person left to blame.”

Usagi feels incredibly guilty.

“I don’t blame you, believe me. There’s no way you could do all that without getting caught since you’re not part of the staff, and you wouldn’t do it period! I know you wouldn’t.”

Leo smiles.

He didn’t even have to lie, just avoiding answering the question in the first place did the trick.

While lying to him wasn’t the best base for a relationship, it’s not like the truth would be very appealing.

Of course he was behind everything.

He knew they’d never let Usagi sing even after all the practice in the world. Maybe not even when they actually needed him during a performance if he never got to practice beforehand on stage.

He had to do something to help the person who deserved it more than anyone.

“You don’t need to panic. Even if it crossed your mind just a little. I mean, how are you supposed to defend someone you only know as the phantom?”

“I’m so so sorry-“

“Maybe it’s better if you call me Leo instead.”

Usagi’s eyes grow large.

“Your name is Leo?”

“Yes, it is.”

Usagi smiles widely.

“It’s definitely a lot nicer to call you. Is it a nickname?“

“It’s my full name.”

“Like the constellation! No wonder it’s the main one on the ceiling. You both must have been pretty close.”

Leo nods, face dropping a bit.

“She always said it was nice to have a star like me down on earth with her. A Leo she could see even in the day time.”

Usagi feels his heart absolutely melt at hearing such a sweet sentiment.

He keeps that to himself though, as he knows it must be bittersweet for Leo.

“It….kind of hurts to remember, doesn’t it?”

“…..It does. The better someone is to you before they go, the harder it is when they do.”

Usagi looks out wistfully from the stage, bringing up his legs to hold them to his chest.

“It’s because it means a good part of your life is gone. I get it. There’s no chance of doing anything else with them again, new or otherwise.”

Leo looks down.

“Do you think this is going to turn into a sad memory too?”

Usagi is quiet for a second, then touches his shoulder with Leo’s.

“No. I’m going to look back at this and remember that I spent time with a friend. That’s all.”

Leo feels his face heat up slightly, turning away.

“You make me forget to feel sad.”

Usagi smiles again.

“So do you. Why don’t we skip practice today and just talk? Or maybe you can play the organ again.”

Leo looks back at him.

“Shouldn’t we be thinking about what to do about you getting blamed?”

“There’s not a whole lot I can do about it. If they’re going to kick me out, then….that’s just what I’m going to have to deal with. We can hang out somewhere else if that happens! There’s so many places I can take you.”

Leo bites the inside of his cheek.

No.

He can’t.

But the allure to just imagine it is way too strong.

“Could you tell me about them?”

Usagi lights up, starting off ramblings of different areas in the Hidden City and the spots in them.

Leo listens carefully and allows his voice to flow into his thoughts.

He wishes he could tell him not to worry. Come tomorrow, everything would be taken care of.

The blaming, the stress, the threat of losing his role.

Donnie.

All of it.

Instead, he just has a nice time with him, allowing him to end the day better than he started.

Usagi leaves the theatre with a smile and absolutely no clue about what Leo is planning.

When he goes in late to the theatre then next day, he doesn’t have that same smile.

He’s too nervous about what will happen.

The stares and whispers of everyone around him as he walks doesn’t help in the slightest.

He gets to the stage and nervously heads to the back, looking for the director.

Donnie and the other lead were already talking to him.

Things didn’t seem good.

The other lead turns his head towards him before stomping over.

“You! I’ve had enough of your dumb antics! You’ve gone too far this time!”

Usagi holds up his hands defensively.

“Woah! Hold on! I just got here! I don’t even know what you’re talking about!”

“Yes you do! You just must have snuck in last night to do it!“

“What do you think I did!?”

The other lead angrily holds up a bag that was torn up, scribbled on, wet, and covered in glitter.

“This! I left my it here accidentally and now it’s ruined!”

“Look at my hands, if I used glitter it would still be in me! I promise I didn’t!”

“It is true though, glitter is impossible to hide. My brother uses it and I still find it months later.” Donnie suddenly interjects, walking closer.

Usagi is surprised that he’s defending him at all.

“See? I didn’t do it-“

“Although it’s highly unlikely that any of the other incidents have anything that can disprove it was him.”

Usagi sighs heavily.

“There’s also nothing that proves it was me!”

“I’m sorry Yuichi, you’re the only one who comes to the playhouse at night. I’m going to have to ask you not to come back.” The director insists.

Usagi feels his heart crumble into pieces, ears dropping down as tears prick at his eyes.

He opens his mouth to beg, plead, defend himself again, but his ears suddenly perk up again at a certain sound.

So, something very different is said.

“Get down!” He pushes Donnie.

The movement causes Usagi to fall on top of the soft shell. Donnie looks at him with confusion and anger, leaning towards anger, until he sees the sandbag crash down right where he had been standing.

It would have landed on top of him if he had not been moved out of the way.

Usagi moves off of him, looking down at him with concern.

“Are you okay? I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

Donnie’s heart begins hammering in his chest from both the sudden falling and the close proximity they’re in.

A blush creeps onto his face as he realizes that the boy in front of him who he kept bragging to is actually…..really nice to look at.

He scrambles out from under him.

“I-I’m fine!….Thanks to you, I guess.”

Usagi stands up before offering his hand out to Donnie.

He stares hard before hesitantly taking it and standing up.

His hand was soft and plush.

He hates to admit that he held on for just a second longer than he should.

The director and some other staff look at the sandbag to see what had happened.

The top seemed frayed in a way that could be normal wear and tear.

That wasn’t the only possibility though.

“Okay, no role is worth this! If he didn’t do it, then that stupid phantom did this! I quit!” The other lead angrily walks off.

The director follows after to try to convince him not to go but it doesn’t seem to work.

Donnie glances at Usagi.

“I guess you’re getting the role after all.”

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