#seven minutes in candyland

[richincolor]

Out in December! ❄️

With October in the rearview mirror and November getting underway, the rush of exciting new YA books will slow a bit, but that doesn't mean there won't be a few hot new books to look forward to in December. Here's a peek at what YA books starring BIPOC characters are coming out next month:

The Ruined (The Beautiful #4) by Renée Ahdieh The Sylvan Vale and the Sylvan Wyld are at war. Now that the unsteady truce between them has been broken, lines must be drawn. In an effort to protect the weakened Winter Court, Bastien rallies powerful allies and friends in New Orleans to come to their aid.

Meanwhile, under protection alongside her injured mother in the Summer Court, Celine is uncertain of whom to trust. She cannot get word to Bastien, and does not understand why he has not returned. When she realizes war between the fey courts is imminent, she journeys with Ali in an effort to find the time traveling mirror and change their fate. But when Celine’s rivals realize Bastien has rallied his allies in the mortal world, they decide to take the fight to him.

Caught in a Bad Fauxmance by Elle Gonzalez Rose A fresh, fun contemporary rom-com from debut author Elle Gonzalez Rose, about an aspiring artist who agrees to fake date one of his family’s longtime enemies in the hopes of gathering intel good enough to take down their rivals once and for all.

Devin Baez is ready for a relaxing winter break at Lake Andreas. That is, until he runs into his obnoxious next-door neighbors the Seo-Cookes, undefeated champions of the lake’s annual Winter Games. In the hope of finally taking down these long-time rivals, the Baezes offer up their beloved cabin in a bet. Reckless? Definitely.

So when annoyingly handsome Julian Seo-Cooke finds himself in need of a fake boyfriend, Devin sees an opportunity to get behind enemy lines and prove the family plays dirty. As long as Devin and Julian’s families are at war, there’s only room for loathing between them. Which is a problem because, for Devin, this faux game of love is feeling very real.

Our Cursed Love by Julie Abe Six days to remember. Love or lose him forever.

Remy Kobata has always wished she was destined to be with her best friend, Cam Yasuda. All the way from being neighbors from birth to mixing up magical prank potions together to their “just friends” homecoming date during their senior year in high school, nothing’s a secret between Remy and Cam―except for how much she is in love with him.

Remy is trying to work up the courage to confess her feelings during their winter break trip to Japan, when she gets selected for a mystical tea leaves reading and it reveals that they’re not meant to be together. After they stumble upon a secret magical apothecary in the back alleys of Tokyo, Remy and Cam are offered an ancient soulmate elixir, created before all love potions were banned by the magical government. They each have their reasons for wanting to take it, but what could go wrong with finding your soulmate a little earlier?

Except, after they drink up, their senior year trip flips into the worst vacation Cam has forgotten who Remy is. If she can’t help Cam remember her by midnight New Year’s Eve, they’ll both be cursed to forget each other. To unravel their past and rewrite the future, Remy and Cam must travel through Tokyo to rediscover Cam’s memories and make new ones―and maybe even fall in love all over again.

Seven Minutes in Candyland by Brian Wasson Sophomore Kalvin Shmelton has finally perfected his underground candy-selling hustle at school. He keeps his prices reasonable, his inventory fresh, and himself out of the drama. But when a heartbroken Sterling Glistern—Kal’s longtime crush— barges into the storage closet where he keeps his candy supply, a new source of income unexpectedly presents itself: relationship therapist. Sure, he only meant to help Sterling realize she’s been dating a jerk—and maybe win her over—but news spreads fast that Kalvin’s not just the master of sweets…but hearts, too! And as the son of two famous therapists, he leans into this newfound reputation and the money that comes with it.

The truth, however, is that Kalvin’s parents’ “perfect” marriage is crumbling. He was supposed to woo the girl of his dreams, fix his parents’ relationship, and lend a listening ear to a school-full of heartbroken teens. But a jealous boyfriend, a vengeful competitor, and Kalvin’s own growing ego threaten those plans, forcing Kal to rethink all he thought he knew about friendship, family, and love.

Lucero (A Forgery of Magic #3) by Maya Motayne In the aftermath of Sombra’s return, the balance between light and dark magic has been destroyed and chaos has broken out in Castallan and around the world. Sombra’s shadows have taken over to create monstrous versions of everyone Finn and Alfie love, and with war between Castallan and Englass looming, the prince and the thief must band together one last time—to save their entire world.

To stop the magical imbalance, they must find the stone relics of Sombra’s body before the god can unite the pieces and regain his full strengthonce more. But the laws of magic no longer apply, and with their own magic—and even the laws of time itself—drastically changing at every turn, Finn and Alfie are left on their own to stop Sombra and fulfill their prophecy before it is too late and the darkness reigns.

Will they restore balance to their world or will its light be gone forever?

Any of these books on your TBR list? What are you planning to read in December? Let us know! And thanks for following along on this reading journey for another year. Next up, we'll be posting our 2023 favorites!

#the ruined #lucero #caught in a bad fauxmance #seven minutes in candyland #our cursed love #long post

[ice-cweam-sod4]

Dulcisregnum Dorm Trivia:

I listen to ONE Kyary Pamyu Pamyu song and this is where I am 30 minutes later (trivia under the cut)

When it comes to the atmosphere naturally th dorm has a “candyland” feel to it

Since the dorm is made of sweets (mostly some some limitations and magic added) littering is heavily frowned upon.

If a student ends up eating the candy, there are many special magical side effects (think Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) that will encourage them to NEVER pull that shit again (Dorm leader’s words, best to not fool around and find out).

Things like water appear thanks to general magic.

The dorm smells like a literal Dairy Queen and the air actually tastes sweet.

Unlike other dorms Dulcisregnum requires magic to change the tracks, meaning the entire dorm can switch looks/climate for the sake of track variety ::3.

Since Vincent is the most magically skilled in the dorm she is the one who is in charge of changing the dorm layout while Temperence makes sure Vincent doesn’t fuck up and accidentally magically kick all the students out of the dorm….again 

 so far, the dorm has taken on around five different looks; The default track that mimics sugar rush, an ice cream mountain themed track, a chocolate waterfall themed track, a rainbow taffy themed track that goes through cotton candy clouds and a konpeito track that makes the dorm look like it's set in outer space. (More can always be added)

Out of all the dorms Dulcisregnum is the second most dangerous not only due to the track changes but also the general nature of the candy landscape (double stripe branches in the candy cane forest causing students to fall and get hurt, taffy swamps that nearly calcify unlucky ones who fall in and the dreaded nesquik sand).

^Crowley claims no one has died in Dulcisregnum but that doesn’t explain why the laffy taffy vines have a mind of their own.

After races the dorm members can relax at a relaxing all-purpose cafe in the castle grounds (other dorm students are welcome but Temperence doesn’t advertise it as much).

The dorm has a hidden factory where all the karts are built, if you get on Temp’s good side, he could show you around and possibly let you build your own kart.

There are 25 karts for the first years (they naturally take turns) and 50 karts for the second years. The third years all get their own specialized kart.

The races that are held in a general event are divided into seven categories: 1st year race, 2nd year race, 3rd year race, duo team races,item mania,battles and vehicular sports.

The first 3 races are pretty much self explanatory, duo team races have students pair up from whatever year to race as a team on special karts made for two people.

^Item mania is when the entire track is LITTERED with item sugar cubes ready to either help you or deter other racers.

^Battles are basically when all racers are sorted into two teams and either have to collect the most amount of gum drops on the course or survive with a limited amount of candles on the back of their kart before the timer ends (think Mario kart wii battles).

When it comes to entertainment for the racing events Temp usually hires pop groups or artists from the Glace Duchy to give said artist more notoriety since the events are live streamed.

Currently the dorms magicam account (co-managed by Vincent and Terrence) has over 500K followers.

Thanks to said live streams Temp has been able to get sponsors to help fund the racing events (did you REALLY think CROWLEY was giving this dorm any money?).

Thanks to said sponsors Temp has been working hard to form a racing team out of NRC that can allow students from the dorm to showcase their skills among actual racers at actual events.

dividers created by @/cafekitsune

#about my fandorm #fandorm trivia #twisted wonderland fandorm #dulcisregnum #temperence #vincent #terrence #writes☀️🌙

[ryuzakemo128]

Incorrect Quotes - Peaky Blinders au (Part One)

Characters used: Alfie Solomons, Thomas Shelby. Plus Red (Female Reader)

(Part One / Part Two / Part Three / Part Four / Part Five / Part Six / Part Seven / Part Eight / Part Nine / Part Ten )

(Divider by this person here )

Red: Hi. Alfie: Hey, did you do what I said? Did you tell him? Red: I did. Alfie: And what did he say? Red: “Thank you.” Alfie: You’re totally welcome. What’d he say? Red: He said, “Thank you.” I said “I love you” and Thomas said, “Thank you.”

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Thomas: Due to personal reasons, I will be fucking sinking to the bottom of the ocean in a large metal box. Alfie: Did Red say 'I love you' and you said 'Thanks'? Thomas: THE REASONS ARE PERSONAL–

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Red: Thank you all for coming. Thomas, wearing a hospital gown: When I heard you couldn't get laid, I dropped everything and came straight here. Red: Well, I couldn't imagine anyone else being part of the "Fuck A Task Force". Alfie: Yeah, I interpreted that in a different way.

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Red: Wait a minute, how did this happen? We're smarter than this! Thomas: Apparently, we're not.

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Thomas, hungover: Please tell me I'm imagining that I claimed I was king of the ducks. Red: I would, but then I would be lying to the King of All Ducks.

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Red: Thomas, I rebuke thee! I rebuke thee! Thomas: Rebuke? Is that a word? Red: You have all invoked my fury! You will all pay recompense for your transgressions! Thomas: What, you got like a word-a-day calendar or something?

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Thomas: Ah, Hello again. We really need to stop meeting like this. Red: Maybe we would, if you would STOP BREAKING INTO MY FUCKING HOUSE!!!

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Red: Thank you for not saying "I told you so." Thomas: When you’re as right as I am, you don’t have to say it.

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Thomas: I am an expert at identifying birds. Red: Okay, what about those ones flying over there? Thomas: Yeah, they're all birds.

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Red, dramatically: They called me a fool. Thomas, sick of Red's shit: They weren’t wrong.

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Thomas, texting Red: I’m a theif. Red: Thief. Thomas: Theif. Red: I before E except after C. Thomas: Thceif. Red: NO.

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Thomas: You know, when I first met you I thought you were a real bitch. Red: What changed your mind? Thomas: Oh, I still think you're a bitch. I've just grown to like that about you.

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Red: If it pleases the court I would like to say that my opponent is TALKING SHIT! Thomas: ...

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Red: Just be yourself. Say something nice. Thomas: Which one? I can't do both.

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Red: Thomas, fuck off. Red: And by "fuck off" I mean "fuck off right back here and listen", you insufferable prick.

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Thomas: *is visibly upset* Red: Thomas, what happened? I haven't seen you like this since you found out Candyland wasn't an actual country.

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Thomas: You’ve got to learn to love yourself. Red: But don't you hate yourself. Thomas: Yeah, but this is about you. Stay focused.

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Red: Can I have some? Thomas, mouth full of cheesecake: It's really spicy, you wouldn't like it.

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Thomas: Red... you've been cuddling with me for over an hour now. Red: *muffled* mm hmmm :) Thomas: Fuck. I should be annoyed but you're adorable.

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Thomas: Uptown Funk would've made it into the Shrek Soundtrack. Red: That's the truest statement I've ever heard.

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Thomas: I've met a lot of pricks in my time, but you, Red, are a fucking cactus.

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Red: Hey Thomas, can you give me the opposite of these words? Red: Always, Coming, From, Take, Me, Down. Thomas: Never, Going, To, Give, You- Thomas: The fucking satisfaction.

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Thomas: What happened?! Red: Do you want the long version or the short version? Thomas: Sh-short?? Red: Shit's fucked. Thomas: Okay, long. Red: Shit's very fucked.

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Red: Hey, Thomas. What kind of flowers do you prefer? Thomas: I like sunflowers. Red, pulling out a bouquet of Venus Flytraps: Well, shit-

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Thomas: If I had a face like yours, I'd put it on a wall and throw a brick at it. Red: If I had a face like YOURS, I'd put it on a brick and throw a wall at it.

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Thomas: The saying “it is better to beg forgiveness than to ask permission” no longer applies to Red.

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Red: Thomas, you love me, right? Thomas: Normally I’d say yes without hesitation, but I feel like this is going somewhere I won’t like.

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Thomas: What happened to your nose? Red: I used it to break some guy's fist.

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Thomas: Hey. Red: Hey? Thomas: I can't sleep. :/ Red: I can. Goodnight

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Thomas: Hold on, I can explain! Red: Really? Can you now? Thomas: I can if you give me a minute to think of a convincing lie.

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Thomas, after getting a job as a life guard: Hmm... I wonder what those things at the bottom of the pool are.. Red: THOSE ARE PEOPLE DROWNING!

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Thomas: *fast-forwards all the way through the movie* Red: You can't just skip to the happy ending! Thomas: I don't have time for their problems.

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Red: Why are you always trying to aggravate me? Thomas: To relax.

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Thomas: FUCK THE CHAIR. PARDON ME FOR MAKING MYSELF COMFORTABLE DURING A SINCERE HEART TO HEART DISCUSSION WITH A DEAR FRIEND IN NEED! Thomas: BUT THE TIME HAS COME FOR ME TO CEASE STRADDLING THIS DEEPLY OFFENSIVE PIECE OF FURNITURE! AWAY WITH YE, FOUR LEGGED TEMPTRESS! DISTRACT US NO MORE WITH THE MOST BASIC AND UTILITARIAN FORM OF COMFORT YOU SUPPLY! Red: Thomas just threw a tantrum about a chair. Red: I just won Thomas Tantrum Bingo.

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Thomas: My life is a mess. Red: Thomas relax, go get a beer. Thomas: I don’t want a beer. Red Who said it was for you?

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Thomas: A decision had to be made. Red: And you fucked it up!

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Thomas: Though I admit I don’t know much about you, I am feeling pretty confident in my assessment that you are probably some sort of sick deadly fuck. Red: Who told you my secret?

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Thomas: You’re mean! Red: You’re meaner! Thomas: Yeah, well, you’re ugly too! Red: You’re uglier! Thomas: You’re a dumbass! Red: You’re a dumberass! Thomas: You think “dumberass” is a good insult!

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Thomas: Please say words of encouragement to me so I don’t murder someone right now. Red: There are no books in prison. Thomas: *sighs* Thank you.

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Thomas: Are you drinking enough water? Red: Sometimes my tears get in my mouth.

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Red: Thomas, you need to react when people cry! Thomas: I did. I rolled my eyes.

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Thomas: I think this might be a bad idea... Red: Don't start thinking on me now!

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Red: Bottling up negative emotions is bad for your health, so you shouldn't do it. Thomas: I know, that's why I bottle up all my emotions, both positive and negative, so it cancels out. Red: Th-that's not how that works-

#peaky blinders #peaky blinder #peaky blinders au #peaky blinders incorrect quotes #peaky fookin blinders #peaky fucking blinders #thomas shelby #tommy shelby #Alfie Solomons #aberama gold #Thomas Shelby x Fem! Reader #Thomas Shelby x Female Reader #Tommy Shelby x Fem! Reader #Tommy Shelby x Female Reader #Modern Thomas Shelby #Modern Tommy Shelby #Modern Thomas Shelby x Fem! Reader #Modern Thomas Shelby x Female Reader #Modern Tommy Shelby x Female Reader #Modern Tommy Shelby x Fem! Reader #Red (Female Reader)

[sage-writes-stuff]

Eddie Munson x y/n incorrect quotes pt. 7 | Gn!reader

Comments, reblogs, requests, and likes are always appreciated <3

(I added some extras this time hehe enjoy!)

Y/N: I’m not being weird. Am I being weird? Eddie: Yes, and that’s coming from me.

Eddie: *fast-forwards all the way through the movie* Y/N: You can't just skip to the happy ending! Eddie: I don't have time for their problems.

Y/N: *is visibly upset* Eddie: Y/N, what happened? I haven't seen you like this since you found out candyland wasn't an actual country.

Eddie: Y/N is not a morning person. Or a night person. There’s really only about seven minutes a day you are fun to be around. Y/N: The best part is you never know when they’re coming.

Y/N: You’re an idiot. Eddie: That’s the charm.

Kidnapper: We have your child Eddie: I don’t have a child? Kidnapper: Then who just asked for warm milk and made us cut the crusts off their sandwich? Eddie: Oh god, you have Y/N

Eddie: How are you today? Y/N: Please don’t make me think about my life.

Y/N: I wouldn’t put it in those words exactly. Eddie: Why not? Y/N: Because I don't know what they mean.

Y/N: I love murder mysteries! Eddie, trying to impress them: I've been a suspect in four murder cases.

Eddie: Caffeine no longer keeps me awake while I work, so instead I have Y/N periodically send me texts saying ‘we need to talk.’ Eddie: It gives me the right amount of adrenaline and fear I need to keep going.

Eddie: You know, when I first met you I thought you were a real bitch. Y/N: What changed your mind? Eddie: Oh, I still think you're a bitch. I've just grown to like that about you.

Eddie: I couldn't do this without you, Y/N. Y/N: Sure you could. Not as stylishly, of course.

Y/N: Ew. What kind of tea is this? Eddie: I boiled gatorade.

Eddie: I am a responsible adult! Y/N: *raises brow* Eddie: I am an adult.

Eddie: Can I have some water? Y/N: *starts chugging their water bottle* Y/N: *chokes from drinking too fast* Y/N: *spills water all over themself* Y/N, coughing: I don't have any water.

#Eddie Munson #eddie munson fluff #<3 #eddie munson fic #eddie munson x reader #Incorrect quotes #Your honor I'm in love with him

[bookaddict24-7]

New Young Adult Releases! (December 12th, 2023)

___

Have I missed any new Young Adult releases? Have you added any of these books to your TBR? Let me know!

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New Standalones/First in a Series:

Our Cursed Love by Julie Abe

Seven Minutes in Candyland by Brian Wasson

Where There's Smoke by E.B. Vickers

___

Happy reading!

#New Releases #New Books #Features #December 2023 #tbr #to-read #book list #yalit #yareads #young adult #on books #on reading #read #reader #reading #julie abe #brian wasson #e.b. vickers

[winningthesweepstakes]

Seven Minutes in Candyland by Brian Wasson

Seven Minutes in Candyland by Brian Wasson. Quill Tree Books, 2023. 9780063264656 Rating: 1-5 (5 is an excellent or a Starred review) 4 Format: Hardcover Genre: Realistic/ Romantic fiction What did you like about the book?  Both of 16-year-old Kalvin’s parents are therapists; they are well known from their highly popular relationship podcast.  Their marriage, however, is rocky but Kalvin is…

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#Quill Tree Books

[digihindnews]

Son Of a Critch Season 2: Is Son of a Critch Based on Real Events?

Son Of a Critch Season 2: Son of a Critch is the name of a television series that airs in Canada. It is hilarious in every way. The audience has provided a very positive reaction to the television series "Son of a Critch." On IMDb, it has been given a score of seven out of ten. If you want to learn everything there is to know about the upcoming Son of a Critch season two, be sure to read the entire article. Comedy and self-deprecation help the eleven-year-old protagonist of Son of a Critch win over and connect with the limited group of people he encounters in his everyday life. Creators Tim McAuliffe and Mark Critch teamed up to make the show Son of a Critch. Mark Critch, Claire Rankin, and Benjamin Evan Ainsworth are the three main cast members. Deanne Foley and Renuka Jeyapalan are the show's directors. Tim McAuliffe, Mark Critch, Justin Rawana, Heidi Brander, Perry Chafe, and Cathryn Naiker authored the piece. Old Soul, New School, Lordy, Lordy, Look Who's Dead, Cello, I Must Be Going, Cucumber Slumber, Royal Visit, and Candyland are the episode titles from the first season of Son of a Critch. It seems like there will be six episodes in Season 2 of Son of a Critch. What follows shall be seen. Andrew Barnsley served as an executive producer on the Son of a Critch TV series. Andrew Barnsley contributed to its production as well. It was Project 10 Productions and Take the Shot Productions who created the Son of a Critch television series. Son of a Critch was broadcast by Lionsgate Television. On CBC TV, you can now watch the series Son of a Critch. Let's wait and see if Son of a Critch returns for a second season.

Son Of a Critch Season 2: Release Date

It has not yet been announced when Season 2 of Son of a Critch will premiere. Now that Son of a Critch's second season has been confirmed, the premiere date is likely to be announced soon. https://twitter.com/SonOfACritchTV/status/1481378036406800384 CBC Television has scheduled the release of Son of a Critch Season 2 for some time in 2022. Season one of Son of a Critch premiered on January 4, 2022, and will conclude on February 22, 2022. What follows shall be seen. The premiere date for Son of a Critch Season 2 will be updated if and when we learn of it. Make regular visits to this site. Let's check out the Son of a Critch season two preview.

Son Of a Critch Season 2: Announced

A premiere date for Season 2 of Son of a Critch has not been revealed. Now that Son of a Critch Season 2 has wrapped up, we can anticipate an announcement regarding Season 3. It appears that Son of a Critch has been picked up for a second season. What follows shall be seen. Our coverage of Son of a Critch season 2 will be updated as new information becomes available. You should, therefore, make frequent use of this online resource. Let's discuss the actors and actresses who will be appearing in Son of a Critch Season 2.

Son Of a Critch Season 2: Trailer

Season two of the hit CBC series Son of a Critch, created by Andrew Barnsley, has a new trailer. Next month, CBC will air the pilot episode of the new show. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEgKZ4cjW3o&feature=emb_title The show is based on Mark Critch's best-selling memoir about his childhood; Mark is the resident 13-year-old comic cowboy/meteorologist (don't ask) and teller of tall tales on This Hour Has 22 Minutes. Son of a Critch's Ritchie Perez is based on a real-life friend of Mark Critch's named Ritchie Perez. Mark Critch's Son of a Critch is partially autobiographical and explains how he adapted his life for the purpose of writing a comedic novel. In the first season, Mark was only 11 years old, but he acted much more mature than he was. However, he rarely had any success. As we have seen, Mark's fear of his peers' ridicule is a major deterrent to his learning to play the cello. When bullies take Fox's cello, however, he resorts to pleading. The trailer gives viewers a firm foundation from which to anticipate the upcoming episodes. You may also like: - Sweet Magnolias Season 3: Will There Be Another Season? - White Cat Legend Season 3: What Do People Think of White Cat Legend So Far?

Son Of a Critch Season 2: Cast

See the expected cast of Son of a Critch Season 2 below - Benjamin Evan Ainsworth as Mark Critch - Mark Critch as Mike Critch - Claire Rankin as Mary Critch - Malcolm McDowell as Pop Critch - Colton Gobbo as Mike Critch Jr. - Mark Rivera as Ritche Perez - Sophia Powers as Fox - Petrina Bromley as Sister Margaret - Richard Clarkin as Dick Dunphy

Son Of a Critch Season 1: Review

In general, critics praised the first season of Son of a Critch. We believe viewers will enjoy Son of a Critch Season 2 as much as they did Season 1. Recent episodes of the first season of Son of a Critch have shown that Mark is afraid of being forced to play the cello because he will become a social pariah, but when his cello gets taken by a gang of bullies, Fox grudgingly comes to his rescue. Conversely, when it's revealed that Sister Rose and Pop were an item in the past, they take a trip down memory lane. Mark tries desperately to cover up his family's odd habits when Richie invites himself over for a sleepover. Mike Sr., on the other hand, is very vocal in his support of the new vegetable when it purchases airtime on VOCM Radio. What follows shall be seen. Who knows, maybe Son of a Critch season 2 will pick up where season one left off. We will update this article with any new information we learn about the plot of Son of a Critch Season 2. Discussion of the premiere date for Son of a Critch Season 2 is in order.

Son Of a Critch Season 2: Where to Watch

Son of a Critch is a Canadian comedy series that airs on CBC. It appears that CBC Television's comedy series Son of a Critch will return for a second season as well. What follows shall be seen. Any new information we receive will be posted here as soon as we receive it.

Is Son of a Critch based on real events?

Son of a Critch's character, Ritchie Perez, is based on Critch's real-life friend Ritchie Perez. Son of a Critch is based on Mark Critch's book of the same name. Please share this post with the people you care about, and encourage them to check out Digi Hind News so that they can stay up to date on everything that’s been happening recently. Read the full article

[brendaaaa]

Best Summer Ever (Max Mayfield x fem!Reader)

“This is gonna be the best summer ever!“ Lucas pumped his fist into the air.

He let out a whoop and cannon-balled into the pool, screaming as he went.

“Oh god,” Will covered his eyes. “He’s going to kill himself.”

“Ah, don’t worry, Will the wise,” Mike set a hand on the shorter boy’s shoulder. “He’s fine.”

You peered over the edge, into the pool. “It looks pretty deep.”

You hated deep water. It was pretty much an irrational fear. There was nothing that was going to get you in that water.

You looked over at your girlfriend, Maxine. She was looking hot as ever, with her long red hair in a messy bun and her freckles sprinkled across her sun kissed face. She wore a red bikini, a good look on her, you had to admit.

You look back at the water. It was dark blue, intimidating.

The party was situated in the backyard of Kimmy Taylor, Robin’s super cool (and rich) girlfriend. She absolutely loved the ‘children’ when Robin introduced them, and because Kimmy would be working, she had generously offered her pool to the kids for the summer.

It was pretty awesome, except for the fact that you were scared silly of deep water.

“Hey, El!” Dustin called out, running over to pick up the brunette girl, “let’s get in the water!”

He ran over to the edge of the pool, Eleven shrieking, pretending to be terrified although anyone could tell she wasn’t really, and jumped.

The two made a huge splash when they entered the water, and you shielded your face, although the rest of your body got soaked.

They came up laughing, and smiling.

You grinned too, as their smiles were the most contagious ever, and watched as Will and Mike jumped in as well.

Lucas, already in the water, came up from behind the two boys and started splashing them.

Everyone in the water started hurling water at the others, and it was actually pretty funny for you to watch.

“Hey love,” a voice said in your ear, and you felt soft arms wrap around your middle.

You blushed, and turned to look at your favorite girl. She rested her head on your shoulder, blue eyes smiling up at you.

“We should get in.”

“Wha-?” You said, not really hearing what she had said. Her beautiful face was too distracting.

“I said,” she crinkled up her nose, “we should get in.”

You paled slightly as you realized what she was talking about.

“Uh, no. I- I can’t,” you looked away, breaking eye contact.

“Aw why not love?” She whined, placing her cold hand on your jaw and turning your head back to face her.

You shivered slightly and looked at the pool. It looked like a blue pit. Deep, dark, and ominous.

“I don’t know…” you mumbled.

“Why not?” She said again. “It’s so hot outside. I mean c’mon y/n, I know you wore that bathing suit just for me…,” she said with a smirk, and you reddened, looking down at your rather skimpy one piece, and she continued, “But you wore it to swim too, right?”

Well, yes. But you didn’t know that the pool was going to be this deep!

Aloud you said, “Yeah...I guess,” not wanting to disappoint Max.

“Alright let’s get in then!” She said cheerily, and shook her flip flops off her feet.

You gulped, eyeing the water suspiciously.

“I- I can’t,” you said nervously.

“Oh sure you can,” Max rolled her eyes, “it’s just water, y/n!”

You opened your mouth to say something, and then closed it. As much as you wanted to please her, you knew that there was absolutely no way you were getting in that pool.

No way. You would stay perfectly nice and dry today, thank you very much.

Ironically, just after that thought, your lovely babe decided it would be fun if she pushed you into the pool.

You screamed, flailing your arms as you tumbled down towards the water.

The party all turned to look, some laughing, some smiling, but none appearing distressed.

You belly flopped in, creating a loud smacking sound as you were submerged in the water.

The water was cold, and even though it was miserably hot outside, it was not refreshing or nice at all.

It was freezing and miserable.

You realized with a jolt of panic that you were sinking to the bottom, like a rock.

Your cheeks puffed outwards, trying to hold your breath in, as well as the scream that was just dying to come out.

You kicked upwards quickly, propelling your arms around, trying to get back up to the surface desperately.

It wasn’t that far to the top, and soon you were gasping and coughing up water. Max plopped into the water next you, and wrapped her arms around you.

She leaned her forehead against yours, a smile tugging at her lips.

“Nice in here, right?”

You shook your head wildly, a few tears slipping down your cheeks.

“No, no. I want to get out. Right now!” You hiccuped, still kicking your legs back and forth aggressively, trying to tread water and stay afloat.

Max frowned, a bit concerned by your reaction, “okay…” she said slowly.

She pulled herself out first, and reached a hand out to help you get out. All of a sudden she stopped, peering at you.

“Y/n, are you scared of water?” She asked.

Well yeah, no shit.

You glared at her, “What do you think?”

“I-“

“Yes!” You cried out. “Yes! Of course I’m scared of water, why do you think I didn’t want to jump in?!”

She stared at you, a little unsure of what to say.

“You pushed me in! Why would you do that?!” You cried.

“Y/n,” she started, hands on her knees.

“Get me out!!!” You screeched. “Right now!!”

“Okay okay,” she grabbed your forearms, and pulled you out of the pool, dripping wet.

“You wanna, um, go inside?”

You nodded, huffing.

“Okay, uh, you can do that then. Um, y/n I’m really sorry,” she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “I swear if you’d just told me I would’ve never pushed you in,” she said sincerely.

You wiped your face off with your hand.

“I’m going inside,” you said stiffly, and marched off.

The rest of the party watched open mouthed, confused at the scene that had just unfolded.

You stomped into Kimmy’s house, flopping your wet body onto the couch. You groaned, feeling frustrated at your girlfriend and at yourself.

It was dumb that you got so upset with Max. She didn’t mean to push you in. She wasn’t that type of person.

Ugh. Why didn’t you just tell her that you were scared?! Why did your pride have to get in the way?

You groaned again, and clapped a hand over your forehead, covering your eyes from the light flowing through the window.

You surveyed the room. It was pretty nice, with some expensive furniture. Everyone’s clothes were scattered amongst the floor. Your eyes honed in on Max’s purple sweatshirt and brown shorts.

You smirked, getting an idea.

You pulled yourself off the couch, and closed the blinds on the window.

…..

“Is it just me, or did that pool get warmer as we swam in it?” you heard Dustin’s voice.

You were flopped in an armchair, watching tv and cuddled up in an afghan. It was surprisingly cold in the house, due to the air conditioning working overtime in the hot summer heat.

“You were probably just pissing in the pool,” Max retorted.

“Shut up Max,” Mike said. “We just probably got used to the water,” you heard him say to Dustin.

All of the party had shuffled in at this point. They all looked freezing cold, wrapped up in only their swimsuits and towels, shivering in the ac-blasted house.

“Hi, Y/n,” Max said, rather shyly.

You remembered that she probably thought you were still mad at her.

“Hi,” you said, giving her your warmest smile.

She smiled back, looking down at the ground. At least now she knew that you weren’t mad.

“So, who wants some pizza?” Lucas stretched out his arms, “I’m tired, and hungry as fuck.”

“Me too,” El piped up. “Can we get hawaiian please?” She gave Max her best doe eyes.

“Ah fine,” your girlfriend muttered, walking over to the phone.

She picked it up and started to dial the number. Growing up as a teen in the 80s, it was mandatory that you all had the pizza place’s number memorized. You never knew when you might need some fuel, or a pick-me-up.

Max turned back to look at El as she held the receiver up to her ear, “But don’t get that nasty fruit stuff anywhere near me,” she threatened, twirling the cord.

“I won’t,” Eleven smiled. Everyone knew that Max hated pineapple on pizza with a passion.

Max gave the order, and you, El, and the boys pulled out some board games to keep you busy while waiting on dinner.

The seven of you set up the candyland board.

“Why are we playing this?” Lucas deadpanned.

“Cause it’s fun,” Dustin countered.

“It’s a childhood classic,” Will insisted.

“You can cheat,” Mike smirked.

“Queen Frostine is sexy,” Max shrugged.

“It’s so FUN!” El beamed.

“I dunno,” you said. “But everyone else seems to like it.”

Lucas groaned, “Fine. But I better win,” he grinned, and flipped over the first card.

“Hey,” Will complained. “You don’t get to go first! The youngest always gets to first!”

“Yeah,” you laughed. “That’s me!”

And so the party played a rather uneventful game of candyland. Dustin won.

Knock knock knock.

Everyone looked up.

“Pizzaaaaaa,” Dustin said in a whisper, rubbing his hands together.

“I’ll get it!” You offered, standing up, and letting the afghan fall away from your body.

Max smiled at you, then a double take.

“Uh...y/n, are you? Wait a minute…” she eyed you suspiciously. “Are you wearing my clothes?”

“Caught me!” You laughed, and ran off to go meet the delivery guy.

“Hey!” She hollered. “Don’t think you get away that easy!” She was smiling, shaking her head.

“Get back here y/n!”, she giggled.

You ran, laughing and out of breath, to the door. You opened it up, and smiled at the short brunette pizza guy.

“Uh, three pepperonis and one hawaiian?” He confirmed.

“Ding ding ding,” you winked at him, and set the pizzas on the table right beside the door.

“Gotcha,” you felt Max hug from behind. You turned around, and kissed her cheek. “Hang on, I’m paying this dude.”

“Oh no no,” she said, smiling. “You, you are wearing my clothes! Why?” She touched the tip of her nose to yours, scrunching her nose.

You blushed, “Cause...I want to?”

“You look good, miss girl,” she whispered.

You coughed, and turned to the pizza boy and said, “Pay you back later?” as Max started to kiss you.

“Uh, excuse me-” he was cut off by you slamming the door in his face.

You laughed into Max’s lips, “You know, Lucas really was right.”

“What?” Max asked between kisses.

“This...is gonna be the best summer ever!”

Word Count: 1,877

#max mayfield #max mayfield x reader #max mayfield x fem reader #stranger things x reader #max x reader #max mayfield one shot #max mayfield imagine #stranger things imagine #fluff #sorta fluff #stranger things #gay gals #summer of lovin #let the good times roll #it

[absolutepokemontrash]

MC is Half Demon and Blah Blah Blah-

Time for the Group Retreat!

Part 1 Part 2 Lessons 1-5 Lessons 5-6 Lessons 10-12 Lessons 13-15 Part 3 Part 4

I’m quite hyped for this one, ladies, gents, and esteemed readers! For simplicity’s sake, since this is before M!MC and A!MC arrive, L!MC will go back to being referred to as just MC. Enjoy the Headcanons!

Since the previous Underground Tomb incident ended much less violently, Lucifer is now more worried than angry about MC’s rampant shennaniganery.

Like... his kid was poking holes in his totally foolproof “Your cow-uncle went to live on a farm in the human world” story. What if MC somehow got into the attic and got hurt?!

It didn’t help that they were still in this weird phase of their father/child relationship. On one hand, Lucifer obviously cares for his kid, and his kid likes him... but it’s also only been less than three months and we all know how emotionally constipated Lucifer is.

MC’s also getting REAL sus of all the secrets their dear old dad is keeping... doesn’t help that they STILL haven’t went up into the attic.

Anyhoo~ the announcement for the retreat was a barrel of laughs.

“I’m proposing, a group retreat!”

Everyone met Diavolo’s announcement with the exact same confused reaction. It’s like the entire assembly hall was doing the ‘Guy Blinking’ meme.

“A... group retreat?” Lucifer repeated slowly. “For what reason exactly, Lord Diavolo?”

The Crown Prince was giddy with excitement as he explained. “MC told me about their middle school overnight trip and it sounded like it would be quite fun!”

Simeon, Luke, MC, and Solomon were all seated next to each other in the ‘exchange student seats of less importance’. Luke leaned over and whispered a question to MC.

“Why are you so friendly with the crown prince?”

MC smirked and shrugged. “Lucifer had the Demon-Flu and couldn’t go meet with Lord Diavolo last week so I went for him. Lord Diavolo’s surprisingly bad at Connect Four but has really good luck in Snakes and Ladders.”

Luke’s jaw dropped in complete and utter shock and horror.

“We’re playing CandyLand and the Game of Life next time, want to come?” MC added.

“Play CandyLand... with him..?” Luke looked at Diavolo, who was still explaining his plan for the retreat, then looked back at MC. “I’ll only go to shield you from his corrupting influence.”

“Yeah... Corrupting...” MC had to hold back a laugh at the thought of Diavolo, who during MC’s visit lit up like a Christmas tree upon being called ‘Dia’ and believed that Mood Rings were the greatest human invention ever, being a corrupting influence.

“MC! Torture dungeon or no!?” MC was snapped out of their conversation by Mammon shouting at them from his seat.

“What?”

“Do ya think there’s a torture dungeon under the castle, or not?”

“I’m not sure,” MC turned to Diavolo. “Lord Diavolo, is there a torture dungeon under the Demon Lord’s Castle?”

There is in fact, no torture dungeon. Presumably...

Everyone packed up and headed out to the Demon Lord’s Castle!

The fabulous seven all broke several speed limits and traffic laws in order to be there early. Listen, they had to get there before Purgatory Hall, it was a matter of pride.

Besides, what’s the Royal guard going to do? Arrest six of the seven rulers of hell and a kid? Ha. No. Not when Diavolo controls their paychecks.

The rooming situation remained the same, Asmo, Simeon, and MC were roomed together, and MC got to watch Asmo get psychologically profiled by Simeon. It was truly a sight to behold.

MC was nice enough to assure Asmo that they really liked him and thought he was very sweet.

Asmo, not used to being complimented on his personality, almost started openly weeping.

So, the tour of the Demon Lord’s Castle began! Asmo got yelled at by his ex in the painting and the usual batch of idiots got sucked into the catacombs under the castle.

Lucifer wasn’t terribly sure how or if he should express his concern for MC being stuck in the labyrinth.

All these new fatherly feelings of worry are very very odd. He didn’t worry this much for Satan, mainly because Satan was usually the threat.

Even as a baby...

Lucifer found himself checking his DDD every few minutes to see if MC had texted or called from wherever the painting dragged them to, never mind that if they did text he’d hear the phone ding.

“Lucifer, don’t worry too much,” Diavolo patted Lucifer on the shoulder, a bright smile on his face. “Your brothers and MC will be perfectly fine! There’s nothing too dangerous in the catacombs that they wouldn’t be able to take care of.”

Resigning himself to the fact that MC was under the care of his last choices for babysitting, Lucifer put away his DDD. “I know they’ll be fine, but I’m not overly pleased with the situation.” He shot a glare at Helene in the portrait, who rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.

“Lucifer worrying about someone, I’m truly, genuinely shocked.” Hearing Satan’s attempt at goading him, Lucifer, flawless demon that he is, resisted the urge to throw his DDD at his brother.

“Quiet, Satan.”

————

“WHY THE FUCK IS A SNAKE DOWN HERE?!”

“ITS HENRY 1.0!”

“YEAH THAT REALLY CLEARS STUFF UP, LEVI!”

MC and Levi continued their screaming match as the group ran for dear life from a giant snake.

Yeah... nothing the brothers couldn’t handle... sure, Lord Diavolo...

They made it out of the scary catacombs... don’t worry.

Lucifer did that parent-thing where he cleaned the catacomb dust off MC’s face with a napkin.

Yay! Parenting!

Failed pillow fight attempt #1 happened that evening. Because Mammon was obsessed with being the fun-uncle and saw his brothers encroaching on his place as favourite uncle.

MC doesn’t know how to break it to him that he’ll probably always be the favourite uncle and he doesn’t have to be such a dumbass to keep his spot.

Scavenger hunt went on as canon dictates.

Asmo had his diva tantrum and stormed off, but MC also wanted to win so they didn’t go after him.

Clearly expecting someone to go beg him to come back, Asmo was very annoyed when no one went after him.

“Um, helloooo? Anyone going to comfort me~?”

“Nope.”

“Well I don’t want your comfort anyway, SOLOMON.”

It was very close, L!MC insisted their loss came from sabotage. No evidence was found but just LOOK at Satan’s face.

Time for the Formal Dance~

If you’re wondering why Luke didn’t say anything when MC was suddenly poofed into their demon form, you’re assuming that Mammon wasn’t in on the “let’s prank the chihuahua” plan.

“Mammon..? Is MC behind you?”

“Nope! Why?”

MC was able to get to the other side of the ballroom with Luke none the wiser! Hell yeah, nothing like screwing with your friend!

So it’s canon that Lucifer is like, a solid 20/10, therefore MC is ADORABLE. What I’m saying is, some of the younger demons asked them to dance.

Asmo was also being MC’s hype man, which was very nice of him. Mammon also tried to give advice on how to be cool and suave. Beel was there for moral support.

“Alright kiddo, you need to be aloof and mysterious! People love aloof and mysterious, that’s why I’m so popular.”

“Don’t listen to him, MC. He flew into a wall as a kid and it killed all his brain cells. Just be proper but not snooty, sweet but not saccharine, friendly but not annoying,”

“Ask them if they want to share some of the hors d’oeuvres.” 

“Okay, first, aloof and mysterious are the last words I would ever use to describe you, Mammon. Second, Asmo I have no clue what you’re asking me to do. Third... Beel that’s the best advice I’ve received in recent memory.”

None of that mattered anyway because MC got swarmed with dance offers.

“Well,” MC smirked and held out their hand at the demon that was bold enough to ask them to dance first. “I admire the confidence.”

The demon’s smile brightened, then dropped completely when their gaze drifted behind MC. “I uh... on second thought... I’m gonna...”

MC’s potential dance partners all quickly scattered to the snack table. The half demon growled and turned around to see their father acting like he didn’t just scare away MC’s groupies.

“Father! What was that for?!” MC huffed, Lucifer rolled his eyes and grabbed MC’s wrist and began to pull them away from the dance floor.

“You’re too young to dance.”

“That’s crazy! They looked like they were my age.” MC protested, their wings fluttering in annoyance.

“Even if they looked to be your age, MC, they’re hundreds of years older.” Lucifer said calmly.

“What about that equivalent age stuff you told me about? Like how Luke is hundreds of years old but by angel/human standards he’s technically younger than me?”

“That doesn’t matter right now.” Lucifer lightly pushed MC towards the hallway that led back to their room.

“But I want to dance with someone!” MC felt their wings involuntarily fluff up.

Lucifer turned and smiled at his dear little brat, crouching slightly to get to their level. “Not on my watch.”

MC’s face was literally this: >:0

Lucifer is out here being the dad in every comedy that involves someone bringing home their partner to meet their parents.

MC was banished to their room, they spent their time angrily reading the manga they had packed.

When Levi escaped the party slightly later MC grilled him for details of what went on after they left.

“Nothing too interesting... except... um...”

“Spit it out, Levi!”

“...lrddiavlondlucferdnced”

“I can’t understand you, stop mumbling.”

“Lord Diavolo and Lucifer danced together...”

“...”

“...”

“I MISSED THAT?!”

So yes, MC’s desire to get a picture of Lucifer sleeping stems from VENGEANCE!

How DARE their father send MC up to their room and make them miss their OTP dancing together!?

So they call up their troupe of idiots and get ready to go be menaces to society.

MC also invites along Asmo because he seemed like he could use the adventure.

And because MC couldn’t plan the prank without Asmo noticing so it was better to just implicate him as well...

“Grrr...”

MC brightened and clapped their hands. “I know that growl!”

“It’s not my stomach, I packed snacks.” MC couldn’t see this, considering the room was pitch black (it must’ve been some kind of magic because demons have excellent night vision), but Beel waved a bag of chips in the air and got to eating.

“No, I’m not talking about your stomach, Beel.” MC skipped towards the source of the growling despite Mammon and Levi’s pleas for them to stop.

Ah! There he was!

“Cerberus!” MC cooed, the three headed dog stopped growling and barked happily. “Whose a good boy? Is it you?”

Cerberus let lose a bark that would probably make anyone crap their pants, but MC giggled and kept petting him. “Yeah! You’re the good boy! You like cuddles! Yes you do! Yes you do!”

A flash of light from a camera caused MC to drop their baby talk voice and stare angrily in the direction where the light came from.

“Whoever took that picture better delete it or I’m going to feed you to the dog.”

Cerberus growled in agreement. What a good boy.

“Well, as nice as this is...” Asmo huffed. “We’ve clearly been duped because this is not Lucifer and Diavolo’s room.”

“Oh well!” MC chirped and continued to pet the three headed dog. “Look at the doggy!”

“MC, you’re crazy. Dontcha ever forget that.” Mammon whimpered as Cerberus growled at him.

So yeah, they couldn’t get out of the room, so they ended up opening up the other door and falling into the catacombs like a bunch of lemmings.

Asmo charmed Henry, and they got out of the labyrinth no problem.

Yay! No consequences! Oh no- hi Lucifer.

Lucifer gave them all the mother of all lectures. Satan showed up with the rest of the gang and brought popcorn.

Belphie wasn’t there, okay? Satan needed to be a little shit for him.

Ah yes, the pillow fight... Mammon’s crusade to be the best uncle culminated in a massive pillow fight that ended with MC, Lucifer, and Diavolo standing over everyone’s unconscious bodies.

So they uh... won the pillow fight.

MC couldn’t sleep. They legitimately couldn’t. As exhausting as the pillow fight victory had been, everyone was snoring, and MC was bleary eyed and awake at one in the morning.

They eventually sat up and looked around, Asmo was passed out in a very unflattering position, Solomon was chanting god knows what in his sleep, Levi was half hanging off Simeon’s bed, Simeon and Luke were sleeping like angels (hehehehe-), Beel was in the middle of eating his pillow in his sleep, Mammon appeared to be dreaming about winning the lottery, and Satan was... suspiciously absent.

He was there a minute ago... weird.

Deciding that this wasn’t worth it and they should just go sleep somewhere else, MC got out of bed and avoided stepping on anyone as they vacated the room.

The Demon Lord’s Castle at night could rival the House of Lamentation in terms of overall creepiness. MC had gotten used to the spirits and curses that littered their home, but they had only been to the Demon Lord’s Castle once before, so they were extra careful not to accidentally touch anything. Their stomach rumbled and they frowned.

Damn, they had the midnight munchies... they needed a snack.

MC made their way to the kitchen and on there way, noticed a peculiar room through a half open door. Taking a few steps back to peek into it, they noticed... doors. A lot of doors. And ivy covered steps. There seemed to be no rhyme or reason to any of the placements, and the room was... weirdly chilly.

“You can come in if you’d like, MC.”

Barbatos’ voice nearly caused MC to hit a high note that they hadn’t been able to hit since their voice began to change. They straightened out their wrinkled pyjamas and stepped inside.

The butler himself was walking down one of the flights of stairs.

“Um...” Quickly remembering their manners, MC straightened their posture and cleared their throat. “Good evening Barbatos.”

Barbatos smiled and inclined his head in turn. “Good evening to you as well, MC.”

“How did you know it was me outside? You were up there a second ago.” MC asked.

“It’s a part of my powers. I can see possible futures, and I foresaw you passing by my room and getting curious.” Barbatos explained.

“Oh,” MC said, half nodding and continuing to look around. A the sound of a door closing out of MC’s vision made them squeak and look around for the source of the noise. “What was that?!”

“It’s nothing to be worried about.” Barbatos raised his hands in a placating gesture. “These doors in my room are gateways to different timelines and some are gateways into the past of this particular timeline. That was another version of me passing by.”

“Does this... happen often?” MC knitted their eyebrows.

Barbatos hesitated before answering. “Not really. It’s quite rare. Lord Diavolo has expressly forbidden me from using my full powers freely.”

“Ah... makes sense...”

“Now, I believe you came down for snacks?”

MC blinked in surprise. “How did you- oh... the time magic...”

“Yes, the time magic. Now, would you prefer yogurt and fruit, or apples and peanut butter?”

“Yogurt and fruit please!”

I’m sure MC’s knowledge of how Barbie’s room works will totally not come into play later. I’m sure.

Solomon and MC graced the brunch table with their cooking. I think you can guess how it would have turned out if Barbatos hadn’t intervened.

Rest In Peace to Beel’s tastebuds.

Anyway, the rest of the retreat was all fun and good.

MC may or may not have slipped up and called Diavolo ‘Dia’ in front of Lucifer. It would’ve sparked a lecture if Dia’s puppy-like excitement wasn’t so damn adorable.

Lucifer’s got a heart... somewhere... it’s probably all shrivelled up and tiny, but I’m sure it’s there.

Everyone went back home, brought closer together through... pillow fights and surviving Solomon’s cooking I guess..?

Anyway, MC got home, unpacked their stuff, watched Kakegurui with Levi and Mammon, let Asmo paint their nails, made and ate dinner with Beel, continued their piano lessons with Lucifer, and received a 100% fake smile from Satan.

It was a nice day with their new family, MC curled up in their bed and prepared to go to sleep.

“Help me!”

MC lurched upwards in their bed, whipping their head from side to side, trying to find the source of the voice. Their room was completely empty, the perks of being half demon extended to being able to see in the dark. No new smells either, they were alone in the room.

Auditory hallucinations were common before falling asleep after being sleep deprived, creepy, but not too unusual.

“MC!”

Okay- that one couldn’t be ignored. It was common knowledge that the House of Lamentation was definitely haunted in some capacity, but the ghosts never really bothered the demons living inside, MC was partly convinced that some of the ghosts didn’t even notice that the demons were there. So it couldn’t have been a ghost calling their name.

“MC! I need help!”

The voice reverberated through their head, like it was trying to hit every part of their skull to make sure it was at least felt if MC couldn’t hear it. MC massaged their scalp and got out of bed.

The House of Lamentation at night truly lived up to its haunted reputation. Cold, clammy, dark, even by demon standards. No spooky old house was going to scare MC though, they walked down the hall with their head held high.

They walked closer to walls and furniture, knowing that the floor was less likely to creak in those areas. How did they know that? Mammon had told them it worked like a charm. Well, it’d work better for him if he stopped tripping over the furniture and alerting Lucifer.

MC was much more nimble and careful, stepping slowly and lightly around the hallways until they reached the door to the attic. They reached out to clasp their hand around the doorknob, then froze. It smelled like…

Oh no.

MC leapt away from the door like it was rigged to explode if they touched it and practically dove for cover into an alcove. The all too-recent smell of Lucifer’s fancy cologne and the increasing sound of someone coming down the stairs made them clamp their hand over their mouth and crouch down.

What was their father doing up there?

He had said the attic was full of old junk and there was no reason to go up there, so why exactly did he-

The door slammed open and Lucifer stomped down the hallway back towards his room, MC presumed. They were about to let out a sigh of relief when the footsteps paused. MC felt their heart drop right into their gut when they heard the footsteps coming back in their direction.

What were they going to say to him when he found them? ‘Sorry! This isn’t where the bathrooms are!’ The last thing MC wanted was to add to their father’s ever growing list of stresses. MC was totally responsible and grown-up, their father didn’t need to worry.

MC clamped their eyes shut and tried to slow their heart rate. Demons were beings of darkness and shadow, they could blend in quite easily. They took a deep breath, cleared their head, and felt the shadows of the hallway shift and cover them like a blanket.

Lucifer’s footsteps stopped, MC heard a tired sigh, then the footsteps started up again, this time in the direction of his room.

They allowed themselves a sigh of relief before relieving themselves of their hiding space and opening the door leading to the attic staircase.

If the rest of the House of Lamentation was considered clammy, cold, and foreboding, the attic staircase was that multiplied by a factor of twelve. MC felt themselves shudder involuntarily when they stepped closer to the staircase. Every primal part of their brain was telling them to turn around and walk away, but one tiny part was holding them back. They placed their foot on the first step, waiting for any kind of resistance, nothing other than the feeling of passing through invisible cobwebs.

“MC?”

Upon hearing their name, MC craned their neck to try and get a look at what could be waiting for them at the top of the stairs.

“Are you coming, or not?”

The cascade of warning sirens that began to blare in MC’s head went ignored as they continued to scale the staircase.

When they reached the final step, they were met with a long hallway, with a single door on the right side of the wall.

“H-hello?” MC tried to instill some force into their voice, but it still ended up quavering a little.

“Down here.” Someone knocked on the wall next to the door, almost causing MC to jump.

Oh. Oh no. MC stood straight in front of the door, and when they saw who was looking back at them they nearly passed out.

“Belphegor..?”

Belphegor’s eyes flashed as he gave MC a once over. His eyes narrowed when his gaze snapped to MC’s. The analytical expression melted into a lazy grin.

“That’s me,” he said softly. “Nice to finally meet you, MC.”

#Obey me #Obey me Headcanons #Obey me! #obey me shall we date #obey me! shall we date? #Yay! MC finally meets the sleepy cow-man! #Obey me Lucifer #Obey me Satan #Obey me MC #Obey me Mammon #Obey me Levi #Obey me Diavolo #Obey me Luke #Obey me Barbatos #Obey me Dialuci #Obey me Belphegor #Obey me Simeon #Obey me Asmodeus #obey me beelzebub #obey me! headcanons #obey me! mammon #Obey me! Lucifer #obey me! belphegor #obey me! beelzebub #obey me! leviathan #Obey me! MC #obey me! asmodeus #Obey me! Satan

[thatoneao3writer]

TTAU GAME NIGHT!!

(I have decided to make this long forgotten promise because I think the au is getting a bit too angsty. It's nice to go back to the good ol days of crack, am I right? -🌱)

• Game night isn't as "important" as Movie night and they (Titans, HIVE, and friends) are okay with it getting disturbed because sometimes they get a little too... aggresive.

• Monopoly has been banned due to Sam, Foolish, Ponk, Quackity, Tommy, Tubbo, and Purpled taking it wayyyy too seriously.

• Dream and Techno has this on going chess game tournament that has been going on for so long that people have forgotten who's ahead of who. Techno and Dream somehow still manage to keep track, but it seems like they're still on a tie.

• Quackity would challege Dream and Techno one on one, but he'd lose all the time. Then he challenges them on poker.... you know the gist ;)

• Truth or Dare is a game that everyone loves and hates at the same time. They're stuck between banning it, or letting it stay.

• Here's some examples of dares that have been spawned from this game: "Explode the moon.", "Make out with George!", "Call Foolish daddy.", "Travel back in time and kiss the shit out of the younger me.", "Take over a planet!", "Chug lava!", "Teleport into a bank and steal all the money. I don't care if you're a hero, this is a dare so do it."

• Here's some examples of truths that have bee spawned from this game: "Are you fucking Skeppy yet?", "When are you getting married?", "Why aren't you getting married?", "Who said you aren't together? You obviously are!", "What's the most dangerous spell that can kill a person? Yes, chant it.", "You have a dick right? Demons have that... right?"

• Obviously we can't forget about M/necraft! They only play M/necraft whenever majority of the group is too lazy to come over to the Titans' Tower or if they're sick of board games and still want to hang out together. The same goes to any other video games really.

• Except Mario Party. They would all huddle up in the tower for that one to snatch controllers from each other and scream at each other and you know, the norm XD

• Ranboo is the ultimate Uno master. No one knows how he keeps winning. But he does, and Tommy is determined to take that title. His attempts are futile.

• Seven Minutes in Heaven is banned. Don't question it. (Looking at you Ant and Red) (Also Karlnapity)

• Ponk brought an Ouija board once... Let's just say having an actual magic using demon is not a very good combination with ghost communication tools.

• Tubbo dominates in Two Truths and One Lie because even if he says the most outlandish things like "I went to New Zealand with Schlatt to eat some honey" no one would know if its a lie or a truth because that kids has done a lot of shit.

• Sam and Dream plays scrabble... no one else but them likes the game. Well, sometimes Fundy and 5up joins, but that's about it lol.

• Board games like Sorry, Trouble, Candyland, and Apples to Apples are the games boomers like Phil... and only Phil brings to the fun. No one actually touches it until the mab himself insists. They end up having fun anyway.

• Quackity absolutely loves Twister. Tubbo and Puffy are the only one who can match him though >< No one is nearly that flexible.

• George... he sleeps through it.

(I believe Tell wants validation so I am here to say that she contributed, along with Nug and maybe Nike XD /lh)

#ttau #dreamwastaken #quackity #tubbo #awesamdude #dropsbyponk #philza #techno #timb writes

[loveforpreserumsteve]

Letting Go: "ALN" Story (Pre-Serum Omega!Steve and Alpha!Bucky Modern Domestic AU)

Twenty-Five:

Four days after Nevie's appendectomy, Steve watched as she slept in her hospital bed. Desperately wishing that his mom could guide him in this particular situation. After all, no one knew what it felt like to have a sick child more than Sarah Rogers.

He especially wished she could tell him what to do since it was the recovering girl's seventh birthday, and she was stuck in the pediatric wing for another day.

When his phone started ringing, he smiled at his mate's contact name and the picture of him with their kids. Answering, he quietly greeted, "'Morning."

"Is she awake?" The alpha eagerly asked.

"No, she's still asleep," Steve reluctantly informed him, glancing back to the seven year old.

"Well, dang it, we wanted to video chat."

Checking the time and figuring that waking her up to be greeted by her family wasn't an awful thing to do. Besides, she got to go back to sleep later anyway. So, he said, "Give me a minute."

Cheers came from the other side of the line and Steve playfully rolled his eyes. Setting the phone down on the side table next to the game of Candyland that Nevie was playing to distract herself from her pain, Steve leaned over. Gently, he touched her shoulder and called out, "Sweet pea?"

Her eyelids fluttered open, and she rasped, "Papa, I go to school today?"

"No, not yet, sweetie," Steve chuckled under his breath. When her lower lip pouted out, he tried to cheer her up, "But Daddy's on the phone, and he wants to talk to you."

She perked at that, and Steve helped her sit up. When he knew that she was properly propped up in her spot, Steve picked the phone back up to see that Bucky had already switched the call to video.

Sitting beside her, Steve held the phone out so both of them could be seen. Her sisters were the first ones to greet her with, "Happy birthday!" Of course, she replied with the same greeting.

"I miss you," Nevie added, sniffling.

It was the first time – from womb until now – that the triplets had been separated in their short lives. And, of course, the other two also started getting teary-eyed as Bitsy confirmed, "I miss you too," and Cori impatiently asked, "When are you coming home?"

Not knowing the answer, Nevie looked up at Steve, so he assured them all, "We'll be home tomorrow."

"Really?!" The girls excitedly asked in unison. Nevie hugged Steve just a little closer while her sisters stood on the sofa on either side of Bucky so they could bounce up and down.

"Hey, now," Bucky reprimanded Bitsy and Cori while Steve joked, "I see you're managing the house just fine without me."

Bucky gave him a look because it had been hard on him too. Even with them practically being on opposite sides of town, Steve could feel Bucky's longing through the bond because it matched his own.

"We'll be home tomorrow," Steve repeated, trying to appease himself as much as his mate.

"Good," Bucky smiled, sighing in relief.

Steve blew him a kiss, and then asked the girls, "Did daddy make you breakfast?"

"Yeah," Bitsy confirmed, her face scrunching up in disappointment while Cori complained, "It wasn't as good as yours."

"Oh," Steve chuckled, "I'm sure that it wasn't that bad."

"No, it really was," Oliver agreed with his sisters.

"He burnt the pancakes." Finn added, "Like, all of the pancakes."

Knowing that his husband could cook, his brows furrowed, and he asked, "How'd you manage that?"

"I was busy getting the kids ready for school," Bucky defended himself, gesturing to the French braid holding Bitsy's dark waves from her face.

"I'll just have to cook a birthday dinner for everyone tomorrow," Steve told the kids as they crowded around so they could see the screen.

"Sounds like a plan to me," Bucky grinned.

Beside him, Nevie slumped, and Steve figured that they should probably wrap up the call so she could rest. Bucky must've had the same idea because he dramatically checked his watch and said, "Boy! We better get going. Love you both! And happy birthday, baby, I can't wait to see you later!"

"Love you," Nevie yawned, blowing a kiss.

There were more choruses from the other kids as they shared their love for one another. And Steve's chest clenched as he longed for them all to be home together.

"Only one more night," Bucky promised.

Steve had his arm wrapped around Nevie's shoulders as he promised, "Only one more night."

As he hung up, Steve settled in his seat while Nevie cuddled close to him. She had been through a lot with her appendix bursting and the infection being a hell of a ride on her small body. It appeared that not only had she inherited his eyes, but his body's frailty too. And with her cuddled close, he had never been stingy with his affection, so he didn't mind as the seven year old used him as a pillow or a teddy bear.

Only one more night, he reminded himself.

Only one more night.

[brunhiddensmusings]

random movies/shows i just remembered were a thing

there is no point in any of this other then me being impressed that i remember all of this shit and reflecting on ‘i couldnt make this up if i tried’ a live action tv series of alice in wonderland, it was violently 80s an ‘alf’ cartoon series, that was MORE violently 80s an alice in wonderland cartoon series from the makers of the alf cartoon series which was only moderately 80s neverending story animated series that is somehow underwhelming enough it erases memory of itself a show where james earl jones sits in some kind of negative plane room that has a floor, doors, windows, a chair, and one lamp yet somehow no walls, the windows just kind of hover there. he told stories. how the hell did a show where james earl jones just tells soothing stories fly under everyone's radar? a live action reading comprehension series that featured a kid with magic gloves that rode a stationary bycicle to warp through dimensions that im sure no other human being ever saw so im partially thinking it might have been a hallucination except hallucinations typically have higher production values an animated glowworm movie that was trying to do with the glowworm dolls what MLP the show did for MLP the toys. it contained at least one song i can still remember the tune of 25 years later. there was a moleperson that gave off strong lesbian vibes who was rebelling against her biker vibe moleperson family an animated movie about ‘the lollipop dragon’ that seemed like there was other content on the intellectual property but ive never seen any, taking the form of a car race through whats essentially candyland to prevent liver and onion flavored lollipops being the new official christmas candy to be distributed by santa clause live action series that was only ever on at like 4AM where someone tells fairy tales that are slightly more disturbing then they should be while illustrating them in chalk which is one hell of a trick the animated series ‘mummies alive’ that was trying to basically copy/paste everything they could from the ‘gargoyles’ show but forgot to make it good not to be confused with the ‘tutenstein’ show, which somehow made less sense ‘dink the dinosaur’ a tv series hoping nobody noticed it wasn't actually land before time the animated series a live action series where a modern family was trapped somewhere that was a dinosaur infested jungle so they had to live in a tree house that was only just barely taller then the t-rex that was continually stalking them. the moon had claw marks on it i think? it was basically swiss family robinson but early 90s animated movie ‘the elm chanted forest’ that im more just baffled my parents were able to acquire something that obscure in their pirated vhs collection, i cant think of a possible reason anyone in my family would ever have been in the same room as a copy of this. like damned i havent even seen any of the youtubers that rate obscure bizzare movies even mention this fever dream. the highlight was probably when the talking mushrooms started breakdancing in a impressively racist manner like damned you raised the bar on racist cartoons somehow for about two minutes in an otherwise completely inoffensive movie from i think croatia. seriously its the best part, even better then when the cactus king summons his sapient weapon minions and engages his ferris wheel of doom to kill all the beavers

the animated series ‘superdave’ about a daredevil who gets repeatedly maimed, and repeatedly framed it as though he was a real person in the way jackie chan adventures does the animated series ‘wish kid’ where macully culkin aged 9 is granted basically fairy odd parents style wish abilities from a baseball glove. gilbert godfried its there, constantly, like hes almost there as much as the kid is holy crap i forgot the tazmanian devil got his own show for like five months yall remember when the ps1 first launched? when the game cases were strangely huge for no particular reason because they hadnt adopted the jewel cases yet and there were only like seven games available for the system and none of them even knew how to incorporate memory cards? ‘blazing dragons’ was a point and click adventure game that happened to be one of those seven games, eric idle was one of the people who made the game yet ive never met anyone who remembers playing the game or even hearing anything about it. yeah, this game had an animated series.... it was surprisingly witty in a were not even trying to make sense way that was purposefully avoiding explaining its world live action series ‘zoobalie zoo’ where people in the worst fursuits known to man just kind of exist in an almost entirely empty set where a handfull of circus cage wagons that i assume were their homes were the only structures outside of like two cardboard bushes why the hell was ‘mighty max’ not a cultural icon the way invader zim was, that show rocked so hard ‘the robonic stooges’ where the 3 stooges are robots jhon candy had an animated series where he played himself as a camp counselor. it.... kinda worked almost, blending the generic 80s camp movie ‘bad land developer’ formula with self aware complaints. it only stank a little the animated ‘happy days’ spinoff where they have a time traveling spaceship

not to be confused with the one where the partridge family lives in the year 3000, or when casper the ghost lives in space.... im beginning to see a trend here ‘starship troopers’ the CG series where surprisingly nobody ever died an animated series about a green rabbit on a spaceship that i only recently learned also was not a fever dream from when i was 8. all images i see of it only convince me more that im still hallucinating its existance i cant rmember the name of it but a live action series about aliens living on earth, all the adults have actual costumes to disguise themselves as humans but the baby, who is apperantly the ruler of the universe, is a disturbing pink puppet. also they have magic powers instead of technology and the theme song was ‘wishing on a star’. memories of this show still occasionally haunt me but it was still better then charles in charge just on novelty value there was a ‘jhonny quest’ reboot that aged him up and incorporated CG for a kind of cyberspace setting for the sole purpose they had a villian that was a quadrapallegic but could do things in the cyberspace setting, yet really nobody should have cared because the cyberspace setting wasnt connected to any real world imput devices so he was just the main boss of his own videogame why are you picking on this man. they were foggy on if haji actually had magic powers or just really hardcore yoga skills, and one fanatical zealot villian who basically escaped from the place they keep the well written batman antagonists you remember the ‘the way things work’ book? it had illustrations on every concept of physics and mechanical processes that used mammoths to explain everything from the screw to the lever to sewing machines to integrated circuits. yeah, it had an animated tv series .....somehow not to be confused with ‘cro’, an animated series about a mammoth that was frozen, thawed in the late 80s, was able to talk, and was a framing device for his stories of a weirdly sexily drawn caveman teen that invented all technology

it was basically ‘the croods’ but better and 30 years earlier a live action series based on ‘harry and the hendersons’.... im surprised they could create enough material for one full episode like seriously where do you go from there? its surprisingly hard to think of a story for ‘were a modern 80s family who has bigfoot as a roomate’ an animated series where a basketball player, baseball player, and hockey player are secretly superheroes. there was also a hardcore badass old lady who did most of the work. wayne gretszky was the one nobody respected the pocket dragons had a show. yes, a show based on collectable porcelain figurines that were marketed for their cute value on home shopping network CG series ‘vanpires’, yes it was about sapient cars that were vampires and actual live children who turned into cars that were vampires. that is all oh yeah, there was a back to the future animated series, i thought i repressed that better speaking of repressed memories, i cannot escape the knowledge that ‘super duper sumos’ and ‘mega babies’ existed, booze cannot erase this knowledge

[lovemesomesurveys]

1. Candyland: What is your favorite type of candy? White chocolate. Like, white chocolate Reese’s. Yum. 2. Chutes & Ladders: Do you have a fear of going up on ladders? Does your house have a laundry chute somewhere? It does seem like it’d be scary. I would worry about it falling backward or it sliding off whatever it’s leaning against. Or me just falling off somehow. And no, we don’t have a laundry chute. That would be nice. 3. Operation: How many surgeries have you had in your lifetime? Seven. 4. Sorry!: Do you sometimes apologize, even when it’s not your fault? Yeppp. I’m quick to blame myself or find fault in something I did. I can be so understanding and forgiving when it comes to other people, but I’m very hard on myself.

5. Game of Life: What is your greatest accomplishment thus far? What do you hope to do with the rest of your life? You would think it would be graduating UC and obtaining my BA in psychology, but I feel like such a failure and disappointment because all that degree has done in the 5 years since I’ve graduated is collect dust on a shelf. I have NO idea what I want to do with my life, but I know I don’t even want to purse that anymore. :/ It just feels like such a waste now, not an accomplishment.

6. Cootie: Did you really used to think that boys/girls had cooties? Nah. I played with boys and girls growing up. 7. Trouble: What is something big that you got into a lot of trouble for? When I was like 11 or 12 I went into teen or adult chatrooms (remember AOL chatrooms??) and said inappropriate things and IMed with some guys. :X  Somehow my mom found out and yeah, needless to say she was not happy.  8. Puzzles: When was the last time you felt puzzled/confused? How often do you feel like you don’t fit in? I’ve felt confused about a lot of things for a long time now. I just don’t know what I’m doing or what I want to do or what the hell is wrong with me. I also have always felt I didn’t really fit in. I’ve often felt like the 3rd wheel or black sheep. 9. Hungry Hungry Hippos: What’s your favorite meal to eat? Wingstop garlic parm and lemon pepper boneless wings or ramen. 

10. Uno: Can you count to ten in another language? If so, which language? En Español.  11. Go Fish!: Have you ever been fishing before? Once. I found it quite boring. 12. Old Maid: Did you ever have a maid in your house, growing up? No. 13. Simon Says: Did you always do everything you were told as a child? I was a goody-goody for the most part. 14. Red Light, Green Light: When you approach a yellow light, are you more likely to slow down or speed up? I don’t drive. 15. Are you any good at jump rope, hopscotch, or hula hooping? Have you ever used a pogo stick before? Nope to all the above. 16. Do you prefer chalk or bubbles? I loved drawing with chalk as a kid.  17. Did you used to go on a lot of bike rides as a child? No. 18. Capture the Flag: What is your country’s flag? What about your state’s flag, if you have one? The American flag. My state’s flag has a bear and a red star on it. 19. Tic Tac Toe: When you played, were you the “hugs” or the “kisses”? I always liked being X. 20. Have you ever won a game of Marco Polo in the pool without cheating? I think so. My cousins and I played that all the time as kids. 21. Scrabble: Are you any good at spelling? Yes. 22. While playing rock, paper, scissors, which do you usually throw down first? Rock.

23. Were you always stuck being the pickle in the middle? What? 24. Limbo: How low can you go? Not low at all. 25. When playing, did you usually pick “Truth” or “Dare”? I would pick truth. And that’s if I played at all.

26. Have you been involved in any innocent games of Spin the Bottle or 7 Minutes in Heaven? I’ve never played either one.

27. Twister: Are you a flexible person (figuratively or literally)? Nope. 28. Did you used to pretend that the floor was lava? Yeah. My cousin’s and I would play with a balloon and try to keep it from falling on the floor. 29. Guess Who: Are you any good at guessing games? I’m usually like, “I don’t know, just tell me!” 30. Clue: Do you think that you would be able to successfully solve a murder case? I like reading or watching murder mysteries and try to figure it out while I go, and I’ve always wanted to go to a murder mystery party, but I don’t know if I could solve a murder case for real. Real life is a lot more complicated, it’s not alll laid out or presented for you like it is in a book or TV show. It’d also be very stressful.    31. Mouse Trap: Have you ever felt trapped before, in some way? Yes. 32. Labyrinth: Have you ever gotten lost in a maze? The maze of life, ha. 33. Jenga: Are you careful about what choices you make in life? I’ve made a lot of mistakes and have a lot of regrets.  34. Bop it or Skip-it? Bop It. 35. Tag: Are you in shape? Do you enjoy running? No. 36. Kickball: Did you kick the ball over the fence a lot as a kid? No. 37. Are you any good at mini-golf? I’ve only played once and it was when I was a kid, so it’s been quite a long time. 38. Telephone: What do you do with a rumor once it’s been told to you? I’m not one to spread rumors.  39. Hide and Seek: Have you ever hid so well that it felt like it took somebody forever to find you? What was your best hiding spot? Yeah. I don’t recall what my best hiding spot was. 40. What Time Is It, Mr. Fox?: When were you old enough to tell time on an analog clock as opposed to a digital one? I remember in kindergarten we had a big clock with movable minute and hour hands and my teacher would spend time (ha, get it) with us changing the hour and minute hand and going over it with us. 41. Mother May I: Did you always ask your parents for permission? Yeah, I was pretty good about that. 42. Follow the Leader: Can you be bossy at times? Only jokingly like with my brother. 43. Monopoly: Are you good with your money/finances? I’ve gotten a little better this year.  44. Chess: Have you ever wanted to be king/queen? Nah. 45. Play-doh or Slime? Play-doh. Man, the smell of Play-doh is super nostalgic for me.  [a-zebra-is-a-striped-horse] 

#personal #text #survey #surveys

[sophie-turner-fan]

Sophie Turner on 'GoT' Wigs, Fenty Highlighter, and What She Texts Joe Jonas

If you were following the stories from Priyanka Chopra’s bachelorette party this weekend, you already know Sophie Turner is a good time. So it should come as no surprise that when I met up with the actress and face of Wella Professionals recently to talk about the brand’s latest product, she greeted me in a fuzzy robe and heels, with a Juul in hand. (In all fairness, the room was freezing.)

Because of Game of Thrones, she goes back and forth between Sansa Stark red and her natural light blond. But at the moment, it’s more of cool, white blond—the result of Koleston Perfect, a pro-grade hair dye that’s meant to keep color vibrant for longer and cause less damage. “Icy, beige blond is the actual color of it,” she tells me. As much as I want it to be a clue about Sansa’s future in long winter ahead, she’s keeping details on the show (and on her engagement to middle Jo-Bro Joe Jonas) under lock and key. But as for answering our Big Beauty Questions, well, she didn’t hold back.

Glamour: For coloring it so much, your hair looks awesome. What do you do to keep it so healthy?

Sophie Turner: The biggest thing is WellaPlex. It’s a hair mask that you put on, leave in for 10 minutes, and then wash out. It repairs the bonds in your hair so that it doesn’t just feel strong and healthy, it actually is stronger and healthier afterward. I use it every week, because with the job I have, it’s a lot of dyeing, straightening, curling, and heat damage. I’ll put in on after showering, watch a bit of Keeping Up With the Kardashians, and then I go back and wash it off.

Glamour: Tell us about your biggest hair emergency.

Glamour: What’s one beauty trend you absolutely love?

ST: I love all the bold eyeshadow and crazy-color highlighters people are wearing. Like Rihanna’s Fenty highlighters and pink, glossy eyes—stuff like that. I think people are becoming way more creative with their beauty looks, and it’s so much fun. I don’t know if they suit me, personally. I tried the [pink eyeshadow look] but took it off before I left the house. Because once you have your makeup professionally done, when you do your own, you’re like, “I look terrible.”

Glamour: What’s one trend you wish you’d never tried?

ST: Cutting my hair into bangs. It was a disaster. I did it myself when I was 13, and it didn’t help that my red [from GoT] was fading into a mousy brown. I don’t know why I did it. I guess people were having bangs cut in and I thought, Fuck it. I’ll give it a go.

Glamour: What city gives you the greatest beauty inspiration?

ST: New York, for sure. People are bold and creative in New York, and there are all types of ethnicities in the city. You see beauty in so many different ways just walking down the street. Every time I’m in New York I feel like I experiment more. I dress cooler, I do cooler things with my makeup—it’s so inspiring.

Glamour: Your house is burning down! What are the three products you save?

ST: Wellaplex, hair spray—because if it’s stuck in the fire, then it’s going to blow up—and lip balm. I love Fresh’s coconut one. It’s so good.

Glamour: What’s your go-to getting-ready music?

ST: I really like any seventies music. I’m into Dave Edmunds. What’s that song? [sings] I hear you knocking in, but you can’t come in… I think it’s because of my dad. He used to play seventies music all the time. I hated it then, but now, I’m 22 and it’s all I play. I also love R.E.M., Genesis, Fleetwood Mac. Most people would play rap or something to hype themselves up. But this is just happy music to me.

Glamour: What’s your favorite way to take a moment for yourself?

ST: Honestly, my favorite thing is lying in bed until I wake up naturally. With this job, it’s really hard to have a full sleep schedule. I usually have to get up at 4:00 A.M. So sometimes I just lie there and just enjoy being in bed.

Glamour: Do you watch anything or do you truly just lie there?

ST: Lately I’ve been watching Keeping Up With the Kardashians. I’ve binged seasons one through seven in, like, the past week. The family boxing match is by far the funniest episode.

Glamour: What’s the last Instagram rabbit hole you went down?

ST: Have you seen If You High? It’s this Instagram that I guess is for people who are high, but honestly, you don’t have to be high to watch it. It’s literally filled with the most satisfying images, like people squeezing putty or a putting steaming hot knife on lipsticks so the colors flow out together. Actually, I got this off of If You High. It’s called Epic Lava Tours. It’s videos of lava flowing out of rocks. It’s epic to watch. You have to look it up.

Glamour: Screw, marry, kill: mascara, lipstick, highlighter.

ST: I would kill lipstick, just because you don’t always need it. I would marry mascara, because it’s a necessity. And I’d screw highlighter.

Glamour: What’s your favorite emoji?

ST: I use the love heart eyes 😍the most. Probably because I text my fiancé with that all the time, and I love him. Actually, if I had a real favorite, it’s the shit emoji 💩. It’s just funny. Apparently, it’s really a chocolate ice cream though! At least someone told me that….

Glamour: You have $20 and free rein of a drugstore. What do you buy?

ST: I love drugstores. CVS is my favorite store in the whole world. It’s like Candyland. Honestly, I’d just buy the weirdest shit. The other day I spent $150 on makeup brushes that I already had and didn’t need. I could have just washed them; instead I get carried away and think I need everything. Like alcohol wipes—I love buying those. Cotton pads are great too. I have a real passion for the thin square ones. I use exactly five of them to take off my makeup: one on each eye, which I leave on for a minute, then dab to get all my mascara off. Then I take two more and do a circle around my face, and then the last one I swipe right down the middle. I love taking my makeup off. It’s my favorite routine.

Glamour: If you could change anything about beauty ideals, what would they be?

ST: Body-wise, I’d change what’s considered beautiful. I think if you’re healthy and you’re happy, then that’s all that matters. You don’t have to look a certain way, you don’t have to dress a certain way, you should feel freaking awesome in whatever you’re wearing, no matter your size.

Glamour: What’s the last piece of advice you got from your GoT costar Maisie Williams?

ST: Maisie is the most supportive person I know. She and I are very open with each other and encourage each other to be healthy mentally. She’s one of the biggest champions of that. She’ll call up every day and be like, “Hey, you good today?” I know that’s not advice, but in a way, she’s telling me to look after myself—especially mental-health-wise. I think that’s the most important thing.

Glamour: Is that because being an actress can be so tough on your mental health?

ST: I think so. Maisie and I have been through a lot together. We’ve grown up in this industry, and it can be taxing. I know her inside and out, and she knows me inside and out. It’s good to just check up on each other once in a while. We love each other. [Source]

Sophie Turner on ‘GoT’ Wigs, Fenty Highlighter, and What She Texts Joe Jonas was originally published on ♔ Sophie Turner Fan ♔

#Sophie Turner #sophie turner #game of thrones #got cast

[emotionalsupportoldlace]

Four Times Gert and Chase Shared A Bed and the One Time They Didn’t

Title: Four Times Gert and Chase Shared A Bed and the One Time They Didn’t By: emotionalsupportoldlace aka me, Mindy Pairing: Gert Yorkes/Chase Stein (obv) Description: Title says it all! Warning: This fic contains heavy mentions of abuse.  Author’s note: There is a lot of cheesiness in this fic, because I’m the biggest sap. Also, below are the songs I listened to while writing this fic. I managed to fit in lyrics from each song, so here’s some context.

one two three four five 

This fic is dedicated to the very special and incredible Emma @shesbeautifulandsheglows, I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY LEGEND!!! I hope you like this birthday gift. PS everyone go wish her a happy birthday plz she’s the greatest 💗💖💝💘💞💟💕

One.

Man, oh, man, you're my best friend / I scream it to the nothingness / There ain't nothing that I need

Gert hated sleepovers. When everyone came to stay at her house, it was fine. She welcomed it. She got to spend time with her friends AND sleep in her bed. It was the best! But when it was someone else’s turn to host, she dreaded the concept of sleepovers. It’s not that she didn’t enjoy seeing her friends, or the food and fun that sleepovers bring, but the idea of not sleeping in her own bed made her stomach feel weird. Most nights at her house, she ended up sleeping in bed with her mom and dad. She knew could never back out on attending one of the said sleepovers because they had become tradition and she didn’t want to feel left out. So she pushed through her fear, enjoyed herself as much as she could, and tried her best not to cry herself to sleep while in her sleeping bag. No one was ever to find out Gert was afraid of the dark and sleepovers, because she’s 8 years old! 8 year olds aren’t scared of sleeping alone! Especially GERT YORKES! If anyone ever found out about her deep, dark secret, she wouldn’t be able to take it! She would just die. Once a month they took turn hosting the sleepovers, and tonight was Chase’s turn. His dad was out of town on a trip for work, so it would just be Janet with the kids that night. It was always better when Victor wasn’t around, mostly because Chase was a lot more at ease. Gert wasn’t sure why, but it seemed like Chase was always on high alert when Victor was around. He didn’t smile as much, and that made her sad. In order to assure that tonight went off without a hitch, she packed her favorite stuffed dinosaur and her lucky pajamas into her backpack. Tonight would be okay, she kept telling herself, because she’d be at Chase’s house. The Stein residence, although stifled with tension, felt like home to her. Things were always better with Chase by her side. Out of the seven friends, her and Chase were the closest. She considered him to be her best friend. They’d been inseparable ever since they met, when their parents brought them all together for the first time. It was always easy around Chase; she was never nervous or uncomfortable around him. He made her laugh, and always made sure she was okay. If anyone was mean to her, Chase would come to her defense. In kindergarten Chase made his parents go to the school to get a bully, who regularly targeted Gert, switched out of their class. He got detention in 2nd grade for punching a boy who was making fun of her shoes on the playground. Just this year he broke his arm in gym class when he prevented Gert from falling. Sometimes she thinks Chase gets more upset about things relating to her than she does herself. Chase was just a friend, though. He didn’t give her intense butterflies. She didn’t blush whenever he was around. His hugs didn’t make her feel weak in the knees. His laugh didn’t make her feel a thing. She didn’t think about him every night before falling asleep. Those “I <3 Chase” doodles in her diary were a joke. She definitely didn’t have a crush on a Chase. Boys? Gross. Crushes? Double gross. The idea of kissing Chase? UGH! That night, after all the games of Candyland, the many slices of pizza, and some pool time, the kids were all cozied up on the floor of Chase’s living room, watching some animated movie Gert didn’t care for. She was too busy worrying about falling asleep. Gert spent most of her time worrying amour the littlest things, and it never seemed to get easier. The older she got the worse the worrying became. She hated that. As she glanced around at her friends, she noticed most of them were already asleep. Swimming did tend to tire you out, and they had played together long at all. So why wasn’t she tired at all? Why couldn’t she ever seem to turn her brain off? Her train of thought was cut off by the sound of footsteps. Janet was coming in. Everyone was asleep, so she pretended to be too, to avoid the awkwardness that might ensue. She heard the click of the TV remote, and the room became eerily silent, give or take a few snores. Gert’s surroundings became significantly darker, other than the light from the moon peering in through the curtain. She shriveled up in her sleeping bag and held onto her dinosaur right. Gert laid still in her sleeping bag, turning every once and a while to look at the clock nearby. She couldn’t see if very clearly,  if she knew it was past midnight. It was a curse she hadn’t fallen asleep yet. She shut her eyes tight hoping a miracle might happen and she’d finally fall asleep. Mindless thoughts scurried around her brain and the minutes of restlessness turned into another hour. Gert could feel the lump in her throat growing. She tried her hardest not to cry, hiding her face in her pillow. Out of nowhere, she felt a tap on her shoulder. At first she thought she might be dreaming. Maybe she had been asleep all along? Nope. “Gert?” whispered Chase, who has been asleep right next to her. She reached for her glasses, putting them on so she could see him better. “Yeah?” “Why are you awake?” he responded as quietly as possible. She sighed and avoided his eyes. “I can't sleep. I’m fine, though.” Chase chuckled and put his hand in her shoulder, which sent waves through her body. “I wasn’t asleep either. I hate sleepovers.” Gert gasped, a little too loudly, by the look on Chase’s face. “You do?” Chase nodded and leaned closer to Gert’s face, making her hands sweat. He was all up in her personal space, and she did not care. Maybe she did like Chase, but she’d worry about that later. “I’m scared of the dark. It’s why I have glow in the dark stars in my ceiling. My dad won’t let me sleep in their bed with them on nights when I get super scared, so I had my mom put them up so I wouldn’t be afraid anymore.” He smiled at Gert. Gert felt relieved. Of COURSE Chase was scared of the dark. That was just another thing to add onto the list of things they had in common. “Me too,” Gert replied as Chase climbed out of his sleeping bag. She brought a finger to her lips, signaling him to be quiet and not wake up the others. He extended a hand, and she hesitantly interlocked their fingers, holding onto her dinosaur with her other hand. She hoped he wouldn’t be able to tell how sweaty her hand was. He whisked her off towards the stairs, tiptoeing down the hall towards his bedroom. Chase opened the door and led Gert to his bed. Gert felt like she was about to explode. As children, her and achase napped together plenty of times. But now they were older, and maybe Gert had a crush on Chase, which complicated things. He patted the spot next to where he was already laying. Nervous as hell, Gert climbed into bed next to him. She laid quite a difference from him, not wanting to make it weird. “Come on Gert. I don’t bite,” Chase said as he moved closer to her. Their hands were touching now, and Gert nervously laughed as she stared at the glow in the dark stairs that filled the room with just enough light. She turned towards Chase and smiled, noticing he had already been looking at her. There she lay, next to her best friend, the boy she probably liked. It was just the two of them. If this was a dream, she hoped she never woke up. As Gert’s she’s began to close, sleep slowly creeping up on her, she felt Chase ease his hand onto hers. He laced their fingers together, and Gert tried her hardest not to make a note of it. She played it cool, closing her eyes while a smile crept across her face. “Goodnight Chase.” “‘Night Gert.” Gert was content in her surroundings, while holding onto Chase’s hand, right on the cusp of sleep. One gina thought echoed through her mind before exhaustion overcame her... Yep, she definitely liked Chase Stein.

*******

Two.

I can’t get my head around it / I keep feeling smaller and smaller / I need my girl

It’s 11pm on a Wednesday night, and Gert feels like she might collapse from exhaustion soon if she doesn’t finish this English essay she’s been slaving on since she got home from school. She doesn’t know why she put off this assignment for so long, because that’s so not like her. Gert’s not the type to procrastinate, she has a GPA and persona to manage, duh. It’s not that she cares about what others think, she just likes being the best of the best. It makes her feel extra good about herself when she gets straight As on every assignment and project while the popular girls struggle to even get Cs. At least she has one up on them in one aspect.

Her back is aching and her head feels like it weighs 500 pounds. One break wouldn’t hurt, she tells herself. It’s her fault she’s being forced into pulling an all-nighter, so she might as well treat herself. Emerging from her computer chair for the first time in what seems to be an eternity, she gets up and walks into her bathroom, beginning her prep for a well deserved shower. Gert settles for nothing less than hot showers, and she can’t imagine why anyone else would. A scalding shower is what she wants more than anything right now, other than to sleep for the rest of the week. If only Gert didn’t care about perfect attendance or education in general. Sometimes she wishes she could be a slacker, but it just wouldn’t feel right.

All is going to plan until Gert is about to pull her shirt over her head when her phone rings.

“Of course,” she groans, picking up her phone from the sink counter.

It’s Chase.

She eagerly answers, wondering what on earth would cause Chase to call her this late. He’d never admit it to anyone, but she knows he’s an early sleeper. He has the sleeping pattern of a grandpa. It’s cute - one of the many cute things about him.

“Hello?”

“I’m outside. Can you come let me in?”

Chase’s voice is low, and sounds raspy; kind of like how it sounds when you have a cold or you just finished crying. She knew he wasn’t sick - she had just seen him before he left for lacrosse practice and she headed home. So, it must be the latter, which means something is seriously wrong. A pang of fear rushed through Gert’s body and before she could even realize that she was running down her stairs, she’s already at her front door.

She took a deep breath before opening the door, trying to mentally prepare herself for what might be on the other side. Gert has a bad feeling about this, and her intentions were usually right. What if someone died? Oh my god, what if he murdered someone? Her thoughts ran rapid, and she wished her constant negativity could take a break for a second.

Fuck.

You know how Gert is usually right? This time was no exception.

She opened the door to find Chase, in his lacrosse hoodie, arms crossed and face hidden. “Bad sign,” she tells herself. His demeanor is off, shoulders down and his body language was off, which was odd. With Gert, Chase is always an open book. They tell each other everything. 

At least that’s what she thought.

Gert doesn’t say a word to him; just leads him up the stairs into her room, quiet enough so no one hears. Dale and Stacey wouldn’t care anyway, because they love Chase and they’re chill like that, but since she doesn’t know the context of the situation at hand, she doesn’t want to get them involved (yet.)

When they enter her room, he sits on the bed and looks down at his hands, fidgeting with them like usual. It’s one of his nervous habits. Chase has been accustomed to never showing his emotions in the realest sense, except for when he’s around her. That’s how he was raised. She sits down next to him, and gently places her hand on his knee, letting him know that she’s there but still not forcing anything out of him. She thinks she hears a soft sniffle when Chase raises his head, removing his hood.

What was underneath is something Gert knows she’ll never forget.

There’s a bruise forming under his right eye, fresh blood still running from the gash on his cheek, peppered with tiny cuts all over his face. She swears she can still see glass in his hair.

She tries her hardest not to react, but she can tell she’s not doing a very good job. Gert can’t take her eyes off him or the blood drying on his lip, which is also swollen. The pain written all over his face, exhuming from his body, is too much for Gert to handle, but she’ll try for him, because she knows he’d do the same.

“My dad...he just lost it, you know? He fucking lost it, and I just so happened to be there, so I was the one he took it out on. Like usual. But it was worse this time Gert. Oh god - I didn’t mean to...to tell you like this. I know we’re always so honest with each other but I was so scared. Scared that if he knew I told...that he would hurt you too.”

Gert can barely breathe. Her suspicions all these years were right. He’d mention here and there how awful his dad was to him and Janet but she never thought...she didn’t know. Oh god, she felt so guilty.

“Chase,” Gert replied breathlessly. “You have nothing to apologize for.”

She reached for his hand and he quickly pushed it away, reaching his hands up to pull off his hoodie instead, revealing the carnage on the rest of his body. Gert couldn’t hold in her gasps any longer. She looked at Chase as the tears began to form in her eyes, lip quivering. Her hand found its way to his chest, soaked in blood. It was a wonder the cuts weren’t deeper, you would have thought by the sight of his white-now-red tank top. Her fingers trailed up and down, trying to take in what she was seeing. She so badly wanted this to be a bad dream, but she knew it was real and that she needed to take action.

“He threw a vase, and then knocked me over into the mirror in our dining room. Then he started throwing punches. I was defenseless. I came over here almost as soon as he gave up and left. My mom’s visiting family, she’s not home, I normally wouldn’t have come here but...I didn’t want to be alone. I was so scared to be in that house even with him gone.”

Gert could feel the pain in his voice. His entire body was still shaking.

"I'm always here. I'm not going anywhere," she replied. He still wouldn't look at her.

Gert placed her hand beneath his chin, lifting it up ever so delicately. "I mean that Chase," she started, "you never have to be alone."

This statement broke his cold exterior. Chase began to cry, sinking into Gert's arms. She ran her fingers through his hair, rubbing his back with her free hand. His body shook from the sobs leaving his body. Gert's sadness for him quickly turned to anger. God, she wanted to fucking MURDER Victor Stein. She'd only seen Chase cry one other time, and that was when he dropped his ice cream that one summer day when it was extremely hot and they were all over tired from playing at the beach all day. That was a tired cry, but this was a real cry. This was the rawest cry she'd ever witnessed. All she could do was be there for him. Finding the words to say became increasingly harder as his cries died down. Gert knew nothing could make this better, she just hoped her comfort could help the tiniest bit.

"Sorry," Chase muttered, pulling away from their embrace, hands still lingering atop of her own. He shook his head, wiping the excess tears from his face. "I'm a mess."

"You're not a mess. There's nothing to be sorry for," Gert said, "and you can cry all you need to. Or scream. Whatever else you need."

He looked at her, a smile finally emerging on his face. God, she thought she'd never see him smile again. "What would I do without you?"

She laughed. They had moments like this often. Borderline romantic. Flirtatious and playful. Gert never knew what they meant, if they had any meaning at all. They had this unspoken thing between the two of them that they never touched on. It was pretty apparent to everyone else that the two had something there, but they never did anything about it. Who knows if they ever would.

Gert took his hand and lead him into the bathroom to clean his cuts. "Nurse Gert to the rescue!" she said, and Chase burst into laughter, which made her heart soar. She really, really loved his laugh, and how it brought his dimples out to play. His dimples were her weakness. He removed his bloodied tank top and threw it in the garbage, and now Gert was alone, in her bathroom, with a shirtless Chase. Right now was not the appropriate time to freak out over this, but she felt her heart speed up and she desperately hoped he wouldn't notice the subtle change in her demeanour. After a few tiny screams (that Chase would never admit to), the dried blood on his body was gone and some of the wounds were covered with bandaids (they were Marvel band aids, which Chase didn't atest to, making sure Captain America was on all of them) but the evidence of the night's tragic events were still there, his black eye still forming. She hated seeing him like this, so vulnerable.

They both left the bathroom, walking back to her bed, and Chase picked up his hoodie, throwing it in Gert's clothes basket. "Just get it back to me when it's clean, okay?"

Gert nodded. He began walking towards the door, and Gert about lost her mind. Did he really think she was going to make him go home? She rushed in front of him, blocking the door. "You can stay here Chase. You're crazy if you think you're leaving this home tonight."

His eyes widened, stunned by her bluntness. "Thank you. I don't know how I'll ever repay you."

"You don't have to. This is friendship, you dweeb. Now get into bed," she ordered, shutting her laptop still open on her desk. There was no way she was finishing her work now, she'd probably end up missing school tomorrow anyway. Perfect attendance and amazing grades didn't matter when someone was in need, especially when that someone was Chase.

"Ooookay mom," he said, getting under the covers of her now occupied bed. Oh my god, a shirtless Chase was in her bed. Gert dreamed of this moment so many times but she never imagined that it would a) ever happen and b) under these circumstances. On any other day, she'd probably just sleep on the floor. But he didn't want to be alone, right? It wouldn't be weird doing it this one time, would it? No, definitely not. Not weird at all.

She turned off the lights in her room and followed suit, crawling in next to him. Gert laid silently, facing the wall, trying so hard to keep her cool, but that was useless once she felt Chase's arms wrap around her abdomen, molding his body around her own. He interlocked their legs and buried his head into her neck. Oh my god, he was cuddling her.

"Is this okay?" he whispered into her ear, sending shivers up her spine. It would seem he could tell she was freaking out. She nodded. "It's okay if it's okay with you," she replied.

"It is. Thank you Gert. Thanks for always saving me," the softness and sincerity in his voice filling the now quiet room.

"Anytime."

She'd worry about that paper tomorrow.

*******

Three.

Honey, I wanna break you / I wanna throw you to the hounds

Gert and Chase were bickering. Again. For the third time that day.

They had been on the road for 5 hours now, in search of an abandoned motel to stay in. To no avail, they weren't having as much luck as they did with the vehicle they stole. They found an old van in an alleyway, keys still in the ignition. Go figure. Whoever was so careless to leave behind something so valuable was now their saving grace. Their hero.

It was Nico's turn to drive, and if this van wasn't filled with people she loved and adored, she'd probably run herself off the road right now. Not because of the fact that they were homeless, without cash, had no food, and that she was exceedingly tired, but because Gert and Chase wouldn't shut up.

She knew about their hookup, and she was the only one who knew that the two of them had admitted that they had feelings for each other. Nico wished they would both buck up and just get it over with already. They were meant to be together since they were four years old.

Apparently everyone knew that except for them. It was exhausting to watch them pick at one another and then see them staring longingly at the other when they weren't looking. That's how things had been ever since the night they ran away, and it got worse every day. They would argue over the stupidest things, one of them would get their feelings hurt, and then they would sulk for the remainder of their long days, refusing to speak to each other. So annoying.

Chase was like a love sick puppy. You could tell all he thought about was Gert. He thought she didn't want him, when Nico knew it was the exact opposite.  Gert, on the other hand, was better at hiding her feelings. She was also going on two weeks without her medication and her outbursts were getting harder to control. Nico had taken it upon herself to calm Gert down when things got bad, but lately even that wasn't working. She was suffering in plain sight and they all knew that, especially Chase. No one knew what to do about it.

Nico felt so badly for her, but she knew that if Gert would just TALK TO CHASE, things might get even the slightest bit better for her. But nope. Every time Nico tries to tell Gert that, Gert lifts a finger or a hand, tells her to shut up, and leaves her alone for the rest of the day.

That's okay though, because Nico has been up to something. She's been planning something for the past few days and everyone else was involved. Except for Gert and Chase, of course.

They just had to find a motel.

---

Hours later, Nico came upon a ratty motel that was still livable. There were still separate room intact and beds to sleep in, with working sewage systems. They could sleep! They could shower! Most importantly, Gert and Chase would finally get to talk! They wouldn't have to be annoyed by their best friends anymore!

The plan was that Alex would get his own room, so he could be on the lookout for the night.  He slept most of the way to the motel anyway, and was already good at all nighters from his many nights of gaming. Old Lace would stay with him to help and to keep him company. Molly, Karolina and Nico would share a room, because Nico wanted to room with Karolina and not Alex, obviously. Somehow,  Alex still had no idea about Karolina and Nico, but that was another thing to deal with on another night. Gert and Chase were the priority. So, it was decided that Molly would stay with Karolina and Nico, so Alex wouldn't suspect anything and so Gert and Chase would be forced to stay in the same room together.   

To no one's surprise, Gert was NOT happy about this idea.

"Why can't Molly just stay with me? She's my sister!" she exclaimed while pacing around the parking lot of the motel.

"Because Gert, I want to stay with Karolina and Nico. Bonding time outside of the van is important," Molly replied, "and no offense, but you snore."

"I DO NOT SNORE!"

The rest of the group struggled to not chuckle as they watched Gert throw the fit they all had anticipated. Chase stood off to the side, trying not to get in the middle of it all, not wanting to make things worse. He knew he wasn't Gert's favorite person at the moment so he didn't want to add fuel to the fire, even though he didn't really know what he ever did to her.

"It's just for one night, Gert. It's not the end of the world," Karolina remarked. Gert huffed and threw her hands in the air.

"I give up."

She picked up her bag and stomped off in the direction towards the designated room her and Chase were assigned. Chase looked around at everyone, bewildered, and followed behind her, keeping his distance.

"Boy is he in for a fun night," Alex said, while everyone else erupted into laughter. They were terrible friends, but it was for their benefit. They'd thank them later.

---

Gert hated her friends. She hated them so much. All the love she had in her heart for them had been poisoned into hate that day. Gert knew they planned this and wanted her to be miserable. Why did her friends have to care so much about what was going on between Gert and Chase? Nothing was going on anyway. They weren't anything at all. They didn’t even act like friends anymore. All they did was fight and disagree. Now she was stuck in a room with just him for a night. Gert couldn't think of anything more torturous than that.

At least there was two beds. They weren't smart enough to check to see if the room had one bed. Gert had one-upped them. She was beating their master plan.

She was sitting on her bed, reading some book she had picked up on one of their thrift store runs. Sometimes in between picking out some new clothes, she would grab a book or two to occupy her time. Her mind was a mess these days, between Chase and not having meds. It was nice to have a distraction every once in a while. Chase was in the shower, and Gert wished he would just sleep in the bathroom. Anything to keep her away from him in such close proximity. She had already showered earlier and was nice enough to not use all the hot water. She wasn't that terrible of a person. They hadn't said a word to each other since they entered the room and Gert assumed it would stay that way until tomorrow. At least she hoped.

Gert was in the middle of flipping a page in her book when the bathroom door opened. "Damn it," she said under her breath, taking a glance up to see a newly cleaned Chase in just a towel.

Steamy, extremely ripped, wet Chase in a towel.

Gert couldn't help but bite her lip. She covered her face with her book, hiding her blushing cheeks. She could feel how red they had gotten. The feelings rushing through her body needed to quit. Now wasn't the time for her hormones to be acting up. There was no time for pleasure, especially in a motel room this small with walls as thin as paper. God. She could feel herself getting warm. Why did Chase have to be so fucking HOT?

She pretended to read her book while he got dressed, sneaking a glance every now and then, hoping he couldn't tell she was peeking at him. And his ass.

Chase had a really nice ass.

Get a hold of yourself girl. That doesn't matter. It was a one time thing. Chill. She kept telling herself that. It's what she's been repeating to herself since that night before they ran away. It was never going to be anything and she needed to remember that. Or at least convince herself to believe that.

She got so wrapped up in her thoughts that she didn't notice he had already turned off his light and gotten into bed. Gert followed suit, switching her own lamp off and laying her book on the nightstand.

The room was uncomfortably silent and the divide (filled with an abundance of tension) between the two small beds could be cut with a knife.

Neither of them pretended to sleep. That was a useless tactic. They were both insomniacs on the run.

Chase was doing his best to avoid Gert because the last thing he wanted was to fight her again. He was so tired. Tired of running, tired of feeling, tired of pretending like he wasn't irrevocably in love with Gert Yorkes. She was all he thought about and it seemed with every passing day that she hated him more. Gert's anxiety was the worst it had been in years, seemingly because she had no medication, and he hated seeing her hurt. All he wanted to do was protect her, to hold her, to tell her it would all be okay. But no matter what he did or tried, she wouldn't let him in. She continued to push him away more.

Laying in this motel room scared him. He was almost afraid to breathe. Chase felt like that a lot around Gert. Not because she terrified him, but because the love he had for her had taken over his body like a sickness. He had been possessed by her. Her touch haunted him, her laugh echoed in the rare quiet moments they all had. And her kiss...it was all he thought about. He wanted to kiss her again so badly. Not knowing the night at the dance would be the last time he'd ever kiss her was something he wished wasn't his reality.

He didn't sleep much these days and when he did it was because his body couldn't stand being awake anymore. When exhaustion took over, he slept for eternities and dreamed of being with her. Chase knew he wouldn't sleep tonight, and he hated that, because the person he wanted most was less than two feet away from him and he couldn't have her. That was enough to cause never ending insomnia.

Chase wondered what time it was. This room didn't have a clock, go figure, and he had left his watch in the glove compartment of the van. He had nothing to occupy his time, especially in the dark. The moon wasn't even in view. He turned over on his side and of course, Gert was facing the other way. Part of him was relieved, but he was mostly sad.

He remembered their sleepovers as a kid. They always had so much fun together, and at night when they couldn't sleep because they were afraid of the dark, they'd play silent games or sneak off to a bed to sleep in together. They had the most unconventional friendship as children. It was pure and untouchable. But then they got older, and things got in the way. Feelings, fathers, death, fake popularity, and the fact that their parents were murderers. When the group got together again, Chase thought Gert might re-enter his orbit, and the rekindling was there until they fucked it all up. Until he fucked it all up.

They had sex and he wanted more, she didn't, she shut him down and he didn't speak up. He didn't tell her the truth. Chase was always so loyal to Gert. They would tell each other anything, and their few secrets never stayed hidden for long. Before Amy died, Gert was his safe haven, the only person who had never judged him. She knew everything about him and was there for him whenever she needed him. When Gert said it was a one time thing, he reverted back to the young boy who was taught to hide feelings, who was told to never show weakness. He should've told her it wasn't a one time thing that night, but instead Chase let Victor Stein's “Steins don’t show weakness” mantra get into his head at the worst moment. The moment that could've changed everything for the better but instead made everything worse.

He sighed, shutting his eyes, hoping he'd get in at least a few hours of sleep. It was worth a try. But his wish was soon cut off by the sound of a sniffle and slight movement.

"Gert?"

No reply.

Another sniffle. More movement.

A few moments went by before Chase tried again.

"Gert?" he whispered. No response again.

Of course. Damn it! Gert thought Chase was asleep and that he wouldn't hear her. Her stupid emotions caught up to her in this dark room and she had to release. She could only keep things to herself for so long. Her therapist always told her it wasn't good to build up emotions, but what did she know, she'd never been on the run with her friends and the boy she's loved since she was in preschool. She wasn't on the runs without her MEDICATION! So on days when Gert found herself alone, she'd let herself cry so no one would see. Clearly her mind didn't get the memo, because here she was, crying, in a room she shared with him. Chase Stein. The one she wished she could forget. The man she knew wouldn't let her cry softly to herself.

Nico's stupid plan was working. Ugh.

Chase couldn't stand it anymore. He got up from under the covers and crawled into Gert's bed, making sure not to touch her or say a word. It was her decision to react, or push him off the bed. He made his move. The ball was in her court.

Much to his surprise, she turned over to face him, tear stained cheeks and all. She continued to cry as he looked at her, absentmindedly moving a hand to her shoulder.

"I'm so scared," she choked out between sobs. Her crying only began to get worse. Chase hated when Gert cried.

"Everything is terrible. I don't have my meds, we don't have a place to live, Molly misses our parents, I miss my bed, we're probably going to prison, and on top of everything else, you- you're just- you're you. I don't even have you anymore. I have nothing anymore."

Chase’s heart shattered. He moved his hand from her shoulder to her cheek, stroking it gently. "You will always have me, Gert."

She shook her head. "I ruined this. My stupid mouth, my stupid brain..." Gert choked out, "ruined us."

So there was an "us." Chase thought to himself.

"It's not ruined if you don't want it to be. I know I don't want it to be."

Bam.

The truth was out there.

Gert's eyes narrowed. Her heart sped up. It was now or never. Even though Nico will get the satisfaction she desired, this is your only chance. Don't fuck this up, Yorkes.

"I don't want it to be either."

Chase now had both of his hands on her face. In the dark of night, four bright eyes lit up like stars for the first time in what seemed to be an eternity. Their lips naturally found their way to each other, Gert draping her body over Chase's. Soft kisses turned to heated making out, all that built up sexual tension leaving their bodies for the last time. When they were finished, all that kissing (and crying) left them exhausted.

So of course they slept in the same bed. "No need to separate when our body heat can keep each other warm," Gert had said.

Nico's plan had worked. And Gert would never tell her, but god was she thankful her best friend was as conniving as her. She'd tell her someday.

Maybe at the wedding.

*******

Four.

We don’t have forever / Baby daylight’s wasting / You better kiss me / Before our time is run out

At the hostel, Gert and Chase decided to share a room. There wasn't a reason for them to separate. They figured no matter what, they'd end up in the same bed by the end of the night anyway. Instead, Old Lace got her own room to chill in. She loved it, especially when she needed her space away from the humans. Dinosaurs have feelings too, you know. Most nights, though, she ended up sleeping in their room, on Chase's side.

Ever since Gert and Chase got their shit together, Lace had warmed up to Chase. She's always wanting to lay on Chase or play with him. Gert thinks it's adorable, Nico thinks it's crazy that Gert's feelings are so intense for Chase that they've spread to her dinosaur, and Molly is sad that she's not Lace's favorite anymore. "Lace has more than one favorite, Molly. She loves you," Gert remembers to tell her every so often. Molly has lost so much of her innocence already, Gert won't let her lose anything else.

Their bed is the biggest in the house, not because they're a couple, because so are Karolina and Nico, but because some nights Molly would sleep with them too. Originally they had a smaller bed, but on their first night in the hostel Molly got scared and ended up sneaking into their bed. Chase woke up that morning with a full head of curly hair covering his face.

It was cute, how Molly had taken to Chase. They always had an interesting bond and Chase had always seen her as a little sister, but in some ways he had now taken on the paternal role in her life. He disciplined her, gave her chores to do, and would read to her every night before bed. It had become part of his daily routine, he told Gert, and he loved doing it. They also strength trained together every day with nonsensical house items, which brought them even closer.

Gert loved how much Chase loved Molly, and how much he loved her dinosaur. But mostly she really loved Chase. She really, really loved Chase.

And he knew it.

It happened that one spectacular night, when Molly was fast asleep in her own room. They laid cuddling in their own bed, clothes scattered everywhere on the floor, their bodies intertwined. Chase was mindlessly playing with Gert's hair, which she loved. She was basking in their glow, fingers trailing up and down his chest. He placed a kiss on the top of her hair, which was much longer now and hadn't been properly dyed in month. Chase made a mental note that they'd have to get hair dye on their next grocery run. Gert would never speak up about needing anything, because lately luxuries don't come easy to them, but that doesn't mean he can't get it for her. There wasn't any way she'd flip out as much as she did when he snuck off to get her meds. Chase really thought Gert was going to murder him in cold blood that night. He couldn't stand to see her suffer anymore, so him and Alex came up with the perfect plan so that Chase could get into the Yorkes' home to find her meds and leave. Everyone else approved, except for Gert, who was unaware of the night's events (which went off without a hitch!) until she woke up the next day to Chase holding a bag out in front of her, which contained her meds and a few other things from her bedroom, including her super old stuffed dinosaur that she slept with until they ran away. She threw the bag at him and berated him for two hours, telling him he was foolish and that she wasn't worth the risk. Over and over Chase reiterated that she was, that this wasn't a mindless mission because her health was at risk, and that he would do anything for her just to make her happy. Eventually she gave in, told him thank you, and promised that if he ever did anything like this again that there would be hell to pay.

Ever since then, things had been so much better. Gert's anxiety was under control and they were living in permanent bliss, just like they were right now.

"Chase?"

"Yeah, babe?"

Gert looked up at him, pausing for a second, as if she was finding the right words or the courage to speak.

"I love you."

I know, Chase thought. But this wasn't the time for a Star Wars reference.

Gert was the first to say it. THIS was huge.

He smiled at her and kissed the tip of her nose.

"I love you too."

*******

Yours was the first face that I saw / I think I was blind before I met you

Gert and Chase had met for the first time when they were four. Wide-eyed and overall clad, with light up sneakers and pigtails. They grew up together, going through every awkward stage together. Best friends forever. They had the greatest group of friends and they had each other. Every heartbreak, every serious injury, every life event. All the school concerts, the sports games, school plays. They lived through it all side by side. When Amy died, they drifted apart, but it didn't take long for them to find another again, but then unthinkable happened. Their parents were murderers, one thing lead to another, and soon they found themselves on the run.

But they weren't alone.

Gert had Chase and Chase had Gert.

They had loved one another since they were little, but those childhood crushes had blossomed into a full blown relationship. A very serious relationship. They said I love you for the first time naked in their bed after mind blowing sex. Nothing about them was conventional. At the time, they literally lived in an underground mansion that could collapse at any time. Normal didn’t exist anymore.

Being in such close quarters for so long intensified their relationship. They fought hard, but loved harder. Every day brought a new milestone for them. Things were moving fast.

The night Gert almost died changed everything for them. It happened during the final battle between their parents. They had just defeated Jonah when he had one final punch left, targeting Gert with his wrath. Karolina was caught off guard, and came to Gert’s defense too soon. She still blames herself today, even though Gert is very much alive and healthy. Nico healed her after everything had finally ended. Chase kissed her harder than he ever had in his life as she came back to him in his arms.

None of it seemed real. Jonah was gone, Gibborim was done with, and their never ending nightmare was over.

They were free to live normal lives again, if they even knew what that meant. Living on the run changes you as a person and their perception of life had changed so much over time. Freedom felt like a blessing and a curse. They had to learn how to live again.

For Chase, he knew what he had to do almost immediately. Just the thought of living life without Gert shocked him into overdrive. He proposed outside the hostel with one of Nico's old rings, and promised her he'd get a better one eventually. She accepted and said he didn't have to, that she would've accepted a ring pop.

They vowed to enroll at school (because they had already gotten their GEDS since they never graduated) and get jobs before the wedding. After they both got accepted to their dream schools, they used their savings to buy a home and got stable jobs (Gert worked as a receptionist, Chase surprisingly got a job as a nanny - kids really took to him.)

They got married at the end of summer.  It was a very intimate wedding and they only invited the core group. Old Lace was their flower girl, at Chase's request. Molly was the maid of honor, and Nico was the officiant. She swears she didn't ,but she cried the whole time. They spent their honeymoon at home, deciding that they had already spent so much time away and that they would rather spend an entire week off of school and work eating bad food and watching TV, with lots of sex in between.

Years went by and things slowly but surely got back to normal. Gert and Chase got into a good daily routine, and no matter how busy their days are, they always make time for each other. They still live in the small house they bought straight out of the hostel in Los Angeles. They’re as in love as they were when they were teens. Old Lace still lives in the basement. They have a cat now and her name is Jane. Both having graduated from college, they now have steady jobs, and they’re both doing the things they love. Chase is a science teacher and Gert works as a mental health counselor. She never imagined herself as one but life lead her there, and she loves helping people who are experiencing the same thing she still lives through every day. Who would’ve thought Gert and Chase would’ve ended up being so content? Life seemed so dark and pointless for the two for so long. They imagined they’d be on the run forever. Now they’re here, living their dreams, loving each other day in and day out. They’re in their late twenties and they’re happy. Everything is great. That, is until, Gert realizes she is late. Very, very late. Work had gotten so hectic lately, and it was the holiday season, so when she wasn’t working she was Christmas shopping, or at a Christmas party. She had lost track of time. It was a week before Christmas when she bought a pregnancy test and the results weren’t surprising: A big fat positive. She took four more to make sure, and yep, she was very much pregnant. Right before Chase got home that day, she vomited twice, and she wasn’t sure if that was pregnancy induced sickness or just nerves - or both. They had talked about having children recently and they were both on board with having at least one. Chase loved kids and wanted to be a father, very much so. Gert wanted to be a mom, but anxieties and fears ate away at her whenever she was faced with questions about having her own children. She didn’t want to ruin her kid’s life the way her parents had destroyed her own. It was a topic brought up a lot in her own therapy sessions. That night, Gert sat Chase down and showed him all five tests. He cried, of course, overjoyed with the idea of finally having a kid of his own. He kissed Gert so much that night, and there was much sex that was had. The next day they called Karolina and Nico, who were surprised but couldn’t wait to be the best gay aunts to their future niece or nephew. Alex was next, who started sobbing on the phone when he found out, which surprised Gert. Alex and Chase had gotten extremely close over time, and they were best bros now. He couldn’t wait to be an uncle. Molly found out over their weekly family dinner, and she was so happy. Gert was scared to tell her, since they were both so close and she didn’t want her to feel replaced or jealous, but she was genuinely happy for them. The pregnancy went as smooth as possible and Gert felt really lucky. Her morning sickness wasn’t terrible and there were no complications. They found out early on that they were having a girl, which they were both happy about. Chase couldn’t wait to have four girls in the house: Gert, Old Lace, Jane the cat, and the baby. He was glad to be seemingly outnumbered for life. Of course, since Gert’s pregnancy went so well, that meant her impending labor was cursed. At least that’s what she told herself. And oh man, was she right. She went into labor early, during a session, because of course. Her water broke all over her patient’s shoes. She was MORTIFIED. Chase was at work, teaching summer school classes, and had to leave during their big exam. Gert was taken to the hospital in an ambulance, which she HATED. She kept screaming about how blown out of proportion this was, how it wasn’t necessary, how she could have driven herself, and so on. When she got to the hospital, she spent the first few hours of labor alone, because Chase got stuck in terrible LA traffic. He ran into her room completely frazzled, his hair everywhere, tie undone. Thankfully he didn’t miss much. Gert was in labor for over 24 hours, because being just like her mother, their baby had to make her first appearance a dramatic one.   When finally she came into the world, she had a wild set of lungs on her and a shit ton of hair. She looked like the perfect mixture of the two of them; Gert hoped she would have Chase’s dimples. They named her Katherine Elizabeth, simply because they liked the name. She’s a few hours old now, and Gert is getting some well deserved sleep in her hospital bed. Chase, on the other hand, is sat in the chair next to her bed, holding his daughter. This is a moment he thought would never come. For a while, when he was a teen, he swore off having children. There was no way he would be a father after the way his own raised him. The emotional and physical scars Victor Stein left behind were lifelong markers he would never get rid of, but he did his best to move past them. When he and Molly got closer in the hostel, he realized how well he worked with kids and that he was nothing like his father. He was the complete opposite. He was a nanny during college to two amazing children and went to school to become a teacher. If you can’t tell, he really likes kids. His ingrained fears of fatherhood came back to haunt him around Gert’s 8th month of pregnancy. He didn’t sleep well for weeks and when he did he would have nightmares. One night Gert found him wide awake on the couch at 3 am. She had woken up to pee and heard the sounds of Friends coming from the living room. Sitting next to him, she waited patiently for him to open up to her about whatever was troubling him, because he wasn’t the type to be up at 3 am on a Sunday (or on any day for that matter.) Chase finally admitted to Gert that he was scared, and she told him she was too. Many tears were shed and they agreed everything would be okay because they had each other. Like always. He doesn’t remember the last time he and Gert didn’t sleep in the same bed. They had quite literally been inseparable since the day they got together. But right now, he just can’t seem to tear himself away from the little angel sleeping in his arms. The tiny human they had both created. So now he sits in this not so comfy chair, in clothes that reek of sweat. He hasn’t slept in days. It’s okay though, because right now, none of that matters. He’d catch up on sleep another day.

#gert yorkes #chase stein #gertchase #marvel's runaways #runaways #runaways fic #mine #AHHHHH I'M SO NERVOUS

[astridthevalkyrie]

Axe to the Heart: Chapter 12

Astrid Hofferson/Steve Harrington. “Maybe I hate a lot of things here in Hawkins but I suppose you’re not one of them.”

Chapter 11: Talking and Coping

Our Very Own Babysitters’ Club

Requested by @naadestiel on Tumblr and ChrisFlannery on Fanfiction.Net. I hope you guys like it!

The snow wasn’t all gone yet, but it was getting there. Astrid’s shoes made small prints as she walked to the Wheelers’ door, shivering with her arms around herself.

And the main thing on her mind was that she was definitely not the babysitter type.

She was more responsible and more forward thinking than most people her age, but that just meant that she stopped them from doing stupid things (especially when it came to Snotlout and the twins), not that she was ready for kids to count on her.

Then again, it wasn’t five year olds. She was watching over kids who would be in high school next year. But after meeting Jane, she was still wary. These children had clearly gone through hell and back. Maybe not as bad as Jane, but still. Did she really have the capacity to deal with that?

And...Steve really liked these kids. If they didn’t like her...

Karen Wheeler answered the door and smiled widely. “Hi! You must be Astrid!”

She shook the woman’s hand and nodded, plastering on a pleasant smile as though she wasn’t nervous. “I am. Nice to meet you, Mrs. Wheeler.”

Her hand must have been freezing, because Mrs. Wheeler ushered her inside and closed the door. Astrid walked in and saw the stairs first, and the kitchen to the left.

It was a normal house with normal parents and not so normal kids.

“So, the kids are in the basement. Nancy is upstairs, she’s leaving in a few minutes. My husband should be back in about two hours. I’m going out for some me time.” Astrid laughed politely as Mrs. Wheeler winked. “Help yourself to anything in the fridge, and please ask Mike if you don’t know where something is. I trust them to behave.” She straightened and called out, “Mike! Babysitter’s here!”

“Alright!” came a boy’s voice from the basement. It was definitely a middle schooler. Astrid ran a hand through her hair and smiled encouragingly at Mrs. Wheeler.

“I’m sure we’ll be fine. Thank you, Mrs. Wheeler.” She waved goodbye to the woman, who smiled before leaving and closing the door behind her.

Astrid took a deep breath. Alright. She just had to go downstairs and hang out with them. They already knew she knew about the Upside Down, so they wouldn’t feel like they had to hide something from her. It would be natural. It would be cool.

She was about to go when Nancy came down the stairs, with her jacket on and her hair over her shoulder. She paused when she saw Astrid.

“Oh. Hey.”

“Hey,” she offered awkwardly, “um...I’m here to -”

“Babysit. Yeah. I know, Mom said Steve couldn’t make it.” She came downstairs and the two girls looked at each other before Astrid spoke up.

“You look nice.”

Nancy smiled, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. Damn, if it got any more awkward, people would think there was some sexual tension going on. “Thanks.”

There was a honk outside and Nancy straightened. “There’s Ally. Thanks for doing this, I know my mom really appreciates it.”

She turned towards the door and was reaching out for the knob when Astrid blurted, “Hey, Nancy?”

Nancy looked at her, blinking in surprise. “Yeah?”

“I never thanked you for saving my ass a month ago.” Astrid swallowed, taking a deep breath. “So thanks. Um...I’m pretty sure I would have died if not for you and Byers. Tell him I said thanks too. Of course, I’ll say it if I see him, but I mean, you’ll probably see him first. Not that I won’t still say it to him -”

“I’ll tell him,” Nancy cut her off with a laugh, and a smile that reached her eyes. “And thank you, too.”

She frowned slightly, racking her head. She didn’t remember doing anything for Nancy, but the girl had opened the door and left before she could ask.

So, anxiously, Astrid made her way downstairs.

There were five kids. Trying to piece together the information from Hopper and Steve together, she tried to identify them.

By their hair.

The boy with the shortest hair was Lucas, the boy with the curly hair was Dustin, and the redheaded girl was Max. She was fairly sure that Will was the one with the...mushroom haircut, for lack of better words, and Mike had curly-but-not-as-curly-as-Dustin hair.

Max was the one who greeted her first. She was sitting back with her arms crossed as she nodded to their babysiiter.

“Hey. Are you Astrid?”

“That’s me,” she answered, slinging off her bag, “hey, if I mix you guys up, correct me, okay? Mike, Will, Dustin, Lucas, Max?” she tried, pointing to all of them.

“You got us all right. Congratulations.” Dustin smiled widely at her, and then looked down at the monopoly board in front of him. “I own that already, Mike. Hey, is it true you hit a demogorgon with an axe?”

Astrid felt a smile grow on her face as she leaned against the wall. “I did. Is it true that you guys name all these monsters after Dungeons and Dragons terminology?”

Max and Will laughed, and the boy said with a smile, “Not me and Max. When these guys named the demogorgon, I wasn’t...there.”

There was a thick silence in the air after that, probably because everyone’s minds had jumped to where Will had actually been. Astrid saw Mike’s brows furrow in concern, and then he frowned.

“So…” Astrid began, trying to break the silence. “Where’s Jane?”

That was the wrong thing to say, apparently.

All the kids looked at Mike, who was now scowling. “Jane isn’t allowed out of her house unless it’s a special occasion. Monopoly isn’t special.”

Astrid opened her mouth to say that she had seen Jane the night she went to the hospital, but then closed it, realizing that Hopper had only brought her out because it was really late at night and he didn’t want her to be alone. And she didn’t want to make the kid upset.

So she sat down and watched them play.

After a few minutes, Lucas turned to her and said, “You wanna join in, Astrid?”

“Oh, no, I’m no good at monopoly.” That was true. That had definitely been Fishlegs’ and Snotlout’s game. She was more of a Sorry! girl, or even Candyland (even if it was entirely based on luck, yadda yadda yadda). Dungeons and Dragons was great too, but that was only because that was what she had grown up with, being friends with the nerdiest people on the planet. Steve had said the kids played it a lot. Was it because of her that they weren’t playing it now?

Another few minutes of just the kids talking, and then Dustin stood up with a bored look. “Guys, this is never gonna end. Let’s just do something else.”

“Like what?” Mike said, giving him a deadpanned look. “Seven up? There’s nothing to do.”

“Let’s talk to Steve’s girlfriend, then,” Max suggested with a shrug, and before Astrid could speak that she was in no world Steve’s girlfriend, Mike snapped back.

“You just wanna talk to her cause she can use an axe!”

“I mean, is that not cool? How many people do you know that know how to use axes?”

“I’m sure there’s plenty of people!”

“You’re just mad that she brought up El -”

And they kept shouting at each other, back and forth. Astrid exchanged a bewildered look with Will, who grimaced and gave her an apologetic look. Dustin started shouting, trying to get them to calm down, and Lucas was pinching the bridge of his nose.

Despite the fact that it was kids arguing - and that she might have a part in it - it reminded her so much of home that she smiled, ducking her head. Hiccup would be nursing a headache while Fishlegs tried to break up a fight between her and Snotlout, with the twins chanted on for them to let go of their words and fight with their fists instead.

“Alright, hey, stop it!” She stood up and clapped a few times until they looked at her. “You guys realize you don’t need to do everything as a group? This is a group gathering, yeah, but even best friends -”

“She is not my best friend,” Mike cut in, crossing his arms.

She went on as though she hadn’t heard him. “Even best friends need some time apart sometimes. So if you’re getting sick of each other, do your own things. I’d love to talk about my axe,” she said to Max with a small smile, “but, to set the record straight, I’m not dating your adopted big brother, guys. We’re just friends.”

She was grateful that they all took seemed to take it to heart. Dustin, Mike, and Lucas went upstairs, while Max and surprisingly, Will, plopped down in front of her, joining her on the floor.

“So, an axe? That’s so cool!”  Max grinned, biting her lip, and Astrid smiled at her.

“Yeah. I got it back when I was living in Berk.” She sat back and leaned against the wall. “We were given weapon training there, we’re really...into Norse mythology and vikings, y’know?” She leaned forward. “One of my friends, he was never good at any fighting when he was younger. But he was really good at making the weapons, even if he couldn’t use them. He made me this.”

Will’s brows furrowed. “If....everyone learned how to fight...and your friend couldn’t...didn’t people make fun of him? Because he was different?”

He was speaking from full personal experience. Poor boy. She wasn’t the babysitting type, but even she was ready to pull Will Byers into a hug if he needed it. “Well, yeah, they did. A lot, actually.” She hummed softly, thinking of the small brunette eagerly telling her about his day before being shoved against the wall by some brute. “But he stuck with what he could do, what he was a natural at, and he got some recognition eventually. Lost a leg on the way...but that’s a story for another time.” She grinned, seeing both kids’ eyes widen in astonishment. “It’s alright, we make...we used to make fun of him a lot over it. Heck, he joked about it too. It was a running joke between all of us.”

Will smiled, sitting back with his hands supporting himself. “So he...he got to be someone, finally.”

Astrid nodded. “Yeah. But don’t think it has to happen. Sometimes it’s okay if you’re not someone. My friend, he became someone by being himself. Be yourself before anything else.” She let out a small laugh. “I know that sounds ridiculously cheesy, but it worked for him.”

And Will reminded her a lot of her Hiccup in his younger, awkward years.

While Max reminded her a lot of herself.

Damn, was she getting old?

“Thanks, Astrid.” Will grinned at her and she grinned back, crossing her arms.

“Don’t worry about it.”

“You’re so cool,” Max breathed, leaning forward, “can you...teach me? How to use the axe?”

“Me too!”

Astrid smirked, resting her head in her hands. She was bonding with them! Well, not all of them, but two fifths of them! That was real progress! She was definitely going to proclaim this proudly to Steve. “If you can teach me to skateboard and you can take over my drawing lessons, sure.”

They both laughed - and she was really thankful that she had asked for the lowdown on them before coming here.

The rest of the time passed, for the most part, uneventfully. They all got together to watch Star Wars - which Astrid had zero interest in, but that was when she took the time to relax, so it was okay - and there was no arguing.

Mike still had yet to warm up to her, but Dustin and Lucas were trying their best (which she was grateful for). And Max and Will had seemed to have accepted her, which made her beyond elated.

By the time Ted Wheeler came back, Astrid was really looking forward to seeing these guys again. Maybe she could get on Mike’s good side by convince Hopper to let him and Jane see each other…

“Thanks again, Astoria,” Mr. Wheeler said, taking out his wallet.

She bit her tongue - that was the third time he’d gotten her name wrong - and then raised a hand. “Steve said he didn’t take any money.”

“Yes, you’re not Steve, though, are you?” he asked, chuckling at his own joke.

He didn’t take no for an answer (he’d probably been put up to it by his wife) so Astrid took the five dollars and left the house after saying goodbye to the kids.

They liked her, for the most part. It was a victory.

It felt significantly less colder, now that she was walking home.

Next chapter: Astrid just wants to focus on what the teacher is saying, but that’s difficult when Steve Harrington is pressing a note into her hand every minute.

Please send in requests!

#httyd #stranger things #astrid hofferson #steve harrington #stevestrid #valkyrie stories