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malfoyscoffee · 6 months

Text

birthdays and cakes

pairing: draco malfoy x reader

summary: you don't usually celebrate your birthday, so your friends try to make it your best birthday ever (fluff, slightest angst)

warnings: mentions of busy parents

notes: takes place during fifth year, no established relationship, might make a part 2?

6:02 pm

“Finally, in a few hours, our lovely Y/N will be 16!” Pansy clapped her hands together in delight, excited for your birthday.

“Oh Pansy, it's not that serious.” You shrug while picking at your food.

You were a transfer student from Drumstrang, so this was indeed the first birthday you would spend at Hogwarts.

The moment you were placed into Slytherin, Draco approached you and befriended you into his group of friends. Ever since, you have grown closer with all of them.

Mattheo puts his fork down, “But Y/N, this is your first time celebrating your birthday with us!”

“He’s right,” Theodore started, “we should stay up till midnight since we don't have class tomorrow anyway.”

You looked up at your friends, knowing they wanted to cheer you up.

It was this morning when you received your monthly letter from your parents. They wrote that you should study harder to keep up your—currently perfect—grades, along with how they were going on another business trip to America.

They wrote about everything but your birthday.

This was nothing new, after all, they were always busy during your previous birthdays.

Blaise joined in, “If it makes you feel any better, we all had our gifts bought last month because someone,” he looked over at Pansy, “wanted to start gift shopping early.”

You turned to Pansy who simply grinned, “Oh, come on, you didn't have to spoil the surprise, Blaise!”

Pansy playfully slapped Blaise’s shoulder while you, Mattheo, and Theodore laughed.

The laughter died down and you spoke, “By the way, where's Draco?”

Draco Malfoy, your best friend. You would consider him the closest person to you in all of Hogwarts.

You haven't seen the blond a lot this week, mostly during classes. After classes ended, instead of him hanging out with you, he would leave the common room and not come back all night.

Two days ago, he returned late at night to the common room, passing by your group of friends while his dark robes were covered in some white powder. You asked what was wrong as he bee-lined towards the stairs, but he muttered something with a frustrated face; you haven't had a chance to talk to him since.

All the talk about your birthday made you start to feel excited, but you wanted Draco to be around too. But seeing how he has been the past week, you were starting to doubt he remembered your birthday.

You were too busy in thought to see the four of your friends sending eye signals to each other, each of them caught off-guard to give you an excuse.

Unlike Blaise exposing everyone’s early gift preparation, this was something that needed to be covered up.

Theodore cleared his throat first, “I think he's practicing more Quidditch. You know, since the season is starting soon.”

Mattheo added on, his food long forgotten, “You know how serious he is with beating every house, especially Gryffindor.”

“Oh,” you nodded your head “that reminds me, I'll see my first Hogwarts Quidditch match soon!” Your mood was suddenly lifted, thinking back to your old school’s Quidditch games. You always loved Quidditch and attended every game since you were a first-year at Drumstrang.

The moment you started to ramble to your friends about your favorite sport, you didn't hear the sighs of relief at your table.

11:50 pm

Pansy and Blaise were walking with you back to the common room. You just spent a few hours stargazing with them by the Black Lake.

Mattheo and Theodore said something about having to practice Quidditch with Draco too, which you didn't want to hold them back for. They made sure to tell you that they would meet the three of you back before midnight before they hurried off.

“We’re going to the Three Broomsticks tomorrow?”

“Of course, we’re going to have a birthday dinner. We always celebrate our birthdays there.”

You smiled, grateful to have wonderful friends. “It's not even my birthday yet, but thank you both for preparing so much. You guys know already, but I didn't celebrate my birthday during my childhood.”

Pansy and Blaise look at you with sadness, knowing about your life with your busy parents. It was a post-party hangout at Draco’s dorm when you opened up to all of them, partially because you were drunk, but also because you knew you could trust all five of them.

“Y/N, we’re your family too. We will always celebrate your day with you, so don't think too much about your parents.” You smiled at Blaise, grateful for his words.

The three of you finally reached the Slytherin common room. Although it was late, there were many students sprawled out of the room, hanging out with each other.

“Should we go check up on Draco?” Pansy asked, staring at her watch.

“Wouldn’t he be asleep?” You asked confused.

You assumed that since he was busy with Quidditch, he forgot about your birthday. The thought of him forgetting your birthday made you grow a bit sad, but you didn't want to make it a big deal.

Blaise started walking to the stairs, “He doesn't sleep early, come on.”

Pansy followed quickly behind Blaise, leaving you a little confused.

“Y/N!” Pansy yelled from the top of the stairs, “Let’s go!”

You grew confused but followed after your friends, walking up the stairs to Draco’s room.

“Pansy? Blaise? Where did you guys go?” You reached the top and did not see your friends.

You approached Draco’s dorm, knocking on the door.

“Draco? Are you in here?” You pushed the knob, stepping inside the dark room. You took two steps before there was a loud sound next to you, like something popping.

12:00am

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY Y/N!”

The lights turned on and you looked around, Draco’s dorm decorated for your birthday. Green balloon letters were written ‘HAPPY 16TH BIRTHDAY’ and confetti was thrown all over the floor. There was also a stash of gifts in the corner of his room, definitely the one Pansy made them buy in advance.

You were immediately hugged by Pansy, “It’s midnight! The start of your big day!”

Blaise, Theodore, and Mattheo chuckled before all saying happy birthday to you.

You had never smiled so hard, feeling so grateful for all of your friends.

“What happened to Quidditch practice today?” You ask Theodore and Mattheo, assuming they must have decorated Draco’s room. However, it may have been the messy arrangement of the balloon letters that gave it away.

Mattheo looked at you with wide eyes, “That was a lie. Sorry, we tried to have you distracted to prepare this.”

You let out a laugh, “It’s okay, wait a minute, then what about Draco’s practices?”

The group felt silent, not before looking behind you at the currently opened door “If your practices were a lie, then was Draco’s-”

“Happy Birthday, Y/N” A voice interrupted your own.

You turned your body to the door, and a smiling Draco entered the room. Looking at his hands, he held a green cake with a single lit candle on top. It spelled out ‘Happy Birthday Y/N’ in frosting.

“Draco? What is this?”

“Well, snake's out of the bag,” Draco said standing in front of you.

Pansy went to stand beside you first, “But before, let’s sing first!”

The others agreed and started to sing you a happy birthday, Mattheo’s off-pitch voice making you laugh the whole time. When they finished you smiled, closing your eyes to make to make a wish before blowing out the candle.

“Yay!” Mattheo screamed excitedly, jumping up and down.

“Let’s go down to the common room to eat!” Theodore suggested, leaving the room to race Mattheo.

The rest of you four laughed, following them quickly.

“So,” you started, “did Draco have practice this week?” You sat down on the couch as your friends surrounded you.

Draco grinned, “You’ve caught me. I made your cake myself.” Your eyes widened in surprise as he put the cake down for Pansy to cut it.

“You thought Pansy reminding us a month in advance to buy gifts was insane? Draco spent the entire week learning how to bake a cake for your birthday.”

Draco took a seat next to you on the couch, hiding behind you as Blaise and Mattheo teased him further.

“Is that true?” You asked Draco, who shrugged his shoulders as if it was nothing.

“Have the first slice, Y/N” Pansy passed you a slice on a plate that she somehow prepared while you were too shocked.

“Come on, tell us if it’s bad!” Mattheo said from the couch across from you, earning a smack in the head from Blaise.

You took a bite and it seemed like the cake was baked by a professional. You savored the taste and smiled, “It's delicious!”

That was all it took for Mattheo and Theodore to beg Pansy for slices, while Blaise was busy helping her cut the cake.

“Thank you, Draco, I didn't know.” He put his arm around your shoulder, leaning closer to you.

“I’m happy you love it, and that the cake didn't taste bad.” You laughed as you kept eating the cake.

“Y/N,” Blaise said, all your friends now settled down with cake slices except Draco, “You don’t understand. Not only did he learn how to bake that cake, he asked all of us to taste test it each time..”

A realization hit your eyes, “Is that why you were all sick a few days ago? It was his previous cakes?”

All your friends laughed as Draco hid his face in your neck embarrassed.

“At least it tastes wonderful now.” Mattheo munched on his cake slice with a smile, “Draco, you need to bake all of us birthday cakes now.”

Draco shook his head, before looking at you.

“Only for Y/N’s birthdays.”

✁ - - - - - - - - - -

my main masterlist

slytherin boys masterlist

#draco malfoy #draco imagine #draco malfoy x reader #draco x reader #draco malfoy imagine #draco malfoy fluff #draco malfoy oneshot #draco malfoy x slytherin!reader #draco malfoy x you #draco malfoy x y/n #draco one shot #draco malfoy fanfiction #draco malfoy imagines #draco malfoy angst #draco malfoy oneshots #draco malfoy one shots

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kpthoughts · 9 months

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<Sam’s little sister>

-Colby Brock-

—————————————————————————

Before dating:

Sam hated the idea of his best friend dating his little sister

That’s why Colby held his feelings off for so long because he didn’t want to make Sam uncomfortable

But soon the feelings were too strong to ignore

You got closer very easily might I add

Everyone had a hunch you liked each other, the mainly knew he liked you.

Especially fans

He seemed very protective of you in videos, more than everyone else

In haunted videos he would always check up on you, make sure you’re not going in first or in any danger

You like the thrill though and he knows this but he can’t help himself

Fans picked up on all this and started to ship you

As much as you denied it you both knew it was true

You always seemed to gravitate towards each other even when you’re in a big group/crowd

For example you would sit beside each other, walk side by side, talk to each other more, find ways to be alone

This is what led you to dating

When at a party you both hid away in the bedroom

One conversation led to a deep conversation and he kissed you

You were shocked but didn’t fight it

Sam finding out:

You both hid this from your friends to avoid drama between everyone

They soon picked up on it though

Sam being the first to ask Colby about it.

He asked if anything was going on between you and Colby and because Colby didn’t want to lie anymore he admitted you were dating for the past month

Sam was rightfully upset

Not because you were dating but because you hid it from him

He came around though and was your biggest shipper

Dating Colby would include:

He always has his hands on you in some way

Not sexually though

He would hold your hand, your thigh, have his arm around your waist etc

Filming together

Sam teased you two SO MUCH

He’ll come in while you’re in his apartment or room and just tell something stupid before leaving

Colby finds it funnier than you do

“It’s a little funny!”

“No I hate him!”

He’s very protective of you and will constantly make sure you’re ok and safe

Especially in videos when you’re exploring or ghost hunting

You’re usually the little spoon but if he’s had a bad day it switches

His fans love you and are also protective of you when it comes to haters

He loves seeing you in his clothes

Hoodies, t-shirts, rings whatever

You steal his rings a lot

He knows you do and gave up asking you if it was you who took them because he already knows

Adventures when you want to get out somewhere

You’ll just drive until you find somewhere interesting to look around like a forest, cave or abandoned building

Checks up on you daily and knows when something is wrong

He’s not overly jealous but can get a little annoyed when a guy shows you a lot of attention

You don’t give the attention back though

Instead you go to Colby and kiss him in front of the guy

He loves it when you do this

When you kiss he always has his hands on your waist or back

He knows what spots to put his hands every time

During makeouts he’ll put you on his lap and hold your hips down

He’ll leave hickeys in less obvious spots because of videos and you two not wanting to share that part of your life

Your friends always see them though and you don’t hear the end of it

Forehead kisses all the time

When cuddling he loves to play with your hair and loves it when you play with his

He tried to braid your hair once but it didn’t end well

You paint his nails a lot and he loves it

When you’re bored you’ll draw on his arms or colour in his tattoos with felt tips

He just lets you do it while he scrolls through his phone

Stargazing is something you love to do as you know so much about Stars

He sits there and listens to you talk about it and he loves it

—————————————————————————

Master/Request Page

#colby brock #colby brock x reader #headcanons #sam and colby #headcanon #fanfic #fanfics #fluff #sam golbach

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showstopper35 · 3 months

Note

Hello! Do you still write for Tfp/Transformers Prime? If so, I have a request!

Maybe ‘cons reacting to reader dealing with a person that caused a lot of childhood trauma? If this is something that makes you uncomfortable, feel free to ignore it!! I just am dealing with a person who wasn’t the greatest to me as a kid and would really like some headcanon comfort <3

again, feel free to ignore and remember to take care of yourself!

of course! thanks so much for the request, darlin’! I hope you are doing well and my DMs are open if you ever need to talk. 💛

Megatron

-He knows. He knows how it feels to be scorned in your youth. He knows how much you hurt. He also knows that he wouldn’t be the best at comforting you, so he provides a distraction. -Every time you come to him an anxious, frustrated mess because of them, he takes you to stargaze or to read or just sit on the top of the ship in peace. -Megatron entertains you will tales of when he was younger, fighting for the freedoms he still believes in. You know he’s been hurt too and there’s a comfort in knowing you both still are yet to move on from that past, and that’s okay. You’ll confront it when you are stronger.

Starscream

-He’s not…the best at comforting people. But he is angry. So angry. Why would anyone hurt you? Especially when you were so small? He’s felt small every day of his life, he can’t imagine what sort of monster does that to a sparkling.

-Honestly, he turns into an outlet for your rage. Want to scratch something up? He finds things for you to break, things for you to throw. It's not the most healthy, but when has anything he ever done been?

-When all your anger has been exhausted, he just sits with you. That helps more, and he knows that, but he won't say anything. And that's okay.

Knockout

-Out of all the cons I think he would be the most helpful. He pampers you, taking you on long drives and god-awful drive-in movies to distract you. He's also willing to just listen to you vent to him while he's working in the medbay.

-If the harmful person comes back, you can bet he's got his saw blade out and will not hesitate to bring them down. He provides you with a free escape ride if you are ever in an uncomfortable situation.

-He is always, always ready to shower you with compliments, especially when he picks up that you've had a bad day. And if you don't feel like telling him what's going on, he will distract you with the randomest stories about himself. It always makes you laugh.

Breakdown

-You better believe that this guy's got hugs for days for you. After many, many, many threats to whomever is hurting you, he sits with you and listens to you vent.

-His attempts at reassuring comments aren't the best, but he tries. He'd much rather go pound the jerk to dust, though.

-He somehow smuggles a shitload of chocolate and ice cream up to the Nemesis for you. Most of the ice cream melts before you can eat it, but it is still delicious.

Arachnid

-The person who is hurting you is never seen or heard from again :)

-You don't mention it and neither does she.

Soundwave

-You better believe that you will never go anywhere near your abuser again. He keeps tabs on them, removing you from anywhere within a 5-mile radius of them. If you do happen to meet them, he is sending Laserbeak and they have roasted limbs from lasers.

-Records everything you say they did and privately keeps it just in case. Not to blackmail them or to send them to the police, of course.

-Lets you play with Laserbeak and pulls up comforting and funny videos to watch with you. He is as silent as ever, but that doesn't change the fact that he cares about you.

Dreadwing

-He pretty much becomes your personal bodyguard. It's a little strange at first, but you get used to his presence and sweet insistence in accompanying you everywhere, especially if you encounter your abuser.

-You can bet that if anything ever happens again with that person, they will go down in a firey explosion orchestrated by his own hand.

-Sucks at speaking to you (about anything, really. he's so stiff.), but when he cleans his weapons, he is happy to listen to you.

Shockwave

-Ah yes, Mr. no emotions. He tries...I think. He'd rather give you some weapon of mass destruction than listen to you detail all of your abuse. I mean, it's a solution, I guess.

-He makes you watch the seekers to learn self-defense and also read some Cybertronian literature on battle tactics.

-At least you can punch now and use poisons?

Predaking

-After learning what had happened to you, he refuses to let you leave his side for weeks. He cares for you and distracts you by terrorizing Starscream on the ship.

-Eventually, though, he accompanies you to meet with the abuser. You talk with them for a bit before he comes crashing down in his dragon form, scaring them into oblivion.

-It felt really good.

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curseofhecate · 6 months

Text

My heart wont start anymore, for you

Sirius Black x fem!reader

She was in love with him. He never felt the same

1.7k

tw: mention of Y/n, slight swearing

This has been in my drafts since August. The ending is sloppy.

It had been going on for years now. Ever since she'd first saw him, that September 1st on platform 9¾, she'd only ever had eyes for him.

Stolen glances, innocent brushes of her hand against his, so many signs and yet he never picked up any of them.

Sirius Black was too focused on other girls to notice his best friend pinning after him, even now, after all these years. And yet her feelings never changed.

"So, who's that?" James teasingly asked the black haired boy, glancing towards a ravenclaw girl in their year, who was practically eyefucking Sirius from across the room.

"Jessica Monroe" Sirius smirked, then continued eating his breakfast. "Dude, that's like, the 3rd one this month" Remus pointed out.

"It's not my fault the ladies can't resist me"

"And as it seems, neither can you" Peter chimed in. "At least n/n here hasn't fallen for your charms yet" James joked, eyes set on the only girl in their friend group.

"As if!" She laughed, trying to cover up the rosy color of her cheeks.

Little did James know how wrong he had been.

It wasn’t until two weeks later when things really started going downhill. She had just returned from her perfect's duties when she found Sirius waiting for her in the common room. It was well past midnight and everyone had retired to their dorms long ago.

"Finally, I've been waiting for you for hours" the boy jumped up from his spot on the couch once he saw her. She stared at him confused. He gently grabbed her wrist and dragged her to sit beside him as he plopped himself on the couch.

"What are you even doing down here at this time?"

Sirius ignored her question. "I need to talk to you."

"Well, couldn't it wait until the morning? I'm exhausted" She groaned, leaning her head back on the couch.

He ignored her again.

"I realized something."

His words had her sitting straighter in mere seconds.

Had he finally figured out her feelings for him?

She wasn’t exactly subtle about them either.

He must know.

Sirius looked at her. Whatever it was she was suspecting at that moment could have never even come close to what was yet to come.

"I've been sleeping with Thalia" he breathed out.

It wasn’t unusual for Sirius to sleep with different girls then dump them within the course of the next week. Most of the time he didn’t even mention who it was he was having sex with, so why would bringing her up now?

"Okay?"

She finally said not knowing how else to respond.

"The thing is, I want us to be more. As in, I actually have feelings for her. She makes me the happiest just by smiling at me. So much that makes me want to stay by her side until the end of my days."

"I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm in love with her. Hopelessly and utterly in love."

And it was in that moment when the little candle of hope she had burned out.

The thing was, that even if Sirius was with other girls, it never lasted long simply because he had never loved any of them. The flame was just weaker, flickering.

And now there he was, talking about how he couldn't imagine a world without the blonde Gryffindor, going as far as to admit being in love with her. There was no candle anymore, only a paddle of melted wax where it once had been.

The girl in front of him, blinked back tears as she shook her head. "I want her to ask her on a date '' Sirius continued.

"But when I do, I want it to be perfect. This is where I need your help. You know her better than me, you can tell me what she likes, for example which kind of flowers does she like the most? And what’s her favorite color? Does she prefer a picnic by the black lake or stargazing at the astronomy tower?" the boy continued rambling until the Y/n stopped him.

And as much as it hurt her to do so, she did value his happiness more than hers. In the end she agreed to help him.

It had been three weeks since Sirius and Thalia started dating. And it was safe to say they were stuck to the honeymoon phase.

The two couldn't keep their hands off of each other. They were always touching somehow and every chance they got to kiss, they did. They'd go on dates every other day and more often than not they slept in each other's bed, at the point where Remus had started complaining that she was practically living in their dorm.

Not to mention that they were always together. And when they weren't, which was a rare occurrence, all Sirius could do was talk about her.

She didn’t blame him. Thalia was a girl made out of angel dust, the prettiest and kindest one could ever be. She had to be the sweetest thing to ever walk on this earth.

Yet Y/n couldn’t help but envy her. The blonde was everything she wasn’t.

Once the two reached their one month anniversary it had started to become frustrating. And the closer the couple grew, the further the two friends slipped apart.

Sirius didn’t know what had happened between them. One second she was there, the other one she was gone, completely out of sight. It seemed to him that earth might as well have swallowed her whole and left no trace behind.

In the months following Sirius and Thalia getting together, Y/n had avoided him at any and every cost. She still hung out with the rest of the marauders, they were her best friends after all just not when Sirius was around.

Instead she’d now hang out more with Lily, Marlene and Mary, the three growing closer ever since she started sitting with them at dinner. She’d joke about how her and Marlene were practically married at this point and she’d even had made friends with Regulus (or something along those lines) after finding him up at the astronomy tower.

To say things had changed was an understatement.

It was a slow progress too. Yet Sirius failed to notice it. Until now.

Him and Thalia had had their first argument the night before. It was unusual for the two to fight at all, much less not be on talking terms. Sirius needed to talk to his best friend but how could he do that when she was nowhere to be found.

It was in the common room, well after dinner when Sirius managed to spot her. She was sitting next to Peter, helping him with his potion’s essay.

“Hey” he greeted taking a seat opposite her. She muttered a quiet ‘hi’ back but didn’t look up.

He sat in silence for a little while, waiting for them to finish. When he finally decided he couldn't wait anymore, he cleared his throat. The two looked up at him confused. “Anything you need Sirius?” she asked, rather coldly.

He wasn’t used to her calling him by his first name. It was either Siri or pads and sometimes ‘my star’ but never just plain Sirius. “Yes, actually. I need to talk to you.”

“Well can’t it wait. I have to help Pete with this and then I promised Lily I would put her hair into French braids” she said, trying to make up a lie to avoid him. She didn’t even know how to do French braids.

“It won’t take long, I promise”

“Fine,” She sighed. “What do you want to talk about?”

“Not here” he said, motioning for her to get up before doing so himself. He guided her upstairs to his and the boy’s dorm room. It had been a while since she’d last been there. And yet nothing had changed.

“What is going on with you?” Sirius asked after shutting the door closed and turning to her.

“What? Nothing. Everything is perfectly normal” the girl shrugged trying to play it off.

“Except it isn’t. You are never around anymore.We never talk anymore, you don’t even sit with us in the dining hall. I haven’t seen you since the last full moon and even then you didn’t talk to me. You were my best friend. Us against the world, remember? What the hell happened to us? What the hell happened to you n/n'' The more he spoke the more his voice rose.

“No” she shook her head.

“What do you mean no?” He asked, frustrated.

“Sirius, you were the one who started pulling away. After you got with Thalia you were always with her. And when you weren’t it was your main, not to say only, topic of discussion.”

“That’s not true” he argued.

“Yes it is! Tell me Sirius had you even realized I wasn’t around you as much before today?” she defended.

She was right. He hadn’t.

“And you know what’s worse? I was in love with you. I have been in love with you since the first day on the train.”

She has done it now.

“Do you even know how fucking hard it is? Listening to someone you love constantly about someone else?”

Silence. She hadn't intended to say this but she couldn't have controlled it. She had finally reached her limit.

Sirius looked down at the floor. He hadn't expected to hear such words from her yet he felt extremely guilty.

This was it. Her entire world came crumbling down and it was clear that whatever hope she had for salvaging their friendship was now gone. She had ruined it.

She looked up. Sirius' gaze was still pinned to the floor. It hurt her that he wouldn't even look at her.

She left the room slamming the door shut behind her. There were too many unanswered questions, more than before. There was confusion and then there were mixed feelings. It seemed that nothing was certain anymore.

And in that moment her heart stopped. And she knew, her heart wouldn't start anymore, at least not for him.

#the marauders era #sirius black x reader #curseofhecate

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ladamedusoif · 5 months

Text

Starry Night (Joel Miller x Stargazer f!reader)

A Merry Fic-Mas - December 1

Part of A Merry Fic-Mas: A Holiday Fic Calendar - click for masterlist.

Pairing: Jackson!Joel Miller x Stargazer F!Reader

Rating: Teen

Word count: ~1500

Warnings: Strong language (Ellie is involved); canon doesn’t go here; alcohol references; fluff; almost certainly some stargazing errors please forgive me

Summary: There are a lot of wonderful things about making it to the safety of Jackson, but the darkness of the night sky makes it a perfect home for a stargazer like you - and you’re only too happy to share your knowledge with a space-mad teenager. Oh, and her grumpy dad.

Every time you set up your telescope, you remembered the look Maria had given you the day you returned from a scavenging mission with it strapped to your back, still in its packaging.

“Seriously?”

You shrugged as you got off your horse. “Seriously. Got plenty of other stuff too, so let me have this, please?”

She looked dubious, but threw up her arms in resignation. “If we need it for lookout - it’s ours, okay?”

You nodded, hugging the telescope close to your chest, and raced home to set it up.

Space was your dad’s thing, and he’d made it yours, too. Nights in the backyard with his very basic kit trained on the skies, stargazing maps in front of you, climbing on his lap to look through the viewfinder.

He taught you the major constellations, how to find planets visible in the night sky, explained how stars helped people navigate, long ago.

Little did you know then how that information would come in handy years later, finding your way to the safety of the Jackson settlement with nothing else to guide you.

Stargazing in the suburbs wasn’t ideal. Too much light pollution. In Jackson, though? Wide, open dark skies, far as the eye could see.

Every time you watched the night sky, you looked out for your dad.

Cold, crisp, clear winter nights were your favourite time for stargazing. Bundled up in your warmest coat, hat, and blankets, you sat on your porch, telescope in front of you and an old Atlas of the Night Sky on your lap. Out of the corner of your eye, you became conscious of two people walking along the sidewalk past your home. Recent arrivals, you guessed, seeing as they weren’t familiar; a young girl, an older man. Father and daughter, probably.

“Whoa, dude. She’s got a fuckin’ real telescope!”

The girl had stopped to stare at you, eyes wide in astonishment. You offered a shy smile and a little wave, and were about to speak when the man interjected, beckoning the girl on with a frustrated tilt of his head.

“Mind your manners, Ellie. Sorry, ma’am. Didn’t mean to disturb you. You have a good night.” He nods and you return the gesture, touched by his somewhat old-fashioned manners, and they walk on as you go back to seeking out Castor and Pollux.

Over the next couple of weeks, you learned that the man was Tommy’s older brother, Joel. His exact relationship to Ellie, the teenage girl, was not clear: she wasn’t his biological daughter, you suspected but Tommy tended to refer to her as “Joel’s kid”.

They tended to keep to themselves, for the most part. But she would peek in your direction if she spotted you at social events in the community, as if she was weighing up whether she should go and talk to you. No amount of friendly waves and smiles from you could ever convince her, it seemed.

You took matters into your own hands at the holiday tree lighting ceremony. You picked them out easily: Joel, big and broad in a sheepskin-lined winter coat, greying hair curling over the collar; Ellie, ponytail bobbing from side to side as she looked at the illuminated tree in absolute awe and wonder.

“Joel and Ellie, right?”

They turned to appraise you, still wary of new people. You held out the mugs of eggnog you’d grabbed for them on your way across the room.

“Thought you might like some eggnog, and I wanted to introduce myself. I’m the telescope lady.”

Ellie’s eyes widened. “So cool,” she murmured, as if to herself.

Joel nodded and accepted the eggnog gratefully, the mug suddenly appearing doll-sized in his large hands. “Ellie’s got a thing for space, don’t you? Loves hearing about the space programs, the astronauts, all that.”

The teenager looked down at her shoes and blushed a little as she nodded. Apocalypse or not, teenage girls will always be embarrassed by their dads.

Ellie took a sip of her eggnog. “How’d you get a fuckin’ telescope, anyway?”

Joel scolded her, but you chuckled. “I found it in an old hobby store on a scavenging mission one time. I wasn’t gonna leave that behind, now was I?” She grinned at your conspiratorial wink, and Joel seemed to relax a little.

“Come over whenever you want, and I’ll give you a guided tour of the sky. We’ve got perfect conditions here for it.”

She beamed and turned to Joel, who shook his head softly. “We don’t want to be disturbing you, ma’am.” You corrected him with your name, and he repeated it, low and slow, in that warm, dark voice of his.

“I mean it, Joel. You are both very welcome to do some stargazing with me, whenever you’d like.”

“No fuckin’ WAY!”

Ellie tears into the kitchen on the morning of December 21, excitedly brandishing a piece of paper under Joel’s nose as he sips - or tries to sip - his morning coffee.

“Whatever it is, El, it’s far too early for this kind of excitement.”

“Look at it, dude!”

He rolls his eyes, puts down his mug, and looks at the piece of paper. It’s a handwritten invitation, decorated with drawings of celestial bodies and, at the bottom, a bright red telescope. He can’t help but chuckle as he reads the words aloud.

“Ellie (and Joel) are invited to a special winter solstice stargazing party tonight, December 21, at 6pm. Wrap up warm and be ready to see stars.” Underneath, you’ve carefully written your name and address in neat print.

By now, Ellie is positively bouncing with excitement. “The fuckin’ telescope! I’m gonna look through a fuckin’ telescope! At fuckin' SPACE!”

Joel’s heart swells as he takes in her sheer joy at the prospect of looking up into the heavens, knowing how hard everything has been for her, how much he has wanted to make her smile again.

“Alright, but there’ll be no telescope if you don’t eat and get dressed for school. Go on, now.”

The telescope is already set up on your porch when they arrive later that evening, Joel carrying a flask of hot coffee and Ellie a tin with a few cookies - the best they could rustle up at short notice.

“I’m so glad you came!” You beam at them as you open your front door, beckoning them inside. “I’ve got some snacks ready, and some hot punch.”

A smile creeps over Joel’s face as he realises you’re somehow playing a compilation of holiday music. Brenda Lee is singing about rocking around the Christmas tree, Ellie is nodding her head in time to the song as she makes a beeline for the bowls of snacks you’d set out, and he is struck by just how long it’s been since he’s experienced anything akin to “holiday cheer”.

“What the fuck does ‘rockin’ around a Christmas tree’ mean, anyways?”

Joel tuts and rolls his eyes. “Ellie. Language.”

You giggle as you hand Ellie a cup of non-alcoholic hot punch. “It’s fine, Joel. I think she means people are dancing around a Christmas tree, Ellie.”

Ellie looks sceptical. “Fuckin’ weird. Hey, when can we look at the stars?”

Joel lets you take the lead, as Jackson’s resident stargazer. He sits on one of your kitchen chairs, sipping from a mug of punch, watching you show Ellie how to navigate the night sky.

The punch is warming in more ways than one. As Ellie bounded out to the porch earlier, you’d subtly held up a bottle of liquor at him and raised your eyebrows in a silent question, before adding a little to your and his mugs of punch once he’d nodded his assent.

“See that really bright, orangey one there? That’s Betelgeuse. It’s a red supergiant.”

Ellie’s mouth hangs open as she squints through the telescope’s eyepiece. “Red supergiant,” she repeats.

“See if you can find Orion’s Belt for yourself. It’s not too far away.”

You turn to Joel, checked blanket wrapped around your shoulders, and raise your mug towards him with a warm smile. “Happy holidays, Joel.”

He reciprocates the gesture, dark, warm eyes crinkling as a gentle, genuine smile spreads across his face. It might be the first time you’ve ever really seen him smile.

He looks to the heavens, taking in the perfect, pitch-dark blue-black carpet of a night sky embroidered with millions of twinkling stars. For an instant, he finds comfort in remembering that we all - everyone who is, who has ever been, and who will ever be - gaze up at the same firmament.

General fic taglist: @agentjackdaniels, @julesonrecord , @tessa-quayle, @vermillionwinter , @iamskyereads , @tieronecrush , @perennialdoll247 , @love-the-abyss , @imaswellkid , @intheorangebedroom , @fuckyeahdindjarin , @littlemisspascal , @khindahra , @pedrostories , @readingiskeepingmegoing , @rhoorl , @red-red-rogue , @princessanglophile , @katareyoudrilling @survivingandenduring , @trulybetty @fictionismyreality @sunnywithachanceofjavi , @joeldjarin , @lahoozaherr, @s-u-t, @its-nebuleuse, @veryprairieberry (let me know if you'd rather not be tagged!)

#a merry fic-mas #holiday fic calendar #joel miller fanfiction #joel miller imagine #joel miller x reader #joel miller x f!reader #joel miller jackson #the last of us fanfiction #tlou hbo #the last of us #ellie williams #pedro pascal characters #pedro pascal character fanfiction #pedrostories #pedro pascal

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buckleyseddie · 10 months

Note

ohhh maybe "pull over. let me drive for a while"?? i love you <3

hi baby thank you i love you <3 @lesbiandiaz also asked for this one so i hope you both enjoy this little thing

***

When Eddie wakes up, it’s to the rumbling of the Jeep beneath him and the sound of Buck’s astronomy podcast coming from the radio, the volume turned low so as to not disturb Eddie’s sleep. Buck must’ve switched to it after he dozed off because Eddie vividly remembers falling asleep to the sound of Buck’s soft humming instead. He remembers thinking how there’s nothing he’d want more than to fall asleep to that, with his kid sleeping soundly in the backseat, for as long as they drive places together.

One look to the rearview mirror confirms that Christopher’s still sleeping, head lolled to the side and his glasses sitting crooked on his nose. He’d fallen asleep almost as soon as they left the campsite; as much as Chris likes to complain about having a bedtime at thirteen, staying up way past it last night to stargaze really took a toll on him. Out of the three of them, Eddie’s the only one who shouldn’t be tired, not when he’d fallen asleep when only a few stars could be seen in the sky. Buck and Christopher had stayed up until two, whispering about stars and constellations and planets; quietly, trying not to disturb Eddie, who’d been called in for an extra shift right before they left for their camping trip.

He’d woken up hours later with his son’s head on his shoulder, snoring softly and Buck, still awake, sitting on Christopher’s other side, leaning back on his palms and looking up at the sky. For a moment, Eddie had stared at Buck, at how beautiful he looked bathed in moonlight, his face so peaceful and relaxed.

He’d thought that by staying very still, Buck would think that he was still asleep, but something must’ve given him away because, without taking his eyes from the sky, Buck had said, “oh good, you’re awake. I can carry Chris inside his tent, but I was ready to leave you out here.”

Eddie had snorted, careful not to wake up his son. “Well, it’s not so bad out here.” He’d fallen asleep under the stars one time, he could probably do it again.

Buck had grinned at Eddie over his shoulder. “Tell that to the mountain lions.”

“I know you didn’t bring me and my son to a place where there are mountain lions roaming around.”

“Of course not,” Buck winked at Eddie, pushing himself up to his feet. “Coyotes on the other hand-” He’d trailed off with a goofy grin that Eddie had wanted to kiss off his face even though he was being an idiot (especially since he was being an idiot).

“Shut up,” Eddie had said, but when Buck had picked Christopher up, careful not to jostle him, and taken him to his tent, Eddie had made his way to the one he would be sharing with Buck, away from any coyotes that might be lurking in the trees.

“Hey,” Buck says now, pausing the podcast and turning to Eddie. “Did I wake you? Sorry, after you fell asleep too I needed something to keep me awake and music wasn’t enough.”

“No, you're good,” Eddie says with a shake of his head. “I should be sorry, I’ve been falling asleep on you all weekend.”

Buck pouts a little. “And I was the one who dragged you camping on your day off after a forty-eight.”

“Yeah, because my son’s been obsessing over constellations and planets since his school took him to the observatory and you thought he’d like to go stargazing,” Eddie says, reaching over and grabbing Buck’s hand, giving him a soft smile. Buck takes his eyes off the road for a second to return the smile, it’s genuine if only a little tired. “And he did. And so did I, even if I didn’t do much of it.”

Eddie still got to listen to Buck and Christopher geek out about planetary lineups and satellites and moon phases on the drive up, he got to tease Buck for failing to start a fire so they could make s’mores several times before he got it right (“my job is to stop fires, Eddie, not start them!”). He got to watch Buck stuff his face with as many marshmallows as he could (five marshmallows!) while trying to keep them all awake until the sky was dark enough to see anything. Christopher dared Buck to fit a sixth marshmallow and it ended with him spitting out the rest, and Eddie had laughed and told Buck it was okay, that he knew just how much he could fit into his mouth, and then he got to watch Buck blush to the tip of his ears. He also got to kiss Buck goodnight in their shared tent, and having only started doing that recently, the novelty of it still hadn’t worn off (though to be honest, Eddie doesn’t think it ever will).

Eddie’s thoughts get interrupted by Buck freeing his hand from his so he can cover his mouth when he yawns. It makes sense that Buck is the most tired. He stayed up later than Christopher last night, and even much later than Eddie, and he was the first one up this morning. He hasn’t been able to take a nap because he’s been driving. He even had to switch from music to his podcast to stay awake because both Eddie and Christopher fell asleep, and he had no one to talk to him.

“Hey,” Eddie says and Buck hums tiredly. “How long until we make it back?”

“Hm, maybe an hour until we’re home.”

Home. Eddie’s house. Where Buck will linger after dropping them off until it’s too late to head to the loft so he’ll end up staying the night. It’s something that has been happening since before they got together, only now Buck gets to sleep on Eddie’s bed with him instead of his couch.

Which is good for many reasons. One of them being the fact that Buck clearly needs some proper rest.

Right now, he’s blinking his eyes repeatedly, trying to stay alert. Eddie puts his hand on Buck’s leg. “Buck, you’re tired.”

“I’m fine,” he says, grabbing Eddie’s hand in his and bringing it to his lips, kissing it.

“You’re falling asleep, baby,” Eddie says and watches with a thrill as Buck melts a little at the pet name. “Pull over. Let me drive for a while.”

“You hate driving,” Buck says with the same little smile he gets when he teases Eddie about his permanent passenger princess status.

“I do, but you know what I’d hate more? You crashing us and our kid into a pole because you fell asleep behind the wheel,” Eddie says, kindly ignoring the way Buck’s breath hitches when Eddie says our kid. “It’s only for an hour, come on.”

It shows just how tired Buck feels that he doesn’t put up much resistance. “Hm, okay.”

He pulls the car over and they both climb out. Eddie takes a moment to stretch his legs and Buck takes the opportunity to walk over to his side and crowd him against the door.

“Hey,” Buck says, hands on Eddie’s hips, his nose brushing against his. “Thank you.”

Eddie smiles, pushing up and kissing Buck’s lips. “I got you.”

“I know.” Buck can’t help himself and leans down to kiss him again and Eddie can’t help but let him, let Buck kiss him on the side of the road, on their way back to their home with their kid still sleeping soundly in the backseat. Eddie might just stay here forever, powerless to pull away from Buck’s lips-

That is, until their kissing gets cut short by Buck yawning again.

“Okay,” Eddie says, manhandling Buck until he’s the one leaning against the door. “Let’s go before you fall asleep on your feet and I have to leave you out here with the coyotes.”

“You wouldn’t dare, you love me,” Buck says, grinning from ear to ear, looking far too happy despite Eddie’s teasing.

Eddie can’t help but grin right back when he says, “yeah, I do.” Still not used to being able to say it so freely. “Come on, let’s go home.”

If possible, Buck’s grin gets even bigger.

#i wrote this yesterday but i fell asleep before i could post it oops #hope you enjoy it <3 #buddie #buddie fic #monse writes #i still have another one to write but i'm gonna reblog the prompt list again in case anyone wants to send another one #lesbiandiaz #cowboy-buck

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sophiasharp · 9 months

Text

I’m fascinated by the fact that I still see variations in the new quintessence ghoul’s name. Phantom is the obvious front runner, but I’ve also seen plenty of people use Aeon and a few people still use Midas as far as I’m aware, and even some people that still refuse to pick.

This is immensely funny to me and so I present to you an absolutely non-answer of a headcanon: What if he doesn’t actually HAVE a name?

What if things were so hectic when he was being summoned, needing a sudden replacement for Aether, like, yesterday, that Copia just. Forgot to ask the name of the new ghoul he summoned in favor of rushing him to the rest of the pack.

And as a result the ghouls just… kind of started giving him a bunch of nicknames that the others thought were his real name?

Aether’s the one that starts to call him “his little Phantom,” or just Phantom for short, since, at the time, the man was like a living ghost in their den. Barely made a sound the whole time he was there, barely noticeable as a person, blended into social situations so even if you knew he was there, you never really have track of where he is.

Not long after he was summoned, Dew finds him looking out the windows at the night sky, absolutely enamored with the stars and nebulas above them, and Dew takes it upon himself to drag the new ghoul outside and stargaze with him while he points out every constellation and star he can remember from all the times he’s sat out with Aether in the past. The next day, when ghouls start gathering at the breakfast table and Dew asks “Orion” if he wants some coffee, everyone there takes it in stride.

Mountain was likewise quick to come up with a name. “Aeon,” he called him with full confidence one day after spending the afternoon showing him around Primo’s old garden. When asked where it came from, Mountain claimed it was in reference to his quintessence. “It’s hard to describe. It’s something that feels simultaneously older than memory and younger than the present. It’s time and space stretched like taffy and bent in the shape of a ghoul.”

“Midas” comes from Swiss, who insisted on sitting in on a practice session between the new ghoul and Aether. Swiss was blown away by the progress he’s made in such a small amount of time! “It’s like the strings turn to gold under your fingers, man! Which archdemon did you make a deal with to play like that?”

Other nicknames followed. “Quint,” “Shadow,” “Bug,” “Puppy,” “New Guy,” it just kept going. It got to the point where if anyone just said a word in his general direction with enough authority, his head would turn, assuming they were talking to him.

And yet, not once this entire first leg of the tour did he ever correct the other ghouls. It seems he’s content to let them each have their own name for him, at least for now. After all, each name is like a gift: something personal that his new friends have given him, something that grounds him in this new and hopefully permanent pack. Then it would be rude to just choose one over the other, wouldn’t it? And he doesn’t want to disappoint his new pack. How could he possibly choose?

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ash-arts-a-thing · 6 months

Text

Specter Carlo AU events for Chapters 1-3, these will include minor or major changes, even some things don’t change at all. Carlo’s dialogue for when he’s interacted with or battle specific coments for bosses. Lastly the description for a new cutscene that plays during Chapter 2!

I’m excited to start the next couple chapters, I hope this isn’t too big of a post!

[Character Notes] [Chapters 4&5] [Chapter 6]

Chapter 1

* First time Pinocchio wakes up he is unaware of Carlo’s presence, but Gemini when first picked up while he is rebooting will state that he detects something following Pinocchio.

* Carlo does not make himself known right away, but if you are watching Pinocchio’s reflection in the floor of Krat Grand Central Station you will be able to see inconsistencies in what should be a normal reflection.

These inconstancies will include, but are not limited to:

1. His head turning in the opposite direction.

2. His hip cocking.

3. His legion arm will not jerk or twitch during an animation cycle.

4. Should he be holding a weapon that is long enough to touch the ground, the tip of said weapon will tap against the floor.

5. He will roll his shoulders.

* Hound puppets have a chance to act more iratically since they will be able to sense Carlo’s ghost.

* Since a Specter cannot be summoned during the first boss fight, if the decoder has been acquired from a previous playthrough, the Parade Master will comment on Carlo’s pressence.

These comments are:

1. “A ghost whisperer would make for a stellar performance!”

2. “The King has missed that one greatly.”

3. “Do not be shy, step right up and show yourself!”

* The gate to Hotel Krat will not be able to detect Carlo’s presence, so it will not coment on him.

* Sophia is aware of Carlo, but does not state that she is until Pinocchio is. No other characters at Hotel Krat are aware of Carlo unless he is made permanent.

Chapter 2

* When Gemini finally reboots and Pinocchio is able to talk to him for the first time, he will once again bring up that he feels something strange following Pinocchio. Gemini will state: “I can’t help feel like we’re being watched. You don’t have a ghost following you do you?” Followed by laughter.

* Once the abandoned room stargazer has been reached, a cutscene will trigger, this cut scene would have Pinocchio looking into a cracked mirror on the wall where he will catch his reflection. His reflection will speak to him, claiming to be somebody named Carlo and that he is well aware of who Pinocchio is, but not giving much more info past that.

The dialogue and scene will play out as follows:

Pinocchio will activate the stargazer, once he stands he will hear a tap on glass, causing him to turn and face the direction it came from.

There he will see his reflection, but rather than the neutral expression he has carried up to this point the face staring back at him will be smug.

The reflection will state: “About time you acknowledged me. I’ve been following you since the station, but I’m sure you were too busy to notice. My name is Carlo and I’m well aware of who you are, puppet. I aim to keep you alive and I think that’s all you need to know about me.”

His tone will be cocky, laced with faux kindness. As the cutscene ends the fade in will have Gemini making a comment on the scene.

He will state: “Whoa, you really do have a ghost following you, I was just joking! Do you think we can trust that guy?”

* The Mad Donkey will not have altered dialogue, unless he has a spirit box on him he unfortunately will have no idea that Carlo is there

* Gepetto will also have no altered dialogue

* Carlo will coment on the lady in the window, he will have respond differently depending on what Pinocchio says to her.

* If Pinocchio tells the truth and says that it is a doll, Carlo will say: “That was pretty harsh, don’t you think? Guess I should expect that from an emotionless puppet.”

* If Pinocchio lies and says the baby is cute, Carlo will say: “Hmm. A comforting lie, huh? Interesting, I… didn’t expect that from you.”

* Carlo will finally be able to be summoned for the first time before the Scrapped Watchman boss and will comment when he is. Carlo will state: “Ahhh! About time you got here, I can finally stretch my own limbs again.” (Note that if you are playing on a Specter Carlo game you will have no choice but to summon him as you will be unable to start the next boss fight until you do.)

Should you choose to speak to him before fighting the boss the dialogue options are:

“Why do you look like me?”

Carlo will respond: “Don’t worry about it, that’s just a product of the star fragment.”

Gemini will respond: “That doesn’t sound right…”

Carlo will respond: “Well, believe it cricket because it’s the truth.”

“How long have you been following me?”

Carlo will respond: “Since you woke up. Is that a problem? Honestly if it is I don’t really care.”

“Tell me about this boss.” (Carlo will have multiple responses to this question)

1. “You ever seen a regular cop? One that isn’t a puppet? *under his breath* Of course you haven’t look who I’m asking. *At regular volume again* They all suck, but I can tell you that a normal cop would be a million times better than this one.”

2. “Make sure you have a good blitz resistance, I’m not dragging you out of here if you go into shock.”

3. “Heard this guy used to hang out with the kids around here. I can’t imagine he’s very happy about what’s happened to them.”

4. “For a big guy he’s surprisingly mobile. Watch out for flailing limbs… or don’t. I’m not your dad.”

Battle dialogue for the Scrapped Watchman:

1. “This will be therapeutic, I never liked this thing!”

2. “Nobody needs a watchman this big!”

3. (If Carlo gets picked up) “Shit- wait-!” (When he gets back up) “Ugh, okay that hurt a little bit.”

4. “Ohh, Sparky wants to dance!”

5. “Watch the blitz pulses!”

6. “Hmph. Good riddance. I don’t know what the local kids saw in that thing.”

* If Pinocchio takes the whistle back to the kid in the window, once the kid passes, Carlo’s reflection in a nearby window will coment. He will state: “I hope the kid isn’t in pain anymore.”

* Once back at the hotel Antonia will gift Pinocchio his own room, this room will be equipped with a full length mirror which can be used to talk to Carlo at any time.

* This room will also have a bed, should Pinocchio use it he will have an unlimited stamina effect for the next 5 minutes after leaving the hotel.

* Should you talk to Carlo in the mirror now he will have new dialogue.

The dialogue options are:

“Why are you following me?”

Carlo: “I told you already. I’m trying to keep you alive. If you stop existing, then so do I and honestly? I kind of want to exist.”

“Why would you stop existing if I died?”

Carlo: “Think of me as your other half. We’re twin souls, I’m here because of you. Is that good enough for you? No? Too bad.”

“What are you thinking right now?” (Carlo will have multiple responses to this)

1. “I don’t know why Antonia gave you a room, it isn��t like puppets need to rest. Lucky for you though, now you can bother me whenever you want. Not so lucky for me.”

2. “What makes that Polendina puppet so special? Why isn’t he insane like the rest of them? Whatever, not worth thinking about right now.”

3. “Maybe that Eugénie girl can do something with the part you took off the Watchman. Who knows, it might help keep you, and subsequently me, alive.”

4. “Gepetto sure is… something. That’s for sure. I don’t know what you expect me to say about the old man, honestly.”

5. “Keep an eye on Sophia, will you? She’s too nice to have to deal with all of… this.”

6. “You wouldn’t understand, but I want to pet that cat so bad. Humans and puppets are awful, I much prefer the company of animals.”

Chapter 3

* Carlo will remain silent until inside the factory, he will have something to say just before the crate contains the shielded puppet drops. Shards of broken glass hold Pinocchio’s reflection long enough for him to speak. Carlo will state: “I bet that crate is going to fall and something big is gonna pop out of it.”

* Once the crate hits the ground and causes the room to shake he will coment again. He will state: “What did I say.”

* Carlo will coment on the corrupting pool through the reflection of the sludge connected to the sewer pipe. Stating: “Oh this is gross. Watch your step. If you get corrupted it won’t be good for either of us.” Gemini will also coment with: “Yeah, I’m going to have agree with him on that.”

* Carlo will coment on the Fox and the Cat, stating: “You know those two are messing with you, right? Okay. Just making sure.”

* Venigni is unaware of Carlo, so his dialogue will remain unchanged. When he coments on him Venigni will be unable to hear him. Carlo will say: “Yeah, I know that guy. Him and Gepetto were pretty close. Like… REALLY close, if you ask me. Wonder if they still are.”

Carlo will have new dialogue options before the fight with Fuoco, these options are:

“What do you think of Venigni?”

Carlo: “Decent enough guy. Heard he was pretty fun back in the day, before things got messed up.”

“What about Pulcinella?”

Carlo: “What about him? If you’re asking me if I think he’s still alive, I don’t. If somebody ever asks you to find their loved one you should automatically assume they’re dead already. That way nobody gets their hopes up.”

“Tell me about this boss.” (He will have multiple responses to this.)

1. “Oh good. I walking furnace. Me and heat aren’t exactly friends, so thanks for bringing me here, I really appreciate it.”

2. “Try to get all of the oil stains your clothes out before you fight this thing. I can’t exactly put you out if you get set ablaze, okay?”

3. “This thing has been known to set the floor on fire, try using the pipes around the room for cover.”

4. “Keep in mind that it doesn’t just shoot fire at you, it hits pretty damn hard as well. Try to keep out of it’s way. Unless you like getting smacked around.”

Battle dialogue for Fuoco, King’s Flame:

1. “We just started and I’m already too damn hot!”

2. “Watch it, the floor is lava!”

3. “I’m so lucky I don’t sweat.”

4. “Okay, I know I’m hot, but this is ridiculous!”

5. “Fireballs incoming!”

6. “Good riddance, I don’t know how anything could work along side that thing. And also they won’t be able to make any more puppets and whatever.”

* When you get back to the hotel, Sophia will have have something new to say about Carlo when first speaking to her. She will say: “I’m glad Carlo is able to help you, he seems to be doing a good job watching your back.”

* Carlo will have a few new dialogue when spoken to back in Pinocchio’s bedroom.

These dialogue options are:

“Whatre are you thinking about?” (He will have multiple responses to this.)

1. “Think you can make a flamethrower with that thing? That would be pretty handy, nothing like committing some arson.”

2. “Guess I’m glad his butler wasn’t dead. I meant what I said though, just always assume they’re already dead.”

3. “I used to be able to play the piano. It’s been a while though. Makes me wonder if I still know how to play…”

#lies of p #lies of p spoilers #Specter Carlo AU #Pinocchio #Carlo #lorenzini venigni #eugénie #sophia monad #Polendina #pulcinella #Antonia cerasani #Giuseppe Gepetto #Gemini #not art

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foolstower · 9 months

Note

Soooo, me again :) (I asked about your rules and things) long story short: I'm being a simp for stardew valley Sam at the moment and I have a feeling that there aren't a lot of os about him :( just can't decide on which idea to ask, if it's ok with you could you please choose one you feel most likely to write for?

° Tattoo date to zuzu city

° some comfort after y/n stands in front of his door to stay for the night because their parents had fought again like everyday and needs some time away (romantic or platonic)

° y/n sees him backstage after the concert kissing penny, thinking they won't have a chance but turns out he doesn't like penny and that's all a misunderstanding (you can choose if it should involve smut or not)

° saving his crush (y/n, what a surprise) from her toxic relationship and showing her how much better he could treat her (also, fluff or smut

Sorry if it's a lot to choose from qwq I just have so many things I think would be nice to read about him qwq

I was so tempted to do the penny one but chose to do the toxic relationship prompt instead. I'm definitely gonna keep that penny idea in mind though. Thank you so much for your request I loved all of these ideas! hope you enjoy!!

Radiant

(Sam stardew valley x reader)

Leaving zuzu city was the best thing you could've done for yourself right? Or so you thought, a raging voice was leaking through your cellphones speaker. They were on another drunken stupor, crying and yelling for you to come back. To sell the farm house and just come back. Aren't they more important? Than your stupid fantasy of being able to live off the the land.

"You'll starve!" They said. "What's even out there that has you wanting to stay so bad? It's been a few months.....you probably met someone didn't you?" Before they could continue you interrupted them.

"I'm done. Call me tomorrow morning when you're not drunk." You flatly stated and hung up. You were sure you'd wake up to many angry texts tomorrow morning, followed by a string of apologies. Promising they'll never say those things again, they didn't know what they were thinking. They just miss you so much that it's hard to cope.

You laid down in bed and hugged your pillow tight. Curling into a ball around it, you reminisced on your situation. For the past few months, you'd be lying if you didn't admit your empty bed brought you comfort. After a few years of living with your partner you'd grown used to their arms holding you down as you slept, unable to toss or turn. There was no room to breathe, no space to stretch. But ever since living on the farm you'd grown accustomed to the freedom. More than just physically but mentally too. Regardless of this you still longed for their companionship.

Sometimes the emptiness of the farm house was too much, you supposed.

Silencing the swirling thoughts in your head you thought of someone sweeter. A radiant light that showed itself on a dark night.

You were sat at the pier near Willy's cabin staring into the depths of the ocean. You'd only lived in stardew valley for a week and you were already begging your significant other not to come pick you up. You'd already turned off your phone at that point and were gazing at waters moonlit surface. You were drowning in your thoughts when you met him.

Light steps etched closer before he sat next to you on the pier. He talked to you as if he'd known you for years.

"What's got you out here so late?" He asked as crossed one leg under the other. "Stargazing?"

"No.. the stars are beautiful tonight though." Your raspy voice answered. Pointing your attention to the sky, Sparkling little glimmers shined happily. Blissfully unaware of any and all earthly issues. He was silent for a moment before he spoke again.

"Are you ok? Wanna talk about it?" He questioned. You thought on it for a second. Who was this guy? Worrying over someone he's never met. Regardless you found yourself gravitating towards his kindness. Maybe he was someone you'd like to know.

"What's your name?" You countered with a different question, finally looking over at him.

"Sam. and you?" He said. A small smile shown as he took in your features. He couldn't help but wonder what got someone so cute upset like that. It was dark but he could still see the reflection of the tears on your cheeks in the moonlight. Though you were a stranger, it upset him. He wouldn't pry though.

"Y/n." You said as you rubbed your face dry. "What brings you here?" You asked genuinely curious why anyone else would be out so late.

"Well honestly I came out here and thought you were my friend sebastian at first." He said with a small laugh, hand bashfully behind his head. "I was gonna ask him for a cig but instead I saw a cute girl and thought I'd introduce myself." He winked pointing a finer gun at you before putting it away. You blushed at that but smiled none the less. Something you hadn't done that whole day.

"Well unfortunately I'm taken but I appreciate it." You softly stated. At the time you couldn't quite place why you felt dissatisfied with that statement.

He let out a 'aww' but still stayed in his spot next to you. "Unfortunately? That doesn't sound too good." He prodded.

"Yeah......things aren't too good at the moment. But every relationship has a few rough patches right?" You sighed. It was mostly a question for yourself honestly.

You picked up your phone and saw through the blinding light that it was 1am. Knowing you had to wake up early in the morning, you sadly had to say goodbye. "Sorry sam. It was nice meeting you but I have to go to bed soon. It was nice taking to you." You said as you got up and dusted off your pants. You gave a small wave and turned to leave only taking a few steps before getting stopped.

"Wait!" He yelled still seated. "You wanna hang out sometime?" He asked. The pleading look in his eyes was something you couldn't say no to.

"Sure, you free tomorrow morning?" You asked almost too eagerly. Sam silently cursed in his head. He had work tomorrow morning and his boss was already annoyed with him. But to hell with all that.

"Yeah I'm free."

You awoke from your slumber still glued to the pillow you had fallen asleep with. Getting up and untangling yourself from all your blankets, you were able to finally escape your mess of a mattress. You stretched and some of your bones popped from being still for so long. You groaned, you felt like you'd been asleep for days.

You made your way to the kitchen with a yawn and poured a glass of water. The drink successfully woke you up and you rubbed some of the drowsiness out of your eyes. Drink in hand, you went back to your bedroom to do the inevitable. Check your phone.

With a heavy sigh you unplugged it and dived deep into the various messages that had been sent throughout the night. As you had predicted most of them were from last night. Messages about how they just want the best for you. How they were hurt that you actively choose a dead dream over your relationship. But they love you and they're sorry for what they said. But what they said next made your heart race. And you didn't know if it was in a good way.

'Please y/n can you forget about everything? Just for tonight? I'm coming to visit you. I don't care about our problems anymore I want to see you, I miss you. I'll be there tonight.'

You texted them back that you needed time. You weren't going to just ignore everything now that they wanted you to. It'd been a while since their last visit but you were too upset to even fathom seeing them. They didn't reply.

After exiting the text, you opened up one from an hour ago from somene who knows how to cheer you up.

Sam wanted to know if you were free in a few hours so you could go with him to the beach. Jas and Vincent wanted to go play by the ocean and he wanted to know if you wanted to tag along so he wouldn't be bored. You smiled to yourself and texted him back.

'Of course! I'll see you in a bit, gotta take care of some things on the farm then I'll head that way.'

You threw your phone on the bed and changed into your outfit. After throwing on your shoes and successfully tying them up, you made your way outside. Forgetting your phone on the bed.

After feeding the chickens and watering the crops you felt much better. Something about doing little things on your farm were fulfilling to you. Putting your watering can back in its place you made your way to the beach, hoping he didn't wait too long for you to get there.

As you got closer to where he stood on the beach, you made sure to stay silent. Finally standing next to him, he jumped a bit when he noticed you before laughing nervously.

"Jeez! Do you like doing that? How are you so quiet all the time?" He asked placing a hand over his racing heart. You did like doing this. Who wouldn't like to see that face he makes?

"Sorry, it's just so easy sometimes." You laughed. He gave you playful glare before looking back out toward the kids. After confirming they were ok and still on beach he turned his attention back to you. The sun made his blond hair shine more than usual and you could see that some of it was actually bleached from so much exposure to it.

"So? Got anything planned today? You could come hang out at the saloon tonight if you want. Me, seb, and Abby are gonna play pool tonight. It'd be nice to have some good luck on my side." He said elbowing your arm lightly. You smiled and seriously thought about taking him up on the offer. Sadly the life of the farmer isn't as free as you'd originally thought.

"Sorry, I bought a bunch of seeds from Pierre's yesterday and didn't get around to planting them. I'll probably be tilling the land all day." You sighed, already anticipating how bad your arms would hurt tomorrow.

"Aww I can help! It can't be too complicated right?" He offered. He wasn't unually one to volunteer to do work but in his mind, any time with you is a good time.

"It's ok I wouldn't want to put you through that pain." You half joked. "Also you have work tomorrow, it's gonna suck stocking shelves with sore arms." He went to argue but you stopped him. "Really, it's ok. Go have fun tonight you have to hang out with your other friends too you know." You both laughed knowing the two of you have been stuck to the hip since you met.

"Alright alright, if you say so." He said playfully. He looked out into the distance once again noting jas and Vincent's locations before looking back at you. He also noted how beautiful you always looked without ever trying. You eyes were squinting at him in the sunlight before you brought up your hand to shield your eyes. The wind gently blew through your hair and the sound of your voice carried over the sound if the waves. You were just perfect to him, nothing less.

A few hours had passed and you two talked about different things. You inquired about his band and he happily told you in detail all his plans and how he's always dreamed of doing it. You felt like you could stay and speak with him for the rest of the day, but heard tiny footsteps quickly approaching.

"Sam!! Im hungry!" Vincent ran up and looked at him patiently waiting for an answer. Jas quietly laughed to herself.

"Yeah i guess im a little hungry too." He said looking at the time. His expression changed to slight panic before he put his phone away. "So uh... I gotta go, dinner was done an hour ago and mom is pissed, heh" He nervously laughed. "Come on kids! Let's go home!" He said as they both ran towards the exit of the beach.

"I'll see you later Sam. Tell the others I said hi!" You said referring to Sebastian and Abigail.

"I will! And good luck on the farm you're gonna need it." He gave a salute before running after the kids. You watched as they all disappeared past the trees separating the town and the beach. Your heart ached a bit. If only time didn't go by so fast.

As you made your way home you tried to calculate just how much you could get done before midnight. Visions of seeds and gold unraveled in your mind as you approached your property. As you stepped up the porch something didn't feel quite right. Your chickens didnt approach you like they unually did and you heard your tv on the other side of the door. You swore you turned it off. Scared but armed with various farming equipment you made the decision to enter your home.

A show played on the TV making the figure on your couch clear as day. It looks like your partner decided to come anyway.

"What are you doing here?" You asked as calmly as you could.

"Sorry I was already on the way over and you still hadn't texted me back, thought I'd wait here a bit longer before going to look for you." They said.

"That's not my point. I said I needed time." You stated firmly.

"Listen... y/n I'm sorry, I really am. I know I hurt you deeply and I just wanted to say sorry in person." They said, tear pricked their eyes but never leaked out. You felt kind of bad for them. "I won't talk about any of that..... I just wanted to see you again." They claimed. You were hesitant to accept their compromise but did none the less. With your guard still up you sat on your couch beside them.

"Are you hungry? I thought you'd be hungry by now so I made Alfredo." They said.

After not eating all day you gut made itself known with a loud growl. You frowned before getting up to make yourself a plate. Eating some of it on your way back to the couch you stomach finally stopped it's noises. "Thank you, it's really good."

"No problem, I already ate so eat as much as you want." They said before turning to watch the rest of the movie. And just like that, back to normal.

It was getting late and you could hear the rain on the roof. Thunder lightly rumbled out side and you were cuddled into your partners side. The TV had already played a few things and you were getting tired. You had planned to fall asleep in your spot on the couch before your partner spoke.

"Y/n. What do you like about this place?" They quietly asked. That instantly woke you up.

"I like plenty of things about it. This cabin, the land, the wildlife. The townspeople are nice. I love everything about it." You passionately expressed. Their brows furrowed at that.

"I don't understand. You can live in the city and still visit these places." They said. You were already tired and really didn't want to talk about this right now.

"What happened to not caring about our problems anymore?" You questioned. They were silent for a second before continuing.

"What happened to being together for the rest of our lives? You left me in the city!" Their words cut deep and sparked rage instantly.

"Why can't you just drop it! Why can't you see that I'm doing this for you too! Shouldn't you be happy for me? We're living in an economy where you end up paying thousands of dollars every year just to stay alive and now I have this opportunity and you just want me to throw it away!?! Why do you have to have everything your way all the damn time!" You yelled as you got up from the couch and crossed your arms.

"No! You're the one being selfish! We already had a life in the city that you uprooted for this stupid fucking dream of yours!" They screamed at you from the couch. "This is unrealistic! It's not sustainable! And just.... UGH it's fucked!!" They yelled standing just to punching the wall. Fortunately your house was sturdy and wouldn't get damaged so easy. You were already crying by the time they were done yelling, and after seeing your face it just made them angrier. You wanted to just curl up in your room in a ball like usual but you knew you couldn't this time. They'd just follow you.

You needed to leave.

You walked towards the door as they kept ranting.

"Where are you going!? It's raining and its midnight!" They yelled walking towards you.

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" You cried. They seemed to snap out of their angry haze and looked at you shocked. "I'm leaving until you get out of here. Go home!! Just leave me alone!" You screamed as you opened the door and slammed it. Cold wet wind immediately blew into your already tired body but the adrenaline allowed you to push through. Thunder clapped in the skies and sobs wracked through your body. There was only one place you could go this late. You'd hoped he'd still be up practicing on his guitar or something.

Mud squelched under your feet as your made your trek into town. Cold rain poured down on you and you could see the dull light of Sam's porch light coming into view. You knew his family was asleep so you went over to his window. Faint strums from a guitar lightly played behind the glass. You sighed in relief at the sound. You lightly knocked on the window and waited patiently. A few seconds passed before the blinds on the other side lifted. As soon as he saw it was you he opened up his window and helped you climb inside.

"You're drenched! Are you ok?" He bombarded you with questions. Your shivering form and puffy eyes were enough to give him some signs as to what had happened.

"No." You sighed as you sat on the floor in front of the window. Your exhaustion quickly caught up with you and the rain made your clothes feel ten pounds heavier. You brought your knees to your chest and wrapped your arms around them. Sam got a blanket off his bed and threw it over your shoulders before sitting next to you

"My partner was waiting for me at home today. I didnt have my phone so I had no idea." You said. "We had a fight the night before but they seemed to want to move past that so I let them stay. I should've just kicked them out. They're never going to understand what i do. What i want l, or who i want to be" You said, tears pricked your eyes. "I'm doing this for them too.... and all they do is call me stupid for it." You cried. "Why do they love to hate me?" You felt bad that you were dumping all this on your friend but you just wanted support. "My farm isn't some stupid dream i came up with on the fly."

A comforting hand rubbed your back as Sam held his tongue. There were only a few other times where you'd kinda let him in on what was really happening. But he'd heard enough to piece together that this person was an asshole. How could someone like that end up with someone as sweet as you.

"You're right. It's not some stupid dream, so why do you keep letting them tell you that?" He asked. Maybe that was a little too blunt. But he was tired of seeing you seeing you caught in their web, not even attempting to escape. You were silent. If anything that made you cry a bit harder. He immediately regretted what he said and rubbed your back a little harder out of stress.

But he's right, all the things they do happen becaue you let it. You never felt powerful enough to stop them, all you could ever do is run away.

"Because.... I'm scared." You confessed. "Whenever I want to say anything to them, something in the back of my head tells me not to. Like my premonition is telling me something bad will happen."

"Y/n.....that's terrible." He said. "You don't deserve that."

"I feel like I do." You replied. The comforting hand on your back stopped and instead moved to caress your cheek. You turned to look at him. He looked back with sad eyes. Almost as if he could cry with you.

"You don't." He said firmly. "You deserve someone who's going to support you no matter what. Someone who'll be there when you cry, even if it's something simple like stepping on your favorite flower." You smiled. You remembered that day. Rip Petunia. His thumb wiped the tears from underneath your swollen eyes. His touch was warm, and made your heart beat just a little faster.

"If only someone like that existed." You weakly laughed. He just looked at you. Debating if he was gonna say what he actually wanted to say. He felt like if he passed this opportunity up there'd be no second chances.

"He does, I'm right here." He confessed.

You were always ashamed when you gave in to his incessant flirting. Comments here and there, 'accidental' touches, wanting to be around each other all the time. Though you were in a relationship, the longer you were in stardew valley the more you realized how much your partner drained you. How much you longed for a real connection, someone who loved you.

"Really?" Was all you could utter, not conveying how happy you really were.

"Yeah, really." He confirmed. A scarlet hue started to take over his face but he was still serious. Something about the way he looked at you told you to trust him. There was a special bond between the two of you and you'd know it from the start. You just denied it. You wanted to cry again, knowing someone like him had been in your life for a while now. A supporter, a friend, and maybe, if you let him. Something more.

You didn't really know what to say. Your words wouldn't be able to convey how you felt so you just curled into his side. Taking in his warmth. His body was stiff but eased up after a second. His arm fell naturally on your shoulders and pulled you closer. You'd never felt so anxious around Sam as you did right now. Heart racing, cheeks hot. Alot of feelings you'd pushed down over the months had resurfaced in an instant.

"You're still drenched. Do you want some of my clothes? You're gonna freeze in here." He fretted. The question made you aware of just how cold and uncomfortable you were in your still wet clothes.

"That'd be nice." You smiled standing up from your spot. You left the cover on the floor and walked with Sam to his dresser. He handed you a t-shirt and a pair of basketball shorts and showed you where the restroom was.

You closed the door behind you and changed out of your muddy clothes. You washed off any mud you got on your body before putting on the nice clean clothes, you took a second to take in your state in the mirror. You've looked better. Your eyes were still red from crying so long and your hair got tangled in the harsh rain. You took a moment to run your fingers through your hair only being able to tame half of it. You left the restroom and headed back to Sam's room. Your hand rested above the door handle and you debated how you were going to ask him if you could stay the night. You couldn't go back home, not until tomorrow at least and there's no one else you were close enough with to ask. And besides. You wanted to stay, he made you feel safe. You were able to be vulnerable around him and you knew he'd never chastise you over it.

Entering the room you saw he'd already made a spot on the floor for himself. A few blankets and pillows positioned how he liked. You evaluated what was happening before you said something.

"Sam?" You looked at him laying on his makeshift bed. He smiled.

"Well, I didn't think you'd be going home tonight. It's storming outside and I wouldn't want you to go home anyway considering the situation." He said. Gesturing to his bed. "It's all yours, come lay down, I know you're tired." He concluded. You were slightly taken aback. He already anticipated you staying the night and was really sweet about it. You walked over and laid down in his bed. It was a different type of comfort. Different from your own bed, your always felt cold and empty. Comforting only because you weren't constricted by a possessive embrace. But in his it was almost like the bed could swallow you up. Various pillows and a giant cover made you feel like you were in a little nest. Safe and secure. You rolled on your side so you could look at Sam who met your gaze from the floor.

"Thank you.. you're doing alot for me tonight." You expressed your gratitude. He grinned.

"Your worth doing so much for." He said in a soft voice. It made your heart flutter.

With a content sigh you laid on your back and closed your eyes. You were absolutely exhausted. But no matter how long you kept your eyes closed sleep wouldn't come. Tiny recaps of your night kept playing over and over again, keeping you in your restless state. You shyly looked over at Sam's now sleeping figure and couldn't help but wonder if he'd be able to purge all your thoughts for you. As if he heard you in his dreams he woke up and caught your lingering gaze.

"You ok?" He yawned, rubbing one of his eyes. You were silently debating in your head if it was ok to ask if he could hold you. You knew he probably wouldn't mind, but you couldn't help but wonder if it broke any of his boundaries.

"Can you come here?" You asked. The dark room did well to hide the blush taking over your face. He was quiet but you could hear the sound of him getting up before he sat on the edge of the bed.

"You ok?" He asked you again, in slightly more worried tone this time.

"I will be, ....can you just hold me?...Sorry if thats weird to ask." You mumbled fingers fidgeting with hem of one of the pillows. He laughed.

"Sure weirdo, scoot over." He instructed as you moved closer to the wall. You didn't expect for him to actually climb into bed with you for some reason, and you didn't exactly know how to go about what you just asked for.

Luckily for you he wasn't so shy. After he made himself comfortable under the covers he pulled you into his chest. His chin rested on top of your head and his arm draped over you. When he held you it wasn't uncomfortable. His arms were loose and inviting, not the constriction you were used to. Yesterday, you would've never thought you'd end up here. Where you were meant to be.

"Thank you." You mumbled into his chest.

"No, thank you. For trusting me. From now on you don't have to worry about anything" He said planting a kiss on your head. "I'll make it all better." He whispered. The intimacy of his voice in your ear really did make those words stick in your mind. You wrapped your arm around his torso, ready to fully embrace his warmth. As you drifted off into a peaceful slumber you thanked the world for giving you Sam.

A radiant light that you were lucky enough to see.

#x reader #stardew valley #stardew valley x reader #sam stardew valley #sam stardew valley x reader #sam x reader

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echoingalaxies · 9 months

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Word count: 1302

Content: whumpee x caretaker, past captivity, cold whump, gentle caretaker, recovery

“I can’t. I can’t do this.”

Whumpee had barely crossed the doorstep, and was already shivering from head to toe, despite being dressed in layers of sweaters and a winter coat, as well as high, padded boots.

Caretaker, dressed equally warm, already stood several metres away, in the middle of the path they’d shovelled in the snow earlier.

“Oh,” Caretaker said, and Whumpee couldn’t ignore the hint of disappointment in their voice. “We don’t have to go far or stay long…”

Whumpee bit their cheek. They looked up from Caretaker at the dark, cloudless sky, scattered with stars. How they wished they could just suck it up and follow Caretaker. They really wanted to go. They wanted nothing more.

But then another gust of wind blew on their face, making Whumpee wince and take a step back. Too cold. Way too cold.

“No, Caretaker, please,” they pleaded. “I’m sorry. I know I said I could, but I can’t.”

Caretaker frowned slightly. Before Whumpee had gotten kidnapped, one of their favourite ways to spend time together had been stargazing. They’d walk to a clearing in the forest nearby them, lie down and admire the sky. They’d bet on who would spot the most shooting stars. They’d share their secrets with the sky. They had even purchased a telescope a year back.

After coming back home mere weeks ago, Caretaker found Whumpee had become completely incapable of dealing with cold. Whumpee told them about being kept outside in the freezing November rain and December snowfalls, forced to sleep in an old little shed, a single layer of thin clothes as their only protection against the cold. Caretaker couldn’t begin to imagine what it must have been like. They couldn’t understand how it must’ve felt for Whumpee every time they had to go outside now. Whumpee themselves had suggested they’d try to go outside, but clearly it was still too much.

“Okay,” Caretaker said gently, walking towards the door. “It’s okay. Let’s go back inside.”

“You can still go alone if you want…”

“I don’t want to go alone.” Caretaker smiled at them reassuringly. “It’s okay. We’ve got our whole lives ahead to do it again.”

Whumpee was quiet as they took off their outdoor clothes. They knew how excited Caretaker had gotten when they’d suggested they'd go stargazing again. They felt so guilty for taking that away from them. They should’ve tried harder.

“Maybe… maybe in a few months when it’s not so cold anymore,” Whumpee said, as they curled on a sofa with Caretaker, wrapping a fluffy blanket over their shoulders. “Though by then the nights aren’t so dark and we can’t see the stars. So… I’m sorry for ruining this.”

“Shush now. You haven’t ruined anything.” Caretaker nudged them with their foot. “The stars will always be there. They’ll wait for us as long as needed.”

The sofa was a place of comfort and security for Whumpee. After a couple months of sleeping on hard ground in the shed, resting on something so soft felt heavenly.

That was where they sat a week later, watching the snowfall from the window, waiting for Caretaker to come home from the mall. They perched up when they saw a familiar car park in front of the house.

“Hey, Whumpee,” Caretaker said, carrying grocery bags in both hands. “Are you doing okay?”

Whumpee nodded, leaning their chin on the backrest of the sofa. “Do you need help?”

“Actually, yeah, come here. I’ve got something for you.”

Whumpee blinked. “What?”

“I got you a gift. Come on.” Caretaker shook one of the bags they were carrying. It seemed to have some kind of large box inside. Whumpee climbed over the backrest and approached Caretaker, feeling somewhat suspicious. A gift? For them? They hadn’t done anything to deserve a gift…

Whumpee picked up the bag with the box inside and carried it to the kitchen as Caretaker untied and kicked off their shoes, soon following with the other bag. Whumpee had pulled out the box. It wasn’t very heavy. It was a plain cardboard one, and it didn’t say what was inside. Whumpee looked up at Caretaker, who was leaning their elbows on the kitchen table, watching Whumpee with a smile on their face.

“It’s not my birthday,” Whumpee said. Caretaker laughed.

“Does it need to be?”

“...It’s a gift.”

“I just wanted to get you a gift. Come on, open it, I wanna see how you like it.”

Whumpee ripped open the box carefully, not wanting to damage whatever was inside. They could soon see it was some sort of machine resting in the middle of the box between styrofoam blocks. From the corner of their eye, Whumpee could see Caretaker watching their every move. They kept ripping away pieces of cardboard, and soon they could carefully pick up the machine for a closer inspection.

“It’s… um…” Whumpee wasn’t sure. The machine was round, and had some sort of silvery ball on the top, reminding Whumpee of a disco ball. They turned the machine around in their hands, trying to figure it out, but Caretaker was too excited to wait so long.

“A galaxy projector,” Caretaker said. Their voice was filled with pride, and when Whumpee looked up at them, the smile on their face had grown even wider. “Since you can’t go stargazing outside — and I know you’re sad about it — I thought we’d bring the stars to us.”

Whumpee blushed. “Oh,” They said. They set the projector on the table, just staring at it until tears began burning their eyes and they had to look away. They were feeling many emotions at once, and didn’t know which ones to show or let guide their reactions. Caretaker’s smile was quickly fading at the sight of Whumpee’s tears.

“Oh no, are you okay?”

Whumpee nodded rapidly, wiping their eyes. Caretaker was too kind. Too thoughtful.

“It’s… I really… You didn’t have to.”

Caretaker picked up the projector. “I wanted to. Would you like to try it?”

Whumpee nodded again.

They went to their bedroom. Whumpee crawled on the bed, diving under their many blankets while Caretaker prepared everything. They pulled the curtains shut and set up the projector on a chest at the foot of their bed. They plugged it in, but didn’t turn it on yet. They went to the lightswitch to turn off the lights, and joined Whumpee in bed in the darkness.

“Are you ready?”

“Yeah.”

As soon as the word was out of their mouth, the room lit up in purple and blue light, and Whumpee gasped. Little white dots were travelling across the ceiling and walls. Caretaker was pointing at the projector with a little remote Whumpee hadn’t even noticed before.

“It’s got a few different light settings,” Caretaker said, handing the remote to Whumpee. “If you want to try it out.”

Whumpee accepted the remote, but didn’t press on anything yet. They leaned their head on Caretaker’s shoulder, and together they watched the stars dancing across the room. It wasn’t realistic in any way, but in some way even more captivating than looking at the sky. The stars being so close, in such an intimate, safe space, made the experience feel very different from regular stargazing, but not any less magical.

“Do you like it?”

Whumpee turned their head, meeting Caretaker’s eyes. No one had ever done things for them in a way Caretaker did. They still felt like they didn’t deserve any of it, but they knew Caretaker somehow thought they were worth the world.

They thought the same of Caretaker. They would be happy spending an eternity with them under these beautiful lights.

“I love it so much,” Whumpee whispered. They snuggled closer to Caretaker, feeling so warm and comfortable next to them. So content and grateful. “Thank you.”

#whump #whump writing #whump fic #past captivity #recovery #aftermath #caretaker x whumpee #whumpee x caretaker #cold whump #gentle caretaker #whumpblr #writing #writeblr

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obeyme-lost-thought · 1 year

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Mc×Brothers Angst: I thought of them

Attention! Spoiler for lesson 11 in Nightbringer

Sorry Solomon stans, but that what I thought while playing lessons 11.

I'm not sure it's an angst, but I count it as an one.

________________________________

As Solomon asked me to, in case of a conflict between 3 realms, to take part with humans.

I wasn't able to answer. Not because he wanted me to swear -uture me tell that's not a problem , but for the thought that pop-up in my mind.

In case of a conflict, which part would I take?

The answer wasn't what I expected. I'm a human, I should help humanity. Still... I thought about them.

I thought of Lucifer. I thought of when he wake me up if I'm late, or let me sleep more and skip Rad if the night before I went to bed late for something important. I thought of all the times he helped me with homework if Satan was busy, or the long talks made on the way to the Castel when Diavolo calls both. Or now, in the past, as we are babysitting the other, even if he try to hide his help.

I thought of Mammon. I thought of him always coming in my dark moments even if I don't call him. I thought of all the stupid things made together. I thought of him never taking my things for sell them, even if he said that he would do it. Or as he took my side here in the past, even if it didn't pass a lot of time.

I thought of Leviathan. I thought of the night spent gaming or him waiting to play something that interested me if I wasn't there. I thought of all the times he gave me a powerbank if I forgot my at home and my DDD was dying. Or as he finds in me a sort of comfort even in a sad situation like the one they are here, in this Devildom.

I thought of Satan. I thought of all the help he gave me for school or the fact that he always lends me a book. I thought of him controlling more his anger if I'm near or as he gets angry for me even if i don't. I thought of as I become his safe place both in past and future.

I thought of Asmodeus. I thought of as he always do my nails and help me to pick my clothes. As he try to make my smile if I'm sad or make everyone hate someone who went against me. I thought of him asking always my help for try the new trend that he found on social. I thought of him taking of his mask when he's with me because he doesn't feel the need to be perfect, even a little here in the past.

I thought of Beelzebub. I thought of him trying to not eat form my plate. Of him carrying my schoolbag on the way of RAD. Of him worrying of my health and make me do some exercise. I thought of when I'm on cooking turn and he come to eat a snack, for than stay with me. I thought of all the dates we had going to the newest restaurant or as he take me with him to explore the one of the past, even if I already knows them.

I thought of Belphagor. I thought of the times spent stargazing while talking of nothing and end up sleeping on the ground. Of all the naps that we took or as he lured me in to take a break if he saw that I worked a lot. I thought of him always walking on eggs with me after what he had done, never speaking to me first and waiting for my forgiveness, the only one he had ever wanted in his life. I also thought of the him of the past that talked to me first about Lillith, a taboo for them in this period.

I thought of them, of all the memories that we had.

Oh... how funny. Have I just became another lost puppy under Lucifer's protection ? In cafe of conflict, would I actually go against them ?

Maybe I already chose which part take, a lot of time ago.

That crazy and strange family become my home and I would always take their side. Not with Devildom, but with them.

Be Diavolo, God, Humanity, I just became someone who would follow them, against everyone.

I'm lucky that I didn't answer to Solomon, because what I would have said wasn't something he would have liked.

Even if now, I have to face the anger of ones who I would give my life.

________________________________

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astranite · 5 months

Text

Stargazing

Sky and star!! Scott and John!!! Stargazing, honest talks on rooftops, some tears, and many hugs.

The tags copied from ao3 because Im pretty much too tired to see straight but I just finished this and Ive been working on it for a while now and here it is!!! Im very proud of it :)--Hurt/Comfort Angst Fluff its got all of them Stargazing which you just may have guessed given the title Hugs Crying Panic Attacks Self-Esteem Issues Scott's having a bit of a time of it and so is John but they've got each other there is much hugging and hot chocolate too and definitely some ADHD Scott and autistic John

Comes in at a scraping under 6000 words, so a nice long one!!

@idontknowreallywhy Thank you for all of your encouragement along the way. I doubt this would be what it is without you. Hugs :)

A headcanon in it, which you shall see, I believe originated from a fic by @edutainer2022 Sometime in 2023. The depths of tumblr. (cites sources)

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A thump followed by multilingual cussing out of the very concept of gravity were not uncommon sounds when John was earth side. Scott still looked up from his paper work in concern.

John was juggling a telescope, a blanket over his shoulder and his satchel while attempting to pick up several books. Massive, heavy astronomy books splayed out on the floor around his feet.

He swayed, nearly losing his balance and dropping the telescope at the same time. Scott leapt up to help. He crossed the comms room from dad’s desk to where John was in quick strides to get to his brother, worry blooming.

John straightened up when Scott reached his side, his brows pinched and face pale.

“Johnny, are you okay?” Scott questioned. He needed to know whether this was just a momentary thing or he needed to call Grandma and/or Virgil. He’d rather not have John fainting on him.

“I’m fine, just a bit dizzy.” John said, “Probably my blood pressure from leaning down too fast.“

Scott let out a relieved breath. John’s space-related health issues weren’t uncommon to be dealing with but Scott hated to see any of his brothers potentially sick or hurting. At least without a mission in the way, Scott could trust John was being truthful and not pushing past his limits.

“And don’t call me Johnny,” John added in disgust.

So John was just fine, with that level of vitriol. Just as it should be.

“Good to hear.” Scott put on a shit eating grin. “Johnny.”

It was his big brotherly duty to be infuriating, at least now his concerns had been allayed.

“Fuck you,” John said good naturedly.

Scott gathered the books up. John paused, hesitated, then stepped back to let him.

With both hands still full, John leant against the wall for support, eyes half closed and head tipped back.

On the biggest book, ‘ Dr J. G. Tracy’ was written across the planet pictured on the purple cover, followed by the extensive list of letters standing in for qualifications after John’s name. Scott smiled proudly to himself.

When he had them all, and they were heavy, how had John managed them with everything else, Scott reached out to take the blanket too, which was slowly but surely sliding from John’s grip.

“Thanks Scott. I thought I had it but—“ John gave floor where the former pile had been a glare.

“Gravity?” Scott smiled.

John rolled his eyes. “Yeah.”

Scott shifted the books up in his arms. “Now where do you want this all?”

Since he was carrying them already, he may as well help John the rest of the way. It was easier, honestly, he wasn’t just being a smotherhen.

“Uh. I was planning to go to the roof,” John admitted sheepishly.

Scott nudged him gently. “I should’ve guessed.”

Long ago, Scott had gotten used to how John took every possible opportunity to see the stars. He’d thought the constant fixtures of their childhood would disappear when John made his dream of living in space, but they’d stayed. The telescopes from John’s bedroom window, the expeditions to every nearby and not so nearby observatory, lying outside on picnic blankets waiting for meteor showers.

Turns out stargazing, even on earth, was just a part of who John was. The stars were constant in his universe and Scott loved how his brother loved them so much.

At night, out on the roof was always the first place Scott looked for John. In the day, so many times Scott had found John in his room, staring at the plastic glow-in-the-dark stars stuck to the ceiling. Scott had helped him put up the first set, way back in Kansas when John was shorter than him because he hadn't been to space yet, and couldn’t reach even standing on a chair. When they moved to the island, the first thing John decorated his room with were more stars here too. Sometimes, when John was up on Five for long stretches, Scott would go sit beneath them, surrounded by John’s shelves of paper books and looking upwards.

They made their way out now, Scott matching John’s cautious footsteps, slow and unsteady. The balance issues from constantly being in space were worse when John was fresh down for orbit, though they never truly went away. It worried Scott, when he thought too much about it, but Thunderbird Five was never something he could take from John without breaking his heart. So Scott was always happy to slow down, to let John take his time to feel his way along, whenever he needed to. For his brother, Scott could take it slow.

The door to the roof and the wide, flat expanse were both very deliberate in their design. Having their own observatory wasn't going to stop one space brother or two from sitting up there.

Passing from the warmly lit villa into the night was sudden and jarring. Scott realised he hadn’t been outside of a building or a cockpit for too long. He took a breath, filling his lungs with cool ocean air. The clear view and barely there breeze would make landing a dream if he was flying.

Stars covered the sky, spread horizon to horizon. John stared up at them with open delight. He placed his telescope and bag down on the roof, then stretched out his arms as if to touch the inky purple expanse above them. When John glanced back at him, Scott repeated the gesture because this was something he understood. On a perfect blue day, as the sun shone, burning away the last whisps of white clouds, the skies pulled him in with the urge to be amongst it all. That was why he flew and John launched into space.

Scott spread the blanket out next to where the roof slanted sharply upwards, so they’d have shelter and were far away from the edge. He put the books down on a corner, preoccupying himself with neatly stacking them. John dropped to sit cross legged, immediately beginning to set up his telescope.

Scott lingered watching him as he attached it to its stand, screwing it securely in place. Long minutes passed while John fiddled with various knobs and dials. Scott knew he had a million other things he should be doing, the paperwork lurking at his desk to name one example, but he couldn’t bring himself to leave.

John wouldn’t want him here. He’d enjoy his evening far more without his older brother breathing down his neck. Scott should go. He made an awkward gesture at the door back off the roof, but made no movement towards it. He was probably driving John crazy just by being here, distracting him from his stars with his indecisiveness.

Shuffling the books around had already been a thin excuse once and messing with them more would be pushing it too far, no matter how the volume second from the bottom was botheringly skewed. He clenched his fists, nails digging into his palms to resist straightening it. He was already pushing it too far.

Scott forced himself up, made it halfway to his feet when John pulled himself away from his telescope. His breath caught when John opened his mouth to speak.

Scott knew he was overly clingy.

The times people had called him suffocating stung. They still stung, even when he knew they were words hurled in anger and not truly meant. He couldn’t stand to hear more, because surely that’s what John was going to say. Maybe more diplomatically, more politely, but he braced himself anyway.

“Do you want to look at the stars with me?” John asked.

Scott’s mouth was glued shut. He just stared at John.

“It’s fine if you don’t.” John glanced down at his hands, now in his lap instead of on the telescope, fidgeting with his sleeves. “I just… We haven’t spent time together for ages.”

“What— what about last week?” Scott managed. John had been down last week, they’d seen each other last week.

“That was with everyone,” John said softly. “I meant just us.”

Oh. So John wanted— John wanted him to stay?

Scott tentatively settled to sit on the blanket, next to John. He couldn’t not. If there was the slightest chance John wanted him here, he couldn’t not take and take and take. But he had to believe John, in John’s words and soft, unsure tone of voice. That John knew what he was asking for and was saying it because he wanted this too.

After so many rescues and times in his life where John’s voice was his anchor at the end of a comm line, it was second nature to believe John. Maybe the waver in his voice was because he had trouble asking for this too.

Their knees bumped and John gave him a small smile.

Slowly, Scott unwound, letting out a breath and relaxing every muscle he’d tensed up. He leant back, bracing his hands behind him to look once more to the sky. The stars and moon seemed brighter now. What John was searching for up there, Scott didn't know, but he’d be here as he did, with John’s calm presence by his side.

He listened to the brushing of the breeze through the trees and the rushing whisper of sea against the shores, interspersed with the fluttering of paper as John turned the pages of his books.

John didn't need to reference his books to point his telescope at the right bit of sky, but he always brought them anyway. It was part of the routine, the ritual, a familiar comfort too weighty to bring to space. Flicking through pages of calculations, hands on the well worn covers, opening them where they fell, because they’d been read so many times before. It was another night, like this one but a long while ago, shared together when John had told him that was why he had them, connected all the way back to memories of John as a kid with mum’s astronomy textbooks, reading them by torchlight. For Scott, there was something reassuring about John surrounded by his books and his stars, his brother as he always was and was meant to be. It wasn't silly, he’d told John, that he brought old fashioned print books instead of even just a tablet, when they made John happy.

Tonight, without the usual jets coming and going, and people hustling to emergency alarms, the island was quiet. Calm, even.

Alan and Gordon were up on Thunderbird Five. Alan because he needed more training before he was prepared to run the station solo, and Gordon, who’d good naturedly volunteered to partner up, given John had long exceed his space hours this month. How it was going was anyone’s guess, particularly for Gordon’s mood, when Alan was likely using his temporary commanding status to full extent in bossing around his big brother. Scott snorted.

John turned to him at the sound. “What’s up? What is it?”

“Thinking of how Allie and Gordo are doing,” Scott replied. He relayed his thoughts about their younger brothers.

The corners of John’s lips turned up. “Eos is likely more trouble, even with the talking to I gave her.”

John’s code baby slash evil AI was thankfully now into causing the inconvenient type of mischief instead of the life threatening. She could be almost sweet when she’d gotten over the murderous tendencies and Scott got to know her better. He could definitely see the John in her.

“They’ll be just fine. Might even learn a few things.” Scott had faith in his brothers’ abilities, and in the restorative properties of the celery crunch bars he’d put in the care package for Gordon.

The conversation lulled for a moment as John refocused on his telescope, before John chipped in, “Do you reckon Virgil’s figured out his masterpiece yet?”

A paint covered Virgil had been briefly coaxed out of his studio earlier in the evening with the promise of dinner. He’d made distracted conversation with Scott and John, mind clearly still elsewhere, before shovelling the last mouthfuls of food in his mouth and running off.

Virgil hadn’t noticed the streak of violet across his forehead, emphasised by the expression he made, all raised eyebrows and gleeful realisation, when the new idea struck. To be fair, neither Scott nor John had chosen to point it out to him. He’d either see it eventually or he wouldn’t, and time would tell how many other colours joined it.

But a Virgil in his art zone, with music coming from beneath his door, was a happy one. Reassuring for Scott too, after the weeks and months and rescues they’d all had.

“He’s all good,” Scott said fondly.

John echoed it with a wider smile, both of their minds on their artsy brother in the house below.

“So, what are you searching for tonight?” Scott gestured to the sky and the telescope in a sweeping movement.

John startled. He paused to consider then asked, “Does that mean you actually want the whole version or just the five second summary?”

“Hit me with all of it,” Scott said. He was rewarded by John’s face lighting up.

John’s excitement as he explained his star stuff was contagious. Scott found himself grinning. The way John flickered his hands through the air, sketching out astronomical diagrams, was mesmerising, and the way he pulled facts and figures off the top of his head was astounding.

When he showed Scott the contents of his books, Scott barely knew where to start with the calculations, because this was John’s area, not his own field of mathematics. Half the concepts went over his head until John explained them, bit by bit.

Scott asked questions, because it had been a while since he’d looked to the stars and he was rusty on most of the finer points other than those used for emergency navigation. John was more than happy to answer them.

They bounced questions and answers back and forth; John got to talk about his stars and Scott got to listen to his brother’s joyous excitement which he hadn’t heard for far too long. He reminded himself to call John up more often, even if it was just on the holo, to listen to him ramble about his latest research.

“You wanna see?” John asked. “The telescope is set up and tonight’s has the best conditions there will be.”

Handling any of John’s telescopes was usually a privilege reserved for a very careful Alan. Several childhood instances of toppled stands leading to cracked lenses had instituted the rule of no brothers allowed anywhere near touching range. Or, Scott cringed to think about, amateur soccer range.

When Scott agreed, John flashed a rare grin, delighted to share the stars with him.

The stars weren’t Scott’s domain the way they were for John. Both of them loved the sky but the difference was the distance. Scott much preferred to remain within the atmosphere, outside of it wasn't for him. But the sky was for them both. Him and John, who were the first ones to love it, before any of the others came along.

Scott looked through telescope to see what John sees.

It was… he could only describe it as beautiful. Bright pinpricks of light forming their constellations against navy sky. The planets and the stars seen from their own tiny planet in the galaxy. All brought closer by the telescope than he could see with his eyes, brought closer by sharing this moment with John.

When Scott pulled himself away from the telescope, John was watching him in nervous anticipation, twisting his hands in his lap.

“So, what did you think?”

“They’re amazing John, thank you for showing me.” Scott poured all his honest wonder into the words.

John looked up. “They really are.”

“I missed you,” Scott blurted out.

Immediately, he wanted to take the words back. What made him admit it, even on the solitary rooftop where no one could overhear them? Not because they weren’t true, it was always going to be true that he missed John when he was away. But usually that was something he kept close to his chest, an ache curled around his heart. His family spent plenty of time with him, even John, they just… hadn’t lately, that was all. He was being needy, asking for too much and wanting more, more, more after people already gave.

He swallowed back the lump in his throat. The stars were blurry as he looked away.

Scott flinched when John gently took his hands in his own.

John squeezed his hands, slender fingers wrapping around Scott’s as he automatically squeezed back.

Gripping John’s hands, holding onto him, was a lifeline built up over years and years. So deeply ingrained in who they were that it could pierce through Scott’s racing, sharp edged thoughts.

Looking back, him and John holding hands had started when they were kids. The first time he remembered was on a trip to an aeronautical museum, with Mum telling them they had to stick together, to hold hands and not let go. Because as a kid, John would wander off out of curiosity and get left behind when he slowed down to read all of the informational signs. It had happened many times before. In hindsight, Mum was probably trying to keep Scott from running around and climbing everything too, by recruiting him for big brother duty.

Later the gesture was an anchor for John, to lead him out of overwhelming situations, where Scott could see him shrinking in on himself at every sound that made him want to press his hands over his ears but he couldn't for appearances sake.

For Scott, when he’s falling apart too. For John to pull him aside with a polite excuse, then away from old guard board members at Tracy Industries meetings, and out of the surveillance of crowds and reporters alike at the awful high society galas PR made it necessary to attend. Away from where people wanted, no expected, Jeff Tracy and all they got was his son, and the cordial smiles of how much he resembled his father tore Scott as deeply as the thinly veiled whispers of how much he didn’t, and he couldn't keep it up any longer.

And right now, he was falling apart, in a different place for different reasons but the chunks of his careful facade of fine fine fine are breaking off and clattering to the ground. John bears witness to it, within touching distance, within the blast radius, instead of a million miles away.

Scott could blame his emotionalness on exhaustion. On too many caffeine fuelled late nights bleeding into early mornings this week. On hard rescues in poor conditions. Anything instead of this boiling hurt that builds and builds.

He blinked quickly, his tears stuck to his eyelashes, hot and stinging as they welled up. He tipped his head back in hopes he could keep them from running down his face.

If he let go of John’s hands, he could wipe them away, and he and John could both pretend they were never there. But he couldn’t let go of John.

There was no way to hide his tears from John.

Scott hunched his shoulders. He closed his eyes. He still didn’t want to know what John really thought of him.

John’s hands gripping his own were the only point of reference he had. Scott was failure after failure, drowning in them, and John was too clever not to realise it soon enough.

“I missed you too.” John entwined his fingers with Scott’s before he could pull away.

The urge to tug his hands back, to take them away from John, whether in shock, or surprise or disbelief because the voice inside his head screamed he’s lying, he’s lying. Or so John couldn't pull away first, because he would, it was only a matter of time. It was always just a matter of time until everyone found out how messed up he was. Then—

Scott didn’t know anymore. He shuddered, curling in on himself, making himself smaller, making himself less of, of everything that he was.

But John was still there. Gently holding his hands. Not letting go.

Even as Scott felt tears dripping from his chin, the tracks burning down his face. Even as he shook, heart pounding, breaths catching loud and raspy, shattering the quiet of the night.

But why, but why but why would John miss him? The thoughts whirled, as cutting as blizzard ice, through his head. And mumbled aloud, falling unbidden from his lips, they were just as awful, the same slicing edges, now out where they could harm.

John’s voice washed over him, quiet, soft words he couldn't make out. They were buried beneath the howling thoughts.

But why?

There was no reason.

No reason at all.

Nothing was left in the dark, but Scott’s worst fears, tearing him apart with no up or down or direction, his own avalanche eating him alive.

Then something broke through. Reached out into the dark to rescue him. John squeezed his hands, pulling him out of the snow, never letting him go.

And John’s voice was gentle, filtering back in like a lost radio connection.

“Because there are as many reasons we all love you as there are stars in the sky.”

“As many reasons as stars I have yet to discover.”

“More reasons than all the stars, in all the universe, that ever were or ever will be.”

John paused for a moment, taking in a breath. “Because you’re Scott.”

Slowly, Scott opened his eyes. John was close, a blur of pale face and red hair that swam into focus as he blinked. Wide, earnest turquoise eyes that saw right through him.

Heartbroken was far too easy an expression to recognise on John, not when you knew him. But so was love. His expression was a mixture of both Scott wasn’t sure what to do with.

He stared until something jagged lodged in his chest and he forced himself to look away.

To the stars. Then down at their interlocked hands, where his own still trembled.

He watched as John’s fingers tightened briefly. His vision blurred.

“You back with me?” John asked. The same tone he’d heard him use over comms on scared rescuees and brothers alike, but now without the static.

Scott nodded slowly. He wasn’t sure he could make his voice work.

Somehow, John understood. Somehow John understood him and that hadn’t sent him running.

“You want to take a few deeps breaths, and then we can talk?”

He nodded again, listening for John’s count. He pushed his thoughts towards the back of his mind as hard as he could.

He tried, to time his inhales and exhales to John’s voice, he really did.

But his chest hitched, sobs tearing from his throat on every breath.

He couldn’t do it, he couldn’t do it.

He couldn't even breathe calmly, not even with John counting for him, John was wasting his time.

Except John said, “Scott, Scotty. Listen to me. However long it takes, it’s okay. I’m here.”

Scott was still crying, and this wasn't how the evening was supposed to go. John was meant to be watching his stars, not having to hold Scott’s broken mess together.

Scott probably wasn't meant to be here at all. He was meant to be doing mission reports, he should have stayed doing mission reports. Reliving awful memories of wrenching metal and screams to put lives saved and lost into official sounding sentences, at least would’ve only hurt him.

It took far too long for his sobs to lose their edge.

Too long to get his breathing back to shaky hiccups instead of hyperventilating.

For him to be left exhausted, with tears still flowing that nothing he could do would stop.

Over and over, John repeated, “You’re okay, we’re okay,” and, “I’m here.”

Because he was still here, with Scott, and he wasn't leaving.

And maybe that meant something.

Scott couldn’t hide his tears from John, but maybe he didn't have to. Not when John was so close, not when he cared. Because John still had his hands in his own. Because John showed him the stars that were his entire world. Everything said he cared about Scott, no matter what he did.

“Would you like a hug?” John asked.

The contact would be nice. But whether John wanted a hug, when he so often kept himself far apart. Scott shook his head then nodded. He didn’t know. He could barely think in the come down from his emotions.

But he didn’t have to figure it out as John pulled him close.

Their hands were pinned awkwardly between them because Scott still couldn’t let go, but he leant into John, tucking his face into John’s neck, hidden from sight.

John was wearing a navy blue hoodie which had gone through several brothers and might once have been Scott’s own, given the peeling aeroplane decal, but it was difficult to tell beneath the paint stains.

The soft fabric soaked up his tears. Eventually he let one hand go, carefully, bit by bit and John wrapped his arm securely around him.

Okay, he was okay. John was here. He just had to keep telling himself that.

John didn’t pull away to ask, “Do you want to tell me what happened there?” He just spoke quietly, chin still resting on top of Scott’s head where he was curled around him.

Scott swallowed. “Not particularly.”

“Is that because you actually don’t want to or because you think you’re fine.”

Scott shook his head. Even he had enough awareness to know he wasn’t entirely fine right now. Not with tear tracks barely dry on his cheeks. Or clutching John like his world would fall apart otherwise because something inside him told him it would.

“It’s I don’t know what you’ll think of me,” he mumbled into John’s hoodie.

John’s arm tightened around him. He whispered, “Oh, Scott.”

Scott tensed up.

“I’m not going to be upset with you, no matter what you’re feeling,” John added, quickly, tripping over his words to reassure Scott.

“Promise?” Scott asked, stupidly, childishly, because he couldn't help it even though it wasn't something John could promise.

“I promise,” John said solemnly.

The words, their words, went all the way back to their childhood, of Scott gripping John’s hands, making him promise not to tell mum and dad where Scott’s super secret fort was built in the backyard. John had never broken one of their promises. Not even as they got older and it was a teenaged Scott crying his heart out in the far too tiny tree house, because he didn't want dad to see him getting upset over little things like trying hold their family together and looking after his siblings.

Their exchange soldified something between them. Their bond that had always been there and maybe he could believe always would be there. It let Scott lower his walls inch by inch, until he found the courage to speak, even if it was barely audible and he still wasn't looking at John.

“It’s fine. It’s just… You never seem to want to spend time with me anymore,” he admitted.

“Of course I want to spent time with you,” John stated gently, “Why would I not?”

Scott choked on bitter laughter. “Why would you want to?”

He felt the moment John’s breath caught. How John hugged him close, pressing Scott to his chest.

“Scotty,” John asked apprehensively, the childhood nickname coming out for the second time tonight, “Is this really how you think of yourself?”

Scott shrugged against John. “What does it matter.”

John’s voice was thick, “It matters because somehow you’ve got it in your head that there’s no reason I’d miss you, and that’s not true and never will be true. It’s so, so not true.”

“When you’re earthside, you still spend all your time with the others,” he muttered in ugly, hurt words.

The sharp intake of breath from John was another regret.

Scott was torn between running where he’d never hurt John again and holding him closer.

As he pulled away, John’s hand still in his own brought him back. John always brought him back. So he clung on to John too, and starlight glinted from both their tears.

He held on, and they were both shaking now.

John’s “I’m sorry—I’msorrysosorry—’msosorryScotty,” was distressed and near silent.

“But why?” Butwhybutwhybutwhy?

“I thought you wouldn't want to star gaze with me!” John burst out.

It was Scott’s turn to squeeze John’s hand. To have John’s trembling fingers gripping back.

Scott swallowed hard. This was on him. He’d upset John. His own fresh tears cooled on his face, the sea breeze picking up to give them freezing bite. Scott had failed. Like he always did. But this was at the one thing that mattered above all others, of keeping his brothers safe and happy.

Guilt laced John’s voice, heavy and suffocating. “Alan loves space nearly as much as I do, so I try to take him out whenever I can. Virgil will draw anything whether or not it sits still for long enough and he wanted to try painting the sky with watercolours.”

Scott almost didn't want to ask, “What what about Gordon?” Because why was it just not him?

He heard John sniffle. “We usually sit near the beach. Gordy watches the waves and I watch the stars. Then he wanted to know about the stars because apparently they look kinda like the constellations of bioluminescence in the deep sea.” John’s words got stuck and he choked out, “I’m so sorry Scott.”

“It’s— it’s fine,” Scott said, effect ruined by the break in his voice. By how he couldn’t let go of John’s hand, even as he felt more tears trickling down his cheeks. “You don’t need to worry, just spend your time with the others, I know you don’t get much.”

He wouldn't want to hang out with himself if he had a choice about it.

John pulled his face away from where it was tucked in the crook of Scott’s neck. He still didn't look at Scott.

“I know you don’t want to spend time with me,” John said in a small, wet voice, “I’m boring. All I can talk about is astronomy and most normal people don’t care about it. I’m just weird and wobbly and awkward.”

“John—” Scott tried.

“When I’m not in space, I only slow you down,” John continued.

“Johnny!”

That got John’s attention. “What,” he snapped.

“I do want to spent time with you,” Scott said, “Of course I do, I always do.”

“But I didn’t really know. Most people don’t like me,” John stated, far too matter of fact.

That hit Scott like a punch to the gut. “You’re just like me,” he whispered.

Something he didn't want for any of his brothers.

“You feel like this too,” John whispered back, low so not even the stars could hear them.

Like they were both back in that tree house, amongst their old promises. Tangled together because that was the only way they would both fit now they weren’t children anymore. All lanky limbs, knees and elbows and sharp edges digging into each other.

At the same time, in the same motion, he and John hugged each other tighter. They were still the same jagged edges that fitted as closely as puzzle pieces, if they lined it up right.

“It’s why— why I thought you wouldn’t want to spent time with me,” Scott said, unsure now. “Because why would you.”

Scott took a deep breath and quoted, “Scott’s too clingy. Too needy. Too much, going too fast.” He kept his voice soft, pouring out old hurts, recent hurts, for only John to hear.

“And here I was trying not to drag you down when I could’ve held you close instead,” John murmured.

“Yeah,” Scott said thickly, “I could’ve been there for you.”

“For you too.” John’s voice gained an edge, “That you can’t think of a single reason I’d miss you means I must be doing something wrong.”

“It’s not your fault.” If there was something Scott was adamant about, it was this.

John raised his head to look Scott in the eyes, brief, burning turquoise. “Then it can’t be yours either.”

“But for everything…” Scott trailed off.

“I’m not going to love you less. None of us are. Not for being you.”

“I failed.” He had to say it, had to make sure John knew.

“No,” John said vehemently, “You were hurting too.”

Scott could feel John’s thundering heart pressed against his chest.

“Neither of us knew and we’re both trying, that matters,” John continued, “There’s also what we do now.”

John was Thunderbird Five, but he was also John Tracy. He knew. He knew Scott. Scott had to trust him.

“We make each other stronger. And we hold each other up,” Scott said quietly. Because of who they were, not just in spite of it.

For John, with John, maybe it was just one day possible.

They stayed like that, fused together in a hug, surrounded by John’s stars and Scott’s sky, for a long time. Scott couldn't remember when he’d last hugged John like this. To keep each other close, like they’d promised they would. He needed to do it more often.

When they finally moved, because sitting in one place on a rooftop for so long wasn't exactly comfortable, neither of them went far.

John dragged his satchel nearer and pulled out a thermos flask.

“I’ve got hot chocolate,” he smiled, opening it to take a sip then holding it out for Scott.

Scott took it, wrapping his hands around the warm thermos before raising it to his lips.

Closing his eyes, he savoured it. No one made hot chocolate like John. No one except mum did.

He pressed his shoulder against John’s in silent appreciation.

They passed the thermos back and forth, no words needed.

When it was empty and they were both full of hot chocolate, the night was late, the stars turning overhead. They perhaps should have gone in, would’ve on another evening without all the everything that had occurred tonight, but Scott had worked up the courage to ask John to stay, just for a little while longer, and John wanted to.

John returned to his telescope and Scott settled close, with John happily leaning back on his chest, Scott’s arms wrapped around John’s middle and chin on his shoulder. John could still look at his stars and Scott got to hug him so it was a win for them both.

The ocean breeze was picking up, becoming chilly in shirtsleeves when Scott hadn't brought a jumper because he didn't think he’d get to be out here so long. But John was warm and his hoodie soft, plus Scott could stick his hands in the front pocket, partially to annoy John ever so slightly, but also because his fingers were cold.

He got a close up of that characteristic irritated but fond expression, caught in a John half smile, when John tipped his head to look at Scott. Scott couldn't help but smile back.

Then John also stuck his absolutely freezing hands in the hoodie pocket with Scott’s finally warm fingers, vibrating with laughter because he did that on purpose.

They both settled back, hanging onto each others hands again, staring upwards at their sky and stars.

#thunderbirds are go #thunderbirds fanfiction #scott tracy #john tracy #astrawrite

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