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nexysworld · 8 months

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Chapter Summary: Waking up after your night in the woods leaves you grappling with emotions and uncertainty. There's only one lifeline you have - Leon. Pairing: Yandere!Leon x Fem!Reader Tags: NSFW, Dead Dove, Dubcon, Kidnapping, Stalking, Smut, Unprotected Sex, Pet Names, violence, gore, MDNI, masturbation, murder, slow burn.

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Everything felt sore and raw the next time you opened your eyes. Sleep had built up crust in the corner of your tear ducts, mouth cottony and dry. Despite feeling physically worse than the first time you woke up, mentally you were a little more there. ‘He has soft sheets. ’ You curled up more under the soft blanket, not yet wanting to acknowledge your own consciousness. The soft blanket that encompassed you had the faintest smell of Leon’s cologne, it was familiar and comforting.

Only when your eyes began to itch did you finally decide to join the waking world. Sitting up felt awkward, one foot was heavy and numb. Tossing the gray blanket to the side you found the culprit, a thick cast hardened around your ankle and foot.

Your brain flashed you images of the darkened forest, the root that had caused you to trip, feeling your ankle crack with a burning pop. The memory made your chest feel heavy.

“Leon?” Your voice was cracked and raspy as you called out for your friend. Vague bits of your previous conversation came back to you. “Leon?” You tried to call again, louder this time. A muffled, “Be right there!” Was heard through the closed door.

To distract yourself, you decided to take in your surroundings more, with it surprisingly having been the first time to see the inside of Leon’s apartment. His room was plain in another way that just seemed so fitting for him. The bedding, a soft and expensive cotton, different shades of gray. The walls plainly wallpapered, no real decor besides a few shelves with some knick knacks. Only the basics were there, a brown dresser and matching nightstand alone with a TV. You noted the carpet looked far more plush and newer than the one in your own apartment – in fact despite the lack of decor it was clear that Leon had made upgrades.

The door opened and Leon entered, a cup of water in his hand. “Sorry, that took a minute, I had to finish a work call. Hope you’re feeling better, you seemed really out of it earlier.” He reached out to hand the cup to you, from his other hand he produced two little red pills. “Ibuprofen, it’s what the hospital recommended.”

You popped the medication into your mouth before greedily gulping down the water, relishing the way the cool liquid felt as it ran down your throat. “Thank you.”

“No problem.” He took a seat at the end of the bed, shooting you a weak smile. “So uh, you wanna talk about it? I was really worried, you know.” Handsome features melded into a concerned look as he scooted a little closer to you.

You pondered his question for a moment, more memories of the previous night coming back in short bursts. “Well I–” Something just felt wrong, it was like you were watching someone else’s memories, not your own. Of course your current physical state aligned with them – but the thought of Derek’s face twisting and morphing into that thing felt surreal. ‘No, that couldn’t have happened. It’s not possible.’ Realizing you’d left Leon hanging in silence, you finally looked back to him. “I don’t really know … Do you know where my phone is?”

“Yeah, I think I left it on the coffee table. Hold on.” He stood, exiting the room, returning quickly. “Careful, the screen’s pretty cracked.”

Taking the device from his hand, you tested it to see if it would even work. Luckily the screen lit up, Apple Logo coming to life underneath the cracked and rough glass. Breathing a sigh of relief, you immediately opened your contacts list scrolling to find who you were looking for. “This can’t be right.” You said, mostly to yourself. Derek’s contact was nowhere to be found, your last text thread, completely gone too.

Leon said something, but you didn’t register the words far too engrossed in your phone. Facebook? Relationship status set to single, no sign of Derek’s profile. Snapchat? Nothing. All the couples’ dates and holiday photos were wiped from your Instagram too. Chewing your lip, you checked the gallery of photos on your phone, nothing there either.

Anxiety began to overtake you once more, heart picking up speed. “What the fuck.” Searching through messages with friends, there wasn’t even a mention of your boyfriend. Everything was exactly as it should be, minus one person. “What the fuck. What the fuck. What the fuck.”

“Is everything ok?”

“No!” You snapped at the blonde, hands shaking. “No I am not o-fucking-kay.” In one last ditch effort you dialed his number from memory, bringing the phone to ear. There was the familiar ringing sound on the other end of the line, before it stopped abruptly. The narrator’s voice picked up, “We're sorry you have reached a number that has been disconnected or is no longer in service.”

“No. No, fuck!” You dialed it again. Then a second time. A third time. A fourth time. By the fifth time, tears were staining against your cheeks. Each and every time you tried, the automated voice said the same thing. Derek had that number since highschool, you’d known it by heart there was no way you dialed it wrong. Before you could try again for the sixth time, Leon’s hands came forward to cup your face, forcing you to look at him.

“Hey, look at me.” He cooed gently. His features unblurred as your eyes adjusted through the tears, blue orbs looking back at yours. “Sweetheart, I need you to tell me what’s wrong.”

“He’s gone.”

“Who’s gone?”

“Derek. Derek, he’s gone. He’s not in my phone, he’s gone Leon.” Your hands came up to grip his wrists desperately trying to ground yourself. “How can he be gone, I was just with him and, and –”

“Shhh. Shh.” He shushed you softly, rubbing his thumbs over your cheeks, swiping the wet tears away. “Take a deep breath, in, and out.” Doing his best to follow his instructions you gasped in and out, chest heaving with each one. “Just like that. In, and out.” Soon the breaths evened out and returned to normal. “Good girl, shhh.” He moved his hands from your face, to wrap his thick muscled arms around you in a tight bear hug. “It’s ok, you’re ok.”

Leon held you against him, rubbing your back as you clung to him for dear life trying to calm yourself down. He waited a few moments after you calmed down, not letting you out of his arms as he spoke. “Derek, you said that name earlier when you woke up. Is he someone important?”

Brows knitting together you brought your face out of his chest enough to look up at him in confusion. “Important? How could you even ask me that, you know how important he is.”

It was his turn to return your look of confusion. “I’m sorry, but I don’t even know who that is.”

Astonishment. Absolute astonishment was the only feeling you had, launching backwards out of his arms, hitting your back against the pillows again. “Leon Scott Kennedy, that is not funny. You know damn well that Derek was important to me. I told you I was moving in with him. I texted you –”

Leon’s hands came up defensively. “Look, I know you’re a little out of sorts right now. Whatever happened last night must’ve been scary. But I promise you, I’ve never heard you say anything about a Derek, or a boyfriend for that matter.”

“That’s…that’s not true. It can’t be I was with him last night and –”

“What exactly happened last night. Do you remember?”

“I think so…not entirely…I don’t know.” You admitted honestly, looking down at your hands. “I was supposed to be camping with him. And while we were out in the woods, he was acting really strange…and then…and then…” Trailing off you weren’t even sure what to say.

“Did he hurt you? Is that why you’re cut up all over, your ankle?”

“I guess you could say that – but it’s not what you’re thinking. It wasn’t his fault he wasn’t in the right state of mind.” Leon gave you a knowing look in return. “No, no it’s not like that. Leon, I swear, he looked so ill. Black veins, red eyes and then suddenly he was chasing me and I remember tripping over a root. My ankle popped….and then he exploded….Leon I held his eye ball in my hand….oh god. I know I sound crazy but Leon, I swear to you I’m not. I remember, something blew him a part.”

The concern returned to Leon’s face and you could tell he wasn’t buying your story, despite that he still smiled and nodded. “That is definitely a wild evening.”

“You’re not taking me seriously. You don’t believe me.”

“I am taking you seriously. I think you just had a really rough night, maybe you were drinking, something bad happened in the woods.”

“I wasn’t drinking. I wasn’t on drugs, I was stone cold sober. Leon please .” You pleaded with him.

He sighed, pushing some of his loose fringe out of his face. “Ok, you were sober.” He conceded softly.

“You think I’m crazy.”

“I don’t think that either. I think that something happened, something very bad and you are just maybe not remembering things exactly as they happened.”

“I didn’t make him up.” You said firmly.

He reached out again, putting his hand on your shoulder. “Look, I won’t pretend to understand what’s going on, but I’m here. Whatever it is, it’s going to be ok.”

If it had been anyone else, you wouldn’t have trusted them in the slightest. If it had been anyone else, you’d have made an excuse to leave and hide in your apartment to figure things out on your own. But this wasn’t anyone else, this was Leon . “Thank you.”

He nodded in return, pulling his hand back. Leon had convinced you that before anything happened, what you really needed was food and fresh clothes. At least knowing he was on your side gave a boost to your mood, enough for you to temporarily calm down for the time being.

You picked at the plate of pancakes, fork twirling up some of the fluffy food before letting it fall off, repeating the action – lost in thought. Suddenly something warm was against your lips, eyes looking up to see Leon holding his fork to your mouth. “Come on, don’t make me do the Choo Choo Train bit too, eat it.”

Wrapping your mouth around the piece of food, you couldn’t hold back the small laugh that escaped at his words. “Why’d you do that?”

“Because you’re not eating, so I figured I’d help.” He raised a brow, forking another piece of the syrupy breakfast and held it up to your mouth, you accepted it the same as the first.

“If you’re feeding me, who’s feeding you then?” You mimicked his action, taking the piece of pancake onto your own fork and reaching out to him.

A bead of syrup began to pool off of the food, slowly dripping threatening to drop against the table. Leon darted his tongue out to catch it, the pink muscle lingering for just a moment before circling the fork. The action made your face heat up for a second, averting your eyes as he finally pulled the food into his mouth.

“Messy but delicious.” If he noticed the flush on your cheeks, he didn’t say anything.

The moment felt so normal. It brought you back to all the other moments you’d shared with him, the butterflies were working their way back into your stomach. The night at the movies, the way he’d licked the milkshake off his thumb. ‘ Wait– the movies… the argument with Derek. ’ Your head snapped up to look at the man across from you.

“Leon?”

“What’s up?”

“A couple of weeks ago, do you remember picking me up from the movies?”

He tilted his head back for a moment as he thought about the question. “Oh yeah, I remember. I was staying at a friend’s place in town and you needed a lift home.”

“Didn’t I tell you I was with my boyfriend and he left me?”

His brow raised in confusion. “Er, no? You said you got into a fight with your friend and she ditched you there.”

“My friend? No, it was a date with my boyfriend and we got into an argument over you.”

“Over me?” He looked genuinely shocked.

“Yes, you!” You slammed your hand onto the table, frustration bubbling within you again. “We had a fight because he thought we were getting too close, and then I wound up telling you a few days later that we needed to distance because of it! Don’t you remember?”

“I remember that you told me your best friend was starting to get jealous.” He said with a shrug. Tapping your fingers against the table, you brought your phone out again, flipping to your call log from that night. Sure enough, no calls to Derek, but there were the outgoing and incoming calls with Leon. Just above that where Derek’s name should have been, it was your friend’s contact. ‘ That’s not right…’ Back into your messages, you found her contact, and scrolled back to that night. There was no mention of the movies, in fact, there were no messages with her from that day at all.

Something was up, even if you couldn’t put a finger on it. Setting the phone down, you looked over at Leon, not sure what to say, and definitely not wanting to push him into thinking you’re crazy – which despite his kindness, he probably already does. ‘But last night.’ You had to resist the urge to cringe at the memory of the eyeball in your hand, the blood splatter. You swallowed down the growing nausea. It occurred to you, that regardless of your memory one thing was likely true – Derek was dead. It made you want to cry again, a black ball of agony settling in the pit of your stomach. You ignored it long enough to get yourself together.

“I want to search for him…or a sign of him at least.”

“Huh?”

“I want to search for Derek. I can’t have just imagined him. I just… I just want to stop by some familiar places.”

Leon nodded. “Why don’t we go together? You shouldn’t be walking around alone, especially with your leg out of commission.”

“Would you really be ok with that?”

“I told you, I’m here for you. If it makes you feel better, if you feel like it’s what you need to do, then we’ll do it.” His words were casual as he tucked back into the remaining food on his plate. Not a hint of mock or suspicion in his tone.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Leon had fetched the hospital crutches you needed to use while your ankle healed, and helped you back to your own apartment. You shooed him off for the time being, insisting you were fine enough to get cleaned up on your own.

Stepping back into your own apartment felt so odd. Everything was exactly as you’d left it upon first glance, like the previous night had never even happened. It was so normal, it felt like you didn’t belong in it – like it wasn’t yours anymore.

“Fuck, I look rough.” Your mirrored image was exactly what you expected. Hair a mess, eyes sunken and tired, body littered with bruises and cuts – grateful that your image was soon covered by the fog of the shower heating up.

The hot water against your skin was euphoric, working out some of the soreness. It just felt good to be clean, fresh.

Sitting on the corner of your bed, slipping into some clean clothing, you looked around you. Nothing in your bedroom had been amiss either, all your plushies exactly where they were, even the pumpkin one. A thought occurred to you. ‘ Digital stuff is easy to mess with, but what about… ’ You hobbled over to your closet, flipping the light on. It took some careful effort to balance on your one good leg as you rummaged as far back as you could go. “Got it!”

Successfully, you found the old worn down shoe box, making your way back to your bed. It made sense, anyone could’ve messed with your phone, your social media while you were unconscious. But physical items, those would’ve been a lot harder to tamper with, especially unnoticed.

The box contained your entire life, photos, memories, everything physical that you held dear. A few birthdays ago your friends had gotten you one of those modern-mini polaroid camera, while you weren’t great about remembering to bring it all the time, you knew for a fact there had been pictures of you and Derek taken on it.

Sifting through the contents, you tossed all non relevant images to their own little pile while you looked through them. Childhood photos, baby pictures, some images of you and your friends. It was all there – except any photos of you and Derek. For good measure, you sorted through all of them again three more times just to make sure none were stuck together or were missed. You would’ve gone through them a fourth time if your phone buzzing hadn’t brought you back to the moment.

A text from Leon:

‘ Hey u ready? ’

You were not sure what was happening, but you were desperate to find out what the hell was going on. Replying to Leon, you grabbed your jacket, and headed for the door where he was waiting for you.

“Hey, while I was out, did you notice anyone strange in the apartment building?” He helped support your weight in the rickety and uneven elevator.

“Hmm, not that I know of. But you know I stay inside most of the time if I’m not helping Mrs. Wilson. Why?”

“I think someone may have been in my apartment.” For a brief moment you swear his grip on you tightened.

“Why do you think that?” The tone of his voice sounded off as he asked the question, restrained almost in a way you couldn’t fully put into words.

“Just some things are missing…but honestly I don’t know who’d steal them. They were just photos.” You shrugged, stepping out of the elevator, using the crutches to support you as you made your way through the parking garage over to his Jeep. It was a little odd that Leon was trailing behind you instead of taking the lead but you weren’t in a state of mind to question it.

“Are you sure you didn’t misplace them?”

“I guess I probably could have.” You shrugged, not really wanting to go into further detail or make yourself sound crazier than you already knew you appeared.

“Where to first?”

“Do you know that little cafe in the center of town?”

“The one with the pink cups and the $8 coffee?”

“Yeah that, one. He worked there, I just want to see if anyone knows the last time he was in.”

“You got it.” Turning the key, the jeep roared to life and you were on your way.

The fresh air felt nice, hair drying in the wind. A small part of you wished that the drive had been longer, admittedly nervous about what you’d find. Every time you looked back over to Leon, you felt grounded again.

“Do you want me to come in with you?”

“No, I got it.”

“Alright, just holler if you need me.” He shrugged, leaning back into his seat.

The bell rang as you opened the glass door, with only about 30 minutes to closing there was no one left inside despite a few employees – one being Derek’s direct manager. The smell of coffee and sweets wafting into your nose.

“Hey Mike.” His face warped into a confused look as he gave you an awkward wave.

“Uh..hey? Do I know you?”

The question had thrown you off completely, almost halting you where you stood.

“Dude, she probably got the name from your tag, chill out.” The man next to him said with a laugh. “Shouldn’t have smoked on break man, you’re paranoid.”

“Shut up, don’t say that in front of the customers.” He whispered to the employee before smiling at you again.

“Anyway, how can I help you?”

“I was just wondering the last time Derek was in?”

“Derek? I mean we don’t keep tabs on the customer like Starbucks so I couldn’t tell you.”

“He’s not a customer. He worked here, usually the closing shift. Derek, Derek Shultz?”

Both employees looked at each other then back to you. “We’ve never had anyone who works here by that name. Are you sure it was here and not the Dunkin down the block or the Starbucks the other way?” Their words made your mood shift instantly. “I know he worked here .” You insisted, too many nights were spent waiting for his shift to end, sitting at the cornered table by the window. “His picture is on the wall in the employee room, for crying out loud!” You moved to storm back there – well as much as you could with two crutches and a broken ankle.

“Ma’am, what are you doing?”

“I’m going to show you.”

“Ma’am you can’t go back there.”

“Like hell I can’t.” Frustrated entirely you kept moving forward, back behind the counter towards the slightly ajar door in the back.

“We’re going to have to ask you to leave.” The man said, trying to block your path.

“I’ll leave after I look!” Not taking no for an answer you angled the crutches so you could begin moving around him.

“Please don’t make us have to call the cops.” He pleaded with you, attempting to put a hand on your shoulder. The other employee had moved running into the breakroom, you caught a glimpse of the pictured wall before the door closed, but not enough to confirm what you were looking for.

“Just let me back there, damn it!” Under normal circumstances you would never act this way in public, but you were so desperate and overwhelmed you couldn’t help it. “I said let me in there!” You repeated, wacking the man in the leg with one of your crutches.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?!” He demanded grabbing at his leg in pain. You maneuvered around him as quickly as you could, grasping at the door to the employee room and flinging it open. “Brady, call the fucking cops.”

Your eyes landed on the wall, and just like every other thing you’d checked for – there was nothing. His picture wasn’t there, replaced by some pimply teenager you didn’t recognize. Suddenly a pair of arms was tucked under your own, dragging you backwards. You kicked and flailed against his grasp. “Let me go, I just wanted to look!”

In the background you heard the second employee mentioning something to what sounded like a 911 dispatcher, the man holding you not easing up in his grip. The commotion must’ve been loud enough to have been heard outside, the chime of the bell signaling the door had been opened.

“What the hell is going on?” Leon’s familiar voice rang out. “Hey, just calm down and let her go.” He said attempting to take you from the man.

“No way dude, she’s crazy. She hit me with her crutches, I’m just holding her until the cops get here.”

“Leon!” You shouted his name, tears once again covering your face as you struggled in the man’s grasp.

You heard the blonde sigh before walking closer. “She’s with me, just let her go – she’s been having a rough day. That’s all.” He reached out, putting his hand on her arm. “I’m sorry for all the trouble. I’ll even have her wait here until the cops show up.”

“Fine.” The manager said, releasing you forward into Leon’s grip. “But I’m keeping the crutches back here until the cops decide what to do with her.” Looking up at him, you could see the muscles in his face tense before he smiled. “Understood.”

He opted to lift you up, carrying you back to the jeep. “You wanna tell me what happened in there?”

“I just wanted to see the picture, and they wouldn’t let me back and – I don’t know what came over me. I don’t even know what to tell the police.”

He didn’t question your barely-coherent explanation further. Instead, he patted your back gently. “It’s ok, I’ll handle them. You just relax and catch your breath.”

You wanted to question what he’d meant, but the first cruiser had already pulled into the small parking lot, causing Leon to immediately walk over. Feeling ashamed, you shrunk down in your seat as much as you could, wiping the tears from your cheeks and waited for your turn to speak with the officers.

You watched as Leon spoke with the cops, it looked like he’d pulled something out and showed it to them. Both officers nodded and the whole exchange barely lasted 5 minutes, it was the weirdest thing, and instead of walking to you they got into the car and left.

Leon returned to you a few minutes later, stuffing both crutches in the back of the jeep.

“They don’t want to talk to me?”

“Nah, I explained things and they don’t think it's worth pursuing y’know? I told them I’d get you home and make sure you’re not beating anyone else with your crutches.” He let out a dry laugh, but when he didn’t see you calm down he patted your back again. “Sorry, just trying to lighten the mood.

“I know. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. I know you’re under a lot of stress right now, I’m guessing you didn’t find what you were looking for?”

You shook your head, looking out the side of the jeep at nothing in particular, just not wanting to look at him or the coffee shop anymore.

“Sorry to hear that. Maybe you’ll find something at the next place?”

“Yeah, maybe.” You stayed silent the entire ride back to the apartment building, the sun beginning to set in the sky – Leon stayed quiet too and while odd, it was definitely appreciated. He helped you back to your apartment again before saying goodnight.

You were exhausted still, physically anyway, despite the rest you’d gotten after Leon had found you, but your mind wouldn’t shut off. Nothing was making sense, nothing at all. How everything could be so normal, how the world could keep turning while you lay in confusion and misery you’d never know.

Surely Derek must’ve been real. Who else would you have been in the woods with? The pumpkin plush he’d gifted you was still in your room.

But then, his job claims he was never there. Leon doesn’t remember him. The photos were all gone.

It made your head hurt, and every time you closed your eyes all you could picture was that thing in the woods. Heart racing as if you were being chased again, making it impossible for you to settle. The more you tried, the worse it got too – especially the thought that someone may have been in your apartment.

Every creak, noise, bump in the night was beginning to make you jump and put you further on edge.

Grabbing your crutches and sneaking out of your apartment, you made your way to the outside of Leon’s door. It was late, so you listened closely for any sign of consciousness on the other side. There was some shuffling and the sound of the TV, so you decided to knock on the door gently. The movement stopped and you heard the lock click on the other side of the door before it opened.

Leon stood leaning his arm against the frame looking down at you, only clad in a pair of pajama pants. It took the entire use of your last remaining brain cells to keep your eyes locked with his, not allowing them to travel down his well formed body.

“I can’t sleep.”

He nodded, “Come on in then.” He turned, letting you follow behind him. Your eyes making their way over the expanse of his back, even his shoulders were toned. Smooth pale skin, looked soft against the hardness underneath, and it was a delightful distraction for the time being – not having to avert your eyes or feel shameful since there was no one looking, not even Leon. He stopped to grab two beers from his fridge before plopping down onto the couch.

“I hope I didn’t interrupt anything”

“I wasn’t doing anything important.”

“I tried sleeping, but every time I close my eyes I just see the woods. And when I’m awake and alone with my thoughts, all I can think about is the coffee shop and those missing photos.”

“That’s rough, I’m sorry.” He patted the seat next to him on his couch. You took the invitation leaning back against the plush cushions. Somehow even it felt expensive and far out of your own paygrade.

“I just wish I could stop thinking about it entirely, just for a little while.” You settled into the spot taking a sip of the beer he offered before looking over at the TV, some documentary was on – he’d muted it though. “This might be something really weird to ask, so feel free to tell me no but… could I stay over here tonight? I don’t think I can be alone right now.”

“Of course. Me casa es su casa. You’re always welcome here.” He grabbed his own beer off the coffee table, taking a sip. “You can have the bed again, wouldn’t be very gentlemanly of me to make an injured girl sleep on the couch.”

“Mm, that’s true and if I know anything about Mr Leon Kennedy, it’s that he’s nothing but a gentleman.”

“I’m flattered.”

You both laughed, feeling less tense already between being in his presence and the alcohol warming your system up. While you did consider yourself a bit of a lightweight, the exhaustion of everything must’ve been affecting you because halfway through the bottle you were already feeling the tingling of a buzz coming on. It wasn’t unwelcome though.

“You know.” You began, alcohol giving you a small boost of confidence. “You don’t have to sleep on the couch.”

“Oh?”

“I mean, I’d feel like I was putting you out – and besides your bed is pretty big we could both uh…” Not as smooth as you’d hoped, but he at least seemed to get the idea.

“I wouldn’t mind sharing the bed, if that’s what you mean.”

“Are you sure? If I’m being honest, I actually think I’d prefer it to being alone right now.”

“Yeah, besides then I keep all those bad dreams away.”

You finished the rest of your drink, nearly chugging it relishing the warm burn in your stomach. He offered you another, which you nursed between some more light conversation and him flipping through the TV channels, a nice foggy feeling taking over your brain.

It was around 2am when you both finally agreed to go to bed, giggling like crazy as you stumbled towards his room, barely coordinated enough in your inebriated state to use the crutches properly.

“Easy now.” He said, as he sat on the edge of the bed holding his arms out to you, much like a parent goading a toddler to walk.

“I’m fine, I got this.” You said, focusing hard on moving towards him. One crutch caught on the carpet though, making you wobble a bit. Not willing to give up the adventure to the bed, you tried lifting it, only to stumble forward, letting go of both wooden tools. “Woah!” Leon had caught you before you fell completely on top of him.

“What was that about being fine?” He asked, a smirk on his face.

You wanted to reply, but the close proximity to him wasn’t helping the state you were in, eyes locking on his face. You could smell the beer mixed with mint on his breath, his lips looked so plush and soft up close, barely ghosting over your own from the distance. If this had been a movie, it would’ve been the part where you finally gave in to the tension – but it wasn’t and you knew better.

“S-sorry.” You pulled away slightly. “Guess I’m a little tipsier than I thought.”

“European beer will do that to you.” He still held you at the waist for a moment, looking you over.

“We should get some sleep.”

He didn’t reply, instead helping adjust you so you could more easily crawl into your designated spot on the bed, tossing the blanket over you once you were there. He laid himself on the other side of the bed, facing away from you before switching the light on his nightstand off, encompassing the room in darkness.

Silence washed over you both for a few minutes, sleep still not quite coming over you as fast as you had hoped. “Hey Leon?”

“Yeah?”

“Could you hold me?”

The bed shifted against his weight as he rolled towards you, pulling you back against him a little. You could feel his warmth against your back, his heavy arm settling over you, hand resting against the skin of your stomach that was exposed as your night shirt had ridden up a little. The feeling of him against your skin affected you more than expected, heat twinging between your legs slightly – you squirmed slightly before squeezing your thighs together, trying to ignore it.

“Everything ok?”

‘Fuck .’ You groaned inwardly, not having wanted him to notice. “Yeah, just getting comfortable.”

He hummed in acknowledgement, pressing himself closer to you, chin resting atop your head. A few more moments of being wrapped in his warmth and any horniness you felt slowly transformed into sleepiness, eyes heavy. It wasn’t long until you were out like a light, all thoughts of Derek gone for the time being.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Bad news.” Leon said once you were conscious enough to understand words. He had clearly been up well before you – a part of you disappointed that you hadn’t woken to his warmth. “I got called into work.” He was rummaging around the room, a closed suitcase on the bed and a blue suit laid out next to it.

“Oh.”

“We’ll have to postpone our next visit. Just for a day or two though.”

“That’s ok. I appreciate you taking me at all.”

“How’d you sleep?”

“Better than expected – probably thanks to you.”

“There’s that flattery again.” His phone buzzed. “Hold on, I have to take this.” He answered, putting it up to his ear. “Kennedy here…Hunnigan? Yeah….” He walked out of the room to take the call in private.

You eyed the suit on the bed. Strange, you don’t think you’ve ever seen Leon in something so formal, it was hard to even picture him in it. It made you further wonder what his job even was – though you supposed it made sense that someone who worked for the government would need to dress a certain way.

Reaching forward, you pulled the hanger towards you inspecting it a little, the tag inside read ‘Hugo Boss.’ “Damn.” A brand name suit? Their cheapest ones were easily more than half your rent, and this one looked tailored too. Most people you knew who worked for the government weren’t making that kind of money, but you supposed you shouldn’t have been surprised given his affinity for jackets, or the expensive cologne and watches he wore. Hell, he could even apparently afford to update his apartment.

It did pique your curiosity though – and you were glad it did, needing desperately to focus on something else for a little longer.

The door opened and he returned. “Like it?” He asked, noticing you checking the attire out.

“Not sure, I can’t picture you in it.”

“Really?”

“Yeah it just doesn’t seem…Leon, you know?”

He laughed at the comment. “I have to agree with that. It’s not my favorite.”

“You said you worked for the government right?”

“Mhm, why?”

“I was just curious what you did?” It was subtle, but you watched him tense up again at the question. His hands gripped the suitcase lingering there for a moment, his face forcefully becoming neutral. “Only if you’re ok telling me.” You added, not wanting to make him feel pressured.

“No, it’s ok.” He returned to zipping up the suitcase, before, beginning to take the suit off the hanger to wear. “I can’t go into a lot of detail. I guess you could say I’m a federal agent in a way.”

“Like…DEA?”

“No, I don’t really deal with drugs.”

“Secret service?”

“Something like that, yeah. I do miscellaneous work, we’ll say.”

“Oh… dangerous work?”

“What’s with all the questions?” It was the first time you’d ever heard annoyance in his voice and it made you jump a little. He let out a sigh as he finished buttoning the white undershirt. “Look, I'm sorry. I get it, everyone has questions once they find out. Sometimes it can be dangerous. I really can’t say any more than that. So, no more questions, ok?”

“Sure, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to pry.”

“It’s alright.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Not that you should have expected any differently, but things were harder without Leon there. While he said only a day or two, he wound up being gone longer and everything felt like it just took so much more out of you. Basic needs like food and water were ignored – returning to your job was something that was simply autopilot for you.

You barely slept the first two nights, the same thoughts and images running through your mind. If it wasn’t that awful horror reel replaying itself over and over, you were thinking about the upcoming trip when Leon got back. What would you even say to Derek’s family? What if the outcome was the same as all your other efforts? The very idea deflated you more than you cared to admit.

The remaining nights you spent in Leon’s apartment, curled up in his bed like a cocoon of safety. He’d left you with the key in case you couldn’t handle your own apartment again – clearly he knew you better than you knew yourself because he’d been spot on.

You missed him more than you expected too – he’d become sort of your lifeline since you’d woken up in his bed that morning. Always so kind, caring, there for you in a way even your closest friends couldn’t be. Of course, being surrounded by him definitely added to those feelings, and if you thought hard enough about it, you had missed him long before this while reconnecting with Derek.

Part of you felt guilty about it too – if Derek was real, you were already cozying back up with the very man he’d been so jealous of. But you couldn’t help it, and justified that Derek was likely not coming back even if you could prove his existence.

That thought brought little comfort as well, so instead you opted to push it to the back of your mind trying to grasp at any other thoughts.

Leon hadn’t really told you when he’d be back, and you probably should’ve checked in with him. You figured he would at least check in with you – but you were wrong – curled up under his blankets, your fingers ran themselves down between your legs, images of the blonde dancing behind your eyes.

This time you were picturing the night before he left, hand on your belly, back pressed to you. You took the image farther, picturing him running that hand down to rub at you gently through your pajamas, the feeling his hardness pressed to your back. Maybe he’d play coy while you squirmed and whimpered against him.

“L-Leon –” Your actions and voice were cut off by the sound of the front door opening. “Oh shit.” Yanking your hand back up, you tried to even your breathing out and flicked the light off. The sound of padded feet down the hallway grew louder before the door opened. Leon quietly made his way in, setting his suitcase down as you pretended to be asleep.

He didn’t say anything, only changing into his pajamas before lying down next to you. Thankful you hadn’t been caught, you closed your eyes, curling into his hold when he wrapped his arm around you – letting sleep overtake you for the night.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Derek’s parents lived a bit out of the way, but you knew the drive by heart having visited numerous times. They’d never liked you, always considering you not good enough for their son – he came from money. Good money too, which is why he was able to live in the nicer building in a more expensive part of town. His job was primarily for spending money.

This was your last hope for answers, for a sign that you weren’t crazy. You needed this trip to fair well.

Your confidence was rattled severely after the coffee shop incident, and knowing his family wasn’t your biggest fan made it worse. Regardless, you pressed on and opted to go with the ‘fake it until you make it’ approach – not speaking about your nerves and trying to not give any hints of it.

Instead, you treated it like any other car ride with Leon – watching the trees blow past as you went down the winding road in the middle of the woods. Singing along with him as music played, playing dumb car games like I spy.

If your destination hadn’t been such a mood ruiner, you would’ve genuinely had a good time.

As the road forked off into two paths, you told him to take the right one, knowing where it would lead. Only about 10 minutes away, your nerves began to pick up making you feel a little queasy again.

The large home came into view as his jeep wheeled into the massive multi-car driveway. It was just as you remembered it, huge, limestone painted brick covered the exterior of the walls. Hedges were trimmed and shaped, everything about it screamed ‘rich’.

“Do you want me to stay here again?”

“Yes please.”

“Are you sure, after what happened–”

“I’m fine! I will be fine. I won’t beat his mom with my crutch, if that’s what you mean.” You tried to make it sound like a joke, but the wavering of your own voice gave away that you couldn’t really be sure of that. “Look, you’re right here at the end of the driveway this time. I won’t even go inside.”

He gave that knowing look of his, but didn’t push it with you, turning off the ignition letting the vehicle come to a rest. Grabbing your crutches from the backseat, you took in one deep breath before heading to the double french doors.

The lion knocker was the same as you always remembered it, grabbing the bottom end and knocking it against the door several times. A few moments went by, but no one called out or answered. You looked around and you could see the cars were there through the garage window. Not wanting to have made Leon drive all this way for nothing, you rang the doorbell a few times.

“Alright! I’m coming, I’m coming!” The shrill voice of Mrs. Shultz came from somewhere within the house. There was a budding sense of relief beginning to come over you – there’s no way a mother could forget her very own child, surely there must’ve been something you could glean from this visit.

The doors opened, and there she was in her full glory. Hair curled into a teased perm as if it was still the 80’s, red lipstick shrewdly covered her pencil thin aged lips. She was always pursing her lips in judgment, the very stereotype of a rich stay-at-home wife – but you had never been so glad to see her as you were in this moment.

“Mrs. Shultz!” You exclaimed, arms opening in a hug. The woman did not return the gesture, in fact she took a step back as if in offense.

“Excuse me?” Her penciled-on brows came together in a disgusted look. “Who are you ?”

“I’m – you don’t recognize me?”

She eyed you up and down, clearly unimpressed with her findings. “I don’t tend to associate with the…less fortunate.”

“Mrs. Shultz, I’ve been dating Derek for the past few years. I know you never really liked me but –”

“Who?” She looked complete aghast at your words. “Young lady, I don’t know what game you’re playing at, but I have half a mind to call the police and have you removed from my property.”

“What? No, I’m not playing any game. Derek, your son? We’ve been dating–”

“Then you have the wrong house because I don’t have a son!” She snapped, heel clacking against the ground as her annoyance raised.

“Yes you do! Derek, Derek Shultz, he’s your son!” You insisted, your own frustrations growing – though you did your best to keep your promise to Leon, not wanting a repeat of the last incident.

The older woman stared you down, before leaning forward nearly nose to nose in your face.”My husband and I have never been able to have children.” She spat at you. “And I don’t know what sick mind you have to play this kind of prank, but it’s not funny.”

“I’m not trying to prank you! How the hell do you not know your own son, you gave birth to him!”

“You have five seconds to get off my property before I have someone escort you off of it.”

“How dare –”

“One.”

“Listen here you raggedy old bit–”

“Two.”

Anger fueled you this time, far more than desperation. Call it one of the five stages of grief, but she’d hit your button just right. Not wanting to assault her, you stood there, angry tears making your face puff up as your mouth conorted. You felt like a child, wanting nothing more than to scream back at the adult in front of you, but forced to stand in line while you were being berated.

“Three.”

Again you felt someone touch you from behind – this time Leon’s arm wrapped around you. “We’re just going to be leaving now.” He said, trying to move you from the spot.

“No. We. Are. Not!” You said firmly trying your best to yank out of his hold, while remaining upright.

The look he’d given you stopped any further protest you had. You’d seen Leon be annoyed before, with other people. You’ve heard him be irritated with you only once. But this, this was different and you could tell in his eyes this wasn’t a request.

He gave the woman one more nod, apologizing to her on your behalf, before walking you back to the vehicle.

“Do you know how much trouble you could’ve gotten in? Public spaces like a cafe is one thing, but one some rich lady’s private lawn?”

“I–”

“No, you promised me.”

“But I didn’t even try to –” You stopped, the feeling of him being upset with you was somehow worse than even your last failed attempt to prove that Derek existed. Like salt to the wound. “I just don’t understand how you can forget your own child.” You added.

Leon turned to look at you, his mouth opening as if he was going to say something, but instead he went back to looking in front of him as he drove. The rest of the ride home was silent, not even the sound of music was heard.

That meant you were left alone with your own thoughts – dangerous. ‘ Everything is wrong. What the fuck do I do now? ’ You pondered further, trying to piece everything together. Nothing was fitting into place though. ‘ The photos are gone. My phone has no mention of him. His own mother says he isn’t real. ’

You pushed it further, reimagining the night in the woods, forcing yourself to picture every gorey detail – even the sound of his face splitting open again. It made you sick to your stomach, a hot flash came over you. Still, you ignored it, trying to remember anything significant – but it didn’t work.

Looking down at your ankle, and the now yellowing bruises on your skin, you gave up. ‘Are these memories even real? Something clearly happened to me but…monsters don't exist. There’s no sign of him anywhere.’ A deep longing panged in your heart, settling on the idea that maybe Leon was right. Something terrible happened in the woods, something so awful your brain wasn’t working right – a psychotic break, amnesia, false memories – whatever you wanted to call it.

Could you ever even accept such a thing? The last few years of your life, just…gone – rewritten entirely.

So lost in your own thoughts, you hadn’t noticed Leon pull back into your apartment building until the sound of the jeep went silent. He got out without saying a word, only silently offering you a hand and getting the crutches for you. Nothing like your usual walks back to your respective homes, he hadn’t even invited you inside either – closing his door as soon as he entered. Of course you couldn’t relax either – if pacing with crutches had been possible, that’s what you would’ve been doing. Instead you bounced your good leg anxiously on the floor as you sat on your bed, this time clinging to the teddy bear that Leon had gifted you.

Not being able to take in anymore, you made your way over to his door, knocking on it not even caring if he was asleep this time or not. You couldn’t be alone right now, and you couldn’t let him be angry with you.

“I’m sorry.” You looked up at him the second the door opened. “I’m sorry.” You repeated for good measure. “You’ve done nothing but tote me around and take care of me no matter how absolutely insane I’ve sounded – you asked for one thing and you’re right, I didn’t keep my end of it. I’m really sorry.”

“Sweetheart, it’s alright.” His voice was soft, as looked at you. “I know that it’s been hard. I know you’re frustrated.” Despite it not being a common occurrence, the pet name comforted you more than it surprised you.

You nodded in return. “I think you were right.”

“Was I?”

“I think something bad happened to me that night – something I can’t remember, because ever since then, nothing has felt right. There’s no sign of Derek – I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I just want to feel ok again Lee.” You wrapped your arms around him, and he returned the gesture, pulling you into his apartment with him and closing the door.

“It’s alright. It’s going to be alright.”

“How do you even know that?”

He tilted your chin to look up at him again. “Because I’m here. Because I say so. It’s going to be alright.”

“I don’t want to think about him anymore. I don’t want to cry anymore.”

“Then don’t think about him.” He leaned his head down, so your foreheads were touching, so his lips just barely grazed over yours as he spoke.

“Make me forget him, please Leon.”

He replied by connecting his lips to yours, his lips plush and soft. His hands moved, one in your hair to hold you in place, the other supporting your lower back. It was soft, sweet, and he pulled away just long enough to look at you again. “I can do that.” The second time your lips connected, it was in a frenzy of heated kisses as he walked you both backwards to his couch, sitting and pulling you down on top of him. He was careful of your bad leg, gently pulling it into place where you were straddling him.

You could feel him filling out beneath you, your own arousal making itself known. This was what you’d been craving for so long. Craving since you and Der– you froze again, looking down at Leon. He mimicked you, halting any movement, looking into your eyes – you could see the concern there.

Guilt.

He wasn’t real.

But the guilt.

You shouldn’t feel guilty over someone who never existed.

And yet, guilt.

“I can’t do this.”

He looked at you confused.

“I’m sorry Leon, I can’t do this. You’re one of my best friends, I – we shouldn’t be doing this.” You backed yourself off of him slowly, using the coffee table and then the wall to support yourself back to the hallway to grab your crutches.

“Wait –” He called out, standing but not immediately following you.

“God, I am so sorry.” You repeated again, opening his door. The look on his face killed you, and you couldn’t even put into words what was wrong. Why you couldn’t handle this right now, or maybe ever. Instead of trying, you left as fast as your crutches would take you back to your own apartment – not even bothering to close his door behind you.

“Fuck!” You shouted once you were inside your living room, slumping to the floor. “Fuck! Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck. Mega FUCK!” You let it out of your system as you banged your head backwards into the wall, not enough to damage anything, but enough to try and work out the unexplainably icky feeling you had.

Logically, there was no way the man you’d fallen in love with was real. Logically . But something inside of you just ate at you – like a small 6th sense telling you not to trust what was before you. And god if you weren’t fucked in the head for using Leon to try and work your emotions out – treat him like a tool, just a distraction after all he did for you.

And if Derek was real, then you’re double fucked for just running off with the man you weren’t even supposed to be friends with, much less anything more.

You screamed into your own hands, until your voice was raw. “I’m so fucking fucked!” Either you were insane, or some cosmic universal event had entirely fucked up your life – and you weren’t sure which was worse.

As always this is inspired by @explorevenus fic Something Permanent as well as @gigabyte-flare, @girldungeon, and @lipglossanon's work. @elfven-blog was so kind as to help find the banner pics. Love them all, go check out their work.

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lunatiqez · 10 months

Text

“PICNIC DATES” — Texas McCormick

PAIRING: Texas McCormick x GN!Reader

GENRE: Romance

SUMMARY: Texas decides that your first date should be a picnic date.

WORDCOUNT: 1.8k

A/N: I LOVE TEXAS MCCORMICK!!!! I will say though,, don’t rlly like this fic tbh. Anywho!! Requested by @mictodii and proofread by @lu-vin-it !!

YOU AND TEX HAD BEEN DATING FOR A month. And, this being Tex’s first relationship, he didn’t want to screw anything up. He wanted everything to go perfectly, especially dates.

“Mace, me and Y/N been dating for a month! Can you believe that? One whole month!” Texas exclaims to his brother, his crooked smile showing how proud he was. Mason doesn’t pay much attention, instead he continues on reading the newspaper.

“Yeah? You take ‘em on a date?” He asks.

“A date? Of—“ Tex thinks for a second. “Of course I took them on a date already, c'mon man!”

In reality? Texas McCormick had never taken you on a date, not yet at least. It hadn’t even crossed his mind until then.

“You ain’t a very good liar, Tex.” Mason looks up at his younger brother, a smirk plasterer across his face.

“What’re you talkin’ about? I’ve taken Y/N on a date! Why don’t you believe me?” He pouts slightly.

“Well first off, if you did already you didn’t tell me, and I know you woulda told by now. You’re head over heels for Y/N, so if anything, you’d be braggin’ about it.”

Tex looks away, embarrassed. Mace goes back to reading nonchalantly.

“Well, well just watch! I’ll take them on a date!” Texas says as he stomps off to his room.

The next day, Tex walked up to you in the hallways at school and started a conversation, as always.

“Say, Y/N.” He says after you move on from your most recent topic.

“Yeah? Everything okay?” You ask him.

“How ‘bout we go on a date tonight, huh? For our one month?” He suggests. You smile widely.

“Of course we can! Whatdya wanna do?”

“Uhh,” he thinks for a moment, nervously rubbing his hands on his jeans. “Let’s go on a picnic! Down at that meadow, a little ways away from my house.” You nod and set a specific time— tonight at 8PM.

“Am I bringing the food, or are you?” You ask.

“I could, but—“

“I’ll bring it.” You interrupt him, already knowing that he's going to make up an excuse as to why he can’t bring the food.

“Wha- no, I will! I can do it!” You chuckle in response.

“Alright, but I’m bringing at least somethin’” you say. It was mostly so you don’t feel bad that Tex had to provide everything.

After you finished your painfully boring day at school, you went home. By then, it was about 3:30PM; you had 4 hours and 30 minutes.

Your mom came out of her room, so you decided to ask her now before it was too late.

“Hey, mom!” You said, catching her attention. She looked at you, wondering what was the matter. “Can I go out with Tex tonight? Like, at 8? He wants to take me to a picnic.” She placed her hands on her hips and sighed.

“We won’t be back late, I promise! ‘N dad won’t have to take care of Banjo at all this week, I’ll do it all myself!” You said, trying to convince your mother to let you go.

“You’re supposed to be doin’ that already. She’s your horse.” You shrunk slightly.

There was an awkward silence until your mom broke it by sighing once more.

“Go ahead, but if you ain’t in this house by 10 I’m havin’ your father lock you out, you’ll sleep on the porch.” She rolled her eyes. You chuckled at her remark.

You let a few hours pass, and by now it was 6:30. You decided that you would get ready now, because you wanted to look and feel your best for your first date with your boyfriend. Suddenly, you got an idea to make cookies for Tex.

Cookies were his all time favorite food. Sometimes, you think he loved them more than he loved you. He would always go on about how much he craved cookies, and how his favorite cookies were chocolate chip. So that’s what you made.

You got all of your ingredients in order and began to make the dough. After that was done, you rolled them into small balls and placed them on a sheet. By now, it was getting close to 7, so you popped the cookies in the oven, set the timer for 20 minutes, and went to go get ready.

You hopped in the shower, making sure you used your best smelling body wash. After about 10 minutes, you got out and went to get dressed.

You took a while deciding on what to wear, but ultimately decided on your nicest pair of riding jeans, a navy blue button up, and Tex’s denim jacket that you stole from him a while back.

After you were done, you went to the kitchen and, right on time, the kitchen timer dinged— indicating that the cookies were done baking.

You grabbed an oven mitt and put it on, pulling the cookie sheet out.

The cookies looked delicious. They were a perfect golden brown, and not too hard, but also not too mushy. You smiled proudly and set them on the counter to cool off.

You threw the mitt on the counter next to the cookies and turned the oven off.

Then, you found a wicker basket. After another 10 minutes, the cookies were cooled off and ready to be eaten. So, you took a spatula and after getting them off the cookie sheet, you placed them delicately on a plate from your cupboard and then put the plate in the basket, leaving it on the counter and going to get Banjo ready.

You rushed out to the stable, excited to see your horse.

“Hey, Banjo!” You greeted the animal. She neighed in response.

After giving her some praise, you began to get her ready. You placed her saddle on her and tightened it around her stomach.

“Ready to go see your boyfriend, huh?” You asked her, chuckling at your joke. “Yeah, me too.”

After getting your horse saddled up, you went back inside to grab the basket. Before heading out the door, you grabbed a handful of carrots from your fridge and tossed them in your basket as well.

You went to the stables again, basket in hand, and balanced the food carefully on a thick fence, jumping up onto Banjo. You had her walk to the fence where the food was sitting and grabbed it, holding onto it carefully.

It was getting pretty close to 8, so you had Banjo hurry to Tex’s house, it only being a little ways from your house— since you both had horses, you both had to live out of town, making you essentially faraway neighbors.

Banjo trotted to Tex’s house, making it annoying to hold the basket still.

“You’re so stubborn, Banjo, can’t you just hold still?” You asked her as if she knew what you were saying.

Before you knew it, it was 7:58 and you were entering Tex’s yard. Mace was on the porch talking with Lem, Banjo walked up past the cars and you stopped her.

“Hey, Mace!” You said to him. He stopped his conversation with Lem and stood up to talk to you.

“Hey, Y/N, been a while huh?” He asked you.

“Mhm! Is Tex here?”

“Oooh shit!” Lem said. “Tex got someone? Huh?” You giggled.

“Uh huh,” you said as you subconsciously pet your horse.

“I don’t think we ever met,” Lem says as he walks over to you. “I’m Lem— one of Tex and Mace’s buddies. Bet you already figured that though, huh?” You smiled and nodded.

“I’m Y/N! Y/N Y/L/N.” You introduced yourself. Mason then informed you that Tex was getting Rowdy ready to go right now.

You went out to the back and shouted for your boyfriend.

He then came out of the dark stable on Rowdy, a basket in hand just like you.

“Hey, babe.” He said, his smile widening. “Was gettin’ scared, I didn’t think you’d show up.” You scoffed.

“You really think that low of me, Texas McCormmick?” You asked

“Well, no, I just— Y’know, it was getting near 8! I just thought you forgot or somethin’.” Tex rambled off, making you laugh.

“Let’s go, you got a blanket?” You asked him.”

“Uh huh.”

With that, you said your goodbyes to Lem and Mace and went off to a nearby meadow. On your ride there, Tex took notice of your basket.

“What’s in there?” He asked you, pointing to it.

“Surprise.” You smirked at him. He scoffed.

When you reached your destination, it was nice and quiet, the only sounds being a stream of water and crickets chirping.

The two of you hopped off your horses and Tex laid the quilt out on the ground, making sure it was perfect. To your surprise, he also pulled out 2 candles and a lighter. You giggled when you saw them.

“What??” He asked innocently. “It’s gonna get dark out, we need them!”

When he lit the candles, you sat down with him.

“Did you bring food?” You asked him.

“Course I did, see?” Tex showed you the food he brought.

Grapes, potato chips, and sliced apples. You laughed aloud at the assortment of food. Tex furrowed his eyebrows.

“What’s so funny??” He asked you, confused.

“Nothin, nothin.” You said as you stopped laughing and pulled your basket near you.

“I made us cookies!” Tex’s face lit up and he smiled wider than ever.

“Hell yea! I love cookies!” He cheered as he dug through the basket, throwing the carrots aside.

“Oh yeah, those are for Rowdy and Banjo.”

Tex immediately dug into the cookies, taking about 3 at a time.

“Hey, hey!” You shouted at him. “Geez, save some for me!” He laughed as he bit into his first sweet.

“These are real good, Y/N. Thanks for bringin ‘em.” He thanked you as he laid on his side, propping himself up on his elbow. You mirrored him so that you were facing each other.

“Tex, what made you think of a picnic, out of all things?” You asked out of genuine curiosity.

“I dunno.” He shrugged. “I just thought it would be somethin’ you liked. And of course we had to bring Rowdy and Banjo along.” Texas motioned to the horses as they grazed next to the two of you.

“I see.” You then changed your position so you were laying flat on your back and looking at the stars. Tex followed your eyes and that brought him to the sky, aswell.

“Stars are nice and bright out, huh? No clouds.” He commented. You nodded in silence.

Tex then brought himself to lay with you, placing his head gently on your stomach. You instinctively grabbed his hair and began playing with it. It was nice and silky, his hair was one of your many favorite things about him.

There was a moment of silence before Texas asked you, “How’s this for a first date? Did we do good?”

“I love it, Tex.” You responded softly. “You did good. I love you.” Texas chuckled.

“A lot of people do.” You flicked the side of his head.

“Ow! Cut that out!”

#tex 1982 #tex movie #tex #Texas McCormick #Texas McCormick 1982 #Texas McCormick x reader #Texas McCormick x you #Texas McCormick x y/n #Matt Dillon #Matt Dillon 1982 #Matt Dillon tex #Matt Dillon x reader #Matt Dillon x you #Matt Dillon x y/n #📝 — liv’s requests ★.#📂 — liv’s writings ★.

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tvckerwash · 6 months

Text

okay so idk how popular "other freelancers get epsilon and take wash's place" au's are these days but one problem I've always had with them is that I feel like people don't understand that wash is so perfect for taking down the meta and pfl that I honestly don't think anyone but him could succeed in the way he did. (utc again because it's kind of long)

the other freelancers (imo) lack the same 'wait and see' calculated nature and skilled subtlety to play the director and the counselor's waiting game like wash did, because while they always knew wash was going to betray them, they didn't know when he would betray them, or what he even knew in the first place. wash's long memory and his ability to hold a grudge is his greatest strength, he will remember what you've done long after you've yourself forgotten, and that's when he'll strike.

wash going around collecting the blues (and the reds) in s6 was more than him just trying to find people with experience with project freelancer to help him take down the meta—I mean at first that's all it was, but by the time he comes across church with caboose he definitely started to piece together the whole alpha puzzle, and at that point is when he switched gears and he was now looking at the blues (and reds) as people he could trust with his insurance policy when shit finally went down.

wash gave epsilon to the reds and blues for the same reason that ct gave tex a copy of her data in pfl, that being of course because he knew that there was a good chance he wasn't going to make it out alive, but he still wanted the director to pay for what he did even if he wasn't the one to put him behind bars. wash decided that the simulation troopers were the safest place to hide epsilon until they could get the chance to turn him in to the unsc—if it was good enough for the director to hide alpha, then it was good enough for wash to hide epsilon.

but back to the meta, wash was the ideal freelancer to take him down because wash had an advantage with the meta that no other freelancer did. wash was the only freelancer who understood maine even after he lost his voice, and it's heavily implied that they were fairly close going by the like 1.5 interactions they had in pfl and all of s8. wash's advantage of being able to read maine—and subsequently the meta—in ways no other freelancer ever could, meant that he could predict the actions the meta would take and plan accordingly.

wash also wasn't dumb enough to think he could take the meta head on with no tricks and live, and I personally think that's exactly what happened with north and south—they were so confident in their skills and abilities that they thought they could beat the meta, but they were wrong and they both paid the price. north with his life, and south who was stuck with the guilt of knowing that she inadvertently got her brother killed (and whether she did so intentionally or not is debatable and up to interpretation, I personally don't think it was intentional and I think wash believed the same thing, but he decided to use it as one of the many excuses given by delta to shoot her anyway because the guy is PettyTM and he didn't want to have to worry about her shooting him in the back again and ruining his plans).

another advantage wash has is his ability to (mostly) remove his feelings from the situation at hand ("I said that I didn't like it, not that I wouldn't do it."). wash and maine formerly being close friends did not change what he needed to do, wash and south being former teammates did not change what he needed to do, alpha having a life as away from project freelancer as he could did not change what he had to do, caboose just wanting his friend back did not change what he had to do, carolina being his former leader did not change what he had to do, etc etc.

slightly off topic but the above is probably where locus got his idea of wash being some perfect soldier who always follows orders from. he misconstrued wash's ability to push his emotions and morals aside in order to get a job done (something that is admittedly seen as an ideal trait in a soldier or anyone who is in a position in which you shouldn't question authority), as a point of similarity between them without recognizing that the reasons why wash did that are totally different from locus' own. wash's definition of what it means to be a soldier is of someone who is fighting for the sake of something bigger than themselves, someone who is fighting to protect and preserve humanity and ensure the survival of their species. locus was using his identity as a soldier to justify the atrocities he not only committed himself, but to justify the atrocities of others as nothing more than "just following orders". that is why wash is a true soldier, and locus is just someone who had been indoctrinated.

that aside, if we compare wash and carolina for example, I don't see her being able to take down the meta, and it has nothing to do with skill or even any of the above reasons, carolina is characterized as having waaaay more emotional baggage when it comes to pfl than wash does, and considering how she reacted to epsilon bringing up the meta in s13 ("don't you dare talk about maine like you knew him.") even if she was at the peak of her revenge quest I think she's too emotionally attached to the other freelancers to do what wash did.

south, north, and york all feel a bit too....self centered? to care about bringing pfl to justice, like yeah north and york had that "we're the good guys, right?" conversation and they both helped tex during the break in but it's pretty obvious york's main priority was to try and convince carolina to come with him, and north really only cared about south and theta. south based on what little we know of her really doesn't come across as a justice seeking type, wyoming and florida were still working with the director and pfl, maine is very difficult to say anything for certain because we know very little about him prior to becoming the meta, and while I think there's a chance for beta tex I think she really only cared about alpha (I didn't watch s1-5 on my rewatch though so maybe I just don't remember shit lol. I'll have to watch those seasons and come back), e!tex wanted to find the director, but I think her want to do so is because epsilon himself wanted answers only the director could provide.

#rvb #red vs blue #agent washington #mine #hmmmm i don't have anything to add in the tags this time lol #i would like to revisit the whole “carolina has lots of baggage related to pfl but wash really doesn't” at some point but ehhh not today #wash #the meta #the freelancers

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joltning · 7 months

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rvb aus

when I said I had a lot brewing I meant a LOT brewing…! god I need motivation

I’ll be splitting these into 3 sections: one offs/fic ideas, less expanded on ideas, and then my main aus/ones I have more ideas on

one offs/jokey aus/fic ideas:

feel free to take these ideas as your own, im not too attached to them

• grimmons fic where kai lives on iris and simmons is super nervous around her. grif thinks it’s because he has a crush on her but actually it’s because she keeps teasing him about his crush on grif

• teen beach rvb au. think about it man.

• au where lopez and felix betray locus before he can betray felix. and they kiss or something I don’t know

• freelancer donut au…!!! one of my firsts. not very good. has no substance. but it exists. tex donut beef goes CRAZY

• trivia murder party rvb au. i have no clue what this would entail

• slipspace (the grifball miniseries guys) team up with fh57 from s14. this was before I learned that fh57 was just funhouse. womp womp

• shis tril writer mentions that locus now “owns a food truck on Fiji” or something. someone write that Please im begging

• fast food au focusing on the lieutenants. + Frank from s15. i know him and bitters gonna be oomfs or whatever

• au where church stays in the s3 time loop and experiences generation loss, feeding bits of himself into the other soldiers in order to save them

• au where the s5 ending where they all die is canon and they all go to hell

less expanded ideas

• so basic but I’m putting it in this tier anyway. A song fic battle of the bands au, but MY WAY…!!!! I have a vision. Don’t know what it is yet but I have it

• campy horror movie rvb au, where they all claim to see different things in the woods, but it turns out literally every single person is the horror. they all embody horror tropes and are, of course, alone in the woods in a summer camp.

• started as an everything everywhere all at once au but turned into something more Evil. Anyway regular domestic au but then the ai from the “alpha universe” jump into people in the main universe when they’re “compatible.” GRIMMONS JUMPSCARE….!!!!! Simmons is gonna be the one to end the world and the ai are either helping or hindering that process. he becomes a literal monster. originally this au was made so I could experiment with purple prose + text art etc but I guess not anymore what the hell

• rvbz au…! Viper and shatter squad are two organizations, viper being a splinter group from the AOD. When they start fighting on chorus, the reds and blues take sides, splitting off into two groups, some staying neutral. both are somewhat regarded as terrorist groups, viper being victims of starlight labs and shatter being a sort of vigilante group that. isn’t very good at it.

• “split ends” au…!! I really hope to bring this one up to the top tier at some point! geotah focus because im ill but it’s mostly balanced as i wanna get all dynamics in. project freelancer, instead of having ai, has units run using a partner. Only one can use it at a time, and the other has to focus on running it, leaving them vulnerable on the battlefield. This goes for enhancements, but it also goes for other things, such as calculations, enemy tracking, etc. they can switch whenever they want. each pair has one unit. god i wish I could write the unseen freelancers because all those silly powers would be chaos. Oh, also, you can steal the armor enhancements like you would ai. Hmm.

more expanded ideas

these are in order from least important to me to most

• trailer au! one of my first aus, and the ONLY au I’ve written a full outline for. (it’s not very good now that I look back on it.) it asks the question: what if the s15 trailer was EXACTLY what it was eluding to? featuring…Frank staying on the film team and making a trio with jax and dylan, insane murder party reds and blues, spencer plot relevance (somewhat) omalley coming back, the reds and blues failing to beat Hargrove, tucker shooting wash, and one armor enhanced, cobalt colored Tucker.

• s15 rewrite au. after disliking the trailer au I made this one! the blues and reds, instead of being mirrors or even reflections of the main cast, is reflections of what they could have become if they hadn’t changed their old ways, if things had gotten worse. this is basically my snider cut i reorder a shit ton of things etc. also very important carolina was not there when biff died it was just Tex and she didn’t kill biff, she just refused to help him (that kill goes to our friend loco!) anyway it’s more centric of the idea of comparisons between people who have distinguishing differences. Also kuane exists

• interstate au! honestly I have so little in terms of plot but idea wise I have Everyhting. I cannot stop thinking about it sooo..that’s why it’s so high up. Okay I’ll be real this is honestly like a glorified swap au but it’s MY swap au. Basically everything after s5 (also the miniseries) is noncanon and it diverges from there. ft…wash getting sigmapilled by eta, red team maine, red and blue road trip, the quest to find kai (she’s kissing women) and the run from DEAD CAROLINA..!! DEAD..!! oh and church and tex are literally just ghosts. Instead of the director trying to bring back allison and fragmenting one full ai into attributes, he is trying to pair FULL AI with freelancers in an attempt to boil them down to one trait, to harvest them and combine them into a Super Dead Daughter Carolina. wash and eta, or Data (see what I did there) are the collectors which is why they’re the main antags or whatever

• TRIPLETS TRILOGY. OHHHH MY GOOODDDD. I can’t say much because I intend to actually show this one to the world, but WOW. love this one. Basically, the triplets and sherry’s squad are alive. After an alien crash lands on their planet years later, they’re left to explore and find out what they’ve missed while they were gone. It’s split into 3 ‘seasons,’ (with one scrapped mini series), takes place during the recollections, and is looking to be way shorter than I intended it to be, but oh well. It’s where my obsession with the green guy and the white fuck and sherryvera insanity comes from. why did I have to fixate on these random ass mfers what the hell. It’s canon plausible….!! It would never happen!!! But it could!!

now the rant’s done, here’s some older images. oh god ray’s hair is So wrong

#rvb #red vs blue #rvb au #horror au #shatter au #split ends au #trailer au #s15 rewrite au #interstate au #tts au #crackheart au #txt #doodles

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script-a-world · 1 month

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Submitted via Google Form:

I am trying to expand definitions what what are first, second, third world etc places. But I'm going to need more than that because it doesn't fit sci fi much as some places are medieval or older and others have extremely technology advanced. But even in each, there are different statuses. People who live like royalty/wealthy in a medieval world getting categorised near the bottom is natural when compared to the universe but also a bit unfair? I don't know. And there are obvious poor places in technology advanced worlds - but are miles ahead of royalty in medieval worlds. I'm not how to deal with this.

Licorice: Instead of using “first world”, “second world”, and “third world”, terms which are falling out of use anyway, have you considered using one of the terms used nowadays by aid and development circles, such as “developed country” or “low-income country”? These terms come with their own baggage and some people consider them to be equally pejorative, but they have the merit of describing the metric on which they’re based.

If you’re building a sci-fi world, your starting place should be the standards which the powers that be in your world use to group, or rank, its communities (planets; countries; civilisations). If you have a Mother Planet that lords it over more recently colonised planets, you could have a literal First World-Second World situation. If the colonised planets then go on to colonise new planets of their own - Third World! If it’s all about which states have the most military power versus those which have little or none, you could invent a different term for that.

Many sci-fi books and shows divide the world into communities/planets that share advanced tech and the culture that goes with it, and communities/planets that have been judged “not yet ready” for such tech, or communities/planets which are lagging behind in their development of that tech.

Tex: The terms you’re using come from the Cold War era (Wikipedia 1, Wikipedia 2), and are in use mostly as a function of macroeconomics (Wikipedia). As such, in order to expand such definitions, you need to have a similar catalyzing event in your world’s history to have the same functional starting point.

In this respect, I would encourage you to study Star Trek: The Original Series, as it was written during the Cold War and has much contemporary criticism to the social turbulence of the time (Wikipedia, Memory Alpha).

For a perspective that’s roughly a generation or so removed from the Cold War, I would recommend both Stargate SG-1 (Wikipedia, SGCommand) and Stargate Atlantis (Wikipedia, SGCommand), as it’s useful to understand intergenerational impacts of socioeconomic decisions made for the entrenchment of social stratification, particularly in a sci-fi setting.

Historically, the creation of such disparate social classes as seen in, as you describe, the European medieval era, is due to the consequential accumulation of wealth caused by many series of war based upon cultural stipulations like religious strictures. Whatever originally created royalty and nobility, it frequently becomes a fixed social class due to artificial means. If a social norm is artificially devised, then the conclusion usually follows that it is unfair by design and thus not natural, because there are no avenues for change to fix any flaws that crop up.

Addy: It seems to me that you're trying to get a scale to describe societies at different tech levels. I'd recommend looking at the tech level system from the Traveller tabletop game - I think that could be a good spot for getting started. Or look at tech levels from other systems and things - that should help get you what you're looking for, a set of terms to effectively describe the technological level of a society.

Feral: I don’t have much to add to what Licorice and Tex have already said, but I would recommend studying cultural relativism to help with expanding your reasoning on how cultures interact with out reducing the broad spectrum of human experience to “advancement.”

#google submitted #terminology

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frida-kahl-of-the-rocky-horror · 5 months

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I saw this back when I used to use Reddit (for animal crossing and trans+ stuff mostly), and I felt so honoured that they used my Florida flag redesign in this that I screenshotted it. But when I looked to find the original poster, they had deleted the post (likely because of negative replies, vexillology Reddit is scary).

They recreated the state flags to be more about symbolism and individuality rather than about aesthetics (which is the problem I see with a lot of over simplified state flags). All while keeping the flags that actually carry deep meaning and are beloved by the residents.

I’m not the biggest fan of Nebraska’s, Virginia’s, and Wisconsin’s, but all the others are wonderful (especially Florida’s… I will not apologize for being biased lol)

The original Reddit person’s caption:

“I kept some flags which I believe are currently great. Most of them are all over State merchandise, and people of these states carry a lot of state pride for these flags. They are:

1. Alabama

2. Alaska

3. Arizona

4. Arkansas

5. California

6. Colorado

7. lowa

8. Maryland

9. Mississippi

10. Missouri

11. New Mexico

12. Ohio, my home state! [not mine, OPs]

13. Rhode Island

14. South Carolina

15. Tennessee

16. Texas

17. Utah

18. Wyoming

19. District of Columbia [I believe you mean the Douglass Commonwealth]

20. Guam

21. The Northern Mariana Islands

22. Puerto Rico

I've switched some State’s boring Seal on a Bedsheet flags into their more popular historical ones. They are:

23. Conecticut ~ New England Flag

24. Hawaii ~ Kanaka Maoli

25. Maine ~ Original State Flag

26. Vermont ~ Green Mountain Boys Flag

27. Virginia ~ Gadsden Flag

28. West Virginia ~ Original State Flag

I've made a few tweaks to some existing flags so they look more unique / are more easily recognizable. They are:

29. Indiana ~ Golden Frame

30. New Jersey ~ Added Stripes

31. North Carolina ~ Un-Tex-ified

32. Oklahoma ~ Added Stripes

33. American Samoa ~ Added Southern Cross

I designed some using the Pan Cascade colours for the Pacific Northwest (BC will have the tree one). They are:

34. Idaho

35. Oregon

36. Washington

I borrowed some other designs which I found on here which I found beautiful. I mostly looked for flags which were designed by locals from the states that they are redesigning or included state symbols on their old flags. They are:

37. Florida [omg they chose mine!!!]

38. Georgia

39. Kansas

40. Kentucky

41. Louisiana

42. Michigan

43. Montana

44. Nevada

45. New Hampshire

46. New York

47. North Dakota [I prefer my communist flag better wajajaja]

48. Pennsylvania

49. South Dakota

50. Wisconsin

51. Virgin Islands

I left the flags currently in the process of a redesign blank, for, given the recent track record, any new flags are probably going to look amazing like Utah’s and Mississippi’s. They are:

52. Illinois [this is your reminder to vote for your new state flag if you’re from this state!!!]

53. Massachusetts [this is your reminder to vote for your new state flag if you’re from this state!!!]

54. Minnesota [this is your reminder to vote for your new state flag if you’re from this state!!!]

I kept one Seal on a Bedsheet flag to honour this horrid time in American vexillological history. That is:

55. Delaware

And lastly

56. Nebraska (idk)”

While I agree with most of the OP’s opinions, I think Nebraska’s flag would look better if it looked something like this:

Better designed of course, I made this on Pic Collage in like 5 minutes

Im not sure about Wisconsin and Virginia, I just know I’m not the biggest fan of either (since Virginia’s flag has a separate meaning and Wisconsin’s is just bland.

Let me know what you think!

And if you’re the OP of this, please let me know, I like your choices!!

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ladedanixie · 7 months

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Ok, I love this show, but if I could get rid of one episode and rewrite another while leaving the majority of everything else untouched. I'd chose---

Seeing Stars and Unhappy Campers. I'd rewrite Seeing Stars and delete Unhappy Campers.

Why?

Seeing Stars should've been a purely Octavia and Loona focused episode. The scene with Loona and Octavia would have hit harder that way.

Unhappy Campers, is bad, I love Millie focus, I like learning about Barbie but its executed badly, and while it is a Millie focused episode, the development and pov is mainly Moxxie's. Moreover, its more about them as couple than solely about Millie. If we wanted to addressed their issues as a couple, we could have done that in Exes and Ohs. Moreover the Barbie stuff we could swap out the Hellbies shot stuff for the Barbie stuff. A more serious parallel to Oops where someone he loves gets hurt, but he chooses family but still loses them anyway.

Also Millie development can be outside Moxxie and Blitz, this episode told us Millie thinks she plain and boring and after seeing Fionna and Cake, she's not too different from Betty in the sense that she does keep sacrificing to keep her boo happy cause he's too in his stuff. You could say Seeing Stars shows that. But we could have had this hinted at before on Millie's side. Have Blitz ask at least once, what she sees in him. When he's so goddamn whiny and single minded. But yeah anyway.

How would I rewrite Seeing Stars?

I would keep it the same up until Octavia broke into the office, and I would have Loona tag along with Octavia.

They would just focus on Octavia's journey, bumbling around L.A., refusing to address why they're there. (Oh hey look Like Fathers, Like Daughters. They are all bad at communicating.)

Blitz freaks about Loona, but then realizes Stolas would be mad, we'd still have that scene be mostly the same aside from Blitz freaking out too. We learn about how Stolas found Blitz in Truth Seekers or we have the gang employ another Hell Hound, maybe even bring back Tex again. Maybe Stolas has an idea of the books last use. But aside from that can't track it because it's in the hands of a rightful user. As well as the limitations of the human world.

They go to the human world, we can keep the Moxxie and Millie hijinks and other things up until the van. In the Van, Blitz and Stolas are freaking out about their girls, and Stolas wonders again why Octavia did this and wondering why Loona went with her. Blitz then ashamedly admits why Loona left and that he's a bad dad, and Stolas assures him he's not. They have a moment, Stolas tries to reach out and hold Blitz's hand to comfort him, just like he did at Ozzie's, but Blitz shuts it down immediately. Stolas is unhappy, looks down at his phone. He tries to bring up Ozzie's, "Blitz I know its not the best time but I just want to say I'm---" he gets cut off and they are whisked into the building.

Meanwhile, Octavia and Loona are still wandering L.A., Loona wants to go to a coffee shop, and Octavia tells her to do whatever she wants, but as Loona responds she spots a pet shop, or a dog pound. Cue trauma as she recalls the day Blitz adopted her. We focus on the hound trying to hurt her, her fear, her huddling into the bed, and distantly we can hear Blitz and the lady talking, same dialogue, "Oh that's Loona, she'll never amount to nothing" until Blitz says "I want to adopt her." "What?" "I want to adopt her." He says, looking right at her while holding the bars, his smile is soft and kind. Loona growls at him, but he doesn't stop smiling. And you see the brief bit of hope enter Loona's eyes, then we transition back to L.A. as Octavia is concerned for Loona. "Hey, hello, are you alright?" Loona gaze hardens. "I'm just fine." "You sure, because you looked like you were having a stroke."

"Can you just fucking drop it? I need some fucking coffee."

Loona leaves Octavia behind. Octavia looks hurt.

Back to the t.v. studio. We can have it the same. (the water joke can stay as well, we can just have someone pour some water on a plant or something before hand to better set up the joke, instead of just having it on a poster in the background, it can still be on a poster. In fact, have a person drink the water in front of that poster, so later when Stolas throws it at the director no one is confused about why he's burning.) Blitz still has has flashback moment, but instead we can see him signing the adoption papers, linking back to that photo on his phone in Ozzie's. Loona is done with the whole thing and Blitz is beaming. But he overhears people saying they are happy to be rid of her sooner than 18, and that she's a good for nothing. Loona is hurt. She heard too. Blitz notices. "Hey, let's go home."

Come back to "no she's mine and I love her!" chaos ensues, ends at lets go find our daughters.

Meanwhile, Honey, I'm in the house is a live taping right, so it could be broadcasting as Loona's in a coffee shop, we see Loona see Blitz calling the pug Loona and sayin "no she's mine and I love her" and the camera tips over as all hell breaks loose, Loona see's Stolas too. And then we have the moment of her throwing her coffee away and going to find Octavia. We can have the sinstagram again or, as Loona is thinking of where to find Octavia, she recalls the common theme of Octavia's wandering. The stars. She finds out where you can see stars and she goes to Griffth Observatory. We have the exchange about smog and cutting her dad slack. When Octavia asks why. Loona apologizes to Octavia and explains why she tagged along. About Blitz, and then says but at least he's trying. There more impactful, and gives Loona more of an arc in the episode.

The girls go find their dads, Stolas and Octavia hug. Loona can still kick Blitz in the nuts, saying "that's for saying you were gonna replace me with a new secretary," then she picks him up and sets him right, and goes "thanks for coming to get me." He tries to hug her, she pushes him away. "Don't push it old man." Then we have the moment with Stolas and Octavia, same as the og, cue fireworks, cute moment. Back to M&M. Everyone goes home the end.

#helluva boss critical #helluva boss #i know i just said in another post i dont think i could do the show better #but i do have some ideas about how some things could be restructured and perserve what's there #listen i was in the rwby fandom lol #to fix rwby you need to tear it down and build from scratch but then it wouldn't be rwby #but with helluva boss #all i see are places you could tweak things not many but some #its doesnt need fixing just little tweaks #here and there everything else is great #there are just ways that some female characters can have better arcs and development #long post

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pinkandpurple360 · 3 months

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Man you know what would be a fun arc for Fizz as well involving Blitzo in the mix:

Now that Fizz isn't under Mammon's payroll and has basically all the free time he hasn't had for a long time (though I like the idea after this arc he still ends up doing what he did under Mam but on his own where he becomes just as successful if not more so because what better was of saying fuck you right?), he and Blitzo end up going back and looking to connect with their old circus pals/family. You know, going back to their roots (well Fizz roots anyways being I see Blitzo wanting to leave that life behind him but it'll still be a great time to rebuild their friendship) and what not. Though on the way they bump into Barbie, who of course still hates Blitzo and has become extremely distant due to her whole addiction and personal trauma in regard to Fizz not speaking to him for years. At first she wants nothing to do with them but maybe she's in some hot shit or something so ends up hanging with them anyways for whatever reason.

Basically some reconnecting with some old circus pals and Fizz ends up learning he does have a family and wants to seek them out and through this whole wild adventure and shenanigans: the three of them grow closer and patch up old wounds and such. Blitzo and Barbie work out what happened to them, Blitzo owns up about whatever shit he did to make her hate him and while Barbie tells him that she isn't completely ready to forgive him yet, the two agree to stay in touch and rebuild what they lost.

Fizz ends up finding his real birth parents but they suck ass but it did give him time to think over how all the years he was so desperate in finding a parental figure (regardless if it was Cash or Mammon) or family of his own that he didn't realize that he did already already have one within Blitzo and Barbie along with those in the circus who also cared and loved for him as family because sometimes the real family you have isn't of blood but the one you build on your own.

Amd fuck it, let's give Ozzie a small arc while Fizz is doing his thing where Ozzie wanted to join Fizz in this whole thing but 'this is something I need to do on my own' ordeal (that and Blitzo is with him so he'll be safe). Now all by himself he pushes himself to maybe do a little self discovery of his own where he goes to visit Bee (canon Bestie) and ya know, because I like adding depth to the Sins maybe there was a lot more going on between Oz and Mammon that left the two bitter despite working together on various projects. Maybe they were friends at one point, maybe more? Whatever you make of it those two work out their shit and while yeah, there's some bitterness still there, both at least end up on better terms with each other. Plus ya know there's a lot of possibilities of shenanigans that could come from the Sins hanging out but that would also mean Viv would have to be a good writer (really that could be said about this whole ask).

So yeah, both Fizz and Ozzie reunite, they talk about the things they went through and Fizz being a celebrity but still wanting to not feel as he abandons his roots wants to use that fame to help others like him and maybe shake up the system a little bit (I mean, Fizz and Ozzie being together along with Bee dating Tex was a bit of a shake up being how it was look down on (or should have been but ssssh)). Oz wholeheartedly supports his decision. Fizz finds his identity and where he wants to be in life without sacrificing who he is and Oz learns needs to have a life outside of Fizz and reconnect and rebuild those bonds he let slid himself.

And for the love of God let Fizz, Blitzo and Barbie be gremlins every time they're with each other I want chaos.

Yeah there's a huge need for more tuning this out and there's likely more I could do with Oz plus the whole balancing with the royal/present thing but I kind of wanted to focus mostly on Fizz plus it took me an hour to type this on my phone so I think it's best to wrap this up. Really this is just me rambling feel free to be as critical as you want with this or add your own to it.

-TA

I would watch the hell out of this it’s just fantastic. All I’d really want is to see him have a connection with one male or female character and for them to have missed him as much as Blitzø did but they had to leave him behind to become some big shot.

His bio parents being the worst would suck but who knows maybe answering the question of who they were is something he needs.

I miss the Fizz and the twins trio we’ve never had but really need.

#helluva boss critical #fizzarolli

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angrelysimpping · 2 years

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god i

so, no one asked for this, its just been bouncing around in my head

Tiny Au

This is with the implication that the person who is tiny has only just suddenly become tiny, for whatever reason. They haven't always been tiny.

putting it under a cut cause it got way longer than i originally meant it to be

Tiny PC with LIs

(...+Bailey and Wren)

General

Alex

Freaks out because the farm can be dangerous to a regular sized person and now you're tiny! They don't want you leaving the farm. Hell, they don't want you leaving the cottage.

Not above putting you in a jar with some holes punched into the lid to keep you safe during raids. God, if Remy ever saw you like this, Alex would freak.

They don't want you getting hurt.

[NSFT]

Makes a tiny bath for you to wash in and gets a bit too interested in watching you bathe. You just look so cute, all soapy and wet. And helpless. If Alex just rubbed you with their finger, what could you do to stop them?

They'll stop if you ask but, really, can you blame them? Might try to fuck you with one of their fingers.

Avery

Well, they guess they'll keep you safe.

Partially because you're too useful to them. They want you to continue being useful to them. You can't do that if you get hurt while tiny.

Partially because they want you to feel indebted to them.

Keeps you at their home, figures out a way to keep you in one room so you can't get hurt while they're gone.

[NSFT]

Not really going to happen. If Avery can't get any pleasure out of it, they're not that into it.

Sometimes will start teasing you, but not with the express intent to make you cum. They're doing it for the power rush that having you completely helpless, writhing under just a finger.

Mostly uses sex as a punishment when you're tiny. Overstimulates you with their fingers, sometimes their tongue. Will try to fuck you with their fingers, will attempt double penetration if they think it won't completely break you.

Bailey

Out of relationship

What in the fuck.

Well, whatever. They don't care as long as you still pay them.

[NSFT]

RIP PC.

You want to seduce Bailey? Want an extra day to get your money together? Fine. They'll throw you a bone.

But they're not going to go easy on you, even if you are tiny.

Can't exactly fuck you so makes you give them head.

Will drench you with their cum. Then immediately kick you out of their office. They're a dick like that.

In a relationship

Fucking hell, they guess their bad luck is rubbing off on you.

Keeps you in their office, figures out a way to keep you from leaving.

Look, Bailey cares about few things in this world, you fucked up in making yourself one of them. You were already a weak spot for them, and now you're even more vulnerable. They're not letting you leave.

They'll keep you with them, on their shoulder or in a shirt pocket, when in the orphanage. But when Bailey leaves the orphanage? You're staying in their rooms.

[NSFT]

Might slip a finger between your legs and grind against you, just to mess with you.

Threatens to shove a finger in you with no lube to keep you from distracting them while they work.

If you get really horny, they'll let you rock against on of their fingers or ride one. As long as it shuts you up.

Cat Hybrid Bailey

Do not draw any similarities to Bailey's time spent as a cat. Do not.

If you touch their ear while on their shoulder, they will flick you with their ear. If you fall of their shoulder because of it, that's on you. You should know better by now.

Has to find tiny earplugs or something along those lines for you to wear when you're in their shirt pocket and they start purring.

[NSFT]

Frustrated because their sex drive has gone up since the whole cat thing. They have a driving urge to mate with you, and now they can't.

Bailey's good at forcing down their desires, but it's difficult with these newer ones.

Having you rock against their fingers helps, sometimes. Getting your scent on them calms them somewhat.

Might lick you. Their tongue has a strange, yet not unpleasant, texture. It makes you cum hard and it stratifies that part of their brain that screams at them to mate with you.

If they go into heat while you're tiny, you're going to get sore from how often Bailey will have to pull you aside throughout the day to make you cum. It's the only way they're able to even think clearly. They hate it.

Eden

You're not leaving the cabin. You're not.

Not, "you cannot leave the cabin clearing," no. You cannot leave the cabin.

They don't want you getting picked up by a bird and taken away or eaten by or wolf.

They don't want you to hurt yourself gardening or fall into the spring.

They might try to keep you from doing any chores inside as well. Cooking would be a nightmare. Might let you sew. Making balms and soaps take longer now because you have to make them in smaller batches.

[NSFT]

You cannot escape your spousal duties.

Eden cannot finger you, I'm sorry, their fingers are too thick. You might be able to get the tip of their pinky in you, but that's pushing it.

M!Eden has you grind on their dick, licking it as best you can. If you've been defying them, they'll jerk off using your body, keeping you in their fist while pumping their cock.

F!Eden has you sucking on one of her nipples while she grinds against her own palm. Will try experimenting with having you suck on her clit.

If they need to punish you, they will rub you with their fingers until you're overstimulated, shaking and begging for them to stop. It's great for Eden because it doesn't take a lot of effort on their part.

Kylar

Oh, Kylar is conflicted.

On one hand, they can keep you with them all the time! They can protect you! You need them!

On the other hand, what if something happens to you? You're so small, doll sized! What if you get squished?!

Speaking of doll sized, Kylar is getting you doll clothes. Like, they will eventually make clothes for you but until then, they're getting you cute doll clothes.

Dresses you up, I'm sorry. They just think you're so cute!

[NSFT]

Low Jealousy

Fairly tame, honestly.

They don't want to do anything that will hurt you!

Likes you grinding on their fingers, sucks them clean afterwards.

Really likes giving you head when you're this size. They might overstimulate you without meaning to.

High Jealousy

Good luck!

Was already keeping you with them at all times, now they're not leaving their house so they can play with you all day.

Licks you. A lot. Not just your sex. All over. Sometimes just full on puts you in their mouth.

Will masturbate and have their fluids land on you.

Kylar has small, thin fingers. They will be able to finger you.

Likes making you cum, makes them feel like you love them even if you're begging for them to stop.

Robin

Panicking!

Very good at taking care of you, though.

A little overbearing, honestly.

Constantly asking if you're okay, if you need anything.

Likes to keep you in their shirt pocket or on their shoulder.

[NSFT]

Only if you initiate, honestly. You gotta tease them into it.

Likes to give you head. Worried about if you want to ride one of their fingers. Insists that you don't have to return the favor and make them cum.

Sydney

Panicking!

Likes to have you on their shoulder, playing with their hair while they read.

Doesn't like you being out of their line of sight. Sometimes leaves you alone while doing chores at the temple, but not often.

Want you to go to classes with them so you don't miss out.

[NSFT]

Pure

Not really going to happen.

Gives you kisses, but that's about it. Might let you rock against one of their fingers while they're reading, occasionally.

If you insist on going down on them, they're too nervous to cum 😓

Corrupt

Willing to do just about anything you want them too.

Still worried about hurting you.

Really curious about fingering you.

Whitney

Asshole.

Keeps you in their shirt pocket, usually. Sometimes stuffs you down their pants.

Calls you a "pocket pussy," regardless of if you have a pussy.

Will make you steal stuff for them.

[NSFT]

Threatens to fuck you with their cock/strap-on. Will rub the tip against you, might even press it to your hole, but never actually tries to penetrate you.

Demands you still give them head.

Will lick you.

Doesn't matter the thickness or length of Whitney’s fingers, they will finger you. Probably attempts double penetration.

Wren

Haha, what???

What is happening?

Why are you so tiny?

How did you even get to Wren?

Low key panicking. They're not very good of taking care of people and they live a dangerous life. They don't want you to get hurt.

Doesn't want to take care of you because they're convinced that someone else would do a better job. Will if you insist.

Likes to keep you on their shoulder. Might ask you to sneak around during blackjack and tell them what cards their friends have.

Refuses to take you on their weekly prison runs. What if you fall into the water?! Wren asks one of their friends to keep an eye on you until they come back.

[NSFT]

Probably the worst for teasing you, acting like it's somehow a complete accident when one of their fingers end up between your legs. Swears that they didn't even realize they were rubbing your groin with a mischievous glint in their eyes.

Likes how easy it is to mess with you like this.

Wants to try fingering you, really curious about double penetration.

Really enjoys overstimming you with their tongue like this.

PC with Tiny LIs

(...+Bailey and Wren)

Alex

Does not hide their panic over suddenly being tiny well, but they do try to hide it.

Sits in your shirt pocket or on your shoulder, rambling about how to take care of the farm. It's the only way they can help you, really.

Tries to stay on the farm only to almost get stepped on by the animals. Can't really argue with you about going to the orphanage with you after that.

[NSFT]

We have already discussed: Alex spying on you while you shower, melts if you use your tongue on them, lets you fuck them with your finger, might try to ride your fingers when you're sleeping, and, if they do, might bite off more than they can chew á la double penetration.

I'd like to add: becomes pushy, trying to make up for their small size. A little embarrassed about how vulnerable they feel, blushing as they try to initiate sex.

Avery

Fucking furious that they're in this situation.

Extra bossy, clinging to the little amount of control they have.

[NSFT]

Don't try messing with them. They'll pay you back three fold once they return to their normal size.

Might demand you wear a toy while they have a remote. They like still being able to make you squirm even if they're tiny. Takes the edge off, a little.

Bailey

Out of a Relationship

Hiding in their office.

Not asking anyone for help.

If you find them and try to help them, they will refuse to accept it. You'll just have to do it anyway.

Will never thank you for helping them.

[NSFT]

Don't you fucking dare.

In a Relationship

More open to your help but they're still hiding in their office unless you find them.

[NSFT]

Not likely.

Won't even help you get off at this size, they feel too vulnerable.

You can try pinning them down and rubbing or licking them, but they're very bitter about it afterwards.

Cat Hybrid Bailey

Fury.

So bitter about being tiny.

Demands you keep them with you, they are not staying at the orphanage while stuck like this. Makes them antsy, the thought that an orphan could walk in on them in their office when they've vulnerable like this.

It's worse than when they were a cat because people didn't know the cat was Bailey. Most people won't just be a dick to a cat.

Running commentary about how wild your life is.

Tiny little purrs. Feels like a phone vibrating.

[NSFT]

Try to tease them and they'll bite and scratch.

Don't mention how cute they sound. Don't do it.

Still has a heat/rut and it's worse because they can't satisfy themself like they normally would.

The only time they try starting anything sexual while tiny is while in rut. Rocks against your fingers, might try to ride one of them if they get desperate enough.

Eden

They're not leaving the cabin.

The woods are dangerous and the town worse, they're not leaving the cabin.

Bosses you around, of course. They're still your spouse and you will still listen to them even if they're doll sized.

Doesn't want you leaving them for any reason while they're tiny and they'll hold it against you if you do.

[NSFT]

Still gets incredibly horny, but conflicted about starting anything when this small.

Tries to get over it by demanding for you to stay still while they grind against one of your fingers.

Not likely to recipicate in any way. Don't try masturbating though, they don't like you trying to find pleasure without them.

They don't care if you're just as horny as them, Eden is a hypocrite like that.

Kylar

Clinging to you for dear life.

Seriously, they will not leave your side.

They can't protect you like they want, and it makes them want to cry.

So small. Tiny. Fits so easy in your shirt pocket. Likes being on your shoulder so they can play with your hair.

[NSFT]

Please, please, please, please!

They love it. They love it so much.

Will just start humping your fingers without warning.

In absolute heaven if you go down on them.

Tries to recipicate as best they can. They're intent in making you cum, even if they're tiny.

Will try to fuck themself on your fingers. Even if it hurts them. Loves how full it makes them feel.

Robin

Freaking out!

They can't stop freaking out!

You'll have to figure out a way to calm them.

Please do not leave them in the orphanage alone, they'd hate for Bailey to find them like this.

Likes mumbling reassurance in your ear when sitting on your shoulder.

Feels extra bad if you've taken on their payments to Bailey.

Hates seeing some of the things you do to make money, but they don't feel like they can say anything about it.

[NSFT]

Not likely to start anything. Might hesitantly ask to rock against one of your fingers if they're at high confidence.

Will try to get you off as well, however they can.

Will scold you if you try to toy with them in public places. Only let's you continue at low confidence.

Sydney

Also freaking out!

Wants to wither go to the temple or go home. They want to go somewhere they feel safe.

Doesn't want to leave your side but also wants to find Sirris.

Wants to go to classes with you, they don't want to miss anything!

[NSFT]

Pure

Again, not really happening.

Lots of little kisses, though.

Might shyly ask you if they can rock on one of your fingers if their lust gets high enough.

Corrupt

Oh, they want to try so many different things.

Can you finger them like this? Double penetration? What does it feel like of you give them head? Can they give you head?

Wants to get toys involved somehow but not entirely sure how to go about it.

Whitney

Pissed. So fucking pissed.

Don't you dare call Whitney cute.

They can't even smoke like this, it's the worse.

Likes sitting on your shoulder more than being in a pocket.

Will randomly pull on your hair and bite you while on your shoulder, though.

[NSFT]

Still demands you to give them head, but gets easily overwhelmed.

Gets so pissed if you slip a finger between their legs and start toying with them.

That said, they'll push back against you, swearing the whole time.

Will try to use your fingers as dildos at least once.

Wren

What....in the fuck?

Very good at hiding their panic, but they are panicking.

Tries to find some enjoyment in it and does a fairly good job.

Prefers to ride around on your shoulder, doesn't like being left alone at the orphanage.

Likes whispering filth in your ear in public places while on your shoulder.

[NSFT]

Gets very flustered very easily while tiny.

Does like grinding on you, but there's no way for them to tease you back!

Absolutely melts if you give them head.

#alex the farmhand #avery the businessperson #eden the hunter #kylar the loner #robin the orphan #sydney the faithful #whitney the bully #bailey the caretaker #wren the smuggler #cat bailey #tiny au #degrees of lewdity

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twicethetrouble · 8 months

Note

Late night realization:

Didn’t Simmons work with Tex at MOI? He was clean up with her. Have they ever talked? There’s so much potential there!

Ref: Runaway freelancer Simmons AU

Also how much better does Simmons thinks Sarge is as a father figure? Leaps and Bounds better?

How vague was Carolina when she gave Grif the shovel talk?

Oh god, Wash stumbling across the helmet Simmons wore at MOI and yeeting it at his head and demanding where got it (fearfully).

Something like that. Omg Simmons, Wash, and Carolina teaming up or doing some secretive shady skulking around when they aren’t actually up to anything.

Or wash gets a random nightmare about the demolition expert one night after seeing Simmons face.

Him getting fatherly for some reason because of Epsilon’s memories. Like a pat on the shoulder and the urge to threaten Grif. That’d probably be too silly to be real though.

….Grif getting jealous Simmons is hanging out with Wash and Carolina and not telling him what they’re doing or talking about.

Well they are married so there’s no way it’s anything that’d take his husband a way from him. He’s not even into Simmons like that so it doesn’t matter either way. Why does Simmons laughing and smiling with other people make him angry? Nah, can’t be him. Can’t be….. He needs a cigarette.

“Where did you even get that? I thought you ran out of cigarettes?”

“I’ll tell you if you tell me what you’re doing with those blues?”

“They’re not blues, Grif! They’re freelancers, empathize on free.”

“Just like I’m free not to tell you where I got these.”

“So there’s more than one?”

“What does that matter?”

“…”

Simmons and Grif then wrestled for the cigarette pack he’s hidden on his body. Carolina walks in. They stop.

“…”

“….Get…. THE FXCK OFF HIM!”

“It’s not what it looks like!”

“Protect me lamp!”

-Yeah! Simmons did work with Tex on occasion, mostly for, as you said, clean up/demolition work. I don't think they talked much while he was on the MOI, at least not outside the mission. I think they both recognized each other in Blood Gulch, but kinda pretended they didn't. Simmons b/c he didn't want to bring attention to himself, while Tex was like "oh, That's South Carolina. Is he trying to be covert?... I'll let him think he's being covert. I have bigger issues than a run away demolition tech."

-As for sarge, Simmons probably thinks he's like the best father figure ever lol. (then again, the only thing he has to compare to is the Director, who was very much a dick to him, so even a half-crazy old man obsessed with war is loads better than that.)

-Carolina probably wasn't very vague about her shovel talk lol. She's not exactly the subtlest when it comes to, well, anything. She probably gave him a very detailed list of what she'd do to him if he so much as thought of hurting her brother. One that would have Grif terrified of even looking the dude's way for the next week lol.

-That would be hilarious! Unfortunately Simmons blew up his old armor as a sort of 'resignation letter' when he left the MOI. So not entirely possible.

-But wash being vaguely reminded of Demolition Tech whenever he's around simmons would be funny. Like he's just sitting there half-panicking like ''Why does this guy remind me of the demoition tech. is it because he knows a lot about explosives and once mocked me for needing to use c4 to blow up a suit of armor? I know he somehow knows how to explode armor with just an alarm clock but that doesn't match Demolition Tech's skillset. Does it???" He finds out later that Simmons and Demolition Tech are the same and he's just like "That's why?! I wasn't going crazy!" lol : )

and lol!! : ) Poor Grif cannot catch a break with Carolina around. He just wants to hang out with his husband and it is not working out at all lol.

Thank you!

#rvb #red vs blue #Simmons's runaway freelancer au

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rubykgrant · 11 months

Text

(I'm feeling nostalgic... so here is the first genuine lovey-dovey Grimmons thing I wrote. It fits into the larger plot of my story-line, with Simmons getting lots of Character Development by realizing his parents are awful, and also Church and Tex are back with the AI Fragments because I said so. For Grif and Simmons, I really wanted the moment when they finally connect to happen in a way that almost mirrors the first conversation with them we see. I also wanted to show that they're still annoying dorks who bicker, but now cuddling and kissing can happen. They're each affection-starved for different reasons, and co-dependent as heck, so now they can finally enjoy each other~)

Finally, he was done with the paperwork.

Under most circumstances, Simmons enjoyed paperwork; it was a methodical process that allowed him to both focus AND zone-out. He was also very good at organizing and filling-out forms. The best kind of work didn’t just keep you busy, it was also satisfying. Right now… he just wanted it to be over and done with. He actually SKIPPED a few things, just to make it go quicker. 10 years ago, this would have caused Simmons to have a flustered panic-attack. Heck, it would have bothered him to leave something mildly incomplete 5 years ago. Well, he wasn’t the same Simmons as 5, 10, or 15 years ago… past-Simmons was done, and today-Simmons had more important things to worry about.

He just wanted to go see Grif.

They had FINALLY gotten used to just being able to hang-out again, now that all the… (what words were there to describe what had happened with his family?)… DRAMA with his parents was over. Simmons still felt so embarrassed about it; he’d not only been stupid, but perfectly willing to be deceived and used… but could you blame a guy for being tricked, when the ones tricking him were his own mother and father, and the trick in question was making him think they finally loved him, after years of being neglected and rejected? Simmons certainly blamed himself, but his friends reminded him often that it hadn’t been all his fault. Finally, he could do more than just resent his parents. He could flatly hate them, and simply ignore them. They were both gone and out of his life now, and it was on HIS terms. He was done with them, and looking forward to being with his friends again, being with GRIF again… but then more stuff happened.

More stuff ALWAYS happened.

At least it hadn’t been too much stuff this time. Some evil jerks who wanted to scan the brains of soldiers, thus creating new AI fragments… oh, and the evil jerks were using really funky boot-leg equipment that killed whoever got scanned. Really bad, and certainly a major inconvenience (especially when Simmons and the rest of his group had gotten kid-napped to be forced into the scanning process), but it had been a fairly straight-forward thing to deal with. Which they did. None of them had died, mostly thanks to the fact that Church and Tex could still do their own AI trick, plus some help from the handful of other AIs that liked to hang out in Church’s head.

Sigma had helped Simmons… which was a little unnerving at first, but ultimately OK. Sigma hadn’t tried to take over his body or destroy his mind. It had actually been kinda cool, working with the AI… and the results had spoken for themselves; fighting for your life was indeed a great motivator, but Sigma had made Simmons dig deeper for the things he really wanted.

Being connected with Sigma had been the reason for the majority of the paperwork. People wanted to know what it had been like, how it had worked… and while that was a fascinating process (one Simmons would normally like to discuss at length), some of it had involved thoughts that were very… personal. It was nobody’s business but his. Sigma knew, because he had literally been in Simmons’ brain. Simmons wasn’t exactly trying to keep any of this a secret, but still; his thoughts, his feelings.

(It had been overwhelming, but also exhilarating, looking at the situation in simple terms, these people had taken him away from everything he wanted, they had taken him away from everything he DESERVED, and he wasn’t going to let them get away with it, he wasn’t going to be pushed around, he was going to PUSH BACK, he was going to survive this situation and nothing was going to stop him, because he was smart enough to solve this problem, but he was more than just smart, he was strong, he was determined, and he had nothing holding him back…)

First they had to deal with stupid problems caused by evil jerks, and THEN he had to deal with all that paperwork. Simmons blew through it (he was internally getting a kick out of how much this would have driven his previous self crazy), and only cared about ONE thing; finding Grif. They hadn’t been able to see each other or even talk for WEEKS. That was horrible all on its own, but now… it was different. He was different.

In his search for Grif, Simmons winds up running around the facility, asking everybody he meets if they’d seen “the Orange One” (they all knew who the Reds and Blues were, but not everybody had the names down). Simmons finally finds a Grif, but it is the OTHER Grif (the one who wouldn’t recognize ANYBODY by their colors).

“Kai!” he calls out to her and waves to get her attention.

She stops in the hallway, and seems to send out irritated vibes as Simmons jogs up to her.

“Hey, I’m looking for your brother… where is he? I thought he’d stick around when we were done answering all the questions about what happened, but he’s gone-”

“Yeah, he doesn’t want to talk to you right now,” she says in a defensive tone.

That throws Simmons way the heck off. He blinks inside his helmet and tries to process what he just heard.

“What? Wh-why?” he honestly has no clue.

“Uh, maybe because you’ve been making fun of him ever since you came back?” she’s crossed her arms now, looking beyond angry even without her expression showing.

“I… I haven’t been making fun of him! I mean, we joke with each other all the time, playful insults and stuff, but I haven’t even been doing THAT lately… seriously, what’s wrong? What did I do?”

“Oh please, ever since you figured out he actually meant it when he said…” she paused there, trailing off. Simmons knew what she meant. It was the ‘I love you’. Grif had finally told Simmons how he felt, and Simmons had… misunderstood. No, it had totally gone right over his head. Because, despite how smart he considered himself to be, Simmons also knew he could be a moron. “… you’ve been PICKING ON HIM! Now that you came back and figured out how he felt, you’ve been picking on him, and just- just being a total ass-hat about it! So guess what, he doesn’t want to talk to you!”

That didn’t just throw him for a loop… Simmons felt like somebody just tossed him off a building, and now he was free-falling, flipping through the air at terminal velocity.

“WHAT? NO!” he HAD to make her understand. “I wasn’t picking on him, or making fun of him! I- I was FLIRTING with him! I thought that… I just wanted him to know I felt the same way, but without it being a big deal? I thought if I did a big romantic confession or something, it would make him feel awkward… so I was just trying to, like… flirt? But in teasing way?”

“OH. MY. GOD.” Kai dropped her arms… and then raised them up again, shaking her hands in front of his visor. “You were trying to FLIRT? That was you FLIRTING?”

“Um, yes?”

“DUDE! HAVE YOU EVER EVEN FLIRTED BEFORE?”

“N-no… not really?” his voice has turned into a meek little squeak.

“SO WHY WOULD YOU TRY IT NOW?”

“I don’t know…” in retrospect, Simmons can now see how stupid this had been.

“This whole time, my brother just thought you were mocking him! And you were FLIRTING! He tells you he loves you, and you don’t get it, then he tries to get OVER you, and YOU decide to start flirting… I can’t believe it… I swear, you are BOTH so HOPELESS!” she groans, then takes a deep breath. “OK, listen up. He freaking CONFESSED to you, after being in love with you for like… at least 10 years. He’s not gonna take you seriously if keep trying to tease him. You need to be DIRECT. You need to be HONEST. You need to do a BIG ROMANTIC CONFESSION.”

She pointed down the hallway to her right, and gave Simmons a shove in that direction.

“He’s outside, on the look-out corner over there. Now go and tell my brother you’re in love with him BEFORE I KILL YOU! AND NOBODY WILL EVER FIND YOUR BODY!”

“Right! Got it! Going to fix this now!” he was fairly certain she COULD get away with murder if she wanted, but Simmons was more concerned with finding Grif to make the guy UNDERSTAND.

This whole time… Simmons had been calling him cute, and lover-boy… but Grif thought Simmons was mocking him. He must feel AWFUL. That hadn’t been his intention at all. Why were they so bad at this? Why couldn’t they ever be on the same damn page? The short answer was, they were BOTH morons.

Simmons sprinted down the hall, dodging random people on the way… if they knew why he was running, they’d probably think this was like a scene out of a rom-com, and he was trying to catch somebody at the airport. Well, that was almost right; he certainly felt like if he didn’t find Grif and talk to him IMMEDIATELY, this was going to be a lost cause. You can’t expect a person to keep waiting, hoping, for years and years and… it had already been long enough. Simmons might even be just barely too late right now. Oh NO, he had to find Grif, tell him truth, he had to FIX THIS!

He should have said something years ago… but in his defense, Simmons hadn’t realized what was happening. How could he? In the beginning, he hadn’t even LIKED Grif, and that was supposed to be first step when you actually fell in love with somebody, right? You like them. Grif and Simmons had a very rocky start. By the time Simmons DID start to like him, well… what was he supposed to think? This certainly wasn’t a conventional relationship. Not that Simmons had a lot of experience with ANY relationships at all; his home life with his family had been a nightmare. They didn’t love each other, not in a genuine and affectionate way, and they certainly didn’t love him. He never had any real friends. Most kids hated his guts, either because he was too much of a little smarty-pants or not smart ENOUGH. Whatever the reason, nobody liked him. He never dated anybody either… he knew what dating was supposed to look like, though. Simmons watched movies, he read books. He could occasionally see real people who were really in love (or at least seemed to be). He just never got to experience it himself. How was Simmons supposed to recognize that he was falling in love with somebody, when he had no personal frame of reference for it?

His relationship with Grif had always been weird, but it was THEIRS. It was just like that with them. Eventually, Simmons realized he liked Grif, and they were friends despite all the bickering (maybe even a little BECAUSE of the bickering)… and you DEFINITELY shouldn’t be having cutesy-thoughts about your friend. Simmons assumed there must have just been something wrong with him… and if he ever let Grif know, it would ruin the weird relationship they had. Grif wouldn’t want to hang out with him or talk to him anymore, which was the worst thing ever, because Simmons DID like having him as a friend, so what was wrong with him? Why did stupid thoughts keep popping into his head, and why… WHY… did he occasionally have DREAMS that went a LOT further than “cutesy”? You don’t dream about your friends like THAT. YOU JUST DON’T. Something was wrong with him, but it wasn’t his fault, he had no control over dumb stuff his brain did while he was unconscious, and if he just didn’t say anything, then it would be OK.

After the incident on Chorus, Simmons had thought the whole problem would just be solved; something had finally happened, something that was outside of his control, and so he didn’t have to worry about it. He didn’t need to come up with a reason or an excuse. Something had happened, and it had happened with Grif, and now… he could stop trying so hard to ignore it or explain it. The choice was out of his hands. No more pressure to make a decision. They could figure out what this meant TOGETHER, and things would be fine… except no, nothing EVER was that simple. They got caught (thankfully, not in the act. Enough time had passed for them to recover some composure... and their clothes), and Grif had been beyond embarrassed. That had been like a slap in the face to Simmons; Grif didn’t want to talk about it, or even think about it. It was just a crazy situation, caused by Tucker’s stupid sword, and it was pointless to dwell on it.

Simmons dwelled on it, because his brain couldn’t let things go… and yeah, it had hurt. He’d been rejected before. Many times. He basically expected it whenever he started talking to another person, regardless of who they were. Was he trying to make a friend? Was he trying to impress an authority figure? Was he trying to ask somebody out on a date? Nobody ever wanted him. Which wasn’t exactly fun, but he was used to it. Now Grif didn’t even want him. For a little while after Chorus, Simmons had been terrified that Grif wouldn’t want him at ALL, not even as a friend. The two of them had both been rejects TOGETHER, and somehow that made things OK. Grif was so chill, and Simmons was so up-tight... they cancelled each other out. Or maybe it was more like they complimented each other. They clashed too, oh YES, but no matter how often that clashing happened, they still stayed together. In the after-math of Chorus, that wasn't true anymore. This is what he’d been afraid of, doing something stupid that would ruin their relationship (and just what WAS their relationship, anyway?).

Then they had arrived on Iris, and things had gone back to normal… Simmons didn’t hesitate for one moment to fall back into their old routine of talking, bickering, and joking. That was good, that was safe. That was what he wanted. Except, part of him wanted something else. Part of him wanted to say more when they talked, part of him wanted to get closer, part of him wanted… he wasn’t even sure WHAT. He just wanted, and all that WANT was directed at Grif. Why? You don’t want stuff like that from your friend. Why did Simmons even want Grif at all? What was wrong with him? When Grif had "quit" the group, Simmons internally felt broken. He kept doing what he needed to do, because what other option did he have? Just curl up on the ground in a ball, and die? He felt like doing exactly that... and it wasn't FAIR, it wasn't fair that Grif could just push him away and not care, it wasn't fair that Grif didn't NEED him around the way Simmons needed Grif. Thankfully that hadn't lasted; Grif came back. Simmons should have done something right then, told him him something... just SOMETHING, to make Grif understand... but Simmons still didn't understand it himself. He didn't understand why he felt empty without Grif around...

Well, Simmons had finally figured it out; he had been falling in love with Grif as the years went by (it was so obvious and simple when you said it like that), and he was too much of a dink to see that for what it was. He’d never been in love before, or been able to see an up-close example of what love really was… just second-hand glimpses at other people from an emotional distance. He had never been able to relate to any of it. When Simmons found himself right there in middle of it happening, he had no clue… it was love. Love. When you like somebody, and want somebody, and NEED somebody, and have all kinds of cutesy-thoughts about somebody, and dreams that are on the more mature side of romantic about somebody… there is a fairly good chance that you love them. The evidence added up. Simmons already had one missed opportunity with Grif, he can’t lose him again.

He finds the doors that open up to the large look-out area… and there is Grif. Standing over by the railing, still in his armor. It feels good just SEEING him again. It feels good knowing Grif isn’t far away, out of reach… but Simmons can’t relax yet. He still has to talk to him, and he has to make it good. Because that’s his best friend over there, that’s his favorite person, that’s the man he’s in love with (oh damn, his stomach rolls at that thought, but not in a bad way, he’s just such a bundle of nerves). Simmons has to tell him all that, and make sure Grif knows it is TRUE.

“Grif, hey…” Simmons slows down, and catches his breath, walking up to the railing. “I’ve been… I’ve been looking for you. We need to talk…”

“Yeah, well… I don’t wanna talk to you…” he doesn’t just sound sulky or pouty. Grif sounds downright miserable.

“Grif… c’mon, please… we can always talk to each other,” Simmons is trying not to panic… he can’t stand the idea of NOT being able to talk to Grif, especially when Grif is RIGHT THERE.

“FINE, whatever… you talk. I don’t got nothing to say,”

Simmons was going to ignore the bad grammar for now. Priorities.

“Grif, I… I’m sorry. I’m sorry I didn’t understand what you meant when you said you loved me…” he sees Grif shuffle and tense up at the mention of this. “I’m sorry you had to put up with me being so oblivious for such a long time. I’m sorry that when I finally figured it out, I started teasing you… I SWEAR, I wasn’t trying to make fun of you! I was… look, I’ve never actually dated anybody in my whole life. You know that… so I’m just- I’m BAD at this, but I was TRYING to flirt with you. Really!”

Grif turns away from him, muttering.

“Yeah, right…”

“Grif, no! I mean it! I was flirting with you, I just suck at it!” oh, Grif doesn’t believe him. That’s not good… OK, time to get real. “So… I’m just going to tell you how I feel, honestly. Alright? I love you, Grif…”

“No you don’t…”

“Uh, yes I do?”

"You don't,"

"I really DO?"

“NO! No you don’t! Why WOULD you?”

“Why would I… Grif, how could I NOT love you? I like talking to you more than anybody else I’ve ever known in my entire LIFE! You drive me crazy with how annoying you are, but you also make me laugh so much I forget about everything else! When I make YOU laugh, it's like I really accomplished something, because nobody else is as good at it as me! When I’m with you, I feel so stupid, but you also make me feel like I actually matter! Sometimes, I literally can’t stop thinking about you! You take over my head! A big portion of my life practically revolves around you!” Simmons was trying to step closer to him… but he just kept moving away. “Grif, you’re my best friend. You know exactly how irritating and weird I am, and you still want to be around me. I know all your bad habits, and I can’t imagine NOT being with you. No matter how I try to picture what I want in my life, you’re always there. You make me happy, and I want to be the person who makes YOU happy. If I’m not in goddamn love with you, then I don’t know WHAT the hell is going on!”

Simmons took a step toward him, and tried to put a hand on his shoulder. Grif shook him off.

“Grif, I-”

“No! Just stop it! You don’t… you DON’T…”

Simmons refused to give up. Maybe if this was just about Grif not feeling the same way, he could let it go… but that wasn’t what was happening; this was Grif being so used to feeling unwanted, he couldn’t accept the fact that Simmons was truly in love with him. Grif could do whatever he needed to do for himself, he could go ahead and move on if that was what he really wanted… but first, he had to KNOW. He had to know Simmons really MEANT IT. Simmons needs to do something… something direct, something that can’t possible be misinterpreted.

He reaches up and takes off his helmet, setting it down by his feet.

That done, Simmons reaches over and begins to take off Grif’s. At first, Grif doesn’t notice what is happening, then he tries to jump away… but Simmons has his hand on the clasps, and Grif can’t escape. The orange helmet comes off with a few little clicks, and Simmons places it down with his maroon one.

Grif turns his head down, and leans away… like he’s trying to hide his face. Simmons can see that parts of his cheeks are shining in the sunlight; at some point during this conversation, Grif had cried behind his visor. Maybe out of frustration, or simple sadness… but either way, he had cried because of Simmons. This almost makes Simmons lose his nerve, it nearly causes him to choke and freeze-up, but he reminds himself that this is something he WANTS to do, something he NEEDS to do.

“Grif, look at me… look at me…” his voice comes out soft, but certain. Quiet and gentle, but still calm.

Grif hears this, and he can’t NOT listen… because he doesn’t get to hear Simmons sound like that very often. He hears Simmons whine, and squawk, and screech, and babble all the time. He also hears Simmons laugh, and complain, and grumble, and joke a lot. This was different. There was something PLEADING in that tone, and Grif can’t say no. There was also something very CONFIDENT in that tone as well, and Grif can’t ignore it.

He looks up at Simmons, and it feels like too much; Grif has been trying to forget how he feels but now here is this face… Grif sees his eyes, his hair, the way his smile pulls just a little to one side, and it reminds Grif of a million other things. Every conversation they ever had, every time they had a petty argument over nothing, every time they cracked each other up until it felt like they would die, every time they really DID almost die but somehow survived. Grif sees the metal that frames one of his eyes, and part of his jawline… and that reminds Grif of the fact that they match. Grif has patches of skin that came from Simmons, and right now Simmons can see that too. He can see Grif’s face, Grif can see his, and Grif sees so much MORE; Grif sees everything he knows about Simmons, everything he hates about Simmons, everything he LOVES about Simmons, and it feels like too MUCH.

“I love you,” Simmons tells him, that same tone… soft, certain, quiet, gentle, calm… pleading and confident.

It hits Grif right then; Simmons knows exactly what he’s saying… and he means it. Grif’s heart doesn’t just skip a beat; he practically feels it shudder in his chest (and really, this heart came from Simmons, he literally has Simmons’ heart, and it must still be in cahoots with Simmons, because right now this heart is TORTURING him).

Before Grif can think about what to do or say in response, Simmons is tilting his head down. Still holding on to Grif's shoulders, ever-so-slightly pulling him closer. Now Grif can’t see his face anymore… it is too close, just a soft blur… he's blocking out the sun...

Simmons is kissing him.

Simmons had leaned down, until there was no more room between them, and very softly pressed his mouth against Grif’s… except it was a little more than that… Simmons had parted his lips, just slightly, and when they touched, his lips closed around Grif’s. Now Grif was really starting to notice the way this felt, the smooth curve of Simmons' lower lip, the warmth, it was so light and gentle… just barely a kiss, but ABSOLUTELY a kiss. Since when did this nerd know how to kiss? Who told him he could do that? Grif’s breath stalls, and he doesn’t trust himself to let it go… it’ll come out as a choked sob of relief, and that might turn into something else, like a full-on crying fit, so instead he just holds it and shuts his eyes.

After a moment, that both seems like a long time and yet too short, Simmons leans away… now Grif lets himself exhale, and it DOES sound shaky and choked, as if he’s never been kissed before, as if he’s never kissed Simmons before (but Grif himself had insisted that what happened on Chorus didn’t count, it hadn’t been “real”, they should just forget about it… this was entirely different than Chorus; this wasn’t in a dark closet, this was out in broad daylight. They couldn’t blame this on a magical sci-fi alien temple that turned your brain off and turned the rest of you ON. This was deliberate, this was intentional, this was REAL).

Grif blinks, seeing Simmons again; he looks relieved, like he’s finally done something that he NEEDED to do. His eyes are still closed, and Grif can hear him sigh softly… no ragged, strangled gasp from him. Well, that’s not fair. Grif can feel something inside himself, what most people would probably call “butterflies in your stomach”, it was also like static electricity sparking in his gut, and now HE needs to do something, because that kiss had NOT been long enough, he’s been thinking about kissing Simmons in the back of his mind for more than 10 years, and if they can just do this now, if they can just kiss each other, then… then Grif is going to get the most he can out of it.

Grif’s hands come up to grip the edges of Simmons’ armor, roughly pulling him back, the metal on their chests making a clunking noise. He also brings their faces together again, their lips touching again, and REALLY kisses Simmons. Grif can hear him make a startled little hum, but it is a pleasantly surprised noise, and it turns into a sigh of gratitude. Actually... it was in the neighborhood of sounding like a moan. Now that he’s not in a state of shock, Grif can actually kiss Simmons like he means it… and he DOES mean it. He presses his mouth against Simmons', firmly but tenderly, and shows Simmons how kissing works; you nod your head into the movements of your lips, as smoothly as possible, until it feels like you're both floating in the ocean, letting the waves roll you. That's how you kiss somebody... like a wave. The way Simmons responded was warm, welcoming... slowly nodding along, matching what Grif was doing, and it really was like being in the ocean, rising and falling with the waves...

Those butterflies Grif felt before have escaped from his stomach; now he feels that fluttering all over his body, down his legs, through his arms to the tips of his fingers, filling up his head. More than just little sparks of static… Grif has a whole thunderstorm inside him, and he knows what it is; the feeling of wanting somebody, needing them, all kinds of other sappy words… yearning, longing… and finally being able to just HAVE something with them, finally being able to give part of yourself to them, and they want it too… you BOTH want this, you want each other. You HAVE each other.

This was just a little kiss, no big deal… except it was, because it was SIMMONS, and Grif has been talking to him for years, standing next to him for years, thinking about him for years, and he has been holding himself back from doing anything even remotely similar to this. No matter how close they were physically, Grif still made sure there was enough distance between them to be safe, you could still call it “platonic”, no touching except the occasional punch in the arm or a short bro-hug. No matter how close they were emotionally, Grif still made sure not to get too deep about his feelings, never reveal how much he thought about Simmons or how often those thoughts were tinted with something romantic. As close as it was possible to get to somebody… without being TOO close.

Whatever line had been drawn in the proverbial sand to separate them, it had been crossed… and erased. Grif was now so close to Simmons, they were touching. Not just touching, KISSING. Grif was kissing Simmons. Simmons was kissing Grif. After years and years and YEARS, this was actually happening.

When the thunder storm finally seems to be over, when the butterflies finally seem to calm down, Grif eases his mouth away… and hears Simmons make a sound sort of like a quiet, uneven laugh. Not exactly his nervous giggle, and not quite his I’m-so-tired-that-everything-seems-funny chuckle. This sounded a lot more satisfied and breathless… and just a little bit needy, like he wanted more. This was a laugh just for Grif, because Grif had kissed it out of him. He wants to hear that again and again, kiss Simmons again and again.

“I love you, Grif…” Simmons tells him, pressing forehead gently against Grif’s, eyes still shut, his expression one of simple contentment.

“… I love you too, Simmons,” Grif replies, and it occurs to him that he can do that now; reply, say it back, or say it first and then hear the reply. He hears his own voice crack, he can’t help it.

Just a few minutes ago, Grif had been resigned to giving up on Simmons… he couldn’t stand being around the guy anymore. It was too painful. Impossible to be friends with somebody who thinks how you feel is just a big joke, and now Grif couldn’t even ignore it and pretend nothing had changed. EVERYTHING had changed. He hated it, and he was just so DONE dealing with Simmons. No more having conversations that didn’t go anywhere, no more wasting his time pining away like a stupid middle school kid with a crush. He was too old to feel like this. It was time to just move on…

NOW everything had changed again. Simmons had told him he felt the same way. Simmons had kissed him. Simmons was still clinging to him, still nuzzling his face against Grif’s, still being so affectionate… it could just be like this, always. From now on, when they’re standing around, one of them can reach out, and then they can hold each other. When they’re talking, bickering, laughing, they can lean in and kiss each other. They can do all of that… suddenly having all these options is overwhelming Grif, all these possibilities that aren’t just silly little love-sick fantasies anymore, but REALITY.

“Well… that only took us, what? 10, 12 years to figure out?” Simmons softly murmurs.

A laugh escapes Grif, making him shake, and Simmons as well.

“We might be stupid…” Grif leans away just enough to properly look at Simmons.

“Oh, we’re major idiots, no question!” Simmons agrees, opening his eyes, smile spreading across his face. Grif grins back at him, and without knowing it, they both think ‘I love making him smile’.

“You’re supposed to be the SMART one,” Grif tells him.

“Yeah, but I remember what I said? You MAKE me stupid. My braincells are allergic to you,”

That does it, Grif explodes into laughter, and has to bury his face into Simmons’ neck (he suddenly feels like he desperately needs to be right there, right in the little spot where the kevlar under-suit ends and he can see the exposed skin. Grif is lucky he’s already so close, because for a sec, he was practically frantic to get his face to that little spot), where he both hears and feels the vibrations of Simmons laughing right along with him.

“You c-can’t ever do this to me again, man…” Grif tries to catch his breath, and also not move his face away, because he feels pretty good right where he is (he’s gonna have to try cuddling this close to Simmons again sometime, when they don’t have layers of armor in the way. He’s gonna have to cuddle Simmons a LOT). “You can’t make feel like I don’t have a chance, and then give me hope, and then…”

“No, don’t worry. No more miscommunications,” Simmons promises, turning his face just a little bit so it is nestled in Grif’s hair (thinking to himself how nice it is… they just fit together like this, each of them fills up the space for the other. He's going to enjoy holding Grif when they're both wearing something more comfortable, no armor to ruin it). “And I won’t… I won’t keep teasing you anymore-”

“Well, y’know… maybe that’s not so bad after all,” Grif mumbles in a weak attempt to sound nonchalant.

“What? Grif, you were so upset about it! That’s why you were avoiding me!”

“Pfff, dude, that was waaay back-”

“Way back 11 minutes ago?!” it is impossible to take that grumpy tone seriously, because Simmons still has his arms wrapped around Grif’s body, and he still has his face in Grif’s hair.

“Yeah, way back then. That was when I thought you were saying that stuff sarcastically… but now I know you MEANT it. Now I know all those things you told me weren’t insults, they were COMPLIMENTS. You can keep that up, that’s fine with me…”

“Grif- you are so- you’re such an ass-backwards, contrary, son of a-”

“Oh, are you gonna talk dirty to me, too? That’s cool, I can get into that…” Grif feels Simmons squeeze him tighter, and for a few seconds worries if maybe he stepped too far and really made Simmons mad (which would be horrible, they were FINALLY getting somewhere, somewhere GOOD), but then he hears Simmons sputter and feels those vibrations against his face again; Simmons was laughing.

Grif grins against his neck, and waits for the laughter to come to a slow stop.

“Grif, do you remember what I said when I realized how you felt?” Simmons asks him, still out of breath from left-over giggles. “I asked you what you loved about me, right? Like, if you loved my laugh or my eyes? You never answered me… that’s why I started trying to flirt with you. I thought if I said what I loved about YOU, it would make it easier for you to say what you loved about ME,”

“Oh… OK, I can kinda see why you might have thought that would work,” Grif isn’t sure who messed up worse… they both should have known better.

“So?” Simmons asks.

“So… what?”

“SO, I’ve given you PLENTY of compliments…” Simmons prompts him.

“Ah, OK, um… so…” Grif reminds himself that he’s already said the most important thing, this was just the icing on the cake. “Yeah… you asked if I loved your laugh… and I do, but not just that. I really… I love your voice, I love the way you sound, I love the way you talk when you get all excited about something you care about, I love when you get all ticked-off and rant about something you hate, I love how you sound when you’re explaining something even when I don’t understand it, I love your- what’s it called, the way a person pronounces things, the- the something, the speaking rhythm? No, that's not it...”

“My speech pattern?” Simmons offers helpfully.

“YES, your speech pattern, see I love that too, when you know the words for stuff I forget about, and I love when you mess-up words like a dork, it's cute, and yeah I love your speech pattern, that’s why I fall asleep when we talk all night, not because you’re boring, but listening to you calms me down, and… FUCK, I did the thing where I can’t shut up again!” Grif can feel a small pressure on top of his head; he’s pretty sure that’s Simmons kissing him up there, and that makes him realize Simmons might like HIS speech pattern, too.

“Grif, if you think YOU like to hear compliments, you need to remember who the hell I am!” this makes them both laugh again, and it feels so surreal; having a stupid little argument that was really more fun that anything, while also being snuggled tightly together, with Grif basically kissing Simmons’ neck because his mouth kept touching that little area of skin, and Simmons basically kissing Grif through his hair… this was something they’d done a million times, but never like THIS. It starts to sink in with Grif that he CAN just do stuff like compliment Simmons, and call him cute... the guy was VERY susceptible to flattery. In fact, he ate it up.

“… Grif? When we have the chance, do you want to go out on a date? Like, an actual, real date?” Simmons asks him.

“Oh, hell YES I do,” Grif doesn’t even hesitate.

“Good. We’ve got a lot of wasted time to make up for… jeez, we could have been boyfriends years ago, what’s wrong us?” Simmons is resting his cheek on top of Grif’s head, rolling his eyes at how ridiculous this whole journey has been.

“I think we already established the fact that we’re major idiots…” Grif reminds him… then realizes something. “… boyfriends?”

“Yep,” Grif feels Simmons nod his head gently.

“I’m your boyfriend?”

“Yep,”

“Your MY boyfriend?”

“Yep,”

Years of not liking each other, then becoming friends, then accidentally falling in love but not doing anything about it, then Grif trying to finally tell him only for Simmons to miss his point, then feeling like Simmons was going to drift away forever… and a few minutes ago, Grif wanted to get Simmons out of his life. Now they were boyfriends. Just like that, everything had changed. If there WAS some kind of divine creator out there with a plan, they REALLY liked screwing with Grif.

“That sounds pretty good,” Grif admits, finally allowing himself to separate from Simmons (because now he doesn’t feel like he’ll somehow lose Simmons if they aren’t clinging together).

“It really does,” Simmons presses his lips to Grif’s forehead briefly (both of them having internal moments of glee at the realization that they can do that now; share casual little kisses… because they were boyfriends), and then bends his knees to pick up their helmets.

***

While all this was going on, Kai had been inside the building losing her mind.

She was sick and tired of always having to wait on the side-lines while her brother had some emotional break-down… if he had listened to her before when she gave him advice about his love life, all these problems would have been solved. Heck, if Dex actually had the nerve, he would probably be MARRIED to Simmons by now… but nooooo, he had to be so pathetic and ignore his feelings (and ignore the fact that Simmons was OBVIOUSLY just waiting for him to make the first move. Not that Simmons knew that’s what he was waiting for, because he was pathetic too). She was surprised he hadn’t died of dehydration, her bro was so thirsty and refused to take a sip even when there was a tall drink of water RIGHT THERE.

She finally couldn’t take it anymore. She had to go out there and see what was happening. If they were fighting or not talking properly, she was gonna walk up and smack them both!

Kai heads down the hallway, and starts to step out through the doors… but then catches herself.

The two of them are standing out there. She can’t hear what they’re saying, but from the way they’re turning their heads slightly, she can tell they are talking. It seems like a comfortable conversation, whatever it is. The whole scene looks like something typical for the two of them, except… they’re holding hands.

They’re standing out there, together, talking, and holding hands.

Kai has no clue what finally did it, who said what, how it happened, but LOOK!

She quickly steps back inside, letting the doors quietly close. Kai barely takes a few steps away from the door before she has to stop, her knees almost give-out on her, so she just pauses there in the hall for a moment, half-bent over, holds her hands up in triumphant fists, and lets out a long sound of pure happiness-

“EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!”

-because her brother was out there holding hands with somebody! Not just anybody, but the specific somebody he’s been madly in love with! She wouldn’t have to kill Simmons after all! Kai leaves, practically skipping back down the hall, letting the two of them have their romantic little moment out there. They deserved it. They deserved each other. They had certainly waited long enough for it.

Ooh, she had to start thinking about fun date-night ideas for them… and ask Donut to help her pick out cute matching outfits for them to wear… and… and… NO, WAIT! She still had to be patient; those dorks out there only JUST got together, and everybody who knows them was bound to freak out about it (Kai hadn’t even been there for the beginning of this long and nonsensical romance, and she was freaking out a little herself). Dex needed some time to enjoy himself in peace. She would wait for them to tell the others (and once Tucker knew, he was probably going to start planning their wedding… if he hasn’t already). THEN she would start giving them dating suggestions~

#red vs blue #rvb #grimmons

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