#Hopefully this will distract me from the fact that I do NOT feel confident about the quality of this one shot but OH WELL.
Text
Static
This is Part 4 of the Magnetic Attraction series.
Rating: General Audiences
Content Warnings: Fantastic Racism, Internalized Homophobia.
Summary: Tech finally seems to be on the right path to discovering his hidden powers and Rev decides to start setting up that party he promised for when he succeeds. Unbeknownst to each other, their progress is hindered by troubling memories and uncomfortable conversations.
Word Count: 8168
Here's the link to this work on Ao3, otherwise:
~
The sound of Ace’s footsteps contrasted sharply with the otherwise complete silence as he stepped into the lounge. Were it not for the bright red crest sticking up from the center cushion of the lounge sofa, Ace might have assumed nobody was there. But, somebody was there, and he happened to be the person he was looking for.
“Morning Rev,” he said, walking around the center couch and peering down at him.
“Hey,” Rev replied absently.
He was just… sitting there… staring at a plain ceramic mug on the coffee table. The TV wasn’t on, and he wasn’t talking or reading or… doing anything. Anything other than… staring.
“Are you… doing some weird sciency thing I’ve never heard of?”
Rev made a noncommittal noise.
“Uh… okay. Well,” Ace huffed and crossed his arms, “Tech wanted me to let you know that you shouldn’t bring anything electronic or filled with flammable gas out back today. He’s testing his new powers or something.”
“Tech?” Finally, Rev blinked, looking up at him. “Oh, he is?”
“Yeah.” Ace rolled his eyes. “Hey, any idea why Mr. Million Powers couldn’t use the power of talking to you himself instead of sending me to do his errands?” After a brief pause, he pursed his lips. “You guys didn’t get in a fight or something, did ya?”
“No. Um.” Rev stood up, looking around. “Look, I promised to throw him a party if he figured out how to create an EMP himself, so, I’ve gotta get started on that.”
“Ugh. Like that guy needs more of an ego boost.”
But Rev didn’t hear any of that, because he was already gone.
Sighing, Ace turned and walked away.
“Something’s funky with him. What does Rev even need coffee for anyway? Unlike Duck, Rev’s always seemed like more of an early bird.” His chuckle echoed awkwardly across the lounge. “Eh, I’m sure it’s nothing important. Everyone has their off days.”
-
“That should do it.”
Tech released his magnetic grasp from a rod that was now firmly planted into the ground. It was sticking straight up and topped with a smooth metallic ball.
Cool morning dew dampened the fur below his ankles, and soft grass cushioned the ground below his paws. When Tech first began to set up his equipment, the fields were thick with mist, and though a deep breath confirmed the damp air, the mist was no longer present.
“Alright. I’m thoroughly grounded and the air is conductive enough to pull away any stray charge. If there’s any time to train my ability to create and control electricity, especially something as strong as an EMP, this is it.”
He stared down the metallic rod as he stepped a few meters away, making sure to side-step the folding table he set up nearby.
“Creating an arc from this distance would definitively prove my understanding and mastery over electromagnetism. I just have to do it.”
Closing his eyes, he took another deep breath.
“Rev knows I can do it.”
The field blinked into view again, but Tech lost focus of the rod and looked at the folding table, specifically a plain ceramic mug sitting on top of it.
Huffing, he yanked his focus back to the target.
“I know I can do it. I just have to try.”
He raised his hands. They came to life with green energy.
“Here I go,” he said assuredly.
But his eyes flicked again to the coffee mug.
-
“Alright. Party supplies. Party supplies.”
Rev turned a corner.
“I’ll need tables. Supply closet. There should be some there.”
He turned another corner. Down the hall, gymnastic supplies as well as a bunch of other things were flooding out of the open closet door.
Rev sighed, running over and beginning to pick things up and properly put them away. Ironically, he was often in charge of cleaning up anyway.
Now that everything wasn’t teetering like how Slam and Lexi left it and Duck later released it, Rev dug a little deeper to find some fold-out tables.
“Alright. Tables. Where to put them? Sparring room. Nobody should mind.”
He briefly set down the tables to stack them in a big pile, then picked them up from the bottom to move them.
Given the weight and precariousness of the tables, he decided to take the short trip to the sparring room slowly. Though, as he stepped forward, his eyes landed on a few colorful sticky notes littering the ground.
Not paying attention, the tables started to slide.
“Wh-!”
And apparently, he really wasn’t paying attention, because Slam was there to easily catch the tables with one arm.
“Oh. Thanks for the save, Slam.”
When the tables evened out in Rev’s grasp, Slam looked the stack up and down, then tilted his head.
“Want some help?” he offered.
“No thanks,” Rev replied, a little coldly. “I can handle this alone.”
Before he could see Slam’s pout, Rev was already making his way to the sparring hall, being sure to not lose his balance this time.
Finally, after what felt like forever, he came to a stop at the sparring hall door.
“Ugh. Great.”
Rev set the stack of tables down and then opened the door, pulling it as wide as it could go before kicking down the door holder.
Now. The smart thing to do, Rev thought, would be to bring in a few tables at a time so they could fit through the door more easily. It would take more time, but would also be safer.
He grabbed the entire stack again and started to grapple the tables through the doorway.
Surprising no one, including himself, the tables slipped out of his grasp and crashed down around him.
Looking up from the wreck with a pained hiss, Rev saw Slam standing just outside the doorway, looking concerned.
“I’m fine,” Rev huffed, awkwardly pulling himself out of the pile of tables. “Just go do whatever you were going to do before you saw me. I don’t need any help.”
Slam rubbed his arm, muttering a barely audible “okay” before sulking over to the weight room.
Sighing, Rev wiped a hand across his face. “Great. Are there any more friends I can make feel bad today? Maybe I can pull off a new record…”
With nobody there to comment, Rev simply got back to the annoying process of moving tables.
-
“Here I go.”
Tech could feel the energy as he pointed his hands at the metallic rod, but it didn’t feel that much different from his usual magnetic manipulation.
“Here. I go.”
He knew how to do it. He knew he did. He did it last night while barely thinking about it.
Barely thinking.
He glanced at the ceramic mug again.
Yanking his head back toward his target, he groaned.
“Here. I. Go.”
The method was simple. The power was within reach. Rev believed in him, so-
He shook his head. Focus. He needed to focus.
-
The tables were now set up but there was nothing on them so now it was time to fix that.
Rev shot out of the sparring hall… and stopped immediately.
There were still sticky notes on the floor from yesterday evening.
Sighing, he decided he had to clean those up before any kind of party could be held. The last thing he or Tech needed was a bunch of mistakes littering the ground.
One by one Rev went to every sticky note he saw and snatched them off the ground. By the time he was done, he had made his way through the hall and into the lounge and was holding onto a stack of notes that was a centimeter thick.
Against his better judgment, he inspected the pile of notes, learning nothing new and leaving him with shame clawing his throat.
He was supposed to relax. That’s the thing Tech wanted most from him. To relax. Even a week ago, Tech told him he’d make mistakes and that it shouldn’t upset him so much. But he didn’t listen. Instead, he covered his room and himself with historical trivia and ignored the myriad of tips he read to just listen to what actual coyotes had to say. Why would he need to listen, right? If he just knew every possible way he could screw up, then he wouldn’t, right? Except, it didn’t work like that. And somewhere in his head, he knew it didn’t work like that. But doing obsessive research was easier than acknowledging that he was going to make mistakes eventually.
And in the end, he chose the easier option. To run. And he hurt his friend anyway.
Rev growled and tried to tear up the notes, but the stack was too thick. Frustrated, he ran toward the nearest recycling bin to hurl them inside… and stopped when he reached the back exit.
Through the glass window of the door, he could see Tech out in the field, dressed in shorts and a tank top, standing next to a table with some supplies on it. His hands were stretched out toward a pole in the ground, making motions that implied something was happening when nothing apparent was.
Maybe he was doing warm-ups. There was probably no reason to be worried about him.
After lingering at the door for what was probably too long, Rev decided he’d run to the recycling bin in the kitchen rather than use the one just outside. Plus, he’d changed into his hero suit complete with all the attached electronics this morning, so it wasn’t safe to go out back anyway.
He reached the kitchen in an instant, tossing the notes less aggressively than he had planned a minute ago. Seeing Tech just sapped the anger out of him. For a moment, he lingered on why, but simply decided he needed to put his focus back on setting up the party. With a sigh, he turned around.
And yelped.
“Good morning Rev,” Lexi said, smirking. “Sleep well?”
“Uh…” That… was an interesting question; Interesting in that she should already know the answer, given she also knows how he usually sleeps as well as… some recent circumstances… Still, he had to reply with something. Hopefully something that results in less teasing.
“Yeah,” he said simply, trying to ignore how that answer made him feel.
“That’s great,” she replied, seemingly dropping the subject to Rev’s relief. “But, before you run off, follow me. We need to talk about something.”
And the relief was gone. Rev could only think of two things they could possibly need to talk about, and he didn’t like either one. But what was he going to do? Refuse?
Run?
He sighed.
“Alright. Where’re we going?”
-
Tech groaned.
Something wasn’t working. He was trying his best and nothing was happening.
Sighing, he took a few steps toward the fold-out table. Maybe he needed to stop and think this through.
Despite his mind drifting to how he should ignore the mug he had set down earlier, he managed to notice a strange feeling as he placed a hand on the hard plastic surface of the table he was about to lean on. A familiar tugging of his fur and soft crinkling below his fingers.
“Huh.”
He wiped his hand across the table’s surface, continuing to feel and hear that soft crinkle.
Well, it turned out something was happening. There was nothing in the environment that would have caused that sort of static buildup, so it must have been him. Though unintentional, that was progress, right?
Still, it wasn’t great that he was altering the charge of objects in his vicinity unintentionally. At least he warned everyone to keep their electronics and combustible fuels away from him, because the exact scenario that warranted caution appeared to be happening.
It wasn’t enough that he could manipulate the charge of the objects around him; He had to be able to control the charges as well. He had to be aware of where the charge imbalances were occurring… otherwise he wouldn’t be able to manipulate a discharge from that imbalance.
This was getting dangerous… but also more promising. Maybe. Hopefully it meant that he’d have some progress worthy of telling Rev about later.
Rev…
Before his eyes could wander, he caught himself and sighed.
Focus. The later it gets, the less conductive the air will become, the more likely he is to cause an unintentional discharge.
Back to work.
-
As it turned out, Lexi was taking Rev to the quiet room; One of the safe havens in headquarters where you could escape all the noise, or make some noise without bothering anyone else. More specifically, it was one of the select rooms in the base completely soundproofed to protect Lexi’s sanity, and everyone’s privacy. Since she was going into the room with him, that obviously wasn’t its purpose at the moment.
When not being used to escape the laughter of sitcom marathons or the beeping of arcade machines, it made an excellent space to just sit down and think without distractions. Inside were a couple of sofas, bookshelves, a writing desk, and Ace’s meditation pad. Rev found the room absolutely unbearable, and figured it was only going to feel even worse considering he was about to have some sort of tough conversation there.
Lexi opened the door and he could immediately see Ace leaning against the arm of the sofa directly ahead, looking somewhat displeased to be there. Ah. So this was about his comments yesterday. It was still not something he wanted to talk about, but at least the conversation probably wouldn’t involve Tech in any way.
Though, as he and Lexi stepped inside, Rev noticed Duck sitting on top of one of the bookshelves, looking down at them from his higher vantage point.
Rev tilted his head.
“Uh, what’s Duck doing here?”
Atop his perch, Duck huffed.
“You make it sound like you don’t want me around.”
He kind of didn’t, but he also didn’t want an argument at the moment.
“It’s not that, I just thought only Lexi and Ace were going to talk to me.”
“Well, when I heard about how they were gonna teach you how gender stuff works, I just knew I had to stick around for that trainwreck!”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence…”
“You’re welcome!”
Lexi whispered, “sorry, we couldn’t get him to leave,” and patted him on the shoulder, before gesturing to take a seat on the same sofa as Ace.
As he took those few agonizing steps to sit down, the thought flashed in his mind that he should have done some research at some point so he didn’t have to do this. Just as fast he mentally slapped himself on the back of the head with a metaphorical rolled-up newspaper. He was inevitably going to have blind spots in his research, and he had more knowledgeable friends who wanted to help him.
This was going to suck… but he just had to deal with it. There was no reason to feel so averse to having his biases called out. And maybe… getting through this conversation would make it easier to have any similar ones with Tech in the future.
Sitting down, anxiety curled in his gut as usual, but he wasn’t going to let it get past his resolve to be better. To stop running.
-
Tech was beginning to feel like an idiot, which was not a feeling that he often had.
“Alright, new plan,” he said, walking over to the conductive rod. “Despite having proven that I have some capability to manipulate electricity as demonstrated last night-”
He paused, swallowing thickly before continuing his train of thought.
“Despite having concrete proof of my abilities, I may find more success in mimicking the distance at which I first performed the feat and increasing said distance until I can replicate the effect at the desired magnitude.”
It was a good thing that nobody was around to hear him ramble, as he really wouldn’t appreciate someone like Ace chiming in to say, “English please,” while he was already struggling. Obviously Rev would understand what he was saying perfectly, but he-
“I didn’t- I’m not going to screw this up,” Tech huffed, reaching toward the conductive surface. “I just need to- OUCH!”
His finger barely grazed metal before he received a hearty shock, making him hiss and flail the pain away.
“Focus…” he muttered, finishing his interrupted sentence once again. “If I had my wits about me, I would’ve noticed the charge that had accumulated across my fur…”
He raised his hand again, knowing this time he didn’t have a charge to worry about this time.
“Start small, work my way up. Surely I’ll get somewhere if I just come at it from a different angle.”
His hands lit up with energy.
“‘A different angle…’ Why does that sound familiar…”
The energy around his hands wavered. Tech growled.
“It’s fine! I can do this! I just need to focus!”
A small spark crossed the gap, stinging a finger. This wasn’t what was supposed to happen. He needed to control the energy so he wouldn’t hurt himself.
“Focus!”
-
Rev’s skull was aching with what felt like a combination of the brain jumble he gets after a research binge and the sharp sting of being shown that he’s wrong about something. This, he thought, made sense, since he was both learning a lot and being shown that a lot of things he thought were wrong.
“Okay so,” he said, vision almost swimming as he tried to wrap his head around everything, “biological sex is separate from gender, which is also separate from gender presentation, which is also also separate from preferred pronouns, and people can have seemingly random combinations of the aforementioned things, and all of them are separate from sexual orientation?”
“Yeah,” Lexi said. “See, you’re getting it!”
“But like, why would a guy choose to dress like a woman but keep a guy’s pronouns while being into women? That sounds really confusing…”
Duck scoffed. “Because you can appreciate the beauty of feminine attire while also finding women hot, duh.”
“Duck…” Lexi sighed. “If you’re going to be here could you please be a little more understanding? Rev’s new to all this.”
“Are you telling me he’s never seen a dude in a pretty dress before?”
Ace chimed in, “he’s only gone to private schools with uniforms for most of his life.”
Duck rolled his eyes. “Ugh. Rich people…”
Rev crossed his arms. “That’s a funny insult coming from the guy who’s had enough ‘get rich quick’ schemes to compete with an MLM convention.”
“There’s a convention for men loving men?”
“What the heck are you talking about?!”
“Guys!” Lexi called out. “Could we please stay on topic?”
After a brief pause, Rev uttered a soft apology while Duck gave a silent shrug.
-
The noon sun shone fiercely as Tech was met with failure after failure.
His eyes drifted to the mirages over the asphalt track, then shot back to his target.
His eyes drifted to the back entrance to HQ, then shot back to his target.
His eyes drifted to the plastic table he had brought out. To the coffee mug sitting on top of it.
…
“Focus!”
His eyes shot back to his target.
He could feel the sweat building under his fur. And the silence. The horrible, horrible, silence.
Out in the field, it was just him and his reflection on the metallic sphere atop the conductive pole. No voice to keep him company. To remind him he should probably eat something. To offer suggestions that might not be what he needs, but would help him figure out what he does.
“Focus!”
Each breath stung his nose and mouth with hot, dry air. The grass poked and prodded his paws as he shifted in place. Every strand of fur on his body stuck straight out and repelled each other.
Tech didn’t notice any of this.
His thoughts swarmed. He wasn’t thinking. He was the smart one. The careful one. Yet, he didn’t think. He should have thought harder.
“It’s fine! We’re fine! We’ll- We can-”
With a stomp of his foot, he looked again at his target.
“FOCUS!”
And now, he was alone. It was going so well, and then he screwed up, and now he’s alone.
Tech screamed, throwing a punch at his own reflection.
The regret was instant and painful.
With a thundering shock, he was blown back several meters, landing in a smoldering pile beside his supply table.
Once his regeneration kicked in, he sat up.
The grass was singed, but thankfully, not on fire. Still, that was a massive failure of reasoning on his part. All the signs pointing to that outcome were there, but he didn’t pay attention to any of them. Instead, he let his mind keep wandering to…
To…
Eyes squeezing closed, Tech yanked his ears and let out a wail that echoed across the empty field.
-
Rev wiped a hand across his face, feeling like he’s been in the quiet room for years… when in reality it probably hadn’t been even a few hours.
“Okay, so I still don’t get how a guy who dresses as a woman wouldn’t just be trans. I know that ‘sex’ and ‘gender’ and ‘presentation’ and whatever aren’t the same, but if someone can just choose to be another gender, why wouldn’t they just choose to be the gender that they dress up as?”
“People don’t really ‘choose’ to be a specific gender,” Lexi explained. “They just sort of feel like a certain gender, and then choose to express their gender in different ways.”
“You can also feel like a bunch of different genders, or none at all!” Ace piped up excitedly. “Sometimes it’s a ‘woman’ day so you dress feminine. Sometimes it’s a ‘man’ day so you dress masculine. Sometimes it's an ‘agender’ day so you wear whatever. Or sometimes it’s even a ‘man’ day but you just wanna dress femininely.” Then, he pouted and looked off at the opposite wall. “Or… you just dress in the same super suit as everyone else all the time because it’s got a bunch of dohickeys in it that help you do hero stuff…”
Rev tilted his head. “But if you sometimes don’t feel like a guy, wouldn’t that mean you’re trans?”
“Me? Kinda. There’s not really any one gender I feel attached to for long, so I’d sort of consider myself nonbinary, even if I don’t care if most people see me as a guy most of the time.”
“But wouldn’t you want to be seen as whatever gender you’re feeling?”
“I mean, we’d probably need a calendar in the lounge to let everyone know what I’m feeling each day, which is just a lot of work for something that doesn’t matter much to me, personally.”
Rev let out an anxious sigh, burying his head in his hands. “This is really confusing…”
“Well…” Lexi said, “it can be kind of confusing, but even if you’re confused, you can still respect people’s identities regardless. It’s pretty rude to decide how people should express themselves just because of how you think they should be.”
“I, for example,” Duck firmly spoke up, “would prefer to be seen as a man no matter what I’m wearing. So don’t go thinking I’m a lady just because I sometimes prefer to be gorgeous.”
“Ugh. You may prefer to be gorgeous, but your outfits say otherwise.”
“Hey!”
“Come on, Lex,” Ace said. “Duck’s got plenty of style!”
“Of course you’d say that,” she retorted with a roll of her eyes. “Only the queen of gaudy outfits would think the stuff Duck wears is stylish.”
Rev frowned. “Wait…” All eyes went to him, making his throat feel tighter. But… he had to ask… “Lexi, didn’t you just say it’s wrong to decide how people express themselves?”
Her eyes went wide. “Wh-! That’s not the same thing!” she yelped. “It’s not like I’m saying they can’t dress in feminine clothes, they just have terrible taste! The outfit you picked out yesterday was perfectly fine!”
“But why does it matter if their outfits look nice to you? It’s how they choose to express themselves. I don’t get how it’s okay to tell Ace and Duck they’re not dressing the right way, but it’s not okay to do the same to someone you don’t understand. Why would it even matter?”
“I…” Her gaze drifted, seeing Duck crossed-armed and refusing to look at her, and Ace rubbing his arm and looking hurt. “I’m… sorry…” She sighed, looking away. “It really shouldn’t matter to me how you guys choose to look. Even if I don’t like it, I shouldn’t judge…”
“Oh.” Ace smiled lightly, brushing his ears back. “Well, thanks for… actually apologizing. I… honestly thought you were gonna be grilling me for my wardrobe for the rest of my life.”
Duck glanced at her briefly, before looking away again. “Well, it’s not like I ever cared about what you thought… but it would be nice to have you stop being so judgy all the time.”
“I won’t say anything about it again,” Lexi said. “I promise.”
The room went quiet. On the one hand, Ace and Duck seemed to be radiating relief. On the other, Lexi seemed a bit ashamed.
Though, if he were the one who just got called out like that, Rev thinks he’d be on the verge of tears. Maybe he was being a little harsh on her? He really was just trying to understand everything better.
Before he could ponder it further, Ace clapped him on the shoulder.
“Well, I believe the student has become the master. Well done; lesson time is over.”
“I don’t feel like a master…” Rev muttered.
“We brought you here to teach you, and you ended up teaching Lexi. I think that qualifies.”
“I really don’t think it does.”
“Sure it does,” Ace said standing up. “Especially since I’m sick of sitting here, and I have a feeling you are too.”
“I guess you’ve got me there.” Rev pushed himself off the sofa.
Ace turned his attention to the top of the bookshelf. “Hey Duck, how do you feel about a fashion show without worrying someone’s gonna come in sneering from the sidelines?”
“Sounds great!” Duck warped down to the floor beside Ace. “See ya later!”
And with that, Duck and Ace warped away.
As silence filled the room once again, Rev looked down at Lexi, who still had a look of shame across her face.
“Um, sorry about calling you out in front of everybody. I didn’t think about the kind of position it’d put you in.”
“No, it’s fine,” she said, getting up from her seat. “This whole meeting was about educating biases and stuff, and I… needed to be given the perspective…” Looking at him, she gave him a playful nudge. “Besides, I did a fraction of the learning you just did. You managed to stick around despite how awkward it all was, so I can get over being called out for being judgy.”
“You sure you’re okay?”
“Of course. You did the right thing, Rev. Real friends call out their friends when they’re doing something wrong, and real friends listen to what they have to say.”
“I… guess so.” She… was doing pretty well about the whole thing. Is this how normal people react to making mistakes? If so, he was definitely making things a lot more awkward for Tech then, huh?
Lexi walked past him, opening the door. “I’m gonna go play something to take my mind off of the embarrassment. You joining?”
Rev followed her out the door, but stopped just outside. “Actually, I was in the middle of something when you found me. So I think I’m gonna get back to that.”
She shrugged. “Well, you know where to find me. And, even if you didn’t, it wouldn’t take you long to find me anyway.”
Rev snickered. “That’s true.”
“Later, Rev.”
“Bye, Lexi.”
As Lexi turned the corner into the living room, Rev looked the other way toward the patio door, remembering that Tech was out there earlier. In an instant, he was at the door.
Rev almost thought Tech had gone inside, but, just beside the table out in the field, Tech was laying in the fetal position on the ground, back turned toward the building.
“Tech…”
Earlier, Rev ignored his concerns to assume Tech was just ‘warming up.’ But… after what happened this morning… it was understandable why he was having problems.
The party would have to wait. First, he had to apologize, but how? He… really screwed up. The last thing he wanted to do was get stuck on what to say. Not again…
Heavy footsteps caught Rev’s attention, pulling his gaze toward Slam, who was trudging his way through the lounge after a presumably long workout.
Speaking of apologies… he kinda owed one to Slam as well.
Before he could second guess himself, Rev dashed over.
“Uh, hey Slam!” he greeted.
Slam tilted his head. “Hey?”
“Uh…” Rev scratched his neck. “Sorry for… being kinda cold earlier. I was going through my own thing and didn’t really think about how rude it was to push you away like that. I probably could’ve declined a little more nicely.”
Smiling bashfully, Slam waved away Rev’s concerns. “It’s okay.”
“You sure?”
Nodding, Slam started walking down the hall, giving a farewell wave a little distance away.
“Yeah uh, later Slam!”
That… wasn’t too bad. But now, he had to go apologize to Tech.
Letting out a sigh, Rev ran his fingers through his crest and looked around. That’s when his gaze landed on the ceramic mug on the coffee table.
Slowly, he walked toward it, coming to a stop right where he had been sitting that morning.
And where he had been sleeping a little earlier.
Rev sat down again, eyes transfixed on the simple object.
Closing his eyes, he sighed.
“I’m sorry, Tech. I let my fear get the best of me again… and you suffered for it… again…”
His eyes opened… then drifted a bit further.
The back of the remote… it was still sitting on the table. It wasn’t clicked back into its proper place.
Sure enough, with a quick flick of his head Rev saw the remote sitting on the arm of the same sofa, right where Tech had been sitting last night.
And the TV… it was off. It was off when he woke up. So, unless he managed to sleep through multiple hours of TV noise without waking… Tech managed to turn the TV off… without disturbing him in his sleep.
But… Tech was still struggling to control his new power…
Rev definitely faulted himself for that… but he was going to make it right.
And he had an idea how.
First came off his bracers and cowl, which both were set on the coffee table. Then, off came his boots, which he slid underneath.
Tech was going to succeed one way or the other, and the electronics on those parts of Rev’s suit could get damaged in the process.
Lastly, he took the mug gently into his hands, and began the long walk to his struggling friend.
~
Earlier that morning…
Before he opened his eyes, Rev took a slow, deep breath, and the scent of comfort washed through him. For some reason, Rev felt absolutely refreshed for the first time in years. Ironically, it made him love being in bed more. He nuzzled his beak into the warmth of his pillow, which…
…was furrier than he remembered.
Now that he thought about it, his mattress was also firmer. His blanket too.
Eyes shooting open, his heart pounded as he tried to get a grip of his situation.
He choked on a gasp, seeing Tech peacefully sleeping below him.
This was… bad? Good? A lot. Rev decided on a lot. That was the only thing he could be sure of as his heart was pounding and his thoughts were racing and…
And he couldn’t pull himself away because Tech had his arms wrapped firmly around him.
Multiple things shot through his mind. Trapped! Snug. Danger! Safe. Wrong! Home. Floating around was the realization that he was only so refreshed because Tech prevented him from rolling onto the floor, but he couldn’t process that alongside all the other things he couldn’t process.
Then, Tech’s eyes blinked open.
Somewhere, Rev knew he should calm down. Wherever that was, it wasn’t here.
“Mmf… Rev?” Tech blinked again, and then his eyes widened. “Oh! I didn’t-!” Instantly he released him.
Before thinking, Rev threw himself back. Almost instantly, something strong urged him to throw himself right back. He didn’t.
“Hey! I- I’m really sorry!”
Inside Rev’s head was a barrage of conflicting screams and commands. Outside, he was frozen, staring and panting as his heart continued to pound.
Inside Tech, multiple things were shattering. But it didn’t matter right now. Rev had fear in his eyes and he had to do something.
“I didn’t mean for us to fall asleep like that, I promise! You were asleep and I didn’t want to move and- Oh god that doesn’t help…”
Tech looked away, only for his eyes to land on two somethings on the coffee table.
Two coffee mugs.
Lexi had seen them and set aside some coffee.
Panic shot through him as he looked back to Rev, whose gaze was returning from the same direction. He had seen the same thing and likely came to the same conclusion.
“Rev, she’s not gonna say anything,” he pleaded, trying desperately to level out his voice. “She already keeps so many secrets, this is just another one.”
But Rev was still breathing hard, eyes unfocused and anxious.
To make it worse, the sound of Ace and Duck’s voices began filtering in from down the hall.
Rev shot up from the couch.
Against his better judgment, Tech stood up as well.
“There’s nothing for them to be suspicious of, Rev. You don’t need to freak out.”
Rev’s head swished away to Tech to away to Tech again.
“Please. I promise I didn’t mean for this to happen.”
More panting. More looking away.
The voices down the hall continued getting louder.
“Just calm down. We can talk about this.”
The voices got louder.
And Rev ran.
“Rev-!”
But he was gone…
And the rest of the team didn’t even notice Tech was there as they walked past. They just made their way into the kitchen without even a glance in his direction.
Sighing, Tech looked down at the coffee mugs.
It was clear which was his, as Lexi knew he preferred quite a bit more sugar and cream than he was willing to admit to anyone else.
And it looked like Rev took his coffee black.
Tech wanted to think about how interesting that was, but as he picked up his coffee, he decided that thinking about Rev was just going to hurt his soul too much at the moment.
The edge of the mug touched his lips for a brief moment, before he pulled it away.
All things considered, Tech felt pretty refreshed. And… it was because having Rev sleeping against him made him reconsider getting up, which would have possibly led to him working later than he should.
Well, he’d keep the coffee anyway. Maybe he’ll want some later. Besides, he had work to do. For the past week, he had been trying to produce an EMP, and he had just figured out one key component in achieving just that. Rev was going to be ecstatic when he-
Tech sighed, walking toward his room.
He didn’t need to think about Rev right now. He’ll get dressed in proper attire, warn the rest of the team not to bring sensitive materials out back, and ask one of them to inform Rev on his behalf. After that, he needed to keep Rev out of his head. He had work to do.
He had to focus.
…
Before Tech opened his bedroom door… his eyes drifted to the mug in his hands.
~
The current afternoon…
If he thought the dry grass was uncomfortable against his paws, it was definitely uncomfortable against his head and ears. But, that didn’t matter. The only thing he had energy for was laying next to the foldout table and failing to stop thinking about that morning. It was especially hard not to think about, because the lack of energy was coming from his will to keep working, and not from a lack of physical energy. As was true that morning, he was actually well rested, and that only made his thoughts more clear and painful.
Interrupting Tech’s thoughts, footsteps slowly crunched in the grass toward him. They were too light to be Slam’s, and Duck wouldn’t have bothered with walking outside in this heat. That just left Lexi or Ace, neither of whom he was in the mood to talk to.
“If you’re here to question if I’m fine, I am. I just decided to lie down to get some more blood flowing to the brain. It’s a thing only geniuses like myself understand. So, you can leave me alone now.”
The footsteps stopped briefly, then continued closer.
Tech sighed.
But then, they stopped, and…
“Tech.”
It was like he was slapped into reality as Tech shot up onto his feet.
“Rev-! Uh, I thought someone else was… uh… there.”
Finally, he looked him over, seeing a somber expression on his face and his hand cupping the top and bottom of a coffee mug.
Presumably, the coffee mug Lexi had given him that morning.
Clearing his throat, Tech looked away. “Sorry… about this morning. And last night too. Just… all of it. I… should have considered my actions more thoroughly.”
It went quiet. Tech felt the urge to look back at Rev, but worried he might not be there.
Then, the words coming out much slower than usual…
“Can I… tell you a secret? Something… I’ve only told Lexi?”
Unease crawled up Tech’s spine as his words reached him. He looked at him for an explanation, but Rev’s gaze was settled on the mug in his hands.
“Of course. Say whatever you want.”
Rev took a deep breath in, closed his eyes, and slowly let it out.
“Ever since I got my powers… I started tossing and turning in bed worse than I ever had before. Instead of just waking up from a rough night of sleep… I’d roll out of bed in my sleep and wake up after hitting the floor. It happens… at least a few times every night.”
Eyes slowly opening, a sad smile crept across Rev’s beak.
“The rest of the team thinks I’m an early bird, but really… you can only handle being abruptly smacked awake so many times before you get sick of crawling back into bed. And, despite my powers giving me way too much energy… I’m pretty much a zombie every morning until I’ve had a cup of coffee…”
With that, Rev brought his mug over to the table, setting it down with a deep thunk.
Tech blinked, tilting his head and seeing that it was just as full as it was when they woke up.
His eyes flicked back to Rev, and his sad smile was replaced with a more hopeful one. And sure enough, his tone was more lively as well.
“But this morning… I didn’t wake up on the floor. I was… comfortable. Refreshed. For a moment, I just wanted to stay right where I was and savor it.” Slowly a frown overtook his face as he looked away. “Of course… I eventually realized what had happened, and I felt… scared. But… I also felt safe, at the same time. I felt… a lot of things, honestly. Good and bad. But I couldn’t really make sense of any of them at the time. And when you woke up… and let go of me… and I backed away… I was feeling… even more.”
Rev ran his fingers through his crest, sighing. “And then we saw the coffee Lexi left us, and I was embarrassed, and then the rest of the team was walking closer, and…” With a groan, he wiped his face. “And I ran away…”
Tech rubbed his arm awkwardly, standing around for agonizing seconds not knowing where he and Rev stood at the moment. All he knew, was that Rev was still scared that morning. “I understand,” he said. “Really, I’m… very sorry for putting you in that position.”
Rev returned his gaze to Tech.
“I came back to the lounge… after you left…”
The coffee mugs stood at the corner of Tech’s vision.
“I assume not for a drink,” he said cautiously.
“No,” Rev said. “I… needed to think about what happened. Everything that happened.”
Tech listened, throat tight and jaw clenched almost painfully.
“When I first woke up… I felt better than I had waking up in years. It was only when I started overthinking that all the bad stuff crept in. Then I just spiraled and spiraled until I…” Rev paused, then took another deep breath. “Tech, I’m sorry for running away again. Not just literally but, also avoiding having a conversation about what was going on. I left you alone and… clearly feeling terrible about everything…”
Well, he couldn’t deny that…
“What happened was too much…” Rev continued, “and I wasn’t ready to wake up like that… but I don’t want you to feel too bad about it. It means a lot that you want to apologize, but honestly, your mistake feels like nothing in comparison to my problem with ditching you when I get scared.”
Tech crossed his arms, pursing his lips. “Even so, I still think it deserves an apology. Despite knowing I needed to be careful with our relationship, I didn’t take the steps necessary to prevent myself from hurting you.”
“I… guess that’s true…” Rev admitted. “You can know you’re forgiven, then. And… I also want you to know I really want to be better. I promise that I’m trying. It’s still really hard to talk about my feelings… and about why I’m bad with making mistakes… But even if it’s hard… I’m working at it.” He sighed, looking away. “I’m not ready to fall asleep with you again… or finish our talk from yesterday, but I really want to.” A shy chuckle escaped his beak. “Especially the first one.” His earnest gaze fell back on Tech. “So, if you’re still willing to deal with… me… I promise that I will do everything I can to not run away again.”
Tech let out the faintest laugh of relief. “Don’t worry. It’ll take a lot more than that to stop me from wanting you around.” His face softened. “And, I promise to be a little more careful from now on and… and not push you to talk like I did yesterday.”
Rev chuckled lightly. “You can push a little. Sometimes it’s nice to have a nudge to do something more difficult.”
“Well, I guess I’ll push a little then.”
They both smiled, the tension from that morning melting away.
Then, Rev cleared his throat. “So… I couldn’t help but notice the TV was off when I woke up. If I’m not being presumptuous… that means you finally figured out how to create electricity?”
“I did, though… As you could probably guess, I’ve been having trouble replicating the circumstances to do it again. I… was missing something important during all my attempts today.”
“Missing something? I could go grab it for you.”
Tech chuckled, a faint blush dusting his cheeks. “It’s not something that you can pick up and bring here.”
“Well, what is it?”
This was too cheesy, but…
“A reason to succeed.”
Rev tilted his head, giving a confused smile. “What?”
“Stand back a bit. I’ll show you.”
“Uh, okay!” Rev ran back a good 20 meters. “Is this far enough?!” He called out.
“Perfect!” Tech called back, a nervous smile creeping across his face as he turned his attention to the same metallic rod that had been giving him trouble all morning.
Rev knew he could do this. He believed in him. And Tech knew he could too.
Tech looked behind him, seeing a pair of nearly full coffee mugs, and a bit further, the cheerful expression of the most important person in his life.
His gaze returned to his target, and so did his mind. It was so similar to his magnetic manipulation. He had the ability to control it.
His hands lit up with green energy.
And then.
BOOM!
A thrill ran up Tech’s spine as the air flashed with energy. Even better, he didn’t incinerate himself or any of the surrounding grass.
“That was awesome!” came Rev’s voice rushing closer.
Tech barely turned his head to see him before he was wrapped in a hug.
There was barely a second for his heart to do somersaults in his chest before Rev let go.
“Ah um-! Haha, sorry.”
There was nothing that could help the grin on Tech’s face. Without his cowl, the blush on Rev’s beak showed up so nicely and made him look even more adorable.
“Don’t be. Wherever you’re willing to go, I’m ready to meet you there.”
Rev chuckled shyly.
“So… what was that reason you mentioned earlier?”
Rolling his eyes playfully, Tech pointed right at Rev’s beak and gave it a small nudge for good measure. “You.”
“Me?”
“Of course. Nothing gets me more fired up to try something difficult than knowing it’ll make the person I care about most happy. Why else would my powers have only worked while you were promising to spend time with me?”
Rev’s expression was unreadable for a long moment, and Tech was starting to wonder if he went too far already.
But then Rev’s arms were around him, and everything was perfect in the universe.
“Well then,” Rev said softly, nudging his beak into Tech’s fur, “you shouldn’t have any problems to worry about from now on, because you make me happy all the time.”
Okay, and now his face was definitely red. “I’ll… keep that in mind…” he managed to wheeze out.
At this point, Tech expected Rev to let go. What he was not expecting, was for him to hold on tighter.
And now, it felt kind of awkward that his arms were just hanging like limp noodles at his sides. Carefully, and slowly, Tech inched them around Rev’s back.
“Are you, okay? With this?”
“Yeah.” Rev let out a quiet laugh. “Honestly, a part of me’s been screaming to do this since I ran off this morning. Maybe it was a bit much to wake up on top of you… but this is… nice.”
“Well… Good. That’s good. I… feel the same.” With just a little more confidence, he held Rev just a bit closer.
And then… Rev let out a long sigh, melting fully into his embrace.
Tech felt lighter than air, practically floating in bliss. He was helpless to stop himself from melting as well.
How long they stayed locked in their embrace, Tech didn’t know. But it couldn’t last forever. Eventually, something was going to interrupt them.
But he was not expecting it to be an absolutely ravenous stomach growl.
An embarrassed laugh from Rev further interrupted the moment. “Uh, sorry,” he said, pulling away slightly. Just enough to look him in the eye. “I just realized… I sort of didn’t drink coffee or eat anything this morning.”
Tech laughed as well. “I didn’t either. I was so busy trying to focus on controlling my powers I guess I lost focus on… literally everything else.” He smiled hopefully. “You wanna grab lunch with me?”
“Uh, yeah! Of course!”
Despite the plan, Rev didn’t move.
“Rev?”
“Sorry. Just.” He gave him another hug, complete with a firm squeeze, then finally let go. “Alright. And, we should probably bring the mugs in.”
Tech was still so busy processing the flurry of warm feelings from Rev’s embrace, that he didn’t even notice Rev had grabbed the mugs and started walking until he was a few steps behind.
“Wait! Hold up.”
Rev stopped. “Oh, sorry.”
“Don’t worry about it. My mind just lagged behind a bit.”
“Your mind? Lag?” Rev said, smirking as the two of them continued walking together. “What could possibly make the mind of super genius Tech E. Coyote lag behind?”
“The arms of a charming roadrunner, apparently.”
Tech continued walking, smirk on his face as Rev froze for quite a few steps.
“Charming?” Rev breathed, a flush overtaking his beak. Then. “Hey! Wait a minute! That’s not fair!”
He couldn’t help but laugh as Rev was forced to catch up as he had.
Tech knew there was going to be a bit of struggle in their relationship, but this was what he was talking about when he said it would be worth it.
~
(Coming eventually) Link to Magnetic Attraction Part 5 ->
#Loonatics Unleashed#Rev x Tech#Tech x Rev#Rev Runner#Tech E. Coyote#Ace Bunny#Slam Tasmanian#Lexi Bunny#Danger Duck#Shipping#My Fanfiction#LU Fanfics#LU Fanfic Series Magnetic Attraction#LU Fanfic Static#I'm gonna come back to edit this post very soon.#Not for a link to part 5 dear god no. I'm gonna make a Magnetic Attraction Masterpost because this is getting ridiculous.#I'm also gonna clean up the formatting and add links to the end of each chapter/part to go to the next.#Hopefully this will distract me from the fact that I do NOT feel confident about the quality of this one shot but OH WELL.
20 notes
·
View notes
Text
Boyfriend, pt 2 - matt sturniolo
you guys asked, so i delivered (hopefully)
part 1 here
I left the party last night feeling on top of the world. I recounted everything to my best friend the second Matt had left and she came back to me.
“I came back from the bathroom and saw you guys totally hitting it off, so I just stood back and watched. I thought he was about to bend you over the bar and fuck you right there,” she told me.
It’s now the next morning and I’m trying to distract myself and not think about the fact that he hasn’t texted me yet. It’s only 10 AM, so I really shouldn’t be worried, but as someone who doesn’t talk to boys literally ever, I am naturally very worried.
As the hours pass and it’s now 2 PM, I go into my roommate’s room. “Why hasn’t he texted me? Do you think he was just fucking with me? What if I didn’t give him the right number and he’s now texting some other hotter bitch instead of me? What if I was-” I start to ramble before she cuts me off.
“Oh my god, shut up! It’s been like 14 hours, chill out! He’s gonna text you, and if he doesn’t, he doesn’t. We don’t know anything about him, he could be sleeping still or he could be having a busy day. Take a Xanax or something, good gracious,” she tells me, finishing just as my phone vibrates.
I check it absentmindedly, fully expecting it to be my mom or a spam text, but instead I see an unknown number.
Hey it’s Matt, just wanted to see when your free to hang out?
I let out a shriek and show my roommate my screen.
“Fucking told you!” she says excitedly before her face changes. “Oh boy, he’s one of the fuckers who doesn’t know the difference between your and you’re. You gotta fix that.”
“Oh for sure,” I say, starting to type in my phone.
hey :) i’m free tonight or tmr if either of those work
Tonight is good, I can pick you up around 6 and we can get dinner. How does Boa sound?
“Oh my god. He wants to take me to Boa,” I tell my roommate. I’m just about on the verge of vomiting everywhere.
“Oh fuck yeah! Mr. Moneybags over here!” she cheers.
that sounds great!
Sick, whats your addy so I know where to pick up my gf ;)
I give him my address, turn off my phone, and immediately go to my room to take an everything shower and get ready.
I’m finishing up my hair at 5:30 when I get another text: Leaving now, be there in 15 min. I made reservation for 6
I don’t know why I’m so nervous. I was so confident around him last night, but now I feel like a completely different person. I’m terrified I’m gonna be an awkward mess when I get in the car and he’s gonna wonder what happened to the girl he met last night and I won’t even be able to eat I’m so nervous and–
Nope, I’m not worrying anymore. It’s gonna be fine. I triple check everything to make sure I look good, and finally he texts that he’s here.
I grab my bag, go downstairs, and open the front door to our apartment complex, where I’m met with a very familiar face standing next to it. He’s wearing a black short sleeve collared shirt, blue jeans, and a black baseball cap he put on backwards. Man, he looks good as fuck.
He looks up when he sees me and smiles. “Hi,” he says. “Car’s right there. I was going to come in but then I saw I had to be buzzed into the building and I didn’t know which apartment was yours, so…” It seems that his confidence from last night has lessened quite a bit as well, as now he’s just awkwardly rambling. I find it adorable.
I shake my head and smile. “You’re fine, this is perfect.” I follow his lead to his car, and am surprised when he opens the passenger door for me. “Thank you,” I say as I get in, and he shoots me another quick smile before closing the door and going to the driver’s side.
“So Boa, huh? You really are trying to show off your YouTube bucks,” I joke.
“Me and my brothers go there a lot, it’s not really that expensive,” he says.
“Speak for yourself! I was looking at the menu and almost had an aneurysm at the prices!”
He laughs and glances at me. “Well lucky for you, you’re not the one paying, are you?”
We continue our banter for a few minutes before there’s a lull in the conversation. “Do you wanna put some music on? Here’s the aux cord,” he tells me, pulling out a cord.
“Oh,” I say, immediately regretting all my life choices. I am historically NEVER on aux in any situation because my music taste is comprised of Taylor Swift, dad rock, and depressing music. “Um… you may not like my music. We can just play whatever you like.”
He looks at me wearing a tiny frown. “What! You’re the passenger, you get aux. Whatever you play will be fine.”
I sigh dramatically as I plug my phone in and queue Taylor. “Okay, but if you don’t like it, just remember I gave you a chance to say no.” He nods. I watch his face to gauge his reaction as “The Story of Us” starts to play, and I roll my lips into my mouth to hide my laughter when he recognizes the voice.
“Yayyyy,” he says sarcastically. “I love Taylor Swift…”
The rest of the drive consists of me explaining to him that if he was willing to give her music a try, he would definitely enjoy her music. I was fully expecting him to laugh it off and come back with some smart ass comment about her as nearly every other man does, but he seemed genuinely interested in what I was saying. “You’re right,” he told me. “Maybe we can listen together and you can show me more of her stuff!”
I think I fell in love right there.
When we arrive at Boa, the man nearly eats shit rushing around to open the passenger door for me, and walks slightly ahead of me to get the door for the restaurant. Neither of us have any ounce of the same flirty energy we had last night, but there’s no awkwardness at all. I still can’t believe this is happening. The hottest guy I’ve ever seen, he’s a perfect gentleman, we have so much in common, and he’s actually into me? It seems far too good to be true.
“So,” I say when we get seated, “what exactly made you feel the need to come up to me last night? Did I really look that uncomfortable?”
“Oh, you looked like you were about ready to sink into the floor. I mean, in all honesty, I was kind of eyeing you all night but I didn’t have the courage to come up to you, so I guess I sort of used that as an excuse to do something. Plus saving you from creepy guy and all,” he replies.
“Well, thank you, no matter what your reasoning was.” I look around the restaurant. I feel so out of place, it’s disgusting. I’ve only lived in LA for a couple months, so I still feel like I don’t belong, especially when I end up in the same restaurants that people get papped outside of. But somehow, even in a place like this, I feel oddly safe and at peace with a man that I met not even 24 hours prior.
I’ve never been much of a great conversationalist; if I’m in a one on one conversation, the other person needs to be a rambler for it to not be awkward. But he’s not a rambler, and we both are just so invested in what the other person is saying that it’s somehow a never ending conversation. We have so much in common – our love for movies, Legos, journaling, us both attempting to get back into reading after going so long without it – I feel like I’ve known him my whole life. It’s so refreshing, and it’s terrifying. I know I’m going to fall for him fast. I may be already, but I can’t be. We just met.
He pulls me out of my trance by repeating his question. “You ready to go?”
“What? Oh, yeah, sorry. Um, thanks for paying,” I smile as I get up.
“Of course! What kind of a man would I be if I didn’t pay on our first date?” he jokes.
“Ohhh, our first date? Does that imply there’ll be a second?” I ask as I get in the car.
“Would you like there to be a second?”
“I mean I guess…” I smirk at him. We’re both looking at each other, smiling ever so slightly. I want nothing more than to kiss him right now, and I’m 99% sure he wants the same based on the way his eyes are shifting focus from my eyes to my lips. I’m about to lean in when –
“I should get you home.”
Oh. I nod. “Yeah… yeah, probably.” I sit back in my seat.
He turns on the car and Taylor Swift blasts through the speakers. “JESUS–” he yells, turning the volume down as we both start laughing. “I know I said you could show me her stuff but let’s take it down a notch, god damn!”
We don’t talk at all during the drive home, but it’s nice. Just the music in the background, and subtle glances between us every so often. When we pull up in front of my apartment complex, he parks the car and turns it off, then starts to get out.
“You don’t need to get out, it’s okay,” I tell him.
“Well I have to make sure you get into your apartment safe, don’t I?” Again, what a gentleman. I didn’t even think people like him existed anymore. I smile to myself and lead the way, taking him up to the 4th floor and down the hall to my door. “I guess this is where I leave you?” he asks.
“Unfortunately, this is where you leave me.” I’m looking up at him, he’s looking down at me. I can tell he wants to say something, and I hope it’s what I think it is.
He opens his mouth, takes a sharp inhale. “Can I kiss you?”
Bingo. I smile and nod, holding his jaw lightly in my hand. He takes my waist with one hand and the back of my head with the other, and our lips collide softly in a matter of seconds. I haven’t kissed many guys, but they’ve always felt just a little off and I never knew why. But this? This feels right. It’s gentle, but our tongues slip into each other's mouths as the kiss grows deeper. I know I need to stop this here, as much as I don’t want to. I give in for a few more seconds before I pull back.
“I, um… I need to go inside,” I tell him, completely unable to wipe the smile off my face.
“Okay,” he says, pushing a piece of hair behind my ear. “I’ll text you, because yes, there definitely will be a second date.”
“Good.” I kiss him one last time before I unlock my door. “Goodnight, Matt.”
“Goodnight.”
———————————————————————
i probably won’t do a part 3 because idk how to keep it interesting from here but if you have other fic requests lmk and i’ll do my best 😚
#matt sturniolo#sturniolo triplets#matt sturniolo smut#matt sturniolo x reader#chris sturniolo#christopher sturniolo#sturniolo smut#nick sturniolo#chris sturniolo smut#sturniolo fanfic#matt sturniolo fanfic#matthew sturniolo#nicolas sturniolo
518 notes
·
View notes
Text
Here's To Eternity
Four times Paige brings up marriage and the one time Azzi finally says yes.
(In which an angst writer attempts to write fluff and it takes her far longer than it should have)
Pairing: Paige Bueckers X Azzi Fudd
Themes: mainly Fluff with a little bit of Angst
Words: 8K (I swear it was meant to be below 5K when I planned it)
TW: Implied sexual content, alcohol, swearing
A/N: Hello my lovelies <3. Gonna do this at the beginning instead of the end today. This took years off my life and I still don't fully love it but I'm tired of thinking about it so hopefully y'all still like it. Really quickly, I've never been to Minnesota or the state fair so if you have, pretend you do not see the likely factual inaccuracies. Also feel free to let me know what you don't like because as I've said, I don't really write fluff well so by all means call me out. And finally, I edited this I swear but I'm sure there are still mistakes, so let me know about those too. Anyways, I hope this is a good pre-game read and let's get another W!
i don’t know what love is (i’d learn for you)
The first time Paige says it, they’re at the Minnesota State Fair. It’s all the way back when they’re just two young girls learning each other, carefree and completely unaware that this will become a tradition. They’ve barely known each other but being with Azzi already feels easy, natural, like home. And she doesn’t really know how she knows it, it’s just a feeling really, but Paige is convinced that Azzi’s meant to be in her life forever.
They’ve been at the fair almost all day, with members of both of their families joining them here and there. Paige and Azzi had been competing at various arcade games all day, keeping a tally of who won which arcade game. They’d even turned going on rides into a competition of “who could hold in their screams the longest”. Their bickering, while endearing, had earned them more than a few fond eye rolls as their families eventually got bored of being third wheels and went on to find something more engaging.
They’d intentionally left the pop-a-shot, a basketball arcade game, til the very end, knowing it would be the ideal tie-breaker. And as the day comes to an end, they are in fact very much tied although Paige will tell you, that she didn’t actually scream on the Skyscraper; it had merely been a quiet whimper that Azzi was exaggerating the volume of. And Azzi will tell you that she deserved a re-do on the ring toss because it wasn’t her fault that the wind had decided to pick up on that very moment. Ultimately both of their arguments had fallen on deaf ears when they had appealed their cases to some very exasperated family members.
“Get ready to lose to the better shooter,” Paige gloats, rubbing her hands together in preparation to shoot. She’d lost two rounds of rock paper scissors to Azzi’s one, meaning she’d missed the chance to go second like she would have preferred but that hadn’t done much to deter her confidence.
“We’ll see,” Azzi scoffs, rolling her eyes and crossing her arms as she stands back a little bit to give Paige the space she needs.
Paige smirks at her friend as she shoots the ball, definitely showing off a little bit. The ball arcs in the air before swishing into the basket, all net and no rim. The blonde’s grin only widens as she repeats the motion, again and again and again. She gets eight of them in perfectly, the ninth hits the backboard but rolls in and then-
“You missed,” Azzi yells the minute the last ball is out of Paige’s hands and they both watch, one in excitement, the other in irritation, as the ball falls miserably far away from the net.
“That’s not fair,” Paige turns around immediately, “you distracted me. That doesn’t even count.”
“Nuh uh, we didn’t set a no distracting rule and I only said something after you released it. I already knew you were gonna miss,” Azzi counters gleefully.
“Bruh, how could you have possibly known that?”
“Because my basketball IQ is way beyond yours,” it’s Azzi’s turn to smirk as she bumps Paige in the hip, switching spots so she can take her turn.
“You’re still gonna lose. I made nine, you’re barely gonna make,” Paige pretends to think, “hmm maybe seven”
Azzi doesn’t respond, choosing instead to reply by immediately making her first basket. Her arc is perfect as always, the same shot Paige had been awed by when they’d been at camp for USA basketball. She makes the next and the next and the one after that until she’s at her 10th shot, ready to go a perfect 10 for 10 and beat Paige. Maybe it’s the competitiveness or maybe Paige has lost her goddamn mind, but she barely registers the next words that come out of her mouth.
“If you make the last shot, you have to marry me,” and it’s supposed to be a threat, a way to stop Azzi from making the last bucket and winning their silly little competition but it comes out giddy and breathless.
“What?” Azzi asks, eyes wide as she turns around to face Paige and well, she’s said them now, Paige might as well own them.
“You heard me,” Paige says, cocking her head, the arrogance in her voice a complete contrast to the rapid beating of her heart, “you make that shot, and we’re engaged. Or you don’t make it and you lose.”
Azzi’s eyes narrow, confusion melting away to a familiar fierceness. The thing is, she knows she could miss it if she wanted to but the thought of losing is somehow worse than being engaged at fourteen. She tries not to dwell on why that idea doesn’t seriously frighten her, telling herself it’s because there’s no way Paige will ever hold her to that. Taking a deep breath, Azzi lifts up her hands and shoots the ball.
Here’s the thing, Paige likes winning. She enjoys the effort that goes into getting a win and the satisfaction that follows after. But as the ball leaves Azzi’s hand, that same perfect arc, she thinks, maybe it would be okay if Azzi made this basket today. She thinks maybe it would be okay if she lost. Both girls wait with bated breath, as the ball hits the backboard and circles the rim. For a brief second, it seems like it might slide off the edge but it doesn’t. It falls into the net with a swish and Azzi wins.
The brunette lets out a squeal of happiness as the arcade game lights up with “WINNER”, doing a happy dance and flipping her hair. And Paige is so mesmerized by Azzi’s infectious happiness, the fact that she’s just lost ceases to mean anything. She doesn’t know what this feeling is, isn’t quite ready to understand it, but she knows it’s slowly creeping up her veins and consuming every part of her.
“What prize would you like honey,” the middle-aged woman running the booth asks, pointing to the assortment of gifts sitting in a booth next to the game. Azzi pulls a still-stunned Paige with her to get a closer look at the prizes, eyes roaming over all the fun things until they finally settle on one of them.
“I’ll take that packet of rings,” she gives Paige a devilish smirk, "I think I just got engaged.”
Paige gapes at Azzi while the woman fetches the packet of rings that Azzi had chosen. As far as fake jewelry goes, the rings are kind of atrocious. Huge colorful stones are placed haphazardly on a silver ring that looks like it might rust the next seconds. Azzi picks out a pink one and hands it to Paige, before holding out her hand. Still slightly dazed by everything, Paige does as she’s gestured to and slips the ring onto Azzi’s ring finger. And she’s sure she must be going insane because the ugly ring looks quite pretty on Azzi’s slender fingers.
“You better get me a real one eventually,” Azzi says and she’s joking, Paige knows that but she can’t help the part of her that takes it at face value, the part of her that subconsciously promises Azzi to get her a real one eventually. She’s only fifteen and she’s sure she doesn’t know what love is but standing here in the cool Minnesota summer breeze, getting fake engaged to a girl she feels like she’s known her whole life, Paige thinks, maybe she’d like to learn.
2. crossing boundaries (taking leaps of faith)
The second time Paige says it, they’ve crossed a line in their friendship and she kind of wants to cross a couple more. By this point, Paige is pretty sure she’s at least a little in love with her best friend. It had been okay when she’d first got to UConn, the distance between them allowing Paige to ignore her feelings that had become unbearably intense over the covid year she’d spent with the Fudds. And then the thing she’d worked her ass off to make happen had happened and Azzi had come to UConn. It wasn’t that she wasn’t happy to have Azzi here. With her being injured for most of her sophomore season, there’s no one else Paige would have rather had by her side through it all. It was the playing platonic that drove her a little insane. Because somewhere between the arguing over nothing and the talking about everything, Azzi had stopped being her best friend and had become something more.
It all comes to a head during a mid-April night at Ted’s. They’re partially still in mourning for their national championship loss and so it’s not really a surprise that the team is perhaps a little freer with the alcohol than they normally are. It’s definitely the alcohol that has Paige seething in jealousy at Azzi nonchalantly flirting with some random girl who had had the nerve to buy the brunette a drink. And it’s definitely the alcohol that makes her march over angrily and squeeze herself between the two girls. But it might be a little much to blame the half a glass of spiked shirley Paige had had for the way she wraps her arms around Azzi’s waist, leaning into the younger girl’s personal space in a way that is decidedly not platonic.
“Hi love,” she whispers, blinking her eyes up at a rather confused Azzi, who despite said confusion, doesn’t push her away. Instead, Azzi’s arms circle around Paige’s neck. It’s muscle memory really. But now they’re far closer than appropriate for two best friends and Paige swears she can make out every detail on Azzi’s face. Her eyes fixate on Azzi’s throat as the darker-skinned girl swallows, a sign of nervous anticipation, and she fights the visceral urge to bite down on Azzi’s neck and leave a mark so permanent, no other girl would ever have the audacity to look at what’s hers.
“Oh, I didn’t know,” she hears the offending flirt say.
“Well now you do,” Paige replies before Azzi can respond, keeping her eyes focused on the girl in front of her, “she’s not interested.”
The sound of feet scurrying away makes Paige smirk. Azzi raises her eyes but doesn’t make a move to pull away.
“You looked like you needed help,” the blond lies blatantly, “and I’m nothing if not helpful.”
“Is that what you were doing? Trying to be helpful?” Azzi asks, a coy smile playing on her lips as she presses closer to Paige, “because I could have sworn you were jealous.”
Paige’s breath hitches as she focuses on the way Azzi says those words, the way her lips quirk and her eyes sparkle, because it’s not the alcohol this time, no she’s pretty damn sure Azzi’s flirting with her. The realization sets her heart ablaze and she grips Azzi’s waist even tighter, trying to find something stable to hold onto.
“And if- if I was- if I was jealous, then what?”
“I’d tell you, you didn’t really have a reason to be. She wasn’t really my type.”
“Yeah,” Paige can’t help but smirk, suddenly feeling a surge of confidence, “what is your type Azzi?”
Azzi hums, her shy smile a response in itself. They’re so close now, with their chests pressed up against each other, that Paige can hear the erratic thrum of Azzi’s heart beating. It’s comforting in a way, to know that she has the effect on Azzi too, that she’s the reason Azzi’s breathing is so uneven. Subconsciously, Paige leans in, eyes tracing the outline of Azzi’s lips, her entire body wracked with want.
“Azzi,” she whispers, knocking her forehead against the other girl’s, “tell me to stop.”
Anticipation burns against Paige’s skin, the feeling of finally racing through her body. She’s hypnotized by the way they seem to be breathing as one. Her eyes close of their own accord and she can almost feel the taste of Azzi’s lips when the brunette presses a gentle hand against her chest.
“Stop,” Azzi whispers.
Paige’s eyes fly open. Stung, she lets go of Azzi’s waist immediately, the tears ready to fall. She’d been so sure she’d read the moment right-
“Hey, hey no Paige wait,” Azzi scrambles to grab onto the blonde, fully aware of the panic that has settled into the other girl's bones, “I didn’t- I just- I didn’t mean it like that. I- fuck sorry, I don’t- I want-” she takes in a deep breath, her brain unable to speak her mind, “I want to kiss you, I do- I just don’t want our first kiss to be in front of all these people.”
The last part is a little mumbled but Paige hears it clear as day. She gapes at her best friend, not sure if she wants to shake her or jump her bones (both, definitely both).
“You couldn’t have just said that?” Paige asks exasperatedly, “I don’t really take rejection well in case you haven’t noticed.”
“I know. I’m sorry. I panicked, you were so close and I was distracted,” Azzi rambles incoherently and Paige is so ridiculously endeared by this girl.
“Azzi,” she says slowly, stepping back into the younger girl's space, and holding out a hand, “you wanna get out of here?”
She’s rewarded with a bright smile and Azzi grabbing her outstretched hand with no hesitation. As the two of them make their way through the crowd, hands locked together, Paige can’t think of a moment where she’s felt this ecstatic. They stumble through the street towards their apartments, giggling like kindergarteners who’ve just been given a sweet treat. After a year, longer, of holding it in, Paige feels like she’s finally free.
They’ve barely made it to Paige’s room, before she has Azzi pinned against the wall causing the younger girl to let out an audible gasp. It’s sinful the way she looks up at Paige, as if she’d do anything for her. And god Paige wants to find out just how much she can push that.
“Tell me to stop,” Paige repeats her words from the bar, her right thumb coming up to lightly caressing Azzi’s bottom lip. She’s giving her an out, a last chance before they cross a line in their friendship that they’ll never be able to uncross. But her words evoke a new fire in Azzi’s eyes and Paige just knows.
“Absolutely not.”
She’s not sure who kisses who first, doesn’t really care but she knows she’s never felt anything quite like this. It’s something beyond sparks, something more exciting, yet something ever so calming. All she knows is she wants more. Her hands roam everywhere, moving from Azzi’s neck, to her arms, to her hips before moving even lower. And Azzi fucking whimpers, the sound of it causing Paige to press even harder against her. She pulls away and Azzi chases her lips for a second, before Paige attaches them to the younger girl’s neck instead.
“Do you know how long I’ve wanted this,” Paige manages to get out, biting against Azzi’s skin. She means to be soft, she really does but all she can think about is leaving a mark, a possessive bruise that would make sure everyone knew not to touch what was hers.
“Not longer than me,” Azzi’s hands are tangled in Paige's hair and she’s putty in the older girl’s hand. Paige could ask anything of her, and Azzi’s sure, she’d give it to her in a heartbeat.
“I’m gonna make it worth the wait,” Paige pants, moving away from the brunette’s neck to kiss her again, “I promise.”
“Gonna show me what the hype is about?” Azzi says cheekily, as Paige pulls her onto the bed. She climbs on top of the blond, straddling her thighs.
“Gonna show you even better,” Paige whispers and Azzi shivers at the promise in her voice. And then Paige’s lips her on hers again, desperate and impatient. Her hands work meticulously as she unbuttons Azzi’s blouse, leaving the young girl’s upper body bare. Azzi can't help the insecurity that creeps into her when Paige stares at her like that, like she’s seeing her for the first time.
“You’re so fucking perfect,” Paige says, erasing away the doubt, “fuck, marry me.”
Paige doesn’t know why that slips out, doesn’t know why it rolls off her tongue so smoothly, doesn’t know why it doesn’t feel like a completely preposterous thing to say at the moment.
“You say that to all your hookups?” Azzi asks slowly. It’s said light-heartedly enough but the hints of doubt aren’t hard to catch. In one swift motion, Paige flips them so that Azzi’s lying underneath her. Using her elbows, she hovers over the younger girl, making sure she can see the sincerity in her eyes.
“No, no I don't. And you,” she says pointedly, needing Azzi to understand how she feels, “are not a hookup.”
Azzi smiles, arms wrapping around Paige’s neck, “maybe take me out on a date first and then we can talk about marriage.”
“Yeah, yeah I will but,” Paige grins devilishly, fingers dancing around the waistband of Azzi’s jeans, “I think I’ll fuck you first.
3. on the brink of destruction (maybe you’ll catch me)
The third time Paige says it, she’s desperately trying to save them from falling apart. They’ve always known this moment would come, known it even before they’d known each other. To play in the WNBA had always been the end-goal for both of them and it should be the happiest moment of their lives with both of them being guaranteed first-round picks who were likely to make a roster. But the whole thing comes with the caveat, that for the first time in almost four years, Paige and Azzi will have to learn to live apart from each other.
Paige hadn’t even considered that it would mean they’d have to break up. The whole season, despite a thousand and one conversations about the draft, the idea hadn’t once been brought up. Long distance would be difficult, Paige knew that, but she’d figured they’d tackle it in the same way they’d faced everything else: together. Apparently Azzi thought differently. Apparently Azzi had been thinking about it for a while and last night, when she’d finally said the words out loud, Paige’s whole world had fallen off balance. She’d tried interrupting but once Azzi had her mind set on something, it was hard to deter her.
It’s been less than 24 hours since and KK and Ice have done everything in their power to distract her but Paige can’t stop thinking about it. If she hadn’t known Azzi for as long as she had, then maybe she would have believed the façade of coldness and practicality that her girlfriend had put on. She had spoken as if she was negotiating the end of a contract, her face set firmly on neutral. But Paige had seen the way she was fidgeting uncontrollably with the hem of her shirt, heard the little crack in her voice when she’d said the actual words out loud.
“Was she at breakfast?” Paige asks, interrupting whatever spiel KK had been going on. The sophomore gives her a look that veers between irritation and sympathy.
“Dude, we weren’t even at breakfast. We ate with you up here, remember?”
“Right,” Paige says, mindlessly thumbing at her sheets. She’s in unfamiliar territory, trying to navigate a world without Azzi. She can’t even remember the last morning she’d had that didn’t start with some form of communication with her girlfriend, a good morning kiss or a text or a call.
“Y’all are being stupid,” Ice supplies unhelpfully.
“Don’t even start,” Paige quips back defensively, “I didn’t do anything.”
“Maybe that’s the issue,” KK’s report is met with a well-aimed pillow in her direction.
“Can you guys maybe just take my side for once please?”
“Children of divorce don’t choose sides,” Ice says solemnly. She has the foresight to duck and Paige’s water bottle hits the wall with a resounding thud, “aye no violence.”
“Fuck off and go away,” Paige groans, burying her face in her hands.
“This is literally my room,” Ice replies and KK snickers.
“I’m so glad my misery amuses you guys.”
Before either of the two underclassmen can reply, a familiar voice resounds around the room and Paige’s heart almost beats out of her chest. It’s been less than 24 hours but fuck, she’s missed the sound of it.
“Ice do you have- oh.”
“Hi Azzi,” KK says enthusiastically and Paige can already picture the forced smile Azzi gives her. She hates that stupid smile.
“Hey KK. I- uh, Ice I was looking for the necklace you borrowed. I- uh wanted to wear it with my dress for the draft, but umm- it’s- it’s fine. I’ll come back later.”
Paige scoffs, suddenly annoyed. She lifts her head from her hands and Azzi’s already looking at her but the minute their eyes meet, she looks away. It only irritates Paige further.
“It’s fine Az. I can get it for you now,” Ice says, hopping up and rummaging through one of her.
“No it’s fine, I should go. I have to go do…something.”
“You’re such a fucking liar,” Paige says before she can stop herself. The awkwardness in the air changes to a sinister tension. KK and Ice wear identical expressions of shock and worry, looking back and forth between Paige and Azzi.
“Excuse me?” Azzi says eyes narrowing dangerously.
“All that bullshit you said last night. You said we’d still be friends. You said it’d be like we used to be before. You said things wouldn’t change that much and this would be for the better. You said we’d be fine. But fucking hell Azzi, you can’t even stand to be in the same room as me right now,” tears prickle in her eyes and she can’t tell if they’re from anger or pain or frustration.
“I-It will be okay. We’ll be fine, eventually,” Azzi pauses, struggling to get the words out, “I just- we just- we need time to learn how to be just friends again.”
“I don’t want to be just friends Azzi,” Paige spits.
“Neither do I,” Azzi bursts out, hands clenching, “but we have to try.”
“Oh-kay,” KK cuts in, noticing the rise in voices, “just because Ice and I call ourselves children of divorce, doesn’t mean y’all have to act like an actual divorced couple. All this yelling is not good for my heart.”
“Shut up KK,” they snap at the same time, and KK immediately raises her hands in surrender.
“Why,” Paige turns her attention back to Azzi, “why do we have to try? You don’t want to be just friends. I sure as shit don’t want to be just friends. So what’s the fucking point? When neither of us want this, why are we fucking doing this?”
“Because I’m scared okay?” Azzi yells, her eyes widening as the truth slips out. She immediately cups her mouth, her anger fading away. Tears pool at the corner of her eyes, as emotions she’d been trying so hard to push down, bubble to the surface. She sees the way Paige eyes soften, can feel the sympathy in the way KK and Ice are looking at her, but before any of them can say anything, her feet are moving, desperate to get away from them, from Paige.
“Paige,” Ice hisses when the blond stays rooted in place, “move.”
It does the trick, shaking Paige out of her trance. She doesn’t need to be told twice. When she gets to Azzi’s room, she stops outside the door. The goal is to fix things but she’s so scared of damaging them further. Taking a deep breath, she lets herself in and is unsurprised to find Azzi pacing the length of the room.
“You have ‘got to stop running away from me. I’m not as young as I used to be,” Paige jokes. She’s not expecting a smile in return, the situation is far too tense, but when Azzi looks at her with nothing but sadness, all the humour leaves her body.
“Please leave me alone,” Azzi whispers, “please don’t make this harder than it needs to be.”
“You’re the one making this harder Az. We don’t have to do this,” Paige takes a step forward, groaning when Azzi immediately takes a step back.
“We do because otherwise we’re gonna fall apart. You don’t see it but we’re gonna end up resenting each other because we miss each other so much,” Azzi says miserably, the tears freely falling now.
“You think I’ll miss you less if you’re not my girlfriend? You think breaking up is going to stop us from falling apart?” Paige asks incredulously, “you know you’ve had some stupid ideas before Azzi, but this, this one might be the dumbest yet.”
“Well, do you have a better one?” Azzi asks, throwing her hands in the air.
“Yes, let’s just get married instead! Then we’ll have to be stuck with each other for life and you can stop trying to break up with me,” and maybe it’s somewhat of an irrational thing to say but Paige finds that she means it.
“Paige,” Azzi grits out, “this is serious.”
“I’m being dead serious right now actually.”
“Marriage is not going to stop us from being drafted to different teams. It’s not gonna stop us from having to live in different states.”
“Neither is breaking up,” Paige yells. Frustrated, she marches over to Azzi, encircling her arms around the other girl who immediately struggles against Paige's hold but the blonde is in no mood to let this, whatever it is, go on any further.
“Let me go-”
“No. It’s my turn to talk okay,” Paige says, tightening her grip, “get this through your head, we are not breaking up.”
She pinches Azzi’s waist when the younger girl tries to protest. Her girlfriend is nothing if not stubborn but so is Paige.
“You know I barely slept last night? I’ve been so fucking miserable all day. I’ve spent every minute thinking about you, every minute missing you. And if we do this, that feeling of missing you and knowing I can’t have you, is how I’m going to feel for the rest of my life. And that, that might kill me. I know you think it’ll be easier being friends or whatever but I can’t do that Azzi. I can’t be your friend. I can’t be near you and not kiss you. I can’t call you and not tell you I love you,” Paige’s voice breaks near the end as tears begin to stream down her face.
“I’m scared. I’m so scared. I don’t want to lose you,” Azzi confesses in a whisper and it’s heartbreaking how vulnerable the darker-skinned girl sounds.
“Then don’t. Keep me and let me keep you. I know you're scared baby but,” Paige presses her forehead against Azzi’s, “but trust me Azzi, we’ll make it work okay. I need you to believe that. I need you to believe in us. Please Azzi, please.”
Azzi closes her eyes and Paige can almost see the cogs turning in her brain. Waiting for a decision is excruciating and the silence feels deafening as Paige’s intrusive thoughts drive her a little insane.
“Okay,” Azzi breathes out finally, “okay we’ll try it your way. But if it doesn’t work-”
“It’s going to work,” Paige says determinedly. And finally, Azzi smiles, the real one that Paige loves.
“It’s going to work,” she repeats back, leaning up to kiss Paige and letting out an ungraceful squawk when Paige dodges her lips, “excuse me.”
“You don’t get a kiss,” the older girl replies, moving out of reach and crossing her arms, “you just tried to break up with me. Twice.”
“I’m sorry,” Azzi whines, “please, I haven’t kissed you for hours.”
“And whose fault is that?” Paige accuses but there’s no true anger behind her words.
Azzi pouts for a second before it’s replaced by a mischievous smirk. Before Paige can react, she jumps onto the blond, wrapping her arms around Paige’s neck. The impact of it causes Paige to stumble back a little bit before her hands settle on Azzi's hips to keep them both stable.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry,” Azzi babbles, kissing every inch of Paige’s face.
“Okay, okay, okay, you’re forgiven.” Paige laughs. She’s never been particularly good at staying mad at Azzi. The knot in her chest, which’s been pressing against her ribcage since last night, finally unravels as Paige tugs Azzi closer, finally pressing their lips together in a passionate kiss. A low wolf-whistle from the doorway breaks them apart far sooner than they’d have liked.
“Y’all didn’t even last a whole 24 hours,” KK’s voice is amused but there’s a hint of relief hidden in it.
“Should’ve closed the fucking door,” Paige grumbles as Azzi giggles into the crevice between her head and her neck.
“That’s gotta be a record for shortest breakup ever or something,” and there’s Ice, looking equally as amused.
“You know what that means though, parents are back together and,” KK smirks at Ice and Paige looks between the two of them questioningly, “you owe me 50 bucks.”
“Excuse me?” Paige asks with a raised eyebrow, although she’s pretty sure she already knows.
“Ice said y’all would be broken up for a week. I gave y’all three days,” KK grins triumphantly, despite Ice giving her a dirty look.
“I can’t believe you guys would bet on us,” Azzi shakes her head disapprovingly as she lifts her head, “actually no scratch that. I’m not surprised at all.”
“We were too generous with it though,” Ice gives them a knowing look, “can’t believe y’all thought you could survive for years.”
“Not y’all,” Paige corrects, “just Azzi.”
Azzi groans, “you’re never gonna let me forget this are you?”
“Nope,” Paige says happily, pressing a kiss to Azzi’s temple, who immediately grins. And everything in the world is right again. It’s not going to be easy being god knows how many miles apart, but Paige knows they’ll be fine. They have to be. She won’t let them be anything else.
4. the high of it all (as long as you hold me)
The fourth time she says it, Paige doesn’t even fully remember it the day after. She won’t find out exactly what she’s said until a couple of years into the future when Azzi tells her the story with a fond look in her eye. It’s a month or so into their rookie seasons when their respective teams meet: the Lynx vs the Mystics, funny how that had worked out. So far, they’d both been doing well, locked in a competitive race for rookie of the year. As a result, their matchup is well-hyped, but no one’s more excited for it, than the two of them.
The game ends with the Lynx winning and Paige shoots Azzi a victorious smirk which earns her a familiar eye roll. She loves winning always but this time there’s the additional reward of having her girlfriend back in her bed for the first time in weeks. The anticipation of it has her running her tongue across her lips, and with the way Azzi’s eyes glaze over, it’s clear they’re thinking the same thing.
A couple of hours later, the Lynx team is spread out across one of the bars near their arena and Paige is definitely teetering on the edge of being drunk. She’d been a lot more reserved the other couple of times they’d done this, not wanting to take the chance of potentially embarrassing herself in front of her older teammates. But she feels freer tonight and the reason for it hasn't walked in yet.
“You two haven’t changed at all huh?” Dorka laughs, as she watches Paige pouting at the door.
“Hey,” Paige whines, “I haven’t seen her in months! And now she’s taking too long.”
“One month,” Dorka corrects, shaking her head fondly, “and you talk to her every other hour.”
“Same differ-”
“Hi,” an unfamiliar voice cuts Paige off, an auburn haired girl sliding into the stool next to her, “you’re Paige Bueckers?”
“Last time I checked,” Paige replies goofily, eyes still fixed on the front door.
“I’m Shay. I’m a huge fan,” the stranger gushes, her smile radiant, “could I maybe get a picture?”
Never one to disappoint, especially not when she’s a little out of it, Paige nods. She wraps her arm casually around Shay’s shoulder, and makes a peace sign with her other hand as the other girl takes a selfie.
“Thank you,” Shay takes a deep breath, “I uh, I was wondering if I could maybe get your num-”
“Babyyyyyy,” Paige lets out a shrill squeak as she spots her girlfriend finally entering the door. All else seems to fade away as the blonde practically skips towards her girlfriend. Dorka, who’d been watching the previous exchange, can’t help but give a very shell-shocked-looking Shay a sympathetic smile.
“Hi babyyyy,” Paige croons again as she throws her arms around her girlfriend's neck, burying her face contentedly into Azzi’s neck. It doesn’t matter that she’s an inch or so taller than the younger girl, she fits in Azzi’s arms pretty perfectly.
“Hi drunkie,” Azzi says fondly, brushing her hands through Paige’s hair and eliciting a happy sigh from the inebriated blond in her arms, “started without me I see.”
“You took too long and I was bored,” Paige says, snuggling further, her breath tickling against Azzi’s collarbone, making the younger girl’s breath hitch. Smirking, Paige bites down gently, knowing the exact effect it’ll have. Almost five years together, and the idea of marking her girlfriend still drives her a little insane.
“Behave,” Azzi warns, her voice breathy, “we’re in public.”
“Then let’s get out of public,” Paige whispers as she caresses the mark she’s just left on Azzi’s throat with her tongue, clearly proud of her handiwork, “let me take you home.”
“I just got here babe,” it’s a weak response, they both know it.
“So what?”
“I-,” Azzi stutters as Paige continues to pepper kisses into her neck, one of her hands sliding down to brush against Azzi’s exposed navel, “I haven’t even said hi to anyone else.”
“Are you here for anyone else? Or are you here for me?”
It’s a blur how it happens, but one minute Paige is tucked under Azzi’s arms, the next Azzi finds herself pressed against the bar, Paige's hands barricading her. It's too dimly lit for anyone to be fully aware of what’s going on but Azzi desperately tries to stifle a moan when Paige shifts so that she’s filthily grinding against one of Azzi’s thighs, lips still attached to her neck.
“Gonna make you feel so good baby. Gonna give you whatever you want. Gonna give you everything you need,” the blond promises, knowing, when Azzi’s eyes involuntarily close, that she’s close to getting what she wants, “just let me take you home.”
“Azzi!” The feeling of getting her way is short lived as Dorka’s voice echoes around them. Paige groans as her girlfriend’s eyes immediately fly open and she ducks under Paige arms to hug their old UConn teammate.
As the two other girls meet, Paige downs another drink, mumbling about “fucking Hungarians.”
“Ignore her,” Azzi rolls her eyes, still hugging Dorka, who lets out a laugh.
“Alright that’s enough,” Paige frowns, pulling Azzi back into her so that her back is pressed against Paige’s chest, “go find your own Azzi to hug, this one’s mine and we’re leaving.”
Sober Paige does not get testy when Azzi hugs other people, especially not old teammates and friends, well not a lot anyway. But drunk Paige doesn’t like sharing her girlfriend, no matter how platonically that is.
“Always so possessive Bueckers,” Dorka teases, but she complies “it was good seeing you Az. Don’t be late to practice Paige.”
The blond point guard lets out a satisfied sigh, lacing her hands with Azzi’s, “see you’ve met people, now can we please go?”
“I’ve met one person,” Azzi rolls her eyes but doesn’t put up a fight as her girlfriend begins to pull her out of the bar.
The uber ride back to Paige’s apartment is relatively silent with Paige tucking herself into Azzi, who can tell that despite her previous eagerness, her girlfriend is pretty likely to pass out the minute she lies down. It doesn’t matter really. Cuddles. Sex. Whatever. As long as it’s with Paige, Azzi loves every minute of it. Besides, there’s always tomorrow morning.
“M’sorry, m’so tired,” Paige mumbles as she does exactly what Azzi had expected by flopping onto the bed the minute they tumble into the bedroom, “make it up to you tomorrow. I promise.”
The brunette shakes her head with a smile, taking both their shoes off, before lying down next to her girlfriend, who immediately curls into her, wrapping her arms around Azzi’s torso.
“I’m glad you’re here. I missed you,” she whispers into Azzi’s skin, eyes closed.
“Missed you too baby,” the darker skinned girl pressed a kiss onto her girlfriend’s forehead, squeezing her arm gently.
There’s a pause and for a second Azzi thinks maybe Paige has fallen asleep until the next words come out her mouth and steal Azzi’s breath away.
“I can’t wait to marry you,” Paige confesses in a whisper, “you’re gonna make the prettiest bride. We’re gonna have such a beautiful wedding. Outside. Maybe on a basketball court. And Coach is gonna officiate it and everyone’s gonna be there. Our family, our friends and it’s gonna be wonderful. The best ever.”
Azzi can’t bring herself to speak, the emotions suddenly becoming a little too strong. She knows Paige is drunk but the words are so sincere, like they’re things Paige has been thinking about for a long time.
“Gonna have two kids,” Paige smiles as she continues to babble, unaware of the effect that has on Azzi, “a girl and a boy. They’re gonna be the most loved kids in the world. And we’re gonna teach them basketball. And they’re gonna be perfect, just like you. Just like us.”
In the silence, Azzi listens to Paige’s breathing even out, a sign that the older girl has drifted into sleep. And she lets herself imagine the picture Paige had just painted for her. As she holds her girlfriend closer to her, she knows she wants that life too. The wedding. The kids. The perfection of it all. She falls asleep dreaming about it, unaware that hidden in the drawer right next to her, is a ring that has her name on it.
5. finding forever (the inevitability of us)
When Paige finally proposes, they’re back at the Minnesota State Fair. She’s had the ring for a couple of years now, waiting for things to fall into place so that they could finally play on the same team and actually be together. That hadn’t been an easy process and of course, they’d argued about it, perhaps going a little too far at times. But now, when she finally gets to wake up to Azzi’s peaceful sleepy smile, every single morning, it all seems worth it.
The proposal, if Paige is honest, is just a formality. In her head, she’s been a married woman for a long time. Whatever ceremony they’d have, whatever papers they’d sign, wouldn’t do much to alter their already domestic lives. But she wanted that celebration, the moment with her family and friends where they’d become bound in the one way they weren’t yet: legally. And this proposal was the start of that.
The list of ideas she’d planned out and discussed with their family and friends was long and had earned her plenty of sighs and eye rolls. Nothing had seemed quite right until she’d whined about it to both their mothers. They’d said to go back to the beginning and it had all clicked into place.
As they have every year since they’d started coming to the state fair together, they’re engaged in a competition again. Every year, they get a little bit more competitive and every year their families' sighs get a little heavier. Something about it, makes the two of them reverse back to being fifteen. The ridiculous trash talk, the sticking their tongues out at each other, the exaggerated pouting when they lose, it’s all further proof of them still being children at heart. Except now, when Azzi pouts, Paige gets to kiss it off.
They’re tied again this summer, as they seem to be most years. Though this year, there’s been a little bit of planning on Paige’s part.
“Pop-a-shot it is,” Azzi sighs, “even though you absolutely cheated on that last hole in mini golf,” she turns to their families, who normally would have left by now but have stayed back today, with a dramatic spin, “and I can’t believe you all saw it, but you’re taking her side.”
“Not me Azzi, I’m on your side. I know she cheated,” Drew, the traitor, chirps with a smirk and Paige glares at her little brother whose loyalty to her girlfriend never wavers.
“Thank you Drew. The only person who loves me for real,” Azzi puts one hand to her heart, and ruffles the younger boy’s with the other.
“Save the dramatics for when you lose babe,” Paige says, rolling her eyes, “alright rock paper scissors.”
They play best of three as they always do. Paige wins the first round. Azzi wins the second. There’s momentary panic when Azzi technically wins the third because well, Paige sort of needs to be in control if this is going to work. The thing is Azzi likes to mix up whether she’ll choose to go first or second, according to her it keeps Paige on her toes. But today Paige really needs her girlfriend to go second.
“Oh Az no cheating,” Tim cuts in, coming to the rescue, “you waited to see what she’d do.”
“WHAT?” Azzi squeals, “I absolutely did not.”
“Oh honey, I think you did,” Katie sends Paige a wink and she can’t help but smile at the family she’s found.
“You’re not serious,” Azzi says with a betrayed voice, squinting at her parents, before turning to Paige’s mom, who gives her a consoling pat, “please adopt me.”
“Oh quit whining cheater,” Paige teases, “I’m going first.”
She steps up to the line for the game, feeling more nervous than she ever has really because this is it. There isn’t really a world in which she thinks Azzi will say no, at least not one where Paige continues breathing after. But she needs this to be perfect. Bouncing the ball for a second, she takes in a deep breath before raising her arms and shooting. It goes in, barely touching the room. So does the next. And the next one and the next one, until Paige has gotten nine shots in.
As she goes to shoot the last one, Azzi's voice echoes around her, “miss it for me babe.”
And she does. It’s probably one of the weakest shot’s she’s ever taken in her life, the ball falling far below the basket. Behind her, she can hear their brother’s snickering.
“Damn someone should send that to Coach,” Azzi teases, hip-checking Paige as she comes to take her spot, “better luck next time baby.”
“Yeah, yeah let’s see you do better,” Paige replies cockily, but her hands are sweating with nerves.
“Oh you know I will,” her girlfriend responds with a grin, as she makes the first basket, that same perfect arc as always. Paige holds her breath on every shot, as the ball goes in flawlessly every time, their families cheering loudly for each one of them. As the last basket gets closer, Drew gives Paige’s hand a tight squeeze and gets a grateful smile in return.
Taking a deep breath, as Azzi gets ready to take her last turn, Paige repeats the same words she’d said, the first time they’d been in this situation, “if you make the last shot, you have to marry me.”
“What?” Azzi whips around immediately, her eyes bright with confusion. Tongue-tied, Paige only shrugs and smiles, watching closely as Azzi lets the words sink in. A determined look crosses her face, followed by a mischievous smirk, and Paige’s heart swells. She knows the ball is going in the hoop even before the other girl's arms are in shooting position. And she’s right. The ball arcs in air and falls through the basket. And instead of the patent WINNER that normally lights up when someone makes the 10 shots, a new phrase appears on the dashboard.
MARRY ME
Azzi gasps, hands flying to her mouth. When she whirls around, Paige is already on one knee and their families are watching with the biggest smiles.
“I knew you lost on purpose,” Azzi breathes out, “you’ve never taken such a shit shot like that last one in your life.”
“Seriously,” Paige gapes up at her, “that’s what you get from this.”
“Babe, you hate losing,” Azzi emphasizes as if that explains everything and well, maybe it does.
“Yeah, yeah I do,” Paige nods, reaching in her back pocket to pull out the ring, “but if you say yes to me today, then it doesn’t matter if I win or lose in a stupid arcade game, or on the court or anywhere, if you say yes Azzi, no matter what, I’ll always be a winner because I’ll have you. And I had a slightly better, slightly longer speech planned but it’s kinda all gone from my mind now, so I’ll just get right to it,” she manages a watery smile in response to her girlfriend’s tearful laugh, “Azzi, my soulmate and the love of my life, will you marry me?”
“Yes. Oh my god yes, of course, yes,” Azzi manages to get out, before she falls to her knees and into Paige’s arms, pressing her lips fervently against the blonde’s, their happy tears mixing into each other. Behind them, their families burst into cheers, hugging one another in congratulations.
“Wait, wait,” Paige pulls away, her smile stretching across her whole face, “I need to put the ring on you.”
She opens the ring box, to reveal a silver band that’s designed with a large diamond in the shape of a heart in the middle with two infinity shapes made out of smaller diamonds on each side of the heart. Azzi holds out her hand, eyes shining as Paige slips it onto her ring finger. It sparkles underneath the glow of the moonlight.
“You finally got me a real one,” she whispers, continuing to admire the ring, “fuck, Paige it’s beautiful.”
“Yeah, yeah it took me a couple of years but I always knew I would. Look at the inside,” Paige nudges and Azzi squints to see the inscription on the inner edge of the ring.
Since Always
The meaning of it is clear and Azzi lets out something in between a sob and a laugh before throwing herself back into Paige’s waiting arms.
“I love you,” she whispers into her girlfriend’s, no, her fiance’s ears, “I can’t wait to be your wife.”
Paige’s arms tighten around Azz as she repeats it back, the word wife, evoking a newfound feeling she doesn’t quite know how to put in words. Their families begin to crowd them, until they’re all just a heap of bodies, likely earning some odd looks from passers-by. But it really doesn’t matter. It’s odd to think there had ever been a time when Paige had stood in this same cool Minnesota summer evening breeze and not know what love was, not known who Azzi was. Because this right here, with her fiancé in her arms, and their family all around them, this, she thinks, is the definition of love.
255 notes
·
View notes
Text
why you're an icon (pac)
maybe a year ago i started (but did not finish) a series where I did posts describing why you're an icon. Today I plan on continuing that- this reading will describe why people are drawn to you and what they love most about you. today's muse is Fairouz, also spelled Fayrouz, Fairuz in English. Her name in Lebanese (hopefully pls correct if mistranslated <3) : فيروز, check out my services if you're interested in a personal reading : services
Fairouz is one of the most famous Lebanese singers and is considered today to be a major icon in the Arab world. Listening to her is my gateway to middle eastern music especially arabic pop in the 60's and 70's. One of my favorite things about her is the way she performed, according to her Wikipedia page she would be known to take a rigid, cold stance while performing. She claimed that the nature of her performances is because she is singing as if she were praying. a user on Pinterest called her the middle eastern lana del rey and i will never recover. anyways, select your pile and I will have a song by the queen for you to listen to.
PILE ONE-
cards: king of cups, queen of wands, 6 of cups, mars in pisces
song: Fayek Ya Hawa
you're a captivating, magnetic person. You have a way of capturing your passion with a almost childlike wonder, you remind people of what it's like to be a kid again and to just love something from the bottom of your heart. You have an ability to channel complex emotions from such a poetic perspective, you have this ability to channel your inner child when it comes to what you're passionate about. you possess a borderline psychic ability to portray emotions especially though creativity, you communicate things in such a way that it just resonates with so many people.
with the mars in Pisces card, this tells me that you are someone dedicated to understanding, empathizing and connecting with people. you have an unlimited range of creativity and a very developed imagination. you have such a way of wanting to help people feel understood, you're strongly motivated to act based on how you feel and as well as how other people feel. this motivation may even be self sacrificing at times. people love that you have a boundless sense of empathy. you dont withhold sympathy for anyone, you have the capability to connect with people regardless of who they are or how far they are from you.
PILE TWO
your cards- mars in leo, the emperor, two of swords
song: Sayyef ya sayf
you carry of confidence that demands power. You make decisions with certainty that regardless of what you do, you will always end up exactly where you need to be. People love that you're not the type to listen to other people, you drown out the voices of people trying to distract you and challenge the inner strength you have.
You have the tendency to take over and lead, and even if you arent aware of it, you influence people around you. the influence you have over the people in your life cannot be understated. you thrive when you are able to direct others. in fact you presence and personality type may be ''overbearing'' for some people, you're just not the type to shy away from expressing yourself and taking the lead. to some that may be perceived as confrontational and overpowering but many people actually love that you weren't born to be a follower.
people like you just know how to get things done. you excel at everything you do and take pride in your work. people love your ''ego'' and confidence. you're not afraid to overshine people. besides, its not your fault that people dim their own light.
PILE THREE
your cards: mars in taurus, page of cups and justice
song: Saalouny el nas
first of all, this pile has a clear foundation of right and wrong and you're willing to stand on that no matter what. people love that you're almost stubborn about what you believe. you're willing to go and fight for it and defend yourself against anyone.
but at the same time, this pile is very emotional and sensitive. your morals come straight from your heart. You're raw and vulnerable and you're willing to protect your heart more than anything else in this world. Sensitivity is seen as a weakness, but for you its your number one strength. its the quality that makes you willing to fend for yourself and other people. I knew someone like this in real life- upon first meeting her you might assume she was intimidating, scary, and even mean. but i watched this girl be brought to tears at the sound of a baby crying, I watched her fight against people who were stealing, I watched her loose her temper over anything that she felt disrespected her and her friends. By no means was she considered weak; she was vulnerable about what upset her, she was vulnerable about her mental health issues, and that made her strong and intimidating to people. it made me respect her more than anyone in my life. if you fucked with her, you were the one who ended up suffering. that's who this pile reminds me of.
I also feel that this pile is strongly motivated by their taste in fashion and luxury, people love your taste and its one of the things they remember about you.
#tarot meanings#tarot#pac tarot#tarot pac#pick a card tarot#tarot cards#astro notes#divinaiton#witchcraft#witch tips#pick a pile#loa#pick a card#pick a card reading#pick a picture#pick an image#pick a card tarot reading#psychic#free psychic readings#tarot readings#manifestion#fairuz#fairouz#fayrouz#spirituality#affirmations#free tarot reading#wicca#witchy things#witchblr
383 notes
·
View notes
Text
like a heartbeat, drives you mad
From the moment you first dream of Neverland, you know that it's a home unlike any other. Waking up is terrible every time, but what if you were able to find a way to stay there forever?
masterlist
You are always alone when the thoughts catch up to you. When you’re with other people, it’s different, easier to convince your mind to race to better, safer topics. You don’t have to think about the fears or the worries, you just have to keep up with the conversation or do your best to not seem like the person you’re terrified you truly are. Everything hinges on the one other person there, distracting you from the relentless parade of thoughts, keeping you firmly in reality.
When you’re alone, though, you can’t hide anymore. You wave goodbye to your friends to head inside, and with your hand on the knob, you think, did they really want to see me? And, was that laughter genuine, or were they faking it the whole time? Worse, was it at me?
Things get worse once it gets dark. You lie awake at night thinking that you’ll fail at everything, that no one will want to associate with you after that, that everyone on this earth is going to live and die and no one will ever remember you again. You don’t like thinking along such dark lines, but the self-hatred is strong and won’t let you go. You’ve tried before, shaking it off, but it always comes creeping back when you want it the least.
Life is not the best, but at least the fall of dusk upon the streets and surroundings of your hometown brings you the blessing of finally being able to go to bed. You can push off schoolwork until the next day, chores until forever, just so long as you can shut off your mind and crawl under your covers and everything will go away.
Tonight is one of those nights when you want it most of all. It’s been a long day, followed by a long week, chased by an even longer month. You can only tell yourself that it’ll get better soon for so long before even that familiar lie loses its charm. It’ll be good to rest tonight, though. Maybe tomorrow will make you happier. You close your eyes and try to sleep, all but begging unconsciousness to fall over you and carry you away. Your waking life is horrid enough. In sleep, at least, you will be alone, but–
In your dream, there is a boy. He was not there before. He is, in fact, nobody you have ever seen before. This should not be a problem. Dreams are rarely perfectly photographic, but this boy is, indeed, perfect. He’s absolutely in focus, blurred by none of that dreamlike haze that most figures cling to in your subconscious. It’s like a memory, but it’s never happened. It’s like reality, but you are still definitely asleep.
You stare at him for longer than is perhaps polite, but he does not go away. You can feel this dream in a way that should not be possible– the carpet under your feet, the cool of the air conditioning. You’re in your room, standing by the door. He’s perched on a chair, eyeing you with interest, and as bizarre as this dream is, you cannot shake the absolute certainty that this is his fault.
The only thing to be left, then, is to get some answers. You work up the confidence to speak, and your voice sounds exactly as it should, not distorted by dreams or anything. “Who are you?”
The boy chuckles. “A friend of yours. Hopefully, that is. I’d like to get to know you.”
Having gone a record number of years of your life without any hyperrealistic boys disrupting your dreaming schedule, especially ones who specifically wanted to meet you of all people, this only adds to your confusion. “Why?”
The boy shrugs liberally. “I’ve been encountering fewer and fewer dreamers around. Yours are the most vibrant. I was curious.”
You fight the odd urge to laugh. “A lot of people dream. Maybe you’re just bad at looking.”
This is, of course, the most rational thing you can do, immediately pick a fight with some guy currently terrorizing your brainwaves. Luckily, he doesn’t seem offended by your need to argue, and he just grins. “See, you’re right, but most dreams are nothing more than surface level. Yours are deeper, richer, stronger. In all honesty, that’s the sort of thing that makes me more powerful, so I wanted to see what it was about.”
You scoff. “Sure thing, magic boy, you, like, eat dreams or something. Weird of you, but okay.”
He smiles again. He shouldn’t, but he does. “You don’t believe me? I can show you.”
He stands, holds out a hand to you. You’re certain this guy’s nothing more than a figment of your imagination, but still. You hesitate. “I don’t even know your name.”
“Peter,” he says, “but magic boy works too.”
It makes you laugh. Shouldn’t, but it does. Just enough to shake loose your hesitations– what could happen here, after all, in the confines of your own dreams? You take his hand and something sparks behind his eyes. Pride, maybe. Or justification of some sort. Either way, you get the feeling that he’s just proven himself right.
Peter walks over to your window, throwing it open abruptly and climbing out onto the ledge. “You have to trust me,” he tells you, “or this isn’t going to work very well.”
You want to argue with him that you have absolutely no reason to trust him at all, but for some reason you’re already crawling out the window before you can get the words out. Your body trusts him, even as your mind doubts it. Strange, but nothing about this makes sense, anyway.
Peter straightens up slowly, bringing you with him. “Are you ready?”
“For what?” You ask, concerned.
His eyes dance with mischief. “For this,” he calls out, and he pulls you from the ledge.
There is a terrible moment of falling, when the only sure thing is his hand still wrapped around yours. You are plummeting towards the ground with dreadful speed, but then you’re not, and you’re leveling out again, the two of you pulled through the air as if by some invisible string.
The wind whips through Peter’s hair as the two of you soar through the air. “How is it?” He shouts over to you.
You laugh delightedly. “Fantastic.” It’s almost a pity it isn’t real. The fact that it feels so true but isn’t is almost more heartbreaking as if nothing had felt like reality in the slightest.
Before you know it, you and Peter are well beyond the reaches of your town, or even your country. Dark waters skim by underneath you, the waves of some foreign sea. Thousands of stars twinkle above you, Peter points out a few, shouts, second star to the right and straight on ‘til morning, that’ll get us there. You frown at him, call back, where? And he laughs, delighted in the thought of all that you have soon to experience, and screams, Neverland! at the top of his lungs.
It sounds like a joyous place. It is, from the moment you step foot on its pearlescent beaches, and later still, when you’re striding through the lush forests towards a campsite. It’s all a blur from that moment onwards, a swirl of new faces running towards you and laughing at your jokes, the clash of swords without a trace of fear, promises that you’ll love this even better, or that, or everything.
It is paradise. You do a hundred things and never tire. The Lost Boys who meet you, take you by storm, and obviously enjoy the company of a newcomer. Throughout all of it, Peter watches, tucked into the shadow of a tree trunk, arms folded across his chest with that satisfied smile on his face again. He does not approach until earlier into the morning, once dawn starts bleeding out beneath the blushing fingers of the rising sun.
“We have to go back,” he tells you at last, slipping out from his hideaway to step carefully to your side, “Or, you do, at least.”
The memory that none of this is real comes crashing down upon you, and you can feel the ecstasy of this whole night leaving you in a flash. “Right,” you say, “This is just a dream. Forgot about that.”
The thought that you’ll have to wake up and go to school and exist again as a normal person without any of this wonder that you’d just experienced makes you feel sick and saddened. Peter shakes his head, eyes soft. “You don’t necessarily have to wake up, but you should. You can come back soon, though.”
You laugh bitterly. “Of course I can, dream boy. I’m going to forget all of this by morning.”
He frowns. “Do you want to?”
“No,” you insist, “but I don’t think I have a choice.”
“You do,” Peter tells you, “You always have a choice. Always.”
With that, he takes your hand, and pulls just so. You stumble forward, caught off balance, and when you look up again, you’re in your room. Same four walls, same ceiling, same everything. You know somehow that this is the dream no longer, even without mysterious boys or wonderful islands in front of you.
A dreadful sigh leaves your lungs, carrying only heartbreak and misery. What a pity, to have such a magnificent dream and then have to leave it. Knowing that none of it was real is perhaps one of the worst agonies you have ever encountered in your life.
Or– was it not real after all? There’s something clenched in your hand, and you raise it slowly, uncurling the fingers one by one. What falls neatly onto your lap is a stone, polished to perfection by centuries of tides. It’s like no stone you’ve ever seen around here, shiny in a way that nothing natural is. It’s dark and lovely and– and it’s exactly like the ones on the shores of Neverland when you first touched down. There was no way you could have gotten it anywhere but there. That means that you were there after all, and that it’s real, it’s all real.
You go throughout the day in a haze, barely able to focus long enough to remember where you’re supposed to be going. None of it matters, though, not even the snide comments of your teachers or the questioning looks from your peers. Nothing matters, because the second the day ends and night creeps back around you, you know it’s time.
You have a brief moment of terror just before you fall asleep when you wonder if you can get back after all, that perhaps that was just a one time thing. No, you decide firmly, I want it. I’m going.
And, when you open your eyes to that same slightly uncanny feeling of the dream before, you know it, you can get back. Peter isn’t here this time, but that doesn’t stop you from racing to your window and throwing open the sash. You leap out into the air again blindly, reaching for the stars even before your feet leave the threshold. You won’t get hurt, none of this is real. All of this is real, that’s why you can fly into the air again, caught by an unseen hand. Second star to the right. Straight on until morning. You know the way. You couldn’t forget it if you tried.
The beaches of Neverland are empty, but you charge forward anyway, nearly tripping over tree roots and loose plants as you hurry through the forest. You can just see the lights of the camp, and then, yes, you’re into the clearing, and you’re greeted by shouts of glee and joy. Peter’s waiting for you at last, slowly clapping with the rest of the boys.
“You made it,” he says, evidently proud, “We wanted to see if you could.”
“Of course I can,” you tell him, laughing, “I made that choice.”
“That you did,” Peter says, and the celebrations begin.
It is quite possibly the best time of your entire life. You repeat this process day after day, slogging through your daylight hours with the end goal of being able to fall asleep and go back to Neverland, back to your Lost Boys, back to Peter. Nothing matters but the island. They all get along with you better than any friend you’ve ever made on the mainland.
The journey takes a shorter and shorter time, gone in the blink of an eye, and half the time you just wake up on the shores anyway, so familiar is the destination to you. You learn archery, throw knives, spar with the boys, shriek and shout and spin around the campfire. It’s fantastic, all of it, but that only makes the morning even worse in your opinion.
For, no matter how excellent of a night you had on Neverland, you always have to go back. Always. Peter takes your hand and he gives you that same look, that expression of regret and acceptance, and promises to see you later, to see you soon. Then you’re back in your house, and every time, the storm of homesickness and grief at no longer being on your island pulls you under.
It makes you think, though. On your first night on Neverland, Peter had said something strange about how you didn’t necessarily have to wake up. Perhaps it fits in with what he’s been telling you about how everything is just a choice. Maybe he’s been waiting for you to want that choice, the one to live here forever. It’s one you’d make in a heartbeat if you could only do it.
Curious, though, you start looking around at the other Lost Boys. They had to have gotten here somehow, right? One night you see one of them arrive, ferried over by a strange shadowy thing that looks far more terrifying than the whirlwind flight you’d had with Peter.
You ask one of the Lost Boys about it that night, interested to know why you were brought by Peter and this newcomer wasn’t. Apparently, though, you were the anomaly, not this boy.
“Usually Pan makes his shadow bring newcomers over,” the boy tells you matter-of-factly, “but I guess he wanted to impress you or something.”
You frown. “Why?”
The boy lifts a shoulder, evidently unbothered by the whole affair. “You’re the last of the dreamers, I guess he wants to keep you around or something.”
It’s an unhelpful answer, all things considered, and basically just what Peter had told you in your dream bedroom that first night. Still, the story is consistent, at least, and it makes you even more certain that Peter wants you to stay. You’re one of the dreamers, right? Why wouldn’t he want you to stay here forever, at least to keep his magic strong if not for the obvious friendship the two of you have had since the very first time you met?
You resolve to bring it up to Peter the next night. You’ve barely been on Neverland for an hour or two before you pull Peter aside and tell him what’s been on your mind for the longest time.
The breath out of your lungs is shaky, but you’re determined to get this right. “I want to stay in Neverland,” you tell him. “Forever, I mean. Not waking up. I want you to bring me here in real life. You always say that we have to make choices, and this is mine. I choose Neverland.”
Peter nods slowly, and you’re almost getting up your hopes that he’ll be accepting when he starts to speak. “That certainly would be an important choice. I would have to choose to bring you, though.”
You incline your head once. “Yeah, that’s why I’m asking you now. I mean, we’re friends, right? You and me, and the rest of the Lost Boys get along with me, too. I belong here, you know that. You brought me here in the first place, at least let me stay.”
He’s not saying anything. Why isn’t he saying anything? After too many minutes, Peter sighs, raking a hand through his hair. “Dreaming is one thing. Actually living here is something else entirely.”
“I know,” you say, starting to get impatient, “I’ve thought about this a lot, trust me, but I feel more alive on your island than I have in the real world. This is my home, Peter. You made it my home.”
Peter stares at you, the ground, his hands, and back to you. “No,” he says at last.
It feels as if you have fallen off of a tall cliff, condemned to tumble down forever in endless emptiness. “What? Why wouldn’t you– you’ve let me come here every night for months, but actually being on this island for good is too much for you? Peter, was any of this actually real to you? Was I just here as a temporary thing while you tried to harness the power of a dreamer or something?”
Peter shakes his head quickly. “No, no. It wasn’t about that. You’re as good as one of my Lost Boys–”
You cut him off, feeling the horror build in your chest with every passing second. “But never actually one of them, right? I can hang around during my nights but I will never be one of them, because you don’t really want me here. If you did, you would have brought me like all the others.”
You want to scream and cry, perhaps both. You’ve trusted him and, hell, even loved him, more than anyone else. Peter was the one thing in between you and complete melancholy. He’s turned your whole life around, given you reason after reason to keep going, but he does not want you around for good. Maybe he doesn’t even want you around at all.
He’s trying to say something, come up with some excuse that’ll somehow exempt him from your heartbreak, but anger is quickly outweighing sadness in your mind and you won’t let him. “No,” you say shakily, “If you never intended to keep me, I won’t waste our time. Why have me here at all?”
Peter’s eyes widen. “Wait, please–”
You never hear the end of his sentence. You’ve woken yourself up from this glorious dream enough to be able to do it all by yourself, and you do it now. When you open your eyes, it’s still dark outside, several hours from morning, but it’s over now, it’s all over.
You know that with certainty. You’ll never be going back. If Peter does not want you, and it is suddenly crystal clear that he does not, or he would have already taken you to Neverland and never fought it, then you will not trouble him with your presence any longer. This is what he wants, even if it destroys you.
It’s funny, realizing how much being on Neverland transformed your life. Your waking hours suddenly seem longer, the days filled with more dread and dullness than they ever had before. You had been miserable before you dreamed of Peter and the Lost Boys, and now that misery is back in full force. You compel yourself to forget him, to forget everything that had happened on that island, but picking up the pieces is a far harder task than you had ever anticipated.
Days pass. Weeks. Months. At first, you have to force yourself to wake up from that dream again and again, catching yourself with the image of second stars to the right even as you promised yourself that you would never think of it again, but it gets easier as time goes by. That hurts more than it should, but you have no other choice. Peter does not put himself in your dreams again. You do not show up to Neverland. Everything is exactly as it was before, but worse, because now you have those memories of a time that was far better than this one.
You’re walking home from school one day when you’re reminded of Neverland again. It’s a strong memory, forcing itself to the front of your mind. Green trees, the leaves waving overhead. The breeze whipping at your face. You can’t imagine why you’d be thinking of it again, and then you turn a corner and he’s there in front of you.
Peter.
It’s impossible. You’re not dreaming, so he shouldn’t be here unless– unless he actually came here. You stand stock-still, hardly daring to breathe, and Peter looks back at you, just as shaken even though he’s the one who came all this way.
“I miss you,” he says slowly, unsteadily. You’ve never seen Peter hesitant, or ever show any sign of a lapse in his typical cocky confidence. Not until now, that is. Truly, he has no idea how you will treat him now that you’ve already left once before and gotten away with it.
“I know,” you tell him, “I know.”
Peter tilts his head to the side, trying to get a read on you. “Did you miss me?”
You take a step to the side, looking at the nearby scenery, anything but him. “Yes. Parts of it. I missed running with the Lost Boys under the trees. I missed the bonfires and the dancing. And yes, I think I missed you. But I hated feeling like you didn’t want me there, and for a while, that was enough to make me think I didn’t miss you.”
Peter’s eyes are wide, twin emeralds twinkling in the quiet air. “And what about now that I’m here? Can you miss me now?”
“I can,” you decide at last. You do. You have, and seeing him again has ripped open a fresh wound you swore had already healed. Blood is oozing around your fingers, but for some reason being with him still takes away the pain of such a grievous blow.
Peter holds out a hand to you. He’s trembling slightly, far less sure of himself than he’d been in a dream of your bedroom many months ago. Still. He wants you even now.
“Come back with me,” he says, “Back to Neverland. We all need you. I need you. You don’t have to leave if you don’t want to. It was always your home, I didn’t realize it before. It could be your home again.”
You look at him. It’s been a long time. You’ve grown up in the time since you last stepped foot on the island, but strangely enough, you think he has too. That’s why you’re able to take his hand at last, and trust that he will not let you down again. He needs you, just like he said. As it turns out, you need him too.
Peter’s smile is radiant. “Shall we go back, then?”
You allow yourself to smile back at last. “I think we will.”
ouat tag list: @lovesanimals0000, @eclliipsed, @w1shes43, @lost-ender
#peter pan#peter pan imagines#peter pan x reader#peter pan oneshot#ouat#ouat imagines#ouat x reader#ouat oneshot#once upon a time#once upon a time imagines#once upon a time x reader#once upon a time oneshot#ouat peter pan#ouat peter pan imagines#ouat peter pan x reader#ouat peter pan oneshot
241 notes
·
View notes
Text
Hello!
I can't tell you how good it feels to be getting a chapter out only about a month after the last update, instead of, you know, four 😅. But for any who were concerned after my last authors note, I can say I am doing a bit better than I was, a fact I'm both grateful for and still getting used to. I had a surgery at the beginning of this month, which took me down for about two weeks to recover from, but I can say it was well worth it, as I'm already seeing improvements in my health. Just trying to take it all one step at a time, even when bad days still arise.
If anything, it gave me plenty of time to work on this chapter and get it to a place where I'm happy with it. Only two more chapters left in Act 1!
Also, it was my birthday earlier this past week! Gemini season has begun! :D
Credit for the OC Chrysanthemum headshot goes to wwispie on Etsy/Instagram!
Ao3: Petals on a Stream of Stars
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Wednesday
7:45pm
Chrysanthemum
Outside the walls of the daycare, the low lighting grew dense and heavy, lit only by harsh emergency lighting. Everywhere stood masses of confused patrons, huddled in groups of various sizes in shops or along corners. Somewhere, Chrys heard a mechanical voice stick out amidst the chaos, dissonant against the flow of human ones flooding the air. She dashed forward, following the direction of the sound. A human staff member may not be able to contact an animatronic, but perhaps a robotic one might.
Just a ways ahead, she found the source of the voice; A single staff bot currently attempting—and failing—to corral a large family into remaining still enough to be scanned. While expressionless, Chrys could swear she heard exasperation in the bot’s monotone voice.
“Guests, please remain in place. Scanning will commence—GUESTS. Please remain in place. Scanning will commence—GUESTS. Please remain in—”
“Hey!” Every face in the vicinity turned to look at her. She disregarded those that were human and spoke only to the staff bot. “Are you able to get a message to an animatronic? It’s urgent.”
Head cocked, her request was met with a blank stare. A red laser pinprick lit up the center of its oval iris, washing over her.
“Employee designation recognized. Request granted. What is your message and intended recipient?”
The family huffed from behind the bot, but she refused to let them distract her from her goal. If they wanted this to be over sooner, they should have been more patient and cooperative in the first place.
“Uh, for Sun.”
“Sun is off-line. Choose available recipient.”
“Wait, what?” The bot’s response made her pause. “But I literally just saw him a couple of minutes ago.”
“Sun is off-line. Choose available recipient.”
“Oook then… uh, what about Moon? Is he available?”
The bot remained silent for a moment before answering, the sound of a fan revving signifying his inner query. “Affirmative.”
“Great!” She pumped her fist. “Then, uh, tell him he needs to go to Kids Cove as soon as possible. I have reason to believe that’s where Marigold’s gone. You know, the missing kid.”
The staff bot bobbed its head before returning to duty. “Received. Message sent.”
“Great, thank you!”
Hopefully he gets there quickly…
Task completed, she let her feet lead the way back, letting the frustrated bot return to his unenviable duty. Though with each step, her assurance wavered. A peculiar knot still remained lodged in her chest, weighing on her. But why? She came to a halt when a flash of pain shot through the inside of her cheek, catching up to her that she’d been chewing at it without realizing it.
This didn’t make sense. She’d done what she sought out to do; Give someone better suited to help Marigold in this situation an advantage, point them in the right direction. That’s all that she could do, right?
So why did she feel so dissatisfied?
A single thought repeatedly clawed to the surface, eating away at what was left of her confidence. What if… what if she was wrong? What if her deductions meant nothing, and she was pulling help further away from where it really needed to be? Should she have thought to check it out herself first, and called for help later? Was she just wasting everyone’s time, sending them on a wild goose chase?
She groaned, the butts of her palms shoved to her eyes as she spun in place. She didn’t think this through! Stupid, so, so stupid! If she’d bungled this she’d feel like the worst sort of person—a detriment, with the audacity to burden others with her incompetence.
Looking out from beyond her hands, she found herself standing in the space between the front gate of the Daycare and the path which led to the elevator. The realization dawned on her that this would have been the most likely path for the party to have followed upon returning to the Daycare. What were the odds that this was where Marigold had run off?
While things weren’t crystal clear, her eyes had had enough time to adjust to the dim space that she could make out some of the graphics and advertisements around her, scanning for anything that might have caught a child’s eye. A cut-out for Roxy Raceway, a poster of Freddy singing, and—there! Protruding from a wall, a mounted arrow sign, pointing down a conjoining hallway, with the words “Kids Cove” written at its center, surrounded by what looked to be an image of palm trees.
Bingo!
Her body took off of its own volition, and soon the slap of her sneakers joined the cacophony of the crowd as she jogged, deftly avoiding wayward packs of confused and irate people until she reached her destination; A wide open and decorated archway that once would have made for a inviting display, now cordoned off by an array of wooden crates, opaque sheets of plastic and caution tape, with two signs bookending the haphazard mess of clutter. Flashlight in hand, Chrys drew close, using the light to read the message.
“Kids Cove.” She breathed. “Closed for renovations. Do not enter without special authorization. Fazbear Entertainment will not be held liable for any harm received past this point. Well,” she sighed, craning to try and look beyond the blockages. “Trying to find a lost kid counts as special authorization, right? Right. Of course it does.”
After a minute of examining the area, she discovered a small opening between the sides of two crates, just large enough for her to squeeze through if she dropped to her belly and shimmied on her side.
“Guess I know how she would’ve gotten in…”
From the floor, nothing but a void greeted her beyond the crates. No light, no glow, only an inky abyss, one that even her flashlight couldn’t overpower, at least not from this angle. Positioning herself down to an army crawl, she ignored any dust her movement kicked up, though they made her nose sniffle, and inched her way through. Once she could stick her top half out on the other side, a quick look confirmed her suspicions; No emergency lighting present, not like the rest of the building. The air felt oppressive against her skin, tickling the hair on the back of her neck. If Marigold managed to make it in this far before the lights went out, there’d have been no way for her to have found her way back out again on her own.
“Marigold?” She called, pulling herself to her feet and stepping carefully into the dark, the flashlight acting as her anchor and her guide, lighting her way past the abstract and colorful shapes partially revealed within the minuscule circle of light.
With a bit of examination, the abstract shapes revealed themselves to be different kinds of playground equipment. Jungle gyms, slides, swings, all in various shades of underwater or muted jewel tones, with most still in some incomplete form of assembly. She had to hand it to those two attendants. For as infuriating as they were, it appeared as if they knew at least a little of what they talked about.
The further in she went, the more apparent it was how secluded this section of the pizzaplex was from the rest of the building. None of the fanfare from the guests outside could make it this far, making every sound more pronounced within the silence. Her footsteps, her breathing. Though she was here with good intentions, she couldn’t shake the feeling that perhaps this wasn’t the wisest of decisions. Ignoring the goosebumps which prickled across her arms, she pressed on, reminding herself that she was an adult, and there was a kid in need right now. It was her responsibility to keep herself under control.
“Marigold?” She called out again, her voice bouncing throughout the room. “Marigold, can you hear me?”
Waiting for the last of her echoes to fade, she held her breath, hoping to better catch even the softest of sounds.
“… Miss Chrys?”
She whipped to the side with a sharp gasp, flashlight darting to try and locate its source.
“Marigold?” Chrys repeated, hesitant to trust in what she heard as the real deal and not just a figment of her imagination.
“Miss Chrys!”
“Marigold!!!”
Certain now without the shadow of a doubt, Chrys rushed ahead, narrowly avoiding the scattered pieces of unfinished playground equipment littering the floor.
“Where are you? Are you hurt? Don’t worry, I’m—AHHH!”
Her words switched to a shout as the floor disappeared out from under her, stomach lurching as she sprawled forward, arms outstretched in a desperate attempt to cushion her fall. Her flashlight flew from her grasp, the beam darting about in erratic streaks, before going out with a bang and a crackle, leaving her blind in the dark as she hit the ground.
“Miss Chrys!!!”
Marigold’s terrified voice shrieked in her ear, closer than ever before, adding to her disorientation. Her knees and elbows smarted, having taken the majority of her weight in the fall, and her shoulder ached, but overall, that seemed to be the worst of it. The fall must not have been that bad, though to Chrys it felt like she fell a good couple of feet, at least.
“Miss Chrys, are you ok???”
Reminded of the present by a pair of tiny hands yanking and tugging at her shirt, Chrys shook herself from her daze and did her best to focus.
“Marigold, is that you? Oh, I’m so glad to—oof!”
“I’m sorry!!” The girl launched herself at her so hard she pushed the air from her lungs, and clung to her as if she were a lifeline. “I thought big brother would be here, his office is here, he’s always working! But then it was all blocked off, and I wasn’t sure if I should look behind it, but I wanted to find him so I tried, but then there was nobody, and, and then, then the lights went out, and I didn’t know how to get back, and I tripped and fell and now my ankle hurts and… and… WAHHHHHH!!!!”
The girl spoke in a single, fluid torrent, her words a bleeding mess of incoherent emotions and distress. Her tears broke into full bodied sobs, her breathing disjointed by deep gasps of air.
“Hey, hey!” Chrys sat up, scooping the wailing child into her arms. “It’s ok, it’s ok. You’re safe, that’s all that matters. Everything’s ok, shhhhh…”
She rocked in place, patting gently along the child’s back in a soothing motion, keeping her little murmurs of reassurance soft and calm and steady.
“There you go, that’s it,” Chrys said, sensing her efforts were taking effect. “Take a deep breath for me. In—” She demonstrated the motion first, pleased when Marigold imitated. “And out. Good, good.”
The poor thing sat on her lap tucked in the fetal position, head nestled up under Chrys’s chin. She hiccupped and sniffled as her tears ebbed, snuggling in as close as she could.
“Marigold,” Chrys asked, pausing to consider her words before continuing. “What’s going on, why did you run off? We were all so worried.”
The girl coughed, the sound heavy with mucus, and curled even further inward. “… he promised.”
“Promised? Promised what?”
Silence hung heavy in the air around them, until after another wet cough, Marigold continued. “Big Brother promised he’d celebrate my birthday with me. But… everything’s been so bad lately. Since Grandpa didn’t wake up, all Mama and Papa do is shout and yell and cry, and Big Brother is never home anymore! I just… I just wanted everyone to smile again, like when mama and I first moved in… he promised!!!
The wails started anew, face pressed into her chest, the tears soaking through the already wet fabric as she worked herself up again. Chrys winced alongside each of her pain-filled cries but remained silent, giving her the space to release all the pent up grief and confusion bottled up inside. She knew how it was to be so overwhelmed that you couldn’t think straight. Wrapping her arms fully around her shaking frame, she held the girl close, cheek pressed to the top of her head, rocking gently back and forth. Words wouldn’t help here. Just presence and kindness. To know it was alright to cry, to know you were safe while you let it all out, give voice to the ache that refused to leave.
To know you weren’t alone.
A memory appeared in her mind then, foggy, but there, of her mother holding her in a similar position soon after her Dad had died. Oh, how she’d cried and cried, inconsolable, but her mother had let her, holding her tight as the soft melody she sang soothed her frazzled nerves…
“When the Sun sets…”
The same song found purchase in her own throat now, vying for space amidst the child’s cries. Chrys sang just above a whisper, a purposeful breathiness intermingling with each note.
“And the Moon rises…”
Marigold shifted, turning so as the side of her face rested against Chrys’s chest, where her heartbeat was strongest. Chrys ran a gentle hand over her head, caressing the soft curls.
“The stars will dance for you. As the petals blow, from the trees embrace, carrying away your light. And there I’ll go, to the waters edge, to sing with you again….”
Marigold’s breathing settled as the last note faded, the music having won against the sorrow. The empty air around them no longer carried a sense of unease, but rather that of a comforting shield, protecting them in an otherworldly cocoon of peace and quiet.
“What… what song is that?” Marigold’s tiny voice asked, her sniffle the loudest.
“Just… a lullaby my mother taught me. It always used to help me whenever my heart hurt. Maybe it can help yours too.”
Though she didn’t reply, Marigold seemed content with her answer, snuggling in closer and twirling a lock of hair as they sat together in comfortable silence. They should start trying to find their way back soon, Chrys knew, alleviate everyone’s worry and return to enjoying the rest of the party, but… she couldn’t find it within herself to move the exhausted girl quite yet. Poor thing could use an extra minute or two.
Though, despite her wishes, fate seemed to have a different plan. A sharp clang, thin and metallic, rang out from the darkness, shattering their illusion of solitude. Marigold gasped and stiffened. Chrys remained silent, listening.
“Monster…” Marigold whispered, in the tiniest of voices. She trembled, attempting to back further into the safety of her arms. Chrys adjusted, using a free hand to wipe the wet strands of hair out of Marigold’s tear-soaked face.
“It’s ok,” Chrys replied, reassuring. “Maybe something fell, or…” In the distance, a soft tinkling sound resounded through the void, active, and growing closer by the millisecond. It took Chrys a split-second to realize what it was.
“Bells… they’re bells! Oh, thank goodness. Marigold, it’s alright, that’s no monster, that’s just Mr.—”
“No!” Marigold screeched, fighting against her “No, no! Monster, monster!!”
Tugging against her hold, her behavior grew more frantic by the second, forcing Chrys to struggle in order to keep Marigold still. If she slipped up and let her run off into the dark like this, she could only imagine how badly she could get hurt. She had to figure out a way to get her to calm down before things got out of hand.
Wait, the flashlight! Of course!
Everything always seemed scarier in the dark; it’s why night-lights were staples in childhood bedrooms. Marigold just needed to see that there was nothing to fear! Deciding to try, Chrys switched her hold to a single arm, just long enough to snatch the tool from the ground and smash the defiant button, hoping to make the stubborn thing work through sheer force of will alone.
“Come on, come on!”
The jingles grew louder, only to stop just before they would have reached them, the lack of noise louder than the sound itself. A red glow began to break through the darkness surrounding them, illuminating the dark shapes around them bit by bit. Marigold exploded the second she noticed, kicking and clawing as if her life depended on it, her tiny nails digging into Chrys’s arm hard enough that she could feel the sharp pricks of pain and warm wetness bloom across her skin. Dropping the flashlight, Chrys abandoned her previous plan and focused solely on restraining Marigold, certain now that she would inevitably harm herself in such a state.
“Marigold, stop! It’s alright! Relax! There’s no monster, I promise! You have to calm down!”
A sharp “crunch” from the side interrupted her just then, followed immediately by an eruption of light which split the space between, blinding as her pupils constricted.
Blinking against the pain, snippets of vision registered as her eyes adjusted. Blue fabric against yellow stars. Grey and blue endoskeleton. A sleeping cap more hood than cap draped over thin shoulders. And a silvery, crescent moon face, framing blood red, glowing eyes, the very same which had stared down at her while she lay on a concrete floor.
Marigold’s scream pierced through the open air.
#fnaf#fnaf fandom#fnaf fanart#fnaf fanfic#fnaf sun and moon#sundrop#moondrop#moon fnaf#sun fnaf#fnaf security breach#fnaf oc#fnaf daycare attendant#five nights at freddys#fnaf au#fnaf art#fnaf sb#fnaf sun#fnaf superstar daycare#fnaf moon#fnaf dca#fnaf original character#Petals on a Stream of Stars#POSOS#ao3 fanfic#fanfiction#fanfic#fanfic writing#fnaf Sun/MoonxOC#ao3#commisioned art
14 notes
·
View notes
Note
hi,
can you write one with lewis where you are a rookie driver from williams and you had developed a crush for him during the first half of the season and lewis started to feel the same during a brunch in Monaco with the team. In Spa during the race before the red flag she was in a verge of a panic attack and when the race stopped she sat there in the car and lewis came to her and contorted her during the long time wait
Rain On Me!- Lewis Hamilton
Happy Lewis day!!! This has to be one of my favourites I have written for him, It's just a load of fluff and cuteness! The fact this is one of the cutest requests I have ever been asked! I know It's a little dated but let's please pretend that this has happened this season lol (Hopefully it doesn't tho) Enjoy lovely!
Before you even met Lewis he had captured your heart. He was one of the main reasons why you started your journey in motorsports in the first place! So being able to meet him in person, and learn from him was a privilege itself... never mind secretly falling in love with him! But every time you found yourself falling deeper, you'd pull away. You knew he didn't like you in that way and even in the small chance he did, you didn't want to drag him into the negativity that you constantly receive...
Being a female in motorsport wasn't easy. Always getting comments about it being a woman in a male-dominated sport, getting questioned about your ability constantly, took a huge toll on your confidence... and Lewis saw that. Although your experiences couldn't be compared, he too knew how it felt to be underestimated due to how he looked, so when he found out that you were going to be the new rookie for Williams he immediately took you under his wing. Looking out for you in the paddock and making sure that the media and the rest of the drivers were treating you kindly. Lewis didn't have that many friends in F1, most of them were now retired or lost in touch, so it felt good to him to have someone he could now go to himself in the paddock. Of course, the media always spoke about your close bond, and with the age gap being almost 12 years they were quick to point out the little things such as the looks you give each other or your meetings outside of race weekends. But you were always quick to deny it, saying that your relationship strictly worked friends and that's it... although secretly you both wanted more.
He always thought what he felt for you was just a friend looking out for a friend... until your meal in Monaco.
The way you walked so effortlessly in the room, a huge smile on your face at just the fact that you were invited along caused the breath to be knocked straight out of him. He had never noticed how naturally beautiful you were, inside and out, until your baby blue eyes landed over his, intently watching him every move as he spoke about his season so far. Nobody has ever looked at him like that before like he was the only man in the world. And it was at that moment he realized... he fell for you!
"I'll see you Belgian, yeah?" You smiled, giving him a quick hug. But he couldn't say anything, his mind was clouded with thoughts of you despite you being within touching distance. He felt ashamed... ashamed that he did the one thing he told himself not to do. It was already hard being a woman in the sport, never mind having the media have something else to attack you on! But at the same time, he felt a love he had never felt before, a love that he never knew existed until you. But yet again he pushed them away, not wanting to hurt you or your reputation at such a vital and early start of your career.
"Earth to Lewis...?" You giggled, hovering your hand over his face to break his trance. His eyes blinked a couple of times before landing back to your blue ones, a soft sigh leaving his lips "Y-yeah... s-sorry"
"Are you okay?" You asked, voice full of concern "You seem a little distracted... have I done anything wrong...?"
'yes' He thought 'you have made me love you' But pushing his thoughts aside he shook his head, "Of course not (y/n), you could never do anything wrong... I just..." He panicked for a moment, trying to think of an excuse to tell you "I just don't feel great about the car. And with the way the last season ended I just feel like I keep letting my fans down..."
Smiling, you looked up at him and for a moment Lewis thought your lips were going to touch "Well, I'm a fan..." You breathed out, eyes zoning in on his "And your not letting me down. You're always going to be my GOAT, one little mishap start of a season and a purposing car isn't going to change that. You'll always be the peoples champion & you'll always be mine"
Lewis's heart melted at your words and in one swift move he pulled you into his arms, taking in every single scent and savouring every moment "Thank you (y/n)…" He sighed, causing you to look straight at him "For everything, thank you!"
Without thinking you lean up, lips hovering over his as your breath hitched for a minute. & for a second he actually thought it was going to happen... that you were actually going to kiss. But just as they were about to touch a call of your name stopped you, making you immediately pull away in panic.
"(y/n)… you ready?" Your friend asked, looking at a flustered you and Lewis in suspicion. Giving her a quick nod, you turned back to Lewis, giving him a nervous smile "Bye Lewis.." You whispered, eyes looking everywhere but his "I'll see you around!"
Lewis didn't have a chance to respond before you left, leaving him all blurry-eyed and flustered in the middle of the now-empty room. "What has she done to me?" Lewis said to himself, kicking one of the chairs in frustration.
============================================
It was now time for the Belgian GP, and it was safe to say that you avoided Lewis at any costs. It wasn't that you didn't want to talk to him, you missed him so much the past couple of days, but you didn't want to know how he was feeling about it... Your heart couldn't cope with yet another rejection and another season without any friends. Little did you know, he felt the same way. His heart broke at not being able to walk through the paddock with you or come up to you to ask how it's going but he didn't think he could do it without making his feelings obvious... so he kept away from you.
"Okay (y/n), it's now turning into strategy plan B" Your team radio spoke, rain getting heavier every second "Looks as though a lot of cars our heading in for a stop... what do you feel?" Looking ahead all you could see was the shine of rain spread on the track, at this point you had no idea who was in front of you and you could feel yourself starting to panic. Rain was never your thing, for some reason you had never got used to it despite racing now for years. But even the smallest amount got you worried in case you'd slip out of control, so know with it being pretty much a rain storm, you were pretty worked up.
"I think I'm okay for now..." You spoke truthfully, although you were panicking you couldn't deny that your tires were feeling okay and you didn't want to lose your position when there was a high chance of a red flag any minute "I think we should hang on a little longer... any sign of the session or rain stopping anytime soon."
"Noted (y/n)… Currently, there are around 20 minutes of rainfall left..." You mentally groaned at their words "But they are looking at the possibility of a red flag, so we will keep you posted."
"Okay... thank you!" Just as you spoke up, your breaks locked up a little and with the tires being well grained out and wet, you slipped off the track, luckily just missing the barrier and able to head back out "You okay (y/n)" The radio spoke, but you couldn't. Your eyes clouded with tears and panic as your hands shook against the wheel. It felt like you couldn't catch your breath as your team tried to communicate with you. But all you could do was stare ahead with eyes as rainy as the sky.... and all you could think about was the one person you needed now more than ever, despite your shame... you needed Lewis!
"Okay (y/n)… we need you to listen to us. There's a red flag... the race is going to stop for at least 15 minutes, so we need your head back to the pits... good race so far, well done!"
Not being able to get there quick enough, you pulled up to the pits with the rest of the cars quick behind you. However, when you stopped and the engine died, you stayed right where you were. Silent tears slipped through your hooded eyes, wetting the padding of your helmet. You wanted to curl yourself in a ball right there and then, but you knew the press would have a field day if they knew you were crying over some rain, so instead you just stayed looking ahead.
Only 4 cars down, Lewis got out of his own car, immediately being passed a towel and an umbrella from Angela. Thanking her, he looked down the pit lane, eyebrows furrowing as he saw the commotion coming from outside your garage. "I'll be right back.." He said to his team, before shooting off to see what was going on.
The closer he got, the more he could hear your team say your name, desperately trying to get you out of the car. His heart broke as he saw you still sat, helmet projecting the rain as you sat lifeless inside the car. Running over, he ignored your team's protest as he crouched down next to you, the umbrella slipping out of his hand as he put his hand on your shoulder, not even caring that the rain was now soaking his "Hey, (y/n)…" He breathed out softly, not wanting to scare you "What are you still doing here eh...? It's a little rainy to sit out don't you think..." He was hoping his playful joke would crack some reality into you, but it didn't. You didn't budge.
"(y/n), Please darling listen to me..." Lewis whispered, leaning over your cockpit as he looked through the darkened glass of your helmet. If his heart wasn't already broken, it would have surely been then... your eyes looked lost with fear, as the tears continued to somehow slip out "You can't stay here... you're going to get sick, and then who am I going to share that podium with..." But still there was no response... causing Lewis to sigh.
Picking back up the umbrella he asked one of your teams to fetch him a stool "Okay, then... if you're staying here then so am I?" He laughed, placing the stool down right next to the car as he held the brolly over the two of you. Your head moved slightly to the side, and you would be lying if you said a smile didn't appear on your lips at the gesture "What a lovely day eh?" He continued to try and make conversation "I was having fun out there... I mean I had no idea where I was, but my team told me that I was about 3 seconds behind this talented driver, apparently, she was smashing out there on old tires can you believe it..."
You sighed at his effort, heart-melting as he continued to anonymously sing your praises "Told me that they don't think I'd catch her because she was that good out there... it's a shame tho cause I don't think she knows how talented she is!" The rain continued to pour around you both, as everyone else headed back inside, leaving just you, Lewis, and a couple of stewards. "Y'know, I always heard good things about this driver, everyone always told me she would be the one to break down walls and shatter glass ceilings... a lot of people compared her to me" When you first started your formula one journey, the comparisons to the two of you were mind blowing, but you could never see it... I mean he was a 7 time world champion while you were just a girl with a dream to win one, you couldn't see it at all!
"Anyway, I got to meet this driver this season... and you know what I found out.." He paused, tilting his head in hopes you were still listening "I found out we are nothing alike..." Your heart dropped at his words but was soon lifted up again as his voice spoke once more "She is brave... strong... kind... gives every single person a chance. She has the most contagious personality I have ever met & she makes me and a lot of people around her better people without even realizing..." Your tears of sadness were now replaced with tears of nothing but shock and happiness as he spoke so effortlessly about you "And there's one thing I have also figured out about her..." Once again Lewis paused, but this time not to think of an excuse, he was thinking about how to word it "That I love her..."
Your head turned to look at him as your breath hitched, and although your helmet barrier was blocked with rain you could still see the sincere and wholesome smile on his face as he took your small gloved hand in his "I am head over heels in love with every single thing about her... her bravery, her pride, her heart, her smile, how breathe-taking she looks... there isn't a single thing I don't love..."
"Really?" You whispered voice hoarse as Lewis let out a small chuckle, standing up from his stool as he stuck to of his hands out "Really, and right now I want nothing more than to get out of this rainstorm with her, head back to my moto home so I can finally do what I should of done in Monaco..."
With a big smile on your face, you accept his help up, letting him lift you effortlessly out of the car. Once you were out he lifted the guard back over the helmet giving you a cheeky grin "There's my little superstar... you enjoy rainy days eh?"
"I slipped..." You sighed, hands still shaking "I told them that I was okay, and I slipped off the track... I'm not a superstar!"
"Oh (y/n).." He laughed lowly, pulling you a hug "It happens to us all... I mean did you see Lando, he was like Bambi on ice out there!" For the first time that day, you laughed, throwing your head back before you finally took in his figure. His suit was now completely soaked, as raindrops dripped from his forehead, leaving a greasy-looking texture on his braids... "Omg Lewis I am so sorry!" You gasped, trying to wash away the rain from his drenched suit "I am so selfish, here I am sitting in my car while your getting rained on... I'm so stu-"
Lifting your chin up, he smiled looking into your eyes "Hey... I would let it rain on me for the rest of my life if it means I get to see that smile on your face! I love you..."
Leaning in to his touch, you sighed "I love you too... Thank you..."
"For what?" He smiled.
"For everything... just thank you!" You repeated the same words he had told you in Monaco causing him to burst with nothing but love.
"You don't have to thank me baby..." He smirked, taking your hand in his as he lend you inside "But I do think it's time for that long-awaited kiss... what do you think? Should we finally get out of this rain?"
Laughing you nodded your head eagerly "Yes please..."
#lewis hamilton#lewis hamilton smut#lewis hamilton imagine#lewis hamilton x reader#formula 1#f1#Mercedes#formula 1 imagine#formula 1 oneshot#lewis hamilton book#lewis hamilton one shot#alltoolewisfics#lewis day#Lewis hamilton blurb
560 notes
·
View notes
Note
Hey, first of all, I just wanted to say how much I love your writing! When I tell you the choke hold No Good at Waiting has one me… I loved every word from beginning to end. And the blurbs! I was have a really awful morning the other day and reading about Steve and bee girl making apple pies was just the best distraction. From the prompt list, could I please request ‘friends pointing it out’? I love the idea of knowing how everyone figured out Steve and reader were in love with each other. Hopefully it’s something you are inspired by. Thank you!
hi darling!! thank you for your nice words, i am so glad that you like no good at waiting!! <3 here's a little blurb for you with that prompt. hope you enjoy!! :) gn!reader
___
"Are you going to do something about that?" Max asks. She sips her apple cider with quirked eyebrows as you chew your pretzels. You hum, the question unspoken. She rolls her eyes. "That." She points at Steve.
He's across the room talking to Mrs. Henderson, no doubt thanking her for letting you guys throw your small Halloween party in her house. "I don't know what you're talking about, Max," you say truthfully.
"Just keep looking and give him a second," she says. "Three, two, one..." Her countdown is quiet and sure enough when she reaches zero Steve looks up and right at you, mouth curling up at the corner even as he listens to Claudia talk. He winks and you wrinkle your nose at him before he goes back to the conversation. "See?" Max says. "That."
You suck on your teeth. Truth is, you do know what she's talking about. You and Steve. The way you look at each other, the way you always stand too close, the way he's always touching you. Best friends, thick as thieves. The whole thing is like the sun -- you avoid looking at it directly because if you do you know it has the potential to hurt, to blind you, to change your life. So you don't.
"If there was something to be done, I'd do it," you tell her cryptically. She huffs.
"Whatever," Max says. "Not my problem if he drools over you forever." With that she leaves you for Lucas, who welcomes her with a wide grin that makes her blush. You sigh. Before you can engage in the party yourself, Eddie appears at your elbow.
"Harrington looks nice, doesn't he?" His eyes are wide with faux-innocence as he pops colorful candies into his mouth. You scowl. It's true, of course, but that's nothing worth noting. The sky is blue, grass is green, Steve looks nice.
"Go tell him so, Eddie," you say. "I'm sure he'd love to hear it."
Eddie bumps his shoulder with yours. "Nah," he drawls. "Not from me, he doesn't."
"Oh, don't tell me you're on this, too," you moan. "Max already bothered me about it."
"About what?" Steve laughs and you look up automatically to watch. "Oh, that," Eddie says. "The fact that you two are so in love with each other that it makes me want to brush my teeth, it's so sweet."
You don't say anything. Your heart beats so loudly you wonder if everyone in the room can hear it.
"Don't sweat it, sweetheart," Eddie continues. "I think he'll stick around forever if it's you he's sticking around for."
"Yeah?" Your voice is quieter, more honest than you'd like. It's not that you don't think Steve feels the same way -- you're almost sure he does. You've got years of evidence to prove it. But it feels big.
"All you gotta do is ask him." Maybe it's the confidence in Eddie's voice, or the meaningful look Max sends you as Mrs. Henderson walks away, leaving Steve alone. But something changes inside you and all of a sudden you want to look at the sun.
So you do. "Steve," you call. He looks up and makes his way over to you. Eddie pats your shoulder before walking away.
"You okay?" Steve asks. You nod, smiling brilliantly at him.
"Yeah," you say honestly. "I'm great. Come to the kitchen with me for a second?" He nods and you grab his hand, fingers interlacing as if you do it all the time. He squeezes once and you squeeze back as he follows you. Yeah, you think. It's time.
#steve harrington x reader#steve harrington x y/n#steve harrington x you#steve harrington fluff#steve harrington fanfic#steve harrington imagine#steve harrington blurb#blurb
153 notes
·
View notes
Note
{Referencing this post: }
https://www.tumblr.com/blondeaxolotl/749991556821483520?source=share
I don't talk about this normally and i'm not sure if this is okay to message you about but... I'm kinda going through it rn :(
Do you have any advice on what someone who's really spiralling should do? Forget every day, every hour is a new struggle and I just want to wither away. I think I might have to withdraw from exams and it's a big deal because my parents sacrificed so much to get me to this stage, and I really just can't do this anymore I feel like i'm slowly rotting on the inside.... Not to mention the shame of outing myself to the school faculty that yes, I am in fact more than a little cuckoo /j
(You don't have to answer if you don't want to, I know it's a hard topic to chat about. Have a nice day though, hopefully your week is going better than mine. Here are some flowers for your struggles 💐)
oh hello anon!!
i think the best thing you could do right now is just take time for yourself. the school year is very close to ending, and from what it seems, exam season isnt the stress that youre ready for. despite the fact that your parents sacrificed a lot to get you to that point, your health should always come before your academics. if your parents are good parents, theyd definitely understand.
confiding in your friends i think would help as well. if you dont have anyone to chat with, id be open to do so, in here or on discord (if thats an option). maybe try to pick up a new hobby or binge your favorite series, replay your favorite game... treating yourself to something indulgent would be nice. you for sure deserve it, after all.
distractions, in the heat of the moment, help. venting to a willing friend and receiving comfort/validation helps. i understand that this next part seems a bit cheesy or whatever, but maybe writing down daily affirmations to say verbally in the mirror could help as well? saying things to yourself in your head is something, but its not nearly as much as saying it out loud to your face is. it can be something simple or something specific.
i can definitely say that now that i know about you and your struggles, i would be sad to hear that you are gone. i dont know who you are, and ive probably never talked to you before, but that doesnt mean i dont care. my advice may be stupid or disorganized, and thats because im not really the best person to ask about these things, though i fully genuinely care about anyone and everyone who feels like this.
every time i hear about someone who had attempted suicide and failed, i hear them say that theyre glad they didnt go through with it, or theyre glad that it hadnt worked. not once have i heard the opposite. you have a future. a really, really good future. please dont throw it away.
#you dont have to listen to any of this#im really glad you reached out though#again im not the best person but im proud of you for asking anyway#water posts#those offers to talk are real and id love to get to know you#im sure youre wonderful#please stay safe
7 notes
·
View notes
Text
Fetch Re;Quest Dev Log #1 - 11/15/2023
Welcome to the first official dev log for Fetch Re;Quest! This one is probably loooong overdue, haha...
It's a Sequel
I've been trying to make a sequel to my NaNoRenO game, Fetch Quest, literally since it came out. In fact, if you get the creator's commentary from itch, you'll see I was very confident that I'd be able to get something for it ready to go in just a few short months...
That was four and half years ago 😅 But after many false starts, I finally managed to get something going.
What's It About?
(Side note, I've been using Feniks' Easy Ren'Py GUI template a lot lately, and its a lifesaver. Check it out if you're a fellow dev!)
Hey! I think this might be the first real screenshot I've posted of the game! Isn't Flora's bedroom cute?
Anyway! Fetch Re;Quest picks up directly after the upcoming Fetch Quest Remaster's new "True Ending".
After their one-shot TTRPG session ends, Flora finds herself wrestling with a problem. She has a crush on her coworker and would like to ask him out, but she's a little nervous.
So what does she do? Procrastinate, of course!
Flora sets a one week challenge for herself to grind up her stats in preparation for the final battle- Asking the object of her affection out on a date.
Luckily, she and her coworkers Connor, Todd, and Dan all have the week off. Flora decides to use the various board, card, and video games she and her friends play as a way to mentally level up.
The Stats
That's right, the game is a (light!) stat raiser. Each day, the gang decide between four games to play, each of which are tied to one of Flora's imaginary stats. Each game has its own scenes and helps Flora build up her confidence.
Techno-opolis is a 4X civilization building boardgame that increases Flora's "Acumen".
Of Fiends and Fangs is a social deduction card game about werewolves, vampires, villagers and betrayal that increases Flora's "Charm".
Clockwork Mercenaries is a steampunk monster hunting game that forces Flora to get "Gud".
and Deathpocolypse 2 is a janky ghost hunting game that increases Flora's "Moxie".
But be careful... Flora is easily distracted, and getting too into a game could lead to her completely forgetting about her original mission.
So Who's the Crush?
It's Dan.
Much to my surprise, the tired, snarky GM of the first game was very popular. I got a lot of comments lamenting the fact that he wasn't one of the love interests.
So here he is, the sole LI of Fetch Re;Quest! Sorry to any Connor or Todd lovers. It's Danny's time to shine.
New Characters
Connor and Todd will be prominently featured, but Fetch Re;Quest will also introduce a handful of new characters as well! Here's a sneak peek of about half the new cast:
Nona, Teddie, and David (pronounced Dah-veed) are members of the band Cats Eat Bats! There is one more member named TJ not pictured, but you've already met him, so...
Flora sets herself the daunting task of asking Dan out during their concert at the end of the week, but they show up here and there throughout the entire game. They're especially involved if you play a lot of Deathpocolypse 2!
What's Next?
A large portion of the game is already written and I've started commissioning the assets I'm not making myself. Things are really starting to roll now!
Right now I'm working on finishing the script and making the sprites. Hopefully that means there will be more visual things to show off soon.
Until Next Time
Hopefully these dev logs are at the very least interesting! If there's anything in particular you want to know about the game, feel free to send me an ask.
12 notes
·
View notes
Text
I had a weird dream last night that Pixar released Toy Story 5 as an existential post-apocalyptic story.
So I had a dream where Toy Story 5 was out and I was watching it.
The premise was that it took place in a post-apocalyptic world. In my dream specifically, it took place in the same world as The Last of Us (the dream started with me playing as Ellie from TLOU2 before it transitioned away from her to go to Woody and co. So yeah, I dreamed that Toy Story 5 and The Last of Us had a crossover) so most of humanity was wiped out by the Cordyceps Mushroom Zombies. So Woody and co had to deal with the fact they were now living in a world where there was almost no demand for toys. People were more focused on trying to survive. Kids weren’t exactly running out to buy toys. What few toys that did have owners were usually small teddy bears so they couldn’t even bring their other toy friends with their new owners.
The toys at least were safe from the Infected. The Infected ignored the toys since they weren’t people nor could the toys be infected themselves. But they could still have spores stuck to them and risk carrying the infections if they weren’t properly cleaned which was becoming harder as soap, running water and wipes were becoming more rare.
One of the major scenes I remember from my dream was that Woody and Co were held up in a mall that was long since overrun by Infected (that walked around the toys and ignored them). The toy squad couldn’t really go anywhere else since they had no way of knowing where else they could go and they were discussing their options. Woody really wanted to go out and find Andy just to make sure he was safe and was even willing to break their secret that toys were secretly alive just to be able to try and “protect Andy”. Perhaps they could even reveal their secret to the world as a way to show humans they could help them somehow as they could monitor Infected locations and report back without being infected themselves. Buzz was warning against it. Saying that they didn’t even know where Andy is or if he’s even alive. Plus, since they already have been safely living in this mall with the infected for so long, they are likely carrying spores that they haven’t washed off yet. Making them a hazard to any humans they do come across. Plus, since this is the apocalypse, even if they manage to find a human to tell their secret to, it’s unlikely the human would trust them since they’d be paranoid from constantly having to deal with infected and probably attack the toys on sight. And even if they could somehow properly convince a human they were alive and friendly, the lack of internet means others won’t even know about it.
The squad then start to feel depressed since they really have no purpose in life anymore. They can’t even go find another owner since even if they’d do, they’d probably be separated. And that is if they don’t accidentally carry spores around.
Sarge offers they at least help humans from behind the scenes. Like, they scout out areas where Infected are and leave behind notes and warnings to help other humans. So at least humans are more likely to survive. So hopefully, after many years, things can go back to some semblance of normal and later toys may have a life worth living. The squad reluctantly accepts because there isn’t anything else they can do anyway but have no confidence that it will actually work and are just distracting themselves doing something productive to trick themselves into thinking they have a purpose.
I don’t remember what happens next in the film. But I remember I was watching an HHbomberguy video on Toy Story 5. And he said the film is essentially a critique of how capitalism created a world where we buy products that have no value or purpose once a catastrophe happens no matter their quality or potential. Like, even if it wasn’t a zombie apocalypse or toys, imagine that your gaming PC probably won’t be useful when the climate crisis makes it too hot to play games or knocks out the power. Even if your PC was sentient and wanted to help you, it likely couldn’t. That our society isn’t really prepared to consider the future and will continue to rely on entertainment as a distraction until it is too late to do anything about it.
26 notes
·
View notes
Text
Fluffy Ending Masterlist
6 Months and 1550 Miles (ao3) - DryCereal
Summary: Similar events feel very different, depending on whether you can edit stuff out before the audience sees it...
All That You Are is All That I'll Ever Need (ao3) - ficslesters (sohmaskyos), starrywrite
Summary: Dan Howell is just ordinary, but his boyfriend Phil is Amazing(Phil from YouTube). Or, AU in which Dan isn’t a YouTuber.
All The Small Things (ao3) - delicatehowlter
Summary: AU:
It was a lazy afternoon and Dan and Phil decided to play a game to see who could do more "bad" things to each other during the day. It was going great, until Phil decided to eat something from Dan's backpack that he shouldn't and ended up needing Dan to look after him for the rest of the night.
Or, the one where Phil steals Dan's space cake and gets high for the first time.
Bad Day (ao3) - chatoyment
Summary: Nothing seems to be going right with everything that Dan does on that certain Saturday. It only got worse when Phil and him have a big argument for the first time in their new relationship.
Finally written on Dan's POV.
Brat (ao3) - Misha_with_wings
Summary: Dan is a sassy little brat and he’s such a tease.
So Phil decides to put Dan back in his place, that place being on his knees.
Celebrity Dating Life Hacks (ao3) - counting2fifteen
Summary: An interviewer asks some awkward questions about what it’s like to date as a public figure.
Give Me More (ao3) - notreallythatuseful
Summary: "'Sometimes I can come just from this,' Dan confides, the twitching of his hand revealing the way he must be curling his fingers inside of himself. 'Most times more than once.' His hand flies up to his cock, beginning to jack himself steadily. 'Phil, when I – when I see you, will you make me come, please? I want it,' he says, so genuine and so needy. His back arches off of the bed, twisting down desperately onto his fingers."
Or, Dan's a virgin who can come over and over again, and he and Phil see each other in person for the first time.
Home (ao3) - danrifics
Summary: They’re laying in the same bed but instead of the usual ‘laying so close that they’re on top of each other’ way they normally sleep they’re uncomfortably far apart.
The gap between them is almost big enough for a 3rd person. Dan hates it. He wants nothing more than to be in Phil’s arms but he’s too stubborn to apologise for what happened earlier in the day.
A small disagreement had turned into one of the worst arguments of the decade long relationship, not since 2012 had he ever spoken to Phil the way he had done today.
ilomilo (ao3) - oliblu
Summary Dan's childhood best friend unexpectedly passes away, after returning home from the funeral, everything seems different. Is it just Dan's mind playing a devious trick on him or is his world truly falling apart?
Magic Shop (ao3) - your_starless_eyes
Summary: It made sense that Dan would need time to recover from the tour, just the same as Phil. It was logical reasoning.
How was he supposed to know? How was Phil supposed to know that it was, in fact, a bigger issue than he could imagine?
Maybe I miss you (ao3) - Misha_with_wings
Summary: Phil leaves Dan for several months to temporarily live in New York City and work on a movie set.
The distance between them drove them both insane, but neither of them could voice the reason why.
When Dan comes to visit Phil in New York his feelings are threatened to spill after an encounter with one of Phil's new friends, but he keeps lying- to both Phil and himself.
Hopefully he can eventually tell the truth, because Phil gets another long-term job opportunity in California and Dan can't take any more distance.
Put It All In Me (ao3) - trashphantato
Summary: Phil's been distracted for days, and Dan wanted to help his boyfriend get his mind off whatever's troubling him. But how can Dan comfort Phil when he needs the only thing Dan can't give him?
See Me (ao3) - Misha_with_wings
Summary: Dan gets in an accident, leaving him in critical condition. He ends up stuck in between life and death, watching his own body fight to stay alive- and watching Phil fall apart, but he can’t do anything about it in his ghostly form.
He was confused and didn’t know what to do but he was sure of one thing, he wasn’t going to let himself die.
shadows / nocturne / parting clouds (ao3) - Tarredion
Summary: Phil wakes up with a migraine, causing him to snap at Dan. Throughout the day, while visiting a city for the ii tour, Cornelia observes the tension, and eventually, the two of them console.
Some Things Are Meant To Be (ao3) - scifi (orphan_account)
Summary: dan thinks his work halloween party is the worst thing in the world until a co-worker he has never met before grabs his attention.
Wild Tale (ao3) - Nefertiti1052 (Succubusphan)
Summary: Dan’s wedding to long time sweetheart, Robert, was the day he had been planing for a long time. What could possibly go wrong?
You And I Were Fireworks (ao3) - your_starless_eyes
Summary: Phil has plans for Dan when they get back to the hotel room. Unfortunately, plans don't always work out when you're incredibly awkward and your boyfriend likes to laugh at your mistakes.
You'll Be Okay (ao3) - ineffabledaniel
Summary: Dan tends to think a lot. These thoughts take a certain turn when Phil's away in Florida with his family. Queue Phil coming home to a very sad and anxious Dan.
#phanfictioncatalogue#phanfiction#phanfic#phan#masterlists#fluff#fluffyending#fluffyending masterlist
5 notes
·
View notes
Note
ahhhhh sreedie I lost track of tiiiiime I missed an updateeee
but ykw that means?? you get double the amount of blather from yours truly this time around :D
lmao finally sokka is getting some sword training that isn’t zuko hitting him with a stick when he gets his form wrong
sorry sorry but sweaty sokka is making me think of this one tv show where the main character is panicking bc she has to distract this guy and what she decided to say as a distraction tactic is “I feel.. sticky” and I almost died of second hand embarrassment.
anyways sweaty sokka supremacy this boy needs more minor inconveniences to balance out the major inconveniences that bulldoze over his hopes and dreams
honestly I think sokka is coping pretty well given the circumstances
I’m going to expose myself here but when suki finally reunited with sokka I will admit I was physically wiggling in excitement
aw suki your girlhood dreams are about to be pulverised :((
also can I just say I adore you bc you’ve managed to perfectly balance the fact that suki is a teenage girl with what she thinks is a requited crush BUT ALSO she’s a leader and a tactician and is aware of anomalies in her surroundings at all times
slay kovi my new fav
ALSO ALSO I HAD THIS REALISATION LIKE LAST WEEK BUT WE’RE GETTING MORE AZULA WHICH MEANS WE’RE ALSO GETTING MORE CHEN OR CHAN OR CHANG OR WHATEVER THE ZHAOS BROTHER IS CALLED I FORGOT IM SO SORRY
yoooo suki coming in clutch with the gossip besties
SHEN POV SHEN POV SHEN POV SHEN POV SHEN POV SHEN POV ok yeah I’m gonna be Sooo much more annoying about shen than anybody ever was about reho. now your never gonna wanna remarry me :(
shen is more dedicated to complaining about his sore ass than zuko is to self preservation fr
zuko and shen banter that’s actually purposeful verbal attacks but I’ll pretend is banter bc it’s funny >>>
it’s not Actually funny but it’s lowkey hilarious that shen is like “fuck now I gotta be chivalrous and save zuko over myself if I ever get the chance why must I be such a gentleman woe is me” like bestie if you really didn’t want to help zuko you could just.. Not
also I think you’re handling like the racist propaganda of the fire nation about the other nations really well btw!!
lmao not morrak singling sokka out as an instigator for potential mass injury so blatantly
okay sad that sokka is suffering with communication BUT HOPEFULLY when (and I mean WHEN sreedie istg) zukka are reunited he’ll maybe have a better time trying to get zuko to like.. actually fucking talk about how he’s feeling??? maybe?? a girl can dream okay. but also it’s so real to like not be able to open up to people able difficult topics (not that I have anywhere Near the trauma these boys have) just bc you haven’t yet started talking to someone about them and it’s overwhelming to even think where to begin bc it feels like even if you could figure it out it’ll be impossible to actually convey all the nuance of how you’re feeling bc there’s just so much of it
AUNT WU pls sokka enjoy hating on spirit shenanigans I was you to experience some joy
ohoho please PLEASE let quon’s assholery and ambition bite him in the ass P L E A S E sreedie I’m begging
dude not zuko genuinely considering whether he would maintain his pride better by literally shitting his pants. I can’t anymore with this boy
“are you a good person shen”
“not all the time”
WHAT A SLAY ANSWER OMFG HES AN ICON HES A LEGEND HES-
I’m not sure whether to be scared that quon Will be worse than zhao or laugh at quon’s confidence bc there’s no way he’s worse than zhao
quick question sreedie umm how hasn’t zuko lost any teeth yet am I just supposed to suspend my disbelief about how many times he can get punched in the jaw and not suffer some serious dental damage
awww shen you DO care about zuko :3
genuinely living for shen’s belaboured feral pygmy puma dad era that zuko is forcing him to suffer through its glorious
listen all shen needs to do is leverage sokka against zuko?? like literally just bitch at him about how if he gets himself killed then sokka will be distraught and that’s like at least 60% of his attitude issues solved
do I dislike jet? yeah. do I think it’s going to be wildly entertaining to have him along for the journey? yeah.
NOT MORE OF THE FUCKING BENDER SUPPRESSANTS FUCK OFF ohohoho alas quon you are unaware about zuko being bloody superhuman when it comes to this drug
I was going to say something else but now I have forgotten but!! it’s okay bc now I am going to read the second chapter and hopefully I’ll remember it at some point when I’m writing my next comment >:)
I have been thinking of answering your asks for DAYYYYSSSSS but these damn holidays don’t wanna let me DO IT. But don’t worry ex-lover I am here!
Suki & Sokka reuniting is amazing! She is going to be a good influence on him, I feel it in my BONES!
Or he will gaslight her into thinking he is fine & she won’t be able to help with Shiiit….
Sokka hasn’t spoken to ANYONE about what happened to him except Zuko. & even his dad & Bato got the “safe version” so yeah opening up or even beginning to accept that this is a topic he will EVENTUALLY have to find words to communicate is very difficult… for some people it’s impossible. So I do feel bad for Sokka he isn’t an in easy spot.
It’s funny you mention teeth this was like a big convo in the server today so I’m going to go ahead & say zukos teeth are blessed by Agni themselves so they will not break or fall out it’s canon don’t question me.
Shens teeth are not though
I have my hand pressed against the glass window of my house staring across at your house because we don’t live together anymore but I miss you…..
#I’m so sorry it took me so long to answer#I read your asks ALL THE TIME#I giggle#kick my feet#stub my toe#blame you#curse your name#then miss you#then read your ask again#please never stop#even if it takes me a while to answer#it’s honestly just holiday shit that’s being a bitch#like I DONT WANT TO GO SHOPING AGAIN LEAVE ME ALONE#don’t worry#I got you coal#even if you don’t celebrate#I’m still throwing this coal through your window#HUG KISSES AND KICKS#leekie tag#LEEEEEEKKKKKIIIIIII#LEEKS#THE ONE#THE ONLY#LEEKI!!!!!#liab#ITF#ask
10 notes
·
View notes
Text
My Roommate is a Sunbeam Incarnate P2
“I doubt that the cafeteria is going to run out of things, but I suppose I appreciate your enthusiasm.” Victor’s dry tone caused Kiro to laugh as he pulled a cap over his golden hair and stood at the door. As soon as Victor had his shoes back on, Kiro threw the door open and strolled out into the hallway with all the confidence of a newly-minted king. He smiled and waved at every person they passed, receiving nothing but positivity in return.
In contrast, Victor followed behind his outgoing roommate with a cold, blank expression that parted the crowd like an ice pick. He hardly seemed to notice; in fact, he probably didn’t. It wasn’t like anything about Victor had changed simply because he was in university now. The pair arrived at the cafeteria and soon stood in line to browse the day’s offerings. Victor’s eyes scanned over the mass-produced portions of pastas, sandwiches, pastries, and sides with a half scowl. “Hopefully this tastes better than it looks,” he muttered.
“Quite the food critic, Victor? It all looks delicious to me,” Kiro teased, his eyes brighter than usual as they took in all of the options. Victor simply grunted in response and made his selections. He was already seated and poking at his dinner by the time Kiro finished loading his tray and joined Victor at the table. All around them other students stared at the pair, making Victor slightly uncomfortable.
Victor ate sparingly before pushing away the plate and shaking his head. “This is definitely not going to work out. And why is everyone so interested in staring at us? It’s like you have some eyeball-magnet glued to your face.” Kiro’s bright eyes and smile dimmed for a split second before returning to full glory.
“You think so? I don’t know. I just thought everyone around here was just super friendly!” Kiro beamed and shoved a spoonful of mashed potatoes into his mouth, almost as if he wished to gain himself a few moments to think of a better response. “What about you?” he asked through half the mash, waving his spoon at Victor. “What do you think about campus so far? It’s supposed to be the best one in France, but I haven’t seen enough of it yet to know for sure.”
A shrug was all Victor gave, choosing instead to prod his remaining food dubiously with his fork. Kiro was not to be dissuaded, however, and continued staring at Victor with his azure eyes until his roommate caved. “It’s fine, I suppose. I spent plenty of time here as a boy, so it’s not like this place is anything new and grand to me.”
A new sense of curiosity seemed to fill Kiro’s frame and he leaned closer to Victor, his spoon resting lightly on his lips. “Really? What were you doing here as a kid? Did you live nearby?” Victor subconsciously leaned backward and grimaced, feeling a little bit overwhelmed by his roommate’s excitable personality.
However, he chose to answer the questions anyway. “My mother was an instructor here. When I would come from Loveland City to spend time with her here in France, she would allow me to sit in on her lectures as long as I did not distract the other students.” Victor’s voice faded away as brightly colored memories ran through his mind with a subtle golden glow overlay. He could feel the wooden bench beneath him and the pen in his hand. The sound of his mother’s clear voice rang with authority through the hall as a dozen pens scratched against notebooks. A soft scent of spring flowers drifted on the air when the breeze blew through the open windows.
Seeing the faraway look in his roommate’s eyes, Kiro chuckled to himself and settled back into his chair. He knew that feeling of getting lost in one’s thoughts quite well. The pair finished their meal in silence and, when finished, returned their trays to the rack and headed for the door. “Are you going back to the room?” Kiro asked, his hand resting on the handle. Victor nodded and Kiro nodded back. “Alright, I’ll see you later, then. I’m going to go explore campus a little bit. I’ll be back in a while.”
“Do whatever you wish. I’m not your father. You don’t have to check in with me,” Victor replied dryly, though a roguish glint in his eye softened the words. Kiro took no offense and simply laughed, the sound clear and bright just like the rest of him. The pair parted and took off in opposite directions, soon losing sight of each other around the corners of the building.
Kiro whistled softly as he strolled in the light of the setting sun, enjoying how it changed the colors of the flowers blooming all around him. The fountain in the center of campus burbled in shades of fiery reds and oranges, in stark contrast to the light grey marble that made up the statue in the center. Kiro stepped closer to examine the figure; it was a beautiful young woman in flowing garments with a friendly smile and outstretched hands. “The Founder’s Daughter,” read the name placard on the rim of the fountain.
“Good evening, m’lady. Lovely weather, isn’t it? I’ve heard good things about your father’s university. I can’t wait to experience it all myself!” Kiro grinned and flipped a coin into the water, watching as it sunk to the bottom of the pool to join the others. “Let’s save that wish for later, shall we? Never know when one will need a smidge of good luck or a wish.”
Meanwhile, Victor made his way back to the dorm room and sat on the edge of his bed, still feeling the lingering effects of the vivid memory. He ran his fingers through his messy black hair and leaned back against the wall, closing his eyes and allowing himself to dip back into the past.
This time he held his mother’s hand as she led him through the campus gardens. “Those are petunias, and these are baby's breath. There are lilies of the valley over there.” Her voice felt as warm as her fingers as she and her son slowly meandered up the trail with nowhere pressing to be and nothing important to do. Victor felt completely at peace in that moment…a moment he wished would never end.
But end it did and Victor let out a deep sigh. “I thought I’d feel closer to you when I got back on campus, Mother, but I can’t help but feel like you’re as far away as ever. And I haven’t even managed to work up the courage to go to the cottage yet…but if the food continues to be this bad in the cafeteria, I’m going to have no choice. At least I have another option, hm?”
He half expected an actual response, but the familiar punch of disappointment struck his midsection securely as only the sound of the air conditioning replied. A frown filled Victor’s features and for a moment he considered whether it was worth an Evol trip to see her. He had long ago learned he couldn’t bring her back…but that didn’t mean he couldn’t go back and see her face. His skin prickled at the thought of how much pain he would have to endure for that glimpse and his head shook just a little side to side. “No, I can’t wear myself out like that on the eve of my first day at school. That would be irresponsible…”
Instead Victor pulled back the solid blue duvet, turned down the top sheet, and was about to crawl into bed when he realized he hadn’t changed into pajamas or brushed his teeth. “What a dummy I am tonight,” he muttered as he slid into his black silk pajamas, quickly brushed his teeth, and slid beneath the covers for an early sleep.
#roommates#mlqc li zeyan#mlqc victor#mlqc#love and producer li zeyan#evol x love#love and producer victor#mlqc fanfic#love and producer#mlqc victor fanfic#mr love queen's choice#mlqc kiro#mr love kiro
20 notes
·
View notes
Text
Content warning: graphic discussion of plastic surgery, anatomy, etc.
🕯 The home smells like oatmeal-chocolate chip cookies due to baking them not thirty minutes ago before bedtime, intermixed with the warming scent of lit bakery item scented candles.
I haven't checked my work phone in a few hours. This is pretty big for me, to not even check it in the evenings after work. I want to get better at really stepping away from work. Our offices are closed on the weekend, but I work from home and my work phone is at home with me so it's tempting to check it. However, I don't check my work phone on Sundays because that is my day devoted to no work, not even chores really. I want to be better at not worrying about work and having much identity in work. I don't like work, I am grateful for work, but I don't want any of my identity in it. I just want to do a job well done and provide for my family and hopefully help people along the way.
My favorite time of day is when I am in bed before sleep, because I look forward to sleep. I like the dark hours, the quiet. It's more home-y, more intimate, no worldly distractions. The darker hours make one gather more internally and inch towards coziness and impending rest for the weary body, mind, and heart.
Today I spoke on the phone with a plastic surgery office in La Jolla. I actually had a consultation with them in 2013, but I never went through with it. I spoke with them today about getting an approximate quote for what I was thinking of: breast lift and nose tip rhinoplasty. Approximately $17,000 total. This sounds so shallow talking about it, but I want to, because I believe other people think about these things at times in our current culture and I want to bring to light something that needs to be talked about among people of faith. Because I think plastic surgery does whittle down to our faith, our belief in God, the Creator and the created. The created body. I inquire about the breast lift because my chest used to be bigger in high school and then pregnancy and nursing for a year. One breast is a lower than the other a bit because G preferred the right breast with nursing. I want to get a lift because I want whoever I marry to be pleased with my body, I'm embarrassed at it. Why am I embarrassed? Because my body doesn't line up with the ideals I see. If this was 200 years ago and there was no TV, no computers, no nudity on brazen display like now, like bikini tops, etc. I wouldn't have thought twice about it likely. A body is a body. I am sure this is how women in less developed areas think now, they don't worry about their breasts. A body is a body, there's no shame. It serves it's function, it's not meant to be pleasing to a man's eye - what a petty concern. These are the things we think about sometimes, in our culture. We call it empowerment, but empowerment would be contentment in a woman's body as is, surely? One scary fact I learned: in a breast lift they actually move your nipple. I couldn't go through with it. I'd rather have my body as is than have someone alter where my nipples are; how strange to cut out flesh and re-position it. I couldn't get implants; too many horror stories of side effects in the sense of illness and mental fatigue/fog and no man I have ever met likes them (and I've known men who have been with women with implants, they don't like them, they feel fake, like hard balls under skin - no intimacy there when a man is thinking of fake hard plastic under the skin and knowing the woman was insecure enough to get them done [men prefer confidence] - plus a woman loses sensation in her breasts). As for rhinoplasty, my nose is actually fine. From a profile view it is straight and actually cute, but I have this strange bump of sorts from a certain angle (I've shown photos here before of it, I don't really actually care), and it would be simple for a surgeon to shave down the cartilage of it and change the shape. What message does this send to my daughter? I wouldn't be surprised if she would get nose surgery someday because of my example because I sent her a message that a unique nose isn't good enough and it must be changed to look like what the masses like, by what modern beauty standards like. I would be telling her that her nose as is, is undesirable and unwanted. I hate that message. What a hypocrite I would be. We send conflicting messages to girls all the time; it's enough to make females go mentally crazy with all of the conflicting and pressurized messages.
Why do I share that and what does this have to do with faith? I like to disclose things honestly. As for faith, my faith is a reason I don't want to change my body. God created my body. Do I live to please the world, even myself, or God? Did God create a mistake when he created me? My body is imperfect in the sense of health things, but these are fallen bodies in a fallen world. It's not like I was slipped under his radar and he sent me out into the world before I was ready, before things were perfected, like he made mistakes. He put me on Earth, with health concerns and all, just as I am. It's okay. To go to a man to cut out my nipples, re-position them, lift my skin, shave my nose - is to say what God created and carved isn't good. I can't do that. I'd rather be ugly (and I know I am not ugly) than live to please other people according to how I look. People say they do plastic surgery for themselves - no, they don't. If the world was blind they wouldn't do it. Everyone knows people do it for others. Again, if people would never ever see you - would you still do it? No. You wouldn't risk the health concerns, shell out the money, etc. You wouldn't care. It's just you seeing you anyway. We know why people do it, we know why we are tempted to do it - to be thought of as beautiful/desirable by others.
Sometimes I think: I could spend the money and be perceived as beautiful, be sought-after more. Yet I know it wouldn't make me happy. This is statistically proven that plastic surgery doesn't make people happier. I heard somewhere when reading a study that a large number of women who had plastic surgery actually committed suicide. The study attributed it to possible link of those wanting plastic surgery having body dysmorphia and therefore mental illness which led to suicide. I think a part of this could be that you think you'll be happy, beautiful, sought after, and when it doesn't happen what have you left? You put your eggs in the basket of beauty. And beauty failed. What have you left? I would rather have a man fall in love with me as I am anyway, and not for fitting into an ideal that is not me. Everyone wants to be loved for who they are as they are. I do believe the right man for me will love me for as I am, that my body will please him, and that my nose is part of my family heritage and I don't have to re-write that family history to fit in and be loved. More than anything, I am convicted that not getting plastic surgery is right because it's telling God he did not make a mistake when he created me. Plastic surgery consideration does whittle down to our faith, our belief in God, the view of the Creator and the created.
16 notes
·
View notes
Text
What to say Dear Zoe? We’ve arrived back home now from our travels too. Feeling pretty chilled out and relaxed also – a bit like you described. Trying not to allow the feeling of overwhelm which goes along with everyday life creep back in. Robert and I are both so relaxed at the moment. We are just starting a list of household things and I will get back into my studio soon. (actually I popped in there the other day and I got so distracted looking at things and playing with my arrangements…..It’s so interesting to be away and to come back with fresh eyes and with the residency experience under my belt). Still processing of course (you know I am slow to digest things!) but my main take away is what you spoke about – the act of making becoming more gestural – the fact of my work becoming more and more abstract (actually I think I am getting a little obsessed by the idea of abstraction – even in drawing classes in the past I’ve been surprised at how much I’ve enjoyed the exercises which veered off in that direction!)
Anyway, every now and then I still go back over my final work at CRETA and rehash things – should’ve done this, should’ve done that etc etc…..the old doubt nibbling away at my small amount of confidence and comfort in my processes…..But the relaxed me is still strong enough at the moment to bat that annoying creature away and remind myself that I actually did what I wanted to do over there. I immersed myself in those Etruscan sites, researched and collected from those visits and responded to what I was seeing in the studio…..The actual result/s of all this will come – in the future (and possibly for some time to come)...So allowing that all to pickle away inside my brain and heart and the rest will come (hopefully!) And then the whole thing about how the work was displayed so differently to my intention….well, when I walked into the gallery I thought “actually that doesn’t look too bad” and I decided to let it go. I think it was a training/preparation for our exhibition in a way – an exercise in letting go of the work once it’s made and handing it over to someone else. Interesting to see how differently it can be interpreted and viewed…..So there are lessons in that too.
PS I love your new experiments and I can see the correlation between those and the pieces you did on Skopelos (the ones you didn’t like!) It’s as if they were a sketch of an idea …….
1 note
·
View note
Last Seen Blogs
iamyour-beautifulnightmare
There's More to Me Behind My Mask.
bigwelt-increasewebsitetraffic
Untitled
dokidobe
yellow.dr.monv
enilrachthepython
Pythons and Beatles Addict