I would love, even if its just its just brief summaries, to know the different thoughts going through bills head throughout the last smut. (mainly when he got the text and when dipper starts just blurting out thoughts and ideas bc i think those moments would be fun to see)

Imagine you're having the shittiest day at work. You're gritting your teeth and hanging onto it by your fingernails, knowing that eventually dealing with this absolutely idiotic, waffling, overstuffed, condescending dipshit of a client will be done with, you'll charge him out the nose for your services - which will probably be, like a hundred dollars, the way this is going! What bullshit. At least afterwards, you can collapse onto the bed and complain to your spouse about it. Which you have been doing, actually, waiting for a decent excuse to bail or check out early.

Then you get a text. And it's your partner saying they got you a brand new console, your favorite pizza - Oh! And a million bucks in untraceable cash - but you might have to kick your shitty client in the nuts so hard his eyes pop out. Does that sound... okay? No pressure or anything.

The reason Bill was a minute later than expected is because even he needed a moment. It was the sheer whiplash from going from Shit to Fucking Amazing.

For almost 3 years the crew doesn't know when Matt's birthday is. This is solely because he never brought it up and sometimes the crew thinks he might have sprouted, fully formed, in front of a computer monitor roughly ten years ago. He didn't. He does in fact have a birthday.

When the crew finally realizes this, Trevor takes one for the team in trying to figure it out. He makes a point to bring it up all nonchalantly, 'yeah, Lindsay says you do that because you're a Virg-....Aquari-... Gemini?' complete with arched eyebrows and wide eyes.

And Matt's an observant guy, yeah, but more so when it comes to patterns in bank transactions or when the local donut shop has his favorite donuts available. People, even friends, are another story entirely. So he just shrugs. 'what does me being a Gemini have to do with liking mustard on a hot dog?'

But Trevor doesn't have an answer for that, of course, because it was bullshit to begin with. Instead he mumbles something about stars and time and relish, scurries off to tell Jeremy what he's learned. Which isn't much, sure, but at least they've got a window now.

The entire crew spends a ridiculous amount of time dropping opinions on May and June dates. 'yeah I'd hate to be born on June 2nd. Wouldn't you, Matt?' and 'May 27th is my favorite date for sure. What's yours, Matt?' and 'i've never met someone with the same birthday as me, May 23rd. Have you, Matt?'

And again, yeah, Matt's an observant guy. Most people, in fact, are probably observant enough to notice when an entire group of criminals act really fucking weird about the calendar. But again, Matt's observant about things like tiny movements on camera feeds or that there's not extra onion on this burger, actually. So he shrugs and says 'yeah I knew someone growing up who was June 6th. We used to argue about who could have a party. I always lost.' like this isn't information the entire crew has been fishing for over the last month. They probably could have asked outright and Matt wouldn't have cared.

It's honestly kind of annoying.

The week his birthday rolls around again, they go all out. Big ass fucking party, invite everyone they can think of. Every old friend not turned enemy, crews they've talked about working with but never got around to, minor celebrities they know Matt will get a kick out of toasting in his honor. It might actually be the biggest party or event or goddamn crowd Los Santos has ever seen. All there for Matt. All celebrating this guy most people have never seen.

It's a kickass time. Matt gets hoisted up and sung to, then Michael, then Fiona, then someone Matt is sure he's never met. 'It's a cover.' Jeremy drunkenly yells in his ear. 'So no one knows who's really you.' It's a sentence that's not quite right, but Matt appreciates the sentiment. It's also probably not even accurate, given that he was the first up and they've made him cut a cake on a stage, for some godforsaken reason. It's the thought that counts, though.

All in all, Matt thinks it might be the most fun he has ever had.

Two days later, on his actual birthday, it's almost the complete opposite. In terms of scale, at least. It's just the crew, up in the old penthouse Geoff swore he'd sold. He hadn't, of course. Never could bring himself to pull the trigger on it.

It's pizza and beer and donuts and cupcakes. It's Mario Kart and Ultimate Chicken Horse and a game of Monopoly that's played in teams, somehow. It's stories that reach all the way back to an alleyway, three idiots pointing guns at each other because they had no idea what they would become, what they'd join into. Jeremy says they were 'pretty sure Matt had never held a fucking gun before that' and Trevor agrees wholeheartedly.

They try to pick their favorite 'Matt's playing music over the loud speakers during a fucking bank robbery' song. It's a tie between Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go ('because i knocked out that fuckin' guard and he thought it was funny!' Michael yells. 'who the fuck thinks of that?' and Call Me Maybe ('because god forbid i take one breath before I answer him. I wasn't even in the bank, i was across the fucking street playing lookout! I only heard it through somebody's earpiece.' Alfredo says, rolling his eyes.)

When the night winds down, and it's no longer Matt's birthday but they're still pretending it is, Jack brings out an apple with a candle stuck in it and Geoff cries with laughter. 'you're getting older, Matt, you gotta eat more fruit.' she says. Matt argues that he does eat fruit, he had a lemon lime flavored cupcake at the party.

There's one whole serious moment during all of it. Things get quiet, Geoff not quite meeting anyone's eyes. 'y'know, Matt, we all make a lot of jokes. We call you an asshole, tell you we hate the plans you make. I don't know how many times I've said I regret hiring you, or any of you, really. And, uh, yeah, sometimes it's true.' It earns him a chuckle from around the room, and he clears his throat. 'but seriously, you're, uh, you're one of the best fuckin people I know. All of you are. And we're lucky to have you. We love you, man.'

Nobody cries, because this is a group of hardened criminals who rob banks and blow up buildings and kill people, sometimes, so of course they don't fucking cry. They do, however, somehow all find themselves with a serious case of the sniffles, all wipe totally non existent tears from their cheeks.

No one says anything, for a long moment, not even Matt. He should be saying thank you, or telling them how much he loves them too, or hell, even cracking a joke. He can't seem to find the words, though.

Jack holds up her beer. 'to Matt.' she says. Around the room, various drinks go up almost immediately, and there's a not even close to in sync chorus of 'to Matt.'

No, tonight is not nearly as grand or extravagant as the party two days ago. There are no expensive cars being raced, no crowds of people shouting 'Axial!', no stages or celebrities or fireworks. This is just his family, together.

It is the best birthday he's ever had.

Ship: Freed x Laxus

Rating: Teen

Prompt: Late Nights, Early Mornings.

Summary: Long distant relationships are difficult, made worse when it's between two men in different colleges. But Freed and Laxus will make it worse, and if secret phone calls late in the night are what's needed then that's what they'll do.

Notes: This was day three for my admissions to Fraxus Week. It's hosted by @fuckyeahfraxus, who you should check out for more Fraxus content.

Links: Event Masterlist ||| Archive of Our Own, Fanfiction

Four Ways to See the Dawn

Year: 1982

Location: Washington DC, USA

"Hey."

"Hey."

Laxus murmured the word, quietly fiddling with the cord to the phone as he glanced at the sleeping man in the other bed. The stranger seemed to be sleeping soundly, snoring without a care in the world, and so Laxus felt pretty confident that he had privacy. So long as he didn't make too much noise, he could speak without being overheard.

Good, this was going to work.

It wasn't ideal. It was nearing two AM, and Laxus had found himself fighting sleep as he'd waited for his roommate to pass out. The guy was apparently something of a party animal, and he was fully taking advantage of the many frat parties, drinking nights and mixers that filled the first weeks of college. Laxus had avoided them all – they were all too loud and rowdy for him – but he understood the appeal. He couldn't be angry that the man was so unpredictable; Bickslow would hardly know that he was stopping Laxus from his phone call with Freed, after all.

Freed didn't have the same problem. His college, which was half way across the country, didn't have roommates to worry about. He'd promised that he'd be waiting by the phone for him whenever he was ready to call, and he'd answered the moment Laxus had rung.

"You sound tired," Laxus teased. "Didn't wake ya, did I?"

"No, but it was close," Freed chuckled, and the sound was incredible. "I missed hearing your voice."

"Me too."

They'd promised themselves that, for the first two weeks, they wouldn't talk. College was a big thing, and they couldn't fuck it up, so decided they need to fully submerge themselves in college culture instead of becoming shut-ins who only spoke to one another. It was the right thing to do, they both knew it, but Laxus had been missing Freed's presence every day, and no amount of taster classes, tours around campus, and bottles of tequila would remove that.

Freed had always been there. They'd grown up on the same street, played on the same sports teams, and attended the same house parties. Jokes had been made that they were attached at the hip, and that they might as well be inseparable with how much time they spent together.

Laxus had to smirk at those jokes. If only they knew.

It had happened quite randomly, really. Laxus had broken his leg in the last year of high school, and he'd had to sit out on the final game in their baseball tournament. Freed had ended up hitting the home run that won their team the game, and had been rightly commended. Laxus had stumbled into the locker room on his crutches when everyone was left so he could congratulate the man in private. Freed had clearly noticed that Laxus was more melancholy that joyful, and forced Laxus to admit it felt shitty to miss the final game of his high-school career, even if they did win.

Freed had waited for a moment, thinking of what to say. Then, with his thigh resting against Laxus' non-broken leg, he quietly whispered 'I won it for you, you know. Not for the team.' The words were packed with years' worth of friendship and passion, and they were forever imprinted on Laxus' mind.

He'd kissed the man without thinking. Freed had kissed him back.

What followed was a summer of making out, going to the romantic spots around Magnolia under the pretence they were still just friends, and, on the last night before they left for college, they'd slept together for the first time. It had all been incredible.

But the summer had to end, and they could hardly keep going as they had. Magnolia was small, and their friendship was known well enough there for nobody to question how much time they were spending together. Now they lived in different states, a long and expensive train ride away from each other. The making out and the dates and the sex would have to stop, because it didn't make senses for it to continue. All they had left was quiet phone calls late at night where nobody could overhear them talking.

It wasn't perfect, but it was enough for now.

"You, erm, you done many classes yet?" Laxus asked, cringing at the awful question.

"No, they start on Monday," Freed answered, and shifted slightly. Laxus idly wondered if he were in his bed or not. Freed looked good in bed, curled up in a dressing gown with a book. If Laxus was there, he'd content himself by running his hand through his hair. "You?"

"A few taster things, just tryin' to find out what I wanna major in, y'know," Laxus all but scuffed his feet. He hadn't expected this to be this awkward. "Guess you don't have that problem."

"No," Freed agreed. He was training to by a surgeon, Laxus was at college mainly because he didn't know what else to do with his life. "How's your roommate?"

"He's good. A little weird but seems harmless," Laxus glanced at the sleeping man, who was stretched over his bed and drooling. "Seems to be out at parties most nights, so maybe I'll be able to call ya earlier in the night. Not force ya to stay up so late."

"It's worth it," Freed said without missing a beat. "I've missed you, Laxus."

"I missed you too," Laxus whispered.

Neither man spoke for a moment, and Laxus wished he knew what to say. He wished he had a ridiculous story of his fun, interesting college life that he could use to break that layer of awkwardness and entertain Freed with. But he'd done nothing; college was much less interesting than he had been led to believe. He couldn't think of a thing to say, and the electric humming of the phone was getting on his nerves.

Freed must have felt the same way, as Laxus could hear him fidgeting across the phone. Laxus wished he could just pull the man into his arms, as he often had in their quiet nights alone over the summer. But he couldn't. For months, he couldn't.

"It's gonna get easier, ain't it?" Laxus asked. "Doin' this?"

"It will," Freed said, and he sounded sure. "It'll take some time, but it will."

"Fuckin' better," Laxus mumbled more to himself than to Freed.

"It will," Freed repeated. "And thanksgiving is only a few months away, and we'll be able to see each other then."

"Guess so," Laxus nodded, trying to feel encouraged. "You still doing thanksgiving with me and Gramps?"

"If he'll still have me."

"He will," Laxus replied immediately, and then forced a smile onto his face. "And I promise it'll be more successful than last year."

"More successful? Is that possible?" Freed asked sarcastically, and Laxus chuckled.

"You saying that me and Gramps getting into a screaming match, the turkey ending up in the cat's litter tray, the two of us getting covered in cranberry sauce, and the neighbours making a noise complaint wasn't successful?" Laxus scoffed, smiling as he remembered the night the previous year.

He also remembered how, just before Freed drove back to his own home, he'd confessed that it was one of the most enjoyable thanksgiving's he'd had.

"You seem to not realise that, with long hair, pureed cranberries really have a lot of space to hide in," Freed chuckled. "A problem you don't seem to face."

"I'll aim for your face this year then," Laxus grinned.

"That's all I ask," Freed was grinning too, Laxus could hear it in his voice.

The situation wasn't immediately remedied, but they found themselves talking about the ridiculous shared moments they'd endured in Magnolia, and Laxus felt the awkwardness seeping away minute by minute. It was nowhere near as good as driving to the mountains, lying on his car's roof with Freed curled against him, but damn if it wasn't the best couple of hours he'd spent since arriving in Washington.

He didn't remember falling asleep, but he did remember waking up sometime later in the morning. The phone was clutched against his chest, the line dead, and the sunlight was fluttering under the curtains. He smiled privately, and closed his eyes, phone in hand.

---

"Freed, you okay? It's four in the mornin'?

"Hey. You're awake. Hi."

Laxus forced his eyes open, groggy and sleep deprived. He blinked a few times, sitting up. The ringing of the phone he'd just answered seemed to still be blaring in his mind, and the overly loud, inelegant words that his boyfriend had just near yelled into his ears made Laxus wince. It was nearly four thirty in the morning. Why the hell was Freed awake?

"Course I'm awake, phone's fucking loud," He complained, sitting up and leaning against the wall. "Why're you awake?"

"Ever and Mirajane," Freed said, as if that answered anything. Laxus waited a moment before he realised that was all Freed felt he needed to say.

"What about them?"

"I told them that it was my birthday tomorrow – or, well, it's today now, isn't it. But it was tomorrow when I told them. Well, technically it was yesterday when I told them, but in the context of me telling them about my birthday, my birthday was tomorrow, which is now today," Freed spewed the mess of words out, and Laxus could hear him frowning. "They said I needed to go out drinking. They wanted to take me out for my first legal drink."

"Yer turning nineteen, not twenty-one," Laxus deadpanned, though smirked.

"Oh yes, so I am," Freed was frowning. "I broke the law many times tonight then."

"Sounds like it," Laxus chuckled. "You only just gettin' in? It's pretty late. Or early, I guess."

"No, we left the club at about one. We've been in the dorms for a few hours, Cana knows someone who can get us beer cheap, so we kept going. Someone made me brownies, but I wasn't allowed to eat them because apparently they had pot in them, so Mirajane slapped the guy and said she'd report him to campus security because we only found out when Jet and Droy started talking about the walls having a face," Freed laughed heartily, and Laxus smiled, imagining the man's expression as he did so. "Why do people always put weed into brownies? It's so overdone. Why do you never hear of a pot carrot cake or banana loaf?"

"Brownies are easy to make, I guess," Laxus grinned.

This was uncharted territory for Laxus. Freed wasn't exactly a total rule follower, but his parents were strict and so alcohol was something he'd never risked. Laxus had always wondered what a drunk Freed would be like. Apparently, he rambled and was happy. It was a nice side of him to hear.

"You think brownies are harder than a banana cake? You know nothing about baking," Freed laughed at him, and Laxus smirked. "Do I have time to bake a pot filled gateau, do you think? It might make mother's book club interesting at last."

"Don't spike your ma with drugs Freed," Laxus instructed, and Freed laughed.

"Yes, it sounds bad put like that," Freed agreed. He was quiet for a moment, and Laxus heard the sound of something hitting the floor. Perhaps one of his boots, given the clunk. Laxus had become something of an expert at figuring out what Freed was doing by the sounds he made. "It'd serve them right. Rather see you than them."

"Come on Freed," Laxus sighed. "They're your parents, they wanna see you."

"Well they didn't on parents' weekend, or at thanksgiving, so why now?" Freed huffed, fabric shifting now. He was probably getting into bed. "They're taking me to dinner, and I saw the place. It's got five stars, Laxus. That means it'll be stifled and pretentious. They won't know what to say to me, so we'll just eat in silence and we'll all want it to end because we know we don't have anything in common and they're only coming because it'll look bad if they don't," Laxus wished he could deny the claim, but he knew Freed's parents and that was probably true. "Would've rather gotten the train to Washington so I could see you."

"Shouldn't I be coming to yours?" Laxus asked, trying to change the subject to something less maudlin. "It's your birthday."

"You saw my campus when you drove us home," Freed dismissed, and Laxus supposed he had. They'd driven back to Magnolia together for some time alone, as Laxus passed Freed's college on the drive back. "It's my turn to see your place. Your classrooms, your student lounge," He paused, and was clearly smirking when he spoke again. "Your bed."

"My bed, huh?" Laxus smirked. "What were you gonna-"

Laxus would have continued, but an airborne pillow slammed into his face. It took his sleep-lagged brain a moment to understand what had happened, and he slowly looked towards his glaring, very much awake roommate. He probably should have realised that the phone would have woken them both up, not just Laxus.

They looked at each other for a moment, Bickslow unblinking. Laxus wanted to speak, but no words came, and Bickslow was the one to fill the silence.

"Look, you know I'm cool with you two being together. Probably been to more of the marches than either of you two, so be as gay as you wanna be," Bickslow's voice was croaky and hoarse. "But don't phone fuck when I'm in the room. It's just bad manners."

"We weren't gonna-" Laxus cut himself off. He couldn't be sure of his words, so instead he said a guilty, "Sorry."

"Don't worry about it," Bickslow shrugged. "Just give me my pillow back and we'll call it even."

Laxus did as he was told, and Bickslow took it, hooked it around his head so it covered his ears, and turned to lie facing the wall. It was as close to privacy they could get in the small room without either of them leaving, and Laxus appreciated the action. When he spoke again, his voice was more of a gentle whisper.

"You should probably get to sleep," He instructed, and grinned when he heard a yawn overpowering his words. "Make sure you drink water before you crash, okay? And don't bother with yer classes, you'll either still be drunk or too hungover to take anything in."

"Yes, I suppose I will be," Freed agreed. "I'll call you once my parents leave."

"Okay," Laxus nodded. "Happy birthday, baby."

"Thank you," Freed said softly. "Goodnight. Love you."

"Love you too."

Laxus hung up the phone, curled himself back under his covers and closed his eyes. Just as he was about to sleep, he heard the grinning words of his roommate as he said, 'you two are so damn cute.' Laxus' retort of 'fuck you' was only slightly less threatening because of the smile he couldn't shake, and the yawn he couldn't hold back.

---

"Don't talk, I need to say something."

"Laxus? What's wrong?"

Laxus was jittery. He'd been jittery all day. He'd had nervous energy throughout the night, and it kept waking him up and he did whatever he could to get to sleep but nothing had worked, and he'd found himself stressed, awake and jittery. He couldn't stop moving. Couldn't stop bouncing his leg or taping his fingers or flexing his arms because he needed to do something with this energy, but he didn't know what.

At six AM, after a night of awful, interrupted sleep, he'd decided enough was enough. He'd changed into running gear, pulled out his Walkman and stormed from his dorm room. He'd ran for however long, and yet the jitteriness didn't go. If anything, it made things worse.

Calling Freed had been a last resort.

He hadn't returned to campus yet, instead finding a phone booth to climb into. It had started to rain as he'd run, and he was dripping wet as he rang Freed's number. The cold and the wet were the last things on his mind. He just needed to get on the call with Freed, just needed to hear that thing's would be okay and that he was making a big deal out of nothing. Freed was a smart guy, and he wouldn't bullshit Laxus about important things. No; Freed would make things okay.

"Dad's court case was moved forward," Laxus spluttered before he could stop himself.

It was supposed to be in the autumn. It was supposed to be months away. That would give Laxus time to prepare himself, to know what he was going to say. To get out of his own head so that he could focus on taking the bastard to jail. It was not supposed to be next damn week!

Laxus was a character witness. In the trial itself, he wasn't all that important, but he knew that the media would love to know what he thought about his father. Ivan was a well-known businessman, and his scandal had been national news. He'd made many enemies over his years working, and people were relishing in his downfall. Everyone wanted to hear how not only was Ivan a bad businessman, but a bad father too. Laxus wasn't ready for the attention, he wasn't ready for anything.

Freed took a moment to think before he replied.

"Where are you?" He asked. "Are you in your dorm? I can hear the rain."

"Erm, no," Laxus shook his head, looking around. "I'm near a park. Not sure where."

"Right," Freed murmured. "What do you need me to do?"

"I need," Laxus faltered.

He needed to be told that everything was okay. That the court case would just be a single day in his life, and he could get past it and move on. He needed to hear Freed saying that he would get past this, and that his life would return to normal. He needed to see Freed's warm smile, the one he seemed to show only to Laxus. He needed…

"It's nothing. Sorry if I woke you."

"Go back to your dorm, I'll be there as soon as I can."

"What?"

"The trains start running early. I can probably be at yours by ten," Freed mused aloud. "I want you to go back and try to sleep. You mentioned that Bickslow has hypnosis tapes he uses to sleep, borrow one."

"Freed, you don't need to come here," Laxus tried to argue, though he didn't want to. "You don't have the money."

"I'll find it," Freed dismissed. "The next train leaves at seven, I believe. I'll be on it."

"Freed."

"Laxus."

Anyone who thought that Laxus was the more stubborn one out of the two of them clearly didn't know Freed.

"You really don't need to come," Laxus whispered, the rain pounding on the small box he sheltered in. "I'll be fine."

"You deserve to be better than fine, Laxus," Freed whispered back.

Silence hung on the line, and at that moment Laxus' world only persisted of the small phonebooth, the rain clattering down on it, and the man on the other end of the phone. He closed his eyes, clenched them shut, and tried to focus on the soft sound of Freed's breathing. Freed was coming. He was coming to make things better. As much as Laxus wanted to protest more, because Freed couldn't afford it and he was going to miss his classes, he just wanted his boyfriend in his arms. He just wanted him there.

"Are you sure?" He asked in a shaking sob.

"Of course," Freed assured him. "Go back to your room and sleep, I'll be there soon."

Laxus did indeed return to his room. He showered off the rainwater, ignored Bickslow's questions as to what happened, and curled up into bed. The white noise tape that Bickslow gave him cleared his mind, and as he assured himself that the clump of blanket he was clinging to would soon be replaced with Freed, he felt everything become just a little more manageable.

---

Sun hit Laxus' face, a gentle warmth that woke him up. He smiled as it happened.

A roadside motel was hardly the most comfortable place to wake up, but Laxus couldn't think of anywhere better to be at that time. No amount of bitter coffee, cramped showers, awful breakfasts, and itchy sheets would stop that. Not when he was waking up with Freed in his arms.

It was Freed's graduation day, the final nail in the coffin of their shared college experiences. Once today had finished, there would be no more dorm rooms, no more phone calls, no more long distance. They just needed to get through the ceremony, and they would be free to spend as much time as they wanted together, without the looming dread of being split apart by the oncoming semester that had previously seemed ever present.

It was over. They were done with college and free to love each other fully and wholly.

They'd found an apartment they could afford. They'd gotten an odd look when their realter had seen two men wanting to live in a cramped, one bedroom apartment, but they didn't care. Three years split apart was over, and they felt they deserved their own place no matter what other people thought about it. They'd more than paid their dues in being apart; they were owed time, and a home, together.

It worked out well. Freed's career meant he needed to continue studying, and he'd found placement in a hospital on a partial scholarship in New York. Laxus, over his time in college, had decided sports journalism was where his passion lay, and he'd been shortlisted for multiple internships in the city. It was all perfect.

Speaking of perfect, Freed made a small mewling sound as he woke.

"Mornin'," Laxus smiled.

"Morning," Freed croaked. He leant up and pressed his lips against Laxus', resting against his body. "You're awake early."

"Excited to see you get yer degree," Laxus shrugged.

"Excited to see me leaving the dorms, more like," Freed chuckled, resting his head against Laxus' chest.

"Can you blame me?" Laxus asked as he ran a hand down Freed's side and kissed his crown.

"Not at all," Freed hummed, contentedly.

Laxus hummed, watching as the new morning sun filled the room. Flashes of a future where this would be his every morning, where Freed would always fall asleep in his arms and wake up beside him. Freed would be his, and he would be Freed's, as they were always supposed to be.

Their love story was quiet, made up of fleeting moments and late-night phone calls. Not the stuff of fairy tales, but, for them, perfect.

Hey, there! I know you're a skilled practicioner who went through a lot of stuff, so I wanted to ask this to you — did witchcraft, in some point of your practice, felt like a chore to you? I feel like I grew too comfortable with my own practice, and it bored the shit out of me. It lost the natural magic that it has, y'know. I am trying to take a break so my mind goes back to that rush I always had, but it's hard. Ever felt something like this?

I think that's perfectly normal on a number of levels. We get bored with shit. And desensitized. I've always low key thought part of the price of admission is the loss of the wonder over time. I have random moments where my witchdom re-occurs to me. I'll be discussing something with a friend, usually something magical or supernatural, or a subject that inevitably leads to it, and I have moments where it occurs to me, and I think to myself, "damn bitch, you live like this? This is what you grew up to be? A literal witch? Ohkay."

I also think one of the drawbacks of the more widespread acceptance of the occult is that the opportunity to have so much of our interactions with others and personal aspirations couched so regularly and deeply in the context of the mystical, it becomes easy to get desensitized to exactly just how fucking weird we all are and the fact that we're doi g literal magic. Maybe it's because I'm getting old and have knocked around a bunch, but I haven't had the wide eyed sense of wonder at it in a very long time, specifically because it has become so normalized to my life experience that to me, I'm not really doing anything special or unusual until it occurs to me that, "holy shit i grew up to be a whole adult magic user."

And even during those surreal little moments where I'm set upon by the gravity of my choices and how they lead me here, of all places, it's more, "damn I really am big fuckin weird, huh?" and less "oh this is so cool and fun and mystical." and I mean honestly it is a chore. I'm not the subject of a Stevie Nicks song, I don't live in a constant state of spinning in a spooky shawl being enchanted by the wind - I do laundry and cut knots out of my hair and clean the litter box and get too drunk and lose my phone. It's a technology, to me, and one that requires upkeep - chores - in fact magic that is *fun* is quite a rarity for me, it tends more often to be a somewhat humbling experience of how small I actually am in the scale of things, and that's only when I stop to consider it at length. But don't be fooled by the sparkly Instagram people, It is a chore. Many a significant moon ive rejected plans with live humans in order to focus on spiritual relationships and responsibilities instead. The annual renewal of one pact in particular requires no small amount of planning and consideration on my part. A lot of what I do requires some form of sacrifice of spontaneity in favor of much more boring and less stimulating responsibilities. Sometimes I'm dropping everything in a certain hour to do a thing or otherwise giving up time for a satisfying leisure activity for the parts of the witching that are less about personal fulfillment or enjoyment and more about upkeep. It is what it is. I mostly manage it by having plenty of interests outside of it. I have no shortage of things to do or responsibilities to keep, even outside my responsibilities to other people, most of my non-witching hobbies are based in skillsets that require practice to keep up with and that's really just the same trade off. You want to possess and maintain capabilities you weren't just born with, you have to exercise an unusual amount of dedication and discipline. Even a natural talent, at anything, requires chores to maintain and improve. Any "skilled practitioner" who seems they must smoothly have it all under control is really just many mistakes, fuck ups, and ungraceful learning experiences in a trench coat.

Birthday Adventures | Maverick & Sooyun

When: March 9th, 2021

Where: Soo’s Apartment; Santa Monica Pier

Warnings: none.

Featuring: @sooyunjeong

Mav had heard through the grapevine about Sooyun's birthday and hatched a plan to make her birthday something fun and memorable rather than just going in for sex. So, he texted her, letting her know that he was on his way and to get ready. He knew that there was a risk of them being seen in public, so he went to the store to pick up a mask that was identical to his, so they could roam around town undetected. Plus, he had a pretty cute birthday gift up his sleeve that he knew she'd enjoy.

Sooyun: 

Sooyun dreaded her birthday, to her it felt like another day, but often her parents would send her flowers and what not to celebrate. What she wasn’t expecting was a text from Maverick suggesting they go out, with the fact he was well known and she was getting up there, she knew it was dangerous yet she found herself dressing not her usual fashion sense.

When Maverick arrived to her door, he had a bag in hand and a mask that was identical to his, but he couldn’t help but smile at her outfit. “Damn look at you, birthday girl,” he teased as he handed her mask. “This will keep you from being recognized, by the way. As for the present...you could open after.”

Sooyun:

Sooyun chuckled, rolling her eyes playfully, "yeah yeah...and thanks, looks like you would choose a mask to be matching with yours," she teased as she slipped it over her face and adjusted the baseball camp, "How did you even find out about my birthday anyways, not many people know it."

“Ahhh look at you grinning,” Maverick teased lightly. “Hey, it’s a good mask! It’s breathable and it’s comfortable around the ears. Plus you like black so of course I had to,” He winked. “I found out from a little birdie about your birthday and also know you don’t like celebrating. So, we’re just gonna go out and kick it instead.”

Sooyun: 

“You’re a little too happy, tone it down a tiny bit, it’s just another day,” Sooyun waved off Maverick and lightly pushed him out the door as she shut it behind her and locking it shut. “Okay...where are we going and how much will I dislike it at first?” She asked jokingly as she followed after him.

"It's just another day but it's a great day to wild out, you know what I mean?" Mav laughed as he was pushed out the door. "Oh, you're definitely gonna hate where we're going then, but, since it's a weekday, it won't be so packed either. Y'know, the good ol' Pier. Carnival rides, corn dogs, the whole enchilada," He began to say in the most haughty voice before his character cracked with laughter

Sooyun: 

she let out a groan at him and rolled her eyes, “such a cliche moment, but I’ll let it slide since you seem more excited about it.” Sooyun hasn’t been to the pier willingly in forever, mostly because it was always busy with tourist and people being loud.

"Cliché would've been taking you out to some fancy restaurant and putting sparklers in a chocolate lava cake," Maverick pointed out, with a knowing look before chuckling. "I promise, it's just a day to kick back, relax, be free for once, you know?"

Sooyun: 

"Not the sparklers in chocolate lava," sooyun dramatically stated, she knew that Mav probably put a lot of thought into this just to make her feel comfortable over it. Sooyun smiled lightly and laughed, "fine...I'll take your word for it."

"Literally the fuckin' worst," Mav swooned just as dramatically for a moment before bursting into laughter. "Cool, now, let's get that disguise on and we can tear up the Pier. It'll be a good time, I promise," He reassured her with a smile. It was his way of saying thank you for being there, but also for existing. Sure, he probably wouldn't admit the other part out loud, but, he was really appreciative of Sooyun.

Sooyun: 

"Fine fine..." Soo-yun slipped the mask over her face and made sure it was settled comfortable against her face and adjusting the cap on her head as well. Nodding her head as she sweep her side braid over her should and walked ahead. "Let's get this over with...eat tons of junk food and get sick from the rides."

Mav could feel the excited smile growing on his face as Soo adjusted the mask and her cap but the moment she started walking ahead was when he quickly snapped back to reality and followed her. "Sounds like a typical Tuesday night to me, am I right?" He teased as he caught up with her and purposely held his hand out to her. "Do you trust me?"

Sooyun: 

Sooyun raised her eyes from his hands towards his face, tilting her head to the side and automatically reached out to place her hand into his, "Is that a serious question?" She asked in a joking manner before nodding her head, "At this point, in a weird way, yes I do."

With a big smile, that showed more in his eyes, Maverick said, "Yes, yes it is." Linking their hands together, he swung their hands down the hall as they made their way out and he looked around carefully. "I'm glad you do. Cause, I'm gonna have to ask you to run," He said, looking over at Soo with the most mischievous look.

Sooyun: 

Sooyun eyes widen at his request, “you want to...run ?” She questioned and realized that he was asking her to do the one thing she disliked and that was cardio. “Why are we running for anyways?”

"Listen there are about 20 reasons why I'm asking you this, but," Mav looked around and then said, "If you don't want to I can just piggyback you. But...again, you gotta trust me on this and I'll tell you when we get there."

Sooyun: 

“fine, let’s go. Should be glad I wore good running shoes.” Sooyun tighten her hand around his and nudged him forward to run which she followed right behind him. She wasn’t sure what he had planned but she knew that with him it was always something out of what she never expected.

“If you wore heels I would’ve just carried you,” Maverick chuckled before he took off running with Soo right beside him. As he sprinted towards the bus that was about to pull away until Mav flagged it down as he waved his hand and luckily, the bus guy was cool. “I knew the bus to The Pier was gonna run ahead of schedule, but I didn’t want to take away from the randomness of it,” he admitted and then motioned for Soo to hop on. “After you, miss.”

Sooyun: 

Sooyun raised her eyebrows and laughed lightly as she hopped onto the bus, she couldn’t recall the last time she took the bus, usually she took a cab or Lyft to get to places which in a way always took a good chunk out of her wallet. “City bus Hmm? Very smart thinking,” she laughed and nodded her head at the driver as she walked further inside, looking for empty spots. “Ooh over here,” she started walking towards the area that was empty for the both of them in the back and sat by the window.

Mav knew the bus driver, and even under his disguise, the man still recognized the mischievous eyes as they both exchanged an acknowledging nod. He told Mr. Greg, as he called him, about the surprise date he wanted to take Soo on for her birthday and offered to take them rather than Mav call a fancy town car or any ride sharing service. “Yeah, I feel like a cab ride or something takes away the feel from it you know? Just bask in the city’s ambience,” He grinned. As he made his way in, he followed Soo to where she pointed and slid in next to her. “So, crazy question: what are you looking forward to this year?”

Sooyun: 

she thought over his question, what exactly was she looking forward to this year, she wasn’t the type to plan anything due to it never working out or the fear of getting hurt. “I really can’t say I have anything I can think of if I’m being honest.” Sooyun pondered on the thought and turned her gaze to look at him, “do you have anything to look forward?”

Mav tilted his head slightly at Sooyun’s response. He didn’t want to pry too much on the why or if she had anything else, there was probably a reason behind it. “Well, my birthday’s in a few weeks,” He chuckled lightly. “I’d hope my 22nd year’s got less ass kicking. That and seeing my cousins in Daegu.”

Sooyun: 

Sooyun giggled, "well...guess I better work on my own surprise for your birthday." She shrugged, who would have thought they would end up like this...not her, definitely thought things would have died out after getting her taste of him, but it was as if the thirst grew more each time they seen each other. "I bet your cousins are excited to see you.”

"Oh shit, watch out, Soo's coming in with the heat," Mav teased the brunette with a smile. He would've never thought things would blossom more between them. He figured, it was just the ache of the chase...but each time, he felt himself being more attracted to her each time...and he liked it. "Yeah, we talk every weekend and I visit them every spring. They're my tether to where I come from, you know?"

Sooyun: 

Nodding her head, "Yeah I understand and I mean, you gotta do what you gotta do," Sooyun understood that maybe Maverick had a hard time getting in touch with his korean side, she was happy that her parents showed that to her and even taught her the language, she also knew that sometimes her parents did long to visit their family in south korea. "When is your birthday by the way."

“Yeah, I mean hey at least I speak Korean fluently, so that’s the upside you know?” Mav chuckled at the thought, but it did hit home for him. Here was Sooyun, who learned from her parents, who grew up more with her culture. In a way, he learned in his own way too, and sure he’s still westernized in someways, but in other ways, he was able to connect with those from his own culture which made him pretty damn stoked. “April 7th. It lands on a Wednesday which, lucky for me I’ve got one class...and I’m definitely not going to it,” he admitted with a laugh.

Sooyun: 

Sooyun raised her eyebrows, not that far from her own birthday, "wow...our birthdays are close, interesting. Guess I have to get you a present as well." She commented, she wasn't great at accepting presents but giving them out was her favorite thing. "Are you even doing well enough to skip class?" She teased, she wondered if she should go back to college but she wasn't even certain for what, she currently had a steady gig and the fact her agent was working out projects for her band to climb the records.

“I told you only a few weeks apart,” Maverick chuckled. “I meeean you don’t have to, but the fact you’re mulling it over, I appreciate—even though it’s your day today,” He playfully nudged her with a smirk. At her comment about his classes he laughed shaking his head. “I’m obnoxiously ahead in class because of March madness. We’ve gotten our work in advance and I try getting it done the day it’s assigned. Gotta overachieve now to procrastinate later,” he explained with the biggest smile. It was thanks to having two overachieving sisters to teach him his studying habits. He stood up and held out his hand for Soo. “Our stop’s coming up, by the way.”

Sooyun:

"Must be nice, I was such a terrible student, I was certain my mom was about ready to give up on me. Saying something like, at least I have my looks to fall back on if I don't get a career that pays good." It was funny to think about her relationship with her mother when she was a teenager, thinking she knew everything and so much attitude. Sooyun looked out the window then looked back at Maverick, placing her hand into his without a second thought.

"Daaaamn," Mav shook his head. "Lowkey my dad would get that way when I start slacking off in school, so I get it to a certain extent," He chuckled. Mav and his dad were very close, although there were times where the man was hard on him. He figured, being the only boy and all, he had to live up to the expectations of a Maxwell man, to a point. He took her hand with a grin and began leading the way to head out, not before sliding a 20 to the bus driver Greg for coming through. "So, what would you like to do first? Get some food? Ride the ferris wheel? Head to the arcade?""

Sooyun:

Sooyun laughed and thought over what to do first, "Let's go grab food, i am craving a good hot dog." She admitted, the fact she was going to eat some junk food was probably the best plan as of right now considering all she has been snacking on was salad due to keeping a decent body image per her agents request. "and Ice cream after--then we can check out the arcade?"

"Ohhhh man. It's been a hot minute since I've had a hot dog from the pier, let's be real," Mav chuckled. He knew that today was the day that Soo was going to most likely splurge on some junk food, which was understandable. Hell, he did basketball, staying in shape and eating a balanced diet, was hard enough in the face of the food you really craved. "Yeah, we can do that. It's your day, I'm just here to lead you to the best spots here," He grinned excitedly.

Sooyun:

“Exactly, we just have to be sneaky when it comes to eating.” She motioned to their mask on their face, as much as she wanted too, she knew her agent would be upset with her if she were to expose she’s seeing Maverick. Sure her publicist probably could get some gossip out of it but she didn’t want to put him through that. “I mean if I had it my way, I would have suggested me and you, with chocolate all over your bed.”

“We can eat under the pier. No one really hangs out there,” Mav suggested with a shrug. He knew the risks of going out with Sooyun. All eyes were on them the moment those masks came off and the last thing they needed was Gossip God screaming about them being spotted. Which is why he planned it carefully, to avoid getting by caught. “That can be dessert,” He smirked, wiggling his eyebrows at her.

Sooyun:

“good idea, totally didn’t think of that.” Sooyun agreed as she pulled him by his hand towards the food stand, her stomach growling at the thought of food. “Maybe, or maybe I’ll just go home like a good girl. I think that sounds better.”

“No one ever thinks to chill under the Pier. Probably because people are scared it might topple on them or something but that shit’s sturdy as fuck,” He laughed as Soo dragged him to the food stand. Honestly he didn’t mind it because he was pretty hungry. “Knowing you at this point, you being a good girl would result in,” He looked around and leaned in to whisper into her ear, “You getting yourself off thinking about our last encounter.”

Sooyun:

“I mean...Cali is on the fault line so we are prone to earthquakes,” she shrugged, sure people were scared of certain things but mav did have a point in the pier being sturdy. Her eyes widen at his words and slapped his chest, “I do not.” Lying through her teeth since the last few times, sex flash back usually got her hot and bothered.

"That's a given, but the pier hasn't toppled over yet. Even the tiniest quake can't be felt on top of here. We've got pretty good luck on our side, I'd say," Mav wiggled his eyebrows with a smirk. At the smack on his chest, he let out a grunt and laughed. "Just by that reaction, I'd say you do. That's pretty hot."

Sooyun:

Sooyun pursed her lips, knowing that he couldn't see under her mask as she quickly looked away from him and rolled her eyes, "I do not...but you wouldn't know," She wasn't going to admit to anything as of lately but she knew that Mav had ways of getting things out of her one way or another. She walked ahead of him when it was their turn and held up a finger as she ordered her hot dog.

Maverick wanted to smile widely, but his eyes were clearly showing the shit-eating elation that he had knowing Sooyun wasn't going to admit it, but he knew deep down that she did. "Oh, I wouldn't hm? We'll see later," He practically said beaming as he followed her to the line. He waited patiently looking over the menu until it was his turn and decided to opt for the corn dog instead. He had a huge hankering for it.

Sooyun:

Sooyun dark eyes looked over at Maverick, snorting under her breath and shakes her head, “yeah right,” she responded and part of her was giddy, wanting to see if he would fall through with his promise. Sooyun smiled as she accepted the hot dog and walked over towards the side to add ketchup on top and slipped the bottle of water under her arm as she turned to wait for Maverick, “to be honest, I don’t really like corn dogs.”

“You’ll just have to wait and see,” Maverick emphasized in a sing-songy voice. He knew he’d follow through with his promise later on, but he didn’t want to deal with a hard on during their outing so he focused on the food instead. As he took the corn dog and his soda, he chuckled. “Wait really? How come? Is it too cakey???”

Sooyun:

Sooyun nodded her head, “I think it’s texture wise for me,” she didn’t care much for it, something about the way it taste just didn’t sit right with her. The brunette wasn’t exactly picky on food but certain ones just wasn’t her cup of tea. “So what should we do after this? Arcade? Let the food settle before going on rides?”

"That makes sense, honestly. Like certain textures can put people off and stuff. So I'm guessing you're not a big fan of the crunchy Korean hot dogs either?" Maverick asked with genuine curiosity. "Yeah, we could definitely hit up the arcade, wait for the food to settle and then we can do either the ferris wheel or the roller coaster afterwards?"

Sooyun:

she nodded her head, “Yeah, it just...meh,” Sooyun scrunched her nose at the thought. “Why not both? I mean...unless you’re scared,” she teased and laughing lightly, grabbing his hand again and pulled him towards the stairs to go under the pier. Without realizing she liked the feel of his hand in hers, it gave her comfort and almost to the point she wanted to sing a song but bit her lip to not.

"Too much texture, I'll keep that noted," Maverick nodded with a smile, although his smile couldn't be seen, his eyes definitely showed it. "Ohhhh, you know I live for the thrill, come on now!" He laughed as he interlocked their fingers, making their way down the stairs to go eat. The warmth between their hands said something, although he knew he shouldn't think too much into it. What he did know, however, is that he could get used to holding hands like this...someday, he thought to himself.

Sooyun:

Sooyun tried not to think about the possibilities of relationships with Maverick. After all, this was supposed to be just a fling, but now it was beyond that, the fact they got to know one another even more was blending the lines. She tried to shake off those thoughts as she walked towards under the shade where they could eat in private without the worry of someone spotting them.

What should have been a fling was now the lines being clearly blurred. In which, Maverick, holding her hand thought about what it would be like to actually be on an actual date with her, where they didn’t have to hide behind masks, and could publicly steal a kiss from her. He focused more on following Sooyun to a shady spot. “Is this spot good?” He asked curiously.

Sooyun:

“This spot should be fine,” Sooyun nodded her head, letting go of their hand as she took a seat on the sand, she pulled her mask down and looked over at him, chuckling lightly. “It’s kind of funny that we’re hiding under the pier to eat this, you know what we should have done, wore wigs.” Sooyun pointed out with a small shrug of her shoulders.

"Sweet," Mav nodded as he took a seat in the spot next to Soo, pulling his mask down to immediately dig into his corn dog. "True...except come on, you really think we'd get away that easily if we wore wigs," He nudged Soo lightly with a laugh. "I mean sure from behind we'd be unrecognizable but up close it'd be a wrap."

Sooyun:

Sooyun was eating the food in hand and laughed, covering her mouth to stop any food from falling out of her mouth, quickly swallowing down the food and nodded her head, "Oh c'mon...you know you would want to wear the pink bob cut wig, I think you would get a little sassy from it." She smirked as she took another bite.

Mav covered his own mouth at Soo's struggle to not laugh while eating, but mostly picturing himself with that pink blunt bob wig. "God," He began with a laugh. "Let's be real, I think I'd wind up making the boys all get one in different colors and recreating those tiktoks around town," He teased. "Don't be giving me ideas."

Sooyun:

"Please do it, I'm certain it will be a hit," She laughed at the thought of them in wigs, and even funnier at the fact they would be recreating a tiktok. Sooyun shakes her head and opened her water, taking a drink out of it before sighing, setting half of the hot dog in her lap. "I think gossip god would enjoy it."

"I'll have to hit up the guys first. I know AJ for sure would be on board. I'd have to sell my soul for Eric, and then I'd see how I'd hustle Joonie and Brandon into it..." He thought about it for a moment and laughed. He took another bite of his corn dog, and hummed out loud as he thought for a moment (and finished chewing). "I mean, he would, but he practically hates me for saying yes to every bit of gossip there is. He's given up."

Sooyun:

Sooyun smiled lightly and shakes her head, “I guess one would get frustrated. I mean I thought I would be able to kick you to the curb yet here we are,” she motioned between them, even though they were just having fun, Sooyun was still on the fence of dropping everything and disappear. “I can see what you mean though, they’re never gonna stop if you give them the attention. Almost like those annoying paparazzi.”

"Yeah...I guess sometimes things have a sick way of working out, huh?" Maverick teased with a laugh. The future was uncertain between them, even though they were fooling around, they were practically on a date, eating and laughing and having a good time...and he secretly feared of everything just vanishing one day. "Exactly. Only way to get them off your back is be like 'yeah sure', and keep it moving. My sisters and I purposely pose whenever there's a paparazzo on our tails and that pretty much scares 'em off cause they can't get money off of poses."

Sooyun:

“that actually sounds nice, I wish I had siblings, my parents only wanted one kid and here I am.” Sooyun shared, she wasn’t supposed to be talking about this with him but she couldn’t stop herself from blabbering out, at least she wasn’t stuttering. “But I can now see what you guys face with. It sounds very exhausting and even I’m not even close to being famous, I can only guess it will get even more hectic.” Sooyun started to finish the hot dog, sighing with content at the taste and crunched up the wrap.

And just like that, Soo piqued Maverick's curiosity. Of course, he had to try not to make it so obvious that he wanted to know more, but he was genuinely interested. "Wow...I mean in a way it must be peaceful, but it must suck y'know? How'd you cope being an only child?" Maverick asked curiously. "Yeah, it's been like that all of our lives, but we've learned to cope. I mean when I went to Korea for the first time, my cousins and I would roam around in masks so we weren't detected. So I brought that habit. Maybe you could use that for when you do get big and famous," He offered with a grin. Realizing Sooyun had finished and he had still a bit left with his corn dog, he took a rather large bite and quickly covered his mouth, trying to crunch as softly as he could.

Sooyun:

“let’s just say I spent a lot of time playing music and making up scenarios,” Sooyun lightly shrugged, it was a lonely time but it made time pass by. “My parents wanted to make life easier for me because it wasn’t easy for my dad when he was growing up.” She started playing with the sand and scooped it up to let it slip between her fingers. “If I get famous...been kind of hectic here and there.”

Maverick frowned a little, he couldn’t imagine how much of a lonely childhood Soo had, but at least she had music to give her solace, if anything else. “That’s understandable. Guessing it probably wasn’t easy growing up in a household with a lot of siblings for him?” He asked curiously. He took one last bite, finishing up his corn dog and finally took a sip of his soda. “If??! Your music goes hard as fuck! There’s no way you’d flop.”

Sooyun:

“He never really liked talking about his family, he packed his things and moved, met my nom and the rest is history.” Sooyun always wondered why he didn’t look back but she also knew that talking about it bothered him. The brunette felt the corner of her lips lift up, “Thanks...just some days I feel as if I’m not good enough—that I would let my family down and such.” She trailed off in thought, dusting off her hands and wiped them on her pants. “Let’s check out the rides.”

“Sounds pretty serious. Hopefully one day, he can share that story with you and if not, you know, at least you know that your parents succeeded in giving you a better life, right?” Mav offered with a reassuring smile. The same way she was there for him, he offered the same back to her. “I don’t think anyone would like a talent like you to go to waste. I’m sure your family’ll be proud of you, if not more proud soon,” He chuckled lightly. Getting up and crumpling the foil and the can, he grinned excitedly. “Sweet! Oh, the trash bin’s by the stairs, so we can throw our stuff out on the way up.”

Sooyun:

Sooyun gathered the garbage, nodding her head and followed along side them, “awesome. Then let us go,” she walked ahead, realizing that she was a bit over sharing but wasn’t that what he did when he needed someone? Sooyun tried not to dwell on those thoughts as she walked up the steps and adjusted the mask on her face along with her hat. “Let’s Go on the small rollercoaster.”

Mav grinned and started heading towards the trash bin walking side to side as they disposed of their garbage and made their way up the stairs. He quietly contemplated about the things he was learning about Soo tonight, and how, in a way, he could see her. “YES! Leggo!” He grinned excitedly as he took her hand to head to the ticket booth for the rollercoaster.

Sooyun:

Sooyun smiled as she followed after Maverick, seeing that he was more excited about this then she was, it was nice to see him look excited but also she knew if he didn’t wear the mask and gave her his famous smile, her heart would skip a few beats. It was a dangerous game. “Slow down,” she chuckled.

Maverick hoped that Soo was having a good time above all else. He was enthusiastic about the rollercoaster like a kid on Christmas and he couldn’t help but smile wide. Slowing down, at Soo’s request he looked over at her and realized she was smiling too. It sucked that the masks covered half their faces but even by the way her eyes sparkled, he knew. “And just our luck, the lines aren’t even long! No going back now,” he teased with a laugh.

Sooyun:

she grinned happily as she chuckled softly, running up with him towards the ride and sighed, “that means we get to ride the front seat,” the brunette followed after him and took a seat. “I’m just glad they don’t take your picture like at Disney land.”

“That’s the best part. Get to feel the motion of the coaster,” Mav grinned excitedly. He took a seat next to her and then chuckled, “Yeah, thank fuck for that. There’ve been some unflattering Disneyland pics from when I go...oh speaking of before you buckle yourself in...” His voice lowered. “We might want to take off the masks otherwise they’re gonna go flying off. Don’t worry, there’s not a lot of people on and once we’re back down, we can put them back on.”

Sooyun:

Sooyun raised her eyebrows at him before sighing as she nodded her head, pulling the mask off and slipping it into her pants pocket, seeing his face without the mask had her stare a little longer than usual before pulling her eyes away to buckle inside. “If we get a photo of us and posted on the gossip page, I’m going to strangle you.” She grumbled playfully and reached out to lightly pinch his cheek.

Maverick gave Soo a knowing look as she sighed as he took off his own mask and pocketed it and began to buckle himself into the ride. He glanced over at Sooyun to make sure she was okay, mostly because he felt her staring at him, not that he'd complain because he'd be doing the same in their situation. "I like it rough, you know this," He teased. "But don't worry, we won't."

Sooyun:

oh she knew that he liked it rough, just as much as she did, it made things less complicated like the term making love, she tried not to put her heart into the situation but she was now having a hard time with him on not blurring the lines. “I haven’t been on a rollercoaster in a long time.” Sooyun admitted, settling back into the seat, “but I know it’s nothing like six flags.”

The exchange of knowing looks between the two was all the more reassuring for Maverick about how their night was going to go after all. Even if it didn’t end in sex, he knew that the night would end pretty well—but they ran the risk of blurring the lines and this, was one of them. “Wait really??? Damn, how come?” He asked curiously, as the ride was beginning to get secure. “Oh man, six flags is one helllllll of a place. I miss taking trips there.”

Sooyun:

“just never had time,” it was the only logical excuse she could give, between working two jobs and trying to remain sane, she just didn’t bring herself going on rides. Sooyun slipped her cap off her head and tucked it into her sweater so it wouldn’t go flying off “although now I can say I went on a ride thanks to you, and eating a very questionable hot dog.”

“Ah, that’s true. Adulting and shit,” Maverick nodded in understanding. Life did have its way of stopping the fun for a while, which sucked, in retrospect. He didn’t want to dwell on that though. “Well, I’m glad I was here to be of service for your rare moment of shenanigans,” He winked.

Sooyun:

Sooyun giggled as she leaned her head back against the seat, “I can’t wait to see the sunset. We have to go on the ferris wheel,” she enjoyed the sunsets, which was probably why she never moved out of Santa Monica. Nothing ever beats the beauty of that. Sooyun felt the butterflies going crazy as the ride started, tightening her hold on the ride.

Maverick took a quick glance at his watch and nodded, “We’ve got another half hour before the sunset begins, so I got you. We could most likely go after this ride!” He enjoyed Soo’s enthusiasm and could see her eyes lighting up about the Ferris wheel. At least there, they could easily be without masks until they got back to the bottom. Most of all, he’d get two amazing views. As the ride began, Maverick held on tight and smiled excitedly, feeling the adrenaline rushing through.

Sooyun:

Sooyun laughed lightly at the giddy feeling, sure it wasn’t like the rollercoasters from knots berry farm but it definitely was still a ride that made her scream with laughter. The sound of the metal clacking as the rose up high. She raised her arms up high and closed her eyes at the feeling of dropping.

Maverick looked over at Soo having a good time and he, too couldn’t help but laugh and cheer along with her. As the coaster began its ascent up on the hill, he raised his hands up and yelled excitedly as the drop began.

Sooyun:

after the ride, Sooyun got out of her spot and ran her fingers through her now messy hair, smiling as she pulled at his hand and walked out, completely forgetting about her mask as she adjusted the cap back onto her head. “That was amazing,” she turned around grinning up at him. “Your hair is a mess.” She reached out to tame his hair, standing on her tippy toes to reach the top of his head.

The ride was amazing, between laughs and twists and turns, it was definitely well worth it. As they got off the ride, Mav chuckled at Soo trying to fix his hair and so he knelt down just a little for her to help him out. That was when he realized, feeling the breeze against his face. “We should um...” He pointed to his face. As much as he hated having the mask on, it was better safe than sorry.

Sooyun:

“oh...right,” she dropped her hand from his head, realizing that she wanted to be in public with Mav, hold hands and kiss him whenever she wanted. She reached into her sweater to pull her mask out and placed it over her face.

Mav gave an apologetic smile to Sooyun as he put his own mask on. He wished he had the opportunity to hold her hand and kiss her, but...things were complicated and he didn’t want to complicate them further. Instead, he took her hand again after her mask was on and nodded towards the Ferris wheel.

Sooyun:

Sooyun smiled under her mask and followed after him, her hand weaving their fingers together as they walked side by side. When was the last time she had a content time with someone that didn’t involve sexual desires. Sure it was still there but she wanted something...more? Soo crushed those thoughts from overthinking it anymore as they waited in line and looked up at the top of the ride.

As they walked, Maverick looked over at Soo and smiled through his own mask, feeling their fingers interlock with each other made him just slightly giddy, but he had to push that down. They were just friends, who occasionally fucked, just having a good time. But it was hard when he began to crave more, especially on a day like today. “Huh, line’s pretty low on the Ferris wheel too, who would’ve thunk?!”

Sooyun:

Sooyun chuckled, “did you just say thunk?” She pulled her attention away from the top of the Ferris wheel and towards maverick. Shaking her head as they inched closer to the ride and looked around. “But you’re right...I wonder if we just picked a lucky day or you know there’s other things happening.”

“Listen, in my defense...I was raised by white people,” Maverick laughed, playfully nudging Soo with a grin. Once they made it to board the ride he grinned brightly and admitted, “Today just so happened to be the slowest day of the Pier. Which is why taking you out for your birthday would be easy. Gives you less of a chance of getting caught but still with enough people around to give it that atmosphere.”

Sooyun:

Sooyun realized that he put a lot of thought in this day, it warmed her heart that he put this much effort to make it a good one. She got up from her side and shuffled over to where he was sitting, grabbing his face and pulling down his mask along with hers and gave him a kiss, it was a soft kiss that held a lot of emotion behind it, not wanting speak out loud on her feelings or even ruin the moment. “Thank you for today,” she whispered and pulled away to look at the ocean.

Maverick was taken by the view, each and every time. Even though he had been here his whole life, there was just something about the view that made it feel even more like home. However, his thoughts then landed on Soo, how her gaze softened and suddenly, he was taken aback by her kiss, it was a good kiss, a soft kiss that felt so much more than just a lusting type of kiss. At her whisper he nodded, breathlessly and then he did something what he hadn’t done in such a long time. He walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her, and pressed a kiss to her cheek, softly whispering, “Happy birthday.”

Sooyun:

Sooyun smiled, it was for a brief moment that she basked in the feeling, everything seemed as if it was a dream, between the sudden arrival of him at her place, both of them riding the city bus to standing here at the pier. Sooyun knew that today was a good idea, just when she thought it wouldn't be. Maverick had a way to wiggle his way into your heart, and it was for that brief moment that she felt at peace.

Maverick was pretty happy at the way the evening had gone. His chin rested on Sooyun’s shoulder as he watched how serene she looked looking upon the ocean as the sun dipped below the horizon. It was a peaceful and euphoric moment that he wanted to last as long as it could for her, so he held her close until the Ferris wheel began its slow descent back to ground.

in chapter 3, nick brings john some food and tries to interrogate him, but it doesn’t go quite as planned. john sure is acting weird! i mean, weirder than usual. i mean, usual for john, anyway. i mean... well, let’s just say that nick is as in control as he can be in today’s update!

WHEW i really like this chapter actually, i had fun editing and writing it and all that. soooo i’ve been doing weekly updates but for the sake of consistency i’m going to be changing that to a bi-weekly schedule instead. gives me more time to flesh out these thinner chapters before i get them out to you, the viewer!

speaking of viewers, DAMN thank you guys for the warm ass welcome for this story! i’m so glad to see that people are enjoying my self-indulgent mess. i’ve had so much fun working on it by myself but i’m having even more fun now that i know other people like it!

hey, i’ll slap the text of this chapter below the cut so you don’t have to go off-site if you don’t feel like it. if you read, please consider reblogging, as that’s the best way for me to get this update out there :) otherwise, just like, have a good day and junk!

John is, unfortunately, still alive when Nick goes to check on him. He even seems to be aware of his surroundings, unsurprised when Nick opens the door and downright guarded as Nick approaches him with a plate of vegetables and some smoked venison. The role reversal doesn't sit right at all with Nick, but at least he knows he's in control of the situation for now. Give the bastard a couple of nights of good rest and John will no doubt attempt to get back on top, but tonight he's too sick to do anything but cringe away as Nick unceremoniously drops into a crouch and drops the plate in his general direction.

Tense, with his fingers twisting in the blanket below him, John rasps, "What's this?"

Nick frowns. "Food," he snaps, trying not to let his own rudeness bother him. He doesn't have to feel guilty being short with John — it's fucking John . Nick should be mad at himself for not being more of a dick! Being in a position that would earn a normal person sympathy doesn't mean squat when the guy is a murdering, violent psychopath wearing the thin veneer of a human being! He doesn't deserve anything Nick gives him, besides a swift and merciless kick to the temple.

Nick exhales heavily and reluctantly adds, "You look like you need it."

It's only once Nick rises to his feet again that John reaches for the plate, dragging it into his lap and proving Nick right as he quickly begins to inhale his food. It's alarming to watch John cramming jerky and vegetables into his mouth hand-over-fist, and despite himself he warns, "Slow down, you're gonna choke."

John stops eating like a switch has been flipped, dropping his hands to the plate as though he's been physically restrained. He doesn't say anything, just twists his fingers against the rim and stares at Nick's boots.

Okay.

This, uh. This is weird.

Nick feels his unease chewing at his nerves. "Well?" he snaps, trying to bluster his way through it.

"Well, what ?" John asks in return. There's an edge of annoyance in his voice, an old-world relic of John's normally nasty attitude, but it's not enough to reassure Nick.

"You know what. You're supposed to be dead . Rook put you down almost a decade ago, and I dunno if you noticed, but there's been a nuclear apocalypse since then. There's no way I'm putting you in your grave before you tell me how you got this far in the first place."

It's a lie, but the important part is that Nick sounds tough when he says it.

John clenches his jaw in response and finally meets Nick's glare with his own steely gaze. "They shot me," he says, his ragged voice still managing to scrape together enough attitude to sound vaguely condescending. He touches his gut, fingers prodding gently. "Then, the deputy left me for dead. I assume they returned to your welcoming arms."

Ugh, it is so fucking weird to hear John's passive-aggressive bullshit. Eight years apparently wasn't enough time for him to get over his nasty infatuation, if he's still bitter about Rook picking the Ryes over his own family.

"All of us were happy you were gone," Nick says, unwilling to indulge in John's creepy pity-lust for the deputy. "So, what then? How did you find that bunker? How'd you even know it was there ?"

John picks up a piece of jerky, bending it between his thumb and index finger. "It was my backup plan."

"What, in case the Cult backfired on you?" Nick scoffs loudly as John silently pops the piece of meat into his mouth. "I bet your brother would be real pleased to know you tried to weasel your way out of his prophecy."

John chews and swallows. "I doubt Joseph survived the Deputy at close range. I doubt I'll survive the second round myself. Where... is the Deputy, anyway? Shouldn't they be here casting down judgment, too?"

Nick sets his jaw. "I don't know," he says, folding his arms over his chest. "Nobody knows. They went to confront Joseph, but with all the Bliss in the air... I don't know. We lost track of them in the chaos. If they've had access to a radio, they haven't used it to contact anyone."

If John has any insight into what might've happened, he doesn't share it. He picks at a few pieces of carrot but it seems like he's lost his appetite again. "I see," he says, too pensively for someone who seems half out of their gourd.

"So, you survived being shot down, crawled into a hole with a gut full of buckshot, survived that , and then... what?"

"You saw what," John sighs. He looks tired — all this talking must be wearing him out. It's hard to believe John Seed is too weak to hold a conversation, considering how hard it used to be to get him to shut the fuck up. Nick tries not to spend too much time thinking about it.

"You want me to believe that you spent eight years just sitting there ?" Nick asks. The disbelief in his voice doesn't come close to the incredulity he's feeling. There's no way that John spent the last eight years in a quiet limbo. Hell, Nick's bunker life wouldn't make for riveting television or anything, but he still did more than exist . Even if he was on his own, John had to have some kind of — of backup backup plan, a plot to manipulate the nuclear apocalypse in his favor, something . Right?

"What do you want me to say? The bunker was lacking in entertainment. I was trapped alone, miles away from the Project, with nowhere near enough supplies. I was certain I would die before the first year was over, and from then on I assumed every day would somehow become my last. My being here is as much a surprise to you as it is to me."

He glances up, watching Nick's reaction with a wariness Nick isn't comfortable with. It's too much like a wounded dog, and John has to be playing some kind of angle to be using it.

"I had a radio, but no microphone," he says. "All I could do was listen."

Nick remembers what the radio channels were like for the first couple of months after the bombs dropped. Everyone going through every step of the grieving process over the world they'd known, screaming, begging, arguing, crying all the time. Lots of repentant Peggy idiots cursing Eden's Gate, even more innocent people sending out their last painful goodbyes. Kim would talk to them, sometimes, but for a while, it was safer to just leave the damned thing off.

"Eventually, the radio died," John mutters. "I thought it would be... better, somehow, being isolated. After all, that's how Joseph spoke to God, and I had a lot of questions that He might have answered."

"The last thing we need is another hallucinating prophet," Nick warns. He hopes John tries to sell him on some new-wave Josephism, though — he'd love to shoot the guy on principle and be done with everything. Boy, would that take a load of ethical weight off his back!

John's lips tighten wryly. "Apparently I don't possess the same qualities that made Joseph such an inviting disciple," he says. "I was alone. For... seven years, eight months, three days. Give or take."

"You keep a calendar down there?" Nick snaps, as if he and Kim hadn't quickly sorted time out themselves.

"I did," John replies, somewhat smugly. "Long enough to know when I ran out of supplies, at least. After that, it wasn't long before I had to leave the bunker. I couldn't... I couldn't take it anymore."

Nick waits for John to continue, but he doesn't. There must be more to it than that, Nick's sure of it, but John doesn't seem capable of handling the conversation.

John drops his line of sight to the pistol holstered at Nick's hip. He seems to be waiting for something.

"What happens now?" he asks, once whatever he's waiting for fails to happen. No doubt he expects Nick to brandish the gun in his face, to intimidate him or threaten him or... whatever. Shoot him, probably, because not even John Seed would be stupid enough to give himself clemency for all his crimes.

"Now?" Nick repeats. "Well, I guess that depends on you." He crouches down once more, sure that he's well out of John's grasp as he does so. He wants John to look him in the eye. "See, it's been a while, but I still really fuckin' hate you. After everything you've done, to me, my family, my home ... Honestly, I should've probably put you down the moment I recognized you."

John meets Nick's hard glare with the resolve of a condemned man. "Why didn't you?" he asks.

"Because I haven't had to kill anybody in nearly a decade, and y'know, I'd like to keep that streak." Nick jabs a finger at John, inwardly pleased when he recoils to avoid contact. " You're the one who came to Hope County looking for a fight. So I'm not gonna kill you. Not yet."

Nick figures he sounds pretty intimidating, but John doesn't seem moved by the indirect threat. Of course he isn't. The guy built half a religious movement out of his sadomasochism — he's not going to feel threatened by Nick, not even if he were holding a pair of pliers to his teeth. He doesn't even give Nick the satisfaction of asking what he means — he only stares and waits for Nick to hand down his sentence.

"First, we gotta see if you're gonna make it through the night," Nick says, gesturing towards the abandoned plate. "After that, I'm gonna put you to work. Kim and I, we got a list of things we need to get done. It's back-breaking manual labor, and you're gonna be the one whose back breaks." Nick rises to his feet, trying to seem tough when in reality, his knees are starting to ache, and he can't afford to throw one out over a show of force. "You do what you're told with no back-talking, and I guess we'll find a way to keep you fed."

"And if I don't?"

"I don't think you're in any position to refuse, jackass. Nobody else is going to think twice about shooting you around here. The cult, your followers, family, they're all dead and gone. Anyone left who knows your face is gonna want to smash it to bits, and they aren't going to be inclined to be as generous as Kim and I are being. So it's either this, or I throw you back in that bunker where you belong."

For a moment, Nick thinks that John might try to turn him down anyway. He hopes he does — it'd be nice to get to punch the guy without feeling guilty for hitting a seriously ill man. But John's pale face belies how desperate he is to avoid that bunker of his, and eventually he gives in with a slow, resigned nod.

"You're right," John replies, voice hoarse from exhaustion. "Joseph — the Project — it's all gone. And I..."

John trails off with a heavy, resigned sigh. He looks up at Nick through a thick clump of long, tangled hair that's fallen over his face. "I'm at your mercy," he finally says, dropping Nick's gaze immediately after as though he doesn't expect much mercy at all.

"What, that's it?" Nick asks, honestly fucking confounded at the lack of backtalk. He'd made a good argument, sure, but — what? "No arguing? No negotiating, no defending the cult? No trying to deflect blame?"

"What good would it do?" John replies. Despite everything, he manages to scrape together enough attitude to look unimpressed by Nick's entire deal. It's the first time since realizing John was alive that Nick feels a twinge of that old-fashioned irritation that used to make shooting John seem so appealing. "I have nothing. You've won, Nick. I hope you've been enjoying the prize."

"I ought to punch you," Nick snaps. "Lucky for you, I'd feel bad for giving you a beat-down in your sorry state." He nudges the plate with his boot, sliding it closer to John. "I'll be back with some water so you can clean yourself up. You stink enough to put me off my own dinner. Anything else, well..."

He gestures to the ratty, mildewy pile of junk that they've been collecting in the room, as if any of it could be useful. Broken picture frames, mouse-torn bedding, broken down cardboard boxes and more all piled innocently away in what was going to be Carmina's room. Looking at it fills Nick with a sense of profound sadness that he shoves right back down where it belongs.

"You can figure something out," he tells John, who doesn't seem capable of making another dig at Nick's new position as prison guard. Unwilling to be moved by John's labored breathing as he simply nods in return, Nick quickly about-faces, storming from the room with just enough anger to hide the retreat for what it is.

off to the races

a/n: if you’re having trouble picture what the dress looked like its here! anyways i loooooved writing the banter between them. here’s ceo-daddy-whatever-you-want harry going on a date with bartender!y/n :*

w/c: 5.4k

warnings: this has explicit hard drug use! if that’s not your thing please don’t read this! i certainly don’t recommend anyone use any drugs and it solely exists for the sake of this plot! also he rails her

***

Courtney stormed into the kitchen from the bar, untying her waist apron as gracefully as she could and throwing it on one of those metal rolling counters. "Have I ever mentioned I hate my job?" she bit as soon as the door slammed shut behind her.

You finished your glass of ice water, bracing yourself to go out there yourself. You relaced your shoe and adjusted your own apron. "How bad could it have been?" you asked only half rhetorically.

"He asked for a virgin martini!" she huffed, pulling the hair tie from her thick dark hair and letting it spill into her face. "Do you want me to bring you an olive in a glass?"

You laughed, mirroring her actions by tying up your own hair. "No way. You're exaggerating."

"Y/N, I argued with this elderly man for three whole minutes. He insisted he came in last week and was served a virgin martini and it was the best thing he'd ever had in a bar." Courtney went back to fish through the pockets of her apron to get the money she'd collected from the tip jar.

"Oh, are you talking about the guy that just left?" Becca, another coworker, asked from the sink. "Yeah, I served him last week. I gave him a martini glass with water, lemon bitters, and a splash of cranberry juice. Told him I cut it with a 'virgin wine'. He tipped me a $20," she brushed a chunk of blonde hair that fell into her face and went back to washing the dishes.

"God, thanks for letting me know!" Courtney groaned, counting out her share of the tips, pocketing the money and giving the rest to you. "Have fun out there. I think some business meeting was in town so there's a bunch of gross older men out there wanting their fuckin' margaritas." She casually popped open the first two buttons of her uniform's black button down as she stuffed her money in her chinos pocket.

"Watch your mouth!" Becca yelled, making the other girl laugh as she clocked out. "You'll be fine, Y/N. Rich guys tip well!" she encouraged.

"If they tip you at all," C warned just once more before slipping out the back door.

You shrugged your pessimistic coworker off and went out into the bar. The new girl who'd been out there alone seemed relieved to see you, as it was starting to get a little hectic. "What can I make for you?" you asked her, at the same moment that she shoved a sticky note covered in drink orders in your hand. Okay, time to get to work.

***

You'd been working at an upscale bar for about four months now. It had always been a dream of yours to work as a bartender, and you put yourself through the first three years of college working in and out of dingy places near your campus. Just as you started your last year towards your degree, the owner of your current workplace visited your bar by sheer chance and was impressed by you and offered a job on the spot. Your new pay was nearly double your old wage and you made much better tips, but God the patrons were terrible.

Working at a bar is virtually never smooth sailing. No matter where the joint is located, you get most of the same problems. Making drinks can get messy, and all the handiwork involved in you job made nail polish impossible. Some guys got way too fucking drunk. They tried to drive home after just one too many beers. Even the snotty rich fellas would put their manners side and start shoving others around if they thought someone was ogling their wife in a weird way. These were no picnic to deal with, but working in the nicer areas came with its own set of challenges.

Y/N learned almost immediately that rich guys were ridiculously entitled. No matter which order you serve them, at least one of them will gripe by the time you reach them. Some of them made gross comments (fortunately, your boss has a no-tolerance policy for this and with a wave of the hand, a bouncer would carry out the offending customer). They complained about how well their drinks are made and demand them to be redone. Working at shitty bars had way more freedom, because regardless of how you treat the obnoxious customers, you'll still have people who come back. But in the nicer places, reputation matters. Sometimes you have to remake that drink, even if it just means transferring it to a different glass and adding new garnish when they're not looking and handing it right back to them.

That almost always works, by the way.

Anyways, the day was terrible, just as Courtney warned. It was a Murphy's Law kind of shift and nothing sounded better than going home, kicking your shoes off, and never having to live this day over again. Fortunately, she'd been wrong about the tips and you'd had to send your coworker back at least three times to dump the tip jar out back in the office as it had been overflowing. But did it make up for how lousy the rest of the shift was? Maybe. A little.

The most beautiful words a bartender can hear are, "We close at 11." You had worked at places that stayed open until as late as 2 AM, but your current bar was closed and locked up before the day even changed. Your shifts were great, typically only being about four or five hours and getting home at reasonable hours, but the time spent there just felt tedious.

You swore it was a human instinct to check your watch incessantly whenever it's the last 15 or so minutes of your shift. Even when there was so much left to do, something about twitching to look at your wrist too often was so much more appealing than working. Usually, the only thing to stop the tick is if an interesting patron walked in.

And one did.

He was tall, commanded the room, dressed up but in all black. His hair was timelessly loose and curly, and his hands peaking out from his blazer sleeves revealed that he might be hiding some tattoos. It was suddenly like you weren't wearing a watch at all.

"What can I get for you, sir?" you cooed, maybe just a little off the mark of being subtle.

"I'll take a tequila shot, and pour one for y'self, too," he said deeply, sitting at the bar and combing through his locks with his fingers. He intimidatingly peered over you as you awkwardly scrambled around.

"I think y'know I can't do that, sir," you said apologetically, fishing out a glass and breezily pouring a shot. While putting the bottle of tequila back, you grabbed some abandoned empty glasses from the bar and moved them behind the counter. Your coworker had gone to the back an hour ago to close the kitchen, and multitasking happened to be one of your strong suits.

"I don't, actually." His hand came up to rub at his bottom lip, and you noticed the nails were painted a dark blue, almost black. The other hand grabbed the drink you slid towards him followed by a lime wedge. He didn't take it yet.

You pulled the white towel off your shoulder and wiped down the area in front of you. "It's the X-ray problem at the doctor's."

The man's pointer finger spun around the rim of the glass. "I'm sorry, the what?"

"Okay, so, you're an adult man. I assume you've been to the doctor's before."

"That'd be a correct assumption, yes."

"Have you ever had an X-ray done?"

He raised an eyebrow. "I feel like everyone has."

"Probably most people. Anyways, the doctor tells you the X-ray is completely safe, but they go to Egypt to push the button."

The man laughed, and it was honestly music to your ears. You even felt your mouth involuntarily curl up a tiny bit. "You're right. But what's that got to do with this?" He lifted the shot glass and gestured towards you with it.

"The amount of radiation that one X-ray exposes you to is so negligible its rounds off to zero, but if the doctor stands in front of the machine for 8 hours every single day he goes to work, he'll definitely get every kind of cancer." You picked up a shot glass from the stack of them behind the counter. "If I have just one shot with every person who asked, I'd definitely get alcohol poisoning."

He let out another one of his gorgeous laughs, and you could no longer hold back a bashful smile. "But is the bar not about to close?" he asked.

"We are."

"And you don't seem drunk at all t'me," he hummed, scratching his stubble.

"You're quite observant." You nodded approvingly towards an old man on the other side of the bar who drained his lager glass before tossing a few dollars into the tip jar and shrugging on his coat. You rinsed the glass in the sink before putting it in the tray to carry to the back.

The man at the bar dragged his eyes at the leaving customer, aware that you and him were now alone. The shot he'd ordered still sat in front of him. "So I guess it couldn't hurt to actually have just one, hmm?"

You wiped your hands on a clean towel, thinking it over. To make the deal sweeter, the man pulled out a $50 bill and put it on the counter between the two of you. In all honesty, you weren't impressed. This was a nice bar, to be fair. It wasn't completely rare that big shots and new money heirs came in and shoved their fortunes down everyone's throats by getting everyone's tabs and tipping in the double and triple digits. His money didn't make you shrug and pull out another glass to fill-- no, it was something else.

He seemed so familiar. You couldn't put your finger on it, but something about him felt like you knew him already. And frankly, he did make a good point. The day had been super rough, your feet were aching, and you hadn't had a drop to drink all night. Even taking the tip out of the equation, it didn't sound like a terrible idea. What would one little shot hurt?

You dabbed some water on the back of your hand and salted it, though he went straight for licking his own hand. Once the two of you were ready to take your shots, he raised his glass towards you. The smirk on his face when you clinked your glasses together made something swirl in your lower belly, but you knew the tequila would extinguish that feeling immediately.

Lick. Shoot. Suck. You'd been a pro at this since that spring break you and your friends took to South Padre Island freshman year. The liquor barely even burned at this point, and you hummed while biting at the lime in your mouth as the man sputtered just a little bit.

"Here," he groaned, picking up and trying to hand you the $50.

You waved your hand a bit at him, reaching your hand up to let your hair out of the tie. "Don't even worry about it. You were fun talking to, it's not necessary."

"I insist." He seemed steadfast, and you didn't feel like arguing. You sighed and took the money gratefully, moving to slip it into the pooled tip jar. His hand suddenly shot out and grabbed your wrist gently. "I didn't put it in the tip jar for a reason."

You breathed through your nose carefully, a little turned on at his boldness. Your hand slowly retreated and stuffed the bill into your back pocket, and the man smiled once more.

He tossed a bit more money onto the counter to pay for the shots you two just took, and scribbled something out onto a napkin. He nodded towards you and left the bar just as the clock struck 11. Becca emerged from the back to go lock the front door and didn't seem to notice you were frozen. When you finally grabbed at the napkin he'd left, it was difficult trying to read his scrawled handwriting. "Harry," was the only thing written on it, followed by 10 simple digits.

That's when it finally clicked. This was Harry, the frontman of that band from ages ago. You remember your younger sister being a huge fan of them maybe ten years back, but it was a bit out of your generation. He seemed so much older now with that behind him, and he was quite charming. And you just got his phone number!

You stuffed the napkin into the same pocket as the money he'd given you, hurriedly cleaning the bar and getting ready to go home. You didn't tell a single coworker who you'd just talked to and clocked out as fast as you absolutely could. It almost felt like it didn't really happen, and if you talked about it out loud it would turn out to be a twisted elaborate dream.

Another pro of your bar's early close: busses were still running to take you home after work. On the way back to your apartment, you typed out a quick text to your new friend. I don't suppose I ever told you my name. I'm Y/N

Quick and simple. Not wasting time. You'd never been one to be patient or drawn out, and assumed most people didn't either. Playing those wait-three-days games had ended up fizzling out most of your friends' relationships and you hated to see it.

He responded. It was lovely meeting you, Y/N

Your lips curled into a soft smile as the dots popped back up on your screen.

When might I be able to see you again? You hummed at your phone screen, thinking over what to say as the automated voice on the bus informed you that your stop was close.

I work on Tuesday next week! you offered, stuffing your phone into your pocket and hopping off the bus. As you shoved your apartment key into the lock, your cell buzzed with another reply from Harry.

I was thinking about a time where neither of us are working, but you're adorably funny. He sure was a charmer.

He ended up inviting you out to a night in the city. The party scene wasn't terribly unfamiliar for you (your college friends had always been down to get lit), but it was always at frat houses or people's apartments and not clubs that served Dom Perignon under thousand-dollar chandeliers.

The night he took you out, you'd chosen to wear a loose silver mini dress that gleamed and reflected lights around you. It was simple but flashy, something you thought Harry would appreciate. A huge part of you wanted to stop the dressy part of your outfit right there given how often you work on your feet, but you had this pair of black strap heels that had never left your closet and deserved a night out just like you did.

Something inside you expected Harry to have a driver or whatnot, but he actually pulled up in a black Cadillac, and even went up to knock on your apartment door. A true gentleman. Opened the car for you and everything.

"I was a little nervous about riding together," you admitted once the two of you were on the road together.

Harry made a noise of confusion. "How come?"

"You know when you're on a first date, and in the car or the Uber or whatever, there's that small talk before the small talk you have at the destination? Ugh, that's my kryptonite in terms of second hand embarrassment."

"The first time we met, we immediately started talking about the dentist and alcohol poisoning and going to Egypt. I think we'll be fine."

"We did not talk about going to Egy—!" you started, but he cut you off.

"Anyways, I wanted to thank you for coming out tonight with me," he announced.

You exhaled sharply through your nose. "You? Thanking me? How come?" you asked.

"Well... you met me so recently. We've had maybe three conversations. For all you know, I could be a psycho murderer."

"So could I."

He didn't see that coming. He couldn't stop a half-snort, half-giggle from escaping him. "I s'pose, but isn't it more likely to be me?"

"I think that's sexist. We should hold both genders accountable for their shortcomings."

"You consider being a psycho murderer a shortcoming?"

"Exaggerations can go both ways."

He sighed. "I'm just tryin' to say thank you. Most girls wouldn't go off with a strange man." When he realized exactly what he'd just said, he immediately tried to backtrack. "Well, I— Not that I'm constantly asking strange women to go off with me. Just a figure of speech."

It was your turn to snort at his goofiness. "Now I don't believe that for a minute. A man as attractive and charming as you should never be looking far to get his rocks off."

His eyes narrowed but his focus was on the road. "Who are you?"

"I'm Y/N," you declared simply, leaning your elbow against the car door and resting your temple on your palm. "I'm from the suburbs around here. Went to the same college as my parents. Took the same major as my mom. Put myself through school by working at an upscale bar where I meet lovely characters like yourself." You looked over to see how he was reacting to your light teasing and he was staring straight ahead, smirking.

"So you're in school?" He pulled up to a red light and looked over at you.

"I'm a senior." His head cocked confusedly and you sighed. "I'm in my last year. I graduate next semester."

"Congratulations, love." Green light. "Always wish I'd gone to school, jus' a little bit of me does."

"Hmm? Why didn't you?" you asked absentmindedly, picking at one of the crystals on your dress.

Harry actually laughed. "I was, uh, a bit busy during that time of my life."

Your head snapped up and you opened your mouth awkwardly. "Oh!" You felt so stupid. He just seemed so normal to talk to, it was easy to forget who he was and just connect with him.

"S'not stupid, it's actually quite refreshing to feel like a normal nobody sometimes," he said.

Ah, you'd just said all that out loud. "Sorry," you mumbled sheepishly. "And thanks for calling me a nobody."

The two of you had arrived at the venue. "That's not what I meant, love," he tried to get out before a valet boy in a red vest opened your car door for you.

The second your heel made contact with the pavement you were suddenly stunned by a great flash of white-- someone had just taken your picture. You blinked a couple times for your eyes to refocus, but another flash went off, then another and another. You were really close to stumbling back if someone hadn't grabbed your wrist and tugged you towards the inside of the bar.

It was Harry. Once the two of you were inside he immediately showered you in apologies. "'M so sorry, love," he said in your ear. "Didn't think that one through. We'll go in through the back next time. Hope you're okay with being on DailyMail."

Whoa whoa whoa. Next time? Through the back? DailyMail?? It was amazing how nonchalant Harry was about having paps up his ass all the time. Being famous honestly didn't seem to be all it was cracked up to be.

The bar was designed like a speakeasy. It paid homage to the Mafia days of the establishment and the lighting was low and sensual. Harry got the two of you a table and ordered some cocktails.

"How're yeh doing?" he purred, asking you once you'd settled in and gotten your beverages.

You smiled, gently gnawing on the lime twist from your Cosmo. "This is lovely, especially when I'm not the one making the drinks."

He laughed, stretching an arm behind him and shrugging off his coat, leaving him in a simple white button down that was probably not as buttoned as it was meant to be. "I'm gonna scan the room and see if I know anyone here. I'd love for yeh to get to know some new people."

After looking around a bit, he found a friend of his named Nick, a charming and tall man who had a personal space issue (not giving people any of it, that is). He let you and Harry join him and his crew, and everyone was having a lovely time together, sipping cocktails and enjoying the live music performed by a talented woman in a red dress.

That is, of course, until your hand slipped while holding an orange drink and managed to spill it on Harry's white shirt. You rushed out a hundred apologies before he could even compute what was happening but he fortunately had a good spirit about it.

"It's alright love!" he laughed, inspecting the spot. It wasn't ruined. "It's just a shirt. 'Ve got a hundred more at home. I'll go clean this up."

"I'll help you," you offered, still feeling bad. He nodded and the two of you went to the bathroom of the club, a wheelchair-accessible room really only meant for one person.

It wasn't a tight fit, though, and the two of you could comfortably move around in the space. Harry locked the door behind you two and  tossed his coat onto the counter while you dabbed at the orange stain with a wet paper towel. It was already starting to lift a bit and looked like the fabric might even be salvaged.

"See? All worked up for nothing." He gave a soft, reassuring smile and your stomach turned giddily. "It especially won't be a problem if I just keep m'jacket on all night."

Harry readjusted his coat, shaking out the lapels. As he carried out this motion, something flew out of the inside pocket that caught your eye. It was small and lightweight, but plopped down onto the floor purposefully. It was a tiny plastic bag, not even as big as the palm of your hand, and filled with a fine white powder.

The awkward silence that filled the bathroom was oxygen-depriving. His mouth opened to say something but he blanked. Even though the music from the club was floating in the air, neither of you two were quite listening to it anymore. Harry's gaze switched from you to the bag at least twice while trying to think of something to say, but you beat him to it.

"Is... is that—?" you started, staring down at the baggie.

"I... understand if this is a deal breaker," Harry explained, picking up the drugs and placing them back in his coat. His hands flew up to nervously toy with his hair.

"I want to try it," you whispered.

"Smoking backstage joints with Kacey was one thing but it's--" he stopped. "I— You— what?"

"I always have," you confirmed, eyes fixated on the pocket where he'd just stuffed the blow. You glanced back up to make eye contact. "You don't have to give it for free. I can—"

"God, no," he said. "You're not gonna take your clothes off just for some coke."

"Uh, I was going to say I'd pay you for it, but real smooth, Casanova," you snickered, making him roll his eyes.

"I wouldn't make yeh pay for it. I mean, this is a date isn't it?" he reminded.

Your shoulders tensed up at the idea of mooching off the Harry Styles for coke, but relaxed when you realized he seemed genuine. "I suppose." You paused for a minute, thinking about what to say next. "My roommate in the second year of college took home the ugliest guys just to rail a line of theirs, so it's probably pretty damn good."

He laughed, lowering his eyes comfortably. "You're not gonna do a whole line first," he said lowly. "Maybe jus' a key bump to see how you feel. D'y'know what that is?"

You smirked. "Yes. You scoop a little bit on a key and just snort that."

"Look at you," he purred proudly. "Are you okay with doing that, doll?"

You leaned your head on the wall. "Yes, sir."

Harry beamed at you and dug into his pocket. "Fuck," he groaned, "the valet boy has m'keys. Have you got yours?"

You nodded and dug into your purse for your keys. He giggled at your keychain that looked like a waffle. "Don't laugh! It's easy to find when I'm in a rush."

"I'm not judging!" he defended, isolating the key with the widest tip. "S'actually quite cute." While holding that one key between his fingers, he opened the baggie and gently squished it around. He then carefully dug out a little scoop of the soft white powder using the key. "I'm gonna do one first so you can see how it's done, then you can try one y'self, okay?"

You nodded, and he handed you the baggie to hold as he carefully kept the key steady. You watched as he meticulously brought it up to one of his nostrils, holding the other one shut with his free hand. He sniffed deeply, and once he'd cleared the key, he pulled it away and let go of his nostril to full inhale. Finally he sighed and shook his head, blinking quickly.

"Harry?"

He fluttered his eyes once more before smiling. "Wow. Never gets old." You laughed with him and he delicately took the bag back from you. "Are yeh ready?"

"Yes," you whispered. He scooped another bump out, this time a bit more erratic and unsteady. He handed you the keys and resealed the bag, slipping it into his coat pocket.

"All yours, pretty girl."

You pursed your lips for a moment and plugged one of your nostrils. You thought your hands would be shaking at this point but you were steady as a surgeon when you brought it to your face. It'd be like taking a pill, right? Like, if you failed to swallow the entire mouthful of medication and water in one go, it won't go down, so if you just did one tiny sniff you would probably choke or cough your guts out. You inhaled deeply, ensuring you got every fleck of coke off the cool metal.

Even after you'd pulled the keys away and let go of your other nostril, you were frozen standing still. Harry observed you and laughed out loud. "Y/N, exhale!"

You finally let go of the huge breath you'd just taken. Your face immediately began feeling a bit tingly and then went numb. Your brain felt like it went into hyperdrive, your skin was on fire, your heart was racing, and something deep inside you told you to run.

"How do you feel, baby?" Harry asked, and you realized his large hand was cupping your cheek.

"So fucking good," you breathed. Your eyes scanned over his face. He had shaved for the evening, since there was no stubble and he'd been a bit scruffy that night at the bar. His lips were wet and red, and his jaw was sharp as steel. This was the first time you'd really gotten a good look at his eyes and they were gorgeous. Pupils blown out by the coke, green from what you could see, littered with flecks of gold. You wanted to get lost in those eyes.

"Y/N?" he asked softly, feeling uncomfortable with you scrutinizing his face. "Are yeh sure you feel al—hmm!"

He was cut off by you diving forward to kiss him. Neither of you had even a second thought about this. Your hands were furious; both of you were pulling at buttons and zippers to expose more skin without even breaking for air. One of your hands strategically slipped down to slide over the bulge in his trousers and he gasped into the kiss.

"Can I—" he breathed over your face.

"Yes, God, yes." At the confirmation, Harry pulled you off of him completely and turned you around to face the mirror, pushing you down by your back. He pinned you between himself and the bathroom counter, your hips digging into the edge. His cock aligned with your center, grinding and shamelessly moaning before tugging up the bottom of your dress and sliding your panties to the side.

His fingers skimmed over your folds, getting to know your core and swirling around your clit. "Hmm, seems like someone gets excited when they've got a li'l blow in them," he mused. "Fuck, pet, your clit is so swollen, someday I'm gonna have to get it on my tongue."

You whined, wanting that to happen right now but were delighted nonetheless to hear his pants unzipping.

"But right now, I have to get m'self in you." You felt him fumbling around behind you before he was pressing against your entrance. "S'this okay, doll?"

You nodded desperately, dropping your head and pushing back so that the head of his cock pushed its way inside you. He groaned and grabbed your hair, pulling you up to look at yourself in the mirror. Harry guided his hips forward until finally the two of you were fit snugly and started fucking in and out of you.

If your lipstick wasn't fucked up already from the drinking and making out, it was now that he was dipping his fingers into your mouth and using the leverage to thrust into you harder. His hands smeared across your face a bit as he relentlessly buried his cock in you over and over.

At one point, you lifted one leg such that you could bring it up onto the counter beside you. From a third eye, the position may seem acrobatic and intense but was oddly uncomplicated and gave Harry a far wider range of motion. At this angle, he was unforgivingly stimulating your G-spot, turning you into a weeping puddle of whines and expletives.

"Right there harder holy fuck Harry you're so deep keep going right fucking there," were only a sample of the pathetic things falling from your lips. You could be embarrassed at your words later, right now you were way too close to an orgasm to care.

Harry was spurred on by your vocalization, as one does. One hand dug into the flesh at your hip to make the two of you collide even more intensely, while the other hand snaked down to flick at your clit with the fingers coated in your spit. When you finally did cum, you were glad that he was pinning you down so tightly as your standing leg was virtually boneless.

As if watching you fall apart on his cock wasn't enough, you had to cap it off by begging the dirtiest things you could think of from him. "Cum inside me, daddy, please fill me up, show everyone who's cunt this is, please."

His hips stuttered once before he shoved the entire length back in you and came until his member stopped twitching. When he caught his breath, he pulled out and watched the soft white liquid seep out after him. He went to touch it and you recoiled.

"Sorry, m'sensitive," you weeped, and he ran his other hand through your hair while putting himself away.

"I should be sorry. Fucked the stand out of ya," he noted with a chuckle, assisting you getting redressed.

Once the two of you were presentable enough to step back out into the club and the thick sex atmosphere had wafted away, the tension grew. "So,  uh, it's getting kind of late, hmm?" you led. "Maybe I should be on my way." Part of you didn't want to leave, but all good things had to come to an end and it was better to err on the safe side rather than overstay your welcome.

He laughed, pulling you to him by your waist. His eyes scanned over you and the smirk on his face was downright devilish. "Oh darling, if you think for even a moment that this evening is over, you're quite mistaken."

Harry grabbed your hand and pulled you back into the noisy crowd of the club, where your night was just starting to begin.

Loner // IT 2017 Chapter Twenty - One

Dodie Clark - She

-

Am I allowed to look at her like that?

Could it be wrong, when she's just so nice to look at?

And she smells like lemongrass and sleep

She tastes like apple juice and peach

You would find her in a Polaroid picture

And she means everything to me

I'd never tell

No, I'd never say a word

And oh it aches

But it feels oddly good to hurt

She smells like lemongrass and sleep

She tastes like apple juice and peach

You would find her in a Polaroid picture

And she means everything to me

And I'll be okay

Admiring from afar

Cause even when she's next to me

We could not be more far apart

Cause she tastes like birthday cake and story time and fall

But to her

I taste of nothing at all

Cause she smells like lemongrass and sleep

She tastes like apple juice and peach

You would find her in a Polaroid picture

And she means everything to me

Yes, she means everything to me

She means everything to me

//

Danielle's POV

"Uck, that's disgusting." Beverly cringed. Me, Bev, Richie, and Eddie gawked at Casey's table. Clair Benson, one of her pets, was running her hands through his hair while they talked. Casey and Bill were playing tonsil tennis, effectively ruining my appetite.

"When the hell did Stan become a traitor?" I asked, scooting my tray away from my face. "Over the weekend when you were at home. We were at a party and I introduced them. They started talking about stories of each other from school. It was weird as fuck." Beverly rolled her eyes.

"No, you're the whore!" Richie and Eddie came in, arguing once again. "I'm not a whore. If anything, you are!" Eddie retorted, sitting in a plastic chair across from me.

"I don't know Rich...I gotta agree with Eds, you are drowning in pussy." I humored him. He smirked,"Maybe you're right. I had Marina Ledges just begging for Lil Henry the other day."

"'Lil Henry'?" Bev asked, disgust on her face. "Yeah. Y'know...My d-" "We got it Rich!" Eddie interrupted, yelling. "I'm a pussy annihilator!" Richie smirked proudly.

"Really? Then why did Sarah Jesso reject you? She's a known hoe. She would fuck Eddie. No offense Eddie." Bev added in.

"On second thought, I think Eddie's the whore. I mean, have you seen the way he stares at Mr. Zigs?" Richie asked wryly, smirking. "I am not boning my Biology teacher! I get my grades honestly through tireless studying and grueling homework!"

We all laughed. "I don't know Eds, Richie may be right." Bev chuckled. "Yeah. I mean, I've seen the way you two stare at each other, biting your lips and hiking up your shorts to show off your thighs." I shrugged.

"Fuck you guys!" Eddie exclaimed, throwing his things in the trash. We all turned to gawk at the PDA coming from the table of whores once again. When Eddie came back he joined in, muttering something about sucking face.

The bell rang, dismissing us from lunch. "Thank god," I grumbled to Bev as we walked down the hallway,"If I had to look at that for one more second I was gonna barf." "Me too." Beverly scowled.

Someone shoulder checked me. I looked ahead, seeing Casey's dumbass. "Just let it go, Dani." Beverly held my arm, keeping me in place. I exhaled calmly,"You're right, you're right."

We sat in the library, talking about things. She told me that Jake told her what happened. "So, he kinda caused your guys breakup?" She asked.

I chuckled,"No. Both Bill and I were at fault. But regardless, we weren't meant for each other, clearly." Bev nodded,"You're being really mature about this, good for you." She smiled.

What I didn't tell her was how and why I was being so mature. I didn't mind the fact Bill had fucked me over. I didn't mind because now I could feel whatever I wanted for anyone without feeling bad.

"Well, I gotta go. Ben and I gotta study for calculous." She stood, pushing in her chair. I nodded,"Have fun." Sometimes I forget that they're all in the year above me. Everyone except Eddie.

When the bell rang again I grabbed my things and hauled ass from History to Bio. I was hasty to get to the room, as it was my last class of the day. On my way to class I felt someone shoulder check me again.

But this time Beverly wasn't here to keep me level-headed. I turned, slapping Casey. "You fucking whore!" I spat. I could see the anger bubbling up through her, exiting her mouth in the form of a comeback,"At least I can keep a guy, shit you-"

"No that fuck you can't! Bill only went back to you because he thought I didn't want him. You're just a cheap version of me, and you know it. That's why you hate me. Because I'm classy and you're t-"

She punched me in the ribs. It didn't hurt too bad. I rolled my eyes. "Trashy." I finished. She screamed, trying to jump on me. I moved out of the way swiftly. I ran to my class, that was only a few steps away, and nearly avoided her.

About ten minutes later I was called down to the office. I received a detention, while Casey got off...you guessed it! Scott free. That bitch.

Kali's POV

I woke up to a pounding headache once again. I groaned, sitting up slowly. I took some pain numers, then went about my morning routine.

When I got to school all I wanted to do was see Beverly. I knew she was hanging out with Danielle and the rest of the famed Losers Gang.

Another morning spent alone in the bathroom...

Everyday I waited for History and Biology, dreading anything before or after. Our projects were done after today, no need for her to continue to pretend to be my friend.

As I walked down the hallway, ready for History, I ran into a large person. I fell straight on my ass. "Oh, I'm so sorry!" He pulled me up with his large hand. "No, you're fine, it was my fault." I was distracted, focused soully on seeing Bev.

"No no, it's my fault. And how could I have missed such a beautiful girl." He smirked. I recognized him as Ben Hanscom. "I um-I-I-" His smirk stood still,"It's alright. How about I make it up by taking you out this Friday night?" He leaned against the wall.

"I-I have a boyfriend." I ran past him, up the stairs.

History couldn't have rolled around any slower! I sat across from the acclaimed red head, staring at the back of her beautiful hair.

As the teacher droned on and on about the French Revolution and marquis de lafayette's genius, the words of Stevie Nicks rang through my mind.

Something's happening

Happening to me

My friends say I'm acting peculiarly

C'mon baby

We better make a start

You better make it soon before you break my heart

Oh I

I want to be with you everywhere

Oh I

I want to be with you everywhere

And it was true. I look at this woman. This divine creation of beauty. I felt my face still burning. I tried to control my blush, but I just couldn't.

I packed up my things, ready for the school day to be over. The bell rang, dismissing the students. A note fell over my books. I looked up to see Beverly, holding tightly onto her book bag straps, looking over her shoulder at me as walked out the door. She winked before she crossed the doorway.

I smiled, picking up the note. Scrawled in her pretty loopy hand writing was: We still on for a sleepover? I smiled as I read her name signed at the bottom: Beverly

Danielle's POV

I walked down the staircase to the detention room. Boy oh boy was I in it when I got home. If my day wasn't bad enough you could not believe the only other person in the room. Richie goddamn mother fuckin Tozier.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't the P-" "Save it, Creep." He was taken back by this. I hadn't said anything of the sort to him in a very long time.

I looked to the front, ignoring him. My dumbass didn't bring anything with me. My things were in my book bag in my car. I sighed, knowing he wouldn't leave me to sulk in peace. I knew my inevitable fate at home.

He was fucking humming. Again. "Could you fucking stop?" I asked, hatred packed in my words, turning around to face him.

"What am I doing wrong?" He asked, tilting his head in a benign way, continuing his humming. I rolled my eyes. "Don't look at me." He stoped to be a dick, then continued humming.

Furrowing my brows out of confusion,"What the fuck is wrong with you?" I stood, walking over to him. "You're-you're unbelievable! I try to be nice! I try so fucking hard! And you're-you're just a dick to me! All. The. Time!"

He smirked, the corner of his mouth raising. That smirk made all of my anger melt away. Any anger I had ever felt for him dipped off me like a cheap candle and puddled on the floor below me, absorbing into the carpet.

His eyes shone brightly, the florescent lights capturing their beauty in full. Those beautiful eyes. Those Sienna eyes that I had grown to love.

Love? Really Danielle? Do I love him... No, no I couldn't. I can't. But god, those eyes were so inviting and made me feel so warm that I could look into them at the depths of the sea and still feel at home.

Maybe I do love him. No, I know I love him. I mean, how could you not love someone who made you feel like they built the sun, just for you?

How could you not love someone who made you feel that every breath you took was the first that had ever been taken? How could you not love someone who made you feel as if they didn't need music, that your voice was the only melody they ever needed. So how could I not be in love with him?

As I stared into his doe eyes that were magnified by his thick lenses, I thought about what I wanted to tell him. And I opened my mouth:

"I love you. I love you so much. I look at you and all I see is this beautiful human being.

All I see is your smile, your eyes that look brutal and theres a defining pain there, but so much love.

All I see are your dark curls, framing your gorgeous face. Your face could melt away the deepest of stresses, making malignant days seem like heaven on earth.

Your long, taut legs. Your thin cascading arms, leading to large, lithe hands.

Every part, every Inch, ever freckle, every pale section of your being is beautiful. There isn't a part of you that I wouldn't feel honored and blessed to love."

But I didn't open my mouth. I didn't say what I needed to say. I didn't tell him that he's everything I could and would ever need.

I didn't tell him his eyes remind me of rainy days spent inside under the covers.

I didn't tell him that I love him.

Kali's POV

I sat across from Beverly in Biology, filling out a sheet. She made a corny joke about atoms, a smile forcing it's way to my face. We both erupted into innocent laughter.

Just the sound of her giggling voice made my heart flutter. And I knew, in that moment, that I wasn't like other girls. I wasn't normal.

Danielle's POV

"You're not so innocent, Princess. You..." We droned on and on about why the other person was at fault for our broken friendship. It was breaking me to tear him down.

"And-and your perfect face, beautiful hair, long legs..." His tone softened,"You just sit there and pretend I hate you! You sit there and you can't see that you're breaking my heart! You stand here and act like the reason I hate you isn't because I can't stand the thought of you with Bill! You're breaking my heart Danielle. You're fucking breaking my heart."

All I could do was look into his eyes. He had a tears escaping his eyes, only making a short way from his tear ducts before wiping them away. He looked to me for a response.

I opened my mouth to say something, but I couldn't muster up anything.

He cradled the back of my head, pulling me in close to him. He crashed his soft lips into mine.

Word Count: 2170

Character Interview: Liv Ramsey

I wasn’t tagged by anyone this time and I’m not tagging anyone, I just wanted to do the character interview with Olivia :D if you also have a character you want to interview and haven’t been tagged for it, consider this an invitation!

name ➔ Olivia Ramsey. Friends call me Liv. I guess you can, too, if ya want.

are you single ➔ Startin' with the tough questions, huh? (she pauses for a very long moment, toying absentmindedly with what looks like a very expensive sapphire necklace she wears before finally turning a bright smile your way) It's complicated, like really complicated, but… no. I'm not. But if you could keep that between us, I'd appreciate it.

are you happy ➔ most of the time, yeah. Got a good group of close friends, enough money to eat every day, and a job that keeps me on my toes. What more could I ask for?

are you angry ➔ sometimes. Never sticks for long. (she grins, unrepentant and joyful) I’ve got a great anger management secret.

are your parents still married ➔ I don’t know if they ever were. Never met ‘em. Don't even know their names. They died when I was a baby, or they couldn’t keep me, or they didn’t want me, or… whatever. (she shrugs stiffly)

NINE FACTS

birth place ➔ I dunno. New York, I assume, since that’s where I grew up. Lived in Manhattan ‘til I moved out here to Chicago. I miss it, sometimes. The pizza here’s awful.

hair colour ➔ Red, right now. Or did you mean my natural color? ‘Cause that’s my little secret.

eye colour ➔ blue. Ice blue, if you wanna be dramatic about it.

birthday ➔ August 2nd.

mood ➔ pretty chill, right now.

color scheme ➔ I really like shades of red and pink. Black, because it goes with everything, yellow because it really doesn’t.

gender ➔ I mean, gender is a social construct, but I’m female for the most part. Some days more than others.

summer or winter ➔ summer. New York winters are a bitch, and I hear Chicago’s even worse. Good thing I’m not the one that has to drive in it.

morning or afternoon ➔ morning. Best time of day to get shit done is early in the morning or really late at night.

EIGHT THINGS ABOUT YOUR LOVE LIFE

are you in love ➔ yep. I was never any good at keepin' it a secret. At least, from most people. I had to beat him over the head with it before he believed me. (she laughs to herself, a clearly besotted smile on her face) He had me at hello, though, he really did.

do you believe in love at first sight ➔ If you'd asked me that a few months ago, I'd have said no, but now… yeah. Yeah, I think I do.

who ended your last relationship ➔ I think it was a mutual thing. She was lookin' for one thing and I was lookin' for something else. Sometimes people just aren't meant to fit together. Better to split up than try to force it.

have you ever broken someone’s heart ➔ Sure. (she shrugs one shoulder, completely unbothered by the idea) On both an amateur and a professional level. I'm a con artist, sweetheart. Or I used to be. It comes with the territory.

are you afraid of commitments ➔ nope. I actually have the opposite problem. I sometimes overcommit and throw myself into causes or relationships - platonic or romantic - that aren't worthy of my time or my loyalty. I just… don't like to do things by halves, y'know?

have you hugged someone within the last week? ➔ yep. Gabriel, definitely. Mouse, probably. Maybe Rook, and I think Anna as well. I like hugs.

have you ever had a secret admirer ➔ I mean, if it's a secret that means I don't know about it. (she winks) But yeah, I get admirers sometimes. I try to let them down easy. I know it sounds a bit hypocritical with the career I'm in, but I don't like hurting people if I don’t have to.

have you ever broken your own heart? ➔ nah. I don't carry the right ammunition for that. Easy to avoid a broken heart if you don't get your hopes up.

SIX CHOICES

love or lust ➔ lust, if I have to choose, but they're best when they're together

lemonade or iced tea ➔ iced tea. Or both! They’re also best when they’re together.

cats or dogs ➔ cats. I have a sweet little kitten named Ruby, she's just the best.

a few best friends or many regular friends ➔ I don't know if I know how to have regular friends anymore. Seems like people only come in two flavors, these days: "acquaintance" and "family." It's an embarrassment of riches, after it bein' just me and Mouse for so long. Now I'm surrounded by people who care about me. It's… well, it's fuckin' weird, but I wouldn't trade it for anything.

wild night out or romantic night in ➔ wild night out. Somewhere that the music's so loud you can feel it in your bones. Or maybe getting into a little trouble with my crew.

day or night ➔ night. The real fun doesn't start until after sunset.

FIVE HAVE YOU EVERS

been caught sneaking out ➔ sure. Didn't stop me, though.

fallen down/up the stairs ➔ nope. Almost fell off the side of an 80 story building once. Well, technically it was 100 stories, but I was on the 80th floor. Maybe I shoulda taken the stairs.

wanted something/someone so badly it hurt? ➔ yes (a flash of pain streaks across her face and she stares into the middle distance. it's clear she has no intention of elaborating)

wanted to disappear ➔ sometimes. I'm pretty good at it, if I need to.

been involved in a fight you thought you couldn’t win ➔ there's no such thing as a fight you can't win. Gabriel taught me that. I have literally watched him die and be resuscitated and then get up and keep fighting. It was the most terrifying minute of my life and I never want to see him like that again, but the statement still stands.

FOUR PREFERENCES

smile or eyes ➔ eyes. Considering… well, considering Gabriel and the fact that more often than not, his eyes are the only part of his face that I can see, I've become very fond of them and of just how expressive they can be.

shorter or taller ➔ I'm gonna say shorter. I don't really have a preference one way or the other, but I think a lotta folks say taller and I like being contrary. Also 'cause I wanna have Mouse's back.

intelligence or attraction ➔ I feel like I should say attraction, since I used to make my living off of exploiting it. (she laughs) I do love to surround myself with smart people, though.

hook-up or relationship ➔ relationship. I've tried to do the casual hook-up thing, but I'm not any good at it. I get attached too easy.

FAMILY

do you and your family get along ➔ if you mean, like, blood family, I don’t… have any. At all. If you mean my chosen family, yeah, we get along swell.

would you say you have a “messed up life” ➔ I'm a high-ranking member of an angel-themed crime syndicate that's currently at war with the Chicago Mafia and the FBI. What d'you think, sweetheart?

have you ever ran away from home ➔ “Home” is an interesting word, isn’t it? (she smirks like she plans to leave it there, but eventually sighs) Yeah, I’ve run away. From foster homes, from the orphanage. Always got dragged back, until the last time. Maybe they couldn’t find me. Maybe they stopped looking.

have you ever gotten kicked out ➔ (she laughs) Sure, all the time. Usually after the second time the cops brought me home. No one wants to keep a troublemaker around.

FRIENDS

do you secretly hate one of your friends ➔ no. I mean, if you hate them, then they aren’t your friend, are they? And when I hate someone, I don’t tend to keep it a secret.

do you consider all of your friends good friends ➔ yep. I would take a bullet for any of them and I know they’d do the same for me.

who is your best friend ➔ Mouse. Edwyn and I have known each other since high school. He’s always had my back and I’ve always had his. Always will. Though… at this point I guess I gotta mention Rook and Bishop too. Haven’t known ‘em long, but we… fit, y’know? It’s kinda funny, really, since they were tryin’ to kill me the first time we met. Some days, I’m not convinced they still aren’t, just in a really convoluted way.

who knows everything about you ➔ Gabriel. He proved that the very first time we met. He knows more than I do about me, I’m sure of it. He kinda meant it as a threat at the time, but these days it’s comforting. I guess Mouse knows more about me on a personal level, though, at least for now. Gabriel’s got ways of finding things out, but Mouse was there for most of it. So like, Gabriel knows more of the broad strokes, but Edwyn knows more of the little details, I guess? Does that sound stupid?

Okay last one then I sleep! Truth serum time! Az, Ira, Jackie and Daemon what are your honest opinions on each other, your creator and my incessant bs questions?

Azazel: *grits teeth a little* Well, obviously I care about Jacqueline the most. I've known her the longest. She's great when she's not acting "depressed" or possessed by her "Shadow". I just...wish she'd realize how good we'd be together already.

The old man's alright. He's a big a big fuckin' softie who makes pretty good food.

Ira rubs me the wrong way. He just shows up one day, acts like a feral animal and Doll(his nickname for Jac) just lets him live here! And let's him sleep in her bed! She doesn't even let ME do that!!

My creator sucks for dragging our stories out, but I never get tired of talking about myself. So please continue your asks~ *winks*

Jacqueline: *bites tongue in annoyance bc she hates admitting feelings* Daemon's the closest thing to an actual father figure I've ever had. Like...he actually gives a fuck about me, and not in a sexual way! Even after all the fucked up shit he's gone through, he's still got a good heart and that astounds me. I trust him and genuinely care about him.

Ira...Ira and I just understand each other, y'know? He's angry and hurt and got fucked over by people who should have taken care of him. It's like looking in a very masculine mirror *laughs* So there's no judgement when one of us has a breakdown or a nightmare. We can just lean on each other. It's...it's nice to be close to someone who doesn't see me as a novelty or a sex toy.

And ooooooooh boy. Where do I even start with Ace(Azazel)? He's an old friend, and I used to enjoy the "benefits" part of the friends with benefits agreement we had. But he's forgotten the "friends" part. He only seems to like me when I'm being "fun", but immediately dips out when I have an episode. I can't get close to him without him getting handsy and it's frustrating!

I used to be Pumpkin, kinda? So I get why she made me the way I am. And I kind of hate you for making me admit all this shit, to be honest.

Ira: Daemon and Jacqueline are my family. They took me in when I was hurt, fed me and gave me a place to stay. Even after I lashed out at them. Even after I left, they let me come back. I had to learn what "family" meant, but they are that to me.

Azazel gives me a weird vibe, though. I feel like he hates me, but I don't know why. I've never done anything to him...

Pumpkin is my creator, so I'm grateful to her for letting me exist. Even if my story's been hard so far. And I don't mind questions, I'm used to being questioned.

Daemon: *smiles softly* They're my kids. I love them all like they're my own flesh and blood. I know they're all hurting in their own ways, but I'm doing my best to soothe some of their emotional wounds.

I think my creator is too hard on herself sometimes, and I don't blame her or begrudge her for making our stories sad. These things happen. And...*chuckles* I have enjoyed your questions, dear.

What if T.O.M Reviews Castlevania II: Simon's Quest?

T.O.M: This game sucks.

T.O.M: Castlevania 1 and 3 are great classic Nintendo games, but for Castlevania 2: Simon's Quest, the game designers obviously were not thinking straight. At first, it seems like a pretty decent game, a little different from the first in the series but, that's okay. Zelda 2 was different from the first, Mario 2 was different, but they were all good.

T.O.M: The first thing that's strikingly different is the fact that you have to go through towns, talk to people and buy stuff. I never really minded that, it makes it a little more like an adventure story and it's kinda like Zelda, so that's okay. But the first problem comes in when it changes from day to night.

- gameplay of Castlevania II starts -

T.O.M: Why does this need to happen so often? Like, every five minutes? Why does it take so long? Nobody feels like sitting through this every time. How would you like it if you were playin' a game and then every five minutes I came over, and paused it, then counted ten tedious seconds, and then let you continue play the game?

T.O.M: Now, I mean, why did they think that that would be a good idea and interrupt the gameplay, did they think it would be more realistic? I mean, in real life I don't have to stop in my tracks when the sun sets and a fuckin' box doesn't pop up in the air. I mean, this is one of the most annoying features in any game ever. What's the point? Yeah, the, I mean, the monsters are stronger at night and the stores are closed, but why's that necessary and why does the game have to stop? It's fuckin' retarded.

T.O.M: And why do you have to die when you fall in the water? That's the stupidest thing I've ever seen. This guy can go all over fightin' hordes of evil monsters, but he can't even fuckin' swim?

T.O.M: Sometimes I don't feel like goin' down the stairs just to get down to ground level, I mean, there's no reason I should have to do that when I can just take a shortcut and jump down. But, oops! I shouldn't do that, there might be water down there.

T.O.M: Another thing that's really annoying about this game is the fact that you have to buy weapons and items. I mean, still, that's not uncommon, you know like I said: that's the same thing you have to do in many great games, like Zelda, but, lemme explain.

T.O.M: Here you have to collect hearts, which count as money. I mean, that's kinda odd, because usually hearts count as life or energy, y' know, so that's kinda strange. But, y' know that's not the point. The point is that the items you need to buy are too fuckin' expensive, and the hearts don't add up enough. It takes too long to get enough of them to buy something, and it gets boring wandering around killing the same monsters over and over again just so you can buy a Flame Whip or somethin'.

T.O.M: Speaking of Flame Whip, that's pretty weird itself, isn't it? I mean, they were really being creative with that one, the flame whip.

T.O.M: Anyway, about the hearts: It takes too long to buy stuff, and, to add onto the problem, when you die, you lose all your hearts and you have to start all over again. I mean, doing this doesn't add to any of the games' difficulty or challenge, it just makes us have to do more of the same monotonous stuff over again, and it's not fun, it's boring.

T.O.M: Oh, look, I finally got enough hearts to go and buy a plant that I need to cross the swamp, now let me get to the store.

T.O.M: Oh shit, it's fuckin' night time, now the stores are all closed and I have to wait for it to turn day again. Oh well, I might as well kill some zombies in the meantime and stock up on some more hearts.

T.O.M: OH SHIT! Now I gotta start all over again.

T.O.M: One of the worst things in the game are the Pitfalls, which are areas where there's, like, stones or blocks that look like you could walk on them, but instead you just fall through. It's impossible to tell where these spots are the first time walkin' through, so you just have to keep throwin' Holy Water all over to see where they are. It's retarded. Why should I have to do that? Again, it doesn't add up to any of the fun, y' know, challenge of the game. It's just unfair and it's annoying.

T.O.M: In the dungeons, there's no bosses at the end, which is a big disappointment. Every Nintendo gamester knows that at the end of a level or a dungeon labyrinth, whatever, there's always supposed to be a big guy who ya fight. But here, they just got lazy and only put a few bosses in the game and left some of the dungeons just empty like this one. So, most of the dungeons you go through (the mansions, to be exact), there's nothing at the end except for a crystal orb that you can't touch.

T.O.M: In the rest of the Castlevania games, the tradition goes like this: You fight a boss, you defeat him, then an orb comes down and you touch it, there you go, on to the next level. But in Castlevania 2, how would you ever figure out that you're supposed to throw an Oak Stake at that orb? I mean, when you first get the Oak Stake you assume it's a weapon, and you throw it, only to find that it does absolutely nothing, and that you waste it by throwing it, so you have to get it all over again.

T.O.M: There are parts in the game that are definitely not self-explanatory and are too hard to figure out. Take this dead end for example: Would you guess that you're supposed to pass through this wall? How? You have to kneel down by it for like ten seconds. Now, still, that's not enough to make it so cryptic and hidden that we can't figure it out, oh please, give us more for our buck and make it harder so we can wander around the whole game and exhaust every possibility before we find out. Okay. Guess what? You need to have a Red Crystal selected, and be kneeling down, and wait a little while before this magic tornado comes and takes you to the next part of the game.

T.O.M: Most of the townspeople have things to say which aren't important at all, so why do you have to read 'em? Here, in the dungeons, there's books that you may find which actually give you clues about things in the game that you may need to know about. But, when I find these books, half the time it's by accident, so I may hit the button and cancel it out which means I don't even get to read it and I don't have a second chance.

T.O.M: Why can't I do that when it changes from day to night? That would actually be helpful. So, what the game designers figured is this: it isn't absolutely necessary for me to read about how to find Dracula's castle or what I'm supposed to do with an Oak Stake, but what I do need to read, again and again constantly, is: "The morning sun has vanquished the horrible night". How about "vanquished this horrible GAME"?

T.O.M: The only sure way to get through this awful game is to enter a code, but even that is way more tedious than it should be. While most of the Castlevania games have symbols you enter for a code, this one just has a whole bunch of numbers. I mean, like, one of those little parts would be enough for a password. But why four? Like why so many?

T.O.M: In general, I hate games that have passwords like this, because sometimes they have uppercase and lowercase letters. Like the l's, you know, look like I's, the 0's look like O's, the 8's look like 5's so, why does there have to be so many digits? Y'know, like why can't it just be numbers or somethin'? Like, y' know, just numbers and not letters? I mean, it takes me, like, five minutes to enter this code when it should only take, like, five seconds. It's friggin' stupid.

T.O.M: Okay, so, say we enter the code, and we go to Dracula's castle. You'll be pretty disappointed how anticlimactic this game is. It isn't even worth putting in a code, let alone playing the whole game all the way through, which, if you did, I feel bad for you.

T.O.M: I mean, first of all: there's no enemies in Dracula's castle, you just walk all the way through and the only obstacles are just, like, goin' up and down steps, which won't hurt you and they aren't challenging, either. It's just tedious. I mean, what the hell's the point of going through the castle if there's no way to fight? Did the game designers just, like, run out of time or somethin'?

T.O.M: So then, you get up to Dracula, and guess what? He doesn't look anything like Dracula, he looks like a grim reaper and he throws sickles. I mean, did the people who made this game even know what Dracula is? He's a fuckin' vampire.

T.O.M: Alright, on top of everything, Dracula's way too easy. Check this out. This is a trick I discovered myself and so could you, without the help of any strategy guide. When Dracula first appears, he stands there for a while, and he gives you plenty of time to land lots of free hits. Not only does he stand there for a long time, but everything that hits him will stun him and give you even more time.

T.O.M: Naturally, you'll probably be using the flames, because it's one of the most effective weapons in the game. But, using it against Dracula, it makes it simply impossible for him to even do anything. He has no chance. The second you start throwin' that shit at him, you've already won. I mean, why is it that easy? Did they even test this shitty game out before they released it?

T.O.M: What a piece of shit. I mean, I feel horrible that I had to play this game in order to make this video, but I did it to demonstrate its dreadfulness and I forced myself to play it just so that you don't have to. So, you should thank me for telling you to stay away from this horrible steaming pile of goat shit. I mean, I know it's useless complaining about a game that was made back in the late '80s, or early '90s or whatever, but it just blows my mind how fuckin' horrible it is. I mean, it's consistently annoying.

T.O.M: Why? Why is it so bad? If all these problems were changed then we'd have a great trilogy of classic Castlevania games, but, history is history, and we might as well try to count Castlevania 3 as, you know, the second in the series, and leave this awful piece of horse shit alone, as it stands today as one of the biggest fuck-ups of all time.

T.O.M: We rate Castlevania II: Simon's Quest, well. all i say is this: This game sucks. Thanks for listening

Only Toonami, on [adult swim]

The Gamer Hero, Deku Chapter 11

A/N: College stinks. This is a bit of a shorter chapter because of that and the fact that I don't want to start an entire arc mid-chapter. Don't worry though, next chapter's probably going to be a doozy to make up for it.

And in this chapter we see some more of that offscreen character development Bakugou had.

xoxoxo

I gulped. There was a huge mob of reporters standing in front of the gates, worse than any swarm of skeletons my Illusion Barrier could spawn. Their large, beady, camera-like eyes turned to focus on me, and they lurched over to me in a single horde like ravenous, information-hungry zombies. "Young man, have you been in a class with All Might yet?" the leader of the pack asked me.

"Eep," I said. "W-well..." I was cut off from an oppressive feeling coming from my left. I turned to see Kacchan glaring at the press gang.

"We're going to class," Kacchan said coldly. "Would you kindly fuck the hell off?"

"Hey, weren't you that one boy from the sludge mon-" Kacchan glared harder.

"Actually, we were both involved in the sludge monster incident..." I corrected.

"Wasn't the other kid Quirkless?"

"My Quirk is really weird, okay? I only really learned how to use it after that..."

Kacchan angrily cleared his throat. "Now could we please get to our class!?" he demanded.

"But-"

"Pretty fuckin' sure what you're doing is illegal," Kacchan said.

"And it's our job as heroes in training to report crimes in process, right?" I contributed.

"Right, so how 'bout you guys disperse before we go get one of our pro hero teachers, who I'm willing to bet won't like how you won't let us through."

"I really don't," Aizawa-sensei said from behind me. "Now please let my students go to their class unless you have a genuine, valid reason to keep them from their education aside from 'I want to know how All Might teaches.'"

"If it's any consolation, he's nice and gave us some pointers on our Quirks," I said.

"You got your statement, now let us through," Aizawa-sensei said. The crowd let us pass, though the lead reporter lady tried to chase us and was blocked by the security barrier.

"What the hell is with that? I could have died!" The reporter yelled.

"That thing's meant to catch villains who try to enter!" Kacchan yelled. "If it comes down, that means you're trying to trespass!"

Aizawa-sensei sighed. "I'll deal with this. You to get to the classroom."

xoxoxo

Kacchan and I summoned our elementals, causing some oohs and aahs from our classmates. "So these are our elementals," I said. They waved for the class, showing off a small application of their powers as well. "They're sorta like spirits made from a certain element of magic. I don't know if we create them or summon them from nature with the elemental ritual and they don't seem to have any answers. My theory is that they do exist in nature, but without a summoner they're too... primordial, if that makes sense, to do anything. It's only by forming a contract with a summoner that they can take humanoid forms. Any questions?"

"They're so cute!" Mina said.

Pyra smiled. "That wasn't a question, but thank you," she said.

"For whatever reason, they look like kids," Kacchan said. "Apparently how powerful they are is dependent on skill level or something. Our elementals are actually at the second stage or whatever. They looked even younger a couple months ago."

Tokoyami walked up to me and bowed on one knee. "Honored keeper of ancient knowledge, wouldst thou teach me thy power?" he said in a dramatic voice.

"What the fuck did I just listen to?" Kacchan asked to nobody in particular.

"Child of shadow," I said, playing along with him.

"Jesus fucking Christ Deku what the actual fuck," Kacchan groaned.

"Thou art but a fledgling in the ancient art of magyck, yet thy drive to learn is great."

"How the actual fuck did you manage to audibly pronounce 'magic' like that?"

I continued despite Kacchan's interruptions and the popup for Magycked Words. "For thy great ambition, I bequeath upon thee this." I raised my hands into the air, using Inventory to make a scroll slowly materialize from thin air, glowing with magical light. The scroll dropped into my hands and I held it out to him.

"Okay, so would anyone else like to fucking point out that Deku literally fucking had that ready in advance?" Kacchan asked.

"I thank thee for the arcane knowledge thou hast granted upon me," Tokoyami said as he gingerly accepted the scroll from me.

"Hey fun fact apparently words like thee and thou are actually informal, which makes this shitshow a lot more stupid," Kacchan said dourly.

"My only request for thee is to share this arcanum among any of our peers who should ask for it," I told him.

He bowed his head. "I solemnly swear it." He got up, gave me a small smile, and said, "And thank you for playing along..."

"Right, that's it. I'm fucking done. Taking a nap 'til Aizawa-sensei comes back," Kacchan said, then sat down at his desk. "Thanks for not yelling at me, Iida," he muttered before putting his head down.

"I've decided to not be too annoyed about that so long as you don't curse too much when class is actually in session," Iida explained. "Speaking of which, I believe we should take our seats soon. Aizawa shouldn't be too much longer."

"I've actually been here for all of Midoriya's speech, I just wanted to watch," Aizawa-sensei said from behind his desk, causing me to jump. "Now where should you guys be right now?" We all quietly took our seats. "Good. Now, first I'd like apologize if anyone was inconvenienced by the reporters outside. We're taking care of it. Next, I'd like to say that I saw the recordings from yesterday's Hero Basic class and I have some notes. Off the top of my head, Todoroki, you should try to be a little more efficient. Maybe try freezing the room instead of the whole building next time. Mineta, actually try. If anyone wants notes in more detail, talk to me. Now, what we're doing today is going to decide your future." Everyone tensed up. 

"You need to pick a class representative." 

And with that, the mood immediately lightened. Just about everyone raised their hands and asked to be class representative. It made sense; while being the class representative is normally a responsibility that people don't want, in the hero course it's a really good idea because hero agencies tend to notice people who take responsibilities like that.

"Everyone!" Iida shouted over the din. "We need to work this over in an orderly fashion! Perhaps we should put this to vote!"

"Don't we barely know each other?" Asui asked. "And won't everyone vote for themselves?"

"All the better!" Iida stated. "Anyone who has already managed to gain the trust of enough people to get the most votes would most likely be the best candidate for class representative."

After all of the votes were counted, the rankings were put on the board. "How did I get four votes!?" I asked. I really had no idea how that happened. I mean, I voted for Iida.

"Right, Midoriya's the representative and Iida and Yaoyorozu can figure out who's deputy between them," Aizawa-sensei said. After me, Iida and Yaoyorozu were tied for second place with two votes each.

xoxoxo

"I love the food here," Uraraka said as she ate some rice. She, Iida, Kacchan, and I were eating lunch together.

"You're literally eating only rice," Kacchan said.

"Well some of us are on a budget, Kacchan!" Uraraka said.

Kacchan twitched. "Don't fucking call me Kacchan. And can you seriously not afford anything other than rice?"

Uraraka blushed. "My parents don't really have too much money... It's already expensive enough for me to be here..."

Kacchan sighed and got up. "You're really gonna make me buy you something aren't you?"

She flailed her arms in front of her. "N-no! You don't have to do that for me!"

"You need to eat actual fucking food, idiot!"

"I don't want you to have to spend that much money just for me!"

"Too bad, my mom's a model! Just about everything on the menu's fucking chump change to me!"

Uraraka stopped her protesting and gasped. "Your mom's Bakugou Mitsuki! How did I miss that? You guys are almost identical!"

"Fuck if I know."

Uraraka pressed her fingers together and blushed a little. "Y'know, I'd kinda like to know how she looks that young. She's almost forty and she's still pret-"

"Aaaaand I'm gonna stop you right there before you start talking about how hot my mom you just said looks like me is. It's weird enough when strangers do it." He sped off. "I hope you like curry!"

"To answer your question, though," I said after Kacchan left, "it's because her Quirk, Glycerin, makes her sweat moisturizer." I grinned a bit. "It's actually a little interesting. While only the sweat from Kacchan's hands explodes, the sweat all over his body is altered, which is apparently a leftover of his mom's Quirk. Theoretically, Kacchan will age about as well as his mom does thanks to that."

"I didn't know Emitter Quirks could be passed on like that," Iida said. "I thought it was only Mutation Quirks that did that."

"No, Emitter Quirks can do that too, though it's normally a lot more subtle. Even though it's not my Quirk, I'm actually heat-resistant and have slightly more fire affinity because of my dad's Fire Breath, and my mother and I have more water affinity and can cry a lot thanks to her mother's Quirk, Ocular Gushers, which let her shoot water from her tear ducts like some sort of reverse heat vision. I haven't figured out how to do it at will, though now that I think about it I should probably be able to do it with magic." I felt my cheeks heat up at the looks they were giving me and chuckled a bit. "I... like talking about Quirks..."

Uraraka smiled. "I think it's pretty cool! Plus, Yuuei is definitely the kind of school to do that!"

"Thanks," I said. "Though how exactly do you know about Auntie Mitsuki? No offense, but you don't exactly strike me as the type to really follow the fashion world..."

Uraraka blushed. "W-well sometimes I just read the articles!"

For some reason, Raine randomly started cheering loudly. I jumped and Blaise reassured me that she hadn't stabbed anyone or anything before I had to look for her. "Are you okay, Midoriya?" Iida asked.

"O-oh, I'm fine," I smiled. "Raine just started randomly cheering for some reason, so I had to make sure she didn't stab anything. She's really enthusiastic about stabbing things..."

"That's a little disconcerting," Uraraka said.

"She also started gushing about you after seeing you for some reason..."

Uraraka stopped eating her rice and cleared her throat. "Okay, so I'm a little uncomfortable now. Iiiiis there by any chance a way to detect elementals?"

I shrugged. "I only know one detection spell, and it'd only work on tertiary elementals. Oh, by the way, while we're on the subject of tertiary elements, I have reason to believe gravity is one, so you might want to check that."

"Okay, I'll put that on my magic to-do list, right below 'Detect Elemental,'" she said, then began fiddling with her chopsticks. "Hey, let's talk about something that doesn't involve an invisible stabhappy spirit who likes to talk about me? Hey, Deku you're class rep now! Let's talk about how you got two other votes!"

"What do you mean, 'two other votes?'" Iida asked.

"Well Deku obviously voted for himself, and I voted for him too, so who were the other two?"

"Actually I voted for Iida," I butted in, "and if I had to guess, one of the votes for me was Tokoyami because I gave him that scroll."

"AMONG OTHER THINGS, DEKU!" I heard Kacchan's voice from somewhere in the cafeteria.

Dune giggled. "Context." I rolled my eyes.

"I suppose I should add that I voted for you, not myself," Iida added. "And thank you for putting as much faith in me as I put in you. I appreciate it."

"Yeah, thanks to the both of you, too," I grinned. "Both of you voted for me, even though I don't think I really deserve it..."

"Dude, you literally discovered magic," Uraraka said bluntly.

"I did it accidentally, and we only found out thanks to Kacchan..."

"You managed to discover magic without even meaning to!" Uraraka shouted. I noticed that she'd put her chopsticks down and they had a glowing pink aura around them. She grinned and put her hand on her rice bowl. "Speaking of which," she said, then her rice bowl started glowing pink too. "Iida, pick up my rice bowl."

Iida tried to pick up the rice, but gave up after struggling a bit. "Did you amplify the gravity on your rice?" he asked.

I picked up her chopsticks, which felt like they were made of lead, and used Fuckery Detection on it. "I think she did. This is pretty cool, Uraraka!" Some alarms blared, causing me to drop the really heavy chopsticks. "Warning. Level three security breach," a voice said from the same speakers that the alarms were coming from. "What's that mean?" I asked.

"This is the first time I've actually heard this alarm and I'm a third year!" a student near us shouted over the racket. "It means there's an intruder!" Everyone started panicking and stampeded to the exit, and I was swept away from my friends in the tide of students despite my high STR stat. 

"G-guys!" I tried to shout over the noise. "Someone could get seriously hurt if we keep doing this!" I tried some more, but I just couldn't get anyone to listen to me... Eventually, though, I saw Iida spinning through the air like he was trying to use his Quirk in zero gravity. Before I could do anything, he hit the wall over the emergency exit sign.

"EVERYONE! CALM DOWN!" he shouted, causing the mob to stop. "It's just the media! They managed to make it past the front gate somehow!" He pointed toward some windows. "Take a look! There's nothing to worry about!"

"Oh hey, the spinny guy's right!" One of the students said.

"And the police are coming!"

"Now that we've calmed down, I suggest we form an orderly line. All of that pushing and shoving could've seriously hurt someone!" Everyone followed Iida's orders and calmly evacuated. Except, of course, for Kacchan, who decided to bring Uraraka her curry.

xoxoxo

"We've still got to pick the other class officers," I told the class. "But first, I'd like to step down as class representative. I'm honored, but I don't feel like I'm up to the task. I couldn't help at all when the code three happened, and my deputy managed to calm everyone down and get a handle on the situation. I'm nominating Iida as class representative and Yaoyorozu as his replacement as deputy."

"I can get behind that," Kirishima said. "Iida really handled that situation! Let's hear it for Emergency Exit!"

"Thank you, Midoriya!" Iida said with a bow. "I will not let you down!"

xoxoxo

A/N: So I don't know when Raine turned into Froakie Toga, but she totes did and it's funny.

And speaking of Uraraka, I was going to have gravity magic not have any sort of glow at all, but then I heard that we could be independent together. Also I had a question that I put on my tumblr but nobody actually answered because I only have like twenty followers, so I'mma put it here too. Do you guys think Uraraka would play Pokémon Sun or Moon? This is most assuredly just for curiosity and will not at all have any bearing on anything in this fanfic. No reason at all for asking aside from curiosity. None whatsoever.

EDIT: So it seems that I have made an error in the syntax of my question, which I take full blame for. When I wrote "Do you guys think Uraraka would play Pokémon Sun or Moon?" some people misinterpreted it to be "Do you guys think Uraraka would play Pokémon Sun or Moon?" with an inclusive "or," or asking if you guys thought Uraraka would be willing to play one of those games. At least, that is what I assume happened with the two reviews I got which attempted to answer the question, which I would like to note that I am still grateful for even if they didn't actually answer the question I wanted answered. However, I meant "Do you guys think Uraraka would play Pokémon Sun or Moon?" with an exclusive "or." In other words, in the hypothetical scenario that some omnipotent being were to for whatever reason grant Uraraka a choice between being able to play the game titled Pokémon Sun or the game titled Pokémon Moon despite her economic status, which would be her first choice? Science may be so amazing, but isn't grammar infuriating?

xoxoxo

And guess what! I thought of an omake!

Screenshots

"Midoriya, are you taking notes?" Cementoss asked me. "You aren't touching your notebook."

I jumped a bit. I wasn't really paying too much attention to his lecture because I already knew what he was talking about. "O-oh, I actually found out a way to automatically record lectures word-for-word with my Quirk, so I'm kind of testing that out..."

"Ah, how creative," he complimented me. "If you don't mind me asking, what exactly are you doing?"

"So I've known for a while that my Quirk lets me do things like see subtitles like I'm in a video game, but recently I found out that if I clench my buttcheeks and bite my tongue just right, my Quirk takes a screenshot of my vision that I can view later, HUD and all."

"So what you're saying is that you're taking a screenshot every time my 'text' changes?"

"Yes."

"How many screenshots have you made?"

I checked the new "Gallery" tab. "Fourty."

"I think it might just be easier to write my words down..."

Last Minute Lore(tm) | Trik and Jack | Trial Results + Angery Argument

Yasu needs comfort and Trik has priorities, so he ignores everything that isn't his best friend or the screens around them. It seems like the time for the trial has run out, and his heart is pounding so hard in his chest that he can feel it in his throat. Even as he strokes Yasu's hair and murmurs soft reassuring things to him, Trik's eyes keep darting around the screens anxiously. The theories felt right, or at least plausible, but... was it Sen, or Komugi? Should he have voted for her instead of him?

The uncertainty lasts until Ayame appears on the screen, announcing the results... he wrinkles his nose a bit as she glitches out, and then sags with relief at the final verdict. So they were right! It was Sen! Duh, of course that was right. Now he felt foolish for even being worried, ugh, and if there was anything still questionable going on then... whatever, they could worry about it later. It was weird that they didn't get more of an explanation, and that they were just being let go... but Trik is so fucking ready to be out of here that he doesn't want to think of anything else. Probably just lingering paranoia.

"This is all fucked up, but Sora's right. Much as I'd like to sweep this traumatic shit under the rug, I can't. Like, partially 'cause I'm down a fuckin' eye an' that's gonna be a reminder every single second of every goddamn day, but also you've all like... had some serious emotional impacts on me. I think I might have grown as a person a wee bit an' I blame all of you." His tone is wry, but there's a faint grin tugging at his lips as he helps guide Yasu to his feet again.

"So, and I swear this ain't sarcastic, thank you. All o' ya." He gives warm nods around to all his classmates... almost all of them, anyway.

"Except you Giorno, you can choke." Trik's smile drops and his expression becomes a cold blank slate that he directs towards Jack. "Ya wanna dish out threats? Okay. Cool. Ya wanna murder me like ya murdered your own brother, Mr. DiCosta? I don't really feel the need to keep your secret, actually, now that it comes to it, you filthy hypocritical traitor. Teru deserves to know the trash they're holdin' hands with. Your brother avenged your mum after your dad murdered her for tryin' to leave him, an' like a chip off the old block ya go an' kill your brother too. Good fuckin' job. Y'know, where I'm from, killin' your siblings is heavily frowned upon."

There's a brief pause as he waits for that to sink in, Trik's eyes narrowed and his tone is wry and disdainful as he continues.

"Now, I ain't gonna attack ya, 'cause for whatever reason they like you. But if ya attack me, I will fight back. An' what I said before still stands. I don't care if you're scared o' me or not, I don't need ya to be scared, I really cannot emphasize enough how much I do not care about a single one o' your feelings or opinions. Anyone who would side with a domestic abuser over their own brother is not someone I'm impressed by. So as long as ya just make Teru happy, I'll go about my life pretendin' ya don't exist. Don't reply to me. Don't talk to me. Either square up an' come at me or just nod an' go about your business. Anythin' else is a waste of my time an' yours. Oh, by the way- Teru, if ya ever get tired o' this asshole, I got friends in the FBI who would probably love to put fratricidal garbage like him in prison. Fun fact, I've put a lot o' criminals in prison. So y'know, that'd be no problem."

Jack raises an eyebrow. So he really was going for it, huh? Really going to take that bait? How intriguing. He listens, an unimpressed look glazed over his face. At least, only for a moment. As the pyrotechnician continues, his expression contorts and he’s taken aback for a moment.

“Me, a traitor? I’m anything but!” He hisses, squeezing the hand in his own once more to keep himself at bay. “What, is that bologna seriously what th’damn dongle gave ya? M’dad was a good dad! He loved us! What are you fucking supposed tah do when you find your brother hanging over one of tha only people you’ve ever really loved with a knife, hah? He was the traitor. He was the one that betrayed my trust. So maybe that’s why I’m so skeptical about ya after last trial, ya fuckin’ Leprechaun.” He pauses for a moment, letting himself inhale deeply, to push any sort of rage away. Right now wasn’t the time to fight, despite desperately wanting to punch something, anything at all. His eye flickers down to the floor as his feet shift slightly, giving himself more sense of balance.

“And besides, he didn’t… M’dad didn’t kill m’mom over somethin’ petty like that. She betrayed us, betrayed th’family somehow, so she fuckin’ deserved it. That’s what he told me. He wouldn’t lie tah me about that.” His grip around Teru’s hand remains firm. The last thing he wanted was for some prick’s misconstrued information on him change anything here. “Though it’s a small group, almost everyone I’ve ever loved’s been taken away from me and I ain’t lettin’ ya do it to me again.”

Trik is still glaring, though he's also still holding up Yasu. And as Jack talks his expression shifts to one of incredulity, and then a mixture of that and pity.

"Wait, seriously?" He tilts his head, eyebrows raising, "Ya seriously didn't know your dad was a terrible fuckin' person? Seriously? There was no reason for the info on that drive to be fake, I know for sure some was real, an' you're tryin' to tell me your dad wouldn't lie to ya but he made up some vague bullshit about her betrayin' ya "somehow" an', what, it never once occurred to ya that lack o' detail was suspicious? Or that maybe your brother had a reason for killin' him? Jesus and Mary. Did ya even ask your brother what happened? Did ya ever look into any of it? Or did ya just take a murderer's word for everythin' like a goddamn sucker? 'Oh sure I murdered your mum but she betrayed us so it's fine, don't ask how or why.' Are you stupid? I ain't tryin' to take anyone from ya, I'm tryin' to make sure someone who my friend is attached to isn't gonna treat them the way your dad apparently treated his partners. An' maybe if ya actually had two brain cells to rub together an' used them ya wouldn't have lost almost everyone ya loved, maybe you'd still have your brother if ya bothered to stop and think for five minutes. He didn't betray you, but you didn't even hesitate to murder him, did you? Wow. Just, fucking wow."

At that point, Jack’s exasperation could only grow, before falling flat into pure disinterest.

“...You don’t fuckin’ know anything about m’family and the way I grew up so I’d suggest ya stop implyin’ I’m an idiot when I gotta be on m’tip-toes on who I trust constantly!” Jack groans, rolling his eyes in annoyance. “As I took it, Betrayal in a fuckin’ American mafia family can be a valid reason fer death. So fuck you for thinkin’ I should’ve questioned it. And what, would you fuckin’ stop and ask someone why they killed yer boyfriend, or any of yer family that you love, if ya just walked in on em doin’ such? No you fuckin’ wouldn’t, would ya? And even if m’dad did do shit like that, fuck you for assuming I’d ever do tha same. My dad loved tha both of us and maybe if my brother tried fucking talking tah me maybe I’d still have them both! I ain’t the one at fault here, I’m not a fucking imbecile! Quit tryna start shit. Now if you’ll excuse me I’m gonna be the adult here, Love, and quit taking up to yer bullshit.”

"I'm sorry, fuck me for thinkin' you should question why your own mother was murdered? Do ya even hear yourself?” Trik snaps right back, “I can't believe your whole argument here is "sometimes murder is valid" like, yikes. So ya gotta 'be on your toes' about who ya trust unless that person is your murderous father who is also apparently a criminal that loved his kids so much he made them complicit in his crimes. Yeah, you're so wary but you trusted him without question. No, whatever, ya wanna add ignorant to brother-killer, have fun with that, ain't my job to help ya work through your denial.  That's your business. You say fuck me for assuming anythin' about you an' then turn right around an' assume shit about me. You didn't attack "someone" standing over your dad, you attacked your brother. And for your information I would actually not immediately murder my sister, or anyone else I love with no questions asked, if I saw her standing over someone's body, no matter whose it was. But sure, you're the adult here whining about how it's not your fault you murdered your brother. I don't know who ya think you're kiddin' here, or if you're just tryin' to convince yourself, an' I don't care. I already told ya to stop talkin' to me or make good on those little threats of yours. So please, by all means, shut the fuck up." And with that he pointedly turns his attention back to Yasu, albeit keeping his right side towards Jack so he’ll still be in his peripherals.

Jack narrows his eyes once again, but does not speak. He isn't about to pull back on his own remark, no, not when that'd make him look like a fool.  He asked for this, anyways, did he not? There were no regrets or arguments left. He couldn't keep saying that 'you don't get it' despite that being the truth, as far as he was concerned. A cycle of the same thing over and over in front of so many people was the last thing he needed. His eyes, full of rage, only seem to simmer when he turns back to Teru to whisper something to them. They... they needed to hear this, but they didn't need to see it.

HC: Public displays of affection Poly AU (OT3)

Venture with us into a universe where polyamorous relationships are the norm, or maybe not the norm but akin to being homosexual. Like Homosexuality is a non issue in this universe and it’s more about if you’re a Mono relationship kind of person or a Poly relationship kind of person. The type of relationship is mostly about how many people are in it and whether you’re open or looking for more. All the terms that follow cascade from that: "closed poly" "open poly" "chain poly" "currently mono looking for poly" etc.

Also we feel like in a poly world there would necessarily be more of a culture of just talking out what you want and are looking for and expecting and what your boundaries are - like having talks about how much romance and what kind you’re good with is very normal and healthy.

PSA: We also wish this was more the norm in our universe as well Do you ever get choked about how extra and romantic Geno is? And how much abhorring-the-media Sidney Crosby would hate it? He couldn’t handle being showered with love in THE BEAMING SPOTLIGHT OF GENO'S ATTENTION AND AFFECTION. So many big declarations.Geno is a big guy, he has big feelings, he has to have his love writ large.

Sid would BEG after a few badly timed jumbotron messages of undying love, "Just get those things for Anna, she likes them. I’m okay without."

Geno would not compute, taking it as some kind of affront to his love like "BUT YOU DON'T LIKE THEM? YOU DON'T LOVE ME AS BIG AS THAT?"

Sid: NO! I mean yes! I do. I do love you huge but like...quiet???????? QUIETLY???? Please…

G would struggle under the weight of not showing off, not screaming his love from the rooftops. He feels like he’s walking on eggshells always, he doesn’t know if he’s embarrassing Sid, or worse distracting him. He constantly has to check his first inclination. Geno being Geno wouldn’t be able to struggle with it unnoticed, he’s the most dramatic emotions in primary colours kind of guy, Sid would plainly know that he’s making G unhappy.

Sid in turn being stressed about it because like, it's such a dumb thing to be upset about, like your partner loves you and wants to yell it to the world, and it's clearly making Geno unhappy but .....HIS PRIVACY IS SACRED.

Anna of course is unbothered by any of this, she knew what she was getting into with G, but eventually probably has had enough of watching them try to sort it out on their own and being unable to deal with emotions like two functioning adults. She has a sit down with Sid, massaging his shoulders and pulling his head into her lap to stroke his hair and tells him gently but in no uncertain terms that she's going to negotiate a truce between them.

It boils down to something that goes like: Geno gets one (1) HUGE PUBLIC DECLARATION a year for Sid. It could be his birthday, or Valentines day, or a random sunday, or Father's day, or Christmas. SID MUST ALWAYS BE ON HIS TOES but at least he knows it's ONCE and then the steel trap comes down and Geno will say nothing more for the rest of the year. IN RETURN because this is a compromise not an ultimatum, Sid must EITHER 1. consent to being in more every day social media posts or 2. Have his own instagram and interact with it a predetermined minimum number of posts and comments a month. Sid picks door number one.

Anna will continue to be showered with gifts and roses and live tigers at every anniversary and birthday and major date and historical event possible and Sid has to consent to having like his knee or half his face in posts now and then. Even that gets negotiated because Sid needs rules, he needs terms and conditions. So he can either choose the occasional selfie once a month OR hands/back of head/legs shown in photos 2-3 times a month. Sid originally goes with the more anonymous hands and his shoulders and stuff first; but then he starts seeing Geno's posts are all like: his tousled bed hair in bed and his hands cupped around that wonky mug Taylor made for him in art class when she was 13, and he realizes they're far more intimate than his face which everyone already sees. So he bounces around, if he's done a lot of media lately, or just finished with a commercial shoot he just says that Geno can take a picture of his hands while he’s shucking corn on the back deck or something. Or if he's tired of seeing bits of his life everywhere he's like “I'll smile, wait let me hide my wine.” This beautiful wonderful poly world where it wouldn't be weird for Geno to post the two of them together, Sid and Anna just like having wine, looking over a balcony together and Geno captioning it Whole Heart with eight heart emojis or something.

With all this photography going around we’re sure Anna needs to get in on this action, Sid is so photogenic esp of late. She definitely occasionally commandeers him to be Hot™ with her for small photoshoots with her iPhone. They usually start spontaneously with her finding Great Light as all selfie sessions do and then asking him to take photos of her and then getting him to be in the photos. So Sid can never really blame her or be bothered by it, it’s always so natural, and easy, and it’s fun to be with her and turn whatever direction she tells him, and smoulder ridiculously for her and laugh as she coos appreciatively.

She hoards the photos she collects of them and him, she doesn't post many or any of them usually. She does occasionally send them to Geno to destroy his life (usually when there’s no way he can get to them in time to start anything), Geno always has really great photos of them on his lock screen. Anyway she always double checks with Sid before she posts anything with him in it, but usually he looks great in her photos so it's fine. We love Sid and Anna together, like they just seem like they’d compliment each other so well and have such deep respect and care for each other. WE ARE HERE for Anna and Sid on a small mission together to like fuckin Costco (w/e the backwards land of Pittsburgh has, Giant Tiger or Sam’s club or some shit) or something so dumb like that and Geno just trailing after them while they strategize being like "Is it possible to be so turned on my balls ache?"

Whenever Anna feels upset about her career, Sid's always there to snuggle her and be like "You say the word I can get you in contact with around 80 media personnel who could find you a job in North American sports journalism in front of the camera or behind."

They probably talk seriously about it sometimes but in the end BABIES. They all want so many babies and she wants to be there for them, and to be their home and stuff. We’re sure Sid still tinkers away at trying to find her like the occasional blogging guest spot or something y'know when her English is up to it. He’s just supportive in every possible way, Geno gets mad or upset on your behalf, Sid just starts strategizing and he’s a really good listener, and he cares a lot.

Geno is empathy and Sid is logic. Anna...Anna is probably reality, the little dose of humility they both need every once in a while, smart enough to tell Geno off when he’s being egomaniacal and emotionally unstable because of it, indulgent enough to shake Sid out of whatever hyper-focused funk he works himself into. Levelheaded enough to balance both of her boys out when they’re going off the rails now and then, game for fun and high-intensity with G and quieter times with Sid. In this sense they work so well together, maybe sometimes Geno has feelings and Anna translates them into wild fantasies but then they can get stalled out because they don’t know where to go from there and then of course Sid swoops in with his reinforced practicality and does some research and then figures out how to have the best and safest kinky time.

BONUS:

Sid’s love language is not big displays like Geno’s is (a combo of words of affirmation and giving gifts). His is more acts of service. Sid is just the devoted loyal type, like he will make food and bring you thoughtful things and quietly arrange things so people leave you alone if you’re upset and that’s what you need. He’s a dependable love: do you have a problem? Sid will move heaven and earth to help you solve it, he'll train you at 4am, he'll walk your dog, he'll water your plants, he'll find you a replica baby grand piano and get it moved into your 3rd floor walk-up apartment. HE'LL FIGURE IT OUT. There’s no end to what he will do for the people he loves, he’s just so like patient and determined, like legit just chugs along until he reaches his goals. Also he’s hyper competitive and won’t be out done:

Rando PTA mom: well I love my wife so I built her this coffee table. I’m a builder by nature you know.

Sid: For sure! I just learned woodworking as well! I built this whole house :) with my bare hands :) for my family :)

raising hell

SPOILERS BELOW 

okay I really learned my lesson last time about not typing this directly into tumblr so it's going into notepad first and then I'm pasting it over

I have angel's envy for the episode in general, which I will be drinking gradually as a special occasion just for S15 as it airs, and also devil's cut for this episode in particular because I hear buckleming wrote it and I'm toasting to crowley and drinking that one if/when something fucked up inevitably happens to kevin

I'm SO FUCKING GLAD to see osric in this btw just like. I love him he's so good I'm glad he's back

I've tried to avoid spoilers but from what glimpses I've seen before I could glance away it sounds like maybe some meta shit is getting into territory I was also going into with the kevin/crowley/castiel fic I'm doing? so super intrigued to see where that goes but also not getting my hopes up because I fear the writing is going to drop the ball

I love meta shit though I'm so here for it, I gotta double back for time travel shenanigans in Lebanon

okay anyway let's start

oh and apparently rob benedict had a stroke a while back?? and i'm so glad he's all right, here are the signs of a stroke if you need to refresh because you really ought to know what to look for https://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/03/too-young-to-have-a-stroke-think-again I had this open in a tab from someone totally different on twitter

I like the "road closed" sign we start with because it seems thematically on point for like... shutting down the infinite potential of stories as they are not done being told, and as all those doors close

it's not a buckleming episode unless it starts off with gratuitous violence against women

the amazon subtitles are spelling it "benzine" [sic] and it's pissing me off

I love jared playing sam playing an FBI agent who's nervous about delivering speeches

crams all this sam and cas footage into my mouth

I don't believe "belphegor" at all but I love seeing alex playing this part

this implication that belphegor has teamed up with a hunter previously.........

pretty impressed with these townspeople actually? their concerns are not unreasonable and they're right to be skeptical

pffffff at this parallel of sam addressing the living crowd vs jack the ripper addressing the ghost crowd

the makeup on the ghosts is pretty fuckin good, I like the wardrobe and hair too

I like the fake posters at the school for various fictional sporting events

castiel continues to have a conscience and I adore him

rowena "am I interrupting something juicy" eyes emoji

ruth is pretty fun, I like her necklace

I like that ketch literally has a gun that just kicks spirits out of people. like. ...why haven't they been using this technology the whole time. guess it's an endgame weapon.

hahahahha an attractive female demon named Ardat. ................me @ homestuck like oh Ardata got it

this is the first time i've seen adult amara? it's bizarre to see characters I've only heard of

dude's right to be very upset and worried about his neighbors and cas should tell them what's up honestly, I see sam's point about not inciting panic but on the other hand :\

no idea where this arthur/rowena thing is going except I do I guess

I really, really like castiel's take (which is also sam's take from the last episode) that even if their lives were written by chuck, their experiences still mattered, and are not rendered worthless because of external circumstances about how they came into being

are people seriously doing a "THIS IS A DESTIEL MOMENT" from this? like. i guess.

also i hate that cas is having to apologize for "dropping the puck". he didn't. fuck off. he didn't drop the ball. dean didn't give a shit about felix being killed anyway so what the fuck.

misha and jensen both have excellent delivery though

I do like seeing dean play off ketch and belphegor and rowena, it's a nice change of pace

dude these stunts of getting thrown into a wall or a shelving unit like I realize they're stunts but OUCH

ahhhhhh that's kevin i hear osric's voice

kevin got the other ghost to go away by yelling at them lmaooooo I love him so fucking much!!!!!

so we're gonna retcon that kevin has spent the last what, four??? four fucking years? not in heaven, but in hell or purgatory or just wandering earth? remember how a year on earth is forty years in hell?

I'm glad I specifically have the devil's cut to drink to kevin getting fucked over because I'm already enraged

** "DRINK FOR KEVIN" COUNT: 1 **

god he's been on the screen for less than sixty seconds and he was just never sent to heaven because god lied, I'm so glad I have bourbon for this. fucking buckleming, how do they keep getting put in charge of kevin episodes

I got up to get my kevin keychain to watch the rest of this episode with I'm so mad holy fuck I'm so mad, it just never stops

the amazon subtitles: "the vegetables and herbs are finely chopped and added to a SEXY pastiche of fragrant tripe"

thinking emoji, did you mean zesty....

I took like a 30 minute break because I was so mad just now about kevin being denied access to heaven like fuck you

the break was so long that amazon timed out, goddamn it

oh so we can't get kevin into heaven because god's not around to make an exception and god hates the winchesters and how god feels about the winchesters extends to their surrounding "friends" and family. amazing. this is bullshit.

** "DRINK FOR KEVIN" COUNT: 2 **

"whiny kevin tran! typical millennial." he should whine more. he has every right to be furious

also amazing that bobby and john manage to stay in heaven, and chuck didn't cast them down to hell along with mary out of spite when this all went down? so like... why not kevin. AMAZING!!!!!!

** "DRINK FOR KEVIN" COUNT: 3 **

sam has the dignity to actually look concerned instead of just annoyed

oh I like sam being linked to chuck lmaooooo

I do love this shot of a bunch of ghosts just hanging out in some suburban kitchen.

osric is so handsome I'm so glad to see him on this again

"you know how the hellspawn are, all they talk about is sam and dean, sam and dean" maybe the only time jack the ripper has been right about anything

not a fan of this extremely heteronormative bullshit courtesy of buckleming

also left-brain/right-brain is basically a lie isn't it

this fucking music. I'm so sick of buckleming

like I would be fine with this if it had been written by literally anyone else but this is the worst shit, nobody flirts like this

the road is "FAIR WYND", that's the cousin of zack fair and cid highwind

she hooked up with jack the ripper briefly? weird flex but okay

oh kevin is now being held GHOST HOSTAGE because dean told him to go do some reconnaissance

** "DRINK FOR KEVIN" COUNT: 4 **

also I paused on a screenshot that's extremely funny to me

oh I don't like hearing kevin screaming :(

drinking for kevin being tortured by jack the ripper trying to ghost-vore him

** "DRINK FOR KEVIN" COUNT: 5 **

I'm also waiting for the ghostbusters containment thing to backfire and swallow him too

DEAN: you can see them, how many are there "BELPHEGOR": 100 at least, more keep coming

convenient way not to animate 100+ ghosts

oh ketch took off the fucking iron, or maybe it fell off when he was hurt?

good job rowena for real

CASTIEL: I tried to heal him, but it didn't work. I don't know why. SAM: You're probably just tired, Cas. We all are.

for fucking real the biggest sastiel mood is taking naps

also this is troubling

it's like legitimately weird to see them call an ambulance on this show? I guess since they're posing as FBI agents it's more feasilble but

SAM: I'm sorry, Kevin. I wish there was some way to make this right. KEVIN: Me too, but there isn't. And sometimes you just gotta accept that.

actually fuck you lmao holy shiiiiiiiiiiiit omg fuck this

I'm about to drink the rest of the kevin-designated devil's cut

"there's nothing to keep him tied to earth, he'll go crazy!"

hey what about y'know

his mom...........................................

I'm screaming

"I love you guys" osric I know you love them IRL but this is so unfair for kevin the character

I like alexander and osric in the same shot, that's kind of fun, I enjoyed their panel I watched

and there's him waving goodbye. this is so unfair. time to down the rest of this

** "DRINK FOR KEVIN" COUNT: 666 **

to kevin, and to osric

thank fuck I was already in the middle of writing fix-it fic, this is injust

I have such mixed feelings because I'm so happy to see osric back but like AT WHAT COST, the worst timeline

there's a finality to this too like he's not coming back after this unless there's massive all-cast-reunion episode at the tail end in a paradise party AU but I doubt it

goodbye Kevin, this sucks :(

I'm more motivated than ever to finish this fic

"Even on your best day, you couldn't force my hand." is a pretty good line

also negative space is not inferior or "backup vocals"? it's part of a composition

you fucking know what buckleming is that WE CAN FIGURE OUT THAT THERE'S A NARRATIVE PARALLEL ABOUT HER LEAVING HIM TRAPPED WITH HIS CREATION, WITHOUT YOU SPELLING IT OUT jesus christ

bluhhhhhhhhhh I liked the premiere a lot more

This game sucks. Castlevania 1 and 3 are great classic Nintendo games, but for Castlevania 2: Simon's Quest, the game designers obviously were not thinking straight. At first it seems like a pretty decent game, a little different from the first in the series but, that's okay. Zelda 2 was different from the first, Mario 2 was different, but they were all good. The first thing that's strikingly different is the fact that you have to go through towns, talk to people and buy stuff. I never really minded that, it makes it a little more like an adventure story and it's kinda like Zelda, so that's okay. But the first problem comes in when it changes from day to night. (A message box appears in-game: WHAT A HORRIBLE NIGHT TO HAVE A CURSE.) Why does this need to happen so often? Like, every five minutes? Why does it take so long? Nobody feels like sitting through this every time. How would you like it if you were playin' a game and then every five minutes I came over, and paused it, then counted ten tedious seconds, and then let you continue play the game? Now, I mean, why did they think that that would be a good idea and interrupt the game play, did they think it would be more realistic? I mean, in real life I don't have to stop in my tracks when the sun sets and a fuckin' box doesn't pop up in the air. I mean, this is one of the most annoying features in any game ever. What's the point? Yeah, the, I mean, the monsters are stronger at night and the stores are closed, but why's that necessary and why does the game have to stop? It's fuckin' retarded. And why do you have to die when you fall in the water? That's the stupidest thing I've ever seen. This guy can go all over fightin' hordes of evil monsters, but he can't even fuckin' swim? Sometimes I don't feel like goin' down the stairs just to get down to ground level, I mean, there's no reason I should have to do that when I can just take a shortcut and jump down. But, oops! I shouldn't do that, there might be water down there. Another thing that's really annoying about this game is the fact that you have to buy weapons and items. I mean, still, that's not uncommon, you know like I said: that's the same thing you have to do in many great games, like Zelda, but, lemme explain. Here you have to collect hearts, which count as money. I mean, that's kinda odd, because usually hearts count as life or energy, y'know, so that's kinda strange. But, y'know that's not the point. The point is that the items you need to buy are too fuckin' expensive, and the hearts don't add up enough. It takes too long to get enough of them to buy something, and it gets boring wandering around killing the same monsters over and over again just so you can buy a Flame Whip or somethin'. Speaking of Flame Whip, that's pretty weird itself, isn't it? I mean, they were really being creative with that one, the flame whip. Anyway, about the hearts: It takes too long to buy stuff, and, to add onto the problem, when you die, you lose all your hearts and you have to start all over again. I mean, doing this doesn't add to any of the games' difficulty or challenge, it just makes us have to do more of the same monotonous stuff over again, and it's not fun, it's boring. Oh, look, I finally got enough hearts to go and buy a plant that I need to cross the swamp, now let me get to the store. (It changes to night in-game.) Oh shit, it's fuckin' night time, now the stores are all closed and I have to wait for it to turn day again. Oh well, I might as well kill some zombies in the meantime and stock up on some more hearts. (The character in-game falls in the water and dies.) OH SHIT! Now I gotta start all over again. One of the worst things in the game are the Pitfalls, which are areas where there's, like, stones or blocks that look like you could walk on them, but instead you just fall through. It's impossible to tell where these spots are the first time walkin' through, so you just have to keep throwin' Holy Water all over to see where they are. It's retarded. Why should I have to do that? Again, it doesn't add up to any of the fun, y'know, challenge of the game. It's just unfair and it's annoying. In the dungeons, there's no bosses at the end, which is a big disappointment. Every Nintendo gamester knows that at the end of a level or a dungeon labyrinth, whatever, there's always supposed to be a big guy who ya fight. But here, they just got lazy and only put a few bosses in the game and left some of the dungeons just empty like this one. So, most of the dungeons you go through (the mansions, to be exact), there's nothing at the end except for a crystal orb that you can't touch. In the rest of the Castlevania games the tradition goes like this: You fight a boss, you defeat 'im, then an orb comes down and you touch it, there you go, on to the next level. But in Castlevania 2, how would you ever figure out that you're supposed to throw an Oak Stake at that orb? I mean, when you first get the Oak Stake you assume it's a weapon, and you throw it, only to find that it does absolutely nothing, and that you waste it by throwing it, so you have to get it all over again. There are parts in the game that are definitely not self-explanatory, and are too hard to figure out. Take this dead end for example: Would you guess that you're supposed to pass through this wall? How? You have to kneel down by it for like ten seconds. Now, still, that's not enough to make it so cryptic and hidden that we can't figure it out, oh please, give us more for our buck and make it harder so we can wander around the whole game and exhaust every possibility before we find out. Okay. Guess what? You need to have a Red Crystal selected, and be kneeling down, and wait a little while before this magic tornado comes and takes you to the next part of the game. Most of the townspeople have things to say which aren't important at all, so why do you have to read 'em? Here, in the dungeons, there's books that you may find which actually give you clues about things in the game that you may need to know about. But, when I find these books, half the time it's by accident, so I may hit the button and cancel it out which means I don't even get to read it and I don't have a second chance. Why can't I do that when it changes from day to night? That would actually be helpful. So, what the game designers figured is this: it isn't absolutely necessary for me to read about how to find Dracula's castle or what I'm supposed to do with an Oak Stake, but what I do need to read, again and again constantly, is: "The morning sun has vanquished the horrible night". How about "vanquished this horrible GAME"? The only sure way to get through this awful game is to enter a code, but even that is way more tedious than it should be. While most of the Castlevania games have symbols you enter for a code, this one just has a whole bunch of numbers. I mean, like, one of those little parts would be enough for a password. But why four? Like why so many? In general, I hate games that have passwords like this, because sometimes they have uppercase and lowercase letters. Like the l's, you know, look like I's, the 0's look like O's, the 8's look like 5's so, why does there have to be so many digits? Y'know, like why can't it just be numbers or somethin'? Like, y'know, just numbers and not letters? I mean, it takes me, like, five minutes to enter this code when it should only take, like, five seconds. It's friggin' stupid. Okay, so, say we enter the code, and we go to Dracula's castle. You'll be pretty disappointed how anticlimactic this game is. It isn't even worth putting in a code, let alone playing the whole game all the way through, which, if you did, I feel bad for you. I mean, first of all: there's no enemies in Dracula's castle, you just walk all the way through and the only obstacles are just, like, goin' up and down steps, which won't hurt you and they aren't challenging, either. It's just tedious. I mean, what the hell's the point of going through the castle if there's no way to fight? Did the game designers just, like, run out of time or somethin'? So then, you get up to Dracula, and guess what? He doesn't look anything like Dracula, he looks like a grim reaper and he throws sickles. I mean, did the people who made this game even know what Dracula is? He's a fuckin' vampire. Alright, on top of everything, Dracula's way too easy. Check this out. This is a trick I discovered myself and so could you, without the help of any strategy guide. When Dracula first appears, he stands there for a while, and he gives you plenty of time to land lots of free hits. Not only does he stand there for a long time, but everything that hits him will stun him and give you even more time. Naturally, you'll prob'ly be using the flames, because it's one of the most effective weapons in the game. But, using it against Dracula, it makes it simply impossible for him to even do anything. He has no chance. The second you start throwin' that shit at him, you've already won. I mean, why is it that easy? Did they even test this shitty game out before they released it? What a piece of shit. I mean, I feel horrible that I had to play this game in order to make this video, but I did it to demonstrate its dreadfulness and I forced myself to play it just so that you don't have to. So, you should thank me for telling you to stay away from this horrible steaming pile of goat shit. I mean, I know it's useless complaining about a game that was made back in the late 80's, or early 90's or whatever, but it just blows my mind how fuckin' horrible it is. I mean, it's consistently annoying. Why? Why is it so bad? If all these problems were changed then we'd have a great trilogy of classic Castlevania games, but, history is history, and we might as well try to count Castlevania 3 as, you know, the second in the series, and leave this awful piece of horse shit alone, as it stands today as one of the biggest fuck-ups of all time. Thank you for listening, good night. (Fade to black, and then a quick clip of the game is shown.) The ending sucks too.