Open post-Christmas starter!

"Look! Come and look what I got for Christmas!"

She was positively beaming from ear to ear. This wasn't even her first Christmas in Garnet's home; but even three years on, they were still finding new and exciting ways to surprise the 12-year-old.

Still clad in her favourite festive sweater, the one with candy canes depicted all over it, even though Christmas day was a few days behind them at this point, Vanellope wasted no time in guiding the other through the beach house and upstairs to her bedroom. Laid out on the floor before them, in amongst a satisfying number of other presents, was her new pride and joy.

"It's the most modern Scalextric track kit! Now I can play at being a racer in real life, not just in video games! And it's totally got a butt-tonne of impressive features, too."

She'd never had one of these before, but she'd sure ogled them in the catalogues plenty of times. Looked like someone had finally taken notice.

She was already holding out a controller to her guest.

"So c'mon. You gotta challenge me to a few rounds now that you're here..."

ur blog is soo helpful !!!! ive been looking into writing more lately and this is like a godsend <3 i was wondering if u could do some starter tips?? like stuff to avoid as a new writer :o ps. hope ur having a wonderful week!!!

ahhh, hello!! this is such a sweet message, and thank you, i hope you have a fruitful week ahead too ♡ i'm so glad you're writing more lately- i'll def do my best to provide some starter tips (though i'm really also a starter myself 😅 so i hope you like these, and feel free to let me know what you think!) also, just to put it out there that these are what i found helpful personally / what i think will be helpful, and may / may not resonate with everyone. Also, this topic is soooo broad and there are a million things that can be covered, but for now I'll just keep it short and go with stuff to avoid (or rather, approach differently) as per request. if you / anyone else would like another post for more specific writing tips, feel free to drop it in my ask box!

Some general writing tips — stuff to avoid; little things to not overdo

over-planning

overusing fancy vocabulary

over-describing

over-criticising your work

over-comparing

more details under the cut!

Over-planning — plan the general outline, direction of your plot, message of your story, characters and their rough personalities; yes, do all that well! good planning makes for a good story, but i think it's helpful to remember that sometimes things don't pan out the way we envision them to. and it's important to let certain things go, appropriately of course. if your initial storyline doesn't quite fit the characterisation of the protagonist etc (and vice versa), then perhaps it's time to rethink things — and NOT be too hard-up about it. [tldr: be flexible!]

Overusing bombastic vocabulary — i'm sure you've come across millions of writing advice pieces that aim to spruce up your vocabulary with bombastic phrases. by all means go ahead and pick a few that fit the mood and style of your writing. otherwise, i'd say that sometimes, less is more. throwing in fancy words for the sake of it may not be as helpful as you think. there should be a fine balance between using words that add flavour + help to illustrate nuances and using words to make your piece seem complex. simplicity goes a long way, as i've learnt. but having said that, building up a solid repertoire of vocabulary / good phrases is always helpful, the key thing is using those phrases in the right context. definitely easier said than done, so i suggest reading your favourite author's works couple of times through and pick up their way of using language to their advantage.

Over-describing — narration, descriptive language are great, and can really help to nudge your story in the right direction. it helps set the scene, the mood, and all these are critical in writing... BUT! not the same can be applied to describing actions. not every single action has to be written out explicitly — an example: she walks over to the kitchen, turns around, and opens the refrigerator. she then takes out a canned drink, and places the drink on the countertop... etc — you get the point. some things can be left implied, rather than explicit.

Over-criticising your work — ahh, the age-old piece of advice. i do it all the time, and you probably do too... sometimes, being harsh on yourself and on your work may seem like the only way to better yourself and push your limits, but often times, i personally find that this is counter-productive both on the physical and mental front. it wears you down, it is a nidus for dejection and negative vibes. i think the way i try to get round this is by taking pride in my own work; telling myself that 'this is something i wrote, these are my ideas put into prose, these are my thoughts written on paper'. the caveat here is that avoiding being over-critical of your work DOES NOT and should not mean avoiding proofreading. proofreading is extremely crucial to check for grammatical and structural errors (i recommend doing it once or twice yourself, and if possible, getting a fresh pair of eyes to do the same).

Over-comparing — this ties in nicely with the previous point. take pride in your work! this is something original from you and you only, written in your unique style. having authors/writers whom you look up to is essential in moulding your writing style and habits, but should not be the sole focus when you write. remember that every writer is different, every piece of writing is different; this goes even for pieces with similar plots / tropes / character personalities. nuances, subtleties and underlying messages can come through very differently when written by different people. after all, our life journeys are all personal, which is a factor influencing the way we convey messages across through the written word.

and... that's it for now! i really hope that this helps. honestly, i'm scratching the surface here, and there are lots more i can talk about when i have more braincells >_<

feel free to drop any other requests or questions in my ask if you'd like ♡

Can we have a drabble for lee!Hawks, prompt 12, with his wings? I'm a sucker for lee!Hawks and especially ticklish wings! Only if you want to, tho!!

YES OF COURSE YOU CAN, ANON! Thank you for sending this in, I've been waiting for someone to send one!

A/N: Some sentence starters are a little awkward for me to put directly at the beginning, so this one is a little further down, but it's there! This isn't necessarily connected to my current DabiHawks tk universe, but if you wanna think of this as a little flashback type deal, then go for it! Also, I decided to make this a college AU, cuz I couldn't find a proper way to make it in the normal universe and have Hawks be struggling with something that has a deadline that he could fail on. So, college AU it is! A quick thought just popped into my mind, though, about renewing hero licenses, though I don't know if that's a thing. REGARDLESS, ENOUGH RAMBLING-

Warning: Tickle fic ahead!

Prompt: "I'm gonna fail if I don't finish before the deadline."

Characters: Dabi, Hawks

Shipping: Technically DabiHawks, I promise they'll get together soon, guys

Lee: Hawks

Ler: Dabi

Word Count: 1,072

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

Yet another sleepless night of never ending studying put Keigo into quite the irritated mood. He sat at his desk in front of his laptop, head in his hands, the screen displaying a document that currently only had three paragraphs written. Birds started chirping outside his window as light from the sunrise began streaming into his dorm. With a frustrated sigh, he looked up at his computer screen and glared at the document. He had never been this stressed in his life.

Keigo’s overthinking was abruptly interrupted by a low groan and the shuffling of bed sheets from behind him. Touya slipped out from under the covers and stretched, then he looked over at his roommate, who had his back turned to him and was still staring at the laptop.

“You’re up early,” Touya commented, shivering as his bare feet hit the floor.

“Haven’t slept,” Keigo replied curtly.

Touya frowned and stood, walking over to his roommate. Empty energy drink cans littered his desk, and a small pile of dirty plates sat beside his laptop. When was the last time he even moved from his chair?

“You gotta get some sleep, Keigo,” 

Touya said as he reached for the laptop. He huffed when Keigo swatted his hand away,

“When’s the last time you showered?”

“Like, last night or something?”

“Bullshit,”

Touya hissed, glaring at Keigo, who refused to look at him,

“I had a hard time getting to sleep cuz your sleep deprived ass wouldn’t go to bed, and that damn laptop is brighter than my fire.”

“Tsk. Whatever, I just need to get this done.”

“You need to look after yourself.”

“I’m fine, Touya.”

“You’re not fine,”

the hot head crossed his arms,

“Your wings are drooping.”

“Dude, I’m gonna fail if I don’t finish before the deadline,”

Keigo finally turned to his friend, 

“You know how important this essay is! It’s due tomorrow, and I barely have anything written down. I know how my quirk works and how I can use it in battle, but I can’t explain it!”

he growled and slammed his fist on the desk,

“Why is an essay gonna be the deciding factor of if I graduate or not?!”

Touya sighed and rubbed his roommate’s head soothingly, 

“Relax, birdbrain. It isn’t the end of the world. You still have a whole day to get it done,”

he then took Keigo’s hand and tugged gently,

“But you need sleep first. You won’t be able to think properly if you’re running on fumes.”

“I can’t sleep right now,” Keigo groaned,

“Please leave me alone.”

Touya glared at his friend, getting more frustrated as time passed. Suddenly, an idea popped into his head, and his annoyed expression quickly transformed into a mischievous one.

“Fine,”

he huffed as he walked behind Keigo and positioned himself at his wings that hung over the back of the chair,

“I guess I’ll have to make you.”

“What does that even me-HEEEHEHEAN! NONONO TOUYA STOHOHOHOP!”

Keigo shrieked with sudden, uncontrollable laughter. Touya smirked as he dug into his friend’s fluffy wings, then yelped when one of them flapped a little too hard and smacked him right in the face.

“You little shit,” the hot head grumbled.

“I-I’m sohohorry,”

Keigo whined, standing up and holding his hands up in surrender while his roommate approached him,

“Touya, please, I’ll go to sleep, just anything but this– TOUYA!!”

Touya wasted no time, pouncing on his winged friend and pinning him to the bed, then scribbling all ten of his fingers over his sensitive feathers. Ever since they were children, Touya knew Keigo’s worst spot was his wings. He loved tormenting him whenever he got on his nerves, or even if he was just bored. His friend never failed to provide an entertaining experience.

“Too little too late, Keigo,”

the hot head smirked evilly, savoring his trapped roommate’s screams of ticklish agony,

“You should’ve decided before I had to resort to this. ‘sides, you hit me with your wings. I deserve some payback for that.”

“IHIHIHIT WAS AN AHAHAHACCIDENT, YOU PRIHIHIHICK!” Keigo cackled, thrashing helplessly,

“YOU WERE TIHIHIHICKLING MEHEHEHE! I COULDN’T HEHEHELP IHIHIT!”

“Not my problem,”

Touya shrugged, moving his fingers toward where Keigo’s wings connected to his back, and he chuckled as his friend’s laughter became more high pitched and desperate,

“Poor little Keigo. Can’t handle it, huh? Is it too much? You poor thing~.”

“SHUHUHUT UHUHUHUHUP!!”

“Awww, does teasing get to you? Hmm? Does it make it worse?”

he leaned in closer to Keigo’s flushed face, still talking in that sickeningly effective baby voice,

“Do you like it when I tease you? Huh, little birdie~?”

“TOHOHOHOUYA, PLEHEHEHEHEASE!!” 

Keigo felt extremely hot, and he pushed at Touya’s face with one hand while covering his own with his other hand.

“Ohh~? Do you like that nickname, little birdie? Does it make you flustered? Ah ah ah, don’t cover your face,”

Touya huffed and quickly grabbed Keigo’s wrists, pinning them above his head and giving him a little breather,

“Or I’ll make you regret it~.”

The winged student swallowed nervously and stared deeply into his friend’s eyes while catching his breath. He’d be lying if he said this wasn’t exciting and fun, but he still had his paper to write. He frowned and averted his gaze.

“Can I go back to working on my paper, please?”

“Your paper will be there.”

“Touya, let me up.”

“Nope.”

“Touya–”

“That’s it.”

Laughter once again rang throughout the dorm room, only stopping when Keigo’s boisterous cackling turned into silent hysteria. Touya knew he wasn’t going to listen, so he had no choice but to tire him out enough so that he wouldn’t even think of anything but sleep. 

About an hour had passed when the hot head finally decided to let up, and his plan had worked. Keigo fell asleep almost instantly after the tickle attack, and Touya tucked him in gently. He smiled as his roommate snored peacefully. It was an adorable sight - his flushed face stained with mirth and a small smile resting on his lips. He looked so comfortable. Touya sighed fondly and ran his fingers through Keigo’s soft hair, his eyes lingering on his lips for longer than he would admit. Finally, he walked over to the desk and made sure to save his friend’s work before closing the laptop, and began cleaning up the mess. He was positive Keigo would do better once he got some rest.

Request a drabble~

Do you have any dad klance headcannons?

Thank you so much for asking dear sweet asker I appreciate you so much. I actually,,, lowkey don't? Dad!Klance is not something I think about that much, I think bc as a teenage girl in my 20s I am not in a parent/family space that often BUT FOR YOU IMMA TRY HERE WE GO:

for starters I think they're really good at it let's get that straight from the jump

Lance always wanted to be a parent I think--comes from a big family, has watched his siblings become parents, is obsessed with his cool uncle status, has always seen parenthood ahead as something to look forward to

Keith is the opposite, never in a million bazillion years thought that was in the cards for him

he's gay so that came with its own list of things to be worried about that would be difficult in terms of, like, acquiring a child, plus he just sort of had a shitty time as a kid, has a funny relationship with the words "parent" and "dad" and hasn't had the time to hash that out with a therapist because he's been in space

really truly Keith is a feral desert child and when presented with the thought of turning a small being into an adult suitable for society his brain shorts out

...until they get together

actually, both of them flip on this while they're in space OKAY NOW WE'RE COOKING

Lance, my poor sweet darling prince, is a little less sold on children. He grows up hard and fast and violent in the intergalactic war they're thrust into, sees terrible things happen to good people all over the place, sees kids left parentless and parents lose a child, sees himself nearly die more times than he can count (oop that one time he did die lol), and suddenly the idea of kids in the future isn't tinted golden and sparkling with the memories of his childhood. He's an adult and anything could happen and it's terrifying and hard and he knows he loves what he does--loves helping people, loves interacting with children, wants to teach or something later for sure maybe--but the actual parenting is soured by the thought of his mom back home thinking her son is dead and not even having the closure of a burial or anything. He learns that nothing is certain in the way he used to think it was, and stops expecting specific things for his future

Klance gets together [how?? girls idk any infinite number of ways that is every post I'll ever make until the end of time but not this one--trust though it was juicy] and they stay together while they're fighting the space war, and slowly and then all at once Keith "Lone Wolf" "Not A Family Man" "Feral Desert Orphan" "Kids What Are Those" Kogane is, like,,,, thinking about his life and his future beyond like,,, the next hour,,, and is imagining kids in the picture??? trust it shocks him too

This actually is a version of their relationship that I really like thinking about! Lance pivots on all of his hopes and dreams that he'd had all his life about certain milestones for things--marriage, kids, the white picket fence and all that jazz--and throws it all out the window. Because piloting magical sentient lions in a space war is fucking crazy and life is nothing like what he thought and what is important to him reshapes; it isn't the milestones it is the feelings they represent, the security and companionship he is seeking, the fulfillment he can find from interacting with others in different ways. Keith is the opposite; he never thought any of the milestones were important because he assumed they were for other, non-broken people. People--not him--who could have nice things like spouses and houses and children to raise in their image or whatever. And to make a long and introspective story short he gets to hold Lance's hand and suddenly all of those nice things are back on the table and he gets to want them and finds out that he does

I guess this is where it gets fuzzy for me I've seen some things where they space adopt and that's really fun and fresh

Or they wait until they get back to Earth after having the Cool Uncle Era with Lance's nieces and nephews which is my shit i love cool uncle klance

I do think I subscribe to them adopting older children out of the foster system as opposed to however infant adoption works

but any way you slice it Keith is So Pressed About Getting It Right he's reading books he's asking Shiro and then wanting to die because Shiro is So Cringe about his caretaking advice UGH

and Lance is back in a comfy phase about it now that they've decided to do it, regaling Keith when he freaks out with tales of times he and his siblings totally almost died or that crazy shit happened or that his parents did x y z totally sideways--his point being: and look how well it turned out anyway

the important thing is that when they do have children they love them more than anything and demonstrate a positive healthy relationship for them and they try to meet them where they are and also give them opportunities to grow and be happy and therefore it all works out perfect :)

Also as an added bonus here are some of my favorite depictions of dad!Klance for your perusal:

deerstalkerdeathfrisbee's True Love or Something ok these were like my earliest favorite fics ever when I tell you this raised me and reset my brain chemistry I am being so serious. They aren't dadding until later in the series [THIS ONE] but actually the whole thing is so excellent

that,,, actually is the only one coming to mind right now but people SOUND OFF IF YOU HAVE ANY MORE PLS <3 i will return to this post with more if i find any

I hope this was good for you obviously I just stream-of-conscious dumped into the text box but it was super fun to do, if anybody has any other prompting thoughts I would love to ideate more I just,,,, love thinking about them so much,,,, ok everybody have a great day!!

💃 Pull my muse up to dance - it was teased, now I want it. ;; @lamentingwclf

non-verbal rp starters ;; accepting

Wanda held her head up with one hand underneath her chin, elbow on the countertop before her. Her hair, mostly dry now after a shower that had absolutely been needed, framed her face with soft curls. The shirt she wore had certainly been his at one point though was now not likely to be given back (or pried from her), but at least the bottoms she wore were actually hers.

Her thoughts had been wandering for some time; lazily hopping from one idle idea to murky memory.

There was nothing in particular that was holding her interest today, which meant time was passing a little slow - but also wasn’t it better to actually have a day when she was just… relaxing? That was the word, right? (ha ha, sure she knew what relaxing was). For once, her skin wasn’t peppered with bruises and cuts (okay just a few old ones), she wasn’t preparing to head out and thinking when she’d be back. There wasn’t a cloud of worry and anxiety over hanging over her or weighing her down. Today was normal.

Domestic, in its way.

She rather liked it.

The book sat before her had closed on its own some time ago, but Wanda looked back at it briefly with consideration anyways before pushing it away. Reading was a great pastime and already she’d there was a growing pile of books she’d picked up around the place by the seat that had rather become her spot. Just now, she wasn’t in the mood for an epic tale or small journey. Instead, she glanced away and Wanda felt her lips curl upwards at the sight of the little radio. Not often that she used it nor heard it, but the idea of a little background music had struck a chord within her. Now that it had taken root, Wanda was unable to resist. Music was necessary.

Switched on, she adjusted the radio slightly - what channel was it on? She didn’t know nor care, but the music had a lovely beat to it. It was down low, but as she stretched her arms above her and felt the material of the shirt rise up around her as she did so, the music washed over her. Perfect.

What next? She’d not thought that far ahead, but already there was a soft humming noise that— oh— that was coming from her. And a sway as she moved around the counter.

The plan was just to sit back, and bask, perhaps. Normal sort of like… chill stuff. Like, kick back and relax. Totally normal.

But the sight of Bucky derailed those plans, as the sight of him so often did.

It didn’t hit her consciously for a second, but the smile that passed on her features arrived the instant she saw him. Soft and warm, a hint of something playful. She turned away, beginning to move to ‘her spot’ on the seat before she recognised the song. Sort of. The name escaped her. She’d heard it a lot growing up, however. Had danced to it before actually - but growing up, Wanda had danced often. One skill taught to her from her mother, and a habit she’d kept up for some time. Dancing was a great love for her. She wasn’t perfect but she enjoyed it - and the hobby was a nice memory from childhood among others not so great.

Her face lit up at the recognition of the song, her step faltering before she turned and reached out to Bucky. It was a quick movement, but just as gentle as her look - though there was a growing playful grin, a little wondrous and curious because this was not a moment she was going to let pass her by. A chance to see if Bucky would dance.

A stupid thought, a silly thought, a playful one. But really, wasn’t that just NEEDED now and then? Surely it was! And Wanda wasn’t against showing off a few moves.

“Your timing is impeccable,” she remarked, trying to sound coolly calm and reasonable, (no no not sultry, not with the smirk barely hidden), as her hand reached for Bucky’s hand and her fingers intertwined with his. She pulled him close (as best she could, stepping forwards herself to close the gap) and let her other hand go to his cheek.

Slender, soft fingers danced down his cheek, to his jawline, before falling to his shoulder. Wanda could ask ‘dance with me?’ but now wasn’t the moment. She selfishly didn’t want him to say no. There was tiredness that she could sense in him she thought. but no sharp urgency in his gaze or how he held himself. …well, no more sharpness than normal. It was almost usual to see him… see him… like a wild animal cornered, tense and ready to do SOMETHING to keep them going. There was still steel to him, sure. But even Bucky could be eased into relaxation, right?

Wanda wasn’t giving him time to say no. Her body pressed to his and she squeezed his hand and moved. “Wow.” Her eyes widened in mock surprise as she moved, feet sliding and lifting across the ground - natural and free. “Amazing. It seems the world doesn’t end when Bucky Barnes dances. I should have tried this sooner.”

There was no doubt of the teasing in her gaze now, and frankly he was lucky she wasn’t pulling him in for a kiss, but she resisted and quickly lifted her hand (whilst at the same time sticking out her tongue) in a gesture that left no room for arguments. He simply HAD to spin underneath her upheld arm in. The more princess like the better.

Hair a little messy, ignoring that she was barefooted, she grinned, “Come on. Please dance with me.”

In the oven now, and smelling wonderful!

(And yes, I do seem to have scattered sugar all over the stovetop. 🙄)

Not sure how much like pumpernickel this will actually turn out, but hard to see how it could be too bad. (Not even going into the substitutions I made, but there were some. Because of course.)

The last of my bread turned out to be moldy earlier, and I was also speculating again recently about buckwheat flour maybe working well to give an effect sort of like rye bread. Seemed like as good a time as any to give that a try.

One thing I used: the yeasty dregs from some bottle carbonated homebrew cider! (With basically no noticeable pear flavor in the end, not that it would make any difference with just under half a cup in a big loaf of bread.) Not expecting any real raising action from that; it just seemed like a good opportunity to use up what little was left in the bottle.

I also decided to rinse out the little bit of yeasty residue left at the bottom to get a baking starter going. Letting it sit in the Nerd Experiment Corner, with the idea of letting it go quasi-sourdough.

We had some leftover plain white Chinese takeout rice that needed used up, and I had been thinking of turning it into rice pudding anyway. With the oven already running at a reasonable temperature for the bread, I went ahead and threw together a small batch of that too.

Just used that recipe as a rough proportions guide. I do like it more custardy than rice-heavy, and that sounded about right from my dodgy memory. Didn't bother with heating the milk much to reduce baking time as suggested there, since the bread would take a while anyway. I do like to microwave it just to lukewarm before mixing in the eggs, etc. though.

So, way more cooking than I was expecting to do today, but hopefully worth it!

Chapter 11 - Part 2

Continues on from Part 1, which you can find here!

Andrea: “...Okay! :D”

Unrestrained summer fun with the girls!

Update: They ended up in a cave and didn’t die, so that’s promising.

Quirky Crown is where we’re at. Hey, this is a pretty nice paradise hiding underneath the quicksand!

I grit my teeth and expected the worst after what Nonsensical Castle put us through. And I did reset once, after this happened:

Floor 2: *spawns into a monster house*

Floor 3: *walks into a monster house because the only path forward led there*

Floor 4: *spawns into a monster house*

Me: OH COME ON!!!

 but... I didn’t need to reset after that! And thankfully it was only 10 floors.

We recruited a Magcargo and uh. THIS MOVESET. Not bad at ALL.

Also, I didn’t take a picture of this, but on the last floor, we swept through a monster house and three Pokémon asked to join us, one after the other lol. I believe it was Barboach, Mantine, and Cacturne. We got to keep them all because the waypoint was dead ahead.

Speaking of... I love the ambiance for this one. Still clearly in a cave but with aquifers or springs poking through. The oasis in the desert.

Colossal Path, same deal. I only had to reset once. Gulpin and Marcargo got beaten within an inch of their life so they had to go back. We managed to recruit a Psyduck though.

Also HECK YEAH, TERESA HAS THE BEST IQ GROUP!!

Me either, I guess, although that waypoint certainly dropped us a hint.

It sure is! That’s enough to confirm that there’s a Time Gear, right?

...Uhhh, okay. But why do I think this is maybe a bad idea?

*Everything suddenly goes dark*

Oh. That’s why.

Andrea... *buries face in hands* that is the worst thing you could possibly say rn.

I wonder who this mysterious guardian is, anyway?

Let’s address the elephant in the room, shall we?

Yup, another starter! And this one is of particular importance to me. Phanpy was my Partner in the first team that made it through the whole game. (My previous two teams failed at two crucial points... But that’s a topic for another day.)

Also, he says “Underground Lake” here, but the actual name will pop up soon, and trust me when I say it’s a good one.

The battle... Teresa has Seed Flare. Andrea has Blizzard and Octazooka. It was over within three turns.

It’s so nice to see the portrait expression here. Although I have more or less imagined the possible ones for Team Heavenly, NPCs, etc. in my head.

“Don’t lie to me!”

Uxie Bonsly... told you there was a thief, but didn’t bother to give you the details? Or at the very least name the Pokémon he saw? Sure, maybe he sent it with urgency during the incident itself. But considering Bonsly gives a witness statement after the fact to positively I.D. the subject...

Idk I just feel like a little more communication could have gone a long way to prevent this situation.

Andrea: “No! We didn’t do it!”

Phanpy: “Then who’s responsible?!”

Whoop, there it is.

Teresa feels frozen in place. Finally, for the first time in so many years, she is face to face with her son again... but he refuses to look her in the eye. He refuses to acknowledge that she’s even there. She remains paralyzed, but inside her heart shatters into a thousand pieces...

Every time I see him apologize, I think about this post and... yeah 💔

He proceeds to bat us aside like toy dolls (and this is actually a pretty convincing pose for Phanpy).

(There’s no pose for this but we’re knocked down here bro, I swear.)

I tried to take a picture of the frozen time racing across the walls, but it came out very blurry unfortunately :/

Ah, yes. A giant underground lake. Known as the Gigantic Lavafields.

“Hurry! Run with all your might!” *Everyone proceeds to walk at a snail’s pace*

Honestly, I just would have used an Escape Orb to GTFO 🤷‍♀️

Whew! If you made it this far, thanks for reading 😊 (and for your patience! As you saw, Nonsensical Castle was a doozy...). Go take a bathroom break, stretch those limbs, refill on those drinks and snacks... And before you know it, Chapter 12: (Insert nonsensical title here) will be upon ye!

[wattpad link] [last chapter]

Luca’s POV:

For once during the time that she’s been here, Luca didn’t wake up to the sound of someone screaming. They rolled out of bed & rubbed their eyes, looking out the window. It was a bit of an overcast day outside. Luca didn’t mind that.

They yawned, exiting their house & looking around. Almost everyone was outside, curious. The only two who Luca didn’t seem to spot were Ollie & Charlie.

Despite not everybody being outside yet, the speaker up on the pole crackled on.

“Good morning, townies!” the mysterious voice said in a sing-songy voice. “What a wonderful day today, huh? You all might be interested to know that nobody was killed last night!”

Nobody was killed? That was a bit strange to Luca, considering Ollie & Charlie were nowhere to be seen. The two of them were probably just still asleep, though.

The person on the speaker continued. “You can have a public execution if you’d like to, but it’s not required, & if you don’t plan on doing that, there are a few places on the outskirts of town where you can hang out. Goodbye for now!”

As the speaker turned off, Luca saw Charlie exiting her home. “Oh,” the Mayor said. “Everyone’s already out here.” “Yea, everyone except for Ollie.” A girl (Marina) piped up. “Wonder what their deal is anyway, with that jester outfit & everything.”

Now that Marina had mentioned it, it was kind of weird how Ollie was always wearing that jester outfit. Luca had just assumed it was a costume of sorts. Maybe it had something to do with their role. Norma did mention yesterday that Ollie was either a Framer, a Jester, or a Vampire.

“I’m sure it’s nothing out of the ordinary.” Mateo nodded. “They did mention they lost most of their memories when they woke up. Their behavior probably has something to do with that.”

The other town members seemed to agree with Mateo’s statement. It would make sense, but was there any evidence to prove it?

“Hey,” a girl (Once again, Luca recognized her from the introductions: Rosie) said. “That guy on the speaker mentioned there were places outside the town for us to go to, right? How about we go see what’s over there?”

Norma’s POV:

Everyone decided it would be a good idea to go toward the outskirts of town & see what lay ahead for them there. Norma walked up to Luca, so she could walk beside them.

“Hey, Luca.” “Hey, Norma. How’d you sleep last night?” “Could have been worse. I got a bit distracted last night because someone was at my door, trying to talk to me.” “Ah. I see.. & speaking of seeing, have you seen Ollie anywhere?” “No, not since yesterday.” “Ah, alright.”

They both went silent for a moment. Then, Norma spoke up.

“& speaking of Ollie, haven’t you noticed how.. childish they are?” “I mean.. I guess maybe that’s just from the ‘forgetting almost everything’ thing, so..” “Yea, but like- that’s not what I’m talking about. I think even if they still had their memories, they would still be a bit childish. I’ve noticed while almost everyone else looks to be in their late 20’s to mid 30’s, Ollie just looks... young.” “Young? How so?” “Well, for starters, their height. Ollie’s way shorter than us.” “That doesn’t mean they’re young. Old people can be short.” “Yea, I’m taller than my nan. I know old people can be short, but if Ollie was old, they’d have wrinkles. I can barely see any wrinkles on their face, besides the usual ones that most people have.” “Well, I suppose we can ask about it. If we ever see them again, that is.”

For the rest of the walk, they were silent. There wasn’t much conversation to have. Norma could ask Luca about life before they got sent to.. wherever this is, but at this point in time it seemed a bit insensitive.

After a bit more walking, the group arrived at their destination: a small plaza, with a park, a small market, & a restaurant.

“Oh! Well isn’t this just pleasant?” Marina smiled. The plaza was indeed very pleasant. Norma probably would have enjoyed it more if it wasn’t in the place where she was forced to participate in a murder game.

“Alright, everyone, uh, just go split up & do whatever you want, I guess.” Charlie shrugged.

That’s exactly what everyone did. They all went off to do their own thing. Norma turned to look at Luca.

“So, uh.. wanna go to the park?” “Sure.” “Alright.”

Luca’s POV:

Luca & Norma had walked just a bit further into the plaza & found the park. It was a beautiful sight. There was a waterfall off in the distance, with just about the clearest water you’ve ever seen. Plenty of flowers & fauna surrounded the area, & there were benches! After all of that walking, Luca certainly needed to sit down on a bench.

So, that’s exactly what she did. “Cool bench.” she grinned. Norma nodded in response, sitting down next to them. “Yup. Whoever made it is clearly an expert in their craft.” “& what exactly would that craft be?” “Bench-making.”

The two of them laughed. With all the stress lately, it was good to have a little chuckle every now & then. Of course, though, all good things in this place have to come to an end.

“Hey guys!” “AAAAAHH!!”

Ollie had popped out of the bush beside them, scaring Luca & Norma.

“Jesus christ, Ollie, you scared us!” “Soooorry! As if it’s my fault.” Ollie grinned, getting their whole body out of the bush & brushing off the leaves.

“How’d you get over here anyway?” Norma asked. “Oh! It’s a secret!” they replied. “A secret?” “Yup! Can’t tell you two!” Ollie did a little twirl whilst saying this. “& speaking of you two, why are you here anyhow?” “Well, no one died, so everybody thought it’d be a good idea to explore the plaza, I guess.” “Hm.” Ollie hummed. “That’s fair.”

Ollie sat down on the ground next to the bench & started fidgeting with the grass.

“Oh, Ollie! We.. actually have a question for you.” “Huh?” “How old are you?” Ollie looked up at them. “That’s a bit of a personal question, don’tcha think?” “Is that your way of saying you forgot your age or do you just, like, actually wanna keep it a secret?” “Oh, no, I know my age. I just don’t wanna tell you.” they smiled, looking back down at the ground. “Well, you do you, I suppose.”

Mateo’s POV:

Mateo, Rosie, & Finn all decided to head to the restaurant in the plaza. Thinking back on the past few days, nobody’s really had anything good to eat, so Mateo decided to treat his new-found friends by getting them a meal.

The three of them sat at a booth as a yellow cloaked figure handed them all their food. “Enjoy your food!” “Thank you, mysterious hooded figure!”

The figure walked off as the group looked at their food. Mateo had ordered some pasta, Rosie had some matzo ball soup, & Finn had some pepperoni pizza.

“Damn, this food looks good.” bro grinned, picking up a slice of pizza. “Hopefully it tastes as good as it looks.” Rosie grabbed its spoon. “I’m getting sick of only eating bread.”

The three of them started chowing down on their food. It was a lot better than any of them were anticipating, especially for a place like this.

“Holy shit.” Mateo mumbled, with a fork-full of spaghetti in his mouth. “This is awesome.” “Bro, don’t talk with your mouth full.” “Sorry, Finn.” Mateo swallowed his food. “But as I was saying, this restaurant fucking RULES!” “God, yea, I haven’t had food this good since my last birthday.” “Well, hopefully once we win & get the hell out of this place, we’ll go & eat out like this everyday!” “Hell yea, bro! 3 cheers for the Mafia!”

Beau’s POV:

Beau was with Marina & Bennie at the market. They didn’t necessarily know the two other people well, but it was better than hanging out alone.

The three of them walked down the path, looking at all the stuff they could get with their money, which was none. They had no money.

“Ooh, look at that thing!” Marina grinned, pointing at something in one of the markets. It was a plushie of a cartoon-ish witch. Beau thought it was a fine plushie. Nothing good nor bad about it. It was just kind of there, & Beau could appreciate it for that.

“Yea, that’s nice, but check out THIS!” Bennie turned around & whipped out a flamethrower from one of the nearby stalls. “Isn’t this thing sick as hell?” “Isn’t that dangerous?” Beau asked. “Well, only if you’re not careful with it.” ae shrugged. “Even so, none of us have any money with us anyway. I would assume the mystery guy decided to leave our wallets back home.” “What’s the point of even having a market if you can’t buy anything in it?” Marina asked. “What’s the point in having this plaza at ALL?” Bennie groaned, setting the flamethrower aside. “I saw a restaurant as well! No use in having a restaurant if you can’t fucking order anything!”

Beau could understand Marina & Bennie’s disappointment. What was the point of having all of this stuff here if they couldn’t use it?

“I still don’t understand why we even have to participate in this ‘game’ at all, while we’re here complaining.” Marina said. “Who’s idea was this anyway?!” “Hypocrite.” Bennie snarled. “Hypocrite?! You’re calling me a hypocrite?!” “You’re complaining about this place, & yet you’re actively participating in it?” “& how would YOU know?” “Because I know you controlled me last night, WITCH.”

Marina gasped.

“Well, MAYBE I don’t want to die! None of us know what happens if we don’t do what the mystery guy says!” “Why don’t we find out then?! Why don’t we all sit around town tomorrow & go ‘Oh, we don’t want to play your stupid game anymore!’ How do you think THAT’S gonna end for us?” “Hey- Hey! Stop arguing!-” Beau attempted to stop the two of them from fighting, but that just caused the two of them to snap at Beau. “& who are you to boss us around?! You’ve never spoken up before! Why start now?” “Because fighting isn’t gonna get us ANYWHERE!” they shouted. “Having stupid little arguments like this is gonna cause tension, & that’s the LAST thing we need in a place like this!”

Surprisingly to Beau, raising their voice made both Marina & Bennie pause in their argument. Beau sighed. “Just.. don’t fight, ok? It’s gonna make things a lot worse for us.”

Charlie’s POV:

Charlie was quite an introverted person as-is. She could barely lead a group project, let alone being the Mayor of a town. This whole thing was stressful as hell to her, & despite her stone-cold expressions during the executions, all she wanted to do during each one was put the gun down & put an end to this game.

She chuckled, sitting down under a nearby tree. A “game.” Games were supposed to be fun. Although this may be entertaining to the person behind it all, it certainly wasn’t fun for everyone else. Well, everyone except for Ollie, anyway, but Ollie was a curious sort.

They reminded Charlie of her younger sister, Mellie: always smiling even in the face of death. It’s like she always knew what the solution was. Charlie wished she could talk to her sister, & find out how to stop this game.

“Hey, Mayor!” “Ah!”

Ollie had popped out behind the tree & scared Charlie. “Oh, Ollie. It’s just you.” “Yup! Me & nobody else!” they grinned, sitting down next to Charlie. “So, what’cha sitting over here for?” “Oh, just.. thinking. I guess.” “Thinking? About what?” Charlie sighed. “About.. everything. Why was I the one assigned Mayor in the first place? I’m not fit to be a Mayor.” “Sure you are! You’re leading this place quite well, I’d say.” “Well, how do I put this? I’ve never necessarily been the bravest person around.” “Well,” Ollie hummed, thinking to themselves for a second. “Just because you’re not brave doesn’t mean you can’t be a good leader. Despite all the trouble I’ve caused the town, you managed to keep everyone in line & execute the right people. I’d say that’s bravery.”

Charlie smiled, a tear coming out of her eye.

“Sorry, I’ve never been the best at motivational speeches.” “No, no! It’s fine! It’s just.. you remind me of... someone I used to know. Wait just a minute.”

Charlie took out her gun again. The very same one that she had used during each of the executions. She handed the gun to Ollie.

“If by any chance I don’t live ‘til tomorrow, give this to one of the others. Alright?”

Ollie held the gun in their hands, staring at it like a cat would stare at seemingly nothing. “You.. trust me with this?”

“As much as I trust anybody else in this town.”

Luca’s POV:

There really was not much for Luca & Norma to talk about. In terms of recent events, there was the game, but Luca didn’t want to talk about the game, & they assumed Norma didn’t either. The two of them had just been offhandedly asking each other questions & talking about things that happened to them. Norma mentioned she was planning on moving out of her old house, but she wasn’t sure where to yet. Outside of.. the game, not much really happens to Luca, so she really did not have much to say.

“So.. uh... you like sports?” “No, not really.” “Me neither.”

Laughter erupted from nearby. Luca turned & saw Mateo, Rosie, & Finn exiting the restaurant nearby. They had some leftover food with them, which confused Luca a little, considering nobody had any money to purchase things with, but that was the least of their concerns.

“Ohh, that’s a good one!” Mateo chuckled at whatever joke one of the other two told, turning around & spotting Luca & Norma. “Oh, hey!”

“Hey, Mateo.” Luca waved. “What are you three up to?” “Oh, we just got done having the best meal of our lives. How about you?” “Um.. we’re just chatting. About whatever.” “About whatever?” Finn scoffed. “Bro, you can’t just talk about whatever! Have some purpose in there!” “Purpose? Can you.. elaborate on that?” “No. But you know what I mean, bro.” “Uh.. not really-” “What bro means,” Rosie piped up. “is that you gotta have a meaningful conversation!”

She looked to Finn for confirmation. Bro nodded, giving them a thumbs up. “Yeah, what they said!”

Luca & Norma glanced at each other, confused. “What meaningful conversation are we supposed to be having, exactly?”

“For starters,-” a new voice startled Luca & Norma. They turned around & saw Marina there, along with Bennie & Beau. “-you could be talking about a way out of this place.

Luca looked at her in disbelief. “& how would we do that? We barely know anything about this place.” “You could at least try.” Bennie shrugged. “Maybe our specific assigned roles could help us out, also.” “That’s.. actually kinda a good idea.” Mateo said. “Really?” “I mean, if it’s the only idea we’ve got, it might as well be.”

After that, it went silent.

“So.. anybody want to claim anything?” Mateo asked. “Well, I’m the Investigator.” Norma said. “But you already know that from yesterday. & we know Ollie’s either a Framer, a Jester, or a Vampire, but I don’t know what any of those do.”

Luca thought it might be advantageous to claim. It’s not like she was going to use any of her alerts anyway. She didn’t even know what an alert was.

“I’m the Veteran.” Luca said. “Whatever that means.” “Alright, alright,” Mateo nodded, turning toward Bennie. “& what are you?” “Um.. the Survivor?” he shrugged. Beau & Marina seemed to give a disapproving look to this claim, which didn’t make Luca feel very good about it.

“Survivors don’t look at flamethrowers like that, Bennie.” Marina said. “Hey! Maybe I just like flamethrowers!” Bennie scoffed, a little more defensively than she should have been. “What do you know, anyhow?”

Marina paused. Luca could tell she knew something about Bennie that nobody else knew. They weren’t gonna pressure her about anything, though. The situation was already quite stressful as-is.

“& what about you?” Bennie asked, pointing at Mateo. “You’re acting all high & mighty, asking us all for our roles, when you haven’t told us about YOUR role! & what’s with the suit?” “Well-” Mateo choked. “My role’s none of your business. & I’m wearing a suit because I was at a party the night before this ‘game’ started.” “Was the party fun?” Norma asked. “Eh, it was alright.”

“How about YOU as well?” Bennie pointed toward Rosie. “Maybe Mateo has a good enough excuse, but your dress seems a little suspicious to me!” “I’m wearing a dress because I was supposed to go on a date that night! I got dumped by that piece of-” “Eugh. Dating. I don’t wanna hear your excuse anymore.”

Rosie rolled its eyes. “Whatever. You’re being too pushy anyways.” “What about you, bro?” Finn looked at Bennie. “Why are you wearin’ what you are?” “Well, that’s none of your business, bro.” Bennie crossed aer arms.

Luca groaned. “Oh.. my god. What we’re wearing doesn’t have ANYTHING to do with our roles. You wouldn’t be able to tell I’m a Veteran from my clothes. Our clothes have nothing to do with anything.” “They’re right.” Norma nodded. “Arguing about what we’re wearing is not gonna get us anywhere.”

Everyone sighed, recollecting their senses.

"Well," Mateo started. "Instead of getting into another pointless argument, let's all agree that we're going to find our way out of here, one way or another, no matter what it takes. Are you all with me?"

They all cheered, including Luca. They had a bad feeling about this, though, but just the thought of escaping this place made them not think about everything that could possibly go wrong.

[next chapter]

Thanksgiving Break - 2/? | westallen fanfiction

A/N: DRAMA DRAMA DRAMA

...

Chapter 2 -

Joe should’ve known when he saw three young adults walking towards him instead of two, and the two closer to each other did not involve Iris, that it was going to be a rough four days. A rough ride home for starters, but at the time his brain simply did not compute. He turned on his hazard lights, got out of the car and approached the trio.

“Iri-”

“Barry will tell you,” Iris said, keeping her head down and climbing into the front passenger seat.

His daughter’s peppiness and even nerves completely evaporated should’ve set off major red flags for him, and it did, definitely, but the stranger standing next to Barry caused more.

“Barry?”

In the dark, Barry’s red cheeks weren’t that visible, but his mannerisms indicating he was blushing, and that made Joe watch him like a hawk.

“Right. This is Caitlin Snow, Joe. Her mom cancelled on her after she’d sent her money for a ticket, so I…”

“You what?”

“I invited her to Thanksgiving with us.” He winced.

Joe sighed, and Caitlin looked between them nervously.

“Maybe this was a bad idea,” she whispered to Barry.

“I would’ve appreciated more of a head’s up, Barry. I imagine so would Iris.”

“Iris seemed very nice,” Caitlin said.

Neither man commented on that.

“I just…I thought we still had the guest room available?”

Joe nodded. “We do. Next time though, Barry?”

“Next time I will let you know.”

“No forcing my hand. It’s not a good look.”

“Understood.”

“Alright then.” He switched his gaze to the girl. “Caitlin Snow, it’s nice to meet you.” He glanced down to her hand. “You only have one suitcase?”

“It’s only four days,” she said, sounding confused.

Joe laughed.

“I wish Iris had gotten that memo.” He leaned toward Barry. “You may have some stuff to carry in when we get home,” he told him, and Barry nodded. “Let’s head on out. The snow will probably get heavier within the hour, and we don’t want to be in traffic when that happens.”

“Right.”

“Got it.”

Helping Caitlin and Barry over the slick pavement, Joe made his way to the driver’s seat after all the luggage was stuffed in the trunk. Iris was silent as can be, staring ahead at nothing. The two in the back whispered a few things to each other before going quiet as well, and that was how the ride home from the airport went for the next 45 minutes.

…

Upon arrival, Iris was the first to unclick her seatbelt.

“I’m going to take the rest of my stuff upstairs, so Barry doesn’t have to,” she told her dad, then bolted from the car.

Having heard the words clear as day, Barry found himself frowning, but walked with Caitlin and Joe to get everything inside.

“I’ll have Iris tidy up the guest room,” Joe addressed Caitlin. “And then you’re free to go in and do whatever you like. We’ve got leftovers in the kitchen from supper if you’re hungry. Otherwise, I’m probably going to head to bed. I’ll fill you in on our Thanksgiving festivities when you get up in the morning if that’s alright.”

“Yes, of course,” Caitlin said. “Thank you so much for your hospitality again. I really appreciate it. My mom, she just-”

Joe waved it off.

“No need to explain Caitlin. We’re happy to have you with us for the holidays.”

Caitlin looked at Barry, who forced a smile and gestured towards the stairs.

“Iris!” Joe called up. “Could you get the guest room ready?”

No response.

“Iri-” he tried again, but Barry cut him off.

“I’ll go talk to her.”

Joe nodded and slipped out of his shoes.

“Did you want something to eat while they get the room situated, Caitlin?”

“Oh. I, um…”

“Our fridge is your fridge.”

Her smile was tremulous.

“I suppose I might, yeah. I haven’t really eaten anything all day. Family drama, you understand.”

“Of course.” He gestured to the fridge and went to sit in the living room. “Let me know if you need anything.”

“Thanks.”

Upstairs, Barry had reached the long hallway when he called for Iris again. Not getting a response, he started opening doors.

“Where in the worl-”

“Oh!” Iris gasped when he pushed in the door to his old room. “Sorry! I…I didn’t- Um…sorry.” She made a beeline to get past him into the hall.

“Iris, didn’t you hear us calling you? And what were you doing in my…” He stopped, seeing the wet tracks glimmering on her face from the ceiling light. “Iris, were you crying?”

“No.” She wiped away the tears and inhaled a sniffle. “I’m fine. And the guest room is great. I already fluffed up the pillows and added a blanket, so your friend should sleep just perfectly.”

He wasn’t blind, and he wasn’t stupid, but he didn’t want to send his best friend over the deep end by pointing things out she didn’t want pointed out.

“Okay,” he said slowly, then licked his lips. “Look, I know it’s unexpected having someone else here when you haven’t seen me in like three months.”

“Two months,” she corrected, her glimmering eyes fastening to his. “I haven’t seen you in two months.”

His lips thinned.

“Anyway, it’s not a problem.” She put on the fakest smile he’d ever seen. “Like I said, the bed’s ready. I’m just tired. So, I’ll see you both tomorrow, okay?”

Barry blinked.

“Okay…”

“Tell my dad I said goodnight. Oh, and Caitlin too. Tell your girlfr- friend, your friend…tell her I said goodnight, and I hope she sleeps well. Goodnight, Barry.”

“Iri-”

But she had whirled around and scooted down the hall to her room, closing the door behind her so quietly yet so firmly, Barry didn’t dare go in after her.

Instead he sighed, ran his hand through his hair and headed back downstairs to find Caitlin finishing up a plate of food at the table.

“Everything all right?” she asked, and Barry glanced over at Joe who was snoring on the couch already.

He took a seat across from her and folded his arms.

“Yeah, she’s just…tired.”

“Or jealous.”

Barry’s eyes flicked over to hers, stunned that she’d figured it out. He hadn’t told a word to anybody about what happened two months ago, just like he’d promised Iris he wouldn’t. But he wondered now if his behavior and particularly body language had given him away – had given them away.

“N-No, that’s not-”

“Barry, I’m a girl. I know what we look like when we get jealous.” She paused, then immediately lit up.  “Maybe I should talk to her.”

“No. No, that is a bad…bad idea.”

Caitlin scooped up the rest of the food on her fork and twirled it.

“If you say so. Your house, your call. You sure you two never dated though?”

He shook his head.

“Positive. I’d definitely remember that.”

“Hmm.”

“Caitlin, please, I beg of you, don’t talk to her about us or about you and me or anything.”

“You and me?” She raised her eyebrows, amused. “There’s nothing to talk about. We’re just friends. I’m dating Ronnie.”

“I know.”

She gasped.

“Ooo! She’d probably love if she knew I had a boyfriend. Then she wouldn’t think I was trying to steal you from her or something.”

“Caitlin, just-” He sighed.

“What?”

“Don’t talk about me to her. Period.”

She shrugged and finished the remaining food on her plate.

“If that’s what you want. I just didn’t want to be alone on the holidays. I would’ve gone with Cisco if his mom hadn’t been such a-”

“I know.”

“Or Ronnie if his plans hadn’t been so-”

“Yep.”

They sighed simultaneously and smiled.

“You ready for bed?”

“My plate is empty.”

He chuckled and took it.

“I’ll take care of that. You go on upstairs. Your room is the first door on the left.”

“Got it.”

Barry put the plate in the dishwasher and turned off the lights. He nudged Joe lightly and told him everyone was heading to bed before quickly going up the stairs just in case Iris decided to peek her head out again and possibly talk to whoever might be in the hall first.

Much to his luck, the hallway was empty when he reached the top of the stairs, but when he knocked lightly on the door to the guest bedroom, and it swung open, he found that Caitlin was not tucking herself into bed, but she was making the bed.

His mouth fell open.

“What’s going on? Iris told me she made up the bed.”

“She lied,” Caitlin said knowingly.

Barry groaned, dragging his hand over his face.

“Please tell me the sheets, pillowcases and blankets were at least on the bed when you walked in.”

“They were,” she allowed. “Which tells me she had every intention of putting it together, and you got in the way.”

“Me?” he scoffed. “What did I do?”

“You got her all worked up.”

“By doing what?”

“Existing, probably.”

He rolled his eyes and assisted her with the rest of the bedding.

“That girl is in love with you, Barry Allen, and you better talk to her about it or things might come out!”

“Things? What things? And how do you know all this? You’re just guessing.”

“I’m studying to be a doctor, Barry. My guesses have to be pretty accurate.”

He shook his head.

“I’ll talk to her about this in the morning. This is ridiculous.”

“Please don’t. You’ll only make things worse for the two of you.”

His lips thinned.

“Why don’t you go to bed? Everything will look better in the morning.”

He sighed and nodded.

“Alright. I hope so. Goodnight, Caitlin.”

“Night, Barry.”

When Caitlin closed the door behind him, Barry turned just in time to see Iris peeking out of her bedroom door. In quick, long strides he made his way to her room, but not before she’d quickly closed and locked the door.

“Iris.”

She held her tongue, scared to death of a conversation right now and what she might reveal.

“Iris, I-I’m not mad.”

She turned her head against the door.

“I’m just…confused.”

She licked her lips.

“Can we talk?”

Iris hesitated. She thought about unlocking the door and letting him inside, so they could ‘talk’. But she knew what that would end up with. Either her lunging at him and kissing him until he reciprocated or her starting to cry because he might call her out on her jealousy, and she wouldn’t know what to say.

She didn’t want to cry again, and she couldn’t bear it if she tried to kiss him, and he pushed her away. That would be too awful for words. Then she would cry.

So she summoned the only words she could.

“I’m sorry about the blankets, Barry. I honestly forgot.”

“It’s okay, Iris,” he said softly, and his voice was so warm and gentle it reminded her that they hadn’t even hugged yet, because Caitlin had been there, and Iris had been in shock.

She sniffled, and he heard it.

“Iris, please tell me why you’re crying.”

He laid his palm on the door, and somehow Iris felt it and placed her palm on the other side. But she shook her head, and she wouldn’t open the door.

“I just missed you, Barry.”

“I missed you, too, Iris.”

“Not in the same way,” she insisted, and he didn’t know how to take that.

“Let me in, Iris,” he said, his forehead pressed to the door. “I’ll make it all better.”

“Bear?”

And the two broke apart, because it wasn’t Iris saying his name, it was Joe.

“Joe, hey.”

“Is everything okay?” He walked over to Iris’ door, and Iris heard it, and she was mortified.

Her dad could not get involved in this. That would be the absolute worst thing ever.

So, she stumbled back, and she got in her bed, and she squeezed her eyes shut, hoping the door wouldn’t be opened. Or that her dad wouldn’t pound on it if he discovered it was locked.

“Yeah, uh, I just…” Barry cleared his throat. “I thought I heard Iris saying something, but there’s no sound, so she must be asleep.”

Joe knocked lightly on the door.

“Baby girl?”

Silence.

“It’s alright, Joe. I’m sure I can talk to her in the morning.”

Joe forced a tiny smile and nodded.

“I’ll see you in the morning then, all three of you.”

Barry forced his own smile and headed for his own room but not before running his hand down Iris’ door and whispering, “Goodnight, Iris.”

Once inside his room, he changed clothes and tucked himself into bed, but he couldn’t seem to close his eyes for long. He couldn’t stop thinking about Iris.

He’d tried to put their sexcapades from two months ago out of his head as much as he could, for Iris’ sake if not for his own. And he thought Iris would’ve done the same, and maybe even done a better job of it than he had. But her pointing out that it had been only two months since they’d last seen each other told him loud and clear that she’d failed as miserably as he had.

Those two days were permanently ingrained into his memory. Every touch, every moment, every word on repeat in his mind from the second he woke up till that last bit of consciousness before he fell asleep.

His whole world was and always would be Iris. It was hard to tell her not to be jealous now though when she’d made it clear to him that she didn’t want to start a relationship that allowed her to be so.

He didn’t know how to move forward or ease her worries. He just wanted her to be okay, and to…change her mind about him. It had been two months. Had she possibly changed her mind?

He didn’t know. How could he if she wouldn’t even have a full conversation with him?

It was driving him insane. Already.

Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale.

He would try to fall asleep at the very least. He would focus on that. If he succeeded, maybe there was hope for tomorrow with Iris, with everything.

“i was so scared.” — from Anya!!

HARD-TO-FIND HURT / COMFORT SENTENCE STARTERS.

TO THE RESCUER: "I was so scared."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~🌹~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yor was going to have to have a very serious talk with Loid about the safety of his daughter when they got home. The little girl had a habit of running off at the oddest times and trouble either found her or she found trouble.

This time, though, it had happened right under Yor's nose.

They had gone to the park that afternoon with Bond under the pretense of both Anya and Bond getting some exercise and meeting some other dogs and their families. Developing relationships with others in the neighborhood would be a great idea and probably would help ease some of the idle talk about the Forgers that her husband was always worried about.

In hindsight, that concern seemed trivial.

There were several small families, kids, and some elder folks in the park, enjoying the nice autumn weather with their canine companions. Anya and Bond were both advised to stay where she could see them both before Yor sent them off to play. She smiled as she watched the two frolic in the grass, chasing and being chased by other dogs and kids, laughing, barking... being happy.

And watching Anya enjoy this peace filled her with contentment. A reminder that this is what she wanted for the girl, just like she had always wanted it for Yuri.

"HEY! STOP RIGHT THERE!" A commanding male voice yelled, drawing the attention of the adults nearby, Yor turned to look with them.

A trio of men in police uniforms was chasing after a fourth man who was sprinting ahead of them. At first glance, she couldn't tell why he was being chased, but considering the police were involved...it probably wasn't good. He was clutching a brown bag to his chest and pushing people out of his way rather than going around them.

Yor moved towards where she had last seen Anya and Bond...only the two weren't there!

Her ruby red eyes widened and searched the area... only to see Anya mounted on Bond like a fluffy horse and charging right for the alleged criminal. "ANYA!" She screamed.

But it was too late.

Whatever her daughter and dog were planning on doing to help... it must have backfired. The man dropped the bag, pulled out a gun, and grabbed the pink-haired girl from the hound, kicking him away, before turning to face the police officers. "One step more," He growled. "And I'll blow her head off."

Yor's heart stopped in her chest, her eyes zeroing in on her daughter and her terrified expression. The gun barrel was pressed a little too hard into her temple.

And she was whimpering.

"Mama!" The soft voice carried over the distance as if all other sounds but Anya's voice had suddenly been cut off.

Yor saw red.

Without her mind's consent, her body surged forward. She became a shadow, a living nightmare, the Thorn Princess out in the sunshine. She didn't carry her stilettos, but that was no matter. Her body was a weapon just as much as the golden thorns she wielded. Before anyone had a chance to react, she was beside the man, launching him away with an unrestrained strike to the side of his head.

"Don't you dare," She growled ferociously. "Touch my daughter!"

Her hands grabbed Anya and held her close, her red eyes turning to look around for any additional threat - be that another criminal or the police officers who stared in open jaw horror (or amazement in one of their cases, though Yor honestly wasn't sure about that).

All was silent for several seconds until Anya cried out again.

"AHHHHH! MAMA! I WAS SO SCARED!"

Everyone began to move after that.

Yor turned her gaze to the little girl, her expression easing from murderous to distressed and finally to comforting. She pressed the girl into her shoulder and rubbed her back. "It's alright, Anya. I'm here. Everything will be alright, you're safe."

The officer in the lead gestured for the two still slack-jawed to apprehend the suspect and there were murmurs all around as conversation started up again in the park. It was only then that Yor realized just what she had done... and how much it would probably impact the Forger name as a result.

"Ma'am," a voice greeted and she looked up to see the third officer before her. He tapped his hat at her and gave her a professional smile and she braced herself for some sort of reprimand.

After all, ordinary civilians didn't get involved in police pursuits.

Anya's fingers curled around the front of her mother's coat, her green eyes wide on the man's face.

"Thank you very much for your assistance in helping apprehend the suspect," he said instead, causing Yor's neck to audibly pop as it shot up to meet his gaze. "Not many people would have done what you did and without you, someone may have gotten hurt."

"I...Um... well..." She began, caught off guard and embarrassed.

"Captain!" One of the other officers' called, drawing the man's attention. "A little help, sir!"

The officer - Captain - let out a soft sigh before turning his attention momentarily towards his subordinates. "Coming!" He turned back to Yor and Anya. "Ma'am, miss. Listen to your mother, little one, and next time run away from the danger, not towards it." he tipped his hat once more after giving Anya a hard look and walked away.

There was a firmness in his voice that denoted authority and hopefully, Anya would heed it.

"We are going to have a serious conversation with your father when he gets home," Yor stated calmly. "You scared me as well. Please..." Her voice broke as she hugged the girl a little closer. "I don't know what I would do if you got hurt, Anya. Please don't run off like that anymore..."

YOU WERE HIS LIFE

DAMON SALVATORE x FEM! READER

Summary: How will Damon and your friends react to your tragic car accident?

Warnings: angst, car crash, death, sad!Damon :((

Living in the world you did, getting murdered was the most common way to die. Thanks to Damon, you were always saved before anyone could do you harm. He wouldn’t let you die by the hand of a single soul. What no one had seen coming, was a car doing the job.

The weather outside was filled with thunder and rain pouring down harshly at your windshield. You were driving home from a cosy night with your girlfriends. Elena, Bonnie and Caroline lived close to each other while you lived a five-minute car drive away. You used to live in the same neighbourhood as each other, but moved into another house when your mother passed away.

You promised Caroline you would text her once you got home safely, because it was 1 am and stormy outside. After all, you lived in Mystic Falls. Enough said. Thinking back at the very needed evening with your friends, after so much Traveller drama, you kept a big smile on your face. You sang along to the prettiest song you knew, Chariot, and honestly just enjoyed the short drive home.

Your thoughts drifted over to Damon as you sang the song you loved so much. It was not his type of music, but somehow it had still become your song.

“BABY I PLAN TO LOVE YOU ALL MY LIFE---”

Followed by the beautiful sound of your singing came a scream. A short-lived scream, because the vehicle in front of you came out of nowhere, driving straight into the side of your car. With a loud crash, came nothing. Absolutely nothing, because your world turned completely dark.

Damon sipped down his last glass of Bourbon for the night. He had spent the night with his brother which they didn’t do much these days. Stefan went to bed earlier, which left Damon sitting alone on the couch, giving him some time to think.

The situation with the Travellers in Mystic Falls worried him. The problem with the other side collapsing as well. For starters, his best bud Alaric would be gone forever. At this point Damon and all of your friends couldn’t do much before the Travellers did their next move, or until Bonnie came up with an idea to bring all of your dead supernatural friends back.

The worry he carried in his chest was starting to get annoying, and what he really needed was Y/n. The girl who always made him feel better, and let us not forget, be better. Without a second thought, he picked up his phone and went to dial your number. To his surprise, your name popped up on his phone screen before he had the chance to call you first.

With a smile creeping on the blue-eyed vampire’s lips, he answered the phone. “Hey, you.”

“Hello is this Damon Salvatore?” Came from a dark male voice.

Damon’s body immediately tensed. He put his glass down and leaned forward. The loud noise coming from his phone gave off a bad vibe.

“Yes, who is this?” Damon asked quickly, desperate for the man to speak.

“I’m Officer Bryan and I saw your name was number one in the emergency contacts. I’m sorry to tell you this sir, but Y/n Y/l/n had passed away in a very recent car crash.”

“No...” An immediate shot of nausea hit Damon at the news ringing through his ears.

Damon held the phone weakly to his ear, stirring straight forward, trying to process the situation. He had trouble focusing on the conversation with the Officer.

“Sir, are you okay? We will-”

Without letting the officer finish, Damon hung up and sped outdoors like he was running for his life. Which in theory, he was. You were his life.

As soon as your father and sister got the news, your friends did as well. It spread around quickly even though the clock was after midnight.

Your passing felt strange. There was no supernatural being or murder involved, just a stupid car and its drunk driver. And worst of all, you were just a simple human who still had your life ahead of you. You were going to grow up and live out your dreams, which was all Damon ever wanted for you. Dating him, a vampire who can’t age, wouldn’t be a problem either, you just said you’d figure it out along the way.

No words could describe the great grief and pain Damon was feeling. You were the first woman he knew he truly loved; you were his soulmate. When he got the news about your accident, he sped to the scene, but he knew it was already too late. He was killing himself inside for not giving you his blood daily, then you would at least be alive as a vampire. Now, you were gone, for good.

As soon as Elena got the news she contacted Stefan, the only person who could keep her collected. Thought she didn’t contact his mostly for Damon and everyone else’s sake. Your death could easily be the end of Damon, resulting in him turning off his humanity. Stefan growled with annoyance when his phone wouldn’t shut up. He had been in a deep peaceful sleep.

Stefan didn’t even check the caller when he picked up, “Hello?”

“Stefan? You’re finally awake.” Elena sobbed through the phone.

Stefan quickly came to himself when he heard Elena’s saddened voice. He sat up in bed and felt a knot in his stomach, “Elena, what’s going on? Are you okay?”

“N-No! Y/n-” Elena almost couldn’t get the words out, “Y/n’s gone.”

Saying it out loud hurt like a bitch.

“What do you mean?” Stefan was up on his feet at this point, worried he understood what Elena was saying.

“Y/n died! She is dead!” Elena was hysterically crying at this point, feeling the walls around her crash down.

Just an hour ago you were with her and your girlfriends, laughing and having the best night together in forever. Your death was surreal.

Stefan felt his head spinning. He was barely awake and had to process the sad news at the same time. It felt like he was in the middle of a nightmare.

“Stefan, you- you need to find Damon.” Elena managed to get out.

“Yeah.” Stefan took a deep breath and sniffed through the phone, “I’m on it.”

With that Stefan got dressed and rushed out to find his big brother. You were the only thing keeping Damon collected, and now you were gone.

Damon would usually deal with his emotions by laying in the middle of the road or drink away his problems. Though right now, the heartbroken vampire wanted to feel pain. He wanted to feel every bit of his stomach bend and turn. He wanted to feel his head going around in circles. He wanted puke so badly. You could expect him to go around killing people, to at least turn his humanity off, but no. The love he felt for you was stronger than any feeling in the entire world. You were the best thing that ever happened to him, so you deserved his mourning.

Damon had been staying at the hospital since the ambulance brought your lifeless body there, but he couldn’t bear to stay when your family came crying to your room. They deserved to be there with you, alone. With that thought, he sped off before they could see him and slowed down when he was far off into the deep woods. He fell against a tree, leaning on it to keep himself from falling to the ground.

“Oh god.” Damon said out quietly.

The tearful vampire gritted his teeth to stop himself from crying. His whole body ached, and he wanted to scream at the top off his lungs, but only sobs escaped his mouth. Without managing to hold it back any longer, tears ran down Damon’s cheeks like a waterfall. It wasn’t like him to cry like this, but the feeling of losing you was the most painful feeling he had ever felt.

“Y/n- Oh god. No, no, no.” Damon’s cracked up voice became louder as he spoke. “Why? Why the hell is this happening?! AHHHH!!”

His painful scream made birds wake up and fly away form their nests. The screaming was soon replaced with the loud sobs. Damon felt his knees give out resulting in him collapsing to the ground. The more he cried, the more intense the pain in his chest got.

“I-I can’t do this. I can’t. I’m so sorry Y/n- I-I-”

Yes, he was thinking about flipping the switch right there and then, but a familiar voice interrupted him.

“Brother.”

Damon knew it was Stefan, but didn’t turn around to face his brother. Stefan clearly miserable and tired, made his way over to Damon and went down on his knees in front of him. He understood Damon was still himself, thankfully, and put a hand on his shoulder. Seeing Damon cry like this was new to him, almost scaring him, but he knew he needed to be there for him.

“Damon.” Stefan said with an understanding voice, “I am so sorry.”

To Stefan’s surprise, Damon wrapped his arms around Stefan and cried his heart out. Stefan hugged him back and felt his own tears flow down his cheeks.

Elena, Caroline and Bonnie had gathered at Elena’s house for the second time that night, needing to be together to process the sudden loss of a best friend. While Elena was talking to Matt and Caroline with Taylor on the phone, Bonnie sat with Jeremy on the sofa. She was crying into his shoulder while pinching her eyes together. The loss of you were to much. If there was one person she wanted to share the pain of death with, it would have to be you, but that would never happen since you were just a normal human. At least, that is what everyone thought.

“Bonnie?”

Bonne flinched at the sound of her name, but kept her head buried into Jeremy’s shoulder.

“Bonnie.”

Bonnie flinched once again, annoyance filling her. The last thing she wanted was hallucinating you and getting false hope about you still being alive.  

“Bonnie. Hey.”

Bonnie gritted her teeth and tore away from Jeremy’s embrace, anger clearly in her face. Jeremy looked surprised at his girlfriend and put a hand on her shoulder.

“Bonnie are you-” Jeremy spoke softly, but stopped when Bonnie interrupted.

“Stop it!” Bonnie jumped up from the sofa, clenching her fists. “Why do I hear Y/n in my head?!”  

Jeremy got up from the sofa as well, confused at wat Bonnie were talking about. When Bonnie turned to fully face him, she looked like she was seeing a ghost. Which she was, literally.

“Bonnie, I’m here.”

Tears ran down Bonnie’s cheeks at the sight of you behind Jeremy. It was really you.

“Y/n- How?” Bonnie ignored Jeremy and walked past him to get closer to you.

You shrugged with a small smile on your lips. “I’m not sure, but I’m here.”

“I don’t understand. Human’s don’t-” Bonnie tried to process your presence, and then suddenly realised something. “Y/n, what are you? I-I had this feeling once, but never thought any off it. Yes! Y/n, you must be a witch!”

You laughed with joy and just nodded with agreement, “I guess I am, or you know, was.”

“This means there is still hope for you! Once I figure out how, I can bring you back with all the others!”

“Yes! I’m so happy!” You cheered along with Bonnie’s excitement.

You stepped closer to each other and got ready for your pass. “See you on the other side.”

With that you touched Bonnie and passe through her. Bonnie was screaming in pain shortly after, but with a smile on her face. Jeremy was right by her side, trying to understand what just happened.

“Bonnie, did you say Y/n?”

Bonnie threw herself at Jeremy and hugged him with happiness in her face. She nodded in response, which made a smile grown on Jeremy’s face.

It was crazy how the most painful grief and the happiest feeling of joy could be experienced in between just few hours. Once Bonnie collected herself, she hurried to tell the good news to Elena and Caroline who told Taylor and Matt. She wanted to tell your father and sister as well, but did not want to give them any false hope and bring them into the rest of your dangerous world.

With Damon and Stefan, no setting had changed. Damon was still in indescribable pain and kept leaning against the same tree as before. He had told Stefan he wanted to be alone, but he refused to leave in fear of Damon flipping the switch.

Stefan brought out his phone to message Elena to check up on her, but before he could even turn the device on, a message lit up the screen. His eyes widened as he read the message.

“Damon.” Stefan signalised his brother, a sound of shock in his voice.

Damon lifted his head and quickly dragged his hand over his red, watery eyes. Damon’s breath caught in his throat as he read the message in front of him:

“Y/n was a witch. We can bright her back.”

THE END

(the reason I won’t continue this is because I don’t have the motivation. I’m just deciding to post it because it’s been chilling in my drafts for months now)

🍒Cherry Ice Cream (2)🍒

A/N: Part two is here! There won't be another one after this. I just wanted to split it into two little scenarios with one being cute and the other not so cute lmao...I hope you enjoy - as always I appreciate feedback a lot!

taglist: @lovely-ateez

genre: smut, optional bias (m) x reader (f), lifeguard!au, pool sex, unprotected sex

words: 3.4 k

PART 1 (fluff, both parts can be read independently)

It was the middle of the summer holidays and you had never been happier. Sunny weather, swimming, lots of free time and as much ice cream as you wanted were only a few of the reasons for your luck. The main cause was the boy of your dreams. A few weeks ago, you had met. It had been the most chaotic, embarrassing day at the public swimming pool – or so you had initially thought. Turns out being a walking disaster could not only attract negative attention. When the otherworldly handsome and kind lifeguard had pulled your clumsy figure out of the water and even bought you ice cream to make you feel better, you had a feeling things were about to change. And you hadn’t been wrong. Maybe you were seeing things through rose-colored glasses and a mix of lovestruck hormones, but you suspected he might just really be this great.

Ever since your first ice cream date, the two of you had been inseparable. Looks were one thing – and you had made yourself aware that though he was a picture of perfection, he could still have turned out to not be your type at all. But the inside reflected on his outside. Every day you found out a new enrapturing detail about him. He was a never-ending book that you were utterly unwilling to put back down.

Your days were spent at the public swimming pool, watching your lifeguard boyfriend do his job and questioning if this was all some sort of hidden camera prank. During his break he came running straight to your spot under the trees and plopped down on your towel, ready to spend the most time with you until he had to go back. Although your streak of bad luck was over, he still took care of you and made sure you were okay in the heat. He reminded you to drink enough water and sent you a good morning text every day. When he had first asked you to help him put sunscreen on his shoulders, you had hesitated with cheeks hotter than the sunlight that day. Now it was a daily thing, and sometimes when his hands were on your back, rubbing in the lotion, you caught yourself wishing there weren’t a hundred families around you. But it was hard scoring alone time with him at the pool. Even later at night, right before closing time, there were always one or two diehard swimming fans there.

“I love watching my cute girlfriend swim,” he would keep telling you.

“You better make sure you’re paying attention to the rest of the visitors, too,” you would reply, but secretly love his flirty remarks. Perhaps he wasn’t even so far off. After your first encounter, it was apparent that maybe you were the one guest who didneed the closest monitoring. Even his co-workers knew of you. They had made it their life mission to remind him daily how whipped he was for you, but he never cared about their teasing.

At night, you rode your bikes home. Towards the candy cotton clouds on the horizon, through the small suburb, you rode side by side, still damp hair flowing in the wind. Outside your home he cupped your face then, the sun kissed skin of his hands still warm to the touch. Like he was the slowly setting sun himself, he kissed you goodnight. You were addicted to his lips. He made you fly, brought back all your fondest memories as if he himself was in them, and let you forget every worry you’ve ever had in the world.

One evening at the pool, you lay on your bathmat, headphones in your ears and your favorite summer playlist taking you to another world. Suddenly, two hands grabbed you by the shoulders. You jerked up in surprise.

“Oh my god, we could have hit our heads together!” you scolded your boyfriend, who was smiling at you like an innocent five-year old.

“Guess what. My boss just told me that I can close the place up tonight. You know what that means, right?” he said.

“Tell me more,” you smirked.

“Technically, we can stay here however long we want. And do whatever we want. As long as no one finds out,” he whispered the last part into your ear. Chills ran up your spine despite the heat in the air.

“Do whatever we want, huh?” you said. “I thought you were being a model employee?”

“I am,” he shrugged with his child-like smile. “And the model employee needs to go back to work now. I have a reputation to uphold. You’ll be waiting for me, right?”

“Of course,” you nodded, watching his figure as he jogged back to his seat by the pool. The next hours seemed to go by extra-slowly, to your dismay. After his announcement, you only found yourself staring in his direction more than on any other day. Truly, you could never get used to his handsomeness. You thought of his voice that made you melt like ice and his hands when he kissed you. Too often they remained in innocent, safe territory. Maybe that was about to change. It was a Friday, meaning the opening hours were longer than usual. By 10 pm however, even the last person had left. The public swimming pool was closed. Officially.

You had to admit, you could get used to having an enormous swimming pool all to yourself. Blissfully, you dived through the water, not having to worry about crashing into anybody’s legs or losing track of your surroundings. You had always felt as though swimming was a little like flying. Not that you knew what flying would be like. But if you had to make a guess, feeling weightless and small in a seemingly endless space probably came close. All your life, it had remained the same. Playing pretend in the water, acting like a mermaid scavenging for the most precious treasure of the seven seas – all your loveliest ideas lingered in your memory like it had been yesterday.

The pool had a shallow end, about the depth which allowed your head to reach above the surface, and progressively deepened towards the other end. You took a gulp of air and descended into the darkness. Taking long strokes, you dived towards the white light at the wall of the shallower pool end. With the brightness ahead of you, you failed to notice the shadow behind you.

As you were in the process of coming up from the water, a pair of arms suddenly wrapped around you. For the second time that day, you jolted in surprise and quickly gasped for air.

“You scared me out of my wits! Will you stop that!” you said, but you were already smiling. It was hard to carry grudges against the boy behind you. Not when he held your waist and rested his chin on your bare shoulder, grinning as if it was a crime to even suspect him of such things.

“Hi, there,” he said and pecked your cheek sweetly. “I missed you.”

“So did I,” you admitted. Only months ago, you had made fun of how lovestruck your friend had been. You weren’t one to speak now. His hands let go of you while you turned your body to face him. Then they were on you again, and although it was a small touch, your lack of clothes created a tension between you right away.

“Wanna race me?” he whispered into your ear, as if there was anyone around to listen in. Was he serious? Did he really think you wanted him to let go of you now? His voice on your neck rendered you wanting him so bad, you had to take a deep breath to compose yourself.

“I’ve been swimming all day,” you said. “Besides, didn’t you say we could do whatever we wanted? We can swim whenever we want, during opening hours.”

“Oh, sounds like you have better plans?” he asked. For a moment, he touched your forehead with his. If you bent forward slightly, you could have kissed him. His hungry eyes were on your lips when you had finished the thought.

“I was thinking you could kiss me, for starters?” you coaxed him. He chuckled.

“So you’ve been thinking about it too, the past few hours,” he realized. “You know, I was trying to be subtle about it.”

“Forget about being subtle,” you said. “Let’s just make out, please?”

“I’d like nothing better than that,” he smiled, and then your mouths touched. His gentle lips tasted faintly of chlorine and salt, a taste you had come to associate with him and magnificent things. You held his face in your hands tightly and pushed your body against him yearningly. Reacting, he sighed and deepened the kiss. His wandering hands found the small of your backside as you arched your back into his frame. You hummed quietly, hands burying in his wet hair and playing with it at the nape of his neck.

All your childhood you had been searching for your treasure under the water. Now you understood. He was right there in front of you. Little you would be proud you had found someone this precious and incomparable. And hot.

“Jump,” he said. You did as he suggested and wrapped your legs around his waist. The proximity of his body made your heart hammer against your ribcage with such feverishness, you worried it might jump through your chest. With the way he touched every curve of your body, you almost forgot how to kiss. Luckily, your instincts did the job for you as you sipped on his lips and sighed every so often. He caught your bottom lip between his teeth, and you felt his smirk when you moaned in surprise. Every inch of your skin burned with desire for him.

As he carried you over to the side of the pool, you pulled away shortly. You took the liberty to attack his neck with frenzied kisses. It felt just as you had imagined a thousand times. You couldn’t possibly recount all the instances when you had found yourself staring at his neck and shoulders in the past weeks. He was easily the biggest distraction you had ever known. But it wasn’t your fault his tanned skin was so inviting and his strong presence ever so alluring. Returning his teasing, you bit into his shoulder, kissing and sucking on it right after.

“Fuck, baby,” he said in a throaty tone. “You’re amazing.”

Softly, he rubbed his nose against yours before your lips locked again. The kiss was all but soft. Your tongues meddled as if you were starved people and you could barely keep your hands in one place. Not that you would want to. You wanted to glue his hands onto your body or better yet handcuff him to your wrists. What was the opposite of a restraining order called? You were about to invent a word for it. Never before had you been so intoxicated, so in ecstasy with another person.

He pulled aside the fabric of your top momentarily and cupped your breasts in his hands. You gasped and melted into his touch and the way he played with your nipples. He attacked your neck in kisses and you shut your eyes, enjoying the sensation of his lips.

“I really want you.” He had his hands on your ass and all you could think about was the growing bulge in his swimming shorts. Your hard nipples rubbed against his chest, the thin fabric of your swim top doing little to nothing to separate your bodies. How could somebody’s whole existence be so titillating? He pulled away, just far enough to speak but barely. “I’ve wanted you like this for a while. But I didn’t want to unsettle you by making you think I just want sex from you. Truth is, I don’t want you to be just some summer romance, Y/N. Every day I hope you’ll still be here when summer is over.”

“Why would you think I’m going anywhere?” you asked. “You’re the reason I’m the happiest I’ve ever been. I ask myself every day how I managed to end up with you in the first place.”

“That’s easy. First, threaten to demolish the turnstile with your stubbornness, second, offer your head to a bunch of kids with a water ball, third, square up against a bug in front of a hundred people, fourth- “

“Okay! Enough,” you said. “Don’t bring up my clumsiness. That’s just about the least sexy thing in the world.”

“Baby, I think there’s nothing not sexy about you,” he spoke. He kissed you deeply and all your embarrassing memories vanished at once. “So, you’re cool with this?”

His sudden change in tone caused your breath to hitch in your throat, as his hands lingered by your hips, just above your bikini bottom. You only nodded, the motion getting more eager as the words sunk in. He slid his fingers along the inside of your thigh, and you squirmed under his touch in desperation. Swiftly, he pushed aside the material above your center. His digits slid through your wetness, catching the nub between them, and rubbing ever so slowly. An overwhelmed gasp spilled over your lips, and you closed your eyelids.

“Fuck- ,“ you muttered under your breath. He teased your core, nearly sliding his finger into you, but then pulling away to find your nub to toy with.

“You look so beautiful,” he said. At his words, you looked at him through fluttering eyelids. He was one to talk about beauty. The luminescence from underwater sharpened his features, and his eyes had something magical, something enchanting about them. Like he could have you – or anyone – without saying a word. He reminded you of a merman, or rather a siren. Ready to drag you along with him, deep under the surface. And you were so willing to let it happen. For all you knew, you were long lost and under his spell anyway.

“Have you ever done it in public?” he asked. You were too distracted by his fingers on you at first, head hanging back in ecstasy, until you snapped out of it.

“No, but – fuck – I guess I can strike that one off my sex bucket list after tonight, can’t I?” you said.

“You have a sex bucket list? Interesting, tell me more about it,” he smirked. His eyes darkened and his tongue licked over his lips once. As if on command, his lazy ministrations on you quickened, rubbing your clit in small, circular motions until you were a moaning, stammering mess. You suspected he did so just to see your immediate reaction, and you gave him just what he wanted.

“Can we postpone the – the talking…on later?” you murmured, feeling like collapsing against his broad shoulders. “I’m kind of too busy to – to talk.”

“I can see that,” he teased you, kissing you gently. The delicacy of his lips only made your head spin more. “You’re so sweet, baby.”

“Don’t you want to get busy too?” you asked. You reached for his swimming trunks and wrapped your hand around his hard member through the material. “I don’t want to wait any longer.”

“Shit- me too.” His arousal echoed in his moans, and he sucked in a breath. There was a sense of power in knowing you could make him react so gravely by doing so little. You tugged on his trunks and pulled them down a little to reveal his full length. Palming him, you felt how painfully hard he must have been for a while now. He groaned and it was the best thing you had ever heard. Eagerly, you slid your bikini bottom off and watched for a moment as it sunk down into the depths of the pool. Your legs wrapped around his waist again as he aligned his cock with your core.

At this point you supposed you were both out of words. Hunger had taken over and you barely managed to form a sentence. He kissed you and you hummed and nodded, wanting him to know you were ready. Easily, he entered you and you whimpered at the way he stretched your velvet walls after all the wait. Your senses were overcome with everything around you. The warm water enveloping the both of you, the soft summer breeze caressing your faces, his hands on your hips as he guided your body into his thrusts and the sound of your breathless moans and sighs – it was pure bliss. Night had almost fallen, with the sky being a deep blue, almost black by now. It was a perfect setting for a perfect night with your favorite person.

You gazed into his dilated pupils and the coil in your stomach tightened in the most delicious way possible. Now you recounted a myriad of dreams you’d seen him in. Not always, but occasionally he showed up in your dirtiest of dreams, with his gorgeous, addictive smile and strong arms. But now he was right there, in front of you – inside of you – and you apprehended how weak your boldest imaginations had been. Your nails dug into the skin of his shoulders as you clenched around his cock. He moaned your name huskily and it only clouded your head further.

It was crazy how loving a person could magnify everything. Even with closed eyes, the mere idea of him fucking you, at night in a public pool, could beat every single other experience you’d ever had. You felt like you were blessed with the audience with a god. A god, who had manifested on earth only to scoop you up and show you the finest things in life. You definitely couldn’t think of a finer thing than his cock dragging through your walls, hitting your g-spot repeatedly, while he had you cased against the pool tiles. Moans and little whimpers fell from your lips, and you were glad there wasn’t a single soul close by who could have heard.

He was jaw-dropping. With the way he pounded into you hard, using the poolside wall as support on your back, you felt your head spin as your eyes rolled to the back of your head. Your skin seemed to prickle wherever he touched you and you pushed your chest against his. Just a little closer, you told yourself, even though you were running out of space already. It was body against body while he whispered naughty things into your ears, telling you how incredible you felt, how lucky he had gotten with you and how sexy he found you.

“You’re the fucking best I’ve ever had, baby,” he said. His teeth grazed your neck as he kissed your sensitive skin messily. You could have counted every single drop of water hanging from the strands of his hair and adorning his face. Could have taken notice of every single eyelash and even the tiniest speckles of color in his irises. But you could barely command your eyes to stay open.

“So- close,” you said. In your ecstasy, you clawed at his back as another wave of pleasure went through your entire body.

“Together, hm?” he said, lips brushing over your cheek with every thrust. You hummed and nodded, as he picked up his thrusts to a toe-curling speed. With every touch of your sweet spot, you felt reality slip away a little further, and you were doing nothing to fight it. You invited the feeling in, resting your forehead against his, breaths coming out in short puffs. And then it overcame you. Your orgasm jolted through you like electricity, and you clung to him as if you might have sunken otherwise. It made your shared moans high pitched, and he followed you, pulling you into his arms like it was alone you who was keeping him afloat.

The splashing of the water softened as he drew out your highs for as long as possible with slower thrusts. Eventually, he halted completely. He cradled your face in his hands and when you finally opened your tired eyes, he was watching you with full adoration. His charming smile caused an eruption of butterflies in your stomach. This was only the beginning of your time together, yet you could barely fathom your fortune. And as it seemed, this time fate was on your side.

skyward sword sentence starters

more to be added !

❝ you promised to meet me before it starts, remember? ❞ ❝ you seem pretty...relaxed about the whole thing. ❞ ❝ is something wrong? what’s the hurry? ❞ ❝ sometimes i just don’t know what’s going on in your head. ❞ ❝ i'm not like you. i fail at everything i try. ❞ ❝ a shrimpy boy like you hardly looks the part of a hero. ❞ ❝ swatting a few monsters will be no trouble for you. ❞ ❝ run and play this time. get in my way again, though, and you’re dead. ❞ ❝ don’t even pretend that was an accident! ❞ ❝ do you doubt these eyes? i look upon your shirt and i see a single thread loose on your sleeve stitching. ❞ ❝ this is no place for one such as you. and yet here you stand. ❞ ❝ i need to vent all this unhealthy anger,     and your agony is such a great stress reliever. ❞ ❝ remember what we discussed. restrain yourself. focus on the task at hand. ❞ ❝ do my words anger you? do my words sting? let them. ❞ ❝ you don’t come by here just to see me, do you? ❞ ❝ what’s wrong? you just made a face like you wanted to say something. ❞ ❝ oh, i get it. you’re trying to weasel out of having to practice. ❞ ❝ i guess it’s not all bad. at least i’m getting paid. ❞ ❝ there’s something i’ve been meaning to talk to you about.... ❞ ❝ would you wake up, straighten up, and grow a backbone already? ❞ ❝ nice try, but you’re not fooling me. ❞ ❝ i...i have to go. i’m sorry. ❞ ❝ folks were always cheering me on like it was a parade. but as you know, time passes. ❞ ❝ you keep some very strange company, friend. ❞ ❝ i don’t know if it’s safe yet...i’m going to stay here awhile longer. ❞ ❝ oh no. you’ve done it now! there’s no escaping this one! ❞ ❝ so, what now? are you going to cry? ❞ ❝ i can’t begin to tell you how sorry i am for pulling you into all of this. ❞ ❝ what is wrong with you? just look at what you’ve done! ❞ ❝ what we’ve seen here today defies explanation. ❞ ❝ you put up more of a fight than i would have thought possible out of such a soft person. ❞ ❝ did you really just draw your sword? foolish. ❞ ❝ should you heed the call of destiny,     i don’t know what dangers you may have to face. ❞ ❝ i can’t help being such a coward...i’m really sorry. ❞ ❝ i fear i spent far too long teasing and toying with you. ❞ ❝ you do your people proud. ❞ ❝ how long do we have to live in constant fear? ❞ ❝ i'll just beat you within an inch of your life! ❞ �� dawn is drawing near. it has been a long night for the both of us, hasn’t it? ❞ ❝ you were limp and unconscious. i feared the worst. ❞ ❝ what do you think you’re doing sneaking out with that? ❞ ❝ such a beautiful day, but we’re too busy to enjoy it. some things never change. ❞ ❝ i guess you’ll never learn unless you run into trouble one day. ❞ ❝ look at my face. if that’s your idea of a joke, i’m not laughing. ❞ ❝ you appeared to be relishing that snooze, so i declined to wake you. ❞ ❝ huh? oh, uh, nothing. really, i was, uh...talking to myself. ❞ ❝ you’re looking a little pale... ❞ ❝ i imagine you and i will cross paths again. until then, do not lower your guard. ❞ ❝ you certainly are persistent... ❞ ❝ all that may be well intentioned and true, but it doesn’t mean it’s right. ❞ ❝ i’m prepared to pay the price for what i’ve done. ❞ ❝ i had no idea we were fated to carry such a heavy destiny. ❞ ❝ i need your strength to tip the scales in our favor. ❞ ❝ all this training, and no results! ❞ ❝ all i’ve hears so far is a bunch of babbling about destiny,     but that’s a load of garbage. ❞ ❝ when night draws her tenebrous curtain across the sky, i come here. ❞ ❝ what in the world just happened? did you use some kind of magic? ❞ ❝ please, see it through and prove the legends true. ❞ ❝ i was happy just spending my days hanging around with you. i wanted that feeling to last forever. ❞ ❝ you are vital to a mission of great importance. ❞ ❝ the chances of that happening are just about less than zero. ❞ ❝ i hate to break it to you, but today’s the day i bust up this adorable little fantasyland you’re living in. ❞ ❝ this is a war, and the fate of the land hangs in the balance. ❞ ❝ i know you, and you’re no hero. ❞ ❝ you’re messing with me. say it again, i dare you. ❞ ❝ you float through life with your head in the clouds. ❞ ❝ i don’t do charity for wimps. ❞ ❝ what’s this...? what is it that my eyes behold? ❞ ❝ don’t even think about it! are we clear? ❞ ❝ the point is your work here is done. i got it covered from here. ❞ ❝ my eyes foresee a hazardous, thorny road ahead for you... ❞ ❝ you...this is your fault, you know. ❞ ❝ my heart is bursting with thoughts of you. ❞ ❝ i have a serious dilemma on my mind right now, and you’re distracting me. ❞ ❝ i’ll make you proud. you’ll see! ❞ ❝ feels dangerous. something could jump out at us at any moment. ❞ ❝ we’re talking about a tale that’s been passed down over a lot of years, so i wouldn’t put much stock in it. ❞ ❝ i have the right to experience an unfettered and passionate love, don’t i? ❞ ❝ i’ll tell you, it gives even a big guy like me the creeps. ❞ ❝ oh...how can i get you to notice me? ❞ ❝ i get the feeling nothing i can say will talk you out of it. ❞ ❝ my love for you is wider than the horizon and deeper than the clouds. ❞ ❝ trust my piercing eyes...listen to my pure and innocent voice. ❞ ❝ i feel so excited, so cheerful, so full of life. ❞ ❝ i sense a silent power dwelling somewhere in your frame. ❞ ❝ this turn of events has left me with a strong appetite for bloodshed. ❞ ❝ there’s no doubting it. the gears of fate have begun to turn. ❞ ❝ i'm sorry. i was lost in thought there for a moment. ❞ ❝ don’t men open doors for a lady anymore? how long am i supposed to stand here waiting for a little chivalry? ❞ ❝ i hate even saying this, but i guess you got it all figured out. ❞ ❝ you must not push yourself. you’re still recovering. ❞ ❝ you think you’re pretty suave, don’t you? ❞ ❝ i know you’re in a hurry, so i really appreciate you taking the time to help. ❞ ❝ i saw it, but i was able to escape by the seat of my pants. ❞ ❝ do you have any idea how that made me feel inside? furious! outraged! sick with anger! ❞ ❝ you’re really something else. i could never imagine myself doing what you’re about to do. ❞ ❝ i must aid you in fulfilling the great destiny that is your burden to carry. ❞ ❝ i should have believed you...i’m sorry. ❞ ❝ lately, when i think about you, my head gets all fuzzy, my heart races, i get short of breath, and i feel all dizzy... ❞ ❝ you should know better than that to fret about me. ❞ ❝ thanks for jumping in there to rescue me. ❞ ❝ hey, hold on there! what are you trying to pull all of a sudden? ❞ ❝ your face cries out in earnest wonder, and that cry is: ‘what’s this?!’ ❞ ❝ i promise up front not to murder you. ❞ ❝ you...didn’t hear any of that, did you? there’s no way you heard, right? ❞ ❝ i tell you, all sorts of weird things are going on lately. ❞ ❝ calamitous visions appear before me... ❞ ❝ you...make me so happy...i think i’m going to keel over... ❞ ❝ i wanted you to be the first to see me like this. ❞ ❝ i can’t imagine a more fitting color for you. it’s as though you were born to wear it. ❞ ❝ i bet you can’t even decide what to have for lunch on your own, huh? ❞ ❝ amazing, right? wrong! it is beyond amazing! ❞ ❝ it can’t be easy for you, can it? ❞ ❝ you’ll see in time that you have your own role to play in all this. ❞ ❝ trust in fate to guide your feet. ❞ ❝ i bet you’re here just to check me out, right? ❞ ❝ i just hope nothing has happened. i’m worried sick thinking about it. ❞ ❝ whoa...you’re kind of imploding my mind right now. ❞ ❝ if you wanna live again one day, you should head for home. ❞ ❝ you have a great journey before you, and those clothes...they don’t look up to the task. ❞ ❝ did you manage to get even a wink of sleep last night? ❞ ❝ ever heard of banging your knuckles against the door? it’s called knocking. ❞ ❝ so, uh...yeah. just how long have you been standing there? ❞ ❝ honestly, it’s almost as though you become a completely different person when you worry about me. ❞ ❝ you showing up here must mean we’re connected somehow. like fate. ❞ ❝ sorry to put you through that. i guess i owe you one now. ❞ ❝ to tell you the truth, i’m feeling a little frustrated, and right now i just need someone to vent to. ❞ ❝ what’s with you? leave me alone if you don’t want anything. ❞ ❝ hearing that is such a...huge weight off my mind. ❞ ❝ though your journey will put you in harms way, you must endure. ❞ ❝ i'm just deadweight. what kinda use is that to anyone... ❞ ❝ seriously, what is that thing over there?! ❞ ❝ before i say another word, i feel like i owe you an apology. ❞ ❝ during your long journey, you’ve grown so much. ❞ ❝ from the moment i laid my eyes on you, i could tell you had a gentle and generous heart. ❞ ❝ oh dear...i don’t know what’s come over me all of a sudden... ❞ ❝ you don’t appear to have any serious injuries. for that much we can be grateful. ❞ ❝ i can see into those dopey eyes of yours. ❞ ❝ i can finally smile and laugh again! thank you ever so much. ❞ ❝ i think i might of broke something. ❞ ❝ is that it? i thought it was going to put up more of a fight. ❞ ❝ i thought we were goners this time. sort of glad i was wrong about that. ❞ ❝ what? i don’t seem like my usual self? ❞ ❝ this place needs a name. a name fitting for this rugged, adventurous wilderness. ❞ ❝ what were you thinking? you scared a year off my life! ❞ ❝ care to explain just what you meant by ‘our special moment alone’? ❞ ❝ my advice? work hard and wish with all your heart. ❞ ❝ say, you look all flustered. ❞ ❝ i fear we can’t dwell on our success. ❞ ❝ the world is bursting with undiscovered surprises, isn’t it? ❞ ❝ you're not exactly mr/mrs.perfect either, are you? ❞ ❝ this is easily as scary as i thought it would be. ❞ ❝ i swear this neighborhood’s getting crummier every day. ❞ ❝ you ain’t as dumb as you look. ❞ ❝ i was going to ask if you wanted me to take care of you forever... ❞ ❝ i need to learn how to keep these delirious dreams in check. ❞ ❝ maybe you should forget about everything that happened here tonight. ❞ ❝ can you imagine a more gruesome fate? ❞ ❝ there are more monsters about than before, so be careful. ❞ ❝ human desire is an insatiable, fearsome thing. ❞ ❝ i sense an evil presence on the other side of this door. ❞ ❝ you understand, don’t you? i’m not wrong about this, am i? ❞ ❝ i never wanted to lay eyes on you again. ❞ ❝ i would have gotten discouraged if you hadn’t come by to cheer me on. you gave me motivation. ❞ ❝ who do you think you are, getting involved in my business like that? ❞ ❝ i just wish there was more i could do for you... ❞ ❝ i don’t even understand how you could make such a wild accusation! ❞ ❝ it was at that moment i finally realized. i realized that...i love you. ❞ ❝ make sure you come home every now and then. nothing like a good sleep in your own bed. ❞ ❝ you’d better not keep me waiting. ❞ ❝ make sure you put your heart into it! i won’t stand for anything but your best. ❞ ❝ how could you be swayed by the temptation of material gain?     do you have no honor? ❞ ❝ you really want to hear about all my troubles? that’s kind of you. ❞ ❝ you...weren’t supposed to see that whole spectacle. how embarrassing... ❞ ❝ you have only succeeded in buying us a little more time. ❞ ❝ watch it! that’s no way to talk to someone who just saved your life! ❞ ❝ you look like you need to get something off your chest. ❞ ❝ know that all the questions you have now will be answered in time. ❞ ❝ there is nothing natural about these tremors. ❞ ❝ you might just be the person i need! you seem pretty good with the ladies. ❞ ❝ it’s great to hear you’re so confident in me. ❞ ❝ ideal love is unfettered and passionate. anything less than that can’t really be called love at all. ❞ ❝ you're incessant buzzing around my head like some irksome gadfly when i’m this busy is...making me very disagreeable. ❞ ❝ you may not have noticed, but i’m trying to hide here.     could you please scoot along? ❞ ❝ you'd better keep your eyes to yourself, if you know what i mean. ❞ ❝ have you come to laugh at me in my miserable state? ❞ ❝ you...you came to see me! i’m so happy. ❞ ❝ your job is simple! you make sure none of these monsters lays a claw on me. not...one...claw. ❞ ❝ now is not the time to be picky about who will help you. ❞ ❝ watch carefully while i demonstrate what a real hero looks like. ❞ ❝ you are something else! there is nothing you cannot do. ❞ ❝ if you think about how often we meet, you have to admit that our relationship has gone beyond friendship, you know? ❞ ❝ i’ll make the affair so excruciating, you’ll deafen yourself with the shrill sound of your own screams. ❞ ❝ i was right, then. there is something special about you. ❞ ❝ i should have reprimanded you the last time we met, but instead i was...soft. ❞ ❝ ha-ha! you didn’t see that coming, did you? ❞ ❝ you really are a snake in the grass. ❞ ❝ you are indeed worthy of being called a hero. ❞ ❝ i’m not used to getting stared at like this. it’s making me blush. ❞ ❝ i can’t hide anything from you, can i? ❞ ❝ the longer i train, the more i realize i’ll never measure up to you. ❞ ❝ whoa...you took out every last one of them. ❞ ❝ i know how bad this must look to you right now, but i assure you i mean no harm. ❞ ❝ it’s all very strange, but i doubt there’s much of a connection between these things. ❞ ❝ you're a weird one, climbing all the way up here. ❞ ❝ don’t cry --- it’s perfectly, mostly safe! ❞ ❝ you and i, we’re bound by that thread of fate. destined to fight. ❞ ❝ meet me in battle, and the thread of fate that binds us will be soaked crimson with your blood. ❞ ❝ i do not wish to dwell on what may have happened if you hadn’t been here. ❞ ❝ you have awakened a wrath that will burn for eons! ❞ ❝ you really like those fantasy stories, eh? ❞ ❝ there is one teensy, tiny thing i lack...namely, mercy. ❞ ❝ i must warn you, i won’t go easy on you this time. ❞ ❝ i might be willing to forgive and forget if you’ll strike a deal. ❞ ❝ since i know i can be honest with you, i’ll admit i got a little sulky. it was frowns all around. ❞ ❝ i see you’re still among the living. ❞ ❝ i saw them dragging you off unconscious, so i tailed them. ❞ ❝ i want you to visit me at my house tonight. ❞ ❝ you don’t have to say a word. i can see how you feel by the spark in your eye. ❞ ❝ you’ll see. i’ll be as tough as you in no time. ❞ ❝ it’s not like ‘oh, hey, that person’s back! i’m so happy!’ or anything like that... ❞ ❝ whoa...that’s some really terrible handwriting. ❞ ❝ i would very much like it if you would go out with me. ❞ ❝ truly? you choose me? ❞ ❝ i swear to you, whatever it takes, i will drag you into an eternity of torment. ❞ ❝ you and i, we’re bound by a thread of fate. ❞ ❝ i’ll watch over you, protecting you from afar. ❞ ❝ until then, we’ll keep our love secret. ❞ ❝ this news has just filled my heart with rainbows! ❞ ❝ this place seems strangely familiar... ❞ ❝ don’t you gotta take care of your own business first? ❞ ❝ they’re not going to do anything nice if they catch you. ❞ ❝ it’s not humane to tease someone this bored. ❞ ❝ i’m not some sideshow for you to gawk at. ❞ ❝ it’s weird to say out loud, but that’s just how i feel right now. ❞ ❝ you can’t break me with interrogation. you’ll never make me talk. ❞ ❝ word is there’s a huge treasure hidden in these here ruins... ❞ ❝ what? that’s not weird to say! ❞ ❝ ...i understand your true feelings. better than you know. ❞ ❝ all the fairytales that we heard growing up...they appear all too real. ❞ ❝ do i look sad? no, i’m doing what i want to do! ❞ ❝ i don’t know what came over me! i had no clue i had the talent to make something like this. ❞ ❝ you shouldn’t be out here in the open with no way to defend yourself. ❞ ❝ you do have the tendency to cause trouble for those you ‘help’. ❞ ❝ as far as i’m concerned, i got nothing but time. ❞ ❝ don’t you play coy with me. i know that you know, so why not let me in on the fun? ❞ ❝ so you really think a sob story like that is going to work on me? what a joke. ❞ ❝ i’d take pleasure in punishing you, but i have no time for recreation. ❞ ❝ sorry to leave you on your own, but you look like you can handle it. ❞ ❝ remember --- it’s a secret to everybody. ❞ ❝ it isn’t as action packed as what you’re doing, but maybe this is my destiny. ❞ ❝ don’t you just love the way it smells down here? ❞ ❝ defending the land...it’s my purpose, i think. it’s why i’m here. ❞ ❝ what do i know...you might just surprise me. ❞ ❝ fibber! you’re a fibbity fibber! ❞ ❝ you needn’t even say it. i can tell from the look of sheer astonishment on your face. ❞ ❝ you have had this destiny thrust upon you without warning...    or choice, for that matter. ❞ ❝ don’t do anything heroic and get yourself caught. ❞ ❝ ...you want to tell me but you can’t? ❞ ❝ you know, i really worry about you. it’s a weakness of mine. ❞ ❝ try not to get in the way of my shots, ok? ❞ ❝ i haven’t slept a wink in...ahhh...i don’t even know how long. ❞ ❝ i had my suspicions, but until now i wasn’t sure. ❞ ❝ you seem a good deal stronger than the last time we met. ❞ ❝ i would be remiss if i didn’t let you know of the weight on my heart. ❞ ❝ i have a reputation to protect, you know. ❞ ❝ listen closely. do you hear that? ❞

SOUL WATCH

everybody had the soul watch app, because everybody was curious to meet their soulmate. it was an app that told you when or how and gave you hints, but never who. and due to all the pressure, you downloaded the app too... just to find out you didn’t even have a soulmate after all.

PAIRING yang jungwon x gn! reader

THEMES soulmates au, highschool au, fluff, humour

matching jewellery was a trend among soulmates when it came to being a highschool student. those that had found theirs wanted to show it off, basically shoving it into the faces of those that were still searching. walking down the corridors was a constant reminder that you didn’t have a soulmate for yourself, as matched couples would walk hand-in-hand with shiny bracelets or be seen wearing those missing piece style necklaces.

mondays. after freeing yourself from the couple-filled hallways, you sat down at your desk and placed your books onto the table with a huff. trying to block out your classmate bragging about meeting their soulmate over the weekend, you noisily checked around in your bag for your pencil case.

then came the clicking of your teacher’s heels as she entered the classroom, and there was a rush of students finding their seats. the squeaking of chair legs and quiet chatter only made you more annoyed at the world. to say discovering you were soulmate-less a few weeks prior had put you in a permanent bad mood would be an understatement.

but everything lit up as soon as yang jungwon appeared in the doorway. he apologised for being late, cheeks flushed and hair windswept. heat rose to your own cheeks at the sight of his sorry smile.

much to your dismay, he was a few seats to the back and to the right of you. he disappeared from your sight, making you slump sadly in your seat.

‘today is international soulmate day,’ your teacher smiled, setting her powerpoint up behind her. ‘as you all may know. there are many types of soulmate links out there, but i want to know about yours. so research and write about it — its origin, its rarity — and hand it in at the end of class.’

not sure what to do, you raised your hand. ‘what if you don’t have a soulmate?’ at the sound of your voice, jungwon looked up from his notebook. he didn’t have a soulmate either.

‘everybody has a soulmate, y/n,’ she reminded you. ‘maybe you entered your details into soul watch incorrectly.’

‘i don’t have a soulmate either,’ jungwon spoke up. you turned in your seat. ‘so what do we do instead?’

‘this is the first time i’m hearing of people being soulmate-less,’ she chuckled awkwardly, slightly panicked. ‘well, you’re both part of the student board aren’t you? just head down to the main hall and help the others set up for the soulmate dance.’

the soulmate dance. just the thought of it made you roll your eyes. you’d never attended, because you didn’t show interest in finding out until those few weeks ago, but you knew how cheesy it was. it was like every other kind of dance, totally cliché and super boring. except, you got to bring your soulmate.

you packed up your things as quickly as possible. as horrible it would be having to decorate for a stupid highschool dance that you wouldn’t even attend, at least jungwon would be at your side. and he must’ve understood your suffering, especially during international soulmate week on international soulmate day that just happened to fall on a monday.

you slung your bag onto your shoulder and followed jungwon out of the door. he walked slightly ahead of you, holding open each door for you which you quietly thanked him for.

when you made it to the main hall, the bright pink colour palette made your eyes burn. ‘this is going to be a long week,’ jungwon sighed, dropping his bag and leaving you at the door. mentally agreeing, you placed your own bag down beside his.

you sort of felt bad for jungwon. it was depressing to know that you weren’t ‘destined’ for anyone, and that you’d have to find someone the old way. he seemed even less of a fan of soulmate week than you were, but he did seem really down about not having a soulmate of his own.

it was wednesday morning and you’d missed your bus. annoyed with yourself, you had to run to the nearest bus stop in hopes another bus would arrive soon. that was where you saw jungwon and his friends, all of them being upperclassmen.

trying not to be seen, you awkwardly leaned against the outside of the shelter and looked off to the side. ‘it’s not like i like them,’ jungwon argued, which earned a few laughs from the boys. ‘why would i ask them to the soulmate dance if we’re not soulmates?’

‘because you don’t want to spend saturday studying alone in your room?’ sunoo teased, ‘if they’re not matched, then you can ask them. no big deal.’

the bus pulled up in front of them. you waited for them to get on before following, avoiding eye contact and taking a seat at the back. ‘good morning, y/n,’ jake turned around to face you. ‘i didn’t know you take this bus.’

‘i don’t,’ you awkwardly replied. ‘i was late and missed my own bus.’

‘are you going to the dance on saturday?’ sunoo also joined in, smiling brightly at you.

‘oh, uh,’ you nervously fiddled with the straps of your bag. ‘no, i don’t have a soulmate.’

‘well, we were just telling little wonie here that you don’t need a soulmate to go,’ jay patted jungwon’s head, making the younger boy complain about him messing up his hair. ‘you could come with us.’

‘thank you...’ shifting uncomfortably in your seat, you looked between all of the boys who were staring eagerly at you. ‘for the offer... but i don’t want to go. it means a lot, i just don’t do school dances.’

the bus conversation was probably the most awkward thing that happened to you that day. or during lunch time, when you took a seat on a bench facing the sports field. there was jungwon once again, playing around with the same friends. you watched as jake gave up on running around and collapsed to the floor, with everyone mirroring his actions seconds later.

you’d always had a crush on jungwon. he was always so sweet and polite, with the perfect balance between humour and seriousness. you saw him as someone you could easily rely on and trust, despite never being close to him. his cheeks always had this natural blush and his laugh was addictive, and he looked so serious whenever he was concentrating. you felt your heart racing whenever he was around, but you never had the courage to confess to him.

as you got lost in your thoughts, you made eye contact with him across the field. panicked, you began packing your things away and into your bag. then you left, trying not to move too quickly so that it didn’t look suspicious.

after classes, you were called into the main hall once again. knowing today you’d have to be painting, you grabbed your change of clothes from your locker and headed into the changing rooms. coming back into the hall, you were met with jake and sunghoon covering each other in the baby pink paint.

you slipped past them and looked around for something to do. and then someone tapped on your shoulder. it was sunoo, who asked if you could help him with painting the banner. jungwon passed by you, sending you a soft smile before hurrying off towards jay. how did he seem to be everywhere?

on friday afternoon, as you were exhausted from all the decorating you’d been doing, you were so glad to be able to go home and enjoy your weekend. the whole week had been a complete disaster, and you now had a strong dislike towards the colour pink. but much to your dismay, the head of the student board asked you to attend the soulmate dance in order to keep an eye on the students. why he chose you specifically, you had no idea.

so on saturday morning, you tried your best to drag yourself out of bed. though you really didn’t want to dress up for a highschool dance, there was an outfit you had in mind. things weren’t going to change, you weren’t going to randomly get a soulmate, but you stupidly had hope things could change.

you spent most of the day considering backing out, but gave in because you didn’t want to disappoint your classmate. you arrived at the main hall an hour and a half before the event, ready to set things up.

a few students were around, moving tables to either side of the hall. a large red carpet was being rolled through the centre of the room, leading out onto the school gardens. you turned around at the sound of your name, bumping into the source. they reached for your hand, preventing you from toppling over.

a shock of electricity shot through your arm, forcing you to snatch your hand back. ‘i’m so sorry,’ the voice spoke, and much to your dismay, it was jungwon.

you felt your heart racing again, heat rising to your cheeks in an instant. ‘it’s ok,’ you reassured him. ‘it was my fault, so i’m the one that’s sorry.’

‘well,’ he smiled. ‘i guess i’ll see you around.’

honestly, you felt like an idiot. he heard loud and clear just a few days ago that you didn’t want to go to the soulmate dance, but here you were. maybe he would realise you were being forced into it, but if he didn’t, then that would be humiliating.

you shook your head to clear yourself of all the thoughts. ‘y/n,’ turning on the spot, you were met with the sight of jay coming towards you. ‘you’re looking lost. i thought you weren’t coming.’

‘change of plan,’ you simply replied. ‘i was asked to help set up some things.’

‘well, i need help carrying some things in from the truck outside,’ he offered. ‘if you’d like to help.’ nodding, you followed behind him at a distance.

the sky was clear — not a single cloud in sight — and the sun was shining brightly. the back doors of the truck were open, workers from the catering company lowering large bottles of drinks onto the ground. jay gestured towards the cluster of fruit juice bottles before grabbing one for himself.

they were heavy, but you managed. walking at jay’s side, you couldn’t think of a conversation starter to make it all a little less awkward. but thankfully, or maybe not, he spoke up first. ‘you do know that jungwon has a crush on you, right?’

the bottle fell from your grip. panicked, you reached forward to catch it again. clearly the universe was on your side in that moment, because it didn’t split.

‘uh, no,’ you forced out a laugh, feeling your entire body heat up. ‘i did not know that.’

‘he denies it,’ jay shrugged, helping you lift the heavy bottle back up from the ground. ‘but we all see the way he looks at you. after he found out you were soulmate-less too, he wanted to ask you to the dance tonight. but when you said you weren’t going, he gave up on that idea.’

what were you supposed to say to that? as you placed the bottles beside the snack table, jay pushed them under it. turning around to see jungwon on the other side of the hall, you felt yourself swallowing your words before leaving to the outside again.

but avoiding jungwon wasn’t as easy as you had hoped. he seemed to be in your line of sight at all times and in all honesty, you weren’t even sure why you were avoiding him. after all, if what jay said was true, then the feelings were mutual. still, you couldn’t shift your mind away from the shock you had felt at his touch. you thought maybe you were going crazy and had imagined it, until your phone buzzed with a notification.

leaving jay to bring in the rest of the drinks, you leaned against the exterior wall and pulled out your phone. a notification from soul watch lit up your phone, 0 days until you meet your soulmate. eyes wide, you looked around the area, hoping to see someone checking their phone in that same moment. was that even possible?

you weren’t sure what to do. search for your soulmate? or would they just come naturally to you? did this mean jay was your soulmate? it was a possibility, considering you were with him when the notification came through.

‘you coming inside?’ speak of the devil. you quickly hid you phone, putting on a fake smile and nodding. ‘people will start arriving soon.’

as soon as the hall began to fill up with people, you wished you had never came back inside. you really needed some time and space to think everything through. there was that electricity when jungwon had helped you up, but then you should’ve gotten the notification in that moment, right?

you grabbed your phone from your bag, going out into an empty corridor. sliding down the wall beside the door and pulling up the soul watch app, you searched your profile for details. but all the information it had was about your soulmate link, which happened to be a countdown. and now that the countdown was over, there were no more hints?

you were in complete disbelief, but the soulmate dance wasn’t the place to be researching this.

‘i guess you got it too,’ you looked up to see jungwon. ‘you’ve been avoiding me all day, so you must’ve.’

‘i have not been avoiding you,’ but the redness of your cheeks suggested otherwise. ‘and got what? i don’t know what you’re talking about.’

‘a sudden notification that you’ve possibly met your soulmate...?’ he sat down beside you.

‘well actually,’ you could’ve laughed at how stupid you were about to sound. ‘i was avoiding you because of what jay said earlier. and i thought there was no way you could be my soulmate otherwise i would’ve received the notification after we bumped into each other.’

‘who else could possibly be your soulmate?’

‘what’s that supposed to mean?’ you turned your head to make eye contact. he quickly looked away and down at the floor, wishing he hadn’t been so bold with his last statement. jungwon was never this forward with people he wasn’t yet close to.

‘i know jay told you that i like you,’ he admitted. ‘and i’ve always known that you like me back. i just never thought to bring it up because i didn’t have a soulmate, and i thought you would have one.’

‘but you have a soulmate now,’ you reminded him, a smile lighting up your features. ‘or... however that works. do you think it has to do with us touching for the first time back then?’

‘you felt that too?!’ his eyes widened as he stared back at you. ‘i thought i was going crazy.’

‘do you want to go back inside?’ you gestured to the door into the main hall. jungwon shook his head, standing up and holding his hand out to you.

‘we could...’ he trailed off, looking behind himself at the exit. ‘or we could ditch this snooze fest and do something fun instead... like go to an arcade?’

‘sounds like a plan,’ you took his hand, letting him pull you up from the ground. he checked if the coast was clear before running towards the exit, the sound of your laughter filling the empty corridor.

Crush

Fandom:My babysitter’s a vampire

Request: ” If possible can you write about different times where Benny weir tries to impress the reader and fails but ends up successfully wining her over somehow please 🥺👉👈 “

Genre: Fluff

Warnings:Mentions of violence

~~~

Benny's crush on you was nothing short of obvious. You'd known him and Ethan since grade school, so there was no way not to notice his change of behavior towards you.

At first he started texting you more often. Instead of talking on the groupchat you had with the fang gang, you would have long private conversations about movies, school, Friday night plans, the supernatural and spells and everything in between. You weren't special in any way, didn't have powers like Benny or E and you weren't a vampire like Sarah or Rory, you were just you. Nevertheless, you loved helping your friends through all of their adventures. One of these charades, however, ended poorly for you. 

You had gotten beaten up by a couple of vampires one night, as revenge for taking out their leader. They left you for good on the ground, covered in blood and dirt and tears. Almost instinctively, you made your way to Ethan’s and from there, everyone found out about what had happened. Benny got to you first, after he received the messages about the incident

"What happened?" he burst through the door of E's room. You were laying in bed, all bandaged up, with E bandaging your wounds. That didn't last long, cause Benny decided to take over and take care of you himself. 

"You feeling ok?" he asked, once Ethan left to get you something sweet from the kitchen, to cheer you up

"Better and better" you replied honestly

"You could have come to mine, too. I would have cared for you just like E!" 

"You're helping me now, it's all that matters!" 

Soon enough, you were back in action, back to your old self, as if the accident never even happened. 

Couple of weeks after that night,you and Benny were walking home after school when he cracked a joke about how great of a couple you would make 

"I mean, could you imagine everyone's face if we got together?" 

"Sarah would lose her mind" you laughed

"I know but like, honestly, I think it wouldn't be that crazy?" he raised his shoulders, trying to make it sound like it was no big deal but failing miserably "I mean we've been friends since forever and we both like the same things and have the same idea of a perfect date night!" 

"Oh do we now?" you laughed "Care to share?" 

“A movie night in!” he replied, very confidently “Pizza, snacks, cuddles and action movies. What more could you possibly ask for?”

“Some romance for starters” 

“Did I forget to mention the cuddles?”

“No” you laughed at his silliness “But what about something a little more fancy than pjs and doritos”

“First off, my star trek jammies? Bomb! You even said so yourself” Benny pointed an incriminatory finger at you and you nodded your head “Second off, go ahead! Tell us about this elegant dream date of yours!”

“Dinner in town!”

“Lame!”

“A walk through the city center after? Dressed in fancy clothes and looking up at all the Christmas decorations! Oh, did I mention it’s the winter season?”

“I can sense that you are trying really hard to redeem yourself but still pretty lame”

Talks like this, about perfect dates and ideal partners became a routine between you and Benny. You opened up to him a lot more than you ever did to anyone else and he was opening up to you just as much, if not more. And then the compliments came next.

“Y/N, your hair looks really good today!”

“That shirt fits you well!”

“I like what you did with your makeup!”

“Y/N, you look especially pretty today!”

Each day that went by he got more and more bald with his comments. Compliments turned into flirtations remarks that made you blush and than, finally, he asked you on a date. It happened after you and your friends captured a fairy that Rory summoned by accident, while playing with grandma Weir’s spell books.

“So, anything else planned tonight?” Benny asked you, on your walk back home

“After that?” you laughed “No, I think whatever plan I had went out the window after that”

“So then maybe you could come over? Grandma made brownies, we could steal the tray and watch horror movies'' Benny stuffed his fists into his pockets and took a  deep breath before adding “ Like a little date night…”

“A date night?” you questioned

“Well, yeah!”

“It’s kinda late...” you said after giving it some thought “And I’m tired.”

“Oh, um, yeah! No problem!” he smiled in a poor attempt to hide his disappointment

“Thank you though!”

“Yeah, no problem.” you walked past him and turned the corner on your street but before you could get too far away, Benny screamed

“The offer is still open whenever, you know?”

“I do” you smiled before waving goodbye!

Next day at school, things were back to normal. Benny was as flirty with you as ever and even a little more touchy than you knew him to be.You were getting used to this Benny and the more time went on, the more you were growing to like this new version of him. 

One day, a little over a month after that night, after classes, he was helping you study in the library. You had an important history exam coming up and needed help learning. You had spent all day there and were beyond exhausted by the time you finally exited school with B by your side.

“ You will do great, don’t even worry about it!”

“Easy for you to say. This grade is important to me Benny. Maybe after I get home and have some lunch I will look over my notes some more and…”

“No, no no no!” you were cut off by Benny “You are tiring yourself out for no reason! Listen to me, you are more than prepared!” B stepped in front of you to look into your eyes “You did amazing today and got incredible scores on all your practice tests. You are more than prepared and I believe in you! You got this!” you smiled at his kind words

“Is the offer still available?”

“What offer?” you giggled. It had been a long time since that night

“Date night offer” Benny’s expression turned to panic as he realised what you were talking about

“Aaa, yeah! Absolutely”

“Cool. Then I’m free on Friday?”

“Yeah, yeah! Friday works fine for me!”

~~~

“Just a few more steps…” Benny whispered to you as he was helping you navigate his house blindfolded. He had a surprise for you that he was very excited about.

“Don’t peak!”

“I won’t”

“Ok, you ready?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be” when B took off your blindfold, it took you a moment to adjust to the dim light of the candles, that were flickering all around the dining room. The table was decorated with roses and 2 servings of pasta were waiting for you

“Benny…” you were left speechless

“It’s the middle ground for both our perfect dates! A fancy dinner, except in the comfort of our home” he laughed before adding, somewhat more shy this time “Do you like it?” but all you could do was wrap your hands around his neck and kiss him deeply. At first he was taken by surprise but as soon as he registered what was happening, he wrapped his arms around your waist, bringing you impossibly closer to his body and kissing you back with even more passion. His soft lips felt like heaven, like the way you always imagined they would. Had it not been for your need for air, you wouldn’t have pulled away ever. “That usually happens at the end of the movie” Benny laughed

“Yeah, well, we aren’t exactly your standard couple” you giggled

“C-couple?”

“Yes, Bens. Couple!” and with that you leaned back in for another kiss, getting lost in his embrace and the taste of his lips.

A Seconds Glance

"Hi I have a request for either Josh or Jake 💛 can I get a story where they see a girl, either at school or they can already be famous in this, and is instantly enamored. I don't know if you've seen The Virgin Suicides, but if you have then something similar to when Trip sees Lux for the first time. I'm interested in how those two would go about getting a girl's attention when they have a crush.💕💕💕" - Anonymous

//Hi Doll! I can’t say I have seen that--- but I will try my best to write something that I feel matches the idea you had. 

I’m gonna be repeating this forever--- but again, I’m so sorry it took me so long to get this request out for you! I decided to go with Josh being in school for this one.//

Warnings: Cursing, awkward beans

Word Count: 1969

Synopsis: Josh had never really believed in love at first sight... but yet....

Josh Kiszka x Fem!Reader

The first day of sophomore year. For most this was just the start of another school year; a sudden reminder that a new binder or fun pencil case is exciting for all of 10 minutes when it comes to actual classes and work. But for Josh… this year felt like it was filled with possibilities. It sounds like some sort of stupid thing you'd see on a motivational calendar, but it really truly did.

Josh hadn't imagined for a second that he actually would have a chance in making music his career; and yet, he had spent all summer with his band mates playing for different occasions and pubs. All the while they were working, working hard on writing songs that they could be proud to play for others.

All of that said, Josh was returning to high-school this year with a new found amount of confidence and excitement; it showed in every step Josh took. His one hand held loosely on to the arm of his backpack, walking in time with Jake.

"But what do you think? Would it look good on me?" Jake inquired, fingers lightly playing with the mid-length pieces of hair on his head.

"I mean… I don't know…" Josh lightly starts, glancing at his twin and begins to take a good long look at him.

Jake's eyes widened just a touch, his expression becoming one that said, 'Well…?'

"Uh… honestly I don't really know Jake. I've never seen you with anything else than this." Josh admits, then snickers a little, "Except for that one time when we decided it'd be fun to take those scissors and---"

"No, that's fine, I didn't need to think about that." Jake immediately stopped him, his hand going to take a full dive into his mess of dark brown hair. 

"Cmon, it was really funny though. Ma really lost her shit when she saw your head like that." Josh continued to muse, hands folding into his pockets with the utmost of ease. 

Jake shook his head in a mournful way, "I can say I will never go back to a buzz-cut again… not without a fight."

Josh's smile never faltered, it was his laughter that changed, softening into a bit of a sigh as they reached the double doors at the front of the school. With a swing of the doors they both were making their way down the hallway to their lockers.

"Meet by Mr.Shapiro's class before lunch?" Jake questioned, to which Josh nodded. No matter which school the twins went to the teachers seemed to know that the best course of action was to keep them separated. That said Josh and Jake always had separate homerooms at least, through most of their time in school.

"See ya in a bit." Josh waved, taking a few steps back before turning on his heels and heading to his own locker.

Josh's excitement to be back in class showed on his face more than he probably would have wanted. A few pencils in his hand along with a binder filled with blank paper and tucked away dividers.  

As soon as Josh stepped into the class room his eyes were met with many familiar faces. Some of these people he had been in school with since kindergarten; like Meg, a rather tall blunt faced girl with long kinky black hair. She simply threw a peace sign Josh's way as he stepped through the doors; he eagerly returned it, bringing a small smile to Meg's lips. 

With some brisk steps Josh moved to place himself at the back of the classroom, just behind Meg. He threw his things on his desk without much thought. Despite there being a good number of kids he knew... there seemed to be equally just as many new kids. 

Leaning on his desk Josh moved closer to Meg, "Where the hell did these guys come from?" 

Meg's brow lifted as she leaned back a little, "Know the high-school on the east side?" 

"The one where you can get crack for super cheap?" Josh inquired, 

Meg's head bobbed, "They closed it down, so now we get half the kids that went there." She explains with her head resting on her hand in a bored way. 

"Oh shit really? That's a lot of kids---" Josh was quick to respond, glancing around the room. 

"Oh yeah... way too many in my personal opinion --- not that anyone cares." Meg mutters, beginning to click her mechanical pencil. 

Josh's eyes were still taking in all the new faces as he started to respond, "Wow aren't we positive today." 

Meg sighed, "Eh.... I'm just not excited, Justin and I broke up over the summer and I'll have to see him in history." She began to explain, "Things are just really tense, yknow?" 

She waited a moment for him to give some comforting... but still idiotic response, however none came. It finally got Meg to turn and look at him, as she did she immediately noticed that Josh's eyes had widened just a touch, cheeks dusted a light pink. 

Meg followed the line of his eyes to a beautiful young woman. The expression he wore was more than enough to tell Meg that she should move. 

Josh was so busy just... taking the new girl in that he didn't even notice Meg slip to the free desk to the side of the one she was previously sat in. Josh just couldn't put his finger on it, there was something... something so breathtaking about her. Was it her eyes? Or maybe how her hair fell around her face? He couldn't be sure. What he was absolutely sure of was that he had never had a moment in his life where he could hear music just by looking at someone. 

"Hey... do you know if this desk is free?" A new voice shook Josh. It was her. She was standing at a desk to his left with a bit of an awkward air. 

He was just so shaken. What did she say again? Something about a desk? Josh's lips parted, "Uh--- I uh, what did you--?" 

"No that one isn't open, but the one just in front of my dude Josh is, right Josh?" Meg interrupted, pointing to the desk ahead of him. 

"Oh y-yeah, that one's open! Definitely 100% open! It couldn't be more open even if it tried!" Josh started spouting, he really wasn't even aware that his mouth had moved, and that was clear in the fact that it just kept moving when she had come to sit down. "Do you need any pencils at all?? I have like 20!" He continued, though his hand held one full sized pencil and one shorter than the average person's pinkie... both chewed on. "I mean not on me but--- who needs a pencil right?" 

The girl laughed a little awkwardly, her gaze moving from Josh to Meg and then to the desk. "No, no I'm okay thank you though." She slipped into the chair, keeping her gaze frontwards. 

Meg looks to Josh with a shocked look, 'What was that??' She mouthed, 

Josh responded with an absolutely mortified expression. He would never say he was the smoothest guy on the planet, but he had never been that awkward in his life. 

Meg shook her head before reaching out to tap the girl's shoulder, "I'm Meg!" She introduces, "And that goober is Josh." 

The girl lightly moved to glance over her shoulder at Josh in a shy way. "It's nice to meet you both. I'm (Y/N)." She hummed with a sweet smile. 

"That's a pretty name, isn't it Josh??" Meg quickly said, trying to get him to continue the conversation in a less awkward way.

Josh nodded very enthusiastically, "The prettiest name I've heard in a long time!" He said with a smile, 

(Y/N)'s cheeks began to hold a flush of their own. "Oh! Uh... th-thank you!" She sputtered out. 

'OH FUCK. She's so cute.' Josh thought to himself, Adam's apple bobbing in his throat with a shaky swallow. 

Little did Josh know that (Y/N) was thinking something very similar. She might not make it as obvious as he was, but being so much closer now... being able to see the warmth in his brown eyes, seeing how his wavy brown hair came to cup his cheeks --- she couldn't help but continue to stare back at him. 

The only thing that could pull them both out of the little trance they had fallen into was the bell. Both of them quickly looked toward it, followed by a man's voice at the front of the class. 

"Alright everyone, take your seats!" 

(Y/N) was reluctant but she turned herself to look toward the front of the class. A little bit nervous, but mustering an ounce of courage she tore a piece of paper from her notebook quietly and began to scribble something down. 

Josh hardly got anything out of that language arts class, he was way too busy trying to figure out what excuse he could make to talk with (Y/N) again. He was just rattling through every little conversation starter he had ever heard in his life... but none of them felt like they would work. 

Before long the bell had rung overhead once more and everyone was shuffling to grab their things and head to all of their next classes. 

Biting his lip, Josh was determined to catch (Y/N) before she could head off to her own next class. Luckily for him she had a similar idea. Both turning to each other as they stepped out of the classroom, it was painfully quiet at first. It seemed as if they were trying to get their thoughts together really. 

Finally they spoke, 

"Hey would you---" "I was wondering if you'd---" 

At once. 

A small awkward laugh left their lips, "Please, go ahead I was going to say something dumb---" Josh quickly said moving to rub the back of his neck. 

(Y/N)'s lips parted as she let out and unsure chuckle, eyes moving downwards for a moment. "I was just going to ask if you would mind if I joined you for lunch? I just am new and don't really have any---" 

"Yes!" Josh quickly said, "Yes absolutely. You didn't even have to ask, you could have just showed up if you wanted to!" He quickly says to her. 

The speed he seemed to talk at entertained (Y/N) a heck of a lot. A smile creeping across her face, "Okay! Thank you!" She responded. 

"Do you know where the cafeteria is? I can show ya if you want??" Josh quickly continued, "I mean I'm sure you could find it on you're own, you seem very smart and capable. Most women are to be honest; I remember reading an article about how men need to---" 

"That would be really great actually." (Y/N) smiled in a gentle way. 'He's even more nervous than I am.' She thought to herself. 

"Oh-oh! Okay cool! Uh, do you know where Mr.Shapiro's class is?" He asks, 

(Y/N) seemed to think for a minute, "113... right? I have him for chemistry this afternoon I think." She mutters. 

Josh swiftly nods his head, "That's the one!! Meet me there okay?" He says. 

(Y/N) nodded back, understanding the little plan they now had. "I'll see you in a little bit then?" She lightly asks. 

"Yeah absolutely." Josh began to grin, suddenly beyond excited. Even as she began to walk off to her class all he could think about was how sure he was now that this year was going to be fantastic. 

That was until a warning bell played overhead, "Oh shit--" Josh jumped in shock, immediately beginning to run to his next class.

//That's all for now lovely! I do actually have an idea on how to continue this one if anyone would like! Pretty please let me know in the comments if that's something you guys would like 💜//