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itrin · 2 years

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TUA S3 (spoilers)

first of all, holy shit????? like holy shit!!! this was by-far the most incredible season, in terms of acting, cgi, characterisation, sound and music, cinematography -- just intense and overwhelming and gripping and I ate it up in less than a day but anyways here are some of my specific thoughts, haphazardly listed and unsolicited:

viktor coming out and how it was handled was A++ like everyone was normal and chill and so readily accepting with some appropriate humour thrown in but also everyone still gave him shit regardless LMAO

like five "proud of u Viktor, ur an idiot though"

Five "pull this shit again and viktor, ill kill u myself" Hargreeves everybody, supportive but threatening

idk how to feel abt five telling viktor he's there for him but also telling him he'll kill him like??? asshole but I love him regardless, no-- because of it

on that note, never deadnaming viktor even in the heat of a brutal argument isn't something to be praised like it is -- it was a relief that no one deadnamed him even though they were furious and hurt ngl but also this is how its supposed to be!! bare minimum!! u dont deadname trans people even if, especially if, ur pissed at them

tua did an outstanding job handling viktor coming out, A+ for that, could not have asked for better

Luther wanting to give viktor mini sandwiches and throw him a brotherhood party!!! good!!

also that flashback of Allison telling viktor she'd love him no matter what juxtaposed with Allison telling viktor they should've left him in the basement: yikes

AND OMFG ALLISON!!! S3 ALLISON HARGREEVES!! ive genuinely never been more sacred for or of a fictional character like her actress, Emmy, was absolutely phenomenal

characters who're "good" and calm and always say/advocate for the "right" thing and are depended on to be, like, the glue of a group -- these characters falling apart in catastrophic ways will always be a fav of mine because thats Allison Hargreaves man she fell apart catastrophically and her hurt came at the expense of everyone

idc what anyone says I love how Allison was characterised this season I love how she was pushed to her breaking point and fucking broke: she lost her daughter in season 1 because she kept rumouring her rather than parenting her, and she didn't rumour in season 2 until she did and she went mad with power (not that I disagree with who that power was used against, yes queen make the racists burn themselves), and in season 3 she really, really fell into the depths of her power and self-destruction. she used it against viktor (good parallel to that season 1 confrontation in the cabin), used her power against Harlan to kill him, used it on herself

the Luther SA scene was fucked up and unnecessary imo and I had to skip it when I realized where it was going but again: holy fucking shit

also Allison trying to use her powers on herself??? to rumour herself to be happy?? yeah that was fucking heartbreaking like shit

again: Emmy's acting was spectacular like all the dark, hard looks, the screaming "shut your mouth," the breaking-down-and-sobbing just everything like I cannot applaud enough

okay Diego and Lila and Stan and the unborn baby was Wow. A Thing. Very Lila and Diego like ngl and Stan rlly did grow on me and then he fucking got obliterated but seeing Diego come to grips with being a father was so good; at first, he pushed Stan away and out of his sight bc he was busy and had other, more important things to worry about but then Stan came to him for affection and hugged him and cried in front of him when Klaus died and just!! it was good!

Lila has a special place in my heart but her idea of lying to Diego about who Stan is to test him as a father but very in-character and wow both of them reassuring each other they'll be good parents was lovely to see

ANOTHER THING THAT WAS LOVELY TO SEE WAS LUTHER AND SLOANE AND THEM FALLING IN LOVE AT THE END OF THE UNIVERSE Luther deserves good things and seeing him basically say "fuck you" to Reginald constantly was great and therapeutic for me as much as it probably was for him

man oh man oh man poor viktor fucccccc like this guy cant catch a break as much as five can; constantly being blamed for ending the world even though the root cause was Reginald and viktor didn't have as much time with his powers as the rest did and its a hugely destructive power too (not always, as seen with Harlan) and its always the factors around viktor that cause the apocalypse -- someone manipulates them, pushes them, until he triggers and loses control and he's shit on for it even though he couldn't control what others did to him?? viktor was using him powers for only a handful of days, significantly less than anyone else, he barely knows what he can do with him or how it affects others yknow

and I dont, cant, even blame Harlan bc he was in the same boat as viktor -- no one to help him figure out how to control his powers, its just reaction after reaction, accidents and no one on the planet would even know how to help him

but it was an interesting choice to give viktor Harlan back, his kid, and take away Allison's kid-

poor five also like not even a seconds rest LMAO and everyone, especially Allison, blames him for all his time traveling mishaps but like?? he was a kid when he first time traveled and he's taken every chance to do what's best for his family and the world, including killing the Board of Directors like this man is flying by the seat of his pants in almost every apocalypse trying to save everyone

KLAUS MY BELOVED IM SO SORRY U HAD TO DIE A HUNDRED TIMES BUT IM SO HAPPY TO SEE HOW MF POWERFUL U ARE!!! immortal?? immortal!! and can dispel spirits as well as summon them!! wow A Mf Man.

Ben was actually v interesting this season bc yeah he's an asshole in the first half but, when it comes down to just 10 people left alive in all of existence, he shows himself as riddled with Daddy Issues, as the name Sparrow being the only thing in his life, as sensitive to rejection ig?? big mad about not being invited to party and also very curious about the "other ben" the umbrella academy is familiar with

Reginald Reginald Reginald; first off, the actor who plays is A+ and I love seeing him on screen. Drugged!Reginald was so sad to see at first, it was so fucking sad to see that, but after finishing the season I can say with my whole chest that drugged!reginald was the best Reginald like Pogo had the right idea. and even I was rooting for Reginald to turn out good and own up to the mistakes of TUA!Reginald and idk if not be a good dad then at least be a good person and encourage the kids and IDK I WANTED HIM TO BE GOOD HERE BC ITS WHAT EVERYONE ELSE DESERVED BUT I WAS DUPED!!! I WAS DUPED AND BLINDED LIKE KLAUS!! im so- and Klaus was so happy and felt loved by him and excited for everyone else to connect with him too and he just turns around and locks him out of the corridor and leaves him to die and Klaus was forced to kill himself

I wonder how Allison felt about both Luther and Klaus dying due to her deal with Reginald (I mean I dont fully blame her for their deaths it was Reginalds fault 100%) but I wonder if she convinced herself that it was "for the greater good" or if it was all gonna ve fixed or worth it later when she got her daughter back

"do u trust me?" BITCH NO????? I actually dont know how Allison could ask viktor that actually maybe cognitive dissonance I mean girl was at sanity's edge but I wonder how much Reginald even told her about the button and the machine?? like how did she know the button would lead to a new universe or smth

the irony of killing Harlan but also using the powers that were boosted by him

now about that ending: im a lil confused but ill take it

its a new universe I think not a reset one bc wouldn't a reset universe let everyone keep their powers?? maybe when Allison pushed the button it got imbued with her desires to not have powers or smth?? did Reginald tinker with the fabric of the universe so humans didn't have powers like these? this alien bitch has a human looking wife?? is she an alien or does she have human skin like Reginald which would mean they've been on earth for a while and when she died Reginald put her on the moon For Some Reason??? what was Luther supposed to her guarding her casket pod on the dark side of the moon from?

did Reginald cause the end of worlds for centuries or do apocalypses follow him too and everywhere he goes, worlds die???

also where the fuck did these "particles" that powered the machine even come from?? what the fuck are these particles?

what does it mean that Five has both arms again?? is he still going to be the founder? has he escaped his fate or??

where is Sloane? give Luther a goddamn break

okay so Allison has her happy ending after everything she pulled, after the relationships she damaged severely and destroyed -- nw what happens? because clearly the umbrella academy isn't done with Reginald and his wife seemingly ruling the world or smth (or at least enjoying very powerful positions, as seen by "Hargreaves" on multiple buildings) so they'll all be pulled together again

(I hope Luther and viktor dont forgive Allison or at least call her out let them cut each other till bones bleed, I say)

let five get a hug?? maybe? a sibling group hug?

#the umbrella academy #the umbrella academy season 3 #tua s3 #tua s3 spoilers

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the-firebird69 · 8 months

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And the garbage man has come every day and it's too bother our son because he missed the garbage thing this week and people are beating them up for it and it's Dan and he's an idiot he's trying for the stones and those are JC and Mary weapons and is to kill your people all the time so we're going after you because you're blaming our son for it and you also saying all sorts of lies about him and we go after you whether you think we do or not you end up dead you too Dan and Trump and cheeseman. And your people are getting small on the islands we're going to wipe them out and it won't be anybody there that's what you said we said good it's a waste of time keeping them there and you don't see it. We're all so baiting you with all sorts of stuff we moved your shops cuz you keep moving buildings around and tell you not to and you see how it is you're a loser they're going to make sure that you're dead today and every day from now on until you're gone and we can't stand you you're so freaking dumb. Your boy dies fully and in one of the movies and it's not Neo that's you. It's not Star wars and she calls him Obi-Wan Kenobi and did it on purpose because she's making her kiss him. He does a whole bunch of movies after Star wars no is it a couple episodes afterwards not really. He dies as clothing is there it is true but he says his clothing would be disintegrated most likely and that's really actually true or burned and it's not some people wonder what the hell happened if how could he just disappear, it's CGI and he had it done to try and do things secretly as a sun said is still somebody doing something. I'll tell you the movie he goes into we already talked about and so the stupid s*** and it's pennywise and it's starting to get away with it and Tommy F takes his brain. And he keeps it and he incinerates it put some eyeballs on it too cuz he keeps saying it about Arnie and he won't shut his stupid mouth and people go after Tommy f, he doesn't really realize it and it's different people and Dan's clan too but really it's mostly Jason and it's because he believed he ENT ombed him recently and he won't last did he more or less did he had someone else do it and what happened to his gross and he comes back in a new body and he thinks that's gross and playing this Lady Gaga and it is her fault and she is a trumpster and that's why and people don't like her like she thinks she's a massive b****. So that's where you die and that's coming up pretty quick too in derry New Hampshire. It's where the concert series was they went up there is a little boy and he's driving around with his father his dad that is his true and Mom and his harassed and it was a weird town he said and he went back and didn't recognize it. It took him to the doctor and said it was Dr mack, and Mac conspired against his dad before that to bring him there to do something to him and I already heard it Ernie heard it and his son heard it a little and sent a demon after him and that stan who was pennywise the first. The second one that you seen the movie is partially pennywise Earth and that's Dan and he's in demon body a low levels even body with possession by higher level demon called venom and his body is orc high. And his original body was left off on what looks like Titan and people say it is and that's where it was and it disappeared and it appears in the movie Lord of the rings and he tries to get it that's why it goes there and he doesn't and Lord Sauron rules over the island she is a property of his clan. But pennywise the clown killed tons of his people and other Max too and so he kind of used it but really he was conspiring ahead of time and he started that s*** and he's going to die with this f**** Garth

Thor Freya

Zues Hera

Olympus

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wizkiddx · 3 years

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3 hearts broken

I did an angst thing again oops also not proof read double oops

summary: an argument between you and tom, except it takes him hurting someone else for you to loose it

warnings: alot of swearing (im British sorry not sorry) idk anything else except commitment issues?

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It was an argument you and your boyfriend regularly had. In fact, it was the only argument the two of you ever had. And especially recently, one that Tom seemed to want to have every day. It didn’t matter where you were on set; in the rental home; out for dinner. Or like now… in the airport lounge.

You were sitting across from each other in a semi-private booth. Tom in his joggers and a burgundy hoodie, you in your black leggings and an oversized tee that actually belonged to your boyfriend. The rest of the place was almost deserted, given the late-night time of the flight. It was probably why Tom felt so comfortable bringing up this touchy subject in a public place.

You were both way past overtired too, owing to the end of a gruelling shoot. All you wanted was to get back to London and get into your own bed. Without an unnecessary fight with Tom.

Unfortunately for you, when you had naively said those exact words, Tom’s overtired brain skipped straight to it being a personal attack.

“I don’t see why you can’t commit to moving in Y/n! We practically live together for filming anyway so-“

“I love you Tom, more than I could ever express. I just… I can’t do this yet. I need… more-“

“More time, I know.” He grumbled, already standing and slinging his duffel bag over his shoulder - as the flight’s gate was announced by the intercom. Had he not already turned his back and started heading along the hallway, you would’ve tried to protest and calm him down. But thanks to his urgency to get away from you… all you could do was sigh. Slumping back against the seat before hauling yourself up and grabbing the bags - that he had helped you with on the way in.

No doubt this would be a long flight.

That it was. Tom had been maturely giving you the silent treatment at the gate, as you were boarding, and finding you seats. You were both in first class, so you had adjacent little pods with a little partition in the middle. It’s standard position was to be lowered however, before you’d even been able to settle into your window seat, Tom had already switched to button to have it slowly slide up.

Real fucking mature.

Thinking he just needed some time to cool off, you rolled your eyes but let him be. Even though you were such a frequent flier, you were terrible at getting any sleep on them. Tom knew this, knew how much you disliked the idea of being hurtling through the air in a tin can. Usually, he’d be holding your hand, entertaining you by watching a movie and providing a shit commentary over the top. Sometimes, when you were both as exhausted as right now, he’d even slide into your chair, having you perch on top of him so you could fall asleep listening to his heartbeat in his chest. Now though? He refused to acknowledge your existence.

Tom never had such issues flying, he was like a switch that could just choose to fall asleep at any and every point. Which is perhaps why it shocked you to see him still wide awake, staring angrily at the corner of his pod when you went to the loo, hours later. Thinking it was time for a peace offering, on the return to your seat you made eye contact and began to smile softly at him. However, that plan lasted for all of two seconds, since as soon as he realised you had seen him staring, Tom instantly shut his eyes - playing asleep.

He really was being particularly stubborn tonight.

By the time the plane landed, he’d still refused to say anything - and it was starting to really piss you off too. You’d tried to be mature, tried to offer the metaphorical olive branch and he had quite literally thrown it back in your face. So by the time you were being escorted off the plane (first because you were first class), you hung back from your boyfriend, wanting to have your own space.

Which was exactly why you didn’t want to give up your own apartment yet!

The two of you walked across the bridge into the terminal with a good 8 metres between each other. Tom didn’t bother to turn round and check on you, taking purposeful steps as though he wanted to get away.

Thankfully the terminal was quiet, probably due to the ungodly hour in the morning you’d landed at. The halls echoed only with your and Toms footsteps, the echo exaggerating just how far away you felt from him at this point. Still, Tom hadn’t acknowledged your existence, or anyone elses for that matter - the pair of you almost got to baggage reclaim before seeing any other humans.

And that is where it all went wrong.

It was typical, an otherwise empty airport except for you, Tom and a family with 2 girls. 2 teenage girls. 2 teen girls whose eyes widened to almost comical levels at the sight of your boyfriend. You’d seen them from a mile away, but from Tom’s reaction to them - he clearly hadn’t.

In fact, you were such a distance away you couldn’t exactly hear the exchange. But what you saw, had your heart in your mouth.

The girls ran over from the seats their whole family were sitting in, squealing at Tom with that overcited little jump you’d seen so often. Instead of Tom turning to them and entertaining them with small talk and a photo or two - he did the opposite. If anything, he quickened his cadence, looked as though he waved the girls off without muttering two words.

And maybe there was a reason. Maybe they had shouted something really rude at him - but fuck, the chances were slim. One looked ten, and one looked a couple of years older - as you approached, you saw the dejected and shocked faces melt into ones of intense disappointment. The eldest turned and hugged the younger, whose chest appeared to be shaking in a way that meant only one thing. Tom had made her cry.

Just as both the mother and father stood up to rush to the girls, you matched their hurried steps - getting their first.

“Hi, excuse me… “

You felt really awkward but knew you had to do something for these poor girls. And quite possibly for Toms career too. “Are you guys okay?” It took a second or two, but the girls clearly both recognised you too (thank god), throwing nervous looks at each other.

“Are yo-you Y/n?” The younger one asked, bright eyes glazed in tears which broke your heart to see.

“Yeh-yeh I am, what are your names?” You knelt, smiling warmly at the girls, who seemed to chirp up a bit.

“I’m Tima” The eldest spoke first before nudging the other to speak. You waited patiently till the little girl had wiped her eyes before replying.

“I’m Azara.”

“Wow, you’ve both got very beautiful names. Where are you both headin-“

“Can I ask you a question!?” Litte Azara burst out, interrupting you, but in the cutest and sweetest way. You just laughed and said of course, as she twiddled with her thumbs nervously.

“How big is the biggest T-rex?” Her little eyes were so curious and you had to suppress a giggle, seeing how serious it was.

Of course, the T-Rexs in Jurassic world (one of your movies) were all CGI. But Azara didn’t have to know that.

“Oh, they are bigger thanthan the tallest trees you’ve ever seen!”

You carried on your little chat with the girls for five or so minutes, laughing with them and exchanging soft nods with their parents too - who seemed appreciative of your time. Eventually, though, it was the dad who pulled time on the exchange, signalling that the girls had taken up enough of your time. As you stood up, Tima spoke up - after being relatively withdrawn from the conversation.

“You’re friends with Tom Holland right?” You nodded, subconsciously biting your lip to see what she would say. “Can you tell him sorry for bothering him, it’s just Azara was excited, we only wanted to say hi.”

Yeh, there was absolutely no way these incredibly sweet girls did anything to Tom. He was just being a knob.

“Hey, it’s not your fault at all. We’ve just had a really, really long flight, and he’s in a bit of a mood at me - I’m so sorry that he let it out on you.”

That explanation seemed to satisfy Tima with a nod, and with some final hugs you bid the girls both farewell. By this point, the rest of your plane had caught up along the corridors, so it was busier, and you had to fight against the small crowd to get through the airport as quickly as possible. Because you were seething with rage for Tom and could not wait to tell him exactly what those poor girls thought of him.

Unsurprisingly Tom had chosen not to wait for you in the airport at all, instead already hiding inside the blacked-out windows of the 4x4 waiting at the collection point. You marched up to that car angry to the point you thought the whole airport would notice. Yanking the door so hard you were surprised you did no damage to it, you threw your bags in - momentarily ignoring the sight of Tom huddled into a corner, staring at his phone with AirPods in.

But once you slammed the door shut and the driver started the car, you let yourself go.

“Who the fuck do you think you are!”

“Y/n can we just leave it for- “

“You made 2 girls cry!!! You were so self-absorbed in your temper tantrum that you made 2 teenage girls cry. You proud of yourself?”

This time he did look at you, eyes wide and confused - clearly not understanding. So you continued - laying it out for him.

“Those two girls you waved off because you were so busy running away from me? Well the youngest one cried and then the eldest didn’t speak and when she did it was only to ask me to apologise to you. You’re a fucking dickhead!”

“I didn’t mean-“

“Oh god, that makes it all better. You didn’t mean to make them cry on purpose, so it’s fine! God if you’d only said I’d-“

“Fuck off Y/n you’re not being fair, cut the sarcasm.”

“I’m not being fair?!? Because I’m the bad person in this situation, right? I just saved you from a very, very bad headline tomorrow morning because you were too busy giving me the silent treatment.”

“Yeah, well, your the one who doesn’t seem to give a damn about me!”

You scoffed hard at his words, air trapped in your throat that now felt completely stuck. How could he say that? How could he even think that?

As much as you hated showing it, you felt your eyes well up with tears. Because who the fuck did he think he was.

“Now that, that is so unfair. You know exactly my history and why I don’t want to move in yet AND you know just how much I fucking love you. So don’t you dare.”

“You're not convincing anyone.” He spoke quieter, but the venom behind his tone was still there. As the first tear escaped over your bottom lashes, you knocked on the partition to the driver and asked him, in no uncertain terms, to pull over.

“Congrats Tom. That’s three women you’ve broken the hearts of in 20 minutes. Must be some sort of a record.”

And with that you slammed the door shut, abandoned on the side of the road somewhere within Heathrow.

?a part 2? idk where id go from here aha

tagging: @lovehollandy12 @hollandlover19 @thefernandasantana @hunnybunimdun @hallecarey1@cedricdiggorysimpp @msmimimerton @hollandfanficlove @pandaxnienke @crossyourpeter @thegirlwiththeimpala

#tom x reader #tom holland fic #tomholland #tom holland #tom holland x reader #tom holland fluff #tom holland angst #famous!reader #tom holland x famous!reader #tom holland x actress!reader

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fruitcoops · 3 years

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I have a request. :) What if coops were watching a scary movie together and Sirius is getting actually scared so he is just trying not to watch and cuddle into Remus instead. But he is too embarrassed to ask Remus to turn it off so he just tries to suffer through it. You can decide if you want Remus to notice and turn it off and comfort him or not. Thank you for all of your amazing writing!

This is such a cute ask, and lots of fun to write! Thanks for suggesting it <3 Coops credit goes to @lumosinlove, but Hattie is mine!

TW for mentioned blood and gore (in the movie) and general fear

“That’s a lot of blood,” Remus remarked.

Personally, Sirius thought that was a bit of an understatement considering the gorefest happening on the screen, but he had been terrified into silence twenty minutes before and simply nodded in response.

The shrieking, wailing, and rending of various body parts continued. Hattie whined and buried her nose further into the small of his back. Smart girl, Sirius thought, cuddling just slightly closer to Remus’ side. The horror movie had been a last-minute, pick something or we’ll both be frustrated decision—now, an hour into the worst television experience of his life, he regretted every choice he had made that led them to this spot.

He turned to place a kiss just below Remus’ ear. If it also served to hide his face from the literal demonic entity that just popped out of nowhere…well, that was nobody’s business but his own. “Hey, I’m kinda tired,” he mumbled, though every nerve was alight with fear and he wasn’t sure his eyelids would ever shut again.

“Oh?” Remus kept his gaze on the screen. I love you, but you confuse and terrify me.

“Mhmm. How much is left?”

Remus picked up the remote; half a second before he paused, one of the lead characters got fucking stabbed in the back by something that had not been there mere moments earlier. Sirius jolted, stifling a shout of surprise. Remus remained absolutely still. “Whew, that was a good one,” he said mildly as Sirius struggled to regain control of his stuttering heartbeat. “Just under fifty minutes left.”

Why am I doing this? Sirius wondered internally. I have nothing to prove.

“The effects are pretty impressive, huh?”

Sirius hummed vague assent.

“No CGI or anything. Pretty cool.”

“No, yeah, definitely.”

Bones weren’t supposed to do that. Kids certainly weren’t supposed to bend like that. Sirius’ mouth was drier than desert sand and he gave up on dignity, squishing himself as close as possible under the safe haven of Remus’ arm. “The, uh—” Remus was interrupted by a blood-curdling scream that froze Sirius from the inside out. He cleared his throat. “The—I heard the director has been trying to make this for ages. It was in the newspaper last week and everything.”

“Was it?” Sirius’ voice sounded weak even to his own ears.

“Uh-huh.” Please keep talking, please keep talking, please keep talking. “Sorry, I’m probably ruining this for you.”

“No, you’re all good.” You are the only thing keeping me from crawling under the blankets with the dog.

They lapsed back into silence and Sirius squeezed his eyes shut as what was left of the main group turned their backs to the basement. The creepy-ass door was going to open—yep, there’s the creak—and then they were going to go down the rickety staircase, and then everyone was either going to die or be traumatized for life. No matter how formulaic it was, Sirius still felt ice trickle down his spine.

The next forty-five minutes passed at a glacial pace. More blood than Sirius could have imagined spattered the set, and he had stopped trying to follow the plot entirely so he could zone out instead. “Ready for bed?” Remus asked as the credits rolled, sounding entirely unfazed. Hattie crawled into their laps with a soft snuffle. “Oh, lovey, were you scared?”

Yes. “Poor thing,” Sirius cooed with as much control as he could muster, lifting her up to hide his shaky arms. Remus ducked into the kitchen to put away the popcorn bowl; as soon as he was out of earshot, Sirius leaned down and kissed her forehead. “You and me both, ma petite. You’re sleeping on the bed with us tonight.”

“What?” Remus called from the kitchen.

“Oh, nothing.” He set Hattie down. “I’ll be upstairs when you’re done.”

Sirius made it to the base of the staircase, then paused. The hallway at the top was dark; fear prickled the back of his neck. There’s no such thing as demons, he told himself, grabbing the bannister. His palms were sweating. Nothing to be afraid of. “Honey?”

“Merde!” he yelped, letting go as if it had burned him.

Remus gave him a look of alarm. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I just—” He flailed a hand around, pulse pounding in his throat. “Just thought I saw a spider. Startled me.”

“…alright.”

He turned the lights on as soon as they reached the landing. Sirius had never been so grateful for the power of modern electricity. The hall was just as they had left it, looking ridiculously normal and unthreatening—embarrassment reddened his cheeks as he changed into his pajamas. Scared of your own house? Really?

Well, that wasn’t quite true—he wasn’t scared of the house itself, just the murderous entities that may or may not be living in the dryer vents. That was all.

He was feeling better until Remus turned the lights off and slipped into bed beside him, leaning over for a ‘goodnight’ kiss. “Sleep well, baby,” he said, resting his temple on Sirius’ shoulder.

“Love you.”

The trees swaying outside looked like long, bony fingers; if he concentrated, he could hear low weeping in the wind. Sirius felt an irrational fear rise when he tried to close his eyes and focus on Remus’ slow breaths—what if he woke up and there was something in the doorway? What if he had nightmares? What if his fear wasn’t irrational at all, and there was an omen he was missing—

“Sirius?”

“Yeah?” he whispered back.

Remus hesitated, then exhaled through his nose. “Can we turn the light on?”

“Oh, thank fuck,” Sirius said around a sigh of relief. “Yes. Also, please never suggest a horror movie ever again.”

“I hate them,” Remus confessed as they sat up. “I saw a commercial for The Conjuring in seventh grade and had nightmares for two full months.”

“Why did you recommend it?”

“I thought you liked them!”

“I was about to hide under the couch!” Sirius laughed, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed. “Mon dieu, that was the w—holy shit!”

The fuzzy thing under his foot made a high-pitched noise and moved; Sirius scrambled back with a strangled shout, nearly toppling them both over the other side. Remus clung to him as they both shrieked in sheer panic until the only sound was their heavy breathing. The shadow by the edge of the bed shifted again, then whined.

Sirius groaned, releasing his death grip. “Really, Hat Trick?”

“You’re kidding.”

“Viens ici.” He patted the side of the bed and the blob of inky black hopped up, then settled at the foot of the bed with an indignant huff. “Did I step on you?”

Hattie grumbled and stretched her long body across the mattress. Remus turned the bedside lamp on, pinching the bridge of his nose as he shook his head. “Well, that was mortifying.”

“I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep, but I don’t really want to go back downstairs.”

Remus laid on his back and held out his arms. “Cuddles?”

“You read my mind.”

They snuggled up to each other as tight as they could, leaving only a sliver of space between their bodies as Hattie warmed their feet. Sirius kissed the top of Remus’ head once before closing his eyes once more; they laid in silence for a moment longer, then let out twin sighs as he pulled the covers all the way up to their necks to create a cocoon of warmth and safety. The soft glow of the lamp chased away the shadows, and within a few minutes he fell into a dreamless sleep.

#fanfic #my fic #sirius black #remus lupin #lumosinlove #sweater weather #coops #wolfstar #scary movie #horror #hattie

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rafecameron · 3 years

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as long as you want

summary: Luke x reader - 5 times they almost touched each other and the one time they actually do.

pairing: ghost!luke patterson x reader

word count: 2.5K

a/n: another 5+1! i haven’t written ghost luke before, hopefully it’s okay! also i swear i don’t usually post this much i just have a lot ready! sorry if i’m being annoying

Y/N made her way towards Julie's garage, the new flyer Flynn had made for their upcoming show clutched in her hand ready to show off.

She throws open the garage doors, ready to exclaim about the gig the next night but is met with an almost empty practice area. She frowns, eyes scanning the room until they land on the boy hunched up on the couch.

Luke is sat in an oversized jacket, black beanie pulled over his messy hair as he fiddles with the acoustic guitar sat in his lap.

“Hey, where is everyone!” She asks, letting her hand and the flyer drop to her side.

Luke simply shrugs in reply, eyes intent on staying on the six string in front of him, the chords he picked sounding defeated to match his spirits.

“What’s wrong?” She asks, crossing the room quickly she perched on the couch beside him, hands on her knees as she bows her head to try and get him to look at her, “Luke?”

The boy sighs, finally looking up to meet her eyes with a look of annoyance, “Somethings wrong with me.” He states and Y/N lets out a light laugh.

“Other than the fact you’re dead?” Her attempt at lightening the mood fails when Luke’s frown deepens, “What’s wrong?” She asks again.

“I can’t play,” Luke complains, “everything I play sounds wrong. We have a massive gig tomorrow and I can’t play the simplest tune.”

She shoots him a sympathetic smile, “Maybe you just need to take a break. Reset yourself ready for practice tonight. You’re probably just overthinking things and can’t concentrate properly.”

His eyes meet hers again and she leans forward, her hand falling through his knee instead of resting on it as she had intended. He lets out a short laugh, a look of silent defeat on his features, “Still not used to that.” He mumbles.

“Can you just imagine me giving you a massive hug right now?” She sighs, resting her hand above his knee instead of trying to touch it again.

“I appreciate the thought,” he chuckles, “Maybe you’re right, maybe I do just need to take a break.”

She nods her head in agreement, grinning as she reaches for the flyer in her lap, “Flynn designed it! Do you like it?”

Luke leans forward, smiling as his eyes take in the paper in her hands, “Yeah, it looks rad.” He beams.

She watches him take in the flyer for a moment before the rest of the band stream in through the doors, she jumps up, bouncing over to them to show off the paper. Leaving Luke to sit on the couch and smile at her back.

———

As usual before every gig the band plays, the friends all meet up backstage. Flynn helps Julie warm up her vocals and Y/N attempts to give the guys a pep talk, not that they are ever in need of one.

“Okay, you got this guys!” She cheers them on and the boys just laugh at her.

“You always give the best pep talks.” Alexs teases her fondly.

“Shut up, I’m trying here. You don’t need a pep talk anyway! You do amazing every show, I’m just trying to be helpful.” She sighs and runs a hand through her hair, “Warm up vocals?” she offers.

Luke chuckles and comes to stand beside her, “Just you being here to watch is helpful, we need our number one fans in the audience to hype us up.”

She rolls her eyes at him, “Well at least that I can do.” She agrees.

“There are a lot of people out there.” Julie chews her lower lip as she joins them after having a peek into the venue.

“You got this!” The girl cheers and the boys all let out a groan, “But really, you’ve played big shows before, you’ll be fine.”

Julie nods her head, “I know, just a little pre gig nerves I guess.”

Flynn places a hand on her shoulder and rubs it lightly, “Get it together girl, you’re on in five.” She says and Julie pulls a face as Flynn gives her a single pat on the back.

“Hug it out?” Julie asks, Flynns arm flies around her shoulders and Y/N does the same to Flynn.

The girl lets out a shiver at a sudden coldness, Luke’s arm appearing in front of her face out of nowhere.

“I keep forgetting about that.” He chuckles looking a little sheepish at the fact his arm had just passed through her head.

She blushes slightly and looks back to the girls as Luke hovers his arm over her shoulders in a mock group up, Alex doing the same to Julie.

“Legends on three?” Luke starts the countdown and they all cheer Legends together before breaking up the hug.

“Break a leg guys!” She cheers as Flynn pulls her out into the venue and through the crowd.

———

The gig was amazing as always despite Luke’s worries and little hiccup the day before. After his little break he was back to his usual brilliant self and absolutely rocked the gig. They all met up backstage after the show, everyone talking excitedly over each other and jumping about.

“You guys never fail to amaze me!” She grins as she approaches the guys who were all patting each other’s backs and shoving each other around.

They stopped as they noticed her, all sharing the same wide smile as her, “Thanks! I think we get better every time.” Luke comments.

“You’re definitely going to be going places.” She agrees, bouncing on her heels as she stands between the boys.

“Speaking of going places.” Reggie taps Alex’s chest and nods towards the rest of their friends.

A woman looking very out of place at a rock gig had stepped up to Julie, the group was too far away for her and the boys to overhear anything but by the grin on Flynn’s face and the look of shock on Julies she imagined it was good news.

The woman finishes her speech, handing a card to Julie and shooting her one last smile before she turns around and walks back into the main venue. Julie and Flynn squeal and jump up and down before rushing over to you and the guys.

“That was a talent scout from a recording studio!” Julie squeaks out waving the card around, “She wants us to give her a call to discuss recording some stuff!”

“No way!” Luke beams, grabbing onto the bassist beside him in excitement.

“That’s amazing! I’m so excited for you guys!” She pulls Julie into a tight hug, bouncing excitedly with the girl before spinning back around to the guys.

She leans forward, ready to pull Luke into a hug just as tight but her arm slides straight through him and she quickly steps back with a nervous laugh.

“Sorry!” She chuckles.

Luke shrugs, “It’s cool, I’ll hug Reggie and pretend it’s you.” He laughs pulling the boy into a side hug.

The girl laughs, scolding herself on the inside for constantly forgetting she can’t touch any of them.

———

The next night Julie plans a movie night at her house, setting the garage up with the help of Y/N and Flynn for a movie marathon and sleepover. They throw pillows and blankets across the couch and floor, setting up a projector and screen to play the movie on.

The girl loves movie nights at Julies because she loves seeing the guys reaction to the movies they pick. They are always amazed by the quality and the CGI compared to when they were watching movies.

Tonight the girls had picked a selection for them to choose from including fast and furious, zombieland and the princess diaries. A nice mix for the boys to argue over while the girls watched in amusement, already digging into the snacks they had brought along with them.

The boys finally settle on zombieland, getting comfy on the pillows and blankets while Julie begins the movie. Luke plops down next to her, shooting her a smile as she fills her mouth with popcorn.

“How’s it taste?” He asks.

“Uh...Like popcorn?” She offers with a laugh, “Sweet, I guess.”

Luke nods, staring at the food in her lap for a second longer before turning back to the screen to watch the movie.

About halfway through Luke begins to get fidgety as usual, moving around on the couch and letting out dramatic sighs as he tries to get comfy. He lifts his leg up, throwing it over Y/N’s and sinking straight through them. Both of them looking at her legs which his had just disappeared into.

“That’s just weird.” Luke comments before she lets out a shiver.

“Please remove your leg from inside mine.” She begs, letting out a sigh of relief when he moves it again, “I will never get used to that feeling.”

“What’s it feel like?” He asks, a look of amusement plastered on his face.

“You remember when we watched the third Harry Potter? And the dementors came and everyone said everything went cold like they’d never be happy again?” She asks and Luke nods, “Like that.”

“So...You’re comparing me to a soul sucking dementor?” he frowns.

She lets out a laugh, digging her hand into her popcorn bowl, “That’s exactly what I’m comparing you too.”

------

The next morning the girls are sitting around the island in Julie’s kitchen, chatting about the night before as they tuck into their bowls of cereal. They’re deep in conversation about who would survive if there was a zombie apocalypse when the boys walk through the wall and into the kitchen, grins plastered on their faces like there always was when they did that.

“You know how to use doors now guys, can’t you do that? It kind of creeps me out.” Julie shoots them a glare before shoving her spoon into her mouth.

“That creeps you out? Not the fact that there’s three ghosts living in your garage who you’re in a band with, but the fact that they can walk through walls? Like most ghosts can?” Flynn raises her brows.

“Like most ghosts can?” Reggie asks, coming to lean on the counter beside her, “You mean you know ghosts that can’t do that?” he looks over at his friends in shock but the girls just laugh at him.

“That’s not what she meant Reggie.” Julie smiles at him and stacks the bowls together, moving to place them in the sink.

Y/N gets up from her stool, walking over to the cupboards and pulling one open to retrieve a glass. She sighs when she notices they’re on the top shelf again, “Julie I thought you told your dad to stop putting everything so high up.” She huffs.

“I did!” Julie defends herself, “It’s not my fault he forgets.”

“I’ll help!” Luke jumps behind her and makes a grab for her waist to hoist her up but as usual his hands sink straight through her.

“Wow, great help there Luke, now I’m thirsty and cold.” She laughs, looking over her shoulder at the boy behind her.

“Sorry.” He bites his lower lip.

“Seriously, when are you two going to remember that you can’t touch each other?” Alex asks as he watches the scene, “I’m sure you do this at least twice a day.” He adds and Reggie nods in agreement.

“It’s new okay!” Luke complains, “I’m a touchy person this is hard for me.” he pouts.

She lifts her hand to pat him on the back but clenches it into a fist before she even tries, scrunching up her nose as she looks at him, “We’ll remember one day.” she laughs.

------

Y/N sits cross legged on her bed, a blanket wrapped around her shoulders as she tries her best to focus on the textbook in front of her, which was hard to do with her eyes full of water. She rubs at her face with the back of her hand, brushing the tears away as she reads the same sentence for a fifth time.

“Hey Y/N!” Luke pops up at the end of her bed making her jump in surprise, “Sorry.”

“Luke!” She shouts in annoyance, “How many times do I have to tell you not to do that? And not to come into my room without asking! Get out!”

“Hey, I just wanted to-” she cuts him off by jumping up from the bed.

“Just get out!” She shouts pointing at her door.

Luke looks shocked for a moment, she had never shouted at him before, then he slowly makes his way towards the door, “Sorry.” He mumbles on his way past.

He reaches the door, looking back over to her with a soft expression, “Are you crying?” He asks, hand hovering over the door handle.

“Luke just get out.” She repeats, turning away from him and crawling back onto her bed.

“Look, I’m sorry for just appearing, I know you asked me not to do that. But I’m not leaving if you’re upset, no matter how much I hate crying girls.” He laughs softly, frowning when she doesn’t return it. “What’s wrong?”

She rubs at her eyes again, balling the blanket into her fists, “I’ve just had a really bad day, okay? Nothing you can do about it.”

She feels her bed dip as he sits beside her, his fingers settling on top of her knee as she turns to meet his gaze, “I can try and help you forget about it.” He offers, “I don’t like seeing you upset.”

She turns away, ready to tell him she’s fine and he can just go, but her eyes lock onto his hand on her knee, “Luke. You’re touching me.”

He quickly lifts his hand away, “Sorry I...Wait, I was touching you?” He asks, a grin appearing on his face as he looks from her knee back to her, “For real? You could feel it?”

She wipes the last of her tears away, a genuine smile appearing on her face as she nods, “Yeah.”

“Can I try that again?” He asks and she nods her head.

He inches his hand forward, fingers stroking across her knee lightly before he rests his hand on top of it, his smile widening as it made solid contact. He wastes no time in tackling her into a hug, throwing them both down onto her bed as he squeezes her against him, giggles erupting from her as he does.

“Luke! Oh my god.” She laughs as he rolls around on top of her, “You’re squishing me!”

“I’ve waited so long to be able to hug you! I’m never letting go!” He buries his face into her neck as he speaks.

“Well if you don’t ease up a little you’ll be able to hug me whenever you want because I’ll be dead like you.” She comments and he finally peeks his head up and loosens his grip.

“Better?” He asks and she nods, “Can we just stay like this for a while?” Luke asks, overwhelmed with the fact that he was touching someone other than Alex and Reggie.

She nods again, “We can stay like this as long as you want.” She smiles.

Luke grins, burying his face back into her and holding her tight against his chest, determined not to let go until he was no longer able to hold her like this.

@lovesanimals @makebank @chrlsgillespie @crybabyddl @marinettepotterandplagg @caitsymichelle13 @kcd15 @kinda-really-lost @alexpjoyner @meangirlsx

#luke patterson x reader #luke patterson fic #luke patterson imagine #jatp fic #my writing

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davidmann95 · 3 years

Note

Fandoms news?

Anonymous asked: Fandome news?

Black Adam: lol

Flash Season 8: YEAH BABY. Haven't watched this show in years and don't imagine I'll be returning now but this is nice.

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom: Wait, ep. 1's already dropped? This looks amazing.

Milestone: That program sounds good, and hell yes Brandon Thomas get that $$$

Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League: Still no gameplay after all these years since their last thing, incredible. And I guess it makes sense the costumes would be that dumb coming from the Arkham Knight people, but jeez.

Peacemaker: This should be fun!

Superman stuff: Would have taken seeing a presumably new costume over a house tour, personally. And why do the stairs lead nowhere, why wouldn't you just build a house? The Supergirl farewell was sweet and I'd never heard the J'onn actor's real voice before, the My Adventures glimpse as miniscule as it was still got me even more excited, and the Smallville reunion was nice even if it pretty much shut down the prospect of an animated revival. As for the new motto, sure, fine, I won't complain if this sticks but also they keep flip-flopping and tinkering with this so I dunno that I really expect any permanence.

Doom Patrol: I'm the moron who's still only seen most of the first season - I'm not built for binging! - but overjoyed to hear it's continuing and that therefore I have more time to catch up.

The Flash: ...was that motherfucker wearing a choker as some kind of pun about how everyone associates him with choking a lady. Anyway this looks fine I guess, curious about the two Millers and the new suit is of course inevitably an improvement even if the helmet fits badly, but Jesus.

Injustice: I swear to god this took up 25% of the show

Blue Beetle/Batgirl: Curious about both of these

Monkey Prince: Hell yes, very glad to hear this is in fact panning out.

Batwoman: I watched the first 3 episodes of the show and even if it's improved in every other aspect I had to quit for my own health, every second Alice is onscreen I can feel my brain getting smoother, possibly the actual worst baddie in superhero mass-media

Catwoman: Hunted and other animated things next year: I suspect the actual story is gonna be kinda trash but visually this looks like a ton of fun. Dreading what a DTV CGI DC movie looks like.

Titans: Hilarious. I'm guessing they adapt the friggin' Tom King run next without Bruce ever suiting up, and in the background they'll do Judas Contract or some shit.

Batman: Caped Crusader: Oh no this sounds kind of awful now. It really is modern Bruce Timm running the show with nobody telling him no, and that's real bad everybody, that's real, real bad. I initially thought this would be the prestige thing while My Adventures was the all-ages but still thought of internally as kiddie show, and I guess that's still probably true in a sense, but now I'm really thinking these two might turn out to be a "All-Star Superman was announced as a footnote to All-Star Batman & Robin" situation. Also it's funny they have to call this GRITTY, HARDCORE show Caped Crusader because they ran out of other nicknames.

Young Justice: Phantoms: fuck you

Naomi: Of course they weaseled out of using Hoechlin or Routh; shame the leak about Superman being a fictional character in that world and her meeting him being her door to the multiverse was fake.

Shazam! Fury of the Gods: Fully expect this to be great but wanted to smack Zachary Levi across the mouth when he declared the costumes 'upgraded'. I don't care how much they're paying you dude.

Wonder Woman stuff: I guess we've got one more Jenkins/Gadot movie to (judging by the last one) endure, and Trial of the Amazons I guess would be tentatively neat if there was any creative team announced.

Pennyworth: hahaha what

The Batman: Oh I love this freak. Great across the board - it defamiliarizes Batman successfully, it looks slick as hell, and it balances the tone of utterly brutal and horrifying with Riddler leaving behind his logo in his coffee. My only complaints are:

* Sound mixing was a little rough with a couple lines.

* Not wild about Batman being to effortlessly tank infinite machinegun fire now.

* The unseen prisoner is clearly Riddler but a friend noted it kinda sounded like Kevin Conroy so if I was obsessed with Hurt turning out to be the big villain of this trilogy BEFORE

All in all, a couple obvious exceptions aside this was a huge letdown: tons of "Excited to get a glimpse of ______? Well, we'll have something to show you...someday!", bland retrospectives, and the smallest of announcements. This didn't even feel like a quantity over quality thing, just a shrug capped off by Batman.

#DC FanDome #Opinion

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canary3d-obsessed · 3 years

Text

Restless Rewatch: The Untamed Episode 13, second part

(Masterpost) (Other Canary Distractions)

Warning: Spoilers for All 50 Episodes!

This Fucking Turtle

The rock that Wei Wuxian and Wen Chao are standing on starts to move, because of course it does. It’s a tortoise shell, sort of. There are some problems with this ostensible tortoise.

First, Murder Turtle a tortoise is technically a turtle don't @ me doesn't look anything like a turtle. I try really hard not to project my western mythologies onto Chinese works, but god dang this thing looks like the Loch Ness monster.

Second, its shell wobbles a bit, but there's no indication that the creature can move around the cave until much later. During an extended fight with several tasty cultivators, it stays put and just moves its head around.

The immobility problem aside, it's not a terrible monster. After the hell dog, I'm relieved to have a normal CGI beastie where some things are done really pretty well. Its eyes and skin are particularly good.

What's not good are the teeth. When Murder Turtle closes its mouth, its long pointy upper teeth have nowhere to go, so they pierce its lower jaw and just sink in there. No wonder it's pissed off.

Its relationship with its shell is...well, let's save that for the next episode.

Irons in the Fire

Meanwhile, Wang Lingjiao (Wen Chao's girlfriend) decides she's in the mood for barbequed MianMian, so she grabs a hot iron to burn her face.

Wei Wuxian to the rescue! He shoots three arrows at once and hits all three of his targets, in a move that he'll repeat with even more arrows at a later date.

Wang Lingjiao decides to throw the iron at MianMian, who decides not to duck, while Wei Wuxian leaps into the path of the iron and gets deeply burned on the chest through his clothing. This is absolutely definitely how time, things flying through the air, and branding irons work.

(more after the cut)

Jiang Cheng and Wen Zhuliu start fighting again. These two can't quit each other, almost like they have a date with destiny in their future. Jiang Cheng shows off his purple bloomers while he and Wen Zhuliu try to outspin each other.

Camera operator: Why you gotta take it out on me?

Wen It’s Time To Say Goodbye

The Wens decide to dip, heading up the rock face and cutting the ropes behind them, which would be super inconvenient if several of the cultivators didn't know how to literally fly.

But they also put a bunch of rocks in the hole, while Wen Qing begs them not to do it.

Down at the bottom of the cave, everyone sits and chats, while Murder Turtle wishes it had legs so it could chase them. Oh wait, it does have legs, it just isn't ready to get out of the bath yet

Call the Waaambulance

MianMian is crying over all the nonsense the writers have put her through in this episode, and Wei Wuxian tries to cheer her up by talking to her like she's a toddler. On the plus side, he'll be a great dad for a toddler one day.

Jin Zixuan: I'm used to women crying around me, is that not typical?

Lan Wangji has got no time for cheering up crying girls, and starts heading back to the turtle bath, because he has figured out how they can escape.

He and Wei Wuxian show off their mind reading abilities, where Lan Wangji explains absolutely nothing and Wei Wuxian perfectly understands him. See also: “Fortunately.”

Rather than try to swim for it, the other cultivators want to hang around and wait to be rescued, or just generally feel like staying put and whining.

Wei Wuxian takes charge through sheer force of personality, and makes Jiang Cheng go find the way out while he himself distracts Murder Turtle with fire.

Wei Wuxian can make talismans without 1. ink 2. a brush or 3. paper. He just needs his flesh and his unusually sharp incisors. He's so far ahead of everyone around him; how is a dude this talented ever going to be anyone's right hand man? He’s already on track to creating a new talisman-based school of cultivation, even if he never gets around to the whole necromancy thing.

Swimming in the Pool, Swimming is Cool

The main group of cultivators go swimming while Wei Wuxian lights fires to keep the tortoise's attention. For some reason he just stands there when it's about to eat him...maybe he's mesmerized? Lan Wangji flings him out of harm’s way and gets his already-busted leg chomped on.

Wei Wuxian pulls Lan Wangji to safety and tells the other cultivators to get going. Jiang Cheng doesn't want to, but Jin Zixuan convinces him.

For fans of homoerotic screen caps, this episode is a gold mine.

Murder turtle suddenly remembers he has legs, but Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji instantly find a room he can’t fit into, so they’re okay for the night.

Owie Owie Owie

Now we have an extended hurt/comfort session with our wounded heroes. Lan Wangji is bleeding, so Wei Wuxian...puts a splint made of sticks directly onto his unbandaged lacerations, and ties it with his pristine headband, which will remain pristine. Then he puts medicine on the lacerations.

This seems like a situation where the script said "broken leg" and the makeup department said "MOAR BLOOD" and nobody changed the direction to the actors. In any case, the sticks seem to help and bandages are not mentioned.

What is mentioned, of course, is the dreaded stale blood, which plagues many a c-drama hero, and has to be driven out through strong emotion. This is totally how the human circulatory system works. To be fair, there is probably a perfectly reasonable underlying concept in Chinese medicine that has been exaggerated for dramatic effect, so that every possible ailment or injury results in vomiting blood, sometimes sexily.

Wei Wuxian clears up the blood problem super quickly by offering to show Lan Wangji his dick, not to put too fine a point on it. Alas, he retracts the offer once the crisis has passed.

Once they settle down, Lan Wangji takes the opportunity to put some medicine on Wei Wuxian's burned tit, and to chide him for letting himself get injured. It's like he doesn't even know him.

Wei Wuxian: I had no choice, because I am psychologically driven to sacrifice myself for other people at every opportunity. Get used to it, cupcake.

Wei Wuxian points out that MianMian is pretty and that it would be bad for her to have a mark on her face. Lan Wangji points out, not quite in so many words, that Wei Wuxian is pretty and now HE has a permanent mark. Before Lan Wangji ever got to see his bare chest, too.

Wei Wuxian says it's cool for men to have marks on their bodies. Preferably hickeys and rope burns, but scars are okay too.

Lan Wangji: you're going to love my future body mods, then.

Then Wei Wuxian waxes poetic about having a pretty girl remember your heroism, and Lan Wangji gets jealous and cranky. Wei Wuxian misinterprets this, but not unreasonably, considering that Lan Wangji was putting his own body between MianMian and harm not all that long ago.

After some extended eye fucking followed by laughing and saying "no homo" for the censors, the conversation moves to a more serious place.

Wei Wuxian engages in a little WangXian meta analysis, noting that Lan Wangji can tease him now, and is talking to him slightly more. Falling for a high-spirited, popular extrovert has been hard on Lan Wangji, but Wei Wuxian is also struggling with falling for a nearly-silent, crushingly-shy introvert. Wei Wuxian really does find Lan Wangji boring on one level, at the same time as finding him utterly compelling on other levels.

Wei Wuxian starts to say something about the Lans and stops himself with this charming gesture. I've seen it here and there in c-dramas and I assume it's a thing in China. It's a perfect way for a hyperactive talker to say "I'm shutting up now" without using even more words to say it.

Lan Wangji finally, FINALLY tells Wei Wuxian - briefly - what happened to his home. Wei Wuxian, in one of those moments of empathy that they have more and more often as time goes on, asks about his loved ones, and forgoes any other questions.

Lan Wangji tells him that Lan Qiren is seriously injured and Lan Xichen is missing. Wei Wuxian is extremely concerned about one of these people.

When Lan Wangji falls asleep at 9pm on the button, Wei Wuxian tenderly covers him in his own robe, offering physical comfort in place of the emotional comfort Lan Wangji won’t let anybody give him.

Then Wei Wuxian gazes at him like a lovestruck dope, before settling down beside him for the night.

Soundtrack: Peter Gabriel, I Go Swimming

#fytheuntamed #the untamed #wangxian #wei wuxian #lan wangji #the untamed gifs #the untamed meta #restless rewatch the untamed #canary3d-original #my gifs #the untamed spoilers

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flwrbo · 3 years

Text

We’ll Always Have Paris (part 2)

Chapter Synopsis: The old Seijoh group hangs out but Iwa still can’t get you out of his mind.

cw : Drug Use, Alcohol

part 1

The gym is colder than usual today. Iwa runs a hand over his arm, pushing the goosebumps down. Two women drinking water in the corner giggle and fawn over the man as he works his way to his spot in the back. “Hi, ladies,” He waves and sends a flirtatious smile. No, he didn’t like them. Yes, he found them amusing. He feels his phone buzzing in his pocket and sees a text message from you telling him to “have a good day at work!! :D”

After lunch a week ago, the two of you immediately hit it off and numbers were pretty quickly exchanged. The two of you have a lot in common, like enjoying coffee from small bakeries and being film enjoyers. Though, you did give him hell when you found out his favorite movie was Godzilla. Yes - the 1998 version. He rambled about how the movie was innovative for its time, and something about CGI but hardly any of it was retained in your mind because of how ridiculous it was. All you could do was laugh as his ears got hot from embarrassment.

He sets up for his client that was coming in five minutes and thinks about how he can ask you to hang out soon. Was he rushing it? No, right? You guys text constantly and even FaceTimed for thirty minutes while you showed off your movie collection. Maybe he should wait.

His client walks up and settles into her stretches before he gets the day started. He walks towards her and instructs, “Get on your back for me,” He can hear more giggles from the two women from earlier as he helps stretch her out. Even though the day was going pretty easy, he knows time would inevitably drag on with every hour he can’t text you. Oh, well.

He finally clocks out and makes his way home after three sessions with clients. The heat was almost killing him, and it was even worse in his black leather seats. While he waits for his car to cool down, he checks his phone for messages from you.

No New Notifications

Great.

He saw he had one from Makki asking him to pick up some pizza and he sighs before setting his phone down and driving home. The drive isn’t so bad when the car cools, but all he can think of is the shower he takes once he’s back to his apartment. Iwa turns on the faucet and texts you while he waits for the water to heat up.

“No complaints here.” Lie. “How are you? (:”

The glass is steamy when he finally walks out. Ruffling his hair dry with his towel, he checks his phone. No message. He sighs and gets dressed before heading to a pizza place nearby.

As he’s walking up the stairs to Makki’s and Mattsun’s apartment he can already hear the loud chatter and smell the smoke in the air; briefly he marvels at how they all bring each other back to the locker room energy they had when they were seventeen again. He chuckles and pushes the door open, garnering “Whoop Whoop!”s amongst other cheerful sounds as the group sees their friend with two large pizza boxes in his hand.

Issei and Hanamaki never really cared too much for interior design and that was very much clear as Iwa made his way towards the kitchen. It was a cute little place with a living room and a kitchen and a hallway with room doors all along both walls. Little figurines littered the living room, along with some beer bottles, an old band poster Issei wanted printed out, and a torn magazine with Oikawa’s face on it from his famous era back in Argentina. The pizza boxes are set on the table and are immediately ripped into.

Settling into the couch, Iwa is immediately passed a pipe which he accepts gracefully while another round of beer is passed. There’s some soccer game that no one is paying attention to in the background as they all talk excitedly amongst themselves. It feels good to be back with everyone, Iwa decided, especially when he takes his third hit of Kunimi’s very kindly offered weed. He passes back to Kunimi and opens a bottle for himself before laying back on the couch. Issei comes in with a slice of pizza and Iwa immediately stands to greet him. “Hey! Long time, no see,” They tap fists and both sit beside one another on the couch.

“We missed you at lunch last week,” Iwa says, bringing his bottle back up to his mouth.

“Had to work,” Issei shrugs before taking the pipe from Kunimi.

“Do you ever think you get, like, haunted?” Yahaba asks from the ground where he’s laying. Everyone stops and looks at him for a long second before they all start laughing. “Dude, what the fuck are you talking about?” Iwa’s shoulders jump up and down as he laughs. He can hear someone ask, “Who invited this dude?” and he giggles even more.

“You better not bring any demons around here,” Makki comes and joins the circle. “I’ll kick your fucking ass,”

“Yeah, right,” Kunimi rolls his eyes as he takes his pipe back. “The only thing Mattsun brings around here is a new girl every week,”

“Excuse me,” Issei cuts in. “I’ve slowed down in the last few months, alright?” He smirks behind his beer. In a weird way, he’s proud of it. Who cares? He’s attractive, he knows that, and he's twenty-five. His twenties don’t last forever and the coffins he sees every day remind him of that.

“Yeah, ever since you got tied down,” Kunimi snorts and crawls over to get a can of soda. Mattsun kicks him with his foot as he passes and tells him not to talk about his girl like that. “Yeah, yeah, my bad,” he grumbles as he rubs out the sore spot on his ass.

Makki reaches over to take a sip from Kunimi’s drink. “I think it’s kinda nice to see you as a relationship man,” The strawberry-haired man smiled. “Now I don’t have to keep remembering a bunch of new names every month,”

Iwaizumi lets out a small laugh at this, garnering the attention of Issei sitting next to him. “Enough about me and my sex life. What about you, Iwa?” Mattsun rests his arm behind Hajime and leans in slightly. “You must see the hottest women all the time,” he smirks.

“Those hot milfs with fat asses,” Yahaba fawns and holds his hand out in front of him as if he’s sizing a woman’s butt.

Iwa rolls his eyes. “I’m a professional. I don’t ogle the women’s bodies,”

Kunimi quirks an eyebrow. “What, are you gay?” Laughter booms around the room and Iwa yells at them all to shut up.

“Kunimi, you literally like men,” Yahaba leans up on his elbows to stare at his friend.

“Yeah but I still appreciate a woman’s hot bod if she’s in front of me,”

“Iwa, there’s not a single person you like? I mean you work with and around people all the time, there must be someone,” Makki says as he grabs his grinder from the table.

He suddenly feels his hand itching to reach for his phone to check for any new messages from you. “Well,” he taps the side of his beer absentmindedly. “I’ve been kinda alone mostly. I mean, I definitely get horny, not from my clients,” He cuts off Yahaba’s incoming interruption. “I just don’t really go around meeting people that often.” He takes a sip and contemplates telling them about you. What’s the harm? He hopes Makki doesn’t mind since he’s the one who introduced the two of you, and it’s hard to believe no one noticed him eye-fucking you across the table. “Well-” The door suddenly receives three knocks on the door, cutting him off.

“DoorDash delivery for Eye-Say Mattsun-Kee-Wa?” Kunimi opens the door and Oikawa stands there with a box in his hands. “It’s beer, you alcoholics,”

Just like the pizza, everyone clambers over to get refreshments while laughing and greeting Tooru. “Issei is a lightweight,” Makki muses and grabs two beers. “I can easily drink him under the table,”

Yahaba starts chanting for some sort of drinking competition, and Iwa just grabs another beer and sits back at the table. He pulls his phone out again to find a message from his mom, and some news article. Huffing, he pushes his phone back in his pocket and decides to reply later and not drunk text his parent. Somewhere behind him, two shot glasses are slammed on the table, so Iwa removes the cap off his drink before downing half and rejoining his friends.

By the time he hears from you, it’s already nightfall. He rubs the tiredness from his eyes and tries to not appear too happy to see your text. Kunimi and Issei are cleaning around the kitchen while Yahaba, Makki, and Oikawa all lay next to Iwa and watch some Rocky movie that’s slowly lulling them to sleep.

“hey!!”

…

Your typing bubble goes on for what feels like minutes until it stops. Iwa’s eyebrows furrow and his fingers hover over his keyboard before they pop back to life.

“i’m at work right now. it’s such a nice night, though, i’d hate to see it go to waste ):”

Iwa’s eyes light up and suddenly he doesn’t feel so tired anymore.

“I’m free tonight. I’d love to see you”

The bubbles appear again. This time, it only takes a second before your location is on his screen. Only a twelve-minute drive.

“Hey, guys, I’m gonna head out,”

The boys next to Iwa all stir and turn their heads to look at him. “You sure you’re good, bro?” Mattsun asks with a trash bag in his hand.

Iwa grabs his keys from the table and snags a bottle of water on the way out. “I could pass a sobriety test right now,” He pulls his shoes on. “Next get-together is at mine!” He says as he walks out of the apartment and tries to refrain from running down the apartment stairs to his car.

“On my way (:”

He sends before pulling up the directions to a café and driving away.

#<3.i.h #<3.fic #tw.drug use #tw.alcohol #iwaizumi x reader #haikyu x reader

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jalebi-weds-bluetooth · 3 years

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Ishqbaaz Liveblog, E1: Yeh Lo, Intro Waala Episode Aa Gaya

Nahi nahi, don't be afraid. I'll never leave IPK. I was just craving desi trash with our favorite tropes and classic scenes and @tellywoodtrash has convinced me that IB fits the bill rather spectacularly.

And since it's me - toh iska and things that could have been in IPK ka lamba segment toh hoga. And things that IPK did better.

In short it's this one clip of Omkara and Gauri that's been floating in my head, that's everything Khushi should've said to Arnav convinced me to watch this.

Beware, I'm very bhadda at liveblogging but please enjoy the ride.

Also - this is all for Gauri and TTji.

Love,

Episode 1 - Yeh Lo, Intro Waala Episode Aa Gaya

- Yo Ganpati, namaste.

- Full on K3G vibes with all the bros doing aarti.

- Aaah, Omkara ke baal. Totes need his shampoo.

- WTF, who's making himself a candle and doing live aarti to Ganpati - #ganpatinotimpressed.

- I already wanna kill the editor.

- Dadi/Nani (not sure) is cool. Okay she's Dadi.

- Dadi already giving romantic tips, I stan with Dadi. I love old people recounting prem kahanis. I don't get it, with Nani of IPK and Dadi of IB being so romantic, what happened with their grandsons?

- Aye haye, OG Ishqbaaz is Dadaji. DUDEEEE I'd legit watch a spinoff of badass Dadi and badass Dada in their 60s/70s! (Hate the echo effect, whyyyyy, Dadi is anyways doing mast acting, why do the effect).

- OK I LOVE DADI, SHE IS PRECIOUS AND I WANT A SPINOFF. SHE LOVES HER DEAD HUBBY SO MUCH. I'LL BE LIKE HER WHEN I'M OLD.

- Okay, despite having a great lovestory their oldest - Tej - seems off.

- YAY, he had bodyguards. But based on IPK experience the guards disappear post episode 1.

- Random chashma waala here, will he get slapped like Mool Rajani?

- Ok Tej dude is a film dialogue writer in his heart.

- Wait does Dadi have all crappy children.

- Shakti is weirddddd! Smart, but deceitful - I like his vibes, his dialogues and double standard. I like Shakti. OOOH BHAI BHAI RIVALRY. It's nice to see older characters have solid roles.

- KIS BAAT KO? KAUNSA BAAT BHOOL CHUKE? Aye haye, mystery vibes - yes. Back when everything was not released in promos and we had something to look forward to in the show.

- Arrey Dadi, none of your sons turned out happy?

- Ok, here's the comedy of the show - the bahus. THIS WOMAN IS MANORAMA'S COUSIN FOR SURE. I'm not happy they chose a dark skinned woman as a stereotype for comedy.

- Woah, we have an alcoholic here.

- How did these people end up with Om and Rudy? How did these two ka kids turn out ok?

- Double shut up and shut up? Lol.

- Wait so Dadi had great marriage but shit kids, yet her shit kids ended up having great kids? #sowhatdoesthatmean

- Hi Shivaay, ooh I like the music here.

- OOOH HI ANIKA! WITH LAAL DUPATTA! I like the softness in the music here. Surbhi is soooo young here! Wait they're already meeting?!

- SHIVAAY LOOKS NICE, HOPE HE DOESN'T OPEN HIS MOUTH AND SAY SOMETHING STUPID.

- OFC THEY ARE FATED.

- OFC THE sunglass nikaalna. Would he be a 4 lions hero if he didn't do that?

- Ugh, corruption in bhagvaangiri, FOLLOW THE LINE SHIVAAY!

- Anika, chill. Ah, VALID POINT! VALID POINT!

- Pandit ji, you totes not nice. You should prachaar equality and shit, not teach people about khandaan and stuff.

- Hah Anika, get that pandit ji! Yes woman you have your own identity.

- Hi Nakuul's blye eyes.

- AND THE GHOORING STARTS.

- I don't like the cgi mandir tho.

- SHIVAAY I WILL FREAKING SLAP YOU. HE BROKE ALL RECORDS. HE DIDN'T OPEN HIS MOUTH AND I WANT TO SLAP HIM? WTF? HE'S IN A MANDIR!

- GANESH JI, THROW A FLYING COCONUT AND-

- Le, meri jooti ke keemat bhi lele! Shivji, the dude you’re named after hates you too.

- Aah, Tej and all are behind making their kid the heir.

- Wait, comedy aunty ka beta is Shivaay? Yeh kaise hua?

- ANIKA CLASS LE ISKA! 4Lions has a different level of addiction to sunglass scenes.

- Oh I like the bg here!

- ARREY WHAT A SHOT! I TOLD YOU TO BREAK HIS HEAD AND YOU BROKE HIS CAR! ANIKA WE’RE TELEPATHICALLY CONNECTING RIGHT NOW!

*me and anika*

- I have to find this editor and ask why... why? Why this Matrix shot all of a sudden?

- Not a fan of the editing but what bg and what car breaking! Wah, I love this. DUDE TOTES DESERVES THIS!

- I’m anti violence but THIS IS PAYOFF!

- Why the wind tho? It’s not a Rabba Ve - I mean Jaana. So why the wind? Please for the love of God don’t play Oh Jaana, it was sweet as intro but they need time-- ok they started playing Oh Jaana.

- Don’t guys.... I loved this face off and the other music. Kyun?

- I will ship them, the show doesn’t need to make it obvious.

- EWW THE CGI OF PHONE BREAKING. I don’t like his aggression - bitwa needs help.

- OM IS HERE!!!! GUYS OM IS HEREEEEEEEEEEEE. CRORES? FOR BEING AN ARTIST? SIGN ME UP!

- OM IS CHASHMISH? Woah dude, you’re my weird alter ego with better hair. Also, I think you’d put the red lines later? But cool location. I already shipping you with Gauri <3

- Damn he’s handsome *cough cough* Long hair? Intellectual type? Focused? That’s my kryptonite.

- Dude is melancholic, with Kal Ho Na Ho in the bg. All ok boo? WOAH he’s TEJ’S SON???? No wonder dude’s got issues.

- Oh Dad Issues. Can’t call his dad dad... if my dad was Tej I’d... probs do the same.

- I can’t believe Shivaay is these two jokers ka beta.

- But I completely believe that Omkara is these two f-ck up’s son. Good job on casting and chemistry.

- OOOH, family rivalry. I like this. There’s shit lot to unpack.

- Poor Dadi.

- LOOOOL, RUDYYYY GONNA GET AN INTRO NOW!!!

- Aunty, question your own beta before other women.

- Hi Cutie! In our sweet line of NK, Joey <3 I feel older protective sis vibes towards this baby.

- Lol, Nani from IPK would get a heart attack seeing his dance on ‘Character Dheela!’

- Bhai bhakt, that’s good.

- Ah the middle generation of Oberois still having rivalry over heir shit.

- BROS PLEASE MAKE AN ENTRY TOGETHER. PROVE YOUR RUDE PARENTS WRONG.

- I PREDICTED THE FUTURE!

- I am Dadi right now.

- I’m preemptively getting mad at how they’re gonna ruin a show with a really good premise!

- The boys doing a total advertisement for themselves. Yeh lo, Tinder bios.

“I know you were trouble when you walked in,” Omkara Oberoi. Daddy Issues. Extremely intellectual. Hot. Has Brains. Even tempered. If Akash was expanded as a character with issues.

“I JUST MET YOU, THIS IS CRAZY, HERE’S MY NUMBER, CALL ME BABY” Rudy. Bhaiyas took all the brains so here are the brawns. This is NK in another universe.

“Who the fuck made my Tinder?” *crashes phone* Arnav who prays, with more issues, I didn’t think this was possible.

- The End -

Phew I enjoyed this - see me tomorrow with Episode 2!

#ib #ishqbaaz #jalebi watches something else #ishqbaaz liveblog #liveblog #tellywoodtrash made me do this #tere liye ttji

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andoqin · 3 years

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LaR rewatch Eps 10 - idk I’m losing track

Well since I start a new job in 2 weeks i’m just rushing through this drama while i still have free time so MORE POSTS HERE WE COME. So Sifeng and Xuanji make their way to find the others once Sifeng is feeling better and after like 5 minutes this happens.

Thankfully the drama wastes about 0 time giving me the things I truly want and idk if it’s strangling kink or just rope kink of the show makers, but like Xuanji it is really working for me, but unlike Xuanji I don’t go apeshit when someone strangles Sifeng who is not me :D. I mean I guess the intention is to make it seem like Xuanji is angry at someone harming Sifeng, but honestly that’s not what I got out of this scene.

Also the CGI continues to be hilarious but honestly I’m getting used to it again and the soundtrack is usually appropriate pop-rocky enough that it always *feels* epic when this happens and Xuanji really lets loose.

And because this drama has a checklist of Andoqin’s Favourite Tropes and is clearly going down them one by one, we get fucking “Chained Together (So Sifeng Can’t Run from His Feelings)” and it is GLORIOUS. Nothing can cut through the rope, and although Sifeng’s spirit animal suggests just hacking Xuanji’s hand off (which, props for at least acknowledging that’s a possibility lmao) Sifeng shuts that down because he’d rather hack his own hands off first bc letting any harm come to Xuanji intentionally.

Here you have Sifeng in the midst of intense jealousy because Xuanji is enumerating all the things she ”likes” about 6th brother and Sifeng literally can’t get away and it is incredibly good for me. Oh Sifeng, if you only knew this was the least of your suffering down the line.

This is here because this drama is OBSESSED with getting Sifeng to bare his shoulders or his tits because he is wounded. I can’t believe his shoulders aren’t scarred af, but maybe those sects have mega healing salves.

Xuanji accidentally makes the magical rope shrink and fucking Kabedons Sifeng who is freaking out on the inside.

Then she hits his injured shoulder, once again stripping him half naked to look at his wound (I have *no* idea what she can see from that up close, but I’m not a doctor, so who am I to say really, continue on Dr. Xuanji) and gently blowing on it, causing Sifeng to freak out *harder* and literally pose like a scandalised Victorian Maiden. I know I keep saying it, but I mean look at that, what else am I supposed to call it??

Anyway shenanigans happen and good Lord did we need that kind of close up? ... Yes yes we did, continue on director, you’re doing the lord’s work. Why Xuanji has to feed him water mouth to mouth idk but I’m not complaining.

I had to cap this because it’s fucking hilarious and true, yes, you’re in deep trouble Sifeng and it’s too late to get out. During the shenanigans they meet Liu-ge again (and his daughter to whom I never really warm up to). YAY Liu-ge. He is the best!!!

Liu-ge trying his *best* to be a good wing man to a still pouting Sifeng and just making some of the greatest faces in the show. AND THANK FUCK. THE STUPID LOVE QUADRANGLE GETS CLEARED UP. 6th brother clarifies he never had feelings for Xuanji whatsoever and Xuanji realises that what she liked about 6th brother was that he brought her delicious food. Which was technically prepared by their sect’s cook, so really she should be fancying that guy. The air is cleared and things seem on the upswing!!

Haha.

Sifeng putting out the thesis statement of this show (and so many others, but man it bears repeating). And so instead of denying herself Xuanji decides she does want to continue on retrieving her 6 senses and regains her sense of smell!

She spends about 5 seconds sniffing flowers and then switches over to much more worthy pursuits! I can’t blame her.

Okay one more little tidbit and then I’m going to end this post: Sifeng LITERALLY LEARNS COOKING OVERNIGHT FOR XUANJI. His simp powers are too strong, he is the ideal househusband, Xuanji what the hell are you even waiting for.

Hahahaha jesus Sifeng. This could honestly read as creepy, but with everything that is happening plus the knowledge of what will happen, I’m just gonna bask in this momentary happiness.

Because the next post will have some more happiness but doom is on the fucking horizon and Linglong in particular is about to have a really bad time :/.

#love and redemption #lar rewatch #where can I find a person who will learn cooking overnight just for me??#Is there a Tinder for that?#cdrama

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katehuntington · 4 years

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Title: Ride With Me (part fifteen) Fandom: Supernatural Timeline: 2008 Pairing: Dean x Reader Word count: ±5200 words Summary series: Y/N is a talented horse rider who is on her way to become a professional. In order to convince her father that she deserves the loan needed to start her own farm, she goes to Arizona for six months, to intern at a ranch owned by Bobby and Ellen Singer. Her future is set out, but then she meets a handsome horseman, who goes by the name of Dean Winchester. A heartwarming series about a cowboy who falls for the girl, letting go of the past and the importance of family. Summary part fifteen: The sun rises and it’s time to bring the herd home, but not before Dean reconnects with an old friend. Warnings series: NSFW, 18+ only! Fluff, angst, eventually smut. Swearing, smoking, alcohol intoxication, alcohol abuse. Mutual pining, heartbreak. Crying, nightmares, childhood trauma. Description of animal abuse, domestic violence, mentions of addiction. Financial problems, stress, mental breakdown. Description of blood and injury, hospital scenes, character death, grief. Music: Dean & Rocko scene: ‘Road To Perdition’ - The City Of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra. Final scene: ‘Ride’ - Hans Zimmer. Check out ‘Kate Huntington’s Ride With Me playlist’ on Spotify! Author’s note: It’s about damn time, ain’t it? Thank you @kittenofdoomage, @girl-with-a-fandom-fettish and @winchest09 for helping me. You girls are awesome betas and friends.

Ride With Me Masterlist

Slow hoofbeats, little rocks and earth crunching underneath the thousand pound animal. Surprisingly light on its feet, never disturbing the quiet, as it scours the land for the last grass of the season. Calm breaths, taking in over a gallon of oxygen with each inhalation, followed by a soft purring sound when the air is pushed out through the nose. The cold of the night lingers and the air condensates. The first glint of the sun catches the moist clouds coming from its nostrils, turning the fierce creature into a dragon. Kind eyes, calm when it’s safe, but scanning the environment nevertheless, always on the lookout for predators. Pointy ears, flitting back and forth independently, picking up even the smallest whisper, like two little space antennas scanning the sky.

Dean watches the herd from a distance, with Y/N still sound asleep in his arms. He can tell she’s exhausted, because she didn’t stir once in the past three hours. The cowboy made sure she was fully covered with the unzipped sleeping bag, holding her close to keep her warm. She seems so comfortable, so trusting; it humbles him. Apparently she’s completely at ease being so close, her self-consciousness burned away by his never ending adoration. Of course he noticed the hesitation when they all went for a swim yesterday evening. She wanted to disappear, covering herself with her arms crossed in front of her chest, her expression shameful. And then there was the insecurity just hours ago, her mind clearly spiraling when he couldn’t give her the confirmation she so desperately seeks. Dean wonders what happened for her to lack confidence. If she has some douchebag ex-boyfriend maybe, who didn’t treat her right.

Staying awake wasn’t any trouble overnight, because he had plenty to think about. He’s not the guy to analyse his every thought, he'd rather stuff it all down and ignore them all together. But spending several hours under the Yucca tree, in an embrace with the one person that has his mind reeling, left him no option. So many questions, so much doubt. He wishes he had more answers, he wishes he could have a glance into the future in order to tell if he’s on the right path. If he can make it work with her, if he can step up to become the man she’s looking for. If she will stay with him, even after the internship, because the thought of her leaving brings back an anxiety that he used to experience when his family threatened to fall apart, which is exactly what happened, eventually. He came to one conclusion, though; he’s not going to let her go.

His gaze remains absently fixed on the horses, who have moved a few hundred yards closer. The oldest stallion of the herd had spotted the wranglers about an hour ago, but after careful observation decided that they weren’t a threat. It’s a beautiful sight, beams peeking over the mountain range, framing the horses’ silhouettes with gold. Small bugs twirl in the air like fireflies, surrounding the large animals. Dean squints and tips his head forward when the rising sun becomes brighter. The warmth is welcome; he hasn’t moved an inch over the past hours, not wanting to wake Y/N, causing the cold to settle in his bones.

A new dawn means they’ve got work to do and Dean is left no choice but to wake the heavy sleeper. The arrival of morning does the job for him, however; even with her eyes closed, the light seeps through. It triggers her to turn into him and hide her face in the crook between his shoulder and his chest. Y/N grunts, disagreeing with the time, and Dean sniggers. He’s not much of a morning person either, but his intern takes the cake. “Mornin’, Yankee.” She opens one eye and looks up, meeting an amused yet adoring smile. “Morning…” Groggy, she rubs her face with the back of her hand. “Five more minutes?” “You’ll miss the view,” Dean says, nodding at the horizon.

His eyes reflect the scenery he’s beholding, the colors vibrant as the sun hits them just right, adding amber to the jade in his irises. It peaks her interest, and Y/N turns her head to face the new day. Only leaving a crack for the light to pass her long lashes, she takes in the mesmerizing scenery. On the edges of her vision, a darker shade of blue transitions into a lighter one, the tones changing from cold to warm as they enclose the sun. Cirrus clouds catch the first rays, curling across the sky like wisps of silk hair. From cobalt to pale turquoise, from apricot to saffron. The painter of this picture used every color on the spectrum. And smack in the middle, the sun rises. So bright, she seems to be aware that planets orbit around her. The Superstition Mountains stand proud and tall in the south, the peaks catching the early light, making the volcanic formations seem blood orange, as if lava is erupting from the earth once again.

The herd is only a couple of hundred yards away now, grazing calmly. They don’t seem to be aware of the humans sitting on the top of the hill, almost as if Y/N is in a cinema, watching a gigantic movie screen. It would explain the idyllic Wild West decor, because such magic can only be created with CGI in a Hollywood studio. But they are here. Y/N can smell the air, sweet and earthy. She can hear the wind rustling small bushes and blowing gently through the canyons. She can feel Dean, the warmth radiating from his large form that has enveloped her. “It’s breathtaking,” she says softly, leaning into him. He places a soft kiss on her hair, and she smiles, content. “Thanks for letting me sleep.” He shrugs it off. “You needed it. We’ve got a long day ahead of us.” Y/N sits up and rolls her neck to loosen her muscles. “It’s going to be intense, isn’t it?” she guesses, getting to her feet. “I’d call it adventurous and exciting,” Dean chuckles, stretching his back now that he can move freely again. “Just like the old spaghetti westerns, y’know? Well… without the gun slinging and bounty hunts. It’ll be awesome, trust me.”

Y/N sniggers, strolling around the Yucca tree to meet her horse. She finds it cute how the tough cowboy, who’s closing in on thirty, is beaming like a little kid. After ruffling Joplin’s mane, she takes a small case from one of the saddlebags, which holds her toothbrush and a small tube of toothpaste. She has found a new level of appreciation for these simple products of hygiene, given that she has been stripped from luxury and has to do with the absolute necessary. Especially since she’s not just kissing Dean in her dreams these days.

Looking forward to the day on his doorstep, Dean pulls his radio phone from the front saddlebag, turning it on and twisting the knob to find the channel. “Benny? Come in?” He lets go of the PTT button, the device beeping once when he does, then it’s quiet for a moment. Mirroring Y/N’s actions, he one handedly fishes out his toothbrush as well, but when his friend doesn’t respond, he pushes the talk button again. “You better get your lazy ass out of bed, Lafitte. Gotta bring the horses in.” Dean clips the radio to his belt. He has brushed his teeth, rinsed his mouth and cleaned his face by the time the farrier replies. “Good mornin’ to you too, Chief.” Dean grins at the slightly cynical tone of the Southerner. He pushes the button again, moving the speaker closer to his mouth. “We’re with the herd, on Black Top Mesa, close to Dutchman’s Trailhead. Ya’ll ready to move?” “Sure am, just cooking up some breakfast to go. Do you want some or did you already eat out?”

Y/N has never timed taking a sip of water worse, because it comes out through both her mouth and nose. Dean stares at her mortified before he snaps the walkie talkie to his mouth. “She can hear ya, you jackass!” he returns, his voice higher than he anticipated. “Oh, I bet she can.” The head wrangler shuts his eyes and cringes, turning away from Y/N to hide his red face. His free hand goes for his belt loop first, then rubs the back of his neck, before wiping the sweat on the denim of his jeans. Shit, this is embarrassing. “I - I - We… You know what? I don’t owe you an explanation,” he hisses into the radio phone. “I’m just saying, brother, if you haven’t yet, it��s gonna take us at least forty five minutes to get to ya, so--” “- Over and out, Benny!”

Quickly, he turns the device off, breathes out, and scoffs. That son of a bitch. Dean isn’t sure how he’s going to make Benny pay just yet, but he will taste his wrath. He carefully glances over his shoulder to check on Y/N, who he finds with her hand clasped over her mouth, trying her very best to contain her giggles. “You think that’s funny, huh?” he mutters, flustered. She laughs warm and hearty, wiping tears from her eyes as she approaches the cowboy. “You don’t need enemies with friends like him, that’s a given,” she chuckles.

He glances at her, his mouth pulling into a smile. She can spot a hint of relief, now that he knows she’s taking it well, but blood still warms his cheeks, making his freckles invisible. It amazes her every single time how all that confidence washes away once he loses direction. Benny was just teasing him, Dean must be aware of that. Besides, it’s not like the green eyed wrangler to take things easy, as he said so himself, so it’s not strange his Southern friend figured he covered at least a couple of bases overnight. She can feel a blush add color to her face as well, when the thought crosses her mind. Honestly, she too silently hoped he would have gone ‘down that road’.

“Well, unfortunately he assumed wrong,” she addresses boldly, taking the collar of his stockman coat gently between her thumb and index finger, reeling him in. “But he was right about them taking at least forty five minutes to get here.” Stunned eyes flick over her features, wondering if he’s imagining things or if she really just gained the confidence he’s lacking at this very moment. Once again she blows him off his feet with her newfound assertiveness, like she does every so often. Shit, she’s sexy when she takes the lead like that. “He sure was,” he returns, his hands now moving to her waist. “I know we agreed to take it easy,” she tilts her head slightly, folding her arms around his neck now. “So what should we do with all that time?”

Dean smirks at her from under his hat, shaking his head amused without breaking eye contact. What a tease. He couldn’t resist her to save his own life. Her radiance is brighter than the rising sun behind her. The pull he’s experiencing, the level of attraction, it’s so strong; he knows he’s going to have a tough time sticking to his boundaries. He has to, though, he has to do right by her. But that doesn’t mean they can’t have a little fun along the way. “I got a few ideas,” he implies. Before Y/N knows it, the strong wrangler lifts her up, pulling a squeal from within her, followed by a fit of giggles. He adjusts his grip when she folds her legs around his middle, smothering her sly grin with a sweet kiss. The low chuckle that escapes his throat sounds both gentle and gruff, adding to the wholesome sensation that fills her chest. By the Yucca tree, he lowers himself to the ground, still holding the cowgirl in his arms until she has found her balance and straddles his lap, a knee buried in the gravelly sand on either side of him. The intimate connection strengthens as they get lost in the moment, the laughs dying down, eyes falling shut.

Dean lets his fingers wander over the fabric of her clothes, tracing the lines of her neck, her spine, the curves of her hips. Feeling no pressure that this needs to lead somewhere right now calms him, because even though it’s proven to be difficult to keep their hands off each other, he knows she will give him the space he needs and, despite this little tease, she respects him more than he respects himself. He makes a little mental note when she whimpers, as he continues to leave a trail of kisses from the corner of her mouth, down her throat and her collarbone. Dean might not go down on the beautiful cowgirl today, but he will remember the little touches that make her sigh and squirm.

Their agreement to take it slow, combined with Benny’s remark, sparked something new. Since their first kiss, she has been willing, eager for more, but now that what she wants is just out of reach, she finds it difficult to control herself. He can tell in the way she touches him, the audible breaths that reach his hearing when their mouths aren’t sealed together, the longing in her eyes when she opens them for a brief second. Dean never thought he would say it, but taking their time might have an advantage he hadn’t considered before. Teasing him, tempting her… it’s an interesting way to pass the time. Making each other wait might feel like a torturous game right now, but when the moment does arrive for them to take things to the next level, it’s going to be something else. And just like that, the bachelor who didn’t waste a second to get around with so many women, doesn’t mind waiting for the one.

The two lay together for at least half an hour, making out like teenagers. Sweet touches, cute giggles, all smiles. If they could freeze time, they would. But when Dean glances north and notices the dust clouds coming from La Barge Canyon, they have to interrupt the intimacy; Benny and the others are on their way.

Five minutes later, Dean shrugs off his long coat, now that the sun has cast out the crisp of the night. He folds it up tightly and stuffs it into one of his saddlebags. Y/N has already mounted Joplin, at home in the Tucker trail saddle. The mare didn’t entirely awaken from her slumber apparently, because for once in her life, she stands still and doesn’t bounce around impatiently like a bronc in the holding box at the rodeo. Her rider has her wrists crossed on the horn, the reins casually between her fingers, as she stares at the herd ahead. “That’s the leader, isn’t it?” she says.

Dean turns his head, looking at the dark bay horse, who stands between them and his congeners. The animal stares back, ears perked forward, one of them flicking back to the herd every now and them. The stallion observes him carefully, he doesn’t seem entirely sure how to deal with the presence of humans. He’s alert, ready to bolt and take his herd to safety, yet at the same time curious. Understandable, because these youngsters spent most of their life living as feral horses, only seeing men when they were moved from the reservation to the large winter pastures closer to the ranch, and back to the mountains when spring was around the corner. “Yeah, seems like it,” Dean confirms, watching the beautiful creature. He returns his gaze to the task at hand, tying the sleeping bag behind Ted’s saddle, but then realization hits him. Wait a minute, is that…? The wrangler turns to face the interested horse again, who is looking at him from about two hundred yards away, like he seems to recognize the cowboy as well. Y/N glances from the wrangler to the horse and back. “Dean?”

But he doesn’t respond, slowly stepping away from Ted, narrowing his eyes to see better. The horse’s mane grew long, his forelock covering his face, the black hair growing all the way down to his nose, but a hint of a blaze still visible through the curtain. Dark brown eyes take Dean in as the stallion waits, so still that one could mistake him for a statue, save the wind playing with his tail. The low vegetation hides the white markings on his legs, so the wrangler can’t tell for sure. It can’t be. He couldn’t have grown that big, he wouldn’t be the alpha, he reminds himself. But besides the horse’s size and rank within the herd, there’s nothing that indicates the animal, isn’t him.

Dean moves his hand to his mouth, pressing the tabs of his thumb and index finger together, creating a circle, before he places them on his lips. He inhales and whistles sharply. The sheer, high-pitched sound moves across the land, reaching ears miles away. The ears the whistle was meant for, pick up the unique sound too and instantly the caution and doubt in the horse’s stance is gone. He neighs back, loud and strong, confirming Dean’s suspicion. “Well, I’ll be damned…” he breathes. “You two know each other?” Y/N wonders. Dean beams. “Yeah, we go way back.”

He leaves Ted and Y/N on top of the hill, carefully making his way down the slope without spooking the feral horse. But the stallion doesn’t feel threatened anymore, now that he recognizes Dean. He jogs up to him, taking a few more steps before he halts. Friendly eyes take in the wrangler, his nostrils flaring when Dean tentivally reaches, picking up his scent. As a content smile spreads across Dean’s face, he lets his fingertips brush the horse’s nose, soft as velvet. He takes another step, gliding the palm of his hand up his jaw now, to his cheek and then down his neck, following the flow of the horse’s dark hair. The short summer coat has already partly been replaced, now that the cold of winter will arrive in a month or so. Last time Dean saw him, he was barely two years old. A youngster, a boney juvenile, who was a tad small. Obviously the fellow needed more time. That’s why the wrangler gave his horse another year to grow. It worked out well, because look at him now. “Hey, bud,” Dean says softly, ruffling the horse’s mane. “You got big.”

From a distance, Y/N watches the reunion. She doesn’t know the whole story, but the connection between man and animal is unmistakably strong. They have a place in each other’s hearts and even though they have been apart for a while, that didn’t change. The leader of the herd, who one would expect to be dominant, accepts a human touch without hesitation. It’s an unusual response for a horse who has lived off the grid for years.

Warmth fills her chest, a smile on her lips, similar to the one Dean carries. It’s incredible to witness him around the animals that captivate them both. She has enjoyed his interactions many times before, watching him handle them on the ground, seeing him ride. Always kind, always respectful. He has a way with horses that is special. Her grandfather would have said he’s gifted. He also would have given her a thumbs up. Grandpa always offered wise words, often followed by silence, the quiet giving them even more strength. One of his sayings comes to mind: You can judge a man’s character by the way he treats his horses. Well then, if that’s a given, then Dean is definitely one of the kindest and most loving souls she has come across.

The wrangler rubs the stallion’s shoulder, before he slowly turns around. He tries to beckon the beautiful dark horse with a simple shoulder movement, using only body language to invite the large animal to follow him. After a moment of hesitation, during which the stallion glances at his herd and back at his human, he follows. No rope, no pressure, no constraint, but free will. It’s hard to miss the pleased expression on Dean’s face when he looks up at the cowgirl, who still watches from Joplin’s back. “I know country boys aren’t known for manners, but aren’t you going to introduce your friend?” she jokes.

The stallion stops at the bottom of the small hill, aware that as the leader of his group, he still has a task to fulfill. He stands tall, checking on the herd, the autumn breeze catching his tangled mane, folding his tail around his hind legs. He looks almost mythical. “His name is Rock N’ Roll.” Dean takes him in, proudly. “But he goes by Rock’o.” “Is he yours?” she asks, curiously. The wrangler nods. “I was there when he was born. He had a rough start in life. I bottle fed him the first couple of months.” Amazed, she smiles at him. “No wonder you two are close.” He returns her expression, taking a moment to absorb the image of both the woman who is conquering his heart, and his horse who already claimed it years ago. “It’s gonna be much easier to bring in the herd with him on our side,” Dean says, moving to Ted’s left side, after which he puts his foot in the stirrup and swings the other over the saddle. “We have to handle it delicately, but he trusts me.” “You think he will follow you?” Y/N assumes, keeping Joplin on the spot, who seems to have woken up from her nap, now that Dean mounted his horse as well. “No, but he will keep the herd together. It's a misconception that the stallion leads the group. They are usually in the rear, driving up stragglers,” Dean explains.

The head wrangler glances over his shoulder at the growing dust cloud, an indication that Benny and the rest of the crew are closing in. Within a minute, he spots the four riders and their pack horses coming over the hill. The mischievous grin on the Southerner’s face can be spotted from far away. “Had a nice mornin’ ride, Chief?” he nags under his breath, once he has joined the two riders. Dean shoots him a glare, his fiery green eyes demanding him to shut up without using actual words. Y/N heard the farrier, however, and no one is prepared for the comeback. “Oh, we didn’t have time. Forty-five minutes isn’t nearly enough for what I had in mind,” she counters casually.

Dean snorts, caught by surprise, while Benny cocks his head at the intern, staring at her bug-eyed. Y/N doesn’t give the the blue-eyed cowboy another second of her attention and leads her horse to Ted, her fingertips briefly touching Dean’s thigh as she passes him, before she rides down the hill, her head held high. Amused, the head wrangler waits for his friend to catch the wide grin on his face, which he does once Benny snaps out of his trance. He shakes his head sniggering, his laugh rumbling deep and low in his chest. “Brother, you are in way over your head,” he states. “She’s a pistol.” Dean admittingly raises his brow, nodding in agreement while watching her ride off. “She sure is.”

“Yah!” In full gallop Y/N speeds up along the left flank of the herd, directing the horses back to a compact group every time they fan out. Benny and Macy are leading, Dean tailing, while Brad and Jon cover the right side. The head wrangler wasn’t lying when he said that it was going to be exciting, because she feels like she’s living a Wild West fantasy.

Joplin has her ears in her neck as she sprints away, cutting off two stallions who fan out. Her rider doesn’t even have to give a signal, the feisty dark mare knows exactly what to do. Even though she is smaller than the others, she stands her ground and didn’t think twice when one of the juvenile stallions took an interest in her. With a squeal and a firm kick she made clear not to mess with her, her zero-tolerance attitude keeping them at a safe distance. Y/N had a hunch Joplin was good at the job, otherwise Dean wouldn’t have chosen the strong minded horse for his intern, but she didn’t expect her partner to be this fierce. Unflagging, focussed, and fast as a bullet. It’s an absolute thrill to work with her.

They pursued the herd into O’Grady Canyon, the higher cliffs on both sides helping the wranglers keep them together. They passed the rock formations of Tim’s Saddle and Dean and Y/N briefly exchanged a look and a smile as they crossed the small creek. Revisiting the place where they shared their first kiss only two days ago feels special, that night’s energy still in the air. So much has happened since, and yet their journey has only just begun.

After a quick drinking pause, they continued, before the herd could fall apart. Some of the animals are restless, while others follow a lot more calmly. Using horses instead of dirt bikes or even a helicopter is a lot less stressful for the feral animals, but being chased makes them nervous nonetheless. Rocko’s laid back attitude towards the humans keeps the panic in the herd contained to a minimum, though.

Thankfully, the weather is working in their favor for a change. A cool breeze is sweeping across the terrain and swishing through the canyons, keeping the temperature from rising to the heights it reached in the past couple of days. It’s a good thing the conditions are a lot more tolerable, because the riding is intense. The wind, together with the stampede, does kick up a lot of sand, engulfing the wranglers in clouds of earthy particles. Dean, being at the back of the herd, has pulled his neckerchief over his nose, keeping the dust from entering his lungs.

Halfway through the afternoon, the wranglers have managed to guide the group of horses safely down the slopes on the east banks of the Superstitions. A time consuming detour, but crossing the mountains without a herd is challenging enough, not to mention with over a dozen wild animals added to the clan. After descending the much smoother slopes for hours on end, the canyon functioning as a tunnel and relieving the pressure from the riders, the walls on either side fan out. Before them lays the valley, the small town of Gold Canyon in the far distance to the west, the sun edging towards it as the day begins to close in on the night.

“Yankee!” It’s Dean who gets her attention, his voice rising above the sound of the stampede. Y/N turns in the saddle while she continues to follow the movement of her horse with her hips. Behind her, three young stallions have wandered away from the group in a matter of seconds. Joplin hasn’t noticed them yet, fixed on holding the flank ahead, but when her rider moves her hand to the left, she rolls away like a fighter jet. The little dark mare needs no encouragement and is at full speed within five strides, shooting across the terrain at a speed of forty miles an hour. Y/N has bent over Joplin’s neck, staying low in order to increase the aerodynamics. The fast rhythmic sound of hoofbeats tremor the ground, the wind rushes in her ears and drags tears from the corners of her eyes. The two cut off the youngsters, redirecting them back to the herd like they have been doing this together for years. Y/N’s partner in crime pushes her ears back and snaps her teeth, not so kindly advising the horses to hurry it up or else, triggering her rider to grin at her feisty character. Once the three join the others, the cowgirl lets out a cheer, adrenaline coursing through her veins. Dean was absolutely right, this is just like a spaghetti western.

They ride along the promontory of the mountains to their right, roughly following the Lost Goldmine trail. By the time the company passes a volcanic remnant called Turk’s Head, the sky begins to change, adding orange to the blues. A glance at her old watch tells her it’s 5.10 PM. Three days ago she kept feeling her back pocket for her phone whenever she needed to know the time, or felt the urge to check her messages, but not having her Iphone with her turns out to be a blessing in disguise. Who would want to stare at a screen and miss all the good stuff?

Ted’s strides are long and consistent, not a trace of fatigue noticeable with the bay gelding. From behind the group, Dean should have a good overview, if it wasn’t for the dust clouds obstructing his vision. The small particles cling to his skin, his lashes, the fabric of his clothes. He can still see the boys holding their ground well on the right, the steep slopes running up into the peaks of the Flatiron assisting them, working as a funnel. Benny and Macy are keeping a good pace; if they continue at this speed, they will be home before dinner. Y/N is doing outstanding on the other flank, forming a dream team with eager little Joplin. Thankfully, Dean has eyes up ahead, because the radio on his belt begins to crack. “Two miles to go, Chief!” Dean takes the radio phone and presses the PTT button before he answers. “Let’s bring them home, brother.”

With his thumb he twists the channel nob, switching to number four, before he calls in again. They should be within the perimeter now. “Bobby, do you read me?” It’s quiet for a moment, but then the static breaks. “Loud and clear, son.” The head wrangler smiles, glad to be delivering good news after three days and nights filled with nerve wrecking moments. Treacherous terrain, suffocating heat. Drought, snakes, minor injuries. “We’re comin’ in hot. Thirty minutes.” “The gates are open. I’ll tell Ellen to put the casserole in the oven.” Dean’s mouth begins to water when his aunt’s famous dish is mentioned. No disrespect to Benny, but after all that canned food, he can’t wait to sink his teeth into that delicious corn, beef, and onion stocked, stomach filling meal. “In that case, I’ll make it twenty. Over.” “We’re ready for ya. Over and out.”

The head wrangler hooks the radio back on his belt and glances aside. Rocko is galloping about thirty yards to his left, ahead by a few nose lengths. Sweat shimmers on his neck and shoulders, his dark bay coat almost black now. With big, powerful strides he pushes forward like a steam train, yet agile, maneuvering past rocks, cacti, and bushes. Even untrained, he has grown into a strong horse. Dean can’t wait to work with him. To strengthen that bond even more, to teach him. Watching the stallion by his side and under Dean’s wing as it were, fills him with pride already. It’s at this moment that Dean realizes; this horse is going to be something else.

Thank you for reading. I appreciate every single one of you, but if you do want to give me some extra love, you are free to reblog my work or buy me coffee (Link in bio at the top of the page)

Read part sixteen here

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ghostmartyr · 3 years

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how a life can move from the darkness [8/?]

| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |

Summary: Two drug addicts (Eren and Historia) meet in group and decide to be roommates to make their living situation slightly less weird. From there we do the slow burn found family dance mixed in with the struggles and agonies of recovery. Heavy on friendship feels, especially EMA. Eventual yumikuri.

“Deep water first.”

Armin was comparing his map with the one on the directory, frowning studiously at their options. “You don’t think we should save that for last?” he asked. “We always spend the most time there.”

“You’re just saying that because you want to go to the Forgotten Marvels of the Deep screening,” Eren said, searching out the times for all of the film events on his map. “They have those every hour, you’re not going to miss it.”

“But we know how much time that will take,” Armin said.

“So it can go anywhere,” Eren said. “You’re always saying how we could use a break from walking. If we go first thing, that’s out.”

“That’s what I say to remind you two to eat something,” Armin said, talking too fast for Eren to point out that Armin was even worse than him and Mikasa about skipping meals. “Lunch is a break. Film features aren’t, and they put all of the other exhibits into context.”

Eren gestured at Armin’s entire everything. “We already have you for that. And the earlier we go see it, the longer you’ll have to brood about them getting the CGI for the megalodon wrong.”

Armin, with the infinite faith that had never once gone his way when they marched into the aquarium, renewed membership cards at the ready, said, “Maybe they’ll get it right this time.”

They never got it right. Eren didn’t know what elusive magic Armin was waiting for from the special effects wing of the world, but no matter how many movies with megalodons they saw, something had always gone wrong with the design. Eren was on Armin’s side for seeing some quality sharks, but he was always so disappointed. No one in the world saw things like Armin did. That should have meant nothing but good things for him, but instead it was a domino city of letdowns designed for Armin’s indomitable heart getting stripped bare.

Hanging back behind them, where the stakes of where to go first could be played off, Mikasa offered her opinion. “I would like to see the penguins.”

Eren and Armin looked down as one to check times.

“Do we want to be there for feeding?” Armin asked. “We should get there early if we do.”

“We should do early anyway. We don’t have to stay for the feeding, but they’ll be more active when they’re waiting for food, and there will be less of a crowd before it starts,” Eren said.

“It’s all the way on the other side of the building, and the feeding’s in forty minutes. We should move now.”

“Done.”

Armin nodded and folded up his map, then jolted forward a little before starting the familiar speed walk down the steps and into the aquarium parts of the aquarium. He turned around guiltily at Mikasa, and that sparked a jolt of Eren’s when he realized that Historia was standing even further back, and she wasn’t used to drawing battle plans up.

“How about you, Historia?” Eren asked before Armin’s guilty face got any worse. “Is there anything you want to see?”

Historia shook her head, drawing one more frowning face her way. Mikasa had decided to replace her cat as Historia’s buffer. Eren would have felt weird about both of them feeling like Historia needed a buffer, but this trip hadn’t been planned, and he didn’t think Historia was used to having friends. Ones who did stuff like finding tanks outside their apartment to stare at.

Eren hadn’t been ready for the excursion either, but Armin’s address was where his new membership card still went, and they always went the weekend those showed up. He was used to it.

He had missed it.

Each second no one was talking or moving had more weight and awkwardness than he’d ever thought could happen around Mikasa and Armin, but they all knew what it was, and he wasn’t allowed to yell at anyone over it anymore. They could let it bite into them and smile through the pain as long as they were all doing something together.

They were a better fix for the heartache than the pills had ever managed. Being with them again made Eren feel like a person.

Remembering to pull in the other person who needed that feeling because she refused to include herself made him feel like a slipshod, incomplete person. They’d almost been late because she hadn’t interpreted Eren telling her the aquarium trip plans as him inviting her along. She’d stared at him so long when he told her she was coming that he’d worried that something new had gone wrong.

“You get a vote,” Eren told her. She hadn’t opened her map yet. “We could check out stuff for Benjamin’s tank. Most of the eels are in the smaller areas, so they aren’t as crowded.”

Historia glanced at Mikasa. “Penguins sound fine.”

Eren looked at Armin, who was looking at Mikasa, who was looking at Historia.

Armin cautiously opened his mouth. “…Historia?” he asked, a tone of dawning horror in his voice. “Have you… have you never been to an aquarium before?”

Historia shrugged, a little helplessly, with the start of a defiant scowl growing. “I’ve seen fish before. We went to the store twice to find Benjamin.”

Armin’s horror rose to high noon and stayed there, staring at her in shock.

No friends, rightfully dead father, and a sister who treated her like the glue was still wet on all her broken pieces. No aquarium trips. That made sense.

The wrongness of it was still profound, and Eren didn’t have the words to fix it because the only ones his head was interested in coming up with said too much about how much several people before Historia should have taken a shot at killing her father.

Armin was on that same level, only with less active bloodlust. He looked like he’d just been told their library was closing. Eren turned to Mikasa. She had her overprotective concerned face on, but her eyes snapped to Eren quickly, a plan written in them.

“Otters,” she said.

“Otters,” Eren agreed firmly.

Armin caught on, and with revived vigor, he and Eren each took up one of Historia’s arms, melting her expression of flushed defiance into alarm, while Mikasa stepped behind her and took the place of pushing her forward and keeping her stumbling feet from tripping down the stairs.

“You’ll like it,” Eren said.

“And then we’ll go look at tankmates for Benjamin,” Armin confirmed.

“Or the penguins,” Mikasa said quietly.

“We could do all of that first,” Historia said, being tugged along, her hand crumpling her unopened map. “Or the movie Armin wants to see?”

“No,” they all said together.

----

Eren’s mom didn’t take things for granted. She never had, and losing most of her world had only brought that closer to her heart.

Her son being willing to spend time with her when it wasn’t a special occasion was a door she’d wanted open for months, and Eren had had a promise to come over at least once a month, with at least one of his friends or his brother, exhorted out of him before she let him take his spackle home.

“Or maybe your brother,” had been said with the sort of casual deliberation Frieda had used when she talked about a pet for the apartment.

Leaving Eren upside down on the back of the couch, staring mindlessly at his phone with his hair dangling to the floor.

hi zeke

good morning

we don’t have a tv but armin said

there’s a movie out at

good afternoon

my mom wants you over for dinner

The cursor on the last one blinked more than he could make himself. It was all bad. The only reason he wasn’t smashing the delete key on the last one was because Zeke’s complicated minefield relationship with his parents meant studiously and politely flipping off all of their dad’s awkward suggestions that he come over, and very politely accepting his mom’s invitations. He’d even bring flowers.

Historia’s bedroom door swung open, and she finally emerged from her room for the day, wearing one of the otter shirts Mikasa and Armin had encouraged her to get. The short-sleeved one. She stopped in the hallway when she saw Eren, thumb still hovering over her own phone.

“I’m texting Zeke,” Eren said.

Historia nodded slowly, and continued her walk to the kitchen. “Does that help?” she asked, reaching into a cupboard for a glass.

“No.”

“I’m sorry.”

Eren spun the phone up into the air a bit, catching it before it could hit the floor. He tossed it again, moodily, when one of the random memories of Zeke doing the same thing with a baseball every time he took a step near one started to play in his head.

“What do you text Frieda?”

Prolonged silence followed the question. Eren pulled himself away from his phone’s cursor to watch his roommate’s back. He lifted his head up so that his hair wasn’t touching the floor.

“…You text her, right?”

“I respond when she asks how I am,” Historia said.

Eren removed himself from the couch with a clumsy flip that Mikasa’s cousin would have found horrifying. “You don’t message your sister?” Eren asked. Barely, barely remembering that Frieda and Historia were too complicated to make the point that if Historia had no problem getting into drawn out fights on Twitter with strangers, she should have some words for her sister.

Historia shrugged. The baby otter hiding under the seaweed that draped over her shoulder didn’t offer any deeper hints about her mood.

“She’d be happy to hear from you,” Eren said, because it was true. Besides Frieda being that sort of person, he kept seeing it in Armin and Mikasa, and the screaming guilt was learning to shut up and let that feel good. “You wouldn’t have to come up with anything fancy. Talking about the weather would work. Or Benjamin. Or school.”

Historia didn’t quite turn around, but he could see more of her head than her hair when she spoke. “Why can’t you send Zeke something like that?”

“It’s not the same.” It was nowhere close to the same. Frieda was hot chocolate and comfort. Zeke was. Zeke. He’d never been anything different. Eren had just taken forever to work out how much that annoyed him. “Our relationship’s not… like normal siblings,” he said.

Historia pulled her glass out of the stream of water the fridge had been dutifully filling it with, and fixed Eren with a look. “My sister comes into my room at night and watches me sleep to make sure I’m still breathing.”

Eren’s phone and its blinking cursor shrunk a few sizes. “You know about that?”

Historia put her glass down on the counter. “Yes.”

Frieda would love that. Eren wasn’t sure when he’d switched sides on the habit, but it got him a hot drink and a listening ear in the middle of the night, and Historia refusing to participate instead of not knowing she could sounded too familiar. “If you texted her more often, she’d probably back off on that. Or if you talked to her at all,” he added.

Historia, devoid of amusement, looked over the otter on her shoulder at him. “Have you told your brother you want him to pay attention to you?”

Eren’s jaw set. He put his phone on the counter, where Historia could clearly see the screen. He erased all of the last attempt, and for a paralyzing instant couldn’t come up with anything to fill up the space with—before he remembered that quality wasn’t the point, and he could recite the alphabet and it would still put a win in his column. His fingers marched across the keyboard.

hi. how are you?

He hit the send button.

Pride and success flourished for about as long as it took to have the notification text go from ‘sending’ to ‘delivered.’

Then the knot in his chest that belonged to Zeke—more noticeable than ever with all the untying he’d gotten done on the others—throbbed, and his phone went from only a few sizes too small to microscopic with one little shift of the screen.

‘Read.’

A trio of dots followed, and the jolt of adrenaline they caused felt like every doorbell the nights Eren was waiting for Zeke to come over for babysitting.

Are you feeling all right, Eren?

The adrenaline didn’t evaporate.

The excitement that had tried to rush past a decade of poor communication didn’t last an extra heartbeat.

Eren didn’t have the income to throw his phone into the garbage disposal. Acknowledging that and tightening his fingers until they went white was growth. Not needing to buy more spackle, or putty knives, was a good thing, and his progress should be a delight to anyone who knew how hard he’d worked for it.

To quote Petra.

He wondered if there was any school of thought where wrapping his hands around Zeke’s throat counted as progress, but that went into violence and other problems too fast to imagine properly, so he was left with Zeke.

“He thinks there’s something wrong with me,” he informed Historia.

Historia finished pouring her lemonade. “Is there?”

“No!” he snapped.

Her head swerved in his direction, eyebrows lifted in surprise. It took him a second. A full second, enough for her look to turn uncertain, for what he’d said to process as language instead of righteous indignation. Something that hadn’t belonged to him in over a year.

He used to burn through it at so fast Mikasa and Armin almost couldn’t keep up. Fights and protests and causes and that one idiotic proposal about cutting the library’s funding. People were being stupid, and he wasn’t going to sit around like everyone else and let them be stupid.

Until the only sort of good thing he could do for himself was walk into a gym and take a chair, where all the unclean hate boiled and festered and didn’t help anyone.

Zeke was being stupid.

Historia put her phone down next to his, swiping away from the open Twitter tab with an unfinished tweet in process. Her texting app opened, with only one other name besides Eren listed under the contacts. With deliberate precision, she typed out a new message.

Hi Frieda. Would you like to come over for dinner?

She sent it. After making sure Eren read it.

When she pulled away from the counter, the hand that took her phone moved like it was anchored to the marble. The screen flicked back to Twitter, and her thumb grazed the case. “Some people…” she said. “They don’t know how to be a family.”

It sounded like an apology, but Eren couldn’t guess for what. It also sounded like something his mom had said. About his dad. When Eren asked why his brother was living with their grandparents and not them.

Eren looked back at his phone, with Zeke’s text. His stupid brother with his stupid hands-off love that felt like he’d picked it up from a manners book, because why would giving someone a reason to keep trying ever be something that cropped up naturally? “I don’t think Zeke wants one.”

Seconds of quiet passed.

Historia, with thought and care ponderous as a boulder, said, “He doesn’t seem like the type of person who would bother talking to someone he didn’t want.”

Eren wanted to argue with that, because he wanted to argue against everything that said maybe someone a little less like Eren could make sense out of his brother being the exact same person he’d been since the day Eren was born. He wanted to argue, period, because Zeke was Zeke and Eren…

Eren might have been Eren.

And before he’d needed his brother, and Zeke was just some cool adult to break rules with, the thickest knot that tied them together was knowing that Zeke took his calls every single time he made one. Even when he only took their dad’s once a year. When Eren’s mom asked him to.

Zeke loved his little brother as well as he could. The way he thought he was supposed to.

Eren huffed and went over to say hi to Benjamin. Leaving Historia some time to finish yelling at Ymir before her sister, who knew how to love people, showed up and reminded them that they weren’t any good at it, either.

----

He had the wrong wallet.

That was already bad. Not terrible bad, but Ymir had been the one to point it out.

Walking into the rock climbing gym, unannounced, with Reiner and her usual self, she’d taken one look at Eren getting ready for work and said, “I thought I got ripped off when mine started sprouting holes like that. Guess that brand just sucks as a rule.”

Eren’s wallet didn’t have holes. Historia’s did. He had no idea why, and talking money with Historia always ended so badly that he wasn’t interested in asking. Her wallet also had more cash in it than Eren had ever seen in one place. What an Armin from years ago would have called drug money with a laugh, and something the Eren of the moment wanted to hurl out of his hands as fast as possible.

Working with Reiner and Ymir was an unexpected hitch in his day, but Reiner had immediately gone over to the free climbing wall with a bounce in his step. The worst they could get falling from that was a bruise or two, so Eren could stall by one of the other walls with his phone.

grabbed your wallet by mistake you want to come by and nab it?

Historia was between classes, so her reply came fast.

Yes, thank you. Should I pick yours up?

yeah that would help

They didn’t have any real routine to their middays, but Historia had dropped by to share lunch a few times, so Eren was spared sending off the address. His eyes wandered over to the only customers they had so far. Reiner was trying to figure out how to climb the underside of the wall. Ymir was crawling it like a spider, way too capably to be new to it.

Eren typed out another thread.

Reiner’s here with your friend

She is not my friend

He put his phone away and went over to help Reiner. There weren’t any tennis balls in the building, but they’d all be better off if he could get Historia her wallet without her coming into contact with Ymir. From what he could tell, weeks of Twitter arguments, which Reiner insisted were the best thing he’d ever seen, hadn’t burned off their edge. Smiling Ymir or not, they probably didn’t need a real introduction.

----

Reiner wasn’t bad for someone who’d never gone climbing before. He stretched for handholds instead of taking the ones nearby and wasn’t built for it yet, breathed too hard, paid too much attention to how fast Ymir was making her way up next to him—but it wasn’t like riding a bike. Eren didn’t think he’d have to throw himself against the ropes to keep him from crashing.

He wondered if it would be the sort of thing Reiner would have any interest in keeping up after the coupons wore out. Mikasa liked climbing. They could make a day of it or something. Show Reiner he had friends.

Ymir swung over to Reiner’s side of the wall and flicked him on the ear. Eren’s grip on the safety lines turned glacial when Reiner let go to bat back at her.

But he was smiling under the red face and sweat. They’d all figured out how to do that again somewhere, and Eren went back to holding the lines like he got paid to do it.

Until Thomas hailed him from the cashier’s desk, and a pocket of leather tapped his shoulder.

“Here,” Historia said, tone and eyes carefully directed away from Eren’s customers.

Eren fished her wallet out of his pocket and swapped it for his, with its zero holes and coupons stuffed in next to enough bills for lunch and nothing else. “Thanks,” he said. He held back on asking if she wanted to stick around and share lunch. “Sorry.”

“It wasn’t a problem,” Historia said mechanically.

She didn’t walk away. She wasn’t making eye contact with him, either. Her gaze was set somewhere between where Ymir and Reiner were climbing and Eren’s head.

Eren hadn’t thought much about it, because thinking about Ymir and Historia’s Twitter war wasn’t good for much outside of amusing Armin to get through an awkward texting pause.

“…Do you want to say hi?”

Historia’s hackles rose the way Rivaille’s did when Eren tried to pet him, and she finally broke her staring contest with the orange handhold to scowl darkly at him. The hand that had taken her wallet balled into a fist small enough to probably rip another hole in it.

“We’re having lunch together if you want to—”

“Hey Eren!” Ymir shouted down, freezing Historia’s expression to nothingness. “I thought it was only in your job description to pick up chicks if they were falling from—”

She stopped talking, which sounded like a dream come true, except it came with Ymir’s rope spinning taut and Eren’s heart seizing as suddenly in his chest as her whiplash brake in the air. She was so still that the first panicked emotion to make its way into thought was that he’d killed her just like the bus and the blood and she wasn’t someone he wanted gone just quieter.

But those eyes were too alive with something for him to worry about that instead of gearing up to scream the speech he knew by rote, from a hundred different teenagers not listening when he said to be careful with the equipment, directly into Ymir’s thick skull. Knowing that speech was why Hannes let him keep his job, and every syllable of it thundered in his electrified blood.

Reiner beat him to words. “Ymir,” he asked, dangling in a way that said it didn’t matter he didn’t know what he was doing yet, he would jump into thin air if it would help, “you okay?”

And maybe that wasn’t a bad question.

She wasn’t going for the handholds, putting all the work on Eren. If she cared at all about Reiner’s mounting concern, none of it or anything else showed. She looked shell-shocked.

Eren put the speech on hold. “I’m getting you down,” he said bluntly. “Don’t do anything stupid.”

Whatever was going on, past experience with not breaking her neck kept her from actively hampering her descent, even if Eren was mad enough that he wouldn’t have minded an extra excuse to read her the riot act.

Historia didn’t help, standing stock-still next to him instead of thinking to move out of the landing area. Eren moved around her instead, pulse at a high that didn’t promise anything good. By the time Ymir’s feet hit the mat, he could feel his fingers itching to let go of the ropes and find a bottle.

His clenched jaw kept it all back, and he unhooked her in stressed silence, ordering Reiner to stay put with his glare. Even though he’d probably be helping him down the wall the second he was done with Ymir.

Ymir didn’t need ordering. She stayed next to the wall, quiet enough to ping Eren’s first-aid lessons instead of his temper. He breathed in. Out. Didn’t murder her like

He took another breath and a step forward, raising up a hand in front of her face. “Follow my finger,” he instructed, peering into her eyes and hoping the ghosts in her expression weren’t anything dangerous.

Ymir batted his hand away. Her hand was shaking. Eren’s temper dropped another notch. “Ymir…”

“Krista,” she whispered.

She wasn’t looking at nothing, Eren realized.

Because she was looking at Historia, who had turned into a sculpture of ice.

Reiner spasmed up on his perch, and Eren abruptly decided that whatever was going on, it was time for everyone to be on the ground. Descent went much simpler with someone who was bothering to be present for it, even if Reiner had the same shaken look on his face that had drained all the blood out of Eren’s.

The childish whining in his head wanted to cry. They couldn’t all just be normal together. Something had to go sideways and broken and fuck him he needed another tennis ball in his face, but he didn’t have one so he was just going to have to grow the fuck up and handle the broken pieces with some fucking gloves for once.

Ymir was odd and quiet, and her hands were trembling like Eren’s used to.

Historia didn’t look like a person.

Eren could guess how out of his depth he was, but he couldn’t see it hitting anywhere close. He stepped over to his friend and clapped her on the shoulder, trying not to turn into Frieda when that didn’t spark anything. He stuck to what he did have a dim comprehension of. “Historia?” he prompted. “You have a class to get to, don’t you?”

Nothing. Not even a damn flicker. Whatever was left in there was locked on Ymir.

Who—Eren did a double take.

That… was different, and his depth and comfort zone went somewhere else to leave him with nothing but pure confusion.

Those were tears in Ymir’s eyes. Actual, human tears.

And Historia moved.

“No,” she said, the one word so raw and crackled it didn’t sound like a language. A spark came back to her, and Eren’s hand fell off or her shoulder ripped away, leaving him to rejoin Reiner on the sidelines as the lopsided, unsure mass of puzzle pieces started snapping together.

“No,” she said, approaching Ymir on wobbly legs. Shine and fire broke the ice, even if they both looked three days into withdrawal. “You…” she breathed in like it was strangling her, and maybe Eren was caught up in the same haze they both were, because her exhale sounded something like laugher.

Historia, bright with tears, the shortest person Eren knew, looked down at Ymir.

“You don’t get to be the one crying!” she shouted.

Her fingers were digging new holes in her wallet, and Ymir was the first one to break the stunned staring, to look at the shredded collection of money and leather.

Crying.

Silently, to go with Historia’s repressed sobs. The tears were unrelenting and steady, winding down Ymir’s cheeks like a river that had been just waiting for spring.

“Historia,” she said, tender and so, so lost.

Click went the puzzle. The fiancée.

Historia had called her that, the very first time she brought her up. The only time she brought her up at all until she read the book that confessed all of the ways they’d missed each other. Padded out with how it was probably a joke, and never something real that broke her heart.

Eren didn’t think anyone could say someone’s name like that and call it a joke.

Or hear their name said like that and think it was anything other than what it was.

Historia’s whole expression collapsed, emotion spilling out faster than the tears. Her mouth wordlessly traced Ymir’s name, and her hands dropped the wallet to hold her head as she stared down at the girl she’d somehow undersold her love for, complete ruin and hope coalescing into the only words she appeared able to come up with before her legs tripped her down.

“You unromantic jackass,” Historia murmured, burying herself in Ymir.

Eren could have counted the seconds it took for Ymir to trust that she was allowed, that ruining absolutely everything and salting the ground didn’t mean what she thought it did when someone was willing to grab you and welcome you back to your home. He saw the second the connection sparked in her head, and her broken heart was punched through with a sewing needle.

Ymir crumbled, a hiccupping sob finally leaving her as she hid it all away in Historia’s hair.

----

I haven’t said it recently so I thought I would […] I love you thanks for taking me back

Eren??? Are you okay?

We were always going to.

----

They didn’t have lunch together.

Not the way any of them had planned.

They were seated at a table for four at the deli near Eren’s work, two of the chairs empty while Eren and Reiner’s life focus became not running off to eavesdrop on whatever outpour of emotion Ymir and Historia needed to have. If their food tasted like anything, Eren was missing it.

Historia had held back Mikasa to let him talk to Armin alone. She’d helped Armin let him talk to Mikasa alone. He owed her.

“Krista, huh?”

Eren jolted back to his spot at the table. “Huh?”

Across from him, Reiner didn’t look any more together. But he’d finished his sandwich, so maybe holding on to the edge of the table with a grip meant for tearing things in half wasn’t the warning sign Eren wanted to call it.

“Krista,” Reiner said again. “Ymir’s girl. That—that was what Ymir called her.”

All Eren knew about that was a vague memory of Historia telling him the girl from juvie had never known her real name. He swished his water around in his cup.

“I guess… I guess Kr—Historia told you all about what happened,” Reiner said.

Eren tried. Since it was Reiner. “Not really. We talked about…” Things he felt weird about repeating, because now that the girlfriend was Ymir, and Ymir took one look at her and started crying, he was less sure about how much he wanted to punch her. He was more sure that Historia would be mostly okay throwing a tennis ball at her.

“We talked about how much it hurt when she wasn’t there anymore,” Eren settled on.

“Right,” Reiner said.

His knuckles were pure white around the table. Eren took an experimental bite of his sandwich, staring out the window and quashing the urge to go out and find his friend and his sometimes other friend to make sure nothing else broke. He hadn’t been able to help when he was standing right next to them. His contributions weren’t anything good.

His contributions were things like wondering if his roommate would ever come home again. He was a child, and channeling that into more unwanted worrying was all he had for the day.

“It was my fault,” Reiner blurted.

Eren pulled himself back again. “What was?”

Reiner’s look was straight out of rehab. His hands dug through his hair for a moment instead of the table, too short to hide the nervous twitch of his fingers completely. Eren straightened in his chair. Reiner took that as a sign to try to smile, which worked badly.

“I overdosed,” he said. “A lot.”

“I know,” Eren said.

“Right.” His fingers started tapping on the table. “But one of them—Ymir was going to be out any day. We knew that. Or—I guess Bertolt knew, I didn’t know much of anything by then, but…” Reiner clenched his eyes shut. “I overdosed, and Bertolt called her, and then she… she was there.”

Eren tried another bite of his sandwich and had to stop himself from spitting it out. He could picture it, and the unsaid half about the person Ymir had left behind, who hadn’t been in such immediate danger but never stopped needing her. He knew that story. He’d lived some of it, and now that the girlfriend had a face it was too easy to remember that Ymir was the idiot who left and Historia was the idiot who still wanted her.

Only this time the idiot who left had a good reason.

He wanted to call Armin and apologize again, not just texting because his fingers worked when his voice wouldn’t. He wanted to call Mikasa and remember that she’d survived him and they had Zeke’s damn baseball practice together.

He didn’t know how to call Zeke, but someone had, after the accident, and after Eren being stupid. And Zeke had shown up. No questions asked. He’d dropped everything, because Eren needed his brother, so his brother had shown up. Because that was something he knew how to do, even if conversations and feelings weren’t.

Ymir was so bad at knowing what to do with feelings she wrote an entire book about failing to share them and then got defensive when the person she had them for complained.

Eren wanted to check in on them. He didn’t know what he was supposed to do to help, but it felt like someone should be around to keep them from ending up in a place where Ymir went with releasing another book for her and Historia to fight over as a conversation starter. Counting on Historia to be that someone when she hadn’t been able to let go of Ymir when Eren was getting her harness off felt like a gamble.

He didn’t think either of them would like that argument. Their first act as a couple would be to find a ball pit to dump him in.

“It’s my fault,” Reiner said again. “If Kr—if Historia got hurt. I—Ymir has trouble being upfront about some things, but she wouldn’t have left it that way for anything else. She’s a good person, and Krista—she’s crazy about her. Still. She won’t hurt her.”

Eren stopped swishing his drink, and stared as much threat into Reiner’s eyes as he could without actually thinking about what hurting another person like that looked like.

“She’d better not,” he said.

----

We love you too. […] We can say it more often. If you want.

[next]

#drug au #fic #mine #long post

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trensu · 4 years

Text

Episode 19: The One with the Return of the Gay Yearning Death Grip, Now with More Sword!

After enduring EXTREME EMOTIONAL TRAUMA for the last THREE (3) EPISODES IN A ROW, we finally finally get an episode that has some wangxiantics again!!

I mean, they’re still gonna gut us emotionally here too but we can pretend it hurts less because of our brief wangxian moments!!!

Because this is the episode with the BURIAL MOUNDS

*cries*

Alright so golden core transfer Happened.

Review: wwx is now weaponless, penniless, golden core-less, and alone

Except jk, he’s actually surrounded by wen flunkies, so not alone! Worse than alone!!

And we all know our beloved wwx has the survival instincts of a lemming so instead of you know, keeping his mouth shut for once in his life, he decides to mock and insult wen chao and his flunkies.

WC decides to take wwx on Evil Field Trip Part 2: Burial Mounds Edition and has wen zhuliu freaking drop-kick wwx into the cursed place

Oh, hello, Bad CGI, nice to see you again!

And here we have the Return of the Screams bc apparently wwx decided to keep the Screaming Sword of Resentment in his magic pouch??

Good thing he did, i guess?? Bc the Screams summon up some resentful energy that helps him survive the fall

We cut away a moment here to see our beloved wen sibs and we are sad bc they are locked up MOVING ON

Wwx is all alone in this awful place covered in dead things and lacking sunlight, THE EXACT OPPOSITE OF OUR PRECIOUS, LIVELY, SUNSHINE BOY

It’s terrible but we’re getting a piece of wangxian pie here (a tiny one)

So the Screams are still happening, and our wwx is collapsed on the ground not responding to any of them.

They’re all shouting “wei wuxian, wei wuxian”

And still our precious sunshine boy lies there limp and exhausted

BUT SUDDENLY

AMIDST ALL THE SHOUTS

We hear a calm,soothing voice call “wei ying”

Wwx finally moves. He sits up and starts looking around for the source of that voice

BECAUSE THAT WAS LAN ZHAN’S VOICE

THAT WAS LAN ZHAN’S VOICE GENTLY CALLING “WEI YING” THREE TIMES

THREE!!! TIMES!!!!

And it’s so sad bc for a moment there wwx hears the voice and must think that lwj is there with him, there to rescue him!!

But he isn’t *cries* he’s not there and wwx just looks so lost and scared here *cries HARDER*

Instead of lwj, wwx finds the Screaming Sword of Resentment that legit says to him, “wwx, do you want revenge? Let’s be together.”

And, idk guys, swords that talk to you about revenge don’t seem like, the kind of swords you wanna be touching.

But wwx decides to become besties with it, i guess, and grabs it.

The look of triumph on his face after he accepts the swords offer is really cool if you ignore how UTTERLY DISTRESSING the whole situation is

AND HERE’S THE SCENE WHERE LWJ MAKES THE MOST BADASS ENTRANCE.

YOU THOUGHT THE THING WITH THE ROOFTOP BACK IN "THE ONE WITH THE ICONIC REUNION” WAS COOL?? THIS ONE TOPS IT.

To set the scene: we’re at Qishan where Evil Summer School took place and a bunch of wen flunkies are getting drunk and bragging about their evil deeds bc why not

And then we get a shot of white shoes (boots?? Idk) slowly walking up the steps of the evil staircase

And then the camera gives us a shot at the top of the staircase and we see LWJ clad in all white in a bitchin’ new robe, slowly appear into view, rising a little more with each step he takes up the stairs and the wind is providing ambiance by swishing elegantly through his hair

As that is happening, we see the blue flash of power that shows up whenever lwj uses his guqin and it knocks the wen flunkies down on their backs BC FUCK YOU WEN FLUNKIES

We go back to lwj, and get a closer look at his face. His face is blank and hard as a stone, and he keeps going at this unhurried, unbothered pace

Bc he knows

HE KNOWS

He’s gonna get what he wants here and now, one way or another. And what he wants is information about wei ying.

CHILLS, GUYS, THIS SCENE GIVES ME CHILLS IN THE BEST WAY

THE MOST BADASS ENTRANCE IN THE SHOW

I LOVE IT SO MUCH

So after he guqin’s the wen flunkies down (and they start cowering) he towers over them all imperiously

Lwj: Kneel

(so commanding, his tone. I know at least some of you guys Felt Things at that)

(guys, I've been on ao3, I'VE SEEN YOUR TAGS, don’t try to deny it, you kinky bastards)

(It's okay, this is a no judgement zone, and lwj is looking hella sharp in his new outfit, I get it)

Lwj: where is wei ying

(so unyielding, so demanding, but not once does he raise his voice, what a BAMF)

The wen flunkie that lwj had been kinda choking with guqin magic raises his hand (lol, this isn’t a classroom pal)

Lwj: Speak.

And the wen flunkie informs him (and JC, who showed up at some point but whatev) that they dumped WWX in the Burial Mounds

Lwj, our precious darling lwj, we know he doesn’t have the most expressive of faces, right? But the way his face tilts ever so slightly downwards at the news, you can tell, you can tell, that he was hit with that sick, cold, sinking feeling in the stomach

Kneel. Where is Wei Ying. Speak. THAT'S ALL HE SAID IN THE WHOLE SCENE AND YET HE HAD EVERYONE CAPTIVATED (and Thirsty, in some cases, it's all good, it's all good)

After all that awesome, we are forced to watch wc and jj have a domestic spat of some sort AS IF WE’RE SUPPOSED TO CARE. WE’RE GONNA IGNORE IT BC FUCK THOSE GUYS

We’re back at Evil Summer School in Qishan, and we’ve got JC and LWJ doing that thing where they stare manfully at the mid-distance and talk about vaguely Feelings-related Stuff

WuJi starts playing in the background as JC tells LWJ about how WWX was supposed to meet up with him at Yiling and never showed up; i thought he went after you, he says, but maybe the wens really did dump him in the burial mounds

And the music freaking crescendos here bc some lan disciples show up with everyone’s swords but most importantly THEY HAVE SUIBIAN which they bring to lwj directly

Makes you wonder, huh. Why did they bring suibian to lwj when jc, wwx’s brother, was right there??

PROBS BC THE LAN DISCIPLES HAVE BEEN WITH LWJ AND JC THE WHOLE TIME AND REALIZED THAT LWJ IS IN LOVE WITH WWX BC WHY ELSE WOULD HE BE SEARCHING SO OBSESSIVELY

LWJ’s eyes widen just a fraction the minute he sees suibian

HIS SOULMATE’S SWORD

IT’S ALL HE HAS LEFT OF WEI YING RIGHT NOW

JUST LIKE BEFORE WHEN ALL HE HAD LEFT OF HIS HOME WAS BICHEN

STOP LEAVING LWJ WITH JUST SWORDS, LET HIM HAVE HIS LOVED ONES!!!

And god the way he GRIPS it with YEARNING.

All of his motions are still very sedate, but just the microexpressions we’re getting from him change the tone of the movements

Wang yibo - guys, idk much about any of the actors but this guy does a great job. Like, how does he make such emotional expressions when his actual face hardly moves??? WITCHCRAFT, I TELL YOU, WITCHCRAFT

Lwj tries to unsheathe the sword but here we find the Suibian has sealed itself (bc he’s a loyal sword; he aint cheating on his master with no one!)

Lwj: wei ying, where are you

Such quality Lwj Yearning™

And then we get interrupted by Plot Things again, ugh

Blah blah we’re at qinghe blah blah we meet jzx's asshole cousin and hate him blah blah

Lwj and JC show up at qinghe and interrupt jzx’s Disaster Het shenanigans (thank god)

Jiang sibs have a reunion while jzx and lwj stand awkwardly at the side

Lwj sees that display of Emotion and is like, nope, that is Too Much, i’m gonna distract myself by staring at this disembodied head hanging at the entrance

(he’s already in emotional turmoil bc his soulmate is missing, he cannot handle anything more than that!!)

Idk why by jzx decides to join him

Jzx: hey, that’s wwx’s sword! Did you…

Lwj: *Death Grips bichen AND suibian with Extra Yearning™*

Lwj: evil summer school has been burned

SUBTLE CHANGE OF TOPIC THERE, LWJ

Also, c’mon jzx, LWJ IS NOT HERE TO TALK ABOUT OR ACKNOWLEDGE ANY MORE FEELINGS RIGHT NOW OKAY

Jzx goes off to talk about something unimportant and lwj is like phew, dodged a bullet there

Except, JUST KIDDING

Jzx: soooo, where’s wwx? I need to return his sister to him

Lwj: *stoically silent*

Lwj: *refuses to look at jzx*

Lwj: *gives off major I DON’T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT vibes*

Jzx: *doesn’t take a hint*

Jzx: yeah, so where is he??

READ THE ROOM, JZX

Idiots, we’re surrounded by emotionally incompetent idiots

Lwj doesn’t react until he hears jyl softly gasp when jc updates her and even then, it’s only to just briefly glance in her general direction

OUR BOY IS HURTING, POOR LWJ

And now we’re back to Plot Things

Blah blah battle strategy blah blah nmj looks imposing blah blah baxia does a thing blah blah

Jzx: yeah, so we’re doing great, we just gotta take back gusu and yiling now

Lwj: I volunteer AS TRIBUTE for the mission in Yiling

Jc: dude, SAME, plz red blade master, let us go there

Nmj: uh, idk guys, that’s right next to the wen’s stronghold…

Lwj; red blade master…

Nmj: yeah, okay, fine

Wow, capitulated pretty easily there, pal. Thought you were supposed to be a tough guy, nmj…

We get a jiang sib moment

With soup, ofc

Ooooh, now we get to watch jj have a mental break AND IT’S GLORIOUS

Disembodied eyeballs!! How fun!

And that’s the end of that episode!!

Oh god, i’m so glad we finally got some wangxiantics. Like, not a lot of them, and they didn’t share screentime BUT THEY WERE STILL VERY EMOTIONAL WANGXIANTICS

THEY MISS EACH OTHER SO MUCH *SOBS*

Return to Masterpost

#WangXiantics #wangxian #the untamed #cql

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