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slitherpunk · 1 month

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games i liked in 2023 (And Other)

I like games ! You know that ?! and I played a lot 2023! and I liked a lot :). They aren't in any specific order, it's just a little highlight of games that stood out to me this year. I've attempted to write a few thoughts on each so I hope take a look. I wrote playtimes for some also but that is very subjective.

-Ones that actually came out 2023-

Lunacid https://store.steampowered.com/app/1745510/Lunacid/ I think I mentioned enjoying this in 2022 but it officially released so I can say it was one of my favorite games in 2023 :3! I like to feel around this game's walls for secrets. I like the npcs that are full of hope and whimsy despite the bleakness of its world. Chill and occasionally spooky first person dungeon crawling around moody caverns and ruins varying from underground forests to vampire castles and blood lake. (Blood lake!!!! Lake of blood!!! Big creature there.) Lots of fun weapons and spells to find, I like the one that lets you turn blood into coffins.

~20 hours

Orbo's Odyssey https://feverdreamjohnny.itch.io/orbos-odyssey If you played the massively popular demo for "Peeb Adventures" by feverdreamjohnny then you know that Johnny makes some fun and funny games and this is certainly one of them. speedy and satisfying platforming! funny dracula moments! short and sweet.

~2 hours

A Walk in the Woods https://mooncaller.itch.io/a-walk-in-the-woods Quaint little GBStudio game :) Made by some friends of mine for a jam :) It's cute I like it. There's minigames where you catch bugs and birdwatch.

~30 minutes long

Undertale Yellow https://gamejolt.com/games/UndertaleYellow/136925 I've only completed the pacifist run and checked out a neutral run so far. as the title somewhat implies, this is a prequel to Undertale where you play as the fallen human who had the yellow colored soul. This Undertale fangame has a lot of charm!!! A lot of battles really feel like they could have been in the original, with quite a bit of extra flair in some circumstances.

~10 hours

vs really cool bird https://bobacupcake.itch.io/vs-really-cool-bird you know that really cool bird that rob bobacupcake made well you can fight it in undertale and it's really fun. yeah two undertale fangames. . . wat of it …

~30 minutes

Misericorde: Volume One https://xeecee.itch.io/misericorde I wont lie the main draw for me into this was cute anime nuns I sure didn't know a whole lot else about it when I dug into it. But it's (the first part of) a VN murder mystery! And I enjoyed it a whole lot. All the characters are memorable and I really enjoy how all of them have differentiating designs. The protagonist is so failgirl. She sucks so much and I love her. I'm very intrigued by the mechanics of the game's world, it clues you in near the beginning to expect something a bit supernatural/fantastical, which gives you (and later the protagonist) a curiosity about what's real and what isn't. The music is all very impressive too, with the ost reaching past 100 tracks varying through post-rock, folk, drum & bass, and others. (Remembering when the track "Scandal" played and my friends and I took a moment to be like- okay hang on this track pwns.) Big fan of its haunting locals and how the aesthetic of the game fits them well. Also the humor is a lot of fun, and I love all the moments getting to know the different characters. Very excited to see the eventual continuation of this.

~12 hours

Absolutely Perfect Specimen https://chambersoft.itch.io/absolutely-perfect-specimen It seems like a lot of people are craving toxic horror yuri lately. Here's a recommendation. It's a VN about the android maid "Pan" and the mad scientist girl who created her. Horrifying & gut wrenching & largely about having other people define you. The art and music is haunting & poignant and matches the ever increasing feeling of dread throughout. It's yuri with the chunks. Peak robotgirl horror for those who can stomach it.

~90 minutes

Wordhopper https://kokoscript.itch.io/wordhopper Very quaint word search type puzzle game for ms dos! I think its style is very slick and that's pretty impressive to see. Chill game with nice vibes and eyecandy visuals. also it was so cool to have played this and then ended up seeing the dev's booth at Vintage Computer Festival Midwest. I was like omg woah I just played this.

~bunny

Bossgame https://lilyv.itch.io/bossgame This game is yuriful as f*ck. Delightful humor and fun character dynamics! A simple-to-understand-difficult-to-master boss rush battle system that makes you satisfied to get it right, and enticing to get just a little farther if you get it wrong. There's a lot of detail and charm to this game's menus and dialogues and win screens, I remember noticing that once you beat a boss there would be some marquee text that would pass by with some prose on it. I love how it balances its silly moments with its heartfelt moments and its high octane moments. I like the character development and revelations had throughout the plot. & I like how good the protagonists are for each other :) It's very sweet. It's hype as hell. if you want some boss rush action paired well with that sweet sweet girl's love, you *will* play this game.

~5 hours

Elly's Adventure https://bikwins.itch.io/ellys-adventure Very cute and witchy!! You are the little witch girl "Elly" on an adventure to get your toys back!! Feels like a pretty authentic gameboy type experience, it takes a lot of design cues from Kirby's adventure and the like. I am a big fan of how playful it feels.

~1 hour

Nour https://store.steampowered.com/app/1141050/Nour_Play_with_Your_Food/ This was a treat for me, but I understand that not everybody is going to get it. It's a game where you play with food(and food accessories). And that's it. It knows what it was going for. I think a lot of people were expecting something else for some reason. It's a cute little toy game and I felt satisfied with my time with it.

~food

Hi-Fi Rush https://store.steampowered.com/app/1817230/HiFi_RUSH/ Do I have to say this game is super fun? It's a big one everybody probably already knows it. This game's dopey humor made me laugh a lot and I'm not afraid to admit it.

~12 hours

WHISKEY.ST2007S https://bonicle.itch.io/whiskey-st2007nes One of the last games I played in the year because it released super last minute. Does anybody else get a rush when running a shopping cart down the parking lot? This emulates that feeling. Short game where you collect whisky stones in the whisky stone dimension because you forgot to go christmas shopping until the very last minute. it rules. It's very short you can go play it right now & get a highscore.

~5 minutes

re:curse https://devpalmer.itch.io/re-curse Discovered this one near the very end of the year also. Fun little rpg maker horror/humor game about a weird scientist lady, her butch, and an evil clown computer virus that figured out how to warp reality. I got a kick out of it. and also enjoyed digging through the game's files, which was actively encouraged by the dev, which I thought was very fun.

~90 minutes

-Didn't technically get to until 2024 but released last year-

SWOLLEN TO BURSTING UNTIL I AM DISAPPEARING ON PURPOSE https://1207.itch.io/swollen-to-bursting-until-i-am-disappearing-on-purpose People love to dunk on a lot of indie rpgs for being "quirky Earthbound inspired and about depression" or whatever. Earthbound's great. If people can nail the kind of humor and absurdity it likes to pull off while also balancing difficult topics I think that deserves a high mark. SWOLLEN TO BURSTING was fun. Bizarre and charming places to explore & distressing secrets to find. I like how it blends meander-around-the-town gameplay with Yume Nikki sort of exploration and effects. Also I'm a big fan of the music. I like how it has the lofi sound which matches the early 3d look of the game.

~6 hours

HalOPE https://starbage.itch.io/halope Another for the fans of sweet little rpg maker games that have a lot of heart. HalOPE is about an incomplete little angel wondering through worlds. Each has a theme, usually to do with an emotion or feeling, and they do well at evoking that feeling as well as its antithesis. a lot of the music is very homey and charming at moments and unnerving at others, sometimes lonely, all doing well in their corresponding chapters to further the feeling of its specified theme. There are so many delightful characters and designs in this & I found myself feeling really attached to their tiny little stories. The narrative at the core of it all hit me. If I may be vulnerable, I cried a whole lot at various moments in this game. It was really cathartic. I feel very excited for people to experience this game.

~5 hours

-Favs I finally got around to that didn't come out 2023-

An Outcry https://quinnk.itch.io/an-outcry Kind of sad it took me so long to get to this one, but glad it meant I got to play the "definitive" updated version of it. Apartment wandering RPG maker horror. Bum smokes from your neighbors and use them to save the game. I wish I could unwrap a lot more of what I like about this game than I can without spoiling too much. But if I could, I'd probably go on for too long. Let me attempt to be succinct & not giving too much away. You can tell pretty early on that An Outcry is about taking action when necessary & not turning a blind eye. What it explores about player vs protagonist agency is very fascinating to me as well, and I enjoyed learning about the inspirations for why the game's narrative works the way it does. The character Anne is such a sweetie and I love her a whole lot. This game has a very tangible feeling, this apartment complex is dirty and crumby, it smells of smoke, and there's a surrounding desperation you can feel.

~5 hours

Pigments https://punkcake.itch.io/pigments Honestly I had gotten this game in a bundle and while I was playing it I hadn't looked at the name and I just kept calling it FRUIT. On call with my friends I'd be like "hey im gonna play more FRUIT". I straight up didn't read the title screen. But it's called Pigments. You play as a fruit and you try to paint the whole floor and not get sliced by buzzsaws. Fun little arcade type game.

~fruit

Bridge, October 3rd https://lowpolis.itch.io/bridge-october-3rd Very short vignette. I like it. It's what it says it is. I'm not going to overexplain.

~like a minute

-Other Games I Want To Mention-

Pseudoregalia https://store.steampowered.com/app/2365810/Pseudoregalia/ I think a lot of people might have already known this one but I felt like it was a pretty fun 3d platformer. There were a few issues I had with it (boss fight at the beginning was frustrating, and I got lost a lot [but it looks like there's been a map patch by now, so, perhaps for some that is a fix]). I enjoyed it but sure felt weird that the only accessibility option was to give the protagonist pants. What kind of joke is that?

~5 hours

Mushroom Musume https://mortallymoonstruckgames.itch.io/mushroom-musume (Disclaimer, this game is still early access, but I saw a lot of people talking about it last year. SO I will mention here?) Haven't played much of this yet, but I have enjoyed what I played so far!! As of writing I've gone through 6 playthroughs, I feel like I've hardly scratched the surface and I've been so impressed by its depth. It's very charming, you never know what sorts of fairytale shenanigans are going to happen, and it's very cool to see how your different stats will affect things. It very much plays out like a roguelike vn. Which is not the sort of thing you may expect to make much sense but it pulls this off well. Also all the mushroom girls are very cute and I love them very much. I hope the sad goopy one who had bugs in her skin rests in peace.

~mushroom

Knuckle Sandwich https://andybrophy.itch.io/knuckle-sandwich -_- Hm. Where do I start with this one. I was pretty excited for this one since the demo and kickstarter in 2018. I felt like the demo was a hell of a hook that got me curious & horrified. As time went on, it seemed to be shaping up into something really cool. turn based combat with action commands and wario-ware-type microgames?? with a banging soundtrack?? like, count me in!! Then it released and well, the gameplay, art, music all delivered. It was very fun and engaging in those aspects. But the story… oh it just devolves into disappointing nonsensical randomness. The whole hook at the beginning seemed to be completely thrown away for the wild goose chase plot that ensues, leaving you to wonder if it was ever going to be relevant again. It felt like it had no idea what it was trying to say or do. It disappointed me that a game that has so much good in so much else about it gets brought down so much for me by this plot.

~12 hours

Rhythm Doctor https://store.steampowered.com/app/774181/Rhythm_Doctor/ (Putting this one in mentions because it is early access.) I really enjoyed the act 5 release. When I first saw this game, I kind of shrugged it off, thinking "that base mechanic doesn't seem like it will last". I thought it was basically just that one ghost shooting game from Rhythm Heaven which I Hate. Well let's just say I am now seeking penitence for my previous transgressions. It's really fun. There's a lot more to it that I didn't know when I first took a look. Also, consistently amazed by people's custom levels, I had no idea that its level editor allows people to do so much in it, I look at some levels and think "This editor seems as complex as an industry standard video editor". I'm looking forward to what they're planning next, very curious how they could possibly one-up the last update.

~rhythm

El Paso Elsewhere https://strangescaffold.itch.io/el-paso-elsewhere This was really fun & funny so far but unfortunately I had been encountering an issue with a certain level where the game would crash. I reported the issue, got a response, and there has been an update since then so I think there's a possibility that it got fixed but I have not tried yet. I would like to return to this sometime but having to relearn controls midway through is always daunting to me.

-Things that looked good but didn't get around to-

Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood https://store.steampowered.com/app/1340480/The_Cosmic_Wheel_Sisterhood/ Still don't know a whole lot about this. But there are witches, and I like witches.

Casette Beasts https://store.steampowered.com/app/1321440/Cassette_Beasts/ I haven't felt thrilled about Pokémon lately. I know a lot of people seemed to really enjoy this little monster-collecting-rpg. The style is appealing to me as a die-hard gen 5 fan. I started playing it but haven't set aside the dedicated time for it yet, but I'm excited to dig in more when I do.

Little Goody Two Shoes https://store.steampowered.com/app/1812370/Little_Goody_Two_Shoes/ Started watching a friend play this, and I'm certainly curious.. Some sort of horror fairytale but also there's yuri? Yum. Enjoyed the style and animation in the nightmare segments that I saw.

Venba https://store.steampowered.com/app/1491670/Venba/ I've picked this up a while ago but still haven't gotten around to it, but I'm eager to, I've heard nothing but good things.

Goodbye Volcano High https://store.steampowered.com/app/1310330/Goodbye_Volcano_High/ I think there are gay dinosaurs in a band and it's going to be the apocalypse? I have also heard nothing but good things about this.

-Things I watched friends play-

Signalis https://store.steampowered.com/app/1262350/SIGNALIS/ This was a pretty big one. You probably already know it, right? Watched a friend play this and I missed various parts but I understood a solid bit of it. hey. robotgirls are always getting put in these fucked up situations. have you noticed this? one time i got really high and cried about it. it isn't fair

Bomb Rush Cyberfunk https://store.steampowered.com/app/1353230/Bomb_Rush_Cyberfunk/ This one was also probably big enough you don't need me to sing its praises. but it looked really neat. swag.

-Various Thoughts-

Lately I've been thinking more about design and narrative. I feel like I haven't been doing as much analysis as I should be when it comes to games. I want to dissect more what games are saying and figure out meaning. Also attempt to see how the mechanics aid in that. I feel like most of my own work is pretty abstract & random. I simply make what I like. While that's fun and all, I still want to improve in a lot of ways, especially in having more of a theme or message. Figuring out how other games accomplish this is obviously a good step toward this.

If you saw games here that interest you I highly urge you to take a look, many are pretty short, and I pretty explicitly wanted to highlight some smaller titles. If you know me you know I like to uplift small games. (Save for the occasional big game, but that's rare these days) I think it's healthy for you to play and support independently developed & published works. I don't want to ramble too much this time about why that's important, but I hope that you might have found something you may enjoy here and if not then I encourage you to find small stuff that you would like. And I would like to encourage everybody to share their findings as well! Little games need our help to be seen and talked about! They don't have the budgets the big ones do for advertising, and advertising on your own is a whole ton of work. If you like something, spread the word! I'm sure the developers would very much appreciate that.

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tillthelandslide · 1 year

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Insufferable Arsehole Part 4: Talk! - Matty Healy Series

A/n: warning this one is a bit long haha. Hope you like it anyway, let me know what you think

You can read the previous part here: Part 3 -Sex

Series Masterlist

Matty and Lou haven't spoken since everything happened, it had been about a week and a half since then. She can't deny she has found herself craving his touch, but his words had royally pissed her off and it would take more than a few lustful glances (which there were many) to get her to do anything with him again.

Lou and Ross are sat at the edge of today's stage, Ross' bass sits in her lap, they're sitting opposite each other. She has no clue how many shows they've played now or how many cities and counties they've been to. From where Matty stands at the side of the stage, he can only see Ross, who's hair is free from the usually restraint of a hairband, Lou's back is facing him, but the giggles and laughter she's letting out are getting on his nerves. He wants to be the one that's making her laugh like that.

She's playing the bass line to "Love Me", she plays it easily and Ross chuckles to himself, shaking his head.

"Is there anything you can't do?" he says and she smiles at this, blushing slightly.

"When did you learn that?" he asks, she passes his bass back to him and he rests it against his lap.

"A while ago... always liked the way it sounded, you play it better though" she smiles at him, her chin rests against her palm as she looks at him. They talk about how amazing the other was during the previous shows, Lou complimenting him tenfold on his harmony during "change of heart".

"We have to sing together sometime" she says and they shake on it.

An eyelash rests against his cheek and she leans forward, fingers gently removing it "eyelash" she explains.

"Make a wish" she says, Ross closes his eyes for a second before opening them back up, she smiles and lightly blows on the eyelash, they smile and watch as it floats somewhere unknown.

Matty knows at this point he's seen too much so he walks to where they're sitting on the stage.

"Well isn't this cosy. Have to admit, you two are cute. Be careful Ross, heard she's a bit of a bitch, think you can do better mate" he says and she has to really try not to just get up and slap him. She doesn't care if he's rude towards her, but directing it at one of his best friends is too far.

"Why do you have ruin everything" she says, sighing deeply, getting up from the stage and going to walk off. Ross sighs before walking off too, in the opposite direction, Matty quickly chases after her, grabbing her by the hand, halting her movements.

"Where are you running off to aye?" he asks harshly. She snatches her hand away from his before snapping at him.

"You have no right saying shit like that. Forget about me for a minute, I dont matter. But Ross? He is one of your best friends and you've been treating him like shit!" she says, her words ringing true although Matty didn't want to hear them.

"Sorry if it annoys me that you and him are cosying up all other the place" he says ignoring her words completely.

"So what!" she shouts, throwing her hands up almost in defeat "Ross is kind and he cares about me unlike you!" she shoves him before going to leave, she quickly turns around "you can't just fuck me and think that I owe you something, continue being a dick to me all you like, but I will not let you ruin your friendship with your best friend" she explains before finally leaving.

Matty knows she's right, he doesn't know what or if something is going on between Ross and her, but Ross actually deserves her. He knows that's why he's the way he is with her, because he wants her but knows she's the last thing he deserves.

Ross is good, and kind just like her, they're perfect for each other he thinks.

He doesn't see her for the rest of the day, he wants to check up on her, make sure she's okay but he's aware he's probably the last person she wants to see. Instead he finds Ross, he's sitting on a sofa backstage and he offers him a weak smile, one in which Matty didn't deserve. He deserves for Ross to tell him he was an arsehole and to fuck off, but that wasn't the type of person he was.

"Hey mate, look, I'm really sorry for being such an arse, whatever is going on I'm happy for you" he says. Ross shakes his head at this.

"There's nothing going on, we're just friends mate, that's the way its always been. We just get each other that's all" he says, Matty wants to believe him but doesn't quite. He goes to speak again, but Ross cuts in first.

"Look, whatever you feel about her, you can't keep doing this" he says, his words confusing the curly head man, his eyebrows furrow.

"Come on man, the both of you have always had this back and forth, its obvious you have feelings for her, just sort it out. I care about you both and right now, you're just hurting each other and making a mess of things" Ross says, his words hit Matty and he finds himself pulling his mate into a hug.

"Im confused man" he almost whispers, face tucked into Ross' shoulder.

"I know" he says, just hugging his friend tighter. The truth was, Matty had always been infatuated with her, she was the girl of his dreams and he felt like he never deserved her. He saw the way she was with his closest friends and he was jealous of them. So he coped the only way he knew how, by completely rejecting those feelings and replacing them with hate. He had a huge ego, but his self worth had always been far too low and recently had been plummeting even more.

"She's too good for me man, I don't deserve her - never have, that's why I act this way" he says, running his hands through his hair.

"Maybe if you treated her the way she deserves, the way, deep down, you want to treat her. You'll start thinking otherwise" Ross says and Matty just hugs him again.

"I get you're scared mate, I get it. But you've gotta try otherwise we might all loose her" Ross said and Matty knew it was true.

Matty wanted to tell her how amazing he thought she was, how talented and kind and genuinely good she was. But he had always been so scared she would reject him. But Ross was right, if he carried on being this way, she'd run away and they'd all lose her.

"What if it goes bad anyway? What if she rejects me and ends up feeling too awkward to hang out with you lot. I risk it either way" Matty explains, running his hand through his hair.

"And what if it's the best thing that ever happened to you?" Ross asks, Matty feels his world spin at his friends words, his heart picking up in his chest. Maybe he was scared of both of those scenarios.

He eventually finds her having a smoke, she's sat on the curb of a pavement, he can tell she had been crying and he cant count the amount of cigarette buts that were scattered around her.

"This seat taken love?" he asks, his tone quiet and gentle, he wanted to let her know he meant no harm.

"Go for it" she says, eyes not finding his, she can tell he's about to speak so she cuts him off quickly.

"Leave it Matty... its fine" she says, in the next minute he's turned her body so its facing him, his hands have found hers and are holding them gently. His eyes are unfalting from hers and his face is close to hers.

"No its not fine. It's really not fine. I am genuinely so sorry" he says and she just sighs.

"Just listen please" he begs and she nods.

"I know you don't believe me and I completely understand that, I haven't given you a single reason to. But I am so sorry. I've been a right cock and I'm making a mess of things. True Matty fashion" he says and she finds herself letting out a small chuckle at that. His fingers gently wipe at her cheek, removing the tears.

"I will show you how sorry I am, I swear. We can't lose you Lou..." he says, pausing, her eyes are focused on the ground, so he places her fingers under her chin, carefully pushing against it and making her look at him.

"I can't lose you" another confession that has her heart pounding, but it confuses her.

"I'm a twat. But I'm obsessed with you" he admits, "Always have been, just hated ya because it was easier than the alternative" he says, her eyebrows furrow.

"The alternative?" she says, her voice weak. He sighs deeply before rushing out his words, she hears every single one though.

"Telling you I liked you and you rejecting me because you're too good for me. You were- are this really cool girl, who is unbelievably kind and good. And everybody loves you and I got why but I hated it because I knew you wouldn't see me the way I wanted you too. I hated the fact that you got along so well with the guys, they got to have this part of you that I would never have, all because I'm this insufferable, arrogant, arsehole who treated you like shit" he is the one to stare at the ground now. She squeezes his hand gently and his eyes are back on hers.

"You're an idiot" she says, almost smiling. She leans forward and places a gentle kiss to his cheek.

"what was that for?" he asks, a small smile resting on his lips.

"For admitting that, I know it must have been hard. But you should know... maybe if you weren't such a dick, I wouldn't have had to reject you. You could've had me the way the guys did too, you just had to be nice" she says and he nods sadly.

"so you are rejecting me?"

"No... I'm just saying... I'm not rejecting you, I'm not doing anything... you need to prove what you're saying" she says and he nods harshly.

"I swear I'll prove it!" he says.

"Okay" she smiles at him.

"Can I kiss you?" he asks nicely and she smiles at the tone she's very rarely heard directing at her. She nods and he places a very light kiss to her lips, just his lips pressing softly against hers, an apology of sorts, or the start of one. He pulls away shortly after and she finds herself chasing his lips.

"We should get ready for the show" he says, his forehead rests against hers and their eyes are both closed. They both sigh deeply, wanting more but also knowing it wasn't the right thing to do. She couldn't just let him back in, he had to earn it and he wanted to.

----------------------------------------------------------

She hears a knock on her dressing room door, shouting a "one sec" as she finished applying her lipstick. Walking barefoot to the door and swinging it open, revealing her best friend's girlfriend, someone who she had missed so much. She screams excitedly before the two girls are hugging each other tightly, Charli then pulls back, a stern look on her face.

"What the fuck is going on with Matty?" she asks, a little too loudly for Lou's liking. She pulls her inside quickly, looking down the hallway to see if anyone was looking. She shuts the door behind her, before turning to the girl who was now sat on her sofa, arms crossed. She sighs before sitting herself next to her.

"How the fuck did you find out?" Lou asks, making Charli laugh.

"So there is something going on?" she has a smirk on her face.

"Yes, no. Fuck I dunno. We kissed, twice thats it" she lies. "Who told you?" she speaks, biting her lip nervously, awaiting her friends reaction.

"George" she says, making Lou's stomach drop, Charli gauges her reaction and sighs "yeah he's not too happy, he said he overheard Ross and Matty having a conversation about you" that was news to her "he confronted Matty about it, so he told G everything and... apparently they're not talking" she says awkwardly.

"What? Why? Fuck this is bad... everything?" Lou says, stressing herself out, biting her lip and ruining her lipstick. Charli nods at her question, a slight smirk resting on her lips.

"Calm down it will be okay. George said he was annoyed that Matty practically made your life hell when in fact he was just in love with you" her stomach drops again, heart pounding.

"Hey he did not say he was in love with me!" she says, panicking again.

"shit..." charli says.

"He said he was in love with me?!" she asks and Charli shrugs, half nodding at her.

"Jesus Christ" her head finds her hands, resting there. Her breath is deep, laboured and she feels Charli's hand on her back. She thinks over all the information she's just been told.

"Wait a sec, what was this conversation Ross and Matty had?" she asks.

"Matty thought you and Ross had a thing, Ross told him you didn't and he confessed how much he had liked you and said it was why he was the way he was with you" she says, some new information in her words but some Matty had admitted to.

"Jesus christ that man is dellusional"

"You like him don't you?" she says, eyebrows raising.

"I dunno Charli, honestly I don't know...." she says, speaking from her rational side, her heart telling her she was lying.

"The truth is, he makes me excited, but he had treated me like shit for most of our lives and now he's telling me he had always liked me but thought I was going to reject him. He said he'd prove what he meant, that he was actually sorry. It's confusing, the truth is I haven't had a chance to figure out if i like him, like truly like him. I know i fancy him, i know he gets on my nerves but..." she trails off.

"It's passionate right?" charli asks and Lou nods.

"What's the problem then? He said he'd prove what he said right?" Lou nods again. She hears a banging coming from her door, whoever it was didn't sound happy. She walks over to it, the door swinging open to reveal, a very angry George.

"I swear I'm going to kill him" he says, barging in and pacing her room.

"Okay, calm down" she says, George sighs heavily, plonking down next to his girlfriend, arms crossed.

"You're not going to kill your best friend George"

"Yes i fucking am. He can't just treat you like shit all these years and then fucking confess his feelings for you like this. I could cope with him hating you, just hating you, but the fact he's been lying to me basically all my life has pissed me off" he says, Charli looks at Lou before she speaks.

"G" she says, making her man turn to her "stop being a dick, this isn't about you, Lou has been your best friend since you were babies and you haven't once asked how she is" she feels thankful to her for that.

"Shit you're right" he says, Lou offers him a small smile.

"Always am baby, anyway I will leave you to it" she says, placing a kiss to her boyfriend's cheek, hugging Lou and then leaving. Lou sits down next to her best friend and George takes her hand in his.

"I'm sorry for making it about me. Are you okay?" he asks, she shrugs.

"I'm just confused" she smiles a weak smile again.

"I mean... to be honest it does make a little sense, but I'm still pissed at the guy" he says.

"Please don't be, this whole thing is complicated enough as it is, doesn't need to be more complicated. He's your best friend G" she says, and he squeezes her hand.

"So are you.... why couldn't he just not be a pussy and just have told you... would've saved years of you hating each other" he says and she shrugs, not knowing the answer.

"What's happening then?" he asks.

"I dunno, he said he's sorry and I said he needs to prove it... years of being rude to each other can't be solved by a few kisses and the words "Im sorry" but that goes for me too" she says.

George groans "oh god you guys are going to be making out all over the place aren't you?" he says and she chuckles at this.

"Honestly G... I don't know. You want the truth?" she says and he nods "always" he says.

"As much as he gets under my skin, I liked the way he made me feel, but it came from all that hatred. So who knows what will happen if you remove all that?" she says and George hugs her.

"I guess we shall see. but if he hurts you I will kill the man" he says. She puts her shoes on shortly after, fixing her lipstick before the pair return to the main room. George makes a direct beeline to Matty.

"Are we okay?" Matty asks, and George nods.

"Yeah mate we're good" he says, hugging him tightly, what Lou doesn't hear is the "but if you hurt her I will kill you" to which Matty replies "don't plan on it mate"

Lou feels a hand wrap around her shoulder, looking up to see Ross, who smiles down at her, his hair now in a bun, he's wearing a white shirt and black slacks, his blazer thrown over a near by sofa.

"You good?" he asks and she nods up at him, cuddling into his chest as he squeezes her.

"Good" he says, she pulls back to look him and smirks.

"Heard Matty thought we were a thing" she says and they both fall silent for a beat before they both laugh loudly at the idea of it. Her eyes then fall on Matty who's standing across the room, he smiles at the two of them and they both smile back. Ross then leaves her to talk to Hann and Matty finds his way to her.

George and Charli are making out on the sofa, making her roll her eyes at the pair.

"They're gross right?" Matty says, coming to stand next to her.

"Sickening" she says, making them both laugh.

"You look lovely darling" he says honestly. She adorns a similar outfit to the previous nights however she's changed it up slightly, instead of her usual black shorts or jeans and a black shirt, she wears a short black skirt which rests against her upper thigh, tights and a white tee that is tucked in, a black tie is loosely worn around her neck. She wears a leather suit jacket that finishes above her knee and a pair of ankle boots that are healed, making her a little taller.

She organised outfits with the stylists who had joined them this tour, the same as the guys would, she picked several for each night, deciding on the night which one she wore.

"Yeah think they got my wardrobe mixed up with yours" she smirks and he realises that she does indeed resemble him, but at the same time the outfit is unmistakably her style too.

"It's a good look" he too smirks down at her.

"Must have the same taste" she says and they laugh again.

"Looks better on you love" he speaks softly, another pet name easily rolling off his tongue. They are then being called on stage.

"Umm... Good luck love" he says a bit awkwardly, making her smile.

"Yeah, you too" she says and she goes to walk the other direction but his hand halts her a second, pulling her back to him, nearly making her collide with his chest.

"I told the crew to put your mic next me to be during about you, hope that's okay" he says, his face is moving slowly downwards to hers and she nods thoroughly before he places a sweet kiss to her lips.

"Sorry, couldn't help myself" he says, he's apolising because he knows he shouldn't be doing it, he hadnt proved anything to her her and he didn't deserve it.

"I don't mind" she smiles, leaning up to place a firmer one on his lips before they're getting ushered away by Jamie who stands there, rolling his eyes.

"Shouldn't have expected anything else to be honest" he says to himself under his breath.

----------------------------------------------------------They get on stage and it's a show like no other. The band are sounding the best they have so far, bouncing off each other. Her harmonies seem clearer today, not sure if someone had turned up her microphone but whatever it was, she loved it. The way her voice blended with Matty's, complimented it perfectly. The time came for About You to be performed and Matty turned to her, ushering her down the stage, she followed his instructions and placed herself behind the microphone that was placed next to his.

Her voice rang out at the right times and everyone cheered during her solo. But what made her heart swell was the look on Matty's face, he sat on the top of a sofa next to her, smiling across from her as she sung. Her eye contact remained with the crowd then, for she knew one look at Matty and she'd be done for.

The final notes played out and the band and the crowd cheered loudly for her.

"Ladies and gentlemen the wonderful Lou!" Matty said, gesturing towards her before pulling her into a tight hug, the act surprises her but she feels her eyes shutting as her palms rest flat against his back, her head tilted to the side, cheek against his chest due to the height difference. It was the second time they had ever hugged and she felt undeniably comfortable.

They pulled away, she went back to her spot and her eyes snapped to George who was focused on her already. His eyebrows raised at her as if to say " what the fuck was that". She shrugs over at him before looking at Ross who is smiling across at her, truly just happy to see the two getting along.

The show finishes and she doesn't wait at the side stage when they do their final bows like they usually would. Instead she makes her way to her dressing room, needing to be alone to think for a bit. She felt a tad overwhelmed, she quickly lights a cigarette, the nicotine coating her tongue easing her nerves a little.

She sighs, staring across from where she was sat, disassociating for what felt like only a second. Until she's hearing a soft knock on the other side of the door. She doesn't even remember stubbing out her finished cigarette but the butt is lying against an ash tray on the table in front of her.

"Everything alright in there?" Matty's voice is soft but muffled by the wood. Part of her doesn't want him to come in, she knew one look at him would have her crumbling and right now she needed to seriously think about everything and figure out the reasonable thing to do next. But her voice is betraying her as she says her next words.

"Yeah! You can come in if you'd like" she says, and the door is opening then, revealing Matty, only difference was he had already changed, a pair of black jeans and a black shirt resting against his body. She didn't realize how long she had been sitting there thinking for.

"Didn't want to get changed?" He asks, his voice is quiet, as if he was scared what would happen if he spoke up a little.

"Sorry, I got distracted, time seems to have escaped me" she lets out a weak chuckle.

"I can leave you to get changed" he says going to stand but her hand finds his, stopping him in his tracks. She shakes her head at him, silently asking him to stay. He sits back down, not moving his hand from under hers.

"You sounded amazing tonight... More than usual I mean" he says.

"Thank you, so did you" she says, smiling at him, he doesn't say anything to her compliment of him, instead speaks sincerely about her.

"Carly is wonderful don't get me wrong. But there's something about the way you sing 'About You'" he says, smiling at her now. "Like it was made for you" he says and she finds her smile stretching wider at his words.

"That's sweet. Thank you Matty" she says.

"Anyway... Um. I'm going to leave you to get changed. Jamie said we need to be on the bus soon" he says and she nods at him.

"Find me on the bus yeah?" He asks next and she nods again. He quickly pulls her into a quick hug, one that she barely registers before he's left the room.

She quickly removes her shirt and skirt, leaving the tights on as she throws one of George's hoodies over her frame, it was basically a dress on her anyway. She quickly got her things together before she left the room, one of the crew assisting her to the tour bus.

She finds the whole group sitting in the main room, all smiling at her as she entered. She had hoped no one would be there so she could sneak into her bunk undetected.

"Hey rockstar!" Ross says, standing up to hug her tightly. Matty looks at the both of them, but he doesn't feel as jealous anymore.

She looks up at Ross and he instantly knows she's not okay.

"Give me a minute yeah?" She says and he nods down at her, letting her leave.

"Is she okay?" Matty finds himself asking, feeling protective over her already.

"I've got this" George says, knowing he's the only person she could deal with right now. He untangles himself from his girlfriend, placing a peck against her lips before moving to find his best friend. He finds her at the room at the back of the bus, a slightly larger room behind their individual bunks.

"Hey, you okay pumpkin?" He asks, using the nickname he knows she likes, one he has called her since they were young, especially reserved for moments like these. She goes to speak but no sound comes out.

"Talk to me Lou says" her lips begin to quiver and his eyes find her watery ones and he quickly pulls her into a tight hug.

"Hey, hey it's okay. It's okay" he says, hands smoothing over her hair. The sleeves of the jumper she's wearing are quickly wiping away the tears.

"talk to me" he says softly.

"I'm just overwhelmed G.... I love you guys and this has been amazing so far but fuck... It's overwhelming... Everything is just too much" she says and he understands every word.

"Hey it's okay, I get it" he feels a sob rip through her and it shakes her body, so he holds her tighter against him.

"I guess I just miss my band... And my family and your family... And everything with matty is just confusing me and..." She just continues to cry then. Often Lou would feel everything all at once and it would take one thing to get all the things she had been pushing away to come to the surface. And the catalyst this time was Matty.

"I said if he hurts you I will kill him" George warns and she pulls back to look at him.

"No George. It's not that... It's just... He's being really kind and sweet now and everything on stage.... It was lovely but it's just confusing" she says and George nods down at her, thumbs swiping under her cheeks to remove the tears. He knows how she's feeling without her even having to say it and he knows what she really wants to say.

"You're my best friend right?" He asks and she nods "like my sister" and she nods again.

"I know you better than anyone and you know me better than anyone" she nods again.

"You're confused because you think you might genuinely fall for him and you're scared of what would happen if you let yourself fall" he says and his words hit her like a ton of bricks. Her mouth falls open and he chuckles lightly. He pulls her against him again, delivering a soft peck to her forehead.

"I know you're scared... Think he is too... Because this might be the greatest thing that could happen to both of you... If you treat each other the way you should" he says and she knows he's right.

"I know I said a lot of shit... But I think it would be pretty epic if my two best friends loved each other" he continues and she looks up at him then.

"Thanks G" she says, he always had her back and knew what to say and how to help.

"Better still have time for me though" he says making her laugh.

"I'll always have time for you G, you're my best friend. Always"

"Always" they hug one more time before she tidies herself up, the pair returning to the group who are chatting away about god knows what.

Matty's eyes find hers and he smiles at her and that makes her smile.

"Good?" He mouths and she nods "good"

Part 5

#matty healy #matty healy smut #matty healy x reader #the 1975 fanfic #the 1975 #the 1975 smut

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thisisnotthenerd · 4 months

Text

Happy New Year @shakespearestolemyurl !! I have the other half of your 2023 @d20exchange gift: Songs of the Celestine verses for the Bad Kids!

Group Verses

On occasion, an adventuring party will receive a set of verses that encompasses the group as a whole—these verses are sung together as opposed to individually. Often, these are written by a bard within the group, taking the form to detail the exploits of their own adventuring party.

This set of written verses regards the Solesian adventuring party known as the Bad Kids, who defeated Kalvaxus and the Nightmare King during their first two years at the Aguefort Adventuring Academy. The author of these verses is technically unknown, but it is believed that Fabian Seacaster, during his early bardic education, composed these verses for his friends using the form learned from his pirate father, William Seacaster, after he joined the College of Swords during the Bad Kids' quest to retrieve the Crown of the Nightmare King. 1

______________________________

Adaine Abernant-O’Shaughnessy:

A wizard born

To endless scorn

Who chose the face the fighting storm

Upon her word

That she has sworn

The elven oracle

She’s stolen books

And taken looks

At futures she has now forsook

From tiny nooks

She found the hooks

Now categorical

With arcane hands

She made her stand

A mage come far from foreign lands

And as she scanned

She made her plans

And broke her manacles

For now she is

Second to none

The oracle for everyone

And free at last

She’ll have her fun

Adaine the oracle

______________________________

Kristen Applebees:

The cleric chosen

For devotion

Her heart in ever-changing motion

Questions Couldn’t

Remain unspoken

The Prophet now come free

So determined she

Can’t be deterred

She tried to fly with a Ribbon dancer

Oh she stands sure

Even though her

Dex is negative three

From Helio

To Yes? Or no

She understands what can’t be known

In philosophy

She seeks to grow

Cassandra’s only priest

A cleric’s light

Within the night

Guides darkened paths with clear sight

She walks alight

And fears no fright

Saint Kristen Applebees

______________________________

Figueroth Faeth:

The rebel bard

Cannot be charred

Flamboyant in her disregard

With warlock spells

She will safeguard

Fig the InFaethable

She changes face

In every space

And plays with skill electric bass

She’ll catch your soul

And take your place

While playing rock’n’roll

She gave request

For Aguefort’s best

But something she could not have guessed

Was to the west

And in her nest

Writing wizard’s scrolls

She’ll drink some gin

No fear of sin

Her secrets kept behind her grin

But when you’re friends

She’ll let you in

Fig the InFaethable

______________________________

Gorgug Thistlespring:

Barbarian bound

To hear the sound

Of metal music all around

He oft confounds

And breaks the ground

Gorgug Thistlespring

He looked for meaning

In the gloam

For heritage to call him home

Child of orc

And man and gnome

he is now the crab king

He fuels with fear

an endless rage

He came from deathly forest aged

Who is his dad

He cannot gauge

Insight is not his thing

He wields his axe

And hammer too

He’ll call across the world to you

He fixed his phone

Made sending stones

it’s Gorgug keep going

______________________________

Riz “The Ball” Gukgak:

The roguish goblin

Killed a dragon

With deepest passion he was gobbling

He’s hidden when

He gets his shots in

Riz Gukgak? Nay, “the Ball”

With arquebus

And sword to choose

The briefcase where he keeps his clues

Or healer’s kit

And clue tattoos

He makes good use of them all

The little shrimp

Of the bad kids

When seeking clues do as he bids

While counting fingers

He shot Biz

He’ll commit assault

Though self-contained

With party in reins

He thinks at night with buzzing brain

He’ll ne’er refrain

And fears no pain

The fury of the small

______________________________

Fabian Seacaster:

The bardic fighter

Sheet igniter

Hellish motorcycle rider

With dance and fire

He will reach higher

Fabian Seacaster

Born to pirate

Legacy and

Elvish smiths and fighters free

He made his way

From land to sea

And faced disaster

The warlocks slain

‘Twas only him

And erstwhile friend, Chungledown Bim

And on a whim

From battle grim

He fled and fell even faster

And from that moment

He was changed

His skill in elvish dance now trained

With sword and sheet

And crossbow ranged

Fabian Seacaster

1 Given the personal nature of these verses, there are a few deviations from how the song is typically sung for pirate heroes. While titles and epithets commonly feature in the Songs, this rendition features continual references to titles endowed upon the Bad Kids, formal or otherwise, save Seacaster's own verses. These include: the Elven Oracle [Adaine Abernant-O'Shaughnessy], the InFaethable [Figueroth Faeth], the Blessed Saint [Kristen Applebees], the Crab King [Gorgug Thistlespring], and The Ball [Riz Gukgak].

#dimension 20 #d20exchange2023 #songs of the Celestine #the bad kids #adaine abernant #kristen applebees #fig faeth #riz gukgak #gorgug thistlespring #fabian seacaster #fantasy high #fantasy high sophomore year

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8em-em-em8 · 2 years

Text

Music genius Steve won't leave my mind and now my brain has an entire story cooked so there it is (buckle up, you're in for a long drive)

+ Steve and Eddie bond after the upside down and Eddie, who was expecting Steve to call his music 'noise' or to exclusively want to listen to top 30 songs, notices Steve likes pretty much all kind of music, and Steve confesses he never really paid attention to it : his dad influence, think music is disposable and anyone pursuing it as a career is ruining their life, that's why he made fun of Tammy Tomson is S3 but seeing Eddie with Corroded Coffin at gigs/practices is making him change his mind.

+ Steve rapidly learns Eddie's song by heart and sings them, adapting the key to his voice and capacity, sometimes doing some impro. He's really good at it.

+ Other than band practice, Eddie has jamming sesh with Johnathan and Argyle. Johnathan plays the bass and Argyle has one of those cool electric keyboard that can do all type of sounds

+ (Argyle is rich, like, his family owns Surfer Boy Pizza, and he gets his own apartment in Hawkins and it's where all of them hang out most of the time).

+ Eddie start to teach guitar to Steve with his acoustic one, till one day Steve shows up with what he think is an electric one (he wants to be cool like Eds), but it's a bass, so now Johnathan also teach him.

+ As a good band kid, Robin also get dragged into all of this, she's always there but since Trumpet is not easy to add in their music she takes a fancy on drums. Gareth start to teach her and everyone can see he's got a crush on her. I think it would come out one night around a bond fire, when Jeff teases him about it. Robin looks at him to gauge his reaction but he's very layd back, he just shrugs whit a ''So?'' and the boys go crazy except that Steve seems worried. Eddie thinks it jealousy, especially when Robin looks at him next, but Steve just nods, very tense and then Robin comes out to everyone. Eddie's surprised Steve knew already and was fine about it but it makes him feel brave so he takes one more big gulp of liquid courage and announce that he's gay too.

+ after a while, Eddie starts asking Steve for his opinions when he writes songs, and Steve doesn't seems to understand why him, but he helps and every suggestion he has is good.

+ Sometimes they have really deep conversation about life and it's meanings and once Steve ask the traditional ''How did you know you were... You know'' and Eddie's been picking clues up for a while now, how Steve Gase lingers on some boys sometimes and other things, but he doesn't push it, only talking about his own experience.

+ So for Eddie, the logical following would be for Steve to write his own songs, but Steve is like ''Dude, I hardly can read and write and you want me to do music?!'' Robin immediately volunteer to write things down and when Eddie buys him a recorder two days later with a ''Now you don't have to write '' comment to go with it, Steve start to understand that his friends are serious when they say he's talented.

+ Corroded Coffin get spotted by a record at one of their gigs in Indianapolis. Quite quickly they get signed, and they have to go record an album in Chicago. Steve does all the driving because he claims the boys needs to have energy for it/ rest after, so they sleep in the back at all time.

+ On one of the trips to Chicago, one of the Corroded Coffin boy get wind of a gay bar opening in the street they work at and they all decide to go, at least to see how it is. That night Steve and Eddie kiss for the first time (it's not a relationship seal, they just talked a lot about Steve figuring his sexuality lately, and seeing all those ppl being happy makes him want to try so he ask Eddie if they can kiss. Of course the boy says yes, but he understands the second they lips meet that he's fucked (as in he's in love)).

+ After the first Corroded Coffin albums drops, it takes only a month for the boy's to get a US tour fully booked, Chicago is their first and last date and all of the party is there both time, standing in the front row. Their last is a Sunday, so they think they finally get to SLEEP for the rest of their life, but on Saturday, Dustin barges in their hotel room to drag their ass out, especially Eddie's. ''Dont ask and trust me on this one, you'll thank me later'' and they end up in a really small bar at Steve very 1st gig, with him on the guitar, Johnathan on the bass, Robin as their grummer and Argyle with his wierd keyboard. And the 1st song is ''Figure you out'' from DJO and Eddie's mesmerized, getting flash back of the time Steve admitted having no idea of who he was and what he wanted to do with his life, Eddie's telling him he had all his life to figure it out.

+ Eddie kisses him senseless after the wrapping up, saying to Steve that he's never gonna let him go again, that he missed him too much while on tour so now that he's an accomplished artist he's gonna drag him to do Corroded Coffin first part in their newt tour and Steve respond with something like ''I love you too'' while someone, the only person who hadn't already understood what was going on between those two (so probably like because he's too busy dealing with his own sexual crisis) is looking at them with their jaw on the floor.

#i like the idea of famous misic husband #steddie #steve harrington #eddie munson #robin buckley #stranger things 4 #stranger things #st4 #corroded coffin

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aerie-stotle · 6 months

Text

What if we saw a bit more of what happened during the war from forces? Like who it affected, and what distant future events can be traced back to it?

Silver the hedgehog is called to Casino Night Zone. Eggman's Army has reached the city, and silver is the closest member of the resistance who stands a chance. He shows up, beats eggman, problem solved, right?

Right. Totally.

Before the war there was a band touring. The best metal band on mobius. We only need to know one name, and that's the bass player. Her name is Bass. Creative, I know. During the war, they initially put a halt on their tour, but then they started again and extended it. The idea was to keep people's spirits up while the world crumbled to dust.

But that fateful evening, they were performing at Casino Night when Eggman and his Army attacked.

Bass was the only surviving member of the band.

She set out to find a way to bring her friends back. She thought "there are so many magical things in this world, at least one must be capable of returning life to the dead." And it wasn't a dumb thought, obviously. The time stones, the chaos emeralds, the phantom ruby, the warp topaz... There are a ton of magical stones. She just had to find the right one. So she researched the known stones that possess magical capabilities... And she found it. A black diamond that could loosely adapt to its users wishes, and the best part is that it took music to harness its power. Actually the best part was that the book she was reading said it was currently on display in a soundproof case in a museum. It even told her which museum.

When she returned to Casino Night with the gem, it had already adapted. It had turned into a green-teal color, like malachite. As she began to play the bassline to her favorite song (The song with four names a.k.a. Labyrinth kind of Love a.k.a. truth overboard a.k.a. water's red and rising), she could feel the diamond's energy reaching out to where he friends rested. She witnessed specks of dust gather into clouds. She watched those clouds condense into piles. She watched as those piles moulded themselves into the shapes of her friends, and finally... there they were.

When she spoke, however, each of them said the same thing at the same time. A wave of terror washed over her. She stepped back. They stepped back. The drummer stumbled on a tree branch, fell backwards, and disintegrated. Bass sat there in shock... or was it fear? Anger? Despair? Her friends remained expressionless.

"No. Those aren't my friends." She thought.

She got up and ran. She didn't look back. After that point, her life took to a downard spiral. The war was over and she remained miserable. She couldn't perform without her band. She couldn't be happy without her friends. She didn't get it, why did everyone else get a happy ending like that blue hedgehog?

Wait. The Hedgehog.

Silver.

It was all Silver's fault

He showed up to the battle. He was meant to be the hero. He made a big entrance, and then he fought Eggman. That's it. He fought Eggman - he PRIORITIZED fighting Eggman over saving her friends' lives. For that, she could never forgive him. For that, she would end his life.

So, with the help of a character who shall remain anonymous thanks to me having no clue who it would be, she enhanced herself to better be able to utilize the diamond. She had a chassis implanted into her chest with the diamond embedded inside. She had her arm - the one that picked the strings on her guitar - replaced by a robotic one, so that the power of the diamond could travel directly into the guitar and be stronger by the time of release.

By the end, she had control over all things dead. It was time to go through with her plan: to cause a future so catastrophic that silver would have to come back and fix it. She began using dead matter create towering abominations which had never lived in the first place and were almost impossible to kill without her power. She set them free to ravage the world.

200 years in the future, Silver wakes up to a ruined city, a dust storm, and a kaiju-sized silhouette on the horizon. Behind him is a portal.

#sonic the hedgehog #sonic oc #sonic au #silver the hedgehog #sonic fandom #sonic forces #I spent too long writing this to not attach a metric shit ton of tags #sonic fangame #I wanted to give silver the hedgehog his own game lmao #sega #i spent too much time on this #god help me #sonic 06 #eggman #sth #sth fanart #sth oc #sth au

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multifandomrandomgirl · 1 year

Text

The Ropes That Bind Us - Peter Tork x Female!Reader PART ONE

Thought I'd drop a Peter fanfic as he is my favourite and it's my birthday, so I have to celebrate by Peter Torking!

Masterlist

Cold.

Dark.

Peter gasped for air as he struggled against the ropes that bound him to the chair. He had no idea how he’d got himself into this situation yet again. “I’m just going to buy more bread.” He had told Michael as he opened the front door three hours earlier. Knowing his bandmates, they wouldn’t notice his absence for another few hours.

“Shit.” Peter groaned, his chair nearly tipping over as he continued to fight the rope. Suddenly, out of the darkness, he heard a feminine voice.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you, if he sees the ropes loosen, he’ll tighten them so much that it’ll really hurt.”

Peter had expected to be alone in the dark room, so he jumped slightly at the sound of another voice.

“Who are you? How’d you know that?” Peter babbled. He was curious, he wanted to know everything; where he was, why he wasn’t alone et cetera.

“I’m Y/N. I know this because I’ve been trapped here a while, I have no clue how long. Do you know the date? But each time I struggle, he, whoever he is, tightens the ropes. He punishes me.” Y/N’s voice breaks slightly.

“Crap, I’m so sorry Y/N. I’m Peter. It’s the sixteenth of July nineteen-sixty-seven if that’s of any use.” Peter relaxes into his ropes, it brings him some comfort to know that he isn’t alone, but it also makes him sad, Y/N’s been alone for fuck knows how long.

“Fuck, nineteen-sixty-seven? I was taken in nineteen-sixty-four. Shit, I hadn’t realised it had been that long, it does feel like an eternity but I thought that was all down to the being alone in a dark room.” Y/N’s voice cracked more than it had done before.

Three years she’d been stuck here and no one had found her. He wondered if anyone had looked for her at all. Peter shook his hair, it made him fear that perhaps Mike, Micky, and Davy may never find him.

“I’m so sorry Y/N. I don’t know what to say, I’m angry that someone would do this to you, and that no one’s found you.”

“Hey, you found me! I know that isn’t a great thing as you’re now stuck in the same boat as me, but in a selfish way, I’m kinda glad that I have someone to talk to. It’s gotten boring talking to the walls, very one-sided.”

“It isn’t selfish that you’re happy you aren’t alone anymore. It’s not great that either of us are here, but you being here is helping me, I’m not as sacred now I know someone else is here.” He smiles in the direction of Y/N’s voice, before he remembered that she couldn’t see him, and he grimaced.

“So, Peter, tell me about yourself.” Y/N said softly, hoping to get to know her new friend.

“Well, let’s see. I was born February the thirteenth, nineteen-forty-two, making me an Aquarius. Um, I have hazel eyes, and dirty blonde hair, which my friends joke about because I’m the dummy, I always end up in stupid situations or say the wrong things. Anyway, I really love sushi and music! I’m in a band, I play piano, and bass, as well as a handful of other instruments.” The musician rambled. “What about you?”

Y/N gave him an equally as long rant,s he told him her birthday, star sign, her hair colour. She told him her favourite food and how she too was the dummy of her friend group, and always ended up in sticky situations.

“Tell me about your band. I’m interested.” Y/N glanced towards the voice of her new companion.

“We’re called The Monkees, with two ‘e’s instead of a ‘y’. There’s me, Michael - our guitarist. Micky - our drummer and vocalist, and Davy - our resident fuckboy, I mean singer and maraca player.” Peter quickly corrects himself, making Y/N giggle.

Peter began to sing Saturday’s Child in an attempt to ease himself as well as introduce Y/N to his band’s music.

“You’ve got such a nice voice! I really like it.” Peter was thankful that it was dark as he felt his face heat up at the comment made by the girl.

“Thank you! Hey! Are you much of a singer?” He asked, secretly, he had hoped she’d say no out of fear of him pulling a Davy and falling in love.

“I used to be in a band in school, I was the guitarist and one of the lead vocalists.” Y/N began to sing ‘Words of Love’ by Buddy Holly.

Peter’s fear was correct, he felt a warmth in his heart as he slowly realised he was falling for someone that he had met only a matter of hours ago.

#peter tork #peter tork is so adorable omfg #micky dolenz #michael nesmith #davy jones #the monkees #i love him so much #1960s music #the monkees should be in the rock and roll hall of fame #mike nesmith #monkees

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skinnyducky · 2 years

Text

4. seeing is believing

a/n it’s been a slow burn but this is where everything starts kicking off. also, i keep forgetting to say this but if you want me to tag you whenever i drop a chapter (or an imagine in general) feel free to let me know! anyways, as always... enjoy!

vinnie hacker x fem!reader

series masterlist | previous part | next part

Word Count: 1.5k, slightly edited

WARNING: language, mentions of alcohol, mentions of partying, i think that’s all.

Contrary to what she thought before, Y/n was actually enjoying herself. If you had told her a few hours ago that she’d be throwing a party, let alone having fun, she would’ve sued you for emotional distress. She didn’t know if it was due to the wine coolers or the atmosphere that was making her feel this way, but she didn’t want it to stop. Thanks to her friends, none of this would’ve happened—or at least that’s what she tried to convince herself. The truth of the matter was that even if Liza or Eamon persisted in pleading for her to throw this party, it wouldn’t have happened if it weren’t for Vinnie. He was the one who pushed her to step outside her comfort zone, the one who assured her that it was okay to let loose every once in a while. Without him, tonight wouldn’t have been possible.

An hour had passed, and while Liza and Eamon wandered off somewhere, Vinnie and Y/n stayed on the dancefloor. They swayed together to the hypnotic beats and dirty bass, enjoying each other’s company. Eventually, they grew tired and decided to recuperate on the couch.

"In all the years I’ve known you, I’ve never seen you dance like that." Vinnie laughed, leaning back on the sofa. "In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you dance. Why have you been keeping this from me?"

"I don’t know," giggled Y/n. The girl stared down at her nails, feeling the heat rush to her cheeks. "I didn’t even know I could dance like that until now."

"So, does that mean you’re having fun?"

Y/n shrugged, "I guess it does."

"See, we told you having a party wasn’t going to be so bad." Vinnie said, resting his arm across the back of the couch.

Nodding, Y/n looked up at the boy, meeting his eyes. "You were definitely right. I kind of owe this all to you. You really helped bring me out of my shell. Thank you."

"No, it was all of us. If it hadn’t been for Liza, this party wouldn’t have even been thought of. Then you have Eamon, and well…he was just there. But he played a part too. And me, I’m just tagging along and making sure you’re having fun."

"I don’t think you understand," sighed Y/n. "Even though Liza and Eamon played their roles in making this happen, it was you who really brought the magic out of tonight."

"Really?"

"Yes, quite honestly, if anyone else had given me a speech in a girls’ bathroom, I would’ve easily dismissed them, but because it was you, I cherished every single word. Vinnie, you mean so much to me." Y/n had no clue where this newfound confidence was coming from. Any other day, she’d just write all this down in her diary. But right now…right now was different. It just felt right.

She watched as Vinnie’s face slowly lit up. Even with the lack of light, she could see the red tint painted across his face. "You don’t mean that," he beamed, peering down at his lap.

"I mean every word."

At that moment, the two locked eyes once again, reflecting nothing but affection between them. With their bodies turned toward each other, they began to steadily lean forward. And just as their lips were inches away from each other…the doorbell rang.

"Fuck me," groaned Y/n. She shot Vinnie an apologetic look, muttering "I’m sorry" before getting up from her seat. "I’ll be right back." She stomped over to the door and opened it, revealing her ever-so lovely neighbor, Mr. Herbert.

Y/n never hated anyone in her life. Sure, she disliked people, but that was different. However, she absolutely despised Mr. Herbert. While he had most of the adults wrapped around his finger, the youth wasn’t easily fooled by his adorable sweaters. They saw right through his sweet and innocent demeanor, seeing him for the demon he was. He was always on the move, trying to get any child he deemed a "hooligan" in trouble. While his appearance at Y/n’s wasn’t a complete surprise, she mentally cursed herself for forgetting about him.

"Y/n." The geezer growled through his teeth, tapping his foot against the concrete.

"Mr. Herbert," Y/n replied. The girl shut the door, hoping he didn’t catch a glimpse of the commotion inside. "What brings you here this evening? Shouldn’t you be catching up on your soap operas or something?"

"How could I with all the noise going on? At first, I thought the McCrady’s were having another swingers party, but then I remembered that they’re out of town for the weekend." He explained. "And then, that’s when I realized the racket wasn’t coming from their house, but yours. Now, if I remember correctly, aren’t your parents supposed to be out of town?"

Y/n went cold as the man stared daggers at her. "Yes, sir."

"Then, you mind telling me what all of this is? Because if it’s what I think it is, I have no problem informing your parents."

"And what exactly do you think this is?"

"You want me to tell you what I think it is, hm?" Mr. Herbert adjusted his glasses and crossed his arms. "I think you’re throwing a party."

Y/n gasped, a laugh following. "Me, throwing a party? Wh-What? I cannot believe you’d accuse me of something as delinquent as that." Y/n swatted him on the arm. "There’s no party over here, silly. This is just a little, um, get-together. Yeah."

"Is that so?"

"More or less?"

"For what, may I ask?"

Y/n froze up as her mind went blank. She tried to come up with some reasonable explanation, some excuse to get the old geezer out of her way, but nothing came to mind. That was until a certain Chase Hudson came strolling up from behind Mr. Herbert. As the raven-haired boy made his way to the door, Y/n snatched him by the sleeve of his leather jacket and pulled him to her side. "For my cousin." She said, putting on her best fake frown. "His mom’s been really sick. They think it’s Ligma, but we’re not sure. Anyway, we’re just throwing a little something for him to cheer him up. Let him know we’re here for him."

"I’m not—"

"Shh, I know." Y/n pressed her finger on Chase’s lips. "It’s hard, but we’re going to get through this." Looking over at Herbert, Y/n was pleased to find a look of sympathy on his face.

"I am so sorry to hear about your mother. I know how it is to deal with a sick loved one. What disease did you say she had?"

"Ligma," Y/n answered, "it’s this new deadly disease. There’s not a lot of research about it, you know, because it’s new."

Mr. Herbert gulped, suppressing his sobs as he patted Chase on the shoulder. "I am praying for you and your family, young man. Stay strong, and if there’s anything you need, Y/n can give you my number," comforted the senior. "I’ll let you all continue on with your get-together. My apologies." With that, the old man waddled back across the street and into his home.

It was then that Y/n finally felt comfortable letting out the breath she’d been holding. She thanked Chase before going back into her house. With the Herbert problem solved and taken care of, she could finally resume what she and Vinnie had started. Tonight was looking rather good. She was living her best life; people were enjoying themselves, and she got to spend every minute with the guy she adored. With how sweet the night had so far been, Y/n found it hard to believe that it could turn sour at any moment.

That was until she stumbled into the living room and saw a sight she wished she hadn’t seen. In her line of vision was Vinnie, sitting on the couch, but not by himself, as she had previously left him. He was with none other than Mila Hoffman. Y/n tried her best to keep her cool as she watched the two converse, smiles plastered on both of their faces. Maybe Mila had heard a really funny joke and she just had to tell Vinnie. Y/n wanted needed to believe that nothing was going on between them. She couldn’t jump to conclusions. But sadly, no amount of convincing or excuses could justify what happened next. There, dead set in the middle of the couch, Vinnie and Mila had locked lips.

Y/n felt her heart crumble and fall to her stomach. Her breathing picked up, tears threatening to pour from her eyes. She needed to leave, and fast. Covering her face, she pushed through the horde of rowdy teens and made her way up the stairs. Darting down the hallway, she barged into her room, shutting the door behind her. The second she turned around, she found none other than Noah Beck sitting at the edge of her bed.

---------

tag list: @barbietiingz

#vinnie #vinnie imagine #vinnie x reader #vinnie imagines #vinnie hacker #vinnie hacker imagine #vinnie hacker x reader #vinnie hacker fanfic #vinnie hacker x you #vinnie hacker x y/n #vinnie hacker x fem!reader #party at y/n’s #tiktok imagine #vhackerr #vincent hacker

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jisungsmochi · 3 years

Text

i’ve got this friend - mark lee

based on the (unreleased) song by 5SOS

neighbour & friend! mark + a very oblivious y/n (female)

word count: 1.7k

summary: after a rumour stirs that you have a secret admirer, your neighbour and friend, mark lee begins to drop some, not so subtle, clues on who it might be. will his mission be a success?

mark hated lee haechan more than anything in the world right now. the little menace decided to spread the rumour that you had a secret admirer. mark was in panic mode, wanting nothing more than to roll up in a ball and cry.

“what the hell, man? what if she finds out?” mark groaned, holding the bridge of his nose, as haechan continued to giggle.

“would that be so bad? you’ve been pining over her since you became neighbours. isn’t it time for you to finally tell her how you feel?”

“what if she’s disappointed?” haechan immediately stopped laughing, furrowing his eyebrows at his glum faced friend.

“but what if she’s over the moon? you always look for the bad in these situations. you’re confessing to her, you have to” mark knew inside that he was partially right. it had been almost two years since he developed a friendship with you. although you weren’t attached to the hip, you were both friendly towards eachother and spent a fair amount of time together. haechan claimed he had a fool proof plan to ‘get the girl’ so let the games begin...

“hey! y/n, wait up” mark caught up with you as you exited your house.

“oh goodmorning mark” you smiled as you walked over to him, continuing to walk alongside him on your way to school.

“i gotta tell you something” he looks away from you, eyes drawn to the ground. you silently urge him to continue,

“i heard that someone likes you”

you immediately stop in your tracks, your face contorting into confusion yet also, excitement.

“really? do you know who it is?” you trailed slowly behind him, he didn’t even notice you had stopped briefly.

“uh yeah, i’ve got this friend, he doesn’t really want me to tell you who he is yet” you felt your heart sink, is this all some sick prank?

“mark, you don’t have to feed into these rumours-“

“no i’m being serious, you have an admirer” he softly smiled, making you feel slightly more at ease. mark had never lied to you before, why would he start now? you decided not to pry him anymore, wanting to keep this to yourself for the time being. of course you were curious as to who it was, but maybe keeping their identity hidden is giving them the courage to contact you eventually. you were hopeful, and so was mark. he wanted nothing more than for you to make your way to him.

“so is there anything else you wanna tell me about said admirer? is he tall? do i know him?” you begin to become impatient as you sat across from mark at your usual lunch table.

“um he’s kinda my size? i guess. you might know him, he does go to our school” you begin to turn around, scanning your eyes over the courtyard.

“don’t look now! he might be looking” mark hurriedly spoke, not thinking about his words.

“oh so he’s close to where we are?” you grew even more curious than before. you were going to get mark lee to crack, it was the only way.

‘oh fuck’ he thought to himself. what is he going to do now?

“mark, it’s honestly killing me! you really can’t tell me who he is? is he really that shy? or am i just intimidating?” you frown as you sit on mark’s couch in his basement. he invited you over sometimes whenever he was bored and needed someone to go over some of his song ideas with. mark was in a band with some of his close friends, they didn’t really have a proper name yet, and had barely played infront of people.

“you’re not intimidating at all! you’re one of the kindest people i know” he quickly jumps to your defence. he hesitates for a moment before continuing,

“well he plays the bass guitar, and oh! he thinks you would like him better if he had a car, kinda feels like a loser for not having one” your mind begins to wind, who do you know that can play bass and has no car...

well jeno was the official bassist of their band...and you remember him complaining at one of their practices that he was late because he had to take the bus. but really? did lee jeno have a crush on you? that seemed unrealistic. you barely had any interactions with him, only greeting him nicely whenever you tuned in to their practices. was mark trying to set you guys up or something?

“is it someone from your band?” mark froze, not expecting you to catch on so quickly. (not like he was being so discrete either)

“uh maybe, maybe not. i don’t know” he begins to ramble.

“i’m beginning to think you’re playing some weird prank on me, mark lee. i hope whoever this guy is, comes to me soon. the suspense is killing me!” and with that, mark knew he needed to speed up the plan.

“you gotta tell her soon, your stupid clues are probably making her stressed. and why the hell do you wanna make her stressed?!” haechan gave the older boy a hard smack on the back of the head.

“look, we need a new plan, asap”

“no shit, you’re lucky i’m the damage control” haechan huffed, putting on his figurative thinking cap.

“aha! you’re going to write her a song” mark raised an eyebrow at the younger boy as if he was insane, he can’t write a song in a day, not even a week sometimes.

“not an actual song! just a little snippet of a song describing your feelings, since you can’t seem to say it to her straight out. it’s a brilliant idea and you should thank me” mark understood where he was coming from. maybe if he sat you down, with his guitar and sang to you, it wouldn’t be as awkward or pressuring. lee haechan was in fact a genius.

“mark? it’s like 1am, what do you need me for?” you groan from your side of the phone call.

“i need to get something off my chest, meet me at the park in 10” part of you wanted to hang up and fall back asleep, but another part of you was curious as to why mark lee needed you so late in the night. you dressed yourself in a warm puffer jacket before making your way to the playground across from your and mark’s houses.

you saw him sitting on one of the swings, his guitar tucked close to him, his fingers strumming to a random tune.

“this better be good” you sigh, taking a seat on the swing next to him.

“the reason i asked you to come out here is because i haven’t been completely honest with you. i don’t want you to say anything until the song is done, it would really save me the embarrassment” he warned, making you slightly nervous. he took a deep breath, eyes focused on the strings of the guitar, before he began to play.

[ *cue ‘i’ve got this friend’ by 5sos hehe]

“I've got this friend who's crazy about you

I've got this friend who can't be without you

I've got this friend and I wish I could see

See what you'd say if I told you it was me

I want to tell you to see what you'd say

Before I jump in and I ask for that date

I've been that friend

I've been that friend and I wish I could see

How this would end if you knew it was me?”

your heart melted at each lyric. mark lee had been that ‘friend’ all along. the mark that always waited for you to walk to school together. the mark that always brought you home bubble tea when you were feeling down. the mark that always invited you over just because he enjoyed the company. it was him. it was always him.

you felt tears begin to fill your eyes, causing mark to place his guitar down and stand across from you, holding your shoulders gently.

“d-did i say something wrong? did i mess things up? i’m so sorry, y/n. i should have come clean so-“

“no mark, i’m not mad or sad! i’m just really overwhelmed. here i was thinking that this was all some silly joke when the whole time, you were my admirer” you slightly sniffled at the last part, making mark’s heart swoon. he wiped a tear that fell from your eye, as you leant into his warm palm.

“i don’t need you to say you like me back or anything, i just couldn’t go on with life without you knowing”

“i understand. and trust me, i’ve always seen you as my cute next door neighbour. and honestly, i’d be lying if i said that i haven’t thought about dating you” you felt heat rise to your cheeks, hoping he wouldn’t notice due to the cold.

“but all those clues! it must have been so entertaining to watch me struggle with piecing it all together! everything makes sense now, except for the bass guitar one. i thought you were just the lead guitarist?” you furrowed your eyebrows as mark began to chuckle.

“i kinda slipped up there, i can play both guitar and bass. i was actually the initial bassist of the band until we found jeno” mark explained, making you feel even more stupid.

“gosh, there i was thinking that jeno was my admirer” you saw mark begin to frown, causing you to stand and face him.

“but don’t worry about him, all my attention and focus will be on you now!” you smiled with glee, watching as mark copied your expression. he leaned down close to you, placing a small peck to your cheek, his breath slowly fanning your cheeks.

“so what do you say? go on a date with me?”

“of course, tell your little ‘friend’ he finally got the girl” you pulled him into a warm embrace, feeling him melt in your arms.

it was safe to say that you and mark didn’t remain friends for much longer.

#mark lee imagine #mark imagine #nct mark imagine #nct fluff #nct imagine #nct fic #mark lee fic #mark lee fluff #nct mark fluff #nct mark scenario #nct dream scenario #nct dream fluff #nct dream imagines #nct 127 imagine #nct writing #jisungsmochi masterlist #jisungsmochiimagines

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shaewithyou · 2 years

Text

3.5 - getting recruited

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word count: 840 words

“Yuni, you-!”

“It was you, wasn’t it?” Beomgyu stared back and forth at Huening Kai and the girl who literally just screamed. “Earlier today, the one who bumped into me? With boxes?” Huening Kai asked.

“Please, I’m so sorry! I know I’ve apologized to you but let me apologize again. I wasn’t really looking where I was going! Please don’t be mad or hold a grudge on me, it’s only been a day I’m in this university I don’t wanna have any enemies-,”

Seeing the way she apologized so regretfully, Beomgyu couldn’t help holding back his laugh. Yoongi, who was surprised at y/n’s apology outburst, also chuckled in amusement while Yuni felt bad for not realizing how loud she was talking. She blamed it at the loud crowd in the ramen shop that she couldn’t clearly tell how loud her voice was.

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to talk out loud like that. Please forgive us,” Yuni said.

Now, it was Huening Kai’s turn to feel flustered and surprised.

“Oh? Oh, no! I’m not mad, I was actually going to apologize to you too because I thought I was the one who bumped into you! I didn’t really noticed that I was in your way because I wasn't looking straight,” he explained to the girls. Yuni and y/n both muttered “Oh, I thought you were gonna…,” and seemed to calm down after hearing the explanation.

“Yeah, I’m not really good with maps and direction so I was actually too focused to look for my dorm building that I didn’t notice you. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to sound angry at you,” Huening Kai laughed a little to make the situation less awkward than it already was.

“It’s alright. I’m sorry too, for overreacting,” y/n replied with a smile, “I’m y/n by the way and that’s my roommate, Yuni. We’re both first years too, why not we become friends?”

Huening Kai beamed at y/n’s suggestion, “Sure, why not! I’m Hueing Kai, but you can call me Hyuka or just Kai is fine. This is my roommate, Choi Beomgyu. He’s a second-year.”

“Oh I remember you,” Yoongi suddenly spoke.

“Huh?” confused, Beomgyu looked at Yoongi who was sitting next to y/n. Yoongi’s face was indeed familiar but Beomgyu hadn’t had a clue where he saw Yoongi before.

“You played the guitar for the winner of my faculty’s talent show last year, didn’t you?”

“Yes, I did. How did you know?”

“I was one of the judges,” Yoongi smiled at Beomgyu’s facial expression as he finally recalled last year’s talent show event. “You played so well I thought you were a student from my faculty,”

“Oh, that’s too much flattery,” Beomgyu said, feeling flustered for suddenly receiving a compliment.

“You should consider joining the band for clubs, I heard they’re opening for an audition for new members. Some of them are graduating soon. Y/n here plays the bass and she’s gonna audition too.”

“No!,” y/n yelled before laughing awkwardly, “I’m not, Yoongi here is just in his silly goofy mood.”

“You play the bass? That’s so cool!”

“Thank you, Hyuka, but I’m gonna audition. I’m kinda scared to do it.”

Yuni, who has been too quiet, rolled her eyes at my words and said, “Oh please. You’ve been playing the bass since forever. If you need company to the audition, I’d be glad to do so.”

“Actually, Kai and I were planning to attend the audition too! Why not we go together?” Beomgyu suggested.

“Wait, me?" Huening Kai pointed at himself, "But I can’t even play the guitar-,”

“Just join us, Kai. We’ll figure it out when we get there," Beomgyu was determined to get him to audition, until....

“Hmm, it’s kinda difficult to join the band if you don’t know how to play an instrument,” Yoongi said. Huening Kai was starting to doubt his roommate’s plan and himself. Sure, he can play the guitar, just a little but his skill wasn’t polished enough to be in band or even to perform live.

That’s what bands do, right? They play instruments like the drum, bass, guitar, and the keyboard. They perform live on stage right in front of people.

Huening Kai had a taste of performing on stage once, and he liked the feeling of it.

He wanted to feel that adrenaline rush again, the buzzing in his ears as the crowd cheered and the tingling feeling on the tip of his fingers as he strummed the string of the guitar.

“Well maybe if Huening Kai can sing, he can try out for the vocalist’s position,” y/n said.

A glimmer of hope.

That’s what Huening Kai saw in y/n’s eyes.

The memory of him performing at the first ever talent show he participated in his final year of high school played at the back of his head.

“I’ll try my best,” with a smile he said and everyone cheered at his decision.

That night, Huening Kai not only gained new friends but he’s also gained two more thing – a sliver amount of self-confidence and a ton of uneasiness.

Audition D-Day: 5 days.

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yoongi ended up paying for everyone's dinner that night, including beomgyu and huening kai. he pretended to act like he was forced to do it but there was good in him. he just wanted to mess with his sister. yuni had looked extra pretty lately in his eyes. wonder what she did, maybe a new hairstyle? yoongi also noticed his sister has been glancing at the blonde boy quite often...

a/n:- almost 1k words... I planned to only limit below 0.6k of words for written chapters... anyways, please excuse if there’s any grammar or spelling errors. I haven’t properly proofread the written chapters. let me know if there’s any grammar or spelling errors, I’ll fix them. what do you think of the chapters so far? :)

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xskyll · 3 years

Text

@shoutingdeku

Midoriya & Shinsou & Jirou bandmates tddk AU

I probably won't write a full story but these were my ideas!

Midoriya and Shinsou met at the hero entrance exam, where they both failed. They both got hurt and Midoriya started talking while they were waiting their turn to see Recovery Girl, asking Shinsou about what he plans to do. Of course he's going to gen ed and plans on transferring to the hero course. Midoriya says he's going to try for support and is giving up on the hero course; he realized last year that he never stood a chance anyway. He really just took the exam so he wouldn't dwell on what ifs and maybes. He doesn't know what he wants to do with his life. Making support gear for heroes would be nice but he's not confident in his abilities. He veeery shyly admits that he sings and plays guitar and would love to start a band and make a career out of that but he's sure no one would want to be in a band with a quirkless loser. But using what he learns in support to make special effects for concerts and music videos would be really neat!

Shinsou knows how to play the drums and is a little curious. He knows he'll need support gear to be a hero so making a friend in the support course could be useful. He suggests they get together sometime and play something. He doesn't actually think he'll be friends with Midoriya—the plan is more to make a connection and use him to help himself—but Midoriya ends up being the best friend he's ever had. They become ride or die pretty fast.

After the first couple of weeks of school (so after USJ) there's an event for clubs to recruit members. Aizawa tells his class they can join but they have to be mindful. The hero course is rigorous, so committing to a club that requires a lot of time would be irresponsible. Jirou has no intentions of joining any clubs but the entire class checks out the event, just to snoop. Midoriya and Shinsou have a table but no one seems interested. They're freaking bc you need a minimum of four members to count as a club and get a club room and NO ONE is interested.

Jirou has no plans to join but is curious to hear them play. They aren't allowed to play at the event but they knew this beforehand so they shot a video of them playing. It's nothing fancy—Midoriya just hands her his phone—but Jirou hears them and is blown away. They're good and Midoriya's voice is amazing. Right now I wanna say the song they're playing is Favorite Liar from The Wrecks.

She doesn't commit but agrees to come see one practice. She probably won't join though. She'll bring her bass, bc they don't have a bassist, but she definitely isn't going to join.

One song together and she joins.

They need a fourth person though and the deadline is looming! Jirou ends up asking the rest of 1A if anyone can play an instrument or sing. Bakugou plays drums but he isn't about to do her any favors. But Yaoyorozu plays piano! Jirou begs her to join—she doesn't even have to come to practice. She can just be in the band in name and play a little keyboard at a few club events so the teachers don't realize she doesn't actually participate.

What Jirou doesn't know is Yaoyorozu has a crush on her. So yes she'll join and yes, she will come to practice, actually. Maybe. Probably. She's very nervous bc Jirou is talented and cool and pretty and maybe this was a bad idea after all, oh no.

She agrees to come see them practice and brings her bff Todoroki with her for emotional support. He agrees mostly bc being with the Yaoyorozu's daughter is always an acceptable excuse for not going home.

They go to a practice just to watch and Todoroki feels just a little awkward bc no one told him the lead singer of Jirou's band was the cutest guy Todoroki has or ever will see in his life. The band plays and Todoroki and Yaoyorozu are both in love. Yaoyorozu joins the band immediately. Todoroki doesn't but maybe he could come by just to hang out sometimes? Maybe he can just help out? He can lift heavy equipment. So can Shinsou and Yaoyorozu? Well, he can help with other stuff! Anything! Costumes! Makeup! Anything to support his bff Momo, who is definitely why he's here, not bc of the cute boy, no siree.

As the story progresses, Todoroki is having makeup and nail polish application sessions with Fuyumi. He's watching YouTube makeup tutorials. Midoriya doesn't need to know he spent an hour every day for two weeks practicing eyeliner wings. Whenever they get a chance to play for a crowd or they make a video Todoroki gets to do Midoriya's makeup and help him with his clothes (and also the rest of the band but who cares about them?). It's the most wonderful torture. How is he supposed to check how Midoriya's makeup looks without getting lost in his eyes?

Little does he know, Midoriya is having constant internal meltdowns because the hottest guy he's ever met is touching is face. Whenever he wears a choker or necklace Todoroki gets the clasp for him (he doesn't realize everyone else has to do their own clasps). His fingers touch the back of his neck and it takes every once of his willpower not to run away because it seems so intimate and if he isn't careful he'll start hoping bc Todoroki is so nice to him and sometimes it seems like he gives him special attention but that's probably just his imagination, but maybe...? No! Or...aaahhh, he can't handle it!

At some point Ashido wants to see what Jirou, Yaoyorozu, and Todoroki are up to so she stops by. She's super impressed but Midoriya is too stiff! She doesn't officially join but she starts stopping by when she can to teach Midoriya some dance moves and help him with his stage presence and sex appeal. In exchange Midoriya tutors her bc he's basically a genius and she's bad at pretty much all her non-hero classes, like Math and English. Kaminari starts getting curious about what Ashido is doing so he stops by one day and hoo boy is that drummer so super cool! He starts talking to Shinsou and sparks fly (Sparks? Kaminari?? Get it?? Lolol, wow, I am so funny!) Kaminari helps with lighting for videos and shows and also gets tutoring in return (and now Shinsou is also joining these study sessions because...reasons. Certainly not the cute blond guy. He just likes studying...)

Ashido and Kaminari's grades improve! Yay!

And that's all I got. I have no clue how anyone would actually get together, which is why I'll probably never write a proper fic.

As far as the band's genre, they're really all over the place because they want to experiment a lot. So you got some alt rock, grunge, pop, love ballads, power ballads...they definitely do at least one video that is a super upbeat love song with bright 80s clothing and one video where they're all dressed like punks.

So yeah! That's what I got! Midoriya's guitar is probably either red or the same bluish-green his hero costume would have been, in another life. I feel like for the first half his hair is cute and poofy and maybe halfway through the story he gets an undercut. Sometimes he pushes his bangs up with a clip or a band.

#skyll rambles #sorry this is so long #i've had these ideas in my mind for a long time #but never actually wrote them down before #i want to read it ;_;#curse you me!#bnha #tddk #tododeku #tododeku au #momojirou #kamishin #shinkami #todoroki x midoriya #shouto x izuku #jirou x yaoyorozu #kaminari x shinsou #bnha band au #singer midoriya izuku

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jesuisgourde · 3 years

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Mentions of Carl in Books Of Albion

Here is a list of various mentions of Carl in Peter’s journals. I figured these were of specific interest so I thought I’d make a compilation post. I’ve probably missed some since I went through the transcript fairly quickly, but these are most of them. Some are definite references, some are just things written by Carl in Peter’s journals. Some are very likely indirect references to Carl, but they may be references to others; I’ve made the assumption due to the context of surrounding pages. Also, Tumblr has ruined my fancy formatting from the doc, so I’m sorry if some of it looks weird.

Books Of Albion (physical book)

The Albion is still on course, though the route is annoyingly prone to be more akin to a Sid James Mystery Tour than a plain-sailing maiden voyage. Tension on the ship as ever, but more body mass to absorb & ease it. Steve sings. Justin plays bass. Carlos & I stoke the furnace. For now this is the format.

Without any clue as to the basics of self-sufficiency, Carlos is a slight burden - but still a richly talented and quite noble old stick who goes well out of his way not to prise anything out of my weak grasp.

Kellijean, Carlos, Francesca & myself all slept upstairs. Made my way home with a hoover, carrying it around my neck like the arm of a drunk friend.

9/3/1999 4....3 days to see out before my 20th birthday. I have asked Carlos to cancel my surprise party. He is a concern, I noted before: 'MY FRIEND IS RISING, PACKING HIS GUITAR, LEAVING ME. HE IS A GHOST AT THE MOMENT HE WALKS AWAY. DOES HIS SOUL CARRY THIS TORTURE FOR PAST MISDEEDS UNPUNISHED? DOES HE EXIST IN THE SINGULAR? MY FRIEND, A PROUD AND LONELY YOUNG MAN. FIGHTING GODS AND DEMONS. RUNNING ALWAYS FROM DEATH."

Strangely, I brought my guitar with me. Perhaps I can busk across. How foolish, naive or impracticle am I? How adventurous, capricious or inspired am I? where am I.... Through the peephole on the moving train, all I can see is that the place is quite long in letters and begins with an S. I think of Lorraine, Carlos, Francesca not at all....not of anything. I am conscious only of the desire to live.

First night of the club tonight. Justin, [illegible], Carlos & I are doing it. Came home from work & all my records are gone. stormed to the cambridge and berated the pigman, after a brief and bitter little exchange with his boss.

Francesca appeared before me outside the Prince Charles Cinema. She raced to me and kissed Carl.

Sometime close to the day that Carlos & I watched 'Love And Death on Long Island' (and afterwards paraded through the tea rooms of Picadilly) we both filled in application forms and were tres excited to be invited to the same group 'interview' - twas more like an audition though. I got the part. Carlos never. This did not bring any animosity - we both know that success for either of us is magnified a million times if it is shared by us both. But hey ho and never you mind the acute psychological burdens this most splendid and dark relationship heaps upon me.

I put the sick pig to bed. am out stalking... singing to meself & walking on me heels. your Love has made misery distant. to London quantum ille canis est in fenastra?

The new Albion rooms careworn & glamorous as any before. Already the Arcadian dream feels the pinch. Rough trade visitations... today is that day that we longed for & what of it? Piggle sleeps on the cradle-rocking central line.

But we do find ourself in reflective mood this cold christmas 23rd day of december, 2002. One ragged roaring hell of a year wherein The Libertines made good friends & had some right old knees ups to boot. & they can't take that away from us. I wonder where Carlos is this night. Perhaps he has fled to the wilds of Hampshire to be with his family. So long Marianne, it's time that we began.... the Albion rooms has spent the last three weeks being skag & boned up to the nines, and what tales I might tell.

day one in the Arcadian retreat, I awoke congealed & unhealed on the on the sprawling soft leather of the couch where Alan, Carl, Goatee, & I my last awake self watched headhunters awhile, I slept.... Wales greets me, we are in the hem of the Brecon Beacons' shirt Day 2 I come into myself for the very first time, not liking my appearance but aware of evolution & forever changes. Loathe to write & line even. Cherez Some Friday and the black hills surround us. Carl has gone under the knife today, after smashing his own face in on the glass sink shelf, after a harsh night of drinking, smoking and rowing.... "'ere what about us?" take an easy graceful sideways position.

Autumn barricading itself in subtlety in colours mixed and matched, steady days like a yawn, the nights silent stillborn cry for the very dawn. Bales of hay strapped up on the M4 broken bones on the roadside, weathered by the years cars crossing lanes like crabs. Biggles stirs in his sleep coughing. Again: a time for valour. A time of whispered events. Now faded with the passing years.

Christmas 2003 comes and goes in sweeping highs & unfamiliar agonies. Think back to the 23rd & the christmas do at the Rhythm factory, Carl at the end of the 3-man show in his jeans conducting the crackers crowd in some beagled ritual. spurring them on to further

"I was thinking of you..." he says "I always think of you..." we natter awhile on matters trivial and terrifyingly important alike. He wanders in and out from room to room. A wolf in his rooftop cave, elongated lair, wild hair and unfathomable eyes. I am begging him for words...longing for the exaltation & infinite glorious morning that comes like a shadow hot on the heels of a new song.

Image, bottom left: a torn out magazine photo of Carl with the title "Carl Barat: 'I'll love Pete 'til my dying day'.”

when you talk about your brother lover since you walked out on each other I know I'm a mess me, and that how when you but when you test me & why kiss and carress me and then I need for nothing more than maybe some wine the taste of my beloved is vodka & ciggies

Through The Looking Glass

You and I my love - we shall set off together very soon. A voyage unto the unknown - away from here, this wonderful place, these horrors..... "the waltz of the snowflakes" from the nutcracker suite Bones Bill has listened to nothing else but since QPR were sponsored by Classic FM. In his blind allegiance to west Londons finest, the logical hooligan was enraptured by the surprising soothes of this new music. Carlos you distressing little bug. Walking out like that. What can the title be for that odd little track Steve, Tom & I knocked up last night. Whitechapel Wonderland? Certainly I need to pay tribute to this wonderful place. This is my perfect summer....hidden away here.

As it stands or slouches The Libertines consists of Steve Bedlow, Bill Bones, Carl Barât & myself.

Let's get beagled & play pacman & read to me of the countess of Pembroke's Arcadia "D'yknow what pisses me off?" "What?" "You"

Image: a yellow post-it note. In Carl's handwriting in biro, a scribble in the top left corner and then "? shut eyes" in the centre.

NEVER NEVER sucking on a cigarette - where did that crowd come from. All money for the slot machines, to sell you back your dreams that's fine in hell so & I'm going with you that's fine with you we'll try it again, but my heart wont sing if my stomachs all untold cause she buckelled my spine [Written in Carl's handwriting] tattered [Written in Peter's handwriting] & tattooed my soul will soul old oh some wonder didn't you always say we gonna see better days so why we building them up & knocking them down it's always living them up & shooting them down with you knocking back [Written in Carl's handwriting] I believe everything you say I believe there'll be A Brighter Day

shit moosic at de foundary - until Spaniel & spaniel take over of course. Then commenceth the grand cabaret & oh what a night.

Let me on / let me off that fucking train. I cant stand the pain & the strain all over a gain c'mon a rush & a push & the land that we lie dead on is all ours. My friend loathes & despises the hammersmith & city line & all those other routes to false fame.

[Written in Carl's handwriting] Pity the fool you made like fear trod all over his sandwiches put grass down his back but here he comes again with the girls in tow what a horrorshow! [Written in Peter's handwriting] A protestant with the housekeeping? A catholic in the bedroom? A satanist in the bedroom?

[Written in Carl's handwriting] In cold silence She was silhouetted Her backdrop the twilight thames and this verdigris rail she reminded me the world was going to end fire in the west to have lived and to have loved to die arm in arm our bodies destroyed we'd come to no harm Do you hear the slurred whisper rising on the wind? Good-bye - love forever

Skint & Minted

feeling revolutionary? or consumed with self pity? dose yourself I remember you you're the one who filled my nose with glue so many kisses ago

sometimes your hard faced, makes me wanna hold you tight & kiss you till you're at least pretending to smile. At least pretending that the smallest ever thing can even be made right. Not living in a pantomime. fragile thing Cigarettes appear out of thin air

I you loved him when he was on the dole & when he was the king of rock n roll & you'll love him when he's buried in a hole. now here's a tale, a tale I will tell of blood & theft & oh sweet love & all the things we do so well

I cant believe how you spoke to me earlier you meanie. Anyway happen fuckin new year you fickle heartless rogue. Ex. I love you you sweet silly thing! flageolet. heres to 2002...hip hip

Albion 47

Drove up to the palace at night with Carl, perched on the kerb as pre-dawn mist spread thick over London, clouding the lights. The only the we have in common anymore, apart from the band, is that we both wear safety pins in our ears.

Campaign Of Hate

Carl, Gary & John... ha. Carl mumbles very quietly about it needing a little more dirt or aggression. Talk about a contradiction in terms. Shuffling about, mumbling, talking about spark! I drifted off into soho, old border. Saw sailer, bought some weed. Guinness. Do I wake or sleep, creaking door. Oh Stella! Don't worry her.

'The Making of the Libertines' Tax Exiles The irresistable rise of The Libertines' 'The Rise & fall of the Roman Empire' Where's Carlos? (the brackle)

my twin he pretends to be me walks abroad lies to broads locks me in at home tied to a like burrowed in a hole smoke & choke alone at home rocks to rocks chewing on my bone, smashed up into little dont need no pretty face stones dont need no human race..... slash the cushions I read every review velvet on the even though noone's got a fucking clue throne all your heroes sold their soles and brought brand new shoes, born to cant help those in need today lose cant get any speed today if you never the my lifes got no real meaning or control choose write some crappy catchy song you know try & get out of this hole couldnt we write some crappy snappy dont want to stay where you say I belong

At least I can come here now, to you, my blessed book. Confidante & forgiver. Holy book of all sordid scribbling & petty grievancy. & what's this I hear? the clanging melodia of Breck Rd Lover. Carlos & John doing their old school harmonies.

[Written in Carl's handwriting] cognac in the bedroom, sunami of polaroids & you are the fool Peter. Hold your tongue or someone may lop it off.

Another punch up at Leeds now biggles wrongly accused me of starting on him which I never did the opposite if anything. I got him a good crack in the face so this weekend he's had smacks in the face from Rabbi, Bani & myself That Boy he's mania they gave him a chance & he gave it right back he doesnt need it a good soundtrack

[Written in Peter's handwriting] So how did it go from EMI/Toshiba to Sony dinner? & in an hour? [Written in Carl's handwriting] We realised she had passion - they emitosh were good at their job BUT she had passion for music... we wanted you to meet her... we/you need to get on with these people⸺ but the food & conversation will be good ⸺⸺ xx

Fine moments at RAK. Mick Jones looks at Carl & smiles fondly, fatherly as the rock n roll star stumbles into the studio can in hand very late in the afternoon (Carlos that is). Oh love my friend, he drags me out to meet Abraham (formerly 'Phil' which he has tattooed on his knuckles).

[Written in Carl's handwriting] Spickio GQ Inter-view 1) The Libertines started in the dusty embryonic pages of of 17th century renaissance literature. The band started in 1997 in Mortlake. Another renaissance blah blah, ask Peter... 2) Hype? Comes from journalists and nosy noisy unfulfilled types. People got & get excited about songs. 3) the songs on our album might sound like

Albion 34

The wandering troubadours the black sheep boys the unowned sous dweller in purgatory in transitory transition the bustle and the hubbub of the old cinema has had a profound effect in my mind - the music heals and entrances the rapture of the exited boys and girls is so wonderfully new and so inherently old. [Written in Carl's handwriting in black ink pen.] Well, let me wright my dreams.

Will you take us with you when you go? Will you call us when you get there? When youve seen how the other half live Let us know Your song will fill the air..... [Written in Carl's handwriting] What a shame my steps were out of sync on that cold and rainy morning. I knew if I fell, dear friend, then we all would. how was I to hold that bulk of legend in order. that's the order of the day. Skinny wag from whitchurch. In these two hands, & my so beloved home town. Only tears now that well up & teater on the edges of my leathery sunken red eyes. Still it doesnt change. on & on & on. I hear Manchester groan under the weight of its self knowing industrial cosmopolitan north south skally gun toting soul chip on the shoulders. Says Imran anyhow. "We all shat ourselves down the wetland estate?" Another timeless tale from the subjects of Albion. Met Johnny Marr last night.

[Written in Carl's handwriting, cont.] Did it for you really. When I shook his hand, I gingerly probed his callouses & thought of you. Never make me swear on the soul of my twin. He was kind but jaded. told me where to score. told me to be ware. He gave up smoking yesterday his wife (who's name escapes me) Mrs Marr, told me from behind her hand. I didn't score. flesh, bone, myth, legend. 2 hands. no more heroes. go through them all like cigarettes & what you got left? Is t really worth it? Thou shalt not worship false idols. Idyl idle eye doll. I hear lou Reeds a right old spaz these days. I don't know when to die. Some go too soon. Nietzsche says.... then died too old, babbling mad with syphilis. There is no other half. not unless you see it as those who do & those who don't. those who show it & those who won't. those that choose to live, or ? candy coated sinners. Always alone. Mental note. Dont get killed crossing road in rain.

couldnt hide my excitement when Carlos said he met Johnny Marr & that he's coming to the gig & likes the album. Or is he winding me up?

All At Sea

what words scyth the heads of my loves poppies. a creeping, cautious shadow that hates my reckless intent. To hold you, to heal you, to kill you yes & roll over you in Teesdale st. Loyal and jealous the night, play a record. If you will I will anyway feel this hollow or sick. loyal and sick to the back teeth of that awful taste. You're the model of my love, hardened in the fire, so soft to touch, so warm to the blade, you hurt me & I hear you cry out in pain

F#m → E & change rhythm intro "what do you know about me? All you know is all that you see, wish you would listen to reason baby - wish you'd been listening to me. So.. so you tell me I'm not alone, and that you'll soon be coming home but the way that you left me drives my mind insane"... check with biggles...

'look out for the Daley Thompson lookalike tanned trim toned and ready to get superstoned, a thousand kissywishes to you and a thousand more and one more for Carl from the bum at the corner. here's lookingatcha hugs of love wolfy'

Novella

Is a book of Albion lost now and forever. Grand tales of scandanavian adventure wherein we realized one of our early dreams of absolute pandemonium on stage, encouraging the gyrating immaculate kids to take to the boards & swarm all over the stage they did & what wonder ensues. Some of them are so surprised I'm taller or shorter than them. Chucked out of the venue we played at in Bergen for beating up the dj when he wouldn't play the Smiths & was rude to Carlos. Burly vikings escorted us to the door.

I suppose I must begin now, to record these last four months, to reflect on the 'absolute' - the sights I never thought I'd see & the meagre miserly destruction which I held so dear. My long talk with Carlos today is the green light for this trawling into the dim & near past. (Afore the smoke addled brain loses it entirely to loss)

Now I must tell you a tale of great splendour & horror, the tale of the last few sacred months, and their unfathomable events. sketches of scandanavia, lost forever in a mislaid leather bound book of Albion. Remember Carlos being awoken by the Norwegian customs guard, light shining in his sleeping face. "Fuck off" "It's Norwegian customs" said the uniformed guard "I dont care about your local traditions" He sat up and saw the officer - fell out of his bunk & cracked his head on the wooden bar.

Come 'ead Biggles, eight days a week. I heard it was a competition, do I look like I care? I suppose that I must I wrestled the infinite & mastered the lonesome day. Making & breaking friends.

A friend one respects when you get on the gear. The universality of culture. A personal poem that hundreds more relate to, and then a life and a love is shared. More than a tatoo,

Lonely Villein

Can it be true that you after so long you're strolling into view I've missed you but you know I can be stoical and struggle on with lost limbs a plenty

Stealing from a thief was I that day in Harley Street, booking down a door and strolling off in the rain. They never mentioned - in court, in the press - the one object that I truly, completely singlemindedly stole. Not trust, not friendship: a burberry umbrella.

Bilo & Biggles go together like a couple of cup of Earl Grey & Giggles

Fragility Of Openness [There are loads of photos of Carl scattered throughout Fragility, so the only non-text put in are the documents that weren't photos, or the whole pages of images that were Carl related.]

Image, top left: Carl's jobseekers allowance claim from January 2002.

Image, top right: a torn piece of paper with Carl's address on it.

[Written on lined paper in Carl's handwriting, sideways at the bottom of the page.] Helium Casino Blanks trenchcoats Racketeers Buckaneers the streets you never have to walk alone cowslick in your eye greets us through the lonely ranks on the rails and up to Bank

Image, top right: Carl's visitor pass to the BBC for visiting Tina Turner.

Image: Peter's court summons for burgling Carl's flat.

Image, upside down, bottom of page: a typewritten caution to Carl for stealing a moped on 16 August 1998.

Image: a large photo of Carl, shirtless, playing guitar and singing.

[Image, top left: a fragment of lyrics and chords to Jail Guitar Doors by The Clash. Image, bottom right: a black and white photo of Carl in the original Albion Rooms, he is wearing a dark jumper and is looking down. There's a framed collage and a small gun or gun-prop on the wall behind him.] [Written in Peter's handwriting on white paper held in with silver tape.] 'Carlos Ashley Raphael Barât' snap of Biggles, that most photogenic of Libertines... The photograph you can see here on this page is from around 1998, t'was taken in the basement flat of 236 Camden Rd, the original 'Albion Rooms' Enjoy my friends (I'm sure the lad himself will...)

[Image, top left: a polaroid of Carl placing a cigarette in his mouth. Image, bottom left: a photo of Carl sitting on a couch with a cigarette in his hand, gesturing as he talks. There is a rifle leaning against the couch beside him and trash all over the floor. Image, bottom right, sideways: a photo of Carl onstage, singing. He's shirtless except for a tie.] [Written in Peter's handwriting on white paper taped in with silver tape, top right.] 3.00 am Paris 6th Jan 2004 Carlos... you came back to the hotel room. said you were gettin lonely. I was getting a familiar old feeling... when you go a'strollin' & a'drinkin' and dont come back for a week . . . .

[Image, top left: a photo of Carl in the doorway at Rough Trade, mostly in shadow. Image, centre left: a photo of Carl holding an infant Astile, posing with one hand behind his back. Image, bottom left: a photo of Carl in a white vest and a hat, looking over the edge of a balcony] [Written in Carl's handwriting, sideways on the right side of the page.] If you knew where id been, could feel what i'd seen you'd have been beside me, but no bother, all the same.

[Image, top left: a torn printout of the poem “For That He Looked Not Upon Her” by George Gascoigne. Image, top middle: a photo of fans jumping onstage at a Libertines gig. Image, top right: a photo of Carl standing in an alley. Image, centre left: a photo of Peter, Car, and others posing. Carl is in front, making an exaggerated smouldering expression at the camera. Peter is peering round his head. The other two people in the photo are obscured by other images. Image, centre middle: a photo of Carl onstage, shirtless, singing. Image, centre right: a torn photo of Carl. He is looking at the camera, possibly mid-speech; his hair is in his eyes. Image, bottom left: a torn photo of Carl onstage, shirtless and singing. Image, bottom middle: a photo of four men. Three of them are sitting on the stairs; one has on a black cap and has his head in his hand, one has dyed red hair and sunglasses, and one is not looking towards the camera. Carl is standing beside the stairs, looking at some papers in his hand. Image, bottom right: a fragment of a photo of Carl onstage, shirtless.] [The text of the poem by George Gascoigne, top left.] You must not wonder, though you think it strange, To see me hold my lowring head so low; And that mine eyes take no delight to range About the gleams which on your face do grow. The mouse which once hath broken out of trap Is seldom teased with the trustless bait, But lies aloof for fear of more mishap, And feedeth still in doubt of deep deceit. The scorched fly which once hath 'scap'd the flame Will hardly come to play again with fire. Whereby I learn that grievous is the game Which follows fancy dazzled by desire. So that I wink or else hold down my head, Because your blazing eyes my bale have bred.

[Image, top left: a photo of Carl wearing a grey shirt with "Playboy" written on it in reverse in white, red, and blue. He is looking at the camera with a neutral expression. Image, top right, sideways: a black and white photo of Carl in the original Albion Rooms. He is looking at the camera with an unfocused or mid-blink expression. Image, bottom left: a photo of Carl in front of a blue wall, talking to someone with a smile on his face and a cigarette in his hand. Image, bottom right: a photo of Carl onstage, playing guitar, wearing his red military jacket.]

[Image, top middle: a torn title of an article, reading “A devine Original”. Image, top left: a photo of Carl standing in an alley. Image, top right: a dim photo of Carl onstage, playing guitar. Image, centre right: a black and white photo of Carl wearing a hat, a white vest, and an unbuttoned collared shirt, looking to the right. Image, bottom left: a photo of Carl in a sleeveless collared shirt, posing, flexing his right arm and making a face. Image, bottom left: a torn piece of paper with a fragment of a poem from Order And Disorder by Lucy Hutchinson. Image, bottom right: a photo of a young Carl in a white collared shirt and dark tie, with the sleeves rolled up. He has a slight smile on his face.] [The text of the poem by Lucy Hutchinson, bottom left.] if I on thee a private glance reflect, confusion does my shamefull eyes deject Seeing ye man I Love by me betrayed by me who for his mutual help was made. Who to preserve thy life ought to have dyed & I have kill'd thee by my foolish pride, defiled thy Glory and pull'd down thy Throne oh! y! I had but sind & dyed alone, Then had my torture, & my woe been lesse I yet had Florished in thy happyness.

[Image, top left: a black and white photo of Carl peering at the camera. He is wearing a hat and looking at the camera with a neutral expression. Image, top right: a photo of Carl onstage, shirtless, singing and playing guitar. Image, centre left: a black and white photo of Carl in a hat, a white vest, and a dark unbuttoned shirt, posing and looking off to the right. Image, centre right: a photo of Carl in a grey shirt and a hoodie, looking off camera with a neutral expression. Image, bottom middle: a photo of Carl in the studio with headphones on and a flushed face. Image, bottom right: a polaroid of Carl, shirtless, making a face, seemingly in the middle of playing around. The photo has been damage around Carl's waist and the top of his head.]

[Image, top middle: a torn photo of something unidentifiable, perhaps a fireplace. Image, top middle: a sexy playing card, the three of hearts, featuring a woman in a red dress and red feather boa posing. Image, top right: a black and white photo of Carl sitting at a table with his head in his hand and his eyes closed. Image, centre right: a torn piece of a letter addressed to “Mr C Barat & Mr P Doherty Partners The Libertines”. Image, bottom left: a photo of Carl sitting on a couch, half-lit. Peter is sitting on a nearby chair or table mostly in shadow and is reaching over to hand Carl a card. Smoke from his cigarette hazes the image. Image, bottom right: a photo of Peter standing in an alley.]

[Image, bottom: a photo of a white and black stove. A small bucket or rubbish bin sits to the left of it.] [Written beside the photo] Agar stove Bilo & Biggles sat around writing Good old days in the not so good old days

Some mysterious devil plays us of against each other at opposite ends of hell. It is so hard to make amends. [Written on a white square of paper taped into the page.] a pare of mournful rebukes of her eyes and bruised dark lips. The girl cant help it

Paris Montmartre

Arthur there with a beard as all camera following me & my family around the Albion rooms and then...... "remember leeds, so giving us hell even when we've done our best interest to accomodate her" Carlos sits at the end of the double bed I share with the sleeping Alan Voss crammed all 3 are we in the 'Formula One' motel on the outskirts of Nantes. A french music video plays on the tele on the perch. It is Kate Ryan singing 'Libertine'! A wee burn of the brown stuff. Its crappy 'uplifting' housy-pop, euro pop. Alan whistles sleep through his nose. [Image: a drawing of random parts of a face in random order.] [Written in Carl's handwriting] spamagotcha #?*¡?=@! smakinamouth repertoi revue act 1 somewhere brown, cracks in the walls and stones. pigman ferretting around for bone in a dirty little matchbox. No joy there. [Written in Peter's handwriting] five a side goals, metal bars, punching school friends in the face. A rap on the door, tis Dialektik and the spectacled Stephan avec le van. Alan & Carl need more sleep so I venture to the studio, alone but full of good feeling for le day & the the boys. Nantes is village like in aspect, in the age of mechanisation it retains a rural air. coiffure Bernard Homeopathic. college petite laude. Le virginia

Arrive at the studio in the freezing cold to the strains of 'through the looking glass' with beelzebub playing fender rhodes over the ragged & beautiful version with myself on guitar, Alan on drums & Carlos on bass guitar.

[Written in Carl's handwriting.] Humdrum song of the sad rain EDC#B/ A /D piano G /A /D Bm A-Gm7 f# guitar Gmaj7 though shalt not kill

That was I you know who come up to my room & someone else - it was looking beautiful but someone commented on heroin. Then a party & everyone was there including my mum as her younger self with curly blond hair & a funny do it was all piled out like famous me duty. Tabith! remained tidying up? Before that festive house cards on the door looking to the darkly street. Woke up a wee restless all the french about Carlos commenting on everyones lack of joie de vivre. That would be that then wouldn't it. Alan calling in the troops who are all feeling groovy and we all listen to the final mixes of the 4 tracks we recorded two days previous. ta to dialektik and now 'ta ta' and adieu as we are to head to Holland. Alan, wunderkind, stalks the room, leaning up against the door, whistling. Carlos talks in hushed tones to a sweet girl skinny like her sister. I've spent the whole day on the sofa pretty much. Taking it in, mind. Carlos says 'Its only a short life.' - Is he trying to persuade her something? old Hollywood lover man. Torments in the night. sex pest. I wish someone would ruffle my hair or something give us a kiss an that. Narcissist is pretty fucking amazing - the best vocals I've ever heard Carlos sing actually. It is fucking good. Jesus it's a fine song... le monde, ha ha wall makes me cry.

It's cold on the motorway we're all freezing in the colder climes & [illegible] flight connect neglect. Ah and then golden brown on the stereo, soothes my aching belly defrosting lights like sparkles and all flashing before me Carlos silenced like a parrot coat over his head "Is it dark in there?" 'I dunno I cant see a fuckin thing man." Ice scrapings on the window, soul was frozen over for a while back then and a severe bout of wolf sickness. Barricade of bales and through the gaps stretch of iced fields. Not a good morning to be a French farmer if there ever was one... this handsome face multiplied by the presses from the depths of my 426 (I'm already beyond that) This story may not always seem artificial, and in spite of me you may recognize in it the call of the blood: the reason is that within my night I shall have happened to strike my forehead at some door, freeing an anguished memory that had been haunting me since the world began. Forgive me for it. This book aims to be only a small fragment of my inner life. she was so proud to make the pimp come.

February 2002 Montmartre Table shakes - the soul of the wine. Columbia on the stereo. The rattle of pans in the sink. Carlos is cooking dinner & I was flat on my back, silhouette. Recall the Rabbi stumbling for a drink in some backstreet pub near a motorway/railway bridge. Befriended a load of hardliners he did, whilst I ducked beneath the lilipads of a hotel boy. I am to have a son then it was scanned, a Lisa in tears awhile for my not contacting. 'candy gram for Mongo' Peter looked out of the Brassierie window 'I feel strange' he said 'You are strange' Carl added helpfully

[Written in Carl's handwriting] New Motion don't look back into the sun [Written in Peter's handwriting] you know as well as I it will never come [Written in Carl's handwriting] into nos tal gee [Written in Peter's handwriting] oh my friend you haven't changed your usual ways I thought we'd lost you You can be jonny & I'll be june stop fucking around with death at the disco (how queer) time will come coy with nostalgia can go jogging to die healthy

Merry Go Round

Innit funny, Biggles ventures to join me in the studio & even deigns to visit me in my home... on the eve of the tour How cynical has my heart become? Miss Hayley Kenneth has joined me in the fiercely overcrowded one room tenement flat. Evidently she has jacked in college & all else up north & for this... a candlewax model of Arcadia. Unfathomable is her countenance & unproven her power over me. Now even she pats the space beside her & beckons me - Carl lies sleeping on the sofa & I scribble here at the little

sensible studios. Trying to get a straight simple drumbeat never seemed so difficult Poor engineer or cruel engineer? To pity or be pain? Tis the question of the day the day as ever itself nearly 4 and where's Biggles?.. I may aswell to bed

Another day another pretty much perfect squalor of heart and profile upon the Bristol stage this very eventide past. Off the stage to soothing tides of comradeship & the very core of what was altogether a head fuck of a setup & Biggles knows and how keenly he feels the pinch too on these occasions: no other can.

It was the first one of the day it was the last one of the night hold me tight They said 'oh he's a wrong'un' but I could see in your eyes how you were gentle & wise (and you had the good stuff)

I know you better than that lad if you pack in the cracks & smack I'll be your might find me waiting for you with a love that's truer than true you cap my heart [illegible] a love the too many fools that are queuing up to be with you I write a song just to sing it darling I, really mean I gave my heart I know I'm a mess but I'll do my best to prove my love to you

This Charming Man

[Written in Carl's handwriting] Master for the Man the likely lads It was a jelly situation in the yellow heart of mine took some time to tell my belly with the milk of human kind? Now my lip it curls not my kind of world back on knees to the foily ruler

Consumption

The Likely Lads Doherty / Barât [Image: a drawing of an angry pig's face with breath coming out the nostrils. Image: a drawing of French Dog, facing away from the pig.] please dont get me wrong see I forgive you in a song they call the likely lads but if it's left to you I know exactly what you'd do with all the dreams we had blood runs thicker - we're thick as thieves you know please (if that's important to you) it's important to me pipe all summer long I tried to make you then get forgiven in see - but you a song dont wanna know that's a touch my lad oh what became but they sold the rights to of the Likely Lads? all my wrongs What became of and but when they needed the dreams we had? my new songs What became of forever? it's 'welcome back' (how sad) (we'll never know) [Written in Carl's handwriting] We all bought the one's we took. we toured we taught the world and wrote the songs there's the the dream we have, but wrap up all the wrongs and I will hold you for a song/so long you know you're not so bad. x

Arise in good spirits... well rested after yesterdays palava. I had come out of the live room to be greeted by the newly arrived Alan Magee bearing certain long-awaited gifts - the mythical digital recorder that all uses n robotic melody translate obsolete recording device which is not that which I described to swap cop this Biggles expressing a certain huffy sense of rivalry - inky like I leap back in time from here late at night in the silken canopied room of Lucie all gypsy like the occurrences. We made acquaintance in arcady and with ease conversation amidst all wild adventure fatigued, in Camden Frontline but'd look alright in a clash video, rudeboy with a Libertines soul. You know who, you know the sort - the one. The one you love, more than forever desire. oh you wanna be with them, now, reading this page aloud to you or bath or kissy kissy or so

Image, top left: a photo of Carl's bare back with “Libertine” in Japanese painted on it in black. The image has been brushed with white paint on the edges.

[Written in Carl's handwriting in gold gel pen.] Although I sit here on a vital page of my own potted history, sometimes lonely, sometimes not, I feel I write from afar. Just where or how I came to be here, I couldn't explain. Sometimes I dont know why, or maybe thats what I kid myself? However, the studio is sunny, the music is dulcet, my friends are here sharing a timeless pride. Mick is dancing [Image: a drawing of Mick Jones from behind, dancing with his hands up.] [Written in Peter's handwriting] How can you make us understand how Carl sounds like Jim Morrison but better when the penny drops

[Written in Carl's handwriting] NO → E dont dont be coy cuz I'm too clever I wont follow you down to the darkest stormy weather the bracket is wider now whats your pleasure ill see you on the other side but please....

[Written in Carl's handwriting on a piece of lined paper pasted into the journal.] I hear the things u say watched friendship fall away And it only leads to sorrow so lets be it as it may I meet people every day with thinking something they wont say I hear what all the bullies say lays on the grit hair turns grey and its such a sunny day oh its not any an easy game to play

[Written in Peter's handwriting] Dont look back into the sun Doherty/Barat [Image, top left: a drawing of a sun.] verses G / D / Em / D / C / D chorus C / G / C / D Dont look back into the sun now you know that your time is come and they said it would never come for you oh oh oh they'll never forgive you bit they won't let you go she'll never forgive you but she won't let you go [Written in Carl's handwriting] Don't look back into the sun you cast your pearls, but you're on the run & all the lies you said, who did you save? But then they played that song @ the death disco it started fast, but then ends so slow, and all the time just reminded me of you. they'll never forgive you but they won't let you go Barât / Carl

Stix & Stones

My fingertips filthy, blistered burnt and sliced... a tatty crossfire of plasters hold the end of my right index finger together. I slit it open by accident when I was pulling the razor blade out the razor to slice my chest up with t'other night. Ended up doin' one of the geetars over a monitor on the last night of Brixton, kicking Carl's amp over, showing 5,000 people my chest, blood fury, legging it through Brixton... was caught up with by my tour 'shadow' minder (Jeff) decided, topless & freezing in the street, to head back in. Cut myself a bit more and then rejoined the boys half-way through the Good Ol' Days. Heartless swines had done time 4 heroes without me!

you dont show your face no more I miss you man pal I miss you bad I miss this and I miss all the good times we had was digging out some old tapes we done winding melodies & reparties France writing general smuts & dont look back into the sun

Libertine

I showed no decorum I saw the photo you left on the forum hell had furys warning the photo was the happiest way that was today now they dont think I'm o.k now to them if I'm happy then I can't be o.k. I gave fair warning just to relieve your boredom you showed no decorum in my harem that day when I get round to si who will buy my beautiful roses who will buy my beautiful song?

in a bangkok bizarre 'no... you call each other Mr Spaniel'

You smile like a sickly child & with grace & guile You steal the shows embrace your foes keep your nose crystal clean & re-live the dream Your beautiful for an awkward second hot tin metal scars white pink petals all debts to the soul settled more or less.... could the gods care less? cruel motherfuckers they'll never stop us cant touch this

do you know me? I dont think so romanticize a dark & gloomy past trying to escape from the underclass Gm / Gm / Gm / A Bb / Dm / Bb / Dm you darken the bright & beautiful day your breakin' my heart in everyway don't tell me everything's dandy & fine you're no friend of mine I took you in & you stole from me but you still got everything I need you walkin' so tall & lookin so mean walkin so tall & lookin so mean.. don't tell me everything's dandy & fine...

The vehicle we travel in is soundproofed... the old siren manages to [obscured, water-stained] the eerie silence. If your ears were mine right now you'd imagine yourself to be in a country yard not an inner city. We head up the Camden Road now and past Delaney Mansions, where Carl & I once top n' tailed in our formative years of being absolute fucking disasters legends.

Befuddled

[Image, top right: a torn magazine photo of Peter and Carl onstage, sharing a mic. Peter is on the left and Carl on the right.] That partner- ship now otherworldly in its inception and left to fight another day is it aye I'm open to suggestion but the rules suggest it cannot be how many envision it to be or so

It is hard to measure how different I feel, another week will be even madder... strange new worlds of purity and clean living, ha! rock and roll! I feel sad now about Carl and his apparent heartache at the Sun article. It's his birthday today and I know I won't see him again for a while.It is hard to measure how different I feel, another week will be even madder... strange new worlds of purity and clean living, ha! rock and roll! I feel sad now about Carl and his apparent heartache at the Sun article. It's his birthday today and I know I won't see him again for a while. He whirls himself away somewhere into his mind, away from me and the hateful hurtful worlds he can imagine. I love him and wish I could tell him so, and wish him to believe it to be so.

Transparent

I showed no decorum saw the post you left on the forum was like a photograph of a happier way that was today now everythings o.k now but to them if I'm happy then things just cant be o.k but I gave fair warning just to relieve the boredom I went & spoke to Gordon he was a goalkeeper from Feltham oh I show no decorum L.A saw the post you left on the forum it was a photograph of our happiest day...

I've been running after you too long your trying not to see how you dont see me how you dont need me

people who just look a nasty way of biting your back- talk to me about the way you thought. The importance of not being too earnest. There is a, always will be a natural, incomparable chemistry between the Spaniels. Sidelong glances that evolved over centuries of late night riff sculpturing and misgiving, petty grievance & synchronized handshakes. All the strength one can muster, even to open the door. The words rattle out of her boney face, ramming at my ears, [illegible] me through of tears & fears such is the numbing effect of the incessant Babble. At least if it's too the face one can defend oneself. Sometimes if it appears that you dont care... apparently I cant see it. so devious? underneath it all so cold blooded & nasty? The reason being that I 'don't express myself that much' This do indeed get misunderstood

Words, long ago building a dream what's worthless to the past is priceless to the last

they meant it and so, so it was meant to be ... they've all got it in for me so someone'll have to pay someone'll have to... great save me from what I want "————" need saw the face it's gone it's gone and wont given [illegible] gone and won't be coming back undone the whole shebang, a plan planned it out on a towel all the guys are going back oh & aye plan A not goin for intimacy riffle and I know what it meant to be all got it in for me oh they call 'em the Libertine oh they aint Libertines

A' Rebours

[Written in the margin of a very cluttered page] (Aye, Carlos) (I, Carlos) ([Image: a doodle of an eye and a car.])

Remember Banni sitting us down in a Notting Hill bar, on comfy sofa, and with some urgency rattling off a spiel about how we must project an impeccable image as a band suits she said suits!

The Libertines carry on without me it seems - even to Australia! christ... how to carry this weight? what's he up to that troubled man? There's having the [illegible] & proving something (whatever that is [illegible]) and then... then there's fucked up torture techniques cruelty and amputation. If I do get not guilty on the 10th of August for the flick knife palava then I'll end up inside anyway for strangling Biggles. I jest of course... his accursed brains would serve my peace of mind well if all over a monitor speaker they were mashed. given that he does not seem to offer me any of the love & friendship & loyalty that he tells the world of in these NMEs nearby. Then again, I would rather he could retain his giant pink [illegible] in that coked up paranoid 'sexiest rock star' head of his, and just stop this Libertines-without-Peter charade that for some reason breaks my heart all lately. If he will not open the door to me then stop playing my songs. It's hideous, hideous, tenuous? A flash then of a [illegible] hanging on my final words.

From Albion To Shangri-La

Oddly enough, I am back at the hotel with Stef of original 'Alf and Stephanie' fame. Their friendship disintegrated quicker than you can say 'Pete + Carl' a couple of years ago, after hemlock escorted the pair of them aboard the good ship Albion one oblivion-dashed New Years Eve

I'm on the balcony at Adelphi Terrace, just off the Strand. I think of Embankment Gardens, down there below me and the river Thames, a stone's throw beyond. I do not feel sentimental. I just fondly recall times when Carlos and I would loiter about these side-streets. Acting out for each other in the mini amphitheatre round. Our ever present guitars rattling out new compositions. We believed them to be masterpieces. It would turn out to be accurate – innocently arrogant and brimming over with belief in each other and in our unseen allies out there in the city.

Typecast

[...] flashy flashy all the while as it fat stub speaker raises its wireless voice and tickles the beagled morning with aplate of the geetar from me new tune - Hell to pay at the gates of Heaven. Carl reckons its yet to be written and that he is the man with the middle 8 and the je ne sais qua to put this lil' kontry armaggedon balled to bed for the winter. Bursting with all the joys of spring it'll be come harvest festival etc etc.

Doing this thing with John Cale – which I Haven't as yet actually done as I'm a day late for rehearsals.. He himself – Carl I mean, not John, I say he himself like that because I was just picturing him akipp' upstairs in the spare room, me dear Ol' mucker and one of the few who knows me from when I was meself alright then let8s get straight to the heart of the matter

“I think it's time for bed, ” says Carl, “I think it's time for your loves and hates ..” says Peter Carl takes a slash. Hates.. 1 Hatred “how I loathe it” 2 Injustice 3 Crass idiocy 4 Fear 5 Helplessness 6 “myself” …. 7 a great hatred for complicity and blinker'dness to beauty 8 The sound of a glass being filled 9 cardashians and sundry false idols 10 the darkside Carloves 1 Intoxication 2 Orgasm 3 liberty 4 bakewell Tart with tea, builders tea 5 Escape 6 the pay-off 7 p pokey 8 melancholia 9 self-betterment 10 family

Miscellaneous

Seen Dean on the save at the bar / had a jar / Carl is away with the famous Libertines in Brazil it would seem. As ever now The Libertines is run-off my radar screen. I know nothing about it I am left no choice but to give all my life & living breath to Babyshambles and the great push for infinity

My dearest Jiggle down dawson. This is Catalonia. You get them all down here. I only really want to see one man though, My dearest old bejiggled soul.Tender is this nightt, and hyde parkey beckoneth. Strange town and-affect and that's a northern soul drum intro and a half.... bum da bum bum bum indeedy diddily doo

Carl alone in the room, talking intimately with Missus we butt into the conversation and hear Carl say, off handedly “yeah I know what you mean its like when people ask you how you are are...” Peter enters “Carl whispers goodbyes etc I'll call you back”... Carl looks at flash new wtch “[illegible] oand P: “I just been to get some dog food “How are you?holds up tripe cut to music hall pupple Carl “Its like.. imagine seeing life in a spectrum at the top is clear crystalline glass and blue sky hashtag no filter (stops, emphasizes..) NO filter” continues in a reverie “tilt your head a little, and start seeing [illegible] of a sunset -kodak moment.. a glass of chardonnay, but it's getting hazy “ Silence Carl: “can you see it?” P thinks “what a wise person” Internal dialogue of Peter : “I dont want a baby that Carl: looks like that Carl continues “can you see it it's getting darker it's the kerb, blood teeth , dog meat piss, kebab darker and you know the hammer is about to fall a reebok classic on the back of your skull do you get it...?

#the libertines #peter doherty #carl barat #pete doherty

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spidey-sophie · 4 years

Text

Curiosity Bit the Cat | Tom Holland One-Shot

Pairing: Tom Holland x Female Reader

Warnings: meet cute, fluffy smut, public bathroom sex, hand kink (shocking), fingering (f receiving), sex with a 'stranger'

Summary: On the biggest Halloween party of the year you meet a mystery guy dressed as Spider-Man. You haven’t even seen his face, but somehow you just can’t get enough of him.

Word Count: 5.8k

Notes: Okay, so first of all, thank you everyone for your kind words after reading the teaser! Also, I can’t ever thank enough to my wonderful editors @worldoftom and @hypnotized-so-mesmerized ! Thank you for staying up all night, listening to me talking about it for daysss and making this fic as amazing as it is! Also, thank you to my lovely twin @rebekkah4766 for brainstorming with me and jumping in whenever I needed her to!

It was your favorite holiday of the year. Halloween.

As a kid, you would look forward to it all year, excited to go trick or treating, collect loads of candy, and eat it with your friends. Now, you loved the holiday for a different reason. You still looked forward to Halloween months in advance, but not for trick or treating. Halloween gave you the chance to don a mask and transform. There’s something about those masks and the anonymity that they provide. Wearing a mask always set you free.

“Are you coming, Daenerys Targaryen?” your best friend called out from outside of the car, her voice pulling you out of your thoughts. She wasn’t completely wrong, you did reuse your old Daenerys blonde wig tonight, styling it differently to get your character’s famous platinum blonde hair just right.

“How many times have I told you, I’m Black Cat tonight!” you said, finally climbing out of the car. As soon as you did, you started regretting your decision. Your leather costume was too tight. It did hug your figure in all the right places, but it was so uncomfortable to move with it on. The white fur around your wrists and neck wasn’t helping either.

“Oh yeah, I forgot how much of a nerd you are,” she said as she took your hand and started tugging you towards the entrance.

“Wait a second,” you said, pulling you and your friend to a stop to unzip the front piece of your costume. You had debated whether you should rock the famous Black Cat décolleté, and at the last moment you decided to go for it.

“Well, now we’re talking, come on!”

The loud beats and bass vibrations took over your senses as you entered the club, looking around in awe at the lights and decor. The place was crowded, full of people in various costumes, all of them wearing masks. You could barely recognize the rest of your friend group as they spotted you and waved you over.

“How did you manage to get us into this club?” you leaned over to ask your friend. This wasn’t a place you’d usually go out to. It was too luxurious for your taste. And for your wallet.

“I know a guy, who knows a guy, who knows a guy… don’t question it, enjoy it while you can!” Your friend said, gesturing afterwards that she was going to the distant table your friends were at. You nodded, deciding to push through the crowd to the bar to get you both some drinks first.

There was one thing you needed to be able to fully let loose in the crowd - alcohol. You made your way towards the bar and, after a while of squeezing your way through the crowd, you finally managed to get to the bartender. As soon as you finished ordering your drink, you heard someone laugh right next to you.

Intrigued and liking the way the laugh sounded, you turned around. It was immediately clear why this mystery person had laughed.

There, right next to you, was a guy dressed as Spider-Man. You couldn’t help but smile at the coincidence.

“Never thought I’d see you here, Cat,” you heard an appealing, smooth voice coming from under the mask.

“Back at ya, Spider. Thought you could only ever be spotted over the city's skyline.” You didn’t know exactly why, but you decided to play his game.

"Well, I heard a rumor a certain thief might be here and had to check it out."

You started to reply but lost your train of thought when the crowd jostled him closer to you, letting you see him better in the dim light. He was wearing a red and black version of the famous Spider-Man suit, with the mask fully covering his face. There was no skin in sight, but nearly every muscle of his was noticeable through the tight suit. Your eyes landed on his broad shoulders, and you couldn’t help but continue checking him out. Sure, you couldn’t see his face, but you could see plenty of his body and, for the moment, that was enough.

“Wow, after all these years, you’re still thirsty for me, Cat?” His voice startled you from your observations.

“Don’t flatter yourself, Spider.” You looked back up and turned around to face the bartender who just came back with your drinks. "I was just passing the time."

“You two have the best couples costume I’ve seen so far,” the bartender said as he gave you two shots for you and your new friend.

“Thank you, but I don’t like to be associated with spiders,” you said, and could almost hear the guy next to you smiling at your quip. Just as you grabbed your drinks and started walking away from him, you felt his hand on yours, lightly squeezing it.

“Will I see you around?” he asked, almost whispering into your ear.

“Maybe. If you use your spidey senses to find me.” You winked at him and finally left to join your friends.

The rest of the night went by pretty quickly. You spent most of it either dancing with your friends or meeting some new people, but none of them caught your attention like the mystery Spider-Man did. You couldn’t explain it, but there was something about him that attracted you. You felt stupid that you hadn’t even see his face yet, but there you were, searching for him in the crowd while drinking and dancing. Yet he was nowhere to be seen. You didn’t mention your mystery man to your friends. The only thing you knew about him was that, judging by his accent, he was probably American, but that clue wasn’t enough for you to find him.

You eventually gave up on looking for him and focused on the night. With your friend’s hand in yours, you strutted towards the dance floor. The music was so loud, it was almost throbbing inside your body. Letting yourself sink into the feeling, you started moving to the rhythm. You could feel many eyes gazing at you, following your every move closely. But, you felt indifferent to their attention. Hand in hand, you were dancing with your friend, spinning each other around and having a blast dancing together to your favorite songs. She was there for a little bit, but then her hand left yours and she gestured to the bar, and you nodded, continuing to dance on your own. You couldn’t remember the last time you had felt this good, this free. You stayed dancing alone on the dance floor, most of your friends too drunk to join you or had already hooked up with someone, but you didn’t care. You just wanted to have fun.

A few songs had passed when you felt someone only a few inches behind you. Curious to see if it was one of your friends or someone else, you started turning your head back but paused when you heard a familiar voice.

“I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”

His soft voice sent shivers down your spine. You couldn’t believe you were so drawn to someone’s voice. Though you’d just met him a few hours ago, you’d missed hearing it. You smiled and finally turned your whole body to face him.

“What happened to those spidey senses of yours?” you said, stepping closer as his hands moved to rest on your elbows. You look down at his suggestion of proximity and surprisingly didn't feel uncomfortable with it. It felt… nice.

“Turns out they don’t mix well with alcohol," he said, "or maybe you were too skilled for them tonight. Where were you hiding?” The music was too loud so he had to be close to you in order for you to hear him.

“See that Harley Quinn who keeps frantically waving at us? She’s at my table.”

“Oh, I see. I was at the complete opposite side of the club.”

“You know, I almost approached the wrong Spider-Man,” you told him with a slight giggle, putting your hands around his neck as he drew you closer by the waist. The last thing you had wanted was for him to know you were looking for him, but somehow the alcohol made your mouth work faster than your brain. “There’s too many of you guys now anyways, I can’t keep track anymore.”

“Which one is your favourite?” he asked you.

“Oh, Miles. Definitely.”

“Well, he’s one lucky guy then, to be your favourite,” he said, running his hands up and down your lower back. Your skin felt like it buzzed with prickles wherever he touched you, hands still resting on the back of his neck. Since you couldn’t see him, you tried to focus on other things apart from his face and eyes, such as his voice. It sounded very comforting to you, almost like you’d heard it somewhere before.

"But you come a close second, Parker," you said with a grin and a partial wink. He chuckled and shook his head.

"You know," he said, moving one hand close to yours and starting to intertwine his fingers with yours. "You have quite an irresistible smile."

Transfixed by his flirt, you let him hold you like that, relaxing into him. And there you were, face to face. One of your hands was still on his neck, while he brought the other one to his chest, still holding on tightly. Even with his gloves on, you could feel how warm his hand was against your cold one.

“You do, too… I mean, not that I’ve seen… I meant the sound of it.” The embarrassment tingling through your body was unbearable, so you moved your hand from his neck to wipe a phantom drop of sweat from your brow. You felt stupid, but in a good way. In a way you haven’t felt ever since talking to your first childhood crush.

He laughed yet again. "Don't worry, kitten, I know what you meant."

Before you knew it, you were quickly wrapped around him from the warmth of his words.

You danced quietly for a bit, both of you moving your bodies out of sync with the music but in tune with each other. You’d become used to the silence between the two of you when he finally said, “I really enjoyed spending time with you tonight.”

“And I liked talking to you,” you replied, gently caressing the back of his neck with your nails.

“Maybe we can talk better if we go outside. If you want to?” he asked when the dance floor got too crowded, and the music got even louder. As close as you were, you could barely hear each other now.

“Yeah, that’d be nice. I just need to stop by the restroom first.”

“I’ll go with you.” He took your hand in his and led the way. That little gesture made your heart beat faster. However, once you were in front of the bathrooms, you saw the familiar long line you were hoping wouldn't be there.

“I can’t believe I’ll have to wait ages to pee,” you groaned.

“Wait, you can use this one, there’s no one else inside.” You saw him opening the door of the men's bathroom and gesturing to you with his hands to come inside.

“Are you sure it’s okay that we’re both here?” you asked him once you walked in.

“No, but we’ll see,” he laughed, and so did you.

You were done fairly quickly, but he seemed to still be in one of the stalls. You decided to sit on the sink counter, waiting for him to come out of the toilet. You looked around. The counter was fairly big, there were four sinks with a big mirror. On your left were urinals, the stalls on your right.

“How did you get out of that suit?” you asked, to kill some time while you were waiting for him.

“I have a zip at the back, darling.” You loved the way he used pet names for you, it made you smile and caught you off guard. “But I’m going to need your help to zip it back,” he said as he got out. His gloves were off, so now you could see his hands. They seemed soft and a bit bony. The thing that drew your attention the most were his fingers. They were really long, with a few veins popping on them. You watched him washing his hands and caught yourself imagining how those fingers would feel on your body.

“Can you even see in that thing? Can you breathe?” Once you realized you were staring way too much at his hands, you tried to change the subject.

“I can, and sadly not so much. Could you zip me up please?” You loved the way his fingers clenched the towel while he was drying them.

He got near you, right between your legs, facing the opposite direction. You saw a fair portion of his freckled skin through both sides of the zipper as it fell open till about half of his back. As you zipped him up, you could feel your heart pounding and your hands growing clammy with sweat. Especially when you looked up and caught sight of his curly brown hair peeking under his mask.

“All done,” you said nervously.

"Thanks," he said as he turned around to face you. You lifted your head and looked at him. Your eyes flicked over his face, trying to distinguish his facial features, but his mask hid them very well. You lingered on his nose jutting out through the spandex before taking in the details of his white lenses. No matter how hard you tried, you couldn't see his eyes, though you could almost feel him studying you just as intently. Neither of you said a word, but the silence didn’t feel stifling at all. In fact, you couldn't help but smile at how calm you felt just sitting in front of him like you were.

"I thought cats had vertical pupils." His voice sounded lower than before. Sultrier.

"Don’t spiders have eight eyes? It's unfair that I can't see yours to find out."

"Well, they hold too many secrets, kitten." You smiled at his remark. He lifted his hand and put it on your arm. It felt like his touch was emitting fire on your already warm body. Your fingers were trailing from your thighs to your knees, searching for distraction but you wanted to put them back on his body so much that they were almost aching.

"Your lips are fully human tho," he said while he traced little circles with his thumb on your forearm. "Can I kiss them?"

You noded shyly. You started removing his mask, but just as you pulled it over his nose, he caught you by the wrists. He placed your fingers near his lips and kissed them.

“Look, I, um, I’ll need you to trust me right now. This is gonna sound odd, but do you mind if I keep my mask on? If it makes you uncomfortable in any way, we can stop. Say the word and we'll stop, alright?” he told you, and you nodded. You couldn’t explain why, but this idea excited you.

You took a closer look at the bottom half of his face. Well, as much as you could since the lights in the bathroom were too dim and red. They complimented his mask. Your heartbeat quickened, it felt like it was about to come out of your chest. You hoped he couldn’t feel it since he was so close to you.

His jawline was the first thing you noticed. As you gently traced the strong path with your finger, you noticed his lips curving into a devilishly hot smirk. That’s when you decided that your best response would be to kiss him.

You lightly brushed your lips on his. Excited but also a bit surprised that you had the courage to kiss him first. Just when you thought about parting your lips from his and apologizing for kissing him, you felt his hands on the small of your back, bringing you closer to him.

His tongue flicked at your lips and you finally parted them, letting out a small moan as you let him in. His hands tightened around your waist as he kept pulling you closer than you already were, like he never wanted to let you go. Instinctively you lifted your legs up and around his waist. The heat of his skin was seeping through the material of both of your costumes.

And he was kissing you so good. Somehow, it seemed like this mystery man knew just the way you liked being kissed, hard and slow. Your hands were on his neck, touching the only parts of his skin that were exposed for you. His skin was soft, and you could feel the way his neck muscles tensed while he was kissing you. Your hands started roaming his body, not breaking the kiss.

Just below his abs, you could trace the outline of his erection in his suit, and he kept pressing it into you. Soon he started slowly and lightly jerking his hips to meet yours, which was enough to make your whole body twitch, desperate for more. His hands had gone around to your ass, caressing it before squeezing it hard. You were desperately yearning for his touch that even though his action took you by surprise, you moaned into his mouth.

The kiss got hungrier than before. He nibbled on your bottom lip and after a while, started moving back slowly. You moaned once his lips were away from yours. In the heat of the moment, both of you forgot to breathe. He moved from your lips to your neck, his breath was hot and it sent shivers down your spine all the way down to your toes.

“I’ve wanted to kiss you since the moment I saw you.” He growled into your neck. His voice sounded even more familiar to you now, but you couldn’t focus on it, your mind turning hazy from the pressure of his lips. Just when you were about to ask him if you'd ever met, you heard someone coming into the bathroom.

You jerked away from each other, quickly reminded that you were still on the counter, at a public place. He pulled you by the hand, guiding you until you were both crammed into a bathroom stall.

His body was pressed flush into yours even though there was enough room in there. He was so close to you that you could feel him breathe. You focused on the way his muscles were tensing, on the way he smelled and on his paced breathing. Looking up, you kept your eyes on his plumped lips. They were puffy from all the kissing. You could hear the sink run as the person that came into the bathroom washed their hands and felt relief that soon you’d both be alone and wouldn't need to keep quiet anymore.

Once you heard the person leave, he captured your lips with his yet again, kissing you like you had all the time in the world, his tongue exploring your mouth like both of you could stay there forever.

Your hands went up to your mask and you tried to remove it, but he held them. “I still have mine on, it’s only fair if you keep yours on, too.”

You removed your hands from his and slid them down his arms instead.

“And, y’know, you look hotter with it on, too,” he added, his mouth shaping into a smirk.

It was captivating, but you wanted it gone, so you kept moving your hands until they reached his growing bulge. His skin tight costume couldn’t hide how excited he was. You started moving up and down, feeling him growing even more. You needed to use both of your hands to cup him completely, caressing and stroking him through the fabric. He thrust into your hands, grinding on them while he kissed every exposed piece of skin on your face and neck. His fingers worked his way to your back where he found the zip to your own costume. He pulled back from your neck.

“Is this okay?” he asked you as if he hadn't started to unzip you already. As soon as you nodded, he pulled the zip down to your bottom and started pulling it down your body. He squatted in front of you and peeled it slowly off your legs, leaving you in a lacy black underwear. He put your costume on top of the little countertop behind the toilet while still on his knees in front of you. Your underwear was soaking wet and you knew he could see it, feeling the brush of his finger on your clit. He gently kissed your clit through the fabric. You were yearning so much for him it was almost painful. To hell with him for choosing this moment to tease you.

He got up and slid his hand behind your back to unclasp your bra. You were overwhelmed but you wanted to see his body too. Just when he was about to start kissing your neck, you pushed him off of you and reached for the zip on his back. You knew very well where it was from having helped him before, so your fingers found the pull tab easily.

You started pulling his costume off his shoulders, feverishly tugging it down the rest of his body. The first thing you saw was his collar bones, you started moving down his abdomen. He was wearing white Calvin Klein boxers, which was nice and made you send him a cheeky look, but you wanted them gone anyway. You knelt in front of him, tugging every piece of clothing down to his ankles. Looking up, all he had left was the mask over the top of his head.

You ran your hands over his exposed abs, your nails lightly dragging over his smooth skin. He quivered and flexed, and led you to kiss the mole right above his belly button. Just as you were about to start kissing his cock, he put his fingers on the nape of your neck and pulled you back up.

“If you do that now, I’m not going to last long,” he said in an accent that sounded different than before. It had an English touch to it, more pronounced.

Once you were standing, he bent down and pulled your hard nipple into his mouth, gently stroking the other one with his left hand. You moaned, digging your fingers into his back.

“I need you,” you panted.

“Oh do you now,” he growled into your collar bone, moving slowly back to your neck. He started sucking on your skin very hard while moving his right hand down into your soaked panties.

“Do you have a condom?” you asked him, struggling to catch your breath. His hand stopped right at the hem of your underwear.

“No… but wait a second.” He pulled away and slowly opened the bathroom stall door. You took a quick look, too. There it was, attached to the wall, one of those vending machines with condoms and toothbrushes, but both of you were naked and someone could come in any second.

"I got this," he said, pulling his boxers back up in a hurry, attempting to pull up his suit too, but ultimately leaving it half hurled around his knees. When he sneaked out of the stall, you peeked through the opened doors and saw him trying to walk as fast as he could. It was nearly comical, but you contained your chuckles for the sake of the moment.

Soon after, he was on his way back to you, sporting a grin, but the bathroom door opened and you could hear at least two guys chatting animatedly on their way in.

You cussed to yourself, but he was less smooth. "Fuck, fuck, fuck," he mouthed repeatedly, audibly too, until you were able to reach out and pull him back in by an arm. Just in time because you could still hear a boyish 'woaaaah' coming from outside even before the door was locked.

"Get it Spidey!" a voice said, and immediately you both started laughing and shushing each other at the same time. You almost didn't want to because his laugh was the cutest sound you'd heard in a while.

“Sorr…” you started, but he put his finger over your lips to silence you. Still there was no way to stop your wide smiles, even though you had pretty much been walked in on.

You moved your eyes to his chest in an effort to stop smiling, and noticed him breathing heavily. Unsure if he was struggling to hold back more laughter or high on the adrenaline, you decided to give him something else to focus on. His finger was still on your lips which made it easy to part them and start sucking on it, keeping your eyes focused on his face. His smile instantly faded, his mouth hanging open while he sucked in a sharp inhale.

Satisfied at his reaction and wanting more, you used your hands to maneuver his middle finger into your mouth as well, grabbing his wrist to suck on both fingers hard. You could see his lips dancing around the word 'fuck' and glanced into the white eye-shaped lenses, daring him to stare back at you from behind the mask. It felt weird yet captivating to not be able to see into his eyes.

As soon as the restroom door banged closed again, he removed his fingers from your mouth and you let out a small whiny moan. His hand snaked into your underwear, its motion heightened by the kisses he littered on your neck, all the way down to your breasts. He pinned you to the wall with his shoulders, sucking on the soft skin right under your collar bones. You moaned softly under his ear as he slowly worked his way around your pussy and clit, cupping it with his fingers, rubbing it with his whole palm.

He slowly put one finger inside of you while his lips were all over your neck and breasts. Once his finger was fully inside of you, you started moaning a bit louder. He had to kiss you to keep you quiet. His tongue was teasing your lips, waiting for you to let him in. At the same time as his tongue entered your mouth, he put his other finger inside of you and started curling them. The kiss was urgent and sloppy, like your whole life depended on it.

The tension in your lower abdomen started building up. Whether it was the adrenaline rush from the risky location, the fact that he was so mysterious that he wouldn't even let you look him in the eye, or simply his skilled fingers and mouth, you didn’t know. But the truth was that you hadn’t been this wet in a while. You weren’t even kissing him now, just breathing into his mouth. Your hands were around his neck and you could feel the ends of his hair within reach of your fingers. Your lips left his and you started moaning into his neck, feeling him shiver from the warmth of your breath.

Your lower back was still pressed against the cold bathroom wall, thrusting hard into his fingers as you started clenching around them. You started mouthing his shoulder to control your moans and to keep yourself from slipping down.

“I’m so close,” you whispered into his shoulder, kissing and biting into it while your hips bucked hard onto his fingers. He was working you up with his middle and ring fingers, his palm on your clit providing you with more stimuli. They were curling inside of you, hitting just the right spot. You could feel the pure pleasure building inside of you and let out a loud moan when it finally approached.

This time he didn’t try to shut you up, smirking instead as you came down from your high. Your hands instinctively went to his throbbing cock, the need to erase that smirk from his face overcoming your exhaustion You pulled the foreskin over his head and started jerking him off, watching as his lips parted and let out a soft moan. You smeared the precum of his tip and brought your fingers back to your mouth, humming around the taste.

“Turn around,” he told you and you knew exactly what to do. Turning around, you put your hands on the bathroom door and leant against it. You heard him ripping off a condom with his teeth while he rubbed your clit with one hand.

He teased your entrance with his cock, spreading your wetness all over him. He pushed inside of you slowly, making both of you moan. You gasped when his hands reached and squeezed your hips. They were all over you, moving from your hips to your ass cheeks and then finally to your stomach, leaving goosebumps behind in their wake

One of his hands finally slipped back onto your swollen clit. He started rubbing circles around it, while pushing into you with only his tip.

“Are you close?”

His words were distracting, but when you tried to answer, he filled you up completely and your mind went blank. Your only response was a loud moan, you didn’t even care if there was anyone outside of your stall who could hear you.

You felt your arms beginning to ache, shaking a bit from the effort of keeping yourself in position while he pounded into you.

“Can you please hold me?” you whispered through your moans, and he did with a hum. He moved his hand from your ass to your stomach, holding you tight, pressed onto him. His breathing intensified, matching yours.

“Fuck, I’m gonna come,” you finally said as you felt your body melting into his.

“I got you, I got you,” he moaned breathily, not stopping his movements. He fucked you until it was too much for the both of you. You came when his hand found your nipple, the pleasure it caused setting you ablaze. Then you felt him tremble behind you, hips erratic from chasing his high. Your hands were shaking and his hands on your body were the only things keeping you from falling. Even after he was finished, he couldn’t stop grunting while rocking his hips slowly back and forth, still not ready to pull out and to stop this magnificent feeling for both of you.

When he finally pulled out, you needed a few moments to collect yourself. You struggled to stand still, bracing yourself with one arm on the door. Once you turned around, he grabbed the sides of your face and kissed you hard.

“Fucking hell, this was something else,” he said while his hands were still on your face and his head was resting on yours. You stayed like that for a few moments, and you could feel his hot breath all over your face. When he moved away from you, he got rid of the condom while you took some toilet paper to clean yourself up. A smile bloomed on your face while you took your suit and started dressing up. You couldn’t believe what you had just done, but it felt so good. Your eyes went straight to him and to the way his muscles shifted while he was dressing himself. He turned around for you to zip him back up. You left a little kiss on his back and you could feel him smiling.

“Thank you, kitten,” he said, sounding more American again, using his Peter Parker voice.

“You’re welcome, Spider.”

But as he moved to help you, it hit you that a few moments ago his voice sounded a bit different and his accent definitely had an English lilt. “Can I ask you something?” you asked him while he zipped your suit up.

“Sure. But let’s get out of here first.” You turned around and he pressed his lips lightly into yours while your heart was pounding furiously. The kiss was gentle and sweet, you never wanted this to end.

But it had to. He broke the kiss but moved his hand up to your cheek. His thumb was caressing your lips, almost like he wanted to savor this moment. He smiled before he put his mask back on. You took one last look at the bottom half of his face. And maybe you were out of it, maybe the leftover alcohol was playing tricks on your mind, but you were now almost completely sure from where you recognized his voice and his smile. You needed to ask him. He couldn’t be who you thought he was.

Luckily, the bathroom was empty so you had no trouble getting out of it. Just like when you first came in here, he was holding your hand and leading the way. As you got out of the bathroom, you were blinded by the lights and startled by the loud music. It was hard to believe that you had been in the same building this entire time, the bathroom seemed like it was its own bubble. You stood there with him for a few moments, as you both tried to figure out the best way to get away from the crowd when someone dressed as Batman appeared in front of you.

“Tom, mate, we’ve been looking everywhere for you. We’re outside, ready to leave.” You felt your heart sink into your stomach. No. It couldn’t be.

“Right, mate, I’ll be there in a second,” he answered him in that same accent he had while he was having sex with you.

“I’ll use my spidey senses to find you,” he whispered in your ear. His American accent was back on. You didn’t know anyone who could switch accents this effortlessly except for the person you thought he was. You were too shocked to respond to him. You just stood there watching him with your eyebrows slightly raised while he showed you a peace sign and left.

Once he was gone, you mechanically walked towards the table your friends had been at. Yet, as you tried to find them, only one thought was on your mind. And you still couldn’t believe it.

Did you just have sex with Tom Holland?

taglist: @duskholland @perspectiveparker @whattheheckparker @thefallenbibliophilequote

#tom holland #tomholland #tom holland fanfiction #tom holland smut #tom holland one shot #tom holland fandom #mcufam #tom holland oneshot #tom holland fic #tom holland x fem #tom holland x reader #tom holland x you #tom holland x y/n #tom holland fanfinc #halloween #halloween fic #spider man #black cat

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goopyartiste · 3 years

Text

New Years Kiss

Summary: Sero, after getting rejected, finds a new way to spend the a New Year’s party, especially if he found a special someone to help clear his head and begin the year anew.

Pairing: Sero Hanta x Reader

Word Count: 1.5k

Warnings: None at all (except extreme fluff)

A/N: OKAY SO I KNOW I DIDNT DO SOMETHING FOR CHRISTMAS AND I STILL HAVENT FINISHED THE 100 EVENT, BUT THIS IDEA CAME TO MIND AND I REALLY WANTED TO FINISH IT! other than the fact that i meant to have this done by new years eve, new years day seems better and not to bad 😗 so we’ll just post it now. better “late” than never.

Sero had never been rejected before, mainly because he never tried to ask someone out. Going to a party was not the way he insisted on making himself feel better, especially not how he wanted to spend his last night of the year, more so after getting rejected by a girl from the general studies course. While he sat moping around his dorm, his friends couldn't stand to see him so distressed considering he was usually one of the more jovial, laid back of the bunch. His usual confidence wavered, jokes didn't land well. Sero’s groove was thrown off, and his friends were determined to fix him. It was Mina’s idea to take him to a party, one that Kirishima and Denki agreed with wholeheartedly. Using her relationships from her old school, she reached out to a friend of hers that she managed to stay in contact with. Considering her luck, Mina hoped her friend would at least introduce Sero to some different people and hopefully make him forget about the one girl that turned him down.

As the group individually began getting ready for the New Years’ Eve party, Sero couldn’t help but be nervous. As someone who rarely feels the usual nerves others feel, this was a strange new sensation for him. Could it be caused by feeling rejection from the first girl he asked out? Or was it some late reaction to something prior? He really had no clue, but man did he not want to find out. Sadly though, Sero was quickly brought out of his daze by frantic knocking at his door. His friends stood on the other side, already decked out in their black and gold glory with cheesy accessories signifying the start of the next year. Oh how he wished he could share in their excitement, but he could at least make an effort to pretend to be happy, especially for them. As they walked along the halls of the dorms, all was quiet. Instead of teasing or banter, Sero was pensive, stuck in his own thoughts and in his head to make sense of the world around him. Everyone was quick to realize how much a good party could help bring up his spirit, especially one where he didn't really know anyone.

The party, however, only really served to make him even more of a downer, sticking to becoming a wall flower instead of his usual antics of recording whatever stupid thing Denki was doing at that moment or shamelessly daring Kirishima to do some idiotic dare. Mina tried to get him to dance, while Denki performed some stunts that he knew would ultimately cause chaos. All this for their friend, who clung to the wall with an indifferent look on his face. That is, until someone caught his eyes.

You floated past him, like an angel coming down from up above. The body spray you had spritzed earlier made his way up his nostrils and into his lungs, filling him with the scent of you. To say Sero was enamoured was an understatement. He blamed his quick infatuation on his broken heart, but the only way to really find out was by talking to you. However you didn’t turn to him. Instead, you made your way to his friend, a certain bubbly pink haired student.

Sero couldn't help but stare. To him, it seemed like you were the only person in the room, brightening it up while only serving to draw him closer towards your blinding light. His heartbeat rang loudly in his ears, almost drowning out the boosted bass of whatever party song was currently playing as it seemed to match the beat of the blaring speakers, the thumping and bopping only adding to his shaken demeanor.

Sero had to talk to you, he just had to.

He shifted his body, moving away from the wall and slowly walking towards you and his friend. One step. Two steps. It was all so sudden for him. Wasn’t he just moping about some girl? Why was he falling for someone so quickly? A third step. Then a fourth. What if he didn’t know what to talk to you about? What if he just made a fool of himself?

Soon, he found himself at least three feet away from the pair, already drawing the attention of his eccentric friend and yours. One look from you was all he needed to be sent into a stupor, feeling the air in his lungs leave him. He subtly gulped, clearly a little nervous but retaining some level of confidence, although he could chalk that up to the energy drink he took before this. Sero could have stayed admiring you for who knows how long if Mina hadn’t spoken up.

“Sero! It’s good to see you walking about!” Mina started, clearly yelling in an attempt to be heard over the booming music. “This is my old friend, Y/N! We used to go to middle school together. We were just catching up.”

You looked at Sero once again and stuck out your hand. “It’s good to meet you Sero. I’m Y/N! Hope you’re enjoying the party so far,” You responded, quickly introducing yourself to the stranger.

Sero was taken aback, a little scared that his voice might fail him, yet he pushed on through. Taking your hand, he flashed one of his signature smiles before replying, “Well it's been a pleasure to meet you. Y/N sounds like a lovely name, and suits you well.”

You slowly felt your cheeks begin to redden and flush with heat, although you quickly chalked it up to the cold winter weather. The two of you took a few moments of silence together, almost as if trying to determine what made both of you so special and intriguing to the other. Well, at least that was the plan until Mina spoke up and startled the both of you.

“I see both of you are getting along well! I’ll leave you to it!” she exclaimed, before running off in Denki’s direction.

In an attempt to ease the blossoming tension, Sero popped a question, too desperate to stay with you that his thoughts jumbled as he asked, “Ah- um… so do you want to go dance?”

His face felt hotter as soon as the question left his mind, already wondering why his mouth had to speak faster than he could think. However, you quickly alleviated his nerves by your quick answer.

“I mean, sure! It seems like fun,” you began before you grabbed his hand and dragged him to the dance floor, “Come on! We don’t want to miss any good songs now don’t we?”

The night seemed to pass in a blur, Sero quickly forgetting his past worries and anxieties while you began to fill every small corner of his consciousness. Your confidence and spunk drew him towards you, almost as if you showed him how to be someone else free from his own worries. He almost forgot about the ticking clock counting down the passing minutes until the start of the new year. He almost forgot about his friends, left behind in the kitchen doing whatever they thought was fun. But he never forgot you and your face, like sickly sweet and viscous honey trapping him. He barely even noticed you dragging him to the balcony as the countdown signified one minute left.

With labored breathing and a creeping soreness spreading, both of you let the coolness of the snow fill you up. You both chuckled, already breathless for dancing and drunk on euphoria. From inside, the cheers and yells of people counting down with the timer rang out into the open air.

Five. You took Sero’s hand, interlacing it with yours as he looked up at your face.

Four. He moved to grab your other hand, but you didn’t let him.

Three. You instead gently placed it on his cheek, caressing it softly and running your thumb across.

Two. Sero looked at you quizzically, almost as if trying to trick you into thinking he didn’t know what you were about to do.

One. You closed the gap between the two of you, except instead of your lips finding his, they found his other cheek. The cheers of friends and strangers clashed with the mellow and tenderness of your kiss.

As you pulled away, you began to speak.

“There. Maybe if you’re lucky, you might get a kiss somewhere else later on.”

Sero grinned, simply savoring the atmosphere, “Does that mean I get to take you out on a date?”

“I mean, if that’s your way of asking, then I guess I’ll have to say yes.”

Sero didn’t know where this new year was going to take him. He didn’t even know if this year would be better than the last. But at least he did know that with you alongside him, it was bound to be a new adventure he would be willing to take.

Taglist (Open!):

@peach-pops @kirislut @deephasoceanmagic @katsushimaa @hannahalanib1 @estridries @art0saurus @yee-harr @shoutamajiki @spookykiri @animatedarchives @meliorist-midoriya @sugas-sweetheart @suggiebabe @justamultifandomfan16 @ohno-grapes

#sero x reader #sero hanta x reader #sero fic #sero fanfiction #sero hanta #mha sero #bnha sero #mha x reader #sero x y/n #sero hanta x y/n #bnha x reader #sero fluff #Stories from the Galaxy; — 🌌

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petals42 · 4 years

Text

been so long and now...

Alright, not writing the fic but this is the fic I want to read for julie and the phantoms (okay updated note: I wrote it basically). Going to try to keep this quick (LOL it’s 7k). We’re starting after season 1 here.

[7k, Reggie-centric, Julie POV, child abuse mention, Ray is a good dad.]

Alright, the boys can now touch Julie (sometimes) and can still be seen when playing music, but other than that, it’s not super clear how much actually changes. And after that day in the garage, life seems to even out a bit. Which means Alex is off looking for Willie and Luke and Julie are spending a lot more time writing music together (and okay, maybe that’s new but if both of them ignore it, it's fine) and Reggie is back to hanging out with Ray.

Ray can’t hear him or see him and the conversations are by necessity very one sided. Either Reggie filling Ray in on his day slash his ideas on ghosthood or Ray talking to himself/the computer but somehow it becomes fairly commonplace for Julie to walk downstairs and find her dad talking to (around?) her dead teenage bandmate. And there are times, sure, where she is like is this weird?? Should i say something about this??? But Reggie is kind of being left on his own a lot and she never really wanted to listen to her dad mutter about cameras and if that’s how Reggie wants to fill his days then… well that’s not her business. Neither party seems to mind. Probably because her dad doesn’t actually know.

Of course, the Julie-magic power does eventually start working more and more and then Carlos knows they are ghosts and then her dad hears them talking in Julie’s room when Luke accidentally starts humming and then catches a glimpse of them in garage when there’s no lights on so he doesn’t see how the hologram is working and--

“It’s time to tell him, I think,” Julie says to the boys and Luke nods and looks excited and Alex twists his hands around his drumsticks the way he does when he is a little anxious (but mostly okay) and when Julie glances over at Reggie, she expects that large megawatt smile that he directs at Flynn or Carlos but instead, he looks even more uncertain than Alex.

“I dunno,” he says, one shoulder raised. “I feel like we have an okay system?”

His concerns get drowned out by Luke and Alex and Julie herself pointing out that her dad is in photography, at some point he is going to realize that this hologram technology does not obey the laws of physics and/or light, plus he keeps almost seeing them just around his house and…

They play a song to tell her dad and lately, the boys have been able to be seen longer and longer, especially when they are just in the studio and don’t officially bow so once her dad gets over the initial shock (which, admittedly, takes him a little longer than Flynn or Carlos), there are introductions and--

Julie finds herself glancing at Reggie the whole time. Waiting for him to bound forward and say that actually he knows all about Ray and actually they’ve hung out quite a bit and actually, it was him that’s been slowly doing the puzzle with Ray in the corner room and maybe the other boys do too because there are a lot more awkward pauses that she thought there would be but Luke seems to realize it halfway through so suddenly he is taking the lead (and maybe trying to impress her father like omg what???) and so it kind of gets forgotten. (especially afterwards, in her room, when her dad lowkey tries to grill her about her relationship with these boys and she doesn’t have good answers and ugggggh maybe they should’ve stayed holograms).

Anyway, things are still mostly normal after that. The boys are not often seen or visible (except more and more to Flynn and sometimes Carlos) and so Reggie is often back to hanging around her dad and one time Julie does ask him “Do you let him know that you’re here?” and “Oh no,” Reggie says. “I wouldn’t want to bother him.” And Julie guesses that’s true, Reggie is normally chilling with her dad when he is editing photos so, alright. Again, she has lots of other things going on. There isn’t much point in digging into this.

Except then-- then the boys start being seen more and more around the whole house. It starts in the studio and then sort of spreads and it’s a weird new normal for sure, them still walking through walls whenever they want so you can’t forget they’re ghosts, but you sure can see them around a lot. And if Julie is around and can make them solid, they can eat and so it become a not rare occurrence to have the boys come eat dinner 2ish times a week or at least try to (Julie’s “powers” only work about a fourth of the time, to be honest, but they can be seen so they usually hang around.)

And right around when that becomes common place, suddenly Reggie stops hanging out with Ray.

I mean, it’s not something that Julie notices right away but suddenly Reggie is around the studio a lot more and sometimes she assumes he is in the house only to find out he has been hanging by the beach or with Alex and Willie and there’s no real reason for worry but it sort of… lurks in the back of Julie’s mind. A weird sense that something isn’t quite right there, that Reggie used to love hanging around her dad and giving her dad full reports of their days and, okay, maybe it was weird but still… it bothered her. Now that it was gone.

And then, her dad asks her about it.

Not directly, but he comes sort of frowning into her room, asking if the boys are okay, and “yeah, why?” Julie says and..

“Oh, I dunno,” her dad answers, looking over his shoulder and drumming his fingers against his thigh. “It just feels… I don’t know, the house feels empty? Like… sometimes I think there should be someone and-- you know what, nevermind. It’s probably in my head.”

“No, no,” Julie says because she’s lied to her dad enough. “You’re right. I mean, Reggie used to hang out in the house all the time.”

“Reggie,” her dad says. “The bassist. He did?”

“Yeah, he was probably… what you were sensing.” and Julie has an awful moment of wondering if her dad thought that presence around him was her mom and if Reggie being more busy with other things was like losing someone all over again and--

“That’s what that was!” her dad sounds happy. And relieved. “Sorry. Who. Who that was. I thought I was going crazy.”

“No,” Julie shakes her head. “He’s real. And he was around a lot.”

“Hm,” Ray says and turns to leave. Then turns. “You know… he’s still welcome, you know? Unless you guys are practicing more…”

“I’ll tell him,” Julie laughs. And then shoos her dad out because she has got to work on this chemistry homework and sometimes it sucks -- having three ghost bandmates who should be in high school but who never have to do anything and don’t even try to help her and--

*^*^*^

“Hey,” Julie says, plopping down next to Reggie on the couch. It’s a few days later but this is the first time they’ve been alone-- Luke and Alex, realizing they were solid enough to go eat and running for the kitchen, Reggie opting to stay behind.

“Hi, Jules!” Reggie says and he doesn’t seem any different. With her and the band, he talks just as much as always, big bright smile, whining about the need for a country song, laughing at all their mishaps.

“I have a question.”

“What’s up?” He twists to face her, giving her all his attention. He does that, she realizes. Focuses on her. All the boys do, to some extent, but with different energies. Reggie’s is the biggest, she thinks. Honest and open.

“So… I’ve sorta noticed that you haven’t been hanging out with my dad as much anymore?” Julie tries to keep her tone casual. She’s not accusing him. She’s just… curious.

“Oh,” Reggie says and his head tilts as if confused by her confusion. “Well, yeah.”

There’s a beat. Julie thinks Reggie is going to keep talking. Reggie does not. Reggie turns back to where he was tuning his bass. “Uh, why?” she finally asks.

Reggie frowns at her. “Well, he can see and hear us now,” he says, as if this is very obvious.

“So?”

“So like… I don’t want to bother him,” Reggie says. “He does a lot of work during the day. It was one thing when he couldn’t hear or see me but now you know… I’m annoying.”

It’s Julie’s turn to frown, even though Reggie is already looking down again. There’s something about the way he says it, I’m annoying that bothers her. He says it as if it is an obvious fact. As if everybody knows it. As if it’s true.

“You’re not annoying,” she says. “I don’t think you’re annoying.”

He blinks at her. “Well, no, you don’t,” he allows. “And Luke and Alex don’t. Most of the time.”

“And Flynn and Carlos,” she adds.

“Most of the time. But still, see, all kids. Teens,” Reggie says. “But old people… parents are different. You have to--”

He cuts himself off and for a moment, his hand grips the neck of his bass tightly and there is a tension in his shoulders and suddenly Julie thinks she maybe is in a little too deep here. She doesn’t want to upset him.

“You’re dad is really nice but he still… It’s different,” he says and he shoots another smile at her, but it’s tight and fake and he jumps up the moment Alex and Luke burst back into the studio.

“So close,” Alex mutters as they come back in. “I had the sandwich IN MY HANDS.”

“Dumb choice,” Luke says, mouth still clearly full of something. “You gotta just hit the snacks, my friend. Focus on what’s quick and easy.”

The boys all head for their instruments and the moment is passing, Julie knows, and she also knows she now has clues that maybe she should put together but she doesn’t have time and why couldn’t her powers last just a little longer this one time? But-

“You should still go hang out with him again,” she tells Reggie as Luke starts tuning up and Alex gets settled behind his drums. “He misses you.”

There’s no time for Reggie to ask any questions but his frown of confusion as she turns away says it all.

*^*^*^

It grows, this curiosity and she realizes she doesn’t know much about Reggie’s parents. Luke’s, she obviously knows very well and she knows the story very well and she has heard enough about Alex’s to know that they are not worth seeking out but Reggie’s…

She’s never even heard him mention them. Not even in all their conversations about Luke’s. And this is a sensitive topic for all the boys and she doesn’t know how much to push or even whether to push so--

“What were Reggie’s parents like?” she blurts one day. Luke startles and looks up at her and that’s fair as they had been in the middle of writing a song and there was no reason for her to ask.

“What?” Luke says and she gets to watch as he tries to switch his brain over from music-mode to conversation-mode.

“Reggie’s parents,” she repeats. “What were they like?”

And she knows she’s hit on something when Luke’s head goes down and his shoulders come up and “I dunno,” he says. “It’s… we didn’t hang out there that much.”

“But you must know something?” Julie presses. “Like… did they ever come to see you guys play?”

“No,” Luke says and he’s leaning further away, eyes cutting to the door. “Look, I--”

“Were they against him playing music?”

“Uh- I don’t… Why are you asking?”

The question forces Julie to pause. And she chews her bottom lips as she tries to figure out the answer. Why is she asking? What does she think? What does she actually need to know?

“I don’t know,” she admits. “I just… he’s never even mentioned them.”

“Well, then… we probably shouldn’t talk about it,” Luke says and that’s fair, she knows it is, but she can’t help if she doesn’t have some information. And going to Luke was at least better than just googling.

“So there is something to talk about,” she says softly.

“No, I don’t… look,” Luke says and takes a breath. “Reggie never…. He never said anything about them, really. Not even when we were alive. He just… I don’t know. I told you, we never hung out at his house.”

“So you think they were…?” Julie lets the sentence dangle. Luke glares at her a little. Then takes another breath. Fiddles with something on his pants. Doesn’t speak. “You know I’m just trying to help, right?” Julie asks. “I just--”

“Reggie was really quiet,” Luke interrupts. “When we met him, I mean. He was… he was really shy.”

“Reggie?” Julie asks and she can’t help the disbelieving tone. That doesn’t make any sense.

“Yeah,” Luke says. “He was a great bass player, obviously, and nice enough but… really quiet. He… didn’t even laugh really. He just hung back a lot and… it’s weird to think about. Now that I know him.”

“You think he was that way because of his parents?”

“I mean… I dunno. Maybe?” Luke shrugs. “The few times he met my parents, he was… really weird.”

“Weird?”

“Just… weird.”

Julie opens her mouth to ask more questions, to say that that answer wasn’t specific enough, but Luke finally meets her eyes and suddenly she knows that this conversation is going to end.

“Look, if you want to know more, you can probably ask him,” Luke says. “Or like… don’t. It’s not like it matters anymore now, right?”

And there’s a trace of bitterness in that and a trace of please stop and more than a trace of I am uncomfortable with this conversation and so Julie lets it go.

“Yeah,” she says, worried she pushed too hard. “Yeah, you’re right.”

*^*^*^

The clues are all there and Julie isn’t sure what they point to, so she tries to listen to Luke’s advice and remember that it doesn’t really matter. Reggie doesn’t have to see his parents again and it doesn’t matter and he continues to seem absolutely fine with the band. Fine and happy and--

“Helloooo?” she hears him call from the front door, just as she’s hitting the top of the stairs. She turns, a bit confused because the boys never bother announcing themselves but she opens her mouth to tell him she has to finish homework before rehearsal today and then closes it when she says that he is not looking at her at all, but towards the kitchen.

She walks down a few steps. Bends over so she can peer down and see what he’s looking at.

Her dad is sitting at the counter.

“Hello!” Reggie is louder this time, and then waves his arms a little bit for good measure and her dad doesn’t see him, she realizes, doesn’t even flinch at all the noise and the arm flailing and she is about to tell Ray that Reggie is there when suddenly, Reggie’s face bursts into a grin and, seemingly satisfied that he is undetectable, the teenager plops himself down in the stool next to Ray.

Julie watches as her dad continues muttering to himself for a minute and then he pauses, and shifts, and glances, and she doesn’t know if he caught a glimpse of Reggie or if he can just sense it but his mouth quirks into a slight smile and he talks more now, at maybe a higher volume, but still to himself and Reggie doesn’t seem to notice the change, so she leaves them to it.

Reggie is still there when she finally finishes her homework two hours later.

*^*^*^

It doesn’t really get that much better. Reggie still avoids the house when he is visible and, when she catches him with her dad, she somehow knows that he had made sure he was undetectable before risking it and he doesn’t talk as much now, not when he’s learning from conversations with Flynn and Carlos that sometimes it’s part way through a conversation that they are suddenly audible, but she hopes it’s a little bit nice, at least, that Reggie is there at least part of the time.

*^*^*^

They play a particularly good show and the boys stay visible for 5 straight days. Reggie avoids the house the whole time.

*^*^*^

It’s a Friday night when Julie finally gets her biggest clue. It’s a rare quiet Friday. They don’t have a gig all weekend so there’s no rehearsals and Carlos is home and the boys aren’t visible or audible to anyone but Julie so most of her time is spent laughing at what they say and then having to explain to her dad and brother and she thinks they are going to try to play a game, maybe like Clue? Something all the boys can play, though Luke is pushing for twister even though the boys can literally go through people so that doesn’t seem fair at all and--

Something (a ball) whizzes past her head as she and her dad are bent over trying to remember the Clue rules and then she jumps as there’s the unmistakable sound of breaking glass.

There’s a moment of stillness and then it makes sense. There’s a vase broken on the ground and a baseball rolling under the kitchen table and she turns to see Carlos, looking shocked, mouth already open to apologize.

“Carlos!” her dad says, standing and moving, doubtlessly to go get the broom. But there is glass everywhere and his voice comes out angry because this is not the first kitchen object Carlos has broken by a longshot. “How many times have I told you not to play--”

Things move very fast then.

Her dad is moving towards Carlos because that’s where the broom is and Carlos is standing still and looking down because he already knows he’s going to get in trouble and then just as suddenly, Carlos is sort of stumbling back because he’s been pulled back and Reggie is standing where Carlos just was.

Squarely between her dad and her brother.

“It was me,” Reggie says. And he sounds sort of breathless but also certain and he’s not moving from where he stands.

Carlos is still sort of gaping that he was just pulled back by a ghost and Julie can see the other two boys processing that fact, the fact that Reggie just managed to touch another person and Ray jerks to a stop because a full teenage boy has just popped into existence in front of him. So no one says anything.

“I threw the ball,” Reggie repeats. More firmly this time. A lie, Julie knows, because Reggie had been on the couch with Alex. Nowhere near where the ball had come from. “It was my fault.”

His voice is still firm and his eyes stay on Ray’s for a second before looking down and his hands tighten into firsts before going slack and he swallows and--

He’s scared, Julie realizes. Scared, but still.

“It was my fault. So--”

“Reggie!” Her dad exclaims and he’s beaming, she can already see it, and then without a thought to whether Reggie is still solid or not, her dad is throwing her arms around Reggie as if he is a long lost friend

(Which in a way, maybe he is)

Reggie stays solid and his arms are pinned to his side and Julie sees him stiffen, sees his face frown in confusion.

“You’re here!” Ray says, still grinning. He leans back and slaps Reggie on the arm. “And solid, I see. Thank goodness. Come, come help me on this puzzle. You’ve been slacking and I swear this dark spot near the left corner is driving me crazy and-- Oh, Carlos, go get the broom and clean this up. No throwing balls in the house! Honestly, you’d think after the last time-- Reggie, wait, whatever happened with that telenovella you guys were watching, you haven’t updated me in forever.”

And then her dad is dragging Reggie away, who still looks shell-shocked, still looks like he was expecting something different, and Julie hangs back, partly to help Carlos clean up, partly to enjoy hearing Reggie slowly start to stammer out answers to her dad’s many, many questions.

*^*^*^

“Oh shoot,” her dad says an hour later, when family puzzle night is brought to an end because the three boys have abruptly vanished from existence. He looks at where Reggie had been sitting (roughly). “Well, we’ll finish next time.”

*^*^*^

What happens next, Julie calls in her head, the Period of Cautious Testing.

She sees it play out.

Reggie comes into the house, waves hi to her, but doesn’t say anything and then he goes and sort of… lurks near her dad, watching carefully and if her dad seems to be in a good mood (which he is often, to be honest), Reggie will either say hello or obviously pull out a stool to make it clear he is there and--

“Are you free?” Reggie asks. Or “Do you mind?” or “Hey, can I--?”

He says it when Ray can hear him and writes it if there is pen and paper nearby and even when there’s not, he stays tense and ready to fly if he’s not wanted, but--

“Of course!” her dad says. “Sit down.” “Come look.” “Oh, Reggie, check this out--”

And Reggie stares and listens and there’s this smile he has, not his usual huge grin, but a smaller softer sort of wonderful-filled smile and he pays attention to her dad as if he might be quizzed on the information later, still starts out not talking as much but--

“Okay, well tell me about,” her dad says. “Oh, do you think--?” And “Wait, I want to hear what it was like to--”

*^*^*^

“Your dad is really nice,” Reggie tells her one day. He says it right as they are starting rehearsal and doesn’t really look at her when he says it, looks more somewhere over her left shoulder and he is basically running away towards his mic stand but still…

It makes her smile.

*^*^*^

“Come play with me,” Carlos asks her, throwing his ball in the air.

“Where’s dad?” Julie responds. This is usually her dad’s territory. Whatever talents she had in singing and music and sort of dancing do not translate into sports.

“With Reggie,” Carlos says, throwing the ball up, tilting his head up to watch as it comes down and catches it. “They are talking about… I don’t know. Something. He said he’d be out but you know how they get.”

Julie does. And it doesn’t bother her but..

“Are you mad?” She asks, just to be certain. Carlos had been the only son. Still is. But also… “That they are hanging out so much?” Her brother is still young. Her brother maybe doesn’t--

“No,” Carlos says. “Not like I want to learn about cameras at all.”

Julie laughs.That’s true. And her dad sure can ramble.

“Also,” Carlos starts…. And then he is glancing at her and he is young and stupid and her ilttle brother, but when he looks up at her, he looks older and serious.

“Also, I think It’s nice. Reggie hanging out with Dad. I think he…”

He fiddles with his ball, but doesn’t throw it. “I think he probably needs that, you know?”

Julie did know, she just didn’t know that Carlos knew. And understood. And was willing to share Dad like that because he knew. She feels her face start heating up with pride.

“How did you--” she starts. Then stops. She knows how she figured it out and she had mostly relied on being able to see when Reggie was around and how he tried to stay away for so long and her conversation with Luke.

“Oh. Uh. Well, he started a stash of food in my room,” Carlos says. Julie blinks at him. “I went up there one day and he was shoving granola bars in a box in the back of my closet. That was already filled with other stuff.

“He was acting really weird. I mean, nervous and I dunno. I asked him why and he said it was always a good backup in case you couldn’t go downstairs and then I asked why I wouldn’t be able to go downstairs and I think he was embarrassed but still insisted it was safer and--”

Carlos shrugs. Flushes because he realizes he had been talking a hair too fast.

“I don’t know. It made him feel better so I kept it. And it honestly is sometimes easier than going all the way downstairs.”

“Carlos!”

“He has one in your room too!’ Carlos says, laughing. “Basket tucked under your bed, I think. I’m telling you, once you get used to access to rice krispy treats in the middle of the night…”

“Oh my god,” Julie says and they are laughing about this, because what else is there to do but…

“So it’s really okay,” Carlos says. “Plus I figure now you and me can play catch?” He turns on those big brown eyes for that last part and he is so good that Julie can barely stand it.

“Oh alright,” she makes sure to roll her eyes so he knows that she is not falling for him for a second. “Let me put my bag down.”

*^*^*^

The boys are not supposed to be on her computer (there has actually been talk of getting them their own computer to uphold this rule, but none of them really seem to have much interest in technology (besides TV) given that they can always just poof to whoever they need to talk to and force Julie to do the research for them) so it’s a surprise when Julie walks into her room and finds Reggie, glaring at the screen.

“Reggie!” she says, fully intending to yell at him. She has private things on there!

And then he looks up at her. He looks dark and serious and--

“Will you help me?” he asks. “I don’t know how-- this thing is so complicated.” And Reggie isn’t the one who will get frustrated-- that’s Alex when his anxiety gets to be too much or Luke when a song isn’t going well or even herself when having three rambunctious boys who can pop in on her literally any time gets to be a little much-- but he’s frustrated now.

“Okay,” she says, her earlier rant about privacy flying out of her head. “Okay, yes, let me help. What do you need to do?”

With the boys, it could be anything. Alex wants to watch videos of skateboarding so he can pretend he knows something about what Willie talks about, or there was the week he discovered Sense8 and then Luke really just wants to google guitars or also there was that week Julie tried to get him on music producing software and then he just wanted to read articles about how digital music was destroying the industry (like some old grandpa).

“I’m--” Reggie stops and stands. Takes a breath and blows it out. Julie waits. He looks somewhere toward the ceiling. “I’m trying to find my parents.”

Julie stills.

That is not what she was expecting.

“Oh,” she says and it’s a struggle but she keeps her voice carefully neutral. She also takes the moment to look down and see that Reggie has type “goo-gull” into the windows search bar.

He doesn’t add anything and so she sets herself to opening the real google and seeing what she can do. Contrary to popular belief, it can be a little hard to find people if they aren’t famous and have fairly common names.

“What are their names?” she asks and instead of answering, Reggie just passes her a piece of paper. It has their names on it. And what she assumes to be his old address. She senses the mood and doesn’t say anything else. At least he comes and sits next to her to see the search results pop up.

There are a lot of them.

“Don’t worry,” she says when she sees his eyes widen. “Even if I can’t do it today, I can put Flynn or-or my dad on it and I’m sure one of them can--”

“No,” Reggie says. “I don’t want-- not them.”

Julie nods and keeps scrolling. She doesn’t know what Reggie’s parents did for a living so she doesn’t know if some of these websites apply but she scrolls slowly and hopes he’ll tell her if he sees something.

After two pages, “Let’s switch to images,” she suggests. “Maybe you’ll see them.”

Reggie hesitates but then nods.

After some more silent scrolling, the silence gets to be too much -- “Why do you--?”

“There.”

Julie stops scrolling and, yes, there-- there’s something slightly familiar about that woman’s nose and the darkness of that man’s hair. She clicks to enlarge it, but it’s still a blurry picture, pulled onto google search from Facebook, if she had to guess and--

And she knows that you can’t really judge someone off of a photograph, especially not one that’s older and blurry but she…

They don’t look nice, she decides. Even though both of them are smiling. The smiles look tense and forced and they are standing a hair too far away from each other to be called close.

“That’s them,” Reggie tells her needlessly.

“Oh,” Julie says again. He doesn’t sound excited. He sounds… she doesn’t know what he sounds.

She waits, risks glancing at him to find he is still just staring. And the silence drags and then right- right as she knows she’s got to say something, anything--

“I thought it was normal,” Reggie finally says softly. “They. I thought they were normal. I mean… I thought everyone’s parents were that way.”

He’s still not looking at her. Still just staring at the screen.

“I mean… Luke fought all the time with his parents and Alex’s were just… always too religious and a bit off even before they knew and so I just assumed that everyone… you know.”

Julie did not know. Not really. Not at all.

“I knew they hated me,” he says and he finally glances over at her. He’s not crying, but his voice is tight and the nod he gives her is jerky. He looks away quickly. “For forcing them to get married. And for forcing them to stay together too, I guess, though… it wasn’t just…”

His leg is bouncing now. Jumping up and down even as his fist clenches and presses on top of it.

“It’s not even just that though,” and his voice rises now, almost desperate. “They hated me. They said I was loud and annoying and stupid and I… I thought that was normal. I thought they were right.”

He shoots up now, solid enough that her little table gets pushed back when his shin hits against it, but he doesn’t seem to notice and he swipes at his eyes, but he’s not crying. Just red and Julie’s almost crying, she realizes, but she’s also tense and her stomach hurts and she doesn’t know what to do.

“They were my parents and they hated me and I thought-- I thought that was normal. That everyone would always hate--” He cuts off and Julie opens her mouth again but she doesn’t know what to say. The boys… the boys are young and happy and they are all an open book, even when they try not to be, but now… Now Reggie clenches his jaw and stops himself. The boys never stop themselves.

“It wasn’t right though,” Reggie says and he’s angry now. More angry than Julie’s seen anyone. “It wasn’t fair. What they did. Making me feel… yelling at me all the time and-and sending me to bed without dinner so often that I- I fucking thought everyone snuck snacks into their room and shoving me around and even when they were happy, I just knew it could turn so quickly, that even one mistake could just ruin everything and I- I-”

He cuts off, breathing hard.

“Reggie--” Julie starts. She stands but he takes a step away from her so she stills.

“It wasn’t fair,” he says and he’s quieter now but it doesn’t feel calmer. He meets her eyes and his are wet. “I just don’t get how they could-- why they--”

“It wasn’t fair,” Julie agrees and this time when she comes closer, he doesn’t move. So she gets to put a hand on his shoulder and breaths a small sigh of relief that he is solid right now.

“I had to die, Jules,” he says, looking at her again finally. And this is… being dead is something the boys rarely acknowledge in a real way. It’s usually a joke or an offhand comment or their comeback for why they shouldn’t have to help her with calculus. It’s not this. Soft and serious and then followed by a dark chuckle. “I literally had to fucking die to figure out that they were bad parents. And I bet-- I bet they were glad.”

Julie opens her mouth to say that of course they weren’t, that any parent would be heartbroken, that he can’t know that but--

But she doesn’t know them. She doesn’t know if that is true.

“Well,” she starts but Reggie backs away and cuts her off.

“I have to go,” he announces. And then he glances at her and realizes she’s crying and maybe realizes what just happened because he runs his hand through his hair and guilt enters his eyes but “Sorry,” he says. “Sorry about-- You weren’t supposed to-- I gotta go.”

“Wait!” Julie tries, but he’s already gone.

*^*^*^

Her first instinct is to run and get Luke and Alex, to tell them to poof to all the most likely spots for Reggie to be, to tell them everything that had happened and then maybe run and tell her dad too for good measure and to probably cry a little more but she--

She doesn’t.

She doesn’t know what stops her or why instead of yelling and rushing down the stairs, she takes a breath and falls back onto her couch, but… that’s what she does.

She falls back and stares at the picture she’d found a little longer and--

I hate you, she thinks. You didn’t deserve him.

And then she closes the tab without saving it.

And she doesn’t tell anybody.

*^*^*^

Reggie is a little late to rehearsal that day, but not enough to attract much notice.

He comes in cautious though. Julie sees it, since she knows to look for it.

He poofs up outside the garage and then slowly walks in and he’s waiting, she sees, for someone to say something or act weird or for them to all stop talking at once in an obvious display of “we were just talking about your breakdown earlier.” He’s tense and cautious and--

“Dude, awesome,” Luke says in greeting, waving a hand at him. “You’re here. We can get started. I think I have a killer idea for a harmony echo thing in the chorus of--”

Reggie looks suspicious for a beat longer, eyes flicking between Julie and Luke and then Alex, but Alex is too busy trying out a new spin move with his drumsticks to really be paying much attention and Luke is still droning on about his latest idea and Julie just gives him a smile. And a nod. And hopes that her eyes convey she didn’t actually say anything.

She knows it was the right call when the tension leaves Reggie’s shoulders.

Reggie gives her a smile and a nod and then they all do what they do best.

They play.

*^*^*^

That night, Julie spots her dad alone (actually alone) on the couch, fiddling with something on his laptop, and when they were playing music together, she didn’t think about it but now it all comes rushing back.

The hurt and the anger in his voice and the fact that she didn’t know what to say or do and it was the right call, not to tell anyone Reggie’s private business, she thinks, but she suddenly feels very sad again and the only thing for it is to plop down next to her dad and curl into his side.

He hums in greeting and keeps his eyes on his screen and she just enjoys it. His warmth and smell and marvels in the fact that he is always there. That she can always do this. That she has a dad who will always let her sit with him and who has to be coached into being angry and just loves her so damn much.

“Honey?” he says and he’s closing the laptop to twist and look at her. There is concern in his eyes. “Are you okay? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” she says, shaking her head and trying to ignore the heat behind her eyes that tells her she might cry. “Nothing’s wrong. I just-- It’s been a long day.”

“Too much practice?” he says.

“No, not that. Just… you know. One of those days.”

“Oh okay,” he says and then he’s lifting his arm so he can wrap it around her and squeeze her more firmly into his side. “Okay.”

They sit for a long moment, just breathing and Reggie should do this, she thinks, just sit and be calm and be held and she hopes one day, he does. That he is solid enough and comfortable enough and maybe he can’t tuck all that way into her dad’s side like she can but he should still… he should still try. One day.

She knows her dad would let him.

“Thank you,” she says. “For being such a good dad.”

Her dad’s soft laugh answers her. “Well, you know that’s my job.”

“Yeah, but… also for everything else too. With the band and the music program and for-for being so good to Re-- the boys. All the boys.”

She doesn’t know if he hears the name she almost said, but he tilts his head as if he knows. He probably does somehow.

“They’re great kids,” is what he says instead.

“Still,” she insists. “I know it’s a lot. But they- he- just thank you.”

He looks at her for a long moment and finally nods.

“Anytime.”

*^*^*^

“Thanks,” Reggie says, the next day, drifting over to where she is resting on the couch while Alex and Luke get into a semi-argument, semi-productive debate on a certain rhythm. “For not saying anything to the guys.”

“No problem,” she says. “But if you want to talk more or--”

“No, no,” he says, waving a hand as if that is going to make her forget the entire thing. “It’s not a big deal. It’s--”

“Reggie.” She says it firmly. She says it and then waits until he actually looks at her. “It is a big deal. Your parents were-- They were wrong and mean and fucking horrible and if you don’t want to talk about it, that’s your right and I won’t say anything. But it is a big deal. Your feelings are a big deal. You are a big deal. So talk to me or to my dad or to no one but don’t tell me it’s not a big deal.”

Reggie blinks at her and Julie flushes. But doesn’t back down. Keeps glaring at him.

“Uh. Okay,” Reggie says. “I- I will. Or I won’t. Tell you that.”

“Good,” Julie says, nodding once. And then Alex and Luke turn back to them and it seems they have compromised (Or maybe Alex won and Luke is just saying they compromised) and they’re back to it.

*^*^*^

As far as Julie knows, he doesn’t talk about it. At least, not with her.

But, gradually, he stops hesitating before announcing himself to her dad and he starts buzzing with the same kind of energy that he does in the garage in the house and, then later, she goes downstairs for a late night snack and Carlos is there too, half-heartedly complaining that his stash has run out and he had grown accustomed to a certain style of living and--

“Ray, Ray, Ray, Ray Ray RayRay,” Reggie says, running into the house, tripping over his own feet somehow and skidding into the counter, knocking over the fruit bowl in the process. Her dad idly straightens it with one hand, the other reaching out to collect the apples and oranges that had rolled everywhere but Reggie grabs it and pulls. “You gotta see this, there’s a bird and the light-- bring your camera!”

“A bird?” her dad says, and he sounds a bit doubtful but he is already grabbing his camera.

“Huge bird,” Reggie says, waving his hands as if to indicate. “Biggest bird ever. I think it’s a condor!”

“A condor! A California condor??” her dad’s eyes go huge and then he’s throwing one camera at Reggie and grabbing another out of a drawer and there are apples and oranges everywhere and her dad almost brains himself stepping on one and flying forward but Reggie catches him and suddenly, Julie is in the kitchen by herself, surrounded by fruit, staring at a pancake her dad was supposed to flip.

She rolls her eyes and smiles to herself and grabs the spatula.

She doesn’t think they’re coming back any time soon.

#julie and the phantoms #jatp #jatp fanfiction #my fic #reggie #ray molina #julie molina #fanfiction #bullet point fic #but it is 7k #also yes i just pulled the title from finally free #it seemed to fit

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lydias--stiles · 3 years

Note

28, 31, and 32 for Willex for the kiss prompts

KISS PROMPTS (closed) 28 + 31 +32. One person tracing the other’s lips with a fingertip until they can’t resist any longer, tilting their chin towards them for a kiss + Pulling away from a kiss, whispering words of love against each other’s lips + A kiss so passionate, so perfect - that after they part, neither person can open their eyes for a few moments afterwards

(canon)

If Willie’s afterlife wasn’t on the line, he’d be begging to be warped back to that dark room so he could cry and hyperventilate in peace. Alas, it was Willie and Alex was pretty sure he was sort of in love with the guy - crying was no option right now. Afterwards, whether there was a good or bad outcome, he’d cry. A lot.

The plan sounded easy. It did, because it was made up by Luke and Reggie (under supervision by Julie, but angels could only do so much) and their one track mind didn’t take the dozen things that could go wrong into account.

Sneak into the HGC, challenge Caleb to a musical battle, find Willie while the diversion was happening, get out. They didn’t know how big the club truly was, they didn’t know if Willie was there, they didn’t know if he… (he couldn’t think like that) and, on top of that, they were taking a huge risk returning to the crime scene.

That man was the Devil and he had managed to lure them right into his snake pit without breaking a sweat. It was terrifying.

Alex wished he was like his brothers. They were scared, sure, but it didn’t cripple them to a numbing fear. His muscles were so tight, he could snap.

Julie noticed though. As the boys were preparing their riffs, she sat beside him on the couch. She didn’t say anything, but having her there was enough. (And if she intentionally deepened her breathing, all rhythmic and soothing, she didn’t mention it and neither did he. It helped.)

“Alright, boys,” Luke called out, body kinetic and twitching with energy. “Let’s get this show on the road!”

Reggie hollered, plucking a few snares on his bass to accompany Luke’s laugh. Julie squeezed Alex’ hand and then hoisted him up when he didn’t move.

Shooting them all a stern look, she said: “Be careful, please. Please don’t… do anything stupid.”

“Julie-”

“Luke, please,” she pressed, nodding at the blonde. “No impulsive moves. Not right now.”

The guitarist slowly nodded, eyes flicking from the girl to the nervous drummer and then back to her. It seemed to mellow him down a bit, Alex utterly grateful she had him wrapped around her finger.

Luke’s following words were hollow in his head, echoing in and out as his chest clenched and twisted up in a splintering knot. He knew he should be focusing, knew it would do him good hearing the plan again, to have it fresh in his mind, but he simply couldn’t.

He just wanted Willie back. He promised he’d follow him and he wasn’t ready for the intense guilt if he couldn’t fulfil that.

“Okay,” Alex interrupted his friend’s spiel. “Let’s do it.”

Luke’s brows raised in surprise and nodded, Reggie holding out his hands for them to hold. Julie took a step back and pressed a brave smile on her face. If he had any space in his mind to check in on her, he would.

The bassist bid her a cheery goodbye - always the best one at faking confidence - and then they poofed out.

Reappearing in front of the club, they took a collective breath. Because they were previously affected by Caleb, its lingering powers gave them the skill to still teleport to the hidden location. It was a loophole, something he hoped would save their asses again and again, for as long as they were on earth.

Their entire afterlife existence was one fucking loophole. (Stop stressing about it! Focus on Willie!)

(He could really scream in a museum right now.)

“Reg and I are gonna sneak in, cause a riot-”

“Hell yeah.”

“-and play like motherfucking rockstars,” Luke continued, gaze pointedly fixed on Alex. “You can do it, Alex. You know him better than anyone, you’re gonna know where he is.”

“Yeah, bud,” added Reggie. “Just follow the scent of your sweet, sweet boy. Or skid marks. Whatever. Or-”

He raised his hand. “Yeah, okay,” a shuddering breath paused his words, “thanks, Reg.”

Everything went really fast and agonisingly slow at once. His heart quickened its pace with each passing second, to the point where he wasn’t sure he’d make it back out. His friends ran inside and started kicking down chairs and tables, interrupting the performance of the menacing Caleb.

Meanwhile, Alex slipped by on the periphery of the club, skittish eyes trying to find doors and hallways and stairs - anywhere that wasn’t meant for the public. It felt like someone was chasing him, like Caleb was already going after him when the electrifying riffs of Luke were clearly audible and piercing through intrusive thoughts.

Focus. Focus on Willie. Save Willie.

Doors slammed open and close, all devoid of people or ghosts. Some rooms caused a chill down his spine at the sight of utter darkness, reminded of the twenty-five years he had hopelessly cried.

Running up and down stairs, turning corners in winding hallways, endless and long and messy. He had no clue how he should go back, if he was cornering himself.

Alex froze. Was he falling into a trap? Had this been Caleb’s plan all along? Oh, God. He should go back. He should find his way back to daylight, not look back and move on. This was too much, too much for a seventeen year old to handle. He couldn’t…

Frustration poured from his throat into an angry shout. No! He should do this! If Willie risked everything, if Willie got buses to disappear into the desert, if Willie tried protecting him over and over again-

Alex screamed again. Louder and louder and louder.

And then he heard it. Faint.

“Alex?”

His breath hitched in his throat. No way. No fucking way. Cautiously, his feet followed the sound of the voice. It sounded like the skater, but he couldn’t be completely sure until he saw his face. Who knew what other tricks Caleb had up his sleeve?

He gulped. “Willie?”

“Alex!”

It came from another hallway, echoing and warped. Right as he was about to turn the corner, sensing a presence, his voice called out.

“Wait! You can’t… you can’t look at me. If you do, I won’t be able to escape.”

Confusion riddled his thoughts. “The hell?”

Willie sighed. “It’s- Caleb put a curse on me. No one is allowed to look at me.” The voice came closer. Still warped, like it was disembodied. “You have to trust that I’m following you.”

“I don’t know my way back,” Alex cried out.

“I’ll help, Hotdog,” he said, the blonde imagining that signature crooked smile pulling on his lips. “Turn around and don’t look back at me. I’ll be there.”

Oh, man. This was a horrible time to start trusting his gut. But if a spontaneous solo yelling match got him to find Willie, then he should try this too. Spinning on his heels, he waited ‘til he felt something, anything, to indicate he was there. It didn’t happen. Unsure if he should call out for him, he started the trek.

The closer he came back to his starting point, the more he noticed how the music was dying out. No guitar or bass that shredded through walls, no jazzy scatting that overpowered it. There was noise, but no distinct sound could be picked out. It felt like a haunted house.

All the while, Willie nudged him around the right corners and up the right stairs. Wordlessly, that was. Somehow, he could feel it. Felt his guidance, as if a thin thread looped around him tugged him forward. (Or maybe, he just had a lot of practising chasing him around that it was like muscle memory.)

After a few minutes, his surroundings became familiar. The air became thicker, the lights brighter. He still didn’t feel anyone behind him. From the corner of his eye did he see Luke and Reggie sprinting out the club. Correction: the demolished club. They really weren’t playing when they said they’d cause a riot. Fucking hooligans.

Running for the door, he didn’t think about Caleb capturing them or Willie’s lack of body or anything. All he wanted to do was hold Willie again. Hug him. Kiss him.

The drummer jumped over the threshold into broad daylight, Luke and Reggie hollering in victory when he did. Alex was stiff though, waiting. Anticipating. Did he follow? Was he still there?

“I don’t know what’s going to happen if I leave without his permission, Alex,” Willie suddenly croaked out.

His eyes screwed tight, clenching his fists and jaw and holding his ground. “We’ll figure it out, Willie,” he spit. “Please.”

All of a sudden, the boy crashed into his back with a blasting force, nearly teetering them to the ground. Warm arms wrapped around him, fingers curling into the strap of his fanny pack and twisting his body.

And there he was, with gleaming eyes and a beautiful smile: Willie.

Alex scrambled back on his feet and lurched forward, snatching him into a tight embrace. Tears burst up at the feel of his skin and dark locks and- and he was here. He was safe.

“What happened?” he whispered. “What did he do?”

“Put me in a harder curse to crack,” he mumbled, “but I knew you could do it, Hotdog.”

He laughed, the sound wet and choked, and gripped onto his shoulders. Pulling away, he still couldn’t believe he was here. His hands wandered to his face, unable to keep himself from tracing his forehead and jaw to make sure that he was here. To make sure his mind wasn’t playing tricks on him. Willie let him; a fond smile blooming.

And when his nail went past his bottom lip, he stopped thinking entirely.

Alex tilted his chin and as Willie’s smile grew, softly kissed him on the lips. He’s never kissed anyone before, but this seemed right. Willie was right. And man, did it feel good.

Afraid of the overwhelming sensation - of the warmth and the lightness in his head and the beat of his heart that stuttered but in a good way - he pulled away, fingers still around his chin and noses brushing.

An elated puff mingled with Willie’s breath. “Should I have told you first that I like you? Oh, shit. Should I have asked?”

The boys behind him whooped and whistled. When he turned and told them to fuck off, they actually listened for once. Luke disappeared in a snap, Reggie following suit right after with a suggestive smirk and wink. Idiot.

Hands snaked around his neck and swivelled him back to Willie’s grinning face. Before he could react, Willie pulled him down to his level and captured him into a searing kiss. His body moved on its own accord, coaxing them closer and deepening the kiss and allowing that avalanche of emotions to crash into him. These feelings were good. They weren’t supposed to scare him; this was good. Willie was good.

Fuck it, he was perfect.

It left him breathless and speechless, lips puckered in a daze and unable to open his eyes once Willie lessened his hold. Their foreheads pressed together instead, an enamoured smile twitching to explode in that goofy way he always mocked Luke for.

“I like you too, Alex,” he whispered. “A lot.”

He opened his eyes and was met with his bright smile, his own slowly cracking open. Green peered into brown. He could stand here forever, but he knew the boys and Julie were waiting, knew Caleb was on the prowl somewhere.

Their hands laced together. It didn’t take a lot for Alex to confidently smile at him. Right now, no anxiety could ruin his mood. Willie was here. Willie was safe. Willie liked him - a lot.

“C’mon,” he said, “I wanna introduce you to someone.”

#willex #willex week #jatp fanfiction #kiss prompts #ask ophelia

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