#i kind of threw it together but hopefully it makes sense
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Gilded Constellations | (wolfstar x reader)
Series Masterlist | Previous episode
Pairing: Wolfstar x Reader
Word Count: 8 K
Warnings: Graphic descriptions of violence. (Reader discretion is advised).
Prompt: You'll get even...
This IS a wolfstar x reader fic, but it's incredibly slow burn. They won't start all dating each other until we're very deep into the story, but I promise the long wait will be worth it.
Chapter 25: I’ll Get Even With You
Thursday, November 25th, 1976
The boys had walked you through their plan step by step, it wasn’t going to be easy, and it required a lot of technical skill to be performed, but it wasn’t impossible. You gave them a few suggestions here and there, you yourself had already been pondering different revenge ideas in your head and together you managed to come up with a rather elaborate but hopefully foolproof plan.
Remus and you would work on the potions since you were best at them, and you would prepare them that very night, since, as Sirius said “There is no time to lose, we need to strike and we need to strike fast. They must know it’s retaliation for what they did.”
James and Sirius would be in charge of charms, spells and hexes, and Peter would do recognizance, making sure the coasts were clear before you snuck inside the Slytherin common room to prepare every single one of the things you had in store.
The planning job they had executed so far was truly astounding, and if this level of meticulous preparation was standard for all their pranks, it was no wonder they were renowned for their incredible feats. Clearly, this wasn't just some fleeting idea that had occurred to them in the shower; it had been meticulously crafted. It bordered on madness and teetered on the edge of hazardous. The exhaustive list of steps might have deterred even the bravest Gryffindor, and yet, despite all these elements, there was an undeniable thrill to it, an unmistakable, electrifying excitement that pulsed through every aspect of the plan.
As you looked at the list of steps, you marked all the things that you’d be doing, you had to memorise it and burn the page after. You had to leave “no evidence,” Peter had whispered.
One time he had been caught with one of the plans and everyone had been put in detention for an entire month, from that moment on, they had made one of the key steps of all of their plans to memorise everything. You thought it made sense and started to drill all the steps in your mind, even the ones that didn’t concern you, just in case.
By midday, and as you were walking alongside the boys towards Magical Theory, you had already memorised and burned the parchment the boys had given you. James, Sirius and Remus had their heads so close together as they were whispering about. Peter was right in front of them, he decided he’d walk all the way to your class even if he had to be late to his own. And you? You were right in the middle of them all. Sirius had grabbed you by your good arm and pulled you in closer gently so you could be part of the conversation.
It was weird, to be in the planning rather than just a spectator from the side, giving them enough space to discuss their things as you always had. But not anymore, even Peter had been welcoming and willing to let you in on absolutely every single detail of the plan. Yes, it might have been a little different, but it was definitely the good kind of different, you liked being a part of it. Even more now, since it was your own little revenge.
Of course, you wouldn’t do something that would really harm the Slytherins, not like they had done to you at least. You were aware neither of them knew about Remus, so when they threw you in the Shrieking Shack, they really had attempted nothing more than to give you the hell scare of your life. “The most haunted house in England”, one of them had said.
The only person that actually knew about Moony was Severus, and even if he had been a total asshole, he had also gone and told Lily about it, which had ultimately saved your life, since she had been the one to tell the boys. Either way, he could have also stopped them from being stupid and suggested a different thing, but he did not, so the fact that you had almost gotten bitten by Moony was also his fault. Which was exactly why he wouldn’t get scot-free either.
Even if the Shrieking Shack had actually just been a haunted house, the worst thing they had done, would have been the fact that they pushed you around, hexed you a couple of times, manhandled and threatened you, which is nothing they wouldn’t have done in the school, so you all had to carefully plan something that held the perfect balance.
The prank couldn’t be too dark or harmful, just enough to teach them a lesson, so that they learned that throwing people in haunted houses and attempting to scare this shit out of one of them was a dreadful thing to do. Which is why your prank had mainly consisted of something of the same nature.
“So you’ll talk to him about it?” Peter asked.
“Yes, I think I can convince him.”
“You sure?” James asked, “It’s pivotal for the plan that we get help from one of the–”
“–Yes, I’m sure. Most of them already know what happened, Myrtle ran her mouth through their own little circle.”
“Thought you were friends with her,” Peter said.
“I’m as much of her friend as you can be,” you said with a shrug “but only the close circle knows, and I asked her earlier today to give him a message, I’ll meet him later near the Perfect Bathrooms, I’ve heard they’re empty rather often.”
“You can meet him inside if you want, I’ll give you the password,” Remus offered.
“She can’t meet him inside the bathrooms, it’d be inappropriate!” Peter argued.
“How would it be inappropriate Wormmy?”
“Well you know, people might talk and…”
“As if Myrtle didn’t spend half the time there too,” Remus huffed.
“But that’s–“
“Hold up! How do you know Myrtle spends half the time there?” you asked, looking at Remus in disbelief.
“Well, I’ve seen her there, plenty of times, logically.”
“While… bathing?” you asked again, rather hesitant.
“She can be very meddlesome, yeah.”
“And she’s never told me?!”
“Didn’t you say you weren’t that close?” Sirius said, arching an eyebrow.
You weren’t really listening “Oh Godric! The gossip she must have seen in those bathrooms.”
Remus turned to you now “What do you think happens in those bathrooms?”
“What do you think doesn’t? Unsupervised, private bathrooms the older students have access to?”
“Oh…” Remus said in realisation.
Sirius nodded “Yeah, I can confirm things happen there,” he said casually. You gasped and swatted him in the side, it was as if he had forgotten he was talking to his girlfriend with whom he had not gone to the bathrooms… yet. “From hearing about it,” he clarified, at least an octave higher as he rubbed the section you had hit him on. Drama queen, you thought, didn’t even hit him half hard.
“So… you want the password?”
You thought about it for a second “Yeah… I guess it comes in handy, just in case…” you said. Sirius gave you a suggestive look.
“Ugh mate, at least try and keep it in your pants!” James said, pushing Sirius to the side, causing you to tumble against Remus’ chest, who held you in place and arched an eyebrow as he looked at you from his higher stance, he seemed amused.
“For the prank!” you clarified as if it were obvious.
Remus nodded, the same amused look as earlier, Godric was it fun to tease you, even if the reason you were getting red for was Sirius and not himself. You were blushing, becoming shyer the wider he smirked. You pushed yourself off him, which had his little smile falter even if it was just for a second. “If you boys keep being gross about this whole thing I’ll just go hang out with Lily instead.”
“You can’t, we’ve got class together,” James said, placing his arm over your shoulder “and whether you like it or not, you’re my partner.” You gave an exaggerated groan in response, tilting your head back just a little to make it seem more dramatic. “Oi! I’m not that bad!”
“You talk about Lily all the time, and since your date is on Saturday I can’t imagine how much you will–“
“–Righ! you need to help me with the planning of that too!” He said taking his arm off your shoulder and turning to you excitedly.
“But that plan is already done…”
“But what will I say if–“
Sirius came over now, placing his arms over your shoulder “Mate, if you need her to tell you what to do in every single situation, why not let her go on the date with Lily instead?”
“She’s your girlfriend!” James said scandalised.
“Wouldn’t mind sharing her with Evans,” Sirius responded with a shrug which had you laughing, “she’s nice, they’d make a hot couple, actually,” the boy added, just to see James’ reaction.
“Don’t you dare come seduce my future wife!” he said, turning to you with a threatening finger and in a playful tone.
“As much as I’m into redheads, Lilly is most definitely just a friend,” you responded.
“What do you mean you’re into redheads?” Sirius asked, turning to you a little shocked.
You just shugged, “Red hair is really pretty…”
“But I… I thought that… You said I was your type!”
You shook your head with a teasing smile “You said you were my type Puppy.”
Sirius seemed taken aback, but that was right, he really had been the one to say that Remus wasn’t your type because he was, you could practically see the gears turning in his head as his confident expression faltered, which had you suppress a giggle “So you like redheads then?” he said a little defensively “next thing I know you’ll come around telling me you’re also into sexy werewolves.”
Remus almost choked on the piece of chocolate he was munching, but he played it off with a cough, you just gave Sirius a diverted look “Puppy,” you said with a raised eyebrow “Are you jealous ‘cause I said I’m into redheads?”
“Of course not,” he said, “Why don’t you go and flirt with one of the Weaslys then?”
You just laughed, you had no idea who the hell he was talking about since Arthur had graduated a couple of years before you even got into the school, and his younger brother was in 2nd (you had yet to meet him). “Sirius,” you said, calling his attention by leaning in to whisper in his ear “I might be into redheads, but I still like you better than any of ‘em.”
Sirius almost went red, for a second, but got back on his feet faster than he faltered, and turned to you with a smirk “Well of course you do Starshine,” he said cockily, “After all you’ve got the hottest boyfriend in the entire school.”
You, along with the boys, laughed at Sirius’ antiques. But she really does, Remus thought as he chuckled and extended his hand with the chocolate towards you, you took a square and bit half of it off before feeding the rest to Sirius. Remus swallowed, wondering if he could be happy with this. With just being a part of it by sticking to the two of you like he was doing then. He wondered if he would be able to survive the heartache whenever he was consumed by greed and desire to have one of you. Whenever he felt like he had to stop being a spectator and take part in the story instead. He shook that thought off his head, he had to focus on the prank now, that was the priority.
Once near the classroom, Peter waved goodbye, walking to his class while you entered yours. You and James sat behind Sirius and Remus, and while you did attempt to work on your project, in the end, you had spent most of the time going over the plan with James. He had it all perfectly memorised, and he was now telling you how Remus and Sirius would sneak into the library to get the book with the charms they’d be practising all night while you and Remus prepared the special potions you’d be using later that day.
“So they’ll use the map to sneak in and…”
“What map?” you asked “Did Remus make more maps for the rest of the passages?”
“Oh well…” James seemed at a loss of words, then leaned down to talk to the boys, you arched an eyebrow, but watched as they whispered about. “Can we tell Vixen about the map?”
“Yeah, she’ll see it when we go make the potions anyway,” Remus said.
“I trust her,” Sirius said with a shrug.
“Of course you do tosser, she’s your girlfriend,” James said with an eye roll “I trust her too, but what about Peter?”
“I don’t think he’ll mind…” Remus said.
“You don’t?!” Sirius asked, “He can be touchy as hell sometimes.”
“But he likes her,” James added, more convincing himself than the rest, “I’ll tell her about it.”
Finally, you leaned in, having your head almost bump into Remus’ who was sitting in front of you “Tell me about what?” you asked teasingly.
Remus smiled, “Oh you’ll see,” he responded mischievously “I’ll tell you all about it later.”
“Mr. Potter, and company,” you heard the voice of the teacher booming in your direction. “Would you mind telling me what’s so important that Mr. Lupin and Mr. Black have to say that you’re not focusing on your work instead?”
“Sorry Professor,” you apologised. “I was just asking Remus about a particular charm he’s really good at, and we need to use it for our project. James was trying to listen in since both of us will be performing it and Sirius was just trying to help us out as well,” then you flashed the most charming and apologetic smile you could muster.
“Well then, you should have told me earlier,” he said “Why don’t you guys move your chairs around so you can focus on your conversation better, instead of leaning down over your desks like that?”
“That would be delightful! Thank you, Professor,” you said with another smile as motioned for Remus and Sirius to stand up as you flicked your want to move their chairs towards you.
“Ugh, you really need to teach me your ways,” Sirius said as he stared at you “I swear I’m charming but… he would’ve eaten me up had I tried something like that.”
You looked over at the Professor, at the way he held himself “Nah, I’m sure you would’ve convinced him with one of those flashy smiles of yours,” you said with a shrug, “Even James would have convinced him.”
“Way to leave Moony out,” the boy said with a low whistle that earned him a kick from Sirius, for making so much noise.
“Thought it was obvious, Remus would’ve convinced him before I even attempted to do it, Professors love him to dеath.”
“What?! that’s not–“ Remus started.
Sirius and James interrupted him “Yes it is!”
In the end, you went over the steps of the plan one more time before you went back to working on your actual class projects. You and James ended up working on the night vision glasses and because of how useful they could be, both of you started digging through books to try and figure out if you could actually finish them before the prank.
Eventually, you did find a spell that could work, and while you were drawing a bunch of runes on the wooden table, James was writing down a copy of the spell on a piece of paper so the two of you could enchant the object at the same time.
Both Remus and Sirius were impressed with how fast and in tandem you were working, as if you really had known each other for longer than you had. It was easy to forget how freaking brilliant James was while he was cracking jokes half the time, but he was as much of a genius as the rest of the boys, even if each of them had their thing. The class finished, and since you had lunch, neither you nor the boys worried too much about leaving the classroom as you continued working on your spell.
That was until Lily showed up near the door “There you are!” She said once she spotted you “I was looking for you, time to change your bandages!” She said pulling a roll-out of her bag “We’ve got like 30 minutes before Defence Against the Dark Arts–”
Your eyes opened wide, “–30 minutes?!” you asked shocked and turned to the clock “fuck, I’m supposed to be in the bathrooms with Richie,” you said as you stood up and placed your robes around your shoulders to then start unbuttoning the shirt, your back facing the boys.
Lilly took off her own robes and levitated them around you to give you more room to move around as her robes covered you while you took off your shirt, “Why do you need to see Richard near the bathrooms?” She asked.
“It’s confidential!” James said before you even had a chance to open your mouth.
“Yeah darling, don’t tell the beautiful redhead, no matter how tempting,” Sirius teased right after.
You rolled your eyes and Lily arched one of her eyebrows “What’s that about?” She asked as she opened the roll and took out a small pot with her cream, you were unwrapping the older bandages while at it so that you could both end faster and you could run off to see Richie before he got too angry.
“I accidentally told Sirius I was into redheads,” you said with a shrug “he probably won’t stop teasing me about it.”
“Oh,” she said surprised, taking the bandage you were unrolling with her own hands and helping you with it “Didn’t know you were into redheads…” she said casually “Would you mind if I tease Sirius about it?”
“Not at all,” you said, “be my guest,” you smiled complicitly.
“Oh wow,” she said as she looked at your injury “You heal fast,” she said surprised.
You turned towards it, and she was right, while the wound wasn’t completely healed, it was significantly better than it had been the day before, let alone today in the morning when you were crying as you tried to cure it in the Room of Requirements. Perhaps the piercing paste you had somehow mustered up in the morning did something good in the end, even if it had hurt a hell lot while doing it. Either that or it was something else, either way, you were just happy it was looking better, if it went on like that, you might just be able to convince James to let you play on Sunday.
“Ready for your date on Saturday?” you whispered, you could tell there was a slight blush creeping up her neck.
“That bastard is lucky I said yes, I don’t even know how exactly he convinced me,” she muttered.
I do, you thought as you remembered the glass of punch she had in her hands at the party, “No idea, perhaps you just were really happy,” either way, it’s not like the euphoria potion made you do anything you didn’t want to, in fact, I’d go as far as to say it was like liquid courage. Of course, Remus wouldn’t agree with that opinion, or perhaps it did give him some courage, for the first five minutes or something.
“Yeah, I did feel quite happy,” Lily agreed. “It was really nice to hang out with James while taking the pictures, I guess I really hadn’t given him a chance before that.” She said as she dabbed the wound with her much more reliving paste. You would have cried from relief if it wasn’t because she’d asked you why you were crying.
You were taking deep, slow breaths when you heard Sirius’ voice from behind Lily’s cloak “Hey luv, we’ll pick up some lunch for you so you can take your time with Richie, all right?”
You nodded and then shook your head when you remembered he couldn’t see you “Yes, save me some sausages, will you?”
“Whose sausages?” James teased.
“Ugh, don’t be so gross Potter!” Lily responded “And to think I agreed to go on a date with him,” she muttered to herself.
“I’m sorry my love,” he said in return “did not mean to upset you.”
Lily just rolled her eyes “Get the poor girl her sausages and stop being annoying then.” You snickered as you heard Lily’s bickering and she gave you a look, you raised your free hand in surrender. A couple of minutes later she was done wrapping the bandage. “There you are darling,” she said with a smile.
“Thanks,” you said with a smile “You’re the best.”
Lily just smiled “Want me to come with?” she asked as she motioned to the door and you rushed to put your shirt and sweater on.
You shook your head “It’s all right, I can deal with him. Besides, it’s kind of confidential.”
Lily arched her eyebrows “Really? You’re not telling me what this is all about?”
“Trust me, you’re better off like this, you’ll have plausible deniability,” you said with a smile as you finished accommodating your shirt.
Lily was staring at you shocked as you walked to the door “What do you– (Y/N)! You can’t be working on a prank with them–“ she said as she followed behind, pulling her own robe that was still suspended in the air as she picked up her pace. “(Y/N)!” She whined when she realised just how far down one of the halls you already were.
“Plausible deniability Lily,” you shouted from the end of the hall “Plausible deniability, trust me!” you repeated with a smile before turning in one of the corners, speeding through the halls to reach all the way to the outside of the Prefect Bathrooms, thankfully they weren’t that far off.
After some more running you finally made it to the bathrooms, Richard Jackdaw was already there, looking a little annoyed as stared at you, as if you had him wait for too long.
“Sorry I’m late,” you said, panting. “I got stuck in a class and then they had to change my bandages because, well, Myrtle mentioned it, didn’t she?”
“That Barty and his gang threw you into the Shrieking Shack because you invited us to the Halloween Party?” he asked, “yeah I’ve heard… You know I had never been invited to a party before, at least not since I became a ghost a couple hundred years ago, and Myrtle, well, I’m sure she hadn’t been invited to one even when she was alive.”
You tried not to cringe at his words, Richard could sometimes be a little bit of a boastful prick, but he was nice enough to hang around, and he had lots of interesting stories to tell, which is probably why you enjoyed hanging out with him and some of the other ghosts as much as you did. And you couldn’t blame him for his impression of Myrtle, since you had a very similar impression of her.
“So… why am I here? Revenge, I assume.”
You smiled, it was nice to know Richie and you were on the same page, you nodded “I want to pay them back in equal proportion,” you said with a smile.
Richie arched an eyebrow, floating a little closer to the floor to see you eye to eye “Did ghosts really scare you in the Shack?” he asked with what you could only classify as curiosity “I know of no ghosts in there… And you aren’t particularly scared by us either…”
You shook your head “There are no ghosts in the shack,” you confirmed, “but it is haunted by something else.”
Richard pulled back, clearly interested in the story that you had to tell, the only thing was, that you wouldn’t tell any story, not today, possibly not ever… “And..?” he asked.
“And nothing, the thing there did give me a hell of a scare, I almost died and everything,” you said casually “Got scratched up too–“
“–Yeah, Myrtle mentioned that one, she also said something about Mulciber being bedridden because of you.”
You smiled proudly at that “Yeah, so I’ve been told,” you said “It was just Oppugno, but I guessed something funny must have gotten to him,” you said with a shrug.
“Aren’t you in 6th? Oppugno is a 7th year spell, I believe…”
“It is, I’ve been reading ahead a good bit,” you said cockily “but talking about my small little success there, is not why I’ve requested to talk to you.”
“Yeah, I figured,” he said haughtily “So then, tell me, what’s the plan?”
“Well, I know you’re a member of the Headless Hunt,” you started, Richard arched an eyebrow as he leaned in one of the statues, “And I did mention payback in the same propor–“
“–Shhh…” he said as he placed a transparent hand close to your mouth and looked around “fuck,” he added as he fixated his head on one of the corners “Quick, rub the head of the toad!” he pointed at a statue.
“Excuse me?” you asked with a frown.
“Someone’s approaching, hurry!” He added you did as told, leaning closer to the statue and passing your hand over the large toad’s head. In a matter of seconds, the mouth of the frog opened wide and swallowed you whole. You ended up rolling on the floor and coughing a couple of times as you tried to figure out where you had ended up.
Seconds later you saw Richard float through the wall “You all right?” he asked you “Didn’t hurt your arm, did it?”
You shook your head, almost surprised at his concern, most of the time Richard was too stuck up to care for anyone else but his ghostly self, or perhaps that was merely a façade and you were finally looking at the real Richard Jackdow, either way, you already knew he was friendly enough to be willing to talk to the new girl, so you held him in relatively high regards.
You nodded, he offered you his hand to get up but quickly pulled it back, as if it was hard for him to remember he wasn’t alive anymore. It was a rather interesting phenomenon, you thought since most ghosts still had a hard time remembering their capabilities as dеad people even if they had been ghosts for far longer than they had been alive. Myrtle, for example, hated it when books were thrown in her direction, even if she actually couldn’t feel them.
You gave him a tight apologetic smile as you stood up, dusting your robes as you looked around “You’ve brought me to your Secret hideout, then… Who was outside?”
“Spellman and Nightshade,” he said “We don’t want them to think we’re plotting something, do we?”
You smiled and shook your head, looking at the small table in the centre of the room, placing your hands on it and leaning in just a little to test if it was sturdy enough to hold your weight, naturally you used your good arm to avoid hurting the other one further. When it proved it was, you turned around and gave a small jump to sit over it, legs dangling a little as you stared at the boy, ghost with a smile “We certainly don’t, thanks for the heads up…” you said, trailing off at the end, realising how it could’ve been offensive only after you had spoken. Richie gave you an amused look, “sorry…”
He just laughed, “You’re probably the only living person I’d let make head-related jokes without retaliation,” he informed. “But don’t you dare tell anyone about it!”
“I would never…” you said with a smile “Consider it our little tête-à-tête secret.”
Richard chuckled, shaking his head as he did, you were certainly a funny one, no wonder the entire school was so fascinated with the new girl “Don’t push your luck…”
You just smiled, and leaned your head to the side “Will you ever tell me the story of how it happened?” you asked, since you’d been rather curious about it, but knew most ghosts didn’t really enjoy talking about their last moments alive.
“I told someone once a few hundreds of years ago, they finished what I started,” he said “But that’s a story for another day, all thought they remind me of you a little.”
You raised an eyebrow with a small grin “Did you also let them make head puns?”
Richard hummed and shook his head “Privilege is reserved for you sweetheart,” he said with a wink.
“Don’t sweetheart me,” you retorted with a smile.
“You don’t mind when Remus does it.”
“Well that’s–“
“You’re wasting my time luv,” he said, waving his hand dismissively, “What do you need me to do?”
“The headless hunt,” you said. He hummed. “I need you to talk to them, and convince them to help us out.”
He tilted his head “Won’t be an easy feat.”
“That’s the reason I came to you Ricchie, I know you can be very convincing.”
He hummed again, leaning back a little as he stared at you “And then what? I doubt the Slytherins would be much too scared by the headless hunt, most of them are pure-bIood wizards anyway.”
You started explaining all the details of the plan to him, his grin grew wider as you went through the potions and charms you’d be using, “You could add some spider venom essence to increase the sensation of crawling skin,” he offered, it had you raise your eyebrows and turn to him with newfound interest, he smirked “I was brilliant in potions when I was alive, that’s how I ended up working with Olivanders, helped whim with the extraction of ingredients.”
“So now I know who to bother when I need potion-related advice,” you teased.
He chuckled “Don’t make it a habit,” he retorted “By the way, do you not have class now?”
You looked around to try and find a clock in the old room, but there was none “Shit… I– Do you happen to know the time?”
He laughed, “I’m dеad, not all-knowing.”
You rolled your eyes, but nodded, finally jumping off the table “Thanks for helping me out with this, and for showing me your secret little hideout, clearly no one has been here in years.”
“They haven’t indeed, I used to bring Anne and Apollonia to hook up here,” he said with a shrug.
“You brought me to your hook-up hiding spot?!” you asked with a gasp.
He chuckled “Why? You bothered?”
You looked around, aside from the dust and spiderwebs, it seemed clean enough “No… Can I use it?” you said casually, turning back to him.
He raised an eyebrow “Which of your boyfriends will you bring here?” he asked.
“I’ve only got one of those,” you dеadpanned.
He smirked, “You keep telling yourself that, little one.”
You rolled your eyes “So.. Can I?”
He shrugged, “Leave a sock by the door at least.”
You scoffed, diverted “It’s not going to be to hook up! it’s a perfect hideout to plan things… or even to prepare potions…”
“Oh you’re definitely bringing one of your boyfriends here,” he said “Just don’t forget the socks.”
“I swear, one can’t have close friends these days without everyone assuming shit.”
“Or maybe you’re just that oblivious,” he whispered as he started to leave through a wall.
“Hey! Wait! how the hell do I get out?” you asked.
“You’re clever enough to figure it out,” he said with a laugh before disappearing. Freakin Richie! He left you locked up in the damn hook-up room. You looked around, the walls were wrapped with large thick bookshelves and a couple hundred books and other trinkets. There was a cauldron near the corner, along with some crystal vases, and a small cupboard with what looked like dried potion ingredients. It really was the perfect place to brew the potions once you’d gotten the ingredients from Slughorn’s office. The only issue left was getting out of it.
There was no door, or anything that resembled one either. There wasn’t another identical statue either, so leaving the exact same way you had gotten in, was not an option. You took a deep breath and continued to look around, analysing the entire place again. There were more and more books, everywhere you looked. Some of them were in fact potion books, and they had some of the library symbols, which meant either Richie or someone before him had been the one to take them there. You grabbed one of them and started flipping through the pages when something caught your eye, there was a small frog carved into the side of one of the bookshelves.
You left the book on the table without sparing it a second glance and reached the bookshelf in two strides, leaning down, you realised that there was a section that you could press, you smiled, leaning into the wall to try and hear if there was anyone outside. When you were sure there wasn’t you took a deep breath, brazing yourself for what was to come.
Finally, you pressed the head of the frog, in a matter of seconds you were outside, this time you managed to land on your knees and quickly pretended you were tying your shoelaces as you looked around, trying to make sure no one had seen you. When you were sure the coast was clear, you stood up, and turned to the clock at the end of the hallway. You were fucking late.
You didn’t think twice, speed walking towards the Defence Against the Dark Arts Classroom. The door was open and lots of people were gathered around two long tables, you instantly knew what was happening, you knew the arrangement, you’d seen it before… in the duelling club.
You took a deep breath and waited till most people had turned around to sneak inside as fast as possible, you were walking straight towards the girls when you felt a hand on your shoulder “Lovely to see you decided to grace us with your presence darling,” you froze dеad in your tracks, that was Professor Nightshade's melodic voice.
You turned around with an apologetic smile, ignoring the pang on your arm as she accidentally brushed your shoulder wound. “I’m sorry Professor,” you said “I’ve been feeling a little off lately, I’m aware I’ve missed a couple of classes, and duelling club but I–”
“–don’t need to hear your explanations,” she said with a smile, you weren’t exactly sure if she was being kind or hostile about it “We were just about to start a new duel, we were looking for a second volunteer, would you care to do it?” Remus, who was standing a couple of metres behind tensed up, trying to give you a warning, but you didn’t notice, you were too enthralled by Nightshade’s stare.
“Uhh… yeah sure,” you said as you dug your pockets to bring your wand out. Finally, you noticed Lily facepalming herself on the side which had you frown. You turned around, to look at the spot on the table to which you’d have to climb to, and you instantly knew why she had done it.
On the other side of the long table, looking as pleased with himself as it gets, was Evan Rosier. You looked at him, keeping your expression as neutral as you could. And walked over to the table, Professor Nightshade elegantly offered you her hand so you could lean on it as you gave the rather tall jump, and you took it with a small smile, even if you were gritting your teeth as you got backlash from leaning on your wounded arm.
Seraphina had no idea you were hurt, so even if she was hurting you she was doing it unwittingly. You saw James cringe as she grabbed onto your arm to help you up, but neither he nor anyone else could interfere. Once you were up there, you tightened your grip on your wand as you stared ahead. Last time you’d faced the boy he’d been in advantage, he had gotten you from behind, by surprise and he was a lot stronger than you were. That without even mentioning how it had been a 4 against one situation.
This time it was different, there was no room to play dirty, Nightshade was there and she wouldn’t allow it, you wouldn’t say you were particularly in advantage. Evan was a very talented wizard, you knew that much, but you were even, and that was enough for you to feel the adrenaline start pulsing through your veins. You’d get the chance to redeem yourself. You’d prove that you weren’t actually weak.
“Backs to each other,” you heard Nightshade order, both you and Evan did as told, “I’ll count to five, and you’ll step away from each other that same amount of steps, when I’m done, you may turn around and start the duel, Understood?”
You nodded and noticed from the corner of your eyes that Lily was gripping James’ arm with a nervous grip, the boy himself seemed tense, and you weren’t sure if it was because of the way Lily was clinging onto him or because he was just as worried for you as she was, probably both.
“One,” NIghtshade said, both you and Evan gave a step in the opposite direction, you realised Peter had a tight grip on his own wand, and was darting his eyes rapidly between you and just behind you, he was looking at Evan, you realised. “Two.” You took another step.
Remus could see Sirius tensing up, the boy was breathing slow and steady and had his eyes glued to Evan. He took a step towards his friend, and placed a hand over his shoulder, attempting to make it look like a friendly gesture as if not to call too much attention. Not that people were staring, no, they were all too busy staring at you and Evan. It’s not that the entire class knew of the rivalry between the two, but most people knew about the time you had hit Barty with the quaffle and they knew Barty and Evan were best friends. They had also seen your hostile behaviour towards each other, and with all the attention you were getting because of quidditch, you weren’t exactly one to blend in the back.
Even if not everyone in the classroom knew how far the rivalry went, they knew the duel they were about to witness would be one to remember. Especially since both you and Evan, were just as talented in charms and Defense Against the Dark Arts as each other. Had Nightshade paid a little closer attention, and not believed Slughorn when he said that you were on friendly terms with each other and made a fantastic team, maybe she would have realised what a terrible idea this was.
“Three,” She said, you both took another step, widening the distance between the other. You took a deep breath, tightening your grip around your wand, Evan was most likely going to go straight for an attack, so you’d have to be ready to block it, “Four,” she said, and you took another step, you could feel the tension building, the entire class was silent. So silent it was as if they were holding their breath.
Remus felt Sirius inch forward and he instantly tightened his grip on the other boy’s shoulder. Inching closer so that his chest was almost touching Sirius’ back. While Remus was just as tense as your boyfriend, he also knew how much more impulsive Sirius was, so he started to rub soft circles with his thumb near the boy’s shoulder blade, “She can take him,” he whispered reassuringly, his eyes glued on you as he spoke.
Another moment of silence and then “Five.”
In a matter of seconds both you and Evan were facing each other, “stupefy,” he spat.
“Protego,” you said just before his spell reached you, casting a light blue force field around you that instantly blocked his spell. Once the two spells crashed against each other you spoke again “expelliarmus.”
“Excellent wand work, the both of you,” Seraphina said “Pay attention to her shield charm, she cast it right before Evan’s spell reached her, which makes the spell even stronger.”
While she spoke, you and Evan continued launching spells at each other, but you both had wicked-fast reflexes and managed to counter most of them, which meant you were both increasingly using stronger and more complex charms and jinxes to try and get to the other.
“Serpensortia,” the blond said, you paused for a moment to look at him while a very big snake approached you, it was a very basic spell, and you weren’t sure why Evan would use something like that against you, perhaps it’s a Slytherin thing, you thought.
“Flipendo,” you said pointing towards the snake, effectively pushing it back towards the boy, the snake had flown so fast, that it fell right over his shoulders. He hissed and pushed it to the side, having it fall over the head of a couple of other students.
“Keep the spells on the table!” Nightshade reprimanded as several students sprung back, trying to get out of the way.
You turned to the side and pointed your wand at the snake “deletrious,” you said, the snake rolled on itself and disappeared, but the little distraction had given Evan an advantage.
“Diffindo,” the boy spat, you ducked, but the curse got your cheek either way, causing a small slash on it. You heard some people hiss, Remus had to basically glue Sirius to his chest to warn him not to step in. He knew the teacher would reprimand him, but even worse, he knew you’d be pissed if anyone stepped in at that point.
You touched your face, with your free hand, seeing the bIood on your fingers as you turned your wand back to him, or more precisely to a point in the ground near his feet, “reducto,” you said, causing a small explosion on the table that caused Evan to jump back, giving you enough time to get back your own footing.
Evan seemed to panic as you got up and pointed his wand at you “Confringo!” he said, you somehow managed to block the spell.
“Rosier!” Nightshade reprimanded “That’s not a spell we–”
“-Avis!” you responded, causing a swarm of birds to fly in Evan’s direction.
“Miss (Y/L/N)!” She started as well, but neither of you was paying much attention to her words at that point.
“Expulso!” he spat, the birds all exploded into thin air “Incarcerus!” You blocked.
“Petrificus totalus!” you said, but he jumped to the side, “Incarcerus!”
“Impedimenta!” This time, you both got each other.
You were moving in slow motion as he fought with chains that wrapped around his feet and arms. “Fini…” This was going to take a while, you realised. Evan was working around the ropes pretty fast. “…te incantatem…” you managed to say and got back on your feet only seconds before he shot another jinx that you managed to counter by a hair.
He pointed his wand at your face “Reducto!”
You blocked and shot the same spell, he blocked, “stupefy!” He blocked. “Exoelliarmus!” he blocked. He was blocking everything, you’d need something stronger to get him even as he was blocking. “Confringo!” you spat again, but Evan had been distracted by Nightshade who was still trying to end the duel and it got him. You gasped as the boy was shot back by a fiery explosion. You’d been expecting him to block, so you weren’t measuring the strength of the spell.
Evan barely managed to sit as he reached the floor and started trying to put the fire on his robes off. “Relashio,” you said, launching a good deal of water over him. You had already won, he was on the floor, not on the table anymore, but he was pissed, everything stung and on top of that you had made him look like a wet rat with your stupid water spell.
Evan pointed his wand at you “Furnu-“ he started.
“Expeliarmus!” Nightshade interrupted, taking Evan’s hand away from his hand “That’s enough!” she said sternly “The two of you are way out of line!” You swallowed, still looking at her. “Diffindo?! Confringo?! Are you two out of your damned minds?!”
“Evan was the first one to–“
“–Silence!” she uttered, you bit your tongue, “I’ll take Mr. Rosier to the infirmary,” she informed “But we’ll be having a talk after dinner Miss (Y/L/N), not only because of the duel,” she added, and then turned to the rest of people “Class is cancelled everyone, you may go back to your daily tasks.” She then dragged Evan out of the classroom.
There was a series of whispers and people started leaving the classroom, you were still standing over the table, slightly frozen when Lily reached for your hand and helped you down, she took a look at you, placing both hands on the sides of your head to check the cheek that Evan’s spell had gotten cut. James was there, looking at it over Lily’s shoulder, and he winced as the girl moved your head to the side to give it a closer look. The rest of your friends were fast approaching, you still hadn’t said a word.
Sirius came to you with a huge smile, Remus trailing close behind you “Starshine!” your boyfriend said, trying to get your attention. Since your head was still being held by Lily’s hands, you just focused your eyes on him, he had a huge grin on his face “That was incredible luv!” he started. You didn’t have much of a reaction. “The way that you–“
“–Sirius,” Remus said, calmly, trying to get the boys’ attention, he had somehow gotten just in front of the longer-haired boy in a matter of seconds.
“And then how you–“
“Sirius,” he called again. The boy finally turned to him, and saw the way Remus shook his head slowly. Sirius frowned, not quite getting what Moony wanted to say.
“He didn’t block,” you muttered.
“What was that luv?” Lily asked, the boys’ attention all on you now.
“I– I was expecting him to block… I didn’t mean to…”
Sirius frowned “What?! But after the things they did–“
“What did they do?” Beth, who had just gotten there, asked.
Sirius swallowed. “They threw them off their brooms while they were broom surfing,” Remus intervened.
“You went broom surfing again?” James asked, in shock, Lily almost kicked him in the shin, “Because I thought–“
“He’s in the infirmary because of me,” you muttered again. That was not the plan, that was not how you’d get back at them.
Yeah, you almost died because of him, I’d say you’re even, Sirius thought, but he didn’t voice it, the rest of your friends were gathering around.
“Should we put something on your–“ Lily started.
You shook your head “I’m fine.”
The girl nodded, understanding that you needed some space to process everything that had gone down, especially because of how fast it had been.
“We should go to the common room,” Remus voiced from beside you, and then leaned a little closer, placing one of his hands on your back, a soft reassuring smile “We still have the food you asked for earlier.”
You looked at him, eyes a little unfocused at first, but eventually you nodded. You all walked back to the common room together. Sirius had taken your hand in his, to try and give a reassuring squeeze, even if he wasn’t quite sure why you were so perturbed, since he thought the way Evan had ended up was well deserved. He’d seen the marks of his fingers on your neck and jaw, he’d seen the sheer stress you had been put into when they matched you with him in potions, in fact, he’d go as far as to say confringo, hadn’t been enough, but that might just be the Black in him.
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A/N: So now we know exactly what they were looking at... Can we talk about those wolfstar interactions getting better and better? Gosh I love them so much I swear. Thoughts? Comments? What exactly could the prank be?
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For @forlorn-crows Mushy May 2023 day 23: Watching the other sleep
FOR @forlorn-crows MUSHY MAY 2024 DAY 2: MIDNIGHT SNACKS
Pairing: Mountain/Dew
Rating: T for mild sexual humor and dew complaining he doesn't have a libido.
Tags: Attempted Laundry, Attempted Robbery, Midnight Snacks, Mountain is silent but deadly, Fresh Mountain Air (derogatory). Arguably slice of life?
Summary: Yeah I don't even know what to tell you with this one. Dew and Mountain do laundry, get snacks and save the day...?
Word Count: 3252
They've been laying together in content silence for probably an hour. Mountain's the little spoon; Dew's shimmied his way up to throw an arm clumsily over Mountain's shoulders with a leg flung over the big guy's hip in a classic jetpack position. They're both naked save for boxers but the heat of skin on skin isn't really doing anything for them like it usually does. Dew's playing with Mountain's hair, Mountain's enjoying the sensation but. Just laying there without sleeping or fucking is making Dewdrop kind of twitchy.
Don't get it wrong, Dew loves a good cuddlepile but that comes with the sensation of being sandwiched between a bunch of other ghouls, something always moving, someone always purring and while he loves to play with Mountain's hair quietly like this, just the two of them, he can't relax if everything is too still. Even the HVAC unit in the room isn't working so the air is tepid and stale.
He takes a deep breath in to ask Mountain if maybe he wants to go for a walk or whatever when Mountain shifts and asks, "You wanna grab some snacks from that place across the road?"
Dew grins against Mountain's neck and praises Satan for the earth ghoul's ever hungry stomach. The day (or night) Mountain doesn't get up for a midnight snack is the day (or night) Dew will finally believe in body snatchers.
"There's a laundromat next to it, I think." Mountain continues. "Should probably wash whoever's clothes are in the suitcases."
"It might be shirts from Swiss." Dew says nonchalantly. "Some from Cumulus too, I think. Maybe." As if he didn't routinely pilfer everyone's clothes and was in fact using Aether's shirt as a pillowcase. Mountain makes a little "hrm" that tells Dewdrop he can't get away with anything.
"And your hoodie." Dew adds, rushed and quiet.
"You might as well keep it." Mountain says, shrugging off Dew's limbs so he sit up and stretch. Dew's eyes immediately go to the way his shirt rides up, exposing his happy trail covering the scant amount of pudge Mountain carries on his beanpole of a body but still. Nothing happens down south. He must be tired. "I like my clothes without burn marks.'
"That was one time and I said I was sorry." Dew snapped without any real bite, shrugging on the aforementioned hoodie while Mountain threw on jeans and a shirt. Dew shimmies into something that fits him, he's pretty sure it's Sunny's by the smell of mangos and when he sticks his hand in the pocket he fishes out a half eaten pack of dried strips. He places them respectfully on the nightstand; hell spawn he might be but other people's snacks were sacrosanct. Especially Sunny's.
"Grab your wallet." Mountain says, hefting three duffel bags with ease. "It'll be pay per load and hopefully they have a coin machine there."
"Wish I was pay per load." Dew mutters as he slips his cracked leather billfold into the hoodies pocket. They probably have enough to get a few rounds done, he thinks.
"So do I." Mountain says, going for the door. Dew tries to kick him but the bastard's long stilty legs take him quickly out of range and Dew has to take three steps for just one of his.
“That doesn't even make any sense, asshole.”
“Your asshole doesn't make any cents. That's why I said it.”
“I am not making a fart joke Mountain.”
“I wouldn't judge you if you did.” Mountain says with a shrug and they continue their walk in the same companionable silence of the bedroom. The night clerk gives them a quiet nod as she folds towels and Mountain salutes her as they head out with their bags. The night air hits them like a soft wall of water, the ambient temperature still warm and humid enough to feel sticky seconds after exiting the air-conditioned space of the lobby.
“Nuh-uh” Mountain says, putting his large hand over Dew’s skinny chest when they reach the road. “Look both ways.”
“Mountain, it's the middle of the night.” Dew says with a look of disbelief. He adjusts Mountain’s hand so the palm is fully over his pectoral but he still isn't horny. Goddamn. “This isn't a big city, no one is around.”
“Safety.” Mountain says serenely, glancing left, then right then left again before nodding and pulling away from Dew, who takes a moment to mourn the loss of his hand on his chest and his libido. They cross the street unharmed to the laundromat, glowing with bright fluorescent lights.
“We're on camera.” Dew notes, nodding at the faded printout on the door.
“So show’em your good side.” Mountain replies, shouldering the door open. Rows of machines greet them, neatly lined up over the linoleum that is calling out for a decent sweeping. They only look a little bit rusty and Mountain picks a washer out while Dew pulls his wallet out and thumbs out a few bills for a coin machine that promises to take up to twenty dollar bills. He feeds it two fives, ears twitching at the loud clatter of coins in the tray and scoops them up, heading for a similar machine with a detergent selection.
“It's seven dollars and fifty cents for one load on a deluxe machine.” Mountain informs him when he returns, looking frustrated. “I'm not separating the whites.”
“Worth it if it's done faster.” Says Dew with a shrug. He never separates his whites. He doesn't think Mountain even wears white. Aether, maybe. Swiss, for sure. Those paper thin t-shirts that hardly hid anything dry let alone soaked.
“Gimme the money.” Mountain says, finger gunning him. “Put it in the slot, nice and slow.”
“Noooo,” Dew says with a hint of whine. “Please, I need it to buy cigarettes and porn mags.”
It's so stupid but they burst out into quiet snickers anyway, jostling each other back and forth until Dew’s loaded up the tray and pushed it in. Mountain hits the settings and they leave the duffle bags on the counter for later. Dew flips off the camera as they go; Mountain covers up his hand and mouths sorry and they squeeze through the door at the same time in a half-hearted scuffle.
“Hope they have donuts.” Dew says, kicking a chunk of broken-off asphalt across the cracked parking lot. Mountain does the same, sending a waves of gravel and black top crumbs scattering. “Could go for a jelly Bismarck.
“Belly jismarck.” Mountain says.
“I’ll give you belly jismarck.” Dew mutters, bumping the big guy with his shoulder, shoving his hands in his pockets.”
“Promises, promises.” Mountain replies with the hint of a smile. “My treat, yeah? For the laundry.”
“Guess we'll call it even.” Dew says, easily slipping in ahead of him through the wide open door. There's another printout sign, politely informing them the AC was broken and it was management’s top priority to get it fixed. Lower and in smaller print was a date from several weeks ago.
Typical, honestly.
A few big fans are set strategically in corners and though some kind of motion sensor rings out bell when they enter, the clerk at the register doesn't even acknowledge them, watching something on her phone and chewing gum, playing with her colorful braids. Dew absently notes the shade as one Sunny had wanted to try. He thinks about asking if it's the same brand to see if she had any tips so he could help Sunshine, but decides it’s just better to not bother her.
The only other customer is a man in a unzipped hoodie debating over soda brands. He turns around with a orange soda and shuffles over to the candy aisle, giving them a decent look at the rude and bigoted phrase printed on his shirt before he tugged the hoodie close, one that implied he wanted more than just his laundry colors separated. Easy enough to ignore but Dew decides he’ll step in if the guy decides to be a jerk to the cashier.
“Goin’ for the sunflower seeds.” Mountain says, peeling away to shuffle down one aisle. Dew goes a few more down, nabs a little bottle of painkillers because Rain was complaining about his fingers hurting for longer than they should and some chapstick for Aether and the girls because the paint always dried out their lips and they were forever needing more. First aid run done, he picks up some hot chips and a soda before joining Mountain, who apparently can't decide between regular salted seeds and ones that are enticingly pickle flavored.
“Fuck’s sake.” Dew tells him. “Get them both.”
“Okay.” Mountain says. “Hang on, I want cake and then we'll check out.”
Dew wanders over to a rack of magazines and cheap puzzle books, wondering if he really needs another sudoku paperback but Aether enjoys doing them together so there's another fucking thing he has to carry. He's so absorbed in thinking about grabbing a cheap mystery for Cirrus that he barely notices it until he does. Under the hum of appliances, Dew's ear catches a faint hissing sound, like air being let quietly out of a balloon.
Mountain starts whistling like he always does when he's trying to get away with something and returns to Dew, snack cakes retrieved.
"Would you care for a Swiss roll?" Mountain says, sounding completely solemn with a straight face but still subtly looking immensely pleased with himself. Dew squints at him, suspicious. Then the man in the hoodie, who had been in the cake aisle the whole time, starts coughing and after a few moments, airflow from the fans causes the stench to reach them.
"Unholy fuck, Mountain!" Dew hisses, grabbing him by the elbow and dragging him away. "Really?"
"I didn't like the implications of the slogan on his shirt." Mountain holds out the stale bakery treat in an open palm. "The Swiss roll?"
"And everyone thinks I'm the trouble maker." Dew grouses.
"They never hear the quiet ones coming." Mountain says like it's some sort of wise statement.
"No shit." Dew says.
"I did not." Mountain replies. "Otherwise this would be an entirely different conversation."
Dew stares at the wall of snacks like it would give him an answer. All he hears is Mountain’s self satisfied chuckle.
He's damn lucky Dew likes him.
When they get to paying, Dew lays his bounty out and examines the cigarette display behind the counter. All colorful and I exciting ways to give humans cancer. He doesn't know if it'll ever affect his vessel and honestly he doesn't know if he'll be around long enough to find out but that’s a depressing thought.
That's when he spots it; a familiar white and blue box and he finds himself hit with an odd punch of nostalgia. Mist smoked that brand because it was easier to take a sharpie and scribble out the Y of the brand name, leaving just her name in fancy sea green font: MIST. Easiest way to keep the dicks she toured with from stealing her packs and Dew points to it. He gets it without needing to show ID and wonders if it means anything. Then decides he doesn't care. He opens the pack, shakes one out. Grabs a cheap lighter from the display and fiddles around with it as Mountain pays for their stuff.
"Lighters are one seventy five plus tax." The cashier says.
"I'm just testing it." Dewdrop replies. He lights his cigarette and puts the lighter back. The cashier looks at Mountain, who shrugs.
"He's just testing it."
The cashier's face took on the appearance of someone who suddenly decided they weren't paid enough to deal with this shit as Dew puts the lighter back and heads out to smoke while Mountain deliberates over stupid waiting line purchases like cheap plastic sunglasses that will break when he sits on them after forgetting he put them in his back pocket.
The guy with the hoodie is still hanging around with his purchases, hovering a few feet away from the door like he plans to sidle out with them, sans paying as he pulls at the hem of his sweatshirt. A dual side eye from two glamoured demons makes him step back. Not that they really care about shoplifting but like hell they want company.
They only take five steps before stopping, admiring the night sky. Mountain's chewing his way through a pack of seeds he's pulled out of the bag already. Dew thinks back to the man and the way he reeked of nerves and rancid sweat. The way he kept hanging out like he was waiting for something. The way he kept plucking his hoodie.
"Guy had a gun." Dewdrop says, exhaling a long stream of smoke.
"Yep." Mountain replies.
"You have any sunflower seeds left?"
Mountain side-eyes him, expression carefully neutral.
"Yop."
Dew grins and tosses his cigarette down, grinding it out with the heel of his shoe.
“You feel like playing superhero, big guy?”
____
Dipshit is already threatening the poor girl when they enter the store again. The motion sensor goes off, alerting him to their presence and he swings around, pointing the gun at them.
“Hey.” Dew says, addressing the shaking cashier. He struggles to remember the name on her tag. Something related to cats? A singer? “Miss Kitt, I changed my mind. I think I’ll pay for that lighter after all.”
“Get on the ground!” Dipshit says. “Or I swear I’ll shoot!”
“You can.” He says to Mountain, who is already starting to kneel, bag of seeds clasped in his sweaty hand. “I still want to pay for my lighter.”
He isn't going to shoot. Dew knew the second he clocked the weapon the guy was banking on the threat more than any action he might take. So he approaches the counter, hands up as the muzzle remains trained on him.
“You can shoot me if I make any sudden movements.” Dew tells the would-be thief. He prays to Belial he’s as invincible as he feels on stage because now would be a bad time to find out otherwise. Ignorance is bliss and if he believes he's bullet-proof then, well, who's to say he isn't? He could be. His belief could make him strong enough. He's fire-retardant, at any rate. Should count for something.
He really really hopes Dipshit doesn't clock the way Dew’s own hands are trembling as they hand over a few measly dollars to Kitt. She takes them in a hand that's shaking just as hard and taps in the amount on the register. They all jump at the sound of the drawer sliding out for change and Dew could laugh if he wasn't just as scared as any other human would be, the barrel of a nine millimeter trained on him.
He thinks it's a nine millimeter, at any rate. That's always the gun those detective novels have so it's all he has to go off of.
Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Mountain flicking seeds over the floor, aiming for Dipshit’s boots.
“Twenty five cents.” Kitt says, eyes rapidly flickering between the crazy person trying to rob her and the crazy person acting like the robbery isn't happening. Dew stares at her, tries to communicate it's going to be okay with his eyes alone but he's no quintessence ghoul. For all the good he’s doing, she could might only see even more violence in his unblinking eyes. Dew takes his quarter.
“Thanks.” He says, keeping his tone warm and even. “Hey, you wanna see a coin trick?”
Before anyone can react, he turns swiftly, flicking the quarter straight at Dipshit's skull, terminal velocity but not terminal impact. It nails him square between his eyebrows and he yells, free hand flying to his forehead and that's when Dew moves. He grabs the arm holding the gun and aims it up, yelling for Mountain who snaps his fingers and all Dew sees is thick green stems bursting up, growing rapidly, twining around anything they can reach for support. One sprouts up between their bodies, pushing Dew to safety and deftly wrapping Dipshit up in sturdy greenery, a comically large blossom blooming as it grew up and up.
Something clicks above his head and Dew realizes it's the trigger. He feels like dying of some strange emotion; the cylinder is empty, there was never a threat to begin with.
“Oops.” Mountain says as it pushes harder and harder on the ceiling tiles until the cheap boards give way and the plants can grow, breaking through the wiring, lights flickering before going out. More and more of them, choking out every artificial advertisement, knocking over shelves and stands.
“Go!” Mountain yells, scrambling up and they go; two through the main door, Kitt through some employee entrance to the side. They run to the street, still, miraculously empty and turn around to watch mother nature's reclamation in awe.
“We're so fucked.” Dew mutters as they survey the gigantic ic greenery only grow larger and larger, mutant blooms bending on pillar-thick stems in search of sunlight.
“It was the adrenaline.” Mountain says defensively. "Let's blame it on Poison Ivy." .
"The," Dew splutters, turning to him. "The fucking DC supervillain? Mount, you know she's not real."
"Real to me."
"She's in love with that mannequin girl."
"Harley Quinn. I would never come between them, I just want to be near her."
"Fuckin' weirdo."
"Weirdo fuckin'." Mountain replies cryptically, reaching into his pocket for a fresh and unopened packet of seeds. The pickle flavored kind, Dew notes, some part of him wondering if the experience would have been any weirder if the flowers reeked of pickles.
You know you're supposed to spit the shells out, right?" He asks as Mountain eats a handful.
"Oh please, you love it when I swallow."
"Don't come crying to me about your torn asshole then." Dew crosses his arms. Mountain leans in close, nudging him so hard he has to brace himself to keep from falling.
"Mmm, delicious wood chips, I love fiber."
“We should go.” Dew says, hardly caring if Mountain makes fun of his wide grin. This is the best he's felt without a cheering audience involved. They saved the day. He helped a human. For being a demon, this whole “selfless” thing actually felt pretty good.
Mountain rummages around in th bag again, pulling out his stupid novelty shades and placing them on his face. Electric blue, with a yellow squiggle pattern and orange triangles.
"Sunglasses at night?" Dew asks with a raised eyebrow.
"Don't switch a blade on the guy in the shades." Mountain says, unwrapping a Swiss roll and taking a big bite. His other hand offers up the twin to the chomped one. Dew scoffs and grabs it, taking a bite and doing a very good job at hiding the way he gags over the stale spongy cake and old sugar of the frosting, thank you very much.
They get back to the hotel, sliding the key card into the door as the first police car drives up. As quietly as they can, they tiptoe back to their room and slide into bed, snuggling up together under the sheets. One minute passes. Two. Dew feels his eyelids finally grow heavy with sleep and sighs, cuddling up close to Mountain in a way he'll vehemently deny in the morning when it hits him.
"Mountain?"
"Sup."
"We forgot the fucking laundry."
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PL2
6 - In bed at 2am, blissfully drowsy
&
37 - “You're stuck with me, like it or not.”
With my favorite WSO good ol' Baby On Board (Sorry Fanboy)
I see you, and I raise you Bob Floyd with the Admirals Daughter.
Warnings: None :)
Bob had been freaking the fuck out ever since he’d gotten the call from the county hospital that you’d been admitted. The worst part about knowing you were in the hospital was the fact he couldn’t just up and leave in the middle of a tactical response seminar. But the second he was finished? The second Mav had stopped talking and dismissed the group of Elite Naval Aviators that sat before him, Bob was racing off down the hall, collecting his keys from his locker and making a rush to the county hospital across town.
Because of course they couldn’t take you to the Base Hospital could they? No—that would’ve been too easy.
“You have a patient here, Y/n Y/l/n—what room is she in?” There were two things about Robert Floyd that still seemed to shock people when they figured him out.
“Miss Y/l/n, is resting and—“ Bob didn’t let the nurse sitting at the nurses station finish her sentence.
“I asked what room she’s in.” The first thing that seemed to shock people about Bob was that he lost all sense of politeness and rationality when the people he cared about were in pain or in any kind of danger. Phoenix found that out one night at the Hard Deck when some guy touched her ass. Robert Floyd, who at that point had shown no sign of aggression or intention to ever engage in any sort of physical contact, stood up after he finished his last sip of lemon lime bitters and threw the hardest right hook he could.
“As I was saying, she can’t have any visitors.” Bob didn’t like that response at all as the nurse went back to her paperwork.
“Listen to me—“ The second thing about Robert ‘Bob’ Floyd that shocked people when they finally connected the dots, was that he was dating none other than Admiral Beau Simpson's daughter and had been doing so for a number of years before he even crossed paths with Cyclone at Miramar. “I’m gonna ask you one more time—“ But Bob already knew Cyclone from the many dinners he’d been over for during holiday seasons and family get-togethers. It didn’t however change the hostility the pair shared. “What room is my girlfriend in—“ Because there was something Bob hadn’t done yet that your father thought he should have done by now if he was serious about his baby girl.
Bob hadn’t Proposed.
“Floyd.” Cyclone called out from down the hall as Bob turned in the direction your fathers voice had come from. “She’s in room 1024.” Bob waisted not a second of time as he made his way towards your dad.
“You’ve seen her?”
“It’s locked.”
“I don’t care—“ You were Bob's entire world, his best friend, the love of his life, his better half. “I need to see her.” As Bob tried to push past your dad, Cyclone put his hand on Bob's shoulder, catching his attention and stopping him from taking another step forward.
“What are you gonna do kid? Are you gonna break the door down?”
“Yeah—“ Bob nodded as he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. “If I have to.” All Beau did in response was let his hopefully one day soon son in law go, watching as he made a direct line towards your hospital room.
“I spoke to the doctors, they said she fainted at school but she’s fine Robert.”
“If she fainted then she isn’t alright now is she!?” Bob spat back at your dad as he continued down the hall. Cyclone stayed hot on his tail.
“They said she’s run down and a little dehydrated but she’s okay.”
“Alright so then why won’t they let anyone see her?” Bob asked as he stopped in his stride and turned back to Cyclone who looked just as worried as Bob.
“Because she’s sleeping, she needs it.” Bob knew better than anyone how hard you’d been overworking yourself. Between working full time and studying you were spread pretty thin. Bob thought you needed to take a step back, he saw the way you had been neglecting your own health in order to fit study into your already jam packed schedule. “Bob, she’s fine.” Bob let out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding in ever since he got the call you’d been taken to hospital. “She’s gonna be okay kid.”
“What are you even doing here?” Bob questioned your dad as he ran his hands through his hair.
“I’m one of her emergency contacts, they called me.”
“Yeah I know that but—“ Bob didn’t mean to sound rude, he was just stating the obvious. Beau Simpson had never been an overly passionate father figure. And it seemed as though Beau caught onto what his somewhat son in law had been insinuating.
“You mean what’s a heartless shithead like me doing in a place like this?”
“Yeah something like that.” Bob replied, was he proud of himself? No not really, but he knew his point had been made.
“I would’ve come for you too if you ever worked hard enough to pass out.” Cyclone tapped Bob's shoulder as he smiled softly. “But you never have.” Bob chuckled softly too as both men saw a nurse stepping out of your room, gesturing that they could enter if they wanted to. “You go, I’m sure she wants to see you before anyone else.”
“Thanks Sir.” Bob replied as he nodded and pressed his lips together. “Thank you for caring about her enough to come.” Bob left it at that, not quite hearing what Admiral Sysmpison said under his breath.
“You too son, you too.”
***~***~***~***~***~***~***~
The next day after Bob had admittedly refused to leave your side overnight, you were both getting home to an empty house that had been left unattended overnight.
However, as you slept soundly while Bob kept a watchful eye on you, he asked Fanboy and Phoenix if it wasn’t too much trouble, if they could swing by and just spruce the place up a little bit.
They did without hesitation because they knew if there were still things that needed to be done around the home you and Bob shared, you truly wouldn’t be able to rest. And all you needed right now was rest. And plenty of it.
“Alright so here’s what you’re gonna do.” Bob cooed as he cupped your face and pulled you close the moment you both stepped through the threshold of your humble abode. “You’re gonna go upstairs and take a long, hot shower and relax while I cook us some food.”
“I can help you cook.” You tried to argue but the look you got from your boyfriend in return was enough to tell you that he was serious about you doing nothing. “Alright alright, I’ll be in the shower.”
“When you're done it’s straight into pyjamas, no ifs or buts.” Bob shouted after you as you walked up the stairs. You were so thankful to have Bob, someone who cared enough about you to want to take care of you and tell you to slow the hell down. You thought you were fine until you weren’t fine. Which was why Bob felt it was important and absolutely critical that he stayed home with you for a day or two to make sure you weren’t going to start back up into the almost psychotic routine you’d been putting yourself through to fit everything in.
“Okay so I know you aren’t sick but I also know you can’t be feeling too crash hot so—“ Bob cooed as he opened the bedroom door a little wider with his foot to see you getting ready to hop into bed. “I thought chicken soup and toast might be good.” Bob explained as he padded across the bedroom, carrying two bowls of delicious soup on a tray.
“Is that your mum's chicken soup?” You asked curiously as the smell captivated your senses as Bob moved closer. “Oh god it smells so good.” Bob was as careful as he could be as he sat down beside you in bed, holding the tray he’d brought in with two bowls of soup and buttered toast to go with.
“I didn’t have time to make it from scratch so I just got some out of the deep freeze.” You really did love Robert Floyd, and for what it was worth you’d say yes in a heartbeat if he ever did ask you to marry him. But it was something you weren’t too pressed about—you were just happy to enjoy the moments you had with him. “But here, we’re gonna sit down and we’re gonna eat this soup and we’re gonna watch Shameless because I know that you’ve been needing to find the time to finish it and now a time has presented itself.” Bob babbled as he passed you your bowl and took his own as he expertly manoeuvred his legs under the covers. “Don’t argue either.”
“I feel fine, I promise—“ You tried to argue anyway as you blew on your spoon full of soup, sending Bob the biggest puppy dog eyes you could conjure up. “But this is perfect, thank you for this.”
“Anytime.” Bob leaned in to kiss your cheek before the pair of you settled in for an afternoon in bed binge watching Shameless and trying to not think about the copious amounts of studying you had and the fact you had to miss work. “I love you.”
“I love you too.”
***~***~***~***~***~***~***~**
2am rolled around a hell of a lot quicker than it normally did. Maybe it was because you and Bob had spent the majority of the afternoon in bed together or perhaps it was the fact that after your bowl of Bob's mum's chicken noodle soup, you felt a weight had been lifted off your shoulders. Blissfully drowsy in a love filled embrace you snuggled into the warmth of Bob's exposed chest as he wrapped you into him, half dazed and sleeping.
“I could stay like this forever.” You mumbled as you tried to get yourself back to sleep. Bob had always been a little sleeper. So much so it felt like sometimes he was always alert to what was going on around him, especially you. “But I know reality is chewing on our heels.”
“You're stuck with me, like it or not.” Bob cooed as he pulled you in closer. “I took the next few days off to just be with you.” He explained, knowing that in the next day or two he was going to finally ask you to marry him. “So, reality is gonna have to wait, miss overachiever, because you're stuck with me.”
Smiling into Bob's armpit, you beamed at the thought. Damn, he really cared huh.
“I don’t think that sounds all that awful at all baby.”
***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~
Leah’s 4k celebration 🎊
#Leah’s 4k celebration 🎊#bob floyd#robert bob floyd x reader#bob top gun#bob floyd fluff#bob floyd imagine#robert bob floyd#robert floyd#top gun maverick#top gun bob#maverick top gun
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I don't think Mina is now but a mindless plaything being led to the castle by the guy who very much does *not* want her to reach him tbh. My read is that it is her Dracula-induced senses that help her know where to go in reaching her destination, his lair, the closer they get to it. Senses she has harnessed, because she's confident instead of freaked out about it. Of course, Jonathan has written about the sharp turn on that road too, so she explains it away that way, as telling Van Helsing "don't freak out but I can do that now" would have made him think she's now pretty much turned.
Honestly, this whole scene and the premise of the coming scenes in which [SPOILERS] we meet up with the Weird Sisters is a very mixed bag ability and intention-wise. The way I break it down is:
-Mina already had something like intuitive/psychic ability prior to Dracula chomping on her. She has little blips of more than ordinary Awareness throughout the novel--and one juicy line is yet to come regarding her awareness of Jonathan 👀--that don't really tie into the Count's whole shtick. Whatever was already there might have gotten spurred into greater action by the vampirism like waking up an underused muscle, but...
-...despite Dracula's consciousness/voice being present in hers with the hypnotic trance, I doubt he really needed to be the one to have Mina point out the path with 'stolen knowledge.' Jonathan did write about the way up to the Castle! But then he also wrote about how Dracula kept driving him in circles to waste time and disorient him. All of which was happening in the dark. Maybe she gleaned enough from that entry, maybe not. But I suspect she'd have put the route together regardless and her current creepiness was what threw Van Helsing off.
-That said, I think where a lot of folks are putting their foot down as far as 'this is removing her agency/power!' or 'Dracula wouldn't want her to know how to get up there, it's a secret stealth-girlboss move!' etc etc is that it kind of overlooks a few important points.
One, Re: Dracula almost certainly threw in Dracula's consciousness being present for the "My Jonathan" line alone. It adds more horror to the scene, an extra gut punch, and provides a way to sneak in a few more lines for Karim Kronfli. It made my skin crawl to think about that smug fucker making use of the temporary trance-connection to spit that unctuous claim out. Which is the point! It makes you want to punch the bastard's fangs in even more!
Two, it's not him robbing her of anything (much as he'd like to somehow take even more from her). Their minds are mingled soup whenever the hypnosis happens. That's how she's been able to get anything out of the Count's mind in the first place. Nothing has changed in the status quo apart from the fact that she's been growing harder to get any info from.
Three, I would bet good money Dracula would genuinely be super eager to see Van Helsing and Mina mosey on up to the territory where his three weed-smoking baby-eating girlfriends are lurking around. Not just because he's still a cocky fucker when it comes to his/his thralls' power, but because here, now, he has every reason to be that cocky.
Van Helsing has never killed a vampire at this point. Arthur and Jack took the Bloofer Lady apart. The guys are all closing in on Dracula with their numbers and strength and weapons.
But him? An openly terrified old man, traveling up into the mountains that are Dracula's admitted place of power, perhaps even a genius loci, with a companion who is quickly turning into his murderer-in-potentia, specifically to confront Three Whole Vampires to hopefully catch them unawares in their coffins if he doesn't get torn to shreds or eaten first? Even having read the book, I would still hesitate to bet on the professor. If I were Dracula, I'd be brain-texting the Weird Sisters to roll out a red carpet and paint arrows on the mountains.
THIS WAY TO YOUR BIG HEROIC SCENE, OLD MAN!
NEVER MIND THE UNMARKED GRAVES OF CENTURIES' WORTH OF TRANSYLVANIAN LOCALS WHO TRIED TO BE A HERO BEFORE YOU!
WE HAVE UTMOST CONFIDENCE THAT YOU!--YOU ALONE!--WILL DEFINITELY BE THE EXCEPTION!
PLEASE WASH YOUR NECK BEFORE PROCEEDING BEYOND THIS POINT!
In short, it would make sense that Dracula wants to let Van Helsing know the route to Exsanguination Station. He has zero reason to expect that events will align in any way that's not in his favor on his own territory with his bloodthirsty thralls on alert. Perish the thought!
(If you listen close, you can almost hear Bram Stoker rubbing his hands together and snickering behind the fourth wall.)
#anyway#had a lot to say I guess whoops#sorry Anon#mina harker#abraham van helsing#dracula#brides of dracula#re: dracula#dracula daily
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hmmm for the shipping meme! matonato and hankim or yoohankim?
[ID: A graph with the x-axis labeled "makes sense" on the left and "doesn't make sense" on the right and the y-axis labeled "compels me" at the top and "doesn't compel me" at the bottom. points labeled MN for matonato, HK for hankim, and YHK for yoohankim have been situated on the grid: MN in the top left (makes sense, compels me), HK at the top and to the right of MN (makes some sense, compels me), and two points labeled YHK, one slightly above and to the left of the center (makes some sense, compels me some) and one in the bottom right (doesn't make sense, doesn't compel me). /end ID]
wow this threw me off because for some reason i assumed that makes sense would be on the right instead of the left! so hopefully i made all the necessary corrections to what i originally wrote lol.
matonato: makes sense, compels me. probably obnoxiously obvious to everyone at this point. do they get a happy ending? i mean it's very fun to think about and i love me a good actually-together-matonato concept, but probably the most compelling thing about them is the star-crossed aspect. it's not will they won't they, it's why they why not they. why do they want this and why can they never have it? it's, how can i make this about natori's self-hatred? it's, who is matoba if he quits the exorcist business? (EXTREMELY JUICY AND COMPELLING QUESTION 2 B ASKING.) it's, what changes in their individual priorities and self-conception would be necessary before they could get together? asking myself these questions and understanding why they in their current forms can't be in a relationship helps me to better articulate who exactly they are and what motivates them and gives me avenues for thinking about possible character development. but like i said i do really love thinking about matonato endgame, and even though i know it's never going to be canon (which it doesn't need to be, obviously! we are in our sandbox making our own dreams come true), i'm reading the homura arc like girl why did you do that. where are you going with this??? fellas is it gay to stalk your homoerotic rival's enemies and the answer is a resounding YES. they are a good ship because thinking about each of them in the context of the other expands my understanding and appreciation of their individual characters, but also because it would be sexy for them to mash their mouths together. both are very important elements of shipping 2 me.
hankim: i want to say this is one of the most compelling relationships in orv but they are all compelling, it's actually insane. however hankim is definitely tied for first (with twenty other relationships). her love for him is the beating heart of the story. like the entire plot hinges around her loving him so much she would [redacted], but also the central themes are exemplified by how she feels about him and what she does about it. and he trusts her in a way he can't really trust anyone else, because she knows enough about the world that he can be open with her about things he can't tell others, and because he trusts her to be competent and able to achieve his objectives. mostly to me though their relationship Is About her love for him because of how badly he needs it and how little he can understand it, and how central it is to his entire character that he needs but cannot understand receiving that kind of love. i have not yet succeeded in imagining any kind of compelling sexual relationship for them, except the somewhat indirect one where he gives her permission to make a kim-dokja-looking avatar with which to fuck yoo joonghyuk while kim dokja is elsewhere minding his own business, but that's fine, they don't need to be having sex to have a compelling relationship, obviously. so yeah it's compelling af and it does make sense, but i'm taking some sense points off because the kdj-to-hsy direction is pretty standard shipping material while the opposite direction is like the entire point of the book. it's a lil unbalanced.
yoohankim: this ship fascinates me because i definitely never would have come up with it myself. hankim? see above. yookim? see below. but yoohan - DESPITE THE WHOLE DEAL AROUND WHO YOO JOONGHYUK IS AND HOW HE GOT THAT WAY - are just like. Only Here For Kim Dokja. any relationship they have with each other is a proxy for a relationship with kim dokja, mediated by their feelings for kim dokja, and put through the sieve of who the other person is to kim dokja. i think they have a very psychosexual thing going on where they're having a lot of sex with each other but mostly in order to feel close to kim dokja, who is not involved lol. which is its own kind of compelling, certainly. i guess you could say yoohankim is the ONLY way that yoohan makes any sort of sense to me whatsoever, so in that regard yoohankim is squarely in the northwest quadrant. but at the same time i feel like if kim dokja is actually present, their relationship with each other is more like in-laws than anything else. it's indirect. they don't have divorced energy…they don't even have metamour energy. i don't know. they're like this is my sister's mailman and i have no idea what he's doing at my nephew's piano recital, which is insane to me because they should have (nonsexual) parent-child energy if nothing else. so i also have to put yoohankim in the southeast quadrant. so far this is where most yoohankim fic i have read falls, but probably i just haven't yet found the one that would unlock it for me.
to close the loop i gotta talk about yookim (joongdok). the most enjoyable thing about it to me personally is that yoo joonghyuk so clearly wants kim dokja to hold him down and it's very fun to see kim dokja have to shift his entire paradigm to make that make sense. i mean, i think all of kimcom wants to hold kim dokja down (most of them nonsexually imo), but yoo joonghyuk is the one guy who's like "if you would just stop trying to kill yourself for two seconds then i could let you out of these handcuffs so you could have your way with me. you bastard." they make me crazy because they work together SO well and trust each other SO implicitly while also being like, wow this idiot has terrible priorities and so i have to manipulate him into furthering my agenda (keeping him safe) instead of his agenda (keeping me safe). they're also that evergreen combo of guy with low self-worth who's oblivious to other people's love for him/guy who loves so hard but never uses his words about it that makes me wanna read about them getting together 100 different times. in a slightly different sense than with matonato, thinking about them as a twosome better elucidates aspects of their own individual personalities and worldviews, which makes for a compelling shipping experience.
#it's funny after i wrote the matonato part i was like wait. am i actually saying matonato DOESN'T make sense to me?#and i decided that no it does. it makes sense to me that their current iterations can never be together. but in a way where i'm#still shipping them#it makes sense that they don't make sense. and 'here's how [ship] can still win' is a backbone of the shipping economy#natsume's book of friends#orv#natsume yuujinchou#horrible exorcists#natsuyuu meta#shipping#asks#not anon#thank youuuu for asking <3333 v fun to think about!
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Beomgyu & TXT - Anxiety
A/N - as the title implies, this story contains themes of mental illness and anxiety. Please be kind to yourself and considerate of your own mental health when determining if and when to read this!
“I think that’s good for today, yeah?” Soobin looked around at the others who were all equally as sweaty and tired as he was. Yeonjun, Taehyun and Kai all nodded in agreement, relieved that practice was finally over and that they had the next day off. It was their last full day off before their comeback so Soobin had instructed them to try and rest in order to be ready for the hectic few weeks that were to come.
Soobin couldn’t help but notice that Beomgyu didn’t seem as eager to leave as the rest of the members, intentionally avoiding eye contact with the leader as he paced back and forth in the far corner of the room. Yeonjun noticed as well. He had been keeping an eye on Beomgyu for the last week or so after he noticed how anxious Beomgyu seemed.
At first he was just quiet - his usual enthusiasm about the most minute aspects of their lives very obviously lacking. But as the days continued it seemed that Beomgyu was continuing to withdraw. Yeonjun took stock of how physically tense his dongsaeng seemed as well as how emotionally despondent he had become. He has tried to approach him about it on more than one occasion but each time Beomgyu insisted he was just fine and that Yeonjun’s concerns were unfounded.
Yeonjun knew that they weren’t.
Soobin and Yeonjun locked eyes, sharing a knowing glance before diverting their attention back to Beomgyu, whose brow was furrowed as he wandered back and forth.
“Head down with them, I’ll be there with Gyu soon” Soobin quietly instructed Yeonjun. “Just give us a few minutes, okay?”
Yeonjun nodded before rounding up Taehyun and Kai. All three paused in the doorway and looked back to Beomgyu before Soobin gestured for them to leave him and Beomgyu alone.
The silence loomed overhead for a few moments until Beomgyu stopped in his tracks, seeming to finally notice that the rest of the members had left apart from Soobin who was standing quietly on the other side of the studio.
“Sorry, I guess I got distracted” Beomgyu said, pasting a fake smile across his face. Soobin nodded, giving his next actions some thought before taking a seat against the wall with his water bottle and indicating for Beomgyu to join him.
“What’s on your mind?” Soobin’s tone was light but had an underlying sense of seriousness. Beomgyu sat down next to him but didn’t respond. “Gyu, talk to me, please.”
“I’m fine. Just…” Beomgyu trailed off, seeming to be at a loss for word. “I’m going to stay a little longer. There were a few parts of the choreo that still feel a little awkward. Hopefully I can work them out tonight.”
Soobin wasn’t fond of the idea of leaving Beomgyu alone given how off he had been acting lately. At the very least he seemed exhausted and needed some sleep. But Beomgyu seemed to have read his mind, quickly reassuring him that he wouldn’t be too late. Soobin finally relented and stood up to collect this things. It wasn’t that he was fooled by Beomgyu’s feeble attempt to convince him that he was indeed absolutely fine, but he knew his dongsaeng well enough at this point to understand that he wouldn’t be receptive to a conversation right now.
“We’ll talk later then? Text me when you are on your way back” Soobin replied. Beomgyu nodded in response but he had a distant look in his eyes. They’d talk later, Soobin would make sure of that.
*~*~*~*~*~
You’re worrying them.
Get it together.
Beomgyu’s thoughts were racing as he threw his empty water bottle across the room causing a loud thud to echo in the silence.
He hated lying to his members and it felt way too easy at this point. It was certainly easier for him to tell them that he needed to keep working on the choreography that he had truthfully mastered weeks ago than to confess that he hadn’t been able to sleep and that most of every meal he was given ended up in the waste bin. Nobody else needed to know how overwhelmed he was as the comeback approached or how his anxiety had driven him to the point where be could barely function.
So he did the only thing he could bring himself to do. He curled up in a ball and closed his eyes, desperately hoping that the solitude combined with the level of exhaustion he was experiencing after a long and physically demanding dance practice would be enough to force his body to sleep, if only for a little while.
*~*~*~*~*~
Taehyun glanced down at his watch again. He and Soobin had been waiting up for Beomgyu to come home but it had been over three hours without any indication that he’d be returning soon.
“Still no word from him?” The fatigue in Taehyun’s voice was evident but he was adamant about waiting up for Beomgyu.
Soobin shook his head in response before standing up and grabbing a hoodie that somebody had left on the couch.
“I’m going to go get him. We’ve given him long enough to respond” Soobin said more so to himself than to Taehyun but Taehyun was quickly on his feet as well.
“Hyung…” Taehyun interjected awkwardly in a tone that immediately grabbed Soobin’s attention. “I think that maybe I should go.”
Soobin nodded in agreement as he pulled his shoes on but Taehyun wasn’t finished.
“I mean, I think I should go and you should stay here” he added, bracing himself for Soobin’s response. Soobin stopped what he was doing and looked up at Taehyun, unsure how to respond.
“You know we all love you hyung. But Gyu-hyung hasn’t been himself lately and if he’s overwhelmed about the comeback…” Taehyun chose his words carefully. “You’re the leader. I think what he needs right now is…not the leader.”
Soobin visibly deflated in a way that made Taehyun feel a bit guilty but it didn’t negate the truth. “Hyung it’s not…”
“No, no it’s okay!” Soobin straightened up and feigned a smile. “Don’t apologize. You’re right.”
“I’ll text you once we are on our way back” Taehyun said as he grabbed his jacket.
“Please text me if…I’ll send Yeonjun if he needs…” Soobin was at a loss for words but Taehyun nodded before heading out the door.
*~*~*~*~*~
Beomgyu’s sleep had been restless yet he woke with a start at the feeling of a hand on his shoulder. He took a moment to get his bearings before sitting up with the help of a gentle pair of hands.
“Don’t sit up too fast. You must be a little sore from sleeping on the floor” Taehyun’s voice was soft as he helped Beomgyu up. Despite being thankful for Taehyun’s help he was simultaneously mortified to be found like this.
“Hyunnie” Beomgyu replied, his voice gruff from sleeping for - how long had he been asleep anyway? It suddenly dawned on him that he told Soobin he’d be back soon. Clearly it wasn’t soon enough or Taehyun wouldn’t be there waking him up. He quickly tried to jump to his feet but Taehyun stopped him.
“Soobin’s mad, isn’t he?” Beomgyu was certain that he was in some hot water. “Shit…I just…”
Taehyun cut in quietly, not wanting Beomgyu to spiral any further. “Hyung.”
That was all it took for Beomgyu to break down. The tears started flowing before Taehyun could get another word out. Instead he just moved closer to his hyung who laid his head in his lap and hid his face in Taehyun’s shirt, clearly running on little more than fumes at this point. Taehyun, meanwhile, sat quietly, simply running a hand up and down Beomgyu’s back in an attempt to wordlessly comfort him.
After a few minutes Beomgyu’s tears were reduced to just a few sniffles here and there. He sat up and wiped his face with the back of his hand.
“Sorry, Taehyun-ah” he said sheepishly.
“Are you doing okay, hyung?” Taehyun asked once he was certain that Beomgyu had settled down enough.
“Yeah! Yeah, of course. I’m not sick, I promise. Just a little tired I guess.” Beomgyu did his best to sound convincing but if the look ok Taehyun’s face was anything to go by he knew that he was anything but convincing.
“I know you aren’t sick, Gyu-hyung. That’s not what I was asking” Taehyun replied, pushing Beomgyu’s hair from his face before it could get anymore tear soaked than it already was.
Beomgyu took a deep breath and that’s when the flood gates opened. Taehyun listened and nodded along as Beomgyu explained how he didn’t feel like the style of the comeback suited him. How his voice didn’t sound right and how he had begged the producer to redistribute his lines to the rest of the members. How his outfit suffocated him and made him itchy all over. How his hat gave him a headache. How he felt like the style of dance made him look awkward and gangly. And, ultimately, how embarrassed he was about all of it and how he had kept it all to himself out of fear that he’d let the rest of the team down.
Taehyun waited for Beomgyu to get everything off of his chest before responding.
“I hear what you’re saying. And I could tell you that none of it is true but it doesn’t change the fact that you feel that way about it” he said softly as he reached into his bag and grabbed a bottle of water for Beomgyu. “But I think that there are some things that we can fix before the comeback.”
“No, no it’s okay. I don’t want to be a bother…” Beomgyu started but Taehyun shook his head.
“It’s not being a bother. Your hat gives you a headache? Then fuck the hat. And I’m sure the stylists can make adjustments to your outfit to make it more comfortable.” Taehyun watched as his hyung’s breathing evened out, beginning to return to normal.
Beomgyu smiled sadly at Taehyun. “Thanks for coming, Hyunnie” he said quietly. “And thank you for listening to me, I know it all sounds so silly.”
“No it doesn’t, hyung. And any time” Taehyun responded as he helped Beomgyu off the floor. “Let’s go home. You need some sleep. In your bed, not on the floor.”
Taehyun pulled his phone out of his coat pocket as Beomgyu collected his things and got ready to go, quickly sending a text to Soobin:
“Heading back now. There’s a few changes that we need to discuss once we get Beomgyu to bed. See you soon.”
And with that he turned back to Beomgyu to set off back home.
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how did nh pull bard just wondering?
I tried to find it somewhere but nada
Probably because I haven’t posted anything about that.
It is a great question and I have thought about it before (briefly). I don’t really delve into romance that often and the ship was more spontaneous of ‘what would they be like together?’ Like at first I was trying to come up with a reason to ship them, as if it would be checked (?), but eventually threw that out the window and rolled with the spontaneous ship for just the vibes they have. Hence why there’s nothing really about how they got together originally. Also because I wasn’t very confident about it at first.
But now that I have more confidence in this ship, I’m actually a little excited to talk about it, even if it isn’t set in stone and I may change it. I just have thoughts right now and being encouraged to talk about it I am hyped.
Under a read more just so main tags don’t have to deal with my nonsense. I’ll give them that.
I’ll try to make this as simple as I can, so a lot of stuff will be left out. I’m just going to cover the tipping point that will get them to hang out with each other more. So… if this isn’t what you wanted, sorry, that’s what I got.
The catalyst would definitely be super villain island so… thank you Zeus? At least in terms of Nervous Heart actually talking with Mordred without being too stressed out. Considering the start of the dream is about being trapped in a room and how she knows they’re located in erehwon prison, it’s a familiar feeling and she doesn’t like it. BUT ANYWAY, it’s not the worst when someone else is there.
Being able to go into bard’s dream and just chat with Mordred for a while? Yeah, seeing him actually in front of her, even if it’s only a dream, was a major reminder that bard is a person that has more thoughts to them than just taking over the universe. That didn’t help the fight in the dream where she actually gets the totem which she thinks will help bard be not evil. The guilt would be eating at her continuously. Then it turns out that Zeus was manipulating her the entire time, not helping the guilt as now it was for nothing. And now villains are loose and she’s got Zeus to deal with so she doesn’t have time to process it before she heads off to kick Zeus’ ass thanks to Poseidon.
Now uh, I do think that bard finds out about the fight because I think with the whole islands being destroyed, it would have been a big deal that covered several islands, and that’s kind of what makes them interested in seeking out Nervous Heart again, not because of any heroics but because a mortal fought a god- the king of gods no less- and won? How?? Details??? Especially because I think bard has the ‘how does this work?’ mindset, whether it be electronics or events. They just have to know more. Nervous Heart feels too guilty about causing the whole thing to really reject, which Bard does catch onto and uses to their advantage for a bit (resentment for being defeated both in their dream and in life most likely) before they stop doing that because it started to not feel good.
Uh… hopefully this answers your question? This could make sense or it could be nonsense rambling. I don’t know. Again I am filled with thoughts after being prompted, but I didn’t want to make this too long so I tried not to get too caught up with specifics. I didn’t want to overexplain in case that this isn’t what you mean or you wanted me to refer to something else. I’m not sure!
But uh… yeah, thank you for letting me think about these idiots, even if my thoughts are all over the place! I didn’t want to take up too much in the case that it was too much.
#nervous heart#binary bard#poptropica#oc x canon#ask#answer#late night writing#another ramble? more likely than you think#listen I love talking about them and thinking of how to put this together it was fun#but I do apologize if this was not what you wanted it’s just how I interpreted the question to make it simple#basically the pinpoint of when they might actually start hanging out more and how it morphs into the ‘it’s complicated’ stage#sort of#I am so sorry to everyone who has to witness this (no I’m not)#I actually have no idea if this is coherent so… good luck!
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Chapter 105-2 thoughts
What a roller coaster. Let's get into it.
So as I figured, Father's monsters zombie-fy people they touch. But rather than zombies per se, they become ayakashi that can't be cured with a bit of water, so the gods are faced with the dilemma of having to cut the blight out to save the rest--a nice parallel to the early times of the series, except in this case they're talking about having to kill people. Kill some to save the bigger picture, or try to find a cure/a way out in time?
The way Arahabaki reverted to his former violent nature, and how Take, Ebisu, Kofuku, and Tenjin decided to go along with it at the cost of blighting their shinki seems to me a way to highlight heaven's corruption. We know their ways suck, and here we're seeing that even the characters we love are not immune to their corrupt ways. Remember, heaven's modus operandi is strike first, ask questions later, so they're just solving things the way they know how, even if we don't think of them as necessarily being "part of" heaven.
Hopefully Hiyori or someone else will come up with a cure before the gods start doing...you know, exactly what Father wants them to do, but before I move on, I do have a concern about this chapter.
What was so dangerous about that island, after all???
Think about it--Ebisu said it's so dangerous that he died there in the past. But all that was waiting for them there was a decrepit old man and a bunch of non-aggressive ghosts. I kept speculating a booby trap, but now they've left and are safely back with the other gods? This kind of threw me for a loop, I'll admit. That place had bad vibes written all over it so it's a bit weird that nothing really happened. They simply got what they came for and left.
Anyway now let's talk about what I really wanted to talk about--Nora's character arc concluding. I loved her calling out Father's half-baked dimension as being...well, fundamentally worthless. Followed by her instinctive response of loving him, and the little Hiyori in her head that asks, "Do you really?"
Finally, finally, Nora admits she's scared of him, the same way Yato is scared of him, and turns on him. I'm so happy. I've been waiting for this day for years.
I also really liked her revelation that she had been playing her part in their made-up family. She didn't want to let her beliefs go partly because it was something she never got to have in life--a family.
Yato wants to go home and see the sun, not to die. I'm gripping the edge of my seat so hard. The eventual Yatori/trio reunion is going to break me open. When it happens, don't text. I will be in shambles. That might happen at the end of 106, since I'd assume the last chapter, 107, would be an epilogue of sorts. We'll see.
WHERE IS HIYORI
The finish line is truly in sight now, and all that's left is to defeat Father once and for all, reveal his true name, save the infected people, and get the main trio back together again. No one else except trash dad had better die :^)
I'm also really curious whether the series will be open-ended or not. As in, if it will end with Hiyori's ties being cut or her willingly parting ways with the gods--a definitive ending of their story. Or if it will end with the knowledge she'll have to leave them someday, but she wants to stick around for now. I'm personally rooting for the second just because the alternative makes me too sad, but we'll see. Hiyori getting and being tied up in the affairs of the gods has been, you know, the backbone of the series, so it would definitely make sense to put a clear ending on it. Even if it makes girls cry. It's me. I'm girls.
#Noragami#Noragami spoilers#Noragami manga#prepare my coffin slash therapy bill now I'm gonna be decimated on the spot#live update
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Supernatural star Jensen Ackles on playing Dean again in The Winchesters finale: 'It was a mixed bag'
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: If your return wasn't exciting enough, you guys also brought in Bobby (Jim Beaver) and Jack (Alexander Calvert), and it feels like you really managed to pull off that surprise.
JENSEN ACKLES: Yeah. People were like, "Are we gonna see more faces in the finale?" And I was like, "Of course you are, but I'm not telling you who." [Laughs] There's a treasure trove to choose from. And moving forward, God willing, there's been plenty of interest by folks that are deeply rooted in the Supernatural lore who were like, "Hey, why didn't I get a call?" I'm like, "Wait till season 2." Hopefully we can bring those familiar faces. We want to make the most entertaining show we can. That's what we set out to do in the beginning and what we hope to continue to accomplish.
Let's talk the alternate universe twist, which is a great way to sidestep canon.
That's the thing. Everybody's like, "I can't believe you're gonna mess with the show's lore," and it's like, "Hang on, just trust us." And in fact, it plays right into it. You've got Bobby, you've got Jack, you've got the fact that Sam is still on Earth, and here's Dean, literally in heaven trying to do things to protect the life his brother's living. So it furthers the lore.
And then it opens the door to other characters, a different Sam and Dean, etc.
Right. It would've been a fool's errand to try and box ourselves in with what had been created on Supernatural. We would be boxed in by that. In order to get our two heroes together and make it make sense in that timeframe, it had to be messed with. And the only way to really mess with that was just to make it a completely separate, alternate thing, which luckily the mothership had established with Chuck [Rob Benedict] when he was like, "I've made multiverses, and you guys are my favorite." So we knew that there was still stuff out there. And then also to tether it to the fact that, oh, if this was a fail safe that Chuck created, how many other fail safes does he have?
Obviously you played Dean in the pilot, but you didn't have any dialogue. You've been doing the narration. But what was it like to really be back playing him again in this setting?
It was a mixed bag. It's weird because we're in a different city, filming with a different crew. I'm working with different actors. Having Jim there and having Calvert there, it was almost like we were brought in from another team to come and show these new recruits how to play baseball. [Laughs] Like we weren't on our home turf. But it was a position that we were all very comfortable with jumping into and, how could you not be with playing those characters as long as we all have? It was like Dean was on location.
You really threw fans for a loop with that turtleneck and peacoat look.
[Laughs] Kerry Weinrauch from Supernatural is our costume designer on The Winchesters. When Kerry and I started talking about, "Well, what's that gonna look like when Dean hands the letter to his dad?" I was like, "What if he tries to pass as a sailor or somebody that's in the Navy? People wouldn't bat an eye if they saw somebody that looked like he just got off a boat." I was like, "I don't know, maybe peacoat?" [Laughs] She's like, "Yeah, we can get you peacoat." And then she had a turtleneck and she was like, "I mean, if we're gonna do it, let's do it." [Laughs]
It was also Dean with facial hair!
Without giving away too much, I'm supposed to do another character, and I needed that kind of facial growth and that hair to stick around. I didn't know if I should cut all my hair off and shave my beard. And [showrunner] Robbie [Thompson] was like, "Well, then don't." I think they did a good enough job of making it look like I've been in heaven for a while. In fact, Jim Beaver actually added a line in that scene in the train station where he's like, "I'm gonna go get the cavalry." And, I think I say like, "What do you mean?" He's like, "Well, you know, we gotta get some help." And then just before he walks away, he goes, "Nice try with the beard though." I think we were just running long on time and we had to shave every little bit of stuff away, so unfortunately that that didn't make it. But we got to have a little fun.
I'm assuming that was your Baby?
Yeah, that was number one, Dean's original car. It was funny. As I arrived on set, they were doing the the car screeching to a halt, the shot of it coming through the portal. Our stunt driver is a local stunt guy there in Louisiana, Tyler, he's one of our assistant coordinators. I walked up and I stood by the monitors for one take and they all cut and I'm like, "That's it! Get out of my car!" [Laughs] Tyler's like, "Dude, I saw you over there and I got really nervous."
You also had to show up and deliver so much exposition in what was also a really emotional scene for Dean.
I know. And the funny thing is, for the last like six seasons [of Supernatural], we hired guest stars to come on and deliver the exposition. [Laughs] Jared and I didn't have to do any of that s---. And here I am coming in as a guest star and having to deliver like, the biggest piece of exposition the show has ever seen. I'm just thankful it was Robbie's writing. His writing just slides right off the tongue.
Safe to say you guys opened up so many potential stories with that ending!
I'm hoping. We're in such a weird time right now with the network kind of changing guard and not knowing quite what the new format's gonna be and how that's all gonna pan out. I know that everybody did everything they could to make the best show that they could. I know I'm really proud of it and everybody involved is really proud of it. Hopefully we land on our feet in some capacity, but I don't know what that's gonna look like.
EW
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Pearlie and Rina go on a boat trip on the S.S.Pearl., you know, the one she got when she was 6
okay we know inklings and octolings cant like live underwater but they can still touch it right so like,,, can they go swimming for fun or not? i just want to write abt pearlina with fun summer clothes doing fun summer things
~
"So, you just have an identical copy of the Manta Maria that your dad gave you when you were six years old?"
Pearl shrugged as she threw on a white sundress over her bikini, "Yeah? I remember the party we had on it afterward was hella fresh, I've done like a billion parties on this thing since then."
Marina was not exactly expecting this to be what Pearl meant when she said they should go boating, but as she thought about it a bit more while getting ready for their trip, it made sense. She wore a teal bikini top and a pair of distressed denim shorts over her bikini bottoms, hopefully their time outside would help even out her somewhat awkward tan line she had developed from wearing her signature crop top.
"We've lived together for how long now and I never knew this?" She laughed, packing up the rest of her things into a tote bag she slung over her shoulder. Pearl was nearly ready as well, applying a layer of sunscreen to her entire body.
"There just hasn't been any time to use it! The S.S.Pearl is a special occasion boat and we've been putting on concerts like every other weekend, Rina."
When the pair finished getting ready and arrived at the dock, Pearl's private captain, an older inkling man, greeted her with a bow, "Welcome Pearl, Marina. Pleasure to have you both on board today, as your captain I will ensure the course of your trip is smooth sailing."
Pearl gave a fake salute to him, laughing it off and patting him on the arm instead, "Thanks, Cap. It's just us two so you can loosen up a bit too, have some fun!"
Marina smiled at the inkling, he seemed like the type of person who loved what he did, being on the water was probably as much fun for him as it was for Pearl to perform. She followed her girlfriend onto the main deck where there were various spots to relax and hang out, outdoor couches and chairs around coffee tables, a canopied seating area with a flatscreen tv, and of course a killer DJ booth with a lit up dance floor in front of it. It certainly was different than the Manta Maria in how it was decorated, but the layout was still the same as the boat that many cephalings played turf war on.
"Wow Pearlie, this is really incredible," the octoling sighed as she took in her surroundings.
"Oh you ain't even seen nothing yet, there's still the bedrooms inside, the sauna, the battle station," she rambled on about the features of her ship, but Marina had to interrupt.
"Wait- what's the battle station?"
A mischievous grin dawned on Pearl's face, the kind of expression she wore only when she had some kind of devious plan, "Wanna find out?"
With a bit of hesitation, Marina agreed and let herself be lead to the lower deck which was strangely dark. She felt like she was going to trip and fall as Pearl guided her through the hallway, but she had to trust her girlfriend. After a moment, they stopped along the wall in a different room, at least Marina thought it was a different room, she couldn't really tell in the lighting.
"Are you ready for this?" the inkling asked as she squeezed their hands together.
The taller girl nodded and squeezed her hand back, "I guess so?"
"Good." Then with the flip of a switch, the large room lit up in purple blacklight, revealing a small turf war course with two spawn areas on opposite sides that glowed fluorescent neon colors. Fake plants and obstacles were lit up with unnatural colors, yet enough darkness was left in the room to make it difficult to see quite where you would be stepping. Along the wall the light switch had been on, a line of weapons in every class and type stood waiting to be picked for battle.
"You have... a whole glow in the dark turf war stage on your boat?!" Marina asked, her jaw practically on the floor from how amazed she was at the engineering of such a place. She looked over at her girlfriend with a huge smile, and she received one in return.
"Sure do, now..." Pearl stepped off to the side to grab a pair of splat dualies, twirling one of the guns in her hand. "Wanna ink some turf?"
Marina excitedly ran down the line of weapons, finding her favorite splatbrella and testing its shielding capabilities before laughing, "It's on."
#splatoon#splatoon ask#splatoon 2#splatoon 3#pearl splatoon#pearl houzuki#marina splatoon#marina ida#pearlina#pearlina drabble#pearlina fic#pearlina fanfic#pearlina hc#off the hook#oth#oth splatoon#splatoon fanfic#splatoon drabble#splatoon writing
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Almost Perfect (Sebastian x Fem!Farmer) Chapter 15: Solarion Chronicles: The Game
Warnings: Slow burn, personal struggles, anxiety, depression, eventual smut
Summary: Angeline prepares for a game night at Sebastian's place, where they are joined by Sam.
A/N:
I know what I said about posting on Thursdays and while I like having that as a set day to post I also get very impatient. Soooooooo, in the nicest way possible please deal with my impatience.
Anyway, writing this chapter before I even started writing this story stressed me out. High fantasy has such a highly intricate style that I don't think I'm capable of, so please go easy on me if you think it blows. I tried my best and I think the the next chapter will make up for it, I promise!
READ ON AO3
Chapter 15: Solarion Chronicals: The Game
Summer 13
Angeline was scrambling to get ready for game night at Sebastian’s. She had only found out recently that the governor was coming to the Luau and that she needed to bring an ingredient for the community soup. Thinking of the whole situation only made her more confused. Why was the governor coming? Why were they eating soup in the middle of summer? What the fuck was a community soup?
She groaned and picked some of her more decent peppers and set them aside for the party. Hopefully they weren’t too spicy. She only hoped that everyone else in the village brought things that would make sense for the get together. However, she couldn’t be too sure since even Jas and Vincent were permitted to bring things to put in the stew. It was a cute gesture, but one that caused Angeline to fear for her life. Eight year-old Angeline would have put in gummy worms if she was given that much power as a child. She couldn’t even imagine what either of the village’s children would put in.
Angeline ran into her house and changed rather quickly. She was running out of time fast. She really didn’t want to be late. Especially after Sebastian went out of his way to invite her. She quickly threw on some biker shorts and a big navy hoodie. The outfit wasn’t anything special. She was sure if Haley saw her she would insist that she change immediately. ‘You can’t show up to your crush’s place with messy hair and a hoodie that makes you look like a box’. Luckily, Haley wasn’t here, though.
Angeline took out her contacts and put on her glasses. She looked in the mirror a bit unsure. She looked comfortable. That was good, right? Maybe she should listen to the Haley in her head. She didn’t look bad , but she did look on the verge of being too relaxed. She checked the time on her phone, 5:30. She cursed under her breath. She was already going to be late.
~*~
“Maybe she forgot?” Sam asked as he started to set up the pieces for their game.
Sebastian stopped pacing and ran a hand nervously through his hair. Maybe she did forget? Or maybe she just pretended to forget and didn’t want to come at all. He patted his pockets, he needed to smoke. This was a bad idea. The whole thing was just putting him on edge.
“Dude, will you chill?” Sam asked as he looked up at Sebastian. “You’re making me nervous.”
Sebastian frowned at Sam. He probably looked insane. If he was nervous enough to be affecting Sam he must’ve been worse off than he thought. “Yeah…sorry.” He grumbled and sat at the game table.
“Let’s wait like a few more minutes.” Sam said as he patted Sebastian on the back. “She’s a busy lady, so for all we know she’s just late.”
Sebastian hoped that Sam was right. It wasn’t like Angeline to just blow someone off. She had to just be busy. Sebastian busied himself, grabbing his dice bag and his DM screen. That would keep him from freaking out.
Perhaps the spirits were being kind to Sebastian today because just as he started to lose hope he heard his mother’s voice carry from upstairs. “Angeline! The boys are downstairs. Can you take this down with you? I made snacks for you all.”
Sebastian groaned internally as Sam cheered beside him at the mention of snacks. He was thankful, but it made him feel like a little kid.
He got up from his seat next to Sam and opened the door for Angeline as she made her way down the stairs. She was carrying a tray of maki rolls, and a few maple bars that he figured were for Sam.
“Hey, sorry I’m late!” Angeline said with an apologetic smile. “I lost track of time.”
Sebastian smiled back and shook his head. “It’s no problem.” He took the tray of food from her. “Thanks for coming.”
“Ange!” Sam bounced up from his chair almost causing the table to topple over. “Are you ready for the adventure of a lifetime?”
Angeline giggled as she followed Sebastian into his room. “I think so.”
“Good enough.” Sam said as he took a maple bar off the plate that Sebastian had just set down.
Angeline smiled and sat across from Sam. She adjusted her large round glasses and tucked her hair behind her ear. Angrline was always cute, but something about her looking a little more undone stirred something in Sebastian. Her looking so relaxed put him at ease for whatever reason. It brought a smile to Sebastian’s face as he sat down in between his two friends. All the tension he was feeling just moments before had started to subside.
“So have you played before?” Sebastian asked as he glanced Angeline’s way.
Angeline shook her head and covered her mouth as she opened her mouth to speak. She had just popped a maki roll into her mouth. “No, but I always wanted to.” She crossed her legs, getting comfortable. “I could never get a game going because no one wanted to DM.”
“Sebastian is really good.” Sam interjected. “Sometimes we play with Victor and Abby and he’ll go all out.”
Sebastian flushed as Sam continued talking. “He even, like, will get music and make maps for the campaigns.”
Angeline smiled brightly and looked over at Sebastian. “That’s really cool.” She rested her hand on her palm as she stared up at him in admiration. It made his heart race. “I didn’t take you for such a nerd, Sebastian.”
Sebastian wanted to protest at the comment. It only caused Sam to laugh and pat Sebastian on the back. “Hey, being a nerd is cool,” Sam said with a grin. “And Sebastian here is the king of all nerds. But in a good way.”
Sebastian rolled his eyes at the two. “Thanks, Sam. I wear my nerd crown proudly.”
Angeline laughed, a warm and melodic sound that made Sebastian’s anxieties ebb even more. “Well, I think it’s cool.” She smiled, her dimples showing. “I’ve been curious about this type of thing for forever.”
Sebastian nodded eagerly, feeling a surge of excitement now that Angeline was genuinely interested. “Yeah, it is.” He started to fiddle with the pieces, getting everything into place. “Trust me, once you get into it, you’ll be hooked.”
As they settled in around the table, Sebastian and Sam began to explain the basics of the game to Angeline. Her eyes lit up with curiosity and interest. Sebastian felt his chest grow warm as Angeline was getting into something that he cared about.
The three of them quickly fell into an easy rhythm, the worries and tension of earlier fading away.
“Ready?” Sebastian asked.
Angeline nodded and smiled at him, brimming with excitement.
Sebastian coughed and cleared his throat as he settled into his chair.
~*~
In a world teetering on the brink of darkness, three unlikely heroes stood against the encroaching shadows: a wise wizard, a devoted cleric, and a fierce warrior. Their quest was daunting yet clear– to vanquish the malevolent wizard whose dark magic threatened to consume everything in its path.
As the towering silhouette of the malevolent wizard's stronghold loomed before them, the party steeled their resolve. With spells at the ready, swords gleaming in the dim light, and faith guiding their steps, they marched through the imposing front doors.
~*~
“Holy shit you guys I really have to pee.” Sam interrupted. Sebastian sighed and face palmed.
Angeline giggled. “We just started, it's okay.”
Sam got up with Angeline's permission and quickly made his way to the bathroom. Leaving Angeline and Sebastian alone.
Sebastian looked down at his hands. He felt the nerves fluttering back up again.
“This is a lot of fun.” Angeline said with a smile. “I was a little bit nervous at first.”
Sebastian glanced up at her and smiled. “I'm glad you're having fun.”
Angeline opened her mouth to speak but Sam came barreling down the stairs. “Did you guys miss me!”
“So much…” Sebastian said dryly. “Now sit down.”
“Yessir.” Sam saluted and took his seat.
“Does anyone have to use the bathroom, get something to drink, or anything else?” Sebastian said as he glanced between the two.
Sam shook his head and so did Angeline.
“Good.” Sebastian said and cleared his throat. “As I was saying…”
~*~
Their first challenge emerged in the form of a skeletal guardian, it's bones rattling with dark energy. With a fierce battle cry, the warrior charged, the cleric invoked divine protection, and the wizard wove intricate spells of destruction. Together, they shattered the undead creature into a pile of lifeless bones with ease.
Standing amid the remnants of their victory, they faced a fork in the path ahead. Two corridors stretched out before them, each beckoning with its own ominous allure…
“What do I do?” Angeline had her hand in her hair as she agonized over the choice.
Sam stood up from his chair excitedly. “Obviously down the path the green light!”
Sebastian looked between the two amused. “Well?” He asked.
Angeline bit her lip as she thought about it. “Sam’s right, let’s go down the left path.”
Sebastian nodded and continued.
~*~
… After a moment of deliberation, they chose the left path, its eerie green glow casting an unsettling pallidness over the scene before the adventurers.
They ventured deeper into the heart of the tower. They had stumbled upon a chamber filled with rows and rows of capsules. Peering inside, they beheld the tragic fate of countless mercenaries who had dared to challenge the evil wizard before them. Mercenaries, once full of bravado and hope, now lay trapped within the cold embrace of undeath, their vacant forms twisted unnaturally.
A heavy silence descended upon the party as they gazed upon the tragic scene. The warrior clenched his fist in anger, and the wizard's jaw tightened with resolve.
“We can’t leave them like this.” Angeline, the cleric said, her voice soft yet resolute.
With a solemn nod from the others, they set to work, breaking each cursed capsule that stood before them. One by one, the mercenaries were freed from their torment, their spirits finally able to find peace.
The party pressed onward, climbing even higher towards their final confrontation. At the pinnacle of the tower, amid crackling energies and swirling shadows, they found the malevolent wizard awaiting them, his eyes filled with malice.
A fierce battle ensued, the clash of spells and swords echoing through the chamber. Yet, despite their determination, the malevolent wizard proved a formidable foe. With a wicked grin, he unleashed a devastating magical blast, sending the wizard and warrior crashing to the ground.
~*~
“Wait!” Angeline stood up from her chair, causing Sebastian and Sam to jump slightly at her outburst. “I can’t take him down by myself.”
Angeline looked genuinely afraid. Her hands were balled into fists at her sides. She looked in between the two guys sitting before her looking for answers. “What do I do?”
Sebastian blinked at her, he was surprised with how into the game she was. “...Whatever you want.”
Sam shrugged and nodded. “Yeah, it’s your choice, Ange.”
Angeline’s shoulders slumped and she sat down back in her seat. She frowned as she looked at the map in front of them. “I…I am going to cast a protective aura around the wizard.”
Sebastian nodded. “Thanks Angeline.” Sam pouted slightly but nodded to her, letting her know that he approved of her decision.
~*~
With a whispered prayer, she called upon the healing powers bestowed upon her by the divine. Light and warmth enveloped the wizard, a shield of light surrounding him.
With a grateful nod, the wizard rose shakily to his feet, his eyes blazing with determination. Grasping his staff tightly, he faced the malevolent wizard once more, channeling all of his magical prowess into a single, searing spell.
The chamber erupted in blinding light as the wizard’s spell collided with the malevolent wizard’s dark magic. For a moment, the world held its breath, the very air crackling with power.
Then, with a deafening roar, the malevolent wizard was vanquished, his form dissolving into wisps of dark smoke.
As the echoes of battle faded, the party stood amid the ruins of the tower, their bodies weary but their spirits triumphant. The world was saved from the clutches of darkness.
~*~
“We did it?” Angeline asked as she looked between Sam and Sebastian. “We won?”
“WE WON!” Sam cheered as he bounced up from his seat.
Angeline squealed with excitement and she jumped from her seat, matching Sam’s excitement. “We won!”
Sebastian smiled as he looked at the two before him. “That was pretty good, it took me a while before I could finish my first scenario.”
Angeline sat back down in her seat and smiled gratefully at Sebastian. “You saved us all.”
Sebastian couldn’t help but grin. “We couldn’t have done it without each other.”
“Yeah, I helped a lot too.” Sam said. “I wanna be told I did good.”
“You were great, Sam.” Angeline giggled.
She stretched and checked her phone, it was now 10. “We were playing for four hours?”
Sam nodded. “Yeah, that’s pretty typical.” He yawned. “I need to get outta here. I’ve got work tomorrow.” He gave a quick wave and made his way up the stairs.
Angeline gathered her things to leave and Sebastian couldn’t help but feel a pang of disappointment that the night was over. He was getting ready to say his goodbyes, but Angeline turned to him with a bright smile and sparkling eyes.
“Thanks for inviting me, Sebastian,” she said, her voice warm and sincere. “I had an great time. I’d love to play again.”
Sebastian felt a rush of happiness flood through him. “I’ll, uh, let you know when we have another game.”
Angeline nodded enthusiastically. “Um, h-here…” she said as she presented him with her phone.
Sebastian took Angeline’s phone and plugged in his contact information. “Text me whenever.” He said, trying to come off nonchalant. Although he was pretty sure he could hear his heart banging against his chest.
Angeline nodded and pocketed her phone. “I should get going.” She said as she made her way to the door.
“...Do you want me to walk you home?” Sebastian asked as he rubbed the back of his neck. He felt a bit silly, the girl could obviously handle herself, but he just didn’t want her to go yet.
“I couldn’t ask you to do that.” Angeline shook her head. “Thanks, though.”
“At least to the door.” Sebastian offered and Angeline nodded.
“I guess the door is okay.”
Sebastian chuckled and followed Angeline up the stairs. He really did enjoy her company. She was so easy going and happy. It warmed his heart in a way that he didn’t even know was possible. As he walked Angeline to the door, bidding her a goodnight he felt like his smile might not ever fade. Not while she was around.
#sdv sebastian#stardew valley sebastian x oc#fanfic#fanfiction#stardew sebastian#ao3 fanfic#stardew valley#sebastian stardew valley#sdv#sebastian sdv#Stardew valley sebastian x oc
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Sometimes when I’m having some creative block, or know I want to draw but don’t know what to draw, I look through my old stuff to see what I can redo.
This is a drawing I did back in 2008 when I was in high school. Nicolette is a character of mine that I have been working on since 2006, she’s been through a lot of revamps and a lot of dye jobs, and I remember this being a very ambitious drawing for me at the time. I still don’t love doing full backgrounds and avoided them even then. I also wanted this to be a two-parter, with the second part being her boyfriend listening to music in a room where it’s daylight, but I honestly never even started that second part.
So, how about a little critique for past me? It will set up my game plan for the new drawing and hopefully help some of you reading this that draw.
Perspective has always fucked with me and something I will say about this drawing is that everything does appear to be going to the same vanishing point, so good job, teenage me. Unfortunately, the scale is absolutely wack and as soon as Nicolette stands up, she’ll hit her head on the ceiling. Anymore, I like building 3D references (I use DAZStudio, but there’s a lot of options) and just trace them to help with perspective. If you think that’s cheating, take it up with the old masters.
I also feel like there is no character to the desk and chair. They’re just so clean and look kind of cheap. The desk chair looks more like a dining chair. There’s basically nothing on the desk, it’s like she just moved in today and hasn’t had a chance to fully unpack. I think at the time, putting more objects on the desk and figuring out the perspective for all of them felt just too daunting to bother with. I definitely want a ton of clutter on the redo (famous last words).
At the time, I had it in my head that I wasn’t allowed to outline anything if I was going to go for a more painterly style, so a lot of it looks pretty blobby and undefined. If you’re going for a painterly style rather than line art, you are allowed to use lines, just be mindful of the weight and the color of the lines. Thick, black lines, are obviously not what we’re going for. In the new drawing, her face and fingers in particular should be much more defined.
Hair used to really, really throw me for a loop. I think part of my problem was looking at all the hair as one thing, and it ends up feeling sort of like hair for Lego people that just snaps on. It makes a lot more sense to break it down into different clumps and strands. Think about things like how and where the strands attach to the scalp. Another nitpick is just that her hair would obviously be obstructing the sound coming from her headphones.
I believe she is wearing black flats (at least, I don’t think they were supposed to be black ankle socks) and I want to get rid of those. Who wears shoes when they’re hanging out in their room at night?
As though admitting that I was in high school in 2008 did not age me enough, the computer is running Windows XP with the most generic looking music player possible. I think I’m going to make the computer in the new drawing a little more obscured, screen-wise, in the hopes of not aging so badly and obviously.
The window and the lighting from it isn’t so bad. I definitely was mindful of the lighting on the curtains and the rug, but didn’t really bring it in toward the figure or any of the other furniture. This is supposed to be dark and moody, and hopefully I can bring that across better in the new one. I also want to put rain drops on the window and make the view something more reasonable for just outside someone’s bedroom.
The posters I gave her are pieces that I just kind of threw together as I was working on everything else. This time, I’ll use some of my other art that’s already done and that could reasonably be a poster that she owns. I also want to add some shelves for more clutter (again, famous last words).
The bed will probably not be in the redo, nor the guitar. I think the bed makes the room seem very small, and this way the desk can be more of a focus. As far as the guitar, as I’ve worked more and more on Nicolette, she’s gravitated more toward keyboard, so I’d like to fit that in if I can.
Overall, I remember being proud of this piece, and I don’t think I did a bad job or had a bad idea. I do think I can do a lot more with the idea now, and I am looking forward to doing so.
#old art#critique#art critique#art redo#art redraw#artists on tumblr#illustrators on tumblr#art#illustration#my oc: nicolette
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Blood On The Dance Floor: Chapter 4
Hoseok x Reader
Genre/Rate: 18+, established relationship, thriller, fatal attraction!AU (kind of, but with major changes), smut, angst, and fluff.
Summary: Hobi goes to the annual HYBE Christmas party, and gets the shock of his life.
Warnings: A forced kiss (two, for that matter)
WC: 2.3K
“Are you sure that you’re ok with this?” Hobi wondered and you smiled fondly as you stepped up to him, reaching out to fix the collar of the black dress shirt that he was wearing. It was a week before Christmas and HYBE was holding their annual Christmas party, and all of the employees as well as their guests were invited to come.
“There’s no sense in you staying home too just because I’m sick,” you told him. “It’s a Christmas party where you’re supposed to be merry and I’d just be a drag.”
“I don’t want to just leave you here alone though,” he sighed.
“Please, I’ll be glad for the break because you smother me when I’m sick,” you teased.
“Well excuse me for being worried about you,” Hobi huffed, making you laugh at him.
“I want you to stop worrying for one night and go have fun,” you told him before leaning up and pressing a soft kiss to his lips. “I’m serious. We’ll go out together for New Years, since I’ll hopefully be feeling better by then.”
“Alright,” Hobi relented. “But you call me if you need me and I mean it. Whatever it is, don’t hesitate.”
“Ok, I will,” you promised. “Now go before you’re late.” After a few more reassurances from you and some last kisses, Hobi managed to pull himself away from you, grab his jacket and keys, and leave the house.
After a short drive, he made it to the HYBE building and walked inside to one of the large conference rooms that had been cleared of the meeting tables and replaced with a large makeshift dance floor, smaller tables and a bar, where he was instantly pulled aside by Jimin and Namjoon.
“Look who finally made it to the party!” Jimin cheered as he threw his arm around Hobi’s shoulder.
“How many drinks have you had, Jimin?” Hobi chuckled.
“He’s about six drinks in at this point,” Namjoon reported. “You want to play catch up? The bar is free.”
“Sign me up,” Hobi smiled and soon enough, Jimin was pressing a drink into his hand as they went to sit together at one of the smaller tables.
“It’s so nice to finally unwind,” Jimin said, his words slightly slurred. “Working with Girls On Fire has melted my damn brain.”
“Yeah, I’ve heard Goyoung is a little firecracker,” Namjoon said.
“She’s a damn demon, that’s what she is,” Jimin huffed. “It’s a wonder I’m not an alcoholic yet.”
“Is she really?” Hobi wondered.
“Yoongi hyung said that she’s a know it all, even though she’s still technically a rookie,” Namjoon replied.
“But she trained for 5 years so I guess it’s understandable why she’s like that,” Jimin muttered. “Still doesn’t mean she’s not a pain in my ass though.”
“You’re a mess, Jiminie,” Hobi cooed as he reached over and affectionately ruffled Jimin’s hair, making Jimin splutter and push his hands away.
“Holy shit,” Namjoon gasped, making Hobi turn to look at him and he saw that Namjoon’s jaw was literally dropped. Following Namjoon’s gaze towards the door, Hobi’s own eyes widened when he saw Lee Bora standing there. She had on a skin tight, black cocktail dress that only reached her mid thigh. She also had on sparkly black heels, silver jewelry, and her shoulder length hair was curled into loose waves.
“God damn,” Jimin whistled, the three of them watching as Bora waltzed into the room and began to speak to different people. “I had no idea Bora had a body like that.”
“You never see it under her sweats,” Hobi chuckled.
“She’s coming over here, cut it out,” Namjoon said and all three of them looked up just in time to see Bora approaching their table.
“Hi guys,” Bora smiled, bowing lightly to them.
“Hi Bora,” Namjoon greeted her.
“Hi,” Hobi said.
“Hey Bora,” Jimin grinned goofily. “You look fantastic.”
“Thank you,” Bora blushed as she looked down at her dress. “Since it’s a Christmas party, I thought I’d get a little fancy.”
“Fancily fucked,” Jimin muttered, yelping when Namjoon kicked him underneath the table.
“I see the party has gotten into full wing already, though,” Bora noted.
“Yeah, no one wastes time when there’s free alcohol involved,” Hobi joked. “Would you like me to get you a drink?”
“Yes please,” she nodded with a smile. Hobi got up to get her a drink while Bora took his seat at the table with Jimin and Namjoon. It took Hobi a while to get the drink because of the sheer amount of people standing at the bar at the same time but once he finally got it, he made it back to the table to find that Bora was the only one still there.
“Where did those two knuckleheads run off to?” Hobi wondered as he handed Bora’s glass to her before sitting down next to her.
“Jimin ran off with Sunyoung and Yoongi-ssi came over and started talking to Namjoon-ssi about some songs,” Bora responded as she rolled her eyes. “Who talks about work at a Christmas party?”
“I can see why they would,” Hobi shrugged. “I mean, I’m holding myself back from asking you if we should change the spin move in Star Turn’s second chorus.”
“That move doesn’t look as good on camera as we thought it would, huh?” She said and Hobi nodded his head. “But no work talk!”
“Agreed,” Hobi laughed.
“So, where’s Y/N?”
“At home sick,” he replied. “I almost didn’t come tonight but she convinced me to.”
“Aw, well I hope she feels better,” Bora murmured.
“What about you? No date?”
“Eh, I have my eye on someone but it might be too soon to do anything about it,” she told him.
“Hey, in my experience, the best thing is just to go for it,” Hobi advised her.
“Really?”
“Yeah,” he said. “There’s no use in spending your life wondering, what if, you know? Just do it.”
“Ok, thanks Hobi,” Bora beamed. The DJ put on a new song then, and Jimin rushed back over to the table excitedly.
“Come and dance with us, you two!” He chirped. “Don’t just sit here all night!”
“Let’s go before he literally drags us over,” Hobi laughed, making Bora do the same as they stood up and followed Jimin over to the dance floor. The song playing was one of the newest songs from HYBE’s top girl group, Girls on Fire. Nearly everyone knew the choreography which was slightly suggestive, and the men on the dance floor cheered when the women began to emulate the moves.
Though Bora didn’t choregraph the song, she was executing the dance effortlessly, winding her hips with so much force that the hem of her already short dress began to rise up her thighs. Hobi just rolled his eyes when he noticed how the men standing around him were literally foaming at the mouth over the sight of Bora’s skin, and it didn’t make him miss the days of being single one bit.
After a few minutes, the song ended and a new one came on, this one from a male soloist and definitely more sensual with a slow, pulsing beat.
“Dance with me Hobi,” Bora called out and Hobi nodded, allowing her to grab his hands and pull him closer to her. They danced facing each other for a little while, doing a sort of simple two step and it was fine. Nothing special, even.
Until Bora turned around and began to slowly back up towards Hobi.
Hobi was so immersed in the song and dancing to it, he didn’t even realize what was happening until Bora’s ass was pressed up against his crotch. Bora reached behind herself and grabbed Hobi’s hands again, this time setting them on her hips. Hobi’s eyes widened and he lifted his head, looking around to see if anyone had noticed them. Luckily, about 98% of the people in attendance were drunk off their asses and in their own little worlds.
Namjoon suddenly motioned to Hobi, catching his attention and making him look over at him. Namjoon’s eyebrows were raised and he mouthed “what are you doing?”, and that’s when Hobi realized how he and Bora must’ve looked together. He abruptly tore his hands away from Bora’s hips and took several large steps back, putting as much space in between them as possible.
“Hobi?” Bora called out in confusion as she turned around to look at him but he just shook his head.
“I have to...go to the bathroom,” he muttered before turning around and rushing through the room to the bathroom. He walked over to the counter where the sink was, placing his hands on top and looking at his reflection in the mirror.
“What the fuck was that?” Hobi huffed, shaking his head in disbelief before he headed over to the urinal to relieve himself. As he did so, he heard the door open and a few seconds later, felt a pair of hands on his shoulders.
“Hobi,” a familiar voice purred and Hobi glanced over his shoulder, a gasp escaping him when he saw Bora.
“Bora, what the fuck?!” He exclaimed, shrugging her hands off of him as he worked on tucking himself back into his pants. “What are you doing in here?”
“I’m taking your advice, and going for it,” she explained with a smile as he turned around to face her.
“What do you mean?”
“Hobi, you had to have noticed how I look at you,” she cooed, placing her hands flat on his chest. “How much I admire you, look up to you. You’re so kind, and nice, and never have anything bad to say about anyone. Plus, you’re so handsome.”
“Bora, I’m a married man and we also work together!” Hobi hissed.
“That didn’t stop you from throwing me signals,” she smirked. “You were so interested in getting to know me and asking about my dating life.”
“That wasn’t me throwing you signals, that was me being a decent human being and making conversation,” he scoffed.
“Yeah ok, that’s what they’re calling it these days,” she laughed before leaning up and forcefully pressing her lips against his. Hobi pushed her away instantly though, grabbing onto her shoulders and pressing them away from his body.
“Why the fuck would you kiss me?!”
“I told you, I’m taking my chance,” she repeated, moving closer to him again and letting one of her hands reach out to ghost over his cock through his pants. “I like you, Hobi and I know you like me too so I’m doing something about it.”
“Would you stop fucking touching me and listen to me?!” Hobi snapped, making her freeze and look up at him. “Now, I’m sorry if I ever gave you mixed signals or the impression that I’m interested but I’m not. I am happily married and that’s not going to change.”
“That’s just what you think sweetheart,” Bora cooed. “I know you want to do the right thing because you’re a good person but don’t worry. I’m going to help you.” She leaned forward and snuck another quick kiss before turning around and strolling out of the bathroom, as if nothing had even happened.
............................................................
Hobi left the party immediately after that weird encounter with Bora and on the entire drive home, he debated over whether or not to tell you about what happened. On one hand, the two of you made a promise to always tell each other the truth, no matter how terrible or uncomfortable it might make either of you. He also knew that trust was something that you cared a lot about and he didn’t want to betray the trust that you had in him, especially since he didn’t do anything wrong.
On the other hand, that same thought is what had him not wanting to tell you. Since trust was extremely important to you, he knew how you might take it if you heard that Bora had pushed up on him and kissed him twice. Also, he knew there’d be a very good chance that you wouldn’t believe that he didn’t show any interest in Bora and that she didn’t just make it all up.
He still hadn’t completely made up his mind when he walked into the house and up the stairs into your bedroom, where he found you waiting up for him.
“Hey,” you smiled as you set your magazine aside. “How was it?”
“It was...good,” he muttered, beginnging to strip out of his clothes and put on his pajamas.
“That’s it?” You chuckled. “Come on, it was a Christmas party and there was an open bar. Something interesting had to have happened.”
“Jimin was pretty much drunk off of his ass and so was mostly everyone else for that matter, but nothing especially noteworthy,” Hobi shrugged. Once he had put on his pajamas, he climbed into bed next to you and you instantly cuddled up to him.
“Mmm, I missed you,” you whispered as you looked up at him. “I almost thought about calling you to come home.”
“You should’ve,” Hobi replied. “There wasn’t anything keeping me there.”
“We’ll change that next year,” you giggled. “We’ll go and show them how to really party. Remember our college days?”
“Do I?” He laughed at the memories. “We used to be drunk off of our asses every Friday night and then we’d spend the rest of the weekend recovering.”
“Good times.”
“I doubt I’d be able to party like that now,” he told you. “We’re getting older and this party was probably more our speed.”
“I hate that I missed it then,” you laughed. Hobi looked down at you then, his heart aching at how he could see the love that you had for him in your eyes. Typically, seeing that made him happy but now, it only made him feel guilty.
“I love you so much,” he stated firmly.
“I love you too Hobi,” you responded, leaning up and kissing him softly.
#bts#bangtanarmynet#bangtanbathhouse#bts reactions#bts jhope#bts hobi#jhope x reader#hobi x reader#jhope smut#jhope angst#jhope fluff#bts smut#bts fluff#bts angst#bts x reader#bts scenarios
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Consequence (Joel Miller x OC)
Summary: What if Joel survived his injuries from the Abby and Fireflies attack but ends up with really bad amnesia. He can’t remember his wife, Ellie, or the Outbreak; only before. How will his family bring back the man they once knew?
Pairing: Joel Miller x OC
Notes: HEYYYYY Guess who's back??!! It me!! I just want to say a HUGE thank you to all you lovely readers; the support for this story has been unreal and I'm eternally grateful for it; I literally couldn't even put it into words. I'm doing a lot better now and I'm in a much better head space and ready get back into the wonderful world of this story. I have slightly changed a sentence in chapter 11 (The flashback of winter) just to include Ada's medical knowledge because it was bugging me that I missed it the first time. It's just a little change and it doesn't really change the chapter in any. It was just something I needed to change from a writers POV if that makes sense. Anyway thank you for sticking with me for so long; you incredible people make my day with your support/comments etc… its readers like you that really keep me motivated to continue writing so thank you for that.
I hope you enjoy this chapter and it doesn't disappoint as it's taken me a while to get back into the swing of things so hopefully I'm not too rusty and it's not a let down. Love yous lots hope you enjoy the chapter ❤️
Chapter Fifteen
They’d been driving for what felt like hours and they were running out of road. Tommy had managed to follow Joel’s tracks from the gate, although at times it had been difficult with the rain washing most of them away. Eventually they followed their way out towards the ski lift outpost; only to be greeted with disappointment when they found the place empty. There were signs of life however; muddy boot and hoof prints dried to the floor from the storm that had now passed. The crumbs of half eaten carrots litter the ground and open cans of stew left scattered along one of the tables near the recently lit fire pit. Dina moved to inspect it; taking a hold of the spoon left in the pan, both stuck together by the burnt remains of the leftover stew sticking to the bottom of it.
“Well; at least we know he was definitely here.” Dina joked awkwardly trying to lighten the mood a little. But Tommy didn’t see the funny side; his nostrils flaring in frustrated anger as he stomped forward kicking at the table, sending the empty cans sputtering across the floor.
“Goddamn it!” He yelled. The sound echoing through the dead quiet. Ada and Dina both flinched at the outburst. The older woman moved towards him, placing a tentative hand on his shoulder in a feeble attempt to calm him.
“Taking it easy Tommy.” She tried but he threw his shoulder aggressively, shrugging her away as he whipped around on his heel to face her. “Easy?!” He barked. “We keep just missing him, how the fuck are we supposed to find to him when he had a two day head start?!”
Ada signed deeply trying to ignore the sting of Tommy’s spurn. She knew he didn’t mean it. He was tired. They all were. And frustrated and worried about Joel. It was hard not to lose your temper at the situation; especially one that was more of less of their own making. She and Tommy blamed themselves for basically driving Joel away from Jackson in the first place. Even now Ada was rerunning their last conversation over and over again in her head. Her guilt twisting in both her stomach and tightening within her chest at all the things she could’ve said instead. But that kind of thought would get her nowhere now. She needed to focus on the here and now. And the only thing that mattered was bringing Joel home.
She took another breath; her eyes searching the room for any more signs that Joel may have left behind. “We just have to be smart about this.” She wondered aloud as she continued looking. “When we move on, we have to be certain we’re headed in the right direction.”
“And how the hell are we supposed to do that?! Huh?” Tommy scoffed bitterly, throwing his hands up in defeat. “We don’t even know where Joel’s going!”
She turned back towards her brother in law; her mind scrambling desperately for an idea or a lead. Her eyes staring down intensely at the floor before glancing back up at Tommy. “Well maybe he’s going back to Boston? You talked about your time in the QZ right?” She offered hopefully. Tommy’s lip curled in disdain at her idea; pacing back and forth.
“I told him but that don’t mean he listened.” He dismissed. “And I doubt he’d head back home to Texas… he knows there’s nothing there anymore. I’ve been, I’ve seen it. The house is wrecked and it’s been picked clean.”
The room fell silent at Tommy’s condescending tone as Ada bit her lip to keep from saying anything that might just aggravate the situation. Her eyes glancing across towards Dina who was looking around the back of the room; obviously trying to keep out of the way. Ellie had stayed by the door at first but now was kneeled down behind the remains of the cafe bar; pulling through the drawers and cabinets. Throwing away any junk that didn’t aid in her search for Joel. Her heart ached as she watched her. The teen hadn’t uttered a word since leaving Jackson. It was clear even now that she blamed herself for everything, she was so tired of this. The Fireflies had caused them nothing but grief and anger ever since she’d met them. Even years later, after the fuckers had disbanded they were still tearing apart her family and she despised them for it.
The thought made her pause for a moment. Wait…the Fireflies…Joel's letter; her stomach dropped at the realization.
“Then he’s going after the Fireflies!” Dina announced, speaking her thoughts before she could voice them herself. Ada offered the girl a broken smile in spite of herself, a wave of relief that at least someone was on the same page as her. But once again…Tommy only scoffed bitterly at the suggestion.
“And why the hell would he go after the people that tried to kill him?!” He spat, pulling a face at Dina as she backed down to sit on the one the couches. Her head hung in shame like a child that had just been scolded. Ada’s blood was beginning to boil now at his attitude. She stomped over towards her brother in law; standing toe to toe with the man. Her dark eyes staring him down as her patience was beginning to wear thin.
“Think about it, everything goes back to them for him.” She explained trying to keep herself calm. “I told him what happened and what he did to save Ellie. But he still couldn’t get his head around exactly who the fireflies were and what they meant.” She took a breath clenching her fists by her side, almost daring Tommy to shoot her down again. But the man just scoffed in her face and damn if she wasn’t tempted to punch the condescending bastard in the nose all over again!
“Great! That’s just fucking great! He’s going after the Fireflies which means he could be anywhere by now! We don’t know where the fireflies were even headed!”
“Yes we do! You said you got word they were in Seattle.”
“Rumors, Ada, I heard rumors. Nothing concrete. And it don’t matter anyway, that was between me and a few of the boys on lookout. I never even told Joel about it!”
Okay, now Ada was getting pissed with him. She trembled with anger; her eyes wide and nostrils flared as she once again stood toe to toe with Tommy. Her fist somehow managed to unclench as she instead pointed her sharp finger into his chest; her voice quivering. “Well I don’t see you coming up with any ideas!” She yelled into his face.” You just keep shooting down everyone else’s!”
“Because I’m trying to make sure that we know where we’re headed. We can’t go running in any damn direction, just hoping we stumble into Joel by accident.” They were practically nose to nose now; almost growling at each other like challenging wolves about to snap at each other throats for the kill. Eyes blazing with anger and frustration that had no outlet except aimed at the person in front of them.
“She didn’t say we should!” Dina said defensively as she tried to pull them apart. It was a futile attempt however, both were stubborn and both were angrily still glaring at the other. Until Ellie slammed one of the chairs against the floor to grab their attention.
“For fucks sake enough! God this arguing is getting us nowhere! Everyone just shut the fuck up okay?!” She growled. The room grew quiet again. The tension dissipating as Ellie glared at the both of them, until eventually they backed away from the other. Both awkwardly cowering like wounded animals. Clearly embarrassed of their childish behavior. They glance at one another with an apologetic look in their eyes. They knew she was right. They were the adults and they were acting like moody teenagers. While the actual teenagers seemed to be the only ones with their heads on straight. Ellie took a breath as everyone turned to look at her. She sighed once again as she gestured to the record book that was left open on the table in front of her. Ellie didn’t know why, she just knew it was Joel who’d left it there. Her eyes running across the writing from happier times. She glanced back at others with tears welling in her eyes. “I know where Joel’s going… he’s heading back to Salt Lake City.” She said with unshakeable certainty.
“What? You mean back to the hospital? Why the hell would he be going there? The Fireflies quit that place years ago.” Tommy pointed out gently. But Ellie was in no mood to argue anymore; shaking her head defiantly.
“Put yourself in his place…Joel’s trying to remember things. He wants to get his memory back; if you were him where else would you start?” She explained and in that moment everything clicked into place.
“Holy shit you’re right. He’s trying to retrace his steps! Ellie you’re a fucking genius!” He beamed, a broken laugh of disbelief leaving him as his eyes lit up. “Everyone back in the truck, we move now we might be able to catch him up.”
No one wasted a second as they scrambled to their feet; all four rushing back towards the door and out into the truck. She didn’t know how she knew but she was positive that was where Joel was heading. After all, it was exactly where she had gone for answers herself and it was also the place where mournfully she had lost him all those years ago; perhaps now it would be the place where she finally got Joel back again.
#the last of us#joel miller#joel and ellie#Joel x OC#ellie williams#The last of us fanfic#the last of us part 2#The last of us 2#fanfic#starlessskies writes
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The show makes it so obvious that she’s going to end up with Conrad tho. It’s kind of hard to even entertain the idea of Jeremiah. I like both of them tbh. She has chemistry with both and they’re dynamics are interesting to me for different reasons. But it’s hard to root for Jeremiah when it’s so clear that’s not where this is headed. And i think a lot of viewers would probably say the same thing. Along with the books being out there already.
Oh yeah, I definitely agree with you. I remember when I read the books for the first time, the 2nd book threw me for a loop because I didn't expect her to really date Jeremiah and it made me really consider them for a minute so hopefully the 2nd season does the same thing. I think they're going to try and tease and drag out and try to build it up both ships as much as possible in season 2 so that the 3rd season really hits the viewers hard. I will say I wanted her to be with Conrad the entire time in the books and the show. But Jeremiah was a big part of her journey in growing up, and I adored their friendship and whole dynamic, and it's interesting to see their romantic dynamic as well.
I have a hard time rooting for Jeremiah because it's so crystal clear she doesn't love him the way she loves Conrad and it felt like he was almost forcing her and like begging her to choose him even though he sees how much she loves Conrad and how happy he makes her. Also because I feel like their personalities were never a good match for a relationship to work out, they like different things and Belly is too serious while Jeremiah is the opposite. They work as best friends but it was clear they would bump heads and have trouble understanding each other and communicating in a relationship if that makes sense. Also the entire time I was reading the books (I don't think the show really covers this as much) every time Belly talked about Laurel and Susannah's friendship and how she wanted a best friend like that but she's only really had Taylor and is afraid Taylor isn't it, I was screaming "Belly you're so blind! Jeremiah is your forever friend!!!!" and I was so sad their friendship got steamrolled (although I think it's heavily implied they worked it out in the end).
Another thought to add to this, Taylor is a lot like Jere in a lot of ways and I think that's why Belly gets annoyed by her and they bump heads, but eventually they work it out and figure out how they work best together, still as friends but doing their own things. The parallel is just very interesting to me because she gets annoyed at them for the same reasons/things and doesn't even ever notice the similarities. Taylor doesn't take things seriously and is also always all about having fun, and I think Jeremiah would really do better with someone who is like that.
#tsitp#the summer i turned pretty#tsitp spoilers#tsitp ask#jeremiah fisher#belly conklin#conrad fisher#conrad x belly#jeremiah x belly#it's not summer without you
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Thoughts on Love Mechanics: (very long and rambling)
I loved the first half of the series. The lead actors, War and Yin, are fabulous and have great chemistry, whether sexual, angry, playful, comedic. I just really like War's face and the way he uses his eyes and his smile. I find him compelling and charismatic. I also liked almost all of the side characters. Many of them didn't have a big part, or were mostly there for comedy or to move the plot along, but they still felt like fully realized people who were living their own interesting lives off-screen. (Perhaps it's because the series grew out of a set of interconnected stories, I haven't watched them yet.)
More thoughts, both praise and critique, below the cut. (Includes tons of spoilers):
I'm fairly new to BL, although I've read a lot of romance, including queer (mostly m/m) romance, and a lot of fanfiction. These, it seems, have overlapping tropes/arcs/conventions as BL but are not exactly the same. (I've learned a lot about BL conventions from @absolutebl's posts here.)
I've been binging BL shows this summer, and I'm starting to think I really dislike the traditional strong sense/uke dynamic. (Maybe I'll make another post of which shows I like and dislike.)
So basically, I like up until Mark sees Ploy kissing Vee because the VeeMark dynamic feels interesting and ever shifting. After that they seem to switch to a more standard seme/uke dynamic with bonus miscommunication, which I found frustrating, annoying and boring.
I'm only 20 minutes into episode 9, which I turned off because I was so bored with the pervert boxer plot line. So hopefully it will improve with the last episode and a half, but I'm afraid the show lost the courage of its messiness and went for standardization.
Love Mechanics caught my attention from the beginning. I like that the show begins with a drunken, dubiously consensual hookup, where Mark thinks he's fucking another person, and Vee is cheating on his girlfriend. It's chaotic, it's hot, the actors commit to the physicality of the sex scene, which I'm discovering is often not the case for BLs.
I liked Mark's immature pursuit of Bar, and the mean sneering way that War portrayed that. I liked that the conflict after that is that they don't want to be cheating but they are incredibly drawn to each other. I even liked all the implausible coincidences that threw them together over and over, so their connection felt like it developed naturally. Yes, Vee should have figured his shit out with his girlfriend, but it felt naturally messy that he didn't. He was young, in his first LTR, loved her but it seemed like he was somewhat passive in starting the relationship with her. I liked that it felt like he both still loved Ploy and at the same time was falling for Mark. That felt messy and real.
I even liked the plot twist of Ploy cheating on Vee; it didn't feel like a cop-out to excuse Vee's cheating but instead something that added complexity to the decisions Vee and Mark had to make. Should Vee look any closer at his relationship with Ploy, or just ignore it and coast on the giddy feeling of in love. (He choose ignore.) Should Mark tell Vee that he saw Ploy with another man? It might clear the way for Mark to be with him, but then again Mark is so uncertain of what Vee actually wants and would choose. Mark and Vee never talk about the cheating, almost never talk about Ploy. It's a terrible idea, it's messy and it's fascinating to watch.
I even liked the soap opera plot twists of the anniversary and the promise to tell and the car accident. Unbelievable, yes, but the characters felt believable so I was happy to have the hand of fate/scriptwriters maneuvering them into situations.
I liked the tension between their desire to be public about their relationship and the need to hide and protect it. I even liked Yawah's scheming, although normally that kind of thing annoys me. I think because a) it felt like it added useful tension and b) because Yiwaa felt like a real person, someone young, who made her way as a woman in an overwhelming male space by being dominant and a leader and who genuine wanted to protect her friends but was clumsy about how.
But then after that kiss the scriptwriters' choices mostly did not hold up for me. Yes it made sense that Mark felt hurt and betrayed, but the fact that no one told him Vee hadn't kissed her felt so contrived to add drama. And there was so much drama to be had without that "miscommunication!" Yes, he was hurt and this was a repeat of the last time Vee failed to keep his promise and so I get why he wouldn't want to hear from Vee. But Vee kept pushing at all of Mark's other boundaries, why wouldn't he just blurt out it he didn't kiss her! Or text him or something. It doesn't make sense for the pushiness we've seen in Vee to be so passive about this one thing.
It would still make sense for Mark to break up with Vee even knowing the truth about the kiss. He could decide that Vee has let him down too many time and he doesn't trust him anyway. That would totally be in character and create more tension without having them act like idiots. And the tension would higher because it was based on something real. Of course they have trust issues! They began with deceptions and lies and cheating and continued all that way.
My first choice would actually have been to have Vee kiss Ploy back when she kissed. Perhaps that's too much of a deviation from a one-true-love main couple for standard BL, but I think that would of created some fascinating tension for Mark and Vee to resolve and brought up the buried issues in their relationship (the ones that the show seems like it's just going to ignore and paper over).
It feels in character for Vee to have kissed back - he still has love and care for Ploy, even if it's not romantic any more, and he has a track record of bad sexual decision-making under intense emotions, and it was an intense day for him. I don't think he would sleep with her, but it's so easy to kiss somebody back who you used to kiss all the time.
And it gives Mark a much more plausible and compelling arc. As is, it feels like he's stopping up his ears and refusing to listen. And Vee has fucked up before, but in this case he's actually done nothing wrong! He's helping a friend who's being abused. Mark can be selfish (i like that about the character) but he seems like he would at least care about Ploy being safe even if she is his "rival." This storyline makes Mark feel more childish than I think he is.
A real kiss would give him a real reason to feel betrayed and hurt, real things Vee needed to do to repair them and hopefully force them to work through their real issues.
It would push them to figure out what they really mean to each other. It could push Vee to look at why he stayed with with Ploy for so long and why he was leaving her now. It could push them to look at a relationship that was an affair, was breaking someone else's trust, and figure out how to trust each other after that.
A real kiss could also force the screenwriters to acknowledge the looming specter of cheating. So far, the series hasn't acknowledged the cheating at all post-Ploy, and I'm actually quite annoyed by that. Not because I think cheaters need to be punished but because it was a big deal to them both and it should affect them! They felt guilty about it! It shaped how they related to each other! They hid it from their friends! Mark's hometown bf cheated on him! He had trust issues and wants people to keep their promises!
Vee's gf cheated on him! And I assume Vee had some thoughts and emotions around accepting all her "I'm sorrys" while hiding his own cheating from her, but the show never brings it up. It's so weird! I assumed for a while that they were repressing those feelings and it would come out later, but now it looks like the show is headed somewhere else and the drunken hookup and emotional affair will be treated like any other meet-cute and all the interesting juicy emotions to come out of it will be swept aside. How boring. Hopefully I'm wrong.
(Now, I don't know how they address those issues, other than the generic and boring "talk about it." It's hard! Probably that's why the series swerved away.)
The show replaces this honest reckoning with a generic (at least to me) quest for Vee to win Mark back. Mark gets to be either passive (accepting sunscreen and towel coverage) or resistant (enlisting his ex to try and scare Vee away.)
Some of its cute (the shitty old truck and the inadequate breakfast). Some of it infuriates me (the pervert boxer brought in at the 11th hour to give Vee something to protect Mark from.) War and Yin are good enough actors to make the character feel consistent and real. Their chemistry continues to sparkle. Their eyes can still break my heart. But this is so disconnected from their earlier story that we might as well be in a whole new series. Regardless of how I feel about this type of seme/uke dynamic in general (I hate it!) it has nothing to do with these characters or what they need to resolve.
Hopefully this is just a detour, but I fear it's the endpoint.
I was also going to write more about my dislike of this kind of seme/uke dynamic, but this is already super long and rambling. In sum, a) it's a distillation of my least favorite heterosexual relationship dynamic. b) I personally find that kind of boundary crossing and bossiness enraging. c) from what I see it creates a love interest whose main or even sole personality trait is the desire to win the uke, which I find makes an incredibly boring and yet also annoying character. d) and it makes the tension between the main characters a dully one-dimensional demand-resist.
#love mechanics - critical#love mechanics - spoilers#love mechanics#love mechanics the series#veemark#vee x mark#Thai BL#critique#negative#and positive#just lots of thoughts#wow that's a lot of words#gillianthecat reacts to bl#reaction by gillianthecat
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