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helloalycia · 7 months

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the Clarks [one] // alicia clark

summary: when you move next door to a new town, you don't expect to befriend the neighbours – the Clarks – so imagine your surprise when they become family, too.

warning/s: mentions of alcoholism, verbal and physical abuse, absent parenting and drugs.

author's note: someone requested this in my asks not long ago and i’ve been working on it as quickly as i can as it was so fun to write! may have gone overboard though and it’s like 5 parts long but you can never have too much alicia so! hope you like it :)

something to note: Y/M/N = your mother's name

two / three / four / five / masterlist / wattpad

9 years old...

I didn't want to move schools. I had my friends and I liked where I was and the teachers were all nice to me, but that didn't matter to my parents. I knew they weren't moving out of spite, they just had to for their jobs, but I didn't like it.

My new school was hard to adjust to, the teachers nice but strangers. My classmates already knew each other, having grown up together no doubt, and I was the new girl who didn't belong. I wasn't a sociable kid, a little anxious and a little nervous to make new friends, so it was hard for me to settle in. But being quiet meant I was quite observant, too.

It was the first week in my new town, at my new school, when I was getting dropped off home by my mum to our new house. The neighbours, a family I'd noticed since moving here because one of their kids – Nick, I think his name was – was in my class, and they always left around the same time as us in the mornings. And just like that, they were pulling into their driveway at the same time as us now.

When my mum and I got out the car, they were doing the same and I caught Nick's eyes as he jumped out the car. His mum noticed us and offered a smile, waving at us.

"Welcome to the neighbourhood!" she said to my mum, already stepping a little closer to the small fence between our front drives.

Nick smiled a little when he saw me, waving his hand. I began to smile too, my first real welcome since arriving here, and just as I lifted my hand to wave it, my mum grabbed it and dragged me up the driveway and into the house, not giving them a response. I didn't understand why she was being so strange, but when she mumbled 'weirdos' under her breath, I figured she was having a bad day. Still, I smiled to myself at how nice they seemed. They weren't all that weird to me.

In fact, they were quite the opposite.

One day, barely a week later, I was playing in the garden, riding my bike around in circles, when I heard some noises coming from the neighbour's garden. Curiosity getting the better of me, I climbed on one of the bins next to the tall fence separating our gardens and tried to find the source of the music and chatter from next door. Peeking my eyes over the top, I realised they were having a barbecue.

A man was flipping burgers on the grill, a drink in his hand, and he was chatting to who I recognised as Nick's mum. His parents. Nick was there too, playing with his little sister, but nobody had noticed me. At least I thought they hadn't, until I looked back to Nick's mum and met her gaze, freezing in place. She didn't seem angry, instead smiling and waving at me, but it freaked me out that I'd been caught spying so I quickly jumped off the bin and back to my bike.

Trying to distract myself, I rode my bike out front and entertained myself by going in circles around the car. My mum was inside having a drink as my dad was out, so I was a little bored and the music next door was still enticing me. I managed to ignore it long enough until I heard someone walking nearby and looked up. Nick's mum was walking out front too, a bin bag in hand as she threw something out. Again, my nosey self couldn't help but watch her.

She caught sight of me as she was about to return to the garden, pausing to smile at me. "Hey, sweetie."

I pressed my lips together, frozen on my bike yet again.

She glanced around, confused, before asking me, "Are you hungry?"

I nodded, unable to stop myself.

"Well, we're grilling some burgers and we might have made too many," she said with a shrug. "We need someone to help us finish it all. D'you wanna come over and have one? You'll be doing us a massive favour!"

I knew what she was doing and yet it still made me smile a little. But then I stopped myself before I could agree, instead saying, "My mum won't like that."

The blonde smiled softly. "Your mum can come, too, hon. The more, the merrier."

I sighed quietly, shaking my head. Glancing at the house, I said, "She's in one of her moods. She won't."

Nick's mum frowned slightly, before asking, "Alright then. One burger to go?"

My smile returned as I looked back to her. Before I could answer however, I heard my name being called and looked over to the front door to see my mum was stood there, glaring at Nick's mum.

"Sorry," I mumbled, before cycling back to the house and leaving my bike by the door before returning inside. The last thing I wanted was to annoy my mum even more – whenever she drank, she got into one of her moods and that always meant she'd yell at me for no reason before passing out on the couch.

I entertained myself in the living room, playing with some toys and also trying not to look outside whenever I heard laughter from the neighbours. Eventually, my dad came home with some groceries, greeting me with a smile and kiss. The happiness was short lived however, as he and my mum erupted into an argument about how she stank of booze. I didn't want to hear it, but I always had to.

He soon went upstairs to have a nap, and my mum seemed to do the same in the living room, though not by choice. I was alone again, bored and hungry and curious once more. With nobody to stop me, I crept outside into the garden and jumped up on the bin to have a look at the neighbours.

Their barbecue was over now, the music having stopped a short while ago. The smell of grilled burgers still lingered though, and it made my stomach rumble instantly. Frowning to myself, I jumped down from the bin and sat in the grass, pulling out some pencils and drawing to cure my boredom. Not long later however, I heard a noise from the fence.

There were voices, kids voices, a boy and a girl. And then when I looked up, I was startled as I saw Nick looking over the fence and down at me.

"Sorry," he said quickly. "I didn't mean to scare you. It's Y/N, right? You're in my class."

I glanced inside, not seeing my mum anywhere, before nodding at Nick, cautious.

"I'm Nick," he introduced with a smile.

I cleared my throat. "Hi."

"I'm Alicia!" a small voice shouted from the other side, below Nick.

I smiled as Nick rolled his eyes.

"That's my little sister, Alicia," he added.

"Hi, Alicia!" I called to her.

"Hi!" she shouted back, and I tried not to laugh.

"Mum said you wanted a burger," Nick said to me.

"I can't come over," I told him regretfully, but he was already holding out a foil-wrapped, burger-shaped object.

"Here," he said.

I began to smile, climbing onto the bin to meet his height, and accepted the burger. I also glanced down next to him to see his sister, Alicia, looking up at me curiously, a friendly smile on her face. She was very pretty, the prettiest girl I'd ever seen, with her hair in pigtails and her green eyes so bright I could see stars in them.

"Thank you," I said, looking back to Nick with immense gratitude, before unwrapping the burger and taking a bite.

"Why can't you come over?" he asked curiously, leaning on the fence.

I nodded behind me. "Mum's in a bad mood."

"Oh," was all he said. "That's annoying."

I nodded in agreement, before saying with a mouthful, "Thanks for the burger."

He began to laugh. "There's ketchup on your face, stupid."

Embarrassed, I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. "Sorry."

Unfazed, his smile remained. "I'll see you at school tomorrow?" I nodded and he jumped down from the boxes he was precariously balanced on. "Bye!"

Alicia waved bye too, and I returned the gesture to them both with a smile on my face before jumping off the bin and finishing my burger. It was really good.

I didn't expect to befriend any of the Clarks, but that was the start of it all. From there, Nick and I would hang out together at school. It started where we'd wave at each other from our driveways in the mornings and afternoons before and after school, and then we'd play together at school. His mum and sister seemed nice, and just like mine, his dad wasn't around that much, instead always working. We were a lot more similar than I thought.

"Dad," I said as I walked into the living room where he was watching TV. "Please can I go play with Nick and Alicia next door?"

My dad lowered the volume and smiled at me, patting his lap. I jumped on top of him as he hugged me tightly.

"Only if I get a kiss right here," he said playfully, patting his cheek.

I grinned as I kissed his cheek before hugging him.

"Go and have fun, Y/N," he said, squeezing me tightly before patting my pack as I jumped off his lap.

As I was going to fill my bag with some toys from the corner of the room, my mum called from kitchen with disapproval.

"Seriously? You're gonna let her go over there? You don't even know them properly!"

My dad sighed. "They're nice people, Y/M/N. Maybe you'd know that if you ever spoke to them."

"I know enough," she said with bitterness. "And I don't feel comfortable with our kid going over there."

I paused, glancing between them as my mum approached my dad in the living room, hands on her hips.

He stood up, giving her a knowing look. "She's going. She needs to be around other kids." Then his expression softened as he looked to me. "Go on, honey. Go over there."

I nodded, glancing at my mum who seemed to disagree, before grabbing my backpack and leaving through the front door. As I left, I heard them both start to argue and tried to ignore it, feeling a little bad that it was my fault.

When I reached the Clarks door, I knocked on, buzzing with both nerves and excitement because it was the first time I was coming over for a play date. Apart from occasionally see them before and after school, or playing with Nick on the playground, I'd never visited their house before. I was surprised I was allowed, but my dad was always nicer with these things than my mum was.

The door opened to reveal Madison, Nick's mum. She said I could call her that when I saw her after school to pick up Nick once, but it felt strange calling her by her name when she was just 'Nick's mum' in my head. That, or Mrs Clark.

"Y/N, hey!" she greeted with a warm smile, before standing to the side to let me in. "How are you, sweetie?"

"I'm good," I said with a shy smile as she closed the door behind us. "I'm excited to see Nick and Alicia. Thank you for letting me come over."

Nick had asked me yesterday after school if I could come, with permission from his mum, so she already knew.

"Of course, and they're excited to see you too!" she said, motioning for me to follow her through the hallway. "How are your parents?"

I shrugged. "They're okay. They're just arguing a lot lately."

She glanced at me, curious. "About what, sweetie?"

I gripped my backpack straps a little tighter as I told her the truth, relieved to let it out, though my child brain didn't understand why I should keep quiet about stuff like this. "Mum keeps getting in her moods. Falling asleep. Having those drinks she's not supposed to. And dad doesn't like it, so they argue a lot."

Madison paused before we could enter the kitchen, sighing. "They don't argue with you though, right?"

"Dad doesn't," I answered. "Mum does, sometimes. It's not fair because I don't think I've done anything wrong. But then she falls asleep and stops."

She frowned slightly. "You know, Y/N, if they're ever arguing or you just don't feel like they're being very nice to you, you're always welcome to come here, okay?"

I looked away, embarrassed. "I don't think my mum likes me being friends with Nick very much."

Or you, I wanted to add, but it wouldn't have been very polite.

"It doesn't matter," Madison said, setting a hand on my shoulder comfortingly. "I'm here for you, just like Nick. You're always welcome here."

Admittedly, it felt quite nice to have that support from someone, the support I wanted from my mother. I smiled up at her, grateful.

"Thank you, Mrs Clark."

She smiled before opening the back door to the garden. "C'mon. The others are waiting for you."

When we headed outside, I saw Nick and Alicia swinging on their swing set, clearly trying to outdo one another. But as soon as they saw me, they halted and almost fell over trying to run towards me.

"Y/N!" Nick shouted with a grin, before stopping in front of me, breathless. "Did you bring your race car?"

I nodded, already shoving my bag from my shoulders and pulling out my remote-controlled race car that I'd mentioned to Nick I had at school. As soon as he saw it, his grin widened. Alicia tried to take a look too, so I showed her properly.

"Can I play, too?" she asked hopefully, and I couldn't help but smile as I nodded quickly.

"Of course!"

She returned my smile before the three of us went to have a play with it on the tiles next to the back door.

13 years old...

"Dad, I don't get it. What do you mean, you're going?"

He was throwing his belongings into a suitcases haphazardly. It was completely random – one minute I was in my room and the next I heard doors slamming downstairs before I found him storming into his room and packing.

"Your mum and I can't work together anymore," he said regretfully, pausing from his packing to look me in the eye, as if I understood. And I did, to an extent, but it didn't make sense.

Mum's drinking had gotten worse over the years, to the point where they'd constantly argue about it and never actually have anything nice to say to each other. I was his shoulder to cry on, minus the crying. He'd rant to me and tell me how he felt burdened and I'd have to listen to it all, wanting to help him and relating but unsure what else to offer. I hated it and I wished he treated me more as a kid than a therapist, but it was better to have him like that than not at all. Now though, he'd finally had enough and it was scaring me.

"Stay," I told him as calmly as I could muster. "You have to work it out."

He shook his head. "I've tried for many years, honey. It's too late. I can't take it anymore."

I swallowed hard, eyes tearing up as I realised he was serious. He continued to pack, throwing in whatever he could get his hands on, not even bothering to fold anything up.

"Take me with you," I said, deadly serious, and for a moment I thought he'd actually consider it, but he shook his head.

"I can't," was all he said, before throwing his suitcase close and zipping it up.

I rounded the bed to stand beside him, trying to stop him from doing it. "Dad, don't do this. Please, take me with you. You can't just leave me with her!"

He didn't even bother to meet my eyes as he said, "I'm sorry."

Grabbing his suitcase, he pushed past me and began to go downstairs. My heart felt like it was being squeezed, the life draining from it as I realised just what was about to happen. I ran after him, following him down the steps and to the driveway where he was throwing his suitcase into the backseat.

"Dad!" I shouted after him, ignoring the several curse words my mum was throwing at him as she watched from the front door. "Please!"

He continued to ignore me as he got into the driver's seat, slamming the door. I banged on the window as he started the car, embarrassed at the reflection of my snotty, crying self looking back at me, but I didn't care. He was leaving! He was giving up!

"Dad, please!" I begged, banging on the window some more. "Don't do this! Stay!"

He gripped the steering wheel tightly, considering my words.

"Please," I pleaded, voice breaking. "Dad, it's me. Your daughter. Please, don't leave me. I need you."

He closed his eyes tightly before reversing his car suddenly, forcing me to step back. I felt sick and betrayed and broken when I watched him avoid my eyes and simply drive away. He was gone, just like that. My dad. Gone.

I knew he had problems to face with my mother, his wife, but I always thought that he stayed for me. And now he was gone, leaving me behind. Why would he just leave? Why didn't he take me with him? He knew how much grief she gave me, how much she hated me. Why would he do this? Was I not enough?

"...fucking deadbeat!" my mum was shouting at his retreating car from the doorway, clearly drunk.

I looked over at her, the reality of my life settling in. It was just me and her left. No more dad sticking up for me or jumping in to stop an argument from happening. I was stuck with her.

"He's not worth your tears, hon," she muttered with bitterness, before heading back inside.

I blinked, my face hot with tears and anger and hurt, and then more tears rolled down my cheeks and I covered my face, trying to stop myself from breathing so rapidly.

"Y/N!" a voice called, and I looked up to see Nick running from his front door, stepping over the little fence separating our driveways.

Of course he'd seen or heard what had just happened. With all the shouting, I wouldn't have been surprised if the whole neighbourhood had. It was utterly embarrassing, but Nick was the only other person I had to confide in. We'd grown super close over the years, ours play dates becoming regular and him becoming my best friend. His family were like my own, even though I'd never admit it. Madison loved having me over, treating me like one of her own. It wasn't weird between us, not completely, so I accepted Nick's help as he led me back to his house to comfort me.

I couldn't stop crying though, not when he brought me to the couch in his living room and not when I'd created a giant wet patch on his shirt. The tears wouldn't stop coming and I couldn't stop hiccuping and I truly felt like my heart had shattered into a million pieces.

Why didn't he look me in the eyes? Why did he just leave?

"Y/N, I... I'm so sorry," Nick said, rubbing my back. "I don't know what to do."

He was worried, I knew it, and I wanted to assure him that he didn't need to do a thing, but I couldn't get the words out. I'd never behaved like this in front of him – it was too much.

"Oh my God, Y/N," Alicia's familiar voice was heard from the living room doorway, and now I felt like a spectacle, both embarrassed and ashamed.

"Go get mum!" Nick told her quickly.

"No!" I said suddenly, breathing shakily and voice hoarse. "I'm fine, I–"

But the words were stuck and my dad driving away was permanently fixed in my mind and hot tears rolled down my cheeks once more. Alicia must have gone to fetch Madison because soon enough, she was present and replacing Nick's seat beside me.

"Y/N, what happened?" she asked instantly, holding my back gently.

I looked up, meeting her eyes with my blurry ones. "He left. He's not coming back. He–he doesn't want to be my dad anymore, Mrs Clark. He–he's gone."

Madison pulled me close, holding me as I sobbed quietly into her shoulder. She stroked my hair until I finally stopped crying, reduced to sniffles and hiccups. When I found the courage to pull away, I saw Nick and Alicia hiding by the doorway, spying on us both. Hot with embarrassment, I wiped my tears from my face frantically.

"Nick, Alicia?" Madison called for them. "Come here, please."

Embarrassed they'd been caught, they shoved one another before reluctantly stepping inside again and stopping beside her.

"Sorry," Nick said, eyes flickering over to mine. "We were just worried."

"Forget that," Madison said, before nodding to the armchair. "Sit down."

They obeyed, sharing a seat and waiting patiently for her to speak, as was I. To my surprise, she looked to me with conviction, pushing my hair from my eyes.

"You're family, Y/N. We're all here for you, okay? You're not alone. No matter what happens, you need to know that." She paused, before glancing over to her children. "Isn't that right, kids? Tell her."

They both nodded in agreement.

"You're part of our family," Alicia said, green eyes meeting mine with concern.

"Always," Nick agreed.

And even though my heart was in a million little pieces in my chest, I didn't doubt it couldn't be put back together with these three Clarks sat before me. Madison pulled me in for a hug, then the other two joined in, and for a moment, I was safe.

14 years old...

"Can you remind me that I need to buy a new planner on the weekend? My other one is full."

I pretended to cough in my hand as I teased Alicia, "Nerd."

She rolled her eyes, a smile ghosting her lips, then kicked me gently in the leg. I laughed at her reaction, straightening up against the wall and readjusting the pillow behind me.

We were both hanging out in my room, sat in my bed as we listened to music and just chatted. It was nice to have the house to myself sometimes and I always tried to invite her or Nick around when I could, feeling like I needed to return the favour since we always usually hung out at theirs. Of course, there wasn't much of a choice, but the few times my mum was working, it was nice to host.

Ever since my dad had left, mum's moods and drinking had gotten worse. She was even more neglectful and bitter, the worst I'd ever seen her, so it was much easier when she was out working. Then I no longer had to deal with her. Plus, I could just hang around with Nick and Alicia. Like now.

"I'm kidding, I'll remind you," I promised her. "I was taking the piss, but you're a nerd in a good way, Alicia. You're very smart. I'm almost jealous."

She shrugged, though the compliment clearly had her flustered. "I just like learning."

I smiled at how humble she was being. She was literally the smartest person I knew. "You could beat any person in my grade at any exam," I told her knowingly. "They're all idiots compared to you."

Her cheeks dusted pink as she avoided my eyes. "You shouldn't say that. That includes Nick, y'know."

"Yeah, that only proves my point further," I joked. "Nick isn't the brightest bulb in the box."

She snorted to contain her laughter, then met my gaze. "You're not stupid, Y/N."

I tried not to laugh. "Tell that to my grades. I'm currently getting by on C's."

Her expression softened as she tilted her head. "I can help you, if you want."

"Oh, sure," I said sarcastically. "How would that look? Y/N Y/L/N getting tutored by someone in the grade below." I paused, then added, "Actually, that would be the nicest thing people would say about me. Maybe I should."

She frowned, clearly not amused by my joke. "Don't talk like that."

I swallowed hard, smile fading. "What? I'm not blind, nor deaf, Alicia. I know what people say about me at school. Got a drunk mum who doesn't care and a runaway dad, too good to stay with his shitty family or take his shitty daughter with him. I've heard it all before."

"Y/N..."

I closed my eyes, regretting having let that slipped out so suddenly and so randomly. "Sorry," I said to her, shaking my head regretfully. "I just– I've heard it all before. That's all."

She sighed, before suggesting, "You should still study at ours when you can. You basically live there anyway. And if you're there, I don't mind helping you out. Get some of those C's to B's. Nobody at school has to know."

I smiled a little, finally finding the courage to meet her eyes, and she was already watching me with an encouraging one.

"Thank you, Leashy," I said gratefully. "Maybe I will. If I can find the chance."

It would have been easy to accept her help, but I already constantly overstayed my welcome and definitely didn't need to be a burden to Alicia. I appreciated her offer, but I wasn't dumb enough to accept it.

"Hey, d'you wanna get some ice cream?" she asked suddenly. "I've got some pocket money leftover and the store down the street does a tub for a few dollars."

I smiled at her wanting to share with me. "I'd love that."

She grinned before standing up and holding out her hand, pulling me up with her. I grabbed it, letting her, and tried to ignore the butterflies I felt when I did. It was something I was feeling a lot recently, over the past few months, whenever I was around Alicia. I wasn't sure what it was, but I liked it and I found myself admiring Alicia more and more because of it. I'd always known she was pretty, but now that I was beginning to understand the concept of liking someone... Well, I was certain that I liked her.

And I let myself enjoy it before I could realise it was a bad thing.

15 years old...

I was exhausted to say the least, my shift at work draining any energy I had left. All I'd dreamt of in the last hour was going to bed, not even awake enough to have dinner. But of course, as soon as I got home that evening, I was met with the sight of my mum in the kitchen, fumbling through her purse.

"Good, you're back," she acknowledged my presence, looking up at me. "Do me a favour, hon, and go pick me up some beer."

I wasn't in the mood to deal with her right now, especially not when I could see she was a little tipsy already and it wasn't even six o' clock.

"Mum, I don't think you should have anymore," I said as gently as I could, not wanting to startle her, but she was already scowling at me.

"If I wanted your opinion, I would've asked for it," she said bitterly. "Now go and buy me some damn beer. You don't even know the day I've had."

I sighed inwardly. "I've had a long day, too. I just wanted to go to bed."

"For fuck's sake, Y/N!" she shouted suddenly, making me jump. "You're so fucking useless."

I flinched as she shoved past me harshly and left the house, no doubt for a bar. She wasn't violent, not usually, but sometimes she'd get really pissed off and slap me out of anger. She always apologised and I didn't think she meant it, but I was always on edge when she was in this sort of mood. To my relief though, she was gone and therefore not a problem for now. Even if my heart was beating a little too quickly.

Looking around, I began to frown when I saw the state of the kitchen and living room. She'd messed everything up, leaving takeaway boxes out and plates unwashed, and there was no way she was going to clean up after herself. I couldn't just leave it like that, so I groaned quietly before starting to clean everything up.

I just about finished throwing the rubbish out when the doorbell rang and I paused, wondering if she was back and had forgotten something. When I answered the door, it was Nick and I felt a sense of relief upon seeing him.

"Hey, I saw you heading in," he said with a smile, before letting himself inside.

"Hey," I greeted with a tired smile, before closing the door and following him into the living room-kitchen area. "The place is a bit of a mess, sorry."

"Don't apologise," he assured me, but I still felt the need to because it was always a tip in here.

I picked up the cloth and anti-bacterial spray I was using and continued to wipe the surfaces.

"She at the bar again?" he asked softly, and I could only nod in response.

As he always did when he came over, he began to help me by starting on the washing up, and as always, I tried to stop him.

"Nick, you don't need to–"

"Don't bother," he told me with his usual charming smile. "I'm helping."

I sighed, but smiled gratefully.

"So, how was work?" he asked, making conversation.

"Long," I said truthfully, finishing wiping the surfaces. "I smell of food and I just wanna sleep."

He chuckled. "I bet. What if I say I have something that might help?"

I quirked a brow as I glanced at him, wondering what he was talking about.

"Check my back pocket," he said, shaking his butt.

So, curious, I did and pulled out a rolled up joint to my surprise. Groaning with disapproval, I put it back and stepped back.

"What did I say about doing this shit, Nick?" I complained.

"Oh, c'mon, it won't kill you!"

"That's not the point!" I said, fed up and leaning back against the counter.

He'd been experimenting with drugs a lot recently, was messing about at school and just hanging out with some people I definitely didn't approve of. But I couldn't do much about it because he never listened to me, and I had my own problems to worry about so there wasn't enough time for me to bother him when he just ignored me. Still, I worried and scolded him whenever I could.

"Okay, look, I'm sorry," he said when he saw how frustrated I was getting. "I didn't mean to upset you more."

I rubbed my face tiredly, shaking my head. "It's fine, it's just– I'm worried about you, Nick."

He gave me a warm smile, tilting his head down at me. "I'm good."

I gave him a knowing look as I said, "It starts with the light stuff like this, then it gets worse. Addictive."

"Y/N, I promise I'm fine."

"Alicia isn't blind, y'know," I continued, ignoring him. "She knows."

"Not for certain," he assured me.

I pressed my lips together, avoiding his eyes and suddenly going quiet.

"Right?" he questioned. "She doesn't know?"

The longer he eyed me as he washed up, the more I knew I was going to break.

"Y/N?"

I winced as I admitted, "I'm sorry. She asked me one time recently and I couldn't lie–"

"Dude!"

"I can't lie to her!" I told him apologetically. "Look, she promised she wouldn't tell Madison, but most importantly, Nick, she's worried about you. Just like I am."

He sighed deeply, not speaking for a moment, only the sound of the tap to be heard. Once he finished washing the final plate, he sat it on the rack before turning to face me, also leaning against the counter.

"Please, be careful," I said to him quietly, meeting his reluctant eyes. "We worry because we care, Nick."

He nodded slowly, and I wanted to believe him. For now, it would have to do.

Heading into the living room, we both took a seat on the couch and relaxed into it. Personally, I was appreciating being off my feet after such a long day, and I could have fallen asleep there and then, but I also didn't want to be alone and kick Nick out.

"How's your family doing?" I asked, looking over at him.

He was leaning back into the cushions, eyes closed contently as he answered. "Mum's her usual uptight self."

"Nick," I scolded, slapping his knee.

Opening one eye and looking at me, he said, "I fail to see what you see in her."

"Hmm, well she doesn't get pissed after work every evening, so I suppose I have pretty low standards," I said sarcastically.

His expression softened. "Well then."

"Also, she's been good to me," I added, before giving him a disapproving look.

He shook his head before leaning back again. "Alicia is doing good. Been drooling over some new kid at school. Matt or whatever."

I hummed to show I was listening, but a little frown tugged at my lips. It's not that I never expected her to like someone, but it still made me feel a little jealous, especially ever since I realised I liked her last year.

"Dad is okay," he continued, though he was forcing nonchalance. "Been quieter than usual lately. It's a little annoying, especially when I just– I need him, but mum thinks he'll snap out of it."

"Maybe he's stressed out," I offered, but he only shrugged and I knew it wouldn't make a difference.

Nick had always had a strained relationship with his father, especially as of late. And I didn't have much advice for him considering my own dad didn't deem me a good enough daughter to stay behind for. All I could think to do to comfort him was pull him in for a side hug, squeezing him tight.

"Have you eaten?" he asked after a moment of quiet. "There's some dinner leftover at ours."

"I'm pretty tired if I'm being honest," I told him, "but thank you."

"Hmm. Okay." I knew he was debating whether or not to force me to have something, but thankfully he left it and began to stand up. "I'll leave you to rest, Y/N. You do look a bit tired."

I shoved him as I stood up, too. "Arsehole."

Laughing, he pulled me in for a hug once more. "Night, Y/N. I'll see you tomorrow."

#alycia debnam carey #alicia clark #alicia clark imagine #fear the walking dead #ftwd #alicia clark x reader #alicia clark x you #fear the walking dead imagine #feartwd

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monsoon-of-art · 1 year

Note

Hey! I had a late night idea in regards to your mer au of Ingo cheering up Dawn. I hope it's okay to share it with you.

Ingo frown stretched lower than usual "What's wrong?"

Dawn paused to gather her thoughts, and then eventually turned to him "Can you be honest with me?"

"Of course."

"Do you...like it here?"

Ingo's gaze drifted out to the stretch of water above them as he considered her question "I am grateful for the hospitality of my clan and being of service to my Noble brings me great satisfaction if that's what you're asking. "

But Dawn shook her head "No, I mean, do you like living here?" With a wide sweep of the arm, she gestured to the space in front of them "In the ocean?"

Ingo made a thoughtful noise "I don't know what to compare it to, I'm afraid. It's all I've ever known. I cannot recall living anywhere else. Why do you ask?"

Dawn shrugged "I just...I don't know how you live here. I don't know if I could. It's so scary here!"

She forced a smile up at her Uncle's concerned eyes "Don't get me wrong, I love being with you and the other mers are nice...mostly. And I still think it's cool to be a mer and to do things and go places nobody else in the Survey Corps can. And I like writing down all the weird and wonderful things I find out about marine life, but..."

Dawn twiddled her fingers, folding in on herself as if to hide. "For every reason I find to love the ocean... there's so many more reasons to dread it.

"Everything's bigger than me, including everything that wants to eat me. And even the things that are way smaller than me are terrifying. Like pufferfish or jellyfish or the time Sabi told me that starfish would eat my body if I died. It's all so creepy! I feel like I can't go anywhere without being in danger.

"And sometimes the creatures I find give me the shudders when I have to draw them or write about them. Everything seems to be either full of teeth, are armed to the teeth, slimy, have unspeakable diets or are deceptivley cute. It's like swimming through a place of nightmares!"

She sighed internally "Honestly, I'm beginning to hate coming back to the ocean again and again. If it weren't for the fact that the Survey Corps are relying on my research...Ingo, how do you deal with being here?"

Ingo straightened his cap and gave an apologetic shrug "I suppose because I don't face a lot of the problems you do, I'm not a pup who's just learning to swim and I don't have to fear as many of this world's creatures you do. And like I said before, the ocean is all I've ever known. But I do admire your courage in coming here for your research, even if I'd prefer that you'd stay on land."

"It's kinda sad, you know? The ocean's not as...well...magical as I thought it would be."

It broke Ingo's heart to see the girl look so sombre. It must have been hard to be such a small and vulnerable pup in a vast, unforgiving ocean. And Dawn was right, the ocean could be a cruel and ugly place...but it wasn't all it was. Ingo's amnesia had brought him to be blown away by so many rich experiences as if it was his first time in the ocean. When he first arrived, members of the Pearl Clan would smile and laugh affectionately at the way he stared at the reef coming to life around him, mesmerised by the shifting colours and shapes. Or the times he could swim beside a pod of sperm whales during patrols, the motions of his tail mirrored by slow, graceful giants that would turn their gaze at him with seemingly all knowing eyes . And even something as simple as a kelp forest seemed to hold such majesty and serenity if you stopped to enjoy its shade.

The orca's attention was brought back to the melancholy child in front of him as an idea tugged up the corners of his mouth. "How about I show you something?"

Dawn couldn't see much between the gaps of Ingo's fingers as they closed securely around her, just a deep cobalt blue interrupted by the occasional black shape. Although, more and more black shapes were appearing, occasionally blocking out the light. She grew nervous. Where was Ingo taking her? They've been travelling like this for quite a while now.

Ingo broke the silence with a smile in his voice: "We have arrived at our stop. Are you ready?"

The black shapes were more frequent than ever now. Dawn was incredibly uneasy, but also admittedly curious. And Ingo's cheerful tone calmed her down somewhat, telling her she was in no danger.

"Okay." That came out more timid than intended.

Ingo removed the hand that served as her roof and the bright blue light surrounding her made her blink.

And all around them wide, graceful sheets of black and white glided through the vast blue space.

Manta rays.

So many-too many! Like the ocean had moving stripes! All of them slowly migrating forward. Below Ingo's steady hand she could see more of them below, many so far down they were fading into space. The filtered sun above them was occasionally blocked out, leaving dancing shadows over Dawn and Ingo's form.

Beside her, one of them glided close enough for her to note its large gaping mouth. She flinched.

"It's alright" said Ingo, holding her closer to his tunic "They're harmless."

Dawn read about Manta rays. She knew they were only filter feeders and that they wouldnt harm her with barbs in their tails. However, seeing a Manta ray up close and personal was different to seeing one in a book, and new uncertanties curled in her stomach.

But she trusted Ingo. She was safe with him and he wouldn't take her anywhere he deemed too risky. And even if there was danger, he would close his hand over her again at the first sign of it. She laid lack into his tunic behind her and took in the comfort that came with it. Her shoulders began to relax.

"They're quite friendly, and even playful" Ingo continued "Sometimes I blow bubbles here because I know they enjoy swimming through them."

He demonstrated, and he was right. Some mantas above them seemed to slow down through the streams of air, and even circled back to have a second go.

Dawn giggled. It was almost like they were watching dolphins.

Ingo pointed up to the larger mantas above them with his free hand "See the markings on the underside of their bodies?"

Dawn nodded

"The shape of the markings is unique to each animal, like a fingerprint."

"Really? So you can tell each Manta Ray apart?"

Ingo scratched the back of his neck "Well, I haven't personally memorised any markings, and even if I did, there are too many at this station to keep track of, but yes, in theory you could."

For a good while, they stayed there. Ingo had long since became lost in his own rambling, and Dawn was just happy to listen. He was spouting facts about everything he was taught about the creatures around them, from their feeding habits to the how and why of their migrations.

She couldn't even hope to remember half of it all, but she took mental notes to write down some of the more interesting things he mentioned when she had the chance.

If the Mers weren't so afraid of humans and visa versa, Dawn imagined Ingo would be quite valuable to the Survey Corps.

Dawn took another glance around her. The colossal, yet quiet creatures drifted in a steady stream around them; taking their time towards an unknown destination, like commuters in a crowded city, but in slow motion. It was so serene here. So peaceful. Gentle giants, just like Ingo and so many of the other mers.

"There really is no danger, is there?"

Ingo chuckled "No. Not here."

But then his smile dipped and he looked soberly down at Dawn.

"Perhaps there is danger back at the reefs, waiting for us. And perhaps there always will be a dangerous and ominous side to the ocean. But the ocean is vast. And in all that space there is room for beauty as well, and gentleness, and wonder. The scope of it amazes even me.

"My home is frightening, and I'm worried that I won't be able to protect you from all that it holds, but I don't want you to miss out on all that's good in this world either. In more ways than one, it is magical. I hope you come to see it that way too."

Akari leaned further into her Uncle's tunic and smiled.

Yeah, maybe she will.

"Thanks, Ingo."

(Aaaaaand it's morning! Wow, that idea really exploded! Thank you for letting me share, though. And thank you again for all your art and stories! :) )

;w;

#thats so good! very sweet #thank you!!#stuff cool people made #pkm mer au

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procrastinatorproject · 1 year

Text

Fuck it, I'm gonna start posting my own shouty thoughts on season 3 of Picard rather than just commenting on other people's stuff.

I'll keep taggin everything "#picard spoilers" (assume I'm talking about everything up to the most recent ep, I'll warn seperately for leaked/promo stuff about ep 10) and "#picard saltiness" so you know what to blacklist (or look for, I'm not telling you how to internet 😋).

I'm sorry/get ready.

Here's the thing. I would like to watch season 3 of Picard and think "Oh well, this wasn't made for me, the same way season 1 wasn't made for the type of TNG fan who is in heaven right now. And I'm sad my favourite characters and main reasons I liked the show in the first place got written off, but I'm glad these other fans are having the time of their lives. Good on them, I'll just mentally file this away as a season/new show that I don't connect with as much as I'd hoped." I really, really want to be able to think that and approach season 3 this way.

But the writers won't let me.

At every turn, and I mean every turn, the writers have gone out of their way to not just pretend the previous two seasons didn't happen, but to remind us they happened and they were stupid and you're stupid to ever have enjoyed them.

It's not just that Picard, in the middle of his disillusioned identity crisis, when he has been holed up on his vinyard for over a decade, talking to nobody, and feeling deeply disappointed by Starfleet, gives an impassioned speech to a bunch of young people about how Starfleet is the only family you'll ever need.

That's a type of discontinuity/soft retcon I don't particularly enjoy, but if it were just that, I wouldn't be writing this way too long screed.

It's not even just the implicit "we will do it right this time" on display e.g. when Picard "flies" the Titan out of the labouring nebula. In that scene, Picard walks up to the captain's chair to take the conn, the TNG theme swells, he sits down, the music becomes bombastic, and he gets to be the Heroic Captain We All Remember. That scene is, in my opinion, something of a parallel to the season 1 scene where Picard tries to hijack La Sirena to take Soji to her people. In the season 1 scene, he sits in the captain's chair, the TNG-inspired music swells, he is about to be the Heroic Captain We All Remember -- except then the music fizzles out and the moment deflates because Picard has been retired for a decade and a half and has no idea what he's doing (and is certainly not the most qualified to do it on an unfamiliar ship).

That parallel in season 3 rubbed me the wrong way, because it felt too close to a refutation of season 1. Too close to "See? This is how that scene should have played out!" But that is a me problem. If the writers were remotely aware of the parallel (and I honestly doubt it, because I'm not sure they know season 1 well enough), it's just as likely they wrote it as a tongue-in-cheek reference, more than a rebuttal. Assuming the worst would have been on me and my unwillingness to give this season a fair shake. And if that sort of scene were the worst of it, I wouldn't be happy about it, but I wouldn't make it everybody else's problem.

Except the writers didn't stop there.

I would (eventually) be okay with it if the writers had just quietly abandoned, ignored, or even outright retconned some characters, history, themes, and plots from season 1 and 2 they disliked. But instead, they repeatedly acknowledge the existence of these elements only to then dismiss them in frankly viscious ways.

It's not enough to ignore the Jurati-Borg in all their Eggness glory and how they would be incredibly relevant to this story season 3 is trying to tell. It's not enough to pretend that storyline never happened and move on. Instead, the writers acknowledge the existence of the new collective, but the only sentence where it's mentioned is a character talking about "That weird shit on the Stargazer."

Yes, Shaw is a dick, yes it fits his character, yes Watsonian reasons. But it was still an active choice by the writers to only bring up one of the major plot developments of season 2 in the most derisive way possible.

Another example: The writers apparently felt that the Troi-Rikers didn't belong on Nepenthe. But it's not enough to have them move somewhere else between seasons, or even to let them have a discussion about how Nepenthe is steeped in loss and grief and they want to move somewhere else and start over.

Instead, the writers have to take time out of their already shoddily paced season to have these two characters extensively shit-talk one of the brightest momenst of season 1 (figuratively and literally). It's not just "they don't like it on Nepenthe anymore", it's "they never liked it, everything about it is terrible, everything season 1 showed you about their life there is a lie, and it has always been shitty and cringey and stupid, and you were stupid to like it!"

It's not just "we dumped our diverse characters, challenging themes, and relatively fresh view on the Trek universe from outside Starfleet for starship porn, great (white) men, and more Starfleet nostalgia than you can even comprehend". It's not just "we're going to ignore the existence of season 1 (and to a degree season 2), because it's not doing the things we want to do." It's not just "we're making this show, knowing (and not caring) that it will alienate a large chunk of the people who enjoyed season 1".

It's "we see what previous seasons were trying to do, and we need you to understand, really understand, how much contempt we have for these seasons and the people who enjoyed them."

I know some people felt this way about season 1 and the way it deconstructed Picard's image as the Great Heroic Captain and laid open his flaws and the flaws of the Federation. And I now empathize with them more than I ever thought I would. But I think there is a big qualitative difference in there.

In season 1, Picard gets put in his place. He has women people telling him when he's wrong, where he has failed, where he should have stepped up and needed to do better. But the show is still deeply sympathetic towards him. By the end of the season, Elnor has forgiven him, Raffi has forgiven him (without ever getting an apology), and he gets to save the day [whether the end to this particular arc is well done (it's not) is a rant for another day].

The failures Picard is being reproached for in season 1 pretty much exclusively happen between TNG and PIC. They tie in to patterns and tendencies the character has always had and attempt to deconstruct some of them. But there's no direct evisceration of specific things that happened on TNG.

At no point does Picard get out his Ressikan flute to make a glib comment about what a useless trinket it is, and how he should have thrown it out years ago. At no point does he turn to Riker and say: "Man, do you remember that Darmok and Jalad shit? What a waste of time! I wish we'd blown up that ship when we encountered it."

Season 1 is critical of Picard's character, yes, and it might feel crass or unfair at times (not least because we're still not used to seeing Great (White) Heroic Men Of Our Childhood get deconstructed that way). But any reproach the season 1 writers levelled at Picard pales in comparison to the petty contempt the season 3 writers regularly display towards the show they've ostensibly taken stewardship of.

Season 1 might have been a bit glib or inconsiderate of the legacy they inherited. Season 3 is viscious. And I am so, so tired of it.

#star trek picard #star trek picard season 3 #picard spoilers #picard saltiness #and to head this off at the pass: 'the writers aren't trying to be mean they're just making jokes'#doesn't really make the situation better.#if you don't understand the material you inherited and your own writing well enough to realize your being a petty dick #that doesn't say anything good about you as a writer or the people who let you be in charge #last week i was incandescent with rage #this week i am just so so SO very tired #just make it stop #please #can it please be over?#i have deep respect for all the people who decided not to watch this season #you are stronger than me and you have made the right choice

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callisto-writes · 9 months

Note

Omg I’m so sorry about my “stuck in a hole” request I kinda forgot some parts of your request rule list and I’m sorry about that, yes I would love the other alternative style to my request and secondly I think I made up my mind.. Can Wesker be like S.T.A.R.S Wesker? 😭 pretty please 🙏

S.T.A.R.S. Albert Wesker x Male!Reader NSFW

notes: wesker is trans, basically gets manhandled. he gets stuck in a window and what else is reader to do lmao. they have consensual sex in a weird place 👍 today we learn wesker's ass is too big to get him through a tight space.

As one of the most trusted members of S.T.A.R.S., you were tasked to go investigate an anonymous tip about suspicious activity with Captain Wesker. You were his favorite, he trusted you completely. It was a two man job; get in, investigate, get out. As you two approached the building, Wesker pulled out his gun. "Let's look for a way in." He said. You nodded, trying the front door. "It's locked, Captain."

Wesker sighed, looking at you. "We'll have to break down the door." You frowned, looking around before pointing. "Captain, there's an open window". Wesker looked, spotting the open window on the first floor of the building. "I'll climb in, you wait here and I'll open the door." He said. "Captain, are you sure? That looks really tight, you might get stuck."

"I'll be fine." Wesker said, starting to climb through the window. Sure enough, he got stuck halfway through, unable to fit his bottom half through the window, and unable to pull his top half out because of his shoulders. "...Captain? Are you stuck?" You asked, leaning against the wall, a small smile on your face. "No, I'm not stuck! I'm perfectly fine." He moved himself around, attempting to get through the window. Eventually, he sighed, and went limp. "Yes. I'm stuck. I bet this is so funny to you." Wesker said, grumbling.

You started laughing, unable to stop yourself. "Stop laughing and help me!" Wesker yelled, slamming his fist against the wall. "You know, Captain... Your ass looks really good in those pants..." Wesker's eyes went wide. "You know that's not appropriate. We're on a mission." You smirked, giving his ass a firm slap, chuckling when he gasped. "Come on, Captain. We just have a little fun, and then I get you out of there. Nobody's here, nobody's gonna know. Deal?" You rubbed his back, hearing him sigh. "Fine. But be quick." Wesker finally said, your smirk widening as you quickly unbuckled his pants and pulled them down.

Wesker bit his lip, nervousness filling him. What if someone showed up and caught the two of you? Surely he'd be fired and his cover would be blown. He let out a sigh when you started grinding against his ass, arching his back just a little. "Fuck, Captain. You have such a nice ass... I'd eat you out if we had more time..." You could imagine how red Wesker's face got at your comment. "D-Didn't I tell you to be quick!?" Wesker hissed out, letting out a small whine when you pulled away from his ass.

You unbuckled your pants, pulling them down along with your underwear. You pulled Wesker's underwear down, taking note of how wet he already was. "God damn..." You slipped a finger in easily, slowly thrusting it in and out of him, earning a moan from Wesker. "I know you said we have to hurry, but I can't not prep you." You said, adding a second finger, soon a third. When you felt he was prepped enough, you rubbed some of his wetness on your cock, hoping it would work as an alternative to lube.

"You ready, Wesker?" You asked, lining yourself up with his wet entrance. "Y-Yes. Just do it..." You slowly pushed into him, hearing him gasp and whine at the feeling. You continued to push in, stopping when you were fully inside. You stood there, waiting for Wesker to relax and give you permission to move. He was still, taking deep breaths. "M-Move..." He gasped out.

Pulling out, you slowly thrusted back into him. His moans only motivated you to fuck him faster, harder. He was so wet, there was no restraint at all. He took your cock so well, his moans only getting louder as you slammed into him. "Fuck, Wesker..." You moaned out, fucking him harder. "O-Oh fuck, just like that!" Wesker cried out, trying to push his ass back against you. You slapped it hard, hearing Wesker moan desperately.

You stopped your thrusts abruptly, making Wesker whine. You used all your strength to push the window up, pulling Wesker out of it and back against you. He gasped, grinding against you. "K-Keep fucking me. That's an order." You smirked, starting to slam your hips into his, pounding into him. His eyes rolled back behind his sunglasses, moaning so loud you were starting to think someone would hear.

You turned him around, lifting him up and slamming him against the wall of the building, thrusting back into him. He wrapped his arms and legs around you, crying out as you bit and sucked at his neck. Wesker had never felt this much pleasure before, coming undone around your cock. He was getting closer and closer, holding onto you desperately. "R-Right there!" He gasped as you hit a spot inside him that made him see stars. You licked his neck and started drilling into that spot, making Wesker nearly scream.

Wesker's legs started trembling, unable to stop himself from screaming your name as he came. He buried his face in your shoulder, moaning and panting. You continued to pound into him, eventually cumming yourself, deep inside him. You continued to hold him against the wall until you both came down from your highs, looking at his beautiful blue eyes. "Do you think you can stand?" You asked, pulling out of him. Wesker nodded, still panting as you put him down, doing his best to keep himself upright.

"We... We still need to check the building." He looked at you, grabbing his sunglasses from your open hand and putting them back on. "I'll do it. You stay here and get yourself collected." You said, climbing through the now fully open window. You investigated the building, gun drawn. Eventually, you climbed back out, informing Wesker that it was clear.

"Well, Cap... How about we get back and get in the showers to clean up?" You suggested, slapping Wesker's now clothed ass. He jolted, looking at you with a blush on his face. "That sounds wonderful."

#albert wesker #albert wesker x reader #albert wesker x male reader

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girlfromthecrypt · 8 months

Text

It's so hot here that my roommate started shedding his skin. [Short horror story/nosleep]

Marco and I have been living together for over two years now. We never had any issues with our arrangement. We work together to keep the apartment clean, rent gets paid on time and in full every month, and I believe we've actually evolved into being friends over time. Therefore, these problems we've been having really threw me off guard.

It started when Marco staunchly refused to leave his room. I wasn't exactly worried at first. Our area has recently been hit by an extreme heatwave, and since we don't have an AC, I figured Marco locked himself in with a bunch of electric fans. When I went to knock on his door, I could hear them whirring on the other side. It weirded me out that he didn't answer immediately, though. After waiting a couple seconds, I chalked it up to him being asleep, but just as I was about to turn and leave, he called out to me. "Jen?"

I breathed a sigh of relief. At least he wasn't dead. "Yeah, it's me! Just wanted to ask if everything's alright."

"Sure, I'm, uh… great."

His voice gave me pause. It sounded unusual, un*like* him. It was garbled and had an almost hissy quality to it. "You going to the store?"

"Yeah," I answered, trying not to make my discomfort known. "Need anything?"

"Can you get me a sixpack and a bag of ice, maybe?"

I told him I would and upon my return, I found a twenty lying on the floor by his doorframe. "Keep the change," Marco shouted.

I placed the items he'd ordered where his money had been and left, hoping things would be back to normal the following day. Perhaps Marco had caught a heatstroke working outside and that's all there was to it. Temperatures aren't normally that high where we live, so nobody's used to this kind of weather. The day after was a Sunday, and I made breakfast for the two of us like I did every week. Unlike every week, however, Marco wasn't waiting in the kitchen for it to be finished.

At first, I hollered for him to come out and eat with me, but when he didn't answer, I carried a plate of pancakes over to his room. I knocked, then asked into the silence whether he wanted any. I received no response, so I set aside the plate and banged both fists against his door. Still nothing. Both irritated and uneasy, I tried the doorhandle. My roommate and I are very respectful of each other's privacy, and I would never do so if it wasn't a pressing matter. It didn't amount to anything either way. Marco had locked himself in. He was definitely there, though. I heard his chair squeak.

"Are you okay?" I asked. "I can call a doctor, or…"

I trailed off when I saw a note being slid through the crack beneath the door right at my feet. I bent down to pick it up. It was in Marco's handwriting, but decidedly messy; like he'd been in a great hurry and practically spewed ink onto the paper.

*Hey Jen, I'm fine but my throat hurts so I can't talk. I'm sorry but I'm not coming out, I don't want to pass it on to you. I don't need a doctor, I bet I'll be fine in a couple days. Don't worry, ok?*

I frowned at the note, but took the news in stride. What else could I do? I told Marco I'd leave the pancakes outside for him, and not long after I'd returned to the living room, I could hear him dragging the plate inside. I found myself rather missing Marco's presence around the apartment. Three days went by without me catching so much as a glimpse of him. I'd have to walk past his door to get to the bathroom, and I would hear him playing the weather report on his little TV inside every time. On the fourth morning, I found another note, this time on the fridge.

*Hey Jen, I'm going out to see my mom. Be back in a week.*

What the fuck? First he's sick, now he's going on a trip. I was beyond confused. I tried to call him, but he didn't pick up. That wasn't really a surprise. Marco is one of those people who don't ever really use their cell phone. Most of the time, he doesn't even have it on him. Nevertheless, it only added to my growing concerns. Another two days passed and I didn't hear a thing from my roommate. I tried once more to call him when I got off work, just in case. It was already nighttime and Marco normally went to bed quite early, so I didn't really expect him to pick up. And he didn't.

Instead I heard a familiar ringtone coming from his room. It only lasted a few seconds before stopping abruptly, like it had been turned off in a hurry. My stomach sank when the realization set in. Why in the world would he lie to me? This didn't make any sense. The whole situation had the hair on the back of my neck stand up, but despite this, I began heading towards Marco's room. His door looked eerie in the dim lamplight of the hallway. I inched closer, hand outstretched to jiggle the handle. Locked. Of course.

"Marco?" I tried, pressing my ear up to the wood. "What's going on?"No answer. I could hear a squeaking noise coming from inside, like a chair being moved."What the fuck, man," I said, stifling the tremor in my voice. "You're clearly in there, I don't understand…"

That's when I had an idea. There were spare keys to all the rooms in a drawer in the living room cabinet. Neither of us had ever used them before, but there they were.

"Marco, if you're not gonna talk to me, then I'm coming in," I declared with all the determination I could muster. He didn't respond.

"I'm serious, I'm getting the spare and then I'm coming in."

Silence.

I bit my lip, turned on my heel and headed for the living room. My heart was thundering in my chest when I returned with the key. I crammed it into the hole with shaking fingers, turning it once, then twice.

*Click.*

I swallowed, steeling myself before I pushed down the handle and nudged the door open. The motion was accompanied by a drawn-out creaking noise that reminded me I should oil the hinges sometime. With my pulse thrumming in my ears, I entered the darkness beyond the threshold. I couldn't see anything except the limited areas that were illuminated by the ceiling lamp shining in from the hallway. In vain I groped around for the lightswitch, then I decided to give up and just proceed. Something stopped me from going back and grabbing a flashlight. I simply had a feeling I shouldn't turn my back on that room.

Both arms outstretched, I ventured further inside, feeling around for Marco's desk. Soon enough, my palms met with the smooth, hard wood and I braced myself against it almost desperately. "Marco?" I asked, an intangible fear compelling me to whisper. My hands started roaming the surface in front of me. I could feel his laptop, powered off and shut, his mousepad and a set of pens and pencils. Then I moved on to the chair. I flinched when I made contact with something dry and soft hanging over it. At first I thought it was a t-shirt, but the fabric felt almost like extremely thin baking paper. I continued to stroke it, and as my hand went down what was presumably the neckhole, I found that it was warm and damp.

Disgusted, I withdrew from the surely sweat-soaked piece of clothing. Remembering Marco's small desk lamp, I mentally palmed my face for not looking for it sooner. It didn't take me long to locate the switch. As the small light came on, its beam fell onto what I'd *thought* to be a shirt, causing me to recoil in shock. It was skin.

There was an entire fucking skinsuit slung over the back of the chair. It was like a snake's shedding, except tan and pink and human-shaped, with two arms and two legs and a tear in the back from which its wearer must have emerged. The remnants of the face dangled from the ragged neck-scrap, and it looked like the dried remains of one of those cosmetic gel masks. I stared at it for a moment, my eyes bulging and my heart in my throat before I started to violently gag. I clung to the edge of the desk for dear life, trying to keep my thoughts in order.

And that's when I heard it. A garbled, distorted hiss coming from right above me. I whipped my head up just in time to catch a glimpse of a figure scuttling across the ceiling and disappearing into the hallway at an inhuman speed. My mind raced, but before I could think of anything better to do, my feet were already carrying me out the door. I burst into the living room, my face burning as panic spread throughout my body. Inwardly, I was yelling at myself to get out, to leave this place while I still could. Despite this, I followed the sound of dishes rattling into the kitchen.

I hastily flicked on the lights and started looking around for the source of the noise. My stomach was churning and beads of cold sweat ran down my face. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew that whatever had been hiding in the shadows could be none other than Marco.

Marco, who was somehow able to walk on the ceiling, who had shed his skin and deposited it on the chair at his desk. Marco, who I'd been living with for two years, who had always been kind and friendly and open, who never argued when it was his turn to clean or take the trash out. Marco, who most definitely wasn't human.

Marco…

Marco was staring at me. I could feel his gaze burning holes into my side. I turned to the right, slowly raising my eyes to the kitchen cupboard. Cowering on top of it, not unlike a wild cat, was my roommate. He had pressed himself against the wall, flattening himself to the cabinet on all fours like a master contortionist. His entire body was of a dripping, aggravated scarlet. His face was bright red, his eyes bulging out of his head; it looked as though the lids were missing. Marco's lips had thinned and receded so his gums were on display—I'd never realized how large his teeth were. Dampened brown curls clung to his neck and temples. Rooted to the spot, all I could do was stare at this thing that my friend had turned into.

He—it—stared back, that same hissing sound emanating from somewhere deep in its throat. Slowly but surely, it loosened from its rigidity and began crawling towards me, sticking to the ceiling like an enormous anthropomorphic gecko. The fluids coating Marco's pink body dripped onto the floor in front of me. I must have forgotten how to breathe altogether. My tongue was bone dry, like a dead leaf lying limp inside my mouth.

"Marco," I muttered. "Marco, this is you, right?"

A rumble rolled from his chest, something akin to a growl.

I raised both my hands, taking a step back as he advanced. "You're okay! I swear," I stammered. "I'm not gonna tell. Whatever this is, I promise I'm not gonna tell."

He stopped and cocked his head, neck cracking. His mouth fell open and his tongue dropped out. It was twice as long as humanly possible. I stifled a shudder, keeping my hands up and forcing myself to assume a soothing expression. "Everything's okay. Stop growling. You know me. We live together. I make you breakfast on Sundays and it's your turn to take the trash out tomorrow."

Marco closed his mouth. He crept over to the left wall and began descending, movements fast and spider-like. Once more standing on two feet, he started walking towards me, step by step, the soles of his skin-stripped feet creating a wet slapping sound on the smooth clean floor. I dropped my arms, focusing on keeping my breathing steady until he finally came to a stop in front of me. "You're okay," I repeated. "You're alright. Can you still hear me? Do you understand what I'm saying?"

A nod. Then, he opened his mouth, forcibly shaping the growls and hissing noises into distorted, almost intelligible words.

"My kind is sensitive to heat."

#writeblr #horror fiction #amwriting #horror story #short story #one off #my fiction #my writing #original fiction #original writing #original characters #dark fiction #creepy stories #horror #nosleep author #nosleep

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michverdun · 1 year

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Well, In the few months since Hadi Choopan's Mr. Olympia win, there have been no signs of him, or explanations from any official about the odd growth that occurred directly after his win. However, new information has added more to the confusion, namely that Hadi wasn't the only one who was growing.

In the confusion surrounding his upset win and the growth that followed, nobody seemed to notice, but soon after it became clear that all of the competitors in the Men's Open category were growing at incredible rates. Some have kept their growths well documented, but almost all of them have declined to talk about the situation, for fear of being considered a cheater. That is, until I was able to interview one of the competitors, provided he is kept anonymous. The contents of that interview are transcribed here.

Q: Hello. First, I just wanted to thank you for letting me interview you about this, it's very much appreciated. When do you remember the growth first occurring?

A: Hey, no problem man, it's nice to explain what I know. It was right when they were announcing placements for the top guys. I didn't place, but I still wanted to support the guys who did, so I was out in the crowd. I felt this like... dull heat? I started sweating really badly, and next think I knew I had like... the best pump I've ever had, but it wouldn't go down.

Q: Did it ever go down? And did it feel painful in any way?

A: No to both of those. I feel just constantly pumped now, and it feels good. Almost too good.

Q: Many people have claimed to noticed the growth correlating to the placement of the competitors. Has this been the case for you?

A: Kinda? I mean, I'm not as big as the top guys, like Derek or Nick, or even close to whatever Hadi looks like by now, but I'm growing faster then some of the guys who placed, and there's some other guys who didn't place who are growing crazy fast.

(Image Description: Derek Lunsford posing a couple of months after Mr. Olympia 2022. While he has not disclosed his current weight, he has grown considerably since the contest.)

Q: Do you have any examples of non-placing competitors like that? that would really put a wrench in the leading theory.

A: I mean, if you look at Antoine right now, he fucking massive! He's almost 500 pounds now, which puts him above even some of the higher placing guys.

(Note: Antoine did not place during the 2022 Mr. Olympia competition. In a recent Instagram post he posted that he was "512 pounds and still growing.")

Q: Have there been any issues in your life because of all this?

A: Physically, my doctor says I'm the healthiest I've ever been. I've heard of some guys being accused of cheating, but I never got that, plus once it was clear everyone was growing that died down. I guess the biggest issues was buying new clothes. Not many places carry 6XL. Honestly, I kind of hope I never stop growing. I got into bodybuilding to get huge.

Q: Last question, do you have any ideas to why this might have happened?

A: I'm inclined to believe it was some weird coincidence. Like, I can't think of someone who would want all of the guys competing to get crazy huge, and I'm sure the IFBB is a shitshow right now trying to explain it. Yeah, it seems like it was something random, or something trying to be nice. Whatever did it though, I'd thank them for this.

Q:Well, thank you for your time, and I hope that this growth spurt works out well for you.

A: No problem man, and don't worry, even with everyone else growing crazy, I promise I'm gonna be the biggest. they're gonna be using my chest as a billboard when I'm done.

While my interview didn't illuminate much about the actual cause of this event, It did clue me in to the thoughts and feelings of someone who was affected by this. Hopefully we'll her more from the men who grew that night, including from Hadi himself when he finally posts again.

EDIT: Hadi just posted on his Instagram for the first time since the competition. The post consisted of a video in which Hadi slowly walks over to what seems to be a heavy-duty bathroom scale, and the scale quickly errors out and breaks underneath him, which he then gives a thumbs up to the camera he is holding. He keeps himself out of the camera for the most part, but the parts that can be seen clearly show that he is incredibly muscled, even compared to his hypermuscular counterparts. It is also important to mention that the specific kind of bathroom scale he stepped on maxes out at 650 pounds. Underneath his post he wrote a quick caption, and translated it reads "don't worry, I'll be getting much bigger."

It seems that no matter what happens, 2023's Mr Olympia competition is going to be incredibly big, in more ways than one.

#muscle fiction #muscle morph

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aspecpplarebeautiful · 7 months

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Help I'm crisising

I'm aroace and i have this friend who I've known for a couple years but only gotten close two in the last few months, and I really like her. I've had a weird alterous attraction crush on her for literal years and recently now that we've gotten closer I'm wondering if we could someday be in some sort of qpr thing. I know she's some sort of queer, and she knows that I am, though not specifically aroace, and I know she's not in any relationships.

The problem is:

I'm really confused about what I feel, cause I've never felt anything close to this for anyone, ever, and I'm also really aware that she's one of the first friends and definitely the closest that I've had since a major depressive episode I had that lasted 1-2 years and so I'm worried that maybe I'm kinda latching on to her to feel normal and not lonely anymore. Basically I'm just constantly second-guessing my feelings, but I also have pretty solid evidence that I shouldn't trust myself with them.

I don't know what she knows about being aroace, and I don't know if she'd be interested in a QPR

I don't know if she's interested in me. She definitely likes as a friend, but I'm horrible at telling what feelings people have towards me beyond than friendly, angry, or indifferent

And if ever she made a move on me, I'd be into it, but I don't know how to explain "actually I'm aroace and so like half of the things you'd expect out of an allo dating relationship are off the table, and also I will never be able to love you in the way most would people expect from me" Also, at what point do you even bring that up? Before or after doing anything? The inciting incident of all this was today when she was driving me home from her place and while we were leaving her brother was bugging me to tell him about her love life and asking questions like "Does she have a bf/gf? Is she dating (other friend of hers)?" and "Are you two dating? Are you going to kiss in the car?" and she told him to stop and not make me uncomfortable, but in my head I was just thinking "not as uncomfortable as you think." And then I was thinking about maybe kissing her the whole car ride, and I was kinda hoping maybe she would. Sorry for the massive wall of text I'm overthinking everything and driving myself mad. I don't have anyone who knows I'm queer besides her so I have nobody to talk to about this.

First of all Anon, remember that it's OK to be confused, and it's OK to not be quite sure what you want. You're navigating these feelings for the first time, and they're generally big feelings which can also make them harder to decipher, especially in the moment.

Sometimes imagining different scenarios can help and sometimes certain scenarios will appeal to you a lot more (remember QPRs are heavily tailored, and can include and not include whatever the people in them want). Sometimes journaling can help with sorting out what you're feeling too, and if you're not sure where to start, there's a lot of good tips for effective journaling online.

It is OK to not have everything figured out right away. Sometimes things also play out over time, you can talk and try things out and see where things go. Honestly my advice would probably be to just start by telling her you're aroace and, if this is something you want to pursue, talking about QPRs, or how aroaces sometimes do relationships a bit differently where the relationship can be tailored to each other/pick and choose what that relationship involves or not. And maybe that would be something that appeals to her, maybe it won't, and you can take note of how you're feeling too. (Of course if you decide you prefer the relatioship you have with her now and don't want to change anything, that's an option too.)

Go easy on yourself, you're figuring all this out as you go. Remember there's two ways this can go, either things work out how you want them to, which would be great, or they won't and you'll still learn a lot in the process and be a lot more ready and prepared the next time you find yourself in a similar situation.

All the best, and good luck!

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shattered-glasswork · 17 days

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WITCHES AND TEDDY BEARS:

I didn't really understand what was happening. Now that I think about it I never did.

One moment, mommy was making lunch for me and bubba, and the next she was screaming. I ran to the kitchen to see what was going on, when a plate narrowly missed my head and instead collided with the wall.

This happened sometimes, mommy would be surrounded by green fog and she wouldn't stop yelling. My bubba was huddled up in the corner, he was scared of her, and I'd never admit it but so was I...

...

I couldn't stop the tears rolling down my face, I knew it was pathetic, real Romans don't cry, but I just couldn't stop. You see it's halloween; And while you might be thinking Why are you crying on halloween it's supposed to be fun. Well it's not. I've always spent the holidays alone, everyone either thinks I'm weird, crazy or both. And you know what, they're right. I'm just Octavian, the weird teddy bear killer that even his own family doesn't want or like. Sitting alone in the first cohort after almost killing himself to stop Gaia, demoted to probato from centurion. So yeah, I think I will just sit here and cry. It's not like anyone cares where I'm at Knock Knock

I was about 8 when he left. We were playing in the backyard. Hide and seek if I remember correctly. It was my turn. I turned around and began counting 1...2...3...4 when I heard the fence rattle. At the time I'd thought nothing of it after all why would I? 18....19...20. "Ready or not, here I come!!" I exclaimed with excitement, I had loved this game as a young child, although he was always better at it. When I opened my eyes I already knew something was wrong, but I looked anyway. "Be back in time for lunch" that was the last thing mother ever said to him. After that nothing was the same again.

…

I looked up at the door quickly wiping the tears from my eyes and called out "come in", Embarrassed by how my voice quivered and broke in a few places. I knew who was at the door before they ever opened it. The smell of pine cones and dirt gave him away, my mate, Bryce Lawrence. My suspicions were only confirmed when he walked through the door dressed in a Purple tux that fanned out around the hips and with black pointed shoes and a large witches hat to top it all off. I won't lie, he looked cute.... But that's not the point. "Are you okay..." "yes." I lied effortlessly. "No you're not, I can see the tears on your face" shit I scrambled for an excuse. "But anyways, why are you here? Shouldn't you be out trick or treating" I asked him hoping that he'll leave me alone "I came to get you" I paused for a moment "wha-" is all I can manage to get out still try my hardest not to cry again.

…

I was woken up by the sound of howling. "Luke, they're here for you!" my mother called out from across the house. My name isn't Luke, but it's easier to play along. I walked down the old and creaky stairs to the front door where my mother was standing at the door, eyes clouded but not yet unseeing. At the door was Lupa, I had heard of her, the mother of Remus and Romulus, trainer of Roman demigods and now.... It's my turn.

…

"You didn't think I was going without you, Right?" I hesitated "well.... Yeah" I told him my face was still red from crying "No you're coming with me" I looked up at him with misty eyes "nobody wants me there" "I do" He stated firmly "you're coming with me babe" I started to stutter out a response. "Fine..." I reluctantly agreed despite knowing I had no choice in the matter. He smirked down at me "I have the perfect costume for you" "should I be scared?" he grinned "maybe"

…

Training was hard but I knew I would get through it. I had to get to camp Jupiter or this struggle was for nothing. My thoughts were running wild as I ate what I had caught earlier today. There were other children here, all of them bigger and older than me but I never gave up. We had to fight to earn our place in the legion and I sure wasn't going to let that pass me by

…

"Are you serious?" I mumbled while glaring up at Bryce "you think this is funny?" "maybe." He teased, reaching down to ruffle my hair. "Aww come on, you look cute!" "don't lie to me" "I'm not!" he laughed at the pissed off expression that I undoubtedly had on my face "Plus it's Ironic" I couldn't help but chuckle at that. He was right it was pretty ironic dressing up as the very thing a dismember for my job. "You look adorable as a teddy bear" "shut up" I said as I did my makeup. I Took a glance at myself in the mirror when I was done. I haven't worn makeup in a long time, shaking the thought away. I glanced down at the probato tablet hanging from my neck and tucked it into my shirt. "Are you ready?" Bryce called from the other room "Coming!" I shouted back.

…

I was on my way to camp Jupiter. It had been about a week since I left the wolf house. I was tired, dirty and beat up but my determination never faltered. Stealing had become a necessity, I didn't like it, but you do what you have to do. The only weapon I had with me was an imperial gold dagger that I got from my mothers house before I left, It had come in handy Although I hated having to use it. I'm not a fighter, bone thin, no real training or skill. Coming up with plans and strategies had always been my strong suit but I can manage a bit longer.

and we were walking down the streets of new rome, Bryce trailing a bit in front of me swinging his basket back and forth dropping candy that I happily picked up. "Let's go to that one!" The volume of his voice startled me at first until I registered his suggestion. "Sure, why not?" I looked at him and held out my hand, fully prepared to be laughed at. "Do you want to hold my hand?" he asked in a teasing manner making my cheeks heat up "u...uh no what are you t..talking about!!" I stated, embarrassed. He smirked at me and grabbed my hand making me look up at him in confusion "I thought you didn't want to?" "I never said that," he replied and we walked up to the door. "Ding Dong "Trick or treat!

"I was falling and the only thing I could think of is why? I don't remember doing anything wrong. ** It had been a month since I was put in the first cohort. I was living with my aunt who, in hindsight, never really liked me. She was always glaring or barking orders, bullying others, and demanding to be treated like a queen. It only got worse when she learned of my blessing from Apollo. "Cursed child...just like his mother...stuck with it" I would hear her mumble under her breath. "OCTAVIAN!!" she yelled from across the house. "I'm coming!" I shouted back. I walked upstairs and opened the door to her room "Do you need me for some..." *Smack" I fell to the floor stunned, confused and frightened as she put her foot on my face and pressed down with her heel. "How fucking dare you!" "I take you in and THIS is how you repay me!!" "I..I don't know what you're talking about" I stutter out tears forming in my eyes "Yes you do!!" "you broke my lamp post with your stupid game!" Now I knew what she was talking about, but it wasn't me. She had broken it in a fit of rage at her husband when she threw it at him. "B..but I didn't" I cried as she yanked me up by my hair "So now you're lying to me" "I've been meaning to get rid of you anyways." she growled under her breath. As she dragged me into the car. We drove out to the middle of nowhere and walked into a creepy looking temple. The floor was missing and the pit seemed to emit a strange pull, magnifying anything near it. I looked back at my aunt who was smiling with a sick look in her eyes "what are we doing here...?" I asked "you will see" and she pushed me in.

We were the first ones back from trick or treating, cuddled up on the couch eating the candy we had gotten and watching a movie. I was curled up on my mate's lap and he was gently stroking my hair. He will claim that I was chirping, but that's ridiculous, I would never. It had been a good night. We each got a trash bag full of candy and bought a few monsters (the drink dumbasses) from the mortal dollar store. I moved my head to look up at him "If I asked you to go somewhere with me and not ask questions would you?" "Yes?" Bryce replied somewhat cautiously "Great, let's get going!" I hopped up off the couch and grabbed my mate's arm as he got up. I brought him to an old house that looked as if it hadn't been used in years. "What is this place?" he asked me "I said no questions." We walked throughout the old hallways and up the stairs until we got to the only well kept room in the house. It was a bedroom with a twin sized bed in the comer, bookshelves lining the walls all the way to the ceiling, a hammock with stuffed toys and a carpet in the middle of the room. "Who's room is this?" Bryce finally spoke up. "mine" I grabbed his hand "do you not live with the rest of your family?" he asked, squeezing my hand tighter and pulling me into a side hug. "They didn't want me around" not like a want them around either "Julia is the only one who knows I'm still alive, I asked her not to tell the others." he was silent for a moment "I'm sure nobody would notice a disappearance on halloween" his signature smile creeping onto his face and putting a hand on his sword sheath. "Thanks for the offer, but let's not get kicked out already" to which he booed and pouted like a child. He's so sweet. He's so sweet. my heart did somersaults when he did something so simple as meet my eyes. I moved my hand up to caress his face and leaned into his chest as his hands moved to my waist and pulled me against him. We moved to sit on the bed. Everyone at camp hated us, but I could deal with anything as long as he's by my side. Corny, I know but it's true. I curled up in his lap "I love you..."

#hoo #octavian pjo #hoo octavian #octavian hoo #octavian #pjo #we need more tavi content #bryce lawrence #omegaverse #No hate plz #I tried #Octabryce #Halloween #Tav does not want to go #But Bryce convinces him #JK he was dragged out of bed #!omega! Tav #Alpha! Bryce #implied/referenced child abuse

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nightmargin · 1 year

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(submission from my inbox, i can't seem to reply to this one directly unless i make a post... ah... i forgot how to use tumblr it seems!):

"hi! this is going to be a lot of me uncontrollably gushing about the video game you helped make. I'm using tumblr's weird submit post function nobody uses because...well, this is probably gonna go on for a long while, and I really have no expectation of a response, so it didn't feel appropriate to use the ask function? just consider this the best digital recreation possible of an envelope with a hastily written piece of fan mail and do with it as you will

because never in my life thus far have I played a game that has more passionately encouraged me to love video games. it demonstrated, CELEBRATED, the human capacity to love things that aren't real and how that love can make them real. the decision of whether to save niko or the world was one that made me sit there and deeply question my actual real life morals for nearly ten minutes, because in that moment I felt real, compelling lives that I loved so much hanging in the balance

I even remember waving goodbye to niko as they left for the last time after my solstice playthrough. I wasn't even thinking about it, it just came so naturally to me in that beautiful little moment.

it's a game that's exactly, almost painfully aware of its own artificiality, and uniquely does nothing to challenge that notion--even when it's terrifying me by doing things games shouldn't be able to do, this too is still acknowledged as the work of the code that makes up this little world in my computer

and I'm so happy that no attempt at this kind of illusion was made. I'm so glad that it didn't need to fixate on whether or not the game was real and instead acknowledged the power of fiction to make anything real in the first place. it was an affirmation I didn't even know I needed, to have my passion for the little constructed worlds in pages and computer screens be respected just the same as that for everything outside them

I don't just love oneshot because it's a good story; it reminded me, a lifelong burnout hoping to make something meaningful with her art, that the worlds we make are worth believing in, and that loving them with all your heart is what creates something beautiful. it makes my wounded old soul happy in a way I was scared I'd lost for good.

you may or may not remember me as the very adrenalized girl with the madotsuki sweater and the crazy poofy hair who bought a bunch of your things at emerald city comic con this last weekend. this is what all my excited bouncing around and stammering was trying to say. thank you so, so very much. <;3"

-----

thank you for the heartfelt message! I'm glad it resonated with you that way. I wanted--we all wanted-- to tell a story that explored the "human" side (so to speak) of a 4th wall break and doesn't hinge on the fact that it was a game, so I'm glad that sentiment was able to get across. Suspension of disbelief was an interesting topic to explore, and I think fictional stories can be comforting in that way because it's (as far as science knows) a uniquely human activity... like you said, it's worth celebrating that!

And thank you for stopping by! It was nice to meet you

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siriusblack-the-third · 1 year

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Boredom, Flustration and Love Confessions part 4

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

They make it back to the castle just before dinner with wide smiles and intertwined hands, several bags hanging from the crooks of their elbows, filled with books, chocolates, a few pieces of jewellery and a couple of scarves and gloves.

When they stop in front of the doors to the Entrance Hall, James pulls Sirius to a stop and turns him so they're facing each other, then gives him a small, pleased smile.

"I had fun today," he says quietly.

Sirius beams back, wraps his arm around James' shoulders, and tugs him closer to brush a lingering kiss on his temple. The paper bags crunch and crumple, but James doesn't care; he melts into the touch with a silent sigh. The gesture is just so... soft. It makes him warm from the inside, and the smile on his lips grows wider even as he feels his cheeks grow red.

"I had fun too," Sirius murmurs against his forehead, then places another small kiss there before pulling back. His cheeks are dusted pale pink, his grey eyes are shining in the light of the moon, and his gloss-slick lips are pulled into a soft smile. James does not ever want to look away.

"So..." James trails away and rocks on the balls of his feet, feeling suddenly nervous. He is not a Gryffindor for nothing, though, so he looks up at Sirius, a weird mix of anticipation, anxiety and hope carving a large hole in his chest. "We, uh- we can do this again, if you'd- if you'd like?"

Sirius blinks at him, and while nobody else would know what he is thinking, James can immediately tell that he is shocked. It's there in the slow, deliberate way his eyelids drop down and lift up again, in the slight parting of his lips, in the way his left thumb twitches towards the belt loop of his ripped jeans. James swallows, trying not to quail under the sudden intensity of Sirius' gaze as it pins him in place. He can't tell what Sirius is thinking, and that just makes this more nerve wracking.

"I- I mean," he stammers, ducking his head so a black curl falls into his eyes, "only if- only if you'd like, of course. You don't- you don't have to, obviously. It was fun- it really was, and I'd love if you went, like, on a date with- with me, but if you don't wan— mmf!"

Sirius' lips are soft.

He moves them over James' mouth slowly, gently, and the younger boy relaxes into the kiss, eyes fluttering shut on their own accord when Sirius brushes the curl out of his face and tucks it behind his ear. It's just a light caress of lips against each other, but James feels warmth and comfort seep into the very marrow his bones. He immediately wants to have more, and it seems like Sirius is on the same page; their shopping bags cascade to the floor with a deafening crash, and James fists a hand in the front of Sirius' shirt to tug him closer. An arm wraps itself around his waist and suddenly he is being held against a firm chest, a hand pressing into the back of his head. Sirius winds the singular long fringe at the back of his head around his index finger and tugs on it, lightly at first, then insistently, to tilt James' head back so he can deepen the kiss.

James throws his arms over Sirius' shoulders and parts his lips, and Sirius grabs the opportunity to slip his tongue into his mouth and- oh.

James shudders at the first swipe of Sirius' piercing over the inside of his bottom lip, a soft whimper catching in the back of his throat. The metal ball slides across his tongue, and all he can do is grip onto Sirius for dear life as the other boy devours his mouth with such an intensity that James' knees almost buckle. His head is spinning, but the only thing he can think of is Sirius.

His plump lips, the tart blueberry flavour of his gloss, the faint mint and earth smell that clings to him, the heat of his arms, the drag of that damn piercing over the sensitive roof of his mouth—

They break apart with twin gasps when it gets hard to breathe.

James wants to pull Sirius back in. He wants to tug on his hair and moan his name, wants to continue the kiss till he suffocates. He wants to keep the image of Sirius like this— lips red, flushed cheeks and heaving chest, grey eyes practically glowing in the moonlight, mussed long black hair a stark contrast against his porcelain skin— pasted to the back of his eyelids so he may never forget it.

"Fuck," he says, and his voice comes out breathy and high pitched, but he cannot find it in himself to be anything other than completely dazed. "Fuck, that- that was—"

"Ouais," Sirius whispers, voice wonderfully hoarse, and leans forward to press his forehead against James'. Their eyes fall shut, and both of them breathe in tandem, revelling in just holding each other close. "Ouais, je– I know. Me too."

James smiles, and it's a wide, face-splitting expression. His heart thuds loudly and contentedly in his ribcage, and he sighs happily, nuzzling his face into Sirius' jaw and placing a light, fluttering kiss on the edge of it. He gets another tender forehead kiss in return, where he can feel the smile on Sirius' lips imprinting itself into his skin.

"My absurd darling," he says to James, "why wouldn't I want to go on a date with you?"

James turns his head into Sirius' neck to hide his smile and whispers, "so that's a yes, then?"

Sirius buries a chuckle in his hair.

"Yeah, Jamie-beau," he whispers back, like it's their own little secret. "Yeah, I'll go on another date with you."

James lets out a delighted giggle and surges up to claim Sirius' lips for a lightning quick kiss. Then he blinks, and pulls back to frown at Sirius in confusion. "Wait. Another? What do you mean, another?"

Sirius blinks back, just as confused, but then a spark of amusement enters his eyes. He grins and tightens his arms around James' waist.

"Jamie, sweetheart," he says in that fondly exasperated way he saves only for James, and James feels his stomach squirm at the way Sirius' tongue curls around the term of endearment. "today was a date. We went on a date to Hogsmeade, ma biche."

James pulls back, eyes wide.

"What?" he gasps. "No, it wa— oh fuck, it was, wasn't it?"

James groans and buries his head in Sirius' shoulder, an embarrassed flush climbing up his cheeks, and lightly slaps Sirius' back when he feels him shaking with suppressed mirth.

"Be quiet, you," he mutters petulantly, but his own mouth is tugging into a smile.

Sirius bursts out laughing.

The moment they walk into the Gryffindor common room, laden down with shopping bags but with pleased smiles on their faces and their fingers clenched tightly in each other's, Lily and Remus shoot up in their seats with victorious screams.

"FUCKING FINALLY," they yell in synchronisation, and James turns his face into Sirius' shoulder to hide his laugh. A deafening wolf whistle pierces through the air, and they turn to look at Marlene, who is lounging in a chaise near the fireplace.

"GET IN, CAPTAIN," she crows, and the rest of the Quidditch team breaks into jeers and applause. James beams at them, a rosy flush colouring his bronze cheeks.

Sirius grins and curls an arm around his waist, then drags him to the stairs and up to the dormitory.

"Show my boy a good time, Black," Lily yells after them to the background noise of hooting and hollering from the rest of the students, and James makes a soft sound that is equal parts amusement and embarrassment, but then Sirius is leaning over his shoulder and running his nose lightly over his jaw.

"Oh, I intend to," he breathes, right next to James' ear, and James can't help the shudder that wracks his body.

"You do, do you?" he murmurs back as he pushes open the dormitory door. Sirius hums, and dumps the bags on the bed.

The second the door swings shut he pounces, pressing James up against the wood and licking into his mouth with a fervour that pulls a loud, startled moan from him. Cold hands slip under his sweater and shirt to grip tightly at his waist, and he buries his own fingers into Sirius' long hair, tugging on it and biting down on Sirius' bottom lip.

Sirius moans. The sound goes directly to James' lower belly, and he presses himself into Sirius, rubbing his tongue along the back of Sirius' teeth in a demand for more. Sirius obliges. His hands slide down James' sides and dig into the meat of his thighs through his jeans, and James lets out a muffled groan, lifting one leg up to wrap around Sirius and pulling him closer.

Sirius takes advantage and grabs the back of James' knees and hoists him up, immediately latching his mouth onto his jawline. James grips his hips with his thighs and presses their bodies together, gasping at the sudden sparks of pleasure that skitter along his skin.

"Sirius," he whimpers, and a low, pleased hum vibrates against his pulse point, making him shudder and grip the silky hair even tighter. Sirius' hands burn a white hot trail into his skin through the denim as they drag up from his thighs to grip his arse, and he lets out a whine, grinding down into the touch and throwing his head back at the friction to let out a long moan.

"Don't you worry, mon amour," Sirius murmurs hungrily as he trails kisses and nips down James' throat, tracing the dips and ridges of his collarbones with that damn piercing to pull another whimper from James. "I'll show you a good time."

James pulls his head back by the hair and gasps, "and if I want a good life?"

Sirius blinks, then beams, pressing his lips to James' hard enough that his head knocks back into the door. Both of them burst into quiet giggles, leaning their foreheads against each other and gently nuzzling into each other's faces. Sirius kisses him again, slow, deliberate, toe-curling and filled with promise, making him sigh and melt.

"Then I'll show you a good life."

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@prongsfoot-wolfstar @narcissa-black-supermacy @padfootastic @in-flvx @ad1thi @siriuslystarbucks @fiendishfyre @ghostie-06 @xxmysticrose18 @gracelesslady23

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theodoradevlin · 2 months

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"THEODORA!"

Richard breaks into the Shrub Club's Greenhouse with a loud bang, not having realized his own strength as... as it is Thursday and he is here in person! The wizard is standing in the doorway with a small bouquette of flowers, all covered in snow, with a broom in another hand.

"I am so sorry I am late! Happy Valentine's day! Well, belated Valentine's day..." he exclaims excitedly and quickly closes the door as he realizes that the cold he is feeling has nothing to do with his regular deathly dread and ghostly existence. It is almost blizzard outside and that means Richard can fall ill from forgetting that the weather can affect his fragile human form. And it just won't do, not with his plans for today!

Nobody knows where he got some rather crude furs to wear but most likely it was his payment for some work on a side. The young man discards them to the ground as he covers the distance between the door and Theodora. The snow in his hair and on his face is already melting due to the greenhouse's warmth, making Richard look like a puppy after the rain.

"Here!" he stretches out the flowers to her: dozens of clearly freshly picked snowdrops have gathered in Richard's hands.

"I hope you had a great day yesterday. If you don't mind, I'd like to spend today with you. Not that I'm asking you out, I'm sure there's fierce competition on who gets to court such a brilliant and gorgeous young witch. But I hope you don't mind the company of an old friend?"

That last sentence rings with sadness in Richard's voice but even he can't tell where it comes from. He is here, in person, alive and happy, with somebody dear to him. Why does he feel such a strange pang in his heart? The wizard chooses to ignore it. The feeling will be gone as soon as he is the ghost again. Better to enjoy his here and now.

The sudden opening of the door lets in a gust of winter air, startling Theo….but not as much as the sight of Richard, real and here, in front of her. His excitement draws an immediate chuckle out of her as she takes in the state of him. The snow on his hair is endearing, as is the flush on his face and hands that are holding…flowers? “Richard!” She half shouts indignantly, half scolds, but can't help herself as she launches from her workspace to sprint over to where he is.

She eyes the bouquet and then him, throwing a teasing grin as he offers them to her. "Valentine's, huh?" She gently takes the bouquet, her fingers tracing over the frozen winter blooms.

“Don't be sorry. These are lovely, and.....they sort of remind me of you." She blushes as she catches herself in an unexpected wave of emotion.

"Frozen, but beautiful.” She explains softly, not hesitating before throwing her arms around him and holding him tight for a moment.

“There is no one I’d rather take up all my attention today besides you. Old or not, you are one of my very, very best friends.” She selfishly allows herself to kiss him on the cheek, a weird hot feeling at the corners of her eyes that she blinks away, shaking her head and releasing him before he can see.

She clears her throat and laughs. “And I officially get to kidnap you for two whole real boy Thursdays?! I’m certainly getting the better end of the deal here. Sit!” She gestures to the overstuffed sofa tucked between some rather large pots of dittany. “I’ll make us some tea. But first….”

She conjures a large glass cloche, removing the top she carefully places the bouquet inside, and adds a charm to keep them fresh and to float in the middle, suspended in its beauty.

Satisfied, she turns over to see Richard waiting for her on the couch. Just the sight of her friend makes her smile again. She smiles even wider as she gets an idea...

"Perhaps for your Valentine's day gift I can make you a sweater! In your favorite color, perhaps? As um...fashionable as these furs are..."

She doesn't finish the sentence before she breaks into laughter, which makes pouring the tea rather risky.

Maybe this day wouldn’t last forever. But it made it that much more precious. And when it was gone, the flowers would remain.

Despite the growing winter storm wailing against the windows, Theo had found herself never feeling more warm.

#richard jackdaw #MAKING ME WEAK AGAIN #EVERYTIME #theo talks #valentines day

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vylithscat · 2 years

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Why hello there I don't normally requests but I would like to this time Could I have headcanons with the brother (and dateables if possible) for an MC who likes being picked up? Just any way, be it like a football or on the shoulders, etc etc (PS: Your blog looks amazing and I can't wait to see more from you <3)

anon i love you and you got my mind BUZZING so fast the moment i read this, i hope you enjoy!! (and thank you, your support means so much to me <333)

prompt: an mc who adores being picked up and held genre: pure fluff (maybe a lil suggestive in satan's?), gn!mc pairings: bros, dateables (minus luke) (and again, mentions of the pet names for the bros found here)

LUCIFER

He's really confused by it at first but.. how can he say no to you?

He'll go traditional with a bridal-style carry unless you ask for something else

Extremely gentle and makes sure nobody sees him doing it

Not because he's bashful about it, but because this is between the two of you, and nobody should interrupt it

Right now you're safe in his arms and shouldn't be bothered

Though, if you do give him a kiss on the cheek or just below the ear, he'll have to pause to regather himself

"Do you not want to get to your room?"

"I do, but I want to stay with you as well."

"I wasn't going to leave the moment I set you down, my dear. Get comfortable again, I'll hold you till morning."

MAMMON

YOU LIKE WHA HUH???

I mean, of course you want to be picked up and held by THE Great Mammon! Who wouldn't!? But, uh.. You don't do this for anyone else, right?

Carries and holds you in any way you want while trying to play off it's just cause he can

Gets even more flustered than he already was if you kiss him anywhere

Like to his ears blushing flustered

Goes all, "What'd ya do that for!? I coulda dropped ya!"

"I'd pull you down with me."

Small period of silence before he realizes he could've been on top of you

Would've it been a little painful? Yes, but he'd be on top of you

Speed walks (runs) to your room before anyone notices either of you.. and does not stop if someone does

He's picking you up a lot after that experience

LEVIATHAN

His character just died cause he's frozen in place

And now he's an absolute blushing mess that nearly passed out on the spot

"Y-You like w-what!?"

Panics more when you pout a little while shrinking

"W-W-Wait, I didn't mean it l-like it was weird, i-it's just a normie thing t-that I can't do!"

It takes a little for him to even consider picking you up

Hell, it was a spur of the moment thing where he wrapped his arms around your waist, lifts you up and you have to coach him to not run into something

Drops you on a beanbag chair and collapses on top of you

When he's up he's almost immediately down again from panic and how flustered he got

He's an otaku ho just passed out on his significant other! After picking them up like a normie!!

Please reassure him that he did good while he's calming down before inquiring why he brought you here

"O-Oh, right, I found a game last week and it came out and.. I-I had to play it with my player two."

SATAN

He was picking you up long before you told him while being smug about it

Did catch a few things before also, like how giggly you got when he did it or how you outright asked him to do it

Obliges very easily since he can 1. hold you and 2. can show off you're his

Likes cheek kisses the most when you can reach his face

Most of the time you're slung over his shoulder while his hand is gingerly resting on an ass cheek

It's only cause of how flustered you come out of it and because he can gently pat your ass when you're squirming too much

"Keep still, kitten, we're almost there."

"But I wanna thank you already.."

"There's no need for that and you know it."

"But it's a kiss." and he moves you to wear you can kiss him

Does do bridal-style as well or holds you up with his arms around you, just wrap your legs around him so you don't fall while kissing him

ASMODEUS

"Why didn't you tell me earlier, hun? I would've done it whenever you asked!"

1000% on board picking you up and carrying you around

He likes positions where he can easily nuzzle your face and smother you with kisses

But that also means you'll both be too distracted to notice anyone in front of you

If you ask, he'll give you a piggyback ride, just as long as you do the loving this time

His ultimate favorite is where you keep your legs around his waist and your arms his neck and he keeps a holds on to your legs

Perfect for kisses, horrible when you're walking somewhere

Most likely walks super slow to avoid bumping people or having a kiss interrupted

For better viewing purposes, bridal works just fine for him, just is harder to give you a kiss

"Hun, come a little closer."

"Oh, sorry, I was staring."

"At me? You're such a flatterer, MC ♡"

BEELZEBUB

Already loves having you close to him but this is even better

Can hold you in one arm just fine so you can snack with or feed him

Kiss a little sauce off his face? It's even better than a full course meal at Hell's Kitchen

If you hold your arms out to him, he'll lift you up and ask, "How do you want to be carried?"

Saying however he wants usually means going snuggly between his chest and an arm

Specifics though, he'll happily follow and check up with you if you go quiet

If you fall asleep around him, he'll be very gentle with picking you up, though he knows how much you like it he debates waking you up slightly to ask how you wanna be carried

Usually settles for over the shoulder or bridal as gentle as possible if you're too deep into sleep

If you do wake up though, he apologies, asks, then carries you to somewhere extra comfy to make up for it

BELPHEGOR

"You like to be picked up? That's weird, I'm not doing it."

Found it adorable, really, but refuses to admit it

He's supposed to be picked up and carried, not you

Make a deal with him, if he picks you up and carries you somewhere, you'll snuggle up to him for an extra long cuddle session

Considers, agrees, then falls asleep for a little a while

Wakes up before you and stretches while yawning

Plops his pillow in between your arms, picks you up and takes you to your room before setting you down and settling on top of you

Yeah, he just got you stuck cuddling with him, but this was the agreement, wasn't it?

He picked you up, carried you, now it's your turn

Will absolutely abuse this agreement whenever he can and is super smug about it

DIAVOLO

When you started dating, he already greeted you with a kiss, but now you tell him you like being picked up?

You did it over text a few days before going to the castle to visit and now he's all giddy

When the day finally comes, he's half jogging up to you with his arms open

Expecting a hug, you open your arms too, only to be picked up by the waist, spun around then brought close enough to be kissed

Wraps his arms around you once yours are resting on his shoulders before pulling away

"It's nice seeing you, MC!"

"You too, Dia.."

Plops you down before taking your hand and bringing you inside

If you ask about it, he'll explain with the biggest (but most bashful) smile that he wanted to surprise you and when you told him you liked being picked up he couldn't resist

Give him a little kiss and he melts into your embrace

Greets you like that whenever he wants to, no matter where you are, but maybe not the spinning if it's crowded

Which you usually have to remind him of..

BARBATOS

Really wouldn't publicly pick you up unless your in danger and he wants to get you away from it

He's very gentle and strategic with how he does it and what position you'll be in

If he does carry you in public for non-dangerous reasons, he'll stay composed and drop you off at your desired location before leaving with a quick and small smile

In private though, he's only slightly more sporadic but not by much

It takes a lot for him to suddenly pick you up and take you away to somewhere much more private

He is still very gentle in private, but holds you much closer to him

If Diavolo has already gone to sleep, he'll carry you to your room and set you in bed before sitting next to you

"Shall I fetch you some tea?"

Reach out for him, there's very limited private time with Barb

"Oh? Do you want me to carry you again?"

"Please."

Happily follows the order while holding you close, "Shall we go find your tea so you can fall asleep now?"

SIMEON

He finds it so cute that you like it and will do it whenever asked

Really enjoys the closeness of it and how much you enjoy something so simple

Likes bridal so he can cradle you and easily see your face to see how you're doing or if you're looking at anything

If you're tired while he's carrying you somewhere, he'll 100% let you fall asleep on him, just rest your head on his chest or in the crook of his neck

Tries to find a place to sit if you fall asleep so his movement doesn't wake you

Apologies if he does, "If you're still tired, let me find a bench, I'd rather you rest than keep yourself up, dove."

"It's alright, mon ange, I wanna be awake to see you for a little longer."

Gently kisses your forehead before holding you a little closer

Will most likely ask you if you want to be picked up when it's just the two of you walking, will settle for holding hands if around others

SOLOMON

"You like being picked up, hm? I don't mind doing it when you ask."

His smile gets across nothing but the sparkle in his eyes isn't to be trusted

The first time he does pick you up is when you're around others

Just lifts you up then he crosses his arms under your ass???

Like, sir, there's NINE demons here

Really smiley while asking, "How do is it up there?"

This smug bastard sometimes..

"It's really nice, honestly."

He just smiles more before gently setting you back on the ground and giving you a quick face cup and tip of the nose kiss

Leaves like nothing happened with nine stunned demons, one stunned angel and another confused one

Chase after him and watch him get even more smiley and smug

"Oh, did you not get enough back there? I can pick you up again if that's what my favorite student wants."

#literally did NOT plan to post twice to avoid over doing it BUT THIS PROMPT??#how could i not its so cute #obey me lucifer #obey me mammon #obey me leviathan #obey me satan #obey me asmodeus #obey me beelzebub #obey me belphegor #obey me diavolo #obey me barbatos #obey me simeon #obey me solomon #obey me shall we date #obey me swd #obey me headcannons

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