#it was so hot we thought we might be able to swim so we went to his friends lake
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#personal#myself#se#we made terrariums yesterday with his friends and then got food at this really nice margarita spot#it was so hot we thought we might be able to swim so we went to his friends lake#it was too cold but the views were so nice#then we spent all day hanging out in his backyard on the trampoline#got pizza and cuddled all night#it has been such a good week#so many new foods and events#good friends#good rest#great sex#I’m so so glad we met that night
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I Have Always Seen You
pairing: eddie munson x chubby female reader
summary: of course the boy i've known since 3rd grade, the one i've loved since 7th grade, would be the one to break my heart. i never thought he would be the one to fix it too...
warnings: bullying, fatphobia, use of the word pig towards reader once, falling off a bike, blood and cut knee from falling off said bike, self-doubt and sort of self-hate i guess, cursing, mentality that reader wouldn't be 'missed' (idk if thats a warning but just in case), no use of y/n, underage drinking, reader has an older brother for sake of the story (i gave him a really basic/common name), thoughts and flashbacks are in italics!! nickanames/pet names (shortcake, princess, honey, sweetheart), reader is at least a bit shorter than eddie, very poorly edited, talks of the demobats and upside down, again like very badly edited, lemme know if i missed anything, i'm sure i have!
word count: 9k+
notes: my first fic guys and it turned into this 9,000 word monster! wild! anyway, this might be trash i honestly don't know, i have no perception of it, pls let me know what you think!! also, this story is told in first person point of view so it uses 'i, me, myself' and all that, idk how i feel about it though tbh. uuuuh, enjoy!!
DON'T REPOST MY WRITING OR SHARE IT TO OTHER PLATFORMS (including mentioning it in tiktok comment sections and stuff like that pls) THIS IS MY WRITING, DON'T STEAL IT PLEASE!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The sweltering midwestern heat was hitting Hawkins, Indiana early this year. School had only been out for a few weeks and it was already hot enough to have the city pool passing the max capacity damn near every day.
Luckily for me, I had been able to successfully avoid going every time my friends have asked me to join them. Until now.
“C’mon, it’s gonna be so much fun! Steve’s parents are gone again, like usual, so it’ll just be us and a few other friends!” Robin tries to convince me through the phone.
“Robin, I never believe ‘just us and a few friends’, because it is ne-”
“It’s never just a few friends, I know. But this time it really will be just a few people. Like, actually just a few people. After everything that happened during spring break and all that, Steve really just wants the main guys there. There’s not gonna be any crazy partying, we’re gonna swim and relax, that’s it.”
“I don’t know, I might be busy tomorrow,” I attempt an excuse.
“Then we’ll move it to when you’re free. We really want you there, you haven’t gone to any of our movie nights or other hangouts yet,” Robin points out while saying my name softly. “Is it something else? Is there someone you don’t want there?”
Robin isn’t entirely wrong, there is something else that’s keeping me from joining my friends. And technically it does have to do with someone, but not in the way she thinks. And that someone happens to be none other than the Eddie Munson.
I’ve known Eddie for many years. My older brother was one of his best friends while growing up having met in elementary school. James was in the grade above Eddie, and the one to introduce him to D&D, eventually passing on the title of Hellfire Club President to him as well. I was always in the background, hoping my brother would let me learn how to play just so I could impress him and his friends.
While they were occupying the basement, getting pizza and bottles of Coke every other Saturday for their stupid role-playing game, I was in my room reading trashy romance novels and out riding my bike to the library in hopes to seem cool when I came back late at night.
By the time I got to high school, it was James’ second to last year before he went off to college in Chicago on his big-shot football scholarship he managed to snag before he was even a senior. And yes, James was a Hellfire nerd and a star-athlete, so no one messed with their little club while he was there. Eddie was in his sophomore year, already antsy to graduate and move on to greater things.
I was just the outcast that didn’t even have a group. It didn’t matter that I was the captain of the football team’s little sister, I never made any friends because I never tried to.
Needless to say, yeah, Eddie and I had some history and maybe things got brought up when Vecna was trying to take over the world that might have been better left untouched. And maybe the idea of seeing him again brings butterflies to my stomach while also making my gut sink.
“No, it's not that. I just…I guess I just haven’t been feeling it since…since yanno,” I say, half heartedly.
Robin voices her understanding and tells me to just call back when I make a decision on if I would go or not. I promise her I will and hang up the phone. It’s not like I didn’t want to see them, because truly I did but it also wasn’t a complete lie when I told her I hadn’t been feeling quite right since the Venca situation.
It was a really traumatic and horrible experience for everyone involved, and really astonishing that everyone made it out alive.
‘Maybe I should just go…but what if it’s horrible? I know none of my lovely friends would ever say anything to me about it, but I just can’t stand the thought of them seeing me in a swimsuit, especially Eddie.’ I shake my head at the thought. ‘What a stupid thing to think, god, we all nearly died and I’m worried about my stomach in a swimsuit, how shallow is that? I guess some things just never change, no matter the life threatening situation…’
I go about my nighttime routine, washing my face and making sure no lights have been left on around the house. I say goodnight to my mother and fall right asleep. Or, I try to at least.
But my mind keeps me up for much longer than I would have hoped.
‘It would be a good time, though. Have a couple of beers, spend the night in one of Steve’s nice guest bedrooms. I wouldn’t even have to swim, I could just say I’m on my period or something. Ugh, but Robin knows that I always swam even on my period when we were younger. I’ll just wear a suit under my clothes and pretend the water is too cold even though it’s the peak of summer? Yeah, that should work. I can’t imagine anyone will care that much anyway if I’m not in the pool with them. I really do miss my friends.’
~
The next morning I call Robin and tell her I’ll be there tonight. She squeals in delight and tells me how happy she’ll be to see me.
Now it was just time to pick out an outfit, should be simple enough, right?
Well, after leaving it to the last second and now only having about 15 minutes to get to Steve’s when it’s already a five minute drive, having half of my closet strewn about my room doesn’t seem like a very good place to be at.
I finally sigh and opt for a swim suit from the summer before that I never wore, a green one piece with a wrapped sort of style for the top portion, and black cut off shorts and an old t-shirt that fits comfortably loose over it.
I grab my keys and kiss my mother on the forehead, reminding her I wouldn’t be back till the next morning.
Several shouts of my name reach my ears once I reach Steve’s backyard, it does bring a small smile to my face knowing I’ve been missed just as much as I’ve missed them.
“You’re actually here, I’m so happy to see you!” Nancy says pulling me in for a hug, Robin joining on top, squishing us all together.
“Yeah, yeah, I know it’s been a while. I’m sorry.”
“No, you don’t have to be sorry, it’s been a really hard year,” Nancy says sincerely.
Steve comes up for a hug next, squishing me for dear life, I could feel him about to try to lift me up and spin me around so I pull away rather abruptly.
“Alright, alright, it’s nice to see you, too, Steve.”
He answers with a kiss to the cheek and makes me promise that I’ll come to the next hangout and every one after that. I see Jonathan and he waves with a small awkward smile.
Finally my eyes meet Eddie’s.
~
“James! James! C’mon, come outside and play with me!” It was nearing the end of summer before James would go back to school for his 8th grade year and I would be going into 6th grade.
“Not right now, can’t you see that I’m busy? I’m too old to play outside anyway,” my brother rolls his eyes.
I hop down the stairs so I can see the basement fully now. Spotting all of my brother's friends huddled around our dinky old card table while he has books and notepads sprawled on his end.
“Well, can I at least play your game with you guys? I’m sure I can learn it fast!” I beam, faking confidence in hopes to sway them.
“No offense, shortcake, but it’s probably too confusing for you. Besides, we’re right in the middle of a campaign, it would be too hard to add in another character out of the blue right now,” Eddie says with a chuckle, like the idea that I could play is too amusing to even consider.
Naturally, I take full offense.
“Fine! You’re all so annoying, I didn’t even want to play with you anyway. Especially not with someone who has a buzzcut!” I stick my tongue out at them and run away, but not before I can hear them laughing.
Sitting alone in my room I know it was childish of me, especially for my age. James was probably right, he was too old to be outside playing tag with his sister. I was too old to be throwing a tantrum like this over some friends wanting to spend time with each other without one’s little sister hanging around.
~
“Hey, Munson.”
Eddie nods his head in greeting and goes back to talking with Jonathan. Well, that’s honestly about as much interaction as I expected to get from him tonight.
“Alright, let’s get this party started!” Robin exclaims, dragging you toward the cooler filled with ice and drinks, I grab a Sprite to start with.
2 hours later and my Sprite is still mostly untouched and it’s now gone lukewarm. The others are in the pool splashing and playing chicken, I sit on the side with my feet dangling into the shallow end, watching as they fool around and laugh. Giggles and quiet laughs leave my lips on occasion with them.
“You should get in, the water’s really nice!” Nancy says.
“Yeah! Strip for us and get in here,” Robin adds, making everyone laugh.
“You guys just want to get me out of my clothes, don’t you?” I play it off, shaking my head slightly. Giggles erupt again. I excuse myself to the bathroom after pulling my legs out of the pool.
Closing and locking the door behind me I look at myself in the mirror.
‘I should just get in the pool, shouldn’t I? I do feel like I’m missing out on what could be a lot of fun. And it wouldn’t hurt to wash all this sweat off of me. I could just keep my shirt on, I have an extra change of clothes as backup anyway.’
I finish my business and leave the bathroom.
After turning the corner to go back to the pool I run straight into something firm, nearly being toppled over before hands are at my forearms to keep me from doing so. Seeing dark curls fanning across this “something’s” shoulders and several patches of dark ink on its bare skin, I immediately know I have just run head first into Eddie. Great.
“Sorry, I wasn’t looking where I was going,” I murmur, keeping my eyes pointed down.
“It’s alright, shortcake. No harm done right?” he says, adjusting his head to try to catch my eyes.
I nod my head and pull away from his hands that still rest gently on my arms.
“Hey, hey, what’s up? You’re so quiet tonight, is everything okay?”
I nod again and pull away harder, rushing out the door to get back to the pool, ignoring his call of my name and a request to “just hold on a second.”
Pulling my shorts off quickly, I step up to the pool and begin to wade into the water before Robin stops me.
“Your shirt! You don’t want the chlorine to ruin it!”
My heart thumps, thinking of how I can handle this. My mouth opens to say something but before I can, Robin cuts me off.
“Just take it off, no one’s gonna make fun of you for being in your swimsuit and if they do I’ll beat them up for you and then we’ll all collectively agree to throw them out of the group. And don’t try to tell me that’s not what it is, I can see it all over your face. You’re allowed to have fun and go swimming, I don’t like to see you excluding yourself, no matter the reason,” she says.
Of course she would see right through any lie I could throw her way. That’s just how Robin is. No matter how clumsy she can be, she really is observant. Not only that, but she’s right. Nobody cares and if they do, that’s their problem.
I rip off my shirt and dive into the pool trying to minimize the time in which people could see me without it. Immediately finding Steve’s legs I yank his ankles so he falls backwards into the water with an unnecessarily loud screech.
It makes the rest of us laugh loudly until Steve comes back up for air with a thirst for vengeance. He chases me around the pool, not for long considering he’s such a strong swimmer and I’m really not trying very hard to get away from him, and catches me easily. His arms wrap around my waist and I cringe as his hands nudge my stomach, scolding myself for the action right after. Steve doesn’t care about my stomach, if he did, he wouldn’t be my friend.
“That really wasn’t very nice,” Steve says and starts lifting me out of the water.
“Steve, hey. Steve! Steve, no, I’m too heavy! Stevie, no! Bad Stevie! Bad!”
I’m thrown in the air as far as he can get me and I splash back down.
I come up spluttering for breath, “Oh, you are so dead, Harrington!”
All at once the rest of us are splashing and dunking him over and over, until he pleads mercy. Shrieks and squeals of glee and what might be considered laughter fill the air as everyone gets their turn being thrown into the water.
Eddie comes back out from the house and cannonballs in the middle of our ‘hate on Steve’ fest.
Eventually I end up back on the side of the pool in my shirt with just my feet in, this time so I can enjoy a fresh soda and mellow out a little, not to make myself smaller. Nancy and Jonathan have called it a night already, leaving Steve, Eddie, and Robin in or by the pool with me.
“I never noticed this scar? Where did you get it?” Robin points to my knee.
~
The nice old librarian put a hand on my shoulder gently to get my attention, telling me the library would be closing soon and it was best I head home, I hadn’t realized how late it already was. I pack everything together as fast as I can, quickly saying goodnight and unlocking my bike, trying my hardest to race home before the sun sets.
The wheels of my rickety bicycle pump faster and faster and in my haste I bump over a high curb without realizing, flying off and onto the pavement.
Tears spring to my eyes as air is sucked in through my teeth. I take a look at my knee and see a small dribble of blood seeping down it, my hands have little scrapes all over, spotted with little beads of red.
Not the worst I could have gotten from a bike incident, but bad enough to keep me from being able to ride the rest of the way home. It’s not far, but so much for getting back before the street lights turn on.
About 15 minutes later I make it into our backyard, dropping the two wheeled contraption from hell into the grass and stumbling through the door, all while sniffling back sobs.
“Oh hey, shortcake! James was starting to get worried about you, you really shouldn’t walk alone at night yanno? Next time ju-” Eddie cuts himself off after seeing the state I’m in. Of course he had to be the one to see me like this. Anyone else could have been sent on snack duty tonight, but it just had to be him.
“Oh my god, what happened?” He walks up to me.
I shrug my shoulders and look away. I catch a glimpse of how bad my knees and hands have gotten on the walk home. Blood drips down both knees, my left knee looking significantly worse than the right. Dirt and pebbles cover my palms along with streaks of crimson.
“Don’t do that, sweetheart. Tell me what happened? Please?”
I still don’t say anything, fresh, hot tears welling up and already spilling out. I refuse to let stupid Eddie Munson see me like this, all it would be is more leverage to make fun of me with.
He pulls my hand gently until I’m sitting down. Eddie appears in front of me with a first aid kit a few seconds later, carefully cleaning the gashes on my knees and scrapes on my hands with alcohol wipes.
“Did,” he lets out a shuddering breath, “Did someone hurt you?”
“No, god no Eddie, I just-, god this is so embarrassing, I just fell off of my bike is all,” I mutter, not really wanting him to hear the words as they come out.
“S’ not embarrassing, stuff like that happens. I just wish you would have told me, here I was thinking the boys and I were going to have to band together to cause hell for our favorite little goblin,” he says.
“You’re just trying to make me feel better, you guys wouldn’t really do that, I guess James might. Most of you guys don’t even really like me that much anyway, you don’t have to lie,” I whisper.
“That’s not true! Of course we would stick up for you!” he says like he’s shocked that I would think the opposite.
I just shrug my shoulders again and wipe my eyes, still avoiding looking him in the face.
“Here, let me help you up to your room. That can’t feel good to walk on,” he pulls me up from the chair and goes to lift me into his arms. I jump out of his reach before he can.
“It’s okay, I got it. Just- you better get back downstairs before they start worrying. I’ll take care of myself.”
“What? No, you’re basically limping just standing here, shortcake, let me carry you, it’ll only take a minute?” He phrases it like a question. Asking but also sort of demanding.
The idea is actually really nice, and I want to say yes to it. It would be like when the prince finally gets the princess in all those books I’ve read. Eddie could sweep me off of my feet and whisk me away.
But I know better, I know that he wouldn’t be able to lift me. Even if he could he wouldn’t so much as glance at me, again, I’m just his friend's little sister. Here only because this is where she lives.
“No thank you, I’m okay. Go ahead and go back to your game, I’m sure they miss you already. Nobody would even notice if I were gone, but they’ll practically riot without you,” I try to cover how deeply I believe those words with a laugh as I wobble away and halfway up the stairs before he can stop me.
~
“Um, I guess I don’t really remember. It’s probably just one of those super old scars you forget are even there,” I say, even though I recall the night I got it vividly.
Eddie’s eyes meet mine from the other side of the pool and they look almost…hurt at the possibility that I might not remember that day. Well, he didn’t get to feel hurt about it. He made it clear that he doesn’t care how I feel when we were in the upside down.
“Hmmm, yeah, I have, like, tons of those actually,” Robin says, “This one is from my cat, Steven, and this one-”
“You have a cat named Steven?” I cut her off. She gives me a look that says ‘duh’.
“But what about Steve? Like human Steve? Was this before or after you became friends? And how has this never come up before?” I practically shriek.
“Believe me, it has come up before. And yes, before she tells you otherwise, it was after we became friends,” Steve says, settling down beside me while throwing his arm around my shoulders.
“That is not true! I found him outside the mall before we became friends! We may have been working together at that point, but we were not friends yet!” Robin shouts.
“We were friends, she’s just embarrassed that she named her cat after me,” Steve whispers in my ear, making me giggle like a schoolgirl.
Even though I’ve never seen Steve romantically, he still had the ability to reduce me to feet kicking and hair twirling.
“What’s wrong with you, Munson?” Steve asks, noticing the scowl covering his face that usually carries a bright smile.
Eddie shakes his head, “Nothing man, just thinking about how I don’t have a beer in my hand right now.”
~
A call of my name breaks my gaze away from the mirror.
“You almost ready? It’s time to go!” James yells, entering my room. “Hey! You look great! It almost feels like I’m sending you off to prom already,” he says wiping fake tears from his cheeks.
I shove him in the chest and readjust my hair and the straps to my dress for what feels like the millionth time. It was a rather simple looking thing considering I had to sew it myself since the only dresses even near my size were too far out of theme for the 8th grade Winter Snowball or they were simply just ugly.
Light blue and white fabric lays delicately across my shoulders and down to my knees, matched with white slip on shoes and silver snowflake jewelry.
“You look really nice, seriously. I know how nervous you are, but it’s gonna be okay, I promise,” my brother assures me, slapping my shoulder much harder than necessary to push me towards the door, “Now it’s time to get your butt moving, let’s go!”
When we arrive at the dance I immediately catch eyes with Robin and speed walk to her. James goes wherever he's needed for volunteering.
After about 45 minutes the first slow song of the night comes on as I sit contently by myself at the far end of the bleachers. I wasn’t sad to not be dancing with anyone, I was honestly sort of relieved that I hadn’t had to dance all night. But watching all the couples on the dance floor does make my heart ache just a little.
“I haven’t seen you dance all night, what’s that about?”
“Why are you here?”
“Ouch, shortcake, I don’t even get a hello? And what, I can’t come volunteer with your brother?” Eddie says, fake hurt painting his face.
“It just doesn’t seem like you, I guess.”
He sits down next to me leaving at least enough room for another person to sit between us. He hands me an unopened juice box.
“Seriously though, why aren’t you out there? You don’t have someone you wanna get cozied up with on the dancefloor?” He wiggles his eyebrows at me in his typical annoying Eddie way.
I roll my eyes, as my stomach twists with shame. He’s mocking me, isn’t he?
“Nope. I’m okay with it though. Honestly I was perfectly happy just sitting here. Until you showed up that is,” I say with a shrug.
“Oh really? Well, gosh, who made you such a sour fart?” he laughs as I push him in the arm.
“Alright, c’mon then. Pity party is over, let's go do this,” Eddie holds out his hand and raises a brow when all I do is look at it confused. “Let’s go dance, shortcake, you should at least once before it’s over.”
“Um- I-” I’m at a loss for words. There’s no way he’s being anything but friendly but my stupid heart skips too many beats to count.
“Here, I need to go check on James and see how the other volunteers are doing. While I take care of that, I want you to sit here and decide if you want to dance with me or not. Of course, I won’t make you do anything you don’t wanna, but if you’re up for it, I’m here,” he says, bouncing back to the drinks and snacks table. I smile giddily at his back and stay sitting.
By the time the last song of the night played I was still in the exact same spot I had been for nearly 2 hours, waiting for Eddie to come back.
Immediately after he left, I knew I wanted to dance with him. Of course I would. I’ve known him since I was in 4th grade and have had a crush on him for a year now. All I had to do was wait a few minutes and I would get to live out a fairytale dream. Dancing across the room in a flowey dress with the guy I liked. Of course it would be strictly platonic on his end but it could mean something more to me silently.
So there I sat, with my empty juice box, tapping my foot in excitement. The first slow song ended and there was no sign of Eddie, but I was sure he just caught up with volunteer work. After the next 3 songs played I began to doubt myself slightly.
‘Maybe he hadn’t actually wanted to dance like it had seemed. But he looked really sincere when asking me. Yeah. And even if Eddie is just a regular teenage boy, and he can definitely be a jerk sometimes, he’s much sweeter and kinder than most. He wouldn’t leave me hanging like that. He’ll be back any minute now, I’m sure.’
By the time 11 more songs had played, I knew he wasn’t coming back. Tears were smearing my mascara while I sat as still as possible on the bleachers, not wanting to draw any attention to myself.
Of course he wasn’t being serious. He just wanted to tease me like usual, the only difference was this time it went too far. This time he was cruel about it. He could have just told me he didn’t mean it. Instead he strung me along and had me sitting here like a lovesick puppy for an hour straight.
Who was I kidding? Eddie couldn’t be interested in me. He was my brother's best friend and had seen me grow up. I was just his friend’s chubby little sister. Wearing a dress that doesn’t sparkle and shine like all the others’, sitting alone and pouting like a baby.
He probably thought I would crush his feet if I accidentally stepped on them.
After persevering through another hour of horror, James finds me in my corner ready to head home.
“All ready to go?” he asks jovially like he always seems to be.
“Yes.”
James picks up on my mood right away, but I’m already halfway to the car before he can say anything.
“Okay, uh, I gotta clean up some stuff still but here,” he throws me his car keys when I turn back around, “Go get the car started yeah?”
I nod and head out to the car when I see Eddie jogging up to the doors after me. My steps speed up hoping for all hell to avoid him. He calls my name but I don’t look back or slow down, in fact, the only thing it succeeds in doing is making me walk faster.
My hands shake as I try to slip the key into the driver’s side door handle. Warm hands settle on my wrists.
“Holy shit, I am so sorry, shortcake. I was so excited to dance with you, I really was, I just got caught up in helping another volunteer with something and lost track of time. I didn’t mean to forget you there all alone, I swear on everything. I know how excited you were for tonight and I am so sorry. I didn’t realize how long I had been gone until everyone started leaving and then I saw you get up and realized what I’d done, please forgive me,” he rambles off almost too quickly to understand.
I expect tears but all I get is a deep rooted feeling of shame and anger. Ashamed by the fact that I thought he would come back and angry at myself for sitting there hopelessly when I could’ve danced with Robin at least.
“Please, look at me. Please tell me you at least got to dance with someone else, right? You had a good time? Please tell me you at least had fun,” he pleads.
A scoff escapes me as I whirl on him.
“No, I didn’t dance with someone else, I sat there and I waited for you. I waited for you the whole time, and I guess that was my first mistake wasn’t it, huh? I believed you. I really thought you meant what you said to me.”
I rip my arms out of hold.
“You know what’s funny, too? I was actually having a really good time before you showed up. I told you as much earlier, even. I was perfectly happy to sit by myself, considering that’s how I spend most of my time anyway. I was really enjoying just watching the lights and the twirl of dresses, alone. I was overjoyed to just sit and watch Robin dance with her friends. And you had to come and- and lie to me! You made me feel special for fuck’s sake.”
His eyes flash with guilt and he must have finally realized how much he hurt me.
“I get that I’m not the prettiest and skinniest girl and I know that most of those kids don’t even know my name, but you do! You know me. You know me and you still forgot about me,” I pause and take a deep breath, “Do you remember what I said that night when I fell off my bike?”
Eddie shakes his head.
“Nobody would even notice if I were gone. Nobody, not even you, I guess. You forgot about me not even 5 minutes after making me feel like the most special girl in that whole damn room. And that was really mean, Eddie. I hope you, at least, have a good rest of your night,” I step into the car and start the engine.
~
Steve plops down next to me holding 4 cans of beer, one for each of us.
“I’m really happy I came tonight, thank you, for inviting me and not forgetting about me after I kinda disappeared,” I say quietly.
Steve pats my back while Robin says something along the lines of ‘duh, of course we would never forget about you.’
Eddie stays silent, watching me closely.
I put my drink on the ground beside me and lay on my back, pulling my shirt down to make sure it covers me still. I start to count the stars, just to keep my brain occupied. My eyes drift shut, my mind choosing to visit yet another memory tonight.
~
It was James’ graduation party. All we had were a couple tables set up with snacks in the backyard and a bonfire, nothing too fancy. I made a simple ‘Happy Graduation!’ banner to hang across the gate for everyone to see, too.
I’m wearing a plain white sundress and converse, I knew I would be running back and forth from the backyard and the kitchen too much for heels to be sensible. Making sure there’s enough drinks and food and ice for everyone was my job tonight. The sun is still up, melting the ice and warming every drink out here.
James calls my name softly, “You can quit running around and tending to every little need. Come hang out with everyone for a little bit. Please?”
I set down the metal tub where drinks are kept and walk over to sit around the fire with him and his usual friends. New faces have popped up over the years, but many stayed the same. Danny Williams, a junior who may or may not have been my first kiss when we happened to both show up at the same party and ended up playing spin the bottle together, Jason Carver, a freshman who appeared promising on the football team before switching to basketball instead, Michael Brown, a senior who’s been in the little Hellfire Group since the beginning. There are several others I don’t recognize and even more that I do.
Of course, Eddie is there too. I just haven’t really…acknowledged him in…in a really long time.
I haven’t necessarily been giving him the silent treatment, but I stopped entertaining the conversations he always seemed to start with me.
Danny greets me with a smile as he sits down next to me. He even pulls his lawn chair a little closer towards mine, grinning slightly while doing so.
“What can I do for you Danny?” I say.
“Oh nothing. I just wanted to come sit by you, is all.” Huh. That…that sort of stumps me.
I didn’t think Danny would even recognize me at the party, and I’m honestly even more surprised that he wanted to talk to me after kissing me. We make small conversation, butting into the rest of the group's discussion once in a while to add an opinion.
Night had fallen and marshmallows and graham crackers were brought out for s'mores, as well as a couple of 12 packs of beer that someone had brought with them.
I knew James had gone to several parties to celebrate winning a football game where there had been alcohol, or even just little get-togethers where it was provided. I guess now that it was only soon-to-be seniors and high school graduates, minus myself, left at the party it was time for that portion of the night to begin.
I stand up to go in and let the others have their fun.
“Where’re you going?” Danny asks, grabbing my hand lightly, looking up with wide puppy dog eyes. His eyes are a pretty green color. Brown eyes have always been my favorite, though.
“Oh, I was just going to head in and call it a night. That way you all could have your fun without worrying about me dragging you down.”
My comment makes his brows furrow, his mouth opens to say something, but he’s cut off.
“You can stay out here, you know. No one minds having you here and I’m sure dear old James doesn’t care if you partake in a little drink, do you?” Eddie states. When did he get so close to us?
“Even if I did care she gets to do what she wants, man. As long as you're safe about it, go for it,” James says, patting my back and taking one for himself.
I’ve never drank before, but what the hell? James was leaving in just a few weeks now and this might be my only chance to try it. It’s certainly one of my last chances to hang out with everyone like this, at least for a while.
After just 2 cans my tongue had already loosened significantly. Danny and I had been talking and giggling the whole time until he had gotten up to go home since his designated driver was ready to leave.
“So, you and Danny seem pretty close suddenly?” Eddie phrases it like a question, wanting more information on the subject.
Usually I would just hum in what could be taken as agreement or disinterest but my mind was running a little slower than normal.
“Yeah, he and I kinda ran into each other at a party that I kinda crashed with Robin and we ended up, like, kissing and stuff,” I giggled. “But shhhh, don’t tell anyone else.”
Eddie’s eyes widened, but that could have been a trick of the light.
“What, uh, what do you mean by ‘and stuff’?”
“Oh nothing. We just had one teensy tiny kiss because we were playing spin the bottle,” I say, not really thinking about it.
Now I really know my brain is playing tricks on me because for a second I think Eddie looks pleased with this new knowledge that it didn’t really mean anything.
“I feel like we haven’t really talked in a long time. What’s, uh, what’s been up, lately?”
The question itself is awkward, but the way he struggled through it made it even more awkward.
“I’ve been regular old me, Eddie. Nothing new or exciting. Although I did finish a book last night that really threw me through a loop. Oh! Actually there is something exciting! Do you wanna hear it?”
He smiles, “Of course I do, shortcake.”
“Well,” I take another sip of what is now my third beer, “William Gillar and Stacy Johnson have finally graduated!” I let out a squeal.
Eddie just looks at me confused.
“Do you have any idea what this means, Eds? I am finally free of those two asshats for the rest of my high school experience! Isn’t that amazing! I mean, it was easier to ignore this year than last year, but god I am so thrilled! No more mean notes from them calling me a pig in my locker and book bag, I can even finally find a table to sit at for lunch instead of hiding in Mr. Steerwell’s class,” I sigh happily.
“Do you wanna know what else they did? This is so silly! They used to catch me on my walk home from school and steal my library books. How stupid is that? Why would you steal someone’s library books, right? They would run around with it so I would chase after them and then laugh at how my body would jiggle. How funny, right? I am so happy they’re gone, Eds, you have no idea.”
Eddie has his mouth halfway open, anger flaring in his eyes. But that couldn’t be right, why would he care about a couple of high school bullies.
“No, that’s not funny or silly. That’s been going on this whole time? And you didn’t tell anyone? God, why wouldn’t you tell someone, sweetheart? That’s horrible,” he says.
“Meh, it’s just normal high school bully stuff.” I wave my hand in dismissal.
“No, it’s not. Bullying shouldn’t even be considered normal anyway, but what they did to you? That goes far beyond normal, shortcake. I wish you would have said something. You know James and I would’ve taken care of them for you, right?”
“Well, it doesn’t really matter now, does it. It’s too late,” I dismiss him and his misplaced worry. Honestly, it was nothing I couldn’t handle. He must have sensed how much I didn’t want to talk about it anymore because he dropped it.
The night moves quickly after that, people say their goodbyes as James takes over clean up duty, considering I can barely stand up without nearly falling asleep.
“Eddie, will you take her in and make sure she gets into bed okay?” James asks.
That’s how I find myself being semi-dragged up the stairs to my bedroom and thrown on the mattress like a sack of potatoes. I don’t think Eddie was half as rough as my brain made it seem, to be honest.
“Eds?” I whisper looking down at Eddie who’s kneeling by feet, gently taking my shoes off.
“Yeah?”
A couple beats of silence pass where I try to figure out how to word what I’m thinking.
“I forgive you.” His movements stop. “I hope you know that. It’s probably such a silly little thing to even remember but I forgive you for forgetting to dance with me. I probably would have forgotten me, too. And…and I am sorry. I really am, for pushing you away so hard after. It was really stupid of me and I wish I hadn’t. Robin is a good friend, but you’re kind of the closest thing I’ve ever had to a best friend, I think. And I threw that all away over hurt feelings. Puberty, am I right?” I giggle.
“S’ not silly to remember that. And you weren’t being stupid, sweetheart. You were hurt, you were protecting yourself and I don’t blame you for that. I should never have even walked away from you that night, but I did. And I don’t deserve your forgiveness for it,” Eddie says.
More words mumble out of his mouth but none of it registers. Soon the noise stops and I feel Eddie’s warm hands pull my shoes all the way off, pushing my legs onto the bed and turning me to lay comfortably on my stomach.
He must remember that’s my favorite way to sleep.
My mind must really hate me because I swear, right before I fall asleep, I feel lips pressing gently to my forehead while a guitar calloused hand pushes hair away from my eyes.
Of course, that didn’t actually happen because that’s not something Eddie would do. Right? Yeah, he wouldn’t…
~
A timid shake to my shoulder pulls me from my dozing.
“Hey, shortcake, it’s time for you to go in.”
There’s only one person who’s ever called me by that nickname.
“Hm, it’s been a while since you’ve called me that…Eds.”
I don’t know what made me decide to use his nickname. It never seemed right to use it after we drifted so far apart when James left.
Eddie helps pull me to my feet.
‘Hmmm, he’s always been a lot stronger than he looks. I barely even lifted myself up for him.’
“Oh, now you wanna be all friendly again? Using a nickname and everything? What’s this all about, huh?” Eddie says, steadying me with his calloused hands when my legs wobble.
My brows furrow, “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Earlier, when we were in the house. You practically ran away from me. I mean, it’s just that we…we haven’t seen each other since we went into the upside down. I thought maybe,” he lets out a long breath. “Maybe things had changed or something, I guess. I was hoping we could talk about it after we all got out but you’ve been avoiding everyone.”
“And why is that? Why do you think things would have changed Eddie?”
~
“No! No, no, no! Edward Munson, if you cut that rope, so help me god!”
“You know I always love when you use my full name.”
And the bastard cuts the rope.
The next thing I know, he’s out of the trailer doing something entirely too heroic and the exact amount of stupid he always is.
Before I can think I shove Dustin out of the trailer, the one not in the upside down, and send him to go help Lucas.
“No! We need to help him! Can’t you see that he needs help!”
“I know Dustin, I know. That’s why I’m staying here. But I need you to go find Lucas and Erica and check on Max. There are others who still need our help, Henderson. Please, listen to me and go help them.”
I turn back into the trailer before he can disagree again, locking the door to make sure he doesn’t follow. Without second guessing, I jump through the portal, landing somewhat safely on my side.
I manage to find a bike and just a few minutes later I’m riding as fast as I can towards the bat tornado that Eddie stands in the middle of.
“Eddie you dumb jerk, you better not be getting yourself killed!” I scream at the top of my lungs. His eyes catch mine as a look of horror crosses his face.
“Why the hell did you follow me? I specifically told you not to!”
“Yeah, well I specifically told you not to cut the rope!”
We fight off the bats as best we can until they all suddenly drop to the ground.
Eddie and I stand breathing hard, our brains trying to catch up with all of what just happened. Eddie turns to me, a grin beginning to form.
I punch him as hard as I can in the chest. And then I do it again, and then again and again, until I’m pounding my fists against his chest over and over again.
“What the hell?! Honey, stop, you’re gonna hurt yourself!”
I choke on hiccupping sobs as hot tears overflow past my lashes.
“Don’t you ever do something like that again! Ever!”
Eddie grabs my wrists to keep me from hitting him anymore. I keep trying until I realize his hold on me is too strong.
“Princess, you gotta stop. I don’t want to see you hurt anymore, please stop.”
He wraps his arms around me, stroking the back of my hair, pressing soft kisses to my forehead.
“It’s okay, sweetheart, it’s okay. We’re okay, I promise.”
“That was not okay, Eddie. Not okay!” I tell him looking up into his eyes.
“I’m sorry, I really am. But look, we did it!”
He looks down at me thoughtfully. His eyes flit down to my lips. My breath catches.
He couldn’t possibly be…
His lips are on mine. And Eddie Munson is kissing me.
Both of his hands are on the side of my face, rubbing his thumbs softly across the apples of my chubby cheeks.
I pull away, “What do you think you’re doing?”
“Kissing my shortcake,” he says with a smirk while I grimace at the phrase. He laughs at the face I make and kisses me again.
I kiss back harder this time, getting lost in all things Eddie. The way his hair feels soft even despite being so dirty. His lips are somehow minty. He smells like smoke and old books.
My heart soars. This has to be proof, then. Eddie must think of me the way I think of him. I can’t imagine ever kissing someone with this much passion if it didn’t mean something more. I smile into the kiss.
Footsteps sound behind where we stand and Eddie pushes me off of him, placing several feet between us. I look at him confused and hurt by his sudden change in behavior. He refuses to meet my eyes. He even wipes the back of his hand across his mouth, looking straight ahead at Steve, Robin and Nancy appearing in front of us.
Oh.
He’s too embarrassed to let his new friends see him with the big girl? Is that what it is? Does he suddenly regret kissing me? Was it just a heat of the moment type of deal, then? I was the closest human thing, so he settled on me for a little ‘yay the world didn’t end’ kiss?
In my whole life, I don’t think anything has hurt as much as that did.
~
An uncomfortable amount of silence fills the air..
“Things got weird after James left, but you know that. We both felt it, even though we tried to ignore it. Jason started to act like he ran the damn school even though we were friends at one point. I never saw you because we were never at your house anymore. Then I got held back and we basically had every class together. Then I got held back again and you graduated. I missed you. I really, really missed you,” he says the last part quietly. Almost like he was afraid for me to hear it. I hold back a scoff.
“I missed you so much, it’s ridiculous. I just wanted my shortcake back. My sweetheart, my princess, my honey,” he laughs to himself, I stay quiet. “God, I was such a jerk to you growing up. And not because ‘I had a crush on you’ because that’s bullshit, guys shouldn’t be allowed to be mean to girls with the excuse of it being ‘romantic’. I wish I had treated you better, been a little friendlier. I never realized how much you meant to me until your brother’s graduation.”
He takes his eyes away from his feet to glance at me.
“Do you remember that night? It was your first time drinking and you got so sleepy I had to tuck you into bed. You had told me about you and Danny at that party and it made me jealous. I’d never really felt jealous before, certainly not like that at least. It made me realize how deep my feelings for you went.”
I remain silent, partly because I didn’t want to interrupt him when this is the most honest and vulnerable he’s ever been, out of respect, and partly because I was utterly confused and angered by what he was saying and claiming.
“You forgave me for leaving you alone at the dance, even though I never deserved to be forgiven for that. I didn’t even know how badly you were being bullied at school until you told me, that’s not a person who deserves to be forgiven.”
A soft laugh and a pause. “I guess what I’m saying is…is I wish things had, in fact, changed after Vecna. And I know, that’s probably not something you want to hear because I know it’s not the same for you but I figure if you’re not gonna talk to me anyway, I may as well tell you, right?”
He takes a step towards the house but I don’t let him get far.
“What do you mean it’s ‘not the same for me’?”
“Well obviously you’ve been ignoring me since I kissed you so, clearly it wasn’t something you wanted.” He shrugs his shoulders. “And that’s okay. I’m not saying you have to be with me or anything, I’m just saying…I don’t know what I’m saying.”
“I’ve been ignoring you?” I ask, dumbfounded by his idiocy.
“Well, yeah. You haven’t even been answering the walkie.”
“And you think that was because I didn’t want to kiss you? Not because, oh, I don’t know, maybe the fact that the second Nance and the others showed up you shoved me away from you? It couldn’t have been because it was obvious you couldn’t stand the thought of being seen with me?”
Eddie’s face drains of color.
“I can’t help but see now that this is all you think I deserve. A quick kiss when no one can see, right? A little making out before someone can figure who you’re with, huh?”
“No! That is not at all what that was! I can’t believe you would think that. I pushed you away so you wouldn’t be seen with me!” he shouts, cutting me off.
“What?”
“The whole town wanted me for murder! Murder! They thought I was running a cult that killed my friend as a sacrifice! My friend! I didn’t want you to be tied to that anymore than you already were, so I pushed you off before the others could see. If someone, somehow went yapping about a girlfriend of mine and things went sideways when we got out of the upside down, you might have gone down with me and I couldn’t let that happen. I just couldn’t. I was going to tell you all of this as soon as I could but you never let me get the chance, and I see why now. I am so sorry it looked like I was embarrassed to be with you, but that will never be the case with me.”
He takes my face in his hands and looks me directly in the eyes.
“You are single-handedly the most beautiful person I have ever met. Inside and out. You have always cared for me and the old Hellfire Club. Don’t think I didn’t know it was you sending cookies on our campaign nights, even after graduating. I remember when I showed up at your house looking for James because some older kids had taken my lunch money in middle school, little you went after them yourself and did one helluva job doing it. You sat me down and cleaned me up. Gave me peas to put on my forehead.”
It was like a forgotten memory was just pulled up by his words, I did remember that.
“I could never be embarrassed by you, ever. I don’t care what people think. I…I love you. And I love your hair, and I love your eyes, and I love your laugh, and I love your stomach and your thighs, and I love your mind. I love you and I hope you can see it. I hope…I hope you can see me,” he finishes off in a very quiet whisper, tilting his head down and away from my eyes.
I place my hands over his that still hold my face.
“I have always seen you, Eddie Munson. Always.”
His head jolts up to look me in the eyes once more.
“God, Eddie, I’m so sorry. I know you’re not a horrible person, I should have known, I’m so sorry. God, you were literally being hunted for murder and I was crying about you being embarrassed by me? I’m so fucking sorry.”
I shake my head and take a deep breath.
“I love you, I have for so long. I love the way you smile, I love the way you’re not afraid to take up space, I love the way you’re there for Dustin, the way you were there for me countless times. I love you and your horrible music.”
“Hey, now. Watch it.”
I laugh, “I love you and I see you and I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay, it’s okay. You’re forgiven, I promise. You didn’t even really need to apologize in the first place.”
“Yes, I did. Because none of that was fair to you.”
“And none of that was fair to you, shortcake. It’s okay.”
I look at his lips, and that’s all the cue Eddie needs to kiss me. Finally. We put our hearts into it, getting lost in each other. Getting lost in our sudden understandings of the other.
“We’re both really kinda stupid aren’t we? Stupid and oblivious,” I say, chuckling quietly.
“Oh, definitely. I mean, we’ve known each other for, what, at least ten years and we couldn’t figure this out without a bunch of drama?”
“It seems very on brand for you actually, you’ve always been one for the dramatics.”
“I love you.”
“And I love you.”
#eddie munson x female reader#eddie munson x chubby reader#eddie munson x plus size reader#eddie munson x reader#eddie munson#stranger things#eddie munson fluff#eddie munson angst#my boyfriend eddie#my writing
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Written for @hinnymicrofic January 2024, using Prompt 21
Another not-really-very-micro microfic. Oops!
They didn’t know she was watching them, Ginny was sure of that. She was carefully hidden as she was amongst the leafy branches of the biggest apple tree, a climb that she was fairly certain none of them even knew she could manage, but Ginny had spent much of the spring practising, while all the others were away at school. Now, in high summer, she could shimmy up to the very top with no effort at all.
She knew that no one would mind if she left her perch and went to join them, but the thought that she might embarrass herself again left her glued to the branch. It also left her incredibly frustrated that she honestly thought she would scream, if that wouldn’t mean being discovered spying on them all, and if being discovered spying on them all wouldn’t in itself be even more embarrassing.
Instead, Ginny watched with increasing jealousy as her brothers splashed about in the cool water of the pond below. The air around her was still and languid, the heat of the afternoon lingering as day faded into early evening. She felt ridiculously hot and sticky, and the pond looked so very inviting.
Of course, if it had been just her brothers and her father in the pond, then she would definitely be down there too, right in the thick of their games - because she was Ginny Weasley, and no one left her on the sidelines if they knew what was good for her. But it wasn’t just her brothers, was it? No, there was someone else there too, and that someone else was Harry Potter. THE Harry Potter. The Harry Potter about whom Ginny had read so much, the Harry Potter who was the subject of all her most cherished daydreams, the Harry Potter who Ginny was absolutely, definitely, one hundred percent going to marry one day. In her pond. With her brothers.
Of course, it was true that he was… shorter than she had imagined. Skinnier too. Still, Ginny thought, he was very handsome. He had such pretty eyes. The colour definitely reminded her of something, though she wasn’t quite sure what. Ah well, she was sure it would come to her eventually. She liked his hair too. It was so very black and looked so very soft, and she liked the messy way it always stuck up - a little hint of something wild and unruly about him, no matter how polite he was to her mum.
Harry, of course, wasn’t swimming. Instead, he was paddling ankle deep in the shallows, occasionally engaging in splash battles with Ron. Watching him, Ginny was struck yet again by how horribly unfair it all was. What on earth was wrong with her that she couldn’t manage to utter more than a squeak in his presence? She had so many funny, clever and downright cool things that she wanted to say to him, things that she was sure would impress him very much indeed, but her brain seemed to turn to utter mush whenever he was in the same room. Take that very morning as an example - she hadn’t even been able to answer when he asked her a simple question about her Hogwarts letter without humiliating herself. It was, she had to admit, as she examined the grease mark on her elbow for the thousandth time that day, something of a spanner in the works when it came to getting him to realise that she was anything more than Ron’s weird baby sister.
As she watched, Ginny heard a familiar voice hailing her brothers - Dad was home from work. She twisted to look back towards the house, to see him striding towards the pond, also wearing his swimming trunks.
“Now then, Harry!” he said, bracingly, as he arrived at the edge of the pond. “Let’s get started, shall we?”
“Erm… If you’re sure, Mr Weasley,” replied Harry, in a quiet voice. “I don’t want to be any bother.” Ginny thought he sounded extremely nervous, and more than a bit embarrassed.
“Nonsense! Everyone needs to know how to swim. I’ve taught seven kids so far, one more will be no trouble at all!”
Which was entirely true. Ginny couldn’t really remember a time when she couldn’t swim, because her Dad insisted all the kids learn as young as possible, especially with a deep pond being so close to the house. It seemed really strange to her that someone as old as Harry had never learned, and both her parents had found it really shocking that he couldn’t when the subject came up at the dinner table the night before.
It started innocuously enough, with Fred remarking that he hoped the forecast heatwave would last long enough to get in lots of swims. Ron then excitedly asked Harry if he had any trunks with him, and Harry had blushed deep beetroot, looking down at the table as he admitted he wouldn’t be able to join them.
Mr Weasley asked a few questions just to make sure he had understood correctly, then spent some time spluttering things like ‘basic life skill, even for muggles’, ‘dereliction of duty’ and ‘downright unsafe’, before briskly announcing that he’d be teaching Harry himself. Harry, of course, tried to argue, but Mrs Weasley had rustled up a pair of trunks that probably originally belonged to Bill (because frankly, every item of clothing in the house originally belonged to Bill), before she’d even cleared up the dessert plates.
She watched as her father supported Harry as he got into the pond, encouraging him to put his face in the water and blow bubbles, then supporting him as he tried floating and kicking his legs.
Eventually, her father clearly decided his student was ready for the next stage. “Right then, Harry! Just give it a try!” he declared.
“Okay, Mr Weasley.” Ginny thought Harry looked utterly terrified at the prospect, but he took a deep breath, and his features settled into a resolute expression. He hurled himself forward into the water, wheeling his arms and kicking his legs in a tidal wave of splashes that landed straight in her father’s face. Then he sank like a stone.
Ginny gasped as Harry disappeared below the water, but of course her father plucked him from under the surface only moments later. Harry was red faced and spluttering, with both water and apologies, but her father had only kind reassurances for him. Harry took a moment to compose himself, before striking off for a second time, with much the same results. Again and again he tried, listening carefully to Ginny’s father between each attempt. Gradually, his arm movements became more deliberate, and his kicks became more controlled, but it only seemed to extend the length of time between sinkings.
Just then, Ginny heard her mother’s voice boom through the trees, carried by a particularly shrill Sonorus charm. “Arthur! Boys! Dinner’s nearly ready! Bring Ginny with you if she’s out there - I can’t find her anywhere!”
With the promise of food imminent, Ginny’s brothers stormed from the pond towards the house. Meanwhile, her father gave Harry an encouraging smile, as he conjured a pair of well-worn towels.
“Come on, Harry, let’s call it a day for now,” he said, slinging a towel around Harry’s shoulders. “We’ll try again tomorrow. I’m sure you’ll crack it by the end of the week.”
Harry’s thin features were set with determination as the pair of them followed Ginny’s brothers back to the house. “Thanks, Mr Weasley. I’ll try my hardest.”
Once they had left, Ginny dropped casually from branch to branch and then down to the ground below. As she ambled across the orchard back to the house, her head was buzzing with what she had just seen. Harry had been so nervous to start with, but he had set about his task with impressive tenacity nonetheless. Well, Ginny was nothing if not tenacious too. If Harry could learn to swim, surely Ginny could manage something as inconsequential as speaking in front of him. She could start small, just like putting her head underwater, just like blowing bubbles. Just a couple of words in his presence, and not even to him - to her Mum, maybe, or the twins. Perhaps she wouldn’t manage the first time, but that didn’t mean giving up. She would just try again. And eventually, she was sure, it would all be worth it. One day.
#hinny microfic#harry potter#ginny weasley#hinny#harry x ginny#harry potter fanfiction#I appear to be dreaming of summer already
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What would you write if DC hired you to make a tempest/garth comic? What would be the genre, mood, setting, etc? Would it be plot focused or lore focused?
Hoo boy, this is a fun question! I'll be honest, there are just about a billion different stories that I would absolutely LOVE to write for Garth. He works perfectly in ensemble casts, has such a wide variety of powers and functions, and is fantastic at being the balance to a lot of more hot-headed characters. I also think he works well in introspective works and duo comics. At the end of the day, if played right, I think he could work in just about any story you plop him into.
This is why I have such a difficult time narrowing down just what I'd like to write for DC if asked. But I narrowed it down to three options. I think there are some other Garth fans who have similar-ish ideas (go figure people obsessed with the same character would have some overlapping opinions, hey!), so I'm sorry for anything that sounds redundant.
(1) The first and most challenging thing I'd have to deal with is what to do with the N52 and Rebirth stuff. Since DC isn't at a full reboot point currently, I doubt I'd be allowed to toss out everything from Rebirth… even if I REALLY want to. So I suppose I'd try to do my best to find a way to roll it in without affecting the pre-flashpoint canon. That is a difficult task, and the only way I can really think to remedy it is,, uh… false or altered memories.
I hate doing that kind of stuff, but I swear it would be necessary in this case. Ideally, I wouldn't have to do any of this crap and we could just re-instate old canon fully, but that probably wouldn't happen. Using this, we might be able to work backward in terms of lore for Garth and then move forward once that settles. Utilizing the vague hand-wave-y merging of things due to Dark Crisis, we could give Garth some of his old memories back but still have a whole bunch of things that are purposely left blank for him to go discover. Maybe some things that he thought were his reality suddenly aren't. At least, he can't find any evidence of that being the case. But what he does find are things that keep leading him back into what the old lore established. He could re-meet people he used to know that have been currently written out of canon (BRING BACK LETIFOS, PLEASE) and uncover his full self, as well as all the things that went down before.
I think this series might start out as a solo, but rather soon it would add other cast members. Or a rotating cast, depending on where he needs to go to figure things out. I prefer when Garth has other people to play off of, so these other members would also receive a lot of story and progression.
This wouldn't be played out as a detective thing, however. As cute as Garth would look wearing a detective's hat, that isn't really his thing. This story would take on a bit of a high fantasy, thriller, mystery… horror vibe? It would both re-establish and elaborate on his personal lore regarding Shayeris and Atlantis as a whole, and then go even further and have the story be a vehicle for explaining and adding a lot of extremely cool Atlantean lore.
I feel that this might take on a bit of a… ah what's it called,, Week by Week format?? Loosely, however. I don't need every issue to be a self contained story (although some would be!) But essentially each story is slightly more self contained, but it still builds on the last story (unless it's a multi issue arc!) And then culminates into some sort of big moment that has ripple effects throughout the rest of the DC universe.
The vibe for this would change a little bit depending on the location he's currently in/who the current rotational characters are, but mostly, I'd go for something a little spooky and mysterious. There's danger on the horizon, and you keep swimming closer to it.
(2) My second idea is also in the vein of working backward. I'm a HUGE fan of prequels and things that fit neatly into blank spots in canon. This is why I think it would be great if I could go back and elaborate on Garth's backstory. There's only been… one canon(ish) attempt at combining the pre and post crisis backstories for Garth (found within Devin Grayson's "Inheritance."). She brings up the idea of combo canons in a similar way to what I have described, where it's a little wishy-washy and false memories-like. But it's also not what I'd ideally do.
On a personal level, I love the "feral child" idea. I'm am a huge fan of the survival genre, and so the whole thought of living alone at the bottom of the ocean and fending for oneself appeals to me greatly! I do not care if that's not realistic to how irl feral children work. I will make it work here.
The whole point of this series would be to be a mirror series to Tempest (1996). It would also be a four issue mini-series that establishes the early groundwork for Garth's story later on. In this, the post-crisis backstory remains largely untouched. He was abandoned to die of exposure as a baby because of his purple eyes. In this version, Atlan would indeed be pulling strings from the shadows and causing certain things to happen or not to happen. Essentially, making sure Garth lives while otherwise allowing him to be a feral child. He might interject random bits of knowledge/influence into Garth's brain as he sees fit to lead him to where he wants him to be later on. However, unlike Devin's version, I want Garth to have (or regain if we are working with the story I mentioned above), as many memories from this part of his life as possible. Different people remember different amounts of their childhood based on a variety of factors, and this often includes how well they are able to communicate with others. I, personally, can remember just about every major event since I was two years old. For Garth, this could be incredibly different considering his only mode of communication was telepathy with fish. Regardless, I think it would be SUPER interesting if he COULD remember this part of his life to a degree. I love the thought of him having emotional guilt later down the line for scavenging already dead fish or other sea life (as I don't believe he'd eat them after he became aware of the morality surrounding it), and carrying that with him. I also want some very tense moments where he is put in very dangerous situations that make you question if he'll survive (even though you technically know he will.) This could be a way to add back in his fear of fish as well if it's due to a traumatic experience with one/a school of them.
I want this whole time period to be very physical. As I said, I LOVE the survival genre, so exploring the different situations he could have ended up in alongside the mystical, otherworldly elements would be something I would adore writing about!
Overarchingly, this would also be very lore focused, and the vibe would be… desolate. I want it to feel lonely, isolating, and frightening.
(3) Pulling away from the aqua-genre a little bit, I'd love to write a story that is more firmly planted on the surface-world for Garth to be a part of. As I said earlier in this post, Garth has the potential to fit into multiple different places, and I don't think he should be relegated to only things to do with the underwater world. His relationship with the Titans is incredibly important and definitely should not be ignored. This is his most firm connection to things on land, but I wouldn't be against branching out into things such as JLD either!
That said, I think that it would be so much fun to write something for him that expands on those already existing relationships he has with the Titans.
I don't want to say TOO much about it since, well, I am currently writing something using this as a concept, but the general idea behind it is to take already existing relationships he has and expand upon them. If you are already familiar with Garth, you know how important the Titans are to him, …and how unimportant he is to the Titans.
Okay, this is only half true, as Garth does consider these people some of the most important people in his life-- and he is one of the three founding members of the team-- but the unfortunate fact is that they don't consider him nearly as important as he considers them. There's a lot of love and nostalgia, but his relationships to many of them are not very well expanded on simply because he wasn't there for the relationships to develop further.
So, personally, I'd LOVE to see an expansion upon one or more of these relationships he has formed through the team. To do this, I'd really love to see a duo comic. Garth may not work long-term as THE main character, but I think he could be fantastic as a part of a duo. This allows him to have someone to play off of. In my personal version of this, I have him playing off of Roy.
As many know, Roy and Garth have a tumultuous relationship. There are so many misconceptions and misunderstandings between the two of them. They clash in such an interesting way. In some ways, they both think that the other hates them. But this isn't true. (This already isn't as intense of a feeling as they've had in the past, but using the residual hurts could be a great jumping off point.) They have a relationship that COULD evolve, if only they took the time to talk and learn more about each other. This is precisely where I would love to start writing and add to that whole concept. People who are "friends," but… barely friends. People who have such a complex shared history and yet know so little about each other. People who are SO important to each other but unintentionally push one another away. I want the opportunity to expand on it.
In my fic, the two of them end up working together on accident. It's situational. Something that may not have happened if even a moment was missed.
Basically, I would love for it to be a fun duo adventure where plot, lore, and emotional storytelling combine into a unique narrative that helps progress the characters to a really interesting future point while also incorporating all of the important things from their pasts.
As I said, I don't want to spoil things too much. But the vibes are more action-adventure-y. It would mix a lot of physical and mystical elements and rely on flipping the tone back and forth between emotionally heavy, silly, suspenseful, and urgent.
Basically, I want to figure out a way to have fun with the current version of Garth. I think that SO many of the previous things NEED to be reinstated (and most of the current stuff needs to be tossed out), but at the same time, I want to figure out a way to use what's there to my advantage. It's difficult and not always my favorite, but I still think there is potential!
So uhhh, yeah.. that's what I would do if I had to take things from their current point and create some stories. Sorry for how long this got lol 😅
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To Trust
Akaashi x Reader
Anything that can go wrong today went absolutely wrong. First you were late for school, next you forgot to bring the materials needed for your experiments, then your group had to improvise for the presentation, later on your name was called during class recitation, lastly you failed the quiz you thought you studied so far for. Moreover exams are less than a week away and you haven’t begun studying for it yet. Exhausted and filled with frustrations you weren’t able to carry yourself well for the day and you told your friends in advance just in case you blow up at them without any reason. You decided to spend some time alone and took a walk at the garden in school, earphones on and volume at the highest level trying to drown out the worries that try and scratch at your neck.
Your boyfriend has been worried since this morning and consulted your friends about your well-being.
“Ah, we don’t think they want to be disturbed at the moment. But if you’re interested she’s at the garden near the old building.
“Good luck Akaashi-kun.”
“Cheer them up for us alright.”
“You better make sure they don’t cry.”
Your friends encouraged him to comfort you seeing as to how you weren’t having a good day. They couldn’t even bring your spirits up so for now they’ll have to rely on your boyfriend to help you take on the next steps. He thanks them with a bow and walks away with a steady pace, taking his time to think about the words to help you get better.
You were sitting at a bench near the pond, watching the fish swim here and there in this hot summer air. Not really having the time of your life you wished there was somewhere you could lay on. You stretch your arms as you let out a yawn when your hand hit something behind you, scared as to what it may be you immediately turn in horror followed by relief at having realized who it was.
“That scared me you bastard, try and give me a warning will you.” You pout at him while he chuckles and sits by your side.
“I’m ready whenever you are.” A safe word you both established at the beginning of your relationship, a phrase meant to signal that something’s wrong and we should talk about it.
“Can you scooch over a bit, I wanna lay down.”
He does as you say and started playing with your hair as you laid down.
“Ready as I’ll ever be.” The response meant to indicate that you were ready to talk about the problem at hand. He gently pat your head with a smile as he gives you a nod in order to start.
You tell him about how your day was going horribly as it can, feeling angry at yourself for being irresponsible and underprepared acting as if time revolved around you. You mentioned how you were feeling quite disappointed at how seemingly arrogant you’ve become not even studying well just because you got a few good grades and how it feels weird to think about the development that you were going through.
Akaashi was actually worried about not being able to comfort you, but hearing about it first hand from you made him glad that it wasn’t much worse than it was. With a gentle kiss on your forehead he starts with his words.
“You know, before we got together one of the qualities that I have always admired about you was your tenacity. That no matter what came your way or how the situation turns against you, you always seem to turn the tables.”
“But what does that have to do with anything today.” You answer with your hands crossed over your chest, he just laughs softly and continues on his words.
“I trust in you, I trust in the ‘you’that I have seen those days and the ‘you’ that is here with me today.”
“Your point? It’s not making any sense.”
“I’m sorry my words are slipping. What I meant was that I trust in the you that has persevered all those yours and that that version of you is still standing here. It might feel like today was a series of failure and it might have been but did you make it? Yes, yes you did. Even with the limited amount of time and resources given to you, you’ve made it this far. And that low score on the quiz, that wasn’t even the lowest you ever got.” He gently flicks your forehead.
“So don’t be too hard on yourself and be a little bit gentler. Because you are doing well and you’ve done your part. And that is enough reason for you to stop worrying too much.” He ends his speech as he gazes off the distance, reminiscing of the days when he saw you at your best and worst. With your head still at his lap, you reach out your arms and cup his face in your hands.
“Is that why you always say ‘I trust you’ everyday instead of telling me you love me, ‘Kaashi?” You ask with a cheerful face.
“Of course, because I have to always remind you that someone trust in you so you should trust in yourself a bit more.” He caresses your hand that is on his cheek and gives them a gentle kiss. He pulls you up and helps you fix your hair.
“Now let’s go back to your friends before they start complaining about me stealing you away from them.”
You laugh at his remark as you follow in his steps, forgetting about today and going on your way.
“I really needed that you know. Thank you ‘Kaashi.”
“Then I’ll be in your hands when trouble befalls me too.” He jokes as he walks by your side.
“Sure thing, I’ll make sure you cry due to my generosity and kindness.” You answer sarcastically to which you both get a good laugh before you finally exit the garden.
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Just as the sun sets
Arven x male reader romantic fluff
FIRST FAN FIC POST 😰😰
……….
A long walk back from titan hunting, reader and arven look for a place to set up camp, both are tired which leads to a relaxing night which just keeps getting better by the second.
……….
User goes by first person pronouns (i,me,we,myself) and he/him, reasoning for such is i don’t see a lot of male reader writes, if anyone wants it i’m open to switching out for gn pronouns. Arven calls reader little buddy and bud, reader has a small stature compared to Arvens taller figure.
Reader cooking, shy Arven, hopeless and cringe romance, slow moving fic, First person pov, slight use of swear words, VERY SLIGHT suggestive themes emphasis on very slight, crushing, silent confession, sharing sleeping bag?, cuddles, undefined relationship
ps this ended up way longer than i intended.
alternating pov - Arven ➡️ reader
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why does the way the sun pollutes his eyes, the way he squints as we walk foward in the forest, and the way he looks back at me with wide eyes since i walk opposite the sun, why does it make me feel so… crazy? happy? insane? … arceus now my face is just red.
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I looked back at Arven, squinting hard barely able to see. Is he okay? his face is all red, probably sun burned because he didn’t let me put an extra layer of sunscreen on his sensitive face. Either that or an allergic reaction to the herba mystica that he cooked with earlier which ended up spraying him in the eyes and making him cry like he was cutting onions.
I raised my eyebrows opening my eyes wide and letting them relax at the sight of Arven, looking back at him and away from the sun gave my eye’s temporary relief as the world came back into view. Varying bird pokémon chirped at us from the swaying trees as we passed and the wind kept blowing Arven’s bangs from his face, which he always pushed back down, The sun was really attacking me now as it was threatening to set behind the mountains before we made it to camp. You could even hear feint chiming music playing from the sky begging us to settle in for the night. Our leading pokémon had started the walk with us but all ended up tapping out and returning to their balls like ‘raidon about halfway along the trail. Now it was just us, legs tired, hot, eyes burned, and about to collapse on the ground, Thankfully we haven’t yet.
“Picnic break?” Arven chimes from behind me, “for desert this time, you can cook…”
he knew my weakness, letting me make desert after a whole day of assisting his sandwich making.
“you got me there, deal.” I grin back at him, before tripping weirdly as i stopped the walking pace, standing felt like getting out of water after swimming for awhile and still feel like floating, except it felt like the world was still moving past us. I longed to keep going to camp, but knew a break was probably best.
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I set down my back pack, the wind was finally settling after being over the top annoying and messing up my hair over and over and over again. The sun and sky were orange which signified that we would probably end up walking into the night, but i had full confidence it would be worth it since my little buddy made an absolutely to die for desert.
He was unpacking a picnic blanket from my backpack and rolling it out onto the even grass, both of us pulling it back up and tugging from the corners to straighten it out. Sadly we went from walking in silence to setting up in silence, and honestly the nature noises were deafening, it made me feel like he could sense my thoughts and that it made him think i was actually crazy for staring into his eyes like that earlier. I don’t know why i’m like this, it’s like i’ve never ever had a friend before with the way i’m acting…. which at this point might even be true.
I caught sight of a yellow flower beneath the tarp as I readjusted it just one more time and panicked thinking we had set up right on top of a floette, thankfully we hadn’t and i glanced apon a bright yellow dandelion. I plucked it and held it up to the setting sun seeing them match up before i pushed it into the water bottle pocket of my bag letting it stick out.
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Arven was starting to freak me out. He’s been silent this whole time and continuing to shoot me short glances before realizing he pinned his hair behind his ear as he quickly pushes it back infront of his face. It was funny seeing him experience this inner turmoil with himself and i was dying to know what was going on inside his head. He clearly wasn’t upset though, i caught him smiling to himself as a plucked a small flower from the grass. If he wanted time in silence, he’s get time in silence. And by silence i mean without direct conversation because there’s absolutely nothing stopping me from playing a little music while horribly singing and dancing to it.
I had my rotom phone float around us while playing popular upbeat songs, this caught Arven by suprise as he almost drops the plates and spoons when rotom swerves by him. He just stared back at me, face red again. What’s embarrassing him really?
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In the middle of silence his rotom phone speeds by my face playing the singing voice of a women that i cant quite pinpoint. I was zoning out while overthinking my obsession with why i’m acting this way towards my best friend and was extremely embarrassed when i almost shattered every single plate we had. Which for some reason were glass instead of plastic because i thought they’d be nice to have tonight.
I was watching my bud dance with one hand in the air as he used the other to pick up prepared cakes and frosting, followed by fruit. He was yelling out the lyrics which he did not know at all, but still he refrained from directly talking to me.
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It was time for me to prepare my dish now. Arven finally set down plates and utensils, and i had gotten all my foods ready.
I started by slicing prepared mini vanilla cakes into three slices each, followed by thinly slicing the assorted fruits (mostly pecha berries) into half circles. I was about ready to put the easy sweet together but took a moment to stop swaying my hips to the music and to put down the knife to invite Arven over. His silence is over for now, desert is ready.
“Arven, unless you’re having an interesting conversation with the setting sun right now, i have something for you.”
He rolled his eyes hurrying over to me, which i then handed him a spoon and plopped a bit of whipped cream i had made earlier in the day onto it.
“Just taste a bit, i’m not sure if it survived the walk since it looks a bit flat and i trust your judgment.”
“if you insist.” He replied before popping the whole thing into his mouth and closing his eyes. His face reddened more, arceus i hope he’s not having an allergic reaction to this too.
Before he responded with his rating on the frosting i looked at him and studied his face more. I could feel my face reddening too, why did he look so perfect with his face flushed, with his bangs thrown back again which he had yet to notice and which i don’t plan on telling him about. Shit this is not happening, i can feel my heart in my chest, i hadn’t spoken to him the whole walk, and i really haven’t gotten to look at him this close all day, why was he being distant? I wanted to see him closely more often. The music was muted in my head, i was so focused i can even see the scab on his forehead from when a flying pokémon skimmed his head last week.
“ten out of ten and perfection, i don’t think it lost anything from the walk.”
“huh?”
“The whipped cream…?”
Shit i was lost.
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Even though i closed my eyes i could feel him examining my face. He could definitely see i was red, and the redness just wouldn’t go away. Something about this whole day has felt different, and i think i’m starting to discover the reason why.
As always, his desert was timeless and perfect and it wasn’t even done, he had just had me taste the whip cream.
“ten out of ten and perfection, i don’t think it lost anything from the walk.” I state, opening my eyes to a world slightly darker than earlier, it felt odd speaking to him but also nice after i’d been holding back all day.
“huh?” He had a dazed look on his face, hopeful thinking would make me feel like he was experiencing similar thoughts to mine but i really don’t think i have much of that mind set left.
“The whipped cream…” i replied, chuckling to myself but eventually the chuckle made me want to gag myself with the spoon seeing my buds face redden even more.
“crap yeah yeah i got lost for a second, thanks for testing it even if you could’ve died from food poisoning.”
I stood behind him now, watching over his shoulder as he assembled cakes onto the plates. A layer of cake, cream, fruit, repeat. He did this three times for both our cakes before he did the same for our pokémon in smaller portions and in bowls.
Somehow the sun has still stayed in the sky, i notice as i release my pokémon to the picnic area and watch as my bud swats at his phone in the sky. legs tired i finally flop down onto the ground laying all the way down and just looking up to the orange sky shaded by overhanging green trees.
A second figure joins sitting up next to me on the blanket and just placing a plate on top of my torso. I look sideways to see my friend lowering his phone volume and picking up a fork.
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i honestly have no idea how the music got so loud, i panicked as i sat down and heard the high volume. I made sure it was quiet because Arven quiet honestly looked exhausted, i’m also really starting to think he actually is sunburned at it wasn’t him being flustered.
A quick breeze rushed in pushing me back slightly and pulling loud tattering noises from the surrounding trees.
Arven pushes himself up from the ground after moving his plate. I see his bangs away from his face again and he goes to push them infront of his eye again.
“Hey you should keep it there, it’s nice seeing your face.” I say shyly with a grin, blushing so slightly that i actually dont notice i was blushing until i get a reaction from him.
“Wow i knew it, you’ve just been so obsessed with looking at both of my eyes today then haven’t you.” He exclaims probably louder than he meant to, but dear arceus it made my thoughts worse. He ended off with a low chuckle and i honestly can’t put up with this. By this i mean this feeling that i might want to mean more than just a travel buddy or best friend, and maybe the fact that he wants that too.
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This time we weren’t sitting in silence. He turned up his music volume again and we ate our cakes alongside our pokémon. He kept pointing out when he saw a rufflet pass in the sky which brought up a phantom stinging on the scab present on my forehead. I will admit, i’d never thought my hair was that threatening to a small bird pokémon, and i geuss my little buddy had to remind me about it day and night since one swooped down to interrupt a previous walk.
We finished eating quickly so we could return to the walk and find a place to sleep for the night before dark.
We started to pack up just as quickly as we unpacked, except a few of our larger pokémon stayed to help out. Before i pulled my bag up and onto my bag i pulled my water bottle from its pocket and handed it to my bud, as he seemed especially parched, he denied the drink but i insisted, seriously now his face was as red as mine, i think he needed it. I watched as he looked up sipping from my water, why did watching him this way feel different, watching him at all today felt different. a thought i’ve been pushing down for weeks maybe even months now pushing its way back to the front of my brain. I don’t want him to just be my little buddy, or my best friend.
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Handing back Arvens water, i watch as he whistles and rounds up the remainder of his pokémon while heaving his bag back onto him. I see dropped on the floor the yellow flower he picked from earlier. After staring at it for a second I kneel to pick it up from the patch of grass smushed by his heavy bag. And continuing our walk we go conversing about the most random things we can think of, just wanting to hear eachothers voice. A slight flirting occurs back and forth but i could honestly be making this feeling up.
The walk doesn’t last much longer, just under 30 minutes as we settle down under a safety checked overhanging cliff. It hung low to the ground and shaped a corner with surrounding rocks, creating a cosy cave home like corner.
The sky shines a glowing pink over our camp area as it rapidly falls to the ground.
I start setting out some lanterns to keep the light when the sun fully sets. Due to the pokédex, we should be safe here from any hostile pokémon. The swaying trees also aren’t as loud here and arven isn’t being antagonized by birds, so i’d say it’s the perfect spot.
“Tent and sleeping bags or just sleeping bags?” Arven taps me on the shoulder to ask. I take a moment to think about what would be more beautiful for the site, less about warmth honesty.
“I think we can get away with just the sleeping bags tonight, we found a perfect spot and i think it would be relaxing.”
“Oh thank arceus i was honestly not up to wrestling the tent tonight.”
“works out for us both then, i just want to be able to see outside.”
Arven reaches into his bag to get out our two sleeping bags. And by two sleeping bags i mean sleeping bag. Arven has packed one sleeping bag.
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Well that’s that.
“I can settle for laying on mabosstiff.” I say after a long pause as we just look at the lonely roll of cushion. “i’ll be fine i don’t want you sleeping on the raw stone floor.”
The wind stopped blowing as if it was listening to us work this out.
“well yeah you act like i’ll let YOU sleep on the floor, mabosstiff or not.”
Another even longer pause.
We both go to speak again but just talk over each other and pause again. Rotom pauses the music.
“How about we share it?” I propose quietly.
I look down at my bud and see him staring up at me, red face wide eyes and he makes my face end up looking exactly the same.
“Well, sure fine but kick me out in the middle of the night if you need, i understand it’s like your sleeping bag.” He says rubbing at the back of his neck, which is also flushed pink.
“Yeah i wouldn’t do that even if i needed to pull the sleeping bag over my head to hide from a rufflet.” I hear him snort loudly in an amused laughing tone, like he was holding in a laugh and it forced its way out of his nose.
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We agreed to share the one sleeping bag we packed, which honestly is my fault since Arven remembered his and i didn’t, but whatever works. We stripped of our jackets and vests, plopping down the bag, and turning off all the lanterns except one right by our bed for the night. We stayed in our day clothes since they consisted of baggy button ups, and we both opted for solid color sweats and shorts, we were dressed for the night.
Finally here we were. Arven layed down first on his side opposite the zipper and gestured me to hop in. Honestly i was reluctant, so many feelings were brought up today that i wasn’t sure i would make it through the night without exploding into a bunch of little pieces. I’ll manage.
I plopped down right next to him, my back to the zipper and facing him. Honestly we had more room than i anticipa-
He wrapped his arm around my torso and pulled me in as he reached for the zipper behind me.
“shi-“
“what? sorry are you okay did the zip pinch you?.”
“shit no no it’s fine it just kinda… idk closed in the space.”
He noticed his arm was wrapped around my lower back and he quickly let go, i saw his face go red. Maybe i haven’t been making up the fact that he might want more too.
In a time of awkwardness i dove my sky facing hand into my pocket. In it i actually felt something, and i pulled it out. It was the yellow flower from earlier, somehow it’s not smushed and still bright yellow. I just looked up at Arven, and by looked up i mean looked up, i was just about reaching his chest in this sleeping bag that i could suffocate if i leaned foward in the wrong way.
Ignoring that possibility, and also ignoring the fact that he was taller than me made me extremely flustered, i reached my hand up and just put the flower behind his exposed ear and pinned his bangs back with it. I think he could be right about me being obsessed with seeing both his eyes.
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Closing my eyes so i could safe myself from saying anything stupid was interrupted when i felt a hand come up and push the hair out of my face and pin something behind my ear. I opened my eyes again to see his eyes wide looking up into mine, this time they glowed with the lantern light instead of the blinding sun, and they looked up at me wondrously. I feel like neither of us have stopped being unhealthily red since we set off on this quest but i’m seeing the reason. We looked at eachothers eyes in the same way, more than just eye contact, we saw each other in those eyes, and we wanted to be able to see more than just a buddy there.
I reached up to touch what was pinning my hair up,
“Is that the-?”
“yeah, it fell out of your bag when you grabbed the water, it’s uhm… it’s really pretty.”
“this is going to sound stupid but if reminded me of the way the sun reflected in your eyes earlier, when the sun was extra bright. It looked like a bloom of yellow.”
I don’t know why i said that, why did i say that?
“I- you cant just say that and-“ He started, but he just burying his face in his hands.
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Dear Arceus- Arven has absolutely the stupidest way to say things that are so absolutely flirty in the most unintentional way. Or maybe it was intentional- all i know was that as i buried my face into my hands, i felt him grab me by the waist again and pull me up closer to his face.
With a slight hesitation i wrapped my arms around him and pulled myself into the crook of his neck. I heard him gasp in my arms before he wrapped his arms around my lower back intentionally this time.
This time there was a comfortable and wanted silence. We layed there in eachothers arms absolutely exhausted from the excessive walking. Rotom never unpaused the music, the harsh wind never continued, and thankfully we were not antagonized by any bird pokémon at all. The world was silent besides our in sync breathing, our hand rubbing against eachothers bodies and faces comfortably.
It felt right this time, we felt right.
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if you read this far… thank you!
I really enjoyed this write, and i hope other people do too. I wanted the end to keep you thinking and imagining, the story isn’t over.
Also if anything was missing of didn’t make sense then it didn’t copy paste correctly from my notes and i apologize 🙏
#Pokemon Arven x Reader#arven pokemon#fanfic#pokemon#pokemon fanfiction#arven fanfic#arven x reader#arven x male reader#first post#requests open#lgbtqia#ao3 writer#fanfic writer
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"Swimming Lessons."
Taking place within the "Of Heartaches and Headaches Universe."
One shot #1
Thank you, as always, to @halogenrobotics for editing this and giving me a plot outline. I couldn't have done it without you :D!!
--
Vanessa groaned, using her hands to fan herself. It was the middle of summer, and in true Utah fashion, it was absolutely sweltering. And because her luck was nonexistent, her A/C had stopped working. She'd put a work order in for her landlord to fix it, but knowing him, it’d be fixed in time for Christmas.
Gregory was sprawled on the floor. Crayons and coloring book forgotten, because of the heat. “It’s soooo hot!” He whined, and Vanessa felt guilty. She’d heard that little kids were more susceptible to the heat.
“Sorry, kiddo. It’s a heatwave. Hopefully it won’t last forever. I can text Luis and see if he’ll let us crash at his place.” Vanessa stared at her phone. Luis was working a double shift today, and she would really hate to bother him. But staying in this heat was dangerous…
A thought popped into her head. “Hey, Greg?”
“Hm?”
“Do you wanna go to the pool?” She couldn’t remember the last time she went swimming. A year ago? Two?
Gregory didn’t respond, and for a minute Vanessa thought he’d gone to sleep. “Greg?” She nudged him with her foot. “Still awake?”
He sat up. “I can’t go.” Gregory pouted.
“Why not? Is there a height requirement that I’m unaware of?” Vanessa said it jokingly, but she wondered if there was some universal rule about bringing preschoolers to the pool. She was still relatively new to this mom-ing thing. She wished Maria left a book of instructions before she moved on. Maybe she could call-
Gregory burst into tears, startling her back into the present. “I can’t swim!” He wailed.
Vanessa processed his words. “That’s okay,” She murmured.
He sniffled, wiping his eyes. “But I…I can’t go to the pool. And-and it’s sooo hot!”
She slid off the couch, sitting on her knees in front of Gregory. She patted him on the head. “Then, I’ll just have to teach you.”
“Teach me?”
“Yep, being able to swim is an important life skill.”
“So, I can go to the pool?”
Vanessa chuckled, messing up his hair. He made a face at the gesture, reaching up to grab at her hand. “Of course, I wouldn’t be a very good mom if I didn’t. Now, would I?”
Gregory pursed his lips together, eyes getting an oddly serious look in them. He seemed to think it over for a few seconds, shaking his head in agreement.
“Good,” Vanessa said, getting to her feet. She holds a hand out for Gregory. “Now, let’s get changed, and get to the pool before we melt.”
-x-x-x-
The pool was surprisingly empty, but that might have something to do with the fact that a newer pool just opened a block away. The lifeguard waved at them - probably excited to have something to do. Gregory waved excitedly back.
Vanessa put their stuff on one of the many available lawn chairs. She sat down, motioning Gregory over to her. “Sunscreen,” she said. He scrunched his nose, but skipped over nonetheless.
It’s a good thing that she bought Gregory a swimsuit a few weeks back. The Pizzaplex had a sale, and the pair of Freddy swim trunks with a matching swim t-shirt they had was too cute to pass up. The smile the outfit earned from Gregory was well worth the temporary blow to her wallet.
Her own swimsuit was a one piece she’d had for several years. Actually, Vanessa might have “stolen” this swimsuit from her mother’s closet as one final act of revenge. Oh, well.
She guided Gregory to the shallow end of the pool. “Now, it’s going to be a little cold. But it shouldn’t last.” Eager to cool down, Vanessa practically skipped the steps into the pool and hops right in.
Gregory eyed the water with a nervous expression. He stood on the top step, kicking at the water.
“It’s okay,” Vanessa said, wading through the water and reaching her hands out. “You can reach this part. No swimming required yet.”
Gregory seemed to consider her words, taking another step into the pool. And another and another, until he was on the final step. The water reaches his naval, and he muttered something about it being too cold.
“Good job!” Vanessa complimented, taking his hands. “First part done.”
“What’s next?” He asks.
Vanessa moved back a little. “Keep walking forward until you can’t anymore.” She made sure to have her arms outstretched just in case she had to save him from going under.
Gregory looked less than pleased with that answer, staring at the water like it offended him. “Okay,” he whispered. He walked forward, arms reaching towards Vanessa’s.
He stopped suddenly. The water now reached his collarbones. They’d barely moved five inches from the steps. Vanessa smiles encouragingly at him. “Would you like to try floating?”
“Floating?” He asked.
“Mhm, floating is when you lie on your back.”
A crease formed between his eyebrows. “No swimming?”
“No swimming,” Vanessa confirmed.
“O-kay.”
She helped him onto his back. Gregory startled a little, cool water tickling his ears. “It’s okay, it’s okay. I’m right here.”
He calmed down, trusting her to keep him afloat. She placed her hands under his back, supporting him. Slowly (very, very slowly) Vanessa removed them. Gregory remained floating. “You’re floating all by yourself, Greg.”
His eyes shot open. “Huh!? Really!?” He shouted, ears still submerged under water. She nodded.
Gregory smiles widely. “I’m doing it! I’m doing it!
Vanessa allowed him to bask in his newfound ability. Sometimes she wished she could find joy in the mundane. That childish glee that followed a brand new discovery. A few inches away, Gregory giggled, lightly smacking the surface of the water. But this, Vanessa thought to herself, is just as good. Better even.
Eventually, Gregory grew tired of floating. He grabbed at her, trying to reorient himself. Vanessa kept a firm grip on him, as they’d drifted closer to the deep end of the pool. “Ready for step two?” She asks.
He tilted his head. “Step two? That…that wasn’t it?”
“Nope.”
Gregory clung to her like a baby Koala, or perhaps a boa constrictor (no matter how much she tried to distance herself, he just tightened his hold. Tiny limbs squeeze the life out of Vanessa). He shook his head frantically. “Nuh, uh!”
“Come on, please. You’ve already done part one.”
Gregory quirked an eyebrow, pulling away from Vanessa to eye her. “So?” For someone so sweet and innocent, it never ceased to amaze her how sassy he really was. Vanessa supposes she should be grateful that the little boy she found in an alley was finally showcasing his personality (and she is), but sometimes….
“Can you at least try? I promise I won’t let anything happen to you.”
Gregory stared at her with watery eyes. “Mama ‘Nessa. I…I can’t.”
It takes everything in Vanessa not to call it a day, pack up their stuff, and let Gregory off the hook. But doing that means subjecting him to this some other day. “No,” she agreed. “But you will.”
She spent the next two hours teaching Gregory how to swim. It was a slow, agonizing process. One step forward, two steps back. It also didn’t help that he seemed unable to let go of Vanessa, clutching her wrist for support.
Twenty minutes into the second hour, Vanessa’s efforts were finally rewarded. She watched in amazement as Gregory doggy-paddled all the way to the stairs and back. It wasn't perfect, but that was okay. They could work on it another time.
He looked so proud of himself right then, standing on his tiptoes in the shallow end. “Didja see Mama ‘Nessa!? Didja see!?”
Vanessa gave him a thumbs up. “Great job, Greg!” She opened her arms, ready to scoop him into a hug. Only to be met with a faceful of water. She wiped at her eyes.
“Gotcha!” He shouted, giggling like crazy. It would be endearing if her eyes weren’t burning. In response, Vanessa splashed him back.
“Brat,” she teased him, dodging another one of his attacks.
Gregory stuck his tongue out.
They continued to splash each other, laughing and calling each other by endearing (but annoying) names.
Vanessa wished this moment could last forever. The thought that it wouldn’t, made her feel sad, but in a faraway kind of way. Like the hurt was someplace else. Somewhere far enough away that it couldn’t bother her in the present moment.
And that was okay with Vanessa. She was happy enough living for the here and now.
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When Wednesday met Divina & Yoko
Wednesday senses the presence of a siren in the back of her mind, a song echoing in the ether but un-sung. Their presence registering to her a moment too late to entirely stop a hand coming down on her shoulder.
Instinct and fond memories of practice send a silver punch dagger from her sleeve into her grasp, the silver is hot on her skin as she makes what should have been a warning jab at the intruders stomach.
Instead her blade is caught in a scaled palm and she finally registers the sharp eyed, squared jawed interloper to her space. Eyes swimming with the darkness of the ocean but for a glinting light in the depth like an angler fish.
They hold her dagger for only a moment, just long enough to make it clear they are letting it go at the same time as they released Wednesday's shoulder. The silver sliding across scaled hand and drawing a thick line of blood as they come to a stop, eyes locked in the brickwork hallways.
"And you are," Wednesday says slowly, not entirely willing to seal the dagger away, not after that. She is not fearful, but its one of the boldest responses the otherwise mundane Nevermore had offered her so far.
She can see rows of sharp teeth as the brunette with slicked back hair says.
"Divina. and this is Yoko," She holds her bloodied hand up and a black haired vampire practically bleeds out of the shadows of the hallway. Eyes searing red even behind the black glasses and face drawn, ears long and inhuman, her forked tongue drags along Divina's palm, draining up the blood and sealing the cut.
The pair smile as Yoko's face returns to humanity as she leans on the Siren's shoulder and chuckles, "Our pup asked us to give you a warm welcome, and to show to the fencing hall."
"So Enid set you two upon me," Wednesday concluded, almost impressed as she had been when the girl had bared claw and fang rather than quail away as most did, even as the lack of fear rankled her pride.
"Oh no," The Siren intoned confidently, "She warned us about your hatred of any touch; I just underestimated it. My mistake, so I won't hold that sliver of silver against you."
Yoko's lips seemed to stretch back in a smile too deep, "So long as it doesn't find its way pointed at us again, I think we'll all get along fine."
"Shall we now..." Before Wednesday could conclude her thought, or even make a decision about what to do about the pair a chipper voice called out.
"I can't believe you guys left me to clean up the lab work, I was meant to introduce you to Wednesday!" Despite her annoyance, Enid practically skipped up to them and Wednesday once again wondered how a girl like this could even meet the gaze of an Addams.
"Yup, we made a great first impression," Divina chuckled.
Enid smiled but it was somehow off, as she answered, "Oh, that's why I smell blood on silver then?"
All three glanced at one another, but before anyone could speak Enid groaned.
"I leave you guys alone for a minute and there's an injury," She shakes her head as if despairing before smiling brightly.
"Well, at least no one's dead and the schools still standing so this went OK rather than bad. Fencing?"
The other girls nodded and Wednesday found herself following along as they casually chattered on their way to the dueling hall. One thought circling her head as they went.
'Nevermore isn't just a school, it is a home for creatures like her.
It is a placed filled with monsters.
Excellent.'
NOTES:
I don't strictly mind the premise that most of the other students are so used to conducting themselves in 'normal' situations and the like that they would find Wednesday scary.
But I also think its a bit of a missed opportunity not to lean into the fact that for the first time more or less, Wednesday is dealing with other beings just like her, minus the presence of her family and that some might be able to keep up with her.
Also I maintain the reason Wednesday 'covered' for Enid in regards to the hospitality thing is cos she was surprised and a little flabbergasted Enid stood up to her when ever gorgons flee her gaze. She doesn't now quite how to feel about it, but she'll be damned if she's let's anyone think she didn't know what to do.
#wednesday netflix#wednesday#wednesday addams#divina wednesday#yoko tanaka#Headcanons#I like the idea of Enid collecting the most dangerous people at Nevermore as her prime friends#Barcley would be on the list but her taste in men makes it impossible for now XD#Barcley does join the friend circle later though via Wednesday so it all works out#Also the fact Enid was capable of standing up to Wednesday & not being freak out by her just confused & weirded out#Is not acknowledged nearly enough#Oneshot
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ok, alright, so i've been struck once more with the desire to write for Ben and the Lady, so i've been farting around doing random scenes as they come to me and i'm having fun. this is like, the roughest sketch version of writing and i'll never claim to be any good at it, so uh. please enjoy just some like. character exploration-y, context-less... stuff.
Ragged gasps wheezed past his lips as he slowly lowered down, back scraping against the rough-hewn wall. Taking the deepest breaths he could, Ben slowly moved his hand away from the wound in his side. The movement was met with a gush of blood and a spike of pain. He gasped and crashed his palm against the torn flesh again to stem the flow.
“Well,” he coughed with a pathetic chuckle, “I don’t think that’s gonna heal pretty.”
At his left, Lady uncurled, forming herself into soft, wispy tendrils to prod gently at his flesh hand. Ben watched her, and felt her press against the back of his mind. In the state he was in she could have easily forced their connection open, but still her intrusion was minimal, a hesitant knock at the door.
With a sigh, he leaned his head back to rest against the cool stone and reached his mind out to open the way for her.
You are dying.
The bluntness startled him so badly he barked out a laugh that dissolved into a hiss of pain as the muscles in his torso clenched.
“Yeah, I guess so,” he said aloud. “Sorry.”
There was a long pause. He could feel her awareness swimming at the back of his mind, like a ghost over his shoulder. Whatever emotion she felt, however, she kept private. Perhaps she didn’t feel anything?
“Will you be able to hop to whoever finds, ah…” Ben winced, forcing a grin across his face. What else could he do? “Whoever finds my body? Can you live in it until the next person comes? Maybe Alma will find me, I bet she’d be more than happy to let you in. Otto… he might need some convincing…” He was rambling, he knew, barely even registering the babble falling out of his mouth, accompanied by a steady drool of blood.
I will fix you.
Her declaration was final and firm, knocking the words from his tongue. “You can do that?” He finally said, quietly.
Yes. I will take over more of your body. I will fix it. She paused. It will hurt.
Ben sat a moment with that, letting the thought sink in. Already she had control of his arm, his flesh along the left side of his body… what harm would a little more do, after all? He gripped his right side where blood still flowed freely, his head beginning to spin. She’d have to spread all the way across. He’d have to give her most of his torso.
As he thought, he could still feel her, watching him steadily from an eye near his shoulder, watching him silently through their connection in his mind.
Finally, he snorted a disbelieving laugh. “Hell, Cori always says pain means you’re still alive, right?” He sucked in a breath between his teeth. “Alright. Ok. Do it.”
There was no hesitation. The Lady’s presence left his mind in a rush, her form resolidifying into his left arm and any control of it wrenched away from him. With it, she tore his right hand away from the wound. Ben hadn’t the energy to protest anyway, even as she lengthened their fingers, sharpened them, and gouged them deep into his side.
There wasn’t even air left in his lungs to scream, and the world went black.
This is a foolish thing we are doing
He has helped us
He is weak
We should take him now, all of him
This isn’t right
He has been kind
He wants to help us
He is good
He is human
We should have him
We will help him
She opened her eyes. Or perhaps they were his eyes. Her perspective was warped, and she looked around with borrowed sight. With clumsy, stiff motions, she used his arms to push the body upwards, palms sweaty and hot against the cold stone floor, until she sat upright, propped against the wall. Beneath her a pool of blood was cooling, and she looked down at his side. Where once had gaped a terrible wound, her flesh now knitted itself across, small wisps of smoke drifted free of the mottled black skin, ethereal evidence of her magic at work.
She had done it. He was fixed. But why…
The Lady looked down at her hands-his hands. One black, one pale and sodden with blood.
This wasn’t right. Had she made a mistake? Both hands flexed closed, eyes screwing shut. She reached out, shoving her way across her connection with Ben. For a moment she couldn’t feel it, and the creeping thought that she’d taken too much, that she’d subsumed his mind and stolen full possession of his body, clawed at her. But that was impossible. She wouldn’t make an error like that, even if some small fragments of her were much less distressed by the idea than others. Blindly stretching out, she finally felt a flicker, then a presence, warm but faint. The man’s mind was still there, whole and safe, merely resting, tucked away.
Something rushed through Ben’s body, and the muscles seemed to unclench across the limbs and neck. Opening his eyes again, Lady looked down once more at his mess of bruised limbs and bloodied clothes. She was used to feeling the effects of the world on his body second-hand, faint echoes of it traveling between the two of them when neither were paying attention. Sometimes, when they held it open enough to speak, she would experience the chill of the wind, or smell the smoke of a campfire. It was bizarre and distracting every time. Scent, taste, hot and cold- so many of these mortal sensations were new, and many of them unpleasant. She moved her hand to his side again, running her fingertips softly over the exposed skin, tracing the area where her flesh and his intermingled in a weblike tangle. Slowly, she breathed through his nose, taking the time to examine the feeling of air filling his lungs. For the first time, she felt his heart beating in his chest. It was strangely comforting. Such a small thing, to keep him alive. I could make it stronger.
The idea struck like a lightning bolt. Benjamin Price was devoid of Godsblood, not a drop ran through his veins, but she could change that. She could strengthen his body, make him stronger, suffuse him with her magic, if only she could spread through him just a little more…
The flickering of light around the corner snapped her suddenly from the thought. No cries rang out, but a soft trilling whistle bounced off the walls. Ben’s male companion, Lady realized. Pursing his lips, she attempted to whistle back but succeeded only in blowing out wet air. She opened his mouth to call out, managing to croak out a wordless syllable. Flexing his tongue, the Lady was suddenly intensely aware of it resting in his bottom jaw, the presence of his teeth, distractedly grinding them together and noting the copper taste of Ben’s blood still lingering in his throat. This somatic reverie was shattered by hands grabbing Ben’s shoulders. She snapped his eyes forward to stare into the face of Ottavio Neven.
Otto place a hand on Ben’s jaw, moving it gently side to side and peering into his eyes. There was a hardness in his gaze that the Lady found odd. Ben was, she knew, oblivious to the gentle looks that Otto favored him with when his back was turned. Even when reprimanding the younger man, Otto’s stern expressions never quite reached his eyes.
Now, however, he stared into Ben with a withering gaze, brows low and mouth a taut line. Releasing Ben’s jaw, he sat back on his heels and raised his hands. “Ben?”
The Lady opened his mouth again to respond, but only managed, “nah… ba.. beh.”
Otto’s face darkened further. “What happened.”
The Lady released a long breath through Ben’s nose, frustrated. The words were easily there but the mechanisms of Ben’s mortal mouth were harder to grasp than she’d expected. Looking down again at his hands, she felt Ben’s eyes widen. Of course.
“Ben was hurt,” she signed slowly, using her own hand and Ben’s in concert. “I helped him. He is sleeping now.”
“Wake him up.”
The Lady stared blankly at Otto. “He was hurt. It was very painful. He is resting.”
“Show me.”
She huffed, chafing at his blunt demands, as though the state of Ben’s body wasn’t completely obvious to anyone with eyes. She gestured at the bloodied and bruised young man she inhabited, then drew the ragged edges of his shirt away from where she sealed the gash on his side.
Otto’s dark complexion paled at the sight of Ben’s gnarled wound, sealed and woven with the Lady’s black threads. She watched his face as he took it in, attempting to decipher the barely-perceptible shifts and twitches along his eyes and mouth. Anger, she thinks, but it’s gone as fast as she can name it, replaced by something else. Pain? Sorrow? Then carefully neutral. He released a breath, head bowing nearly to Ben’s chest, closer than he would normally come, by her experience. So close she could smell the faint oils he used for his hair.
When he looked back up into Ben’s eyes, studying her behind them, the corner of his mouth twitched up in a smile.
“You saved him. Thank you.”
She felt Ben’s brows draw down slightly over his eyes, and was suddenly distantly curious about what sorts of expressions she’d been making on his face.
“Of course. I live here.”
Otto let out a wheeze- of laughter, she assumed- and gave Ben’s shoulder a pat.
"Right. Let's get you two out of here."
#anyway#i'm having fun#Lady being able to take over Ben was something i always wanted to explore#and now that i'm sort of... solidifying some plot stuff#FINALLY#the urge to explore it#could not be denied#it's a bad time for benny boy#ben and the lady#batl#writing
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Time for a fun summertime game! Time to teach the naga and puppy what a sprinkler is!
You know, I can’t honestly recall the last time I have played in a sprinkler. I mostly went swimming in pools to cool off. I should get my friends together and just do it one day. I bet the dogs would love it too.
Also also, if you haven’t seen it already, look at this.
And this!
Hajime hoisted the final bag onto the table, grunting with effort and panting briefly once it was set down. “Could you have picked anything heavier, Izuru? Sometimes I feel like you are trying to rip my arms off with your selections.” he complained loudly.
His twin snorted with a smirk, easily setting down three other bags that had weighed more than the single one Hajime had been able to carry. “Perhaps you need to practice more and build up arm strength. That way you can accomplish much more in terms of house upkeep and outside cleanup.”
Hajime rolled his eyes. “Oh please. I have a partner who can lift up boulders taller than us in a second. There is little need for me to become a bodybuilder.”
Izuru smirked. “Fair enough. Changing the subject, you will be happy to know that was the last of the bags. We can begin sorting and organizing the purchases now.”
“Fine,” Hajime relented, plunging his hands into the closest bag to begin. And so began the boring task of replenishing his house. He was secretly grateful that he had his brother there to assist, as it definitely cut down on the time he would have had to do it if he was by himself.
Needless to say, the pile of bags rapidly began disappearing with each item that was put away. Soon there were only a few left, which was incredibly relieving. But his relief turned to confusion as he pulled out a box from a bag. One for a sprinkler system, something he did not recall grabbing. “Hey, Izuru? What’s the deal with this?” he asked, holding the box higher.
His brother looked over, recognizing the box. “It is summertime. Hot and muggy. So I thought you might want to have that to help keep your yard watered during the intense sun.” He pointed over his shoulder to the dog bed, where Clover was chewing on a toy. “And perhaps provide some entertainment to those who aren’t aware of it. Not only her, but a certain neighbor of yours.”
Hajime picked up what Izuru was implying. “Yeah, I’m sure they would love it.” He repositioned the box under his arm and headed to the patio door. “I’ll go see if I can hook this up. Can you finish putting away the groceries?”
“Of course,” his twin called out, confident as always.
Hajime rolled his eyes as he stepped out, getting hit with the heat pretty much instantly. But he did his best to ignore it, walking over to the hose on the side of his house. As he opened the box, he heard a jingling noise approach. And soon, a wet snout poked his cheek. He smiled and pet the puppy near him, getting a happy tail wag. “This is for you and Nagito to enjoy. Can you hold on for a little longer? I think you will like it a lot.”
Clover licked his face before backing up and sitting next to him. He couldn’t help reaching over and petting her head before focusing on his task. Somehow, he was able to figure it out and finish before Izuru had come outside.
“Successful, are we?” the raven haired man asked, leaning up against the house with his arms crossed.
Hajime shot him a fake glare before standing back up. “Yes, I got it working. So there’s no need for you to employ your handyman skills today.”
Izuru snorted. “We shall see. But in any case, Nagito is approaching. Best get things set in place quickly.”
Turning his head, the brunette saw that his brother was right. The emerald naga had emerged from the tree line and was heading their way. Luckily, Hajime had a good distraction tactic. “Clover, look! Go get him!” he instructed, pointing in Nagito’s direction.
The wolf dog followed his finger, barking excitedly when she caught sight of the naga. She took off like a bullet, speeding through the grass towards the giant creature while yipping. She reached Nagito in no time, attracting his attention. “Well hello, sweetheart! Did you come to greet me?”
Seeing that Nagito had been sufficiently distracted, Hajime relaxed as he set the sprinkler up in the yard. It was far enough away from the house that it wouldn’t damage anything. So he felt confident in turning the hose on and retreating to the patio chairs and table. He joined Izuru, who had already taken a seat with cups of lemonade prepared. “Overachiever,” Hajime teased as he took one of the glasses.
“Lovestruck sap,” Izuru fired back.
The twins rolled their eyes with smiles, too used to the sibling banter. They didn’t bother moving even as Nagito and Clover arrived, the dog looking proud as if she had been the one leading Nagito back to the house. Hajime still stroked her head as a form of thanks. “Good girl. You found him.”
The naga settled down on the warm grass, resting his hands on his crossed arms. “She is a good girl. In fact, I’d argue that she is the best girl. No one will change my mind,” he stated confidently.
“I’d wager that I’d agree on that,” Hajime said, conjuring a large smile to grow on the naga’s face. After giving one last scratch behind the puppy’s ears, he pointed over to where he had set the sprinkler up. Right as he did, the water had finally finished traveling through the hose, setting off the sprinkler.
Both naga and puppy were initially startled by the sudden noise. But curiosity won out and they both moved closer to investigate. Clover reached her face out and attempted to bite at the water stream. She must have enjoyed the sensation as she barked happily and began chasing the water back and forth.
Nagito leaned in closer as well, trying to see where the water was coming from. Luckily, the black material stood out from the green grass so it wasn’t too difficult to find. He reached down and felt the water hit his skin. He smiled wide in wonder, especially when Clover began chasing it. “A device that sprays water without you needing to control it? Fascinating! What is this called?” he asked when he briefly glanced over to the humans.
Hajime leaned back in his chair, getting comfortable. It definitely would take some effort to get out of this position, but he didn’t care at the moment. “It’s a sprinkler. It will help the grass survive the heat and be entertainment for our energetic canine here.”
“Ah, I see! How innovative,” Nagito replied, watching the dog’s and sprinkler’s movements.
Then Clover found out that she could move the sprinkler’s base. The second she discovered this, she grabbed it in her jaws and ran over to Nagito, spraying him with the chilly water.
He giggled as the water splashed him. “Oh my! Look what you got! What a silly dog you are!”
Hajime snorted with laughter. “Having fun over there?” he called out, realizing a second later that he had made a terrible mistake.
Clover, upon hearing his voice, turned back towards him and rocketed forward, still holding the active sprinkler in her jaws.
Hajime only had a second to feel relieved that the patio door was shut before both he and his twin got sprayed by the water. “Na-Nagito!!! Call her- Call her back over to you!” he shouted as he tried to stand and avoid any more splashes. Izuru didn’t appear to move, having accepted the inevitable outcome with a scowl.
Nagito smirked for a few seconds before deciding to fulfill the request. “Come on back here, sweetheart. Show me again,” his angelic voice said over the sprinkler’s noises. Clover was more than happy to listen, trotting over to the naga.
Hajime shook his head, trying to get water off as he wrung out his shirt. “Note to self, only let the dog near the sprinkler if I am fully prepared for the splash zone.” His spirits were slightly improved when he looked at his sopping wet brother. Seeing him pouting like a wet cat more than made up for the uncomfortable dampness. “Looks like we have to dry off in the sun.”
Izuru huffed, having noticed his brother’s amusement. But no comments or alternatives were offered, so Hajime turned back to his other family member’s activities. He shrugged his shoulders with a grin. “Eh, a little water was worth it to see them have some summer fun.”
Masterpost
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In My Head, I’m Yours
AO3
Chapter 3: Talk Fast, Romance
It took Annabeth a minute to realize she wasn’t in her own bed. The sheets were softer and she was warm. Usually, her room had a slight draft when she woke up. When she opened her eyes she saw where the heat was coming from—Percy was laying beneath her, his right arm slung around her bare waist.
She closed her eyes again, not wanting this to end. If she could, she’d stay in his bed forever. Forget architecture, she belonged right here in Percy’s arms.
The room smelled like someone had cracked open a window in a beach house. From what she could see, it was clean too. Just one chair in the corner covered with school books and several hoodies; everything else had been neatly put away.
Percy shifted and yawned.
“Morning,” she whispered.
He grinned, “good morning.”
Annabeth tried to sit up but Percy pulled her right back down. She snuggled into his neck.
“Do you have any idea where my phone is?” She murmured against his skin.
“I think I plugged it in last night so it wouldn’t be dead when we woke up.”
He reached over to his nightstand and pulled a phone off the charger.
“Here you go.”
It was nine am. Thalia likely wasn’t awake yet. Annabeth wasn’t sure if Leo made it back to their place last night or if he ended up going home with someone like she did. But Annabeth didn’t want either of her roommates to wake up and find her missing.
She texted Thalia.
Annabeth: went out for coffee and books! Hope you’re not too hungover
Maybe on her way home she’d swing by the bookstore just so her cover did its job. It wasn't unusual for Annabeth to get lost in a used book store for hours; Thalia wouldn’t question it unless she didn’t come home with at least one new book.
Normally she wouldn’t lie to her best friend but she really didn’t need the teasing of her having slept with Percy. When Thalia and Jason got back from California, she’d tell her about her one night stand.
Though she didn’t want to admit it, she needed the time to figure out what sleeping with Percy meant. Even though they hadn’t met before last night, he was intertwined with her life. He was in a band with her childhood friend, who was also Leo’s best friend, and her best friend’s brother. They were probably going to see each other again and Annabeth didn’t want it to be weird when they did.
Plus, she liked Delphi’s music. She didn’t want to be the girl who fucked one of the lead singers. Annabeth just wanted to be a girl who loved their music and maybe was friends with the band.
Gods, she should’ve thought about this last night before she decided to complicate their relationship by having sex. But she was buzzed and Percy was so hot.
He was even hotter with the bedhead that she helped construct. Annabeth ran her hand down his chest. She couldn’t feel the bruises she left there but her mind remembered exactly where they were forming. And she didn’t mind the trip down memory lane of Percy’s abs.
It was from swimming, she knew. He had told her all about the swim team. Found his love for the water early on in life, music came later. He had always loved the guitar but it wasn’t til he met Piper that he realized they might be able to make something of it.
Percy was a senior at Goode College in Manhattan studying marine biology (“If we don’t become rockstars, my fall back is working at an aquarium.”) with a minor in music. He told her about his songwriting class and how he hadn’t realized how much structure was involved in it but Delphi’s songs had benefited greatly from it.
Annabeth wanted to watch his swim meets. If sweaty singer Percy had made her want to jump his bones last night, she could only imagine what a speedo and chlorinated water droplets would do to her.
Her stomach growling broke her thoughts. Percy chuckled and stopped playing with her hair, “should I make some pancakes?”
Annabeth sat up, “pancakes?”
Percy sat up too and smiled, “I know what you’re thinking: he sings like an angel, looks like a god, and he cooks, Percy Jackson is the total package. And you’d be one hundred percent right.
She slapped his chest but it didn’t stop her cheeks from reddening, “shut the fuck up.”
Percy shrugged, “you didn’t say I was wrong.”
Damn him.
…
Percy meant it when he told Annabeth he could cook. Growing up it was just his mom and him; together in the kitchen trying new recipes was the best part of his weekends. But his favorite days were rolling out blue chocolate chip cookies and getting to lick the bowl clean afterwards.
His pancakes were perfectly golden brown, topped with chocolate chips, and maple syrup.
“I also have whipped cream if you want it,” he offered, passing a plateful to Annabeth.
She was sitting at his counter wearing his shirt from the night before. He wondered if she bothered with underwear. He also wondered if they could repeat last night before she inevitably left him alone again.
He liked living alone for the most part. It was his senior year and he was tired of bothering with roommates. If campus apartment housing wasn’t cheaper than actual Brooklyn apartments, he would’ve just moved in with Grover. But some days he was lonely. No extra noise to fill the space.
Sometimes he was almost excited at the prospect of moving back home with his mom after graduation. It would be nice to be there to watch his little sister, Estelle, growing up. She had already started kindergarten and Percy could feel those formative years slipping away. They FaceTimed all the time though, Estelle would beg Paul or Sally to “call Per-ski” so much so that Paul had changed Percy’s contact name to Per-ski. Estelle hadn’t really nailed his name just yet.
Annabeth moaning shifted him back to his thoughts of last night. Him breathless on top of her, trying so hard not to finish before getting her off just one more time. Her arching her back and him holding down her hips from between her thighs. Annabeth pulling him up for a kiss and flipping them over with Percy still inside her.
“These pancakes are so good, what the hell did you put in them?”
“Secret recipe,” he joked, zipping his lips and throwing away the metaphorical key.
“I’m going to need access to that,” she said, finishing her last bite.
Percy still had a whole pancake left on his plate but with the way Annabeth was looking at him. Heat in her eyes. He didn’t care one bit how hungry he was, he was ready to work up an appetite instead.
Annabeth didn’t end up leaving his place until 3 pm. They napped together for a couple hours, after all they had a late night. Percy made grilled cheeses for a late lunch. He thought maybe it was all in his head but she didn’t seem to want to go.
He wanted to kiss her again before she left but Percy wasn’t sure if it was appropriate. He did manage to awkwardly ask for her number. They did run in similar circles and were bound to end up in the same room again. If they were going to meet again, he hoped they could be friends since he was in no position to push for more.
Annabeth was way out of his league and Percy counted himself lucky she allowed him in her presence for this long. He wasn’t going to press.
At least, not directly.
That night, Jason found Percy sitting on his living room floor scribbling lyrics on a yellow legal pad. Jason had let himself into the apartment, Percy usually left it unlocked when he was home during the day.
“Um, Perce? I brought dinner.”
Percy looked up then, Jason had a bag from their favorite Chinese place. Shit, what time was it? He didn't realize it was already dinner time. Last night, Jason and he had made these plans.
“Sorry, man. I lost track of the day. Let me get some forks.”
Jason ended up sitting on the floor too. Eating lo mein straight out of his container.
With his mouth full, he asked, “what’s the song?”
Percy swallowed and pulled the paper closer.
“It’s rough but something like…” and then he started to sing.
I don’t wanna think about a moment with you
I’m kinda hoping for forever
Percy hummed the melody. He knew there were some lines still missing.
Goddamnit, we look good together
“It’s good, do we have a chorus yet?” Jason asked.
Percy shook his head. “I only just came up with this today.”
“It’s a great start, do you want to loop Piper in?”
“Not yet, let me work on the chorus first.”
Jason agreed and then launched into the shenanigans he and Leo got up to last night while playing their new version of pool.
Percy was thankful that Jason didn’t immediately assume the song was about Annabeth. Maybe it wasn’t as obvious as he thought.
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An Adorable Peppermint - @peterparkers-bad-youtube-apology
Requested Nathan Drake inspired mood boards, hope you like them! Thank you for all the love and support much appreciated 🥰 If anyone else would like a Tom/Harry/Sam Holland mood board, then please don’t hesitate to request. Plot and your name given are optional! Plus, I will create mood boards to Tom’s characters such as Peter Parker, Nathan Drake and Arvin Russel too if requested.
Dark Academia Aesthetic 
Lost at sea isn’t that ideal, for you but Nathan seems to have other ideas! He takes your hand leading you to a large lake with so many autumn trees, surrounding the area. ‘Nate, what are we doing, exactly?’ You questioned, as he dips his leg into the water, you stop immediately, hands now on your waist giving him a glare. ‘I’m going for a swim, darling.’ He turns around, ‘care to join?’ He smirks, continuing to go back into the water. you didn’t even notice that his shirt is discarded on the path, right near your feet. You roll your eyes but going into the lake anyway, to join in with his attics. You swim to him, now in the middle of the lake ‘now this isn’t so bad is it?’ He whispers, right near your ear brushing some hair to comfort you. ‘Isn’t bad? Nathan!’ You dramatically outburst, ‘it is freezing,’ you scoff. ‘Come here then, Petal.’ He wraps his arms around your waist, cuddling you in the water, ‘let me warm you up,’ he chuckles, you let him share your body heat with him. ‘Nathan, I don’t know what your playing at! Because we are not dating.’ You stated, ‘oh, Yh well the fact that you got your arms around me says other wise Pretty girl,’ he winks laughing, ‘you like me, just admit it.’ You shake your head, going deeper into the lake together. He stops moving to hold you tighter, grabbing your chin and gently kissed you. You gasped at the moment, enjoying it as you and him actually like each other but just denying. Since you met the treasure Hunter there was so many adventures only you could ever imagine going on with him, from searching for maps and secrets, running away for ages to collecting treasures and jewels. You couldn’t ask for any better adventures! You kissing him back made you feel him smirking against your lips, gasping once again as he grips your but to slide his tongue into yours. ‘So will you be my Girlfriend, now Y/N?’ He asks sincerely, pulling away to talk. ‘Yes, Baby boy,’ smiling as you bring him back in for another kiss.
Cold Winter Aesthetic 
Winter wonder land was coming up in the place of love, Paris. Nate found a love note a few weeks ago, keeping it safe with him at all time. He smiled at the thought of a pretty girl actually liking him for him, not just for the gold and treasures he collected. He had a suspicion that it was the girl, that he really liked at a snow boarding event he went to last month. Figuring out that, she was the girl he lasted talk to, who smiled and is genuine with him. Plus, when he left he had a note in his pocket, all the clue do add up he thought. Walking in Paris seeing so many couples at winter wonderland, he might be able to find you even-though, the chances are pretty slim. He turns around to see the Eiffel Tower, stopping dead in his tracks he sees you alone in the snow. He runs to you, you look up smiling at him. ‘Hey,’ you say, smiling at his appearance. ‘Hey,’ breathing slowly, ‘do you want to go to winter wonderland with me as a date?’ Your eyes widen in disbelief, you was nervous that he would reject your offering of a note. ‘How did you know I gave you that note?’ You questioned, curiously. ‘I am a treasure Hunter, Darling,’ he cheekily bites his lips, winking at you. ‘Yes, of course, Nate.’ You kiss his lips, him taken back by surprised as he deepens the kiss ‘I’m glad we found each other, Y/N,’ he whispers in between kisses, ‘me too,’ you smile. Walking hand in hand through the snow to winter wonderland. After the event, you and Nate go into a cafe to drink hot chocolate together. Just the perfect first date!
#tom holland x reader#tom holland au#tom holland fandom#lovers#nathan drake#nathan drake x reader#nathan drake x you#nathan drake fluff#nathan drake fanfiction#moodboard#answered#adventure#tom holland fluff#sweetness#paris#snowday#winter
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Reala's Underwater Discovery
Figured I'd do a Mer-May fic. Yes, my oc is a mermaid in this one! Enjoy!
Summer was the perfect time for anyone to go to the beach. Which was where Balan, Lance, NiGHTS, and Reala were. "Who knew that beaches were such relaxing places here?" NiGHTS asked as she gazed at a seashell in awe.
"Can't relate," Reala retorted as he rubbed sunscreen on his skin. He never understood why humans loved the beach or summer. First, the hot weather was unbearable to him. Second, he was prone to getting sunburned.
"Oh, lighten up, my dear cousin," Balan said to Reala. "Soon, you'll be the happiest that you've ever been. Say, I know what lighten the mood for you; swimming in the ocean should do."
"Swimming is fine with me," Lance said. "Let's see if we can make an amazing underwater discovery." He, Balan, and NiGHTS made their way to the water. Reala stayed where he was for a bit, but relented and followed them.
Reala placed his feet into the cold water. He wasn't fazed by it as, back in Nightmare, it was usually rather freezing. So he was used to the cold. Slowly, he placed his body into the water.
"Now that everyone's in the water, let's see what sea creatures we could find," NiGHTS suggested. Balan and Lance nodded before the three went underwater. Reala shrugged, still unsure why NiGHTS wanted to do this, but he had no other option. So he swam underwater.
Reala frowned when he saw Balan, NiGHTS, and Lance had scattered around, leaving him all to himself. He was fine doing things on his own. He decided to swim off and see what creatures he could find.
After searching around, Reala stopped when he noticed something—or rather someone—swimming in the distance. The upper body resembled a female human torso, but the lower half was a tail. A-A mermaid? He thought. That's impossible… Mermaids do not exist…
Reala decided to follow the creature. She was swimming towards a sunken ship. If he had to guess, Reala assumed that there was something in there for her to find. He followed carefully, taking care not to make a sound and alert her.
The mermaid entered into the sunken ship. She swam toward a treasure chest that was filled with gold coins and jewels. Reala was able to take a good look at her. Her wavy, amber brown hair was tied in a ponytail and had baby blue streaks. Her tail went from powder blue to a powdery green, with the fluke being baby blue. And finally, this mermaid wore a baby blue clamshell bra.
Reala watched as the mermaid pulled a lyre out of the chest. With a smile and a giggle, she held onto it as she swam out, leaving Reala in his hiding place.
Reala could not believe what he was seeing. "It really is real…" He said. "I saw an actual mermaid…"
Reala was considering telling the others about this as he swam out of the sunken to make his way back. But he decided against it. Right now, he felt like the luckiest Nightmaren General in the world.
He had a feeling that he might spot her again soon.
Aria belongs to me.
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ATV Jungle Tour in Jaco: Part 2
Paul led me down a very steep and narrow downhill driveway, paved in part and then dirt. I twice saw signs saying “ATV/bikes don’t go further” and yet we continued the descent to where the road was too narrow to ride and we parked up beside some other ATVs at the bottom. Since we had climbed so far up in elevation it was no longer hot, and the water was chilly but I went in for a dip anyway. There was an American couple there taking photos and swimming too and our guides chatted together for a while until we were all ready to leave. The American couple set off up the hill first and the girl faltered a bit and lost control of her bike for a moment which was scary to witness because I thought she might tip over backwards but Paul said “see, we don’t want to do that. You need to lean forward and get a lot of speed to get through the mud.” I followed Paul up, full throttle leaning over the handlebars knowing that it was either ride this ATV up or walk up! Once I’d started it actually wasn’t too bad, it was less scary than the steep downhill actually. Paul led us back to town as fast as possible and then returned the bike. I decided to give him a $10 tip since he did find the sloths, and I also feel obliged to tip when there is no one else on the tour. I returned to the hostel to shower and get rid of all the mud, then went back to Bohio for a late lunch of a “bohio-style” iced coffee and a muffin before checking out of the hostel and catching my 3pm bus back to San Jose. It didn’t have air con, but the window gave a nice breeze and I was able to sit for the 3.5 hour journey in backed up traffic while the bus was crammed full of other people who had to stand. It was dark when I arrived back in San Jose and it was a dodgy area around the bus terminal. My bus to the next hostel was departing in more than 30 minutes so I legged it over to a BK with an armed guard outside for a burger and clean toilet beforehand. The bus left 15 minutes earlier than expected so lucky I was already on it since I saw people getting searched by police around the corner as we pulled out of downtown San Jose. The hostel was much better than the last place in Jaco, with only one other person in my room who was very quiet and considerate. For $12 a night what more could I ask for really, although hot water in the shower would’ve been nice…
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Summer Break Challenge: Day 5- Water
Here we are with day 5! this challenge was of course made by the wonderful @usernoneexistent !!
Day 5: Water
Not a lot of people knew this, but a significant amount of what was inside Hogwarts consisted of channels of flowing water. These channels went across the entire castle, sometimes carrying warm water, sometimes carrying cold. They weren’t for sewage, and they didn’t seem to be for much else either. Some had theorised that they existed as an ingredient or component of the school’s overall magic, or maybe as wards against those who cannot cross running water. For Matthew Luther, however, they were an excellent place for him to do some swimming.
The night was silent, bar the tapping of Mrs Norris’ paws, and an even more muffled sound of water being pushed aside. Matthew had a pair of red swimming trunks on, with white flowers across them. He’d also added pockets using his rudimentary sewing skills (plus a tiny bit of charmwork) where he had his wand. Of course, he also had his silver bracelet, which glistened in the moonlight that fell into this indoor river of sorts.
Matthew loved swimming. He loved being able to move his long arms and legs around with more “oomph” than usual. He would have gone swimming in the Black Lake, but what with Hogwarts being in Scotland and all, it wasn’t exactly what you’d call warm. By contrast, a sizable portion of the aqueducts within the castle were nice and warm, and even the ones that were less hot weren’t that bad.
So on Matthew swam, daydreaming, thinking, and wondering about whatever popped into his head. He felt able to let his mind wander when he swam, at least this way he wasn’t holed up in his room daydreaming about what could be. However, it did mean that he paid slightly less attention to the direction he was going, and now the path he was moving down was descending. They did this a lot, so he wasn’t too surprised, but this was definitely the most steep aqueduct he’d found thus far, until eventually gravity took hold.
Matthew had to stop himself from yelling with laughter as he was pulled down. He was having a whale of a time, like he was on a water slide. It thrilled him when he realised that he might be the only person to ever experience this, to have slid down these aqueducts like he was at a water park. Down he went, under what he thought might be the great hall until he came to a halt with a splash as the flow levelled out. As he did, he heard muffled voices up ahead. Cautiously, he swam forward, tapping his wand in his pocket to make sure it was still there.
The path came to an end with an Archimedes screw pushing the water upward. Above him, he could hear the voices again, still muffled but louder now. Matthew got out of the water as quietly as possible and sat down, listening.
“You can’t be serious.” came a voice with an American accent. Matthew recognised it as belonging to his cousin in the year below him, Mayson Kowalski. Matthew then realised that he had swam down into the Dungeons. “I swear, it’s like you’re the only one who can’t tell. Apart from, y’know…”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Merula snapped. “If you’re going to yap at me when I ought to be going to bed, at least yap about something that makes sense!”
“He’s not wrong, though.” came the surly voice of Ismelda. “You have been spending a lot of time with him lately.”
Matthew leaned forward, curious as to who they were talking to. He moved closer to the voices, up through the insides of the school until he was one wall behind Slytherin House. He looked through one of the holes in the wall, and saw into a bathroom of some kind. He tried another one, and this allowed him to see into the Common Room.
“So what?!” Merula yelled. “I only spent all that time around him to learn how to cast a Patronus, that’s all!”
“Yeah, and you’ve been treating him differently ever since. Face it. You’re grateful for the effort he put in for you.”
It suddenly occurred to Matthew there was a slight possibility that they were talking about him. He followed Merula as she walked away, grabbed a bag, and went into the bathroom.
“Lousy rats.” she snarled at the locked door. “None of their business whatsoever…”
It was at precisely this point that Matthew realised he was looking through a hole in the wall at Merula in the bathroom. You complete and utter moron. Run, you idiot!
“Eek!” Matthew suddenly darted from his spot and towards the aqueduct, his face red. He was feeling a mishmash of emotions: surprise, guilt, embarrassment, relief he left before he saw anything too bad, and some comfort in the knowledge that Merula was grateful for his help, that she didn’t seem to dislike him.
Either way, Matthew’s heart was pounding in his chest. He started swimming upward, trying not to think about how embarrassing things could have gotten. Merula, meanwhile, was staring at the wall behind which she had heard a flurry of movement, as well as a high-pitched squeaking sound.
“...Do we have a mouse problem?” she asked, turning on the taps.
The waters flowed across the castle, and Matthew Luther swam faster than ever back to his bed, not knowing how he was going to deal with seeing Merula in the morning.
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The Lion Sleeps Tonight
COVID-19 impacted a lot of things for many people. Trapped inside our homes, unable to venture outside, plans that had been in the making for years needed to be abandoned or modified. In the case of my family that meant a trip over to the African continent and going on a mini-safari to see giraffes, lions and zebras out in the wild. So, in a bid to enjoy an African experience whilst in Australia, my mother booked a stay at the Jamala Wildlife Lodge for the whole family to enjoy.
Though a little shy from what an actual trip overseas might cost, staying at the Jamala Wildlife Lodge is still considerably expensive for most individuals. $1450 a night for couples or $2525 for four adults. But should the price deter you, one should also know it’s a full package deal that includes a light afternoon tea with cute sliders, mini quiches, finger sandwiches and some sweets; along with a three-course meal that includes an exorbitant array of canapes as well as a very filling and delicious breakfast. Then, of course, there’s the entry into the National Zoo and Aquarium in Canberra and a guided tour either in the morning or in the afternoon (depending on the number of nights or room you might stay). I mean, if I can get to feed a giraffe or get up close and personal with a white lion during my stay, I’d say it’s plenty worth it!
And having unlimited access to hot chocolates? Where can I pay for it again?
So, our night at Jamala Wildlife Lodge booked, we drove down to Australia’s capital city. For many across the world, it’s a little known place overshadowed by both Sydney and Melbourne. A bit like Ottawa in Canada.
Among Australians, it’s known for not having much in the way of entertainment beyond a few museums and being the place of governance for the entire nation. Almost everyone has visited Questacon and the War Memorial in their youth, but beyond that, Canberra’s not had much staying power unless one works in government or works in construction.
We arrived at the zoo with a few minutes to spare before afternoon tea. A three hour drive, Google Maps steered us wrong as it thought the Federation Highway was closed and tried to take us down the road less travelled by diverting us to a nearby town where the road was actually closed.
After we arrived, setting down our luggage at the entrance, we enjoyed a light repast before taking a self-guided gander at the animals that were on display. The National Zoo and Aquarium is host to several animals both big and small. From close to the Capuchin Rooms, I was able to spy both the normal lions and the white lions that the zoo had. They were lazing out in the weak winter sun, soaking in the last remnants of warmth they could.
And though it took me a while to figure out how to leave the uShaka Lodge and enter the zoo proper, I was down with the delightful fish, reptiles and amphibians. Then it was out into the open air with the squirrel monkeys and marmosets. I tried to spot the leopards in their enclosure but I was sure that they had been relocated as workers helped wield the gate inside. Then it was off to the otters that were being fed (and hidden from view by waist-high wall) before I diverted to the sun bear and Sumatran tigers.
Always eager to snap more and more photos of the animals around me, I checked in with the koalas napping in trees, saw a tree kangaroo up high on its roost and watched a cute flock of penguins swimming around in the water. Then I was off to the shared wallaby and emu walk-through area before I headed in the opposite direction of the Adventure Trail signs, diverting instead to the Tasmania devil enclosure (and saw one loping around in circles). As I went around the right hand-side of the zoo, I was startled by a serval, one of the most regal cats I’ve ever seen before taking in the ruff lemurs that were playing about.
From there, I tried to spot the cheetahs and African painted dogs but they were nowhere to be seen. Disappointed, I wended my way through the deer and llama walk-in before heading out to see a few dingoes and stumbling upon another cheetah enclosure where they were lazing about near the edge of the enclosure. Elands, rhinos, giraffes, barbary sheep, blackbucks and zebras were all next. There was also a Canadian elk with a mighty array of antlers that I snapped a photo of.
Continuing my journey of real life Pokemon Snap, I got to see ostriches, siamang and as many primates as I wanted. Then, of course, there was an attempt at trying to snap a decent photo of a barking owl but they were having none of it. At the least, the meerkats were cute! If only I knew then that they were the one animal species that killed more of their own than any other. Dominant matriarchal meerkats are probably the worst.
Once my quick tour of the zoo was over, we were shown to our rooms. My family were to say in the Meerkat suite. That meant that we had a small enclosure where a family of four meerkats would run around and explore the burrows that had been created for them. And I could watch them and snap closer personal shots. Others might have been satisfied to have a lion or tiger lounge up close and personal, but I feel like taking the Meerkat suite was the right call. Either that or the Reef Room where one could share one side of their bedroom with fish.
At dinner, all of those that had chosen to stay at the Jungle Bungalows or at the uShaka lodge were able to observe the hyenas curiously looking on at us human bystanders as they became more active past nightfall. We were also treated to the sight of two white lion siblings chowing down on scraps of meat as we we made our way through a decent helping of canapes. But it was only when I was enjoying dinner and dessert that I realised that I had become the very thing I hated: a person that takes photos of their food.
To be fair, I had felt compelled to do so to show my work colleagues that I was messaging. But for absolute years I had refused to take photos of my food because I didn’t want to emulate the influencers on Instagram that seemed only to ever take photos of their food. I even rolled my eyes at my own mother for snapping shots of whatever breakfast she had.
IS IT BECAUSE I’M ALMOST THIRTY? OR IS IT BECAUSE I ACTUALLY WANT TO IMPRESS PEOPLE WITH THE FOOD I ATE? WHEN DID I SUDDENLY WANT TO SNAP A PHOTOGRAPH OF SOME DISH TO REMEMBER FOR POSTERITY?!
Internet culture has ruined me...
The next day saw a guided tour through the zoo, as well as a very generous portion for breakfast. Although I revisited many of the enclosures that I saw the day before, I had Ben and Bella providing narration and interesting anecdotes of animal facts and stories about territorial black swans. With the zookeepers leading the way, I also got to feed llama and deer alike with carrots, the elands with some lettuce leaves and ALMOST ALMOST ALMOST got to touch a rhinoceros before he backed away. At least I was able to get pretty close and personal to it.
With the guided tour over, it was time to head back home to Sydney.
Alas, my mother had other plans and we stayed the night in Goulburn. On the bright side, the place we were staying in had Amazon Prime (without the need for me to sign into the account) and I managed to watch copious amounts of The Legend of Vox Machina.
Still didn’t finish it but yay for actually sneaking in a good three quarters of the episodes?
#Jamala Wildlife Lodge#uShaka Lodge#Meerkat suite#National Zoo and Aquarium#Visit Canberra#animals#zoo
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