#lets also thank cal for coming up with prompts with me and listening to me whine about this for months on end
Text
Sleepy Experiments
It is officially lee!George week! :D I'm so excited I finally got to do something like this - I've had this idea since @fluffallamaful did an incredible lee!Dream MONTH last June, and truthfully I've wanted to do this since last August but....better late than never, right? 😇 I also wanna just thank @awkwardtickleetoo for helping me with everything - prompts, ideas, proof reading, etc. Cal is literally there for me always and Im so grateful for him, he truly is my lil knight ):
day 1 - soft tickles / prompts found here!
(lee!George / ler!Dream : 3.8K words)
“Dream! Stohop!” George was met with yet another poke to his side, jerking his body to the left to escape Dream’s finger. He let out a sigh in fake frustration, fully aware that Dream was bound to become bored as they’d been attempting to nap with no success for a little while now. George had almost drifted to sleep multiple times, but every single time he did, he was met with a poke from the restless blonde boy.
“George! I cahan’t!” The elder couldn’t help but giggle at the mocking as Dream leaned his cheek against his right palm, elbow propped onto the bed beside him while he wiggled his free pointer finger in the air in front of George’s face to tease him. The brunette quickly swatted it away, making Dream let out a huff of amused air through his nose before making a move to poke George again. “Just a little!”
“Nohoho! Leave mehehe alone!”
“Come on, Georgie, please? I promise I’ll be reaaaaally gentle. And maybe it’ll help me sleep!” Dream stuck out his bottom lip as far as it would go as he held out his words, the pout matching the puppy dog eyes he was using to melt the Brit. George let his head fall back onto the pillow beneath him, letting out a groan and bringing his right arm up to cover his eyes to prevent him from seeing how closely Dream was focusing on him.
“I- I mean- why? Just- …ugh, fine.” George winced when Dream let out a squeal of excitement, dropping his arm back against the blankets and cracking an eye open to see Dream quickly push himself into a kneeling position beside him. “You have to be so gentle though, Dream! I mean it! One wrong move and you’re done.”
“I promise to be so gentle!” The blonde smiled at the warning, tapping George’s thigh twice before continuing. “Do you mind turning over for me, George?”
George felt his cheeks fill with warmth, nodding his head with a quiet whine as he adjusted himself to lay on his tummy. He felt the familiar weight of the younger boy settling on the back of his thighs, jumping slightly when Dream hooked two fingers under his shirt and began revealing the pale skin beneath it. He felt goosebumps spread across the expanse of his back as the cool air blanketed every inch of it, making him squirm slightly with a shiver and growling at Dream when he giggled at the involuntary movement.
“Do you really have to lift my shirt up for this?” His voice was more high pitched than he expected it to be and swallowed thickly, looking over his shoulder at Dream and coughing slightly to adjust it back to the normal tone. “I mean, it seems a bit excessive.”
Dream let out a scoff at the passive protest, tilting his head slightly to the right when he saw the tips of George’s ears turning a light pink. He chuckled as he continued to slowly drag the black T-shirt up until it was sitting just below the bottom of his shoulder blades. George felt the fabric glide lightly across his skin when Dream released his grip, making him squirm briefly at the soft tickly feeling.
“Oh George, if that bothered you, how are you gonna handle the actual tickles?” Dream cooed, smiling as the smaller boy began to squirm a little more at the thought of the soft tickles that awaited him. Dream swiped a pointer finger just below both his shoulder blades and chuckled when the smaller boy screeched, pushing his face into the pillow and muffling a nervous giggle that he couldn’t keep in any longer.
“Wahatch it! I can stop this right now, you know!” George threatened as he adjusted his arms, folding them underneath the pillow before laying his head back down against the soft fabric.
“What?! No! Please don’t!” The tone of his voice sent a small dagger into George’s chest, melting him instantly. He knew that Dream was fully joking, but the fake hurt in the younger’s voice made George want to let Dream tickle him forever.
“I…I won’t,” He sighed in defeat. “Just…be careful, okay?”
George was met with a small chuckle in response, giggling himself when he felt Dream’s fingers touch down just under his shoulder blades and wiggle lightly against the warm skin there. He twisted his fists up into the pillowcase, squeezing the fabric between his fingers in an attempt to keep his arms raised.
Dream continued to softly skitter his fingers over George’s back, spreading his hands further apart to trail up and down the sides of his spine. He arched into the bed as Dream’s right pointer finger traced back up his spine and between his shoulder blades, giggling harder and kicking his feet against the covers a few times to relieve some of the tickly energy that was coursing through his body.
“You’re cute when you’re all squirmy like this.” The blonde stated, no teasing tone to be found in his voice. This only further proved to fluster George as his face grew hotter, making him turn to fully bury his face into the pillow.
“Shuhut up!” George’s giggles were quickly morphed to cackles as Dream used both pointer fingers to walk under his shirt, scratching lightly at the sides of his armpits and following George whichever way he twisted.
“It’s the truth! What am I supposed to do, lie to you?” Dream giggled from his spot on George’s thighs, flattening his palms and dragging them slowly down before spidering his fingers along the boy’s lower back. The brunette jumped in surprise at the sudden tickling, giggling harder and visibly struggling more and more the longer Dream focused there.
“Ahaha, please! I- Dreheheam! Gehehentle, plehease!”
“Thihis is gentle! I’m not sure I could get any more gentle if I tried!” Despite his rebuttal, Dream pressed his palms down again into the pink skin of George’s lower back and began rubbing to help soothe the tingly feeling.
“Thahahank you!” George’s laughter was slowly calming down, the pitch raised into tiny squeaks but becoming less frequent as the time passed. Dream felt his own cheeks filling with heat at the reply, rarely experiencing that level of politeness from the Brit. He leaned his body slightly to the left to look at George, feeling his stomach fill with butterflies at how wide his smile was, and how happy he looked with his eyes squeezed and nose scrunched.
“Anything for you, my little prince.” He was met with a high pitched whine followed by chirpy giggles, making Dream’s tiny grin grow into a full blown toothy grin.
After sitting back on George’s thighs again, adjusting himself to balance comfortably, Dream used his pointer and middle fingers from both hands and slowly walked them up George’s back, pressing in and wiggling slightly as they continued their journey from his lower back to just under his shoulder blades once more.
“I didn’t realize how sensitive your back was, Georgie. And here I am, just thinking I was the only one cursed with this weakness!” He continued to speak as he made little swirls with his fingers on the sides of George’s back, careful to not tickle too much over his back ribs in fear of disturbing the smaller boy’s state of sleepy bliss he was caught in. “I hope you know I’ll remember this.”
“Whahahatever!” The brunette exclaimed, wiggling slightly as the soft tickling continued under his shirt and around his shoulder blades. He scrunched his shoulders up as high as they would go, shaking his head back and forth as tickly circles were drawn around the sensitive bones of his upper back, hugging the pillow as tightly as he could as a source of comfort.
The younger boy hummed in response, a smile clear in the tone as he removed his hands from under the shirt and made his way back down to the dimples of George’s back, tracing and skittering all ten of his fingers as he went. As much as he loved the sound of George’s cackling, squealing and giggling, he didn’t want to tire the boy out too soon. After another minute of gentle tickles around the sides of his lower back, Dream flattened his palms again and began to rub the entirety of George’s back, helping to calm him and work him through the giggles that continued to pour from him.
Dream eventually made his way to George’s shoulders, helping relax them back down from being pressed up against his ears. He used his hands to squeeze the muscles there every few seconds, giving George a gentle massage as his giggles slowly dissolved. The blonde noticed how small George looked beneath him, his hands completely engulfing his shoulders and making Dream let out a chuckle at how tiny he actually was. George let out a contented sigh, ignoring the giggle and turning his head to lay his cheek on the blankets comfortably, closing his eyes just moments later. George could feel himself drifting off to sleep when suddenly his eyes shot open, Dream’s hands having moved closer to his neck and sending a horribly tickly sensation to his nerves.
“Wait, whahat?! Nohoho!” The elder scrunched his shoulders up and attempted to block the sensitive muscle where his shoulders and base of his neck met, clearly surprised at how much it affected him.
“Awh, what’s wrong, sweetheart, does someone have a sensitive neck?”
“You knohohow I do!”
The brunette buried his head into the blankets below him once again as he let out a squeal, feeling Dream’s fingers walking up the sides of his neck until he was directly under his ears on both sides. He began to gently flutter his fingers in the hypersensitive area, giggling to himself when George’s laughter rose in pitch until it was nothing but bright chirps and loud squeaks.
“Listen to you, George! You’re like a little bird!” The older boy groaned through his giggles at the comment, not knowing whether to take it as a compliment or an insult. He didn’t have much time to dwell on that though as a tiny raspberry was suddenly placed below his right ear, making him screech and attempt to bring up his shoulder again. Unfortunately for George, Dream’s chin blocked it and another small raspberry was placed in the same spot.
“NAHAHA P-PLEHEASE! G-Gehehentle, Dream!”
The skitters against his skin turned into gentle rubs, taming George’s giggles almost instantly and allowing him to relax back into the touch.
“I know, I know. I just can’t help myself, George. You’re too cute when you get all scrunchy.” Dream giggled at his own words as he watched George melt into the blankets beneath him. He moved his pointer fingers to swipe at the shell of George’s ear to hear him squeal again before rubbing the ghost tickles out immediately after the action.
“W-Well, you’re ahahan idiot!”
“Maybe, but I’m your idiot. So that makes up for it, right?”
George could hear the smirk in Dream’s voice and refused to answer out of spite, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of knowing the stupid remark had made me smile, too. After a few more minutes of Dream soothingly rubbing over George’s shoulders, he tapped on the smaller boy’s back a few times to get his attention.
“Is it okay if you turn onto your back for me? I wanna try something else.” The blonde was met with a small whine in response, but lifted himself slightly off of George’s thighs when Dream felt him begin to turn over anyway. Dream’s grin only grew when George flashed him a death glare, watching as he flopped himself down onto his back with an eye roll.
“There. Happy?”
Dream raised an eyebrow at the question as he looked George’s torso up and down, shaking his head slightly in disapproval as he lowered himself back onto George’s thighs. His eyes were glued to George’s shirt, which had fallen back down to cover his tummy as the smaller boy maneuvered himself just seconds before.
“I would be, but you messed up your shirt! Now I have to pull it up again.” Dream sighed in feigned annoyance. He made sure to meet George’s gaze as he slowly began to push his shirt up once again, this time stopping at the middle of his ribs and dragging his fingers down his sides once he was satisfied with the amount of tummy exposed. The brunette writhed with a high pitched giggle at the tracing on his sides, bringing his hands up to hide his face out of embarrassment.
Dream slowly skittered his fingers lightly over George’s lower tummy, feeling the smaller boy squirm a little more than he had been as he kicked his feet pathetically against the bed behind him. The blonde used his pointer fingers to continue to trace up and down the sides of George’s tummy, listening to the many different types of giggles it produced while George continued to squirm. The elder did his best to try and allow the tickling, stopping his hands every time they moved from his face to try and grab Dream’s hands on instinct.
“Do you know you scrunch your nose sometimes when you laugh?” Dream commented nonchalantly, making the blush from George’s cheeks spread to the tips of his ears and down the front of his neck.
“I dohohn’t!”
“And you blush like crazy. Right now you’re like a little rose, your cheeks are so red! It’s the cutest thing I’ve ever seen! My little blushy baby.”
“SHUT UHUHP!” George removed his hands from the safety of his own face and lunged forward, trying his best to clamp them over Dream’s mouth but squealing when his wrists were scooped up into one of the blonde’s big hands instead.
“Oh, you want me to tickle your palms? You could’ve just asked, gorgeous!” Dream brought his chin down and began to lightly drag his beard over George’s palms, making him break out into bright cackles as he threw his head back.
“N-Nahaha please! Nohohot there!”
Dream knew that George had extremely sensitive palms, but also knew they worked incredibly well as melt spots when done correctly. Dream continued to slowly drag his chin back and forth over George’s hands until he felt the small fingers relax against his own cheeks, smiling and letting George press his fingers into them as he giggled along with the elder.
“Dreheheam!”
The blonde could tell that George was getting embarrassed, giggling quietly as he watched him squeeze his eyes shut while he attempted to hide his face into one of his shoulders. Dream decided to take pity on him, smile wide as he pulled back slightly to stop the tickling.
“Okahay, okay. I guess I’m done experimenting....” Dream spoke with fake disappointment as moved his chin from its place hovering over George’s hands, holding them in his own and using both of thumbs to rub against George’s to help calm him.
“Thahahank God.” He dropped his head back down against the pillow as he closed his eyes with a contented sigh, intending on allowing the rest of the giggles to run their course while he attempted to relax again. Dream raised an eyebrow at that, taking it as a small challenge and smirking when a new plan formed in his head.
“But actually, you know what? Maybe not!” Dream spoke suddenly, fingers releasing George’s hands and allowing both of his own to fall down to rest on the tops of his thighs.
“Wahahait, why?!” George felt a slight panic at the idea of more tickles after everything he’d already been put through, bringing his hands back to himself and crossing both arms over his torso for protection.
“I just realized I never got your poor little feet! How could I forget them, they need just as much attention as the rest of you, don’t they?”
“What?! Nohoho! We- We’re supposed tohoho be nahahapping!” George was quick to protest, launching his hands forward and gripping onto Dream’s wrists as tight as he could to keep him in place. Dream’s grin grew wider at that reaction, getting the desired results and deciding to continue the teasing.
“I could even do that thing you like so much!” Dream flashed him a smile as he ignored George’s words, only interested in continuing the topic he had introduced. George knew by asking he would only get more flustered, but he was too curious and too stubborn to allow Dream to get away with gatekeeping whatever thought he was currently having at his own expense.
“...What thing…?” He was hesitant, his voice wavering when the question finally spilled out moments later. The blonde giggled brightly at that, pulling at his arms a little to feel that George still had a tight grasp on them.
“Well,” Dream began to explain, shrugging his shoulders as he thought for a moment before continuing. “You know that thing. The shoe thing! The one where I take one off and leave one on?”
“Dre- NMM HMM?!” George opened his mouth to speak, but Dream was quick to break out of the smaller boy’s grip, placing a hand over his mouth to muffle the protests as he continued.
“To be gentle, of course! Not for any other reason. And then I’d take the one sock off, too. And I’d leave the other foot alone, still protected. Isn’t that nice of me, only focusing on one foot instead of two?”
George let go of the wrist he still was holding and grabbed the hand over his mouth, pulling it off and flinging it away from himself as far as Dream would let it go. He quickly brought his arms up and flung them over his face once again as he felt his cheeks grow hotter by the second. George was shaking his head quickly, not saying anything verbally out of fear his voice would sound small and weak from how flustered he was.
“You can relax, I’m just teasing. That’s a little too intense for you for it to be considered gentle, isn’t it, sweetheart? You’re just too ticklish and too flustered, huh?”
“What?! Dream, just- whahatever, shut up!” George whined behind his arms, letting out a small hiccup in surprise when Dream gripped his elbows and lowered his arms to reveal his face. He opened his eyes and was met with bright green ones staring back, rolling his own and pushing at Dream’s chest to move him back slightly.
“Alrihight, angel, I’m done tormenting you…for now.” The blonde adjusted himself from straddling George’s thighs to kneeling next to him again, this time pressing his knees against George’s side in an attempt to stay connected.
“More like forever.” George made a move to sit up as he mumbled under his breath, pushing himself up onto his elbows only to fall back against the bed suddenly when he felt rapid squeezes digging into his inner thighs. He let out a wail and thrashed around frantically, his legs kicking out and arms flailing in every direction.
“NAHAHAHA! D-DREHEHEHEAM NOHOHO!” One of George’s hands gripped tightly into the comforter below him, pulling at it and trying his best to keep his arms to himself in an attempt to save himself from slapping Dream and making the tickling far worse than it already was.
The pinching stopped as quickly as it had started, allowing George to take in deep gulps of air as he continued to laugh himself silly. He pressed his knees together as he turned to the left side, curling in on himself and bringing a hand down to wedge between his inner thighs in an attempt to tame the ghost tickles that were still flowing throughout his legs. His free hand was covering the side of his face that was visible to Dream, attempting to keep the blonde from seeing George’s rapidly growing blush.
“I’m sorry, but I had to! You were getting cocky with me,” The blonde giggled, stretching his left arm out and placing it on the smaller boy’s arm and rubbing it soothingly to try and help calm his nerves. He let out a bright giggle when George jolted at the sudden touch, clearly anticipating more tickles. Dream moved his hand up George’s arm and into the older boy’s hair, gently ruffling it. “But it was only for a second! I promise I’m done now, baby.”
“Ohohonly a second?! It’s my thighs, Dreheheam! You know how they are!” George rolled his eyes as he moved his hand to reveal his face, barely meeting Dream’s gaze. He felt a chill run down his spine as soon as the words passed his lips, noticing the flame they ignited in Dream’s eyes as he stared down at him with a smirk.
“Oh yeah? Do I know how they are, Georgie?” The brunette squirmed at the words, moving to cover his face once again to hide himself from Dream.
“Yes!” George spat back in annoyance, feeling his face heat up once again at the teasing tone in the younger boy’s voice. George felt the bed dip and suddenly he felt lips against the shell of his ear, barely grazing it and causing him to yelp. He made a move to cover the spot with his hand instead, but Dream had anticipated this and was quick to lightly grip George’s wrist, keeping it where it was against his blushy cheek.
“Hmmm…maybe I do. But don’t worry! We can explore that another day, just to make sure I really know,” Dream purred into his ear, making George let out a high pitched whine from the sudden closeness of the blonde. “Preferably on a day where I’m feeling particularly cruel. Does that sound good, kitten?”
Dream released his grip on the tiny wrist in his hand, chuckling when the brunette scrambled to sit up while the blonde made a move to crawl to the edge of the bed. George could do nothing but watch with wide eyes as the younger boy stood up, making his way towards the door with a mischievous look on his face; like he was immediately planning George’s demise.
“W-What about our nap?”
“How could I possibly sleep now when I have, like, ten different ideas on how to absolutely wreck you floating around in my head? I’ll nap later.” Dream turned around one last time to flash him a teasy smile before exiting the bedroom and disappearing down the hallway, leaving George bright faced and breathless, anxiously sitting with the many questions that swirled through his mind of what Dream could possibly do to further tear him into ticklish little shreds.
#lee!george#ler!dream#YAAAAY ITS FINALLY HERE#this took forever to write but......i think im happy with it#this also may have been heavily aimed at a certain talented puppy we all know and love and adore#i waited until cal read this to post it bc i wanted to see his reaction and let me tell u#cutest hecking thing i stg#lets also thank cal for coming up with prompts with me and listening to me whine about this for months on end#and thank u to llama for doing the lee!dream event and giving me this idea in the first place!!!#and my bb mouse for reading this a few times during the writing process to tell me if it flows or not!!!!!#and summer for absolutely hyping the shit out of this#i will cry tbh i love my frens so much im just so excited ):#and thank u literally everyone who participates or interacts or reads or just silently lurks#like.......this is so cool what to hecc#mushie fics#mcyt tickle#my stuff#mushies lee!george week
78 notes
·
View notes
Note
Artists and designers self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five works in any medium that you've created, then pass it on to at least five other creators. Let’s spread the self-love 💛
aw thank you for thinking of me, cat! apologies for being so late to do this 💛💛💛
💜 icon: pete saengtham set - this set was a BEAST to make (the first gif alone took me two days to get the way i wanted it kdfshfj), but i love the way it turned out! i set out to really let loose with typography and animation and transitions, and i think i pulled it off.
🧡 only friends + iphones set - when @cal-kestis shared her template for her incredible iphone sets, i had to give it try! coming up with different color combos and thinking about what the characters would prioritize on their phones was a lot of fun.
💖 emotions: love + uncertainty (sand x ray, only friends) set - this set reinvented itself a few times bc i wanted it to express what was happening between sand and ray at the time it was being posted. i'm often inspired by music, and when 'do i wanna know' by arctic monkeys played in one of my mixes, i knew that had to be the basis. that sand mentions liking arctic monkeys in the show only helped fuel that. i was inspired by this set, esp by the second to last gif, and i wanted a similar effect for my set. it took FOREVER to get it (mostly) the way i wanted it, because i had to just. figure it out? it's not as seamless as it is in the inspiration set, but i think i did okay?
💛 sand x ray, only friends (inspired by this beautiful set by @seamayweed) aka the kintsugi set - i fell in love with sea's kintsugi set and when the prompt of 'inspiration' was announced for the userdramas event, i immediately thought of it. the timing coincided with eps 8 & 9 of only friends, and i was thinking about how ray has these 'cracks' and sand is the gold lovingly piecing them back together to help make something even more beautiful......that was corny as hell but that was the thought process. honestly? i think it turned out beautifully and i'm really proud of it.
❤️ halsey - finally // beautiful stranger (sand x ray, only friends) (tw cracked glass effect and flickering neon) - this was a birthday gift for my beloved @henwilsons, who loves sandray as well. she also likes halsey, so i combed thru some songs and finally (heh) decided to work with 'finally // beautiful stranger'. i feel like the mood and lyrics of the song mirror sand's feelings for ray: this beautiful stranger bulldozes his way into his life and he wants to believe they can just be friends, that sex between them won't change anything ('and i say i'm only playing'). but whoops he fucked around and fell in love. and he's been hurt but he can't help but want this man. (god these bozos mean so much to me.) i wanted the set to have a 'last call at the bar' kind of vibe, so i used deep blue and red and then paired that with neon lighting. the cracked glass effect to convey being terrified and hurt just made sense to me. i think it turned out nice, and mia really liked it, and that was the most important thing!
💚 put that blorbo under a microscope!: ray pakorn - she's new but i love her! like most a lot of my sets, i didn't have a solid idea in my head about what i wanted to do. i knew that i wanted to gif ray (he's such a dumpling), that the scene of ray and sand in the hallway of the rehab center with the green floral art behind them made me want to use green, and it evolved from there. infinite thanks go to @deokmis who patiently listened to me ramble about this and gave me valuable suggestions and feedback that made it so much better! i love this set and i'm obsessed with green now.
so there you go. yeah, i know. i did six sets. i couldn't choose and also i don't know how to shut up. don't be like me. be normal.
14 notes
·
View notes
Note
Hello! I notice that you are a voracious Merrical shipper! This is a thing we share in common. I'm looking to write a few Merrin/Cal drabbles or shorts. I like to think I'm pretty alright at that part, but not so alright at coming up with initial ideas. Would you care to drop me some prompts you might have rattling around in your brain?
I consider my strengths to be romance, fluff, hurt/comfort emotional type stuff. Space Chicken Soup for the Soul or something. Anything that allows me to say something about them as a romantic couple. Thanks!
I MEAN…what gave me away?? LOLOL of courseeeeeee I am a voracious shipper of our fav space ginger jedi and space goth best girl!! I am honored you’d reach out to me for such a thing anon. I do feel like I always just have fic ideas banging around in my head like a bunch of loose not approved space trash, so I would be happy to help! Now, did you want canonverse or AU prompts? Well I am here to give you both like the feral Merrical that I am. (also space chicken soup for the soul I cackled)
I hope you love tropes!
Haha some of these are just a few sentences and some of them are whoops Katie got a little carried away and already wrote out half the fic for you in the most unhinged, blathering manner you’ve ever seen so prepare yourself for that (it’s actually a lot of them so…🙃)
Canonverse:
Canon Compliant:
Alright, who doesn’t love a sexy spy intel fic? Yeah, pretty stereotypical plot, buy HEY listen. Okay, typical gathering intel mission at some cantina somewheres (and they are not together in my mind because of course that makes it more fun). Maybe there’s a drink or two…oh hey maybe even some dancing to appear nondescript…and wow hey they are at just the right place to complete the mission but OH—what is this the people they’re spying on are actually coming right for them WHAT SHOULD THEY DO TO DISTRACT—um come on is this even a question?? I personally think it would be more unexpected and satisfying if Cal were to be the one to initiate it.
Because of course he’s wanted to do this, kiss her like this, feel her like this. He’s kind of surprised he’s held out this long, and he’s nervous, feeling like he’s made a mistake because she’s not responsive, so he’s already formulating his extreme apology once they are in the clear—
He feels her fingertips slowly touch at the skin on his neck as her lips respond to his. The way in which it escalates caused Cal to forget what its intended purpose was because his brain blanked out as her body pressed to his, arms snaking around his neck now as it only seemed natural to wrap his around her… you know, something like that
UM, SPARRING??? Xcuse is there anything better?? A Jedi and a Nightsister can you imagine? It starts off innocent enough, but then hey Bogano is hot—perhaps Cal takes off his shirt, they get competitive trying to one up each other, Merrin takes off her shirt idk and of course there’s gots to be banter banter banter sethy sethy banter sethy, we’re all watching like YO these two want to SMOOSH their FACES TOGETHER RIGHT??? They have a moment, an impasse if you will, where they are very close or are actually just pressed up against one another, or hey maybe even one falls on top of the other—I’m not picky.
They realize they’ve gotten too carried away or crossed a line 🥵—blush blush or lingering lewks—but then they get a hold of themselves. Because hey, that’s a normal thing to do, right? Just have this sexually charged sparring session and brush up against your bud in the process?? I mean, we’ve all been there…
They’re both embarrassed, trying to scurry away to preserve their dignity…Merrin walks away first and then Cal like grunts with his hands in the air like wtfff why didn’t I kiss her??
~Later~ Cal’s beating himself up in his cot, tossing and turning on just how much Merrin means to him because it was weird and awkward for them at dinner and was he really imagining everything that’d built between them?
Cal just can’t let this go and gets up to confront her about it, and he gets up to find her in the hallway walking towards his room, and—he sees her face and automatically deflates because there’s conflict on her face. They again awkwardly kind of be like saying at the same time I’m sorry about that oof whoops I didn’t mean that unless maybe—okay well GNIGHT—
Cal goes back to bed, sits on his bed and sighs, knowing he biffed it again—almost starts spiraling disassociating, and then shakes his head like man wtf am I doing go to her—so he gets up again—he goes up to her door, hyping himself up, but then like two seconds later, Merrin opens it, and they are shocked, they stare, Cal goes in for it—pulls away—they stare—they both go in for it and hehe idk wtf do you think happens after that???????????//
Um, I am envisioning a dynamic where like, there has been some flirtsing between them, but nothing that has really committed to the bit, you know? And then they go on either a mission or go like to a marketplace (somewhere public) wherein one notices how much the other is getting checked out, and they are like ooof wow everyone in this Cantina is seeing how hot they are how could I even have a shot??? Well let me tell YOU babes…you do. you have a shot. You have the most shots. Just…shoot your shot. I feel like there should def be some unintentional swagger going on and the other is like wow why are they being so hot rn…THAT is rude.
They get home…there’s an awkward feeling where they don’t know how to act around them…and the other is like um tf is up with you??? And it’s like they forgot how to be a person around them…what?? What is hUmAN iNteRaCtIon???? Would you I—how do I—*wheezes* Okay the more I write this out the more fun I think it would be for Merrin to be getting all flustered about this (esp because she is usually the one that is seen to be more composed). It’s up to you but come on there is much room for Cal busting out that charm he doesn’t even realize he has and Merrin is just 🥵 swoon. Also him taking off his shirt for no reason or looking hawt while doing Jedi shit. Then she just snaps. We love to see it. Just think about it. I know you are. Please write this shit for us I beg of you.
I also like the thought of Cal looking for something in the mantis, and he accidentally picks up one of Merrin’s things without thinking about it and sees an echo from her. It actually isn’t sad. It’s a happy one, which for some reason seems to only make it worse. He doesn’t exactly know how to address it with her and starts to feel awkward around her. Sometimes he really resents the fact that people’s private moments are just projected into his head. They are tasked to do something together on another planet, where she eventually confronts him on why he is acting weird. He tries to play it off with some lame excuse and she sees right through him and stalks off.
He sighs, setting out to find her, where she is at like an outside café or hell somewhere super secluded. Cal sits down with her without a word. They are silent for a bit, but then he tells her of a happy memory that he has of him and Jaro and their battalion, or maybe something from the temple.
She is happy he’s shared something intimate with her, but then she questions where this is coming from. Then he is pulling something out of his poncho, dropping it into her lap. There are profuse apologies coming from him and tells her what he saw. It was a complete accident. Upon seeing the object, she tells Cal it’s fine she knew he didn’t do it on purpose, but there still seems to be something bothering her.
Cal says how sometimes it’s easy to forget there were better times before this, and thinking about those memories now almost makes them feel tainted.
Merrin tells him that she thought she’d never have another happy memory again. But then she tells him of the first good one she made with him. He smiles, feeling bashful. Merrin says knowing that I still can be happy makes me feel like my past wasn’t for nothing. And I have you to thank for that. They decide they should be getting back and stand…one of them starts to hesitate, and the other notices, asking what is wrong…but then the former approaches them and perhaps they kith I mean of course they kith this is a fanfic after all I mean what else are we doing here.
Who doesn’t love a mission where Cal has taken too long (with Saw or the partisans or whatever), and Merrin is really starting to worry that something bad has happened to him. She can’t feel him through the force and she has devolved into a nervous wreck (up to you what the state of their relationship is at this point). Cere and Greez do their best to try and distract or comfort her. she feels her heart rip apart in her chest because she just cannot go through this again—she’s already lost her sisters and almost lost him too. Him being gone and uncertain of his fate is making her face how she truly feels about him, which makes it only worse.
She is trying to distract herself with practicing her magicks, menial tasks, meditation, sparring techniques that Cal has taught her—which just makes her think of him just like everything eventually does.
And just when she thought she truly was going to lose her mind, resorting to shutting out these feelings she’s only just realized, she feels him, something that is only a flicker compared to how bright he normally feels—and she’s running, she can teleport, but she just wants to chase this feeling of where he is—because if she doesn’t she is just simply going to lose her mind—
There he is, at the top of the ramp, and there is this moment where they meet eyes (and wow our boy could certainly be injured, which could explain why she didn’t feel him before), and they are running towards each other—and wow what a beautiful reunion of DON’T EVER SCARE ME LIKE THAT AGAIN and such things. Could have a debriefing session looking over the sunset of Bogano where ✨feelings✨ are discussed. If they aren’t together certainly someone shoving their face into the other for the first time, or if they already are def have the L word thrown around…also there has to be a ‘coming back to you was like coming home’ moment because yes. Should be full of fun timez.
Canon Divergent:
I love love looooove the idea of Merrin has been able to get off Dathomir and becomes a bounty hunter (and Ventress is alive and thriving and living her best life OF COURSE), and perhaps they sometimes work together (it is my own personal HC that these two are aunt and niece together but I digress). And guess who are the most wanted beezies in the galaxy??? JEDI. And there’s a redheaded Jedi going around causing a lot of trouble.
Merrin is on a planet and happens to find him in a Cantina. He fits the description with his build and his hair, despite the hood he is trying to conceal himself with. Perhaps most people would miss him, but not this Nightsister. She follows him to somewhere secluded, and he of course senses her and is like um why are you following me…you know the answer to that, she says. He knows he’s discovered and so don’t we have a FUN Jedi Nightsister brawl. Both catches one another off guard with their abilities…but of course we know who has to get the upper hand if this fic is going to progress.
Cal is captured…there are some fun moments in captivity where Cal is like please don’t do this…do you really want to give the Empire what they want, and she is just like fuming Jedi are liars and selfish thieves bit. Could go a few different directions from here. I like the thought of another group ambushing them, and Cal offers to help and she is like no you are my prisoner and he is like girl would you rather die? So she reluctantly says FINE Jedi—he ends up accidentally touching something of hers in the midst and feels an echo that you know, reveals some sad shit and she is like WTF ARE YOU DOING WE NEED TO GET A MOVE ON IT BUDDY—
They end up having to crash land anyway—perhaps onto an uninhibited planet or one with a small population…Cal saves Merrin, and when she wakes up and realizes what he has done and she is almost resentful. Why would he do such a thing. She takes her anger out on him. And he just takes it all. And it makes her even more angry that he isn’t even reacting to it like he was before.
Eventually when she is done, he tells her that the Jedi weren’t the monsters she was told they were. Perhaps he even busts out the object he touched before and tosses it to her. He apologizes and explains what happened on the ship before he stands, explaining everything that needs to be fixed on the ship.
He’s walking away, but he pauses, idk if you want to bust out the ‘I know what it’s like to lose everything’ line here but I don’t think it would be a bad place. Or at least something to that degree. And you know what progresses after that…(psst, it’s their relationship) Holy shit the more I’ve gotten into this the more I need it please someone write this I may die without it!
(OR—another direction you can go with it is that they are both captured by WHOMSTever and they have to work together to escape…I mean who could truly stop a Jedi and a Nighsister reluctantly working together? I truly pity the fool)
Clone Wars AU where Cal and Jaro are assigned to try and recruit the Nightsisters to try and get the upper hand in the war with Dooku (lol I wouldn’t say exactly a Dark Disciple route but that’s up to you). Merrin is voluntold (the opposite of volunteered) by Mother Talzin to try and become allies with the Jedi (they could have their own shady Nightsister ulterior motive going on as well), and Merrin reluctantly goes with the Jedi. And oooooooOoOooo wow the shenanigans that can ensue from that. (Merrin also has to try really hard not to lose her shit over leaving Dathomir for the first time in her life). I’d imagine a lot of frustrations from both parties. The clones mercilessly make fun of Cal and his Nightsister gf (but they also have to tell him what’s up). He thinks she’s unreasonably obtuse and rude, and she thinks he’s frustratingly smug/arrogant. Merrin could prove to be a definite asset in battle. Cal probably thinks it’s hawt 😳 OH NO SHE’S HOT SEE LOOK HOW WE GOT HERE WE LIKE TO HAVE FUN HERE.
Now suddenly she’s mysterious and complex, and he’s frustrated that he wants to know more. He’s actually the sweetest person she’s ever seen and she’s angry about it. She constantly has to check in with her sisters and it’s getting harder and harder to go behind his back or deny that she maybe might not hate him anymore she maybe even may want to smooch him WOAH who knows. They bond over feeling used in this war. Come on. You got it from here right?
AUs:
Modern:
Idk why this has been in my head but like—(I imagine them as good friends with insane chemistry, well, they always have insane chemistry but you know what I mean), and they are at a party, probably drinking involved, because that could give you some like beer pong shenanigans if you so choose. They have a good fun time, maybe there’s a moment where either one of them (depending on who’s POV you are using) thinks it’s gonna happen. Merrin smiles in just the right way, or Cal says something dorky and adorable like he does, and I mean…they’re in a fanfic, so of course they get INTERRUPTED—
They may either be too tried or too drunk to leave, and they end up both on the couch, and hey at the time it seemed like a perfectly normal thing for them to just fall asleep like that. Cal probably still tries to respect Merrin’s boundaries and though her face is like literal centimeters from his, he tries his best to give her space and awkwardly contorts his body so he is still not touching her. But Merrin still rests her head on his arm anyway, and both of them feel that warmth and rush throughout their bodies because maybe perhaps also Cal tucks her Merrin’s hair behind her ear just before they fall asleep—
AND IN THE MORNING, they’re closer now, both of them in that haze of awakening, their lips are ever so barely touching, BUT THEN—they spring apart. Their eyes are wild on each other and within this space, seconds tick by as the gravity of that sinks in before they give each other one last heated look and then they are just macking on each other let’s GOOOOOOOO
My goodest frond @arosesee (who thought of this and the next three ideas) actually just came up with this one, and I LOVE it. A direct quote from her, “Mom Merrin subbing for Dad Kestis at a PTA meeting I would DIE,” and I mean basically. And I am not even someone who normally goes for fics with kids, but omg I would go feral for this one. Can you imagine? Cal is friends with all the moms and they are just smitten with him, and they are always like so when do we get to meet your wife?
And he’s like lol y’all ain’t ready for that smoke…but then hey Cal gets sick or something and so his goth wife has to step in and demand why they aren’t disciplining her children more I mean do they know who their father is??? And the moms just had no idea what Merrin was about, so they are just a bit surprised. UGH, I would be obsessed. Obsessed.
A stranded island survivor metrical fic could be fun. AHHHHH omg can you imagine all the arguing and the bickering and the 👀 —back to bickering again
“Oooooorrr a one-shot meet cute tourist trap with Merrin working the cash register and Cal the campy decked out tourist tripping over himself cause he doesn't want to be inconsiderate but ohmygod she's so pretty
He like TOTALLY drops his wallet (probably drops it twice)”
He’s like there for a thing—like maybe a family thing with Cere and Greez and it just turns into them constantly running into each other (um should the wallet dropping bit be throughout uh yeah I think so and at the end SHE picks it up akakakakakkakk), and finally she eyes him, sighing, and invites him to the hotel bar or a local spot, basically just yanking him along and Cal is just like okAYYYY 😍
“Ooooh one more idea, both of them are college RAs for the same dorm building, and it's super awkward but FINE during the meeting but then they have to plan weekly socials for the baby freshmen TOGRTHRr and like it's fine like so totally fine”....Narrator: it was not fine
This one was suggested by my boo @galacticsirensong: “Listen I want a carnival AU now with Cal going on the ferris wheel alone cuz his date stood him up. He bought allllll these tickets and doesn’t wanna waste them. So he decides to hop on the ride but the carnie operator is like yelling into the crowd STEP RIGHT UP! STEP RIGHT UP! ANYONE WANNA GO FOR A RIDE WITH THIS GINGER? WE GOT A LONELY GINGER, LADIES!! ANY TAKERS??
Merrin is like at her aunt’s palm reading tent nearby (see this is where I continue to push forward that Asajj is Merrin’s aunt agenda leave me alone). She overhears the ruckus and notices Cal is completely mortified. So she just squeezes through the narrow gaps of people, goes up the steps, takes a ticket from Cal and hands it to the operator without a word.”
Cal barely has time to register her before she sits down and starts moving, and he like clears throat um--
Merrin’s just like I hate this ride operator he’s always trying to embarrass people like that so I am doing this out of spite
Then they kind of notice one another may be cute and well Cal’s stumbling over his words like he do, and Merrin pretends not to be flustered by it because she is into that shit, and once the ride is over....Merrin’s just like well let’s spend the rest of these tickets
Because you know, out of spite for Cal being stood up
AND THAT’S IT
Harry Potter:
Either them being students or teachers. But Cal is a NERD happy go lucky Hufflepuff and Merrin is a typical broody Slytherin. Perhaps they have to work together either on curriculum or a class project, and neither are really that happy about it. I could see Cal trying to be overly positive about the situation just to be able to get through this because she is such an edgelord, and Merrin could take it as him being insincere or fake. (IF they are students, you can play around with Merrin rolling her eyes at Cal being a teacher’s pet, but then at the same time she is a total know it all LOL).
(ALSO could Cal still have his psychometry powers I know this an AU but come on it’s a crossover we do what we want who is to say an Earth wizard can’t do such a thing)
They could come from tragic pasts that they are very reluctant to share…but somehow they manage to start…getting along? Lol I love the thought of them rolling their eyes at the other houses like omfg Ravenclaws are such know it alls or the Gryffindors are such bruts. Maybe there’s Quidditch involved…only adding to the rivalry. But that is for YOU to decide, isn’t it???
Old West:
Sorry I am on some Red Dead Redemption shit but I simply cannot help myself but to shove all of my favorite things together alright. (@namesonboats I am looking at chuuu 🤠) Cal is apart of some kind of roaming squad (IF you chose a band of outlaws I wouldn’t be opposed), and they are in this one town for a bit. He starts to go to a general store where a Russian aunt and niece run it, and a lot of people just assume Merrin doesn’t even speak any English and dismiss her a lot of the time. But maybe he’s seen her at one of the saloons or tending to one of her horses and thinks that there’s more to her than what she is presenting to the world (and lol she is prettyyyy 😍)
He goes into the store with Greez one day, and he ends up asking Merrin something, and Greez is like lol why do you bother she isn’t going to answer you. Cal is like pssssh this girl is trolling all of you I just know it. Merrin looks at him like he’s grown a second head, and then Asajj comes out and starts to put on the charm and Merrin just yeets right out of there.
Perhaps Cal was wrong. Maybe she didn’t understand him, but that doesn’t mean that he wouldn’t want to get to know her. So he just continues to go to the store anyway and keeps talking to her all the time (We all know the boy can ramble let’s go). Maybe he even runs into her at other parts of town, or even on the outskirts where she’s taken her horse out, and he happens upon her while he’s on his. She does some target practice with a pistol and he’s impressed. He wished he at least knew her name.
There’s a Russian woman in their group, and Cal asks her about a few Russian phrases, to which she complies, but then asks why. Cal is all SUPER red and is just like LOL NO REASON K THX BYEEEE!
Cal goes into the shop, tries out a phrase or two, attempts a hello and asks her how she is doing. He feels like he is making a fool of himself, but then he swears out of the corner of his eye he sees her smirk. He asks her name in Russian, and she sighs…so Cal assumes he’s asked her wrong he clearly couldn’t remember it right and looks at the ground. “Merrin,” she says. His heart races. Asajj comes out and interrupts them OF COURSE.
The gang wants to move on soon, but Cal isn’t ready to let go. It seems silly because practically every interaction they’ve had have been one sided conversations, but he still goes to the store nonetheless and tells her they are going to be leaving. She looks at him poignantly, and he still just doesn’t know if she’s pretending or really doesn’t understand. He dips his cowboy hat to her and tells her it was nice meetin’ ya milady dasvidaniya.
Merrin shouldn’t be disappointed in the American man who came into her shop all the time to annoy her, really it doesn’t matter. How could it? He was really just a nuisance more than anything else, that Calvin ‘Cal’ Kestis.
But, he was truly the only person that she could recall in what feels like a lifetime that looked her in her eyes, talked to her like a person, even if it was at annoying constancy. And GD he even learned some Russian just for her...but she tries to just forget about that handsome, redheaded cowboy all the same.
Merrin is tasked to travel to a few towns over to pick up a delivery for the store, and after the long journey wherein she is going to have to spend the night anyway, so she decides to go to one of the saloons. She rolls her eyes as she sips at her whiskey because more than one man has approached her and thought she was a hooker.
A brawl breaks out and she rolls her eyes harder. Stupid men. All of them were just children.
But then this man comes in the middle of it and tries to break it up. His voice sounds familiar, but she thinks he’s hearing things. She tries to tune it out, but notices he gets punched anyway, and his hat flies off. Yeah, no there was no denying that red hair. She wants to leave, but she can’t; she’s stuck on her stool. Once the fight finally ceases, Cal is with that small man he came into the store with sometimes as he retrieves his hat. He talks with the short man, and she thinks he’s going to leave, and he is just going to be lost to her again, but then he seems to stay for another drink, probably wanting to nurse that black eye he’s no doubt going to get.
He sits at one of the stools and downs a drink. Oh lordt should she go up to him now? After everything she’s lost, it seemed ridiculous to do such a thing, but she finds her feet moving of her own volition. Oh GOD what is she even going to say.
“That is quite the punch you took,” she says, sitting down next to him, “I probably have something in my supplies that could help with that.”
Cal whips his head to her and quickly voices her name, which she was certain he was going to forget. And he seemed most certainly shocked that yes she does indeed know English and has this whole time.
There’s smiles all around as he offers to buy her a drink and she accepts. But she also has to make fun of how terrible his Russian was.
Lol was that enough of the plot for you. AND I MEAN GD I’VE DONE IT AGAIN—
Treasure Hunters:
SHUT UP NO I AM NOT JUST THINKING OF ALL MY FAV VIDEO GAMES THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH UNCHARTED GET THAT THOUGHT OUT OF YOUR HEAD. Cal and Greez are a typical team that also work a lot with Cere.
For this new job, they have to go to Russia for like whatever treasure is there, and Cere has recruited a new member, a surly woman named Merrin that was apparently an expert in Russian history and treasure and all of that (maybe even chemistry or something too because our girl is SMORT). But she is mean and yeah maybe he thinks it’s a little hot but that is besides the point. Why is she even here him and Greez have always gotten along just fine. Do they have to steal something from a Russian big wig crime boss, yeah most probably. Merrin looks WAY too sethy 🥵 in her dress as she tries to distract the men Cal needs to get around…they get caught of course and wooo, calamity ensues.
They get to the location, and whenever they have to make camp, she is always off by herself, even when Cere invites her to sit with them.
Come on this is also a PERFECT opportunity for Cal to show off some parkour skills. And Merrin doesn’t notice them. No, she doesn’t notice them at all she is adamantly not looking—dammit, she looked.
They get deeper and deeper into this job. Cal opens up about how he was an orphan and Greez took him in when they are checking out one of the rooms in this abandoned site. He doesn’t really know why he’s telling her this, but he’s just caught her sad face too many times for him to not think about what was going on in her head. But she’s made it clear she’s only here for the job and doesn’t really care about any of them, so this whole venture was useless anyway.
They still bicker, oH LORDT do they fight about everything. Cere and Greez just assume they are going to bone if they haven’t already. Cal gets all defensive when Greez asks about it like NO…where did you even GET that from omG.
They find the underground area they’ve been trying to get to…and of COURSE the gang gets separated. Cal and Merrin end up in a room they can’t find their way out of. They are STUCK. WtF Cal is stuck with this grump and Merrin is stuck with this way too enthused arrogant asshole—
They try all their options and argue the whole time. They don’t know how long they’ve been stuck in here, but Cal still insists she has the last of the water. And she insists he has the last protein bar. Maybe there was only one bed roll you never know....
Merrin doesn’t know why, but she opens up to him about how she got into all of this. Her mother, that is how her parents met in this deathtrap of an industry, was always fascinated in this treasure in particular. In some sort of stupid way, she thought she was honoring her…it sounds stupid now.
It doesn’t sound stupid, Cal declares.
And look at that they have to WoRk ToGEtHeR to get out and there haaas to be close proximity and touching for that to happen. Come on now I know you have it in you. SOOOOO, yeah that was that one.
Was that enough?? I am so freaking sorry that I pretty much wrote out like almost all the plot to like…most of these. I would start with an idea and before I knew it—I was several paragraphs deep and what is my life. No excuses…I have no way to defend myself…don’t look at me
ANYONE out there, please, if any of these ideas inspire you, take them and roll with it! You in no way are obligated to follow my outlines directly. Take it, make it your own, or follow my plot, IDC, as long as we are getting some more Merrical content out there! Hell, you could even do a combination, a continuation, whatever you want! I was having a pretty shitty week, so this was honestly a fun distraction for me to put together. I can’t believe I went this insane...but actually no I am not.
And if anyone has any more ideas, don’t be shy! Comment on this post, DM me, or write into my ask box. I would love to get your thoughts out there for all of us to see! I am like so thrilled about the amount of Merricals coming out from the woodwork. YESSS, these space nerds just belong together no matter the universe! So I really hope this helped you anon! Would love to add to this list with all y’alls ideas!
Also, if any of you wanted to bounce these ideas or any other ideas you had, also please don’t hesitate to reach out! I am always here to have a fic sesh, believe you me.
Alright, well.. I’ve rambled long enough for the next 500 years, I’ll just…see myself out.
And I am just going to tag some of my Merrical peeps (and ones I know that are around even if we haven't talked before) if you guys are at all interested in writing or contributing! 🥰
@namesonboats @believe-in-alderaan @misfitz-7 @myfaenwy @starryjediknight @dolcid @wayfaringjedi @separatist-apologist @mistressorinoco
#ooooof wow#i perhaps might have ran a little wild with this one folks#or maybe a lot#but like??? hopefully some of these may inspire you????#i certainly hope so#i think i put out a nice plethora#a smattering if you will#anyway#let's go merricals let's GOOOO!!!#i expect to see a lot more fics in the ao3 tag now#lol jk no pressure but that would be awesome#okay genuinely will stfu now#calmerrin#cal x merrin#merrical#merrical fanfic#fanfic#merrical fic recs#ask
47 notes
·
View notes
Note
Could I request 31 from the hugs list for RJ and Alex? I love the prompt fills you've done so far, they're like crack to me
hey anon! thanks for the ask. I've had a busy week so I've been trying to get this going for you and also not have it be an absolute mess
I'm glad to hear you enjoy my ficlets! I am starting to wonder how much schmoop one person can write about one show, but I'm willing to push my limits here. (and have a history in the past of doing so in other fandoms, *cough* cherry magic *cough*)
This is for RJ/Alex for number 31 from the hugs prompt list which is hugging while straddling the partner. I have to say, I have written a lot of sm*t and this is definitely only a T rating but the logistics of this was a challenge. :) Hope it works!
(Any other prompts, I have steadily been getting to work on, so if you sent me something, it's still in my queue!)
For this post: send me a prompt number from one of these lists and characters for My Tooth Your Love and I'll write a short scene.
Also on AO3 and all my other my mtyl one shots.
Tell me what you want
RJ was trying to appear calm. He knew it wouldn’t be good to show Alex how much he was freaking out about being in his apartment. He had never imagined he’d get to see it, let alone be invited to it.
Being inside, it was exactly what RJ would expect from Alex’s place. Minimalist. An open studio apartment with a chair and some book shelves, a galley kitchen and a good sized bed. RJ’s eyes slid over the last object unable to not picture Alex waking up in it in the morning, his hair all disheveled, rubbing sleep from his eyes. RJ wanted to see it so badly.
And now he thought maybe someday Alex would want him to see it too. He had kissed him back. He had said he liked having him around. For Alex that was practically a proposal.
When they were together back at the restaurant, things felt normal, like nothing had changed between them. Alex still kinda lectured about things. RJ still kinda listened.
He wasn’t exactly sure what to do next. It was like they had meant to step over a line, but still had their toes on it.
Until that night Alex said, “Do you want to come over for a bit after we close?”
That was a few hours ago. RJ had been in complete and utter internal panic ever since. Still, he smiled and nodded in agreement. There was no way he was going to miss this chance.
Except, now that RJ was in there, he didn’t know what to do. He didn’t know where to sit, how to hold his body. He couldn't figure out why his hands felt so heavy, why his arms felt like they didn’t belong hanging at his side.
“Just give me a minute,” Alex said, leaving to go into the bathroom.
RJ tried to figure out what to do with himself before Alex got back. It felt awkward to sit in the single chair and it was piled with a bunch of random stuff, anyway. The bed was clear and neatly made. But sitting there seemed pretty presumptuous. So RJ just kinda stood there for a few minutes until Alex returned.
Alex looked so much more relaxed than RJ had ever seen him when he reappeared. He was almost always wearing his work clothes when RJ was with him, a smart vest and sleeve garters. RJ hadn’t even known what those were until he had met Alex. Admittedly, RJ liked the way Alex looked in those clothes. It was something that had preoccupied his mind often. But RJ liked this too. Alex was now wearing a long sleeve jersey shirt that hung a little loose on him, but caught on his shoulders in a way that made RJ feel warm.
“You can change if you want,” Alex said, pointing to the bathroom.
RJ had trouble for a moment, trying to separate Alex's presence and thoughts of clothing being removed from getting entangled. When he regained his focus he said, “That’s okay, I changed before we left,” unzipping his coat and revealing his t-shirt.
Alex nodded and went to the kitchen for a minute, opening the cupboards and clanking around in them. RJ’s eyes landed on a guitar that was sitting in the corner of the room. He called over to Alex, “Can I take a look at this? The guitar?” He hadn’t found Alex to be particularly guarded with his space or belongings, but instruments could be sacred for some musicians. RJ was mostly fascinated because he didn’t even realize Alex played.
“Oh yeah, go ahead,” he said, shutting a cupboard and opening the fridge.
RJ picked up the instrument and decided it was best if he sat on the floor, settling in next to a small little coffee table. He strummed it gently. It was in tune. It wasn't an instrument simply there for show.
Alex finally brought back a couple of drinks into the living area and set them on the coffee table. RJ was a bit surprised when he leaned down and sat on the ground beside him. Alex was right next to him, their knees almost touching.
He didn’t know if Alex meant it, but it felt the same as the closeness RJ felt when they had kissed. There was plenty of room around them but he had sat down there with RJ.
Alex reached for his own drink and took a sip as RJ kept idly strumming a tune he had learned a while ago. RJ didn’t play a lot, but he enjoyed strumming and thinking up tunes when he had a guitar to do it with. His parents didn’t really want him to play. They thought it was a waste of time.
Alex put his drink back on the table and shifted his body back so that he was propping himself up on his arms, his legs stretched out next to RJ, their knees still almost touching.
“That’s nice,” Alex remarked, nodding along. “I didn’t know you played.”
“I didn’t know you played,” RJ said, letting the guitar drop into his lap.
Alex let his head shift back and forth in a weird, very relaxed kinda indication that he didn’t take his playing too seriously, which couldn't be true. RJ didn’t think there was anything Alex didn’t take seriously.
RJ was tense. His hands weren’t steady enough now to keep playing, He carefully set the guitar next to him on the floor, out of the way. He then grabbed his own glass of water and took a big gulp, his throat suddenly intensely dry.
“Whoa there, thirsty much?” Alex asked with a half smile. RJ’s heart flipped. Alex made him feel so many things even stone-faced and closed lipped. Alex smiling would be the death of him.
“Must be a little dehydrated,” RJ said,clearing his throat and setting the empty glass on the table.
“You should take better care of yourself,” Alex said, nudging RJ’s leg with his foot.
RJ glanced toward where Alex made the contact, taking a moment to comprehend Alex's action.
“What?” he asked, pushing RJ harder with his stocking feet.
“You’re so bossy,” RJ said.
Alex slid his foot to push more on RJ’s legs, continuous little insistent presses that were clearly intended to irritate him.
He couldn't believe Alex was messing with him like this. “Cut it out,” RJ said, now flustered.
Alex smiled so much bigger when he said, “Make me.”
RJ didn’t even think, the way they were being, the lines that had been crossed. He wasn’t sure if there should be space between them anymore, but RJ didn’t want there to be.
He moved forward, climbing onto Alex's legs and pining them down. Alex sat there still, simply observing RJ’s shift to sitting on his thighs. He didn’t protest or act like it was strange, he just looked squarely back at RJ.
“I…is this okay?” RJ asked. He had been the one to push things between them often, and when RJ stopped to think about it, he wished he hadn’t. He didn’t like feeling unsure of what Alex wanted. The fact that Alex had kissed him should have made things clear, but things still felt uncertain.
In a swift movement, Alex raised his legs, forcing RJ to tumble forward, his upper body falling against Alex’s chest. RJ tried to stop himself with his hands, but really all he could do was grab onto Alex’s shoulders to keep from falling face first into him. Alex pushed himself to sit up, catching RJ and basically shifting him into his lap.
They both froze for a minute, holding each other this way. RJ’s mind hadn’t caught up with their reorientation and it was almost impossible to comprehend that RJ was now straddling Alex, his arms securely around RJ’s waist, RJ’s arms finding stability by wrapping around Alex’s neck.
Still, this felt a lot more certain.
“Why are you suddenly shy?" Alex asked. "You were the one who kept coming after me,." He kept looking directly at RJ. The way their eyes met, it collapsed in on RJ. He was given over to it. All he could do was stay where he was, his arms wrapped around Alex, breathing in Alex's scent and feeling Alex all around him, strong and solid.
“I wanted to let you decide what you wanted,” RJ said. “You hadn’t said anything since the kiss. I wasn’t sure.”
“Then why don’t you ask?” Alex said, plainly. “He Qing-Tian, you say I hide, but then you keep things to yourself too. I can’t read your mind.”
The words hit RJ because Alex was right. He had thought Alex stopped talking, but what he hadn’t realized was that he had stopped talking too.
“You have to tell me when you’re unsure,” Alex said, and he pulled RJ into his arms, bringing him forward to press their foreheads together.
“Okay,” RJ said, almost in disbelief that they were together like this. “I will. But can you please try to tell me what you want sometimes? I need you to tell me too.”
“I want to hold you like this,” he said. “I want you to stay like this. I want to be together.”
RJ exhaled. He tightened his arms around Alex and said, “I want that too.”
#my tooth your love#my tooth your love fic#alex/rj#asks#anon#ask games#writing games#writing prompts#ficlet#my fic
13 notes
·
View notes
Note
hiiiiiiiiii do u write for the drgaon prince ??????????????????????? it’s totally not el spamming you again bc you deserve your ezran/callum x sister reader even if i’ll give it to you too
the secret life of katolis royalty - headcanons
prompt(s): the royal family uphold a proper, good reputation. but with you and your siblings, there are always bound to be a few secrets whether they're silly or not
pairing(s): familial! callum x fem! reader x ezran
fandom(s): the dragon prince
genre(s): fluff
warning(s): none (if there are, please feel free to point them out!)
other notes: hi el 🙄 anyway yes i write for dragon prince now because there is a lack of content in this fandom, especially for the royal siblings ! i want platonic goodness, and i'm getting it even if i have to make it myself. enjoy :) also reader may possibly be bi?? can be interpreted as whatever you'd like though !
- so you're three years older than callum, making you at least seven when ezran is born
- you're so protective, no doubt about it
- and callum doesn't mind because you're not overbearing (if anything callum is more protective of you and ezran than you are of your brothers)
- which is why callum never finds out about your little things with both soren and claudia (more like a kiss with claudia, dating soren, and then breaking up with soren to try shit out with claudia; spoiler alert you kinda miss soren as much as you love your magical perky girl)
- another reason is that cal has such a major crush on claudia before meeting rayla and you don't want him to feel bad upon finding out
- but let's be honest ezran finds out because he walked in on you making out with soren after exiting a secret tunnel
- ezran gossips with you more than you both like to admit because of this huge secret only the two of you now know
- but it brought you two closer and he's really happy about that because now he gets to cuddle into your side while he asks questions and spills the beans while you play with his hair lmao
- yk sometimes you even shit talk callum and his sword fighting and that definitely stays between the two of you (he always wonders why you two are giggling under the tree whenever he plays around with soren)
- but you love your brothers and they love you so !! freaking !! much !!
- y'all are attached to the hip, you can't be seen without one or the other
- most of the time it's your brothers doing your thing and brushing up your knowledge on royal etiquette because a part of you is anxious whenever your father talks about his royal wrongdoings
- he doesn't mean to worry you, he just wants you to be prepared (you were in fact, worried and unprepared when he died and you now had three mf children and a dragon egg to take care of)
- don't worry though because callum and ezran are here to save the day and will tell you how amazing you are for hours, it honestly passes the time very well
- okay but i gotta get this outta the way before i forget but callum is the epitome of the "you're doing amazing sweetie!" meme okay?? he is
- where he succeeds (magic, art, being awkward) you on the other hand lack and vice versa (you are badass okay? you can fight and spar properly thanks to your mother's extensive knowledge and even without a weapon you can pack a punch)
- rayla doesn't really understand how callum can be so happy and perky even when you suck at what you're doing
- but he's your baby brother and he loves hyping you up
- callum is your biggest hypeman and always has been it's a second nature to him, trust me if someone were to mention your name he'd never shut up !!
- like this one time you drew rayla and callum on a spare piece of paper callum gave you and it didn't really turn out the best but he still fake cried and attacked you in a hug
- he keeps it in his sketchbook and he's never letting that go, so rayla jokingly judges him for it and your boy ezran backs you up with callum
- "i don't see why you keep it, i mean it doesn't even look like us! we're like lil' stick figures" "art is contemporary, rayla. it can be anything you want it to be! isn't that right zym?" "ez is right, plus it doesn't look that bad! it's cute. look, she even drew me doing magic! her markings are so accurate" "callum, i don't even know what spell you're doing" "it's clearly aspiro! look at the wind" "they're lines!" "that's what art is all about!"
- baby gets so nervous when he and rayla kiss bc he obviously has to tell you and your opinion matters most to him; he's just scared bc rayla always teases you and you may not approve
- so he kept it a secret for a fat minute after telling ezran, ez is so annoyed bc he has to keep your soren secret and callum's??? at least bait and zym are there to listen (man relationships are hard)
- you just laugh because you saw it coming and the moment is just so wholesome !! you tackle rayla into a hug, welcoming her into the family with "bad drawings and all" bc she never lets you live it down fr fr
- but later that night callum can't sleep and he lets out everything because he never really told you about his crush in the first place like he feels really guilty because you're always so open with him and sometimes he has some walls up, like how he was with king harrow even if you're his biological sibling
- also you bet on your life that you would do anything to make sure callum was content with his life and so after his lil rant and your assurance he asks if you've ever felt that way before
- and you had to do it to em, so you tell him about soren and claudia
- "why didn't you tell me anything before?" "you liked claudia! i didn't want to be the reason for your heartache" "but you're my sister, you deserve to be happy. maybe you and soren can work out" "eh, we'll see. not gonna lie i was ready to go back for him after he almost killed that dragon. he looked pretty hurt but you looked way worse honestly" "hey! you're making my heart hurt here y/n." "that doesn't count because it was playful!"
- you end up going to sleep that night leaning on each other because that's what you've been doing all your life — leaning on each other and you don't want him to forget that !!!
- you also wake up the next morning with ezran in between you sleeping soundly, and rayla comes back to the three of you making funny faces and laughing like there was no tomorrow
- she didn't get it but the three of you did, it was a simple moment that you would all cherish even after ezran becomes king — perhaps it even makes you better as royals
- and from then on, there were no secrets, just a family trying to piece themselves together again after so much tragedy
#dragon prince#dragon prince imagine#tdp x reader#tdp imagine#the dragon prince#dragon prince x reader#prince callum#prince ezran#human rayla#tpd rayla#tdp callum#tdp ezran#tdp soren#tdp claudia#tdp harrow#soren x reader#callum x reader#daniza's fave characters are paying rent
226 notes
·
View notes
Text
SECOND CHANCE
Prompt: Just some good old fluff with Finny boy
Word Count: Long, bitch! So fucking long
Pairings: Finn Bálor x Reader
Warnings: Angst, fluff, smut (implied)
Editor: @thenightmareismyreality
Tag: @theworldofotps , @new-zealand-chic , @sassymox , @waywardwrestlewritingwaif , @yungbludjazz360 , @starwithaheart
Notes: Found this in an old file (wrote this about two years ago, maybe?) But I kinda like this little story ❤️ If you’d like to check out my previous works, you can find them on my Masterlist 😉
A deep sigh of relief left my lips as I brushed my damp hair. I heard a commotion in the living room, and began to dread the potential fight I would have to break up between a four and six year-old over a remote control.
“Mommy, mommy, mommy!” Caleb screamed in excitement, while bursting through my bedroom door like a maniac
“You’ll never believe who’s downstairs with us” He jumped with a cheeky smile
“Cal, who’s downstairs?” I ask worryingly, instinctively reaching for the gun that I kept in my nightstand
Caleb laughed and ran downstairs again.
As a homicide detective, my cop instincts combined with my motherly instincts took over me and I ran to the living room in only a tank top and panties, with my gun already aimed to shoot.
Although, the last person I thought I would see standing there, braiding my daughter Maeve’s hair in a style reminiscent of queen Elsa, and watching Caleb showing off his somersault technique was HIM…
That caught me off guard and he must have sensed it, because the first thing he did was look up.
“Hi” He said shyly
“What are you doing here, Finn?” I asked, putting my gun down on the dinner table
“I swear I didn’t break in” He laughed, attempting a joke
“What do you want?” I decided to ignore the small talk...there was no need for that, not after everything he did
“I have an injury. So I have some time off for a while and I wanted to stop by to see the kids and you” He whispered the last part
“Injury, huh? Is it bad?”
Even after everything he did, I couldn’t help but worry about his well being, you know, for the kids sake!...
Ok fine, I still love him, but he doesn’t need to know that.
“No, nothing serious. But I got two months off and I was excited to see my family” He looked at me when he said that
“Are you going to see your parents?”
“Yeah and I was thinking if it would be ok with you if I take the kids with me?”
“Of course! Why would I mind?”
His family was always very loving and kind to me, and we became very close once the kids were born. Sometimes I would take them to Ireland on my vacation so they could see their grandparents or they would travel to New York so they could see the kids.
“Because of...you know” He trailed off
“Neither your family or the kids have anything to do with that. I’m a grown woman, Finn. I know how to separate the sheep from the goat, ok?!”
I could feel the air becoming thicker with the tension, until Maeve said
“Mommy, why aren’t you wearing any pants? Are you feeling hot? I can get you the Japanese hand fan daddy gave it to me, if you’d like” She smiled
“Thank you buttercup, but that won’t be necessary. I’ll be right back”
......................................................................
Now, properly dressed, I made my way towards the kitchen to get dinner ready.
“Do you need any help?” Finn asked from behind me
“No, thank you. You can go stay with the kids” I didn’t even bother to turn around to face him
“Y/N, can we talk?”
I sighed “There’s nothing worth talking about, Finn”
“Please?”
“What can you possibly say that will change what happened? Nothing! It will be a bunch of empty sorry’s and excuses, so let’s just save it, ok?!”
“It’s not empty, I truly am sorry”
“You should’ve thought that before you believed the bunch of lies she told you”
He opened his mouth to say something but Caleb began calling for him to go watch the cartoons with them.
......................................................................
“Mommy, can daddy have dinner with us?” Maeve asked
“Of course, pumpkin. If he would like to”
“Yay” She screams “Daddy, come!” She beckoned him
The subjects of conversation at dinner were mostly controlled by the kids. They, as per usual, asked me how many bad people I had taken down that day, but also asked Finn about his traveling, which state or city he liked the most, the best foods he’d eaten, which LEGO set was he building, if the hotel beds were soft and ‘what about the blankets?’
“Alright, I know you two are very excited to see daddy, but we need to brush those teeth! So, let’s go kiddos” I got up from my chair
“I’ll do it” He grabbed both kids, resting one on each side of his hip and went up to brush their teeth
When he came back down alone, I give him a questioning look
“They’re asleep” He smiled softly
“Oh, you already put them down for bed?! Thank you” I said, cleaning the kitchen island.
He nodded “I just didn’t bathe them because they said you already did”
“Yeah, that’s the first thing I do when I get home. Or my mom does it for me if I get caught up in a case, but most of the time I do it”
“How’s work?” He asked, sitting down on one of the high benches.
“Good, Richard is my superior again, so he helps me a lot with my shifts, because of the kids” I smiled
“The old man is still working?” He laughed, amused
“Yeah, he already said he will only leave his badge when he’s dead” I cackled “How’s road life? Amazing, I presume”
“Nah, don’t let the bright lights fool ya” He laughed, bitterly “I love wrestling, being in the ring, performing for the audience, but once I pass through the curtains backstage it gets lonely” A little bit of sadness could be heard in his voice “It’s very lonely... it’s different from when I came back home to you and the kids. Now I just get back to an empty apartment, wishing I could get back home” He looks at me
“Finn, please”
“I love you! Why can’t we just try again?”
“Because no!”
“Why?” He pleaded
“Because you don’t know what it was like ok?! You don’t know how much it hurt me, the things you said, the fact that you believed some envious woman’s gossip about me having an affair with Lucas! He’s married for fuck’s sake! To a man!”
“I- I didn’t knew Lucas was gay, Y/N”
“Yeah, you didn’t! And why is that? Oh yeah, because you did not trust your own wife, all you saw was the fact that he is a man and my work partner so you just bought the assumption that woman sold you, choosing to believe her instead of me!”
“It wasn’t like that, ok?” He tried to explain
“It wasn’t like that, you say? When you were the one who came in here filled with accusations! Saying that I had an affair with him, that I cheated on you, that you wished you would’ve slept with half of the women who throw themselves at you everyday, doubting that those kids upstairs are yours, when they’re the fucking spitting image of you! You said all those horrible things, Finn. Not me!”
He stared at his knuckles as I continued, now crying
“How do you think that made me feel? To listen from my own husband how much he wished he had cheated on me. Bragging about all of the hot young women who are waiting to be fucked by a wrestler...You know it was always hard for me to accept that you wanted me and not some hot girl in the locker room, that you had chosen me, that I got lucky enough to not only marry a man who’s physically breathtaking but also such a beautiful person on the inside. And still, it was that same Prince Charming who became the frog! I never thought that” I had to stop myself from saying the next horrible words roaming through my mind
“You never thought that, what, Y/N?”
I shook my head
“Say it”
I shook my head again and he got up from the bench, coming to where I was standing
“Say it, love. I can take it”
“I don’t want to say it” I whispered as more tears rolled down my cheeks
“Shhh, it’s ok, love” Finn pulled my head to his chest “Please don’t cry, I hate when you cry” His arms are tightly locked around me, providing me the sense of comfort that only he could give. And I hated that!
“Let me go” I tried to push him away
“What’s wrong, Y/N?”
“Just don’t touch me” I said, shoving him away
He knew that I was closing him off, I could see it in his eyes
“Say it! You never thought that what?” He insisted, more forcefully this time
“I never thought that someday I would regret meeting you! Marrying you, starting a family with you. If I could do it all again, I wouldn’t!” I spat
“You wouldn’t?” He scooted closer
“No” I answered with venom in my voice, trying to turn my undying love for him into hatred
“But I would!” Finn said firmly
I shook my head in denial, as he cupped my cheeks in his calloused hands, making me look up to meet his blue eyes
“I would do it, all over again. Meeting you, dating you, marrying you, having kids with you, in the future seeing the kids graduate high school, college, be at their wedding, take our future grandkids to the park, and spend the rest of my life with you! I would choose you over and over and over again! I choose you everyday, Y/N”
I squeezed my eyes shut
“You’re lying! Stop lying, Finn” I whispered
“Am I though? Open your eyes and look at me. I was never able to hide ANYTHING from you, I can lie to anyone but you. You can always see through me, so just look at me and tell me if I’m lying. If I am, then I promise you, I’ll leave this house right now and you’ll never have to see me again! Just open your eyes” He kissed each closed eyelid
After a few minutes, I gathered the courage to finally look at him and I could only see love, regret, pain and truth.
“I love you Y/N and always will. Yes, I was dumb to listen to some random gossip and I’m paying the price for it, but the only thing I ask you is: please, don’t give up on us! I’ll give you whatever time you need, just promise me that we’ll fix it. That we’ll be together again...You, Caleb and Maeve are my life! I would die to save you in a blink, love. If I had to choose between your life or mine I would choose yours, becau-“
I placed two fingers on his lips
“Stop talking like that! You know I don’t like it. It attracts those bad vibes, you know?”
Finn lightly chuckled “But I mean it”
“Stop! I don’t like when you talk like that... I hate to think that something bad could ever happen to you. You know, because of the kids” I tried to hide my feelings
“And you wouldn’t miss me, not even a little bit?” He teased
“I miss you everyday” I quickly slapped a hand over my mouth when I realized what I just said
He smiled sweetly, leaning down to place sweet and innocent pecks all over my face.
Finn started on my forehead, then he went to my temples, followed by the cheekbones, apple’s of the cheek, jaw, chin, side of my lips. Finn pulled back to search for any resistance signs and when he found none, he kissed my lips. A lazy kiss, that grew more urgent by the minute.
“Fuck, I missed you so much” He moaned, now kissing my neck
“Finn, wait. Wait a minute” I tried to pull his head back by his hair but that only made him moan.
“Finn!” I said harshly, finally having his attention
“What’s wrong, love? Don’t you want it? I thought that-“
“Have you seen anyone since we broke up?” I asked, not even letting him finish his sentence
“We didn’t break up! You asked me for some time and-“
“Finn, just answer the fucking question please” I pleaded
“No, I haven’t been with anyone in those 8 months. Except for my hand when I look at your pictures” He smirked
“You’re so ridiculous” I whispered in relief as my arms circled his waist
“So...do you still want to make love?” He eagerly asked
“We never made love, Finny. We’ve always fucked senseless” I laughed
“No! We’ve always made love it’s just that we’re more frantic about it” He chuckled
“Ok, we sleep together and then what?” I asked
“Then you stay here and I go back to my apartment” He simply said
My heart sunk in my chest as a faint “Oh, ok” left my lips
“So I can pack my clothes and bring them back home” He said, as a devilish smile grew on his face “That’s of course, if you want me here”
“Asshole” I lightly punched his chest “I thought you just wanted a one night stand and that’s it. You scared me!”
Finn chuckled, beckoning me closer to him
“You could never be just a one night stand, love. You fuck too good to be just a one time thing” He winked
“So you just want me for my bedroom skills, huh?” I teased
“Yes and no” He giggled “Yes, because no other woman fucks like you do” He bit my neck, growling “And no, because there’s so much more about you than the bedroom” He hugged my waist “You’re my best friend, my nurturer, my supporter, the air that keeps me alive, my everything!” He kissed me passionately
“Can we try again? Start over and leave all that shit behind us?” He whispered
“If you promise me that if we get back together, you won’t listen to other people’s gossip and will come to me whenever you hear somethi-“
“Yes!” He pecked my lips excitedly, as a wide smile took over his face “I promise you, love! That’ll never happen again, you have my word!” He gave me a bear hug and spun me around the kitchen
“Finn!” I squealed, when we almost fell to the ground “We’re going to wake up the kids” I giggled
“Oh no, shhhh” He shut me up with a kiss “We can’t let that happen! Because as much as I love our children, I haven’t gotten any in eight months and I can’t wait to change that with you right now” He pushed us towards the couch and laid on top of me
“But I thought you were going to go and get your clothes”
“I don’t need clothes, woman! You know I like to sleep naked” He winked
And roamed his head down to...
Please, if you’re comfortable with it, let me know your thoughts on this? Feedbacks are always appreciated 🥰😘
#finn balor one shot#finn balor x reader#finn balor fanfiction#finn balor imagine#finn balor#nxt x reader#nxt imagine#nxt#nxt wrestling#wwe nxt#nxt fanfiction#masochist writes
78 notes
·
View notes
Text
Sky's Insecurities
I had this big Linked Universe prompt I spent the last 2-3 hours on, but then Tumblr erased it all because I moved some tabs around and now I am sad. Here the gist of what I remember.
This is a follow up from the Cal's Chain Dynamics prompt I made yesterday.
Calamity has been all over Sky ever since he discovered that he is the eventual first King of Hyrule and due to his upbringing as a knight in training since he was little, it is ingrained into his being to serve the royalty to the best of his abilities, but he is extremely oblivious when it comes to people's comfort levels.
So when Sky leaves the camp site with a lame excuse no one bats an eye, until Wind noticed he, of all people, forgot to take Master Sword with him. Wind offers to deliver it to him real quick, but Warriors says he'll go with him because he feels like Sky is going through more than he simple frustration with Cal and is a little worried.
They find Sky who was has been playing a beautiful melody on his harp, but Wind claims that this is the saddest song he's ever heard Sky play before and that something must really be eating away at him.
Warrior takes a step back, but the snapping of a twig gave away them away, so Sky jumps into action using his Gust Bellows to blow them out of their hiding places and already had his Scatter Shot ready to fire.
Both come out with their hands up, promptly. They comment on how they thought he'd have trouble without his beloved Master Sword at his side, but were proved wrong.
Sky takes a quick look, but has to look away from the sword. Which is unusual for him. And tries to feign a smile that neither hero buys for a second.
They offer to leave if he just needs a little more time alone to get his bearings or their help by lending Sky an ear if there is something he needs to get off of his chest because it's not a good idea to internalize problems allowing them to fester and eat away at you, or else you'll end up like Time or Legend.
Sky admits that they're right and that this is unusual behavior from himself as he hesitantly takes up the sword and gently sets it down away from him. (that's weird they note)
When questioned if this is about Cal annoying him or getting invasive, Sky denies these claims, and says while he appreciates his dedication to the crown, his presence, along with this blade's, as he gestures the Master Sword, are constant reminders of something he's been trying to ignore since they started this adventure together.
That he'll one day be the first King of Hyrule. Sky doesn't feel equipped to be a leader with people diligently serving him like Cal does, let alone being the Founder of a great Kingdom that will withstand through and overcome countless trials and tribulations. He doesn't even feel like his status as a knight measures up to the likes of Calamity or Warriors. Since his version was more like going to Knight Academy for training and being the security with routine patrols over the small floating island known as Skyloft. Which, even though they took pride in that status they worked hard to achieve, he feels it isn't nearly as impressive as going to wars with battle tactics at play or shouldering the responsibilities of commanding soldiers on and off the battle field with politics involved. When comparing the two, Sky believes he has only been playing knight with his friends like a child.
Sky looks at the sword and continues.
I am not fit to be a King. Even the title of Hero is too lofty for someone like me. I am merely a swordsman. One that got cursed by Demise and brought hardships and troubles to all of you and the people of Hyrule throughout time. It's my fault someone like Ganon even existed in the first place.
Warriors takes a deep breath. He tells him that as a commanding Knight, he has helped a lot of rural knights who have gone through similar feelings of inadequacy when compared to those of Castletown. What Sky's going through when he sees both Warriors and Calamity is actually very common, but it's also very easily fixed when changing their perspectives a little.
He would tell those knights that Hyrule needs every person, including mere swordsmen from the countryside to help. For they bring the people ease and peace of mind as knights are the ones to put in the effort to diligently train to protect them in times of danger. Knights are willing to give everything for all of Hyrule's protection, not just the Capital. And if they are able to keep the civilians out of harm's way and with a virtuous heart give them hope. Then those are deemed the highest of quality Knights, at least in Warrior's eyes that is. And Sky. You are one of the finest specimens of a gallant Knight exuding valor that he has ever come across in his countless battles.
This shocks Sky.
Now, Wind jumps in.
Yeah, besides. That curse got broken a while ago in my time. So it's not like it'll last forever! Even, if you did fail to prevent Demise's curse you can't blame yourself for his actions. You need to give the proper amount of blame to people's actions. Take you. You have the strength to admit your failings and are looking to the future by building Hyrule with your Zelda on a land you two found. That is an awesome start! I should know, I am currently doing the same thing with Tetra.
Listen, you don't need to be some perfect figure of power or wisdom to be king. You're allowed to fail and have those shortcomings. Just keep focusing on the future of Hyrule and it's people. You already know you can't bear those burdens alone since you said you turn to your Zelda and your friends when things get too hard. You're already in the process of becoming a great King. And it sounds like your Zelda would be doing most of the leading anyways so you can just focus on what only you can do along with everyone else. You're going to make an amazing Kingdom one day, so you have nothing to fear!
Sky takes a minute to process everything that they've said. His bright and cheerful smile returns.
You're both right. I've just had my head too high up in the clouds and been overthinking things again. Thanks for bringing me back down to Earth. I needed this wake up call. -Sky
Though, I still don't know how I will deal with Cal's enthusiasm. hahaha -Sky
They all have a good laugh and head back to camp. Sky now has the Master Sword on his side, proudly displayed again, and unbeknownst to them,it flashes a blue light.
That's it. I hate how I lost the first half, but I hope you guys can enjoy. I was surprised at how Calamity opened up a few doors for Sky's development. Tell me what you think of this?
47 notes
·
View notes
Text
If I Hated You [Alex Morgan x Reader]
requested by anon: Hey I love your works!! I was wondering if you could do a fic based on fletcher’s new song ‘if I hated you’ with Alex x reader, if possible with an eventual happy ending? If not I totally understand but thank you so much for all the fics you’ve shared and done for us.
requested by @eclipses77: Hey I was wondering if you could write a fix based off Fletcher’s new song ‘If I Hated You’ with any person you want but with a happy ending if possible.
A/N: thank you to both of you who requested this! and to the anon: i’m so glad you enjoy my fics. i have a great time writing them for you guys.
this isn’t really a song fic with lyrics and everything. it’s mainly just inspired Fletcher’s song, so i hope y’all still enjoy it anyways :) also i may have gotten a little carried away with it.
ps. thanks to @sauceysonny for talking through this prompt with me and letting me rant through my ideas
warnings: swearing
Listen to “If I Hated You” by Fletcher here
You throw the sheets off your body for what feels like the hundredth time that night. You had been tossing and turning, unable to sleep with the other side of the bed being so empty. You reach for your phone to check the time. 2:13 am. The photo on the lock screen makes your heartache. It was a photo of you and Alex that Kelley had captured in the locker room after the World Cup, your foreheads pressed together, oblivious to the rest of the world. Shutting your phone off, you turn over and stare at the ceiling, trying to figure out how you’d gotten here.
—————
“I can’t wait to see you this weekend.” You chirp, smiling at your girlfriend through your computer screen. There had been a week break in the NWSL season, so Alex had decided to visit you up in Seattle for a couple of days.
Alex gives you a sheepish look. Being able to read your girlfriend like a book, you feel yourself deflate with defeat.
“You’re not coming, are you?”
“Babe, I’m sorry. I have to go to LA for some meetings with the Olympics committee and with Angel City. I am so sorry.” Alex apologizes.
Her apologies felt useless at this point, as your girlfriend was always cancelling on you, putting you second. You look down at your hands, ignoring Alex’s gaze.
“(Y/N), I’m sorry. And I’m sorry I’ve been really busy lately.” She tries again, hoping to get a response out of you.
“You’re always busy, Al.” You mumble.
“I know, babe, and I’m sorry, but there’s not a lot I can do about it.” Alex defends.
You roll your eyes, annoyed at your girlfriend’s excuses. “Yes, Alex, there is something you can do about it. You can tell them that you already have plans. Or that you have to go visit your girlfriend, who you haven't seen in almost two months. Or that they can fucking wait because Angel City isn’t happening for another year and the Olympics aren’t for another eight fucking years.”
Alex sits on the other side of the screen stunned by your outburst. In your arguments, you were usually the calmer one, Alex being the one with the temper, but you just couldn’t hold it in any longer.
You sigh, tired of fighting with the other woman. “Al, maybe we should just take a break.”
“What?” Alex sits up at that, leaning closer to the screen.
“Look, I know we love each other and everything, but recently it just feels like our relationship is strained by the distance and all of our commitments.”
“You mean my commitments.” Alex countered.
“I didn’t say that, Alex. Stop putting words in my mouth. We are both to blame here. I just feel like we need some time to ourselves to figure out what we want from this relationship.”
Your heart aches, as the words leave your mouth, and as you see tears form in Alex’s eyes.
“Are you sure? Because I don’t wanna take a break.” She whispered.
“Al, I don’t wanna take a break either, but all we’ve been doing lately is arguing, and I just think we should take a little time to evaluate our own lives.” You feel tears pooling in your eyes.
“Okay, if that’s what you want, love.” Alex nods, wiping her face.
“I think it’s what we need.” You swallow the knot in your throat. “This isn’t the end, Al.”
“It better not be.” She lets out a watery chuckle, and you fondly smile.
“See you later, Ali-gator.”
Alex smiled at your nickname for her. The two of you vowed you would never actually say ‘goodbye’ to each other because you always knew you’d see each other again.
“See you in a while, crocodile.”
—————
That conversation was almost two weeks ago, and since then, you had been an absolute mess. Although you were used to being alone in Seattle, being on a break from your relationship made you feel even more lonely. In the past couple of weeks, you had barely left your apartment, only going out for training, games, and the necessary grocery shopping.
Your phone had been blowing up with text messages from your national team teammates, who were all concerned about you after hearing the news. Not bothering to give any of them any details, you responded to the group chat with an ‘I’m fine, you guys. Please respect me and Alex’s privacy.’ Alex soon replied, adding ‘What (Y/N) said. We love you guys, but we need to work through this ourselves.’ Both of your texts received many hearts and likes, following with ‘We’re here’ and ‘Love you guys’ from the women, and the texts stopped after that.
In Orlando, Alex hadn’t been faring any better. After returning from LA, she spent most of her time moping around her house in sweatpants and a hoodie she’d stolen from you. Ali, Ash, and Syd would all stop by or invite her over to cheer her up, but Alex was heartbroken without you.
—————
The next morning, after having gone to bed at around 3 am, you slip on a pair of shorts and one of Alex’s Cal hoodies and drag yourself to training.
As you walk into the locker room, Allie and Megan exchange a look of concern, noticing the bags under your eyes and your hood pulled over your head. Your two national team teammates had been worried about you for the past couple of months, even more so in the recent weeks when you and Alex had decided to take a break. They knew the distance was causing you stress, and now the separation was causing you heartbreak. But every time either woman tried to approach the subject, you shut them out, insisting you were okay, when you clearly were not.
Towards the end of practice, after another one of your passes goes awry, Farid calls you over.
“(Y/N), you doing okay?” He asks, eyebrows furrowed. He had heard the whispers in the locker room, your teammates voicing their concerns, and he could tell something was bothering you, so much so it was disrupting your play.
“Yes, coach.”
Not wanting to push you, he hums. “Okay, then you better start playing like you’re doing okay.”
You nod, embarrassed by your own unprofessionalism. “Of course, coach, sorry.”
He blows the whistle, ending practice, and you scurry back to the locker room.
Back in the locker room, as you’re taking off your cleats and packing up your bag, Allie slips into the seat next to you.
“(Y/N), you wanna come over later?” Allie places a hand on your knee. “We’re having a barbecue. Megan and Sue will also be there.”
You snort. “And be a fifth wheel? I’m good, Allie, but thanks for the invite.”
“(Y/N),” she starts again, “even though I’m Alex’s best friend doesn’t mean I don’t care about you either. Megan and I, and the whole team really, are here if you ever wanna talk.”
“Thanks, Allie.” You smile, as you stand up, swinging your backpack over your shoulder. “Maybe I’ll stop by for a little bit.”
“Awesome.”
—————
Later than evening, you made your way over to Allie and Bati’s place, ultimately deciding that being a fifth wheel was better than sitting at your apartment alone with another box of takeout.
You enter through the side gate, heading into the backyard, where Bati is barbecuing and Megan, Allie, and Sue are chatting around the table. Hearing you open the gate, Bati looks up from the grill.
“Hey! Look who made it!” He gives you a big grin, opening his arm up for a side hug, which you accept.
“Hey, Jose. Thanks for having me.” You softly smile.
“Of course, (Y/N).”
“Aye! (Y/N)! Get your butt over here!” Megan calls from across the yard, waving you over.
“The queen is calling, so I must go.” You joke, making your way over to the table.
“(Y/N/N), I’m glad you could make it.” Allie gives you a brief hug. “Do you want anything to drink?”
“Water would be great.” You thank her, before turning to Megan and Sue.
“Long time no see, Birdie. Good game the other day. You played, eh, okay.” You smirk at the basketball player, who just rolls her eyes.
“It’s good to see you too, (Y/N/N). Thanks. A triple double is okay. But I dunno if I could say the same about you. I hear you’re not playing like the superstar you are.” Sue teases, resulting in a slap from Megan, who gives her girlfriend a warning glare.
You ignore the pink-haired woman and the ache in your chest. “Just having a couple of bad practices. I’ll be tearing up the field in no time.” You boast flippantly.
Seeing past your confident facade, Megan narrows her eyes. “Are you sure you’re okay, (Y/N)?”
“P, I’ve told you a million times. I’m fine.” You give her a tight smile, silently telling her you don’t want to talk about it.
Before Megan can ask you anymore questions, Allie and Bati approach the table with plates of food in their hands.
“Time to eat!” Allie cheers. “Oh, and, (Y/N), here’s your water.”
You mutter out a ‘thanks’, and take a large gulp, pushing down the knot forming in your throat.
—————
Dinner went smoothly the five of you discussing an array of topics, ranging from the upcoming NWSL and WNBA season to the election to the newest Italian restaurant that opened downtown.
By the time you all are finished eating, it’s dark out, leaving only the fairy lights to illuminate the yard. You go to clear your plate, but before you can stand up, Bati grabs it from you.
“Don’t worry, (Y/N/N). I got this.” He motions for you to sit back down, before reaching to collect the rest of the plates. “Why don’t I clean up and leave you ladies to chat?” Bati quickly pecks Allie’s cheek, before heading back inside.
Once it is just the four of you, Megan turns to you.
“(Y/N), seriously, how are you feeling?”
You internally groan. You should’ve known this was gonna turn into an intervention. Before you go to respond, the older forward continues.
“And don’t give me that ‘I’m fine. I’m good’ bullshit.” She raises her eyebrow, daring you to challenge her. “Because obviously you’re not fine, and you’re not good. For the past two weeks all you’ve been doing is moping around your apartment, wearing nothing but sweats. You’ve barely eaten an actual meal until today, nor gotten a good night’s sleep. And to top it all of you’ve been playing like crap!”
Sue hits Megan’s arm and scolds her. “Megan!”
The pink-haired woman faces to her girlfriend. “No! I’m not going to sugar coat it. (Y/N) needs to hear this, and she needs to talk about.” Megan turns back to you and softens. “(Y/N/N), you can’t keep bottling up all your feelings. We care about you, and we’re here to listen, so please talk to us.”
Both Allie and Sue nod along with Pinoe’s words.
“Honestly,” you take a deep breath, before starting, “I’m a mess. Like before, I was annoyed and angry that Al was making me a second priority, but now I’m just sad and heartbroken that she’s not here with me.” You finally confess to the other women, feeling like a weight has been lifted off your chest. “And, I mean, I didn’t want to take a break, but our relationship just felt strained. Like we weren’t communicating, and I think the distance was getting the best of us, especially with all of our commitments. I don’t know. Do you guys think I made the right decision?”
Not knowing what to say, the three woman look at each other, searching for answers. Finally, Sue speaks up.
“(Y/N), none of us can know if you made the right decision.” She reaches to squeeze your hand. “Only you and Alex can know what’s right for yourselves and your relationship.”
You nod in understanding. “I love her so much, and I wish we could just be together because all I want is to be by her side.” You whisper, your eyes getting misty. “Ugh, I just miss her so much.”
“I miss you, too.”
You whip your head around. There, in all her glory, stood Alex Morgan. She doesn’t look any better than you, your Reign sweatshirt hiding her muscular frame and dark circles forming under her eyes. Your lips part, as you’re completely speechless.
“You’re car wasn’t in your lot, so I assumed you were either here or at Pinoe’s. This was my first stop, and here you are.” Alex shifts uncomfortably in the silence, her usual confidence faded.
You turn back to face Allie, Megan, and Sue, your eyes narrowing. “Did you three know about this?”
“No!” They all exclaim, Megan holding up her hands in innocence. You continue to stare at Allie, not convinced she had no part in this.
“I swear, (Y/N), I had no idea about this.” She insists, as you relent your accusatory glare.
“(Y/N),” Alex comes up from behind you, “they had nothing to do with this, so please don’t be mad at them. I came here all on my own because I wanted to talk to you. I needed to see you.”
You nod. “Ok.”
“So, can we talk?” She sheepishly asks. “Alone, if that’s okay with you?” She adds, pleading her friends to leave you two to talk.
The three women take the cue and head back inside, leaving you alone with Alex, who sits in Pinoe’s seat across from you.
You sit in awkward silence for a few minutes, neither of you knowing where to start.
You decide to break the silence. “How’ve you been?”
She looks up from her fidgeting hands. “Uhh. Good. I’ve been good.”
You smirk, raising your eyebrow. “Al, c’mon, I know you like the back of my hand. How have you actually been?”
Alex sighs. “To be honest, I’ve been miserable.” She looks up, locking eyes with you. “I missed you, and I just wanted be with you, or even just hear your voice.”
You nod, knowing the feeling. “I missed you too, Al.”
“But you were right.” She confesses, as you tilt your head, confused. “We, or at least I, needed this break. It helped me realize what was important in my life, and that’s you, (Y/N). I can live without all those brand deals and sponsors, hell, I can even live without soccer, because none of that means anything if I can’t share it with you.”
By that point, both you openly had tears streaming down your faces.
“So, I promise to be better and to be more committed to our relationship. And I’m sorry that I ever put you as a second priority because you’re not. You’re my number one.” Alex concludes, wiping the tears from your cheeks.
You let out a small chuckle at her cheesiness. “Thank you for your apology.” You take her hand. “And I’m sorry that didn’t make enough of an effort either.” Before Alex can protest, you squeeze her hand. “Al, a relationship is between two people. This wasn’t just your fault, okay? We both played a part.” You assure, quelling her guilt.
“So can we end this break and be back together?” Alex whispers hesitantly.
Beaming, you pull her in for a searing kiss, your first in almost three months. Her soft lips melt against yours, and you could taste the sweetness of her vanilla chapstick mixed with the saltiness of her tears. Before you could deepen the kiss, you hear Allie call from inside.
“No sex in my yard please!”
You rest your head on Alex’s shoulder, as the two of you laugh at your friend’s antics. Your girlfriend caresses your cheek, guiding you to lock eyes with her pleading blue orbs.
“Do you forgive me?”
You nod. “Yes, Al, I forgive you.”
“Good. I thought you hated me.” She mumbles.
“I could never hate you, even if I tried.”
Alex smiles, leaning in for another kiss, before you hold up your hand.
“But, Al, your words are nice and all, but I have to see it. You have to prove to me that you’re committed to this relationship, especially if it’s long distance. And I will work to do the same. Okay?”
“Of course, (Y/N/N).” She nods her head eagerly. “So, I’m guessing it’s okay if I stayed here with you in Seattle for the next week?”
Your eyes widen. “What?”
“They had to cancel training and matches for the next week because of some flooding issues at the facilities. So I’m all yours until next Sunday. That is, if you’ll have me.”
You jump off your seat and into Alex’s lap, pulling her in for another kiss. “Who am I to refuse such a pretty lady?” You tease, giving her nose a kiss.
“Alex and (Y/N) sitting in a tree…!” Allie sings, as her, Megan, and Sue approach the two of you.
“I take it you two made up?” Megan gestures to your position in Alex’s lap.
“Yes, we made up.” You grin, as your girlfriend kiss the top of your head.
“Good. I’m glad.” She returns a smile, and you mouth a ‘thank you’ to her.
“Me too.” Alex beams, turning to look at you. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.” You bring her in for a sweet chaste kiss.
“Hey! What did I say about no sex in my yard!” Allie playfully scolds.
“It’s not my fault (Y/N) can’t keep her hands off me.” Alex smirks.
You gasp, jumping out of your girlfriend’s laugh. “Hey!”
“I’m only kidding, babe.” She rolls her eyes, pulling you back into her lap.
You cross your arms and pout. “I hate you.”
Alex chuckles, as she buries her face in your neck, giving you a kiss. “No you don’t.”
You smile, turning to the woman you love, and give her a quick peck. “You’re right. I don’t.”
#uswnt x reader#uswnt imagine#uswnt imagines#alex morgan x reader#alex morgan imagine#alex morgan imagines#uswnt#alex morgan
374 notes
·
View notes
Text
On Losing One’s Head
Or, in other words, my entry to @shipwreckedcomedy‘s fanfiction contest. I have had a really fun time reading the works of Washington Irving to prep for this, and it’s only made me more excited for this series. Even though I know in a modern adaptation it may be changed I’m sticking to a lot of the facts that Irving gives us about the Headless Horseman. Thank you to everyone on here who gave me ideas/ inspiration/ let me rant to you for a bit while I figured this out. It took a bit longer than I had anticipated, but I’m really happy with it. This is probably so far from canon, but I got a prompt from the wonderful ‘S’ anon on here and I had to write it. Enjoy!
Genre: Comedy/ Fluff/ Mystery/ A Pinch of Angst
Words: 4249
TL;DR: Ichabod Crane tries to unravel a bit of the Headless Horseman’s past in order to try and figure out where his head might be.
TW: Minor bullying, Mentions of war, mentions of PTSD, mentions of decapitation
__________________________________________________________
Ichabod Crane navigated the hallways of the school, eyes trained on his feet. He normally wouldn’t allow himself to walk with such a closed posture- it exposed him for how nervous he was (which was, contrary to popular belief, a more recent development in his personality). This town had put him a bit on edge. This town and his roommate, who was as inexplicable as he was persistent, and happened to be the reason he was allowing himself to walk with such a closed posture. He had a series of questions to ask his roommate at the forefront of his mind, and he’d spent a majority of the day figuring out how to word them so that he didn’t sound completely heartless. He didn’t want anything or anyone distracting him, because the talk he was about to have was very important- well, he thought it was anyways. It was important to him. His roommate seemed like a good person, and he really did want to help him (though it seemed like his roommate was doing more ‘helping’ at the moment than Ichabod was).
Ichabod’s roommate was, of course, the infamous Headless Horseman. It had certainly made his life interesting- especially given that he was only just settling into this new town and his new position. He was just navigating his new life, and now on top of that, he was also trying to find his friend’s head. So far, no luck on that front. He hadn’t had a lot of luck on many fronts. It didn’t seem like his colleagues were particularly fond of him- especially not Douffe Martling or Brom Bones and his cronies. He wasn’t quite sure what it was with Martling other than perhaps a naturally uptight attitude, but he could at least venture a guess on why Brom Bones didn’t like him. It seemed they both had their eyes set on the same woman- which was another front on which Ichabod had not been very lucky. Katrina Van Tassel, the woman his heart had decided to set on, did not seem to reciprocate his affections in the slightest. Mind you Ichabod also found her incredibly hard to read. She was confident and smart, and one could interpret nearly everything she did as flirtatious. But you also got the overwhelming sense when interacting with her that she was not flirting in the slightest.
Ichabod needed to stop distracting himself, he thought, as pleasant of a distraction as Kat was. He was on a roll. He was trying to get back to his room in a timely matter because (and I cannot emphasize this enough) this conversation was important. It was also a conversation that his friend would prefer to keep confidential, so he needed to get back to his room and have it before anyone could decide to tag along. He wasn’t the only person in Sleepy Hollow who wanted to help the Headless Horseman find his head. In fact, he had many supporters. But this particular conversation was delicate. Ichabod intended to ask how precisely his new friend had come about losing his head. Ichabod believed that perhaps even though this head wasn’t the Horseman’s original one, it may be able to help with some of his memories- physical memories, that was. It would likely be a hard conversation, Ichabod considered. Losing one’s head seemed like it would be traumatic. Remembering that feeling wouldn’t be pleasant for his friend. He would eventually need to share the necessary details with those who were intent on helping him and his friend, but perhaps the Horseman might feel slightly more comfortable having the initial conversation privately where he could express his emotions without judgement- if, of course, he had any. It was more of a precaution.
Ichabod found himself so consumed in his thoughts that he neglected to notice a foot extended in front of him. He was looking at his feet. He really should have seen it. But he was in a state not uncommon to him where the world within his head had taken precedence over the world outside of it. Ichabod tumbled to the ground with a thud, and it was not long until a roaring chorus of laughter resounded above him. He did not even need to look up to know precisely who he had encountered and what had happened. He did the courtesy of looking up anyways- though it was probably only feeding their egos to see the embarrassment flush on his face. As Ichabod had suspected, the figures of Brom Bones and his three usual companions Tripp, Cal and Blair loomed above him, their bodies racking with every laugh. Ichabod sighed, fixing his glasses and trying not to pay them much mind. The more upset he got with them and their shenanigans, the more satisfied they would be with their results (which meant that they’d be inclined to throw something else his way). He stood, brushing himself off and starting back on his way. Before he could get very far, though, he felt a strong grip on his arm pulling him back. Even once he had stopped walking, it didn’t let go. It seemed Brom wasn’t through terrorizing him yet.
“Where are you going?” The strapping Brom Bones smirked. It was a smirk Ichabod was all too familiar with, and one that he had very much hoped he wouldn’t be seeing. Brom was holding him up intentionally. He knew Ichabod didn’t want to be there. “You look like you’re in a hurry.”
“Well-” Ichabod started before being cut off.
“You going to try to pick up Katrina?” Tripp teased, pouting and cooing mockingly at the mention of the woman Ichabod had taken a liking took. He sighed as all four men found amusement in that and erupting into laughter again.
“What? No!” Ichabod blushed.
“Ichabod and Kat, sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-” Cal and Blair cooed before Brom raised a hand to signal for them to stop.
“That’s enough, guys.” Brom told them, trying not to show how much that bothered him. There was only just a hint of jealousy in his tone, but it was enough for the boys to know they’d gone too far. He seemed to size up Ichabod again, before letting go of Ichabod’s arm. Ichabod sighed in relief, thinking that he was finally free... until Brom wrapped an arm around him in a seemingly friendly gesture, putting on his smug smirk again. Ichabod seized up a bit. He was not too fond of physical contact at the best of times, but especially not from Brom Bones. It took everything in him not to scowl. “So if you’re not going to see Kat... what’s the rush getting out of here?”
“I’m going to have a talk with the Horseman.” Ichabod told him plainly, hoping that was enough to get him out of this. Whatever Brom Bones had against Ichabod, the feeling was entirely mutual.
“But don’t you, like, live with him?” Cal pointed out.
“You could literally talk to him any time.” Tripp nodded.
“Yes, but I’ve spent all day planning this conversation.” Ichabod sighed. There were very few people Ichabod knew who would understand his situation, and these men were most certainly not among them. “I have to do it soon before I forget what I was going to say.”
“It’s just a conversation, man!” Tripp laughed.
“It’s not just any conversation.” Ichabod told him, getting an idea. “It’s about his head.”
“You’re still on that, are you?” Brom rolled his eyes, letting him go. He knew he didn’t need to hold Ichabod there anymore. Not only did Blair, Tripp and Cal have him surrounded, but... now Ichabod felt socially obligated to stay. Brom Bones was a lot smarter than he let on (at least socially). Most bullies were.
“Well... yes. I’d like to help him find it.” Ichabod shrugged.
“Don’t get your hopes up.” Brom warned him in what Ichabod might almost consider to be a genuine tone. He hand a hand through his hair subconsciously, and Blair reached forward once he was done to fix a strand that had fallen in Brom’s face. Brom gave him a clap on the back as a silent ‘thank you’. Ichabod had always found those four men to be strangely close. “Listen, bud... he’s been missing his head a long time.”
“Since before we were born.” Blair added.
“It’s not like you’re just going to waltz in and find it.” Brom sighed. “This head probably isn’t going to know anything.”
“We don’t know that.” Ichabod countered. “We’ve finally got people taking the search for his head seriously, and I think we’re making good progress!”
“Right... you keep telling yourself that.” Brom rolled his eyes. “Alright, guys, let him go.”
“But you said-” Tripp furrowed his brows.
“He’s doing enough damage himself.” Brom sighed. The boys cleared a path for Ichabod, and he meekly started to walk away. He felt oddly embarrassed, or ashamed, about what he was doing. He tried to shake it off, but Brom had successfully gotten under his skin and he knew it. Brom chuckled, almost gloating. “Have fun, dork!”
“Thank you?” Ichabod tried, unsure as to how he was supposed to respond to that.
Ichabod made his way out of the school (but not without a cold glare from Douffe). Perhaps what Brom Bones had said had some merit. His headless friend had been missing his head for a long time. Did Ichabod really think things were magically going to go better this time around? He wasn’t even dealing with the original head. He couldn’t expect to find anything new. But then again... Ichabod himself had also posed a good point. They did seem to be making progress. And how were they supposed to know if his head could ever be found until they tried? No, Brom was wrong. Brom was wrong a lot of the time, but especially about this. He walked down the streets of the town, head down but significantly more aware of his surroundings. He’d learned his lesson- at least for now. His room was within walking distance from the school. In this town, just about everything was within walking distance. He exchanged nods of acknowledgement with a few people on the street, a smile or two. Luckily, he was running into people who knew better than to bother him when he was like this. People like Judy, Rip Jr., Verla, or Matilda. Verla and Matilda probably didn’t want to talk to him anyway. But Judy had given him a nice smile, and it had raised his spirits. It’s funny how small things could do that.
“Ichabod!” A light voice called out from behind him. Ichabod pivoted, recognizing it instantly. For anyone else, Ichabod would have simply waved, continuing on his way. But this wasn’t anyone. This was Katrina. Ichabod smiled softly upon finding that he was right. It was a dopey sort of grin commonly found in people when they saw the person that brightened their lives. “You’re out early!”
“School ended half an hour ago.” Ichabod furrowed his brows, confused by her implication.
“Oh, I know.” Kat clarified. “You usually stay a bit longer, though.”
“Oh.” Ichabod nodded. And that was when it hit him: he had absolutely no idea how to respond to that. He’d always been a little socially awkward- especially when he was under as much pressure as he was with Kat. He bit his lip, trying to think of what to say next. Luckily, Kat took care of that for him.
“Any particular reason you’re out so soon?” Kat asked, finally catching up with him. She kept walking as if silently asking him to walk with her, or maybe telling him it was okay for him to continue on his way. That she would follow. Either way, it was a great comfort to Ichabod.
“I thought of a few questions to ask the Horseman.” Ichabod told her.
“What kinds of questions?” Kat asked. Ichabod could tell she wasn’t teasing him. She was genuinely interested. But there was also an air of amusement to her that was undeniable, and admittedly rather attractive to Ichabod. It made him feel like she genuinely enjoyed his company. A light blush covered his cheeks.
“Well... I was hoping to ask him about how exactly he lost his head.” Ichabod admitted. “See if maybe his history might be able to help us figure out where to look in the present.”
“That’s a really good idea! Maybe this head will know!” Kat hummed in agreement. “I’ve always wondered about what happened... People say he was a Hessian soldier. You know, during the revolution.”
“Yes, I’m familiar with the concept of Hessian soldiers.” Ichabod hummed. “German regiments for hire, if you will, employed by the British to fight in the Revolutionary War. Do you really think he’s a Hessian?”
“That’s what the lore says.” Kat shrugged, smirking.
“All the more reason for me to talk to him about this alone.” Ichabod decided. He blushed again, not having meant to think aloud like that. “Sorry, I-”
“No, it’s okay. You’re right.” Kat assured him. “He’s probably not going to want a lot of people around if you’re talking about... you know, war. It should be just you and him.”
“I’m glad you understand.” Ichabod sighed softly in relief.
“I don’t like to talk about war anyways.” Kat admitted. “I don’t... I mean...”
“I understand.” Ichabod hummed sympathetically. No one liked talking about war. But on top of that, he knew Kat was very against slaughter of any kind. “Have you thought about how to approach it if he has... you know, PTSD?” Kat asked. “It’s pretty common in soldiers, even if this isn’t his original head.”
“I... haven’t.” Ichabod admitted. “I did work out how to ask the in a way that I think will be the least upsetting or offensive.”
“That’s a good first step.” Kat encouraged him. “Just... respect his boundaries. Give him the space and time he needs to answer- if he can answer. Don’t pressure him if he can’t.”
“Right.” Ichabod nodded, taking mental note of those things. “Thank you, Kat.”
“No problem.” Kat smiled softly. It was smiles like those that made appearances in Ichabod’s dreams as he rested his head. She had, Ichabod thought, the most beautiful smile in the world. It was so kind. They approached the inn, and Kat sighed. “Well, this is your stop.”
“It is...” Ichabod chuckled semi-nervously. He stopped, shifting his weight awkwardly on his feet. She had him so nervous that he couldn’t quite stand still.
“Good luck, Ichabod.” Kat smirked. Ichabod blushed. It seemed that nearly everything Katrina did, intentional or not, made him blush.
“Thank you!” Ichabod called after her, watching for a few moments as she continued down the street.
Ichabod sighed, imagining very briefly what their family would look like. He imagined they would be a very handsome family (though the children would get their looks from their mother- he was of the opinion that he was a bit homely). He snapped himself out of it before he could go too far down that rabbit hole. He wondered for a moment if it was weird that he was already thinking that way about a woman he hadn’t even worked up the nerve to ask out. It likely was. But his heart tended pine after things and his mind did no helping, running wild with even the smallest of fantasies. When he was a child, a teacher once told him that his appetite for the fanciful was unsurpassable. He was now rather more a man of reason than he was then, where he was willing to believe just about everything he heard. But his mind did still run wild with whims about more everyday pleasures. Rational joys, like love, romance, and food. Mostly food, until Katrina came along. For a man his size, he had a surprising appetite...
“Hey, Ichabod!” Someone called. Ichabod snapped his head, looking for where it was coming from. Oh. It was Judy again. He waved. “Do you need me to call Lucretia to get you a new key?”
“What?” Ichabod blinked.
“You’ve been standing there for a while.” Judy pointed out. “Did you lose your key?”
“Oh...” Ichabod blushed. He pulled out his keys, holding them up. “I’m fine!”
“Okay! Just wanted to be sure!” Judy chuckled, going back to her own business.
“Thank you!” Ichabod called after her. It was lovely that she cared. He quickly and carefully opened the door to his room. He saw his friend the horseman busy at work taking a tray of what appeared to be either muffins or cupcakes out of a microwave oven he’d been gifted by the family of one of his students. The room smelled wonderful. “Hello...”
“Oh, hey Ichabod!” The Horseman turned, his- or, rather, her (for now)- hair splaying out behind her in a fan-like motion. She gave him a brief smile before busying herself with her work again. Ichabod liked this head on the Horseman. “I hope you don’t mind, but while you were out I thought you might be hungry when you got home, so... I made some carrot cake muffins.”
“I don’t mind at all.” Ichabod sighed contentedly. So long as she didn’t burn the room down, he had no objections to food.
“We just have to let those sit for a bit.” The Horseman muttered, removing the last of the muffins from the pan. “There! I’ve got a cream cheese icing in the fridge for when they cool if you want.”
“Lovely.” Ichabod chuckled.
“How was your day at school?” The Horseman asked.
“Good.” Ichabod told her, sighing and taking a seat on his bed. The mention of school had reminded him of why he had left school so promptly in the first place. She seemed to be in such a good mood... he hated to ruin it. “Would you... I have a few questions.”
“Oh... sure.” The Horseman shrugged, sitting down on the small chaise in the corner of the room. “What is it?”
“I... know this isn’t your body.” Ichabod bit his lip. “But... do you remember anything about it?”
“I... don’t know. I think, a bit.” The Horseman considered.
“Do you think you might remember how you lost it?” Ichabod asked carefully. Well, that wasn’t what he’d planned on saying. He winced. “Your head, I mean. Do you remember how...”
“I... can try to.” The Horseman offered. "I don't know what I'll be able to get, though... I don't have the eyes, ears or mind of the original body"
“You could still find something.” Ichabod reasoned.
“Just give me a moment.” The Horseman nodded, sighing. She closed her eyes for a moment, head in her hands.
Ichabod gave her space and silence to think. Each new head the Horseman donned seemed to unveil a bit more about his personality. He hadn’t thought to ask about any memories before because it didn’t seem entirely logical to assume that any head other than his own would hold them. But... he’d gotten the idea at school today that maybe the body had a few memories of its own. Like a physical memory. It was silly. And it might lead to nothing. But the chance that it might amount to something was too much for Ichabod to pass us. He was a man of science. And with science comes experimentation. It’s how humanity evolves and grows. This was an experiment that might prove fruitless but was still necessary. Because like many experiments, you can never be certain of what you’re going to find until you conduct it. After a moment, the Horseman raised her head and opened her eyes.
“Anything?” Ichabod asked cautiously.
“Not much.” The Horseman shook her head.
“Not much is better than nothing.” Ichabod blinked, pleasantly surprised. “What did you remember?”
“Well... I don’t have anything visual or auditory... because like I said, those are kind of gone...” The Horseman warned him. “But I can remember... I think the body was fighting. I mean, obviously it was on horseback. That’s how it got its name. But... I think it was holding a gun of some sort. Maybe a musket?”
“Interesting... so perhaps you were a soldier...” Ichabod hypothesized. “Anything else?”
“Well... you’re not gonna like this.” The Horseman chuckled nervously. She clearly didn’t like it either. “I don’t think this body’s head was cut off.”
“What?” Ichabod blinked.
“From what I got, it felt more like the head was ripped off. Or blown off. I’m kinda leaning towards it being blown off...” The Horseman winced.
“With a gun?” Ichabod asked cautiously.
“I’m thinking something a bit bigger than a bullet.” The Horseman shook her head. “I don’t know what, though.”
“Well, a cannonball would be too big...” Ichabod thought aloud.
“You know what, I don’t think it would.” The Horseman snapped her fingers. An almost cartoonish ‘lightbulb moment' look graced her features.
“A cannonball?” Ichabod gulped.
Well... she was right. he didn’t like that. Because if his friend had lost his head to a cannonball, the odds of it being in good shape were slim. He certainly hoped that this Headless Helper, as he’d named her, was wrong. That maybe the head had been cut clean off. Or that if it hadn’t, it was at least in usable shape. Mind you, he realized, his friend was certainly not around by any natural means, and it was wrong to assume that his head would have been preserved by any natural means either. This entire situation was unlike anything Ichabod had ever been through. It was terrifying... and absolutely thrilling. Ichabod had always imagined himself playing hero, and though these circumstances were odd ones, he was finally living that reality in a way. But back to the matter at hand... perhaps he now had more clues to his Headless friend’s identity.
“I’m sorry...” The Horseman winced. “I know that’s probably not what you wanted to hear.”
“Actually, it really helps. Very useful information.” Ichabod assured her. “This is the closest we’ve gotten to finding out who the Horseman is. Thank you.”
“I’m just happy I could help.” The Horseman smiled shyly.
“Are you okay?” Ichabod asked carefully.
“I think so.” The Horseman shrugged. “I just... I feel bad for this guy. What he went through sucks.”
“Yes it does.” Ichabod hummed sympathetically.
“I mean, I guess it was a quick death.” The Horseman reasoned. “I just... wow.”
“I’m sorry for-” Ichabod started.
“No. Don’t be. I really want this guy to find his head.” The Horseman cut him off. “I’m fine.”
“As long as you’re sure.” Ichabod nodded, not wanting to push. There was a moment of silence between them. “You know, it’s okay not to be.”
“What?” The Horseman blinked, confused.
“It’s okay not to be fine.” Ichabod told her. “And if you’re not, or you need anything... I’m here.”
“Thank you.” The Horseman sighed. There was another moment of silence. Ichabod didn’t know what else to say. "I think the muffins have probably cooled enough for us to try. Want one?”
“I would love one.” Ichabod nodded getting up, walking to his desk, and pulling out his notebook.
And so Ichabod Crane took some rather detailed notes on his findings, however scarce, and his new hypotheses about where they might find his friend’s head. While he did this, he snacked on one (or two, or three) of the Headless Helper’s muffins- which were exceptional. Especially for the grade of the oven they’d been baked in. This head had a knack for knowing precisely what Ichabod needed and providing it to him. The other heads he’d encountered... not so much. It was a finicky business working with his headless friend because with every new head he changed fairly drastically- almost as if he were an entirely different person. What a mess Ichabod had gotten himself wrapped up in... Truly, he’d only come to Sleepy Hollow to teach science. Teaching was his passion, and he was very much enjoying his job in Sleepy Hollow. But his mind had always wandered towards the inexplicable, and that was a term that more than aptly described his friend the Horseman.
In a sense, Ichabod felt that maybe that had been the true reason he was drawn to this little town. That perhaps a higher purpose did exist in his life than simply to teach. He had always thought teaching was his calling, but perhaps it was simply a step on the journey that was meant to be his life. Or a vessel, he supposed, for it was teaching that had brought him to where he was. Whatever the case may be, Ichabod knew that what he was doing in helping the Horseman felt right. He wasn’t usually a man to trust pure gut instinct, but this was different. This felt like the start of something. Ichabod hoped that it was a good something. He would hate to be on the wrong side of history. The Headless Horseman had been a beloved legend for so long, and Ichabod felt it in his bones that he was now building onto that legend. That was a scary prospect. Because if he made a wrong move, all that he was building could crumble as quickly and as easily as a Jenga tower and leave him buried under the weight of his failure, the villain of a story he had never intended to be written into.
#shipwrecked comedy#headless series#headless series fic#HeadlessSeriesFic#ichabod crane#katrina van tassel#brom bones#brom's babes#judy gardenier#verla wolfson#rip van winkle jr#matilda bishop#headless horseman#headless helper#oneshot#one shot#fanfiction#shipwrecked fanfiction#aaaa I'm actually posting it#I'm sorry for how off I probably am#i tried y'all#tw: bullying#tw: mention of war#tw: war#tw: decapitation#tw: mention of ptsd#tw: ptsd#if there's any other trigger tags you need please let me know
28 notes
·
View notes
Note
Can I ask you for a prompt about Thirteen stalking River at a dozen points throughout River's timeline (and all out of order)?? xx Thank you.
Hello! This is a brilliant prompt that I’ve actually been saving for the right moment :D I wanted to do it as a slightly bigger project and here we are. So this is going to be the first chapter of 12, one for each encounter (no way was I gonna do this in a one-shot lol), they’ll probably vary in length. I’m also planning on using some of the other prompts I’ve got sitting here for the encounters cause some are just perfect for it. All one big story though, chronological from the Doctor’s point of view, all over the place for River. :D
Starting off a bit serious but will turn lighter as we go along. Something (relatively) light and entertaining before I throw myself into something more serious again. Hope you’ll enjoy this!
Rating: G
Word Count: 2600
Read below or on AO3
Big, Vast, Complicated and Ridiculous
Chapter 1: The Library
The TARDIS materialised in the complete silence that engulfed the Library. Only the light atop the TARDIS reflected on the marble floor, the whole planet was shrouded in living, breathing darkness. There were a great many terrifying things in the universe, the Vashta Nerada certainly ranked right up there, but very few things actually scared the Doctor anymore. When she opened the TARDIS door, the golden light shining from behind her pushed the shadows back.
“I’m the Doctor, remember me?“ She spoke into the silence as she stepped out of her TARDIS and the shadows retreated from where she set her foot. “I’m not here to disturb you, I just want to see my wife.“ She said but didn’t get a response. She hadn’t expected one, there was no body for the shadows to inhabit and talk to her. “I just destroyed an army of Daleks… don’t mess with me right now, keep out of my hair and I will keep out of yours.“ Her voice was low and threatening. She hardly recognised herself anymore. It was one of the many reasons she was here. Nineteen years she had spent locked away with plenty of time to think. Being rescued and seeing off a Dalek invasion hadn’t done much to alleviate her gloom. If anything, it had pushed her further in a direction she wasn’t sure she wanted to be going in.
“Where are we going to go?“ Yaz had asked after Ryan and Graham had left the TARDIS.
“I…“ the Doctor hadn’t been sure what to say, heading off on another random adventure just didn’t feel right. Not when she had so many questions that needed answering, so many things she needed to figure out about herself. “I need to find out who I am, Yaz…“ She had said at last, squaring her jaw. She couldn’t just keep going, carrying all these questions with her. She felt so far removed from herself, how could she be carrying on in the name of the Doctor, when she didn’t even know who that person was anymore?
“Then we will do that.“ Yaz had said encouragingly. “Where do you want to start?“
The Doctor had thought about the answer to that question a lot in the nineteen years she’d been locked up. She’d taken a deep breath, gathering herself.
“There is someone I need to go and see, someone that knows me better than anyone else in the universe.“ She’d answered.
“Right, great, who is it? Where are we going?“ Yaz had asked, full of enthusiasm that had just been too much for the Doctor at the time.
“Yaz, this is something I need to do by myself…“ She’d said after brief consideration and Yaz’s face had fallen. “I promise I won’t keep you waiting long, I will pick you up again soon, but this bit… it’s personal.“ The Doctor had looked away, busying herself by setting coordinates and not face Yaz’s disappointment.
“Oh… but you said…“ Yaz hadn’t given up easily and it had taken a lot out of the Doctor to muster the needed enthusiasm.
“I’ll be back by the time you’ve packed a bag.“ The Doctor had smiled and meant it. She was glad at least one of her friends still wanted to travel with her but the place she needed to go, that was something she had to do by herself.
“I will be back here in an hour and if you’re not, Doctor, so help me, I…“ Yaz had tried her best to understand, she’d known her friend was struggling and if that was something she had to do by herself, she would have to give her that time.
“One hour it is.“ The Doctor had put on an optimistic smile. “I got my phone back as well, you can reach me any time, don’t worry.“
Yaz had given in to her persuasive and optimistic promise. Any trace of that enthusiasm the Doctor had mustered for her companion had drained away now. She didn’t need to pretend here, amongst the shadows. She had every right to be bitter, every right to be angry and sad and grieving. The shadows had been there and seen it all and they understood. Her threatening tone certainly had the desired effect as the shadows retreated and created a walk way to the nearest computer screen. The Doctor made her way over to the terminal and accessed it right away, before she could let her anxieties overwhelm her.
“CAL?“ She spoke as the computer engaged and powered up. “CAL? I need to talk to River.“
“Way ahead of you, Sweetie.“ River’s face appeared on the screen, giving her a warm smile that made the Doctor’s chest tighten immediately. She’d known seeing her like this would be hard, but to see that love and warmth in her eyes was more painful than anger at her long absence could have been.
“River, I… I’m so sorry I didn’t come sooner…“ The Doctor grabbed on to the terminal, trying to get as close as she could although she knew, of course, that it made no difference. River wasn’t physically there. She was just a voice, a consciousness, inside a computer. That knowledge made it hard for the Doctor to breath.
“I’m sure you have been very busy, saving the universe and all that.“ River chuckled lightheartedly and the Doctor couldn’t be sure if she actually meant it or if she was being sarcastic. She wasn’t good at reading people’s expressions at the best of times and she certainly didn’t feel her best right about now. “What brings you here now?“ River asked, tilting her head and the Doctor’s hearts sank. She knew her too well to assume she’d come without an anterior motive.
“I, uh… I’m feeling really lost right now and I thought… I just needed to see you again… I think I’ve forgotten what it’s like to be the Doctor…“ The Doctor confessed, unable to keep up the pretence any longer. They were alone, just her and River, the woman who had seen the best and the worst of her, knew everything about her, every face, everything she’d done… and still loved her regardless.
“Ah this again.“ River gave her a kind smile. “You have an identity crisis and you come to your old wife for a pep talk?“ She chuckled.
“River, you don’t understand, the timelords, they kept so much from me, I don’t even know my own life. I’m not even one of them. Turns out I’m just a foundling with these abilities that they then took for themselves. And I don’t even remember any of it, they took the memories…“ The Doctor started rambling. She didn’t know what to say or how to explain, it was just so much. River remained silent, just listening, allowing her to carry on: “I’m just so angry, I’ve done some really bad things and I can feel myself slipping into all that anger and…“ The Doctor closed her eyes, trying to block out the memory of Gallifrey burning, of the Master laughing, of her destroying a TARDIS to wipe out the Daleks…
“The anger of a good man is not a problem.“ River smiled, echoing a voice from their joint past and the Doctor actually laughed.
“You know I’m not a good man, River.“ She shook her head bitterly.
“That’s where you’re wrong, my Love. You’re the best man I’ve ever known. Or woman, come to think of it.“ River chuckled.
“I’m being serious, River.“ The Doctor shook her head. Why wasn’t she taking her seriously?
“So am I.“ River replied more firmly and the Doctor looked up at her. “You might feel yourself slipping and you might end up doing bad things, terrible things even but never without reason. Sometimes there isn’t a right choice so you have to make a hard one and you do. It’s what you have to do. And it’s not always easy but you always find your way back to yourself.“
“Last time this happened, you were there, to pull me back from the brink. At Demon’s Run. You said I make them so afraid… and I could see that. And I do again, now. This is not what Doctor is supposed to mean.“ The Doctor lowered her eyes again, ashamed for her actions. She remembered Demon’s Run well. Her hubris had been her downfall then. She could feel herself slipping back into that dark mindset, the anger she’d felt towards Madame Kovarian, the fear for Amy…
“Oh darling, you might have a temporary and possibly well founded identity crisis but you’re still the Doctor, my Doctor.“ River smiled kindly as it was the best she could do and the Doctor wished nothing more than to be able to touch her. Fall into her arms and have her tell her everything would be alright again. That she would work it out like she always did. That she was still proud of her, still believed in her, still loved her.
“You know I want nothing more than to be that person. For you, if nothing else. But how do I do it?“ She retorted, almost desperately.
“I’m sorry, my Love, I can’t tell you that, those experiences have to be lived, not told. I think you’d been sitting still for too long, you’ve forgotten what the thrill of adventure feels like, the joy of helping and saving someone. What it means to be the good guy and stand up for what’s right… To actually have fun again.“ River’s smile was full of compassion.
“Is that your advice? Just go back out there and find adventure and live?“ The Doctor laughed in a bitter sort of way and shook her head in disbelief.
“Something like that. Answers to the big questions have a habit of finding you along the way… I’m afraid you have quite a way to go yet before then but you want to be your best self when you do, don’t you?“ River shrugged.
“That’s not… how am I to do that if I don’t know how to carry on?“ The Doctor snapped, frustrated. Did River not understand what she was saying? How could she just suggest she carry on and find herself along the way. She had tried on Earth, fighting off the Daleks, and she had not acted like the Doctor at all. If she put herself in the midst of another adventure, what was to stop her from making the wrong choices? How was she to act like the Doctor if she couldn’t think like them anymore?
“What did you expect to find here? I’m just a face in a computer.“ River retorted pulling the Doctor out of her frenzied thoughts.
“River you…“ The Doctor felt guilty immediately, she had been so wrapped up in herself. River was so much more than that to her, even now.
“No, Doctor, you can’t come here and expect me to help fix you, you’ll have to do that yourself and you’re only going to do that by carrying on.“ River said sternly.
“To do that, I need you, I need your help.“ The Doctor confessed why she had really come. “When I’m with you, it’s like… I know who I’m meant to be. You make me a better person.“ She couldn’t help but think back to the time right after Darillium. How she had kept her diary close, River’s words guiding her through some of the hardest decisions of her life. She pushed her hand into her coat pocket and pulled out River’s diary. “I need… I need more.“ She looked at the well worn blue cover and then to River. She could see the flash of deep emotion in her eyes that she tried to hide with a dazzling smile as usual.
“Then you have come to the wrong version of me, haven’t you.“ River chuckled, the sadness gone from her eyes. “I’m stuck in a computer, Doctor, but there are plenty younger versions of me running around out there.“
“But, the diary…“ The Doctor had read it cover to cover many times. Even all the encounters River had had with her past selves before she’d even known who she was. It was all there. She had lived and read it all already.
“Oh Doctor, my dear Doctor, I was never going to put it all in there, was I.“ River smirked and the Doctor looked up dumbfounded as the penny dropped.
“You recognised me!“ She exclaimed. “You knew it was me straight away!“
“Of course I did, Sweetie. That particularly pretty face of yours has been all over my timeline.“ River grinned.
“It has?“ The Doctor’s head was spinning as her world turned upside down. Was this River’s way of telling her that this was not the end of their story?
“Well, it’s one of those timey wimey things, isn’t it. You come here distraught and talk to me, I tell you to see my younger selves, you tell my younger self not to put it in the diary, so you don’t know about those adventures and come here distraught to talk to me…“ River smirked drawing a circle in the air as the Doctor buried her face in her hands and groaned, annoyed at how she hadn’t seen this coming, it was just them all over. Her and River, time and space… Rule 1: The Doctor and River lie. She looked at River’s smiling face and felt much lighter than she had in a long time. Perhaps she could do this after all. Perhaps if she had those encounters to look forward to, she could keep going. River laughed: “See Sweetie, it’s never over for us, is it. All that time and space, we’re still running together, somewhere out there, and we will never stop. Maybe just delay for a time.“
“Maybe I’ll even get you out of here one day.“ The Doctor said the words before she could think better of it. Maybe she could, one day, make up for the one thing she regretted more than anything else.
“Maybe you will.“ River chuckled airily. “Until then, have fun with my younger self. Those were some good times.“ She gave her a wink.
“I will come back.“ The Doctor promised with renewed determination.
“Until then, my love.“ River blew her a kiss and before the Doctor could muster the strength for more meaningful goodbyes, the screen went black. The Doctor shook her head to herself, she was sure River had done it on purpose to make sure she would actually come back.
It was a strange mix of feelings as she returned to the TARDIS, she still felt the anger bubbling inside her, the nagging questions… but there was hope now, too, something to look forward to. The TARDIS hummed and wheezed as the Doctor closed the door behind herself, back in the comforting light and safety.
“Yes, she’s fine…“ The Doctor answered the TARDIS’s question as she stepped up to the console. “At least I think so… I didn’t exactly ask but she looked fine… I mean, she’s an image on a computer screen so of course she looks fine, she’ll always look like she did when she was uploaded I guess… But she didn’t say anything about not being fine… She did say we would see her again though.“ The Doctor found herself grinning now. “Let’s pick up Yaz and then, who knows… maybe we will run into her, wouldn’t that be something.“ She pushed the lever down and the TARDIS jumped into the time vortex. Th journey took no time at all and they landed only moments later. The Doctor skipped over to the door, already picking out suitable travel destinations in her head for their next adventure, and ready to welcome Yaz back.
“Okay… this is not Sheffield!“ The Doctor’s face fell as she opened the TARDIS door. Slowly, she stepped outside into blinding sunshine. “Yaz is going to kill me if I’m late.“ She scolded the TARDIS. “Why are you doing this?“
#doctor who#river song#thirteenth doctor#Thirteen#river x thirteen#space wives#thirteen/river#fanfiction#prompt#mild angst#general#TARDIS#The Library#femslash#Big Vast complicated and ridiculos#Jodie whittaker#Alex Kingston
30 notes
·
View notes
Note
can you do 22 with cal pls
Coward // C.H
Word count: 3k
Warnings: a bit of smut I guess but not really more than heated kisses, mention of anxiety and a bit of sadness too
Requested: based on the prompt “can I kiss you right now?”. Request are always open and they don’t have to be prompt based, feel free to request anything you want!
A/N: hi! I don’t know how to feel about this one. I’ve spent the whole day writing it and I still feel it could be better but I don’t hate it ig. I like that it has like flashbacks idk. I got kinda caught up in my own feelings so this may be too fluffy or cheesy. Feedback is really appreciated! I’d really love to know what you think about it. Enjoy!
Masterlist
You didn’t really like parties that much, but it was Luke’s birthday party, so you figured it would be rude not to go. You and Luke had been best friends since he moved to LA and somehow you had never been able to spend his birthday with him until this year, so you were excited.
You finished getting ready and headed to Luke’s house. It was a 10 minutes walk so before you could even realize it, you were already there. You would have lied if you had said you weren’t a bit nervous too. You knew it was gonna be crowded and you were afraid your anxiety would strike when you needed it the less.
Besides, it was gonna be the first time you saw Calum since quarantine started. You wouldn’t care if it wasn’t because the last time you saw him you told him how you felt. You had known Calum for a couple of years now. In the beginning, you saw him just like one of Luke’s bandmates but as time went by, you started falling in love with him. You tried to deny it even to yourself because you were convinced you had no chance with him but it didn’t make your feelings go away.
You had told Luke you liked Calum a couple of months ago. “I know” was his answer after you explained to him how you had silently fallen for his best friend. You weren’t even surprised, no one knew you better than Luke. What you didn’t expect was him telling you that you should go for it.
You were two years younger than Luke and from the moment you got close, he had acted like a big brother. He was always trying to protect you and rarely approved any of the boys you had been with. So it was quite a surprise when he told you he thought Calum may be the one for you.
“Oh, c’mon Luke. You’re giving me false hopes here... you know Calum would never go out with someone like me”
“What are you talking about, y/n? You’re the most awesome girl I know, and also the funniest, you know Calum loves that”
“I’m also younger than him, I’m sure he sees me just like you, like a little sister to protect. I’m not doing it, Luke, I don’t wanna lose him. I’ve gotten used to loving him in silence, it’s fine”
“Why have you told me then? You were hoping I’d say this. I think you are meant for each other, and you may be younger but you are way more mature than any of us. Don’t forget I know him too if I’m telling you that you should try it is because I really think it’s going to work”
You didn’t even know how but he had convinced you to invite Calum over that same day and as soon as he got to your house, Luke left the two of you alone. You could see the confused look Calum gave him as he said goodbye. “Good luck” he shouted as he closed the door making you blush.
“So... what are we doing here? I thought the rest of the guys were coming too”
“No, it’s just you and me tonight” you answered awkwardly. “Do you want anything to drink?”
“A beer will be fine”
You brought him a beer and served yourself a tequila, hoping the alcohol would give you the courage you lacked. You talked about your day and when you realized the conversation was dying out you decided it was time to tell him.
“So you’re probably still wondering what you’re doing here” he nodded in response “yeah, me too. Luke convinced me to do this and now I guess there’s no going back”. You shifted on your sit of the couch not knowing how to word your feelings. He was staring at you, waiting for you to continue.
“Okay, you know we’ve known each other for a couple of years now, right? well, of course, you know. We’ve spent quite a lot of time together, I’d say we’ve become good friends and I enjoy so much spending time with you because you always make me laugh and you are always there to listen and give advice when someone needs you. So I don’t know what I want to happen after I say this and I don’t know how to say this”
“Just say it y/n, it will be fine” he encouraged you. You took a deep breath and raised your head to look at him.
“I really like you Calum” he laughed and you gave him a confused look. “What?” you questioned.
“I like you too, y/n, you’re one of my best friends” you sighed and shook your head.
“No, that’s not what I mean Cal. I have feelings for you, I think I love you” you looked down and waited for him to say something. When he didn’t, you could feel the tears building up in your eyes. You felt Calum standing up from the couch. “Where are you going?” you managed to ask.
“I’m sorry, y/n. I can’t do this right now” you felt your heart break in a thousand pieces as you heard the door close and you called Luke.
“I don’t know what to say, y/n. I’m so sorry, I swear I thought he would react differently, I don’t know what’s up with him” Luke explained himself as he cuddled up with you. He stayed at your house that night and that was the last time you had seen any of them since quarantine had started just a few days later.
Of course, you had kept in touch with Luke, calling each other or facetiming almost every day, but you hadn’t heard of Calum since then. When Luke told you he’d be at the party your first reaction was to get mad at him for inviting you both but five minutes later you realized you were both his friends and there was no reason why Luke shouldn’t have invited him, you know? not liking you back wasn’t a crime after all.
Luke opened the door and all of your fears went away, you had missed him so much these last months that the only thing you could think about now was being with him. You went in, said “hello” to everyone who had already arrived and sat next to Luke.
“I’ve brought you something”, you said receiving a disapproving look from him. “Before you say it, I know you didn’t want any presents but I have never been with you on your birthday so please make an exception, besides, it’s not like I’ve spent a lot of money on it or whatever”.
You handed Luke his present and you could see the sparkle on his eyes while he opened it, you knew that deep inside he loved receiving gifts, he just hated people spending money on him. It was a book filled with polaroids of your favorite memories with him and you had written exactly how you had felt in those moments. You knew Luke would appreciate way more something handmade, personalized, and something you had spent your time in rather than something you had just bought.
“Oh wow, this is beautiful, y/n, I love you so much, thank you for taking the time to make this!” he told you while he hugged you and you couldn’t help but giggle at his excitement.
The night went by, as usual, nothing really out of the ordinary. Calum had arrived only a few minutes after you but you both had avoided each other the whole night. It hadn’t been hard since he spent most of the time in the kitchen playing games while you stayed in the living room talking to your friends.
A couple hours after midnight people started to leave and when everyone had gone, you, the band, and their girlfriends offered to help Luke clean all the mess. You were washing the dishes and glasses when you heard the door of the kitchen close. You turned around and saw Calum standing almost too close to you for your liking.
“Hello”, you said trying to be polite and hide the fact that you still felt embarrassed for opening up about your feelings. “Have you had a great night?” you asked him turning to continue your task and to try to hide your blush.
“It’s been great, yeah”, at the sound of his voice you felt a slight shiver running down your body, it felt like a lifetime since the last time you had heard it. Suddenly you felt his hands on your hips and his breath on your neck. You could feel the tension building up between you two but you didn’t know how to react so you kept washing.
At the lack of response from you, he moved to your side and started helping you. You sighed relieved at the same time as frustrated for the loss of contact. You kept going in silence until you had finished.
“It’s pretty late, I’m gonna head home”, you told him. You went to open the door but he grabbed your wrist making you turn and pulling you close to him.
“As you said, it’s late, let me give you a ride” he offered and you nodded. Luke opened the door and Calum let go of you.
“Am I interrupting something?” he asked confused.
“Ha, ha, very funny. No, I was just offering y/n a ride home”
“Are you okay with that. y/n? If you wait for a second, I can drive you”
“No, that’s fine Luke. I’ll go with Calum” you answered. You were feeling the tension between you and Calum still growing and although you knew you may end up heartbroken once again, you were curious where it could lead to. You said your goodbyes and got in Calum’s car.
Calum put on some music and you closed your eyes trying to relax but all the tension came back to your body as Calum placed his hand on your thigh. You left a soft gasp and grabbed his hand as an instinct, but you didn’t pull it away. Calum started to draw small circles with his thumb and continued to move his hand slowly closer to your inner thigh. His touch felt so warm and familiar, it was comforting. You arrived home and Calum got out of the car almost instantly. It was fair to say you were more than confused by his behavior.
You got out of the car and were surprised by Calum quickly closing the door and pushing you against it.
“I know I’m an asshole but please, I am begging you, can I kiss you right now?” you nodded frantically and it took him less than a second to press his lips against yours. You opened your lips slightly desperate to finally taste him and he slipped his tongue inside your mouth. He pushed your legs apart with his and you left a soft moan. After a few seconds, he pulled away and you could tell his eyes were filled with lust.
“What was that? I mean, you know how I feel about you so I can’t say I didn’t enjoy it, but why did you do it?”
“I am a mess for you, y/n. You are all I can think about. I’ve spent my days in quarantine looking at our photos together and remembering every moment I’ve spent with you. You don’t know how many times I’ve been about to call you but I never summoned up the courage to do it. I’ve liked you since the first time I saw you, at this time you’ve proved to me you’re the kindest and bravest person on this Earth and every time you give me more motives to fall in love with you. Luke advised you to tell me because all the band has known how I feel for years. I’m so sorry if I hurt you in any way, trust me, it was the last thing I wanted”
“Why did you leave? I’ve spent these few months trying to get over you. I don’t get it, Cal. You left me thinking I had lost one of the people I care for the most not only as a potential partner but also as a friend”
“I know, Luke told me. I really am sorry. I am such a coward. My first reaction was to run away because that’s what I always do when I feel vulnerable. You know I haven’t had a stable relationship in years and you’re part of the reason why. I could only imagine my future with you and I didn’t think it was fair to start something with anybody else if I thought it wasn’t going to last. I swear I’m not lying when I say you’re the only person I’ve thought about for the longest time. But I never got any sign from you that could mean you felt the same so I got used to my love for you being platonic. Besides I know you don’t like being on the public eye that much and it has given you anxiety the few times paparazzi have followed you with Luke so I thought we were better out as friends and I never tried anything.
And then when you confessed your feelings I tried to tell you how I felt but I couldn’t get the words out of my mouth. I started to think about being in a relationship and I got scared of commitment and everything it implies so I left. I don’t think I’ve ever regretted any decision as much as that one. I know I don’t deserve you to forgive me but, please, could you give me a second chance?”
“You know you could have fixed this before, right?”
“Yes, I know. I’m sorry for that too. I thought you probably hated me and I didn’t know what to say exactly. If I’m being honest, until tonight, my plan was to act as if nothing happened and just try to be your friend again but then I saw you tonight with this little red dress that drives me crazy if I’m allowed to say so” you nodded and smiled at him “Well, I saw you and I talked to Luke and somehow I decided I would try to tell you tonight and if it didn’t work I’d leave you alone because that’s the least you deserve. You’ve possibly noticed I didn’t exactly have a plan but suddenly I just felt like I needed to be in contact with you, touch you, kiss you, as if I needed to hold on to you and never let go. As I’ve said, I am a mess, I am feeling things more intense than I ever had before that I don’t fully understand yet and just being around you makes me so happy I don’t ever wanna lose you. I love you, y/n”. You wrapped your arms around his neck and gave him a short peck. You pressed your foreheads together, feeling each other’s breaths.
“I already told you, but I love you too, Calum, so much. You’re lucky I do because I don’t know if I’d give you a second chance otherwise” he sighed relieved.
“I have to warn you, you’re gonna have to be patient, I’m new to all of this” Calum said pointing at the two of you.
“What do you mean by “this”? A relationship?” you teased.
“I guess so, y/n, I’ve never done this before and it may be weird, old-fashioned or whatever but I feel like asking this would be a great start for our relationship. Y/n, do you wanna be my girlfriend?”
“Of course I do, you cheesy idiot!” you giggled and he kissed you again pressing you against the car for the second time. Your tongues danced perfectly synchronized as you played with the curls at the back of his head. You pulled them slightly and Calum let out a quiet moan, which was exactly what you were hoping for.
“Do you wanna come inside?” you asked as you bit your lip and shifted your position so that his back was pressed to the car now.
“As much as I’d love to say yes, I think we should take this slow. I don’t wanna rush it and screw things up” he said pulling a strand of hair off your face. You pouted making him giggle. “C’mon, let me at least take you out for a date first, what do you say about dinner tomorrow?”
“Fine, but I expect a great dessert after it” you winked at him and blushed right after. “Don’t mind me, I do stupid things when I’m horny”.
“It was cute”
“But it was supposed to be sexy” he laughed and you followed him. “I guess you’re gonna have to get used to your new girlfriend failing to be sexy”
“Trust me, you are sexy just by existing. So, do I pick you up tomorrow at 8?”
“That sounds perfect, Cal” he hugged you and you wrapped your arms around his torso “I’ve never said this before but your hugs have always made me feel safe, I’m so glad it’s not weird to say that out loud anymore”
“You are the cutest. But y/n, I really meant it when I said you are gonna have to be patient with me. I’m not used to being in a relationship or sharing my feelings but I promise I’ll try my best to make this work”
“It’s okay, we’ll work it out together, step by step. We need to earn each other’s trust first, it’s normal if you don’t feel like opening up just yet”
“You really are the kindest girl ever, how did I get this lucky?” you pulled away from his embrace.
“I’m gonna go to sleep, see you tomorrow Cal”
“See you tomorrow babe” you couldn’t help but blush at the pet name. You kissed him goodbye and got into your apartment happier than you had ever been.
“Congrats, mate!” Luke said once you had closed your door.
“What are you doing here, Luke? Were you watching us? That’s creepy man”
“Of course I was! Did you guys really think I was gonna leave the two of you alone after last time?”
“Fair enough”
“Although there was a point when I thought you were gonna get inside and that was awkward to watch but the point is that I’m glad you didn’t”
“Yeah, I told her it is better if we take things slow”
“I agree. By the way, don’t you dare hurt her again Calum or else I don’t know what I’ll do”
“Don’t worry, I don’t plan on hurting her, I swear. In fact, I really like her Luke, I think she has always been the one”
“I know, I can tell by the huge smile that doesn’t leave your face” Luke teased him.
“Oh, shut up!” they both laughed and decided it was time to wrap up the night and head home.
#hemmingslftv#requested#anonymous#5sos fic#5sos fics#calum hood fic#calum hood fics#5sos blurb#5sos blurbs#calum hood blurb#prompt#calum hood blurbs#calum hood fluff#5sos fluff#5sos imagine#5sos imagines#calum hood imagine#calum hood imagines#5sos fanfic#5sos fanfics#calum hood fanfic#calum hood fanfics#5sos angst#calum hood angst#5sos smut#5sos smuts#calum hood smut#calum hood smuts
229 notes
·
View notes
Text
A little snippet of a larger story im working on for my homies on discord. One of our prompts for this month gave me a little bit of inspiration, so I just started writing.
This takes place during the scene where all of the kids get together and play a good wholesome game of hide-and-seek. :)
=======
"1... 2... 3... 4..."
The brotherhood boys and the X-kids all made a run for it as Callista started counting. A game of hide-and-seek, from the Brotherhood Boarding House, to Xavier's institute. About a mile walk, fifteen or twenty minutes away. The objective is for everyone from their respective teams to make it to the institute without getting caught. If Callie caught you, you were out. The team with the most members left would be the victors. The Brotherhood boys were all more than eager to play a scary game, but it was Xavier's bunch that needed some convincing.
So Dominik, Pietro, Fred, Tabitha, and Todd faced off against Scott, Evan, Kitty, Kurt and Jean. Callie was it. It was almost 10 o'clock at night. The perfect conditions for hide-and-seek.
Todd didn't pay much attention to where his boys had run off to, but he noticed Kitty and Dominik making a run for the school together. Toad was thankful he had decided to take the long way home from school today, otherwise he wouldn't have found- the perfect hiding spot.
Todd bounded over the fence and landed in an overgrown backyard with a filthy swimming pool turned green from disuse. It was haphazardly covered with a blue tarp covered in rotting leaves. He spotted it earlier when he, Cal and Kurt rode down to their favorite food hangout. This was a pretty snobbish neighborhood, but he could already tell that nobody had been there for a few weeks. He'd be safe here.
This is not my idea of a good fun game of hide-and-seek, Todd thought to himself as he slipped his shirt off and slinked into the pool. Callie not only moved where she wasn't supposed to, while they weren't looking, but was coming for them specifically. It was almost a nightmare scenario. He wondered where the others decided to hide.
Todd was trapped in a single spot, the filthy pool in someone's abandoned summer house. He gulped down a deep breath and submerged, the bottom of this pool covered in algae; thick, slimy and slick to the touch. The shapes and shadows of things up above darkened the spot in the pool where he was hiding, but there was no way she'd guess he was in there; nobody really had any idea.
He couldn't breathe underwater, but he could hold his breath for a long time. When he first discovered he was pretty good at staying under, he tracked his time on a stopwatch, but he hasn't been to the lake in a while. His longest time was about twelve minutes. He wondered if she would hear hi if he came if for air? The thought frightened him.
Dominik initiated this horrifying game, and now they all had to survive it. A lot of variables affected his way of making it through this, but one thing was for sure, he was loud when he was trying to be quiet. It's kind of flipping the switch of hide and seek. In addition to listening out for the once again minuscule sounds that allude to the nearby mutant, he had to do tasks like coming up for air- the least noisiest task- and keep the tarp on the pool from falling inside. Those sounds attracted her and made it more difficult to hear the sounds he was looking for underwater, and even worse, there was no real way to get out. She would hear him running around squishing with water. He suddenly regret his decision in its entirety.
At least the quiet gave him some time to think. He thought about the first thing that came into his mind; what he was up against.
Callista's mutation capitalized on a broad discomfort with things that fell into the uncanny valley; things that are too humanoid to be something fake, but moved to spastically or mechanically for something to pass as living. Similar to how she fits into the visual uncanny valley, the sounds she makes fit into the audio uncanny valley, where they're definitely closer to language than any other sound in her Library of Noises, but they're too distorted for anyone to recognize who made the words or what they mean. She dabbled in both unfortunate arts. She litters these sounds throughout the entirety of the space she controls, from quick flickering hallucinations to phone rings that sound a little too much like a real phone. Her laughter also counted as a vaguely vocal sound, as it sounded like a demented version of a child laughing.
These are some of the ways Callista flavored her games to make less complex scenarios more stressful. Todd had a sinking feeling that this was only the tip of the iceberg when it came to her scary games. Perhaps this was Callista's way of establishing herself as the Top Dog.
But since this was a game, there was a condition; something had to be sacrificed to allow them the chance to think under pressure and win the game. At least she gave them all a fighting chance, telling them all he needed to know about visual signals and audio clues.
"Don't stop. Don't make any noise. Don't let me catch you." He remembered that warning as he peered up at the water's surface. He thought he heard something.
While it was never silent out here, it was remarkably more quiet the rest of the house. There's a dog somewhere, and it's howling. There's some car horns blaring in the distance, and the sound he was told to listen for: clicking.
Yes, if he heard clicking when checking the area, he was to hide to stop her from getting him right there. But her clicks were quiet. The sound that indicated she was in the area rose only a little above the ambient noise of the space, and so he had to parce sounds very carefully. His ear was searching for small differences in volume, which made any change in volume even more intense. That's only when he was checking above the water. In other parts of the yard, there were other subtle sounds. Focusing on such minuscule sounds was stressful, scary even.
A loud noise and a dark shape moved up above him, frightening him. Todd was just about to peek his head up and take a look outside, but now he wasn't budging. Was it her? He slid out from the shadows to get a better look, but it was still too dark to see.
The amphibious mutant blinked, squinting real close before a wave of relief washed over him. He recognized the silhouette: It was Kurt. He couldn't help but stifle a snicker as he watched the other mutant frantically search the yard for a place to hide.
Todd slowly ascended, barely peeking his head out of the water, hiding under the tarp. Despite his movement, the water remained mostly placid. Kurt was fussing with the patio umbrella, trying to get it to open for him so he could hide inside. Todd just watched him silently.
Kurt was wrapping himself around the umbrella's pole when he caught a glimpse of something staring at him from the pool, and for a split second, he thought he was going to have a heart attack. Todd just gently shook his head, pressing a green finger to his lips.
Kurt was going to kick himself for almost getting scared by Todd Tolansky. He knew though that if he made too much noise, he and Todd would both be caught. So he just gave his frog friend a thumbs-up and stuffed himself inside of the umbrella, carefully closing it shut.
#snippet#x-men evolution fic#omg#bruh#this is fun!#the brotherhood of loveable mutant idiots#callista villanueva
13 notes
·
View notes
Note
hi! I was wondering if you could write #'s 9 & 23 with Calum? thanks! 😊
a/n - i love this combination! thank you for the request, i hope i did it justice. the setting is loosely inspired by safe haven because i adore that movie so much and i thought it would be a cute location for this story. anyway, enjoy :)
prompt(s) - “not that i’m not happy to see you, but what are you doing here?” & “don’t look at me like that.”
The diner buzzed with life as the typical early birds swung in and out, ordering their usuals and updating you on their grandkids and the stray cats they’d been feeding. The Sharpie smell stung your nose and you looked up from rinsing mugs to see Red working on his daily Sudoku. “How’s it coming, Red?”
He glanced up, scratching at his scruffy beard and pushing up his glasses. He waved a hand dismissively. “I’ll solve ‘em one of these days, (y/n), you just wait and see.”
“Hey now,” your hands raised defensively, “I haven’t lost faith.”
Red muttered under his breath, “yeah, yeah,” and his concentration fell back to the newspaper in front of him.
The bell jingled and you watched a few new faces stumble through the wooden green door, letting in a gust of salty ocean air in their wake. You put on your work smile and waved at them. “Hey, there! How can I help you guys?”
**
You were almost at the lunch rush, the most dreaded time of day. You watched the old white clock above the stove tick towards 12 and huffed. Only a few more hours and you’d be home free to cuddle with your cats or read on the beach. Maybe Calum would want to come.
While you were lost in your thoughts, a family walked through the door. You sped over to meet them, greeting them with a bright smile and positive attitude.
They followed you to the table in the corner up against the window. You quickly took their drink orders and left them menus before hurrying away to help the two new families that had arrived in that short minute. Within half an hour, the previously empty restaurant was at its full capacity, littered with families, senior citizens, teenagers and the homeless man, Corey, who you served lunch everyday. Beads of sweat formed on your forehead as you raced around tending to all the needy customers and trying your best not to snap at your boss who was yapping orders into your ear like you hadn’t been working there for a year already.
In the midst of the chaos, a certain brunette boy entered the restaurant under your radar and seated himself at the bar, waiting patiently for you to notice him. He watched as you put on that dimply, bright smile of yours and caught up with your favorite usuals. He admired you as you retied your apron around your waist and blew whispys out of your eyes. He practically drooled when you bit your lip in concentration and when you scrunched your nose while you laughed at something a little girl had said.
Finally, after what felt like hours, you spotted Calum. With an annoyed heave and a dramatic eye roll, you made your way across the restaurant and practically threw a menu at Calum. “Not that I’m not happy to see you, but what are you doing here?” You looked at him expectantly, impatiently tapping your fingers on the counter. Calum just looked amused. “Happy to see you too. Just thought I’d come visit my favorite employee while she worked.”
You groaned. “Cal, I love you to death, but now's really not a good time to pester me at work. If you couldn’t tell, I’m kinda swamped. I have to pour 7 orange juices, grab 3 ice pitchers, table 8 needs a new fork, table 3 needs some more napkins, and I have 12 orders to bring out. So if you’ll excuse me, I gotta get back to it.” You gave his shoulder some passive aggressive pats and turned on your heel, heading for the kitchen.
Cal smiled as he watched you leave. You were the hardest working person he knew and he adored that about you. He also tried his very hardest not to stare at your ass as you walked away.
Calum sipped on a vanilla milkshake, helping Red with his Sudoku and picking at your coworker Jenny’s leftover fries as he waited for you to get off. He watched you scribble down orders and make vacationers in sunny little Waylon Beach feel welcome but he never got bored. You were enough to entertain him for hours.
Good old Red was appreciative of Calum’s help, but they still couldn’t finish the damn thing. So Red gave Calum a few strong pats on the back, almost knocking Calum off of his barstool, and ruffled the man’s hair, telling him “tomorrows a new day, son” and walking off whistling a tune Calum had never heard.
Calum watched as the commotion died down around 3 and your shift finally ended. You tossed your apron over a nearby chair and plopped down next to Calum, laying your head on his shoulder. You couldn’t tell but Calum’s heart rate picked up. “You seem pretty beat. Need a ride home? Ash let me take his car into town today.” Calum’s arm reached up around you and settled on your shoulder, squeezing it lightly.
You hummed softly. “I’m starving, though. Do you think we could get something to eat first?” You looked up at him with those big doe eyes and he felt himself melting beneath them.
“If nothing here sounds good, what were you thinking?” Calum watched you put on that adorable thinking face. His hand itched to reach out and stroke your cheek.
A smile suddenly broke out on your face, one that looked mischievous. Calum groaned because he knew exactly what you were thinking. “Aw, come on, not Joey’s! You know I threw up last time we ate there!”
You picked your head up off his shoulder and laughed. “Maybe don’t order sushi at a burger place, dummy.” Calum couldn’t help but smile as you laughed at his misfortune.
“There’s no way I’m going back there. I was afraid I was gonna vomit up an internal organ.” You laughed again, throwing your head back. You were wearing the kind of smile that made the sun shine a little brighter.
“Come on, Cal.” You rested your chin on his shoulder, dangerously close to Calum’s face. Your eyes sparkled in the fluorescent overhead lights and Calum found himself getting lost in them. “For me?” Your bottom lip stuck out and Calum sighed.
“Don’t look at me like that,” he begged, but your expression didn’t waver. Calum groaned and leaned forward, placing a kiss on your forehead. “Fine. But if I get sick again, it's on you. You owe me free pie for life.”
You laughed and stuck out your pinky. “Deal.”
Calum reached out his pinky too, thinking you were too cute for your own good.
You both stood up and you waved a quick goodbye to your coworkers, stepping out into the warm summer breeze and listening to the inviting chirps of the seagulls. Yeah, Waylon Beach was a small dead end town in South Carolina, but it was home to you and Calum.
You reached out and grabbed Calum’s hand, tugging him behind you down the street and Calum just watched you go on about the amazing burger you were gonna eat, wondering if he would ever gather up the nerve to tell you how he truly felt.
#luke#luke hemmings#luke 5sos#calum#calum hood#calum 5sos#michael#michael clifford#michael 5sos#ashton#ashton irwin#ashton 5sos#5sos#5 seconds of summer#calum 5 seconds of summer#5sos x reader#5sos x you#fanfiction#blurb#calum blurb#calum imagine#calum fanfiction#calum fluff#5 seconds of smut
31 notes
·
View notes
Note
can i request an imagine where calum & the reader are dating and she gets in a car accident & totals her car? and calum and the boys are in another car and see traffic is slowed bc of the accident and cal recognizes her car and asks them to pull over as she’s freaking out because the ambulance is trying to help her calm down but she’s freaking out and can’t call cal because she can’t find her phone that’s in the car but she ends up fine w a few bruises and scratches & it’s all fluff at the end?
Gonna be late - C. Hood
TRIGGER WARNING: Description of car accident and physical injuries, and anxiety.
Sorry this took so long, lovie! Been super busy lately! Hope you like it!
Original story by sarcastically-defensive17
Car accidents are always shown as something so quick in movies.
A split second collision, the car jolts and is thrown around. The person inside is struck with whiplash and tossed about in a quick movement and often the aftermath is quite horrible.
Y/N discovered that movies are total bull Shit.
She was on her way to meet her friends, and her boyfriend, traveling down the Main Street of the town with music playing in the background as she thrummed her fingers along the steering wheel.
Calum always felt shy when she played his music, but she adored the sound of his voice. Every time his dulcet tone travels through the speakers a smile bursts onto her face.
She was listening to Babylon when it happened.
Anything that she had seen in the media felt like the biggest lie in that moment.
What was really a few minute action felt like a lifetime.
Her mind was focused on the road ahead of her, but the subconscious part of her mind was focused on the brown eyed man she gave her heart to.
They had been together for nearly 2 and a half years and at the point of considering living together.
Now, she had been on her way from work to meet with Calum, the guys and their girls for a much needed night out.
Between study and work she had barely had a time to relax, so Calum got onto Crystal who Y/N knew not to argue with about plans and organized for her to meet all of them at her favourite diner for dinner and drinks afterwards.
The sky was barely starting to go dark when the Subaru connected with the passenger side of the car.
She was doing 60 and her car was pushed sideways into the lane next to her.
The impact tore a grunt from her throat and the drivers side connected with a car parked on the side of the road.
Time seemed to slow as her head connected with the steering wheel and the drivers side door squashed in on her arm.
For a minute she saw black.
She came to with a pounding in her head that resembled a bad hangover, but the blood dripping in her eye brought her to her senses.
Despite the agony in both her arm and her head, she could only think of one thing: She needed to tell Calum she would be late. He would worry about her.
She just needed to get her arm out so she could get her bag that was on the passenger side. A quick text to Calum was all she needed
She just couldn’t reach.
<><><><><>
Calum couldn’t wait to see her. They basically lived together and saw each other every day, but last night he spent it at his own house.
She had an early class followed by a shift at work so he said goodnight to her at 7pm the previous night and left knowing he would see her at the bar the following day.
They were well past the honeymoon stage. Their love was past romantic, past companionate. They were bordering on full consummate love and he couldn’t find a moment where he didn’t have her at least in the back of his mind.
He truly loved her, and they both knew they shared the sentiment.
“All I’m saying is, you don’t know if zebras are black with white stripes, or white with black stripes.”
“What does it matter, Ash?” KayKay laughed from the front seat.
He decided to carpool with Ashton and Kaitlin, as he knew he was going home with Y/N that night.
Their conversations had ranged anywhere from aliens to the colour green and now to zebras and their stripes.
Cal couldn’t deny that he tuned out when KayKay and Ash were disputing the intensity of a specific shade of green.
The ride was energetic and gave off a certain ambience that Calum found himself basking in.
Lately, the only time he ever felt relaxed was with Y/N, but he was enjoying the time spent with his friends and the anticipation of seeing the woman he loved.
Hell, he was just excited to be able to sleep next to her that night. He always slept better with her beside him.
“Shit.” Calum felt the car slow, KayKay pushing her foot into the break with the pace of the car in front. “Calum is that-“
“It looks like it,” Ashton cut her off, whispering in a hushed voice for fear of setting off the Maori mans fight or flight.
They both knew that it would definitely be fight.
When it came to Y/N he would always fight for her.
His brown eyes captured the sight of her white Jeep. He knew immediately it was hers.
“Pull over,” he demands even though the car is almost at a complete stop.
His belt is off and his door is flung open. His ears are deaf to Ashton’s calls.
He clears a car and an ambulance comes into view. There are three paramedics crowded around the car, and two others tending to another car.
He didn’t know what had happened but he needed to know if his girl was okay.
He could hear her cries coming from the vehicle.
“I need to call my boyfriend,” she was breathing heavily. Her voice was cracking and sounded strained.
His heart broke at the sound. He could hear the pain she was in, yet her only thought was of him.
In any other circumstance he would be flattered, but all he could focus on was the paramedic telling her to stay calm because she has a head wound.
“No, please. You need to call him. You need to tell him I’m going to be late.” He got closer to the car, and he could see firefighters working at the door next to her.
Paramedics were on the passenger side of the car that had been dented, but at this moment he could care less about the car.
“Please, I just need to talk to him,” she was pleading.
“Ma’am you need to relax. We will call your boyfriend as soon as we can get you out and looked over.”
“But he’s waiting for me,” she was crying. From the pain or her stress, he didn’t know.
His feet felt more sluggish as he got closer to her, but he couldn’t stop his voice.
“Y/N?” He crouched down near where the paramedics were and his heart ached at the sight.
She was virtually untouched save for the head wound and her arm that had disappeared into the car door.
There were tears on her face and her skin was blotchy from the sobs underneath the blood.
Still, she lit up when she saw him.
“Calum! Oh my god, I’m so sorry,” she moved slightly, cringing at the pain in her arm. “Crystals gonna kill me. I ruined our night.”
Calum couldn’t help but laugh, “she won’t care, baby. It’s fine, I’m right here with you.”
“I’m guessing this is the boyfriend?” The paramedic quipped. He was tall but he managed to fit into the small space to hold a gauze against her forehead. “No more tears now?”
The firefighters made quick work of the door. It was crumpled around her arm and they needed to stabilize it as they moved her.
She was into the ambulance for an assessment not long after and they began the ride to the hospital.
Calum made sure to send a quick message to Ashton informing him of the situation, but he turned his phone off after.
He needed to focus on Y/N.
A few hours later and she woke up in a white hospital room, her arm in a cast and elevated and a thick wrap around her head.
Calum was asleep on a chair beside her. He was sleeping so peacefully.
Naturally, she throw a sock at him.
“Hey! Melon!”
He snorted awake, blinking deliriously at the girl perched on the bed.
Despite the pain she was in previously, she beamed at him. Her smile could always settle his worries.
“I’ll let that one slide but stop calling me that!” He laughed at her, standing up and stretching.
She used the one hand that wasn’t in the sling to make grabby hands at him, prompting him to laugh once again and settle on the bed next to her.
“So, dr. Hood. What’s the damage?” She smiled, nuzzling into him.
“The damage is that you have a shattered forearm and a mild concussion. Also, you’re never driving yourself anywhere again. You’re coming with me,” he whispered to her, pressing a kiss to his head. “I can’t tell you how scared I was when I saw your car on the side.”
“As scared as I was being yknow, the one in the car?” She winked, pulling him closer so she could hug him more.
“I love you, you know that right?” He kissed her forehead once again. It was his favourite place to kiss her. She believed it was the most intimate and sweet place to kiss somebody, and he had done so since they started their relationship.
“I love you too, Melon,” she smirked once again.
He was thanking anybody who was there to listen that she was okay. He couldn’t imagine what he would have done if she wasn’t.
“So, I think this is a good time to revisit our conversation about living arrangements,” he said as he toyed with her hands, resting her smaller fingers against his own. “Because, if we lived together, I could fulfill my dream of being your personal chauffeur.”
“Calum, your dream was to make it big with your friends.”
“And I did that. Now this is my new dream.”
“You’re an idiot.”
“You’re gorgeous,” he smiled.
She rolled her eyes, kissing him softly on the lips. “You want to do this? Live together?”
“I really do, baby,” he was staring so intently into her eyes that it forced a redness to rise.
“Then lets do it, Cal. Let’s move in together.”
A smile broke out onto his face, wider than it was before and he leaned over her to kiss her deeply.
“How about I get you a cute little nurse outfit and you can take care of me?” She winked as she pulled away from his lips, allowing him to roll his eyes deeply.
Tag list:
@mantlereid @starshonerose @theanswertoeverythingisl0v3
If you’d like to be apart of the tag list, send me a message or an ask!!
#calum hood#calum hood x reader#5sos#5 seconds of summer#calum#luke hemmings#ashton irwin#michael clifford#kaykay blaisdell
126 notes
·
View notes
Text
my only weakness (you know all my secrets)
I have had the great fortune to participate in @ashesonthefloor‘s Halloween fic event this year! Honestly it was a blast and I’m super excited to see everyone else’s creations!
Event Masterlist
For this event, we all were assigned a pairing, then got to choose from a list of prompts. My prompt was as follows: “You’ve told me three separate times now you have a vampire kink and I’m starting to wonder if you know I’m a vampire.” Or, pretty explanatory. One person is a vampire. The other has a vampire “kink”. (Can also be them saying they like the aesthetic, or trying to hint that they know and don’t mind. Literally do what you want with it) I strayed a little bit, but the prompt idea is still there! Hope you enjoy!
Michael is having a hard time figuring out if the amount of vampire jokes and references is due to Ashton knowing his deepest, darkest secret, or if that's just his sense of humor.
Read on ao3
1.
The first time it happens, they’re heading to their first date.
Michael hasn’t really dated anyone since the 90s, because dating is complicated. He doesn’t age. He can’t eat regular food. Going out in the sun is dicy at best and results in extremely painful sunburn at worst. He shows up in most mirrors now, because they rarely have silver backing anymore, but pictures are a no-go because his eyes cause a lens flare.
The last person he went on an actual date with was Calum, because they’ve been friends for centuries and figured they might as well give it a go. Michael wishes they could have worked, but it took some making out before they both agreed that, as much as they love each other, it’s all platonic. The date itself was fun, but there were no romantic butterflies to be found. Michael has seen Calum naked many times before, and while he can appreciate a handsome man, when it’s Calum it does nothing for him.
Ashton is very handsome. He’s also funny, and passionate, and he’s got more than enough snark to speak Michael’s language. He’s got tenacity and determination, and for some reason part of that determination got directed towards getting Michael on a date with him.
He didn’t have to work very hard. Michael said yes at the first opportunity.
For the first date, Ashton asked if he could pick him up, so Michael waits nervously in his living room, listening to his grandfather clock ticking. (He’s had it since 1733. It was made specifically for him by the clockmaker, a parting gift because if Michael stayed in the area for too much longer, his lack of ageing would get suspicious.)
(This is such a bad idea. Even if this date goes well, Michael can’t be in a relationship with a human for very long before his secret will slip.)
His phone vibrates with a message, and he nearly jumps out of his skin before he realizes that it’s just Calum, not Ashton about to cancel or spring a sudden change of plans.
Cal: have fun on your date ;) wow him with your Biting sense of humor
Michael: i hate you the puns got old centuries ago
Cal: you love them
Michael’s doorbell rings, startling him enough that he fumbles his phone and effectively cutting off any sort of argument he may have started to get into. Michael stands from the couch, takes a deep breath, and answers the door.
Ashton looks really fucking good. Michael has only really seen him in their work clothes, when Ashton is writing up articles about the local music scene and Michael is busy approving things to put on the website, but he dresses up very nicely. His hair is artfully tousled in a way Michael knows must take a little bit of time, and Michael thinks there might be just a hint of glitter under his eyes that would make his heart palpitate if it still did stuff like that. His shirt is short sleeved, showing off his arms nicely, and there are roses printed against the white fabric that match the ones in the bouquet in his hands.
Michael doesn’t know the last time someone gave him flowers.
“Hi,” Ashton says. “You look amazing.”
Michael feels like he’s underdressed now. He’s got on a black long sleeve, because the sun hasn’t fully set yet and he’s trying to cover as much skin as possible, and a pair of black jeans. It’s a nicer shirt of his, something name brand that he can afford due to decades of saving here and there, but he’s well aware that his overall style leans more casual than dressy.
“Thanks,” he says. “You look absolutely fantastic.”
Ashton glances down and smiles, pleased. Michael likes that he can make him react like that.
“I got you flowers,” Ashton says. “I hope you aren’t allergic. It wouldn’t be the end of the world, but I’d feel silly.”
“I’m not,” Michael smiles, taking them from him. There are a few sprigs of lily of the valley tucked in amongst the roses and ferns, and he takes a deep inhale. He loves the sweet scent of roses and how lively fresh flowers can appear to be even when they’re dying. Maybe it’s self-centered, but he likes to think there are some similarities between him and the plants. They’re not alive anymore, but they’re still going, and they can still bring people a little bit of joy for a few impermanent moments before moving on.
“I’ll put these in some water. You can step in for a second, if you want.”
He had excessively cleaned the entry and living room earlier in the evening, paranoid in case something like this forced Ashton inside. At least now he’s certain that there’s nothing incriminating lying about.
“Nice place,” Ashton says.
“Thanks,” Michael replies, already booking it for the kitchen to grab a vase. Once he gets there he takes a moment to try to stop the slight shake to his hands and compose himself.
You are an ancient, immortal being who has lived through the fall of empires, he scolds himself. You can handle one date with a cute boy who brought you flowers.
Ashton beams when Michael says he’s ready to go.
“I was thinking we could walk, if that’s okay,” he says while Michael locks the door behind them. “It’s not far.”
“Are you going to tell me where we’re actually going, yet?” Michael asks. Ashton mimes zipping his lips. The only information he gave Michael was that it’s going to be a pretty casual setting (and yet he showed up to Michael’s door looking like that) and that Michael won’t have to eat. That’s something he specifically requested, making up a bunch of excuses about being gluten free and severely lactose intolerant and giving a list of other allergens a mile long.
“You’ll find out soon enough,” Ashton laughs when he pouts. “Come on.”
He grabs Michael’s hand to start leading him down the street, and Michael absolutely will not admit to himself how nice it feels, warm and alive against his.
They go through some basic small talk on the way there, touching on current work projects since they’re in different departments and learning a bit more about each other’s families. Michael makes an excuse about his being in Australia and tells Ashton about Calum instead, and Ashton fills time by describing his mom and siblings. It’s cute to see the way he lights up, seeming radiant in the light of the setting sun that Michael has to squint harshly against.
“Wow, you really don’t like the sun,” Ashton says eventually.
“What? Oh, not really, I guess.”
“I should’ve known, but I wasn’t sure if all of you are fully nocturnal or not.”
“What?” Michael asks, alarm bells ringing. “Why would you--what makes you say that?”
Ashton shrugs nonchalantly.
“You know. You’re just so pale and pasty,” he says, obvious tease in his voice. “Definitely closer to a creature of the night than an early bird, I’d guess.”
He’s joking. Ashton has not, somehow, discovered his secret ten minutes into their first date.
“Oh fuck you,” he laughs. “Not all of us can have perfect natural tans. I burn really easily.”
“Do you glow in the dark, too? Turn fluorescent under blacklights?”
“Shut up,” Michael says, but he leans a little into Ashton as he says it to let him know that the banter isn’t unwelcome.
“I suppose we’ll find out soon enough.”
Michael doesn’t have a chance to ask what he means before Ashton is pulling him towards the doors of a large building. He holds it open for him like a gentleman, and Michael misses the contact of their hands but appreciates having all of his senses free to process the new environment, which is full of a plethora of new sights, sounds, and smells.
“Roller skating?” Michael asks, looking around the large arena. It’s dim, but his eyes adjust immediately to take in the wondrously tacky carpet outside the rink, highlighted in brief bursts by rotating colorful lights. Loud music plays over the speakers, and in the arena people in small groups or pairs are making their way around the track. He can smell fried food and various types of beverages coming from a bar in the corner, mingling with the scent of unfamiliar people. He takes it all in for a moment, then dials back his senses to make it more bearable.
“It’ll be fun,” Ashton says. “Willing to give it a go?”
“Definitely.”
They go get their skates, and Ashton pays for the shoe rental and the entrance fee. Michael hasn’t been roller skating in probably around a decade, and he’s excited Ashton picked this as their date location. So many date ideas these days have to do with food, the only thing Michael absolutely can’t participate in, but Ashton found something that will hopefully be fun while still allowing them to talk and get to know each other better.
“Ready?” Ashton asks. Michael nods, and then they step out into the rink.
Ashton, it turns out, is worse at roller skating than Michael is. That makes sense, because Michael did it a lot in the 70s and 90s and has gone a few times since to keep it fresh, and Ashton isn’t awful, but there are a few instances where he wobbles and his hand immediately reaches out to grab at Michael’s arm before he rebalances and apologizes. Michael laughs at him good naturedly and does a few circles around him until Ashton huffs and Michael slips an arm through his.
“Come on,” Michael says. “Once you’re used to this in about fifteen minutes, I’ll race you around the track.”
Michael wins the first race, but Ashton wins the second, although Michael is giggling too much for it to count, in his opinion. They spend a lot of time making laps and talking, and Michael skates backwards to show off at every opportunity while Ashton dances to the songs that come on over the speakers to make him laugh. It’s one of the best nights Michael has had in a long time, and by the time they leave they’re both walking slowly, stretching their time together as much as possible.
“I had a really good time tonight,” Ashton says when they finally reach Michael’s door. His front light makes the glitter under Ashton’s eyes sparkle, and Michael technically doesn’t have to breathe, but his breath still catches.
“Me too,” he says, shoving his hands in his pockets.
“So...do you want to do this again?” Ashton asks.
“Yeah, I’d like that a lot. I’ll take you out, next time.”
“Okay,” Ashton smiles, ducking his head. Michael catches a faint blush on his cheeks, blood rushing up to color them, and he loves that he sees Ashton like this. At work, he’s always cool and level-headed, confident in what he says and strong in his opinions. Michael has managed to turn him bashful, and that is possibly the best thing to come out of the date.
“I should let you get on with your night,” Ashton says eventually. Michael tries to find some sort of excuse to get him to stay, but then Ashton leans forward and presses his lips to Michael’s cheek, soft and lingering. When he takes a step back, Michael wants to pull him in again to memorize the scent of his skin and feel of his warmth.
“Good night,” Ashton says.
“Night,” Michael makes himself reply. Ashton smiles again, then sets off down the street. Michael watches him, smiling when he glances back and waves again, and continues to stand on his front stoop until Ashton is fully out of sight, even for him.
His phone buzzes as soon as he steps inside, and Michael pulls it out in case it’s something important or work related (or Ashton).
Cal: how was the date? or are you two still going…?
Michael: really fucking good
2.
On the third date, Michael gets to see the inside of Ashton’s apartment.
Michael took them stargazing for their second date. There was a meteor shower he wanted to try to watch, anyway, and he found a good spot outside the city where it would be mostly visible. Ashton likes being outdoors, and Michael doesn’t mind it at night, so he drove them out of the city, made the trek up a hill, and laid out a blanket for them to cuddle up in. All in all, it was a great night. Even the car ride to and from the location was amazing, because Michael told Ashton to make a playlist for it and they spent the entire time discussing favorite songs. Ashton is such a snob about it sometimes, since he’s a music journalist and is always evaluating in his head, but there were a few surprises that he put on there simply because “good music doesn’t always have to be good music, Michael.”
Ashton kissed him on the cheek again when Michael walked him to his door. Michael thinks that something so simple shouldn’t occupy so much space in his thoughts, but he’s been replaying it in his head over and over. It’s a little distracting at work, especially when he gets one of Ashton’s articles to upload to the website.
They head to Ashton’s right after they both clock out. Ashton doesn’t live far and typically walks (he really likes walking places, Michael has noticed), but Michael drives them so he’ll have his car handy at the end of the night. It’s a relatively nice building, and Ashton holds the lobby door open for him, which counts enough as an invite to allow him to enter. They take the elevator up to the fifth floor, then Ashton unlocks his door and steps in.
From what Michael can see, it’s a nice apartment. The entry, kitchen, and living room flow easily together, and there’s a hallway off to the side that Michael assumes leads to the bathroom and bedrooms.
He can’t step over the threshold. He hasn’t been invited in this time, not explicitly enough for him to freely enter despite knowing that Ashton wants him there.
“My roommate is out for the night. I swear I cleaned before I left for work today,” Ashton says, puttering around the living room and picking up what looks like a stray sock, righting the pillows on the couch and straightening some books on the coffee table. Michael leans against the doorframe and watches him. Fluffing the pillows doesn’t really matter to Michael, but if it makes Ashton feel better it’s no hardship on him.
Ashton finishes, then glances around until he spots Michael still in the hall.
“Oh. I didn’t really invite you in, did I.”
“It would’ve been the polite thing to do,” Michael teases. “I’d hate to intrude, you know.”
“We wouldn’t want that,” Ashton says, coming forward and taking both of Michael’s hands in his. “Michael Clifford, I formally invite you into my home. You are welcome here whenever you’d like.”
“A simple ‘hey, come in,’ would’ve been sufficient, but thanks,” he laughs, stepping forward.
“Absolutely not,” Ashton says. “If you’re going to be vampiric about entering my home, I’m going to treat you with the proper respect, Count Clifford.”
Apparently the vampire jokes are going to be a thing. Michael can work with that, instead of panicking over it. If he turns it into a bit, maybe Ashton will brush things off longer.
“Thank you, mortal. Now, I vant to suck your blood,” he says, exaggerating the awful stereotypical (absolutely false and insulting) accent. It gets a laugh from Ashton, though, which is what he wanted.
“If you manage to beat me at chess, I’ll let you,” Ashton says.
Michael hasn’t let himself think about Ashton’s blood. He can control himself very easily around humans, and bloodlust isn’t really a thing with him unless he hasn’t eaten in over a week. He has a specific concoction that he picks up from the magic shop like clockwork, a mixture of animal blood, some herbs, a few drops of human blood (humanely donated), and whatever the fuck is the flavor for that batch, but that doesn’t mean he’s completely forgotten how amazing it tastes to drink pure, living blood. It’s incredibly intimate, and Michael hasn’t been that close with a human in a very, very long time.
“Okay,” he chokes, once the silence has stretched on too long. Ashton quirks an eyebrow at him, but moves to get the board games without comment.
Michael loves board games. He loves all games, really, and he mostly deals with video games now to keep as up to date as possible (and because he doesn't have to invite friends over to play most of them). What’s nice about games, though, is that they can change every time. Michael has been playing chess since it was invented, but he’s never played against Ashton, and it’s going to be an entirely new experience.
Unfortunately, Ashton is extremely good at chess.
“What the fuck,” Michael says, king toppling after a five-move checkmate.
“Darn,” Ashton replies, faux innocent. “I guess there’ll be no bloodsucking tonight.”
“Wait, I want a rematch. I’m good at chess, I swear.”
Ashton wins twice more before they move on to another game. They cycle through a few before landing on a card game from Ashton’s family, one that Michael hasn’t heard of or played before. It has a lot of complicated rules, and Ashton walks him through it slowly. If Michael feints misunderstanding more than necessary just to have Ashton’s focus on him, leaning close to look at his cards and explain the best moves, then that’s his business.
Michael doesn’t realize how much time has passed until Ashton’s stomach grumbles loud enough for him to hear.
“How is it already nine o’clock?” he asks. “Shit, you haven’t eaten yet. You could’ve had something.”
Ashton just shakes his head.
“I’m not going to eat in front of you if I don’t have anything to feed you, too,” he says. Michael wishes it were possible for him to digest human food, because while Ashton does have a nice amount of blood he could tap into with permission, somehow Michael doesn’t think that’s on the table
“I have a weird meal schedule, anyway,” he says. “I eat a really big lunch, then only something small late at night. I really don’t mind.”
“I’ll remember that for future reference,” Ashton says. “Although someday I hope you let me feed you.”
It is such a good thing that breathing is an option for Michael, rather than a requirement. Ashton may not have any clue how what he’s saying sounds, but that doesn’t mean Michael isn’t affected.
“We’ll see,” he says, although there’s no chance that’ll ever happen. “I should probably head home, anyway.”
Ashton checks the time.
“You can stay longer if you want. My roommate will be back soon, but he wouldn’t mind.”
Michael wants to stay, but he’s not sure he’d ever leave if he did.
“I think I’ll go. I’m not sure we’re at the “meeting the roommates” stage yet.”
Michael stands, and Ashton follows to walk him out.
“I had a good time. Again,” Ashton says as they walk down the stairs.
“Me too, even if I think you were somehow cheating at chess.”
“Hey,” Ashton complains, then pauses. “I was going to say that jealousy isn’t a good look on you, but everything is a good look on you.”
“Shut up,” Michael says. “That’s not true at all. I have made some bad fashion choices in the past.”
“I’ll believe it when I see it,” Ashton says. Michael wishes he could show him the pictures from the 80s, as embarrassing as they are. They reach the bottom landing entirely too soon, but Ashton walks him out to the parking deck until they’re standing next to his car.
“So,” Ashton says, squaring his shoulders. “We’ve been on three dates so far, and I really like you, Michael. Hanging out with you has been some of the most fun I’ve had in a long time. I was wondering if you wanted to officially be my boyfriend.”
Fuck. The smart thing would be to cut this off now, before either of them get too attached, because Michael already thinks it would absolutely shatter his non-existent heart if Ashton found out and thought he was a monster.
“Absolutely,” he says instead, because he’s an idiot who wants what he can’t have. “These past few dates have been the most fun I’ve had in a long time, too.”
Ashton beams, like the sun breaking through clouds. He has dimples, and Michael really wants to press his fingers into the divots. He just wants to touch Ashton everywhere, really, to feel the soft skin and know that there’s blood bringing heat to it from his heart to every corner and crevice.
There’s something so absolutely tantalizing about how alive Ashton is. Michael knows that he can’t be more like him, not even if he was actually alive still, but he’s content to have him near. He’d be content to watch from a distance, honestly, but if Ashton wants him close then Michael is going to stay close.
He should not be this whipped after only the third date.
“Well,” he says once they’ve spent too much time grinning at each other silently.
“I should let you go,” Ashton says. “I’ll text you.”
“I’d like that,” Michael says. He goes to open his car door, but Ashton’s hand on his wrist stops him. He leans forward and to kiss Michael on the cheek, just like the past two dates, but this time it lands a bit lower and closer to the middle. The corner of his mouth hits Michael’s and lingers there for just a second longer than he can bear.
“For fucks sake,” he breathes, then slots their lips together properly. Ashton smiles into the kiss before he can get it under control and properly kiss back. Maybe it’s dramatic to say that this kiss feels like it’s filling some hole in Michael that he didn’t know was vacant, but Michael is a dramatic guy, and there’s something special about the way their noses bump and how instinctual it is to shift closer. Michael doesn’t really want it to end, so he gives Ashton another peck before pulling away fully. Ashton’s eyes take a moment to flutter open.
It’s definitely far too early to be in love, but Michael is very self-aware after being around for so long, and he knows he’s going to have to actively try not to fall head-over-heels for Ashton.
“Have a good night, Ashton,” Michael says.
“You too. Drive safe.”
Michael keeps his composure as he pulls out of the parking space, aware of Ashton’s eyes on him. He manages to keep it together all the way home, actually, but the moment his door shuts behind him he’s leaning against it, giddy with a crush and wondering what he’s just gotten himself into.
3.
Movie nights become a bit of a thing. It’s a low-maintenance way to spend time together, and sometimes they’re both too tired after grueling work days or hard weeks to be around a lot of people. Michael’s house has a pretty nice tv, and he has an extensive movie collection, including some horrible b-movies on VHS that Ashton finds endlessly amusing. A lot of Michael’s favorite moments are spent snuggled up on the couch under Ashton’s arm or with his feet in his lap, watching the way the light from the screen plays off of his face more than the movie itself.
Ashton hasn’t seen the Twilight movies, which is almost a travesty. Michael watched all of them in theaters with Calum, both of them weirdly captivated with how completely bonkers and inaccurate they are, and they’ve seen them often enough to quote them almost completely to each other at the drop of a hat. Michael is tired today, and he wants something he doesn’t have to pay much attention to.
He sleeps significantly less than humans do, but that doesn’t mean that staying up for the past week and a half straight was a good idea. He was also on his feet more than usual at work, and everything is hurting a little. His body has better-than-average healing, but it’s also over a few centuries old. Today, he’s feeling it.
Edward has just gotten the first sniff of Bella and looks like he’s about to puke when Ashton turns to him. Michael is leaning against the corner of the couch, head lolling to the side and feet tucked up next to him. He’s been looking at Ashton and letting his thoughts drift, and he should probably be more embarrassed than he is that he was caught at it.
“What’s up with you today?” Ashton asks. “You’re suspiciously quiet.”
“Tired,” Michael says. “My feet hurt.”
“I can help with one of those things,” he says. “Give me your feet.”
“What?”
Ashton gestures until Michael uncurls, stretching his legs out until his feet land in Ashton’s lap. He starts at Michael’s ankles, gently rubbing and then moving to the bottoms of his feet. Michael jumps when he presses down on a particularly tight tendon, but it’s already feeling leagues better.
“I can’t believe you’re touching my feet,” he groans as Ashton presses a knuckle into the center, making his toes curl. “That’s so gross.”
Ashton snorts.
“I don’t mind, but I’ll wash my hands after if it makes you feel better. I just want to make you feel good.”
Michael’s face would be completely inflamed if he had the blood for it.
“Shut up. This better not be a fetish for you.”
Ashton laughs this time, a full belly laugh that Michael would enjoy hearing more if it didn’t make him stop the massage.
“Would that be a deal breaker?” he giggles when he’s calmed down enough. Michael takes a moment to evaluate if he’s actually joking or not, because he really likes Ashton and has loved being his boyfriend for the past couple of months, but feet might be where he draws the line.
“No, I don’t have a foot fetish,” Ashton says after a moment of Michael staring at him like a deer in the headlights. Michael lets out a sigh of relief. He can be adventurous about stuff like that, and he’s been around long enough to try basically everything, but someone being aroused by his feet will always be just a little too weird.
“Do you have any embarrassing fetishes or kinks?” Ashton asks conversationally. “Just… for future reference, if that’s something you want.”
They haven’t done anything besides some lazy making out, which Michael is grateful for. He likes that they’re taking their time with it. He doesn’t want to rush this, but the thought has crossed his mind before.
He swallows. Ashton’s alternating between glancing at the tv and paying attention to his massage, and Michael doesn’t know if he should be grateful that he’s not trapped under that gaze or upset that he doesn’t have Ashton’s full undivided attention.
“Nothing embarrassing,” Michael says. “I’m open to a lot of things, but I really like being taken care of. I’ve been told I can be demanding and needy. Sometimes I like… being held down, I guess. Nothing excessive, but…”
He’s an extra-strong, extra-resilient being. Every time he feels like someone else has the control, it’s a special kind of rush.
Ashton glances at him from under his eyelashes, the blue-green light from the tv casting strange and otherworldly shadows over his face. Michael swallows thickly again.
“I like taking care of my partner, so that works out,” Ashton says. Michael nods. Ashton turns back to the tv and tilts his head in consideration, putting his neck on full display.
“You know,” he says, “I never really was into biting, but now…” He trails off, then brings a finger up to his neck, tracing along the length of it subconsciously. At least, Michael hopes that it’s subconscious. The air is thick with tension, and if Ashton is doing this on purpose than he knows a lot more about Michael than he’s let on.
“It might be nice to be marked up a bit,” Ashton says. He glances at Michael, the corner of his mouth turning up in a small smile. “Maybe Bella had the right idea, going after a vampire.”
Michael snorts and the tension dissipates like a balloon popping.
“I hardly think anyone in this movie counts as a real vampire.”
“You don’t think real vampires sparkle in the sun?” Ashton asks. “Darn. What’s the point of vampires if you have to dump glitter on them for the sparkle effect?”
“You’re an idiot,” Michael laughs.
“I’m the idiot? You’re the one who’s all the way over there when you have a perfectly good boyfriend right here who’s ready to cuddle you.”
Michael rolls his eyes and shifts to tuck himself against Ashton’s side.
“Happy?” he asks.
“Very,” Ashton says, taking a blanket from the back of the couch and draping it over them. It’s cozy. Michael sighs in contentment.
“Do your feet feel a little better?” Ashton asks, pressing a kiss to the top of his head.
“Yeah, thanks.”
“If you want to take a nap now, you can.”
Michael hums and seeks out Ashton’s other hand, tangling their fingers together sloppily. He’s tired, but he probably won’t drift off. He has all night for a power nap, and right now he doesn’t want to miss a second of his time with Ashton.
4.
The door bangs shut behind them, and Michael doesn’t have a moment to reorient himself before Ashton is on him again, lips incessantly seeking his and body caging him against the wall. Michael’s own hands are already slipping under his shirt, desperate to feel the warm expanse of his back and pull him even closer. He’s always run cold, even before he was turned, but right now he feels like he’s burning up from the inside out, flames igniting with every point of contact between them. Ashton gets a hand in his hair and tugs, and Michael makes a noise he wasn’t expecting to come out of him.
Don’t drop your fangs, don’t drop your fangs, don’t drop your fangs, he repeats to himself. It’s typically effortless to keep his fangs retracted and unnoticable, but he hasn’t done this with someone he truly likes in a very, very long time. He can’t allow himself to get so mindlessly overwhelmed that they slip down.
Ashton detaches their lips to take a breath, and Michael takes the opportunity to trail kisses over his jawline and down the column of his throat. Ashton hums into it, the sound reverberating through his vocal chords, and Michael nips at his throat to turn the hum into a groan, sucking at it again to ease the sting.
There’s a particular feeling of satisfaction at leaning back briefly to take in his progress, knowing that the blood is pooling just under the surface of Ashton’s skin. When he returns to his ministrations with a slightly harsher bite, Ashton jolts, rocking into him.
“Fuck, Michael,” he breathes.
“What do you want to do tonight?” Michael asks between kisses, trailing over his collarbones now because Ashton never buttons his fucking shirts.
“Anything. Everything. I--” He’s cut off by another groan that dissolves into a breathless laugh. “You’re so fucking distracting; get back up here.”
He tugs on Michael’s hair again, guiding their mouths together. It’s easier than breathing to let Ashton take control, and Michael could stand here all night and let himself be kissed against the wall if there weren’t other things he wanted to be doing in the bedroom. Still, he whines when Ashton pulls away.
“I know you don’t sleep, and I’ll keep up as much as I can,” Ashton pants. “I can’t fucking wait to take you apart.”
“So do it,” Michael says, not able to care about how desperate he sounds. “No one’s stopping you.”
“You’re such a mouthy little shit,” he says, leaning back in for a kiss that Michael feels all the way down to his toes. They don’t part again until they’re in the bedroom and falling onto the mattress.
-/-
Afterwards, Michael watches, amused, as Ashton fights to keep his eyes open. They never turned on the lights, but Michael can see just fine with his vampire eyesight and the early rays of sunshine beginning to paint the sky outside in pinks and oranges.
“Just go to sleep,” Michael laughs, tracing another mindless pattern onto Ashton’s ribs. “We’re done. I can’t handle anything else.”
“Weird to sleep when you’re not,” he mumbles, eyes already slipping closed again. “Can feel you watching me.”
“I won’t watch you,” Michael says. “I’ll probably fall asleep right after.”
Ashton snorts halfheartedly. Michael rolls his eyes, then nudges Ashton onto his side and fits himself behind him. Ashton sighs and relaxes again almost immediately, a heavy weight at his front while Michael slides one arm under the pillow and anchors them together with the other. He gets a great view of Ashton’s sweaty and tangled hair, and that’s about it.
“There,” Michael murmurs. “Now I can’t watch you. Happy?”
Ashton hums. He’ll be out in less than a minute.
Regardless of all of Ashton’s jokes about Michael never sleeping (he resents that he looks tired enough at all times for that to be an assumption), Ashton managed to tire him out. He doesn’t need to sleep right now, but there’s no harm in it. He lets the steady push and pull of Ashton’s breathing and the heartbeat he can barely feel under his palm lull him, and he drifts off soon after.
5.
“You want me to meet your family?” Michael asks, eyes wide in the face of this new information.
“If you’re comfortable with it,” Ashton says nonchalantly, but the way he’s avoiding Michael’s eyes tells him this conversation is anything but casual. He’s focused on throwing things into a blender, raspberries and peaches joining ice cubes and yogurt for a smoothie that Michael has watched him make dozens of times before. Michael can drink smoothies if they’re blended enough, and honestly he’s got a bit of a blood hunger going on because the last batch of his concoction from the magic store tasted gross and he’s supposed to go in today to get the new one. Still, a smoothie wouldn’t help with that, and he turned down Ashton’s offer in favor of a cup of coffee, wanting a warm mug in his hands. He’s glad to have something to keep his arms from flailing at this new curveball, in any case.
Ashton turns on the blender, the angry sound filling the previously-serene morning.
He can’t meet Ashton’s mum and siblings. He’s a vampire, and he’s already entirely too attached to Ashton as it is. It’s easy to fantasize about revealing his secret and Ashton being okay with it when it’s just the two of them, but there’s no way he can get to know his family only to break their heart when he has to leave Ashton for his own good.
Michael can’t watch Ashton grow old without him. He could do it for a few years, maybe a few decades, and he wants to spend as much time with him as possible, but eventually it would get too hard. Michael’s good at running, and he’s good at being alone. It’s harder to do both of those things with a family involved.
“That’s a big step,” Michael says once the blender stops.
“I’ve met Calum, and you said he’s closer than your family.”
“Against my will!”
Calum had insisted on meeting “the guy who’s got you wrapped around his finger,” and Michael had been powerless to stop it. They get on like a house fire and Michael gets teased about five times more than he used to, but he secretly loves it. Calum and Ashton are by far the two people he loves most in the world, and it’s nice to see them also enjoy each other.
“Michael,” Ashton says, pouring his smoothie into a glass and still refusing to look at him, something unfamiliar in his expression, “I’ve never gone this long without introducing them to someone I’m serious about. They really want to meet you.”
“I--I want to meet them, too, but…”
Ashton sighs and finally faces him head-on. Michael has never felt this small.
“Are you serious about us?”
“Of course,” he says, but it comes out more like a question, and he watches something shutter in Ashton’s eyes. He turns back to the blender, starting to dismantle it so he can rinse it properly, always trying to keep the kitchen neat, and Michael knows that he has to say something to try to fix this, anything to stop the sad slope of Ashton’s shoulders and that hurt look in his eyes.
“Ash, I have to tell you something,” he says before he can think twice. Ashton hums, and Michael steels himself for whatever reaction is about to occur, whether he has to bolt for the door or not. “I--um, well, I…”
He hasn’t had to confess to someone in over forty years. He doesn’t know how to do it anymore. He swallows and tries again.
“I don’t really know how to say this, but… I mean, I--”
“Shit,” Ashton exclaims, something clattering in the sink.
“What’s wrong?” Michael asks, and a second later the metallic tang of blood reaches his nose.
“Cut my thumb on the blender blades,” Ashton says, turning around and sticking the pad of his thumb in his mouth. Michael stares at him, unable to move.
The thing is, Ashton’s blood smells really good. He knew it would, because if he loves everything else about Ashton it makes sense that he would love him down to the blood in his veins and the DNA it carries, but this is the first time Ashton has split skin in his vicinity, and it’s more to handle than Michael thought it would be. He’s hungry, and he’s upset, and Ashton is right there in front of him, bleeding.
He shakes himself from that train of thought.
“Are you alright? How bad is it?” he asks. Ashton takes his thumb out of his mouth to check, and that just makes the smell intensify. Michael feels a bit of saliva pool in his mouth and swallows it back.
“It’s not too bad,” Ashton says. “It mostly just hurts, but once the bleeding lessens I’ll put a bandaid on it and it should be fine.”
He goes to put it back in his mouth and glances up at Michael, freezing at whatever he sees there. Michael doesn’t know what his face is doing, or why his posture feels so stiff, or what the fuck he’s supposed to do with Ashton just standing there with a bleeding thumb, and for a long moment they just stare at each other. ��Michael forgets to breathe.
Slowly, like he’s coaxing a startled animal towards him, Ashton reaches out his hand towards Micheal. A drop of blood drips off his thumb and onto the floor. Michael couldn’t move even if he wanted to.
“You know,” Ashton says, low and calm, “you could help me stop the bleeding, if you wanted.”
Michael stares at him, not comprehending the words, when he feels two pinpricks on the inside of his bottom lip.
His fangs dropped.
“I have to go,” he says, scrambling out of his seat and hastily putting his coffee on the table. He probably spills some, but he can’t look back to check, shoving on his shoes and sprinting out the door, Ashton’s questions echoing behind him.
Shit. Shit shit shit shit shit.
He’s scrambling for his phone as he tries to unlock his car, tears starting to cloud his vision with the panic. He presses Calum’s speed dial as soon as he gets the door open, tearing out of the parking space without putting on his seatbelt.
“Hello?” Calum finally answers.
“My fangs dropped,” he says, consonants coming out in that strange way they do when his mouth has more teeth than usual.
“What happened?” Calum asks immediately. He knows how serious something like this can be, especially for someone like Michael, who tries so hard to avoid it. He sniffles and blinks the tears out of his eyes so he can see the road better. Calum’s house is close, and he just needs to get a few more blocks before he has backup.
“I was with Ashton and he cut himself on a blender. I--we had a fight, or--I made him feel bad, in any case, and I haven’t eaten enough, and then he cut himself and I felt the fangs and ran out of there with no explanation. He’s going to hate me. I’ve ruined everything!”
“I’m sure that’s not true,” Calum says, but it’s not like Ashton is his boyfriend. Michael doesn’t know how to recover from something like this.
Calum tries to console him for the rest of the short car ride, stopping once Michael pulls into his driveway to turn an assessing gaze on him instead. His expression tells Michael that he’s leaving much to be desired right now.
“Alright, Mikey. Let’s get you out of the sun, yeah? We’ll figure this out.”
He holds out his arms, and Michael falls right into them, letting Calum lead him into the house. His fangs still prick at his lips, a sharp reminder of everything he ruined due to one second of lousy control.
+1
The bell to the magic shop digs as they enter, and Michael pulls down his sunglasses. Calum got him to stop crying and gave him a bit of his own leftover concoction, because he hadn’t drunk all of it due to the taste, either. It was enough for Michael to be able to get his fangs back under control, but it doesn’t stop how miserable he feels about the way he left, or the conversation they were having beforehand.
He can’t let himself be around Ashton if his fangs are going to drop like that. He would never hurt him, he knows that, but there’s still the potential that he can’t ignore. Ashton’s safety and comfort isn’t something he can risk. Even if Ashton was somehow okay with him being a vampire, they wouldn’t work.
Michael has known this since the beginning. He let himself fall in love, anyway.
There are three missed calls and over a dozen text messages that he still has to try to answer on his phone. There’s no way to do that without breaking both of their hearts, but Calum told Ashton that Michael is physically okay and that he’d talk to him tomorrow. For now, he needs to sort through his own feelings and calm down, and for that they need to pick up the weekly blood supply.
“Hi!” the witch at the counter says. His name is Luke, and Calum’s been flirting with him ever since he started working there. It would be cute if it didn’t make these excursions so tedious, and if Michael himself wasn’t currently mourning what is soon to be the end of an absolutely spectacular relationship.
“Our usual, please,” he says curtly. Luke glances between him and Calum, who gives a beaming smile, then heads to the back storage room.
“Maybe it’ll taste less like shit this time,” he mutters. Calum nudges him, but doesn’t get the chance to say anything before the bell over the door chimes again. Michael knows who it is before he turns around, the scent and rhythm of his heartbeat as familiar to him as the back of his own hand.
Ashton freezes in the doorway. He has changed into a sweatshirt, the one he wears when he’s having a bad day because it feels like a perpetual hug without having to be touched, and Michael is probably going to cry again. Out of the three of them, Calum pulls himself together first.
“Hello, Ashton. I didn’t know you frequented this shop.”
“Ashton!” Luke says, returning from the back with their order in a crate. “Did you bring it?”
Michael finally notices the tupperware in his hands when he hands it to Luke, who opens a corner and sniffs.
“You know each other?” Michael asks.
“Oh, sorry!” Luke says. “This is Ashton, my roommate. I’d never eat lunch if he wasn’t there to bring it to me.”
“You’re the roommate?” Michael asks. In all of their months of dating, he never managed to meet the roommate, even though Ashton has known Calum for weeks. Weird schedules and Michael’s aversion to meeting and possibly getting attached to more people prevented it. Luke looks between Michael, Calum, and Ashton, and then a lightbulb hits.
“You’re Ashton’s Michael!”
“How many other vampires named Michael do you know?” Ashton asks, and Michael reels back, Calum’s hand on his spine the only thing keeping him upright.
“You know?” Ashton frowns.
“Michael, I’ve known since the first day I met you.”
“Wh--you never mentioned it!”
“I made some references, then figured it wasn’t something you were comfortable talking about.”
“Wait,” Luke says. “You know Ashton is a minor deity, right?”
“What? ”
Michael turns desperately to Calum, because none of this makes sense, but Calum is having some sort of silent conversation with Luke.
“You two need to talk,” he says eventually.
“I need to show Calum something in the back, anyway,” Luke says, grabbing Calum’s sleeve and tugging him around the counter, shutting the door to the storeroom behind them. It’s not the slickest move that Michael’s ever seen, but he’s having a crisis and can’t be bothered to laugh at Luke for it.
“So,” Ashton says. “It seems there’s been a bit of miscommunication here.”
“You’re a deity?” Michael asks. Ashton starts to blush, which is cute. He clasps his hands together and nods once.
“Yeah, my entire family is. The religion died down centuries ago, so it’s mostly our belief in each other that’s keeping us alive. I’m basically just an immortal human now, but I’ve been around long enough to recognize other non-humans when I see them.”
“And you’ve known I was a vampire the entire time?” he asks. Ashton nods. “Oh.”
“I thought that you knew that I knew,” he says.
“I didn’t,” Michael says. “I thought you would hate me when you found out.”
“I could never hate you,” Ashton says, taking a step forward and reaching for him before he aborts the movement. Michael looks at his feet and wonders if what he says next will change that.
“My fangs dropped earlier, when you cut your thumb.” His voice is steadier than anticipated, but he can’t help but brace himself for Ashton to back away or run screaming. He doesn’t do either of those.
“Is that why you left so quickly?”
He nods, shame pooling in his stomach.
“I was offering, you know? I wouldn’t have minded if you had a taste.”
“But I didn’t know that at the time,” Michael says, focusing on the shame so he doesn’t do something horrible like start thinking about what it would really be like to have some of Ashton’s blood. “I just… lost control. I can’t do that. I won’t let myself.”
“I think you’re being a little hard on yourself,” Ashton says gently, stepping closer until he can put his hands on Michael’s arms, then sliding down to grasp his hands. “Can you look at me?” Michael tries, then shakes his head. “That’s okay, and your fangs dropping earlier is okay, too. You had a lot on your mind, were probably a little hungry, and I was waving my bloody finger under your nose, even if you didn’t recognize it as an invitation. What’s important is that you didn’t try anything without asking. You didn’t hurt me; you removed yourself from the situation. I would say that that’s keeping things pretty under control, wouldn’t you?”
“But I could’ve hurt you, even if I didn’t.”
“Michael, you’re not a mindless beast,” Ashton says. “The fact that you’re this upset about your body’s natural physical reaction shows that. You’re not going to do anything to hurt someone else like that. You have to trust yourself.”
Michael wrinkles his nose, then finally makes himself meet Ashton’s eyes. There’s nothing but compassion there, no fear or disgust.
“You’re not going to hurt anyone,” Ashton repeats.
“I’m not going to hurt anyone,” Michael agrees. “I can trust myself with that.”
A grin breaks out on Ashton’s face.
“Good,” he says. “I trust you, too.”
“And, about meeting your family,” Michael starts.
“Don’t worry about that,” Ashton says. “I was a little pushy. We can talk about it and figure out something that works for both of us.”
“I was going to say that I’ll do it,” Michael says. “Half of my worry had to do with me being a vampire and you and your family being unsuspecting humans, but that’s not an issue anymore.”
“What about the other half?”
“Just normal meeting-the-family jitters,” he says. “They’re really important to you, and I don’t want them to hate me because I didn’t meet them earlier.”
“They won’t hate you,” Ashton says. “You’re a delight.”
“I hope they share that thought.”
“They will. I love you, so they will, too.”
Michael feels like he’s going to burst. He also feels menally exhausted from this entire affair and the emotional whiplash it’s giving him.
“Can I kiss you?” he asks. Ashton answers by leaning forward, and Michael sinks against him, melting into the feeling.
“So,” Calum says loudly, startling them both. “Are you guys good now?”
“What do you think?” he snips.
“I don’t know, Luke,” Calum says, turning away from Michael and towards him. “Do you think that they’re good now?”
“They did look rather cosy,” Luke says. “In fact, I’d say that Ashton looked ready to pledge himself to Michael as his personal blood bank. His little ketchup packet, if you will.”
Calum bursts out laughing. Michael tries to be affronted, but Ashton starts laughing incredulously next to him.
“Ketchup packet? Is that what I’m reduced to?”
“There are worse titles,” Calum says between bouts of laughter. Luke looks ridiculously pleased at this development.
“Please never refer to him as my ketchup packet again,” Michael says. “I’m begging you not to.”
“If the fangs fit,” Luke says, which makes Calum dissolve into laughter again. It’s not even funny. Honestly, they deserve each other.
“Come on,” Ashton says. “Let’s go back to my place. I want to hear all about your vampire antics from the olden days, now that I know you’re okay with talking about it.”
“Only if I get to hear stories about being a minor deity,” Michael says, grabbing his part of the blood order. “Cal, you’re paying for this one!”
They’re out the door before Calum can protest, and Ashton puts an arm around his waist as they walk. It’s uncomfortably sunny out, but Michael feels no rush to get back inside. They’re both immortal, and they’ve got the rest of their lives.
#5soshalloweenevent2020#my writing#mashton#5sos fic#this was super fun#I had a great time tbh#I like being forced to write au fics because I do so many canon-verse ones#disclaimer there is a joke at the end that I felt compelled to include#due to it being so ridiculous#but it is ainslee who originally said it. I cannot take credit :)
27 notes
·
View notes
Text
180. the lyin’ mouse (1937)
release date: october 16th, 1937
series: merrie melodies
director: friz freleng
starring: mel blanc (cat), billy bletcher (lion), berneice hansell (mice)
this cartoon debuts a REALLY helpful bonus (that you can’t see on account of the blue ribbon re-issue): the story man is finally credited! no more guessing games as to who wrote what! of course, some valuable details are still omitted (backgrounds, layouts) which can sometimes be deciphered with a bit of sleuthing, but this is a nice start. i’ll start crediting the story, animation, music, layouts/backgrounds, etc. once the title cards move to the three part formula (that is: title, credits, director’s credit), which is sometime in the mid ‘40’s. for now, a little mouse retells the fable of the lion in the mouse (with some loony touches, of course) to a hungry cat in an attempt to satiate the cat’s appetite for the rodent.
berneice hansell’s shrieks accompany a still of the basement where our tale takes place. fade and zoom into a poor little mouse caught in a mouse trap, trying and failing to free its tail from the iron bar. the mouse’s cries of “helphelphelphelphelphelpHELP!” do nothing but attract unwanted attention--a quick, speedy pan that recalls the techniques of frank tashlin’s reveal a hungry cat licking its chops in anticipation. i personally love the cat’s design, the coloring on the eyes especially is really unique and stands out. the mouse, on the other hand, looks like all of the previous freleng mice that have dominated his cartoons, especially around the 1936 season.
the mouse begs for the cat to spare him. i love the purposeful indifference on the cat’s part--humming nonchalantly (the humming provided by billy bletcher as opposed to mel blanc) as he ties a napkin around his neck and places the mouse between two slices of bread, even salting him. tugging at the heart strings isn’t enough to quench this kitty’s appetite. the mouse’s attempts at bargaining are soon replaced with giggles as he’s slathered with mustard (gotta go the whole nine yards!), soon silent as the cat prepares to take a bite of his mouse-wich. thankfully for the mouse, its tail is still caught in the trap, and he’s yanked forcefully out from the sandwich just as the cat prepares to take a bite.
like always, berneice hansell’s deliveries are all too amusing to listen to as he proposes a deal with the cat. if the cat spares him, he’ll do a good deed in return. the cat doesn’t buy it (”ha! dat’s rich. a mouse help a cat. ha!”), prompting the mouse to ask if he’s ever heard of the story about the lion and the mouse. hansell’s deliveries are in tip top form as she eagerly exposes the plot, her voice reaching frequencies that even dogs would strain to hear. the gaspy breaths of excitement are another plus. tex avery would usually be the one to use her vocals as a punchline, pushing the audience’s limits on how long they can stomach her squealing (and i use that affectionately!), but you can certainly see friz also taking that approach here. likewise, the mouse’s voice reaches an opposite extreme, thundering in a low bellow as he describes the great, big, bad lion. i could be wrong, but the dimensional acting on the mouse, particularly the close-ups, feel like the work of bob mckimson to me.
though amusing, the opening portion of the cartoon does teeter on the sweet and sentimental side more than it does funny and witty. thankfully, we get more of the good stuff during the actual retelling of the story. the lion makes his grand debut, marching through a line of trees that bend to allow his threatening physique through. facing the audience, billy bletcher does his classic, bellowing voice as the lion introduces himself as the rip-snortin’-est lion in the whole world, going on an entire tangent all ending in -”est”, a mannerism that would be adopted by friz’s own yosemite sam years later. the animation of the lion is a bit distracting and clumsy, and i can’t help but wonder if that’s on the fault of the ink and paint department rather than the animator (or both). his mane in particular feels rather floaty and too geometrical. nevertheless, bletcher’s vocals are keen. to demonstrate just how large and in charge he is, the lion takes a deep inhale and exhale, causing an entire wind burst to blow the trees to and fro--even the grass rolls and unrolls like a carpet.
transition to a baby ostrich happily strutting along, the same ostrich reused from freleng’s plenty of money and you just a few years prior. the lion bellows its roar from offscreen, prompting the terrified ostrich to jab its head in the ground, lifting its head up (and a clump of dirt consequently hanging from its neck) and dashing off into the hills after the next roar. the scene does feel slightly out of place, transitions between scenes noticeable, but ken harris’ animation is always nice to see. the timing, at least, is very well done. the next scene, however, has more clumsy and conservative animation, featuring animals running away and back again to their water hole after being scared off by the lion. it beckons memories of past cartoon eras.
nevertheless, another hansell-voiced mouse (the eponymous mouse, that is) appears and is ready for some mischief making. he blows into a horn that is, to the animals, all to reminiscent of the lion’s roar. the animals of the jungle take off, including a turtle couple who jump in the same shell to escape, slightly comparable to another turtle couple in tex avery’s don’t look now just a year prior.
of course, the mouse gets his just desserts when the mean ol’ rip-snortin’-est lion himself is right behind the mouse, watching him double over in squeaky hysterics. once the mouse realizes he’s about to become dinner (doing a nice little stretch take), he’s quick to drop his games, now whistling anxiously, a big, cheesy grin plastered on his face, taking a few cautious steps backwards. gorgeous personality animation.
as the mouse pleas for his life, giving the ol’ “i have a wife and kids at home!” excuse, the lion is distracted by a smell radiating from off screen. a rotisserie chicken is conveniently placed in a bear trap, the trap labeled as the FRANK CLUCK EXPEDITION (a take on famed hunter frank buck). thankfully for the mouse, the lion lets him go, preoccupied with his plentiful poultry meal. the mouse zips away thankfully, only to zip right back at equal speeds and thank the lion before zipping away again. this gag would be used verbatim only 3 years later with freleng’s you ought to be in pictures, with porky in place of the mouse. coincidentally, both are animated by cal dalton, too. (thanks, devon!) the mouse DOES drop by one extra time to reassure the lion that if he ever needs help, he’ll return the favor.
thus cues the lion’s endeavors to pilfer the poultry. realizing all too quickly that simply reaching for the chicken will result in unwarranted decapitation of the arm thanks to the bear trap, he has to come up with something crafty. so, he opts to take the nonchalant approach, whistling and rocking back and forth unassumingly. the timing is very well executed as he pounces in a flash, reduced to a mere blur as he snags the chicken out from the clutches of the trap just in time. if you look closely, you can even spot some airbrush being used in conjunction with the speed lines.
unfortunately for the lion, what he fails to realize is that the chicken is rigged--the friendly folks behind the frank cluck expedition put a mouse trap inside the hollow chicken that clamps to the lions nose as soon as he gets a whiff of his not-so-future meal. however, an innocent lamb calls to the attention of the lion, distracting him from his pain.
the lamb is tied to a box that reads “FRANK CLUCK EXPEDITION -- lion trap no. 5″, pointing to a sign that encourages the lion to take it home free. the lion is enticed, but just as he goes to reach for the lamb’s neck, he recognizes the lion trap sign. instantly, he taps his foot, deep in thought, the whole scene rather reminiscent of freleng’s life with feathers in which sylvester does the same thing, pondering whether or not he should swallow a suicidal bird. the timing is much faster then, but the joke still lands even here. finally, the lion decides to dismiss the act all together, waving his hand away as he leaves. the pantomiming is excellent--no words are necessary to convey the dialogue happening in this scene. regardless, the lamb urges the lion to return, advertising signs about the health benefits of mutton. even the lush orchestration of “too marvelous for words” reaches its climax at the punchline--the lamb seductively displays its leg, the sign exclaiming “EAT LEG OF LAMB SAYS DR. KNOWIT”.
finally, the lion is convinced, and he grabs the lamb. as he does, the box advertising the frank cluck expedition opens, and a boxing glove socks the lion right in the face. great timing on friz’s part as a hunter wastes no time swooping in to tie the lion by the legs, posing triumphantly as a crowd takes photos and videotape the event for all to see. it all happens in a flash and unfolds quite well--the only downside is that the lion and hunter are subject to some DVNR (digital video noise reduction).
segue back to the present day, where the hungry mouse eager for the mouse to continue, invested in the story despite his harsh resistance against it prior. the detail of him sitting with his elbows on his knees like an eager little kid listening to a story is priceless, especially juxtaposted with the grating tones of mel’s voice as he urges “yeah? yeah? go on, go on! ‘den what happened?”
“soooooooo...!”, we spot the lion caged up at the circus, a lion tamer cracking his whip and performing tricks for the audience. i always love looking at the crowd shots in the ‘30s and ‘40s cartoons, they’re so amusing and can sometimes even border ghastliness. in a callback to rudolf ising’s i love a parade back in 1932, ken harris does some excellent animation of the lion tamer placing his head in the lion’s open mouth, and, consequently, the lion placing his own head in the tamer’s mouth. the animation of both shaking their hands in triumph (and the hilarious drawing of the lion tamer opening his mouth wide) is great. ya gotta love the harris smears.
“and ‘den, one night...” we get a shot of the mouse telling the story in the present as a means to transition scenes, a move that could have easily been achieved with just hansell’s narration and no animation. regardless, the lion sulks tearfully in his cage. however, as promised, the little brown mouse lives up to his word by surprising the lion at the cage, shushing him to keep quiet. carl stalling’s score of “old king cole” is lush and beautiful as the mouse chews his way through the wooden door of the cage, only stopping to begrudgingly spit out a nail. a lion sized hole is perfectly gnawed through the wood, and both the lion and mouse retreat away into the night, fleeing the circus once and for all.
“and that’s how the mouse saved the lion. now, won’t you let me go?” the brash, bold, grumpy cat from before is reduced to a tearful, sniveling sentimentalist as he frees the mouse, whimpering a pathetically hilarious “okay... i’m awfully sorry...” he’s even so kind as to give the mouse the piece of cheese that was used as bait.
the mouse displays the growth of warner bros. cartoons and their developing sense of identity as he zips away with the cheese, yelling “SUCKER!” and darting into the mouse hole. surprisingly, berneice hansell gives the line instead of your typical mel blanc shriek. the lip sync doesn’t align with the audio at all, however--the animation feels much more extreme than hansell’s delivery. i wonder if mel said the line originally, and they made a last minute change? who knows. nevertheless, the cat rams into the wall, failing to catch the mouse. instead, he turns to the audience and growls “can ya imagine that?” in an ode to tex avery’s porky the rain-maker. iris out.
while far from friz’s best, it’s far from his worse. it’s certainly much more enjoyable than his previous entry, dog daze. the actual retelling of the story is the best part, yet despite their nostalgic nature the cat and mouse scenes do hold up, especially the personality of the cat and the “SUCKER!” ending. that ending and the leg of lamb gag display the growing disenfranchisement with the disney roots of warner bros. cartoons. ever so slowly, the cartoons are finally making a name for themselves, and will continue to do so for years to come.
some aspects of the short drag--the opening is particular slow--but they’re padded with amusing vocals, and i’m enamored with the cat’s design. it isn’t the most substantial in terms of story or momentum, but there’s plenty to be amused by. it does have its lively moments. carl stalling’s musical arrangements are gorgeous as always and a delight to listen to. overall, you could go either way, but i lean more towards the “give it a watch” side, especially if you’ve been keeping up with this journey and are acquainted with the cartoons of the past. friz has dozens and dozens of cartoons better than this one, but he also has dozens of cartoons worse than this. i say give it a leisurely watch!
the short is beautifully restored on HBOmax, where i got the screenshots from, but you can also settle for this print as well.
20 notes
·
View notes
Last Seen Blogs
awnyakaidaffxiv
Awn-Ya Kaida
robbiedetamble
i really love banana pancakes
pancakesyyrup
Stay Weird.
cosette141
cosette141
oakheartclothing-blog
Oakheart Lookbook