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#the drawing on the left is a LITTLE goofy lookin but
doctorsiren · 2 months
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they were in love your honour
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what is wayward sparks :0?
YOU'VE ACTIVATED MY TRAP CARD >:3
This is gonna end up being a long ass post about my very goofy iterations of my blorbos and the unbelievably fucked up version of Cybertron they inhabit, so to spare those of y'all that mostly follow me for the canon tf content, I'll just put all this under the cut
To summarize, wayward sparks is the non-existent tf cartoon I've been Envisioning for a few months that starts off goofy and low-stakes but gets progressively more and more fucked up as it goes. The absolutely BRAINLESS lookin bumblebee I keep posting is supposed to be from this AU, as well as the borderline catgirl skywarp, the really grumpy Optimus, and most of the other tfa-esque redesigns I draw.
The Story
Cybertron's been at war for millennia, everyone's sick and tired of it, especially the Decepticons. They're backed into a corner, being captured and killed left and right, and a loss is just around the corner if they don't do something drastic.
So Megatron does something very drastic indeed.
He steals the Allspark, in a heist that, frankly, should've gotten his entire high command killed (though, very suspiciously, they suffered no casualties and got out unscathed, save for Blitzwing, who clipped a wing), with the intent to ambush the Ark, and finally neutralize the greatest threat to his movement and his people: Optimus Prime. Unfortunately for everyone involved, the Allspark doesn't particularly like being used as a weapon and instead decides to put everyone in timeout on an isolated little backwater planet called earth until they can learn to get along and stop trying to kill each other.
Team Prime (Optimus, Ratchet, Bumblebee, Bulkhead, Wheeljack and Prowl) are all WOEFULLY unprepared to be stranded on an alien planet with only each other, Decepticon High Command (Megatron, Starscream, Soundwave, Shockwave, Blitzwing, and Lugnut), and the very strange, very small, and VERY trigger happy humans populating the tiny rural forest town they managed to crash near.
Meanwhile, back on Cybertron, the remaining Decepticons are trying their damnedest to keep hidden, and survive underground, and the Autobots try to figure out what to do while their leader is missing. While the Autobots are left floundering without Optimus, the other active Primes and their followers (Sentinel Prime, Rodimus Prime and Windblade Convoy (yes I know she's not a prime anywhere else but let her girlboss)) try to garner favor with the Senate by picking up the slack, and taking the Decepticon problem into their own hands.
The Autobots
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Aka, Optimus Prime's merry band of dysfunctional freaks.
Optimus had to find out the hard way that being a Prime means a direct connection in his mind and spark to an eldritch, incomprehensible god that likes trolling. So now he has to hear Primus in his head at random saying shit that does not make sense. And now that he's in there it's kind of a no takesies backsies situation
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While being a Prime is supposed to grant you a degree of divine power, that power is only made manifest through strong dedication to a bot and to a cause. That intense loyalty is also what allows you to handle the connection in the first place. Primes that become disillusioned with their masters have a track record of going completely mad. Unfortunately for Optimus, pretty soon into his career as a prime, the Senator he swore loyalty to disgraced himself hard enough to be sentenced to shadowplay and empurata. Senator Alpha Trion ended up taking him in so he could keep functioning as a prime. It'd be a shame to lose such a talented bot. And with the whole threat of lovecraftian madness looming over his head, he pours his whole spark into following his every order.
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Bumblebee is not a Prime, nor is he even particularly religious (even though his boss has a god that's taken up residence in his head) but for reasons nobody can quite seem to decipher, Primus absolutely loves the little gremlin, which manifests as Bumblebee having impossibly good luck.
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There's not a situation he can't fling himself into headfirst and wildly intoxicated that he can't come out of with barely a scratch. It's actually given him a pretty warped perception of the war and hardship in general. He really wants everyone to just stop worrying so damn much. Everything always works out in the end, right? So why does everyone gotta be so grouchy all the time? Especially Prowl.
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Prowl cannot fucking stand Bumblebee.
This mostly stems from the fact that the little yellow bastard seems 100% intent on making him "happy" and refuses to leave him the fuck alone. Prowl is, to put it bluntly, really fucking depressed. Originally, his function was law enforcement, but he became quickly disillusioned with the job when he realized just how corrupt the Praxus police force really was. When he quit, he felt he lost his purpose, stuck living with nothing to make of himself. Joining the Autobots was supposed to fix him, but even though he's started to turn his life around, he can't say he feels much better. He spends most of his time holed up in his quarters, either maintaining the team's weaponry or just binging old datatrax on teletraan-1.
Oh, and ever since he got to Earth and found out about anime, he's gotten to be a bit of a weeb
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Taking care of the team's medical affairs is Ratchet, and even if he wasn't a massive perfectionist he'd have his work cut out for him. His entire team is prone to making stupid, reckless decisions that end in somebody getting disassembled somehow. Their erratic, chaotic behavior makes his processor ache just thinking about it. Unfortunately Ratchet is pretty paranoid, and generally unable to think about anything other than how wrong everything can go all the time.
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He typically tries to put forward a very straight laced, very orderly image of himself, but it's a bit difficult to keep up that demeanor when the overthinking spiral takes him. And nobody makes him spiral quite like Wheeljack.
Wheeljack is generally just here to blow shit up and do some Weird Science. Typically this results in Jackie himself getting blown apart with whatever he's trying to explode, but he had a blocker installed for most of his pain sensors ages ago, so he doesn't mind too much. Especially not when there's a top notch medic he loves to annoy that can put him back together when that happens.
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And when the good doctor gets completely tired of his shit, he's got his good buddy and lab partner Bulkhead to help him out too.
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Bulkhead is a sensitive type, and largely considered to be the voice of reason on the team. Unfortunately, he often has trouble making his voice heard to begin with. He tends to be pretty quiet and really bad at voicing his thoughts, especially when those thoughts are about something that stresses him out. Given he works with Wheeljack, it's a miracle he isn't nonverbal entirely.
He loves his friend, he really does, but it gets frustrating seeing him get blown apart so often Bulkhead worries for his safety because Wheeljack seems to be incapable of worrying about his own. It's pretty easy for him to get caught up in Ratchet's overthinking episodes with his own anxiety until someone snaps them both out of it
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How all of them have managed to survive this long, let alone nearly win the war, is anyone's guess.
[Apparently I just hit the image limit so I'll do the cons in a reblog lmao]
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crabgod1432 · 4 months
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Starting an ask thing for fun because why not. These are all of my ocs that are currently in use. You all may ask whatever you like to whichever oc you like, as long as it follows these rules:
- Nothing sexual or fetishy, please :]
- Don't be a stinky winky to others, people can have opinions and thoughts and those should be respected. Of course it shouldn't have to be said but don't be racist, sexist, express pedophilic behavior, etc. Anything of the sorts will not be tolerated.
- Don't. Ship my characters with eachother (unless I explicitly say here that they are in a relationship) or with any other characters.
I dunno any other rules but I'm sure there's some unspoken ones. Anywho, onto some descriptions and notes !!
CrabGod - My main oc, his body is made of a grey/black goo that can take any shape, form, texture, etc. that he desires. Also the first of my characters to be created.
CrabGod's Unnamed Wife - A purty lookin' jellyfish who is not of many words, but still some words.
CrabGod's Three Kids - The eldest is a gargantuan beast that is capable of consuming stars. The middle is literally just a crab squid from Subnautica. The youngest takes after her mother.
A - A mario ripoff that always carries his trusty monkey wrench.
E - A hippie poet that always carries his trusty cinderblock.
I - The oddball that always carries his trusty metal folding chair.
O - The shy guy who always carries his trusty concrete-filled pillow.
U - The half-lobster being that exists as some odd counterpart to CrabGod. Always carries his trusty copper pipe, named Jerry.
Y - The grumpy elder sister who always carries her trusty high-heeled shoe.
T - The goofy, 40 ft. tall cousin that always carries his trusty cement watermelon.
W - Mildly disgruntled fusion of CrabGod and U.
Jerry - From an alternate universe where the roles of U and his pipe Jerry are switched, always carries around her trusty seafood pick.
Carbgarb, Crombdgob, Crablob, Comgom - A group of strange CrabGod imitators.
Mr. Smile - A small little critter who is always smiling. A gentleman.
Mr. Frown - A tall beast with a very stern face. Also a gentleman.
Ronald - A chipper, cursed fellow.
Donald - A sentient, laser-shooting, knockoff ender pearl that's always by Ronald's side.
Hamburger - A totally inconspicuous rat.
Jim - The soul of a long dead elder. Most often seen hidden in photos. Good with kids.
Pasghetti - Yet another gargantuan beast. She is made of mostly flesh, muscle, and other meat. Her skull is interchangeable. A sweetheart.
Nolana - A girl who is not ok mentally or physically. The flowers in her mouth are covering something, maybe. She has a unique relationship with all forms of flora. She's also a newer character so I don't even know much about her myself :]
Speck of Dusty - My object show oc. He's a silly guy, maybe kinda scary sometimes. He's a good guy at heart, though.
Me - I'm Me.
Notes:
- A, E, I, O, U, and Y are siblings, with Y being the eldest of the bunch. The others' ages have not been decided upon.
- T is the cousin of the Letter Siblings.
- The number on I's jersey is different in every depiction.
- Mr. Smile and Mr. Frown are the best of friends !!
- Ronald and Donald are never seen apart. They may or may not be tethered to eachother in some fashion.
- Hamburger is absolutely a normal rat, it swears by it.
- All of CrabGod's kids are children. Don't be weird with them.
- Speck of Dusty is, in fact, the size of a speck of dust.
- CrabGod's red eye is always on his right (our left) and his blue eye is always on his left (our right).
- Cromgom canonically loves Snickers and hates the ACT standardized test.
- The flowers over Nolana's mouth often change, either because she wants them to (so I can practice drawing flowers) or to reflect how she's feeling.
- Characters that cannot speak, at least in languages we can understand are: Carbgarb, Crombdgob, Crablob, Donald, Hamburger, Jim, CrabGod's middle and eldest children, and Pasghetti.
- You can make your own letter characters !! Please try not to use letters that I've already used here !! Letters that have been used are A, E, I, O, U, Y, T, W, and L (by @silly-billy-inc). ANY other letters, maybe even numbers or symbols are game for ANYONE !! It's just the letters listed prior that are NOT to be reused !! I've attached a diagram that shows how their anatomy works !!
- Fanart is allowed !! No need to ask for permission if you feel compelled to make art of these characters for whatever reason !! Anything is game aside from sexual or suggestive content !!
- When you ask, be sure to specify which character(s) you're talking to as well as your ask !!
Have fun, Tumblr !! I Hope you all enjoy my little brainlets !!
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inkedmyths · 1 year
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S1: E9 "Home"
Alright its been almost a month time to stop procrastinating this
Ohhh ~crunchy~ video quality
Oh a classic monster in the closet situation
Surprised the lady didn't get like dragged in right then and there
Its wild bc obviously in real life there's never anything in the closet but this is Supernatural in which case ofc there's something
Its not rats! Its something worse!
THE CHAIR. ITS MOVING. RUN KID
WAIT WINCHESTERS
H U H
0oh Sam and his ~prophetic dreams~
Me when someone's trying to talk to me as I'm drawing
Sam I feel like you should just say you're having spooky dreams
THERE we go
Dean did not sign up for his little brother being a psychic
Dean shut up its road trip back home time. Bitch.
THE CAMERA. THE MUSIC. THE DRAMA. This is so funny SPN is a soap opera actually
[ Crepe says that no one can handle Sam's bs in a calm and controlled manner. My opinion is no one can handle any of the Winchester's bullshit in a calm and controlled manner. ]
Awkward but I mean ok
Waiting for the kid to say "There's something in the closet"
YEP
Bros just yelling at each other bc they are so normal about this
Dean is so so bad with his feelings huh
[ Kayla asks if I am just realizing this. I am not. I was merely repeating a statement of observation. It seemed relevant. ]
Walks away bc he didn't want Sam to see him showing an emotion
NOT THE FUCKING CYMBALS MONKEY
NOOOOO
NO DONT STICK YOUR HAND
Oh I am not watching the screen no thank you
[ Kayla finds this reaction funny because "We've all been there". This is fair. And I know the man is just trying to do his job. However, he is, unfortunately, in an episode of Supernatural. If you are a random background character in an episode of Supernatural, you should never stick your hand in a thing that has many sharp blades. ]
I know where this is going to go
YEP EURGH arm smoothie
DUMBASSES THEY'RE PRETENDING TO BE COPS INVESTIGATING THEIR OWN DISAPPEARANCE
I feel like they would get farther is they just walked up to people and said WE'RE SAM AND DEAN
[ Melon says that we should play a drinking game, in which every time Sam and Dean do something stupid, you take a sip of a drink. Forst of all, I am still a year away from being able to consume alcohol legally. Second of all, this sounds like a surefire way to get alcohol poisoning. ]
Oh ofc. Psychic time.
"Your wife if crazy about you!" Turns around "His wife is banging the gardener" Incredible
LMAO CALLING DEAN A GOOFY LOOKIN KID
Oh shes good. Interesting
Sam as she's yelling at Dean is just :D
This poor lady its not her fault that the guy got blended
Yes something is starting. A TV show
UH OH
Is it giving the kid juice. Whats the deal
Oh its shutting him in the FRIDGE
UH OH
THE FRIDGE
MA'AM BEHIND YOU THE FRIDGE
OPEN THE FRIDGE
Thank god
NOT THE SHARPEST TOOL IN THE SHED
She's so much smarter than either of the bros
I have a sneaking suspicion the firey spirit is their mom or something
[ It is at this point that Crepe has no concept of how not to spoil an Ep and says I'm right. I figured, the plot beats seemed obvious, but come ON. The less you spoil the funnier my reactions will be. Let me enjoy my incredible powers of prediction in due time. ]
Oop there goes the lamp
Uh oh there is attenpted murder via flying objects
WOAH
Flashy light
MISSOURI MA'AM ARE YOY OKAY
Oh good
Holy cow that was something
SORRY ABOUT YOUR HOUSE THE GHOST DID NOT LIKE US
GET THE MOP AND DONT CUSS AT ME
There's like 10 minutes left what's gonna happen next
SHAKING
Is Sam outside oh yep there's the bros
go go go
FLAMING FIGURE
Oh bye bye Sam
DOOR SHUT how drama
Oh hes just getting punted
OH HI
Ur not on fire anymore whats up
Ghost fight! Ghost fight!
Oh yeah tragic sacrifice all that Sam buddy she was already dead
Alright so Sam is on some kind of bizarre spooky journey
AHA. THE BASTARD
YOU. MOTHERFUCKER
OLD MAN WINCHESTER WHATS YOUR FUCKING ANGLE
[ Episode ends. Crepe said it would be funnier if I added in the other's commentary. Kayla agreed. I hope this appeases you both. ]
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sevendeadlymorons · 3 years
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hello! can i request for the brother and undateables (if you don’t want simeon is just okay) headcanons for seeing mc sketches book and mc drew some positions with them? thank you! (sorry if i bothered you and my english is not will)
Sorry for the delay in writing your request, i really like this idea and I will get right on it for you :)
You absolutely did not bother me whatsoever and your English was great btw x
Brothers + Undateables Reaction to Seeing MC’s Sketchbook
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Lucifer
Saw it lying on your desk when he came in to clean your room
He was never one to pry but he eventually found himself flicking through the pages of the book
Each page was filled with sketches of flowers or scenery or the cats that wander outside the house
He was so intrigued by these intricate drawings of yours, finding himself rather impressed by the skill you had
Around about the end, he notices sketches of his brothers, each in particular poses, drawn in such beautiful detail
He smiles to himself as he continues to flick through multiple pages of Asmo, not really surprised that he’s the main model of your drawings
That’s when he came across one of him
It was him sitting down in his study, enjoying the sound of one of his records. He didn’t even know you drew him.
It looked so real, like it was a photo. The way the shading was so perfect and how you drew his small smile so delicately. Incredible.
He was so taken back, he had to see more
Walks past you in the corridor with your sketchbook behind his back
I’m sure you wouldn’t mind if he borrowed it for a little while
Mammon
Bust into your room to tell you about this massive loss he had gambling again but you weren’t there
He looked around but all he could find was a singular book lay open on your bed
One peek couldn’t hurt, he thought, already flicking through the contents of the book
His eyes widen as he saw more and more of your art, each drawing so filled with detail
Since when was his human so talented, and when were they planning on telling him?
He kept flicking through until he saw his brothers in several different poses
He felt kind of hurt that you’d never asked him to model for you before
Each page that went by, the more impressed he was
This has gotta be worth a lot with how incredible these drawings are
Suddenly, he reached one of him. He was surprised since you’ve never asked him to model for you so when did you draw this?
It was him smiling while counting his money in his room. He didn’t want to know how you got this to be honest
But he was amazed by the detail put in. The amount of time you must have put into this makes his cheeks blush like crazy at the thought of you drawing something so time consuming for him
He ran out, notebook to chest, flicking through the pages with a goofy smile on his face in his room
Leviathan
Didn’t mean to snoop, just casually found it open on your desk so how could he resist...
His jaw dropped as he flicked through, admiring the never ending sketches of scenery or animals
Literally woooaaahhh’s in his head after looking at each drawing
Gets to his brothers drawings and he’s amazed
You can draw realistic too??!
His mind is running wild at the thought of you drawing all his favourite anime characters
Wonders if there’s any of him but he can’t remember you asking him to pose for any so he gets sorta upset
Who’d want to draw a yucky otaku like him anyway
Continues to flick through, still trying to get over how good the one before was until he sees the one on the next page and he’s starting all over again
In complete awe at how incredible they all were, each detail perfect and the facial features were sharp and precise every single time
Onto the next page and he felt his heart beat out of his chest. No way, could it be...
It was a drawing of him, focused on his game with this concentrated look on his face. When did you even draw that?! He feels his entire face burning up as he stares at himself. You drew him so well...
Clutches the book to his chest, very very close to tears, and runs off to find you to ask you to draw him and Ruri-Chan
Satan
Walks past and sees you drawing in this little book so peeps over your shoulder to see what you were doing
He’s overcome with surprise as he stares at your beautiful drawing of the flower that was sitting on the table in front of you
He crosses his arms on top of your head and laughs as you jump out of your seat, holding the notebook tightly to your chest
He apologise for snooping but tells you how incredible he thinks your art is, watching your face closely as it turns red
He asks if he can see more as your current drawing had intrigued him, and held out his hand to you
You hesitate but happily hand it over, sitting back down and patting the seat next to you
You watch as he flicks through, his eyebrows raising every few times, then looking over and flashing you a smile
Why didn’t he know about this? These drawings were incredible
He especially liked the drawings of the stray cats outside, as his face lit up, pointing and telling you the names of the ones you drew
When he got to his brothers, he couldn’t help but be massively impressive at the intricate detail you put into them as well as the unique poses you put them in to
He doesn’t remember you asking him to pose for anything but he continues to flick through, hopeful
As he flick the page, he comes face to face with a drawing of him. His eyes widen as he scans over the drawing of him holding a book between his fingers as his face looking tranquil and calm.
He looks over at you who had a nervous face, obviously trying to figure out if he liked it or not, to which he smiles widely and tells you he’ll be borrowing it as he’d really like to see more
Asmodeus
You left a book in his room after he’d finished paining your nails
He went to go return it to you when he felt the sudden urge to take a peek inside before hand
Maybe it’s something erotic, he thinks, as he begins to open the book on his bed
When he first sees your drawings, it’s so much better than anything erotic he’s ever seen
His lips twist into a sweet smile as he flicks through the book, his hand resting on his chin, making small humming noises every few seconds
He never knew you were an artist!
The drawings of his brothers were beautiful and he felt sorta jealous that he hasn’t seen a single one of him yet
He desperately turned page after page, searching for drawings of him
At the final page, he finally saw himself. He was speechless as he stares at the incredibly drawn masterpiece of him.
It was of him sitting sweetly on the couch, looking at his freshly paint nails with delight, the drawing perfectly capturing the mood of the moment
He squeals as he hugs the book to his chest as if it was his prized possession
He goes running after you to ask if he could model for more of your art as it was love at first sight
Beelzebub
On his daily snoop around in your room for snacks when he saw a small notebook on your desk
He didn’t want to invade your privacy but he was just too tempted, one peek wouldn’t hurt
He opened it and was greeted by your incredible art. He stopped eating and stared at it, completely in shock at how good they were
He kept flicking through all your little quick draws. Flowers, animals and food. He especially liked those ones
When he came across his brothers, all in these complex poses, he smiled wide and began flicking through to find him, quite excited to see what you drew for him
He went past Belphie’s and a sweet smile spread across his face as he imagined you trying to keep him awake so you could draw him
He kept flipping through but there was still no sign of him. He felt sorta left out at that thought but kept on going through hopefully
Finally, on the very last page, was a drawing of him. It wasn’t like any of his brothers tho, it was him completely in his zone
He had a burger in his hand and was going in to bite down on it, a grin plastered on his lips as the perfect detail showed joy in his eyes
He stares on, wide eyed. This was amazing. He wanted to keep it and store it somewhere so he could look at it forever
Picks up the book to go find you, wandering around like an excited puppy
He was going to give you the biggest hug you’ve ever experienced
Belphegor
Was asleep on the sofa opposite you when the sound of a pencil sketching on a piece of paper woke him up, so he opens his eyes and begins to sit up, rubbing his eyes and looking towards where the sound was coming from
Immediately sees you drawing away into a book, to which he raises his eyebrow and walks behinds you to take a peek
You didn’t seem to notice him getting up as you were completely focused on your sketch so he looks over your shoulder to see a sketch of... him.
Were you just drawing him sleeping?
Thought it was sorta cute actually
He admired how you delicately put in extra minor details that made the drawing look so realistic to him
He couldn’t take his eyes off it, your drawing was incredible
And you drew him lookin good too
You felt something tickle your neck so you turned around quickly to see Belphie peering over your shoulder, staring straight at your art, a big smile plastered on his smug face
Your face burns up in embarrassment as you realise he saw you drawing him sleeping but he just responds with a small laugh and a pat on the head as he jumps over the couch to sit next to you, offering out his hand in a way of saying “let me see”
He flicks through all your nature sketches and the ones of him and Beel, not really bothering about his other brothers, a persistent smile on his lips and a hand glued to your thigh
He was impressed, but surprised he never knew. He really wanted to take it so he could look at it more
So he did just that. Stood up, sketchbook in hand, straight towards the attic to binge through every single drawing in there
Diavolo
You came over to him and asked him to hold your book while you went to go do something, to which he agreed and carried on with his work
He kept eying it on the desk next to him. He’s never been one to snoop, but he couldn’t help but look at it
He flicked through the pages, each one filled to the brim with sketches, doodles and beautiful portraits
He couldn’t believe his eyes, you drew these?
The artwork was captivating, so stunning and detailed with each one he flipped through
He chose well when he picked you to be his exchange student, so talented
He couldn’t help but chuckle at the thought of you putting the brothers into these poses and making them sit still for hours while you drew them
He found that a smile appeared on his face as he looked at all the antics the brothers get into which you skilfully drew to savour the moment
That’s when he found himself. Sat graciously on his throne with a huge grin on his face. The detail so incredible it looked almost real. His jaw dropping slightly at the mere sight of it
When was this drawn?
But he didn’t care, he was smiling giddily at it. Honoured you’d spend your personal time drawing him
He knows who his next royal artist is going to be
Barbatos
Diavolo had a little party organised for you and the brothers and when he saw you enter with a book lodged under your arm, he was rather intrigued
Watches as you walk out mid way through the event to an empty room, book still in hand, and so he decides to follow you in case you wanted company
Walks in to see you, pencil in hand, scribbling away at the book
He sits next to you and you jump, startled at his sudden presence
He asks what it is you’re doing and stares down at your open book, watching his eyebrows raise in surprise at your art work
Your face flushes pink as he offers out his hand, asking to see more. You nod and hand it over to him, watching him flick through the pages
He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Your art was excellent and so detailed. Even the small sketches were near perfection
He looks over at you and flashes you a small genuine smile of delight
When he sees the drawings of the brothers, he chuckles and compliments you on how well drawn they are
When he turned the next page, he didn’t expect to see himself though
He was sat cross legged with a cup of tea in his fingers, his face visibly delighted
He clears his throat in surprise, hiding the obvious grin on his lips, and hands it back to you, giving you a small pat on the shoulder as he exits the room
He was amazed. He’ll be mentioning this to Diavolo for sure
Simeon
You honestly come to the angel whenever you need peace from the brothers, so he’s seen you sketching away in that little pad of yours several times, but never actually seen what’s inside of it
One day, you got up to go get something and asked him to look after the book for you, to which he nodded and held the book in his lap
Now... Simeon never snoops, but looking down at your sketchbook, curiosity took over him
He opened it and lay it on his lap, staring down at the multiple little drawings you had scattered on one page
He smiles and turns to the next page, once again greeted by more of your amazing drawings of cats, birds, trees, followers and the House of Lamentation
He keeps turning the page, drawing after drawing, each one seemingly getting better than the last
When he saw the little drawing of Luke he couldn’t help but chuckle at how sweet he looked. He’d have to ask you if he could keep it later
Then he saw the brothers and he admired how well you drew them all, each detail drawn to perfection. He most enjoyed their demon forms and how beautiful they all looked
As soon as he flicked to a drawing of him, he stopped in his tracks, staring down at your sketch in disbelief
He didn’t care too much about when you drew it, all he cared about was how astonishing you made him look
He was stood with his hand on his hip, a small smile displayed on his face as his cloak carefully draped around his arms
He put the book back before you re-entered the room. He’ll ask you if he could take another look later
Solomon
Couldn’t help but notice you sketching something in class, since you share a lot of them together and it happens almost every lesson
He doesn’t really care at first but when he finds it laying on the table after you’d forgotten it, he couldn’t help but look
First couple of pages were filled with small sketches and he was pretty impressed. He does a bit of doodling and draws his summoning circles himself so looking at your art was pretty intriguing to him
When he sees the drawing of the brothers, he realises you’ve actually got a hell of a talent for drawing
He decides to go find you and return it, but he’ll keep flicking through as he walks, because he’d really like to see more
As he’s walking and flicking through, a smile begins to form on his face as he sees sketches of Luke and Simeon having a tea party together, something he knew went on weekly with the 3 of you
He stops walking as he stumbles across something he never expected to see
It was him, practising his spells with a focused look on his face
He has absolutely no clue when you drew you and honestly, slightly creeped out
Ignores it though since the drawing of him came out pretty good and the details you put on his face were incredibly done. He felt himself blush slightly at the fact you actually took the time to draw him
Eventually found you and yelled out your name, waving the sketchbook in his hand as he watched you rush over, your cheeks burning red as you cover your face. He smiles sweetly as he walks off
This guy couldn’t get any more sketchy even if he tried
Luke
Simeon needed to talk to Lucifer, so he brought Luke along since he was bored. He started wandered the house when those two began talking about things he didn’t understand.
He reaches your room and knocks on the door, but there was no answer, so he let himself in
Kid can’t keep his hands to himself, he’s touchin everything he sees. So when he sees a book on your desk, he can’t help himself
Sits on your bed and opens it, his eyes widening as he’s greeted by several incredible sketches
He’s having the time of his life flicking through them all, going through flower after flower, the stray cats he sees outside the house and of course, the demons
He thought all the drawings were the coolest things he’s ever seen in his life
He had to show Simeon
He was about to go running to show him when one of them caught his eye. It was a drawing of him?
He was stood on a stool baking his cakes. The intricate details standing out, making him gawk in awe. He didn’t know when you drew this, but he didn’t care. You made him look amazing
The drawing of him made his eyes tear up, he was so so happy that you drew him
Wiped his eyes and clung to the book, running into the room where Simeon was so he could show him your beautiful drawings too
This was so damn fun to write, but fuck did it take days to do :,)
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Kodachrome (4/5)
Lester Sinclair x f!Reader 
Warning: Cursing
You crawled back up into the house from the trapdoor in the office. It was around two in the afternoon nearing the absolute hottest, most miserable time of the day. You made your way to the kitchen to get started on making some lemonade. You made sweet tea yesterday, so it could sit overnight. You figured the boys would enjoy a cool drink with all the heat. You got out the ingredients you bought on your last trip into town.
You juiced the lemons and dumped the sugar straight in and let it dissolve. After adding some water, you put it in the refrigerator to sit for a while so it would hopefully be cold by the time the boys came home. You tossed the peels in the overflowing trashcan only for them to roll right back onto the floor. You sighed, knowing you’d put off taking out the trash for too long now. You stuffed the peels back in and hoisted the bag out and tied it off, hauling it towards the cans out by the side of the house.
You lifted the lid of the trash can as you were about to toss the bag in without a second thought, but a movement from the corner of your eyes stopped you. You looked to your right to spot something scurrying into a beat-up cardboard box with what sounded like a sneeze. You stared at the box for another moment before it rustled again. You let out an involuntary shriek, dropping the lid and the garbage bag as you practically leapt up onto some old milk crates. Perhaps it was an overreaction, but you had no idea what was creeping around while you were minding your own business. You craned your neck to look in the box, but you couldn’t see anything. You let out a sigh as your heart rate slowed once more.
“What’re ya doin’ up on them crates for, Y/N? Is the floor lava or somethin’?” a familiar drawl called out to you, drawing closer. You looked up to see Lester happily making his way toward you with a goofy grin lighting up his face.
“No!” you said as you felt heat rising to your cheeks as you knew how childish you’d sound when you explained to him that you were startled by a small animal and sought the safety of the milk crates, “It so happens as soon as you were walking up I got jump-scared by something hiding in that box over there and I may have overreacted a tad.”
“Aw, that’s nothin’ to be ashamed of. Animals can be sneaky sons-a-bitches at the worst of times. I once near died choking on chili when a rat ran across my boot a few years back.” Lester said supportively.
“I appreciate your understanding. It’s probably nothing.” You said as you moved to step off of the creates.
“Was it this box, here?” Lester asked moving toward the cardboard box without a second thought.
“Yeah, but be careful, we don’t know what’s in there.” You said quickly, gesturing for him to leave it. Lester got on all fours in front of the box and tilted his head to peer inside, “Lester!”
“Well, what’ve we got here? What’re ya doin’ all by your lonesome?” Lester cooed as he haphazardly reached his arm into the box and pulled out a small baby opossum, “Looks like this little girl got left behind?”
“Oh my god, you just scooped it up, like it was nothing!” you said equal parts horrified and amazed.
“I seen plenty of these guys runnin’ around. Ya get used to ‘em eventually.” He said as he held a firm grip on the squirming opossum, so it didn’t scurry off.
“Shouldn’t you at least have gloves or something?” you asked.
“Probably, but this one ain’t gonna hurt me. Are ya?” Lester asked fondly as he addressed the baby in his hands, “You’re too little to hurt a fly, ain’t ya?”
“So, what do we do now? Do we let it go?” you asked, completely clueless on how to rescue a baby opossum.
“Ya kiddin’? We’re eatin’ good tonight! Ever had opossum stew?” Lester said, holding the baby out to you.
“Lester Sinclair, you take it back!” you chastised, with a horrified expression and a light swat to his arm.
“I’m only foolin’, I wouldn’t do that!” Lester said through a belly laugh, “’Sides, she’s too little for that anyway.”
“Then what are we actually going to do?” you asked
“Well, she’s too small to be on her own, but it don’t look like her mama’s anywhere to be found. And I don’t hear any other babies neither.” Lester said as he scanned the area and listened close for any sound, “If she’s here by herself, her mom’s not comin’ back for her.”
“That’s really sad.” You said sympathetically, suddenly feeling a deep emotional bond with the baby that just scared the daylights out of you, “What happens now?”
“I’ll drive her to the animal rescue in town, it’s ‘bout an hour out. If I leave now, I can make it ‘fore they close.” Lester said simply.
“Can I go with you?” You asked, surprising him with your request.
“Well, sure ya can. It’s kind of a long ride there and back, ya sure ya wanna go?” Lester asked.
“Yeah, I know I’m not really any help in this situation, but I want to see this through.” You said excitedly.
“Fine by me!” He said with his classic, toothy grin, “Wanna help me find a box to put her in, so we can head out?”
“Sure!” you answered. As the two of you turned to go into the house you asked, “How’d get to know so much about opossum rescue?”
“Ya wind up meeting a lotta animals that need help, doin’ what I do. Sometimes it’s a relief to find somethin’ that’s still kickin’.” Lester said, “I know it’s rotten bein’ left behind, all alone. Most of the ones I find don’t got no one to look after ‘em, so I try to do what I can.” You felt your heart twist at Lester’s words. He had such a lonely childhood; it was no wonder he felt so much empathy for creatures that just needed someone on their side.  
“You’d make a great vet.” You said
“Ya think?” Lester asked, flattered.
“I know.” You answered, “You’ve got a way with animals.”
The two of you went back into the house with the baby opossum still in Lester’s hold. Bo would kill you both if he ever found out you brought her into the house, but what he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him. You found an old shoebox and punched some holes in the top and grabbed some rubber bands from the office before meeting Lester in the kitchen. He was using his free hand to soak up a dishtowel to microwave to make a makeshift heating pad.
“I’ve got the box!” You said, placing it on the counter with the lid and rubber bands.
“Great! I’m almost done over here too.” Lester responded, setting the time of the microwave. “Hear that, won’t be long, now.” He said to the baby opossum, lightly scratching her head. It was ridiculously adorable how nurturing and careful Lester was being. The baby opossum was remarkably calm in his grasp, comfortable even. You picked up your camera from where you left it on the kitchen table and took a quick snapshot of the two of them, their attention trained on one another. Lester looked up at the sound of the click and perked up, “Nifty camera! Where’d ya get that?”
“It was just sitting in the warehouse. I’ve been taking pictures to pass the time, but also because I found an old photo album that was pretty much empty and I wanted to try and fill it.” You said as you placed your third picture in your back pocket.
“Well, I think that’s real nice of ya.” Lester said in awe of your new project. You knew you wouldn’t have to debate with Lester about the importance of photos, unlike his brothers. He was always very supportive and interested when it came to whatever it was you were doing. “I wish I had some pictures.”
“I bet.” You said as your smile faltered for a millisecond, remembering Lester wasn’t in any of the photos you found. You moved toward the microwave and put the now warm towel in a plastic bag and into one side of the shoe box. You put another towel over that and Lester placed the baby opossum in her temporary bed.
“I used to wish I had a picture or two of my parents after they died. Or at least one of me and my brothers to take with me to that other family. But I know my folks were busy, with Bo and Vinny and all.” Lester admitted with a small sigh. He tried to make light of the bleak memory, “I’m frankly surprised I recognized ‘em when they showed up lookin’ for me.”
“Well, I plan on taking a lot of photos. So many in fact, you’ll never forget anything ever again. You can keep the one I just took after it develops if you want.” You offered, hoping it gave him some form of optimism.
“I’d like that! Thanks, Y/N!” Lester said with a smile that lit up his warm, brown eyes. He secured the rubber bands on the shoebox, “Now, let’s get goin’! No time to waste!”
You both went out to Lester’s truck and took off down the road with the boxed baby opossum sitting between you. You were at the animal rescue center in no time. Passing the time with Lester was always so easy since talking to him was a breeze. There was no shortage of conversation topics with him. You even managed to take a few more pictures of each other along the way. On your way back towards Ambrose, you flipped through the pictures you and Lester had taken. You both looked so happy and carefree with the windows rolled down, the wind rustling your hair. You smiled to yourself, embracing the photos close to you. Lester was certainly right. There was no time to waste.
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hbosscreations · 3 years
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Us Ladies Have to Stick Together
It’s a little later than I’d hoped for, but here is my contribution to @redvsbluesecretsanta for @artesoterica! You asked for Southalina, with a general positive mood! This fic is an AU taking place on Season 15′s Chorus moon in a universe where the Reds and Blues actually get to rest and build a life for themselves. I hope you like it.
                                   Us Ladies Have to Stick Together
 When South heard Carolina’s coded message, left in such a way that any of her former people would find it if they were looking, she…didn’t really know what to expect. She wasn’t certain it was meant for her with the way South left things, what with her and Wash trying to kill one another, but it was so damn earnest that South couldn’t ignore it.
‘Wash and I are alive, we’ve shut down the Project and made a safe space for all of us to live. If you see this, come find us. Come home.’
She wasn’t keen at first on going to find anyone, let alone other members of Project Freelancer, but Carolina was good on her word Chorus’s moon wasn’t what she thought it would be. It sounded like isolation, like hiding in a long-abandoned base or in a tiny apartment sleeping in shifts, but Carolina and her people had turned it to something else entirely. The Reds and Blues regularly communicated with the planet below, a shuttle came up more than once to drop off and pick-up soldiers for no reason South could figure out aside from play dates with weapons.
Just like this one.
A shuttle had arrived earlier that day carrying a new face along with a few others that South recognized from the deliveries every other week. The Sim Troopers had quite the fan club, and it was very normal for the shuttle to arrive and stay overnight so the troops could hang out. This time, the newcomer seemed to get all of the attention. It was such a relief to not feel the pointed stares from both the Reds and Blues and the Chorus soldiers.
South blew up her bangs and retied the bandana around her head to keep her hair out of the way while she worked on Sarge’s warthog, the perfect vantage point to observe without staring and be present without having to actually interact with anyone. The Sim Troopers weren’t as bad as South expected them to be most days, Washington’s influence excluded, but that didn’t mean she was comfortable with them yet.
The strange woman who arrived in the shuttle, wearing bright yellow armor and a swagger that told everyone who saw her that she was hot shit and she knew it, immediately screamed for Grif to get his lazy butt outside and come help move her shit inside the base.
It didn’t take long for her to start chatting and then chasing the Sim Troopers around. She hooted and hollered and pelted the soldiers with paintballs from a gun that should not have been shooting paintballs in the first place, all the while crowing ‘GO BLUE!’.
Despite the fact she didn’t seem to care if she was hitting a Red or a Blue.
Judging by the yelling and giggles, they didn’t seem to mind it either.
South’s helmet was dropped next to her on the engine while she watched, contemplating if she had earned enough good will to join in considering practically everyone on the moon was playing already, and Carolina put a hand on South’s shoulder to draw her attention.
New Carolina was the day to Old Carolina’s night. More emotionally mature, more secure in herself, and more confident. The dark shadows had finally passed, but she was still the same woman South had served under.
“You should probably put that on. It would be horrible if Kai accidentally shot you in the eye; the only medical treatment you’re likely to get is CPR and orange juice.”
The hand shifted from her shoulder and brushed the back of her neck. South barely held in her shiver.
New Carolina was more tactile, taking the time to make contact outside of training. She always had time for a smile, something kind to say even if the comment was odd, and casual touching that felt out of place coming from her former leader.
South had to admit that it was nice to be appreciated, though.
“Which army is Kai from, Fed or New Republic? I don’t recognize her or the paint job.”
“She’s the youngest of our Sims, Grif’s little sister, not from Chorus.”
The Reds looked to have begun their retaliation, pulling out buckets of paint, paint balloons, and paint ball guns of their own. They ran around screaming with her instead of running from her, and South laughed a little.
“They’re like a bunch of goofy teenagers, aren’t they? I don’t know how you’ve managed to keep them all alive so long.”
She pulled her helmet on, ignoring the fact that most of her armor was on the ground. She could handle paintball welts and didn’t feel like trading the extra protection of the armor for the contact she got when Carolina watched her work. Standing just a little too close, with her hand on South’s lower back, it felt like things were actually right.
“She’s going to be staying.”
The warthog got regular work, practically daily maintenance and fine tuning, but for some reason it felt like everything South did to it was undone at the end of the day.
“Hmm.”
“She talks a lot, but you can’t be mean unless you want the Reds and Blues both mad at you. Grif is really protective of her; they all are.”
Knowing Sarge, it probably was. He probably came in as soon as she walked away and fiddled with it, bickering with Lopez as he used a wrench on the wrong pieces and broke screwdrivers inside.
“South? Are you listening to me?”
“Sure, Yellow is a wild child and I shouldn’t pick on her. The Sims don’t talk to me much, why would I bother with Grif’s little sister?”
Was Lopez doing this? Normally he fixed things, but maybe he resented her coming in and doing his job for him. It did prevent him from avoiding the rest of Red Team.
“South, will you stop for a second? Look at me?”
Shit. South must have missed a tone thing again, it happened sometimes. Between the military and being on her own for so long, South didn’t always know how to read casual conversation anymore. She preferred direct conversation any day.
“I’m worried about you.”
That flash of guilt that flared up any time Carolina wanted to take care of her was back.
“You don’t have to worry about me, I’m coping.”
“You’re stagnating. Soon you’re going to start tearing your hair out and alienating the guys because you’re bored and looking for stimulation. Trust me, antagonizing the Reds and Blues will only lead to problems and you do not want that. I care about you and I would hate for you to end up with mustard in your blankets or a bucket of snakes above your door. Let me introduce you to Kaikaina Grif.”
“I don’t understand what meeting her has got to do with antagonizing anybody or the strangely bizarre and specific pranks.”
“You’re bored, and Kai is definitely not boring. I think spending some time with her will be good for you.”
Carolina didn’t accept Wash and South tiptoeing around one another or South trying to sneak out in the middle of the night because of her insomnia, and she apparently wasn’t going to rest until South had made some friends, even if that meant flying friends in for her.
The hand on her neck started to massage gently, feeling the tension that had settled there. South let out a groan.
“You’re what? Assigning her to me?”
“Oh no, Kai’s been a Blue longer than you’ve been here, she outranks you. I’m assigning you to her.”
“What?”
Carolina called out to Kai and waved her in before she firmly turned South to face the Sim Trooper charging at them. The moment the woman in yellow skidded to a stop in front of them, she took a beat to look South up and down before she turned and did the same to Carolina.
“Carolina, lookin’ fine-ah! Still bangin’ as always! How are the jam sessions with the band?”
“They have yet to comment on my being tone deaf and I’m not spoiling the game, so it’s been fun. Kai, this is South, she’s an old friend of mine in need of someone to teach her how to have a good time. Can you do that?”
“Ch, yeah! I am great at fun!”
“Fantastic. Kai, from now on, South follows your orders the way she used to follow mine. She won’t like it, she’ll bitch, but she’s a great soldier and a good friend to have at your back.”
“If you want a knife put in it.”
Washington came around the warthog, a large splash of red down his left side and a steady spattering of blue on the right. He must have gotten caught in the middle of the fight.
“Hey, Kai. What’s up?”
“Hey, Cop. You still being a cop? You have to tell me, you know!”
“That’s still not a law.”
That easy amused tone shook South. He sounded so much older; more world weary. It fit him.
“Washington,” Carolina bit out, “If you’re not going to play nice, go away.”
He saluted, patted Kai on the shoulder, and moved back into the fray. The soldiers cheered as he snagged a balloon and smashed it into the side of Tucker’s head.
“Anyway, Kai, South is my gift to you. Think of her like you’ve just been given a very angry puppy and you’ll be great.”
“Carolina, you cannot be serious.”
“I am very serious; you need someone to help you transition to our way of life and Kai is the best person to do that. Kai, her job is to do what you tell her, your job is to keep her from going off the deep end. Don’t order anything I wouldn’t approve of, but other than that, go nuts.”
South scowled at the thought of a woman at least ten years younger than her, a stranger, issuing orders. She didn’t exactly have a choice but to go on with it, where else was she going to go?
“This is ridiculous.”
And it’s not like she wanted to leave anyway. Not again. Not after everything she’d gone through to get there.
Not after finally getting her chance to be with Carolina again.
“I’m not your commanding officer anymore. You could always say no, but if that’s the case I’m giving you to the Reds, and their chaos is unbridled. Think of it this way, Donut will do your nails, but Kai excels at doing hair and your purple has been missing for too long.”
South shrugged and Kai immediately dragged her toward the base.
“You’re the one with purple tips, right? I’ve seen the pics. We’re doing your hair right now. I know that you haven’t had a dye job since you got here, there’s no one here that does hair even half as good as me!”
She jabbered endlessly while she set up a chair at the big sink on the base. Her steady stream of increasingly weird stories about herself and her sex life made South laugh, and the commentary about the guys on base made South sure she never wanted to get on this girl’s bad side.
Once they were gone, Carolina wheeled a large box into the room.
“Your portable salon, madame. Don’t scare her off, ok? It took forever to bring her home.”
“Pshaw! She likes me already! Don’t you, baby?”
Both women looked at South and she shrugged.
“You’re fine. Let’s get this over with so I can get back to work.”
“I’ll take that as a win for now! You’ll warm up.”
With that, Kai pushed South into the chair and threw a cape around her shoulders. Kai’s hands were sturdy and soothing as they carded through South’s hair and scratched at her scalp, talking about what she thought would look best for a minute before she realized South wasn’t listening in the slightest and switched back to talking about herself again. How she’d wanted to go to beauty school when she was younger, and that she used to do everyone’s hair at the circus. South only half listened.
God, her fingers were like magic.
South melted into the chair and decided to let the woman have her way with her hair. Worst case scenario, South would shave her head and let it grow back. And it was worth it to have her hair ruined if Kai would just keep working on her hair.
“She’s funny, right?”
South made a questioning noise.
“Carolina. She shows her love weird. She’s been trying for weeks now to get me out here, telling me Grif misses me, that the team is trying to set up a training center here. Didn’t fly, cause that sounds awful, so she talked to the freaking president of Chorus and got me a training gig putting together events and festivals on the planet’s surface. Someone decided they needed events for good public relations and off world traffic, and I’m pretty good at it!”
Carolina laughed a little from where she was pointedly not hovering.
“She got you a job, huh?”
“She got me a good paying job where my brother can keep an eye on me, so he’s happy. From there, it’s like a waterfall, making him happy makes Simmons happy, which makes Donut and Sarge happy, which makes Caboose happy, which makes Tucker happy, which makes Wash happy, which makes Carolina happy. Everyone here is sooooo codependent. You, I don’t know about, but that’s ok. We’re gonna party and I’ll learn all your secrets.”
God, the thought of going to the planet’s surface to ‘party’ made South’s whole body tense up. Way too much exposure, to high a risk of being seen.
“I don’t really party these days.”
“Yeah, I figured. I’ll fix that. Once I get you sorted, Carolina can finally stop worrying about her little circle and relax. Anything you want in particular? Because if you don’t, I’m gonna trim you up and give you crazy purple hair, it’s gonna take some time, but it’ll look fabulous.”
“I’m in your hands, gorgeous.”
“You’re a flirt! I like that.”
South did her best to keep up the chatting, thankful that Kai held the majority of the conversation herself, and when she might have lulled, Carolina stepped in and stoked the conversation back up.
She did the whole nine yards; washed South’s hair, massaged her scalp, trimmed her up to something more akin to her preferred style, bleached her hair for coloring and mixed colors. South honestly didn’t give a shit about what Kai did, so she gleefully went to town.
Once she started putting color on, Carolina frowned.
“You’re doing her whole head?”
“I have creative license here, so yeah, I’m doing her whole head! It’s gonna be fucking badass, just you wait!”
Carolina pulled up a chair and sat across from South with a nervous smile and stretched her leg out to brush ankles with South. South smiled back and tapped Carolina with the side of her boot. She didn’t pull away, she didn’t want or need to.
Kai wasn’t wrong, Carolina did show her love in weird ways. She never said it, but she showed it in a thousand different ways. South watched Carolina work with the Reds and Blues every day, watched her interact with the people from Chorus who flew up to the moon to ‘train’, how she took the time to touch and ground the people around her despite her own discomfort with the process.
How she understood that South needed help and care but was too angry and proud to ever ask for it.
“I trust you, Kai, just don’t make her look like a clown.”
“I would never! This gorgeous face can pull all kinds of looks, and I intend to make her look fucking sexy as fuck! Chill, Carolina, I’m not going to mess your other girlfriend’s look up.”
South tried to look up at Kai, confused, but Kai grabbed South’s head and held it in place.
“Don’t move, you’ll ruin my hard work.”
Carolina laughed a little and rubbed her ankle against South’s and asked Kai about her most recent exploits. South just closed her eyes and listened to the women talk.
The color was washed out, her hair blow dried and style, and with a cheeky grin, Kai shoved a mirror into South’s face.
“Well?”
It looked…good.
Her head was covered multiple tones of purples, blues, and reds, in a way that looked like it shouldn’t have worked, but it really did. Dark and bold, her hair felt soft and fell nicely. Honestly, it was too good for the life South lived. Between helmet time and working on trucks, she was sure she wouldn’t do it justice in the long run.
But Carolina looked really happy, and judging by Kai’s bright smile, she was too.
“You like it, right?”
“Don’t push her.”
South smirked.
“She can push me if she wants, you’re the one who told her to boss me around. I like it.”
“Great!” Kai crowed. “We’re gonna get our nails done tonight, no fighting, I brought Donut a new gel kit and he’s dying to use it!”
Carolina stood up and pressed a kiss to Kai’s cheek and praised her for a job well done, before she kiss to South’s cheek as well.
“I’m glad you like it. Kai’s great, you to are going to get along like a house on fire.”
“Uh, I’m not lighting anything on fire.”
South hadn’t expected anything good when she came here, came home, but everything was genuinely better than she expected. Carolina took her hand and kissed the knuckles before idly telling Kai that she hoped they’d also brought decent alcohol because Donut’s wine and cheese hour was dreadful without actual wine to drink.
She hadn’t expected it, hadn’t known how badly she wanted it, but she was so glad she’d come.
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tanookikiss · 4 years
Text
The Mighty Morphin’ Power Drunks
Or “Ace and Peter act like dorks and play with power ranger action figures.”
Request – For @that-kiss-bitch  - A fanfiction starring Peter Criss. I was inspired by this cute drawing of Ace and Peter playing Monopoly Jr. on Deviantart and N64 Girl. It’s a bit goofy but I hope you’ll still enjoy.
Rating: T for swearing and drinking.
……………………………………………………………………………………
KISS had just finished their soundcheck for the afternoon. They had a few hours to relax in their dressing room before the show. Paul was fixated on his mirror image, Gene was going over his flying rig stunt with Doc, Peter and Ace were drinking beers while Paul and Gene’s sons played with their power ranger action figures. The boys would bring their games and toys with them to entertain themselves while their dads worked.
Peter smiled as he watched the boys play happily. Ah…youth! He remembered his carefree childhood days fondly. Maybe it was the booze making him all sentimental but he was really starting to miss the good ol’ days.
“Catering has dinner ready!” Tommy called out from the dressing room door.
“Yay!” Nick and Evan cheered, racing each other out the door leaving their action figures scattered across the floor.
Paul, Gene and Doc followed the boys out of the room.
Ace sat across from Peter. He couldn’t wait to be alone with his best friend. There was something on his mind that had been bugging him all afternoon. He really needed to tell his friend but he had to wait until they were finally alone.
“Peter…there’s something I really want us to do,” Ace said as he grabbed Peter’s hands, looking him in the eyes intensely.
“Yes Ace,” Peter said, returning that intense gaze.
“Let’s play Monopoly Jr.!” Ace exclaimed.
“O…Okay!” Peter smiled and nodded his head happily. 
Apparently, Ace was feeling a little nostalgic too.
Ace and Peter searched through Nick and Evan’s play area for the board games. They were disappointed to not find them.
“I don’t think they brought them. It looks like they only brought those superhero dolls,” Peter sighed sadly.
“You mean The Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers!” Ace corrected as he poured himself another glass of wine.
Peter snorted as he took another swig of his beer.
“C’mon Petey! Ya gotta admit they are pretty cool. They use dinosaur robots to beat up space monsters!”
Peter looked at his friend as if he were an idiot. “You actually watch that stupid kid’s show?”
“Well yeah…it’s great fun to watch while high,” Ace grinned.
“Yeah but they beat ‘em up the exact same way every single time! There’s a stupid ass monster and they start fighting it, and then the stupid ass monster gets big and the rangers use those cheesy lookin’ piece of shit robots, and then later the piece of shit robots combine into one giant piece of shit robot. Then the giant piece of shit robot kills the stupid ass monster. The fuckin’ end!” Peter ranted passionately.
Ace cackled. “You sure know an awful lot about this stupid kid’s show, Petey!”
Peter blushed. “Yeah...well maybe I was bored and there was nothing better to watch on TV one day…no big deal. They still suck!”
“Yeah, we were way cooler superheroes in KISS Meets The Phantom Of The Park,” Ace grinned, taking a sip from his wine glass.
“Yeah, at least we got to rock n’ roll all night, got hot babes and got to drink lots of booze!” Peter added, reaching for another beer bottle.
“Hey, what if the power rangers liked hittin’ the sauce like we do!” Ace slurred.
“I guess that’d make them the Power Drinkers or something,” Peter chuckled, feeling a bit tipsy from all the booze.
“Or like the Mighty Morphin’ Power Drunks!” Ace exclaimed raising his wine glass to toast Peter’s beer bottle.
Ace and Peter cracked up over that name.
“We should change their names too. This white one can be Pinot, because he’s kinda like the color of Pinot,” Ace suggested, grabbing the white ranger clumsily.
“The green guy can be Gin…G for Gin,” Peter said, grabbing the green ranger.
“And red can be Kool-Aid!” Ace cheered.
“Ace, Kool-Aid is not an alcoholic beverage!” Peter scoffed.
“Yeah but it mixes well,” Ace shrugged.
“Oooookay…well yellow can be Tequila,” Peter suggested.
 “Ooooh! What kind?” Ace asked.
“The hell if I know…Patron? Does it really matter?”
“Heh...guess not. The pink one should be Champagne. I looove Champagne!” Ace exclaimed.
“We know buddy. We know. What do you wanna name the black one?” Peter asked.
“Beer!” Ace cheered obnoxiously.
“Good choice!” Peter complimented, raising his beer bottle up in approval.
“And blue can be Liquor,” Ace decided.
“Cool. Let’s make them beat the shit outta each other!” Peter exclaimed as he grabbed the black ranger while Ace grabbed the blue one.
Peter as Beer: “Liquor, why do you drink that shit!? Beer reigns supreme!”
Ace as Liquor: “Everyone knows Liquor is quicker!”
Peter as Beer: “Oh yeah! Ya wanna fight about it, tough guy?”
Ace as Liquor: “Bring it on! Hiyaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!”
Ace tried to make Liquor kick Beer, but instead of hitting the toy, he hit Peter’s thumb by accident.
“Ow, that hurts! That was my finger, asshole!” Peter snapped.
“Sorry…” Ace shrugged.
“Take this! Waaaaaaaa!” Peter screeched as he made Beer hit Ace’s hand on purpose.
“Ow! That shit smarts!” Ace whined.
Ace picked up the red ranger next. “I want a piece of this action!”
“Back off Kool-Aid! You’re outta your league here! I got Gin and Pinot to back me up!” Peter said, grabbing the green and white rangers.
“Oh yeah? Well, Tyrannosaurus!” Ace screams out as he grabs the T-rex robot and puts Kool-Aid in it.
“Ah shit! What do the other Drunks drive again?” Peter asked as he was torn between the Mastodon and the Pterodactyl.
“Rawwwwr!” Ace roared as he used the T-rex robot to knock the black, green and white rangers out of Peter’s hands.
“Ummm Go, Go, prehistoric cat!” Peter yelled.
Ace cackled. “You mean, Saber Tooth Tiger?”
“Shut up Ace! That’s what I said!” Peter yelled as he hit the T-rex robot with the Saber Tooth Tiger robot.
“Mwahaha! You are a worthy opponent, Tequila, but you are no match for Champagne and Kool-Aid!” Ace laughed maniacally.
“Bring it!” Peter screamed as he lunged for Ace again.
At the moment Gene walked into the room.
“We can hear you two all the way down the hall. Why on earth are you both screaming about dinosaurs and alcoholic beverages?”
Ace and Peter froze with the action figures still in their hands.
Gene grinned. “Oh my God! Are you grown men actually playing with children’s toys? I gotta tell Paul about this!” Gene chuckled as he left the room.
“Shit! Ace, we gotta put the toys away and for the love of God do not mention the Power Drunks to anybody. You got it?” Peter asked.
“Whateva you say Pinot…err…I mean, Peter!”
“Damnit!”
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freewheelshippin · 4 years
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30 utapri questions!
Thanks @dekiaibadchoices​ for the tag, this was an awesome way to wind down after a ton of nonstop busy busy busy!!! (and thanks for tagging this blog vs the general utapri one so i can REALLY gush LOL) Here’s the OG meme! 
1. Your best boy?
BANANAMAN RAN WHO ELSE  
2. Your least favorite boy?
“least favorite” implies dislike which...not true! truthfully it’s much of HEAVENS by nature of ‘I haven’t spent as much time getting to know these characters so I don’t really know who they are.’ (though I already know I love to go for drinks and snacks with Van hehe) i do like all of HEAVENS quite a bit from what i’ve seen so far but that affection has not had time to ripen! 
3. A character that you never thought you would love as much as you do now?
mnmnj ranran tbh 
4. A character you can relate to in any way?
I can’t answer everything with Ranmaru but like. His ambition, straightforwardness, and how the soul and spirit of music motivate him to move forward beyond a tough past are things I same hat so much ;; But HONESTLY I also relate a lot to Masa and Tokiya, especially in their moments of self-doubt and dramatic commitment to to their art? 
5. A character that you think deserves more love?
Oh, Cecil, without a doubt. He’s such a resilient, committed, and open-hearted cutie and gets really shafted by canon tbh. Which makes it harder for everyone to see what a great boy this sweetie is! But I appreciate how Shining Live has given him some room to have really cute and standout moments so everyone can love him more but okay like, give me more Ceci and Ran palling around I love him most when they’re up to shenanigans 
6. A character you would want as your partner?
well we’re posting this fuckin here so you all fuckin know (im very embarrass rn i can barely say it lmao) 
(for the record i would also very much like to be friends with reiji and syo, they are cool people i think i’d get along with! and i know myself, if i knew otoya or masato IRL i’d just be like ‘well. that’s my son now’ and basically appoint myself their tough big sis-type-friend lookin out for them lol) 
7. A character you would want as your mentor/senpai?
I would swallow a pinecone before I called him ‘onii-san’ but teach me how to network kotobuki-senpai 
(No, like, forreal, I suck so, so bad at a ton of stuff Reiji is aces at, and I respect the hell out of his *waves* general everything and skilll navigating the industry. Since I’m a goofy, jokey, overenthusiastic teacher for work a lot it’d be nice to be on the receiving end of all that energy! and be a fucking decent kouhai that isn’t so horribly unappreciative of all his hard work and good cheer ) 
8. Your favorite ship?
shut your whore mouth i dont have the marbles to write it out 
(tbh it’s also Haru/Tomo, I just feel so much more romantic chemistry between those two than Haru and any of the boys u___u  Friends’ selfship stuff goes without saying, haha, and ngl I’m kind of About a Ren/Van rivalry hatemance? can i call it a kismesis thing? it’s a kismesis thing.) 
(actually no I think I’m just a member of the “Ren Fucks and sometimes it’s Hatesex” club) 
9. A character that you want to cosplay/have already cosplayed?
I had plans to cosplay Ranmaru a couple months ago bc it’s really not much of a stretch for my wardrobe, haha, but I dunno about that anymore! Part of it was wanting the Euphoria of looking like a tough, twunky, princely anime character but tbqh I’m already that every day of my life so 
I suppose if you were to pull my leg I’d go for cosplaying Van, mostly because I wanna try that mullet on for myself. 
10. Favorite side character?
TOMO!! LOVE U BITCH WHEN WILL I HEAR U SINGGGGGG 
11. Your favorite solo song?
god this is horrible how can I decide??? so many good ones??? I think it’s a draw between Top Star Revolution, No. 1, Brand New Melody, Wild Soul, Seien Brave Heart, and Junketsu Nara Ai ~Aspiration~ ??? 
12. Your favorite duet song?
HMMMMM again too many good ones. Three-way tie between Haru Hana, NorthWind and SunShine, and Original Resonance! 
13. Your favorite trio song?
Ahhh Dream More than Love is really nostalgic bc it’s the first Utapri song I really loved, but i gotta be real. It’s just Egoistic. There’s just no getting better than Egoistic 
14. Your favorite group song?
mmmm i’m be basic. Poison Kiss 
15. Your least favorite song?
I love Ai and Shouta Aoi’s incredible voice but......I’m really not a fan of super slow, overly-saccharine songs. u__u so A.I. really, really doesn’t land with me, much less so than easygoing (like Knocking on the Mind) or somber (like Winter Blossom) songs. 
16. Your favorite singer?
ranran...it’s always ranran...
(I do also adore Natsuki’s and Camus’s voices! I tend to like deeper, richer vocal qualities, but you just can’t beat Ranmaru’s subtle growls and high-energy rock!!!! <3) 
17. Your favorite group/trio/duo?
god what combo of these idiots DONT i love? I could watch Reiji prank and tease Ranmaru all fuckin day, and I also really like it when Ran’s at his most ‘tuff big bro-y’ with, like, Ai, Otoya, and Cecil!!! but honestly I do like how the Ran/Masa/Ren trio isn’t so straightforward and is more or less held together by a thin string of professionalism, there’s something i appreciate about not forcing ppl to just bury the hatchet and be Perfect Friends but you all can still care about each other? (Ranmaru needs to be nicer to them still but...) 
i need to suggest one that isn’t ranmaru centric fjdsioafjsa i fuckin love Soccer Buds (otosyo) and I loooooove it when Otoya and Cecil are good to each other!!! 
18. Your favorite member of Starish?
they’re all my favorite but if you REALLY had to make me pick.....Masato, probably, haha. I just...if you take yourself too seriously and care so much about everything but still know how to be Nasty how can I not love you??? 
19. Your favorite member of Quartet Night?
what do you fuckin think, hoss 
20. Your favorite member of Heavens?
I mentioned earlier I don’t really know Heavens well, so ofc this is all liable to change! But off the bat I love what a conniving yet wholesome bastard Eiichi is and Van is just the kinda guy I would rib and pal around with IRL!! 
21. Your favorite seiyuu/voice actor?
Ahhh that’s tough! I love all these goofbags, and Tattsun really is just so cool and makes music I’m pretty about. But I think I gotta give it to Suwabe, his performances are always so him but still pretty varied, and how can you not adore a man who loves his chihuahuas that much??? 
(if i’m being 100% honest Tattsun lost points bc he voices my absolute least favorite character in granblue ffjsfjisda) 
22. Favorite Drama CD?
HMMMMMMM see as a certified Giant Tool for Everything Mecha and silly and extra, I enjoyed the hell out of Polaris, but it really suffers from a lack of Ranmaru in my humble fuckin opinion lmao. So even though I’m not one for pirate stuff most of the time, I gotta give it to Pirates of the Frontier!! I really loved Ranmaru and Otoya’s dynamic in that one, and Camus was juuuuust the right amount of shitheel, too. 
I haven’t heard the whole thing but that thing from Egoistic where Natsuki squeezes Ranmaru to death and Eiichi’s just like ‘WUAHAHAHAHAH’ is also the mcfuckin best. 
23. Your favorite shining live card?
CAN’T PICK 
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
HOW COULD I POSSIBLY PICK?????????? LIKE??? I love the fucking dumb, dumb, dumb ostentatiousness of Evil Villains, I LOVE a good heel, and I also worked so so hard to t1 that event and had a lot of fun doing it!! But also, I just love his big smile and all the energy and mixed prints from Fortune and Prosperity, and it was literally the first time I ever got the exact card I was rolling for in a gacha on the last pull I had left!! (He also came home during a time I was really going through some shit, and ngl it rescued me a little bit!) but AHHHH Soulful Bass also came out right around my birthday, I love all the textures in the outfit and it’s generally the most My Aesthetique thing Utapri has ever released!!! And god, I just love it when he’s so confident and in his element like this, it sets me on FIRE to see him light up the stage wurghjgfj ;___; They all make me just want to HUG SO MUCH ARGGHHHHH 
24. Your favorite song beatmap?
Ahhh I think Shining Live really has great beatmaps across the board so that’s a tough pick! Almost all of them are super fun in their own way, but I think I gotta hand it to Wild Soul, Top Star Revolution, and Innocent Wind! 
25. Your least favorite song beatmap?
A.I. u__u Sorry, Ai...it’s just not fun for me.
26. Black Deja Vu or White Gravity?
Actually I’m really glad for this question bc I’ve been so busy lately I hadn’t given myself the time to really check them out! checking ......... 
and yep. Black Deja Vu. (I mean...Ranmaru is on it, haha.) But I’m so about this. Love this heavier sound and all these harmonies, this is so juicy. (White Gravity also absolutely kicks ass though!! I’m really liking that voice group, it’s making especially good use of those higher registers!) 
27. Utapri merch that you own/want?
Honestly I don’t have much u__u Not a lot of Utapri merch is my thing...you know? I’m mostly shopping for Ran merch if I’m getting any, but I’m very picky about how he gets drawn? Keeping his toughness and a particular clothing style about him is so essential, haha, and barely anything hits that sweet spot for me. But I will say I adored the whole ‘My Favorite Things’ series, and if I had the budget and space atm I’d love to get some of the Ran goodies from that line! 
28. How did you get into Utapri?
I first heard about it through some acquaintances from cosplay before Quartet Night was a thing. It didn’t appeal enough to my heavy metal ass to make me drop everything and try it, but I did have an interest in it I couldn’t explain and I’d always intended on trying it out. (especially after I got into Love Live and idol anime for a bit.) But it was Shining Live that got me! And I really only downloaded Shining Live because I was super exhausted after a business trip, didn’t want to leave bed once I got back home, and just wanted to sink my teeth in something new I could enjoy for hours while lying down, haha.  
29. A set theme in shining live that you want to see in the future?
This will surprise nobody, but something tougher. More rock, more punk, more metal. I want all of them in studs and spikes and leather, and I want less polish. More rough! 
I’d also love a wrestler set complete with who’s-a-heel-who’s-a-face but that’s a pipe dream and a half, lmao. 
30. Why do you love your best boy?
Oh boy. 
I think he’s this powerhouse of a human bean who can face a ton of pain and meet it with a big middle finger. And that middle finger is chasing after ambitious dreams, of spreading the power and soul of the same music that made me who I am and influences so much of my work, but also being ... you know, smart about it? He’s an idol because like, sure, maybe it’s not the OG dream, but you can’t dream if you’re dead, and you also deserve to give yourself a life and platform to share some of who you are, and you can do a lot of good with that, too. (And I won’t lie, I respect the drama of a man who takes his hair that seriously and commits so hard to the aesthetic he wears fuckin mismatched contacts i just. charm point ) 
But at the same time....I don’t know, this might sound presumptuous, but. I think. I just think he’d think I’m as neat as I think he is. I’m an ambitious, passionate person, too, and I also furiously stick to my ideals, and I also love the same kind of soul of music he does. I lean a little more metal than I do rock, but I think that’s nice, like sharing it has that ‘alike but different’ kind of familiarity and novelty all at once. Sometimes it’s tough sharing just how deeply rock and metal have sculpted me and my artwork (and therefore my career), bc it’s so deeply personal to me, and sometimes there’s weird elitism/misogyny/racism to deal with, too. But. The way he talks about rock, the way he describes the passion and how it transcends identity and is just a pure rush of power and sharing your feelings..................it just feels like he Gets it the same way I do. Just that unspoken, burning passion and understanding. I know it sounds weird to feel that strongly over just a music genre, but I just vibe with how to him, it really isn’t ‘just’ a music genre. I feel more accepting of myself for it, and I’d like to think he’d be real proud of himself for that.  
And listen, like....I’m very sentimental, but I really don’t like saccharine, flowery, romantic kinds of affection to be lavished on me. Just be straightforward but also a little tsun about it fjdsjfas and ..... those are the kind of feelings I can accept. And that’s the way Ranmaru is, and it’s also grounded in the kind of reality that I don’t like to be swept away from. He’s just so cool and hardworking and unwavering in his passion, it makes it easier for me to do the same despite all the bumps in the road. This got real long but Ran’s a cool dude, haha, I got a lot of positives to say. 
Anyways, I never tag folks for these things, but I love seeing everyone’s answers! If you see this and wanna fill it, feel free to count this as a tag from me :) I know this got real long, but with 30 questions how could it not haha? Thanks for reading and sticking around! 
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Secret Santa Shenanigans (Stuckony)(One)
This one is for @ceealaina who wanted Stuckony falling in love at Christmastime. This is a news station au featuring super hot weatherman Bucky Barnes, goofy sports reporter Steve Rogers, and station manager Tony who is just done with all of their shenanigans. 
PART TWO 
******************
“Well that’s it for weather today.” The screen behind Bucky faded to a calm outdoor scene and he turned towards camera three. “Looks like snow which looks like a whole lotta fun, so stay warm, New York.”
His signature closing— a crooked grin and charming wink that never failed to make any and all women in the room swoon just a little bit— and the camera swung back towards the sports desk, pausing at Steve while the big blonde sent Bucky a look and asked, “Isn’t it nice to have such a perky weatherman? What on earth would we here at Channel 8 do if Bucky had gone to college instead of deciding to pointing at fluffy clouds on the screen all day?”
“Oh I dunno, Stevie.” Bucky shot back without ever breaking eye contact with the camera or losing his benign smile. “What would we do if your phone didn’t let you Google sports stats right before you announce them on TV?”
“Thank you, Steve and Bucky!” Sam interrupted, and the camera panned to the main anchors desk. “Always love that winter weather report with Bucky Barnes, everyone stay tuned for Sports—“
“I think you mean Google!” Bucky called from off-camera. “Right? You mean Google?”
“Sports with Steve Rogers.” Sam’s left eye twitched a little but that professional smile didn’t budge an inch. “This is Channel 8 news, we’ll be right back.”
“We’re clear!” Someone shouted as the broadcast went to commercial and the news team relaxed for all of five seconds before the station manager headed their way.
“Sam, beautiful as always but you got a little schmutz right here.” Tony pointed at Sam’s cheek and news anchor snapped his fingers for make-up. “Pepper darling, I love your blouse, you look fantastic in pale purple, but you’re sort of disappearing on camera, maybe a scarf?”
“I have one in my bag!” The co-anchor said brightly and Tony blew her a kiss before moving on to the more problematic members of the Channel Eight news team.
“Bucky.” He said with a sigh and the brunette turned around with a smile that had no business being so flirty.
“Tony.” Bucky looked the station manager over in interest, lingering over the way the red shirt fit across his shoulders before eyeing the flattering cut of the black trousers. “How you doin’? How come you only come over lookin’ like you’re gonna get me in trouble, you ever thought ‘bout comin’ over just to say hi?”
“You’re not in trouble, I just have a quick note before we go back on air?” Tony steadfastly ignored the urge to flirt back with the gorgeous weatherman, despite the way Bucky’s grin bordered on indecent. “Stop blowing bubbles with your gum, it’s distracting and it interferes with the audio when you pop them.”
“I got a fan letter last week saying blowing bubbles gave me an impish charm!” Bucky protested. “My viewers expect me to be cute and playful, how’s a man gonna be cute and playful without blowing bubbles?”
“Your viewers also expect you to know how to tell the weather forecast.” Steve sauntered over from the sports desk and gave Tony an equally interested once over before sidling close enough to pat Bucky on the ass. “But we forgive your lack of brains because you’re just so gosh darn adorable.”
“Rogers, for someone who has obviously take steroids for years in an attempt to look even somewhat athletic, you’d think you would know that basketball has fouls not penalties.” Bucky retorted, smacking Steve’s hand away from his rear. “But we’ll forgive that because you’re so gosh darn All American.”
“Okay okay okay and also.” Tony pinched the bridge of his nose. “Things are less strict here at Channel 8 than the other stations, and for the most part I love it. I know all the flirty crap you guys do on air makes our viewers fan girl or whatever, and our ratings are sky high and we are one of the highest watched broadcasts in the state--”
“Not hearing a complaint, Tony.” Steve said easily, reaching out to grope Bucky again and getting flat out rejected by an elbow to the gut. “Ooph, easy on the goods, doll.”
“Ain’t nothin’ good bout you, punk.” Bucky muttered, and pushed his hair out of his eyes to ask, “What were you gonna say, Tony?”
“Bucky.” Tony pointed a stern finger at him. “You cannot call Steve out during a live broadcast for having to google the stats. And Steve--” pointing at the big blonde. “For the love of all that is holy stop googling stats while we’re on the air!”
“Sorry, Tony.” Bucky muttered, folding his arms petulantly and Steve echoed, “Yeah, sorry Tony.”
“Moving on.” Tony cleared his throat loudly when it looked like Steve was going to lean in and kiss Bucky right there in front of him. “Please stop doing that, thank you. Alright, the Secret Santa name exchange is happening after the broadcast so make sure you stick around, yeah?”
“Oh sure thing, sweet thing.” Bucky winked and Tony hated himself for blushing. “I’ll stick around for you.”
“Anything you want, Tony.” Steve deepened his voice until Tony blushed harder and they both laughed as the station manager cursed and stomped away.
“Make sure you get my name for Secret Santa.” Steve said then. “I need a new blu ray player.”
Bucky snorted, “If I pull your name for Secret Santa, I’ll jump off the building. Ain’t buying you shit.”
“But then you’ll come over right?” Steve goaded. “Right? Gonna jump off the building and then come over so I can pound that ass into the--”
“THE MICS ARE ON GENTLEMEN!” Tony shouted from the back of the room and over at the main desk, Pepper started laughing.
“Ugh.” Bucky covered the mic on his shirt with one hand and lowered his voice. “Yes, Steve after I jump off the building, I’ll come over for some pounding.”
“That’s what I like to hear.” Steve grinned at him. “Coming in for an inappropriate work kiss, too fast, you can’t stop me!” he smacked a loud kiss on Bucky’s cheek and then jogged back to his desk as the countdown to get back on the air began.
Bucky rolled his eyes in the general direction of the sports desk and the ridiculously hot blonde that was his sometimes-booty-call and wondered how hard it really would be to get Steve’s name for Christmas. He didn't know if a new blu-ray player was exactly on the list, but he’d like to get Steve something...something that maybe said they should move from just hooking up to something a little more serious.
Steve sat back behind his desk and sorted his notes for his sports segment, side-eyeing his almost boyfriend and thinking about the very expensive watch he’d bought a month ago and then hid in his top drawer because he was a damn coward and didn’t know how to pretend the gift was just platonic, when in fact it was anything but platonic.
Maybe he could ask Tony to give him Bucky’s name for Secret Santa and then the gift wouldn’t seem so extravagant and out of the blue.
As the countdown ended and the camera zoomed in on Sam for a recap of the news so far, both Steve and Bucky peered past the cameras to keep an eye on the too-cute-for-his-own-good station manager and secretly hoped they’d each get his name too.
Then, in Steve’s earpiece-- “Steve for fucks sake, put your phone down if you don’t know the score from last night’s game by now, you’ll never know it.”
“Shut up and study the cloud types, weather-man.” he muttered, then turned a mega-watt smile to the camera. “I’m Steve Rogers, and this is Sports on Channel 8.”
*****************
Tony had to physically steady himself when a quiet knock on the door brought the insanely hot weatherman Bucky Barnes right into his office.
Every damn time he and Bucky were in this room together Tony got vivid flashbacks to the previous Christmas when someone-- most likely Pepper-- had hung mistletoe above his desk as a joke. Bucky had walked in the door much like he was doing right now, had looked up at the mistletoe and then down at Tony and before Tony could even breathe, Bucky had kissed him senseless. Big hands in his hair, an unfairly muscled body wedged against his own, a moan that was practically a growl--
-- and then the bastard had pulled away with a wink and a laugh and sauntered back out the door as if he hadn’t just fueled the next six months of Tony’s uh-- self- gratification.
And Tony had felt bad for day dreaming about it, had felt bad for enjoying it so thoroughly, had felt bad for ages because he knew Bucky and Steve were together or at least sort of together but damn. Damn how was he supposed to forget a kiss like that?
“You look like you’re thinkin’ awful hard.” Bucky teased. “Am I interrupting something important?”
“Nope.” Tony steeled himself against his rather errant thoughts and forced a hopefully bland smile to his face. “What can I do for you, Buck?”
“Well I was wonderin’, since you’re in charge of the Secret Santa and all--” Christ, even when he was being awkward Bucky was cute. “--maybe you could see to it that I get Stevie’s name in the drawing?”
“It’s supposed to be random, Bucky.” Tony said flatly. “Random. My control extends to putting all the names in a hat.”
“Right, right.” Bucky nodded in apparent agreement but then tipped his head and smiled shyly. “But you’re the boss, ain’t ya? Can’t you make sure a little holiday magic happens?”
“Tell me, Mr. Barnes.” Tony went back to scribbling names down. “Do you only bring that Brooklyn voice out when you want something?”
“Is it working?” Bucky asked hopefully.
“Holiday magic? Oh my god.” Tony pointed at his door. “Leave me alone and I’ll see what I can do.”
“Sure thing.” Pleased that he’d pretty much gotten his way, Bucky glanced around the office and then up at the ceiling. “No mistletoe this year?” A wink that nearly devastated Tony where he sat. “Damn shame that.”
It took Tony a full two minutes to catch his breath after that little interaction and his heart rate had just barely calmed down when the door opened again and Steve walked in.
Kill me.
“Tony.” Steve had a grin that would put a Cheshire cat to shame and he turned the full force of it on Tony as he leaned over the desk. “What’s it going to take to make sure I can get Bucky’s name in the Secret Santa?”
“What part of random don’t you people understand?” Tony poked at Steve’s finger with his pencil until Steve gave him some more space. “I don’t have any control over who gets which name, it’s all luck of the draw.”
“But you’re the boss.” Steve cajoled. “Can’t you work a little--”
“Holiday magic?” Tony finished. “I gotta tell you, it’s feeling less like holiday magic and more like bah-humbug right about now.”
“What if I sweeten the deal?” the big blonde waggled his eyebrows coaxingly. “Hm?”
“Nobody wants anything you’re offering, Rogers.”
Steve made a show of rolling his shoulders, flexing those over sized arms. “Aw c’mon Tony, we both know that’s not true. Why don’t you loosen your tie a little and let me take you out for a drink? We can test my bribery skills.”
“Go away and go bother Bucky.”
“You wound me Tony.” Softly, damn near honestly if those blue eyes wouldn’t have been sparking with laughter. “You know you own my heart.”
“Out, Rogers!”
Steve laughed all the way out the door, ducking when a pen winged by his ear, the station manager having had enough of his shenanigans for one day.
“Did Tony just throw something at you?” Bucky was already posted up in the break room and halfway through a foot long sub when Steve showed up. “You better be careful, he’ll bump you down to janitor and let me have your job too.”
“You need to be more than pretty to work an actual desk, Buck.” Steve took the sandwich and scarfed down a big bite. “It’s not exactly pointing at clouds and guessing temperatures.”
“Whatever.” Bucky took his sandwich back with a scowl. “How hard can it be? You do it. I got a smart phone to google shit too.”
“Boys boys.” Sam stripped off his tie and tossed it over a chair as he went for the soda machine. “You’re both pretty and both pretty useless. No reason to argue over it all, just a waste of good quality oxygen.”
“He has a valid point, loves.” The always beautiful Pepper came in next, a sunny smile for the three men. “But listen, before Tony gets in here we need to figure out what we are getting him for Christmas. He puts up with enough of our crap--”
“And by our crap she means your crap.” Sam supplied helpfully and Bucky scowled at him.
“-- so I’m getting him a nice bottle of imported scotch, Sam has a connection for season tickets, the least you two can do is hefty gift certificates, do you understand?” She finished. “And I do mean hefty, we all remember the five dollar Starbucks card fiasco from last year, let’s not do that again.”
“Sure thing, Pepper.” Steve and Bucky chorused, and then to each other-- “We should get him a terrible gag gift.”
“Oh definitely. Definitely a terrible gift.”
“I’m gonna get you something real stupid if I get your name too.”
“Ditto.” Steve nodded, and then quieter, “You’re coming over tonight, right?”
“Only if you feed me after.” Bucky crammed the last bit of his sandwich in his mouth. “Not gonna come over unless there’s food.”
“The fuck I will.” Steve argued. “Last time you ate an entire pizza!” and Bucky snarked back-- “Okay, but only after I got you off twice so you know, I earned that shit.”  
“Hey guys.” Sam grimaced. “Learn to whisper, huh? If I have to listen to anymore of this my ears are gonna start bleeding.”
“Attention attention!” Any snappy comeback from Bucky or Steve was silenced when Tony finally got to the break room, holding a bowl full of folded scraps of paper. “Here we go, Secret Santa. Price limit is fifty bucks this year, don’t tell anyone who you got, and you really aren’t supposed to swap but I don’t care all that much.”
He shook the bowl at them. “The colors mean nothing at all, I had a bunch of different colored sticky notes that got used, there’s only two green ones though--” he widened his eyes meaningfully at Bucky and Steve. “-- so no one fight over them.”
Tony set the bowl down and drew a name first, then backed up to let everyone else have a turn, smiling to himself when Steve and Bucky both picked up a green piece of paper.
Dorks.
Damn, he sort of loved them.
***********************
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Newsies’ Little Sister
Chapter 7 - Something lost, something gained
TW: Swearing, blood, beating up, not eating (not eating disorder, but not having the time or money to eat)
Word Count: 1.9k
Genre: It’s a bit of everything tbh...
Jojo’s POV
I ran over to the body on the floor as soon as the man left. They were curled up on their side facing away from me, so I rolled them over onto their back. 
"Elmer! Oh my god! What happened to you? Who did dis?" There was no answer so I shook his shoulder frantically. There was still no answer. I looked at his face. It was a mess, it was all bloody and bruised; his nose was at a weird and painful-looking angle and he was going to have a horrible black eye in the morning.
He still wasn't waking up, and I scooped him up into my arms. His head rolled to the side and some blood ended up on my shirt. Thankfully, we were only a few streets away from the Lodging House.
"Jack! Jack! Help!" I shouted as soon as I burst through the front door. Some of the boys cleared off the hard couch in the middle of the main room, as they all stood up to see what was going on. I gently lowered his limp body onto the couch as Jack asked me what happened.
He pressed a wet cloth onto Elmer's bloody face as I explained.
"Hey. Hey. Slow down a bit! Where was he when ya found him?" Jack asked. "And, someone get Davey." I looked at him, silently asking him why.
"Moral support..." He trailed off. "Doesn't matter. Oh, thank god! Right, we need you to put his nose back in place properly." 
Davey knelt down and thought about what to do. He put his and on Elmer's face to straighten his nose. There was a crunch as Davey did what he had to.
Amazingly, he stayed unconscious, even when we put him into his bed to rest. He didn't move at all, and it was kind of scary actually. Elmer's my best friend and I hate to see him like this. I don't know what I'd do without him...
Emmeline's POV
By the time I stopped running and found myself in Midtown East, I was so weak I could barely stand. That day, I had barely anytime to eat because I was too busy running from the bulls. I just managed to stagger into an open doorway, when I collapsed out of tiredness and hunger. That night, I didn't dream; but instead, I woke up to the sounds of shouting in the streets. 
I got up and ran towards the noise. The sight that greeted me was slightly scary. The man from the day before was there. He was beating up some kid in the middle of the street and once the kid was on the floor, the man cuffed the kids hands behind his back, and dragged him off somewhere. I didn't want to know where that poor kid was going. There was a crowd drawing around them, but they didn't do anything to help.
I looked at the streets and buildings around me, seeming as I came here at night. There were quite a few tenement buildings and between them, lines of clothes hanging out to dry. There were also quite a few alcoves in the walls, and in one of them, there was a boy about my age. He was hiding from something or someone. Probably that man. 
I didn't realise, but I had been staring at him, and once he realised I was staring at him, he got up and started to walk in the opposite direction. But he stopped, very sharply. He then turned around and ran towards me and grabbed my hand. He dragged me along with him and once I heard a whistle, I realised why we were running. I sped up and began to overtake him.
"Hey over here!" He shouted to me as he turned into a back alley. I followed him and we waited for a while. Neither of us talking until we saw the bulls run past.
"Thanks for dat!" I said.
"That's alright. They were going to ta take ya to da Refuge otherwise." He looked at my confused face. He had a nice accent, but it wasn't like anything I had ever heard before.
"I saw 'em lookin' atcha and pointin' atcha. And I'se Australian." He explained, reading my mind.
'I have no idea where that is!' I thought, but instead I said, "Oh, I never got ya name."
Tommy Boy
"I'se Tommy Boy. What 'bout you?" I asked.
"I'se Emmeline. But ya can call me Em." She replied.
"Whatcha doin' in Midtown?" I asked Em.
"None of ya business." I don't think she mean to, but she looked down when she said that.
"Ahh. I get it. Homeless?" I asked tentatively. I had quite a lot of experience with that.
"Possibly." She replied quietly. That was basically a yes. 
"Ya got anywhere to stay tonight?" I asked. Then internal face palmed. That was such a stupid question.
"Ummm. No. If I had somewhere to stay, I wouldn't say I was homeless." She replied, slightly annoyed. Then her stomach made a really loud noise.
Emmeline's POV
My stomach rumbled really loudly and I tried to muffle it with my arms, wrapping them around my stomach and bending over.
"Sorry!" I went bright red when I said that... Then I realised that I hadn't eaten anything in...about...a long time.
"When did ya last eat?" Tommy Boy asked.
"Ummm, yesterday mornin'." I replied. To be honest, I didn't really remember, but there was a chance of free food here, and I wasn't going to pass that up for anything! I couldn't afford to spend any money.
"Come wid me. I'se got some food back at the Lodging House." He said with a slightly concerned smile on his face.
"Where's dat?" I asked nervously. Praying that it wasn't anywhere near my OLD home.
"Lower Manhattan."
"Where exactly?" I asked again.
He rolled his eyes and laughed. 
"Number 9, Duane Street. Exactly!"
'Oh no. That is too close to home! Fuck it! I'm too hungry and my parents don't have control of me anymore. And I might see Nick. Then again, I might not. Also, that's ages away. It will be worth it for the food though.' I thought for about a minute.
"Ok. Sure."
"Cool. I was gettin' worried you wouldn't say yes for a sec!" He said, with a goofy smirk looking up at me. In the time I was thinking, he had sat down to catch his breath. He's kinda cute, but not Elmer cute. No one can ever be Elmer cute. Wait what! 
He got up and I looked out of the alleyway to see if there was anyone lurking around. There wasn't but I heard feet scrabbling up a wall. I turned around to see exactly that, but by the time I turned around, Tommy Boy was at the top of the wall blocking the end of the alley. I walked over and he stuck out his hand. I brushed him off and got up the wall twice as fast as he did.
He nodded at me when I got up. Still smiling.
"Impressive!" I just smiled back at him. We dropped down onto the other side and began our journey back. While we were walking, I found more out about him. He is part of the Manhattan Newsies, and he is really good friends with a kid named Henry. He used to work as a messenger, but there was better money as a Newsie.
"What 'bout you? Whas' your story?" He asked.
"Ummm. I'se an orphan and I got kicked out o' my lodging house a few months ago, because I couldn't pay rent Although, I swear the guy there 'iked the price up jus' for me!" I said, lying through my teeth. I hated lying, but I didn't want to tell him what happened. We walked the rest of the way in silence.
Then we got to more familiar ground and I realised we were outside the cafe Elmer took me to when he helped me out of the docks. I turned my head to see if anyone was in there, but there wasn't. Wait no! In the corner were two boys a bit older that me. They were both dressed like newsies from what I could see, but one of them had their back turned towards me and I couldn't make out a face.
We carried on down the street until we saw the slightly faded sign of the newsies lodging house. Tommy Boy led me up the steps and we went inside. Over time, I had begun to learn to read and I could just about make out a few words, but the only reason I knew we were at the lodging house, was because I remembered the sign and the street.
Just as we went in, everything went silent. I looked around and I could only see boys. I guess they weren't used to having a girl around. Just then a boy, he looked older than me but I could barely count to 10, so I couldn't work out how old he might be. He was definitely older than me, he looked very strong and kinda scary, he was wearing a dark blue shirt and a grey cap.
Tommy Boy's POV
"Hey Jack." I started. "This is Emmeline, ya got any food goin' spare. I said I'd give 'er some." I saw Emmeline look all around the room to see why everyone was staring. But I already knew though. Because she's a girl and she's really pretty. That's why they're staring.
Jack's POV
For a second, I couldn't stop staring at this new girl. She looked really familiar, like I'se seen 'er before, but I just couldn't work out where from.
"Errr, yeah. Food. Over 'ere." I said, managing to stop staring enough to get the spare food I always kept in case of emergency. 
I handed her a roll of bread, she took it with both hands, sat down on the bed and ate it so fast, I barely knew where it had gone. Her stomach growled really loudly and she wrapped her arms around her middle and smothered the noise.
"When did ya last eat?" I asked. The kid was quite thin and I figured she hadn't eaten in a while.
"Ummm. 'Bout 3 days ago. Maybe 4." She replied quietly. That would explain why she ate the food so fast.
"Jesus." I heard someone behind. I think it might've been Davey, he would be surprised 'bout that; but I wasn't because I've seen worse.
"Do ya have any more food?" She asked nervously. I heard someone search around for some more food and then Buttons passed it forward.
"'Ere ya go!" She just nodded back. She didn't eat that piece of bread as fast, but when she was about half way finished, she snapped her head up.
We all heard the sounds of two doors opening at the same time, and he turned around to see who it was...
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jelixpo · 5 years
Text
Good Intentions, Bad Decisions
Felix takes Jack out to a baseball game and then a dinner date afterwards, which is all apart of a bigger plan. But when Felix thinks too far ahead things start to go wrong and an unexpected trip to the hospital ruins his plans. It may not have been the outcome he wanted, but it was what he needed.
--
This is a collab me and Hopefulwriter_ did together! We worked really hard on this and hope you guys like it! 
They were exiting their car outside of the baseball stadium, Jack buzzing with a cocktail of excitement, while Felix is as calm as he can be. The Irishman makes his way around the car to him while shouldering his backpack. Both out of habit and because he’s used to having contact with the other, he boldly reaches out to hold his hand. Felix watches him while they begin to walk side by side towards the large structure.
“You okay?”
“Yeah, just excited,” he chuckles.
“I could tell,” Felix huffs, and when Jack gives him a look he elaborates, “You get all fidgety when you’re excited like you can’t sit still.”
“It's just that,” Jack pauses, sifting through the excited thoughts in his head, attempting to find a coherent sentence, “I just love baseball games, especially since I haven’t been able to watch this team play in person for a few years,” he enthuses. He didn’t think he’d get to go at all because he’d been too busy to realise that there was a game coming up, but when he opened an envelope Felix had given him on his birthday with the tickets inside he’d jumped up and hugged his boyfriend, so happy that someone knew him so well to know to get them, even when Jack hadn’t said anything about it. “Thank you so much for getting the passes in the first place Fe.”
Felix waves his hand, “That’s fine, you’ve thanked me a lot already,” he smiles suggestively, making Jack knock into his side in retaliation. It makes Felix laugh but he gives his hand a quick squeeze out of view of everyone else, hidden in their sides because they’re so close.
They still don’t let go of each other’s hands when they get inside. They show their tickets and go to make their way to their seats, but Jack notices the snack counter. And just like that, Felix finds himself being pulled over to the counter lined with sweets the size of baseballs themselves. Jack’s eyes flash over the chalkboard menu if only for a moment before a word waterfall comes tumbling from his lips.
“We’ll take two medium popcorns, two large cokes, and a Coconut Countdown,” Jack has to shout over the crowd of people lined up behind them, all talking amongst themselves. His loud voice easily reaches the cashier's ears and the girl quickly rings up their order, placing their requested items on the counter in front of them as she did so.
“What’s a Coconut Countdown?” Felix asks quickly.
“Oh, it’s like this big chocolate ball covered in coconut shavings. It’s good, you’ll like it!” Jack replies back. He quickly scoops up the items after paying and, after handing over Felix’s respective drink and popcorn bag, they then make their way over to their seats.
Getting past the sea of people rushing to do the same thing isn’t easy, they bump into some people but apologies come quickly after, and the person makes sure to let it go in return. They scootch past knees after they find their row number, and Felix is glad that he made sure to get two seats a near to the isle. Jack drops into his seat with a huff and Felix makes sure to be more careful to the poor plastic chair.
A curious child is sat at Jack’s other side and they keep pulling on his sleeve, but he doesn’t seem to mind letting the kid marvel over his jacket. Felix almost doesn’t know how he’s so good with children, he’s not the type of person that could deal with the physical contact of a random stranger though, too awkward and uncomfortable with that sort of thing. Jack’s always been better at dealing with that sort of thing, though; at thinking on the spot, making up for his imperfections as he went along or allowing them pass by if he can’t fix them. Jack was Felix’s mental rock in a way, or like a stress ball, always able to keep him grounded and, if Jack ever needed it in return, Felix knew how to calm him. At this point, Felix didn’t know what his life would be like if he didn’t have Jack in it.
“What are you lookin’ at me like that for?”
“Like what? I’d never look at you,” Felix says, playing dumb to how long he must have been staring at Jack while his thoughts went on a tangent.
“You’re an idiot, you know that?” He asks rhetorically, “What were you even thinkin’ about? Cause you were staring at me for a creepy long time.”
“I was thinking about how much I love you,” Felix coos, not wanting to give up the full truth, even though it must be projected in his gaze.
“Awe, babe, you’re a sap. But I love you too,” Jack looks out at the field for a moment, surveying the players as they begin to walk out and around their respective team’s benches, “Hey look! It’s Jazz Chisholm!” He perks up, tapping Felix’s arm as he does so.
“Damn, he’s got a nice ass,” Felix whistles as he teases, shaking his head slightly in disbelief. His comment spurts a giggle out of Jack.
“Does he have a better ass than me?” Jack turns to look as Felix as he bats his eyes, pushing out his bottom lip in a sappy sort of way. Felix turns to look at his boyfriend’s pouting baby face and for a moment the world slows. As goofy as the expression may be, Jack’s crystal blue eyes are on full display, and it enchants him for a moment. He snaps out of it quickly, and puts on a sly grin to cover his moment of hesitation.
“No one can top your ass, babe,” He slurs out in a toned down voice as he bounces his eyebrows up and down on his face. Jack chuckles in response and, as he turns his head back to the field, he replies.
“Never stopped you from trying, now did it?” Jack teases back. Felix scoffs as his mouth hangs open for a moment, before shoving his fingers into his popcorn to chuck a couple at Jack’s face. Jack goes into a giggling fit as he raises his shoulders in an attempt to cover his face.
The game starts shortly after. There’s a fanfare from a brass band and the crowd cheers as each team runs onto the field, the British national team that Felix and Jack support wearing all white, and they cheer along with the rest of the crowd when they see them. The coach talks to his team, them gathered around him and the opposing team does the same. They break apart a few minutes later and the coach goes to the dugout along with some of the other players, and they wait for the game to begin.
It does shortly after, and the other team is off to a flying start, getting a run within twenty minutes. Jack almost swears out of frustration, but remembers the small child to his left, so he refrains himself.
One of the other team is switched to the position of throwing, and the British team continues on the losing streak by getting two missed swings. The game continues much the same way, the British team being outdone time and time again without much that they could do to counter. In between innings is when Jack realises that they have a ‘kiss cam,’ which he’d only heard about before but had never gotten the chance to see one done in person. It was a really nice opportunity for couples or cute moments. It almost made him wish that he and Felix could get the chance to do that, for him to advertise how much he loves the other by kissing in front of all these people, but the option to do that is rare at best.
But he does get the chance. It comes to the last inning and they wait to see who the lucky people are that get to kiss, but when the screen comes to the crowd all they can see are themselves. Sure, Jack is used to being on camera, and so is Felix, but it’s a little intimidating to see themselves on that huge screen. Felix covers his face with his jacket collar, feeling awkward and getting a flush to his cheeks. ‘Fuck it,’ Jack thinks and goes to climb onto Felix's lap. Throwing his leg over, he straddles him clumsily, pulls his hands away and swoops in to kiss the sense out of his boyfriend. They can hear the crowd cheering around them as Jack keeps Felix held in place, drawing out the wonderful moment for as long as he can. Jack feels cheeky and teasing, and almost thinks about flicking his tongue in for an extra bit of spice, but he knows that could break Felix here and now, so he reluctantly pops off. Felix has this shell shocked look on his face that makes Jack feel smug, so he has a large grin on his face as he dismounts from Felix's legs and slumps back into his seat.
Jack feels a clap on his shoulder and the guy behind him laughs, “I think you broke the poor man!”
That makes Jack huff, “I think I did, didn’t I?”
Felix hadn’t expected Jack to be so eager to kiss him like that when he’d seen his face on that giant screen, a peck on the cheek is the most that he had thought Jack would be willing to do but, of course, he had to blow his expectations out of the water, “Yeah, you certainly did.” They hear the group of men seated behind them laugh boisterously, and then hands come down to pat at Felix’s shoulders, as if to congratulate him on a job well done. Felix can feel the heat in his cheeks get even hotter, turning his face to a bright pink hue.
The game starts back up a moment after, but it takes a while before Felix can really begin to focus on it again, his mind swirling in the sewer. He almost wishes he could go back to focusing on his thoughts, though, as the last inning proves to be a real shit show. A strike and then a foul ball. It’s almost like the team just gave up for the last inning, seeing as they were already losing by a substantial amount. He was hoping that the British team, being the visitor, would try harder to win, but it seems that isn’t the case. He doesn’t want to, but his eyes betray him as they flash up to the scoreboard.
VISITOR - R:1 H:3
HOME    - R:8 H:9
He hisses at the pathetic score, catching Jack’s attention in the process. His Irish partner follows his eyes to the scoreboard and makes a similar sound of disappointment. The both of them look over at each other, sharing in a moment of disappointment in their team before turning back to the game. Not two moments later was their team swinging another strike and ending the game in shameful defeat. Jack throws his hands up, not so much in anger, but merely surprise at how a game can end so bad.
“I guess that’s that then,” Jack huffs, turning to Felix as he begins to speak.
“I guess so,” Felix sighs in response, “What a shit show,” He shakes his head slightly, “I shouldn’t have expected any different, but you always hold out hope that a team can get better,” he says as he picks himself up from his seat.
Felix hums as he begins the journey back out of the stands again. Even though their team lost he still had a great time. It was rare that he got the chance to go out with Jack like this and he savours every moment, every second that he gets to spend with Jack. No matter what they’re doing he treasures it anyway.
They’re back in the car again and on their way home when Jack's voice comes from beside him, “Er, Fe I think you just took a wrong turn,” he points out.
Felix smiles secretively, “I know,” he says simply and slides his hand out to hold his boyfriends, “The night doesn’t stop just yet, babe.”
Felix pulled up in the parking lot of a really nice looking restaurant. The outside was well lit with soft lighting, and string lights were hung all around the building. Jack turned to Felix with his mouth agape, only to be met by the sight of his boyfriend suddenly having slipped on a black suit jacket over top of his white T-shirt, his arm stretched out towards Jack with a similar suit jacket in hand.
“You- you’re a sap.”
“So, did I do well?” Felix asks smugly.
“You definitely did, I didn’t know you had it in ya,” Jack says cheekily, earning him a flick on the knee.
“And you haven’t even seen the inside yet…”
When they step inside Jack is immediately awestruck. The building is immaculate, with matching string lights from the outside hanging from the roof inside, entertwined in white, sheer fabric that has been draped along the roof panels, coming together at certain points to bunch up and then cascade down to the floor like an elegant waterfall. The roof adds a homely and comforting feeling to the area, with it’s blank white colour being accentuated by dark wood panels, designed to both match the dark wood flooring and uphold the structure without any middle supporting beams. As well, about a foot away from the wall, the roof meets an edge where it then begins to curve up into a dome, making the space feel large just by the roof alone. In the centre of it all hangs a beautiful, glistening, crystal chandelier, which acts to light up the beautiful paintings adorning the walls. Unique marble statues stand stately along the walls.
“Oh my god,” It all Jack can say as he looks around, “Felix,” He reaches and slightly squeezes at his boyfriend’s shoulder, almost feeling underdressed in the quick suit jacket he had been provided. He has to tear his eyes away from the stunning scene before him to look at Felix, who has a duey smile spread across his face. Just by Jack’s expression Felix knows he did well.
It’s not long before a waiter comes over to the two of them and takes them over to the table which Felix had reserved for the two of them. It’s a quiet little booth situated off to the side of the rest of the restaurant, allowing the two of them to still admire the beautiful interior while also staying away from the noise of the rest of the crowd. Although there wasn’t much noise to have to drown out already, as there was not that many people there to begin with, both from how fancy the restaurant was and how late at night it was. The waiter quickly talks through a rehearsed spiel of the day’s specials, what’s best on the menu, as well as taking their drink orders before leaving the two of them alone.
“This place is breathtaking,” Jack speaks up, “You didn’t have to do all this for me. Honestly, I would’ve been fine with just some food on the way home,” He tries to reason with Felix. He almost feels guilty for Felix having done this for him, almost undeserving. Felix could see Jack’s guilt in his eyes.
“I wanted to do this for you,” Felix cooed softly, reaching across the table and gently taking Jack’s hand in his as he said so, “You’re worth it to me,” A rosy hue forms quickly on Jack’s cheeks and he turns away for a moment, smiling bashfully.
“You’re so sappy today!” Jack giggles slightly, trying to regain his composure, “What’s going on?” He asks, looking up into Felix’s eyes as he does so. Felix’s eyes go wide for a moment, but he quickly regains his composure.
“Can’t a man just want to treat the most important person in his world to a nice dinner every once in a while? Is that a crime?” He asks back, his calming voice causing Jack’s heart to flutter. Jack scoffs in an attempt to cover the sound of his own rapid heart beat.
“Well, no. It’s just unusual,” Jack replies, rolling his eyes as a smile plays on his lips. Felix chuckles at his boyfriend’s failed attempt to cover his own bashfulness.
Felix takes his free hand off the table and moves it down to his pocket, then moves his head down to check where his hand was, attempting to look as if he is checking his phone. As calm as can be, he slips his hand into his pocket and digs around in the fabric for a second before his fingers slip across a cool, metal object. He gently takes the ring in between his fingers and massages it gently, as if checking to make sure that is was all right. He can’t help but huff out a small laugh at himself at how many times he had checked his pocket over the course of the day, constantly worried about losing the small piece of metal that meant so much to him, and would mean the world to Jack.
Jack’s voice draws Felix out of his thoughts, “What are you laughing at?” He teases, a smirk on his face. Felix smiles up at him.
“Just thinking about how much I love you,” He cooes back. He loves watching Jack blush and giggle, the feeling of bashful embarrassment being foreign to the Irishman.
“Stooop!” Jack whines, taking on the voice of a child, “You’re making me blush!” He giggles.
The waiter eventually comes back to the table with the couple’s champagne in hand. He takes the couple’s orders and in a flash Jack and Felix are eating and laughing together, both taking turns to make the other blush. However, with Felix’s constant barrage of compliments and expressions of affection, Jack is the one who goes through the most giggling fits and adorns the pink hue on his cheeks for practically the entirety of the night. Eventually they finish their meals and the waiter comes and takes their plates.
“We’ll get the check now, please,” Jack says as the waiter is about to walk away from the table.
“Actually, a desert for your meal has already been ordered and paid for,” The waiter smiles back at him then, before Jack can say anything else, the waiter walks away. Jack turns to look at Felix, a confused smile on his face.
“More surprises? What’s going on?” He asks. Felix’s smile only grows wider as he shrugs his shoulders.
“Guess you’ll have to wait and see,” Felix replies smoothly. He then fakes a surprised look and brings his fingers up to the corner of his mouth, “Oh, you have a bit of food right there on your face.”
“Oh, really?” Jack replies, honestly believing Felix for a moment.
“Yeah, you should go to the bathroom to wash it off,” Felix smiles mischievously. It’s then that Jack catches on to Felix’s scheme.
“Yeah, okay, all right,” Jack shakes his head as he stands up from the table, “And uh, how long do you think I should spend cleaning my face, huh?” He asks sarcastically.
“Oh, y’know, like 7 minutes should be good,”
“All right, well… See you in 7 minutes then,”
As soon as Jack disappeared behind the bathroom door, the waiter rushed out with a covered plate in hand. Felix cleared away the small decorations on the centre of the table for the man to set down the plate, saying a small “thank you” as the waiter made sure to properly centre it. The waiter placed fancy forks strategically around the plate and then walked excitedly back to his working position. Felix took a deep breath in as he rubbed his hands together anxiously. He gently lifted the cover for the plate and placed it down on the table, revealing a beautifully decorated slice of cheesecake which had been garnished with crushed sandwich cookies, as well as dolips of whip cream both on top of the slice and around the plate. Felix gently took the ring out of his pocket, pausing only a moment to admire it.
He truly loved the ring he had picked and hoped Jack would love it just as much as he did. From afar, it seems like a simple, silver wedding band, only a half centimetre in thickness. However, only once you stepped closer to it and truly examined the piece of metal did you see it’s true beauty. Intricate lines of lace and pattern had been carved into the side of it, it’s pattern only repeated once on the other side of the ring itself. If you stepped even closer, you would see the small gems which had been placed along the intricate lines, designed to catch the light in its true beauty. Along the inside of the ring is cool, smooth silver, designed to sit comfortably on its wearer, but not just that. On the inside was also carved small letters, designed to imprint the words “私の生命の愛” on whoever wore it, translating from Japanese to mean “[The] love of my life”. And it was true, Jack truly was the love of Felix’s life. He hoped Jack would love it.
Felix gently places the ring on the top of the cheesecake and, using his fork, attempts to slightly cover it with the whip cream that was on top. He couldn’t wait to see how surprised Jack would be once he saw the ring. He works with extreme precision to place the cover for the tray back on top of the plate, concealing the desert. He could feel his anxiety bubbling up in his head, but he worked hard to push it down. He couldn’t let it get to him, not now. He was certain this would go well. He had everything rehearsed in his head. Just then, as if on que for a show, Jack emerges from the bathroom. An already present smile on his face grows even wider as he spots the tray on the table. He gently takes his seat back at the table, being careful not to disrupt the centerpiece at all.
“Do you want to do the reveal, or should I?” Jack asks gently, his heart radiating warmth at the effort which Felix was putting into all this. Felix couldn’t help but huff a laugh as he looks down at the table, blushing.
“I think you should,” Felix replies softly.
He hears the ‘shing’ of the cover as Jack picks it up, and the Irishman’s small gasp is all Felix needs to hear. His anxiety falls completely off his shoulders. Jack places the cover down on the table, still not speaking. Felix knows he may start crying any minute, so he chooses to close his eyes as he begins a speech he’s been planning ever since the day he met Jack.
“Sean, when I say you mean everything to me, I want you to know I really mean it. You are my everything. I know I don’t always know how to show how I feel, or how to be romantic, or anything like that. But I want you to know how truly special you are to me and to my life. You can make my day better with just your presence in the room with me. You’re my rock, Sean, and I don’t know what I’d do without the stability you give me. When I feel like I can’t stand on my own you hold me up. Sometimes it’s hard just to go on with the day, or even get out of bed.
“But when I’m with you, I feel like I can do anything. When you hold my hand, no one can hurt me. Sean, you are honestly the best thing that has ever happened to me, and I mean that in earnest. You make me a better version of me. In everything I do, in everything I say, think, feel, you’re there. You’re in my thoughts so much that sometimes I wonder if I’ll ever be able to think of anything else, but I don’t want to think of anything else. Sean, you’re everything to me. I don’t know what I’d do without you by my side, which is why I want to have you stand with me forever. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. And Sean, I-”
Felix was interrupted as Jack’s hand abruptly came down to smack against the edge of the table, gripping it tightly. Felix’s eyes shot open, looking straight forward at the desert in front of the both of them.
Jack had taken a bite.
A chunk of the cheesecake was missing.
The ring was gone.
Jack’s eyes squint at the feeling of it grinding down his throat, and he gags, but it doesn’t seem to budge. People turn to look at the commotion, which makes Felix feel more than frustrated. He stands up and pleads, “Someone, please help, I don’t know what to do!” His voice is panicked and he hopes that someone would understand the severity of the situation enough to come and help.
A guy stands up from an an adjacent table and rushes over to help, Felix thanking him while he gets Jack to stand up so that he can grab him around the middle in order to perform the heimlich manoeuvre. It makes the Irishman wheeze by the end but his breathing has improved slightly. “Slowly, in, and out,” the guy explains to him. “I know in situations like this it’s so easy to panic and hard to keep your breathing under control, but that’s exactly what you need to do.”
Jack gives him a weary thumbs up in thanks, and the guy goes back to his table, since there’s nothing more he can do. Felix organises his thoughts now that he has a seconds chance to, he knows that he definitely needs to bring Jack to the hospital, preferably now, so he goes around the table, holding his boyfriend around the back and takes him out of the restaurant. Opening the passenger door of his car he makes sure Jack slips gently into the seat, and he rushes around the front and into the driver's seat.
He’s sure he must have ran or been close to running a red light multiple times. He just had single minded focus on helping Jack, who was wheezing quietly in the seat next to him.
It’s a great relief when he pulls up outside of the hospital. Felix almost forgets to shut off the gas, he’s almost out of the door before he remembers. He grabs Jack once the other is out of the car, pulling him by the arm as softly as he can in his haste. The lady at the front desk doesn’t seem to know what to do past the babbling he spouted to her in lieu of proper explanation. Jack places a hand on his arm to ground him and get him to focus. Felix takes a breath and starts again, “we went out to eat at a restaurant, but my boyfriend, he- he’s got something stuck in his throat.”
The lady’s eyes widen and she sends them towards the ER, Felix thanks her and rushes over to the department. They have a very short wait and Jack is whisked away almost immediately to a private room. Felix pleads with the nurse to get them to let him go with Jack, but they refuse, saying that he will be able to see the other when everything’s okay.
He stays in the waiting room, wandering around just for something to do, his mind working overtime, berating himself for how stupid of an idea hiding the ring had been. “Fuck, idiot, I should have thought about it more instead of just putting it in the cake, of course he would have eaten it, he could have choked to death and it would have been my fault…” he slows his muttered rant, not wanting to expand upon that thought. The image of Jack choking and gripping the tablecloth fresh in his mind enough.
He’s sitting with his head in his hands when a doctor comes out of the room, his head snaps up with questions on his tongue, but the older man beats him to it, “he’s fine,” he says with a wave of a hand, as if this situation is an everyday occurrence and not at all serious. “But, pardon my french, how the fuck did he swallow an engagement ring when it was in the damn box?” He asks with an incredulous furrow between his brows.
“Well... It wasn’t, I put it in the cheesecake, and he ate it…” Felix says at length, his plan sounds even more stupid out loud.
The doctor bursts out laughing like that’s the best thing he’s heard all year. This doctor isn’t very professional Felix thinks sourly. The man motions him into the room with a wave of his hand, and Felix jumps up from his seat to follow him.
Jack’s sitting on a chair, looking worn out from the ordeal, but he smiles hugely as Felix comes into view. “You okay?” He asks croakily as the blond comes to sit beside him, his throat must be all scraped up.
“That’s what I should be asking you,” Felix returns.
Jack laughs quietly, and wrinkles his nose, they’ve both been worried about each other, he isn’t as concerned about his well being as he is for his boyfriend.
The doctor takes a seat in front of his desk. “The good thing was that he didn’t swallow it…” the doctor says wryly and Jack gets this look on his face like he really wants to get the other to retract that statement, “I think he deserves something nice to make up for it though. Better get something special later tonight, gotta pull out all the stops to make up for this one” His tone sounds suggestive as he wipes the ring off with a tissue, wraps it up and hands it to the swede.
Felix smiles gratefully at the doctor for keeping it hidden despite his remarks. “Anyway, I’ve got to see some other patients,” he stands again, before patting Felix on the shoulder, getting across the message of ‘good luck’. He snickers before closing the door behind him.
“What’s that?” Jack asks.
Felix opens the tissue up to reveal the glistening silver band beneath. It makes Jack gasp and he carefully reaches out to take it. “A ring? how the fuck did I swallow a ring?  What idiot planted an engagement ring in our desert?” He asks looking from the ring to Felix, seeing the shamed look on his face he lets out a small “oh” in a breath.
Felix feels guilty tears fill his eyes suddenly and overflow down onto his cheeks. “I’m so- sorry, I’m so stupid, I caused all this mess. I thought it would be a nice surprise but…” his breath catches, stopping him from continuing.
“It’s certainly a surprise, you accomplished that cause I definitely won’t forget this all that soon,” He smiles, hoping to show Felix his sarcastic annoyance, “Was I supposed to eat the ring? Was that your dastardly plan all along?”
Felix huffs despite the tears still in his eyes. “No, you were supposed to be patient and wait until I’d finished proclaiming my love for you.”
“You put a cake in front of me and expected me not to eat it? Fuckin’ rude, just shows how much you know me.”
Felix cracks a smile, but he’s still got the failed proposal in his mind. He didn’t get chance to express everything he wanted to. His expression falls, he’d ruined everything. Jacks voice pipes up suddenly, “stand up and put the ring behind your back.
“What?”
“Stop questioning my brilliance and just do it.”
It’s then that Felix realises what Jack means, he’s giving him the chance to propose again, even though it’s not the first time he knows that he can’t waste this opportunity. Felix shifts his position on the bed so he’s still sitting on it’s edge but also facing Jack. He gently reaches forward and intertwines his fingers with the Irishman’s, hoping to ground himself from the touch and organize his thoughts. He takes a deep breath to steady himself, feeling both unprepared and certain of himself at the same time. Seeing as he couldn’t remember what he had rehearsed to say, he simply went with what came from his heart.
“Sean you… You mean so much to me, y’know. And I don’t know what I’d ever do without you with me. You… are my light, essentially. Even when I feel like, y’know, I’m not good enough or… or like I don’t deserve some things that I have, just having you hold me or even just having you near me… I feel secure. I feel safe. And I don’t ever want to lose you, Sean. When I wake up every morning and look over, and I see you laying next to me, I feel complete. Like, no matter what happens that day, as long as I get to wake up next to you tomorrow, it’ll be okay,” He pauses. He looks up into Jack’s eyes and feels emotional tears slip down his cheeks, “I know it probably sounds sappy or cliche but… I wanna spend the rest of my life with you, and have you grow old with me. I love you. With every fiber of my being, I love you. So please, would you marry me, Sean?”
Jack then starts genuinely tearing up, and no, it isn’t the grand surprise that it could have been but that doesn’t detract from how indescribably amazing it feels to have such love told and shown to him in the openness of Felix's expression. He pulls Felix close with a nod and they slip the band onto the ring finger of Jack’s left hand. With his other arm Jack hooks it around Felix's neck to pull him down for a kiss.
The Irishman pulls away slightly, resting his forehead against his fiancées he says, “I love you, you fuckin’ idiot.” And in his heart and soul he knows there’s no place he’d rather be than in that hospital room with the love of his life held close, his laughter echoing around the space and the weight of an engagement ring on his finger.
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thestefidelly · 7 years
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SUBJECT 204 (Chapter Five)
(fanfic) (ao3) (chapter one)
Story Summary: Belle is accepted into an exclusive internship at a facility that studies supernatural occurrences, gifted individuals and cryptids. Something about their methods rubs Belle the wrong way, but she tries to let it slide… until she finds out about Subject 204. [RedBeauty, very possible Swan Queen, Maybe Sleeping Warrior] [Regina, Emma and Mulan will be key characters either way]
Notes:  Thanks again to everyone who faved and/or reviewed. I appreciate it a lot! In today's chapter, we get a bit more Ruby, and a little bit of Mulan. Tomorrow will be when Emma finally makes her entrance.
Did they brighten the lights in her room?
She squinted and tried to bury her face in her arms. A pillow or blanket to hide under would be nice, but they gave her some excuse about how it could be a danger to her. All she had was a plain bed that was more of a thinly cushioned metal slab bolted to the wall than anything else. Sometimes she actually preferred sleeping under it than on it, to hide from the bright lights.
There was a reason for the lights being so bright in her quarters, but she couldn't recall what it was.
Grumbling, she fidgeted with the collar around her neck. The chain hooked to it was bolted to her bed. Likewise, the chains attached to her cuffs ended with her bed.
They usually gave enough slack in her chains to let her pace her room and even go under the bed. It was more so she couldn't lunge at them the moment they open the door. She understood where they were coming from. After all, she was a dangerous creature, highly unstable and prone to unpredictable aggression. That's what she heard them saying whenever they observed her and took notes.
But after the stunt she pulled with Dr. Whale, there was just barely enough slack in the chains for her to sit up. She was confined to the bed and probably deserved it.
Her stomach gurgled.
Maybe she should have just cooperated and eaten the meat.
She was so hungry.
There was a tingle in the back of her skull that told her the full moon was drawing near. Maybe in a few more days, she'd have absolutely no control of the wolf. It was probably a good idea then that she was confined like this.
At least this way, she wouldn't be able to hurt anyone anymore.
The high school hallways were abuzz with excited teenagers, eager to chow down and stretch their legs and socialize. She was no different. Her attention span could only hold so much of the babble about chemistry and other sciencey things she didn't have any interest in.
If anything, the one class she enjoyed was home economics. The cooking part anyway. It reminded her of when she was a young girl watching her Granny prepare breakfast. And lunch. And Dinner. Those weekend trips to Granny's house were always the best time ever.
Something about being in front of the oven thrilled her and brought her back to that time when she felt loved and at home.
Then something happened and she just never saw Granny again. There were reports of her being a rumored serial killer but Mother would always shut the TV off or hide the newspaper. No closure ever came and Granny just became a memory. Some kids would point at her and whisper, but that was possible to ignore.
Sometimes, she couldn't help but wonder if any of that was true. If Granny really was a serial killer.
Whenever she was angry, she would entertain the thought that Mother was the actual killer. She was always hiding things and there were always those times when the house would smell weird. It was hard to pinpoint what the smell was, but it reminded her of scraped knees and elbows and raw meat.
"Yo! Daydreamer!" A voice boomed in her ear, making her jump. "Where were you this time?"
She shook her head, changing the subject, "Do you wanna meet me at the park tonight? I can tell Mother I'm studying with Dorothy."
Peter flashed that winning smile that just made her melt. "You mean meet at the park or meet at the park?"
Letting out a short laugh, she gave him a playful nudge, "You know what I mean." With a bite of her lips and a sway of her hips, she gave him the wink she'd been practicing in her room last night.
"Oooh," Peter's smirk widened as he put his hand on the locker behind her and leaned over, "So we're going to study?"
He smelled nice. She could detect the cologne he used and the gel he put in his hair. There was also a hint of shampoo and soap, but that was dulled by the gel and cologne. It was soothing to be around him. She felt safe.
"We could study each other maybe?" She waggled her eyebrows.
Peter did a little bounce. "Lookin' forward to it!"
Pain shot through her head, hitting her sharp and fast. She recoiled, putting her hands against her temples and screwing her eyes shut. Her skull was throbbing and there were lights flashing through her vision. She tried to blink them away and steady her breathing.
"Hey, hey," Peter had his hands on her face. Focusing on him helped steady her.
As suddenly as the pain hit, it subsided to a dull ache at the back of her skull.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah." She shook her head as if that would shake off the throbbing. "I'm good."
There was concern on Peter's face. "Are you getting those headahces again? That happens like every couple of weeks. Are you sure you don't wanna get that checked out? I mean I could walk you to the nurse right now."
"NO!" She shook her head, grabbing his hand and clutching it tightly. "I'm… I'm fine."
"Are you?"
"Mother says it's nothing to worry about." She avoided Peter's concerned eyes. "She says it's normal and that I should just tell her when I feel it so she can prepare the basement for me. There's like some calming music and stuff there and it's soundproof and I dunno." She shook her head.
Talking about it was weird. It made her think of stuff. Strange stuff. Like pain rattling through her entire body. Like wrestling with a huge dog. Which made no sense since they didn't have any dogs.
"Look, I don't wanna talk about this." She wasn't about to let her monthly headaches mess everything up. She just wasn't going to go home tonight. Mother always seemed to know when the headaches were happening. The best option would be to just avoid home and wait at the park. "I'll see you after class, okay? Like maybe right after class."
Peter didn't look too convinced. There was still concern in his eyes. Like she was dying or something. Which she wasn't.
"Peter, please." She kissed his cheek. "I need this. Please?"
He sighed, "If you say so… Although I have practice after class, would you be okay to wait another hour?"
"Hey!" The stern voice of one of their teachers made them freeze. "Break it up, you two, or I'll give you detention."
Rolling his eyes, Peter turned to face the teacher and saluted, "Yes, sir."
That goofy charm was always going to make her giddy.
"204."
Jolting awake, she felt her heart skip several beats when she found a hand clamped over her mouth. Panic threatened to overwhelm her and she tried to squirm away but the assailant maintained hold of her, pushing her back down against the bed.
"Relax, relax. It's me."
As the initial panic subsided, she recognized the nice guard. Milan? Dammit, why was it so hard to remember anything anymore?
The guard tapped the name on her uniform. "Mulan Li, remember?" She was whispering and kept glancing at the door. "I'm going to remove my hand from your mouth. Can you be quiet for me, please?"
She nodded.
"Okay." Mulan slowly moved her hand away. "We don't have a lot of time, and god, if I'm found out, I'm going to be more than just fired."
Not sure how to respond to that, she just nodded again.
"Here," The guard reached into her pocket and for a moment of panic, the thought crossed the subject's mind that a weapon was going to be pulled out. That thought subsided when what instead happened was the smell of cheese and ham and bread. "Normally, I wouldn't recommend eating fast, but it won't be long before Gaston notices a glitch in the cameras."
Was this another test? She eyed the food. It appeared to be a half-eaten sandwich wrapped in tissue. How was this not a test?
"204, please." Mulan took the subject's hands and pressed the sandwich into it. "I'm sorry I couldn't bring you somethint nicer. Just… please. Don't make this risk be for nothing."
Hunger won out and she peeled back the tissue and tore into the sandwich, taking big bites and just barely reminding herself to chew. It was so good. The cheese was cold and not even spread evenly and the ham kept sliding out from under the bread but it was so good. It was real food. It was just. So. Good.
"There we go." Mulan's smile looked almost pained. "I'm sorry there's not more I could do… I mean… do you have any family that knows you're here? Anyone?"
A memory flashed of when she was surrendered to the authorities. Mother watched with a set jaw and thin lips.
The subject nodded.
Mulan looked alarmed. "Really? If my brother Shang knew I was stuck here, he'd tear this place down!"
She shrugged.
A beeping sound came from somewhere in the room. "Shit," Mulan pressed a button on her watch to stop the beeping. "Yeah, I've been here too long. I set the glitch to just last a few minutes and just… shit. Okay. I gotta go."
She reached over to take what was left of the tissue. She was leaving. She was leaving and she hadn't been thanked yet. She was the nice guard. She was Mulan Li. She was the nice guard. She was leaving.
Suddenly full of fear, she reached over and grabbed Mulan's wrist. Stay. Please. Those were the words she wished she could have said but she hadn't spoken in so long and the words didn't come easily anymore and she knew that Mulan would be in trouble if she got caught.
"I'm sorry." Mulan looked wracked with guilt as she pulled her hand free and hurried out of the room, closing the door behind her.
This had to be a test of some sort.
From the other side of the door, Mulan was speaking to Gaston. His deep voice always had a hint of both arrogance and irritation. "Cameras wonked out just now. The prisoner-"
"The subject." Mulan interrupted.
"-whatever. Did she do anything weird? It's that time of the month and she's expected to go feral soon. I heard them saying she might be wilder than usual this time."
"Nothing to report, sir."
"Alright then. I'll go back and yell at Walter some more. Idiot must've pushed some button when he fell asleep on the monitors again. Fucking useless. At ease."
What if it wasn't a test and Mulan was just… nice?
Nice wasn't what monsters deserved.
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dumbbellpony · 7 years
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Troubling Storms
“Now..where in the world did he go?” The light rumble of thunder loomed over Appleloosa, the clouds were drifting in, grey and packed with more than enough water for the orchards. Juniper could only hope that she’d find Hightide before the storm started. Not because of the rain but for his sake, the dishes at Salty Sarsaparilla's Saloon needed to be cleaned, or Salty would tie him to the fence post, again, to make sure Hightide got a good and proper soak. After searching several places her efforts seemed fruitless. There was at least one more place to look.
"‘tide, are you in here?” With a small heave Juniper pushed open the barn door and peered inside. It was packed with hay and tools, it was by the hay where she saw him sitting on one of the square bales. He must have heard the barn door swing open as he turned to her  when she stepped in.
“Hey, June.” his tone was amicable despite his shifting eyes. “Uuhh, did Salty send you to find me? He told me I had a ten minute break.”
Juniper put an exasperated hand on her hip. “Ten minutes has turned into forty-five minutes. Where have you been? Here?” she gestured around. “This whole time?”
Tide shrugged. “I went to Morning Glory’s for a slice of pie first, then I sat around for a little while before I decided to come here all sneaky like.”
“Well you need to get back to Salty’s place before he decides to come lookin for you himself, or worse. Remember the time when Opal had to-”
“Found you.”  
A large shape stood in the doorway, at least twice as tall as the two ponies crouching in the barn. The minotaur came inside with a curt nod to Juniper and a flatly amused glare at Hightide.
“You never came back after your break,” Ruth Opal spoke calmly. “Salty told me to tie you to the weather vain this time, but if we hurry up I can hoist you through the second story window. He might leave you in peace if he finds you actually doing your job.”
“Why are you hiding in the haybarn?” Juniper interrupted, tapping a hoof impatiently. There were plenty of better places for him to slack off.
“I’m just thinking about things is all.” Hightide muttered sullenly. ”I’ll go back to work.”
“Now wait a minute Hightide,” Juniper stepped closer and pushed the stallion back down on the hay bale. “You’ve been acting like nothing but a sour lemon all day. And that’s not counting the past two weeks neither.”
Hightide cringed. “Have I really been that bad?”  Ruth grunted once in confirmation. “Like a wet weekend.”
Suddenly Hightide looked haggard as he tried to swallow the lump in his throat. For a moment he seemed suspended on a choice, staring down at the hay before he finally sighed and closed his eyes.  “Its, uh, it’s my sister. Kite Runner.”
“Kite Runner?” Juniper Jewel mused outloud to herself, a slight dawning of realization playing across her features.  “How is she? Is she alright?” She sat on another bale of hay, waiting for the answer.
“Yeah she’s fine! She left for Canterlot the day before I came here.”
“She wrote to you yet?”  Hightide shook his head. “No nothing from her yet.”
Juniper pulled back, eyes wide like she was ready to scream. “But it’s almost been a month!”
She did scream, though she seemed to be holding back. Above them the thunder rolls grew in strength and frequency, it would be pouring down in mere moments.
“Heh, well she probably decided to write to the folks instead. I don’t mind.”
“Well dernit ya ought to!”  The angrier juniper got the more apparent her country accent became. She checked herself immediately when Hightide started to shrink into his jacket and Ruth gave her a most chilling side glance. “I mean...I-I’m sorry. I don’t have knowin of what’s goin on, it’s just..I remember what happened a year ago at your mom’s last air show and-”
Hightide’s chuckle came out a little cracked. “Would you believe it, they came to her. Not the other way around.  Juniper’s grasp on his shoulder faltered. “I see...”  She sighed and sat back to look at Hightide fully. He looked very tired. Was he getting any sleep?
“Alright listen. I know I can’t say that I understand what you’re going through,” Juniper started. “But despite how you might feel, bein part of the guard is Kite Runner’s choice and from what I’ve seen she is more than capable so...” She reached over again and tilted Hightide’s face towards her by the tip of his chin. “Chin up.”
Hightide grinned. It was a crooked goofy smile that warmed the room despite the chilly rainfall outside.
“Yeah, nothing to worry about!” Hightide stood up and stretched just as a crack of lightning lanced across the sky. Geeze if Opal really had tied him to the weather vain he would probably be  dead by now.  He stared up at the barn roof, his eyes thoughtful and anxious. Juniper’s words of comfort were still there but they could barely hang on under the pressure of storm clouds and thunder...and lightning.
“Kite won’t get  hurt.” - - - - - - - - - - This is happening roughly around the same time as No Pressure though the title similarity is coincidental. Cherry Bomber went to Manehattan, Kite Runner joined the Canterlot royal guard, and Hightide decided to spend his summer in Appleloosa as a means to make some extra cash.  But there is something going on with his little sister that seems to have him on edge. Pretty normal for a brother to be worried about family in the military service but there is something else he won't let on. A trouble he doesn't feel comfortable exposing to Juniper Jewel and Ruth Opal. A rather deep trouble. And yes you may notice this is an anthro pic. I've been wanting to draw humans a lot but also ponies. I don't have time to do both. Soooo this is my middle ground for now. Also drawing Anthro is fun! Oh and yeah, I added a bit more color to Hightide's mane. I liked the blue-ish green since it looks like he has seaweed perpetually stuck in his hair.
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grubhivemind · 7 years
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JOEL: *Out in the wilds of Avalon again, Joel is fresh from his strife with Orphus. He's taking the long way back to Mithun's house, wondering whether he should go back at all. Kicking his way down a dirt road, he touches at the tender swelling on his jaw.* ...Fuck. *Mutters to himself, wiping at his face again.*
MAK: *mak just so happens to live around these parts. out in the thick of it is where he likes to be, and his occupation has garnered him enough income to own a fair amount of land to call his own. he's meandering around the shoddy wooden fence about his property that lines the dirt road when he serendipitously notices joel once again. twice in two days! shoot!*
MAK: *hops to sit on the fence, waving joel down.* g'day! fancy seein' you again so soon.
JOEL: *Either that's a good hop or it's a good fence, either way white tufted ears are angling in the direction of the voice. Joel squints.* ...Oh.
JOEL: Its you.
JOEL: Must be a fancy coincidence. *draws his tongue over the claw marks on his arm again. Wincing at the stings.*
MAK: *ears perk up in surprise when he notices the state joel's in.* damn, mate... you're lookin' rough. *flops over the side of the fence so he can approach him.*
JOEL: Its a street fight on Tuesday. What else is new. *stops to eyeball the approaching troll, frowning some more.* Im fine.
MAK: well you're walkin' and talkin' so i suppose ya could be worse!
MAK: but i got some bandages and some such on me if ya need it.
JOEL: Yeah. *What is he giving affirmation to? It's a mystery. He does break out another bottle of water to chug it.* Ill get it taken care of.
MAK: *scratches at his hair, confused but not put off.* alrighty.
MAK: say, mind if i walk with ya? *seems to be doing that anyway as he moves into step beside joel.*
JOEL: Do you mind? *grouches but his words don't have much of a real bite to them. He trudges through the dirt.* Yeah sure. Fine.
MAK: *chuckles a little and stuffs his hands into his pockets, shuffling along beside him. he has to shuffle because his legs are too deng long.* i bet the other guy looks way worse than you.
JOEL: *Deng those long legs though.* I dunno. He was pretty awful lookin before. I cant take credit for all that mess of a troll.
MAK: H A H A! *that tickles him*
MAK: in that case, he can only hope ya rearranged his face for the better, eh?
JOEL: Guess so. *side eyes Mak, wondering wtf he was thinking actually.* Rileys not my middle name for nothin.
JOEL: I dont suppose you relate.
MAK: huh? to which part? *lopsided grins at the side eyeing.*
JOEL: *Okay so he doesn't side eye him so much as gaze at him.* Doing people favors and rearrangin folks faces for the better.
MAK: *the grin REMAINS.* aw, hell. if the opportunity ever presented it i sure as shit would! *punches into his open palm*
JOEL: *Heck. That's kind of cute. Joel is reluctant to admit. He ambles his way up to some fallen log just off the path. Pops a squat and breaking out the bandages and disinfectant for his arm.* So much for expectin a scolding then.
MAK: *looks surprised* what's there to scold about? ya kicked a bloody fool's ass and walked away with only a few scratches! that's bad ass in my opinion.
MAK: i mean, i A S S U M E he had to comin'. i'll take your word for it. *snickers*
MAK: only thing worth scoldin' about is neglectin' to take care of yourself. but there ya go with it. *follows, rolling to sit in the grass beside him.*
JOEL: Im doing it now. Clearly Im not neglecting. *slathers the disinfectant, clenching his teeth for the stinging pain.* Also I didnt start it. I just finished it.
MAK: *chinhands with his elbows propped on his knees. he looks silly on account of the long legs again.* ah, that's how it's done then.
MAK: what'd he come after ya for, anyhow? if ya don't mind me askin'.
JOEL: *A ridiculous bandana leggy troll. Joel snorts.* He disappeared off the face of existance for like. What. A year? Probably more? He left my brother hanging as they were a quadrant thing.
JOEL: Anyway.
JOEL: He made his appearance on Avalon like its no big deal and of course I was obligated to rat the dumbass out.
JOEL: He had some fucking nerve lemme just say. Citrin didnt even know where the fuck he was.
JOEL: So he holds some hard feelings for the reprecussions following his involuntary flagging.
JOEL: Aint my problem if you ask me. *cleans the scratch marks* Im just taking the punches.
MAK: *low whistle* sounds like a real piece 'a work alright.
MAK: if ya can't take the heat, mister... don't be messin' with all the knobs and burners and shit!
JOEL: More or less my opinion about it. *starting to apply the gauze* Then he had the nerve to tell me not to bring Citrin into it.
MAK: what a W A N K E R.
MAK: he oughta be spendin' his time apologizin' to that brother of yours instead of pickin' fights! golly...
JOEL: *secures the gauze, admiring his handiwork a moment before dropping his arm to his side.*
JOEL: Its none of my business.
MAK: 'course not, mate... but if i was you, i'd be makin' it me business for sure! nobody messes with M Y B R O T H E R.
MAK: i mean, if i had one...
MAK: speakin' strictly hypothetical here.
JOEL: Thanks man. *sighs, poking at the swell of his face again.* Speaking of which. I cant imagine what Citrins gonna say about this.
JOEL: Truth be told. Hell be disappointed.
JOEL: And I wont blame him.
MAK: ah... *scratches at his face scruff* ya think so? he still interested in this bloke?
JOEL: Mh. I dont know. *looks off, his expression withdrawing a little bit.* Not that I can say anything about subjects of this nature.
MAK: matters of the heart, ya mean? cuz me neither... *rocks in place, looking up at the sky thoughtfully.*
JOEL: Its not fun. *brushes off his pants and resolves to stand. Also to change the subject.* You live around here?
MAK: *guess that means he's sproinging to his feet as well.* sure do! just a short ways that a way.
MAK: actually, most of this is my property... beyond the fence, that is.
JOEL: Surprisin I aint seen you much around before. *steps back as he sproings. Seems like the kind of force you don't want to be in the way of.* Ownin all this land. Working with the taskforce. Auryhn too.
MAK: guess our paths just weren't crossin' till now. life's funny that way.
JOEL: Maybe you just dont get out often enough. *crosses his arms over his chest*
MAK: the amount a' time i spend gettin' out suits me just fine, thanks. *snickers*
MAK: but if you're wantin' to see more of me, that should be easy enough to arrange.
JOEL: I dont know if its got to do with wanting to. *raises an eyebrow* It just so happens that I am all of a sudden. And Im takin note of it.
MAK: whatever you say, mate! *claps him on the shoulder.* i like hangin' out with ya too!
MAK: now that ya know where i'm residin', don't be a stranger.
JOEL: *Stares on with another squint. Why's he so... friendly. And handsy.* Oh I didnt realize. This what the kids call "hanging out".
MAK: *he grew up mostly alone, m8. he doesn't even KNOW what boundaries are.* what else would ya call it??
JOEL: Mmmmm. *seems to think about it* Hanging off my arm for whatever reason.
MAK: golly. there he goes with his suspicions again... ya don't keep the company of many folks, do ya cobber??
MAK: ain't nothin' peculliar about a couple of blokes shootin' the shit, is there?
JOEL: *Feels his insides die a little bit, judging by his face. He looks onward.* I guess there aint nothin peculiar about two dudes just.
JOEL: Shootin the shit I guess. As one does.
MAK: *HE SEES NOTHING WRONG WITH THIS.* yeah! you get it! *another shoulder pat for joel. congratulations.*
JOEL: *runs his hand down his face* Sounds familiar enough to run along with it I guess. How else do you make buds bro.
MAK: suppose i can think of other ways... me and auryhn like to tussle from time-to-time. that's a fun way to bond, eh? *looks thoughtful as he starts ambling back towards the road.*
JOEL: Yeah sure. Tusslin with your guy friends. Cant see me turning down a challenge. *He sure loves dying and being dead.*
MAK: *eyes emoji. he can tell joel is being sarcastic, but he figures he's just being a grump for no reason.* that's when we'll do next time, then!
JOEL: Alright. *deepest internal sigh about all of this* But dont go challengin me unannounced.
MAK: sure thing, mate! i wouldn't wanna get the drop on ya. i want a prepared opponent in tip top shape. *snickers, waving and crossing the road towards his fence.*
MAK: take it easy on your way back to... well, wherever you're headed.
JOEL: Thanks man. *kicks some dirt aside*
JOEL: ...
JOEL: Anyway. Bye. *and heads his way down the road.*
MAK: *what a goofy guy. watches joel go for a while just to make sure he's alright before he bounces back home himself.*
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