#au where Simon snacks on people

[lokirulzart]

WILD WEST AU!!!!

You ever notice that when fools do a western AU, they cheap out on the horses or ignore them entirely??? WELL NOT HERE, FOLKS. ONLY THE HIGHEST QUALITY HORSE CONTENT. BECAUSE I LOVE Y’ALL AND ALSO HORSES.

Frank has a snooty Appaloosa because he’s fancy, but also appaloosas are reliable trail horses, so that means he can go bug collecting without worrying much. His insect collection is the envy of all the rich collectors in the whole county.

Wally ended up with a chestnut Arabian mare, because Wally is too small for a bigger horse and I just think it’s funny. HANG ON THERE, PARDNER!! SHE’S A WILD ONE!!! Luckily, Wally is usually unaware of his own horse acting up, and the mare ends up tiring herself out just because Wally simply doesn’t even notice her… he’s too busy spacing out. But he’s one of the best Bronco Busters around thanks to her!

Hunter/trapper/fur trader Barnaby has himself a lovely Shire mare with a sweet and patient disposition. She has no trouble carrying whatever Barnaby has hunted as well as big ol’ Barnaby himself… but he still feels bad about making her work, so he only ever hunts what he needs to in order to get by.

Julie and her mustang are BOTH wild. Julie had the chance to tame her, but instead she just fed off of her spirited energy and now the two of them just tear around being crazy together, getting into trouble, rolling in the dust… Julie wouldn’t have it any other way.

What better steed for a Pony Express postal worker than a sure footed mule?! Seriously, mules are the mountain goats of the equine world. Eddie’s mule might not be as fast of a sprinter as some horses, but this animal can trek over ANY terrain, ensuring that all of the mail gets delivered on time. They have yet to miss a single delivery.

(Snake oil) Salesman Howdy Pillar has a general store in town as WELL as a covered wagon to travel around, ensuring that everyone gets the best deals on their pork ‘n’ beans, biscuits, tobacco, and tonics. You want it? Howdy’s GOT it… and his team of 3 dapple gray Connemara ponies, and one brown one, will make sure that you can get it… also the tallest character having the smallest horses makes me giggle.

Poppy doesn’t have a rideable horse yet, which is perhaps for the best. She spends a lot of time at Howdy’s general store or riding in his wagon. She is his best customer. But she has recently come by a thoroughbred foal that she is now raising from a bottle. So perhaps one day very soon Poppy will have her own tall and elegant steed to carry her around… let’s just hope he’s not too fast for her.

Sally is a performer at the local saloon by night and helps out with cleaning during the day… she knows NOTHING about horses… but one night, after all the local drunks went home, a poor American Paint got left behind. Nobody came back to claim the animal, so Sally boards him at the local ranch and visits often. She hopes one day to learn how to ride him, but it’s slow going. She is, after all, a singer and actress first.

AND THEN HOME THE SALOON!! YOU DIDN’T THINK I’D FORGET HOME, DID YOU?? He has a small stable in the back and a second floor, where Wally lives! Wally gets to spend all his free time hanging out, meeting up with his friends, and drinking all the apple juice he wants! (Just don’t tell him it’s apple juice, he’ll get confused. He thinks he’s just drinking whiskey like everyone else. It’s easier this way.) Also Home is the only saloon that can kick out belligerent drunk people itself!

Also Bonus OCs, Luna O’Hare the bilingual cartographer (created by @m0stlygh0st) and Simon, my boy, the ranch hand! Luna has an Andalusian that she likes to dress up, braid it’s mane, and stick flowers in it-… as snacks for later. They’re also grazing buddies and Luna can often be found eating the horse feed because it’s so similar to rabbit food. Simon has a gelding Quarter Horse with golden retriever energy and not a single braincell to his name. Poor Simon… but at least his horse loves him.

YEEHAW!!!! 🤠

#welcome home #wally darling #frank frankly #barnaby b beagle #julie joyful #Eddie dear #howdy pillar #poppy partridge #sally starlet #welcome home oc #cowboy AU #western AU #wild west AU #horses

[southernbluebellereader]

Coffee shop AU? Nah, gas station AU.

Reader who works the night shift and Ghost who comes in at unholy hours to buy a specific brand of snacks only found there.

This is a request but only if you feel like it!

Emergency Snack Run

A/N: GIRL. I love this. We love us some night owls up here. I think gas station is better lol this took a little longer than expected because life and I had like 50 different ways of how I wanted to end this but I'm happy where it went.

Lt. Simon "Ghost" Riley x F! Gas Station Clerk Reader

Warnings: bothersome customer/attack; unwanted attention

Master List (Tag List at the bottom)

Honestly, you liked working the night shift. It was quiet. And despite what most people think, most of the weird people come during the day. But occasionally someone would come in during your shift that creeped you out enough to keep one hand on the emergency call button and the other on the metal bat that was kept under the cash register.

Anyways. You usually worked the night shifts during the week. Almost no one came in, and you could stock up the shelves or read your magazines in peace. You're technically not supposed to sleep on the job, but if you positioned yourself correctly while sitting behind the cash register, you could hide your face from the camera and from the window well enough so that no one could see that you were sleeping. And the door would hit a bell every time it opened and closed, waking you up from a solid fifteen minute nap.

You liked Wednesdays. Usually it was the quietest, but it also tended to be the most boring. The only reason you liked it was because-

Ding.

Ding.

You didn't even have to look up from your magazine to see who it was, but you did anyways. You looked at the time, then smiled up at the darkly clad man. 3:04 AM.

It was almost like clockwork, every Wednesday at around three in the morning. You expected it. Even when he was gone for weeks, sometimes months. And he was finally back.

"Simon! You're back."

You chuckled at his grunt and brief eye contact as he walked through the chip aisle.

"What happened to my crisps?"

Every time he came, you'd put his favorite crips in the same spot and make sure they were well-stocked. You always kept a few bags on the side just in case the shelves were empty.

"You're out." The large man was suddenly by your counter, placing a few drinks on your counter. The corner of his mouth was slightly curved. Only God knows when you'd ever see his full smile.

"Who says I'm out?" You smile and pull out three bags of his favorite crisps from under the cash register and placed them on the counter, beginning to ring him up. "You know the truck comes in on Thursdays, Simon."

"Yeah yeah, thank you, Y/N." Simon chuckled and paid for his snacks.

"Just Y/N? Geezer comes every day at six in the morning always trying to serenade me."

Simon took his change from you and placed it in the empty jar next to the register. You weren't supposed to keep a tip jar, Simon just hated keeping change. So you just kept it there. You smiled at him as you put his food in a plastic bag. He couldn't help but sigh and smile, "You're God-sent, Y/N. That better?"

"Much better. Good seeing you Simon."

"Yeah yeah, see you next week. Call me when that Geezer comes in here, that metal bat isn't going to do anything."

"Yeah yeah, see you next week, Simon." You shooed him away and he gave you a wink as he left the store.

---

"Geezer, I'm calling Simon!"

Geezer was the crazy person who would come in almost every morning at six in the morning, half-crazy, half-harassing everyone both in and out of the gas station.

"OooOOooH who's Simon? That your boyfriend? I thought I was your boyfriend, Miss Y/N!" Geezer leaned over the counter, getting closer to you. You were the only one working until at least seven in the morning.

It was Monday, you knew it was out of the ordinary for Simon to come to the gas station. He'd given you his phone number months ago on the back of his receipt under a note reading:

When you finish your magazine

/Simon

You hadn't called him - nothing ever happened that you couldn't handle, and every time Geezer came, someone else would be in the store to help you.

You cursed under your breath and quickly dialed his number, before you could put your phone up to your ear, Geezer was nearly on the counter, nearly cornering you. You didn't get a chance to grab the bat.

You couldn't even comprehend what the crazed man was saying, but thanking whoever was in Heaven when you barely heard Simon's voice on the phone.

"Y/N? You alright?"

"S-Simon! Can you-

"Simon? Is that Simon?"

Simon's heart began to race, he couldn't tell if it was racing in his throat, his ears, or in the bottom of his stomach. "Y/N, keep the phone on. I'm almost there."

He was due to deal with rookie training but he'd rather have Price chew him out. The gas station was only a few minutes away from the base. Simon made it there in less than that.

You didn't even see or hear Simon come in. Geezer had you trapped in the corner by the cigarettes. He saw your phone and threw it to the side. You didn't even process how much the man smelled or how dirty he was, you just wanted him off of you. You could barely keep him off of you and he was practically on top of you.

Your cool and sassy persona had been stripped, you felt helpless - you were helpless. You begged the old man to get off of you.

"Please let me go! Please, the register is open!"

"You think I want money, pretty girl? Why do you think I come here every morning?"

Before you could move a muscle. Geezer was yanked away from you by a large hand. You yelped in fear and covered your face. Simon ran behind the counter and had pulled the old man off of you, not saying a word. Geezer did all the yelling as he was being dragged to the back of the store, loud grunts and moans of pain and pleads for mercy could be heard in between punches.

You stayed on the floor, sobbing under your hands, scared to move a muscle, scared to move your hands away from your face.

"Y/N?"

The voice was a little rough around the edges, yet soft and gentle. But you were still afraid to look. Simon crouched in front of you, giving you a moment to realize that it was safe. He felt guilty. He never understood why you chose to work night shifts, despite his protests that it was unsafe, and your reassurances that it was ok.

He liked seeing you every Wednesday at three in the morning. You were a constant in his life. A reassurance that something - or someone - would always be there. He should have done something sooner, but he'd let his guard down with you - he'd let it down too much and if you hadn't called him, who knows what would've happened.

After a moment, unsure of what to do, he reluctantly leaned forwards and gently placed his hands on your back against your shoulder blades, speaking out loud every action he did so that nothing would come as a surprise.

"Y/N. Everything is ok now. I'm going to put my hands on your back and move you out of here."

His voice was even softer now. You'd stopped crying and sniffled, rubbing your face as you nodded, allowing him to put his large hands on your back and move you towards him. Simon placed you between his legs, your body and head resting on his body as he held you close, and whispered, "I got you," over and over again.

Your body was still trembling, but it soon subsided the longer you were in in embrace. People started coming in the store but were shooed away by Simon's glares until a police officer eventually arrived to process the scene.

Simon kept you in his arms, remaining on the floor for as long as possible until the officers needed to take your statement and the EMTs needed to give you a look over.

Even then, he didn't leave your side. He didn't want to. He never wanted you to be alone.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tag List

@ateliefloresdaprimavera @galagcica @sweetybuzz25 @wisedinosaurpolice @itsasecrets-things @ronbon @lieutenantlashfaz @piper570 @shuttlelauncher81 @thanksbutno98 @gabriellathegreat @kult6 @loadedberetta @sarahs-secrets2

#cod #call of duty #call of duty mw #call of duty mwii #call of duty mw2 #simon x reader #simon riley x reader #simon ghost riley #simon ghost riley x reader #ghost x reader #fan fic #fan fiction #simon #riley #lieutenant simon riley #riley x reader #cod request #call of duty request #request

[fieldsofbats]

simon riley x waitstaff! reader : getting coffee

okie dokie, the second part of the waitstaff au bc i like it when authors have a reoccurring au and i write what i like to see from others. i am also open to exploring other peoples au’s and discussing ideas. i don’t like the idea of having requests because i don’t wanna put that pressure on myself but i want to work with people and explore lots of ideas i see from people. tl;dr, send me ur ideas but not requests.

part one, part two

ghost would take the longest to ask you out, like he is a confident man (have u heard his lines???) and isn’t afraid of confrontation or anything, just doesn’t like the idea of potentially ruining anything you guys have going because he has ~feelings~

would make sure to do it either after your shift or when it is very quiet and you are the only floor staff on, wants it to be the two of you in an open and casual environment

your comfort and feelings are of the utmost importance to him always thinking: “are they okay with his?” “i’m not over stepping?” “this is okay, right?”

personally strikes me as someone who needs verbal confirmation of others feelings.

he can read a battlefield no problems, can predict movements from a mile away. your feelings??? nah, dude has no clue and needs verbal reassurance, not that he would ask for it but is amazed when you figure that out yourself. ‘fuck they are literally made for me.’

i don’t think he could actually say the words ‘let’s go on a date’, strikes me as a ‘when r u free? Let’s do this…’ kinda person. 

would have the whole thing planned out though, has prepared himself for every possible response and outcome. thinks of it as a sort of mission. 

i like the idea that he did get advice from price (daddy)

it wouldn’t be the actual task of asking you out that freaks him a bit, but the uncontrollable factor of your response. 

he can’t plan for that so is anxious about what you might say or think, hence the over planning and the private obsessiveness.

BUT YOU SAID YES, “yeah, I finish my shift at 4, we could get a coffee or snack if you want?” YES WE CAN GET COFFEE “sounds good.” SOUNDS AMAZING.

waits out the front of the restaurant for you, has been waiting since 3.

figuring out who he should wait, wants to appear casual but wants you to think he is cool. leaning on his bike? no, a bit asshole-y. casually smoking? no, you might not like that. just standing? why does it fuckin’ matter?

oh shit here they come, fuck they look so nice in the sun light. 

you smile that sweet smile of yours to him and his knees buckle as he turns to face you fully. he grips the door jam so he doesn’t fall in front of you. He’s already fucked it. 

“where were you thinking?” you asked him, completely ignoring his near face plant into the pavement.

he directs you over to a close by coffee shop, you’ve been there before so wave politely to the staff and point to the best seats in the shop. he nods and follows to the back, a small semi-private nook at the back.

he thinks it went well, he tried to avoid the topic of his work and asked you as many questions as possible. but it wasn’t to the point you were talking the entire time.

he could feel himself blushing under his mask, the slightly larger surgical style mask reaching just under his eyes. He was thankful you didn’t push him to take the mask off or tell you his real name. 

you understood that military people have a lot they can’t share, particularly someone in SAS. those folks are intense and have extremely private lives. 

one coffee turned into two, a few biscuits turned into soup for dinner. then into being asked to leave by the owner. 

“oh sorry matt. thanks for putting up with us.” you laughed and began to pack up to leave. ghost, ever the gentleman, paid and you thanked him. 

“next one is on me.” NEXT ONE?! dudes heart near leaves his body and race through the street at illegal speeds. 

he nods and quickly walks out of the shop to hide his little shiver of excitement. you ask him about his bike (i fuckin love motorcycle men omg), something he is more than happy to chat about and explain to you. 

you patiently listen for about ten minutes before he notices he hasn’t taken a breath since he started. “sorry, I’m keeping you.”, you quickly shake your head

“i like hearing you talk, mostly about things you are passionate about.” omg he lov- likes you so much. 

he nods and looks away, hiding the massive blush that comes over his nose and cheeks. 

“i’ll see you next week ghost.” you smile and wave goodbye.

he waves back and whispers to himself “for the rest of my life darling.”

okay this is kind of shit but i have written this in one sitting in the evening. feedback is always welcome as well, be respectful though. i will probably come back and edit this but enjoy :)

#simon riley #simon riley x reader #simon riley x you #simon ghost riley #ghost x reader #cod mwii #cod mw2 #simon ghost riley x reader #waitstaff!au #ghost riley x you #ghost riley imagine #fanfic #headcanon #rambles

[grapehyasynth]

au where Ayub's sister, who used to babysit Simon and Sara, gets engaged, and she's mentioned that her girlfriend is in personal security for some important people but they don't know any specific names of clients until Crown Prince Wilhelm shows up to the engagement party because the new fiancée is one of the prince's bodyguards. Simon meets the prince by the snack table, and to be polite he asks how he's liking Bjärstad, to which Wilhelm says, "its nice, no one seems intimidated by me." Simon snorts, he can't help himself, and Wilhelm blushes and pushes his hair back and explains it's hard to find people who treat him like a normal person. They talk for a while longer, to the point where Simon has forgotten he'd promised to make Sara a plate of food, and they keep talking until Ayub's sister pops up, quickly catching the vibe and immediately asking Wilhelm if he wants to hear stories about Simon as a toddler

#young royals #wilmon

[callsign-songbird]

OK ok ok, my mind is churning with an AU

So, we know Charlie's wonderful slasher Simon AU, right? Well, I just finished the second scream movie and BOY do I have thoughts for my own vaiernt of the Slasher Simon AU.

College.

Sports.

Murder.

Of course, not for any convoluted reason like Micky or Ms. Lumen, no. Just because Simon had a rough upbringing, and it's one of the only ways he knows how to releive stress. Besides, he's always found knives and firearms fascinating, especially his KBAR and his Snake Eye. The first time was an accident, the second time felt good, and after that? After that was just... Ghost.

They can go to an rotc specializing college (idk if those exist, but it's 4 am, I'll finesse the details later) ANYWAY they can be split up by Dorms!! Like, dorm TF141, and K0RT4C.

Laswell could be the headmistress, or Vice President

Price would totally be the golden boy dorm leader. He has to make sure that the boys under his jurisdiction stay safe and abide by dorm rules. He totally acts like the father of the group and always gets mistaken for a teacher (although, he does tutor students who fall behind, even if they aren't in his dorm)

Gaz could be the clumsy right-hand man who always has the scoop around campus (Golden retriever boy) always wears a baseball cap or letterman jacket, sometimes both.) He's the little brother of the group, definitely. Not to the point where he is baby, but definitely to the point where the others help him out a bit more and tend to give him advice (whether it's warranted or not) and he totally looks up to Price.

Soap is a study abroad student from Scotland who takes his studies almost as serious as his Rugby. A total Jock, but not the sleazy kind, the kind that takes a drunk girl home and writes her a note explaining what happened while leaving a bucket by her bed and some pedialite on the bedside (because not everyone can drink like him) going with the brother theme, Soap is TOTALLY the older brother, you can't tell me I'm wrong. I totally headcannon that he grew up in a stable household with three younger sisters, so he's just used to being the big brother.

Simon would (obviously) be the Ghostface. The scream movies are really good at keeping you guessing who the killers are, so it really wouldn't be obvious at all. He's buff from sports and the time he spends either at the gym or training in martial arts for his expected military career, of course he still likes dark humor and really bad jokes, and has a penchant for skull themed clothes, going as far as to wear a skull-print balaclava in winter. (Soap has declared himself as Simon's best friend. Simon won't admit it, but it's true.) Keeping up with the brothers theme, Simon is DEFINITELY a middle child. Quiet, reserved, brooding, tries to keep to himself so people tend to overlook him. Middle child all the way in this dorm dynamic. (Though, being a murder isn't exactly his LIFE, more of a hobby to let off steam, so it isn't really the focal point of the AU so much as college shenanigans)

And Roach (Because in my AU roach is alive and well) if the dorm is a family, then Roach is the pet, or the Wine uncle who occasionally shows up at 3 in the morning to steal snacks. Roach is the dorm party animal, always up to trouble, always has a drink, everyone loves him, and he always seems to know everything about everyone on campus. But he's also a feral gremlin who says and does weird things (like taking naps in the ceiling on lunch) all the time, so half the time no one takes him seriously. Odd and feral as he may be, he's still part of the dorm, and everyone treats him as such.

I still have to think about the K0RT4K dormmates and their dynamic, as well as the Ghosts squad, but oh my gosh, let me know if you want any more, and please send asks if you're interested! Though, I'll probably be drabbling more about it anyway, lol

#call of duty #ramblings #cod #cod men #drabble #ghost cod #simon ghost riley #john soap mactavish #john price #soap cod #gaz garrick #captain price #price #task force 141 #kortac #scream #slashers #AU #my au ideas #college #cod roach #roach cod #gary roach sanderson #ideas #college au #slasher au #idk what else to tag #but this has been rolling around in my brain #so I hope you enjoy it like I do! #have a good existence!

[dolokhoded]

how would this go down in your au

ooohohohoho charlie i have THOUGHT ABOUT THIS you have NO IDEA. you've given me the perfect opportunity to talk about the Disciple Van Road Trip that doesn't actually happen in the AU because they have no money or time to actually do that but i still have thought about extensively.

john brought up the idea and simon immediately agreed and these two are unstoppable forces so by the moment they agree on something it's happening

literally Everyone else complains but does it anyways

thomas is very against the idea because he knows "we'll all take turns driving" means he, big james, jesus and susanna will take turns driving until susanna gets bored, james has to settle an argument or console someone and jesus has some petty fight with judas and sulks in the back of the van

matthew and john do most of the planning. john because he's enthusiastic and matthew because nobody's trusting john to do this by himself

also he's very detail oriented so he'll do it properly

big james has several objections. most being on how set simon is on this when he knows he gets car sick like 30 minutes into a drive

philip and andrew have accepted their fate and are buying snacks.

little james buys noise cancelling earphones.

magdalene borderline refuses and goes home but susanna and thad talk her into it

the trip happens anyways because of course it does.

as predicted an hour in john and judas are throwing chips at each other

susanna is threatening to turn the car around and go home

matthew gets overstimulated and borrows little james' earphones which leaves him having to cope with andrew panicking over forgetting to pack the most insignificant shit

peter and andrew are insulting each other's mothers

(peter and andrew are half siblings now. lore change. i don't remember if i've ever shared that)

(generally several changes are being made)

simon has gotten car sick and wants to die. big james is trying his best to comfort him instead of calling him an idiot and saying he told him so

magdalene and jesus are engaging in polite conversation

john goes through phases where he's either super hyped and energetic and non stop talking or silently huddled next to matthew in the back of the van probably dissociating

nathanael gets bored and is trying to get thad to make out with him

several people are throwing things at nathanael

thad asks to change seats

big james realizes susanna is a hundred percent for real and is going to turn around and go home so he gently offers to drive for a bit

simon barfs out the window

they all agree it's time to make a little rest stop and get fresh oxygen back into their brains

things go slightly more smoothly after that

simon's not sick anymore and also he and james in the front seats means they're in charge of the music which means there's good music

jesus and judas have resolved whatever they're currently going through at a gas station which means jesus is in a good mood again and can make sure the group isn't falling apart

he comes up with a bunch of ridiculous road games that keep everyone busy enough to not start throwing stuff at each other

peter and andrew apologize for insulting each other's mothers and share a bag of fritos

peter and magdalene on the other hand have fought during the stop and are currently not on speaking terms

nathanael and thad might have made out. nobody's sure and at this point they're not sure they really wanna know.

magdalene and judas smoke out the window despite agreeing not to but at this point nobody's willing to pick a fight about it

jesus and thomas take turns driving while everyone sleeps. some of them occasionally wake up and keep them company because apparently sleeping in a van is not most convenient

mostly nathanael cause this guy can't sleep in a regular setting nevermind a moving vehicle. sometimes judas.

john has a nightmare at some point which he really had hoped wouldn't happen but here we are

thomas notices and he wakes big james and james makes him pull over but eventually they go back to sleep

the rest of the night is mostly uneventful

philip wakes up at some insane hour at dawn and asks thomas to pull over again in some field so he can watch the sunrise

thomas wants to go home or drive the van into a wall but he can't do that so he sits with philip and meditates on the dirt instead.

#asks #i missed them. i've been so busy lately i've barely had any time to sit and Yap about them. #dolokhoded bible #im not religious just insane.jpg #bible fandom

[fwtomura]

Breathe Into Your Hungry Appetite

cw: ghostsoap (simon riley x john mactavish), modern au, drug dealer au, mentions of weed, eventual smut, that’s abt it.

CHAPTER TWO, CHAPTER THREE

this is my first time posting on fucking tumblr so don’t give me shit for this😞😞 this fic is abt drug dealer soap and buyer simon where they’re got a ton of sexual tension but don’t really know how to act on it without the help of weed :3 !

Mornings were never a favorite time of day for Simon Riley. Eleven o‘clock could hardly even be considered morning, but it was by his standards. He awoke with that same dull, aching pain in his lower back. He wasn’t able to tell if it was from sleeping weirdly or his mattress that was nearly half his age at this point, but he didn’t entirely care regardless.

Whatever the reason, his joints still ached as he sat up to stretch, pushing the blankets off of his body to form a messy pile in the empty side of his bed. His feet met the carpet before he stood up, prompting his lazy shuffle towards the bathroom as he rubbed the residual sleep from his eyes.

He didn’t spare a thought towards his unmade bed. What the hell was the point of making it if he was just going to sleep on it and mess it up again?? He went through the motions of the rest of his morning routine; brushing his teeth, splashing a bit of water on his face to wake himself up fully, and getting a comb through his hair just enough to make it look a bit less of a mess than usual before he went back into his room to smoke a bowl. He was running low on his weed. He made a mental note to message Soap about it later.

He’d only been smoking for the last year or so after some encouragement from his brother, Tommy. God only knows how much Tommy heard from his complaining about his insomnia and back pain. His suggestion had been to start smoking weed and to his credit, it worked. it was a bit less of a conventional method by most people’s standards, but it worked and saved Simon the trouble of having to book too many doctor appointments just to be giving medication that could make things worse instead of properly helping him.

The gratification was nearly instant as soon as Simon felt the smoke hit his lungs, the gentle burn in his throat keeping him grounded as he exhaled. His morning ritual of smoking a bowl was always just as rewarding. Feeling his head slowly filling with cotton and everything around him dulling was euphoric, even bordering on therapeutic. The ache in his limbs and back dulling with each slow inhale from his pipe, his head finally seeming to grow quiet for just a moment was nothing short of pure bliss. He was shocked back into reality by a small piece of ash maneuvering it’s way through the pipe, into his mouth, and conveniently striking him in the back of his throat, sending Simon into a rather brutal coughing fit. Roach would call those “scooby snacks”and Simon felt the need to tell him how stupid it sounded every time he said it. It sounded childish but he still felt it was an accurate description.

He quickly cleaned up his setup as soon as he finished, clearing out the pipe and making a mental note to properly wash it later, but it was highly likely that he wouldn’t end up actually doing it. He headed downstairs to make breakfast. It was just a bowl of cereal, but he needed to keep himself fed at the very least. He turned the TV in the living room on for some background noise, not too bothered with properly watching it.

The vast majority of his mornings started off like this. He worked part time evening shifts at a record shop that was a ten minute walk away from his house. If Simon wasn’t working, he was more than likely spending time at home either playing his guitar or sleeping. He didn’t tend to get out of the house too much, but he preferred it that way. He rarely left the house aside from work or to get weed and he wouldn’t have it any other way.

Meeting up with friends was exhausting and he always needed to be alone for a few hours after any kind of heavy social interaction. Every overlapping sound of conversations, to music, to people just walking around were overwhelming. Smoking helped him stay calm for the most part, but it only helped to a certain extent. He would proudly be a hermit for the rest of his life, it didn’t bother him in the slightest.

One of the few people Simon interacted with regularly was his dealer. His name was ‘Soap’ but Simon knew he that wasn’t his actual name. He just hadn’t gotten around to bullying that information out of him yet. Soap was.. a fairly interesting character, to say the least. He was only a couple years younger than Simon and around half a head shorter than him.

Simon had never seen Soap dressed up nicely. The vast majority of the time, he was wearing a black t-shirt, either black or grey matching sweatpants, and a pair of slides with socks that looked like they’d been to hell and back. He always wore the same gold cross around his neck, which Simon was almost positive was fake but wasn’t sure. Soap smelled like expensive cologne and weed typically. He was undeniably attractive despite the overgrown mohawk/mullet that Simon would frequently bully him for having. He was good looking but he seemed to have a habit of getting under Simon’s skin every time he saw him. It pissed Simon off, but he still enjoyed his presence.

Fuck. That’s what he’d been forgetting. He needed to text him. He sat down his cereal and grabbed his phone, shooting Soap a quick text.

💀: hey, are u busy rn?

🧼: never too busy 4 u

🧼: what do you need?

Soaps response came quicker than Simon expected. He always had a habit of responding quickly when it came to him, but it still managed to surprise him sometimes.

💀: running a bit low. could you swing by sometime today with an ounce?

🧼: ill be there in 20

As annoying as Simon found himself at times, Soap had always had a habit of being particularly punctual with his “delivery” times. They had built up a bit of a routine through their time together. Soap would pull up, Ghost would get in the car with him, and they’d drive around for a bit so that the interaction would seem less suspicious, and Soap would drop him back off with his weed.

Even though Soap said he’d be there in twenty minutes, Simon still went downstairs and sat on the couch, almsot immediately putting his shoes on and scrolling through his phone to pass time. It felt extremely awkward, and Roach frequently gave him shit for it, but Simon liked being able to head straight out of the door as soon as he heard Soap’s shitty Honda pulling into his neighborhood. He could hear it from nearly a block away every time. Soap never sad to send him a text letting him know that he was there.

“Are you waiting for Soap?” Simon nearly startled when he heard Roach speak. He’d come into the living room from the kitchen. Despite being so tall, Roach always seemed to move through the house without a sound and startle Simon at least once per day.

“Jesus H.. Need to get you a bell or something. Yeah, I am.” Simon sat up properly, watching as Roach gave him a quick nod before walking towards the stairs.

“You don’t need to wait by the door like a fuckin’ dog every time he’s coming by.”

“And you need to get a better fucking’ hobby than giving me shit all day.” Simon waved him off briefly before checking the time on his phone. Soap would e arriving any minute. As harsh as he was towards Roach, he was one of the few people who he was properly close to. They’d both seen each other at their respective low points and were extremely close, but Roach knew how to get under Simon’s skin just like how Tommy would when they were still living together. Simon frequently wanted to put him in a headlock, but that was just their friendship.

Like clockwork, Simon heard Soap pulling up outside and he left the house just as Soap was pulling into the driveway. He drove a rather beat up looking old, white Honda civic. Three of the door had rust on them, one of them didn’t even open, and all of the hubcaps were scuffed as all hell, the cheap gold overlay revealing the lover quality metal underneath. The car was never clean, interior or exterior, but Simon never judged that. He didn’t even have a car so arguably, Soap was faring much better than he was.

As soon as Soap put the car in park, Ghost was opening the door and sitting down. The floor was the cleanest that he’d seen it recently, having only a few empty bottles along with some scattered napkins across the mat. Soap didn’t even have to move anything off of the passenger seat so that Ghost could sit down.

“Even cleaned up for meg How polite…” Ghost mumbled as he sat down, quickly buckling his seatbelt as Soap started backing out of the driveway. His arm was pressed against the back of Simon’s headrest, perfectly displaying the tattoos and veins trailing down his forearms. Ghost would be lying if he said he didn’t want to—

“Only the best for my favorite customer.” There was laying it in thick again. As much as Ghost liked to pretend that it bothered him, he did enjoy how Soap tended to dote on him whenever they were together. It was hard to tell him to back off whenever he’d flash that same charming smile while sily fiddling with his cross. He had a certain charm to him that Ghost couldn’t help but be drawn to.

“Are you hungry? Have you eaten today?”

“I ate today, yeah.” Soap always had the tendency to check on him like this, and as much as Ghost found it annoying, it wa strangely endearing.

“If you’re hungry, we can go get something. I don’t mind the extra trip if you are.” Fucking hell . He wasn’t a child, he could feed himself.

“You don’t need to, I’m fine. You’re already bringing me weed, I don’t need food on top of that.” Ghost fiddle awkwardly with the cash in his pocket, blushing ever so slightly under his back surgical mask.

“I’m just saying.. If you change your mind, let me know, alright?” They sat in silence for a moment, Soap’s playlist on at a low volume in the background. The speakers in his car were blown out. If music was played at too high of a volume, you could barely even understand it. “What’d you think of the last stuff I gave you?”

“It was nice, definitely helped out with the sleep issues and everything else. It worked a little too well, honestly.” Ghost reached into his pocket and pulled out his pack is cigarettes, offering one to Soap before lighting one and cracking the window a bit. “I slept really well with it, but it honestly made me a bit too tired in a way. Going to work after smoking it was a fuckin’ nightmare.”

“I figured it might. That shit put me straight to sleep when I tried it. Did it help much with your back?”

“It did, yeah. Not so much waking up, but it didn’t bug me too much after having a bowl.” His check ins with Soap nearly felt like medication evaluation sometimes, but he appreciated that he cared enough to see if he got the strain right for him.

“Glad to hear it. If being tired is what got you, I have a different strain I can give you. This one’s a bit more of a head high than a body high. Should be decent for keepin’ you on your feet all day. It’s a new one I got in. I threw a couple grams of it in that baggie for you,” Soap gestured at the plastic bag stashed in the corner console. “It’s a separate from the ounce. Let me know if you end up liking it and If can give you a bit more of it whenever I see you next.”

“How much do I owe you?”

“Just forty.” Ghost nearly did a double take as soon as he spoke, freezing from where he was counting up his money.

“Only forty? Bullshit.” He turned slightly in his seat so that he could properly face Soap, his mask still pulled down beneath his chin as his cigarette dangled out of the side of his mouth.

“I’m serious. It’s on me.” Soap reached over, giving Ghost a reassuring pat on the shoulder. “It’s a new strain, and I haven’t gotten many people to try it. ‘M not gunna make you pay for it if you don’t even know if you’ll like it. It’s my treat.”

“If you fuckin’ say so…” Ghost placed the bag in his pocket, puffing on his cigarette as they kept driving. Soap was taking the same loop that he always did. It took around twenty minutes. His excuse was that it made everything look less suspicious and Ghost took his word for it.

“Hey, Soap?”

Soap gave a soft him in acknowledgment, slowly making a left turn with only one hand on the wheel.

“What’s your actual name? And don’t fuckin’ lie to me about it I know damn well your real name isn’t Soap.” He couldn’t give him too much shit, Ghost hadn’t given him his real name either. He’d make the excuse of wanting to keep his identity a bit more private, particularly when he initially met Soap. Since he’d been in contact with him for the past six months, it only felt fitting to ask that now.

“I’ll tell you if you give me your name first.” He glanced over to Ghost briefly before turning his attention back to the rode.

“It’s Simon.”

“Of all the names in the world you could’ve picked, you picked Simon?”

“Oh fuck off. What’s yours then? If you’re gunna give me shit, what’s yours?”

“It’s john.” Ghost fully barked out a laugh, nearly losing his cigarette in the process. His shoulders shook slightly as he tired to calm himself back down. “What? Don’t fuckin’ laugh! My dad picked it out you fuckin’ bastard.”

“You have absolutely no right to give me shit when your name is John. Get the fuck out of here.” Ghost wheezed softly, ashing out his cigarette into the designated cup in the center console. “Did your friends call you Johnny?”

“Fuck no. I hated that shit when I was growing up.” Soap pulled into a parking like briefly, turning the car around and starting to head back towards Ghost’s house. “I don’t mind hearing it from you though. Sounds nice.”

The rest of the drive back home to Simon’s house was made in comfortable silence, neither of them having too much else that they wanted to say. It was oddly comforting spending that time with Soap. He didn’t feel obligated to talk to him and he was extremely grateful for it. He enjoyed his company, despite the fact that he found Soap annoying as all hell at times. He was strangely endearing. He found himself hesitating to reach for the door as soon as Soap pulled into his driveway.

“Hate to drop you back home so soon.. Are you busy later tonight? Id like to see you.” Soap’s eyes felt nearly piercing from where he sat, and Simon almost immediately held eye contact. He wanted to invite him in for a moment, but decided against it.

“I’ve got laundry to do tonight, unfortunately. Maybe some other time.” It was partially a lie. Simon did enjoy his company, but he wasn’t exactly in a rush to hang out with him or have him come over.

“Let me know. Id like to hang out with you aside from just running you over your stuff.” Interesting..

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Simon opened the door of the car, stepping out before leaning down to talk to Soap easier. “I’ll talk to you later, Johnny.”

He shut the door before Soap could respond. Was it rude? Arguably, but he knew that he could end up talking to Soap for hours if he didn’t cut the conversation off. He quickly headed inside, locking the door and kicking his shoes off before heading upstairs to his room. He opened up his stash box and took the baggie that Soap had given him out of his pocket. He separated out the bags, placing the smaller bag with the new strain separately from his remaining weed. In the larger bag, there was a small box of rolling papers and… a note?

“XXX-XXX-XXXX text me? >_0”

It wasn’t entirely out of character. Considering they’d been using different apps for texting, it made sense that Soap would give him his proper phone number. Still, it felt somewhat odd. Particularly with a winky face on the note. Simon decided not to think about it all too hard.

He got everything back into his bowl, grabbing his grinder that had the remaining amount of bud that Soap had giving him previously and loading it into his bowl. He sat down onto his bed up near the headboard, cracking open the window open as not to hotbox the entire room. It was definitely on its way out, but the weed was till perfectly fine. Simon didn’t have any plans for that kuhnt and was only planning on watching TV and tuning out the world. He always preferred a laid back night that like that to going out.

He had just gotten his pipe cleaned out and put away, settling down into bed when he heard a knock at the door. Knowing it was roach, he called for him to come in.

“Hey, party at Garrick’s tonight, are you coming with?” Roach was leaning against the doorway, his hand still resting in the doorknob. A party was the absolute last thing that Simon wanted to do if he was completely honest.

“No, I’m not coming with. Tell Gaz I said hi.” Simon was hoping thad be enough to get Roach out of his hair, but judging by the scowl on his face, it apparently wasn’t.

“Dude, cut the shit. I’m convinced that you don’t leave the house outside of work and getting weed. When was the last time you saw the sun?”

“What are you, my fucking mother?”

“I’m fucking not but jesus christ, Simon. I’m worried about you, seriously. You need to get out of the house more. It’s not healthy.” Simon hated when Roach would fuss over him like this, but the behavior was warranted to an extent. He appreciated it, but it felt a little overbearing at times.

“I’m alright, Gary, I promise. I’m not feeling too good tonight,” That was a complete fucking lie, but he needed an excuse. “I’ll just be a bum if I go. You have fun, I’ll come next time.”

“Aww… does your tummy hurt??” Simon promptly flung the nearest pillow at him, which Roach expertly dodged. “Have fun sulking around the house. I’m holding you to that promise. I’m dragging you with me next time.”

“Yeah, yeah. Fuck off, go have fun. I’ll catch up with you later.” Roach tossed the pillow back over to him before shutting the door behind him. Simon heard him heading off down the stairs and out of the house, relaxing a little as he heard his car starting and driving off.

He rolled over to face the TV, barely even watching it. He could hear thunder faintly off in the distance and quickly closed his window just before the rain startled up. It was a miserable night to be out anyways. He spent the remainder of his evening curled up with his blankets, being pulled off to sleep by the soft pattering of the rain against the glass of his window.

#FWTOMURA #call of duty #cod mw2 #ghost cod #cod mwii #simon ghost riley #simon riley x john mactavish #simon riley #john soap mactavish #john mactavish #cod smut

[blackberrysummerblog]

WIP Wednesday!!

Thank you for the tags, @cutestkilla and @palimpsessed! I’m still working away on my fic for erotic gropefest (and thank you too to everyone who liked or reblogged my post from that on Sunday, it was really great to get the encouragement 🥰)

Soooo I’m working on two things other than that, but mostly still my crucible marriage AU, so that’s what I’ll post an excerpt from today. This is still at the garden party reception, after Simon and Baz have, uh, finished up in the mudroom. I almost posted the bit with Mordelia that’s referenced here, but maybe this scene with Fiona has more value. Thanks for reading; tags are under the cut! (Sorry if I tagged anyone who already posted, I continue to be a tumblr fail)

Simon

Baz’s hair is gleaming in the sunlight, and I want to kiss him again until all these people take the hint and leave. I can’t imagine why his dad wanted to throw a party in the first place, except I guess it’s tradition, and tradition seems to have a stranglehold on these old-money families. What a way to live.

Merlin, Baz’s bratty sister is talking to Fiona after all—I’d thought she was just making idle threats. But no, she points right at us, and then—shit, she’s crossing her wrists behind her back. I didn’t think she’d noticed that, but Mordelia doesn’t miss a trick. A slow smile spreads over Fiona’s face as she turns to look at us and takes in my expression. She knows I know that she knows, and she’s going to give us hell over it for sure.

———————————————————————————————————-

As much as I try to avoid her, I end up bang across the table from Fiona while making a pass at the buffet, and I can’t help thinking she’s made sure it happened. “Hello, Simon,” she says loudly, voice dripping with feigned delight. “Haven’t seen much of you today.”

I try to look nonchalant. “I’ve been around.”

Unfortunately, this only gives her the opening she’s been looking for, and Fiona’s not one to leave an opportunity unpounced upon. I swear she and Baz are the spitting image of each other, the way one eyebrow arches nearly to her hairline. “Been tied up, have you?”

“I wasn’t tied up,” I hiss furiously, leaning across the table. So much for playing it cool.

I have my plate in both hands, and Fiona grabs my arm with shocking speed, dragging it forward until I’m forced to either give in or spill my food everywhere. “No rope marks, at least,” she concedes, examining my wrist below my rolled-up cuff. “Honestly, the state of you, Chosen One,” she accuses, smirking. “You’ve gone red as a dragon. It’s no concern of mine what Baz does to you.”

To me. Like I’m a possession to be used as he sees fit. Merlin, I can feel the heat building inside me, the uncontrolled danger of my very existence, and bloody Fiona Pitch is just standing there looking at me with that smug—

There’s an arm around my waist, and then Baz rests his chin on my shoulder and sighs. “Is this hedge witch bothering you, love?” He stands up straight and pulls me closer so he can kiss the mole on my right cheek; I can feel that he’s smiling as he does it, and I relax, leaning into him. I realise then that Fiona is still holding my arm; I’m stuck between them like the filling in a Pitch sandwich. (A Pitchwich.) (Merlin, I hate myself.)

“Your Simon and I are just having a nice little chat, aren’t we, dear?” Fiona purrs. She doesn’t look the least bit sincere.

“For Crowley’s sake, Fi. It’s our reception; could you put your claws away for one day?” Baz sounds exasperated, and not at all intimidated. I’ll have to ask him how he does that—his aunt is well terrifying.

“It’s fine,” I say, and thank magic, my voice doesn’t shake. “I was just getting a snack.”

Baz’s eyes graze over my heaped plate. “For how many mountain trolls?” he teases, stepping back. “Snakes, Snow, I don’t know where you put it.”

Before I can retort, one of the twins grabs Baz’s hand and drags him away, babbling something about a missing lizard—Christ, that’s what this party needs, reptiles on the loose. Fiona hauls me forward again, smiling so innocently that I know she’s about to say something incredibly mean, and she doesn’t disappoint. “I don’t care what he does to you, Snow, but don’t go getting any ideas about reciprocating, do you understand me?” For half a moment, I think she’s talking about what we did in the mudroom, but then I realise she’s still on about what she thinks we did in the mudroom. She doesn’t want me tying up her precious nephew. “You’re not in charge here, Chosen One.”

I yank my arm free at last, spilling some sticky toffee cake onto the white tablecloth, but I don’t care. I still have plenty. “Get stuffed, Fiona.”

That startles a laugh out of her, and honestly sometimes I think Baz’s family might be all right if they didn’t hate my living guts. Still chortling, Fiona wanders off, leaving me to stare sullenly at my depleted stash of cake. There will probably be more if I want some later, I think. Maybe I should go back and grab a couple more pieces, though.

@thewholelemon @raenestee @thehoneyedhufflepuff @captain-aralias @you-remind-me-of-the-babe @letraspal @shrekgogurt @dazed-squid @ileadacharmedlife @ionlydrinkhotwater @sailorblossoms @aristocratic-otter @facewithoutheart @rwithoutaspoon @onepintobean

#snowbaz #wip #crucible au #crucible marriage au

[a-dumbass-jester]

Mike growing up with Simon <3

I love the concept so much and everything you wrote. But also, that means Simon has to deal with a teenager and the teenage angst and all of that, and I imagine Mike as someone that can get irritated easily as a teenager

Also. From your opinion bc I just started thinking of it: Was he still hunted by the spiral? If so did it only go away once he became? I like to think so, bc he would probably try to tell Simon and Simon would know it’s the spiral but not what to do about it

(also, most of the time I make an au, especially teenager au like college, there’s a big chance Mike got Simon as dad)

Thank you!!!☆

(That post about them growing up)

But yea I also see Mike as someone who would get very irritated as a teen and just being rlly bitchy in general

For the spiral thing I don’t remember that but I also speed-ran tma and my memory sucks so I’ll take ur word for it

But I can see him recognizing that as an entity and telling Simon however I can see him knowing what to do tho

He’s like 500 years old he’s had to have an encounter with it before

I like to tjink the vast(‘s avatars) and the spiral(‘s avatars) sometimes fight over victims because of the realization that you don’t matter and the spiraling ur mental state can do after figuring that out could cause people to be victims for both

And by fight I mean they more so belong to the vast but spiral wants an extra snack

So I feel like he’d be good at getting it to fuck off

I need to see the aus!! please Reveal urself anon!!

A few other things, I can see Mike stealing money from Simon and Simons so rich he wouldn’t even notice. He’d flaunt his money around so hard

I can also see Simon spoiling him a lot

Also Simon taking him to the vast for the first time

Like he and Mike just falling for hours

I remember seeing a picture (I forgot where) of a toddler and uncle(?) skydiving and Simon would definitely do that {edit: found it!!}

About the last part of that post I can imagine Simon taking a picture or something that represents Mike and talking to him and showing the vasts domain

#the dumbass speaks #asks #tma #the magnus archives #mike crew #simon fairchild #the vast #mike crew tma #Simon Fairchild tma

[shameonmeeguiltypleasure]

Saw a post about how Game Night at the Bridgertons would be a war zone while their spouses are trying to deescalate the situation to just eating popcorn and enjoying the show- so what might happen when Gareth and Lucy are invited (meaning no one has learned that Game Night is a bad no good idea).

My guess is that Lucy had long since been exposed to the Bridgerton bloodthirst, so she has it covered. Gareth? No clue. He may have heard the rumors and just a bit morbidly curious.

So this or Game Of Thrones AU (Bridgertons are the Starks or Tyrells?)

Challenge accepted: I’m drunk so please ignore the spelling mistakes. I think I met the brief. Lmao. I do like your Game of Thrones au idea, but I think sober me will do it more justice if ever she has the time. So this is Gareth’s first time at ‘GAME NIGHT’ with the Bridgertons.

Gareth wasn’t sure what to expect. In truth, he’d not been at all worried until Lucy – oddly calm, incredibly patient LUCY, of all people – lowly whispered by his side a very ominous “And so it begins…..”

“So what begins?” Gareth couldn’t help but ask.

But his question was left ignored in favour of the very serious and stern opening speech Anthony felt the need to give.

“Ahem, now that we are all present, I do believe the first game of the night is to be…..”

Gareth was startled by the sudden drumroll Colin gave from his place beside his wife Penelope. He watched with slow creeping trepidation as Anthony fished through a hat and picked out a folded piece of paper. Gareth had turned to Hyacinth, intending to make a joke about the intensity of the entire gathering only to jump at her sudden war cry.

“CHEATER!!” Hyacinth was already screaming.

Kate, Anthony’s wife, let out a loud snort before waving her hand dismissively.

“I’m sure you’re right, but at least let him name the game before we start the accusations.” She said.

Anthony glared at his wife with exaggerated insult and huffed.

“Have you already forgotten that we are supposed to be a team, dearest?” Anthony scowled.

“What!? When was this decided!? In fact, who on earth agreed to that!?” Eloise shouted from where she’d been lazily lounging with her husband Phillip. Phillip was far more interested in the book in his lap titled ‘Gathering Moss’ looking utterly absent in mind to the ongoings around him.

“I would never,” Daphne piped from where she sipped at her juice by her bleary-looking Husband, Simon Hastings. In fact, Gareth thought the couple looked rather flushed – both incredibly red in the face and out of sorts – almost dazed.

“Oh, gods, who among us is responsible for spiking the juice!!” Eloise exclaimed.

It was no secret that Daphne was a lightweight, and her siblings – so long as it benefitted them – were never ashamed to take advantage of it from time to time. Simon, on the other hand, always made it a point to pre-game with a mighty amount of drinks before Bridgerton game night.

“Suspicious isn’t it, the fact that you are the one making accusations after the sabotage you organised last time…..” Colin casually shrugged. The third-born Bridgerton had yet to forgive the fifth-born for spiking his beloved wife Penelope’s pudding with extreme amounts of rum. It had been a memorable night for sure, which resulted in the birth of their second child, but still…. The sabotage was unforgettable.

Eloise turned to her charmer of a brother with a glare but was saved from speaking a word with Benedict’s aiding hand.

“If we are casting suspicions then what is to stop us from suspecting you, brother? Did you not swap the dice for a rigged set two years before?” Benedict hummed as he lazily twirled a finger around a lock of his wife – who was happily snacking on freshly popped popcorn with a grin – Sophie’s hair.

“Is no one going to let Anthony name the game so we may start?” Francesca sighed.

“Oh, hush you, as if any of us are blind to the fact Michael suspiciously disappeared earlier during dinner only to return 15 minutes later,” Kate directed.

“I went to the bathroom, dessert was rather disagreeable with me, unfortunately, “ Michael piped with an innocent shrug.

“And are we to take your word for it?” Penelope added with a sickly sweet grin that did nothing to hide the sharply pointed tone of her words.

“My God, are we not going to start!?” Gregory whined with a sulky huff.

“So eager to lose, little brother,” Benedict couldn’t help but mock.

“HAH! I have Lucy this year, of course, we’re guaranteed to win. Unlike the rest of you, we have the advantage, right babe?” Gregory boasted with a self-assured grin before quickly pressing a kiss to Lucy’s head. To Lucy’s credit, she only sighed at his antics and motioned for Sophie to share her popcorn. Sophie snickered as she did so with eager relish.

“Is this….. normal for all of you?” Gareth warily inquired.

But the Bridgerton siblings were far too busy accusing one another – using past schemes and manipulations as justifiable reasons for their suspicions – to even hear Gareth’s wary question.

He was surprised by the heavy hand that clapped his shoulder, and the sudden comforting weight of another’s arm looping through his own.

“Hyacinth wouldn’t have brought you tonight if she didn’t think you could survive their nonsense,” Simon roughly grumbled.

Gareth tried not to crinkle his nose at the wafting smell of whiskey on his breath.

“The only reason blood is never shed is that Violet would have all eight of their heads displayed in a rather gory exhibition….. all done with love, I assure you,” Sophie teasingly whispered by his side.

Gareth very suddenly felt a cold shiver scramble down his spine, but he couldn’t be sure if it was out of dread or something else.

“You grow used to it of course, for some, it takes years and others well…..” Penelope helpfully added.

“For some the saying ‘if you can’t beat them, join them’ comes to mind......” Phillips distractedly added.

Gareth looked across the room to where Kate remained behind her husband while he passionately argued with his siblings. He couldn’t help but liken her to a lioness or something feline enjoying the chaos playing out before her. Or perhaps something like an Egyptian Goddess entertained by the insanity of her followers.

“We’d be liars if we claimed not to be curious as to which category you might fall under…..” Michael snickered.

Gareth swallowed and cast a hasty glance towards the passionately riled Hyacinth accusing Gregory of something he couldn’t be sure of. He could feel the assessing eyes of the Bridgerton’s significant others on his person, so full of curiosity. This truly was madness.

Gareth had never considered himself the romantic sort, but that’s exactly what Hyacinth inspired in him. For her, there was nothing he wasn’t willing to face or accomplish. There were no challenges he’d refuse, no overwhelming insanity he wouldn’t suffer so long as she could be happy. He loved her just as fiercely as the sun loved the moon to spend eternity in a chase, never guaranteeing their next meeting – never promising forever, yet attempting it anyway.

He loved her, more than he’s ever loved anything in his life and so…… for her, he could brave this.

For Hyacinth, he would ensure her victory.

Gareth snapped out of his musings due to the loudly given groan from across the room and the despairing sighs that followed.

“Damn it, he’s committed!” Anthony suddenly exclaimed.

What?

Gareth suddenly found his arms full of a very excited Hyacinth who dragged him into a passionate kiss before all her siblings and their spouses.

“Hyacinth!” Anthony snarled with a warning only to be hushed by a pointed kick to his shin delivered by his wife.

“I knew you’d win them over!!” Hyacinth exclaimed as she pulled away.

What?

Hyacinth then turned to her siblings looking smug and obnoxiously pleased.

“Now pay up, all of you!!” Hyacinth expectantly ordered.

The Bridgertons erupted into another round of nonsensical squabbling, but Gareth was too busy trying to make sense of what exactly had just happened. The return of a heavy hand on his shoulder jolted him from his thoughts and he turned to find Phillip by his side looking sympathetic and understanding.  

“Don’t take insult to it, it’s just how they are….. at least you weren’t forced to battle all four brothers in the ring,” Phillips sighed before going back to his seat and returning to his book.

What?

Sophie snorted and threw some popcorn in the air and expertly catching it with her mouth.

“To be fair, I met them while in jail.”

What?

“Fran was married to my cousin,” Michael shrugged.

As if she could read the chaotic state of his mind, Lucy – oddly calm, incredibly patient Lucy – warmly patted his arm with a reassuring smile.

“You’re ok,” she said.

Gareth hadn’t realised until that moment the complicated whirl of emotions he was feeling. He could barely make sense of where his mind lingered or more specifically his temper. In some ways, he felt he was made a fool – invited to a ‘game night’ only to be tested for his devotion to Hyacinth – But…..

Hyacinth was laughing, a grin permanently painted on her lips as she wrestled with Gregory for a piece from a game box. She was beaming with complete joy, alive in so many ways he craved to be touched by.

“I’m ok,” he repeated out loud, and it was true.

The Bridgerton’s were viscously competitive, and incredibly sore losers to the point of sabotage and murder, but….. Gareth could survive it all so long as it meant Hyacinth would remain his.

He loved her.

He chose her.

But most importantly….. out of everyone in the world….. Hyacinth Bridgerton chose him.

And that was the greatest victory of all.

#answered #bridgerton #gareth st clair #hyacinth bridgerton #the bridgerton series #The duke and I #the viscount who loved me #an offer from a gentleman #romancing mr bridgerton #to sir phillip with love #when he was wicked #its in his kiss #on the way to the wedding #Kathony #benophie #polin #philoise #hyacinth x gareth #gregory x lucy #francesca x michael #prompts #fanfiction

[msweebyness]

Class of Heroes AU: Dormroom Hangout HC’s

Kind of connected to yesterday’s post, these are some of my Headcanons for the hero kids hanging out in each other’s rooms! As always, credit to @imsparky2002 and @artzychic27, and thanks to Sparky for being someone to bounce these ideas off of!

•Marinette’s half of her room serves as the primary meeting place for the self-defense club/class she started at the beginning of sophomore year. Sessions are every Tuesday and Thursday after classes, and almost all of the other girls attend, and some of the boys as well!

•Alya’s half of the room is Snack Central™. She’ll host her cooking classes there when the school kitchens aren’t open, and the door is always open for her friends to drop by, breakfast, lunch or dinner!

•Nathaniel’s room is 100% the destination for the majority of sleepovers. The main reason being that the whole gang can fit on his massive, extremly comfy bed! (Can I get a “PUPPY PILE!”?)

•Nathaniel also plays host for the school’s new art club, for obvious reasons! (He and Adrien started one because the school’s art classes were very…restrictive.)

•Rose’s half of her room serves as the main headquarters for Study Sessions. The cozy mini-library is the perfect place for the gang to curl up and go over their curriculum for the week. It’s also the site of her weekly book club!

•Marc’s room was once the site of one of the largest and most brutal snowball fights the school had ever seen! It was absolute anarchy. Those who had magic were NOT holding back, Kim and Denise were gathering up drifts of snow and HURLING them at other people, Simon was dive-bombing people into said snow drifts, and everyone eventually forgot which team they were on. Seven people ended up with frostbite, but they all agree it was worth it!

•Ondine can change the water level in her room, so on some weekends, she’ll host pool get-togethers for the whole gang. Denise, Alix and Kim are the cannonball trio, despite being told repeatedly not to do so because it soaks her furniture. (Kim loses kisses for the rest of the day each time he does it, and no amount of puppy-dog eyes will change her mind.)

•Heroism and nature survival classes require one to stay in shape, so Kim’s room serves as a workout hub for the whole gang. (He’s going to turn them all into gym rats, I tell ya!)

•They once had a huge campout in Mireille’s half of her room, complete with makeshift tents and all the s’mores you could eat. (Pre-cooked, of course.) (Everyone yelled at Jean when he tried to start a fire. In Mireille’s room. Which is modeled from the Savanna. And its TALL GRASSES.)

•Jean doesn’t have that giant-ass stage in his room for nothing! Not only does it provide the setting for a lot of his shows and numbers, but it’s also where he hosts the improv club he founded. Most of the gang attends, and if you ever drop in, it will simultaneously be one of the most confusing and most hilarious things you’ve ever witnessed.

Tell me any ideas you have in reblogs and comments! Love and hugs!

#miraculous ladybug #disney au #class of heroes #ml au #mlb ocs #hangouts

[toffeelemon]

simon is a boarder AU

y’all liked the roommates AU right? here’s another one that i won’t write, also known as give simon all my teenage trauma

simon doesn’t fit in with the rich white kids but the tiny group of immigrant scholarship kids (that simon got adopted by) has a strange toxic relationship with simon - where they bully him for being gay but at the same time is his only ‘friendship group’ at hillerska, his only anchor in this hellhole where he lives full time now

they steal his towel when he’s in the showers. they write GAY on his arm with a sharpie. the boys take it as a challenge to make tiny little simon cry but it’s worse when he just stays quiet and doesn’t engage, because they try harder when he doesn’t cry

but at the same time are these people his friends? they automatically pair up with simon when there’s group work, because the rich white kids stick to their own. whenever august or whichever third year wants something from simon, they just tell the nearest black or brown kid because they must all be friends, right

and the older rich white kids don’t really mess with simon. is simon under some strange protection? does it say “only we get to bully him” on his forehead?

and in between getting pranked and little harmless homophobic jabs, simon sits with these people at workies and listen in on them gossiping about the white kids in spanish, they share snacks that someone’s mum has sent from stockholm, and simon lets out a quiet laugh. it almost feels like they’re friends. almost

and wille - well. simon really likes wille. and wille, even if he doesn’t like him back like that, at least wille sees simon beyond all these weird cliques and the fact that simon doesn’t belong (he’s the prince. he’s allowed to walk all over these unspoken boundaries)

simon’s friends have gotten worse though. he’s a sell out. he hears ugly jokes about sex and how he’ll become the prince’s plaything and he’s turning the prince -

they don’t think he’s good enough for the prince. “have some self awareness,” the second year boy said, almost well meaningly. simon himself isn’t even sure is he good enough for the prince

simon returns to his room late from being in wille’s, and his roommate says something truly hideous in spanish. simon hides his sniffle. they were just talking

wille saw simon’s friends knock his head harshly once, (they weren’t hitting him, not really, it was a joke) and well-meaningly try to report it to someone. he’s making it worse - simon’s frustrated and upset. why can’t wille just let things be?

they stop anything physical towards simon after then. another jab about simon selling his body to the prince. wille is sweet, really, but all simon could dwell on is how he might have just made simon’s life in forest ridge worse

bonus: and then, after all the clusterfuck - these friends were the only people simon could fall back on, in the end. “i told you so”s in spanish, and shitting on wille as if it would make simon feel better. these boys aren’t simon’s friends, no - but maybe it’s the only family he has at hillerska

#lol this is what it would look like if i wrote angst #traumatised in your teens? capitalise on it! #oversharing time hehe #my unwritten fics

[fakecrfan]

Concept: S1 Jon/Beholding AU that's like Martin + Tapes, except the Eye falls in love with Jon and mind controls the assistants into also loving (obsessing over) him

Jon would get really paranoid and throw himself into investigating why his coworkers are acting weirdly, and the Eye would be really happy bc it loves research (and also paranoia is a tasty snack to an eldritch fear god)

Okay I’m hopping around with the order of what asks I answer more than normal today, but I wanted to answer this one because it sent my brain into overdrive. So, it’s Beholding/Jon time! (rubs hands together).

So!!!

An explanation: Normally the logic I work with re: who the Entities fall in love with is “normally not someone who is a powerful avatar for that Entity.” My reasoning for this is that the Entities see avatars as extensions of themselves, to the extent that they automatically act through these avatars the way your eyes automatically twitches when you’re annoyed. So it would be difficult for them to differentiate an avatar of theirs as separate enough to fall in love with. Still though! I do believe there are exceptions ( @pensivetense has convinced me on Web/Annabelle, and ofc there is Vast/Simon Fairchild.)

So, here is where I am going with this. I am 100% down for Beholding/Jon. Jon would, in this scenario, absolutely get the same uncomfortable attention. He would also get super paranoid and throw himself into research (amusingly, I think he��d still end up stalking them all as opposed to vice versa, trying to figure out what artifact they interacted with that gave them the brainrot.) And of course, this all makes Jon an even Tastier Beholding snack :))

But the best part about Beholding/Jon in the little world I have been building, imo? Is that Jon is still one of the most Eye-aligned avatars there is in the world. He is still the avatar that the Beholding can filter itself through the most and easiest (except maybe Jonah). He is definitely the avatar that the Beholding channels feelings into automatically, before it has thought through the Implications.

So, in conclusion: the romantic feelings for Jon get channelled through Jon himself. I alluded to how hilarious this would be here in my “Various people the Eye could also fall in love with” fic, but let me elaborate:

In addition to the weird obsessions from his coworkers, and processing the anguish over knowing that they are being forced to like him--he’s forced to like himself. To court himself. 

He sees his own reflection in a store window and almost swoons. He thinks it’s because he hasn’t eaten anything lately.

He is passing through the grocery store and he sees a box of chocolates. “Ah, I remember when Georgie got me one of those. I wish I’d told her how much I appreciated that at the time.” He promptly blacks out and when he’s come to he finds out that he bought it himself and wrote “For my Jon ♥♥♥”

By the time Jon has figured out what’s going on--he’s so fucking grumpy about it. He doesn’t black out so much but he’ll suddenly lose control of his legs and find himself walking to a flower shop. Then he’ll grit his teeth.

“It doesn’t mean anything if you use my money for it!”

In response, he suddenly Knows that Elias has deposited extra money into his bank account to cover it. He’ll let out a grumpy sigh, which is very him, and then suddenly get a swoopy butterflies in the stomach feeling that is less him.

He’ll look so fucking mad at the cash register that the florist will give him a knowing look.

“Piss off the wife?” the florist asks.

Jon just glares, and snatches the bouquet away. 

But that’s not the least of it. Oh no. Suddenly he’s making a stop at some weird bath place and getting floral scented oils. And bath bombs. Then he’s ordering in some food that he enjoyed like 5 years ago. 

And so Jon spends his night alone(ish) in a warm bath tub with weird bath oils and rose petals that he (technically) has strewn around himself. He sits there with the pissiest “cat in a bath” expression you ever did see while romantic music plays. He is Not Allowed to get up, but sometimes he manages to kick at the water in frustration.

#beholding/jon #please imagine with me the angst and humor of Jon being forced to love himself #Anonymous

[weirdagnes]

💄RUDOLF’S DRAG RACE AU 🏁

ALRIGHT SO this AU originally started in our Yeah We Outlasting discord server, artists started drawing the characters in drag and I WOKE HMSHD real shit man. So I'm making a masterpost for drag au on behalf of the server✊✊

Outlast 1 = Season 1

Outlast 2 = Season 2

Whistleblower DLC = All Stars

All of the characters and ideas for the characters were written in collab with @gothivican, @panopt1c0n, @grahaam and the rest of the lads in the server, y’all have such beautiful brains. So anyways.

Here are the judges:

Rudolf Wernicke. Lowkey bias, literally goes to the backstage and tells Miles to beat Billy Hope in a lipsync because Billy can't continue on the show for some reason. Has favoritism towards Blaire, but was forced to sashay him away by the other two judges. Also this bitch is dying, literally has a breathing tank support behind his chair.

Pauline Glick. A very sharp critic. Wore the same shoes? Call out. Oh that's your signature makeup? UGLY tone it down. Sorry, the colors don't match, you'll be in the bottom two for that.

Paul Marion. The kindest judge. He will give constructive criticism in the nicest non-offensive way possible and compliment them after (because he would feel guilty about it).

Alice as guest star. Supportive as f u c k, huge fan, she cries when meeting the queens in Untucked. She can't help complimenting the queens every 10 seconds, she gives off the Leslie Jones’ enthusiasm.

Lisa Park as guest star. Like Alice, very supportive. She’s an artist, and will break down all the reasons why they are so good from an artist’s perspective. Crushes HARD on Wyssle Blower, she might’ve given her number after the show.

Lynn Langermann as guest star. She’s a judge, and she will judge. Gives out well constructed criticisms to all queens fair and square until she saw Angel Fromm (Blake) and just says “Wow what’s there to criticize?” Sallyzekiel hates her, Valentina and Angel on the other hand loves her very much.

 Here are the queens:

Miles Upshur as Kill-O-Meter. Primarily an insult comedy and rocker queen, and specializes in dancing. She tends to be criticized for a lack of glamour on some of her main stage looks, and is one of the most dramatic, sarcastic and shady queens of the bunch. Can and will stomp on you in latex boots for money. Besties with Wyssle and Chrisel, gets into a little heated talks with (occasionally) Peacock, (frequently) Ricky and Remy. She adores Cheets’ (Pyro) makeup skills. Winner of season 1 babey!!

Chris Walker as Piggy Chrisel. A punk/grunge queen who seems to specialize moreso in dancing and lip syncing. She's a shy, gentle giant, has a little trouble speaking coherently and it affects her in the acting/impromptu comedy challenges. She will call out whores though, she will kick ass when the situation calls for it. Really good at makeup, makeup girl-friends with Cheeto and besties with Kill O Meter (Latrila vibes). Also a perfectionist and hates mess on her work table.

Rick Trager as Ricky Trix. Whore, that's all. This bitch OBNOXIOUS and shady but she's both a glamour AND comedy queen, the other queens are watching out for her since day one. Horror and '80s inspired queen, extremely good at comedy and acting and will literally stomp the competition with nearly perfect impressions and extremely expressive acting. The downfall for her seems to be glam on the occasion and singing. Rivals with Kill O Meter and Miss Tini, kikis with Remy (they throw shade to other queens the moment they get em)

Father Martin as Miss Tini. The oldest queen but she can still serve the cakes. Generally a kind person, coming from a religious background. She’s takes the drag culture religiously. She gets along with The Twinks.

The Twins as The Twinks. Was recruited as two totally separate queens, but both quit on the first episode when one of the twins were to be eliminated. The queens tell the Twinks apart by who’s bald and who’s not. They don’t vibe with other queens except Miss Tini.

Pyromaniac as Cheeto de LaFlammeo. Queen of Makeup, she has some serious skill range on it. Good in the acting department, always plays as the tragic character. Was rivals with Kill-O Meter before, but one time when she had a breakdown, Kill-O Meter was by her side when no one was. After that, they respected each other.

Billy Hope as Billy Willy. CLOWN QUEEN, huge Crystal Methyd vibes. She’s the youngest queen, very energetic, a ball of SUNSHINE but Wernicke was a bias bitch and sent her home immediately the moment she was in the bottom. She was basically Kill-O Meter and Wyssle Blower's drag child. Hailed as Miss Congeniality, is voted by majority to return for a season 2 for going home a little too early than people feel was deserved. Best at makeup and outfits, her mom Tiffany taught her to sew and make dresses out of rags and other unconventional materials and the skill proved to be helpful. Also she likes puns and everyone likes playing with her name like: Silly Billy Willy, Witty Billy Willy, etc.

....

Waylon Park as Wyssle Blower. The Mom of the queens, the most well rounded queen, and the most 'fishy' one. Probably the smartest and most humble one out of everyone, she can read through people’s bullshit well. Genuinely looks like a girl in full drag, but always does her best on acting. She's serving you a cute, nerdy and quirky style, but can serve horror when need be. Always wins the mini challenges, she's not as loud as the other girls but she does beat Blaire in a lip sync (lowkey badass lipsyncer). Winner of All Stars babey

Jeremy Blaire as Remy Coco Ainée. Pretentious fake ass queen, even her drag name is just Cocaine in fake French. A pure fashion glamour queen, she serves it at almost all the fashion challenges but there's no more personality out of her other than that and her shady attitude (she will not hold back on the shade). Is extremely horrible at singing (her voice cracks) and acting, goes home against a lip sync with Wyssle. This bitch will FLEX her wins. Kikis with Ricky, mainly rivals with Kill O Meter, Wyssle and Peacock but she made everyone her rivals bc of her bitchass attitude.

Eddie Gluskin as Edna Taylor. Fashion queen, specializes in sewing, acting and singing, but is extremely lacking in the dancing department. Has a one-sided endearment for Waylon, and consistently tries to have her attention. Is extremely manipulative too, trying to consistently trip the other queens up. Also everybody hates her mohawk signature wig but nobody says anything about it because they don’t want to be victim to Edna’s mind games.

Frank Manera as Hanni Canni Bahl. Horror queen, best at comedy and dancing. Though it is prohibited, she’s able to sneak in weed, coke (for Ricky) and snacks in the werk room. Very messy when working, her discarded fabrics are EVERYWHERE and Chrisel is fighting the urge to clean it up. She eats while working when the camera’s off, and it stains the dress she’s working on (Pauline notices it).

Dennis as Denise. Mocked as “Edna’s little helper” as she always helps with her dresses. She’s trying too hard to impress Edna, and helps her get Wyssle’s attention. Very talented in acting and sewing, but bland in fashion, lacking in concept. Her inner conflict is what got her eliminated.

Simon Peacock as Julie Peacock. Rebellious, mischievous, and an ex-glam queen gone horror and campy instead. After being insulted much by glam queens (ahemRemyahem), she just embraced it and became a horror queen, serving the judges her horror aesthetic. Best at comedy, lacks extremely on acting and dancing though. No one is safe from her constructive criticism, and she will never stop ranting to Kill O Meter and Wyssle about Remy and Ricky being bad bitches and favored by Wernicke, she thinks it's unfair.

....

Blake Langermann as Angel Fromm. Singing queen!! Good at singing, but otherwise is moreso well-rounded, she might've been eliminated earlier, hadn't it been for her also low-key successful and iconic lip syncs. But the lucky winning streak didn't last forever, she goes home later in the season because she's slowly falling behind the other queens and can't keep up anymore. Has Rococo aesthetic, unfortunately the outfits can't make up for the lack of character as a queen. Though she needs a lot of improvement, the guest star Lynn adores her very much.

Val as Valentina. Queen of SEX or moreso impersonations and comedy. She’s a terrible tailor, but likes unconventional and simple fashion designs. She’s trans and lowkey Pauline has a crush on her the moment she walked on that stage. Pure rivals with Sallyzekiel, you know that iconic Aja vs. Valentina in Untucked? They had that moment. Probably goes home earlier, not entirely prepared, but still was a season icon. Definitely dropped it low about 10 times on her lip sync.

Marta as ImMartal. GOTH QUEEN, survived about early mid season. Best at her makeup and looks, glam queen, but the judges criticize her for wearing the same wigs/having the same hairstyle for almost every looks.

Nick Tremblay as Nicky Lanterns. Another gentle giant. Very introverted, she has a difficult time socializing with other girls because she’s generally not a very loud person. Really bad at makeup, her fashion sense is somewhat okay but it’s always on the ‘safe’ level. Pretty good at slapstick comedy, writing and concepts tho. It’s a wonder how Nicky and Lard Imp became “friends,” they’re complete opposites.

Laird Byron as Lard Imp. Whore, Exhibit B. Extremely rude, louder than Remy and Ricky themselves, and has a weird love/hate obsession with Angel for some reason. Everyone hates her, even Rudolf himself, and Lard Imp isn’t her original drag name but ultimately they came to a point where they just called her Lard Imp. Constantly denies the judges’ and the queens’ critiques, very delusional about winning the season and that’s why she’s the first one eliminated.

Sullivan Knoth as Sallyzekiel. The Big Bad Bitch of the season. Ultimate rivals with Valentina, constantly bullies Angel. Marta used to be friends with her, but after talking shit on Valentina, she says fuck you and defended Val. Glam queen, has an affinity for shoes but damn girl terrible makeup and padding. Really good with speech, acting and impromptu.

So far, here are the character designs we have made!

(1) Blake and Trager by @/pan0pt1con

(1, 2, 3, 4, 5) Waylon, Chris, Simon, Eddie, Miles and Jeremy by @/gothivican

(1) Billy, Miles, Chris, Wernicke, Pauline, Paul and Alice by @/weirdagnes

#outlast #outlast: whistleblower #outlast 2 #the murkoff account #rudolf's drag race #miles upshur #chris walker #rick trager #the twins #martin archimbaud #pyromaniac #billy hope #waylon park #eddie gluskin #jeremy blaire #frank manera #dennis #simon peacock #blake langermann #val #marta #nick tremblay #laird byron #sullivan knoth #rudolf wernicke #pauline glick #paul marion #alice marion #lynn langermann #lisa park

[idontknowwhatyoumean]

lbotw countdown day 1

@lbotw-countdown-event

I’m very late but oh well. Thanks for organising this event!

22 August 2020

Prompt: Bromance

Summary: Alec and Lily in a Coffee Shop!AU

—

Quote that this prompt reminded me of:

“Sleep, Lily,” Alec said, gently. “I’ll watch the doors.”

—

It was early in the morning and already the coffee shop was filling with rather quickly with disgruntled businessmen and bleary-eyed college students all waiting in line for their daily shot of caffeine. It was Alec and Lily’s shift, as it was most early mornings and late evenings, and Lily manned the cash register as Alec brewed the drinks.

They were an efficient team, and morning rushes weren’t too much of a problem for them; Lily was a had been working at the cafe for a rather long time and Alec was particularly good with remembering the drinks and making them quickly and accurately. They had the same shifts for a while now, after they had managed to get past the initial awkwardness and frostiness that came with not understanding the other’s particular brand of humour and contrary personalities. Lily was playful and cheeky, but she could also be serious and earnest, and sometimes she was both; Alec hadn’t been able to figure out when she was what for the longest and that threw him for a loop. Alec, on the other hand, had amused Lily to no end with his socially awkward nature the first time they met and it was only after witnessing his blunt tendencies that she began to respect him as well.

And now, well, now they were pretty good friends. Really good friends, if Alec was being honest with himself.

“Hey, Alec!” She called out, and Alec could already hear the mischief in her voice. “One order of pure black with a dollop of annoying blond and on the side!”

Translation: Jace and Clary were here. And probably Izzy and Simon too. Alec suppressed a groan as he completed the last few of his orders and peeked round the counter to see the line. Unfortunately, the early morning horde had thinned out and there were only one or two regulars in the shop. He could spot his siblings crowding up the front of the counter, no one else behind them. Surprisingly, he couldn’t see Simon, his sister’s boyfriend.

After confirming his fears, he dipped back behind the row of large coffee machines, hurrying to escape his siblings. He loved them, truly, and was grateful for their presence in his life. Except during his work shifts. Somehow, his and Izzy’s constant presence and teasing of Jace during his work shifts at the art supply store next to Garroway Books during Alec’s Junior year of high school had backfired on him. Upon Jace’s quitting of his part time job at the art supplies store (thanks in part to him and Clary starting to date and the large number of new workers and customers Jace had managed to attract during his tenure as art supplies salesperson) and Alec’s employment at the coffee shop to pay his share of the bills, Alec and Izzy’s tradition had evolved into Jace and Izzy’s tradition of disrupting another sibling at his place of work.

The payback was not fun.

“Hey Alec!” Jace hooted at him from beyond the counter. “Oh, come on. Izzy, can you believe this guy?”

Alec tuned out his sister’s response as hands even moved quicker than normal to brew Clary’s favourite daily beverage. He could already feel the tips of his ears flushing red and cursed how the empty the coffee shop was at the moment. His siblings, no matter how cheeky and disruptive they could be, normally toned down their teasing and loudness when there were more people. Alec would gladly take on twelve more elaborate six word coffee orders if it meant not dealing with the teasing.

“You’re so dramatic,” Lily laughed at him as she came up to him, eyeing the takeaway cup of coffee in his hands. “And here I thought that was Magnus’ thing.”

Alec wordlessly passed her the cup, only to be dragged by her out to the front.

“Here you go,” Lily smirked down at Clary, who looked a little embarrassed at Jace and Izzy’s antics.

She grinned up at both her and Alec. “Ahhh coffee, my love. Thanks, guys.” She then leaned forward towards Alec in an exaggerated whisper, “I’m sorry about these guys. They overheard Simon apologising about not being able to meet for coffee and decided it was only their duty to accompany me instead.”

“And where is Simon?”

“Oh, he has an early meeting with his band.”

“And how nice of you to join us, big brother,” Izzy said, her arm propped up on the counter and giving Alec the most innocent gaze that Alec definitely didn’t believe.

“Or rather, how nice of Lily to bring you out here,” Jace cut in. “Is your brain getting stale from all the caffein you’ve been inhaling all day?”

Alec rolled his eyes at them. “Why are you the way that you are?”

“Payback, brother mine,” Jace grinned at him and Izzy laughed.

“Just wait til you get a job, Iz,” Alec muttered.

“Oh thanks for the concern, but don’t worry, I’ll make sure to get some part time work at an office or somewhere. You might let your guard down in an obscure art supply store, Alec, but I know you wouldn’t do anything if I worked somewhere else. Jace was just unlucky.”

Alec didn’t really have anything to say to that. “Okay, okay, now that you’ve had your share of fun embarrassing me at my place of work, why don’t you go run off now — ”

“No way, don’t make them go! This is too much fun!” Maia, one of the few regulars still in the coffee shop, chimed in. She lifted her large cup to her lips to hide her smile at Alec’s subsequent glare.

“Don’t you guys have school or something?” Alec pleaded, casting a glance at Clary.

“Yes, yes we do,” she said, hooking an arm around Jace’s and leading them out the store. “Come on guys, we can come see him again next week or something.”

—

“Thank the angel,” Alec muttered as he retreated sulkily back behind the coffee machines. Lily followed him and Alec turned an eye on her. “And I couldn’t help but notice you didn’t help much either.”

“Of course,” she said breezily. “Why would I turn down such prime entertainment for no good reason? Oh don’t look at me with those disappointed blue eyes.”

Alec turned away from her just as the front door opened with a ding and Lily left to tend to the order. From what he could hear of her sultry “Well, hello”, he could deduce that the customer was hot. From her next “well of course, we can help you with that, you delicious peanut-butter-and-Jem sandwich”, Alec knew who it was and what his order would be.

Alec took several steps towards the cash register and was right. Jem Carstairs was standing at the counter, waiting patiently for Lily to package up two boxes. Will Herondale (Jem’s best friend? boyfriend? Alec was kind of unclear) was waiting behind him.

“Hello, Alec,” Jem greeted politely. “How have you been? How’s Magnus?”

Alec had heard of Jem and Will, and their friend (girlfriend? Alec was also unclear) Tessa, though he didn’t know any of them them well. They had been in the year above him at school, a close, exclusive group, and Alec wasn’t exactly a social butterfly. And there was also the fact that Alec and Izzy had almost gotten into a fight with Will back at the start of middle school when Jace had been adopted by the Lightwoods instead of moving in with his aunt and uncle and cousin Will. It had been complicated back then.

“Hi, Jem, Will,” Alec greeted back. “I’ve been fine. And Magnus is as magnificent as ever.”

Jem and Will traded secret grins at that, accompanied by a teasing (or at least, Alec hoped it was teasing) eye roll from Will who commented, “Oh, I’m sure he would love to hear that.”

“Ah, here you go with your snacks, Brother Snackariah.” Lily had packaged the two boxes into a bag and was holding it out for Jem. He took it was a smile, thanked her and left the the cafe.

“Ah yes the diamond Jem Come-and-stare never fails to disappointed,” Lily sighed.

“He’s nice,” Alec agreed mildly.

“Oh, I forgot,” Lily complained. “You’re with Monogamous Bane. Boring.”

Alec laughed at her expression. It had been things like this — Lily’s deadpan, serious teasing — that had been difficult for Alec to tell whether she meant it as an insult or a joke that had initially roused so much defensiveness from him. Not to mention that he had met her as a friend of Magnus’ even before they started working together and she and her group of friends had all teased Alec the same way, which Alec had definitely not appreciated.

“Oh,” Lily blinked up at the cafe clock. “It’s almost ten. Well, you have to get going to class. Unless… you want to spend the rest of the day with the amazing me?”

Alec shook his head and suppressed a grin (Lily shouldn’t be encouraged). “See you later, Lily.”

“Oh, boring.”

—

It was raining lightly when Alec came in for his evening shift. He didn’t have an umbrella with him and so had to brave the storm with only his backpack and was incredibly thankful that he hadn’t needed his laptop that day.

Lily gave him and his damp clothes a raised eyebrow as she drawled out a greeting over the counter. “Had a little date with the rain, Lightwood? Tsk tsk, I know a little someone who would be incredibly jealous someone else got to tousle those ‘silky smooth’ locks of yours.” She gestured to the 

“Hello to you too, Lily,” Alec said. “Do we have any spare towels?”

“In the back.”

Alec stepped into the backroom, dumping his bag by the door and grabbing one of the towels to dry off. By the end, his hair was fluffed up by the towel, sticking up and in a general mess. Alec attempted to flatten it down to its usual state, to no avail, and he quietly resigned himself to his fate, reaching over to take his staff apron and putting it on.

When he came out the backroom, he was greeted by Lily’s peals of laughter.

“Oh, Alec,” she grinned. “Your hair.”

“Yes, yes, I get it,” Alec grumbled, taking refuge at his usual spot. “You don’t have to rub it in.”

She shook her head. “Wow, aren’t you lucky your siblings aren’t here right now.”

That thought was just dreadful and he groaned.

“Don’t worry, they aren’t,” she told him. “And get moving. You’re just in time for an order of sugar-free vanilla latte with two shots of expresso.”

And Alec was whisked into the normal bustle of the shop’s evening fans. The coffee shop didn’t serve any heavy food or drinks, only a few cakes and pies, so it wasn’t as popular at that time of day when most people were looking to get dinner. Unless your dinner was cake.

“Don’t look now, Alec,” Lily called. “But there’s a special someone here to see you.”

Alec knew that tone.

He took the few steps that separated him from Lily’s place at the cashier and his heart gave an absolutely embarrassing start at the sight of bright eyes and a loving smile. Unbidden, his own lips lifted into what he was sure was a sappy smile as well.

“Well, Magnus,” Lily grinned. “What would you like to order?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Magnus said flippantly. “Maybe a mocha. Maybe a surprise. Oh, but definitely that hottie standing next to you.” And he dropped Alec is glittery wink.

Alec could definitely feel his face heating up a little — even after two years, he wasn’t quite used to Magnus’ flirtations — and the heat worsened at the sound of Lily’s reply of “oh, we can definitely do that.”

“Lily!” Alec noticed, for the first time, the small group of people standing behind Magnus. Raphael Santiago, Lily’s closest friend, somehow managed to look appalled whilst sporting a grumpy scowl. “We do not encourage Bane’s disasters.”

“Oh, then I suppose we can’t help you, Magnus,” Lily told him serenely. “I suppose you’ll have to find your own way to wooing Alec here.”

“Lily,” Alec chided, exasperated.

“Yeah, let’s move on so the rest of us can get an order,” Ragnor complained from his spot at the back of the group, next to Catarina who just smiled indulgently. 

“Well, why don’t you surprise me with a drink, Alec?” Magnus smiled at him.

“Leave it to me.”

Truth be told, Magnus was a total coffee snob. He could be very picky about his coffee and  usual only drank from the most artisanal of coffee places. He mostly only stepped foot in a regular coffee shop when he was either meeting friends, or wanted to see Alec.

“There’s that sappy smile of yours,” Lily commented, sidling up to him, a sticky note in her hand. “Here are the rest of the orders. I’ll handle Raphael’s.”

Raphael was kind of difficult to please. Alec knew, more or less, how to deal with him in person, but his coffee order was something he didn’t have much confidence in. Ragnor and Catarina, on the other hand, had extremely simple order (plain and strong tea and coffee respectively).

They worked silently together, experienced hands moving quickly through the motions, and Alec felt happy.

#lbotwcountdown #yes the ending is really lousy #I'm not good at endings #or writing in general #but it's fun when it isn't driving me mad :D #not beta'ed #malec