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themarvelhorse · 1 year

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Empathy for the Devil Commentary - Chapter 8

Alright so this is more of a commentary than a re-read? I mean I AM re-reading the chapter, I just haven’t read the rest of the story yet sooooo yeah. Might do a full story re-read later (probably the physical copy, although I might need two so I can just totally write directly in one BUT that’s the same story for another day...)

I already love this pic. Sunset looking cool af, ready to go out to explore the City. Except that, I just remembered it wasn't really Sunset now was it? But it is seen through a mirror, so it reflects the real person inside. Admittedly, I’m not knowledgeable on art. Now this picture could just be based on how shading/lighting works in this scene, but I also see the shading splitting Sunset’s face down the middle. The two sides of Sunset. And/or Our Sunset and The Other Sunset. Also check out that skyline!

Also also! It could just be Flash! Reading ahead y’know I realize that he’s out there with the others too, looking for Other Sunset. Maybe he likes being Sunset because he actually feels cool and confident and everything that he admires in her? The other two sides of Sunset, the physical and the immaterial.

There was a different path out there for her. The human Sunset confirmed its existence—even if that counterpart didn’t have it all figured out herself.

But you’re already on a different path, aren’t you? And you yourself don’t have it all figured out! Albeit it is a different start, but what’s stopping you from pursuing the path you think you could have taken? Is it that you just need a sign? A living cutie mark in the form of the other you? If you find the other path that the Other Sunset is taking, what would that do? Would it feel right in taking her path too?

She would’ve preferred to take her motorcycle, but given the winter storm, it would’ve been a friskily brisk ride. Too brisk to risk on long distances.

Too brisk to risk!

Too cold to feel bold!

She’s young, not old,

but that winter storm,

will have her slowed!

Then again, the sun finally started to peek through the clouds, and even as a winter chill clung to their bodies like wet clothes, the hope of warmth broke through. The staff parking lot smelled like the salt melting the mini-mountains of ice ploughed to the back, the breeze telling tale of voyages yet to be sailed. But then, the school’s back entrance decided instead to have fun with them and reveal Principal Celestia talking to a nodding, attentive Solstice Shiver, who had undone the top button of his dress shirt.

Oh okay I see how it is. You have this description both about Sunset but ALSO about Solstice and Celestia. Celestia warming everyone rn as the sun does, because she warms Solstice (who may or may not be influencing the weather, yes?)

Also, HE’S DRESSED LIKE THAT IN THIS WEATHER? THERE’S DEFINITELY SOMETHING SHADOWY SHADY GOING ON.

… Okay, they had zero defense against being found out.

Zero defence indeed. Get ready for a knockout. Sometimes you just gotta give up and let Red Eyes Black Dragon Sombra’s gonna blast away your life points.

Rainbow Dash whispered in Flash’s ear whom first looked at her to confirm he’d heard right, then turned to Applejack to repeat, “We’ll... tell you when you’re older?”

Yes! RD and Flash bonding time! Especially since it’s a neat little callback to an earlier chapter. Flash is slowly becoming one of the Rainbooms.

After a solid extra second of working through complex equations...

This and her reaction when she finally realized what was going on made me laugh, always nice seeing Twilighting. And I thought they just turn teachers off after school? Sure is easier to think that way.

Man, it’s cramped in there! You sure you need all those books?”

All those books can double as a weapon! The best weapon in the world. Make sure you practice your swinging, and also workout your back because it can be heavy... and also also make sure Spike isn’t in there when you do said swinging.

"Yup, a while ago, but yup!"

Amazing. Gloriosa didn't say no backsies or set a time specific to when he could use it sooooo its all good! Loopholes in sibling antics.

Timber frowned at Flash who was currently in Sunset's body but also not in Sunset's clothes. His hoodie looked especially baggy on her frame, but, Sunset supposed, he must've liked it that way. "But uh, how are you going to catch the scent?"

Hmmm... or maybe Flash is still feeling body dysphoria of his own? Not only switching from one person’s body to another, but making it a body of the opposite gender too can eliminate any sense of euphoria you might have had if you like being your other gender. Sunset was Timber, but she was also used to being a pony. Totally different body, so maybe a male body just didn’t phase her compared to that. Poor Flash, first the chub troubles and now this. And maybe he’s ashamed? Doesn’t feel like he deserves to look like Sunset since he looks up to her and the other girls so much.

“Shimmer Beta? Sunshim the Lesser?” Pinkie thought aloud, rubbing her chin. “Sunset 2: Electric Boogaloo? Mmm nah. Sequels are rarely as good as the first.”

Oh my god pinkie, these are great. Gold for sure... and maybe the sequel in this case is veerrrrry not good. Very evil. Evil twins amirite?

As Timber rounded the jeep to the driver’s side and Sunset opened her own door, she let a smile flow onto her face. “Promise not to get too excited when you see the other me? I’m the jealous type.”

Eyup, you sure are Sunset. No doubt about that. But also what if she is hotter than you? Maybe she’s been exercising? Twilight sure did date someone who seemed to be exercising. It could be that the other you is hotter to her. That sure would not help the self-confidence.

Not to be outdone, Sunset shrugged. “Can’t. I’m not in my pants.” And she shut the door before her comeback could be out-sassed any further.

Checkmate! Love the sass between all these jokers.

“But you’re going to need to be open-minded.”

Sticking the Everfree-mobile into first gear, Timber’s eyes glittered like a treasure lost in the bracken of the woods. “Lucky for you, that’s my specialty.”

It sure seems like it! But what does that mean for this story? Other than he’s a good... camp counselor... But there’s a lot of potential for where this could go with an open-minded lad like him. Sunset couldn’t have been forced to bond with a better boye.

No dice in her old haunts like the aviary a town over that reminded her of the phoenix aviary she used to hang out with Philomena in, or the tea house a town after that (however they did find a lovely jasmine vanilla tea).

In seeing what Sunset thought could have been potential places to visit, it really feels more like an exercise in bonding with Timber rather than actually trying to find Other Sunset. Philomena and tea? If she wasn’t raised to do all these things with this Celestia, what are the chances the Other Sunset would have similar interests? Unless its some other high authority figure. Then again, Sunset said as much and they’re just places on the way to the actual more likely destinations.

Ex-Principal Cinch was now a secretary there and the less power that woman had over impressionable youths, the better.

Oh and I totally see this as Sunset taking the opportunity to have the smug satisfaction of seeing what happened to Cinch for herself - I’m sure a conversation with Shining Armor might have come up about what became of her.

As they pulled onto the interstate, they passed a scruffy looking man with a hat constructed from tin-foil and a cardboard sign that read The End of Days is Nigh! All Hail the Crack in the Sky!

ALL HAIL THE GLOW CLOUD CRACK IN THE SKY

“Yep, just. Just living out some childhood dreams over here, don’t mind me.”

Aww... they better go on a real road trip after this mess is over! It’d make for a great summer vacation. After all he’s done and everything and all I’m sure is going to happen, Timber deserves it.

“I’m gonna go ahead and assume that’s not a zeppelin?”

Seems like Timber isn’t the only one experiencing new things. I was judgey at first but really it’s easy to just... not know things when it’s hardly comes up in your life, and of course Timber’s been very isolated, it’s jarring to see just how isolated. And same with Sunset. She’s experiencing things in a similar way to Timber since most of her life, all she knew was high fantasy Equestria, and most of Timber’s life has been the isolated backwoods forested areas and Canterlot City.

She’d heard Rarity talk about taking one to Prance after high school, at the very least on vacation if not more

IF NOT MORE?! SHE REALLY EMBRACING THE PRANCE/PRENCH LIFESTYLE TO WORK THERE? Look I know it’s regarded as a fashion capital BUT WHAT ABOUT APPLEJACK???

*The Ex Files theme plays*

Okay I was assuming they were a thing but also more like, just me shipping it.

“I have! Well, not that kind.” Blindly snagging the last trail mix, he focused more on changing lanes than Sunset. “I don’t remember much but my dad used to take me up in his water bomber or the rescue chopper when I was little. Never when there was an actual wildfire in the forest ‘cause y’know, good dad, but he’d let me see the whole valley from up there. Gloriosa says I loved it.”

Hmmm... Timber doesn’t just teleport to random places. Okay well it seems like it. But he has teleported to places that are either A) Higher than the average teenager should be without safety equipment or B) Places you’d travel via plane. Waking up with his bed in the lake might or might not be a result of teleportation, but if it was, it can still be connected to his dad because water bomber. Connecting that feeling of awe/the sublime during those moments in nature with a parent can create powerful emotions that work especially well with magic.

Eh. Looks pretty weird to me, but hey, if the girls end up in colleges across the country or all over the world, I guess I could give it a shot.

Sunset, if you do go flying… avoid Pearson.

Also thinking about this and how likely it is for them to be in schools all over the world. I feel like it would fit their pony counterparts in that, even though they move on to their own personal journeys, they’ll still stay connected to each other.

Timber’s smile waited, patient and unassuming. “Lore-building. I feel you.

First of all: “Lore-building”? Dork term. Second: Timber being essentially what he said his specialty was - open-minded. Thirdly: The “I feel you” and then talking about his own experience... literally empathy for Sunset - Empathy for the Devil. (Note: I noticed this in particular only after having read Chapter 9). And THEN he deflects the conversation topic back to Sunset’s court, making sure that he was trying to show that he has an idea of what she’s going through, but doing what he can to not make it about him.

“So you basically got one of those Mom heart tattoos?”

Hey it’s the part! :D

The part she didn't say out loud was: I thought she wanted to adopt me. She didn't feel like getting emotional over silly filly fantasies.

;~;

Imagine that. All that opportunity and validation and then, a line is drawn. You still don’t have a family. Then you try your best to get what little love you can from the closest thing to a parental figure and then its gone and the opportunity is given to someone who already has a loving family.

I’m also totally picturing Sunset as either a Halo Spartan or a Witcher... or Samus Aran - taken at a young age and trained to be the ultimate warrior. She pretty much was, except the PG version. Not necessarily stoic like those fellas (although I’m not familiar enough with Samus’ personality) but still ambitious to be the best of the best and then… someone actually shows them love and then they’re like ??? “What the fuck is this? I’m going to die for you now. Also kill for you. Oh wait that’s bad? Okay I’ll violently maim for you instead! Oh that’s bad too? How about if I only do it emotionally?” Would not want to be SciTwi and Wallflower.

"Oh yeah. Total heart eyes. Listen, I'm not saying I know when she started to have a thing for you, but she did explain Midnight Sparkle by raving about the angel who saved her so…

Empathy from the Angel

It’s all a matter of perspective, isn’t it?

“Welcome to Nightfall Reach Military Academy.”

Been trying to figure out the naming behind this. I mean it’s kinda badass already but took some looking up tbh. Legit didn’t even think of ‘Nightfall’ as a synonym of ‘sunset’ and ‘twilight’ so now there’s that. But in looking up ‘reach’, well, there’s a lot there. As a noun, it can be an ‘individual part of a progression or journey’ or the ‘extent or range of knowledge’, as a verb it can mean to strain after something, or simply reach there, their destination. It can also mean reaching out, reaching out to someone (Sunset reaching out to Timber’s a good fit!), or to stretch out or extend. Or heck it could be all of them. Knowing that this is essentially where their knowledge ends as to where Other Sunset could be, it could be Sunset straining after... a whole heckin lot tbh. And it could be her trying to connect with Timber. It could be more as these aren’t even all the definitions! Or perhaps this is where nightfall reaches, and goes no further. For in the dark of the night, the Moon commands the tides, but the tides dare not pass beyond the fortifications and defenders of this bastion.

Or you could be a nerd like me and think it’s a Halo reference especially with that previous thought I had about Sunset being a spartan.

Or or it could just be a cool name with the word reach in it, like Dragonsreach.

And between you and me, it wouldn’t shock me if someone thought the other me needed to straighten up and fly right.

Okay, so there’s the whole Nightmare Moon war thing, being part of the guard because she thought her mom was, and the thing where she wanted to protect the Princess. Like, there’s some things that don’t feel like they add up here. The whole “mom was a guard” thing itself could be made up. Sunset wanted to protect the Princess... why? Because Celestia was the only one who took care of her. If she hadn’t, then would she have wanted to do that? Protect the only person that showed her love (even if she didn’t outright adopt her). Would there have been someone else who replaced Celestia like that in this world?

Sunset’s hope that, someone out there she didn’t know about was really looking out for her other self, and decided she could do with some discipline. So, what would’ve happened had Celestia not taken her in? Would someone else have? Would she have gone to the military as the only way to get opportunities others are afforded when they have social support systems/people looking out for them? Something similar to the life she’s currently facing? She did say she had a talent in pyromagic, but does that translate to warfare here? Could be fireworks instead! Or a firefighter. Controlled burns. She could see Timber a whole lot more!

And then there’s Timber. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s just letting her go through with this so she could get a taste of what her life might have been and could still be.

And Sunset here is the one who she herself thinks she might need to straighten up and fly right. Based on how she lives her life now, that could be reason enough to join. Doesn’t need to be a total hooligan constantly breaking the laws like smashing garbage cans, spraying graffiti, sneaking around campus in a full stealth suit, or... running across a snowy battlefield carrying your companion through to the other side and sacrificing yourself along the way...

...okay maybe she’s perfect for the military.

Love how everything is now a mission when they reach... Reach…

That’s kind of my thing. Rainbow ‘history buff’ Dash, they call me. You can spread that around.”

Callback to the pony version where RD had such a hard time with Wonderbolt history. Poor poor Dash, but actually, poor Timber. He’s now joined the military and will be going off to war... the prank war.

Sunset hadn’t ever tried super hard in gym class, but if her future after high school involved a military academy and being part of something greater than herself, she wouldn’t mind hitting the punching bag a little more. Or even running a lap or two.

Who’s to say this won’t be the direction Sunset takes regardless? She’s trained for war as it is! Maybe all the skills she’s developed over the years won’t actually go to waste. Yay soft skills!

Speaking into a mic bending around from his headset, the tour guide performed his every sentence as if he were a professional wrestler in Rainbow Dash and Applejack’s favourite televised league, Worldwide Wrestling Theatrics (they insisted it was just a name). “I hope you’ve all enjoyed the museum portion of our tour, because it’s time to move on! Iron Will believes there’s no greater pleasure than watching the junior cadets perform a sunset salute to end another peaceful day.” He flexed so hard it looked painful.

Oh my god it’s Iron Will. I can see how he’d make a great Drill Sergeant too. And oh my god World Wide Wrestling Theatrics. And hey! Sunset salute! The nightfall connection!

And maybe foreshadowing? A true Sunset salute as the cadets salute their commanding officer, Sunset Shimmer? She could still be a counselor there! Or social worker.

She doesn’t have to even be any of those tbh. On the surface it doesn’t seem like empathy to be particularly great for the military, but having that sort of virtue in this context makes it all the better, because you’ll have a lot of power, but the empathy can keep you responsible and accountable to yourself and others - those under your command, those you may have to fight, and all the civilians in between. To quote Romeo Dallaire:

“You know, soldiers are very unusual people. On the outside, they are the hardest, most demanding, severe people, but underneath that, they are the most human, the most feeling, the most emotionally attached people who exist.”

And

“I have often been criticized for being an 'emotional' leader, for not being macho enough, but even during this early stage in my career, I believed that the magic of command lies in openness, in being both sympathetic to the troops and at the same time being apart, in always projecting supreme confidence in my own ability and in theirs to accomplish whatever task is set for us.”

These are traits that Sunset has, and would work well in that sort of life. She’s thinking about the impact that magic has on the entire student body now - not just her friend group. And it’s also something Sunset lacked before she came to this world. And of course Celestia had to learn from her mistake it by telling Twilight to go make friends.

Folks joke about how “Haha they defeated the villain with the magic of friendship! So cheesy!” happens in media, but that has so much merit in the real world, in so many aspects of life is friendship and the qualities of being a good friend something that is so relevant to making life better for everyone, for succeeding, and for overcoming some of the greatest problems of our time.

The notes sunk into her like the lake-buffeted breeze at her back. To her, that would always be the call of Canterlot Castle.

With all that’s similar here, might she truly feel at home in this place? Might this be where she wants to go?

Sunset continued to swear profusely and quite creatively as she followed Timber, wriggling on her belly under a low set of bars. She was almost glad she wasn’t in her own body; she doubted her steady diet of pizza pockets, toaster strudel, and leftover takeout would have served her well here. Sitting around streaming video games really did a number on the body, she guessed. That aside, Sunset Shimmer had exactly enough muscles to pick up a girl in her arms and swing her around. She had the queer amount, and that was about it.

Okay, with this in mind, it might not be where she wants to go anymore XD. Or maybe she’ll realize that she’s been put in enough situations that need her to be more fit that she should change that. Question is: is this a hurdle - something that she can and needs to overcome in order to be who she wants to be - or is it a barrier - something that just stands in your way that tells you to not bother with pursuing, because its a sample of a a life that you don’t want.

“The queer amount” - that’s the power of love, baby!

Timber managed the rest of the hurdles with almost too much ease, and Sunset thought it was stupidly unfair that he got Rainbow Dash’s agility and natural speed.

More of Sunset’s jealousy here. I mention it not just because the laundry list of people she’s jealous of gets longer, but also because its another instance of her being too hard on herself. Yes, her body’s not in great shape, but Timber was the one who shocked the whole gym class by running a lap in her body. He didn’t bring it up that her body was able to handle it, only that everyone was shocked she did it. Its not that she’s not capable, but she doesn’t even want to try, and when she has to try to she shifts the blame and loses confidence.

Timber Spruce slammed down onto the platform with wild eyes and a purse around his shoulder. Smiling feebly, Sunset would have cheered if she had any lung-power left. He saw her and the relief was palpable in his laugh, especially as he dug out Twilight’s back-up inhaler and guided it into her hands, helping her take the first puff.

Timber comin’ in clutch! That would be a better joke if it was actually a clutch.

Ngl this moment had me anxious for a sec there. And hey! I called it! Chalk one up for Other Marvel!

And I’m seeing reflections of the first time Timber landed in front of Sunset via teleportation, only with opposite feelings from her.

And I wouldn’t have figured out the teleporting thing if I didn’t have a good leader.

Leaaaderrrrrrrrrr

It’s your destiny

Commander Tempest.... okay with the explosive energy and fireworks connection that Pony!Tempest had, pyromagic might really not be too far off here. Really appreciate the inclusion of characters like these, no Other Sunset yet but there’s a certain satisfaction in knowing where these other characters end up. Now where’s the Other Starlight Glimmer? Pony-themed Russia? Prussia? Wait no, that was an actual thing.

The tall barbed-wire fences of the Tartarus Juvenile Detention Centre rose ahead and Timber took his hands off the steering wheel. “No. No way. Uh-uh. I’m turning the car around.”

Ooooooooh yikes. All or nothing, eh Sunset? Either you’re somewhere where you can be at your prime with all the skills needed to excel in a noble field among comrades (on in this case, friends since ‘respect for friends’ is one of NR’s core tenets) or... the opposite. Or I guess all those little places in between that you visited only once. Wild how that works. If someone didn’t push her to NR, then she would have just been a delinquent the rest of her life?

“Yeah, well, you’re not anymore and this is way too mean to yourself. To both of you! Other Sunset could be in lots of places! A motorcycle shop, leather jacket emporium, an ice cream parlor⁠⁠—I mean everybody likes ice cream, right?”

Yeeess my boy! Point out those middle paths! And point out where she might be wrong! He entertained her thoughts about NR, but this is where the line gets drawn.

The guard led them to a full-body metal detector, which meant Sunset had to forfeit her phone and the emergency sextant Twilight had in her pocket, but otherwise, they got through without issue. Timber did so under protest, pouting all the way.

I’m just picturing the guard now. Like “who tf just brings a sextant everywhere they go?”

The guard considered it, hemming and hawing. “Well. No Shimmers here, but we have a Glow. Could that be who you’re here to see?”

Ngl, it didn’t register with me that this was Cozy Glow until I started writing this thing out. That child is scary. What crimes did she commit in this world? Attempt to steal the nuclear codes?

Nothing that we could find, but we’ll keep looking, Twilight assured. She has to be somewhere.

That was it for a long while, maybe an hour or so. Then, out of nowhere, Sunset’s phone decided to blast Right There in Front of Me, the ring-tone she’d set for Twilight’s phone. Sunset’s heart leapt. “Hello?”

Maybe the Right there in Front of Me was for her reflection in Bevin’s art piece at the beginning! In the mirror! It’s just her that’s in front of her. She’s standing in her own way.

“—ber Brambleton Spruce, about 6 foot 3, 17 years old but acts 10, and he hasn’t been answering his phone!

Brambleton! I know I mentioned it last time as being funny but this time, I remember a certain comic featuring the Kingdom of the Deer, and Bramble was a character there! And of course I remember that Sunset visited Thicket with Celestia!

Went back and read that comic and it’s very reflective of Legend of Everfree! So it only makes sense! That and we had a potential name drop for Timber’s mom here but the deer mom/queen was never mentioned. But also also, Bramble seems like a different character than Brambleton here

Regardless, I think maybe it does show how people change when they can connect with different people and ideas. Bramble would likely have not gone beyond the forest until the events of the story made that happen, and Timber really didn’t leave Everfree either until recently. But Timber was essentially raised to welcome people to the forest instead. He said being open-minded was his specialty. Bramble was very much not open-minded at the start of the comic arc. But by the end that seems like it changed.

I don’t know what happened to Bramble after that story or how he changed other than the epilogue which implied he became more open, or what Timber was really like when his parents were around. Still, we can put two and two together and say that, even if they followed the same path, they both still changed, much like Sunset has. And if they didn’t, then the other universe isn’t so much of a reflection of the pony realm’s characters as Sunset thinks it is.

(And reading that comic hits waaaay too close to home rn. If only we had a hydra in the Greenbelt.)

“Just trying to be thorough!” Twilight promised, waving her hand as if to ward off the omen. “Although, that one was a relief not to find her in...”

It’s okay Twilight! I thought the same thing! You never know... like there’s cars in this universe ffs. Okay yeah there’s also not random magical monsters destroying the town on a weekly basis. OKAY YEAH THERE ARE MAGICAL DEMONS EVERYWHERE BUT ITS MORE LIKE, MONTHLY AND ONLY STARTED RECENTLY.

Leading them up the stone steps to city hall, Flash led the charge into the overly grand, heavy-doored entrance-way. A confusing statue of a horse and its pioneer human rider seeming to shake hand/hoof boasted the peaceful town motto at the statue’s base: Keeping Things Stable. The dream tax-payers built, Sunset supposed. And the one teenagers made fun of.

Omg what. WHAT. I... I don’t... I can’t....

what

lmfao but... this city is where the portal to Equestria is. And said portal isn’t just in a random spot in nature. It’s literally in a man(?)-made piece of architecture. Maybe both horses and humans made it??? I honestly never thought about it until now but ehhhhh????????

A bit of a pipsqueak, really. He held up a recording device. “Mayor! Mayor, over here! How much danger are the people of Canterlot City really in?”

Betcha he’s got a British accent too pfft.

The resemblance between Flash Magnus and Flash Junior still threw Sunset off.

Yooooooooooo

YOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

All things considered, this is yet another case of the parallel’s between parallel worlds being different. It’s not just that Flash Magnus is the father of Flash Sentry instead of the ancestor, but also that Pony!Flash and Human!Flash are different people too. Guard in one, and guitarist/baker/hates gym class in the other. And it’s not that the Pony!Flash can’t be those other things, it’s a question of whether Human!Flash will be following in his dad’s footsteps to be that equivalent of a guard. What he is now, and what he will be in the future, are two things that can indicate again that this could be very different from the other universe, or the future can be very different from what the current path looks like.

Either one is possible, and both contradict how Sunset’s seeing things.

Similar to Timber/Bramble, Flash here might simply not have experienced the turning point in his life that brings him to be the equivalent of a guard. He’s constantly trying to be one of the girls, cheer them on, because he looks up to them, how brave and awesome they are at fighting big bads. He might still get that opportunity that changes everything for him.

Also

Flash can be referred to as Junior. hehehe

Magnus laughed. “Oh, I like you. Kids today, with their baggy pants and stupid hats. You’re one of a kind! You know, I think you’d even do well on the force. Where’d you find this one, deputy?”

Omg, deputy. It’s just like, another way to say Junior.

“We don’t know what to tell you kids. There is no other Sunset Shimmer.”

Okay, no other Sunset Shimmer? Fr? But waiiiiit... Sunset was an orphan, she might not have even known her parents, who would have even given her the name Sunset Shimmer?

*Checks bonus features*

Okay so we’ll never know anyway, dangit. Doesn’t mean that there isn’t one! Just that we won’t see her in this story. Maybe Tempest does know the Other Sunset, and maybe she does have a similar countenance/impression that should could see in Sunset-in-Twilight’s-body?

Global comments

Adding some global comments to shorten this thing a bit because Marvel’s writing here would keep me here all day and this post would be much much longer.

I loved all the little comedic elements. All the callbacks to the other characters that aren’t EqG Sunset that offer a bit of worldbuilding I’ve seen so little of (in general, I’m sure there’s plenty out there but I don’t really look into it much). I do also love Sunset’s bonding with Timber, showing how well they work together, how Sunset really needs a friend like him and everything. All these pieces being connected and coming together into something amazing. Of course, there’s so many chapters left so uh, gonna be a while with plenty of more conflict before we reach that.

#Empathy for the Devil #commentary #my stuff #marvelandponder #bevinbrand

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darklydeliciousdesires · 1 year

Text

Beyond the Blood Tie - Chapter Thirty.

Huge thanks to all of those offering their commentary on this. You’re so wonderful to me! :)

Previous Chapters - One Two, Part One Part Two Three Four Five Six Seven Eight Nine Ten Eleven Twelve Thirteen Fourteen Fifteen Sixteen Seventeen Eighteen Nineteen Twenty Twenty One Twenty Two Twenty Three Twenty Four Twenty Five Twenty Six Twenty Seven Twenty Eight Twenty Nine

Words - 4,917

Tag list - In the comments. Please DM to be added/removed

Warnings - 18+ content throughout. Minors DNI!

Edie's POV

"So there I was, and I could see the manhole cover moving, and I knew what was underneath it. I got down low on my stomach, so my gun would be right at the right level to get it right between its eyes, and then a fucking car drove straight over the manhole and smashed its head off just before I was about to shoot it! That's the closest I got to any of 'em, and I was just nineteen years old so this was when most of them had been eliminated by you guys and the military," Vic explains to Angel, while I sit back and laugh along with Ahmed at the story, who joined us unexpectedly about a half our ago. He was out already but not having a particularly good evening after meeting an old girlfriend from school, who he described as dull as dishwater these days, so he made his excuses and called me to see where I was at.

"See when I joined up, there were very few of them left and most of them were confined to the sewer systems. That's something I'll never forget, at my fucking height having to bend almost double to navigate my way through the Vegas sewers with a rifle, popping off any the reanimated who got in my way. You know, I heard there's still some alive, when I was still with the military. Apparently, they had a few locked up in labs doing tests on them to find out exactly what the D11X virus did to them, how it was possible for them to die yet walk and have a compulsion to eat other people as well as anything else they could take sustenance from," Ahmed adds to the conversation. Being the youngest here, and still just a child when the last of the reanimated were killed off (I've never seen one, and by the time I was born they were all driven underground, living off rats) I'm mostly sitting here nodding. I then supress a giggle when it occurs to me that I'm the girlfriend of the oldest sat here.

"I'm going to leave you guys to it for a minute and head to get another round," I quickly interject, just before Angel is about to speak, excusing myself and heading back indoors. It's fairly busy in here tonight, and because of which I have to wait for a while to be served, but when the people thin out the girl with the blue black hair and the beautiful rosy cheeks behind the bar dashes over to me.

"Two draught beers and a double bourbon on the rocks please," I recite, watching her fetch two beer glasses and put them under the taps before switching them on, picking up the glasses again and tilting them at an angle. There's definitely an art to pouring a beer right from the tap. Donny, the guy who owns our usual hangout let me and Max try one time. Oh boy, the mess we made. Foam everywhere, with a drunken Max and I flicking it at each other.

"Do you mind if I ask, that guy with the short, black hair, are you with him?" she asks, looking a little nervous and wincing slightly.

"Yes, he's my boyfriend," I reply with a smile to indicate she's nothing to feel nervous about. She can look and admire; she just can't have.

"Ahhh, damnit, he's hot. I like vampires too, they're just…" she says, trailing off.

"They're a better fuck than humans are?" I suggest, after leaning in closer to her over the bar.

"Hell yeah.” We share knowing laughter as she hands me the beers before turning to sort my drink.

"Twenty-two dollars darlin', and you enjoy him for me too, you hear me?" she says with a wink as I hand her the right money.

"Oh, you can bet on that!" I wink, picking up the drinks and heading back to the outside area.

"Hey honey, don't be so fast to leave, you have the kind of ass I'd like to get to know," the guy who was standing next to me at the bar says as I walk past, my feet stopping when I feel him touch my butt.

"You get that one for free because I have my hands full. Try it again and you'll be wearing these drinks, shortly before I punch your fucking teeth out. I'm a punisher, don't fuck with me 'honey'," I spit at him, putting extra sarcastic emphasis on my last word to him before I turn and head back outside without further incident.

"Why are you angry?" Angel asks as soon as I sit down opposite him again, reaching for my hand and then kissing my palm.

"Just some jerk giving me the come on is all, nothing to worry about," I say dismissively, feeling a flare of anger rise within him only to settle again quickly. I like how I can physically feel him trusting my word. It's a lovely bond we have with each other, through our blood tie. It makes us a lot closer than your average human/human relationship. He then seems to become less interested in the conversation and more interested in staring at me. After eyeing me for a time, smiling with a certain look in his eyes, he pulls me around to his side of the table, and onto his lap.

That's the thing with Angel; he has no boundaries with public displays of affection. If he wants to drag me onto his lap and begin kissing my neck and whispering both loving and very sexual things to me then that's just what he's going to do. I just sit and giggle, while Vic gives me a surprised and slightly shocked look. When him and Ahmed both then look at each other before getting up at the same time and moving to the next table down, it causes me to begin laughing much more loudly. It's just a shame it has to be ruined when I step inside to go to the bathroom a half hour later.

"So now you've got your hands free, you can grab my ass back when I grab yours. How about it, pretty girl?" the same creep from earlier offers, blocking my way.

"Do you not fucking listen? What are you on, a deliberate mission to piss me off or something?" I fume, folding my arms.

"No, I just want me a piece of what you've got," he shrugs, suddenly making a grab for me.

"You fucking dare! Don't you fucking touch me!" I yell, pushing him away, Angel arriving at my side and then reaching out and pulling the guy back. Oh, god. I know what this is, the suspicion going off in my head like an alarm.

"Did you just try to touch her? I don't take kindly to that, human pieces of shit like you laying their hands on my girl," he snarls at him, while the human just looks defiant. Okay, Angel, you need to see this for what it possibly is.

"Put him down, you know you can't hit him. You know why too," I whisper quietly while he continues to hold the man by his throat and growl at him. Three seconds later and he drops him, staring at him dangerously as he fights for breath again, and then begins to laugh.

"Ain't even gonna give me a slap for it. You fucking pussy ass dead man," he taunts him with, riling him up hugely while I put myself between them, staring at Angel pleadingly as I grasp his face in my hands. “Don’t do it.”

"He might not slap you down, but I sure as fuck will," I hear the voice of Ahmed come from behind us, his huge form coming past at speed, grabbing the guy and literally throwing him over his shoulder with one arm and marching him straight outside. When he returns moments later, he's wiping blood from his knuckles.

"I broke his nose on your behalf," he tells Angel, cracking his blood knuckles.

"Thank you," he nods, doing a very un-vampire thing and shaking hands with Ahmed.

"If he decides to report you, your ass is getting disciplined and fined, you know," I warn, giving him a hug in thanks. It's not every day my friend here breaks someone's nose in defence of my honour.

"It was worth it, because I managed to slide his wallet out of his pocket and get this before I dropped him and his wallet back on the floor and punched him. I followed Angel in, but your back was to me, and I heard you telling him not to go for that dude, and I figured why pretty quickly, the discrediting Ursula business," Ahmed replies, handing the driving license card to Angel, who takes it from him with a look of mild surprise.

"I'd planned to follow him, but this is even better. I can give this to Ursula and she can have him watched. Good thinking, big man." Angel praises, before they turn and head back outside and I finally get to go to the bathroom. After I'm done, I head back out, all of us deciding not to tell Vic what went down inside. He's none the wiser anyway, being lost in conversation about boxing with a guy a table over from ours. It'd be pointless to upset him. Plus, it means he'd be another person we'd have to involve in all of this, and as it is Ursula wants to keep as many of us out of it as she can. We (Angel, EZ and I) still don't even know exactly what she's doing to try and prove her innocence and get to the bottom of Elias's little scheme, so we have to keep everything on the down low.

Our night comes to an end at 1am, when Vic informs us all he's too old to be out drinking that late any longer, so after picking up a bottle of bourbon for Ahmed and I to share, we head back to Angel's place, ready to tell Ursula about what happened tonight. Except when we all arrive, it would seem the lady herself has her attention distracted from the minute her eyes land upon my buddy.

"Who are you, you beautiful creature?" She asks, arriving right in front of him with a look on her face that shows her interest loud and clear.

"Ahmed Khamir, and you must be Ursula. Wow, Angel didn't tell me you were such a fucking knock out, damn," he says approvingly, taking her hand and kissing it while Ursula smiles in an almost bashful way.

"You're of Arab blood. I like that, perhaps more than I should," she confesses, her eyes not leaving his. Do I sense an atmosphere building here?

"Because you're married?" he inquires.

She shakes her head. Oooh, she even did a little hair swish. Get it, girl! "No, my husband and I are not monogamous. It is because I have never, ever been able to resist a good looking Arab, and you are definitely just that.”

"Pardon me, but before you get too involved in tripping over your tongues, Ursula I have to speak with you for a moment," Angel interjects with, trying not to sound as amused by this as he actually is. I can tell he's dying to laugh at how utterly enamoured his creator is with my friend so quickly. "Let's just say you'll have another reason to like this guy when you hear what I have to tell you." Ursula looks at him curiously before seeing us through to her sitting room, still hardly able to tear her eyes away from Ahmed. I think I know what she'll be doing later. My friend, by the look of things.

Angel's POV

"Well my boy, you were right. I do like him even more now I see just how quick witted he is. Ahmed, I thank you greatly for this. This is perhaps the first concrete lead I might have over which vampires are involved in all of this on Elias's behalf. I can now have eyes put upon this human, to identify any of my kind coming to converse with him," Ursula explains, while looking down at the card license in her hand.

"You're welcome, and could I trouble you for a couple of glasses so Edie and I can get stuck into this?" Ahmed replies, putting down the bottle of bourbon on the table.

"Of course, just one moment," she replies before disappearing momentarily, returning in a couple of seconds with two glasses. As it turns out, the conversation had is mainly between Ursula and Ahmed, who it doesn't take a genius to work out will be naked together at some point before the morning arrives, by the way they're acting around each other. In light of this, Edie and I just sit and talk quietly together, before leaving them to it. They don't even notice us leave. Just as we're about to head upstairs I notice Charles arrive, my wolves running to the front door, barking and wagging their tails happily, gratified when the vampire himself walks through and bends to pet them warmly.

"Stop spoiling them," I say with an eye roll when he pulls out two cookies from his pocket and gives them one each.

"The human guests we had in from the USAC food and drink division for a meeting over the introduction of Synthiblood onto the market didn't eat them with their coffees, so I thought it a shame they go to waste when these two would appreciate them," he replies as he grabs Thor's tail and gives it a shake, making my big wolf spin around and growl at him, yapping excitedly as Charles teases him with his hand before ruffling his ears. "Have you both had a pleasant evening?" he then goes on to ask us politely. I inform him we did before the incident with someone trying to grab a handful of Edie, and then what followed it.

"Well, he could very well be some random pervert, but it was quick thinking on Ahmed's part just in case he was there for a reason, to cause trouble and throw a bad light on Angel and ultimately Ursula too. Yes, I shall thank him personally once my wife is finished with him. I knew she'd want to play with him as soon as I met him." he replies, sounding amused. Of course, he knows Ahmed is here, even if he couldn't hear him, he'd smell him. To us vampires, all of you humans have a unique smell we can detect to only come from you. Edie and I head upstairs after our brief chat with Charles, where she takes the bourbon she decanted into a plain decorative bottle Ursula lent her to share out the drink between her and Ahmed, and pours herself another glass before she heads to the window and sits herself on the end of the couch to have a cigarette.

"I'm sorry," I suddenly find myself telling her.

"Whatever for, my gorgeous vampire?" she asks me with a slight note of concern in her voice, reaching for my hand after I've walked over to her.

"For the fact that since you met me, I've brought you little more than a fucking lot of trouble. For the way I was when we first met to what we now face, becoming involved in all of this mess with Ursula. That's what I'm sorry for," I state, moving her so I can sit on the arm of the couch and perch her on my lap.

"You've also brought me the most beautiful, amazing love I've ever known, and anything I have to go through for that is fine by me. You've nothing to be sorry for, none of this is your fault," she reassures me, taking another drag on her cigarette.

"I just hope the arrival of Constance will prove of some use in getting to the bottom of all this," I sigh, moving her hair from her shoulder to rest my chin against it, kissing the side of her neck.

She leans into me, stroking my forearm. "Have you ever met her before, Constance?"

"No, I haven't. She lived down in Texas briefly for about twenty five years after the disaster before she left, and she's been in France ever since with her youngest offspring, who'll be coming with her," I say, adding a little 'no!' for Icarus, who is trying to pull one of my socks off my foot. That was his favourite trick to do as a cub, and not much has changed since. Another thing I blame Charles for, since he taught him to do it by shouting 'socks!' and pointing at his feet before Icarus would run up and pull each of them off, but then rag them around like toys. I lost count of how many pairs of socks we all collectively lost to that wolf.

"Are you looking forward to meeting her?" She then asks, taking a sip of her drink.

“I guess.” I’m not that much of a fan of Constance, being that she abandoned Ursula so early into her vampirism. “I am looking forward to the fact she'll more than likely get to the bottom of this mess. Anyway, I don't want to talk about Ursula's creator any longer. In fact, I don't want to talk at all.” She giggles filthily when I reach to begin squeezing her tits, softly biting her neck.

I pick her up and carry her over to the bed to put her down in the middle, kissing the side of her neck as my hands wander all over her body, traveling across every fabric covered curve before I use them to remove those clothes. The feeling of her hands moving under my t shirt and stroking my abs with her fingernails makes a low rumble of a moan emanate from somewhere deep in my throat, her touch as potently erotic as ever, and she doesn't even need to touch me in an sexual place. Edie can stroke my hand and I'll feel aroused, simply because she's the one doing it.

As soon as she's bare to her waist, I begin running my fingers up and down her arms and sides, all the while my mouth moving to kiss and lick at each of her tits, paying special attention to her nipples until they're hard as bullets against my tongue. Her body quakes with little judders as she reacts to my touch, her legs winding around me as my hands travel under her body to grip her ass momentarily, before I slide them up and down her thighs, reuniting my mouth with hers. I then move to sit up and pull the rest of her clothes off, grabbing her just below the knee and pulling her down the bed a little before turning her over onto her front, and kissing my way back up her body from her legs to her shoulders. Running my hand through her hair, I take a handful at the roots and pull her head sharply to the side which causes her to gasp, that gasp turning into a slightly whimpered moan when my fangs bite into her neck. I use my free hand to run over her gorgeous skin as I feed, kneading each of her ass cheeks before my fingers slip between her legs and push into her wet warmth.

I feel the inner muscles grip onto my middle and fourth finger, her moans soft, again my actions forcing a considerably louder noise to exit her mouth when I bite down onto one of her gorgeous ass cheeks, and then quickly move beneath her to begin licking her clit while my fingers remain deep inside her. I work her to the point of no return quickly, wanting to feel her come undone at the moment I intend to plunge my cock into her as deeply as my fingers are burrowed currently. That point arrives just seconds later, Edie's gasps and shouts in exclamation only becoming louder when she feels me move to sink every last inch into her. I pause for only a moment to feel her wet heat fluttering around me before fucking her senseless for the next three hours. I'm at my happiest when sexually entwined with her.

"I need a drink," she croaks once we’re done, still out of breath as she rests her forehead to my chest. I've never known another human woman with the leg strength able to last on top for quite as long as my beloved. She's been riding me for the last hour, and now she's all shaky and very sweaty. Gently moving her onto her back, I shoot out of bed and return with her booze, but she shakes her head when I put it down on the nightstand.

"I need juice, could you go fetch the bottle from the fridge please? I'm too sore to move still," she laughs.

"Of course, I will. Be right back." Kissing her forehead, I throw my jeans back on and zoom out of there, arriving in the kitchen and grabbing the juice from the fridge, turning to see a shirtless Ahmed standing in the open kitchen doorway, smoking a cigarette. I'm too busy laughing at the state of his back to leave immediately, putting the juice bottle down on the table and laughing even more when he turns around with a raised eyebrow, and I see puncture wounds to his neck and shoulders, and blood still glinting in his black chest hair. Damn. Mama got herself some.

"Needless to say, you've enjoyed yourself," I exclaim through my laughter. I could have heard it for myself, or even felt as much through Ursula's emotions, but we vampires can shut off that connection and tune out to any noise we don't want to hear. I was busy myself at the time though, of course.

"I'd ask the same of you, but I know your answer matches mine, bro," he replies, laughing a little.

I smile smugly at that. “Hell yeah, I did. Oh, watch your head in approximately five minutes, that's when the shutters will automatically drop over the door.”

“Appreciated, man.” he smiles, before making a beckoning motion with his hand, pointing outside. "There's a vampire just around the corner from here, but I guess you knew that, huh?"

"Yes, I know," I confirm.

"Have they been following us since we left the bar?"

"Yeah, but I didn't want to say anything. You feel our presence a lot more strongly than anyone else I've ever met, Edie and Aileen included. You have some exceedingly sharpened senses. You'd make a damn good vampire, you know." I leave him with, moving within a blink back upstairs. Who the fuck knows who's following us now, though? Vampires sent by Elias or the vigilantes against the TVM, or the TVM themselves. It could be any of those options. I'm getting sick of this, being followed, having trouble turning up on the doorstep and dead bodies being unearthed in the back yard. Elias needs to make his move and try his best hand or stop with the games and back the fuck off. Either way, he won't win. Ursula is too smart.

"Thank you," Edie tells me as I pass her the juice, dropping my jeans and then getting back into bed with her, lighting a few candles melted onto the nightstand as the blinds come down, shutting out the dawn. "So, you haven't told me yet. What do you think of Vic?" she then asks, after sipping her juice and putting the bottle down on the nightstand.

"He didn't irritate me at all, which is quite exceptional for humans, but then again the people you keep close to you aren't overly annoying to us vampires. I thought he was quite a remarkable man, and he obviously cares for you a hell of a lot. I enjoyed listening to his stories of his days as a boxer, and everything he told me about you growing up too. It was nice to hear of your life back then from someone other than you. He's a good guy," I say, feeling drowsier by the moment since the sun is coming up.

She beams brightly, moving to cuddle against me. "I'm glad, because I think he liked you a lot too, and you should take that as a compliment since Vic is wary of vampires. Anyway, your beautiful eyes are growing heavy, time for sleep. I love you.”

"I love you too." Wrapping her in my arms, I gladly close my eyes, sleep taking over. When I wake up again, I find Edie is gone, but there is a note in the space she once occupied. It says she's gone for a run with my wolves and she'll be back by about 6pm, and with that I get up, shower and dress before quickly heading out to procure a feed (since my usual food source is off running) and then return home to sit out in the back yard with EZ talking.

"Do you think the arrival of Constance is going to help any in all of this? I just wish there was something Ursula could do about what evidence she's gathered so far, such as the link between this and Dawn Cavendish, because of course as soon as Elias gets wind of it, we're fucked," I tell my brother, watching him nodding.

"You're right there, and as for if Constance can shed any light on these events, well I hope so. I can tell how frustrated Charles is at present, he has more on his mind than he's willing to reveal to me. I respect them for the fact they're trying to keep us out of this, but at the same time, I'd do anything to help them," he reveals, something which I immediately agree with.

"Yeah, as do I. Even something as small as following Dawn and tracking her movements, or tailing that human guy in the bar, anything to help them with this," I sigh. "I'd give my own life to protect Ursula."

"I know you would, but she wouldn't let you do it. She'd sooner die herself than see you meet your end, just as Charles would with me. To speak of the devil," EZ says, Charles appearing out of nowhere.

"Constance has just called. She is on her way here from the airport, where she and her offspring have been resting throughout the day in the vampire suite. She said half an hour, give or take with the traffic, so make yourselves presentable and do it sharpish," he informs us both. The vampire suite in case you wondered is a large room containing nothing but caskets, either ones provided there if vampires are flying in close to dawn, or vampires flying into the airport already within a flight casket, should their journey have been long enough to warrant them to travel inside where they're protected from the sun.

"I thought we were quite presentable as we were," EZ comments casually, but with amusement in his voice. He knows how fussy Charles can be when guests visit.

"At least have the grace to put a shirt on, my boy." Charles states in a slightly pained voice, making EZ and I laugh.

“Chill out, Charlie,” I can’t help but tease, earning a glare.

“Do not call me that.” His stony face has us in hysterics, Charles further complaining. “Bad sons, naughty sons. Should be put in a bloody cage!”

“Don’t threaten me with a good time,” I smirk, Charles making a throttling motion at my neck before he leaves us to it. We both go back into the house, and it's only another five minutes before a very hot and sweaty Edie arrives home with my wolves, and also a big bag on her back. I suggested she go get some clothes to bring here to she has a good supply of everything else she needs when she says with me, and it seems she's taken me up on that suggestion. After she's showered and dressed in fresh clothes, a long grey dress I bought for her recently, I help her put away her stuff and then we sit and talk for the five minutes remaining until I see headlights lighting up the front of the house through my window. Constance has arrived.

"EZ, Angel, come on," Ursula calls, as I hear the doors of the car opening and closing, taking Edie's hand in mine and walking down the stairs, EZ behind us ready to meet my creator's creator. As soon as the door is opened to her, I get such a shock that I feel like I'm going to faint for a second, and we vampires cannot pass out. My shock, it isn't over Constance at all, it's over the vampire who is with her, and that shock is shared by both me and EZ. We both stand and stare at him in utter disbelief, until one word comes from both of our mouths at the exact same time.

"Coco?"

No, that can't be... but it is. There he is, the friend, the MC brother we thought we lost to the disaster. Oh my fucking god!

#angel reyes #angel reyes fanfiction #angel reyes smut #angel reyes imagine #angel reyes x ofc #angel reyes fanfic #angel reyes fic #vampire!angel reyes #ez reyes #ez reyes fanfiction #vampire!ez reyes #mayans mc #mayans mc fanfiction #mayans mc imagine #mayans mc smut #mayans mc fanfic #mayans mc fic

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quickdeaths · 1 year

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KNOWING YOUR PARTNER WELL CAN POTENTIALLY MAKE WRITING TOGETHER A LOT EASIER. ( REPOST DO NOT REBLOG ! )

✿ NAME: Bryn

✿ PRONOUNS: she/her

✿ PREFERENCE OF COMMUNICATION: Discord! My # is available to mutuals always! Besides that, tumblr IM is fine but certainly not my long-term preference.

✿ NAME OF MUSE(S): So many @_@ go check em out quickdeaths.tumblr.com/muses

✿ EXPERIENCE/HOW LONG (MONTHS / YEARS?): So, I started out doing RP as a little baby child in 2006, initially moved over to tumblr in 2011, and then made the blog that ultimately bound me to this curséd site forever in 2015, and have been here ever since.

✿ PLATFORMS YOU’VE USED: Oh dear so many. Well, I started out on good old giant in the playground freeform RP. I stopped into Gaia for like a cup of coffee around a similar time. Somewhat adjacent to that, or slightly after, I did some stuff on LiveJournal, and then eventually migrated to tumblr in 2011. Since then, I have occasionally done stuff on Discord, and Google Docs. I might be forgetting one or two, but this should be adequate proof that I have been doing this too long haha.

✿ BEST EXPERIENCE: Too many! Meeting my bestie for life @dilffactory Ben and meeting my girlfriend have to both be at the top. Super long-running stuff with @dcviated and my friend Chey (who has mostly RP-retired) are also both up there too.

✿ RP PET PEEVES/DEALBREAKERS: I try not to have too many of these! That said, I am sensitive to people ONLY wanting my canon characters, and also people who seem to want to collect partners (ship or otherwise) for status rather than actually write with them. I'm a person, not a pokemon!

✿ FLUFF, ANGST OR SMUT: Ehehe... well... it's probably angst. I like fluffy stuff too, so a good mix (but perhaps slightly more on the angsty side given the choice) is best, especially if there's a plot through-line that flows through the whole thing. Smut is very much a sometimes food for me. I'm not super confident in writing it, and the one time I was more willing to write it openly I had a very Yikes experience. I'm never saying No to the idea in abstract, but there are a lot of things to go over before it gets to that point.

✿ PLOTS OR MEMES: Plots!!! I don't particularly like IC memes as a way to thread in the first place, although I understand that's how a lot of people here do things, so I put up with it. Plots, meanwhile, make my brain turn into an overworked easy bake oven with steam coming off it and everything, plot with me and I will be your best friend.

✿ LONG OR SHORT REPLIES: It depends what one means by "long." Aside from dash commentary stuff and little meme things, I think almost everything I've written is minimum 2-3 paragraphs, and usually double that. I default to like 5ish, although I can absolutely do much more if I feel like my partner also likes that kind of thing and won't find it boring to read, overwhelming, or navel-gazey.

✿ BEST TIME TO WRITE: Evening, usually, just because there's not much else on my plate and everyone else is sleeping haha. I can write whenever though.

✿ ARE YOU LIKE YOUR MUSE(S): I have a lot so it's hard to say! I think whenever you make an OC, you're giving them SOMETHING of yours, and when adapting a canon, there's at least something you resonate with, whether it's something you see in yourself or not. Very tentatively, I might say I'm most like Rio and Kiyomi, but even then I'd say it's less like "we're similar people" and more like "there are a handful of things we have in common," if that makes sense.

Tagged by: Stolen from @moonsmultimusings

Tagging: normally I am big on tagging people so that people feel included but I gotta go play fire emblem so.

If you love fire emblem, consider yourself tagged. If you hate the firéd emblem? you're tagged. if you are indiffferent? t a g g e d. If you have never heard of Lucina from Fire Emblem Awakening (who doesn't know Lucina?), you KNOW you are tagged.

#dash memes

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thatonechillycomic · 2 years

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V2 Chapter 1 ‘Translate’

Some (really) rough translations (i have not spoken jpn in YEARS so im really rusty lol_

Kirby: Chilly!

Kirby: I dont need dinner tonight! poyo!

Chilly: This design!! Wait a moment-

Kirby: There's going to be a gourmet race~!! Flyer: (Chief Kawasaki's special gourmet race challenge!)

Earlier Nightmare :

[Steel's note: okay idk how to translate this but im pretty sure Chilly is saying :I've gone numb- immobilized (?) ]

Chilly: Kirby stop that's Risky!

Chilly: Dedede and others are soon to-

===next page===

Chilly: A sword!? Chilly: No its a kitchen knife!!

Meta Knight: I heard you Kirby Chilly (and Kirby): Meta Knight!! Meta Knight: In that gourmet race, it will be against me!!

Chilly: To challenge Kirby in a gourmet race....no way this guy is...

Meta Knight: Also, What's a gourmet race?

Chilly (and Kirby): YOU DON'T KNOW!!!

Welcome to the Special Gourmet Race!!

CK: Thank you, thank you!!!! I can't believe there are so many fans of my cooking...

Waddle dees waving signs for Mr. Meta: We are not your fans!! CK: The overall rules are the same as last time. Whoever eats the most and reaches the finish line as fast as possible wins!

CK: However, this time the food is special

Waddle Dee: Now get in position

Waddle Dee: Ready...

Chilly: His opponent is Meta Knight...then Kirby will by an easy victory for him!!

Waddle Dee: GO!! Commentary: They both leap out at once!

Commentary: And the first dish...

Commentary: Manners are important for this French cuisine!!

Commentary: Violent eating will be penalized!

Kirby: Oh what do I do!? Meta: You fool!! Commentary(?) : What a nice sight!! Commentary: Sir Meta Knight's blade sliced the meat without a single sound!

===Next Page===

Commentary: What overflowing excitement! With perfect manners, Sir Meta Knight takes a bite...

Meta: !? Guh!!

Commentary: Oh! Sir Meta Knight's body is trembling! After all, Chef Kawasaki's cooking is terrible!

[Steel: Okay so i have a rough idea on what they are saying but fuck it this is my best comprehension] Commentary: Contrary to Kirby! Who has eaten all the food on the table. However a penalty of 1 minute must be given for eating the table!

Dedede: WHAT! Kirby and Meta Knight are having a gourmet race!?

Dedede: Poppy, why didn't you tell me!!!

[Steel's note: okay so he says "食欲の秋で食べ過ぎて". I can't for the love of god understand the joke being made. its literally "eating too much in the fall of appetite" so if this is wrong srry im going to be 4kidsing this joke lmao] Poppy: Haha,,,,Dedede sir,,,Since, Fall you've been having an 'au-tumn' of appetite

Poppy: Your stuck in your room as well, aren't you

Dedede: Dam!!

Dedede: I'm still going to interfere with them!! They won't reach the goal until I do!!

===Next Page===

Commentary: Kirby has completed the heaping amount of spaghetti!!

Kirby: Poyo, the next load of food will be-?

Bugzzy: We won't let you reach the goal! For we are Bugzzy!!

Bugzzy: Dash Grab!! Body grab!!

Meta Knight: A lackey of the king!? Getting in the way of our game...

Bugzzy: I'll be your foe!!

Meta Knight: Tch.. If I was in my usual level, then these guys...

===Next Page===

Meta Knight: Spaghetti!! Meta Knight: Its not good to waste food-But body slam!! I shall utilize this against you!!

Bugzzy: Wh-What is this!?

Bugzzy: There's spaghetti wrapped around my body...I can't move!

Bugzzy: Even if you if you could bitethrough something like this…its nauseous!

Meta Knight: Now Kirby!! Suck him up!

===Next Page===

Bugzzy: Damn it!

Copy Ability!!

Suplex!!

Kirby: Grab-Dash!!

Kirby: BODY SLAM!

Chilly: Kirby! Meta Knight: Kirby, you've become a master of throwing!! Kirby: The final.....pile driver!!

===Next Page===

Meta Knight: Brilliantly and splendidly done, Kirby!!

Kirby: Hyah! Chilly: No way!! Meta Knight made Kirby throw them on purpose...

Commentary: GOOOOOOOAAAAAAAALLLLLL!!!!!!

Commentary: The special gourmet race winner is Meta Knight!!

(its Kirby's first defeat, however...)

Kirby: I ate so much! I'm so happy and full!!!

Chilly: I don't mind (=^ ^=)

Dedede: Huff,, the gourmet race!?!? Poppy: You broke through!?!?! Its already over!!!

#please dont be too mad about the amount of notes im writing this at 2 in the morning unable to sleep from just ungetting my wisdom teeth #that one chilly comic scans #that one chilly comic 'translations'#that one chilly comic v2

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hxroic-wxlls · 1 year

Text

I posted 7,051 times in 2022

That's 5,513 more posts than 2021!

5,082 posts created (72%)

1,969 posts reblogged (28%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@hxroic-wxlls

@moonlitsorceress

@nextlater

@mysticallities

@ancientforged

I tagged 6,828 of my posts in 2022

Only 3% of my posts had no tags

#{ask answered} - 2,773 posts

#{crack} - 2,078 posts

#{ooc}; voice of the mun - 1,071 posts

#{let's'a go: ic} - 905 posts

#warriorsofcrimsonrealms - 762 posts

#{anonymous} - 642 posts

#{cheerful royalty: ic} - 565 posts

#{self reblog} - 460 posts

#{okie dokie: ic} - 449 posts

#{muse ramblings} - 445 posts

Longest Tag: 136 characters

#essentially i’m cool with basically anything so long as it doesn’t involve trying to make a ship happen with a muse i don’t want to ship

My Top Posts in 2022:

Incorrect Summary of Metal Gear Rising Quotes:

(Feel free to Reblog for Personal Use)

“Cope and Seethe, (Insert Name here). Why don’t you go back to Facebook and post some Minion memes?”

“Do you see, now? All this murder…and you still aren’t based.”

“Let me tell you, (Insert name here). You’re a normie, and a beta.”

“That’s cringe, (Insert name here). And your setup is WEAK.”

It’s cringe or be cringe, (Insert name here). Soon, you’ll understand.

“Free will is a myth. Religion is a joke. We’re all pawns controlled by something greater… MEMES. The DNA of the soul.”

“You’ll never be based with memes like that.”

“Doctor, turn off my cringe inhibitors.”

“Perhaps I am cringe…but that makes me free!”

“I was fucking joking, why did you do it?!”

“I’m starting to see what you’re getting at. And if based means what I think it means, then caring about your shitty posts is a long way off.”

“Alright, I’ve heard enough. Deadly force is authorized.”

“I’m sorry, officer, I was too busy playing League of Legends.”

“I will never eat peanut butter, ever again…”

“Stealth is optional, but so is my mercy.”

“My source is that I made it the fuck up.”

“We’re making the mother of all omelets, -. Can’t fret over every egg.”

“Oh my god, it’s the cringe nae nae baby.”

“Guess I have no choice…I challenge you to a debate.”

“And there’s nothing more American than shooting a man, in this Walmart of a world.”

“That’s a nice argument, (Insert name here). Why don’t you back it up with a source?”

“Your ass will always be cringe, and my ass will always be Thicc.”

“Oh, good! Ha ha, you’re getting more based by the day.”

64 notes - Posted February 18, 2022

//And just like that, my mass crossover doodle project is complete! Not only that, it’ll also serve as my blog’s new promo/banner image! Overall, it’s a win win, and I’m really happy with how it looks!//

65 notes - Posted July 5, 2022

@nextlater said: ❝ you stick out like a sore thumb here. ❞ — to Mokou, from Sayaka (most likely in the Outside World, lel)

“Ah, and here I thought I was doing a pretty okay job at blending in... You outside people really changed up your fashion styles since I last visited, huh?”

It was quite a huge eye opener to see just how much the outside world had evolved from her early years. How long had it been since she saw this place? Nine-hundred years? A thousand? Regardless, the immortal felt quite out of place with her current outfit, where most outsiders settled for a fancier, yet simplistic get up, like jeans, designer jackets, and the such.

See the full post

73 notes - Posted March 5, 2022

Send in 🌟 if you like the way how I write! Bonus points if you describe what is is you like about my writing.

(Free to reblog for personal use!)

128 notes - Posted July 25, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Reblog this if you love seeing your Muse(s) mentioned in Dash Commentaries or having IC comments on their drabbles/threads.

549 notes - Posted March 17, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

#tumblr2022 #year in review #my 2022 tumblr year in review #your tumblr year in review

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noneedtofearorhope · 2 years

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i was bored and checking out the tumblr for you dash tab, and i really gotta wonder what sort of algorithm they’re using. i think the only interaction i have with p*rn or s*x related blogs/posts is to block them, yet it’s got quite a few of those types of posts. nobody i follow really ever reblogs those sorts of posts. idk, maybe it’s based on the likes of who i follow? also tho, just kinda funny how there was the whole p*rn ban, and while the posts it’s showing me probably don’t fit the ban exactly, it doesn’t take too long looking at those blogs to see some Female Presenting ...

then it’s also just got like, 4 note posts from people i’ve never heard of lol

oh also a queen positive post. that at least makes sense in a algorithms-are-stupid-and-cant-tell-between-positive-and-negative-commentary sort of way

#just kind of strange #but not in a tumblr ads funny kinda way #turns out i liked a post from the person i'd never heard of

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notanotherreidgirl · 3 years

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Our Boy

Summary: Spencer can't get enough. Elle and Reader get new titles

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Elle Greenaway x Fem!Reader

Warnings: 18+, mommy kink, polyamory (threesome), kissing, penetrative sex, unprotected sex, creampie, oral sex (female receiving), degradation

Word Count: 2827

A/N: This is part of the Mommy & Ma'am series - this series and all my work concern fictional characters and do not serve as endorsements, support, or commentary on any actual people.

Spencer had been insatiable since that night with you and Elle. He thought of it constantly - the sensation of the coarse fabric, the harshness of his punishment, the taste of both of you on his tongue. The memory played in his head in a never-ending loop, keeping him company every night since. If he had trouble being around you before, now it was unbearable. He couldn’t be in the same room as you without going red in the face, something that Elle took advantage of.

Now she ushered you into the elevator after him and pressed the button for the doors to close before Derek could catch up, sticking her tongue out at him before turning her attention to the two of you. “Reid, what do you think of Y/N’s new skirt?

Up until then, his eyes were glued to the floor but with Elle’s permission they roamed over your form, taking in the tight pencil skirt. “I - uhh - It’s very - You look really pretty, Y/N”

“Oh, I think she looks more than pretty. She’s stunning.” Elle tucked a strand of hair behind your ear and you flushed, that gentle touch was enough to double your heart rate. “I bet you’d look good in it too, Spence”

He opened then closed his mouth but any words he might’ve come up with were dashed to pieces when Elle gave him a hard clap on the back, a gesture all too reminiscent of the night they spent together. If she heard the squeak he let out she didn’t show it, slipping out the elevator with a sly smile and a knowing backward glance towards you.

Spencer was supposed to have gotten off with her but he couldn’t seem to get his feet unstuck from the floor so he rode down to the parking garage with you, fidgeting with a paperclip in his pocket. He followed you out silently, entranced by the click of your heels on the concrete. He would have given anything for a bit of courage right then. Anything to make his longing known to you. He wanted more - needed more. Instead, he watched you climb into your car with wide eyes, trying desperately to convey the extent of his desire.

Luckily for Spencer, you were a profiler - a damn good one, not that reading him was especially difficult. You pulled up next to him and rolled the window down, taking in his surprised expression before unlocking the doors. “What are you waiting for, darling? Get in.”

He fumbled with the handle for a moment, scrambling into the passenger seat and shutting the door behind him. You reached over his seat and he discreetly breathed in your perfume while casting a daring glance down your shirt. You clicked his seatbelt into place and adjusted the strap over his chest, sending his heart into overdrive. “Safety first”

The car ride was silent. Spencer’s anticipation coupled with the gentle squeeze of your hand on his thigh had rendered him speechless. In all honesty, you weren’t doing much better. You hadn’t thought much farther than getting Spencer to your place. What then? Should you make him coffee? Have a little chat? Rip that cute little sweater vest off him? Despite your inner turmoil, you maintained a mask of cool indifference, channeling Elle as best as you could. But you weren’t Elle.

When you got to your apartment you came around and opened his door, taking his hand in yours and guiding him into your living room. He sat down hesitantly as you got settled in; he knew he wasn’t supposed to be profiling you but things kept jumping out at him. Everywhere he looked was evidence of what a radiant person you were - family photos, plush stuffed animals that Garcia had surely gifted you, a nearly empty jar of candy, postcards stuck onto the fridge. The place was full of life - verdant plants clustered on your window sills, three fish swimming circles in a large tank.

You snapped him out of his reverie by sitting down and handing him a glass of water. He took a long sip, grateful to have something cool to stem the heat rising to his face. You waited until he was done to speak. “What do you want, baby?”

This was his chance - a thousand possibilities flooded his mind but one was more pressing than all the rest. “Can - can I kiss you?”

Whatever aloof exterior you were trying to maintain crumbled and you answered his question by leaning forward and capturing his lips with yours. It hadn't occurred to you that you and Spencer had yet to kiss and you almost felt a little silly, remembering the salacious details of that night. All that and you hadn't even kissed. His mouth was warm and hesitant, tentatively parting his lips and pulling you in closer. You smiled against him and slipped your tongue into his mouth but it still wasn’t enough. You needed more. He gasped when you moved to straddle him, your skirt bunching up around your hips and bringing your clothed core to his arousal. You rolled your hips down. “All this for me?”

He mewled out a yes into your neck as you undid his zipper and pulled him out.

“So pretty, Spence.” You pushed your underwear to the side and ran the blunt head through your slick folds, stroking him as he whined for more. “I know you can be louder than that. Come on, baby. Let me hear you”

“Please, please, please, you feel so good. I want you. I want you so bad.” He punctuated his pleading with a low whine, only to have you lift yourself away. “That’s not nearly good enough. Why don’t you try a little harder?”

“I’ll do anything. Come on, please. Anything you want. I swear. Please, I need you. I’ve thought about you so much.” That was much better. You took just the tip and he let out a soft whimper. “Yes, god yes. More, more, more. Please Mommy, I-” he sucked in a breath when he realized. The moniker had just tumbled out and now he wanted nothing more than to take it back, convinced he had ruined everything. On the contrary, you felt a thrill run down your spine and you clenched around the head of his cock. “Say that again”

He looked up at you in shock, mouth moving but no sounds coming out. You grabbed his chin. “I said, say that again”

“Mommy, mommy please.” And then he felt that rush of courage he was so desperately searching for before. “I need you, Mommy. Please I wanna be your good boy”

With that you dropped down on his length, taking him fully in one fluid motion. Even if Spencer wanted to hold back his release, he wouldn’t be able to. It washed over him without warning, sweeping through him like a summer storm and enveloping him in electricity.

“That was quite the show.” Elle emerged from the entryway with her arms crossed, narrowing her eyes as she turned her attention to you. “I don’t think I said anything about fucking him”

That was when it dawned on him. You and Elle had planned this. The implications flooded his mind. You wanted him. Elle wanted him. This past week of sleepless nights spent longing for their touch, hundreds of covert glances, all the words he couldn’t bring himself to say - it was reciprocated. But it wasn’t going to come easy.

“What do you look so happy for?” Elle stalked towards them, reaching out and yanking a fistful of Spencer’s hair. “You’re so pathetic, can’t even make Mommy come”

His eyes flashed to yours. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, I couldn’t help it”

You wanted to tell him that he didn’t need to apologize, wanted to cup your hands around his cheeks and pepper his face with sweet kisses but Elle grabbed your hands and pulled you off him. He whined at the loss of contact and you opened your mouth to argue but she shut you up with a glare. “Get in the bedroom and get undressed. Both of you”

Her tone sent an involuntary shudder through your body and you quickly led Spencer into your room. He followed you unquestioningly, too fixated by the cum running down your thighs to protest. The two of you undressed eagerly and sat on the bed, itching to touch each other but knowing you were already in deep trouble. Spencer shifted his hands so they were wedged underneath his thighs. By the time Elle came in you were both a complete mess. Spencer’s cock was hard yet again, flushed and leaking precum. You couldn’t take your eyes off him, having to suck your lower lip between your teeth to prevent yourself from doing anything Elle would make you regret.

She had undressed in the living room, wearing a dark red set with delicate lace detailing. She didn’t say anything at first, making her way over to your closet and pulling out the strap. Spencer’s eyes went as wide as saucers and you thought he might actually faint. Elle smiled at his reaction, fastening the harness as she approached him. “Go on, baby. Get it nice and wet so I can show you how to fuck Mommy properly”

His mouth dropped open automatically and Elle moved a hand to the back of his head, prompting him to bob up and down on the dildo. When she pulled out of his mouth, it glistened. She ran the back of her fingers along his cheek with uncharacteristic softness. “Good boy. Keep that up and I might even use this on you. I bet you’d like that”

He nodded vigorously and she gave him one last pat on the cheek before approaching you. Your legs parted instinctively and Elle smirked at your wanton display of desperation. She glided into you, pushing Spencer’s cum deep into your cunt with every stroke. “I didn’t take you for such a greedy slut. You just couldn’t wait, could you? You had to fuck him. Was it worth it?”

You tried to piece together an answer but she snapped her hips forward and your response dissolved into a low groan. “No, it wasn’t. Your little baby couldn’t even make you cum. I hope you’re paying attention, Spence. This is how you make Mommy feel good”

Spencer shifted, glad to have his hands trapped beneath his thighs lest he makes the mistake of touching himself. Elle brushed the pad of her thumb on your clit, timing it to line up with her thrusts. You couldn’t hold back anymore, the pressure building in your stomach was set to explode and Elle was hitting you in all the right spots. You pleaded with your eyes. “Shit, I’m gonna cum. Please, please let me cum”

“Go on, angel. Show your baby how pretty you look when you come on my cock.” You squeezed your eyes shut, fireworks exploding against your darkened field of vision as your orgasm ripped through you. You could feel Spencer’s eyes on you, taking you in, and it only intensified your pleasure. You called out for him and for Elle until you finally came down.

“You know what to do now?” Spencer startled slightly, a fog of desire clouding his mind and making it hard for him to comprehend anything. Elle let out a huff of annoyance before she asked again, punctuating her words with shallow thrusts and causing you to whine from the overstimulation. “I expect you to answer when I ask you a question. Are you going to fuck Mommy or is that cock of yours completely useless?”

He sucked in a sharp breath. “No ma’am. I can do it.”

“Ma’am? I like that” she gave him a wicked smile before pulling out and stepping aside to rid herself of the harness, not taking her eyes off him for a second. He gripped your waist hesitantly and lined himself up, casting you a nervous glance and you felt your heart skip a beat. Poor boy, he just wanted to make you feel good. You threw your head back against the pillows when he entered you, grabbing at the sheets and moaning softly. He was thicker than the strap, stretching you out and filling you completely. He set in with a slow rhythm, determined to last until you came. But you knew it would be a while, you were practically still feeling the aftershocks from your last orgasm and your refractory period, albeit short, was not nonexistent. Elle climbed onto the bed next to you, pressing featherlight kisses to your breasts before swinging a leg over your face. “I figure you oughta thank me for doing what Spence couldn’t”

You hummed in agreement, licking a stripe up her soaked core. Seeing your tongue dart up to Elle’s folds nearly pushed Spencer over the edge and in an effort to control himself he started to calculate the many permutations of this position that he, Elle and you could occupy. Right now he and Elle were on top but they could also switch positions, or he could be on the bed with you and Elle using him, and so on and so forth. Except Elle’s tits were right in front of him. And what’s more, with every thrust they bounced up and down in their red lace casing. She noticed him staring and unclasped her bra, letting it fall to the bed. “Let’s see what else you can do with that mouth”

Spencer couldn’t suppress the moan he let out when he felt Elle’s soft skin against his lips. He tried his best to divide his attention equally between both, kissing up the valley of her breasts and laving his tongue over one nipple while rolling the other between his fingers. You could feel his thrusts grow erratic as his release built and you slipped two fingers into Elle, knowing that no one would get to come until she did. Spencer’s increase in pace had you impossibly close to your high and you knew you wouldn’t be able to hold out much longer. You sucked her clit into your mouth as you scissored your fingers and she rolled her hips down, letting her head loll back as she came with a shout of your name.

Elle’s release opened the floodgates, pushing you over the edge with Spencer right behind. Even through the haze of your orgasm, you felt a rush of pride that Spencer had held out long enough to shepherd both of you to your climax before succumbing to his own release. Spencer might have also felt proud if he were capable of putting together a coherent thought. The exhaustion set in immediately and Spencer slumped onto the bed, both of you too blissed out to move. Elle sprang into action, slipping away with whispered promises to be right back.

It was then that Spencer’s nerves returned in full force. Should he stay? Last time Elle had sent him back to his hotel room with the skirt and panties still on, calling after him to say that he could keep them. He made a move to get up but you stopped him with a hand on his wrist and he turned to see you with your arms open.

“You did so well, darling.” It was unreal how perfectly you fit together, legs tangling with yours and his head on your chest. “Our good boy”

As if on cue, Elle came in with water and washcloths and pajamas but seeing the two of you cuddled into each other gave her pause. You lifted your head from the pillows when she entered, a smile stretching across your face. “Oh, come here”

Elle relented, never able to resist you. She climbed into the bed, heart melting as she slotted herself next to you serving as the biggest spoon. If Spencer thought being in your arms was perfect then having both you and Elle was out of this world. For the first time in a long time, he felt perfectly safe.

And that feeling didn’t go away. Not when Elle shooed you to the bathroom with murmured reminders of UTIs. Not when she gently cleaned him off with a washcloth and helped him into an oversized shirt. Certainly not when you returned and wedged yourself between him and Elle, pulling his back flush against your chest and kissing him goodnight before falling into a deep slumber. The more he thought about it, the more he was convinced that this feeling might be here to stay.

He cast a cautious look over his shoulder to see Elle propped up on one elbow, running a hand soothingly through your hair. “She really likes you, you know that?”

“Really?” he thought his heart might burst from his chest. “What about you?”

She gave him a soft smile, absent of any hostility. “I could get used to you”

---

Taglist: @thatsonezesty13 (babe, your tag isn't working and hasn't been for some time. maybe check your visibility settings?)

You can send me an ask to tell me what you think, make suggestions, or be tagged in the next parts!

#reidaway x reader #spencer reid x reader #spencer reid x reader smut #elle greenaway #reidaway #spencer reid fanfiction #spencer reid smut #spencer reid x you #spencer reid x y/n #mommy kink #criminal minds smut #criminal minds fanfiction #criminal minds #unsuitable for work #mommy & ma'am

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flightofaqrow · 11 months

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Mal: exists

Missa and myself: dumps two whole buckets of muses on them.

#* oh i heard too = dash commentary *#* behind closed doors = ooc *

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mayansmcsblog · 3 years

Text

Her world or mine

I have no idea when i wrote this but i found it in my drafts half done so i finished it and- yh that's about it😅

This was meant to be based upon the song her world or mine but i got off track so its only loosely based upon it.

word count: 3640

Enjoy!

He hasn't used the truck for weeks, he had no reason to anymore, being in it only brought back memories of you. The long drives, the short drives too. The way you would hold his hand while he was driving or how you would remind him to pay attention to the road when he looked in your direction for too long. All the memories were fresh within his mind- almost as if it was yesterday.

Even now, he was only sitting in it, he had to do the beer run and obviously that couldn't be done on a bike, he had to take the truck, but all he could think about was how you used to sit in the passenger seat beside him. He could see it in his mind so vividly, if he didn’t know you had moved on he would swear you were sitting with him.

Looking at the dash his gaze caught the Polaroid photo that was still in its place next to the radio. Your face accompanied a smile whilst his had his usual ‘tough’ man expression, but if you looked close enough, you would be able to see a small smile placed upon his lips. You took it at one of the infamous Mayans parties, he remembered how it took you around 10 minutes to ‘convince’ him to take it, he wanted to take it from the moment you suggested it but he wondered how far you would go to get him to do it

“Please” you had been begging him for the last 5 minutes in attempt to get him to take a photo with you but to no avail

“No” you two were sitting on the bench outside the clubhouse, people surrounding the both of you, everyone was involved on their own conversations so neither of you paid any mind to them. Of course he was still aware of his surroundings but was more relaxed than usual

“But come on” you begged

“No y/n” he kept his face as straight as he could but you could slowly see a shadow of a smirk forming upon his lips

“Why?”

“No face no case” he shrugged with a slight smirk on his face, clearly that was a lie. Not even 20 minus prior you had taken a photo of all of the club members standing outside of the clubhouse per bishop’s request so he could frame it and hang it somewhere within the clubhouse to show off the members.

“Why are you so stubborn?”

“Why are you so adamant? “He questioned

“Because”

“Because what?” standing up he motioned for you to do so as well,

“Just because”

“Come on follow me”

Standing up you took this hand as led you away from the party,

“Where are we going?”

“To take this god damn photo”

Recalling that night he felt a pain inevitably run across his chest, sure you two were only friends when it was taken but that night was the foundation for building the relationship you two once shared.

Why had he been so stupid to let you go?

He knew he would have to drive past your place to get to the brewery, it was inevitable really. There was no other way unless he was going to drive an extra 30 minutes, which he didn't have time for.

when he reached the turn in to your street he slowed down a little, looking at your house from a distance he could see a car he didn’t recognize in the driveway. As he got closer he could see two people on the porch, he immediately recognized you accompanied by some guy.

Of course you had someone else.

-----

Sitting on the couch you couldn't help but let your mind drift back to him, you missed his smile, you missed the way he would have a running commentary while watching anything on the TV, you missed how he would hold you after a long day, you missed everything about him.

“You’re thinking about him again, aren't you?”

You did nothing but hum in response

Your brother had elected to stay with you for a few weeks while he was on a business trip for some type of expansion for the company he worked for. Originally it was a good idea, it kept you mind off Ez, but the more time your brother was here, the more he talked about his wife back home and how he couldn't wait to get back to her just made you think about how you don't have someone in your life to look forward to anymore, you no longer had someone you could tell everything to, someone who would stay by your side, someone you knew would be waiting for you when you were away from home. As much as you loved your brother, you were thankful he was leaving tomorrow

“Im gonna go get a drink” standing up you heard your brother mumble something in response but you elected ignored him and heading to the kitchen.

As you approached the fridge you spotted the picture of you and Ezekiel stuck on the door. You were pretty sure it was Coco who had taken when him, you, Ez and Angel went over the border for a day because none of you had anything to do and for some reason Mexico was the first thing that was suggested. You had been meaning to get rid of it but couldn't bring yourself to. Alot of memories were collected between the four of you, some of them you were just not ready to let go of yet.

By now he was probably already in another relationship so why were you still holding on?

Grabbing a bottle of water you headed outside and sat on the porch steps. You knew there was a party at the clubhouse tonight, Angel had invited you to come, but you knew Ez would be there.

Did you really want to see a girl all over him while you're still here alone? Because that would definitely happen

Maybe he wouldn't be there? Or maybe he would be too busy doing stuff to even realize you were there

You were too wrapped up in your own mind to even realize your brother had stepped outside till you heard a creak from the wood behind you

“Y/n?”

“Yeah”

“you okay?" He asked sitting beside you

“yep"

You two sat in silence for a few moments before he started talking once again

“I love you ye? Don’t let that boy ruin you. He lost you by his own fault. You did nothing” he rambled on about how you should have been treated better and how Ez lost the best thing he could ever have. But you knew he was wrong.

Ezekiel always treated you like a queen, your brother met him one time and barely spoke to him for longer than five minutes. As far as you were concerned you brother didn't know anything about him

While he was rambling you were looking into the distance, mainly just looking at the sky but you could have sworn you saw his truck drive past, but maybe you were just seeing things right? His truck wasn't the only one, there were probably millions of them.

The party was in full swing, people were everywhere, the room full of patches from all over. mass amounts of people from charters were visiting in celebration of a new deal with the sons, leaving Ez to tend the bar along with some hang rounds.

Wiping down the bar he couldn't help but think about you for the billionth time today. He knew you two broke things off but it didn't mean you had to leave everyone from the club behind as well as him.

"Bro what the hell is wrong with you?" Angel questioned

"Nothing" shrugging his shoulders he dropped the bar rag and turned to get angel a beer from the fridge behind him

"Stop lyin man, what's going on in that head?" Angel knew his own brother better then to believe 'nothing' was going on with him, something was always going on up in Ez's brain, even if he didn't admit it

"I dunno man, I just think it's weird how y/n left us you know?" Ez shrugged again, handing angel a beer

"She didn't leave us. She’s distancing herself. Got a lot of family shit going on right now" he explained, you kept Angel in the loop with everything, after all he was your best friend even before Ez and you got together, if Ez wouldn't tell you something- Angel would.

"Just think it’s weird" Ez repeated, messing with the bar rag once again

"Ya well she’s coming tonight”

Before Ez could respond coco stood next to Angel

"Who’s comin?"

The brothers looked at each other for a moment before angel came up with an idea

"Just some random bird for our boy scout to bed"

"My man," Coco chuckled "finally gonna get your dick wet huh?"

----

You knew this was a bad idea, you knew he would be here.

Was he going to be with another girl? Actually stupid question, of course he would be

Opening your phone you sent angel a text

‘I'm like five minutes out but i swear to God if you abandon me tonight i will hit you so hard that you can't remember anything for a week’

At least he would walk in with you so you weren’t alone right?

---

Angel stood up abruptly in the middle of a conversation he was having

"Where the fuck you going?" Coco questioned, lighting a cigarette from the chair he was sitting in

"Meet a friend"

"A friend huh?"

"Yeah...maybe you'll like her" Angel replied before grabbing his beer and retreating towards the door.

---

Walking through the gate you saw the front of the club littered with patches. Some of them were from different charters. Weird, angel never mentioned other charters visiting, by the look of the outside, you could only imagine the clubhouse itself is packed with people.

Scanning the crowd you spotted the person in question walking towards you

“Hey stupid face”

“good evening stupid head”

“that's basically the same thing i just said”

"oh shut up i couldn't think of insult fast enough”

Pulling you into a hug you couldn't help but feel a little more relaxed. Angel was always like an older brother to you, an annoying one at that but still a brother.

It had been weeks since you saw him, being back in his company made you feel safe again, almost like a sense of home

He placed a kiss on your temple “We missed you here”

“Yeah, I know” letting him go you looked around, mainly to see if any of the other guys were in sight but also to see if coco was around, expecting to be attacked as per usual.

Angel took notice of you scanning the crowd “He's inside”

“Hmm? Sorry I got no idea what you're on about”

Pulling you into his side he wrapped an arm around your shoulders “sure ya don't”

Walking inside you scanned the crowd once again, thankfully coco was nowhere to be seen for the moment and most of the guys were spread out around the room. Bishop and Taza were playing pool, Gilly and Creeper were sitting at the table in a conversation whilst hank sat opposite them looking at something on his phone, Ez was tending the bar like usual but this time he was accompanied by some hang rounds.

At least there isn't girls hanging off him yet

“C'mon let’s get a drink huh” angel lightly shoved you towards the bar playfully.

“No”

“No?” his eyebrows raised playfully

“No and if you try to make me go over there with you i promise i will embarrass you” you laughed

“Fine”

After he got the drinks you both sat at a table in the corner for a while talking, the majority of the topics were about what had been happening while you were distanced from everyone.

Eventually Coco spotted you two and joined in the conversation. you sat talking to the two of them while everyone else was up to their own things, you didn't mind, the both of them combined made for some very interesting storys, the conversation could never die. After around 10 minutes, Angel had left you two alone saying he “wasn't bout to listen to this shit ''- which was super ironic considering the topic of conversation was about modifications for a new bike coco had brought a few days ago

“How does your bike handle anyway? I heard they are bottom heavy and hard to manoeuvre sometimes” you questioned. overtime Ez had taught you some things about bikes, mainly when he was just rambling about random things not thinking you were really paying attention to what he was saying

“It’s alright i guess, sometimes it slips when I lean too far on corners, other times it tends to not wanna go the way I need to but other than that it handles pretty well, arms hurt like a bitch after long ride though” he explained

Nodding your head you understood where he was coming from, having your arms at that angle for hours must have taken its toll

“Ay '' he nodded his head towards someone behind you, Turning your head you saw it was Ez walking through the door with Angel, seemingly engrossed in some type of conversation they were having.

Despite spotting him earlier you only scanned over his appearance but now you actually took a good look at him, he looked different, not much but still different from before. His hair was in the same style but it little more grown out then usual, his facial hair had grown out a little too. His eyes had bangs underneath them and his face looked drained.

All in all he looked like shit.

“You know he’s not the same without you right?” bringing your attention back to coco you couldn't help but feel like you were to blame, maybe if you fought harder of him you two would have never split.

“You two spoke since?” he questioned

“Nope...I got a few drunk calls saying he was sorry but other than that. No” you shook your head.

After you two first broke up he called you around a week later rambling about something but since he was slurring his words- you could barely understand anything he was saying. You got about 2 voicemails of him saying he was sorry and how he fucked up but- you never spoke to him, never texted him back when he would ask you if you were coming to one of the parties.

“The amount of times we've had to stop him from drunk calling you is unreal”

Playing with the label on the beer bottle in front of you, you thought about what coco said- clearly Ez had attempted to talk to you at some point, but why? The whole breakup was because he needed “space” to deal with some things so why was he trying to talk to you?

“He wanted space, I gave it to him” you shrugged, slowly peeling off the label

“Didn’t mean you had to leave us too” looking up from the bottle you saw coco was now avoiding your gaze

“Yeah...I know” maybe it was wrong of you to drop everyone, but being around them would have only brought back memories of you and Ez. At the time it seemed like a good idea to distance yourself from all of the guys, but now, despite only being here for a hour, you could tell how much you really missed being around them.

“You know he’s walking over here right?” Dropping your head onto the table you let out a sigh causing coco to laugh “I’ll leave you two alone huh?” lifting your head up you looked at him with a facial expression as if to say ‘don’t leave me’ but he did anyway

“Y/n” his voice was low, almost as if he didn’t believe he was saying your name again

“Ezekiel”

“Can we talk?”

“We are talking” sitting up straight you turned in your seat to look at him. He looked even worse up close- the bags under his eyes were alot darker then they seemed from a distance, they made it appear like he hadn’t slept for days, you couldn’t help but notice he had a bruise slowly forming on top of his right eyebrow.

“What happened there?”

He looked confused for a moment till you pointed to his eyebrow

“Oh I erm…got into a fight.....with a wall” his eyes were trained onto the floor, almost like he was ashamed.

You hummed in response not sure how to respond without laughing

“So how have you been?” he questions

“Good i guess..how about you?”

“Alright I suppose”

What followed was nothing but silence between the both of you, neither of you knowing what to say. The sounds of other people talking and rock music became almost deafening as the two of you stayed silent

“Well this got really awkward fast” you spoke up causing Ez to laugh a little

“Yeah..yeah it did” he nodded

After a few more moments you stood from your chair “I'm just gonna-”

“Yeah go, i get it go ahead” he finished your sentence for you.

Nodding you quickly made your way outside, the yard was almost empty by now, people had either left for the night or had moved inside.

You spotted Angel sitting on the front steps fiddling with one of the rings on his hand while looking at something in the distance. You sat beside him in silence, neither of you even attempting to make conversation but simply just being trapped within your own minds.

When you and Ez broke up you knew things would change, you knew the two of you probably wouldn't be able to have the same conversations you would before, but you never expected them being so awkward.

Maybe it was just because the wound was still pretty fresh, after all it had only been just over a month

After a few minutes you heard the door behind you open as someone stepped out, seconds later a figure sat next to you, looking over you saw it was coco

“What we doin? havin a lil moment to yourselves” he asked lighting up a cigarette and offering the both of you one

“Yep” Angel responded, taking one and lighting it before looking somewhere in the distance once again. All three of you sat for a few minutes just looking at seemingly nothing in particular.

Maybe it won't be like this forever? At some point there has got to be a time where you can come to the club without feeling awkward because ez’s here.

You heard the clubhouse door open once more behind you and once again, you didn't turn around, but coco did

"Ay man sit" you heard him say as he snapped his fingers at space left beside him to whoever stepped out from the door. It didn't take long for whoever it was to sit down.

Much like he did with you and Angel, Coco offered the person a cigarette which they must of silently declined from the lack of verbal exchange.

There has to be a point when you and the club can all hang out together like before....there has to be a stage where you and Ez can talk like normal people without it being awkward….right?

Seemingly out of no were Coco spoke up, nodding his head towards two stacked benches on the opposite side of the yard "You think i could clear those in one attempt?"

Angel was the first to respond "Absolutely fucking not" he paused for a moment- looking where the benches were stacked "but I'd love to see you try"

"I bet $50 you fail and fall face first" someone spoke up, looking to your left you finally realized who stepped out earlier ..Ezekiel

"Bet, ill prove you wrong" coco stood, taking off his kutte and placing it on the stair rail "you two wanna place any bets?" Coco looked at you and Angel

"Nope, I'm good" you shook your head

"I bet $50 that you don't clear it" Angel responded

"You have no faith pretty boy" coco responded, shaking his head as he started to walk over to the benches

"This is going to end in a hospital trip" you stated making both Angel and Ez laugh

All three of you watched as coco seemed to examine the height of the two benches, planning the distance he would have to run to gain enough speed to propel himself over them and how he would land the jump

"You think he's gonna snap his nose again?" Ezekiel questioned

"Definitely" both you and Angel replied

All three of you watched as coco began to run towards the benches, from your angle it looked as if he could clear it....you were wrong.

Seconds later coco was laying face first in the dirt, one leg was on the floor while the other was stuck in a piece of wood on the bench that had broke underneath his weight

"I think i broke my nose" you heard coco exclaimed causing all three of you to laugh. The few people who were still outside drew their attention to the scene and started laughing too when they realized what happened.

"Ill go get some paper towels" you said, still laughing.

Maybe this was a sign nothing had changed between the four of you, that you could all still hang out and do stupid stuff like before

Maybe nothing has to change

-------------

An| hope you enjoyed this fic. Honestly have no idea why or when i started writing this but 🤷🏼‍♀️ . *sorry for any spelling or grammar errors or any parts that don't make sense. only scanned it before posting it*

ALSO- i swear part two to the prank war is coming! Its just talking awhile for me to find a way to describe to things going on as well as being busy with other stuff.

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alldayangst · 3 years

Text

lovebug (Tom Holland)

GIF is from gaybuckybarnes here on Tumblr. You can access my masterlist here. This was written for @worldoftom’s lolbrosgetsicktoochallenge. The prompt I had was: ‘Tom self diagnoses himself as sick. He’s got all the symptoms. He’s speechless, over the edge and just breathless. He never thought he’d get hit by the ‘love-bug’ again’. Inspired by the song Lovebug by Jonas Brothers!

A/N: Y/N is an assistant director on Cherry in this fic. This has a lot of Cherry (the movie) references but most are explained if you haven’t seen the film. Such as, it was filmed in Cleveland and Morocco, directed by Joe and Anthony Russo. Some scenes in this fic borrow from the movie & I’ve linked clips from the film if you’d like to listen/watch along. WC: 4K.

“Yeah, Mum, I’ve just got like the sorest throat at the moment.” Nikki’s picture cuts in and out on a scrambled screen on the South side of London, her husband’s hand periodically reaching out for her, rubbing her shoulder, then leaving the frame almost as quickly as it came in. Even through the low quality, the pixels dashing about his screen, Tom can make out his mother’s brows knitting together and can’t remove the feeling of utter guilt when he sees her grow redder and redder out of anger, concern and confusion for her son. “But I’ve got Harry here with me.” Harry waves from behind his brother, his trusty mug swapped for a Phoenix Coffee Cup in his spare hand, just to get a taste of the States.

Tom reckons that's why he’s sick. He barely drinks coffee on the other side of the pond, and would bet good money that an at home PG Tips would beat America’s swankiest coffee joint any day. But now, he’s betrayed his usual routine and his body’s all out of whack and his throat is hoarse, he’s breathless even at times.

Harry shoots his mum a half smile to comfort her, but he doesn’t know what it's like to be a mother, and his and Tom’s mouth both form an ‘O’ when Nikki begins to type so hard her screen jolts and Tom swears she’s put a dent in it. “You know what? I’m going to give them a piece of my mind, Tom! They’re overworking you!” Nikki looks intensely to find her baby boy in drug-addled eyes and his jungle of curls on his newly shaven head. She guesses it becomes easier when Tom pushes his face halfway into the screen and pleads like the child he’ll always be to her, “Please, please Mum! I can’t have any days off. Under any circumstances, I need to finish this film!”

Tom turns to his younger brother for help. “Tell her, Harry!”

And as little brothers do best, Harry spills the beans as soon as Tom’s phone is in clutch. “Tom’s fallen in love with the first A.D., Y/N.”

Nikki immediately loses her frown, knowing how love can knock Tom off his feet and blow all the wind out of him. Tom’s father, Dom, re-enters the frame to match Nikki’s grin. He never misses an opportunity to tease. “Oo, caught a case of the love bug, have you?”

Harry has to whip the phone around to dodge Tom’s protesting arms reaching for it again. “Don’t listen to Harry. I’m not in love. I just like Y/N.”

“A lot.” Harry mutters. Tom’s family doesn’t budge any further, knowing how bad Tom was hurt after his last relationship. They weren't sure when the love bug would come back to bite him again. So after they all shared a knowing look, Harry handed Tom his phone back. “I’ll keep you updated. Bye, Mum.”

It all started five weeks ago. Tom, at 24, was beginning to feel like love was trudging up a high hill he couldn’t come down from, where every beat of heart was feeling like an ache on an open wound. Tom had yet to meet a lover to prove distance makes the heart grow fonder, finding himself in six month long entanglements and illusions of love before things inevitably went sour.

He’d say, perhaps, you were the closest thing to the real deal. The problem was, he didn’t know if you liked him back.

“When life was beginning, I saw -”

“When life was-”

“When life was be-fuck!”

“When life was beginning, I saw you.”

Tom could make a picture book out of the day he first met you. He remembers how your hair looked that day, the speckles of genuinity in your eyes, how your ear-to-ear smile seemed to be a mirror because every time he saw you from then on, he brandished the same beam. He recalls how his eyes went low as he dropped his script to his lap and stared at your lips, so soft and kissable, as you repeated his words back to him: “When life was beginning, I saw you.” Then you chuckled softly as Tom waited patiently for his head and his heart to return to him.

“I’m sorry. I’m dyslexic. I have a bit of trouble reading.”

“It’s cool, I'm the first A.D. That’s what I’m here for.”

You rubbed your hands on the back of your trousers, your mic jostling in your back pocket as you attempted to rid yourself of your nervous, sweaty palms.

“I’m Y/N.” You reached out for a shake only for Tom to cough loudly into his own hand.

“Fuck! I’m so sorry! That wasn’t me trying to get out of your handshake. I- I-.” Tom looked at his hand for it had failed him for the first time in his life. His hand that had helped him up during handstands, being his crutch through cartwheels and backflips, but had decidedly run out of luck to be on the receiving end of Tom’s monstrous cough impending a handshake with someone his eyes just couldn’t look away from.

You laugh again. Your laugh sounds like melody, Tom muses. Awestruck, he wishes he could play it again, repeat it like a radio hit and never wash himself of the feeling he got when he heard your laugh for the first time.

“It’s all good. I’ll see you around.” You disappear from his trailer, likely on a venture to your own, when Joe and Anthony block his view of you walking away.

Anthony and Joe take on the ghost of you in Tom’s room, “Tom! The man, the myth and the legend!” Joe comes behind him to rub his newly hairless head. “We’re so glad you agreed to do this movie!”

“Bummed that you’re not coming to the Browns game tonight, though.” Anthony remarks, throwing a football at Joe who sets it in his lap.

“Harry and I, we’re British, mate. We play football with our feet.”

Joe doesn’t know it then, but his next words are the beginning of the end for Tom. He rubs on his football and looks Tom in his eye when he poses, “It’s a shame ‘cause the whole crew’s going. First day of filming celebrations.”

“The whole crew?”

Anthony mumbles an ‘mhm’ as he picks up a framed photo of Tom and RDJ sitting pretty on Tom’s dresser, posing like father and son.

Tom’s usually self assured when he’s on set, but he’s hesitant to say this next improvised line. His voice trails off as he speaks. “Including Y/N?”

“Y/N?” Joe queries, with a smile that’s half scary and half comforting, and the butterflies in Tom’s stomach are begging him not to fuck this up and suddenly every second a word is not spoken feels like hours have passed and he might have ruined things before they’ve even started, gosh he just met you and-

Tom tries to play it cool. “I don’t- they’re cool.” Tom coughs again. “I mean, I don’t really know them but Y/N seems cool I guess.”

Anthony and Joe smile at each other, scrambling to exit. “Whole crew’s going, baby!” Joe beams.

“Please don’t tell Y/N I asked!” Tom shouts before they’re out of earshot.

“Yeah, yeah. Anthony, go long!”

A few hours later, Tom was sitting next to an unamused Harry, you on his left, foam fingers pointing every which way.

“Are you a big football fan?” Tom asked, imposter syndrome creeping up on him. He had the best seats in the house, but knew not a thing about this sport he’d come down to watch. Meanwhile, crew and crowd alike sat themselves around you guys, cheering leaving throats raw for days to come and a tussle for a foam finger between Joe and Anthony leading to hundreds of sugary popcorn shells scattered on the stadium floor.

“I mean, I wouldn’t ever turn down the option to look at Odell Beckham Jr. Are you?” you replied.

Tom looked over to his brother who sat with his chin in his hand, lips pulled into a thin straight line as his rusty curls were blown about from the wind of brown and orange flags flown from fans behind him. “We could learn to love it.” Tom flashed you a toothy grin, unsure of where to guide the conversation next. He knew for sure that he wanted to keep talking to you, but his ego began putting up a fight, eager to show himself off if you’d have him in any way. Tom sighed. “Truth is, we have no fucking clue what’s going on.” Tom could hear the commentary about a player reaching the end zone, but they were all just words that went into one ear then came straight out of the other.

You giggled. “I have no idea either. We could make up our own rules if you want.”

Tom likes the way you think. He also likes the way you speak. He loves the way you laugh.

“You have a beautiful laugh.”

You covered your mouth. “Oh, fuck, I hate my laugh!”

“I’d make you laugh a thousand times if I could.”

You pointed to the jumbo screen as Mayfield made a touchdown, unable to stop laughing from sheer nerves as you felt Tom’s hot, burning haze on you. An advert for Cleveland’s Own Phoenix Coffee flashed on the screen as you spoke. “We’ll make our own rules. Every time we see the quarterback pick up the ball, we’ll cheer.”

By the end of the night, Tom is speechless, breathless and over the edge of his chair in faux excitement and anticipation of the quarterback receiving the ball once again.

“Another coffee?” The service worker asked.

“Yes please!” You and Tom both say in unison, pumped as the quarterback began circling around to collect the ball in open arms.

The footage of the game is cut abruptly as the camera points to a confused, solo Harry; Anthony and Joe are seen at the edge of the frame whispering suggestively and pointing towards Tom, the camera eventually capturing the superstar who looks back up at his own reflection. Poorly green screened hearts flood the screen and the camera pans to include you in the frame too. Tom looks on in horror when he realises what’s going on and how it could be too late, and turns to you.

“I promise I didn’t know this was going on. We don’t have to.” Tom panics.

You hear him loud and clear, that you don’t have to, but your heart and eleven thousand people are telling you to kiss him otherwise. “Oh well. We should just do it.” you murmur, the bright pink ‘KISSCAM’ logo flashing in and out.

It doesn’t take more than a moment for the gap between you and Tom to close, for your face to get lost behind his, his lips pressing against yours, eyes closed, trusting each other to share your air. This was probably the first thing that night worth cheering for, howls and whistles erupting around you.

Tom doesn’t understand American football, but he thinks that the best seats in the house could be anywhere next to you.

Harry’s on the phone to his twin brother, Sam, when you and the rest of the crew make it back to the hotel later on. “-Yeah, and Tom spent half the night with the first A.D. cheering and screaming at fuck all.”

The Cleveland Browns lost that night, but Tom remains none the wiser. He stood in the doorway as Harry continued to relay his day to Sam. “Oh, and Tom, Mum said to give her a call, eavesdropper.” He flicks Tom’s reddening nose before closing the door.

A week and a half later, Tom reckons that's why he’s sick. He never has the time anymore to attend ‘real’ football games back home, and he actually understands the game back in Britain. But now, he’s cheered at almost every given opportunity to impress you stupidly, and his chest and voice is suffering as a consequence.

You and Tom walked onto set with your pinkies intertwined, growing closer and closer by the minute, but Tom doesn’t miss how Ciara’s boyfriend visits set every day for her, doesn’t miss how they rub their nose together in this lovey-dovey affection he wishes he could bestow upon you.

The scene wasn’t working.

The crew was beginning to grow restless and Tom silently became more frustrated as the minutes went by and he was unable to get his lines right. He remembers how a week ago, it felt so easy. You were there to correct him when he stumbled upon his lines and you picked him up so effortlessly, a twinkling smile on your face. But then? Then you were different. Your eyes were scrunched up behind the lens of the camera and you were mumbling something to Anthony about how the sun was due to go down in Ohio soon so you needed to hurry along.

“Alright.” you announced. “Take five!”

And Tom was thankful, Ciara perched upon a swing for the scene they were filming, Tom dwindling the rope of the swing under his finger as her boyfriend approached her once again. “Hey dude, are you okay?”

Ciara looked at Tom with the same concern, hands finding home in her boyfriend’s nest of hair. “Yeah, Tom, are you okay?”

Tom coughed into his hand. “Yeah, guys, I’m good.”

“I think you’re coming down with a nasty cough.” Ciara muttered.

“Yeah. It’s you guys. You’re too cute. You make me sick.” Tom laughed humourlessly for a short while, wanting to be that adorable with someone, maybe not anyone, maybe just with you someday. Then Tom shook his head, a bitter feeling in his throat as he yawned. “It’s the Browns game. I was yelling and screaming every time a quarterback got the ball. Of course I’m a little unwell. I’ll be good as new in a few days though.”

Ciara already knew Tom wasn’t playing a man with the healthiest of habits, but she worried that Tom was getting this bad this early. “Maybe you should talk to the first A.D. about reducing shoot days from five to three?”

Tom didn’t like the prospect of seeing you less. “Yeah.” Harry had a clapperboard between his hands, leading Tom’s eyebrows to furrow as his brother yelled something about it being take 13. “Maybe.”

Harry resumed to a new position in your chair, with you taking Harry’s place right across from Tom, a coffee waiting for him when the scene was over like Harry always did. Ciara’s boyfriend left the frame to watch supportively on the sidelines.

“Lights. Camera. Action!” Anthony called. “Time is money, you guys! Let’s try to get this one right this time.”

They’d been over this already twelve times today.

“Hey, I’m really happy you’re here.”

Ciara read her line back. “Why’s that?”

Tom could hear whispers of the crew, the sound guy glaring at them in case they were picked up in the scene, and he knew it had something to do with the fact that he couldn’t for some reason get the next line out all day. And that reason, unbeknownst to everyone, was because Tom couldn’t say something he didn’t mean - feeling like his heart was locked in a cage for which only you had the key. He looked past his co-star, Ciara, and up at you; feeling so close but you were far away, leaving him all day without anything to say. And overcoming his speechlessness and breathlessness, even in just that moment, he ran his hand over the rope to say, “Cause I like you. A lot.”

Ciara and the rest of the crew broke into a wide smile once Tom finally spoke his next line, but the only person Tom was focused on was you, who wasn’t smiling, but mouthing his words back to him.

Ciara breathed, “Shut up.”

And Tom’s sure to look you in the eye when he says, “I really do.”

When the filming for the day is said and done, Tom makes a beeline for you across the greenery. You hand over his coffee to him, “It’s a little cold now, but a warm hand is holding it.”

Tom quirks an eyebrow. “Are you inviting me to hold your hand?”

“Don’t push your luck.”

“You swapped jobs with Harry, I saw.”

“Yeah, well. It’s good he gets to grips with the job now. You know, in case anything changes.” You pulled your phone out of your pocket. “I should probably give you my number. In case anything changes.”

“Oh no, yeah. Your number is?”

“216-XXX-XXX. Speaking of changes, I heard you’re trying to get your days reduced.”

“You were eavesdropping?” Tom looks at your face that bears no trace of guilt. “You’re just like me!” He pulls you close.

“Tom, if what happened today is because you’re working too much, I’m happy to reduce your time.”

“Nah, nah.” Tom sniffles, rubbing his nose on a jacket probably worth more than your life. “I’m just a bit sick, s’all. I’ll be fine.”

Two weeks pass and Tom’s no better. With the Cleveland game nearly a month ago, Tom has nothing to blame and as first A.D., you’re obligated to reduce his hours. Tom’s on the phone with his mother when you approach his trailer.

“Don’t listen to Harry. I’m not in love. I just like Y/N.”

“A lot. I’ll keep you updated. Bye, Mum.”

You’re so quick to skip happily back to your trailer that you miss Harry calling out to his brother, he’s his protector now that his mother was countries apart. “Tom?” Harry starts.

Tom mumbles an ‘mhm’, hoping Harry would make it quick as he sees you FaceTiming him. If only his mother could see him like this. He’d get to call her tomorrow and tell her he’d called you for the first time yesterday, he could hardly wait to utter, 'I've finally found the missing part of me’. Harry sighs as the FaceTime ringing is relentless. Tom’s eyebrows threaten to meet in the middle of his face as he clutches onto his phone.

“Tom.” Harry begins. “Y/N is giving up assistant director.”

Tom’s really not sure where Harry gets the source of his information from, but he’s sure this isn’t true. He thinks you’d tell him before his brother if you were leaving the film behind, leaving him behind.

The film is due to move filming to Morocco soon, and Tom’s well aware that not all film crew joins them when production moves abroad, but to Tom, you’re an extension of this movie universe. And Tom refuses to leave the memories of you in this filming cycle. “How’d you know?”

“I’m taking over.” Tom’s screen lights up with the glow of your call, and as bright as it is, as bright as you are, as bright as your smile surely is on the other end of the phone call, Tom’s in his deepest darkest feelings wondering how he fooled himself into thinking romance could go right for him this time.

He’s going to Morocco. You’re not. You’re funny, smart, promising, beautiful. You’ll find someone good for you, a better pair by the time he’s back.

“That doesn’t mean it won’t work out, man.” Tom sulks in his bed, the light from your constant calls bleeding through his bed sheets. “I just wanted to warn you.” Tom nods, screaming into his pillow. Harry decides that’s his cue to leave, a glimmer of light from outside seeping through the crack of the door as Harry escorts himself. Tom musters all his might and courage to reluctantly answer your phone, the ear-to-ear grin he knows so well greeting him once again.

Suddenly, he forgot how to speak. Hopeless, breathless, couldn’t you see that?

“Tom?” You call out his name a few times before cutting straight to the point. “Do you like me?”

Tom shifts slightly but not enough to show that he’s alarmed. “Huh? Yeah, I like you.”

He sits up, but doesn’t reciprocate the outrageous smile you wear like a heart on your sleeve. Tom’s eyes are sunken, dark circles forming under his eyes where he and his disturbed character become one. You suddenly remember why you shouldn’t have run away so fast, perhaps Tom was overworking himself. He continues, “But I’m an emotionally unavailable hopeless romantic. So I wouldn’t waste your time on me.”

Tom can’t help the hurt in his heart when he sees your smile drop so suddenly, knowing it was earnest. “Tom, what are you saying?”

“I’m saying, life is unfair. And I’m gonna quit while I’m ahead. We wouldn’t work out. And I like our friendship now. We should stay that way.”

You’re not convincing when you nod rapidly, not letting Tom see your face as you play with your fingers to avoid his gaze. “Yeah, I agree.” You’re much less convincing when the last frame Tom caught of you was a shot of tears dripping down your face, as three rings followed you. Tom’s screen went black in your absence, and Tom falls asleep with eyes even redder from crying, and he wonders when he’s gonna shake this sickness.

It’d been a few days since Tom had got his shots to allow him to go to Morocco. He sat opposite the doctor on set, a coffee cup placed on the desk between him.

Tom reckons that's why he’s sick. Shots always have their side effects, and he’d taken multiple shots in one day. And now, he specifically asked for you to hold his hand during the process, Harry branded in a glinting jaw-drop, only for you to leave directly after.

“I’m speechless, constantly feeling over the edge, breathless.” Tom explains his symptoms to the doctor. “At first I thought it was because of that stupid football game, then all the coffee I’m drinking, now I don’t know if it’s the shots. I feel like shit, doc.”

“I know exactly what you’re dealing with.”

“What?”

“Lovebug.”

Tom stares at the doctor in utter bewilderment. “You figured that out based on my symptoms?”

“I figured that out based on the puppy dog eyes you gave for your first A.D. when they left without a word.” The doctor begins to laugh softly, but Tom is unamused. How is he supposed to shake this illness after completely ruining your relationship? How is he supposed to mend your bond after talking so recklessly, so emotionally? “Tom, I’m not here to be a fairy godmother, I’m being strictly medical. At a certain point, what you feel in your mind affects your body. So I prescribe that you talk to Y/N and say everything you need to say.”

And while that seemed easy enough, Tom’s ego was at work again, and Tom was feeling far too bruised and wounded to speak to you first. Surely if you cared enough, if you liked him back, if you were willing to be distanced, you would reach out first.

It seems Tom’s pride had forgotten that you already did.

“I heard that this is the exact shit that happened in Cleveland, and he couldn’t get the line out.” Tom hears the whisperings from behind the camera, the amount of familiar faces in the crew dwindling after the change in location. He doesn’t respond. He waits for someone to take five. And when no one throws him a bone, he asks Harry to.

“Alright, everyone take five.”

“Someone get this kid a fucking coffee, he’s always on edge.” Joe instructs.

“And you think giving a kid in twenties coffee is taking him off edge?” Anthony chuckles.

Tom doesn’t care whether or not he gets the coffee, rocking side to side. He’s got all the motion for this role, but he feels nothing. All he felt was for you.

“Here.” Harry sets a Moroccan mint tea down next to Tom, hoping it would calm him down. When Tom takes a few sips, the look in his eyes is less pleading, and everyone’s ready to rumble, this being the last scene of the day.

Harry feeds Tom the line. “Baby, are you seeing bad things?” Tom is seeing bad things. A life without love, a life without you. Unable to contain it all, Tom turns his frustration into laughter. “Why are you calling me baby for, man?” Tom has this ear-to-ear grin but even he feels it's not as innocent, as genuine as yours. He never knew a smile so wide could be so full of pain.

“I have an idea.” Harry saunters off to collect his phone. “Don’t stop rolling the cameras.”

When Harry comes back, there’s sounds of shifting erupting from his phone. “Hi, Tom.”

Tom didn’t know it would be so bittersweet to hear your voice again. He wasn’t sure if he should put walls up again or if twice was the charm. Even if you worked out in the short term, whose to say Tom wouldn’t get hurt again? And Tom wouldn’t want to hurt you.

“Are they taking good care of you out there? I don’t think I took good care of you.” Tom doesn’t say anything on the other side of the line, so you continue. “I’m not a good A.D. if you’re always sick and tired, and I didn’t want to see you any less, which was selfish of me, so I didn’t change your schedule.” You sigh as you admit why you left. “When you asked, though, I swear I was gonna do it, but then I heard you liked me, and I got carried away. I had to remove myself from the situation to do what’s best for you. Do you understand me? I did it for you.”

“I, uh, I got a diagnosis.” Tom stumbles.

“Oh my gosh, are you seriously sick?”

“I’m speechless. Over the edge, breathless.” Tom laughed dryly, finally feeling like he can choose an ending.

“What did they say it was?”

“Lovebug.” Harry smiles softly at his brother.

Your laugh is like nectar entering Tom’s ear.

“I might just love you way too much, Y/N.”

“Are you sure you’re doin’ okay?” Tom tries his best not to sound dejected that you didn’t say it back, knowing he’s already felt the brunt of this heartache already.

“I just miss you, that’s all.”

“I miss you too. I love you.” Joe stops recording, and Harry lowly whispers ‘take.fucking.five.’ as he and the crew creep away from Tom’s new found love scene.

“Anthony, can I borrow your phone?” Harry begins to type Nikki’s number as soon as Anthony gives over the phone. “Mum, Tom just told the first A.D. he’s in love with them so guess who’s out of a job?”

Tom knows why he’s sick. He used to feel like love was trudging up a high hill he couldn’t come down from, where every beat of heart was feeling like an ache on an open wound. Tom had yet to meet a lover to prove distance makes the heart grow fonder, finding himself in six month long entanglements and illusions of love before things inevitably went sour. But now, Tom has found you.

#tom holland imagines #tom holland fanfiction #peter parker #tom holland #tom holland fluff #tom holland smut #tom holland fanfic #tom holland imagine #tom holland blurb #tom holland x reader #tom holland x y/n #tom holland x you #tom holland angst #peter parker angst #peter parker imagine #lolbrosgetsicktoo

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sirisuorionblack · 3 years

Text

James the mother hen

James Potter x Hufflepuff!Reader

Requested - dude hi!! could you maybe do james potter x hufflepuff reader where the reader plays quidditch and gets hurt during a gryffindor v hufflepuff game and he feels really guilty about it and is really overbearing because he wants to help her feel better? or maybe just a sick day fic where james is helping her lol i’m just a sucker for mom friend worried james. thank you!!

Warning - Minor injuries

Authors Note - This is my first time writing in second POV so, sorry if its not great. Hope you like @riddikulusweasleys!

“Hey, prongs, look who is coming,” Sirius dragged his syllables at the last word, looking at his best mate with a wide smirk on his face.

James looked up from his single piece of toast - healthy breakfast before quidditch, he said when the rest three of them gawked at him - to Sirius, who was wiggling his eyebrows then across the great hall to spot you in your mustard quidditch robes, grinning as you walked toward him.

Remus chuckled at his best friend whose hand immediately flew to his hair, making them even messier and adjusting his glasses, “Your drooling, mate,”

“Well, I have every right to drool seeing she is my girlfriend,” James said cheekily, his focus slightly faltering from you towards his best friends rolling their eyes.

“Hello, Mr Potter,” you greeted him, smirking.

“Hello, Ms (L/N),” he said, chuckling.

“You two are weird,” Sirius muttered, looking between the two of you in disgust although his eyes held a shine.

“You're just jealous, pads,” Peter mumbled.

“Hey!” Sirius glared at him and soon engaged in a nasty conversation that may or may not have cost the pumpkin juice.

“You ready for the match?” you asked James, raising your eyebrows and smirking slightly.

James’ stomach suddenly churned anxiously. Now the matter is - he loved quidditch, he loved it more than anything but it was particularly hard for him to play against Hufflepuff ever since you became the captain of the quidditch team a year ago. You had always been a part of the reason why James loved quidditch, your moves and flexes made him much more drawn to you -smitten as Sirius would say- and one of the multiple reasons he finally mustered the courage to ask you out the start of the term.

You knew it, you knew how James felt playing against you, it was rather tough to play against...loved ones? Never have either of you actually muttered those three words to the other.

“Yeah,” James said, his voice cracking in between.

You smiled softly, and winked, “Your gonna rock it,”

The two of you after the conversation in the great hall only met at the quidditch pitch.

“Shake your hands,” Madam Hooch said, motioning you and James to do so.

A smile on both of your faces as your handshake was more than friendly compared to any other handshakes on the field.

The Hufflepuff and the Gryffindor teams were high up in the air, clenching the broom handles, waiting for the quaffle to release because this, after all, would determine the quidditch cup for the year.

Madam Hooch’s whistle echoed through the air as the quaffle was thrown to the players. The whistles and hollers of the crowd were so much that it almost made the players anxious.

“The Gryffindor captain first caught the quaffle. You're doing great Jamie boy!” The commentary was given by, of course, Sirius. He was appointed as the temporary commentator after the previous one had a major injury after very strict instructions given by Professor McGonagall.

“Mr Black,” McGonagall warned.

“Alright, alright. Minnie is getting mad,” he quickly added, “Oh, look at that. (L/N) has the quaffle, she is flying to the goal. Now, come on, let your boyfriend win, will you?”

You flipped him off with one hand as you flew through the forthcoming Gryffindor team players, diving and serving.

“Woah! Hufflepuff scores one goal!” Sirius glanced at the parchment before him, “1-0, Hufflepuff to Gryffindor, very bad performance lions, I expected more,” he shook his head as though in pity.

“Mr Black, you're demotivating the players!” McGonagall warned.

“Sorry, Minnie,” Sirius apologized, not so apologetically, “Now, the quaffle is back with the Gryffindor chaser! Yay!”

You dashed to the chaser, circling around them and with one calculated, gentle push the waffle was back to your hands.

“Alright, ladies and gentleman can we give a big round of applause to my best friend’s one day, to be wife,” Sirius asked looking at the crowd expectantly and for his satisfaction, the crowd roared.

Both James and you came to a halt on your brooms, a dark pink blush on your faces as the crowd roared even louder. But someone in the Gryffindor team had realised it was the best time to knock the quaffle out of your hold.

It was a great idea, you must give that to the red flash that passed by you but the way execution was worst. As the player swished past you, there was a harsh gush of wind and the player missed and had hit you on your elbow evidently knocking you out of your broom. Holding on the broom with one hand you dangled off it, trying to climb back on.

As though it all were perfectly timed, a loose bulger was aimed at you by Merlin-knows-who and you lost the only balance you had that held you in the air.

The air around you felt colder as the blank spots danced dangerously before your eyes. Your boyfriend’s terrified face was what you saw last before losing your consciousness.

“Mr Potter, please stop fretting,” Madam Pomfrey said to James who paced before your bed nervously in the hospital wing, “Nothing is wrong with her,”

“Except?” He insisted.

“Except her ankle is broken,” She said calmly.

“Broken!?”

“Her ankle, Mr Potter!”

“It's still broken!”

“Potter, if this continues I might ask you to leave the room,”

“When will she wake up?” James asked, ignoring Madam Pomfrey's threat.

“‘M wake,” You mumbled and coughed. James rushed to your bed with some water. Madam Pomfrey sighed and left James to take care of you.

“You alright?” James asked, taking your face in his hands and scanning every inch of them for him to admire and memorize your beauty with the reason as “checking for injuries”.

“Yes, James, calm down,” You chuckled.

“You scared me, did you know that?” James asked, sighing, "I'm sorry,"

"Why are your sorry?" You asked, placing your hands above his.

"I should have caught you or done something instead of Dumbledore at the final moment doing the spell," he looked down, pulling his hands out of your grip and holding your hands.

"James, you couldn't have done anything and it's okay. I am alright now, look," you pointed to your ankle that was heavily wrapped in gauze.

You heard through your half consciousness Madam Pomfrey say to James that although Dumbledore had performed the charm to stay you afloat but you had hit the ground and broke your ankle.

James winced, "I'm going to ban whoever did that from the team,"

"James," you warned, "This is a game and that happens,"

He sighed, "I feel guilty, you know." He leaned towards the bedside table, fetching the blue potion Madam Pompfrey instructed him to give.

“Mhm, figured it out,” you smirked.

“Drink,” James said, seriously and rolled his eyes.

You scrunched your nose in disgust looking at the blue semi-liquid potion, “No, that's-”

“I don't need to hear it, just drink,” James said, looking at you pointedly.

“Later?” You knew it wouldn't work but it was worth a try nonetheless.

“No,” he narrowed his eyes, “Come on, love, just gulp it,”

With your nose still scrunched, you glanced at the potion warily. James sighed, moving closer to you and pressed his lips to yours, “Please,” he mumbled against your lips.

You huffed but obliged. Downing the nasty drink and trying not to distract yourself from the bitter taste, you pulled James once again into a kiss.

After pulling away, James chuckled and blurted, “I love you,”

Both of your eyes widened in shock. You were the first one to regain your composure and grinned at him, “I love you too,”

“Well, it's about time!” They heard a voice very much like Sirius yell, crashes, grunts and then three people running.

You chuckled, pulling James closer to you, “You're not gonna walk for another month with that broken ankle of yours,”

And true to his words, James carried a blushing yourself to the classes almost every day, you werent complaining though.

#james potter #james potter x reader #james potter x hufflepuff!reader #james potter x you #james potter x y/n #james fleamont potter #marauders era #sirius black #remus lupin #harry potter #james x reader

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twst-campos13 · 3 years

Note

ah hello!! i'm literally so excited to see a blog for enby and male readers sodjfoijf,,could i maybe request a scenario where male reader is a staff member (idk?? like a librarian?? a nurse??? do they need nurses over there???) and is crushing on crewel but is too scared to confess because he's both Too Dense to pick up any signs of potential reciprocation and also just isn't sure if crewel likes men??? maybe. maybe with a happy ending though because i am a fool,, thank you very much!!

One hopelessly cheesy scenario coming up!! Thank you for requesting! I hope you don’t mind I made reader a librarian who may or may not be a bit of a romantic because i listened to a particular playlist while writing this- (commentary in notes!)

Warnings: none! Tags: male!reader, fluff!

A simple man such as you live a simple life. As simple as life can be in Night Raven College, that is. A prestigious school that holds a student body that can barely tolerate each other. It would be typical for a librarian to be the observer than the observed, but hey, if it means getting out of trivial matters of the school and enjoying the show in your personal bubble, then you have no complaints.

This attitude of yours did come to have its own consequences. You were seen as timid by most students as you were quite closed-off, taking it as a reason to poke fun at you sometimes. You proved them wrong when they step out of line with their fun. Most of the time you choose to ignore them. However, you lived up to your introverted nature, especially when it comes to him.

Tall, dark, and handsome. Approachable but also not at the same time. Sharply dressed and sharp attitude. This man that visits the library ever so often had become your daily motivation to keep on working at this school despite the wage that Crowley gives you.

Divus Crewel, feared and admired by staff and students—also known as the man who stole your heart.

You feel so small compared to him. That would not be so farfetched. He is a remarkable man, and what about you? You are just a librarian at this school. You are like mere dust to him.

Yet, despite this, you continued yearning for him no matter how ridiculous it seems. Perhaps you have fallen too deep in romantic fiction that you make hopeless wishes. You are known to be excellent in reading people but for some reason, you find it hard to read Divus. His perfect posture whenever he would scan the Applied Sciences aisle showed that he is focused on his reading. However, it is his expression you find hard to decipher. He looks dashing as ever, of course, but his thin lips and neutral gaze makes it hard for you to know what he is thinking.

If your life is a novel it would be so easy to know what runs in his mind. What he feels for you. Maybe he could even know what you feel for him. In a story, what makes characters likable is knowing what their emotions, their feelings, their ambitions, and their dreams are, for they are already laid out in ink on pages. Implicit or explicit information, simple or complex structure of personality, it does not matter. You would easily know about them for they are just sentences away from understanding.

And in romance novels…oh, how dreamy they are. How easy they make it seem to fall in love, to confess, and to achieve a happy ending. However, as a librarian, you know the reality of your situation. Your relationship with Crewel is a professional. Strictly, if you were to add an adjective. Is it really strictly professional? Your right brain points out the moments in your life where you interacted with him. At faculty meetings, reunions, at the library…moments like those just feel surreal you almost believed that you made those up on your own. Probably because you initiated each of those interactions yourself.

The only time, where Crewel would come to you himself, are rare. One time he came to the library and checked out a book to read in his spare time. His voice distracted you. It was like cherry wine. Sweet, smooth, enough to make your throat dry and your cheeks flushed. Oh, you could listen to him talk for hours in that tone of his, and he could even make you do anything he pleases.

You greet each other good morning or good afternoon when you pass by each other, and he would smile a teasing one at you as if you two shared a secret with each other. Well, technically you did, for one time you bought him coffee under the pouring rain, and he repaid you for your kindness. Soon enough your coffee exchange became a routine for both of you. It was sweeter than the cream in his coffee. It was more refreshing than the rainy day you shared with each other.

His gaze. His posture. His voice. His smile. Despite those small interactions with each other you are still troubled by what he thinks of you. A friend? A colleague? A special someone? Why is this so hard? Why was it so easy to fall in love? And when things could not get worse for you, your left brain argued that he might not be interested to mingle with a man.

Well, you could find out for yourself, but that would be creepy. Your workspace is in the library! You could not just leave when you please just so you can observe him. You could not use the staff files to your advantage—that is being a borderline stalker. Whatever Crewel’s orientation is, is his to keep and his to disclose to you. Oh, but still. If this were a novel, you could easily analyze the situations that give off evidence of him liking men. Or liking someone like you.

If that were the case you would not have a hard time trying to decipher his words, his gaze, his tone, and his actions towards you. If that were the case…if that were the case…then…well, there’s no then. Divus Crewel is not a fictional character to analyze. He is your coworker, your colleague.

It is hard to know what he thinks of you, at all. You really wished that you could…but the thought of knowing what he thinks to scare you, as well.

Rejection is not that far from reality. Who are you compared to him again? A nobody. A simple, ‘timid’, librarian that enjoys reading romantic and fiction novels and inserts himself in scenarios he makes up for himself just so he can…find the happiness he wishes to have.

But Divus is your happiness. Became your source of happiness. Ironic how he colors the muted floor of the library with his monochromatic appearance. Maybe it is better that you keep your feelings to yourself. You avoid the risk of rejection and humiliation as well as ruining whatever it is your current relationship with Crewel is.

You barely registered the visitor in front of your desk until a familiar red leathery gloved hand rested atop of yours. The contact of the leather sent a spark of electricity through you that you snapped your head up to meet alluring silvery blue eyes. There is only one person in this college that owns those distinct, beautiful, silvery blue eyes.

Divus.

“Have I interrupted your moment of peace, sir?” He asked in that cherry wine voice of his. It made your throat dry up and your face warm. “N-No—no!” You squeaked, shaking your head to brush off the embarrassment. Quickly, you fixed your composure and appeared presentable. As presentable as you could be under his stare that is. You just hope that he found some amusement in your haste. “D-Div—Mr. Crewel, what can I do for you?” You smiled as you speak in a professional tone. The edge of his lips curled into a familiar smirk and still you could not determine what was running through his mind at the moment.

“I came to return the book I borrowed last week,” he said, placing down the novel on your desk. Sense and Sensibility. Jane Austen. Right, he borrowed that last week. It is not your place to judge whatever it is he desires to read. “Of course,” you nodded, “did you enjoy reading it?” You started on a small talk as you take out your logbook for the check-ins and outs of books. “Somewhat,” Crewel shrugged, “I had my eyes set on another book I would like to borrow.”

“Oh? What is it? I’ll go get it for you.” You stood up after sliding the logbook back to its drawer. Crewel did not leave from where he was standing. His eyes were simply on you. You had to hide your nervousness under his gaze. “I had my eyes on it ever since that rainy day, when you offered me shelter in the library until the rain passes,” he mused. “General fiction, I believe, was the genre.”

“If that’s the case then you better tell me the title,” you joked, taking a stool to the genre’s aisle. “Are you certain you can find it?” Crewel coolly challenged. You almost laughed but did not fight the smile on your lips. “Mr. Crewel, I spend most of my time in this library. I know every book and I still have the Dewey Decimal system memorized…” You kept your eyes distracted by scanning the spines of the books on the shelves. You are aware that he is still looking at you that is why you refused to look back at him. You are not sure what will happen if you look back at him while conversing.

“If that is the case—” why does he suddenly sound a bit close? “—may you find ‘How to Ask your Dense Colleague Out to Dinner?’”

What a lengthy title. It sounds very basic and almost like a rule book than a novel. Well, that is General Fiction for you. Though you are quite unsure if such a book exists in the library. “Hm…” you hummed, a finger on your chin, as your eyes scanned the shelves. “I don’t think I have that here…Crowley pays me enough to support my rent and meals, but not enough to buy new books. Plus, the students…”

You heard him chuckle beside you and fought the urge to turn to him. “I believe I was not frank enough. Ah, well, I will put all subtleties aside, then…”

His warm breath tickling your skin was what made you finally turn to him. The proximity of your noses startled you that you nearly stumbled out of your stool if it were not for Divus’ hand grabbing yours to pull you to him. You gasped, shocked, as you landed close to his chest. His other hand supported your waist, and your eyes widened his silvery blues. You can feel your heart hammering against his. Your legs feel like putty when he gave you that teasing smirk. Your name—your first name—sounds surreal from his lips. Your entire world was a confusing mix of vertigo and bright lights.

“Will you go to dinner with me?”

You stared. You stammered. You are flabbergasted and flustered. You were unsure how to react to such a forward question that your brain completely shut down. But you cannot embarrass yourself—you must not. Not when…not when…not when…!

Oh, he will he stop saying your name with such sentiment?

“Is your silence a rejection or a consideration?” He rose a brow and your face flushed even more. “No! I mean yes—I mean—no, it isn’t a rejection—”

“Then you have been anticipating this?”

“Divus!”

He laughed. He laughed at your state. He laughed at your awkwardness. But most importantly his laugh sounds so pleasant. Like he was teasing you and you liked him teasing. You grew shy, averting your gaze from his and fidgeting with your fingers. “I mean…I mean…why?”

Crewel stopped laughing and looked at you. “Why what?”

“Why…me? Out of all people?” You asked as fear and denial keep you from grasping the fact that this is all real and not another scenario you made up during rainy days. Crewel’s face remained passive. Neutral. It was eating at your heart and you just wish what is going through his mind.

“Is it not obvious, puppy?” He raised a brow at you. The hand holding your wrist now tilted your chin in his direction. “It is not by fate or destiny, but a mere law that dictates the gravitational pull of similar atoms that is programmed by the need to chemically bind together.”

You suddenly felt stumped. “W—What?”

“I like you, puppy,” Crewel clarified, adoring the way your confusion turned to pure surprise, “and I would like to have dinner with you. Perhaps another, if the first went well.”

You need some time to process this. Your head felt so light you might pass out in his arms. Actually, you would not mind that in the slightest. His coat is just so soft it feels like heaven. A proper response of agreement failed to come to your mind so instead, you asked him again, “And what if the first does not end well?”

Crewel smiled at you. “Then we shall try again with the next dinner. Mind you, puppy, as a man of science, I am not afraid of failure if trying means more chances of perfecting my goal.”

“And what’s that goal?” You asked and physically stopped yourself from combusting when he leaned closer to you that your noses touch and you smell his cologne, and his bold scent.

“The goal to become yours.”

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cotccotc · 3 years

Text

SKZ REACT to...

⿻ you coming out !!

genre/s: ot8 reaction headcanon, gn reader, platonic, fluff with some humor

wc: ~1k

warning/s: (obviously) descriptions of coming out to someone (in terms of sexual orientation, not gender), my dumb commentary lol, these are just my ideas! obviously i have no idea how they’d actually react, but i just feel like these scenarios are pretty likely.

a/n: this is pretty casual and silly tbh haha. it’s been sitting in my google drive for a while so i thought i’d finally post it :) i tried to make this as non-descriptive as possible while also getting the point across !! hope it makes u smile hehe <3

“there’s something i’ve been meaning to tell you. i’ve kept it a secret for a while now, but i think it’s time you should know. [insert a statement about your orientation here].”

⿻ CHAN

he’d try to be really responsible about responding to this.

he’s the type of person who would thank you for telling him. he’d just be so happy you feel comfortable enough to confide in him.

i could definitely see him asking you questions about it right away, wanting to have an adult discussion about it.

as long as you’re comfortable with it though !! he doesn’t want to push.

you’d be able to tell how professional he’s trying to act, which is comforting but also a little funny.

once you point it out, he’d finally relax a bit and chuckle, his ears turning slightly red from embarrassment.

still, through talking about your sexuality and answering his questions, both of you would really benefit from the conversation and feel closer afterward.

for some reason this one made me really emotional oof NOW ON TO THE FUNNY ONES :DDD KFDJS

⿻ MINHO

in all honestly, you’d be kind of scared to tell minho.

you don’t really talk about these things often, so you might be nervous to see how he responds. but when you do tell him…

“oh so you’re an icon? ok cool”

HE’D HYPE YOU UP SO HARD OMG

LINO BEST WINGMAN <333

if you’re ever out and he sees someone you might be attracted to looking your way, he’ll be sure to point them out and encourage you to talk to them.

“come on! you’re a badass, remember? you can do it!”

which… normally that isn’t too big of a deal, but as he encourages you to talk to someone who he previously wouldn’t have known you’d be interested in, it warms your heart.

and, if you hit it off with that person, he’d hold it over you for the rest of your life...

which is typical !! so, nothing’s changed !!!

⿻ CHANGBIN

i’m not saying he’d cry… but i’m not saying he wouldn’t SKJDD

ok LISTEN

he’d first ask if you want to talk about it a bit more (your story, how you figured things out, the feelings that accompanied it, etc.)

when you agree, he’d listen carefully and consider what you might have had to go through during the process of realizing this is who you are.

this man would get EMO

might write a song about it later tbh

his respect for you would go through the roof omg

after you finish explaining, i think he’d be a little choked up !!! he’d tell you how proud he is of you and how strong you are for being your true self.

ok now I’M gonna cry oh nO-

⿻ HYUNJIN

you and hyunjin are very open about your emotions and confide in each other often.

i’m going to tell you exactly what he’d say, and i want you to imagine it with me, okay?

you’re going to be able to *hear it*, i promise.

ready?

“yay~”

(imagine his soft voice and lil hands clapping oh my goodness oh my goODNESS-)

can you see it? do you hear it? thought so.

he’d act similarly to chan, but with a bit more enthusiasm.

you’d probably end up having a deep conversation regarding sexuality and gender afterward, and it would be really therapeutic for the both of you.

you both trust each other a lot and are respectful of each other’s feelings, so acceptance would be a no brainer for hyunjin (uwu).

⿻ JISUNG

he’d get a little nervous, honestly.

for good reason! he’d be scared of saying or doing the wrong thing. and he can tell this is super important to you/making you feel just as nervous.

his first instinct would be to give you a big hug. no matter what, it’s his go-to reaction to big announcements, good or bad. and this is a good one !!

once you break away, he’d be a bit quiet, allowing you to explain yourself. he’d hold onto your hands though, especially once he sees them shaking a little.

he’d straight up ask: “so who else knows?”

why? so he doesn’t accidentally out you to the other guys.

or literally anyone else he sees DFKJ

overall, things would be a bit awkward at the very beginning because he wouldn’t know exactly to handle the situation, but he’ll just be really considerate of your feelings in order to move forward.

also it would end in a high five but that’s obvious

⿻ FELIX

i feel like felix would be the most casual about it, in the best way possible.

he’d make it seem like you coming out was just a subtopic in the conversation and talk calmly without sounding startled by the information at all.

but on the inside, he’d be SO EXCITED OMG

rainbow cupcakes

he’d force his way onto the gay side of tik tok just so he can send u videos he thinks you might relate to or laugh at

the JOKES

(with prior consent, of course)

“i see your jeans are cuffed today…” cue stupid lil smirk

plays “sweater weather” by the neighbourhood every chance he gets

let’s say you’re up late together:

y/n: “dude i need to go to sleep. i can’t see straight.”

lix: “i wonder why” *cackles*

⿻ SEUNGMIN

“lol duh”

when you come out to him, he’s just like..

ok cool, i know that, what’s next?

obviously, he wouldn’t be rude. however, he’d definitely try not to make a big deal out of it since he genuinely doesn’t think it’s that big of a game changer.

he knows it’s important, of course, but he’d prefer to normalize it right away than make it into a big thing.

“so… do you have any celebrity crushes i don’t know about?”

you’d spend the rest of the day/night talking about your sexuality in the most nonchalant way. you’d recount stories of realization from your past, and seungmin would listen and react just like he would any other time.

*gasp* “really?”

“i know i don’t know this person, but you’re way too good for them.”

regardless, seungmin is able to make you feel comfortable right away. he just has that effect :’)

⿻ JEONGIN

baby bread = confused but accepting

didn’t see it coming at all

for starters, it’s not that he wouldn’t know what it all means, but he’d definitely ask for a bit of clarification just to make sure he knows exactly how you identify, especially if it’s somewhere in the bi/pansexual realm.

once you explain it to him,

q u e s t i o n s

when’d you figure it out? how? with who? was it a cartoon character? he heard about that once...

nevertheless, he wouldn’t make a big deal about it, similarly to seungmin with a dash of hyunjin’s soft excitement.

“our y/n’s just so full of love for everybody, huh? so thoughtful of them.”

“make sure to save some of that love for me, please?”

sure, innie. sure.

also this may or may not be foreshadowing something that’ll be announced on the 25th at 12 am kst :D uwu

tags: @stayndays, @hanniiesuckle17, @leggomylino, @freckledberries, @kisskissbanggang, @mr-jisung-main, @childofthecosmos, @kpopscape, @skzwriternet, @hyunsins, @sleepylixie, @sunshine-skz, @vera-liscious, @moonlit-lixie, @thatrandomoneinthecorner, @sunshine-skz ( join my tag list !! )

#districtninewriters #inkidz #skzwritersclub #straykidsland #*fics #skz imagines #stray kids imagines #skz #stray kids #skz ot8 #stray kids ot8 #skz fluff #stray kids fluff

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obsidiancreates · 3 years

Text

The Wrong Realization (But A Welcome One)

4,012 words long

-----------------------------

Jonah wakes up with a headache like he’s got a hangover. He groans, putting his arm over his eyes as the dim light of his bedroom tries to burn out his retinas. Even with all of his thickest curtains closed and fastened together, the sunlight is still too harsh. Must be the way it’s reflecting off the snow.

He falls out of bed more so than gets out of bed, and lays on the floor for a moment. He reaches up to his nightstand and manages to pull down his phone, which bonks him on the temple on it’s way down. That gets him to wake up, with a shout and a dash of fight-or-flight response.

He sighs, rubbing his eyes. He doesn’t even feel very rested! Granted, he did stay up most of the night listening to a new podcast he discovered... fascinating stuff, wonderful deep-dives into mythologies and legends from all over the world. Something a little lighter to relax to than his usual political commentary go-tos.

He stands up, and scrolls through his playlist until he finds a good morning podcast. He heads into the bathroom, ready to grapple with his hair to get it nice and presentable-

He looks into the mirror and freezes up. His hair is perfect. Exactly how he always strives to get it to look, and always falls just one stray strand short of. But now? Not a flyaway in sight.

“I could have sworn I took a shower,” he mumbles to himself. Maybe he just forgot to use shampoo? No, he would never. Maybe too much conditioner, then. But he’s always so careful not to overuse...

“I guess it saves time,” he says aloud. “No looking a gift horse in the mouth.” He picks up his toothbrush and gets to scrubbing, but pauses when he feels something stringy in his mouth.

He spits out the toothpaste foam, expecting a hair.

Instead, it’s a scraping of plastic from his toothbrush, and several bristles.

He stares for a moment, and then opens his mouth. Does he have something completely alarming stuck in his teeth? Did he somehow eat something metal?

... No, not as far as he can see. Nothing is out of the ordinary. Absolutely nothing. Completely fine.

On an unrelated note, the two little cuts in his lower lip that are perfectly aligned with his canines are starting to sting from the mint, so he hurries up and finishes brushing his teeth.

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The sun blinds him as he drives to work, and he has to manage mostly by listening to the traffic around him (which is absurdly loud today, he can hear it with his windows rolled up).

And the sunlight is harsh on his skin, too. Does he need to invest in better sunscreen? Maybe he should revisit that article he read about SPF effectiveness and how to choose the best one...

He gets into the parking lot and parks his car. He opens the door, and promptly slams it shut again with a yelp. His hands didn’t just feel burnt, it did burn!

Definitely needs to up his SPF! And research sudden sunlight sensitivity... his hand is bright pink.

He sits in the car for a moment, trying to figure out what to do. And then there’s a knock on his window. He startles, but relaxes when he sees it’s just Glenn. He rolls his window down just a bit. “Um, hi. Good-good morning, I mean.”

“Heyyyy, Jonah,” Glenn says with a smile. “So, um, I noticed you’re stuck in your car?”

“Hmm? Oh, yeah, no, I just um. Well you see I-I, um-”

“Need a hand?” Glenn’s smile is a bit strained, for some reason. “Because of the sun?”

“... Well I mean if-if you’re offering then it would be... rude to say no...”

Glenn opens up an umbrella, making Jonah shout in surprise. “Where did that-”

“Come on in under the shade!”

Jonah hesitates a moment, put off by Glenn’s... odd, energy. But he can’t stay in his car forever, so he gets out and walks in with Glenn under the safety of the umbrella.

“Thanks,” he says when they get inside. “I just um, I need to update my sunscreen, you know? And I just didn’t want to risk... my skin...”

“No, no, I completely get it,” Glenn assures. “The warm, life-giving rays of the sun can be very harsh sometimes!”

“... Y-yeah. Yeah.”

“Hey, um, Jerusha and I got you a gift, actually. She was so upset by the whole attack thing yesterday-”

“Oh, you guys didn't have to get me something-”

“Well, we wanted to, so um, here!”

Glenn hands Jonah a very, very wide-brimmed hat. There’s a little bat needle-pointed onto the sides.

“Oh! Wow! Um, it’s... so big!”

“Maybe it’ll help until you update your sunscreen?” Glenn sounds hopeful. Too hopeful for Jonah to turn down. And... it would be functional, at least...

“Yes! Yes, I think this’ll be great for that, um, thank you! Thank you both, send Jerusha my-my thanks. For this. I can um, see she put some effort into customizing it! Just-just out of curiosity... why a bat?”

“Oh, well um, because of your situation.”

“... Situation, I don’t-”

“You know. The reason you burned?”

“... I still don’t understand-”

“HEYYYY, GUYS!” Amy butts in quite enthusiastically. “How’s it going this morning?”

“Oh, good!” Glenn says with a smile and a nod. “I was just giving Jonah this hat Jerusha made for him, because of his whole condition about being a vam-”

“OH HEY, Glenn, I actually really need your help with something!”

“Really?”

“Yes! Come over here, with me, to... softlines!”

“Oh, okay. I’ll talk with you later, Jonah!”

“Okay! Buh-”

Amy drags Glenn away, leaving Jonah with his hand up in an unfinished wave.

“... Bye. I-I was saying... bye.”

Jonah looks at the hat, and heads off to the breakroom.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“So does Jonah have them?” Cheyenne is saying when Jonah enters the room.

“I mean, he looked like he did when he was chasing that lady-”

“Do I have what?”

Mateo and Cheyenne startle. “Oh, Jonah! We didn’t see you there! You were like... really, quiet,” Cheyenne says with a slightly strained smile.

“Yeah. So... sneaky.” Mateo looks similarly stressed.

“Well I, I did just get new ultra-soft shoes, very comfortable but I’m not sure about the long-term arch support... but um, what do I have?”

“Um... standards, for your fashion. Sometimes you have them, sometimes you don’t... usually only when you’re chasing, after... someone to flirt with.”

“Oh. ... You-you thought I was trying to flirt with that woman, last night?”

Cheyenne shrugs. “You did literally chase her into the parking lot.”

“I-I guess I did. But I wasn’t attracted to her I mean, I wasn’t attracted to any customers yesterday, even though there were a few good looking ones, that made me laugh... but-but I’m not- I mean, I wasn’t flirting with anyone-”

Jonah babbles on for a good five minutes before Glenn finally comes in and starts the meeting.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jonah sighs and rubs his eyes as he mops up a puddle of... it’s either slushie vomit or watered-down blood (though he’s leaning towards slushie vomit, something in him just says it definitely isn’t blood).

He leans against the mop and closes his eyes for a moment. So tired... he felt okay this morning, but as the day creeps on he feels less and less awake...

“Excuse me?”

Jonah startles, yelping and dropping the mop. The customer jumps back as the mop drops.

“I am so sorry!” Jonah exclaims. “I um, I-I think I feel asleep, um, how can I-”

Jonah pauses, at a loss for words.

The customer, a man around Jonah’s age, looks concerned. “You alright, man?”

“Huh?” Jonah’s face feels hot (the first bit of warmth he’s felt in two days). “Oh, um, I-I just, that was very unprofessional of me.”

The customer shrugs. “It’s a Cloud 9, professional isn’t really expected.”

Jonah chuckles. He clears his throat. “So, um, how can-can I help you?”

“I was looking for the recycled paper towels?”

“Oh, yeah, um... let me help you find those. They’re only half recycled, though.”

“I know. But you do what you can on a budget, right?”

“Right, yeah,” Jonah laughs. He can’t stop looking at the guy’s face... why does he feel all jittery?

“Um, here we are. The closest Cloud 9 gets to activism.” Jonah sticks his hands in his pockets and rocks on his heels. His mouth feels dry. Why is his mouth so dry? He licks his lips quickly while the customer isn’t looking.

“Better than I’ve been doing lately. Haven’t done a protest in months.”

“What kind of protests do you go to?” Why did he say that? He’s going to embarrass himself, oh no-

“Mostly wage labor ones, workers rights kind of things. Trying to get a union going at my job.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, well, I know unions don’t have a great reputation in a lot of places but-”

“No! I mean uh, I love unions! I-I’ve been wanting one here since I started working! Just uh, don’t tell my boss that, hah.”

The customer smiles at Jonah, and Jonah wonders if the floor actually fell out from under him or if that’s all in his head.

“Well, thanks for helping me find this. Maybe we can talk about helping each other’s unions efforts if I see you again.”

“Yeah!” Jonah flashes a bright smile. “Sure! Sounds-sounds great! Um was really nice to meet you!”

The customer smiles again and walks away, and Jonah needs to lean against the isle.

He lets out a heavy breath, wondering what the hell is going on and what he is feeling. He looks down the isle to see if anyone is watching him.

Mateo, Cheyenne, Marcus, and Dina are all staring.

Jonah quickly walks away, shame burning his cheeks. So they noticed something, too.

“-looked like he was about to eat him alive-”

He’s too busy being completely embarrassed by hearing them whisper that to wonder how he just heard it from three isles away.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jonah wakes up with a start as a cart rolls right over his leg. He shouts in pain and surprise, and then sighs at himself.

He peels the glue trap off of his face with a grimace. Cleaning the rat traps is a terrible time for his sudden and new case of what seems to be narcolepsy to strike. He sits up and rolls up his pant leg, expecting something nasty to greet him based on the crack he heard.

... Nothing. He frowns, and touches his leg. It doesn’t even sting.

“How did-”

“Jonah?”

Jonah looks up at Amy’s voice. She’s standing over him with a clipboard. “Oh, um... hi.”

“Hey. ... Why are you on the floor?”

“I was uh, cleaning the rat traps. And I... maybe fell asleep.”

“In the middle of the day?”

“... Yes...”

“Okay then. ... So um, I just... wanted to check in, for a minute. How’s it been going with customers?”

“What do you mean?”

“I just mean, have there been any... notable interactions, maybe, to throw an idea out there,” Amy says in her ‘I’m-hiding-the-real-reason-for-asking-this’ voice.

Jonah’s cheeks burn, and he’s sure he’s blushing. “They told you about that?”

“I... might’ve heard some gossip.”

“It-it was nothing, Amy. Really.”

“Are you sure? They said you keep looking at his neck-”

"Well I mean, he had a nice neck I-I guess but I was more looking at his face-”

“And that you licked your lips at him?”

“That-! My mouth was dry, and-and you know I hate chapped lips!”

“... And the hovering over him?”

“Well, I wouldn’t say hovering, more like just watching and... admiring... but that-that’s normal! I’ve been doing that since high school! A good ally normalizes these things, and-and when straight men, yeah, can admire other men in a-a completely! Normal way! Then it um, it helps... break down! The stereotypes!”

Amy looks... perplexed. She shakes her head. “Wait, what are we-”

“I mean, everyone does it, too! Like-like you! I’m sure you’ve looked at-at other woman, and admired their appearance, without feeling feelings for them, right?”

“Well, I guess, but- wait, Jonah, did you-”

“I mean we all wonder in college, right? But I don’t like, I mean there’s nothing wrong with liking both I just- I don’t, I wondered but I never-”

“Okay, um, this isn’t what I came over here to talk to you about-”

“Maybe there was a moment or two where I thought it might’ve been a thing but I-I never acted and if I did like both I would have acted on that, I think-”

“Okay! Um, you’re working through something right now, that is, not what I thought you were working through, so um, I’ll just check up on you later...”

Amy backs away as Jonah keeps recounting half-baked thoughts and unfinished sentences about his time in college and his roommates one friend who maybe had the best hair Jonah’s ever seen but their friendly hair-war was not flirting he swears...

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jonah doesn’t chew the carrot, just rolls it in his teeth as he stares at the wall, lost in thought.

“... Not hungry for you lunch?” Sandra asks tentatively.

Jonah shakes his head, only half-hearing her.

“... Are you hungry for something else? Like... a customer?”

Jonah stops, and pulls the carrot out of his mouth. “You heard about that too?”

Sandra’s eyes widen, and she shakes her head.

“You did! Did- does everyone know about that?”

“Well, it-it’s been sort of, floating around-”

Jonah groans, putting his head in his hands.

“... So um... are you?”

“What? No! No, I am not hungry for him, that’s objectifying. Not that I- I mean, I’m a straight man, I can’t, objectify another man, because that implies attraction. ... Unless I’m playing into toxic masculinity stereotypes by believing that...”

“I don’t think you have to worry about falling into masculinity stereotypes,” Carol pipes up from another table.

Jonah looks at her, annoyed. Her eyes widen and she looks away.

Jonah puts his head back into his hands. “This is a nightmare...”

“For all of us,” Sandra whispers.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jonah sighs, slumping over onto the customer service counter. Garrett just looks at him, waiting for whatever Jonah has in store.

“... It normal for straight guys to admire other straight guys appearances, right?”

Garrett blinks. “Wow, just some casual conversation, huh?”

“Just- I mean, I know people are talking about-”

“You eyeing up that dude earlier like he was a steak?”

“... Yeah. That.”

“Dude, I don’t think this is the issue you should be focused on right now.”

“I know, I know! I’m in my thirties, I should have this figured out and be focusing on more important things-”

“Not what I meant, actually, I meant the superpowers-”

“-but I don’t know, I’ve never really had anyone point it out before! And-and now I can’t stop thinking like, am I? Attracted?”

“You know there’s nothing wrong if you are, right?”

“Yes, I do, I’ve been to a bunch of rallies and stuff.”

“Did you oogle dudes at those rallies?”

“NO! ... I mean I guess I observed and-and appreciated-”

“Yeah, you might just be on the gay spectrum, dude. I don’t know what else to tell you. Except that, uh, you just accidentally slapped my shoulder and you’re as cold as a bag of ice, so maybe that should be your crisis of the day.”

Jonah is staring off into space, rubbing his arm. It doesn’t seem like he heard Garrett at all. Garrett just sighs, and rolls away.

Jonah stays there, contemplating, for quite a while.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Okay, no more dancing around it.”

Jonah jerks awake. Again. God, why can’t he stay awake? ... Probably because he stayed up all night.

“No, Cheyenne.”

Jonah looks around. He peeks into the next isle, and then the next.

... Where the hell are Cheyenne and Amy? He can hear them so clearly...

“He’s like, totally oblivious to it!”

“He’ll realize it eventually, okay? It’s not some truth bomb we can just drop on him.”

“My friends drop truth bombs on me all the time, and it just brings us closer. Best bitches don’t lie to their best bitches.”

“... Right. But, it’s kind of something for him to take the time to process.”

“What if he doesn’t? He’s just gonna like, wander around forever making excuses and being all nervous and confused.”

“Well... then we’ll give him a push. But for now let’s just... give him some space. Let him come to terms with it on his own.”

Jonah is startled out of his accidental eavesdropping by hearing himself sniffle. He quickly wipes his eyes, sticks his hands in his pockets, and hurries away. He still doesn’t know how he heard them, maybe some kind of really weird echo or sound tunnel. So he goes to the other side of the store entirely and finds the chattiest customer he can.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

He can feel Dina and Mateo staring at him as he restocks softlines. They whisper to each other, and he sighs and hangs his head. “You know, it makes it worse when you talk behind my back.”

Mateo yelps a little. He clears his throat and quickly composes himself. “Sorry. Uh, we were just talking about-”

“Yeah, no, I know. I’m... aware, okay? And I just would like to stop hearing about it for now, please.”

Mateo looks taken aback by the tiredness in Jonah’s voice, the... weary tone. Dina, however...

“Yeah, well, not exactly something to brush under the rug.”

“Why do you even care? It’s a me problem, okay?”

“Really? You think this doesn’t impact everyone?”

“How! Would it even do that?!”

“Well, let’s see! It made Mateo afraid, it made Amy all somber and worried about you, it made Glenn cry even more than usual-”

“It did?”

“He started a trust fund for your soul.”

“... Oh.”

Dina stops, her frown slowly becoming more confused. “You... didn’t realize that would happen?”

“... I don’t know, I guess I thought... thought he’d be more open-minded.”

“Glenn?”

Jonah takes a deep breath. Ugh, why’d it make his chest hurt? Why do his lungs feel like they don’t want the air?

The next thing he knows he’s done with softlines (it felt like he got done in the blink of an eye) and walking away. He swallows down the lump in his throat, and the urge to comfort eat. God, he’s craving a snack now. Well, he has all day, but he’s been... a little distracted.

“Excuse me? Hello? Hey!”

Jonah looks up at the customer, still feeling drained and empty.

“Finally, god. How useless do they let you people be around here? I’m looking for the shock collars, my dog keeps licking me when I tell him not to.”

“... That’s a really, really shitty thing to do to your dog.” Jonah doesn’t really mean to say it, but he’s just sort of on autopilot now.

For some reason, the customer doesn’t reply. Just stiffens.

“Follow me. I’ll sort you right out.” Jonah thinks he smiles at them. But he can’t be sure, because at that moment he blacks out.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jonah shrugs his coat on, not looking anyone else in the eye as they all file out to clock out.

He waits until the very end, and clocks out last. Maybe he can avoid them all by waiting long enough?

Ugh, he can’t. He feels restless. Looking like another sleepless night already. Two in a row, great. Maybe that’s why he had that blackout. He still isn’t sure where the customer went, nor how he ended up in the No-Go zone of the Gardening Section...

Whatever. They were a jerk, anyway. Maybe he talked some sense into them? He did that during a blackout yesterday. Maybe it’s stress, then?

He keeps his head down as he thinks about it (trying to avoid some other, more introspective thoughts) and walks out.

He lifts his head as he exits the breakroom to find everyone standing in a group, smiling softly.

“Um... what’s going on?” He claps his hands behind his back. Please don’t let this be more teas-

“We know we’ve made you uncomfortable today,” Mateo pipes up. “And after talking to Garrett about your guys’s conversation, we realized we had the totally wrong idea about everything.”

Glenn steps forward and hugs Jonah. “I accept you no matter what,” he says firmly. “I would never start a fund to save your soul for being gay, that was a complete misunderstanding! You like whoever you like, Jonah!”

“And I didn’t mean to badger you,” Dina admits with her shoulder a little sunk. “I didn’t quite understand what you were going through in your head, and I made some assumptions. Wrong ones.”

“We all care about you, Jonah,” Amy says, prying Glenn off of the poor man. “Okay? We just want you to know that. Today we were being really, really shitty. But it won’t happen again.”

For the second time today, Jonah isn’t aware he’s crying until he hears himself sniffle.

“I just- I feel really, really stupid,” he admits, wiping his eyes with his palms. He laughs, not quite bitterly, but not happy. “I mean, I’m in my thirties. I-I had... so many obvious moments where I should have realized! How... oblivious, am I?”

There’s a bit of an awkward air to the group after that comment. But Amy hugs Jonah, and he feels a little... spark, in his chest. It’s nice.

His chest has felt pretty heavy and empty all day.

“Everyone comes to terms with stuff at their own pace,” Amy says. “I lived in an unhappy marriage for years because I couldn’t accept the obvious. What matters is that you got to this point of realization, okay?”

Jonah hugs back. He thinks he feels Amy shiver, but he brushes past it. They pull apart, and Jonah sniffs and wipes his eyes again.

“And I um. I-I don’t think I’m... fully, gay,” he says slowly. He hesitates, mouth open, the words stuck. “I think... I think I’m Bi.”

There’s a moment of silence. He smiles a little, and stands a bit straighter. That feels... really right. “I think I’m Bi,” he repeats.

Sandra claps for a second, but no-one joins in. She lowers her hands slowly.

“Wow! Hah! That feels- wow! God, that feels good! Um,, what-what now, though?”

Garrett shrugs. “Flirt with some dudes? Some people in-between dudes and chicks? I don’t know, man, it’s your life.”

“Your long, long life,” Dina mutters to herself.

“Right! Oh, yeah, uh... that guy! From earlier! I-I think I want to see him again. Okay, uh, I’m going to go home, and-and maybe research some local protests he might be at-”

Everyone groans a little.

“Protester Jonah is the preachiest Jonah,” Garrett says, shaking his head.

“Can he still be preachy? Wouldn’t that hurt?” Cheyenne whispers to Glenn.

Glenn shrugs. “I’ll ask Pastor Craig,” he whispers back.

Jonah doesn’t even notice. “Okay! I’m going to head home! I kinda feel like, I don’t know, like this is a whole new chapter in my life! Um, how do we- I mean how do- do we do a group hug, or-or maybe a high-five-”

“Or we just head home.”

“Yeah, no, Garrett’s right, head home. Let’s all head home!”

They all head out to their cars. Jonah gets into his, plops down into the drivers seat, and grins.

What a freeing realization! He doesn’t know how he missed it, it was all so obvious!

Well, as far as he knows, there’s no other huge life-revelations waiting for him. He’s figured it all out, finally.

He starts driving home, humming along with the radio as the car next to him keeps pace, despite being in the faster lane. He never understands why people do that when the roads are empty. He chuckles to himself. Maybe he’ll realize that Life Mystery tomorrow.

What he doesn’t realize, neither when he gets home nor when he wakes the next morning, is that he never turned his own radio on.

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