#October Brew Festival

[hijinxthinks]

Christopher Bang Chan who would love:

- your stage presence and the dichotomy between that and your offstage self. he would be in awe, backstage, watching your set while in his dressing room on the monitor hanging on the wall. “you killed it!” he would enthusiastically say once you finish your set and come back to your dressing room. he would be fully dressed for his set, which is coming up soon, on a different stage at the festival, but he would be waiting for you in your dressing room, and on the last night of your tour, he would present you with a bouquet of red and black roses tied with black and purple ribbons and be waiting with a really beautiful necklace that suits you, it might even be a black bat, wings extended, in a pretty case that he presents to you. “congrats on your first tour, baby, you did it! you’re a fucking rockstar!”

- your intelligence. one of his favorite subjects is space, and the way you both can go into discussions of hypothetical astronomical events for hours on end makes you one of his favorite people to talk to.

- it doesn’t end there, though, he loves that you are the world’s weirdest encyclopedia of random knowledge. he doesn’t know what to expect to come out of your mouth anymore. he’s sitting at the center island of the kitchen, typing away on his laptop while you brew a pot of coffee for yourself and while you’re waiting, you’d say “did you know a dolphin orgy is called a wuzzle?” and he’ll look up with his confused expression, “a wuzzle?” he’ll repeat, making sure he had heard your nonsense correctly. you sip your coffee, leaning back against the counter as you face him, “yeah, and rams prefer to be homosexual, a lot of animals are inherently homosexual actually-“ at that point he has to stop you, “wai-wai-wait, what? how do you know this?” you shrug, taking another sip as you sing out like a 90s informercial, “the more you know~” it makes him laugh, and speaking of which…

- chan loves your sense of humor. the air sign in him bows to the air sign in you. the dialogues you two share make the both of you fit for a reality series. somehow you land witty comebacks and animated expressions that have him giggling like an idiot. chan can’t take you anywhere, you have no filter. he thinks it’s hilarious but also could get you into trouble. he doesn’t like to admit the tiny adrenaline rush he gets from the chance of you being heard muttering “well fuck me i guess” when someone walks through a door you held open for them without saying ‘thank you’. and you could say it a dozen times and he still thinks it’s hilarious when you land a perfectly timed “alright then, good talk.” after being unceremoniously disconnected from a phone call.

- chan loves and admires your work ethic in the studio. he’s extremely impressed by how you take charge of your projects, taking and giving suggestions to the engineer, understanding rhythm, music theory and composition. when it comes to music, you know what you want and how to direct your team to get it. he’s not used to such a vast level of early career full freedom of artistic choice. you’re a relatively new artist, yet you’re the one calling the shots, making the decisions on how things sound. he loves sitting on the couch in the studio, on his laptop, creating himself in between getting caught up in how good something sounds and becoming distracted, a face of complimentary disgust at how fucking sick your last take sounded once the engineer punched the music in.

- its a given he loves the musician in you, but particularly on foggy, autumn sunday mornings, or late, cool, rainy october nights, when you can be heard playing intricate chords and humming along, or when you strum your guitar, even with the muted strings you didn’t mean to mute, he’s just in love with your feel for music. it’s something that can’t be taught, musicianship is in your bones and he can hear the effects of that as he lies in bed, scrolling on his phone. he’ll be reading the comments of a video one minute, and his ear will catch the pattern of your singing and playing the next, and he’ll find his head grooving and nodding to your rhythm as the backdrop for the little time he spends at home. everytime you pick up a new instrument, you take to it like a pro, and he’s proud to be matched with someone as creatively intuitive as you. you end up inspiring him to be great.

- chan loves how sentimental you are. he’s a romantic libra, after all, ruled by venus, the planet of love and beauty. you remember important moments and celebrate the anniversaries of them in special, unique ways that show how thoughtful you are. you’ll keep movie ticket stubs, or confetti shot out from cannons at a show. he’s naturally the same way, but it’s rare to find someone like that, and he’s found it in you. you’ll secretly prepare his favorite meal, play music by his favorite artist, and have a unique gift for him, even if it’s just to celebrate the anniversary of the debut of his group. no matter what the occasion, you put effort into it and he’s attracted to that.

- as a fellow air sign, chan loves that you’re vocal during sex. air signs are communicative and flirty, and thrive off stimulating verbal communication when done right during intimacy. he’s not used to his partner saying so many things, making his brain work to talk back even though he’s lost in the feeling of your pussy squeezing around him, wetting his thighs with each slap against your skin. that’s not enough, no, you have to talk him through it too, “yes, yes, im your good girl, right? right chan? i wanna be so good for you.” the way you whimper underneath him, it’s reassuring to his ego, and stimulating his carnal instinct to feel you coming around him, because if he’s being honest, that’s one of the best feelings in the world to him. “yeah, you are my—good girl, fuck,” he can barely hold back from how you tighten around him when he says it, “you’re always daddy’s good girl, yeah?” he knows you love to hear him talk, really sometimes it can be the silliest thing because he loves that you…

- are fascinated by the things that naturally make chan—well, chan. after being in such close proximity to him for so long, the novelty of his accent wears off to the average human, but every now and again he’ll say something that is just so…foreign that you’ll point it out, mock it, and giggle and find such joy and entertainment in just the pronunciation of a word or an unfamiliar figure of speech. “i dunno, i like the way the accent feels in my mouth when i try to do it. it feels like there’s something in the back of my throat,” you’ll say another word that sounds so vastly different in his dialect, like ‘traffic’, or ‘egg’, and you’ll butcher it so bad, and end up sounding like the australian equivalent of a redneck, and he’ll always laugh, rhetorically asking “what??” and you’ll spit it back out at him again, in an embarrassingly american way and it reminds him just how different you two are, but just how special he is, and always has been. “i have no idea, honest to god, you could read me the dictionary and i’d fall asleep,” you’d say, when he asks just what is it about his accent that you find so attractive. “-wet, i’d fall asleep wet, for sure, but i’d at least fall asleep. can you imagine? i mean think about it, you’re turning me on to the sound of the definition of ‘compass’” there you go with your blunt, transparent and honest humor again, bringing him to laughter at how ridiculous you can be sometimes.

but he loves it 🖤

#this was very self indulgent #which is why i posted it on my side blog #but I needed the comfort #stray kids #skz #bangchan imagines #bangchan #bangchan headcanons #Christopher bang #stray kids imagines #stray kids hc’s #stray kids head cannons #bangchan headcannons #stray kids x you #bangchan x you #bangchan smut #jinx hcs

[0nlythrowharrybeaux]

Birthday Kiss

A cute & fluffy friends to lovers story for Harry's birthday! lot's of tension brewing. Literally the feeling of when you're both too shy to make ✨the move✨. Sorry for any mistakes, I literally just threw this together!

Warnings: None? Some steamy kissing/making out, but no smut-smut.

WC: 4.6K words

It was just after midnight and the festivities hadn’t been luxe or extravagant like many people would have probably imagined for a star of his caliber, it had just been a small little thing organized by Jeff at a family friend’s Palm Springs home. But Harry really preferred it that way. When he was around his people he liked to feel a part of the bunch, not like the star of the show, as he normally was. It was interesting really because almost everyone at this little post-show celebration worked for him - not necessarily as his subordinates, but as the team who helped him seemingly conquer the world. And as a friend of his for several years now, Y/N thought it was quite beautiful that once he left the venue and the crowd was gone, the lights turned down and the ground was littered with glitter and endless stray feathers he wasn’t Harry Styles, world-famous pop star anymore, he was just plain old, Harry. His management and production team weren’t in work-mode anymore, they were just his friends, like she was and they loved him, like she did. 

“Thank you guys, so much.” He smiled, all dimply and bashful, head bowed in gratitude but his eyes were scanning the faces of the roughly 15 people who were with him and had just finished singing ‘Happy Birthday’ to him. There was still a very soft cloud of smoke before him from the candles he had just blown out on the small cake in his hands. He set it down as a few of his bandmates, friends, and loved ones started to line up to give him a hug and offer their well wishes and she would wait her turn patiently to do the same, saving herself for last because it had been a while since they had even been in the same room.

Finally, Y/N was up next and Harry’s smile went a bit bigger for her. Harry always told her that she was his favorite, which she loved to hear because he was her favorite too. And as she approached him he opened his arms wide for her to fit herself against his chest and hug him tight as she pressed a kiss to his jaw, his cheek was a tad out of reach for her.

“Mmmm….” She hummed into their embrace, “Happy birthday, H.” She congratulated him as their faces pressed together while they hugged tight.

“Thank you, love. Thank you so much for coming out, I know you’re swamped.” He said lowly.

“Of course! I’m just sorry I won’t be able to make it tomorrow. Or well, tonight technically.” She said as they pulled away and looked into each other’s eyes. Her hands had slid down to his biceps and his were settled at the middle of her back.

“You’re here tonight! I’m just happy you were able to make it to one of the shows.” He said and she smiled at him. 

“I am too, thank you for having me. You were amazing, as always…” she complimented and his cheeks went all pink as he smiled at the ground before their eyes met again.

“Really, thank you so much.” He said and she just hugged him again which he easily gave in to. After a moment of catching up they were joined by Shellie, Jeff’s mom, who started chatting with them both and then they scattered as he talked with others and she caught up with some mutual friends who she also hadn’t seen in a bit. But soon it was nearing 1am and Y/N had to go, she had a several hour drive back to LA and day full of depositions later on in the day.

She had started a new job at a rather prestigious law firm back in October and had been unusually busy with case prepping and depositions and paperwork and court appearances and just life during his LA residency and she hadn’t been able to make any of his shows in LA. So when he informed her about the Palm Springs additions in early December she made sure to request the day off to make it to one of them, it unfortunately couldn’t be the one on the actual day of his birthday but it was close enough. 

“Well, I ought to hit the road…” Y/N said to Jeff who she had been chatting with for the last few minutes.

“Are you sure you don’t want to stay and head out in the morning?” He asked and she sighed.

“Can’t, I’ve got a deposition at 9:30 tomorrow…” she sighed and he grimaced.

“Oh man, I’m sorry.” He said and she shrugged.

“It is what it is…” she sighed through a chuckle and he chuckled along with her before hugging her. 

She then proceeded to say her farewells to the people she knew from the group including Glenn and Jeff’s parent’s, and Harry’s mom too and politely hugged those who she had met for the first time tonight. Then she made her way over towards Harry, he was with Pauli, Ny, and Kris Jenner, of all people in the world, who animatedly told them some story that had the three of them in absolute stitches. Harry was quite literally clutching at his stomach as he gasped for air through his laughter. He was so beautiful when he laughed, it made her heart flip in funky ways and if she could she would watch this moment in replay. As soon as Harry saw her he reached his hand out to her despite his laughter and she grabbed it, allowing him to pull her over. It sent an electric current through her body, not knowing that touching her had the exact same effect on him.

“Oh my god, that was the wildest thing I’ve ever heard.” He said through bated breathing as he just pulled Y/N close.

“We were wild back in the day, just ask your mom.” Kris laughed to Harry and he shook his head.

“I don’t think I want to know about her adventures.” He laughed, inhaling deeply as he recovered then turned to Y/N, “This is Kris, by the way, I don’t think you’ve met?” He asked and Y/N shook her head as she looked from Harry to Kris.

“Not yet, I’m Y/N, nice to meet you.” She said extending a hand and Kris pulled her in for a hug.

“We’re huggers here, Y/N. It’s lovely to meet you.” She said kindly as Y/N smiled at her as they pulled apart.

“Thank you. You too.” Y/N reciprocated her nicety with a sincere smile.

“Alright, well it was nice to chat with you all, but I’m going to go back to my crowd.” She said to them all as she came closer to Harry, “Happy birthday, sweetheart. You were fantastic out there.” She praised as they hugged, “I’m so proud of you.” She sprinkled in as they kissed cheeks and soon she was heading off.

“She’s the best.” Pauli chuckled and Harry grinned wide and nodded in agreement.

“Literally, never a dull moment with her around.” He assured as he draped his arm over Y/N’s shoulder, “Should we indulge in another slice of cake? We can share.” He said to her and she pouted a bit.

“It’d love to, but it’s time for me to retire.” She said and he frowned.

“At this hour? Gonna drive all the way now?” He asked in slight concern.

“Have to. I have to be at a deposition at 9:30.” She said to the group with an exasperated look and both Pauli and Ny grimaced in the same manner as Jeff had when she told him.

“I’m sorry.” Ny said.

“It’s work.” She shrugged, “Can’t live with it, can’t live without it.”

“Maybe you should just join the Love Band.” Pauli smiled and Y/N cackled.

“If you want to continue having successful tours, maybe not!” She joked.

“We don’t have to mic you…” He said and she giggled as they all chuckled.

“It was nice to see everyone though. You guys sounded great!” She said as Harry let her go so that she could hug his bandmates goodbye, “Bye-bye, birthday boy.” She said coming up to him with open arms and he hugged her, swaying them a few times, “Oh! That reminds me, I got you something! I’ll go get it real quick!” She said breaking their hug and he shook his head.

“It’s alright, I’ll walk you out.” He said.

“Oh no, it’s OK. I had to park down the street and-”

“More reason to not let you go alone. There’s coyotes out there.”

“It’s California, there’s coyotes everywhere.” She giggled.

“Whatever, I’ll be back in a few.” He said to Pauli and Ny-oh, “Guy’s I’m gonna walk Y/N to her car, I’ll be back in a bit!” He announced over the conversations happening and the group all called out farewells as she smiled and waved goodbye to everyone before they walked off towards the entrance of the house.

“Deposition at 9:30, huh?”

“Yeah…it’s a wrongful termination case…I don’t think our client was wrongfully terminated but whatever.” She said and he chuckled as they reached the door and made their way outside. The wind was blowing hard, making the night feel colder than it probably was as so he linked arms with her as they made their way out the door.

Harry wished she didn’t have to go tonight, with his work commitments they didn’t get to see each other all that much, but now that she had this crazy job as a defense attorney she was busy all the time and it made it even harder for them to hang out like they often did when he was in town. Harry had liked Y/N for a year or so now and on multiple occasions he had intended to tell her but would end up flaking out, he wasn’t sure if she liked him too or what? He had a hard time reading her and he didn’t want to risk ruining anything in their friendship.

“What’d they do?” He asked as they walked to the gate around around the property.

“Here’s the context, we deposed the other person involved a few days ago!” She said with excitement, “So he had tried to ask one of his co-workers out-”

“It had to be a ‘he’…” he interrupted and she giggled and nodded, “Makes us al look bad…” he mumbled and she giggled.

“Oh yeah he does! Well, the girl said no and he was insistent; like he would send her flowers and buy her things, that type of situation. So she’s creeped out and decided to file a harassment complaint with HR.” She explained as they made their way through the gate, “So they call him in and give him a warning, advise him to leave her alone and he get’s pissed that she involved HR. So he then has to do a sexual harassment training program and professionalism workshops, which he never went to, so again, HR sends him a notice. All the while, he continues to pursue the girl, telling her that the least she could do is go out with him because she ratted him out to HR.” She said and he scoffed, “I know. I would drop him if I could…so anyway, long-story-short, she blows him off again and he get’s so angry that he puts an air tag on her car and shows up at her house!”

“What the fuck?” Harry gasped.

“I know! Total nut job… so she calls the police because she feels unsafe and she starts an inquiry at work to see how he got a hold of that information as it’s not made public and as they dig through things they find out about the air tag while reviewing security footage and fire him on the spot. He’s arguing that company policy says 3 warnings and he only got 2 warnings and well, you know how those people are.” She said and he frowned as they continue walking.

“God…and you’re working the case?”

“Assisting. I don’t get to do cases alone yet.” She said quickly, “I wonder what he’s gonna say in his deposition tomorrow, I’m curious.” She said and he hummed.

“Well, just be careful, he’s clearly not well and I don’t know what I would do if he fixated on you and stalked you too.” He said shaking his head.

“After doing some digging on him I think I’ll be fine, I’m not his type.” She said and he hummed.

“Well still. You live alone and there’s a lot of crazies out there.”

“I am, H.” She said and he sighed.

“Better be.” He said lowly and she smiled at his concern.

“This is me.” She said as they stopped beside her sedan and she let go of his arm and unlocked her car, “Thank you again, for inviting me. I had a lot of fun.” She assured with a smile and he smiled as well.

“Thank you for driving all the way out here for me. I know it’s a long way and we didn’t even really get to spend time together or-”

“I’m just really happy I got to see you.” She said, “I missed you.” She admitted.

“I missed you too. And I know I haven’t been a great friend, I’ve been so busy and haven’t even reached out to catch up or talk and you came all this way for this like 5 minute conversation and I just feel bad.” He said and she shook her head.

“Oh my god, H… I understand and I mean, relationships are a two way street, H. I haven’t done that either, I’ve been so busy that I’ve neglected a lot of people the last few months and I didn’t want that to continue into this year.” She explained, “I don’t care about the drive or even if I didn’t get one-on-one time with you today, I just wanted to be here for you.” She said simply, “And I promise that I will do better from here on out. You matter to me and our friendship matters to me, so of course I’m going to come through for you. Always.” She promised and he bit his lip and nodded.

“Thank you, I’ll do better too. You mean so much to me too, like you don’t even know.” He said to her and she smiled softly. The words were trying to claw their way out of his mouth but he was swallowing them down; she had said that their friendship mattered to her and that was enough to dissuade him from telling her how he felt.

“Thank you. I love you so much.” She said opening up her arms and he smiled as he hugged her tight.

“I love you too.” He responded before they let go.

“Oh, before I forget!” She said opening up the passenger door and he moved aside to let her dip down into the car, “Here is your present. I’m sorry, I didn’t have time to wrap or bag it.” She said extending a book out to him.

“You didn’t have to get me anything…” he assured as he took it from her timidly.

“It’s nothing, H. It’s used by me so ummm there are some highlights and things in there, but don’t mind them. I just think you’ll really like it.” She explained and he smiled as he looked over the cover, “Daring Greatly” is what it was called, “You know that I’m not super into the whole self-help book thing, but I read this one over the holidays and holy shit…it gave me a lot to think about and I think you’re really going to like it.” She smiled as he flipped it over and read the back of it to get an idea of what it could be about and he smiled as he continued reading through it. There were a lot of aspects about how his life went that were in direct conflict with how he wished it could be and it was hard for him sometimes to feel like there were eyes on him all the time, even in private. It made it hard for him to open up with people that mattered a lot to him sometimes and he was still working hard on being able to overcome that.

“Thank you so much.” He smiled up at her and she nodded as she shut the passenger door.

“Yeah, no worries.” She assured with a friendly smile as he set the book on the roof of the car and reached for her again. They hugged each other tight again and just when he was dreading the thought that she was about to let go, he felt her relax into his hold as the wind whipped around them in the dark street. He smiled and squeezed her a bit harder. Trying to remember everything about this moment. He wished he could be more brave…maybe he wouldn’t tell her what he was feeling in his heart for her, but he would be honest about one thing.

“I don’t want you to go.” He confessed, “Barely got any time with you.” He sighed sadly. His words weighed heavily on her heart, she felt that way too and just thinking about driving away and seeing his reflection grow smaller and smaller in the rearview mirror made her want to cry. She bit her lip and moved her head out of his neck and glanced up to him as he glanced down. Their eyes were filled with sadness as they look at each other.

“I wish I didn’t have to go.” She said and he sighed.

“It’s not fair.” He said sadly and she nodded.

“I know.” She sniffled as she brought a hand up to his jaw and held the side of his face. She watched with a thumping heart as his eyes scanned down her face and landed on her lips before he just glanced up to the sky for a second before he pulled her closer.

“Just hold me for a little bit.” He said and she wrapped her arms around him again and rested her head into the crook of his neck as he rested his chin over her head. She could heart his heart thumping just as hard as hers was and as much as they were relaxed in each other’s hold it was still pounding hard and it dawned on her that just maybe he felt the same way as she did. She was scared to say anything though and so they just held each other in the cold night for who knows how long until his phone rang in his hoodie’s pocket and he groaned as he reached inside for it seeing it was his mom.

“Hi.” He said as he brought it up to his ear, his left hand still secured around her waist, keeping her close, so she didn’t move away, “Sorry, didn’t mean to worry you guys, I’m still out here with Y/N.” He explained, she could feel the vibrations of his low and soothing voice through his throat and chest, “It’s been a long while so we were just making up for lost time, and got chatting.” He said, “-yeah, I know it’s late. I’ll be in soon.” He assured, “Alright, bye.” He finished and hung up before sliding the phone in his pocket, “She said bye again and that I need to let you go home.” He said sadly, but he still wore a smile. “We’ve been out here for twenty minutes apparently. Sorry, I didn’t mean to keep you.” He sighed and she shook her head.

“S’alright. It was lovely while it lasted.” She said and he smiled.

“Just one more minute?” He asked and she nodded and held him close again, swallowing the lump in her throat.  

“Yeah, just a little bit more.” She agreed as they started to sway just a little and his hands started sliding down to her hips.

“You look pretty today.” He said and she smiled as she pulled back a bit and laid her hands flat on his chest as she glanced up at him.

“Thanks, H. You look good too, I like when your hair’s like this.” She said and he smiled, “I mean, it looks good when it’s a little longer too, but this looks really good.” She compliment as she reached up and ruffled the top of it a bit and he chuckled.

“Thanks, love.” He hummed bashfully as her hand traveled down his face and her thumb stroked along his jaw, feeling a little more confident.

“This little facial hair action you’ve got going on is also nice.” She said as her thumb trailed towards his mouth and before she could go to the slight mustache growing over his lips he suddenly turned and opened his mouth and playfully snapped a bite at her thumb which gave her a fright as she quickly pulled her hand away, but eventually this ended in a laugh.

“God, stop! You scared me.” She huffed as she very lightly slapped at his chest and he chuckled. But he had to stop her, there was no way that she could feel around his mouth and it not end in him attempting to kiss her and then he’d ruin everything. He had an unreadable look in his eyes which made her frown a bit. “You alright?” She asked and he quickly snapped out of it and nodded.

“Yeah, sorry. Zoned out for a second.” He shook his head and she hummed.

“OK, well I really should go now.” She said and he nodded.

“Yeah.” He agreed, but didn’t really loosen the grip of his arms around her waist as their eyes met again and then his flickered down to her lips quickly but again, made no move and she decided that she was just going to do it. 

She tiptoed with a racing heart and butterflies in her stomach. Harry’s entire body was covered in goosebumps as her hands slid up his chest as she tiptoed, their faces now much closer together than before and his heart skipped a beat as her eyes glanced down to his lips and then back up to his eyes as she leaned in closer. He swallowed the nervous lump forming in his throat as the tension between them came to an all-time high. And in mere moments their noses were barely brushing as her hands looped around his neck and then their eyes fluttered closed as she closed the gap as her lips melded against his own tenderly. He couldn’t believe it, the air completely left his lungs and his brain felt like it exploded as his hands squeezed around her hips before he related released them and instead grabbed her face gently as their lips moved together in perfect t sync. The soft little smacks of their kisses were sending him into another plain of reality. As their lips slotted together he felt on top of the world, it wasn’t hard for their kiss to gain a little more traction and deepen as she very lightly sucked on his bottom lip. It just about made his knees give beneath him. This awakened something in him and he did it back to her, he heard her sigh with a little hint of a whimper and he proceeded to let his tongue just barely swipe at her swollen bottom lip and when she parted her mouth just a bit more he used a little more of it. This kiss made her feel like fireworks were bursting inside of her and it was making her breathless; she never wanted to stop, but she needed to go. She really had to now. Harry hummed in slight protest as her hands started to slide back down to his chest.

“No.” He muttered against her mouth and she smiled which caused the kiss to naturally end and he leaned his forehead onto hers, “Been dying to kiss you for ages.” He admitted before leaning back in and she allowed it as he pecked her lips a few more times, her entire body was buzzing now.

“I was too, but I really have to get home, H. I’m sorry.” She pouted and he kissed at her pout.

“I know. Just being selfish.” He muttered and she pecked his lips this time as he let go of her face and settled his hands back on her waist as he pouted now.

“Don’t pout, it’s making me feel bad.” She whined, “Already gonna cry the whole way home.” She sniffled, already feeling her eyes welling up.

“Nooo…” he frowned, “Why are you gonna cry?” He asked as he kissed the tip of her nose.

“Because it’s not fair. Like, who knows when we’re gonna get to see each other again.” She said sadly and he sighed.

“I know…” he said solemnly before he hugged her close and she rested into his chest, “I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault.” She assured, but he still felt like it was. He was the one leaving the country, not her.

“I’ve still got to perform at the Grammy’s next Sunday so I’m gonna be in town, I’ve got rehearsals during the week and I will make time to come see you.” He said.

“I don’t want to add more stuff to your schedule, H.”

“You’re not, I want to see you before I go on Sunday.” He reassured her.

“Where are you going on Sunday?”

“Back to London. M’performing at the BRIT awards and then just resting a few weeks before I head to Australia for the next leg of the tour.” He sighed and she hummed in understanding.

“S’gonna be a while until next time, huh?” She asked and he nodded sadly.

“Yeah, but you know that this is kind of home away from home.” He said with a small smile, “And well…anywhere you are, that’s where I want to be too. All the time if I could.” He confessed earnestly and she just surged forward and pressed their lips together again in a searing and wonderful kiss, but before she could be sucked back in to another make-out session she parted their lips.

“OK, I really need to go now.” She said and he nodded.

“Yeah, for real this time.” He giggled and they hugged quickly before she pecked his lips just one last time.

“Happy birthday, H.” She spoke against his kiss-swollen lips.

“Thanks, love. I’ll see you soon.” He said and she nodded.

“See you soon.” She whispered before they parted ways and he gave her one last kiss before helping her into her car and waving her off into the night. As she glanced back at him through the rearview mirror her eyes started welling up, as she knew they would. But then her phone dinged and she glanced at it when she came to a stop sign.

Harry:

No crying. Unless it’s happy tears, OK? Text when you get home, please 💕

She giggled all while sniffling as she typed out her response to him

Y/N:

Too late! 😭And I will. Night 💕

With that she went on her way and yes, there were tears but despite the challenges she knew would come, she was confident that everything was going to be just fine.

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Thanks for reading! If you liked this story…

Check out more of my writing HERE 🙂💕

#harry styles birthday #harry styles birthday fic #harry styles one shot #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles fan fiction #harry styles friends to lovers #harry styles x y/n #harry styles x reader #harry styles reader insert #friends to lovers fanfic #harry styles writing #harry styles fluff #harry styles fluffy one shot #Harry styles #0nlythrowharrybeaux #one shot

[soclonely]

OC-Tober "A Night At 79s" Mini Event!

Our staff is happy to welcome anyone to partake in OC-Tober over at 79's clone bar! Participation isn't mandatory but we would love to get to know you and your OCs during one of the best times of the year! This years OC-Tober includes a list of fun fall themed prompts and ANY creation is welcome- whether it be a fully detailed piece of art, a or a 5 minute sketch, a moodboard, a fanfic of any size, list of headcanons, or even a silly moment one liner inspired by the prompt for your OC in a galaxy far far away!

Not able to participate in the prompts but want to chat and get into the OC game? This months "daily questions" will be geared toward generalized OC creation stuff! Want to share with others your process for how you create an OC? Are you stuck on a section of character building and want to bounce some ideas off others to get inspired? Come on in! There is also a fun list of characters of the month to encourage content for and October's characters of the month are "Your favorite mandalorian!", opening the door to any possible space warrior in tin can for you to share fun content about! The possibilities are endless! If you aren't looking to join a discord server, but still want to participate or just curious about some of the OCs passing through, Here is the prompt list provided by one of our lovely partrons this year!

Whether its 1 day or all 31, we would love to support you here on tumblr! We love supporting those who serve the Republic and creating OCs to love and spread across a galaxy far, far away is the best way to do just that! If you want your work to be noticed for following this prompt list, just tag it with the tag #MaxRebo'sBandstand so our regular patrons can enjoy any content you made! Thanks again from 79s Staff proud to serve those who serve the Republic!

WRITTEN PROMPTLIST

Pumpkin Spice and Everything Nice

Witches Brew

Crunching Leaves

Foggy Morning

Midnight stroll and a Full Moon

It's an Autumn Festival!

Warm Sweater and a hot drink

Apple Picking

Pumpkin Patch

Just a silly little ghost

Scary Movies

Vampires, Mummies, and Werewolves Oh My!

Sleepy Hollow

Carving Pumpkins

Hocus Pocus I can’t focus!

Poltergeist and Pumpkin Pie

Scarecrow

Haunted House

Candied Apple

Black cat

Costumes

Boys and Ghouls night out

Bonfire

Decay

Is it Christmas yet?

Tricks

Treats

Scarves, beanies, and gloves

Migration

Sunflowers and Cornfields

It's A Halloween party!

#79s staff #a night at 79s #star wars discord #MaxRebo'sBandstand #Max Rebo's Bandstand #star wars #star wars ocs

[islandofsages]

the wind brings us home.

summary: in which you two pay a visit to weinlesefest.

characters: collei, thoma and zhongli x gn!reader (separate)

tags: platonic for collei, relationship not specified for thoma and zhongli, amber is mentioned (collei), ayato is mentioned (thoma) venti is mentioned (zhongli), reader knows zhongli's and venti's true identities, canon compliant, fluff, hc format

warnings: spoilers for the first part of the ballads and brews event i guess?? just a term used in the story really

author's notes: happy october everyone :D i finally caught up to genshin lmao so here’s something to celebrate. i might make a part 2 with other non-mondstatd characters?? there are a bunch of them that have smth to do with mondstadt tbh. but anyway enjoy!

FEM/FEM-ALIGNED DNI. YOU WILL BE BLOCKED.

collei (feat. amber)

you've wanted to cheer her up ever since her eleazer has been acting up - so what better time to see an old friend than now?

the moment you two set foot in mondstadt, you can see her shaking from excitement but also…agitation? you surmise that it may be because of what had happened here but you assure both of you that it’ll be fine

you two don’t have much to do with the festival itself it was just a good excuse to drag collei out of the forest so you two go straight to searching for the outrider

when you two do spot her, she rushes over and gives collei the biggest hug she could muster then bombards her with a billion question, barely paying attention to you which you already expected so you’re not too bothered

the three of you walk around town, basking in the beauty of the city, adorned in eye-catching seasonal decorations and comforted by the western wind

you don’t check out any of the wines of course, but there isn’t any harm in looking at the wine ingredients booths - fruits as far as the eye can see. you buy a few for the other two as a treat

you chuckle at the two’s antics; they really are like siblings, or like the woodland creatures collei has been accustomed to watching back in the forest…you’re glad you made the decision to drag her along to the festival

when you two are about to leave, amber pulls you in for a group hug and asks a passerby to snap a picture of you three - and thus, there you are, smiles eternally engraved on parchment.

thoma

you brought your tissues just in case he ends up crying because of how much he misses mondstadt

during your whole trip there, he just couldn’t stop grinning from ear to ear at all the festivities; you try to invite him to dance to some of the music there but he seems too embarrassed to do so

despite not being much of a wine-enjoyer, he still pays a visit to every booth. to nobody’s surprise, he gets along with everyone almost immediately - and not just because he recognizes some of the people there

you two would sit down somewhere when tired and he’d reminisce on the good old days he used to spend in this humble land

“haha, it seems like some things just don’t change, huh?”

he‘d thank you profusely for inviting him and for convincing ayato to give him a few days off for the festival

jokingly, you propose that you two should try making your own thousand-wind wine, hotpot-game style…but then he assumes a pondering pose

“hmm…not a bad idea, actually.”

you make a mental note - do not mention this idea of yours to ayato.

zhongli (feat. venti)

you don’t tell him but the main reason you brought him along is because you’ve heard talk of a windcoming day in which the anemo archon returns to his beloved land. knowing well that the ex-archon hasn’t seen his old friend in literal ages, you plan to reunite them even if it means becoming a possible third-wheel

but you do take zhongli’s refined tastes into account; you’re positive he would show his utmost appreciation for the culture here - and he does! taking the time to taste-test each and every wine and commenting on them in the form of long-winded babbles, this is the zhongli you know and love

you try to ponder about how exactly barbatos would return home and when exactly is this windcoming day is, when a cheery voice interrupts your train of thought

“well if it isn’t you, mor- i mean, zhongli!”

speak of the devil. well, archon, technically. you observe zhongli’s reaction; he appears to be somewhat indifferent, but his relaxed body language indicates that he’s happy to see his old friend again. you smile and sigh in relief

although the two of them are old buddies, they seem to treat you as one too. thankfully, you never had to become a third-wheel and you had no issues keeping up with their conversations. they would even tell you about their misadventures back in the day

“did you know, back in the day, morax used to- hey, don’t give me that look!”

you find yourself entertained by these two gods of old and when it’s time to go home, the bard throws at both of you a bottle of wine each, both labeled “thousand-wind wine”, and with that a wink.

#genshin #genshin impact #genshin x reader #genshin impact x reader #genshin impact headcanons #genshin impact imagines #genshin headcanons #genshin imagines #platonic collei x reader #collei x reader #thoma x reader #platonic thoma x reader #queerplatonic thoma x reader #zhongli x reader #platonic zhongli x reader #queerplatonic zhongli x reader #collei #thoma #zhongli

[d-criss-news]

Darren Criss to Headline A.C.T.'s 2nd Annual ALL HALLOWS GALA

American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) and gala co-chairs Heather Stallings Little & John Little and David Jones & Joe D'Alessandro have announced Zombie Ball, the second annual All Hallows' Gala being held on Friday, October 27 at San Francisco's August Hall (420 Mason St.). Hailed as San Francisco's best costume party fundraiser, the All Hallows' Gala Zombie Ball will present guests with a frightfully elegant and theatrical night full of fun and friendship. The evening is the sole annual fundraising event for A.C.T., providing essential funds for the theater's artistic, actor training, and education and community programs. Guests at this year's Zombie Ball are encouraged to dress in costume or cocktail attire.

-----------

“A.C.T.'s All Hallows' Gala is the theater's sole fundraising event, providing essential funds for our artistic, actor training, and education and community programs,” said Heather Stallings Little, Gala Co-Chair and A.C.T. Trustee. “John and I hope you will come out—either in zombie or zombie-fighting costume, or whatever you're comfortable in—and join us, our co-chairs, and special guest artist Darren Criss for what is going to be a fabulously fun evening.”

-----------

The wonderfully frightening evening begins at 6:30 p.m. with a cocktail reception where guests will enjoy live music and conversation on the mezzanine, or escape to the “scream-easy” for a luxe respite. Welcome bites and thirst-quenching brews will be offered. At 7:30 p.m., guests will be ushered to the historic music hall and treated to a lavish autumnal-inspired menu created by Gold Leaf Catering. At 8:30 p.m., A.C.T. Young Conservatory alum and award-winning stage, screen, and music recording artist Darren Criss (American Buffalo, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace, Glee) will regale with some thrilling, Halloween-themed programming! Cap off the festive evening with the After-Life Party, featuring ultimate dance band Vinyl Project and the opportunity to play retro-games in the cool underground haunt, which includes bowling, hoops, skee-ball, and late-night bites, tricks, and treats! Be sure to capture your picture in one of the photoBOOths—humans only, no zombies allowed.

#darren criss #broadway world #halloween gala 2023 #press #upcoming events #sept 2023

[inkowl13]

So. Continuing the theme of the future Pi update, I would like to say a few things. 1. I would be VERY upset if they rob Pi of her beautiful, long hooked nose! Although it's nice that Mrs. Holdsworth, Big Bonnie and the Baroness have different profiles. The profile of the Baroness is close to what I would like to see on Pi, but what would Pi have even more grotesque features.

2. I would be happy if her appearance was updated sometime in october on the eve of Halloween. Even better if they write her at least as a cameo in the event. I mean, we have two whole witches in the game and none of them are in Halloween! Witch Pi generally lives on the border with a Haunted Trail Ride. This could be justified by the fact that non-star rider players do not know this character. But damn, we meet on the route Igor, Alonso, Mika, Rania, the girls from the Bulldog and the Flying Foxes - they are all from the territory of the star rider! And the fact that Pi is a witch is no secret. It does not have to be included in the plot, she can simply stand on the edge of the forest on the same Haunted Trail Ride, brewing another potion in a cauldron or flying somewhere on a broomstick. 3. In general, I understand that many characters are updated for quests, like the Baroness, Gary, Sabine, Fripp and all that. Moreover, the quest is not necessarily the main and plot. But we also have Mrs. Holdsworth and Big Bonnie updated at the end of the Spring Festival. And if Mrs. Holdsworth then participated in the story quest, then Big Bonnie did not. Josh, for example, was updated for the opening of Starshine Ranch, but I wouldn't call it a quest outright. Updated Justin Moorland is still lying around somewhere in the files since 2022, i think. In any case, other than this comment (if I hadn't asked, we wouldn't have known that either) we don't have any information. It remains only to wait.

#star stable #star stable online #starstable #starstableonline #SSO

[postmodernpagan]

Demon holidays:

Imbolc Eve: Festival of Cheese. Curdling, acid cooking, denaturing proteins. Caseation, conglomeration, congealing. Spoiling, mold, and aging. A time to prepare and begin aging cheese. A time to fuck with Brighid? Something about the Morrigan being the dark side of Brigid. A time to spoil plans and predictions and disrupt carefully planned power structures.

Walpurgisnacht: Power trip night. Feel powerful by doing evil. Spoil crops, do a sadism-masochism. Ego-destroying sex, love through destruction and allowing you to rest and not think. Festival of Lilith. Trampling is key--trample on seeds, ruin seed stock, no more babies. Last night of the Wild Hunt before the Faerie take it over on Beltane.

(Fae and elves are Western European, and sheydim are from a particular area in the ancient Levant. The differences between them are largely cultural, however; they're mostly all environmentally generated land spirits originally, with the occasional dead human who adapted in and is slowly forgetting their previous life over the centuries. Djinn are similar, but are largely elemental beings of fire and air, given their desert environment and lack of consistent life energy to feed from.)

June 21st: meh, bleh, underground, dark and rainy, remembering trauma, hot and icky sweat. The rainy season. Festival of Persephone. We lament her leaving and hope she misses us, cry for her to come back where she's safe.

Lammas Eve: Festival of Beer. Fermentation, yeast, fungi, rot, mold and ergot. Festival of Bast the Drunken. Celebrates the work of women specifically because of association with brewing and the hearth and grain -- tea and bread is a good combination if beer is not an option. Why grain? It's a joke about processing seeds into something useful (babies, delicious carbohydrate food for yeast).

September 21st: The Clerical New Year. Sheydim adopted the ancient Hebrew practice of celebrating the New Year in the fall, but use the solar calendar instead of the lunar calendar for agricultural reasons. A time to clean house, get affairs in order, and set intentions for the coming year. Also time to start preparing for the Wild Hunt.

October 31st: SAMHAINOWEEN BABY! HARVEST PARTY HARVEST SOULS. First night of the Wild Hunt, although places like Detroit increasingly push the date back with early festivities, which is fine with the demons.

December 20th-25th: Odin's birthday. Yeah, five days in labor, he had a really big head. (Which is always cue for someone to shout, "Still does!") Feast of the Caught Game. Not the last day of the Wild Hunt, but the last day of the sport hunting; after this, hunting only out of necessity is encouraged, but only informally enforced (cops won't stop you, your neighbor will).

#demonolatry

[neutron-stars-collision]

Waiting for the Night

Bruce Wayne x F!Reader

Chapter 7 - Unravel

Masterlist; Chapter 6 Summary: Thursday, October 31st... It's Halloween night in Gotham, and what happens tonight changes the course of everything. Warnings: Swearing; slight dose of angst (thanks, R 😒) Author's Notes: Here we are, the movie hath officially began. That means these two are going to have one hell of a week. It also means things are about to get intense. In every sense 😌 I need to thank the bts team for taking that photo and showing it to the world. It's been quite the inspiration. Finally, thank you to everyone reading, sharing and commenting on this story. Your responses keep me going and make me believe it's worth it. Hope you'll enjoy and tell me what you think? Taglist: @thecraziestcrayon, @kookiewastolen, @imimsy, @tuskens-mando, @sugarcoated-lame, @blue-aconite, @hypnoash, @rabbitdictionary, @lauftivy, @nicklet94

You never liked Halloween. Even as a child, the holiday struck you as strange and forced. Then its close correlation with your father’s death only made the dislike stronger. You always turned down the party invitations and ignored the festivities, occasionally choosing to roam the city streets, unusually crowded for October. Sometimes that was the only answer, saving you from the disappointment awaiting in your thoughts and loneliness hiding in the shadows in the corners of your apartment. Outside, with the cold breeze and the rain hitting your face, you were not alone. And there was no time to think as you wandered the streets, observing the people gathering for the party in the central square. The variety of costumes did catch your eye, typically resulting in an eye roll or a smirk if particularly clever. And it did not seem like the rain was an issue to them either, crowding the city the closer you were to the Gotham Square.

Sometimes, especially when locking eyes with a lovey-dovey couple, it was difficult to escape the loneliness. To ignore the fact that there was a reason you wanted to hide from your thoughts. To deny the feelings that were always there, just brewing under the surface. Because no matter the 24 hours passed, your heart still ached as the tired brain went over the same few sentences, again and again. Stuck and helpless. Unable to accept the fact that perhaps it really was over. That Bruce did not want anything that had to do with you now that the case was closed. And no kiss or sweet smile could change it. But why was it so hard to let it go?

Looking up ahead, you could see the crowd beginning to block the street. Just a few metres more, and you would have to squeeze past the partiers if wanting to move deeper into the core of Gotham. Yet you kept on walking, too desperate to find an answer within the puddles on the road or the ache between your ribs. It never used to be like that. Sure, idiot boys and stupid girls had broken your heart before. Sure, sometimes it was a little hard to get over, needing months to heal and find hope again. But how could your heart be broken when it was never involved in the first place?

Your brain only caught up with the fact that you had walked into the crowd when you felt someone’s elbow jab your shoulder. Looking around, you saw only a moving sea of people, the tide dragging you with them deeper into the cyclone’s eye. The fleeing instinct kicked in just the right moment as you pushed through the mass until you could run to safety, randomly choosing the first dark alley to hide. As your back hit the wall, you hid your head in your hands, breathing heavily. The question was still the only thing you could focus on. Its incessant nature buzzed underneath your skull like a pesky fly. But you could not swat a thought. You could only face it. The heartache had a reason. The reason was called Bruce Wayne, and you did like him. And there was no way of assuring it would not develop further. Fuck.

Panic rose as you internally weighed options. To return home and get drunk in hopes you could forget you ever realized the truth in the first place. Or to keep on walking, praying that the weariness and the rain could wash away the fragility and weaknesses. Sudden noise coming from the other end of the passage made you jump up in fear. It was difficult to see anything within the shadows, but you tried anyway as you steeled your posture for whatever danger could await. With fists tightened in the pockets of your coat, you tried to deepen your breath with all your senses heightened. Another noise, like the sound of heavy footsteps heading your way. From the dense darkness, you could almost see a figure appear, walking in your direction with measured, slow steps. Two options: bolt it or be the hyena you always wanted to be. Curious, brave, and ambitious. Now or never.

Before you could bite the bullet, the mysterious stranger spoke in a deep, masculine tone:

“What are you doing here?” before the question was finished, he crossed the remains of space, making the breath hitch in your throat.

You had often wondered what it would be like to meet him. What does it feel like when a masked vigilante dressed as a bat stands in your path. Yet you never expected it to be exactly like this. Your eyes wandered over his form, the black armour highlighting muscles and strength. The cowl revealing half of his face with a sharp jawline. And the eyes, intense in their stare. There was no question why he had terrorized half of Gotham within the last two years. Feeling the heart still pounding in your chest, you took a half a step back for good measure and addressed him with a frown:

“You’ve scared me” there was no point in lying, was there? “Vengeance, is it?” a final measuring look up and down his body.

Only because you could hardly deny yourself the pleasure. He was tall, towering over you without effort. The array of gadgets and weapons you could easily see attached to the suit told you he knew what he was doing. Yet you were not a criminal, and he was still here, observing you with a sharp gaze. As if reading your mind, the man spoke:

“It’s dangerous for you to wander alone. Especially in dark alleys” he returned your taxing gaze and glanced at the darkness of the surroundings.

He did have a point. But the anger towards Bruce won over reason as you felt the familiar flare of irritation light up your heart. Who was he to tell you what to do?

“Why? Are you sexist, Mr Vengeance?” the sickly-sweet tone accented the ire as you added, “The last time a guy told me not to roam the streets at night, it turned out he was a bit of an asshole” your heart ached at the memory, as you let the annoyance take control to ask, “Why is it your business anyway?”

From the way he averted from your piercing gaze, you knew he understood that you did not appreciate the protectiveness. Not from strangers, anyway. Not tonight.

“I protect the city,” the vigilante offered his argument with a delay, supporting your suspicions and rousing a sardonic smile to appear on your face.

“Yeah, and it’s going splendidly,” you scoffed, unwilling to hold back if it meant he would leave you alone.

The gods had listened. Just as you replied, the man looked up at the sky. His mouth parted as you followed the gaze. The signal had been lit. He was needed. Before he could speak up again, you interjected:

“It’s fine, I’m not that important,” a wave of the hand as if to tell him that he need not care about you, “Never was,” the bitter chuckle died in your throat.

The next time your eyes wandered to the man, he was gone. You let out a long breath and closed your eyes for a beat. It really happened. But you were alright. Well, kind of. Home did sound good, after all. You slowly traced your steps onto the main road, where the crowds had long moved on. It would be a long walk back to the apartment, but you did not mind. Your phone buzzed in the pocket of your coat, making you stop in the middle of a street and take it out. It was a text from a coworker, one that usually covered murders of high-profile citizens. You held your breath as you read the message:

“Mitchell has been murdered in his house. Come here ASAP, looks like it’s a big one,”

Oh. Maybe the universe offered distractions exactly when you needed them?

***

By the time you found your way to the mayor’s house in Crest Hill the crowd had already gathered. It was mostly reporters and journalists with a few curious passersby who did not mind the rain and the late hour. The white stone building was cordoned off by the GCPD, who checked the ID of anyone trying to cross the iron gate and trespass inside. Without an issue, you found the group of your coworkers and exchanged pleasantries, hoping to hear the familiar speculative buzz. That is how you always caught the scoop, listening to the people gossiping and whispering because, in every spoonful of nonsense, there had to be a grain of truth. You did not have to wait long…

“Mary says he was decapitated!” an excited whisper carried through the crowd.

You snorted at the ridiculous rumour, just as someone else opposed it in an affronted tone:

“What? No, that’s bullshit” the man lowered his voice to a confidential whisper, adding his theory to the mix, “I heard the killer used a poker to hit him in the head and then severed his hand,”

A disgusted frown placed itself on your lips as someone raised their voice in a palpable reaction:

“Ew. What is he, a fetishist?”

Laughter rang out around you, as more people joined the crowd waiting for the official statement to come through. Until then, terrible jokes and idiotic theories were all you had. Sadly.

“Maybe he wants to clone our dear mayor,” it was the decapitation enthusiast speaking again “Don’t you think that’s suspicious with the election so close?” even before the question fell, you knew what the reaction would be.

The statement was bold, after all. However, it was also the first thing that came to your mind, unable to ignore the Tuesday voting about to take place. You listened closely, tuning out all the other noises to catch more information. Anything could be true. And you needed something to offer Bruce if- Wait, no. That story was over. Or you wished it were.

“You think Réal sent someone to kill him?” someone suggested the answer, only to dismiss it after a beat, “As if that wouldn’t come out after the election,”

Bella Réal did not seem like the type to pay for an opponent’s assassination instead of hoping the polls swing to her advantage on Tuesday night. But then, looks did deceive. As impressions did.

“It would’ve solved her problem, though. Now she’s got the win in her pocket,” the sensationalist’s tone dripped with nonchalance.

You had to give them that. But a dirty political move in a city like Gotham did not seem quite believable. There was always more to the story.

“I heard Mitchell was never the family man he always wanted us to believe he was,” your ears perked up as someone voiced their theory, “Apparently, the guy had a whole string of lovers, all young girls” another shocked gasp ripped through the gathering.

That one made even more sense. You shuffled closer to the speaker just as someone else joined in:

“Yeah, I heard that too. He used his ties to silence the rumours, but nothing ever dies for good in this city” a deep breath as if he was about to drop a bombshell, “And then there’s this business with Falcone? You know, he-”

You never got to hear the story. The crowd erupted with more excitement and camera flashes before silencing completely as Commissioner Savage came outside the iron gates, followed by cops and what looked like the victim’s family. Your gaze swept over their shattered faces, taking in the heartbreak and grief shining through the cracks. As your eyes landed on the little boy holding the hand of the mayor’s wife, you felt a prick of pain pass through your chest.

“The son found him” another whisper reached your ears as you observed the child, unable to let go of the memories.

He must have been seven or eight. Too young to lose a father. Just like you. Your eyes squeezed shut to prevent shameless tears from trailing down your cheeks. Because how could you explain it? That the past got a little too real? Between one heartbeat and the next, you made up your mind. In the morning, you would go back to Bruce and offer your help on this case, should he want it. Your help, your attention, your heart- Well, he had those already. The reason? Because Bruce understood. That’s all.

Before you could spiral further into the dangerous thoughts, the Commissioner approached the makeshift platform and started speaking:

“Tonight, a son lost a father. A wife lost a husband. And I lost a friend,” the woman wailed, comforted by a member of staff, as Savage continued, “Mayor Mitchell was a fighter for the city, and I will not rest until his killer is found. This was a truly senseless crime, and we are actively pursuing every investigative lead we have in order to identify the perpetrator and hunt him down” the man highlighted every word with an authoritative look and a fist hitting the lectern “I’ve spoken to the governor, and he’s promised to send reinforcements to help us find who is responsible and make sure justice is delivered” a final hit of the fist on the stand, accentuating the meaning.

Only those corrupted to the bone spoke of justice that highly. But who were you to know? Around you, the crowd had started to disperse with a disappointed sigh and animated chatter. Tonight, rumours would be made, theories conceived, and in the morning, Gotham would wake up without a mayor and with yet another nightmare. Your eyes landed on the boy again. There was no sense of hope in your heart, but you had to try. For him. For yourself, too.

***

The moment you approached the Wayne Tower, armed with the set of keys in one hand and an umbrella in the other, you could already feel it coming. That mild yet incessant heart thrashing in between your ribs. That knot tightens in the pit of your stomach. Because it could go either incredibly well, or awfully bad. And you were not sure which outcome was which at that point. Letting out a heavy sigh, you climbed up the steps and reached for the handle, only for the door to open before you slipped in the key. With wide eyes, you watched as four men dressed in identical grey suits fell out into the steps, returning your surprised look with a glare of their own. What even? In bewilderment, you observed them as they walked down the steps and onto the pavement, each carrying a black leather briefcase. Before you could find the needed words, a familiar voice spoke from the doorway:

“You’ve just missed out on entertainment” looking up, you met Alfred’s warm smile as he beckoned you inside.

Returning the grateful smile, you quickly climbed the remaining steps and entered the foyer, pocketing the keys back in the coat.

“Let me guess… Lawyers?” arching an eyebrow, you threw a final glance at the closing door and grinned.

The butler chuckled, giving you a quick welcoming pat on the shoulder, before answering the riddle:

“Accountants”

“Damn it,” groaning with faux annoyance, you followed him into the elevator.

The sooner, the better, or something.

“From the Enterprises. Bruce never goes there, and there were papers to sign, so…” Alfred shrugged, offering you a background of the events as he closed the crate and pressed the button.

The flash of gratitude was inescapable. Because you could never ask, yet the curiosity was always there, eager to understand the daily life at the Wayne Tower. Or anything that had to do with the heir of the fortune.

“He was joyful, I bet” contrasting the image of Bruce against that of the men in suits, you chuckled lowly.

What you would have offered to have been able to see it.

“As were they” Alfred’s addition only made you laugh harder as the elevator stopped.

The nerves were nearly gone now. Only the heart was still fluttering anxiously, unable to process what you were about to do. Silencing the noise, you asked Alfred a final question:

“How are you tolerating this for so long?” you did not need to elaborate.

As soon as your eyes met his, Pennyworth smiled knowingly. He did not need long to find an answer.

“Love” within the depths of his grey eyes, you could see the feeling reflected without measure or uncertainty, “I brought you a guest, Bruce” you followed him into the study, feeling the well-known tension take hold.

As your eyes wandered over the space to locate the man, you urged your heart to calm down. And stop being pathetic, ideally. He was not seated at the table or in one of the armchairs. Instead, you found him on the wooden staircase, with the elbows resting on the bent knees and the hands tightened into fists, touching his mouth. Thinking hard, or, alternatively for Bruce Wayne, sulking. With the damp hair falling over his eyes and a permanent frown etched onto his face, you knew whatever was going on was important. And there was no turning back anyway.

You threw a final glance to check whether Alfred had already left you alone (he did) and cautiously approached the first step, feeling the watchful gaze pinned on your face. The moment you raised your head to meet his eyes, Bruce was waiting. The blue irises pulled you in as you reached out to find a steady grip on the railing and sent him a small smile.

“Hello, sunshine,” the voice got stuck in your throat, resulting in a whisper as you gathered the courage to say what was necessary “I know you don’t want me here, but… I got some information on Mitchell that could help you if you’re working on that case too” it all came out in a rush, unable to find a rhythm or conviction.

Because with each word hitting the breach between you, you faltered. It was one thing to ignore the reality and try your luck again. Another to be rejected twice.

With Bruce’s steady gaze still fixed on your face, and the silence echoing in the room, you felt the fear rise. Not the fear of losing, but the fear of never getting to know what it could be like. What you were missing out on.

“Why do you care?” when he finally spoke, you could hear the hostile edge in his voice.

As if Bruce was expecting to catch you off guard and find you not worthy. You did not need to be told twice to make the next sentence count.

The only trouble was that you had almost forgotten how to use words.

“Our mayor wasn’t someone I admired at all, but… His son found him” the image from the previous night flashed before your eyes as you allowed the feelings to speak, “I looked at that kid and I… I guess it just hit a little too close to home. That’s all” once you could meet his gaze, you raised your head, adding “So?”

What you found reflected at you only made everything harder. It took one look shared between you without any walls or pretending to know that you were right. Bruce did understand.

“Fine,” he nodded his head once, nothing but courtesy.

Yet it was exactly the confirmation you needed. Your heart sped up again as you grinned, unable to stop the rush of adrenaline from hitting your system. Because, although entirely tentative and promising nothing, Bruce allowed you to work with him a while longer. And that was enough. Ignoring the alarm sirens in your head, you quickly climbed the steps separating you from Bruce and stopped between his knees. Without waiting for him to act, you gently tipped his chin, studying the memorable face with care. Only the frown between the eyebrows deepened, and the lips parted as he responded to your actions. The mild confusion within the blue eyes mixed with shades of longing you had seen before. Acting on instincts, you swept the hair away from his face before leaning in to press a kiss to his forehead, allowing your lips to linger a little longer. If only to make sure he got the message. When you met his gaze again, Bruce stared at you with astonishment. Quite like someone who would never expect tenderness. Let alone from you. It was another good reason to widen your grin and squeeze his knee before announcing:

“C’mon honeybun, we’ve got a killer to catch” without checking the reaction, you ascended the staircase heading for the library.

You’ve got this. Right?

***

It was hard to say when the tension appeared. And even harder to tell what it meant. Only sometime within the hours you spent discussing the murder with Bruce, something shifted. Sure, he still reacted to your theories and offered insight as you presented the evidence. In this case, you were eager to back some of the fellow hyenas you met last night and place your bets on the infidelity side of the debate. It might not have been the motive but could have been one of the reasons for the why. That and corruption, naturally.

Bruce still seemed present in the room as you worked alongside him. But after you told Alfred that you would spend the night in the tower and not return home alone at night, something was different. It was that strained edge in his voice. That conscious effort not to meet your eye. That inability to stay perfectly still. And then it snapped.

You were going through a biographical entry on Don Mitchell Jr, taking notes on parts that seemed relevant, when within the corner of your eye, you registered movement. Bruce stood up from the armchair and wandered over to the table, radiating unease. You did not have to wait long for it to make sense.

“I’m sorry,” he spoke suddenly, throwing you out of focus with a jolt.

The moment you met his gaze, you knew he meant it. That type of earnest look could not be faked. And you were not sure if you liked where it was heading.

“For?” putting the laptop away to show interest in the conversation, you arched an eyebrow.

It was obvious. But you were never the one to let people get off easy. Especially not after such a heartache. Yes, heartache, denied one, but still.

“You know,” Bruce seemed to curl in on himself, eager to close off and end what he walked straight into.

Which only made you more desperate to push him further. A tiny smirk curled your mouth as you leaned forward in the chair, resting your arms on your knees, watching him intently.

“I do, but I want to hear you say it” there it is.

You did not think he could get stressed even more. And yet. Bruce covered his face with his hands for a beat, all the while pacing around the study as if unable to stop even for a moment. The curiosity peaked as you waited, feeling the jitters reach your system as your foot started tapping the parquet in an anxious rhythm. Because whatever he wanted to apologise for did not seem unimportant to him. Because it could offer answers to questions you were too afraid to ask. Suddenly you were glad Alfred bid you both goodnight a while ago.

Finally, after what felt like ages, Bruce faced you again and took a deep breath.

“I’m sorry for being rude towards you. For pushing you away for stupid reasons…” the regret was painted all over his features.

In the troubled, blue eyes that looked at you as if you mattered more than you ever thought possible. In the frown etched between the eyebrows drawn together. In the loosely tightened fists resting at his sides. Despite the mind urging you to keep the pressure on him a little longer, your heart let out a pained thump, reminding you of your secrets. Of all that was unsaid, and yet motived your every move for the past few weeks.

It was the heart that made you ask:

“There are reasons?”

There had to be. He said so himself. As you waited to hear them, a part of your logical brain knew it was one of those moments when something changes for good. Like that morning when your father left for work, and you never saw him again. Like the night you decided to scout the murder scene and met Bruce instead.

No matter what it was, you had to hear it. Unable to keep still, you stood up and joined him by the table, keeping the safety gap necessary to function. Meeting Bruce’s gaze over the space, you knew he felt it too. He took another moment to gather courage and spoke in a quiet, strained voice:

“The fact that you look at me and you see it all. You see me as I am and not as I want to be” his body grew even tenser as he seemed eager to flee the scene without giving you time to react.

As if he was fully expecting rejection. Laughter and ridicule. As if he never anticipated what you had to say in response. And that was simple.

“You’re missing a crucial part of the equation there” a gentle smile as you took a step closer, desperate to make him understand there was no danger awaiting here, “I see you exactly as you are, and I like it. I like you” as you whispered the words, the conviction grew.

You meant it. That was obvious. You did like him. Despite the sulking, the drama, and the differences. Even though he made no sense, and confused you beyond logic. Even though you were never looking for another chance of heartbreak.

What you found in Bruce’s gaze only made everything easier. His eyes widened as he let out a shuddered breath through the parted lips. The denial was bubbling on the surface as he seemed unable to accept your statement. You closed the gap before he spoke, carefully taking hold of his hand and relaxing the fist to entangle your fingers with his. With the other palm, you cupped his cheek, brushing the skin with your thumb. Bruce swallowed a sharp gasp as he choked out the protest:

“You can’t-” another pang in the heart.

It sounded familiar. As though his mistakes and shortcomings could change what you felt. As if getting to know him could only mean you changing your mind.

He had to know how wrong he was. You took another step closer, blocking his way out with his back against the table edge. After all, he could push you away anytime he wanted. And yet it still gave you the necessary bout of courage as you whispered the counterargument:

“I do” you rose on the toes to press a kiss to his cheek, replacing the touch of your palm.

Bruce let a sharp hiss and froze as you slid your hand to the nape of his neck and pulled him a little closer. It was easy to let go, trailing careful kisses to the corner of his mouth and then down towards the edge of the sharp jawline. It was a simple act of confirmation, signing off the confession and proving you meant it. Your lips glided over the edge of his jaw, feeling the burn from his stubble and how Bruce shuddered, responding to your caress. He still did not push you away, evidently battling the wants and fears in the quiet of his mind.

You had to make sure he understood there was a way out. Leaning back, your eyes swept over his remarkable features and over the closed eyelids to place a final sentence right before him. To solve the dilemma, he could be trapped within.

“If you want me to stop… I will” that simple.

Bruce opened his eyes with an audible exhale. The sea blue irises pulled you in, overwhelming your senses with the depths of feelings visible underneath the cracked surface. Want was there, dilating the pupils and making his breath grow shallow. Fear was there, too, in the light tremors of his fingers, secured in your grasp. Yet it was the need to let go that seemed most fascinating. The desire to forget about everything holding him back and embrace what could be. What you wanted to give him, even if for a moment. The past was inescapable, but one could always ignore its existence. You knew Bruce understood.

He placed his hands on your waist, pulling you close again. The warmth of the contact spread over your body as he hiked up your shirt to touch your bare skin. It was enough to remember what you wanted. To remember to forget about everything that wasn’t Bruce. Easy. Boldened by the feel of his fingers exploring your upper body, you pressed your lips to his neck. Leaving thousands of kisses over the skin. Gently catching his skin between your teeth to make him gasp and whimper. Licking over the damage to make him melt into you, consuming you with warmth and need. To make him unravel underneath your hands and mouth. To make him remember this if nothing else.

The old clock in the hallway had struck midnight. The loud noise broke through your haze, making you pull back and meet Bruce’s wild gaze. His lips were parted, cheeks ablaze. Whatever you did had an effect. But it wasn’t enough. Not yet. Not like this. Because taking what you wanted never felt good. Because this time, you actually cared. And that changed everything. Guilt gnawed at your heart as you took a step back, making his hands fall to his sides. Only now did you realise how cold it was with the fire long gone.

“I should probably go,” it was the head speaking this time, silencing the heart, “Goodnight, Bruce,” forcing out a gentle smile, you quickly picked up your belongings and headed for the door.

“Goodnight,” Bruce spoke quietly, making you stop in the doorway for a split second.

If he asked, you knew the answer. It wasn’t fear. It wasn’t that you didn’t want him. It’s only that you want him too much. And that is enough.

#the batman #robert pattinson #the batman x reader #the batman 2022 #the batman x y/n #the batman x you #battinson #battinson x reader #battinson x you #bruce wayne #bruce wayne x reader #bruce wayne x you #bruce wayne x y/n #batman #batman x reader #batman x y/n #batman x you #robert pattinson x reader #robert pattinson x y/n #robert pattinson!batman x reader #robert pattinson!bruce wayne #waiting for the night

[ordin-arily]

Ghosts, Goblins, and Good-for-Nothings

i was intending to keep my tumblr for requests alone but please enjoy this halloween drabble in the spirit of spooky season! 🎃🖤

Notes: fem reader, 2nd person pov, language, mentions of street harassment 

Halloween is on a Monday this year. It’s not great for trick-or-treaters—never is on a school night—but for every other enthused fan of the holiday? This means three days of non-stop festivities.

Saturday in its entirety is booked to the brim with plans for pumpkin carving, hayrides, costume contests and, later in the night, throwing back October 31st-themed shots 'til you puke orange and purple sparkles.

Sunday morning is for recovery and what Leo dubbed Boo-zy Brunch in the group chat. Pumpkin Pancakes, Candy Corn Crêpes, Witch’s Brew (re: coffee), AHH-vocado Ghost, and Devilled Eggs are all on the revamped menu at Pepe’s for the season—and how could you possibly do without a few Bloody Marys? (The words come from Mikey because you can fair just fine without that tomato juice concoction monstrosity. And, come to think of it, you’ll probably be so hungover the mere smell of alcohol will be enough to deter you regardless of the potion it comes mixed in.)

Sunday afternoon is reserved for horror movie marathoning and engorging on the candy meant for some infant-sized ghosts, goblins, and ghouls ringing your doorbell the following evening, which is a dangerous game because they promise tricks without the tempting of treats.

These plans had been months in the making and you couldn’t have been looking forward to it more. Still, this left you with a vacant slot on Friday night. The spot blinked at you on your calendar mockingly, like a neon sign on its last leg. How could you not have plans with anyone else?

In hindsight, you probably should have begun asking around a little earlier than the day of. You love the Mad Dogs—obviously—but two back-to-back days are probably about all the celebrations you can manage.

You send out a few texts after class and plan to try some more on your commute home.

Nothing of the sort transpires.

You end up walking through your front door sort of dazed and out of it, lost somewhere inside yourself.

You’re not sure how much time passes where you sit motionless on your couch, feeling just as trapped as you did on the subway fifteen minutes ago. Eventually, you get up to change clothes. You fish out your favourite seasonal crewneck from a bottom drawer. It’s soft and comforting and it has the words Halloweentown University plastered across it with an outline of the famed pumpkin at the centre. It’s your best attempt at saving face, if only for yourself.

You peel out of stiff jeans next and replace them with plaid sleep shorts. It’s not the most cohesive outfit—especially not with a full face of makeup and all your jewelry still on from the day—but it makes you feel better than you did before so you leave it on.

Your feet shuffle slowly, numbly, one foot in front of the other until you reach your living room couch again and smooth your fingers over your phone screen absently. It’s already dark out with only one sliver of teal haloing the horizon. You mull over sending out another text.

If you’re being honest with yourself, there’s only one person you really want to see. It’s becoming more and more of a regular occurrence and you try not to beat yourself up over it too much. He’s good at making people laugh and you like to laugh.

The odds of him being free this short notice are slim but you shoot him a message anyway and stare off into space until his response comes.

Miraculously, he thinks an early movie marathon at your place is an awesome idea and asks if you’ve already eaten. You lie and he tells you great, he’ll just bring snacks then.

Somehow, that little text bubble makes it easier to breathe (and think and move) and you get up to toss a bag of popcorn in the microwave. You wonder if he’ll beat the timer.

Leo, never one to lose a challenge, indeed proves successful. His circle of cerulean light appears just six seconds before your microwave bellows at you.

You're pouring the bag out into a large bowl as you greet him in the most uplifting manner you can muster. You fall into light, engaged conversation—mostly about the snacks he opted to bring—and, before long, the two of you end up buried alive in wrappers, Cheeto dust, and popcorn kernels.

You try to keep concentration on the TV screen, you do. Leo's laughing and making comments that you would find downright hysterical—possibly some of his best material yet—if you had it in you to listen, but your mind continues to derail, veer off course, sink into terribly murky waters below.

You’re drowning by the time he pulls you up to surface.

The screen is paused and you have to focus on it for a few seconds to remember you’re supposed to be enthralled in the campy 80s thriller he picked out. Leo’s eyes are trailed on you, like he’s gathering all the info he can just by sizing you up.

“Sorry, what?” you have to ask.

Leo’s brows knit further. “I asked what was wrong. You seem… I dunno, distracted.”

He’s right. You hadn’t even noticed him grab the remote to pause the film, forget trying to recount any of the plot.

He’s been observing you for the last little while—the way you seem so far away.

Hollow stares don’t suit you.

You shrink a little. “No. Sorry. I’m good. Just, uh… It was a long day, you know?”

He throws an arm around the back of the couch and angles his body more openly toward you. A silent invite.

You sit there in the dark for a long moment. The silver glow reflecting off the colour of his skin makes for something supernaturally beautiful but this observation is merely a form of stalling.

A small, defeated breath wilts your posture. “Some guy kept taking pictures of me on the subway today and, honestly, I’ve just been kind of mentally fucked by it. It’s so stupid but I can’t stop thinking about it.”

“He did what?”

You have to fixate your gaze on one of the empty bowls on your coffee table to keep your face from twisting, but the tears are already forming and they don’t yield for anyone.

April is tougher and more resilient than you—you know this—but you kind of take pride in coming in a close second. You’re loud about injustice and rant and rave about pet peeves all the time. Mostly for comedic purposes, sure, but you like to think you’ve got a backbone built from the same stuff as hers. A similar brand of gall that has the two of you teaming up to fight… whatever it is that needs to be fought, really. Suddenly, you wonder, not without a payload of shame, if maybe April’s been doing most of the heavy lifting this whole time.

“I should’ve put my hand around his neck and told him to delete them but I just sat there like an idiot until it was time for me to get off."

You can feel the mascara and eyeliner getting into your eyes and it makes all of this a lot more uncomfortable. Though, still not quite as uncomfortable as you felt today so you decide this is fine.

Your fingers reach high to tug at the elastic holding your half-up bun in place, if only to give yourself something to do.

You don’t get to fuss a ton before Leo’s wrapping you up in a hug. “Don’t call yourself that."

You blink slowly and heave a shattered sigh into his shoulder.

“That’s messed up,” he continues. “And if you can paint me a portrait, I’ll hunt that creepo down and kick his ass.”

“I wish I’d done something,” you mumble.

He pulls back and doesn’t say anything for a long moment, sort of like he’s weighing the words in his mind. “That’s not... your responsibility. You don’t have to manage the shitty things people do to you.”

You're not anticipating that out of him but, weirdly, it's what you need to hear. You nod, unexpectedly entranced by all this.

“Don’t worry about him, okay? Donnie’s insane with this kind of stuff. He’s got facial recognition tech better than the CIA's and he can tap into any electronic device in the state, probably the country. He'll track the phone and wipe it clean in under an hour without even moving from that stupid-comfortable gaming chair he never lets any of us sit in.” His voice goes sort of bitter at the tail end there and it makes you giggle.

Leo smiles at you.

“C’mere.” And then he’s hauling you in close, incentivizing you to lie down with him, willing some of that tension out of your shivering frame. (You hadn't realized you were shaking so badly until his palms came up to rub warmth up and down the length of your arms.)

You stay there for a little while as Leo starts the movie back up. Neither of you is really watching but that’s okay. You feel better knowing justice is afoot, even if that makes you some vindictive low-road traveller.

“I wish I could go everywhere with you. Be your little bodyguard.”

You snicker. “You just want to wear aviators and an earpiece.”

“Come on…!” Leo whines. “I’d look so cool! And you’d get 24/7 personalized security. All I’m seein’ are wins here.”

You hum. “I’m inclined to agree, Nardo.” There’s a space of silence where you have to keep from replaying the incident in your mind per Leo’s request. (He told you not to worry and you intend to follow through on that.) He must sense your labours, though, because he goes on with his scenario.

“Eh, scuze me, Mr. Sleazy Scumbag, sir, no flash photography,” he proclaims, voice getting somehow more nasally than usual. “I know it’s hard to resist capturing such model-like energy but I’ll have to ask you to exercise some self-restraint.”

You put on your best manly impression, voice descending somewhere that is comically deep and husky. “Uh, I’m trying to exercise my personal liberties, here, my dude. It’s my constitutional right—nay, my duty—on this earth to harass women and be a colossal piece of shit.”

“Sir, I won’t ask you again.”

“Oh yeah? What are you gonna do about it, tough guy?”

You’re not sure what kind of response you’re expecting but it is nowhere near one that includes being tackled to the floor and pinned down in an ambush taking the form of hellish tickles. You laugh and squirm, only marginally resentful over how easily this boy manages to lift your spirits.

He shows you mercy quickly enough, declaring, “See, I don’t even have to use violence to take down my opponents. God, I’m good.” And then he’s leaning down, whispering secretively to you: “But I wouldn’t be nearly as friendly with that clown. Trust me.”

“I do,” you tell him, and Leo has to hide the surprised elation that glosses over his face.

You grin and grab for his cheeks with your palms. “You’re so important to me.”

For someone who talks all the time, it's unbelievable that he can’t find the right words to reply. In lieu of anything verbal, a chaste peck finds its way to your forehead. (Well, it’s not like that isn’t a welcome response.)

“I should go wash my face,” you shrug sheepishly from under him. “Bet I look like a raccoon right now.” (You might have to play the lottery if it turns out your undoubtedly smudged makeup has somehow slid itself back into place.)

“Prettiest raccoon I’ve ever seen.”

“You’re sweet.”

Leo pauses the TV once again as he waits for you and the screen goes into sleep mode, transposing stock images of landscapes he’s finding it difficult to trust are real places that exist.

In this lapse, he takes the opportunity to look around. Tiny pumpkin fairy lights are strung up along the cupboards in your kitchen. Next to him, the napkins are patterned with ghosts and bats. Your bowls are colour-coordinated. The one harbouring the Doritos he brought is forest green, sporting the cartoony face of Frankenstein’s monster. There’s another with Dracula and a third violet one that doesn’t at all fit in with the others. There's just some random, unknown witch on it. Leo’s bottom lip juts out disappointedly.

A platter of chocolate-covered pretzels sits off to the side of your small table and Leo helps himself to one. And then another and a few more, until he ends up unveiling the eyeball motif on the ceramic. There are scarecrows on the matching one on the other side of the table, that one brandishing the fluffiest sugar cookies he’s ever tasted.

You’ve got werewolf coasters and pumpkin pillows and, upon further inspection, Leo finds that even your throw blanket is littered with dancing skeletons. He grins. It’s just so like you.

And then, while you’re still in the bathroom, he sends out a few texts.

***

You’re at the lair bright and early on Saturday morning and you come bearing orange-frosted cupcakes and pumpkin-spiced lattes. The turtles and April cheer in unison when they spot your goodies. It doesn't take very long at all before you're learning they’ve got surprises of their own.

The first is impossible to miss; the Hamato home is thoroughly decked out in Halloween memorabilia, including a few extravagant displays that look like they belong in the annual fun fair’s haunted house (an event that was, at the last minute, added to tomorrow’s evening agenda).

“Guys!” you squeal excitedly, taking it all in. “The lair looks incredible!”

You’re, like, fully hopping from one foot to the other, bouncing on the tips of your toes, and Leo could not find it more adorable.

Donnie outs his brother almost immediately. “It was Leo’s idea.”

Mikey’s parading around the kitchen with oven mitts on. “We’re baking pumpkin bread too!”

“Also Leo’s idea!” Donnie interjects, sliding his way over.

“And we managed to swap tickets for the forest hay ride,” April announces buoyantly from her seat, picking at the bowl of kettle corn in the centre of the table. You’d tried for those tickets initially but they’d been completely sold out so you’d had to settle for the farm route instead.

You’re about to ask how they managed to swing that when:

“Leo was on the phone with them for over an hour…” Donnie volunteers.

Raph, who’s sitting on the floor hunched over a pumpkin and getting a head start on carving offers yet another headline of terrific news: “Oh! And we’re VIP tonight. Drinks are free and we get to judge the costume contest.”

Leo’s hand wraps its way over Donnie’s mouth before the boy can so much as inhale. “I think she gets it,” he bites out through gritted teeth.

Even behind Leo’s hand-muzzle, Donnie looks entirely too smug.

Raph and April glance at you, grinning from ear to ear. Judging by this reaction, you’d say your expression has to be somewhere between awed and flabbergasted.

You don’t know what to say.

April helps you out. “Donnie’s being annoying about it but, yeah, Leo really does deserve all the credit for this.”

You watch Leo’s head turn mechanically in her direction, the stiffest grin etched into his face. It takes everything in you not to laugh. It’s strange, though. Leo’s the type to seek credit even where it’s not due so this feels suspiciously out of character.

“Oh, Leonardo…” you singsong jubilantly. “Might I have a word?”

His gaze whips up at you and he nods, shyer than you know him to be.

“Don’t take too long!” Mikey calls, removing the pan from the oven as you branch off to another room. “It’s better when it’s still warm!”

You end up in the projector room near the pile of pumpkins you’re set to carve today. Leo sucks in a pitted breath but you start before he can.

“I don’t even know how to thank you. You didn’t have to do all this.”

Leo’s shoulders come up to his jaw and fall back down slowly. “I wanted to make up for what happened. And I know you love Halloween so…”

“That’s insanely thoughtful, Leo. Thank you.”

“Oh, and I made sure Donnie caught the guy. Saw the pictures with my own two eyeballers. They were gorgeous, by the way, as always, but they have been eradicated from that perv's cellular device along with his entire camera roll and every password, contact, song, and app." He gives you a little bow. Theatrics are always in full bloom with him. It makes you smile. "We also may have leaked his bank information online but that's because Donnie's cynical and I have no self-control.”

“How am I supposed to return this kind of favour, huh? I’m gonna be buying you pizza for the rest of my life.”

Leo waves you off before picking up a pumpkin. You do the same, mostly to give yourself something to fidget with.

“You could… uh, go on a date with me instead. Like a… yeah, a date.”

Your head tilts to the side. You’ve always felt there might be something more between the two of you but you weren’t confident either of you would ever act on it. It’s hard to tell if he’s being sincere now.

You venture an answer: “One measly date in exchange for a whole weekend of fun? You’re not making this a very tough decision.”

Leo smirks at you, lip caught by his teeth. “Then say yes.”

“Yes. On one condition.”

“Anything.”

“I get to plan it. You’ve done so much, let me take this one.”

Leo slumps in relief and nods at you, eyes filled with stars. You giggle and tap your pumpkin to his, an extra pep in your step as you start off on a walk back to the others.

The rest of the weekend might just be the greatest of, like, your whole freaking life. It’s impossibly fun and chaotic, and you go home each night with your cheeks hurting from smiling so wide and your throat raw from laughter.

Everything is wonderfully spooky and delightfully festive and, come Monday night, you and Leo spend a rooftop dinner on a decorative picnic blanket mottled with broomsticks and pointy hats. You laugh and chat and cling wine glasses together, watching the sun go down and the streets below fill with costumes. Later, you’ll hand out candy and watch family-friendly classics but, for now, you dither in the wind and kiss underneath the stars.

***

#rottmnt leo x reader #rottmnt fanfic #rottmnt fanfiction #my writing tag #rise leo x reader

[habitica]

FALL FESTIVAL BEGINS: LIMITED EDITION CLASS OUTFITS!

From now until 11:59 PM US EST on October 31st, limited edition outfits are available in the Rewards column! Depending on your class, you can be a Scary Movie Warrior, Scarlet Warlock Mage, Witch’s Brew Rogue, or Bog Creature Healer. You'd better get productive to earn enough gold before your time runs out...

#habitica #habitrpg #pixel art #gamification #productivity #motivation #habitica gala #fall festival

[jake-g-lockley]

Hi Akka. I know you are not Bengali, but can I request a drabble festival season( Durga puja edition) with moon boys x desi reader.

Thanks, I love your work so much.

Mango Leaves and Chaos (Steven Grant x desi!reader, Marc Spector x desi!reader, Jake Lockley x desi!reader)

Masterlist

Summary: Festival prep is a real pain, especially when you’re sad, but chaos tends to distract you from everything. 

Warnings: Small innuendos, nothing else hehe <3

Word Count: 1.8k words

A/N: Here you go! @pakhiya Thanks for the request, sweetie <333 A lot of this story is inspired by my little thieving escapade that didn’t end very well AHHAHAHA

Feeling homesick during festival time always brought your mood down a notch and you would sulk around your shared apartment, feeling like a sad hollow ghost. You tried to make yourself feel better by cooking your favorite dish but it still did nothing to dull the sad pain that brewed in your tummy each time festival season came close. 

As a struggling PhD student, you couldn’t afford to take a break and go home, back to your beautiful city of West Bengal. Your boyfriends do everything to try and cheer you up during this time and this year, they were determined to make you extra happy. The day before the night of Durga Puja, Steven woke you up extra early. 

“Come on love, we have stuff to do today!” he said, picking you up bridal style as if you weighed like nothing, when you refused to get up. 

“We don’t have anything to do baby, it's a Saturday.” you murmur into his shoulder. “Please, let's just stay in bed the whole day.” 

“As much as I’d love to, darling, like I said, loads to do for tomorrow. Now, chop chop.” he said, marching to the bathroom with you still in his arms. 

You still weren’t awake enough to comprehend what he was saying as he set you down and handed you your towel. You glared at him and he grinned lovingly back. 

“Shower, now.” he said pointedly, shutting the door. 

When you got out of the shower, the bed was made and Jake was vacuuming and scanning a little list that he was holding in his hand, not noticing that you were standing there. You watched him squint and frown at the paper as he blindly vacuums the same spot again and again. 

You giggle and walk up to him, giving him a hug and pulling the paper from his grasp, wondering what was making him so confused. You scan the list and your mouth drops. One side, there is a list of things needed for Durga Puja and on the other side are a list of places to go to source the items from London. 

“You guys are helping me get stuff for Durga Puja?” you say, astounded, looking at Jake, who was grinning sheepishly.

“Well, yea, you’re always so sad about not being able to get all the stuff, so Steven decided to do a little bit of research on what to get and I did my own research on where to get it.” Jake said, gently pulling the paper back.

“Even the mango leaves?” you ask, frowning. 

“Especially the mango leaves.” Jake smirked and you knew he was planning something out of the way just for leaves that certainly did not grow in this climate. 

Before you could continue your questioning, Jake hands you a plate of leftover lentil stuffed poori and pushes you towards a seat. 

“Comer, we will leave in a bit after I finish cleaning.” he ordered.

“Fine, dad.” you mumble and roll your eyes at him.

“Missing a few letters, mi cariño” he shouts back over the sound of the vacuum, making you groan at his corrupted mind.

☾ .・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

Turn’s out, the four cash and carry’s that you and the boys visited did have everything you needed, everything except the mango leaves. 

“Ugh, this country and its lack of mangoes, no wonder everyone is so sad here.” You say exasperatedly to an amused Marc, who was already driving towards the place that Jake had assumed he found mango trees. 

Suddenly he stops the car and switches it off. He had driven to the outskirts of London and everything was so quiet here, the cool October air making you shift closer to Marc, who looped an arm around your waist.

“Where to, Spector?” you ask, still not convinced.

“Khonshu said to go straight and turn left.” Marc said, looking between the air beside him and the street in front of the both of you.

A few minutes later, you found yourself standing in front of a nursery.

“Hmm, it's closed.” you say, eyeing the padlock on the fence. 

“Or is it?” Jake says, smirking again.

“Jake, my sweet angel, whatever the fuck do you mean?” you say through gritted teeth. “Lockley, we are not going to be committing a heist for mango leaves right now.”

“Why not, darling?” Steven says, fronting and smiling down at you, twirling the pin in his hand, big wet brown eyes boring into your own.  

“Jake sent you to convince me, didn't he?” you question with your hands on your hips. 

“Told you it's not going to work!” Steven hissed to himself and let Jake front. 

“Look Jake, my lovely crime baby, we are not commiting a crime for Durga Puja, the gods are going to curse me.” you say, frowning. 

“Khonshu said he won’t curse you.” Jake said. 

“Not today, at least. Besides, you’re not the one committing the crime, amor, your big strong henchmen are gonna do it for you.” He continues, flexing his arms. 

You shake your head but you couldn’t help but smile. 

“Fine, show me whatchu got, henchman.” You say shrugging.

Jake smoothly pulled two hairpins from your hair and began to pick the padlock, and in less than two seconds you hear a click. Jake slips inside and pulls you in after checking that there is no one around. He pulls out a knife and the two of you jog towards the little trees, looking out for a mango tree. 

Finally, you find it and Jake cuts a mango stalk with five leaves and hands it to you.

“Here, my beautiful lady, all yours.” he whispers and winks and you roll your eyes but smile. He looked up again to the air behind you and hastily grabbed your wrist. “Uh, oh, mierda. We gotta go, now.”

“Hey! What are you two doing inside here!” someone yells.

“Could you have been any slower, Khonshu?” Jake curses, pulling you and the both of you sprint to the exit, almost knocking over a pot.

You both don’t stop running till you reach the car and you flop, back first, over the bonnet, breathing hard. 

“Still got the leaves?” Marc asks, still breathing hard, hands on his bent knees as he hunches over. 

“I didn’t know Moon Knight was so unfit.” you joke and wave the leaves in the air. 

Marc stood up and pulled you off the car onto his body.

“Mmm, yea I’ll show you unfit, sweetheart.” He says, mouth twisting into a smirk as you wriggle away, laughing.

☾ .・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

You and the boys spend the next few hours cooking and setting up the place for the Puja tomorrow night. You couldn’t help it but feel so grateful for them and their constant perseverance to make you laugh and smile.

The next night, you didn’t realize that you had another surprise installed for you. When you came out of the shower, the saree that you had set out on the bed had been replaced along with the jewelry.

You stare at the new saree in absolute awe. It was an offwhite saree with a beautiful red border that was embellished with gold patterns paired with matching gold and red jewelry. 

“You like it?” Steven’s voice echoes into your ears. You turn and envelope him in your arms, giving him a big kiss.

“Like it? I absolutely love it!” you say, pulling back, tears falling down your cheeks. 

“Well, glad you do, I had to steal one of your blouses so that the tailor could sew you one for this.” he joked, wiping your tears and kissing your forehead as you laugh. 

“Get dressed, angel, it's almost time.” he reminds you as you give him one last big kiss. 

You had decorated the Goddess Durga with flowers and all the other puja items were neatly placed around the altar, along with fruits, sweets and water; one tray for offerings and one more acting as prasad. You had drawn and decorated a few rangoli patterns onto the floor and you took a step back to admire your little achievement, only to be distracted by Marc, who came out of the bedroom looking shockingly handsome in his black kurta and jeans.

You hadn’t even started praying and the gods had already started blessing you. 

Moon Boys’ POV

She was seated in front of the altar, chanting mantras, her heavenly voice ringing sweetly in his ears. Marc sat beside her and watched as she slowly moved the camphor holder in a clockwise motion. He’s always adored her devotion and was glad that he could help her get a little taste of home. 

She set down the camphor holder and put her hands together to pray, muttering under her breath. After a while, she looked up to him and smiled, slowly grabbing a tray off the altar and scooching closer to Marc. She grabbed a little of the red powder and dragged a small line of it onto his forehead, offering him some of the sweets on the tray. 

“What did you pray for?” he asked, grabbing one of the sweets and helping her up.

“For us.” she says and grinned her nose scrunching, making Marc’s heart flutter. 

Stealing those leaves was so worth it. 

☾ .・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

Translations:

Durga Puja: an annual Hindu festival originating in the Indian subcontinent which reveres and pays homage to the Hindu goddess Durga and is also celebrated because of Durga's victory over Mahishasur

Poori: Puri is a deep-fried bread made from unleavened whole-wheat flour that originated in the Indian subcontinent. It is eaten for breakfast or as a snack or light meal. 

Mi cariño: My sweetie

Meirda: Shit

Saree: A sari or saree is a women's garment from the Indian subcontinent,that consists of an un-stitched stretch of woven fabric arranged over the body as a robe, with one end tied to the waist, while the other end rests over one shoulder as a stole, baring a part of the midriff.

Durga: Durga also significantly known as Mata Rani and Devi Maa is a major deity and supreme divinity in Hinduism. She is worshipped as a principal aspect of supreme mother goddess Adi Shakti and is also one of the most popular and widely revered among Indian divinities.

Puja: Puja or pooja is a worship ritual performed by Hindus, Buddhists and Jains to offer devotional homage and prayer to one or more deities, to host and honour a guest, or to spiritually celebrate an event.

Prasad: Prasada, Prasadam or Prasad is a religious offering in Hinduism. Most often Prasada is vegetarian food especially cooked for devotees after praise and thanksgiving to the Lord.

Rangoli: Rangoli is a form of traditional decorative art that is drawn by using rice flour as per age-old conventions. It is also drawn using white stone powder, chalk or chalk powder, often along with natural or synthetic color powders.

#moon knight #steven grant #marc spector x reader #marc spector #steven grant x reader #jake lockley #jake lockley x reader #steven grant x desi!reader #jake lockley x desi!reader #marc spector x desi!reader #moon knight x desi!reader #moon knight fluff #steven grant fluff #marc spector fluff #jake lockley fluff #x desi!reader #durgapuja #durga #hindu #moon knight fanfiction #request

[upthewitchypunx]

CRITICAL THINKING WITCH COLLECTIVE!

Big New, Witches! In keeping with the theme of our recent Witches Brew, we are taking on a new name! A magical moniker, if you will. The Critical Thinking Witch Collective is thrilled to be with you and eager to share all the things we hope to accomplish moving forward. The first new thing? The next Witches' Con! We're moving it to October in celebration of a favorite month. This year, festivities will start Sept 30th, roll into our main day of October 1st, and close out on October 2nd. More details will be coming soon!

#secular witchcraft #atheist witchcraft #agnostic witchcraft #critical thinking witches #critical thinking witch collective #witchblr #witch con #sass witch

[somesortofitalianroast]

reasons to enjoy small towns like it

Title: reasons to enjoy small towns like it Link: AO3 Series: The Adventures of (Darcy) Lewis and Clark (Kent) Participant: SomeSortofItalianRoast Square filled: -Darcy Lewis Bingo: Weekly Challenge 39: Harvest Festivals Week (Chapter 1) -Darcy Lewis Bingo: Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble Bingo Card A: B2: Harvest Festival (Chapter 1) -Darcy Lewis Bingo: Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble Bingo Card A: A2: A Slice of Pie at a Diner (Chapter 2) -Darcy Lewis Bingo: Adopted: pumpkin spice cold brew with pumpkin foam (chapter 2) -Warm and Fluffy Bingo: G1: Cooking/Baking Together Archive warning: No Archive Warnings Apply Rating: Gen Pairing: Clark Kent/Darcy Lewis Tags: Harvest Festival, Autumn,Pumpkin pie, Baking Word Count: 485 (chapter 1); 607 (chapter 2); 1092 (total) Summary: It was nearing October and they were still in Smallville.

@darcylewisbingohq @warmandfluffybingocards

#my writing #darcylewisbingohq #darcy lewis #clark kent

[themovieblogonline]

Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget! This time, they're breaking in!

Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget is the new film from Aardman Animation. From Morph, Wallace & Gromit, to Arthur Christmas & The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists! There's a long list of stop-motion hit movies that all come from Aardman Animations. The company was founded in 1972 by Peter Lord and David Sproxton. Ever since their creation, the studio has been an animation force to be reckoned with within the movie industry. When you see their work, you instantly know that it has come from their creative genius. https://youtu.be/icfv_T5pkdI?feature=shared Another gem that I failed to mention is the 2000 war prison escape-like scenario Chicken Run! The movie is the highest-grossing stop-motion animated film in history. Chicken Run is the underdog story that captured the hearts of everyone who watched. The movie tells the story of rebel Ginger (Julia Sawalha). We see Julia and a flock of chicken attempt to escape an egg farm (That feels like a war camp!). The pressure is on for the gang when Mrs. Tweedy (Miranda Richardson) starts to build a chicken pie machine. Joining them for the ride is Rocky (Mel Gibson). Rocky is an American rooster that Ginger relies on to help get them out of the farm. In the same vein as Disney & Pixar, Aardman Animations likes to keep all of their projects top secret, and we've only really started to discover small details about Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget this year. After its premiere at the 67th London Film Festival this October 14th the movie will be hatched via Netflix on December 15th. The anticipated sequel will see many of your favourite characters return, however, there is indeed a major casting shift this time around. Taking on the legendary role of Ginger is Thandiwe Newton (Westworld / Mission Impossible), and continuing the confident personality of Rocky is Zachary Levi (Shazam! / Tangled). Adding on to that we see Bella Ramsey voice Molly and Romesh Ranganathan as Nick. Basically, it's a really stacked and highly talented cast. Like their incredible approach to stop-motion, Aardman Animations has always brought in a superb cast to respect that. The plot initially sees Ginger living a peaceful life alongside Rocky and their new family addition Molly at a bird sanctuary after the successful escape from Mrs. Tweedy's farm in the first movie. However, when a threat for all chicken-kind brews on the mainland, Ginger assembles her team to break in and save the day once more. Not to mention that Mrs. Tweedy. is returning to cause havoc again. Looking at the trailer, and as a huge fan of Aardman Animations myself, I know that this is going to be a brilliant watch. The heist-themed trailer sees a whole host of exciting new characters joining the gang, whilst showing off that incredible stop-motion detail that made Aardman Animations so well-known worldwide in the first place. The attention to detail is always high. Overall, it looks like it'll be a nostalgic movie, that'll bring further depth to the Chicken Run legacy. So, what's your favourite Aardman Animations movie, and how excited are you for Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget? Read the full article

[kokorowoutsu]

-- Muse Ramblings: Ashe

Honestly I don't think I talk much about how nervous and desperate Ashe was for validation from others, herself, and really how scared she was to exist. She really had never found herself until she went to the Crown Tundra and got sick and in doing so at death's door met Leon. It's because of Leon that she found the courage that she saw him wield to stand fast against the storm she had brewing and really just... be true to her own heart.

Really there is no right way to describe Ashe except she's gone from a scared little girl to a unpredictable but vibrant woman who has to be met and felt through actions and adventure then words. Words are used for communicating and they also mean so much, but actions also mean just as much. It really humbles me as a mun to take a step back and just see how far she's come over the last few years i've played her.

( I want to pinpoint yes she is still a self-insert trainersona mix, but she's also grown much more then I have and I find myself as a person struggling to keep up with her, but it's something I aim to do because I, too, want to live vibrantly and true to myself and not feel shackled down by my own feelings and mind. )

To watch her real 'start' from Paldea's Area Zero arc where I finally made the decision to evolve Lucky into a Sylveon ( at the time I chose Empatheon because I thought Sylveon didn't fit, but in the end Sylveon did end up being the final choice ) because of the fact she was finally ready to take a leap of faith and love herself and really show her heart to the world, she's done leaps and bounds from the PWT where she still did fairly well ( better then Leon, actually! ) and went onto claim Champion Rank title in several regions where she held a fear of challenging the Elite Four due to a past incident.

She's also allowed herself to open up to people and start trusting more -- going as far as trusting humans such as Jackson despite everything that she's experienced, and on top of that, actually want to leave the confines of her home which, in the beginning, it took Kianga or Leon to drag her out. Now it's her dragging them out to a point they're more or less exhausted, lmao!

We're now moving just out of the two events from September/October and finishing up the Kitakami Arc where we see Ashe actually having an effect on Ogerpon to want to be better as well.

All in all I just wanted to gush about my main muse and honestly i'm just... really humbled to have seen her come so far in a short time. I honestly can't wait to see what twists and turns are going to come with the Indigo Disk arc since she's a Blueberry Academy alumni and not to mention the PWT 2024 as well as the Sinnoh New Years Festival 2024 is coming up.

Also... her and Leon's wedding?! Still need to plan that, but... soon... SOON.

#ashe ;; ic #the raptor speaks ;; ooc #tbt

[ostreaacademy]

October 2023 - Schedule!

Hello all! I am very excited to finally get to reveal the start of (hopefully) many projects that'll take place over the course of the subsequent months (and maybe years?)

Every week, I will be creating and posting content focused around a specific theme; there'll be lore, DM tools, and (of course) player options aplenty!

From time to time, I'll be altering the duration of the themes to better fit their capability for brews; next month will take all month, while some might be a few days or even a few months!

Speaking of next month, the first theme will be a full description of the autumnal town of Ebony! The first week will be about the town itself, followed a week each for its festivals, folklore, and the abandoned toy workshop that sprawls the hills above the town!

I'm very excited to get to share everything I have planned with everyone, and can't wait for this new endeavor!

#dnd 5e #dnd homebrew #dnd lore #dnd ideas #dnd setting