#but then she went on some tangent about how the dog should never get treats for a trick they know

[mashiraostail]

Hiiii, i was wondering if i could request some vlad king and gang orca taking care of their s/o pets. Like if the reader was out of town and asked them to take care of their dogs👉👈 i feel like vlad is such a good doggy dad that the dogs play together and i feel like gang orca would be lost but doing his best and if he was taking care of a cat i like to think it would love being around him because cats love fish and he would just always have his s/o cat cuddling on his lap. Im sorry for ranting lol i love your work you're doing great💕

awwehehe this is so cute since you mentioned dogs for vlad and cats for kugo that's what i went with! also indulged myself and included kugo/ jiro/shoji content bc that seems like such a GOOD FUNNY AND WHOLESOME trio and i wanted more content than we got smh 

Sekijiro Kan/Vlad King: "Hey Sek, I need a huge favor.” You look up from your phone at the taller man who is currently scrunched into the corner of his couch scrutinizing a piece of paper with really terrible handwriting on it.  “Sounds dangerous.” He replies without looking up and you snort dropping to the cushion beside him.  “Only a little, but I think you’re good for it.”  “Alright then, so what’s the favor?” His eyes flick up to you. “I need to go visit a friend out of town.” You sigh, “she had a baby last month, I used to work with her husband and she asked if I wanted to spend some time back home with her for her birthday next week, I should be about five days.” You rest your hands on his knees, “so while I’m out there..would you mind watching Kilo for me? I hate to leave him behind but It’d be a pain to travel so far with him I know he hates trains.”  “That’s a huge favor?” He raises an eyebrow at you, “sure I can watch him. I bet they’ll get along fine.” He glances at his own dog curled up under a chair.  “But only If you can figure out what the hell Monoma tried to write here.”  For all intents and purposes, Kilo was a good dog, a little stupid, but a good dog nonetheless. To be honest, he’s really honored you trust him with the task, you’re the only person he’s met that seems to love your own dog as much as he loves his. Plus it also meant that Kilo had to like him a fair bit which was also a relief, as a dog owner he knew any potential partner was only as compatible with him as they were with his dog, and his dog loved you, he was sure you felt the same way, any partner that Kilo didn’t get along with would be impossible for you to get along with, he found it more than a little reassuring that Kilo seemed to enjoy his company. Past all that, and maybe even most important this was a perfect opportunity to introduce the two dogs. He was sure it was no secret to you but this wasn’t exactly a casual fling, with the way things were going it felt pretty inevitable that he’d ask if you wanted to move in together; but if the two didn’t get along well then..that’d be an issue. Though he was sure if things got tested out now you’d have some time to at least try to get the dogs to be comfortable with each other or hopefully think of some sort of workaround. In his eyes, this was a blessing for him as much as it was a favor to you.  “Are you sure you don’t mind keeping Kilo at your place?” Sekijiro is slightly embarrassed to say how early he arrived at this park, he wanted to tire his own dog out before introducing the pair, he’d advised you to do the same so you were walking to the park, you'd called him on your way.  “Of course I don’t mind babe.” He tosses a ball from his seat on the bench and watches his pudgy bulldog trot over to it, “it’ll be easier this way, right?”  “Yeah that’s true, I just don’t want Kilo wrecking any of your stuff, he always means well but he gets into trouble sometimes-”  “Don’t worry about it, he’ll be a model student by the time you get back.” He hears you laugh into the receiver at that. “I don’t doubt that, I’m almost there, I’ll see you in a few okay?”  “Yeah sure thing, can’t wait.” You huff out another laugh at him before hanging up.  “Sekijiro!” You chirp brightly at the sight of the man, he’s too busy taking you in to respond. Kilo’s trotting a foot or so in front of you on his leash, that old joke about dogs looking reminiscent of their owners was certainly true in your case, you both looked delighted to see him and beyond that, you were practically glowing... Maybe he just had a thing for people who were good with animals.  “Hey Sek?” You lean down in front of him.  “Hey! He welcomes Kilo between his knees, the mixed breed was a bit larger than his dog who was currently bounding back to him with a ball and sufficient slobber hanging from his mouth, the size difference in mind though Kilo was a hell of a lot less bulky, he was practically streamlined, Sekijiro had seen how fast the dog could run with his own eyes. He could see why you took so much pride in the dog, he was definitely beautiful his coat was long, wavy, and shiny and he had big blue eyes and admittedly the cutest pink nose and spotted tongue Sekijiro had ever seen.  “Thanks so much again for doing this I really-” An excited bark pulls your attention downwards, “look who it is!” You sing, crouching down to pet the panting dog, “you sure look tired. Sekijiro is working you too hard.” You frown at him as he hops up to rest his front paws on your thighs. “Don’t be ridiculous.” Sekijiro laughs, “but he is worn out, I guess Kilo is too though.” Kilo’s head is on his knee, the larger dog is panting too.  They seem to notice each other, and approach with a lazy curiosity. They sniff around each other for a bit but after that return to their respective activities, seemingly unbothered by each other and the proximity of the other dog to their owner. Kilo didn’t mind your cooing at Vlad’s dog who didn’t seem to mind Kilo’s head in his owner's lap. With that little bit of reassurance, you hand him Kilo’s leash and a bag of his stuff; food dish, some toys and treats and the like, and then you part ways after promising to call him when you get to your home town safely.  All in all the coming days are pretty uneventful, Kilo joins them on their daily walks, eats at the same time with no trouble, finds a comfortable place to sleep each night.  “Is Kilo alright?” Your voice is nervous in the receiver.  “He’s better than babe, seriously they’re getting along great.”  “God that’s such a relief.” You sigh, “the pictures you’ve sent are cute..gosh I miss him.” You pout a little. “Gee I miss you too babe.” He mutters it with a playful edge to his voice and you gasp,  “I was going to say I miss you too but forget it!”  “don’t be mean!” He complains back, “I was kidding! And anyway I miss you. How’s it been out there?”  You go off on your usual tangents before ending up back at square one.  “Oh! I called you for a reason actually!” You remember, “I’ll be a little bit late getting back on Sunday, one of the trains is going to be down so I’m taking a later one, I should be back around midnight now would you mind-”  “Of course not babe, I’ll get you from the station so-”  “No no! It’s okay you’ve already done so much that’s not what I was going to ask! I just wanted to be sure you wouldn’t mind keeping Kilo around for the extra time...I can get a taxi, seriously don’t wait up for me!”  “Well just come to my place when you get back right?”  “I wouldn’t wanna wake you up-”  “It’s been way too long since I saw you last, so I don’t mind, if you won’t let me pick you up from the station at least come right here.”  “You’re convincing.” You laugh a little, embarrassment heating up your face, “I guess that’s fine with me then...” A distant sounding voice pulls you away from the receiver, “Sek I have to go, I’ll call you again soon though!”  “Don’t worry about anything babe.” He reassures you as you hang up.  There is one minor spat over a rope toy but it’s resolved easily enough and the pair seem to get on swimmingly after that, even sharing a couch cushion and occasionally resting their heads on each other, they become incredibly fast friends, which is probably the biggest relief on the planet to Sekijiro. Watching the two of them play tug of war in his living room or witnessing their schemes to get leftovers off the counter on Thursday night essentially cement his vision of a future with you.  If you were being totally honest it was embarrassing how attractive you found Sekijiro getting along with your dog to be, you’d never got the obsession of handsome guys holding cute babies but seeing some of the photos he’d sent to you over the almost 6 days you were gone made butterflies crop up in your stomach the likes of which you’d only felt when he was actively trying to fluster you...but this seemed totally unintentional. To say you were incredibly eager to go home and see him (jump his bones) felt like an understatement. It’s past midnight when you get back and the place is mostly dark, you see a vaguely bulldog shaped blob partially under a blanket on the couch, but the snoring it emits gives away it’s identity easily. You leave your bag at the door and venture into the apartment, poking your nose into the bedroom.  Of course, Sekijiro is there, dead asleep on his back, and who’s with him but Kilo, his head resting on the blood hero’s chest one of his hands resting on top of it.  “Oh Vlad-” You coo, you practically sing it at him.  “Wha-whatsitwhat-” He rubs his face as he picks his head up, “oh, hey welcome back ‘s good to see you, missed you-”  “You’re so sweet-” You’re already at the side of his bed, leaning down and kissing him.  “What’s-” Sekijiro takes a minute to process everything before he realizes it’s Kilo’s head on his chest making you act like this.  “Oh no way, he’s been a total angel-”  “I’m so glad he likes you so much-” You murmur it between kisses, to his lips and various other spots on his cheeks and jaw, “you guys are adorable together.”  “I’m glad you think so-” He cuts himself off with a yawn and turns into your lips, kissing you again before speaking, “you weren’t kidding about that late train huh? It’s almost 1 AM, you must be exhausted, there’s plenty of room for you in here so come on.” 

Kugo Sakamata/Gang Orca: “Hey, Kugo...” You approach him from behind and wrap your arms around his shoulders, leaning against the back of the chair he’s sat in.  “Yes?” One hand comes up to cover your forearm the other stays dutifully at work.  “You love me, right?” You rest your head against his and he pricks up at the inquisition.  “Of course I do, why would you ask a question like that? Is something wrong?”  The way his hand subtly squeezes your arm isn’t lost on you.  “Hmm..no nothing's wrong.” You lean into him and close your eyes as he sighs good-naturedly. “Then what? Did you just want to hear me say it?” He leans back into you, “I guess I could entertain that...” His thumb swipes a long stroke over the skin of your forearm, “I love you, dear.” He can feel you prickle up at that behind him. “I love you too Kugo.” You squeeze him tighter and he huffs out a quiet laugh. “I’m glad to hear it. Now is that all you needed?” He puts his pen down to bring his other hand up to your arms, “I’m a bit busy. You’re welcome to stay there if you like though I just need to finish some paperwork and make a few phone calls. After that, we can do whatever you like for the night.”  “Well, now that you mention it there was just one more thing. I’ll be fast I promise.” Your hand slides underneath his lapel and into his jacket.  “Don’t worry I can make a bit of time for you then, what’s the matter?” You make eye contact with him through his darkened computer screen.  “My boss invited me to this big conference next week, it’s a pretty great opportunity and I could meet some important people..” You explain, biting your lip, “it could be really good for me to branch out even she thinks so, and getting some more experience will be great, and it’s pretty close to my hometown so I figured I'd stop in and see some old friends after I got done..It’d be about 5 or so days and I’d really like to go.” You sigh and he seems more than a little confused based on his reflection.   “That does sound like a great opportunity for you, you’re right..what’s the problem then? Do you need advice about something?” His confusion doesn’t quell even as you kiss his temple. “I probably will later but for now the problem is Luna.” “Your cat?” Kugo piques, “why is she a problem?”  You sigh, “if I’m not around no one will be there to feed her and make sure she stays out of trouble.”  “Oh is that it? That’s no problem at all dear, I can look after her for you. Is that what you were going to ask me?”  “You don’t mind?” You perk up, “I don’t want to trouble you...and I know I could just as easily leave a key under my mat and have a neighbor do it but I trust you so much more and-”  “It’s no trouble, really.” Kugo laughs a little, "I pass by your apartment all the time on patrols, I’m sure the interns won't mind if I make a stop and head up to check on her every now and again.”  “Oh! You can totally bring them up if they like cats!” He laughs at that too.  “Was that all?”  “Mhm.” You nod and use the motion to nestle into him a bit, “Thank you Kugo.”  ”It’s really my pleasure. Leave it to me, alright?”  All things considered, Kugo’s also pretty honored to be trusted with the task of watching your pet cat, he knows how much you love and worry about her, you dote on her all the time, and if the copious amount of photos you send him of her say anything she’s definitely your pride and joy. For the most part, you spent the bulk of your time with Kugo at his own home, due largely to the fact that he was larger than average and he existed a fair bit more comfortably there, but he paid you visits in your apartment from time to time and had met the cat, she seemed to like him plenty which was a relief as well.  You stop at Kugo’s before you leave and give him a list of things to double-check when he stops in, though you reassure him that there shouldn’t be any problems, Luna was pretty independent and mellow she didn’t like going outside so he didn’t have to worry about her escaping or anything like that. He tries to stop in at least 3 times a day, before, during, and after patrols, he knows that’s probably overkill, you spend all day at work and have never had an issue but he hates the idea of something happening to the feline on his watch. Plus even if he wouldn’t readily admit it he saw this as a perfect time to get on the cat's good side, you said she already loved him but he wasn’t convinced. He knew how much you loved her and any vision of your future that he had always featured the mellow feline so in his mind it was imperative they got on well. On top of that, he was glad you trusted him with something as small and delicate as Luna, she fits pretty comfortably in his hand and was as fragile as she was petit, but you never seemed off-put by the idea of him holding her or petting her, in fact, you encouraged it. The way you even wanted him near her when you weren’t around to supervise put him at ease about his strength and size, he always worried about breaking delicate things, but that wasn’t a worry you seemed to echo.  “Is something going on in that building?”  Shoji looks up at your complex as he pauses by it, “you’re stopping here a lot since yesterday.”  “Huh? Oh. Actually no... well nothing of importance to you. I’m...catsitting.” Jiro holds her breath the hold in the laugh, “Catsitting?”   “Yes...my partner is away at a work conference, the cat in question is theirs.” Kugo nods, “if you like cats you can come up and meet her, she’s actually quite friendly.”   Kugo was pretty used to Luna at this juncture, but whenever other people met her it was easy to see why you were so proud of her, she was quite the stunning cat, a long dark grey and black coat with big green eyes and a swishing tail, her paws were colored as if she was wearing boots.  “Wow...she’s really pretty, I’ve never seen a cat like this.” Jiro was crouched on the ground, stroking her neck.  “I was surprised too.” Kugo confesses, “they found her in a box on the side of the road about a year before we met. She was only a kitten then. Her name’s Luna.”  She seemed to like the pair equally alternating between them, rubbing against their legs and shuffling her head into their palms.  “She is very friendly.” Shoji remarks as she purrs at him, attempting to climb into his lap.  “She’s good at getting into trouble, but she usually means well. You can stay with her for a minute.” He sets off to double-check the usual; food, water, litterbox, the loose window that she’s always wiggling open despite having no desire to climb out of it, he waters a few plants and straightens up anything she knocked over as well. When he returns she's overturned on Shoji’s lap.  “You’re getting along well.” He swipes a pillow she’d knocked over up and replaces it on the couch.  “She’s really sweet!” Jiro is scratching her stomach. “I’m glad to hear it.”   “Hey..sorry if this is too personal or whatever but I didn’t know you were.. dating someone... We didn’t snoop or anything though!” She swears, holding both hands up, the cat looks disgruntled at the loss of attention.  “It’s alright I trust you.” Kugo waves her off, “Luna looks too comfortable anyways, you’ve clearly been petting her this whole time.” He adds with a small chuckle. At the sound of her name, she rolls over and winds around his feet, circling through his ankles and pawing at his pants until he lifts her up.  “To answer you though yes I am seeing someone.” He holds Luna with one hand, his ring and middle finger scratching the patch of grey fur on her chest.  “Are they a hero too?” She wonders, straightening up.  “No...no they’re not, I’m not very public about this sort of thing.”  Shoji contemplates that, “they have a nice apartment.”  “That is true, it’s a good job, and they do have a pretty keen eye for decorating” He agrees, looking around amicably.  “Have you guys been together for a long time?” Jiro blurts out before feeling color float up to her cheeks, “sorry I don’t mean to be rude... I just never pictured you like this I guess I’m curious-”  “It’s okay, most people don’t, and yes, we’ve been together a while now.” Kugo raises a hand to calm her, “but like I said before I’m not very public about things like this which is why you wouldn’t have heard..though either way, even when we do go out together... most people don’t assume I do that sort of thing, and to be frank, we aren’t the most...visually compatible pair..” He says that with a distinct fondness in his voice and then continues, “like you said, you don’t really picture me in this sort of light, most people don’t so hero gossip tabloids tend to leave me alone for the most part, I get a fair bit of freedom when it comes to this sort of thing because of that. There are probably plenty of photos of us together out there, though people usually assume they’re my manager or a secretary or just a friend.” Luna is purring loudly in his hand, her body largely slack against his chest. He walks her over to the couch and sets her down, which she warbles angrily at, “to be honest though I prefer it this way. I’m a private person.”  “That makes sense...well, their cat sure likes you.” Shoji points and Kugo chuckles.  “I’m fond of her myself.” Kugo admits, “everything is as it should be here so we can head out again, sorry for the tangent.” He scratches Luna’s neck and sighs, “as for you I’ll be back tonight. So try to behave until then, for my sake alright?”  Jiro tries not to laugh at the sight. “I didn’t think you’d actually bring them up! Did they like her?”  You sound delighted about it over the phone that night.  “I may have knocked a few intimidation points off of myself, but yes they thought she was cute.” He was sitting with her, contemplating staying the night here. He was embarrassed to say it but this was the longest you’d spent apart in a while and despite any appearances, he had gone soft and was starting to miss you, being around your stuff was nice even if he didn’t fit too well in your bed.  “I don’t think you’re very intimidating at all.” You peep back thoughtlessly. “Well, I’d sure hope not.” He chuckles and leans against the couch, “she’s been good too I was,..expecting her to break more.”  Truthfully Kugo wasn’t sure what he was expecting, he never had pets growing up and hero work didn’t give much free time to consider one, it took a day to get comfortable with her, and even now he was watching his every step for her. “I’m glad to hear that!” You laugh, “she’s a pretty great cat isn't she?”  “I have to agree..” Kugo wouldn’t mind having her around all the time, the longer he sat on your couch and contemplated it the more he realized he wouldn't mind having the both of you around all the time. Was this some sort of emotional sign to ask you to stay with him? He’d give that more thought at a later date.  “Kugo are you listening?” “Of course I am.” He was not. You don’t seem perturbed though, chuckling and then sighing fondly, “I’m gonna go shower then call it a night, I miss you two though.”  Kugo looks down at the cat on his lap and he nods, “we miss you too. I’ll be up for a bit longer so call or text me if you need anything.”  “You shouldn’t stay up so late Kugo it’s bad for you-”  “I know, I know, I’ll turn over a new leaf when you get back.”  “Sure you will.” You snort, “I love you Kugo.”  “I love you too, I’ll see you soon.”  You wanted to see Kugo first thing when you got back but you were so exhausted that you can’t help sulking to your own place, things had gone well enough but all the commotion and travel really drained you. You were sure it wasn’t anything spending some time or even a night with Kugo couldn’t fix though. When you shoulder your door open though there’s Kugo, sitting on your couch.  “Kugo, you’re here?” He’s holding some papers in one hand, the other is holding Luna’s back, keeping her against his chest.  “I was just checking in on her but every time I tried to leave she started..making a weird noise.”  “Weird like how?” You chuckle, suddenly feeling much better.  “Sort of like screaming. But cat-like. I sat down and she clawed her way up here, then fell asleep and almost fell off, but I caught her and she hasn’t moved since.”  “And... how long ago was that?”  “What time is it?” “Half-past 6.”  “2 hours ago. I didn’t want to wake her.”  “Kugo.” You laugh and sit beside him, “you’re so sweet.” You wrap both of your arms around one of his and lean into his shoulder, “I missed you so much.”  “I missed you too.” Kugo sets the papers down on the pile by the arm of the couch, “It's sort of embarrassing but I even stayed here a few nights because of it. I can’t remember the last time I went even 2 days without seeing you.” He appreciates the way you seem to melt into him at that.  “That’s not embarrassing it’s sweet, you’re so cute Kugo...” You lean up and kiss him, “such a big softie aren’t you?”  A soft hum is his reply as you pull away, “was she any trouble? Be honest.” “I was worried at first that I’d screw it up somehow but it went fine.” He confesses as he lifts the cat off his chest and she’s sleepy and limp in his big hand, purring contentedly.  “She was acting up the 2nd day but I think she was just confused about not seeing you. Then she got used to me and was alright.”  “That’s cute..” You yawn and clamber onto his lap, “god all that traveling tired me out...you’ve been stuck here for 2 hours but I might have to trap you a little longer to take a catnap of my own. I think Luna’s onto something...” You nestle into his shoulder, grateful to feel his arms come around you.  “Don’t worry about me.” He hums as Luna curls up in the sliver of space between your bodies, “I just want to finish reading over some things. Then I'll bring you both to bed.”  “You’ll stay tonight?” You yawn again and he hums, you can tell he’s smiling even though you can’t see him. “Would you like me to?”  You nod into his shoulder, “yeah, I would...”  “Alright then I will. Now go to sleep, you need it.” 

#kugo sakamata x reader #gang orca x reader #vlad king x reader #kan sekijiro x reader #bnha x reader #bnha requests

[fancifulwhump]

i'm LIVING for your jaskier fics omg!! would you be at all interested in writing a prompt where Jaskier is riding Roach because he's not feeling well, but Geralt doesn't realize how bad the fever really is until he falls off? (if that's not interesting or too specific, I can try again! no pressure to write this!)

anonymous asked:  would LOVE to see a sick Jaskier with a cold while they’re traveling, and how Geralt would treat him being feverish and sniffly/how Jaskier would complain lol

AN:   absolutely! so sorry this took a hot second, but here you guys go  ---  hope you enjoy!  ;)

The language of Jaskier is above all a loud one... but just as subtle as any beast’s dialect, filled with intricacies and rhythms that Geralt cannot help taking note of the more he listens. It’s really not the same thing, of course. Non-speaking monsters really can’t use their words; they have no way to express how they feel, except by eating you. Jaskier hasn’t tried to do that. Yet. (Sometimes the way he eyes Geralt in the bath leaves him feeling the day’s not far off.) 

To the contrary — if anything, Jaskier is too verbal. He doesn’t know how to shut up.

Getting used to this took longer than Geralt would have liked. It also demanded considerably more patience than he realized he had. Somehow, staking out a monster’s lair for days in complete silence is bearable... but Sitting through one of Jaskier’s endless rambles is asking too much. Even Witchers can only endure so much.

“Do you ever shut up?” Geralt demanded one day, cutting off the motor-mouthed fool in the middle of another tangent.

Jaskier blinked at him, as though seriously considering the question, then shrugged. “Not a talent of mine, really.”

Miraculously, he did, for a moment. Despite all his instincts screaming to the contrary, Geralt nearly allowed himself to believe his outburst had worked... until Jaskier steppes on a twig, just a bit too loudly, then said, “I was asked the very same thing in bed not too long ago, actually, by this glorious milkmaid — granted, her accent was too thick to make out a word, so she might have been asking me to pass her my ruddy lute, who knows. But she was very enthusiastic —“

And that started him up all over again. Damn the gods.

In spite of it all, Geralt would be lying if he claimed to hate Jaskier’s blathering too much. Sometimes it’s... unique, not being constantly surrounded by silence. He wouldn’t call it nice, not be a long shot, but... it isn’t altogether unpleasant. Jaskier can make for entertaining company in his better moods, and he does keep things interesting. A routine pack of wargs can turn into a colorful job, so long as Jaskier is along to elaborate on it later. Geralt doubts he cuts such a striking figure “swinging his sword to the leaping beast’s belly”, as Jaskier’s latest gig claims, but...

Sometimes, it is nice not to be surrounded by silence. Even if that means putting up with Jaskier’s mouth more than he would like.

Case in point:

“Geralt.” A whine, then a cough, then a passionate sniffle. “Can we slow down? Please? I’ve asked thrice already —“

Four times. Geralt’s been counting. 

Gritting his teeth, he urges Roach a bit faster, conscious of the sound of struggling bard trailing a bit behind him. Jaskier makes no effort to be discreet when he moves, so Geralt can hear everything in perfect detail. The crunch of twigs beneath his heavy feet; the strain of his breaths, a bit more labored than they should be, a bit more congested; the way his chest rattles when he launches into another coughing fit. Even with a nasty cold, Jaskier’s loud.

“Just because I can’t catch it,” says Geralt once the latest fit has passed, “doesn't mean you need to cough on me.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry, I’ll be sure to aim my dying gasps towards the wilderness next time.” Backtalk is a talent Jaskier can’t help himself honing, even sick as a dog. His brows, foreword with childish petulance, draw even tighter together as he wraps both arms around himself, hunching in. A shiver courses through him; Geralt distinctly hears the rattle of chattering teeth. The second Jaskier catches his eyes lingering, however, he plays up his misery for the perceived audience, pouting and wiping at his face. Geralt rolls his eyes, looking away.

Geralt understands the patterns of many beasts, but Jaskier’s language was one of the easiest to learn. The Law of Jaskier: as long as he’s talking, he’s fine. 

And he hasn’t stopped talking since early this morning. No, not talking — complaining. Gods help him, Jaskier hasn’t stopped complaining.

He still stubbornly follows Geralt out on the road, however; in spite of his red nose and phelmgy cough, Jaskier refuses to be left behind. It wouldn’t be the first time he chose to linger in a particular village which Geralt went on ahead, but Jaskier insisted the last one one didn’t appeal to him — “Everyone looks half-starved there. No wonder, the food tastes like shit. At midnight I half-expect them all to gather into a mob, hunt down the nearest visiting bard, and fry him on a spit. I have just enough meat on my bones, Geralt, but I wouldn’t be tasty —“

That rant devolved into a coughing fit that left Jaskier doubled over on the side of the road for five minutes, gasping and heaving. Geralt actually had to stop and wait for him. By the time Jaskier recovered, raising himself shakily up from his knees on the dirt road, he looked a mess. His face was bright red, tears lingering at the corners of his eyes; his chest still heaved. That was the moment any sensible person would have turned back… but Jaskier simply steeled himself and carried on.

Fool of a bard, Geralt thinks now, listening to Jaskier’s heavy footsteps behind them. He’s lagging, slowing them both down. His scent has picked up something unfamiliar, an edge of sour sweetness that can only be a fever. At least he’s walking on his own… but he’s not walking fast, is the thing, and they have to walk fast if they want to reach the next town before nightfall. As it is, the prospect looks doubtful; Jaskier has slowed them enough already.

“As soon as we find a bed, I’m collapsing in it —“ Jaskier pauses to sniff again, and clear a hoarse throat. “Then not getting out for a year. A year, Geralt. You’ll have to — drag me by my feet or something.”

“Something,” Geralt agrees, his mind flashing to images of swords and steel. Oh, he’d get the damned bard out of bed.

The trail gets rougher as they make their way further into the mountains. Even Geralt stumbles in places, and he’s built for this sort of travel. He’s wearing the boots for it.  Jaskier is distinctly neither of these things. As Geralt’s must focus more of his attention on their way forward, he almost misses what’s going on behind him — the harshness of his companion’s breaths growing more and more labored, the way Jaskier’s coughs pick up force and frequency, the times he must stop — physically stop — to sneeze or hack his lungs out. Geralt tries to ignore it. He really does. But the fact that he almost manages, for about fifteen minutes, is what alerts him to a much more alarming fact.

Jaskier has stopped complaining.

As soon as Geralt realizes this, he jerks to a halt on the trail. Roach follows his lead… but Jaskier, his head down, doesn’t notice. Instead, he walks straight into Roach’s backside, nearly toppling off his feet. 

“Agh — damn it, Geralt.” Even his indignation sounds listless. “Give a man warning next time, will you?”

“How,” asks Geralt, through gritted teeth, “do you feel?”

Jaskier blinks, appearing to weigh the likelihood that his companion is genuinely concerned or just annoyed. Whatever he decides, he isn’t wrong. Instead of offering an answer, he makes an inarticulate ‘hmm-mmm’, shrugging his shoulders. Geralt’s hard gaze bores into him. Jaskier shrinks under it. After a moment, the pressure grows too much; he breaks. “My head is pounding, to be honest. Feels… dizzy. I don’t know. It’s cold out here.”

“You have a fever,” Geralt observes. 

Jaskier raises his eyebrows, then laughs softly, like he’s not surprised. “Right, yep, that makes sense. Figures you know me better than I do…”

He breaks off into another fit of coughing, which leaves his entire body quaking. Geralt has to actually grab his shoulder to steady him, just in case Jaskier should tumble over. As soon as he’s regained some kind of composure, though, Jaskier pulls away.

“I’ll be fine.” This time, there isn’t a trace of whine in his voice; he isn’t scraping the barrel for pity, but being deadly serious. “Not too long to the next village anyways, is it? I can make it.”

Geralt eyes him for a long moment, weighing the likelihood of getting there in a reasonable amount of time with Jaskier lagging behind. It’s not good. They’ve been making poor time as it is, because he’s had to slow his pace for the damned bard, but Geralt would prefer not to camp along the road overnight. (Because he doesn’t feel like sleeping on hard ground; not because Jaskier in his current state needs a warm bath and bed. Absolutely not.)

He sighs through his teeth. “Get on the horse.”

“What?”

Either Jaskier’s fever is high enough that he can no longer comprehend the common tongue, or he really is an idiot. “The horse,” Geralt emphasizes, patting Roach’s hindquarters in preemptive apology. “If you ride her, we may make it to the nearest village before nightfall.”

This is the one and only time Geralt has ever offered his precious horse; Jaskier knows this, as well as he knows this chance will never come around again. Maybe he’s just an opportunist. Maybe the promise of a roof over his head is that tempting. Either way, Jaskier doesn’t weigh his options for long before doing the sensible thing and getting on the damn horse.

Roach whinnies, making her displeasure at the entire situation clear. Jaskier isn’t helping matters, a dead weight on her back. The horse stamps her hooves, shuffling in dismay, but a look from Geralt chastises her. For the moment, getting the bard out of the woods will have to be more important than her dignity.

No, Geralt doesn’t like it either. One look at Jaskier’s face, though — the hollow-eyed pallor, and the distance, as though he’s drifted out to sea already — reminds him why it is necessary.

This time around, they are able to set a much faster pace. Roach keeps up, just as Geralt knew she would, even carrying the burden that is Jaskier. The sick man doesn’t help his case; rather than ride, Jaskier has both arms braces against Roach’s neck, clearly focused on just keeping his balance. There’s a precarious list to his posture which Geralt keeps an eye on, but he doesn’t actually fall; every time it seems like he might, he rights himself, and a new dawn of clarity rises over his face. It lasts only a moment, of course, before fading away… but it’s something.

It isn’t long before the woods begin to thin out. Geralt tracks their location by the trees, and by the hues of purple and gold beginning to blend together on the horizon. They haven’t far to go, and enough time to do it. Unless they run into any roaming monsters on the way…

He takes his eyes off Jaskier, and there’s the mistake. He forgets. When Jaskier was complaining, at least he was present; by airing his grievances he ensured that he could not be ignored. This quiet Jaskier is a foreign one, and Geralt isn’t used to him. So, he makes a mistake. He looks away, and doesn’t look back… until a gruesome thud echoes from behind him.

Geralt stops dead in his tracks. Roach lets out a distressed whinny. Jaskier says nothing at all.

“Fuck!” Geralt hisses, rushing back to the bard’s crumpled body. Face-down in the dirt, Jaskier makes no attempt to pull himself up. When Geralt hauls him upright with both hands on his shoulders, Jaskier groans, head lolling against his own chest. 

Mud stains his cheeks, and a bruise is sure to form where he hit the ground hard. Even when Geralt seizes his face, though — and damn it, he’s on fire, worse than Geralt thought — Jaskier proves incapable of focusing. An incoherent murmur passes through parted lips. It does exactly nothing to alleviate Geralt’s minor panic.

“Jaskier! Wake up!” Is he even asleep? Geralt can’t tell. “Say something!”

He means it, and the realization comes as an icy shock — never did he imagine he’d ever miss the bard’s incessant prattling. Yet in the sudden absence of Jaskier’s voice, silence rings louder than ever, and it’s smothering Geralt to death. He should have seen this, should have known, should have realized, damn it —

“Jaskier,” he hisses, hauling his companion to his feet. The full weight of Jaskier’s limp body melts against his own. When Jaskier’s burning forehead falls against Geralt’s shoulder, he shrugs, trying to rouse him… but nothing does the job. Even when Geralt, grumbling furiously, is forced to haul Jaskier back up onto Roach and leap up after him, the fever permits Jaskier to do little more than melt against him. His head lolls, eyes half-open and staring into nothing. Worse than it all, he is completely silent.

For once in his life, Geralt misses the damned bard’s complaining.

#the witcher #sickfic #jaskier #taylortut

[gone-daddy-gone]

Rating: Mature. Violence, cussing

Genre: Yandere

Word Count: 3338

One Shot: 1

Requests: Open

Rules: Rules

Fandoms to Request: Here

Links: Kageyama (yan), Kenma (fluff)

Cruelty

you had been friends with bokuto and kuroo since you were kids. best of friends. the three musketeers. closer than two birds and feather. of course, that changed right around around puberty.

it changed not because of the quick hour glass figured you got? no not that. was it your large chest perhaps? nope. it was that you moved away. far away, to another school. you didn't ditch them! you would never. your dad just got a new job and, as much as you loved your best friends your family came first. you always made sure to visit. however you knew visiting wasn't enough, you missed them so damn much and they missed you. the up all nights watching tv and playing video games. innocent best friend activities. but things we're changing, you felt it.

it stared out small, you got a boyfriend. and they had the nerve to feel betrayed. why? it wasn't like you were picking sides. you just happened to be fond of someone and they in turn you. so why were they so mad? it ended, of course. that never stopped them from being all "well why can't you hang out" "what do you mean you're gonna be with him" "are we not important enough" bullshit. to be honest, it hurt you to know your best friends thought you cared for someone else more than them. it hurt and annoyed you. you can love people in different ways after all.

their behavior did drive a giant wedge. and it made room for other friends. other boys. anyone really. no matter how big the wedge, and how many people forced themselves in, you knew that no one could replace your best friends. the last time you'd seen them was well over a month ago, painfully long time. you went to go see their little volleyball camp they we're attending. it was quite nice, really. schools from all over, taking place in what they were passionate about most. however the fun cheerful mood quickly changed when a boy began to hit on you. you didn't mind of course he was quite handsome, his name was oikowa. he had chocolate brown eyes, and feather like brown hair. he has to be at least 6'0, probably bigger. you could tell he was built too.

"well aren't you just a breathe of fresh air." it was cheesy but you had to admit, kinda charming.

"oh and aren't you forward." you replied still searching for your friends. swaying your hips as you walked away. you wouldn't hit on him back cause he looked like a player. but you could give him a show.

he made a loud giggle. "and aren't you-" he was cut off my bokuto.

"hey hey hey! oikowa stop perving."

"i am not perving i was merely walking with a beautiful girl what's the problem?"

"the problem is you're a horn dog." kuroo leered into oikowas ear.

"oh i am not!"

"are too"

"D2" you whispered. no one heard. and no one laughed. that was fine, you didn't care at all. i know i'm funny and that's what matters.

 the bickering continued on for, oh, i don't know; ten minutes. seriously they were all so childish and why did they even care? you weren't in trouble you weren't uncomfortable they were just overbearing to be overbearing.

"god can all of you stop!" your eyes threatened to water. you guys never see each other and they were doing this again.

"how long has it been kuroo? two weeks, three? i never get to see you and you're paying more attention to him than me."

 your goofy best friends faces fell. they knew they were in the wrong. they just cared about you! that's all. really. that's all, they told themselves.

"(y/n)-chan is right lets enjoy her time instead of dealing with the horn dog." bokuto agreed. nodding as he walked away from oikowa and towards his friends. he gave a quick glare at him before he turned back around.

 it was wonderful! complete bliss. for about an hour. before something else came up and they had to be over bearing again you'd get over it and it'd be fine again. then again, you'd get over it and again and again. having enough you yelled at them to stop.

"why the fuck should we!" bokuto yelled back. his face was contorting into an ugly scary face that you've never seen before. you stepped back, he had never raised his voice at you. yet here he was. treating you like a child, and yelling at you into submission.

"do NOT talk to me like that." you said calmly, but your face began to twitch.

"he's right. why should we stop? we're being your best friends like always why are you acting like a brat!" that was enough for you. and your eyes began to water. how could they not see what they were doing! unbelievable. when were they ever gonna grow the fuck up.

"you know what. if i'm being such a fucking brat, i'll leave."

 they sprang for your arm as you began to walk away. now they're putting their hands on me? this wasn't like them and you hated it. where was the best friend that laughed when i snorted milk? where was the best friend that told me his first crush was the progressive lady? this was not your best friend. and you had enough.

"get your fucking hands off me." you said before a harsh tug of your arm. you stormed off as at least ten boys watched the whole thing. moving out of your way cause you looked pissed. bokuto, the more impulsive one began to furrow his brow and walk towards you. he didn't get far, kuroo gripped his elbow tight holding him back.

"no." he whipped around, very clearly angry.

"give her her space. we'll re group and try again."

 he turned back to look at you waddle off. he hated to admit it but kuroo was right. you were gonna do your own thing. that's why they had to make sure you couldn't do that anymore.

 the text was abrupt. not an apology like you wanted. it was something though. after a month they had asked you to help move some stuff for bokutos parents. they were moving some stuff into a small house and needed you. you asked about the house and bokuto just said that his family was gonna rent it out for some extra cash. got the property pretty cheap apparently. good for them you thought. you missed them too, along with your best friend. this whole thing was ridiculous. not you of course, you were being rational. but they absolutely were not being rational. sighing, this was all the contact you got from them in months and you chose to savor it. putting on your goofy personality and heading out the door to go help your best friends. the last time you'd ever leave your house.

 you walked to where bokuto vaguely explained where it was. since it didn't have an address, you just had to roll with it. they texted you along the way. making jokes, making plans for when they were done packing. it was good to have your best friends back. when you arrived you saw a small house way tucked back away from anybody. i wonder how his parents found this place? there's fuckin nobody around. i suppose people liked that type of shit tough. nice and secluded. you could see the appeal; although you couldn't shake the feeling of being scared. you approached and argued with yourself if you should knock, or just barge in. you decided to knock them barge in.

 your boys were standing there laughing and they turned to you. they looked, weird. they looked mischievous and, sadistic at the same time. they were probably planning to scare you in some way. a spider was probably in one of the boxes! whatever it was, you decided not to fall for it when it did happen.

"oi oi oi,"

"long time no see." they were finishing each other's sentences, which, admittedly wasn't that odd. just kinda off putting. not to mention the air felt tense like they were waiting for something. weirdos.

"well where's my hug?" you held out your arms expecting a big hug and a giggle session. they did neither of that. kuroo went first, bending down to your waist to pick you up in an embrace. the hug was long, the muscular arms he had began to crush you a little. you giggled it off. maybe they just really miss me?

"alright big guy, you're hurting me." you tried shoving him off but he wouldn't budge.

"seriously." still nothing.

"kuroo it's my turn." he dropped you at bokutos request, not yours. what in the actual fuck was that? instead of getting angry, you swallowed it, and went for bokuto. he gripped just as tight, and you swore he sniffed your hair. he was more willing to let you go than kuroo. when he did let go you smiled and reached for his face.

"i missed you." he touched your hand and rubbed it without his thumb.

"you'll never miss me again." you giggled, taking it as they'll never fight with you again.

"good! cause now that we're besties again i have sooooo much to tell you guys." giggling you retracted your hand.

"like oh my god you remember my friend sakura? if not that's ok, anyways she went and told our friend katsu that i-" you went on a tangent as they watch you roam about the house looking at everything.

"wow you guys even have granite counter tops! your parents are probably gonna charge people a fortune! good for them honestly, they deserve it working so hard all time. oh my god and speaking of; how are they? do they miss me? i miss them, i miss them telling me that i was the child they wished they had." you turned around hoping he'd be flipping you off or sticking out his tongue. they were just staring. that same creepy smile.

"am i gonna be the only one to talk this whole time? seriously guys, you know i will." you laughed, please fucking laugh.

"oh we know." finally. thank you kuroo.

"but why don't we show you upstairs hmmm?"

"yeah, the upstairs." bokuto repeated his words, but slower.

"oh sure! i bet it's huge huh? maybe i can rent out from you guys when i've had a fight with my parents." you all chucked.

"maybe, grab that box right there it needs to go up there."

"oh this on here?" now that you thought about it. most of the stuff was already moved. the packing was pretty much done. there was three boxes left. one for you, one for kuroo and one for bokuto. aw, they probably just missed me! this was probably just an excuse to see me! we really are best friends you said to yourself smiling.

"ok! lets a go!"

"ok mario. this way." he began to walk towards the steps, you and kuroo in tow. 

"ok at least i don't look like an owl." that made kuroo bust up laughing.

"shut up kuroo at least i'm not some little bitch cat."

"for your information, cats are cool."

"i have no choice but to side with koto on this one. cats suck."

"ACTUALLY!" here he goes again.

now this is where it's at. all of you arguing and laughing over stupid things. not them being overbearing all the time. this was the best friends you grew up with. things were gonna go back to normal. things were gonna be different, you could feel it.

"check it ooouuut!" bokuto opened the door letting you glide past to be first.

"wow! this is amazing." it was a pretty spacious room. and the bed was huge! why you bet it could even fit three people. the walls were a brilliant shade of light pink.

"no way a walk in closet!" you set the stuff you'd been carrying by the closet. but you noticed something weird, it had clothes in it.

"oh is someone already staying here?" you shouted from the inside.

"something like that." you heard kuroo mutter. what you didn't hear, was him close and lock the door.

"damn and a bathroom! this is some nice shit! now i'd pay to live here for sure." you said looking at them. they both sat down on the large bed, continuing the staring. you ignored it. they're just being weird today, that's all.

"wow this bed is soft! i'm gonna take pictures of this room and send it to my mom she's gonna be so impressed!" you reached for your phone, but it wasn't there.

"well thats weird!" you giggled and rubbed your temples.

"must of left it downstairs, just give me one second." you continued your chatter making your way to the door.

"i'm so forgetful. oh my god this reminds me i left my-" the knob wouldn't move. 

"i left my-" you repeated, trying to force it a little harder this time.

"well what a difficult door! you guys should really" another harsh turn and nothing happened.

"get this fixed before people stay." you began to mess with it a lot. the fear or realization hadn't hit you yet.

"seriously no one wants to be stuck in here for to long!" you giggled before turning over to them. they just sat there, half lidded and staring at you.

"well aren't you guys gonna help me?" nothing. not a word, not a move.

"oh i see. oh please kuroo-kun and bokuto-kun~ please help me open the door! what will i do without your big, strong muscles." once agin trying to make light out of it you put your hand on top of your head, clutching your chest. but still, they didn't move. what the fuck? seriously?

"guys common.." you said before turning back to the door, trying harder this time. you shook and shook and tried forcing but it wasn't budging.

"guys if you're trying to scare me it won't work! what are you guys trying to go for, hm? like a cult? you gonna rip my skin off?" pulling down your face you made a zombie like face to make them laugh. still, they didn't so much as flinch. the only part of them that was moving was their eyes. they just followed you around as you asked for help or made your pathetic attempts at a joke.

"guys, please." your voice was low, it was a feeble plea. when that didn't work, you went back to the door and began to shove your shoulder into it. you did this a few times before turning around.

"guys fucking open the door!" you shouted, anything so they'd do something. smile, and not in the fucking creepy way they were. laugh. tell you that you're being dramatic, literally anything. do fucking something.

"guys open the fucking door! this isn't funny."

bokuto leaned back, he let out a deep chuckle from his throat. finally fucking something.

"ha ha ha ha ah ha ha. very funny, just- just please open the door now." you tried your best to stay calm. but your voice croaked, betraying you.

"kuroo?" you asked with begging eyes.

"i think you know we aren't gonna do that."

it hit you like a ton of bricks. what were they even talking about? they're just trying to scare me. and it's working.

"w-what what are you, i- what are you even." you're brain searched every piece of itself to make words but it couldn't. your heart was thundering inside your chest. what the fuck was he even talking about? you turned around and began to slowly hit the door. slowly the hits became loud and desperate. you grabbed the knob and shook it violently as your tears welt up in your eyes.

"guys, p-please."

"aw, she's crying." bokuto jeered. was he, was he laughing too? what the fuck was so funny! how was any of this fucking funny!

"did you hear the cute little stutter? she's so terrified." kuroo too? why? you began to fight back a sob.

"ok... you've had your fun. j-just open the door now." you wiped your tears, searching their face for any sign of remorse. there wasn't any.

"j-j-just shut the fuck up." kuroo purred. that made you start to violently sob and shake.

"please!"

"aw. pwease! she says." bokuto said before laughing like a monster.

"HELP! SOMEONE HELP MEEEE! HELP PLEASSE!"

"i said to shut the fuck up!" kuroo yelled, you turned around and he was off the bed. he wasn't moving towards you, which was good. but he was off of the bed. it was a threat. you could tell. you heard static ringing in your ears. your eyes frantically searched for something to fight him off with. there wasn't anything. there was a bed, clothes, and a toilet.

"w-why? why are you-"

"why she says! why! god did you hear that! she's so dumb look at her kuroo!"

"well that's a little harsh. no need to call her names."

"you're right. i just can't believe how easy she fell for it. walked straight in no questions asked. didn't even notice us lock the door or take her phone."

they did what? they took my phone? why were they doing this? they're your best friends.

"(y/n)-chan, we're still very upset about how you spoke to us at the volleyball camp."

an apology? is that what they wanted. if that's what they wanted you'd give it to them.

"ok i'm sorry! is that what you want! i'm sorry i'm sorry i'm sorry!! just-"

"stop fucking asking to open the door." bokuto got off the bed and began to walk towards you.

"no! no stop!" you bolted for the bathroom.

"if you know what's good for you, you'll stop while you're ahead." the threat hung in the air, leaving you to shiver and crumble to your knees.

"that's the smartest thing you've done all day." bokuto whispered in your ear.

"get away from me!" you shoved him off, effectively backing yourself into the corner.

"come on now, we don't wanna hurt you too bad. we just need you to learn your lesson." he began to reach for you.

"no..no please! please stop!"

"stop your fussing! you're acting like a baby. where's all that fire from the volleyball camp huh?" the owl like boy you held near and dear to your heart held your arms back up into the air so you were kneeling away from him and facing down. he put his foot into your back and pushed down while pulling back your arms so you'd face kuroo.

"please-" kuroo reached down and smacked your face.

"i said to shut up."

"you're hurting me tetsurō.." he landed another smack on your other cheek as you wept on the ground. it felt like bokuto was gonna rip your arms out of their sockets.

"you will speak when spoken to. i don't ever wanna hear you talk about another boy again i don't ever wanna hear you tell us what we can and cannot say to you again. do you understand?"

too afraid to talk, you nod your head.

"good. and anything we say you'll do you will do. you will never leave this house, do you understand?"

your heart thumped hard, you said not a word. continuing crying.

"i said do you understand!"

"yes!"

"good. now the punishment has only started, what do you think we should do bokuto?"

"i think i have some ideas." he drove the back of his foot further in your back and pulled your arms more. the pain was immeasurable, both physically and mentally. and you'd be stuck like this. for the rest of your life. tormented by the people you thought were your best friends.

#yandere #yandere! haikyuu!! #yandere! bokuto #yandere! kuroo #kuroo tetsurō #kuroo tetsuro x reader #bokuto kotaro #bokuto kotaro x reader #haikyuu!! fanfiction #haikyū!! #haikyuu!! #tw: swearing #tw: violence #tw: yandere #haikyuu!! x reader #my posts #yandere love #yandere x reader #yandere x you #yandere prompt #yandere imagines #yandere scenario #yandere oneshot #yandere drabble #yandere haikyuu #haikyuu imagines #haikyuu!! imagines #yandere haikyuu!! imagines #hq imagines #yandere hq

[tsarinastorm]

Same World-Adam Sackler/Reader-Chapter 1

*PART TWO OF SO WE BEAT ON SERIES

PART 1: Chapter 1  Chapter 2  Chapter 3  Chapter 4  Chapter 5   Chapter 6

“I want to know you moved and breathed in the same world with me”. -F. Scott Fitzgerald

Adam’s walking through the park carrying Sample, he had got roped into babysitting as Caroline had to go somewhere and Laird was busy. He hoped it wouldn’t be for too long like it was last time. Both Caroline and Laird had seemingly been more stable than they’d ever been and it made Adam happy. Considering her real name, Adam was now glad his niece’s nickname Sample stuck, it was better than have to carry around little Jessa-Hannah. In fact, that name made him feel nauseous. Now he was over both his past relationships with Jessa and Hannah enough to be friendly with both of them, but he still preferred to keep his distance so he wouldn’t get caught up in all of that drama again.

               Today was his day off from shooting his recent film and he wanted to make the most of it despite his babysitting duties. It was nice outside, and Sample needed fresh air so he took to her a local park, though he would never let her be more a few feet away him. She’s sitting down on the blanket he brought for them playing with a toy and he’s talking to her in a silly voice which makes her laugh. He hears someone speaking to him.

               “Cute baby. Is she yours?” Y/N observes him with Sample and smiles. Adam’s disoriented seeing her there, and she looks beautiful he thinks to himself. She’s wearing a striped short-sleeved sweater, black jeans and flats.  Act cool, act cool.

               “No, she’s my niece. Her name is Sample.” He answers her and she leans down beside the blanket and hands Sample her toy. Y/N raises her eyebrows as she asks, “Her name is really Sample? That’s a different name.”

               Adam watches Y/N playing with Sample, and he appreciates it. He remembers how awful Jessa was with her, so it’s refreshing to see someone who is a natural. He mentally logs this moment in his mind, because if he ever gets into a serious relationship again, he wants kids one day. “Sample is her nickname because she was born really small, sample-sized. Her name is Jessa-Hannah Bluebell something, some ridiculous name. My sister was trying to do a home-birth but was having complications and refused to go to the hospital. It was Jessa and Hannah who convinced Laird to carry her there.”

“Damn that sucks though having your niece named after two of your exes. Sample it is then” She says as she smiles. Y/N adds, “You seem like you’re really good with her.”

“I guess so. I’m a like a big kid myself and it works out.” He responds back and Sample appears to be loving all the attention she’s getting. Sample grabs unto Y/N then heads towards Adam, as Y/N hands her to Adam, their hands brush. And it’s electric, Adam can feel the tingle go through his arm. She then looks at her phone and stands up to leave.

               “I have to go meet Shoshanna for lunch. But you’ll be at the party, right?”

               Adam nods his head, but before he can speak, Y/N adds, “Hannah and Jessa both will be there, but if it gets weird I can find a place to hide you in the apartment.”

               “Thanks, but I think it should be civil between all of us now.” He watches her go and thinks that if he wasn’t so into Y/N there would be no way anyone could get him to that party. But he supposes he’ll suffer through it if he gets to spend time with her.

**************************************************************

Marnie called you as soon as you left Shosh, and she told you that she had seen her ex Charlie earlier in the day. She said that he’d gone through rehab, been clean for over a year and has a new app he’s developing. She then mentions that she invited him to your apartment warming. You told her that if   Marnie still had a couple hours of work left and you decided to browse on your computer. Without thinking it through, you start googling Adam, and then you’re clicking on his movie. You try to talk yourself out of it, but then you press play. It’s actually good, guess he really did love Hannah.

               Then, the scene starts. He spanks her again and again. You feel yourself becoming aroused as you watch his back muscles move and his large hand collide with her. You’re getting wetter, and honestly you can’t remember the last time you felt this horny. You go to take a shower, hoping that these hormones will pass. But that scene was hot, and you couldn’t ignore it. Then, there was the raw emotion from that film, you could feel everything that the characters were feeling. It made you think of Adam differently to see what kind art he had created and to see what he really felt. Here you had always thought that he was more of player, you never realized the strength of his emotions. Now you find him more attractive than you did before.

               Ugh, this complicates things, you think to yourself. Of course you had to go and catch feelings for one of the most inconvenient men you’ve met. First, there’s the fact that Adam may be the most frustrating man you’ve ever known, second, he’s an ex of one of  your friends and has a complicated past. Third, you had decided that you didn’t want a relationship right now, you had wanted to focus on yourself. Yet, if you were being honest with yourself, you were infatuated by Adam, and you could see it potentially developing into something real one day, if it wasn’t already. He made your head hurt, your heart flutter, and gave you butterflies as cliché as that sounded. He was intense, and you could tell that he felt things as deeply as you did. You always wanted the type of connection that was intoxicating, maddening and deep enough to drown in. You knew you would have to explore things with Adam, and you made up your mind that you would be open to the possibilities.

               While you’re zoned out in your own world pondering your emotions, you hear your phone buzzing. You check it and its Jessa calling you, so you answer, “Hello.”

“Hey, so Y/N, first, I need life advice then I have a question about the party tonight.” Jessa says and you can hear people in the background speaking.

               “Okay shoot.” You tell her.

“I want to mend my friendship with Hannah but I don’t know how. I thought since Adam and I are over that it would fall back into place but it’s not. And can I bring a plus one to the party tonight?” Jessa asks and you sigh before answering, “You should show Hannah that you’ve changed and that she can trust you again, and you know, take an interest in her life. It will probably be a slow process. You can bring a plus one as long as he behaves.”

*******************************************************************

Music fills the air, and you have opened the sliding doors to the main terrace. Marnie has taken care of the food for the night. You weren’t sure if you wanted this apartment warming in the first place but you go along with it, because, hey, what could it hurt? Marnie has moved the furniture around in the main room so the table is in the middle of the room, while there are other seats surrounding the room. You’ve never been the best hostess so you follow her lead. Though you do set out the flowers and see that the food is out with utensils in all of the containers. You’re wearing a pale-pink, off-the-shoulder jumpsuit, and block-heeled sandals.

“I can’t believe you invited Jessa. And Adam. There is now a 99 % chance that this will turn into a shit show.”  Marnie says as she continues moving around your apartment. You stop to get a treat for your dog River before answering her. “You invited who you wanted, including your druggie ex who you just ran into for a few minutes earlier today. By the way, tell me about that.”

“Well I just ran into Charlie on the street and he started asking me questions about my life. I summed up the past two years, and asked him about what he’s up to. He said that he went to rehab, and has been clean since. He also has a new app he’s starting. I don’t know it just really threw me for a loop seeing him again.” Marnie states and you notice that she’s twitching her fingers like she does when she’s nervous.

“Running into an ex can do that. Do you still have any feelings for him?” You ask because now you’re curious. She seems very flustered so you sense that there’s some emotions underneath that.

“For so long, I thought I would always end up with Charlie. Then I wouldn’t and I thought that Desi was the one, then Ray, but I think that I always really wanted closure about Charlie.” She admits and you give her a pat on the shoulder and say, “If you need closure then get closure. Love chooses you sometimes.”

“Back to what I said before I got off on the Charlie tangent, what were you thinking invite both Adam and Jessa?”

“Jessa says that she wants to turn her life around and I guess I want to support that. Adam and I have a lot in common, he makes me feel less weird.” You say hoping that will get her to accept the fact that you choose to invite them both.

“Look, Y/N, I know you’re a good person and want to help people but Jessa pulls this all the time. She’ll say she’s going to change, get her life together and that will last a few months then she spirals out of control. And she’ll probably end up fucking you over. But I say that as your best friend: just be careful. Then there’s Adam. I have never understood what it was about him that made Hannah and Jessa so crazy. My only worry with him is that he wants to fuck you. Then if that happens, the awkward love triangle will turn into an even more awkward love rectangle.”

You feel your face go red at her last statement, you still blush as an adult and you hate it. Then, you do your best damage control by saying, “That’s not going to happen. But I guess we’ll see what happens with Jessa. We’re best friends, we’re supposed to be honest with each other.”

Marnie turns and grab a gift bag from her room, and pulls out the bottle of champagne that was inside. She says, “Marc got us this as a house warming gift.”

“Oh well that was very nice of him.” You say and think that he was the last person you wanted to think of. Elijah then shows up early to help the two of you set up the decorations. You had bought some lights to string up through the apartment and terrace while Marnie had got a few balloons. You catch up with Elijah while you wait for your other guests to arrive. Hannah shows up first, followed by Shoshanna and her fiancé, Byron, then Ray and his girlfriend Abigail come in. Then a guy you assume must be Charlie walks in. He seems nice enough, and Marnie introduces you to him.  You’re actually feeling relieved that Jessa didn’t show since Marnie was sure that she would cause problems, but you were disappointed that Adam bailed. You were looking forward to hanging out with him again and you wanted to tell him that you watched the movie.

               You mingle with Shosh and Elijah, the former is talking about wedding details and the latter is giving her his thoughts on the details. Byron is keeping his opinion to himself as you assume that he’s letting Shosh do much of the planning. You look over and see Ray and his girlfriend Abigail sharing a plate of food and giggling. Your eyes continue to scan the room to see Marnie and Charlie off on their own in a corner in the room.  How is possible to feel lonely in a room full of people?

******************************************************************

Adam buzzes up to Y/N and Marnie’s apartment. When he walks through the door he immediately sees that the room is full with people who aren’t his biggest fans: Hannah, Marnie, Marnie’s old boyfriend, Elijah. Then he sees Y/N and it was worth it. She standing by the door to the balcony, and smiles as soon as she sees him. She looks hot and comes right up to him and thanks him for showing up.  He don’t see Jessa and he’s relieved he can’t deal with her ‘friendship’ ploy tonight.She offers him a drink and he follows her into the kitchen to avoid socializing with the other people at the party.

“I have a question and I want you to be completely honest with me.” Y/N says and looks somber. He nods his head and now he’s scared: what will she ask, it must be important. She then leans into him, handing him his drink then whispers, “What is like to fuck Hannah and Jessa?”

He watches her to see if she’s joking or being serious. She then laughs at his horrified expression and he shakes his head and shrugs his shoulders before adding, “A gentleman never tells.”

“Now, c’mon, what kind of answer is that? I invited you so you could provide details and your drama could be the entertainment for the night.” She says cheerfully, then giggles. Holy shit, that giggle may be one of the best sounds he’s ever heard.

“What? Here I thought you brought me here so you could watch me squirm. Don’t worry, I’ll be sure to make it clear that you invited me so you’re responsible.” He says in a deep tone back at her.

“On a more serious note, I watched your movie….” Now, Adam starts to panic, he’s expecting her to lay into him and begin her insults/commentary. He’s surprised by her actual comment.

“It was really good. It was open and raw. Real life isn’t depicted correctly in art anymore, it was refreshing. You could really feel the passion. To have a love that’s too intense to survive is painful, but you have to let it go.”

He feels his face blush, he always feel uncomfortable from praise, but he does appreciate it from Y/N. He knows she definitely has her own opinions, and is well-cultured so if she likes it then that really means something. He awkwardly stammers, “Thank you, I appreciate it.”

Then the rest of her comments sink in, he adds, “See you get the purpose of it! That was the point of it: that you can have a connection that’s too intense for it to last.”

The moment is ruined because he then sees Jessa walk into the room with some guy, she’s obviously dragged here. She goes up to talk to Hannah, Marnie, and Shoshanna. Adam is thankful that she hasn’t spotted him yet and he wants to keep it that way.

“How are your projects going?” Y/N asks him like she doesn’t even recognize that he’s become tense. He answers, “Good, I’m actually updating some of my old writing work for a resume, and preparing for another audition. One of my friends from the cab group wants me to take the movie and either turn into a longer screenplay or adapt for the stage.”

Shit! Jessa’s made eye contact with him and now she’s coming their way. Jessa approaches with the asshole she’s brought with her. She hugs Y/N, and says, “Y/N, you look beautiful as always. This is Joe, we’ve been seeing each other.”

Jessa then turns to Adam and says, “It’s good to see you, Adam. Adam this is Joe, he’s a cardiologist. Joe this is Adam.”

Adam reluctantly shakes Joe’s hand and prays that Jessa goes away. He can tell that she brought this guy here to make him jealous but he’s so checked out of that relationship that he doesn’t care, he’s just annoyed. He wants to continue his conversation with Y/N without the newfound company. Y/N chatters with Jessa for a short amount of time which leaves both him and Joe stuck standing there awkwardly.

“If you need someone else to help you review your other pieces, I’d love to read some more of your work, if you’re open to that. I know some writing is extremely personal.” Y/N says as she ignores that Jessa and Joe are still only a few away. Jessa is trying to hide that she’s eavesdropping in the conversation, but she keeps her head pointed towards their conversation.

“I’d like that, I’m auditioning for a role with Ars Nova, and they’re going to be doing a new piece by Sara Ruhl. They look their actors to be well-rounded and are looking for new works.” Adam says and he can’t hide his excitement. He wants the role and to be a part of the elite company.

“Wait, that’s amazing! Didn’t Lin Manuel Miranda do work with them? And Sarah Ruhl? Wow” Y/N says and she sounds as excited about it as he does.

“It’s a big opportunity and I want everything to be perfect.” He says. But before they can continue the conversation, Jessa interjects, “Who and what are you talking about?”

“A theater company, one of the best in New York and one of the best contemporary playwrights,” Y/N answers her and Jessa only responds with “Oh” then she walks away and goes to talk Hannah.  Adam and Y/N look at each other and raise their eyebrows before continuing the conversation.

They end up talking about past relationships, family, and pet peeves. For one of the first times, Adam is one of the last people to leave the party, Y/N gives him a hug and Marnie gives him the side-eye.Adam never thought that Y/N would agree to help him write. The idea of her reading and editing his work makes him somehow self-conscious and excited at the same time. He wants to be sure to impress her, and to make the most of it so his resume is as good as possible.

Adam returns home then goes back to read through new materials for upcoming auditions. He gives up after he notices that he can’t concentrate. His thoughts drift to Y/N as he thinks of how good she looked that night at the party, and how perfectly disheveled she looked walking the other day. He wonders what she would look like after he’s wrecked her, then he thinks about her great her tits looked in that outfit, and her perky ass. And he realizes that now he’s hard. He unbuttons his pants and reaches down to stroke his cock. He begins stroking, thinking of how Y/N’s mouth would feel sucking him, how her pussy would feel around him, and how she would look when he made her cum. He strokes at a faster pace until he feels the familiar tingle in his spine. Then his orgasm hits him and streaming cum is across his hands and his stomach.

He thinks that he’s going to have to make a move on Y/N, or else he’ll always regret it. He’s interested in her in every way: sexually, emotionally, and intellectually, and he supposes he’ll settle for any part of her she’ll give him.

******************************************************************

               Once everyone is gone, you crash down on the couch beside Marnie, and you look around at the mess left from the party. You grab some a container of cookie dough and a couple of spoons, and the two you snack and talk about how great the party was.  Marnie stares at you, so finally ask, “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“I saw you talked to Adam most of the night.” Marnie says in an accusatory tone and gets up to pick up some of the trash.

“What? We have a lot in common. I’m not going to apologize for it. You spend the night talking to Charlie, how did that go?” You say, desperate to change the topic.

“It was good, I forgot how I had felt about him. Then it’s all coming rushing back. I guess we’ll see how it goes.” Marnie says and you’re worried because while Charlie seems like a nice guy, he did have no problem ditching her and disappearing.

“I hope it works out or get what you need from it. Do you want to finish cleaning up in the morning?”

Marnie shakes her head yes and you retreat into your room, and fall into your bed. Sleep hits you at once.

#adam sackler #adam sackler x reader #adam sackler fic #hbo girls #girls hbo #adam driver #adam sackler smut

[lgbtyrus]

Three Fish and a Malfunction

First place price of my fanfic giveaway for @lilaaugenringe ! She wanted a fanfic of TJ and Cyrus at the fair :) This is a post bench scene fic where they’re not boyfriends or haven’t kissed yet. 

Words: 3,122 

-

It had been about a month since TJ and Cyrus held hands on the night of Andi’s party. Nothing was really official yet, though. It kind of made Cyrus nervous because he didn’t know exactly how serious TJ was about him or if he was even serious at all. He did hold his hand every waking chance that he got and listen to him talk about his day every day. It felt unreal that he got to talk to the boy he had been crushing on for months, knowing that he liked him, too.

He just couldn’t call him boyfriend or anything. He was honestly just scared they were going to end up in another Jonah and Andi situation, and it was all going to fall over.

Cyrus was laying in his bed, about to fall asleep when his phone went off. He checked it and saw it was a message from the group chat. Not only did it have the GHC, but it also had Marty, TJ, and Jonah.

Buffy: Me and Marty were thinking about going to the fair tomorrow and thought it’d be more fun as a group. You guy’s down?

Marty: come thruuu

Andi: What time?

Buffy: 1?

Andi: sure sounds fun :)

Jonah: down

Cyrus didn’t really want to go. He had nothing but bad experiences at the fair. He didn’t want to have to admit to TJ he was afraid of most of the things at the fair and would probably throw up. But at the same time, he wanted an excuse to spend time with TJ and the rest of the crew before summer started wrapping up.

Cyrus: see ya’ll there

TJ: same here

Buffy: this feels fake. Making plans with a friend group this large should not be this easy

Andi: we’re not 20 yet

Cyrus slid out of the group chat and went to go message TJ privately as the rest of them went off on a tangent about growing old.

Cyrus: just so you know, I’m afraid of basically everything at the carnival

TJ: its okay cy. We can just stay low and play some games and share a pretzel or whatever

Cyrus: I mean, I can get on rides if you want. Just not more than three unless the we want the pretzel to come back up

Cyrus: we don’t

TJ: gjhsfjkghs don’t worry cyrus we don’t have to go on anything you find scary

TJ: unless

Cyrus: oh no

TJ: you want to get some carnival rides off your list of things you can’t do

Cyrus: i really put some carnival rides on there?

TJ: just three. We can do one or two if doing three gets too much.

Cyrus: what rides did I put on that cursed list

TJ: you put down the hammer, the haunted tunnel, and the mirror maze???

Cyrus: I think I have a repressed memory in the mirror maze bc I literally can’t remember why ive never gone in there and I guess we can do the haunted tunnel if you hold my hand

TJ: deal :)

TJ: shouldn’t you be asleep???

Cyrus: yah

TJ: goodnight cyrus <3

Cyrus: goodnight teej <3

-

Cyrus woke up and remembered his plans for the day. He felt like he was going to throw up the breakfast he hadn’t eaten yet. He sighed and got up to get ready for the day. He quickly checked his phone and saw that there was 206 unread messages in the group chat. It must’ve been a boring night compared to their usual 800. Then again, he wasn’t up to double text.

It was a few hours before TJ and his mom picked him up. It was a nice car ride. TJ’s mom didn’t know that TJ was gay, but Cyrus had a gut feeling that she knew something was up between them. She didn’t really treat him differently, but she had that look mothers had in their eye when they knew something was up.

That's the way Cyrus mom looked at him when he first started bringing TJ around. She sort of knew, but she didn't say anything. Cyrus kind of hoped she would say anything else besides, "I like that TJ kid." But she didn't, so he did. It wasn't as hard as he thought it would be. He knew his parents loved him, so he doesn't know why he was so scared, but he still was.

It was like being with TJ. He knew TJ liked him, so he didn't know why he was scared.

TJ and Cyrus entered the fair and sat at the bench that the others would show up. They started holding hands the minute TJ's mom drove away. It was nice. Summer wasn't overbearing, and TJ looked nice in his stripped navy blue T-Shirt and tanned skin. Cyrus couldn't help but stare for a little.

"See something you like?" TJ smirked, leaning back on the bench and pretending to do a hair flip.

Cyrus rolled his eyes and said, "Yeah. That piece of gum stuck on this bench seems pretty appetizing." TJ immediately looked around and saw the piece of gum stick between them on the bench.

"Gross," TJ shook his head.

"Hey, guys," Jonah showed up smiling. The boys greeted him as  they saw the rest of them walk up behind him.

"You guys ready to go?" Buffy grinned, holding hands with Marty who was staring at her the same way Cyrus was staring at TJ.

"Yeah," TJ nodded, "let's go throw up."

"I'd rather not," Andi laughed as TJ and Cyrus stood up. They walked around as a group, looking at carnival games. It was fun watching Buffy and Marty get competitive and end up with too many stuffed animals in less than an hour. They had to hand some out to some little kids walking by.

TJ pulled Cyrus to the side and won him a stuffed frog in a basketball game. Cyrus could've taken the extremely big stuffed animal, but the smaller frog had a tight lip "smile" that reminded him of TJ.

"Thanks," Cyrus smiled, looking up at the taller boy.

"It's nothing," TJ laughed, putting his arm around him. "Let's go find the rest before we get lost." Cyrus and TJ caught up to Andi and Jonah who were trying to get a fish.

"Where are Buffy and Marty?" Cyrus asked as Andi tossed a ball into a fish bowl. It went to the side.

"In the mirror maze," she pointed in a different direction. "I'm trying to help Jonah win a fish."

"It's the only pet the apartment lets us have, so," Jonah shrugged before tossing another ping pong ball.

"Want to do the mirror maze?" TJ raised his eyebrows at Cyrus. Cyrus agreed without hesitation and walked over with him. They didn't have to wait in line and walked right in.

"Why did you put this in the list?" TJ asked him as they held hands through the thing.

"I have no idea?" Cyrus laughed. "Maybe it was about my self-esteem. You can only look at yourself for so long before you start to think that you're ugly."

"Well, you're not," TJ said, squeezing his hand tighter as they went through a corner. Cyrus looked in the mirror ahead and saw that TJ was softly smiling. "You're actually really cute."

Cyrus expressed a content smile as he continued following TJ through the rest of the maze.

"You're cute, too, TJ," Cyrus finally told him after a few seconds of silence. "A lot cuter than a piece of gum."

TJ burst out laughing, "Gee, thanks, Cyrus," he turned back for a second to smirk at him. "My self esteem is through the roof right now."

"I do what I can," Cyrus smiled. They continued walking, the mirrors getting blurrier and some having distorted vision.

"Do you hear that?" TJ asked him. "I think Buffy and Marty are ahead." Cyrus listened and like TJ said, Buffy and Marty were laughing up ahead. They followed their laughter and found them at the exit of the maze where they were laughing at their funky appearances. Buffy turned to them and waved.

"Come take a picture with us," she laughed, "this is gold." The boys approached them and posed for a few photos for Buffy before they all walked out. They went to go look for Andi and Jonah who were sitting at a bench, three goldfish in their laps. "Oh my gosh," Buffy ran up to them. "Why did you get so many?"

"How did you get so many?" Marty asked, standing right behind Buffy.

"I felt bad only having one alone, and I ended up with three," Jonah shrugged. "I already named them Baby Tator, Tator-Tot, and the Patoto Famine."

"One is not like the others," Cyrus said, at they all laughed at Jonah's names.

"It's kind of like the others," Jonah said.

"How are you going to get on rides if you have fish now?" Marty asked him.

"I was going to wait, but I already have an upset stomach from the hot dog smell, and I'd rather not," Jonah smiled.

"Are you sure?" Buffy asked. "We're going on the hammer next?"

"Cyrus can take my place," Jonah smiled. "I'll take care of your guy's things."

Buffy smiled excitedly at Cyrus, "You want to go on the hammer?" Before Cyrus could say anything, she dragged him by the arm away.

"Buffy," Cyrus gasped, "I haven't even agreed yet."

"That's why we're going before you change your mind!"

"Your logic has a lot of faults in it!" Cyrus said as she stopped at the line. Cyrus looked up at the tall ride going as people screamed their lungs out. He looked to the side and saw a girl throwing up in a garbage can. He winced. TJ, Marty, and Andi showed up after a few minutes. Cyrus held TJ's hand very tightly. "I can't believe I'm doing this."

"I believe in you," TJ told him, "it'll be fun."

"You agreed to hold my hand the entire time and if I'm scared enough to suddenly become strong and break your hand, I'm sorry." TJ chuckled.

"It's going to be fine, Cyrus," TJ reassured him, "I promise." The line got shorter and shorter, and Cyrus felt his heart shrink every second. Next thing he knew, he was strapped in and screaming.

"The ride hasn't started, Cyrus," TJ laughed, reaching over to hold his hand. "It'll before over before you know it." Within a few seconds, the ride was on and Cyrus was screaming his lungs off along with TJ. But it wasn't horrible. He started having fun after a few moments after the initial terror. He smiled that he could finally enjoy rides like these with his friends instead of staying back every time.

When he got off, everyone was looking at him.

"Well," Andi grinned, pieces of hair sticking out of her headband, "did you like it?"

"Yeah," Cyrus smiled, "I actually did." The rest of his friends cheered on before walking out to the busy fair to look for something else.

"I promised you that it would be fine," TJ told him, putting his arm around him as they walked.

"It's now noted that you keep your promises," Cyrus told him with a huge smile. His heart was beating extremely fast and both the closeness to TJ and the fair ride had made him sweat. But he didn’t really care. He was really comfortable around TJ.

“So,” TJ said to him, “ready for the tunnel of horror?” Buffy quickly turned around to look at them happily.

“Cyrus!” she gasped. “You want to go on the Tunnel of Horror?”

“Can I say yes this time?” Cyrus raised and eyebrow at her as she jumped back and forth on her heels.

“I guess,” she said, waving her arms around.

“Ye-“ before Cyrus could finish, Buffy was already dragging him to the next ride like she had for the first one. “Do you even know where it is?”

“I know everything,” she said like it was a fact. Cyrus felt content as he heard the rest of his friends trail behind them. TJ and Marty were talking and Jonah caught up to them with his arms full of fish. It was a good day to try new things.

They got to the short line for the tunnel of horror. “I think we’ll be able to go on by the next set of cars,” TJ said as he stood next to Cyrus, holding his hand once again.

“I heard it kind of sucks this year, so it shouldn’t be too scary for Cyrus,” Buffy nudged him. “If not, I wouldn’t bring him in. The last two years have been horrifying.”

“Are you just trying to make me feel better?” Cyrus asked.

Buffy raised her arms up in defense, “The line is short for a reason.” The next set of carts showed up individually every 30 seconds, each one holding two people. First, Marty and Buffy got on one and disappeared into the tunnel. Next, Andi, Jonah, and Jonah’s three kids got on. Finally, TJ helped Cyrus onto the cart and they pulled the bar down to lock themselves.

The car started moving and Cyrus and TJ were being pulled into the dark tunnel, creepy music playing instantly. A fake door shut behind them loudly as they were in, hiding the last ounces of daylight.  One hand on the bar, Cyrus used the other one to hold TJ’s hand.

“How long is this ride?” Cyrus asked TJ right before getting startled by a monster jumping in then out.

TJ strained to hold back his laughter as he said, “Maybe five to ten minutes? Why?”

“I am not having fun in this dark space,” Cyrus said, holding his hand tighter, jumping once more as a fake witch laughed behind him.

“It’s okay, Cyrus,” TJ said. “None of this is real. We’ll be out before you know it.”

Then the ride stopped. Cyrus and TJ looked at each other, barely able to see anything in the dark. Then the music stopped, and the lights turned on. Cyrus knew he looked terrified. He felt stuffed in the cart even if they had so much room. He looked around the tunnel and saw all the fake monsters and lanterns strewn around, the fake bats on the ceiling. A little bit ahead, there was a projection of a wolf howling at the moon. Then he looked at TJ who wasn’t saying anything either.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” someone said over the intercom, “there has been a failure in the system, and we are getting mechanics on the grounds immediately. Both of the main doors can’t open at the moment so please remain in your seats until further notice to avoid getting harmed. If this takes more than hour, we will call 911.”

Cyrus was sweating now. A lot. The tunnel felt like it was radiating nothing but heat, and he pulled his hand away from TJ’s in embarrassment. But in a few seconds, he wanted it back. He wasn’t sure what was going on in his head anymore. He looked forward and saw the projection of the wolf howling. Over and over and over again. And again. And again. And he looked up at the fake bats. They started looking fuzzier, they had eyes now. Cyrus was sweating anymore. Then he realized TJ had been talking to him the entire time. TJ had his arm around him and was squeezing his hand

“Hey, Cyrus. Cyrus. Talk to me? Cyrus? Are you okay?” TJ nervously talked to him. He also seemed shaken up. “I need you to take a few deep breaths for me, okay? Cyrus? Nod. Can you nod so I know you’re listening?” Cyrus nodded.  TJ sighed in relief, “Okay, Cy. Let’s take a deep breath in.” Cyrus breathed in. “Now out.” Cyrus exhaled. They did that a few times. “Good job, Cyrus,” TJ said as Cyrus rested his head on his shoulder.

Things felt fine now.

“Are you feeling better?” TJ asked him. Cyrus weakly nodded. “Just think of good things. Your family, friends, music, the spoon, baby tators… the patato famine,”

“People died, Thelonious,” Cyrus whispered, cracking a tiny smile and making TJ let out a small snort. That made Cyrus laugh himself. “Did you just snort,” Cyrus sat up to look at him. TJ was blushing, hiding his face with the back of his hand. “That was cute.” TJ put his hand down after a while.

“Well,” TJ sat back, “I didn’t promise that we’d be out in a little bit.”

“I think I’d rather go on the hammer again,” Cyrus sighed, looking at him closely. TJ turned to look at the brown eyed boy and smile.

“I like that you liked the other one more. It’s funny,” TJ said, reaching over to brush some hair out of Cyrus’ forehead.

“Why?” Cyrus said, leaning his head into TJ’s hand.

“Just is,” TJ was whispering now, looking between Cyrus’ eyes and his lips. “Can I kiss you?” Cyrus’ heart could have not beat faster any other time in his life. He nodded and leaned into TJ who had already found his lips with his own.

So kissing is supposed to feel like a bunch of stars Cyrus thought to himself.

When they pulled away, Cyrus’ nose was touching TJ’s, and he asked him, “What are we TJ?”

“I was just waiting for the moment, actually,” TJ have him a smile, giving him another small his before saying, “I think now is an alright time to ask you to be my boyfriend.” Cyrus nodded happily, kissing him again.

The two boys were in the tunnel for about forty minutes, laughing and talking about a lot of cheesy things, before the wagons started moving again. Only, the lights stayed on as they heard over the intercom, “Thank you for waiting. We are sorry for the inconvenience. All riders will be taken off immediately as the ride is going to be shut down for the day.”

The group met outside, TJ and Cyrus being the last ones to get off.

“You guys alright?” Andi asked them as they approached them.

“All good,” Cyrus nodded, smiling widely.

“Too good,” Buffy smirked, “dish it out.” TJ and Cyrus blushed, wondering how she figured it out so fast.

“Uh,” Cyrus said nervously, “I guess we’re boyfriend and boyfriend now.” The entire group let out of loud cheers and tackled them both into a group hug, making Cyrus’ heart feel full of love. Maybe fairs weren’t so bad after all. You just needed the right group of people. The right person. TJ was his person.

#stars writing #Andi Mack #tyrus #tj kippen #cyrus goodman

[peterstanslizzie]

Re-watching Lizzie Mcguire: Episode 1.23 (Last Year’s Model)

“You like me, you really like me”. She didn’t say this but I feel this is the perfect description for this picture lol

- The Mcguire family’s got mail! Besides the generic ones like bills, Matt receives a letter that contains a $50 gift certificate from his grandma, Gammy Mcguire for his birthday. 

- But she seemed to forget when Matt’s birthday is because she had already gifted him his present 7 months ago. I still would like to see Gammy actually appear on-screen and interact with her family. But we are never going to get that I’m afraid. 

- As for Lizzie, she asks her mom if she could participate in a fashion show organised by ‘Teen Attitude’ magazine. If she’s chosen by them, she will receive $500 worth of merchandise. I would definitely want to do that fashion show just for the perks. Her mom seems to be on board as long as she does her homework and stops picking on Matt.

Lizzie says sure but we all know that she’s not going to do one of the two promises lol

Lizzie The Runway Model

Remember when fashion shows back then were all fun and joyful and the models always used to spin around? Nowadays, most models just look so miserable.

- Gordo seems to be on-board with the whole modeling thing for Lizzie, mostly because of the $500. Isn’t he the type of person who views modeling as superficial? I also wonder why Miranda wasn’t interested in trying out for the fashion show?

- Mr. Dig, their substitute teacher suddenly interrupts their conversation and went off on a tangent by talking about the time he gave advice to a model by the name of Colette Romana, whose face was broken when an elephant sat on her face in Nairobi.....okayyy

Mr. Dig is really odd but I do appreciate his honesty with the kids when it comes to life lessons 

- Next, we move on to the ‘Styling’ and Sassy’ fashion show! Lizzie’s parents, her friends and even Kate Sanders plus Ethan Craft are in the audience. Can I just say that Lizzie totally rocked the runway!? She really fits the typical girl-next-door look the fashion show was trying to showcase and not to mention, I love the fact that an S Club 7 song (Everybody Wants Ya) is playing in the background too!

Work that twirl girlfriend!

- Kate is clearly jealous that she couldn’t do the fashion show because she had to go to a funeral. Wow Kate, way to hit a new low this time. But I must say; Kate would’ve have been great for this because she certainly has the height for the runway. 

Everybody Is Acting Weird Around Lizzie

- After the fashion show, Lizzie tells her friends that she was asked to do another fashion show due to her amazing performance. Gordo then makes a joke with her, reminding her to not forget about them when she becomes famous and all of a sudden, Lizzie forgets his name when addressing him...umm what? Hope she wasn’t kidding when she did that.

- After that, we see this girl who sat with Kate and Ethan in the fashion show approach Lizzie and invites her to her dad’s clubhouse to hang out in the hot tub and watch the new Backstreet Boys DVD. This show is definitely old lmao!

Okay, this girl’s name is Jessica. I had to fast forward to figure that out.

- Lizzie hesitates to say yes because she already made plans with Gordo and Miranda to watch a movie but turns out, both her friends are very eager to join Lizzie at the country club and hang out with the popular kids. Even Gordo!

- We are then taken to the clubhouse and our trio is seen chilling in the hot tub. Gordo is mostly enjoying the free food being served. I can definitely relate to him. What’s surprising me right now is how Kate’s acting all cool and friendly in front of Lizzie.

What a sudden change in attitude! She’s now acting as if Lizzie is a legit celebrity, which she isn’t. I don’t get it.

- It’s not just with Kate; Miranda is also acting different around Lizzie. She offers to bring a drink over to Lizzie and basically recites the entire drinks menu. She’s acting like Lizzie’s personal assistant. But wow, Miranda actually seems to have a great memory when it comes to listing things out. 

- Back at the hot tub, Gordo is talking to Jessica and tells her he has videos of Lizzie that he has shot for his short films/documentaries. He offers to come over to her house to show her some of them to which she says yes, as long as he brings Lizzie along. 

Why is Gordo the only one wearing shades? It’s either he has sensitive eyes or he just wants to look cool, which isn’t something Gordo would do

- And just like that, Lizzie is going to watch videos at Jessica’s on Sunday night without agreeing to it. On top of that, she’s apparently going dancing at the ‘Shango Tango’ on Saturday night with them as well. Basically, they want to use Lizzie’s status as a model to grant them access to these places. She did one fashion show and they’re acting like she’s Gigi Hadid or whatever lol

Lizzie’s Famous Now

- At school, everyone is just staring at Lizzie everywhere she goes. Even Kate goes up to her and compliments her outfit and accessories. 

“My earrings match my eyes?”. This line is definitely memorable to me. 

- Plus, it seems like the tables have turned because Lizzie and Ethan have literally switched characters. When Lizzie is talking to him about an English test they just took, he’s acting like the old Lizzie when she’s around him; all awkward and fidgety. 

- Lizzie notices all of this and tells her friends how everyone is acting so different around her. Miranda and Gordo doesn’t view this as a negative; They like the fact that people are noticing them now and inviting them to all sorts of special events/parties. 

- After running away from the other students who were all just staring at her still, Lizzie hides in a room where Mr. Dig is and he then takes a picture of Lizzie to have it signed so he can sell it to his nephew...and niece. Well, putting that aside, Lizzie rants to her teacher how everyone and even her best friends are treating her differently nowadays since the fashion show. 

- Mr. Dig suggests to Lizzie that she should treat them like how a celeb diva would and treat them like dirt. This is to remind them that they are her friends and not her posse. 

Lizzie Brings Out Her Inner Diva

- Gordo and Miranda arrive at Lizzie’s house and Lizzie commences “Operating Superstar Brat” by acting like a total diva towards her friends. She’s even dressed up like one from head to toe. 

Even worse, Gordo and Miranda follow her orders and starts to bark like dogs, albeit their execution was a little sloppy lol.

- Soon after, Lizzie drops her act and tells her friends that they have changed. They clearly realise this and promise to Lizzie that things will go back to normal and they won’t act like her posse anymore. But the problem is, everyone else is still treating her differently. And this is the solution she came up with:

To act like a complete and utter fool on the runway. 

- I have to give props to Lizzie for having the courage to dress up like this and act this way in front of an audience. But if I were her, I wouldn’t want to give up a modeling contract with a popular magazine just because people are acting differently around me. I mean, I would at least give it more time to see if the situation would improve. Most of all, I wouldn’t want to embarrass myself publicly like how Lizzie did here. 

- Also, she didn’t have to include this dumb confrontation between her and Miranda. It just wasn’t necessary.

Y’all didn’t need to fight. The fashion show was already ruined when Lizzie started scratching her butt lol

B-Plot: Matt Goes Shopping

- Sam and Jo brings Matt and Lanny to the hardware/electronics store to shop for things he can get with the $50 gift certificate. Lanny gravitates towards the massage chair but it’s way too expensive. We then get a montage of the boys and Matt’s parents trying out different products at the store to the song, ‘Shopping’ by the Pet Shop Boys. It’s a pretty catchy song if you ask me. 

My favorite part of the montage is when they reference back to the Austin Powers’ villains, Dr. Evil and Mini-Me 

- Matt spots a hammock priced at $75 and he thinks it’s perfect for him. Even though it costs $25 more, Lanny is able to cover the rest because he’s earning money from his website. My question is, what kind of content is in Lanny’s website anyways?

- Back in the Mcguires’ backyard, Matt and Lanny are busy assembling the hammock they just bought but unfortunately for them, they got less than stellar results:

Exhibit A

- They are back at the store again and they want to return the hammock and get a refund. However, the store clerk, who is being a total prick tells them that they can’t get a refund on sale items. Okay fine but he needs to watch his tone when talking to customers. And he even called Sam an ‘old timer’. The disrespect! Sheeesh!

And the award for worst customer service goes to...

- Sam leaves behind Matt and Lanny to talk to the manager and afterwards, we see the two boys doing the absolute right thing by playing a prank on the useless employee who is walking on the treadmill. They proceed to tape his hands onto both handles and increase the speed on the treadmill. I’m not the one to agree with pranking others but this guy really deserved it.

Overall Thoughts

- This is yet again, a very entertaining episode. I love how the story was very Lizzie-centric this time and it did not disappoint. I mean, it was a little outrageous how EVERYONE was acting and treating Lizzie like a total A-lister after appearing in one fashion show. It’s like they assumed that everybody reads ‘Teen Attitude’ magazine.

- It kinda got me to think that maybe after the events of The Lizzie Mcguire Movie, I would assume that everyone at school would treat her similarly because she did perform a hit song in front of millions of people in Italy, which I’m sure it caught the attention of US mainstream media.

- Besides that, the soundtrack of this episode was incredible! I had to look up the songs on YouTube because they were so catchy. Lastly, Matt’s storyline was pretty insignificant in this episode and it didn’t really provide me with anything besides some physical comedy.

#lizzie mcguire #hilary duff #lalaine #adam lamberg #jake thomas #clayton snyder #ashlie brillault #hallie todd #robert carradine #disney #disney channel #disney plus #episode reviews #episode recaps #modeling #runway model #teen model #fashion model #last years model

[thingstotellthem]

im sorry for the long submission, feel free to ignore it. (also this has all the necessary tws in the tags but I’ll mention it here too - I go into depth about my emotional abuse from my mom, plus a brief mention of ableism, threats of animal abuse, and suicidal thoughts)

my mom likes to pretend we’ve got a great relationship. when she’s in a good mood, she acts all sweet and nice. she’ll talk to me (or rather, at me - I never get a chance to respond) and make coffee and nice breakfasts and sometimes we have “mother-daughter days out”. (im not a girl.)

i hate these interactions. Talking to my mom is like walking on a goddamn minefield surrounded by other people - it’s inevitably going to blow up in your face, and it might not even have been you that set it off. 

she’s got anger problems. she likes to scream and shout at me, my brother, and my dogs over every. little. thing. yesterday, she asked me to go let the dogs outside. after I was done, I went upstairs to tell her i’d done it. I didn’t speak up right away because she was watching TV and I didn’t want to talk over it. but I’d been standing there for less than a couple of seconds before she turned around and started shouting at me for hovering over her. later she tried to justify it as “a panic attack”. A panic attack. caused by me standing next to her for two seconds. in a spot that I, and everyone else in the house, has stood in thousands of times with no issue. that stopped as soon as she got to berate me. 

last week she got mad at my brother for asking a question. I don’t remember what the question was, it was something completely insignificant and normal like “what’s for dinner” or something. And somehow that escalated into her screaming in his face, threatening to stab him to death, throwing things at me and threatening to call the police on me for it, and threatening to throw my cats in a river. she later justified this as my brother raising her blood pressure. 

on saturday I asked her (politely) to change the subject because she was making me uncomfortable. she went on a huge tangent that I was being so rude, and made up stories about how I got out of my way to stop conversations im not even involved in because im such an asshole. I don’t. I tried to stop that one because she was making me uncomfortable and we were in the car so I couldn’t just walk off. I had no way of knowing she’d call that rude, because she’s never shouted at me for that specifically before. if it were the other way around and she’d asked me to change the topic id’ve been fine with it. 

thats a recurring theme here. something is completely fine, until suddenly one day she decides she doesn’t like it and starts screaming and shouting at us for it. the rules are strict but entirely inconsistent and nonsensical. 

I’ve tried talking to her about it, so so many times. but she’s always got an excuse or a justification. you see, she apologised for it this time! what else do I want from her?! I need to just drop it!!! if I’m allowed to throw temper tantrums all the time, how could I possibly blame her for her ‘panic attacks’? don’t I know that she’d been abused as a kid? how could I treat her this way, after all she does for me?? just yesterday she tried to tell me that it was the first time she’d screamed at me for ages, even though she’d literally had huge episodes earlier in the week and even earlier that very day.

(they’re not temper tantrums, fyi. I haven’t had a temper tantrum since I was a toddler. they’re meltdowns. I’m autistic, I literally can’t help it. she knows this. she makes sure to remind me that I’m acting like a r****ded bitch every time I have one. they’re almost always her fault.)

I’ve got anxiety problems and am horribly afraid of speaking to people in a real life setting. it only occurred to me recently that that’s probably her fault. I have anger problems too and that’s probably from her too. its scary. I don’t want to grow up to be like her, but I can’t help it.

i don’t have anyone to go to. i can’t talk to a teacher because im homeschooled (or rather - should be. my education’s been mostly ignored since I was about thirteen. I’m seventeen now.) i don’t have any trusted neighbours and all of my friends are online and I don’t want to burden them with heavy stuff. I can’t contact my extended family. my dad is only home on the weekend because he works away, but he already knows about the problem and won’t do anything about it. I’ve tried talking to childline over and over again and they’ve not been able to help me. 

I want to move out when I’m older but I’m completely dependant on her. I can’t go to college. not with my education, or my anxiety, or my money. Im not going to be able to get a job because I have no skills outside of drawing, and even entry level jobs like working at Tesco - I’d flunk an interview. I can barely speak to people I don’t know. and even if I got the job, just going grocery shopping is too overwhelming for me. I couldn’t handle it. id be fired. I want to work as an artist but I don’t have any kind of a following so I’d never make a living off of it. they’ve ‘assured’ me that I’m going to be allowed to live with them even as an adult. I’m stuck with them for the foreseeable future. 

I feel trapped and miserable and there just doesn’t seem to be a way out. She doesn’t hit me, so I can’t prove anything. I’ve already gone over why I can’t leave or tell someone. sometimes it feels like the only way out is for me to just die already, but even then I don’t have the means to do it. I’m just stuck being some useless, scared, anxious fucking shutin for the rest of my life and I can’t even cut it short.

I’m sorry for dumping all of this on you. I’m not expecting advice or anything, because I know theres nothing that can be done. I just needed to dump it all on someone.

#actuallyabused #actuallytraumatized #emotional abuse #physical abuse #parental abuse #parent mention #transphobia #ableism #submission #♥♥♥♥♥♥

[i-write-shakespeare-not-disney]

Fragile Hearts Ch. 10- When I’m With You

Click the OP  (Original post) if the READ MORE link does not show!

THANK YOU TO @bluejayb1rd FOR COMMISSIONING!!! Two out of four! <3

Click Here for Chapter 1

Click Here for Chapter 9

Fragile Hearts Playlist here

AO3 Link: Chapter: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11928798/chapters/38455013 Full Story: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11928798

Aside from a couple nightmares in the past few nights, it was relaxing being able to be in Vegas with Matt and Hunk. It felt good not to stress over school for a bit, and it felt good not to be alone.

It also hadn’t been the last time Pidge ended up staying at Hunk’s. Lance took to using the couch when he found the two of them cuddled up on the couch a second night. Sharing his bed also meant he didn’t wake her when he left for work.

After a nightmare, Pidge woke up to an empty bed and the sound of scratching at the bedroom door. Pidge caught her breath and went to open the door only for Leon to immediately hop up on his hind legs and place his paws at her hips like a hug. Pidge pet his head and realized her hand was shaking.

Then, because Leon was the only one with her and he was a dog, she fell to her knees and allowed the tears to stream into his fur as he nuzzled against her, keeping his paws firm on her arms.

It wasn’t the nightmare itself that drove her to tears. It was the fact that she still got them so much, and she feared she might never break free from their grip. It was suffocating to wake up to them all the time. She felt like she might never get her peace from everything she went through. In a way it terrified her more to think that the people she loved still had to deal with it and that it could possibly drive them away.

Leon sniffed and huffed, bumping his wet nose against her cheek. Pidge smiled and ruffled his hair. “You’re a good dog, buddy.” Leon’s tail wagged frantically. “Thanks. I’m okay now.” Leon stayed on her until Pidge nudged him gently so she could stand. Even then, he began to follow her as she went to the kitchen to make herself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

About an hour after she woke up, Lance came back to the apartment, having finished his last book signing. He plopped down on the couch beside Pidge and laid down to rest his head on her thigh.

“Rough day?” she asked. Leon hopped onto the couch to curl up by Lance’s stomach, resting his head on Lance’s side.

“Not really,” he sighed. “Just… tiring.” Pidge raised an eyebrow and lowered the volume of the TV.

“Care to elaborate?”

Lance huffed and turned to lay on his back, staring at the ceiling. “You know how when you watch a show or read a book, you have favorite characters?” Pidge nodded. “It’s really great to hear about it from the people who read my books. The kids will have little drawings or some people will dress up. And it’s so funny to see people dressing up as me or Hunk or you.” He sighed and met her eyes. “Today, there were a lot of people asking about Kyle.”

Pidge furrowed her eyebrows in confusion before realizing what he meant. “Oh. Keith.” Lance nodded.

“And usually, I’m good with that! Like I said, I made my peace with it, kind of. It’s not like we hate each other, we just had different plans. And I’m usually good about not letting my emotions get in the way when I see the cosplay or the artwork or get the questions. I mean some people manage a really good resemblance sometimes.”

“So what made it harder this time?”

Lance took a breath and sat up to ruffle through his messenger bag. He had a few papers all in their own plastic sleeves. “Ever since you and Hunk found me, I guess a part of me has also been waiting on Keith. I don’t know anything about him at all, and that didn’t bother me until I realized how much I needed you guys. The latest book has a lot of the beginning of our relationship, so of course….” He held out the papers and Pidge took them.

The first one looked like a kid had drawn it, in that cute little anime style Pidge remembered people doing when she was in middle school. It had what Pidge assumed to be Keith- or Kyle- with his arms around Lance. She moved to the next page. This one seemed like an actual page from a graphic novel. A comic of what Pidge assumed was one of the scenes in the book, because she recalled Lance telling her and Hunk about this moment when he was gushing about Keith while they tried to run a diagnostic. The next page had cute mini versions with big heads of Lance and Keith doing cute little things with hearts around the borders. The next page had a beautiful watercolor version of the two of them kissing.

She sighed and looked at him. He was holding out a few more papers. “There’s some of you and Hunk too, if you want them,” he said tiredly.

Pidge rolled her eyes and took the papers, stacking them all on the coffee table. “Lance, come here.” She opened her arms and Lance laid back down as she cradled him. He hid his face in the fabric of her hoodie- which was actually Hunk’s- and Leon took his place by Lance’s feet. “It’s okay to miss him.”

“I know, but it feels fresh again.” His voice came muffled and weak. Pidge hugged him a little tighter. “You really should look at the ones of you and Hunk though, they’re really cute.”

Pidge laughed ruffled his hair. “You’ve got some talented fans.” Lance turned his head, no longer hiding his face as he smiled and nodded.

--

When Hunk came home, he treated them both to dinner at a restaurant, and Matt met up with them when he was off of work.

While Hunk and Lance went on a tangent about their jobs, Matt nudged Pidge’s arm and leaned over.

“You okay?”

She frowned and nodded. “Why?”

“You had a nightmare, didn’t you?”

“How do you know that?”

Matt rolled his eyes. “You’re my little sister. I know you pretty well. You always act skittish after a nightmare, and you look like you haven’t slept.”

“Gee thanks,” she muttered.

“You know that’s not what I meant.” He looked over at Lance and Hunk then lowered his voice. “You know if you need to talk, I’m always here for you, Katie.”

She smiled at him and nodded, squeezing his hand as a thank you.

They stayed at the restaurant long after finishing their food. They talked about everything, from the memories of their time in space, the games they’d play when they got bored, or just recalling how naive they were at such a young age to the various changes and personal stories from the last five years actually on Earth.

Just as Pidge had expected, Matt and Lance were able to bounce their jokes off each other with ease, practically being two sides of the same coin. It led to Pidge laughing almost non-stop until she was crying and hunched over with a stomach ache.

Matt didn’t ask if Pidge was coming home with him seeing as she’d been spending her time with Hunk and Lance, but Pidge did want a day with her brother. So she gave a Hunk a kiss on the cheek and said she’d see him tomorrow then hugged Lance before racing over to catch up with Matt.

Matt smiled, the scar on his face outlining the curve of his cheeks when he did, and threw an arm around her. “Aw, you miss me.”

Pidge laughed and rolled her eyes.

When they got home, Matt went into the kitchen to make himself a coffee. Pidge had been so full, she had no idea how he still had room for it.

“Do you still get nightmares?” she asked as he looked for a mug. “You never tell me about them.”

He looked over at her and shrugged. “Every now and then. Not often. They’ve been sparser as the years go by.”

“When do you think that’ll happen for me?”

Matt poured his coffee and sat down across from her. “I don’t know. I mean, you don’t get them as much when you have classes. I’ve noticed you don’t call me about them much. Then every time you visit, you get them more.”

Pidge grimaced. “What, so you think you’re triggering them?”

Matt shrugged. “I don’t really know, Katie. But I do think you should talk to somebody when you get them. Me or Hunk or Lance or maybe even your roommate. You said you told her about Voltron and everything, right?” She nodded. “I think it would help not to bottle up the nightmares.”

“But it’s all the same. Or about the same stuff. At this point, I’m more panicked about the fact that I can’t stop getting the nightmares than the nightmares themselves.” She frowned and ran her hand through her hair. “Anyway, I don’t want to talk about them. I just want to hang out with you.”

Matt scrunched up his nose. “Hanging out with your big brother? What a nerd.” Pidge grabbed the roll of paper towels on the table and threw it at him.

--

The next morning, Pidge decided to go sightseeing. Lance said he was feeling a little sick, so he didn’t join her, and Matt and Hunk were both working. She didn’t want to stay in the apartment all day, even though she had already seen the Strip multiple times at this point. It was still cool to see the booths with little tricks and the street performances. Since it was spring break, the entire Vegas was still very much alive during the day, not just at night.

Sure enough, as Pidge was walking out of Caesars Palace, she saw a girl being held up by her friends as she walked, obviously wasted. As she walked away, her phone started buzzing with an incoming call. She pulled it out and saw Hunk’s picture on the screen, which immediately made her smile.

“Hello?”

“Hey, honeybee. What are you doing?”

“Just walking around. How’s work?”

“Slow, actually. We’re closing early. I was about to grab lunch, where are you?”

“I’m actually pretty close to the bakery, I can meet you there.”

“Perfect! I’ll see you in a bit.”

They counted to three and hung up. Pidge walked across the street and down a few blocks until she reached the bakery. The closed sign was on, but Hunk was at the register with one of the workers and went over to open the door for her, greeting her with a kiss.

Pidge wasn’t going to lie, the act made her feel little butterflies in her stomach.

“It’s all locked away, Chef,” the girl at the counter said. “Are you locking up?”

“Yeah, go ahead and clock out, Amy.” She nodded, meanwhile Hunk turned to Pidge and raised an eyebrow. “So, what are you in the mood for?”

“Honestly, right now? Cake,” she said. The smell of confectioner’s sugar and frosting was making her mouth water, and all the impossible cakes around her were so colorful, it only made them that much more enticing.

Hunk laughed at her. “Really?” She nodded. “Well, I’ve got an idea. Come on.” He took her hand and led her back to the kitchen. Amy left out the back door with a wave, leaving Pidge and Hunk alone in the bakery.

“Are you making me a cake?” she asked.

Hunk laughed and grabbed an apron that was hung up before going over to her. Pidge raised an eyebrow. He draped the apron over her and gave her a cheeky smile. “No, you’re gonna make one with me.”

“That’s a horrible idea on several levels,” she said, as he turned her around to tie the apron.

“You’ll be fine.” He turned her back around, tucked a strand of her hair back with a gentle hand, and kissed her nose. “Come on.”

Weak-kneed, Pidge did.

He got out all the ingredients, laying them out along the counter, followed by the utensils. Pidge stared at all of it, feeling completely out of her element. She’d seen Hunk bake several times before. She’d watched and taste-tested and handed over ingredients or utensils as he asked for them mid conversation. Hell, she’d even fought the goo machines with him.

But actually partaking in the cooking? She had never done that. Hunk was gourmand, what could she possibly have to offer?

“Honeybun, it’s not that bad. Come on, I’ll be helping you with it.” With a light hand at the small of her back, he nudged her forward and began to take her step by step on how to make a cake from scratch.

As she did it, it started to seem a little easier. She was just measuring out ingredients and adding them to the bowl. Hunk smeared butter and sprinkled flour onto some baking pans, humming something under his breath.

Then he handed Pidge a mixer and told her to beat the wet ingredients before adding them to the dry ones. Pidge wasn’t sure why, but she did it. Her tongue stuck out slightly as she concentrated on mixing the wet ingredients. She poured them into the dry ingredients and turned the mixer on again.

Suddenly, the flour, sugar, and the egg mix all flew out of the bowl, startling Pidge further and making her knock the bowl over onto herself.

All she could hear was Hunk’s unreserved laughter.

“Pidge, you’re not supposed to start the mixer that fast!” he wheezed between breathless laughter, leaning against the counter for support.

“My finger slipped!  Stop laughing at me!”

But Hunk’s full laughter already had him keeling over. It resonated through the kitchen and Pidge didn’t even mind that she was now covered in milk and flour and eggs. Still, she turned and grabbed a fistful of flour, flinging at him, making the crown of his head completely white.

“Wh-what! That’s not fair!” he said, still smiling with remnants of laughter in his eyes. He grabbed a fistful of his own bag of flour and blew it back at her.

“Oh, you jerk!” Pidge yelped, squeezing her eyes shut. She grabbed the bowl of what remained of the mixture. Hunk seemed to know what she was going to do before she did it.

“No, no, no!” he said, immediately backing up to the other side of the kitchen. He felt for the fridge handle behind him and blindly grabbed for something as Pidge neared him slowly. “Pidge, I’ve got a full container of whipped cream, and I’m not afraid to use it!”

Pidge smiled and grabbed a fistful of gunk from the bowl. “I dare you.” She raised an eyebrow.

Suddenly he was dashing across to the other end and she was running after him, throwing fistful after fistful while he flung back handfuls of whipped cream that clung to her clothes. Laughter filled the kitchen the more and more intense their food fight got. Suddenly they were throwing eggs, and Pidge managed to smear butter on Hunk’s face, then Hunk managed to douse Pidge in sporadic splatters of milk.

Soon they were covered in various ingredients, both refusing to back down until they ended up slipping on something they spilled. They collapsed on the floor trying to catch their breaths.

“Oh my God, my kitchen’s a mess,” Hunk said with a laugh, resting his head back on the wall. “How do you screw up a cake to this level?”

“In my defense, you helped in the wreckage.” Pidge scooted closer to him. She wrinkled her nose as she leaned in to kiss him. “You stink.”

“You got egg in my hair,” he pointed out. Pidge laughed and shrugged, running her fingers through her own matted hair. “Come on, the sink should be big enough to wash our hair out a bit.” He stood up and took her hand to help her up.

After managing to uncomfortably wash out their hair, they both put their hair up and wiped down what they could of their arms and faces. Their clothes would sadly remain until they got a change of clothes.

Before Pidge could start helping him clean the kitchen, Hunk told her to wait and took out the polaroid camera she’d gotten him from his office. He took two pictures of the scene before putting the camera and the photos back in his office and getting back.

“Okay, now we can clean.”

--

Pidge planned on never again having a food fight in a big kitchen. It was ridiculously tedious to clean everything down. Even with Hunk’s playfulness as he twirled her around and hummed different songs while they cleaned up together, Pidge ended up feeling exhausted, and still pretty gross from the stickiness of her clothes.

But it was a memory she would cherish forever. Hopefully it would be a memory to overlap one of the many horrible ones that contributed to restless nights.

In the end, Hunk did make her a cake. He took over while she watched and sat on a counter, just like old times. Except this time, he took to passing time by providing Pidge with light kisses and gentle nose bumps and sweet smiles.

When the cakes were done and cooled, Hunk went back into baker mode and began cutting the tops off before layering the cake. Pidge took to eating the pieces he cut off as he blocked her from seeing what he was decorating it with.

She could only see the Hunch of his shoulders, the slow, patient movements as he worked.

Finally he turned and presented her with her cake.

It was decorated in green frosting with a pretty yellow honeysuckle bunch and two small bees. Pidge smiled as she looked at it and covered her mouth. “Hunk, this is so pretty!”

“I would make you a much more intricate one like the ones on display, but you kept eating the scraps so I knew I had to feed you.”

Pidge scoffed and rolled her eyes. “I love it,” she said.

Hunk smiled and cut her a slice. “Try it.” Pidge took the slice and ate a forkful, sighing contentedly. “Good?” Pidge nodded, stuffing her face with more cake. Hunk laughed wiped some of the frosting from her lower lip. “I’m glad you like it, honeybee.”

Pidge set the cake aside and took Hunk’s hands in her own as he leaned in to give her a soft kiss. “I’m really glad I’m here with you,” she whispered. “And I’m so sorry about all that stupid stuff I’d say on the phone about you meeting someone new. Now that I’m here with you, it just feels so stupid-”

“Hey,” he said, cupping her face. “You’re not stupid, Pidge. I get why you said that, and I get why you worry. And the people that think we can’t make this work have no idea what we’ve already been through. I know you like to plan everything out and think of every possible scenario, so I really do get it, Pidge. Just….” He pressed her hand up to his lips. “I need to know you believe me when I tell you I won’t ever do anything to hurt you.”

Pidge smiled and nodded. “I believe you. I love you.” Hunk’s lips parted slightly before curling into a smile.

“You mean that?”

Pidge bit her lip. Saying it made her feel lighter. Everything she felt in response to Hunk, every wild butterfly, every giddy laugh, and every moment of peace…. This was what they all amounted to. To this unfiltered love she hadn’t even realized she’d been nurturing for so long already.

“Yeah,” she breathed.

Hunk smiled and kissed her again before whispering, “Oute alofa ia te oe.”

Pidge furrowed her eyebrows. “You’ve said that before, haven’t you?” Hunk’s smile grew wider. “Wait. No.” He chuckled and kissed the tip of her nose. “I can’t believe you told me you loved me and I didn’t even realize it.”

Hunk touched her cheek lightly, looking at her with soft, big, brown eyes that made her feel like she was the most important person on the planet. And maybe to him she was for that moment.

“Okay, as much as I would like to keep kissing you, we need to get a change of clothes because they’re really starting to smell,” he said, pulling her off the counter. Pidge sniffed her sweater and grimaced. “I’ll put this in a box and we can take it back. We should also probably get some actual food.”

“I’ll call Lance and see if he wants anything. He said he was feeling sick.”

Hunk busied himself with putting the cake up, and Pidge followed him to his car as she dialed Lance.

“Hey, what’s up?” he answered. He sounded… flustered.

“You okay?”

“Yeah.”

Pidge hummed. “How are you feeling?”

“Um. Tired.”

“Well, are you hungry?”

“Yeah, actually I was about to order Thai. You coming over?”

“Yep. Hunk’s with me, he closed up early.” She looked over at Hunk. “Lance is ordering Thai.”

“Tell him he’d better be using his own card this time.”

Pidge laughed and relayed the information to Lance.

“Wa-wha-huh? -idge? You- cutting ou- guess you’re going through a tunnel, bye!”

“We’re not-” He hung up and Pidge stared at the phone. “That was a horrible impression of a broken call.” In the driver’s seat, Hunk groaned and shook his head.

When they got home, the Thai food was already there and Lance was stuffing his face with rice at the table. “You’re paying my next bill, man,” Hunk said as he grabbed an eggroll.

“What the hell happened to you two and why do you smell like a dairy aisle?” Lance responded through a mouthful of food.

“Food fight,” Pidge said. Lance nodded and furrowed his eyebrows as they went into Hunk’s room. Hunk lended her some drawstring shorts and a hoodie. She went into the bathroom to change and once they were both in clothes that didn’t smell, they joined Lance at the table.

“Pidge said you were sick,” Hunk said. He looked at him and put a hand to his forehead. “You don’t feel warm. What’s wrong?”

Lance looked at them, stuffing more food in his mouth. Then he said, “I’m heart sick. I have a broken heart.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Pidge answered in exasperation. “What are you talking about?”

“Being heartbroken totally counts as being sick, Katie.” Lance stuck his tongue out at her and Hunk chuckled at his expense.

“Alright, well who broke your heart?”

This time, the light playfulness in Lance’s eyes dimmed a bit and he opened his laptop. “It’s not….” He sighed and took a breath. “I found Keith.”

“What?”

Lance ran a hand through his hair and hugged his food closer. “Not like in real life, and not like… to where I can contact him. I just….” He turned the laptop and Pidge and Hunk leaned forward to see the screen better.

All she saw was a variety of photos from different places, different countries. “Uh?”

Lance rolled his eyes and scrolled, clicking on an album. This one had what looked like a silhouette standing somewhere with a pretty mountain backdrop covered in fog and a soft blue sky. There was a caption on the bottom that said, I see you in every sky. Lance clicked through the album. Each photo had a silhouette which Pidge assumed was Keith against a pretty scene whether it was cobblestone roads, between clotheslines in what looked like some ethereal field, or blending into the silhouettes of trees. Each photo had different captions that seemed too vague to pertain to the photo itself like I wanted to believe, Has time erased the love from your life?, The stars are nothing in comparison to your galaxy.

“How do you know it’s him?” Hunk asked. The silhouette never had any actual features. Short hair, a lithe posture, and various clothes for the weather. It wasn’t like Keith was still wearing his red crop jacket or still sporting a stylized mullet anymore.

Lance scrolled all the way down and clicked the “about” button. It led to a resume style page with a portrait photo of someone who was undeniably Keith. The burn scar was still prominent on his right cheek and Pidge had yet to meet anyone with the same lavender eyes. His hair was much shorter than the last time she’d seen him, but he was still all angles and sharp edges. He was holding one of those fancy cameras, but his expression remained somber. He could’ve been a model, and Pidge found ironic that he preferred to be behind the camera.

“Oh my God,” Hunk breathed.

“Apparently he’s traveled to major cities already and started taking to finding the lesser known villages and small corners of the world to photograph them and make them known. I don’t really know what the captions are for, I can’t tell if it’s a story or not, but… yeah. He’s a fucking photographer somewhere out in the world.”

“How did you find this?”

Lance blushed slightly. “I Googled him. I went through a bunch of Facebook and Instagram profiles with the same name before I found one that talked about a photograph website. I didn’t think it’d be him, and I almost gave up, but I figured what if? And it was him.”

Pidge looked at Hunk and then back at the screen before looking at Lance. “Are you going to try to find him? Contact him?”

Lance shoveled food into his mouth again and huffed. “There’s no contact information on there. It doesn’t even say where he’s at right now. And there’s no actual personal bios, just explanations of the project and the captions on the photos.”

“Yeah, that sounds like Keith,” Hunk said. “Do you want to find a way to contact him?”

Lance stirred his rice and Pidge noticed Leon trot a little closer, curling by his legs. “I don’t know,” he whispered. “I mean… he’s doing what he wants, right? He’s seeing the world. I’m in New York and after all this time, it’s not like we can just…. What if he found someone already? Someone who travels with him and takes his pictures and he takes their pictures and….” Lance shook his head. “We already had our story. And it’s over. If he doesn’t have any contact information, it’s because he doesn’t want to be contacted.” He put the food on the table and groaned, placing his face in his hands. “It’s been so long and all of these feelings are just flooding back. I don’t even know what to do about them. All that love and the hurt and the sadness and the nostalgia it’s all just… back.”

“That’s normal, man,” Hunk said, scooting his chair closer to Lance to put a hand on his shoulder. “You guys were still in love when you broke it off. Most people who break up see it coming or at least there’s a reason that you can’t go back from. You guys ended it because you were both taking different paths. You didn’t stop loving him.”

“What if he did?”

Pidge furrowed her eyebrows, her heart breaking with the amount of pain in Lance’s voice. Hunk brought him into a hug and Leon stood on his hind legs to paw at Lance’s arm. Lance sighed and looked at Leon, petting him gently. “I think I’m gonna take a nap. I was up all night obsessing over that website, and now I’ve eaten most of my feelings, so…. Can I use your bed?” Hunk nodded and Lance shut his laptop before heading off to Hunk’s room.

As soon as the door shut, Pidge looked at Hunk. “Can I see your laptop?”

Hunk frowned, but got up to bring her the laptop. She turned it on and searched the website, happy to see that Hunk already had the same software she’d downloaded on her own computer for occasional hacking. “What are you doing?” he asked, leaning over to look over her shoulder.

“I’m figuring out where Keith’s at.”

“What?”

Pidge used the pictures to trace the locations, finding places she’d never even known existed. Keith had really gone into the most obscure places.

“Honeycomb, he could be anywhere at this point, finding the photo locations won’t- is that a government website?”

“Wouldn’t be the first time,” she answered.

“In a few years, I’m gonna be visiting you in a federal prison, aren’t I?”

“Bold of you to assume I’ll get caught. I’m offended.”

“Well- whoa, what the hell?” Pidge had managed to pull up a file on Keith. “How…?”

“We were paladins. We fought aliens. You think the government isn’t keeping tabs on us?” Hunk grabbed his food and pulled his chair to sit closer to Pidge as she scrolled. “Jesus Christ. He’s been to over 100 countries. And even more cities and towns.”

“Is that his permanent address?”

“It’s what’s listed, but he hasn’t been there in over a year,” she muttered under her breath.

“This is borderline stalking.”

Pidge looked over at him and raised an eyebrow. “Everything we’ve been through, you’re drawing the line at this?”

Hunk laughed and shook his head. “Absolutely not. My girl’s a fucking genius.” Pidge winked and returned to the screen. “What about a phone number?”

“There’s a house phone listed. No cellphone. God, why is he a real life cryptid, what the fuck?”

“Maybe Lance is right. Maybe he doesn’t want to be found. He doesn’t have any family on Earth, there’s no one for him to stay in contact with.”

“We were his family! We spent all that time together, building relationships, fighting a war, and we created our own family. We all wanted to be found, you, me, Lance. Keith does too.” Her fingers flew over the keys almost maniacally. “There. If a former paladin is traveling, you can count on our government following them. He last made it to… Attu island.”

“Holy shit. You actually found him.”

“Why do you sound so surprised?”

“I mean I knew you would, just not that fast.” Pidge shrugged. There was a beat of silence, where they both stared at the name of the island on the screen. “Lance doesn’t even know if he wants to contact him though. I don’t think you should tell him yet. Let him sort out what he’s feeling.”

Pidge took a breath and eventually resigned, nodding her head and exiting the site. But she made a note in her phone of Keith’s website before finally dropping the subject fully.

Hunk wrapped an arm around her. They finished their food in silence, Pidge leaning against Hunk as they both tried to let all the new information sink in.

It was strange to believe that just a few hours ago, she had told Hunk she loved him for the first time. It was a moment she thought would have been big and dramatic, probably said in front of the Bellagio, and honestly, said by Hunk first. Of course, he did say it first, but she didn’t know that.

Now she was reeling with the fact that Lance had managed to find Keith. It was concerning that he was so hung up on finding him that he managed it, but… Pidge was the one hacking government files for information. And now they knew where he was.

Maybe it was the fact that she didn’t have much of her blood family left. All she had was Matt. The prospect of getting her space family back together felt like a necessity. To get them all back in her life, to build that support they should have been for each other from the start.

But Hunk was right. Shiro had gone under the radar with some work for the Garrison, and Keith obviously didn’t want anyone contacting him. She wondered if they missed each other. They’d been practically brothers after all. She wondered if Keith had been living through acquaintances this entire time. Five years bouncing from place to place… it couldn’t have given him time for friends, much less a relationship as Lance feared. She wondered if Shiro was okay, and if she could maybe bring herself to go back to the Garrison, if only to see him again.

Then she began to wonder about Allura and Coran. If they had rebuilt their lives, if they remembered the paladins, if Allura ever thought of them or if Coran still called her Number Five when or if he ever talked about her.

And suddenly she was crying. She hated how often she was starting to do that, and ever since Matt pointed it out, she realized it really did happen more when she wasn’t at school. In a way it made sense because at school she wasn’t surrounded by reminders or talking about the memories. But she also didn’t want it to be a bad thing because she loved being with Hunk and Lance and Matt. She was creating new memories with them.

“Oh, Pidge, come here,” Hunk murmured, pulling her from the chair and taking her to the couch where he could properly cuddle her.

“I miss them so much,” she whispered, wiping her eyes and trying to force herself to stop crying. She’d never cried this much even as a teen in a war. It was ridiculous.

“I know. I miss them too.” Hunk scratched her head soothingly, bringing her in closer. “We’re always going to hold on to pieces from our past. And honestly, knowing Keith? It seems like he’s been running from it. It won’t be long before he has to face it. For all we know, he’s just as strung up on Lance as Lance is on him.”

“How did we all make things so difficult for ourselves? We should have stuck together.”

“We all needed different things, Pidge. We just have to take it step by step.” She nodded and held onto him tighter, letting the rise and fall of his chest soothe her. “Hey.” She looked up at him. “I love you.”

Pidge smiled and bit her lip. “That’s the first time you’ve said it in English,” she whispered. He smiled at her. “I love you too.”

He pressed a kiss to both of her eyelids before kissing her lips. He cupped her face with large hands that cradled her gently, like she was fragile. She loved how safe she felt when he did that. How adored she felt because of it. She loved Hunk.

**

“Got your passport?” Pidge nodded. “Your chargers, laptop, phone?” Pidge nodded. “Do you have snacks for the flight, I know it’s a long plane ride. Here, I got you some chocolate covered pretzels and-”

“Matt, I’ll be okay,” Pidge said with a laugh. “It’s not the first time I leave.”

“I know, but the next time I see you, it’ll be for your graduation. It’s kind of freaking me out.”

“Yeah, well once I graduate, you’ll get sick of me because I’ll be living with you.”

Matt rolled his eyes and pulled her into a hug. She returned it just as tightly. When she pulled away, he was giving her the bag of pretzels which made her laugh. “Tell me when you land, okay?” She nodded. Matt turned to Lance. “You stay in touch with me. Spent a whole war without hardly a word to each other and now-”

“We’re practically giving these two a free comedy improv show,” Lance said with a laugh. “Yeah, I was a little naive as a kid. I’ll stay in touch.” Lance turned to Hunk giving him a hug and a thank you for letting him stay before pulling away.

Pidge walked over to Hunk and smiled as she thought of the last time she’d been in this airport with him. How close she’d been to kissing him, only to chicken out. It was funny to think about now.

“I love you,” Hunk murmured into her hair as he hugged her. “You’re gonna kick ass in your classes, and I’ll see you for your graduation, okay?” She nodded and got on her toes, pulling him into a kiss.

“I love you. I’ll call when I get home, okay?” Hunk nodded and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear.

“Ready?” Lance asked. She nodded and they walked over to the person checking tickets. Hunk and Matt stayed until they’d gone through the doors.

After getting through all the tedious routines, they boarded the plane. Once take off started, Pidge focused on breathing and staying calm against the rumbling and slight shudder of the plane. She felt Lance take her hand and squeeze it.

Strangely, that helped her relax a little more. Especially since he wasn’t looking at her. He’d just taken her hand and held it tightly, giving her something to tether herself with. Leon also poked his head out from under Lance’s feet, placing his head on her lap. Soon enough, the plane leveled out and the shuddering stopped.

She loosened her grip on Lance’s hand and he let go. “I wonder when the drink cart is gonna come. I’m craving a soda.” Pidge smiled.

--

Lance flight from Massachusetts to New York wasn’t for another four hours, so he took her home and made sure she was stocked up on food to survive before they split a pizza. It was very little time before Lance had to get back to the airport.

Before going through the next goodbye, Pidge knew she had to tell him about Keith. But maybe not all once. Or maybe not everything.

“Hey, so about the website….”

What webs- oh. Yeah, what about it?”

Pidge bit her lip and shrugged. “I’m the girl that hacked into Garrison files and tricked them into thinking I was a boy for a year. I also decoded alien communication and coded upgrades into Altean castle defenses.” Lance stared at her, his eyebrows furrowed. She sighed. “I’m pretty sure I could figure out where Keith’s at so you could try and contact him…. If that’s something you wanted to do.”

“Oh. Oh God.” Lance chuckled awkwardly. “I don’t wanna ask that of-”

“Lance, you’ve helped me a lot too. You’re one of my best friends, practically another brother. I’m good at hacking and tech. So if you want my help, just ask. Think it over, you don’t need to tell me now. I just wanted you to know it was an option.”

Lance smiled and nodded. “Thanks, Pidge. I gotta sort my head out a bit, but… I’ll keep it in mind.” He hugged her tightly and added, “Good luck with the rest of school. Feel free to visit me in New York if you ever have a long weekend, okay? I can drive down, it’s not that bad of a drive.”

She laughed and nodded. “Okay. Let me know when you get home, okay?” He nodded and whistled for Leon so he could put his leash on. Pidge stayed at the door, watching as he got into the Uber and staying until the car disappeared down the street.

#hidge #platonic plance #fragile hearts #team punk #reblog #feedback pls

[strag]

odd question: is bungou stray dogs any good?

real talk? no. the easiest way to sum it up would be to say it’s one of the biggest examples of wasted potential i’ve ever experienced. i read the manga and watched both series of the anime and they’re both just... disappointing.

one thing that’s always bothered me might be sorta petty but it’s the art style. all the characters are that modern style of bishie that i goddamn despise. y’know the sort where they all have the hair from serial experiments lain with 2 hairclips shoved in it? that’s literally every male character’s haircut. it just looks bad, especially in the anime! i like the way the female characters look tho, and i like the designs for john steinbeck and hp lovecraft (who are the best characters btw, just saying).

the worst thing tho is that the premise for the series sounds cool. the characters are all authors and their powers are named after and based on one of their books? awesome! except it’s... done terribly. the powers are pretty much just based off the books’ titles, like john steinbeck’s grapes of wrath power is literally just grapevines. margaret mitchell is a character too and y’know what her gone with the wind power is? you guessed it! she controls the wind! it just feels so lacking in creativity. if you were gonna go this far with it, why not have the powers be references to the actual themes and plots of the books? i’m sure it would’ve been harder to come up with some of them then but damn, what they actually went with is lacklustre af

one of the things that really makes me uncomfortable tho is the character of osamu dazai. ppl have mentioned this before but... osamu dazai is a japanese author that committed suicide. and his anime counterpart? he’s constantly trying to kill himself. he even tries to drown himself in his first appearance, which is literally how osamu dazai died! this mightn’t have been too bad by itself but it’s passed off as a joke constantly and it’s like... can u not? can u rly honestly not? esp w/ how mental illness is already treated in japan, like... we didn’t need this lmao

also i hate kyouka. kuudere are the worst anime character archetype, i’m sorry but they are. she’s a dull personalityless blob and so much of the story is dedicated to her boring existence. i don’t care about kuuderes, japan! stop putting them in everything! they’re lazy and overdone! there’s literally 2 good ones! the others are all trash! you know it, you know it deep down inside! stop doing it! there’s better ways to portray a character with trauma than having her have 0 character traits!

tho whilst i’m on that tangent, most of the characters just... aren’t good. it’s hard to say exactly why but they all just seem to be lacking something. even the ones that are my type/that i felt like i’d like more as time go on never seemed to get a fleshing out they sorely needed. it’s probably because the series has not 1, not, 2, but 3 fucking groups of characters they throw in our faces really early on! i barely remember all the characters from the mc’s group, let alone the mafia group and the american group too. i really think it would’ve benefited from taking things slower and introducing a few characters at a time. this is especially true b/c they keep throwing them all on the railroads of rushed plots to get hit by the angst train and it’s like... i don’t care about these characters, honey. i don’t know them! if you want me to feel for them then take the time to tell me why i should! a lot of other anime does this too tho

to be frank, there’s probably other stuff i’m forgetting, but that’s what i remember pissing me off at the time

#komm susser tod #ask

[datinglove07-blog-blog-blog]

The 4 Step Plan to Talk to New People: Learn to Master the Conversation With this Guide

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The 4 Step Plan to Talk to New People: Learn to Master the Conversation With this Guide

If you find yourself unable to talk to new people, you’ve come to the right place!

Today we’re gonna teach you how to master a conversation, instead of staring at your feet hoping somebody else will come talk to you.

We’ll teach it in 4 easy steps :P TAGEND

Step 1: How to Make Small Talk- and Not Suck at It( Human Interaction ) Step 2: How Do You Talk to Random People( Thoughtful Small Talk ) Step 3: How Can I Be Good at Talking( Be Quirky ) Step 4: How Can I Be Fun to Talk To( In Defense of Being Imprecise ) How Do You Interact with Others( Start Talking )

By the end of today’s article, your friends will need a muzzle to shut you up.

Believe it or not, we really often work on “social skills” with our 1-on-1 NF Coaching. Many clients are bettering themselves to start dating again, so we work hard to help them level up all areas of their lives.

Click below to learn more, then head to the article to learn how to master a dialogue :P TAGEND

Step 1: How to Attain Small Talk- and Not Suck at It.( Human Interaction)

The main reason we human folk seek to connect with one another is that it scratches a social itching. Our social needs are just like hunger and thirst–we eat, drink, and talk to people because there’s a gap between our actual country( hungry/ thirsty/ lonely) and our ideal country( satiated/ slaked/ connected ). Your brain is saying, “Dude, mind helping me out a little? I’m not where I want to be.”

The whole idea here is to feel better after than we did before. You ever talk to people who are in a super sour mood? It’s kind of contagious, isn’t it? Unless you happen to be friends with people who can induce crankiness charming( such as professional comedians and/ or giant puppies woken up from deep slumber ), it’s usually a bit of a bummer. Let’s not be bummers! Let’s be those other various kinds of people, people who leave our conversational partners in good moods after they talk to us.

Engaging in happy small talk isn’t just good for the people we talk to, by the way–it helps us as well. “Fake it’ til you make it” is more than just a catchy rhyme. The idea that acting a certain way promotes us to be that way has been around since Aristotle’s time. Take a look at his quote( from over 2,300 years ago !):

“Men acquire a particular quality by constantly acting a particular way. We become merely by performing simply actions, temperate by performing temperate actions, brave by performing brave actions.”

Turns out the man knew what he was talking about. A team led by Fritz Strack presented in 1988 showed that simply holding a pen in your mouth in a way that simulates the muscle movements of smiling attains cartoons seem funnier than when you hold it between your lips like a straw; other studies have shown that merely traversing your arms can build you more persistent!

So the next time you’re feeling surly and looking forward to a change, challenge yourself to talk to someone in a more upbeat way and see if that helps shake it off.

I’m not suggesting you bop around like sunshine and fairy dust, but isn’t it powerful to be recognised that by simply chatting with another person in a positive way, you can walk away from the conversation with both you and them feeling better off?

( Feel free to give a little mental fist bump to Aristotle when you see how well this works .)

Step 2: How Do You Talk to Random People?( Thoughtful Small Talk)

Good small talk accommodates in real-time, thoughtfully and attentively is applicable for whatever is happening in the moment.

This may sound overwhelming at first, especially if you like to plan things to say out in advance. The trick is to take a step back and pick one thing, any thing, on which to focus your attention.

There’s a finite listing of what this thing will be:

Whether it’s sunny, rainy, or snowy, that’s weather. Whether it’s a street procession, an art exhibit, or a hot tub limousine driving by, that’s scenery. Whether it’s someone with crazy shoes, a guy doing back handsprings, or a woman swinging from a chandelier, that’s people. Whether it’s a cute newborn, a fluffy puppy, or a cool book, that’s belongings.

See how all of a sudden you can imagine having one or two prepared responses that can still perfectly apply to even the most novel of situations?

Now, this may merely get you as far as your first or second line within a conversation, after which you may need to start coming up with stuff in the moment. But the same logic of “step back/ pick one thing” applies here too, and will help you keep from getting overwhelmed or panicking about what to say.

Here’s an example :P TAGEND

You: “I guess I literally saw a cat and a dog raining down from the sky today.”

Them: “Ha! I know, right? I thought it was supposed to be spring.”

You: “It must be really tough to be a weatherman. You’re either stating the obvious or you’re a liar.”

Them: “My cousin is a weatherman.”

Curveball! You haven’t prepared anything about weatherman cousins! But this is interesting and fiction enough to justify a conversational tangent all its own( and could fall under the category of jobs, if you wanted to add it to your earlier list ). Try a simple question.

You: “Oh, interesting. How’d he or she get into that? ”

Before you know it, you’re having a unique dialogue , not banal “small talk”. You’re also learning things about your conversational partner( and they about you ), which will help you build from one-off conversations with strangers to consistent friendships and relationships with people.

Challenge yourself to identify these “one things”( climate, books, back handsprings) as you’re out interacting with people. Use the consolation of a prepared line to open with if you like, but with the goal of finding something interesting that’s happening in that moment to comment on. Your conversations will instantaneously be more thoughtful, and the people you’re talking to will feel it, too.

Step 3: How Can I Be Good at Talking?( Be Quirky)

My cousin Kim met my fiance for the first time a few months ago. As soon as we all sat down, she said to him, “Tell me every single thing about yourself, starting from birth, and aiming with right now.”

I thought it was just about the greatest thing I’ve ever heard.

If my friend Jess is at someone’s house for the first time, she’ll say, “If I were the bathroom, where would I be? ”

She gets the answer- and a chuckle.

My friend David struck up a dialogue with a cute daughter in Jiffy Lube by asking her if she thought the guy in the waiting room looked like a beagle.

He called me to thank me for introducing him to his girlfriend.

These instances all have in common the theme of turning awkwardness into awesomeness. They’re about being confident , not being smooth. Sometimes dialing up the awkward dial can be just what everyone needs to loosen up a little, like when my friend Mike starts his presentations at work by saying, “If I seem unbelievably nervous, it’s because I am indeed incredibly nervous.” It’s a bold strategy, must be ensured, but it can be incredibly refreshing.

There’s something undeniably fun about someone who says, “I’m staggeringly overcaffeinated right now, so I may pass out at some phase. How was your weekend? ”

In short, don’t feel pressure to rigidly adhere to some abstract notion of what small talk should be, losing all of your own delightful personality in the process. You’re a member of the Rebellion, after all!

You challenge conventional wisdom and embrace the weird every day- let small talk be no exception.

Step 4: How Can I Be Fun to Talk To?( In Defense of Being Imprecise)

Remembering the little things? Sweet. Remembering every little thing? Creepy.

I happen to be in possession of a frighteningly good memory; I remember specific dialogues( as well as where they took place, and what we were wearing) with people who couldn’t pick me out of a lineup. I’m perfectly the person who goes up to people and says, “You’re a chiropractor? We sat next to each other on a plane from L.A. to San Francisco about a year ago, right? ” Yes, right … but it didn’t matter. The dude was exhaustively creeped out, and I couldn’t blame him!

I’ve had to learn to hold back a little( okay, a lot) and not spew forth with every single thing I recollect about my last dialogue with person the next time I assure them.

Instead of saying:

“Hey, how was that conference you went to in Phoenix? ” go with, “You were going out of town when I saw you last, right?

“Is your upper left molar feeling any better? ” go with, “Hey, how’s it going? ”

Like a good hairstyle or pocket square, it sometimes takes a bit of attempt in conversation to make it seem effortless, but it’s far preferable to freaking people out. Take your time. With each dialogue, you’re watering a healthy plant , not dousing a fire.

In fact, leaving a bit unsaid is probably the best way to ensure future conversations, and give you something to talk about next time! Besides, when you’re imprecise, you let the other person to narrow in on a topic that they are comfy with, rather than forcing them to talk about their upper left molar!

How Do You Treated with Others?( Start Talkin’)

With these four keys in intellect, you’re ready to start small talkin’.

Challenge yourself to approach one person a day and strike up a dialogue, even if it’s brief.

Like everything else we do in life, good social abilities can be learned, developed, honed, and improved. Though, it’s really tough to practice unless you commit to TRYING it out. And who cares if those discussions runs poorly? Failure is awesome. Odds are you will NEVER see that person again in your life, and your life is no different now than it was 5 minutes before the conversation.

Of course the opposite could be true: you were able to satisfy somebody awesome.

And there’s only one way to find out which outcome you’re gonna get.

If you’re feeling actually rusty, give it a shot with a friend or family member and ask for a little feedback afterward. If you’re feeling bold, approach someone you wouldn’t usually talk to. If you draw a blank, ask a question.

Breathe, smile, listen.

Most of all, recollect why you’re doing this, and remind yourself that you’re not imposing on someone by having a pleasant conversation with them–you’re making their day a bit brighter, and you are able to never be made to feel bad about that.

As always, I’m very interested to hear what you think, and how these lessons feel when you take them out for a spin.

We all crave regular social interaction; you might be surprised by how easy being good at small talk really is!

What are your major hangups with small talk?

Where do you plan to give these tricks a try?

-Lindsay Miller( good friend of Steve, and the Relationship& Social Skills expert of Nerd Fitness !)

PS: Like developing your social skills, getting healthy can be really intimidating, which is why we’ve constructed services and products to assist you in overcome the chaos and are certain in the actions you’re taking every day :P TAGEND

1-on-1 Online Coaching: A coach from Team NF gets to know you better than you know yourself and builds a workout program and nutritional strategy that fits your busy life, your body type, and your goals. The Nerd Fitness Academy A self-paced online course with 7-level no-gym-required workouts, boss combats, HD-video demoes, a nutrition and mindset roadmap, and supportive community in our flagship course.

Just want to learn more about what we do? That’s great too! Grab your free Nerd Fitness Starter Kit by clicking in the box below and I’ll send it right over!

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Check out Lindsay on Twitter @RellimYasdnilor send questions/ comments at LoveAndDatingAdvice @gmail. com.

photo source: lego small talk, happy, thoughtful, imprecise, quirky, storm trooper

Read more: nerdfitness.com

#best of

[gaiatheorist]

Is it?

Sexual harassment. The journalist in question has, apparently, laughed off, or ‘minimised’ the stated fact that a government minister ‘put his hand on her knee.’ My carefully pruned corner of the internet is mostly being pragmatic about the case, and the multiple other cases that will come clattering out of various cupboards. (I’m not saying ‘closet’, I’m English, not American.) More cases will come to light, we’ll have a bun-fight about “Why didn’t they report it at the time?”, and some politicians are already going on record to say that allegations against them are malicious. 

Some of them might be. In my microcosm-world, I’m trying to talk a person that I consider a friend out of shattering his marriage for the third time. He’s being sexually harassed by a female, and it’s curious to see the different way this male is reacting. Different to the way females generally react, anyway. What do I know, I take extreme and extensive steps to ensure I do everything within my power to reduce the risk of being sexually harassed? 

In the microcosm example, my friend has a delivery job, and a woman he considers to be attractive has started answering the door in progressively fewer garments. Classic porno-plot right there, wealthy, attractive woman seduces delivery driver, he’s spent a couple of weeks wobbling about whether to ‘accept the invitation’ as it were, he’s still wobbling, he took a photo of his sulky face in his own house last night, and messaged it to me, to prove he hadn’t gone back to her house. Small steps. Obviously, it’s up to him where he puts his penis, but, for years, he’s been agonising about he impact his repeated affairs had on his wife, and vowing not to repeat that behaviour. Then, he experienced the adrenaline/dopamine surge of a woman effectively making herself available, and we’re very close to ‘square one’ again. Addictive behaviour patterns, gotta love ‘em, haven’t you?

It has been quite interesting, the two of us ‘bouncing’ off each other. Oh, apart from the bit where he went off on a massive explanation about the fact that he didn’t want to put his penis in me. That was unnecessary, I’ve called him ‘Dad’ for 22 years, for crying out loud. I then felt compelled to tell him that I had no visceral intentions towards him, either. Being British is awkward sometimes. He said he found me very attractive when I was younger (what, so I’m a swamp-donkey now, am I?), and that his wife would divorce him if she knew he was speaking to me. He also said that he thought my ex was a prat, and wanted to say something at the time about the way I was treated, but didn’t. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, and all that malarkey. 

Moving away from the awkward conversation, and back to The Widow, who is now answering her door in hotpants and a bikini-top, and holding ‘broken’ gadgets and such close to her bosom, to ask him if he can see what’s wrong with them. I know, right, the very definition of ‘offered on a plate.’ His initial instinct was to run a mile. Bold women tend to scare men, and he went off on a tinfoil-tangent of hidden cameras and honey traps. Personally, I think she’s a slightly unbalanced woman, used to getting what she asks for the first time. He had the knotted stomach, the sense of unease, the general feeling of “This isn’t right.”, my advice at that stage was “Look, Widow, I’m very flattered, but I’m married.” (You’ll note it’s not “I find you very attractive, but I’m married.”, I know how bitches score points, being a bitch myself.) He wasn’t going to do it, then he absolutely was going to do it, then he didn’t think it was a good idea, then he had a “Sod this, you only live once.” wobble, then he remembered that his wife would have his knackers for ear-rings if she found out... relationship counsellor I’m not.

She’s sexually harassing him, it’s moved from doorstep-flirting to jokes about Christmas presents and Valentines cards on Facebook, and now ‘dodgy’ Facebook messages, where she’s propositioning him. I’ve consistently told him not to touch her with a barge-pole if he wants to keep his marriage intact, he’s a grown man, I have no influence over him. The ‘line’ on harassment is whether it’s wanted/invited or not, and I think this is where the male/female conditioning comes into play. At first, her answering the door half-dressed made him feel uncomfortable, and it’s hard for me to flip that around in his mind to how a female delivery driver might feel, faced with a half-dressed man, we’re not very many garments away from indecent exposure, the way he tells it. (Yes, I know, it’s virtually impossible for a female to ‘indecently expose’ herself, bear with me.) His paranoia and insecurity about what it was she wanted should have been enough for the alarm bells to start ringing, but there’s another layer to this, in that he wants to be wanted. Hello Hatey Katie’s ‘weaponised sexuality’. 

Men aren’t stupid, men don’t think exclusively with their dicks, but some men are more easily tempted than others, that’s why I’ve spent years slobbing about in men’s clothes, with no make-up on, I do what I can to reduce the risk of mixed messages. I’m not ‘available’, so I don’t advertise my wares, Christ, the lengths we women go to, to avoid accusations of ‘leading on’  men. Falling into the ‘asking for it’ trap there.

So, she has the ‘power’ in this situation, she’s well-off and widowed, he’s married, and a pizza delivery driver. She’s already overstepped the ‘friend’ line, by flirting with him openly on Facebook, and there have been ‘indiscretions’ via messenger. He doesn’t ‘have to’ take it any further, but I suspect he will anyway, ‘because it is there.’  That’s not a generalisation about men, it’s specific to him, he was a serial shagger for a very long time, and he’s remembered the ‘rush’ of the forbidden. Not my monkeys, not my circus, I expect his wife will blame me anyway, everything he’s done over the last 20+ years is somehow ‘my’ fault, because he didn’t start having his ‘adventures’ until after he met me, in her eyes. (She’s wrong on that, she’s forgetting that she’s his third wife, and that this was his pattern prior to even meeting me. My chaos might have been a catalyst, but it’s not the cause.)

I’m trying to gently guide him that The Widow is looking to exploit him for her own validation-ends, he can already see that she’s narcissistic and emotionally unstable. I’ve predicted that her behaviours will become more unstable the longer the ‘if/when’ is left hanging, and that there’s the potential for it to blow up in his face. (I speak as an occasionally emotionally unstable female, projecting-out my potential reactions to being ‘led on’ and then ‘turned down.’)  

That’s the ‘thing’ I’m trying to process here, the whole ‘When does flirting become harassment?’ line. Ridiculous people on the internet, shouting that ‘a hand on the knee’ isn’t sexual harassment. It is if it’s unwanted, and intended to cause a lack of dignity, or provoke feelings of intimidation, degradation, or humiliation. The journalist being able to ‘deal with it’ potentially turns the wheel back a notch. Yes, I can remove roaming hands from about my person, yes, I can say ‘No.’ assertively, but I shouldn’t have to. No-one should assume they have the right to touch me without my consent, to make sexualised observations about parts of my body, or to make crude ‘jokes’ about what they might like to do to me.

Am I being a ‘snowflake’? Are my years of dressing like a tramp worth less than someone else’s desire to touch my body? (Good luck with that, I have 4 jumpers on, and leggings under my combats.) There was a thing on my Facebook ‘On This Day’ earlier in the week, about ‘safe touch’ zones, as reported by men/women, in respect of where it’s OK to touch for a friend/relative/stranger/family-member/lover. I’d made a big show of stating that NOWHERE is OK-to-touch on me. (Unless I expressly invite it, there is no ambiguity if I’m inviting someone.) I’ve spent years re-enforcing the ‘untouchable’ ice-queen persona, because life is easier that way. Fair enough, there’s been a slight unanticipated knock-on to my son, who has a habit of skittering off diagonally if it looks like someone’s about to collide with him in public, no wonder the soles of his boots wear unevenly, with all the sideways-skittering he does. 

Society as a whole needs to look at its attitudes to touching, and to sexual advances. We all know it’s not acceptable to ‘just grab them by the pussy’, but the how-far-is-too-far lines appear to need to be clarified. For me, knee-touching is a ‘No’ zone, except within a very limited range of circumstances, including receiving medical attention, and already having stated an intent to further my intimate knowledge of another person. Any hand on my knee outside those circumstances will be removed. (From my person, not from the other person, I’m not a psychopath.) The ex in-laws were a bit ‘patty’ they patted shoulders, arms, and thighs, there was no sexual element to it, but I always made sure I positioned myself well out of patting range. I’m not a dog, don’t pat me. 

Reflecting on how puritanical I am, now. For me, the knee is the gateway to the thigh. The vast majority of people who touch knees aren’t thinking “I could go further up if I wanted to.”, but some are. It’s probably safer, in general, just not to touch people’s knees, unless you’re a physiotherapist, or a nurse performing a smear-test or something. Different people will have different ‘zones’, and different people will have different background experiences of physical contact. It is never safe to assume that because your family hugs, or face-kisses, that the person you’re about to do that do will accept that as ‘normal’ behaviour. We don’t all need to don suits of armour, but, in a way, half of us (at least) have subconsciously done so for generations. That step-back I do, when people encroach on my personal space, that’s me acknowledging that that’s their ‘normal’, without causing offence by telling them to back off. So, so many ‘spacing’ strategies in my life, to stop people touching me. I know I’m an extreme example, but the normalisation of people putting their hands on other people’s knees just  makes it easier for some of those hands to start creeping north, and some of the knee-owners not really knowing how to respond. Is it ‘normal’? Is it OK? Is it starting to feel a bit creepy, or weird?

It’s only the creepy/weird ones, or the not-quite-OK ones that are the issue, so, Mr ‘Political Correctness Gone Mad’, and Ms ‘I am fine with that’ sort-of have a point. Is it sexual harassment?