#if this post flops I’m jumping off a bridge

[mistergandalf]

it’s amazing how easy it is to make the lotr fandom go feral. watch this. samwise samwise faramir boromir samwise boromir faramir

#if this post flops I’m jumping off a bridge #jk but wouldn’t it be so funny if this took off #lotr #tolkien #samwise gamgee #boromir #faramir

[garb-rage]

“So what if it’s raining!” | Kyle Broflovski x Gn!Reader | PT. 1

🛼 - Summary - Sheila and Gerald Broflovski had planned a date night the weekend of, and set Kyle in charge of babysitting Ike. Kyle, getting extremely bored, invited you over to help and hang out with the two brothers.

- Pairing(s) - Kyle Broflovski x reader

🛼 - Reader Info- reader LOVES rain, unestablished relationship, mutual unspoken crush, fluff kind of, Reader and Kyle are 18!

- Warnings - Canadian character (ike) 😨

🛼 - NOTE - Hey hey! I’ll have part two posted in a day or so, hope this is alright so far! 😁 also this isn’t proofread so I’ll have to do that in a bit 💀

………………………………………………………

“UNO!”

There’s no fucking way.

You groaned.

Letting out a frustrated sigh, you flopped backwards onto the rugged carpet of the Broflovski household in defeat. Your cards flew everywhere, uncaring of the slight mess made.

“Of course, just my luck” You huffed, shifting your head away from the boys sitting before you.

There wasn’t anything you despised more than playing card games with that of Kyle fuckin Broflovski, a teen-prodigy at whatever the hell game you guys decided to bring out next. Despite the “luck”-based system of the current one standing before you on the coffee table, you could have sworn there was some sort of “master-mind” strategy to the entire schtick. It was Uno for goodness sake. It had to have been a set up. He had to have…peered into the future or something.

Whatever.

With an award winning smile, and eyebrows that signaled two-sided pity, Kyle couldn’t help but shrug at your sour attitude. He laughed before he could mutter any apologies, cleaning up the cards littered around your body. “Sorry dude, but I warned you not to play Uno with me. Ike already knows, yet you just had to drag him into this game, huh?”

As if on cue, his little brother pretended to let out a shrill cry of shared defeat.

You sat back up, comforting Ike’s dramatics and ruffled his hair. You stared daggers at Kyle, who was still smugly shuffling through the mass of card games scattered about. It was an outrage. “I’m SORRY! I thought you were all talk dude! The past seven other games were nothing but PLANNED SCHEMES BY YOU! Go-fish, UNO, whatever, you just won them all!”

He scoffed, not looking up at you once. “Guess we’re not counting Ike’s win at solitaire, then?”

All you could do was lovingly punch Kyle, and roll your eyes. He jumped back and laughed a defensive “HEY!” before he could have been attacked any further. Ike cheered, you stood up, and the red-head pretended to cower in fear on the floor, forgetting any of the cards he had been previously sorting. “Smartass” you muttered with a grin.

“Yeah, smartass!” Ike mirrored.

Oh lord, neither of you were the paragon of what the boy should have been looking up to, and it showed. Kyle and you laughed before you crouched back down to help clean up the card games. Your friend sighed, rolling his eyes in a half-assed scold. “Don’t repeat that to mom and dad, Ike, they’ll kill me.”

Smartass? You quirked your eyebrows up in confusion, tilting your head slightly at the notion. “Kill you? I mean, come on, He’s old enough now, it’s not like he doesn’t know things.” You joked, side-eyeing Kyle while putting away the final boxes of the card games. He sighed in response, pinching the bridge of his nose and shaking his head as if recalling a troubling memory. “Yeah, but you haven’t seen our mom when she hears that type of stuff, she goes crazy. So honestly, it’s best if he just stops using that-“

Just then, cutting him off, the lights of the household shut off without any warning. A flash outside the windows rumbled the friendly peace between the three, signaling any nearby residents of an unexpected thunderstorm. Blanketed in sudden darkness, a certain little boy screamed, and ran into an unsuspecting wall.

“Of course, goddammit…UGHHH. A thunderstorm? Really? Hold on guys, give me a second-” Kyle exclaimed, hurriedly fumbling around his pockets for a phone. He grumbled while your excitement suddenly shone through an inky, housed darkness. Finding your phone before your frazzled friend could, you happily tapped the screen and went straight towards the flashlight function. “It’s ok Ike, I’ve got you, don’t run into anymore walls, please.”

A boom, a thunderous crash, and a harrowing plummet of thick drops pelted the house as the little boy hid behind your legs in childish fear.

Storms like these weren’t uncommon in South Park, no, but it felt like it had been forever since the last one wreaked havoc onto the little town, and you always looked forward to them. Despite the setbacks of, well, almost all power going out across town, it was always worth it for the refreshing moments of an insane storm.

“It’s ok Kyle I’ve got my phone now- Ike, dude we should check out the storm! I haven’t seen one like this in AGES!”

Phone now in hand and sporting a tired look of disinterest, Kyle aptly declined. “No. No way, sorry. It’s raining. Shit like this ruins my hair like crazy, and now I’ve got to wait for our stupid power to come back on.” He muttered. Thankfully for you, you had a problem caring, and swiftly walked towards the entrance of the back door, much to your friend’s dismay.

“So what if it’s raining! What comes AFTER a storm is the most beautiful thing ever to look forward to!” You turned back, shifting your gaze towards the two brothers, grinning like a mad man.

As if to compliment your joy, another shattering flash of crisp thunder filled the air, illuminating the rain waiting outside of the Broflovski household. “You’re crazy.” Kyle simply stated, unblinking and unmoving. “I hate how dark our house is.” Was all Ike blathered, moving closer to his brother.

The sway against the boys wasn’t enough, yet despite this, you knew they were going to get FOMO sooner or later with how treacherous the noises outside were. So, without saying another word and a knowing smile, you opened the door to the backyard and ran around as if your life depended on it. And boy, was it worth it. You couldn’t hear the frustrated call of your name over the sound of icy threads weaving the air and sinking into the ground all around you. Laughing and circling around the now mushy grass, a wonderful wave of cold shivered throughout your body, igniting a beautiful adrenaline only such weather could unlock.

“DUDE! YOU’RE GOING TO CATCH A COLD!” You heard over the loudness of the rain. Turning around, you saw what appeared to be a disgruntled silhouette holding a shoddy phone-flashlight, and a stern look chiseled onto the features of a displeased red-head. A typical stance to see him in, and not the last time you’d see it either. Your water-lodged eyes spottet a shorter shadow peering around the taller one, slightly illuminated by the faint light of an IPhone, obviously curious about the weather before him.

Pretending not to hear Kyle, you joyously beckoned Ike over to the backyard, hands outstretched and drenched in water. You grinned, still uncaring of the shivering circumstances.

“COME ONNN, I KNOW YOU GUYS WANT TO! LOOK HOW MUCH FUN IM HAVING OUT HERE!” You spun around and laughed. “SOOOO MUCH FUN!”

Not even a moment passed by before you saw the smaller shadow jolting towards the backyard. Of course! You knew IKE would at least eventually cave, and how could you resist rain like this! The weather was sure to ruin any tidiness the two of you held; tangled hair and drenched clothing, leaving behind frantic smiles plastered onto the faces outside. It was horrifyingly comical, much to the chagrin of Kyle.

And honestly, huge win for you, because now that you had won over your friend’s little brother, the two of you were UNSTOPPABLE!

“IKE NO!- Oh my god…”

PT 1. | PT. 2

#south park #south park x reader #south park x y/n #south park x you #x reader #kyle brovlofski #south park kyle #kyle broflovski x y/n #kyle broflovski x reader #Kyle Broflovski x you #fluff #x y/n #Kyle Broflovski Fic

[aria-i-adagio]

Like a Cactus in a Flood

@30daysofdorian Prompt: Death

Also posted on AO3.

Note: For my timeline, instead of disappearing to Tevinter, Rhys brings him to Skyhold with Alexius. And this could be considered a spoiler for Where the Elfroot Grows, but given that Felix's fate is determined, it isn't much of one.

***

Rhys jumps up from his desk in alarm when Dorian stumbles up the last few stairs leading to his rooms. “What is it?” He catches Dorian’s arms as he falls forward. His breath doesn’t smell of wine or brandy, but his eyes are lined with red and glassy.

“Felix.”

“Oh.” Rhys has gotten too used to the knowledge of Felix dying in an isolated room in Skyhold to immediately process a new reality that Felix is dead. He finds enough sense to move them both away from the edge of the stairs then pulls Dorian close. “Dorian. I’m so sorry.”

Dorian’s arms hang limp by his sides through a long choked sob and then he returns Rhys’s embrace, tucking his face against Rhys’s neck. “I shouldn’t be so upset.” Dorian sniffs against his shoulder. “It was... A long time coming.”

“That doesn’t matter.” Rhys combs his fingers through Dorian’s silky hair. He’d say he enjoys the longer length if the reason Dorian had been too distracted to bother with keeping it trimmed short was anything other than attending a slow death bed. “Let’s sit, okay?”

Dorian’s first step is more of stumble. Rhys catches his elbow again, like he would if Dorian were drunk. Falling on the floor would be bad though no matter if Dorian was drunk or sober. “Got you, love. I’ve got you.”

He guides Dorian to the sofa and folds his arms around him, holding while he chokes through a spell of half-suppressed sobs. He collects himself far too soon and straightens up, scrubbing the back of his hand across his face, then pinching the bridge of his nose. Dorian stares ahead, blinks twice, then with a groan, he leans forward, elbows in his knees and head in his hands. “I didn’t realize...”

Rhys allows Dorian’s voice to trail off without prompting him to continue the thought. How much did it hurt to watch the final days of Felix’s long decline? Maybe it would have been better to not bring Felix to Skyhold along with Alexius? No. That would have just been a different sort of awful.

“I know, I know it’s just relitigating the past.” Dorian closes one hand into a fist and punches the palm of the other. “But out of everyone, why Felix? He was... The best of us. The kind of person that would make you think there was a little hope for Tevinter, and now... I thought I realized, I thought I understood, but... Andraste’s tears, he’s actually...”

People say things. About the Maker’s side, or things will make sense one day, some day, at some point in the future. Rhys very much doubts the latter, and doesn’t find the former especially reassuring given the Maker’s propensity for fucking off and leaving his experiments to run unsupervised. So he doesn’t say anything. He takes Dorian’s hand and unclenches his fingers carefully, one by one, until he can lace his own through them and hope that’s a better response than silly, formulaic words.

Dorian’s eyes squeeze shut and a low whimper escapes his lips as he curls against Rhys’s chest. “I don’t like it.”

Rhys starts to let him go, then realizes that Dorian would have pulled away if it was being held that he objected to, and if anything, his grip on Rhys’s hand is tighter than it was a moment ago. “Don’t like what?”

“Feeling. Like this. Especially like this.”

“I know.” Rhys kisses the top of his head. Rhys isn’t great with emotions himself, but Dorian is worse. Grief is like a flood for a cactus.

Dorian shudders then straightens up suddenly. “Wine? Or brandy? You have some stashed up here, right?”

“I think I -”

Dorian’s on his feet and has found a bottle still about one third full of brandy before Rhys can even look around the room. He flips the stopper out with his thumb, flops back down on the sofa, drinks straight from the bottle and finally tips his head back. “Maker, Lark... The past - how many days has it been?”

Rhys turns sideways and crosses his legs in front of him, feet on the sofa, but no shoes, only a very, very nice druffalo wool socks one of the grandmothers in Crestwood had sent with the last courier. He sets his fingertips on Dorian’s leg and rubs the inside of his knee.

“You stayed with Felix and Alexius the past three nights.”

“Three nights, so that’s what? Four days? Doesn’t matter. Anders might know. I think Hawke dragged him out to sleep once or twice. But still, doesn’t matter... still too awful for words. Feels longer and shorter both, and...” He drinks again, and offers the bottle to Rhys before snatching it back. “Wait, no. You probably have work you need to be doing instead of indulging me getting in drunk and whining.”

“Dorian.”

“No, really, if you do, it’s okay. I can calm back down. I need to. I shouldn’t have... This has been coming for years. I’ll just take the brandy, if you don’t mind.”

“Dorian.” Rhys catches his arm before he can get up again. “Sit. Back. Down.”

“But -”

“The paperwork isn’t going anywhere. Besides -” Rhys lifts his eyebrows and shrugs. “We both know Josie signs my name better than I do.”

“I’m fine. Or I’ll be fine.”

Rhys nods. “But right now?”

“Right now? Right now I’m... Exhausted and sad and guilty and powerless and angry and disgusted and... Dammit, Lark.” Dorian drops back down with a huff. Rhys loops one arm around his shoulders and lays his hand over the one Dorian let fall in his thigh, rubbing light circles on the back. “And some part of me actually envies him. Not the dying—certainly not the dying—but having a father who cares enough about him to risk breaking the world instead of one who cares so much about the world he’ll risk breaking his son. Selfish, right?”

“No, love. It’s not.”

“Are you sure about that?”

“You feel what you feel. You don’t have to shove it back inside. Not with me.”

Dorian looks up. There are tears running down his cheeks and more fighting to get free of his eyes. “You’re sure?”

Rhys just nods and runs a thumb over Dorian’s cheekbone. He reaches behind him, drags a heavy quilt from the back of the sofa, and wraps it tightly around Dorian’s shoulders before pulling him close again.  

Dorian makes a sound somewhere between a laugh and a sob and collapses to the side and into Rhys’s lap.  Rhys curls around Dorian, rubbing his shoulders, and whispering meaningless words in his ear. It usually didn’t matter what the words were, just that there was someone to whisper something, instead of being so terribly alone.

When Dorian’s shoulders stop shaking, he sits up again and picks up the bottle of brandy with a still trembling hand. His chest rises and falls a few times before he looks at and then away from Rhys. “You... Seem like you’ve done this before. In the past.”

“More Harrowings than not end with someone not coming back,” Rhys says softly. “We’re supposed to pretend nothing happened, but...” The other apprentices had silently wrapped Rhys up tightly in a blanket the night Tomas—who had the bunk above Rhys’s and never slept well anyway—nudged him awake and said the Templars had taken Margerthe for her Harrowing. He’d pulled the scratchy wool fabric tight around Rhys’s shoulders, while he sat on her bunk and kept vigil, waiting for the Templars to drag her back in, limp and lyrium sick. They never did.

He’d done the same for other apprentices and mages whose friends and lovers never returned from being pulled away from their bed, then traded out shifts the next day with others so that someone was sitting with them, or sneaked into the kitchen to pilfer something that might be tempting to eat. No one wanted a tragic end to a Harrowing compounded by a suicide or near starvation; although, there were times when they weren’t altogether successful. Especially not if one counted requesting to be made Tranquil to escape grief as a failure.

Rhys picked himself up relatively quickly after Margerthe didn’t come back, or so he was told. He couldn’t stay in bed because his plants needed to be watered, and if he smoked a little extra cannabis, it made him hungry for any snacks someone would put in his hands, so he did eat. Mindlessly, and without tasting anything, but it was food. Still, he wore the blanket for two days, pulled tight around his shoulders, and only took it off because a Templar jerked it away after he ignored five orders in a row to take it off.

Dorian huffs. “The more I learn about the Southern Circles the more I want to go back in time and destroy the Nevarran Accord before it can be signed.”

“Mmm.” Rhys curls around him and kisses his hair. “I think we’ll have to settle for ripping it from the ground in the present.”

“As long as it’s gone,” Dorian murmured as he leaned into Rhys’s arms.

“Alexius? The guards aren’t hassling him right now, are they?”

“No. The Templars Cassandra assigned have been very... professional.” Dorian wiggles his shoulders, settling further into Rhys’s lap. “They’re building a pyre outside the walls. Best to move quickly, they said, make sure there’s no body for a demon to possess.”

Rhys nods and smoothes Dorian’s eyebrows. Fereldens do act with alacrity when it comes to disposing of the dead. Understandable. A single possessed corpse only rates as a minor nuisance for Rhys after the past months—much like a single slug in a garden plot. But much like slugs, a group of undead can do a lot of damage. And who would want to risk having to fight one wearing the face of a friend or family member or even a rival.

“Any sort of ceremony?”

“Mother Giselle offered to say final prayers for him, but I... I need to sleep before I can discuss that with Alexius.” He tilts his head to the side and rubs his jaw. “Or at least get a bath and shave. Clean clothes. I’m a mess.”

“That’s okay.”

“I know... I just... I want - that is I need - to not think about it for a bit. It was... Cole was haunting the window ledge outside if that gives you an idea of it. And Felix was... Wasn’t just not himself. He wasn’t human anymore. Starting to fight us, to actually be dangerous.” Dorian hands curl into fists. “I opened the window. Let Cole in. Alexius never saw him. He promised Felix didn’t feel anything.” He pauses, and his eyes go dark and distant before tears turn them glossy again. “If there was anything left of him to feel at that point.” He looks over at the glass doors leading out to the balconies and started to stand up. “Did night fall already? I should go. See if they’re ready to burn -”

“Someone will come get you before they begin. I’m sure.” Rhys holds onto Dorian’s wrist. “Let’s get you cleaned up.”

“What?” Dorian holds out his arms and looks down at his very rumpled shirt. “Just to get back into these.”

“I’ll go get something clean for you.”

Dorian sighs. “Very well... You should wash up too. Anders is probably somewhere having a conniption about possible contagions and doesn’t know why.”

Rhys snorts, then kisses Dorian’s temple. If anyone was going to contract the blight sickness from poor Felix, it would have happened long ago. “I’ll change the bedding out too for good measure. And because you like clean sheets.” He hopped up and rolled his shoulders, stretching them out from how they’ve been curled into a circle, and then extending his left hand to pull Dorian up.

“That I do, Lark.” Dorian lifted his eyebrows into something that was almost a smile before closing his fingers around the offered hand.

Rhys doesn’t manage to hold back a hiss of pain when Dorian catches his arm. “Lark?”

“It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.”

“Rhys.” Dorian’s brows are suddenly stern. He gets to his feet and frames Rhys’s face with his hands and looks him straight in the eye before pressing their foreheads together. “How long ago?”

“A few hours ago.” Rhys squeezes his eyes closed. “And a couple before that.”

“All today?”

“And yesterday,” he adds softly. He doesn’t know why Rifts seem to form in batches. Maybe Solas has a theory.

“Amatus...” Dorian picks up Rhys’s left hand with care and undoes the buttons on his shirt cuff to roll up his sleeve. His fingertips skim over Rhys’s skin, humming with the same soothingly cool magic he’s used before. Rhys has tried the same spell on his own, but it doesn’t work so well when Dorian isn’t the one doing it.

“I didn’t want to bother you. Not when... Well, this does help.”

Dorian peers carefully at his palm and wrist. The Anchor is dormant now, more a tint beneath translucent skin than a glow. “Have you talked to Solas?” He lines his thumb up beside Rhys’s wrist, measuring the progression of the Anchor by comparison to his knuckle, just the way Rhys might estimate planting depths for seedlings.

“I know. It’s spreading again.” Rhys can feel it, working itself way between the compared bones and cartilage and tendons in his wrist. Putting down roots. Just like a seedling.

“Have you shown Solas?”

“Not yet.”

“Lark.” Dorian grasps his shoulders and pulls him close. “Anders then? If not Solas.”

“Anders doesn’t know what to make of it. Not yet, anyway. Cole helps. Sometimes.”

“Dare I ask?”

Rhys shrugs. “He says he gives it a little of what it wants. I don’t understand either.” He’s fairly sure the Anchor wants him dead. Oh not him specifically, it’s nothing personal, it would be doing the same thing to any other poor bastard stuck with it. But it can kill him without Cole’s help, so certainly that’s not what Cole is using to temporarily sate its appetite.

If Rhys washes himself up relatively quickly, he takes more time with Dorian, rubbing his shoulders while he soaps them and massaging his scalp, before leaving him to soak in the water. It doesn’t take long to strip the bed; although, he belatedly realizes he’ll need to ask one of the maids for clean sheets, and settles for tossing a spare blanket over the mattress before checking on Dorian and running down the stairs.

Annalise—the first maid he runs into—smiles and tells him she’ll be right back up with linens. Leliana catches him leaving Dorian’s room with an armful of clothes, but it’s only to tell him that Mother Giselle and Rutherford have decided to wait until the morning for a cremation. There’s time for Dorian to sleep a bit, and eat. He probably needs to eat too.

“Give him my condolences,” she as she walks Rhys back to the door leading up to his quarters. “It is hard enough losing a friend. And I have gathered Felix was more like a brother.”

“What’s being done with Alexius right now?”

“If he wishes to remain with his son’s body, I will see to it that he is allowed. We gain more from being kind to him right now, in the eyes of the Maker. And pragmatically. His willing assistance will be of great use.”

“So you don’t think bringing him here and letting him live was a terrible idea?”

“No. I recognize it was spontaneous on your part, and certainly, I’ll keep a close eye on him. But he’s far more valuable to us alive and cooperative than he would be dead.” She pauses by the door and briefly touches Rhys’s arm. “It is good for me, I think, to be around someone who hasn’t lost the instinct for kindness. Go. I’ll have food sent up, and see that you’re undisturbed for the rest of the night.”

Dorian—acclimated as he is to servants working in the background—is half asleep in the tub when Rhys gets back up the stairs, and Annalise is half through remaking the bed. She rolls her eyes when Rhys insists on helping her finish but permits him. She even nods with approval at how he’s folded and tucked in the corners before disappearing with the armload of used sheets. A practical skill from the Circle.

Rhys sets aside the clothes he grabbed from the chest in Dorian’s room and digs a far too smooth for his own taste silk robe from the chest of drawers which some vaguely important person in the Marches had sent as gift along with a note about his daughter being close to Rhys in age. It should do nicely to wrap Dorian up tightly in. He’ll like the texture.

He’s almost surprised when Dorian doesn’t make many sounds of protest when Rhys dries him off and bundles him into bed. Though it has been a week and change since he properly slept, so that probably explains it. Rhys steps back down to shirt and small clothes himself and climbs under the fresh blankets, settling next to Dorian and wrapping his arms tightly around him.

“Isn’t there something you should be doing, Lark?”

“Not unless there’s something you’d rather me be doing.”

Dorian’s responding snort is amused, and Rhys, realizing one way what he just said could be taken, finds that he’s smiling a little to himself. “I mean, if you -”

“This is good.” Dorian turns over and rearranges the blanket around him so that Rhys is under it as well and there’s one less layer between them. He yawns, snuggling close and tucking his head against Rhys’s chest. “You’ll wake me in the morning, right? Before they... I know I need sleep, and it’s not a pretty thing to watch, but -”

“Of course, I’ll wake you.” Rhys rubs his fingers up and down the back of Dorian’s neck. “And stay with you. But try to sleep now.”

“I’ll try, Lark. For you, I’ll try.”

#30daysofdorian #dorian pavus #rhys trevelyan #pavelyan #dragon age fic #inquisitor x dorian

[sonnesextet]

Ace of Cups Preview: Chapter 5 Scene 1

Because it’s been so long, I figured I’d might as well post a bit that I do have done.

You can read chapters 1-4 of Ace of Cups on Ao3 if you are interested and haven’t read it before. It’s Paulchard.

Ace of Cups Suffering from musician's block and a fear that his best years are behind him, Richard jumps at the chance to replace Olli as Paul's companion on their annual windsurfing trip in Cape Town. But you can't outrun your feelings, and new ones might be blossoming for his fellow guitarist...

On to the preview...

Richard  awakened in an unfamiliar room, barely lit by the bluish light of a rising sun. He was tired, but wide awake, his muscles tense, as if he clawed himself from some nightmare. The dream had already faded, leaving only nonsense images and a looming anxiety behind. His teeth ached, like he’d ground them together all night.

Then the real memories returned. Richard squeezed his eyes shut. Something welled up in his chest, and when he released his held breath, it sounded almost like a sob.

It had been a long time since he fucked up like this. Even longer since it was with a member of Rammstein. Rammstein had a gravity that kept them from drifting out of orbit. There was always someone to intercede when an argument got heated. Schneider would sit them down like rowdy children to mediate. Till always had Richard’s back, even when he was wrong.

But they were alone. Richard turned to  his cell phone. 5:47. He considered calling Till. 

No. This wasn’t a creative spat or an emergency.

It was love. Wasn’t it? Maybe Paul was right. Maybe Richard didn’t even know what being in love meant. Maybe Paul was right about everything.

You just can’t be happy.

The words speared him to the mattress. He held still, as if he’d shred himself if he budged an inch.

Soon Paul would be up. Richard didn’t want to hear him apologize for losing his cool. As if that will erase what was said. Richard would have to put on a brave smile and say “I’m sorry” too, like his heart wasn’t collapsing.

Richard realized he hadn’t expected Paul to say no. He imagined a future together. Waking up in the same bed, chatting over coffee, watching movies cuddled on the couch. Hopes laid in shards at his feet.

He fumbled the bedside table for his earbuds and iPhone, tugging the latter so hard the charger came with it. He pulled up a custom playlist. “Embrace”: Nine Inch Nails, AC/DC, Depeche Mode. The nostalgic songs from youth that he escaped to while locked in his bedroom.

Richard laid back against the bed at the opening clash of Sin City’s guitars and drifted away.

Hours later, shafts of sun streaming through the window Richard shoved off the sheets and stumbled into the bathroom. He pissed, washed his hands and face. He was drying his hands when he heard the barely audible slap of bare feet on tile. Paul. Richard spent a long moment listening, staring at the white hand towel, as if the slightest movement would alert Paul to his presence.

The disgust in Paul’s sneer. The pity in his eyes.

Richard’s brain buzzed with reprimands, some Paul’s, others his own. He flopped back to bed and switched to another playlist. “New Horizons” was full of suggestions from friends, new albums from bands he hadn’t kept up with, rising stars, anything interesting he’d stumbled across. Listening technically counted as research.

Richard was now too awake to fully suppress unwanted thoughts and feelings. They bubbled to the surface in the gaps between songs and spilled over boring bridges. The impressions caught and snagged along new notes and lyrics, pulled along by the beats that seemed to sync with his pulse. As songs ended, a melody inside Richard danced along unaccompanied.

Paul’s voice. A hole inside him.. The sting of truth. Salt in the air, in his nose and mouth. Cool wind beating against his skin like the waves against the beach.

He felt it in his body, along with hunger, thirst, and an irrepressible craving for a cigarette.

Richard pulled out his earbuds and listened. Like an absolute coward, the thought of Paul’s eyes drew his chest tight. When he heard nothing, he dragged himself out of bed, threw on yoga pants, and snuck downstairs, like he really was a teen again. Paul had left traces. A splash of coffee in the carafe. A dry pan on the dishrack.

Richard lit a cigarette on the porch and breathed deep. No car in the driveway. He was relieved and disappointed. Already the house felt empty, but tension permeated the air like poison. Paul and him would have it out, one way or another, the sooner the better. 

That didn’t mean he was looking forward to it.

Below the strain of worry, though, there was something else, something Richard hadn't felt in a while. Music. A brutal riff, the tease of a melody itching the back of his mind.

By the time he had finished smoking the pieces were connecting. By the time he’d devoured a plate of leftover Chinese, they’d formed a song’s skeleton. Richard tossed the bowl in the sink and sprinted up the stairs, afraid the song would disappear with the same fleeting swiftness of a perfect candid shot.

Richard opened up his laptop, put on his headphones, and took his guitar in his lap. 

It flowed like water. Richard goes and goes and goes, the well refilling even as he drew from it. It was so easy. He’d almost forgotten, between the constant criticism and compromises in Rammstein and music-block, that it could be like this. It was supposed to be like this.

Richard channeled his hurt and disappointment and longing. This was his element. How quickly he’d forgotten  when life was good, that pain made art possible. It cascaded into the music and off his shoulders. Richard’s cheeks hurt from smiling.

The fight with Paul was inevitable. Another necessary loss for him to overcome.  To grow as a person. It all made sense with a guitar in his hands.

By nightfall, Richard had laid out the backbone of two songs; a third was ready to be refined at his studio. He’d amassed a collection of musical trinkets. A lyric here, a bridge there. Piles of pieces to build around, alive with promise. 

11:45 PM. His neglected body ached as he rose from the chair. The only light was Pro Tools shining from his laptop screen.

Richard’s ears adjusted. He could hear soft, rhythmic knocking from next room. It was Paul, tapping his foot on the floor, keeping the beat as he played before bed.

Richard felt cowardly and guilty. Cowardly because he couldn’t even talk to Paul. Guilty because Paul didn’t need the stress of an angry Richard Z. Kruspe locked away in his vacation rental, angst spilling from behind a closed door. He’d also been so lost in his music that he hadn’t given thought how Paul was doing. 

Richard waited a little longer, until the tapping stopped and the light went out. Then he went down again to smoke.

#rammstein fanfic #paulchard #ace of cups #writing progress

[kageyamatobiyogurt]

haikyuu boys when you decide to jump scare them (because you’re mean)

a/n: y’all scary movies don’t scare me anymore i think i broke as a person 😭 also yes this is some more crack i offer you.

also if you’re feeling it- check out my last post: first times with haikyuu boys (suggestive) bc it’s flopping and my heart is a little sad

includes: sakusa, tendou, ushijima, oikawa

part 2

sakusa:

why would you even want to do this ?did you really want to choose violence?

“OMI,” you yelled, making his shoulders jump at the sudden sound

sakusa isn’t one to really scream at a sudden attack but he lets out the smallest yelp when you jump out from behind a wall

his eyes are wide but they soften as soon as they realize it’s you

you’re giggling at the sight of your usually pretty stoic boyfriend but he won’t even look at you 😭

now he’s just a tad bit embarrassed you got him so good

he gets pouty as hell and tends to cross his arms for the rest of the day

he won’t even take off his mask because his face keeps getting pink

“omi i’m sorry you know,” you eventually try, wanting him to at least interact with you again

he’s so petty he’ll turn his knees facing away from you and huffs

“are you done now” he’ll ask timidly

“yes”

“you won’t do it again?” he continues pls you really got him, he probably lost a year of his life

“yes omi, i just wanted to try it once,” you chuckled, reaching over to tug his sweater sleeve toward you

he caves pretty quickly at your tug, his body following your hand pulling it

“i won’t forgive you if you try it again, i think i had a small stroke, you know,” he pouts

it’s okay give him a kiss on his cheek when he pulls his mask down and you’re good

he kind of missed holding your hand anyway </3

tendou:

you think you can scare him? LMAOO nice try

his intuition is just something else

mans doesn’t even jump during horror movies

i mean, he’s as spontaneous as you can get

but you tried to do something anyway

he was scrolling on his phone on the couch when you snuck up behind him, making no sound whatsoever

like, you even wore socks to avoid having to take steps

just as you bring your hands up to suddenly drop them on his shoulders he speaks

“hi y/n,” he says ever so casually

pls he doesn’t even turn around to look at you, he’s still scrolling

when you put and plop down next to him in defeat, he just gives you the most seemingly innocent grin

“did you really think that was gonna work?” he grins, reaching over to ruffle your hair

“maybe,” you mutter

you already know in your gut that somethings wrong

he chuckles at your response, “i’ll show you how you’re supposed to do it”

he’ll what 😀

ushijima:

what did he do to deserve this? NOTHING

you’d expect nothing to phase him but how could he expect the person he holds so dear to his heart to betray him like this

sometimes wakatoshi needs to get a glass of water in the middle of the night, and with him being half asleep, he really wasn’t in the right mind for defense

pls the way he was walking to the kitchen was so slow too

he was rubbing sleep out of his eyes as he half waddled

he got his glass of water and all, but he had no idea you were waiting right outside of the kitchen entrance

you waited patiently and just grabbed him and went, “boo!” not even yelling

he let out a gasp that was combined with a sharp inhale and stepped back into the kitchen so fast

this shit was so entertaining to watch in the middle of the night 😭🤚🏽

he hit the cabinets with a small thump, his hand coming up to rest on top of the counter

it took him like ten seconds to process what just happened

when you walked into the kitchen, you just saw one of his hands pinching the bridge of his nose

“y/n why would you do that”

you reach out to rub his arm

“supposed to be a joke toshi,” you explain, trying to avoid laughing

“are you satisfied now,” he mutters, glancing at your face, noticing your lips are pursed, trying not to laugh

“well it was kind of funny,” you say carefully, beginning to open you arms to see if he’ll at least let you hug him

pls he’s so unimpressed but he opens his arms anyway

the hug is soft anyway as his long arms wrap around you and give you a squeeze

“i don’t know why my heart racing like this would be funny,” he sighs

oikawa:

you literally didn’t have to try that hard

although i do have to admit this is a little mean lmao all of these are uncalled for but sometimes you gotta cause a little chaos

you got him when he least expected it: when he was coming home

he tended to make noise when he opened the door, making sure to announce to your whole house that your ✨lovely boyfriend✨ has arrived

so you really would get him to make noise

you hid behind the door so you could get him as soon as he closed it

so you made your way behind the door around the time he usually gets home everyday, squeezing yourself against the wall so he wouldn’t bump the door into you and know that you were there

your heart picked up a little for no reason as the lock clicked open

“baby!” he called out as soon as he stepped a foot in, “i’m hO-”

just as he was about to close the door you boomed a, “TOORU!”

oikawa really let out this screech combined with the last syllable of “home”

you’re somewhat wheezing, doubling over until you see the betrayal plastered on his face

mans held his arms so close to his body, still stuck in the direction away from you

“Y/N-CHAN WHy would you do that,” he goes, correcting himself when he realized he was still in panic mode and yelling

he tuts when you try to approach him and explain that you thought it would be funny

he’s so dramatic pls, he even peels your hand off his arm, flicking it away

“you know you’re going to be the reason i age faster and get more wrinkles,” he tuts

“will it help if i tell you i love you?” you try

“maybe,” he gives in

“i love you tooru,” you chuckle, reaching out to him again (this time he lets you)

“hm,” he pouts, “i think one time wasn’t enough, my heart has weakened you know”

you roll your eyes playful but tell him you love him again and even go on your toes to kiss his cheek

he doesn’t let this go so fast bc he’s petty lmao - be prepared to shower him in affection

#haikyuu!! #haikyuu #haikyuu headcanons #haikyuu characters #haikyuu hcs #haikyuu imagines #haikyuu boys #haikyuu x reader #hq #sakusa kiyoomi #tendou satori #ushijima wakatoshi #oikawa toru #sakusa x you #sakusa x y/n #sakusa x reader #tendou x reader #tendou x y/n #tendou x you #ushijima x y/n #ushijima x you #ushijima x reader #oikawa x reader #oikawa x y/n #oikawa x you #sakusa hcs #tendou hcs #ushijima hcs #oikawa hcs

[fruitcoops]

SIRIUS/REMUS PLAYING WITH PUPPIES WHILE ANSWERING FANS QUESTIONS

Please know that if we ever met in person, I would literally lift you off your feet and hug you for suggesting this. My afternoon was filled with adorable puppy videos because of this!

Sweater Weather credit goes to @lumosinlove!

“Can I have them?” Remus asked softly, staring at the person behind the camera with big, pleading eyes. “Please?”

“Do the introduction and then we’ll set ‘em loose,” Marlene said.

“Fine. Hey, everyone, welcome back to Lion Pride! I’m Remus Lupin and I’m here today to play with puppies.”

“And answer questions.”

“And answer questions,” he added. “Maybe, like, one or two in between snuggles.”

“You’re going to answer all of them,” Marlene said more firmly.

He rolled his eyes and took the lid off the jar of paper slips. “Can I have the puppies now?”

A door clicked open behind the camera and Remus lit up as four puppies tumbled into frame, racing straight for him. “Hello, babies!” he laughed as a tiny golden retriever jumped on his chest. “Oh, I love you so much. Come here, come here, let me give you kisses.”

“Question number one?” Marlene prompted as he began playing with them and rolling their toys around.

Remus sighed and pulled a question out. “What would I be doing if I didn’t become a hockey player? Physical therapy for su—ope, okay, you can have that one.”

The Irish Setter puppy growled playfully as they played a short game of tug-of-war until the paper tore.

“Oh no, it broke!” Remus exclaimed, giving the pup a scratch behind the ears while it chewed on the leftover scraps. “Yes, that’s all yours now. Next one: what is the best part about playing professional hockey? I get to do interviews like this.” One of the puppies, a medium-sized black one, began chewing on one of the laces of his Converse. “Excuse me—excuse me, young man, that’s my shoelace. Are you chewing it because it’s rainbow? Is this homophobia?”

“Remus.”

“Sorry.” He lifted the puppy into his arms and kissed his head. “Okay, munchkin, what’s next? What’s next? You’re so fucking cute, I just wanna squish you. Um, what’s the most common thing fans say when they meet me?” He laughed and the puppy licked his cheek. “Usually they look at me and go, ‘god, you’re tall’, which surprises people because I’m always around these gigantic guys. Do these dogs have names?”

“If I tell you their names, you’re going to get attached.”

“We have crossed, salted, and burned that bridge, Marley.”

“The one you’re holding is Mercutio, the red one is Juliet, the retriever is Pip, and the fluffy one on your lap is Lucie, after Lucie Manette.”

Remus’ jaw went slack. “They’re named after book characters?” he asked in a small voice.

“Yep.”

“Oh, no.” He reached out and pulled Juliet and Pip into his arms for a moment. “Oh, no, you all have to come home with me now. The next question is…would I ever do drag? Probably not, but I looked hot as fuck in eyeliner, so do with that what you will.”

“Which video was that?”

“It was the fear pong one, which I played with my fiancé and my friends James and Lily!” His voice pitched up as he turned to talk to Mercutio. “I did, buddy! It was so fun! Yes, it was!”

“Remus. Questions.”

“Right. What’s one of my weirdest or funniest fan encounters? There was this one lady, she was like forty-something, and she came up to me while I was at the post office and asks ‘are you Remus Lupin?’ and I said, ‘yes, that’s me’ and she’s like ‘from the Gryffindor Lions?’ and I said yes again and then she went—” He narrowed his eyes and nodded his head slowly. “—‘I knew you were gay. Good for you, kiddo’ and then left. It was the weirdest fucking thing, especially considering I had played, like, one game with the team by that point.”

“Are you serious?” Marlene asked.

“Totally honest. I never saw her again, either.” Juliet put her paws on the front of his Lions hoodie and began licking the edge of his jaw. “Hey, sweet girl, thank you for the kisses. Can I grab another question? No? Okay, we can stay here.”

Pip began yipping and Mercutio wiggled out of Remus’ hold, launching himself at the other dog with a tiny growl.

“Mercutio, no!” Remus gasped, scooting Juliet aside so he could put the two puppies under his arms. His hands were big enough to almost cover their whole bellies. “We’re not here to start fights, you two. Apologize.” They turned their heads to lick his cheeks. “I didn’t mean apologize to me, but okay. You’re so soft and warm, what the hell?”

“Next question?”

“What’s the craziest rumor I’ve heard about myself? A solid group of people thought I asked to be on the team, which isn’t true. I didn’t even know people were considering it until James and Lily’s wedding. Coach wanted it to be a surprise while he cleared it with the organization.” Remus shook his head and slowly petted Lucie as she napped on his thigh. “Is there a celebrity I’ve met that left me starstruck? Ha! Yes. There was a fundraiser a few months ago and Sam Neill was there, which I didn’t know until I turned around and he was about two feet away.”

“What did you do?”

Remus laughed and turned faintly pink. “Um, I made a sort of squeaking noise and he kinda chuckled, which was mortifying in and of itself. He goes, ‘hi, I’m Sam’ and I nodded because duh, he’s Sam fucking Neill, and then I mumbled something about Jurassic Park and he smiled and said, ‘son, you’re blocking the water’ and I just about died on the spot.”

“Did anyone see you?”

“Sirius was standing next to me the entire time and silently laughing his ass off. I saw them talking later, and when were about to drive home he hands me this napkin and it has Sam Neill’s autograph on it.”

“He didn’t,” Marlene gasped.

Remus nodded. “He did.”

“That’s the smoothest move I’ve ever heard of.”

“It was incredible.” Juliet waddled closer and nudged a red ball out from under Remus’ knee, which he picked up and tossed before taking out another question. “Do I appreciate when fans come up to me in public or is it annoying? Oh, it’s never annoying. It’s a little weird if I’m eating lunch somewhere or running errands and someone tries to sneak a picture, though. I love all the fans and it’s super fun talking to everyone, so please just come over and say hello instead of failing to be sneaky while I’ve got pizza grease on my face.”

“Even if you’re on a date?”

Remus snorted. “Okay, well, use some common sense. Pip—babycakes, stop trying to eat the questions. There we go.” He settled the puppy into his lap and rolled the ball for Juliet again. “In a movie about my life, who would I want to play me and Sirius?” He paused and looked at the camera. “I would want us to play ourselves, but only because neither of us can act and it would be so fucking funny to make the absolute worst movie.”

“Come on,” Marlene groaned.

“I’m being a hundred percent honest right now! I think it would be hilarious. We’d be terrible.” Juliet pawed at his arm insistently until he grabbed the ball, but she wouldn’t let it go and they ended up playing tug-of-war despite the fact that she had no traction on the floor and kept sliding around. “Aren’t you a feisty one, sweet girl! What is the most memorable moment of my life that I want to cherish forever? This. Right here, right now.”

“Really?”

“I have two dogs on my lap, one under my arm, and the other slobbering all over my hand. This is the best possible place to be. Wait, hang on a second.” Remus carefully lifted Lucie up and laid down, settling her on his abdomen as the other three clambered over to flop on him. “Oh, yeah, this is the peak of my entire life.”

“You’re not going to say your engagement? Maybe the day you started playing for the Lions?”

“Nope. The engagement was incredible and one of my favorite memories for sure, but I was shaking in my skates.”

“Just read the next question.”

“Okay! What’s my go-to karaoke song?” He hummed for a moment, then laughed as Lucie scooted up to rest her head under his chin. “I think it’s probably ‘I Wanna Dance with Somebody’ by Whitney Houston. Lily and I did a duet of that a year or so ago, and it rocked.”

Pip began gnawing on the cuff of his sweatshirt. “Pip,” Marlene scolded; her foot appeared in frame until Remus waved her off with a smile.

“It’s okay, he can chew if he wants to. It’s an old sweater anyway, and it’s not even mine!” He scratched behind Pip’s ears. “No, it’s not, peach-a-keen! You can go nuts with that as long as you’re cozy. What is…my favorite behind-the-scenes Lions moment? Our groupchat, no contest.”

“Does it have the whole team?”

“Most of us, yeah. You have to earn your spot.” Remus looked over at the camera and Lucie put her head on his neck. “Looks like I’ve been banned from turning my head now, huh?”

“Are you comfortable?”

“Marley, there are very few things that would make me happier than I am right now. I’m being slowly crushed by puppies and I get to cuddle them for free.” He reached blindly into the question jar. “This is a two-part question. Do I prefer big dogs or small dogs, and how is Hattie doing? I love all dogs, but I think I prefer big ones because they’re always so much fun, and I don’t feel like I’m accidentally going to break them if I move wrong. Hattie’s doing well! She’s almost eighty pounds and she’s at home with Sirius right now, probably getting snuggled within an inch of her fuzzy little life.”

“That’s the dream right there.”

“Tell me about it. Alright, sorry ladies and gents, but I have to sit up to get to the questions.” All four puppies made noises of protest when he started sitting up and he sighed, eyebrows pitching upward. “I know, I know, it’s really hard. Here, how about we…” Remus carefully gathered them until he held all four against his chest; their tiny faces looked out over his forearms and he placed a kiss on each of their heads. “Much better.”

“Can you get to the jar?”

It took a bit of maneuvering, but he managed to reach in. “Do you want to read it?” he asked Mercutio as the puppy tried to bite the slip. “No? Okay. What is my favorite thing about playing on the same team as my fiancé? That is an excellent question. My favorite thing is that we finally have the same schedule, so we can build in time to hang out more easily. It was hard to do that when we were doing different things.”

Pip yawned and the entire camera crew ‘awww’ed; Remus made a soft noise and nuzzled his floppy ear.

“I adore you,” he murmured. “I really do. Last question: What is my advice to those who want to follow their dreams? Oh, jeez.”

“You can take a minute to think.”

Remus crossed his legs and lifted his knees up so he could hug all the puppies at once while still looking at the camera. “The only reason I got big and strong is so that I can hold four puppies at once. Just thought people should know that. Uh, my advice to those who want to follow their dreams is to persevere. I never in a million years thought that I would get to play on a professional hockey team, but I worked really hard to overcome my injury and stay connected to the sport because I love it. If there’s something you love, don’t be afraid to hold on to it.”

“Wise words,” Marlene remarked. “Do you want to tell the fans where they can find the puppies?”

“At my house,” Remus joked. “But if that doesn’t work, they are up for adoption at Friendly Paws Animal Shelter, which is just south of downtown Gryffindor and has tons of adorable friends like these guys. Can I call Sirius real quick?”

“Sure,” Marlene laughed.

Remus gingerly lowered Lucie into his lap and pulled his phone out of his pocket, dialing a quick number before putting it on speakerphone and setting it down to pick her up again. “Re?” Sirius sounded confused. “Aren’t you still with Marlene?”

“Yeah.”

“…did something happen?”

“Nope, all good. Can we get another dog?”

There was a beat of silence on the other end of the line. “Marlene, what did you do?”

“It’s just an interview!” she called.

“What kind of interview?”

“Baby, they gave me puppies,” Remus said gleefully, burying his face in Lucie’s fluff for a moment. “Like, really good puppies.”

A long-suffering sigh came through the phone. “How many are you holding?” Remus hesitated. “Sweetheart, how many dogs are currently in your arms?”

“Four.”

“Holy shit, Marlene! You gave him four dogs?!”

“They named them, too,” Remus added. “Pip, Juliet, Lucie Manette, and Mercutio. Baby, they named him Mercutio.”

“This was a recipe for disaster.” Despite his protests, Sirius sounded intrigued. “How old are they?”

Remus glanced up at Marlene. “They’re all six to eight months old,” she said.

Sirius blew out a slow breath. “So they’re babies.”

“They’re all up for adoption.”

“We have Hattie already.” Sirius was wavering. “But…she might possibly need a friend. Maybe.”

“You already love these dogs and you haven’t even seen them,” Remus said with a grin.

“The names are perfect! What was I supposed to do?”

“I’m going to sign the video off and then call you back, okay?”

“Okay. Don’t let go of the dogs until I get there, please.”

“Wasn’t planning on it. Love you!”

“Love you, too.”

Once the call ended, Remus faced the camera with a smile. Juliet and Pip had already fallen asleep. “Thanks for tuning in, Lions! Be sure to like and subscribe for more content. Endless thanks to Marlene McKinnon for allowing me to spend an hour holding tiny dogs. Have a great day!”

[kaistarus]

Haikyuu Among Us

Pairs: Nishinoya X Reader

Words: 2.8K

Summary: You're playing Among Us with the Karasuno gang. When you get selected to be the Imposter you're not above doing what it takes to win.

Notes: This is a completely self-indulgent fic for Nishinoya's b-day

Masterlist

"There are too many options. What do you think?”

Nishinoya’s yellow character stood motionless beside the lobby’s computer as he selected between several hats. Your animated crewmate ran circles around him while waiting for him to finish his customizations and for the rest of your friends to load into the game.

“I think the post-it is the most accurate, but the egg is the cutest.” You said mindlessly, smiling when Hinata’s bright orange character hopped off one of the benches at the top of the screen. You left Nishinoya so you could chase around Hinata instead, running circles around each other in excitement over your matching stemmed helmets.

Nishinoya grumbled as he selected the raw-egg to cover his helmet. “Should I buy a child?”

“Are you ready for that?” You asked as more people finally started loading onto the ship. “It’s a lot of responsibility and what if we both die?”

“Oh, you’re right. I’m not ready to be a single father.” Nishinoya left the computer and came to run in the circle with you and Hinata in the center of the lobby.

“You guys are disgusting,” Tsukishima’s condescending voice filtered into your headset. You rolled your eyes and glared at his black spacesuit with the devil horns. So rude.

“Let people be happy, Tsukki,” Yamaguchi said while his dark green character joined your dance circle. You couldn’t explain it, but the wet floor sign felt extremely fitting for his character.

“I’ll help you raise your child if (Y/N) dies Noya!” Hinata said brightly into your headset.

“Thanks, Shoyo!”

“No, I want to help him raise the child!” Tanaka yelled into the mic causing you to jump in your chair. You quickly opened your audio settings to turn his volume down. “I deserve it. I’ve known them the longest.”

“No way, I already called dibs!”

“Guys, you can both help me! The more parents the better!”

“There is no child.” You said, pinching the bridge of your nose,” and stop planning for me to die.”

“Sorry.” They all said in unison.

“But one day…” Hinata added ominously. You blinked at the screen confused and opened your mouth to respond before deciding it better to write that off entirely.

“All right, I’m starting the game,” Yachi said before the countdown appeared at the bottom of the screen.

“Wait, is Kageyama AFK? He hasn’t said anything.” Hinata asked, concerned.

“I just don’t want to talk to you, idiot.”

“Ouch.” Nishinoya snorted.

You muted your mic after a small giggle. The red crewmate appeared to shush everyone and you couldn’t help the wicked grin that crossed your face when ‘Imposter’ appeared in red letters afterward. Beside your character stood your partner in crime, Hinata, his name also bled red for the violence to ensue. You nodded to yourself confidently. Hinata wasn’t the best imposter, but you two were pretty in sync so you weren’t too concerned.

The airship loaded and everyone appeared around the center lunch table in cafeteria. You debated what you should do… maybe hang out with Hinata and attempt a double kill? You two could pull that off. Maybe just try some fun vent kills like you’d seen streamers do recently. Too bad Nishinoya ran over to you and began dancing beside you, clearly trying to get you to follow him to the right side of the map. It would probably be cruel if you slowly garnered his trust to use him as an alibi…

You followed him out of cafeteria. He began a wire task so you pretended to watch the bar go up until he excitedly danced beside you when he was finished, happy he’d cleared himself as an innocent crewmate-not that you hadn’t known that already. You went to fake asteroids, standing beside the chair while hoping to all that was good the green bar would move on time, when it did you leaned your forehead on your desk with a heavy sigh. Nishinoya’s character ran circles around you, likely thrilled that you were both crewmates, before continuing down the gray halls to the oxygen room. You took a moment to feel guilty before shaking it off.

While Nishinoya went to do another task in O2 you noticed Tsukishima running down the hall, alone, so you briefly separated and went to follow him. Unfortunately, Tsukishima decided to go to navigation all alone which left you with absolutely no choice. You strolled up to him and pressed the lit up ‘KILL’ button in the bottom corner of your screen. The animation had you snapping his character in half which you were a little too satisfied with-you could practically hear him raging from across town.

Once complete, his little half body flopped over and you snickered to yourself in your room. Then you remembered Nishinoya probably heading this way and you quickly self-reported the body.

“Naviga--.”

“Somebody killed Tsukki!?” Yamaguchi yelled so loud you had to lift your headphones up.

“Oh no,” Kageyama said, sarcastically. “What a loss.”

“You don’t sound upset…” Yachi pointed out.

“Should I?”

“Yes! He’s our friend and he’s dead!” Yamaguchi yelled.

“He’s not actually dead Yams.” You smirked, propping your elbow onto your desk and leaning into the palm of your hand.

“Sometimes I still hear his voice…” Nishinoya sniffled into his mic and you rolled your eyes fondly.

“Where was it?” Hinata asked.

“Navigation.” You said calmly. “Me and Nishinoya were doing tasks. I saw him go down to nav and I wanted to see if he died in the murder zone and he did.”

“Makes sense,” Nishinoya said casually. “So, who else is there that killed him?”

“Makes sense? She literally said she followed him to the murder zone.” Tanaka pointed out. You purse your lips because you did kind of say that, yeah. You should probably phrase things better.

“I saw her do asteroids though and she saw me do other tasks so we’re good.” Nishinoya scoffed at Tanaka’s accusation. “She couldn’t possibly have murdered Tsukishima if she did asteroids.”

“Okay… but what if she faked it?” Tanaka suggested.

“Are you suggesting my girlfriend would lie to me?” Noya said, gasping dramatically. “How could you dude?”

“The absolute disrespect.” You said, narrowing your eyes at Tanaka’s brown character. He knew too much.

“What if they’re both the imposter?” Yachi suggested.

“No way. If Noya was imposter half of us would be dead already.” Hinata said, with a chorus of agreeance following him.

“Well, who else is around here?” You asked.

“I’m almost there,” Kageyama said.

“Almost there or running from the crime?” You asked, excited to bring someone new into suspicion.

“Dun dun dun,” Hinata shouted.

“I don’t know if this means anything, but Hinata was at card swipe for a really long time…” Yachi added quietly.

“I just failed it like ten times, okay?” Hinata said sadly.

“Yeah, that checks out.” Kageyama snorted. “This idiot would fail a card swipe.”

“Let’s just skip, but Kageyama and (Y/N) I’m watching you,” Tanaka said.

“Good,” Kageyama responded.

The round ended with no one being ejected, thankfully, but you were a little concerned about the amount of suspicion being thrown at you. Hopefully, Hinata would keep Kageyama alive, and if the opportunity presents itself Tanaka would be your next target. Until then, you ran around the table to Nishinoya and danced beside him until he was ready to move. It was most important that Nishinoya believed you were innocent. You needed a strong ally, especially now.

As you waited patiently for him to complete another download task you kept the sabotage map open contemplatively before Hinata decided to shut off the lights for you. You tried to stay close enough to Nishinoya that he would see you in his limited visual area while you run to electrical, that is, until you saw Yamaguchi trailing behind you. Once you all entered cafeteria you pulled a quick u-turn under the cover of darkness and stabbed Yamaguchi’s poor unsuspecting crewmate body several times in the back before returning to Nishinoya and helping fix the lights. As if nothing had ever happened.

After fixing lights like the innocent, fake crewmate you were an air horn went off in your ear to signal Yamaguchi’s body being reported. You fell back in your chair with a whine before unmuting your mic.

“All right, this is good,” Tanaka said, a few muffled smacks heard as he excitedly smacked his desk.

“Disrespectful, dude. What did Yams or Yachi ever do to you?” Nishinoya asked. You raised an eyebrow because you hadn’t even noticed Yachi’s crossed off character. “They’re the two nicest people on earth.”

“Yeah, that’s sus.” You said with a smirk.

“Super sus.” Nishinoya agreed.

“What? No. I mean, I was on my way to the button because I literally watched Hinata jump into a vent when I found Yam’s body. Which means we have two pieces of evidence now.”

You cursed internally and glared at Hinata’s bright orange character. He would get caught venting.

“Dude, seriously?” Nishinoya laughed.

“What? I didn’t vent.”

“I watched you.”

“Oh yeah? How can I vent when I’m not even the imposter?” Hinata said confidently. You rolled your eyes.

“Damn, he’s got you there dude.” Nishinoya snorted. “Solid defense Shoyo.”

“Thanks, man!”

“Don’t defend him!” Tanaka yelled. “Unless you really are the second imposter!”

“What? No! Where’s your evidence? Give me proof!”

“Yeah, give him the proof!” Hinata added.

“Where were you when Yamaguchi was killed?”

“How the fuck would I know?” Nishinoya asked, astonished. “We were only in cafeteria when the lights were off and I didn’t see a body.”

“We?” Tanaka sounded deep in thought. “When the lights were off…”

“Are we just forgetting about mister thank god Tsukishima is dead?” You said, pulling attention toward Kageyama. “And last I checked only Noya and I fixed the lights.”

“Oh yeah, where were you, Kageyama?” Nishinoya asked.

“I’m where the boxes are.”

“You gotta learn the room names, man.” Hinata sighed.

“Maybe this is a tactic!” Tanaka shouted.

“Oh, and self-reporting isn’t Tanaka?” You asked.

“I don’t know. Tell me about the last round?” He responded confidently. Oh shit.

“Hang on, we gotta vote. We have like 15 seconds.” Nishinoya pointed out.

“Vote Hinata. He vented.” Tanaka said, repeatedly.

Everyone voted quickly and Nishinoya even apologized to Hinata, so you sighed before going with the majority. You had officially lost your partner. On the bright side, if you could take out Tanaka you could probably convince Nishinoya that Kageyama was the last imposter. You just had to play this last bit safe.

You waited a bit before going in the direction Tanaka had run after, but your last few rounds backfired when Nishinoya trailed after you. You needed to get away from him long enough so you could kill Tanaka without him seeing. You broke away from him for a moment and hopped into the nearest vent, jumping around until you found an area close to where you thought Tanaka had last been running around. When you popped out fear immediately shot into your heart when Kageyama’s dark blue character peaked into the top of the screen.

You weren't sure if he saw you or not, but you couldn’t risk it. He had to die.

You chased after him toward cafeteria and just barely got close enough to hit the kill button when he entered the room. You let out a breath of relief when the kill animation popped onto your screen and you watched your character repeatedly stab Kageyama in the back. You thought you were safe, so when the air horn for a meeting played you shot up in your chair. Apparently, in your tunnel vision, you hadn’t noticed Tanaka lurking nearby.

“It was Tanaka. I watched him kill Kageyama!” You shouted the moment your mic unmuted.

“Wait, what the fuck?” Nishinoya’s voice was filled with genuine confusion and you almost felt guilty. Almost. Maybe after you won.

“No. She chased him down, sawed him in half, then tossed him away like it was nothing. I saw it all.” Tanaka shouted.

“You can’t even saw people.” You rolled your eyes.

“I’m so confused,” Nishinoya whined. “It’s not Kageyama? But (Y/N) was with me like the entire game.”

“Exactly, so how could I have killed anyone?” You said excitedly. Nishinoya had no suspicion of you which was perfect. You could definitely win this.

“You were at every place where the bodies were found.” Tanaka pointed out. “She couldn’t have been with you the entire time. Like when she self-reported the first body?”

“I didn’t self-report.”

“Or when the lights went out?”

“I guess not.” Nishinoya said. You hit your desk lightly in stress. “She also wasn’t with me this whole last round...”

“Exactly!” Tanaka shouted. “And she was really adamant about putting suspicion on Kageyama.”

“Cause he was suspicious!” You threw your hands up. Since when was Tanaka so good at this game?

The line was quiet for a moment. “(Y/N) he’s making a lot of sense.”

“Okay, but he also reported Yams' body,” you countered. “Easily could’ve been a self-report there too.”

“That’s true…”

“Dude, why would I have tried so hard to get Hinata out if I was an imposter?” Tanaka asked, exasperated. “It makes no sense. It has to be her.”

“He could’ve lied about seeing Hinata vent!” You shouted, deciding to throw hail mary’s in your moment of demise.

“Why would I do that?”

“My head hurts,” Nishinoya whined. “(Y/N) I don’t know...”

“Okay. You should vote for Tanaka because...” You said while racking your brain for a solid defense. “I… love you.”

Nishinoya blew air into the mic. “Fuck dude, that’s a good defense.”

“No it’s not you--” Tanaka groaned. “Dude, for like five seconds I need you to stop being a simp and just big brain with me here.”

“But she’s saying nice things to me,” Nishinoya whined.

“Dude, c’mon you know who it is.”

Nishinoya groaned into the mic. “Okay, (Y/N) you’d never lie to me, right?”

“Never.”

“Are you imposter?”

“...I love you so much and I’m so happy you’re in my life and--”

“She just fucking admitted to it!” Tanaka screamed in the mic. “Don’t let her get into your brain. You’re better than this.”

After a brief silence, Nishinoya finally voted and you stood out of your chair when it revealed Nishinoya and you beneath Tanaka’s brown character. The mixed shouting in your headset went completely ignored by your own excitement while you celebrated, thanking Nishinoya with loving words.

“You fucking simp!” Tanaka yelled. “I can’t believe you. I trusted you!”

“I’m sorry,” Nishinoya’s groan came muffled in your ears. “I just couldn’t do it.”

“Good job (Y/N)!” Hinata cheered. “I never win as an imposter.”

“Cause you vent in front of people,” Tsukishima said.

“It was an accident! I meant to sabotage doors and I misclicked.”

“Oh well, we still got a victory.” You said proudly while spinning in your chair.

“You used me,” Nishinoya said, disappointed. “For personal gain.”

“I’m sorry, Noya,” you smirked as your characters all slowly hopped off the chairs in the main lobby. You danced around his yellow character as everyone loaded in. “I’ll make it up to you, promise.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

When the second game began, you let out a sigh of relief when the light blue confirmed you as merely a crewmate. This time you could legitimately just goof off with Nishinoya and complete tasks together while hopefully avoiding death.

After the map loaded you once again made your way to navigation together, keeping guard while the other was busy, and dancing circles every time you completed a task. When you eventually had entered the murder zone you trusted him to watch your back while you did your last task on the right side of the ship. Your first mistake apparently. You audibly gasped when the kill animation appeared on the screen. Nishinoya’s yellow character snapping your poor little crewmate’s neck in plain sight, leaving its little half body lying there for all to see. It’s poor singular bone popped out and bare.

You stared blankly at the screen while Nishinoya danced around your body for a moment, knowing that your ghost was hovering over it before he went down and hopped into the vent. You flopped back into your chair watching as Tanaka’s character ran into the room, stared at your body, and ran out. You could picture him cackling at the situation from here.

When a meeting was finally called, not even for you but Kageyama, Nishinoya pretended to be upset that “someone dares to kill you” and other bull shit. You crossed your arms and glared at his stupid yellow imposter self.

You supposed you deserved being used as a cover-up from the grave.

He better at least win.

#haikyū!! #haikyuu #haikyuu!! #haikyuu x reader #nishinoya x reader #nishinoya x y/n #nishinoya yuu #nishinoya yū #hinata shoyo #kageyama tobio #yachi hitoka #tanaka ryuunosuke #yamaguchi tadashi #tsukishima kei #nishinoya yu x reader #nishinoya scenarios #nishinoya imagine

[whatifxwereyou]

The Oncoming Storm Part 25: Home

Liu Kang x Reader and Kung Lao x Reader (gonna do both, two paths!)

Oh no. That's all I have to say. Also, Chen is a delight.

A/N: This chapter was so long that I actually cut it in half to post it over two separate days instead. It was 12 pages and I figured that was a bit much. Though, 8-12 is what I average when I'm writing fiction for publishing so... haha <3 love you guys! hope you are all doing wonderful!! Also please, please make dick jokes in the comments. PLEASE lol.

Part 24 Part 26 Chapter Index

It was a struggle to open your eyes even if you were awake. You had rolled onto your side and were facing the window. You could see the light of the morning peeking in from along the seams of the dark curtains of the hotel room. Somewhere throughout the night, you’d readjusted and now you were the little spoon. You could feel his soft, even breath on your shoulder, warm and comforting. His arm was tucked beneath you, the other wrapped tightly over yours that rested over your chest.

You didn’t want to get up, so you closed your eyes again and sunk into his arms, clearly not thinking. Your back was pressed against his chest, your hips pressed square against his too. He tightened his arm around you, and nuzzled into the side of your neck, a hot sigh tickling your sensitive bruised flesh. More importantly, you could feel him pressed right against your backside in all his glory. There he was. Liu Kang. You snapped your eyes open and were as stiff, well, as he was, afraid that you would make it worse if you moved even if you were incredibly curious.

Just what kind of good dreams was he having?

Then you had to try not to laugh. You carefully turned to bury your face in the pillows, and it was so hot that you swore you might be burning alive. Liu Kang and his inherent warmth against every single part of your body was killing you.

You were going to suffocate. Or catch fire.

Deep breaths. Breathe through his hand gently clutching yours. You could do this.

Okay.

No big deal.

Liu Kang was wrapped around you, pressed against you, and you were trapped in his arms and trying desperately to think about anything other than that. The impure thoughts were rampant.

Chen would have been screaming your victory throughout the temple. She also would have told you to just go for it. Make that complicated ride that much more complicated. Poor choice of words, brain. Chen had gotten into your head. And all the tension you’d built up with Kung Lao and Liu Kang had no release to speak of.

“Liu?” You decided the best thing to do would be to wake him up. Sneaking out of his arms would have made things both awkward and worse.

He stirred at the sound of your voice and pulled you tighter. It took everything inside of you not make a sound of surprised delight at the impressive mental picture he had very clearly painted. Oh, god there were so many jokes popping into your head. Sarcastic defense mechanism, go away! You had to keep it together. No laughing. No moaning. No jokes.

Your face had never been redder. He was waking up. Thank god. His lips brushed against your shoulder, and he nuzzled right against the side of your neck, nose pressing just behind your ear. This was hard. Ah, damnit brain. No jokes! With a soft moan just against your neck, he shifted.

Then, very suddenly, Liu pulled his arm out from beneath you, let you go and rolled onto his back, knees bent so that the blankets didn’t reveal any secrets. Yeah, the secret had more than been revealed already. You appreciated his modesty anyway. You carefully scooted onto your back, careful not to brush against him in any way and fanned your face. There was no talking down the redness in your cheeks, no hiding what had happened.

“Sorry,” he managed, his voice still gruff and sleepy. He stared at the ceiling and seemed to be coaching himself through his own deep breaths. You sat up and adjusted your shirt that had become unbelievably crooked. Some of the buttons had even come undone. Jeez, you’d certainly been busy while you’d slept. “You… sleep alright?” He pinched the bridge of his nose and the fact that he was trying to have a totally normal conversation like that hadn’t happened was hilarious.

No laughing.

“Yeah, it took a while to get to sleep but I basically blacked out when I did. Feels like I could sleep for another year though.” You somehow managed to act normal. As normal as you could with your face as red as it was and your eyes as wide as they were. You could barely have a conversation about where you were relationship-wise, so you were pretty sure that you weren’t ready to discuss his morning wood.

You needed Chen in that moment. You needed Chen to help you uncomplicate this yarn ball of chaos in your head. Then again, Chen would have just told you to go for it. To reach around and give it a go. You had to close your eyes and try not to laugh again. “What about you?”

You didn’t laugh. Kudos to you.

“Tired this morning.” It was the first time that you had ever seen Liu Kang looking like he could have slept longer than you did. In fact, he was a little pale. Not terribly so, but then again, all the blood in his body was busy somewhere else. It took every ounce of your strength not to ask him if he was okay. He would tell you if he wasn’t. “I need a shower. Will you be okay alone?”

“Yeah. Go ahead.” You purposely turned toward your own bed to offer him modesty, but you might never be your normal color again. Red forever. You waited for the sound of the bathroom door closing before you flopped back on his bed and stared at the ceiling. You’d changed your mind. “I can never ever tell Chen this happened.” The teasing would have gone on forever.

While he was in the shower, you changed into some of your new clothes and then cleaned yourself up. In the mirror your cheeks were finally turning back to a normal rosy color. You checked on the jade to make sure that nothing had changed during the night, and then you packed up, opened the curtains to the hotel room, and straightened up while you waited for Liu, doing anything in your power to stop your renegade thoughts.

“Do you need to stop anywhere before we go back to the temple?” Liu joined you moments after you were dressed, clothed in his familiar black and white gi, and back to his old self. Still a little pale though.

“Hmm?” You had just finished tucking the jade into your bag.

“You didn’t really get the chance to pack up your things to stay with us. I figured you might need to do some shopping.”

He was so damn thoughtful. “I actually went shopping before I met with you yesterday morning.” You patted the bag. “So, I’m okay. Thank you for offering though. I really did need a few things, especially since I keep destroying everything I wear with ink.” You patted his shoulder as you walked past him to sneak into the bathroom now that he was finished. You had to make yourself presentable and enjoy these modern amenities one last time before you returned to the temple.

Afterward, you stopped at a food stall on the road and grabbed breakfast. Then you hiked up the mountain just far enough so that Liu could summon Raiden to bring you back. You still weren’t quite sure how they did that. Was it a prayer? It looked like a prayer. He was a God, after all. Liu had used a flourish of fire, but Kung Lao had just closed his eyes and then boom. Lightning.

You were back in the temple in a flash. You pulled the bundle of jade out of your bag and offered it to Raiden while Liu Kang updated him on what you’d gone through. It felt weird to be back but not in a bad way, necessarily. This was your home now, you guessed. You hadn’t really talked about it. Everything had happened naturally and without question.

Raiden peered into the shirt and then allowed the jade to fall onto a second pedestal that had been placed a few feet away from the first one which was currently encased in glass. “Good.” Raiden seemed impressed, and you beamed. He really did have a fatherly presence about him. “I need time to examine these artifacts and attempt to unravel their purpose. The wickedness and power that has been infused within them continues to elude me.” You had expected him to need time, but you had also expected him to be able to figure it out. Again. He was a god. These things took time, you figured but you also had no idea how to process what you were up against. It was still way above your head. “From what I’ve devised from the dotaku, it was used in a dark ritual. It is tainted beyond my sight with dark energy. You two will check into the infirmary on and off for the next few days. Kung Lao has come down with a terrible fever since his return. I suspect it’s the curse on these objects causing it.”

Liu gave you an accusatory look as if to ask if you were hiding something from him. You shrugged and shook your head to his silent request. “I’m bruised all over but other than that? I feel fine. And that bell was all over me. We were much more careful about the jade. Trust me, if I had a high fever then you would know it. I’m a big baby about fevers.”

“Even if it turns out that you are immune to the impact of these objects, I would like you both to make certain that you keep a watchful eye on your health and report all symptoms to those in the infirmary.”

“Yes, of course Lord Raiden.” Liu Kang bowed respectfully before him.

“When I’ve uncovered anything of note then I will call upon you.” Raiden spoke more to you than to Liu and you bowed your head as you had learned to do. You were grateful to him for trying to help you at all. Raiden very well could have just let you die and had someone else take the mark from you. This was still beyond your understanding. Gods, curses, magic. You’d jumped into it all headfirst and had embraced the chaos, but there were moments where your logic-brain said ‘excuse me’ and you had to sort out the nonsense there.

You were trying your best, but it always came back to thought that you were very likely going to die because of this. Raiden turned away from you, dismissing you without a word. Liu nodded toward the doorway and you walked with him, dragging your bag behind you. Being out in the world for a few days had been nice. You weren’t sure how long it would take to acclimate to life in Raiden’s Temple. Right now, you were just hoping that you’d have the time to figure that out.

You made your way into the infirmary and Chen practically ran to you and gave you a hug. You were a little surprised by it but returned the affection. “Welcome back!” Chen smiled brightly and then bowed to Liu Kang respectfully. “Raiden has orders for us to keep an eye on the two of you. Please take a seat.” Chen led you to one of the empty benches, so you sat down there together.

Chen examined Liu first, taking his vitals and writing them down in a notebook she had nearby. You sat awkwardly, tapping your forefinger against your knee. Chen sat back up after she was done and then rested her hands on her knees.

“You have a fever, Liu Kang.” She tapped the paper and he blinked in surprise.

“I feel fine.” He insisted, looking to you as if he had to justify it after all his accusatory glances. He’d worried about you so much that he seemed to think that the tables were about to be turned.

“Just over 100. But if Kung Lao is anything to judge by then this isn’t the worst of it yet. I recommend rest and fluids.” Chen then frowned and narrowed her eyes. “Not that I can force you to rest, of course. I suggested the same to Kung Lao and he said, and I quote ‘I will take it into consideration’ except that his fever was spiking up to 104.”

“That sounds right.” Liu sighed but you felt suddenly on high alert. That was one hell of a fever! You’d have to check in on him. “I’ll rest and if I feel worse then I’ll check back in. If not, then I will be here in the morning just in case.”

“Thank you.” Chen slumped her shoulders as if this were a relief in comparison to having dealt with Kung Lao.

“Y/N?” Chen looked to you disapprovingly as if you were about to be just as stubborn.

“I feel fine! Why doesn’t anyone believe me?”

“You often say that you’re feeling fine when you are not, in fact, fine,” Liu whispered, and Chen snorted with laughter while taking your vitals.

“Well, I am legitimately fine right now. Honestly! And I don’t mean to lie about that stuff. The last few weeks have been weird so my definition of fine has kind of changed.” You pouted. You hadn’t meant to give anyone a false sense of how you’d been feeling but fine one day had meant that you could use your arms again and fine another meant that you’d had a vision but were still functioning. Chen glared at you, trying to discern if you were hiding something. Then she made a little note in her book. You craned your neck to try and read it and so did Liu. You gave him a look to silently scold him, and he returned it. You tightened your lips not to laugh but couldn’t hide your grin.

“She’s not lying. No fever. In fact, your temperature is even a little low. This is the most normal checkup you’ve had since you’ve been here, Y/N. I want you to come in for bloodwork later but for now… you’re okay.” Chen still seemed suspicious and Liu did too.

“Wow, you just can’t believe I’m the finest in the land right now.” You teased and Liu laughed and then shook his head as if embarrassed that he’d laughed at it. It had been a terrible joke, to be fair.

“Thank you.” Liu stood and bowed politely to Chen. You joined him and waved at Chen.

“Y/N? Could I talk to you for a second?” Chen called you back just as you’d made it outside the infirmary and back to your bag.

“I’ll be two seconds.” You told Liu who leaned against the wall of the doorway. Now that you knew he had a fever, his pale face made sense. Your hurried over to Chen. “What’s up?”

“So…?” Chen nodded toward Liu Kang and then gestured to you. You stared in disbelief.

“Are you kidding me? Right now?”

“Umm, yeah right now.”

“It’s complicated.” You rubbed your temples in annoyance. “And I obviously don’t have time to talk about it right now.”

“Oh, thank god that it’s finally complicated!”

“It has always been complicated, Chen. Get your mind out of the gutter.”

“I can’t. But this is disappointing news.” Chen sighed in obvious frustration. Why was she frustrated? You were the one surrounded by a sea of hormones all damn day! “Come chat with me when you get the chance. I want to know how it went and also what complicated means.”

“Can I please go now, Chen? Please? He’s just standing behind me waiting for me while you gossip.”

“Yeah, he is, isn’t he? He hasn’t taken his eyes off you once by the way.” Chen sighed dreamily but her expression quickly shifted. “On a more serious note… I’m worried that you aren’t having symptoms the way that they are. I have a bad feeling again. Keep checking in with me, okay?”

“You are a surprise every time I talk to you.” You gently grasped Chen’s shoulder. “I’m going now.”

“You better find me later!”

“You’re a terrible monk,” You whispered and then pointed at another monk who had been very obviously listening in, silently nodding your head as if to add in that he, too, was a terrible monk.

#mortal kombat #mortal kombat 2021 #kung lao #liu kang #liu kang x reader #kung lao x reader #fanfic #drabble #fluff #mk movie #arcana #female reader #reader insert #liu kang x you #kung lao x you #drama #romance #fanfiction #ludi lin #max huang #liu kang/you #kung lao/you #the oncoming storm #angst

[fallingappleshurt]

Can I get another headcanon/oneshot post about Techno and Tommy?Something similar to the sword stealing scenario 🙃 I love your Au!!

(Thank youuuu :DDD I’m sorry for such a long post!)

Alright I’m very tired so I’m sorry for any grammar mistakes but let's go!

-Tommy had a day off from school and was spending it at home with Techno, who was doing house work because Phil works and Wilbur is out

-Tommy asks Techno to show him how to do some weird acrobatic type move and Techno said no, Tommy kept bugging him until Techno said he’d teach him to walk on his hands.

-Techno got out an old mat and started showing Tommy how to do a handstand but Tommy has no sense of balance

“I thought you said you’d teach me how to walk on my hands!” Tommy complained, shifting his hands, trying to stay upright.

“I am but you have to be able to do a handstand first, that’s like half of the process.” Techno said, holding Tommy’s ankles so he wouldn’t flop onto the mat.

“Well I’m ready! I can do it!” Tommy said.

“Really? So if I let go of your legs then you will stay upright, completely balanced? No issues?”

“Of course!” So Techno let go.

He fell over.

“Graceful,” Techno commented dryly, as Tommy scrambled into a sitting position.

“Shut up! If it’s so easy then you do it!” Tommy sputtered

Techno just stared at him, taking a few steps back then leaned forwards into a handstand. He looked at Tommy from between his arms then walked over on his hands looking Tommy dead in the eyes.

Then he smirked.

“It’s easy, Thomas, easy.” Tommy stuck his tongue out in response.

- “I’m bored!” Tommy groaned as Techno stood back up on his feet.

-Tommy asks if they can go into town, Techno says sure. Tommy immediately wants to go see Tubbo so they walk over towards his parents stand/shop

-Tommy starts asking for Tubbo then goes to see him by the animals while Techno just kind of stands there, making bad small talk with Tubbo’s parents, because social anxiety.

-While Tommy is talking to Tubbo, who is trying to work, a man dressed in fancy clothes approaches them.

-”How much for a stall?” He asked, adjusting his tie. Tubbo gave him a confused look, “What?”

The man glared at him, “How much for a stall, boy? I’m in a hurry.”

“I-I don’t understand what you mean sir,”

The man glared at Tubbo then closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose, “I’ll ask you one more time, How much for a stall?”

“I don’t-”

“Damn it! Do you know who I am? God, I’ll find someone else!” The man snapped, waving his hands frantically before storming off, muttering about ‘useless children.’

-Tommy blinked for a moment, still in shock before starting; “That assh-”

“It’s fine Tomm-”

“No it’s not! Who does he think he is? Coming in here treating you like that! Someone should beat some manners into that guy!” Tommy glared at the man as he continued down the road, probably to harass more people.

“Tommy, it’s fine, really-”

“Too late I already have an idea!” Tommy said, sliding off the fence he was sitting on, Tubbo groaned.

“Just make sure that Techno is distracted!”

-Tommy slipped behind the shop and ran along an alley until he caught up with the Fancy man, who was trading documents and papers at another shop.

-He waited for the right opportunity as the man pulled out his wallet, Tommy walked by and stumbled into Fancy man, knocking them both to the ground, scattering the man's papers everywhere.

“Would you watch where you’re going?” The man snapped, grabbing at his paperwork, Tommy shuffled through the papers, feeling for the wallet, as he did he apologized profusely, handing the man his things. Once his fingers glazed over the cool leather of the man's wallet he slipped it into his pocket before handing the man the rest of his stuff.

“Once again, I’m very sorry sir.” Then he turned and walked away as the Fancy man dusted himself off.

-Tommy was a few stores down when the man suddenly shouted, “Wait, I’m missing something. Hey! You kid! Where’s my wallet!”

-And instead of replying, Tommy panicked then started sprinting. He dodged through crowds of people, trying to find an alley to duck into as the man thundered after him.

- He swerved into one, crashing into some trash cans in the process and continued, he could still hear the Fancy man and what sounded like guards chasing him. This caused him to panic even more, he couldn’t get caught, it would cause so many issues with his family and would cost so much money.

-He was jerked out of his thoughts, literally, as someone yanked him to the side. He yelped and fought against their hold until,

“Stop it you nerd!”

“Techno? What are you doing? How did you find me?”

“What did you do?”

“Answer my question first!”

“Mine is more important!”

“Okay fine! So, someone was being really rude to Tubbo so I thought that if I was able to take something from them it would teach them a lesson about being an asshole.” Tommy explained, he started off strong before slowly quieting.

Techno just stared at him, “How-In what universe-Why would you do that?! It doesn’t even make sense!”

“Yes it does! How did you even find me anyways? Did Tubbo tell you?”

“No, I saw you the second you left the shop.”

“What! How? I snuck out all sneaky like!”

“Nevermind that, we have to get out of here.” Techno said, looking around.

“Wait so you’re not gonna make me return it?”

“Hang on, I hear voices over here,” Someone new interrupted their conversation.

“Oh my goddddddd,” Techno groaned, he grabbed Tommy’s wrist and started running. Tommy could barely keep up with Techno, let alone predict where they were going. Techno was doubling around, looping, and zig zagging in every direction.

-They made it closer to the third circle when Techno spotted a balcony, “Get ready to jump Tommy.” He put his hands together and boosted Tommy onto the ledge, then jumped on a nearby dumpster and leapt onto the balcony.

-They waited in silence as the guards searched the ground frantically before moving on, desperate to find the thief.

-Techno waited a few extra minutes, just in case before scoffing to himself, “They must be new, no well seasoned trainee would have missed those obvious tracks.” He turned to Tommy, “Are you okay?”

-Tommy nodded then asked, grinning, “So you really aren’t gonna make me return it?”

-Techno slapped him upside the head.

(Hope you like it!)

#technoblr #sleepyboysinc #sleepy boys inc #sbi au #dff au? #mcyt au #au #technoblade #wilbur soot #philza #ph1lza #tommyinnit #tommy is a fucking gremlin #headcannons #asks??? #asks #holy fuck i got an ask #mcyt DFF AU

[beelsnack]

The Obey Me! Boys and How They Cuddle

Because this quarantine got me touch-starved.  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Slight NSFW warning for Asmo.

Lucifer: He could feel his heartbeat in his forehead as he reclined (not slouched, he would never slouch) against the back of his chair. He had at least three different reports to write for Diavolo, the ever-growing stack of bills addressed to Mammon was beginning to lean alarmingly to the left, and he had just received word that one of his brothers had broken a stained-glass window at RAD. Again.

The sound of his door creaking open startled him out of his brooding. He whipped around with a scowl already set in place, but his expression soften when he registered the human standing there. They were carrying a tray in their hands, which were wrapped carefully in the sleeves of their shirt to stave off the chill of the Devildom evenings.

“You missed dinner,” they set the tray down on the edge of his desk, away from all of the important documents. “I was worried the others were going to start a riot.” 

“I wouldn’t put it past them.” he sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. On top of the pounding in his head, he was beginning to feel the muscle in his neck tensing from being bent over writing for the majority of the day. Great, now his responsibilities were becoming a literal pain in the neck instead of just a figurative one.

“Lucifer?” concern laced through their voice as they spoke. “Are you okay?”

Their hands were still planted on the desk where they had set the tray down, eyes trained on him like they were worried he would explode. This left them wide open, and Lucifer was nothing if not opportunistic.

“Come here.”

The human yelped as he gripped them around the waist and easily hoisted them into his lap. Their legs dangled uselessly over one arm of the chair and Lucifer had pressed their torso against his own. He kept them close, encasing them in his arms as he rested his cheek on top of their head.

“Lucifer!” they attempted to wiggle out of his grasp, but both of them knew it would do nothing. “I’m not a teddy bear!”

“Oh? But the job suits you perfectly.”

They huffed petulantly, but instead of pouting, they wrapped their arms around his neck and accepted their fate. “Just ask next time, okay?”

Mammon: “...stupid lil’...why do they hafta...treat their older brother with at least a lil’ respect!”

The door to the living room burst open, causing the human sitting on the couch to jump and quickly whip their headphones out. Mammon definitely didn’t get a little mushy when he noticed their expression go from on guard to exasperatedly fond.

“What happened now?”

The Avatar of Greed flopped unceremoniously onto the couch next to them and sighed dramatically. “Why do they always gotta gang up on me?!”

“Because it’s funny to watch you explode?”

“Not helping, human.”

They started to laugh, but when they saw Mammon slouch down a little further, they cut themselves off. “Does it really get to you that much?”

“Sometimes,” Mammon scratched at his neck. “Even when I’m trying to help, they start taking jabs at me for no reason.”

The human was silent for a moment before they shoved the worksheet they had been scribbling away at into their textbook and closed it. “That’s not right.”

“You’re damn right it ain’t! I’m a good big brother, and every time I -” a light tug on his hair cut him off mid-rant. The human had scooted down to the end of the couch and was looking at him expectantly. When had they grabbed a hold of his hair?

His human was nothing if not persistent, and who was he to deny them? He followed their tugs down to rest his head in their lap, stretching out his long legs. Their gentle fingers kept weaving and scritching in his hair, and his eyes slipped closed like a content kitten.

“You know the best ways to shut me up.”

“Mmhmm.”

Levi: When he had told them what time the stream was going to start, they had grinned and said staying up that late wasn’t going to be a problem. They had high-fived and the human had skipped off to do whatever it was normies did during the day. When 10 o’clock rolled around, they showed up to his room practically buzzing with excitement. It had been forever since they had gotten to watch a live stream with someone!

They had been so jazzed. So why in the three Realms were they asleep?!

And more importantly, why were they asleep on his shoulder?!?!

Levi could feel himself start to hyperventilate. He barely let his brothers touch him, forget about the human! The streamer had said something that was making the chat go a mile a minute, but Levi couldn’t bring himself to concentrate on anything but the weight on his shoulder.

Swallowing heavily, he managed to gather up enough courage to actually look at the human.They were small and fragile looking when they were awake and yelling at everyone, but when they were asleep, they might as well be a figurine. Their face was relaxed, so different from the victorious grin they wore when they thrashed Mammon in a game, or the determined frown they wore when Devildom culture shock smacked them in the face and they were trying to deal with it.

The soft blue light from Henry 2.0′s aquarium rippled across their face, and Levi could feel their slow, even breaths against his collarbone. His face felt like it was on fire, and he was just about to start flailing when they made a soft noise in their sleep and snuggled in a bit closer. They were shivering.

He had watched enough romcom anime to know the proper course of action, but that didn’t cool his blush any. Sighing in defeat, he managed to sneak his arm up from where it had been resting against his side and - slowly, hesitantly, holy shit what was he doing this was a bad idea what the fu - wrapped it around their shoulders and pulled them in.

Thankfully, they stayed asleep. Slowly but surely, Levi’s heart rate slowed back down to normal as he felt them stop shaking. Maybe this wasn’t so bad?

Satan: It wasn’t often that the human lost their cool. They were probably one of the most put-together beings who ever existed. But, as Satan knew all too well, one could only take so much bullshit before they exploded.

“That sorry, sniveling, micro-dicked little cockroach!”

Satan would have praised them on that insult if he didn’t think it would piss them off more. “Who has a micro dick?”

“That guy I got paired with to do the Potions project!” they had begun pacing around the library. Satan had been in enough arguments to know where this was going, so he shut his book, crossed his legs and waited. The human didn’t disappoint.

“We agreed to meet up at the cafe to work on the project after class, since the assignment is due tomorrow and we needed to get everything put together. Not only does this bastard not show up, he has the balls to text me and ‘apologize’ for not having any of his share of the work done! So now I have to do by tomorrow!” frustrated tears gathered in the corners of their eyes, and Satan had to smother the flames of his own anger. How dare this scum make his human cry?

“Kitten,” he said, hoping the familiar pet name would soothe instead of scorn. “You’re going to wear a path in the carpet if you keep pacing like that.”

They turned to glare at him, but their fire had run out of kindling. They sighed heavily, shoulders slouching as though their anger had physically drained them. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to...I stormed in here and interrupted you, didn’t I? I wan’t thinking, sorry, I’ll just...”

Before they could finish their retreat, Satan was in front of them, hands on their shoulders.

“Hey now, it’s alright.” he reached up and brushed their tears away with the backs of his knuckles. “I of all people know how it is when you’re angry, I understand.”

They sniffled pathetically. “Sorry...”

Smiling gently, Satan guided them to the couch and let them slump against him. They were settled between his legs with their head pillowed against his chest, listening to his heartbeat as they calmed down. Satan’s long fingers played with their hair, twirling a strand around his finger.

“Now then, I’m going to need a name, address and photo id of this formerly-alive gentleman.”

Asmo: There was nothing quite like those few moments after a couple rounds of mind-blowing sex that had followed a carefully-crafted seduction. Asmodeus sighed in satisfaction as he relaxed against the soft pillows.

“Mm...” the human stirred beside him, and Asmo turned his head to admire his handiwork. Their hair was slick with sweat, curling along their forehead and jaw like ivy climbing up the side of a house. They were soft, pliant, practically melting into the sheets, and they had the most deliciously fucked-out expression on their face.

“Hello there, darling.” he said softly, reaching up to brush their hair out of their eyes. “How are you doing?”

Confusion flashed across their face and Asmo decided to answer their question before they asked it. “Aftercare is very important, my dear. Tell me what you need.”

Unbelievably, the human flushed and buried their head in the pillow. “...dles...”

“What was that, sweetheart?”

The human resurfaced, but couldn’t quite look him in the eye. “...Cuddles.”

Asmo scoffed affectionately. “Are you telling me that, after spending the night committing all kinds of salacious acts with me, you’re having trouble asking me for post-sex cuddles?”

Before the human could proceed with the inevitable flailing, Asmo tucked them against his chest, one leg thrown over both of theirs and a delicately manicured finger tracing over his pact mark on their hip. He felt them sigh contentedly as they settled down, and he couldn’t resist laughing as he kissed their forehead.

“I’ll have you know, post-sex cuddling is the best kind of cuddling.”

Beelzebub: It was a rare occasion that only one brother was camped out in the human’s room. Usually there were at least two monopolizing their bed. But, Mammon had a modeling gig, Levi had a raid going on, Satan had just bought a new book and couldn’t be torn away from it, Asmo had a date, and Belphie was....probably asleep somewhere that wasn’t their room. Which left them and Beel.

“What are we going to watch tonight?” Beel asked, making himself comfortable on their bed. He had brought a bowl of popcorn the size of their head, and before they even picked a movie the bowl was 3/4 of the way empty.

“Come on, Beel, I didn’t even get any!” they pouted, but there was an amused gleam in their eye. “And, to answer your question, I was thinking horror, since Mammon isn’t here to scream through it.”

By the time they finished their sentence, the popcorn had been vacuumed into Beel’s mouth. The human looked at Beel with a raised eyebrow.

“...”

“...”

“...We’re out of popcorn.”

They snorted, snatching the bowl from Beel’s hands. “I’ll go make more, you pick a movie.”

When they returned, Beel was leaning against their headboard with the movie paused on the title screen. It was some Devildom flick that the human had never heard of, but they trusted Beel.

Well, with the movie, anyway.

When he made grabby hands for the popcorn, the human turned to shield it with their body. “I don’t think so! I actually want some this time, Beelzebub. I’m holding it.”

The Avatar of Gluttony looked like they had just told him Santa wasn’t real, but the human stood firm.

“I’ll share, but I’m not letting you inhale the whole bowl.” they stuck their tongue out and plopped themselves on their bed. “Let’s start this thing.”

The movie started with a demon getting disemboweled, so they knew it was going to be good. The human was situation with the bowl rested in between their folded legs, and Beel would reach over and grab a fistful of popcorn every few seconds. But, in order to do that, he would have to rock himself forward, and as a result, spilled a fair amount of popcorn on the bed.

“This isn’t working.” Beel muttered about 20 minutes in.

“What isn’t?” they didn’t even turn away from the screen. It was just getting good!

“I keep spilling the popcorn.”

“Hm?” the human briefly glanced down to realize that they were sitting among the remains of many, many pieces of popcorn. “Oh. So you do. Sorry, Beel, I’ll move.”

The human had meant to scoot just a little closer so Beel wouldn’t have to reach so far, but apparently he had other ideas.

They squeaked a little when they went from leaning against the cool wall to something warm.

“Beel!” they exclaimed, suddenly finding themself situated snugly in Beel’s lap. “What the actual fuck?”

“This is easier.” To demonstrate, he reached into the bowl that was still cushioned in their lap, plucked out a fistful of popcorn, and took a bite. “See? No spilling. And you’re still holding the bowl.”

They felt like their face was going to explode from the force of their blush.

“Is this okay?” Beel asked, apparently belatedly realizing what he had just done might be considered inappropriate.

“...Yeah, it’s okay. You have a comfy lap.”

Beel smiled. “Good. I like having you close like this.”

“Shut up, I’m watching the movie.”

Belphegor: It was hard to keep your circadian rhythm going when there was no sun. This was the third night in a row that the human found themselves unable to sleep, and they were getting sick of sitting in their room playing on their D.D.D. So, even though they knew Lucifer would use their skin to decorate his office if he found them, they tip-toed out of their room and began wandering the halls in search for...something.

Eventually, they found themselves in the planetarium. Honestly, they didn’t know what they would do up there, but it beat sitting around in the darkness waiting for their body to shut down from sheer exhaustion.

“Shouldn’t you be sleeping?”

They nearly jumped out of their skin. “Belphie!”

Belphegor was draped languidly over one of the couches, cow-print pillow hugged to his chest as he blinked sleepily at them. “What are you doing up?”

They shrugged. “Trouble sleeping.”

“Is that right?” Belphie hummed, sitting up. “You’re lucky you found me, then.”

“Why is that?” the human asked, tilting their head. Belphegor chuckled softly.

“I’m the Avatar of Sloth. If anyone can cure insomnia, it’s me.” he leaned back against the arm of the couch and opened his arms. “Come on, I won’t hurt you.”

He kept his voice nonchalant, but they felt him push his sincerity through their bond. He was still so cautious around them. Probably always would be.

Taking a deep breath, the human stepped forward into Belphie’s waiting arms. Honestly, the demon was a little shocked that the human had accepted. A slap to the face would have been his first reaction if the tables were turned.

He curled his arms around their shoulders and cupped the back of their head, gently guiding them to the crook of his neck. They squirmed, trying to get comfortable.

“Hush,” Belphie muttered, voice low and soothing. “I’m going to use magic, okay?”

He felt them nod, already drifting a little bit. Belphie took a deep breath, threading his fingers through their hair. He didn’t deserve this. Didn’t deserve their trust and affection. But he was going to take it anyway.

The magic laced itself through his voice as he sang. It was an old lullaby that Lucifer used to sing to him and Beel when they were fussy children, but the human didn’t need to know that. Almost immediately, they stopped wiggling and settled heavily against him. By the time the lullaby was finished, they were asleep, breath fanning deep and even across his collarbone.

Belphegor leaned down and nuzzled into their hair. “Goodnight. Sweet dreams.”

#yes hello I need affection #and cuddles #lots of cuddles #obey me #shall we date obey me #obey me lucifer #obey me mammon #obey me leviathan #obey me levi #obey me satan #obey me asmo #obey me asmodeus #obey me beel #obey me beelzebub #obey me belphie #obey me belphegor

[natalieironside]

(x)

26. Self promo time! Share a snippet from another project that you’re proud of.

Oh, I get to toot my own horn for 2 posts in a row?

This is a Good Bit(tm) from chapter 4: Road Trip of my currently untitled sequel to The Big Job.  Herein, Dr. Wingfield meets a nice boy and starts dealing with some complicated feelings about religion.

Kelly had been nervous about Tom, but the way he looked at her was like a drug.

She was used to men looking at her with disgust—sometimes real, usually affected—and a troubling sort of hunger, but Tom Blackwood’s “nice-guy” schtick had not been an act; every word out of his mouth was flattering, and the look on his face as he drank her in with his eyes told her that he meant it.  As they sat up together talking in Kelly’s temporary quarters, the sweat still drying on their naked bodies, the way he nodded along at her every word and occasionally muttered, “God, babe, you’re so fucking smart” made her almost forget about the Global Occult Coalition patch on his uniform on the floor.

During a lull in conversation, he said, “Y’know, I still can’t believe you actually got to talk to her.”

“Talk to who, Tom?”

“The Mother of Blood.”

“Who the hell is the Mother of Blood?”

“Your Sarkite; the skip we’re chasing.  That’s what we call her, on account of what she did to Commander Hawthorn.  I wasn’t there for either of the two incidents, and I guess that’s my good luck, ‘cause good God have I heard some horror stories.  And you got to interview her.  Got to just sit down and have a chat with a Type Red Known Threat Entity.”

“This is probably gonna be disappointing, but to be honest, talking to her was . . . pretty normal.  It’s kind of hard to believe that the woman I did those interviews with and the woman who melted half your task force could be the same person.  But that’s pretty typical of a humanoid skip in containment, I guess.”

Tom lay back down on Kelly’s bed and stared at the ceiling for a moment, then muttered, “When she gets here, I hope you get to her first.”

“Huh?”

“Kelly, we all hate that bitch.  And yeah, ‘we’ includes ‘me’.  We hate that bitch for what she did to us.  And, like, I think some people on the task force might let our hatred get in the way of their professionalism when the moment of truth gets here, if you know what I mean.”

Kelly cringed.  “Um . . . Thank you for telling me that, Tom.  Can I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

“Why did you join the GOC?  Not to be rude, but you don’t . . . you don’t act like them.  You don’t think like them.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, the way things are going with the joint task force, I’m not happy about it, but I’m not surprised, either.  Being heavy-handed and trigger-happy and choosing termination over containment is kind of the GOC’s whole deal.”

Tom shrugged.  “Hey, I’m not even gonna argue with that.  I think we’re doing a lot of good in the world, but I also think we could learn a lot from the Foundation.  The way the Foundation does things is slow and risky, but, well, the world’s a complicated place, ain’t it?”

“Why don’t you join the Foundation, Tom?”

“Ah, I’m still under contract for another eighteen months.  Once that runs out, though, I just might.”  He sat up and gave her a kiss on the cheek, groping one of her breasts.  “After all, the Foundation is where all the hot girls are.”

“You’re sweet.”

“And you’re gorgeous, and nice, and brilliant, and . . . I really like you, Kelly.”

“I like you, too, Tom.  We should go out again.”

“I mean, I fuckin hope so.  Stop me if I’m getting ahead of myself, but I can’t wait to show off my new hot scientist girlfriend.”

Kelly grinned and leaned against him, and they sat together in congenial silence for a moment.  They were interrupted by the sound of a phone ringing from somewhere in the pile of clothes at the foot of Kelly’s bed, and Tom jumped to his feet, muttering, “Oh, shit, I think that’s me.”

He managed to extract a phone from the pile, checked its screen, and started pulling his uniform back on, saying, “Shit, I gotta go.  Alpha’s calling a staff meeting.”

“Now?  It’s like 4:00 in the morning.”

“I dunno. But when the boss lady says ‘jump’, we say ‘how high’.”  He paused for a moment while lacing up his boots.  “Uh, speaking of the boss lady . . . You might wanna watch out for Psi Alpha.  She’s kind of a massive bitch.”

“Oh?”

“She, uh, said some unwoke shit about you and your whole situation.”

Kelly pinched the bridge of her nose.  “Oh, you’ve gotta be fucking kidding me.”

Tom kissed her before disappearing out into the darkness.  Kelly flopped down on the bed and stared up at the ceiling, rubbing her temples.   After a while, she sighed and muttered, “So let’s take stock.  A member of the O5 Council threatened to disappear me.  The commander of my mobile task force is a TERF.  And I just let a GOC triggerman suck my dick.  I wish I believed in God so that I could blame this on someone convenient.”

On the heel of her voiced displeasure, another thought wandered unbidden into her mind:

“But, really, there is a God.  He just needs to be recompiled.”

#writeblr #chazzawrites challenge #the big job #silicon and sinew

[sleep-i-ness]

The Nature of the Beast

Blurb: The Doctor is taking you to the one person who has dealt with the Monks before and you weren’t expecting the ‘monster’ in the Vault to be quite so hot.

Content Warning: hopeless lesbian, a thing for hands (because who doesn’t)

Taglist: @kjaneway1​ (if you would like to be added please fill in this form)

Beep. You eyed the Doctor with some worry as he fiddled with the extensive locks, each part letting out a further bleep of approval as he came closer to completely unlocking the Vault. He had said he had to do this, that he had no choice and that’s what scared you the most. What monster could he have locked up deep in the basement of the university? You’d never seen him so visibly nervous and your muscles felt frozen at the prospect of coming face to face with the creature. As the doors swung open, you gripped tightly onto Bill’s hand, bracing yourself for whatever beast was within.

The delicate strains of a single melody echoed around the expanse, the piano eerie in the total silence. A woman sat at the stool, head resting on one hand while the other fiddled with the keys, playing the repetitive melody. You shared a confused look with Bill as you dropped her hand, fiddling with the hem of your sleeve.

The Vault was bigger on the inside, perhaps Time Lords needed to overcompensate for something, and there were even wide windows letting in grey light. As you continued further into the room, you noticed that the woman and the piano were inside a hexagonal containment field. Glowing blue posts outlined the raised podium, sparse bar the figure and her piano, and a few ratty-looking pieces of furniture were scattered around the rest of the room. The Doctor flopped into a leather armchair as the doors swung shut behind you, flicking his coat out before sitting. He pinched the bridge of his nose.

“But it's, it's just a woman,” Bill blurted, arms spread wide as she hesitated. The aforementioned woman stopped playing and turned around to fix the Doctor with an unimpressed look. “God, the way you and Nardole have been carrying on, I thought you had some kind of monster in here, or something!”

You eyed the woman curiously, wondering what about her was so terrifying. Hair awry, eyes a brilliant burning blue, you couldn’t keep your eyes off the spellbinding figure.

“I do.” His gaze never once shifted from eyeing the woman and he sighed. “Missy, Bill and Y/N. Bill and Y/N, Missy, the other Last of the Time Lords.”

Bill raised her hand in a small wave as the woman eyed the two of you up and you smiled weakly. You shivered involuntarily as her eyes brushed over you, feeling oddly drawn towards her.

“Wait a sec.” Bill turned to the Doctor with a frown. “Why have you got a woman locked in a vault? Because even I think that's weird, and I've been attacked by a puddle and she’s snogged a Zygon.”

You rolled your eyes, suppressing a snort as you realised it was not the time nor place to be making fun of the current state of your love lives.  Although it was understandable why they were in such a state, considering you had the hots for an incredibly dangerous Time Lady.

“She's going cold turkey from being bad.” The Doctor glanced up at Bill, eyes finally straying away from Missy. Missy hmphed, not looking away from the piano as the Doctor zeroed back in on her. “I want to ask if you've had any dealings with the Monks before.”

“Of course. I've had adventures too,” she preened, her voice lilting as she twisted her torso to face you all. She had a strong Scottish accent, maybe that was another Time Lord thing, and her voice dropped as she teased. “My whole life doesn't revolve around you, you know.”

“Did you defeat them?” Bill piped up, desperate, brow creased. The guilt was dripping off of her and you winced, wishing you could do something to alleviate it. You knew she blamed herself for the state of the world but, despite the Doctor’s remonstrations, she’d done what she believed was right and you would stand by her for that.

“I did.” Her self-satisfactory tone was tinged with affront, as if there was no doubt in her ability to defeat the Monks. Your teeth tugged on your bottom lip as you watched her, completely enthralled.

“How?”

Missy seemed amused with Bill’s bluntness, painted lips pulling into a savage grin as she exhaled a short laugh. Giving her a once-over, her eyes caught on you again, lighting up as you fidgeted under her gaze.

She turned away again. “I've got some requests. I want some new books, some toys,” the Doctor sighed, “like a particle accelerator, a 3-D printer, and a pony.”

“I don't think that you really grasp what's going on here,” he huffed, his accent bleeding through stronger as his frustration grew. “Nice people generally don't haggle over the fate of a planet.”

“I once built a gun out of leaves. Do you think I couldn't get through a door if I wanted to?” The tension hanging in the air was thick enough to cut with a knife and you gulped as her stare drilled holes into the Doctor. You weren’t sure what you were feeling at her somewhat veiled threat, but you were pretty sure it wasn’t solely fear. Missy jumped up, spinning to face the Doctor by the side of the piano. “I'm here, all right? I'm engaging with the process.”

“Okay,” Bill jumped in, glancing at you for support. You nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, we can, we can get those things for you.”

“C'est supère.” Missy overenunciated the French and you bit back a grin, noting her disappointed expression at the lack of reactions. She sighed, crossing her legs, and tilting her head. “So, what have you got so far?”

As the Doctor rose, so did Missy. He began to pace, each step leading to more thoughts tumbling out of his mouth. But you were distracted by the divine figure in front of you, enshrined in a tight purple suit and sinfully demure white blouse. “They hold on to power by targeting the part of the brain specifically to do with memory and perception, correct? Right?”

Missy closed the lid of her grand piano, fingers deftly clasping around the stand for the lid and folding it down. “Getting warm. Fingers tingling.”

“But they target it with what exactly? How do they sustain it?” Missy sat on the piano lid; hands clasped in her lap as the Doctor rambled. “How do their lies infiltrate the brains of billions? Is it some kind of airborne psychoactive?”

She shifted to lying on the piano lid, gaze following him as he paced round. Something in the shrewd look in her eyes reminded you of a cat watching a mouse.

“Oh my God.” The reverent gasp slipped your lips as she kicked her legs up. The smirk tugging at the corners of her lips gave away that she’d heard you and you flushed.

“No, no, that's very cold, very cold.”

“Something that's constantly being fed to the populace, constantly consolidating its hold. Is it in the water?”

“God, no. It's freezing, freezing.” She gestured wildly; legs kicked up in the air behind her. “Absolutely freezing. Couldn't be colder. Very, very, chilly. So, so chilly.”

Missy swung her legs round and you let out a breath you didn’t know you were holding as she straightened up and jumped off the piano. She winked at you, smoothing down her skirt.

“Oh, come on. I'm bored!” She whined. “You haven't been to see me in six months. No-one has! Not even that bald bloke who looks like an egg.”

“What, you left her alone in here for six months?” You and Bill both whirled on the Doctor, mouths agape.

“Six months,” Missy whispered, repeating Bill with an expression of mock horror.

“I was in prison for six months.” The Doctor protested.

“Start at the beginning.” She ordered, treating him as a teacher would a little kid. “How do they get a foothold on a planet?”

“Some idiot asks for their help.”

Bill glared at the Doctor and you narrowed your eyes at him. Sure, it hadn’t been the greatest idea to ask the Monks for help, but he could have at least been somewhat grateful for how much she was willing to sacrifice for him. And for regaining his vision.

“Well, not just any idiot. It has to be a properly consenting human mind. A pure request, one without agenda or ulterior motive.” Missy’s lips twitched as the Doctor spun on his heel, stalking away from you all. The mania lurking in the back of her eyes frightened you and you shrunk closer to Bill.

“It's them.” The Doctor faced you again, a resigned smile on his face. “That person creates a psychic link, which forms an anchor that keeps the Monks in power. They're the lynchpin.”

“Scalding. Ow.” Missy’s eyes darted surreptitiously from the Doctor to you and back again, lips forming a perfect ‘o’. Your brain short-circuited, eyes caressing the sharp contours of her cheekbones and jawline. God, she was hot.

“But the brainwaves of one person wouldn't be powerful enough to contain an entire planet,” he trailed off; you could almost see the cogs whirring in his great mind. He paused, waving a finger. “The statues! As soon as they got here, the Monks put up statues in every town square, and every park, and every playground.”

“You're on fire, you're literally on fire you're so caliente. That's Spanish for hot.” Missy called back to you and Bill, who could do no more than stare and try to follow on with the Time Lords’ discourse.

“The statues are transmitters. They boost the signal and beam it out all around the world.” The Doctor grinned smugly.

“Boom! You've exploded.” Missy gestured with her hands, the light glinting off the tops of her cheekbones. You inhaled sharply. “Now, all you have to do is find whoever opened the door to the Monks in the first place.”

The Doctor glanced at Bill, raising his eyebrows. “Say I already have.”

“Oh! Well then, you're sorted. Just kill them,” the Doctor’s grin dropped, “that weakens the Monks' grip on the world.”

You grabbed onto Bill’s hand tightly, watching as her face fell, crestfallen. She almost seemed resolved and you rubbed your thumb over the back of her knuckles.

“No, no. No, no, that can't be right,” the Doctor scoffed disbelievingly, somewhat taken aback. Though wasn’t this response unsurprising? “There are planets that the Monks have ruled for thousands of years.”

“It's passed on through the bloodline. Usually the lynchpin goes on to lead a normal life, have their own family, and the link is passed down through the generations.” Missy strode forward, resting one arm up against the supporting poles, the other resting on the enticing curve of her hip.

“But the Monks must have worked that out. They've been doing this for millennia.”

“Why? If the link is passed on, the Monks stay in charge, through, they think, their ruthlessness and efficiency. But if the lynchpin dies and the link isn't passed on, and the Monks get booted off the planet, well, they just chalk it up to experience,” Missy gesticulated, each new point greeted with a flick of her wrist.

She sat down once again, resuming her place at the piano and her fingers ran daintily over the keys. You followed her hands with an unnecessary fixation, wetting your lips nervously as the joints flexed and danced across the notes. Bill’s sudden movement broke your concentration, and you shared a look with the Doctor.

Bill caught the expression on your faces. “No, it's okay. I want to speak to her.”

“Yes?” You couldn’t help the rising disappointment as Missy turned to face her, hands dropping off the piano.

“So when you defeated the Monks, that's how you did it?”

“Well, at this point, all that was left of the bloodline was a wee girl,” you swallowed harshly at the thickened accent, “and I just pushed her into a volcano.”

You could have sworn Missy glanced at you when she repeated the stressing of word in her heavy Scottish accent, that her lips had twitched at your visceral reaction.

“It's me. The lynchpin is me.” Bill’s voice trembled, tears threatening to break from her eyes. You inched closer to her, not close enough to touch but enough to provide some sort of support.

Missy’s attention jumped straight back to Bill, eyes narrowing ever-so-slightly.

“Awkward,” she sang, leaning back on the piano with a hint of smugness at the discordant chords.

“So you're saying I have to die.” No. The Doctor would come up with something else, he couldn’t just let your best friend die.

“No. If you were just to die, everyone's false memories would have to fade, and that could take ages. It's actually better if you keep breathing, if your brain just keeps transmitting, well, nothing. That would blot out the residue false memories.” The grin on her face almost convinced you that the option she was providing was an improvement. Almost.

“What would be left of me?” Bill’s eyes never left her face.

“You'd be a husk. Completely and irrevocably brain-dead. You couldn't even get on Celebrity Love Island.” It was her matter-of-fact tone that riled you, the inevitability in her voice.

“No.” You stepped up beside Bill, face to face with the Time Lady and almost fearful at the feral look buried deep in her eyes. A hand clasped around your elbow as the Doctor yanked you and Bill back from the containment field.

“Even if that was the truth, the fact that you're suggesting it shows there's been no change, no hope, no point.” The Doctor’s words were harsh and the spark in Missy’s eyes fizzled out, replaced with an all-encompassing sadness. Your heart ached for her, despite her sole resolution to your problem being for Bill to virtually die. “We don't sacrifice people - it's wrong - because it's easy.”

“You know, back in the day, I'd burn an entire city to the ground just to see the pretty shapes the smoke made. I'm sorry your plus one doesn't get a happy ending, but, like it or not, I just saved this world because I want to change. Your version of good is not absolute.” A watery sheen covered her eyes, missable as she blinked it away moments after it appeared. “It's vain, arrogant, and sentimental.”

As the Doctor backed down and you were left staring at the forlorn Time Lady, a pang of empathy struck a chord in your heart. The Doctor made it very hard for you to feel like a ‘good’ person - the very first time you met him, he had yelled at you for taking a decision which had saved the entire planet, albeit whilst risking your own life. And forever was a long time to be stuck in his shadow of goodness.

“If you're waiting for me to become all that, I'm going to be here for a long time yet.”

#missy x reader #missy x y/n #gomez!master #missy x you #gomez!master x reader #gomez!master x you #missy #master x reader #12th doctor #12th #12th x reader #12 x reader #12th doctor x reader #doctor who #dw #lie of the land #bill potts #hopeless lesbian #bill potts x reader #bill x reader #the master #the master x reader

[wowtobio]

Hi, could you please write hcs for tendou, Kuroo, and iwazumi helping their s/o who has horrible back pain. Like to the point of almost not being able to get out of bed( I am in that situation, but during school I’d have to take a bunch of pain killers to get through the day)

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟKuroo, Tendou, and Iwaizumi w/ an s/o who has back pain･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

awwh i’m really sorry to hear that :( back pain is the worst, i hope the pains go away for you very soon ❤

my last post flopped haha :’) o whale

genre: fluff

Kuroo

Alarm sounds jarred within the confines of your bedroom. Ignoring the searing pain in your back which was the true cause of your awakening, you slap your hand on the snooze button, silencing the most annoying sound in the world.

You sat up. Yup. Nope. Not today.

You collapse back into your pillows. The warmth and softness that welcomes you does not soothe the excruciating sting starting from your lower back spreading upwards. School is not worth enduring through combined with this. Gulping down some painkillers, you tell your parents class is a no go. And by the grim look you had, they allow you to stay home. 

Kuroo notices your absence immediately, and he pulls out his phone sending you a text. 

This boi will borderline spam your phone and will call you during break times at school. You appreciate the sentiment, but as you answer his fourth call with a tick mark on your forehead, he realizes that he should probably cut it out in order for you to get your beauty sleep. 

He thinks about you the whole entire day and is lowkey worried abt your well being awwwwh

Buys your favorite snacks and some painkillers on the way home, Kenma’s like “you’re so whipped kuroo oml” 

When Kuroo arrives, he just casually walks in. He’s been here before. Upon seeing your curled up form he sits beside you. No words exchanged as he lays his hand on the small of your back, rubbing it soothingly. His touch is familiar to you and you sigh with content.

You both end the day sharing and feeding each other the snacks and you listening to Kuroo talk about his day. He gives you the assingments he collected for you throughout the day and he offers to help you catch up on it. Of course, homework and studying is the last thing on your mind as you practically jump into his lap, wrapping your arms around his neck, 

His arms encircles your body, his fingertips stroking your back in attempt to relieve the pain. 

Tendou

Groaning, you ignore Tendou’s phone calls. This was your morning routine, your adoring red-headed boyfriend would spam call you acting as your alarm, patiently waiting outside your dorm. Once you do wake up and get ready, you meet him outside and walk to your classes hand in hand. 

However, today was a different case. Your back decided to act up once again, normally you would bite your tongue and deal with it. It may have been the way you slept or your back just decided to be a little dickhead, either way you couldn’t even sit up due to the screaming pain you were feeling. 

Your ringtone going off and the text tones rapidly popping up did not help, your annoyance towards the middle blocker grew. Finally you picked up the phone.

“OI TENDOU COULD YOU QUIT IT PLEASE. I ain’t coming to class today so just go on without me” 

Before you could hear his dramatic wails, you push the red end call button and throw your phone on a nearby nightstand. Not even 5 minutes of peace go by as the door to your dorm burst open with your worst enemy aka your boyfriend. 

Thank goodness your roommate already headed off, but you silently cursed her for leaving the door unlocked. Ignoring the calls from Tendou you chuck a pillow at his face. For whatever reason he falls on his butt due to the force of said object and he spits out how cruel and cold you are. 

When you don’t retort back like you usually do and instead curl up into a ball crying a little in pain, the boi goes silent. surprisingly. This is not the first time you experience these pains, Tendou now reads the room and he waddles on over to your side. 

Poking your arm he c a u t i o u s l y asks if you’re okay. because he loves you ofc

“Nee~ (y/n)-chan. Are you okay? You’re no fun when you’re all grumpy like this”

No response again, he sighs before walking off. Your ears perk up at his short arrival. He brings back a heating pad and some painkillers with some water to down it. He offers it to you and you thank him shyly, a light pink dusting your cheekbones. 

You didn’t even realize how much time has passed and you frantically panic and shout at Tendou he’d going to be late for class. He merely laughs it off and wave off your concerns. 

“Don’t worry about it honey! I’ll be here for you, now lay on your stomach for me okay?” 

There’s no convincing him otherwise, so you sigh and lay down. He starts to massage your back and even do his cute little karate chop thing that always made you giggle (seen in the gif above^^ lucky goshiki). 

Iwaizumi

sooo I have read a few scenarios in which Iwaizumi is your nextdoor neighbor and all I have to say is yes. I love it. So I am writing about it here too because I want too.

#iwaisbestneighbor

Alright, upon waking up you cry out slightly as you predicted. The slight uncomfortableness you felt before and during you slept has ended with a now terrible aching in your back and all you want to do it make the pain stop. 

Try to sit up? Haha no, you could barely turn over on your side to check your phone, sending your boyfriend who also happened to live next doors, a text message saying you won’t make it to school. 

About 5-10 minutes pass and you hear your front door open. When your bedroom door opens you jump which causes you to yelp slightly in pain. Iwaizumi clad in his school uniform, tsks. 

“And here I thought you were dying” He scowls slightly. 

“I am Hajime! Or at least my back is hmph” You pout at him. 

Iwaizumi only sighs before sitting on the edge of your bed, his backpack left on your carpet floors, long forgotten. “I was only kidding” he states matter of factly, his roughed up hands from his volleyball practices finds themselves tangled in your hair. His hand strokes and massages your scalp and you purr at his touch. 

Tugging on his sleeve, you give him the puppy eyes you know he cannot resist. Hajime coughs slightly, attempting to hide the growing blush on his face and you only laugh at his shyness. He denies your request, claiming that he shouldn’t skip school.

“Buuuut Hajimeeee, you’re smart so it’s okay if it’s just one day” Cue the same puppy eyes, but this time cuter. Iwaizumi didn’t even know such a thing was possible. 

Turning bright red once again, he pinches the bridge of his nose and groans before sneaking into your arms right beside you. Silently cheering out of joy, you bury your face into his broad chest and inhale his masculine scent. His strong biceps wrap around and massages your back, he hides his face in your hair and mumbles

“I’m doing this for you idiot, so be grateful” 

-

a/n: it’s confirmed that i have a thing for iwaizumi’s hands sighh but thanks for reading! i hope everyone’s healthy, happy and staying safe hehe

masterlist

#kuroo x reader #kuroo tetsurō #iwaizumi x reader #iwaizumi hajime #tendo x reader #tendō satori #haikyuu headcanons #haikyuu!! #haikyuu #kuroo tetsuro x reader #iwaizumi hajime x reader #tendo satori x reader #haikyū!! #tetsurou kuroo x reader #hajime iwaizumi x reader #hq #anime

[365days365movies]

May 4, 2021: The Host (2006) (Recap)

NO NOT THAT ONE

Stephanie Meyer goddamn sucks. I realize that I’m not exactly the first person to say that, but she’s terrible. Not only is she not a good writer, but she also has some very disparaging views about science fiction and its fans, which led her to make her own science fiction book and film. ANd yeah...it’s terrible! No surprise there.

So, no, not the 2013 critical and commercial flop known as The Host. No, this post is about 2006′s The Host, AKA Gwoemul, AKA 괴물. I haven’t ventured to far into the world of Korean cinema, and with this film, my repertoire includes only the films of director Bong Joon-Ho. And if that name sounds familiar...it should.

Bong Joon-ho DESERVEDLY made headlines last year when his film became the first non-English language film to win for Best Picture, and the first time Asian writers won for best screenplay! His Oscar speech in accepting best director is genuinely one of the best and most sincere speeches I’ve ever heard from a director, and I love the dude.

Oh, and if you’re wondering which film it was, then, like me, you also really need to watch Parasite. And because I’m terrified of spoilers, I’m not gonna look for GIFs of that movie. Instead, I’ll put in a GIF of one of my favorite sci-fi films, and the only other Bong Joon-ho film I’ve seen.

God, I love Snowpiercer. And if this is anything like that, I’m probably going to love this movie. Now, I don’t really know much about this film, other than the fact that it’s a monster film. And if there’s any science-fiction subgenre more iconic than monster films, I don’t know it. Well...OK, aliens, robots, and more, but monster films are still a big part of the genre. But where does that begin? Is it here?

Definitely an argument you can make, since Frankenstein’s Monster is a creation of science gone wrong, from the book to the movie. Fun fact, Mary Shelley based it on a real-world experiment by Italian physiologist Giovanni Aldini, who used a corpse to illustrate the connection between electricity and muscles. Neat, huh? So, yeah, that’s a solid launching point.

But that’s more of a horror story. What about something a little more monster-y? Well, from the UK to Japan we go!

OHHHHHH YEAH, THAT’S THE GOOD STUFF

Toho’s 1954 film Gojira is one of the most classic monster films ever made, and singlehandedly launched the kaiju genre in Japan. And it’s really well-known that it was made as a response to post-World War II tensions about nuclear warfare. Which, in Japan, is kind of understandable, no? But nothing demonstrated the destructive power of science more than that moment in history. 

So, Godzilla arrives. And the US also makes more monster movies, most of which take place in contemporary settings, making many of them lo-fi sci-fi. Now, some dipped into horror or fantasy, but the science fiction roots were there. Which eventually would bring us full circle to films where monsters were made and go loose. You know, like this:

It’s a franchise that defines the ‘90s, and lab-grown monster movies exploded around that time as well. At the same time, environmental concerns REALLY started to build by this point, and those concerns leaked profusely into film all over the world. And by the time we get to 2006...well, let’s get into it, huh?

SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

Recap

In a mortuary, a U.S. military doctor (Scott Wilson) instructs his assistant (Brian Lee) to dump bottles of formaldehyde down the drain of the facility, which goes directly into the Han River. The assistant protests, but the doctor insists, despite the risk of polluting the river. AAAAAmericans.

In the river about two years later, two fisherman see something strange looking in the river. Then, four years later, in 2006, a suicidal man is about to jump into the river, when he sees something dark in the water below.

Later that year, we meet Park Hee-bong (Byun Hee-Bong) and his son Park Gang-du (Song Kang-ho), who run a food truck and snack bar near the river. Gang-du’s not exactly a hard worker, to his father’s chagrin. His daughter, Hyun-seo (Go Ah-sung), is a student who comes home from school, where her drunken uncle Nam-il (Park Hae-il) comes to her chagrin. She and her father watch TV, where his sister Nam-joo (Bar Doona) can be seen competing in archery.

As he’s bringing food out to customers, he joins them in observing something strange and massive hanging off of the bridge. And at this point, I would be running the fuck away. Literally, the news just said that there was a body found with the legs missing, and these people are throing cans at it after it plunges into the water. One girl asks if it’s a dolphin. Mother...HAVE YOU SEEN A DOLPHIN BEFORE?

NOT THIS

Yeah, this thing just comes bounding along the shore, slapping people into the water with its tail, and batting aside others. Doesn’t look like its actively killing anybody yet, but it’s definitely hurting people at least. That is, until it goes into a trailer where a bunch of people have gathered, and appears to eat a bunch of them. So, yeah, dangerous.

Gang-du, to his infinite credit, actually attempts to confront and hurt the creature, with the help of Donald White (David Joseph Anselmo). And it works, but at the cost of the creature aggro-ing onto him. Back at the snack truck, his sister’s lost the title, much to the chagrin of Gang-du’s daughter and father. She goes outside in frustration, only to be thrown into the midst of the chaos with her dad. He grabs a girls hand in the chaos, only to find that it’s a different child entirely. And...unfortunately...

The creature grabs her with its tail, and leaps back into the river, disappearing. Fuck. Poor Hyun-seo, and poor Gang-du. Gang-du IMMEDIATELY goes to get her back, jumping into the river, but the creature takes her across to an island, out of reach. That night, an impromptu funeral is held for the victims, at which Hyun-seo is being honored as well. There, both Gang-du’s sister and brother also attend, and all four of the break down dramatically and publicly.

Nam-il blames his brother for letting her die, which is unfair, but understandable. The family eventually calms down and discusses the circumstances of Hyun-Seo’s birth and death, both of which were accidental. As they do, a man in a protective suit comes out, and asks who was at the river incident. Nam-il protests this, and asks what’s going on. The man doesn’t explain, and the room is instead gassed, as everyone is ushered towards the entrance.

In the process, Gang-du (stupidly) reveals that he was hit by some blood splatter. He’s immediately stuffed in a bag and kidnapped by the authorities. Meanwhile, the news reveals that the creature is carrying a virus, and anyone who has been in contact with it has been infected. Because of this, the entire family is taken to a quarantine hospital, which oddly has very few actual quarantine procedures in place. And additionally, Gang-du is feeling a bit itchy.

That night, in the hospital, Gang-du gets a call on his cell phone! It’s Hyun-seo! She’s alive! And she’s trapped, in a sewer somewhere near the river. Meanwhile, a group of men in protectve suits are outside patrolling the river. One man finds money on the side of the road, and goes to pick it up, only for the men to be attacked by the creature. But it’s then that we discover that the creature is not killing or eating people, but simply taking them own to its lair. Also in said lair is Hyun-seo, trapped and with a now dead phone.

The next day, the family tries to get an officer to look into the call, only for the officer to be, frankly, an absolute piece of shit to this grieving family. Gang-du tries to explain, and his explanation is ENTIRELY RATIONAL, but the officer and doctors are absolutely terrible about it.

Because nobody’s listening, the family manages to escape from the hospital in order to try and save Hyun-Seo, and they hop into a van, taking it and running. This is a good place to mention that, despite this being a monster movie, it's also...weirly funny sometimes. Like, that whole scene is pretty great. After bartering with a group of gangsters for supplies (and after Hee-bong basically gives away all of his credit cards), the group manages to get a map and a new car. But they pretty quickly get stopped at a checkpoint into the city, and are nearly caught, but manage to escape and get to the riverfront. Once there, they begin searching the sewers to find Hyun-seo. And I gotta say; this may be an extremely dysfunctional family, but they’re a devoted family all the same.

Of course, that eventually gives way to arguments within the sewer itself, but that’s interrupted by a noise heard somewhere around them. They fire at it, using weapons obtained from the gangster but conclude that it was nothing. What it actually is is two brothers, older Se-jin (Lee Jae-eung) and younger Se-joo (Lee Dong-ho), homeless kids who are foraging the sewers in the abandoned city. But, of course, they eventually run into the creature, which attacks them. Meanwhile, an asleep Hyun-Seo dreams of dinner with her family, only to be woken up by the arrival of the creature, who deposits the bodies of the two boys in the sewer with her. Se-joo has survived, but Se-jin hasn’t, sadly.

Meanwhile, the rest of the family is gathered at their snack bar for the night, and prepares to set out or the morning. The to younger siblings appear to not give a single shit about Gang-du, but Hee-bong attempts to set them straight, talking about how he blames himself for the way Gang-du is now. However, the two just fall asleep during his speech. Poor Hee-bong. Also, he can apparently identify Gang-du’s health condition based on his farts because they spend so much time together, it’s dumb, and funny.

Also, poor the rest of them, because Gang-du wakes up to see the creature just waiting outside, watching them. Hee-bong fires at it, but the creature attacks and knocks over the bar. However, Hee-bong manages to hit it directly in the head, knocking it off, but not killing it. The family goes out to finish the job, but it runs away before they can kill it. They run after it, and are almost completely out of bullets. Hee-bong volunteers to go after it himself, but in the process...

Hee-bong doesn’t make it. The creature kills him, and the commotion attracts the military to their location. Gang-du is again captured, while Nam-il and Nam-joo escape, only to later be separated regardless. Meanwhile, the virus kills Donald White, the sergeant from earlier, and it continues to spread across Korea. To kill the creature, the government plans to release a chemical into the river called Agent Yellow, which feels...controversial.

Nam-il meats a colleague, “Fat Guevara” (Yam Pil-sung), who is easily able to provide a location for Hyun-seo using the number, which the cop earlier insisted was nearly impossible to do. Plus, both the sergeant and Gang-du encountered the creature together, and he seems to be just fine. Which probably means that something very wrong is happening now. Even worse, though, is the fact that Guevara’s appeared to trap Nam-il, as a massive reward is sought for his arrest. A gang of people surround hi, with the plan to capture him, but he VERY cleverly escapes by causing an electrical short, and AFTER having found Hyun-seo’s location! Nice, man! He takes off, now knowing exactly where his niece is.

Nam-joo, meanwhile, is literally living inside of the snack bar, and she gets a text from Nam-il with her location. He tags out, and she tags in, running to the location where the call came from. But she immediately runs into the creature, which knocks her down and unconscious. She manages to call Gang-du, who is currently about to be sedated. Now knowing where his daughter is, he tries to escape, only to be tackled by the doctors. He tells them where she is, but they don’t appear to listen. More importantly, the anesthetic doesn’t appear to work, much to the confusion of the doctors. Something is verrrrrrrry wrong here.

An American doctor (Paul Lazar) comes, and asks what’s wrong, and he tells him exactly what’s wrong. However, despite his words SEEMING to be heard, they once again call him crazy and delusional, and decide to give him a lobotomy to isolate the virus once and for all, like FUCKING ASSHOLES. Turns out that the virus? Yeah, it doesn’t exist whatsoever! It doesn’t exist even a little bit! Which means that this entire thing is a wild goddamn goose chase for a virus that DOESN’T FUCKING EXIST!!!

And the best thing is that Gang-du, despite not actually knowing English, still understands the words “no virus”, and know he fucking knows! However, because he knows, they now have to give him a lobotomy. Fuck me, man. Panicking, he cries for them to stop, and cries for his daughter, who’s still alive in the sewer.

Speaking of, Hyun-seo and Se-joo are bonding in the sewer, as they work to make a rope from things they find there. But in the process, they’re attacked by the creature, who know is actively eating the bodies, and presumably other people. Whoof. They manage to escape, but barely.

Back with Gang-du, who’s just gone through the lobotomy, which...hasn’t worked at all. Holy SHIT. Not sure what the hel is UP with this dude, but that’s a question in and of itself. He escapes by taking a nurse hostage, threatening them with a syringe of his blood, full of a virus that doesn’t exist!

Nam-il wakes up at the same time, not accompanied by a homeless man (Yoon Je-moon), who agrees to take him to the bridge to find Hyun-seo. In the sewer, the two kids have survived, and the creature appears to be asleep. Like a GODDAMN BOSS, she runs up the creatures back, and jumps onto a rope that she had made, and that was hanging far out of her reach. Unfortunately...the creature catches her with its tail. Fuck. It sets her down, and...lets her go? But as soon as she runs, it attacks bother her and Se-joo.

Just then, Gang-du gets to the lair, and uses the rope to climb down. Below him is a pile of bones, and no kids to be seen. The creature goes by, and Hyun-seo’s hand is dangling out of its mouth. And once again by coincidence, that’s when Nam-joo wakes up and reunites with her brother. The creature runs to the waterfront, only to be greeted by...a crowd? They’re gathered there to protest the release of the dangerous chemical into the river.

It all collides at once. The creature swims towards the crowd, Gang-du runs towards the creature, Agent Yellow is released over them both, causing the creature to faint. Gan-du runs up and grabs the bodies of his daughter and See-joo from its mouth, apparently too fucking late. Shit, man. This would’ve been avoided if they just HELPED him. Fuck. He carries her body away as more chemical is released onto the flailing creature, and the chemical causes everyone else in the area to violently hemorrhage as well. Meanwhile, Nam-il and Nam-joo arrive to see their deceased niece, grieving all over again. It’s...fuck, man, it sucks.

And Gang-du is fucking PISSED NOW. He grabs a street sign and attacks the injured creature, fueled by pure rage. Nam-il joins in with Molotov cocktails as it runs away. The homeless man douses it with gasoline, and that makes it easier for Nam-il to set it on fire...until he drops the bottle. And then, Nam-joo uses it to light an arrow on fire, hitting the creature with it, and setting it ablaze. It runs to the water, only for Gang-du to stab it through the head with the street sign, finally killing it in revenge for his father and his daughter. Fucking bad-ASS. And also quite tragic, given the circumstances.

And despite the tragedy, there is one happy circumstance: Se-joo lives! In fact, Hyun-seo died saving his life, like the real goddamn hero of this story that she is. Fuck. That’s terrible, but I’m happy that her sacrifice wasn’t in vain. From here, we fast-forward to the winter, where a clean-shaven and well-kept Gang-du is is now caring for Se-joo. The news is on in the background, but the two ignore it, happily eating together after the ordeal they’ve been through.

Whoof. That’s The Host, or Gwoemul! And yeah, that’s one hell of a movie, I tell you what. For a monster movie, it’s quite dramatic, and they don’t try to humanize the monster AT ALL. And honestly, I really like it! A Pyrrhic victory at the end, but nothing wrong with that! I’ll elaorate a bit in the review! See you there!

#the host 2005 #bong joon-ho #song kang-ho #byun hee-bong #park hae-il #bae doona #go ah-sung #gwoemul #괴물 #science fiction may #sci-fi may #user365 #365 movie challenge #365 movies 365 days #365 Days 365 Movies #365 movies a year #korean cinema

[berensroadhouse]

(ao3 link)

           Davis drags his damp rag across the dusty countertop, sighing deeply once he hits the edge. He scans the barren interior, jumping from empty table to empty table to an empty table with bottles, plates, and crumbs left behind. His previous customers must have dipped when he wasn’t looking. Davis grabs a nearby basket, moving towards the mess. He dumps the plates inside, then the bottles after he guzzles the dregs of beer left behind. Finally, Davis takes what he’s owed. Their bill came out to thirty-eight dollars and ninety-five cents. They paid with two twenties, flat. “Fucking assholes…” Davis pockets the money, returning to his post.

           Just another ordinary day at Berens’s.

           He brings the used dishware into an equally empty back kitchen, the doors flapping behind him. Davis recycles the bottles and places the dishes in the sink, washing them immediately. As he sets them on the rack to dry, his eyes linger on a framed photograph hanging nearby. He brushes his thumb across a faded face, a wet fingerprint left behind on the glass. Davis smiles, chuckling softly at where water droplets race down Cal’s profile.

           He misses him. It’s been so many years, and yet Davis still aches for his touch. Davis remembers the phantom feeling of Cal’s arm draped over his shoulders, of their fingers lacing together, of his nose tracing the lines of Davis’s cheek while they took this picture. It was a beautiful day at the beach for them, on a spring morning where they both decided clear skies were better than the suffocating walls of a lecture hall. They fled the campus and found a deserted shore, and under the cover of an umbrella they talked, ate, and kissed and kissed and kissed until the moon replaced the sun and made Davis’s night-dark skin shine when its light hit him. Cal, in reverence, traced constellations with his lips from memory; him, a creamy-white nebula hovering over Davis’s pitch-black galaxy, both communing in a transcendent ritual. It lasted past curfew. They were grounded. It was worth it.

           Someone cuts Davis’s reflection short. A sharp whistle interrupts his thoughts, followed by a gruff, “Anyone home?”

           “I’ll be with you in a second!” Davis needlessly dries his hands on the stained apron tied about his waist, hurrying out of the kitchen to greet his new customers.

           He finds them waiting by the pool table, the one with deep-brunet hair inspecting the cues while the other, fairer-haired man tickles a hole in the table’s lining. They’re dressed for the beach, in brightly patterned shirts, bathing suits, and flip flops, and Davis prays they haven’t come from it. He doesn’t think his ancient joints can manage an hour of sweeping floors, collecting sand that somehow gets everywhere. Regardless, he plasters a replica of a smile onto his face. He clears his throat, drawing their attention. “Sorry for the wait,” he says, “what can I help you with?”

           “Lunch,” Fair Hair says, moving close enough Davis can count the freckles dotting his pinkish cheeks and the bridge of his nose. “What d’you have?”

           “Regular fare,” Davis shrugs, “I can get you a menu or –“

           “No need,” Fair Hair says, “we’ll have burgers, fries, and beers, the most expensive you have!” Then, as he motions for the darker-haired man to stand beside him, he wraps his arm over the brunet’s shoulders. Davis spies the silver band on Fair Hair’s hand. It matches the one his friend wears. “We’re on our honeymoon,” Fair Hair tells Davis, without invitation to do so.

           Davis’s demeanor shifts. A more genuine expression appears on his face, while a warmth rouses the rosebuds sleeping in his chest. It makes their velvet petals bloom, urge forward their aroma, rich and sweet, and causes their thorny brambles to wrap themselves tighter around Davis’s heart. “Congratulations,” he replies, “I don’t have a special newlywed section… but you can sit anywhere, at any table, or the bar… I’ll go and fix up your burgers.” He turns, hiding his glossy, brown eyes before he embarrasses himself. Married men always do this to Davis, unlock a more wistful and sappy part of his soul. Some long-buried piece, that used to dream of a time where he might have had a similar experience to those two on the other side of the kitchen doors.

           He places two beef patties on the grill and starts frying oil for the fries.

           While cooking, his gaze wander back – as it always does – onto that photo of him and Cal. Inspired by his new customers, he reflects on a memory years after that lazy beach day. They shared an apartment, one that offered little besides its amazing view of the ocean and a balcony they could watch the sun set along the waterline after work. It didn’t matter if Davis’s tips barely added up to a twenty, or that Cal’s eyes went cross from staring at numbers for hours at end, because they’d come home, watch orange bleed into blue, then purple into orange, and when the ink dried above Davis finally went about cooking dinner. Cal watched him; eyes alight like the stove burner that simmered their pasta water. “You deserve your own place,” he told Davis, “that way everyone can have a taste of your amazing cooking.”

           Davis shook his head, chuckling. “One day, baby. One day. There’s about a million other things we need to do first, and about half of them involve money.”

           “Yeah, yeah…” Cal reached across the counterspace, intwining their fingers. “It might take a while, with how we get paid.”

           “It might,” Davis conceded, squeezing Cal’s hand. He brings it up and softly kisses each knuckle. “At least we’re saving where we can. Homecooked meals, cheap place… lucky we can’t get married, so we’re saving money that way.”

           Cal frowned, seriousness plaguing him for the moment. He stepped closer, stare intense as he breached Davis’s personal space. “If we could?” he asked, voice hardly a whisper, “would you?”

           “Would I what?”

           “Want to get married?”

           “If they’d let us…” Davis paused, chewing his answer over. He released Cal, moving the steaming pot off the burner. He flicked it off. “I…” He leaned against the stove, arms crossed, “Christ, Cal, I’d want to do more than that.”

           Cal arched a brow, head skewed to the side. “What more is there?”

           “I’d want a big wedding, with all the bells and whistles,” Davis explained, laughing, “a party, a celebration of you and me as we become… well, you-and-me. Then, after the party, we’d go on a big honeymoon –“

           “When we already live next to the beach?”

           “A different beach! Maybe an island!” he said, “And once we’ve finished our trip, we’d buy a little property somewhere in the ‘burbs, as we go about looking to adopt.” Davis rubbed his neck, sheepishly peeking through his lashes at a blushing Cal. “What I’m trying to say is… if I could, I’d want more than marriage. I want a life together where we can just… we can be together, without always worrying who might know, y’know? I’d kill for that. Hell, I’d fight to have that.”

           Funny, though, that when it came time to fight, Davis lost. He fought the paramedics, but they wouldn’t let him in the ambulance. He fought the doctors, who wouldn’t let him see Cal. He fought Cal’s parents, their harsh words and condemnation like being stoned in front of an eager crowd as they chewed him out for their ‘delusions’. Davis heard Cal passed, but wasn’t there when it happened. He also wasn’t invited to Cal’s funeral, to see him off into his next life. Davis did steal a quick moment, though. A kind nurse took pity on him and snuck Davis down into the morgue. She allowed them a final goodbye, as Davis traced the lines of Cal’s cheek with his thumb and pressed tiny kisses wherever his teardrops fell. “I’m sorry,” Davis croaked, chilled by the waxy numbness of his lover’s lifeless hand, “I’m sorry forever wasn’t as long as we planned.”

           Davis assembles the plates messily, mind caught between the past and present like a line of wash. He, hung up by clothespins, is pushed mercilessly by incoming winds. Those clothespins cannot hold forever. The fabric of his body shifts out of their vice-like hold until, finally, he flutters away and out of the kitchen. He returns to the main room of the bar, delivering Fair Hair and his husband’s meals. As expected of newlyweds, they’re wrapped up in each other. The husband whispering into Fair Hair’s ear as they sit on the same side of the table, their fingers laced together atop it. Davis clears his throat, setting the food and drinks down. “Here you are.”

           “Thanks.” Fair Hair grabs his burger with a free hand, shoving into his mouth despite the silent, amused judgment obviously displayed on the other man’s face. Fair Hair moans around the bite, puffy cheeks bursting with a grin. “Dufe,” he says around soggy chunks of bun and burger meat, “Thif if awesfome!”

           “Thanks,” Davis nods, brushing at his apron, “Now, if you need anything, don’t be afraid to holler –“

           “Actually,” the husband delays Davis’s exit, pointing behind him and towards the bar. “I was wondering if you could settle something for us.” Davis looks to where he’s directed, at the glowing neon sign that hangs above rows of bottles. It’s similar to the one that brands the front of his business, in a similar script, too. Except where the cowboy hat-and-bandana hovered above ‘Berens’s’ of Berens’s Roadhouse, indoors it was placed next to it. “Dean here,” the husband continues, Dean – Fair Hair’s name, apparently – rolling his eyes at being called out, “thinks there shouldn’t be an extra ‘s’, after the apostrophe…”

           “Cas…” Dean whines, unofficially introducing his husband, “You don’t have to –“

           Cas continues over Dean, ignoring him. “Meanwhile, I told him that, as long as it’s not plural an ‘s’ should go after the apostrophe. Can you please tell my husband he’s wrong?”

           Davis stares at his sign, tracing the curve of the script with his eyes. In the background, Dean argues in a fierce whisper. “Why are you bringing him into this? He’s not gonna admit he’s wrong!”

           Cas volleys, backhanding his response at Dean. “It’s his name, Dean, he wouldn’t spell it wrong.”

           “Actually,” Davis interrupts, “it’s not my name.” He turns, laughing at their bent brows and Cas’s skewed head and the tiny dots of sauce staining Dean’s mouth. “It was my old boyfriend’s name,” he explains, “Last name.”

           Dean leans forward in his seat, burger forgotten for the moment. Cas realizes there’s a meal in front of him and begins picking at it, chewing absentmindedly on a fry. “You named your place after an old boyfriend?”

           “Felt only right,” Davis shrugs, “Couldn’t have bought this place without him.” Cal’s job, while lacking pay, had a generous insurance policy. Davis was listed as the sole beneficiary. That, coupled with what Cal left Davis in his will, meant he had enough to buy the little property near the beach like they always planned. Naming it after Cal soothed him, somewhat. That angry, gnarly scar over his chest numbing slightly. “Besides,” Davis says, “at least, with the name… it’s like he’s with me.”

           “But not actually with you?” Cas asks, “Like… you haven’t been feeling any cold spots, have you?”

           “Cold spots?”

           The table jolts, saltshaker sliding a few inches to the left. Davis guesses Dean kicked Cas, from the serious edge to his expression and the apologetic wince on Cas’s. “Sorry about him,” Dean apologizes, “he spent the morning binging supernatural podcasts. Y’know… monsters, hauntings, ghosts. Must’ve fried his brain better than the sun could.”

           Davis huffs, smiling. He moves towards the bar, leaning against it to better chat with his customers. “Ghosts?” he says, “No… ain’t nothing like that, at least the kind you’re thinking of.” Davis lets himself imagine Cal like that, tethered to this earthly plane even after passing. His battered body floating amongst empty tables and dirty dishes. Cal chained to their dream, making it a nightmare. Davis quickly dismisses this notion. While he misses Cal, Davis knows wherever he is must be better than this failing monument to Davis’s love. “Maybe if I thought it’d help drum up some business, I’d’ve entertained it. But I doubt ghost stories would help this late in the game.”

           “Oh,” Cas hums. Davis recognizes the tone, familiar with it. Hears it from his accountant, his sister, and the occasional guest who dawdles in the front before skipping off elsewhere for food. “Is your business failing?”

           “Cas!”

           Davis watches them descend into another fight. The paradise of honeymoon quickly crumbling, storm clouds rolling across clear blue skies. He walks behind the bar, grabbing an empty glass and filling it with the tap until the rim is frothy. As he meanders his way closer again, he tunes into their conversation. Dean picks at Cas’s bluntness, while Cas defends his claim in an even pitch that makes Dean sound hysterical.

           “He’s not wrong,” Davis joins them, sitting at an unoccupied seat, “I mean… you think I’d be here chatting with you two if there were things that needed doing?”

           Dean shifts in his seat, clearly uncomfortable given how he’s looked at the door five times in the span of a minute. “Sorry to hear that.” He guzzles his drink, drowning whatever else he might have said.

           Cas resists the threatening tide of awkwardness lapping at their ankles. “It’s odd that this place isn’t more packed,” he tells Davis, “with the amount of people here – the vacationers alone – there should always be a steady stream of customers.”

           “Those lemmings?” he snorts, sipping at his beer, “They’re always chasing after the next thing. What’s new? What’s shiny? When Berens’s was new and shiny, we got a lot of traffic. There was a time when you couldn’t walk three steps without bumping into someone else. But then more fancier places were being built… chains and clubs and all that… I couldn’t compete. I mean, Roadhouses are popular in the middle of nowhere when there’s barely anything else to do! But I’d’ve been damned if I had to live somewhere without the ocean. Would never want to be fuckin’ landlocked…” His eyes find that swirling script of Cal’s last name. Something heavy crushes his chest, each subsequent breath more labored. “It does suck though. This was our dream, having a place that was… ours. Even when it was just me, I still went ahead because, I thought, why not? Wasn’t as if I had much going for me after Cal… but every month now it’s like the water rises a bit higher and keeping myself afloat doesn’t seem all that worth it anymore.” He glances back at the newlyweds, seeing how he commands both their attention. He notices a somberness in their gaze Davis does not care for. “What am I doing?” he asks aloud, scoffing “This is your honeymoon. You probably have something like parasailing or jet skiing planned, right? Probably cutting into your time –“

           “No, no,” Cas assures him, lips tight as he smothers the pity straining for release. “That’s not it at all –“

           “Yeah,” Dean adds, “We’re all jet skied out from yesterday –“

           “Dean!”

           “And I’m afraid of heights,” he trails off, shoving fries into his mouth, “so that’s a no on parasailing…”

           “What he means,” Cas translates for Davis, “is that we don’t mind listening. It must be stressful, running this place by yourself?”

           Davis chuckles. “Stressful is an understatement.” He slides his drink back and forth across the table, its rhythmic scraping sound almost hypnotic. Skrt. Skrt. “You’d think being mostly empty would make it easier, but actually it’s worse.” Davis looks away from them, bouncing around the room. He frowns at how stray sunlight highlights the dust covering his furniture or floating in the air. “Getting to the point where I don’t know why it’s worth it, coming back day after day.”

           “Because this was your dream,” Cas says, “Yours and Cal’s.” Davis bites his tongue, holstering whatever pointed he comment he had that might burst his bubble. It’s not his fault. Four minutes cannot compare to the four decades of hell Davis lived through without Cal. Forty years of slowly being picked apart by people who didn’t care nor understand what this place meant to Davis. They saw a building where they could eat for an hour, maybe two, and then leave without thinking twice about it. Dean and Cas didn’t plan on gnawing his ear off with this conversation, they stopped by because they were hungry. They were here for their honeymoon, and some of that magic must shield Cas from the harsh reality of Davis’s predicament. He’s blinded from the pain by those romantic, rosy shades. “Doesn’t that make it worth it?”

           “It did, at first,” Davis concedes. He rests his elbows on the table, shoulders sagging with the tiniest amount of relief that feels like water on a blistering, arid day. “But I can’t keep doing something because it’s worth doing… not at my age… not with how business is doing.”

           Cas bristles, responding with more heat than appropriate. “But what you’ve done, for as long as you’ve done it, it’s been good,” he insists, “why stop now because of a – a slump!” Davis’s good temperament chars from the observation.

           He squeezes his drink, hands trembling. “It’s more than a slump,” Davis says, “it’s a freefall. I’ve been putting in all this hard work, and for what? What do I have to show for it?” Davis finishes his drink, meeting Cas’s fierce gaze with his own. “This place’ll probably do better as a condo –“

           “You don’t know that.”

           “I might not, but some folks do.” He bites his lip, unsure why he hurls his troubles into these strangers’ laps. Davis guesses it’s because Cas’s eyes, while hard, effortlessly prodded at the truth and that Dean listened like he cared for whatever left Davis’s mouth it made him want to say something meaningful. Or perhaps Davis was tired of keeping this to himself, and these saps were the tipping point. “Got some realtors skulking about, always asking when I’m ready to put this place out to pasture. Condos were one thing that was discussed… so were gyms, a dispensary, a parking lot –“

           “You’d let them turn this place into a parking lot?” Cas asks.

           “I don’t have much of a choice in my position,” Davis says, “They’ve got money that I need.”

           “But you said this place… you named it in memory of your love,” Cas murmurs, softer. He shrinks, drooping slightly. Dean gently cups Cas’s neck and massages with such care Davis sucks in a quick breath. Davis feels the memory of a caress on his neck, enough that he ghosts his fingers over the skin there in case someone had touched it. “If you sell… then isn’t that like giving up on him?”

           Davis wondered the same things. He spent countless hours awake in bed, worrying about how admitting failure went past the surface. That giving up on Berens’s meant letting go of that final piece of Cal he can call his.

           But Davis, weary from these thoughts, has made peace with this sacrifice. “Everyone else already gave up on Berens’s,” he says, “I’ll only be the last…”

           “That’s bullshit.” Dean speaks, finally rejoining their conversation. His sudden outburst places him at the center of this conversation, affixed at his husband’s side. “You shouldn’t give up. Cal wanted this place for you, didn’t he? You were only able to buy it because of him.”

           “Because he died,” Davis growls, “That’s how. If he knew how much of a shitshow this whole business would’ve been, I doubt he’d have wanted me to use the money for this. Hell, he’d probably hate if I stayed and pissed away the rest of my money trying to keep the lights on in here. Like stopping footprints from being swept smooth by the tide, it’s like.”

           “Well…” Dean fumbles, scratching at his plate for something to do. There’s no food left. Neither on Cas’s plate. Davis knows Cas was too busy to eat. “Okay, what if you sold it to people who… who want to run it as it is?”

           “I’d ask them how they think they can do this any better,” Davis sighs, slumping backwards. “Besides, there isn’t anyone who wants to do that who’s also eyeing this property.”

           “What about us?”

           Davis asks Dean what he said. Dean repeats himself. From Cas’s wide-eyed stare, Davis knows he heard correctly. “Really?” he drawls, sarcasm heavily coloring his tone. “You want to buy this place? Like that?”

           Dean shrugs, fiddling with his thumbs. He sweats, spotlight too warm for him now. “Uh… yeah?”

           “Have you ever run a restaurant before? Or a bar?”

           “No,” Dean says, “But I had family, who ran a roadhouse. Helped them a few times when my brother and I stopped over – we traveled, a lot, for work. It was years ago but I still remember a lot of what went into it…” Dean smiles unnaturally. It reminds Davis of those phony grins motivational snake-oil salesmen would coach suckers into doing in front of mirrors, to inspire confidence. “Besides, Cas and I have been looking for a career change.”

           “That is true,” Cas adds, brow raised, “Although we never discussed running a roadhouse.”

           “Cas, sweetie, I mentioned how owning a bar might be cool.”

           “Bars and roadhouses aren’t the same thing.”

           Davis coughs, nipping the budding argument while young. “As nice as the offer is,” he starts, “You boys don’t haf’ta buy this place from me because of pity –“

           “It’s not pity,” Dean insists, “No, not at all. I…” He glances at Cas, a strange emotion shuddering across his face. Like maybe he’s seen a ghost. That grip on Cas’s neck visibly tightens. “I know what it feels like, wanting to keep something… of someone you love. A physical reminder that they were here and that they mattered and… they mattered to you.”

           Cas leans into his husband’s side. “Dean’s very sentimental.”

           “Yeah,” Dean laughs, “I guess you could call it that.” He takes the empty plate with his free hand and stacks it atop the other, pushing them towards Davis, knocking it into the salt-and-pepper shakers and napkin dispenser. “I’ve lost a lot in my life, and I’ve only been so lucky to not just have them come back to me, but to get second chances. Or third chances, or even fourths.” Dean’s lips lift at the corners, flashing a friendly smirk. He definitely appears more relaxed than he did seconds ago. “I want to be the one to give chances, now, because I can. I want to buy Berens’s from you… if that’s okay?”

           It’s too good. Davis pinches himself, first. When he doesn’t wake, he knows he isn’t dreaming. He places a hand over his heart. Its strong beat reveals Davis has not died. Still, Davis cannot lower his defenses completely. “This isn’t a sting?” he asks, “Some harebrained scheme cooked up by scuzzy developers to get me to sell?”

           “The fuck this look like, Scooby-Doo?”

           Cas chuckles, “It might if you brought your ascot with you.”

           “Cas –“

           “So, you’re…” Davis scrubs a hand over his mouth, pressing it against stubble and focusing on the drag. “You’re serious? About wanting to buy this place?” He huffs a tired breath, tension leaking out of the cracks in his bones and leaving him with little support. Davis collapses on himself, smiling. “What about your honeymoon?”

           “Honestly?” Dean laughs, mirroring Davis’s posture, “We were running out of things to do. Probably would have hit the road in a few days, head on back to Kansas.”

           “Kansas?” Davis squawks, “You sure you aren’t using this as an opportunity to jump ship from there?”

           Cas sips at his drink, a bead of condensation falling off it from how long it went untouched. “We love Kansas,” he tells Davis, “but where we live now it… there’s a lot of baggage there. We want to start fresh.”

           “Besides,” Dean adds, “my brother was talking about renovations, making it more… work-friendly. Figured it’s best me and Cas dip and let the little brat have a go at it on his own. He’s earned it, I guess.”

           Davis nods. “If that’s all…” His gaze darts to the neon sign, a question in his mind. “Hey,” he says, “if you are plannin’ on doing this… this crazy idea of yours, are you – do you have any preference to what you call this place?”

           Dean taps at his chin, drawing the silence longer than necessary. “Well… a few come to mind. Harvelle’s… Campbell’s… Singer’s… hell, I could follow your lead and name it after Cas here, Novak’s – “

           “You’re not funny.” Cas elbows Dean hard enough the other man gasps from the pain, the other two delighting from the bug-eyed look that flashes. “We’ll keep it Berens’s.”

           “Thank you,” Davis says, standing, “Really… I – this is good. Great, actually. You want another round? On the house?”

           “Hey!” Dean protests, wiping tears from the corners of his eyes, “No giving away free booze! That’s our profit you’re eating into…”

           “Not yet,” he jokes, digging through his pockets, “Deed’s not yours until the I’s are dotted and money’s in my hands.” Davis finds what he searched for, tossing a quarter towards them. Cas catches it, effortlessly. “Why don’t you pick something from the jukebox, my treat!”

           He rises, and Davis turns to round the bar. Davis grabs three smaller glasses, and the Jameson he keeps on the highest shelf. He pours them each a generous fifth, maybe more. It’s a celebration, after all. As he carries the drinks back over, the opening chords of a familiar song start. Davis nearly drops the drinks.

           His expression must concern them, because Cas clears his throat and asks, “Is this okay?”

           Elvis croons from the speaker. Davis’s face strains from the too-wide grin threatening to crack his face in twain. “It’s perfect,” he says, settling at the table. He distributes the drinks, Cas joining them. “Cal always dug Elvis.”

           “I get it,” Dean says, “guy was a hunk, for the fifties.”

           They spend the next hour like that. Getting drunk, discussing the hardships of running a business and debating Elvis’s legacy as ‘Can’t Help Falling in Love’ plays in the background on loop. During a lull in their conversation, Davis feels, for the first time, that Cal is alive again.

           It wasn’t because of the bar, or how it fares. But because of these two men, a sense of calm washed over him. They make Davis hopeful for the future.

           Berens’s is in good hands.

#supernatural #spn #dean winchester #castiel #destiel #destiel fanfic #deancas #deancas fanfic #destiel wedding #destiel honeymoon #berens's roadhouse

[parkersbliss]

Moral of the story | P. Parker

Pairing: Peter Parker X Female Reader

Type: Fluff, but ends with angst

WC: 2.4K

Warnings: Language, Peter being a meanie

A/N: italics are memories, this switches between the past and present! Chorus signifies the present.

Summary: Not every guy is as he seems, but you really thought Peter was the one. 

If you want to be tagged see here.

 Masterlist

The song can be found here, I tried really hard to post it with this, but tumblr wasn’t having it  >:(

So I never really knew you

God I really tried to

Blindsided, addicted

Peter threw his arms around you, making you jump in surprise. 

"Hey gorgeous," He said through his laugh as you swatted at him.

"Hi, handsome," You reply placing the rest of your textbooks in your locker. "What's up?"

He rests his chin on your shoulder, "I was thinking you me and some coffee?" 

It was a simple date a small gesture, but you loved spending time with your boyfriend. Peter was always thoughtful and you two spent most of your days in a coffee shop with your homework and a few pastries. 

"That sounds perfect." 

Peter waited patiently as you finish packing up for the day. His hands slipping under your shirt to rub soft circles on the skin beneath them. 

You smile as the contact, Peter was always a touchy person. When you finished packing up you slipped your hand into his and he gave your knuckles a small kiss as you strolled out of your high school. 

Felt we could really do this

But really I was foolish

Hindsight it's 

Obvious

"What's wrong?" Peter asked, flopping down on the couch beside you. 

"Just been thinking," You mused, nuzzling yourself into his arms. He places a gentle kiss on your forehead and you smile up at him.

"About?" He ventures, brushing away a few strands of hair.

"us." 

"oh my gosh, did I do something wrong? Am I too touchy? Do you not like PDA? Or pets names, because that's totally fine and I comple-"

"Peter," You said, stopping his rambling. "I love our relationship, okay?" 

"really?" 

"Yes really, I just worry."

"About? Please tell me, I want this to be perfect." 

You cup his face gently, shifting from under his arms, "it doesn't have to be perfect, Peter. That's the beauty of relationships, you make mistakes and you learn." 

He nods his head, "so what's wrong?" 

"We graduate in a year, what about college? What if we have different paths or I got to LA or something crazy like that?" 

"(Y/N), that's a year from now. Don't worry ok? We can cross that bridge when we get there. For now, let's just enjoy this." He gestures to the movie and popcorn you have laid out. "And for the record, even if you go to a different college I will still love you." 

You smile and kiss him, your hands still cupping his face as he leans into your touch, letting out a content sigh. 

"This is perfect," You whisper, giving him another sweet peck. Peter smiles at you and throws an arm around your shoulder, bringing you closer to him. You cuddle back into his arms and turn your attention to the movie. 

Talking with my lawyer she said

"Where'd you find this guy?"

I said, "Young people fall in love"

"With the wrong people sometimes"

"c'mon Peter!" You giggled, dragging him by his hand into the rain. 

"You're going to catch a cold," He whines as the droplets begin to drip down his face.

"It'll be worth it. Dance with me?" 

Peter doesn't even try to deny you. Your eyes sparkle with excitement, bottom lip sticking out in a pout as your hands rub up and down his biceps. He sighs, "I could never say no to you." 

You squeal in excitement, grabbing his hands and moving them to your own beat. He begins to laugh as you swing him around, rain soaking your clothes and making your hair slick. Peter begins to twirl you, droplets flying off in a ring as your turn. He brings you back to his chest, a huge grin on his face as you laugh despite the cold. He lifts you and you squeal watching the bright lights of New York. The rain on your face is refreshing, but you can't deny the cold seeping into your bones. Peter sets you back down and runs his thumb gently over your cheekbones. Your heart hammers in your chest as his eyes roam your face and take in all your features. 

"I love you," He whispers, breath fanning over your face, but that wasn't what was causing the warm feeling inside of you. 

"I love you too."

Peter's eyes light up and he presses his lips to yours, his hands cupping your face as your rest on his wrists. He's gentle but passionate and you can feel your whole body on fire. The rain cooling you off at the same time. Without notice, he picks you up.

"You're seriously going to catch a cold." 

"still worth it." 

Some mistakes get made

That's alright, that's okay

You can think that you're in love

When you're really just in pain

"You're late again." 

" 'm sorry, something came up," Peter said, sitting down next to you on the all too familiar couch. 

"Peter, this is the fifth time this week."

He turns toward you, "I know, I said I'm sorry." 

His sincerity doesn't reach his eyes, his usual eyes were full of life, but now they were void of any emotion. 

"What's going on?" 

"Nothing."

"Peter," You urged, you knew Peter and this wasn't him. 

"I said nothing, just drop it." 

Some mistakes get made

That's alright, that's okay

In the end, it's better for me

That's the moral of the story babe

"I'm not dropping it, this isn't you. Something is going on and I-"

"I said drop it, (Y/N)!!" He shouted, making you flinch, but you'd had it with him. 

"I'm trying to help you! So don't yell at me." 

Peter stands up, "well maybe I don't want your fucking help. Just back off."

That hit hard, "I am your girlfriend, Peter. You can't just shut me out like that." 

His gaze is fierce, "I'll do what I please." He spat.

You run a hand through your hair, what had happened to that boy that wouldn't go so far as to raise his voice at you? Now all he did was curse you out. 

It's funny how a memory

Turns into a bad dream

When running wild turns volatile

"Parker, let's go!" You shout, waiting in the living room for him. Since you guys started dating you went on morning jogs together. 

"'m coming!" He replied, slipping on his shoes and stumbling out of his bedroom. May handed him a cup of coffee which he quickly drank, thanking her and grabbed your hand as you walked outside. 

"What took you so long?" You ask, playfully swinging his arm as you two walked to the park. 

"was up late... studying," He said hesitantly. 

You raise your eyebrows in suspicion, not believing him for a second. "Sure, I believe that."

His face goes pale, "What?" 

"I know you were up last night doing your stark internship. C'mon, Pete, you don't really think I'd believe you need studying?"

Peter laughs it off, slightly picking up his pace, "you caught me." He lets go of your hand as you both begin to jog in comfortable silence. 

"don't overwork yourself," You said, "unless you want to beat me right now." 

He wiggles his eyebrows, "Oh, it's on." Peter sends you a wink before taking off down the pathway. 

"Peter!"

Remember how we painted our house?

Just like my grandparents did, so romantic

But we fought the whole time

Should have seen the signs, yeah

"You ready?" You asked excitedly, a bright smile plastered on your face. You and Peter were going to be painting the apartment today.

"Sure," He replied, staring down at his phone.

You frown a bit, "Really? Because you're staring at your phone."

"Whatever," He grumbles, shoving it in his pocket and picking up a paintbrush. 

You didn't feel as excited as before, Peter's heart was in it. You hated that. When he only went along for whatever motive he had. Not for you. 

Panting in silence, you watch as he stares blankly at the wall. Paintbrush gripped in his hand, but no paint on it. 

"If you don't want to be here, you should've said something," You murmur.

"What?" He snaps, causing you to flinch with his tone.

"I said, if you don't want to be here you should've said something."

"What if I did? Would you have dragged me along anyway?" 

Your mouth hangs open, lost for a response. How could he think that? If Peter didn't want to be here, he shouldn't be.

"What? No of course not."

He snorts, "Sure." 

"Why are you being such a bitch lately?" You ask, annoyance in your voice. If Peter had problems he didn't need to take them out on you. Not like this, you'd been putting with him the whole week. His moods drastically changing and constantly taking his anger out on you. What went on inside that head of his? 

"I'm being the bitch? You've been the one butting in all the time and dragging me to places I don't want to be." 

You were taken back by what he said. So he acknowledges that he didn't want to be with you. Not even now. There was an aching in your chest, a dull soreness. The first sign of heartbreak. "you didn't say anything, how was I suppose to know?" 

"Of course I didn't say anything, you would've started crying."

"What the hell is wrong with you Parker?" You spat, slamming your paintbrush on the ground. Flicks of white paint covering the tarp. You could feel the tears in your eyes at his harsh words, to which he commented. "Here we go."

"Just get out, I don't need your help anyway."

"Gladly," He growled, before dropping the paintbrush on the ground and stomping to your door. 

Talking with my mother she said

"Where'd you find this guy?"

I said, "Some people fall in love"

"With the wrong people sometimes"

There was a knock on your door, you hadn't been expecting company tonight. Slowly, you pried yourself off the couch to open the door. There stood your boyfriend, Peter, with a bouquet of flowers in his hand. 

"(Y/N), hi, I'm really sorry about earlier, it's just with school and my stark internship, I've been stressed lately. I shouldn't have taken it out on you like that. You were trying to help, I'm really sorry. Please forgive me?" He asks, offering you the flowers, his eyes red bloodshot from what you presumed, crying. 

"Oh Peter," You said, guilt eating away at the broken boy in front of you. "Of course I forgive you." 

His whole face lights up as he grabs your waist and places kisses all over your face. You laugh, trying to push him away. 

"It'll never happen again, I promise." 

Some mistakes get made

That's alright, that's okay

You can think that you're in love

When you're really just in pain

"For once, would you just listen to me, Parker?!" You cry, all the pent up frustration finally erupting. He's silent at that.

"You're missing our dates, you're treating me like some side chick, and you're distant, what is going on?"

"I said nothing, I don't want your fucking help (Y/N)! Can't you respect that in the least? It's like you need me to tell you everything about my life to be satisfied with yours, like if I don't tell you something your whole world falls apart because apparently, I'm keeping secrets."

That stung, tears developing in the corner of your eyes, who was he to say that? You didn't depend on him. You were getting more agitated with every word he spat, "That is absolute bullshit, I'm trying to help you. This has been going on for weeks, why can't you just tell me?!"

Some mistakes get made

That's alright, that's okay

In the end, it's better for me

That's the moral of the story babe

"I don't want to, my god, let it go!"

"No, this isn't you-"

Peter cuts you off, "Cut it with the 'this isn't you bullshit' maybe you don't know me!"

"It sure as hell doesn't feel like I do, all we ever do is argue at this point. Have you ever noticed?" 

"Just drop it!" Peter tugs at the roots of his hair, a million thoughts running through his mind. Why couldn't you just drop it? He felt like you guys brought out the worse in each other. 

They say it's better to have loved and lost

Than never to have loved at all

That could be a load of shit

But I just need to tell you all

You wrapped your arms around Peter tighter, hiding your face in his neck. Soaking his shirt with your tears. His hands rested on your back, rubbing comforting circles in an attempt to reassure you.

"I'm right here, baby. Everything is going to be okay."

You nodded your head slightly, lifting it to look at him through glassy eyes. Peter looks down at you with nothing but love in his eyes. He smiles softly before leaning down to press a soft kiss on your lips.

Some mistakes get made

That's alright, that's okay

You can think that you're in love

When you're really just engaged

You're crying tears of frustration at this point, you only wanted to help him. You wanted the old Peter back, the one who loved to cuddle on the couch and show you off. "Then get out."

At that moment, it felt like someone had just slapped you across the face. Was he being serious? In the end, you knew he was, your heart had already broken for someone who didn't seem to care. Your voice was small after all the screaming, "What?"

"I can't be me with someone who can't respect my privacy."

"Are you serious right now?"

Some mistakes get made

That's alright, that's okay

In the end, it's better for me

That's the moral of the story

"I realize that the longer you stay the more questions you're going to ask, you're going to be so involved in my life and I don't want that. I am my own person and you can't seem to understand that. I owe nothing to you." 

Some mistakes get made

That's alright, that's okay

You can think that you're in love

When you're really just in pain

"Well, neither do I," Gathering the rest of your will, you grab your backpack and slam the door behind you. It took the last of your strength to not break down on his doorstep. 

Some mistakes get made

That's alright, that's okay

In the end, it's better for me

That's the moral of the story babe

Taglist: @thegirlwiththeimpala​ @theolwebshooter​ @multi-universe21​ @honeybittersweet​

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