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cafecourage · 8 days

Note

Speaking of sleepy, caring for sleepy Chain

-Softie

We worked on this on stream long ago. I also made this also one bed. Part 1 has Time, Twilight, and Warriors

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There was a common issue among some of the chain where most all of them have the fatal flaw of not being able to sleep. Some had issues waking up like Sky, Wind, Four and Wild. You quickly found that Legend was among that group but given the incident he went into the latter issue. Which was annoying when dealing with. It was completely opposite problems.

Time:

It was always hard to tell if the Old man was tired as he seemed to be always absolutely exhausted. Which was fair enough since he was dubbed the dad friend in the group thus making him the main person to go to for everything. It’s a wonder how he hasn’t just slept for 7 more years yet.

Still the Hero of Time was probably 3 days in without sleep and thats what you observed. Granted you should have stopped him by day 2. But you weren’t sure if he slept on the days you seen him take first shift and wake up with him being on last shift.

The other boy’s notice it too and while they all appreciate the extra sleep it’s unfair for Time. Warriors is typically the only one that speaks up about it since he isn’t phased by the Older Link’s tough exterior. While it would be embarrassing in hindsight you had to drag Warriors aside to push for you and Time to be in the same room. “I have a plan” is what you tell the captain not letting him know that you in fact, dont have a plan.

Truly the plan is fist fight the old man until he actually sleeps, or lecture him whatever you feel like. At least you will be here in town for a few days to gather supplies and information. So you can at least fix Time’s sleep schedule.

You’re plotting came to an extreme halt as you step into a room with one bed. “This can work.” You say out loud as you dropped your stuff in a corner of the room. “We can share the bed.” It’s not even up for debate at this point.

“Can we?” Time asks as he closes the door “wouldn’t that be uncomfortable?”

“Uncomfortable?” That wouldn’t be the word you would use. “Nah. Unless it makes you uncomfortable. Then I can take the floor.”

The hero gives you a look, one to even dare you to say that again. “If you don’t mind, then I don’t see why fight over it.”

“It I am being real.” You stand up and stretched “you do need it more.” It has been decided. You are lecturing him. “When is the last time you slept a full 8 hours? Heck 6 hours I would accept.”

An eyebrow was raised as he heads inside “I have been fine with the sleep I’ve been getting.” He takes his armor off putting each piece down carefully before finally sitting on the bed. He pats the spot next to him.

You follow his lead as you prepare a long argument. “Ah, yes the zero hou- Ack!” What you didn’t expect was Time to drag you into his lap and lay down.

Your face exploded in a blush as you were now basically his teddy bear. “Don’t you think I haven’t noticed you also have trouble sleeping.” He whispered as he was already in the process of wrapping the both of you in the blankets. “Let’s take a nap for now…”

Well… This backfired successfully.

Twilight:

Twilight was one of these Links which, made sense but also didn’t when you found this out. He tries to older brother everyone, he makes sure everyone is asleep before he does. Which takes forever to do and your patience for this man is thinning.

After stopping in a town from a long trek. The group decides to go to the Inn to set up shop. You were already on Twilight to take a nap before dinner. “No. We are going to eat in like 30 minutes.”

Ok.

No.

He isn’t getting out of this and you don’t care you’re in the middle of the lobby. There was something that the chain has yet to learn about you.

You might be short.

But you are strong.

So you marched up to Twilight and despite his struggling you throw the hero over your shoulder and went directly to the room angrily. “Let me down!” Twilight demands of you. However you couldn’t care about it as you open the door kick it close and threw him on the bed. “That was unnecessary.” He said getting up.

“It was very necessary!” You argued back crossing your arms. “When is the last time you properly slept?”

Twilight stays quiet and looks away. He looked like a kicked puppy. “I get enough.”

“According to who? Because everyone else can make an argument that you’re barely getting any to function.” You let out a huff as you should probably be more lenient with him because it’s not really like he is doing something bad. You know from experience that the body could function with little sleep if it’s used to it but it’s not healthy! You didn’t go through classes with a clear mind but you should have! “We are just worried about you.”

The Hero stays quiet but sighs “ok. I understand.” He seems to give up at this point. But he reaches out to take your hand finally letting himself looked exhausted “but… can you stay with me?”

Your eyes soften as he seemed to be more tired than you thought. “Of course I will. Someone has to make sure you stay put.” He teases you.

Warriors:

After a long day of traveling an inn was a welcoming sight. Since there were ten of you now each room had to have 2 people. Which was sometimes unfortunate for some, but for you in this current moment?

You couldn’t ask for a better opportunity since you (forcably) asked to be Warrior’s pair, only to have there only be one bed.

Perfect.

Wonderful.

Amazing.

It was instant that you had grabbed Warriors tunic and almost thrown him on to the bed. “Didn’t know you wanted me on the bed that badly, doll.” He was laughing. This man was laughing and he looked like hell. Probably felt like it too as the ever polished captain was showing dark circles under his eyes. His smile was sluggish and his eyes weren’t as sharp as they normally were.

“Very funny.” You rolled your eyes as you headed towards him again to help him out of his armor. “You should take better care of yourself. 3 days of barely any sleep? What were you thinking?!”

“That the other boys need some sleep.” There was no hesitation as the stubborn man is proud of himself for killing his sleep schedule. “It’s fine.” “It is not fine.” You didn’t mean to throw his shoulder plate on the carpet. “You better take your chainmail off before I do it for you.”

“What if I rather you do it for me?” The captain fire back without missing a beat. Instantly his face paled “wait-“

“Nope to late come here.” You take his tunic and just… thew it off of him. “Do you want to continue?” This was a threat.

“no…” Warriors voice was silent as he finally got out of what armor he had left. “I should sleep on the floo-“ that suggestion was instantly silent as you glared at him.

Finally when both of you were ready for bed you had put your self on top of him. Cuddling but also if he was going to escape he will have to wake you up first. “this is so you don’t escape.” You said.

“I wont. I wont.” Warriors was a bit hesitant to wrap his arms around you “Thank you.” He whispered as he finally started to relaxed.

“Don’t rely on me to fix your sleep habits.” You said poking his cheek “good night Captain.”

“Good Night Sweetheart.”

#twilight (not lu) speaks #linked universe x reader #luxreader #linkeduniverse x reader #linkeduniverse #linked universe #monkey bread

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britcision · 2 months

Text

As promised, part two!

First Chapter:

Part One of this chapter:

————————

So That Just Happened part 2

In the bathroom, Jason turned the hot tap on as high as it’d go and stood over the sink, breathing in the steam. He just… he just needed to clear his head. Get his thoughts straight.

Sleep for the next six fucking weeks and make Pitty someone else’s problem, ideally.

The weight of Frostbite’s gift sat heavy in his pants pocket and he pulled the case out, shaking a single glowing ice chip into his hand. The rising temperature of the bathroom didn’t affect it at all, which didn’t surprise Jason.

He considered putting it under the stream of hot water but didn’t bother.

Frostbite said not to use them too much, or get too dependent on them. On the other hand, fuck today. So much.

He crushed the shard in his hand and shoved the pieces into his mouth. This time it tasted like ozone and limes, and stung the inside of his mouth. In a good way, though.

The rush of energy was the same, and Jason would swear he could feel his frayed edges slowly closing over. Not a real substitute for food or sleep, but sure as hell beat coffee.

He had a couple dozen more ice chips, which he tucked away in the medicine cabinet behind the mirror. The mirror wasn’t supposed to have a cabinet, but it had been easy enough to make one, and so far none of his siblings had found it yet… if they even found this apartment.

(None of them would have been able to resist commenting on the collage he’d made across the back wall of their most “interesting” family photos. Or the little batburger figurines of each of their alter-egos.

Jason had made sure he got the worst ones on the market, and knew their exact positions. If a single one shifted, he’d know.)

It was on the outer edge of Crime Alley, far from the heart his family all expected him to hole up in, and the rest of the building was a completely unremarkable old library which had been abandoned before Jason was born.

Getting himself a well secured home had been easy to slip into the renovation plans; he’d had Bruce “buy” the building through Jason’s funds to start restoring it, keeping it well removed from Red Hood’s name. It was the first project he planned to put his own name on, now that he was officially alive again.

The Catherine Todd Memorial Library.

The building itself wasn’t open yet, the main part of it still being remodelled, but the needle drop off and exchange was already running from the front entrance.

This was home, as much as anywhere ever was. More than anywhere had ever been since Wayne Manor.

Jason tensed against the anger, but nothing rose this time. The ecto-ice had given him a flood of energy, the same almost static clarity, but he still felt drained. Like there was no anger left in him.

It would have been nice if it felt good.

The steam had fogged the mirror now, collecting in the air even against the bathroom’s fan. Shutting the tap off, Jason closed his eyes and sucked in a few more deep, fortifying breaths.

Maybe the ecto-ice had been a mistake. All he wanted to do was fall into bed and sleep, but he wouldn’t be able to for at least a few hours now.

Patrol was out of the question. His body may be revitalized and humming with energy, but his head wasn’t in the game. Even Lady Gotham’s embrace couldn’t pull his scattered thoughts together.

What he needed was some mindless TV, some stupidly indulgent junk food, and a blanket. He’d heard… well, things about the new Sex and the City spinoff. Not exactly good things, but things.

Carrie Bradshaw’s not-problems could be the perfect backdrop to a night in.

Alfred would probably send him cookies if he asked. This being an emergency and all. Although… it wasn’t like they could explain the nature of the emergency without the whole ghost reveal.

… Probably still worth a try though.

His Red Hood phone was still at the safe house he’d slept in, but at least one of his spares for his civilian life should be in the apartment somewhere.

The steam had mostly cleared too, leaving the mirror only slightly foggy around the edges. Jason gave it a careful wipe down out of habit; dots on the mirror didn’t usually bother him, but… he’d put Catherine’s name on the building. He wanted to keep everything in it nice.

(Which was why a lot of stuff was unused.)

It wasn’t until he opened the door that he realized he really hadn’t said anything to Danny before disappearing.

Would he have left? Fuck, that’d be the obvious choice, wouldn’t it? Getting dropped off just inside a stranger’s door, and then they just walk away from you into the bathroom.

Shit, Danny had probably left. That… Jason didn’t know how to feel about that, and the empty hall only confirmed his suspicions.

On the one hand, he really wasn’t up to more talking. He didn’t even want to think about everything that had happened today, and especially not whatever the hell was lose in his city, trying to feed his rage. He couldn’t handle one more gentle reassurance that it was okay to be angry.

On the other hand, he really, really didn’t want to be alone. The noise from the TV and the snacks would cut it in a pinch, but the only thing he actually wanted right now was company. Quiet, nonjudgemental company.

He hadn’t told any of the bats about this safe house. Not even Bruce’s contractors knew he’d snuck it in. He’d wanted it to be safe from them and from everyone else, and now he could keep his fucking secrets at the cost of being alone.

A little heavy handed as a metaphor.

… Fuck, Alfred couldn’t even bring him cookies without knowing where he was.

He turned away from the hall and made for the bedroom to grab the spare phone, though he wasn’t sure who he’d message anymore. Just as he was debating the merits of messaging Cass and getting her to do him a delivery, a noise from the kitchen caught his attention. Hope rose, slowly and uncertainly. Had Danny not left?

… Why was Danny in his kitchen, when he was a self professed fire hazard?

Caution and concern flaring right alongside that hope, Jason backtracked and hurried to the kitchen.

There were not enough dirty dishes.

There was like, a mug, a coffee pot, and two plates. Really, Danny should have been done in minutes and fidgeting for something else to do.

But then he’d been looking for where to put the plates away, and he’d found a really impressive spice cabinet. Right next to the stovetop, made sense he guessed, though personally he preferred to keep the damn plates where they’d be used.

He’d perused a couple of labels on the little jars, mildly amused by how many he absolutely could not even guess at. What the fuck was “marjoram”? Or “zataar”?

So the logical thing to do had been open the jars for a sniff.

All well and good. He didn’t recognize most of the smells either, and couldn’t imagine why you’d put almost half of them in any kind of food, but some of them smelled really good.

But then he’d found the garlic powder.

Danny did not cook, as a rule. Sam cooked, mostly from spite, and she always used fresh smashed garlic. Danny’s youtuber chefs mostly said the jarred chopped stuff was fine, but what the fuck was garlic powder?

And what garlic powder was, was pungent. Really, really strongly scented, and super light. Just opening the jar had puffed up a cloud of the stuff, and Danny had been about to sniff it anyway and took a bigger huff than he intended.

And then he’d sneezed.

And now Jason’s entire kitchen was dusted in garlic powder, including the dishes he’d just washed and left on the counter while he found their homes.

So Danny panicked.

Trying to dust the garlic powder off the counters with his hands only got more of it into the air, and he wasn’t falling for that fucking trap again, no sir. He went ghost again and stopped fucking breathing is what he did, then grabbed a garlic covered towel and tried to wipe the powder into a pile.

No dice.

But Danny was a professional superhero. He calmed himself down. He stopped panicking. He went looking for a dustpan and brush like a sensible adult.

And then he heard the bathroom door open, froze like a deer in the headlights, and reflexively jerked straight off the floor.

Because right, he had fucking ghost powers.

At least he already hadn’t been breathing. Luckily, Jason seemed to need something from the other side of the apartment since his footsteps pretty much immediately moved away, and Danny let out another relieved breath.

He could still fix this. This would be fine. He could telekinetically pick up all the garlic dust, and throw it in the trash because a lot was on the floor and the rest was on him and also Every Other Surface On Earth, and buy Jason more tomorrow.

Before Jason came back from wherever else he was going and realized Danny was a fucking menace. Focusing hard, Danny let his aura suffuse the room and focused on the garlic powder. Willed it to lift off whatever it was touching, and come towards him.

Of course, some of it was now on the clean dishes, and in the mug. Which fell over as Danny pulled its powder coating away.

Jason’s footsteps immediately stopped. And then began hurrying towards him.

And maybe Danny panicked again, just a tiny bit, but the good news was he did not ice over the whole kitchen! He’d grown so much since Ghost Puberty Part 2 Electric Boogaloo! He was totally in control!

He just iced the dishes to the counter and froze the floating garlic powder, which was why Jason appeared in the doorway to see Danny floating like a fucking dumbass in the middle of his kitchen, surrounded by sparkling ice crystals.

Danny raised both hands immediately.

“I can explain.”

So the thing about Spiderheck. The really big pain in the ass thing. Was that every round was super unpredictable, even when you weren’t playing with superheroes trying to adapt their actual abilities to spider bodies.

There really was no way to know what would be a long or short round.

Tucker had tried a couple more times to “fall” early on, only to be promptly followed by one or both of his fellow competitors.

The good news was, they were at least all tied up for now, so he’d gotten more time without anyone asking questions. The bad news was, it was match point. Whoever took this next one, if they didn’t all tie, it would be time for another set.

Aaaaand Conner and Tim were still having fun, and insisted they were just warming up, but Tucker was sweating anyway. He didn’t even know spiders could sweat.

Ancients, had he actually fucked up using his powers for the first time in years when he was trying to show off for Red Robin and Superboy?

He was going to look like a fucking newb. An absolute amateur.

And that was assuming that no one had come looking for them and noticed the empty room and still going game on the TV. Would Batman think he’d kidnapped Red Robin?

Who was Tucker kidding, he totally would. Bruce was paranoid as hell, and while he mostly seemed to be aiming it at Danny, that was probably because he hadn’t realized Tucker was liminal. Did the GIW even know about liminals? There probably wasn’t much documentation for him to freak himself out about with.

Of course, in this case he wouldn’t be wrong. Tim would be trapped. It’d just be because Tucker was a dumbass, not a malicious force. At least Tim and Conner would almost definitely believe him.

Aaaand he’d never live it down. It was only a matter of time before they both noticed he wasn’t really trying to win anymore too. He’d kept up, but that was mostly by accident. He just had a lot of practice being inside the game levels.

A lot of them could kill all the players on their own, no PVP required.

He felt like an absolute caveman when the answer finally came to him, and it wasn’t even his own idea.

Because the last level had been one of those “kill all the players” levels, and all three of them had managed to be thrown into lava close enough that the computer didn’t count a winner.

Tim and Conner groaned loudly before bursting out laughing, because of course that was what happened at their dramatic finale, and then as they’d spawned in again Tim turned to Tucker.

“Hey, can you pause before we get into this one? I just wanna catch my breath a second.”

Which, for a nanosecond, felt like the absolute end of the world, because he didn’t have his controller buttons. Because he was a dumbass.

Luckily, it also snapped him back to his senses, and reminded him of the very first time he’d put Sam and Danny into a game with him. They’d made the same mistake, not leaving anyone their actual console controls, and Danny had begun trying to actually physically break them out before Tucker worked it out.

They were his fucking powers. He could always pause them, whatever they were doing; all he had to do was close his eyes and blank out for like, a minute.

He’d been collapsing in despair that first time, and Sam had kicked him over, sat on him, and demanded he take a nap, and then they were all back in their bodies like nothing had happened.

Keeping them inside the game was the part that was difficult; it was an act of focus, and sure it felt automatic at this point because he did this all the time now, but it was still something he had to actively do. Sure, technically, he wouldn’t be controlling the game from the inside, but they’d be back in their fucking bodies in the real world.

Where the actual console controls were. And then he could reload them in, and not forget his overrides this time, and everything would be fine.

Luckily, while his brain was techno-linked, he was processing in computer-time, not people-time. There was barely a pause after Tim asked the question and the answer came, tension leaving his body so quickly he almost sagged.

He even sounded a little giddily relieved to his own ears as he answered, laughing and already shutting his eyes.

“Well, kinda. Let me just pop us back out, we should probably check the time too. Hang on.”

Luckily, this stage did not seem to have any instant death traps. Tim and Conner fucked around with the crates and the platforms for a couple of seconds while Tucker reached inside, deliberately pulling his disconnect instead of waiting, and then they were all back on the couch, controllers in hand.

He’d never been so happy to see his own hands. Or the Start button, which he promptly hit to pause all three spiders before Tim and Conner’s could swing to their deaths. Even if that would give him the win.

Tim and Conner shifted beside him, getting used to their bodies again. Tucker took the lead there, setting his controller down and stretching his arms up behind his head, the phantom sensations of extra limbs already beginning to fade.

“It stops feeling weird pretty fast, but it helps if you move around,” he explained brightly, still high on that buzz of relief.

Conner made a noise of agreement, standing and stretching his arms over his head, which made his shirt ride up. Tucker had the good sense to turn away quickly, before he got hypnotized.

Not quickly enough that Tim didn’t notice, but Tim Drake-Wayne remained the very coolest person on planet Earth and didn’t say anything. He just grinned knowingly at Tucker and rolled his shoulders, stretching out his neck.

“Okay, that was really cool. Not even a little bit the same, but really cool.”

Tucker grinned back, sheepish but still just happy he didn’t get caught.

“Yeah, there’s always the skill barrier where you can’t do the button combos, but I still feel like it helps? Y’know, understanding how the characters move and stuff.”

“I’m just glad you picked up the TTK that fast,” Conner cut in with a laugh, now bending down to touch his toes, blessedly while facing them.

Tucker swelled with pride.

“I mean, it wasn’t all that complicated. You explained it really well,” he said totally calmly, totally cool, definitely not fawning over the actual demigod in the room.

He didn’t exactly get why Conner shot Tim an entirely triumphant grin or why Tim rolled his eyes, but he wasn’t gonna worry about that. Tonight, he was batting a thousand.

He’d be tired getting back to class tomorrow, and he couldn’t exactly tell his classmates he’d been hanging out with Tim Drake-Wayne and being carried home by actual Superboy, but this was still the best week of his life. And Tim had already been talking about getting him an internship.

His life really could not be finer.

Jason took the mess well. Probably because Danny had a) already been working on it and b) panicked like a startled duckling and explained at a mile a minute, getting the order of events completely wrong at least twice.

Having the garlic powder iced over definitely helped the cleanup too. Jason grabbed a garbage bag, Danny floated what was in the air in, and they both took damp cloths to hunt down any stray garlic powder hiding in crevices.

Danny rewashed the dishes, but Jason dried them with a fresh towel and showed him where everything was. All in all, it was a blissfully domestic moment after a genuinely fucked day.

He could feel an unasked question waiting on the back of Jason’s tongue while they cleaned up, the shape of anticipation and something that wasn’t exactly fear, or even anxiety, just a low grade avoidance. Danny didn’t push it.

That seemed like the right answer too, because when they’d finished and stared at each other awkwardly for a long moment, Jason sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.

“Look, I know you’ve got school tomorrow. If you’ve gotta head out…” he trailed off, resigned-tired filling his aura.

Danny raised both hands to cut him off.

“Hey. I can fly across this city in like, fifteen minutes. It’s not even half eleven yet, so if you want some company I’ve got nowhere else to be. We can talk about whatever, play some more MarioKart, or I can just make you some cocoa and go if you need space?”

Jason didn’t physically sag with relief, but that was probably because he’d already been holding himself carefully to hide the tension. Didn’t matter, because everything else about him screamed it as he raised an eyebrow at Danny, glancing around his kitchen.

“I’m not leaving you alone in here again until you’re Alfred-certified,” he declared sarcastically, and Danny grinned back.

“Ah, so never again. Good to know. It’s probably for the best, I’m a lousy cook for anything I don’t have to wrestle to the ground.” Not that he was any better at cooking it after he’d won the fight; he was just pretty good at the fighting part.

Jason’s eyebrow twitched and then he chuckled, shaking his head and pointing out of the kitchen.

“Tell you what, I’ll make you some cocoa while you go turn the TV on. Remote’s on the end table.”

That sounded like an invitation to stay to Danny! So he hadn’t totally fucked by not booking it out of Jason’s haunt at top speed; good to know.

And maybe he did physically sag with relief a little, because expressing your emotions was cool actually and everyone should totally be doing it more. And it was more fun in ghost form; he actually sunk til his feet almost touched the ground.

Didn’t go all the way when he remembered he was still in his boots. Jason’s other apartments had been pretty well lived in although still generally tidy, but this one was almost pristine. Whether it was new or he was just more careful here, Danny could take a hint.

He gestured quickly at his body while Jason pulled a cartoon of milk from the giant, gleaming blue-black fridge that looked mostly empty.

“Sure, uh… mind if I change?”

Jason blinked, which was fair since Danny had been a ghost for the past couple hours, then nodded.

“Not at all. There’s also some sweatpants and stuff in the bedroom if you wanna get more comfortable, but I don’t have as much of Tim or Dick’s stuff here so you might be stuck in mine,” he added a little shyly, and Danny’s grin widened as he remembered his new favourite shirt.

“You have five minutes to hide any other great soup shirts before I take you up on that,” he teased and Jason grinned back.

“Nah, go for it. I’ll only be a little longer than that with the cocoa though, so don’t do too much snooping around.” It didn’t sound like an actual warning, but he’d also already turned back to what he was doing… which already looked way too complicated.

He had a saucepan for crying out loud. Like Danny couldn’t see the electric kettle and fancy coffee machine. Tempted to stick around to watch just for curiosity, Danny floated back to the front door to change back and drop off his shoes and coat instead.

And hesitated.

Jason had given him permission to go to the bedroom. Change out of his jeans and jacket. He didn’t actually need to; the jeans were pretty comfy, well worn in, but they did have some built up salt, slush, and yuck from walking and driving around Gotham’s streets around the ends.

It was possible the suggestion had been more for the sake of Jason’s couch than Danny’s comfort.

He could just go intangible and let the dirt fall through, but that’d leave a pile which while technically being more contained would still be more mess. And sometimes it was hard to tell what was dirt and what was pants, since they weren’t exactly “his” either way.

He could just do laundry when he got home.

Luckily the bedroom door was open, so Danny didn’t have to poke into any of the other doors from the hall. Just like at his other apartment, there was indeed a separate set of six drawers with Jason’s siblings name on each drawer.

Well, “Dickhead”, “Timbo”, “The Purple One”, “Cass”, “Demon Brat”, and “Best Sibling”. Snickering to himself, Danny considered taking a picture. Or asking Duke what he’d done to be “Best Sibling”.

Unlike the other apartment, each drawer was mostly empty though. Just a pair of sweatpants about the right size, a hoodie, and a shirt that Jason had definitely assigned rather than getting one of theirs. Although Danny didn’t doubt Dick would own a Nightwing hoodie in the least.

The My Little Pony shirt for Damian was… well, Danny didn’t know him well enough to say.

With the clothes that might actually fit located (and honestly Cass’s were probably actually his best bet), Danny snooped through a couple other drawers to see if Jason did have any other fun shirts to steal.

There was actually depressingly little; Jason had plenty of clothes here, just like the other apartments, but all of them were… respectable. Plain. Block colours, simple patterns, normal people clothing.

Danny was just about to give up when he popped open the bottom drawer and stared in awe.

Jason’s regular wardrobe (from Danny’s admittedly limited experience) was kinda basic; plain shirt, sexy jacket, plain pants. Extra sweaters given the weather, but he did also have a pretty good collection of graphic tees with various swearwords usually featured boldly.

Where what had to be the complete collection of every Wonder Woman shirt ever made fit in, Danny wasn’t going to try and guess, but he knew good taste when he saw it.

Unfortunately, if he stole one of those, Jason was probably gonna want it back. Most of them were clearly worn, and just as clearly carefully cleaned to keep them nice. Danny wasn’t good at keeping things nice.

Somewhat reluctantly, he shuffled back to the siblings’ dresser and stole Cass’s hot pink paw print sweats, Steph’s 1000% bootlegged Sex In The City misprint shirt with the purple sparkle dildos painted over the girls, and the Nightwing hoodie. Never let it be said he could put together an outfit.

Fingering the shirt, he made his way back out and to the open plan lounge, his own clothes tossed carefully onto his shoes by the door. Jason had told him to put the TV on… and the worst he could do was say no.

Pulling up the streaming services, Danny went looking for And Just Like That. Mostly for curiosity’s sake, to be honest. He could probably sneak a trailer before Jason got back, just as a sample.

As if summoned by his thoughts, Jason appeared just as Danny found the right service, two steaming mugs of incredible smelling cocoa topped with a mass of whipped cream in his hands and a large bowl of popcorn, skittles, and smarties in his other arm.

Danny couldn’t even complain about not getting to have nice things, because if that wasn’t the epitome of a fantasy walking into the room he didn’t know what was. Hitting pause quickly, he hopped up to take the bowl for purely altruistic reasons.

Definitely not for an early handful, no matter how Jason raised his eyebrows at him. The handful was Danny’s reward for being a good citizen.

“Hey, that smells fantastic! Your family is gonna ruin me for shitty cafe hot chocolate,” he teased through a mouthful of candy.

Jason rolled his eyes but smiled, switching both mugs to one hand to set a trio of coasters on the coffee table. Danny reluctantly relinquished the bowl to the third if only to grab his cocoa and take a sip as Jason sniffed.

“Hot chocolate is to cocoa what instant coffee is to fresh,” he said snootily, like those were words that meant anything. Danny just stared at him, whipped cream on his nose purely for comedic effect.

Until Jason leaned in and wiped it away with his thumb, and Danny’s brain shut down. Unfortunate, since Jason started talking.

“So, uh… you a Sex and the City fan?”

“Huh?” Danny kept staring, pretty sure words had meanings until Jason jerked his thumb in the direction of the TV (which was huge and gorgeous because of course it was. This was the rich son of a bitch apartment Danny would expect of… okay, not a Wayne, it was still way below that level of fancy, but at least someone making a good chunk of change).

Then he shook himself out of it, grinning.

“Oh! No, never seen any.”

Jason cocked his head, eyebrow raised again.

“Then why…”

Danny shrugged, settling himself comfortably back into the couch. He was going to sound like a crazy person anyway, he might as well be comfortable.

“I listen to The Worst Idea Of All Time on my way to classes. And when I’m welding. It’s a couple of guys from New Zealand who watched Sex and the City 2 every week for a year, and a bunch of other stuff. Like, uh… Grown Ups 2, We Are Your Friends, oh and the first Sex and the City movie.”

And, sure enough, Jason looked appropriately baffled.

“What, all at once?”

“Nah, different years. They never did the actual show, but they’re doing commentary on all of the episodes of And Just Like That now that they’re out since they did both movies, which were after the show. Why, did you watch the actual show?”

Jason nodded slowly, and Danny snickered.

“The show’s not canon for the Worst Idea boys. Brady the Rat King is though.” And yeah, he probably could be explaining this more like a sane and reasonable person, but that just made the podcast sound worse.

This time it was Jason who raised both hands, even relinquishing his cocoa to do it.

“There are too many questions, so I’m just gonna start with “why?”” He was already smiling though, so Danny was going to take that as a good sign.

He shrugged cheerfully.

“Schadenfreude is the leading theory from the boys, and to be fair it is fun watching them suffer through the worst movies they can find. They’re both professional comedians though so it is actually really funny, and they’re really positive. Every watch has to have a shining light, which is something you actually liked about the movie that week. I did that with one of my lecturers last semester, a real blowhard, and it helped. Mostly it’s just the aural equivalent of comfort food; nothing challenging, no thought required, just two good soft boys making up crazy stories about movies every week.”

Jason was actually listening, pursing his lips as he considered what Danny was saying. Privately, Danny suspected having actually watched Sex and the City might work against him… although he might have been dead when at least one of the movies came out.

Finally, Jason sighed.

“So you’ve just watched the movies, and none of the show?” He asked, in a tone which told Danny exactly what he thought of the movies. So he might like the podcast after all.

Danny grinned and grabbed another handful of popcorn.

“Nah. They actively discourage us from watching them, even when they do directors commentary. And Just Like That isn’t getting the full season treatment though, so I kinda wanted to take a look just to see the outfits.” A stroke of inspiration struck him, and Danny dropped some of the popcorn into his cocoa.

Getting it back out again was not as easy as he’d have liked, but he got two pieces that were heavenly and was content to let the third wallow under the whipped cream where it had retreated.

Jason totally was not laughing at him, because he was a gentleman. It was the brilliance of Danny’s answers that had him smiling like that, for sure. And when he was sure he had Danny’s attention again, he pointed at him.

“Okay, we’ll watch And Just Like That tonight. But you have to come over and watch the original series at some point too,” he added quickly.

Danny pouted but considered it. He didn’t even know how many seasons there had been. Time for a counter offer.

“Only if you try the podcast.” Which was a totally reasonable offer and absolutely no reason for Jason to make that face as he nodded.

“Fine. I’ll give it a shot on my way to work. Happy?”

“Deeeeee-lighted,” Danny cackled, holding out a hand to shake. Which Jason obligingly shook, then nodded to the couch.

“No spoilers, okay? Unless there’s good hats. I’m just going to run and change.”

He even came back bearing a fuzzy throw from the end of the bed, which he dropped on Danny’s head and imperilled his precious cocoa. It was mostly empty by then though, and then Jason even refilled it for him, so Danny graciously gave him a royal pardon.

Jason graciously told him to shove it up his ass and settled in, and Danny swiped the remote for his impertinence. Long day now finally behind them, it was looking to be a much better night.

Taking a quick glance at both his League communicator and both of his phones, Bruce dismissed about thirty messages from Harley. He might have liked to talk to her earlier, and probably would actually message her back to talk later.

It had only been for a matter of minutes, but even a second of believing that Jason had died again… no. He knew he hadn’t handled it well. If he actually slept tonight, he had no doubt it would be even worse than usual, and plagued by nightmares.

Fortunately for him, he had a new case to distract himself with… or rather, a new direction for his existing case.

Diana was right; she usually was, in matters of the heart. He had to trust Jason, and trust that Jason knew what he was doing with this business in the Infinite Realms.

A year ago, Jason likely wouldn’t even have involved Bruce in the conversation, if it happened at all; he’d have dropped the evidence on Dick or Duke, or just gone around trying to blow up a rogue government agency on his own. That he had brought this to Bruce showed a lot of progress in their relationship. It gave him a reason to hope.

He would have to try and reward the trust Jason had shown in him, rather than punishing it. A proper apology, just between them… if Jason would speak to him.

A few days to give Jason time to calm down would probably help. And, if he was truthful, for Bruce to put his concerns to bed.

He may have been… hasty in leaping to conclusions about Danny Fenton. It wasn’t like him to become so entrenched in an opinion without checking it from at least a dozen more angles; the Mansons and Vlad Masters could only know so much.

Diana had been right again; he had to get to know Danny, to put his fears to rest. He trusted…

Okay. When it came down to it, he didn’t exactly trust his children not to lie to him about the dangers of a potential friend. There’d been one too many secrets-turned-disasters. But he could trust them to fact check and rat each other out if they truly believed their siblings were making a serious mistake.

For the joy of an “I told you so”, if nothing else.

Cass’s first impressions in her debrief had been illuminating. A little more discussion with her and perhaps Steph, their views were often varied enough that between them a very comprehensive picture could be built.

Talking to Danny himself again… Bruce knew himself well enough to know that wasn’t a good idea yet. It would have to happen eventually; he suspected he also owed Danny an apology for his behaviour, although no one else had mentioned it. Which was perhaps another sign of how badly he’d failed Jason.

No, he had to level his opinions on Danny first, make sure he could keep a clear head. Returning to the cave, he made his way directly to the batcomputer and sank into its familiar embrace.

Tim likely hadn’t had time to make the updates that would allow them to read through Amity Park’s data directly, but Tucker Foley had provided them with a respectable amount of downloaded data. Bruce could begin his researches there, and make some travel arrangements as well.

If he couldn’t get into Amity Park digitally, physically would have to do. Likely as Brucie Wayne rather than Batman, although repairing the town’s relationship to the Justice League was a worthy goal while he was there. And while people wouldn’t be as open to giving him information about Danny face to face, he could pick up some native tech and make his own adjustments. That should let him get past their unique protections.

And a better look at these ghosts, and an understanding of what exactly the Justice League Dark were so concerned about.

Hands pausing on the keys for a moment, Bruce briefly considered messaging Constantine again, or Zatanna. He should at least inform them that he was planning to go to Amity Park in person.

After a moment’s consideration, he sent a brief message to Zatanna. As unprofessional as it might be, Bruce knew himself well enough to know he just wasn’t up to spending any more time with Constantine at the moment.

Zatanna could brief him on any necessary etiquette just as well, with far less dramatics. A little space between himself and Constantine could only help as well. Honestly, a few days away from Gotham and all of his current headaches could only be a good thing.

Harley might even be proud of him.

——————

So here we have it! Also, by the way, that nexus thing is actually canon in the DC multiverse, and it is so much fun

#dp x dc #dpxdc #dc x dp #dcxdp #danny fenton dead and loving it #dfdali #dead on main ship #chapter 18 part 2 #so that just happened

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thenewausten · 2 months

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Quackity realising he's in love with a brazilian streamer HC's! 🇧🇷

Everything started when he invited you to join the QSMP server with Cellbit, Felps and TazerCraft, you were a brazilian streamer and youtuber and just like the others you played a bunch of weird games (and Minecraft as well). The first time he saw your face he thought you were so beautiful and even got a little nervous to send you a message on Instagram (lmao) but he did and you answer, being super attentive to him and of course accepting being part of the server!

You and Alex became friends very fast, always being chaotic together on the server and always flirting as a joke (you'd ask him if he wants to marry you so he could be the first one to get married on the server).

In real life, I can imagine you guys being awake until late night talking about your life's, thoughts, feelings and experiences. As a brazilian myself I think we have a lot in common with his mexican culture so you guys would talk for hours about your cultures, he'd show you mexican songs or bands like Los Tigres del Norte and you'd show him Mamonas Assassinas* (I'd give anything to see him reacting to this band). Also, he'd teach you how to do guacamole and you'd teach him how to do brigadeiro* as well!

I think he'd fall in love with you first and would realise it while streaming your both wedding on the QSMP, listening to your voice as you say how much you love and care for him, or even better, for q!quackity. He'd think he's confusing his feelings with the feelings of his character but his heart would be pounding so fast in his chest as you both talked later off-stream he thought he could have an anxiety attack. "Hmm, hey... I need to go, I have to work on the next event of QSMP, sorry..." He'd say to you, looking at your face on the screen of his phone. "Oh, sure. It's okay! Bye, husband!" You'd joke around calling him husband and he'd be dead for the rest of the night and the next day, thinking he was so fucked up to fall in love with someone who just wanted his friendship and lived so far away from him.

Alex didn't know you felt the same, after a couple weeks you'd realise the way you've been reacting when you talk to him. Something was different. Just like him, you thought you'd be confusing your feelings because all of the marriage lore on the server but why would you blush every damn time he'd say you are beautiful and not only that but an amazing person as well?!

You'd talk with Cellbit about it, not knowing Quackity did the same. Cellbit would say you should talk to him about it and said the same to Alex before (he's our Rodrigo Faro*).

Quackity decided he'd open his heart to you in the QSMP meeting in Brazil, he'd have to wait a couple weeks but it didn't matter, he loved you so he'd wait to see your face in real life even if you didn't love him back in this way.

Part 2???

I decided to write Quackity with a brazilian girl because I don't see a lot in here and there's a lot of brazilian's out there, so this is for all my brazilian people <3

If you're not brazilian, here's the explanation of what I marked with the *:

Mamonas Assassinas was an iconic brazilian band in 1995-1996, their music changed Brazil in that time, bringing happiness, laughter and excitement in a time where all the brazilian's needed it. They did what was never done before in Brazil and they did something someone could never do again. Unfortunately, in March of 1996 they passed away in a plane crash bringing sadness to all of our people. However, they're gone but not forgotten, they live in our hearts <3

Brigadeiro is a typical brazilian candy, it's made with chocolate, condensed milk and butter (it's very good, btw).

Rodrigo Faro is a TV presenter, in his program there's a thing called "Vai dar namoro" ("Will date" is the literal traducion of that) and people go there to meet other people so they can go on a date, lol.

Anyway...

Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoy the writing! :)

Requests are open!

#quackity fluff #quackity imagines #quackity imagine #quackity x reader #quackityhq #quackity x y/n #quackity #quackity x you #alex quackity #qsmp brasil #qsmp brazil #qsmp #cellbit #qsmp tazercraft #qsmp felps

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watcherthrowaway · 5 days

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also one real post about this and like, plenty of ink has been spilt on how disconnected watcher entertainment seems to be from its fans but i think the missing piece here is how disconnected watcher is from the rest of youtube. when the catastrophe hit i went to all my terminally online friends, the same way i did after the hbomberguy james somerton video, or after the ned fulmer fiasco, or the creepshowart scandal etc, or every time jenny nicholson dropped a new evermore video, including the ones behind the $2 patreon paywall we all gladly pay for, and for the first time...

no one knew who i was talking about.

these are not insulated people. these are people i can trust to have at least name recognition of almost any youtuber i mention. they know downtherabbithole and strangeaeons and cjthex and kappakaiju and miniminuteman773 and kazrowe and somemorenews etc etc etc

so when i put in the group chat, with no context, 'he wasnt even on cribs' or 'we have no cats kathleen' or 'only humble pagan commune schemes' or whatever, i usually do so with great trust that at least half the group will know what im on about.

this time, crickets.

i backpedaled a little and pulled up the 'ive connected them' meme and the fuzzy blue professor, and i got nothing at all. the only recognition i got was when someone belatedly realized that he had seen the goatman video when it dropped (although he had no idea that they had their own company now), and another person remembered that they had offered to collab with danny gonzalez, a youtuber with twice the subscribers

because she had checked back to see if danny went ghost hunting again, and lost interest because he hadnt.

i also brought it up in my dedicated buzzfeed unsolved group chat but ummmmm i am the only one in that group still watching ever since the shift to watcher oops

the only splash they had made in my again, TERMINALLY ONLINE friend group that watches hours and hours of youtube a day was a buzzfeed video seven years ago, and when they had failed to collab with someone more famous than them. i found myself in the unusual position of having to explain the situation to a bunch of dirty internet gremlins, all of whom heard the whole story and said 'why would they do that'

not 'why would they do that to their fans' but 'why would they do that as youtubers'

even aside from the moneygrubbing, we watcher stans were confused about why they tried to offer us a service we didn't need or want, and i think it obscured the confusion on why they thought it was a good idea at all, when so many other models were available to them. why werent they using their patreon like other youtubers? why weren't they collaborating with other youtubers? why weren't they putting out regular, lower quality content like other youtubers? if they wanted higher quality content, why weren't they partnering with nebula, like lindsay ellis, or netflix, like bo burnham. why didn't they run their ideas past someone like the green brothers, who have jumpstarted scishow and many other similar projects successfully, and are famously good to work with/consult with? why would they try to pull a roosterteeth? don't they know what happened?

and i think the answer is no. i think they just don't know those things. and they didnt bother to check, because they think all those things are beneath them. because they think corporate content is the only worthwhile kind there is.

why else would they think they have to have an office building, keep dozens of people on staff, buy expensive cameras, and build a streaming platform? why do they only collaborate with actors and singers who have corporate entertainment approval? why are they reinventing the wheel on buzzfeed when thousands of youtubers build perfectly stable careers with a mic and a camera, and sometimes hire an editor?

i guess my takeaway from this is that, at least they didnt break my heart as a fan entirely because they fundamentally misunderstood me. they did it, at least in part, because they do not understand how youtube works, or what part they play in it.

they dont understand how people use youtube. it is not a cinematic event worthy of the big tv, it is line goes up playing in the background for the 400th time as i wash my face and put my laundry away.

that is why they spent months and months planning this without ever noticing it was a bad idea, while millions of youtube viewers knew instantly. thats why they didn't start with a more moderate solution, why they never used their patreon properly, why they cared so much about the production value, why they thought a youtube audience, any audience at all, would jump at the chance to leave youtube.

bc youtube as a creator sucks, and we all know that, but youtube as a viewer is extremely comfortable. all i ask of youtube is to be mildly interesting in the background while i do other stuff. it is filler. some of the filler is extremely good, yes, but there is no room or reason in my life to give more of my money and attention to my filler, let alone to get a bigger screen for it.

and honestly, this is why i and others stayed on with the ghoul boys even though their quality dropped. because it's filler. im not even looking at the screen you apparently spent 100k on. im flipping my eggs. im washing my hair. im waiting for the bus with my headphones in and my phone in my pocket. thank you for being my background music. in return i will sit through your ads and push your view counter up by one. i may even hit the like button by accident bc my phone is in my pocket.

this is not to say i dont enjoy my filler. i would absolutely die without it. but it is not and never will be exchanged for the instances when i make popcorn in The Big Bowl and turn on a Real Movie on the Big Screen (my old laptop that is 15 whole inches) with my phone turned over so nothing can distract me.

my filler can't be my movie, and vice versa. nor should it be. but watcher doesnt understand that, apparently. they think youtube is cruelly preventing them from being netflix, and they think we want netflix, and they don't understand that, even with that half-assed apology that they didn't explain their dream correctly and they are jsut so destitute they had to take extreme measures after they went to europe 6 too many times...

there is a fundamental misunderstanding about how people use youtube , both as creators and as consumers. they didn't just misunderstand their fanbase. they continue to misunderstand the entire ecosystem. idk guys. maybe you should have learned something from those youtubers that you apparently think you are too good for.

and as for me, welp. i've booted people from my filler line-up for less. and there are soooooooooooooo many other fish in the sea, and they are not asking me to pay them 27 corporation salaries from my own pocket. they are asking for me to bump their view counter up by one.

goodbye boys. i really hope you find a way to fulfill yourselves artistically or whatever. but you have burned this particular bridge, like. forever. and i don't think i'm the only one who feels that way.

and not because i dont support people getting a living wage, you guilt-tripping vultures, or because i dont believe in following dreams and wishing on stars and whatnot.

but because i prefer to consume content from people who know what they're doing, and i simply no longer trust that includes you.

#watcher entertainment #steven lim #shane madej #ryan bergara #this is truly all i will say #just amazing how the average youtube viewer immediately identified all the problems with the new plan #and none of the executive big boys involved did

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kumezyzo · 10 months

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i was rewatching the dream team all stars MCC and was thinking about streamer!reader cause im actually sick in the head :) so now everyone else has to deal with it 😌 so, as much as i love bad, reader does happen to be an honourary Dream Team member according to bf!sapnap.....

i like to think during this time (Nov. 2021) reader and sapnap are well into their talking stage and like, reallyyyy close to dating (they prolly start dating two weeks after this stream of sum). so this is technically crush!sapnap [so cutee]

also just bsf!george and dream moments cause why not (and cause i need some more fluff to feel gud)

lots of swearing (particularly fbombs lol)

so enjoy.... or dont lol :) m.list

crush!sapnap who cant help but giggle when you text him about the 'serpnerp and gerge' bit he did before the event started. when you ask about the fake kisses they gave eachother, he would be tempted to text you back with "i could give you real ones if you want" but refrains from it.

crush!sapnap who secretly had your stream pulled up on the side just so he could see your face as you hyped yourself up for the event.

if youre faceless, he'd just want to listen to you and hear the way you pause to read a text he sends you. he'd feel so cocky if you happened to quietly giggle at something you he sent you.

crush!sapnap who forgets youre on the call for a moment when he makes comments about needing to take a shit...

"if i really wanted to, i could insta-shit"

"ew wtf 😭"

"i actually forgot you were here for a moment, my bad" (he would be blushing so hard)

crush!sapnap who hypes you up so much during parkour tag (and makes sure youre not getting tagged) when youre the last person to be tagged

bsf!george who also hypes tf out of you when youre tagging people. he gets so loud that you have to tell him to stfu at times

crush!sapnap who subconsciously tries to protect you during the first round of sky battle until you call him out for it

"sapnap, dont worry about me! just try to get the other fucking teams. holy fuck..."

"y/n is getting toxic~"

"george shut the fuck up."

(it was mostly cause dream was getting heated at you but dw sap gets it 😌)

bsf!dream who blames you for a block placement glitch during sky battle

"Y/N!"

"WHAT?! WHAT THE FUCK DID I DO?!"

it led to a strange disagreement about where you were standing before crush!sapnap interjected and told you guys to leave it be. (we stan)

crush!sapnap who feels his heart flutter when you giggle about heated dream was getting over you standing on a rail in grid runners.

bsf!george who gets very hyped when you dont mute yourself during ace race.

"y/n are you muting yourself?"

"nope, are you?"

"LETS GOOO! ITS JUST Y/N AND GOGY"

"Lets go!!!!...... but shut the fuck up a little"

crush!sapnap who tries to gather your materials whenever you need them during buildmart and ultimately pisses off dream when he doesnt bring back what people need.

"Sapnap, how the fuck are you leaving but not bringing back fucking anything we actually need!?!?"

"okay! okay, what do you need?!"

bsf!dream who gets wayyyy too heated at you during battle box.

"y/n just use the fucking bow!"

"i am you dumb fuck!"

"oh my-"

crush!sapnap who gets annoyed too, but tries to not direct it towards you.

"george if theyre building to middle, block them!"

"y/n is supposed to be covering me!"

"they are, so pull your weight!"

bsf!dream who gets yelled at by his chat for yelling at you.

'say sorry to y/n'

"what? you know what, fuck y/n! ive known them for over 5 years, im not saying sorry!"

"good! i dont want your apology anyway! we are no longer friends!"

"good!"

(literal toddlers lol)

crush!sapnap who says a small 'hi' when he passes by you in sands of time. even if youre in the same call. and have been for 2 1/2 hours.

dteam who just lets you do youre own thing in the last to games of the event (sands of time & tgttos).

"i actually havent hear y/n speak in like five minutes," george said with an impressed smile. "i thought they just left the call for a moment, ha."

"me too for a second-"

"both of you shut the fuck up, im tired and tryna get this over with."

"PFFFT-"

bsf!george who could help but cackle when you yell at him during dodgebolt.

"george if you dont stop talking about the arrow, i will fly to london and shove it so far up your ass-"

crush!sapnap who calls you after both of you end your streams to talk about how you feel after the event.

"how are you doing, you seemed..."

"angry? annoyed?"

"tired..."

crush!sapnap talks with you until either one of you has to hang up. you feel like youre back in highschool talking to your crush for hours on end.

ngl, i dunno how i feel about this one. it might be too much tbh but im tired asf writing this and dont wanna change much. and i got a little carried away having fun writing it....sorry... -Nony

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snwusberry · 5 months

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#17: "he thinks i'm pretty"

warning(s): none

note: these are just characters and do not depict the actual people therefore the behavior of said characters won't be accurate to the actual people.

PREV ☆ MASTERLIST ☆ NEXT

not proofread

"you're who san set me up with?"

"bro why do you sound disappointed?"

we stand in front of each other not really saying anything, just staring at each other.

"i don't know i feel like we've met before." seonghwa comments with playful smirk creeping up on his face.

SMASH.

"really? you don't look too familiar if i'm being honest."

now i don't know if i should tell him my friend stalked him and found him. would that be creepy?

"shall we?" he asks and i nod so we walk into the diner and place our orders.

when the waitress returns with our food we just sit in the awkward silence hearing nothing but the sound of silverware clanking against the ceramic plates.

"so we're just gonna pretend we haven't been talking for like 2 months?" he asks making eye contact with me for the first time since we walked in.

"you know, i was gonna ask but i didn't want it to get even more awkward than it already was." i respond, clearing my throat.

"you're a lot more shy in person, aren't you?"

"i wish, and you will too once you get to know me."

"so that means we'll be seeing each other again?" he questions, taking a bite of his food right after.

his voice is so deep right now which is distracting me to no end.

"that's only if wanna." i mumble in response and he let's out a brief, breathy laugh.

"i'd like that."

we spent the whole day just hanging out and talking, getting to know each other and laughing at dumb shit. conversation started getting easier over the hours and we feel slightly more comfortable around each other.

i could hear him talk all day, his hushed, deep voice is easily becoming addicting and now i'm left developing feelings for him all over again but this time the real person and not his online persona.

"wait so you becoming friends with san was a complete accident?"

"not accident. more like we saw each other the second time and figured why not exchange numbers. our first conversation was completely out of the blue but interesting nonetheless." i tell him as we walk aimlessly through the city.

the air is cool, pinching my skin ever so slightly to keep me present in the conversation.

"now seonghwa. what made you subscribe to my channel?" shit why did i ask that? now it sounds like i'm fishing for compliments. "actually-"

"you're a pretty girl making what my friends call comfort streams on a camsite. who wouldn't be interested?" he responds plainly, just straight to the point which makes me smile. he thinks i'm pretty.

"horny men." i respond dryly making him laugh briefly.

"good point... look, i hope you don't think i have bad intentions." he says, his tone shifting to that of worry and i shake my head to reassure him.

"you're lonely, i get it." i tease him and his head snaps to me.

"hey i'm not lonely."

"are too."

"hey."

"lonely." i say sticking my tongue out at him and making a run for it.

"zaraha!!" i hear a laugh as he says my name, running after me and that's when i pick up pace noticing he's approaching pretty quickly.

"hey slow down a bit, i'm not a fast runner!" i try asking him, a little out of breath but he's already caught up. "no fair." i breathe out when i feel his arms around me.

i look him in the eyes, getting lost in them a little too quickly. our faces inch closer before i change direction and place a kiss on his cheek instead.

"i don't kiss on the first date."

"let me take you on another then." he asks and i feel my cheeks heat up.

"deal."

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sky-pen · 10 months

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There will be discourse under the tab if you wish to not read it.

These tweets have since been deleted. But this is the reason why women don't join any servers that is popular or male-dominated.

this is the bottom tweet translation. "She literally brought it out of the rp just to be sarcastic, trying to call Brazilians dumb as if we didn't know history. My blood boiled."

What is unfortunate is that this user retweets and gushes over q!Cellbit and q!Roier's marriage.

This is LITERALLY a Minecraft Roleplay Server that is supposed to bring people together. What Baghera was talking about was that her proposal for the presidency is that she creates a Council like Switzerland's Federal Council. Which is like the President's Cabinet for those in the USA. It had nothing to do with her mocking Brazilians or the injustice that Latinos receive. But when you roll with what you hear, of course, you twist words and take things out of context: AKA miscommunication. Baghera was just talking about her culture (Switzerland since she is not truly French) and how she could bring her culture into the QSMP via the QSMP elections and how she thinks that this portion of her culture is what the President of the QSMP should have. A shared power.

This is why the (trigger warning here) Dream SMP got so much hate: the constant misogyny, the twisting of words, and the fact that people could not distinguish between Roleplay and real life.

And another thing, BadBoyHalo was talking about was how the twisting of words and ideas is also another thing that people are doing. Bad had a conversation with Foolish a little bit ago and Bad have the idea of creating a "safe house" for the eggs. People believe that Bad talked to one more person about this, but I have no idea. One chatter said, "D: Forever stole your idea!" then Bad replied "Listen. Listen kid, chill." (2 hours and 32 minutes in his stream) Bad goes on to say that people can have the same ideas and get credit for it, but Forever was the one that created the NINHO and should get the most credit. But since that person only watches Bad then they automatically think that Forever stole Bad's idea.

If people watched more than one person's stream to see their personalities and how they act then you would see them as people and not characters that HAVE to be perfect in your mind. This is why fandoms get hate. This is also why Women don't flaunt their passions, interests, and culture to a crowd because they would probably receive the most hate than a man who does the exact same thing.

I'm happy that Quackity saw the discourse and decided to address it and talk with Baghera during this time. I hope Twitchcon is a safe place for Baghera and I hope she gets her well-deserved rest.

#i know that this was all over the place but #im sorry i had to rant a little #this is something that hurts me since i love everything about the QSMP and i adore every creator on the server #i'm very happy that we are seeing CCs call out this toxic behavior #it is stuff like this that makes fandoms look bad and continue to act bad #i hope CCs beside bad quackity and baghera talk more on this situation though #cw discourse #discourse #tw discourse #venting #tw vent #cw vent #qsmp #qsmp discourse

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dalesramblingsblog · 9 months

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Idly thinking about the brilliance of TNG's Lower Decks, so please do bear with me for a little while here... The show's seventh season often gets a not entirely unjustified rap as being a piece of filler while various parts of the writer's room were off shepherding the launch of Voyager and the transition to film with Generations, but here at last the season manages to attain the lofty heights of exactly what we expect from the "final season" of a show like this, in a fashion far more satisfying than simple continuity references or closure to running plot threads could ever be.

What I mean is that it demonstrates the inherent perks of the writer's room as a model of television production, something that has kind of been lost in the age of streaming and micro-writer's rooms. There isn't enough space for someone like, say, Brannon Braga with his weird exploration of body horror and/or temporal fuckery, or Ronald D. Moore with his cynical realpolitik.

Lower Decks very much hinges on René Echevarria's proven talents as one of the strongest writers in the TNG stable when it comes to intimate, character-driven pieces. The pitch came from outside the writer's room, but that hints at the real function of the room as a machine, whereby an abstract idea is subjected to a very particular finesse that helps bring out particular facets of a given script.

Ironically, Echevarria's own Star Trek career is another instructive proof-of-concept in this regard. His first script was The Offspring, but it was given an extensive do-over by Michael Piller and Melinda Snodgrass to better fit the aesthetics of the show. And here, his talents have developed far enough that he's effectively put on the other end of the process.

And it works. The script is beautifully constructed, with so many clever bits that invite the audience to become an active participant in the very procedure of watching Star Trek. The Alaska/Canada screw-up from Lavelle and Ben, the decision to cut away from the transport of Joret Dal and only show the hint of a Cardassian uniform, and of course the central set piece of the intercut poker games. (Here, for the visual triumphs, we should also commend director Gabrielle Beaumount.)

The episode derives its power from the audience's understanding that there were 165 episodes before this one, with their own rhythms and cadences. It disrupts it, but ultimately, in Worf's mutual connection with the lower decks personnel at the very end, collapses the narrative back into its familiar form. Of course, like all good narrative collapses, it comes at a cost, namely that of Ensign Sito.

It's brutal, and soul-crushing, to have spent so much time with this character only to have her swept away by the vicissitudes of fate, but it never feels cynical.

(In fact, one of the more bitterly memorable moments in watching the episode with my parents tonight - who had not seen the episode, or at least not recently - was my mother worriedly voicing her suspicions that Sito was not slated for a happy ending, and my father noting how bleak it would be for them to bring back this character to tell such a story. Crucially, he did not say this to disapprove, and I think it speaks volumes to how much Echevarria's script relies on the audience applying the televisual grammar of Star Trek to the episode.)

I'll admit I haven't seen any of the more modern Trek shows beyond Season 2 of Discovery - not out of conscious choice, mind you, I just have only so many hours of the day to watch Star Trek - but I can absolutely understand why this was the episode that got to pretty much single-handedly inspire the concept of an entire show, even if only in spirit.

For a show that can often feel rather formulaic - which isn't a problem, because the formula is a very, very good one that leads to some fantastic episodes - Lower Decks is proof that TNG wasn't *entirely* content to just coast by and rest on its laurels. It would have been justified to do so, but it still threw in the odd stylistic leap here and there.

And in so doing, it inadvertently prefigures more experimental modern television techniques - and contrasting against some of the more frustrating tendencies of the streaming era - all amidst a genuinely heartfelt and moving story. With all due respect to The Pegasus, Parallels and All Good Things, for me I think Lower Decks has now emerged as the champion of Season 7.

It's just that fantastic.

#star trek tng #lower decks #rené echevarria #star trek lower decks

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1dmonthlyficroundup · 1 year

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—1D Monthly Fic Roundup—

Hi, and welcome to the 1D Monthly Fic Roundup for February 2023! Below you’ll find 1D fics that were all published this month in the order they were submitted to the blog. We hope you’ll check out these new fics! If you would like to submit your own fic, please check this post on how to submit or visit our blog @1dmonthlyficroundup. You can find all our other posts here.

Happy reading!

＊ Promise That You Won't Forget We Had It All by @crochetsunsets [E, 33k+, wip, Harry/Louis]

"Louis understood one thing to be true above all else. The summer brought with it a stream of possibilities. New faces meant new friends, even if just for a few months at a time. New friends meant new experiences. New experiences, for Louis, indicated that life was, undeniably, worth living–not everything always had to be the same. And, as May would soon fade into June, Louis promised himself that if life came calling, he would follow the path offered by its song."

or Louis lives and works in a small, ocean side town. Left desolate for the majority of the year, warmth breathes life into Kingston each summer as tourists and part-time residents alike fill the town limits. Harry hasn't been back for the summer since he was a teen, and where Kingston appears to have remained the same, he has a lot to learn about the residents who have changed.

A series of long summers.

＊ Melting into You by cherrylarry / @beelou [T, 1k, Zayn/Liam]

The front door to their house closes and Liam sighs with a smile, He turns to Zayn standing next to him and kisses him on the lips. “A whole weekend to ourselves. Can you believe it?”

“It doesn’t quite seem real, but it is.” Zayn says, going in for another kiss.

“It’s still early. Our reservation isn’t for another four hours,” Liam gets in between kisses. Zayn pushes him against the door. “What are we gonna do?”

“Oh, I have some ideas,” Zayn says, moving down to kiss Liam’s neck.

＊ A Deal by @allwaswell16 [T, 898 words, Harry/Louis]

Slytherin Harry Styles spends his free time drawing down by the lake. Unfortunately, he can't show anyone what he's drawing because they're all of Gryffindor Louis Tomlinson.

＊ Backstage at the Grammy’s by @neondiamond [M, 882 words, Louis/Harry]

There’s someone waiting in Harry’s dressing room after his performance at the Grammy’s.

＊ Literally Falling For You by @neondiamond [E, 5k, Harry/Louis]

After five years of being together, Louis decides to propose to Harry on his birthday, and he needs everything to be perfect and sentimental down to every last detail. When his plans get derailed at the last minute, he decides to postpone the proposal on Valentine’s day instead. It’s just as amazing as he’d imagined.

＊ You Can Hear It In The Silence by Imogenlee / @imogenleefic [E, 234k, Louis/Harry]

When Harry Styles received acceptance into a post-grad degree, he knew he could no longer afford his flat leaving him with three options:

1) Moving back into student halls. 2) Becoming homeless. 3) Moving in with his best (and only) friend, Niall, and three of Niall's other friends. He ended up choosing the third option. But it was a close race. Shame one of his new housemates reminded him why he only has one friend. If Louis Tomlinson had to choose one thing couldn't stand, it would be pretentious tossers, having grown up around enough of them. If he had to choose something he couldn't live without, it would be his friends. So he was proper thrilled to move in with his best mates and a couple of other lads. That was until he discovered one of them was the archetype for a pretentious tosser.

In the interest of seeing out the twelve-month lease without killing each other, they both try (debatable) to get along despite believing they were opposite in almost every conceivable way, each having the communication skills of a cucumber, and secrets that had no business be kept secret.

＊ I Choose You by @disgruntledkittenface [NR, 3k, Harry/Louis]

Louis is exhausted during a busy time at work. After a long commute home, the last thing he expects is for Harry to have a surprise for him.

＊ Wed’n Walk (Or, We Went to Amsterdam Together) by @hellolovers13 [E, 11k, Louis/Harry]

When Harry had first started planning his honeymoon to Amsterdam, he had not envisioned ending up there with his best friend.

Or getting fake-married to him for 24 hours.

＊ Unplant by @hellolovers13 [M, 4k, Harry/Louis]

Please do not disturb my plant She needs 2 hours of sunlight a day and I live in a sunless flat I’ll be back to collect her soon Thank you and stay well.

or Louis should've looked where he was going, then he wouldn't have to desperately try to save a little flower now.

＊ Brit's AU (The Kissing Game) by @hellolovers13 [E, 1k, Louis/Harry]

Lewis' quest to reunite One Direction via kiss

＊ Punxsutawdry Filled by yeah_alright / @uhoh-but-yeah-alright [E, 2k, Louis/Harry, Louis/everyone]

Louis’ Groundhog Day special is more a nod to the movie than the holiday itself, and it’s got almost everyone on edge.

＊ just happy getting you stuck in between my teeth by yeah_alright / @uhoh-but-yeah-alright [E, 4k, Zayn/Harry]

Zayn worries she isn't enough of a giver in bed. Harry is determined to make her understand that all she wants Zayn to do is enjoy receiving.

＊ out of control by me_her_themoon / @dreamersdivin-headfirst [E, 2k, Harry/Louis]

They’ve always been into kinkier stuff than most, whether it’s bondage or piss (they dabble occasionally), they try not to shy away from things other people may deem weird. They just don’t care.

So, after Louis texted their friends and family that they would be unavailable for the entire day, Harry’s been in this position ever since.

＊ Invisible String by BoosBabycakes / @boosbabycakes28 [E, 84k, Louis/Harry]

Louis swears on his life that that man came out of literal nowhere and he thanks each lucky star for having good breaks in his car. This strange alpha also happens to be the most beautiful being Louis has laid his eyes on.

For some unknown reason, the omega feels safe around the alpha. It might seem strange, but you can't always explain why or how things are the way they are. All you can really be sure of is that they happen for a reason. There's a higher power (call it what you want) that knows better and definitely knows more than you do.

＊ Two Hearts In One Home by @enchantedlandcoffee [T, 5k+, wip, Harry/Louis]

Best friends Louis Tomlinson and Harry Styles have been living together for almost 3 years. With Louis' YouTube videos mainly featuring challenges, vlogs, and tutorials, his best friend is unknowingly a common topic on his channel (with his identity hidden) leading his viewers to believe that they are dating. What happens when Harry's childhood friend, Niall Horan, returns from Ireland and turns out to be one of his biggest fans and sends a tweet that turns his life upside down?

＊ There's no one I love more in this world than Stanley Tucci. by @enchantedlandcoffee [G, 425 words, Harry/Louis]

Both Louis and Harry have a 'freebie list' of celebrities they could sleep with if they wanted to without repercussions. What happens when Harry meets one of his celebrities, Stanley Tucci, at the Brit Awards and comes home late at night.

OR The one where Harry Styles loves Louis Tomlinson a bit more than he does Stanley Tucci.

＊ hello, lovers by eynap / @panye [E, 2k, Niall/Shawn]

Name: Shawn Age: 24 Pronouns: He/him Desires: light praise kink, light daddy kink

Oh. He could do that. Probably pretty well, too. Niall sits up on his bed a little taller and adjusts his headphones, pressing the green accept button.

Or, Niall is a phone sex operator at Hello Lovers hotline, and Shawn is his last caller on Valentine’s Day.

＊ feel my body come alive by eynap / @panye [E, 10k, Niall/Shawn Mendes]

Shawn feels his breath pick up and his heart rate skips a beat. His throat starts tightening up and he thinks he’s probably going to have another panic attack.

“How could I forget them?” Shawn says, defeated.

“It’ll be okay,” he hears Niall say distantly in the background. He can’t focus too much on anything other than the fact that he’s going to have to experience the one, awful thing he’s been running from for the first time in years.

Or, Niall and Shawn are meant to be on a long weekend trip to celebrate their six-month anniversary, until they realize Shawn forgot his suppressants at home.

＊ Teach me how to love by @perfectdagger [E, 70k, Louis/Harry]

Louis can’t believe he’s third wheeling, again, so he scans the bar trying to find something better to do.

And as he does, he recognizes a face.

That face looks angry, almost fuming and Louis takes a gulp from his beer and looks to the other side, pretending he didn’t even see the bloke, pretending he has no clue who that person coming over his way is.

“You’ve told everyone and their mother that I’m a bad fucker?!”

That’s how Harry greets him.

Smooth.

Not really.

The one in which Harry is bad at sex and Louis spreads it all over town and to make up for it, decides to help him with no agenda of getting anything from it, but in the end, he ends up getting more than he bargained for.

＊ (your smile is) on every face by @justanothershadeofblue [T, 5k, Harry/Louis]

Harry streams the whole thing, too overwhelmed to sing along, clutching his phone above his head as Louis whips the fans into a frenzy, playing both sides of the stage before staking a claim to the middle. Niall is shouting along beside him, lost in the madness and dancing something formless and frantic and free. Harry doesn’t even notice the pins and needles in his arm until the encore break, tears springing to his eyes as he switches hands and lowers his arm slowly, letting the blood rush back into it. He bites back a sob and glances at the screen. Maybe he could stop streaming, use his phone hand to massage some life back into his poor arm.

Harry blinks. There are fifteen thousand people watching his stream.

＊ Awaken As Mine by thinlines / @thinlinez [E, 9k, Louis/Harry]

Cypress and roasted almonds. The scent Harry breathed in was comforting and alluring. It made him want to get closer, to roll his neck against the wolf’s, to mingle their scents. This wolf was an alpha, his omega whispered to him. Without a doubt.

OR Omega Harry was sure he had found his alpha, but how to get reading crazed, bookworm Louis to look twice at him was a mystery for the ages.

＊ Leather Over Lace by larry_hiatus / @larry-hiatus [E, 4k, Harry/Louis]

Harry wasn’t planning for his trousers to rip on stage. He also wasn’t planning for everyone to see his lace knickers when it happened. But what he really wasn’t planning on was his boyfriend punishing him for it.

＊ Fringe & Flogging by larry_hiatus / @larry-hiatus [E, 5k, Louis/Harry]

Harry was good this time. He didn’t wear his lace knickers; he didn’t tear his trousers on stage. But his revealing outfit and less than family friendly performance still had the night ending in ripped clothing, this time at the hands of his jealous dom.

＊ Never Thought I'd Be Missing the Heat by larry_hiatus / @larry-hiatus [E, 5k, Harry/Louis]

Harry has always hated cigarettes, but when that’s the only piece of Louis that he has left after their breakup, he ends up chain smoking while touching himself to try and get that taste of Louis back.

＊ You Earned It by crimsontheory / @ireallysawanangel [E, 11k, Louis/harry]

“Look at you,” Louis praises, his eyes slowly roaming up and down the length of Harry’s body with such possessive eagerness that it suddenly makes Harry feel shy and flustered. He can feel his skin burning underneath Louis’ intense gaze. “I guess you’re my grand prize then?”

Harry nods in response to that since it’s all he’s able to do at the moment. He’s not even going to risk opening his mouth because he knows he won’t be able to form a single coherent thought.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Louis continues, removing his hand from behind his back and holding up the sleek black remote directly in Harry’s line of sight. “I forgot to switch it to the final setting and if I remember correctly…“ The corner of Louis’ mouth quirks up into a devilish smirk causing Harry to shiver. “This setting is your favourite.”

Harry watches as Louis’ thumb hovers over the button, his stomach fluttering in anticipation. When he feels the vibrations change, his mouth pops open in bliss as he gasps, his wrists yanking hard against the velvety handcuffs.

Or, Harry plans a scavenger hunt for his husband on Valentine's Day.

＊ when we're finished saying nothing by @disgruntledkittenface [M, 3k, Harry/Louis]

Louis has barely woken up when she realizes that Harry is still mad from the night before. The silent treatment that Harry prefers when she’s like this isn’t going to achieve anything, so Louis gets up to apologize only to find out there’s more going on with her mate than she thought. That’s when her instincts take over.

An alpha/alpha AU inspired by Written All Over Your Face.

＊ count me in by @disgruntledkittenface [NR, 3k, Zayn/Harry]

Zayn wants to propose to Harry, but she can’t find the right ring. Niall and Louis are no help at all.

Actually they help a lot.

A secret soulmates follow-up to enough to make a girl blush.

＊ In the night when the lights are low by Anonymous [E, 1k, Louis/Harry]

Harry just wants to finish his special Valentine's day broadcast in a memorable way.

Then he gets a message that makes his heart flutter.

＊ I was yours and you were mine (let's try it again) by Kikiberoski16 / @larrysballetslippers [E, 23k, Harry/Louis]

Seconds later, Louis pushed him against the wall, startling Harry. Louis leaned in and whispered in his ear again. “You changed a lot, baby boy. Used to be so obedient. Now you're just a brat.”

Harry gasped; he couldn’t believe Louis would call him out on his behaviour when Louis was the reason he had to change. “Haven't been your obedient baby boy for a long time.”

“Did you become someone else's brat then?” Louis’ voice almost sounded like a growl. It was deeper than Harry remembered. It made him realize he’d never seen Louis angry.

Or, after many years of working in the modelling industry and putting his past behind him, Harry was completely taken aback when his old feelings for his ex, Louis, resurfaced. He wanted to be his good boy again.

＊ Devil in my brain, whispering my name by @lunarheslwt [E, 9k, Louis/Harry]

“Tell me, angel, are you curious? To know what it’s like, to be touched…” Louis tapped his lip lightly, “here?” A short, harsh breath fanned across his finger. “Or,” Louis drawled, bringing their hips together with a sharp pull, making Harry gasp once again, louder, “here?” “Louis…” “Or maybe even,” Louis skimmed a taunting hand past the curve of his clothed arse, merely grazing, “here?” Harry shuddered viscerally. “Please.” “So polite, so proper,” Louis mocked, “will you let me taint you just a little, hmm? Let me show you how good it feels to give in to temptation?”

Or, Louis, a demon, shows Harry, an angel, just how good it can feel to give in to temptation and sin.

#28th appreciation #1dficvillage #trackinghappily #trackinghome #tracksintheam #1dsource

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dxncingwithastrxnger · 1 year

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1. time won’t fly, it’s like i’m paralyzed by it

A/N: Surprise!!! A brand new story!!! I’ve been so excited about this one but I forced myself not to post about it, akjsxnas. This story is a double love story!!! It focuses on both Melizabeth and Trilance equally. I’m still getting everything planned out, but so far, things are gonna be really fun in this au. I hope you guys enjoy this lil world as much as I do!!! The summary below is for the overall story, not this single chapter, and it’s a really long summary so I’m sorry, lmaooooo

Pairing(s): Slight Meliodas x Elizabeth

Summary: The Boar's Hat's first night in Liones is busy and loud, but there isn't anywhere else Tristan would rather be. Elizabeth mans the bar as she watches her son make new friends. Everything's going perfect until a new customer leaves them both feeling shaken up and unprepared.

Tag(s): Panic attack, I think that’s it for this one, tbh, lemme know if there’s any I should add!!

Song Inspiration: All Too Well By Taylor Swift

Word Count: 4,979

Not beta’d, all mistakes are my own.

~*~

[Series Masterlist]

[Chapter 1] [Chapter 2]

[Read on AO3]

[Author Masterlist]

~*~

"Order up! Two honey salads!"

"Those are for table five, Tristan!"

"I'm on it!" Tristan swings by the bar and grabs the two plates, quickly bringing them over to the right table before making his way to table two across the room, where the ones sat there were asking for refills. He takes their mugs and drops them off at the bar where his mother refills them as he takes already filled mugs to the ones at table four.

It's a busy night at his mother's tavern and there seems to be no end in sight to the steady stream of customers. They're not really sure why it's so busy, but Tristan isn't complaining. The whole place is loud and rowdy, everyone chattering over each other joyfully, and the smell of ale and good food fills the air with a hint of sweat that he doesn't really mind. The energy of the room is contagious and Tristan can't keep the grin off of his face. This is home.

"Hey, kid!" Tristan turns to see a man who was at the bar on his way out. He faces a him and tosses his hand up, flipping a coin in Tristan's direction. "Keep up the good work!" He smiles kindly at the silverette as he turns back around to leave.

"Thank you, sir! Come back soon!" Tristan calls, waving at the man as the door swings shut behind him.

"Tris! Refills!" His mother calls from the bar.

"Oh! Coming!" He quickly pockets the coin and gets back to work, grabbing the refills from his mother and returning them to the correct table.

"Do you guys need anything else?" He asks kindly.

"Oh, do you guys have any good desserts? I'm craving something sweet." A middle-aged woman asks him.

"We do! I personally recommend the spiced berries and cream, it's my absolute favorite." He tells her.

"That sounds wonderful, I'll have some of that if you don't mind." She replies.

"Oh, I don't mind at all! I'll go let our chef know!" He's running off to back to the bar before he even finishes speaking, hearing the people at the table chuckling as he goes.

"Need a spiced berries and cream for table two!" He calls into the kitchen before taking another round of refills to table three.

As he places them on the table, one of the customers there speaks up. "Hey, kid, don't you ever take a break? I feel like I've been watching you run around for hours on end." The man remarks.

"Well, I'm the only server tonight and we're real busy. I don't really mind it, though, honest. I'm used to the work." He responds back with a warm smile.

"Okay, but still. You gotta at least eat sometime."

"Yeah, why don't you come sit and eat with us? Get off your feet for a little?"

"Hell yeah, come have a drink, you've earned it!"

Tristan looks at the four people in surprise for a moment. "Oh, I, uh..." It's the kind of thing that doesn't usually happen. He's made plenty of friends in the past, but it's been awhile and he feels excited at the prospect of possibly making new ones. But he's not sure if he can take the time away from his work at the tavern right now. "Let me go check in and I'll see what I can do." He says, turning on his heels and heading over to the bar.

"Are you making some new friends over there, sweetheart?" His mother asks as she pulls some more ale down.

"I think so. They offered me a spot at their table, said I should take a break and have something to eat." He says, leaning against the bar and looking at her hopefully. "Do you think I could? Just for a little while?"

She looks at him and chuckles at the sparkle in his eyes. "Yes, of course. Most people have their food already and I think I can handle all the refills for now. Go have some fun, Tristan, you've done plenty tonight." She nods her head at him.

Tristan beams. "Thank you so much! Come and get me if you get overwhelmed, you know I'll have no problem picking things back up again." He tells her sincerely.

"I know, don't worry. I'll tag you back in if it's necessary. Now go get some food, I'm sure there's already some plated up for you." She hands him a mug of ale and shoos him off.

He hums softly to himself and steps over by the kitchen. Before he even opens his mouth to speak, a plate of food is being handed to him. "About time you sat down to eat, Tanny, jeez."

Tristan gives his Aunt Veronica a sheepish grin. "There's always more work to be done."

She rolls her eyes at him but she's smiling fondly. "Hurry up and go eat before I smack you upside the head." She quips.

He laughs and takes his food and drink and goes back to the table he had been at previously. "That invitation still up?" He asks, hesitating only slightly.

"Hey, he's back!"

"Of course it is, come sit!" Tristan smiles brightly, taking the fifth stool at the table and joining the group of four. He digs into his food immediately, not realizing how hungry he is until the first bite hits his tongue. Okay, maybe I should've stopped to eat awhile ago. He admits.

A few bites in, the man directly across from him speaks up. "So, how'd you end up working at a place like this, uh..." He trails off, gesturing to Tristan.

"Oh! I'm Tristan! And I don't just work here, I live here, actually. The Boar's Hat is my mother's tavern." He informs them.

"Wait, your mother? Where's she at?" The woman to his right asks curiously.

Tristan chuckles and points to his mother with his fork, who's currently serving refills a few tables over. "She's not just any old bartender. She's the owner, too." He says. The man across from him does a doubletake while the rest of the table gives surprised glances at the woman across the room.

"Waitwaitwait, you're telling me hottie bartender over there is your mom!?" Tristan chokes on his next bite at the comment and one of the others beside him thumps him on the back a few times.

"Howzer! You can't say something like that to her own son!" The other woman on his left scolds the guy - Howzer - as Tristan catches his breath, the tips of his ears pink.

Howzer gives him a sheepish look, rubbing the back of his neck. "Sorry, man. It just surprised me, that's all."

"I-it's fine." He takes a swig of his drink. "It's nowhere near the worst I've heard." He admits. Everyone else at the table cringes in response.

"Yeah, don't mind Howzer, here. He just has trouble thinking things through before he speaks, but he really doesn't mean any harm." The woman on his right tells him. "I'm Guila. This here is Gilthunder and Jericho." She introduces everyone, pointing to the pink-haired man sitting between herself and Howzer and then to the lavender-haired woman on his left.

Tristan reaches out to shake each of their hands. "It's lovely to meet you all. Maybe you'll be my first friends here in Liones."

"Oh yeah, you guys just showed up here. Are you moving or just passing through?" Gilthunder asks him.

"I think mother plans on staying here for a little while. We were out by Cains town for quite awhile, then we stayed a few weeks in Ordan and then in Vaizel after that." He says thoughtfully. "Then we came here to Liones. You know, we'd heard we'd pull in some great crowds here, but we didn't realize it would be this busy right away." Hr grins at them. Of course, he couldn't tell any of them that he'd been to Liones before. Last they were here was around two decades ago and the reason behind the trip wasn't exactly to socialize. Plus, claiming he'd been here 20 years ago when he was meant to have barely been born by then wouldn't exactly go well.

"Trust me, if there's anything the people of Liones know how to do, it's drink and be merry." Howzer assures him.

Tristan laughs. "Well, in that case, I'm glad we ended up here. Seems I'll have a great time getting to know the people of this kingdom."

"Hell yeah!" Jericho says, taking a gulp of her ale.

"You should let us show you around sometime, Tristan." Guila tells him.

"We can give you the full tour!" Gilthunder adds.

Tristan beams. "I'd love that! Thank you!"

"To new friends!" Howzer holds his mug up above the table.

"To new friends!" The rest of the table cheers together, mimicking his actions.

Tristan is having so much fun with these people. They're so kind and always seem to be laughing. Over the course of the next hour, he finds out each of them are holy knights and that there's usually a fifth person in their group, Griamore, but he wasn't able to make it out with them tonight. They assure him that he'll get along with Griamore just as well as the rest of them and Tristan finds himself grinning from ear-to-ear. He'd forgotten what a wonderful feeling it is to make new friends like this and get to know new people. It's always been one of his favorite things about life in all his years on this continent. He just loves being around good people.

And in all his joy, for a little while, Tristan forgets about everything else. He forgets about his long day working. He forgets about the long, stalling journey to this kingdom. He forgets the knot he'd had in his stomach their whole way from Vaizel to here. He forgets the whole reason they've come to settle in Liones in the first place. He forgets all about the past and it's troubles. For the first time in a long time, just like he had been most of tonight, he feels himself shake loose from everything else except for the present that he's in right now. But he should've known it wouldn't last for very long.

As he and his table of friends fall into giggles over a joke Howzer made, his eyes land on the front door to the Tavern right as it opens up. In steps a new customer, clad in a sleeveless red tunic, white trousers, and knee-high, brown, leather boots with a band of gold around the tops of each. On the outer side of each boot, engraved into the gold, is the royal family crest of Liones. The same crest hangs on a necklace around the man's neck in deep, aqua blue and gold. Tristan gulps as his eyes trail all the way up to the man's face, already knowing exactly who it is before he does so. The newcomer has a head of messy, blonde hair, an obvious cowlick sticking up from the middle of his head. But the most striking feature of the man is his bright, green eyes and the wide grin he wears as he observes the inside of the tavern.

Tristan knew he'd show up eventually, he just hadn't realized it would be so soon. He isn't ready, he hasn't gotten enough time to prepare himself. The silverette feels his breathing pick up, his entire body tense. He hears someone at the table with him talking, but he can't understand what they're saying. His ears are ringing and all the sounds around him are muffled. He can't peel his eyes away from the man even though he wants nothing more than to do so. He digs his nails into the wood of the table in front of him as the man walks further into the room and away from the front door.

Tristan's mind finally gives him another objective other than to stare. This one is to run. And so he does. He gets up from the table and bolts from the building, ignoring the shouts he hears from behind him. He gets out and just runs. He runs away from Guila and Howzer and Gilthunder and Jericho. He runs away from his mother and his aunt. He runs away from the other customers at the tavern and their joyful chatter. He runs away from his home. He runs away from his past and his present and his future. But most of all, he runs away from his father.

~*~

Elizabeth hums softly to herself as she wipes down the bar. She's taking advantage of the slow down of business and using the time to clean up a bit. They still won't be closing for quite awhile - for a business like a tavern, it was way too early to close up shop - but cleaning up a little bit along the way will make for an easier shut down later on.

She hears Tristan laughing with the group he's sitting with and she smiles. Hopefully these friends will be good ones. She always finds herself worrying about him. A mother's duty, Veronica always reminds her. And an aunt's duty, too. That's always when Tristan will pipe in. It's a family's duty. It's natural instinct to worry about someone you love and family is who you love most of all. He always says. They all know it word for word by now. But either way, Elizabeth feels that she has every reason to worry about her son. The life they've lived hasn't been an easy one. She almost feels selfish for being glad she has him around for it. That she has any of them around for it.

A plate slides into her view and she blinks, coming back out of her own head. "Earth to Ellie." Veronica speaks up, leaning against the bar beside her, but on the inside rather than the outside like she was.

Elizabeth shakes her head to clear her thoughts. "Hey, Veer." She smiles at her softly. "How's the kitchen?"

"A literal hot mess. But the food's good. So, sit your ass down and eat, alright?" She picks up her fork, nodding at the bar stool closest to Elizabeth.

She follows her sister's instructions, sitting down and picking up her own fork as well. "Thank you." She takes a bite and closes her eyes. "This is so good."

"Yeah, especially since it's the first thing you've had to eat since this morning." She sighs and shakes her head. "You and Tristan both, what am I gonna do with you two?" She questions, but gives the silver-haired woman a fond smile.

Elizabeth looks at her sheepishly and giggles. "That's why you're here to take care of us."

"Damn right, I am. Someone has to." She playfully rolls her eyes and the two of them continue eating.

Veronica is just about to take their plates and go back into the kitchen when they hear the slam of the door and shouts. By the time Elizabeth turns to face the front door, whoever ran out is already gone. But then she turns towards the table Tristan was sitting at and she gets her answer on who it was. The group he was sitting with turns to look at her, all looking confused and concerned. "He froze up and seemed really freaked out, then he just ran out..." A pink-haired man informed her.

"I hope he's okay..." The black-haired woman said, the others nodding in agreement.

"I'll go get him." Veronica says behind her, and Elizabeth turns to her. Veronica is looking at something off to Elizabeth's right.

"Are you sure, Veer?" She asks.

"Yeah, of course." She turns back to look at Elizabeth and when their eyes lock, Veronica's light brown eyes are filled with a deep sadness, and Elizabeth feels a wave of dread run through her. "Besides, it seems like you have another matter to attend to anyways. That same matter is probably the reason that Tris ran out." Veronica whispers, nodding to where she was looking before before walking away.

Elizabeth doesn't look where her sister directed her at first, instead watching as Veronica leaves and lingering on the door. She's stalling, she knows she is. But she just needs a moment longer. The look in Veronica's eyes was unmistakable. She's seen it many times before. Elizabeth really shouldn't be so surprised. She knew he was in this kingdom. It was the whole reason they had come here. But they've only been in town for a day and she'd been hoping that they'd have a little more time. She should've known the universe would waste no time in leading him right to them.

Elizabeth turns back to the bar and grabs the mug sat in front of her, drinking down the rest of the ale in it. She pulls it away from her lips and sighs softly. Well, it's now or never, I suppose. She thinks to herself. Not much of a peptalk, but it's the best she's got for herself right now. Finally, she turns and faces the right side of the tavern.

She gasps, her eyes widening, the mug dropping from her hand. She never gets the chance to look very far because there he is, right in front of her. Her sky blue eyes immediately lock with his grass green ones and she's immediately stuck there. He looks absolutely beautiful, all bright and warm. His eyes are shining with joy and amusement, exactly like they should. Exactly like she always wants them to. She's stuck on his eyes, she can't even look at the rest of him yet. Looking into them is like looking into the brightest of natural lights. It shines so much warmth on her but she feels blinded.

"I think you dropped this."

Elizabeth finally manages to look away so that she can quickly hide the sob that tries to bubble up her throat at the sound of his voice, letting out a small cough instead. She forces a smile on her face and takes the mug that she had dropped out of his hand, careful to avoid brushing fingers with him. "Th-thank you." She tells him quietly.

"You're welcome! Do ya think I could get your name in exchange?" He asks her.

Elizabeth's smile softens into a small, but genuine one. "My name is Elizabeth. And you are?"

"Elizabeth. That name really suits you." He compliments, and she can't help the blush that comes to her cheeks. With him, even the simplest things affect her. "And I'm Meliodas. Prince Meliodas of the Kingdom of Liones." The introduction rhymes and Elizabeth giggles at the realization. At the sound of her amusement, his face brightens, if that's even possible, and he beams at her. "I'm very pleased to make your acquaintance."

"It's lovely to meet you as well, Prince Meliodas." She says sincerely. For the 117th time.

~*~

Tristan gasps out, leaning against a tree and trying to catch his breath. He isn't sure how long he's been running, but he's finally run out of stamina for the moment. He slides down to the ground, his knees bending up to his chest and his back against the tree behind him. He wraps his arms around his legs and puts his head between his legs, trying to take long, slow breaths, as he's not sure how much of his lack of oxygen is actually from running and how much of it is from his panic.

He's in the middle of the woods now, the moon shining high above the trees. It could be a few minutes later, it could be an hour later. It probably wasn't the best idea to run off like that, he realizes. Surely all doing so did was worry his mother and put her into even more distress than just seeing father will do. Tristan feels a bit guilty now, realizing he left his mother all alone and didn't even stay with her for the first meeting, but he's not sure he would've been able to make it through without breaking down and running off just like he's already done.

Thirty-two. He's gone through this thirty-two times. He remembers every single moment of every single one except for the very first one, in which he was no older than a newborn. And now, he's about to go through it once again, bringing his total up to thirty three times. The number itself is nothing compared to his mother's count of a hundred and seventeen, but it's not some twisted competition. Aunt Veronica has been through it just as many times as mother, she's been with her since the very beginning of it all. And now they're all here going through it together. Uncle Gowther is around most of the time, too, and Aunt Merlin. Though Aunt Merlin hasn't been around much this last decade or so. She's been in Camelot, instead, but she still visits the tavern every once in awhile.

He's grateful for all of the family he does have, they'll never know how much he loves them all. But right now, the pain surrounding his father cuts through him like a blade covered in hellfire and all he wants to do is stay right here. Right in this moment, he'd give anything to forever avoid what comes next. The next introduction, the next round of who-will-he-be-this-time, the next "I love you", the next memory, the next death. Some stubborn, childish part of him just wants to stay right here and never go anywhere else ever again. He could just live right here forever, become a part of the woods, and never have to worry about anything ever again.

A hand comes down on his shoulder and he jumps, recognizing his Aunt Veronica's energy and scent right before he sees her face. "Just me, Tanny." She says softly, sitting down on the ground beside him.

He relaxes. "Sorry for running off." He apologizes. "Have I been gone for too long?"

"No, not really. We're only a few minutes away with our kind of speed. It'd probably take awhile for a human to get over here, though." She says thoughtfully. Tristan just nods, staying silent.

"...Are you alright, Tris?" The magenta-haired woman questions, looking at him with eyes that are an even mix of concerned and sad. And that's when he finally breaks. A sob forces its way out of his throat and he can't stop the tears that well up in his eyes from streaming down his cheeks. And then his aunt is pulling him into her arms. "Oh, honey."

He curls into himself, sobs and cries wracking through his entire body. He just couldn't hold any of it back, he feels overwhelmed. Maybe it's the long day, or the long week. He just feels so tired of everything. And he's especially tired of holding things back. So, he just lets it all out. He cries in his aunt's arms until there are no tears left and his gut hurts from how many times he's heaved out a sob. Until all that's left is the comfortable silence of the night around him.

~*~

"Why don't you head in through a balcony? Just in case he's still here, that way you don't have to worry about running into him tonight." Tristan's Aunt Veronica suggests.

He nods. "Yeah, I think I'd prefer that. I'm not ready to meet him just yet." He admits.

She rubs the back of her hand over his arm for a moment comfortingly. "That's perfectly fine. Just take your time, Tanny."

He gives her another quick hug. "Goodnight, Aunt Veronica, I'll see you in the morning."

"See you in the morning, kid. Get some good rest, okay? You've definitely earned it." She tells him, smiling softly. He smiles back before heading to the shadowed side of the tavern and jumping up onto the second floor balcony.

The bedroom it's attached to is Uncle Gowther's. He walks through it and steps out into the hallway, closing the door behind him before heading down the hall and up the stairs to his own bedroom. It's at the very top, his room technically being the attic, and it also had a balcony. Usually, he'd love to sit out on it and watch the stars for awhile, but he's too exhausted tonight. He quickly changes out of his work uniform and into his sleep clothes before flopping onto his bed and quickly settling in and under the covers, yawning as his head hits the pillow and sleep takes him almost immediately.

He wakes a little while later to his door being opened and then closed. He takes a deep breath in and picks up his mother's scent, slowly turning over to face the rest of his room. There's a dip in his bed next to his shoulder and he looks up as his eyes adjust to the darkness, locking eyes with his mother, her usually blue eyes now glowing the golden-orange hues of the goddess clan.

"I was hoping I wouldn't wake you." She tells him, sounding a little guilty.

"It's okay, I don't mind." He yawns, moving closer to her. She was sitting beside him on the edge of the bed, one leg pulled up in front of her and the other one off of the bed, foot planted on the ground.

She brings her hand up and brings it to his head, running her hands through his hair affectionately. Tristan hums softly in content as she continues the motion repeatedly. "What's he like this time?" He whispers after a few minutes, his curiosity getting the better of him.

His mother stays quiet for a moment longer before responding. "He's really sweet. Very kind. He reminds me a lot of you, actually. He seems to joke around a lot and he's very charming. He didn't stay for very long, I don't think he was actually supposed to be away from the castle tonight, but he said he would be back, of course." She tells him softly.

"Sorry for running off and leaving you all alone." He tells her, guilt seeping into his voice.

"Hey, you did nothing wrong, sweetheart. You weren't ready and there's nothing wrong with that." She reassures him. He swallows, moving as close to her as he can and curling himself up against her leg, that childish feeling from before coming back. "Those new friends of yours were worried when you left. I assured them you would be okay and they said to tell you that you're welcome to come find them in town anytime. The blonde one's father is the main blacksmith around here, so you can ask about his whereabouts there sometime. But they'll come back to the tavern sometime, too. They seem to really like you." She tells him, a smile in her voice.

Tristan presses his forehead against her knee. "They seem really nice." He answers honestly.

"That's good, I'm glad you've met them, then." She admits. The two of them fall silent after that for awhile, Tristan laying there with drooping eyes as his mother combs her fingers through his hair gently. Eventually, Tristan speaks up again.

"Hey, mama?" He looks up at her.

She looks down at him. "Yes, my sleepy boy?"

"Can you sing, please?" He asks her.

She gives him a tender smile and nods. "Of course I can."

Tristan smiles softly and yawns again as he turns and buries his face in her knee again, his eyes closing. And then he listens as his mother starts to sing him the same lullaby she's sang to him thousands of times, the one she made just for him.

"Little star, come with me

Fly through the sky and you will see

All the little things that make me believe

Fox cubs are playing

Trees are swaying

Wolf pups are howling

The night cats are prowling

All under your shining light

The flowers are sleeping

The moon is now peaking

And here you lay in my arms

Your eyes have slipped closed

This song I've composed

Leading you to your dreams

Little star, I love you

You know that I do

So, lay down your head

Let your mind rest

You're safe where you are

I won't be too far

I'll stay by your side

'Til sweet morning light."

The last thing he knows is his mother kissing the top of his head as she whispers, "Sweet dreams, my little star." before sleep finally pulls him under for the rest of the night.

~*~

A/N: What did you guys think??? Did you like it?? Please let me know!! I think overall this is a really fun concept to play with and I can’t wait to explore more of this little world that I’m building. Also, I wrote Elizabeth’s lullaby myself, so it’s completely original!! There isn’t much in the way of ships and romance yet, but there will be as we go along, I promise!!! Love you guys!!! 💜💜💜

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andantexvii · 2 years

Text

// Promises // Pt. 2

Eddie Munson x Reader

Part 1 // Part 2 // Part 3 // Part 4

Word Count ~ 2,998

Summary ~ After failing to bring his new acquaintance to the inaugural night of Hellfire's new campaign, Eddie crosses paths with her as he returns home; surprised to find he also has a new neighbor. He's pleased to find, with a little herbal remedy, she's more willing to relax and make conversation with him. Less pleased is he to find why she's so typically on edge in the first place.

Warnings ~ profanity; smoking, marijuana; implication of drinking; (blink and you'll miss it) negative self body image; implication of past abuse; abusive commentary from a parent; use of she/her pronouns

Notes ~ Reader/Main Character now has a hometown from a neighboring state! [Edited!] My medication-addled brain can sometimes overlook some editing errors. If it’s glaring, I don’t mind being notified, but if it’s passable, let it pass~ Reminder the time is adjusted to 1987 - enjoy!

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Requested tags: @eddieswifu @missfangirl-slightly-obsessive [To be added for future updates, shoot me an ask!]

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→

Under the flickering of a dying street lamp, Eddie crouched some dozen or more feet behind his trailer, prodding and scraping at the remnants of some failed culinary endeavor, mostly shrouded by the dark of the evening. It, once upon a time, had been something his uncle had left for him before heading out to work. He thought, anyway. Wayne had always looked out for him the best he knew how, but when it came to domesticity he left something to be desired.

"Rest in beans, for we hardly knew ye." He groaned sarcastically under his breath turning the saucepan over and letting the contents flop, unappetizingly, into a shallow culvert. He stumbled slightly in the dim light cast from the back door, cursing to himself silently for having promised he'd replace the burned out bulb on the porch. He would of course, that is… eventually.

Almost sure the burnt abomination had been properly banished to its swampy demise in the ditch, he turned to head back inside; just as the acrid stench of burnt food was replaced by the smell of something just as pungent but much more familiar. For a moment, he grumbled at the thought of having left his freshly rolled joint slowly burning, wasting, in the kitchen ashtray, but, no this wasn't wafting from the back door he'd left haphazardly askew. Eddie had been known to be careless from time to time, but certainly never wasteful, at least not when it came to letting his own things go, literally, up in smoke.

Placing the ruined pan on the rickety boards of the back landing, he scanned the hazily lit roads and side yards that wound between the motley assemblage of the trailer park. His nose twitching a bit, his eyes came to rest on the dull glow of a lighted window, in a home he'd been sure that up to… maybe two or three days ago had been dark. From it spilled light enough to illuminate a vaguely familiar silhouette; at least it should be, having just become acquainted with it hours before.

"That you, Sweet Red?" He called, loud enough for her to hear, but hopefully not to disturb the neighbors. Ah, but what did he care? There wasn't a person in this place who hadn't become familiar with his shenanigans, save perhaps the newcomers. Licking his lips a bit, he felt a little awkward calling out to her by no name more than the thing that first introduced them: her sweet shade of red pencil. A real charmer.

Leaning against the back bumper of a beater with rusted out siding was the slumped and diminished form of the new girl Dustin had pointed him toward earlier in the day. She sighed, nearly exasperated, while exhaling a slow stream of white smoke. Pretending for a moment not to hear him, her eyes watched him all the while he approached; placing an animated hand over his eyes, as if it could at all help him see better.

"So, you really do live here in our little slice of heaven, huh?" He rocked back on his heels, close enough now she could see the broad and genial grin on his face in the milky light of the window.

Scoffing slightly, she took another long drag off the joint pinched between her fingers, gazing hard into the sky and blowing a small, deliberate cloud between them. Eddie only returned her mock amused look and took a deep breath amid her smoke, like he was taking in the smell of fresh roses on a summer breeze.

"What, you think I’d lie about something like that? Looking to impress you?" She spoke finally, her voice a bit hoarse; besides, she knew he didn't mean it, not in any way that mattered. "Not much to brag about is it? Living in a place like this?"

"Oh, and sour, I see." He chuckled, sidling up next to her and resting his elbows on the trunk of the car. Her eyes fell on him again, and she couldn't help but half-heartedly return his infectious smirk. "Don't worry I'll be careful not to scratch the paint job." Spreading his fingers wide he rapped his heavily ringed knuckles against a particularly rusted portion of metal, producing a dull, monotone melody to fill the growing silence between them.

"Quite the lair you have." She spoke again, after a long while, turning her gaze in the direction Eddie had come from; not entirely sure which trailer he'd come out of, but they all looked the same in the dark.

"You know," Pausing to take yet another drag, she coughed a bit, halfway toward a laugh as a playfully mocking tone rose in her throat. "...for a Master and all. The Dungeon Master."

"Well the thing is, this is all just temporary, y'see?" Eddie smirked slightly, though his tone conveyed all seriousness, at least as much as his Munson charm could manage. "Yeah, my uh, Fortress is under renovation right now. My Fortress of, uh, you know, Solitude. Should only be a little while longer, and I'll be back on my throne, deep in my l-l-lair. " He threw up his fingers into a pair of teasing air quotes.

"Heh, s‘that so?" She couldn't suppress a laugh at the way he wore sarcasm like a well-tailored suit; and oh, how well it fit him.

“I was hopin’ to see you there tonight, y’know? I think Henderson was, too, but hard to tell with him sometimes.”

“H-Henderson?” She cocked an eyebrow at him, hardly knowing anyone in this new place by name.

“Ohh, right, right, you didn’t get a chance to meet the guys yet. Y’might see him on my heels sometime, ah, kinda’ short, dorky lil’ shrimp of a kid, curly mop top, insufferably nerdy. Too smart for his own good and boy will he never let you forget that… infectious little smile, though, give the little shit that much.” Eddie clutched his fist dramatically as if he'd been robbed of some rightful achievement. "He, uh, spotted you first."

“Hmh, sound kinda’ fond of the kid, if I didn’t know better.”

“I mean, yeah, but I’m fond of all my lil’ lost sheepies. Y’know, in their own special way.”

“Sh-sheepies?” She chuckled, not even sure if she was amused, shaking her head a bit. “The hell?”

Eddie scuffed the toe of his shoe against the gravel between them, looking a bit awkward at having to explain himself. It was a patronizing little pet name, to be sure, but no one had ever really questioned him on it before - to those he’d reached out to it just made sense.

“Yeah, you know, those who don’t really fit in anywhere, separated from the flock, or maybe never had one to begin with? When you don’t shape yourself how society says you should, you get squeezed out, gets lonely. I guess I just like lettin’ people know that being themselves ain’t a crime, and there’s a seat for you at the table, I dunno’...”

“No, no, I… I get it.” She said softly, nodding. The sense of calm brought on by the joint she’d been nursing really seemed to open her up a bit more than she’d been earlier in the day. “The opposite of courage isn’t cowardice, it’s conformity.”

Eddie jumped slightly on the spot and clapped his hands once in, what appeared to be, excitement. “See? You do get it, you really get it! Damn, that’s poetic, you wanna’ help me write a campaign?”

“Heh, I got it from some book of my dad’s I found layin’ around in a box years ago, it just really stuck with me is all. Besides, I still haven’t decided if I’m into your little… club, or whatever.”

"You should really co-o-ome," He echoed their earlier conversation, "visit my lair and all. Have fun, make friends, and torment tiny adventurers in a labyrinth of irony and plo-o-ot twists."

"Need ogres to man your dungeons so badly?" Her tired eyes glanced down at herself, without so much as a hint of hiding what she meant.

"Hmm, all full on ogres I think - too demanding, and they keep wrecking the plumbing, you know how they are." He faux pouted for a moment, skirting around her feeble attempt at self-deprecation. Not on his watch.

Drawing himself up to his full height he eyed down at her with a grin, standing nearly two full heads above her. "How about a halfling to fetch my ale and tend my… uh, tomes and such?" Smooth.

"Will quest for food." She chuckled without missing a beat.

Eddie let his head fall back as he laughed, feeling as though the tension between them had finally begun to break. Shaking his mop of loose waves he caught another whiff of the ribbon of smoke swirling from her fingers.

"A toke for the needy, m'lady?" He put on an exaggerated frown and a ridiculous peasant accent to go with it; cupping his hands between them as if he genuinely expected her to oblige.

"Nah, this is about the last of my stash from home!" She hissed softly, carefully extinguishing the joint, and tucking it safely into a small, silver cigarette case she produced from her back pocket.

"Classy. Knew it didn't smell familiar, it sure isn't my stuff, anyway. Besides, I can get you more if you need it, but..." He raised a finger with a saccharine grin. "Only Sweet Girls get a discount."

"Thought I was sour, now." She crossed her arms, looking as though she were trying to protect herself from something; Eddie perked an eyebrow, as it certainly didn't escape his notice.

"Ah, I’m beginning to think you're like one a'those Sour Patch Kids. You know? First one, then the other?" Smiling softly he returned her cross-armed gesture. "Fortunately, I like both."

Her eyes grazed him up and down for a moment; his expression oozing with confidence she wasn't used to men like him wearing - then again, she wasn't used to men like Eddie Munson.

Averting her eyes for a few painfully long moments, she avoided his charming gaze. There was always something waiting behind a smile like that, at least in her experience; something waiting to take advantage of, or make a mockery of her. The least she could do for herself in this forced fresh start would be to never get swept up like a fool again.

"No, no, I get it." He spoke, cutting through the stiff silence like a knife. "It's special, y'know, a little bit of home and all. So, uh, where is 'home', if a displaced Dungeon Master may be so bold as to ask?"

Relaxing her shoulders a bit, her eyes traveled back to him and he nodded reassuringly. He'd noticed her apprehension and though he still wanted to offer a hand of friendship, he respected the time she'd need to open up, or tried to, at least.

"No place you ever heard of." She muttered toward him, fishing in her pocket for a pack of Tic Tacs to cover the smell of stale smoke on her breath. This time, without hesitation, she shook the pack in his direction with an offer to share.

"Ohh!" He placed his cupped hands out again and readily accepted as she shook a few out for him, grinning comically like a goblin at his hoard.

She couldn't help but laugh as he chuckled, making exaggerated lip smacking sounds as he poured the mints into his mouth. Good lord, he hoped his pathetic attempts to get this poor girl to relax were working; he hadn't felt like this much of a ridiculous ass in so long.

"Now, even as a three-peater, geography never tripped me up that badly. Y’know, you got your six cardinal directions, fifty-two states, but…" He paused his antics to roll the Tic Tacs around with his tongue. "You're gonna' have to be a lil' more specific than that for me, I'm afraid."

"Kentucky." She said with a bit of a dejected tone; Eddie couldn’t figure if it was just a bit of homesickness, or she expected him to make fun of where she came from. Instead, he only leaned back, lounging lazily against the back of the car again, and turning his eyes toward the sky.

"Ahh, yes, Kentucky. Home of the, uh… colonel…" Puffing out his chest he spoke of a place he'd never been as though it were both familiar and mystical, though it was clearly neither. "The Colonel and his mighty army of Fried Chickens !"

Ah, she'd expected that one, too but with his shameless delivery she laughed, truly this time; a warm laugh that resonated in her chest, clear and genuine, that brought a smile of relief to Eddie's face.

"Y-yeah?" He sputtered incredulously, surprised she'd found that amusing, much less laughed.

"Is, heh, is that all you know about it?" Her voice was more even, less guarded now. "I'm not surprised."

"Well, yeah… until now." He righted his posture, keeping a respectful distance between them as he rested his hands in his pockets and gave her the best smile he could muster to match her warm, candid laugh. "Now, I know you."

There was another silence between them, though this time it was tinged with the comfort of familiarity, rather than the pang of awkwardness. There was some, as of yet, unknown camaraderie between the two of them, some understanding that only those who'd experienced it could see behind the eyes of another. Maybe he'd just been imagining it, wanting to see it, like he wanted to see the comfort and relief in the eyes of every lonely soul he tried to reach out to. Still, he'd like to think not, maybe it was different this time. He wasn’t sure if she felt the same budding familiarity between the two of them, but he could only hope.

There was no way to tell if he'd successfully opened the door of friendship or not, but he'd certainly been knocking until his knuckles were raw. He was at least able to release a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding when she finally smiled softly and nodded. If the door wasn't open yet, he could hope it was at least unlocked; it was a start.

"Yeah, Dungeon Master, I suppose you do." The tension in her voice had faded to a comfortable warmth and he grinned without realizing. With an exaggerated flourish of his hand, Eddie bowed so deeply his hair nearly brushed the ground.

"Now, now, enough with the formalities m'lady. Merely 'master' will suffice."

Suddenly she reached up to cover her mouth, and he half expected her to feign some sort of retching at the audacity of his display. His smile only widened as he realized she was suppressing a laugh, her arms shaking slightly at the effort - as if she couldn't give him the satisfaction of knowing she'd finally succumbed to his humor.

"Wha-a-at? That? C'mon, I only just… wait what was that?" He stepped a bit closer and cocked his head to one side as she muffled a small sound behind her hand, and he giggled with delight.

"Did you just? Little snorties? Oh nooo, my heart, little piggy laughs!" He clutched his chest dramatically, swooning as though her embarrassed laughter was all it took to pierce his heart.

"N-No, stop it!" She wheezed, waving her free hand at him. "It's terrible!"

As if on cue, the door to her trailer snapped open with an unflattering clatter. Out stepped the silhouetted form of a staggering woman who, had she not been clinging to the door frame, surely would have tumbled face-first onto the gravel drive below. Eddie jumped slightly, turning toward the noise as he saw all sense of life and joy drain from the girl beside him.

"You makin' all that goddamn noise out here?" The woman's raspy voice echoed into the night, before taking a long drag off the cigarette resting between her fingers. "I'm lockin' this door in ten seconds, and yer ass ain't in here it's sleepin' on the porch."

Before Eddie could ask or say another thing, he looked back on her suddenly deflated form which, moments ago, lit up the dull night; all vibrancy and life in her extinguished like a wet match.

"Gotta' go." She muttered, trying to duck past him and make her way inside.

"W-Wait a sec!" Hands faster than his brain, Eddie leapt forward a bit and grabbed gently at her arm. He immediately regretted it as he felt her body stiffen and jolt at the sudden contact, knowing he'd made a mistake. Quickly he let go, hands raised in clear view, in hopes of letting her know he'd had no ill intent.

"Was…" She began roughly, stopping herself to briefly soften her tone. Perhaps it wasn't him she was annoyed with after all. "Was there something you wanted from me, Eddie?"

"Listen, I just… you seemed, a-and I wanted…" He began several times, but nothing seemed to come out just right. The sudden tension turned his tongue sideways in his head and he sighed deeply, trying to gather his thoughts.

Waiting a moment, she turned and headed toward the front door, with intent that told him right away that the half-lit woman's threats weren't merely idle. She'd acted on them before, and would again.

"Look after yourself, little lamb. These don't have to be the worst years of your life…"

He wasn't sure, but he liked to think she'd heard him before the sharp slamming of the front door behind her left him standing, alone again, in the chilly night.

Huffing, he puffed his cheeks and sauntered back toward home. Wondering if he'd made a friend or closed a door forever, he kicked at the loose gravel on the main drive; snickering sardonically as one skipped a few times and collided with the weathered "Forest Hills" sign just off the path.

"Welcome to paradise…"

#eddie munson #eddie munson fanfic #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson x plus size reader #eddie munson x female reader #stranger things #stranger things fanfic #promises #promises fic #WHEW I'm excited to be working on this one OH MAN #I can't promise such a consistent posting schedule with my disability #BUT I WILL TRY #PLEASE ENJOY!!

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ryverbind · 1 year

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Faceless Fixation {Sal Fisher}: Bringing Vi to Life [2]

I watch Sally walk out of the door, trying to hold it together until his messy blue hair turns around a corner and finally leaves my field of vision.

How did this even happen?

The streets of LA are bustling and, still, all I can think of is his black clad figure—the only color on him being the sapphire shade of his hair—walking through and between people. But everyone else was just a shadow beside him. Zooming figures in my way. Blurs with no soul and no purpose but to burden others.

He's long gone now. Michael walked in just minutes after Sally disappeared. I'm forced to pretend that I'm ignoring the phenomena that just occurred as I wait tables and deal with customers that mean nothing to me.

Every inch of me burns to call Ash and quiz her about Sally's surprise visit. My muscles tense up in excitement when I think about it and my head throbs with tons of ways to tell her about what happened. My lips are chewed up and bloody, no doubt, just because I've been worrying over this since he walked through the door.

As much and as badly as I want to call Ash, I know that I can't. She would tell Sally that we met, for one. That's the last thing I want. Even if I asked her not to tell him, I'd be putting her in a compromising position if Sally and I were to ever meet as our real selves rather than this Lexi character that I created.

I'll just keep what happened today to myself. I don't ever have to tell anyone. It's my business anyway. I'll just deal with the consequences if it ever comes out that Lexi and y/n are the same person, which it will come out. With Ash, Larry, Todd, and I's friendship, we're bound to meet up again at some point. Not to mention, I'm planning on trying out this streaming thing soon.

Mine and Sally Face's meeting is fate no matter what fake name I come up with.

My day is boring and cruel. All I do is think about Sally's guitar pick hanging around my neck and the warmth in his bright blue eyes. I remember the way he complimented me, the way his ears turned pink with embarrassment, and all of the nice conversations we shared during his short stay in the diner. I still can't truly believe it happened. I'm honestly... mind blown.

I'm closing up tonight. It's about a quarter to ten and Michael is sweeping around tables as I count up all the money we made today. We close at ten, so we might as well finish our extra responsibilities now. Usually, customers are beginning to finish up at this time. We hardly ever have anyone walk in.

"Alright, y/n," Michael sighs, standing near the front door with his broom in hand. "I'm going put this up then I'll be heading out. You need any help closing this place?"

I smile at him. "No, don't worry about it! I shouldn't be much longer. I'll see you tomorrow."

Michael grins, pulling his apron over his head. "Awesome. See you bright and early."

He disappears into the back, then leaves out the front door just a minute or so later. So I wipe down the counters around me.

It's been a long day and I've been under a considerable amount of stress compared to other days. I'm so tired that I almost feel sick—I have a pounding headache and achy limbs. I almost want to skip work tomorrow and just take a day to myself—but taking a day to myself means losing a pretty $100 for bills at the end of the month. I'd rather not risk that, especially since I only work five hours tomorrow. What's the point of staying home if I won't be out too long anyway?

The bell on the front door jingles with a new customer and I almost groan out loud. I lean down, looking at my phone. We close in three minutes—why would someone do that?

As per my boss's request, if anyone walks in before closing, we have to sit them down and get what they need. I get it in a way, but for other workers like me who have taken a full day's shift, that's tough.

"I'll be right with you!" I say sweetly, scrubbing a spot on the counter despite my aggravation over having a new customer. I'm just ready to get home.

"No worries. Take your time."

I look up in a panic, making eye contact with a sweet, smiling gaze. Do my eyes deceive me? Even if they do, my heart surely wouldn't. It's beating so quickly that it almost hurts. And the sudden butterflies in my stomach make a queasy feeling slam into me.

I take a moment to reply, glancing over Sally who's randomly decided to show up again.

His hands are in the pockets of his black Larry merch hoodie, hiding away the edges of the beautiful tattoo I got to touch earlier. And as always, I can't see his face, but I can tell that he's at ease. Just enjoying his night and perfectly okay with waiting an eternity for me to get to him. Must be nice to not be in a rush all the time.

I gape at him for a moment, then blink. Quickly fixing my posture, I let a little smile pull at my lips as I walk closer to him. "Hey, Sally," I say a little nervously. His name is odd to hear but feels perfect leaving my lips. I can't even remember why I hated this guy at first. What did he say again?

"Hey, Lexi," Sally excitedly says, taking a step closer and leaning his weight against the counter. His hands never leave his pockets. "Sorry to come in so late. I won't be long, just wanted to come talk to you."

I tilt my head curiously, laying my washcloth on the counter. "What about?" I ask.

"Well, it sounds a lot better in my head." He laughs, finally removing a hand to push it through his hair. "Honestly, I'm considering just... saying something else. I don't talk to people often so this is..." he motions between us awkwardly then turns away, looking over at the front door.

I hum, biting the inside of my cheek. His words strike a bit of fear in my heart. Part of me wonders if, somehow, he found out about my real identity. But I know that's next to impossible, especially since Larry, Ash, and Todd haven't gotten a picture of me in years. "I mean, you can say anything. We're just two people in a judgement free zone. I'll never know what you were going to say either if you decide to say something else." I shrug, offering him a sweet smile.

Sally takes a shaky breath. "Yea, you're right. That's why I respect you, though. So, I might as well just do what I came here to do."

I shrug, pinching my fingertips in hopes to quell my anxiety a bit. "Up to you."

He turns his head, azure eyes meeting mine. His gaze slowly travels over every inch of me before they settle on my eyes again. Then, he sighs, resting his elbows on the counter behind him. His hoodie sleeve rides up his arm a bit, showing off an inch or two of the geometric, entrancing tattoos on his arm.

Drool.

"Can I have your number?" He forces out after a moment. He tilts his head nervously. "Like, I don't want to tell you I just want a good friend to talk to." Sally's voice is giggly, like he's extremely anxious. "I mean, I do want a good friend to talk to and you're a really awesome person. But I also would like to talk to you as more of a friend—" He pauses for a moment, then flinches, pulling his hands out of his hoodie in a flash. "But not like a hook-up kind of thing, I mean more of something that could turn into like a relationship over time." He sucks in a breath. "But you don't have to—"

I snort before I can hold it back. A hand automatically slaps over my mouth in shock and I feel bad for giggling. I pull my hand away just as quickly as it went up. "Sorry, I didn't mean to laugh. Your explanation was just... really cute." I giggle again. Why am I calling him cute? "Yea, you can have my number. I think you're amazing."

I wish I'd have thought about my response. It came naturally, even quickly like the words had their own nerves, cells, and ideas. I'm jealous of their confidence. At the same time, I truly wish I could take them back because how the fuck am I supposed to get away with my secret now?

But I don't worry about it too much because the excitement reflected in Sally's eyes is just worth it. Any fear or resentment I had left for him melts away and I wish to see his pretty smile more than anything.

I give him my phone number with no reservations for a moment, watching him type it into his phone. He brushes a strand of light blue hair from his eyes then looks up at me, tucking his phone into his back pocket.

"Thanks," he says. "Sorry if that seemed kind of weird. But, uh, I'll text you later?"

"Yea, that sounds good." I smile at him, pulling my apron over my head and setting it down on the counter beside me. My heart races a bit at the thought of him leaving already, but I know it has to happen.

"Alright," Sally says, chuckling softly. He just kind of stares at me for another moment, eyes flitting over my features before he glances down.

I swallow thickly when his hand is suddenly in front of me. I flinch at the brush of his cold fingertips on my collarbone. My brain is overloaded as I gaze down at his hand, wondering what on earth possessed him-- when I notice the guitar pick between his fingertips.

It's extremely hard to ignore my heated skin and flushed cheeks while I watch him flip the pick between his index finger and thumb, his skin brushing against my chest with each slight, subtle movement.

"Didn't think you'd wear it," he murmurs. "I'm happy to see it."

When I look up, I'm sent into an endless night sky just upon simply gazing into his powerful blue eyes. The gold flecks littering his iris' look like stars lighting up the piercing blue that takes up my entire life for a moment.

He's a lot closer than I imagined he'd be, so we both get lost in each other for a moment-- that much is noticeable.

"It means... a lot to me." I say shakily, finding my small smile again. I'm still shocked by our unexpected proximity and, fuck, his absolutely gorgeous eyes.

I wish I could see his smile when he takes a step away from me and giggles lightly, a light pink dusting his ears and neck. "That's sweet of you. Anyway, I'll get going. I have a flight to catch early in the morning. Um, and I'll probably be playing with everyone tonight, so..." He tilts his head down, shaking his shoulder length hair away from his prosthetic face, but he still never looks back to me.

Compared to how much hate I felt toward Sally just a day ago, I actually feel quite infatuated with him now. He is so amazing. I shouldn't have jumped the gun. Maybe he heard something bad about me and that's why he was so hostile towards y/n. Maybe it's a misunderstanding that we'll have to talk about at some point. I'd prefer that over him just hating me because I'm... me.

"Oh, of course," I say cheerily. "Don't let me keep you, I was just about to close up anyway." Even though he's the one who walked into my diner and I am in no way holding him hostage. "It was so nice meeting you again." The more I talk, the more rushed it sounds and the more frantic I feel. "Thank you for being so kind to me. I'm happy to have connected with you." What the fuck am I saying?

Sally lets out a hearty laugh, patting my shoulder amusedly. But he keeps his hand there. "You sound like I did when I first walked in, Lexi." Oh, true. I'm not y/n at the moment. "Relax. I'm really happy we met, too. I'm looking forward to seeing where we can take our friendship."

I can feel the chill in his hands seeping through my thin shirt and the tightening of his fingertips on my shoulder. The same heat from earlier returns to my cheeks before he finally pulls away. "See you, Lexi!" Sally calls as he walks away and towards the front door.

I lean onto my tiptoes, waving to him. "Bye, Sally." The door closes and a weight that didn't exist just milliseconds ago drops onto my shoulders like 12,000 overweight cats.

The reason I say cats is because the weight is very welcome (who doesn't love chunky kitties?) but it's also incredibly hard to hold up. I love the situation I've found myself in regarding Sally Face, but then again, he hates the true me but seems to enjoy this fake character I created out of fear.

So, like, yea! Sally Face is totally into me, but he's going to catch me in a lie then hate me even more than he already does.

He can dig my grave and spit on it too if he wants. Can't change my fuck up. I'm here and either way, shit's crazy at the moment. I might as well be crazy with the shit.

And then there's the fact that I gave him my phone number. There are so many issues with that stupid decision and I don't even want to think about the full list, but some reasons include, but are not limited to:

1.) Ash could totally match my phone number with the one I gave Sally.

2.) Did I forget to mention that I gave him a fake name?

3.) He fucking hates my guts.

4.) He's going to end up hating Lexi too because I highly doubt I'll ever be able to text him back after realizing what kind of shit-show I've become the main attraction in.

I could list so much more-- those are just a few.

Another happens to be my awful history with relationships. I'm not good at relationships. I've battled depression all my life, which just so happens to be part of the reason as to why my friends back in Nockfell haven't even seen a photo of me since I was a teenager.

I was diagnosed with depression at fifteen. Things took a bit of a turn for me quite quickly. I had been fine beforehand, then my parents got divorced and constantly traveling between their homes made it hard on me. I didn't enjoy anything anymore. Life felt like a chore. I slowly began to distance myself from my new friends, only texting Ash every few days. Sometimes, I'd even go weeks without messaging anyone. I'd just wait for night to come so I could sleep again. So I could dream.

I actually enjoyed school growing up simply because it got me out of the house and kept me busy-- it was the only time that I didn't think about how fucking tired I was of living.

So I've been taking antidepressants for about six or so years now. Life improved for me once I began taking medicine to help me out. I had a few boyfriends who introduced me to many things, but ultimately left my tiny little heart bruised and broken.

Relationships never work for me. I've been cheated on, mentally and physically abused, and betrayed. Maybe it's trauma, maybe it's bad luck. Either way, I don't want to end up like my parents. I'm perfectly fine with living the rest of my life without ever having a significant other.

So Sally Face's phone number will be sent to my text-message purgatory when and if he decides to text me one day.

I grab all of my things and start walking back to my apartment. Dad should be home by now. He works all day and sometimes has to stay at hotels depending on where he is in California at the time, but he told me he'd be close by today.

By the time I make it to our apartment door, I can hear mine and Dad's favorite band playing. The sound is lightly muffled by our door, but I wouldn't mistake this band for the world.

One of the things that got me through my couple years of undiagnosed depression was Breaking Benjamin. Dad showed me the band one day and my young brain fell in love with the sound, the instrumentals, and the lyrics. I have been obsessed with them since I was a teenager and a dream of mine is to finally see them in concert when I have the money to do so.

In fact, I have some of their lyrics tattooed on the left side of my chest, right over my ribs.

An excited smile builds on my face as I throw my front door open, instantly making eye contact with Dad in the kitchen. He waves a little spatula around, grinning at me.

"I know it's late, but--" He tiptoes over to me, speaking in a sing-song voice. "I made pancakes and bacon!"

The lyrics of my favorite song from their Phobia album, Unknown Soldier, quietly plays through our apartment with the sweet smell of warm pancakes to accompany the melody. Our balcony doors are open, letting in the sound of honking cars and laughter from the city below. It's dark out, probably about ten thirty in the evening. I can see all kinds of lights in the distance with just one glance.

My phone starts vibrating in my pocket and a squeak falls from my lips as my momentary bliss is interrupted. My heart thunders against my chest. Fuck, what if it's Sally calling me? I'll decline it. Instantly.

Gosh, I don't want to look at my phone. It's going to be so hard to decline the call mainly because I truly don't want to. In all honesty, I'd love to see where things could go with Sally but I'm in too deep with this lie and I don't trust my luck with relationships. He and I just shouldn't be.

I watch my father for a moment, who raises an eyebrow at me before glancing at my noisy pocket. "You gonna get that, Ducky?" he asks.

Dad's old nickname for me always calms me down a bit. He only uses it if he can tell I'm nervous and need some kind of calm. It's a reminder of simpler times and he knows how much the name means to me. "I don't know. I'm kind of scared," I answer him honestly.

"Want to talk about it?" He asks, lifting up a full plate of pancakes.

I smile, finally growing the balls to pull my phone out of my pocket. I hold my breath and look down at the screen.

Oh, thank God. It's just Ash.

The call ends before I can answer, so I make a mental note to call her back after I talk to my dad.

"I met this guy and... it's a little complicated but I gave him my number. I don't really want him to call me," I murmur, locking my phone and putting it back in my pocket.

Dad snorts. "You know how that sounds right? You gave a guy your number but you don't want to talk to him?"

I roll my eyes. "Okay, yea. It sounds ridiculous, but like I said, it's a complicated situation that I really don't want to get into tonight. I have some things I need to do with Ash."

"Whatever you need, Ducks. I'm here to talk if you want. How is Ash, by the way? She and the guys still doing that online stuff?" Dad asks, stuffing a pancake into his mouth.

I hum, walking into the kitchen and grabbing a pancake for myself. Yes, I do eat them like a normal human-- on a plate with syrup, but I want to get with Ash as soon as possible so I'll be fine with just a plain pancake for now. "Yea. I'm actually going to try it out soon, too. They're really popular and making a lot of money. Look up Ash Campbell on Google."

Dad's brows furrow as he munches on a slice of bacon. "You're kidding." He pulls his phone out, squinting his eyes as he types. Then, his eyes widen and he hums. "Net worth $780,000. That's crazy."

"Yea," I sigh, dusting my hands off over the sink. "You should see Larry and Todd, too."

"I'll go look them up now, hun. You let me know how that online stuff goes. I'm hoping it works for you." Dad sends me a smile then turns back to his phone.

I smile back and begin walking to my room as Anthem of the Angels by Breaking Benjamin comes on-- that's dads favorite song.

The sweet sound of instrumentals and a beautiful voice follows me through our apartment as I grab some clothes to change into. The music I grew up with fills me with a sense of nostalgia, taking me back to a place where everything was easy. I wasn't doing the same thing every single day. I wasn't living paycheck-to-paycheck. I wasn't on my feet all the time and hoping I made enough tips to pay my credit card bill for the month.

It's nice to go back in time every once in a while, even if it's only through music.

When I walk into my bedroom, I grab comfy clothes then head over to my bathroom.

I pull my phone out again, clicking on the notification of Ash's call from five minutes ago. My phone rings for a singular second before a sharp shriek bursts my ear drums.

I flinch, covering my ears and quickly turning down the speaker. I'm sure my dad heard that.

"Y/n!" Ash exclaims. "I was kinda worried you wouldn't call back because I really want to ask you something but like I need and answer now--"

With a nervous giggle, I slowly remove my hands from my ears and pull my dirty work shirt over my head. "Sorry about that, I was just getting home and talking to Dad. Whatcha got for me, babe?"

Ash giggles maniacally, sending alarm bells off in my head. "Okay so how would you feel about jumping online with me and the boys tonight?"

I blink, my eyebrows slowly furrowing as gears turn in my head. She means all the boys. Sally Face told me he was going play with them not twenty minutes ago.

Am I ready for a step like that, especially after just having jumped a hurtle with him? Probably not. But I might as well just get the hard part of introducing myself over with, right?

Maybe he'll like this version of me like he likes Lexi. One can only hope.

"Um," I quietly murmur, chewing on my bottom lip. I'm nervous. I know nothing about streaming and it's been ages since I've used my voice to speak with Larry and Todd. But I'll have to try it out sooner or later anyway, right? Why not get it over with now?

I ponder over the idea for a moment longer before finally saying, "I'll do it. Just don't tell anyone who I am-- not Larry, Sally Face, or Todd. Larry would spill the beans immediately."

Ash laughs sweetly. "You're so right about Larry," she says before squealing. "I'm so excited. This'll be so fun! I'm going to help you set everything up and explain how to record your videos and post and set up your microphone and all of that good stuff!"

I let out a shaky breath, a small smile pulling at my lips. "Sounds good. I don't have a good mic right now, though."

"That's okay!" Ash says while I put on some sweatpants. "We'll figure that out with time. For now, go turn on your shit!!"

"Yes ma'am!" I chirp, saluting the air even though Ash can't see. I open the door and slide out of the bathroom with my socks and veer around a corner to my bedroom. "What are we playing?" I ask as I grab my headset and power it on. I have some experience with parties of people. Ash and I have played together plenty of times.

"We're playing Among Us on PC." I can hear some clicking from Ash's end of the line. "I just sent you an invite to join our channel on Discord. We'll start a VC from there."

I tilt my head, turning on my computer and widening my eyes. "What the hell is VC?"

Ash sighs, clicking her tongue. "My poor, sweet, technology deficient y/n."

"Hey," I murmur, pursing my lips as I pull up my new Discord account and log in. I see the invite, so I accept it, immediately being met with a few immediate messages between Larry and Todd.

"Someone has to tell you the truth!" Ash says matter-of-factly. "Anyway, the boys are probably pretty active right now. Todd and Larry have been bugging me about starting the VC."

"Will you finally tell me what a VC is, Ash?" I ask frantically upon noticing Larry's messages as they come in.

LARBEARAWR: dude who tf is VioletViolence

LARBEARAWR: did we get hacked

LARBEARAWR: do we need 2 start a new channel again

Todd comes in next, his texting style exactly the same as it was and has always been.

T0DDLES12: Idk, man. I wouldn't be surprised if someone found us out by now.

T0DDLES12: VioletViolence, who are you? Has someone hacked us and invited you?

I nearly choke on air when Sally Face pops into the cat. I'm horrified of things going wrong within just a few minutes of us officially meeting. Not to mention, him seeing me as a hacker isn't a good way for me to scoot into the group.

SALLYFʌCɜ: why the fuck would you talk to the hacker

"Oh... Ash they are going crazy. Please say something," I whisper with shaky breaths as panic and anxiety begin to settle in the pit of my stomach.

"Shit, I forgot to tell them about you. Hold on," She says quickly, her soothing voice taking a harsh edge as the sound of her quick typing echoes in my room. "Fuck, what do I tell them?"

"Uh," I wave my hands around and look around my room for something to help me come up with an excuse. All I find is a collection case of every season of Friends-- but it does give me a little idea. It's the best I've got. "Tell them that I'm your cousin's friend?"

I hear some more typing and a quick breath of relief, then Ash's message pops up.

ASHYPOOO<;3: VioletViolence is my cousin's friend! Just trying to help her get on her feet :P She's a big fan and looking for a job. She has experience with gaming too so she's not a newb or anything

Unfortunately, at least for me, Sally responds immediately and the outcome is not looking very good.

SALLYFʌCɜ: ash wtf

SALLYFʌCɜ: we don't do new people

SALLYFʌCɜ: especially people we don't know

Ash scoffs over the phone and I peel my attention away from my computer screen, blinking away sudden tears. It's just because I'm really anxious, but I don't want to break down over something so ridiculously trivial.

But, as always, I'm lying to myself.

I hate that a big part of my life is constant lies. Some of them are little white lies, things I've said for years. I'm fine. I had a good day. I ate lunch. But these recent lies are getting complicated and I keep coming up with and acting on them even though I know it's going to fuck me up in the near future.

Karma's gotten my ass before. No doubt that it'll happen again. And this time is going to be awful.

"He's such a little ass. Always worried about bringing new people into the group. You're our first test trial, y/n." Ash sighs. Wow. Great. Can't wait. "If you look at the channels, you should see a section called Voice Channels. Click on the first one there and that's how we'll talk-- also, that's what VC means."

"Finally," I snicker, following her directions. "Okay, I'm in." I'm the only one in the voice call, clearly since I can't hear anyone else.

"Awesome!" She chirps. "Now open up that screen recording app I told you about, log in, then press record. I'm going to hang up, but I will see you again in the VC in just a moment."

"Sounds good. Don't use my name, Ash," I mumble, focusing on setting up the recording app.

Before I start recording, I wait for Ash to promise that she won't use my legal name, then I press record and go back to Discord.

Ash is online with me a moment later, then Larry right behind her.

"I'm cowering in a corner, Ash," Larry whispers. The sound of his voice in real time makes a beaming smile and excited shivers take over my body. "Who's this chick?"

I can't help but let a little giggle out at his amusing introduction.

"Oh?" Larry's voice seems to perk up a bit. "A hot chick with a cute laugh?"

There it is. I roll my eyes and finally speak. "Hey, Larry," I start carefully. "I'm a big fan. Nice to meet you. Ash tells me a lot about you guys." I'm playing the role perfectly, I think.

An unflattering, hilarious, garbled sound comes from Larry's line. "Well, the pleasure is all mine, little lady." He chuckles a bit, drawling out some mumbles and poking fun at Ash. "So like, what's up with you?"

I struggle to hold back little laughs as I sit down in my chair and lean back. "Um." I shut my mouth when I realize I have nothing to tell him. What am I supposed to say for now? "Err--"

"She's from... Connecticut! She's... twenty-one and struggling with her job as... a bank-teller. She wanted to try something else so I offered to help her out." Ash saves the day and comes up with a lie so random and absurd that it sounds believable.

"Oh, cool. What's it like... counting numbers in Connecticut, little lady?"

"Larry, stop calling her 'little lady,'" Ash's thunderous, agitated voice makes me flinch away from my computer.

Larry gasps, feigning offense. "Gosh, fine, fuck, whatever, Ash! Just trying to be nice!"

"So this VioletViolence is not a foe?" Todd's deep voice makes another smile quirk my lips.

"I'm a friend, I promise." I laugh lightly. "It's nice to meet you, Todd. I've been watching you for a while."

"Pleased to make your acquaintance, VioletViolence," Todd formally and sweetly welcomes me. "Your name is quite a mouthful. We'll have to find a nickname for you."

I hum in response, thinking it over. "You're right. It's a bit much." I don't quite know how to shorten it down, though. We'll just stick with this for now I suppose.

I don't have time to prepare myself when Sally suddenly pops into the voice channel. I simply suck in a breath as his livid voice fills my ears. "Ash," he says angrily, "our agreement is to never let randos into the group, so why the fuck is this person here? And no, I couldn't give a shit less if this insignificant fan that you found online is witnessing this right now."

All of the memories I have of Sally crack. Just one more slip up and I'll forget them all. What is his problem with almost every version of me and why is 'Lexi' an exception?

"Sal, stop acting like that! I've met this person many, many times and I trust her. Stop being a dick. She's a fan of ours and she's practically family to me," Ash sticks up for me, arguing aggressively with Sally.

"You think I care? This is just a repeat of whatever went on with that y/n chick. I swear that bitch's aura follows me around every turn. I even heard her fucking name today. Now I have to deal with another?" Sally scoffs into his mic, his voice growing dangerously low and hostile.

I know he didn't just refer to me as a bitch.

I wince. He heard the right y/n's name today. He also met her-- but he doesn't need to know that. So what's his deal, then? Is he just overprotective of his group?

I jump into the conversation before Ash and Sally can argue any further. "Um, hey, Sally Face." My voice is soft and shaky. Anyone would be able to tell that I'm horrified. "I'm sorry if you feel that I'm impeding. I won't cause trouble and you guys never have to play with me again. I'm actually a big fan of yours--"

"I don't fucking care. I do not want you here," Sally's sharp, straight-to-the-point tone makes me flinch in my seat for what feels like the hundredth time tonight.

"Stop it, Sally. We don't need you being an ass, man. Come on," Larry tries to diffuse the situation, his voice a bit disappointed but soft, consoling even. "I'm gonna start recording so watch the shit you say. Be nice to Vi. She's just looking for a kickstart."

"There!" Todd exclaims. He sounds excited. "There's the nickname! Yes, that works great!"

A smile settles onto my lips again. I thought I'd lost it for good because of Sally, but Larry found a nickname for me.

Larry laughs, followed by Ash. Then he starts with his intro into his stream followed by Ash, Todd, and Sally. I just kind of sit there for a moment, waiting.

"Vi!" Larry's overexcited and comforting voice calls my nickname. I sit up, paying close attention to what he says next. "I'd like to introduce you to The Faces! Everyone, this is VioletViolence. She will be joining our game of Among Us today. I've heard some pretty good things about her skill, so let's see what she's got!"

The Faces. The group that consists of Ash, Larry, Todd, and Sally. I never thought I'd be included, even if it is just for one video.

"You heard him," Ash says. "Vi, why don't you tell us a bit about yourself?"

"Or we can just start the game?" Sally says, tone biting and dangerous. He's putting up a barely held up front for his viewers.

The crack in my new view of him finally breaks apart. My opinion of him is just as vile as it was before I met him in person and it takes a lot of willpower to stop myself from snapping at him.

"Well, I'd like to learn more about VioletViolence and it seems like my viewers would as well. They're wondering if your Twitch account is VioletViolence as well, by the way, Vi," Todd says, turning attention to me.

"Oh, yes!" I sit up quickly, pushing down the blush on my cheeks. "My Twitch account is VioletViolence, but I'm not streaming there at the moment. I'll be posting a video from tonight somewhere. Maybe Youtube."

"Okay, everyone seems to be looking forward to your video. If you need any help with Twitch, let us know," Todd sweetly says.

"Thanks, I appreciate it," I reply.

"So, tell us some fun facts, Vi!" Ash says excitedly. "What's your favorite color? Favorite movie? You know, just so we can get to know you!"

Smiling brightly, I settle into my seat and navigate my way around the loading screen of Among Us while I talk. "Well, my favorite color is actually violet. I love dark colors, especially purple. Um, my favorite movie is Rob Zombie's remake of Halloween. Big fan of Mike Myers."

"Yuck, Sally loves those movies, too! I hate horror," Ash giggles, fake-gagging.

Laughing, I think about how lucky I am to have Ash before I talk again. I'll never have a friend as generous and loving as she is. "Makes sense. You're pink and upbeat. You know I had a goth moment growing up."

I feel like I'm going to vomit when I realize I've slipped up, but Ash saves me again. "Oh, true! I forgot to tell everyone, but Vi and I know each other! She's a family friend."

Thank the stars. Ash deserves love and success to last a lifetime.

"What kind of music do you listen to?" Larry asks, giving me some scary deja vu from earlier today. I guess I have to come up with a different answer from what I told Sally.

"I really like rock. My favorite band is Breaking Benjamin! I'd love to see them in concert one day." I keep my voice light and comfortable, pretending to be something I'm not.

"Oh, cool! I like Breaking Benjamin. They're pretty rad. I love the Celtic symbol they use as a logo," Larry says, sounding like he's genuinely interested. "Don't the members have the logo tatted on their wrists?"

I chew my lip, lifting my legs and holding them to my chest as I twirl back and forth in my chair. "Yea, as far as I know. I have their lyrics tattooed on my side, actually. I guess that's another fun fact."

"Oh, so you have tattoos, too? That's hot as fuck, bro." Larry starts giggling like a little schoolgirl. At that exact moment, I get a few notifications on my phone from Twitch and Youtube. All new subscribers. Shit.

"Only one for now," I say with a little laugh. "It says, 'Empty and perfect, shattered and worthless. Sober and silent, faded and violent. Never surrender, out of the embers.'" I debate on whether I should give a little more information about myself. "It's from the first song I ever heard by them called Never Again. It really stuck with me, I felt like I could relate."

"Those are some deep lyrics," Todd says. "Is that where you got your username from? The 'faded and violent' part?"

I'm shocked Todd noticed that, especially since I didn't notice it. "No, I've never realized it until you said that. I guess it was fate, huh?"

"That's so cute! I love how everything always ties together in the end," Ash says, her sweet voice making me grin.

"Getting lyrics tattooed is kind of basic. You should've gotten something else." Sally's words are murmured and I can almost feel his nonchalant shrug like I'm doing it myself.

"And being an asshole is really old," I fire back, letting my foot fall from my chair so I can bounce my leg. I'm really starting to get fed up with this guy.

Ash sighs. "Here we go."

Sally Face snorts, unamused by my retort. "You asked for the asshole side of me when you jumped in on what I do for a living. I don't even know you. None of us do."

"Ever heard of socializing?" I ask, tilting my head. "It's not impossible. It's not a bad thing either. I'm not going to steal your heat, man."

"You wouldn't be able to take any of my heat regardless," Sally laughs heartily. "I'm just ready for you to go back to what you were before we met-- insignificant."

For the first time since talking to him as VioletViolence, I smile at his words and I mean it. It's not forced, it found its way onto my lips of its own accord. No fighting, no issues. I embrace the smile because I know I'm an even match for Sally Face, and perhaps that's why he's already so upset over my existence.

I'm going to beat him at his own game.

My reply is instant. "You're not the only person in existence, you shrimp-dicked fuck nugget. Have some respects for others around you."

I start a new game of Among Us, feeling refreshed and rejuvenated as I finish our little argument with, "I win."

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

A/N:::::: I KNOW. THIS WAS LONG AWAITED AND I APOLOGIZE!!! Part of the reason as to why I haven't posted in a bit is because this story is still fresh to me! I have a general idea of how I want it to go, but finding and picking out directions for the plot is a bit hard! I'm still figuring out the content of chapters and what I'll do next. I'm also still getting used to writing smut and taking my time to learn how to write it better so I can give you guys the best that I can. We're still at the start, so hold onto the 'oh-shit-handle' and get ready for the ride!

As always, I love you all with my entire heart. Sweet dreams/daydreams <3333

#sally face #sally face fandom #sally face fanfiction #sal fisher #larry johnson #ash campbell #todd morrison #travis phelps #x reader #fanfic #future smut

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