#sometimes you gotta sit down and look at the person you've apparently decided to be and think: okay.

[mrslectermoriarty]

Headcanon Series #16

Ice and Mav finally get their shit together after the Uranium mission. Don't ask me how, theories in the comments. Anyway, they kiss in public - on base or something, it looked very dramatic - they become a couple and the next morning Ice walks into the building he works in (enter important navy office) and half the officers he passes look very pissed at him, ready to bite his head off. Especially older ones he's known since the 90s or so. Most of them grumble some unfriendly sounding greetings into his direction. Some of the younger ones though smile at him with such happiness and sometimes clap his shoulder or congrate him, he can't really comprehend what's happening.

He shrugs it off and enters his office, only to find out his long time secretary and dear friend Mrs. Lesser is about to leave. For a vacation. She's never taken a vacation before. Sure, some free time over the holidays or when Ice took a break from work, but never longer than a couple days. Now she's gone for a few weeks.

The weird events continue when two hours later, a mad looking Admiral Hanson stands in his door and rants something about Tom being childish and stupid and how he could do such a thing. "Seriously, Tom. All those years and now you gotta pull a stunt like that? I thought better of you."

After the third officer passing his office and muttering something among the lines of "Really great, Kazansky," Tom calls for a meeting. He's the COMPACFLT after all. He outranks most people in the building. And this seems rather serious.

"Gentlemen, I am at loss for words. Your overall behaviour today has not only been out of line for work but also simply disrespectful. If this has anything to do with the events from yesterday, I can only say I am disappointed. We are professionals and the government, the state and the people depend on our work. We can't let something from any of our private lifes affect us like this. We're grown men and we should be able to handle such things like grown men. We can only function as a united front."

There's an audible huff at the other end of the table, coming from Admiral Marcus. "Easy to say for you, you got the guy you've been thirsting for the last 40 years, I lost about 200$ because of you and Mitchell." Admiral James, who sits next to him elbows him. Tom's eyebrow start to wander. "How exactly do you loose 200$ because of me? Please, elaborate."

Opposite from Marcus and James, Admiral Cameron pulls a thick folder from under the table and slides it over to Tom. Whispers and even gasps erupt. "It's over, so he might as well know now."

Tom opens the folder and is greeted with a long list of people, dates that reach back to the 80's and huge amounts of cash written down. Between the pages are various copied documents of conversations between him and Mav, pictures of them together on various occasions and hand-scribbled notes with more dates and different statements on them. Tom's eyebrows almost disappear in his hairline. "What is this?", he quietly asks, afraid of an honest answer.

Cameron sighs and speaks up: "Some guys from your Topgun Class apparently started this in 86'. It was about when you and Mitchell would get your shit together and do something against that unresolved tension between the two of you. They expanded their list with every squadron you both were in because you guys weren't subtle at all but also extremly stupid and the rest got a kick out of betting who'd give in first and when this would happen. At the ceremony in the 00's, when you got your stars, an Admiral got a hold on the list and decided to join. He brought it over here and no-one couldn't really resist. And now we heard of you and Mitchell eventually putting an end to this. Of course people are pissed, they bet way to high on the wrong guy or year!"

Tom's eyes skim down the list. It seems like every person he's known inside the Navy has their name written down on the yellowing paper. He spots Mrs. Lesser on there and let's out a surprised chuckle. "Marywas really good. Got almost 1000$ out of this. No wonder she's on vacation." He drages his hand over his face to regain some grip on the situation.

"I can't even- how did you manage to hide this from me for so long?", is the only question he gets out. James laughs. "We're the military. We have our ways." By now the whole table is chuckling or whispering in amusement. Tom can only shake his head, but also smiles. "Can I take this home? I need this in a proper display on my office wall. Or maybe over the dinner table. And you are all invited to an apology-BBQ."

Okay, I know this was weird, but in my head I can see so many people in the Navy that just see Pete and Tom working together and they think like "Yeah, these two are totally gonna end up together." I love people shipping IceMav, I'm sorry.

#top gun fandom #top gun #topgun #tom iceman kazansky #pete maverick mitchell #icemav #top gun headcanons #Ice lives #headcanon series mrslectermoriarty

[mementomoriifics]

After Hours - Sanemi x Reader x Giyuu (NSFW)

Tags: Student/Teacher, college au, pwp, praise kink, cunnilingus, blowjob, threesome, voyeurism, cuckolding i suppose??, sub!Giyuu, reader is cis female

Wordcount: 3204

Author’s note: A sequel to Office Hours! I suppose it can be read seperately though!

AO3 link

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

"You look awfully happy."

You looked up from your phone at your friend, Zenitsu. He looked positively exhausted and eyed you with a certain kind of suspicion you weren't used to.

"What do you mean?" You asked, eyebrows furrowed as your friend gave you a look.

"You've got Sanemi-sensei's class next, right? How could you possibly be in a good mood? He's like, Satan incarnate!"

You snorted, a slight tinge of fear gripping at your heart as you locked your phone and tucked it away in your bag. Thank God Zenitsu was none the wiser.

"Just in a good mood, I guess. If it'll make you  feel better, I'll frown."

You pulled the most exaggerated frown you could manage, Zenitsu rolling his eyes at you but unable to stop the smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"What would make me feel better is for my fucking roommate to stop raising fucking hell at three in the morning." The blond continued, the smile vanishing as quickly as it came. "Or if Nezuko finally texted me back."

His shoulders slumped and you couldn't help but pity your friend. He'd had a rather unfortunate string of bad luck recently that included the move of his previous roommate (a very nice guy by the name of Tanjiro). His new roommate was a very rowdy person called Inosuke who was part of the athletic program and who'd never heard of the concept of an inside voice.

Not to mention Zenitsu's rotten luck when it came to love. In the past month alone he'd been stood up on a handful of dates. Yet, he couldn't stop pining over his ex-roommate's sister.

Honestly, if you looked up 'unlucky' in the dictionary, you'd see Zenitsu's picture staring back at you.

"Just give it some time. I'm sure things will smooth themselves out." You said, patting the blond's shoulder in a way you hoped came off as comforting.

Zenitsu opened his mouth to continue his lament but the bell cut him off. He pouted but before another word left him, you interrupted.

"Gotta run! Sanemi-sensei hates people being late!"

"See you later then!" Zenitsu called after you as you dashed down the corridor to your class.

Little had your friend known that Sanemi-sensei was the exact reason you were in such high spirits. It had been a month and a half since your first rendezvous in his office and you'd visited him roughly half a dozen times after.

You'd also swapped numbers and your text conversation was full of flirting, inappropriate pictures and earlier today, Sanemi promised to take you to his apartment that weekend to 'finally fuck you on a bed'.

Oh, if only Zenitsu knew...

You made it to the lecture hall with just two minutes to spare, breathing heavily as you sunk into your regular seat. Sanemi was up front, leafing through his notes.

Grey eyes locked with yours for a split second and your heart skipped a beat.

You looked away and set up everything for class, startling slightly by the buzz of your phone. You fished it out of your bag, seeing the text previewed on your lock screen

'my office after class.'

When you looked back up at your professor, he wasn't paying attention to you. He merely raised his voice and started class.

You couldn't help the squirming at the thought of what was to come. Visits to his office always ended the same way and, God, you couldn't wait.

Minutes seemed to drag on as class proceeded. Sanemi-sensei was droning on about some theorem you had a hard time understanding. It really didn't help that you continued to get distracted by how he looked.

He was dressed in a pair of grey, well fitting slacks and a white button up with the first three buttons undone and the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. Over that he wore a slate grey vest with very subtle, green embroidery.

For someone as rough as him, he seemed to know damn well how to show off.

Sometimes you wondered if he did it for you specifically but you decided to abandon that thought quickly. There was no way Sanemi would dress up just to get a rise out of you, right?

You hummed, copying the problem on the board as Sanemi turned to explain the method of solving it, arm flexing as he wrote on the whiteboard. You fought your mind to keep it from wandering to the time Sanemi had those arms hooked under the bend of your knees to fold you double on his desk.

God, you were really a lost cause, weren’t you?

You managed to keep your thoughts from wandering for the most part until the end of class, finding yourself up and out of your seat quicker than you’d intended to. You spotted Sanemi barely concealing a smile. He’d probably tease you for your eagerness later but you couldn’t find it in yourself to be bothered by that prospect.

Roughly twenty minutes and a bit of loitering later to not appear too suspicious, you found yourself in front of your professors office. Excitement coursed through your veins, arousal already rearing its head.

You knocked, waiting for permission to enter.

Silence.

You frowned. Was Sanemi still occupied with something? Maybe he hadn’t heard your knock.

You knocked again.

Still silent.

You hummed, a little puzzled. You usually stayed behind a bit or hung around to make sure Sanemi was in his office by the time you got there.

He probably would be here soon, you reasoned, opening the office door and walking in already. You weren’t paying very much attention so when you closed the door behind you and noticed a red faced Giyuu-sensei behind Sanemi’s desk, you all but screamed.

“What are you doing here?!” you called out, heard beating a mile a minute.

Giyuu didn’t respond right away. He merely folded his hand on the desk, keeping his intensely blue eyes aimed at them.

“I was waiting for Sanemi. I would like to have a chat with him. And,” he hesitated, his face getting even redder. “With you too, apparently.”

Your heart sank into your shoes. You knew Giyuu-sensei's office was next to Sanemi's but the walls couldn't have been that thin, right? And surely you hadn't been that loud?

"What about?" You asked, trying to keep your nerves at bay. For all you knew his reasons were innocent. Though you'd doubted that very much.

Suddenly, the door behind you opened, Sanemi entering and freezing in place as he noticed that Giyuu was sitting in his chair. He bristled and straightened his back, obviously unhappy with the fact your time alone was interrupted.

"What do you want?"

You were caught off guard by just how hostile Sanemi sounded as he addressed his colleague. You wondered if there was any bad blood between the two and judging by Giyuu-sensei's reaction, if there was, it was very one-sided.

"Just wanted to ask if you two could keep it down. You're not as quiet or subtle as you think." The history professor's face was an even brighter shade of red. Sanemi, who now stood next to you, grinned.

"So you've been eavesdropping." He taunted. "D'you get off on that? Didn't take you for the type."

You felt embarrassed and had half a mind to leave the office and never come back. You'd effectively been caught. The jig was up and you could both be in massive trouble if Giyuu decided-

"Yes. Its-" the man in question halted as if he couldn't believe what he was about to admit to. "It's hard not to let it affect me."

Sanemi barked out a laugh as if he'd just heard the funniest joke. You were still ruminating in your embarrassment, covering your face with your hands. If only you’d been quieter. It hadn’t helped Sanemi seemed to revel in the noises he could get from you.

"So you're telling me you've been jacking it to me and her," you peeked between your fingers, seeing Sanemi gesture towards you. "fucking after class? You're even more of a pervert than I thought, Tomioka."

"I didn't come here for judgement," Giyuu took the crass remarks in stride. "I just wanted to let you know that sound carries."

"You're not gonna tell anyone, are you?" You asked, a little scared. Giyuu-sensei hesitated but before he could say anything, the math professor spoke up.

"He'd be too embarrassed to have'ta admit he's been getting off to it." Sanemi continued and you gave his arm a half hearted shove. He looked in your direction, entirely unimpressed. But then you could see the gears in his head turn. "I got a deal for you."

"Shinazugawa, I can't-"

"Shh, hear me out," Sanemi continued, interrupting his colleague.

Giyuu had risen from the chair and you noticed a bulge at the crotch of his slack, averting your eyes quickly. You wondered briefly if Giyuu was into humiliation.

"What is it?"

"You keep your mouth shut about this, and we'll give you a live demonstration."

Your face flushed bright red at the suggestion but you couldn't deny the prospect of it getting to you. The idea of Sanemi having you in every way he wanted with Giyuu-sensei's pretty eyes watching everything happen. It made you wetter than you wanted to admit to.

"Are you in agreement?" The latter asked you, his expression set to hesitant.

"Don't be so fucking formal about it, you weirdo." Sanemi taunted, reaching to grab you and pulling your back against his chest, his hands already sliding up your shirt. "Of course she's down for it."

You nodded in confirmation, biting your lip as Sanemi shamelessly started to grope your chest. Giyuu sat back down in the desk chair, his face forced in a neutral expression but the tips of his ears a bright red.

"Let's show him your pretty tits, hm?" Sanemi whispered in your ear, roughly hiking your shirt up and off, carelessly tossing it aside. He eyed the bra you were wearing  for a moment. It was one of Sanemi-sensei's favorites and you could see him grin out of the corner of your eye.

"Pretty thing, isn't she?" Sanemi said, palming your chest. Giyuu nodded in agreement, watching you intently. His gaze made a shiver of excitement run down your back.

Sanemi’s hands left your chest for a moment to unhook your bra and toss it the same direction as your shirt. Giyuu kept staring, watching the other man’s movements like a hawk. You vaguely registered that one of his hands had settled on his crotch and another wave of arousal coursed through you.

“Already touching himself.” Sanemi taunted, going back to playing with your chest, rolling your nipples between his fingers until they were still little peaks. He gave one of them a playful tug. “Maybe we should show him how good you are with that pretty little mouth of yours.”

Without thinking, you sank to your knees, earring a pleased little laugh from Sanemi.

“Is she always that eager?” Giyuu asked, voice thick with arousal.

“Only for Sir.” You answered, both men cursing under your breath. You couldn’t help but grin at their reactions, keeping your hands busy with undoing Sanemi’s belt.

“I trained her well,” Sanemi sounded almost insufferably smug as he watched you. “Put on a show for him.”

You nodded, freeing Sanemi’s cock from the confines of his slacks and giving it a long lick from balls to tip. You caught the soft sound of a zipper being undone and part of you wanted to watch Giyuu touch himself to the idea it was him you were pleasuring but Sanemi had other plans.

His hand settled on the back of your head as he guided his length into your mouth. His thrusts started shallow but you knew it wouldn’t take much longer before he would fuck your mouth in earnest.

“She looks pretty with a cock in her mouth.” Giyuu spoke and you glanced sideways at him for a moment, seeing him lazily touch himself, as if to draw out his own pleasure.

“She does.” Sanemi spoke, thrusting a little faster. “She looks even better like this.”

You had very little time to prepare yourself as Sanemi slid his cock down your throat, nose pressed against the little patch of hair at the base of it. You squeezed your eyes shut, hearing Giyuu curse.

After a little while, Sanemi pulled out, his cock coated in your spit. You caught your breath, looking up at Sanemi who was stroking his dick as he grinned down at you.

“You want me to fuck your mouth a little more or do you want him to show you how I wreck that little pussy of yours and get you to make all of those pretty noises?” He asked only a little condescendingly.

“I want you to fuck me, Sir.” You asked prettily, deciding to be nice and compliant, just to get a rise out of your audience. Sanemi grinned in a way you’d call predatory.

“Good girl. On your feet, c’mon.”

You rose immediately, watching as Sanemi grabbed the chair on the other side of the desk and moved it so Giyuu could get a good view of what he was about to do to you. He sat down holding his dick, a shameless display.

“Strip and ride me.” Sanemi spoke, all business. “I want you to face him.”

You turned towards Giyuu who was still drawing out his movement, hand slowly moving from the base of his cock to the head where he’d linger for a moment. He wasn’t as thick as Sanemi but he was just a little longer and there was a curve to his length you wagered would feel like heaven pounding against your g spot.

After your moment of staring, you took off your bottoms, running your hands over yourself to show off. There was something indescribably hot about being completely naked in front of two men who were still fully dressed but both hard as a rock.

“C’mon, princess. Haven’t got all afternoon.” Sanemi spoke, an urgency to his voice.

You walked over to him and hovered over his lap, reaching between your thighs to grab him and line his cock up with your entrance. The entry was smooth and he filled you up so nicely as your butt hit his lap.

“You feel so good, Sir.” you whined, swiveling your hips to get any sort of friction. Sanemi chuckled, pressing his hips up into yours.

“I know, baby. Now,” he pressed a kiss against your neck. “Bounce and take what you need. And be loud for me. We don’t wanna let down Giyuu now do we?”

You whined again, trying to find leverage and lifting your hips slightly only to bring them back down with an obscenely wet sound. You’d be embarrassed if it didn’t feel so fucking good.

In your lust drunk haze, you looked over at Giyuu. He had pulled his tie loose, gaze settled between your thighs. He was touching himself in earnest and it was the hottest thing you’d ever experienced.

Sanemi’s hands settled on your hips as he helped you set a pace and you moaned, eager and wanton.

“Hey, Tomioka.”

Giyuu’s eyes reluctantly turned to stare at Sanemi over your shoulder. His hand didn’t cease its movements and a shiver of pleasure ran down your spine again, settling between your obscenely spread thighs.

“Get over here and taste her.”

You would’ve said something, not in protest or anything, but it all happened too fast. Giyuu was up and out of his chair in an instant, rounding the desk and settling between your thighs.

“Is this okay with-”

It was kind of him to ask but you interrupted him with a loud, whined yes. That was all the confirmation he seemed to need before the black haired man buried his face between your legs.

His tongue found your clit with ease that betrayed plenty of practice and your eyes rolled back in your head at the feeling. Thank God Sanemi was almost manually bouncing you on his cock because your body felt like it had become boneless.

It wouldn’t take too long before you’d plummet over the edge at this rate, between the feeling of Sanemi’s cock and Giyuu’s eager tongue.

“You gonna cum?” Sanemi’s voice sounded near your ear. You let out a damn near pathetic sounding ‘uhu’, earning a chuckle from Sanemi. “‘S a good girl.”

He then hooked his chin over your shoulder to stare down at Giyuu, taunting him further. You looked down as well, the sight making you gasp.

The black haired man was eating you out like he was a man starving and you were an all you could eat buffet. His arm was moving erratically, betraying he was still touching himself. His face was the prettiest shade of red and it was all so much, too much.

With a moan that sounded like it came straight from a porn flick, you careened off the edge, making Giyuu gasp at the mess you made. You felt Sanemi pull out of you and heard him groan loudly, signalling that he had followed you over the edge as well.

You were breathing heavily, slowly floating back down to earth. Absently, hou glanced down and you didn’t expect the sight you were met with.

Between your thighs sat Giyuu still, the bottom half of his face a mess of your slick and Sanemi’s cum. Obviously lust drunk, he lazily licked Sanemi’s dick clean, his eyes locking with yours.

“Shit, Tomioka,” Sanemi spoke, voice a little rough. “Keep that up and it’s your mouth I’ll fuck next.”

Giyuu whimpered and it struck you that it was the first time you’d heard him make noise this entire time. You saw him shake and it dawned on you he must’ve finally reached his own climax. He seemed to collapse against you, boneless as he rested his face against your bare stomach.

“Shit,” You spoke after a moment of silence. “That was the hottest thing I’ve ever been through.”

Sanemi chuckled, pressed lazy kisses down your neck and shoulder, his hands running up your sides in a soothing motion.

“Agreed. We should do it more often.” He agreed, looking down at Giyuu again. “What do you say.”

“I’m willing if you two will allow me.” Giyuu spoke against your stomach, refusing to move. You couldn’t help yourself and ran a hand through his now messy hair, a chunk of it having escaped the elastic he used to tie it back.

“If you eat me out like that again, absolutely.”

Giyuu chuckled looking up at the two of you with nothing but stars in his pretty, blue eyes.

“Can I maybe fuck you next time?”

You looked over at Sanemi who seemed a little peeved, considering the request.

“How about,” he spoke after a moment of consideration. “We all get decent and head to my place. Then we can talk specifics. Sound good?”

You and Giyuu nodded, the math professor snorting in amusement.

“Good. Now get up and get ready. We got a long night ahead of us.”

#sanemi x reader #giyuu x reader #sanemi x reader x giyuu #kny x reader #demonslayer x reader #kny imagine #morii's fics #not sfw

[extraintrovertedalien]

Brave face, talk so lightly(hide the truth)

'All my life, I've just wanted to make things easier for them.'

Au August

Day/Prompt: Day 26 - Soulmate

Ship: Prinxiety, brief logicality, creativitwins

Word count: 3k (I'm so sorry I got carried away)

Cw: swearing / brief murder mention / implied death / crying / nightmares(?) / anxiety mention / caps / claustrophobia(?)

A/N: the prompt is your dreams are your soulmate's memories. The title is from the song "Sick of losing soulmates" by dodie. I wrote the first 1/4 of this a few days ago and the rest in one sitting and I couldn't care less about proofreading it so Im so sorry if there are any mistakes ;-;

@tsshipmonth2020

I see a girl in the distance. She has her back turned. Long chocolate-colored hair tied in a low messy bun. My hand is reaching out to her. I feel this sudden longing to be held by this woman. Craving her caring and loving words. Telling me that everything is going to be alright.

Wait. Why is she getting farther away?

She looks back at me with a sad smile. Everything gets dark. I let my eyes stray from her to look around. When was I in a hospital corridor?

"I'm sorry, Pumpkin. You're gonna have to continue our adventure without me. But, fear not, Little one. I'll always be there by you. You just gotta learn to know where I am,"

She caresses my cheek, giving me the warmest smile I have ever received.

She's gone, suddenly. I touch my cheek, still feeling the ghost of her warm touch. Along with… something wet? Am- Am I crying?

"Roman!"

I don't move. I feel stuck. But, also free, somehow. Just unsure of what to do, I guess?

"Roman! Wake up. You idiot!

"Roman!

"Oh, thank all things unholy! I thought someone was in our room, trying to murder us! You were crying, and- and whispering stuff! And it's creeping me the fuck out! And I'm not easily creeped out, you know that" Remus exclaimed as he sat on Roman's chest, grabbing his twin’s shoulders.

"Man, you're soulmate must have some twisted memories," He continued, getting off of Roman and returning to his own bed across the room.

'Yeah. Twisted…' Roman thought.

~*~*~

"You okay there, Sweetie?" Roman heard from where his head was buried on the kitchen counter. "Yeah... Just thinking about my soulmate again," he admitted.

"Another bad dream?" His mom inquired as she sat next to Roman, patting his back. "It's not just that. It's about the move. Like, we're never really sure which of our memories they see, right? But, they've seen all my memories from this place. Like, they know where I've been my entire life…" he trailed off.

"I'm just not sure how they would feel seeing a whole new different place… They don't seem to be in a place to experience a big change right now. All my life, I've just wanted to make things easier for them. And, yeah, my dreams don't really change that much. But, I make an effort, y'know?" Roman looked up at his mom to seek at least some kind of reassurance.

"I understand what you mean, and I think that what you're doing is great. And I know that you're gonna be the bestest thing that's ever gonna happen to them. But, I'm really sorry. We don't really have any choice with this move. I know your soulmate is in a dark place right now, but you can't always do everything for them. You're also your own person," His mom hugged him.

Roman felt like he was hopeless in this situation. And, he was always hoping for the best. For his soulmate or otherwise. Maybe his mom was right about putting himself first sometimes.

~*~*~

Virgil was in his first period when someone he didn't expect to walk into his classroom… walks into his classroom… They were wearing an army green shirt, a denim jacket with neon green highlights and spikes at the bottom, ripped jeans, and platform boots with more spikes and vulgar words written on them. To say that this man was familiar was an understatement. He KNEW this man's entire life THROUGH his dreams.

Virgil felt like he was trespassing someone's life. Like, he wasn't supposed to know the man. And that, they shouldn't be in any way related. Especially to their sibling.

He wasn't really ecstatic about meeting his soulmate. IN SCHOOL NO LESS. It wasn't really an ideal 'meet-your-soulmate' place for someone like Virgil.

"Alright, students, I'm sure you've all noticed that we have a new student right here. Now, why don't you go and introduce yourself, Mister," their teacher said to the denim jacket guy.

"Umm. Sup? I'm Remus Duke Kingsley. Nice to meet you all. And, if you see a guy that looks like me but without the mustache and wears red all the time, he’s always loud, you can’t miss him. That's my twin brother, Roman. The boring one," Remus says, yawning by the end of his introduction.

'HOLY FUCK, TWINS?!' Virgil thought. Fortunately(or unfortunately, depending on which part of Virgil's brain you're asking), Remus already gave him a vague description of who to look out for.

~*~*~

Virgil continues his day and falls into his daily routine, which mostly includes attempting to avoid being perceived by anyone. It usually succeeds if you exclude his friend, Patton, from ‘anyone.’ He only hopes that his soulmate also sees Patton in their dreams cuz, to be honest, Patton is the ray of sunshine everyone needs. Yeah, he was also friends with Logan, but he’s more like a moon if you ask him.

Virgil goes into the cafeteria and sits at their usual table, his back facing the entire cafeteria. He takes out a paper bag from his bag and grabs the sandwich he bought earlier, not waiting for his friends.

A few moments pass before Logan and Patton reach his table. “Hey, kiddo! You alright?” Patton says as he sits down. Virgil just gives them a nod and continues to eat. “I heard this morning that there were new students,” Logan inquires before Patton interrupts “Oh yeah! They’re twins! I have first period with one of them. He’s really nice. Oh! Hey! Roman! Over here!” Patton shouts and waves his arm toward a student that just entered the cafeteria. “Hope you guys don’t mind that I invited him over to sit with us,” He continues and flashes both Virgil and Logan a smile no one could say no to.

“Hey, Patton.” The guy says to Patton. “Hope you guys don’t mind me crashing your table. I’m Roman by the way,” Roman says to the other two. “Pleasure to meet you, Roman. I’m Logan. And, no, we wouldn’t mind at all,” Logan answered him back. Roman looked over to Virgil who just nodded and said his name. Roman then proceeded to sit next to Virgil but not paying him any mind.

And, though Virgil seemed to be calm about the situation, his mind is currently in flames having his anxiety and his gay panic fight over each other. Virgil is currently waiting for who would win, that's why he seems so calm on the outside. After finishing his sandwich, he was trying to think of something he could do to keep himself from leaving and be noticed. He looked over to Logan, attentively listening to Patton talking about the dog he saw this morning. Roman was silently eating his lunch, also listening to Patton, but looking around the cafeteria every once in a while.

It seems that Virgil’s anxiety won the fight because he decided that he doesn’t want to stick around with his friends and his apparent soulmate without doing anything. So, he stands up and excuses himself from the group. "Hey! Wait!" Roman calls after him. Virgil stops a few feet from the table to look back at Roman who was already jogging towards him.

"Virgil, right?" He assures.

Virgil nods. "Ok, there’s just something I wanna ask you. Are those two soulmates?" Roman throws his thumb back, pointing at the two left at the table. "Cuz, as much as how adorable they look together, I kinda don't want to be stuck as a third wheel," he continues.

"Oh. Yeah, those two are soulmates. Sometimes, I wonder if they ever do notice me every time I leave the table," Virgil elaborates, looking back at his friends with a slight smile.

"Umm. Class doesn't start for a few more minutes. I was wondering if I could join you for a while? Wherever you were going…" Roman trailed off, realizing he didn't know where the shorter male was headed.

"Uhh. Yeah, sure. I was just headed to the courtyard to pass the time,"

'Shit. Virgil, why are you doing this?! Why did you agree?! You have anxiety!' Virgil mentally scolded himself.

"Ok. Cool. I'll just go get my stuff," Roman flashed Virgil a smile before heading back to the table.

'Fuck. I am so screwed,' Virgil thought.

~*~*~

"So, what's the deal with those two? I mean, how did they deal with the soulmates thing?" Roman finally spoke a few moments after they found a bench to settle on. "Uhh, well. Logan is my childhood friend and the first day we started high school here, they both had a dream of roll call the other had that day, I guess? They both heard each other's name and boom. You got your glasses gays," Virgil discussed, reminiscing the events that happened that day.

Roman let out a chuckle at Virgil's last words, causing the other's heart to skip a beat. They remain silent for a while, watching the other students passing by.

"What about you?" Roman spoke up.

"What about me?" Virgil glances back.

"I mean, what about you? Have you met your soulmate? Do you know who they are? You just seem like an interesting individual to me, having to stick around knowing you're third-wheeling all the time yet valuing your time with them and your time with yourself all the same. Well, either that or I'm just embarrassed that I think you're uncomfortable with me here…" Roman rambled, rubbing the back of his neck, embarrassed.

Virgil chuckled, "Nah. I just get anxious when meeting new people. Plus, I think you're a pretty nice guy." They smiled at each other, Virgil feeling his face heat up, and looks away immediately. "And, about the soulmate thing. I think I have a clue of who they might be, I just…" he trailed off.

"What's holding you back?" Roman muttered, lowering his head, attempting to catch the other's eye. "I… I just think that my memories aren't that… for them. They're just this amazing and joyful person… I just don't think they deserve to see my bland memories every night,"

The pair fell silent, Roman feeling sympathy for the other. Virgil felt Roman shift in his seat before speaking up, "I don't think anyone's memories are ever bland."

Virgil looks up at Roman who has a far-off look with a slight smile on his lips. "I think that our dreams are what shows us what we're missing in life. What our soulmate has that we need and what we have that they need. You know, what makes you both feel complete when you're with each other," Roman smiled.

Virgil pondered on the other's statement for a while. "Is that... Is that how you feel when you're with your soulmate?" He said, being careful with his words. Roman sighed but remained smiling, "I haven't met them yet. But, what you said earlier reminded me of them. I always think they're a little different. My moms said that dreams are supposed to show my soulmate's memories. But, no one is ever sure which ones we see. Well, my dreams always have one thing in common… There's darkness every time…" Roman trailed off, looking more sad as he continued.

"Sometimes, they walk out of their house and, suddenly, everything goes dark and I see pairs of eyes staring at me as I walk. Or sometimes, they lie in bed and, suddenly, it's dark again and I'm stuck inside a box too small for me. But, there’s always this one dream that always repeats itself. Though, I'm not sure my soulmate's gonna be comfortable with me sharing," Roman finally snaps out of his trance and looks up at Virgil, looking embarrassed.

At this point, Virgil is now entirely sure that the person in front of him is his soulmate. He feels tears cloud his eyes so he looks away to play off wiping them away before looking back at Roman with pity in his expression. This is exactly what Virgil was afraid of, having his soulmate also experience the darkness that clouds him every day he wakes up.

"Wow… They- I- I don't know what to say… What are you gonna do when you meet them?" Virgil glances at Roman, pity still in his eyes. Roman let out a sigh but smiled, "I'm gonna give them the biggest hug they've ever received and reassure them that I'm always gonna be with them and that they'll never have to feel alone all the time ever again." Roman looked at Virgil with a smile. But, before he could notice the tear that fell from the other's eye, a loud shrill of their school bell rang throughout the courtyard, signaling the start of their next class.

"Talk about first impressions," Roman said with a chuckle, standing up. "Well, see you around, Virgil. I got a few more 'Hi, I'm Roman' to do," he continued, leaving Virgil on the bench.

~*~*~

I hear my converse squeak as I walk through the hallway. There are people around me, but they're all just silhouettes of the same familiar darkness. I'm walking to what seems to be the cafeteria. I sit down and grab my lunch from my bag. A few minutes pass, two figures sit in front of me. There's something familiar about them despite being two black silhouettes.

"Hey, kiddo! You alright?"

Patton?

"I heard there were new students," Logan?

Wait. Am I…

"Oh yeah! They're twins!"

Oh.

"I have first period with one of them. He's really nice. Oh! Hey! Roman! Over here!"

Before I could look over to… me…

Darkness. Again.

I hear muffled voices. Too muffled to be recognized.

I stay in darkness for what felt like hours before I get surrounded by light.

Too bright.

There's a silhouette in front of me. It doesn't have any facial features but I can feel it stare at me. Slowly, the light around me doesn't feel too bright anymore. It feels… warm and comforting. Similar to the feeling I have in my chest, along with a squeezing feeling. I feel tears cloud my eyes, but I feel happy, somehow?

I feel someone embrace me. I look up to see the silhouette. Its arms around me, like it's protecting me. I feel secure. I feel loved.

I hug back, breaking down in its arms.

"You don't have to be alone anymore"

I hear my own voice. I break down sobbing, seeking more of the silhouette's warmth.

I stopped sobbing after a while but remained in the silhouette's arms for what felt like hours.

"You gotta wake him up!" I heard a distant voice say in a hushed tone.

"No, he hasn't slept like this since who knows when… Something must've happened yesterday..."

I feel myself slowly drifting from where I was standing.

"We can just tell the school he's sick"

"On the second day?"

I feel someone caress my cheek.

"You can stay too if you want"

"Hey, sweetie," Roman opens his eyes to his mom in front of him.

"What's going on? Why are you all in our room?" Roman asks as he sits up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He eyes Remus standing in front of their mama. Their mom is sitting on the edge of Roman's bed, facing him.

"Well, sweetie. You see, you just had a full night's sleep," their mom explained.

"You looked so peaceful too," their mama added with a smile. Roman stopped to let the events of his dream last night come back to him.

"Roman, is everything ok?" Their mama walked over to him, tucking a few strands of his hair behind his ear. "Yeah… Yeah, I'm okay!" He flashed a smile to his moms, meaning what he said.

~*~*~

Roman hadn't been able to sit still ever since he got to school. 'Late', he should add. Apparently, he overslept while Remus and their moms decide whether to wake him up or not.

When they got to school in the middle of first period, they were excused because their moms were there to explain. With a slightly bent truth, of course.

Roman had to wait three(and a half) classes to talk to Virgil. They didn't have any classes together, to which Roman was bummed to find out. When the bell rang, signaling their lunch break, Roman hurriedly headed to the cafeteria. When he got there, he spotted Virgil just about to sit down at their usual table.

"Uhh. Virgil? Can I talk to you for a sec?" Roman felt awkward, to say the least.

"Uhm. Sure," Virgil replied, standing up. Roman led them under a tree in the courtyard, away from other students. They stayed silent for a while before Virgil spoke up, "So… what'd you wanted to talk about?"

Roman just stared at Virgil for a few moments, examining him, before enveloping him in a tight hug. Virgil stood frozen for a while, surprised at the gesture. He slowly placed his hands on Roman's back, still confused at the sudden affection.

"You're not alone anymore, Pumpkin," Roman said in a gentle voice, cradling the other's head. Virgil froze when he heard the nickname. His expression then softens and hugs Roman tighter, burying his face on the taller male’s shoulder.

"How did you find out?" Roman heard, slightly muffled by his jacket. "Had a dream about yesterday," Roman simply stated, not elaborating more. "What about you? You said you had a clue. Oh! That rhymed,"

They both laughed.

"I have first period with Remus and I recognized him right away," Virgil replied, his face still buried on Roman's shoulder. "Oh, I'm so sorry you have to deal with him," Roman chuckled.

"No, I'm sorry you had to deal with him your entire life,"

"Well, we're not alone anymore now, are we? Roman asked with a serious tone. Virgil parted a few inches from Roman, still holding on to him. He smiled as he looked up at Roman, "No, we're not."

This might be the last one I'll do for AU august but I'm also deciding if I should go back to the prompts I missed when I was sick hmm

I wish I included Remus more in this but it was already 3k words and thats the longest I've ever written so maybe its for the best XD

#TSSAUgust #sanders sides #sanders sides fic #sanders sided au #virgil sanders #roman sanders #remus sanders #patton sanders #logan sanders #prinxiety #logicality #creativitwins #ts virgil #ts roman #ts remus #ts patton #ts logan #ts prinxiety #ts logicality #ts creativitwins #em writes

[tb5-heavenward]

Harvard!Christmas - 3

Part 1 // Part 2 //

I hope you didn’t expect this to stay cute and cheerful. this is harvard, fam. i have a reputation to consider.

It's not the kitten who wakes him in the morning, but the pounding of a fist against his front door.

It's an unpleasant thing to wake up to, because it doesn't register immediately as what's woken him, and for the first few moments he doesn't connect the sound to its source. There's just a loud pounding noise and he has no idea what it is---until he does. John sits bolt upright and then scrambles out of bed, stumbling down the hallway from his bedroom and to the front door of the apartment, where he fumbles to unlock the door, without stopping to check who's there.

And he opens the door to find the building manager, yet again, only this time all the cordiality has disappeared from his manner, and his expression is taut and tense with disapproval. John's first thought is that somehow (probably owing to the few pounds of sand he'd stolen for a makeshift litterbox) the contraband kitten has been discovered, and he's being evicted, but instead the manager just holds out his phone. There's no "merry Christmas" this time, nor even a "good morning". The man's voice is flat with exaggerated patience as he says, "Your father's on the line. Apparently you haven't been picking up your phone."

The irritation of the man standing in front of him is paltry compared to the towering disapproval of the man on the other end of the line. John's only about a minute out of bed, and he's as disheveled as he ever is, still bleary-eyed from sleep and with his hair tousled and his pajamas rumpled, and in any other situation he'd be embarrassed to be caught like this in front of a semi-stranger---but the capacity for any emotion more complex than sheer horror has vanished. When the building manager gestures insistently with his phone, John's reaction is automatic and he takes it---but there's a wild moment of panic in which he wants nothing more than to throw it down the hallway, slam the door and bolt it, and then walk briskly across his apartment and straight off his fourth story balcony.

Instead he holds it up and hears the disconnected faintness of his own voice as he says, "Hello?"

"John. We've been worried about you."

Just the sound of his father's voice---separate entirely from his tone and what he's said---is enough to make John want to fall through the floor. He feels like some part of himself has detached and departed, because he can hear himself answer, but can't comprehend how he's able to say anything at all, "---I'm sorry. I-I got home really late, I just wanted to go to bed. I just---I forgot to turn my phone back on."

"This kind of irresponsibility is something I count on you not to demonstrate, John."

"I'm sorry. Dad, I---"

"When you called me yesterday, I didn't form the impression that I was the only person who'd been told you were heading back to Boston. No one else knew where you'd gone. You'd been missing for hours with no word to your brothers, to my mother---by the time I got home, they were getting ready to start calling hospitals. And no further word from you until now? Because I contacted your landlord, on Christmas morning?"

John feels himself cringe, and distantly notices the way that the building manager is staring at him, watching the half of the conversation that he's privy to. He should probably be at least vaguely horrified by this, but he can't even bring himself to properly register the man's continued presence. All that matters is his father's voice on the line, his expectant silence as he waits for an explanation. There's no point in trying to justify himself, all he can do is stammer out another useless apology, "I'm sorry."

This isn't what his father wants. "I'm not especially interested in your apology, John. But later today you will be calling your grandmother, to tell her how sorry you are for frightening her, and your little brother, who held out hope that you would be back by Christmas morning. I don't know when I've ever been so disappointed in your behaviour. I expect much, much better from you."

That's always been true, and John's always known that it's true, but hearing it stated when he knows he's failed to meet that expectation makes him want to die. "Yes, sir."

"Apologize to your building manager for the trouble you've put him to on Christmas Day. Charge your phone. I'd better hear that you've spoken to your brothers and your grandmother before the end of today. Goodbye."

It's abrupt, but maybe that's merciful, really. John plummets back into the present and manages not to break down in the hallway in front of his building manager. He hands the man's phone back, uncomfortably conscious of the way he's being looked at, the way the man's irritation has melted into something like pity. "I'm very sorry for the intrusion," John says, and can't even manage to wish that he sounded sincere, instead of just hollow and perfunctory, as though he's only apologizing because he's been told to. He wonders if the other half of the conversation had been audible at all, in the way that phone conversations sometimes are. He hopes not.

"Honest mistake," the manager says quickly, and then briefly, impulsively, pats John's shoulder. "Glad there was nothing wrong. I think it's just that you gave your family a bit of a scare, is all. But it all worked out. Merry Christmas."

"Same to you," John answers numbly, and then closes the door.

His phone waits where he left it, in the pocket of his discarded coat, over by the radiator.

[19 missed calls]

Scott

[24/12/2055 06:38:02 Scott: hey jaybird, where'd you go?]

[24/12/2055 06:38:41 Scott: al says you probably went to cool off some place, you maybe wanna let me know where?]

[24/12/2055 07:02:20 Scott: virgil's dealing with gordon]

[24/12/2055 07:05:13 Scott: I'm sorry about gordon, he wasn't supposed to fly out on his own. he was supposed to show up with dad to keep him in line.]

[24/12/2055 08:12:29 Scott: look i know you're mad but don't do this shit johnny, it's christmas]

[24/12/2055 08:41:48 Scott: John seriously. Pick up your phone.]

[24/12/2055 09:30:58 Scott: Dad is gonna be landing at the airport in an hour John, I do not want to tell him that we can't fucking find you.]

[24/12/2055 09:35:17 Scott: if you've crashed your stupid rental car into a ditch on some stupid backroad john I'm personally gonna haul you out and kick your ass the whole way back home]

[24/12/2055 09:36:11 Scott: I didn't mean that. Sorry. Please just pick your phone up.]

[24/12/2055 09:59:01 Scott: okay well we're gonna start calling the hospitals/highway patrol/the fucking cops in a minute here john, so if you're just being an ass now would be a real good time to fucking quit it]

[24/12/2055 10:25:31 Scott: okay. talked to dad. he's furious, by the way. so that's fun. thanks for that. sometimes I literally just cannot fucking believe you. merry goddamn christmas, John.]

Virgil

[24/12/2055 06:20:52 Virgil: okay, i'm really really sorry about Gordon. he was supposed to fly in with dad. I'm not going to make any excuses. He's way out of line.]

[24/12/2055 06:21:04 Virgil: if you've gone for a drive because you need some time to cool off that's fine, but don't do anything stupid like turn your phone off, okay?]

[24/12/2055 06:21:43 Virgil: like I know you do that when you're pissed and you have every right to be pissed but we live in the middle of nowhere and the roads aren't great out here and everybody would feel better if you kept your phone on.]

[24/12/2055 06:34:49 Virgil: also please text me back.]

[24/12/2055 07:46:18 Virgil: John, you've been gone for an hour and a half and nobody knows where. Grandma's really worried.]

[24/12/2055 07:46:31 Virgil: if you make my Grandma cry on Christmas Eve, J, then you and me are gonna have a problem]

[24/12/2055 08:50:18 Virgil: look john, if you're reading these, then at least acll Alan, he's freaking out. you're actually scaring the shit out of him. the poor kid pretty much worships you and you go and pull something like this. at christmas. come the fuck on johnny.]

[24/12/2055 09:15:27 Virgil: okay. your phone is off.]

[24/12/2055 09:42:53 Virgil: I mean at this point I think Scott's actually hoping that you're upside down in a ditch somewhere because if you're ignoring texts and calls like this, he's legitimately gonna kick your ass until you die.]

[24/12/2055 10:01:45 Virgil: we've gotta call dad. like, this is the warning. i think we've been kinda covering for you in case this is just a stupid tantrum, but it's been three hours now john. please just answer somebody.]

[24/12/2055 10:02:04 Virgil: if something's happened to you then we need to start doing something, and dad literally has enough pull to have the entire county searched from orbit.]

[24/12/2055 10:02:24 Virgil: I don't know if you realize how scary this actually is.]

[24/12/2055 10:45:08 Virgil: Okay. so, you've just left the fucking state. you're not dead. when dad gets ahold of you you're maybe gonna wish you were. but i guess I'm trying to be glad you're okay.

[24/12/2055 11:21:38 Virgil: all right well whenever you get this. Probably when you get back to Boston. I don't know what to tell you, other than that I can't actually decide if I'm madder at you or at gordon. you've both been total fucking jackasses and this shit can't continue. you're as bad as each other. I don't think we've had a christmas this bad since Mom died.]

[24/12/2055 11:22:01 Virgil: maybe think about that.]

Alan

[24/12/2055 06:44:19 Alan: gordon's super drunk and he's being really really dumb. virg and scotty are gonna cover for him but they shouldn't. i totally don't blame you for leaving. i wish i could leave too.]

[24/12/2055 07:01:36 Alan: when you come back we should go hang out in the barn. one of the barn cats had kittens over the summer and they're all still around]

[24/12/2055 07:01:44 Alan: they're cute]

[24/12/2055 07:28:53 Alan: scotty took the truck to go look for you, but i think that's probably kind of stupid. it's dark and the roads are pretty bad.]

[24/12/2055 08:02:14 Alan: virgil put gordon to bed and told me to tell dad he has food poisoning. stupid gordon.]

[24/12/2055 08:21:45 Alan: I think grandma's kind of upset.]

[24/12/2055 09:07:19 Alan: did you see the geminids this year? it was too cloudy here, but i checked the weather near Boston and it was supposed to be clear]

[24/12/2055 09:12:32 Alan: i guess it's hard to get out to anywhere with dark enough skies if you don't have a car]

[24/12/2055 09:33:41 Alan: do you miss driving? i'm excited to learn. Grandma let's me back the truck out sometimes. virg said he'd teach me when I'm old enough.]

[24/12/2055 10:01:27 Alan: are you gonna be home soon? everybody's kind of worried.]

[24/12/2055 10:40:49 Alan: dad says you had to go back to Boston for school stuff. I guess it was important.]

[25/12/2055 12:01:02 Alan: merry christmas, johnny]

John turns his phone off again.

#some kind of creative doubt

[sethmurfie-blog]

WOW - [May 4, 4:18 p.m.]

MOTHER OF A WRECK. WOW.

AS I'M RUNNING AROUND CAMPUS TRYING FEROCIOUSLY TO FIND THIS MASK-COIN-GLOVE-HUMAN AND AM STARTING TO SWEAT AND PANIC MORE AND MORE, I HEAR A SOUND OF POPS AND CLICKS SOMEWHERE IN THE DISTANCE. I TURN THIS WAY AND THAT AND AS I DO SO, I BUMP UP AGAINST A LAMPPOST. SUDDENLY SOMETHING FALLS OUT OF MY SOMBRERO.

I LOOK DOWN AND SEE SOME PIECES OF SHINY PAPER AND SO I BEND DOWN AND PICK THEM UP, AND IN THE GLEAMING SUNLIGHT I SEE TITLES LIKE ASIAN INTERCULTURALITY AND A GUIDE TO CONVERSATIONAL JAPANESE AND JAPAN FOR DUMMIES. I STAND THERE, PUZZLED, TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW THESE BROCHURES ENDED UP IN MY MAGICAL SOMBRERO HAT. THEN A CAR HORN BLEATS SOMEWHERE FAR AWAY AND IT SUDDENLY DAWNS ON ME:

THESE PAMPHLETS HAVE TO BELONG TO YOUKNOWFUCKINGWHO. PORRIDGE. SHE ABSOLUTELY MUST HAVE PUT THEM IN MY SOMBRERO WHEN SHE HAD IT FOR A SHORT TIME AND NOW I HAD A POSSESSION BELONGING TO THE ABOMINABLE WITCH AND I WAS GOING GET THREE TIMES THE CURSE PURSE I'VE ALREADY ENDURED AND HOLY FUCK.

SO I IMMEDIATELY SHRIEK AND START JUST HIGH TAILING IT IN A COMPLETE FRENZY, NOT KNOWING IF I SHOULD THROW THE PAMPHLETS AWAY OR PUT THEM BACK IN THE SOMBRERO AND EVERYTHING'S BREAKING AND FALLING APART THE WORLD IS BASICALLY ENDING WHEN I BUMP INTO SOMETHING AGAIN, AND THIS TIME IT'S A PERSON. I LOOK UP AND SEE IT'S AN AUDIENCE MEMBER WATCHING A SHOW GOING ON ON AN OUTDOOR STAGE THAT'S BEEN SET UP NEAR THE PLANETARIUM. I HEAR THE POPS AND CLICKS AND SEE THAT LO AND BEHOLD IT'S THE MASKED-COIN-GLOVE-HUMAN AND THEY'RE JUST FINISHING UP THEIR SHOW.

SOMEWHERE IN THE CHAOS I’VE LOST BOTH THE SOMBRERO AND THE PAMPHLETS, BUT I JUST RUN RIGHT UP TO THE SIDE OF THE STAGE AND FIND THE MASK-HUMAN, WHO'S JUST ABOUT TO STEP DOWN BECAUSE THEIR SHOW HAS ENDED, BUT I STEP IN THEIR WAY AND IN MY MANIA JUST BLURT OUT "HELLO MY NAME IS SETH MURFIE AND RIGHT NOW I'M HAVING THE SHITTIEST DAY OF MY ENTIRE LIFE AND I'VE GOT MY BROTHER BEING ALL WEIRD AND I'VE GOT A GIRL WHO HAS CURSED ME WITH A BOTTLE FROM BUBBLE TEA ISLAND WHO I KEEP RUNNING INTO AND RECENTLY SHE USED MY SOMBRERO AND BEFORE I COULD UTILIZE MY BROTHER'S DOG TO STEAL IT BACK SHE MANAGED TO ENCHANT THE SOMBRERO AND FILL IT WITH PAMPHELETS ALL TO MAKE THIS CURSE WHERE I THINK ABOUT HER ALL THE TIME EVEN MORE UNBEARABLE AND NOW I'VE GOT THIS ASSIGNMENT THAT I ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO TURN IN TODAY WHERE I NEED TO INTERVIEW SOMEONE SIGNIFICANT TO ME AND I'VE ENJOYED YOUR PERCUSSION DRAMADIES SO MUCH THAT IT HAS TO BE YOU SO CAN I PLEASE INTERVIEW YOU RIGHT NOW BEFORE THE WHOLE PLANET GIVES OUT AND I JUST UP AND BURST?!"

THROUGH THE MASK-HUMAN’S BODY LANGUAGE I CAN SEE THEY LOOK STARTLED AND THEY’RE JUST STANDING THERE HOLDING THEIR BACKPACK AND INSTRUMENT CASE, BUT BEFORE THEY CAN ANSWER I HEAR JUST A FEW FEET AWAY:

"tHe hoLe iN oNe iS—~rAgHh~—oNe iN tHe bUn~"

AND WE BOTH TURN OUR HEADS TO SEE BOWLBOY BARRY, WALKING STRAIGHT AT US.

I LOOK BACK AT THE MASK-HUMAN AND SAY "OH DO YOU KNOW BOWLBOY BARRY?" BUT INSTEAD OF ANSWERING, THE MASK-PERSON JUST FRANTICALLY POINTS TO THE PLANETARIUM AND THEN STARTS TO RUN IN.

I STAND THERE NOT KNOWING WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON AND AS I HEAR BARRY COMING EVEN CLOSER AND SAYING "a biG bOy's tReAt iS—~eRgGgHh~—jUsT as sWeEt~" I SEE THE MASK-HUMAN USE THEIR COIN-TIPPED GLOVES TO FRANTICALLY GESTURE FOR ME TO FOLLOW THEM IN, SO I WIPE THE SWEAT OFF MY BROW AND RUN IN AFTER THEM EVEN THOUGH I WOULD KIND OF LIKE TO CONFRONT BOWLBOY BARRY BUT ULTIMATELY I'M FEELING PRECIPITOUSLY CONFUSED,

AND AS I COME IN AND SEE THE MASK-HUMAN HURRIEDLY HOLDING UP TWO FINGERS TO GET TWO TICKETS TO THE PLANETARIUM SHOW, AND THEN THE HUMAN QUICKLY PAYS THEN TURNS AND HANDS ME A TICKET AND THEN RUNS INSIDE. I FAINTLY HEAR BARRY SAYING

"tHe hOnEy cAn'T LEaVe iF yOu'Ve—~gUhHhHh~—gOt tHe rEpRiEvE—" BUT I NEED THIS INTERVIEW SO I FOLLOW IN AFTER THE MASK-HUMAN.

AS I COME INTO THE DARK ROOM THE SHOW HAS ALREADY BEGUN, AND I HEAR A BIG, BOOMING VOICEOVER SAYING

/ The sun Is the closet star to planet Earth in all the galaxy. A powerhouse of heat and light, it— /

I SUDDENLY FEEL A TAP ON MY SHOULDER AND TURN AROUND TO SEE THE MASK-HUMAN STANDING THERE AND THEN SHOVING SOMETHING INTO MY HAND. I LOOK DOWN AND SEE IT'S THEIR CELL PHONE, AND IN IT THEY'VE WRITTEN A TEXT TO THEMSELF THAT SAYS:

Give me your number and then we can do the interview over text message without disturbing the show.

I STILL FEEL CONFUSED AND DON'T KNOW WHY WE'VE RUN INSIDE THE PLANETARIUM BUT I JUST SHRUG AND PUT MY NUMBER IN THE MASK- HUMAN'S PHONE, THEN I FOLLOW THEM INTO SOME SEATS IN THE MIDDLE ROW AND SIT DOWN TO LEAN BACK AND LOOK UP AT ALL THE FAKE STARS.

/ For centuries, man Has Worshipped and Studied the Sun, and out of ignorance Has Invented stories to Explain its power—sometimes Praising it as a goddess, other times Denouncing it as a demon— /

I FEEL A BUZZ IN MY POCKET, AND GET OUT MY CELL TO SEE A TEXT FROM A NEW NUMBER. IT SAYS:

What would you like to know?

I LOOK TO MY RIGHT AND SEE THAT MASK-HUMAN HAS ACTUALLY REMOVED THEIR GLOVES AND THEIR MASK, BOTH OF WHICH I CAN SEE SITTING IN THEIR LAP NEAR THE GLOW OF THEIR PHONE—HOWEVER IT'S FAR TOO DARK FOR ME TO MAKE OUT THEIR FACE. I LOOK BACK DOWN AT MY PHONE AND THEN JUST GO AHEAD AND TYPE IN THE FIRST QUESTION:

WHAT MOTIVATES YOU TO DO GOOD?

THEN I HIT SEND.

/ To this day the Sun Is an integral part of our way of life. Despite— /

MY PHONE VIBRATES. I READ THE RESPONSE:

If I see people in need or who seem underappreciated, I tend to want to help them. I don't know. I don't always do the right thing, but I usually try. I like to make people feel good if I can.

/ However, this looming and all-encompassing star we Call the Sun Will not Last forever. One day, when the heat and— /

AFTER READING THE MASK-HUMAN'S RESPONSE, I TYPE IN THE NEXT QUESTION, ONE I FORGOT TO ASK ROLAND RIGATONI. IT'S:

ARE YOU PROUD OF YOUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS?

/ The energy Will Begin to Collapse in on itself, Charging and Ricocheting, as the core slowly Begins to Shrink— /

MY PHONE BUZZES:

I am.

/ In a few moments you Will Witness the imploding mayhem of a red giant, as the outer layers of the sun gradually Begin to Expand more and more, Growing hotter and hotter, redder and redder— /

THE LIGHT IN THE ROOM IS STARTING TO INCREASE AS THE SUN ON SCREEN IS INCHES AWAY FROM DESTRUCTION, BUT IN THE FLOW OF THE INTERVIEW I JUST TYPE THE NEXT QUESTION, ANOTHER I FORGOT TO ASK RIGATONI:

WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR OTHER INTERESTS?

MUSIC IS STARTING TO SWELL AND A BIG EVENT IS APPARENTLY ABOUT TO HAPPEN ON THE DOME ABOVE US,

BUT SUDDENLY I HEAR WHAT SOUNDS LIKE A DOOR OPENING JUST OUTSIDE THE THEATRE. BEFORE I CAN NOTICE IT TOO MUCH MY PHONE BUZZES AGAIN:

I like making people laugh, as well as grunge, anime, and I guess sometimes bowling.

ALL OF SUDDEN I FREEZE. BOWLING? GRUNGE AND ANIME? WHERE HAVE I SEEN THESE INTERESTS BEFORE? I'M TRYING TO FIGURE THAT OUT WHEN I HEAR FOOTSTEPS COMING CLOSE TO THE THEATRE BUT THEN THE SOUND IS CUT OFF BY THE VOICEOVER BOOMING

/ And just like that, on the precipice of a planetary nebula, the Sun, Will Burst. /

SUDDENLY RED LIGHT FILLS THE ROOM AND THE SEATS ARE ALMOST SHAKING FROM THE BELCH OF DRAMATIC MUSIC AND SOUND EFFECTS GOING ALL OVER THE PLACE, AND I SQUINT TO LOOK TO MY RIGHT, WHERE THE LIGHT IS NOW SUFFICIENT ENOUGH FOR ME TO SEE TWO EXTREMELY FAMILIAR EYES GAZING UP IN AWE AT THE SHOW ABOVE US, AND WITH A JERK OF MY HEART I STAND UP AND NEARLY FALL BACK OVER MY SEAT AS I SCREECH AND BLURT OUT

"P-P-PORRIDGE!!"

AND AS SHE LOOKS UP AT ME, I SUDDENLY HEAR IN A NEAR CORNER "tHe giRL iS miNe iF yOu—~uGhN~—tHiNk I cAn rHyMe~"

AND I WHIRL AROUND TO SEE BOWLBOY BARRY, SEARCHING THROUGH THE THEATRE. I FEEL A TUG ON MY SLEEVE AND SEE PORRIDGE, WHO SUDDENLY LOOKS PANICKED, STARING AT ME AND MOUTHING SOMETHING WHICH SORTA LOOKS LIKE:

Please don't let him find me.

/ The heat alone Will Be enough to Eliminate everyone on Earth, Going directly into a— /

"tHe fAiRy'S cRowN iS—~uRp~—oN tHe gOwN~" I HEAR BARRY SAY, AND I SEE HIM START TO WALK TOWARDS US. I GO OUT IN THE ROW AND WAVE MY ARMS AND SAY "BARRY, HERE!" THEN I FEEL A BUZZ IN MY PHONE AND SEE A TEXT SAYING

He follows me. You can keep asking me questions just please don't let him find me.

AND EVEN THOUGH I’M FREAKING THE FUCK OUT AND I OBVIOUSLY DON'T WANT TO INTERVIEW MOTHERFUCKING-SON-OF-A-BITCH-HOLY- SHIT-HOW-COULD-I-HAVE-BEEN-SO-STUPID PORRIDGE, I JUST SORT OF AUTOMATICALLY TYPE IN THE NEXT QUESTION WITHOUT THINKING, AND HIT SEND:

DO YOU MEAN TO AFFECT PEOPLE THE WAY YOU DO?

"dO yOu hAvE tHe dAmE—~yEeGgGgH~—tHaT I cAn cLaiM~?"

I LOOK UP AND SEE BARRY RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME, AND I'M SURE HE CAN SEE THE PANIC AND TERROR IN MY EYES, AND I DECIDE TO TRY TO EXPLAIN TO HIM THAT THE AWFUL WITCH IS RIGHT BEHIND ME, BUT THE DISTRACTING VOICEOVER CONTINUES:

/ This destruction Is just a preamble to the white dwarf, where the Sun Will Be thoroughly Reduced to nothing more than a speck. /

"iS tHe sUppLe giRLy-dOo—~rRrRgHhT~—sOmEwHeRe bEhiNd yOu~?"

I BREATHE IN AND AM ABOUT TO TELL BARRY EVERYTHING, WHEN MY PHONE VIBRATES ONCE AGAIN. I TAKE IT OUT AND SEE THE WITCH'S RESPONSE:

Do I mean to affect people the way I do? Well, no. Really if I have any kind of affect on people, I would imagine it's gotta be kind of an accident.

I STIFFEN. ACCIDENT? WHERE HAVE I HEARD THAT BEFORE?

/ With time, the planetary nebula Will Fade, Leaving nothing but a mass of heated carbon. /

I LOOK AT BARRY. THEN I LOOK BACK BEHIND ME. ACCIDENT. LIKE WHAT SOYLENT GREEN WAS TALKING ABOUT. WAIT. IS IT POSSIBLE THAT PORRIDGE NEVER MEANT TO CURSE ME? AM I—AM I—

"sHoW mE tHe cHiCk oR—~mMf~—fAcE tHe sTiCk~"

I STARE AT BARRY. MY HANDS ARE SHAKING AGAIN, AND I CAN FEEL THE SWEAT RUNNING DOWN MY NECK.

/ Lacking the mass for a supernova, nuclear fusion Will Fail to Occur. /

"BARRY." I SWALLOW. IT ONLY TAKES THREE WORDS. WITCH IS HERE. WITCH IS HERE.

THE ROOM GROWS DIMMER AGAIN AND THE MUSIC STARTS TO FADE. “BARRY.” I FEEL THE PEN IN MY POCKET, AND LOOK RIGHT AT BARRY. THREE WORDS. “BARRY—“AS THE ROOM DARKENS AND THE MUSIC QUIETS, I LEAN FORWARD, TAKING IN A DEEP BREATH—“BARRY”—AND LEAN IN EVEN CLOSER TO OPEN MY MOUTH AND SAY THREE STUPENDOUSLY SIMPLE WORDS:

"SHE'S NOT HERE."

/ The gas-sphere Will eventually Float off, ready to Form the next smattering of stars. /

BARRY LOOKS AT THE GROUND, LOOKS UP AT THE CEILING, THEN HE SHRUGS, TURNS AROUND, AND LEAVES.

/ The Sun Has at last Died, with a simple cloud of carbon Being all that Remains. /

MY PHONE VIBRATES. HAND STILL SHAKING, I TAKE IT OUT AND READ THE TEXT MESSAGE:

Thank you.

I LOOK UP AT THE DOME. MAYBE PORRIDGE ISN'T A BAD PERSON. I KNOW THIS SOUNDS UTTERLY MAD, BUT MAYBE I COULD EVEN—LEARN TO AT LEAST TOLERATE HER IF SHE ISN'T MEANING TO HARM ANYONE.

/ Other stars Will, of course, Go out. /

WITHOUT QUITE KNOWING WHAT TO DO, I SIT BACK DOWN IN MY SEAT AND TEXT THE NEXT QUESTION:

WHO'S YOUR BIGGEST HERO?

MY PHONE VIBRATES AGAIN. I LOOK DOWN:

My grandmother.

THE SHAKE IN MY HAND SLOWS. ONE CORNER OF MY MOUTH GOES UP AND I START TO SMILE. I QUICKLY TYPE THE NEXT QUESTION:

WHAT’S A PART OF THE WORLD YOU WANT TO SEE SOMEDAY?

MY PHONE THEN BUZZES:

Japan.

I REMEMBER THE CLASS I TOOK ON THE HISTORY OF JAPAN AND I SUDDENLY THINK TO MYSELF WELL THIS IS ANOTHER THING WE HAVE IN COMMON, AND JAPAN IS SOMETHING WE COULD EVEN CONVERSE ABOUT, ASSUMING I CONTINUE ON MY COURSE OF TOLERATING HER, AND I START TO GRIN EVEN BIGGER AS I TYPE THE FOLLOW-UP QUESTION:

WHEN DO YOU THINK YOU'LL ACTUALLY GET TO GO THERE?

MY PHONE VIBRATES, AND I LOOK DOWN AGAIN:

Tomorrow.

MY MOUTH DROPS A LITTLE.

/ With most stars, a white dwarf Will inevitably Become a black dwarf. /

MY PHONE BUZZES AGAIN, AND I SEE ANOTHER MESSAGE:

I'm going on study abroad for a year. I leave tomorrow. Actually I should go soon to finish packing, if that's okay.

THE PEN IN MY POCKET PUSHES AGAINST MY THIGH FOR A SECOND, BUT THEN I ADJUST MY LEG AND TRY TO TYPE THE NEXT QUESTION.

BUT I KEEP MAKING MISTAKES AND SCREWING UP AND I'M TRYING TO PUSH THE RIGHT KEYS WHEN I GET A THIRD TEXT:

Are you okay?

I GLANCE TO MY RIGHT AT PORRIDGE WHO'S LOOKING AT ME WITH SOME SORT OF EXPRESSION OF CONCERN, BUT I JUST CLEAR MY THROAT AND FINALLY TYPE OUT THE LAST QUESTION:

DO YOU HAVE ANY OTHER PROJECTS YOU'D LIKE TO EXPLORE IN THE FUTURE?

THE ROOM IS VERY DARK NOW, AND LOOKS THE WAY IT DID AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SHOW.

FOR ANSWERING THIS LAST QUESTION, INSTEAD OF TEXTING BACK, I CAN DIMLY SEE PORRIDGE LEAN DOWN AND PULL SOMETHING OUT OF HER BACKPACK. I HEAR WHAT SOUNDS LIKE THE UNCAPPING OF A MARKER, AND THEN SOME SQUEAKY WRITING SOUNDS BEFORE SHE HANDS ME SOMETHING SLENDER AND GLASSY IN THE DARK. I FROWN AND AM ABOUT TO ASK WHAT IT IS WHEN MY PHONE BUZZES, AND THE MESSAGE SAYS:

I want to do something musical, involving the thing I just handed you.

STARS ARE SWIRLING ALL AROUND THE ROOM AND LIGHTING UP EVERY CORNER, CASTING DIFFERENT COLORS ON THE SEATS BELOW. THE PHONE BUZZES ONCE MORE:

I actually really have to go now. Sorry.

THEN ANOTHER:

You should read what I wrote.

THEN FINALLY:

Bye Seth.

AND I SEE PORRIDGE ZIP UP HER PACK AND THEN GRAB HER CASE AND SLOWLY STAND UP TO WALK OUT OF THE AISLE AND GO THROUGH THE DOOR IN THE EXTREMELY DARK THEATRE. I HEAR THE DOOR OPEN THEN CLOSE, AND THEN IT'S JUST ME AND THE AUDIENCE AND THE SHOW.

SOON, THE SHOW ENDS, AND I WALK OUT WITH THE REST OF THE CROWD, FEELING IN A KIND OF DAZE. SUDDENLY I REMEMBER THE THING IN MY HAND THAT PORRIDGE GAVE ME AND I LOOK TO SEE WHAT IT IS.

SUNLIGHT GLINTS OFF THE OBJECT AND I SORT OF GASP AS I LOOK IT OVER AND THEN SEE THE MESSAGE, FROM HER, TO ME, SCRIBBLED ON IT IN BIG-LETTERED SHARPIE.

"seth?"

I LOOK UP AND SEE CALEB, STANDING THERE WITH HIS DOG ON A LEASH.

"WHA—WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?"

"i was just taking knight on a long walk through campus. what's that bottle in your hand?"

I LOOK DOWN AT IT, THEN LOOK UP AT THE SKY OVERHEAD.

"hey, did you find your person for that interview assignment? they must've been so weirded out having to answer questions from a complete stranger, heh-heh."

I JUST LOOK AT THE SKY FOR A WHILE. THEN, INSTEAD OF RESPONDING, I HAND CALEB THE BOTTLE, AND THEN SLUMP TO LEAN AGAINST THE SIDE OF THE BUILDING, EXPERIENCING A RUSH OF BIZARRE SENSATIONS THAT I CAN'T EVEN REASONABLY DESCRIBE.

I'M DONE WITH THE BLOG. I REALLY MEAN IT THIS TIME. I HOPE YOU ALL HAD A SUCCESSFUL SEMESTER AND HAVE A GREAT SUMMER, BUT SOCIAL MEDIA REALLY ISN'T DOING ANYTHING FOR ME. NEXT POST IS MY LAST.

STILL,

-LOVE SETH MURFIE

#porridge