#I saw it and audibly said “woah mama”

[youraveragemiscellanyenjoyer]

Important photo I found on pinterest. lord help me.

[awkward-tension-art]

Ok so @yourgentlegirlfriend got this ask and because I’m in stem, and because I thought Leon was a pretty man, I wanted to write it.

I have never played any resident evil game but when I saw Leon I audibly said “woah mama” so I’m writing Leon as someone who only knows his character through the copious amounts of smut I’ve read in the last week.

Content warnings: Angst, comfort at the end, self-hate, a lot of guilt and shame, Leon being a sweetheart, a lot of science talk, mentions of Raccoon City, swearing, gender-neutral S/O but if I miss some pronouns let me know, reader is a scientist

If I miss any tags/warnings shoot me a message

———

Another failure. Another contamination. Another fuck-up.

Science is a cruel mistress. And you deserve such treatment.

You were just an intern at the time, but you aided in research for Umbrella. In your free time you were the one who came up with the virus. At first it was just an impossible idea, but with funding and resources it could be possible.

You presented to the heads of the science department a plan. A vaccine that could be a ‘catch all’ for every viral infection. The idea was a good one, created with purely selfless intentions. a virus with so many proteins packed into it, the immune system would be able to fight off any virus with even a slight match to the vaccine. It could be distributed to places struggling with healthcare. It didn’t have to cost anything. It could save lives!

But in your naïveté and starry-eyed vision, you didn’t realize how the very people you called colleagues and friends stole your work. Your name would be on the published paper, but your idea became Umbrella’s. It was no longer yours.

Your research, a plan to help the world, was twisted. It was forced to become an agent of destruction. You watched as they ripped out the good and replaced it with their own vile intentions.

You couldn’t handle it. You left, removing your name from the project. You signed a hefty NDA, and walked away.

You were to blame for Raccoon City. So many deaths…so much destruction and sorrow all on your head.

When you found out that Leon, your boyfriend, survived that hell you rushed from the room to vomit and cry.

Bless him, he thought you felt bad for his experiences. He even felt guilty when you sobbed throughout the night.

You felt more than bad, of course. But Leon was your guilt and shame in the flesh. He was proof that your ignorance fucked up the world. You were in love with the man your naïveté and passion traumatized.

He couldn’t know. He couldn’t know that you were responsible for everything he went through.

Even now, years later, you dedicated yourself to a research hospital. Cancer research specifically. No one could twist that. No one could rip out the good intentions of that.

Intentions be damned. Your passion had been ripped away the moment Umbrella sank their claws into your research.

You sank to the floor. Everything began to spiral. You were a killer. You were an agent of destruction. You were evil. A failure. You deserved-

“(Y/N)?”

You looked up, eyes meeting Leon. There was nothing but worry in his icy blue gaze, “hey, are you alright? Rough day?”

You didn’t even open your mouth before you were sobbing. Your heart was racing. Panic and stress were running through your veins. You had to tell him now.

He’ll hate you. Leon will hate you. Despise you.

You are evil.

Evil. Evil. Evil.

“I’m sorry!” You cried out, digging your nails into your arms. In your panic you had shoved your boyfriend back.

His eyes were wide. Concern. Fear. What happened to you? He mentally ran through any scenario that might put you in this state. Could he fix it? Could he help you?

“It’s all my fault.” You sobbed, “everything is my fault!” Your face was in your hands, “I’m a monster…”

“Alright, alright. Let’s talk this through,” Leon began to talk you down, “You’re not a monster. Why would you even say that?”

“Raccoon City!” You shouted, looking up. Your eyes were red and puffy. Tears marked your cheeks, “it’s all my fault!” Your throat closed as you choked on another sob.

Leon furrowed his brow, all he could do was get you on your feet and get you to the couch. Your crying had faded into soft whispers and croaks by then.

But…you wouldn’t let him touch you.

“You deserve better,” there was so much self-hatred in your eyes, “I’m a monster. I did it. I gave them the idea. They stole it from me. They….I was so stupid.”

“Who, who stole what from you?” Your boyfriend was sitting next to you, trying to coax more answers, “Listen, we can figure this out.” He tried to gently reassure.

Your brain was going haywire. Your emotions were out of your control. Was this panic? PTSD? You had no control anymore, “We can’t, Leon!” You snapped, “I destroyed Raccoon City! It’s all my fault.” You shot up from the couch and began pacing.

You told him everything. How you were hired. What you were put to work on. How your idea was supposed to be for good. To help the world.

How it was stolen from you. How your selfless idea was supposed to help mankind but was turned and twisted into something evil.

“I wanted to do good!” You ended up devolving into weeping again. Your legs failed you and you fell to the floor again, “I wanted to help people!” Sobs racked your body over and over again. You even lost control of your own muscles, as you were paralyzed from your own emotional state.

You didn’t want to look up. You didn’t want to see the hatred in Leon’s eyes. You didn’t want to look at the utter betrayal on his face.

You couldn’t….

Strong arms wrapped around you. Leon was on his knees, taking you into a tight hug.

“I’m sorry…” you weakly croaked, “I’m sorry…I’m a monster….”

“You’re not a monster.” He planted a soft kiss on the top of your head, “It’s Umbrella. It’s not you. They broke everything. They were the ones who did this.”

“I gave them the idea…if I just kept my stupid mouth shut.”

“You had an idea that could have helped a lot of people who needed it.” His words were soft spoken. Kind and comforting, “I mean, I don’t know much about science but a vaccine that could be used for all viruses? Sounds like it would have been amazing.���

Why didn’t he hate you? You wanted to ask him that very question. But at this point you were exhausted. Exhausted of the guilt. The shame.

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” He pulled you away to look at you. His hand was at your cheek, wiping away tears with his thumb.

You didn’t see any hate. Only worry.

You swallowed, voice cracking as you spoke, “I didn’t want you to hate me.” Your answer was genuine, “I love you, Leon. And I didn’t…” your throat closed again, holding back another cry.

“Well, I love you too.” He kissed your forehead, speaking softly, “and I could never hate you.” Leon was gentle with you. He spoke gently. Touched you gently. Kissed you gently.

You needed gentle. You were cracked glass, waiting to shatter. But he seemed to be the only one to hold you without breaking you completely.

Leon kissed the top of your head again. His hands were slowing running up and down your back in comfort.

Your behavior made sense now. Your obsession with doing the right thing. Your paranoia over your research. He just assumed all scientists had a degree of ‘madness’ to them. But now he understood.

The trauma and guilt had you in vice. Just like him. You may not have seen Raccoon City with your own eyes, but that doesn’t mean you couldn’t have been traumatized by it.

Umbrella broke the both of you. But that doesn’t mean you were alone in picking up the pieces.

[fruitcoops]

hi <3 i hope you’re well and having a beautiful day so far. i was wondering if you could write a fic about sirius or logan’s brother like relationship to adele - for example, how they would approach her when she’s having a bad day or when she needs advice about something or maybe even after a disagreement with her parents. no worries if you can’t, i just thought it would be a wholesome interaction 💕

Oh, for sure! Katie and Logan get so much attention (for good reason--they're adorable), but I like to think of Sirius and Adele as the blueprint. Hope you enjoy! Combined with asks for Logan and Loops friendship, Papa Dumo (for @ jinxedjaz), Sirius coming back from visiting his parents while living with the Dumais, and Sirius-learning-to-people from this hc list. SW credit goes to @lumosinlove!

I

A little hand tugged on the hem of Dumo’s sweater. “Papa?”

He glanced up from his crossword and smiled, turning to lift Adele into his lap. “Bonjour, mon papillon. Do you want to help me?”

“Is Sirius okay?”

Dumo paused. His first instinct was to lie—how could he even begin to explain the complexity of the situation to a seven-year-old?—but the brightness in Adele’s big eyes told him she already knew the answer. She was a smart kid. She deserved to know at least some of the truth. “He’s having a tough day,” Dumo said quietly as dishes clinked in the other room. No matter what he and Celeste tried, Sirius insisted on washing up. “He’ll be alright.”

A little furrow appeared between Adele’s eyebrows. “Is it because of us? Because he misses his family now?”

“No, sweetheart, not at all. He just…” The words were impossible to find. “He just doesn’t like holidays very much.”

She worried her lower lip for a moment before wiggling free of his arms. “I’m going to make him feel better.”

“Adele—” Dumo made a grab for her, but she had already scampered out of reach and around the corner to the kitchen. In the three days since Sirius had come back from Thanksgiving, he had already reverted back to his shut-down ghost of a self.

“Excuse me, please,” Adele announced. The sink shut off. “Are you sad?”

That’s certainly one way to do it. Dumo craned his neck to watch their reflections in the glass of the back door without revealing his position. Sirius was always more comfortable around the kids than himself and Celeste. “Quoi?” Sirius asked, turning to face her.

“Are you sad? You’ve been frowny.”

Silence fell for a few seconds. “Ouais, a little,” he said at last. “But I’m not sad because of you.”

“That’s good. Papa said so, too. He says you don’t like holidays, but that’s so silly, because we were just talking about Christmas last week.”

“I like some holidays,” Sirius said haltingly. There was a rustling noise; Dumo saw him pick Adele up and settle her on his hip with a thoughtful tilt to his head. “I’m very excited to spend Christmas with you.”

“Pinky swear?”

“Pinky swear.”

“Good. I want you to spend all the holidays with us. Will you be frowny on Christmas, too?”

“I don’t think so.” Dumo could practically hear Sirius’ smile. “See? I’m already better.”

“Will you open presents with me? Marc and Louis always open theirs together, and Mama and Papa, but Katie’s too little to do it with me. I like playing Santa, but it means I hafta go last.”

In the glass, Dumo saw Sirius press a raspberry kiss to her cheek until she burst into giggles; his grin lit up the whole kitchen. “Of course I will.”

II

“You have to smile,” Adele groaned. “You’re scaring off all my customers.”

Sirius raised his eyebrows. “Pardon?”

She turned a big, sunshine grin on him, pressing her fingers into her dimples to exaggerate it. “Big smiles! You like being here! These are the best cookies you’ve ever had! Everyone should try them!”

“They should!” Sirius agreed. “I don’t know why you’re upset!”

She heaved a sigh and clonked her forehead on his stomach, knocking some of the air out of his lungs. “You look scary when you don’t smile.”

“I do not.”

“You do! You’re built like a brick wall and when you’re thinking, you get frowny!” She adjusted her Girl Scout vest and straightened up. “You have to be perky and fun and the cutest little kid on the block.”

“…I might have a problem with the last part.”

“Then I’ll be the cutest little kid on the block,” she said, exasperated.

Sirius narrowed his eyes at her. “Do you think I’m scary?”

“No,” she snorted. “But other people do.”

“No way.”

“Yes, way. Mama looks surprised when her face relaxes, but you’re, like, looming.”

“So…you’re upset with how my face looks?” he teased, dodging her attempt to poke his ribs.

“No, I just don’t need a bodyguard to sell cookies!”

“That’s literally what I’m here for,” he laughed, tugging one of her pigtails until she stuck her tongue out at him. “Alright, madame, I’ll try to be ‘perky’ and ‘fun’.”

“The air quotes weren’t necessary,” she informed him with great gravity, though she couldn’t hide the smile on her face as she turned back to the people walking across the street. “Hey, lady, do you want cookies?”

III

“So,” Logan began, then shoved another handful of pretzel sticks into his mouth. “Dating the captain. What’s that like?”

Sirius looked up from his phone and glared. “I am sitting right next to you.”

“Shush. Loops?”

Remus sighed and let his head fall toward Logan’s armchair; he was starting to get lightheaded from laying upside-down for so long, but it was doing wonders for his lower back and sore feet. “Dating the captain? Pretty cool, to be honest.”

Logan made a noise of disagreement. “I don’t believe that for a second. Does he make you run drills in the basement, or is it just a cuddle party all the time? ‘cause there’s no in-between.”

“Tabarnak,” Sirius muttered, flicking Logan’s ear as he headed out of the room. “You two gossip like middle-schoolers.”

“It’s really not bad,” Remus mused as he stretched one leg toward the curtains. “I’m the one who likes running drills, so he’ll usually watch tape while I do that for a bit. Cuddles aren’t as frequent as you might think. We’re boring.”

“Mmm, with some wild nights in there, eh?” Logan wiggled his eyebrows and Remus chucked a pillow at him, though it did not seem to deter him. “I seem to remember hearing a certain conversation about a new bedframe?”

“A headboard,” Remus corrected, pulling a face at him. “And it was already almost ten years old. You’re just jealous.”

“Ugh, for him? Nah. Peanut might have carried a torch—”

“You’re kidding. Did he really?”

“Oh, yeah,” Logan snorted, as if it was obvious. “But he has better taste now. Honestly, though, I’m glad you two are together. And that you’re happy in your boring domesticity, even if you’re breaking beds left and right.”

“Headboard, and it was one time.”

“Did I ever tell you about—”

The front door slammed open; both of them jumped as something heavy hit the ground with a thud. “Sweetheart?” Celeste asked from the living room, audibly concerned. Remus’ heart dropped and he shared a worried look with Logan, who was already on his feet. “Adele, what’s wrong?”

“Adele?” Logan called, his voice laced with worry. Remus’ heartbeat picked up as Adele appeared in the doorway to the living room with tears streaming down her cheeks, only to throw herself into Logan’s arms with a harsh sob. “Woah, hey, qu’est—”

“Boys are so stupid!” she half-shouted, half-wailed. “And I hate them!”

Remus stood there, useless, as she tore away and sprinted for the backyard, yanking the door shut with a bang before tearing across the grass. “Logan?” he asked after a moment. There was no protocol for this. He had absolutely zero experience with preteen breakdowns, and the Dumais kids always fell into Logan and Sirius’ territory. He could count on one hand the number of actual conversations he had had with Adele.

Logan’s nose twitched; he opened his mouth to speak, but the words died in his throat when Sirius came through the doorway and made a beeline for the yard without a single glance to either of them. “She’ll be okay,” Logan murmured as Sirius walked slowly to the swings, where Adele was sitting on the bench seat with her arms wrapped tight around herself.

“She seems pretty upset.”

Logan shook his head, not taking his eyes off the pair. “I’ve got Katie, he’s got Adele.”

“Yeah?” Remus asked, surprised. Logan and Katie were famous for their bond, two peas in a pod. As far as he knew, Sirius was equally close with all the Dumais kids.

“Apparently, they bonded from day one,” Logan said with the flicker of a smile. Outside, Adele laid her head on Sirius’ shoulder and pulled his arm around her back, burrowing into the softness of his hoodie as he gently rocked the swing with his foot and gave her a light squeeze. “They’re both quieter. Oldest children and all that. You really didn’t know?”

“I…” Remus trailed off and shook his head. “You and Katie are much louder about it, but that makes sense. He talks about all of you all the time., I guess I just assumed it was different since he was so closed off at first.”

Logan hummed. “Ask about it sometime. Dumo always likes talking about them.”

Sirius and Adele walked back after a few more minutes, still attached at the hip as Sirius jostled her lightly and pulled half a smile from her; they entered the house in relative quiet and Adele wrapped her arms around him one more time. “Love you,” she said, voice muffled in his sweater. Sirius rubbed her back in slow circles until she pulled away and padded down the hall to the bathroom

“Children are so mean,” he said as soon as the door closed.

“Then I’m glad she has you.” Remus curled his hand around Sirius’ shoulder and felt him relax beneath his touch. “Is she alright?”

“Some little asshole told her nobody would want to date her because she plays hockey.”

Remus’ heart panged. “How can we help?”

“Teach her how to throw a right hook,” Logan suggested. In a rare turn of events, Remus couldn’t tell whether he was joking or not; from the look on his face, it seemed to be the latter.

“She’ll be okay, baby,” Remus said. Sirius didn’t look away from the closed door. “Kids have always been mean, but the best thing you can do is be there for her, which you just did. It’s hard and it sucks but as long as she knows you love her, that’s enough.”

“Does she?” Sirius asked, almost too quiet for him to hear.

Remus looped an arm around his waist and kissed the top of his shoulder. “She does,” he promised. Without a doubt.

IV

Sirius drummed his hands on the steering wheel with a wide smile. “I’m so excited,” he said for the fourth time in twenty minutes.

“I can tell,” Remus said, still reading through his missed messages. The cell service in customs had been abysmal, and for some godforsaken reason his dad desperately needed to send paragraph updates on his hunt for the perfect holiday lights. Some days, Remus wondered whether he was happiest with his family or in Home Depot.

“I missed them.”

“Yep.”

“And I can’t let Logan get there first.”

“Sure thing, honey. Speed limit.”

“Three weeks is a long time, did you know that?”

“Mhmm. Sirius, speed limit.”

“How do you manage being away from Jules for that long?”

“Very poorly,” Remus said as he typed out a quick response to his dad’s latest text. His mother would end him if he allowed their house to be decorated with anything green—in all honesty, he was starting to think she had a personal rivalry with the Snakes. They turned onto Dumo’s street and he felt the excitement radiating off Sirius kick up several notches. “Deep breaths, love.”

“Ah, fuck me, the cubs are right behind us,” he muttered, pulling over to the curb and unbuckling his seatbelt.

“Sirius!” Remus spluttered.

“What?”

“Turn the fucking car off before you get out!”

Sirius heaved a sigh and pulled the key out, then took off toward the house at a jog; Logan went sprinting past the passenger window half a second later, and Remus heard Finn shouting after him from the still-running car to no avail. They reached the front steps at the exact same time, shouldering each other in an attempt to reach the doorbell first.

“—want to push it!” Logan insisted, kicking Sirius lightly on the shin as Remus headed up the walkway.

“You did it last time!” Sirius argued.

“I’m the youngest, so I get to do it!”

“That’s not how it works!”

The door swung open just as Logan tried to bodily shove Sirius out of the way, only to be put in a scrambling headlock. Dumo regarded them with an exhausted look on his face. “Bonjour, Loops.”

“Hey, Dumo,” Remus called from the base of the steps. “Nice night, eh?”

He shrugged, ignoring the two grown men roughhousing on his welcome mat. “Not bad.”

“Are les enfants here?” Logan panted, trying to heave Sirius into the nearest hedge.

Dumo rolled his eyes and opened the door the rest of the way. “Kids, we have visitors!”

Thundering footsteps echoed off the walls; Logan and Sirius tripped over each other in their haste to get inside. “Tremzy!” Katie shrieked, launching herself into his arms with a beaming smile.

Sirius hoisted Adele straight off her feet and shook her back and forth as she wrapped her arms around his neck in a tight hug. “You were gone forever!” she laughed. “We missed you!”

“What am I, chopped liver?” Logan teased as he set Katie down and opened his arms for a hug of his own. Marc and Louis slammed into him, nearly toppling him in the entryway.

“No, no, no!” Katie giggled as Sirius blew a raspberry kiss on her stomach, only to mimic it on his cheek a moment later. “You’re all scratchy.”

“Tough for kisses,” Remus agreed. “You should tell him to shave, Katie-bird.”

Katie squished his cheeks in her hands with a solemn frown. “No more porcupines.”

“You got it,” Sirius confirmed. “What do you think, Adele?”

She pulled a face and they all dissolved into laughter, exhausted from the long roadie and unable to contain their happiness. It was a tradition Remus was coming to know as he spent more time with the team—Logan and Sirius just couldn’t resist swinging by the Dumais house after a long trip, no matter how drained and battered they were. It was a combination of a competition and a family reunion, and the kids loved it every time.

“Are you staying the night?” Marc asked, lazily tying Sirius’ shoelaces together.

“Not tonight, no.”

“But it would be fun,” Louis said from his place hoisted under Logan’s arm, legs dangling.

“They’re tired, boys, be nice.” Celeste winked at Sirius as he leaned down so she could kiss his cheek before moving to Logan to do the same. “We watched all your games. You were wonderful.”

“Merci, Celeste.” The corners of Logan’s eyes crinkled, and Remus saw Finn and Leo share a smile behind him.

Sirius craned his neck to look back. “Oh, she wasn’t talking to you.”

Logan stuck his tongue out as the kids laughed, still clinging to them both. Remus happily accepted a quick hug and a hair-ruffle from Celeste before she moved on to Finn and Leo, and settled in for a cozy evening at home.

[punksarahreese]

Trees | Bloodletting

Nosdecember day 10 | @neworleansspecial

Occult!au; April and Sarah go on a walk and meet two individuals Sarah was not expecting

***

"April," Sarah’s voice carried a little whine as she skipped a little to catch up with the Faerie, "Where are we going?"

"An adventure," that’s all April had been telling her since she showed up at the cottage that morning. Sarah had tried to protest, citing the fact that she had a painting to finish, but she couldn’t argue for very long. April looked so excited, for whatever reason, and Sarah didn’t have the heart to tell her no. It didn’t help that an invisible hand had quickly found the small of her back, gently nudging her towards the door until Sarah took the hint.

Life was weird with a ghost roommate who always tried to mother her. Not that she would complain too much because Natalie was quite literally her lifesaver. Still, she did tend to get pushy when she thought Sarah was spending a little too much time inside. She didn’t want her to wallow in her depression, which she understood, but the fact that the ghost couldn’t leave the general riverbank area or stay corporeal all the time meant she couldn’t drag Sarah outside too often.

That’s where April came in. The Faerie had immediately taken Sarah under her wing and made it a goal to keep her safe. It was in her blood to heal people, after all, so of course she was going to do her best to make sure Sarah was happy. Even if she couldn’t mend her trauma, her and Natalie could do their best to help the human make some happier memories.

"I really need to-" Sarah stopped when she saw what was in front of them. She had never been this far into the forest, she couldn’t have, because this was a whole new feat she had never come across. Nestled near the hillside was a large old house, exterior looking a little worse for wear but the grounds blooming with a rather impressive garden. Ivy and grapevines snaked up the brickwork, evidence of nature passively trying to take back its land.

"Woah."

"Impressed?" April grinned, "Not mine, but I help keep the garden and its spirits happy."

"It’s gorgeous," Sarah told her sincerely, admiring a monarch butterfly as it fluttered past her to land on a nearby lilac tree. The whole yard was full of lilacs, clearly not from the area originally; whoever lived there must really love the sweet flowers.

"April?"

A soft, accented voice tore their attention from the flora in front of them. April turned, braids bouncing against her shoulder as she searched for the owner of the voice. A tiny, musical giggle was heard at their confusion. That was something Sarah missed; the ability to find humour in tiny things.

"Up!"

April’s gaze drifted in the direction she was told, quickly landing on a small figure perched in a nearby oak tree. The sun obstructed Sarah’s vision but she figured her companion could see just fine. She must have been able to, because her smile was almost audible in her reply.

"Tia," she relaxed when she realized who the person was, "What are you doing up there?"

"Watching. You appear to have a shadow, you know."

"Who? Sarah?"

A sound of disagreement and the rustle of leaves preceded her words, "Nuh-uh. Not the human, she’s fine."

The human. So whoever was up there must be some type of other creature, Sarah noted. She wasn’t even fazed at that point, having completely adjusted to the amount of supernatural activity within the forest. It was quite the shock in the beginning but Sarah wasn’t one to judge; besides, she was a guest in their territory anyway.

"Tia, are you going to tell me?"

"You know who he is," the answer was dismissive, "May I come meet her?"

"What would your mother say?" April’s tone was teasing, making the girl in the tree scoff. She was obviously a child, though very well spoken and somehow sounding authoritative. The way April spoke with her was familiar, but she didn’t think this girl was a Seelie child, since April had introduced her to most of the court who wanted to meet her ages ago.

"Mama doesn’t mind. Besides, you’re here."

April rolled her eyes, "I’m pretty sure that’s the one thing she would mind, given the history. That being said, it’s your funeral."

"Hm," the leaves rustled loudly again and there was a flash of wind in front of them, "Never had one of those, sounds like an experience."

Somehow whoever Sarah had been expecting to be the owner of the voice was not this child. She looked no older than ten, with long blonde ringlets spilling over her shoulders and a smug look on her face. She held herself with a confidence that was rare for someone so young and that alone told Sarah she was probably older than she appeared. It was the eyes that shocked Sarah the most though, blood red hue glinting in the sunlight.

"My name is Estia," the child gave a small half-bow in greeting, "You’re pretty."

Sarah was taken aback but forced a smile in reply, she seemed sweet even if her eyes were unnerving. She glanced at April in silent question but then turned back to the girl, "Sarah. Um... thank you."

"She knows?" The question was directed at the faerie, who had zoned out slightly as she was gazing past them both. Sarah was also a bit distracted, still absorbing this new person’s presence but also fixated on Estia’s previous words.

A shadow? Who was he? How did April know him?

"About you? No. Before you ask, yes she knows about the Fair folk. Ghosts and werewolves too."

"Covering all the bases but me and mama? Rude."

April scoffed, "Please, I just haven’t had time to ask your mother about it. I know how she feels about outsiders and, unlike some people, I can’t get away with being disrespectful."

"This one is pretty, mama will like her," Estia nodded surely at Sarah, "Any guesses on what I am?"

Sarah was a little confused, wondering who this child’s mother was for April to appear vaguely scared of her. Besides, Estia’s last comment stuck in her head. Something told her it was in her best interest for this woman to like her, whoever she was.

"Uh," she studied the girl’s features for a second but her first guess was ringing in her mind, "Vampire?"

"Oh she’s smart," the child grinned and showed off her tiny but razor sharp fangs, "I like you, Sarah."

"Oh, um... good?"

April clearly found the human’s confusion amusing and she gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder. Before anyone could continue the conversation, the creaking of a heavy door made them all turn to the big house.

"Estia, what are you doing?"

Sarah couldn’t help but stare when she saw the owner of the stern yet beautiful voice. She had a similar accent to the child’s, her low tone somehow soothing despite the vaguely hostile look in her eyes. Which were, just as Sarah expected, as red as fresh blood. Her dark blonde hair was pulled back in a half twist, some loose curls tumbling over her bare shoulders. That was where Sarah got shamefully distracted, her gaze lingering on the pale, scarred skin of the woman’s collarbones. Really it was at the fault of her dress, a rather dramatic red number that fell off her shoulders deliberately. Whoever this woman was, she was undoubtedly a vampire like Estia; one of status, if Sarah had to guess.

"Mama!" Estia was across the yard and at the front door in seconds. Her own gown was casual in comparison to her mother’s, a flowing royal blue fabric that had a high neckline, which was clearly to hide the bite marks on the child’s jugular.

"April brought a new friend," she explained proudly and Sarah realized she immediately sounded much more like the child she appeared to be. However old the young vampire was, she reverted to a more vulnerable state around her mum. It made Sarah’s heart ache a bit, especially upon watching as the woman smoothed down her daughter’s curls and helped her untangle a leaf from her sleeve. She missed her mother, that familiar comfort was something she didn’t appreciate until it was gone.

"Did she?"

"Ava," April met the vampire’s sharp gaze with her own cat-like stare, "She’s not a threat. She lives with Nat and she means no harm in our forest."

"Oh, your little ghost got a roommate?" The woman, Ava, chuckled as if the thought amused her. She seemed a bit rude but first impressions weren’t everything, so Sarah tried to be optimistic. She did still flinch a little when those bright eyes fell on her again, though.

In a split second she was in front of Sarah, moving with the inhuman speed that her daughter also possessed. Estia had remained on the front step, watching stoically as her mother gave the human a once over. Sarah tried to pretend that she wasn’t holding her breath, which was hard because she knew her companions had excellent hearing.

"Ava Bekker," she was a bit surprised when a hand was held out to her, followed by a laugh at Sarah’s hesitation, “I won’t bite you.”

“Oh, um…” Sarah took her hand and tried not to flinch again at how cold her touch was, “Sarah Reese. Nice to meet you.”

The way Ava observed her, with an unreadable expression and a tiny smirk made Sarah a bit concerned. She wasn’t uncomfortable per se, she knew April wouldn’t put her in any danger, but the whole situation was odd. The vampire’s original hostility had slowly melted away and she no longer stared at Sarah as if she was a threat to her or her daughter.

“She’s cute,” Ava mused to the Faerie beside them, “Where’d you find this one?”

“I told you, she lives with Natalie. Got thrown into our world unexpectedly but we’ve grown quite fond of her.”

“Oh,” the blonde shot Sarah a look of playful pity, “You poor thing, stuck with two of the most chatty creatures in this forest.”

“Hey,” Sarah was surprised when April had no qualms with playfully shoving the vampire’s shoulder, “She likes us.”

“I do,” Sarah promised softly, a bit distracted as she once again caught herself staring at the mass amount of scarring along Ava’s porcelain skin. Her neck and upper chest had the worst of it, bite marks and what looked like jagged knife wounds healed into white marks. The biggest scar was a big gash right across where her carotid would be, which must have been fatal by the looks of it. Her wrists were covered by the sheer material of her sleeves but Sarah caught a glimpse of quite a few more marks lining both sides of her forearm. Whatever she had experienced must have happened before her death, since as far as Sarah knew vampires couldn’t scar. Nevertheless, whatever Ava had gone through it looked like a lot.

She nearly jumped out of her skin when an ice cold hand found her face, fingers curling under her chin to lift her gaze. Sarah was too scared to shy away but the touch, while gentle, burned like dry ice. The other woman didn’t look angry, only amusement sparkling in her eyes as she hummed.

“Curious one, aren’t you?”

“I- sorry.”

Ava chuckled, her thumb trailing gently along Sarah’s jawline before she let go of her face, “You’re fine.”

“Mama,” Estia’s voice once again brought everyone’s attention away from the current encounter, “Wolves are on their way.”

Ava sighed, “Child has better hearing than even me. The pups are bringing us some food, so we mustn’t stay out any longer. Besides, someone is supposed to be practicing.”

“Ma!” the child whined, “I am literally dead, I have all the time in the world to learn whatever language you want.”

“Yes, but Latin is just as dead and still waits for no one. Off you go.”

Estia huffed and looked at Sarah, “Can you visit another time? I wanna know what human life is like now!”

Sarah looked at the other vampire for an answer, since she didn’t want to intrude or anything. Ava smiled at her with surprising warmth, her fangs showing proudly, “If Sarah wishes to pay us a visit then she is welcome. Might give her some peace and quiet away from all the faerie antics.”

“I heard that.”

“Well, it was also directed at your shadow,” Ava replied to April, “Who needs to work on his sneaking skills.”

Following her gaze, Sarah spotted a black cat watching them angrily from a tree. The same black cat who sat on her windowsill every night, watching and never moving until dawn. She had been unnerved but had assumed it was a stray at first. She even left a bowl of Autumn’s food out for the cat, but had only been met by hostile green eyes and a hiss. Judging by Ava’s words, he was not actually a cat. Which was even more unsettling; April and Natalie would have some explaining to do.

“We really must go,” Ava continued, before glancing at Sarah for a moment. She went over to one of her lilac trees, skirt flowing dramatically in the wind her speed created. A deft hand broke off a bunch of flowers at the stem, returning to Sarah in seconds. The human looked at her questioningly, instinctively holding her breath when Ava got closer.

The vampire leaned towards her, cold fingers brushing over her cheek as she tucked the stem of lilacs behind Sarah’s ear. The light purple flowers blended into her curls, filling her senses with their strong scent.

“I promise I won’t hurt you,” was murmured in her ear and Sarah had to pretend she wasn’t blushing like mad when the woman pulled back.

“Mama?” Estia was bouncing on her heels, obviously waiting for Ava to follow before she went into the big house. Ava nodded at her, bidding Sarah goodbye and saying the same to April. In moments both vampires had disappeared back into the house, which somehow looked completely uninhabited. That probably had something to do with the fact that its owners were undead, but Sarah tried not to think about that too hard.

“Enchanting isn’t she?” April teased, having noticed Sarah’s panicked and shy reactions to the other woman, “Home time?”

Sarah recovered enough to nod, hand brushing through her hair to feel if the lilacs were still there. She followed April absentmindedly, thoughts still pinned on the gorgeous but intimidating vampire and how her low voice in Sarah’s ear had shamefully made her stomach flutter.

[yourdeepestfathoms]

Goodbye To A World

It’s been three days and a bone-deep ache is still infecting every inch of Joan’s body. She wasn’t sure what was causing it or what was going on, but she didn’t expect to get an answer. Certainly not from a bird.

The crow has been visiting Joan’s window for about a week now. It pecked on the glass late one night, but wasn’t there when Joan turned her head to look. No, it was now inside her room.

Joan leapt backwards against the headboard when she saw the crow perched on her keyboard. Her mouth was open in shock, but no words came out.

   “I apologize,” Said the bird, “I did not mean to startle you.”

Joan audibly sputter and then stammered on her words. The bird tilted its head at her.

   “My, are you shivering.”

   “How are you-?! You- a bird-?!” Joan choked.

   “Calm yourself.” Said the bird, “I am not a threat.”

   “How are you talking?”

   “How are you here in modern day?”

Joan shut her mouth. The bird chuckled.

   “This world is a strange one. I’m sure a talking animal is nowhere near as strange as resurrection of a lady in waiting from five hundred years ago.”

   “I...I guess.” Joan blinked.

   “Allow me to introduce myself,” The bird flapped over, “I am Fate, watcher of shades and guider of souls.”

   “Joan Meutas...keyboardist and music director.”

Fate laughs.

   “What are you, uhh, doing here?”

Even with its beak and animal features, Joan swears she saw Fate frown. A crest of feathers ruffled around their head and then they sighed.

   “I am a being that guides souls to Death,” They began to explain, “I watch over them until departure and then take them to Judgement.” They look up and Joan seems confused, “Now you, the other three, and the queens are interesting cases. You’re not...human. Not really. The existence of you ten disrupts the balance of the universe. It’s...difficult to manage at times. And, because of that, things need to be done.”

Joan still has her eyebrows furrowed, not understanding.

   “Regeneration. That’s what we- the Ministry- dub what you ten may go through. It’s a disappearance for a short amount of time and then you return, usually with a new form. This process, the short absence, gives us time to balance out order.”

   “Okay...” Joan said slowly, “So that’s happening to me?”

Fate frowned again, but it doesn’t stay for long.

   “I hope.”

—————

After the ache came the shivering. Joan was naturally cold all the time, but now she always felt like she was freezing, no matter how many layers she put on. It earns her worried looks from Fate, who has stuck around her since their first meeting that night.

It was just the regeneration process, though. Apparently. That’s what Fate said. Joan didn’t know for sure, as she wasn’t an otherworldly being that balances out the universe.

There was another one of those. A brilliant golden owl that Joan sees around at least one of the queens. It’s silent and doesn’t interact with her, just watches from afar.

   “That’s Destiny,” Fate had informed, “They prefer the queens because, you know, they’re so ‘special’ and ‘important.’”

Joan laughed a little from where she’s seated in front of her keyboard, preparing for the next show. Fate is hopping along the rims, as crows do, invisible to everyone that wasn’t her.

   “The queens are important,” She said.

   “Indeed,” Fate nodded. They craned their head around and stared at the owl who was watching from one of the wings. “Are you going to come over here or not?”

Destiny tipped their beak up, miffed, then flew up the stairs of doom, disappearing from sight.

   “I bet they’re great at parties.”

—

It was during the show that Joan was struck by a sharp flare of pain and then nauseating dizziness. She had to squeeze her eyes shut, fumbling to continue playing whatever song they were on. This went on for the rest of the performance and when it was time to get offstage, Joan was tottering to the side and...

   “Woah there,”

Joan pried open her eyelids and stared up at Jane, who had caught her before she hit the group.

   “I’ve got you, sweetheart.”

   “Jane,” Joan mumbled, the name slurring across her lips, “Hey...” She giggled a little, clearly delirious from her several dizzy spells.

Jane smiled fondly down at the girl, helping her stead up normally. Joan still leans against her, nuzzling her face into the queen’s soft chest.

   “You’re warm...” Joan murmured.

   “And you’re very cold,” Jane said, worry slipping into her voice. “Are you feeling okay, honey?”

   “Juuust fine,” Joan replied, “Can you just hold me for a little longer? You’re really, really warm Lady Jane...”

Jane obliged and held Joan for a few more minutes. It was Joan who eventually pulled away because she noticed Destiny perched a few feet away on a speaker. Joan lets Jane know she’s okay and the queen walks off.

   “Hello,” Joan smiled slightly at the owl.

   “Oh you poor soul.”

Destiny’s voice was quite the contrast to Fate’s. It had a slight accent to it and the words were dripping with molten honey when spoken.

   “So weak and frail. How are you not sobbing in fear right now?” Asked the owl.

Joan blinked, looking confused.

   “What?”

   “Destiny.” Fate flew over, landing beside its sister-being.

   “Did you not tell her?” Destiny snapped their head around to look at the crow.

   “I-”

   “You didn’t.”

   “What are you two talking about?”

Destiny and Fate look at Joan, then back at each other. Fate is shaking their head, but Destiny doesn’t listen to whatever they’re silently pleading about.

   “You’re dying, Joan.”

———

The fear was intense. Extreme. Unnerving.

Will they remember her? Did they even care? Should she tell them?

Looking at Bessie and Maria and Maggie at dinner, Joan wonders if she’ll ever see them again.

—————

   “Hey, can I talk to you?”

Destiny looks cautious, but they fly over.

   “What do you need?” They asked.

   “I just want to talk. Might be the last time. Don’t know when I’ll disappear.”

Joan’s eyes are blank. They’ve been that way since yesterday, when she was fully informed on what was going on with her.

   “What’s going to happen to everyone? After I’m gone, I mean.”

Destiny frowned deeply at that. It’s like they were upset that Joan was speaking of her upcoming death.

   “Life will go on. They will recover.”

Joan nods and looks to the ground.

   “Listen-” Destiny sighs. “I’m sorry. None of us in the Ministry wanted it to come to this, but-”

   “I get it.” Joan cut them off, “I do, really. You need balance. It would be selfish of me to resist and risk ripping the balance between space and time in two.”

Destiny is quiet for a moment, pursing their beak into a tight line.

   “The least I can do is give you a request. Is there anything you’d like me to do for you?”

Joan feels her throat tighten and she braces herself for one last difficult conversation.

   “Take care of everyone. Please.”

Destiny nods.

   “Of course.” Said the owl, “I will make sure your wish comes true.”

They start to leave, then stopped.

   “Be brave. This isn’t goodbye.”

—————

Two days later, Joan stays up watching the sunrise and wonders if this was the last time she’ll ever see it. Why are things the most beautiful when they’re about to be taken away?

   “Is it time?” She asked.

   “Almost.” Fate answered.

Joan hugged Bessie the moment she saw her. The bassist seemed to be surprised, but hugged back tightly.

   “And what’s this for?” She asked, smiling brightly.

   “Nothing,” Joan shrugged and then grinned back, “Just thank you. For everything. I love you so much, mama.”

Joan calling Bessie her mother nearly sent Bessie into the fifth dimension and she embraced the girl again, this time pressing a kiss to her forehead.

   “I love you, too, my little dea.”

Joan giggled at the nickname and then flung herself at Maria when she saw her coming downstairs. She actually leapt up onto the drummer, clinging on with all her limbs like a koala and they both burst into fits of laughter.

   “Someone is full of energy!” Maria chortled, bouncing Joan in her arms. “Morning, Joey.”

   “Morning, ‘Ria,” Joan replied, burying her nose into the older woman’s soft locks. “Love you.”

   “I love you too, Jo.”

   “Maggie!”

Joan shot out of Maria’s arms and scooped Maggie up into her own, stunning the youngest. She was still for a moment before giggling.

   “Oh, Maggie! My little sister! I love you so much!” Joan gushed, nuzzling her cheek up against the guitarist’s, who has yet to stop laughing. “I love you all so much!”

It was true. Joan never realized that she didn’t say it enough, hardly ever because she was too shy or too afraid that they’ll get rid of her. But she’s finally realized how much they mean to her and how much she means to them.

Too bad it was at a time like this.

Before they get to the show, Joan convinces the other three to go to the park. There, they spend an hour and a half just running around in the snow and having a good time. They had an epic snowball fight- Maggie and Bessie vs. Maria and Joan. Of course, Bessie obliterated them, but it was just so enjoyable to play like that. Bessie even snorted at one point, which causes the other three to howl and nearly collapse.

   “Jane!”

When they finally went to the theater to get ready, Joan immediately catapulted herself at Jane. The queen is surprised at first, then smiles and takes Joan into her arms.

   “Hello, sweetheart,” She said in her wonderful voice, “Happy today, aren’t we?”

   “Definitely!” Joan chirped, nuzzling up close to Jane like a kitten, “It’s a good day, mum. I can feel it. This performance is gonna be great!”

Jane chuckled and rubbed Joan’s back. They stayed together before Joan eventually pulled away to get ready and also see the other queens.

That performance was by far Joan’s best. She was so full of life and energy, even jumping out of her stool at one point and playing on her feet. She danced to every song, even occasionally joining in on the singing. She got many bright smiles from the queens, who couldn’t take their eyes off of her.

However, all good things must come to an end eventually.

A golden orb flitted around Joan. She almost messed up because she tried to follow where it was going, but it dissolved into the air. A few more appear, seemingly from around her feet, and her body suddenly gets very heavy.

When Joan looks down at her hands, they’re tinted blue, as if she has frostbite.

Her time with everyone...ends now.

Icicles are growing through her stomach. Her ankle is on fire. Her chest is constricted. She can’t breathe.

The situation hits Joan hard. She was about to die.

She didn’t want to die.

Joan cried through the rest of the show. From I Don’t Need Your Love to the MegaSix, the tears did not stop falling. She wept and sobbed until she felt like she couldn’t breathe anymore. The freezing cold and excruciating agony infecting her entire body only gets worse.

The MegaSix ends. Joan stumbles out of her chair while Cleve did giving a goodbye speech. Everyone stares when the keyboard clatters to the ground and Joan staggers on center stage.

   “Joan?” Jane called out worriedly.

   “Sweetheart?” Bessie tried quietly, “What’s wrong?”

   “I love you,” Joan whispered. Several orbs twirl around her, “I love you all so much.” She pauses and swallowed painfully, “I think...it’s time for me to say goodbye.”

A chorus of “Huh?!” and “Goodbye?!” sounded all around her as everyone, even the audience, who probably thought this was a special scene added in, were shocked.

   “Joan, what the hell are you talking about?” Aragon asked.

   “We aren’t human,” Joan said, “Not really. Our existence disrupts the balance of the universe, so sometimes we have to go through a regeneration process.” Another pause, “But that isn’t the case with me. I am excess. Me being here is causing strain on the order of the world. But because I am so unnecessary, I can be removed and the balance can be restored.”

It almost sounded like something scripted, but the looks of shock and horror on the other’s faces were too real to be just really good acting. The audience murmured in confusion.

   “I’m going to disappear.” Joan said.

Shocked gasps. Startled glances. Stunned expressions.

   “But...I’ll never forget any of you. Even if I didn’t know you in my past life. I’ll remember all of you.”

   “Stop it, Joan!” Cleves growled, but her shimmering eyes betrays her masked anger, “Stop! Are you even hearing yourself? This is insane!”

Joan looked at her and smiled weakly. More orbs glow around her.

   “I know,” She laughed dryly, “I didn’t want to believe it, either, but...it’s happening. My body feels so heavy. Everything hurts. It hurts so badly.” She choked for a moment, the sobs overtaking her for a few seconds, “But it’ll be over soon. I’ll be gone.”

She splays her hands open and looks down at them. They’re a deep shade of indigo, now. Her lips are tinged blue.

   “But I’ll never forget. Even when I’m gone. I’ll never forget...”

A wave of fatigue washes over her and suddenly she’s so tired...

Fate appears. Their ebony feathers are glistening under the stage lights. Destiny watches from nearby.

   “Are you ready?” The crow asks.

Joan nodded and turned away from her family and friends, trudging up the very edge of the stage. She doesn’t acknowledge the audience- they do not matter.

   “Thank you, Maria.” Joan began to speak again, using the last of her energy on these final words, “For being my friend. You were so much more than that, though. You were my big sister. You were always there for me. You always cared. I love you so much.”

She looks to Maggie next.

   “Maggie...god, I’m gonna miss your ferret face,” She choked out a laugh, “Take care of yourself, okay? I know things feel like shit sometimes, but it’ll get better. I promise.”

Then, the queens.

   “You are all amazing. I’m so glad I got to meet all of you and be apart of this.”

Finally, Jane and Bessie.

   “I’m gonna miss you a lot...both of you. Jane, I’ve always seen you like a mother. Bessie, you took me under your wing like I was your own. I felt safe. Loved. With both of you. I love you, mama.”

Tears are falling, now, but not just by Joan. Almost everyone onstage are crying.

   “Joan,” Fate reminds softly.

   “Goodbye.” Joan said. Her body began to glow. Numbness spreads throughout every nerve. “I had a lot of fun. Getting to have a dream... Getting to play music... Getting to know all of you... Getting to live. I’ll never forget it.”

The light grows brighter. It’s almost enveloping Joan completely. She can barely see, but that might just be the overflowing tears obscuring her vision.

   “Goodbye.” One last time, so softly. “It’s okay if you forget me. I’m not worth remembering. But...thank you for giving me something that was worth living for.” Joan tips her head up and smiled weakly, “For five more seconds,” She mused in a watery voice, “we’re ten.”

A blinding flash of golden light bursts through the theater. Many have to shield their eyes, but then they uncover their faces, Joan is gone. Only a pale yellow flower covered in frost is left in her absence.

[mlovesstories]

You Know What You’re Doing Part 5

Tag List

Ask Box

Masterlist of Masterlists

Warnings: descriptions of abuse, cussing

AN- @spndeanbingo square: friends to lovers

Abusive description labeled by start and end asterisks (*).

Words: 2700

“Dee! We’re back!” Jensen opened the door for YN and stepped inside.

“Hi, YN!” JJ ran into YN’s arms.

“Hey, cutie!” She accepted the little girl’s gesture.

“No love for me?” Jensen crosses his armed in fake anger.

“Nope!” JJ laughed, pretending to ignore him. “Did you go see the doctor? Do you feel better? Did you get a shot? I don’t like shots.”

“We’re perfectly fine. No shots today,” Jensen assured her. He looked at YN. With pursed lips, she prayed he did not give JJ any more information about what kind of doctor they had gone to.

“Yeah!” JJ pumped her fist in the air.

“Come on, time to eat!” Danneel tried to distract everyone from the secretive, awkward conversation.

———-

Over the next few days, YN became more reserved. Danneel thought she had reverted back to her previous tendencies.

“YN,” the mom started, “you okay?���

“Yep. Why?” She looked up from her homework at the table in the kitchen.

“You’re just quiet is all.” Danneel tiredly smiled.

“Just thinking,” the girl sighed. “Did Jensen tell you?” YN felt the weight of her secret.

“Tell me what?” Danneel turned down the burner and sat at the table.

“About therapy?” YN put her pencil down.

“He isn’t allowed to share anything from therapy, sweetie. It goes against confidentiality.”

“Oh,” YN put her head in her hands.

“You are more than welcome to share, YN. It’s just that JENSEN can’t tell me.” Danneel kept an even voice. “Would it make you feel better if you told someone?”

“Yeah,” YN admitted. “It’s just that I don’t want you to hate me,” she continued looking away, head in hands.

“Nope, not gonna happen,” Danneel said plainly. She moved so that she was below YN, looking straight into her eyes through the spaces between her fingers. The mom waited.

“He hurt me. Really bad.” YN moved her hands and sat up. Danneel maintained eye contact.

“Oh yeah? That must’ve been hard.” Danneel reminded herself not to pounce like a mama protecting her baby.

“Yeah. I mean, I’m okay. Sometimes the memories come back. The doc knows, but no one else does. I’m afraid if I tell you, then Sarah is going to take me away, and-“

“I’m so glad he followed you here from Dallas. One thing at a time.” Danneel soothed.

“I want to tell you. I am scared of Jensen. And I feel bad. He isn’t bad-“

“But he is a boy,” Danneel nodded, realizing she had been intimidated by any of the men that were in her world.

“Yeah. I love Jensen, but-“

“I love you too, sweetheart.” Jensen slowly walked into the room.

“I- I think-“ YN stuttered. She quieted.

“It’s okay. You don’t have to tell me. Promise.” He walked over to her and stopped.

“I- I want to, but I don’t think I can tell you all of it. Not right now.” YN looked away.

“That’s fine, YN.”

“Are the babies…”

“They’re busy, it’s okay,” Danneel smiled. Jensen sat down with the two females.  

“Okay, umm. Well, one of my foster parents hurt me.  A lot. I was the oldest. He blamed me for stuff.”

“Oh yeah?” Danneel prompted the teenager to continue.  She narrowed her eyes at Jensen, telling him to not talk. Jensen nodded, understanding that talking to Danneel would be easier for YN.  

********* start

“Yeah, I thought it was okay, but after a while he-” she sniffled. Everyone stayed silent. A few seconds later, YN continued.  “He had me join a softball team.  Sarah said I was staying a while, so my foster dad wanted me to join a club or something.  He became the coach since it was a city league thing.  But he kind of started telling me it was my fault if we did bad.  I was nine when it started.  He made me do stuff.” YN halted. Jensen and Danneel tried to hide their anger toward this unknown man behind their sympathetic smiles. Danneel reached for YN’s hand slowly, and the teen accepted her touch.  Jensen started to make contact with YN’s back from behind, but Danneel shook her head while YN was looking at the floor.  Instead, Jensen stood up and walked in front of her cautiously.  He sat on his chair with a foot of floor space between the two of them.  Jensen offered her a reassuring smile, telling her to continue without any physical touch, because he didn’t want to scare her. “He just- it never got super bad, okay?  I’m okay.” Spewing out the words, she tried justifying the man’s actions.

“We know you’re okay, but it’s alright if you tell us that you WEREN’T okay,” Danneel assured her with a hand going up and down YN’s arm.  “Promise,” she smiled.

“He would hit me and other stuff.” Her face turned red.  After a deep breath, she continued.  “I protected the other kids as much as I could.”

Jensen gritted his teeth. Breaking his unspoken promise to his wife, he said, “That was very unfair of him. You didn’t deserve that,” Jensen told her with unwavering confidence in his voice. “Do you understand that?” Jensen’s voice was gentle but assuring.

“Sort of, I guess.  I mean, I shouldn’t have lost all those games, and I should have taken care of the kids better, but-” as YN spoke, Jensen swallowed.  “I have been here and watched you guys.  I’m not scared of you.  Well, sometimes, but that’s ‘cause I am not used to all this.” She motioned with her finger.  “You are… calm, I guess.”

“Listen to me.” Jensen waited for YN to meet his eyes. “You didn’t deserve any of that- no matter what you did or didn’t do.  You hear me?”  He raised his eyebrows, emphasizing his point and waiting for an audible response.

******* end

“Yeah.  This is the first time I’ve been able to relax and… just be me.”

“Well, we don’t want anyone else, YN.  You’re perfect.” Danneel continued rubbing the girls arm in a soothing manner.  As the conversation died, the wife and mother wanted YN to feel validated.  “Do you know how Jensen and I met?” YN looked up at Danneel.

“Dee-” Jensen tried to intervene, knowing where she was going with her story.

“It’s fine, Jay.  She needs to know.” Danneel returned her attention to the teenager.

“You were both on the CW, right? I’ve seen One Tree Hill,” YN assumed.

****** start

“We were, but we met at my show’s wrap party. I was at a One Tree Hill event with the other cast members and crew.  A few other CW stars, including Jensen, were there too.  Someone cornered me.  He was really creepy and saying inappropriate things.  Maybe he thought no one would notice or think that I wouldn’t fight back.  I’m not sure, but Jensen just happened to see what was going on.  I think he saw how scared I was, so you know what he did?” Danneel’s grimace changed to a remembering smile.

****** end

“What?”  YN squinted in curiosity.

“Jensen pretended to be my boyfriend, asking where I had gone.  When the guy wouldn’t leave, he told the guy that if he touched me, Jensen would punch his lights out.”

“Really?!”  YN gave a questioning look.

“Yep, and he stood by my side the rest of the evening.  Wherever I went, he was right there to make sure that no one else bothered me after that prick left the party.  He’s watched out for me ever since.” Danneel reach over to mess up Jensen’s hair.  He smirked. “Jensen won’t ever hurt you.  He is a guy, but he saves girls from monsters, he is not one, I know from experience.” Bold for prompt

————-

Over the next few weeks, YN became relaxed around the family. Family members came over to celebrate Danneel’s birthday. The teen met and mingled with them, as well as those she had never seen before.

“Look at her,” Donna whispered to Jensen with a smile.

“I know. She’s never even met some of these people. What happened?” He laughed.

“You did,” his mom replied.

“What?” He turned to read the expression on her face.

“You taught her to be conversational and be confident. Any time she was near that man, she shriveled into herself. Look at her!” Donna pointed toward YN leading a conversation between the Padaleckis’ and some of their friends.

“She- she told us some stuff-” Jensen started. He took a breath. “Excuse me,” the son sniffled and stood up from his chair next to his mom.  As he walked away, she followed.  As he went around the corner to another room.  Donna touched the back of his arm. Jensen halted.  He started crying, clearing his throat.  

“It’s okay to be upset.”  Donna whispered.

“She didn’t deserve it, Mom.” He turned to face her.  

“And you have to clean up his mess, I know.  But she is worth it, Jensen Ross.”

“She is SO worth it.”

Donna reached up and wiped his few tears away.  

“I know,” she smiled.  “Wipe those tears, she needs you,” Donna nodded toward the teenager running toward him.  

“Jensen!  Guess what?”  She maintained eye contact while asking Donna for a hug with open arms.  The grandma-figure accepted and kissed her on the cheek.

“What, sweetheart?”  He beamed. She was genuinely excited about something.

“Gen asked me if I could spend the night tonight.  Can I? Please? I’ll be good, I promise,” she rambled.

“Woah, there!”  He let out a hearty laugh.

“Sorry,” she replied, giggling.

“Let’s talk to Dee, but I don’t see a problem with it.”

“Yes! Okay, come on!”  YN reached for his hand after stepping away from Donna. “Danneel!”  The young girl yelled for her foster mom over the party noise. The woman turned away from a conversation with friends.

“What’s up, YN?  Wow, you look really excited.” Danneel noted the way YN dragged Jensen with her. She narrowed her eyes at her husband, wordlessly asking him what was going on.

“I know it’s your birthday weekend, and I am sorry, but-” YN started rambling again.  She took a breath after Jensen modeled one for her. “But, Gen asked if I could spend the night with them, and I really want to.  Please?”

“Oh, wow, YN!  Yes!  Of course.”  Danneel reciprocated the teen’s infectious smile.

“Umm, Danneel?”  YN’s expression soured. She whispered, “What do I bring to a sleepover?”  The woman’s eyes went wide.  She told herself not to react to a question every kid should know the answer to.

“I can help with that, come on.”  Danneel showed no waver in her voice even though she was shocked that YN had to ask such a question.  

“Bye, Jensen!”  YN waved as she walked up the stairs with Danneel.  

The two ladies entered YN’s room.

“So, you need all of your basic stuff.  Let’s start with what happens when you get ready for bed.  Everything that you would use at home, you’ll take to the Padaleckis’.”

“Umm, toothbrush!”  YN ran into the bathroom and returned with it.

“Perfect.  Hold that for a second, we need to get a case for it.  Come here, Jensen has a ton since he travels all the time.”  The ladies opened a hallway closet door.  Grabbing a blue toothbrush case, she escorted YN back to her room.  “Put this in there.  Okay, next!”

“Pajamas!” YN responded excitedly.

As they continued to go down the list, YN filled a borrowed suitcase.  When they finished, YN grabbed a stuffed impala from her bed and ran back down the stairs.  

“Gen, I’m ready!”  YN beamed and dragged the suitcase with clumsiness to the mom of three.  As she started to run toward her, YN turned around and ran back to Danneel.  “Thank you for letting me do this!” Danneel kissed the top of her head.  

———-

“Time for bed, babies!” Gen snuck into Tom’s room where the three younger ones surrounded YN as she read them a story.

“Mom,” they groaned.

“Nope, it’s already passed your bedtime. Everyone to bed!” She winked at YN.” As the babies settled, YN looked at Gen.

“Good night, Gen. Thanks for tonight.”

“Sweetie, it’s 8:00. You can stay up with us. Let’s go watch TV.” The teen followed her down the stairs.

“Hey, YN!” Jared sat up on the couch.”You ready to stay up all night watching movies?”

“You better not, or you will be grumpy tomorrow.” Gen nudged his head, playing.

“Aww, come on, please?” Jared whined.

“Fine, since you have the next week off.” His wife grinned. “Come get some popcorn, YN! What do you want to watch? You get to choose.”

After a beat, YN answered.

“Umm… Transformers?”

“You like those?” Jared asked, surprised.

“Yes…?”

“Perfect!” Jared beamed.

————

The next morning, YN woke to a knock on the guest room door. She rolled out of bed.

“Yeah?”

“Breakfast!” Gen yelled. She slowly opened the door as YN gathered her clothes and headed toward the restroom. “Hey,” she stopped the girl. “No changing yet. Part of the sleepover experience. Stay in your PJs as long as you can.” Gen smiled.  “The kids want to wish you a good morning, come on.”

The teenager dropped her clothes with a grin and exited the guest room. She marveled at how relaxed everyone was.  Taking it all in, she quietly scanned the interactions between the siblings and parents.

“YN?” Jared cocked his head to the side.  “You okay?”

“Sleepovers are fun,” YN answered.  “Can we do this again?” She watched for Jared and Gen’s reaction.

“Please, Mommy?” Thomas asked. The adults gave sneaky grins.

“I’m not sure.  You all caused a lot of trouble last night not going to bed when I asked…” The mom tried not to break into a laugh.  YN caught on and stayed silent while the younger ones protested.  After they calmed down, the matriarch answered, “I think that would be a great idea.”

“Really?” YN beamed.  She almost ran Gen over with a hug.  

“Of course.”

_______

“Did you sleep at all last night?”  Danneel watched as YN walked through the door of their house with bed head and her clothes in her arms while still wearing her PJs.  

“No.  We ended up on the couch until three in the morning and then Jared kicked me out, told me to go to bed.”  Danneel opened her arms to the girl.  After a kiss on the cheek, the younger one was dismissed to get ready for the day. “Can I at least take a nap today though?”  She asked Danneel when she came back down the stairs.  

“Jensen wanted us to go out as a family today,” Danneel answered.  

“Oh,” YN grimaced. “Have fun.”

“You’re part of the family, YN.  You aren’t staying here is what I’m trying to say.  Go get your stuff, we’re leaving soon. Maybe we’ll be back in time for you to rest. The babies will need a nap anyway.”

———

While on their outing, YN watched in amazement as Jensen showed her his favorite spots in Austin. They went to a restaurant and sightseeing within the Austin limits. The family took pictures at an amazing photo spot well-known in the area. A few people wanted to take photos with Jensen and Danneel, so she stayed to the side. All of a sudden, YN screamed and ran toward the car, getting in, and locking it.

“What was that?” Danneel passed Arrow to Jensen and chased after her with keys in her hand. When she opened the SUV door, Danneel saw YN hiding on the floorboard below the windows. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to flip out like that,” she apologized through tears.”A guy passed us and he looked just like him!”

“Him who?” Danneel confusedly climbed in next to her.

“Terry, my foster dad!” YN cried into the cuffs of her sweatshirt. “It wasn’t him, at least I don’t think so.” After a few minutes of calming down, YN returned to the family gathered off to the side.  As they walked around, more people asked for photos with the mom and dad, so YN waited with Arrow in her arms, Zeppelin in the stroller, and JJ holding her hand.  

“Hello, sweetheart.  Remember me?” A voice growled into YN’s ear.  

SPN Dean Bingo

You Know What You’re Doing

@webcraft4eveh

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[slutforalistairtheirin]

The Proud and the Prejudiced. (Logince)

Inspired by: https://mayflowers07.tumblr.com/post/186222058356/yall-wanna-hear-an-angsty-prompt-i-just-came-up

Roman

It feels good to be able to push my parents out of my head for today. A lot of people my age hate school.  For me, it’s probably the only place I can be myself. People accept and love me for who I am. Hell, this school even has an annual pride fest. We hold it on the football field. We get to carry flags and paint our faces. It’s really awesome, honestly.

Every year, my friend Grace drags me around to each event. I preferred to spend my time eyeballing the football players, but that raging lesbian does not understand. Her exact words are always: “Jocks aren’t even your type, Roman. You’re into the nerds.” I always shake my head and pout in response.  She doesn’t have to be so right all the time. 

Today, she immediately dragged me to the face painting booth. She goes first, so I have time to really soak in the event. As I look around, I notice Logan- the guy I’ve had a crush on since seventh grade- who also happens to be the yearbook’s event photographer- taking pictures.  He looks absolutely breathtaking today. The fancy camera hanging around his neck, his slender hands adjusting his glasses, the gentle breeze blowing through those soft, brown locks of hair- OH SHIT HE’S COMING OVER HERE.

My thoughts were immediately interrupted when he walked over to ask if he could take a picture of Grace’s face paint.  She happily accepts. 

“My only condition is that Roman is in the picture too.” She shoots a subtle wink at me, seeing my face turn pink. 

“Oh- um- okay-” I don’t really have time to consider it. Logan smiles and nods, Grace grabs my arm and yanks me over to her, and Logan snaps the picture. 

Throughout the rest of the festival, I can only think about Logan’s smile. 

-

I get home after school and quickly run to the bathroom.  My parents aren’t home yet, so I have time to wash off all the glitter and face paint. I splash cold water on my face and rub until my skin turns red. After, I go to my room and tuck my rainbow flag, socks, and sunglasses under my bed. Just in time, too. 

I hear the front door slam and my dad’s work boots stomp in.  He’s yelling about something. My mom’s heels click softly on the hardwood floor, barely audible over his shouts. 

“They have NO BUSINESS subjecting our Lord and Savior to displays of perverse “affection” to the same sex! It’s blasphemous! It’s wrong! Those parents have failed. Entertaining the idea that it’s okay? Those kids need to be taken away from them and given a proper beating.” 

I bite my lip.  I should be used to this by now.  I hear his boots clomping down the hall towards my room, so I quickly shut off the lights and pretend to be asleep. There’s no way in hell I can deal with this today. He swings the door open and I flinch, squeezing my eyes shut and facing away from him. 

“Oh.” He mutters. “Long day I suppose.  I’ll wake you up for dinner.” He shuts the door behind him. 

It really was a long day. After a few minutes, I drift off into a light sleep. 

‘You disgust me, do you hear? You disgrace our family and you’re breaking your mother’s heart! GET OUT!’ 

My body shakes and tears spill down my face.

‘You’re my dad! You’re supposed to love me no matter what!’ I shout back at him. 

‘I don’t have a son anymore.’ He says, an ice cold tone lacing his voice. He raises his hand and-

“Roman, sweetie! Time for dinner!” My mom knocks on the door.  I sit straight up and bed and try to level my breathing.  I wipe the tears from my face and send Virgil a text.  Besides Grace, Virgil is my best friend.  He knows how to calm me down because he suffers from severe anxiety, too.  The only difference is that his dad is accepting.  

Emoxx: Hey princey, what’s up?

Royal Pain: Bad dream. You know the one. 

Emoxx: Oh baby I’m sorry, do you need to call?

Royal Pain: Can’t, dinner. I just need to calm down. 

Emoxx: Okay, what do you need from me?

Royal Pain: Can you come over tonight? It’s a Friday, my parents won’t care. 

Emoxx: Sure thing, love.  I’ll be there in an hour.  We can eat junk food and talk about boys. <3

I smile and shut my phone off.  Virgil always knows how to make things better. I get off my bed and go to my kitchen, where my  parents are waiting. My mom smiles when she sees me and my dad barely acknowledges me. Sometimes I wonder if my dad weren’t in the picture, if my mom would be accepting.  Maybe she’s just scared of him.  I guess I’ll never know. 

“Hey mijo, how was school? You seemed real tuckered out.  Long day?” Mom asks. She could do so much better than my dad. I mean, my mom looks like she came straight out of a fairytale. Smooth olive skin, perfectly wavy, chestnut colored hair, gorgeous brown eyes.  I don’t know how he won her over. 

“Yeah, mama. Lots of tests.” My memory flicks back to Logan taking the picture of Gracie and I. Lots of tests indeed. My dad doesn’t like when my mom and I speak Spanish, so we stopped trying to avoid his daunting stare. Sometimes, she manages to sneak little words in there and blames it on habit. I still don’t understand why she married him. “Oh, Virgil is coming over tonight.  I hope that’s okay.” 

“Virgil! Oh save him some chicken, amor, he’s so skinny.” My mom says, already standing up to put some in the microwave for him. 

“Virgil, huh.  Is that the little emo kid? Are you sure he’s not a homo? He seems a little fruity to me.” He always finds the best ways to ruin my mood.  “Dad, that’s kind of rude.” I say, before I can stop myself. Thankfully, I find a way to save it before I get yelled at. “I mean. it’s rude to insinuate that I would be friends with someone.. of that orientation.” The words sting to say, the feel like poison in my throat. 

My dad nods. “Good.” 

I don’t really have an appetite, so I nibble on a few things and then I put my plate in the microwave with the one my mom made for Virgil.  

“I’m gonna... go clean up my room a bit before Virgil gets here.” My room is actually perfectly tidy, but I don’t want to be in the same room as the devil himself anymore. 

As soon as I get back to my room, I lay down and think about the good memories of today. I think about Logan.  I think about how cute he looks with that camera. I think about all the good pictures from today.  I think about how they’ll be posted on the school instagram. 

Wait a second. 

They’ll be posted on the school instagram. 

The one that my parents follow.

The one that my dad follows. 

There’s no way they can see the pictures of me.  Dad might actually kill me. Like, he will tear me limb from limb and put my head on a fence post outside. I start to panic. I can’t breath, I can’t think, I barely even notice when Virgil opens my bedroom door. 

“Woah, Roman, breath.” Virgil kneels beside the bed, forcing me to look at him. He takes my hands and breathes with me. “Everything is okay, everything will be okay.  You just have to breath.” Once my breathing slows down, he sits on the bed beside me, still holding one of my hands. “Do you want to tell me what happened?” 

I tell him everything.  I tell him all about today, about Logan, about the pictures, about the instagram, about my dad, and about my dream. He nods and listens the whole time. He also cracks a smile when I tell him what my dad said about him. 

“What if we just message the school’s instagram? I’m sure they won’t post them if we explain why.” Virgil offers a suggestion. 

“If they haven’t posted them already, that might work.” I pull my phone out of my pocket and open instagram. I start typing out a message to the school’s account. 

RomanPrincexo: Hi, sorry to bother, but I was at the pride fest today and I just thought that there might have been some pictures taken of me.  I was hoping to ask that you don’t post them. My parents are raging homophobes and I could be in very big trouble if they saw. 

LincolnHighOfficialInsta: Hey Roman! Thank you for voicing your concerns.  Any pictures that might have you in them will not be posted.  Your safety is of utmost importance.

RomanPrincexo: Thank you <3.  You have no idea how much that means to me. 

LincolnHighOfficialInsta: It’s no problem.  I’m sorry about your parents, that really sucks. 

RomanPrincexo: Oh, I’m used to it. 

LincolnHighOfficialInsta: You shouldn’t have to be.  You’re a great person, you don’t deserve the way that.

RomanPrincexo: Thank you, but if it wasn’t me, it would be someone else. 

LincolnHighOfficialInsta: No one deserves that.  Just know that you’re loved. 

“Hey Virge?” 

“Yeah?”

“Who runs the school instagram?” 

Virgil wrinkles his nose. “I’m not sure.  It’s rumored that it could be Mr. Sanders, the drama teacher.  Or Logan. Or possibly Valerie.  No one is for sure, though. Why?” 

I show Virgil the messages and a look appears on his face.  I can’t quite place my finger on it before he takes out his phone and starts typing.  His poker face is terrible, so when he grins that mischievous little grin of his, I know immediately that he’s up to something.  I try to look at what he’s doing but he sits on his phone. 

“Nope! No peeking!” He giggles.  “Just keep messaging.” There’s something in his eyes that I can’t read. I shake my head and turn back to my phone. 

RomanPrincexo: I appreciate it. I was wondering, who runs this account? 

LincolnHighOfficialInsta: I’m not supposed to tell. 

RomanPrincexo: Oh, okay. 

LincolnHighOfficialInsta: Maybe I’ll break some rules for you later, though. ;) 

RomanPrincexo: It’s okay, I don’t want you to get into any trouble. 

LincolnHighOfficialInsta: I won’t, trust me.  I have the whole school board in my back pocket.  They adore me. Do you still need to talk about anything?

Something in me makes me trust this mystery person.  It could be Mr. Sanders, or Logan, or Valerie.  Either way, what’s the harm in venting a little? I trust all of them. 

RomanPrincexo: Actually, kind of.

LincolnHighOfficialInsta: I’m all ears. 

I end up spilling all of it to them, maybe skipping over the part about Logan, just in case.  I do mention him, but not with the same wording I used for Virgil. After that, I shut my phone off and give them time to really read it and turn back to Virgil. 

“I’m safe.” I tell him. 

He smiles. “Good.  My dad says you can come home with me tomorrow, by the way. So you can have a break from your parents.” 

I love Virgil’s dad. He’s super sweet and kind of young. He has light brown hair and large, round glasses.  He has freckles all across his face.  Honestly, I wish I could just move in with them. 

“Awesome, I will.”

“Hey, are we going to the debate tournament tomorrow? Logan’s in it.” Virgil smirks. 

Obviously Logan’s in it.  He’s the smartest guy in our school.

“Do I have to watch Dee and Remus flirt with him the whole time again?”

Virgil chuckles. “More like flirt at him. He always ignores them, remember?” 

“Okay, fine. We can go.”

---

Logan

The message from Roman is heartbreaking. I’m honestly considering telling him that it’s me, just so I can offer more comfort.  I don’t know why it’s so hard for me to express my feelings for him.  Every time I see him, the words bubble up in my mouth like boiling water, ready to spill over.  When I finally go to say them, they stop boiling. 

If the best I can do for him is be anonymous, then so be it. I type out a supportive message and a quick goodnight, and then I shut my phone off and go to bed.  I have a debate tournament tomorrow and an unbeaten streak to keep up.

---

Roman

“Virge hurry up!” 

“Roman, these boots take time to lace up! You just want to see your true love!” 

“It’s not my fault you dress like a 2000s MySpace emo.”

“As if you don’t dress like a wannabe Broadway star?” 

“I am a wannabe Broadway star, thank you very much.”

“Yeah whatever. Let’s go.” 

We started walking to the school, where the debate tournament was conveniently being held. We arrived just in time to see Logan getting out of his car.  He spots us and waves. 

My heart does somersaults, but on the outside I just smile and wave back. To our surprise, instead of going inside, he walks over to us.  Well, to my surprise, at least.  Virgil seemed to be expecting it.  In fact, he just kept walking, leaving me alone with Logan. He shoots me a wink before going inside. 

“Hey Roman, can I talk to you?” 

I can feel my heart threatening to break through my ribs. “Yeah, sure. What’s up?” I manage to get out, even though I can feel my lungs struggling to hold oxygen. 

He smiles that damn smile. “I just wanted to make sure you were okay. You seemed pretty worried yesterday.” He must have seen the confused look on my face, because he continued after a moment. “Oh, I guess I should clarify.  I run the school’s instagram account.” 

“You- you do?” He nods. “Yeah. I’m alright.  Just a bit of a scare, I suppose. I appreciated your help, though.” I’m very upset with the sun for making my blushing face perfectly visible. 

“It was no problem.  I care about you.” There’s something different in his smile now.  Something I can’t name. 

“I- uh- I care about you too.” Why must I be so nervous around him?

“I don’t think you understand what I meant.” He steps closer to me and I lock eyes with him. Those beautiful, beautiful eyes. 

“What did you mean?” I can’t prevent my eyes from wandering around his face and eventually falling on his lips. He’s close enough that I can feel his breathing now.

“I meant-” He pauses, I can almost hear the gears turning in his brain.  It seems like he’s trying to find the right words. He shakes his head. “Is this okay?” He cups my face with one of his hands and all I can manage to do is nod. “I meant that I love you, Roman.” He finally forces the words out.  

My jaw falls open and I take a deep breath. “You... do? I mean- I mean I love you too! You’re serious right? This isn’t a joke?” 

“No, it’s not a joke.  Can I prove it to you?” 

I’m not sure what he means by that, but I nod anyway. 

He leans down and kisses my gently, his free hand finding its way to my hips.  My eyes flutter shut and I kiss him back.  It’s a little bit awkward at first, since I’ve never kissed anyone.  We figure it out after a moment or so, though. His lips are soft and they feel perfect against my own. He smells like cinnamon and vanilla, and something herbal. His hand softly caresses my face and he pulls away.  He gently leans his forehead against mine, both of us breathing heavily. 

“So, do you believe me?” He whispers, amused. 

“I do.”

---

Gosh. this was longer than I intended.  Honestly, I’m really proud of it.  It’s making me feel things in my heart. I also kind of made Logan suaver than I meant to, but I think it’s fine. 

@mayflowers07

[marksleepy]

Jaehyun - Pizza-girl & Dimple-boy

genre: fluff and other stuff idk some college!au thingy majingy word count: 5,527 plot: Yo mama ineffable mark HAHHAHHHAHAHAHAH (as you know personally I love reading your fanfics) Im gonna request something. Can you write about a pizza deliverer (a girl) not knowing she is delivering to Jaehyun’s house during his break. okay I believe your creativity from here 💕 Please write more often I will support you forever💖💖 A/N: @jaelyeoh sorry for taking 103473475638324 years ily hope this won’t be a disappointment. the ending is so gross

The smell of dough, tomato sauce, and cheese danced around in the air. You had always thought that the cheese had this stinking smell to it, but not to the point where you would barf. You were sat on the brown stool near the counter in the seemingly empty pizza parlour that your parents owned. It had been a month since you had started helping them out in delivering pizzas. You were on a three-month break from school and had been asked (correction: forced) to do something useful at the shop.

You sighed for the nth time that evening while scrolling through random apps on your phone.

“If you’re that bored, come help me with these pizzas,” Donghyuck groaned, placing pieces of pepperonis on top of the disc-like dough.

Your eyes stayed glued to the screen as you replied nonchalantly, “Shut up and do your job, Donghyuck.”

You swore you could feel him roll his eyes as he went back to what he was doing. Donghyuck was your cousin. Your parents adored him and saw him as an angel. You didn’t know whether to cry or laugh at that. He was nowhere near to being an angel. He was a devil. Always pulling at your hair, stealing your snacks, teasing you endlessly. What sucked was that you couldn’t do anything about it. Your parents would flip if you harmed their precious Donghyuck. You loved him, of course. He just did more mean than nice things to you, so no one should blame you for doing the same to him.

“Y/N, delivery time,” your mum called from the kitchen. She appeared with two boxes of regulars and settled them on the counter. You watched as she scribbled the address down on a post-it before handing it to you. Giving the note a glance, you shoved it in your pocket and balanced the boxes on both your palms. You had the car keys between your lips, ignoring how unhygienic that was.

“Be back soon,” you called out when you were in the car that was parked out front. After fastening your seatbelt, you punched the address into the GPS and off you went. The sun was only just beginning to set, sending a pomegranate-pink glare through your windshield.

“In 300 metres, turn right. Then, your destination will be on the right,” the usual robotic female speaker announced. You were about to make a right turn when your tires hit something and the car thumped, sending you practically flying up from your seat. “Shit!” you shouted as you lost total control of the vehicle. Grabbing the wheel and slamming on the brakes, the car skidded on the road before coming to a stop. You were so glad there were no cars around to witness this.

You pushed the car door open and stepped out, releasing the breath you didn’t know you were holding. You could feel every pound of your heart, and you were shaking. You were lucky to be free from injuries. Thank God you wore your seatbelt. The car was a totally different story though. The front right tire was completely flat.

Well shit.

You popped the trunk and unfortunately, there wasn’t a spare. You remembered taking it out and throwing it in the garage, complaining that you didn’t have enough space for groceries (and shopping bags, but no one had to know that).

You almost forgot you were here to deliver pizzas. Rushing to the backseats, you grabbed the boxes and basically ran to the large brown and white house. You double-checked the address, obviously.

You rang the doorbell twice, still panting from the unexpected workout. You lifted your black and red cap, smoothing down your hair before putting it back on your head, attempting to look less dishevelled. You heard a, “Coming!”, and a few seconds later, the door opened to reveal a tall blonde male dressed in sweats. Murmurs from the television could be heard from inside, and you saw a glimpse of three other people in the house. This boy standing in front of you, however, looked insanely familiar. And good-looking. You must’ve been staring for too long because he said, “Excuse me?”

You face grew red with embarrassment. “Oh, uh, sorry. Here you go.”

“Don’t I know you from somewhere?” he suddenly spoke, his eyes scanning you like a radar. You knew it! But you just shrugged.

He looked down at the ground before looking back at you again, his eyes all lit up. “I’ve seen you on campus!”

You mouth formed an ‘o’ shape. Was he called Jaeyung? Or was it Jaehyung? Before you could ask, a voice coming from inside interrupted you. “Dude, what’s taking you so long?”

This Jaehyung guy—you assumed—turned his head a little and shouted, “Give me a second.”

“Anyway, $23 please,” you stated. He dug around his pocket and handed you the exact. “See you around,” he smiled a little. You nodded and walked down the steps, only to realise your car tyre was still flat. You felt your jeans pockets for your phone to call your parents—or Donghyuck, only to become aware of the fact that you had left it back at the pizza parlour. Of course you did. The moment when you needed that device the most. Of course it wasn’t with you. You sighed in frustration.

“Are you OK?” the same guy from just now asked. What was he still doing out here? You turned to look at him, face burning from embarrassment the second time since you saw him. He was no longer holding onto the pizza boxes. “Um, it’s no big deal. I just need a phone to call my parents,”—you paused and took a deep breath from talking too fast—“I have a, uh, flat tyre.”

He looked at you in a silly way. “You can use mine.”

You accepted his phone gratefully. The screen lit up and you saw a photo of a girl beaming at the camera. He had his arms wrapped around her. Woah. Of course he had a girlfriend. You’d got to stop it with all the of courses. You excused yourself and started to dial, and someone picked up three rings later.

“What,” Donghyuck said.

“Brat, try sounding a little more friendly,” you frowned.

“Speak for yourself,” he spat. “And what do you want?”

“Why are you answering Dad’s phone? Tell him I have a flat tyre and ask him to come ASAP.”

“OK,” he said, ignoring your first question. “Whose phone are you calling from? You left yours on the counter.”

“Someone. Now hurry up.” You were about to hang up when you remembered. “Oh, and the spare is in the garage.” You heard an audible sigh from the other end of the line as you read out the address to him.

Walking back to Jae-something, you thanked him for lending you his phone. “It’s not a problem. Do you want me to wait out here with you?” he offered.

You shook your head and held up both your hands, palms facing him. “It’s fine. Go hang out with your friends.”

He looked at you hesitantly. “Alright,” he said before disappearing behind the door.

You walked back to your car and sat on the curb near it. Resting your chin on your knees, you watched as a car or two race by you, entirely oblivious to the situation you were in. It wasn’t like you wanted them to notice you, anyway.

The sun had completely sunk by the time your dad—and someone else—arrived. The truck was pulled over behind your car, and your dad stepped out from his seat next to the driver, looking a little more tired than usual. You realised soon that that someone was your uncle, who had so conveniently stopped by the pizza parlour to have dinner.

“You OK, kid?” your dad asked, popping the trunk and lifting out a car tyre. Your uncle gave you a small smile and you waved at him. You rushed over to help your dad, but it looked like he didn’t need any. So you just stood awkwardly beside him, giving him a bashful smile. “Yeah. My car isn’t though.” The slightest whiff of smoke made you turn your head towards the direction of where your uncle was standing. He had a cigarette pinched between his thumb and index finger, his other hand shoved in the pocket of his trousers. You fixed your gaze on your dad again.

“I’ll get this fixed in a jiffy. Why not you get Uncle to drive you back and help Mum out in cleaning the kitchen?”

“Alright.” You climbed into the truck and turned the knob to find a different radio station. The seats were so worn out it looked as if rats nibbled through them. Your uncle climbed in the driver’s seat after discarding his cigarette butt. Although this truck was old, he treasured it and refused to get a new one. Listening to the DJ talk about some of the latest tunes, both of you were soon on the way back to the pizza parlour.

Nothing particular happened during the next few days. You waited for your parents and Donghyuck to finish up the orders before leaving to deliver them to people’s front doors and taking money for those orders. There were plenty of pizzas to deliver today. You drove to a few houses, relieved that your tyres did not screw themselves up. As you arrived at the last address on the list, you got out of your car. Pizza boxes in hand, you climbed up the gentle steps leading to the same brown and white house from that day. The sky was a subtle hint of purple, notifying the coming sunset.

You rang the doorbell twice and waited. The same shoes from your previous visit were left messily thrown about the doorstep. The door opened a little while later, and you saw the same guy from the time you brought pizza here. Well duh. He clearly lived here.

“Hello again,” Jae-something grinned. Dimple-boy, you decided. You were going to call him that until the moment you knew his name. The night was getting dark and the air brought a new chill to it. You smiled back. You thought he was just going to take his pizzas, pay, and leave. But he had other plans.

“How long have you been working?“ he asked. You tugged at your red sleeve uncomfortably. He had guests over. You should probably reply quickly and leave.

“Since the break. I’m just helping my parents out.”

Dimple-boy looked at you in surprise. “Your parents made these? They are amazing.”

You laughed, abashed. “On behalf of them, thank you.”

He shook his head and smiled, revealing his adorable dimples. He pushed the money into your hands, telling you to keep the change. He stepped back and was about to push the door close when he remembered something.

“Oh, by the way, what’s your name?”

“Y/N.”

“I’m Jaehyun. I’ll see you around?”

You nodded and you face quirked into a grin after you turned around and walked towards your car.

So that was his name.

The three-month break was over—fast. You trudged to the entrance of the school, arms loaded with completed (and incomplete) assignments. You waited on the corner where you and your friend usually met before classes, only to receive a text from her minutes later telling you she fell sick after coming back from Japan. You ended up walking to class alone.

After three and a half boring hours of lectures came lunchtime. You tried looking for your other friends you usually had lunch with but remembered they had competitions and activities they were busy with. You considered skipping lunch. Your stomach growled in refusal.

Joining the queue, you squinted at the menu in front of you and contemplated what to have. Kimchi stew looked great.

You found an empty table in the crowded canteen and sat down. Students sauntered past you, chatting with one another, laughing at something, but everything became volume zero when someone placed his metal tray of food on the table and claimed the space on the plastic seat in front of you.

“Jaehyun?” you blurted. Your hand immediately stopped stirring the stew.

“Hi Y/N,” Jaehyun greeted you, giving you a boyish grin.

You looked around and spotted a few of the guys he always hung out with. They were a few tables away, so it was impossible that he had sat down at the wrong table.

You pointed in that direction discreetly and asked, “Aren’t you supposed to sit there with them?”

“I don’t have to,” he said, shoving a huge spoonful of rice into his mouth.

You munched on some kimchi as quietly as you could. “Why are you sitting here?”

Jaehyun stared at his bowl of soup. “To keep you company.” His ears were two shades away from a tomato.

You resisted the urge to grin now that he was looking into your eyes. “I enjoy my own company.”

He leaned back, clutching his chest. “Ouch.”

You let out a laugh. “Anyways, it’s OK. Really.” You turned to look at his friends. “You should go back. People might misunderstand.”

“A guy and a girl can have lunch together as friends.”

You opened your mouth to reply, but heard a recognisable voice. Donghyuck appeared at your table with a sandwich. You wished the ground would just open up and swallow you up right then.

“You know Jaehyun?” he asked a little too loudly for your liking.

You side glanced Donghyuck. “You know him?”

“Uh, yeah,” he replied, unwrapping his sandwich and taking a huge bite. “He’s my senior in basketball.”

“I feel so old,” Jaehyun commented.

Donghyuck was staring into your soul. “Are you two dating?”

You choked on your kimchi stew. “What the hell? I just delivered pizzas to him twice.” You wiped your lips with the back of your hand and then on Donghyuck’s sleeve. “Dude! This is going to stain,” he complained.

Jaehyun was watching the two of you. “You guys seem close.”

You and Donghyuck looked at him. “He’s my cousin.”

You returned back to drinking your soup as Donghyuck stood up. “I’m gonna go sit with my friends. Bye, Jaehyun.”

“Bye!” you yelled after him. He looked back and sniggered. “Bye, Y/N.”

“Sorry about what he said earlier,” you said quietly. A flush of heat crept across your face.

“What did he say?” Jaehyun asked, the corners of his lips lifting.

You recalled seeing that wallpaper of him and a girl on his phone. “About us dating. You have a girlfriend, right?”

His smile disappeared as soon as it came. “Er, yeah.”

Both of you spent the remaining lunchtime eating in silence, and you only bid him farewell quietly when your class was about to start.

The week had finally ended. You ambled down the pavement on a Friday evening, happy to be out of school. Surprisingly, you only had reading assignments to work on over the weekends. Humming as you walked, you soon reached your parents’ pizza parlour. As you settled your backpack on the white plastic chair next to you, you wound your earpiece into a circle and shoved it into the front pocket of your bag. You collapsed on the chair, thankful to be in an air-conditioned place. Not many people visited to have the pizza right on the spot. This place was pretty small after all. Four round tables, two chairs for two tables, four for the remaining.

“Mum, Dad, it’s me,” you called out.

“How was school?” your mum shouted from the kitchen. “Dad’s out to deliver pizzas.”

“Great.”

At the sound of the little bell hung at the top of the wall near the door, you glanced up from your phone as two people walked in.

Jaehyun focused his attention on his phone, his friend beside him looking around with little interest until he noticed you. He proceeded to jab Jaehyun with his finger.

“What?” he grunted. His eyes seemed to light up when he saw you. “Oh, hey Y/N. Didn’t expect to see you here.”

You rolled your eyes jokingly. “Well, my parents do own this place.”

Your mum appeared at the door leading to the kitchen. “Hello,” she said with glee. “Having anything in particular?”

“One large pepperoni and three sodas, please,” Jaehyun answered.

You pulled your books out, attempting to look busy. Jaehyun started chatting with his friend and you eventually got to know his name.

Your mum came out with the orders and placed them on the round table beside yours. Jaehyun placed one can of soda on your table and went back to talking to Doyoung. You mumbled a “thanks” as your ears stole back to the conversation beside you.

The small bell near the door jingled once more. Three pairs of eyes were fixed in that direction.

“Hi Aunt!” Donghyuck literally screamed. “Oh, and you guys.”

“Donghyuckie!” your mum squealed from the kitchen. “Thanks for visiting. You’re such a dear.”

You eyeballed Donghyuck. “You should get my mum to adopt you.”

“Aw, but I don’t want you as my sister.”

You would’ve punched him right there and then, but Jaehyun was there, and there was no way you were going to be violent. Donghyuck sat his sweaty self down beside Jaehyun and stole one slice of pizza.

After several minutes of listening to chewing and sipping, Jaehyun said, “Y/N, wanna come watch the basketball game next Friday? I’m playing.”

You looked at him as if he grew another head. “Oh, sure. I have nothing on that day. I think.”

Donghyuck scoffed. “And you never agreed when I asked.”

You felt the heat on your face. “I went once.”

“Yeah, that was because I told you there was going to be free food.”

You face grew hotter. “Shut up, Donghyuck!”

He glanced at Jaehyun then back at you, smirking. Don’t you dare, you mouthed. Donghyuck sighed dramatically. You looked at Jaehyun, expecting to see a scowl on his face because you were clearly only interested in food. But he was laughing silently, hand covering his mouth shyly like he wasn’t supposed. Just looking at him, you wouldn’t be stunned to find butterflies fluttering about and petals falling around him.

Stop it. He had a girlfriend.

You wished he didn’t, though.

It was another cool Wednesday night. You were on your way to Jaehyun’s house. No, not to hang out. You wished. Your hands felt toasty from the warm pizza boxes. You were a few metres away from his doorstep when a girl barged her way out of his house. Her tears glistened under the street lamps. As she opened the car door, she wiped them off her face, swearing like a trooper. You watched as the car got smaller and smaller in the distance until it completely disappeared.

Ding-dong!

The door creaked open. “Y/N,” Jaehyun said. He wasn’t smiling tonight.

You didn’t expect you would be delivering pizzas to him tonight. You were just studying at the round table back at the pizza shop when you overheard your mum mumbling the address you almost knew by heart as she wrote it down. All you wanted was to see Jaehyun. You didn’t want to know why.

His eyes searched the floor like he was looking for a coin. They were soon glazed with a glossy layer of tears. Brows furrowed, he looked so lost.

“She…” he choked back on tears. “She cheated on me.”

Your heart sank and you felt tiny knots forming in your stomach. You drew a deep breath and grabbed his hand, leading him to his couch. Placing the pizza boxes down on his coffee table, you let him cry. He wept silently, shoulders shaking violently. Do you hug him? Perhaps pat him on the back? You thought no more because he grabbed your arms and pulled you closer, crying into your neck. You wrapped your shaky arms around him, patting his back softly. His sorrow was like an infectious disease.

His cries died down after a while. He fumbled with the piece of tissue you had offered. “Sorry you had to see me in this state,” he croaked.

You shook your head. “It’s totally fine.” You gave him a tiny smile, and there was an indistinct trace of a smile on his lips. “I’m sorry. For what happened,” you stuttered.

“At least I’m no longer with a cheater,” he said bitterly. “I don’t even know why she was crying. To make me feel bad? To make me believe that it was all an accident? That it was merely a mistake? The relationship wasn’t working out anyway.”

He looked as if he was about to cry again. So you rubbed soothing circles on his back, calming him down. There was a moment of silence until he stood up, eyes puffy and red from crying. “You’re the first person to see me like this, actually.”

“I feel honoured,” you said, trying to lighten the atmosphere.

He grinned that dimpled grin. “Thanks, Y/N.”

“Sleep early, alright?”

He nodded, walking you to the door. He stood at the entrance and watched as you climbed into the car, waving until you could no longer see him.

It was Friday—the day of the basketball game. You told yourself you were only going because you felt guilty for turning Donghyuck down countless of times, but you knew that wasn’t the real reason.

You spent the whole day fidgeting in your seat, wishing time would pass faster. Your friends even shot you curious looks, wondering why you were so squirmish. You could only manage a sheepish smile.

After what felt like years, lectures were over. You threw on a simple jersey, shorts and a basic pair of white sneakers you had brought from home in the changing rooms. The game was starting in five minutes, but you took your time, not wanting to show up too early. After fixing your hair in the mirror, you finally stepped out of the stuffy changing rooms, a sudden gust of wind messing up your hair. You groaned and headed to the hall. Who were you even trying to impress?

You searched the crowd for someone—anyone, in fact. You saw Doyoung sitting at the fifth row, sipping on some juice and munching on popcorn. You ran up the steps and plumped down next to him.

“Oh, hey. Y/N,” he said between bites. He tilted the tub of popcorn at you and you gladly took some, throwing them in your mouth. “Thanks.”

The two of you observed the crowd. Laughter filled the hall. “Here to support Jaehyun?” Doyoung asked, mixing the popcorn around for the dark yellow ones.

You stared at his soft blonde hair. “Uh, no. I’m here for Donghyuck.”

He stopped playing with his popcorn and gazed at you, one brow raised. “It’s only seniors today.”

You felt your insides churn. “I knew that.”

He smirked knowingly before returning to his search for over-caramelised popcorn.

Donghyuck slumped down next to you, making you the main ingredient of this boy-sandwich. He reached over to grab Doyoung’s drink and took a sip.

“Ahh… This is heaven,” he sighed.

“You’re welcome?” Doyoung hissed, snatching his drink back. Donghyuck pouted as a referee blew his whistle.

You watched as a couple of basketballers jogged out from behind a curtain, waiting for a particular person. There he was. His biceps. You blinked a few times and focused on other basketballers. However, you’d always find yourself staring back at him. He scanned the crowd and a smile spread across his face when he saw you. Or maybe you were delusional. You gave him a small wave and felt a warm glow of satisfaction when he waved back. You wished you’d went back to fix your hair.

Jaehyun ran around the basketball court, catching the ball, dribbling, and passing it on to his teammates. The game was so fast paced, and you clenched your fist as you darted a glance at Jaehyun. Suddenly, the referee blew his whistle. One of the team members from the other team committed a foul! You rejoiced silently and watched as Jaehyun represented his team for the free throws. The hall grew quiet, some shushing others. He raised the ball above his head, shot, and… Scored! The crowd cheered madly and you grabbed Donghyuck, shaking him.

“Ow!” he whined. “Loosen your grip!”

The crowd went silent again as Jaehyun dribbled the ball on the spot. Everyone was tense as they waited. You held your breath as he raised the ball again. Score! People around you stood up wildly excited. Doyoung spilled a little of his popcorn but he seemed unaware.

“Awesome,” he yelled, although no one sitting in the first row of the bleachers could hear him, let alone the players on the court.

The game continued on for 30 more minutes. The fact that Jaehyun was still on the losing team caused you to be on edge. The clock flashed 30 in red. The team only had 30 seconds to score a goal to win.

26… 25…

One teammate threw the ball to Jaehyun and he ran while dribbling, before throwing it to another team member. However, the opposing team got hold of the ball. You watched in horror as the ball was passed to the other end. The opposing team’s shooter got ready to shoot, but missed!

15… 14…

The ball was now passed on to Jaehyun’s teammate, then to another, then to Jaehyun himself.

10… 9…

Jaehyun jumped and threw the ball. It rolled on the edge of the basket and you heard Donghyuck let out a piercing shriek.

4… 3…

Please go in. Please go in.

Score!

You shot up from your seat, cheering hysterically. Everyone around you was clapping and shouting. You watched as the other team shook hands with Jaehyun’s team. He suddenly looked to the direction of the bleachers, beaming at you as he waved. You and the boys to your left and right gave him thumbs ups. The whistle was blown and people started leaving. You lightly pushed Donghyuck towards the exit and walked out behind, with Doyoung following close.

The three of you waited outside the school, observing those leaving the place. After some time, Jaehyun strolled out with his teammates, laughing and high-fiving one another. He waved goodbye to them and walked towards you, towel drying his sweaty hair.

“You were on fire, Jaehyun!” Donghyuck began, grasping his hand. “I’m gonna train hard from now on.”

Jaehyun flicked his forehead. “You should’ve been training hard since you joined.”

Doyoung threw one arm around Jaehyun’s shoulder. “But really, that was impressive,” he said.

You saw Doyoung and Donghyuck sharing a glance before looking at you. “Y/N, don’t you have anything to say?” Donghyuck asked, smirking.

Your cheeks burned hot as you stared at your sneakers. “Um, you were good.”

Donghyuck punched you on the shoulder. “Just good?”

This brat.

“You seemed way too excited for something described to be just good,” Doyoung added. You made a mental note to never help Doyoung or Donghyuck, ever.

Jaehyun, noticeably feeling uneasy, muttered, “Guys stop it. You’re making her feel uncomfortable.”

Those two devils threw their arms over each other’s shoulders, walking off shouting, “No fun!” Doyoung was at least four years older than Donghyuck, but they were acting like those best friends you see in kindergarten. You shook your head, sighing softly. Jaehyun smiled at you apologetically and asked if you wanted to have dinner together. You gladly agreed to.

All competitions were over. Students visited the library more often. You’d tried looking for an empty table in there, but to no avail. You spotted Jaehyun (more like he spotted you first) in the hallway a few days after the game. You stopped to chat, both complaining about the amount of assignments given.

“So…” he started. “What are you doing this weekend?”

“Nothing much, I guess,” you replied. You wished you were less boring. It was times like this you wished you were those who would be like “Oh, I’m going to this party at XXX’s place” or “I’m going for a fancy dinner”.

Jaehyun didn’t seem to be bothered. “I heard about this café that opened recently and they serve good coffee and cakes. Do you wanna go with me this Saturday?”

“Oh, OK,” you said. Way to go with that apathetic answer, Y/N.

So you gave him your phone number.

“Shoot, gotta dash,” he said. You looked at the time on your phone screen and rushed off to your next lecture, thinking of Jaehyun the whole time.

(Unknown number) hey :) it’s jaehyun [8:46 PM]

You hi :) hold on let me save your number [8:50 PM]

Jaehyun did you put a smiley beside my name like i did to yours? [8:51 PM]

You hold on… [8:51 PM] done [8:51 PM]

Jaehyun 😊 yay :) how were classes today? [8:52 PM]

You ok i guess. [8:52 PM] had a surprise test today :( [8:52 PM]

Jaehyun 😊 man those suck. i have this 30-page report due next month [8:53 PM] im only on page 8 [8:53 PM]

You well good luck [8:53 PM] you’re gonna need lots of it [8:54 PM] 😛 [8:54 PM]

Jaehyun 😊 thanks 🙃 [8:55 PM] anyways is 12pm at the entrance of school ok? the café’s near school [8:56 PM]

You sounds great! [8:57 PM]

Jaehyun 😊 :( [8:57 PM] :)* oops [8:57 PM] im going to go type my report if i want to submit it on time [8:57 PM] see you soon! sleep early [8:58 PM]

You see you! [8:59 PM]

You may or may not had spent two hours picking out the perfect outfit for this ‘date’. Was it a date? You wanted to spend Friday night choosing your outfit so you had more time. Plus, you could ask your friends if the outfit you had chosen was too wild or too plain. But no, you spent Friday night freaking out and Saturday morning panicking. You eventually wore this pastel pink knee-length skirt paired with a white top with sleeves that reached your elbows. You wiggled your toes in your white sandals as you waited for Jaehyun. It was only 11:50 a.m. Jaehyun ultimately came running towards you.

“Did you wait long? I’m sorry,” he apologised.

“It’s OK. I just reached, actually,” you assured him. You took a good look at what he was wearing. A large baby pink sweater with a pair of casual grey trousers. Adorable, you must admit.

“Let’s go,” he said eagerly, grabbing your hand. You tensed up immediately. Your face was definitely on fire.

He finally let go of your hand once the two of you entered the café. After placing your orders, the pair of you found a table leaning against the glass window. You looked fixedly at the table, inhaling the inviting smell of freshly-made coffee. You couldn’t think straight, and you came to realise you had been chewing on the insides of your cheeks when you tasted blood. Later, the cakes and coffees were placed on the table. Your cake looked so aesthetically pleasing, it calmed you down a bit.

“I actually have something to tell you today,” Jaehyun suddenly spoke as he cut his slice of cake with a fork.

You fixed your gaze on him. “Is it bad?”

“Not really,” he said. “It depends on how you see it.”

“Tell me.”

He traced the patterns on his coffee mug. “Um… So you know I broke up with my ex a while ago. Or she broke up with me. Never mind, that’s not the main point.”

You nodded and urged him to continue.

“I feel like she wasn’t the only “bad” person in the relationship,” he went on, using his fingers to do the inverted commas when he said ‘bad’.

You tilted your head slightly to the left. “What do you mean?”

He ran his fingers through his hair, ears a tint of pink. “What I’m saying is… I was interested in you when I was still in a relationship.”

He took your silence as a signal to go on. “I was just drawn to you. I felt like I needed to see you every day.”

You felt your cheeks warming up and your throat getting tight. “Me too.”

He failed to hide the shock on his face. “You feel the same way? I thought you didn’t like me.”

“I don’t express stuff well,” you admitted sheepishly.

You rested his hand atop yours, squeezing it gently. “You stole a pizza my heart, Pizza-girl.”

You smiled despite how cheesy (no pun intended) that was. “You too, Dimple-boy.”