#+ the backpack full of food my grandma gave me

[cuteniarose]

The consequences of my poor financial decisions are here!!

[berenwrites]

Beyond the Battle - Chapter 22 - Stranger Things - Steddie

Beyond the Battle­: Action & Consequence

Click here for All Posted Chapters

Summary: Steve hits things with a bat or gets hit depending on who you ask. He definitely does not have anything to do with the psychic stuff. That is El’s domain. However, as Vecna is defeated, the rules change.

Pairing: steddie (Steve Harrington/Eddie Munson)

Other Relationships: Steve & Robin, Steve & Dustin, Eddie & Dustin

Rating: Teen

A/N: Multi-chapter story, updated regularly. Honestly not sure how many chapters it will have yet because it's still a bit hand wavy in the middle, but definitely more than 12. Thank you to my beta for find my mistakes and to all those who read/like/reblog.💖 Follow #st:beyond-the-battle for updates.

Also on AO3

Chapter 22. An Ordinary Morning?

Max had given him a smile and a wave as he and El were ushered out of the hospital room. The doctors had been discussing removing one of Max’s casts so they could x-ray her arm to see if splints were necessary anymore. It wasn’t as if he could just step in and tell them anything, so he just hoped they didn’t keep her waiting too long. Max was likely to find some power tools and do it herself if the professionals took too much time.

Joyce had also invited him back to the Hopper/Byers residence for a large breakfast, but he had politely declined. He was flying high and he was kind of hoping that maybe Eddie would be interested in celebrating his success. He’d vaguely planned on food in there somewhere as well, but he’d taken one of his shakes with him and hadn’t needed to use anywhere near the energy he had the previous day, so that was secondary on his agenda.

“Thanks, Joyce,” he said as she pulled up in front of his house. “See you later, El.”

“Bye, Steve,” El replied with a big smile.

“Make sure to eat something,” Joyce told him in her motherly tone.

“First thing on the list,” he fibbed with a smile of his own.

He gave them a wave as he let himself in, kicking his shoes off and heading for the kitchen, hoping to find Eddie where he had left him a couple of hours previously. Who he actually found was Wayne, sitting at the table reading a newspaper.

“Good morning, Mr … Wayne,” he greeted, correcting himself at the last second.

“Mornin’,” Wayne replied, taking a sip from a mug Steve was sure did not come from his house.

“Find everything you need?” he asked, placing his backpack on one of the chairs, and taking out the sports bottle from inside.

Moving over to the sink, he turned on the tap so he could wash it out.

“Eddie showed me,” Wayne replied. “Nice kitchen you have here.”

“Both my grandmas are big on food,” Steve explained as he used a little dish soap on his bottle. “My mom likes to cook too, she just doesn’t get much time these days. I guess I inherited the gene too, so the kitchen gets a lot of use.”

Wayne made a humming sound.

“Eddie not around?” Steve asked as he walked over to where the coffee pot was three-quarters full.

“Went a bit of a funny colour and said he needed to lie down,” Wayne replied. “Told me not to worry, it was just an after effect of something that happened that he couldn’t talk about, an’ the doctors had given him a clean bill of health. That true?”

Steve did his very best not to let his instant worry show, grabbing himself a mug and filling it from the coffee pot before turning round.

“If it’s what I think it is, then yes,” he replied, hoping that he was pulling off nonchalant. “But I’m guessing that isn’t going to stop either of us worrying anyway.”

“Yep,” Wayne said.

Steve took a sip of the coffee and was thrown out of his worry by the shock of the taste.

“Did you change out the coffee?” he asked, taking another sip. “God this is good.”

“Nope,” Wayne said, “just did what I always do.”

“Then I think you worked a miracle,” he decided. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go check on Eddie.”

“Be seein’ ya,” Wayne replied, going back to his paper.

Taking his coffee, Steve walked out of the room trying to look as if he was in no hurry. Once he was through the door, he sped up. He left the coffee on the table on the landing at the top of the stairs and hurried into his bedroom.

“Eddie?” he said when he found his boyfriend sitting on the bed, knees pulled up and head down.

As Eddie lifted his head, dark, almost black eyes met his own. He shut the door behind him.

“Thirsty again?” he asked, even though he was pretty sure of the answer.

“Like a man in a desert,” Eddie replied. “I was about to cook Wayne some breakfast and it just hit.”

“I’m sorry I wasn’t here,” he said, walking across and sitting down close to Eddie.

“Max all okay?” Eddie asked.

“Fit as a fiddle and ready to chew off her casts,” he replied with a smile. “I think if El wanted to take over the world we’d all be in trouble because she does innocent amazingly well. Owens bought the story hook line and sinker. He has people dealing with everything to get Max sorted as soon as possible, but it’s probably going to take a couple of days because they have to do tests to confirm what we already know.”

“How are you feeling?” was Eddie’s next question.

“Really good, honestly,” he said. “I was hungry again after, but my shake sorted that out and it didn’t take even half as much energy as before. It felt easier too, like doing something I’d already practiced.”

“Maybe you learn people,” Eddie suggested.

“Maybe,” he agreed with a small shrug. “So, shall we get you sorted?”

Eddie gave him an unimpressed look.

“Steve,” Eddie said, “it may not have been as hard as yesterday, but you healed Max this morning. I don’t think donating blood is a good idea.”

“Honestly, I’m good,” he promised. “Not that I don’t intend to go downstairs and eat a whole second breakfast as soon as we’re done. But I refuse to leave you up here suffering.”

“I’m not suffering, I’m just really, really thirsty,” Eddie protested.

“Tell me it’s not driving you crazy,” he countered.

Eddie didn’t say anything.

“Look, I know what thirst is like,” he decided to come clean. “When we were in the Upside Down, after those damn bats got me, I was so thirsty when we got back right side up, I wanted to stick my head under a faucet. And after the Russians, oh god, whatever they pumped into me and Robin, it made my mouth like the Sahara. We almost fought over the water fountain, which was funny, because two teenagers in sailor outfits stoned out of their brains fighting over a source of water, but so frustrating. And I’m pretty sure those two experiences are just a reflection of what you’re feeling right now. So, please let me help.”

Eddie still didn’t say anything.

“I don’t want to put you through that again,” Eddie finally admitted, voice so small Steve could barely hear him. “I hurt you.”

Reaching out, Steve took his boyfriend’s hand.

“Okay, confession time,” he said. “I wasn’t kidding about the kink stuff. When you bit me last time, I liked it, I really, really liked it, if you get my drift. And I think if you hadn’t been so overwhelmed by the whole thing, you probably would have noticed how much I liked it so quickly.”

He was pretty sure he was blushing like a schoolgirl with her first crush by the time he finished speaking.

“You liked the pain?” Eddie asked, eyes wide.

“Not specifically,” he admitted. “The pain was pretty irrelevant actually, but you sucking on my wrist. that was definitely, very much not irrelevant. If you’d kept going, I probably would have embarrassed myself.”

He did not want Eddie getting the wrong impression, so he spoke very plainly.

“Really?” Eddie asked, because tact was not always one of his finer points.

“Yes, absolutely yes,” he replied. “And at some point, I’d really like to explore that further, but your uncle’s currently downstairs, so please can we postpone that?”

“Wayne’s half deaf from working with heavy machinery his whole life,” Eddie said, and Steve could have sworn his eyes sparkled.

“Still seems rude to leave…”

Steve shut up when Eddie’s lips covered his own. He was only human, and Eddie kissed like a drowning man in search of oxygen. Who was he to argue.

“Please let me make you feel as good as you make me,” Eddie whispered against his mouth.

He moaned as Eddie climbed into his lap.

“You’re incorrigible,” was the best he could do as a comeback.

“Is that a yes?” Eddie asked, kissing along his jaw and down his neck.

“It’s your fault if I can’t look your uncle in the eye ever again,” he replied, well aware he had already lost this round, “but yes.”

“Can I touch you?” Eddie asked, running one hand down his front between them with very obvious intent.

“God yes,” Steve said, already hardening in his jeans at Eddie’s actions.

So much for sensible conversations. Steve rested one hand on Eddie’s waist and used one to prop himself up on the bed. At which point, Eddie made very short work of getting into his pants.

“Holy fuck,” Steve whined as Eddie’s hand slipped into his boxers.

“Let me know when you’re gonna go,” Eddie said, leaning back and looking at him, eyes dark and red-ringed, and fangs showing in his pleased grin.

Steve had no idea what Eddie had in mind, but he could follow instructions. He was going to warn Eddie it was unlikely to take long, but Eddie moved his hand in such a way he forgot how to speak for a couple of seconds. He hadn’t been touched by anyone else in a while now, most of his recent dates having been abandoned long before anything hotter than kissing, and then the apocalypse making survival the only thing on his mind. He was sensitive and responsive, and that it was Eddie’s hand on him was making it that much more.

Biting his lip and counting backwards from one hundred were the only things between him and this being over embarrassingly quickly.

When Eddie started nibbling on his neck, teasing him with blunt incisors and licking over the same spot, he almost lost it straight away.

“Now,” he managed to stutter out before his body completely betrayed him.

As his orgasm hit, Eddie bit and everything whited out. The pain wasn’t irrelevant this time as it joined with the overloading nerve impulses running through his body and he gasped, barely able to breathe. He had never in his life felt anything like it and it went on and on and on as Eddie sucked on his neck. Never had he imagined anything could feel this good.

Thought vanished from his head as all he could do was feel.

When Eddie pulled back, instincts fired and the soreness on the side of his neck disappeared without him consciously thinking about it. Which was a good thing, because sensible brain function was still beyond him.

“Wow,” Eddie said, and Steve opened his eyes to find his boyfriend staring at his neck.

“Yeah,” he agreed, as he scraped together the few braincells he had not just completely blown.

There was blood on Eddie’s lips and chin, and his pupils were blown wide and dark, and Steve thought he had never seen anything more inviting.

“Come here,” he said, bringing both his hands to either side of Eddie’s face.

He didn’t care that he was tasting his own blood as he claimed Eddie’s mouth with his. They began to fall towards the bed because he was no longer bracing them, but he kept on kissing. He never wanted to stop.

Ten minutes later he was reluctantly back downstairs, all cleaned up, making excuses and doing his very best not to look Wayne Munson in the face. He wasn’t sure how well he was pulling it off.

~*~

Steve was expecting a phone call for arrangements for later in the day when he had agreed with El he would do some more experimenting with her and Will. What he was not expecting was for Hopper to arrive in what looked like a new truck, with El and Will in tow.

“Hi,” he said, opening the door.

“Our house smells funny,” El said as she walked in. “Hello, Steve.”

She gave him a quick hug.

“Argyle accidentally smoked in the house,” Will offered the explanation. “Is it alright if we practice here?”

“Yeah, sure,” he replied, “come on in. We’ll just have to be careful once Wayne gets up though. He’s sleeping at the moment.”

“Hey Supergirl, Will the Wise, Chief,” Eddie greeted from behind him.

“Still not the chief of police anymore,” Hopper said, entering with a plain brown box in his hands.

“Looks like you have a nice new truck though,” Steve said as he closed the door.

“It’s a bribe,” Hopper said with a grin.

“For what?” Eddie asked before Steve got there.

“Owens offered me a job as head of security at the lab,” Hopper replied. “I told him I’d think about it and he gave me the truck to sweeten the deal.”

“They’re going to keep the lab open then?” Steve asked following everyone into the main living area.

“The way Owens tells it, it’s too risky not to, what with the Russians knowing about the Upside Down,” Hopper explained. “It’s going to be a monitoring station.”

“So, no more experiments on kids?” Eddie said.

“Only me,” El replied. “I wish to understand more about my powers.”

“Okay,” Steve said, because he really hadn’t expected El to sound so happy about something like that. “So, you’ll be taking the job then?” he added, looking at Hopper.

“Oh yeah,” the ex-Chief replied with a grin. “No way my daughter is going in there without me watching every damn thing they’re doing.”

That did go some way to explaining why El seemed perfectly happy with the idea.

“Just don’t want Owens taking me for granted, so I’ll keep him on the hook for a while,” Hopper added. “Munson, this belongs to you,” the man went on, placing the box on the coffee table.

“It does?” Eddie said, stepping past Steve.

“Picked it up from Powell this morning,” was the short explanation.

“My books?” Eddie asked, eyes lighting up with hope.

“Take a look,” Hopper said, looking very pleased with himself.

Eddie flipped the lid off the box like a kid on Christmas morning.

“Hell yes,” he said, joyfully, “come to me my pretties.”

Several Dungeons and Dragons manuals came out of the box first, being placed reverently on the table, before Eddie paused. Steve watched, fascinated as Eddie pulled out a dark blue, spiral bound notebook, treating it as if it was the holy grail. He even lifted it up and kissed it, before pulling it to his chest and wrapping both his arms around it. That was when Steve caught sight of the hand-drawn Hellfire logo on the front.

“Thank you, Chief,” Eddie said without a flicker of playfulness in his tone. “You don’t know what these mean to me.”

“I think I can see, Kid,” Hopper said in a surprisingly fatherly tone.

Steve really wanted to wrap his arms around Eddie but had to suffice with smiling and putting a hand on his shoulder instead.

“I need to plan a new campaign,” Eddie decided with an overexcited gleam in his eyes. “A campaign to end all campaigns in honour of our triumph.”

“Awesome,” was Will’s reaction to the announcement.

“Dining room table is all yours for planning and playing, if you want it,” Steve offered. “I would offer to steal your DM throne from the school, but that might be a bit obvious.”

“How do you know about my throne?” Eddie asked.

“Dustin never shut up about it,” Steve replied with a grin. “Do you know how many coolness points a throne gets you with Henderson.”

Eddie’s grin at that was utterly infectious. Steve had to sit on his desire to kiss it off his boyfriend’s face.

“Right, well that’s my delivery job done,” Hopper said before Steve could make an idiot out of himself. “Give me a call when you want rid of these two terrors, and I’ll swing by to pick them up.”

“Dad,” El protested as being called a terror, whereas Will just laughed.

“I can drop them back,” Steve immediately offered.

“After what they’ve been planning, I think I’d rather you didn’t get behind the wheel,” Hopper replied, heading back for the door. “Good luck with them.”

Steve was suddenly nervous at the look of glee in El and Will’s eyes.

End of Chapter 22

Chapter 23

[missmonsters2]

Sharky here again. HII YOU TOO VANNN!! JADKAWEKAWJE YES I KNOW. It was long but not that long! The beach was really really close to the aquarium, and so did the place where we got icecreams, so we walked there, sat down and ate our icecreams and just.. I don't know. Chilled? (no pun intended) It was really nice. We took photos though it mostly was her because my phone is barely surviving at this point and it's camera is already none existant LOLL. (I love jellyfishes too!!!!!)

AND I KNOW. I just. I thought about what you said about food and going to nice places that give us space to talk! and my process of thought literally was: If we're eating, we have to get food and dessert because there's nothing better than getting food and dessert!! and there's also nothing better than icecream! honestly just food alone is enough to make me go feral, imagine having a date and eating in said date as you talk and watch fish and sharks and all kinds of pretty creatures swimming around and being tremendously cute. I ALSO ADORE SUSHI. And hey- she's.. supposed to be completely american, but I just texted her asking and she has an asian grandma?? 😰 VAN WH-

(also hello I also love noodles and soups in all their forms??? it would be so cool if I was asian please but- sadly I do not think so as I am completely latin/hispanic but sTILL INTeRESTING. We shall test this theory!!)

Also.. uh, as a poor somebody who still struggles with some words in english-- what does niche mean? I googled it and it said that it was a synonym for comfortable. Does it mean that.. sharks are comfortable?- and yeah!! she said so. I told her about how they give birth and she said she didn't know that there were so many kinds of sharks and differences between them when it comes to reproduction? said she also never had given so much thought to the fact that sharks are actually fish and not mammals, and the fact that they actually hatch eggs- which led me to explaining that do they not only hatch eggs, but there are certain kinds that are able to keep their eggs inside them for protection without having any direct connection for nutrition like humans do with, for example, an umbilical cord. The egg is perfectly equipped to nurture the lil' baby shark in all ways. But they stay in their egg, inside of their moms till they hatch!! which is really cool if you ask me, like having a backpack where you can put babies inside and it also feeds them while protecting them and you can take it anywhere? yeah, that's how it feels LOL.

vAN PLEASE DON'T SAY THAT I SWEAR I WAS. I WAS FUCKING SHAKING FOR MOMENT PLEASE AMNDWJEWENJAWED. I'm a disaster and this clearly shows JDAKed. Smooth operator, lalalala smoooooooth operator. Yessheis, whatamIgonnadowithmygaynesjeez.

AND YES. I'm so curious!!! I kind of tried to ask her what was she thinking but she only smiled and kept silent and I might or might have not tried to guess- Then I stopped because I actually realised that first, I'd love it to be a surprise, and second, I'm terrible at guessing things-- And.. I'm excited. I know this might sound kinda sad but I can't remember the last time I hanged out with someone. Probably when I was 14 or something, but yeah. It's a nice change of things. A fresh breath of air. It's good to have a.. friend? DJAKWEJMKWKDAJKWEJAWJEKEJKE

Okay can we please talk about how I literally didn't know you're asian and I've been following you for SO long now like please JSJSJSJDJAw.

Awww, Van I'm so ADJWKEJKWAEaw. I'm happy this worked out. I kind of needed this to work out. And yet again I have to thank you for encouraging me. I know it might seem like I'm exaggerating but you gave me that little push I needed!! and I'll be! gay is my full time profession. I'm gay all day, all night, all week and month (I bet you weren't expecting that!!)

Have a good night Van!! rest well, have a good week and I'll update you if anyhthing new happens!! Also I'm loving mirror mirror. It's literally my highlight of the week!

LOL that's so cute tho!! hopefully she sent you the pics <3

Straight up though, there's ALWAYS room for dessert. Dessert is a second stomach.

LMFAOSJDFLKS i just needed to check, you know 😂 she probably thought that was so random KSLDJFLSKD

I mean slay, that's perfect though. I feel like hispanic and asian cultures have a lot of overlaps so we're basically the same i'm js.

Niche in this context basically means your interests are very specifc to you or a small group of people, which is awesome! I honestly think the more niche interests someone has, the more interesting they are :) now i too am learning so many shark facts LOL just watch, this week my tiktok is gonna be about sharks now

just hang onto this sweet feeling bc we're all thriving bc of you. You're really out there winning for us LOL

I hope she plans something for you!! You deserve a nice surprise, esp since this is the first time you're actually excited to hangout with someone. It doesn't sound sad bc i literally only look forward to hanging out with like 3 people MAYBE. To this day, I hate meeting new people LMFAO

I always wonder what people think I am but i think there's a least a few people who know if they catch me posting a selfie at the right time once in a blue moon LOL

Aww i'm seriously so happy for you. I really hope it all works out and I hope you having fun on your next date <3

Can't wait for the next update kdsjflskdjsl i'll be thinking of you two as I write the next mirror mirror chapter <3

[pokesaurio]

I find it hard to believe that New Amsterdam has such little fanfiction. It’s a great show! So I decided to write something for the Leyren ship (which I would usually never do) to fix this! Hope you enjoy :)

Summary: How the Dam Fam finds out about Lauren’s new roommate.

Helen:

“So, naturally, you offered her to live with you” said Helen sarcastically, incredulous at Lauren’s out of character decision.

“Well, yes, she has become my friend after all, and I couldn’t let her alone in the streets”, replied Lauren matter-of-factly.

“Hmm. And how’s it going?” Helen rose an eyebrow suspiciously.

“It’s...” Lauren let out a small sigh, “It’s effortless, really. I feel like she’s always been there”. The “which scares me” was left unsaid.

Helen patiently waited until Lauren disclosed more, knowing her friend usually needed more time to open up.

“Well, except for the massive tree in the middle of the living room. Which I don’t dislike, but...”

“What?!” This got Helen’s attention. Since when was Bloom known to decorate her apartments, let alone let another person do so... with living things?!

“Well, she bought a tree, said it reminded her of home. But apparently it was smaller in the picture, so now I have a full-blown tree in my living room. And I think I like it” that last part she muttered softly.

Helen let out a small, genuine smile, amused but also proud of her friend. “That looks like progress. You haven’t yet snapped her head off for touching your space, so I’d say that’s a point for Lauren’s intimate relationships”.

“Pfft. It’s not very intimate if I still don’t know about her. I have tried to learn what she likes, but she still won’t really tell me about herself. It’s a little frustrating really” Lauren let out an adorable pout.

“Well, give her time. She is living in a stranger’s house after all, in a new country and with probably no other connections or friendships here. I can’t imagine she trusts people easily” said Helen patiently.

“Ladies and gentlemen, Mama Bear is at it again. Free advice for all!” Lauren laughed.

Helen snorted. “Well, it’s taken me nowhere with Mina. Still don’t know how this motherly figure thing works, sadly” she stated defeatedly.

“Oh, come on! You’re doing great! She’s slowly respecting her school timetable and your curfews more, right? And she hasn’t put a massive tree in your living room. That has to count for something” said Lauren, pointing her finger at Helen as she walked towards her ED. “You’ve got this!” and she gave Helen her best thumbs up and exaggerated smile.

Casey:

Lauren haphazardly threw her stuff into her backpack and went for the door, ready to call it a day and head back home.

“Lauren, you’re rushing out” Casey said suspiciously as he entered the locker room. “I assume this means you’re gonna continue smuggling your friend here? Cause if it does, you should know you are risking even more than before. If they catch you again...”

“No, Casey, it’s not like that” Lauren stated. “Don’t worry, she won’t be coming back here”.

“So that means... you let her go? Do you know where she is?” said Casey, now concerned about Leyla’s wellbeing.

“She’s actually... living with me?” said Lauren, the last part coming out in a rush and higher pitch.

“What?” asked Casey, wide-eyed. “Lauren, she- what?”

“Yeah, I couldn’t leave her on the streets, and I figured since I’m never home it couldn’t hurt to give her my spare room” justified Lauren to what seemed like Casey and herself.

“Okay, Lauren, I don’t know what’s gotten into you, you are risking a lot for this stranger. Please be careful” said Casey, though not unkindly. He was just worried about his friend.

“But that’s just it, Casey. She’s not a stranger, not anymore, and I would have done the same for any one of you. I protect my people” said Lauren, now sounding much more convinced.

“Well, if you’re happy with your decision, I can only congratulate you. You finally have a friend outside of work!” he added with a smile, teasing Lauren.

Lauren swatted his arm playfully. “I forgot, Mr Popular here knows most of New York. And I might have one friend, but it’s a hard one” she said, giving him the finger.

“Okay, okay!” Casey laughed, raising his arms defensively. “You win. But Lauren” he said softly “I am happy for you. Just wanted to make sure you knew what you were doing”.

“Thanks” said Lauren with a smile, squeezing his arm lightly as she left.

Lauren:

She did know what she was doing. Right. Right? It wasn’t like Leyla was a random stranger, not anymore, and she liked her enough that living together had been smooth sailing so far. So why did she find herself overthinking everything when it came to Leyla?

“Get your shit together, Lauren” she chanted to herself. She was driving home, her palms sweating slightly, but still excited to get there. She had been rushing out a lot lately. The memory of Leyla’s soft smile as she held her hand, fingers interlocking and fitting perfectly as they stared at the tree and Lauren’s want, need to be close, oh so close, a compass searching North. She couldn’t wait to get home to Leyla’s sarcasm, Leyla’s dinners, Leyla’s subtle presence in her apartment and life that made it theirs.

Without noticing, Lauren had been smiling like an idiot for at least half an hour, and she had arrived to her portal. She got out of the car and went for the stairs, taking twice at a time. But as she opened the door, a wave of disappointment washed over her. Leyla wasn’t home, had probably had to take a DriverTime client, and suddenly the apartment felt empty and cold again. Lauren couldn’t understand how she had lived like this for so long before.

But then a thought sprung to mind. Leyla had waited for her every day for the past week, staying up and meeting her with a fabulous home-cooked dinner after work. The least she could do was reciprocate, so Lauren got ready to prepare a mindblowing meal or die trying. Cooking had never been her strong suit, but she figured it couldn’t be too hard.

She remembered Leyla mentioning she deeply missed Pakistani cuisine, and how she had been disgusted by Lauren suggesting she try a Pakistani restaurant around the corner. “You Americans think you can serve a random dish and rebrand an entire culture. That place is not Pakistani”, she had stated. So Lauren had asked, and she had learned, how Nihari reminded her of late night dinners at home and Lassi was her all-time favourite beverage. And so she had a single thought in mind; today she was making the best Pakistani dinner for Leyla.

As she set out to spice the assortion of different meets, she re-entered her previous reverie. She knew Leyla would love this, even if Lauren was probably going to ruin the recipe and tarnish the Pakistani name. But Leyla would smile sweetly, as she did every time Lauren remembered a small detail about her and did her best to make her feel like home, and she would be grateful. Lauren could not wait until she came back, excited to see that look on her face that said “no one’s ever cared for me like this, and I’m glad you’re the first one”.

Slow-cooking the meat into a stew proved difficult, and mixing the yoghurt, water, spices and fruit for the Lassi had Lauren seriously questioning her cooking skills. But all in all, after about an hour she decided she had done a pretty good job. She set out to dress the table, going as far as opening a good red wine and placing a candle. She didn’t want to overdo it, but thought Leyla would decidedly not mind and find her efforts cute. Lauren was struck by the inclusion of “cute” into her vocabulary, could not remember when she had cared about someone’s reaction this much, and decided damn Leyla and her faint smiles had softened her. She couldn’t bring herself to care, though.

And just like clockwork, as soon as Lauren set the last plate with the fine-looking Nihari on the table, Leyla entered the apartment.

“Honey, I’m home!” she shouted jokingly in her beautiful accent.

“Hey! How was work? Any frat boys I should beat up?” said Lauren smiling.

“No frat boys, thankfully. Just an old lady telling me about her grandson. I must have seen like 30 photos of him, and let me tell you, no one can convince me babies are cute. They’re bald!” Leyla proclaimed, dignified.

Lauren snorted. “Of course you would befriend a grandma and have her show you her family. It must be your cranky charm” replied Lauren teasingly.

“You would be surprised. I cause sensation amongst octogenarians” said Leyla amusedly. As she caught the smell of cooked meat, she looked at Lauren, surprised. “You cooked? You? Is MY tree burnt down?” she joked.

“I’ll let you know, OUR tree is intact and very much still alive. And don’t you dare take away my custody, I love him like my own son too!” said Lauren in mock dignification. “I did cook, and I hope you like it” she continued, now softly. She met Leyla’s eye, hope and wonder sparkling bilaterally.

Leyla approached the table, repressing a squeel of excitement at the site of her favourite foods. “Lauren! You shouldn’t have! How did you even-?” and as she turned around to look at Lauren, the intensity in her eyes stunned her. The amount of care and adoration was palpable there, and it was enough to overwhelm her.

“Thank you”, she said in a small voice.

“I thought you deserved something special. You know, for cooking horrible meals every day” Leyla approached her slowly, still with eyes locked in an intense duel. “You would think as a doctor my main threat of illness would come from my patients, but you make a hard run for it” another step closer. “And besides, knowing my cooking skills it’s probably very bad. So we’re even” she continued rambling. Leyla finally took the final step towards Lauren, cupping her cheek and forcing her to shut up.

“You talk too much”, she said, resting on her tiptoes slightly to reach for her cheek and place a soft kiss there. “Thank you, truly”.

Lauren stood there, transfixed and unable to utter words. “Y-Yeah. It’s... nothing, really” she managed to muster.

Leyla tried to fight off a smile at Lauren’s awkwardness. During the course of her stay at Lauren’s- their- apatment, she had been quick to discover that she could turn Lauren, the hard-assed doctor and witty friend, into a rambling mess with well placed silences and touches. And naturally, she had immediately taken a liking to doing so as often as possible.

She turned around and sat at the table, staring down at her food and trying not to show her satisfaction at the amount of time it took Lauren to recompose herself and sit with her. She let Lauren pour some wine for herself, seeing as she didn’t look too enthused with the Lassi, and tried the Nihari. And, oh god, it certainly wasn’t like the one she enjoyed back home, but Lauren had undoubtedly achieved something here. Leyla couldn’t stop a moan from escaping her lips.

Lauren sat across from her, lips parted, staring at her like she was the only thing in the world. Her eyes slowly trailed to her lips, and Leyla thought she might burst if she didn’t break the moment soon. “Lauren, it’s- it’s perfect” said Leyla, and she meant it. It might not be like the one back home, but Lauren had managed to capture a new flavour, to redefine the very meaning home. She could get used to this.

Lauren looked back up at her, smile back in place. “Really? That’s new” she said, satisfied and proud of her achievement.

As they ate in silence, Lauren realised two things. One, she was definitely falling in love with Leyla Shinwari. And two, while Leyla had been her roommate for a few weeks already, it was only now that she felt like they were actually _living_ together... building a home.

Iggy:

“Hey, Iggs! I haven’t caught up with you in a while! How’s everything going?” asked Lauren as she entered Iggy’s office, taking the sofa and sprawling out on it.

Iggy stopped flicking through his charts, immediately knowing something was up. He could tell Lauren was properly glowing, but knew he would have to let this play out if he wanted to get any information out of his friend.

“Lauren! It’s great to see you. I’ve been great. I went to see a nutritionist, and I’ve been trying to join some virtual support groups for people with eating disorders. I still have a long road ahead of me, and I have to put in the work, but thanks for calling me out on my bullshit. Truly” he said sincerely.

Lauren perked up even more, rising to her feet and reaching around Iggy’s desk to hug him. “Iggy! That’s great! I’m so glad to hear it, and I’m so proud of you. And hey, you called me out on my bullshit when I was using, so it was only fair I did the same” she smiled.

Iggy returned her smile, glad to see that both of them were making amends and working to improve their lives.

He rose up to start walking to his next consult, not wanting this conversation to end but really needing to get there on time. After Lauren followed him along, curiosity finally got the best of him. “Okay, I have to ask... What’s gotten into you? You look like you just got to perform one of your supper cool surgeries or something. Anything new?” he asked.

“Well, I’m doing well” she said as they strolled down New Amsterdam’s corridors. Iggy waited patiently, letting Lauren open up at her own speed. “And... and I got a roommate!”

Iggy frowned, perplexed. He knew Lauren, knew how much she valued her space and how closed-off she could be, so he couldn’t fathom why getting a roommate would be something she’d want to do, let alone be the cause of her exuberant joy. “Wha... How?” he asked.

“Well, it’s a long story, really. She came in with a patient, and kind of guessed what was wrong with her, but it turned out it wasn’t a guess, cause she’s really a doctor, but obviously I didn’t know that” she started rambling, with Iggy finding it hard to follow along.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Slow down” he said, though he was glad to see Lauren so excited about something.

“Yeah, sorry. Basically, she pulled off a successful needle decompression in my ED, which I now admit was pretty cool, I called security, she had no place to stay, used the hospital closet for a while... And now she’s living with me” finished Lauren, looking way too satisfied by her explanation.

“She... You... What?!” asked Iggy, dumbfounded.

“Yeah... She’s kind of a lot. In the good way” said Lauren, and it was clear to Iggy by now that she was positively smitten. At this new information, he changed tactics.

“Wow, Lauren, that’s a huge step! I’m happy for you, and so proud. I’d love to meet her sometime” he said.

“Yeah! That’d be great! I’m sure you’d love her, once you get past her cranky façade. You two would totally get along” replied Lauren excitedly.

Iggy knew how possessive Lauren was of her space, knew how much it meant for her to have friends meet even if she may not do it consciously. The fact that she was agreeing to let him meet her meant he was right; Lauren was smitten beyond recognition.

“Great! And what’s it like, living with this...” he trailed off, hoping to get a name out of Lauren for once.

“Leyla! It’s great. Yesterday I cooked her some Pakistani dinner, cause she missed it from back home, and then we watched a comedy and watered our big-ass tree. Don’t ask. It’s like she’s lived with me all along” she finished bashfully.

And Iggy had to assume Lauren knew how this sounded, how many lesbian stereotypes she was ticking off. So he replied, amusedly, “Tell me, Lauren, does this Leyla know you two are dating?” he said, a mischiveous twinkle in his eye.

Lauren stopped abruptly in the corridor, a horrified look on her face. Iggy repressed a laugh, was thrilled by Lauren’s new baby-gay side. He turned around to look at her, saw her mouth opening and closing like a goldfish as she searched for a reply, but continued walking backwards. “Wait... do you?” he asked, now enjoying Lauren’s alarmed look. He turned around a corner, leaving a dumbfounded Lauren behind, and shouted, “Good luck!”

[katsukikitten]

Part 2! Here is Part 1 f you have yet to read it! I hope you enjoy my little Walmart brand of summer wars as much as I am writing it! Let me know what you think!

×*×*×*×*×*×*×*×*×*×*×*×*×*×*×*×*×*×*×*×*×

The two of you leave with a small bow before your grandmother answers the phone. 

The second you are out of the room Bakugou grabs you roughly by the wrist, pulling you down into the small dimly lit hallway to press you against the dark wooden wall, caging you in much like he did on the train. 

But this time with malintent. Small pops ring out from his forearms, one hand threatening to char the wood beside your head while the other grips your wrist harder. 

You could understand his anger, it's not as if you had been truthful to Bakugou. He detests liars and although you didn't necessarily lie to him you still told him a half truth. He was still figuring out which was worse. 

"Fucking fiance?!" He snarls close to your face, "Deal's off." 

You had planned to allow him to bitch and moan about the shitty situation you put him in without argument. 

But his refusal to act semi decent towards you for the sake of your grandmother's old heart had rage burning hot in your veins. 

It wasn't like you were asking him to fuck you. With a tick in your jaw you drop your precious Kimono. Grabbing onto his chin with your free hand, tilting his face closer to yours to have a better look at those stunning crimson eyes. They widen from both the force of your grip and the proximity of your lips. He swallows thickly, his glare slowly coming back. 

"Listen here Bakugou Katsuki. I'm asking you to pretend to be my fiance for two weeks. I'm asking for small shit like sitting close to me, maybe giving a small smile in my direction and at the most hand holding. I'm not asking you to fucking marry me or fuck me in front of my family. My grandmother is a bit old fashioned if you couldn't tell by the house or her demeanor, she has been hounding me about bringing a man to her for approval since I was 16. She wanted to make sure I had a man that deserved me, that I would be taken care of. So I've made up boyfriend after boyfriend since I've never really had time for more than a good fuck but my Uncle called me last winter to tell me her health was beginning to decline and rapidly at that. I called her immediately and told her I had just become engaged and she'd meet him on her birthday. So you've got two choices Katsuki." You let every syllable of his name soak in sugar coated venom, "Suck it up for two fucking weeks and be semi decent to me or break my grandmother's heart and earn a dangerous enemy." 

Bakugou's heart pounded in his chest the entire time you were ranting, unsure of why he was attracted to the hard set of your eyes and the ice in your voice. His stomach flips when you say his first name causing him to grind his teeth. He breaks away from your grip with his free hand, quickly pinning your arms above your head. Locking your delicate yet deadly wrists in one of his broad hands while the other presses against your hip bone. Thumb sliding through the loop of your too short shorts, bringing your pelvis to his.  The denim was barely able to contain your ass and thick thighs, he is surprised none of your elders have scolded you for such indecency if they were as old fashioned as you say. 

The faint blush on your cheeks and the defiant look in your eyes has his voice turn husky as he speaks.

"I should make you regret bringing me here. Maybe have you begging for something else." His lips a breath away as he presses his forehead to yours. Eyes molten with what you think is lust before he tilts his face. Amplifying the sudden magnetism between your plump lips and his own. Your chest tightens with mixed emotions as your eyes begin to flutter closed.

Suddenly he changes direction and gives you a harsh headbutt, hard enough your vision blurs at the edges causing you to growl in response. 

"This better not fucking bruise." 

He rolls his eyes, dropping your hands as he reaches down for the old Kimino. His heart racing from almost losing control of these odd feelings. 

Feelings that had never been aimed towards you until your grandmother stirred them up. 

"Would you die for my granddaughter?" 

The question drives him mad, mad enough that he places the kimono in your hands speaking the dark thought that he should have fucking kept to himself.

"Did you actually drag me along for your grandmother's sake or did you just want the kimono, Princess?" His voice is all bite, holding your gaze, your eyes widening. 

"Don't call me that." Your voice threatens to crack but he walks away before he can see the rest of your reaction to wander the house for his room until dinner. 

You're left standing there, eyes glued to the fabric, the deep navy blue and hand stitched cranes and lotus blur in your hands. Before fat droplets fall from your eyes. 

Why did you ever think Bakugou Katsuki would be a good partner, fake or not. 

You collect yourself quickly, angrily swiping at your eyes before you set to find your normal room. 

It doesn't take you long and you're honestly hoping Bakugou stays lost until dinner. His room should be on the opposite wing of the house. Opening the old tatami door to find Mei setting down your stuff and Bakugou's bag.  Mei follows your eyes to the well worn backpack with a skull pin on the strap. She knew exactly who it belonged to when she picked it up, having spotted the handsome devil from the hall. 

"Mei what's this you know he's supposed to be in the western wing!" You exclaim, trudging past her to hang your kimono on the old rack in the corner of the room. Mei scoffs, eyes glued to her phone as she speaks. 

"He was bound to sneak this way anyway. I'm doing you a favor." She rolls her eyes as if she knows everything at the ripe age of sixteen. 

You thought you knew everything then too. You sigh, rolling your own eyes. 

"What you call a favor I call a headache. Just take his bag to his room." You pass the straps to her, hating that it smells so much like him. Your stomach flips even as you look at the two person futon. 

"Just sleep with him tonight no one will know! Plus I hadn't cleaned his room. It's full of spider webs, the floor needs patching and his futon is gonna be dusty." She counters. 

"B..but one futon is not modest." 

"Wow please tell me you're not a virgin jushi. You're gonna get married anyway! I know I wouldn't have said no to a catch like that either!" 

Mei makes her way out of your room while you pinch the bridge or your nose. 

"Yea…. Why would I ever say no to such a great catch?" You fall backwards onto the futon hoping that that asshole was still lost for now. 

Someone would find him wandering and take him to the great dining room. 

×*×*×*×*×*×*×*×*×*×*×*×*×*×*×*×*×*×*×*×*×

Thankfully someone does end up showing Bakugou to the dining room but of course it would be Mei who also tells him where the SHARED room is. You bite your lip and choose to play dumb.  

"Oh good you found your way, babe." You smile sinking next to him on one of the many blue cushions. He grunts in response but pulls your cushion closer to his. Carefully pouring you some water before he yanks down your tank top that was riding up and trying to expose your midriff. His fingers feel like fire as they brush against your skin, igniting a dying ember in your stomach.

You quickly remind yourself of his nasty comment, as you're about to set him straight your cousin Haru walks into the room.  He sucks his teeth and sits further down the table across from his sister Mei as people slowly come in to sit or bring in food. 

"I don't know why you bothered to bring him here. Sobo is never going to approve of him." He cracks open his beer and drinks prematurely earning an eye roll from his sister. Bakugou and yourself both open your mouth to retort when Mei pipes up. Eyes still glued to her phone as her thumbs fly across the illuminated glass. 

"She already did stupid. She gave her the crane Kimono so get used to seeing his face." Mei rolls her eyes as your cheeks blush. 

Bakugou regrets his comment now more than ever but sucks his own teeth. An older gentleman sits to Bakugou's left commenting on the conversation as he does. 

"Wow the crane kimono! You know she's been holding onto that for quite some time. You must be very special. I'm Sozen, your lovely fiance's Uncle." He smiles, just as you're about pinch the blonde to make sure he answers he gives a small bow of his head. 

"Bakugou Katsuki." He introduces himself as aunt Mai rushes into the room.

"Wait, wait! I want to meet him!" She sinks next to your right, all smiles as her eyes are fixated on the young man, "Wow he is as handsome as you said on the phone last night." 

Fresh blush creeps onto your cheeks, remembering the phone conversation from when you were too nervous to sleep last night. Bakugou catches on and smirks in response. Everyone but Sobo takes their seats and you decide now is a good time as ever to get the formalities over with. 

"Let's just get through the introductions shall we?" You say as you run through the names of each family member on both sides of the three low tables shoved together. Introducing the hot head to well over 12 adults and their children and even children's children. For now Bakugou only makes an effort to remember the ones closest to him. 

Uncle Sozen who sits to his left and Aunt Mai who sits to your right. It's becoming quickly apparent that a lot of your family is either much older or much younger than yourself. He can understand why you could feel a little lonely at times. Being more of a black sheep than anything. Then he realises something very important.

"Wait, where are your parents?" He asks lowly to which you shrug. 

"They show up closer to grandma's birthday. They are both extremely busy and always have been. Soba more or less raised me." 

As if one cue grandmother comes in, looking over the table with the biggest and warmest smile she can muster. It reminds him of the summer sun lazily dancing across his skin in the late afternoon. 

And again it reminds him of you. He looks to you and sees you mirroring the exact same smile, happy for your grandmother's happiness causing his chest to tighten and butterflies to awaken in his stomach. He grinds his teeth in an attempt to calm them down. 

She sits at the head of the table, closest to Great Oba who he had the pleasure of meeting first thing, before grandmother holds up her small cup of sake. 

"To family." She announces, everyone lifts what cup they have, whether it was a kids small sippy cup, their o-choko, or even their cup of tea. 

"To family!" They roar back to her all taking a sip. 

"Let's eat." She says while the family cries out, "Itadakimasu!" 

The tables are loud and full of conversation. Although Katuski's family is not so big, the volume reminds him of his own family. A small smirk comes to his lips as he thinks of his mother and how she would fit in here. 

"So no Shoji?" Haru asks with a sneer, almost purposefully stirring the pot. 

"No surprise there." Someone else comments. 

"Shut. Up. Haru." You bite out, look fierce as if you were to devour him whole. He swallows thickly. 

"Great uncle Kodaka tell us about that battle we won here!" You change the subject and everyone groans as Kodaka starts the story they've heard thousands of times before.

"It was almost 150 years ago, when we were still a prosperous nation. Us samarai doing fine on our own. Hired by the wealthy or living by our own moral compass. It was like fish in a barrel…" 

The story continues on, mostly the children listen and your grandmother who smiles as she hears her youngest speak.

Sozen leans closer to Bakugou, as grey eyes hold onto scarlet. Bakugou remains quiet, glancing to you and then back to the uncle. Uncle Sozen takes this as an invitation to speak. 

"I guess since you're gonna be part of the family now I should tell you about Shoji. There was a time shortly before Grandpa died that he went down a dark path, gambling away majority of the family fortune and just when grams thought she had him under control then came Shoji.He was Grandpa's illegitimate child with a woman much younger than Sobo. But she loved Shoji fiercely anyway. She would take him through the field of wildflowers to the lake in the early mornings of summer. One hot day when he was small and the sun was rising, painting the sky in hues of red there was a crane. Our family's crest." Uncle Sozen points to the wooden crest above the door to the adjacent room that held the family's artifacts. A crane stands tall with a white lotus behind it in full bloom.

"It was the first time in decades that a crane had come to the lake and the lotus were in full bloom. He flew away, causing a gentle ripple in the lake and it was then Sobo knew that Shoji would bring fortune to our family." Sozen peeks your way to make sure you're not over hearing, he continues explaining softly as your loud laugh bellows out, "Everyone is so angry with him because he took the last of grandmother's savings and then ran away to America with no way to be contacted." 

"She is quick to defend him because she was too young to really remember how much it upset Sobo. That and she believed in him wholeheartedly. She looked up to him because despite his quirklessness he was exceptionally intelligent. She had faith that he would restore honor and fortune to our name." Sozen's chopsticks point to you as he speaks before he picks up a dumpling. Bakugou's eyes follow over you. 

"Hello Sobo." A deep voice calls from the engawa reducing the lively roar of dinner conversation to nothing more than the sad song of a lonely cricket.

"Uncle Shoji?!" You call excited, standing from your spot at the long table while the rest of the room holds animosity. 

Bakugou downs his sake to which Uncle Sozen silently refills. 

"I thought you were still abroad in the states!" You sink next to him and pull him into a crushing hug. He smiles, slowly separating the two of you. 

"What the hell do you want trash?!" Uncle Kodaka snarls, to which you produce a deadly glare his way.  

"Well yes I was in the states, thank you for asking Princess." He tucks a stay hair behind your ear before rising to speak with grandmother.

He does not address her properly nor does he bow. If anything he stands loosely with an arrogance about him that leaves majority of the room with a sour taste in their mouth. Bakugou watches Great Oba's chopsticks strain in her delicate hand, the distaste for him is becoming more and more obvious by the second.

And then he opens his mouth. 

"I made tenfold out of what you let me borrow, Soba." He pulls a stack of money and a check from his pocket as he speaks, "I made a drug to make people powerless and sold it to the highest bidder." 

Eyes around the room widen as news headlines flash in their heads about a new drug that made people quirkless. Villains shooting innocent bystanders and heroes in hopes of getting a leg up. 

Shoji tosses the money and the check onto grandmother's lap. Dark brown eyes stare into her lap for a long moment. 

Suddenly grandmother moves like an agile cat, jumping to her feet and grabbing for one of the divine naginata. She wields it masterfully before shoving the point towards him, fire burning in her eyes. 

"Mother!" Half the table shouts, as you begin to see red. You stand stepping next to Shoji, body shaking with rage as your heart drums in your ears. 

"I knew my Princess would save me." He says coyly to hide just how shaken he is, sweat dripping down his brow. Even ten years your senior he couldn't hide his fear of the fierce woman before him, shocked that a woman in her nineties could still brandish such a big and heavy weapon. 

Your hands land harshly on Shoji's chest as you give him a shove. Shocking the table into further silence. 

"YOU MADE THAT?!" Your voice echoes over the dining room, into the empty halls and out into the night but somehow the hurt in it does not reach Shoji. 

"Of course, it was going to be a hot seller. Governments offered me billions. Besides I made an anti...." But before he can finish you've got him by the collar. 

"HOW CAN YOU BE SO INTELLIGENT YET SO DAFT?!" Bakugou watches your knuckles turn white while your cheeks flush deep red. Shoji barely frees himself, his shirt crumpled but you press on. 

"Those were my friends!" A stomp of your foot has the dishes rattling on the table, Bakugou becomes more on edge, "You hurt my fucking friends!" 

You raise both of your fists above your head, ready to bring them down with all of your might. Too angry to control your gauge of power uncaring of the consequences. Katuski acts quickly, flicking his wrist to empty the shallow cup of sake high into the air. Igniting it into beautiful dancing fireworks, the kids oo and ah while he hopes to distract you if only for a moment. 

It works, slightly. You realize his plan as he jumps to his feet, running along the low tables as you try to beat him to the punch. 

Literally.

Bakugou barely makes it, shoving Shoji into the table, food and dishes fly into the air just to stain the freshly mopped wooden floors. The hot head holds out his other arm to take the brunt of your force. He let's off the smallest explosion to soften your blow but a small crack still rings out. 

Heated eyes watch as a black bruise blooms from the crease of his elbow to all the way to his wrist as the shock shakes the house behind him. Paintings and pictures fall from the walls in the wake of your force.

"Are you trying to bring down the house dumbass?!" He yells before his voice dips low, soft almost, "What if the roof had caved and Soba-san got hurt?" 

Your eyes widen at his words before they are locked with glistening scarlet pools. You look over Bakugou's toned arm, marred in angry shades of purplish black. Eyes darting over the family and the mess that lies beside you. Finally they fall on your grandmother behind your shoulder. Her own aged shoulders heave from the adrenaline, her graying white hair out of place with her lotus pin threatening to fall out. You spy Shoji, your once hero still squishing food beneath his torso and elbows, eyes filled with fear.

"Fuck this." You mutter storming off, leaving Bakugou to stand alone before your family. Shoji stands, rushing out of the house, moments later everyone can hear a car peeling down the gravel drive losing traction once or twice. 

After a few moments of silence grandmother fixes her hair and returns the naginata as she speaks. 

"This family cleans up their own messes. Now get to work!" 

And with that your family and Bakugou begin to pick up the shattered pieces of dishes, pride and family matters.

[korra-the-red-lion]

Unnatural Affairs. Chapter 15: Back To Work.

(Ally)

Though the holiday weekend had been short, it was really lovely to have gone back home for those few precious days. I should try to make a little more effort to go home. I missed my parents and Wallaby, which mom caught me trying to sneak him into the back of the car. She wouldn’t let me take him after all the effort I put into getting him into a disguise. It was too bad. However, mom did pack me a ton of food in Tupperware that I could keep in my mini freezer.

After that conversation with grandma went so horribly, I stayed in my room for the rest of the night. Eventually mom came up to check on me, letting me know that it was okay for me to not return. Maybe dad meant nothing by his words, but my grandma most certainly did. I think mom felt bad that there wasn’t anything she could do to make the situation feel better, so her way of doing so was giving me a ton of food and offering to drive me back without dad. I took her up on that offer, but the evening of leaving I gave my concession that dad could come along if he wanted to. He had to work, though, so it ended up being mom and I alone.

She pulled into an empty parking space that was only a short walk away from my residence. Mom turned the engine off before she looked over at me with a look of pride. I blinked in mild surprise, unsure of where this was coming from. I cocked my head questioningly, which made her chuckle.

“I’m really proud of you,” she said sweetly, smiling at me. “Maybe you don’t see it, but I can see how much you’ve grown already. I know how hard it is to hear those words from your grandmother…and your dad, but the look in your eye was strong. It was hurt but I know you bounced back from it quickly. I’m not sure what you’ve been getting up to while you were here, but it must be something good because your confidence is brighter than I’ve ever seen it.”

Tears swam in my eyes as I reached over to hug her. I sniffled loudly, causing us both to laugh. When I pulled back, there were tears in mom’s eyes as well. She handed me a tissue and we both wiped at our eyes and blew our noses.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to make it so emotional,” mom said wetly. “I just wanted to know that I love you regardless. I never cared about you seeing spirits, as long as you don’t get hurt.”

Hearing those words lit a fire in my chest. Mom never outwardly said anything about my knack, except that she was very overly cautious with me at times. Her saying this to me meant more than anything in the entire world.

“Thank you,” I said softly, wishing I could say more. My inner turmoil was too much for me to comprehend at the moment. I squeezed her hand tightly, hoping the action would help get across my intense feelings.

She smiled at me again, her eyes shining with love. “Call me about anything, okay, Alexandra?”

“I will,” I promised.

I got out of the car after that, taking my bag of food alongside my travel bag. I waved to mom as she pulled away, and she waved back, sending me air kisses as she did. I caught them and held to my chest.

Just before she left, however, she rolled her window down. I walked over in confusion to see what she wanted, and she smiled cheekily at me. “Make sure you tell that girl how you feel soon, okay?”

I blushed as I stammered out my objections, but mom was already driving away laughing. Was there no one on this planet who wouldn’t tease me about it? Shaking my head in enjoyment, I walked back to my residence with a goofy smile on my face.

Sarah wasted no time giving me a huge hug and telling me about her weekend. Apparently, her family went skiing for Thanksgiving weekend. I listened with rapt attention, never been skiing myself. It sounded dangerously like something I would never enjoy as Sarah explained how her younger brother nearly careened off the edge of the mountain. I mentally made a note to myself never to go skiing with Sarah, who was cackling as she told me about her brother’s near-death experience. Actually, I decided to never do anything with her that could involve me dying.

After that, she made me tell her about my weekend. I did with some reluctance, but as I got more into it, I found myself enjoying it. I left out the bad stuff, and I was in tears with laughter as I explained how I dressed up the dog to sneak him over. Sarah demanded to see pictures, which I showed her immediately. We both laughed so hard that we couldn’t breathe over the pictures of Wallaby wearing sunglasses and a fedora.

We headed to bed sometime later in the night. But before I attempted to get some sleep tonight, I checked my phone for any notifications. I had a few from Michael, Mags, and even dad. For whatever reason, there was an unsettling feeling in my stomach as I noticed there was nothing from Lyn. Was I getting too overprotective? I just couldn’t get that look of anxiety she had on her face out of my mind. Was it even any of my business? Sure, we were friends, and I most definitely had a thing for her, but did that I mean I could pry into her private life?

Unfortunately, there were no answers to these questions. I sent a good night text to her before putting my phone face down for the night. Hopefully I would see her tomorrow.

XXX

“…which is why Medea is such an interesting tale,” finished Professor Kinkly. I found myself being elbowed awake by Michael, who was wearing a look of amusement on his face. I didn’t even realize that I had dozed off.

“Someone’s sleepy,” he joked as he put his notebooks back in his bag.

“I shouldn’t have slept in so much this weekend,” I amended. “It threw off my whole schedule.”

Michael laughed with a shake of his head. We waved to the prof as we left the classroom, who barely gave as a glance as we did. I was glad this class was easy, because I was mostly over it at this point. The material, which should be interesting, was made incredibly droll by this man. I couldn’t wait until this course was over with.

We walked out the classroom. The air was biting today, as it cut through our jackets. I pulled my jacket as close as possible, while Michael snorted in disbelief.

“You’re cold, yet you refuse to wear pants,” he said solemnly. “I admire the dedication to your style.”

“I hate wearing them,” I said. “I don’t mind pajama pants, but regular ones? Yuck.”

We both laughed as walked into the library. I bought myself a tea while Michael got a coffee. We sat down at one of the tables, letting the drinks warm us.

“I’m going to speak with her tonight,” I said quietly, making sure no one overheard us.

Michael nodded slowly, his eyes taking in the surrounding crowd. “I figured.”

“Has she spoken to you since the other night?”

“Nah, nothing,” Michael looked thoughtful. “I don’t think she will again, if I’m being honest. I think she talked to me so you would go talk to her. Which, thinking about it now, is extremely concerning. Why are they so aware of you?”

I pursed my lips. “I’m not really sure. Jamieson didn’t know anything about me. Dahlia didn’t know me either, but she could tell right away that I could sense her. Maybe she told Amelia about me? Dahlia told me she could leave the area, but she had to return. I have a sneaking suspicion that she’s been around, spreading my name.”

“Huh, I don’t know anything about her, but do you think she would do something like that?”

“It’s possible,” I hummed. “She knows so much but refuses to tell me everything. I suspect that she might even know who is behind the string of murders.”

Michael’s jaw fell open in shock. “Are you for real? And she won’t tell you who did it? Jeez, what a huge jerk.” He rubbed his face anxiously.

“Yeah, it’s very frustrating,” I grumbled, crossing my arms. “It’s like she’s testing me, but I don’t actually know what the test is. Doesn’t she want me to find the person who killed her and the others?”

“I guess being dead for a long time creates a lot of boredom,” said Michael. He slumped against the table, staring at nothing. We stayed quiet for a bit longer, until he had to head to his next class. I bade him a goodbye as I pulled out my notes from the case.

It was frustrating having so many pieces, but I couldn’t see the full picture quite yet. Maybe once I spoke to Amelia Turner something else would click, but right now it felt like I only had the frame of this puzzle.

Plus, I hadn’t mentioned it yet, but this occurred to me the other night after our chat we needed to go back to the locker room. Or at least, I had to. I needed to talk to Fiona, like have an actual conversation with her. Maybe even try and break through to who I assumed to be her brother. I saw the humanity in those eyes last time. Perhaps if I went again, I could get to him. I need to broach the topic with Lyn and Michael first, because I was scared to go alone, but I would if I had to. It felt like if I was going to be missing something important if I didn’t.

Oh, and I needed to talk to Jackie, the woman who got attacked. Maybe she knew nothing, but it wouldn’t hurt to ask. I saw her around on campus, I just haven’t had the opportunity to speak with her yet. I groaned as I wrote that down as well. There was so much to do, and I had a really bad gut feeling that I was slowly running out of time.

Annoyed with myself mostly, I gathered all my things up and tossed them back into my backpack. I was leaving the café when I happened to notice a familiar strawberry blonde standing at the water fountain, filling her water bottle. I glanced at my phone to check the time, and I had enough time to go over for a quick chat before I needed to head to my Sociology class.

“Hey, Lyn!” I chirped.

Lyn looked over her shoulder, her eyes lighting up in recognition. “Hey,” she said softly, turning back to the fountain for a minute. After her water bottle was filled, she screwed the lid on tightly before turning around fully.

“How are you?” I asked tentatively.

Her eyes searched my face before she settled with a shrug. I could see how worn out she looked, with dark circles under her eyes. While I was getting used to seeing her looking emotionally exhausted, I wasn’t used to this style of dress. I would say Lyn dresses for comfort most days, but today she was wearing skinny jeans with no distress, a button up boyfriend shirt that actually had the buttons done up, and even her ponytail seemed tighter. It was her normal look but…more put together?

“…Did you want to talk about it…?”

Lyn’s lip quirked slightly before she shook her head. “Nope, not really. How was your weekend?” she asked as she started walking. I followed after her.

“It was good, except for my grandma giving me grief again,” I said mildly.

“Grief?” Lyn questioned, eyes flickering to me for a fraction of a second before looking forward again. “What for?”

“Oh, the usual reasons. That I’m some unnatural freak of nature because of my special ability. She used to spray me with water.”

“That’s fucking stupid,” Lyn muttered darkly.

“Yeah, kinda,” I shrugged. “Okay, I shared. Now you have to.”

Lyn snorted, shaking her head. “I never agreed to that. Besides, it’s nothing.”

“Ah, I see,” I nodded. “Nothing. So, the exhausted look and new look have nothing to do with your weekend home?”

Something akin to anger flashed across Lyn’s face before she mechanically put on a smile. “Maybe it does. Let’s just say that my weekend roughly went as well as I thought it would. At least Olivia and I managed to get through it without killing each other.”

“You know you can talk to me about anything, right?” I offered.

Lyn said nothing for a few minutes as she looked far off. We walked towards her class building and once we got there, she kicked her foot against the concrete. God, she wasn’t even wearing those tattered Converse of hers.

“I’m fine. I’m just tired and processing some things,” she said quietly, her voice tight with emotion. “Honestly, even if I wanted to talk about things, I don’t even know where to start. Let’s just drop it for now, please?”

I nodded and a look of great relief crossed over her face. “Thanks, Ally,” she said, sounding a little more like herself.

“Just take care of yourself, okay?” I asked, reaching for her hand. “For me, please?”

Our hands curled around each other loosely. Lyn looked down at our hands, her face not showing anything, but there was a war playing out in her eyes. Something that I finally began to understand about Lyn was this: she was normally happy, but she didn’t let the negative emotions show often, instead opting to mask her feelings behind fake smiles and a bubbly tone. But there was only so much one person could take before they finally exploded. This next part was assumption, but I suspected that Lyn was nearing her breaking point, that her façade was cracking under the immense pressure she puts on herself. Whatever happened at home was pushing her to the limits of how much pain she was willing to take. I think I only understood the surface of how bad her home life was.

Finally, she nodded. Her face was still devoid of emotion, but there was a little twinkle in her eye. “I’ll try my best, you know?” she said, finally looking at me properly.

I could lose myself in those electric blue eyes, full of so much life and emotion normally. While it broke my heart to see her like this, I had a feeling that pushing her wasn’t the best move. I recalled how tightly she grasped my hand at the hospital when Olivia started pushing, how angry she got.

“As long as you try,” I whispered, my heart thudding rapidly against my ribs. Whether from my infatuation or the intensity of her stare, I was unsure. My eyes flickered to her lips.

Lyn’s eyes never once left mine before she finally let go of my hand. “I have to get to class,” she said quietly. I could see her mentally putting up her wall again, the light in her eye getting dimmer.

“Me too,” I replied. She looked like she was going to reach up but stopped herself. She settled for awkwardly waving before heading inside. I stood there for a couple of minutes before turning on my heel, heading to my class.

XXX

The wind was harsh tonight. I was wearing a sweater underneath my coat, and it was barely helping. I even had the hat Lyn gave me on, but my ears felt the biting cold. I walked across campus, heading towards Harper.

The amount of parties had died down some. There was barely anyone on campus right now, most of them either in their rooms or the library. Honestly, that was good for me. The less people around the better.

Suddenly I felt an intense pressure coming over me. The wind had stopped but the cold was still there. I looked around in confusion before sighing.

“Dahlia, is that you?”

Said ghost appeared beside me, looking rather interested in what I was doing. I was surprised to see her this far away from the tree.

“It’s been some time since we last spoke, Ally. I was curious as to what you were up to,” said Dahlia, clasping her hands behind her back as she walked beside me.

“I’m going over to talk to Amelia Turner,” I explained.

“Ah, intriguing. I do wonder what you are going to learn from her that you don’t already know,” Dahlia mused.

I said nothing in return, instead focusing on my mission. She wasn’t necessarily wrong in her judgement, but I didn’t want to give her the satisfaction of knowing that. I walked up to the doors, not surprised that they were locked. I chewed my upper lip as I attempted to work on the lock with a broken hair pin. They always made this look so easy on TV!

When I heard it click open, I suppressed an excited squeal. Good thing I did, because Dahlia drifted through the open door, where it was obvious that she was the one who unlocked it from the inside. I gave her a thankful nod, which she responded with a smirk. Together, we headed in.

The lights didn’t turn on automatically here like they do at the Athletic Centre. I pulled out an old school flashlight and turned it on. I could have easily used my phone, but I wanted it to available if I needed to take photos or make a call for help. It wasn’t that late, so Michael or Lyn hopefully would still be up.

I headed for classroom 223, the one Michael told me about. There she was, sitting at one of the desks looking forlorn. I slowly walked down to where she was, tapping the desk to get her attention.

“Hey, can I sit with you?” I asked, indicating the desk next to her.

Amelia looked a little surprised, tilting her head to the side. “Why are you even asking? I can’t stop you, even if I wanted to.”

“It’s only polite,” I said with a shrug.

Looking skeptical, she nodded. I sat down next to her, while Dahlia made herself at home in the seat behind us. She had a familiar look of determination in her eye, but I couldn’t quite place where I knew it from. Brushing that aside for now, I focused on Amelia. She was eyeing with me with suspicion, which I thought was curious. She was the one who wanted to talk to me, wasn’t she?

“I’m Ally,” I started with. “You’ve been talking to my friend, Mike, quite a bit, haven’t you?” I was careful to not use his full name.

“Only twice,” she clarified.

“Only twice,” I confirmed with a nod. “I wanted to ask you some questions, if that’s okay with you. I’m trying to solve all these murders on campus, and I have a feeling that you’re one of the victims from this unfortunate tragedy.”

Tears welled up in Amelia’s eyes as she nodded. “I am. I was in this very room when he came and killed me. I should have known something up when he invited me to speak with him so often.”

I reached over to her desk, placing my hand next to hers. “Amelia don’t blame yourself for the actions of the person who killed you. They’re a sick individual who hurt so many others. How could you have known?”

“He always was nice to me, making me feel special,” she said in quiet horror.

I took out my notebook, so I could quickly jot down the use of the male pronoun. The killer was male. It was a small thing, but in a case with very few leads, it was a big help.

“Would you mind showing me how it happened, Amelia?” I asked gently. I didn’t want to push her to tell me what happened if she didn’t want to. But I wanted to see it for myself, to see if I could pick up on anything. Unfortunately for me, seeing the death meant experiencing it through the lens of those who died, just like with Jamieson in the bookstore. I was fully prepared for it this time, however.

Amelia wrapped her arms around herself protectively. “It’s very gruesome, Ally. I’m not sure you should see it.”

I smiled encouragingly at her, despite my own nervousness pounding through my veins. “I’ll be okay. I want to help, honestly. Nothing you do will actually hurt me, okay?”

Finally, Amelia nodded. She reached over, placing her hand on my forehead. Although I was prepared for it, it was still shocking. I felt her confusion change into fear, fear into absolute panic. I felt the impact of my head smashing into the desk, momentarily dazing me. I felt the terror grip at my heart and lungs as I tried to get away from my attacker. I sobbed in terror as the knife slashed my wrists wide open. I hit the floor, blood pooling all around me. No one ever heard my screams. He stood over my, watching as the life drained out of my body without a single drop of emotion on his face. He looked familiar to me, but I couldn’t quite place the face right now. He bent down, cupping my face with his face, filling me with dread one last time before I died.

“Thank you for keeping me alive, darling.”

Those sickening words were the last thing I heard as everything turned to black.

Amelia withdrew her hand, and I gasped loudly as I slumped against my desk for support. My whole body was shaking, and I felt sick to my stomach. I pressed my hands against my eyes, not caring how wet they were. I needed to focus on my breathing. My wrists throbbed in agony, as if they were responding to how viciously they were cut. What a horrible way to go.

“Are you okay? I told you it was awful,” said Amelia sorrowfully.

I nodded, even though I felt far from okay. I took several huge gulps of air, sitting up straight. I adjusted my glasses, trying to focus on the fact that I was alive and not currently lying on the floor of the back room.

“She’s a lot stronger than she looks,” said Dahlia from behind. “She just needs a minute to gather herself.”

“T-t-that was so horrible,” I said through chattering teeth. “I-I-I’m so sorry y-you went through th-that, Amelia.”

Amelia nodded, her eyes mournful. “Do you really think you’ll be able to stop him from killing again?”

I grabbed a hold of Lyn’s hat, drawing a small sense of comfort from it. “I-I’m trying my best to make s-s-sure that it doesn’t happen again. I can’t m-make that promise, but I’ll be damned if I d-d-don’t give it m-my best shot.”

Amelia looked at me with a strange mix of wonderment and disbelief. Slowly, she nodded, looking towards the whiteboard again. She said nothing more, staring at something that the rest of us couldn’t see. I got up from my seat and thanked her for showing me what she did. On shaky legs, I walked towards the back door that led to the room where she was murdered. The door wasn’t locked when I tested the handle, and I numbly walked into the room.

It was just a storage room. There was nothing special in here that would ever suggest that someone was brutally murdered in here just over 15 years ago. I took it all in, snapping some photos in the process. There was nothing left for me to see here, so I closed the door behind with a firm tug.

I managed to make it outside before I threw up in the bush. I hacked and coughed, trying to get the disgusting taste of bile out of my mouth. Dahlia watched this all with mild curiosity, saying nothing as she twirled her hair around her finger.

“If you have something to say, say it,” I spat out, rubbing the back of my hand against my mouth.

Dahlia stopped mid-twirl, raising an eyebrow. “Someone is feeling a little testy.”

I whirled on her, my temper flaring. “Maybe because you seemingly know who did all these horrible things but won’t fucking tell me who it is! That was such a horrible way to die, and for the fact of the matter, so was Jamieson’s! Yet here you are, not telling me a damn thing!”

Mild irritation crossed over her delicate features. “Ally, I already told there was a reason why I couldn’t tell you everything. If you continue to behave this way, I won’t help you anymore. If you must know, the man who took all these poor lives is still on campus,” she snapped at me. “But that’s all I can speak on. Otherwise, something terrible will happen to me.”

Something terrible? I felt myself calming down a little. The look she had was annoyed, but I could see a tiny amount of fear in her eyes. Maybe she was telling the truth, there was something that was keeping her from telling me everything.

“Okay,” I dropped my shoulders. I was tired and feeling vulnerable. I didn’t want to fight, so I let it go.

Dahlia took me in for a second before she huffed out, “Good.”

I don’t know what it was about her tonight, but she was really reminding me of someone I knew. It was a strange feeling. Deciding that was a puzzle for another day, I shook my head and ran my hands through my hair, hating how sticky it felt despite the biting cold of the night.

I said goodnight to Dahlia, before heading to my room for the night. My phone told me it was after 11, which meant I was there for a few hours. I guess time flies by when you’re being murdered.

At least I learned two things tonight. First, the murderer was a man. Second, he was still here on campus. That second one really filled me with dread and fear. I didn’t know the identity of the killer yet, but I was more determined than ever to figure it out. Not for my own safety, but the safety of everyone at this school.

[clownmeat242]

the big, brown beaded rosary above my grandparents’ bed

a big, bulky backpack full of my dads things

a stick used to pry mud

an apple that stayed very good after a long time

pink, purple, and blue lava lamps

a special yellow lava lamp

an angel baby statuette, lying down holding a moon

2 special, blue coral dolphin figurines, 4 dolphins, 2 dolphins each

a mood bracelet

blue bangles with colorful gemstones

a card id that was my dad’s death identification

a big, interconnected dmv online system with games

a nun’s headdress

various gummy candy

christmas light lawn deer decorations

photographs of my dad

a photograph of my grandpa with my two young cousins

a plastic bag full of yellow rice and shrimp

my dad’s eggs

the string across sierra’s window with our things hanging from it

american flag sunglasses

a brown cigar box

a silver elk creature with silver chains hanging from it

black swirls of death

these goggle-like glasses that would have parts that would pop off when trying to be fixed

a clear, dry glue stick

a bitten off, red ring pop that resembled a pacifier

a peppa pig baby phone toy

a baby book with blue writing and bees all around it, saying “the cross dressing” something

the blue can of axe spray from 2016

my grandpa’s computer

clear, star shaped boxes of blue slime with pink beads

carrot cake

the red ball toy with the cat in the hat on it, from my childhood

a bulky, purple, show poodle toy

an oval shaped virgin mary necklace with a golden crown

a bigger, heavier, circular, holographic necklace of mary, joseph and jesus, with a message about love

a halloween wall decoration of a group of people wearing pink with blank faces

little sims 4 ghost light decorations

fancy bathtubs with buckets to collect water from them

chocolate straws and wafers

a big hole in the sand that resembled one my dad used to dig

the aloe vera plant on grandma’s balcony

the beaded necklace i made with cheap walmart beads, with a part of the ohio bead necklace attached to it

a deep blue, circular pendant of mary and jesus

this virgin mary, religious box and a mary/joseph/jesus figurine

a note written to a teacher about “what my grandpa did to me”

the rose lamp in my room

my puppy angel container

my backpack, stolen by my grandpa

sierra and i’s black notebook

a big toy bear that was actually a real bear

buttered toast

incomplete clown outfits

contradicting black/white couches

metal rods shoved through little mind people holding them in place, dead together

gratuitous cupcakes with baby blue icing

a mix of games i created with a crash code, crashing into itself like a death game black hole

orange juice

my jar of piercings, while my earrings were all missing from my ears

a big grey fountain with a statue virgin mary in the middle of it

mary made of the same opaque glass as the light angel

a documentary about the women who lived in the pink virgin mary house, as well as a youth group

a map of a beach area where mary was born

a metal helmet with little wings

dark black scribble drawings in my old puppy notebook

a drawing about something having to do with protecting the precious innocence of a child

a meth pipe with meth in it

a magnifying glass

a green backpack that belonged to my different dream parents, full of old photographs

golden tooth/gums dog implants

silver paw print dog tag

yellow greyhound bus tickets from savannah, georgia to west virginia

dried chunk of ramen noodles

a handful of clear dog teeth

a bag of blood to drink

my red axe, that i bestowed upon an ally

the blue manatee towel from my childhood

a thing that looked like a bowling pin but it was a “clown drink” and spawned in random places

holographic religious picture in my wallet

alcohol bottles at the store to smash

my clover ring (it’s “lost”)

blue toy unicorns, severed doll heads, naked barbies

a big heart collage figurine thing that my aunt created for me, with a bible verse, a glued picture of me when i was a child on green sea glass, a framed heart photo of my little cousin, a crying fairy angel figurine on top, a candle, and a figurine of st. francis crying, kneeling. it was stuck together with this movable white glue so it would come apart, but it was together.

these book pages that could have paint extracted from them

drawers that could only be opened with passcode

chicken patties that were cooked over and over, dropped in the same places, and eaten

blue ice pops that appeared frozen but were liquid

lemon flavored chips

a letter with evil energy written to me, with thick, scribbly distressed black writing, that said “GET SOME HELP” with a $500 bill, and on the back more unintelligible crayon writing, with 2 names, zesh & halla, and a pumpkin drawing

a shining blue orb in the sky with a mermaid inside, floating down to my grandma’s balcony and created energy

my mom’s teenage ring

a big box of tools

reflective mirror glasses

a screen that “needed repairing”

a dress up game where you could turn a man’s head into the head of a gorilla

2 stacks of childhood photos that i gave to an undeserving person, to look through

an alternate instagram account of someone i knew in middle school where he was dead and it was his memory page

a candid photo of 3 people i knew in middle school

donny’s white truck that i messed up somehow by turning the wheels on gravel

a huge container full of yellow pacifiers

a piece of paper that someone wrote “angel” on

a pink key and a red key

a huge stack of hay that could kill people by rolling over them

the window of a pool supply store with blue art of angels ascending

money that looked like superman cards

a purple vape with a synthetic marijuana substance (paranoia, hallucinations) called axlaxl

a pink box with feminine personal effects

huge cardboard boxes of fruit, stacked on top of small beer boxes stacked on top of each other

a red toy soldier holding a bazooka (counterpart)

a rainbow jumprope stuck in the dirt attached to roots

a huge yellow goodyear semi truck

a small amount of weed in an old altoids can

my dad’s red box of drill bits

my old purple bike

classic bubble gum

my green converse that had something written on them like “cage the lamb”

my tragic clown statue that and had its porcelain coat turned inside out to be a rodeo vest

a white pair of boxers with burgers, fries and soda pops, and another pair over them, cut and snipped

a golden outdoor christmas display of the virgin mary, joseph and jesus

a gargantuan statue of the virgin mary looking down at the ground, wearing a light blue veil, towering over the church

a mermaid drawing on a whiteboard

a white sheet tied up with a black and pink easter egg inside that could put a fully grown human inside of it

pink, rose shaped bouncy ball that lit up, and once lit it wouldn’t ever stop lighting up, a pumpkin one too

food tickets that could get you rice drowned in vegetable water

orange frog displays in dirt

a designated frog hat that lets the people know who the leader is

“angel water” in green vials

aztec heads in the pool bathroom

huge dead roaches

a box of ham

a cat angel statue

2 cherubs made of clay, had water dumped on them and they melted

tall blue flip flops

a white friday the 13th lighter

a white “the shining” lighter that had “jack” written in blood on a hotel wall

an airline called “popair”

silver hanging nipple rings, a silver chain and half blue, half red pants

severed amusement park parts being taken away in a white van

a box of nails/screws, a big black box

bamboo trees

a big ball of chocolate

my skyrim dragon keychain

a drawing pad with 2 girls kissing

a faucet that soaked everything

a disgusting poem written by my grandpa “lathered in water, a son and a daughter, how exquisite”

a red squishy bear toy

[zodiyack]

Twist And Shout

Requested: Anonymous;  More Cameron Frye? Like maybe the first time he realizes he has feelings for his girl?

Pairing: Cameron Frye x reader

Warnings: Soft!Cam, worried!Cam, Ferris embarrassing Cameron, song lyrics, SPOILERS TO FERRIS BUELLER’S DAY OFF 

P.O.V: authors

Quick Disclaimer: Get comfy, it’s a long one. But I did the best I could on it, I hope you like it!

two songs are included in this;  Danke Schoen and Twist And Shout

masterlist

Ferris had just convinced Cameron to come over and call Mr. Rooney to get Sloane and y/n out of school, scaring the man in the process. A nurse was sent to pick up the girls from class, the nurse now racing to their classroom. Then informing Sloane of her “Grandmother’s death.” Sloane giving a genuine reaction to the news while y/n was... well she was bit confused.

“That is unfortunate.. but I’m sorry.. I don’t understand what this has to do with me?”

The nurse looked over at her, eyebrows furrowed. “Well Mr. Peterson says you are a family friend and that you are to be pulled out with Sloane here, you guys have some family business to attend to. Am I not correct?”

“Uh.. I’ll just go with what you’re saying.” Y/n reached over and gave Sloane a side hug as they walked out to the front of the school to meet with the dean. “You okay?”

The young girl nodded and opened the door, greeting Mr. Rooney with a kind smile. Y/n decided to wait on the lowest step, putting in her earbuds to her Walkman and watching the road for Mr. Peterson’s car. Mr. Rooney was trying to make small talk with the other teen, her expressions showing her boredom. When a bus passed by, a red car was in the middle of the road. Both female’s eyes widened in realization, Sloane smiling when Ferris stepped out in disguise.

“Oh Sloane dear, y/n darling? Hurry along now.” He made a gesture to the car with his head.

Y/n got up and raced to the car, hoping in the middle of the front, hearing a grunt behind her. “Cam is that you?” 

“Yep. Could you like.. move? Forward a bit? Thank you.” She did as Cameron asked, reaching down into her backpack to avoid being suspicious. A few moments later Sloane walked down the steps, sharing an awkward moment with Ferris by the car.

“Hi!”

“Do you have a kiss for daddy?”

“Are you kidding?”

Y/n groaned and went back to digging through her bag as soon as the couple started to make-out on the spot. ‘Disgusting and suspicious.’ Could it get any worse? Oh yeah, there was hardly enough room in the car. Sloane got in and sat next to y/n, leaning over when she noticed Cameron.

“Hi Cam, you comfortable?”

“Hi Sloane. No.” The two girls giggled slightly, Cameron reaching forward and pinching y/n’s hips causing her to giggle more. Ferris entered the car, dropping the Mr. Peterson act a little.

“So, what are we gonna do today?” Sloane was excited for adventure, also relived her grandma hadn’t actually died.

“The question isn’t what are we going to do today, it’s what aren’t we going to do today.” 

Cameron regretted letting Ferris take the car at that exact moment, his mumbling of “Please don’t say we aren’t going to take the care home.” ignored once Ferris sped out of the school lot and out into the road. Y/n was given more space to sit once Cameron came out from under the backseat cover, probably frightened of how his dad would react to his car in Ferris’ hands.

. . .

By now, Ferris had put the car in a parking garage and tricked a restaurant into believing he was The Sausage King Of Chicago, Abe Froman. Y/n glanced at Cameron with a smile and a raised eyebrow as they were being seated. Cameron smirked back at her with a wide smile and raised both his eyebrows.

“Darling,” Ferris leaned towards Sloane, “You are wonderful.” Clink. They clicked their glasses together, Ferris now looking at Y/n. “Gumdrop,” The nickname the group dubbed y/n, “Thank you for joining us on our quest of fun today.” Finally, he looked over to Cameron, who was chugging his water to avoid conversing with Ferris. “Cameron, dear friend. You thought we wouldn’t have fun. Shame on you.”

Cam glared at Ferris for a few seconds but returned to skimming the menu.

After the group got their food, Ferris left to use the bathroom talking to the people watching the movie. The other three teens began to eat, Cam and Y/n occasionally making faces at each other and showing their mouths full of food. It wasn’t new, for the two to do weird things at or with each other, in fact they did it so much that Sloane and Ferris had a bet on who would ask who out or if they even had feelings for each other. Alas, it was a one sided love, Cameron didn’t think of Y/n really as anything else but a close friend.

. . .

Cameron pushed through the crowd, guiding an obviously annoyed Sloane. “They didn’t leave, they’re probably doing something!”

“No, it really busts my hump, ya know?”

“Awh Cameron, they didn’t ditch us or anything, they’re here.”

“Ay for all we know, they went back to school.”

Sloane rolled her eyes, it was clear that Ferris got them out of school for a reason. “They would not go back to school.”

“Well yeah Ferris would do it, he’d do it just to make me sweat.”

“No, he would not, Cameron come on.” 

“Makes me mad..”

Of course Cam had been right about Ferris doing something just to get a reaction out of him, so the unexpected happened. “Ladies and gentlemen, you’re such a wonderful crowd. We’d like to play a little tune for you.” Sloane and Cameron stopped walking, becoming aware of Ferris’ voice coming out of the speaker. “It’s one of my personal favorites, and I’d like to dedicate it to a young man who doesn’t think he’s seen anything good today.” Both of them turned around, now facing the float. “Cameron Frye, this one’s for you.” 

A circle of 6 women holding hands stepped off the platform, revealing Ferris with a microphone, lipsynching to Danke Schoen by Wayne Newton. Cameron and Sloane yelled out at him, “Ayy!” “Ferris, get off of the float!” “What  are you doing!?” “How’d you get up there?!” They walked up to it, only to get pushed back into the crowd by an officer.

“We still don’t know where y/n is Sloane.” Cameron started to worry, picturing multiple possibilities to where she could be or what could have happened to her. 

“She’ll be fine, she’s probably watching the float too. Are you alright?” 

He shook his head, why did he care so much? They were just friends, weren’t they? ‘Yeah... just friends. Friends can worry about friends. That’s normal..right?’ Cameron swore he’d never been so confused, shaking off his thoughts to talk to Sloane while they walked. “You know, as long as I’ve known him, everything works for him. There’s nothing he can’t handle. I can’t handle anything.” He looked down, listing off the things he felt insecure about. “School, parents, future...” He shook his head again, “Ferris can do anything.”

Sloane gave him a worried but comforting look, continuing to listen when he spoke again, “I don’t know what I’m gonna do.”

“Collage.” She smiled at him, giving her best attempt to cheer him up. He smiled back at her, nodding.

“Yeah.. but to do what?”

“What are you interested in?”

He immediately pictured y/n, her warming smile and smooth hands. The clothing she wore that he found adorable, but always brushed off as her attire being nice. The giggle that made his day, the hug that made him feel safe and at home. Thoughts of y/n flooded his mind, his smile growing wider. “Nothing.”

He looked down at Sloane and held eye contact for a few seconds before she laughed and shook her head, Cam chuckling as well. “Me neither.” They stopped walking and watched Ferris dance on the float, waving at the audience.

“You’re crazy!” Cameron shouted at him as the song ended, letting out a small laugh to what he’d said. 

“What do you think Ferris is gonna do?”

Another song started, y/n stepping out from her hiding spot and joining Ferris while Cam and Sloane were distracted talking. 

Well shake it up baby now (Shake it up baby)

The crowd started to dance, some singing along. People stopping what they were doing to dance and enjoy the happy moment.

Twist and shout! (Twist and shout)

C’mon , c’mon, c’mon, c’mon baby now! (Come on baby)

C'mon and work it on out! (Work it on out)

Y/n and Ferris lipsynched into their microphones, altering from facing each other to facing the audience every once in a while. Y/n making sure to look at Cameron when she wasn’t turned towards Ferris. Her smile was filled with true joy. Little did she know, so was Cameron’s.

Ooh! Work it on out honey! (Work it on out)

You know you look so good! (Look so good)

You know you got me goin’ now, (Got me goin’)

Just like I knew you would! (Like I knew you would)

Ooooo

Well shake it up baby now! (Shake it up baby)

Twist and shout! (Twist and shout)

Cameron’s feet were tapping to the music, aching to dance along with Y/n, maybe even switch places with Ferris on the float. She was dancing more than lipsynching, but no one could tell except for Cam. His eyes flicking around her body, eventually focusing mostly on her lips. It was the first time he’d noticed how soft they looked, the first time he consciously found himself wanting to kiss them. Would they be as soft as they looked? And had he wondered that before?

C’mon, c’mon, c'mon, c'mon baby now! (Come on baby)

Come on and work it on out! (Work it on out)

You know you twist your little girl! (Twist, little girl)

You know you twist so fine! (Twist so fine)

C’mon on twist a little closer now! (Twist a little closer)

A finger belonging to y/n was pointed at Cameron, her hand turning upwards, bending and unbending the finger. This time she was lipsynching, directing the lyrics towards Cameron, asking him to dance with her.

And let me know that your mine! (Let me know your mine)

Oooo!

Ah...Ah..Ah..Ahh!

Baby now! (Shake it up baby)

Twist and shout! (Twist and shout) 

C’mon, c’mon, c’mon, c’mon baby now! (C’mon baby)

C’mon and work it on out! (Work it on out)

You know you twist your little girl! (Twist, little girl)

You know you twist so fine! (Twist so fine)

“Come on a twist a little closer now! And let me know that you’re mine!” Y/n sang even thought the microphone was off.

Well shake it, shake it, shake it baby now! (Shake it up baby)

Well shake it, shake it, shake it baby now! (Shake it up baby)

Well shake it, shake it, shake it baby now! (Shake it up baby)

Ah...Ahh..Ahhh!

The song ended and Ferris did a trust fall into the ladies, the crowd gathering around the float. Y/n was watching Ferris, laughing the laugh that Cameron now realized he loved. She looked over to him, finally calming herself and smiling the sweet smile that he also loved. Y/n waved at him, waiting until he waved back to turn around and ask Ferris how they were going to get off the float.

. . .

“And that’s how I knew I loved you.”

“You knew you loved me because I sang and danced with Ferris?” Her laugh was music to his ears. “Remind me to tell our future children that you’re not aloud to tell love stories.”

“Oh come on, you’re forgetting the part where I said I noticed it consciously. As in I felt the same way without realizing it until then. Plus it was kind of hot, ya know? You singing and dancing to the Beatles?”

“Alright weirdo, save the kissing up to those future kids cause I’m totally gonna be their favorite.”

Cameron stopped rubbing her arm and sat up on the couch, letting out a dramatic gasp. “You would not! I’d be the best dad!”

“Mhm, keep telling yourself that Frye. I bet even I could be a better dad than you.”

“True- but we’d both be better dads than Ferris.”

“Oh don’t get me started. I would never trust him babysitting, let alone being in the same room with a kid on his own. Who knows the type of stuff he’d teach them?!”

“Yeah...” Cam lied back down and resumed cuddling y/n. “Hey, my beautiful beloved?” 

“Yes my handsome weirdo?”

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

[oohfluffy]

TIHM Ch.1 | BBH

Group: EXO

Member: Byun Baekhyun

Theme: Angst | Fluff | Rated M | University!AU | Football!AU

Word Count: 1,750

chapter 1

"Have you watched the new series on Netflix?"

"Omg! Yes! The one with the hot guy?!"

"I just bought this new phone with three cameras on it, and it's just so cheap."

"Oh! I will buy five later."

"Five?"

"Yes, I'll give them as gifts."

"I'm so gonna break up with this guy. He's so boring!"

"The blondie is hotter than the raven-haired, girl! I told you, you should have slept with him instead!"

You internally groaned as you squint your eyes at your book, totally disturbed by the noise but was keeping it in. You looked up at your so-called new group of friends and sighed.

They were all having their own businesses with each other, buzzing non-stop like bees surrounding their honey.

And you?

Seated at the corner of the rectangular table, where an empty cup of iced mocha sat in front of your unmoving state. You gripped on your book, eyebrows twitching at the high-pitched voices of the girls.

"What the hell are you even wearing, girl? Is that a rag?" Irene squealed, tugging on Yeri's new skirt. She had her beautifully arched eyebrow raised in disgust, her lips in a disappointed straight line.

"Damn you. This is a new trend by my stylist!" The youngest argued as she slapped Irene's hand away, offended by the claim of the oldest.

"Leave our young one alone, Joo. She's growing!" Wendy chuckled as she nudged the sleeping Seulgi on her side. Joy laughed out loud as she watched Seulgi almost rolling down the couch in surprise.

You tsked silently as you closed your book, giving up on trying to read in peace with these girls. You stood up and looked over the noisy group, waiting for the right time to say goodbye.

"You bitch, I'm gonna kill you." Seulgi grunted as she tried to get up from the floor.

"As I was saying, he's not even worth the risk, you know?" Joy continued her story, glancing at Wendy, who listened eagerly. "My dad would have cut me off from the family if he heard I was dating him."

"I seriously don't know why you like these kinds of clothing." Irene shook her head as she looked over Yeri's clothing, who frowned at her.

You sighed in defeat, realizing that saying goodbye or not will only be useless and irrelevant to these people. You could be dead by now and they wouldn't know or care about it.

I mean, you're not even part of this group. You were just tugged in for a while and you thought you were.

"What were you even thinking?" You thought to yourself as you silently closed the door. "I shouldn't have gone here."

You greeted goodbye the househelpers of Irene before you went outside of her house. Thankfully, they were a lot friendlier than their master.

Maybe they were indeed friendly, but only with their group. Not everyone else.

Especially not you.

Why did you even try making friends? Didn't you learn from the past?

You looked around the street and slouched your shoulders in exhaustion.

You're gonna walk for about 3 kilometers to get back to the coffee shop near your apartment. Again. Why? They invite you, but you don't get to ride with them.

"Stupid." You mumbled at yourself, kicking small pebbles as you started walking.

Why do we always try to fit ourselves with people who obviously do not want to welcome us with open arms? Why force ourselves? Why do we become so desperate?

Is it fear that controls us or is it us wanting to control our fear?

You reached out for your best friend with a smile, and she smiled back.

"You know, school was boring. Same things happen everyday, and it's getting tiring." You complained to her, your hand caressing her head. She just stared at you with her twinkling eyes as she leaned on to your touch.

"The same pairs of eyes glaring at me. The same mouths laughing at me. The same hands pushing me down." Your lips trembled as you looked into her eyes. Her sincere eyes. "The same people who I trusted." You let out a humorless laugh as you looked up at the darkening sky.

"I'm getting tired." Your voice cracked as you pulled her closer to you, hugging her small furred body. "Poppy, I'm so tired of it." The 3-month-old golden retriever whined at your cries, as if she felt your pain.

"I'm hurting." You cried. "I'm hurting so so much."

You blinked your tears away as you stared at the old house in front of you. You smiled bitterly as you see the house that you used to love so much. The house that used to be so full of love. The house that watched you grow. The house that gave you warmth whenever you were cold.

Now it's just an old house with brittle wood, waiting to be destroyed.

It's been a two years since you left this house and went to live on the apartment near the university. It's a few blocks far from it, so you get to visit it once and awhile.

"I miss you." You whispered, your eyes drifting to the window where you usually watch the stars. "It's been awhile, huh? How are you guys?" You talked as if you were getting an answer. You must look like crazy, talking by yourself. "I'm good, you don't have to worry."

I've been alone for years, what is there to fear?

"Grandma." You smiled. "I'll get going."

She was your only family, and she was more than enough. She was your home.

Until she was gone.

—

"Where do you guys want to eat?" Seulgi excitedly asked as she picked her bag up from her table. Then they started chatting loudly as they went out of the room. The class buzzed as the professor went out after a short consultation.

You just continued packing your things, ignoring the noise irritating your ears. It was just the second day of school, but everyone's friends already.

Wow.

You always wonder if you were the only one who does not manage to make friends in a snap. Or  who is not fond of being plastic in front of other people in order to fit in.

"Hi! Do you want to come with us for lunch?"

You halted zipping your backpack for a second, eyebrows furrowing before realizing that...

that question is certainly not for you.

No one wanted you in their group, even just for lunch.

"Sure! I'm Heize, by the way."

You let out a breath, before wearing your bag and leaving the room.

The hallways were filled with people, conversing with each other. Talking about the upcoming football game of the seniors this Friday, about the newly opened resto across the main university building, and blah blah. You can't keep up with how every person here can talk along with a hundred of students in one enclosed area.

You managed to squeeze yourself into the sea of people, and rushed to the empty elevator. You quickly closed the doors before anyone could even follow. You hated being around with so much people. It wasn't just because you liked being alone, it was suffocating.

It was better when you were free.

You leaned your head on the elevator wall, watching as the red numbers increase as the ride ascends. Fortunately, everyone is having their lunch outside or at the canteen. No one should bother you at this period.  

The ting sound of the elevator indicated that you have arrived at your desired floor, the Composition Studies of Music Department. This building is under the Arts and Theatre department, which has been your safe haven for the past two years in the university. Every floor is aesthetically designed and suited for every course department, it is pleasing to relax in. Not everyone appreciates the look though, so here you are.

You stepped out of the elevator and smiled at the paintings outside of the studios and practice rooms. You haven't sneaked inside of the rooms as you settled for the soft carpeted floor near the staircase on the corner. It wasn't prohibited to be seen outside the corridors, but it was embarrassing. You cannot go inside the rooms without permission or if you don't have classes there, but it is the silence that you wanted here not anything else so it's fine out here.

"Hmm." You hummed as you sat on the carpeted floor, placing your bag on the side. You silently took out your lunch box from your bag as you looked around the empty 4th floor. You've been eating lunch here for numerous times, so no one would catch you, right?

With a short reassurance to yourself, you started eating your stir-fried noodles slowly.

"I think I should have added more soy sauce in this." You mumbled as you chewed on your food. You've been living by yourself for quite a long time, but still haven't grasped the cooking skills. But your food is edible, don't worry. "I should buy some later."

You were half-way finishing your food when you heard something coming from one of the rooms in the hallway. You munched on your lunch quick, almost panicking as you packed your lunch box back to your bag.

"Tonight I look into"

Your hands stopped packing as the first line of a familiar song rang through the hallway. The piano keys were played gently but with certainty, complementing the tone of the voice.

"The moon is so blue"

Your eyes drifted to the last door near the elevator, noticing the light under the door. Your mouth gaped in awe.

"You too lonely like me, living with empty heart"

You admit that you were not a fan of music, and you don't enjoy them that much. But hearing this introduction of a song, with that kind of voice, you were drawn to it. The high-pitch sounded so effortless as if the singer was merely breathing, and the melody of the instrument suited the smoothness of the voice.

"Lay down on empty room"

Instead of leaving, you found yourself sitting back down and leaning against the wall.

"It won't hurt to stay for a while." You bit your lip as you closed your eyes, just letting the voice take you to places.

"By these thoughts, those thoughts"

"Long, long sigh"

"Cigarette smoke"

"One more day has gone again"

It was more peaceful with that voice accompanying your loneliness.

♫ ♡ ♫ ♡ ♫ ♡ ♫ ♡ ♫

A/N:

ACKKK. I'm back.

I won't count how many months I went on hiatus, I would cry in guilt.

If anyone wants to know the song I used as an inspiration for the piano piece, it's "Moon of Seoul" by Kim Gun-mo. And if you're not informed, Baekhyun even showed off a glimpse in JYP Party People before (I placed the vid on the multimedia, you can check it out) and he even sung a full version in his IG live two years ago. You can search for it in Youtube. :))

I hope you look forward to this new series of mine! 

— 

♫ Ch. 2

[loveforpreserumsteve]

Those Who Fall: “APTF” Story (Modern Domestic Stucky AU)

Six:

Arriving home, Steve let out a long sigh and headed straight for the master bedroom. Plopping face-first on the king size bed, Steve let out an annoyed groan. He had been there for two hours and only one parent had seen him. And she wasn't even there to talk about her daughter!

Sighing again, Steve pushed himself off the bed and stripped from his white button down. Choosing to exchange his navy-blue slacks for a pair of black joggers, he made a reminder that to do laundry later. Deciding he needed more comfort than just cozy clothes, he took one of Bucky's sweatshirts, a gray one with the graphic of, The Evolution of an Architecture Student, and tugged it on over his head, mussing his blond hair in the process.

Pushing the sleeves up to his elbows, Steve headed upstairs to the main level of the house. Loving how full of life the space was. Holly in her play-pen speaking baby gibberish. Cartoons on the TV, Steve followed behind the couch to press a kiss to Sophia's and Ethan's heads, all the while continuing. Crossing through the dining room until he entered the kitchen where Bucky was cleaning up.

The heavenly aroma of Great Grandma Rosa's vegetable beef soup filled the air and Steve closed his eyes as he breathed it in. It was one of the recipes that the pair had inherited when they moved in together. It was one of the most cherished recipes either made, and Bucky always made it best.

"How were the conferences?"

Steve opened his eyes and crossed the room. Looping his arms around Bucky's waist, he rested his forehead to the taller man's back and complained, "One parent. That's all, and it wasn't even a conference. All she did was hit on me and then cry when she saw your picture on my desk."

"Oof," Bucky chuckled under his breath. Lovingly, he brought Steve's left hand up to his mouth and pressed a kiss to the finger with the rings that Bucky gave to him over the years. "Glad you let her down gently."

Playfully, Steve rolled his eyes and shook his head. Taking another smell of the air, he changed the subject, "You made soup?"

"I did," Bucky confirmed, turning his head to look over at the stove where a large pot of soup was. "Figured you'd want some comfort food tonight."

"You thought right," Steve pressed a kiss to the middle of his shoulder blades and turned to get himself something to eat.

Before he could divvy a portion out for himself though, a car pulled into their driveway. Crossing over to look out the window, he found a rusted red sedan driven by a teen brunette. In the passenger seat was a boy with shaggy brown hair. As the back passenger door opened, the teens in the front turned back to talk to Luke, Steve assumed.

Sure enough, the boy climbed out of the car and slung his backpack over his shoulder. Closing the door, he took a step back and waved as the car backed up. Pausing briefly, she flashed a wide grin and honked the horn.

"She's cute," Bucky commented, standing behind his husband.

Steve nodded, agreeing, "That's probably why he has a crush on her."

For a moment, the pair stood there, looking out the window watching their son wave at the girl who dropped him off. However, Luke must've realized they'd be watching because he glanced up at the second story window, catching them.

Quickly, the couple jumped back from the window and tried to play nonchalance. Steve ladled out some of the soup for himself and made a mess when Luke entered from the deck door. Trying to soothe his racing heart, he grabbed a sponge and started wiping the counter.

"Did you eat?" Steve asked, glancing over his shoulder.

Luke's eyes widened and he glanced between his dads as he crossed his arms along his chest, "Are we just not going to talk about how you two were spying?!"

"We weren't spying," Bucky playfully rolled his eyes.

Steve rolled his eyes at his husband and clarified to Luke, "We heard the car and were curious about your band friends."

The teen glanced between the two a couple of times. After a moment, he sighed and pulled out a stool as he took a seat at the island. "I’m starving. Marching band was beyond tiring."

"Yeah, but at least we know you'll put on a good performance," Bucky smiled.

Placing a bowl of the infamous soup in front of the fifteen year old, Steve assured, "Your dad's right, you guys are gonna be great."

A red hue took up on the apples of Luke's dark brown cheeks as he ducked his head to eat the soup. Grabbing another bowl, Steve started filling it for himself, and just took a moment to breathe in that glorious aroma. Especially as he carried it around the island to take a seat next to Luke.

Gathering a large spoonful, Steve happily began stuffing his face. Not realizing how hungry he was until that moment. However, that was the moment when his phone started ringing. Pulling it from the jogger pockets, he was about to decline the call until he spotted the caller ID.

Chewing as quickly as possible, he knew that he wouldn't be able to answer it in time. And considering Maria Hill only called in regards to kids who needed a place to stay, Steve passed the phone over to Bucky. For a moment Bucky's brows furrowed until he, too, realized who was calling.

"Hello?" Bucky answered, "It's Bucky."

Swallowing the half-chewed food that wasn't nearly ready to be digested, Steve winced and stood from his stool. Bucky listened and occasionally nodded while adding, "right," and, "no, I get it." Steve gestured for the phone and was only vaguely aware that Luke was carrying his dinner out of the room.

"Maria, I'm gonna put you on speaker," Bucky informed before doing just that.

"As I was saying," Maria sounded apologetic, which was utterly ridiculous. "She needs a place to stay, and I know that you're both good with teens. So, would it be alright if she stayed with you. If only for a night?"

Steve vocalized the decision for them, "We'll be right there."

"I'll call Tibby," Bucky said, heading over to the charging dock and picking up his phone.

"I'm gonna change Holly; I'm sure that she's due for a fresh diaper."

Phone already pressed to his ear, Bucky nodded. As Steve rushed from the kitchen, he heard Bucky telling his youngest -- and closest in location -- sister that they needed her to watch the kids for them. Steve picked Holly up out of her play-pen and affectionately pressed kisses to her face while baby-talking, "Does someone need a new diapie?!"

Holly smiled and slobbered all over him. Steve's mind wandered to her possibly getting a new tooth as he carried her upstairs to the room she shared with Katie. When Katie was home, of course. Walking past the twin size bed, Steve laid the baby on the changing table.

"Would you like a new sister?" Steve happily asked.

Holly just cooed some more gibberish and Steve nodded as though he understood. She kicked her legs and chewed on her fist, but all-in-all it was a successful changing. Carrying her back downstairs, Steve playfully pretended that he was going to eat her tiny fist, earning giggles and even a squeal.

"Tibby said she'll be here soon," Bucky confirmed as Steve placed Holly back into the play-pen.

"Good," Steve nodded, righting himself and taking a moment to stretch a little bit further until his back delightfully cracked.

"So, we're getting a new sibling?" Luke questioned, leaning against the dining room doorway.

Steve shared a look with Bucky. If it was up to Steve, they'd foster and adopt every child that needed a loving home. Even if it was unrealistic. The pair had a completely silent conversation with quirked brows and slight shrugs. Being together as long as they had been together, they had gotten good at reading each other.

"Maybe," the pair answered in unison.

Averting his gaze, Luke nodded, but didn't say anything. Being one of the first kids that Steve and Bucky brought into their home, he was always hesitant to accept anyone else. Steve couldn't blame him, before Luke and Jonas had moved in with them, the younger of the two had been relentlessly bullied by the other foster children. And Steve hoped that Luke knew that no one would be bullied under their roof. Especially not by someone who cohabited under that roof.

"Okay, I'm here!" The twenty-three year old woman called out as she let herself in through the front door, "And I brought company!"

Turning to face the front of the house, Steve found not only Tibby but her beloved Golden Retriever, Thor, who excitedly led the way into the house. Instantly, Sophia and Ethan started loving on the large dog who happily accepted all the attention.

"Thanks, Tibs," Bucky said, appreciatively, crossing the room to give his youngest sister a hug.

"Don't mention it," Tibby smiled, giving his torso a squeeze before they both let go. "You know that I love the kids. Plus," Tibby crossed the living room to hug Steve, "I needed to see the best big bro in the history of ever."

Bucky feigned shock and annoyance at her joke, and Steve laughed into the embrace. Even Tibby was taller than him. Not by much, but enough to annoy him during pictures at the Barnes' childhood home. Besides, she was supposed to be the small one. The small one that Steve still thought of her as. The little girl who would beg him to color with her and accidentally break his crayons, and who would fall asleep in his arms to kid appropriate spooky movies.

It was always odd for his mind to first conjure up the face of the six year old he first met with the now twenty-three year old. Sure, she still had that cute Barnes' nose, even with the hoop hanging from her septum and the ring that looped around her right nostril. Sure, she still had those thick brown curls, even if they were colored a vibrant purple now. And while she was an adult, her heart had remained just as spirited as the day he met her.

"Thanks, Tibs," Steve briefly rested his head on her shoulder, "Really."

"Of course," Tibby reassured. Pulling out of the embrace, she gestured towards the door, "Now get outta here, so I can spend some much needed time with my nieces and nephews."

Playfully rolling his eyes, Steve took her advice by blowing the kids kisses on his way downstairs to the garage. Glad that he didn't need to say anything for Bucky to follow him. Also glad when the pair climbed into the car and Bucky immediately took his hand, lacing their fingers.

[jadeimpala67]

Rant ahead and idk how to add that cut page thingy

_______

Lemme tell you what "moving up the corporate ladder" in America looks like, when you're poor.

When you're making minimum wage or less, you get housing assistance. Food assistance. Medical assistance. Which comes in handy since you literally cannot support yourself.

I'll use my state, Connecticut, as an example.

In CT, the minimum right now is $10.10/hr.

The state will help you if that's your only income. With everything. You may not get the best of the best, and a lot of the doctors you see won't actually care, but all of your appointment are covered. Your medications are covered. Emergencies are covered. Food, covered. housing takes a long ass time, but you're covered. As you live paycheck to paycheck and literally all of your money to bills.

That was my life. Never had the best doctors, but at least I could be seen by someone. I could get out the teeth rotting my skull. I could afford to eat for a while. Back at that job, the state minimum was $8.25/hr. But we survived.

Then I got a raise at my old job, the state cut my stamps to $14 a month. A month. But I tried not to panic because I lived with other people and we pulled our weight. And we had friends from wealth willing to help us if we needed it - which it was rare of us to ask.

Then time passed. I moved a lot. The state minimum was raised to $10.10. I got my current job and worked part time.

But then I became homeless.

Now see, dear Tumblr, this is where shit gets tricky. Because when you're homeless, you can't buy food in bulk. You can't. Where would you put it??? Critters would get to it. How would you cook it? No, you had to spend money every day to make sure you were fed. But that doesn't mean you stop paying your bills.

I was fortunate. I didn't have a car or insurance. I had a phone ($72.56/m), and a storage unit ($52/m). BUT. I got paid bi weekly, and only worked part time. I was bringing home an average of $320 a week. So roughly $640 per paycheck. But I didn't have a car - which meant I had to Uber to get to places I needed to go.

I had to buy food, every single day. I had to expand my wardrobe so I didn't have to go to the laundromat every 4 days. I had to spend money at Dunkin and Subway so I wouldn't get kicked off of their property for loitering - which bought me time away from my unit so I wouldn't get arrested.

Now it wasn't ALL bad. I was definitely more fortunate in some areas than others. But I also needed a laptop (not only for gishwhes, but to have something to charge my phone with/use for music and tv. Phones only lasted for so long.) ($120 - discounted from original price of $165). I needed a new backpack because mine was falling apart ($60), which I still have. I needed new shoes after 3 months because I walked so much.

It's impossible to save money when you're homeless. Everything drains it away.

Now fast forward to a year later. I'm finally in an apartment, roommate, my own room, switched to overnights so I get $1 more an hour, more bills, upped to full-time, due for a promotion.

I'm making $12.10/hr. Which sounds great! Right? Except - now I have benefits. That are being deducted from every paycheck. So now. Bringing home an average of $362/week - which is a lot less than I was taking home making 8 fucking dollars an hour. But now I'm also getting it every two weeks. $725, on average, every two weeks; sometimes with overtime, if I can get away with it (usually we can't).

So now in addition to all the new bills I have to pay (rent, rent a center washer and dryer, my phone, Netflix, 2 credit card bills), that's half of my paycheck already.

I never make it paycheck to paycheck - I run out of money about a week in, so my coworkers and my grandmother help me out, which I pay them back for on payday. There's another huge chunk, gone.

Then there's times I gotta pay for therapy ($70), and now my psychology appointment ($85). My new ADHD meds are $25.66 per perscription.

So, after all of that, let's do some math what my average month looks like-

$725 x 2 (avg. paycheck for two months)

$1450

-$175 x2 (half my rent automatically comes out per paycheck so I'm never late)

- $75 (phone)

- $95 (RAC)

- $32 (credit card 1)

- $95 (credit card 2)

After all the big bills, that leaves me with $897.34

After therapy -$70

$827.34

After my med check appt -$56

$771.34

After refilling my prescription -$26

$745.34

Now that's for the whole month. I never see that grand total, because that's now how bills and living work. So let's be hypothetical and just divide it down the middle, k?

$745.34/2 = $372.67 to last me for two weeks.

$372.67 to pay for food, Uber, and emergencies.

Uber to get to my job from my home is anywhere from $11-$16 depending on the day to day - one way. Which means if I don't have a ride in, I gotta spend about $30 round trip to go to work and get home.

Idk about you, but I usually end up spending about $200~ on food. Both immediate snacks at work to get my through the shift, and buying in bulk to take home.

(lemme put it to you this way, sometimes I need a little caffeine to jumpstart my work day, $2.50, or I can buy an entire carton and being that shit home $4)

Now it comes to this - right now, I've got $29 left over in my bank account, $30 I owe my grandma in cash, and roughly a $32 balance on my credit card. I'm sick. Like really sick. I've got an infection in my throat and it is kicking my ass.

I don't have free healthcare anymore. I've got "real" healthcare through my job, with a $3,000 deductable. Which means I either pay the whole thing out if pocket, or a partial amount.

Three years ago, I had strep, I just went down to the nearest walk in clinic, gave them my medicare insurance, walked away with antibiotics, I was fine within a week.

Just. Fucking. Now. I had to spend $6 to get to the nearest clinic, waited for 30 minutes, just for them to tell me that because I was a new paitent with this insurance, my "best case scenario" would be owing them $120. For a strep test and antibiotics.

Obviously, I don't have $120 fucking dollars. I was turned away. So now I STILL have an infection, no medication, no loa note to being to my job to save my ass, and I'm faced with the delema of "Do I go to work anyway and risk passing this infection to the general public?? Or do I take the paycut, risk my job because of an absence, and get stuck with a shitty paycheck by next payday, because now I'm missing day 3 of work this month alone?"

America doesn't want you to do better.

If you're poor, you've gotta stay poor. If you're rich, then stay rich. Otherwise fuck you and your health, and your dreams, and your bills.

[ofhoneyandrosepetals]

We Move Lightly - Chapter 2

Pairing: Modern!Ivar x reader

Description: Y/N moved back in with her parents, after 7 years of taking care of her grandparents in another town. She had no idea how her neighbors would be, or who would they be, or even that she would fall in love with one of them.

Warnings: an usual swear.

Word count: 2.189

A/N: This chapter is a little longer than the first; just a keep up on a normal Sunday. Maybe we will see things in Ivar’s POV in chapter 3? Who knows? Enjoy <3

Read the first chapter here // next chapter // want to be in the taglist? just let me know! // masterlist

“Am I going mad?” you ask to yourself while looking to your ceiling. “I think I might be going mad.”

“Honey?” your mom knocks three times. “Who are you talking to?”

“To God.”

It was a joke between you two. Your grandma, mom of your mom, the one you used to live with, was known to say that, when someone was talking to themselves, the person was actually talking to God, in a hidden pray.

Neither you nor your mother saw much of a sense in that.

“Can I come in?”

“Always.”

Your mom brought with her her sweetest smile and a plate of chocolate chip cookies. You immediately sat and grabbed one cookie.

“That was something with the Lothbroks, don’t you think?”

Biting your cookie, you answer: “the fight?” Your mom nods her head. “Well, their life is based upon screams, so I don’t know,” you clean your hands on your blanket and your mom complains between laughs. You laugh too.

“Sigurd was mad about their, his mother. They were arguing about that.”

“Oh,” that’s all what you say, all you can manage.

“You don’t really care, right sweetie?” You shrug.

“It’s just not of my business.”

“You’ve always been like that,” your mom touches your hair, smiling. “I saw you and Ivar talking. Was he nice?”

“Yeah, why he wouldn’t be?”

“You seemed a bit scared.”

“He appeared all of a sudden, out of nowhere. I was distracted.”

You and your mom chit chatted a little bit more, about your research paper, about when your father would be back and how good the cookies were.

But with various things to dream of, you dreamed about Ivar’s eyes.

*

It wasn’t a surprise you woke up with Ice-Cream-Desire. You called like that because your father called like that. And your father called like that because it was a family thing; someone one day would have that strong desire of ice cream, and nothing could stop The Journey. The Journey is when you would go get your ice cream.

Your family was silly, you knew, and that’s what made them the best.

It was Sunday and you could feel the smell of barbecue coming from the Lothbroks’ backyard.

That smell gave you courage to get up from the comfort of your bed and pillows and go to The Journey.

You put on the lightest clothes - it was spring, after all -, warned your mom where you were heading and grabbed your little green backpack, placing it between your shoulder blades.

You were walking, feeling and enjoying the hot air, the sun warming your skin, feeling and seeing the light, even with closed eyes, when someone greets you.

“Hey, neighbor!”

Surprised, you open your eyes to look.

It was one of Ragnar’s sons, but you couldn’t tell which, but it wasn’t Ivar.

He had long and dark blonde hair and a playful eyes and smile. He looked at you as if about to undress you.

“Hey,” you manage, trying to pass the message: fuck off.

But you couldn’t help it: you saw he was carrying lots and lots of boxes. Boxes that were full of Legos.

*

A bowl full of ice cream; that’s what you needed to continue to watch the Lothbroks playing with those Legos.

They were what?, 20 to 25 years old maybe? Why on Earth would they be playing with that?

All of them had Lego swords and were fighting with them, every and each beat making an explosion of Legos, destroying the swords.

They were laughing, pure joy printed on their faces.

All over their yard you could see a fortress which, of course, was built of Legos.

Then you saw Ivar; you haven’t noticed him, at least not yet. He also had a sword and was crawling among the fortress, destroying it, screaming. It was clear it was part of the play, because one of his brothers started to fight with him, laughing.

All of that was too weird and funny, but you’ve had enough.

Even though of Ivar crawling on the ground, you somehow found that cute.

*

You took the book you’re currently reading outside, along with a glass of lemonade. Summer vacations were close, and nothing better to get in the mood with The Body, by Stephen King. You laid down on the grass of your backyard, belly down, feet wrapped up in the air. At some point, the sprinklers got to their work, leaving water drops marks on the yellowed pages of your book.

The Lothbroks brothers were still engaged in their Lego play and sometimes, besides the birds singing, you could hear their laugh and screams - those you classified as good ones, because they were screams of joy, or as part of the play, or simply because they needed to be overheard over all that mess of a sound.

You were so concentrated in your plot, Gordon running from that dog, trying as hard as he could to keep his balls in place, that you didn’t notice - after all, how could you? - Hvitserk climbing the wood fence that kept your houses separate. You only knew that that had happened when you heard the sound of someone landing on ground, followed by an “ouch”. With that, you look up.

You see a guy, about your age, a little older, standing in front of you, wearing a devilish grin. You recognized him as the guy early in the day with the boxes full of Legos. An urge to scream filled your body, but only one thing kept it down: the Lego sword in the guy’s hand. That was too ridiculous to be true. You kept a blank stare.

“Yo, neighbor!” the guy greeted you. Yo? Really?, you think, raising your eyebrows. “Second time today, huh?” you frown your brow, clearly annoyed, but he didn’t seemed to notice it, or prefered to ignore it. “Watcha reading there?”

You close your book, making sure the cover wasn’t visible to his eyes. “You wouldn’t like it,” a playful smile starts to grow in his lips. “Look, I’ll probably break a rule right now-”

“A rule?” he furrowed his brow but you ignore it and continue.

“But,” you get up on your feet. “Since you, basically, invaded my ‘land’, I should at least know who you are.”

“Are you asking my name, neighbor?” it was so clear what his expression meant that you were about to lose your patience - as if by the fact that he landed in your yard wasn’t enough.

“Oh my god,” you roll your eyes; chin ups, hands covering your face, you sigh and adds under your hands: “Just get out. Please.”

“I need to do something first,” what?

“What?” you uncover your face, staring at him.

“I’m Hvitserk, by the way,” he was going to the end of your yard, just by the corner, where you could see a little bunch of scrambled earth.

“By the way? There’s no ‘by the way’ situation here,” you started to lose it.

If, when you first heard they fighting, screaming, you had imagined that this would happen, you would have already built a tall brick wall, replacing that wood fence.

Hvitserk was now on his knees on the grass, starting to dig the spot.

“What are you doing?!” he ignored you, and when he stood up, with something in his hands, you didn’t even bothered to see what it was - actually, you couldn’t give less of a shit -, because you completely lost it. “Oh my fucking god, get out! Get out of my fucking yard!” You were pushing him to the fence, fisting him everywhere you could. He was already climbing the fence.

“Ow, ow, alright,” he laughed a little. When he was about to get into his side, you grabbed his shin and simply pushed him to his side, to make it faster. “Oh, shit,” you heard him swear and then falling heavily.

You turned your back, supporting yourself against the fence, passing your hands through your face. What the hell was that? You could hear the Lothbroks boys celebrating, but one of them sweared, a tone of impatience and anger. Then you heard one simple knock on the wood plank and you turned your head, even though you couldn’t see who was on the other side, of course.

“I’m sorry about that,” you thought it was Ivar’s voice, but you couldn’t be sure, since you had spoken to him only once and it was very quick.

Making a bun, you took a deep breath and your book - left on the ground -, going back inside, calling for your mom.

*

With the incident that took place in the last week and what had just happened, somehow you couldn’t no longer ignore that family. In fact, it grew some curiosity inside of you about them, even though Hvitserk got in your nerves.

It’s time to make some questions to your mom.

You find her by the kitchen, making pancakes. You didn’t even needed to ask why, because this is a normal thing. Your mom is a big supporter of the cause “Breakfast Food Anytime During the Day.” “What if I want to eat pancakes during the afternoon? What stops me?” she had said once. “Nothing really stops you, mom,” you told her. After that, your mom often would make pancakes at any time. At that moment, that precious woman was making your favorite: chip chocolate pancakes.

You decided to first tell her what happened before asking about the Lothbroks’ life.

“Hey, mom. I just saw Hvitserk, huh… How can I say that?” you mom looked at you. “He climbed our fence and then digged something… in our yard…”

“Oh yeah, Ubbe asked me for permission! It’s for their Sunday thing, it’s part of their game. Like a treasure, something like that. They like to bond.”

“Couldn’t you, I don’t know, tell me that? Hvitserk scared the shit out of me.”

“I’m sorry, honey, I thought you would be out for the whole day. I didn’t expected you to come home any soon, specially with that sun and sky… I thought you would go visit a museum or other thing like that.”

You bit your bottom lip and nodded, staying in silence, watching your mom while she cooked.

“So, mom…” you start again, sitting at the island kitchen.

“I know this voice tone…” she smiles. You laugh.

“What does Ragnar Lothbrok works with?”

“He works in a Maritime companion. Actually, he owns it. It’s a pretty famous one. Importation, exportation… these kind of things.”

“And Aslaug?”

“She takes care of its finances. That’s how they met, actually - Ragnar and Aslaug.”

“But she seems to be always home.”

“After Ivar’s birth she got a home office, to ease things. They are very close.”

“Ivar and Aslaug? Yeah, I can imagine that. Do you know anything about the others?”

“Wow, Y/N, what happened?” Your mom look at you with playful eyes. “Got intrigued by them, huh? They’re all very handsome…”

“Mom.”

“Okay, okay. Ubbe is the oldest. He works with Ragnar and is the most likely to heir the company. And when I say with Ragnar, I mean alongside. In Law talking, Ubbe is a partner; all of his sons work there, but Ubbe got the most important position between them - even won from Ragnar’s first-born. I don’t know much about Hvitserk, but Sigurd studies Music and every two months is in a different band.”

Your mom did a pause to serve you the pancakes; you waited patiently, since you didn’t want to ask about Ivar - it would get obvious.

“And then there’s Ivar. If I recall well, he studies some kind of Engineering. He makes projects to a close friend of Ragnar, as an internship. This Ragnar’s friend does some gigs for the company, I think.”

“You know a lot about them, mom.”

“You just forgot I’m very close to Aslaug,” she winks.

*

It was already late at night and you were getting prepared to sleep, looking at your window.

The room that took place right in front of yours got its lights on. You didn’t know to whom the room was, but then you see Ivar coming in, crutch in one hand, Lego sword in another. He yawned and scratched his nape with the tip of the Lego sword.

You took a look on their backyard: it was a mess of colourful blocks.

When you looked back to Ivar’s window, he was looking at you, astonished.

Your heart started to race.

Why?, you thought.

Ivar smiled, shyly, and waved a hand at you. That was the sword’s hand and, when you saw that coloured thing waving at you, you burst out laughing, without even thinking twice.

Ivar’s expression was confused, but soon enough he realized the reason you were laughing, and dropped the toy. He looked around him, embarrassed, but looking back at you in the end.

You smiled gently and closed your curtains, slowly.

The last thing you saw was Ivar smiling, looking down.

Yes, your heartbeat was definitely faster.

Taglist: @mblaqgi @akamaiden @dangerousvikings​ @oddsnendsfanfics​ @deepdarkred​ @irishhiggins​ @tinypuppysoul​ @kingbouji3​ @loothbrok​ @capitanostella @artanakin 

[stereotypcd]

ooc;; it’s a preview of bits and pieces for PART 2 to this HERE-

SIDENOTE: sorry about the format tumblr makes it weird, also sorry I can’t put it under a read more... stupid app -_-;; also if these mistakes plz feel free to tell me.

“Oh, sweetheart, you’re skin and bones. you must be starving let me fix you something to eat.” Mariann gritted her teeth, Nigel placed a hand atop her shoulder. As she hungrily devoured her meal, she realized it been a while since she had such a savory meal. Debbie ate a bowl of her grandma’s soup, two bowls of lucky charms and a large plate of chicken nuggets; she felt unbelievably full. It had been so long since she felt like that.

Growing up she couldn't complain about a hot meal. Despite the portions were small. Being just enough to keep the edge of hunger away, but they never made her feel full. That night when everyone was asleep ( like she should be ) she sits up, moving slowly off the bed, as to not disturb her parents. All evidence suggests Debbie isn't a heavy sleeper.

Hazel hues scanning the walls of canned food, she’d never seen so much food in her life, her mouth watered. Eyes land on canned yams, face twisting up in disgust. But Debbie learned over her short life that you couldn't be to be picky when it came starving or being full and getting to live another day. Quickly and quietly making her to the backyard, it was still weird walking around outside and being safe, living in the wild was like a playing a game of Russian roulette every day. Would you be eaten by a lion or die from dehydration or maybe heatstroke? Now she wasn't under the consent threat of death at every turn it seemed her anxiety didn't take the hint that they safe now were turned up to 100% you would have thought that it would be low.

Plopping down, the grass was slightly wet from the rain. Soaking into her pajamas. Pulling Handfuls of earth, not caring about the dirt under her nails. Burying it next to freshly planted tulips, she had to make sure she had enough food saved up in case... In case of what? Debbie wasn't even sure herself, she just knew it calmed the anxiety that ate away her. That morning Debbie ate two bowls of lucky charms. Glancing out into the yard where she had buried the yums in the garden.

——

The blonde was playing at the park with her friend, Candy, she lived next door and was the first kid Debbie ever met. Debbie was building a sandcastle, humming a tune she heard her mama sing earlier that day. Hazel hues glanced up at her friend, hearing her sounds of disgust.

”Ew, my mom packed bologna again.” Holding the sandwich at arm's length, a look of disgust painted across her face, and in one movement she throws the sandwich into the ground, dirt kicking up. Debbie's eyes widen and her heart jumps into her throat. ”Stop that, don't you, like, know it's bad t’waste food?”

”Who cares, it's gross.”

What? Did she know going hungry was bad, that it was painful and sometimes it got so bad you start crying? Didn't she? Before Debbie knew it she was standing over her, Candy was standing to now, but she looked scared. Surges of frustration pulse through her, Debbie lets out something between a mix of a sob and a yell. she pauses a dark look across her face, shoving Candy hard in the chest. She fells back into the sandbox beat of silence, then she spoke in a cracking voice. ”You- you're crazy!” Before she broke downs sobbing and running to her Mommy.

Debbie grabs the sandwich off the ground, running from the voice of her friend's mom. Hiding behind a tree hunched over on her knees, curled up in on herself, staring down at the sandwich in her hands, digging her fingers leaving small indents on the bread. it was lukewarm from sitting out in the sun. But the food was food after all. Not even bothering to pick the gravel and dirt ( and possibly bugs ) off of it before taking a huge bit, mouth dry making it a bit hard to swallow. Eyes glassy and red-rimmed, eating the rest of it in four bites, like it would be her last meal, her cheeks were wet. Debbie had ever realized she’d been.

She wasn't even hungry.

WEEKS LATER

It has rained the night before and the rain had unearthed Debbie's hiding spot, it was lucky Grandpa Frank found them and stuck them in a bag. Debbie was brushing a doll's hair when he stepped in and sat down next to her despite the protest of his joints. ”Hi, Grandpa!”

”Hey, Bug, so can I ask you something very important?”

The blonde nodded, still brushing the doll's hair. ”Have you been hiding food in the garden?” Debbie tensed, gripping the doll, knuckles bone white. She hung her head in shame. ”Please don't, like, tell Mommy and Daddy they-” She choked on a sob, eyes wide and pleading. ”Whoa, whoa! Don't worry, Debbie. ”Don't worry, you aren't in trouble, pumpkin, grandpa just wants to know.” He gave her a reassuring squeeze.

”I won't tell anyone, cross my heart.” he drew an X over his heart. ”If anyone understands it would be me, I grow up poor as dirt. ”But you don't have to worry about that stuff anymore, ” He wiped her tears. ”But if it makes you feel better, I can put a box in the shed that way you don't tear up grandma's garden. Deal?” She nodded.

——-

This had been going on for a few months now, Mama was also busy; being dragged by her grandma to this or that and Grandpa was to busy with work- so it was up to Debbie to care for her dad. Tip-toeing across the carpeted floor, a sloppily made peanut and jelly sandwich, cracking open the door of her shared bedroom. The darkness of the room swallowing her up, it takes a moment for her eyes to adjust to the darkness.

“I made you, like, a sandwich- it’s your favorite- “ Hazel hues glance from her Daddy who’s buried under the covers, to the uneaten bowl of cereal she left them this morning. A frown crosses her lips, fingers tighten around the plate, a feeling of anger shots through her. “You gotta, like, eat, it’s not good to, like, waste food.” Her Voice trembling, with shaking hands the blonde places the plate on the nightstand.

He didn’t move. “Daddy,” She walked over to him, poking his shoulder. A small mumble left his throat but he didn’t move. She scowled, pushing him with her open palm. Still nothing. “Get up...” Debbie says irritably. “Daddy’s tired, Poppet.” Voice barely above a whisper. “Daddy! get outta bed, dad!!” Debbie hasn't been able to stop the tears. Anger crawling through her that. “GET UP, NIGEL!” Voice shaky, fists balled at her sides. “...Pl- please.” his gaze is fixed ahead, staring at the wall Debbie can barely contain her, her chest felt like it was going to burst; her eyes stung with unshed tears.

NINE MONTHS LATER

Cradling her new baby sister, the baby making babbling noises and raising out for Debbie. She was never going to let her baby sister be hungry and sad and scared like she was. ”Don't worry, Eliza I'll, like, take care of you jus’ like with Daddy.” Voice shaky. That night Debbie took the can of corn out of her backpack, she had stolen from Candy's house and buried it in the garden.

[ikonislife]

Alphabet Soup Tag

Tagged by @fantasyworldbb, Thank you so much for tagging (:

I TAG EVERYONE READING THIS (: IF YOU DO END UP DOING IT, TAG ME SO I CAN READ (: (:

A: Age -  26 (call me grandma ikonic)

B: Birthplace - Saigon Vietnam (But honestly I haven’t been back in so long it’s like I’ve never been there)

C: Current Time - 10:37

D: Drink You Last Had - Oolong milk tea (From 7 leaves, if you know you know)

E: Easiest Person to Talk To - My boyfriend of 10 years. We’re best friends so I can say the dumbest shit and he’ll just laugh, and also he got the memory of a goldfish so he doesn’t retain said dumbest shit in his brain hahaha

F: Favorite Song, of all time - Three way tie between Yellow by Coldplay, The Story by Brandi Carlile, and Que Sera Sera by Doris Day

G: Grossest Memory - I was on the plane back to Vietnam and the kid in front of me barf all over the place, like so much that it started flowing down the cracks in between the seats and dripped all over my backpack stowed underneath the seat. It was disgusting and when I told the parents, they gave me like 3 wet wipes. I’m like what the hell am I gonna do with 3 wet wipes when your son vomit a waterfall? I feel bad for the kid and it definitely suck since he probably hated being stuck on the plane for so long, but the parents were kinda rude. 

H: Hogwarts House - Ravenclaw

I: In Love? Yep, 10 years and as my BF like to say “You’re stuck!”

J: Jealous of People? I’m getting to that age where most of the time, it’s more like good for you instead of I’m jealous. 

K: Killed Someone - I accidentally killed a tiny baby fish once when I was like 10

L: Love at First Sight or Should I Walk By Again? Keep walking, I have tunnel vision. 

M: Middle Name - Thuy

N: Number of Siblings - there are 6 other version of me running around (Bonus fun fact: my oldest sister and I are 22 years apart in age)

O: One Wish, To have a day with? My grandpa, he passed away Christmas week. Hadn’t seen him since 2011.

P: Person You Called Last -  My mama

Q: Question You are Always Asked - How do I get hair like yours? (I guess it’s uncommon for a full Viet girl to have a full head of thick curly brown hair. When I was a baby, I got a mini ‘fro and apparently looked happa. Legit my dumbass neighbors were like saying my mom cheated. Like for your info bitches, I’m a carbon copy of my dad haha)

R: Reason to Smile - Smiling physically makes you feel better even if it’s a fake one. So by that fact, there’s no reason not to.

S: Song You Sang Last - Que Sera Sera

T: Time You Woke Up - 8:30

U: Underwear Color - ;)

V: Vacation Destination - Hawaii in July, Japan in Dec-Jan

W: Worst Habit - I get really upset when I’m hungry

X: X-rays - My BF does X-rays :)

Y: Your Favourite Food - Sushi, like real nigiri raw fish sushi. None of the rolls BS. Just throw me in a pile of nigiri. Either that or grilled intestine. 

Z: Zodiac Sign - Scorpio bitches!!!!

[heros-amoung-us]

BOYS GO TO THE THEME PARK

Deku:

The one to bring the sunscreen and healthy snacks

Gets super nervous about going on larger rides

The kid that gets in line and then half way through says they have to ‘go to the bathroom’ and then never gets back in line

The one large roller coaster he did go on was called the “Brain Scambler” and he was a sweaty nervous mess by just sitting down in the coaster’s seat. After the ride was over he had to sit in the shade while his eyes spun in circles

But the SECOND this boi sees an All Might plushie prize at one of the game stands...Its over for you bitches  

He will play ALL THE GAMES to win all the All Might merch

And then goes to the gift shop after to buy more

Drinks a giant slushie out of an All Might cup and straw  

Bakugou:

Took Kirishima 3 days to convince him to come

Still took him an extra hour that morning to pull his ass out of bed to go

“I DON’T WANT TO PLAY GAMES WITH YOU STUPID NERDS”

Brings NOTHING with him except his attitude and a pair of sunglasses

Truth be told, he’s never been to a theme park before this, so the first roller coaster he went on sent a jolt of adrenaline through his body and he became hooked

He HAD to go on every ride and didn’t give a shit how long the line was  

Yells at anyone that tries to cut the line or get ahead of him. Doesn’t matter who it is; grandma, mothers, children, you name it.

“HURRY UP WEIRD HAIR WE’RE GOING ON THIS ONE NOW” “But Bakugou… we’ve been riding rides all day, can’t we take a bre-” “YOU WANNA BE A DAMN SISSY LIKE DEKU, MAN UP AND GET YOUR RED JAGGEDY LOOKING ASS IN LINE”

Nobody likes to sit beside him because he screams “DIE” everytime they go down a peak or into a tunnel. His hands also get really sweaty and he can’t help but shoot off some explosions into the air

Kirishima:  

The theme park idea was his

Also a huge fan of roller coasters and concession food

Baku-squad rolls around and rides all the rides all day long, you already know

Tries to sit front row on every ride

Hates waiting in lines

Wears a large sun hat at first ‘cause he's a GIANT MANLY DORK but Bakugou swats it off him muttering something about him looking like an idiot

Is the first person to make the said mistake of sitting next to bakugou on a roller coaster and nearly gets the left side of his face blown off

Like I said before, he’s a sucker for the food at theme parks, I’m taking, he’s running to every funnel cake, hot dog, ice cream, and slushie stand he can see to gobble down some sugary, deep fried goodness  

Iida:  

Makes everyone stand in a line to walk through the ticket puncher

Brings a backpack full of water bottles  

Isn’t allowed to bring them inside the park

“But sir, it is highly important that we, as students and young adults, remain hydrated in this summer heat and during our peak adrenaline rushes. It would be very unprofessional of me as ClAsS rEp to not provide my fellow students with hydration”

Has to leave his backpack and all the water bottles with the security guard until the end of the day

Is screaming at everyone about how dangerous all the roller coasters are

“We still need to maintain a dignified reputation as UA students even here so th- BAKUGOU LET GO OF THAT LITTLE BOY IN LINE”

Stays and chats with Deku and Todoroki on the sidelines while they wait for their friends to finish riding a coaster  

Todoroki:

When asked by Deku, Uraraka, and Iida if he wanted to come to the park, he simply nodded and gave them a small smile

Not his first time being to a theme park, as his father would always have to drag him and his siblings somewhere once a year to do ‘family bonding’ (really it was just so he could show off in different cities and his mom could get away from their house)

Buys All Might merch with Deku and after watching him play a coule games, joined him as well

Everyone took advantage of his left side to cool down occasionally from the blistering summer heat. He didn’t mind that much after a while and often felt helpful  

Tried his first funnel cake with Deku. He was skeptical at first, as he couldn’t understand why anyone would want to eat a large plate of deep fried dough covered in sugar and strawberries, but after tasting it, he understood and silently enjoyed it

Him and Deku got matching All Might keychains for their school bags  

Kaminari:

The one that takes all the pictures

Half of them are selfies

Some of them are of girls he spots at the park

Runs to different rides with the Baku-squad and always points out the next ride they should go on

Low-key shits his pants on the biggest ride there  

Mina knows  

Puked after their 10th roller coaster  

Still ate 3 hot dogs with Kirishima  

Tries to win each of the 1-A girls a stuffed animal at the game stands          

[printedpeterparker]

Intro

MASTERLIST

Pairing: Peter Parker x Reader

Type: 5 Seconds of Summer Series HERE 

Word Count: 1.9k

Warnings: None

Summary: The one where being the new kid is kinda hard.

Note: I am very excited to do this series based off of 5 Seconds of Summer’s debut album! This is only an intro before I begin the album! Please add yourself to be tagged here!

November 2

“Honey, are you sure wanna wear that?” your grandma questioned, tugging on the sleeves of your olive hoodie. “It’s your first day at this school; you can make a better--”

You rolled your eyes and shook your head, “Grandma, it 45 degrees and I’m going to school. I think this is fine,” you huffed, grabbing your backpack. “I just have to finish up this semester and next semester and then we’re done. I don’t need to have a fashion show every day to do that.”

“Okay, okay, good luck, Y/N. I love you,” she smiled before kissing your cheek.

You said your goodbyes before heading out to your grandma’s black minivan. It was a little beaten up, it reminded you of when you came to invite in the summers. You went on fishing trips and hikes with your family, and this black minivan was always there, giving you a lift, but now being in the car worried you.

You weren’t used to the street of New York or at least the traffic. You weren’t sure if it was you or the other drivers that were doing a terrible job. Your music was soothing you through the traffic but not everyone was doing the same as you.

Your nerves and jitteriness continued to grow as your approached your new school. It was your Senior year. You remember how hard it was to make friends when you moved from Wisconsin to France in the sixth grade. But then again, you were 11. But now you were 18, moving from France to New York. You were petrified.

After you parked, you made your way inside through the courtyard. You felt some people look your way. The school didn’t seem that large; you might as well have been seven feet tall. You quickly made your way into the building searching for the office.

Before you could find it, you were startled by another girl, “Y/N!” she cheered almost too excited. Her blonde hair barely touched her shoulders that were over by her Oxford shirt and black skirt. She almost made you believe that you needed to have a uniform. “Welcome to Midtown School of Science and Technology or MSST. I will be your ambassador for the day. My name is Chelsea Larson!”

“Oh uh hi, I’m Y/N Y/L/N” you smiled, readjusting your bag over your shoulder. You swore you could see all 32 of her teeth with that smile.

“Great, I already have your schedule, locker number, locker combo, lunch pass, seating assignments, and ID for you here in this packet,” she explained, handing you a binder from her purse. “Your first class, AP, that’s advanced placement, Statistics, is with Mr. Hind.” Chelsea walked and talked fast. You couldn’t keep up with what she was saying.

She took you to your locker and quickly explained your combo and promptly scolded you when you got it wrong. Her intensity was like a raging fire. She quickly showed you to your first hour and prepared you as if she was your mom dropping you off at kindergarten.

“...Now don’t worry, I will on my way when that bell rings to escort you to your next class, Y/N. I so much fun!” she smiled, waving you off. You slowly walked into the room with it basically full of students already. You scanned the room for a seat; there were two front seats open. You quickly sat down before the bell rung and continued to look down.

Everyone in the room was still talking so as Mr. Hind tried to calm them down, you were able to get your stuff together in the front.

“Okay, okay, students,” Mr. Hind pronounced, finally settling the talking, “It appears we have a new student today. Would you like to introduce yourself, miss?”

“Uh sure,” you smiled before standing up to face the class. Every eye was literally trained on you. Some appeared to look judgey. Some appeared to be dull. Some appeared to be interested. “My name is Y/N. I came here from Nice, France, but I’m originally from Wisconsin, and I...uh...yeah. Thank you.” You muttered your thanks before sitting down.

“Wow, very impressive Ms. Y/N,” Mr. Hind smiled. “We’re very glad you’re here.”

The day continued like that.

Chelsea would take you to a class, the teacher would ask you to introduce yourself to the class, and occasionally, they would have you elaborate.

By lunch, you were tired. You did talk much to anyone; not because you didn’t want to but it was November. Everyone had time to do their meet and greet with the new kids and their friends in August. They were focused on colleges and final semester project approaching. And you had lost Chelsea before lunch.

When you finally made it to lunch after waiting for her, a lot of the food was gone, making your lunch pass useless. A deep sigh erupted from you as you turned around to find somewhere to sit. You weren’t shocked to see cliches; it was a teen phenomenon, even in France. You didn’t even Chelsea. Some girls gave you a look when walked by their table. Some would even minimize the space between themselves and friends.

You observed a fairly empty table and slowly made your way over. There were only two boys and a girl there. “Come on, Y/N,” you whispered to yourself. “It’s not that hard to make friends.” You walked over, trying to look friendly but not as terrifying as Chelsea. “Hey,” you said, interrupting their conversation. “Do you guys mind if I sit?” you asked.

“Mmm, not sure,” the girl said, completely deadpan.

“She’s totally kidding,” the boy with dark hair apologized. “Have a seat.” You smiled and sat across from the girl adorned with curly hair and sat next to the boy with brown hair in a sweater. “First of all, I’m Ned. That’s MJ--”

“She can call me Michelle,” she quietly muttered, opening a book on the table.

“Duly noted,” you nodded.

“And I’m Peter,” he smiled. He had books and work scattered in front of him. You recognized You recognized it as your the stats project Mr. Hind had even out today. You thought you recognized him “So, you’re from France?”

“Yeah, my dad is all about the work,” you half chuckled, “but now I live with my grandma and my parents are still in France.”

“I bet you don’t even speak French,” Michelle huffed, still looking down into her book.

You smirked before sitting up, “Si je ne pouvais pas parler français, pouvais-je dire ça? If I couldn’t speak French, could I say that?” you said before translating. Ned let out a forceful laugh before Michelle hit him with her book. They began a smaller argument on their side of the table.

“That was pretty impressive,” Peter nodded. “And don’t worry about them either.”

“Okay and thanks. I only lived there for six years so...” you said before it became silent again except Ned and Michelle were still arguing.

Your head tilted in confusion when you looked at Peter’s work on the table. It seemed off to you. You didn’t want to be nosy or intrude; you had only met Peter a couple minutes ago. It was your place, but still…

“I think you’re wrong, Peter,” you told him but only loud enough for him to hear.

He gave you a sour face before shaking his head, “No, I’m pretty sure this is right. Ned and I tested it and the data was linear with strong correlation; with our equation, we can assume tha-”

“Extrapolation,” you stated. He gave you the same face. You sighed before turning the paper around so it was facing you properly, “When I was in France, we learned about extrapolation. Your x values included 1 through 15 rubber bands while your y values were the distance barbie bungeed. Mr. Hind said your project depended on your work and hitting the right distance where barbie didn’t hit the floor or was too far from the ground. And he said the distance was 32 meters and you never got 32 meters as a y value. Therefore, you are guessing beyond your observation range which could lead to meaningless results or extrapolation. And I know we haven’t talked about in class or at least that’s what your face is telling me, but I would reconfigure your number and experiments.”

Peter looked at you and at his work again. There was a bit of silence before the bell rang, dismissing you from lunch.

“Yeah, I’m just gonna go. Sorry…” you professed before quickly getting up and hurrying out of the cafeteria.

You knew it wasn’t your place. You should have trusted your gut and said nothing. Maybe this friend thing was going to be harder to do than you thought.

The end of the day came as fast as you wanted it to do. You had seen Peter in other classes but steered clear of him. You knew you were right, but you didn’t mean to out him in front of his friends. You took it too far.

You also never saw Chelsea after lunch.

You made your way to the library to get some homework done. It was always easier for you to not work at home even in France. The library gave you the silence you needed without interruption. You opened up your English reading packet to begin your homework. You skimmed the reading, highlighting and annotating the reading. You glared up and back down before you realized what you saw.

You looked up again and saw Peter making his way over to your desk. You felt your breath become shallow and your throat became dry as he made his way over to your desk. You didn’t even realize that you were staring at him for so long.

“Hi, Y/N, can we talk?” Peter asked, distributing your homework. You regretfully nodded before moving your stuff off the chair next to you. “Listen, you were right. I went and experimented during my study hall until I received over 32 meters as a y value and you were right; I got a whole different equation and x value.”

You felt your heart flutter a little bit at his comment. You liked being right.

“Oh, thanks, Peter.”

“But I also have some other questions if you don’t mind about the homework,” he explained as he pulled it out of his bag. “The way Mr. Hind explained number 8 on the homework hardly makes sense. I was wondering if you could help possibly.”

You looked at your work and placed it on the other side of the table and pulled out your stats as well, “Uh yeah, if I didn’t know better, I would be a little confused as well.”

For the next 30 minutes, you helped Peter with his statistics homework. You quickly learned the confusion wasn’t because of his own learning. It was the teaching which saddened you. It came to a point where you and Peter worked in silence with words and jokes shared here and there. He did have a way of making you laugh. Even though your focus was a bit off you didn’t mind being off task at sometimes.

“With all this graphing, you’d think Mr. Hind was plotting against us,” Peter joked. A nasally laugh came out of nowhere from you. The librarian was quick to silence you and Peter before returning back into the shelves to return books back to their spots. “Yikes, sorry,” he whispered to you.

“She’s more of English person I guess,” you breathed, trying to stifle your remaining chuckles.

“Maybe but I gotta go actually,” Peter mentioned before packing up his things and stuffing them in his bag. “But if I came here tomorrow, will you be here?” he inquired.

“You can bet on it.”

NEXT: MRS. ALL AMERICAN

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