#(its fine shes fine even if her kits disappointing)

[haunted-xander]

It's fun to see how easier some things are as an experienced player rather than a newbie. I had SO much trouble with the snowboar king the first time I fought it, but here it's far less intimidating bc I actually know what I'm doing lol

[ellatoone7]

❄︎ My Mami ❄︎

Alexia's favourite girls series

Isabella doesn't like sharing

It had been a relatively easy morning, Emilia didn’t put up too much of a fuss and Isabella had helped you all morning. You had called Alexia when you were on the road letting her know that everything was fine and allowing her to wish her daughter the best of luck and give her a little pep talk. 

Isabella was disappointed at first when she found out Alexia wouldn’t be able to make the whole game but she calmed down when she was promised to go to Alexia’s next training and even maybe step in on a few drills. 

After making sure you had absolutely everything and making Isabella recheck that she didn’t leave anything in the car, you were now settled on the side of the field with Emilia sitting on your lap happily. “Mama Issy running with the ball just like Mami.” You chuckled at her little babble, quietly cooing your praise as you to watched your wife’s twin race up and the down the field with the same sparkle that Alexia had at her age.

When Emilia got wiggly you let her roam a little, knowing that she couldn’t wander off and letting her burn some energy off would do you all some good in the long run. Isabella had assisted two goals already and it was just half time, she waved at you excitedly and you were filled with the same feeling of pride that you always got when you watched your wife. 

Alexia had been so excited for the game that nothing in the world was going to stop her from seeing at least a little bit of it. The Captain was quick to say goodbye to her team with the promise of photos and videos of Isabella’s game. Luckily she had arrived just as the second half started. She took a moment to take in the life she had managed to create as she spotted Emilia stomping around the sandy part of the pitch and you were only a few feet away sitting on a blanket you brought. 

The sound of the whistle pulled her out of her trance as the game commenced and she was quick to join her little family. You didn’t even flinch when a body threw itself down next you, knowing your wife would show up a soon as she possibly could. Emilia was absolutely thrilled at the sight of her mother and launched herself onto the footballers lap. Alexia grunted in surprise as she smiled happily at the sight of her blonde, giggly daughter. “Hola mi princesa.” The three year old squealed excitedly as fingers pressed against her side teasingly.

Alexia then turned to you, “Hola mi Reina.” You kissed her soundly as she gratefully reciprocated, arm sliding around your waist as she smiled softly at you. Emilia sat happily between her legs as she leaned back into her mothers strong body. You decided to follow suit as you put your weight on her. 

It was only when you really looked at her did you realise she was still in her training kit. “Did you run here straight from training.” Alexia looked surprised at your question before huffing, “No, I drove here…straight from training.” Emilia was distracted with playing with her mother’s wedding ring and Isabella had yet to see Alexia arrive, so you took your opportunity. “This training kit always looked so good on you.” Alexia’s eyebrows rose immediately, catching the suggestive tone of your voice immediately, “Sí?” you bit your lip and nodded, rolling your eyes amusedly as her signature smirk made its appearance. “I have to do something about that, huh?” You nodded as her eyes stayed glued to your lips, “Why do you think I was trying to tire Emilia out.” Alexia kissed you softly as it took everything in her to control herself.

A football interrupted the two of you as you quickly separated, cheeks burning red as the referee giggled at the two of you. Isabella was bright red until she caught sight of her mother. Her eyes lit up and she shyly waved at the Captain. Alexia smiled softly at her eldest and gave her a wink which instilled a fire into her daughter who immediately scored a goal. Alexia was now on her feet, shouting words of encouragement and you saw the future of Alexia’s coaching career ahead of you. 

Emilia was giggling and repeating the words that her Mami was saying until she shivered. You were quick to grab the jumper you brought for her and Ále cooed as she passed her onto you. 

The final whistle sounded with your daughter scoring another two goals. Isabella ran straight for her mother who wasted no time in throwing her up and over her shoulder as she showered her in kisses and praises. Even though Isabella was seven and getting way too old to be picked up but it never stopped Alexia from ignoring that rule and doing it quite often. Isabella seemed settled in her arms as she retold Alexia all about the match that she just watched.

Isabella was on her feet again when her coach came over to talk to the Barcelona star. The kids from the other team were in awe of the fact they had ‘La Reina’ at their match. Your wife always had time for pictures which is what she was doing currently as Isabella wandered over to you to give you a big hug and a recap. “That’s my Mami!” Isabella grunted as she hid her face into your neck, much like your wife Isabella didn’t like sharing. 

“Yes and you get to go home and cuddle her all night, they only get a picture.” You laughed softly as she whined gently, “My Mami.” You sometimes wonder whether your eldest is really seven or actually just four. Alexia started heading back to where you were sitting with your daughters, she caught your amused glance and immediately knew that something was wrong but it wasn’t anything serious. 

“¿Todo bien?” She asked as she hauled Emilia up into her arms, the three year old after successfully tiring herself out as she drowsily blinked from where she was laying against her Mami’s strong shoulder. Isabella peeked out at her Mami before remembering her arm around the other girls and she hid herself again. 

Alexia frowned but you sent her a reassuring look as you coaxed the brown haired girl from her hiding place, “Tell Mami what’s wrong.” You whispered as she groaned but turned to face your wife anyway, “My Mami.” Her forehead met with Alexia’s leg as she mumbled out the words, arms intertwining around her thigh. 

Alexia chanced a glance at you and you just ran a hand through her hair. “Sí, I am your Mami. ¿Quién dijo que yo no era mi vida?” Isabella didn’t even lift her head just pointed to where the crowd of girls were taking pictures with Alexia a minute ago. “Ay Ya veo. Vamos, vamos a casa para que pueda abrazar con mis chicas favoritas sí.” Isabella nodded and kissed her Mami’s hand before taking it and walking back to the car.

You placed your hand on your wife’s back along with a kiss to her shoulder as you took Emilia and placed her in her car seat with a kiss to the cheek. “I’ll take Is.’ You agreed before giving your daughter a kiss on the cheek and a hug. “See you at home.” You smiled wrapping your arms around your wife’s neck and kissing her deeply as a reminder of your previous conversation. She chased your lips before remembering where you were and leaving one final one against your cheek. 

Once she watched you drive off she looked into the mirror making eye contact with your daughter and flashing her a mischievous smile, “I think we’ve earned ourselves some McDonald’s.”

[ginnsbaker]

Bulletproof (6/10)

Part Summary: It's three months after the attack on the compound and you lost your invincibility against bullets.

Chapter word count: 2.6k+ | Tags: Light Angst, Still UST, Still gay

Ship: Wanda Maximoff x Gender Neutral Reader

Next Part | Series Masterlist

-

The sound of the doorbell at “Café Lumière” reverberates around the room, your heart reacting before your head can even register it. It's the softest of sounds, but it pulls you like a siren's song. Every fiber of your being is acutely aware of that door, with both trepidation and hope hinging on its every swing.

Steam curls up from the frothing milk, whispering past your fingertips as they work on a delicate latte art. Your focus is unwavering, yet as the door chimes again, your heart skips. You risk a glance, your hope suspended for that split second, only to crash back down when it's not her.

Louisa's eyes, which have been watching you mischievously for some time now, find yours. 

“Clock's ticking,” she teases, nodding toward the ornate clock hanging precariously on the wall. “Not 3pm yet.”

You feign confusion, but your playful smirk gives you away. “What are you going on about?”

She grins knowingly. “Your weekly muse isn't due for another... oh, ten minutes or so?”

An exaggerated sigh escapes your lips, the warm notes of roasted beans surrounding you like a comforting embrace. 

“I'm not waiting for her, you know,” you say, though your voice lacks conviction.

Louisa smirks and pats your shoulder, “Sure, sure. Just give it time. She's never missed a Thursday, has she?”

As you're about to come up with a clever retort, a sharp sting on your finger draws your attention. You wince, looking down to see a thin, red line forming across your finger. Tearing the receipt from the register to hand to the awaiting customer, you’re slightly taken aback at how much the cut bleeds.

“Everything alright?” the customer asks, noticing the blood.

"Yeah, just a small paper cut," you dismiss, trying to downplay it. Grabbing a napkin, you press it against the cut, soaking up the crimson liquid.

Louisa's sharp eyes don't miss a beat. "Careful there. Those can be nasty," she comments, retrieving the first-aid kit from under the counter.

Louisa holds out a bandage, but you shake your head, not wanting to make a fuss over something so minor. “Really, I'm good,” you assure her.

A few seconds later, you open the napkin to check the cut. To your surprise, the skin seems perfectly whole, as if it had never been broken in the first place. You flex your finger, the earlier sting now a distant memory. “See? I'm fine,” you declare, shrugging.

Louisa tilts her head, narrowing her eyes in astonishment. “That healed incredibly fast. You sure you're okay?”

You chuckle, deciding to make light of the situation. “What can I say? Maybe I have superpowers.”

A soft clearing of the throat interrupts the moment. The customer, who you hadn't realized was keenly observing the entire exchange, raises an eyebrow. “Can I get some napkins, please?”

Flustered, you quickly hand a bunch over. “Of course, sorry about that.”

Louisa grins at you mischievously as the customer leaves, “Superpowers, huh? That's a new one.”

The doorbell rings out, pulling your attention instantly. You lift your gaze, hope surging momentarily, only to see the same customer making her way out. The door gently shuts behind them, the anticipation that had built up inside you deflating.

Louisa, noticing the brief flicker of disappointment in your eyes, nudges you playfully. “Don't look so down,” she says, her tone light and teasing. “She’ll be here. You know how punctual she is. Maybe she's just running a bit late today.”

You give a half-hearted chuckle. “Yeah, maybe.”

“I wonder though why she never gives her name,” Louisa muses.

“Hm?”

“You know, for the cup,” she clarifies.

You shrug. “Some people love their privacy, I guess.”

Hours seem to stretch endlessly, the weight of the clock's hands growing heavier with each passing minute. The crowd in the café starts to thin as evening nears. Although the store is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, your shift only lasts until 8. And in the midst of the dwindling crowd, one spot remains unclaimed—the corner seat by the window, the one she always chooses. 

She is the sole reason you continue working here despite your persistent restlessness. Pouring coffee for hundreds of customers daily never truly satisfies you, even when some tip generously. There's an inexplicable nagging feeling, suggesting this isn't where you belong or what you should be doing.

Yet, what anchors you between the register and the espresso machine is the girl who comes in every Thursday, late in the afternoon, always punctually, sometimes a few minutes early. It's disconcerting and exhilarating, this sudden shift of your universe tilting on its axis. You've never been one to believe in love at first sight or fated connections, but there’s something in the way she holds herself, something in her gaze that tugs at strings you didn’t even know existed.

But even if you can write the sweetest song or the most evocative poem about every titillating thing about her, it’s just a crush.

A crush that will lead to nothing. Not because you've attempted to ask her out or because she's already spoken for.

It's because your very existence is shrouded in uncertainty.

The past few months have been a jumble of rehab appointments, therapy sessions, and sleepless nights trying to piece together fragments of memories that always seem just out of reach. Surviving that near-fatal crash was a miracle in itself, but the loss of your past—it took away a part of who you were. Or who you're supposed to be.

Every day, you grapple with an identity you don’t recognize, yearning for some semblance of the person you once were. A glance at the reflection in the coffee machine shows a face still unfamiliar. Eyes that hold stories you can’t read, a curve of a smile that feels out of place. When people share anecdotes from their past or talk about family and childhood, all you can offer is a nod, a practiced smile, and a tightness in your chest that never truly fades.

And how could you possibly burden her with this emptiness?

The small apartment you return to every evening, given by a private charity, is filled with borrowed things and a life that doesn't truly feel like yours. They said you had no family, no one waiting or weeping for your recovery. Your recovery was overseen by faceless benefactors who, for some reason, deemed you worthy of a second chance. Yet, every evening as you unlock your door, you wonder if you truly deserved it.

The beautiful woman who steps into the coffee shop every Thursday, with her air of confidence and those captivating eyes, deserves more than what you currently are. More than this fractured self, teetering on the edge of self-discovery and despair.

What could you possibly offer her? Nights filled with stories of... nothingness? Days shadowed by the fear of not knowing who stares back at you in the mirror? She deserves someone who is rooted in memories, with stories to tell. Not this fragmented existence you live. 

Perhaps it's safer this way, to admire her from a distance, to let her remain this source of hope and inspiration. A lighthouse guiding you through the stormiest nights. If you ever manage to find yourself again, then maybe, you'd take that chance. 

Glancing at the clock again, it's 7:45 PM. Still no sign of her.

Dejectedly, you remove your apron and prepare to leave.

-

Wanda Maximoff blends into the bustling streets, the hood of her jacket pulled low over her face and her boots echoing a muffled cadence on the pavement. Dressed in tight denim and a nondescript hooded jacket, she hardly resembled one of the most powerful Avengers.

She mumbles a silent curse under her breath, glancing at her watch. She's late—later than she's ever been—and she hates it. Thursdays at the cafe are her only remaining connection to you. 

She can see the cafe now, its warm light spilling out onto the street. She pushes the door and her eyes immediately scan the room, searching for that familiar face behind the counter. The disguise continues to work; to everyone, she’s just another customer. She doesn't draw the same attention here as she does in New York. 

It’s North Carolina after all, and the town they put you in cares more about art than superheroes.

Louisa's attempt at nonchalance is commendable but slightly betrayed by the quick tightening of her lips and the slight flutter in her eyes. “Good evening,” she begins, voice as steady as she can manage. “Can I get you the usual today?”

Wanda's gaze, sharp and unyielding, remains locked on Louisa's face. “Where's Y/N?” she asks tersely.

“I'm sorry, ma'am, but I can't share information about our staff's schedules.”

She pauses, letting the words settle before adding, “If you're looking to see Y/N, perhaps you can drop by tomorrow between 2 pm and 8 pm.”

“Oh,” Wanda mutters softly. 

Vision, in his human disguise, comes up behind her.  “Wanda, we should go,” he murmurs, attempting discretion, but Louisa catches his words nonetheless.

Wanda hesitates, her posture rigid. “I needed to see them, Vis,” her voice is laced with a quiet desperation, a yearning for something—or someone—lost.

“I know,” he replies softly. “But they aren’t here. And we can always go back tomorrow.”

“I just have a feeling,” Wanda says. “Maybe this time, they’ll—”

“You’ve had that feeling for weeks now, but nothing has changed.” 

They've lowered their voices to whispers, forcing Louisa to strain her ears to catch the exchange between the two. Vision soon catches on to Louisa's subtle eavesdropping. Their conversation abruptly stops, and Wanda, a bit lost, looks up at him for an explanation. Vision subtly nods toward Louisa, signaling her presence.

Clearing his throat, Vision steps forward, deciding to divert attention. “A hibiscus tea, please,” he says.

Louisa, embarrassed at being indirectly called out, fumbles slightly before regaining her composure. “Of course. Name for the cup?”

“Victor,” Vision replies smoothly. With a nod, Louisa gets to work, while Vision takes a few steps to the side with Wanda, resuming their conversation in even lower tones. 

Louisa sneaks occasional glances while pretending to be engrossed in her work. The two stand slightly apart, their conversation seeming both intimate and tense. Wanda's fingers fidget, wringing her hands, her lips moving quickly. Vision responds with a calming gesture, fingers grazing her forearm.

The steamer hisses as Louisa finishes the hibiscus tea, her curiosity deepening.

Setting the cup on the counter, she clears her throat. “Order for Victor!”

No reaction.

With a little more force, she calls again, “Hibiscus tea for Victor!”

Again, no response.

The cafe grows impatient, a soft buzz of conversation fills the air, and a few customers shoot curious glances at the duo.

“Victor!” Louisa exclaims, this time with a touch of impatience.

At this, Vision finally turns, the gentle hum of their conversation breaking. He approaches the counter, his blue eyes apologetic. “I'm sorry,” he says, taking the cup from her hands. “Thank you, Louisa.”

Louisa simply nods, her gaze flitting between the pair. As they head towards the exit, she can't help but wonder about the nature of their relationship with you and what has them so concerned.

-

Three months ago

“You can’t do this to them.”

Wanda's voice crackles with anger and a hint of desperation, her collected demeanor fraying at the edges. The holographic projections of the globe, pinpointing potential locations and glimpses of Y/N's impending new life, bathe Wanda's face in a cold blue light, each flicker taunting her with the reality of your imminent departure.

Flashbacks flicker behind Wanda's eyes, pulling her into that harrowing moment. She feels you in her arms again, your life seeping away between her fingers. She's surrounded by dust-covered streets, crumbling buildings, and the deafening silence after the explosion. Your blood, vibrant and so, so red, pooling at the ground beneath you, staining Wanda’s shoes. She's paralyzed, every second stretching into an eternity, every breath a labor.

She was so slow, so clouded by fear. Why didn't she act faster? Why didn't she see the signs? Could she have saved you?

It was Steve's voice that brought her back to reality. “Wanda! We need to move!” She barely registered the panic in his voice, the way he swiftly and gently took you from her, laying you on a makeshift stretcher.

Every moment after that feels like an agonizing irony to Wanda. She knows grief and loss intimately, but this... this is an entirely different kind of pain. The trauma of watching you battle death is only overshadowed by the realization that while you might physically be here, mentally, the person who risked their life for her twice has disappeared.

In the quiet spaces of her heart, she acknowledges a truth she's been running from: she's spent so long building walls, so long pushing away the vulnerability that came with connecting deeply with someone, out of fear. Fear of loss, of pain, of being too raw and open. With you, those walls had started to crumble, brick by brick, but not fast enough.

She wishes she could go back, to relive those moments with the knowledge she has now. 

“You can't do this to them,” she murmurs again, the words more for herself than anyone else.

Steve stands across from her, hands on the table, his posture rigid yet his face betraying a deep sadness. “Wanda, it's not about what I want or what you want. It's protocol.”

Wanda's face contorts with anger, her voice rising, “Protocol? Y/N isn't some object to be managed! They have rights, feelings, memories—”

“Which they don't even remember!” Steve interjects, his rarely-seen frustration surfacing on this particular occasion.

“You can’t just... toss them into the world like they're yesterday's news, Steve,” Wanda hisses with barely-contained anger. They remain the lone figures in the meeting room after the team unanimously voted to craft a new identity for you, placing you in a secluded town, untouched by global news, let alone the cosmic battles waged galaxies away.

Steve pinches the bridge of his nose. “Wanda, it’s not about 'disposing' anyone. The protocol is clear. If a super loses their powers, they reintegrate. Y/N can't live in the compound because they no longer belong in this world of chaos and danger.”

“Because they're powerless?” Wanda’s eyes blaze. “Or because they're no longer of any use to the cause?”

“It’s not like that and you know it,” Steve says, stepping closer to Wanda and meeting her gaze. “Y/N has lost their memory, they don’t remember any of this—any of us. Keeping them here would only confuse and possibly hurt them.”

“They just sacrificed everything for me. And now you want to push them aside because it's convenient?”

“No,” Steve replies, “Because they’ve done enough. They’ve given enough. Don’t you think they’ve earned the right to a peaceful life? The privilege of normalcy?”

Her green eyes shimmer with unshed tears. “All I’m saying, Steve, is that they should have the choice. And right now, we’re taking that away from them.”

-

“Your girlfriend showed up last night.”

You whip your head around to look at Louisa so quickly, it feels like you might've given yourself whiplash.

“Come again?”

Louisa grins, tying her apron around her waist with a knowing smirk. “You heard me. Your Thursday regular? Gorgeous, and those piercing green eyes? She came by looking for you after you left.”

Your eyes widen, heart racing. “That doesn’t mean she’s my... girlfriend.”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Louisa teases, leaning in closer. “She seemed pretty keen on finding you. Even asked for you by name. Speaking of which... guess who found out her name?”

Your mouth opens in surprise. “Y-You did?”

Louisa nods, a smirk on her lips. “Wanda. Her name’s Wanda.”

“Wanda,” you repeat, savoring the name as it slips from your lips.

Putting a name to such an unforgettable face changes everything. But like so many things that have recently unfolded, you just don’t know the significance of it yet.

[autisticstarscream]

read the entire spoiler thread for star and lord. i have opinions.

im so genuinely confused on how the erins have genuinely degraded so bad in writing. 90% of riverclan being excused for their awful behavior bc "woah! splashtail was threatening kits!!!" GUYS. THERE IS ONE OF HIM.

Berryheart makes me so genuinely mad. her and curlfeather being reflections of one another but treated so differently is wild. what do you mean berryheart saved sunbeam before she killed so that gives her a "noble death" thus she could possibly go to starclan, meanwhile curlfeather did literally the EXACT SAME THING and was initially banished to dark forest before she gets her little limbo world.

the audacity to have characters respect berryheart after her blantant crimes and say she really was a good person only for the narrative to turn around and condemn curlfeather for the EXACT SAME ACTIONS is annoying. specifically also because genuinely? despite the execution curlfeather was right. mistystar sucked as leader in the end and her son being deputy meant we'd get a boring ass riverclan considering reedwhisker literally has no personality.

like. im fine with frostpaw not being leader and her name. im happy the leader is icewing bc i KNEW it was gonna be her. but god i really wish they would just stop writing these books. the keep bringing in so much good potential with plots and then immediately fuck it up in the first two books thus making the plot stagger through the remaining 4. i know people will just say "just stop reading" but my autism will not let me. i need to know whats happening in canon warriors but i just keep getting disappointed.

i have no hope for the next arc. considering squirrelstar openly wanting no more clan transfers (meaning. no more new bloodlines, considering the one (sunbeam) is immediately pairing up with firestars bloodline, meaning her addition is now useless in the way of adding new genetics to thunderclan), it makes me scared for what other fucked up pairings are gonna happen in thunderclans future.

god im just. so pissed. its so bad. nightheart doesnt even hate being compared to firestar anymore. the only arc in this that felt worthwhile is frostdawns and honestly. i think SHE shouldve been the one to care more for her mother after death rather than sunbeam and berryheart. it wouldve been more interesting to have a medicine cat be critical of starclan and have an active connection to a dark forest cat. but the erins hate making starclan look bad and are so obsessed with making the themes so devout towards starclan that it hurts.

[trulybetty]

october | 18 x picking apples

pairing: frankie x f!reader word count: 1,406 warnings: minor mention of blood, reader sustains a minor injury & as always un-beta'd. summary: The cracks in the facade are getting hard to hide. ao3: linked

{ x. series masterlist }

author note: prompts are not in chronological order, the story is told throughout the life span of the relationship. once all are posted, I'll post a list of the prompts in chronological order.

18 x Picking Apples.

You stared at the amount of apples spilling over the edges of the paper bag on your kitchen counter. Last week Frankie’s sister Maria had come into town with her daughters. It was a planned visit from before Colombia was even an idea and both you and Frankie had forgotten until Maria sent a text to let you know she and the girls were at the airport and would see you soon.

Frankie’s nieces, they’d been over the moon to see you both. So you couldn’t say no when the oldest, four-year-old Elena, had mentioned picking apples as an activity in the closing days of their visit. Both her and two-year-old Sofia, their little faces lighting up at the prospect of gathering as many apples as their tiny hands could carry you didn’t have the heart to disappoint them, even if the last thing you wanted was a day in the orchard pretending everything was fine.

Maria hadn’t noticed the cracks beneath the surface—how could she? With three kids under the age of four and a husband who worked out of state, she was distracted on all fronts. She was blissfully unaware of Frankie’s recent escapades in Colombia. She’d been surprised by her older brother's clean clean-shaven face, remarking on how young it made him look. You’d forced a smile, said you loved it on him, playing along with the charade of a happy couple despite hating it, it wasn’t him, he wasn’t your Frankie. But it was easier than explaining the complicated truth.

Now, the apples seemed to taunt you with their abundance, “What the fuck am I supposed to do with all of these?” you muttered to yourself.

Work that day had been impossible. It’d been impossible to concentrate, the week of charades had exhausted you and so you’d called it a day feigning a migraine, which now wasn’t too far from the truth. So you decided to go full Martha fucking Stewart and chose the first apple pie recipe that seemed easy enough from the flood of Google results. It seemed like a reasonable distraction—a way to impose some normalcy on an otherwise turbulent life. After all, that’s what normal people did, right? They baked pies, went to work, and didn’t have a partner who disappeared to Colombia without a word and returned expecting everything to be fine.

After rummaging through the kitchen drawers for the peeler, you peeled and sliced methodically. The rhythmic motion providing a semblance of calm. But it wasn’t long before your mind wandered, thoughts spiralling back to Frankie and how your house, a milestone for what was to be the next chapter of your lives, no longer felt like a home.

The knife slipped. A sharp sting shot through your hand.

“Shit, shit, shit!” you hissed, dropping the knife. Blood welled up from a gash on your palm. It wasn’t deep enough to need stitches, but it bled profusely. Grabbing a dishtowel, you pressed it against the wound. The first aid kit was nowhere in its usual spot in the cabinet above the stove. Frustrated you moved around the kitchen, yanking open cabinets and drawers, pulling out their contents in your frenzied search.

Unbeknownst to you, Frankie had returned home quietly. Expecting you to be immersed in your work in your home office, so he was surprised to hear the clatter from the kitchen and your muffled curses. He paused in the doorway, watching you rifle through the cupboards, a bloodied towel wrapped around your hand.

“What happened?” he asked, his voice steady, but edged with concern.

His calm demeanour in moments of panic was usually appreciated, but now? It only served to piss you off even further. Your hand throbbed with pain and your nerves were on fire.

You didn’t turn around, “Nothing. Just cut myself,” you replied tersely, moving on to another cabinet to rummage through its contents, cursing why you ever bought a house with so many of them.

He stepped closer, “Let me help you.”

“I don’t need your help,” you snapped, pulling out a stack of bowls and setting them on the counter with a loud clatter.

“You’re bleeding,” he noted matter of factly, his tone neutral, stoking the embers of your growing anger.

“No kidding,” you retorted, sarcasm biting as you opened another cabinet.

He watched silently for a moment as you began emptying its contents on the floor, “It might be in the bathroom closet,” he suggested.

“I’ll find it myself,” you insisted, ignoring him,

The tension thickened as you continued your search, items piling up haphazardly around you. Frankie remained rooted in place, his expression unreadable. You knew it was a result of decades of training, not to panic in any situation, but it was also Frankie, laid back and pragmatic about any and all situations.

“Let me help,” he finally said.

You spun around, glaring at him. “Why do you care?”

He met your stare, “Because you’re hurt.”

You scoffe, “Since when does that matter to you?”

A flicker of something passed over his face, but he remained silent.

Frustrated, you turned back to the cabinets, yanking open another drawer to slam it closed when it didn’t hold the first aid kit, “Just leave me alone,” you muttered.

He exhaled slowly, then turned and left the kitchen. You heard his footsteps retreating down the hallway. Good, you thought. You didn’t need his help.

A few moments later, he returned. Without a word, he placed the first aid kit on the counter in front of you, the sound of it hitting the surface louder than necessary. Startled, you looked up. His eyes met yours briefly before he turned away, his expression stoic.

You stared at the kit, your breathing heavy, then back at the scattered contents of your kitchen cupboards on your countertops. The air was thick with unspoken words, but neither of you attempted to break the silence.

“Thank you,” you mumbled finally, your voice quiet.

He gave a slight nod, not looking at you.

Clutching the first aid kit to your chest, you stepped over the mess on the floor, tears threatening to spill, and headed to the bathroom. As you passed him, there was a part of you that wanted him to pull you to his chest, and have him tend to your hand. You’d make a joke about his terrible bedside manner and he would distract you with stories of all the ways he managed to hurt himself as a kid, a regular in the emergency room much to his mother’s dismay.

But instead, you passed by him, the gulf between you widening—a chasm filled with all the things left unsaid. Frankie’s refusal to address the distance only serving to push the two of you further apart.

In the solitude of the bathroom, you cleaned and bandaged your wound. The sting of the antiseptic made you hiss, its smell making you nauseous. You pressed a final strip of medical tape over the gauze, wincing as you smoothed it down.

You stared at your reflection in the mirror, the exhaustion that ringed your eyes unmistakable, your face weary. You splashed cold water on your face one-handed, after pausing for a moment to watch the tap, tap, tap of its steady drip as steeled yourself to go back outside and face what was outside. Reaching for the doorknob you took a deep breath before stepping out into the hallway.

When you returned, the kitchen was tidier. Its contents you’d strew about were back in their cabinets, the drawers all closed, the scent of kitchen cleaner hanging in the air. The unpeeled apples back in their paper bag.

And Frankie was nowhere in sight.

You spun around at the sound of the house settling, half expecting him to be in the doorway again, but he wasn’t there and you weren’t sure if he was even home. Part of you wanted to seek him out, force a conversation, but exhaustion weighed you down.

Deciding it was best to keep your distance from that powderkeg, you retreated to your bedroom as you threw back some of the codeine pills you had stashed at the back of the medicine cabinet. You closed the door behind you, as you did you turned to grab your book from the dresser and opened it to a page that felt familiar and would ignore the fact that an hour later you hadn’t turned a single page.

[pinkarsonist0]

Tigers, and lions, and bears, oh my!

A little halloween Tea Timers fic I made for myself, if you think it's poorly written, do not tell me that this was for fun and I love it. Not betaread. Will do later.

Minor Eliza x George as well as background Jane x Tony. Enjoy:

George kept a firm grip on Eliza's hand. His nervous eyes gaze upon the haunted house Miss Eliza managed to convince him to go into with her.

The Halloween fair was a trip none of them could wait for, until Eliza ran to Jane and George with enthusiasm speaking of a haunted house.

She was over the moon, but Jane and George did not mirror her emotions.

She was the brave one. At the slide back at Craig's World, while her blue and purple companions screamed as if the slide was scattered with needles. While Eliza sipped her tea, holding onto Jane’s arm in an attempt to calm her down. Though Jane appreciated the attempt, it failed.

The haunted house wasn't going to be for them. But they couldn’t let Eliza down.

She even tried labeling it a date night for her and George. As if that would make him feel better…

Though Jane didn't care about third wheeling (It wasn't like they were ignoring her), and George would never say no to a date with Eliza. But that didn't make either party feel better.

Jane and George did not want to disappoint Eliza, especially George.

So, the two prepped their costumes without complaint. George, the lion from Wizard of Oz and Jane managed to pay Boris to sew her a costume of an anime she got into. Dating Tony had its perks, and she wasn't one to pass up on them.

Now it was the night of Halloween. Eliza excitedly stood in her costume of a character of a new indie horror game she got into, holding hands with George looking up at the haunted house she was looking forward to all night.

George let out a gulp as he looked up at the house, “Miss Eliza…Are um, sure you don't want to settle down at home? Eat our candy? This event is crawling with peasants, and you heard the amount of kids Kit had to expose right before Halloween…They'll try to get their creepy hands on our candy…We can, uh, unwind at your home, maybe watch a scary movie-”

He caught himself just when Jane gave him a glare at the last suggestion. “George, we're trying to avoid scary things why would you suggest one like that?!”Jane whispered in George's ear.

Eliza turned to George, her smile growing more affectionate than excited. “Awww, you're getting in character. Don't worry, George, maybe you'll find your courage, just like that lion.”

A comforting smile decorated Eliza's face. Her doll-like appearance made her look more innocent, when remembering the context of her character Jane only became frightened. But for a second, George decided to forget. He tried forgetting he was going into the most terrifying place he could enter, his focus tried staying on the girl holding his hand. Supporting him every step of the house.

Just when Jane was going to become a third wheel, Eliza leaned herself to the left so she peeked at Jane. “Don't think I forgot about you, Jane. You told me your character was a fine warrior, a hero of the forest. Who was it? Oh, Haru! The King of the Forest! Oh Jane, no need to be scared, you tell me all about Haru, how he's a brave king who fights danger. Maybe you act like him!”

Her suggestion wasn't the worst thing that either of them heard. There was no avoiding this now.

Jane and George listlessly walked in the haunted house with Eliza, Jane almost envying George because he was holding onto Eliza's hand for support.

The lights were dim, fake blood scattered around the floor, a last minute indirect warning for parents to not let smaller children in, fake bugs moved up and down walls and the floor boards creeked with every step. The nails were a hazard to long flowy costumes, making Jane wish she wore a dress, so she'd have an excuse to not go in.

Eliza was the first to step inside, the creek of the floorboards ringing in her ears to block George's frightened whimpering. “Ah, it’s just like an actual old house. Truly makes it look more haunted…”

George tried not to drag his feet. The fake nails only made him nervous for his lion costume. For some reason, this one felt special compared to the other ones, maybe it was because he contributed to it in some way, he didn't get his mother or father to buy him one like the last years. They were already busy enough, with Gordy's hockey game and the twins’ school play and business trips. He was left to try and make one himself. Jane was able to get Boris to help him with the sewing parts, it wasn't perfect, but it could be done for halloween. Unfortunately, that didn't erase the superiority complex that glowed in him whenever he was around the scouts, or any kid.

They continued walking. Every now and then Eliza poked an actor who played as a corpse, it was funny to see them almost break character, seeing their dedication fascinated Jane. Hopefully the fascination would overshadow the fright.

They gallivanted the halls, tip toed up the stairs, poked actors to see if they were going to break character, and collected candy from each room. Until they were met with the fun part.

Now they could choose their own adventure.

They were presented with two doors.

Door one offered a challenge, booby traps, trap doors, and a run for your life.

Door two offered a maze and escape room.

Both equally terrifying to Jane and George.

Suddenly, Eliza replaced George's hand with the doorknob. “Jane, George! Door one, looks fun!”

George swallowed, “Miss Eliza, wait-”

But it was too late, she was already opening the door and going down the slide with a loud “WEEEEEE”

Jane looked at George, and George looked at Jane, their eyes widening.

Jane nervously chuckled and played with her fingers, “W-Well, uh, she’s having fun-“

Before Jane could step even an inch away, George lightly grabbed her arm. “We have to go get her…”

“George, this haunted house is terrifying, Miss Eliza is fine!”

“I don’t trust this place! Who knows what’s in here?!”

“Eliza seems to know what's she's doing…”

“She might get lost, come on, we need to find her.”

“Can't we text her and say we'll wait outside?”

“She’ll think we ditched her, it'll only make her upset…”

“Is this because you think she'll break up with you?”

“No! It's just the right thing to do, now come on!”

“Whatever brave lion…”

“Oh silence yourself…”

George opened the door to the first door, he positioned himself onto the slide just in front of Jane and slid down.

When they reached the bottom, the pair tried calling out to their doll dressed friend, but nothing.

Maybe she was getting in character, like last year? Last year she jokingly acted like her character and let George and Jane play along by calling her the name of that character.

“Jane, what's the name of the character Eliza is dressed as?”

“I don't know, I don't keep up with her horror media!”

“You have to remember, I'm gonna try something…”

“Um, I think it's that doll from that indie horror game she got into during summer break don't…Don't Toy with me? Yeah! That's it, s-she wouldn't stop talking about it and made us sit for hours while she talked about it…Dahlia, that's what she's dressed as!”

George cracked a smile seeing Jane speak so excitedly of Eliza. George tried calling out the name Jane told him, nothing.

George let out a disappointed sigh and walked forward down the hall.

“At this rate she probably-”

His sentence was interrupted by Jane grabbing at his arm and pull him back with such speed George couldn't even process the action, until he was greeted with a comically large battle-axe swinging side to side as it hung from the ceiling like a noose. Followed by five others…

“I knew not to trust this place!”

Jane took a step forward, analyzing the swinging battle-axes, taking note of the (hopefully) fake blood.

“George, what if these things got Miss Eliza?!”

“N-Nonsense! Now come on, we need to get passed these. If we're quick we can get passed without getting cut…”

“Are you saying we just run across?! Are you deranged?!”

“Not as deranged as whoever would put these axes here! See, there's still blood on them, if we get cut I’ll simply tell father to sue. At least we'll get something good out of this…”

George's foot shook as he tried to take a step forward, but it froze in place.

George's frightened reflection in the swinging axe mocked him, as he gripped the tail to his costume for support.

He was so determined to save Eliza, to find her in case she was in trouble. Maybe that was why he decided on that lion from Wizard of Oz, he was a coward like that lion. At this rate he started wondering if he could even save Eliza and become brave like the knights in her storybooks, that she would read to him and Jane when they were little.

She deserved a knight, not a cowardly lion…

George broke out his thoughts when Jane removed one of his hands from his costume's tail and put it in hers. “Hey, we’ll go together, if we go quick we’ll be able to get out without a scratch.”

George could still see the fear Jane was cradling in her eyes that she tried desperately to hide for George’s sake.

George slowly let go of the tail and swallowed, he mirrored Jane's stance and got ready to run as fast as he could.

On the count of three, they were off. Running as fast as they could while holding onto each other's hands like their life depended on it.

Until, on the third axe, they weren't fast enough and they saw the axe swinging at them.

Huh, death by battle-axe in a haunted house at age 12.

Just when they thought to it was over and the battle-axe had hit them, only the texture of cardboard touched them.

“Huh? I-I thought we were going to perish!” George spoke as he walked toward the battle-axe that hit him and Jane. George slowly put his finger on the pointy part of the so-called battle-axe and was left unharmed.

“Jane, the battle-axes are cardboard!”

“Then how is there blood on them?!”

“The blood must be fake too, so you know what that means?”

“What?”

“We don't have to be scared of these, c'mon!”

A new found bravery combusted in George’s body as he grabbed Jane's hand and ran through the battle-axes. The anxiety that filled the both of them was exiled with every step, and everytime the false battle-axe's hit them.

When the obstacle was completed, George and Jane only smiled, until they looked back at the battle-axes.

Oh, maybe they got a little too excited.

Two of the battle-axes had fallen off.

“Oh well, nothing that duct tape can't fix…” Jane shrugged and opened the door to the next obstacle with George, who felt only apathy about knocking the battle-axes down.

This next one had trap doors, they had to guess which ones were meant to be stepped on, and if guessed incorrectly, you fall, and fall, and fall.

Now George and Jane may know how it felt for the guests at Eliza's slumber party.

A screen showed up from out the ceiling and lowered itself to face Jane and George.

“Congratulations on making it through the first obstacle! But this one won't be as easy! I will give a pattern and you must step on the correct colors in the correct order, but guess wrong and you'll FALLLLLL the way home!”

George groaned at the awful pun.

On the count of three, the tiles glowed their pattern, it started simple, but Jane and George were smart enough to not get too comfortable.

George took a deep breath, “Okay…Um, orange, orange, black, white and…Red?”

George led Jane through the pattern surprisingly, they both survived.

George kept his arm in front of Jane as he watched the next pattern glow in front of them

But when the patterns went faster, it was becoming harder and harder for the pair to memorize, until they couldn't.

George bit his lip, “Was it, um…Red, red, white, black- No- No! Um…”

George hadn't even stepped on any more tiles, yet he felt as if he was falling. His knees shook, yet he tried swallowing his fear from coming back to him.

“Uhh…Let me try, okay. Red. Black. Black…Maybe it was orrr-RRRAAAA!”

The tile dropped below Jane and sent her falling, until a paw grabbed onto her hand.

“Jane, hold on, I got you!”

“Try pulling me up!”

“I-I'm trying!”

George tried with all his might to pull Jane up, but the more he tried the more he felt like he was slipping himself, and Jane wasn't the only one who felt like she was falling.

Jane swallowed hard and made the mistake of looking below her feet.

But instead she gained a new idea upon seeing the floor below her feet, only inches away.

She turned back to George, “George, you have to let go.”

“What?! Of course not, I just need to-”

“There's a floor below this tile! Maybe Eliza got the pattern wrong and fell down here…I'm gonna try looking for her here, you have to let me go, George. Don't worry, I'll be fine!”

George bit his lip, “Jane you do not understand, I'm a coward! I can't do this-”

“George! Listen to yourself talk and realize how nonsensical you sound! You got through the first obstacle without any problems once we found out the axes weren't real, maybe if you remind yourself that this isn't real, you could get through this!”

“I…I can't do this alone.”

“Yes you can, c'mon George, let's find us our doll…”

“Okay…”

“You know where to find me.” Jane gave a placid smile, soothing George.

“And…I know where to look…” George found Jane's smile contagious as he gave the same placid smile.

With a deep breath, George let Jane fall, the sound of her shoes coming in contact with the floor calmed George. But he hated how the tile immediately went back in place, leaving George without a view of her, or means of communication.

The placid feeling faded when George completed the obstacle and opened the door to the next and final obstacle.

He felt isolated, alone, almost scared. He trusted Jane to be able to find Eliza and get out of this haunted house. But a sense of doubt filled his mind.

What if Eliza begins to like Jane more? What if Eliza really was in danger and sending Jane alone only put Jane in danger too?

George shook his head and slammed the door to the next obstacle, he inhaled and exhaled and remembered Jane's words.

George could hardly remember the obstacle when he completed it, but now without Jane he felt as if he was the only person on the planet.

He had checked his phone for a call or text from his girlfriend or friend, radio silence.

George should have never agreed to this. Now he was alone without anyone to turn to. He wanted Eliza, he wanted to peacefully die after a whole bag of candy on Eliza's bed while she played a new indie horror game on her computer. Then he would be driven home in her limo, Eliza's gloved hands playing with his hair, and he'd die again to her touch.

But that wouldn’t happen. Miss Eliza would see how much of a coward he was and leave him in this haunted house. When they were younger she'd dream of a princess in a castle and a knight on the white horse would marry her and live happily ever after. But now, twelve years old, what does she have? A cowardly lion.

As he walked into the hallway with a million doors looking for the next obstacle, a Haru shaped shadow casted upon the wall. The shadow was holding a pile of candy in its arms, George wanted to turn back and run in fear, but as he got closer, he realized who it was.

Jane held candy in her arms as her eyes widened upon seeing George. “George!”

“Jane!”

“I told you, you'd know where to find me!”

“B-But how?”

“While I was looking for Eliza under the tiles, I found a door that lead to the next obstacle, and next thing you knew I found all this candy!”

Jane readied her feet to run towards George, but she floated when a hand grabbed her by the collar and walked off angrily.

George let out a gasp. Did Jane just get kidnapped? Where were they taking her? Was this because him and Jane split up? Was she going to be okay? WAS MISS ELIZA OKAY?!

George gritted his teeth as his heart swelled, he got on all fours and ran in the direction he saw the stranger walk off. Adrenaline pumped in his brain to his blood stream to quicken his speed. George finally spotted the older figure holding Jane by the back of her collar, then another figure came forward holding Eliza as well.

George could hardly think when he let out a lion's roar to make his presence known, he ran and ran until his teeth came into contact with the ankle of the person who snatched Jane.

Out of reflex, he let go of Jane and she landed on her feet unharmed, but the adrenaline in George's blood stream did not evaporate.

“George, you brave lion, you saved me!” Jane wrapped her arms around George in gratitude.

“Hi, George and Jane!” Eliza happily waved at her Haru and lion, acting as if she wasn't being held by the hem of her dress.

“Ow, you brat, why'd you bite me?!” The older teen complained, examining the bite.

“Serves you right, you tried to kidnap me!”

“I didn't kidnap you! You and your friends have been messing with this haunted house! We busted our butts planning this haunted house since August! You know how much I could have done with my final month of summer?!”

“Well, it seems you do not know how to make good choices.” George rolled his eyes.

The older teen gave an irritated sigh, “Your Haru has been stealing all the candy from the ‘take one’ stands we have! Can she even read?! Not only that, but you two ruined the first obstacle! You have any idea how hard it was to get those things to swing, my friend didn't break his leg trying to put those up there just for two kids to mess them up!”

The older teen holding Eliza chimed in, “And I found this doll bothering the actors, cheated at one of the obstacles, AND stealing all the candy. What you got to say for yourself?”

Eliza laughed like a witch, her fingers covering her mouth.

The two employees only gave a sigh.

The trio was excorted out, Eliza left with a large smile with her arms around Jane and George. “All three of you are banned! I better not see ANY of you toads again, you understand?! I'll call the cops!” And with that, the door was slammed in their face.

The trio had no choice but to walk to Eliza's house, George felt ashamed, feeling as if the ban was his fault.

When they got to Eliza's home, they relaxed on her bed. Jane was far too tired from the haunted house and passed out on Eliza's bed the moment her costume was off. Eliza patted her head, “Awww, she looks like a cat when she's sleeping, almost like her boyfriend. What was his name? Tony of the Junior Forest Scouts? He doesn't have bad taste…”

George smiled as well, but he shifted the conversation. “Yes. Miss Eliza, um, I wanted to apologize for the haunted house…I shouldn't have bitten that teenager, we probably wouldn't be banned-”

“No no, we would've gotten banned either way. Besides, I'm not mad about getting banned.”

“What ever do you mean?”

“George, that was the best Halloween I've had in years! I should be the one apologizing, I shouldn't have ran off like that. Oh, you and Jane must have been worried sick, see, I scared her sleepy! Poor Jane, I'll make it up to her, and you.”

“We are not upset, we had a bit of fun actually, um…Going through those obstacles together…But I'm also sorry for another thing, being such a cowardly lion…Goodness I'm surprised I didn't run off screaming seeing Jane's shadow, guess I'm a coward like that lion…You don't deserve a cowardly lion, Miss Eliza, you deserve a brave knight like in your fairytales with a white horse and a big sword who fearlessly slays the dragon, and-”

Eliza silenced George by kissing him on the cheek. “George, I’ve never been happier when I'm with you. Whatever do you mean? When you were taking off your costume, Jane couldn't stop telling me how brave you were. She told me how you ran through those axes, how you helped her with those patterns and how you were able to get through those obstacles yourself. Especially how you saved her from that brute employee, I'm impressed.”

Eliza caresses George's face, the lavender scent of her gloves making George fall in a sleepier state.

“I don't need a brave knight, I've already got my George. My brave lion who risked everything for all the trouble I put him through…You went through all that just to find me, whatever can I ask for? I don't need anything else when I have the best boyfriend and friend I could ask for…So please, never think you're a coward or that I don't deserve you.”

George's heart floated and busted, he didn't know what else to say. His worries melted the longer Eliza held him.

“I guess Jane's not the only one I scared sleepy…No wonder you spoke such nonsense about yourself, you're tired.”

As much as George tried fighting it, he couldn't fight the relaxing feeling of Eliza laying him on her chest. Even making room on her lap for Jane so she's not left out.

The last thing George remembered was Eliza kissed his forehead and the sweet scent of candy between her teeth.

[akwolfgrl]

LFT 33

Zoro managed to escape mopping duty. It wasn't really his fault that he was recognized. Then again, he had carved out a rather interesting hole in the east blue for himself. Even was featured in the papers. But who would have thought that the women who looked eerily like Kuina would be a marine, let alone a sergeant major and a swordsman on top of it all. The more he had watched her, the more she reminded him of his childhood friend/rival. It was best if he never saw her again, what with him being a pirate and everything. He headed back to the swordsmith; he might just have to setal for something cheap until he could pick up something better. He left the women a note and some money to get glasses, so his conscious was clear.

Zoro headed straight for the front counter. The shopkeep snoozed away, his head resting in his hand as he snored. A good nap sound great, a chance to lay out on the deck bascing in the sun's warmth a gentle breeze keeping him overhearing, the lap of the waves againt the ship rocking him to blissful slumber. Well, until curly woke him up for a fight or food. The man had a fat red nose, his eye borws grew in his black hair, witch stock out from the side of his head.

“I'd like to pick up some swords,” Zoro spoke startling the drolling man awake.

“Of course, of course, welcome!” The now awake man hollered at him in a poor attempt to seem aware of his sworndings. “have a look around! We have an extremely large and excalint verity to select from,”

“I've got 100,000 belli for two swords. Can you do that?” Zoro asked slamming the money on the conter.

“Two swords for 100,000?” The man looked disguted and disappointed by Zoros lack of funds. The man lost any interest in pretending to be interested in customer service as he proped his head back on his hand slumping down. “For 50,000 a piece I can only give you two dull blades,”

“I can make do with whatever, I just don't have the money right now,” He was sure Sanji had somthing to sharpen blades with. He didn't have his kit anymore it was taken from him along with his blade back in shells town. Anything would do for now. He didn't have the funds for it as well. The man huffed anyoned with him but when caught a glance at his sword he perked up.

“Now hold on a sceoned! I wana take a look at that blade ya got thire, just for a second! Is that ok with you…pal?” the guy was being weird and scrimy but Zoeo was curious what had drawn the man's attention to his sword? “Let me see it!” He made grabby hands as he demanded Zoros sword.

“Yah whatever,” Zoro bought the sword up and over counter into the man's waiting hands. Zoro wasn't afired of the guy, he was scrawny and week looking. Zoro could take him without his sword.

Zoro watched as the man unshead his sword, his eyes practically bulging out of his face.

“Wow that's a pretty nice sword ya got here,” the man finally spoke after hyperventilating for a bit. “Wana sell it? I'll give you 200,000 bellis for it. It would give you 300,000 witch shuld get you some pretty nice swords. At 100,000 a piece to buy three sword you like here,” the man had the audacity to offer for Kuinas sword.

“What are you kidding, me?” Zoro would never sell that sword. He was glad that of the swords that Mihawk destroyed that one of them was not the one in the guys hands.

“All right, I'll give 250,000 no wait, 300,000, 500,000! That's my final offer that's as high as I'll go!” The man was particularly foaming at the mouth desperate to buy his sword.

“Just stop it, I'm not selling its my sword,” Zoro told the guy who wasn't takeing no for answer.

“No! I won't let it go! How about 650,000 bellis!” The man screamed at him. “OK fine I gave up! How about 800,000!!” The man was a terrible negotiator. Before Zoro once again told the guy no the sound of footsteps came rushing into the shop

[redux-iterum]

About the last chapter- I enjoy that their secret isn’t something entirely hidden. With how brazenly open they were about it in the books it’s ridiculous to think only two cats knew about it.

I’m enjoying that a lot of cats are already looking at the couple somewhat suspiciously with two (maybe three with Privetclaw) knowing exactly what’s going on. I’m hoping it isn’t a “oh my goodness how could this happen” reaction when everything comes out, but a “oh… so it was happening” type of reaction. Less so surprise and moreso disappointment I guess.

And now onto a question, when did it become a rule to not couple with a cat from another Clan? I can’t imagine it was a rule from the beginning and more of a gradual rule that forms as history goes on.

Thank you for the kind words! The sneakiness and subtlety of the books leaves a lot to be desired in many respects, especially with GreySilver. I'm glad you like how we did it here!

As for your question: originally the Clans were very open - visitors could come and go as they pleased, cats jumped from one colony to another, and no one thought of relationships between Clans as a big deal. When the code got properly written and introduced to the territories as a result of fights between neighbors (see the lower third of that linked post), it started as a form of protection for young cats that gradually grew into a form of protection for everyone of every age. Over time, loyalty to your community became increasingly important; you needed to decide where you wanted to live and stick with them, because you needed to help keep your friends and family safe. As a result, the code's first section was arranged to be about loyalty (despite its contents not being the original beginnings of the law). Cats stopped swinging between Clans, picking one or the other and staying there for good.

As you can expect, the attitudes of the Clans changed over time, becoming more insular in their territories and customs. Warriors began to side-eye their neighbors, even though fraternizing was still going on and there were still friends and mates to be had across borders. With kits being born and expected to stay in their homes, they became a bit more of a commodity, as did their mothers (not that they weren't valuable before, but now it was for a different reason than the desire to protect innocent lives). When litters were born that had a father in a different Clan, arguments would rise over who had the right to those kittens, and it wasn't uncommon for things to escalate into a fight. It took some lives being lost for the Clans to set down a law that the mother's Clan had claim on her and her children by default.

That worked for a while, but Clans are prouder and stupider than they think they are, so fights continued to break out, whether it was over the father demanding his family come to him or the kits being curious about the other half of their heritage and giving in to the temptation to leave once they grew a little. Demands for litters kept happening, even with the mother-law in place. Culture was affected too: the Clans' members now scorned a molly who had an outsider father because she had just given that other Clan reason to come over and start some shit, and for pete's sake, there's plenty of fine toms in this Clan that won't cause issues over their family, what is wrong with you?

A law was finally put into place forbidding romantic relations across borders at all. No outsider fathers, whether loner, warrior or kittypet. You have your Clan to choose from, and that's plenty. Enough was enough, and as the leaders reflected, it really should've been written earlier. So much trouble would have been prevented.

Of course, as has been stated many times on this blog, the outsider law does have a loophole that was introduced as a later point to allow fresh genetic lines to come into the Clans and prevent a shitload of inbreeding. That loophole is that a queen does not have to tell anyone who the father of her litter is. In the case of non-Clan outsiders, no one really cares enough to press a queen on if her baby daddy is a loner or not, because that loner is unlikely to try and come after his children. However, as the Clans have evolved to look very differently from each other, it's extremely easy to tell when a kit is half of another Clan, and that is concrete proof of breaking the laws of loyalty, which has only become more and more taboo over time. Maybe there won't be a fight, but maybe there will. Clans can get pretty greedy when times are tough.

[yuridovewing]

Realizing I forgot to mention bluethrush on the bluestar shipping post and people mentioning that its so sweet and deserves to be up there too…. man i’m so sorry i. do not agree djdjdjdjjfjfrjf

Not because it’s toxic or weird or anything, I like it just fine in canon as a crush on Thrushpelt’s part. It’s fine it’s sweet I love him and his bond with the kits. But I don’t want Bluestar to return his feelings. And I feel like the ship discussion is sorta like “Aw they’d be so sweet, Bluefur should have chosen him because he’s so nice!!” and. I’m sorry but I personally feel uncomfortable with the rhetoric that if someone likes you, you HAVE to give them a chance and it’s disappointing, or even cruel to not do that. That’s unfair to both parties, Bluefur would have just felt uncomfortable and Thrushpelt would feel that he was just settled for. Bluefur didn’t owe him anything. She liked him as a friend, she loved someone else, and he respected that and went the extra mile to help protect her, because he respects her. I think that’s perfectly fine on its own.

[hinatastinygiant]

3 | Scarlet

Pairing: Itadori x Fem!Reader

The Encounter

FLASHBACK ~ SEVERAL HOURS EARLIER

On your way to finding the campgrounds, the four of you find yourselves in a small convenience store on the edge of the woods. It's a small place, but its shelves are stocked with a good variety of snacks, drinks, and camping essentials. 

You navigate the aisles with Fushiguro, grabbing a few things you'll need for your trip. Energy bars, bottled water, and a bag of chips fill your arms. Then, you head to the checkout counter where a clerk around the same age as you stands behind the register.

Nobara seizes the opportunity to flirt with the rather attractive cashier. "Hey," she greets him, flashing a smile. "How's it going?"

"Um, it's alright," he answers, sounding a little confused. "Are you guys heading into the woods?"

"Yep! Campsite 17! You been there? Man, it's going to be sooo boring out there but you could make it a lot more interesting..."

While Nobara's working her magic, you and Fushiguro put your stuff down on the counter. You pull out the money you have from your pocket, counting it and sorting the bills.

Itadori then sets down a package of matches and a first aid kit on the counter.

"Uhh, I've got work..." the cashier then answers Nobara.

"Oh... bummer. Well if you change your mind I'll be around the campsite," she then winks at him.

"Yeah... okay..."

You then pay for the snacks and gear and then make your way out of the shop. Nobara sighs, looking disappointed.

"Don't worry," Itadori says, patting her on the shoulder. "We'll find you a new target soon!"

You look over at him and roll your eyes. "Why do you have to say it like that?"

"Like what?!"

PRESENT TIME ~ FUSHIGURO'S P.O.V.

Nobara and I go to the same convenience store from earlier today. The familiar surroundings meet us, with shelves neatly stocked and overhead lights casting their artificial glow. Nobara moves fast, snatching the first bar of chocolate she can find for our evening s'mores.

With her prize in hand, she rushes to the checkout counter, and there he is, the same cashier from earlier, still at his post. His eyes widen slightly when he sees Nobara approaching, a hint of recognition mixed with a touch of resignation in his expression. I can almost hear his internal groan.

"Hi there," Nobara says, leaning her elbows on the counter and grinning up at him.

"Oh, it's you again." He sounds less than thrilled, but there's a slight pinkness to his cheeks.

"Yep, it's me!" she answers, oblivious. "Sooo, did you change your mind?"

"I'm working," he answers quickly.

"I can wait," she insists.

"Nobara, leave the poor guy alone. Just pay for the damn chocolate so we can go."

"I'm trying to get a date," she hisses back.

"I don't care," I whisper. "Just buy the stupid candy."

"Fine," she grumbles, tossing the chocolate bar on the counter.

The cashier sighs as he rings it up. "That'll be 500 yen."

She hands over the money, and then the two of us start making our way back to the campground.

When we return to the campsite, I notice Itadori zipping up our tent. His hair is a bit messy, like he was just napping in there. But then I notice that Y/N's wearing his sweatshirt. Oh, he must've gone in and given it to her and then took a nap.

Nobara then calls out to me from the campfire where Y/N is. "Hey, can the two of you go grab some more firewood from the trunk?!"

"Sure thing," I answer.

Itadori and I make our way to the car, popping open the trunk. There's a pile of firewood already in the back. I start loading my arms up with as much as I can carry, but Itadori stops me.

"You think we need all that?" he asks.

"It's better to have too much than too little," I answer.

"Yeah, but it's not like we're using the fire to keep warm. I mean, it's pretty nice out," he shrugs.

"Is it? I think Y/N looks a bit cold," I note.

Itadori turns, his eyes scanning Y/N for a second. "She's got a hoodie on," he points out as if he hadn't noticed.

"Yeah, yours," I point out, closing the trunk and walking back over to the campfire.

Itadori follows closely behind me, the two of us returning with a reasonable amount of firewood.

Nobara starts the fire with one of the matches. We all then sit in a circle around the flames, roasting the marshmallows on the end of the sticks.

"This is fun, right?" Itadori says with a grin, holding a perfectly golden-brown roasted marshmallow in the air. "Now we just need a spooky story to complete the experience!"

"No," Y/N and I immediately answer.

"Fine," he sighs, looking a little disappointed.

Nobara laughs. "Why do you two hate horror movies so much?"

"Because they're dumb," Y/N and I reply once again in unison.

"Okay, okay. No horror stories, I get it," Itadori then says, his attention turning to the other side of the campfire. "How about that shitty weather we're supposed to get then?"

"My phone said it'll rain all day tomorrow," I confirm.

"Well, that's no fun," Nobara frowns.

"I'd take rain over a curse any day of the week," Itadori chimes in with a nod.

"Me too," I agree.

"So you promise there really is no curse then..." Itadori continues.

"We've only told you that like fifty times," Y/N rolls her eyes.

"Well, yeah but-"

"It almost seems like you kind of do want there to be a curse here," she cuts him off.

"I mean... I guess it would make for a fun story," he admits, laughing.

"A fun story? You really have no survival instincts, do you?" Y/N shakes her head.

"Hey! I have survival instincts!"

"Really?" Y/N challenges, crossing her arms. "Cause you're pretty quick to rush into battle without thinking about the consequences."

"Oh, come on, I'm not that bad."

Nobara rolls her eyes and interjects. "Will you two stop bickering like an old married couple and let the rest of us enjoy this lovely evening?"

Itadori and Y/N both freeze in place.

"W-we're not..." Y/N sputters, looking at Nobara. "Don't say it like that."

"Whatever!" Nobara laughs, clearly amused by their reaction.

Itadori clears his throat. "It's getting late," he then announces. "Maybe we should call it a night."

"I agree. We can let the rain put the fire out. Let's go to bed," I agree, getting up and dusting off my pants.

Y/N and Nobara stand as well, the four of us saying goodnight and making our way to our tents.

Once I'm inside, I start changing into my pajamas and decide to question Itadori again about the weird Y/N wearing his hoodie situation.

"So, why'd you let Y/N wear your hoodie?" I ask.

"Huh? Oh, it's nothing, really. I just didn't want her to get cold, that's all."

"But you said it wasn't cold... and it's not like she didn't have other options."

"Geez, Fushiguro, why do you keep bringing it up?" Itadori laughs awkwardly, scratching the back of his neck. "It was just a nice thing I did, that's all."

"Alright," I say with a sigh, dropping the subject. "Fine. Let's just go to bed."

The Encounter

Taglist: @liyahsocorro @Bandit6199 @little-aruma

[crystalelemental]

Unit Viability Speculation - December 2022

Boy, I sure hate Greninja.  If there’s one Pokemon I can’t stand even more than Charizard, it’s Greninja.  I sure hope there are no Greninjas in this update.

*checks Twitter*

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

I can’t believe they made two of them.  At the same time!  And they’re both Master Fair, are you serious?  Ugh.  Barf.  I hate them.  Which is a pity, because Serena’s outfit is one of the best in the game.  She’s so pretty, I’d kill for that, but...Greninja.

I will say outright, I had reservations.  These are the first master fair units since 5/5 grids dropped.  But you will be delighted or disappointed to know, Master Fairs do not get 5/5 grids.  Yet.  So Serena and Calem only need 3/5 for max performance.

Champion Serena Serena is a Water and/or Dark Tech, specializing in multi-hit Water Shuriken and defense debuffs.  She seems honestly fine?  The only benefit she has over other Water-type damage dealers is a Rebuff, but so does Hilbert, so I guess they just really want Water content dead.  The big draw, at least on my end, is Dark.  Dark is a fairly rare offensive typing in my book, and this does cover that option fairly nicely.  But to be frank, Serena feels like a problem.  Her self-setup caps crit, but does not cap either offense.  She needs offensive support, and is a Master Fair, meaning you ideally want that to come from your own region.  Which means Calem, since she also kinda wants both offenses so her Buddy move works well.  The big money is just in debuffs.  Unfortunate Strike 9 means she hits a target for -5 in one Water Shuriken, does it again for -10, then gets -2 to both defenses on Buddy move and another -1, for -15 in one cycle.  That’s pretty good.  Her Dark form also has Staggering and Discombobulate, which...sure.  It’s worth noting, transformation occurs prior to damage being dealt, so you’re always with the preferred passives in either type.

That said, her grid seems like shit.  I can’t find too much that’s exciting about it.  Double Power Play, and Furious Brain, are about the only useful tiles.  Everything else feels like fluff.  I think Champion Serena will be good, because Master Fair with tremendous 1/5 debuffing kit, but I feel like this is a notable step down from the third year anniversary power level.  Thank god.  I hated the rats.  But Serena’s great.  It feels like just the right level of power.  Shame about Greninja.

Champion Calem Calem gets hit with the Support bat, welcome to Aura Cynthia status my dude.  Look at this dude trying to push into SS Kris’ territory.  His Buddy move can set Dark Zone or Rain, depending on its own type, and gives 2 stacks of physical (Dark) or special (Water) moves up next.  Calem’s similarly focused on Water Shuriken, but instead of max hits every time, he gets a 30% chance to restore some of his own HP per hit.  His trainer move is 1 use, and doesn’t cap anything.  Calem doesn’t seem so good at base.

Grid slaps.  Umbral Healing 9 is great.  Giving the entire team Endure on entry is bonkers.  Guaranteed Triple is at least getting decent consistency from his multistrike move.  Group Fortification seems fun, if you get evasion running.  Crit Squad at least caps crit.  There are legitimately great things here.

But.  Master Fairs tend to differ from PokeFairs in their 1/5 sufficiency.  They tend to have everything they need in their base performance.  SS Kris does this.  While speed can be a concern, her main role of Rain and capping special attack/crit for a team is all there in the base 1/5 kit.  Calem does not do this.  Calem feels hard required to take 3/5.  His consistent healing is 3/5.  His useful buffing is 3/5.  Capping any stat is 3/5.  He’s a Master Fair that’s demanding of move levels, and that feels...not ideal to me.  Of the two, I think Calem has overall more utility because of the field effect setting, but Serena’s more budget friendly given all of her best tools, barring one multiplier, exist at 1/5.

Lodge Serena Serena’s also our lodge unit!  Yay?  She comes with Fletchling.  Cute.  It’s a Flying Tech.  Sure.  Peck, Dire Hit+, Flame Charge, Trainer move gives +2 attack, +1 evasion, and Reflect for some reason.  Neato.  What’s really, endlessly funny to me is Overwhelm 9 and Trip Up 9.  She’s a debuffer.  Okay.  Oh I’m sorry, a debuffer with Staggering 2.  Sure.  Okay.

Grid got Unfortuitous 4, Slippery 1, 50% burn when she hits a foe for Gauntlet shenanigans, Fast Track 9 on Flame Charge, and...Cakewalk.  Ugh.  UGH.

She’s fine.  Like every other offensive Lodge unit, needs offensive support, but I think in this case, optimal play is something like Hop.  Just get rid of the trainer moves, and spam Flame Charge.  Guaranteed max speed and -3 speed on the foe for sync purposes.  Seems easy enough.  Though admittedly, I kinda like this less than Kahili and Winona.

Winter Whitney Good lord, what is happening over there?

Okay, let me start with some stuff.  Headbutt with Aggravation 1.  Great.  Already useful.  Horn Leech.  Chad Sycamore 2.0?  She has the speed and offensive stats to back it, but there’s more.  Move Gauge Boost.  Now, before you groan.  Hear me out.  Trainer move.  Crit Defense, Move Gauge Acceleration.  But.  Depending on the remaining PP on Move Gauge Boost?  Field Effect.  If 2, Grassy Terrain.  If 1, Psychic.  If 0, Electric.  Friends.  Whitney’s healing is through the roof.  Not only is this Chad Sycamore 2.0 with better offensive stats, it’s got inherent Terrain.  And blocks crits.  I...love this.  Oh but it gets funnier.  Her passives work with different terrain.  So in Grassy, it lowers the defense of all foes, then boosts the defense of all allies.  Yeah.  Defense debuffs and Terrain with a healing move.  I won’t even be mad if they don’t give her Master Healer, I don’t think she needs it.  Under Psychic Terrain, it’s special defense, so welcome another support to Giovanni.  And under Electric, it’s speed, so like...alright.  Sure.

Grid gets Mad Strength 9.  ...do...do I need to keep going?  She gets this shit at 2/5, man.  Empowering Overgrowth 3 for more damage under Grassy Terrain.  Sure girl.  Whatever you want.  Terrain Sync and Interference Sync 9.  That’s really good, but she is a Normal type, so...you know.  Flabbergast with Mind Boggler.  This is so unnecessary why are you like this?  Shock Recovery.  Can’t get your Grassy Terrain anymore?  How about another stack of passive recovery, on the house?  SYNC BURST?!  SHE GOT SYNC BURST ARE YOU SERIOUS?!  Okay, hold on.  ...okay.  Okay there’s the limitation.  She doesn’t get natural MPR on her trainer move.  Got it.  For a second, I thought she was the best unit in the game.

Whitney’s good.  Whitney might be real good.  A lot of this comes at 1/5.  The only thing 3/5 really does for her is her sync nuke, and Aggravation, which you’re probably not going for that often with Horn Leech around.  The core of her build?  The terrain and debuffs?  That’s natural.  She’s a sustain tank like Sycamore, but the offensive partner.  I kinda love it.  This is justice for Whitney.

Winter Jasmine I can’t believe they actually gave me the Jasmine I wanted.  She’s a support with Mega Ampharos.  No Electric Terrain, sadly, but like...it’s fine, I can flex with it.  Why?

Death to Classic Red.  About a year and a third ago, Classic Red came out, and people were mixed on the response.  On the one hand, Supereffective Up Next, applicable to a unit for sync nuking purposes.  That’s neat!  On the other, very little that he did was impressive outside of that.  We’ve since gotten to enjoy the concept of fast-ramping, so he’s still useful, but now there is another.  Jasmine can apply Supereffective Up Next.  Delightful.  She also has Potion, so that’s great.  Thundershock is the one-bar spam.  Trainer move...is Jasmine’s problem.  It buffs defenses of a target by 3.  A target.  Singular.  She does not buff the team all at once.  This...bugs me.  Her passives salvage a bit.  Endurance is nice, and she buffs team crit when she uses a trainer move, so that’s helpful.  She also buffs her own defenses by 1 when using a trainer move.  So that’s the plan.  She buffs an ally’s defenses to cap, then gets +1 to herself as well.  It’s not a terrible plan, except that her baseline defenses aren’t ideal until she mega evolves.  They’re not bad, but they’re kinda...Halloween Caitlin, if that helps categorize.  This is doubled to +2 per use when mega evolving, so in an odd twist, I kinda feel like Jasmine wants to save her buffing for after mega evolution.  Never thought I’d see the day.  It also replaces Endurance with gradual healing, so that’s nice.

Grid’s a mixed bag.  Thundershock gets Hostile Environment 2, but this is a fakeout because she has Static Cling 9 to paralyze regardless.  Team Shout 4 is big money.  When she takes hits, she can buff offenses for the team.  Unfortunately...SS Blue.  I don’t think I need to explain beyond that?  Like, if you want a defensive supporter that boosts offenses, SS Blue has Team Shout 9.  She gets Team Entry skills for attack or special attack, but it’s only +1, so not saving anything.  Double Potion MPR is great, and I like that her trainer move can also give stacks of physical or special moves up next.  That’s a niche.

On the whole...she’s fine.  I don’t think she’s exceptional.  I’m kinda bummed she’s not the Electric Terrain support we’ve been waiting for.  But she’s good and I like my defensive supports.  Just pair her with someone who can cap their offensive stats reliably, and you’ll be fine.

Fantina Grid Yes sir, I like it.  Mind Games 4, Smarty-Pants, Super Preparation 9, Sharp Entry to remove the need for MPR.  It’s good!  I like it a lot.  She does need help though.  Still not a self-sufficient buffer.  Still not a consistent debuffer.  But most importantly...she’s more consistent about her supereffective up next sync than Anni Lillie.  *sigh*

SS Leaf Grid Bad.  I’m sorry, it’s bad!  It’s bad.  Toxic Power 1?  On a PokeFair?  Seriously?  Toxic Freebie is something, I’ll definitely take it, but what is this Venomous 2 shit?  Just give me Venomous 4!  Make it guaranteed at base, then keep the 50% chance when mega evolved!  You don’t have to be like this!  Pinpoint Entry, Noxious Hit debuffing offensive stats, and Power Play are all solid.  Noxious Hit in particular is great for stall cores, effectively compressing the Toxic, offense debuffing, and healing into one role.  But, she got no additional support for healing.  And these nodes are full cost.  I’d have to see layout, but I’m willing to bet SS Leaf runs into energy problems out the ass.  I don’t like it.

Marnie Grid Solid.  Does what she wants.  High paralysis rate, buffs team speed per hit, buffs crit rate per hit, debuffs Atk/Def of a paralyzed foe per hit.  Very useful.

Common Grid War Act 13 Surge, Janine, and Agatha.  What’s good, you three?

Surge got Trip Up, Hostile Environment 3, Static Shock 3, Charging Infliction 1 on Eerie Impulse, Devastation, and Pep Rally on X Speed.  Oh, and Sharp Entry, for whatever that’s worth.  It’s fine?  Can’t complain.

Janine the stall queen, what is good girl?  Hostile Environment 5, and Hostile Environment 3, that is comedic.  Discombobulate is hilarious for a stall unit, just potentially dodge shit.  Venom Drench MGR4 is beautiful.  Safety Tether and Hit and Heal is hilarious.  Pep Rally is amazing.  But you may notice.  No sync multipliers.  Crit Strike 1, I guess, but come on.  Janine remains the stall queen.  Little else exists for her.  Which...is sad given how rough stall has been for the game lately.

Agatha does not have Troublemaker on grid.  I need to get that out of the way now.  She gets accuracy +10 and Pinpoint Entry, but don’t.  80% is too inconsistent.  Healthy Healing is fine.  On a Roll 1 and 2 is...sure a thing.  That’s like an 80% shot, right?  Into Brainteaser, not bad at all.  Lick Hostile Environment is nice.  Ramming Speed is nice given she instant caps.  First Aid 4 is cute, but HP Tradeoff 5 is hysterical.  Ramp Up on trainer move is something.  Rude Awakening 5, which you may as well given it’s the natural multiplier.  It’s solid!  I think she’s good, but I also think she’s a little bit of a mess?  Lick goes away on mega evolution, so sure hope you weren’t using her for damage purposes if she’s paralyzing.  They gave some decent move damage modifiers, and a great special defense debuffing rate, which I think is her new niche.  Sync doesn’t seem all that special, and is hard to set up with sleep.  But they didn’t perfectly lock in Hypnosis accuracy, which is funny because they did for Ramos’ Sleep Powder.  Not sure how much I love it yet, but she sure is interesting. 

[literatehiss]

Day 21 - Farm

Day 21 of DeerCon24 Saga and Logan go to visit the Anderson Brothers Read on AO3 here

Saga hesitated before turning off the engine to her car. The farm outside was partially derelict, the Anderson brothers not having been able to keep up with the upkeep for many years. 

Her mother had been born here, grown up here, had left here—never to return. 

Saga wondered if her mother had ever wanted to come home, if she had missed this farm as it had been in its heyday. 

A smaller hand reached out to her own. Saga turned to look over at Logan. 

“You ok, Mom?”

“Yeah, I’m alright. Just nervous.”

“You have met these guys before, right?”

“Yes, they are great guys; they helped me when I was here with work. Tor and Odin were lovely, and I’m sure they will love you. They were very excited to hear that you were coming with me.”

Logan fiddled with the end of her sleeves. She always had needed something in her hands to fidget with—Saga was the same, currently fiddling with one of the puppets she had found during her investigation. 

“That's good… I’m nervous too. I’m nervous that even though they are excited, that they will be disappointed by me? Like they seem so cool from what you’ve said.”

Saga nudged her daughter with her shoulder.

“You are so cool, don’t worry about it.”

“So what are you nervous about?”

“Well… They can be very eccentric, and I’m worried they might be a bit much for you. And I’m worried that they will over exert themselves; they aren't the young men that they sometimes think they still are. I guess I’m worried more about things that could go wrong or how any of us could be hurt. I worry too much I suppose. 

“That’s what dad says.”

“Oh, does he now?”

Logan skipped out of the car with a mischievous giggle, just in time for them both to hear the greetings shouted from the porch of the Anderson’s farm house. The brothers both had a hand raised and, Odin at least, had a smile on his face. Her grandfather, she had noticed, was considerably grumpier than his brother, though no less loving. 

Saga smiled and followed after Logan, who ran up to the two elders before her shyness returned, and she ducked back to hide behind Saga. 

“Saga! It is good to see you, my dear. And is that our dear Logan behind you?”

“Hello Odin, it is good to see you too, and you, Tor. A sudden case of nerves, I think.” Saga pushed Logan a little forward, and it was Tor who reached out to pull the girl into a hug. 

“Well, look at you! Another fine warrior for the Anderson line, just like your mother, I bet.” 

“Oh, I dunno. I’m not as cool as Mom. I like art, like drawing and stuff.”

The brothers looked between themselves.

“You like music, Logan?” Odin asked.

The girl in question flushed a little red, embarrassed, “Yeah, I like singing a bit.”

Saga sighed as Odin let out a smug whoop. 

“Oh well, no one is perfect, I suppose,” Tor grumbled, “I’ll show you my old drum kit out in the shed later. I bet you’ll be a natural.”

Saga watched as her grandfather ushered her daughter into the old farm house. The two men immediately falling into their roles as if they had known Logan all her life. 

It was nice; she had always wanted a family like this. 

She looked at the bespectacled cloth doll she had been fiddling with in the car, that was still clutched in her hands. 

She just had one more family member to join them now.

[nightcall99]

Dream from 9.6.24

I was going overseas with my ex (MP), we were going to Europe I think for like a month. We were at the airport and I had checked in all my baggage including what was supposed to be my carry-on bag for some reason. I had nothing on my person. We were just waiting for the flight now and everything was going fine until it came back to me that I had put my passport in the carry-on bag and I was freaking out about it. Would I be able to fly without it? I was walking around the airport trying to see who I could ask for help. If they had time to send someone to look for my bag, I would tell them it's a brown handbag with a purple badge of a pickle on it. At least, it’s easily recognizable. I was panicked, really worried. Wherever I went, every line at the help desks were full and I didn't want to wait. I ended up finding a shorter line for food or something and while I was waiting, I overheard that the same thing had happened to some other lady. The attendant told this lady that they would just ask for her home address (to look up on the computer, in place of a passport) before boarding the plane and it would be fine. My spirits lifted but I didn't want to assume that it would be the case for me, so I stayed in line to get my own answer. I ended up peering over into an office stall and asking a lady who was not even serving but thankfully she was nice and helped me. I told her what happened. She said, How long ago did you check it in (the carry-on). I said, Around 2 hours ago. Then she said, It’ll be fine they’ll just ask for my address when I check in to board the plane. I felt so relieved.

Then we were just waiting for departure but I was starting to get really annoyed with MP and we kept bickering about stupid stuff. We tried to make up and he piggy-backed me through a busy part of the airport but because he was so tall, I felt as if I stuck out like a sore thumb which made uncomfortable, like everyone was staring so I got down. Then I needed to use the toilet and he lead us outside to a toilet that looked like it was formerly a horse stable. There was sand everywhere and it was dark. I felt so uncomfortable. How can I go to the toilet here? And I heard the sounds of someone lurking and I couldn’t see who it was, I felt unsafe. The toilets didn’t seem clean and they were leaking water. I didn’t even end up using them, despite wanting to, but he did. Afterwards, I expressed my irritation and disappointment. I said, You don't even try to look after me properly, why would you think I would be happy to even enter a bathroom that looks like that? It's not even safe. Didn't you even think of me? Initially he didn't say anything and sort of ignored me but then we ended up fighting for ages. I suddenly realised going on holiday with him was a big mistake. I felt really heated and I was starting to see red but I tried to keep it under wraps since it was too late to back out. I knew I could control the situation, I could make things back to how they were before we were fighting.

Then It was time to board the plane and when I told lady I didn't have my passport, she seemed to remember me from when I had checked in all my baggage and she said, What about the welcome kit I gave you, I hardly think it would have fit into that bag you had. I was confused. Why was she asking me about this other thing? And of course it would have. The kit (which was a clear case with random shit in it) wasn't that big and would have easily fit in that bag I had. I think she was trying to say that she was disappointed I'd lost that too, in addition to my passport and so I said, I’m sorry but I thought I had it. Then she said, Okay, I’ll give you another welcome kit. I knew she was just doing it to look good in front of everyone but I was grateful anyhow. It was all systems go with getting on the plane it seemed. Then as I was sitting there I realised I had my period. I thought it had stopped already or was on its last days with just a bit of spotting but I realised it had became heavy again. I hadn't packed any pads. I was really worried about surviving the plane ride with what was probably only one pad left. Ideally I would have those overnight pads with me. I looked in my bag. Oh. My brown bag was in my arms, like somehow it appeared as if it had never gone anywhere in the first place. I checked inside and there were 2 super pads and 1 regular pad which would be enough. Surely, it'd last me a 18-20 hour flight. It'd be just enough (I think).

[skyfcx]

     Oh~, there is an extra light of life flaring behind the fox's eyes. Amy appears with frozen deliciousness, and hands are ansty to grab ahold of the one that was seconds from belonging to him! Namesakes couldn't still themselves if his life depended on it-- legs kicked with a small childish giddiness, gratitude voiced swiftly, "Thank you, Amy!" all so he could get to eating even faster!

     By Gaia, and what a bite it was! There were delighted bouts of laughter laced in between his delighted humming and hawing. "The peanuts are really good, Amy! Ooh, but the chocolate chips don't drown out the banana taste, either! And c'mon, you already know peanut butter can't be beat! So sweet... so tasty~!"

     Yeah, it was decided. Everything was gonna be just fine between them. Now he just needed to focus on not making a mess so Amy didn't have to kill him for ruining her couch. The saucer is politely eaten over, he hasn't forgotten his manners.

     Now... Magic talk! Lips are licked free of any remaining chocolate chips, body turning to focus on Amy's every word!

     ...And, pardon the pun, but there's certainly a bit of magic dispelled in the young fox's face. Instantly, it's as though he was being told that Santa Claus didn't exist. Her preface warned of slight ineptitudes, but, like... come on now. Surely that was false, right? Amy was the greatest! There wasn't anything she couldn't do! She's smart, strong, wise, and extremely dedicated to her craft! Why, look at this popsicle! If anything, this popsicle was proof that magic was real! He takes another bite... so good.

     Oh, and... she was the kit's only real touchstone for the concept of magic whatsoever. So his views were perhaps a wee bit skewed. There was no disappointment in the fact that she wasn't a master mage who was privy to all of the world's secrets, it was just a bit of shock is all. ...But he nodded all the same. Slowly... and with a hint of skepticism, thinking that Amy was just doing her special technique of underselling her own greatness again... but he'd take your word for it.

     So too would he hang on her every word. There was an acute focus the fox had gained. Paying attention was putting it lightly. The ears latched onto every phrase, sentence, and syllable in an effort to understand. You could hear the the cogs in his brain going wild, he really wanted to comprehend what this magic stuff was all about. Such should be expected, it's no surprise that he was the studious type.

     "Liberties..." he mumbled back. The mind is hooked on the word liberties. Perhaps the disconnect was there. "With machinery, it's often the quality and grade of parts that you use to build the best device. You have to know what goes where and what to pick depending on what application your machine was being made for, of course, but... each part had a defined purpose. There's not much deliberation to be had over it."

     Now, you could debate which part was best for which creation— that's where differences were made. Everything had its pros and cons, after all. It wasn't just about buying the most expensive gear. But the intention of your port pulse thrusters? You knew what they were for, that's why you got them.

     Intention versus raw application. It seemed there was far more heart behind magic. —Ah, a fox nodded deeply. Now he understood. That's why Amy was so good at the stuff. There wasn't a soul on the planet with more heart than her.

     ...Even if she was easily distracted. Her sudden realization warrants a light chuckle, his Artificial Emerald being brought into view once more.

     "Nah, nah. I've had two of'em! The Fake Emerald is the old model, the Artificial one is the upgrade that I've got here with me right now. I guess it wouldn't hurt to change the names so there's a more obvious separation, huh...? Let's just go with... Mark One for the Fake and Mark Two for the Artificial.

     "Mark One was the emerald I used on the ARK, remember? We were gonna swap it out with its lookalike in the Eclipse Cannon to make the whole thing explode! That's because the design plan of Mark One was to destabilize Chaos Energy with its inversed polarities.

     "Mark One was more of a decoy, I never meant for its main purpose to be a temporary stand-in for a real Chaos Emerald. That was just a by-product of the contained energy it needed to pose believably as the real deal! Whodathunk the thing was capable of proper Chaos techniques? Certainly not me! In fact, I was hoping to eventually find a way to interrupt Super States with the thing!

     "After Perfect Chaos, I was worried the Chaos Emeralds could fall into the wrong hands and we'd be on the receiving end of a Super whooping without a way to defend against it. So I wanted to make sure we had some sort of backup plan in case that ever happened. And it hasn't happened yet, thank goodness... But that was my intent for Mark One.

     "Mark Two, though? This is just my attempt at making an eighth Chaos Emerald." It's tossed and caught with a quick flick of the wrist~. "It's always handy to have an emerald, so I wanted to ensure that we had one no matter what. Plus, their similar energies help with tracking down the real deals. Mark One was just neutral Chaos energy. Truth be told? It was more or less just a fancy Chaos Drive that could muck with the emeralds. But this one is stocked with the whole lot: Positive, Negative, and Neutral. Anything a regular Chaos Emerald can do? This little guy can do too!

     "Only... this one can be depleted. So I really only use it for emergencies. Not like I know how to do Chaos techniques anyways... I get my use out of it by making it compatible with all my tech. If I need to super-juice anything, I know I can do it with my good ol' Artificial Emerald!"

Yes. YES! That's exactly what Amy likes to see-- no more doom and gloom from her fox friend! The hedgehog's own countenance seems much more relaxed and peppy as she carefully sorts out through the popsicles - banana nut for Tails, cherry for her - and places them on small saucers. I mean, listen-- if they're gonna eat by her couch, she just doesn't want it to get dirty, okay? We're talking about candy decorations and hardened chocolate flying everywhere; Amy did not spare any expense while making these babies! When does she ever, though?

"Not to toot my own horn or anything, but excellent choice! Tried blending banana and peanut butter together for this one, with some crushed peanuts and dark chocolate chips thrown in for that extra crunch!"

Wait, this isn't the time to brag about her cooking! He's been asking about magic this whole time; now's the moment for her to do her part. Handing over Tails' popsicle to its recipient, she takes her seat besides him as she takes her first bite. He wants to know about magic materials, right? As she figures out how to phrase her answer, something occurs to her.

"Um, Tails? Full disclaimer?" ...Huh? What's with the nerves all of a sudden? Amy puts her own popsicle on the coffee table, rubbing her arm nervously. "I'm flattered that you've come to me about magic, but I should really mention...I'm not, like, an authority on magic? There's still a lot - a LOT - about it I'm still trying to get a hang on so, um...please keep that in mind?"

Aw man, it just strikes her how big the spotlight is that she's been placed under. Of course she doesn't want to disappoint Tails, but magic is a vast and complex subject spanning many different fields, places, even cultures! And everything she knows, she's had to learn on her own-- of course there's still so much she still hasn't learnt about.

(Is that really an excuse, though? Tails is younger than her, and as self-taught on science as she is on magic-- but he's the smartest person she knows. Definitely more than Eggman! That's right-- she said it. Eggman, if you're reading this: die mad about it).

That doesn't mean she won't try, however-- obviously, it's not like they'll gonna crack all the mystical mysteries of the universe in one evening. If they're gonna start somewhere, it's gotta be the basics. "I guess if I had to compare magic to something else...it'd be a lot like cooking. Yeah, you definitely gotta have a basic understanding of your ingredients and the process, but you can also take some liberties with certain steps."

Amy takes another bite of her popsicle and then leans back on her couch and the knowledge comes to her. "The ingredients for a spell...how should I put it? Yes, they're ordinary-- but it's about how you use them in what order and with what other ingredients that gives them their power. It's about the whole being...more than the sum of its parts? Again, it's not a process set in stone; the intention you put in a spell can also change the outcome, and..."

Crap. She's floundering, isn't she? But she doesn't know how else to explain it: that's the trick with magic. It can take many forms-- it's never the exact same for two people. It really is like cooking-- even if they use the same ingredients and follow the same recipe, it won't guarantee the exact same product, and...

"W. Wait. What do you mean, Fake and Artificial Emeralds aren't the same?"

FOCUS, AMY.

[perfectly-imperfect82]

Publicity stunt- Preath

"You're late" Mrs.Mary, your group home guardian, said as soon as you hoped out of your friends car.

"I know, but I couldn't miss out on the waves" you said grabbing you board, saying a quick goodbye to your friend and her parents.

"Couldn't miss the waves? Does that also mean you can leave and not tell me. You didn't even leave a note! Your 13! You can't be doing that! And today of all days. The USWNT is here!" Mrs. Mary said looking at you with disappointment.

"I told you I didn't want to met them" you said stubbornly

"Then don't. I don't understand why since you look up to most of them" she said before turning around and heading back inside causing you to sigh.

You placed your board in the garage before looking around for something to entertain you while you stayed outside.

A basketball caught your, shooting hops should take up sometime you thought as you grabbed it made you way to the basketball net in the drive way.

"I thought out of all of us that you would be the happiest to meet them." Lexie said looking at you confused as she grabbed the ball after it bounced off the rim

"If it was at a game or something yeah. Not like this. This is to make them feel better about themselves. Its a publicity stunt. I'm not going to be a part of that" you said as Lexie eyes widened.

You turned around to see some of the team standing there causing your eyes to also widen in shock.

"Your (y/n), right?" Tobin asked causing you to nod slowly

"Well your not wrong. Part of the reason we are here is for good publicity" she continued cooly causing you to relax some since they didn't seem mad

"Mrs. smith said you just got back from surfing. Were the waves good this morning?" Tobin asked causing you to smile widely

"Pretty good. I would say you missed out" you said causing Tobin to smile

"I definitely did" Tobin said

"You play?" You asked holding up the ball

"I do" Tobin said walking towards you

"You guys in? You asked looking at Lindsey, Alex, Megan, and Christen

"We're in" Megan said grabbing Lindsey to join here

"First one too 21 wins" you said tossing Megan the ball.

The game passed quickly, with many laughs as Christen and Alex kept score. You and Tobin win

"What happen to your leg?" Christen asked once the game ended causing you to look down at the poorly done wrapping of your cut that you could now see the blood through and was starting to fall off

"Cut it on some coral this morning" you said shrugging you shoulder

"Have you cleaned it?" Christen asked concerned, knowing you haven't been inside yet

"No" you said with a blush

"Come on, we will help you" Christen said as she wrapped an arm around you shoulder to guide you away from the net

"No, it's cool. I can do it later" you said

"It's fine, the sooner you clean it the better" Tobin said passing the ball to Megan before joining and guiding you into the house.

You reluctantly led them to the bathroom.

"Hop on up" Tobin said taping the counter as her and Christen started looking for a first aid kit or something to clean you cut

"Found the first aid kit" Christen said

"And I found the hydrogen peroxide" Tobin said

"What? No, we can just use soap" you said looking at them like they were crazy

"This will clean it better, kiddo" Tobin said

"But it will hurt more" you whined

"Want to hold my hand" Christen asked causing you to nod your head rapidly as you held out your hand to her, a smile crossing both there faces at your childish behavior, as Christen grabbed your hand and your other went over your eyes as you also closed them

"I'm ready, just don't tell me when you do it" you said

Tobin sent Christen a look to let her know that she was about to pour the rubbing alcohol.

As soon as it hit your leg you felt the burning sensation hit you causing you to squeeze Christen hand as she used her other hand to gently rub you back

Tobin quickly wiped it off before wrapping it up for you.

"There, good to go" Tobin said patting your thigh causing you to let go of Christen hand and open your eyes

"That wasn't to bad" you said holding up your leg to look at the wrap on your leg causing the two adults to smile fondly at you

"And it won't get infected" Christen said looking at you

"I sure hope not" you said standing up "i would hate to have to do that again" you continued with a frown

"Just keep it clean and you won't have to" Tobin said as they followed you out of the bathroom.

"I've got to run. If Mrs. smith ask just tell her the last you saw me was walking into the garage. Don't need her to know my escape route" you said looking at them but they just stared back confused

"It was nice to meet you both" you said waving at them as you moved a board in the fence and started to slide through

"Wait" Christen rushed out, concern for your safety but also wanting to spend more time with you

"Yeah?" You asked confused

"Uh where are you going?" Christen asked

"To go hang out with friends for a little while"

"And Mrs.smith can't know?" Tobin asked skeptically

"She may or may think some of my friends cause mischief" you said causing both to look at you skeptically

"Okay, maybe they do but it's nothing illegal just dumb, a little dangerous sometimes." you said as Tobin and Chris nodded "bye" you said before quickly disappearing

Christen and Tobin both shared a look when you left as they walked back to the house

"She going to be a handful, you know" Christen said

"But it will all be worth it" Tobin said wrapping her arm around her with a smile

—-

A few days later you came skating up to the house  after coming from the skate park.

As you got closer you saw Tobin and Christen standing in the porch causing a smile to appear on you face

"What do I owe the pleasure of seeing you two here again?" You ask you hopped off your skateboard and picking it up, walking up the steps to where they were standing

"Not happy to see us?" Tobin jokingly asked

"Ehh" you said with a cheeky smile causing both to smile at you "happy but suprised"

"So what are you guys doing here?" You asked curiously since you didn't see any other players

"We came to see you"  Christen said

"Really?" You asked confused

"Yes, really. Don't believe us?" Tobin asked

"Nope" you said

"We want to adopt you" Christen said

"And why would you do that?" You asked even more confused

"Trust us, we asked ourselves the same question" Tobin said causing you to smile as Christen shoved her and gave her a look

"But we realized that we want you to be a part of our life, our family" Christen said

"What made you realize that?" You asked still skeptical, you guys had spent a hour together if that

"Sometimes you just know things based on how you feel" Christen said causing you nod while you though over her answer

"So what do you say, want to join our crazy family" Tobin asked

"Why not, we can give it try" you said causes both women to smile as they pulled you into hug

"So I get to be apart of preath confirmation announcement?" You asked with a cheeky smile  once they released you

"Something like that" Tobin said pushing down the brim of you hat only causing your smile to widen as you fixed it when you saw them both staring down at you with fond looks

"Let's go get you packed" Christen said wrapping her arm around you

[dejwritesarchived]

MUSE, CHAPTER 11 (PRESENT)

— warning: profanity, mentions of infidelity, alcohol drinking, mature scenes included, chapters jump from past to present, college au (past), luxury rich adults (present), artist!nanami, muse!reader, angst, slow burn, humor, reader implied to be black, kinda like a hbo sitcom in my head lol

— chapter summary: it's day four of the cabin trip and y/n is edging closer and closer to leave until she finds out something interesting.

— tags: @gabzlovesu @maydayaisha @woahhajime @thicksimpx @indiecursor @sawamurawife @po3ticb3auty @daichisbunny @babyyblueey @heyitsiyanas @pulchritxde @classic-les @jazzyangel242 @kunaigirlx44 @hufflefluffwh0re @savantsoulfinder @protectpancakes @bezeebub @littlemochi @salimcity @champagnej @astennu

— previous chapter. masterlist. taglist. ao3

IT WAS DAY FOUR OF THE TRIP AND IT WAS THE EVENING OF THE GROUP DINNER. The kitchen, living room, and backyard was the busiest part of the cabin at the moment. With Shoko and the girls in the living room most likely catching up on the latest J-Drama while gossiping with each other. Nanami, Toji, and Serena were in the backyard collecting wood for the bond fire after dinner. Serena was still latching on to Nanami’s side like a baby animal not wanting to leave its mother. While you were in the kitchen with Gojo and Geto prepping for dinner since it was the night you three were supposed to cook. 

As you were on chopping duty, your mind raced with so many questions and thoughts after the conversation with Mrs. Fujito. No matter what activity you participated in, you found yourself staring off thinking about the Nanami situation. At this point, you had moved past being disappointed at Nanami lying to you. However, the thought of your closest friends knowing about the engagement before the night of seeing your naked portrait up for sale, crushed you. 

“Fuck.” You yelped out feeling the sharp knife slash at your finger. Your hand instantly dropped the knife letting it fall to the ground and you instantly placed your finger in your mouth. If Shoko saw you do that, she would give you the most horrifying look ever. 

Gojo and Geto glanced up from the cooking tasks they were doing and Geto instantly searched for the first aid kit that was in the kitchen. 

“You okay?” Gojo asked as he grabbed a hold of your wrist to drag you near the sink. 

“I’m fine.” You instantly said as you let the cool water hit the finger that was dripping with blood. Your face scrunched up at the sight as Geto placed the first aid kit on the counter next to you.

“You keep staring off lately, are you sure?” Geto questioned as he flipped the kit open to search for the things needed for your cut.

You looked at him and Gojo noticed the look on your face instantly. He turns the stove down a little and leans against the kitchen island, “What did we do? You always give us that look when we do something.” He added.

You turned the water off and dried off your hands. Geto being the caring friend grabbed a hold of your finger to clean it and put a bandaid on it. “Did you guys know about Nanami and Serena?” You asked.

“Like during the gala? Of course, we knew. Everyone knew it was like the talk of the art celebrity world.” Geto explained. “I’m surprised you didn’t know. I just assumed you did because you and Kento were close.” 

“No, not around that time.” You said, gaining a confused look from the two of them. 

“So when?” Gojo asked.

“When we were in school. Did you two know? I talked with Mrs. Fujito and she mentioned her speaking with him years ago about telling me about him already having a girl.” You admitted. “So, did you two know?” 

You watched as the two best friends looked at each other. The look of guilt slowly crawls on their face causing you to let out a gasp. You felt your body radiate so much heat. Your heartbeat quickened and your fist clenched tighter. “Of course, you two knew. Everyone knew and just let me be a lovesick fool for him.” You threw your hands up in the air in frustration.

“Hey! You can’t get mad at us, we told him to tell you. He should have told you like the man he is. We didn’t want to get involved with your complicated relationship.” Gojo argued.

“He wasn’t man enough to tell me and as my friends, I expected any of you to do it.” You argued back as your eyes darted between them.

“I just didn’t think it mattered to tell you when you were out with Toji being reckless as fuck when we were in college,” Geto said. “So why would you care if Nanami was already set to be engaged with that woman..unless you’re still in love with the guy. If you actually were interested in Toji, you would have moved on. We wouldn’t be having this conversation right now.” 

“You guys love bringing up Toji to protect Nanami’s ass or your own on not telling me.” You said back. “It’s not about fuckin’ Nanami right now. I could care less, it’s just all of you just sat there knowing about them and didn’t bother to tell me.” You pushed by them in frustration but you turned to look at them. “At least with Toji, he’s always been honest with me. Even up to today, he’s still honest with me. I just expected the same from my friends.” 

You walked out of the kitchen to go to your room. You had to walk by the living room to go towards the stairs, ignoring the calls of your name from the girls and eventually stomping upstairs to your room. You closed the door behind you and plopped down on your bed. You expected to sleep off your anger, but the sound of your phone ringing caused your eyes open. You rolled over on your stomach and grabbed your phone seeing that Mariah wanted to FaceTime. You let the pad of your thumb glide around your screen to accept it and you can see her at her desk in what seemed like her apartment. 

“Mariah, I told you to work on your portfolio and not deal with anything about me,” You sighed as you could see Geto’s assistant Joshua in the background of Mariah’s apartment. 

“I know, but you know me. It just didn’t sit right with me that woman is cock blocking a possible huge moment in the fashion industry for you.” Mariah sipped at the tea that Joshua placed on the table.

“I don’t even think we’re still going with the idea, Mariah,” you admitted. “Frankly, I’m so close to leaving this fuckin’ cabin,” You sighed.

You watched as Mariah’s eyebrows furrowed together in confusion. “Do you want to talk about it?” She asked.

“Not really because I’m going to talk about it over dinner with the group,” You forced a smile on your face. “Now continue what you were saying.” 

Joshua came into the view of the camera, “Before she tells you this, I must say that I tried to stop her. You know when she starts digging, she doesn’t stop.” He says before he disappears again.

Mariah playfully rolls her eyes before speaking, “Like I said, this woman interfering with your money, Y/N. When she’s interfering with your money, she’s messing with my money. So, I did some digging.” 

“Digging? Like on Serena?” You asked and you watched Mariah nod. “She’s Kento’s fiancé, what else do we need to know?”

“That she’s a fraud,” Mariah leaned back into her desk chair. “Have you ever heard of Anna Sorokin?” 

“That con artist girl.” You tried to remember. You remembered reading about her one time. You started connecting the dots, catching Mariah’s drift. “What? No, she can’t be scamming Nanami, could she?” 

“I mean if that wedding happens, of course. If she can get into his emails and cancel meetings, I’m positive she can get his bank information.” Mariah explained. “I know it’s not my business, but considering how close you and him were…I’m sure you wouldn’t want him to get swindled.” 

“I just don’t understand though. He’s known her for years, there had to be some evidence right in front of him. Especially considering he knew her since we were in college.” You explained.

“The lady’s a fraud, her fuckin’ name isn’t even Serena.” Mariah blurted out. 

“That still doesn't make sense, Mariah.” You said. “As I said, he’s known her as Serena for years. He’s most likely met her parents…unless…” your voice trailed off as you were thinking. 

“Her parents are a part of her little scheme.” You and Mariah said at the same time. “How’d you even get this information?” You asked.

“Oh you know, some hacking buddy.” Mariah gave you a cheeky smile. “It was quite hard to get, the woman did a good job covering her tracks. But I’ll email all the information I have so far to you.” 

“Thank you.” You said. “Now no more pestering, go work on your portfolio.” 

“Aye-captain.” Mariah saluted before wishing her farewells and ending the call.

When you heard the phone call end, you would lock your phone and stand up searching for your iPad. When you found it, you would open the email Mariah sent me with multiple documents about Serena. Could you even call the woman Serena? 

As if you were indulging yourself in a good book, you got lost in the mountains of documents Mariah sent you. From Serena’s record sheet of crimes like petty theft to credit card fraud to articles about her getting arrested in the States. You didn’t even notice the huge amount of time that went by as you were flipping through PDF file after PDF file. You had to tell Nanami, but knowing how deep he’s into Serena’s web, he’ll probably think you’re lying. 

As you got to the last page, which seemed to be a birth certificate. Your eyes enlarged at the sight. Lana Volkov. That name sounded so familiar to you as if you heard it before when you were in college. You just couldn’t remember where you heard it before. You exit the files as soon as you heard a knock on the door. The sound of Toji’s voice could be heard behind the closed door. “They said you were upset about something, so as the unofficial boyfriend—I’m here to cheer you up. I’m coming in peace and slowly.” 

You couldn’t help but snicker at his words as you watch the door knob twist slowly and Toji slides his huge stature into the smallest opening of the door. He closed it with his foot as he plopped down on the big. “I stole this.” He passed the bottle of sake to you. 

“You touched Gojo’s bar, he’s going to kill you.” You laughed as you took the bottle out of his hand. You twisted the top to open it before taking a long gulp from it.

“He can’t even handle his alcohol. He has such a low tolerance,” Toji says as he grabbed the bottle from you when you were done. 

You watched as he took a long gulp from it also. “That is true. In college, he got drunk pretty fast compared to us.” You noted with a smile.

Even when you were upset at your friends at the moment, you still found yourself laughing at a faint memory. 

“But are you okay? What happened to your finger?” Toji asked. 

“I’m okay.” 

“You’re lying to me again. I told you, I’ve known you for too long to not tell when you’re lying.” He pointed out.

“All of my friends knew about the damn engagement except for me. Not before I became a homewrecker, but they knew since college. Nanami knew he was going to marry that woman since college. I was always a second option and everyone just watched me make a fool of myself.” You explained.

Toji only passed the bottle of alcohol back at you. He watched closely as you took a sip of it before speaking, “I don’t view you as a homewrecker. One.) How were you supposed to know he was engaged? I mean, yes you two were close…but it was up to him to put that information out there. Two.) Serena doesn’t like that man and I don’t know if Nanami is just desperate to fill something in his heart or dumb. Maybe, he’s dumb.” 

“Why would you say that?” You asked.

“Call him dumb? Because he is. He’s stupid to not see what’s in front of him.” Toji explained. “We’ll never work Y/N. We didn’t in the past and we’re not in the present. It was always sex and bad decisions with us. Maybe that’s why I’m calling him dumb, he has you and he’s still pursuing a marriage that he’s not interested in. I know his parents were strict like mine, but I would expect him to stand up to them as I did.” He explained. 

You were beyond astonished by Toji’s words. The faint memory of your past when you remembered the way Toji disappointed his family. The two men that you managed to care deeply about had some similarities. “I didn’t care for the Nanami being dumb part because he has his moments.” You chuckle. “Serena doesn’t like him. How could you say that? Her face practically lights up when she sees Nanami.” 

“Well, yesterday evening when I went downstairs to get something to drink while everyone was sleeping. Well, I thought everyone would be sleeping—she made moves on me. Plus, she doesn’t even know Kento’s birthday. Who doesn’t know their own fiancé's birthday?” 

“She made moves on you? Why didn’t you tell me this earlier?” You asked.

“For you to drag her through this cabin by her hair? I’m protecting you from her pressing charges. It’s no big deal, I declined her advances and kept it pushing. She doesn’t have me fooled. That woman is weird and I may like getting a rise out of Nanami for old times' sake. But I do wish the guy would open his damn eyes.” Toji sighed. 

“I’m going to kill her.” You simply said as you screwed the top back on the sake and stood up out of the bed.

With quickness, Toji would stand up also. “What? No. You have to promise me you won’t do anything.” 

“I can’t promise you that.” You answered. “Plus, as you said—our relationship has always been sex and bad decisions.” 

You could hear Toji kiss his teeth. “I did say that,” He said. 

You opened your room door with Toji not too far behind you. You could smell the scent of tonight’s dinner with each step closer to the bottom level of the cabin. When you reached the bottom of the stairs, people were making their way to the dining room. “Y/N, don’t do nothing that will cause hell to break loose at this dinner table,” Toji said and he could only watch you give him an innocent doe-eyed look with a smile as you’re walking into the dining room.

Silence.

That’s what it was when you walked into the dining room. You took your seat at the further left of the table, taking the seat next to Mei Mei. Toji soon took the seat next to you with quickness. Only cause he wanted to take your butter knife away, just in case you chuck it at someone’s forehead. 

“It’s nice to finally join us after ditching your duties,” Gojo said as he looked at you. 

“It’s nice to know my friends lied to me for years.” You spat back sarcastically as you would sip at your glass of water. 

“Here we go,” Toji uttered to himself as he let his broad stature sink into his seat. From always being an outsider looking in when it came to this friendship group, he knew to always stay out of the scuffles. 

“Hey, I didn’t know about this arranged engagement. Hence the fact that I set you up with Toji. Really don’t care enough to be involved in Kento’s romantic life.” Mei bluntly admitted as she sipped at their wine.

“You can’t just keep using that against us,” Shoko said as she was sitting across from you. “It’s not our fault that he didn’t tell you.” 

“But as my friend, if he wasn’t man enough to tell me. You guys could have. What’s not clicking in you guys' heads?“ You leaned back into your seat with your arms crossed. 

Once again silence overcame the dinner table as the food was being passed around. You didn’t even have an appetite to eat, but you still put food on your plate. It wasn’t like you guys to eat in silence as if you were punished. But you could cut the tension with a knife. 

“Y/N, I’m sorry. Is that what you want to hear? I’ve told you this countless times.” Nanami spoke up. “I should have told you years ago, but I just couldn’t.” 

“I’m over the apologies.” You admitted. You would take a sip of the wine in front of you. You finished the whole glass. “Let’s just move on from the situation.”

Toji’s eyebrows furrowed together in confusion. He was expecting a little more arguments. But he was relieved that nothing harsher came out of your mouth. Only because he knew how lethal that mouth of yours could get. 

Gojo looked at you. He knew that you weren’t done talking about the situation, but he could only sigh before speaking. “Tomorrow, we’re doing some volunteer work. So, don’t stay up too late.” He said. “I would hope everyone would tag along. The people in the town would highly appreciate it.” He forced a smile on his face before everyone went into their different conversations. 

More dishes are being passed around with food on them. The sound of faint laughter and chatter bounced off the dining room walls. You could only watch everyone at the table before you’re clearing your throat to gain everyone’s attention. “Has anyone ever heard about a lady named Anna Sorokin?” 

Utahime's face lit up, “I watched the tv show on Netflix about her, it was so good. It’s insane how much she conned out of people.” 

You would chuckle. You didn’t even know there was a tv show about her. Your eyes traveled to Serena who was staring at you with fear in her eyes. It was the first time you saw that look on her face. The once look of hatred and annoyance when you attempted to get along with her was gone. “Yeah, it’s so insane that there are people like that in the world. Don’t you think Lana? I’m sorry, I meant Serena.” 

And that look of fear turned into the most horrifying look. Serena pushed herself from the table before she walked away out of the dining room. Like clockwork, Nanami chased after her like a puppy. 

You refilled your wine glass with a smile.

“I didn’t think Lana would be the name that caused her to crack.” Gojo snickered. 

“If she burns this cabin down with us inside it, I blame you and her,” Geto huffed as he looked at you and then at his other white-haired friend.

You leaned back into your seat satisfied. Although, you still were upset at your friends and felt like distancing yourself from them to clear your mind of the situation. You did accomplish step one in your plan.

Strike fear in Serena. Or should you say, Lana?