#* & . › clarice fong / reply !

[nekoannie-chan]

Cost

Title: Cost.

Fandom: Marvel, Captain America, The Gifted.

Ship: Steve Rogers & Clarice Fong (Friends).

Word count: 556 words.

Square: B1 “Short term gains at a long term cost.”

Rating: Teen.

Summary: Steve asked Clarice for help.

Major Tags: Mention of betrayal.

Additional tags: This is my entry to @marvelrarepairbingo, @marvelrarepairs Marvel Rare Pair Round 3 2024. MRP-066.

Links: Wattpad, Ao3, Spanish version.

@saiyanprincessswanie

My native language is Spanish so I wanna improve my writing skills in English if you notice any mistakes, please let me know and I will correct them.

I don’t give any kind of permission for my fics to be posted on other platforms or languages (I translate myself my work) or the use of my graphics (my dividers are included in this), I did them exclusively for my fics, please respect my work and don't steal it. There are some people here who make dividers that anyone can use, mine is not this type, please look for the other people. The only exception is the ones I gifted 'cuz now belong to someone else. If you find any of my works on a different platform and are not one of my accounts, please let me know. Reblogs and comments are always welcome.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Marvel's characters (unfortunately), except for the original characters and the story.

Add yourself to my taglist here.

My other media where I publish:  Ao3, Wattpad, ffnet, TikTok, Instagram, Twitter. 

If you like it, please vote, comment, and give me feedback to improve my skills and reblog.

Tags: @sinceimetyou @unnuevosoltransformalarealidad @navybrat817 @angrythingstarlight @shield-agent78 @charmed-asylum @pandaxnienke @real-fbi @smokeandnailz @white-wolf1940 @tenaciousperfectionunknown @xoxonotme @bluemusickid @leyannrae @harrysthiccthighss @marvelatthisone @caplanbuckybarnes @sapphire-rogers @lizzieolseniskinda @notyourtypicalrose @hallecarey1 @nana1000night @talia-rumlow @writingshae @alexxavicry @azulatodoryuga @daemonslittlebitch @chaoticcollectivenightmare @endlesstwanted @chemtrails-club  @marigoldreamer @whiskeytangofoxtrot555 @here4thefanfics @theestorm @patzammit @kmc1989 @somegirlfromasgard @rogersbarber

2016

Clarice looked strangely at the message that had just arrived on her mobile phone; it could only mean one thing, and perhaps all the peace of mind they had had so far could be interrupted.

Clarice arrived at the place at the appointed time. She had not stopped having that strange feeling; she simply wanted to know what was going on. A few minutes later, out of the shadows, Steve came out.

��What's going on, Cap? “she asked, and she could immediately see the concern on his face.

“Clarice, I need your help, rather than that of the mutants in the underground," Steve said in a serious tone, sighing before continuing to speak. “The Sokovia Accords are affecting all superheroes, but especially the mutants; several are being locked up, and you know exactly what will follow."

Clarice frowned. This time the situation looked bleaker; they didn't want to be on the run again, being chased by the Sentinels again.

“I'm with you, Cap, but I'll need more detailed explanations. How can we help?"

“I need to get Bucky to safety, and then we can plan a good strategy to make it clear to Congress that Ross is completely wrong," Steve replied.

“Marcos and John can handle that; maybe they'll need Lorna's help. We could use Esme to convince them.

“No, no powers; it has to be with arguments," Steve asked, still hoping that he could convince them that Bucky wasn't the culprit.

“Cap, sometimes humans can be complicated. No offense."

“What I need is for Bucky to be safe; he's not."

“I know, Esme told us, but you should be careful with Stark; he won't hesitate for a second to betray them," Clarice warned.

“Could you also help me get the evidence?"

“We could try; I can't say for sure."

Clarice made some calls; they had to come up with a plan fast. For all they knew, everything was moving too fast in too short a time, and they were sure that in less than a week, they wouldn't be safe anymore.

“Cap, no matter what happens, just remember that the cost they will have to pay if they make the mistake of approving them will be very large in the future because they will never be able to call or assemble a team in time," Clarice said.

2018

Steve looked around, trying to understand what had just happened. He didn't understand how it was possible that they hadn't been able to stop Thanos; they just hadn't had enough time to put together an effective plan, but it really wasn't their fault.

He turned to look at the group of mutants. He could almost hear them repeating to him what Clarice had told him a few years earlier. He had no reason to feel guilty now.

“How is it possible that they didn't stop him? How are we supposed to deal with this whole mess?“ Ross snapped.

“That's none of our business. A few years ago, someone told me that the cost you would have to pay in the future for approving the Accords would be very high, and so it is. Hold yourself and all those who approved them responsible; since you failed to detect a threat in time, find a solution," Steve said, then stood up and left the room.

[wmhalliwell]

Hey, I was wondering why/how you think Clarice is ooc this season? Cause I kinda agree but I can’t pinpoint exactly what about her is ooc

Yeah of course!

So I think the biggest thing is honesty. Even in the first and second episodes, she went out of her way to be honest, confronted John about his bloody knuckles, said she was there for him, etc. This showed her honesty, as well as how she expected honesty from John. Also this showed her empathy. John was very empathetic to her journey in S1 (except a few hiccups with Dreamer but that’s to be expected and they’d moved beyond that by now) and Clarice showed that as guarded as she was, she was just as sympathetic. (Especially with Dreamer in the SS cell, and John after the funeral? Like GIRL!!!) 

This season, however, she and John keep butting heads. And whenever they TALK, neither of them seem to listen to each other. Like this whole season John has told everyone that he’s fine, while trying to slip back into a place he was previously (making cute little jokes, etc) and basically screaming out to the audience that he needs someone to talk to. (This came to the surface during his episode he spent with Caitlin, where they actually had a sort of conversation that I’d hoped he’d have with Clarice, but at the time I was just happy he was talking to someone.) Even after Clarice told John “you’re not immortal, stop acting like it” and he walked away, she said “What’re we gonna do about him?” which was very sympathetic, but she didn’t actually DO ANYTHING about it later in the episode or in the next episode. This coming from the girl who straight up confronted him about the fake memory and took off when she realized he lied to her???? She’s just sitting there backing down, not pushing to get him to talk to her? Yeah RIGHT!

Their relationship just feels disjointed, and a lot of it feels like Clarice just isn’t being written consistently compared to last season and even the first few episodes this season.

Like with Erg for example. There was literally NO REASON for Clarice not to tell John about her “spying” for the Morlocks. Especially since this came so soon after her telling John that she’s his girlfriend and she’s there to talk to him about anything. This would go both ways since the Thunderblink ship has always been about equality. They had a respect for each other and suddenly Clarice is lying when it’s something that could HELP.

The biggest thing is that she’s just arguing with people and not really taking a stand. At the end of S1, specifically at episode 11, 12 and 13, Clarice had taken up a leadership role in the Underground. We all saw it! It was amazing to see her put aside her feelings for John and just focus on what they were all there for: to help and save mutants. Clarice’s journey in S1 from scattered runaway, to coming to terms with her foster family and the guilt she felt from showing the SS how to find them, to deciding that Underground’s fight WAS HER FIGHT, was so empowering and I loved it soooo much. So she was a leader beside John at the end of S1, and suddenly in S2 it appears that because John sort of stepped aside and let Reed and Caitlin run the show, Clarice did too. 

That makes her attraction to the Morlocks make a little bit of sense. The Underground is broken and almost gone, so maybe a little bit of Old Clarice is coming in where she’s thinking of how much good the Morlocks can do by the age old argument of “actually helping mutants”. I can sort of see where she’s coming from, but the thing I don’t like is that she’s making these decisions and talking like her answer is THE ONLY answer without talking with John. 

I feel like a lot of this stems from her relationship with John, which feels off kilter (understandably since John is going through a bout of self-destructive depression right now) but Clarice isn’t doing all that S1 Clarice would do to help him. And since most of her scenes are with John this season, it’s easy to sum a lot of this up with examples about John. But I 100% feel like S1 Clarice wouldn’t just brush off what’s going on with John. There was a lot of communication in the first few episodes of S2 which gave me hope, but after Clarice pointing out John’s broken skin on his hands??? They’ve been doing nothing but butting heads. I know for sure that S1 Clarice would bring up some tough love with John and sit him down and force both of them to hash out their emotions. But they’re just not doing that, so now Clarice is just coming off as cutting down all of John’s ideas and yet she’s not doing anything to try to help him get better. Idk man, I’m just unimpressed on how this season is going with Clarice and Thunderblink this season. (On another topic, loving John’s arc, but I hope it actually is addressed and he gets the proper help he needs by the end of the season!)

I feel like some of the new things that ARE consistent with Clarice are her snark and her conflicting feelings about hiding her identity.

Her snark is easy enough to pull through, so no worries there that it wouldn’t be in S2. But I actually like the thread woven through S1 and S2 about hiding herself as a mutant. She bonds much better with mutants who have physical mutations; this is a given. And I can see why she would feel more comfortable with the Morlocks; I also loved that line she said to John about him not understanding. (As the X-Men are a reflection of minority groups, this is a perfect argument.) So I do thoroughly enjoy her thoughts about mutants not having to hide themselves vs hiding themselves.

[eb-moved-blog]

        c.larice  fong  :     character  tags 

[hiddenwashington]

most wanted in existing fandoms here?

sure thing angel, this list got very long but shout out to the members who helped get this list together!! and babes, if there are any more, throw them into the replies for this anon!! but, we’d love to see ; anakin skywalker, padme amidala, bail organa, mon mothma, palpatine, luke skywalker, jacen solo, jabba the hutt, c-3po, r2-d2, winter celchu, plo koon, or mace windu from star wars! roy harper, edward nygma, scarecrow, barry allen, diana prince, steve trevor, arthur curry, lex luther, bruce wayne, captain boomerang, deadshot, or katana from dc/dc comics! fiyero, nessarose, and boq from wicked! mary macdonald, arthur weasley, bill weasley, queenie goldstein, tina goldstein, seamus finnegan, dean thomas, theseus scamander, albus potter, james potter II, hugo weasley, george weasley, percy weasley, the mckinnon siblings (ocs), any order members, death eaters, lorcan and lysander scamander, or vernon dursely from harry potter! hades, leo valdez, reyna avila ramírez-arellano, demeter, aphrodite, zeus, and athena, sally jackson, or posiden from percy jackson! kavinsky, the 300 foxway ladies, noah czerny, henry cheng,  or the dream pack from the raven cycle! everyone from until dawn! michonne, rosita espinosa and aaron from twd! aang, sokka, suki, iroh, asami, bolin, and mako from avatar/korra! chuck shurley, abaddon, or mary winchester from supernatural! elijah mikaelson, marcel gerard, luke parker, stefan salvatore, bonnie bennett, alaric saltzman, damon salvatore, genevieve, finn mikaelson, esther, mikael, lucien castle, tristan de martel, aurora de martel, lily salvatore, nora hildegard, mary louise, valerie tulle, malcolm, enzo st.john, josh roza, jackson kenner from the vampire diaries/the originals! richie gecko, seth gecko, kate fuller, scott fuller, carlos madrigal from dusk till dawn! brittany, santana, kitty, mercedes, and the rest of the glee cast! the rest of the sailor scouts from sailor moon! chandler bing from friends! nani, stitch, or angel from lilo and stitch! nebula, jane foster, dr. strange, bruce banner, clint barton, pepper potts, scott lang, angie martineli, edwin jarvis, friga, odin, quentin beck, ned leeds, nick fury lorna dane, marcos diaz, clarice fong, the frost sisters, or lauren strucker from marvel! vlad, pooka, or lily from anastasia! jace herondale, valentine morgenstern, luke garroway, raphael santiago, any warlock, will herondale, jem carstairs, gideon lightwood, gabriel lightwood, cecily herondale, jessamine lovelace, sophie collins, charlotte branwell, or henry branwell from the infernal devices/shadowhunters! charles boyle, gina linetti, terry jeffords, kevin cozner, kate peralta, kevin cozner, or david santiago from brooklyn nine nine! renee walker, allison reynolds, dan wilds, nicky hemmick, aaron minyard from all for the game! jessamine hale, archie cullen, julie black, jacob black, carlisle cullen, charlie swan, renee dwyer, aro, marcus, caius, alec, riley biers, or heidi from twilight! glimmer, bow, or scorpia from she-ra! gandalf, and bilbo baggins from lord of the rings! bill tench from mindhunter! rory williams, the 11th doctor, the 9th doctor, the 12th doctor, martha jones, rose tyler, donna noble, the tardis, and k9 from doctor who! stan uris, ben hanscom, mike hanlon, or georgie denbrough from it! wendy corduroy, grunkle stan, grunkle ford, pacifica northwest, and bill cipher from gravity falls! daniel and sean diaz from life is strange! dwight schrute, or angela martin from the office! catherine of aragon, jane seymour, or anna of cleves from six the musical! dracula and lucy westerna from dracula the musical! tywin lannister, cersei lannister, robb stark, bran stark, rickon stark, the night king, anyone from the night’s watch, stannis baratheon, renly baratheon, melisandre, joffrey baratheon, or jaime lannister from game of thrones! will parry, mary malone, lee scoresby, iorek byrinson, mrs coulter, or lord asriel from his dark materials! the maitlands, deetz’, and beetlejuice from beetlejuice! four, christina, and caleb from divergent! wybie, or the other mother from coraline! dustin henderson, lucas sinclair, erica sinclair, joyce byers, or jim hopper from stranger things!

[animumxfractum]

SHORT starter - starter call

Like for something random. 

Reply for a specific muse with female/male and number pls, or just the name is fine, too. 

FEMALE MUSES:

amy bendix (punisher)

aphrodite (greek mythology)

betty cooper (riverdale)

buffy summers (btvs)

carol danvers (mcu)

clarice fong (the gifted)

daenerys targaryen (got)

daisy johnson (aos)

delly cartwright (thg)

diana prince (dcu)

dinah madani (punisher)

drusilla blackthorn (tda)

ella lopez (lucifer)

emma carstairs (tda)

erica reyes (teen wolf)

faith lehane (btvs/ats)

hilda spellman (caos)

isabelle lightwood (tmi/shadowhunters)

jackie kline (spn genderbent)

jessica jones (jj/defenders)

jessie quick (the flash)

kara danvers (supergirl)

karen page (daredevil/punisher/etc)

katniss everdeen (thg)

krista dumont (punisher)

lee thompkins (gotham)

mary walker (punisher)

mary winchester (spn)

mera (dcu)

peggy carter (mcu)

rachel roth (titans)

river tam (firefly)

sara lance (arrowverse)

selina kyle (dcu & gotham)

shirley crain (thohh)

snow white/mary margaret (ouat)

tessa gray (tid/tmi/tda)

theo crain (thohh)

zed martin (constantine)

MALE MUSES

amenadiel (lucifer)

bruce banner (mcu)

haymitch abernathy (thg)

marcos diaz (the gifted)

nicholas scratch (caos)

sam winchester (spn)

the others are private. Sorry. 

[kurtty-drabbles]

Hangover (Any!verse)

@djinmer4

N/A: Because Ariel does not drink ever she can witness the others look like fools

Much is associate beer as a beverage to get through all the bullshit they have to deal, when Apocalypse was in power the beer business gain the biggest fortune in all planet and even when the villain was defeat people still drink beer. Many men and women still drink to drown their shameful past or just to be social.

The X-women are not an exception of the norm as many love to drink, get drunk and suffer the greatest hangover of their lives as well Kitty gaining more blackmail material.

“What we did last night, Kitty?” Meggan asked realizing she is still holding an empty beer bottle in her hands.

“Words can´t describe, you turn into a bear and chase down all the new recruits” Kitty explained as she shows a video where Meggan did just that “but relax, you didn´t hurt anyone and everyone is fine, I wouldn´t let things get out of hand”

“…thanks, I guess,” Meggan said taking a pill to control the hangover.

“And the rest send several calls thanking everyone to be their friends or promising to kill anyone that dares to bother you” Kitty explained to Clarice Fong, Rogue and Jubilee.

“I´m remembering some stuff now, why you never drink Kitty?” Meggan asks.

“I don´t like beer at all but I like to be here with you guys” Kitty explained.

“Aww, is sweet, you love to blackmail us” Rogue replied and Kitty merely nods, something along the lines “you spend too much time with my brother” were heard.

“But…wait, if you don´t like beer, what you and your husband do?” Meggan made an odd question that makes Kitty title her head. Husband? Piotr is pretty much dead and is gone from her life and the man would prefer to drink vodka than beer.

“I mean, Kurt Darkholme always drinks beer…so it is a bit funny someone so anti-beer is married to someone that loves beer” Meggan explained as Kitty don´t know how to respond to that.

“Well, there are other beverages and he can have all the beer then,” Kitty said hoping to sound mature and not a blushing little girl, did everyone think they are married? I mean, they do live together but is not like is super official, right?

“Meggan they aren´t married, I told you, if they were I would know…and if my brother married in secret he´ll have to answer to me and mom” Rogue gave a pointy look at Kitty that confirms the lack of marriage between them.

“Oh, sorry, I just thought…nevermind, I´m going to lay down and try to not drink again,” Meggan said as the others follow suit.  The amazing things you learn when you see your friends deal with a hangover has no price.

[inconspicuously-me]

Not Losing You

Pairing: John Proudstar/Clarice Fong, Thunderblink

A/N: I saw a post by @quintessentiallyscorpion on the fear of Clarice creating portals/leaving and thought of this short fic :)

He heard before he saw the all too familiar purple and pink lights. His blood ran cold, fear gripping him like a vice. His instincts immediately took over, his legs already propelling him towards the bright lights.

She was standing outside, her portal glaring bright in front of her. Her magenta hair blowing around her like a halo. All she had to do was step through the portal. And just like that, John could lose her all over again.

No, no. Not again. I just got her back.

“Clarice!” He called out, running towards her as fast as he could.

The sound of John’s panicked voice disrupted her focus, causing her portal to quickly disappear between her hands. She whipped her head around to face him, worry etched across her features.

“What is it?” She asked breathlessly as she covered the distance between them.

Realization struck and John froze.

She wasn’t leaving.

He opened his mouth to answer her but didn’t know what to say. He felt stupid all of a sudden and he probably looked stupid too just standing there.

What should he say? That he was paranoid and thought she was teleporting herself out of the Underground? That the sight of her portal scared him because all he could think about was her slipping away again?

When John didn’t answer, Clarice looked at him questioningly, her beautiful green eyes studying his and he found himself holding his breath.

Maybe it was that strong, weird connection they seemed to share but she somehow understood and managed to piece together his reaction.

“I was just training,” she told him calmly, as if reassuring him.

“Right…” Swallowing the lump in his throat, John felt his face burning and desperately hoped that it wasn’t visible.

Clarice continued studying him, an amused expression appearing on her face but thankfully said nothing.

Needing to break the silence, “I’m heading out with Reed for a while, there’s a possible lead. I should be back in a couple of hours,” he hastily added. He mentally smacked himself. Did he think she would be concerned about where he went and when he’d return? He inwardly cringed and made a move to leave, not expecting her to reply but she surprised him.

“Hey, be careful,” Clarice said, her striking green eyes making contact with his. The genuine concern he saw in them made his heart soar.

It must have shown on his face because Clarice averted her gaze and muttered lamely, “The Underground needs you.”

“The Underground? Got it.” Fighting a smile, John reached out to gently squeeze her shoulder and added more seriously, “I will.”

As he turned around and made his way back inside, he couldn’t suppress the smile that crept up his face even if he tried.

[quintessentiallygifted]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: The Gifted (TV 2017) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Clarice Fong/ John Proudstar, Lorna Dane/ Marcos Diaz Characters: Clarice Fong, John Proudstar, Lorna Dane, Marcos Diaz, Sage, Shatter - Character Additional Tags: Mistletoe Series: Part 2 of 12 days of X-mas oneshots; Underground Edition Summary:

What mistletoe mayhem hits the underground who’s lucky (or unlucky) enough to get caught?

And where did this cursed plant come from?

Clarice looked up and glared in disgust at the little green plant hanging in the doorway. It’s a deceptively harmless plant, but if your caught under it with someone? It’s war. A war of lips, awkward encounters, sly glances and catcalls.

For the past week, the mistletoe had been appearing at random throughout the underground. No one was immune. So Clarice made it her personal mission to avoid the plant at all costs, even if she had to portal jump around the HQ until the phase ended.

Taking a quick look to make sure no one was around, she bounced through the doorway bypassing the plant whilst feeling completely childish.

That feeling fades quickly as she muffles her laughter at the sight in the control room. There’s a sprig of mistletoe hanging in the middle of the room, with everyone spaced so no one was stuck under it.

Lorna glared venomously at the offending plant as she skirted wide around Sage and John to stand beside the computer. Clarice hovers in the doorway, unable to contain her mirth as Shatter approaches Sage, unaware of the plant. Clarice sees Sage open her eyes wide with alarm before taking a quick step back, about to warn Shatter but it’s too late. He’s under it.

As sage steps back, everyone else in the room realises the predicament. At first it seems like they have escaped the wrath of the Christmas curse, not that she knows much about this supposed curse, something to do with some type of bad luck.

No sooner than the thought passed, the pair were caught by one of the teens walking by. Despite a sharp glare from Sage, the mayhem grew so with a roll of her eyes Sage leaned in to press a quick kiss to Shatters lips. Clarice watched on as Shatter froze, utterly bewildered at the proceedings. As Sage pulled back, she sent a quick glare around the room before skirting the offensive object to retake her spot by the computer.

Now that was why Clarice avoided the plant like the plague. She hadn’t always been so smart. Nooo that first day, she’d been innocent, unaware of how seriously the plant was taken.

She had been passing through the hallway, completely unaware of what lurked on the roof. There had been no escape, from the catcalls of everyone else around, she’d pressed a quick kiss to the first pair of lips she’d encountered before blinking away.

Just the thought of the whole awkward situation and the smirks she had received for the rest of the day, brings a flush to her cheeks. The last thing she wants to do is get caught again.

She steps back, ready to turn away when she catches Johns eye.  He smiles at her, she flicks her gaze up, sending him a smirk before striding towards him a few feet. His eyes follow hers and when they land on the not so innocent plant, she sees them widen a fraction. Clarice stops, far away enough that no one can say she was under it, then laughs and walks back to her room.

For the rest of the day she hid herself away, ranting to herself about moronic Christmas traditions. She even avoids going down for dinner having noticed an appearance of the plant in there.

She waits until she’s sure the kitchen would be empty, not willing to chance bumping into anyone in the hallway, she portals to the kitchen.

When she realizes it’s empty, she silently cheers to herself, rushing to assemble something that could pass as dinner. She’s in the middle of making a PBJ sandwich when she realizes she’s not alone. She relaxes once she hears his voice.

“You haven’t been around much today.” Clarice spins and grins at him.

“The best way to avoid the mistletoetoe curse, which in my books is being caught under the damn things, is to avoid the whole scene all together” She replied. John grins.

“That bad huh?” He chuckles and she can’t help her eyes being drawn to his lips before flickering to his eyes. The light atmosphere thickens as they watch each other, they have been dancing around this, them, for awhile now. When he doesn’t move, she resists rolling her eyes, instead turning back to finish assembling her dinner.

“Can I walk you to your room?” He asks whilst taking her plate out of her hands. Clarice smirks amusedly “You know, when you ask, I’m suppose to have a choice,” she nods at him, “-but, sure. Since you asked so politely.” John lets out a short huff of laughter. The trip back to her room is uneventful, if you don’t count witnessing the occasional kiss that is.

She pushes the curtain back and enters her room, waiting for John to put her dinner on the bedside table. He looks around her room and when he glances up he laughs softly. Confused Clarice follows his gaze, her eyes seeing red as she spots the little green plant. It hadn’t been there when she had left.

She looks from the mistletoe to John and realizes what this means, she sees the moment he reaches the same conclusion. Looking at him uneasily from under her lashes, she takes a small step forward. John doesn’t move and for a moment Clarice feels rejection sweep over her. Ready to step back and pretend this hadn’t happened, she gasped in surprise as he steps closer, his hands reaching up to cup her jaw.

“Better not risk the curse.” He whispers grinning as he leans down to press a gentle kiss, nothing scandalous, to her lips.

He pulls back, resting his forehead against hers, a breath of distance between them. Her eyelids flutter open and they stand there staring at each other, nothing else exists. Then, like a magnet their gazes are drawn back to the others mouths.

John gives her the opportunity to object, push him away, to stop this. When she doesn’t he urgently captures her lips. All repressed emotions flood to the surface, and a switch is flicked for Clarice. One of her hands reach up and her fingers tangle in the hair at the nape of his neck, the other balls in the fabric of his shirt, holding him close as she molds her body to his. The constant white noise of the HQ is drowned out by the press of his lips, the gentle sweep of his tongue, and his hands holding her steady, anchoring her, against his body, her senses are completely consumed by him.

He breaks the kiss abruptly, instead brushing his nose lightly against hers. Clarice lets out a soft whine in protest causing John to chuckle.

Lorna pressed herself back against Marcos, making herself comfortable while they watched a movie. His warmth made her feel like she could almost fall asleep.

She grumbles as he shifts and dislodges her. She glances up, narrowing her eyes at his cheeky smile. He continues smiling unabashed as he holds a sprig of mistletoe above them.

Lorna stares at the annoying plant. Ever since it had begun appearing around the HQ, it had become a game of avoiding the plant or goading anyone caught under it to kiss someone. The whole tradition, whilst amusing to watch, was disruptive to their work.

“Why do you have that Marcos?” She asked suspiciously.

“This old thing?” He gestured to it. “Just spreading some festive cheer.”

"Your the one who’s been putting it up?” The green haired woman hissed, surprised and slightly outraged.

“Well yeah,” he shrugs slightly embarrassed, “with some help. Everyone forgets just for a little while about everything else.”

Lorna’s not sure whether she’s mad or loves him more for it. Deciding he did it for the right reason, despite how annoying it’s been, she presses a gentle kiss to his cheek before getting back into the movie.

[countryole]

Honestly that's the thing that bothers me about these major female character deaths, it's more about #ManPain and takes away from the character and the actual loss of them, and focuses instead on the loss of what they were to someone. It materializes them. So like, I understand someone had to be the sacrifice, the feminist in me tho rolls my eyes right outta my head because it's such an overplayed trope right along with love triangles. Let their sacrifice be their own ya know???

So yeah, Thunderblink is probs endgame, and as I've said before I love ALL of my mutant children, but I challenge the writers to think outside the box in the future when it comes to these major character deaths. I also want to challenge them to think outside the box (or triangle) when it comes to pitting strong female characters against one another over a man. At least Sonya died standing up for something she believed in. And Blink and John are both going to be tore up over it. Ugh. 💔

Ok but when are we supposed to see Lorna's powers change and stuff??? Maybe after she finds out about Dreamer? Idk I thought it was this episode and now I'm disappointed I have to wait until after the break to see it 😭

I thought they hinted that too!! But it must be next episode. At least we will start our New Years off right because the air date is January 1st awwww yeah. 👌🏼😎

But, goddammit. I wish they hadn’t killed her. I loved Sonya, I wanted her and Blink and Lorna to be besties. John and Lorna are going to go postal when they find out, and honestly Blink just might too. FUCK DR. CAMPBELL. UGH. *cries*

[nekoannie-chan]

Surprise!

Pairing: Clarice Fong/Ferguson X Mutant! Reader.

Word count: 1202 words.

Summary: You thought it was a seemingly simple mission, yet Clarice had a surprise prepared.

Warnings: None, well just a small surprise but is inoffensive.

A/N: This is my entry to the @what-just-happened-bro ‘s 300 Follower Celebration Challenge with the out of context conversation #8:

“YAY! I’m gonna die”.

Also is my entry to the @constantaking ‘s 250 Writing Challenge with the prompt #3:

“If I die, I’m haunting you first”  

My native language is Spanish so I wanna improve my writing skills in English if you notice any mistake please let me know and I will correct it.

I don’t give any kind of permission that my fics be posted in other platforms or languages (I translate myself my work) or the use of my graphics (my dividers are included in this), I did them exclusively for my fics, please respect my work and don’t steal it. There are some people here who make dividers that anyone can use, mine is not this type, please look for the other’s people. The only exception is the ones I gifted ‘cuz now belong to someone else. If you find any of my works on a different platform and is not one of my accounts, please let me know. Reblogs and comments are always welcome.

DISCLAIMER: I don’t own Marvel’s characters (unfortunately), except for the original characters and the story.

Main masterlist.

Add yourself to my taglist here.

My other media where I publish: Ao3, Wattpad, ffnet, TikTok, Instagram, Twitter.

If you like it please vote, comment, and give me feedback to improve my skills and reblog.

Clarice opened a portal so you could get into the site where your mission was, you had to retrieve some objects.

“I still don't know how you convinced me,” you complained for the third time.

 "Because you love me and I'm so charming that you can't refuse," Clarice replied. 

You couldn't do anything about that answer, it was true.   

"Aja... are you sure we're not going to be betrayed and attacked?" you asked.   

"Trust me," she replied.

You began to walk around the place, it was too lonely, it even seemed abandoned, it was similar to some places where you had to hide or live to escape the Sentinel Service and the Purifiers.  

"Clarice, this place is very scary," you said nervously.  

"Okay, we just have one goal to achieve and we're back," Blink said.

"Maybe we should have brought Lauren with us, I mean, she's strong and she does that "thing" with her powers," you said as you moved your hands as Lauren used to when she used her power.  

"I don't think Caitlin will let us bring her in, she's been more attentive to the missions assigned to her children, she's still afraid they'd want to sacrifice themselves as Reed did," Clarice explained.

"Reed was a lost cause, I mean, his powers were consuming him, he sacrificed himself because he knew that if he kept living and with us… all of us could end up dead, instead, Lauren and Andy have learned to control them”.  

"It shouldn't be easy to understand it for someone who isn't a mutant," Clarice said.   

The place is full of cobwebs, you were starting to have a bad feeling, and maybe it was all a trap.   

"They must have sent one of their members stronger than us, they have more technologies," you complained.   

"Come on Y/N, don't complain, girl power!”  

She took your hand so you wouldn't try to leave.

"Of course, if they attack us, we'll defeat them with portals and illusions," you answered sarcastically.  

She laughed, you kept walking until suddenly Clarice stopped.  

"Y/N imagine this is a test, nothing different from training, okay?” Blink proposed.   

"I have no choice, but now that I think about it, we've never had other options," you replied.  

"They're going to help people accept mutants, they were a clear point for the anti-mutant laws to be eliminated," she reminded you.

"Anyway, are you sure there are no ghosts?” You questioned.  

You were mean when someone talks about the anti-mutant laws and that you had to depend on others to be left alone.   

"It's just abandoned, you need to calm down, besides, I didn't know you were so scared," she told you. "

Of course, you know, remember when we watch a horror movie with John and Andy? "You asked.   

"Yes, it was Evil Dead."   

"Why do you think I've had my eyes covered through the whole movie? I was so scared, it was too scary," you explained.   

"Right, I'd forgotten, well whatever, no matter what, I'll protect you, my princess," Clarice replied.  

"What if there are ghosts?

Clarice raised an eyebrow, she didn't know if you were really asking her or you only were just kidding.  

"It's just an abandoned place, Y/N.”

“If I die, I’m haunting you first.” 

"Okay, if we die, we'll haunt this place together, or maybe I will be the final girl," she replied.  

"Ha, ha, funny, is this the right place?”   

She checked the map they had been given on the device.  

"Yes, so things should be around," she replied.  

On a shelf you saw them and began to store them in the backpack you were carrying, suddenly a noise was heard.   

"What was that?” You asked quietly.   

"You're nervous, it was just a rat or a dog or a cat, there's nothing to worry about," Clarice said.  

"Are you sure?”

"Y/N, this place is abandoned, it can be animals.”  

"What if it's a spider? I hate spiders.”   

Clarice rolled her eyes, she couldn't believe what was going on. 

"I’ll defend you," Clarice said between my teeth.   

"I know, it's just that all of this makes me nervous," you justified. 

You started to hear more noise and that something had fallen off elsewhere.

“YAY! I’m gonna die.” 

Clarice covered your mouth with her hand.  

"I think there's someone there," she whispered in your ear.  

"Open a portal," you ordered her.  

"Let's draw attention if I do, the light emitted by my portals will attract them," she refused.

"Then we have to hide," you said. 

"Try to walk fast," she told you.

You found a space big enough to hide the two together.  

"Here we have to stay for a while," you suggested.  

You seemed to hear footsteps, you couldn't help but think that you had been betrayed, you were terrified of being sent to some mutant detention center, even though they were supposed to have already been shut down, or even worse you were to be separated.  

However, you didn't realize there was anyone behind you until they put some sacks in your faces and made you stand up, you tried to create a hallucination to throw them off, but your fear was bigger and so your powers didn't work.

"Clarice? “You called her in a trembling voice.  

"Here I am, calm down," she replied.  

“Who are you? What do you want? "You questioned.  

There was no answer, but you needed to know that Clarice was there and they hadn't taken her anywhere else.   

"Can I hold my girlfriend's hand? “You asked.

There was no answer, you kept walking another time, you weren't sure if it was minutes or hours, they made you stop, the silence was overwhelming, you felt watched, you were waiting for the worst, you took air and closed your eyes tightly regardless of whether you saw nothing, how would others take your death? the only thing that comforted you was that you were going to be next to the person you loved or at least that you believed, they took the sack off your head.

"Surprise! Everyone shouted in unison.   

"What? “You asked by opening your eyes.

The place was decorated like at a party, there were balloons, gifts, cake, your friends, the Avengers, even Zingo was there.  

"Y/N, you're so distracted that you forgot today is your birthday," Clarice reminded you.   

"Is today...? I don't understand all this... and the mission?”

You were confused, you hadn't finished the mission yet, or rather, so they'd been sent on a supposed mission instead of just planning the party or telling you? 

"Your girlfriend planned everything, the mission never existed, she wanted to surprise you," Natasha explained.  

"Clarice, you're a fool, I thought we were going to die," you claimed, laughing.  

"You told me you'd always wanted a surprise party and that's what I did," she defended herself.  

“You scared the out of me.”   

"But you love me," she replied by holding your hand to take you to the table where the cake was. 

"But I love you," you confirm.  

You kissed, she put a party beanie on you and started singing you "Happy Birthday."  

Finally, it was the first birthday where you didn't have to run away from anyone 

[wmhalliwell]

Clarice Fong or John Proudstar :)

I already answered John, so Clarice!

How I feel about this character

FUCKING LOVE HER! Her sass, her straight forwardness (she doesn’t dick around and just says what she means), her ability to see through people’s bullshit and just be real. I also love how she’s afraid of being vulnerable because the world has done her dirty so many times. She’s an Asian woman on television who is a main character and she’s able to be her own person away from her nationality and that’s fucking amazing. Also Jamie is a babe so what’s not to love?

All the people I ship romantically with this character

John Proudstar! They started off rocky and I try not to focus too much on that, but man do I love Clarice and John. They’re both so standoffish, always keeping people at arms length, and yet they slowly let each other in and it’s just….fucking beautiful. I just hope John sees that he doesn’t need to lie to her ever again (please TV, just give us ONE good and healthy relationship on our screens PLEASE) and I have no doubt they’ll be endgame no matter what the show throws at them. They have too much chemistry not to.

My non-romantic OTP for this character

Unclear but I do have a soft spot for Clarice and Lauren. Even halfway through the season I started writing Clarice and Lauren as being friends/family in my fics, and I can see it happening in s2 and I am here for it! Two strong women supporting each other and saving mutantkind? Hell yes! I also love how Clarice could take Lauren under her wing and show her that you are not your mistakes, or your parents mistakes, and to see them have a bond that is rarely seen on TV between women. (Though it is getting better!)

My unpopular opinion about this character

If I ever had an unpopular opinion, it probably had to do with the Dreamer storyline and we don’t need to get into that. Clarice is flawless (I mean not really but really) and that’s that.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

I hope we learn more about her past! Who are her ancestors? She mentioned knowing that she was born looking one way because she has serious X-Genes in her family so???!!!! I’m so looking forward to that. Also super stoked to see her powers continue to grow and I am even expecting her to get more face markings as the show goes on (and John gently stroking each new one fondly every time they show up MY HEART).

GIVE ME A CHARACTER

[themutantunderground]

Single Parent AU pt. 2

John is raising a daughter on his own, working at Xavier’s, and balancing “superhero” duties when Clarice moves into his apartment building. He’s curious about her. On her end, Clarice isn’t sure what to make of John and his daughter. It’s better to not get close to people, but it’s also nice to be wanted. Single Parent AU. 

Ao3 | FF.net

“Are you serious?”

Clarice glared at the movers as they closed up the back of their truck. Most of her stuff was still out on the sidewalk in front of the building, including her couch, the mattress for her bed, an armchair… And now the movers were saying that they were done.

One of the movers frowned back at her as he locked up the truck. “You paid for a certain number of hours. Those hours are up.”

“Hey, no.” Clarice moved toward him. “That’s not what your boss said. He said it was a flat rate for the move and that you would help me put everything in the apartment.” She flung a hand at all of her things scattered around the sidewalk. “Surprisingly, this isn’t my apartment.”

“You must’ve heard wrong.”

“I didn’t,” Clarice sidestepped him and held up her hands, blocking his path as he headed for the driver’s side door. “I’m good to pay for those hours, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“Lady, we have another house to go to,” the mover said, eyeing her hands warily. His gaze flicked to hers and then quickly away, focusing instead on the moving truck.

Oh. So that’s how it was. Clarice silently fumed, not moving an inch. “I didn’t hear wrong and you don’t have another job, do you?”

“Get out of the way,” the mover said, scowling back at her.

“No! I paid for you to help me move.”

“Or what, you’ll zap me?” the mover said. He took a step back and then surged past her, bumping against her shoulder and pushing her out of the way.

“I don’t have zapping powers, asshole!” Clarice snapped as the movers slammed the truck doors and sped off. She was sorely tempted to portal their truck right back to her, but she let them go. They were done and putting them in a loop would just piss them off more. Besides, getting in a fight with the movers in front of her new neighbors probably wasn’t a good way to make a first impression. Even if the movers did deserve it.

Clarice flopped down onto the couch and tossed her legs over one of the plushy arms as she crossed her arms over her chest. She closed her eyes, letting herself think. Getting the stuff up to her apartment wouldn’t be that hard, not if she had a little help. She could create portals, after all. But right now she was pissed off.

She should’ve guessed that the movers would bail on her. They had been skittish around her since they met her, and they hadn’t been very enthusiastic or careful with her stuff. Not that she had much. She was just out of college and still getting up on her feet.

“Can we put our couch outside, too?”

Clarice’s eyes flew open to see a little girl standing by her couch, looking up hopefully at the hot guy who was holding her hand in his. The girl was tiny, striking and eye-catching with light purple skin and pink streaked hair that was pulled back in an intricate braid. The guy raised his eyebrows at the kid meaningfully and then looked over at Clarice. Yep. Yep, he was definitely extremely attractive. Longish hair, sharp features, warm brown eyes…

“Everything okay?” he asked.

“Yeah, I just thought I’d air out my furniture before taking it upstairs,” Clarice said, crossing her legs at the ankle, feigning nonchalance. “Admire the building. Take a break.”

“All right…” He looked like he didn’t believe her for a second.

The girl slipped away from the guy and darted among Clarice’s boxes. With an unnatural grace, she skipped up onto Clarice’s armchair before unfurling bright pink and black butterfly-esque wings. They caught the air and suddenly the girl was on top of Clarice’s favorite bookshelf, sitting on the edge. “You’ve got a lot of boxes.”

“Not that many,” Clarice said, though it did look like she had more now that they were scattered all over the place.

“Riley, get down,” the guy said, shaking his head at the girl. She grinned down at him and pulled her legs up onto the shelf-top. “Riley…”

“Want some help moving in?” the kid, Riley asked, peeking over the edge at Clarice. “My dad’s really strong.”

Oh, she bet he was, she could see the muscle definition under his long-sleeve. Not that she was looking too close. Then again, she had also noticed he didn’t have a wedding ring… But maybe he just didn’t wear it?

“No, it’s okay,” Clarice said, “I’ve got this.” Mhmm, somehow she would hold open a portal and move stuff at the same time. Uh-huh, because that was totally going to work. “Shouldn’t you be at school?”

“That’s where we’re heading,” the guy said as he stepped over to the bookshelf. He gave the girl a pointed look and she jumped down into his arms, giggling. Holding her in one arm, he turned to Clarice. “But she’s right, we can help get all of this up to your apartment. I’m John Proudstar, by the way, and this is Riley.” He held out his free hand Clarice and she stood up before taking his hand hesitantly.

“Clarice Fong,” she said, “And thanks, but really, it’s fine. I don’t want to make you guys late.”

“We won’t be that late,” John said, setting Riley on the ground again. She bent down and picked up a leaf, toying with it as he fetched his cell out of his pocket. “Let me see if anyone’s still here who can lend a hand.”

“You really don’t have to do that,” Clarice said, “I don’t want to bother anyone.”

“It’s not bothering anyone,” John replied, his fingers darting over the screen. “If they can, they will, and if they can’t, then they won’t.” He put the phone back into his pocket. “See, not bothering anyone.”

“We help each other,” Riley said, still playing with the leaf, twisting it in her fingers. “We’re good at it.”

Clarice looked around at her boxes and furniture and then at John and his cute kid. “As long as you’re sure it’s not a problem.”

“I’m definitely sure,” John said. He put his hands on his hips and glanced around at the boxes. “Where should we start?”

“Actually, if you just want to grab something, I’ve got a way to make this a lot easier.”

When he picked up the armchair with one arm, she tried not to stare. All right, then. Riley wasn’t lying when she said he was strong. Clarice picked up a box and Riley grabbed one of the pillows.

“Lead the way,” John said, giving her a small smile and acting like the armchair weighed as much as the pillow Riley was carrying.

Clarice was heading for the door when something caught her eye and she turned back to her stuff. It was one of her lamps, the metal one, drifting slowly upward. There a green-haired woman leaning over a balcony, one hand outstretched toward Clarice’s lamp while she used the other to eat a bagel.

“I’ve got this,” the woman called, “Which apartment?”

“Uh…5E…”

“That’s right across from us!” Riley said, bouncing on her toes and hugging Clarice’s pillow.

Clarice smiled at the excited kid. “Imagine that.”

[luridhearts-blog]

                    and    now ,        all   tags    are    done    !

[animumxfractum]

Number starter call: 

Because we can get on the laptop again, I’m doing a little starter call. Reply with a number for the muse. 

Amenadiel

Amy Bendix

Aphrodite

Betty Cooper

Bruce Banner

Buffy Summers

Clarice Fong

Daenerys Targaryen

Daisy Johnson

Delly Cartwright

Diana Prince

Dinah Madani

Drusilla Blackthorn

Ella Lopez

Emma Carstairs

Erica Reyes

Faith Lehane

Haymitch Abernathy

Hilda Spellman

Isabelle Lightwood

Jackie Kline

Jessica Jones

Jessie Quick

Kara Danvers

Karen Page

Katniss Everdeen

Krista Dumont

Lee Thompson

Marcos Diaz

Mary Walker

Mary Winchester

Mera

Rachel Roth

River Tam

Sam Winchester

Sara Lance

Selina Kyle

Tessa Gray

Theodora Crain

Zed Martin

[thcrin]

themutantunderground replied to your post “ic - i see  icymi - in case you missed it  icfdtidwh - if clarice fong...”

������

i’m losing my mind

[quintessentiallygifted]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: The Gifted (TV 2017) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: John Proudstar/Clarice Fong Characters: John Proudstar, Clarice Fong Series: Part 7 of 12 days of X-mas oneshots; Underground Edition Summary:

Clarice struggles to get into the Christmas spirit as John has been avoiding her

Clarice turned slowly, looking at the mismatched Christmas decorations which added some colour to the normally bare walls. Most of the decorations were threadbare, scavenged from castoffs. The rest were messy, handmade from some of the children that had passed through. Together they transformed the headquarters into their version of a Christmas wonderland.

Normally Clarice would be rejoicing at the magical time of the year. Unfortunately She wasn’t feeling the holiday spirit this year.

She huffed out a sigh, she’s searched this whole damn building for John. As a central part of the underground, he should be easy to find.

It feels like she has seen everyone except John. Lorna was fleecing some people at poker, Marcos nearby playing with Aurora. Some refugees were telling stories, there’s the not-quite chorus of children singing carols, but no John.

The festivity of the underground, as everyone came together to celebrate, was one of the best times of the year. This year, she barely mustered the enthusiasm to help decorate the tree.

John has been increasingly withdrawn lately. She’s rarely seen him and when she attempts to make plans together, he is a fountain of excuses and apologies for why he can’t be there.

She’s not sure what she’s done wrong, why his feelings seemed to have flipped so suddenly. She’s terrified he’s working his way to end it, end them.

Dejected, Clarice made her way outside, shivering as the cold air bit into her skin. Chuckling humourlessly to herself, if John wanted to find her, he was more than capable.

She walks until she finds herself at one of their spots, a small clearing where they would go when they wanted some time away from the craziness of the underground. It bears the marks from their presence, where John haphazardly tunnelled his frustrations into throwing trees around. Some scorch marks from Clarice practicing projecting portals. It’s their place, so many memories and moments made here.

Clarice freezes, can hear footsteps and she knows it’s him. Knows it like she knows the sun will rise tomorrow.

She looks up, sees him step into the clearing. A sense of vulnerability settles over her, her heart raw and she’s terrified she will break, shatter into many tiny pieces that she can’t recover from.

“Hey, what are you doing out here?“ He asks, a smile on his face. "You must be freezing” he says as he strides towards her, eating up the distance between them.

Clarice shrugs, unable to hold his gaze she turns her attention to an unfortunate tree that bore the brunt of a portal gone wrong. "I just needed some air, the festivities are a little stifling.”

He stops a foot away, close enough she could reach out to touch him but the space between them is evident.

“Yeah, the Christmas spirit has well and truly enthused the underground.” He smiled unabashed before looking at her enquiringly "You normally love all the Christmas stuff, what’s wrong?”

"Yeah.” Clarice replied, her voice really not excited. She can’t hold it in anymore. The uncertainty is eating away at her and she wants to know, needs to know if they are over.

“Do you want to break up?” She cringes internally, that was more direct than she’d anticipated, but she owns it; watching as shock and confusion cross his face.

“What? No.“ He steps back, stunned and hurt.

She wants to go to him, ease the pain her words have caused but he interrupts before she can move. "Is that what you want?”

“No!” It’s instinctive, no thought required, she loves him, her heart aches with it.

He steps forward, his hand tilting her face so her can look into her eyes. “If you don’t want to break up, and I definitely don’t, then what are we even talking about?”

She can feel her eyes brimming with tears, and she ruthlessly blinks them back. One tear escapes, slowly slipping down her cheek. She moves her hand to brush it angrily away but  his hand captures hers, locking their fingers together. His other hand coming up to gently swipe the tear away, before enfolding her in his arms, her pain like a brand to his heart.

Clarice hesitates before wrapping her arms around him, a small sob escaping. His arms strong around her, supporting her as she buries her face in his neck and he rests his against her hair.

They stand there, neither know for how long. It could be one minute, or ten but they stand there in the cold air until John shifts, waits for her to pull back. He keeps his arms loose around her and asks the question that’s been gnawing at his mind. “Why did you ask if I want to break up?”

Clarice looks at him directly, because he has been acting weird lately. “You’ve been avoiding me recently. You’re never where you say you will be, last night you said you and Marcos were going to find firewood. I went to go chill with Lorna but she was busy.” Clarice is stares up into his warm brown eyes, so that she can see his reaction to her next words. “With Marcos.” She adds.

The question hangs unanswered in the air, the implication clear. He had lied, so what had he been doing?

John stepped back releasing her, the space between them increasing as he agitatedly ran his hands through his hair.

She sees his lips moving, small quick movements as he mutters. She steps closer trying to make sense of the jumbled words. “-suppose to go differently.” He mumbled under his breath. “-not the plan.”

He looks up at her then and she sees the indecision vanish. He steps closer and stares deep into her eyes, the world falls away and it’s just the two of them.

“Clarice. The first time I saw you, I knew you were going to change my life. The danger faded away until all I saw was you. You quickly became one of the most important people in my life, I love you. Every single day I fall in love with another facet of your personality. I love all of you, your markings that you try to hide, those eyes that see so much, your mind, your personality, the fact that you can’t cook, your strength. And no matter what happens, even if our world implodes around us, I will always be here for you.”

His left hand gravitates to his pocket before he slowly drops to the ground. On one knee.

Clarice’s eyes widen as she watches him, heart racing in her chest as she realised what he was doing.

“I will love you for the rest of my life.“ He states with finality. "Clarice Fong, will you marry me?” He asks opening the small, seemingly innocent box. John watches as her mouth opens and closes a few times. He can hear the erratic beating of her heart, even as she struggles to find her words. A grin starts to slide onto her face and he can’t help the smile that graces his lips.

The world falls away as John sees her lips part and-she laughs. He stands up, unsteady on his feet. John’s never proposed before but he’s positive that she’s not supposed to laugh. Clarice is bent over guffawing, practically laughing her ass off. She’s laughing so hard that she has tears streaming down her rosy cheeks.

John closes the ring case and shoves it back in his pocket agitated. He stares at her, heart beating wildly in his chest, blood pulsing in his ears and flushing his face in embarrassment. Anxiety mounting he backs away slowly. He’s only moved about three feet when she stops laughing and looks up at him grinning. He feels his heart drop, Clarices rejection hurts worse than any pain he’s been exposed to.

"John-” Clarice begins.

“Don’t!” He interjects. “I get it.”

“No, you don’t get it.” She protests walking toward him. “I’ve been petrified for weeks that you were trying to muster up the courage to break up with me.”

Clarice’s hand touches his arm and John can’t help the flinch that racks his body, sensing a but coming. He can’t bring himself to look at her, so he stares at the ground.

Her hands firmly grip his neck and tug his head level with hers. “Hey,” she says softly, “I didn’t get to answer.”

“Yeah, you did” he murmurs, a hint of reproach in his voice. “Laughing at a proposal is standard for a rejection.”

“That was borne of extreme relief! You have no idea what I was thinking when I realized you were lying to me.” She responds touching her forehead to his.

“Can you ask me again?” Clarice whispers, running her hands down his shoulders in an attempt to relieve the tension she has caused.

John sighs as his hand retrieved the box from his pocket. “Clarice Fong,” he whispers in the space between them, “will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?” She looked deep into his eyes and grinned.

“Yes.”