#.. 'wow he must be drawing from DEEP places for this one but we don't know where'... the deep places are bisexuality.

[catharsis-in-a-bottle]

who was gonna tell me that raúl esparza, the most esteemed dr frederick chilton, was an INSANELY talented and prolific musical theater actor???

[roxygen22]

Paper

"My Little Cocoa Bean" Series

Summary: Reader and Willy discover that Ben/Bean is an aspiring artist. Age: 3 & 17

<><><><><>

You were outside hanging clothes on the line to dry when you heard the back door slam and little feet running toward you. Before your brain could register what was happening, you were nearly bowled over by the force of Ben running into your leg.

You looked down to find that Ben had buried his face and balled up his fists in your skirt. "Pa ell a mm," you heard his garbled speech muffled by the fabric. You knelt down and pried his fingers loose so you could look at his red, tear-streaked face.

"I'm sorry, Benny. I couldn't understand you when your mouth was covered. Take a deep breath." You inhaled deeply through your nose and out through your mouth a couple of times, motioning for him to copy you. "Good. Now, try again. What's all this about?"

"P-papa lelled at m-meeee." The boy started sobbing again.

"Oh dear. What happened?"

"I..." he sucked in a breath. "I wanted to dwaw him a picture. I saw paper on Papa's desk..."

"Ah, I see. Did that paper already have words on it?"

"Only on fwont. I dwew on back."

"Oh, Benny. We talked about asking before you touch anything in the study. Papa has very important papers in there for the shop and factory."

"I'm sowwy." He looked up at you with big puppy-dog eyes. You cupped his round cheeks in your hands.

"I know you are. But I'm not the one you need to apologize, too. Why don't you go inside to your room and play while I go check on Papa. After that, you can tell him you're sorry." Ben nodded, then shuffled through the back door to his room with his head hung low.

It was out of character for Willy to snap at anyone. The man typically had the patience of a saint, so you knew Ben must have drawn on something important. You quietly stepped into the study and spied Willy slumped in the armchair, one hand supporting his forehead and one foot kicked out. It looked as if he had collapsed dramatically into it.

"I made him cry," Willy said morosely without looking up. "I didn't- I didn't mean to. I shouted his name. I was just trying to get his attention and stop him before he did more damage. I...I startled him, and he ran off to you."

"Full name or nickname?" you asked as you sat on the sofa next to him.

"Full name," he groaned.

You grimaced. Ouch, you thought. Willy hardly ever referred to the boy as anything but Bean and almost never as Benjamin unless introducing him to others. It's on par with your mother using your middle name when you were in trouble. You shuddered slightly. That probably wounded Ben worse than the volume. "What did he draw on?"

Willy held up the face page of a contract with the hand not supporting his head. He had yet to look up at you.

"Oh dear."

"I'll ask Beth to type up a new one tomorrow before the meeting. It wasn't worth raising my voice at him. I...I just had a long day and...of course, that doesn't excuse anything. Is he okay?"

"He'll be alright," you said soothingly as you placed your hand on Willy's arm. "He's calming down in his room. Like you said, he was startled. You are usually the fun one, not the disciplinarian."

"I should go to him," Willy said as he stood from the chair. You returned to your previous task of hanging out the laundry so they could have some time alone to make amends.

Willy walked to Ben's room and gently knocked before pushing the door open. Ben looked up at him from his desk with big sad eyes.

"Hey there," Willy said softly.

"I dwew you another picture. I'm sowwy, Papa," Ben said pitifully as he handed Willy a piece of paper.

"Oh, Bean. Is this the factory?" Ben nodded excitedly. "Wow, such great detail! Is this what you wanted to draw earlier?" Ben nodded again, with less exuberance this time. Willy's heart broke as he saw his son's face fall.

"Hey, buddy. I'm sorry for raising my voice and scaring you. That was a very important paper you were drawing on, and I needed you to stop."

"I know, Mamma told me I need to ask first," he responded dejectedly. "I just had a picture in my head that I wanted to dwaw when I was by your desk."

"Ah, that I understand. Sometimes my ideas don't come to me at convenient times, either. Tell you what. How about I set up a drawer with paper that's safe to draw or write on whenever an idea strikes. You never have to ask for permission as long as it's from that drawer. Deal?"

Ben's face lit up again, and he stuck his tiny right hand to shake. "Deal!"

Willy shook his son's hand with his right and looked down again at the picture in his left. It was incredibly well done for Ben's age.

"Can I take this to the factory with me? I want to frame and hang it. If you draw more, I'll have a whole gallery wall of Benjamin Wonka works."

Ben giggled, "Okay, Papa!"

<><><><><>

Over time, Ben's art skills matured to charcoals, watercolors, canvases, and paints. Willy spotted the talent early and took great pleasure in encouraging it, supplying it. Fourteen years later, he had indeed collected enough of Ben's work to fill multiple walls.

"People need to see this."

Willy decided to surprise Ben by converting one of his shops into a limited time art gallery for his 17th birthday. He somehow managed to promote what ended up being the town's social event of the season while also keeping it a secret from his boy.

It was finally the night of the big reveal. "Papa, why are we going to the shop so late? I thought we were going to meet Mamma and Charlie for dinner?" Ben walked shoulder to shoulder with Willy. They were nearly the same height now.

Willy was vibrating with excitement. "I just need to pick up something I left there," he bent the truth slightly. "Your birthday present."

When they arrived, Willy unlocked the doors to reveal a magenta velvet curtain blocking the entry. He took the gold pull cord in his hand and handed it to Ben.

Ben looked at the tassel in his hand, bewildered. "What is this?"

"Your gift! Pull it and find out." As Ben pulled the cord, the curtain drew back to reveal...

"Surprise!!"

Ben stood there with his mouth ajar as he looked around at you, Charlotte, Noodle, his friends and girlfriend. Everyone rushed him for a celebratory hug. He gave you a kiss on the cheek. Then, the background details caught his eye. The crowd separated as Ben made his way to look at the walls that were now decorated with his paintings rather than shelves of candies and chocolates.

He browsed in awe until he stopped at the penciled sketch of the Wonka factory, gently tracing the golden frame with his fingers. He felt Willy step up beside him and gently squeeze his shoulder.

"Happy birthday, Bean."

Ben looked over his shoulder to reveal misty eyes. "Thanks for always being my biggest fan, Papa," he said reverently.

"I'm glad I could be right here beside you when your talent is shared with the world."

<><><><><>

A/N: I think it's safe to say that Willy would be his kids' biggest cheerleaders.

<><><><><>

Masterlist

[luvlanadr]

maybe a fluff that’s something along the lines of y/n comes home from a bad day out / at work and finds evan and their child preparing a surprise for us because they know we had a bad day?

sorry if that’s weird btw this is my first req!! 😭

no this isn't weird at all, i absolutely love this idea so hope i can attempt top do it justice!!

cw: not proof read so if you see any spelling or grammar mistakes i'm sorry oo and just a slight innuendo at the end

𝐞𝐯𝐚𝐧 𝐩𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐱 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

i took a deep breath in attempt to console myself, work had been absolutely horrendous today, from my co-workers constantly pestering me, to just simplistic things. i attempted to calm myself down, i wouldn't want to let my mood affect evan or our son, so i sat in my car bracing myself.

i finally shook it off deciding i was prepared, i knew just seeing the both of them would fill my heart and help dissipate any stress i currently felt.

i sighed slightly opening the door, before i heard a pair of footsteps bolt to the door, i opened the door to mine and evan's child and evan quickly following behind them, 'wow you're home earlier than we expected, i know this is irritating but just wait one second, we're um..yeah,' he laughed apprehensively, rubbing the back of his neck nervously attempting to come up with an excuse.' yeah, a boys chat!'

i laughed slightly, feeling at ease just by the sight of the two people i loved and cherished the most, 'it's fine i'll wait, don't worry.'

.·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·..·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·..·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·..·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·.

evan rushed around trying to get together everything that him and his little boy had prepared for your arrival home. evan had figured you may have struggled today, he could sense there was something was off this morning, so he was certain that he had to have a few surprises to try and cheer you up even in the slightest.

your son had created you a drawing, a picture that depicted you, him and evan all together happy as can be, not to mention this masterpiece was drowning in glitter glue and sparkles. he had done this all on his own behalf after evan mentioned 'you must be extra well-behaved tonight because mommy is a little stressed.'

evan also took the initiative after detecting that today may not have been the best for you, which he was excited to reveal to you, to see if he could get a glance of happiness and try and to relieve the stress of the day.

.·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·..·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·..·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·..·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·.

i remained in the hallway as the pair got up to who knows what, until evan returned, our son settled on his hip 'ok, you can come in now,' he chuckled.

evan guided me into the living room, the boys both shouted 'surprise!'

and was i suprised, on the coffee table, evan had created a hamper containing all of my favourite things ranging from my favourite snacks to hair and face masks, alongside copies of books from my favourite author which i was dying to read. i felt so emotional, which was only amped up by seeing the drawing our son had created. tears began to well in my eyes, i was so grateful for the fact they cared so much about me.

evan rushed over to me engulfing me in a tight embrace, 'shh, shh it's okay i've got you,' i wept softly overwhelmed by the stress of the day, but ,mainly overjoyed at the sweet, significant surprise i arrived home to, 'i hope you like it, this morning you seemed distant so i suspected it was one of those days,' he rubbed my back comfortingly, placing a gentle kiss on my forehead, lifting my chin and giving me a quick but passionate kiss on my lips.

i smiled softly, as evan released from the embrace , 'one more little surprise,' he took my hand and led me into the kitchen where he was mid preparing my favourite dinner , 'i'm glad you got home earlier so i get to see you, but sadly it's not all done yet, soo if you'll follow me upstairs ,madam' he chuckled, leading me to the bathroom situated upstairs were i was being run a nice, warm bath,

here our son was occupied choosing a bath bomb, before plopping it in the water watching it contently as it caused bubbles to form and the colour of the water to shift. he quickly scattered a few rose petals before i caught his attention.

'did you like the picture i drew, it's you, me and daddy?' i kneeled down giving him a kiss on the cheek.

'i absoloutely loved it, it was beautiful, thank you.' i cooed,causing a bright smile to become extremely prominent on her face, as it lit up.

evan ruffled his hair,' hey, let's go downstairs and watch cartoons and let mommy relax, ok?' to which our song eagerly nodded his hair practically sprinting down stairs, causing both me and evan to chuckle.

'i'll call you down when dinner's finished, but for now just unwind and relax my love,' kissing me more roughly this time, before whispering seductively in my ear 'and later tonight i'll give you a final surprise that's sure to relieve any stress.' he winked before leaving me to attend to the business downstairs. his last comment had my cheeks feeling hot, and all i could think of was what he had planned.

[obeyme-lost-thought]

The regret of a Father

A confront between Lucifer and Aurora? How will it go

What if Lucifer had a child with Mc, and for some reason he neglects them ? And if the child die? What will do Lucifer?

Always remember: the ending isn't what we want, but what she need.

Good reads

1630 words all chapters , previous part

Chapter 3: Proud ?

???’s POV:

There is a condition. When an existence cannot be judged by their actions and consequently know where their soul must be placed; they will be granted a second life by which they can be judged. Previous life memories will be granted at God's discretion.

Chapter 7 - Is it possible to be reborn?

I had no reason to read this book. It was one of many purchases that lay in the library without anyone bothering to read them. Yet I did, I read it. Perhaps it was this that completely ruined me, taking away any possibility of being able to let her go. Only sin made me think that she was the exception of the memoirs.

----------------

Aurora’s POV:

Nothing about this 3rd day of preparations for the festival seemed to promise me a positive ending. Especially the task that has been entrusted to me.

This morning the principal entrusted me with the task of having to spend the afternoon with one of the 2 representatives of the schools, guiding him through the various projects that the clubs or autonomous students were preparing (to compensate for my failure to fulfill the first task that was assigned to me, even though the cause was my health). Every sound of the bell was like a knife stabbing me, increasing the terror of which of the 2 I should drive. And this time fainting is not a possibility.

Fate is not kind to me, especially when the one who commands human fate is the father of the father who brought you into the world in your first life. That means my 50/50 went bad, if you can sum it up like that. This is how it is for more than 1 hour I've been walking around with Lucifer in the classrooms of the school. We saw the plans for the food stalls, the face painting stall, the photographs and drawings that will be shown by the art and photography clubs. We are now moving away from the garden club that was tending to the flower beds. The girls here have the reputation of being the gossipiest in school; in fact, when we arrived, they were talking about the girl who had gotten pregnant. I was very annoyed by the viciousness with which they criticized her choice to keep the child and for this I brought them into line with the power of be a student council member. What I didn't expect is that all this, sparked a discussion about children and family between the 2 of us. Until now we were talking about the history of the school and the weather.

I'm not surprised by this discussion, having started it. In these 2 days I passed out; escaped; I cried; i ignored. I did all the things I did in the early days of Devildom. All that trust I had built up while trying to rebuild my life, he had managed to destroy it with a few looks. For this I want to redeem myself and find the answers for “Aurora Lilith Morningstar”.

Aurora: "Sir Lucifer, do you have a family?"

Lucifer: “Yes, I have 6 brothers, a sister, a wife… and a daughter”

I don't know how to interpret the pause to refer to her daughter, but already the fact that he has accepted her existence is a step forward.

Aurora: “Ahh, how nice. And what's the girl's name?"

Lucifer: “To your surprise, you have the same name. In Greek mythology Aurora was a goddess with whom the dawn was associated. She is often confused with Apollo, who is the god of the sun in general”

Aurora: “Wow, I didn't expect such a deep meaning for my name”

Lucifer: “My wife did a lot of research when choosing a name for our daughter. I'm sure she's loved her ever since she found out she was pregnant with her, deciding to even give her life for her."

Aurora: "I'm sorry for your loss"

Lucifer: “Thanks, it's happened 35- …. many years ago."

I never expected so much willingness to answer questions. And to be honest, his answers leave me speechless. All the information I have about… Mc came from the stories of Simeon and Luke, plus some anecdote given by Solomon. I have never heard from his mouth.

Aurora: “Tell me about your daughter. How old is she etc. We have a little way to go before we get to the courtroom we're headed to."

It doesn't seem to make sense what I'm doing. Asking about someone I know better than anyone else but my goal is not to know who she is; but who he thinks she is. Or maybe I just want to see him having trouble answering such a simple question.

Before starting to speak, he turns to meet my gaze. No emotion seems to pass through his unreadable face, but a careful look can tell that he feels slightly uncomfortable (or sad, but of the two interpretations the first is more plausible).

Lucifer: "My daughter..."

I hear uncertainty in his voice which confirms my expectations even more. But only briefly, as that ice-cold face he had until recently turns into a wounded smile. Did Lucifer just show his emotions? And then what kind of emotions are they?

All my questions are answered as soon as he starts talking again.

“She's about your age. She can play the piano, in fact she has won several awards. She also wrote a composition which I saved as a ringtone. She is intelligent in many respects and has excellent physical performance. She took lessons in fencing and hand-to-hand combat, winning prizes there as well. I can assure you her room is filled with trophies and medals. However, her main passions are drawings and art. On the walls, where there are no photos or shelves, all of her works hang. Digital and paper drawings, paintings, unfinished sketches, even series of 2-3 sheets that tell some story. I'm convinced that her dream was to become a painter, even though she never told me."

Silence falls between us and it probably would have lasted forever if Lucifer hadn't kept talking.

“My daughter died a few years ago. It almost seems like all the girls in my life are destined to leave me. But the loss of my daughter was more painful than my sister or my wife. She is my greatest pride. But enough about me. You instead-"

Aurora: “We have arrived. After this the round of preparations for the festival is over and I still have to rehearse for my show, so I'm sorry but we have to part ways here."

Lucifer: “I see. Go ahead, I remember exactly where the music room is, so I'll come and see you later if I can."

Aurora: “Of course you can, but I don't recommend it. We're not as good as you might think."

Lucifer: “You should give yourself more credit, you are very good.”

After these words, he enters the classroom and closes the door, leaving me outside alone. I walk away as far as possible and try to understand how I managed to hold back the tears. Now, my vision is totally blurred by the water in front of my eyes. How did he know so much about me? From victories to drawings, even my dreams that I never told anyone. It seemed as if he really knew his daughter. Like he was there at the races to cheer on her or help her with her homework. His face so happy as he talked about my merits or his sadness at mentioning my death was something I couldn't fully understand. And then "Proud"? Is he proud of me? I spent so long hoping to hear these words and now he said them so naturally. But it's easy to say them when referring to someone who isn't there, so much so that part of me almost wishes to hear them say it directly to me. But this is a dream that no longer has any value for me.

I get up on the ground and go to the others. My best hope was not to see him again for the rest of the afternoon, but as I said, luck is not on my side.

He remained until the end on the edge of the door for all the time we rehearse, with his eyes turned straight towards me, as if he wanted to take my soul and take it to the darkest meanders of hell.

Memory Fragment 2: Gift

Everyone knows my father's passion for music, especially the classical and cursed ones. This is why I started studying piano 8 months ago. The instructor says that I have an innate talent, as if I have been playing for more than 10 years. It seems impossible such a thing, yet it is true. I was already studying music when I lived with my grandparents, so I could read sheet music and also write musical pieces. I put all my energy into composing this tune and worked 2 weeks part time to raise the money to record the song. That's how I ended up with this record with my music and my name on it. It's not cursed, but I hope he likes it. I leave it on his bedroom desk, wrapped in black wrapping paper. I hide outside and my happiness reaches the stars when I hear him listening it. The end comes and I watch his reaction through the keyhole. He takes the record off the turntable and looks at it carefully. He seems happy with the tune. He keeps turning the disc in his hands until his gaze darkens and he throws it in the trash. He probably he had read my name.

What do think of Lucifer for now?

Next chapter

[steadybelieverpersona]

Ch.5: Venti's Plan and Venti's New Plan

Warning: Reader being innocent, Venti being an overprotective father and Aether thinking dirty mindedly

Outside the Cathedral

Paimon: So this... "Holy Lyre der Himmel" is...

Venti: One of the most treasured items in Mondstadt. It's the lyre that Barbatos used to play. With it, perhaps I can help Dvalin draw his gentle nature back out of this nightmare he's going through.

Y/n: "That could work. Even though I was a baby back then, I was still able to remember hearing Papa playing his lyre, and it soothed me to sleep a lot"

Paimon: Will it really stop Stormterror from causing more damage?

Venti: Of course. I'm the best bard in the world. There's not a single song I do not know, no matter if it's from the past, present, or future.

Y/n: Uh, I don't think it's possible to know songs of the future...

Aether: I agree

Venti: Look me in the eyes. Do you not find me trustworthy?

Aether: Look into my eyes. What are you hiding?

Venti: Hahaha, that one doesn't work on a bard.

Paimon: So how can we get the Holy Lyre?

Venti: It's said that it's enshrined deep within the Cathedral, somewhere safe. I'll go take a look around. You can come if you want.

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Inside the Cathedral

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Venti: Let me handle this... *walks up to the nun* Hello there, Sister.

Gotelinde: May the Anemo God bless you, young bard. How can I help you?

Venti: Actually, I know a secret that can save Mondstadt from its current predicament.

Gotelinde: Oh, what a blessing from the God of Anemo! But you should report that to the Knights of Favonius. Why have you come to me?

Venti: Hahaha, because you, dear sister, are able to help! I'd like to borrow... the Holy Lyre. With it, I'll be able to help Stormterror--

Gotelinde: Please see yourselves out.

Venti: What?

Gotelinde: It's a vicious dragon indeed, but once the Acting Grand Master makes up her mind, nothing can stand in the Knights' way.

Venti: That's simply not acceptable. Wouldn't Stormterror end up getting killed that way?

Gotelinde: That foolish beast betrayed the winds. Not even the God of Anemo themselves would forgive it!

Y/n: "Dvalin isn't a monster or anything. He's just misunderstood and got manipulated"

Venti: Wow... Please, I beg of you!

Gotelinde: I'm afraid not, little bard. "Strange... Somehow, I feel so bad rejecting this sweet child..."

Venti: Then... I guess I'm left with no other choice. I cannot hide anymore! My disciples, rejoice! Behold, the God of Anemo, Barbatos has descended! Shocked, aren't you? Don't you just want to cry out and rejoice? How does it feel to finally meet the god you've been serving?

Y/n: "Papa's stupid at times..."

Gotelinde: If there's nothing else, I'll be going back to handle the Cathedral's paperwork now.

Venti: Wait—

Gotelinde walks away, ending the conversation

Trio: *walks up to Venti*

Venti: Eh? She didn't even bat an eyelid. But, I have at least learned what I wanted to know. She didn't deny that the Cathedral is enshrining the Holy Lyre. Now, Aether, since you're the hotshot of the Knights of Favonius... Maybe you can give it a shot.

Y/n: I'm good, I'll just wait here until Aether is done talking to the nun

Aether: Alright *walks up twords Gotelinde*

Gotelinde: Barbatos bless you.

Aether: Hello, I am the Honorary Knight of Favonius, Aether.

Gotelinde: I know you. You and Amber saved Mondstadt that day. So what brings you here? Tasks from the Acting Grand Master?

Aether: Yes, actually. The Knights of Favonius would like to borrow the Holy Lyre...

Gotelinde: Is that so? Not that I don't trust you. It's just that a suspicious bard came looking to borrow the Holy Lyre as well. He's full of nonsense and even called himself Barbatos. He must be up to something. There are regulations in place for the use of the Holy Lyre. Currently, it's only used in Ludi Harpastum. Signed documents from the Grand Master, Seneschal, and Community Representative are all required. So, may I see the document from the Knights of Favonius?

Aether: Paimon ate it on our way here.

Paimon: *stomps her foot* Hey!

Gotelinde: A signed document is required. Without it, there's not much I can do. Now, if you'll excuse me. I really am quite busy as of late.

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Aether and Paimon head twords where Venti and Y/n are

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Y/n: Wow, so some nuns are still rude as ever

Venti: It didn't work... I knew it.

Paimon: You "knew it"?

Venti: I just wanted to know how influential Aether — one of the hotshot of the Knights of the Favonius — is.

Paimon: Well, if SOMEONE helped, we could've had a better chance at convincing the nun

Y/n: I'm thinking of telling Sara to put a new menu item, "Paimon Roast"

Paimon: Eek!!! Never mind!!!

Venti: You see, the best warrior should always be presented with the best sword, and yet here we are... Does the story not make for a fitting ballad?

Y/n: I don't know, maybe?

Paimon: So what are you trying to say? That we're not good enough?

Venti: No, that's not it. It's more of a commentary regarding Mondstadt's inability to see the warrior standing right before its very eyes. Very well. Looks like borrowing it is not going to be possible. We're simply going to have to steal it. Today, we stand for free will! Any suggestions on just how we steal it?

Y/n: Isn't it bad stealing something?

Aether: I agree...

Venti: Hahaha, look at you guys. Sidetracked from the start. But seriously, They're more suitable for the job than I. Aside from singing, I don't really have any other talents. Besides, if I was caught, I'd have no one to right the grave injustice of my arrest.

Paimon: How can it be a "grave injustice" if you got caught stealing red-handed?

Venti: But things are different for Aether and Y/n. They are the superstars of the Knights of Favonius. They have made contributions to Mondstadt. Should they get caught, they would easily be able to talk their way out of it.

Y/n: The guards here, if I recall, it seems they're off duty throughout the night. If we manage to seize this opportunity, it should be smooth sailing from here.

Paimon: Not you too Y/n!!! Stop mentioning us getting caught!

Venti: Aether and Y/n... What do you guys say?

Y/n: I'm in!!!

Aether: I'm sorry— Wait... Did you just say... you're Barbatos?

Venti: Ah, yes. Seems I did mention that... Your point being?

Aether: If you really are a god, then we can't simply abandon you.

Venti: Why does your decision hinge upon whether or not I am a god?

Paimon: Paimon'll fill you in on Aether's background story when we get the time...

Venti: Huh?

Aether: I will bring you the Holy Lyre der Himmel. I don't want to see another separation.

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When it was night time Aether, Y/n, and Paimon made their way into the Cathedral's basement

Y/n: *whispering while hiding with Aether and Paimon* There's a lot guards here, no surprise there, even so we have to be quiet or else we'll get caught

Aether: Alright

They were hiding while trying to get close to where the Holy Lyre was without getting caught and at some point when a guard was about to notice them they had to duck twords one of the desks in the basement which led to Aether being on top of Y/n and his hands being on both sides of her while Y/n was under him

Y/n: uhh, is the guard gone Aether? *blushing due to her being embarrassed*

Aether: *blushing* Yes, he's gone..."She looks so nice being under me, I want to always see her under me, as well as her having this expression on her face but more different" *gets off her*

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They finally made it to where the Holy Lyre was, but upon reaching the Holy Lyre, a Fatui Electro Cicin Mage steals it right before they could take it

Y/n: Huh!?! "An Electro Cicin Mage!? Why is it here for the lyre?"

Paimon: Oh? Who're you!?

Y/n: Wait Aether!!! *tries to stop him and ends up shouting*

Aether: *attempts to capture the Cicin Mage, only for her to vanish*

Y/n: *runs twords Aether with Paimon flying next to her*

Paimon: She... disappeared!?

Knight of Favonius: Freeze! What are you doing here!?

Trio: *shocked*

Paimon: Oh no! Run!

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Outside the Cathedral, Paimon and the Traveler run over to Venti, who was sitting on top of the balcony

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Paimon: Oh nooooo... We're busted! Run!

Venti: What!? Follow me!

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Skit:

Aether: Hey Y/n!

Y/n: hm?

Aether: Can you touch your toes for me?

Y/n: Sure *bends to touch her touch her toes causing her skirt to flow up*

Aether: *has a nose bleed while smirking and chuckling* Now can you spell: Run?

Y/n: Okay? R-U-N, R-U-N, R-U-N *repating*

Paimon: *floating besides Venti in the background* Wow....I never knew Aether would be like that....

Venti: *aiming an arrow twords Aether with a dark aura surrounding him*

[thesoulshyperrealaslacreatura]

The 2023 Annual Pie Baking Contest

– We will now start this edition of our pie baking competition with a few words from our special guest!

The announcer's message prompted huge roars from the audience (catching the announcer off guard in turn, as she – working under contract from an outsourcing company – did not expect such excitement coming from a 7-person pie contest). More yelling came as the recording appeared on screen. Therefore, as soon as the backup organizing team turned on the projector, they fled as quickly as possible for the backstage to see if their noise-cancelling headphones were to truly work properly. They began to understand the reason for receiving those in the first place.

– Welcome everyone to the Official Global Pie Baking Commission’s 2023 Annual Contest. It is an honor to be the special guest of this edition. As you know, I am currently under sentence for intentional homicide, so I am sincerely grateful that my presence was considered important enough for the Commission to set up this entire infrastructure for me to be able to speak here. Everyone, a round of applause for the Commission!

All attendees stood to celebrate with perfect composure – including the guest, whose head didn't completely fit into the camera as he raised himself from his chair. They soon returned to their seats, now even more united than before.

– Yeah... wow, I don't even know what to say. I- I mean…

The detainee began to tear up as he laughed, moved by the situation – the entire audience shared the same feeling and, in their own time, started to get teary-eyed themselves.

– It's just... it's... – by now he was reduced to stuttering, fully lacking strength to complete even one single, measly idea, inspiring several audience members to place their hands to their chest.

He took a deep breath, already thinking about bringing back stability to his speech. He tried his best to soften his gulps of air; unredden his face; relax his eyebrows and so on.

He thereby began to miserably bawl. The recording suddenly stopped as he curled in on himself. The audience stomped their feet to celebrate the guest like one would for a rock star.

After two minutes of a surprisingly solid rhythm coming from an explosive-sounding wooden floor, a rookie organizing assistant had to be forced by the rest of the team to make the final announcement, seeing as no one else was willing to do so. With extreme hesitation, she proclaimed:

– Let the- the pie evaluation begin! Yeah, uh... – Hearing the same screams, one thought came to mind: “They must really enjoy their pies.”

She was right. They really enjoy their pies.

Everyone there for the competition assumed their positions and began to wait – visible anticipation on their faces – until 10 o'clock sharp. 9:59. 9:59. 9:59. 10:00 – like automatons, they started moving again.

The judges approached the simple decorations of the first tent: some stickers with drawings of virulently smiling strawberries invited them to enjoy what a small wooden sign called “Vi’s Savory Strawberry Pie”. A girl in an apron approached excitedly.

– It's a strawberry pie, except I added a good dose of salt to it.

– Wait up! You're new, I can tell... – One of the judges, a very tall and well-dressed gentleman, reprimanded her directly while writing down in his notepad.

– You have to introduce yourself first, okay? – Another judge wearing cheap looking sandals explained, laughing.

– Oh, sorry, of course. – She seemed to have turned red like one of her strawberries.

To overcome tensions, the man in sandals tried his hand at some haphazard comment:

– I think you're Vi, right? Don't worry, it's quite common not to get the grip your first time round. But we here, we want to see not just the pie, but the experience as a whole to evaluate, okay?

– We want to assess whether the pie eating experience is fully concordant! – His colleague in galoshes said didactically.

– But yeah, we ask for everyone's name, even if it’s already known. – The one in a suit commented, nodding his head, entirely bluffing about actually understanding what she meant by that.

– Well, yeah, I- I'm Vi, as in Victoria, and my grandmother was also called Victoria, but with an “i”. And since the original recipe was hers, the name could be kept.

– So your name is not spelled with an “i”?

– No! – and, seeing the confused faces of the judges, she contorted her brain to see if it could make something understandable come out of her mouth – No, because yes, in this case! It’s written with an “i”, yes...

– So... – The fourth judge, who until then had been sending messages on his cell phone, was finally trying to catch up on what he had missed.

– So, I don't know why I said that.

– Haha! I get that. You’re cool. – He spoke, not having clarified anything, but, looking at the decorations for the first time, appreciating the designs.

She turned even redder.

– Well, as I said a while ago, it's strawberry with a good dose of salt.

– Oh really? Is that good? – the same judge, who Vi was finally realizing had a flighty appearance by nature, tried to get straight to the point while dangling his earrings playfully. It was now or never.

– Why yes! It's a family recipe. – And, offering the each of the judges a set of cutlery and a well-decorated slice of pie, she extended the invitation – Would you do the honors?

Trying to adapt to the fact that they had received very small plates – and mentally discounting this from the presentation and service rating – the evaluators started with the first cut. In an attempt to portion out a bite that contained an adequate quantity of strawberries, one could hear the simple sound of the fork delicately piercing a cushioning layer of cream. Just by cutting through the cream, the mind was already distracted from thinking that in a few moments they would have a good handful of it filling up their mouth just as its smell was already filling up their nostrils, and–

TAC!

Once that layer was finished, the extra strength of the evaluators reached the bottom of the pie far too easily as the cutlery collided with the plastic plate – hence the tambourine sounding noise. Curious about what had happened, they paid further attention to the phases of the composition, realizing that there was a practically hollow portion between the topping and the bottom; then a continuous sound. Granular. An hourglass? The passage of time was revealing the true nature of the pie...

Salt leaked as if it came from a punctured package – pristine, unaltered salt – agglomerated inside the structure of the pie. It seemed never-ending. In fact, the examiners didn't wait for the salt to finish dripping onto the plate before getting some pie in their mouths. They moved the strawberry pieces around with their tongues while they felt all those grains molding around their movements. When swallowing, the distinct irritation in the mouth from the pure salt that had not accompanied the rest of the food down the throat – accumulating itself under the tongue and in other corners. The judges kept looking at each other:

– The combination of the name and specificity of the recipe already makes you stand out with regards to what you’re promising with your pie. – The judge in galoshes pointed out as she furtively wrote something in her notebook.

– Yes, I actually liked it. – The judge in a suit said, adjusting his spine, as he bent over to eat instead of just bringing the plate up to your own height.

– Thank you very much.

The competitor turned to the only one who didn't comment anything, waiting for him to stop scratching his eyelids and express any opinion at all.

– If I may, well, ask what your thought were?

– What? Oh! It was actually good... Yeah! Yes, I liked it!

The one in sandals raised his hand, and as soon as he received Vi's attention, he reversed his movement. He voiced a tiny doubt:

– Can I just make an... addendum?

She nodded yes. He continued:

– Your cream was very wet; if the pie’s presentation didn't already make your lack of experience clear, that would have already given you away. It completely ruins the theme and honestly makes you look like a bit of a coward for not committing to the clear two-act structure – normality into absurdity – when you try to soften it with such watery toppings. Either your grandmother was too busy spoiling you to actually make something great or you imposed your own insecurities on her recipe and I don't know what would make you look worse. Either way it's deeply undignified, is what I mean.

Tensing up every muscle she could to keep herself from crying, Victoria desperately sought reassurance from the previous judges. The one in a suit began to speak, adjusting his spine:

– Yeah, I liked it, I just, I don't know... too. He spoke well.

– Well I... uh. I thought it was cool, personally – The one with earrings mentioned, with great difficulty on focusing on the woman’s eyes. – Yeah... – Neither of them inspired much confidence.

– But thank you very much for participating, yeah? Focus on your niche and next year you will bring something better, for sure! – And, with that, the woman in galoshes gestured to the entire group to head for the next assessment.

Victoria nodded; there was no way she was going back next year. She went back to a corner of the tent wondering if it was worth holding back her tears.

The well-dressed man, who had taken a while to keep up with the others, bent down again to lick his finger with some of the salt – still continuously dripping. Upon seeing the girl on the ground, he asked himself for a second whether it would be appropriate to say something, and concluded that it would be best to say nothing at all. Unfortunately for the judge, Victoria had already raised her face and was now looking directly at him, waiting to hear some other discouraging line; he had to meet these expectations with whatever seemed at least a little bit encouraging:

– You look pretty when you get like that.

Feeling proud to have helped out a struggling newcomer, he ran his ten fingers through the running salt at the same time with his eyes fixed on her, trying to preserve the friendly atmosphere he had built. Before that face covered in tears showed any reaction that could contradict the idea that he was doing a great job, the man took advantage of his height in relation to the tent to cut the line of vision that had formed between them by simply erecting his spine once more, and began to suck each of his fingers from left to right. He picked up the plate of salt on his way out, letting it spit out wherever he went.

The next tent had no thematic decoration. The scene was of a common market stall with a paper marked in Calibri text: “Sapient Apple Pie”. Galoshes and sandals, having spotted the sign, quickened their pace to a frenzy – it was a name that certainly raised expectations. Following that, a pair of earrings and a tie were made to dangle around the path, as the other two judges attempted to prevent a delay to the event.

– So… – Looking at the two men who arrived exhausted from their run, the woman operating the tent handed them each one Halloween-themed plastic cup of water.

– Thank you very much.

– Oh, I needed that. Cute. – He took the cup and started washing his hands, whose palms were entirely licked with traces of salt that he apparently had time to consume even amidst his rush.

They all waited for earrings to finish drinking, as his glottis released an aberration of a noise with each sip. The presenter was staring directly at his neck, which was originally in an attempt to figure out how it managed to create a sound like that – “originally”, as she was soon distracted by his mystical necklace, which looked a lot like the one she had lost in the last edition of the contest.

Trying to redirect the participant’s attention, the man in sandals cleared his throat, but ended up choking a little, forcing him to help himself to some water as well. The woman kept on anyway:

– Well, I'm just going to start… You must have already read my sign; you know what it’s about. I really thought of this project as an extension of last year's ideas, you know?

– So, it is a living being. – The judge in sandals began his round of interrogations while delicately massaging his neck.

– Yeah. It is deeply contemplative and especially concerned with the fact that we are merely in a text. But it’s just a pie.

– It has anxiety, then?

– Yes, I made sure it had some.

– Like, in the recipe?

– No, from trauma.

– What trauma?

She lifted her shoulders and looked to the side, yawning into her own leather jacket’s shoulder. The one in a suit yawned right away. The one in sandals wanted to yawn, but he pressed his lips together tightly – he let out a small “Excuse me” that no one heard – and then returned to asking questions:

– If we eat it, will it feel that?

– Perhaps. I dunno. Probably not. Feel free to do so; it won't complain anyway, it's just a pie.

After everyone shared a glance, searching for permission from others’ eyes, they considered themselves allowed to look at the pie with vigor. They quickly stuck their forks through the dough and filling to bring the delicious flavors to their mouths. Their faces seemed to show they were enjoying it. The pie wasn’t enjoying it as much.

The one in a suit shook his arms from side to side, in anticipation for what he was about to say:

– It has a little dulce de leche filling. I love that!

The one with the earrings clamped his mouth shut, preparing to swallow something large, as one would for a pill. His head then arched itself all the way back, straightening the throat. As soon as it passed the neck, the man commented, with a mix of curiosity and sadness:

– Mine had some sort of stone thingy in it...

– Oh, it does that sometimes.

The judges all nodded their heads in understanding. As soon as he swallowed his slice, the sandaled judge finally blurted out the question he had been thinking of ever since he saw the sign:

– Have you stopped to think about the ethical implications of this?

– Yes!

– Oh, all good then! – He said, as he took a forkful from the edge, his favorite part of most pies.

The judge in galoshes held one thought for a while, until she was certain of the fact that her contribution made sense.

– And, come here, didn't you think about decorating with Frankenstein, or something like that?

– The monster?

– No, the doctor. Linking the pie with a strong cultural icon already gives it a sense of familiarity, you know? Firstly, you already have the gothic horror aesthetic. Then people see a shitty guy who created life just to make it suffer and you can say, “do you want to feel like you’re as shit as him”?

– Yeah, people want to feel like shit nowadays. – The judge with earrings remarked, even with his mouth full of pie, as he turned on his cell phone to take a photo of the slice he was eating.

– I don't... – The judge a suit made this comment with what seemed to be a lot of sincerity, which made the girl herself feel pressured to put her hand on his shoulder while he took a bit from each of the pies on his plate.

– Did you consider having the pie scream out as it was being eaten, or was that feminine compassion of yours unable to handle it? – He questioned without looking up; he was busy trying to stop the salt – still leaking from the previous slice – from spreading into the current pie.

– What? Uh... – She tried to ignore the comment and hold out a new plate, one that didn't have salt spilling out of it, but the evaluator didn't even notice her gesture. Seeing that the question was of interest to the other judges as well – everyone now looking at her with some strong intrigue – she recovered in time for an explanation. – The thing is… they used to be able to talk just fine, but the pies from when I was working out the recipe quickly gained access to a shared database that formed a sort of collective subconscious… which meant they started storing information about who would come to eat them to try to improve their manipulation tactics, so…

– Oh!

– Yeah... I had to send my mom to therapy for a while.

– But your cat, how is little Crackling holding out? – the judge made a point of asking before finishing writing down notes in her mare-themed notebook (complete with a cover of two of them in the middle of a jump at nightfall).

– He’s fine! He had a urinary infection a good while back but has now recovered!

All the judges shared one face of compassion for good old Crackling. Even without realizing it, the fact that they couldn't see him this year had already had already mentally neutered how they evaluated the entertainment factor. Still, the judge went on to question:

– But then the database thing, can they still do that?

– I dunno.

Having received the answer, she pretended to be making a note, but was finishing a sketch of a new mare, trying to adjust the leg muscles to make it look less like a dog. The one in sandals took over, continuing the conversation:

– I should just note that my slice had a little section of it that might have gotten stuck in its mold. This is already starting to dampen the experience of being able to ruin a living being myself, you know?

– It's... kind of like a banana, right?

– More or less that.

She nodded, indicating that she understood the criticisms, in spite of not having even paid close attention to who said what; she just made a mental note indicating “more banana”. Looking at the man in a suit, who seemed to put some of the salt that was leaking out – still – from the previous slice on top of the apple pie, she wanted to ask:

– And you? What did you think of it in the end?

– I really like your dress, it looks tight on you.

– OK? – She ignored the comment and focused on the accessory that seemed familiar to her – What about you, crystal necklace guy?

– Huh? – The one with the earrings looked down, in confusion, until he realized that he was, in fact, wearing a necklace. He wanted to correct her and say that it was not made of crystal, but rather, by his own assessment, some polycrystalline material, but he reoriented himself towards letting out an honest opinion – Ah, me. I didn't quite get… apple? Why choose apple?

– Well, I actually chose banana peel as a flavor, but it ended up tasting like apple anyway. – She was about to complement her sentence with the hypothesis that he had, somehow, taken her necklace from her in last year’s contest, which she was becoming more and more certain of, but first:

– Does she lose points for that? – the judge looked at the man in sandals, awaiting his decision. He quickly had his query answered:

– Knowing that it wasn't her intention is kind of unfortunate, cause apples are very… original sin, you know?

– Although, that’s not quite apple either; that’s another fruit entirely. – The judge in galoshes commented, starting to draw another female horse; she had decided that the two of them would be kissing.

– Even so, culturally, you understand? – The one in sandals reiterated his point, no longer looking at the competitor before him.

– So do I lose points or not?

– Well, we'll discuss that along the way.

– Good luck! – They shouted as they already began moving towards their next baker to evaluate.

– Hey! – She dashed towards the judges, having leapt over her own table. It wasn't as impressive as it sounds. It was a short table. Even so, they all stared at the woman, continuing their journey as usual regardless, as they had already mentally removed themselves from being in conversation with her. The girl, now too tired to articulate even minimally complex ideas, just shouted – Necklace! Mine! – as she ripped it directly from the earring judge's neck, slightly choking him.

In everyone’s heads, they had just witnessed a robbery in broad daylight, but they didn't really care – the choking man coughed a little, raising his hand to his chest, but soon straightened himself up and followed with the others. The woman, now with her necklace back, returned to her comfortable sheet of paper with text in a Calibri font. Seeing the pile of salt that had accumulated around her tent, she bent down, scooped up some, and licked her hand in a cat-like fashion. Only at that moment did she stop to think about the fact that, apparently, she had stumbled into a gothic horror aesthetic completely by accident. She reflected a little more on how to make this aesthetic something more “banana”. She stopped reflecting, as she got really tired. Salt good.

This time, they all walked together to the next participant's table, who advertised his mysterious lemon pie with a special poster made via commission by some hyperpop artist. The judge in a suit seemed particularly excited, expecting stuff truly worthy of coming from pros out of the next two pastry chefs.

– Hi hi, welcome!

– I like the poster already. – The judge with earrings arrived already excited about what this tent would bring, as he remembered who ran it.

– I don’t. – The judge in galoshes said disappointedly, as if this was not part of her assessment and just a personal comment. It was absolutely part of her evaluation, he had just lost points in the aesthetics and presentation category.

The judge in sandals didn't know why, but he felt a primal rage toward the man presenting pies in front of him. "Huh, weird." He didn't remember the past year enough to understand how he could feel so intensely like punching someone, but still retained a relaxed stance.

– Well, this pie is mine, of course. I'm not here to plagiarize pies, right, haha! – Nobody laughed. That had happened before and it was a mess for everyone involved. – But yes, I made this one with lemon because the sourness is really important for what I want to achieve with it, you know... like... yeah, haha...

– Let's see, then... – the judge in a suit announced as he stretched forwards to grab a slice for everyone. – But what is it that–?

He fell hard to the floor before he finished the question. With it, the slice of salted pie, which was left completely shattered on the ground, gave way to a pile of salt that seemed to replenish itself as it spread around the place, slowly expanding in volume.

– Oh, yeah. The pie kills you when you touch it.

And, with a confused look, the other judges tried to understand the situation. After a long time of processing, the woman in galoshes finally got over her bad first impression of the poster and let her enthusiasm for the potential of what she was witnessing take control of the conversation:

– Oh! Now I get it! You're going to open a business selling these pies, right?

– I don't know; I was- ha, yeah, I was kind of thinking about that, but I'm not sure.

– Sell it, sell it! The suicidality market is growing, you know? Makes for good business.

– But don't you think that a single-use product like this kind of, like, inherently limits its own sales?

– You don't seem to have a head for entrepreneurship, do you? Look... – she turned over her notebook until she found a page that didn't contain mares. – Think about it like this: the way your product works, it could expand into a somewhat adjacent mercenary market, see?

The man had his horizons expanded even further. Thinking about how valuable this experience had already been, he dropped a single tear, which instantly vaporized once it reached his pie.

– What is it? – The judge asked, moving the notebook away so that the crying wouldn't even have the opportunity to get her horses wet. The one in sandals thought about making a joke about holding on to one’s horses, but he couldn’t figure out how to do that.

– No, nothing... You know, it's just. God! You guys really... Wow. Before these pies I really felt like I had nothing, and now all this... oh...

The judges impatiently watched the baker, who forced himself to take a deep breath as he stared into the serious eyes that surrounded him.

– I thought about this pie when I was going through some… difficulties, you know? So I hope that if I can sell this, it could end up as a symbol of recovery – like, I'm the one who kills people now, look...

– Oh! OOOOHHH! – The one in sandals shouted, in a state of ecstasy that seemed to have triggered a slight tachycardia. – I remember you! You're... you're the guy I thought was like the opposite of an Übermensch, right? That's why I want to punch you so bad... Okay. It's kind of making sense to me now.

No one knew exactly how to react to the comment, so the commenter himself returned to the evaluation questions:

– Since we're already talking about this, this is the third time I've had to ask this today, but haven't you thought about the moral aspect of this?

– Oh, totally. A divine intervention happened to me a few weeks ago and God said it was ok.

– So you believe in singular, objective morality? – The judge laughed to himself: “Yeah, a very ‘last man’ thing.”

– I don't know. Meeting God made things a little bit more complicated, I guess.

– Hey, what did God look like? – The judge with earrings took the opportunity to answer a curiosity he had while admiring the necklace around his own neck, having already forgotten about the fact that it was not supposed to be there anymore. As he looked up, he realized he had made the competitor blush in a worrying red. He looked like he was about to explode.

– Kind of like you, to be honest. Ha ha...

– Cool. – he didn't understand what was the significance of that. To distract himself, he grabbed a slice of the lemon pie. Cream good.

Trying to remain calm, even as he loathed his colleague for interrupting his questions, the man in sandals took a leaf out of his hair, not knowing exactly where it had come from. Upon realizing he could follow his line of questioning, he did just that:

– Was there a lot of planning required for it to actually kill people?

– No, actually.

– How did you do it then?

– I just, I don't know, really wanted it to do so?

Between three mares discussing their marital problems, the judge in galoshes made sure to note that the third baker must have quite a lot of willpower while drawing a line between “third competitor” and “call Uncle Henry” with a skull symbol.

– Just one final thing, we're gonna to have to ask you to clean up what was left on the floor yourself before someone steps on it by accident. We rented this place, you know?

– Of course, of course.

The judges left the pastry chef with a handshake. They were starting to get tired. The one with earrings, in a hurry to finish, tried to remember what the protocol would be:

– What do we do about Smith?

– Burn the body, no?

Completely unintentionally, they had both given the same answer an exact octave apart. This appeared to cause the necklace's material, which was basically 75% monocrystalline, to glow slightly, but its wearer was preoccupied with another matter.

– No, no, about the grades he would give to the other competitors.

– Oh, that? – The one with sandals picked up some of the salt that was now piling up almost to his feet before continuing his speech. – I already have this prepared, let me get them to play one of the announcements. You can move on to the next pie and I’ll arrive shortly.

The one in earring nodded in understanding.

– Yeah, you go ahead on your own, I just think my galoshes got dirty from the slice that fell off. – She said, unzipping the back of her shoes so that she was left with just the inner galoshes. These were red; the ones before were transparent.

The remaining judge found the two different excuses strange, but followed along to a tent that was about as well put together as it gets. Loads and loads of cardboard and glitter in purple and gold made for invitations to a new world; undoubtedly a new world of flavors. The unconventionally shaped pies promised an unparalleled experience, and were each adorned with their own lilac petal.

As he looked at the gentleman behind the pies, a wrinkle of curiosity took shape between the judge's earrings.

– You were second place last year, right?

– For the last 40 years, yes. In fact, where might the winner be today?

– At home. He said he was having a depressive episode.

– Sucks for him, I suppose...

The judge went back to his phone, making some plans for later, though the gentleman was very willing to continue talking. There was a long stretch of silence. Upon realizing that he was being stared at directly, and fearing appearing unprofessional in front of an elder in the art of pie baking, he took the liberty of pointing to the pile of salt that now extended from his fallen companion to his feet and asking:

– Want some?

The answer came in the form of a restrained shaking of his head from side to side, drawing a “no”, with a short explanation:

– Blood pressure.

The one with the earrings gave him an understanding thumbs-up. Following that, they were willing to wait quietly for all the judges to be ready. The one in galoshes, was already the first to speak as she arrived on the scene:

– Sorry for being late! Very much so – The man in sandals even took the opportunity to raise his hands as if he were a police target. – But what do you have to show here? I see several pies already.

– They're bomb pies. – The gentleman announced with a smile.

– Didn't we ban explosives about 20 years ago, 22 or something like that? – The one with earrings asked, as he could have sworn there was some significant reason behind that decision.

– Technically, explosives are allowed, the problem would be recognition in the news as a terrorist attack. – The competitor said, raising from his table a printed copy of an excerpt from the Commission's official book of rules referring to the subject. He soon rolled up the paper again and continued with his presentation. – But no, these are not explosives. It's just that a friend invited me to see him take part in a contest for something called a chocolate bomb, which, as I found out only upon arrival, is supposed to be some sweet treat. And, in the spirit of trying to bring something new here to our own competition, I couldn’t stop thinking about that.

– So, these are supposed to be some of those “bombs”? – The one with sandals said, shaking one of his feet to see if readjust one of them, as it was about to slip out.

– No, they're pies. But I prepared them as if they were chocolate bombs. Just help yourselves to one, you’ll understand things a little better!

The judges had already tasted smaller pies in their lives, but for some reason, in spite of them being much tinier than a normal pie, these so-called “bomb pies” seemed to be the right size for what they were. Before they even thought having these in their mouths, they absorbed everything they could of the strange delicacy. Pros at work; quite a sight! Following the Commission's instructions, their evaluation method for UPOs was synchronized down to the centimeters and milliseconds. They threw the candy up in the air once, assessing its weight, and then smelled the entire surface in a zigzag pattern. From the woman in galoshes, a crucial question arose:

– Do we eat the petal?

– No, I think you’d get diarrhea...

– Right.

It seemed perfectly appropriate, but the judges remained nervous. They looked at each other in communion: they were to face this together, with determination! They placed a small fraction of the pies between their teeth and, closing their eyes, took a bite. Having survived, they looked at each other, with the pastry in their mouths, and ran their tongues over all the different phases of the sampled piece. They let the saliva dissolve the dough a little, turning it into more and more of a sweet paste, until they finally swallowed it whole. They used the moment of bringing napkins to their lips as a well-deserved rest, in an attempt to compile their opinions. The one in sandals felt the need to start a sentence, if only to force his brain to finish it once he had already put himself in that position:

– Wow, it's really good! It's... it's as if...

That wasn't enough. It was indescribable.

– It's like a pie, except–

– Well, it's a pie, isn't it? – The gentleman insisted.

– Is it really though? – The one with the earrings was legitimately asking. – Do you have the excerpt that talks about what is considered a pie?

– No, unfortunately.

– And you had the one on explosives!?

The baker looked away to the left, hiding a slight chuckle in his beard:

– I like that part, it's humorous.

The judges looked at the gentleman with a very intense stare of estrangement. They didn't understand if it was because he was already half blind, or if he simply no longer cared, but he didn't even react to the faces of his evaluators. He took a long sigh and just began to ruminate:

– You know, I've been participating since the 1973 edition. It's been exactly 50 years since I started, yet I’ve never won once! About time, no?

The man in sandals, upon hearing this, bent his arm to scratch his back as he thought of some vaguely appropriate response.

– Yeah, yeah. I'll have to think more about this, because it ended up being quite… conceptual.

The gentleman watched the judges uncomfortably walk away, along with his dreams, bearing an unflinching half-smile.

– Thank you very much for your time.

Jotting down the rest of their thoughts, the judges huddled together in front of the tent to submit their scores to the registration system, which would determine the winner in time for the award ceremony. After pressing the confirm button, the one with the earrings turned back to the pastry chef's table for a query:

– Question, if a guy said he saw God and that He looked like you, what would be an appropriate reaction?

– Oh, I think it was a strange attempt at flirting. – The judge responded, having held this notion back all this time in the face of what, for her, was obvious. But the competitor soon added:

– No, no, God looks like you. I can attest to that.

– Cool.

She violently bit her lip in an attempt to alleviate the fact that her guess was wrong.

– By the way, I want to tell you something. – The gentleman added.

– Tell who something?

– The one with galoshes and sandals.

The two judges who fit this description pointed to themselves, confused as to which one the contestant wanted to talk to, until they remembered they were the same person, and simply wearing a pair of sandals outside their red galoshes.

– Oh, what?

– I liked your drawings of horses... I glanced at some of them and… I thought they were neat.

– Oh thanks! But they are mares...

– What?

– They're mares.

– Right, right...

– Well, sometimes they are horses too, but they are mainly mares.

– Right.

She began to wonder if the man had made any expression other than that half-smile, until he commented:

– I have a horse on my farm.

She no longer knew what to answer, and merely walked away alongside her co-worker. She whispered to him:

– I don't like him much.

– Weird guy, right?

She was surprised when he said that he needed to solve something with the baker who had killed Smith, but the reaction soon evaporated when she saw the two of them going together behind one of the tents. “Right, it IS June…” She took this opportunity to send drawings of mares to her therapist, as requested. They were both excited about this kind of thing.

After a while, she whistled to announce her presence and yelled to her colleague, telling him to come back for the awards ceremony. As soon as she did so, the official speaker for the event did the same for the entire 7-now-6-person audience. One by one, they all accommodated themselves in the plastic chairs facing the stage.

– We have an official speaker? – The one with the earrings wanted to know.

– She arrived about 3 minutes ago.

The lights came on. The Commission speaker, still catching up on her breathing, began her speech:

– Welcome to the 2023 Annual Pie Baking Contest Awards Ceremony. Firstly, as the official speaker for this 2023 edition of the Pie Baking Contest, it is with a heavy heart that I announce the passing of one of our event judges, Please, everyone, a moment of silence for this late professional pie appraiser.

The presentation quickly went through the slides already prepared for mourning the other two judges before arriving at photos of the deceased. Due to a lack of options, they resorted to photos of him pouting and in other intriguing positions that the Commission managed to extract from his private conversations with his wife. The entire audience stood in silence, out of respect for this great loss to the global pie baking community.

– I don't imagine we would have to describe his influence on how we understand pies in their true artistic potential to all of you right now. So we won't. But we plan to honor him another way. Over time, we received several complaints from participating women that his behavior carried inappropriate tendencies. The Commission would like to take this opportunity to reiterate that it is always engaged in building a pie baking space that is welcoming to all genders. That said, we have decided to honor the memory of the recently deceased judge through a symbolic 3-point discount on the grades of all female participants of this event.

A hand went up in the audience. It was from the one who made the pie that could be killed, asking a question with her attention divided between it and a guide on the internet called “How to make your pies goated and banana pilled in 5 simple steps”:

– I have a non-binary friend who sometimes participates, how would that go for them?

– He wouldn't know what that means, so he would probably discriminate against it, right? They can lose 3 points too, sure. – The speaker said, not understanding what it was about the art of making pies that seemed to attract so many of these LGBTs. It was beginning to annoy her. She thought about asking her girlfriend later at home. – Without further ado, I present to you the winner of our contest, please come on stage...

In the screen projected for the audience, the slide was about to change, but not before doing a pirouette that left it shredded into a thousand pieces scattered about like confetti while the animation of a window being opened marked the transition to the next slide. Empty, of course. It was first filled with color and three-dimensional models rotating festively until the text appeared, letter by letter: T – H – E – W – I – N – N – I – N – G – P – I – E

– My God, I made a pie, it could be mine! – Shouted the man with the lemon pie.

I – S

– Everyone made a pie, shut up! – Replied the baker whose pie could be killed.

T – H

– I'll peel your skin off! – No one understood exactly who said that.

E – P – I – E – N – A – M – E – D – :

Sound effects of drums beating accompanied by images of kittens swinging drumsticks.

– Vee's Savory Strawberry Pie! Our first female winner!

Victoria had to be asked to stand up, because her legs, by themselves, were firmly numb. Was it really her? They did get her name wrong. More than out of happiness, she wanted to cry because she had no idea what was happening.

The audience, made up only of the rest of the competitors, applauded with composure and dignity.

– And now, you have the right to a wish granted by the Commission! That would be…?

– I want to go to Disney Land! Can I go to Disney Land?

– Unfortunately, the Commission has not approved funding for flights since 2001.

– Can you guys kill my cousin, then?

– Is there a specific reason for this?

– I don’t really know.

– Okay. Well, I hope to see you all at our next pie year.

Unfortunately, the Commission's operations would only continue until March 2024, at which time an international scandal involving one of its largest donors would trigger an investigation that would reveal criminal activity tied to the Global Pie Society as well as its connections to several coup attempts in various Latin American states.

[v-lynx-2]

< incognito / >

Part Three

Mc woke up with Dan calling her lovesick in the morning for sleeping with a laptop.

" Jessy, stop letting him inside the house "

Jessy laughed , she was preparing to make breakfast.

Mc took the laptop a and put it on the table, stretching her arms and legs, she went to the bathroom.

" Man.. what a dream "

She said looking into the mirror, her face is so red.

Going to kitchen she said good morning to Jessy and started helping her out.

" Mc, are you okay ? "

Mc turned to her blushing as she was deep in thought

" Yeah, what's up? "

" You are staring at your cup, it went cold minutes ago"

She noticed the cup in her hand.

" Oh .. well I had this dream.. "

mc blushed deeply turning her head.

"OH MY GOD, TELL ME ! EVERYTHING! "

" Well.. we just kissed..not much"

The dream felt so real, she could touch him and feel how much he wanted her, it happened exactly as one of the letters Jake wrote, they were together, they kissed, he pulled her even closer and listened to their heart beat sync together and-

" From earth to mc ! "

" Ah.. sorry "

" It was that good ha " Jessy giggled and took the cup from mc's hand.

"  I will heat it up for you"

" Thanks "

" I'm going to see Phil today, you aren't planning to see Alan ? "

" Not really, no .. I will take a walk or something"

The rest of the day, mc spent it planning, trying to get to Jake , he won't exactly leave the place, they are definitely waiting for him there.

He would be constantly on the move.

Poor Jake.. he could be running out of money or something.. probably didn't even sleep in days.. I need to find him .. somehow.

___________________________________________

Jessy : mc..

Jessy : .. I have bad news

Mc : ... They got him ?

Jessy : no, not that bad but.. it's a Matter of time.

Jessy : Phill wanted to tell you what he last heard.

Mc : thank him for me.

Jessy : sure, so.. he heard that the police are more alert now after some evidence disappeared today..

Mc : oh man..

Jessy : yeah.. they are more around than ever

Jessy : Phil said this would definitely draw the attention of the FBI.

Mc : they probably have agents around... Not good not good at all .

Jessy : we will find him .. don't worry.

Mc : we better, our chances are getting slimmer by the second.

Jessy : Alan asked me about you, you know.. I'm not sure what to think about that.

Mc : I might have to see him to find out more I guess.

Jessy : no ! What if he suspects you?

Mc : at this point I don't care.

___________________________________________

Mc found her way to the duskwood police station, Alan sent her the address long ago.

She kept her eyes out for any unusual vigilant behavior.

" Hello, Alan"

" Ms lawyer, and here I thought I won't see you again. "

" And why is that ? "

" Just intuition. "

" Heh, is that how you do all your work?"

" You would be surprised how much it had led me"

" So you say you have good intuition, that's good for you, I guess "

" But now, I feel like I miss judged people lately " Alan said his eyes wandering around mc.

Mc got nervous for a second.. he must really suspect her.. stuff disappears and she is the only new change that happened.

" Yeah, it happens to the best, I think you guys are working harder than usual today, is that why you didn't give me a call ? "  Mc said trying to look sad and disappointed.

" You didn't give me your number " Alan answered

" Oh well, I knew I forgot something yesterday "

" And yes, something has happened last night, this ' hacker ' we talked about yesterday, has taken evidence I kept in here "

Alan said with a hint of disbelief and suspension in his voice, it's like he is considering all the possibilities.

Mc learned not to break under his questioning gaze.

" Wow, how come no cameras picked him up? "

" That's what I was thinking about "

Alan is now looking right at mc, but she stood tall.

" He must have hacked into your surveillance cameras! Wow just like the movies! "

" You are the only one who finds this interesting "

He looks away and took a seat.

" What can I say, I'm a huge movie fan "

" Hmm maybe you want to take your mind off this? A movie perhaps? "

Mc said while getting closer and closer to the back of the desktop to retrieve the small USB.

" What I don't understand is, after the first time he contacted me, he contacted me again "

Mc almost tripped

" What ?! He did? What did he say ? "

" He somehow knows that the FBI is now looking for his accomplice, the stranger I talked about yesterday, mc "

Oh no... They are after me now.. shit shit it won't take long for them to know that I'm here.

Nymos was probably protecting me for so long now.

Going offline from time to time isn't bad I guess..

" So this hacker works with the stranger? "

" Mc " said Alan.

" Mc " said mc.

" Yes, I never thought she did but, his worry about her can't be justified if they didn't have a deeper connection.."

" Hmm sounds like a case that's non of our business "

" It is, he made it so, asking me to try and deflect the FBI's attention from her, he wanted to offer some information about him "

Dammit Jake! You self sacrificial ba-

" I said, then he shouldn't have stolen the evidence from me "

" Yeah! "

" He didn't reply for long "

" He was probably planning to threaten you something "

" it seems, he had another thing in mind"

" Let me guess, this mc " said mc, battling a smile.

" Correct, told me to give her a message"

" A message? Why would he tell you that ? "

" He is probably avoiding her because of the FBI "

An officer came in and asked for Alan, which made him get up.

" Oh "

Playing dumb, she needs to keep the act, she is dying to know what Jake wanted to tell her.

" Yes, but I can't reach her"

" I have to see something, will continue our little investigation later, feel free to stay in the office "

Alan said, with all the things happening around in duskwood, he felt it would be safer for her to stay where he can see her.

For a moment Alan stood to just look at her, she is so delicate and genuine, anyone would take advantage of such purity..

Was he falling for her?

No, he was just worried

Nothing else..

" Wait ! What is it ? This could lead to him somehow right? It could help you"

" Not really, he only said two words : move on"

Alan closed the door and left.

Mc fell to her knees, her tears on the carpet.

  Jake? .. is it because you don't have faith in me? ..

.. why ? How could you! You promised

What do you mean move on ? What do you mean ?!

She put both of her hands to cover her mouth, just in case a cry escapes from her throat.

Crying in silence, something mc is used to, she let her heart out, only sobs escaped but rarely.

She screamed silently.. making sure nothing escapes her throat,

she can't do this here, not now.

she held herself together for so long, how ironic, two words destroyed all the walls she built upon the hope of finding him ... Only for him to tell her it's useless.

He is gone for good.

Mc, took the USB and went to wash her face, her eyes were puffy and face red. 

Those two words felt like she lost him for real.

This made her cry more.

Few minutes later mc calmed down and fixed her make up.

Acting like nothing happened, she smiled and waved at Alan as she left.

Alan was disappointed his guest decided to leave so soon.

So he went out to say goodbye at least.

" I'm sorry, I couldn't get back in time "

" It's fine, really, you have your job after all "

" Thank you for understanding.."

Mc smiled and was about to leave when he pulled out something.

Mc tilted her head and gave him a confused look.

Cute

" This thing right here is a taser "

" What! Don't these need an approval or a license around here? "

" That should be in order "

" You know having this without a license is like breaking the law right ? "

" You will have one shortly, you can use it for now under the name of Ms Hawkins "

" Aww that's cool, thank you "

" Stay safe "

Alan said as he went back, he felt bad about doing something like that that might question him as a cop, but he knows deep down that he could only protect her this way.

She took the taser and put it in her bag, it might come handy.

Mc decided to go home, she didn't even stop to ask Phil or wait for Jessy.

Her whole world was breaking, she was walking in a straight line, she has nowhere to go, she doesn't want to go home, not without him.

But he already left her behind..

What for? What for!

Mc's feet took her to the closest supermarket around here, she missed those.

Nothing cures the heart better than retail therapy... She is not ready to let go yet though.

Now that the FBI are keeping close look on me, he won't seek me... I won't see him again..

Mc was about to cry again but she is already in and her mascara is expensive.

She took a stroll to collect her thoughts, telling herself she has to believe everything is going to be fine.

Walking by there was a dark hoodie on display, she almost ruined her mascara.

wondering where could he have been, how did he get access to a computer or maybe a phone to send Alan an untraceable message..

She had his equipment after all.

Passing around the aisles, with nothing on her mind, she is just here to feel like herself again.

He gave up on us..

He left me-

"Oops s-sorry"

Mc bumped into one of the workers at the tech part of the shop.

" My apologies "

They have a lot of high quality PCs here.. it's not like I ever want to see one again..

Jake would probably like to be here.

  She couldn't help it, mascara ruined.

" I- are you okay? "

The worker noticed as the woman Infront of him started crying, did he hurt her?

Well, actually, yes, he did.

" I'm fine.. it's.. it's just.. "

" Here "

He gave her some napkins to wipe her tears but it didn't help at all.

" I will use restroom"

" Of course, let me help "

She followed him to the restroom, she took off her makeup and anything that made her the gorgeous ' miss lawyer '

She is a mess.

Leaving the restroom she found out that the worker was still waiting to check on her and brought her a bottle of water, how considerate.

So caring.. he used to be so caring too

It's like her tears can't stop falling again, the worker felt concerned.

He brought her a seat which she took.

" Miss, is everything alright ?"

" Yeah... "

Funny I thought I would find him here, this is the only way he could have unauthorized access to internet as much as he wanted without looking suspicious. Also it's more easily to get food and everything else.

If Only ..

Mc looked up to see the eyes of the masked worker, they seemed familiar, like the ones she longed to see.

If only he didn't give up on their love.

She can't cry infront of him again, she had to leave, this whole retail therapy thing didn't work when everything reminded her of him.

She took off running, she just wants the feeling to go away, they haven't been together for long yet she can't take him out of her mind, maybe she fell too fast ?

Whatever it is, she went on her way, hopefully she would bury herself in pillows at Jessy's place.

Somewhere else, Jake didn't understand what happened, but he felt really bad for that person.

He is much better at hiding his sorrow, he felt like he understood her for a moment, as if she was feeling his pain.

Mc must have rubbed off on him.

He smiled for a moment at the thought of her... It only faded as he remembered what he had to do.

The agents have managed to collect data about mc's whereabouts after they failed to track him, planned to get to her later but .. how long is later?

With the wound he was hiding under his clothing, he might have to visit the pharmacy again, but he is used to this kind of life.

He had go into hiding for years, he wouldn't allow himself to hurt her along the way. 

It was for the best

But why does it feel so bad?

He took a walk the room he rented, he kept changing places everytime he felt something was off.

Which is the case now, everything felt off, maybe it was because of the message he sent to Alan, maybe they managed to track him ?

And who was that that stole the evidence from the police, no one benefits from helping him, on contrary, they could benefit from handing him over to the police.

Jake was deep in thought, as he got in.

He didn't notice much movement until it hit him, literally.

Mc went to find the laptop on the table immediately, she opened it just to stare at the note he wrote.

It was the only thing she wanted to believe.

You promised me a date

We planned to meet

But after all this.. why give up now?

You want to protect me Jake..

But you hurt me in the worst way instead.

I can look out for myself.

I swear it!

You asked me to move on, but I refuse.

I'm not weak, I will prove it.

Mc said to herself as some of her sadness turned to anger.

She is going to put more effort into finding him, she sat down with the laptop for hours trying to come up with something.

As she was online she received a message, the sender had a strange code name.

The message contained a link and :

I say help a friend out, the money is good. I can get you out later.

Mc scrolled up to read what was the conversation about.

She was shocked to learn that the FBI has already set a bounty for him weeks ago

" Shit"

" ... Shit! "

If there is a huge bounty for him then not just the police or the FBI, are after him other bounty hunters as well ... Hacker groups and any enemies Jake has.

This isn't good, this isn't good at all !

Mc wrote back to the " friend" asking what he knows about this.

He said he knows a group already went after him

She tried to get more information from him but he only said that this group is already in duskwood.

Mc informed him that if he knows where they are

But he mentioned a price which mc agreed to.

She now knows the whereabouts of the group in duskwood.

The stranger then said something that alerted mc even more.

He said how he is glad that this group capturing him was only a rumour.

They got him? ?  Before me ??

Somehow, even with how dangerous the situation is, she managed to feel offended.

She asked him when was that and he replied a couple of hours ago, he mentioned how shocked he was to find him online even though someone informed him that the hacker Nymos was caught.

The hacker Nymos huh.

Mc asked him if he knows anything else about them and he said they said something about cashing out from the FBI soon.

Mc knew she didn't have enough time.

She got a bag in which she packed all of jake's equipment in.

Jessy came back just in time, mc put the bag there with her most important stuff that she packed before.

" Mc ? What's happening? "

Mc just finished packing and answered her.

" Jessy, I need you to take anything the leads to you from this car, I need to borrow it.. I got a hold of Jake, I'm running out of time ! "

Jessy didn't even question at this point she just got in to take her stuff.

Dan got concerned and went to ask mc what is she doing

" Find him "

" I know you won't listen to me now but.. do you really know what you are getting yourself into? "

" I do "

" What is your plan? "

" Get him and run away"

" Is your safety a priority too ? "

" Of course"

" Perfect, as long as you aren't rushing into danger unprepared..  what am I saying I still don't agree with this"

" I'm afraid, it's my choice and I already made up my mind "

" Yeah that's the thing...."

Mc looked at Dan, he looked really sad there.. mc felt bad and hugged him.

" Before you take off, I need to give you something first, I keep it at my place "

Without farther ado mc hugged Jessy.

" Jess.. I don't think I can bring your car back right away.. so .. is it okay ? "

" As long as you get back safe.. are you sure you don't want Alan to- of course"

" Yeah, leave everyone out"

" Lilly called ..she asked about you, she wanted to tell you something"

" I will hear it later "

" Okay .. she really is concerned about you know, the others as well "

" Thank you guys, don't worry "

" Are you really going now.. in the middle of the night ? "

Mc already in the car.

" Jessy, don't worry, I have to go "

" I don't want to lose you too"

Tears left mc's eyes as she remembered who else she lost .. Jessy doesn't want to lose another friend.. which is understandable.

" You won't, I .. I promise! "

" See you guys! "

Mc drove fast to dan's place, he gave her the key and where to look exactly, he told her he has something for her.

She found the box under his bed and .. it was a knuckle bracelet.

" Not bad "

A pocket knife as well.

She took them and headed out.

Placing the the taser in her cargo pants pocket and the knuckle bracelet in the other, she kept the pocket knife locked and put it in her bra, just in case.

She drove to the location the stranger mentioned.

Driving around a place she hasn't been before is quite tricky, she sees less cars drive near by the more she gets close.

Her anxious stomach started to hurt.. she is doing something she didn't think too much about it.

Even in the situation they were in, Jake managed to stay calm and have a well researched plan.

That didn't include possible violence.

Mc prepared herself mentally for this, she pushed all her worries away, either now or never, for real this time.

Parking the car around the area, not too close to draw attention.

They are should be expecting the FBI, she needed a way for them to escape.

See, a well thought of plan!

She got closer and closer on her feet, trying to find an entrance, she spotted two, a back one and a front one.

It seems to be an abandoned werehouse.

Some boxes and garbage were laying around.

Careful not to make a sound, mc heard few voices, male, all of them.

She got closer to be able to see them.

Five.. oh six, one of them is sitting..

He is not sitting, he is tied to the chair!

Mc stopped herself from reacting just in time, they can't find her now, she is so close.

She heard one of the men saying

" They are late "

" You know them, probably scanning the area first "

" Are you sure about our way out? "

" We worked with them before, it won't be a problem"

" I'm going to wait outside, I'm starting to hear stuff in this place "

" Afraid of ghosts? "

" Very funny "

" Do you think they accept him like that ? "

" A little beaten up who cares, he will probably see worse "

Mc did her best to hold her anger.

" Anyway, I'm heading out "

" I'm going for a smoke "

Two of them then left.

This leaves three for me to deal with.

She got closer and closer to one of them standing in the far left looking at something.

That's when mc noticed, they had guns put on the table... It suddenly got all too dangerous as a chill went down her spine.

Calm down calm down calm down.

They are unarmed for now, as long as they don't get to the table, I'm safe.

This made mc go back to reality, death is real, but she is not going to back down now.

For the first time in my life, I think three is a big number.

They were standing there, one was looking through his phone, one was asking Jake questions not so nicely- he hit him... He hit Jake.

Mc was biting her teeth.

Suddenly, the third one started to take a walk around the place, Mc froze in the shadows.

He was getting closer and closer to the back entrance, which went along well with her plan.

As he decided to go back, he heard something outside and decided to check.

That's when mc used the taser.

She made sure to do it in a way it doesn't let out a loud buzzing sound by stinking it close to his body.

The man fell down Infront of her as she was standing.

One down.

With two to go, mc felt more encouraged until she remembered the FBI are on their way.

She hurried in her steps a little.

The second person felt it was suspicious how the other didn't comeback yet, so he went to check on him.

Which mc followed.

Two down.

The third was so busy with Jake, but he started to miss his colleagues he looked left and didn't see anyone, he looked right and saw light.

"You get the knuckle bracelet bitch "

" What is this ? "

Mc took a look at Jake for the first time, his black hair was covering his face that's already covered in blood.

" Jake! Are you alright? "

" ..Mc? "

" L-lets get you out first"

She is crying, she can barely see through her tears but she has to get him out they are still in danger.

She pulled out the pocket knife and cut the ropes.

He tried to stand up too fast, he fell back down again.

" Here let me help "

She took his arm over her and helped stand up.

Just in time, the front entrance opened.

" What the- "

Mc left Jake for a moment to stop the two from getting to the guns.

She held the pocket knife in defense then tried to attack, which blocked, but it wasn't her intention, she wanted to use the taser.

Which was successful, she looked away next and the other guy was already on the floor.

" Damn.. who knew you can land a killer right hook "

" You think I just use my hands for coding ? "

" You better not"

Jake smiled even with his bruised face.

" The FBI are on their way, let's go! "

Hopefully, mc didn't leave the car too far away.

" Do you see this? Light "

" Cars.. oh no "

" How fast can you drive ? "

" Let's find out "

They did, it was enough, almost got into a one or two accidents but hey, they are not in the hot zone.

It seems they didn't notice them yet.

" You are never driving again " Jake said while holding into his seat.

" Relax! I was just trying to get as far away as fast as possible "

Mc picked up the phone and called Jessy.

" Jessy, I would like that phone call with lilly now "

Few minutes later, lilly called and mc asked her to meet her at the motel with a key to a room.

" Yes, lilly right now, I need to stay there for a day or so oh and bring some band aids  "

She hang up.

Mc is still in action mood, everything is going by the plan so far.

Lilly showed up with the key and first aid kit.

Mc and Jake left the car, lilly dropped whatever she was holding.

" Is this.. you? "

" Hello, lilly "

She hugged him tightly, saying how much she is happy to see him.

Mc couldn't help but feel jealous for a moment, she didn't even get to hug him yet.

" We need to disappear for now, it's important no notices our existence here" said mc.

" Of course, I would register your names"

" Very well, lilly" Jake said as she broke off the hug and gave him the key and the kit.

Again, jealous.

" Let's go already, you might need a real medical check up "

" I believe there is no need, Minor cuts and bruises"

" Oh thank god "

" Go home, lilly, it's really late."

" Okay, call us okay? "

" Okay "

Mc took the key from him and brought the bags along.

Which Jake wanted to help with but mc decided highly against it by walking faster to the room.

She opened the door and put the bags down and closed the door after Jake.

For now, everything has went fine.. I feel like something bad is going to happen.. did I mess up something? Did I forget something? ..

She was walking in circles thinking about what's their next move is.

" Now the FBI would be on high alert, it won't be long until they find us here, we need an escape plan, I can't just make a mistake now... But  I don't have any ideas..."

" Mc "

" Leaving through the boarders ? Nope they are most likely waiting there... Maybe just head to another city close by? .. they probably got a check point as well .. oh no I don't have papers for the car.. "

" Mc "

" What if they catch us there? They check the car and then-"

Jake did something he felt was going to help, he held her close. Embraced her and her worries.

" I want you to rest, you have been through enough, my dear "

Mc was caught off guard.. she was a bit shocked, she looked up at him and couldn't help but cry those worries out.

" I don't want to lose you"

"  I'm here, mc. "

Mc hugged him tighter, as if he was going to run away.

" I will take the lead for now okay ? "

" But you are injur-"

"I'm okay, you are here"

She melted into the hug.

" I will never leave you.. mc.. I'm glad you came for me"

" It's so selfish of me, but I'm happy that you didn't decide to move on.. I'm so happy you are here right now. "

He meant his words, he never thought that she would go after him, she did help him as much as she could this is beyond what she is used to, yet she came for him.

No one ever did anything like this for him, nothing comparable even, he can't lose her now.

She can't believe, he is here with her, she can listen to his heart beat, feel his arms around her .. she finally felt at peace.

She is even more happier for not giving up.

" If this is selfish, I want you to stay selfish"

___________________________________________

[helloalycia]

my patient’s neighbour [four] // wanda maximoff

summary: taking Wanda to meet your parents wasn't the best decision in hindsight...

warning/s: none i don't think?

author's note: i’m not sure what to say other than sorry in advance oops

part one | part two | part three | part five | part six | part seven | masterlist | wattpad

The restaurant my parents chose wasn't too flashy but rather comforting and homely, with an Italian theme and matching cuisine. It was bustling with people, but it didn't take long for Wanda and I to find my parents sat at the back waiting for us.

"You gonna be okay?" I asked, glancing at her with a comforting squeeze of the hand.

"I've got you, haven't I?" she asked playfully, her accent thicker than usual as she spoke. And though she was joking, I knew there was truth to her words which sent the butterflies in my stomach into a frenzy.

"You're cute," I said with adoration, appreciating how lovely her eyes looked in the dimly-lit restaurant. "Come on."

Hand in hand, we approached my parents' table and I had hopes that tonight would go well. My parents weren't exactly intimidating – at least anyone I'd ever known hadn't got that impression – but I still worried for Wanda. Unlike her, I couldn't read minds, so I couldn't tell if she was actually looking forward to tonight or if she was just doing it for me.

"Y/N, you're here!" my mum exclaimed with a grin when she spotted me.

"I am," I said with a nervous smile, before motioning to Wanda. "And so is Wanda, my girlfriend."

"Yes, Y/N mentioned you would be coming," my mum said with a friendly smile, looking to Wanda, before motioning to the table. "Please, sit, sit."

I squeezed Wanda's hand gently before pulling out a chair for her. She smiled at me appreciatively before I took a seat beside her, facing my parents.

"It's nice to finally meet you, Wanda," my dad said with a nod. "Y/N mentioned you plenty of times when we'd call to catch up with her."

"You, too," Wanda spoke politely. "Both of you. Y/N told me that you're travelling the world, is that right?"

I leaned on my hand and glanced at Wanda, who shot me a mischievous smile. Quirking a brow, I mentally applauded her. Getting my parents to talk about their travels was an easy way of bonding with them – they would tell every server and customer in this restaurant about their travelling if they could. She'd cracked them instantly.

I'm just that good, milashka (cutie).

Trying not to laugh as her words echoed in my mind because of her powers, I leaned back into my seat and listened in as my parents went into a ramble about their ongoing adventures. This was pretty much how the rest of the evening went, as the four of us dined on expensive wine and delicious pizza. They seemed to be getting along well, with Wanda asking all the right questions and giving them her picture-perfect smile that impressed all the elders. Heck, she was even impressing me.

Naively, I appreciated how well the evening was going until my parents decided to talk to Wanda about her career.

"So, Y/N mentioned you're one of those Revengers," my mum remembered as we ate.

"Avengers," I corrected her, mildly embarrassed.

Wanda chuckled, glancing at me, before nodding. "Yes, I am. For over a year now, I've been working with them."

"Them being Iron Man, Captain America, the Black Widow...?" my dad asked, looking up as if trying to remember the rest, further embarrassing me.

"Those are the ones," Wanda quipped with a nod.

My mum hummed in response as my dad nodded before leaning back in his seat and eyeing Wanda curiously.

"I can't imagine your job is the safest," he began. "You protect people from threats, right? Keep them safe."

Wanda seemed caught off guard, but recovered quickly. "It's got it's... dangers, yes. But I can handle myself. I've got powers and I know how to use them."

"You do," my dad agreed, before his eyes flickered to me briefly. "But Y/N doesn't. She's just a regular human."

I set my fork down on my plate and looked to him calmly. "Dad, what are you saying?"

"No, it's fine," Wanda said reassuringly, resting her hand on my leg under the table. I grabbed it and held it as she continued to speak to my father. "Y/N doesn't have powers, you are correct."

"And dating an Avenger, I can imagine, must put a huge target on her back," he said with concern, and my mum nodded in agreement. "How can we be certain that she is safe?"

"Dad!"

"Your father is right, Y/N," my mum said, giving me a look, before her expression softened as she looked to a startled Wanda. "We're not implying that you're incapable, Wanda. We can clearly see that you care about our daughter. And you're a lovely person. You're pretty much perfect."

Wanda swallowed hard. "But?"

My mother frowned. "But dating you is bound to put our Y/N in danger. She could get hurt just for being involved with you, with your friends. She doesn't have powers to protect herself. And I can't imagine you're around her all the time to keep her safe."

As angry as I was at my parents for saying this stuff – even if they were saying it out of love – memories of the incident flashed to mind. They were right, but it was a risk I'd accepted when dating Wanda. What good was it doing by bringing this up now?

Noticing Wanda's silence, I spoke up instead. "I appreciate your concern, guys, but I'm an adult. I understand the danger I may be put in by being with Wanda. But I love her and I know that she is here for me if anything were to ever happen."

"We know," my father said, giving me a small nod. "We just thought we'd share our opinion anyway. It's been weighing on us for a while is all."

I sighed quietly. I couldn't exactly fault them for that.

"Anyway, never mind that," my mum said, setting down her fork. "Now that we've got that out the way, let's order some dessert, yeah? Our treat."

Nodding, I let my parents get excited as they perused the dessert menus before them. Instead, I looked to the quiet brunette beside me and saw how lost in thought she was, eyes focused on the table and stuck in a daydream.

With the hand that was holding hers, I patted her hand with my thumb to earn her attention. She looked up suddenly, questioning gaze falling to me. I frowned and quirked a brow, wondering if she was okay. She forced a smile my way, squeezing my hand reassuringly, but I didn't believe her. I also couldn't question it right in front of my parents, so I decided to speak with her later.

Dessert went by quickly as Wanda, suddenly, wasn't very talkative. I didn't know if my parents noticed, but I sure did and I felt extremely guilty. If I had known of my parents' concerns, I never would have brought Wanda to meet them tonight.

After the evening came to a close and we all stepped out of the restaurant, I expected to be going home with my parents since we lived together, but they claimed they had more plans together tonight.

"Wow, you guys have more of a social life than we do," I joked when they told me to make my own way home.

Wanda barely smiled and I felt bad.

"We'll be back in a few hours," my mum promised, before pulling me in for a hug. "Tonight was fun. A great final night before we leave tomorrow."

I returned the hug and as I gave my dad one, I heard Wanda thanking my mum for the lovely evening halfheartedly. After saying our final goodbyes, Wanda led me to her car in silence, giving me time to try and put some jumbled thoughts together coherently.

As she had been for the past hour, Wanda was quiet on the drive back to my place. Whenever I would glance in her direction, she'd be chewing on her lip and focusing on driving, though the blank expression on her face made me think that maybe she was distracted. It didn't take a genius to know she was thinking about my parents' words and I suddenly felt guilty for putting that all on her.

"I'm sorry," I blurted halfway through the journey. "I'm sorry for what they said. It wasn't fair of them, I know that. They just... they meant well, Wanda, they really did." I tucked my hands under my thighs, wincing as their words echoed in my mind. "It doesn't change anything though, y'know? We're still us. We're still okay. I don't want you to feel like anything's changed because it hasn't."

I paused, swallowing hard, and glanced her way. She didn't even look my way, still in the same position as she was before I started to speak. Looking back to the road ahead, I let out a disappointed sigh, figuring she wasn't in a talking mood. I didn't blame her, but I hoped she would have understood what I meant.

The remainder of the drive was like this, Wanda deep in thought and me huddled under an imaginary blanket of guilt. When we finally reached my house, she turned the engine off and I waited for her to say something, literally anything. Her fingers drummed against the steering wheel mindlessly and I figured she was out of words for tonight.

"I'll ring you in the morning," I mumbled quietly, opening the car door. "If you want to speak, that is."

Leaving her there, I grabbed my bag and headed to the front door, but stopped when I heard her get out the car, too. Waiting, I turned around and watched as she approached me, eyebrows knitted in thought.

"Please say something," I said with pleading eyes.

She licked her lips, biting her lower lip so hard I'm surprised she didn't draw blood. Finally, she released it and looked to me with apologetic eyes.

"Your parents were right," she said.

I blinked with confusion. "What?"

She nodded, looking down at her shoes momentarily. "They were right, what they said. My life puts you in danger."

"Yeah, I know," I agreed, crossing my arms. "I knew that when I got with you, but that doesn't change anything."

She gave a disbelieving smile. "Seriously? Y/N, that changes everything."

"No, it doesn't," I told her sternly, growing frustrated. "This is the stuff you sacrifice when you love someone."

She sighed, shaking her head and looking away. "You shouldn't have to."

"But I chose to," I said, clenching my jaw.

"Don't you remember what happened last time?" she asked, stepping forward and holding my hand. "The incident?"

"We said we wouldn't talk about that," I reminded her with a low voice.

"But you remember, right? When they took you and I wasn't there? They could've hurt you!"

"Shut up!" I told her, raising my voice. Pulling my hand away from hers and taking a step back, I continued, "Why are you saying that? You came! You helped me!"

"But what if they did something to you before I got there?" she snapped. "What if I hadn't got to you on time?"

The memories came spilling into my mind, escaping the locked box I kept them in. Tears burned the corner of my eyes as I tried to think about anything else.

"You remember how scared you were?" Wanda asked, frowning at me with exasperated eyes. "You couldn't be by yourself for weeks!"

"Why are you doing this?!" I yelled, clenching my fists. "Why are you trying to frighten me?!"

"Because you should be frightened!" she retorted, stepping closer to me. Her dark green eyes were swirling storms of rage as she added, "It could happen again!"

I shoved her away from me, pinching the bridge of my nose with annoyance. Tears slipped from my eyes at the terrifying memory of what happened, what could have gone wrong, but I ignored them as I swallowed down the lump in my throat. Why the hell was she acting like this? Making me so angry at her for no reason?

"It's not even just that," she continued, jaw tensed. "How many times do I get hurt because of work and you get worried?"

"That's because I care about you," I muttered through stinging eyes.

"This will always be my life," she said, a hint of regret in her words as she looked to me. "I can't change it."

"I'm not asking you to!"

"Exactly! You're not! Which means you'll suck it up and stay with me and will live your life in constant concern for my well-being. It's not right."

I opened my mouth to respond because what she was saying was entirely stupid. But my emotions got the better of me and no words came out. Instead, my bottom lip quivered as I sucked up a breath.

"I need time to think," she suddenly said, anger disappearing from her voice and being replaced with an astute calmness.

My gaze snapped her way and through blurry vision, I watched her step back with her hands on her hips.

"So you can what – think about breaking up with me?" I said bitterly, and despite my anger, I didn't expect her to look at me with a softened expression, meaning my words were correct.

"Maybe it's better that way, Y/N," she said gently, eyes meeting mine.

I squeezed my hands together and tried to breathe through the pent-up anger that she'd caused, but the longer she stared at me, waiting for a response, the more I wanted to explode.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" I muttered, scrunching my eyebrows together.

She pressed her lips together, looking away, and it only pissed me off more.

"Are you fucking kidding me, Wanda?!" I yelled. "You're quitting on our relationship because, what, you think I'm in danger? Well, news flash, honey, the worst already happened and I'm still here!"

She barely flinched as she avoided my eyes.

"You're a fucking coward!" I said, pointing at her. "If you needed an excuse to end things, you could have just said so!"

Breathing out, I wiped my tears away shakily. I expected her to argue back, to realise she'd made a mistake and regretted her words, but as I waited, I knew she was certain of her decision.

"Fine," I settled, brimming with rage. "Fuck off, Wanda."

Still, nothing.

Turning on my heel, I stormed to my front door and went through my keys with difficulty, hands shaking with anger. I heard Wanda's car door shut from behind me but didn't bother turning around. I clearly didn't need to as I heard the tyres screech against the road and knew she was gone.

Kicking my door with frustration, I found the key and opened up before heading inside and slamming the door behind me. How dare she break up with me because of something that I chose off my own back! She just gave up like we meant nothing to her, not even bothering to talk things out with me! And selfishly, she left me feeling pissed and resenting her more than I ever thought I would.

"What a bitch!" I shouted into the empty house, throwing my keys to the side harshly.

When they clinked against glass, I looked up and saw the vase of flowers Wanda had given me before dinner.

"The first and fucking last," I said dryly, before grabbing ahold of it and throwing it against the wall without thinking.

The glass shattered on impact, leaving a mess of water, flowers and small shards on the wooden floor. I looked at it, the brokenness resembling how my heart felt. As the adrenaline of my actions and previous angry words wore off, all that was left was hurt and pain and oh God, Wanda was gone. She'd left me. She'd given up.

I sank to the floor, pulling my legs up to my chest, and hugged them tightly. Stifling my cries, I dug myself into my knees and felt a pain in my heart. Why didn't she fight for us? Did she not love me enough? Was I not enough?

—

"You ignored the memes I sent you, I thought you died."

As Natasha pushed right past me and into my house, I blinked with disbelief.

"Sure, come right in," I mumbled sarcastically, closing the front door.

Following after Natasha, I found her making herself at home in the living room, plonking herself on the couch and pulling her feet up comfortably.

"You could have sent an emoji or something," she continued, giving me a knowing look. "They were some good memes."

"Well, forgive me if I wasn't in the mood," I said sourly, joining her on the couch.

Her playful smile faded as she picked up on my words. "How are you doing, sweetie?"

I ran a hand through my hair and leaned my elbow on the back of the couch, getting comfortable. It had been two weeks since Wanda broke up with me and in those two weeks, I hadn't been doing particularly well. I guess you could say I was still in a slump. A horrible, tiresome, angry, sadness-filled slump.

"I'm fine."

She pursed her lips, looking like she wanted to argue, but thankfully, she didn't. I was glad – the last thing I wanted was to prove that I was okay when, really, all I wanted to do was curl in a ball and suffocate under my duvet.

"I'm sorry," she said, resting her hand on mine. "If it's any consolation, I think Wanda made a huge mistake."

"Ah, so she told you," I said with a nod of realisation. I hadn't told Natasha the specifics of why we broke up, but clearly Wanda did. I guess it made sense – they were teammates. If anything, I was surprised Natasha still wanted to speak to me, instead expecting her to side with her friend.

"She did," Natasha answered. "And I think she's an idiot, but that's not my business. I just came here to make sure you were okay."

"Really? I thought you wanted to show me the memes," I said jokingly, trying to lighten the mood with a small smile.

She chuckled, slapping my hand gently. "That, too... but seriously."

My smile faded as I looked down, my finger playing with my trousers distractedly. "I'm not okay, but I'll get there." I began to glare at my trousers, my anger for the witch returning. "I have to be. Because she doesn't want me anymore... fuck her."

"I'd rather not," Natasha mumbled.

Though my anger was present, making me tense like it had been the last few weeks, I couldn't help but smile at Natasha's words. Then laughter bubbled from my lips and for the first time since Wanda left, I felt momentarily happy.

"I'm glad we can still be friends," Natasha said, making me look to her with a smile. "I know that you and Wanda are over now... but I still like hanging out with you."

"Me, too," I said in agreement. "Thanks for coming to check in. You didn't have to."

"Yeah, I did." She nodded before offering me a small, encouraging smile. "You're gonna be okay, y'know."

I wanted to believe her, but despite how pissed I was at Wanda, I still loved her. And I couldn't imagine stopping, though I knew I'd have to if I was to make it through this.

—

Getting over Wanda was a difficult process. Everything I felt was a mixture of resentment, exhaustion and misery because I missed her. I missed being able to call her when I saw somebody do something stupid in public; I missed kissing her when I hadn't seen her in a long time; I missed hearing her adorable accent first thing when I woke up after she spent the night; I missed her.

Two months followed the breakup and the only time I'd see her was when she'd dodge Anna's apartment upon knowing I was going to take care of her. I guess I was glad in that sense, as it meant I wouldn't have to deal with her awkwardly. But it also made me feel like shit because it meant she didn't care about me at all. Clearly our breakup wasn't affecting her like it did with me.

And it was definitely affecting me.

I was scrolling through Instagram one day when I saw a particular post on my feed from Natasha's account. Yeah, one of the Avengers had a private Instagram account. She gave me her username when she saw me on it one day and I remember being so confused to how she had it.

"I'm an Avenger, not a hermit," was her response, and from that day onwards, we followed each other.

So, I saw a post on her Instagram and it was some goofy photo of her, Tony, Bruce and Wanda. They were posing with exaggerated smiles as Natasha grinned up front; the caption said something about working long days, but I wasn't paying much attention as, naturally, my gaze fell to Wanda.

Just like everyone else, she had a playful, exaggerated smile on her lips like nothing kept her down, but what stood out was the sling around her arm and the cast underneath. It must have happened in a mission or something and it wasn't my business, but I couldn't help but worry. Was she okay? Was she looking after herself? I wanted to text Natasha and ask, but I stopped myself.

She'd broken up with me for this very reason. I wasn't agreeing with it, but for a second, I did see why she'd made her point. It still wasn't fair though. She didn't get to make that choice for me.

We weren't together anymore, I reminded myself. She broke up with me. It had been two months and I needed to let go. If she didn't care about me, why should I waste my time and energy caring about her?

Not letting it get to me anymore, I simply liked the post before continuing my scrolling. Though I knew that deep down, her face was imprinted in my mind and I still worried for her well-being.

—

The fourth month following our breakup was when I properly saw Wanda again, excluding the times she would duck out of Anna's apartment upon my arrival to care for her. It was also the first time since the breakup that Wanda made the effort to speak to me.

I was sat eating dinner on my day off when I got a call from the hospital nearby, interrupting my meal. The nurse was explaining how Anna had fallen over and hurt her back and was now in a hospital room. She was calling me because she thought I'd like to know since I was her registered nurse and carer. I was glad to get the call, immediately pulling my shoes and coat on and rushing over there to make sure she was okay. She didn't have anyone else apart from Wanda and I – it was no question I had to go.

Though, of course, I didn't really think about the fact that Wanda may be there until I saw her there. I also didn't consider the fact that I was wearing my pyjamas when I stepped in the lift and headed to Anna's floor. Too late now.

After asking the receptionist where Anna's room was, I found Wanda hanging around it outside the door. With only Anna on my mind, I approached her and tried to hide my panic. She spotted me instantly, stopping her pacing and looking to me with tired eyes and a frown on her face.

I didn't care that she looked worried, nor that she was holding up well since we last spoke in anger. I didn't care that she'd dyed her hair a reddish-brown colour, nor that she managed to pull off both that and the whole 'loungewear' look in a place surrounded by blinding white and blue. I didn't care that my heart ached when her green eyes found mine, nor that I missed seeing her so close and not in my dreams for once. I didn't care about any of it. Or, at least, I tried to tell myself that.

"What happened?" I cut straight to the point, stopping in front of her. "Is Anna okay?"

Wanda nodded instantly. "She's fine. She tripped over her dining room chair and hurt her back. The doctors just checked her out and said it's nothing too serious, but she won't be able to walk for a while."

I pressed my lips together, feeling the panic wear off at the sound of good news. Anna had always been more than just a patient to me and the last thing I wanted was to hear she'd hurt herself badly.

"Can I see her?" I asked Wanda, quirking a brow.

"Yeah, of course," Wanda said, before looking away awkwardly. "I was just waiting out here for you. The nurse said you were coming."

I chose to say nothing as I walked past her and into Anna's room, seeing the older woman laying on a hospital bed and staring at the ceiling. When she noticed my presence, she smiled at me and motioned for me to join her side.

"It's so good to see you, milaya (sweetie)," she said happily, as I stopped by her side, "but you didn't have to come! I'm not dying."

I heard Wanda enter the room behind me, but she took a seat on the chairs opposite the bed. Ignoring her, I smiled down at Anna and grabbed her hand.

"Don't say that," I told her gently. "Of course I'm here. You're my number one priority. I had to make sure you were okay!"

Anna waved her hand in typical Anna fashion. "I've suffered worse. I'm absolutely fine."

I knew it was best not to question her, so I didn't.

"I'm glad you're both here," she said, looking between Wanda and I, making me swallow awkwardly.

Since breaking up, I hadn't mentioned it to Anna, but she wasn't stupid and she'd clearly noticed that we weren't spending time together anymore. I didn't know if Wanda had told her, but if she had, Anna never mentioned anything. Like now, she simply looked between us both with a grateful smile, unaware of how awkward we felt.

Thankfully, the awkward silence was interrupted when a doctor walked in the room. After introducing herself, I asked if I could speak to her outside about Anna and she happily obliged. She told me about Anna's condition and how it would affect the way I cared for her, especially regarding her new medication, and I asked anything and everything to make sure she was truly okay. After being reassured that she was, I thanked the doctor and returned to Anna's room, only to find Wanda and Anna in a heated a argument.

I couldn't tell what had got them so fussy as they were bickering in Russian, sentences too fast for me to comprehend with my limited knowledge of the language. It got to a point where Anna began slapping Wanda on the arm, looking angrier than ever, so I stepped between them and pulled Wanda away.

"What the hell is going on here?" I interrupted, holding Anna's slapping hand down to the bed and raising a hand to keep Wanda at bay. I looked between them, seeing the frustration in both their expressions, and asked questioningly, "Well?"

Wanda said nothing, eyes avoiding mine as usual, so I looked down to Anna who was glancing between us before spouting off into another ramble in Russian, trying to grab Wanda so she could yell at her directly. To my annoyance, Wanda tried to push past me, yelling back, and I was unfortunately caught in the middle as I attempted to keep them from ripping each other's throats out.

Thankfully, their bickering came to a halt when an unknown voice called into the room: "What is going on in here?"

I looked to the door, following the mystery voice, and saw a young woman, maybe in her thirties, standing in the doorway and looking between the three of us with confusion. I had no idea who she was, though she seemed familiar. Judging from the confusion Wanda had, she didn't seem to know either.

"Sasha," Anna breathed out with surprise, and then I realised. That was Anna's granddaughter. "What are you doing here?"

[cherrybarba]

Save You - Sonny Carisi

Pairing: Dominick 'Sonny' Carisi x Reader

Rating: 17+

Word Count: 1.5k

Warnings: MENTIONS OF SUICIDE AND DEPRESSION, other than that its just fluff

A/N: wow i am NOT sure how i feel about this and all the feels it gave me

based off the song Save You by Simple Plan

"Take a breath, pull myself together

Just another step until I reach the door"

Walking up to your door, you noticed an eerie quiet coming from your apartment. It wasn't like Sonny to be damn near silent upon your arrival. You had grown accustomed to the sound of some sort of '60s-'70s pop coming wafting under the door to your home; the smell of something cooking causing your stomach to always grumble. However, this time, there was nothing to greet you as you approached. Your heart clenched, knowing that inside somewhere was a very upset man who was trying his best to keep it together.

As you crossed the threshold, opening the door, you noticed there wasn't even a light on in the entire place. The silence and dark caused you to wonder if Sonny had to work late and had forgotten to text you. You would've been fooled had something not moved on the couch, drawing your attention directly to it. Under a mass of blankets layed a tall and lanky man, who's body was shuddering with silent cries. He must not have heard you enter, knowing the man liked his privacy when he cried.

Your voice was soft as it broke the silence, "Dominick, honey…"

Sonny shot up instantly, his work suit wrinkled and stained with tears. You couldn't miss the look in his bloodshot eyes; they were full of deep despair. Your heart broke into a million pieces, the man looked completely and thoroughly shattered. Sonny's salt and pepper hair was disheveled, the gel no longer keeping it in place. Tears rolled down his face, despite his attempts to wipe them away.

"Doll, I, uh, didn't know you'd be home so early."

"Sonny, love, it's 7 pm. How long have you been home." your voice chock full of concern.

"Uh, since 3 o'clock. Lieu let us go early, the case went to shit," his voice quivered as he finished.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Doll, you know I can't involve ya in this stuff. You're too sweet and I don't wanna cloud your sunshine like that."

"You don't know how it tears me up inside to see you…," you spoke before Sonny cut you off.

"Fail?"

"Sonny, no, you know that's not true. Your job isn't as clear cut as you think it is. Especially in SVU, the whole unit covers gray area crimes. Not many cases for you guys are open and shut, dear."

You walked over to your boyfriend, enclosing him in a hug and holding him close to you. You coached your breathing to match his, before slowing it. This calmed the man down immensely, and you broke away from him and looked into his eyes.

"I wish that I could tell you something to take it all away," you spoke sincerely, the inevitable sound of concern coating the statement.

"I can't ask ya to do that, (Y/N). There's a lot of hurt and pain in these cases. Each one is more difficult than the last. These women, they didn't deserve what happened to 'em and it shakes me when we can't win their case."

"What has you so shaken up about this one in particular," you questioned.

He took a deep breath, the glossy look in his eyes returning, "The vic… she looked like ya."

You felt your chest tighten at his statement, the thought of how it must be affecting him filling you to the brim with a deep sense of concern. You watched his shoulders heave as he went into another round of quiet sobs. You stroked his back and reminded him to breathe, just wanting to take away the man's pain.

"Oh honey, that's not all, is it? Something else is bothering you."

"Well, today, she decided she couldn't go through the stress of a trial and called to say she wanted to drop the charges. Liv knew something was up and took me with her to go talk to her and when we got there the super let us in, because her apartment was flooding. She… She…," his voice broke off, but you knew what he was trying to say.

The woman had killed herself, and though you didn't know how, you couldn't imagine what it was like finding the body of a woman who looks like your significant other. You pulled him to you again, whispering soft words into his ear. Sonny sighed as you pressed a soft kiss behind his ear, hoping to ground him back to the reality that you were right here, alive and well.

"I can't make you feel better," you began, "but I can try and take your mind off of it."

As soon as you felt his nod, you pulled the 6-foot-tall giant to his feet, pulling him to your room. You knew he wasn't in the mood for anything spicy, so you were going to give the man a spa night. You directed his body to the adjoining bathroom, before beginning to help him shed his layers. Knowing Sonny didn't care about the state of his suit now that he had cried in it, you didn't make the effort to fold the ensemble.

You turned towards the tub, reaching to turn on the bath, making sure it wasn't too hot. When the tub was about ¾ of the way full, you ushered Sonny in, letting him relax and get comfortable while you walked over to the cabinet beneath the sink. He sat wordlessly, head hung low as you collected your items. When you finally walked back over to him, he had mustered up enough energy to look up at you.

"Love, I'm going to do some self-care on you okay? Is it okay if I touch your face?"

He nodded once more, and you began your work. You first pulled out the wash cloth that you had warmed, the fabric feeling soft against your skin. You moved forward, your hand reaching to wipe Sonny's face with the cloth, wetting it down for the next step. Silence hung in the air as you worked, moving on to washing the man's face with a watermelon based cleanser. The smell made his nose tickle, as he asked you what it was you were using.

The next step was to use an aloe sheet mask you had been saving for a particularly rough day. While you had been excited to use it yourself, you knew now was as good a time as any. Sonny sighed in relaxation as you used the roller to flatten the soaked mask against his skin. You giggled softly to yourself, love causing your heart to swell with admiration.

You had decided to climb in the tub with him, quickly shedding your clothes. His content noises he voiced let you know that you were doing right as you began to rub the man's shoulders. You could feel the tense muscles underneath, working to get the knots out with your fingertips. Feeling the need, you pressed soft kisses to the nape of his neck, causing Sonny to shiver.

His voice was hoarse as he broke the silence, "I don't deserve ya. You're an angel."

"If you lose faith in you, I'll give you strength to pull through."

"You really are sunshine aren't ya?"

You giggled before getting mildly serious again, "You know I'll be there for you."

You both returned to a comfortable silence after that, quickly finishing up the bath as the exhaustion of the day seeped into your bones. Sonny handed you a towel as you got out, and you used to dry off before walking to the bedroom again. You returned clothed in shorts and one of Sonny's t-shirts, and handed the man a pair of shorts and boxers. He pulled on the clothes before grabbing your hand and leading you to the bed.

You crawled into the bed, pulling the covers back and diving under them. Sonny crawled on the other side, pulling you into his chest. You leaned up and kissed his cheek, as he quickly fell into slumber, The man's breath had finally steadied and his heartbeat you could hear was slowly starting to calm. You sighed deeply, thinking of the worst outcomes of this situation. You couldn't bear to lose Dominick. He was the one thing that kept you sane most days, the stress of your job also heavy on your shoulders. You vowed tomorrow to wake Sonny up with breakfast in bed.

You leaned to kiss his chest before whispering, "Sometimes I wish I could save you," before falling into a deep sleep yourself.

[japes-the-clown]

THE SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS MOVIE: AN INVERSION ON “COMING OF AGE” FILMS AND A CRITICISM OF ADULTHOOD

Hi hello hey it’s me Jericho Jay “Japes” Marshall out here with a pretentious love letter to the filmmaking on display in nickelodeons The Spongebob Movie. Yes, I know it’s a kids movie. Yes, I know it’s not that deep. But I’m majoring in english, and deeply depressed, so I need to get this OUT and onto a PAGE.

I have watched this film many times over my lifetime, a few when i was just a kid, then in my early teens, even when i turned eighteen, and now, a month before i turn 20. Every time, I grow a new appreciation for the nuances that this movie brings to the table, and on my most recent watch my own deliverance from childhood makes me relate to the core themes the hardest I ever have. The Spongebob Movie isn’t just a movie about childhood, but a movie about adulthood.

Today, I’m going to make clear exactly how The Spongebob Squarepants Movie criticizes our understanding of adulthood and how society treats the neurodivergent, while effectively turning the “Coming of Age” genre on its head, within its 87 minute runtime.

START: CONSISTENT CHARACTERIZATION

One thing a lot of films (ESPECIALLY kids films) fail to nail is consistently showing aspects of a character throughout the runtime, enough that changes to a character feel impactful and justified instead of rushed and stifled. The best examples of movies that fail to do this are often the marvel movies that people tend to not remember- the first two thor movies, the avengers age of ultron, etc. In these movies, characters certainly have traits, but their personalities and motives can be very weak and make dramatic changes feel A LOT less dramatic. This can be seen in age of ultron, when quicksilver gave his own life to save someone else, which felt like nothing because he wasn't well developed. He wasn't particularly endearing, nor did him sacrificing his life contradict a part of his character. It felt very much like the writers trying to say "Look, this character which was once opposing the avengers, is now dying for one. Please cry." No hate to the writers of Age of Ultron, but it proves itself often to be an unmemorable part of the catalogue.

In the Spongebob Movie, the characterization is ON. POINT. After the introduction, with the pirates rushing in to watch spongebob, we get so much information regarding spongebob as a character.

Pictured: Spongebob holding a piece of cheese like an operator

The first scene of the plot is a dream sequence a large crowded scene at the Krusty Krab, with a customer not receiving cheese on his patty, and it being positioned in the same way as a bomb being located. In the dream, everyone is panicked, and Mr. Krabs is visibly distressed, almost like a damsel. Spongebob comes in, announcing his position as manager, much to the relief of Krabs. He goes in, and puts cheese on the burger (again, very akin to a bomb defusal scene), bringing the perturbed customer out safe and sound. Everyone lifts spongebob up as a hero, which is interrupted by his boat alarm.

This scene is JAM PACKED with stuff that both introduces the character to new watchers and introduces the crux of his arc to everyone else. Spongebob of course is very fond of the Krusty Krab, and wants to be the manager- he wants people to see him as cool, and as a responsible adult. He wants to be the sort of person that can be trusted with big responsibilities. And we also see, most importantly, that he is extremely childish through his faximile of what it meant to be adult. Everything is scaled up; it's a very silly situation, which well suits both the joke and his character as an inexperienced kid. This is one of the most direct ways to convey someone's character, because a dream can be interpreted as a direct port into a character's desires. This being the first introduction to the character in the movie sets the tone for EVERY following situation.

In the next few scenes you see Spongebob's real life, which involves his lengthy morning routine; his life is sort of whimsical, and so too is his routine. He showers by shoving a hose into himself till he bursts with water, he uses toothpaste to clean his eyes but not his teeth, and he puts on pants which he must fold to make. Again, all pretty solid jokes, but also very telling about his outlook. He is funny, weird, and childish, which is juxtaposed by the scene where he's- he's uh- showering with squidward. Squidward is an example of the "adult" that spongebob isn't. This has always been the case, but here his normal routine makes it very clear that other people in this world aren't like spongebob. They shower normally, they brush their teeth, they put their clothes on like normal. Spongebob's world is one of wonder and without responsibility, which makes it questionable as to whether he could handle one.

Pictured: Spongebob's room, adorned with childhood imagery

Pictured: Spongebob celebrating his position as a manager, despite Krabs saying that it was squidward who got it

Even his room in this scene screams "kid". He has toys strewn about, glow in the dark stars, and pictures of superheroes on the wall. He even says "Sorry about this calendar" as he rips a page, personifying inanimate objects as a kid would. The movie is telling you, "THIS CHARACTER IS A KID", but in a way that's masked because it's also just a set up for jokes. It's done so well, in my opinion, that it would go over your head because from your perspective you would be laughing along as spongebob did his wacky antics.

On top of that, his excitement for his assured managerial position at the Krusty Krab 2 continues to be bolstered. He marked it off with a cute drawing on his calendar, for those familiar he changes his normal "I'm ready" chant to "I'm ready- promotion-", and he's even already set up a party to celebrate at his favorite chain, Goofy Goobers, a child's entertainment restaurant similar to chucky cheese, albeit replacing pizza for ice cream. He hasn't just gotten excited, but has this childish anticipation for something which isn't even assured.

Spongebob arrives at the opening of the Krusty Krab 2, where he is so excited he can't contain his glee. He breaks the silence and makes members of the crowd uncomfortable, reinforcing again that spongebob is a standout in a world of adults, and a kid who doesn't understand certain social norms, which society looks down upon. When Krabs reveals that Squidward got the managerial position, Spongebob hyped himself so much that he starts celebrating, not even noticing that he wasn't picked. He gets on stage, and begins to give a speech, to which Krabs interrupts.

The next part I think best illustrates Spongebob's clear ignorance to society: Krabs attempts to subtly tell spongebob that he isn't getting the job, but spongebob repeats everything he says into the microphone. Again, fantastic joke, grade A, but the amount this shows how invested spongebob was. He already saw himself as an adult, someone who everyone would look up to as a manager- he could take the responsibility, and isn't aware of everyone likely cringing in the audience. This is the natural step for him in his mind, especially because of his exemplary work which had been previously celebrated through employee of the month awards. This was not an option for him. There wasn't a world in his mind where he would be outclassed by squidward.

Krabs has to break to him that he lacks responsibility, and that his childishness makes it difficult for Krabs to give him such a job. This might seem harsh, but I think the intro again shows how Spongebob saw the job; he didn't understand what it would be like, fantasizing another level in the menial work structure to be an amazing adventure of a job. People in the crowd reaffirm that in the eyes of society, spongebob is just a kid, a goofball. In my eyes, this is a story not just of childhood, but of neurodivergence. Spongebob isn't normal, and is blocked by society for his ignorance of social norms and sunny disposition. He finds things fun that other people can not, and he places values in completely different things. So he is blocked from the meaningful recognition he desired, despite the obvious evidence of his commitment.

I think this is a mighty interesting dichotomy!!! Simultaneously, spongebob's understanding of the world truly is warped, often resulting in a lack of consideration for others as well as harm for himself when things don't go his way, AND he is a good worker which puts in MANY hours of work without so much of a complaint. This is COMPLEX. You have to ask yourself, as a viewer, "would I give spongebob the job?" The answer can be different and can be REASONED.

And that's JUST spongebob! There are other characters with characterization that mixes into the themes of the movie very well, but I'm going to bring up any related points in future sections.

Okay, Okay. So now you're saying "WOW OKAY GREAT so why does any of this matter?" I'm so glad you asked. VERY glad.

2: THE BREAKING OF A YOUNG MAN'S SPIRIT

THIS is the point of the movie. The obstacle in this movie truly isn't adulthood, but instead self doubt. Spongebob's whole world is turned upside down by Krab's rejection of his basic personality. Spongebob asks himself: is it REALLY okay to be who I am? Am I an adult? Is the world fair? One of the most shocking scenes in the movie is blended so well in tone with the rest that you don't really notice; spongebob eating ice cream to cope with his disappointment, akin to that of adults drinking alcohol, and appearing to be visually "drunk" and washed up. This is BRILLIANT, and a recurring theme, where the true line between adult and childhood becomes blurry and impossible to see. Spongebob, the representation of a kid, gets hungover, spiteful, and angry about the injustice of his situation. This is often how adults act in the fact of adversity, but what's funny is that this too is how a kid would act; getting angry and overindulging, feeling entitled and acting socially immature when he didn't get what he wanted. He walks in to the Krusty Krab literally just to shit talk Krabs. And it doesn't stop there.

Pictured: Plankton finding "Plan Z" and looking at it like a centerfold in a playboy magazine

Almost every character in this movie juxtaposes another, again smearing the line of what it means to be an adult. For example, Spongebob and Plankton are polar opposites; plankton is cold and vengeful, angry at the world around him, and spongebob is a happy person who tends not to take things personally, a friend to all. In planktons first appearances in the movie, he is portrayed with clear adult themes, mocking spongebob, making pinup jokes about plan z, and living in a fairly dark and grey space. But, as the story moves along, we see many similarities; both spongebob and plankton are fairly one track minded, and when spongebob's perception is broken he himself gets a little vengeful. When eugene is put in danger over this, though, we do see that he places the lives of others over his own wants. And, even at the end of the movie, we see their similarities. Plankton reuses the "Sorry Calendar" joke that spongebob used at the start of the movie, drawing another line of what it means to be an adult. Is it childish of plankton to say that? Is the inherent irony he has impactful here? His want for something that isn't his, and his disregard for others in pursuing it feels just like how a younger child may steal the toy of another, without understanding what it means to share.

Pictured: Neptune flipping his shit at his lost crown

Then, there's the character of Neptune. Neptune is a big man baby. He rules the entire land, commands the most respect, and is considered the most powerful person under the sea, and yet, we see that he gets overprotective of his property, prepared to execute anyone who even annoys him. Throughout the film, he's obsessed with chasing an image of youth, as he is bald, and ignores the suffering of the people on bikini bottom to make sure no one sees his bald head. He throws what's equivalent to a tantrum when he finds his crown is missing, and believes a very crude note written by plankton saying that it was eugene who stole it. His character is an "acceptable" child because he's in a position of power, where spongebob is an "unacceptable" child as he is just a working class member of society. And the funniest part is, that he mocks spongebob for wanting to go for the crown, when even he, the strongest person in bikini bottom, refuses to go out of fear.

We see that these "bastions" of adulthood, plankton and neptune, are the ones who are responsible for missteps of society; we're ALL children in the long run, but the strict enforcement of a perceived true adulthood creates a space where they can act immaturely yet those under them/around them cannot. Dennis makes this case even more, as the only thing he does in this movie is hurt others. There's only one thing that seems to truly denote adulthood, and it's cruelty.

Even squidward, the adult that is supposed to be more responsible that spongebob, refuses to go on the quest to retrieve the crown, as he acts mostly in self interest, even later claiming to only care that plankton was stealing the secret formula as it was hurting his own paycheck.

Spongebob is the only one willing to go, willing to defend the man who wronged him, willing to value life over his own interests. He is both child and adult, just as the adults are too children.

As he moves through the plot of this film, he becomes less confident in his disposition, with his naivete causing moments like him and patrick crossing the state line and immediately getting carjacked, or them being put into an uncomfortable situation by all the bubbles they blew when they tried to get their car back. His bright personality is questioned constantly: Only five days to shell city? BY CAR. This is man's country. But weren't we the double bubble blowing babies?

Pictured: Spongebob caught trying to take back the key to the patty wagon when patrick fails to distract everyone

This is made more obvious to him as patrick remains oblivious throughout; patrick is a mirror for him, that acts as a childhood constant, that makes it clearer for him every day the draws of his childishness. There's the moment in the club where patrick's distraction was poorly thought out, and only because he said he wanted to do it adamantly, there's the moment where patrick challenged neptune on how many days they would have to do it, which served no purpose but for his own fun, there's the moment patrick points out the free ice cream trap- he is the unemployed uncritical lens that spongebob is afraid he is.

So everything's fucked, and anyone who is childish is bad i guess!!!

But that isn't so,

3: The illusion of manhood

So we've talked about spongebob's characterization as a naive child, how this is impactful in his transformation into someone who is anxious about that aspect of his personality, and how the society around him is hypocritical in it's own immaturity. But where does this all come together?

Pictured: Planktons dystopian world, which Mindy shows Spongebob and Patrick

It's at spongebob and patricks "conversion to manhood". At his lowest point, spongebob becomes a squidward- he becomes critical of his AND patricks interests, and regards them as childish, deciding that this means that they can't make it to shell city, as it requires them to be adults. When mindy shows them the dire situation back home, she hopes that spongebob's sunny personality and care for others would shine through, but instead he turns to what society has been telling him; it's impossible. He can't do it, he's just a little kid, and there is no point to any of this as he'll fail regardless.

Thinking about it like this, it truly is one of the darkest points in the entire series; spongebob just openly admitted that there was nothing he could do, that all of his friends were goners because he was effectively useless.

Mindy comes up with an idea; she'll trick spongebob and patrick into believing they're men; she convinces them of mermaid magic (their innocence allowing them to believe) and uses kelp to make them think they've matured into adults. Notice that physical modifiers being the only key to this "fake adulthood". With this, they jump off a cliff because they believe that with adulthood, they are invincible.

This is really telling about how the society they're in thinks of being an adult, and relays that to children. There's another level, a distinct separation between spongebob and adulthood, which seemed like the difference between a squire and a knight- being an adult means that you aren't weak anymore (as though he was weak in the first place), and thus you can do things you never thought before. Is it truly healthy that this is how a society tells kids that adulthood is like, for them to enter the world and feel a truly awful financial and literal hellscape waiting for them? uh, you can, you can decide that for yourself i think.

Nonetheless, they survive the fall, and conclude that they really are invincible, able to power through a ravine with their happy go lucky attitude, eventually befriending the monsters which were once trying to kill them. They weren't acting like adults, but the labels themselves made it possible for them to soldier on with the childlike disposition they had. I find that to be powerful. If we were able to be more hopeful as adults, and power through the worst things brightly, could we do great things? Idk but these depression meds sure do taste good nom nom

After crossing the ravine, spongebob and patrick meet dennis, and have their worldview crushed as it's revealed that they are actually still kids. Dennis being the "alpha male" that he is, is characterized by violence and a lack of morality. The pair are saved by a giant boot, which is the first of two humans in this movie. Spongebob and patrick are both taken by the man in the diver suit, as we fade to black, marking the end of their illusion of adulthood.

4: Back from the Edge (of death)

Spongebob and Patrick awaken in an antique shop, realizing that they were surrounded by fish that had been killed specifically for sale as tacky antiques. They are lifted out of their fishbowl, and put under a heatlamp, as their fate is sealed to become a member among those dead fish. In spongebob's final moments, he mourns his inability to be an adult, as well as to reach shell city; but before they both die, patrick points out that they truly did reach shell city, as the crown was within their reach.

This. This is a phenomenal scene. Why? Because of what it means for spongebob's arc.

Pictured: Spongebob and Patrick on their deathbeds, finding happiness

He sees the crown, and realizes that, unequivocally, that even if he didn't bring the crown back, he made it to shell city. Every person he met told him that he couldn't even do that. and he did it. He is a kid, yes, but he's a kid who went where not even NEPTUNE dared go. Everything people said about him, about how him being a kid stopped him from success, was suddenly shattered. He has been asking himself if it's okay that he is a kid, and he saw, unambiguously, that it is. He is allowed to be happy. He can enjoy things that other people don't. He can be naive. He can be himself, no matter what anyone says. And so can you. Great things can be done by people who are "childish", who are "naive", who are kind without expecting a return, all of it. YOU are okay. Your stims are okay, your comfort series are okay, your interest in tropes are okay, YOU'RE OKAY!!!!

with that, spongebob and patrick are dehydrated on the table, and ostensibly die, the kids that they are, shedding one final tear each, forming a heart beneath them.

...

Miraculously, the tear electrocutes that lamp at it's socket, causing smoke to rise and set off the sprinklers, rehydrating the pair, and bringing them back to life. The "Man in the Suit" attempts to capture them, seeing them about to lift Neptune's crown, but the rest of the dehydrated fish come back to life- squirting him with his own glue and beating him to the ground, as spongebob and patrick run out with the crown. David Hasselhoff offers them a ride back to Bikini Bottom, and the pair begin their ride back.

5: The confrontation of Adulthood and Childhood

Pictured: Dennis looking all lame and shit

As spongebob and patrick are being swam back to bikini bottom, the boot under which dennis was crushed rockets to Hasselhoff, spitting him back out to finish the job. The appearance of Dennis, IN MY OPINION, makes him look rather goofy, with his broken glasses making him look more like a office worker than a badass assassin as he attempts to kill spongebob and patrick. Spongebob, in trying to reason with him, is able to ruin his eyes with bubbles, and then survives as dennis gets hit by a raised platform which spongebob and patrick are too low to be hit by.

Having defeated one representation of adulthood, spongebob and patrick are shot down by HasselHoffs MASSIVE MAN TITS with the crown in order to prevent Krab's fate, blocking Neptune's lazer just in time as they crash in.

All seems to be well, but plankton uses one of his mind control helmets (which we'll be getting into later) to enslave even Neptune, putting mindy, spongebob, patrick, and Krabs against the wall.

In another stark moment of characterization, Spongebob tells patrick that "Plankton Cheated", which prompts plankton to tell spongebob that the situation wasn't a kiddy game, and that it was the real world. This sort of distinctions in their ethos tell you how spongebob interacts with justice; he believes in "playing fair", while plankton is bitter and believes in getting what he wants.

Finally, the apex to our plot, is a musical number. Spongebob begins to make a long-winded speech, where he takes ownership of every label he was called as he stood on the stage at the beginning, the similarity between the two events being clear (holding a microphone at an inappropriate time, making a speech as he blocks out input from an adult trying to talk him down). Spongebob then busts out into the film's rendition of Twisted Sister's "I Wanna Rock", "I'm a Goofy Goober". This results in spongebob reversing plankton's whole plot with "the power of rock and roll". Plankton is made powerless, and thrown into a little padded cell.

The final scene in the movie has Mr. Krabs freed from his imprisonment in ice, and spongebob is offered squidwards position as manager of the second Krusty Krab. He seems hesitant, and squidward offers an insightful analysis of what spongebob might be feeling (the typical analysis of a coming of age movie, where the protagonist finds out that what they wanted all along is not what they wanted, but it was what was inside all along). Spongebob refutes that squidwards fly was just down, and GLADLY accepts the job.

AND THAT'S THE MOVIE

6: AN INVERSION ON THE COMING OF AGE GENRE

A coming of age story tends to be one which is focus on the growth of a character from childhood to adulthood, asking questions about what it means to be an adult. A character reaches for their perceived adulthood, and realizes what it means to ACTUALLY be an adult, typically juxtaposing what people think (drugs, parties, sex) versus what the movie postures as the correct adulthood (responsibility). In this, I think that the spongebob movie directly criticizes the position of what "an adult" is, in the sense of how someone acts.

Like we discussed in part 2, every adult character in this movie tends to be very childish in themselves, unable to see through simple ruses, and often very possessive of personal property. I don't think we actually see a child in this movie as a speaker at any point, only really as background characters (in goofy goobers to solidify spongebob as childish, and I believe in the chum bucket as they're lead to an unsafe place by their parents, who are supposed to be responsible). Thus, what is mostly examined is how adulthood and childhood is a very thin line. Squidward, for example, going directly to plankton to accuse him of stealing the formula, instead of taking it to the top immediately, which would have ended this whole thing fairly quickly; that was rather silly, and was the fruit of his need to assert himself as an adult.

Spongebob goes through this movie FIRST not caring much about whether or not he was an adult, and it is only after the social pressure from adults does he start to chase it. He then chases his perceived image of an adult, going on an adventure, and is crushed by the fact that he isn't an adult. Instead of finding what an adult is, he instead becomes comfortable with his existence as a child, finding himself at the end of the movie able to comfortably chase after an ideal again, where in a normal movie he would humbly reject the job he was offered.

This is, truly, what we should all take from this film. Spongebob realizes that people who aren't necessarily socially adjusted or acceptable can do great things, regardless of what the people around them say, especially because the people around them are liable to throw tantrums and be actively harmful to society. He is allowed to find comfort in childish things, and to be naive, because the world needs more people willing to help others. It's a scathing criticism on the imposed adulthood that exists in a lot of coming of age films, which begs us to drop fun in the interest of doing the right thing, as though those two ideas are contradictory.

BONUS: EXTRA STUFF THAT I LIKED

The goofy goober song became really good storytelling, at first marking childishness, then marking a level of discomfort and judgement in the club, then marking spongebob recognizing that his happiness came from what he liked and not some vague idea of adulthood, and finally marking his full acceptance of his childishness, taking the form of rock, the music of rebellion. It's not as subtle as leitmotifs, but it works really well in how the same song can give very different feelings throughout, and inform how we interact with a story.

There are a lot more examples of adults being pressured into childishness, with the connected twins who liked goofy goober at the club, who were beaten senseless for absolutely no reason, which highlights the way that the society hurts people that, by all means, are just as much adults as anyone else. There's of course Plankton's helmets which created a society of people who simply slaved away with nothing to say, taking life as it came and listening to authority.

On top of that, this movie is PRETTY ANTICAPITALIST AND ANTIMONARCHY, despite those things being allowed to continue to exist at the end- monarchy is seen misusing power constantly and often for unfounded reasons, and Spongebob's diligence at work is rejected by a penny pinching Krabs, who cares only about money. Like, THE KRUSTY KRABS ARE RIGHT NEXT TO EACH OTHER? THAT IS SOME MONTY PYTHON ASS SHIT. This year is the first year i laughed at that joke, because it's really some "capitalists are fucking dumb as shit" humor that slipped over my head when i was a kid. The villain literally being defeated by Rock and Roll, which was sung with a message against the oppression of differences in people? Yeah, I think the spongebob movie hated rich mother fuckers.

END: UH YEAH THAT'S WHAT IT IS

So yeah. The movie is good I think. There's a lot more i could go into, but I've been writing this post for hours and at this point i haven't even read it so...

I recommend going back and giving this film a rewatch!!! Pay attention to all the moments where adults act like children/kids act like adults, because it'll make ur brain pop like a zit. Anyways that's me, I'm Jericho Jay "Japes" Marshall, and I HATE facism.

[deafeninggardenerpanda]

Waddle Dee went to Kirby's house every day after finishing work at Factory Dedede to help aid the search.

"It seems that our president has also started searching for the gears. He’s been walking around town with a map and a magnifying glass."

Kirby nodded. "Not only President Dedede, but everyone in town is searching for them. It's difficult, though. No one knows the shape or color of the gears." 

"Hmm ... Do we have any leads?" Kirby and Waddle Dee pondered face-to-face. At that moment, the doorbell, which rarely rings, made a noise.

"Who is it?" Waddle Dee said to Kirby. "You don’t get many guests."

Kirby jumped up. "Oh! Is it the pizza delivery person!?" he shouted.

"Pizza delivery person? Kirby, did you order pizza?"

"No! But ... maybe the pizza place made a special pizza to celebrate my 100th consecutive victory of the airplane races!" Kirby opened the door in a hurry. There stood someone wearing a large hood.

"That? That’s not the delivery person, is it ...? " 

"Good evening, Kirby! It's been a long time. It’s Magolor, yo~! " Magolor, the traveling merchant. He traveled often from town to town selling medicine. Kirby, himself, had also once taken Magolor's medicine after he had previously rolled around in the snow and caught a cold.

"Did you come to sell medicine again? But I'm not sick ... "

"No, no! It's different this time. There’s a big story."

"A big story?"

"It's about the search for some gears." Magolor came into the room, put the large trunk he had with him on the floor, and sat down on it.

Kirby was taken aback. "Are you also looking for the gears, Magolor?" he asked.

"Yep, it's my dream to get the prize, build a laboratory, and develop medicine." Magolor spread his hands. "Kirby, we both have our strengths. If we put those strengths together, I’m sure we could find the gears! What do you think about some cooperation?"

"Yeah, sure!" Kirby nodded. Waddle Dee, however, was a little worried. 

"Kirby, is it okay to trust this guy?"

"Eh? Why not? It's easier to find something with three people instead of two." 

"Hmm ... but ... " Waddle Dee didn't trust Magolor. He came out of nowhere—maybe he was trying to use Kirby by taking advantage of his kindness.

Looking at Kirby, Magolor said, "I know a secret method for finding the gears. If you have me, we’ll easily be able to find them."

"Really!? Great, then let’s do it!" Kirby was overjoyed, but again, Waddle Dee was more skeptical. He became more and more suspicious.

"If you know a method, why are you telling us? Why don't you search for them by yourself?"

"I would, but ... there’s a big issue." Magolor took a deep breath and spoke with all his might. "I can’t do it alone. Kirby has a certain something we need." Kirby and Waddle Dee looked at each other.

"Kirby has ... what? Huh?"

"Here’s the thing, listen carefully!" 

"Okay." Kirby and Waddle Dee sat down in front of Magolor.

"I'm nuts about ancient magic, so I’m the only person who understands ... the gears of the ancient machine cannot be found because they’ve been sealed."

"Sealed?"

"Uh-huh. Once upon a time, the gears were stolen by an evil wizard. It seems the gears had a magic seal put on them during that. The sealed object cannot be seen with the naked eye, however, a special tool can be used to find it. I know the location of that special tool."

"Special tool?" Waddle Dee said. "A special tool that reacts to magic ... Where is it?" 

"I told you, Kirby has it."

"Eh? I do?" Kirby’s eyes widened. "I don't have anything like that! I can't use magic!" 

"You ... you have the Star Compass, right?"

Kirby was surprised. "The Star Compass ...? Yeah, I have it, but, hold on." Kirby rummaged through some junk piled up in the corner of the room and pulled out a small, star-shaped compass.

"That’s a cute compass. What’s so special about it?" Waddle Dee asked.

"The old man of the Magic Guild gave me this as a present a long time ago, after I defeated a monster in the City of Magic."

"Not the ‘old man,’ the Elder of the Magic Guild. The great wizard Tottemo." Magolor looked enviously at Kirby. "Tottemo … Totteeemooo ... The Star Compass, such a precious artifact. If you study magic, you'd want it even if it were in bits and pieces. When I heard an airplane pilot from Diamond Town got it, I was so jealous!"

"Huh ... I didn’t realize it was so important." Kirby recalled when he received the gift.

("Really? You want me to take it?"  When Kirby asked, the old man of the Magic Guild—no, the Elder, smiled gently.

"It’s a thank-you item. Please, don't hesitate. The Star Compass—if it falls into the hands of someone with a bad heart, it will bring terrifying results. But if it's with you, Kirby, it will be safe."

"Huh?"

"Besides, this compass, don't you like it? Ho ho ho!" He waved goodbye as Kirby left.)

That guy that Kirby visited ... Even when he asked what he meant, Kirby didn't understand at all. 

"This compass, it doesn't move. I can’t tell what direction it points because of it. I'm sure it's broken ... "

"That’s just because you’re using it incorrectly." Magolor reached out and received it from him. "The Star Compass is a tool used to search for the power of magic. If it’s not used correctly, it won't move. Watch." Magolor opened his trunk and took out a small paper packet. Glittering, sand-like grains spilled out when he opened it. Using them, he began to draw a mysterious pattern on the floor.

"Like this, if you draw it with magical sand and put the Star Compass in the center ... "  The needle of the compass, which had not been moving until now, began to sway. It emitted a pale light like the glimmer of the stars.

"Ah, the compass ...! " Kirby shouted. 

"Get a map of the town!" Magolor said. Waddle Dee hurriedly brought a map of Diamond Town, which Magolor put the compass on. He chanted a spell. The compass needle spun around wildly, increasing in speed, until it stopped at a particular angle. After a moment, it began spinning again and stopped at another angle, and then another. Magolor nodded.

"Okay, there are three gears in all. Here, here, and ... here." Magolor put three marks on the map.

"Do we know the position of the gears, now?" Waddle Dee said with big eyes.

"Yep! The movement of the Star Compass can tell you exactly where our magical objects are."

Kirby looked at the map. "The first one is ... the field! That field is where the goal of our airplane races is," said Kirby.

"Second is ... around the clock tower in the west," said Waddle Dee.

"Third," said Magolor, "‘The Town of Light.’"

"You can't go into The Town of Light," said Waddle Dee. "’The residents of the Town of Wind must not go into the Town of Light without permission.’ That's the rule."  

"Aw man … The third gear is postponed, then. We’ll have to figure out some other way. Let’s find the other two, first."

Waddle Dee nodded. "There’s a guard at the clock tower that won’t let us in, so we should start with the gear in the field."

"Okay! Come on, let's go!" Magolor stopped Kirby from running out the door. 

"Now, it's too late. You should wait until tomorrow." 

"But ... "

"The night is dangerous. We’re the only ones that know the locations, so don't worry so much."

"That's right. Let's start tomorrow," Waddle Dee said. "The factory will be closed, too, so we can find it together. We’ll all meet in the field, first thing in the morning."

"Oh, actually, I’m sorry. I have something to do tomorrow. I can’t go with you ... Instead, let me give you a thing." Magolor took out a small bottle from the trunk and gave it to Kirby. "These are magical eye drops I made."

"Eye ... Drops ...? " 

"As I said, things with a magical seal on them cannot be seen with the naked eye, however, you’ll be able to see them if you use these special eye drops."

"Wow, that's convenient!" Magolor, again, stopped Kirby from immediately trying to use the eye drops.

"No no no, it doesn't last for long! Only about an hour. It'd be better to use them tomorrow!"

"Okay, I understand. Thank you, Magolor."  

"You’re very welcome! Oh, and one more thing: once touched, the magical seal will melt. It will be so that the gears can be seen even without the eye drops."

"We just have to touch it," Waddle Dee said. "If we find the gears, let's deliver them to Mr. Fugo, together, and get the prize. We’ll divide it evenly!"

"Wow, sounds fun! Good luck Kirby, Waddle Dee."

"Yeah, we’ll do our best. Thank you, Magolor!"

Magolor headed home, dragging his heavy trunk behind him.

"Magolor is really knowledgeable and smart," Kirby said. "I’m surprised!" 

"I'm glad he’s on our side," Waddle Dee nodded. "Thanks to Magolor, we can get the gears. Let's do our best, tomorrow."

"Yeah! Good night, Waddle Dee." 

"Good night, Kirby." Waddle Dee waved and left the room. 

Meta Knight was sitting on the couch and thinking, of course, about the gears and the ancient machine that was discovered.

(Evil using an ancient machine ... What kind of machine could it be?)

A knocking sound was heard, and Butler Vul's voice soon after. 

"Excuse me, my lord."

"What is it?"  

"It seems ... a strange guest has come."

"A guest? At this time?"

"Well ... I told him to come back tomorrow, but he said that he wanted to speak to you as soon as possible. He spoke of gears—I didn't understand much of it ... What do you want me to do?"

" ... Gears." Meta Knight had also begun looking for the gears, but no one should know except Daroach. Not even Butler Vul should know. Meta Knight stood up.

"Okay, let me through the living room."

"Are you sure?  Somehow, he has a strange atmosphere about him ... "

"It doesn't matter."

"Understood ... " Butler Vul moved to return to the front door, however, he nearly bumped into someone on the way there. "Wahhh!?"

"Nice to meet you, Lord Meta Knight!" Standing behind Butler Vul was a person wearing a large hood. Butler Vul yelled at the intruder.

"Why—! Hey, you! You selfish—! How dare you just, come in on your own! I told you to wait at the door until my lord gave me permission!" But the guest just pushed Butler Vul aside and spoke to Meta Knight.

"I'm a medicine peddler named Magolor—"

"We don’t need medicine. Get out."

"—I want to talk to you, Lord Meta Knight. I have a story I want to tell you—"

"It's time for my lord to get his rest. Get out!"

"—A story about ... the gears of death!"

"Hey, why don’t you listen to a story about my wrinkles instead!" Butler Vul was furious, but Meta Knight just stared at the strange merchant.

"Okay, let's hear the story. Vul, you’re dismissed." 

"Eh!? But my lord ...! "

"I’ll call if anything happens. Don't worry." Butler Vul was so upset he left the living room with shaking fists. Meta Knight led Magolor to the sofa and sat down. Magolor spoke with a smile.

"Thank you so much, Lord Meta Knight. I’m sorry I’m here so late at night, forgive me ... " 

"Let's not waste time. About the matter at hand—what do you know about the gears?" 

" …………… " 

Magolor’s hood shifted and showed his expression. "Right to the point. As I expected from you, Lord Meta Knight!" Suddenly changing his tone, Magolor leaned back on the couch. 

"I know a tip for finding the gears. I want to tell you about it."

"What do you mean?" 

"What I mean is, Lord Meta Knight, I want you to find the gears ... " Magolor rephrased, seeing sharp eyes staring at him from behind the mask. "I’m telling the truth. I'll give you a tip because I want you to find the gears and win us the prize. I want to build a laboratory and develop new medicine."

"Why me? If you know a clue to finding the gears, you should look for it alone." 

"I can’t, it has to be you. You see, one of the gears is in the Town of Light."

" ... What was that?"

"As an aristocrat, you have the freedom to act in the Town of Light. If they see a merchant like me sneaking about, they’ll kick me out. To find all the gears, our cooperation is a must! Your help is needed at any cost!"

Meta Knight stopped to think. This medicine peddler, who called himself Magolor, was more than he seemed. He seemed to know important information about the gears, but Meta Knight was not yet convinced.

"If you need an aristocrat, I'm sure there are others. Why did you choose me?" 

"The aristocrats are a burden. Everyone, they’re sloths, annoying things. Out of all of them, the only one I can rely on is you, Lord Meta Knight."

Meta Knight didn’t believe it was that simple, but Magolor had a point. The aristocrats who lived in luxury had no adventurous spirit or curiosity. Meta Knight was the only one who was interested in finding the gears.

"Let me hear from you. What kind of hints do you know?" 

"Look at this." Magolor opened his trunk and took out a map. "The gear is here." A certain place was marked in the Town of Light.

" ... This is ...! " Meta Knight was shocked.

"Do you know where this is?" Magolor asked.

" ... Ah, yeah."

"Great! Then, do your best to find the gear. I'm going home ... Oh, one last thing." Magolor pulled out a small bottle. "These are magical eye drops I made." Magolor explained the eye drops and handed a vial to Meta Knight. "Good luck, Lord Meta Knight. Have a good night." He dragged the trunk out of the living room. After Magolor left, Meta Knight was still. He was staring at the map of the Town of Light. The gear—it was in Mr. Fugo's mansion.

"What does this mean?" Meta Knight murmured. "Regardless, I have to let Daroach know ... "

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[kaz11283]

Chapter 5

Characters: Clint, you, Loki

Warnings: this is a SLOW burn, slight angst, fluff at the end, Loki starting shit.

Summary: life has never really bwen this complicated. Or well the life that you think you know has never really been this complicated. Living with the avengers, learning new things, yeah its gonna be a long road but what else do you have to look forward to other than the random runins with the god of mischief.

Loki Masterlist

~~~~~

It had been about a week since you had arrived at the tower and just as long as your incounter with Loki, you hadnt had much time to think about it though since you were normally nose deep in class work or training with Nat and Clint since Tony had sent you the message "If your gonna be an avenger you have to train like one, training starts at 6." You had left him on read after that, you had never been a morning person and you sure as hell wasnt about to start now.

"Alright y/n, lets try you on the bow today." Clint smiled walking into the arena where most of your training took place.

"After I finish this." You said pointing to your coffee. "I swear, you would think that after saving lives you would want to sleep in." You grumbled.

"Bad guys dont sleep, we dont get to sleep." Clint said wiping down a few of his practice arrows.

"You didnt get back till like 3 this morning. Im really starting to wonder if you sleep at all." You tossed your cup away and got up starting to do your stretches.

"Get over here so I can show you how to hold this thing." He saod holding out the bow.

"I know how to use a bow, I was in archery in high school. Top of my team." You grabbed the bow feeling the cool metal in your hand. His bow was diffrent than what you was use to, as light as air almost were yours had been heavy.

"This bow is probably a little different than what your use to. The metal is vibranium, the strings are made of some type of industrial woven string that Tony invinted in his lab. Might be a littlw hard for you to pull back." He smiled looking at the bow like a child.

"It is very beautiful." You examined it looking down the sights has you pulled the string back easily. "Absolutly magnificent peice of weaponry." You looked over at him and seen that he was staring at you wide eyed. "What?"

"No one else has ever been able to draw the string back like that." You let the string gently go back into place amd handed it back to him.

"I told you, I was in archery while I was in high school."

"Theres no way that someone no matter how skilled they are can pull that back."

"Well if your forgetting, apperantly Im not from here either."

"Yup almost forgot, Asguardian. Anyways. You know how to use one of these so lets set up a few targets and get to work. Tony wants to try you out on a few different things, eval you, and see what suits you best. Im already leaning toward you being good at the bow."

After he talked you through some of the basics that you had informed him you knew and he insisted on stating that it was 'mandatory' you were finally able to pick up one of the training bows.

"These bows suck. Stark has all the money in the world and he buys walmart brand bows? If you pull this one back to many times the string will break. Why cant I just use yours?" You roll your eyes looking back at Clint.

"My bow, my baby. If you want ine bad enough you can start off at the bottom and work your way up. You have a card why dont you buy one?" He countered, just then the foor opened drawing your attention.

"Sorry, didnt realize that the area was occupied today, I just wanted to get a few throws in woth the new daggers Stark and Banner decided to enhance for me. Wanted to make sure that they wouldnt bloe up in my face." Loki said walking over to the bay next to you and Clint. You hadnt had a moment alone with the trickster since in the hall weeks ago and now he was here acting as of nothingbhad happened. You looked down at the daggers that he had laid out.

"Wow, those are beautiful." You noticed that not only had he laid down two simple green handeled knives but he had also laid down a set of electric blue ones and a set of gold handle ones engraved with ancient symbols and roses with the stems winding down the hilt. "May I?" You asked leaning down to get a closer look.

"Of course y/n, you are the one that gave me those." He answered casually. Your breathing hitched and you turned to look at him.

"Thats not funny Loki."

"I dont know what your talking about. I was simpl-" he started before you cut him off.

"You know damn good and well what I am talking about. What did you expect? Me to pick it up and everything come barreling back to me? Here I'll do you one even better." You stormed up to the daggers and grabbed one of the gold ones up throwing it at the target on the far side of the room. You had expected it to fall short and clink to the floor but you never hears it fall. When you looked at the target you noticed you had hit the middle.

Clints jaw had dropped as he was looking around the wall to see what you had been yelling about. Loki looked at you with a smug expression. "I assume they must have had knife throwing classes at the school you attended as well."

"Shut up. Clint are we done, I have some studying for class that I really need to do." You looked at clint as he knodded still awestruck. "Thanks, I'll talk with Tony about getting a better bow for me to practice with." You took off toward your room.

Later after you had taken a hot shower and changed into some leggings and a baggy shirt you decided to go to the one place in the tower that you had decided to claim as your own little study corner. It was located on of of the high up floors that happened to be more of an observation deck, you could watch the team leave on missions, see the ocean, and watch some of the most beautiful sun sets that you had seen. You had notice while checking the place out that there was a fairly large window seat that you could spead your work out on as you looked out over the city, this small part of the tower was your little hid away, you hadnt seen any other member of the team up here so you figured when you needed the alone time you could come here. It had seemed to work for the most part until today.

You notice the shadow of the figure standing over you before looking up into the eyes of Lokis confused ones, you had noticed his lips moving before rolling your eyes and taking out your noise canceling ear pods.

"What do you want Loki?" You sighed placing them back into the chsrging dock.

"Well if you hadnt had those things in you would have heard me tell you that I was sorry for earlier." He sassed crossing his arms.

"How did you find me? No one really bothers coming up here." You pulled your legs under your chin and covering you feet with the throw that you had brought up with you this time.

"The AI system has no bounderies when it comes to privacy, it can tell you were anyone is in this god forsaken place." He responded. "May I sit?"

"And if I say no?"

"I'll sit anyways." He shrugged.

"Then what is the point in asking?" You leaned forward moving your papers and books out of the way. He reached down and grabbed a few of the papers to help you.

"Your doing a paper on Shakespeare?" He asked as he sat down reading over the page.

"Umm, yeah. Part of my agreement to come here is so that I can finish up my collage classes. Drama and Art Major." He hamded the paper back to you so that you could stick it in your binder. He gave you a look that you were use to getting from him. "Don't say it Loki." You out your hand up to stop him before he could even open his mouth.

"I wasn't going to say anything." He held his hands up.

"Hum, interesting. The god of lies actually sucks at lying. I should remember that." You smiled. This was the first time you had actually felt half way confortable around him.

"I could never lie to you." He smiled back. "You have always had a knack for seeing right through me."

"I wish you wouldnt do that." You sighed leaning your heas agints the window behind you.

"Do what exactly?" He askes mirroring your position.

"Where you mention something about my past. Its annoying and it breaks my heart."

"Well Dove, how do you think I feel? The worst part about it for me is that while you remember nothing I am stuck remembering everything. Your past, my past, our past together. It truly is the worst pain that I have ever felt. To have something that you have wanted for so long in front of you and they dont even want you back." He sighed looking out the window.

"Loki," you crossed your legs and placed your elbows on your knees. "I have never said that I didnt want you. I just dont know what is what."

"So you do want me?" He laughted.

"That is not what I meant and you know it." You leanded back again. "Tell me about us. About how you and Thor know me." He eyes lite up.

Chapter 6

Tag list:

@high-functioning-lokipath

@serpentargo

@drbaureid

@poetic-fiasco

@kgirardin

@sophlubbwriting

@supbeeches

@rosaline-black

@jesuswasnotawhiteman

@natandersonnla

@delightfulheartdream

[fakeloveaskblog]

Okay Remy, I am going to resend that previous message I sent you, just so you have it so you can reread it if you perchance wanted to do that. Don't worry, you didn't accidentally delete it, someone else purposefully did. Also, no… you weren't left with the true things, that's just learned cognitive distortions speaking; I'm sure if you asked Jan or Rem if they thought those things about you, they would set you straight right away. I'll also put a silent alarm on your phone that'll go off the next time Remus is near you, though only if you let me. Would that help?

(Tw: Vague implications of past abuse)

Remy: "Set me straight? dfhjd who are you? my dad? Jk jk. I know what you mean. I don't know what cognition distractions or whatever mean 'cause I'm tots an idiot. Like girl the only reason I didn't fail all of highschool was 'cause Virge did just enough of my work for me. You don't gotta tell me what it means btw. I can like look it up. I may not have a brain but I do have google. and uh yeah that helps. thanks. I'm gonna go reread the message now"

A few days later, in the middle of the day, the Rems were sitting on the sidewalk behind a starbucks. There were so many people inside the cafe Remus had nearly gotten a sensory overload while ordering the 4 cupcakes and 2 sandwiches he was smashing down into his slippery gullet. Remy had just taken a black coffee.

The alarm had gone off a while ago but they didn't know how to ask him about it. He looked tense. He sat in an unnatural pose that made it easy to get up and run away. His shoulders were raised and brows just a bit furrowed. Maybe they could-

"Oh!!! Bean bitch do you wanna see what I've been drawing lately???" Remus suddenly exclaimed, crumbs of sandwich flew out of his mouth.

"Sure babe"

He had a big grin on his lips as he took out his sketchbook and flipped through it "Alright so you remember how I did some anatomy practice of you when we watched lesbian vampire movies yes? Well I kinda continued with those"

The first few drawings were realistic sketches of Remy's face from a few different angles but on the next page he'd used his cartoony style to make them into a supernatural being. One drawing showed them with 8 eyes. One with nothing but gorey eye sockets left. One with spiders crawling out of their eyes and mouth.

Remus rocked back and forth slightly "Sorry. Is it weird? I just thought it would be cool if there were some character who looked nromal but was hiding something under their sunglasses. I dunno. Maybe it's stu-"

"No. No. Babe I think it's like tots cool! You made me look like super chic. Blood is totally in right now!!"

He shone up into a bright smile "Thanks!" There was slight blushing on his cheeks.

"I think I would look cool with some teeth in my eyes just saying"

"OOOOh!! Maybe even fangs?!"

"You got it babe!"

He took out a pen and immediately started to sketch it out. Remy was just happy getting to watch him draw.

Until a notification sound came from Remus' phone. He flinched before quickly checking it and immediately setting it down again. He somehow tensed up more.

Remy took a deep breathe. They could do this. They could talk about emotional stuff.

"You good babe? I mean like at any time? 'Cause you look tense like a lot- I uh I'm not like asking why. You don't gotta tell me shit. just like wondering if you're like okay"

"You're one to talk. you walk around looking like you got a stick up your butt 24/7........Do you??....kinky"

"Not yet"

"Me neither"

They both went quiet. Remus fiddled with the ring he still had on his finger. Remy scratched at their neck.

"I...I just feel paranoid....all the time...My intrusive thoughts never shut up about how every interaction I have with other peple could end in the worst ways. Even right now" Remus muttered out after a while.

"I get that. I mean I" They forced a chuckle "Every single time my boyfriend raises his hand, just to like take a plate or something, my thoughts still scream at me that he's gonna hit me. He never does. I know he won't. But my body and thoughts still act like he will. It happens with every person. I've been sure Janus was going to slap me"

Remus looked up at them. His eyes suddenly looked so so desperate "I dosen't get better?" He asked, his voice sounded like it was close to breaking "The paranoia will Always be there?"

"What? No! No no no. of course not babe. I'm just completely fucked up y'know. Like all of my argument with my boyfriend ends with either me having like a panic attack or us fucking" They laughed "Like an overemotional crybaby y'know. But you're- You'll be fine- I'm sure- You're not- I'm just-"

Remus pulled his knees up to his chest and leaned his chin against his knees. "I think you can be fine too" He mumbled out.

"I don't- I- I dunno- It's like it's so clear I was like supposed to die at specific moments...and then I just....didn't....and now I'm just like still here even though I'm not supposed to...I'm just like a rotting corpse dragging everyone else down. I-I don't know how to be fine if my thoughts are still sure I'm going to die every single day"

Remus shrugged "I think rotting corpses are pretty cool"

It was so out of left field Remy let up into a laugh. "Jesus fuck you stupid necrophile" They hid their face in their hands "Babe I'm sorry. I'm tots rambling. I was asking if you were okay, not if you wanted to like hear me be a stupid bitch"

"It's okay. I think being able to be a stupid bitch is kinda cool too. I can't even try to vent without shutting down...I feel kind of like I'm rotting as well"

(It felt like he'd left his skin in his old apartement. To be honest it felt like his entire being had been scrapped out of him just to be left behind)

"Wow babe. Is there something you don't think is cool?"

He thought for a moment "Soap. It's icky and gets everywhere"

"Sound argument"

Remus slowly moved his head to lean it against their shoulder. He could feel their chest rise to take a shuddering breathe and lower again.

"Have you ever thought I would?" Remus quietly asked.

"Yeah" They admitted "I know you wouldn't"

"I know. I've been paranoid about you too"

"It's okay"

"I've willingly been to your apartment. That's a lot" Remus pointed out "I haven't been to Jan's apartement"

"We should break into his place in the middle of the night" Remy replied in a fake serious tone.

"Oh yeah. It's a must. How else do you know you're friends? We should bring matching friendship knives as well!"

Remy chuckled "You can design them. And my teeth eye design! That's like tots important! My true destiny is to be a monster milf y'know. The lesbians would love me"

"Ayyay captain! I'll get right on that! Remus: milf maker"

They let out an audible keysmash "Babe that's my porn name now. Milf maker! Cougar collector! Homewrecker hoobyist!!"

"Yay grammar!!"

Remy got up and held out their hand to help him up. "Aight babe, I better head home. And you better get yourself a hot bath. You sure are smelling like a rotten corpse"

"Oh don't worry. I have a demon who sends me gifts, including bathing gifts"

Remy blinked at him "Huh" They moved their arm around his shoulders and started to walk towards the busstop "Tell me all about it. Is it a hot demon?"

[lovemalecforever]

Chapter 18

Silver is the color of the moon.

*The next day*

Everyone was at Catarina's apartment, pacing in her living room or fidgeting with their dresses while waiting for Alec to arrive. Before Alec went to the forest for the awakening of his powers they decided to set the get-together at Catarina's place the next day so that they could comfortably discuss about his new powers and his feelings towards it. But things took a turn when Jace told them about what happened and the silver glow of his Parabatai rune. Now, they were all worried about Alec and were getting impatient by every passing second.

The awakening of his powers was a little overwhelming for Alec, Angel Ithuriel had been there for him the whole day and told and taught him about his new powers. He guided him and assigned him one of his winged nephilim for his further training as he's the new winged nephilim and also provided him with a way to contact him. Alec was somewhat glad that he got ahold of his new powers quickly, though his shoulders still hurt a little but it's better now. He still needed to get used to his new appendages, but he knew that he would in some time.

As he reached Catarina's apartment, he rang the bell. Catarina quickly opened the door with her magic, as soon as he walked in every eye was on him with a worried expression on their faces.

"Why are you all looking at me like that!?" He asked, uncomfortable with being the attention of the room.

"Alec!" Max yelled with excitement, ran towards him, and hugged him tightly.

"Hey, Max!"

"Alec, are you okay? We were all worried about you!" Maryse said and hugged her son tightly.

Alec returned the embrace. "Yes, mom. I'm fine. Why are you all so worried about me?" He asked, confused.

"Alec, your shirt! It's torn in the back, what happened, big brother?" Izzy asked worriedly.

"Umm.. that! That's for the wings! On that note, Catarina, I'll be needing your help to make space for it and glamor them. I can't keep tearing my clothes!" Catarina nodded. "Why are you all so worried, though?" He asked.

"Alec, our... our Parabatai rune.. it glowed in silver! I've been feeling restless since then.. are you okay, buddy?" Jace's voice was filled with concern making him sigh.

"That's because I am. I trained the whole day with Angel Ithuriel!"

As on cue, Catarina summoned a comfortable settee for Alec, more sofas for everyone and they all settled down.

"Thank you, Cat!" Alec stretched out on the settee, ignoring the crowd.

"That still doesn't answer the silver glow, kid, what about that?" Luke asked.

"I guess that's because my powers and wings are silver. Okay, it still sounds weird!" Alec sighed again, it's gonna take a hell lot of time to get used to it.

"You.. have silver wings.." Jace trailed off as his jaw fell open.

"By the angel, big brother! I still can't process it!" Izzy blinked in astonishment.

"Can you show them to us, Alec?" Max asked excitedly. Even as a teenager, he was still a kid.

Alec looked at Max, then his whole family, and they all had the same glint of excitement in their eyes. "Okay, but I need some space!"

He stood up and walked towards the center of the living room, making sure there's nothing breakable or sharp around him. Once he was sure he's in a clear space, he closed his eyes and focused on his wings, his shoulder blades pained a little, his skin cracked beside them, but didn't bled this time, soon enough a pair of huge appendages were hanging on his sides.

He opened his eyes and saw that his whole family was looking at him with awe and astonishment. Their jaws were on the floor, literally.

A loud gasp broke their trance, which was from Simon. They all looked at him but he was still looking at Alec. "Alec, your... your eyes.. it's..-"

"Silver!" Jace finished for him, earning a collective gasp from everyone.

"Wow!" Max and Clary said in unison.

"Sorry to break the moment but, I've never heard about angels being silver, from whatever I've read in that book, is it normal?" Catarina asked, curiosity visible in her voice. With being a downworlder, seeing a literal angel standing in front of her was beyond unimaginable.

"It's rare, but it is." Alec answered and explained to them everything that Angel Ithuriel had told him.

Everyone was speechless, not knowing how to respond but their eyes were talking for them.

"Can I touch them?" Max asked curiously, breaking the silence of the room.

"Of course, young boy!"

Max quickly ran towards him and reached his hand up to the feather he could, then traced it gently. It was soft and silky under his touch, it fluttered when Max ran his palm around it and curled itself around Max's body.

"Woah!" Max squealed.

"I'm just hugging you, Max, relax." Alec said with a broad smile on his face and ruffled his brother's hair.

"Ugh! Alec!" Max protested and everyone burst into laughter.

"Can I sit now? I'm tired." Alec said as he concealed his wings again, and eyes turned back to their natural hazel shade.

Everyone nodded and they settled back in their respective seats. That's when Catarina realized something.

"Wait! Alec, are you comfortable on the settee? Your wings must be glamoured but they could be hurting-"

"Cat, relax! They aren't glamoured, they're inside my body next to my shoulder blades and spine."

"Wait, what?" Jace asked, panic creeping inside him. Others were mirroring his expressions.

"Okay, relax all of you. I could glamor them too, but this is also a way to hide them."

"Alec, I'm confused, honey, how could those huge pairs of wings fit inside.." Maryse trailed off, shock and panic visible in her eyes.

"Mom, everyone, relax. They aren't huge when they're inside." Alec took a deep breath and continued. "Okay, I'll explain from the start. As Angel Ithuriel told me, and I said earlier, there are two ways to hide the wings, I could glamor them, but they'll still be there, which will be uncomfortable for me whenever I'll sit or lay down or when I'm in small space.

The other way is to shrink and minimize them back into my body, from where they originate, next to my shoulder blades and spine. There's a permanent scar over that area now, and if you focus on it you can see the tiny miniaturized wings there. It's painful in the beginning but with practice and time, the pain will fade away. It's more comfortable like this, I don't have to struggle with them at least. It's weird right now, but he said by time it'll become my second nature." Alec concluded, and looked at his family, they were all relaxed now.

"That's why my back is hurting and feeling heavy." Jace said, who was trying to adjust his shoulders for a long time.

"He's been like this since yesterday, Alec. He's restless and didn't even sleep properly." Clary said, worry clearly visible in her voice for her boyfriend.

"Don't listen to her, Alec, I slept fin... how's the pain suddenly gone and I'm feeling better, like strong and refreshed and energetic. How?" He looked at his Parabatai with curious eyes.

Everyone looked between them with surprised expressions on their faces. Alec looked at his Parabatai and smiled.

"I just focused on my Parabatai rune, then Iratze, Nourishment, Stamina, and calm anger rune." Alec shrugged. Everyone's eyes went wide.

"Hold on, What? How did you do that without using stele?" Jace asked.

"just like you do, idiot. the only difference here is that we can activate each other's rune instead of only ours. first focus on our Parabatai rune then the one you want to activate."

"Okay...." Jace said, unsure then closed his eyes and focused on his runes.

"Seriously, Jace! Clarity rune?" Alec shook his head.

"Okay.... Now that's pretty cool!"

"You were worried about our Parabatai bond earlier, right? Well, to answer your questions, our bond got stronger than before because of my powers, we can activate each other's runes without using stele, but it had to be used only in battles or emergencies and is only possible when we're together. I did it to show you how it works."

Everyone's jaws were on the ground as they witnessed their conversation.

"By the angel! That's amazing! But, not fair, you both are going to be stronger than me and Clary." Izzy fake pouted, earning Alec's legendary eye roll.

"That made me remember, where's my stele?" Alec asked and Izzy handed him his stele.

"Jace, come here." Alec said in his Inquisitor tone and Jace obeyed. Alec activated his stele and drew a rune on the back of Jace's arm, he asked him to activate his stele and draw the same rune on him, he was confused but did as he was told.

"Angel Ithuriel provided me this rune, it's a rune only for Parabatais, it got lost centuries ago. It's called lost sight. If there's an emergency or danger and we're not together, you can activate this rune and I will be able to see through your eyes and will be able to know and track your location." Jace was completely dumbfounded and so were the others.

"Alec! I.. I can't believe it.. I.." Jace stuttered, he didn't know why but he had tears in his eyes.

"Seriously, Jace! I told you we're always going to be Parabatais, no matter what!" He kept his stele down on the table and wrapped his brother in a tight hug.

Everyone had smiles on their faces.

"That's so cool! What else can you do Alec?" Max asked, still curious about his brother's new powers.

"Alec, do you have more power? This was already too much to process, sweetheart." Maryse said with concern and tiredness.

"Ah, yeah.. I kind of do, Mom. Cat, can you summon as many plants as possible in this living room?"

Catarina nodded and filled the whole room with different kinds of plants. From small to large of different varieties. "Alec, I'm confused as hell right now, my whole room is filled with plants. What are you up to?"

"Calm down, Cat! Also, can you and Simon stay back for this? This could hurt you both if you stay up close."

The two downworlders exchanged a look and stood as far as possible, not knowing what Alec was up to. When Alec was sure they were as far as they could get, he focused his mind and energy on the plants surrounding him. His eyes went icy silver again, and a thread of bluish silver started dancing on his finger tips.

He stretched his hands out and created a small ball of energy, the faint blues and silver interwining with each other. The whole room was filled with calming surroundings, it was peaceful and the ball was like a calming trance of everyone except for Catarina and Simon.

"Alec, please stop!" Simon begged, he and Cat were trying to move backwards as much as they could. The energy of the ball was creating a severe headache for him.

"Sorry!" He focused again and scattered the energy in all the plants. His eyes went back to normal again.

"W.. What happened? That power.. it was.." Maryse trailed off, her eyes were hazy and she felt like she was in some other world.

"Mom! Oh god! I should've asked you to stay back too. I'm sorry! Are you okay?" He ran towards her and helped Luke in sitting her down. She looked between them in confusion.

"Alec, what happened to her? That energy, it felt like.."

"Peaceful and.. and calming." Izzy said.

"And nice!" Clary added.

"For nephilims, yes it's like how you're describing it, but for mundanes, it's the same but much stronger. Mom, are you okay? I'm sorry." He asked, worry and guilt filled in his eyes.

"Yes, Alec I'm fine, just a little dizzy. Don't apologize, honey, it's fine, I'm okay." She reassured him.

"And I guess for us downworlders, or demons, it's dangerous and deadly." Simon said.

Everyone looked at them and gasped. Simon had his fangs out and Catarina was in her true form, her blue skin visible with long white hair snaking around her.

"By the angel! Simon, Catarina, I'm so sorry!"

Once Catarina was in control of her magic again, she glamoured herself and vanished all the plants. Simon had glamoured his fanga as well then they walked forward

"It's okay Alec, I'm fine. We both are. But, magic? There was no mention of that in the book. So how do you possess?" Catarina asked curiously.

"I do have it but it's only when I'm around nature. But it's nothing like what you, Magnus or other warlocks possess. From what Angel Ithuriel told me, not every angel has magic, it's rare to find angels with full magic. Guess I got lucky." Alec shrugged.

"Wait, Alec, so you can fly too, right?" Simon asked, knowing it was a dumb question, but he still asked, earning a look of disbelief from everyone.

"Yes, Simon, I can, but I'm still learning it. Angel Ithuriel had told me some basics but he had assigned me another winged shadowhunter for my further training. He has provided me with his details and how I can reach him."

Everyone's eyes went wide with the revelation. "How many immortal shadowhunters are out there, which no one knows about!?" Luke asked.

"Angel Ithuriel told me I'm the fifth one. Kasper, the one which I've researched was the first one. I don't know about the one who's going to train me, maybe he can tell me more."

"And what's that angel's name?" Jace asked, a hint of jealousy clear in his tone.

Alec suppressed his smile. With their bond becoming stronger, he could feel his jealousy clearly. "His name is Daniel Nightstorm."

"Nightstorms? Their line ended decades ago. They were never heard of anymore." Maryse said, a little surprised by this piece of information.

"I think we should call it a day, now. This is all a lot to process in, even for Alec." Luke said, and everyone nodded.

They all hugged Alec once again and said their goodbyes. Alec stayed at Catarina's to get some rest properly for sometime then with her help he made space for his wings in all of his clothes which he brought and Catarina glamoured them in that area.

The rest of the day was like a blur for him, he attended the meeting which they preponed which as usual went not so interesting, then completed the paperwork he was supposed to for his inquiry visit. By the time he was done it was late at night but he didn't care, he wanted to get back to his husband, his home. His family argued with him that he could leave the next morning but he eventually won and said his goodbyes to his family and left for Idris.

*****************************

As Alec stood beside his apartment door, he took a nervous deep breath. He didn't get a chance to talk to Magnus that day and his husband didn't know that he was coming back late at night so it'll be a nice surprise for him. He took a deep breath again and opened the door.

As soon as he entered the apartment his nostrils filled with a foul smell which was floating in the whole apartment which was dimly lit. He took in the state of the room which felt like it wasn't cleaned in decades, there were several half empty or full packets of take out scattered on the floor, some leftovers of food were placed on the coffee table and the glass table near the couch, broken shards of numerous glasses were scattered on the kitchen floor and in center of the living room, a empty bottle of whiskey was kept on the kitchen slab. He took in the scene and sighed heavily, rubbing the crease formed on the bridge of his nose.

He looked around and spotted water bamboo on one shelf. To his advantage they both were nature lovers and had many house plants in their apartment like Oxalis, Aloe Vera, Snake plant, different types of ferns and Anthurium. He focused on the lot at once, extracted their mixed scents and spread it in the whole apartment replacing the foul smell. He sighed then started walking towards their bedroom, avoiding the scattered shards of glasses.

"Magnus!? Mags!?" He shouted, his voice echoing on the whole apartment filled with dullness.

He opened his bedroom door and his eyes widened with horror. His husband was curled around in the center of the bed, sheets and pillows scattered around the floor,  eyes  bloodshot with his makeup all smudged and flowing down. His hair was down and messy and the man was completely naked, looking paler, lacking his usual natural glow. Alec's heart raced badly as he sprinted and sat beside Magnus.

"Magnus!? Mags? Love, wake up." From up close he could see that his lips were cracked and bleeding, and it looked like he hadn't taken a shower in days.

"Angels!! Magnus? Mags, wake up love. Please."

Magnus stirred, his eyes were heavy and he could taste metal in his mouth.

"Magnus? Hey, wake up love."

Magnus blinked his eyes when he spotted a figure next to him.

"A.. Alexander?" His voice was rough and croaky from his dry throat.

"Mags! Hey, what happened here?"

He blinked a few times to make sure he wasn't dreaming. "Alexander... W.. Water... I..."

Before he could complete Alec was back with water and some soaked cotton balls in his hands. He put it on the side table and helped his husband to sit properly, then cleaned the blood with the help of cotton balls. After making sure there was no blood on his lips he helped him with water.

"Slowly, Mags!" His eyes were filled with worry the whole time.

"M.. More.."

He filled the glass with more water and placed it on his lips. His fast heart beats refusing to slow down. "Magnus!? How long has it been since you've eaten anything or drank water?" He asked softly, voice laced with concern.

Once Magnus was in his full senses with enough water in his system, realization dawned on him. He lowered his eyes, unable to meet his shadowhunter's.

"Mags!" He said softly and placed his hand gently on his husband's cheeks. Magnus couldn't hold it any longer and tears started running down his cheeks.

Alec quickly placed the glass on the table and wrapped his husband in a tight hug. He winced in pain when Magnus unknowingly tightened his grip just above his left wing scar. He suppressed it down and let his warlock cry on his shoulders.

Magnus didn't know what to do, he couldn't meet his shadowhunter's eyes but he needed him, badly. 'What have I done!? How am I supposed to tell you that I..I kissed.. Camille.. that I.. I cheated.. No! It was Camille.. b.. but I got weak.. I let my guards down. I'm not ready to lose you. I can't. Not again. I don't know if I could, but if not telling you means having you for long enough, I'll add it to my existing pile of secrets.' he thought.

When Magnus' crying slowed down, Alec held his face in his hands and placed his lips softly above his eyes and pecked them gently.

"Magnus? What happened here? Are you okay now?"

"I.. Alexander.. I.." He sniffed, not knowing what to say but he couldn't keep everything from him. He could tell him half the truth, leaving the part where he cheated on his precious Alexander.

"Mags, look at me!" He spoke softly. "What happened, love?"

Magnus looked at him but still couldn't meet his eyes. "C.. Camille happened."

Alec's eyes widened with the information. Several thoughts started running through his mind. "What!? Was.. was she here? Did she hurt you?"

"No, I was at a client's.. when she... she's a vampire again, way more stronger.. more.." he trailed off and started crying again. "I'm sorry, Alexander!"

"Magnus, there's nothing to apologize for. I'll kill her if I see her again." He seethed with anger and wrapped his husband in a tight, comforting hug. He knew his husband was vulnerable right now, and Camille would have tried her way to get to him. Whatever she has done, she'll definitely pay for it.

He broke their hug when he felt his warlock getting relaxed under his touch.

"When did it happen, Magnus?"

"Th... this evening, seven to eight hours ago."

Alec sighed. "And you haven't eaten anything since then?"

Magnus shook his head, fidgeting with his husband's fingers absentmindedly, which were placed on his lap.

"Love, whatever she did, don't overthink it, okay. I'll make dinner for us."

"No, Alexander, I'm fine, there's no.."

"Magnus! I'm going to make dinner, you rest, okay?"

Magnus nodded, he couldn't bring himself to tell him the whole truth. Alec quickly prepared a dinner of spaghetti with meatballs for them and  took it to his husband, with a glass of juice for him. He fed his husband properly then helped him to clean up and changed him into more fresh and comfortable clothing. He himself changed into his night dress and cuddled closely to his husband.

"A.. Alexander, I.. I'm sorry, I was.. the apartment, I couldn't..." he was unable to form a proper sentence, he wanted to be with his shadowhunter, but the guilt was strong.

"Shh, Mags. It's okay. I don't care about the apartment, we'll clean it tomorrow. All I care about is you. Just sleep, okay. You need proper rest."

Magnus nodded and snuggled into his husband's chest, needing all the touch he could get from his shadowhunter. Alec kissed him on the top of his head, stroking his thick silky hair gently, he tangled their legs together and wrapped his arms tightly around his waist. He kept stroking his hair until his warlock slept peacefully beside him then he dozed off to sleep himself.

[doyelikehaggis]

Twelve Days of Rarepairs: Allydia | Allison Argent x Lydia Martin (Teen Wolf)

Requested by @wonderdoves

Hosting a Christmas party is not something Allison ever really planned to do. She just figured that if parties happened to be going on, and she got an invite, she'd go. But throwing one herself? Absolutely not, for many levels of reasons.

Then again, she supposes she isn't throwing it herself. Technically it's not even her party, really—Lydia wanted to throw one, but her mom said no, so she asked to borrow Allison's house. Her dad's out of town with Melissa and won't be back until Christmas day, and her aunt Kate's flight was delayed, so she's still stuck in the airport for the next twenty-four hours or so. Leaving tonight totally free.

For the best, too. Right now, Allison can't even find her way through her own house. She knew it was big, but she didn't realize just how big until nearly a hundred people were crammed inside of it. And that's just a guess.

"Oh—sorry, excuse me," Allison apologizes as she knocks into someone with her shoulder while trying to wind her way past without spilling the cup in her hand. 

The person ignores her. She just hurries on, taking a drink. Honestly, she isn't that thirsty, but she needed something to do to feel less awkward and out of place. Plus, Lydia made the punch, and it's surprisingly good when it doesn't have the secret ingredient of wolfsbane. 

She narrowly avoids tripping over someone else's foot, stumbling slightly. When she turns back around, she spots Lydia quickly approaching. 

Allison breathes a sigh of relief and stops in front of a rather annoyed looking Lydia. 

"So, I've not only lost all of our friends in here somewhere, but I'm also ninety percent sure I've lost control of this thing entirely," Lydia tells her. 

"Fantastic." 

Allison moves a strand of hair away from her face, blowing out a breath. 

"Well," she starts, letting her hand swing back to her side, "it could be worse, right? I mean, nothing is totally out of control, and everyone's having fun?"

Lydia raises an eyebrow. "Except you. And now me."

Allison rolls her eyes. "I'm not… not having fun. It is kind of nice to be able to relax a little. At least compared to what we're usually dealing with."

Lydia just gives a little hum in agreement, still not looking entirely sure as she surveys the shouting group hovering near them in the kitchen. 

"Here—" Allison holds out her cup, nodding her head at it, "—have a drink. It might help."

"I'm stressed, not dehydrated," Lydia replies, but she still accepts the offer and takes a drink. "Though maybe a little bit of that, too. Thanks. I'm just glad I found you."

A small smile curves Allison's mouth. She tries to ignore the slight flush of warmth in her face. She knows Lydia just means because she's worried about the party getting out of control and she doesn't want to be separated with strangers. But it still makes her a little bit happier to think she brings her some comfort. That feeling of safety that Allison gets every time she catches a glimpse of strawberry blond hair or that smile or their eyes lock across a room. 

The eyes she quickly realizes she's been gazing at for a moment too long. 

Snapping out of it, she quickly looks away, swallowing. Her heart thumps against her ribs accusingly. It's silenced when her eyes dart up.

Oh. 

"What?" Lydia asks, spotting her expression, now fixed on the doorway above them. Frowning, she follows her line of sight before Allison can stop her. 

She sees the sprig of mistletoe. One of many that they hung throughout the house, as insisted upon by Stiles when he and Scott came over to help them get the party ready.

"Oh," Lydia says.

Allison's gaze drops back to Lydia. She just stares up at the mistletoe with wide eyes, her lips parted as if to speak, but the words are getting lost on the way out. 

"I guess we should have expected something like this," Allison jokes, giving a half shrug and a forced chuckle. Trying to disguise how pink her face must be right now and keep the butterflies in her stomach calm. 

Lydia shifts her eyes from their captor to meet Allison's gaze. She presses her lips together, chewing on her lower lip. For a second, Allison thinks she's going to say how it's just some dumb, old tradition, and that she is not going to be a part of keeping something so pointless alive.

But she doesn't say that. She doesn't say anything. Doesn't make a getaway excuse. Her throat shifts as she swallows and takes a deep breath.

Then in a rushed exhale, she says, "You know, hanging mistletoe in a doorway comes from a Norse legend."

Allison's heart sinks. She nods, and smiles. She promised herself that if Lydia didn't show any sign of sharing her feeling by the end of the night, she'd let it go and move on. And reciting a Norse myth seems like a desperate attempt to get out of kissing her without just rejecting her. Even if it would be unknowingly. 

"Yeah," Allison says. "The, uh… the legend of Balder. Loki tricked Balder's twin brother into murdering him with mistletoe wood."

Lydia looks startled that she already knows. But surely that gives her an easy out then, right? 

"Yeah! Yeah, um…" Lydia doesn't move. She still stands there, glued to the spot, back to chewing at her bottom lip. Her face lights up, and she quickly says, "Well, uh, there are other legends, of course! People tend to mix them up with holly, because they look so similar, so people think that red berries mean mistletoe when, actually, they're quite different. And everyone knows that mistletoe is usually extremely toxic, to both humans and animals. As we know… from past experience."

Allison's just staring at Lydia, her eyebrows raised. She thought she knew where this was going. This? This is not it. Before she can say anything, Lydia's continuing her rambling, at such high speeds it's almost hard to keep up.

"It's toxicity actually varies quite a bit based on region, though, which—"

"Lydia," Allison starts. "We don't—"

"—can actually be really interesting!"

"Lydia."

"There are many different types of mistletoe, with different scientific names. Viscum album, viscum cruciatum, even Phoradendron leucarpum, which is native to North America!"

"That's—that's really interesting, but—"

"Viscum album—the European mistletoe—is more toxic than Phoradendron serotinum, which is the kind that we're most familiar with."

"Oh, that's—I mean—"

"And, despite the fact that all one-thousand-five-hundred types of mistletoe are toxic in most situations, it used to be used for medicinal purposes to treat things like arthritis, epilepsy! It's still used in parts of South Asia, because the effects aren't fatal. Disturbing and, frankly, unpleasant, but not fatal! In fact, the effects tend to be more prominent in animals. Which, wouldn't be good for any of our friends. But—"

"Lydia," Allison finally cuts her off. Her eyebrows are as far as they can be on her forehead. "You're rambling a bunch of scientific facts to me, and honestly, it's a little scary."

Lydia nods, pressing her lips together again. "Yeaaah. Sorry."

Allison pauses, thinking, this is her one opportunity, there will never be a better time, and—Lydia isn't running away. She's nervous rambling science to her. But she's not using her usual methods of getting out of something she doesn't want to do. 

Shutting her brain off before she can overthink it, she goes for it.

"I want to kiss you," she tells Lydia. "If you don't want to kiss me, that's fine, we can ignore the mistletoe entirely and move on. Okay?"

The blunt confessions throws Lydia off her usually perfect guard. She blinks those wide eyes, her lips parting but nothing coming out. 

"Uh, y-yeah," she fumbles out, then shakes her head, "I mean—I'm okay with it. Kissing you, I'm okay with kissing you—that sounds so lame, oh my god—I want to kiss you, too!"

"Okay," Allison laughs, and leans in. 

Her skin is on fire before her lips find Lydia's, and her stomach is doing olympic style flips when she does kiss her, and Lydia's kissing back with an eagerness she definitely wasn't expecting. 

If anything, she was certain it'd be a quick, funny peck on the lips, and that's it over and done with, just a fun little moment to laugh about. But Lydia doesn't pull away, and Allison is not going to be the one to pull away first. 

Instead, they keep kissing. Lips moving together, Lydia's hands on the sides of Allison's neck, holding her closer. 

Next second, someone bumps into them. They break apart out of surprise, Lydia trying not to spill Allison's drink. The person's already stumbled away.

They both look back at each other, Allison's heart in her throat, and Lydia's eyes widening again. She draws her tongue across her bottom lip as she clearly falters for what to say now, but it's actually incredibly distracting.

"So…" Lydia starts, uncertain. Then a small smile forms at the corners of her mouth. "You wanted to kiss me? Any particular reason? Is it because of my lipgloss? It is especially appealing tonight, extra shiny."

Allison can't help but smile at Lydia's teasing tone. It appears her nerves have fluttered off and left behind her usual cool, calm composure.

"That is one reason," Allison says, nodding, and Lydia gives a curious little hum, arching an eyebrow. "But also… because I've wanted to kiss you for a while. Because I really like you. A lot."

"Yeah, I think I got that," Lydia says, barely containing the shake of laughter in her voice and absolutely failing at disguising the sparkle of delight in her eyes. "I just cannot believe that you confessed before I did. And under the mistletoe."

Allison can't even begin to comprehend the "before I did" part. She just laughs as well, shaking her head and faking a wince.

"Wow, of all the cliches," she jokes. 

"Well, personally, I don't mind a cliche here and there," Lydia says, with a smile that makes Allison's breath catch in her throat.

She pushes it out and quickly draws in another, returning her smile as she says, "Neither do I."

[addictofsupernatural]

OHSHC Rewrite: Episode 2

The Job of a High School Host!

Host Club x reader

Summary: Y/n learns the duties of a host.

Word Count: 4.9k

Episode Masterlist

You've been a host for almost two weeks now. It's been interesting, to say the least. Tamaki and the twins have been trying to get you into a dress since you put on the school uniform, but you cleaned the male uniform and refused all their demands.

Maria got letters from your friends back in y/c, to which she wanted to surprise you by putting them in your bag. You didn't notice them at school, and you didn't notice them when they were sticking out during homeroom.

But Hikaru and Kaoru did. Once the class was over, the three envelopes fell out of your backpack, though you kept walking. They looked at each other and nodded. Hikaru them and went on and they both went on with their day.

After doing your homework you rushed into the club room, only to see very real tropical decorations everywhere. The hosts had luau outfits on as well. "Welcome."

"This is different." You stated as you stepped in, looking around.

"Of course!" Tamaki posed as he talked. "It might be early fall but here at the Host Club we'd like our guests to feel as if they're in a tropical paradise. And plus, our heating system is... perfect!"

You gave him a slight look at his bragging, to which Kyoya smiled a bit. "Do you have a problem with the way we run our club y/n? Remember, you still owe us 8 million yen."

You set your bag down on your spot. "Charming." You said sarcastically, passing by him and giving him a sly smile. "I feel very free to speak my mind, really. So was this tropical island thing your idea?"

"All ideas dealing with the host club events come directly from the king. Although I will admit to casually slipping a Bali pamphlet onto his desk." He kept his smile as he continued writing in his book.

"Of course. Well someone should tell the king that he's really clever." You patted his arm before going and sitting down with your clients. "Good afternoon ladies—"

The twins each blew a whistle and marched over to you. "Hold it right there!" They said in unison. "Who's Julian?!"

You turned over to them, a bit surprised at the mentioning of that name. "What do you mean?"

"Three envelopes fell out of your bag, and one was from a boy named Julian." Kaoru said.

They then got very close to you, asking, "So who's Julian?!"

"An old friend." You shrugged, putting out your hand for the letters. They gave them back to you, but also gained the attention of Tamaki.

"How good of a friend is he?" He zoomed right behind your couch.

You didn't know why Tamaki was so territorial of his friends, but you knew there must be a reason. That didn't mean you couldn't still have fun with him. You fake sighed lovingly. "He's the best."

"Is he... handsome?"

"He has an adorable face. I love it so much!"

"You love it?" You gave you his puppy dog eyes.

"Yup."

"Do you have... feelings... for him?"

"Oh, I'm only totally in love with him."

"WHA~T?!" He then wrapped you in a hug. "But you're my little girl~"

You sighed again. "Yeah. It's too bad you're more his type."

"Huh?"

He blankly stared at you, and you bursted into a fit of giggles. "He's gay, so calm down."

"Oh." He then stood up and cleared his throat. "Well then, that's one less man to worry about. You don't know how many evil boys there are in the world, so you have to be careful."

"Yeah, I should also be careful of weird people who call themselves 'daddy'." An arrow struck through Tamaki as you walked over to the twins. "Thanks for holding onto these for me." Your smile made them blush. "And thank you for not opening them, since you guys are pretty nosey."

"We don't know what you're talking about." They both said as they shrugged.

"But y/n," Kaoru started saying.

"Why don't you open them for us?" Hikaru finished.

You scoffed. "Please guys, I'm working." You then turned to your clients as they sighed, smiling. "I'm sorry girls. What did you want to talk about?"

"Well, we were wondering if you were going to dress up in something tropical."

"Do you all want me to?" You asked, unsure if you wanted to go through with that.

"Yes!" They said happily.

Tamaki then appeared with a smile. "I already made you an outfit y/n. And look, we're a pair! Isn't it cute?"

You frowned. "You know I don't really like skirts."

He then showed you his big watery eyes. "But Kyoya gave you a dress and you accepted it no problem."

"He was doing it to be nice. You're doing this because you want to see me in a dress. That's weird."

He looked like he was going to burst from anger. He then pushed the outfit into your hands. "Just go change!"

You then changed into the shoulderless top with the long skirt, which also accompanied a lot of jewelry. You then went out and tried to discreetly go back to your clients. "Oh my goodness y/n, you're so cute!" One exclaimed.

"Y/N~" Tamaki jumped over to you and crushed you into a hug. "Everybody, look!"

"Let's not please." You whispered. Your face went red as you frustratedly looked to the ground.

"Wow." The twins said, grabbing your arms.

"Who knew y/n," Kaoru said.

"Could be such a girl." Hikaru finished.

"Looks cute." They said, giving you a thumbs up.

"Please stop drawing in more attention." You said quietly.

"Takashi~ look!" Honey dragged you over to them. "Doesn't she look adorable?"

"Yeah."

Tamaki and the twins had evil stars in their eyes as they inched closer to you. You didn't notice the blush on Mori's face when you went to go hide behind him. The three then shouted, "Give her to us!"

Mori shook his head and took your shoulders, guiding you to your couch.

"Thank you senpai." You said quietly. You then put your hands over your face. You peaked at your smiling clients. "Okay, I did this for you guys."

"How do you feel in cosplay?"

"Exhausted!" You put your hands to your side quickly only to begin shaking your arms, hearing the jewelry jingle as you moved. They began to giggle at your innocent and child-like movements. "Jeez, what's with this?"

"Y/n, you forgot your crown!" Tamaki stuck it out towards you as an offering.

You took a deep breath and drank some tea, not looking at him. "If it's worth more than me I'm not wearing it."

He gave you an angrily confused look. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I'm not putting something ridiculous and way too expensive on my head. I don't even feel comfortable in this. It feels like I'm lowering the value of it by just wearing it." Your tone was a sarcastic one, which caused smiles from around your area. Though it was a joke, you were only half-kidding.

"Excuse me." A girl came up to you and said. "I believe we're supposed to be switching hosts now."

"Oh, you must be my next appointment." You grinned, waving to her childishly even though she was right in front of you. "It's nice to meet you."

She then grabbed your chin and brought your face closer to hers. "I've just decided. You're going to be my new favorite host." This seemed to effect Tamaki.

Once the club finished everything, you walked over to go change until Kyoya stopped you. "Your words with Tamaki seemed to amuse some of the guests, and many of those guests have requested you."

"Cool. I guess my clownery is likable." You chuckled and nodded.

Clownery. What an odd made up word. He thought about what his clients told them about you. You spoke with slang, though it almost as if you didn't realize it. They said that they found it adorable. Your speech being adorable. It was an interesting thought, in its own way.

Once you put back on your uniform, Kyoya instructed you to make Tamaki some instant ramen. You did so and finished cleaning. Once you finished that you sat down and noticed that Tamaki was irritated.

"C'mon boss, quit eating that commoner's ramen and help plan the party." Kaoru said.

"What's up with him?" You asked.

"He's just upset with Lady Kanako choosing you." Kyoya said as he typed away on his laptop. "She's had the illness for a while now though, so I don't know why he's too surprised."

"What disease?"

"The host hopping disease." The twins said.

You giggled, grinning. "So he's jealous that I stole her from him."

"Shut up! I couldn't care less!" Tamaki yelled. "That's it, my patience has run out. It's time you started dressing like a girl!"

"That's really what's bothering you?"

"I just don't get it. How can you be so popular with the ladies when you yourself are a lady?!" He then went into his private chest, digging though it. "Now you listen to daddy. DADDY WANTS YOU TO GO BACK TO THE WAY YOU WERE AND KEEP WEARING SKIRTS!!"

He brought out a huge framed photo of you in a high and tight half pony tail, which contrasted your usually messy pony tail. You were wearing a cropped long sleeved dark gray shirt, with a black skirt and dark panty hose under.

"DON'T GO BLOWING UP MY PHOTOS WITHOUT ASKING ME FIRST!!"

He hung it up on the wall and began crying. Everybody crowded around it.

"The more I look at this photo the more amazed I am." Kaoru said. "How did you go from that to wearing suits?"

Everyone turned to look at you. "I used to have a neighbor who owned a Burlesque lounge. Sometimes she needed someone to cover a waitress shift, and I would do it. This was the most covered up she would allow me to be though."

"I see." Kyoya said. "Those places are known for having women reveal a large amount of skin."

"I wore that stuff cause I had to. I feel more comfortable not showing my legs. I don't care if I dress like a dude sometimes."

"A GIRL SHOULD NEVER ADDRESS HERSELF AS A DUDE!!" Tamaki yelled. "MAMA~!! Y/n's using those dirty boy words again."

"I hate to break up this interesting conversation, but do you have any formal dancing experience?" Hikaru asked.

You turned and smiled nervously. "No, but I don't have to go to parties and stuff, right?"

Tamaki's eyes began to shine. "I absolutely forbid that. You must go to every event hosted by the host club if you want to pay back your debt! If you fail to do so, you'll be demoted back to errand boy" He then got a lot happier. "And that also means you have to wear a dress at the party!"

"No it's cool, I have a formal guy outfit." They all stared at you. "What? I got it when I had to go to a wedding."

"Why won't you wear something like thi~s?" Tamaki said with tears in his eyes.

"Cause it was for a job."

"This is a job!"

"No, this is indentured servitude. There's a difference. Slight, but it's there." You then briefly thought. "Oh, I guess that also means I have to learn the man's part since I'm a host."

Kanako was instructing you what to do, and you were getting the hang of it quickly. "You're quite a fast learner miss y/n."

"And you're quite an exceptional teacher Miss Kanako." Your gaze went to Tamaki, who looked sad. He wanted to teach you, but was too tall to be in the girl role. He glanced over to you, and you smiled and waved. He hesitantly gave you a small smile and waved back. Because of this you weren't paying attention tripped up the both of you. "I'm so sorry Lady Kanako!"

She pulled you closer. "That's quite alright."

"You're very forward." You smiled down at her before rolling to the side and pulling the both of you up. "C'mon, let's get you some tea."

You brought her tea as she happily held onto the cup. "You have a new order for tea sets I see. The handy work looks like it's Genorie."

"You have a keen eye mademoiselle." Kyoya said as he passed by.

"Such a pretty color." She gazed into the tea cup with a smile. "How lovely."

"Woah, you seem to know a lot about tea sets, huh?" You asked. This, unbeknownst to you, gained Tamaki's attention.

"What? Of course not!" She said shakily, blushing. "What ever would give you that idea?!"

Just then someone walked in with a box in hand. "You ordered a new tea set?" He asked Kyoya as he walked over to him.

"Yes we did. Y/n, come over and grab these." Kyoya said.

You nodded and smiled at him as he gave you the box. You opened the lid and looked at the set. "Wow, these are really nice. Are you an expert on things like this?"

Kanako began laughing. "Oh y/n, you're so out of the loop. It can be pardoned though." She turned back with a teasing smile. "After all, he doesn't look like an heir to a first class industry empire."

His facial expression changed as he looked at her. You noticed but decided not to say anything.

"The Susushima family has dealt mainly with table wear." Kyoya explained. "They are, in fact, a first class company."

"I think that's so awesome! You seem to have a lot of passion into what you're going to be doing, which is very admirable." You told him with a small smile.

He turned to you and bashfully smiled. "You think so? I'm honored. Well, see you all next time."

After he left and you walked back to Kanako with the box still in hand. "He's pretty handsome, don't you think?" You asked in your native language.

"Um, pardon?"

"Oh, sorry." You cleared your throat. "I'm asking if you think he's attractive."

She blushed profusely and nervously sipped on her tea. "I don't know! I suppose!"

"I get the feeling you two know each other."

She spat out her tea and began to panic again. "What would ever give you that silly conclusion? I have no idea what you're talking about! Anyways, take care!" She quickly left.

You stood up right before Honey jumped onto your back, almost knocking the box out of your hands. "Y/n-chan~! Guess what? They do know each other! Suzushima-chan is Kasuga-chan's fiance."

"Woah, really?"

"Kyoya," Tamaki said. "What do you know about this?"

He looked in his book. "They were childhood friends. Their parents set up an arranged marriage between them. I didn't find this information of any importance so I disregarded it."

"And what do you know of Suzushima?"

"Toro Suzushima. Outstanding grades, bare social status. Ordinary looking. He's reliable, in case of persuasion to place blame."

"He doesn't have much presence and is faint hearted." The twins said.

"In order words, he's boring." Kyoya closed his book.

"Wow," You said. "Who knew you guys were so cold to other men."

"We don't have any use of him so there's no reason to be nicer in describing him." Kyoya explained.

"Interesting philosophy." You said teasingly. "I can feel the kindness radiating off of you."

"Suzushima is a good boy." Honey said, on top of Mori. "Right?"

"Yeah." Mori replied.

"Alright men! It's time for a plan!" Tamaki announced. "It's our job at the Ouran Host Club to make every woman happy!"

When Tamaki finished explaining his plan, everybody packed up and left, leaving only Kyoya and you. He had just finished on his laptop and was packing up his things. You walked behind him. "Senpai, is it okay if I ask you a question?"

"Is it about what I said earlier?" He didn't turn around.

"Kind of. I mean, if we're talking about the same thing." You kept your voice steady and light.

"Was it what I said about not needing Suzushima?"

"Woah, no. Not at all. I was thinking about how you did a background check on him."

He paused briefly. "I see. What of it?"

Your voice unintentionally shrank. "Did you do one on me?"

"Yes. A few days ago, in fact. You fail to mention your brother when people ask about your history." His voice was so calm and normal. It made you feel very exposed.

"Everything I've said isn't a lie." You managed to say firmly.

"I know that as well. I understand your situation and I respect your reasonings for not talking about him. You've been through quite a lot, and you have a right to privacy."

"Please answer this next question honestly." His silence meant that he was still listening. "Do you think of me any lower or less, I don't know, appealing, now that you know everything about me?" You then nervously chuckled. "Unless it was already that low to begin with."

"I assure you that my views of you are of a hard working person who seems to make many people happy. Not wanting people to know certain things about you and having certain insecurities do not waver what I 'think' of you."

You let out a breath and grinned, hugging him from the back. He widened his eyes, but didn't tense nor pull away.

"Thank you Kyoya senpai. This really means a lot." You then let go of him. "Okay, I need to walk home before it gets dark. See you tomorrow." You then quickly went to the door. "Sorry if that hug was weird for you!" You called out as you left.

His opinions mattered to you. It was an interesting thought, in its own way.

As you were getting ready for the party, Maria came into your room. "Can't you be at least a bit girly?"

"Funny, that's really funny Maria." You turned to face her and sat down. "You're quite the tomboy yourself sometimes."

"I'm serious y/n/n. You should try a little makeup. You'll look nice for all your friends. One of them is bound to fall for you." She said in an offering tone.

You chuckled and shook your head. "They're all just friends. And I shouldn't have to try to impress anybody."

She sighed, going over to your nightstand and opening a drawer. She took out a black box and opened it, revealing the earrings you got back after your father was imprisoned. "At least wear one of your mom's earrings. They all look cute on you."

You looked in the box. She loved to collect them. "I don't know, maybe."

She grabbed your cheeks and smushed them. "Think about it." You grabbed her cheeks and did the same. "I also have something to tell you."

"Good or bad?"

She hesitated before quickly saying, "My sisters are coming for a few days to visit." And then sped walked out of the room.

"What?!" You followed her. "Please tell me Linda's son won't be coming too." She gave you a look, and that was all you needed to know. "Oh my gosh, I'm going to my club. That's gonna be my safe space for now."

"At least you have a safe space. I'll have to deal with Linda 24/7."

You then went back into your room and hesitantly grabbed a pair of earrings, putting them in your pants pocket. "I gotta go. I should start walking now."

She stopped you. "Take off the blazer at least." You took off the blazer with a pout. She then pulled off your messy ponytail. "Do something better with your hair too." You tied up two messy double buns. "There. You look adorable. Go."

You got there and joined all except Tamaki at the second floor in the auditorium. "Welcome, my little lambs," Tamaki said from the third floor. "To a magical night of your lives!"

Kyoya then spoke up. "As always ladies we are here for your enjoyment. Dance to your heart's content. The best dancer will be decided among us hosts and will be crowned queen. As a reward the queen will receive a passionate kiss on the cheek from our king, Tamaki Suoh. Good luck to all you."

They all began cheering, and you snickered over the stupidity of the 'prize'. The twins came over to you and began playing with your buns.

"These are cute." Hikaru said.

"You have a raggedy yet carefree look. The hairstyle compliments you." Kaoru told you. "Hey, have you ever been to a party before?"

"Not formal parties. Only block parties on my street."

"Well, since you're here y/n, you might as well enjoy yourself." Kyoya said. "We have quite the spread of desserts."

You then innocently asked, "Like squishy ice cream?"

"SQUI—"

"—SHY—"

"—ICE CREAM?!"

Tamaki flipped down to your floor and pointed to Kyoya, who was already dialing a number on his phone. "Kyoya! Order some squishy ice cream right away!"

"Two orders of mochi please." He said to his phone. The twins smothered you in a hug as your face burned from embarrassment. You felt like such an idiot foreigner right now.

In the meantime you danced with some girls, being flamboyant and silly when dancing with them. There was one girl who tripped over your shoes and almost fell until you caught her. She wouldn't stop laughing loudly, and it caused you to laugh as well. Others wanted to talk, so you danced regularly with them.

As you took a break from dancing with some girls Kanako approached you. "There you are y/n, I've been looking everywhere for you. May I have this next dance?"

"It would be my pleasure Lady Kanako." You began to dance with her. "You're so formal. It's really fascinating to me."

"Your expressions and slang are fascinating to me as well." She said.

"Kasuga-chan's here!" Honey announced.

"Honey, Mori," Tamaki said. "Commence with the operation."

Both nodded before swiftly grabbing you away and dashing to an empty room with the twins and Kyoya. "Did you guys really have to be so forceful?"

"Nevermind that, go and change." Hikaru shoved a bag into your hands and pushed you into the changing room.

"Remember y/n, we only have 37 minutes before the climax of the night," Kyoya said. "And a little accident might make the evening more interesting."

You saw a tube of concealer on the small table when you went in. You knew Kyoya left it for you, and it made you smile. You quickly changed into the dark purple dress and put concealer on the scars of your legs. You then remembered the earrings in your pocket and put them on. They were rose gold hoops with what looked like flower petals on them.

You then went outside, where the twins quickly put on your makeup. Kaoru then gently touched one of your earrings. "We didn't put these in the bag. Are these yours?"

"Yeah." You quietly said.

"They compliment the dress. It was good that you brought them." You smiled at him, causing him to blush and look away.

"Y'know," Hikaru said as they finished up. "I know the boss wants to stick to the strategy, but this is..."

"What are you all doing standing around here?" Tamaki asked as he came in. "The guests are wai—"

You stood up and faced him. You then began walking as the boys stared at you. "You look cute!" Honey stated.

Everyone blushed but Honey and Kyoya, who were both smiling. "My face feels heavy." You pouted as you kept walking.

"Hurry up!" The twins called out as you kept walking.

"Yeah, I got it." You muttered. As you left, the twins and Tamaki began to fawn over you.

You walked into the room they told you to. Suzushima turned around with a surprised look. You timidly smiled as you walked over to him. "You're not at all what I pictured from the letter you wrote me."

You kept your smile on. "Really?" He nodded. "Can I actually see the letter please?" He then gave it to you, and you read over it:

I'm in love love with you! From the first day I laid eyes on you I've been head over heals in love! Tee hee! All these feelings I have are harpooned to my heart as they keep whipping around my mind like the restless waves! When the special day comes, I want to randezvou with you on Noah's arc! I do I do!

You wondered who the hell would write such a stupid letter. It was actually a collaborative write with Kyoya and the twins. "Excuse me," Suzushima interrupted your thoughts. "Have we met before?"

"No! It's um, the first time we've ever talked!"

"I'm flattered by your letter, but I'm afraid I can't return your feelings." He said. "My heart has been taken by somebody else."

"My apologies! I didn't realize you had a girlfriend."

"No, she's not my girlfriend. I don't even think she's even interested anymore." He looked very sad.

"Well I don't know about that. Your calming presence is a joy to be around, and I'm sure she'd agree." You offered.

He sighed. "Thank you, but honestly, I'm sure she'd be better off with someone more self confident. That's why I'm leaving next month to study abroad. Hopefully become a better man for her. Maybe it's selfish, but I hope she'll wait for me."

"I won't lie to you, it's a little selfish." An arrow went through him. You squished your index finger and thumb. "Just a little. But Toro, if she really is the love of your life then I'm sure she'll still love you just as much as she probably already does."

He was about to say something as he reached out for you, but you heard the door open. You didn't turn so she wouldn't see your face. "Oh, I'm sorry to intrude." You could tell she was crying. "I'll just leave you two be."

You heard her heels and knew she was running away, and he ran after her. "Kanako, wait!"

You then walked next to Tamaki. "We didn't make things worse, did we?"

"He did run after her. He needs to learn how to be more sure of himself."

You were both walking back when you tripped again over your heels. Tamaki interlocked your arms together. You looked up at him. "You really need to learn how to walk in heels. They look so lovely on you, and it'd be a shame if you tripped and hurt yourself."

You smiled and nodded, leaning on his shoulder. You then tripped again, only for him to hold onto you and prevent you from falling. You giggled, followed shortly by Tamaki chuckling with you.

You both went over to the balcony. The lights hit, and you saw Kanako and Toro. "Let us join together and announce that this couple has been chosen for the final waltz of the night." Tamaki announced.

He said something to her, squeezing his eyes shut and asking her for a dance. You snickered. "Why are you laughing?" Kaoru asked.

"I know he's trying his best, but he looks kinda goofy right now." All the hosts looked from you to them and smiled. "They're awesome together though."

"May this awkward couple be forever blessed!" Tamaki exclaimed.

Kyoya then stepped forward. "And now for the grand prize, a kiss from our royalty."

"Y/n with step in for Tamaki." Kaoru said with a banana peel in his hand.

"And the kiss with be for Toro Suzushima." Hikaru added with another banana peel in his hand.

Tamaki was shocked, and you turned to Kyoya. "I'm not gonna—"

"It'll lower your debt by a third."

"I mean it is just a peck." You smiled and headed down.

"Wha..." Tamaki said.

"Also," You said as you began walking down the stairs. "You guys need to work on your love letter skills, because that was embarring for me to read."

As you went down Suzushima saw you and gave you a surprised expression. "You..."

"Y/n," Kanako said. "Were you the girl with Toro?"

"Hi guys. We just needed to give you two a gentle nudge. I promise I'm not in love with Toro. And I'm really sorry and embarrassed they gave you that stupid letter. I didn't write any of that." You smiled at them.

He nodded. "Thank you."

You then looked at Kanako. "May I?"

"Sure. It'll mark the beginning of our relationship."

Up from the balcony, Tamaki was reaching out for you weakly. "I wonder if this is y/n-chan's first kiss?" Honey thought out loud.

This made Tamaki snap, and he began running to you. "Wait y/n~!"

He slipped on the twins' banana peels and accidentally pushed you, causing you to kiss Toro on the lips instead. Kyoya did say that a little accident would make the night a little more interesting.

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Author's Note: Comment if you liked it (please) or if you want to be tagged 😁

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