#Carmen pace (oc)

[catnykit]

💜 for the emoji ask game!

💜 - Tell me about your favourite oc!

OH BOY WHERE DO I EVEN START. i actually have three favorite ocs! Carmen pace,Deidamia rotari and a Mistery One taht i'll likely reveal in the next written thing :D

Caro(carmen) and deide(deidamia) actually came from a same coin: Whumper being whumpee,Whumpeere,(I think the term was first used by @/sowhumpshaped?) Its just that carmen was made to be the fucked up comic relief. She is completely ominous and yet cheerfull most of the times,alongside being a yandere,Because of course she would

Aslo caro is The Unhinged Oc,She's made to be completely unpredictable,And batshit

Then there's deide. Deide is like the opposite,She is aslo a whumper turned whumpee (actually whumpee turned whumper turned back to whumpee yeah its kinda wild) but theyre like. Way more depressed and quiet abt it. They have issues,yes,They are going insane,but they are not so...giggly and unpredictable abt it.

She is The Depressed Oc,basically,Carmen is a high energy insanity,Deidamia is a low energy insanity

I aslo made deidamia with the idea of a famous Infamous whumpee,As in,Theyre literally a criminal and can be scary when theyre not scared

When I actually reveal who the third oc is (whos the only one that is a full-blown almost pure evil whumper) i'll reblog this to speak abt them too :D

TY VERY MUCH !!!!! Asks are always apreciated <333

[catnykit]

Or hers

i want that slut covered in blood and traumatized by his actions

[cloveroctobers]

FALSE STARTS — CARMY BERZATTO [Summer Writings]

A/N: Getting down to my final collection to these summer writings…I strongly debated if I wanted to even write for carm this time around, the man is always going through it…not saying that I won’t ever again because I ofc have love for the guy but whew!!! Never giving up on him but—you guys get it? You just have to let some things sink in after watching the seasons…so here’s something possibly short? Knowing me my definition of short is not always reliable kinda like Carmy’s mental state—OOP. Too much?

WARNINGS: Added a OC, another berzatto again to the mix because I can also see Kyle being on the show and I’ve got a soft spot for him as well SORRY! I feel it in my spirit for smile 2 that it’s NOT going to end well but let’s be delusional! Slight reference to that horror movie in here as well, Still x reader based but you just have a name since I didn’t want to write in 2nd POV, along with some background for you and Carmy’s friendship, language, mentions of s**c***e & some spoilers for season three if you’re not caught up yet!

SYNOPSIS: Carmy runs into more than just his past and blood, forever learning what his next steps are, if his head will let him that is.

*GIFS BELONG TO: @emziess + @andrew3garfield !

☯︎.☘︎ ݁˖˚ ༘ ೀ⋆｡˚ ☯︎.☘︎ ݁˖˚ ༘ ೀ⋆｡˚ ☯︎.☘︎ ݁˖˚ ༘ ೀ⋆｡˚ ☯︎.☘︎ ݁˖˚ ༘

The last thing Carmy expected was to see, Joel Berzatto at the pick up window during the lunch rush. Carmy’s been on autopilot the second week into the grand opening and he was already frustrated with the new hires. They didn’t have what it takes and Carmy didn’t have the patience to teach them, especially when they didn’t put in the effort to learn.

All they cared about was a paycheck.

He couldn’t teach what should have already been known.

Carmy already shocked himself, not blowing a fuse, deciding to just head out back silently with a carton of cigarettes. He vowed at some point he was going to quit these things and faught hard about the stick that was perched in between his lips. He’s pacing along the rocks and dirt on the side of the bear, back of his lighter racking against his fingers as he took a two minute break.

There was no time to make it five.

“Carmen,” a voice greets, making his bright blues turn to the voice.

It’s Joel.

Michelle’s younger brother.

He’s got a bag to go, bunched up underneath his fingers and his badge on his waist glimmers from underneath his earthy toned attire for work. Carmen reminds himself to blink, coming to terms that this is indeed his family—on his father’s side—at his place of business.

“Joel?” Carmen echoes but it’s more of a question.

Joel snickers as there’s still a great distance between the two family members, “yeah I was wondering when I was going to get caught red handed.”

Carmen clears his throat after removing the cigarette from his lips, “you’ve ordered something to go?”

That’s obvious but he’s trying to fill up the silence, which is always so loud even in the city.

Joel scratches at his brow, a small smile playing on his face, “‘Course I did. I was in the area and my partner wanted some other shit, he’s vegan or vegetarian and I knew that would be a disappointment so I snuck over here to get my money’s worth.”

“Yeah?” Carmy’s eyes flick back to the bag, “what’s your poison?”

Joel laughs, “can’t ever go wrong with a classic, am I right?”

Which only meant one thing: Italian Beef with extra peppers, just how he always got it, even when they were younger. Joel was older than Carmy, more around Nat’s age but he always found a way to bring up something to talk about once Michelle, Mikey, and Richie brought the house down with their boisterous voices.

“I’ve mentioned to Sugar that Sam and I can’t wait to try out the dinner menu but it hasn’t been the best time…” Joel hints, almost as if he’s apologizing for not showing his face.

There was tension at the beginning.

Joel was this big detective.

Always the persistent one and trying to solve something. It only made sense that he chose this profession but Joel did piss the family off when he tried to come up with this conspiracy theory that Mikey didn’t kill himself and that someone else pulled the trigger. His perspective? It was probably someone who Mikey bought those painkillers off of and in Joel’s mind, he thought he was doing the family a good service but instead he had his own denial about Mikey’s passing as well.

There’s been two big death’s in Joel’s life that he had to face before with his fiancée who took her own life as well. A psychologist at that. That happened years before Mikey…and Carmy can only imagine how fucked he’s been in the head too and maybe detective work gave him some sort of solace—in a twisted way.

They were family after all and grief is handled in different ways they say!

Carmy picks up on the name referred to and questions, “Sammy? You guys are still together?”

Joel snickers but doesn’t seem offended by any means, “Yeah, can’t seem to get rid of her.”

He jokes but Carmy knows that would be the last thing Joel wanted.

“She always tells me to send her love whenever I do stop by for lunch…we just don’t want to disrupt anything you guys have going on.” Joel admits and that actually makes Carmy frown.

He clenched his eyes shut for a moment with a shake of his head, “she wouldn’t—you guys wouldn’t. You’re both family too…it’s just been a lot.”

“Yeah but at some point I think we’ve got to stop making excuses,” Joel shrugs, “No pressure on our end. You should stop by the house one day, Samora would love to see you. It’s been awhile you know?”

Carmy nods.

It has.

Samora’s been one of Carmy’s oldest friends.

The friendship happened to be one of those, catch you when I catch you type of things, or if seeing someone mutual and he so happened to come up, she always related her love for him. That’s just how they operated, even if was at a distance and there wasn’t any bad blood.

Life went on.

Separately for them.

And she’s apparently been going strong with his blood cousin, Joel, for who knows how long? Carmy can’t believe he’s almost forgot what it felt like to have a friend like her.

“Yeah, I should.” Carmy agrees, “Nat’s got your number right? I’ll have to get it from her and reach out to see what’s best for you guys?”

Joel raised his brows at this.

He didn’t think Carmy would even respond to that. Carmy’s always been the kind of guy that found the nicest corner in the room and chose to stay there, it was what he was comfortable with: seeing all sides of the room and the nearest exit.

“Well Sam’s mostly working out of the house now, business picked back up for her in the last year, thankfully.” Joel answers with an inhale, “I’m the one that’s mostly gone all the time not getting the chance to really live in the house but…whenever you want. We don’t mind pop in’s—usually.”

Carmy nods, “cool—uh? I got to get back in there but I hope you enjoy the sandwich and maybe fucking try something else huh?”

Joel’s always been the sandwich and chips kind of guy. Easy going. Compassionate and soft spoken. Carmy’s only ever saw Joel pissed one time as far as he can remember. Of course when carmy brought up the interest of taking cooking seriously, Joel offered a listening ear and would admit he hardly knew what kind of fancy dishes Carmy was talking about but once he brought out the sketches? Sold! Joel couldn’t be more thrilled to see Carmy finding something to be passionate about.

It took time but he did it.

Joel picks up on Carmy’s teasing tone and points the bag at him, “I don’t tell you how to run your business, Carm. So don’t get in between a man and his favorite hoagie.”

A crooked smile appears on Carmy’s face at that as he slowly starts to retreat, “alright, fair enough.”

“Keep it up, bear.” Joel tells Carm, “beginnings can be rough but everything looks phenomenal…from what I can see anyway.”

Did it feel that way?

Carmy couldn’t tell you.

A week and three months it took for Carmy to show up to the familiar Greystone. It was after the review came in and Carmy was back on mode: disconnect, taking a much needed walk that led him right back to the usual busy area where the home sat; that had history there. He’s not positive how long he’s been standing there, peering up at the picturesque home beyond the fence.

Eventually he works up the nerve to stand at the front door, head just kissing it as he debates about knocking. His stomach feels like an off track dryer machine and his head is telling him that he has no place showing up to this house. Samora wouldn’t want to see him and Joel was just talking back then, never expecting Carmy to take up the invitation.

Carmy’s got the number from Sugar and found out where they stayed. It was the same address of where Sammy grew up, a home from her great grandparents that was passed all the way down to her. Legally she got the greystone since her foster turned adopted siblings weren’t biologically in the family and only one of them seemed to put up a fight about it anyway, only wanting the cash and not caring about how significant the home was.

He remembered that.

And so, he knocks.

He’s heading towards the gate by the time the front door swings open but the sound of the woman calling out his name, stops him in his tracks. He exhaled, dropping his hand from pulling the gate back, lifting his head before turning back to the woman on the stoop.

“It is you! Well don’t just stand there, get up here you little turd.” She’s waving her hands along and Carmy moves.

They’re face to face and it’s been ages.

Both of their eyes traces over one another’s faces but Samora is the first to yank him by the shoulders into her arms. He’s tense but finds himself placing his chin into her own shoulder, shaky hands going to her spine. Samora’s hugs have always been tight but Carmy’s never had a problem with pressure.

Much.

“Damn, I hope I didn’t get paint all on your fresh suit. What’s that? Givenchy?” Samora pokes fun as she playfully flicks the tip of his nose.

Carmy smacks her hand away realizing that she is in fact covered in paint all over her shorts overalls and there’s a dry paint swatch right on her left cheek. A awful chartreuse color, which she always seemed to like the brightest of colors others like to hate on.

In a sense Samora tried to see the good in most things.

“No,” Carmy feels a small smirk appear on his own cheek, “you’re good.”

And she welcomes him inside.

The once old home has been refreshed and Carmy can’t tell you the last time he’s been in here but the changes are evident. The first set of walls were now white, making the short entry way feel bigger and as they both turn to the right towards the living room, the view of the front porch at night feels like many summers ago when they both would sit out there, him on his back, arms tucked behind his head and Samora right beside him cross legged as she stared out towards the traffic lights.

They could sit out there for hours together, comfortable in silence or Carmy listening to Samora curse up a storm when she got confused trying to learn chess with a board her great-grandfather made. A slab of wood with a built in drawer to keep the pieces on the side, it would get stuck sometimes but she always handled with care.

“Carmen Berzatto…can’t believe you came to see little ‘ol me…unless you’re looking for Joel?” Samora says over her shoulder, still waving him along through the dinning room towards the grand kitchen.

He awkwardly stands off to the side in the kitchen while Samora lets out a yawn with a shake of her head before moving forward with searching through the cabinets. “I uh—not necessarily.”

“He’s at work anyway, getting buried into another one of his insane cases that he’s not supposed to tell me about but we all know how I am—I’m going to find out regardless.” Samora places two shot glasses down, noticing that Carmy had moved closer to the island counter now.

He did know actually.

They went to school together, been through a lot of typical high school bullshit together. He always felt like the sidekick, whereas he was the shy and reserved one, Samora had other friends that she didn’t mind putting to the side to hang out with Carmy for. Her response would be whenever Carmy asked why she kicked them to the curb to be around someone boring would be, “I know who my lifelong friends are, surely.”

“Surely,” was always Samora’s word and, “Duh,” happened to be Nat’s.

Sophomore year when Konstantinos “Tino,” Pappas found his next target in Carmy and thought it would be funny to sic his Rottweiler on him one day (he had asthma and could barely run a mile but loved skateboarding) when he had to walk home alone after school one day, he glossed over it, saying that he just tried to hop the fence as a shortcut to get home and got stuck on it instead.

He didn’t mention the dog snatching his backpack, or the nasty nip mark on his lower back, his shirt ripping after it got stuck on the spikes, and colliding face first with a sharp rock, that left a faint knick on his cheek until this day, if you got close enough to see it you would notice. Donna believed Carmy’s lies although she knew Carmy was a more take his time kind of kid but all she wanted to do was get back to her daily cocktail, Nat was concerned but Carmy also brushed her off, saying he was fine, and when Mikey saw the marks, he hammered him with questions, leaving a teenage Carmy to grow sick of his big brother being on his case so he shut him out too.

And what did Mikey Berzatto do?

He went right to a sick Samora to find out what she knew. She had been home for the past three days, down with a fever she caught from her new foster sibling and swore that she would find out. Shook on it with the older Berzatto, who bid his farewells of how good she is to his kid brother, which meant she would always be good people in Mikey’s eyes. And when she did find out? She came right back to school that Monday, noticing the laughter from Tino and his friends down by their locker with a whole camcorder of the incident, which wasn’t far from her’s and Carmy’s.

Carmy lifted his hand to greet the teen but when she was on a mission? It was tunnel vision. She didn’t care if there were teachers at the end of the hall, she snatched the camcorder from one of Tino’s friends, shoving him out of the way, before getting to Tino. A fist met his eye that day and that resulted in a suspension and detention after learning what Tino did.

If you thought Carmy was pissed before about Nat’s overbearing nurturing ways and Mikey bugging him about the marks, then you can only imagine how annoyed he was with Samora after that. That resulted in a stupid fight and with Samora even dating Tino for two whole days—the goal was to break his heart anyway.

Teenagers? Am I right?

“Check this out,” Samora grins as she pours this green liquid into the shot glasses and makes sure to get a piece of cucumber? floating at the top to decorate it with, “I’ve been experimenting and since Joel can’t be my rodent of a taste taster tonight. I present to you chef Carmy, Cold Cucumber green Gazpacho. A chilled soup—as I’m sure you are aware of—since you know how I feel about soups in the summer.”

“…you want me to try this?” Carmy picks up the glass, eyeing it.

Samora dips her head, “surely and if you don’t do that pinched lip thing, then I know it’s trash.”

Carmy flicks his eyes to her with a frown, “what’re you talking about?”

She folds her first four fingers over her thumb, tapping them together, “I don’t know! It’s a thing! You do it when you’re yelling too but at least I know you’re focused so, go on.”

Carmy shakes his head with a slow close of his eyes. He didn’t know what she was talking about at all but he can’t say he was surprised she picked up on this, she was an interior decorator after all.

Detail was always crucial.

“That’s,” Carmy starts after seeing Samora toss her head back not long after himself, “fresh.”

Samora grins, “not bad for a beginner, huh? Easy peasy and quick! Make sure you shout me out if you make this an appetizer or something at the restaurant, will ya?”

“You got it.” Carmy comments making a mental note to do something green next time on the menu, savoring the smooth and freshness with a hint of a zing dish as Samora carefully places the bowl back into the fridge.

Sighing she turns to rest her elbows onto the counter, “Now…bestie Carmy Berzatto…what’s wrong?”

His eyes shift, “N-Nothing. I saw Joel the other day and he brought you up—

“How long ago was that?” She interrupts.

He fires back, “…awhile? Does it matter?”

“No…you know I don’t sweat the small stuff.” She blinks, “Long as I knew you were thriving then that’s all I can wish for but I know my friend and I’m sensing that you’re not okay. You’re avoiding.”

Carmy’s tapping his finger along the side of the glass but Samora doesn’t relax her burning stare, “what—

“Did you see your niece yet?” Samora quizzes and he quickly closes his eyes, running a hand through his hair, she can tell he’s mentally cursing at himself, “she’s a beautiful baby. I had groceries sent to Nat and Pete’s the other day—

“Is this your way of reminding me of how shitty I’ve been at communicating and being present because I don’t need it. I already feel that.”

Samora sticks her tongue in her cheek and pushes back, “No shock there, Carmy. I know you. So what exactly triggered you today that made you finally come here to see me?”

Carmy starts chewing on his lips, eyes not connecting with Samora’s as she tilted her head to the side, waiting. It feels like forever to get an answer so Samora moves around the island, squeezing his shoulder, “let’s go up to the roof, maybe the fresh air and not the fumes of paint will help ease you into it. Thanks for knocking by the way, I may have seen a glimpse of the other side because of it before you got here.”

“What?” Carmy spits out in concern as she pulls at his wrist.

Samora laughs, “if you tell Joel, I’ll have to keep you here and bury you in the front yard.”

Carmy blinks with a roll of his eyes.

They’re on the rooftop, there’s less cars as the night carries on. Carmy’s lost count of how many times the street lights flick from red, yellow, to green and back again. Samora allows carmy to take his time, one leg curled up underneath her with her head thrown back staring up at the twinkle of stars on a hot summer night. There’s barely a breeze but they’re alright.

“I saw the shit stain tonight.”

Samora tossed an arm over her forehead, leaned back in the comfy cushioned blue lounge chair, “yeah? There’s plenty here in chicago, so which one? Don’t tell me you saw the walking jump-scare, Tino?”

“Who?” Carmy presses but Samora can tell he’s not going down that path of the past.

She fans her hand to tell him to continue.

“This guy. One of the best chef’s I worked for in New York, he was at the funeral. There was a funeral for this restaurant, Ever.” Carmy begins to tell his old friend, mindful that she’s been out of the loop.

Samora looks around the night sky and snaps her fingers with a nod of her head, “yeah um, Chelly—mostly Stevie said something about a strict chef you were working with but of course it was vague, which leaves me to believe that you didn’t tell chelly much but she’s great at reading in between the lines much like myself.”

Carmy doesn’t tell her exactly what Chef David said to him a hour ago but tells her what his words made him feel yet again. Small. Incapable. How he has to triple check everything, take charge with no regard for his team that’s supposed to be family, and ultimately that he shouldn’t have a team because he was better off alone. How he should be grateful to be where he is now because of all that Chef David taught him.

“Oh nooooo, Chef charred asshole better be lucky I wasn’t there,” Samora mumbles, “He sounds like a narcissistic dick of a man who gets off on attempting to morph you into him and to me? That doesn’t sound like a brilliant or best of the best chef or even a person! it sounds weak and miserable.”

“It’s what I signed up for.” Carmy almost argues and Samora sits up.

She knows this stems from much more than what he experienced in that restaurant in New York.

“I haven’t been around you in a while but I’ve always been on the sidelines. You accomplished all of these things because you knew you could—you fought. You worked hard and earned this.” Samora reassures, “but these false ideas that you have because of what someone else caused shouldn’t diminish anything that you’ve done and continue to do.”

Carmy pulls out his phone and a pack of chewing gum, “tell that to my brain then. The review is up, Sammy.”

Samora’s eyes meet Carmy’s as he shoves a square piece into his mouth, elbows on his knees as they start to bounce, head dropping just a bit. She reaches for the phone, giving him a side eye since there’s no passcode on it, and is brought right to a webpage.

~THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE~

Reviewed by Ad. Shap

Carmen doesn’t have to look at Samora’s face to take in her reaction. He ultimately knows it’ll be different from what the blue in his brain says. There were many things wrong with the review, mostly wrong than good and that’s why he needed someone from the outside to see before seeing how the crew digested this.

Samora usually does this humming when she’s reading or thinking about something and that doesn’t seem to change. When she’s finished she puts the phone face down on the outdoor table and folds her fingers together as she sits back.

“Well…That was reminiscent to my short lived cookie career.”

Carmy widens his eyes as he sets them back on his friend.

She shields her face instantly, “whoa turn down the opacity on those things will ya?”

“Your cookie business failed.”

“Um, no. Fuck you for that by the way,” Samora glared, “I view it as that wasn’t the way the chapter was meant to be told. I wasn’t heavily devoted to culinary like you. Nobody is that I know of. It was just a hobby for me but you turned your craft into something much more: breathe, sleep—well—you let it consume you pros and cons. Surely these reviews are deeply important because impressions are…tricky but not everything is the way you see it.”

Carmy scoffs with a rub to his lips in annoyance, “what the fuck do you mean it’s not the way I see it? It’s my business and I’ve been backstabbed by a prick I worked with—

“Carmy—

“I can’t be a screw up! I won’t be. I’ve been at this for so long and I’m more than tired and shitty in the head but not enough to throw it all away no matter what some four eyed fucker with a typewriter for a laptop says!” Carmy is on his feet now pacing, “I picked up what Mikey left behind, I put in the time and the effort, I removed parts of myself to be untouchable—

Samora shakes her head, “you’re not though and some part of you knows that. None of us are unbreakable, babe. You just…start over as many times until it feels right.”

“See I don’t—

Carmy swallows the lump in his throat to speak clearly, “that’s the problem, I don’t think I know what feels right or if I ever did. I just know circumstances.”

Samora inhales as she gets to her feet too, “okay then. Take everything that you bottled up and let it out there.” She points over the edge of the balcony, “you have to try to acknowledge the good and let some things go or you’ll forever feel stuck instead of moving forward…but I’m no therapist just a decorator who’s still annoyed that you didn’t reach out to revamp the bear—but that’s another conversation, just a friend who knows a little something something that’ll help.”

“Uh, something something?” Carmy repeats feeling his heart race as Samora waved her painted hand out for Carmy’s tatted one.

He takes her hand as she leads the way to the balcony but not close enough to trigger any vertigo. Carmy always loved the view at Samora’s compared to his own childhood home, which contrasted with no view at all—his bedroom didn’t have any windows, just a closed in space—and he was stuck hearing the common yelling between Donna and Mikey.

Carmy could see the top of a neighbor’s red brick building (thanks to how many floors the greystone had) across the street, along with another home to the left and a row of other houses to the right. Behind the house across the street sat the changing color of lights and beyond that was the liveliness of Chicago in the distance, the farmer’s market he personally loved and had Tina make the runs to, other great eateries, and music spots also weren’t far from Samora’s.

The woman rests a hand right in the center of his chest and Carmy can feel himself panting, “No one ever has to know if you have it all figured out…nobody truly does. Put down some of those dishes bear, out there. Not to hibernate but to be the best version of yourself for you and not what anyone tells you, you should be.”

His eyes burn and he feels like he might let some tears fall some more tonight and he finds that comfort in Samora. Something good from his past that was still present although his version is always different, he doesn’t mind much if she see’s any water that slips from the corners. He knows she won’t say anything about it, and her hand doesn’t move from his chest as she’s almost coaching him how to deal with just a portion of his bullshit.

He couldn’t figure it out for himself.

Yet he was willing to learn.

The scream curdles from the back of his throat, bursting through his lips into the night. He curls into his stomach some, the weight present, the firmness of Samora’s hand on his chest, and his face is hot in the summer air, turning pink as he fights to breathe through his screams. Samora is right there with him, her screams were much more melodic, like she’s had the practice while Carmy is testing it out.

His screams have been buried just like everything else he’s bottled up for years.

After, his throat is raw and voice hoarse as he sniffs, he abruptly turns to Samora, pulling her into another hug. She isn’t tense against him, small laughter falling through her own lips while Carmy hold’s onto her.

Calming down.

“love you,” he manages to get out while Samora scratches his back.

She knows he means it and it’s probably something he needed to hear back as of lately.

Samora sighs, “love you too, turd.”

Carmy rolls his eyes, pulling back to meet her stare and she winks at him.

“…if I didn’t love the both of you, I might be highly concerned at whatever the hell that was.” Joel announces his arrival after a few moments of silence.

His arms are folded but he’s got that Berzatto sly grin on his lips as Carmy slowly lets his hands fall from Samora’s forearms. The shorter haired man makes his way over to the two, hands going to both of their shoulders as he peers back and forth.

“You made it.”

“I—yeah.” Carmy clears his throat with a shake of his head, “I did.”

“Good,” Joel dips his head but it feels more like a question than a comment.

carmy shrugs.

Samora claps her hands gaining both cousins’ attention, “let’s have some of Mora’s Mosa’s as a celebratory of the night—was the work day alright for you, love?”

Joel awkwardly nods his head back and forth as a way to show that it was so-so.

“Works for me!” Samora yells, “to the kitchen!”

“It’s midnight, honey.” Joel tells Samora who twists her lips to the side, “and I’m sure Carmy doesn’t want any of that green shit you had in the fridge.”

Samora gasps, “damn, who knew my boyfriend would be my biggest critic?”

“Oh c’mon, don’t get sensitive on me now!”

She shrugs his hand from her shoulder while Joel’s low lidded eyes sends a look to Carmy who raises his hands in surrender.

In a hoarse tone he replies, “I actually like the gazpacho so…you’re on your own with that one.”

“Woooow, okay.” Joel breathes out a laugh, then bites down on his bottom lip while Carmy moves to grab his phone and fallen gum pack.

Carmy then turns to watch the two bicker like an old married couple but it doesn’t get loud at all. Joel does talk with his hands to get his point across and Carmy can pinpoint the exact moment Samora cracks, the corner of her nose twitches with amusement before Joel tests the waters, gripping her hips to place a tender kiss on her lips, which Samora seems to kiss back before they break apart. Smiles on both of their faces before they turn back to Carmy who’s attempting to sneak off down the steps.

“Hey! Where do you think you’re going?” Joel asks, “you think you can just go off when you and I didn’t get any one on one time?”

Carmy taps his phone against his hand, “It’s getting late, don’t want to impose any further.”

Joel rolls his eyes, tossing an arm across Carmy’s shoulder, “shut your trap, you’re home, man.”

And with that Carmy is led back into the house.

He doesn’t think he’s slept long, but when he checks the time on his slowly dying phone, it’s already later into the next morning.

8:37am and he has no idea what this day is going to look like but it’s a Sunday…maybe for once he doesn’t have to. One of the rooms he’s tucked in belonged to one of Samora’s adopted brothers, Jacobi, Carmy guesses since there’s still a large crack against the ceiling thanks to a lighting strike that occurred way back when they were all kids.

He sits up for a while, taking in the view one last time before he starts to make his exit. He’s walking down the path towards the gate and stops as he hears the front door open.

“Don’t be a stranger.” Samora tells him as he turns to face her, the woman hugging her robe to herself as she’s sitting on the front step.

Carmy stretches a small smile on his dry lips, “Never that,” he jokes, “thanks for always being here, Sammy. Dunno if I ever told you that enough…probably not since I’m always in my head but uh—give Joel my thanks too for me this time.”

Samora dips her head and says, “Surely.”

Carmy scoffs as he pulls the gate back before putting his palm up in the air, “see you soon.”

“After while, crocodile.” She kisses her fingertips before waving them at him.

Samora watches Carmy go, hoping he starts putting the pieces together instead of forcing it all apart like he’s always been accustomed to.

When Monday comes along, his hands are resting along the trimming of white counter as he’s slightly shifting his head back and forth at all the greenery situated in front of him.

“Morning Chef,” Marcus greets first as he’s followed in by Tina.

Carmy nods his head in greeting.

Tina’s eyes immediately go to all the herbs and vegetables, “Jeffery, what’s all this?”

“Something new, green, for the menu.” Carmy informs, “I realized we haven’t had family dinner in a while and i want all of your inputs for what we’ll have tonight.”

Tina and Marcus share a glance, having a feeling that this had something to do with the new review. They all briefly talked about it in the group chat over the weekend.

“Okay, cool. We’re gonna just go put our stuff down.” Marcus points and Carmy keeps his eyes on the ingredients.

“Take your time, Chefs.” Carmy calls out after some time as the two have already started making their way towards the lockers.

He closes his eyes, trying to slow the rising beat of his heart, deeply inhaling as he ignores the contrast of oxygen between his two nostrils, that was another problem he’s gotten used to, his eyes open just in time to meet the green again as the back doors swing open, revealing the rest of his team gradually.

Carmy had work to do and he’s never been afraid of hard work.

☯︎.☘︎ ݁˖˚ ༘ ೀ⋆｡˚ ☯︎.☘︎ ݁˖˚ ༘ ೀ⋆｡˚ ☯︎.☘︎ ݁˖˚ ༘ ೀ⋆｡˚ ☯︎.☘︎ ݁˖˚ ༘

Continue with my summer anthology writings & prompts here.

[kaylinalexanderbooks]

The Secret Portal Ask Game

Got this idea from @mk-writes-stuff and @illarian-rambling who made ask games based on their WIPs!

So here's mine for TSP! Feel free to reblog so people can send you asks!!! You don't have to know anything about TSP to play :)

*OC asks*

Lexi - what makes your OC anxious?

Maddie - how reckless with their own safety/health is your OC?

Ash - is there anything your OC desires so strongly they'd act "out of character" to get it?

Gwen - describe your OC's view on reading

Noelle - what is your OC's relationship with their parents?

Rose - how does your OC's external persona differ from the person they are in their head?

Kelsey - how does your OC interact with children?

Robbie - how far will your OC go to protect those they care about?

Akash - what are your OC's insecurities?

Jedi - what does your OC regret?

Carmen - what drives your OC?

Carla - how does your OC react to free time?

George - what lengths will your OC go to in order to help those they love?

Liam - what is an unpopular opinion your OC has?

Ewan - what music does your OC like?

Jazlyn - how does your OC feel about the concept of family?

Wade - which of your OCs is the leader and why?

Parker - what's the most reckless thing your OC has done?

Tyler - is there someone from your OC's past that haunts them in the present?

Gabriel - how stubborn is your OC?

Niri - how seriously does your OC take their hobbies?

Sam - how much does the opinion of others affect your OC?

Hye-Jin - how romantic is your OC?

Alex - how does your OC interact with strangers?

Issa - are there any parts of your OC's personality that they intentionally hide?

CJ - describe how much your OC needs other people in their life

Wendy - what topic could your OC talk about for hours?

Anathi - what does your OC do in their free time?

Teo - who would your OC turn the world over for?

Xitlali - what is your OC's biggest problem with society?

Atsila - does your OC consider themselves a hero and is it true?

Raissa - how far is your OC willing to go to get what they believe is right?

*World Building asks*

Alium - describe your world

Ceteri - how does your world differ from ours?

Sector 1 - what ways to get involved in the community?

Sector 2 - what are some traditions your world has? Are they good, bad, or neutral?

Sector 3 - what kind of art is unique to your world?

Sector 4 - how important is family valued in your world?

Sector 5 - how much knowledge available to the general public?

Sector 6 - who are some heroic figures either in the past or present?

Sector 7 - how does authority discipline others?

Sector 8 - what gets in the way of progress?

Sector 9 - generally speaking, how much do the citizens respect the government?

Sector 10 - what are some of the values held by the people of your world?

McLain base - describe an average home in your world

Asghar base - what are the most dangerous places in your world?

Gateway - what is the most important place in your world?

Falcon Intermediate - how is the education system in your world?

*Writing process asks*

Superstrength - what is your biggest strength as a writer?

Superspeed - how do you pace yourself?

Flight - what part of writing is the most freeing?

Invisibility - what's a bit of writing you hope no one ever sees?

Healing - how have you grown as a writer?

Hydrokinesis - what is your go-to beverage when writing?

Terrakinesis - how do you plan or build your story?

Pyrokinesis - what part of writing gets you the most excited?

Aerokinesis - what is the easiest part of writing?

Intangibility - how have you stepped out of your comfort zone?

Teleportation - where are you in the process of your WIP?

Telepathy - what part of the writing is the hardest part?

Telekinesis - what brought you to writing?

Shapeshifting - how many genres do you write in?

Electromagnokinesis - what other works can you connect to your writing?

Photokinesis - what are the happiest, lightest scenes you've written?

Umbrakinesis - what are some of the darkest scenes you've written?

Ergokinesis - does writing get you pumped up or make you tired?

Dimensiokinesis - what's your favorite part of world building?

Chronokinesis - what would you tell your younger self about writing?

Essokinesis - what genres do you never want to write?

Mimicry - how do you learn new writing techniques?

TSP intro

TSP tag list (ask to be +/-): @thepeculiarbird @illarian-rambling @televisionjester @finchwrites

@nebula--nix @literarynecromancy @honeybewrites @the-golden-comet

[chaiiitime]

It Happened One Summer Night

Summary : Stranded at the airport, Adriana Montero Mundt would do pretty much anything to get to her sister’s wedding, including getting into a tiny car with Daniel Ricciardo — even if she pretty much hates him Pairing : Daniel Ricciardo x OC!Fem Word Count : 3,500

Masterlist | Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4

Chapter 1

“Are you sure? Can you check again?”

The lady behind the counter at the Barcelona airport's information desk gave her an overly patient smile, “Yes Ma’am, I’m sure. Unfortunately, the car rental agency no longer has any cars available and we don’t know when flights are going to resume. But –“ Her fingers clacked rapidly on her keyboard, “I can book you on the next available flight to Jerez. However, I cannot give you any reassurances when that would be.”

To say Adriana Montero Mundt was having a crappy day would be an understatement.

First, she’d nearly missed her flight from London to Barcelona because of a last-minute meeting with an important client. And now, her flight to Jerez had been cancelled because of a freak technology glitch in the airport’s systems which had effectively grounded all flights out of Barcelona. No one knew when flights would resume and there apparently were no cars available to rent, more or less leaving her stranded.

Which wasn’t so great considering she needed to be in her hometown of Jerez for her baby sister’s wedding in four days.

She was about to argue with the lady again when her phone began ringing. The lady looked pointedly at her phone before craning her neck to look at the long line behind her. Adriana got the message loud and clear — she needed to get out of the line.

With a sigh, she stepped aside to answer. “Hey sis!” Carmen was on the other end. “Any updates?”

Adriana slowly massaged her temples. She could feel a headache coming on. “No,” she answered, trying to keep the exasperation out of her voice. The last thing Carmen needed was any additional stress right before her wedding.

“All flights have been cancelled. No one knows when they will resume." She paced along the glass windows looking out on the tarmac.  So many planes neatly lined up in their little big boxes.  All of them useless because they couldn’t take her to where she needed.  “It can be in an hour or a day or even more, and there’s no cars available for hire.” She stopped pacing, trying to sound hopeful for Carmen’s sake. “But don’t worry about it – I’m sure I’ll find something soon.”

“Actually, I may have a solution for you.” Carmen’s voice sounded way too bright.  “You know Daniel Ricciardo, right? George’s mate?”

Nononononono. Adriana didn’t like where this was going.

“Anyway, George just mentioned he’s flying in today as well. He just got off the phone with him."  Adriana winced at Carmen’s excitement bubbling over the phone.  “Turns out, he was meant to take the same flight as you to Jerez but he's been a bit luckier. He’s managed to snag a rental car and –“

Nononononono.

“He’s happy to give you a ride.”

Suddenly, the headache that had been threatening since her flight landed, was beating right at the base of her skull. She could feel the band of her pencil skirt biting into her belly and her stilettos pinching her feet. She inwardly cursed at herself for taking that last-minute meeting.  If she hadn’t, at least she would have had the time to change in more comfortable clothes rather than having to dash to the airport in her work clothes.

The last thing she wanted right now was to face a ten-hours plus drive with Daniel freaking Ricciardo.

~

DANIEL WATCHED AS Carmen’s sister tottered her way across the parking lot. There was no other way to describe it other than tottering because who the hell wore such a tight skirt and heels to travel?

He wished he hadn’t picked up George’s call. He could have been making his way out of Barcelona right now, with the windows down and some good music on.  Instead, here he was — waiting for Adriana Montero Mundt.

Daniel prided himself on being friendly with everybody. That was what he was known for, right? So, when someone blanked him out, it kind of pissed him off. He’d been nothing but nice to Adriana the two times he had met her and both times, she’d been nothing but glacial towards him.

She was snooty, as his Nonna would say, and Daniel usually couldn’t care less about these kinds of people. So, it bothered him that his memory of her was so accurate — and detailed: the wavy dark hair, the vibrant green eyes and most importantly, the beauty mark à la Cindy Crawford.

It attracted the eyes to the fullness of her lips. It tempted Daniel to test out the lushness of her mouth — which was so not going to happen because him and her, they were like water and oil.

They didn’t mix.

“Hello, Daniel.” Her voice was cool and oh-so-carefully modulated. “Thank you for giving me a ride. I hope it isn’t too much trouble.”

Civil and polite. He could do that.

“No worries. We’re headed the same way.” He bent down to pick up her suitcase to put it in the boot.

“It’s ok. I can —“

“It’s alright.” Daniel cut her off as he heaved her suitcase into the boot. How much stuff did one need for a weekend? He nodded towards the passenger door. “It’s getting late. I want to get on the road as soon as possible.”

The inside of the car was stuffy from being in the sun for so long, the leather seats warm against the back of Adriana’s knees. Daniel already had the windows down in an attempt to get the warm air out. She resisted the urge to ask him to turn on the AC. After all, she didn’t want him to think she was difficult or whatever else he thought she was.

“Here.” Daniel handed her the map he had picked up from the rental agency desk. He had roughly traced out the route to Jerez with a pen. With one hand on the wheel, he set up his phone in the cup holder and slowly backed out of the parking spot. 

“Google Maps say that Jerez is about ten hours away, give or take.”

He watched her out of the corner of his eyes.  She was studying the map so intently as if she could come up with a faster route.

“My plan is to make it halfway to Valencia for tonight. Hopefully, we can find a place for the night there, and be back on the road early tomorrow morning. If nothing goes wrong, we’ll be in Jerez before noon.”

She pursed her lips as she folded the map and handed it back to him. “It sounds like a plan.” 

Daniel hated the note of surprise in her voice. Yeah sure, he didn’t have a fancy degree like her but he wasn’t a complete idiot – he could very well come up with a plan of action without her help.

He sent up a silent prayer of help because he knew this trip was going to be a nightmare.

~

TWO HOURS LATER, they were finally making their way out of Barcelona and onto the motorway. Both of them — as well as Google Maps — had vastly underestimated the time it would take to drive through the city at peak hour.

It had gotten so hot in the car that Daniel had given up and rolled up the windows to turn on the AC. Adriana watched him now, his fingers beating lightly to the country song he had put on. He looked relaxed and completely at ease behind the wheel.

She had to give him credit — he was a surprisingly patient driver. Sure, he had fidgeted a lot — continuously playing with his phone, sometimes picking at the skin around his nails, or craning his neck to look at other cars while constantly muttering to himself — but, he hadn’t once lost his temper as he had navigated through the horrendous traffic. Adriana knew, if she had been the one in the driver’s seat, she most probably would have pulled her hair out in frustration.

That didn’t exactly match the image of Daniel Ricciardo she had in her mind.

Adriana didn’t particularly like Daniel, which was a bit harsh, she admitted to herself, given how she had only met him twice before now.

Carmen had always told Adriana that her worst trait was that she was a bit too quick to judge people. Was she a bit too judgemental? Sure, yeah, but it was a label she’d wear proudly when she was almost always right and when her judgmental ass was what made her a damn good lawyer. So, had she then been a bit too quick to judge Daniel?

Maybe.

She remembered very clearly the first time she had met him. It had been at Carmen’s and George’s engagement party. She remembered him walking in and feeling that instant shift in the room’s energy.

Larger than life. There was no other way to describe Daniel.

There was something magnetic about him that just pulled people in. Maybe it was the smile or maybe it was the nose — it made his face that much more interesting. It made you want to take another longer look at him, grab a sketch pad and sketch that side profile — even if you were not an artist.  Adriana had been annoyed at herself for finding him attractive because one look at him, and she had him down pat.

She knew his type very well — rich, good-looking guy who thought he was god’s gift to women. He’d take you on a thrilling ride and discard you without a second thought once he was bored. And her assessment had proven correct as she had watched him flirt his way around the room, even when he had come to the party with a date.

So, by the time George had introduced them, Adriana had been distinctly cool towards him. She’d politely rebuffed all his flirting attempts. She dealt with enough big egos like his every day at work, she didn’t need to be another notch on his bedpost — or whichever other way Mr. Daniel Ricciardo kept track of his conquests.

Adriana chanced another look at him now. The afternoon light casted his face into golden shadows, the light almost bouncing off the bump on his nose. He was truly a handsome man – it was a pity he was such an asshole.

~

SHE NEARLY GROANED another country song came on.  

God, Daniel sure liked his country music.

Adriana didn’t understand that kink he had for playing the cowboy. Carmen had once shown her a picture of him riding into the paddock on a horse in all his texasboo glory.  That facial hair was — for lack of a better word — an inspired choice. 

She had to admit though, no one but Daniel could have made that look palatable.

“Can we change the music?”

Daniel was surprised to hear her speak. She had barely said anything since they’d gotten on the road and Daniel had been dying over here trying not to make conversation – he didn’t take silence, comfortable or otherwise, very well.

“Sure.” He said as he handed her his phone. 

Sometime during the drive, she’d pulled her hair into a messy bun at the nape of her neck and kicked off her heels — it made her look soft, almost vulnerable. The pale pink polish on her toes felt incongruous to the image of her he had in his mind.  He would have thought she would have gone for a darker colour, one more evocative of her sharp edges. Daniel actually felt like a pervert for noticing her feet — like one of those weirdos who lurked on wikiFeet rating people’s feet.

He definitely was a weirdo for knowing wikiFeet existed, he thought to himself.

“Do you even listen to all these songs?” She had her bottom lip caught between her teeth as she scrolled through his playlist. There must be nearly a thousand songs, or even more, on there and most of them were artists she had never heard of before.  All very underground, all very niche. All very —

“Your music choice is so pretentious.” Oops, she hadn’t exactly intended to say that out loud.

“What do you mean pretentious?!”

“Well, all your songs are from artists I’ve never heard of.” She fully turned towards him, holding his phone screen out to him. “Don’t lie and tell me you don’t go out of your way to listen to artists other people have never heard of to be —” She air-quoted, “—cool.”

“Of course, I go out of my way to look for new songs! Why does that have to be a bad thing?” He turned the blinker on to overtake a slower car in front of them. “Music is important. It feeds your soul. You need a song for every moment of your life.”

Adriana blinked up at him. She hadn’t expected such a passionate response from him.

Keeping his eyes on the road, he gestured towards her. “What’s your favourite song? Like that one song that brings you back to an important moment of your life?”

Adriana drew a blank at his question. She didn’t want to think about what it said about her and her life that she couldn’t even come up with a favourite song in that moment. God, when was the last time she had actually listened to a song? Maybe read a book? Her job consumed her every waking moment that she never really stopped working till her head hit her pillow at night.

She felt oddly exposed by his question. She hadn’t expected Daniel, of all people, to send her into a philosophical spiral about her life. She shrugged it off and pulled up his Spotify. 

Oh, he was going to hate this song. She couldn’t help the smirk when she saw Daniel barely holding back the wince on his face as the song she had chosen started to play.

“What?” She asked with smug satisfaction. She’d known he would be just the type of guy to hate Coldplay, especially Paradise.

“Nothing. It’s a good song.”

Adriana had to suppress a laugh at his pained admission. “It is a good song.” She leaned back in her seat, turning her head to look outside, drumming her fingers along to the music.

It was still light out, the summer evening looking deceptively early even as the clock on the dash showed it was well after 8 p.m. She wasn’t sure how much longer it would take to reach Valencia. They’d lost so much time getting out of Barcelona and queuing up at the toll booth that she feared they would reach Valencia too late to find a respectable place for the night.

She tried to surreptitiously look at the speed Daniel was doing. Why is this guy doing the speed limit? What was the use of him being a Formula One driver if he was not going to take advantage of an empty highway and Vin-Diesel it?

She cleared her throat and tried to look as nonchalant as possible. “Do you want to switch? I can drive for a bit.”

Daniel glanced over, trying to determine why she suddenly wanted to drive. “It’s ok. I’m fine driving.” He really didn’t trust her behind the wheel, but he was not going to say that aloud.

“I’m just saying — ” she nonchalantly eased back in her seat, crossing her ankles. “We’re going to be reaching Valencia later than we originally planned anyway, and we’ll have to be on the road early next morning. That doesn’t leave you much time to rest up. So, if I drive now, you can rest a bit and will not be too tired when we get on the road early tomorrow.”

“But it’s ok though —” she shrugged. “— if you don’t want to let me drive. I just wanted to help out.”

Daniel couldn’t dispute the logic behind her reasoning. He was starting to feel a bit tired anyway, it wouldn’t be too bad if he could sit back for a bit. “Ok, fine. Let me just pull over.”

“Great!” Adriana flashed him a brilliant smile as she bent down, picking her heels and throwing them in the back.

~

DANIEL HAD BARELY clipped his seatbelt on that Adriana peeled away from the shoulder. 

“Wowowo, Michael Schumacher, slow down!”

He definitely didn’t have her down as a speed demon.

“What?!” She threw him a defiant look. “I’m barely going over the speed limit. Anyway, you’re an F1 driver — isn’t speed kind of your thing?”

“My only thing right now is for me to make the end of this trip alive.” He was smiling as he said it, his body relaxing as he stretched his legs in front of him. 

The speed definitely didn’t bother him.

Adriana settled down in the driver’s seat. It was actually nice to drive — the warm breeze in her hair, the empty highway, the Spanish flat plains stretching out on either side of the road. It was the perfect therapy to let go of stress.

“So …” Daniel was tapping his fingers along to the music. “Excited for the wedding, huh?”

Adriana resisted the urge to roll her eyes. The man had managed to stay quiet all while he was driving, but now he seemed unable to sit still. 

“Sure.”

Daniel raised his eyebrows at her blunt answer. “Your enthusiasm astounds me. Tell me more,” he said sarcastically.

“I’m sorry, but not all of us are Mr. Funny, Outgoing and Popular,” she irritatedly pushed back her hair. “Some of us are reserved and quiet, and that’s fine.”

“There’s a fine difference between being reserved and rude.” Daniel muttered under his breath.

“What did you say?”

“Nothing.” Daniel flashed her his most media-trained smile.

He should let this thing go. He should just sit through the awkward silence. He really should not — “Have I done anything to you for you to hate me like that?”

Daniel surprised even himself with that question. 

He hated conflict, so he didn’t know what possessed him to ask her this question outright. Heck, he hated confrontation so much that he even stopped to chat with Zak fucking Brown every time he saw him in the paddock, even after the man had almost ended his career.

“I don’t hate you,” Adriana swiped at the stubborn strand of hair that the wind kept blowing into her face. “I just don’t like you.”

“And why is that?” Daniel turned towards her, crossing his arms across his chest.

“Sure, you’re —“ she gestured towards him, “charming and funny and people think you’re nice. Which you are, but you’re also arrogant.”

Daniel cut her off with a sardonic huff. “Babes, I’m an F1 driver. Being arrogant is a pre-requisite. If I don’t believe I’m the best, I might as well not step in the car.”

“Oh, I’m not done!”  She gripped the steering wheel even tighter. “You’re vain. You think just because you’re good-looking, you’re god’s gift to women — you expect women to just fall at your feet.”

Was he vain about his looks? Maybe, yes. He’d grown up an awkward kid — he’d been self-conscious about his nose, his hair, his crooked teeth. So, when he’d woken up one day in his twenties and realised, he’d somehow grown into his looks, had he taken advantage of women throwing themselves at him? Shoot him, any other guy in his shoes would have done the same.

He was about to give her a piece of his mind, but she was not done apparently.  "On top of that, you have this need to be the centre of attention. You like to have your needs catered to, which is why you always date women much younger than you. That way, they're always eager to do what you want without you having to give them anything back in return. You can keep them in neat little boxes without having to change much about your life."

This touched a sore string with Daniel. He knew he could be selfish, he had to be if he wanted to stay in Formula One because racing was the most important thing in his life — above everything else. He was not perfect or blameless, but he worked damn hard to be a better person. So, it angered him that she could sit there and allow herself to enumerate his supposed sins.

"Don't sit there on your high horse and pretend like you don't have any flaws while you thumb your nose at everybody else. The fall from your high horse is going to hurt."

She laughed derisively, the sound brittle even to her ears.

Daniel looked thunderous, his eyebrows furrowed into angry dashes. Who was she to judge him when she’d most probably been handed everything on a silver platter in life? What did she know about the struggles, the sacrifices he had to make to get to where he was? 

"Even if I am guilty of all the supposed flaws you've just listed, that doesn't justify why you hate me." He held up a hand to stop whatever she was going to say. "I have been nothing but nice to you since we met. So, I don't get this hatred you have against me."

She vaulted towards him, her eyes no longer on the road. Anger had heightened her colour, her hair coming almost undone from the bun she had put it in. "Don’t pretend like you don’t know!" Her words were sharp like darts. "I heard the comment you made about me to George at his birthday party."

Daniel looked stumped. "What comment?"

“Don’t pretend as if you don’t know!”

“No seriously, what comment?!”

They glared at each other, her eyes blazing with anger, his with suspicious defiance. Suddenly, there was a horrible grating noise. It felt like something was clawing at the floor of the car, the brakes screeching as Adriana tried to bring the car to a stop.

Fucking hell, she had run over something.

Next Chapter >>

[loveforcarmen]

𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐂 𝐁𝐋𝐔𝐄 - CH. 7

- carmen berzatto x fem!oc coworker | - slowburn

NOTE: warning, this chapter contains out of character carmen 🤗

AN: hello, apologies for not updating for like 2 weeks?? anyways, enjoy this filler chapter and i apologize in advance for any spelling/grammar mistakes!!

-

single - the neighbourhood

-

As Margaret got ready, her stomach was filled with anxiety. She huffed, digging into her dusty blue makeup bag, pulling out a neutral eyeshadow pallet.

She blended a warm tone of eyeshadow over her eyelids, sitting propped on her bathroom counter, feet in the sink. After drawing a clean-cut black wing of eyeliner over it, she glued on some fake lashes. Just enough to enhance her eyes, not to overpower them.

She had never been one to wear much makeup, mostly due to the fact she worked in the back of the kitchen, not the front. It came as a surprise to see her glammed up like this ; she looked like a doll.

After scrunching some of her curl-defining mousse in her hair, she headed to her bedroom, preparing to tackle her closet to find the right outfit for dinner. She rotated through a variety of styles: a pantsuit, a two piece outfit, a SKIMS dress, etc.

She finally settled on a low cut, shimmery light gold dress that hugged around her waist perfectly. Pairing it with a pair of 1 inch clear platform heels, she added a gold heart necklace to complete the look.

As she paced back and forth in her kitchen, waiting for Carmen to knock, she nervously chewed on her lip. She would surely chew through the damn thing by the end of the night.

Knock. Knock.

Margaret perked her head up at the knocks, the hard wooden, hard wooden door reverberating within the door frame. She drew in a breath, composing herself before opening the door, "Hi." she greeted him with a warm smile, subconsciously crossing one leg in front of the other.

He wore an all black Hockerty suit, paired with a sleek pair of Florsheim leather brown shoes. His hair was worn in its usual style, a jumble of mess of curls on his head.

"This isn't a date. It's an apology dinner." he reminded himself. His eyes glided down Margaret, taking in her entire being. As much as he didn't want to admit, she looked fucking good.

"How do I look?" she gave him a playful spin, being careful not to trip over her heels. Her Tory Burch Reva leather clutch swung around with her body, hitting the doorframe with a thud.

He shook his head, "Let's go." he laughed, still in the doorway. His hand rested on each side, practically leaning into her apartment.

"You're no fun." she spat, grabbing her long, black coat off the hook by the door. Although it was spring, the nights still remained cold enough to require another layer.

As they walked through Chicago, the night sky was clear of clouds. Though it was impossible to see the stars due to the city lights, Margaret still craned her neck up at the sky. Her hand reached over, grabbing Carmen's forearm lightly as she walked.

Carmen looked down at her hand, taken aback by the sudden contact. "What's your thing with stars? I've noticed that you've had this infatuation for them since you started." he asked as they walked.

"Well," she looked back down, rubbing the back of her neck, "There was this saying my mother always told me." They rounded the corner to the L, walking up the steps that led to the elevated platform.

When they reached the top, she continued, "She always said 'you can find me in the stars, even when I'm not with you'. The meaning obviously carries more weight now but..." she waved her hands in the air as she spoke, "It sounds like a cringey quote but it truly means a lot to me."

Carmen solemnly nodded, not wanting to continue to press on the subject. The train loudly pulled up to the platform, stopping with a sharp hiss of smoke. The doors opened, traffic immediately started to funnel in and out. Margaret luckily found a seat near the door, nestling herself down.

Carmen stood in front of her, hands loosely holding the pole. Whenever he took the train, he tried to come in contact with everything as little as possible. Margaret sat with her legs tightly crossed, arms folded, attempting to take up as little space as possible. She noticed and older woman limping through the crowded car out of the corner of her eye. Swiftly standing up, she offered her seat to the woman.

"Thank you dear." the woman said, sitting down slowly. She sat with her brittle arms crossed, arthritic hands on her lap.

Margaret nodded her head, standing next to Carmen. "Do you mind if I just hold onto your arm?" she asked quietly. The trained started back up, torque causing everyone who was standing to slightly sway.

Carmen turned to her, gaving her a puzzled look but obeyed her request. She hooked her arm under his, linking tightly around his bicep. "Why?" he asked, almost in a whisper.

"Look to your right, a few seats down." she whispered back. Carmen slowly turned his head to see a man, sitting in the middle of the car floor. He was clearly on some type of drug, bothering the young women who were alone for pictures of various body parts. Hands, feet, calves, etc.

Carmen turned away from him, staring straight ahead, keeping the man in the corner of his eye. Margaret felt his grip on her tighten, just slightly. As the train moved on, their bodies swayed in unison with the movements of which ever direction they were headed.

Getting off at their stop, they walked only just a short distance to the restaurant. The conversation between them was light, not dwelling on the same topic for too long.

They arrived to the restaurant, Margaret greeting the host warmly as Carmen checked them in. The host walked them to a booth that was cozily tucked in the corner.

The establishment was intimidatingly high end to say the least.

The dining room had booths lining the walls while circular wooden tables took up the space unused space in middle. Angular chandeliers hung down the center of the room in a warm lighting. Along the wide back wall sat a rich, mahogany bar. Illuminated shelves sat behind the counter, housing a variety of liquors to choose from

After seating them, the host handed them each a menu, the front cover reading the name "The Albert" in pristine gold lettering. "Your server will be here shortly." the host said kindly, walking back to the entrance of the restaurant.

As Carmen and Margaret flipped through the extravagant menu, each dish more impressive than the next, she chewed on her bottom lip. She nervously looked at the prices, the last thing she wanted to do was allow him to drop a shit-ton of money on a meal he could easily make.

The server approached them, smiling warmly, "What can I get started for you?" she asked. "We can start off with drinks and appetizers, or we can jump right into the menu." She clasp her blue notepad tightly in her hand, pen at the ready.

Carmen looked over at Margaret, allowing her to take the reins. "I think we're gonna need more time with the menu, but we can order drinks now. Can I please get an Old Fashioned?" she asked politely.

"Of course you may," the server said, moving onto to Carmen. "And for you?" she looked up from her notepad, eyeing Carmen down.

"Hennessy please." Carmen said, looking up at the waitress. His voice was sultry with his reply ; Margaret didn't think it was intentional but it still struck a nerve with her.

"Yes sir," she batted her lashes at Carmen, "We'll get that out shortly."

"Ok." he quietly, waiting for her to leave. The server turned on her heel, walking back into the kitchen with their order. Carmen turned back to Margaret, "You ever been here before?" He clasped his hands in front of them on the table, straightening his posture.

She shook her head quickly, "Are you kidding? Hell no." She looked around the establishment, absorbing its large gradniuer. "Look at this place."

The drinks were eventually brung out, the food following shortly behind. The porcelain dishes were placed on the dark wood table, the food plated so creatively it could be considered art. Margaret had order a duck honey glaze with a spring onion and an alpine radish to top it. It was sided with mustard seed dollop spread, the sweet taste was paired perfectly with the acidic nature of the spread.

She took a bite, her expression widening with each chew. "This is the best thing I've ever tasted." she took another small bite, "No offense." she added, smiling up at Carmen.

He laughed, wiping his mouth off with a napkin, "Absolutely none taken." he adjusted in his seat, "I actually created this dish for this place." he said causally, taking another bite his food.

Her jaw figuratively hung slack, "I mean," she regained herself, straighting her posture in her chair, "It's not surprising. The dish is alright I guess." she took another bite, fighting back a playful smile.

"Just alright?" he recited, cocking his head slightly to the side. He too fought back a smile that was starting to creep across his lips.

Her gaze flicked to her plate as she answered, "Yup." she looked back up, taking another bite.

There was beat between them until Carmen spoke, "You ever think about making a dish for a restaurant?" he took a long sip of his drink, setting it down gently on the table.

"Absolutely not." she shook her head, holding her hand in front of her mouth as she chewed, "I don't think I'm creative enough for that. I'm no Sydney or Marcus."

"Eh, you'll get there. I got a feeling." he replied, looking down at his plate as he continued to eat.

She felt something odd grow inside of her at the sudden praise from him. Unable to help the smile that bloomed, she looked down at her plate in a weak attempt to conceal her joy. "Thank you."

The two spent the rest of the evening talking about mostly food. Slowly becoming buzzed from the liquor, Margaret felt her confidence growing. They began to critic the dishes that were sent out and took notes on how the place was ran. Intently listening to how orders were called out in the kitchen, how the servers operated, everything. They were getting along, with no issues. A stark contrast to their (usual) rocky relationship.

"Woah, I think that's enough for you." Carmen grabbed Margaret's glass before she could take another sip. She had grown quite tipsy, which was unfortunate for her since they had walked to the restaurant.

"But-" she started before being cut off by the server presenting the bill.

"How is the bill being paid?" she asked softly, looking over at Carmen as he signaled to himself.

"Carmen," Margaret said as she dug into her bag, pulling out her wallet.

"Maggie, no." Carmen said, not looking up from his wallet as he pulled the card out. He gave the server a small smile, then turned back to Margaret after she left.

"At least let me cover the tip." she said, her lips forming into a pert pout. Carmen stared at her, longer than anticipated then blinked rapidly before answering, as if he was trying to clear his head.

"I planned this. I'll pay." he leaned back in into the leather cushion of the booth, "I know the owner so I get a discount anyways. I made a fucking dish for their menu, a discount is the least they could do." Carmen said, sounding awfully pretentious. "I didn't mean it like that." he added, leaning back up.

The server returned with Carmen's card, then slipped him a note along with it. Carmen opened it under the table, unsure if Margaret saw it or not. It was her number, scrawled in messy Sharpie along with her name. Carmen looked back up to find her in the kitchen, only to see that she was already staring at him. She gave him a little wave, causing him to look away with rosy cheeks.

He wasn't used to being flirted with, so this came as a surprise to him. Growing up, he pretty much kept to himself and never got involved with the dating scene like most of his classmates.

Shortly after, Margaret and Carmen left the restaurant, beginning their trek to the L. The city was alive, which wasn't uncommon on a Friday night. Lights glowed in all directions, whether it be from cars or buildings.

"Margaret!" a male voice said from behind them. The pair stopped, lazily turning around to see who the voice belonged to.

"Matteo?" Margaret said in surprise, squinting her eyes as if he was far away. She walked over to give him a quick peck on the cheek, a custom in her family.

"How you doin, darling?" he asked, letting his hands fall to her waist, drinking in the sight of her. She looked absolutely delectable in her little gold dress, her gold necklace falling just before her cleavage.

"I'm great. Oh my gosh," she said sloppily, walking back over to put her hand on Carmen's shoulder, "This is my boss slash acquaintance, Carmen." she smiled at Carmen then looked at Matteo. "We just had dinner at.." she trailed off, looking over at Carmen for the answer.

"The Albert." Carmen finished for her, his voice cutting and mean. He sat with his gaze fixed on Matteo, staring hard at him.

"Yeah the Albert!" Margaret exclaimed, taking a step back to Matteo, "Carmen, this is Matteo by the way." she squeezed Matteo's shoulder, which coaxed a smile out of him. He glanced down at Margaret, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.

Carmen could see it plainly that he had it bad for the girl. The slightest touch from her was enough to plaster a stupid grin on his face. He watched as Matteo's hand snaked down to Margaret's waist, resting just above her ass.

"Are you guys doing anything?" he asked, barely giving Carmen a glance. As if he wasn't standing right fucking there.

"Um, I think we're both just going home." she smiled at him, unintentionally batting her lashes. She was fucking gone, logical thinking completely exiting her body in that moment.

"You could come back to my place, y'know." he said, finally giving Carmen a glance, "I can get her home, we live in the same building." he half suggested, half stated.

Carmen took a step towards Margaret, slowly pulling her away from Matteo, "Nah it's cool." he said, holding her firmly around the waist. "Let's go." he said softly to Margaret, walking away from Matteo.

"Don't be a stranger baby!" Matteo called, walking backwards from the 2, hands in his coat pockets. With his backed turned towards him, Carmen rolled his eyes at his pathetic attempt to hit on Margaret.

-

To say the least, it was a struggle trying to control drunk Margaret. Carmen was constantly apologizing for her actions to the poor people on the train and sidewalk who encountered her. It was quite annoying actually to him, as it continued after getting off the train. "Hey." Carmen backed her up, leaning her against a building. "Are you ok?" he asked sternly, annunciating each word.

Her voice was quiet, and her face—high cheekbones, sharp nose—was placid. "I'm perfect." she smiled up at him, her head spinning. She leaned to one side, relying on Carmen's strength to keep her upright.

He grabbed her arm, walking her over to a nearby bench as if she was child. His fingers pressed into the soft skin of her arms, growing tighter the more she resisted. "Sit." he demanded, pushing her down onto the bench.

Stubbornly, she sat down on the bench, resting her hands on her lap. Crouching down, Carmen began to slip off her heels, setting them in her lap.

"What are you doing?" she rhetorically asked. She looked down, eyes following Carmen as he pushed himself back up.

He turned around, hands slightly extended. "Get on." he said, his face turned away from her.

Confused but still obeying his request, she grabbed her heels in one hand then climbed onto Carmen's back. The warmth radiated from his body, keeping her warm from the nipping night air.

Her arms hung limp in front of his chest, swaying with his body as he walked. As Carmen strolled through Chicago, Margaret would point out memories from her adolescence, saying something along the lines of "That's where my dad crashed his car" or "That was my first job".

As they approached her apartment building, Margaret leaned her head against Carmen's back, arms still hanging lazily over his shoulders. "Hey." he poked her in her side, "Don't fall asleep just yet."

She grumbled, lifting her head up. "Home already?" she looked down at Carmen, her undereyes beginning to puff with sleep.

"What floor and apartment number?" he asked, turning his head as far as he could towards her. He could barely see her from the corner of his eye, only able to make out her blonde hair.

"216, floor 2." she said, reaching into her purse to hand Carmen the key. As he made his way up to her apartment, her weight became heavier and heavier, a sign that she was dozing off again.

He slipped the key into the lock, turning the rusted handle. It didn't budge so he tried again, ending up with the same results as before. "You got to wiggle it first." Margaret said softly, her lips brushing against his ear as she spoke. He swallowed a wad of spit, uncomfortable with their closeness.

But was it truly uncomfortableness he was feeling?

He wiggled the handle, then turned it again, opening the door this time. He nudged it open with his foot, walking inside of the small living space. Waking up Margaret with another poke, he slipped her off his back, making sure to hold her upright until she regained her footing.

"Thanks Carmen." she said, keeping herself up. She held onto Carmen's forearm for some support. She was close enough for Carmen to smell the honey and citrus in her hair, the scent bringing him a sense of serenity.

"Let's get you to bed." he said, ignoring her thanks. He needed to cut himself off from her and he needed to do it now.

Margaret turned on her heel, walking down the short hallway to her bedroom. Carmen trailed behind her, hands hovering at her sides in case she toppled over. "Yay round 2 of taking care of drunk Maggie" he thought to himself. This was a bad look for her, having to be taken care of by her boss not once but twice. Carmen repeated his routine of taking care of drunk Margaret, an exact repeat of when she spent the night at his house.

He put her to bed, carefully pulling the sheets up to her shoulders. He crouched down at the side of the bed, eye level with her. "I have a bucket right on the side of the bed in case you puke." he said quietly,his voice barely registering as a whisper.

Margaret's gaze darted to his lips then back to match his eyes, "You're a great boss Carmy." she softly smiled.

Pushing himself up off the ground, he looked down at her, "That's an overstatement." he dryly laughed.

Carmen walked over to flick off her small lamp when her voice spoke again, "Are you leaving?" she asked timidly.

Carmen felt his cheeks grow hot, the knot in his stomach swelling. He felt as if he was going to be sick, his gut twisting in every direction.

"I'll be on the couch."

With that, he closed the door behind him, leaving Margaret in her own thoughts. He shakily let out a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding. Quickly walking to the sink, he turned it on, splashing the lukewarm water onto his face. He sighed into his hands, slowly dragging them down his face, allowing them to fall to his sides.

He grabbed the hem of his dress shirt, bringing it to up to dry his face off. The tips of his curls dripped water onto his forehead, agitating him. His chest began to close up as he drew in shaky breaths, breathing as if someone was clutching his throat.

"No, no, no." he whispered to himself, ripping open the collar of his shirt due to his increasing body temperature. The action caused a few buttons to fly off, landing on the kitchen floor. "Shit." he said aloud, collecting them quickly.

He gathered his suit jacket, tucking it under his arm as he left her apartment. He hurried down the flights of stairs, harshly pushing the doors open. He stepped into the cold night air, breathing heavily. Stopping at the entrance of the apartment, he rested his hands on his head, slowly walking down the street.

He didn't have time to have feelings for someone. No matter how he felt, it just couldn't happen. He was better off having Margaret hate him than have her feel any other emotion towards him.

Carmen pushed it out of his mind as he shoved his hands in his pockets, hurrying down the street to his apartment.

END

-

AN: omg rereading this, i realized how nasty this chapter is wtf

[itsnotmourn]

🍶 itsnot (mourn)

⊹ they/she. twenty (20).

HELLO! i mostly post spooky month fanart, specifically of carmen x richard <3 on the occasion, i like to make little comics and videos, and post my ocs too

REQUESTS. you may send spooky month-related art requests but i will draw at my own pace! no sm ocs unless i specifically ask for it

NOTE. you can use my fanart for anything (icons, edits, etc.) with credit but do not repost it as your own

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credits: @sillious-0 (icon) + @yalibat (pinned)!

PERSONAL TAGS.

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SPOOKY MONTH AU'S.

[ spooky warriors au ] — sm x warrior cats

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[blossattic]

A kiss under the stars

✦ Ignis Scientia x Carmen Mirabile OC . : Warnings: SFW. Romance. Fluff. Original Character.

Summary: Carmen wishes to go stargazing but it's unable too. The boys plot a plan to make Ignis take the initiative and fulfill the lady's wish.

A joyful tune fell from Prompto's lips as he exited the kitchen space and into the room. There, near the balcony, Carmen was looking at her phone, carefully reading something that the sniper couldn't figure out from that far. However, the look of disappointment that crossed her features and how she swiped at the screen did catch his attention.

"Hey, is everything alright?"

Carmen's face brightened in surprise at the blonde's voice. Her eyes softened as he approached her, but she was quick to dismiss his worry.

"Yes, I'm sorry- I was reading some news about a special event happening on the following days."

Prompto tilted his head in curiosity.

"There will be a meteor shower starting tomorrow night. The best spot to witness it will be at a location not too far from here."

Prompto didn't miss the spark of interest in her eyes.

"That doesn't sound bad! I heard Noct was gonna ask Iggy to go there while the big guy and I went to check that place you found suspicious. You could ask them and maybe join in the fun! "

Carmen's eyes dimmed a little.

"What is it?"

"I believe that spot can only be reached by foot. I would only slow them down," she said softly, dejected as she looked at her foot. The hint of the medical tape barely peeked out of her boot. However, after a brief moment, she raised her head, a small smile adorning her features. "I don't want them to miss it on my behalf. They should enjoy that beautiful view. I'll wait for you all at the hotel."

Prompto understood then. With pursed lips, he didn't press that matter anymore and changed the topic…

Until he disclosed the info to all the bros at night, at dinner.

All four men looked at each other, before all eyes set on the strategist. Noctis was the one to speak.

"Hey Iggy, wasn't there a route that could be traveled by bike?"

Ignis nodded briefly, vaguely remembering the descriptions they had heard from a few passersby that also discussed the topic earlier.

"It's a tad longer and difficult, but it can be covered by a motorcycle, not doubt."

Ignis looked at them, an eyebrow raised. "We don't own a vehicle like that, I'm afraid."

It was Prompto's turn to smile.

"I can talk to Hon, ask her if she can let us borrow those wheels for this special date~"

"Good to know Iggy here knows how to drive one, too."

Ignis felt his face heat up before he moved a hand to cover it, fixing his glasses quickly. The scheme his brothers had begun was a plan to set him up with the diplomat. All eyes continued to be on him, with a knowing glint too.

Ignis sighed.

"I suppose that can be arranged."

"Well, go on, Specs. Fulfill this request for the lady." A KISS UNDER THE STARS

The rustling of the motorcycle's backpack as Ignis checked that everything was in order had Carmen's hands grabbing the helmet with nervousness. Were they really going stargazing?

Despite him going the night before with the Crown Prince to check on that phenomenon, Ignis had knocked on her door and kindly asked her if she would like to accompany them once more the following night… Only that, this time around, they had prepared a vehicle to drive her there without problems.

While her heart had not stopped beating at a rapid pace since then, it was even worse now as she saw him confidently move around, the leather jacket hugging his shoulders, back, and arms so beautifully as he closed the bag and reached for his own helmet. Security was a must.

"All set, my lady. Shall we depart?"

Carmen gasped, embarrassed to be caught ogling him like that, before she nodded and donned his helmet carefully.

Maybe it had been a blessing that the helmet visor was down, as her eyes opened like saucers as she saw him move closer, a soft "May I?" being muttered as his hands carefully reached for the straps below her chin, his fingers moving quickly but gently to secure them properly on her head. His eyes, even in the sunset, were a beautiful shade of green, and Carmen felt herself blushing as he took care of her every step. She couldn't make a fool of herself, but she was almost afraid of stumbling on his way to the seat, seeing how weak her legs were becoming.

If only she knew how her proximity was affecting him too. The gentle whiff of her perfume reaching his nostrils as they got comfortable on the seat was distracting him.

"Is- Isn't Your Highness coming to join us?", she asked, her eyes looking around now that they were almost ready to go. Her hands hesitated over his back before she settled them there. Ignis straightened his back immediately.

"He will meet us there."

Ignis patted himself on the back for sounding so composed, but he felt his heart pick up the pace as soon as he started the engine, and her hands left his place on his back to come around his middle.

"E-excuse me. I feared I was going to lose my balance otherwise."

Before she could remove her hands, he quickly settled one of his over hers, squeezing lightly.

"It's quite alright. Please let me know if I go too fast or if you wish to stop."

"I will, thank you."

And so, with the purr of the engine, the bike rode off.

A KISS UNDER THE STARS

Talking while driving a bike was a difficult task. As the only way to hear one another was by speaking louder than usual, however, a passing comment here and there over a creature or the beauty of a certain tree wasn't missed.

Carmen had relaxed a lot since they left, as Ignis could tell. Her arms didn't wrap around his torso as zealously as before, but she didn't take them away. He was glad. Seeing how he was a source of security for her had made him more confident on the journey. His chest was full of a candid flame.

As they reached the spot, Ignis carefully squeezed her hands over his middle and let her know, before the bike came to a smooth stop. Carmen hesitated for a moment, her hands briefly pressing over his abdomen as the bike halted to a stop, before she quickly took them away in favor of slacking the straps of the helmet. The tight muscles there had felt so good under her touch… Ignis was a fit man, that had been one of the things that had been on her mind for a long while now. Ah, the heat with the helmet on was unbearable now. At least she could chalk it up to that as the reason for her flushed face and not her running thoughts.

"We arrived on time! We could set up camp and eat something before the meteor shower starts. Don't you agree?"

As Ignis took off his own helmet, Carmen thought there was no way she could focus on anything more than the flushed cheeks and the nice shin of sweat that made his skin glow under the mellow light of her chest flashlight. The smile and the gentle and joyful light in his eyes. He was a handsome man.

"Is something the matter?"

"Yes… Of course."

Ignis perked up at her answer, fixing his flat hair into its previous style as she continued to look at him funnily. Did he happen to have something on his face?

"Well?"

Carmen opened her mouth only to close it again and swallow. Her hands were moving quickly in front of her to dismiss the attention.

"I- got distracted. Please, pay me no mind."

Ignis' timid smile sent her heart racing. He moved gracefully from the seat and carefully took care of the helmets, secured a small backpack on his arm, and then helped Carmen to his feet. Like a true gentleman, he offered his arm and guided her on her first steps on the rocky ground, mindful of her weakened ankle.

"I hope I don't serve as too much of a distraction now. It would be a terrible anecdote to share if you came back injured while under my care."

His playful tone made Carmen chuckle and slap at his arm in kind. Was he flirting with her now?

"They wouldn't believe what a terrible bodyguard you could be."

"I must ensure that my honor is not tarnished, then."

They laughed and continued trekking down, slowly but surely. The clear safe haven was only a few feet away. There, Noctis and the rest of the party awaited. Greetings were shared before the camp was set up quickly under Gladio's instructions. And while the food was being made, a small conversation sparked under the barely lit camp. They couldn't risk dampening the view from the night sky with brighter ones, and, truth be told, those dim lights served as a perfect helper to share sneaky glances between Carmen and Ignis, most of the time with them not being directly aware of the other's eyes on them.

As the right time approached, however, only their chest flashlights remained on, and everyone was quick to disperse to the vast ground to have a nice view of the stars.

Carmen stood up and began to wonder how this could be a beautiful excuse for a date if the circumstances had been different. Would Ignis have agreed to accompany her, the two of them alone, to enjoy this occasion?

Nonsense. She quickly scolded herself. A man with such responsibilities wouldn't be able to.

"Carmen."

The woman stopped in her tracks at the touch of a warm hand on his arm. Her eyes followed the sound of her name as she met the strategist. A folded blanket was hanging from his other arm as he approached her. Her eyes went from it to his eyes.

"We could stargaze from that spot over there, if you care to accompany me."

Out of instinct, her hand moved to grasp the one he had offered to her, but she only took one step before she froze and looked back in the directions of the others. Were they setting them up? Not one of them turned their heads to spy on their interactions, and Carmen felt her belly and cheeks heat up at the possibility.

She turned to Ignis and took a long look at him. He seemed a little… nervous with how quickly he quickly fixed his glasses over the bridge of his nose.

"It is best if we remain here. Noct and the others wish to watch the stars from a different spot, but it would be hard for you to make that walk now."

"I understand. Please guide me."

The look of relief that briefly passed his features made her smile. With both hands on his, Ignis guided her carefully until they reached the place. The thick blanket made an excellent cushion for their heads and backs against the hard ground as they lay down side by side. In the quiet of the night, while they waited, both of them had their eyes on the sky, waiting. Ignis had softly shared why this event was dear to him, and Carmen heard him with full attention.

"Stargazing… is really special for me, too", she murmured.

"How so?"

"That custom of making wishes upon a star… I have done that since I was little. There's beauty in how there are millions of twinkling lights that can both be the safeguard of a secret wish and the magician that can make it come true."

Carmen turned to look at him and smiled shyly when he looked back at her in return. She continued, just as softly as before.

"I know it's childish. Even if that's not the case, anything under the stars is prettier: magical, poetic, romantic, even."

Ignis didn't say a thing but gazed at her with tender affection. Indeed, under starlight, her eyes shone brighter and more beautifully. Her lovely face was cast in the gentlest, softest sheen of pearlescent blue.

"Shall we lose that joyful wonder, too, when we grow up?", she continued musing. "Could we keep that part? Keep the hope of light alive in the darkness?"

Ignis was about to reply to something, that he later wouldn't remember what it was, as a dash of light crossed her eyes and her surprised gasp interrupted him. Her hand quickly grabbed his and squeezed as the other pointed above them, guiding his eyes to the majestic phenomenon happening.

Beautiful, dashing stars fell across the night sky like rain. It was the most marvelous sight, one that had them distracted and looking everywhere to witness one after another.

They stood like that for a few minutes, pointing vaguely in the direction of each falling star, smiling kindly as they pointed at the same one, and laughing softly as they settled down after a while.

Throughout the event, they weren't aware of how close they have moved to one another, as Carmen's head was gently leaning on his shoulder as they continued to gaze at the stars above. Their joined hands stayed together comfortably the entire time, fingers becoming intertwined in their hold. With the lack of leather from a glove, Carmen could feel the natural heat of his body, even more when Ignis squeezed her slightly colder one in his.

Time stood still when they noticed.

Carmen closed her eyes, trying to even out her breathing before moving away a fraction, turning to look at him, and stopping as she felt his bare hand graze his cheek.

"Don't", he pleaded quietly.

Ignis was so close, so warm beside her, and so focused on her.

His eyes closed on her pillowy lips, then on her eyes and back again into them, slowly moving closer. If she hesitated, Ignis vowed to part and let this be as it was. But, as she leaned on her side and moved closer to him to meet him halfway, he didn't dwell on it anymore.

Their lips met and stayed pressed for a moment before they parted, only to meet again just as carefully. His hand had migrated to the column of her neck, keeping her there, a thumb playing with the soft edge of her jawline as hers caressed the fabric of his shirt over his chest.

With a sigh, they parted at last, but they didn't move too far.

"Did you happen to make a wish this time?", Ignis barely mumbled.

Carmen smiled, leaning to rest her forehead on his.

"It was already fulfilled, too."

* :· ✧ ·: *   * :· ✧ ·: *   * :· ✧ ·: *   * :· ✧ ·: *   * :· ✧ ·: *

[sunny6677]

Bubblegum.

Summary:

Just kinda what it sounds like. Mainly short stories about my OC Tom—who is an overly energetic and hyper girl who's kind of annoying, but is still a sweetheart deep down. Her job is unknown, but she definitely does something to do with writing—her bestie is Patty, but she thinks she's best friend with Carmen who actually hates her. And her main love interest is Kevin. She's also based off of Papyrus lmao.

Chapter 3: A Confession From A Princess - A Tom x Kevin story.

————

All day, from every hour, it had been the exact same as the day before. The same as the day from before yesterday, the same as the day before that one. As always, Kevin had been standing here—simply waiting with his hands pressed against the counter. Or mindlessly humming something to himself with his hand pressed up against the cheek.

The same buzzing from the lights above. The same bright overly saturated colors on the walls and candies that blinded his half-lidded vision. The same visits from those two annoying kids in the Halloween costumes who'd simply come running in asking for candy cans, or would show up to cause some sort of trouble.

And yet.. one thing remained abnormal. The lack of a visit from a certain black-haired friend with curly hair who hadn't exactly shown her face at his store in a couple of days. He had talked to her over the phone in the few days she hadn't been at his store, but it was beginning to get kind of.. weird without her around him physically. He wasn't sure why, but it just felt that way.

The more he stood—silence filling the area around him, he found himself swallowing with a gulp, drumming his slender fingers against the cool surface of the counter. He waited, and waited for the sound of the bell at the door chiming. But it didn't come.

He finally let out a sigh, furrowing his brows. Feeling his thoughts race, he was about to whip out his phone, and maybe see if she'd answer a call or something like that. As soon as his mind got used to the sound of the absolute silence of the store though, the bell finally sounded with a ring.

Ring, ring!

He lifted his head up, widening his eyes in slight alarm as he lowered his phone. He was about to apologize to whoever had just walked in—and ask them what they'd like from the store. But quickly found his voice silenced by the sound of a familiar, annoying voice echoing through the room.

"SHOPKEEPER!"

Curly black hair that only went to her neck—a round freckled face with long lashes sprung from her eyes, her lips curled into that same smile that always brought him such unusual warmth. As if to answer his anxieties, she had came.

He put his phone down completely on the counter as he flinched, feeling the words escape him as she rather quickly paced toward the long white counter.

"Ugh.. there you are!" He grumbled with a frown—his low and nasally voice tinted with something almost soft while he leaned foward. "Where've you been?"

"OHOHO! I APOLOGIZE, DEAREST SHOPKEEPER—" Tom laughed in her same high-pitched manner, leaning against the counter with a nervous but wobbly smile played on her lips. "I WAS A BIT.. ERR.. BUSY. BUT! I AM HERE NOW!" She exclaimed, raising her finger with a proud grin. "AND I'VE ALSO COME HERE TO LET YOU KNOW OF A SMALL QUERIE I HAVE FOR YOU!"

He stared for a moment—before finally giving a roll of his eyes as he groaned. He had known her long enough by now to know that meant she wanted to ask him something. He.. hadn't actually known what querie meant until he met her, but still.

Tilting his black-haired head to the side, his slim face wore a tight frown. "Oh, great.." He flatly muttered, "What is it?"

She cleared her throat, lifting her shoulders with a proud huff. She closed her eyes, and then wore a proud smile again. He found himself arching a brow, about to ask what the hell she was even doing. But as the question was about to leave his mouth, she slowly extended her arm behind her in a way that almost seemed a bit.. too long—and whipped something out in her hand.

It was something long. Thin. Rolled up. It was.. paper? She then began to make melodious, slightly out of tune 'trumpet' sounds with her mouth as she began to unroll the paper. The paper unrolled with a slight shuffle—yet the more it extended, the more he found his mouth slowly going agape.

It wasn't just paper. No. In fact—it was a scroll. As the paper finally unrolled completely, it's bottom half fell to the ground with a thud. She looked down at the floor for a moment with a slight blink, and then cleared her throat again.

"HEAR YE, HEAR YE! IT HAS COME TO MY ATTENTION AS THE GREAT PRINCESS THAT YOU, THE SHOPKEEPER OF THE LITTLE SWEET MARKET WITHIN THIS KINGDOM, ARE THE FAIREST OF THE MANY DWELLERS WITHIN THIS LAND!" She proudly exclaimed, her squeaky voice sounding a lot more happier as she spoke. He found a feeling of confusion beginning to rise within him. But as she spoke, he found his face growing warmer.

"YOU, WITH YOUR WEIRDLY COMFORTING PRESENCE! YOU, WITH YOUR CALM BUT CARING DEMEANOR! YOU—WITH THAT BEAUTIFUL SLEEK BLACK SHEET OF HAIR YOU HAVE, AND THAT WONDERFUL SMILE UPON YOUR LIPS—" She grinned while pacing around the room, the scroll dragging around the tiled floor. Her eyes scanned more over the thin paper.

She stopped, pointing her finger toward them. "I, THE GREAT PRINCESS, HAVE DECIDED I WISH TO COURT YOU! IF YOU SAY YES, YOU SHALL BE MOVED FROM YOUR POSITION AS SHOPKEEPER OF THIS STORE TO THE POSITION OF PRINCE! YOUR DUTIES WILL INVOLVE.. ERR.. WELL, NOT MUCH—BUT PROMISING THAT YOU'LL LOVE ME IS ENOUGH!" She shrugged.

"YOU WILL BE GIVEN THE FAIREST BEDS, THE FAIREST MEALS, THE FAIREST SHOWERS, AND I WILL SHOWER YOU WITH AS MUCH AFFECTION FOR AS LONG AS I MAY LIVE!" She proudly giggled. Finally looking up from the scroll, she yelled, "DEAREST SHOPKEEPER, WILL YOU TAKE MY HAND AND LET ME GUIDE YOU THROUGH THE FIELDS OF LOVE?"

He.. didn't know what to say, just standing there with his mouth agape, and his eyes wide. He didn't really think she'd actually ask something like this. If 'something like this' was what he actually thought she was asking anyway. His cheeks felt hot, his eyes nervously glanced away at the tiled white floor beneath his feet. He felt like all eyes were on him, even if no one was here besides him and her.

Something fluttered within his chest. And the tingly feeling within his stomach was so intensely warm that he.. really couldn't find it in himself to say no. It wasn't really like he wanted to refuse anyway.

"Uh.. wa—wait, are you.. asking me to go out with you?" Kevin finally managed to stammer out.

"MHM!" She nodded.

"Well.. uh.." He stopped, and let out a sigh. "I.. really don't know why you came to my work to ask this, but.. yeah. I'll go out with you."

There was quiet as she grinned at him.

"..To—Tom—?"

"WAAAAAHHHHH!"

"Wo—woah!"

In an instant, there was a puff of smoke? Some sort of explosion? It felt like something out of a cartoon, but she quickly re-appeared with her face completely red as she leaned against the counter. The scroll was now suddenly gone from her hands as her fingers gripped the table.

She grinned from ear to ear, laughing, "YIPEEE! HAHA—YOU SAID YES!" She pointed at him again as he flinched back. "FROM THIS POINT ONWARD, I PROMISE I SHALL REMAIN YOUR FOREVER LOYAL PRINCESS! MARK MY WORDS, SHOPKEEP—WELL.. PRINCE—I WILL BE THE GREATEST COURTERER WHO EVER COURTED! OHOHOHO!"

She blinked a few times, muttering to herself as she scratched the side of her scalp. "..wowee.. I finally have a prince!"

He found his face still a complete red as she remained leaning against the counter, his mouth letting a sigh seep from out of it. His lips slowly began to form upward though into a faint smile.

"Heh.. well.. okay—I'll.. see if I'm free anytime this week. Do you wanna go out then?"

"OF COURSE I DO!" She nodded, "I.. DON'T REALLY HAVE MUCH TO DO THIS WEEK ANYWAY, SO I'LL BE AVAILABLE FOR YOU NO MATTER WHICH TIME YOU CHOOSE!"

"Okay.." Kevin laughed. "I'll—think of somewhere to go then. I think I kinda have an idea of where to go anyway."

"WOWEE—REALLY? WHERE?"

Kevin paused, and then replied, "It's.. not really important. But—I'll make sure to tell you if I'm available sometime soon."

"ALRIGHT! EHEHEHE.."

She giggled, "THIS IS GONNA BE GREAT!"

He only rolled his eyes playfully in response, smiling with a slight tilt of his head. He was gonna be going out with her soon. She had asked to go out with him. And that.. probably meant she was his girlfriend now, or at least that she would be if things went well.

With a sigh, he just looked upon her eager face—his anxieties of his own feelings from deep within not being reciprocated now slowly beginning to fade.

[exculpateinteractivefiction]

this looks super interesting! im excited to see what you do with the concept!!

for everyone, or just your pick, could 🤔, 🎮, and 💯 be answered from the emoji ask prompts?

It makes me so happy that someone finds the concept interesting! I decided to do all the ROs because the questions were pretty short - I hope you don’t mind ☺️.

🎮 VIDEO GAME CONTROLLER — what are three of your oc's favorite hobbies?

Mav: Playing Video Games, Traveling, Harassing his co-workers Cooking

Carmen: Chess, Hiking, Martial Arts/Training

Juno: Watching Documentaries, Knitting/Crocheting, Drawing/Sketching

Silas: Gardening, Photography, Watching Movies

Payton: Blogging, Dancing, Ice-Skating

Amari: People-Watching, Reading, Baking

🤔 THINKING FACE — what are some of your oc's quirks/mannerisms?

Mav: Taps foot, Bounces leg when sitting, Clicks pens

Carmen: Paces, Never slouches, Walks very quickly

Juno: Slouches when sitting, Smokes, Snorts when laughing

Silas: Unable to sit still, Laughs when he feels awkward, talks loudly

Peyton: Taps nails on surface, Plays with hair, Always running late

Amari: Always crossing arms, scoffs when unsure what to say, Bites lower lip when nervous

💯 HUNDRED POINTS SYMBOL — share three random facts about your oc that others may not know

Mav: He is an atheist, he needs at least 5 alarms to get up in the morning, he owns a car but never drives it

Carmen: She doesn’t celebrate her birthday, she owns a cat, s

Juno: She doesn’t like sweets, she likes classical music, she started smoking when she was in high-school

Silas: Kinda believes in the Zodiac Signs personality stuff, he sings in the shower, he has a scar on his knee from a skateboarding accident

Payton: They constantly dye their hair, they didn’t have their first kiss until they were 20, they hate cooking

Amari: They sometimes put in headphones to avoid talking to the other members, they hate the heat, they don’t have any personal social media accounts

[circusclownsam]

carmen sandiego oc (will add more to it, probably)

general info

first name; Min-Ya

last name; Choi

nickname; Minnie, prefers that nickname only

age; 18-20s

race; asian

ethnicity; korean, australian

birth date; 3 / 9

voice; mid pitch, noticeable australian accent

physical appearance

height; 158cm, 5’2

weight; [undocumented]

skin tone; warm tan

eye colour; dark blue, with specks of light blue around the pupil

hair colour; chocolate brown

hair length; thigh length

hair texture; 2c

scars?; located on her arms, inner thighs and back.

piercing(s); one on each earlobe, both used for communication (and very stylish)

face claim; https://pin.it/5KnCWcFde

body shape; hourglass, average thickness, small waist, d cup size

other noticeable features; freckled cheeks, nose and shoulders. dimpled smile

casual attire;

; https://pin.it/7fIpthKPJ

; https://pin.it/5AII6qS1W

; https://pin.it/5QYCUjj7t

; https://pin.it/18SCD2amn

; https://pin.it/41OMWGu1K (zipped halfway)

; https://pin.it/3EJx0T72T

; https://pin.it/6qPdzPh7Z

; https://pin.it/e4jZEikrZ

; https://pin.it/4OzOVsXUl

; https://pin.it/JlJTQrSAs

personality

described as; quiet, not very talkative

positive traits; honest, caring, kind-hearted, flirtatious, selfless, resilient

negative traits; introverted, cold, sarcastic, secluded, flirtatious(?), blunt, trust issues

likes; pulling capers with carmen, reading in her spare time, beating VILE, cats, trying food with zack, fixing cars with ivy

dislikes; VILE, sheena, being poked at, slimy-textured food, interpol, being captured

good habits; neatening things, brushing her teeth after every meal

bad habits; picking at her nails, pacing when in thought, scratching at her scars

hobbies; drawing, gymnastics

favourites; white chocolate, acrylic paint, gymnastics, horror movies/books, hot chocolate

non-favourites; dark chocolate, romance movies/books, brussel sprouts

insecurities; her face, her scars

relations

father; she doesn’t know much of her father, just that he was abusive towards her as a child.

mother; unnamed, most likely deceased.

sister; only child

brother; only child

friends; ivy, zack, carmen and player

enemies; VILE, ACME (formerly)

possible love interest; Graham calloway

living arrangements

birth country; south korea, seoul

past residence(s); sydney, australia. VILE island

current residence(s); carmen HQ

owned residence(s); an apartment in sydeny, AUS. a beach house in S.K

transportation; plane, usually. occasionally a train.

occupation (/spy information)

current occupation; a spy/thief for carmen sandiego

past occupation; an operative for VILE.

known as; the shadow, or simply ‘shadow’

specialises in; thievery, spy work

skills; stealing things, gymnastics, keeping to the shadows, hand - to hand combat

spy attire;

; https://pin.it/xIMEES7iW

; https://pin.it/59jDxAWvG

; https://pin.it/5ew1HO1yH

; https://pin.it/5xIEopAR9

; https://pin.it/2wadAaBrg

; https://pin.it/kvX36HTcP

; https://pin.it/3lwdAU2sI

; https://pin.it/3EJx0T72T

; https://pin.it/2nMa5aroN

Backstory / timeline

; born 3 / 9, to Robert and an unnamed mother, in south korea.

; moved to australia when she was young, where she lived for most of her life.

; was sent to VILE when she was 10, breaking free of her fathers abuse.

; trained to be an operative until she left with carmen.

; now working with carmen and her friends.

[catnykit]

𝔽𝕝𝕠𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕡𝕤 𝕗𝕣𝕒𝕘𝕞𝕖𝕟𝕥 #𝟙 𝔸 ℙ𝕆𝕆ℝ 𝔻𝔼𝕍𝕀𝕃

𓃠 𓃬𓃠 𓃬𓃠 𓃬𓃠 𓃬𓃠 𓃬𓃠 𓃬𓃠 𓃬𓃠

Mastertag

AHJSOWNXOQNIXNQ I CANT BELIVE I'LL FINALLY WRITE ABOUT MY OWN CHARACTERS AAAAAAA

TY ALL MUTUALS AND PEOPLE TO INSPIRE ME TO DO THAT

THIS IS JUST A BLOOD LOSS WHUMP DRAFT,BUT WHO CARES AAAAAAA

pls tell me if you want to be tagged for more stuff like this idk

Word count: 1674

𓃠 𓁹𓃠 𓁹𓃠 𓁹𓃠 𓁹𓃠 𓁹𓃠 𓁹𓃠 𓁹𓃠

Warnings

;Suicide/suicide attempt

Blood loss

Torture hints/mentions

✨️Trauma,Of course

Mourning(????? Mild mourning???

Self hatred

Major character death :)

All warnings happen almost randomly,But not immediatly,Like— I gotta first explain and then the fuss happens you know

𓁹 𓁿 𓁹 𓁿 𓁹 𓁿𓁹 𓁿 𓁹 𓁿 𓁹 𓁿 𓁹

The dizzness was starting to became hard to ignore

Damm,It was expected,You cant lock yourself in the bathroom after accidentally torturing an innocent and then go free like nothing

Well,In her defense,Carmen did not knew that liam was innocent

Now she was the monster here,Isnt she? She had good meanings,The suspect's actions were too much to get ignored by the police Even if she was there,All by herself,She could still hearing her friend's cries that night....

She didnt know what happen in the woods until she saw wesley,Her best friend,Cover in a blanket while sitting in the border of an ambulance

They were shaking,All bloody.Carmen couldnt let the things like that!! Since childhood carmen was told she was 'way too impulsive' And why would they care?! She only did what was needed

Blood didnt stop coming as the yells didnt stopped. They wanted her to go out of the bathroom. Now.

Of course,The needed was to kidnap liam and torture them just like he did with wesley....

So one good day,She grab choloform and kidnap him in the middle of the night

How fun!,Guts,Blood,Burns,And a little syringue to make sure they dont pass out

The begs where even more satisfactory considering that,It was probabily how wesley beg in liam's hands,he deserve it!

What was not fun Was the call....

After being done with liam,And without any more ideas She decided to call wesley!,Yay!

Little problem,She did not tell wesley anything about her little plan ....Carmen was sure they would accept no matter what.

Or maybe she fogot it? In all the rage?

Staying awake was hard,Breathing was hard. She deserved it thought. They were always right and this wasnt the exception.

or Atleast thats why she throught

It didnt matter now

God,Wesley was mad.

So,So mad :(

And they had the right to be it! It was the wrong person!! Carmen is the heartless monster In here.....Atleast that was Wes said.....

"B-But I did it for.... you!"

"YOU'RE A MONSTER— I CANT BELIVE SOMEONE CAN BE THIS...TORTUROUS!"

God,And they used to be friends

Dear fucking God,It was truth....

Liam was aslo bleeding out,Atleast kind of

Carmen was so careless that she sewed up the wound with the first Thing she found,It wouldnt last forever

But the diference is that wesley was there for him

Such a backstabbed!,Or was she?

Did it care anyway?

Why was wesley yelling at her to get out?

Why did they wanted her alive?

Wesley was just there,Outside the bathroom,Trying to get who was once his friend out,For their own fucking sake

Liam was still there too,Watching quietly the blood stain the floor under the bathroom's door;All while squirming slighty In pain

The sedatives of the first aid kit did barely anything,Atleast he wasnt crying

Wesley was scared too,Goddamit,They were way too scared of anything that happen

Why the fuck did they told carmen about it? Knowing how she was?

It didnt matter now,They went mad and they know it.

They aslo knew that she was way too sensitive for reasons that they told eachother on countless outings to eat, walks, just being together

The worst part it was how close they were from eachother,And how that somewhat end in this absolute Mess

Now wesley has to cope with Not one,But two persons bleeding out.

Why do they always need to be so rude?

They felt way too guilty too

Guilty about the person in the couch who didnt hurt them,But everyone thought against it because they say "He look similar"

Well,They didnt know it was gonna end like this.

They didnt know how Mad carmen was for someone hurting them

How much Rage in order to find someone to blame

It wasnt till then that they noticed The stain that they relized it. All the restroom was quiet since they kick the door open to the basment And find their best friend torturing an innocent person,Liam They didnt think carmen could do this and yet? It was there Just there And the worst part its that All was Her fault,Thats what she thought. Carmen was alredy blood-stained when she run upstairs trying to hide from wesley,Who didnt stop yelling at her how much of an horrible person she was And in part,It was right,The problem is that She alredy knew that. She alredy knew that So when wesley saw the blood under the door,open the damm bathroom door, He wasnt ready. He had to leave liam just to... Just to see it? How one of the most important persons in his life was laying om a pool of her own blood.

Well,She regret it.

How do you deal with the thought that you're a monster who deserved to be put down?

Its not like somebody would care anyway,Is not like they would care anyway

by this point,The blood lossed was enough to just

Pass out

Wesley was terryfied. Standing there,In the bathroom door....

Liam was still laying on the couch,In pain after Everything that carmen put them throught horryfing torture...

How was they supposed to fix this?

Was it any way to do it,Was it possible?

And now they were crying.Over the dying figure of someone who tried to be a good person And failed.

𓃠 𓃬𓃠

Carmen was...confusing

A year ago,They were the one in an ambulance

And they werent that...bad

wesley remembered how bad it was... They remember a strong hand dragging them to the white van They do remember the pain,They got beat up and starved But that was nothing compared to what carmen did to liam

What was most heartbreaking it was that there was no "villian" to blame

The ones who actually kidnap them were in fact,An entire gang.

They got confused following instructions and end up getting the wrong guy

Wesley

The gang promised them that,If they didnt say a word they would free them and never meet agaim

Wesley accepted

And now they're here

With two people on the ambulance

All because they didnt talk...and because carmen went insane

was it her fault tho?? Wanting revengue for her friend??

Was it wesley's fault? They were too focused on trying to keep liam alive they didnt notice when carmen— ... Carmen was only concern. It was her fault the way she decided to be ruthless about it But she didnt deserve...death. She thought she did tho That was wesley's fault.

Wesley was shocked when carmen,Practically drunk called him to say to him that she kidnap one of the suspect and gut him alive.

And other unspeakable stuff that left Liam way more broken than Wesley. All in one night.

The second worst night!— who would guess it...

Wesley tried to get an first aid kit being on the restroom, trying to atleast help liam

Even so,They did not measure their words....

Carmen felt hurt. Attacked,Even so!

by a Friend. That she thought she could trust... But could she? They instead called her inhuman and disgusting Because? Just for wanting revengue? Camen felt alredy sick when she lock the bathroom door and got left alone with her thoughts... Thoughts that didnt stop ominously chanting what wesley said. Liam was innocent you heartless monster.

Liam was innocent.

Liam was fucking innocent

All this time it was wrong

Because liam. Was. Innocent.

There was no one to blame more than the monster that looked back in the mirror The monster that did all of that to an innocent person The monster that cried while hearing who was supposed to be their friend yell at her for all that she has done Nothing but a fox that deserved to be put down

She was gonna get killed anyway,If she didnt do it,The police would.

So...she did it

Eventually wesley give up and just stay,Trying to keep liam alive

Wesley thought that carmen would just hide in the bathroom

The police would kick the door open and all would be over

Carmen felt backstabbed.

Wesley wouldnt even care,Probabily.

He did.

He did when they understood that it went more far than that....

She was dying. Atleast liam was stable She wasnt. Wheb the ambulance finally arrived to the place,Wesley finally got to open the door snd rushed to her The cuts in the wrist were too deep. Too bad. While he tried to hold on her,To just try to stop the bleeding and made her sit up,To just have a last moment!... She lean in his ear whispered with hatred,Her voice straned because of the blooe loss

:"Hypocrite."

the whisper of the devil. A self-proclaimed demon

Wesley was destroyed

Liam was healing

And carmen died. That very night,Commited suicide

All because wesley went mad. All because they didnt say a word

All because carmen was impulsive,And ruthless

All the pain for revengue,All the death for guilt

All for nothing at all.

𓃠 𓁹𓃠 𓁹𓃠 𓁹𓃠 𓁹𓃠 𓁹𓃠 𓁹𓃠 𓁹𓃠

YAYYYYYYYY I FINISH IT

TYSM ALL OF U

@theres-whump-in-that-nebula

@sillywhumpcreature

@whumpy-wyrms

(The ones who anwsered the last post :3)

:D

Pls tell me if you want a taglist,I think im gonna do more content if you guys like this <3

i gotta admiiit this wasnt what I had in mind buuut...again is just a draft sooo

Yes.

[c-d-p]

CS OC WEEK DAY SEVEN: LA FEMME ROUGE

(Note: I decided that for the last day, i’d write little pieces on my OC’s personal run-ins with Carmen! Really, this should’ve gone in ‘Missions’ but i hadn’t really had anything planned for that day. Also, my writing skills aren’t the greatest and i really struggled w dialogue so don’t flame me for it lmao)

Olivia/Mirrorball || Watch Your Step

Olivia never thought she’d be in this position. Jumping across rooftops in Edingburgh, chasing the elusive Carmen Sandiego, or La Femme Rouge, whatever she called herself nowadays. She wanted to prove herself to the Faculty, that she was more than capable of handling capers.

However, her train of thoughts crashed when the crimson blur ahead of her suddenly stopped.

Olivia,(codename Mirrorball) ’s footsteps also came to a stop, the sound of metal scraping across brick fading to silence. Now, the only sound was the sharp inhale/exhales of her own heavy breathing. The two are separated by a large glass skylight. In Carmen’s hands, the artifact Olivia was chasing her over - the Queen Mary Harp - sat delicately in her grasp.

“Mirrorball, am i correct? Funny, i’ve never seen you away on your own before.”

Carmen says and arches an eyebrow as she takes cautious steps back, and Olivia begins strutting forward, the clink of her metal heels scratching the cemented roof beneath her. Her eyes narrowed, glaring daggers at Carmen, her green eyes meeting her grey ones.

“Why do you care?”

“I thought your job was to protect the Countess.”

“I still have training though, and that’s still my job.”

Mirrorball has an air of suspicion around her. Why was Carmen striking up a conversation, in the middle of a chase? She looked over her surroundings before turning back to Carmen.

“It seems your ‘job’ now is failing miserably, is it not?” Carmen waves the harp around, as her feet reach the edge of the roof. “I guess you’re still inadequate.”

Olivia blinked while she processed her words, then practically growled in frustration, her footsteps getting more powerful and hurried, fueled by her anger. Her expression sours, and there’s a screech loud enough to make your ears bleed as her sharp shoes drag along the glass skylight. No one would insult her and get away with it. As she picks up the pace in a sudden burst of anger, she was practically charging across the roof.

“Inadequate? are you kidding? Who do you think you are, insulting me like-“

She’s cut off by a gasp fleeting her mouth as she halts, as well as a sharp crack from below.

“…that.”

Her bladed heels had punctured the glass, making large cracks on the pane; she was now stuck, unless she wanted to fall to her death. Slowly, her head turns down as she warily tries to lift a foot - the glass continues to split. She lifts her head up, but it’s too late - the Crimson Ghost has vanished into the night air. Olivia, exasperated, exclaims loudly.

“You little-“

As if on cue, the sharp shards of glass collapsed under her weight, sending her through the roof. Luckily enough for her and her sharp reflexes, her hand managed to wrap around the plastic frame of the skylight, despite twitching with pain when fragments of the shattered roof dig into her palm.. Maybe she wasn’t cut out for the ‘Operative’ roll just yet. Pulling herself up and back onto the safety of the brick material with a sigh, Olivia didn’t think things could go much worse. Until the first few drops of rain began to fall.

Angeliki/Nightshade || Title tbd ☹️

Angel held her breath as she stealthily weaves her way through the bushes and leaves of the botanical garden, her body hidden by the leaves. In her hands - a flower given the name ‘aniantem pulchritudinis’. This flower was the last known of its kind, and VILE wanted their hands on it. Her thumb brushed over the clay of the pot it was in - maybe she could admire its almost metallic-like white petals just for a second. However, she stops herself from getting off track. She was Nightshade, supposed to steal the flower, not gawp at it. Standing straight, she is about to turn and leave; until a twig snaps in the distance.

Her hand subconsciously travels to her belt, hovering just above her weapons. Her eyes scanned the greenery around her. Nothing, just the silent sway of the trees and plants. She took a deep breath - she probably just imagined it. So, Angel starts to walk again, keeping the valuable flower in her arms securely.

“I’d hang onto that tight, if i were you.”

Angel immediately freezes again and her heart starts to hammer. Her gaze drifts to behind her shoulder- and there stood Carmen Sandiego. Had she really been caught this fast? No time to ponder, she had to get out of here. Narrowing her eyes, she suddenly sprints off, darting between branches and thistles as she kept the flower tucked away in her grasp. She heard almost inaudible footfalls from behind her, she was still being pursued. With rapid thinking a few minutes later, after a thrilling couple moments of running in and out of the the garden’s nooks and crannies, she suddenly comes to a stop between two trees.

The red blur that was Carmen’s coat also slowed to a halt, as she stood looking as if she was ready to pounce at any moment. Angel’s idea was simple; throw a grenade containing smoke to block Carmen’s sight, and flee without having to worry about being chased.

Angel turned her gaze directly into the eyes of Carmen.

“You think i’d give up the flower that easily?” She speaks, before reach in her hand down again. However this time, she unhooks the smoke-filled grenade from her belt. In a matter of seconds, she holds it up and is ready to unpin it and send it to the ground.. until something catches her eye.

Two blackbirds happily soaring through the sky, flying and falling in circles around the two and chirping lightly. Angel winced - couldn’t possibly throw that here - she didn’t want to risk danger to wildlife. Or should she do it, and get away? It’s only two birds. She was conflicted.. at least she would’ve been, as she feels a sharp shove in her side and her shoulder making hard contact with the tree next to her, snapping her out of her distraction. Angel yelps, as the shock knocks the flower pot and the grenade from her hands. At least she didn’t take the pin out of it.

Carmen makes her way over to the pot, its fall being cushioned by the vibrant moss surrounding the area. Swiping it into her hands, she gives Angel one last statement.

“I believe this isn’t yours for the taking, Nightshade.”

Still winded, Angel reaches a hand out in a desperate attempt to grab her, to get the flower back. But Carmen hops out of the way, and before Angel knows it, she’s completely disappeared. Disappointed and exhausted, Angels sinks to the floor with her back pressed against the rough bark of the tree. She really shouldn’t let her mind wander like that.

At least she got to watch the blackbirds chirp and sail through the trees, content and healthy. And that wasn’t so bad.

Thanks for reading to the end!! Also i’ve realized i haven’t been tagging the person who made the oc week, so here it is @carmensandiego-ocweek 🫶🏻

I’m also very sorry if i mischaracterized Carmen, i struggle with stuff like that and it’s an honest mistake 🙏

[eddysocs]

I’ve Got You (Amy Duncan x OC)

Summary: Teddy's excitement for the pumpkin patch is not shared by everyone, but Hailey thinks that maybe the trip was worth it.

Word Count: 469

Warnings: None, pure fluff

"Hurry up, we’re going to miss out on all of the best pumpkins," Teddy called. She never lost her enthusiasm for fall. In fact, it seemed to just get more and more intense every year. Generally, that was fine, but when they’d wandered, or rather, trudged through fields of pumpkins, it got a little tiresome.

Hailey tried to slow Teddy down, but to no avail. At least Spencer was here and still able to keep up with her. "You and Spencer go on, honey," Amy called back, clearly the one struggling the most with this little outing. That’s, well, part of the reason Hailey had tagged along. Hailey was more than content to stay back with Amy while Teddy and Spencer had their fun.

"Ugh, does this field ever end," Amy complained.

Hailey scanned ahead of them, thinking she could make out the edge of the field where the vegetable stand was. "I don’t think it’s too much further." They kept plugging along, Hailey never straying too far from Amy's side. Finally, they were nearly through. Next year, there would be no pick-your-own pumpkin patch. They’d just pick out the best ones at the grocery store and be done with it.

Freedom was within their reach, Hailey having bound the last few feet out ahead of Amy, and watched with sympathetic eyes as she came to the edge. Had it not been for her keen observance, or blatant staring as some might refer to it as, she wouldn’t have caught the vine that was clearly about to trip Amy up.

Despite her efforts, it was too late to alert her to the oncoming tripping hazard, but not too late to stop Amy from falling. Hailey leapt forward, back into the field, careful not to get tripped up herself and held her arms out to Amy who was already mid fall. "I’ve got you," Hailey said. Amy grabbed onto Hailey's forearms, stronger than they looked, she noted, and was able to steady herself.

They stood like that for a moment, waiting for time to resume its normal pace and for Amy's heartbeat to slow back into its usual rhythm. Meanwhile, Hailey's was doing the opposite. She had to say something, right? Anything to keep from focusing on the way Amy's hands felt on her skin. "See, I told you I’ve got you."

Amy's sweet smile certainly didn’t help matters. Hailey could feel the blood rushing to her cheeks and hoped it only came off as exhaustion from the long walk over the uneven ground.

Amy finally let go and Hailey felt like she could exhale properly. "Let’s go find Teddy and Spencer now, okay?" Hailey nodded. But relief was short lived as Amy put her arm around Hailey's shoulder as they fell into step together. Oh boy, what a day.

Forever Tag: @arrthurpendragon, @baubeautyandthegeek, @foxesandmagic, @carmens-garden, @bossyladies, @getawaycardotmp3, @misshiraethsworld, @kmc1989, @curious-kittens-ocs

[kaylinalexanderbooks]

Seven Deadly Sins

Thanks @mysticstarlightduck here, @willtheweaver here, @the-golden-comet here, @drchenquill here, @mk-writes-stuff here, and

@mrbexwrites here!

Rules: which of your OCs would you assign to which of the seven deadly sins and why?

Pride

Atsila is a good example. She thinks that she's better than everybody else and pride ends up being her downfall. Most of the principles that she preaches end up falling flat because her pride gets in the way of her reaching her full potential.

Envy

Rose. Literally she has an internal monologue in the first chapter in her perspective that's all about how jealous she is of everyone else around her. She wants what they have. I think she's justified to an extent.

Gluttony

I guess it may be Sam. There is an arc then she goes through in parts three and four where she does have to deal with over consumption of something, so I guess it's that.

Lust

Ash is a good example as we progress into the series. I almost put her under gluttony when it comes to her desire for more power and enhancing her telepathy, but really it's not about that, it's about the sensation she gets from it. She needs that feeling to keep going, it's all about pleasures, and I thought that fit lust a bit more.

Wrath

Carmen, this one's kinda easy. She has severe anger issues and she's mad most of the time. What makes her wrath so deep though is at herself, the system she's stuck in, never getting satisfactory answers, etc. Everything Carmen wants is pretty much impossible, and that makes her angry.

Greed

This one took me a while, but I think it's Wendy. She doesn't hoard like money or anything, but she is greedy for knowledge, experience, and in general just wants everything like that for herself, since she doesn't even share most of her knowledge and skills

Sloth

Out of everyone, it's probably Carla, actually. She is very avoidant when it comes to work. She doesn't particularly like trying, and it mainly has to do with the fact that she's depressed to be fair, but due to her powers allowing her to experience time at whatever pace she wants to, she knows she doesn't have to work hard to get what she wants done on time. She literally has all the time in the world, unless she misses the deadline since she can't rewind time itself.

This took a while, but it was really fun to think about!

Tagging @mk-writes-stuff @sarandipitywrites @aalinaaaaaa @sarahlizziewrites @songsofsomnia

+ ANYONE ELSE

TSP intro

TSP tag list (ask to be +/-): @thepeculiarbird @illarian-rambling @televisionjester @finchwrites

@nebula--nix @literarynecromancy @honeybewrites @the-golden-comet

[outeremissary]

🛏️ 📆 for Balthazar and 🌊 🪤 for Carmen please?

From this prompt list. Thanks for the ask!

Balthazar

🛏️ What does your OC’s bed look like? What would they like their bed to look like?

Feel like I have a description already written somewhere, but I'm too sleepy to hunt for it... The privileged position in the Stolen Lands comes with many benefits, and one is having a really nice bed. The bed of dreams in many ways. Balthazar's bed is a roomy four poster in elegant dark wood hung with bright curtains- in winter they're a heavy velvet, but in warmer months are exchanged for something lighter and more decorative. Soft sheets and blankets match the curtains. A rather unnecessary number of very soft pillows is always on the bed. Balthazar enjoys sprawling across them for some reason, although usually at least three wind up on the floor by morning. It's luxurious, it's comfortable, it's a bit imposing, and it suits the desires of a restless sleeper who always needs something soft to settle down on. It's a great change of pace after the flophouse he'd been sleeping in for some time before the barony.

📅 If your OC had one day left to live, how would they spend it?

If he only had one day left and he knew it, he'd spend it trying to cheat death. Consulting tomes, magical and religious experts, wracking his brain for any bit of lost lore to elude it... If he knew what was going to kill him he'd make an effort to evade it. He would try very hard to set up contingencies to bring him back from the dead however possible (ideally some form of resurrection). It would take an awful lot to get him to direct his energy anywhere else. Up to the last hour he'd be trying to figure it out- somewhere at the very end perhaps he'd finally despair.

Carmen

🌊Has your OC ever seen the ocean? If not, do they want to? What do they think of it?

In Pathfinder? No, never. She was born inland and has only gone north deeper into the continent in her life. She understands that there's something of a romance to the ocean as a concept and it's a bit fascinating, but it's hard to see what would make it special relative to a very large lake like Lake Encarthan or the Lake of Mists and Veils (she's seen both).

(In our Greyhawk campaign the answer was yes-she finds it unsettling. There's something about it being so vast and unknowable...)

🪤 What is one thing that could be used to lure your OC into a trap?

A fun question! Carmen thinks of herself as heroic. The surest thing would probably be the suffering of those she considers innocent. She's not one to stand by while innocent civilians are harmed if she thinks there's anything she could do about it. If something happened to Ember, she would do anything to rescue her as well. Her nature is quite self sacrificing for an evil character.