#I considered adding that he decided to ambush somebody by standing right in the open with a weapon in his hand

[weather-cluddy]

The idea that Mikoto must've murdered a lot of people because he seems so calm and practiced frankly confuses me. His actual level of skill in not getting caught was around the level of Muu's, who was literally not even trying. Possibly worse, to be honest.

For starters, train station with the trains still running is a pretty terrible place to commit a crime. People have to commute home, so it's one of the few places that will draw people even late-ish at night. Not only that, but they have surveilance cameras, some of which broadcast online 24/7, which is kind of a strong demerit when you're looking for a place to kill somebody.

He also didn't do anything to hide his identity, like wearing a mask or using gloves to avoid leaving fingerprints. His hair is pretty distinctive and the beanie doesn't hide it at all. (Contrast with Kotoko hiding her face, wearing men's shoes and confronting her victim in a side alley. So these things were most likely on the writer's mind.)

Speaking of the beanie, his evidence disposal is terrible. He dumped the corpse right next to a sign saying "This is private property! Do NOT dump your trash here! We will report you!", the only thing hiding it being a flimsy plastic bag that will very likely start leaking during the several days it'll take for it be collected. It's also very likely to be opened up so the garbage collectors can know what kind of trash this unlabelled, opaque bag is supposed to have. After all, proper trash sorting and recycling is a pretty big deal in Japan.

He then threw a beanie stained with blood right next to the bag which, besides being obviously suspicious as soon as somebody notices the corpses, provides DNA samples to the police. The blood proves it's related to the blonde guy, and any hairs inside links Mikoto to it. Even without any testing, just looking at them you can narrow the search to "people living in roughly this area who have half-brown and half-bleached hair". Mikoto walked home, after all. The murder scene can't be that far.

(Speaking of which, let me repeat that Mikoto walked home. Covered in blood. Which throwing away the beanie did nothing to fix, because his other clothes and his face were also bloodstained. So not only did he not have any contingencies for dealing with blood splatter, his belated attempts at fixing it only made things worse. He didn't even wipe his face before throwing the hat away!)

And if you try to include the bathtub scenes and the repetition of the train scene as evidence of multiple murders, then you have to add:

1.He killed almost a dozen people without getting caught first. A bath takes around a hundred liters of water, an average adult has around 5 liters in them, so if we assume half of the liquid in the tub is actually water then we need 50 liters. That's ten people, but it also requires we assume that he had some sort of pump that would drain every last drop of blood from their bodies. We must also at least somewhat discount the blond guy we actually see Mikoto kill, because clearly that murder wasn't very conducive to getting all five liters into a bucket.

More importantly, every murder had to be done in a very short time frame in order to avoid the issue of blood clotting, or else he had some sort of holding facility with refrigeration and anticoagulants that would preserve the blood. All for the purpose of, uhh, living out his Elizabeth Bathory kin fantasies?

2. He did all this while attacking people in the same place, with the same weapon, with the same clothes, at the same time of the day, under weather so incredibly identical that even the cloud shapes are the same. Talk about establishing a pattern.

You could point at his dettached attitude and claim it shows he's done it before, but honestly? He's far from the only prisoner to have the "wrong" reaction to their murder. For example, Haruka laughing as he murders animals. Or Amane indifferently standing over her mother's corpse. Or Mahiru joking about her boyfriend's suicide and saying Es might be next. Should we assume they're also expert murderers?

Really, the whole sequence makes much more sense if you assume each step got maybe three seconds of thinking each, instead of hours of careful planning. I can definitely see something like:

Something happens that convinces Mikoto that this guy must die RIGHT NOW. He grabs the first weapon-ish thing he sees and rushes to where he knows/assumes the guys would be at this hour.

Alright, he's dead! ...Wait, shit, the corpse!

Um, uuh, the stuff you don't want goes in the trash, right?

After wandering for God knows how long in search of one of Japan's infamously scarce trash cans, he finally finds somewhere the body will fit. By this point he's either too panicked to consciously notice the sign, or he's deep into the sunk cost fallacy and doesn't let it dissuade him.

Agh, he's got blood on his clothes. Well, taking off his pants isn't gonna help him looks less suspicious, but he can throw away the hat, right? Less blood = better!

Alright, job done, time to go home!

[yelena-bellova]

Fault Line: Prologue - Steve Rogers x F!Enhanced!Reader

Prologue - chapter one

Masterlist

Plot: Y/n’s life is a game of hide and seek and so far she’s beaten everybody. But her winning streak may not last as long as she’d hoped it would.

Warnings: none

Word Count: 2.4k

A/N: OKAY. I have too many fics going at once but I got this idea and couldn’t let it go. I tried writing a Steve x Reader series a while back and it sucked quite frankly, so I spent a little more time developing this one. Steve doesn’t appear in this chapter but plenty of familiar faces do. Let me know if you’d like to be added to the taglist! (no beta reader because we die like men.)

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Bosnian winters were brutal. It got down to freezing temperatures, the pavement was iced over, you couldn’t go a day without being hit by a snowstorm…It was by no means remote but if you were hiding from something, not many people thought to look there. Which meant I was safe.

I casually strolled through the crowded Sarajevo marketplace, the only care in my mind being what I should eat for lunch. As soon as I stepped foot into the city, I knew I was on borrowed time. Not that it mattered, quick escapes were my forte. I spotted a falafel stand run by a middle aged man, one of the only stalls I hadn’t stopped at in the last few days. 

“Jedan, molim,” I said, smiling sweetly at the vendor as I watched him make the dish. As he prepared to hand me the finished product, I faked innocence and rushed to dig through the empty pockets of my coat. The man handed me the food wrapped in paper and raised his eyebrows expectantly. I looked up from my coat pockets and tilted my head, “Izvini.” Before he could understand why I was apologizing, I was gone…Having vanished into thin air.

When I reappeared, I was no longer in the marketplace. I was outside the abandoned shack in the Bosnian forest I’d been calling home the last couple days. I was living a ways out from the country’s capital so the search for the disappearing woman remained unsuccessful. Triumphant in having scored lunch, I turned on my heels to head inside my temporary home.

I hadn’t expected the dozen armed soldiers with their guns aimed at me.

“You boys wanna come in for a drink?” I quipped in English, gesturing to the front door, “I’m not sure I have enough for everyone but I can pop out to the store and get some more.” “I’d stay here if I were you,” a shadowed figure said from the front porch, “It didn’t take us long to track you and it won’t be hard to do it again.” Americans. In Bosnia. Interesting…

“Mind telling me who the hell you are?” I called, squinting to try and make the voice’s body out.

A man came forward, stepping in between two of the soldiers who still had yet to lower their weapons. He pushed back the hood of his winter coat to show his face, “Agent Coulson, we’re with S.H.I.E.L.D. We’d like you to come with us.” I looked behind and around me, waiting for someone to make a move. “So I’m supposed to just go with a group of soldiers with their guns pointed at my head? Is it that simple, Agent Coulson?” “It can if you want it to be,” he replied, for as threatening as he should have been he wore a small smile on his face, “We’d like to talk to you.” “About?”

“About how someone like you has been jumping from Russia to Colombia without a plane. Or India to Canada. Or Jamaica to Scotland.”

I raised an eyebrow and casually took a bite of the stolen falafel I still held, “So you have been tracking me.” “Miss Y/l/n, it would seem that you’re highly gifted,” Agent Coulson continued, taking a step closer to me, “We’re here to help you, not to hurt you. I’d like to bring you back to headquarters to talk to you about your abilities.” I smirked as I chewed, “I’m not a mercenary that organizations like yours can just hire for an assassination.” “That’s not why we’re here. It’s not what you can do for us, it’s what we can do for you.” “Hmm,” I sarcastically smiled, “And what is it that I’m getting out of going with you?”

“A life where you don’t have to steal baklava for lunch.”

Having lived how I had for so long, I prided myself on my good instincts. There was good, there was bad and every once in a while there was a grey area. A combination of right and wrong that was subjective to each person’s perspective. As my eyes scanned over Agent Coulson, a professional yet non threatening presence, and the soldiers ready to kill me if I dared to fight back, I decided that I had just landed in a very grey area. If I didn’t go with them, I wasn’t sure what they’d do. If I did, I wasn’t sure what they’d ask of me.

Then again, I was a bit of a grey area myself.

I held up my food, “It’s a falafel.”

————

It had been a long time since I’d been back in the states longer than the five seconds it took to steal a bag of Cheetos from a convenience store.

Agent Coulson had deposited me in a stark white interrogation room and promptly left. After the twenty minute mark passed without anyone entering, disappearing and landing in Cairo began to sound more and more attractive. Just as I was seriously considering it, the locked door opened.

“Miss Y/l/n,” a dark skinned man greeted, “You’re a hard one to pin down.” “Really? Cause according to Agent Coulson, it was as easy as breathing for you guys,” I replied, tightening my crossed arms.

“It got easier once we developed the right tech,” he said, coming to sit in the the chair directly across me, “But apparently you’d never heard of us until today ergo you didn’t know we were tracking you which begs the question…Who were you running from?”

“Wow,” I chuckled, “You don’t beat around the bush, do you?” “I don’t like to waste time.” I snorted before giving him a once over. He wore an eyepatch, all jet black clothing complete with a matching trench coat. He looked the part of Man In Charge perfectly. “If you’re gonna ask me for my life story, I’m gonna need to know a little bit about you too.” “All you need to know about me right now is that I’m a man who sees potential in you.” “Potential?” “Potential.”

“That’s not what people typically see in me,” I narrowed my eyes and shook my head.

“No, they see a thief, a cheat, and I’m willing to bet,” the man leaned forward and put his arms on the table that separated us, “Somebody sees you as a threat.” Oh, if only he knew…

“If you’re a government agency then you already have a file on me, meaning that there’s not going to be much I have to say that you don’t already know,” I spoke up, making sure to continue matching the guy’s intense eye contact. 

He raised an eyebrow and tilted his head in concurrence before turning to the double sided glass window. It didn’t take more than five seconds before the door opened and Agent Coulson stepped through carrying a manila folder. He handed it to my questioner before disappearing through the doorway once again, I almost wished he would stay. He was the only person I knew at the moment.

“Looks like you’ve been all over,” the man observed as he flipped through the folder, “Gotten yourself into a lot of trouble and whenever someone catches you, poof! Like magic…”

I was excellent at hiding, but I knew when I was beat. As nice as leaving sounded, S.H.I.E.L.D knew too much about me for me to run.

“I don’t know,” I sighed, lowering my gaze to the table.

“Don’t know what?” “I don’t know who I’m running from,” I continued, “But they’re there. If I stay in one place for too long, someone breaks into whatever rusted shed I’m living in or ambushes me in the middle of a bazaar…Somebody wants me.” The man had stopped browsing my file and was intently watching me recount my story, “How long’ve you been on the run?” “Five years,” I explained, suddenly not comfortable with meeting him eye to eye  “I was fifteen, woke up in God knows where with no memory of how I got there. While I was wandering around trying to figure out where I was, a group of men tried to grab me. Fortunately for me,” my lips twisted into a smirk, “I can make a quick getaway.”

“You remember where you’re from?” I inhaled deeply and shut my eyes as I exhaled, “No. Any memories before I started living like this are…blurred. I can almost make out a few, mostly from when I was a kid, but I don’t remember any details about my life other than my name and my age. Got anything in your almighty folder that can fill in the gaps?” “We only know what you’ve told us and what you’ve chosen to shown the world,” he replied as he reopened the packet, “Looks like disappearing isn’t the only trick you’ve got up your sleeve.”

“A girl’s gotta defend herself somehow,” I cocked an eyebrow, by now I’d relaxed my rigid posture and was tracing shapes on the table with a finger, “But if you’ve done as much research as you say you have then you should know I don’t bring any of that out unless I absolutely have to.” “Oh, I’ve seen the security cam footage,” he laughed, folding his hands together in front of him, “You put on quite a show. That’s that potential I was talking about.”

After a beat of silence, I finally asked the million dollar question. “What is it that you want from me, Director Fury?”

He should’ve been surprised, most people were, but it didn’t seem like me digging around in his mind was more of an event than eating breakfast was. “Only when you absolutely have to, huh?”

I gave him a small shrug and waited for him to answer. He kept his eyes locked on me, nodding his head ever so slightly. “Miss Y/l/n, whether you’ve thought about it or not, you have the ability do a lot more with yourself than skipping out on the dinner bill. You could be out there stopping the kind of people that are after you instead of running from them. And if you weren’t interested in the prospect of that even just a little, you wouldn’t still be sitting here.” Now there he was right. I agreed to come with Agent Coulson, I willingly let them bring me into an interrogation room, I’d discussed vulnerable details of my life with Director Fury…There was a small part of me that wanted to be a part of something.

“You wanna keep bouncing between continents praying that you don’t get caught? That’s fine, it’s no skin off my back,” Director Fury held his hands up in mock surrender and promptly lowered them back down, “But you stay and you can be a part of a world bigger than you could possibly imagine.”

The only world I’d ever known was spinning a globe, picking a random location, finding the most remote part of the county, stealing what I needed to get by and living in abandoned houses. I’d never had any sense of security. And while the life that Director Fury was offering me gave no guarantee that I’d live long enough to grow old, it didn’t require me to stay as paranoid as I was in the name of survival. I’d gotten by just fine on my own, but I’d never allowed myself to think of a future where I didn’t have to just get by…

“I already told Agent Coulson that I’m not a mercenary,” I began firmly, “I’m not a weapon for you to utilize whenever you want. I’m not joining some super secret spy organization only to find out after a while that I’m working for the bad guys,” I paused to take a slow breath, “But I don’t particularly enjoy being a criminal and if what you’re saying is true, I’m willing to give it a shot.” Director Fury gave me a single nod and just like that, I’d accepted a job without actually committing to sticking around. Fury turned once again to the double sided mirror and the door swung open, ushering in Agent Coulson, a redheaded woman and a blonde man I had yet to meet.

“You’ve already met Agent Coulson, I’d like to introduce you to Agent Romanoff,” he gestured to the woman, “And Agent Barton,” he looked towards the blonde, “He and Coulson will be some of the senior personnel personally overseeing your transition into S.H.I.E.L.D and I have a hunch you and Miss Romanoff will work well together.” “I work just fine on my own, thank you,” I stated, the thought of trusting someone to have my back sent the walls I’d just lowered shooting back up.

“I hate to break it to you but we work as a team here,” Agent Romanoff said, her voice cool and unaffected by my displeasure. If anything, it seemed like she found it slightly amusing, “Besides, you don’t have anything to worry about. Agent Barton’s my partner.” 

Director Fury made for the door, Agent Romanoff and the still silent Agent Barton following promptly. “I’ll leave it to Coulson to get you settled, but I’ll be watching your progress closely.” I could give the man credit, he knew how to wear the whole Tall, Dark, Man-With-All-The-Secrets hat well except for one thing. He couldn’t keep any secrets from me. Once the room’s occupancy had lessened, my eyes flew to Agent Coulson.

“What’s the Avengers Initiative?”

He wore a small and knowing smile, “A work in progress. For now, let’s focus on getting you through training then we’ll work on finding you a partner.”

Standing up to follow him out the door, I protested against his checklist, “I already said-“ “I know, but there may come a time where you change your mind,” he interrupted, his tone had gone from professional to semi-friendly as we walked down the hall, “This job is rewarding, but it’s hard work. Having the right partner by your side makes it all a little easier. You’ll see…”

We approached a railing that overlooked the main floor of the headquarters. Coulson didn’t think twice about the view while I approached it curiously. There were people everywhere, more than I’d been around in a long time. Something about the sight of so many individuals dedicated to doing the right thing made something inside of me relax. Maybe for the first time in my life, I was right where I needed to be.

Agent Coulson must have sensed my peace, he came to stand beside me and turned his gaze to where mine was. “Welcome to S.H.I.E.L.D.” 

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Translations: Jedan, molim: One, please.

Izvini: Sorry.

[fortheloveoffanfic]

Put Me In a Movie

Keanu Reeves x Reader (A/n- Did I really just get the name of my own fic wrong? If you saw it, for the sake of us both, pretend you didn’t)

Summary Prologue  1   2   3  4  

Chapter 5- Skewed Clarity

That night, Y/n had gone back to her room, dried off and plopped back into bed, more awake and before and irritatingly sexually frustrated. She’d tried dealing with the situation herself, but her efforts were fruitless and unsatisfying; her fingers were small in comparison to Keanu and all in all, she just couldn’t sink into the moment. For the briefest second, as Y/n had laid a top her unmade bed, the softness of the fluffy duvet caressing her skin, she had considered shrugging on her robe and trekking to Keanu’s room, uncaring if he was awake or not and demanding that he’d finish what he started, but Y/n had quickly deduced that she’d need a few drinks well to muster up that kind of courage. Besides, she wasn’t desperate. It was just a matter of politeness really, how dare he leave her like that, with silky moisture between her thighs and an ache to be touched?

After several failed efforts, or perhaps it was just one long one, Y/n had decided that she was through for the night, opting to quickly wash up, get back into her pajamas and crawl back into bed. It had taken almost two hours after that for her eyes to even start drooping and when Y/n finally fell into a fragile slumber, it was past five am.

There wasn’t enough caffeine in the world to rectify the heaviness in Y/n’s eyes and as hard as she tried to stifle them, a yawn would escape her lips every few minutes or so. Figures that the night that she’d had the worst sleep of her life would lead to the first time they’d be filming at seven am. 

Really, she blamed Keanu. Who, coincidentally looked far more refreshed than she felt. Maybe it was irrational, but Y/n couldn��t help but be a little annoyed with him. First, he’d been on her mind so much that she couldn’t fall asleep, then he’d interrupted her alone time and gotten her worked up, just so she couldn’t fall asleep again. 

Ugh.

Walking from her trailer, already in costume with her hair and make up done, Y/n tried to chug yet another cup of scalding hot, black coffee before she got to set. It burnt her tongue and the bitter taste was the reason she usually added milk and sugar, but still, she needed to be as energetic as possible, and if her sixth cup of coffee for the morning was what it took, then so be it.  

They were shooting in the large parking lot that morning, which meant that Y/n would have to pass through the studio, to get to the open area at the front, where everything was probably already set up. It was the kind of walk that she ordinarily took with Keanu, but alas, Y/n had been avoiding him since their initial though very brief run in at hair and make-up. She had been heading in just as he was opening the door to leave. Small talk had been a must, though neither of them brought up their earlier encounter, what was there to say anyway? Y/n didn’t know if it had been a joke, if Keanu had actually intended to make her feel ‘some kind of way’, or if all in all, she was reading too much into it. It was awkward and Y/n hated awkward, she hated not knowing and she desperately wished that things with Keanu weren’t so confusing. 

The studio was quieter than it had been most days, though, that should have been expected considering they were meant to spend the next eight hours or so working outside. Jackson had predicted that in one long take, they could cover the entire scene in just about three hours, but that wasn’t accounting for the human factors; mishaps and bloopers. 

By the time Y/n was spilling out into the large, outdoor set up, the morning sun was stinging her eyes again and there was an energetic buzz in the air that had been absent from inside. Y/n began wondering if she’d be able to keep up with the way she was feeling. Why hadn’t she just downed some cough syrup and called it a night?

“Hey,” an unsteady baritone broke Y/n’s thoughts and she immediately clutched her chest, jumping in surprise when he gently touched the center of her back.

“Fuck,” the fright was enough to wake her up a bit, though it didn’t last long. Keanu came to stand next to her, closer than he did before things got complicated and Y/n had a feeling that it was intentional. She could smell the coolness of his cologne, mixing with the enthralling aromas of ground roast and cigarette. Y/n hated when he stood that close, it always got her flustered. 

Though, she didn’t want him to move either 

“You scared the shit outta me,” she sighed, letting her hand return to her side. Her gaze once again to the ongoings before them, not wanting to lock with his chocolate orbs for too long.  Why couldn’t she ever successfully avoid him? 

Keanu chuckled beside her, the throaty sound like water over rocks; smooth and soothing, “Sorry.” He seemed totally unaffected by their run in from the night before but Y/n couldn’t tell if he was faking it or if by some hellish miracle, his short term memory had been erased. It was bad enough that it had cost her a few hours of sleep, she couldn't be the only one with that memory. “I hate to be that person, but you look terrible. Everything okay?”

Scoffing, Y/n folded her arms and rolled her eyes. As if he didn’t know! “I’m fine,” she mumbled, slightly begrudged. With the toe of her block heeled ankle boot, Y/n kicked a rogue pebble, watching as it skipped out of her foot’s reach. The shoe scraped noisily as she dragged her foot back childishly, “Is that what you came over here to tell me?”

Unstirred by her mood, Keanu chortled again, “Somebody’s cranky.” Again, Y/n rolled her eyes, preferring to wallow in her sour, awkwardness instead of asking him anything about the previous night. When Y/n didn’t respond, his grin softened and his words were twisted by flirty undertones, “This is about last night, isn’t it? Don’t tell me a few little words made you all pissy,” Keanu’s breath was hot on her ear as he leaned in and Y/n hoped the set photographer wasn’t nearby to capture the redness painting her cheeks.

Gritting her teeth, she finally turned to face him, her hair whipping his shoulder as she did, “How dare you? First its oh Y/n this was a mistake, then you’re all up in my face, with your stupid smile and your good looks, telling me that you can fuck me real good and then you’re walking away. And-” the ‘v’ in Y/n’s forehead became more pronounced and her mild irritation turned into flustered anger, “Are you laughing at me?”

Tilting his head to the side, “My good looks?” He quoted, taunting her and Y/n groaned, frustrated. Still though, Keanu didn’t look like he had any intention of ceasing his quiet chuckles. Slipping his hands into the pockets of his character’s battered jeans, Keanu dragged his lower lip through his teeth, “I’m sorry,” he looked down for a minute, and Y/n could feel his eyes travel appreciatively up her body as he raised his head again, “You’re just….really fucking cute when you’re mad.”

“See?” Y/n huffed pointedly. It was so hard to tell what they were doing, what he was doing. Was he actually flirting, or was he just plain out fucking with her? “This is too confusing Keanu. You’re just…..”

It didn’t take too long after that for Keanu to lapse into his usual seriousness, hissing in hopes that no one would hear, “You think you’re not confusing too? One minute you acting like you regret what we did and avoiding me like the fucking plague the next we’re in a pool together and you’re basically asking for it.”  

“Do not put this on me,” her finger jabbed into his chest and Keanu caught her wrist, his fingers easily circling it with room to spare, “This is not my fault.”

“I never said it was anybody’s fault,” Keanu countered, still holding onto her hand. It had been so long since he’d last touched her, in any way, he’d missed the softness of her skin and Y/n his calloused touch, “I’m just saying, maybe neither of us are as blameless as we want to be.”

His admission left Y/n scrambling for words. The truth was that Keanu was right, they were both active participants, worse yet, Y/n would be lying if she said she wanted to stop. The thoughts of Keanu were consuming, her quelled longing for him was hard to deny even to herself. Swallowing thickly, Y/n watched as Keanu’s grip slipped from her wrist to maintain a gentle hold on her fingers. They had forgotten their surroundings a while ago, not noticing if anyone was looking at them. “This is…..” Y/n didn’t know what it was, and she couldn’t really think of it while he was standing that close.

Keanu bent his head, a contagious smile curving his lips and a mischievous glint in his eyes, “I-”

“Places everyone!” Jackson snapped and they sprang apart. Keanu passed one had over his hair, the other going to his back pocket, while Y/n, who didn’t really know what to do with her hands, immediately grabbed the hem of her leather jacket, sucking in a breath.

Stuttering, Y/n’s lips quivered, about to speak when, in a frenzy a hair and make-up team surrounded her and Keanu, picking and pulling at their outfits, freshening their make-up and giving them one last look over before the scene. There was a faceless hand in her hair, fiddling with her extensions while someone else passed a powder brush on her cheek, “Can we….?”

Meanwhile, there was a woman freshening a cut on Keanu’s jaw while two others gave his outfit gentle tugs to ensure perfect placement, “Yeah,” he assured her hurriedly, hoping that the aids wouldn’t suspect anything. 

By the end of the day, all Y/n wanted to do was face flop into her bed, and she was pretty sure that she could sleep then. Her caffeine high had kicked in right in the thick of their first scene of the day; where her and Keanu’s characters were supposed to be ‘ambushed’ by operatives and subsequently engaged in a  shootout, where she’d acquire ‘minor wounds’. It had taken three takes to get the end right, but just as midday approached they did. Afterwards, she had taken her lunch break while Keanu shot a brief solo scene and then vise versa.

They weren’t done for the day until the sun was resigning past the distant horizon and nothing further could be done outside. Thank heavens they weren’t needed on set again until past lunch the next day. 

As she packed some things into her handbag, Y/n could feel the wear of her muscles with each movement and the heaviness of her eyes every time she blinked. The crash after the caffeine had worn off had hit her hard and if there were something bigger than a small sofa in her trailer, she might have showered and slept right there. 

With a huff, Y/n zipped the bag and reached for her coat draped over a throw pillow, when someone knocked on the metal front door calling her attention, “Y/n?”

Keanu.

Even if they’d spent most of the day together, they hadn’t gotten back to their earlier conversation, though Y/n didn’t know what she’d say if they had. Still, she answered the door, hoping he’d be braver than she was.

Keanu had absolutely no idea what he was going to say. But nonetheless, his anxious feet had led him to Y/n’s trailer, and possibly, by his fist’s own admission, he hit the door three times. It was hardly his best idea; to show up at her trailer, without a clue on what he was about to say all while knowing that Y/n must have been dog tired. Though, he was already there, so the least he could do was rack his brain for a quick remedy.

When she pulled the door open, standing before the entrance looking a bit worse than she had that morning, Keanu frowned, that was definitely the worst timing in the history of things being timed. “Hey,” he waved briefly, only coming up the two metal steps when she waved him inside. Upon seeing her bag, packed on the counter of the small kitchenette, Keanu scrubbed on hand over his groomed beard, stuffing the other into his pocket, “Is this a bad time?” Maybe if she said yes then he could return to his uncomfortable state of not knowing, trying to figure things out until he, well, knew. 

But alas, there was nothing as unforgiving and he internally cursed when she quickly quipped back, “No, I don’t have anywhere to be.” With a tired huff, Y/n dropped onto the small, rich brown, leather sofa, patting the spot next to her, “What’s up?”

“I……” What was up? Quickly, he scanned his brain for anything useful, though eventually came up short and let his mouth go on autopilot, “I wanted to talk about this morning, about us.”

Keanu couldn’t help but smile lightly when she absently scrunched her nose, testing the word on her tongue as if it were foreign, “Us?” Sighing, Y/n shifted in the sofa, bracing an elbow on the back cushion and pulling one leg under herself, “Is there an us?”

“I don’t know,” he cleared his throat, speaking as the ideas came, with no room for thinking them over or polishing them up, “But I think at this point it's more there than isn’t, if you know what I mean.”

It took a minute, and Y/n seemed to be mulling on it, but eventually, she gestured her agreement, moistening her succulent pink lips before, “Yeah, yeah, I guess you’re right.”

“Right,” Keanu stalled. He wasn’t good at that, letting people in and letting himself feel. It wasn’t like he couldn’t, he could, he did. Even if it was all a jumbled mess, he did feel something, or rather several things for Y/n. Things he couldn’t quite decipher, but also things he wasn’t ready to lose. But it didn’t make sense and Keanu didn’t know what to do with those things. Besides, his relationship track record had never been on for the ages, he was always giving too much or too little, typically the former; a commitment-phobe at heart. 

Y/n looked at him expectantly and Keanu felt terrible for making her wait, but he really didn’t have a clue on what he should say next. How could you explain what you felt if you didn’t understand it?

Maybe he didn’t need words.  

Swallowing thickly, Keanu reached out, letting his thumb caress Y/n’s jaw, awed at how she leaned into his touch. 

Maybe it wasn’t just a sex thing. Maybe it was something more, merely covered up by something primal, because still there with Keanu, Y/n didn’t feel they way she had in the pool, or that day after their sex scene. Instead, she felt a fullness in her chest, it was warm, and she was very surprised that a feeling like that could be physical. Her heart didn’t beat a mile a minute, her palms weren’t sweaty and she wasn’t anxious about his next move. For the first time in two weeks, she knew exactly what to expect from Keanu.

It didn’t feel much bigger than their friendship though, it was merely an extension. It was the tranquility he brought, paired with the warmth of his touch. The thought was barely there and fleeting, but somewhere in the back of Y/n’s mind registered that Keanu’s was completely unlike Luke’s touch; a couple fingers on her cheek able to do more for her than arms around her waist. 

Intently, Y/n watched as Keanu leaned forward, licking his lips just before he laid them on hers. Coffee, cigarettes and something sweet. The taste was one she quickly committed to memory. Slowly, Y/n tilted her head, allowing him better access, letting her eyes slip closed. One hand moved to cup his cheek, the rough hair tickling her palm. 

What she felt right then was unmatched, the completeness morphing with a sense of serenity. Like the first breath of spring air or sipping chilled Rosé in the heat of summer, refreshing and light. The sensation in her chest spread, traveling to her finger and toes while the inner working of her head simply stopped. It didn’t matter what the road to lead them to that moment looked like, how much hurt there had been, confusion, despair and anguish, gone, just for a few savory minutes, letting them be in their own little bubble.

Butterfly wings fluttering against his lips, that was the only thing Keanu could liken that kiss too. It was so unlike anything they had shared before then and Keanu felt as if that was the last thing he ever did before he died, it would be okay, because even if he couldn’t say it, he’d shown her. Shown Y/n that she wasn’t just a body to him, that every touch he’d laid on her wasn’t a mistake, it could never be. 

What they had, whatever it was, was still in its infancy, but he liked it. Keanu wanted to show it off and protect it all at once. Keanu had always been afraid of relationships, and he could tell that Y/n was the same- there had always been an understated caution that hung in her words when spoke of Luke, like she was never really sure that sharing herself outside the realm of what was tangible was what she wanted. No doubt, they both had their flaws, but maybe, they could try together. Keanu wasn’t sure if it was what he wanted, but by then, he didn’t think he could firmly say he was sure of anything. Anything except for the fact that kissing Y/n felt right. 

When they broke, their breaths were still shared for a minute, Y/n and Keanu smiled softly. “Is this what you want?” Y/n’s voice was meek and unsteady, she didn’t even know if it was what she wanted.

Humming, Keanu lingered on the question for a minute, relaxing into the cushions. Acting on the urge, he pulled Y/n against his chest, her ear over his heartbeat. The blurry thoughts clouded his vision and Keanu knew his answer would change everything between them forever. But arguably, that had already happened. 

Suddenly plume of fear bloomed in the center of his chest; fear that he would hurt her, fear that they were too different, but most prominently, the paralyzing fear that she would hurt him. If Keanu let her in, chances are, he wouldn’t want her to leave. But it happened, it always did, they always left. 

Then again, what was life without fear? What was happiness without suffering?

“I…..” Keanu sighed at the way Y/n relaxed against him, absently tangling his fingers in the ends of her hair, his glazed eyes trained forward, “I think.....I think that maybe we could try. I mean, this is so confusing, and we didn’t exactly have the best start, but maybe it could work. I don’t really know how to do this,” he chuckled, usually asking a woman out came on instinct; Keanu would just do it. But the effort needed weight with Y/n, she deserved more than just a random offer for coffee, they got coffee together all the time. Keanu was about to start tripping over his words again when Y/n shifted against him, burrowing her nose deeper into his chest, “What are you-”

All it took was one look down for Keanu to realize that Y/n was far gone, and probably hadn’t heard a word of his ramblings. Huffing his quiet laughter, he shook off his thoughts, tightening his hold on her waist as he leaned his head back. Maybe he’d have something more worthwhile to offer her the next morning.

*****

Tagging- @harrisongslimited​  @paanchu786​  @thesadvampire​  @fanficsrusz​  @fickensteinn​  @ladyreapermc​  @babygirltaina​  @septimaseverina​  @snatchedbylele​  @omg-imagine @21stcenturyyfoxx​  @magnificentclodpiebanana 

[lazymilkshakecolor]

New leaves

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Prologue

Naruto groaned as he struggled to open his eyes, he could have sworn he felt the whole building shake.

He stared at the ceiling for a minute recalling what happened, facing the Kara leader with Sasuke and  Sakura who was planning on destroying the leaf, defeating him but getting sealed along with his teammates in a scroll that locked them in another dimension by a person they didn't recognize, the dimension they trapped in was the snow dimension, he remembers saying they were lucky it wasn't the acid dimension.

They stayed there for about three months, judging by Sasuke's rather complicated calculations, and it wasn't until one sunny morning, well as sunny as it could get, that Sasuke startled awake, accidentally rolling Sakura, who was sleeping against him, into the snow, much to her anger.

But that anger faded when he informed them that he could access dimensions again, something he wasn't able to do during their stay in the snow dimension.

'Hmm, so someone must have unsealed us… who might it be?’ Naruto thought as he was trying to get up.

''Sarada!'' A voice that sounded like Sakura's screamed from outside, so he got up quickly, running outside of the hospital room, where Sasuke was still resting on the bed next to his.

Naruto froze upon the sight in front of him, too stunned to move.

His apprentice was being carried by two ninja  , as Sakura was rolling a stretcher towards them, behind them was a crowd of villagers that were looking worriedly at the girl in Sakura's arms.

But that wasn't the only thing that stunned him.

It was the wreck outside that took his attention, the place that used to be the village capital, was now a pile of wood and cement on the ground.

'What the hell happened?' he thought as his eyes caught the familiar figure in the crowd.

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The seventh hokage is known as the hero of the world, as the strongest man alive and as the most unpredictable ninja of all time.

But to her, he was always uncle Naruto, she might not call him that, but he is and will always be the person that was like a second father to her, but as the years passed, they saw each other less and less because of his hokage duty, and because of her training and missions.

So as the years passed she saw him less and less until one morning after a mission has gone wrong.

‘‘Lord seventh,’‘ she said as she got into his office, posture straight as a board and eyes staring ahead.

‘‘Hey Sarada-chan.’‘ he cheerfully greeted, but the grin on his face quickly disappeared as he took in her appearance.

She was standing with the help of crutches, face covered in bandages, and breathes shaky, no doubt the trip from the hospital to the hokage tower tired her.

Naruto closed the report that Konohamaru submitted yesterday and gestured with his head to the chair in front of his desk.

''Lord seventh I can't…''

''Sarada, this is going to take a while and your foot is beginning to shake, so don't make me order you to sit.''

The girl thought for a second before taking a seat, putting her crutches by her side.

'It's like Sasuke's and Sakura's stubbornness has been added and multiplied by ten,' Naruto thought, but if she wasn't as stubborn as she is, she wouldn't be here right now.

''Konohamaru filed me in on what happened,'' Naruto started, the girl raised her head,  her gaze on him.

'' You and konohamaru were tasked with delivering a scroll from the kazekage to me, on your way from Suna, you got ambushed, Konohamaru got immobilized after beating the leader of the criminal group, and you stayed with your sensei instead of running to get the scroll to safety, care to explain why?''

He knew why, he just wanted, no needed, to hear her say it, cause it's been so long since he's heard someone from the younger generation say the words that he and his teammates have taken as a lifetime rule.

Sarada gulped as her head lowered, she knew she'd be in trouble when risking the mission like that, but she didn't regret it, cause Kakashi's motto has been taught to her from a young age by her mother, a motto that her father's influence helped drill into her mind.

“Those who break the rules are scum… but those who abandon their friends are worse than scum.” Sarada declared proudly, head raised and eye to eye with the hokage.

''You still say that after the beating you took?'' he said, pointing with his eyes at the bandages covering the entirety of the girl's body.

Judging by Sakura's report, the girl didn't have an uninjured spot on her body.

Sarada didn't speak for a couple of seconds and Naruto thought that she had nothing to retort back, but not a beat later she spoke.

''When it comes to my family, I swore I would never let someone hurt them,…''

''And who exactly is your family?''

Sarada smirked, recalling the baker that offered her fresh pastries this morning, the florist that gives flowers away every evening, the kid that bid goodbye to his parents on his way to the academy, smile wide on his face, a smile that filed her heart with warmth, and a second later she responded with the answer Naruto only hoped he would hear somebody say it so confidently.

'' My family… are the villagers lord seventh, I would never let somebody hurt my family, I don't care if it was a lowely criminal or a god, I would face them head on, and would do everything to stop them, cause I swore I would, and…''

'SAY IT, SAY IT, SAY IT…'' he chanted in his head, excited at the prospect of someone other than him saying it.

''I never go back on my word shanaroo!''

He would have got up and hugged her if he wasn't sure she'd be uncomfortable as hell and that Sakura-chan would kill him if he causes any of her wounds to reopen, so instead he just smiled, much to Sarada's confusion.

Naruto got up from his chair and went towards the girl and stood in front of her, she looked up at him in confusion, wondering what he's planning on doing since he's not called the most unpredictable shinobi for nothing.

To her surprise, his hand patted her head in a fatherly gesture, as a wide smile showed on his face.

'Is this what Tsunade saw in him back when they first met?' he thought as a memory of Tsunade kissing his forehead and entrusting him with her grandfather's necklace surfaced in his mind.

''Seventh?''

''I'm proud of you Sarada.''

Not many genin would stay behind and protect their sensei, who was much stronger than them and would probably be fine in the situation they were in, but Sarada stayed, took a beating but protected both the scroll and her comrade.

That, in addition to what she said earlier and her fighting prowess, is what prompted him to make a decision he's been trying to make for a year now, ever since seeing Sarada's powers in the chunin exams, but he needed to see her standing towards the village and whether she's strong enough to handle the burdens of ruling the village, and today, he got the answers he was searching for.

''And I was hoping you'd accept me as your master.'' He said as his hand left Sarada's head, so he could get a clear view of her face.

Sarada stared at him for a second too shocked to say anything.

'He wants to be my master?' she thought, it was almost unbelievable, the hokage wanted to be her master…

Sarada stood up hurriedly and bowed her head, '' It would be an honor lord seventh!''

''Great! From now on you will call me shishou, now come on, we're going to have our first master apprentice activity Dattebayo!''

''Yes shishou!''

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Ten minutes later, Sarada's excitement of the secret activity the seventh planned for them has vanished as she saw what it was.

''Ramen?''

''Ichiraku ramen! The best ramen in town dattebayo!''

Sarada sweatdropped.

'Mama did mention that Uncle Naruto is a ramen addict.' The girl deadpanned.

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''Sarada.'' He said sternly, standing up to face his student of three years.

She can do so much more, so much better things…

''You need your parent's permission first.''

''I'm jonin, and by law, a jonin can apply to any sector of Konoha's forces without parental consent regardless of age.''

Of course she took that into consideration, cause there is no way Sasuke and Sakura would let her do this, he doubted they even knew.

Naruto sighted before signing the anbu admission forum that Sarada handed him earlier, he was forced to look at this objectively, but he had a bad feeling about this, especially since sarada has been rather odd these past few months.

''Here, '' he muttered as he handed the paper to his newest anbu recruit,'' I don't know what's your true motive behind this Sarada but I will find out sooner or later.''

Sarada didn't even flinch, she just turned around and walked out of the door.

''What happened?'' Naruto asked himself as he looked at his student's retreating back, she was acting normally until these past couple of months, when she's been constantly at edge and angry, angry at who, he doesn't know, but she's taking it out on everybody, even Boruto, who has been the girl's crutch during hard times, so she was to him.

Naruto took a deep breath as he decided to just wait, because judging from experience all will come clear sooner or later.

A beat after that thought Naruto smirked.

''Kakashi was right, I am starting to sound like old man third.

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''What the hell is wrong with you?!'' he bellowed.

He couldn't believe it, he couldn't believe that his student, the same student that said that the whole village is her family, injured almost a dozen civilians when she was supposed to guard a truck that was full of missing-nin.

The girl didn't answer, she just kept her gaze on the ground.

'At least she feels ashamed.' He thought, he was actually worried that she wouldn't be affected  by what she had done.

''You prioritized a mission in front of the safety of the civilians.''

''I…'' she started but she didn't have anything to say, anything to justify what she did.

''You are suspended from ninja duty for three months, and you are to turn in your headband by tomorrow morning or you will be declared missing nin.'' He ordered.

Stripping a shinobi of their headband is considered  one of the harshest punishements applicable on a ninja, since it meant stripping them of their honor and their status as a village protector.

Sarada tore her eyes from the floor towards him, eyes wide and posture tense.

''You can't do that! If you do that I won't be a Konoha shinobi!''

Naruto felt a pang of guilt upon hearing the girl's voice, but he won't go back on what he said, she needs to be punished for her actions, and maybe this will knock some sense into her.

''Well a Konoha shinobi would never endanger the lives of civilians for the sake of a stupide mission, no matter the stakes!'' he retorted angerly.

Sarada who normally had a strong personality, was now cowering in frot of her master as she took a couple of steps away from him.

''I'm sorry, shishou I just don't know why I did that…''

''Sorry doesn't return the lives of the fallen Sarada.''

Sarada tightened her jaw as she took a deep breath, before reaching inside her pouch and grabbing her headband, them setting it on his desk.

''You'll get it back when I see that you deserve it back.''

''And when is that exactly?'' she lashed out, three tomoes spinning in her eyes as her fists clenched, anger surfacing instead of sadness.

''You were more deserving when you were thirteen! What happened to the girl that said that the whole village is her family?! That said that she would do anything to protect them?!'' he bellowed.

Sarada didn't say anything back, she just looked at the floor, anger fading to be replaced by sadness as she realized that he didn't just take away her headband, he took away her status, her status as someone who the villagers could depend on, someone who they could turn to for protection.

She would do anything to protect them, but that's not what previous hokages did, Sarada contemplated telling him that, but that would just complicate the situation, and he wasn't the hokage that she's referencing, other than that, she just wanted to get out of here, to get out of his analyzing gaze, partly because she was tired but mostly because what he said stung deep.

After a minute Naruto excused her, and Sarada turned around and marched towards the doors, but just as she opened the door she spoke in a cracked voice,

''But family don't lie to each other, do they Uncle?''

She saw the hokage's eyes widen and posture stiffen before she closed the door behind her, then she ran out of the hokage building after hearing him call out her name.

''Sarada wait…!'' He called out, but it was too late, she was  already out.

'Could it be that she knows?' he wondered silently, thinking about the she could have known, since everything about the Uchiha clans relation with the village is restricted..

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Sarada leaned her head on the tree behind her, removing her glasses and wiping her tear stricken face.

Mama, papa, shishou…

They all disappeared about a day ago in an explosion that wiped half of the village.

They're probably dead…, whispered a voice in the back of her head.

But they weren't, they couldn't be, could they?

Her father could have transported them into another dimension, or coated them with susanoo with Naruto's nine tails chakra and Sakura's healing seal on it to keep it from getting damaged.

They had a big chance of survival, but they also have a big chance of death…

Sarada sniffled as she remembered their last words, it was like they almost knew what was going to happen when they headed to face off against Kara's leader.

Naruto grabbed her shoulders, pulling her close to him as he leaned down to speak, voice almost a whisper.

''Never give up on what you believe in.''

The problem was that she didn't know what she believed in…

Another bang erupted which tore Naruto's attention away from her.

He gave her one last look before sprinting towards the source of the noise.

''Catch up guys!''

Sakura sighed, '' as reckless as always…''

Sarada would have laughed at them, but the situation was too grave.

''Hey, come here.'' The older women said as she gestured for her to come, and she immediately obliged as she ran to stand infront of her mother and father.

Sakura put her hand on Sarada 's head, starring right into her eyes.

''Hey kiddo…'' she muttered.

At that day, it would have been almost a month since she spoke to her mother, partly because of her mission to Suna, but mostly because she was mad at her, mad that she kept secrets, mad cause she lied, and mad because she thought she couldn't handle the truth, that she wouldn't understand her father's situation.

''You know that what we did was what we thought was the best right?''

Sarada nodded, she did know, but that didn't help sooth her anger.

But, Sarada wouldn't be herself if she held that against her parents, cause they loved her with all their being, and she felt the same towards them.

So she reached towards her mother's hand and held it, but she was still frowning, to show that this wasn't over yet.

But Sakura was more than happy with what she got as she pulled Sarada's head towards her and hugged her, Sarada didn't hug her back, she just settled with leaning her head on her mother's shoulder.

''You'll always be my brave little girl.'' She said before she pulled away, she then looked at her husband who was staring at his daughter.

Sarada met his stare, and all that was needed was exchanged, his regret over what he had done, his apologies, her forgivness…

''Whatever you do, I will always love you.''

A second later, two fingers pocked her forehead, one finger was her father's, and the other her mother's.

And that was the last thing they did before the dashed towards the battleground.

''I love you too…'' she muttered to herself, as the tears came back to her  eyes and she buried her head between her knees.

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''Hey Bo…'' she muttered.

She was waiting outside the Konoha meeting room, when she was going to meet the elders to discuss that future of the village.

Apparently the hokage has told his advisor before his disappearance that he wanted Sarada and Boruto to approve of any thing that comes from the elders before it would be applicable.

''Hey.''

It was the first time they saw each other after their parent's disappearances.

''You holdin'up?'' he asked, cause it would be idiotic to ask her if she was okay, cause she was clearly not.

''Yeah, you?'' he didn't look well, he looked like he's been running all night.

''Yeah.''

She sat beside him on the chair in the waiting room and they sat in silence.

But as always, Boruto was always the one that broke the silence.

''You know I'm here for you right?''

Sarada looked at the floor for a second before looking at him.

''You know I'm there for you too right?''

Boruto smiled a little, something he hadn't done in a while, as he put his hand on Sarada's hand, who was resting it on the arm rest, in a gesture of comfort, but he didn't expect Sarada to grab onto his hand, as if afraid to let go.

In the end, she lost her parents and uncle, and he lost his father and his aunt and uncle, but they both lost the people that made them them, but they still had each other, and their was no way they would let the other go.

So Boruto interlocked his fingers with hers, and they stayed like that until Shizune came into the room and called for them.

Before they entered, Boruto spoke.

''I need to talk to you about something after this.''

Sarada nodded, before he opened the door.

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''I will not let you do this!''

''Do you propose we just sit and wait till one of the villages attack us? '' the elder answered.

'' None of the villages would attack us, they won't endanger the alliance they worked so hard to accomplish.'' Sarada retorted, but the elder was not convinced.

''Some of the villages now are ruled by shinobi that have not felt the sting of war, much like yourself, so I see no reason why they wouldn't, that's why we should attack first, we'll start with Suna which is the closest to us.''

He wanted to attack the village that had the strongest alliance with Konoha…

''We can't do that! Do you think the hokage would have agreed to that if he was here?!''

''But he isn't! he's dead, that's why Konoha would be targeted.''

''He isn't dead!'' she hollered as the elders stepped back, as if afraid.

''Sarada.'' The sixth said harshly, which made her look at him, and it wasn’t until then that she noticed that her vision was red.

''Turn that thing off!'' the elder ordered, and as much as she wanted to defy him, she had too.

''Alright, this meeting was set to discuss the division of power now that the seventh is missing, so the later conversation will be had on a later date, this meeting is closed.'' Shikamaru declared.

Sarada took a deep breath, trying to calm herself, but the elder's glare didn't help.

But Boruto's hand on her shoulder directed her towards the exit.

''Come on, let's go somewhere and talk.''

So he took her to their old training grounds, which was empty, probably because it destroyed during the attack.

''God…'' she said as she leaned against a tree.

''I think our parents are stuck in another dimension.'' he said suddenly, which made sarada startle.

''Explain.'' She ordered.

''In the place where the explosion appeared, there was a seal on the ground, I recognize the seal from one of the Uzumaki special sealing scrolls, the ones designed to lock someone up in a dimension, and even in abnormal cases, like uncle Sasuke's case where he can travel dimensions, it will seal his ability to do so.'' He said as he drew the seal he saw on the ground using a stick.

''So the only way to get them back is to open the scroll?''

''Yeah, but I don't know where the scroll is.''

''Hmm.''

Silence  befell on them again, but this time, it was Sarada that broke it.

''I think Kashin Koji is the one who has it.''

Boruto looked at her, as if asking her to clarify.

''Back in our last mission regarding Kara, one of the outers we captured told me that Kara had a sealing master, and that master was Kashin Koji, and since the seal we're talking about is space time sealing, the most complex form of sealing, I think it's highly likely it's him.''

''So what do we do now?''

''We have to find him.''

''How?''

''I don't know, we just have too.''

Boruto nodded in agreement.

''Now, about the meeting we just had, do you have any proposition to propose in the next meeting? I think it's better if we coordinate beforehand.''

He's right it is better but there is a problem, she's got nothing.

''I got nothing.''

''You got nothing?'' Boruto was surprised that Sarada hadn't already formulated a plan like she always did.

''no, I'm just confused.''

''Confused? About what?''

Sarada raised an eyebrow, politically confused, sexually confused, hell, she's been suffering from confusion about her clan for about three years now.

''Trust me, you don't wanna know.''

''Why are you keeping secrets from me?'' he blurted out suddenly.

''I'm not.'' She is, there's a lot of stuff she hasn't told him, but that's only cause he probably already knows, like the truth of the Uchiha clan massacre, probably he learned about it from all those scrolls he read from his dad's office,  or because she felt that I wasn't time to tell him, like her brief relationship with her former anbu teammate Takira.

''What about your eyes?''

''What about my eyes?''

''You didn't tell me you awakened a new form of the sharingan.''

Sarada's eyes widened, as she activated her eyes and headed towards the lake to look at her reflection.

She found herself staring at six tomoes in her red eyes.

Add ability confused.

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''I'm 19 grandma tsunade.'' Sarada muttered as she declined the older lady's sake offer.

''Old enough to kill, old enough to drink kid.'' She said as she pushed the full glass towards the girl, '' and do you really expect me to believe that you've never drunk before?''

Sarada's lips turned into a sheepish smile, she was right, she's been drinking since last year, but only on occasions like the completion of her first anbu mission and such.

Sarada's smile faded as she remembered the nights she had with her anbu team, it was a common misconception that anbu teams aren't close, but the opposite the true, she was really close to her teammates, especially Takira and Kubo, who saved her life on numerous occasions.

''Yeah, thought so , now drink I want to have a talk.''

Sarada raised the glass towards her lips, as she drunk its contents.

She really needed that.

''How's the hospital lately?'' Sarada asked, she has heard rumors of the hospital's budget crises and short staff and they're effects.

''Shit, your mother was a patient lady Sarada.''

''Well, she raised me didn't she?''

Tsunade leaned back in her chair as she let out a laugh.

''You were no easy kid, I still remember the time you accidently broke your arm trying to punch the brick wall.''

''That was just the beginning too.''

''Yeah, your mother told me about the time you thought she wasn't your mother and left the village to look for your dad, you were a real idiot.''

Sarada smiled, it was truly absurd that she would think that.

A moment of silence passed before Sarada broke it.

''Why did you call me here grandma?'' she said.

Tsunade's smile faded as she spoke, '' there has been talks of the alliance disinbanding.''

''why?'' she asked calmly, she knew it would happen sooner or later after Suna's kazekage died.

''Suna and Kiri came out of the alliance cause they are not able to support other villages as per the alliance agreement says they should, but don't worry about them attacking us, I doubt the both have the military power to do so.''

Sarada let out a bitter grin, '' what happened to keeping with the spirit of the alliance and keeping peace?''

Tsunade stared at her for a second before speaking.

''You're a good kid Sarada, but maybe that's the problem…''

''Huh?'' Sarada startled as Tsunade stood up, filled her cup with sake and started to walk away, but sarada still heard what she said.

''You're just a kid.''

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She was tired, so gut wrenchingly tired, both mentally and physically, but there was no way in hell she would let the sword that she just blocked fall on kid's head.

''Sarada Uchiha.'' Muttered the mysterious figure, who had just attacked Konoha's ninja academy.

''You should behave your children.'' He said, glaring at the kid who stood up to him and shot a kunai at him in a desperate act of defense.

''Who are you?'' she asked, not bothering with idle chat.

The stranger smirked, before putting his hand on his waist and bowing.

''Kashin Koji, pleasure to meet one of the village's strongest ninja and the last Uchiha heir.''

Sarada's magekyou sharingan blazed to life, partialy because she knew that the holder of that name was a high ranking Kara member but mostly because of the scroll she spotter tied to his waist.

It had the same seal Boruto showed her drawn on it.

''What do you want?''

The man grinned before answering and pointing behind her, towards the kids that were cowering behind the instructors.

Of course, Kara would want kids they could groom and conduct experiments on, especially Konoha's kids who had the most clans between the ninja villages.

The sound of an explosive kunai tore her from her thoughts as she unleashed susanoo, which caught the kunai that was headed towards the kids, and it exploded in its hand.

''Run! And order everyone, ninja and civilian to hide in the special bunkers!'' she shouted as she unsheathed her twin swords and charged at her enemy.

After exchanging blows, Sarada finally managed to knock his sword out of his hand, but he only smiled when she did that.

''I underestimated you girl, but what else to expect from the daughter of two sanin and the apprentice of  the third?''

''What do you guys want from all of this?'' she asked because of curiousty and to stall time in order to formulate a strategy.

But he didn't wait, he just unleached a barrage of  water and lighning style attacks at her.

''We want peace.'' He answered simply.

''Peace?! It was because of you the alliance that kept the peace was disbanded!''

''What you had was just the image of peace, an image that could break at any hit, peace can only be achieved when there are no ninja to threaten it, especially kekkei genkai users.''

A dangerous glim appeared in his eyes as he said those last words, Sarada thought he meant her at first, but then she remembered what he was doing here in the first place.

Konoha has the highest percentage of kekkei genkai users, a quarter of every graduating class has special abilities unique to their clans.

So he wanted to…

Sarada's teeth clenched, as she realized what his true intention in the village were.

The girl took a deep breath before she charged at him again, this time more determined than ever to protect the people that she considers family.

.

.

.

Sarada almost laughed, but she couldn't because of the pain in her lungs, when the academy building tumbled to the ground, for the third time in her lifetime.

There goes the childhood memories, she thought bitterly as she tried to get up, again, but another kick to the gut sent her flying to crash into the nearby building.

''You're not going to stop until I kill you right?'' Kashin said, but instead of the teasing grin he had at the start of battle,  he was frowning, anger clearly showed on his face, probably of the challenge Sarada proved to be.

''I should have got rid of you sooner, but I didn't expect you'd be this powerful.''

she tried to get up again, using her unbroken arm to lift herself up, but Kashin puts his foot on her back and pushes down.

She lets out a grunt of pain as she spites out blood.

''I will never give up…'' she breathed out, not able to continue her sentence as the world blurred.

''On?'' he taunted.

''My oath.'' She spit out.

She heard him laugh as he got his foot off her and picked her up by the neck and bashed her head against the wall.

''We'll see about that!'' he roared as he tightened his grip on her neck.

Sarada resigned to the fact that she would probably die, but she won't leave Konoha without a protector, that's why when her clone burst from the ground underneath Kashin's feet and grabbed the scroll on his waist, then quickly threw it in the air where a hawk she previously summoned was told to take it to Boruto.

Kashin let her go out of shock as he starred at the direction the hawk was headed, he was probably thinking of pursuing it, but her clone engaged him in a taijutsu brawl which didn't let him take one step towards the direction the scroll is heading.

Sarada stood up, using the wall for support, then she took a deep breath and directed the last of her chakra towards her hands.

She crouched down and charged her chidori, weary of her enemy that was trying to reach her, but the clone, was blocking him and his injured state wasn't helping either.

He would have been dead from her earlier attacks if not for the barrier that was surrounding him, a barrier that could be broken by brute force, as shown when it cracked from her susanoo's punch.

She charged at him, and he directed his barrier to the front where she aiming, but she was actually aiming to a couple of centimeters beside him.

Kashin breathed a sigh of relief when she passed him, thinking that she missed, but his relief vanished when he turned around to see her jumping from the top of the building she just ran up too towards him.

Mama, papa, this is the power you gave me… she thought as she directed her super strenght enhanced chidori punch towards Kashin.

''Shanaro-da!! '' she roared as her punch connected with the enemy , and then everything turned to white.

I will never give up, and that's my ninja way!

.

.

.

Pink was the first thing she saw when she woke up.

''Mama….?'' Her vision was extremely blurry, but she could still make out the green of her mother's eyes and pink of her hair.

Am I not dead?

''Sarada, Sarada.'' A soft voice called out to her as a gentle hand brushed her cheek.

Sarada's eyes widened and body stiffened as she woke up fully.

''Mama?!'' she screamed as she rose up.

She was going to look around to see where she was when she was pulled into her mother's embrace.

''I'm here, my brave little girl.'' She whispered in her ear.

The girl grabbed onto her mother's coat fiercely, as she burrowed her head between her neck and shoulder.

''You're here.'' She muttered to herself in relief.

Sakura didn't respond, she just tightened her embrace around her daughter.

If she's here that mean papa and shishou are too…

She could already feel it, the weight lifting off her shoulders as her mother's embrace and comforting words engulfed her.

A couple of days later, Sarada was allowed out of the hospital, coincidentaly, it was the day the hokage requested her presence in his office.

''If it isn't the new hero of the leaf.'' He said as he stood up when she entered through the door.

He headed towards her and helped her into a seat.

''You never show up in my office without injuries do you?.'' He remarked jokingly.

''Yeah, I just can't manage to walk through those doors undamaged.''

''You got that right.''

''So how was the snow dimension?''

''The weather was kinda nice, I spent four months on a fiche diet and I'm pretty sure I lost half my weight, and your parents kept cuddling all night and it's disgusting, how about you?''

''Where do I start?'' she said after laughing, she laughed and smiled these past two days more than she did in the last year.

''How about the part you put a kunai to an elders neck after he wanted to assault Suna?''

''How did you know about that?''

''Shikamaru filled me in on everything.''

''Ahh.''

Naruto stood up from his seat and went towards Sarada, when he got close, he patted the girl's head in a gesture similar to the one he made about six years ago.

''Good job hero.'' He said as the girl blushed and smiled back at him.

A day ago, after Shikamaru filled him in on everything, he decided on two things, first was to fire the current elders, second, he decided to resign in about five years.

Five years is what it took for Kakashi to teach him everything that has to do with the hokage business, and five years is what it will take to teach Sarada.

''A wise man once told me that to be hokage you have to be acknowledged by the villagers first.''

Sarada's head fell instead of rising, which surprised Naruto.

''What?''

''But the villagers…''

''You don't know who pulled you out of that rubble you were stuck beneath? And who carried you to the hospital, and who was waiting at the gates eagerly for their hero?''

Sarada's lower lip quivered, as she also remembered the academy students she saved in her hospital room yesterday.

''You're not the only that protects their family Sarada, they protect and care for you too, practically half the village was waiting outside the hospital doors as your mother was healing you.''

Naruto headed towards his desk and grabbed something from his drawer and handed it to her.

It was her headband.

My family, Sarada thought as she traced the leaf symbol engraved on the metal plate.

She reached with shaky hands and tied it on her forehead.

A second later the meaning of his previous words came to her.

''The villagers acknowledged me that that means that…'' she stuttered as she looked at Naruto who just smiled and nodded.

Sarada stood, not even wincing because of her injured leg and jumped on her master, wrapping her arms around him and letting out happy tears.

''I did it, I did it I did it shanaroo!''

''You still have a long way ahead young lady.''

Sarada jumped away from him and stood up straight.

''Of course sir, may I be excused?''

''Yeah sure, take this week off.''

''Thank you sir.'' She said as she headed to the door.

''And say hi to Boruto for me.''

Sarada stopped in her tracks as her neck reddened, but she didn't turn around and  just continued on.

Naruto walked towards the window, where the whole village could be seen.

Construction workers were working hard on rebuilding the village, shinobi were going on missions non stop to get funding for the village, the police force were staying up all night to assure that the villagers are safe,  the medical corps are still searching in the rubble for any injured people, kids and housewives making homemade bento's to give to the people who couldn't afford it after the damages they suffered, and of course he noticed the person that just ran out of his office, joyesly greeting the villagers and patting kids on the head as she ran towards what seems to be the hospital, where his son was resting.

Naruto smiled as he looked up, towards the hokage faces,  his gaze settled on the third's, then the fourth, the fifth, the sixth, himself, and then on the empty space beside him.

‘’Our family will be in good hands.’‘ he muttered as he thought of all the sacrifices the previous hokages have made to protect the village people, and about all the sacrifices the future hokages will make.

‘‘So is it final?’‘ Shikamaru, who just entered his office asked.

‘‘Yeah, I told you didn’t I?’‘

‘‘Told me what?’‘ Shikamaru asked, a confused expression on his face.

‘‘That their will be always new leaves.’‘

[fanfic-shiz]

Happenstance (A Tom Hiddleston Story)- Part One

Part Two

A/N: Okay so I normally don’t write fanfics about real people but Tom is my exception. Let me just begin by saying that this is a story idea that's been weaving in and about of my head for months so I finally decided to put it down on paper. I don't know how often or frequent updates will be, but I'll be writing whenever I have time. Keep in mind- this is not a story based on tons of factual evidence. I've never met Tom (sadly) so I don't know what he's actually like. Nor am I going to do tons of research on his schedules, where he lives, how often he films blah bah blah. Because this is a fanfiction and I'm just going to make things up as I see fit. Just a little reader discretion there. Anyways, I hope you love it as much as I love Tom.

Thirty more minutes until I could make my escape. I repeated this delightful mantra over and over in my head as I scrubbed vigorously at the huge, brown coffee stain on the middle of my once clean shirt. I knew I was only making it worse, but I was too far into the process to just give-up. Where was a bottle of Shout when you needed one anyways? Mia was always saying I need to look on the bright side more. Okay, so what was the bright side here?, I asked myself. I had ruined yet another perfectly good shirt, but I also had once again escaped the possibility of a third degree burn. What an incredibly depressing, dull bright side. I glanced up from the sink towards the clock on the wall. Twenty-nine more minutes.

I jumped as the shop phone suddenly began ringing shrilly from near the register. I abandoned trying to save my shirt, tossing the rag I'd been scrubbing with into the sink before scrambling for the phone.

"Common Grounds, this is Stella." I answered with a false note of cheerfulness. My facade immediately slipped away as I heard the familiar voice on the other end. "Oh hey, Clara. No, it's just me here." I'd almost forgotten it was a Monday. Clara always called and asked for her schedule on Monday. Like it was too much of an inconvenience for her to actually come into the shop and see for herself. She babbled for a moment before finally asking the inevitable. I sighed, rolling my eyes. "Your schedule? You don't say. Sure, just one second."

I double checked that the front of the shop was still free of customers before disappearing into the back office to check the schedule board. The office was cluttered with stacks of paper and empty coffee mugs, looking more like a hoarder's space than an actual business office. That was typical of my boss, though. Great guy, horrible organizational skills.

"Tomorrow you're in from 5am to 12pm. " I leaned forward, using my free hand to track Clara's hours on the colored sheet of paper. "Wednesday-" I was cut off by the sound of front door opening, the tiny little bell tinkling as it signaled the arrival of a customer. I groaned. Less than a half hour before close and someone needed a coffee fix? "Hey, I got somebody up front. Just be here tomorrow at 5." I clicked the phone off and set it on top of the desk.

I arranged my features into my fake happy face for customers before emerging from the office and heading back behind the counter. My smile faltered, though, as I glanced around the room and saw it empty. Weird. Maybe they changed their mind? At that exact moment, a small crowd of photographers stampeded past the window shouting and looking around mildly confused. I perked an eyebrow, wondering who the unfortunate victim was this time. Just last week I'd watched as Jennifer Garner got ambushed by paparazzi on her way out of a taxi cab. She'd looked as poised and gorgeous as ever, though. If it'd been me, I'd probably be on the front cover of People magazine for punching someone in the face. Hence why I'd make a terrible celebrity.

"Evening!"

An embarrassing squeak of surprise escaped me as I whirled around at the sound of a voice. "Holy shingles, don't you know it's rude to sneak up on people!" I exclaimed, placing a hand over my racing heart.

I'd been too preoccupied staring out of the window to have noticed the man now standing on the opposite side of the counter. My eyes quickly swept over him. He looked like he'd just stepped out of the pages of GQ magazine. He was tall. Like very tall. And his suit clung to his lean, slender frame incredibly well. Too good looking for this side of town. He belonged somewhere in Manhattan.

He gave me a sheepish smile, sliding his hands into the front pockets of his pants. "My apologies, I was trying to be inconspicuous." He spoke with a crisp British accent, only adding to my deduction that this was a man who belonged somewhere much swankier than Common Grounds.

Inconspicuous. A lightbulb went on in my head. So this is who those paps had been after. My curiosity was definitely piqued as I tried to casually study him without being noticeable. So far, while incredibly handsome, his face wasn't ringing any bells. "Can I get you something?"

"Just a coffee."

I glanced behind me to see what was still hot before turning back to face him. "All I have left is decaf. Is that okay?"

"Probably the better option considering how late it is." He agreed, checking his watch.

I grabbed a cup from the stack on the counter and as I poured his drink, I ran through the list of all the male celebrities I knew in my head. I couldn't come up with a match, though. Not Ryan Gosling, not Zac Efron, not Ben Affleck. It was an embarrassingly short list. Pop culture knowledge was Mia's thing, not mine. I snapped a lid onto his cup and pushed it across the counter towards him. "$2.75." I announced, tapping some keys on the register screen. "So who are you anyways? The paps don't just chase anybody down the street." I asked as nonchalantly as possible, sneaking a glance at him.

He perked an eyebrow at me before digging his wallet out of his pocket. "You really don't recognize me?" He didn't sound the least bit offended. His tone was more curious than anything. Was I the only person in New York City who didn't know him?

I shook my head. "No, sorry. Actor or model? Or wait, singer?"

He let out a laugh as he slid his money across the counter towards me, eyes dancing with amusement. "Just actor. In the movies, not telly."

I was momentarily distracted by his use of the word telly instead television but shook it off. "Okay, maybe if you tell me something you've been in." I suggested as I put his money into the register.

He held out his hand for his change and I dropped it into his open palm. "Thor, Avengers...," He trailed off, watching my expression expectantly.

"Ah, okay. Well that's why then. I don't like super hero movies," I explained, leaning back against the counter and crossing my arms over my chest.

His eyes were a bright, striking color of blue. One corner of his mouth had quirked upwards in an amused smile. "Really?"

"Nope. The whole one guy showing up, single handedly saving the day, and giving everyone a happy ending is a little too farfetched for me. I'm not much for heroes."

"You're in luck then. I don't play the hero...I play the villain." He teased as his smile grew. It was a little unfair how distracting he was. I wanted him to go away so I could think straight because this was dangerous territory. Who knew what ridiculous things I'd say or do for a face like that.

"Really? You definitely look more the hero type to me." I said with an air of surprise. "Aren't the heroes supposed to be incredibly handsome, and the villains hideous?" My voice betrayed me, making the question sound flirty when I hadn't intended it to come out that way at all. Damn him and his perfectly quaffed hair.

"They made an exception for me." He winked.

I flushed against my will. Damn it, he was charming. "And what is said name of this villain you play?"

"Loki." He answered simply.

I wrinkled my nose. "That's a terrible super villain name."

He let out a laugh. "Well, it's the name of an actual god from mythology. Thor's half brother. I'm sorry it's not up to your villain name standards, however."

I realized he was teasing me, and the flirtatious nature of his smile made me flustered. I combated with a halfhearted roll of my eyes. "Well in that case..."

He didn't seem deterred. "What's your name, love?"

"Stella."

"Stella." He repeated and I felt a small, unexpected thrill rush through me at the sound of my name leaving his lips. Double damn him. "I'm Tom."

"No last name?" I asked, raising my eyebrows.

"I don't get very many chances to be just Tom so I'm taking advantage of it." He smiled at me broadly and I understood instantly what he'd meant. While I obviously lived under a rock and had no clue who he was, the rest of the world knew and recognized him as Tom Whoever, the famous actor. Here, right now, he could be just Tom. I was struck by the realization of what a strange existence it must have been, to be someone famous. His eyes appraised my curiously from over the rim of his coffee cup as he took another sip and I fought the urge to fidget under his gaze. "Perhaps I'll see you again?" He finally asked.

Perhaps you'll what now? I managed a shrug. "Perhaps, Just Tom." Oh, that was smooth.

He gave me one final movie star smile before turning and disappearing out the front door. I watched as he raised his hand from the curb and cab pulled up along side. I waited until the car door had shut and concealed him from view before slumping against the counter. "What the hell just happened?" I asked aloud.

I ran my hands through my hair and paused, cursing underneath my breath. I'd forgotten about the giant, unappealing coffee stain on my shirt. What a lovely first impression. I scurried towards the front door and quickly twisted the lock, flipping the open sign to closed.

I dug my cellphone out of my back pocket and quickly maneuvered to my contacts list, selecting a name. I held the phone to my ear as it began ringing. Wait, what was I even doing? My roommate answered before I had a chance to hang up. "Nevermind, Mia. Wrong person!" I quickly said, hanging up. I'd been about to drill her on actors named Tom who played super villains in important Marvel films but changed my mind. I didn't want to know. That would make it seem like I cared more than I should have. Why did it matter who he was, or what he did for a living?

He'd wound up in Common Grounds by complete chance and that was that. We'd talked, I'd poured him coffee, and he'd left. And somewhere in there he had very flirtatiously smiled at me and said some things in a British accent that I found very charming. Which was even more reason why not to look up him and figure out just who he was. I was not one of those girls who gushed over celebrities. I was not one of those girls that formed crushes on men I'd only just met. That was stupid.

My phone rang as Mia tried calling me back. I rolled my eyes and answered. "Everything is fine, stop calling me." I hung up for a second time and pushed myself off the door to finish closing up the shop.

#

I was ready to fall over, dead on my feet after a long day, by the time I'd finally made the long traipse home and stumbled in through the front door. Mia was sitting at the kitchen table, flicking through a magazine with her legs curled up beneath her. She arched an eyebrow at me.

"Hey weirdo, what was with the phone call?"

"Wrong person." I answered shortly, shrugging off my backpack and dropping it on the floor. She rolled her eyes, but didn't push it. She went back to looking through her magazine as I leaned against the counter and reached for the pile of mail. "Anything good?"

Before I had time to even register what was happening, Mia glanced up and eyes widened as she saw me reaching for the mail. She was out of her seat in less than a second, swiping the stack out of my reach. "Junk. All of it." She said quickly. She picked a letter from the top of the stack and pushed the rest back across the counter towards me.

I narrowed my eyes at her but she held on firmly to that one single cream colored envelope. My heart dropped a little. "What don't you want me to see?"

"Just trust me, Stell. It's better for you to remain oblivious."

I snorted. "Bullshit."

I wrestled the stack of mail from her hands and turned my back on her, shifting through the envelopes until I found what she had been trying to hide. I looked down at the cream colored envelope, addressed only to Mia. Not to me. I stared at the cursive, neat handwriting for a moment longer, hesitating. I knew Mia was right. She was thinking in my best interest for me since I clearly couldn't. Still, I couldn't stop myself from tearing open the envelope and pulling out the rectangle photograph inside.

'Save the date! Shawn and Catherine are getting married! Formal invitation to follow!'

Hatred suddenly began to curl inside of me, pushing itself to the service. I glared at their smiling faces, at the gorgeous ring sitting on her finger. I'd been harboring a petty hope that he would have started balding, or spontaneously lost all of his teeth or something. No such luck. He was still gorgeous and so was she.

"Stella, you okay?" Mia asked quietly, coming up behind me.

I forced my eyes shut, swallowing back the hurt. Mia had been right trying to hide this from me. I cleared my throat and smoothed my expression before turning around. "Fine. I'm fine." I lied. I handed the invitation back to her. "I'm sure it'll be a lovely wedding." My voice betrayed me.

"Are you kidding? I'm not going to their wedding." Mia said in an obvious tone, immediately popping the lid of the trash can and tossing it in. "Personally, I think it's a little rude they sent me anything at all considering you and I are still roommates."

I gave her a pointed look before reaching in and pulling it back out. I pushed it into her hands. "It's okay if you want to, really. I get it." I sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Anyways, it's been a year. I should be over it, right?"

Mia shook her head and wrapped her arms around my middle, dropping her head onto my shoulder. "I don't care how long it's been. I refuse to go to my best friend's ex boyfriend's wedding to said best friend's ex-friend. Wow, that's a complicated sentence."

I let out a laugh despite myself, hugging her back. "Well, whatever you do about ex-boyfriend's wedding to ex-friend, I'll still love you best."

"You wanna eat ice cream out of the tub and watch reruns of Friends?" She asked, lifting her head to look up at me.

"Nah, it's all good. I'm not gonna let it bum me out." I decided, untangling myself from her hug.

"Yikes, that's a mighty big stain you have there." Mia said, pointing towards my shirt.

I frowned down at the shirt. "Yeah, I know." My mind almost immediately rewound right back to a certain very tall very attractive unknown celebrity sipping a cup of coffee a mere three feet away from me.

I debated with myself for a moment, before giving in. I jumped up onto the counter, swinging my legs. Mia was pulling out the ice cream anyways and grabbing two spoons from one of the drawers anyways. "Mia, you know movies. Who's the actor that plays the bad guy in the super hero hammer movie?"

She gave me an incredulous look from over her shoulder, before bumping the drawer shut with her hip. "You mean Thor? One of the most popular super hero movies of our time?"

I shrugged and she nodded. "Right, your super hero movie embargo. Anyways, said actor is Tom Hiddleston. Why do you ask?"

My pulse jumped a little at the confirmation of his first name. Not that I'd thought he'd been lying, but still. It was New York. You couldn't be too careful. "Well, this Tom character may or may not have purchased a cup of coffee from Common Grounds today."

She froze would a spoonful of ice cream halfway to her mouth. "Hold on a second, Tom Hiddleston comes into where you work, orders a coffee, and you wait until now to tell me? Or wait, is what that phone call was about?"

"I didn't want to make it a big deal! I didn't even know who the guy was!" I protested, snatching up the extra spoon lying on the counter between us.

She leaned back against the counter and let out a dreamy sigh. "God, what I wouldn't give to get him in my make-up chair just once."

I raised my eyebrows. "And if I didn't know you, I would think you were implying something sexual rather than something job related."

She scoffed. "Oh, he's gorgeous. No doubt. But I'm happily tied down." She beamed. I pretended to gag at the mention of her new boyfriend, a camera man she'd met on set of the latest project she'd been hired on. I valued the fact that Mia was used to being up close and personal with celebrities now more than ever. She didn't get all insane about encounters with them. "Is he beautiful in person?"

"Considering I've never seen him before today, I have nothing to compare him to." I said honestly and she gave me a pointed look. "But yes, fine. He's is gorgeous." I admitted grudgingly.

"Was he nice? He seems like he'd be nice."

I ate a spoonful of ice ream and thought it over. "Very polite. And charming. He has a nice smile."

Mia was smirking at me and I lightly kicked her with my foot. "Stop, I was just answering your question. "

"Should've asked for his number." She shrugged.

I took one last bite of ice cream and hopped off the counter, tossing my spoon into the empty sink. "You're insane." I answered simply. The idea of asking anyone out was uncomfortable enough, let alone someone famous. "I'm not trying to mortally embarrass myself. Besides, I don't date actors." I suddenly decided as an afterthought.

"Oh really? Since when? Should I add that to the list?" She joked, pointing with her spoon to a sheet of notebook paper taped to the fridge. Mia had started to compile a list of my 'date dealbreakers' after I began rejecting every single guy she tried setting me up...too loud, wears too much cologne, lives with his mother, likes nickelback... All valid reasons in my opinion. The list was mostly a joke, but I saw the point she was trying to make.

I shrugged. "Go for it."

"No problemo." She grabbed a pen and scribbled 'no actors' at the bottom of the list. "Narrowing down options pretty quickly here."

"Well, actors get paid to pretend for a living. That probably means they're great liars." I said matter-of-factly.

"That's actually a valid thought, but I still think you're nutty." Mia shrugged.

"And on that note, I'm going to bed. I have an early shift tomorrow." As if to prove my point, a large yawn escaped me. Mia waved her spoon at me, calling goodnight as a trailed down the hallway to my bedroom.

I shut the door behind me and began shedding my clothing, making a mental note to do something about the coffee stained shirt the next day. I went through my typical night routine before finally curling up in my bed underneath a comforter. I set my alarm on my phone, but paused before putting it on my nightstand. The urge to open up the browser and search 'Tom Hiddleston' was suddenly slightly unexpected and overwhelming. Even if it was just so I could once again confirm who he was and also possibly get another look at his perfection. I was turning into one of those girls, wasn't I?

My thumb hovered over the safari button but I abruptly changed my mind and shoved my phone onto the nightstand. I rolled over so the temptation was no longer in sight. "Freaking Tom Hiddleston." I muttered before shutting my eyes.