#I did order some new ones that should be here today…hopefully they’re the right size?

[jess-abides]

Back at it 😌 they felt and looked better today, and I did an extra set bc I was having fun

[awkward-gay-bro]

Just A Prank

“Hey guys, I’ve got something pretty funny in store for you today! Andrew aka LAHFW is staying the week at my place while his gets fumigated. We all know how much he loves pranks and magic...and I found a website dedicated to both!” Stuart walked over to his cupboard and pulled out a bottle. “The website is called ‘Presto’ and they guarantee to deliver. I ordered this bottle of ‘Presto: Hair-B-Gone’ and swapped it out for Andrew’s body wash. This should be great!”

“What the hell?!” The sounds of running water in the bathroom came to a halting stop. “Dude what the hell?!” Andrew swung the bathroom door open, glaring at Stuart. He no loner had any hair below his eyes, his body now smoother than the day he was born.”

Still looking at the camera, Stuart chuckled, “Don’t worry, man! It’s just a prank.”

************************************************************

“Alright guys, Stuart got me pretty bad in that last video. But I found his little website and made an order of mine. He swapped my body wash, so I swapped his!” Andrew lifted two bottles into view, one was the bottle of liquid that had removed all his hair. “This is what he used, so I figured I’d have to do him one better. This bottle is called ‘Double Bubble Bath’ it’s supposed to have some pretty cheeky side effects.”

The shower turned off and the bathroom door slammed loudly. The sounds of dresser doors repeatedly opening and slamming closed came from Stuart’s room and Andrew burst out laughing. “Having some troubles in there bud?”

“I think you know I am!” Stuart yelled back. “I can’t find anything that fits!’

Ten minutes passed, with just the sounds of Stuart grunting in pain as Andrew laughed hysterically. Then suddenly, the door to Stuart’s room opened. 

“Very funny.” Stuart was standing there in a pair of gym shortest that looked three sizes too small. “These shorts were the only thing I could fit in.” 

“I don’t think the camera can see why, why don’t you give us a little twirl?” Stuart followed suit, slowly doing a 360. His rear end had tripled in size, looking comically big on his otherwise fit frame. The fabric was pulled so tight across his cheeks you could tell he couldn’t find any underwear that still fit.

“I’m going to have to get a whole new wardrobe until this wears off. You know this means war.”

“It’s just a prank, right?”

************************************************************

“So Andrew took these pranks to a whole new lever, so I really had to step up my game. Lucky for me, I found the perfect thing on ‘Presto’ to knock him down a peg.” As Stuart backed away from the camera, his massive new rear end knocked over the chair behind him. “Oh, sorry guys, this thing still hasn’t gone down.” He leaned down to pick up the chair, unintentionally showing off his bouncing cheeks in the tightest pair of khakis he could fit into. The pants split straight down the middle, showing his underwear to the camera as the video cut away. 

The video cut back, and Stuart was now wearing a tight pair of running leggings. “We’re about to go for a run and I slipped something special from ‘Presto’ into his shoes. They’re called ‘Any Flats Soles.’ The description online said they’ll make any pair of shoes into the perfect flats, guaranteed to help you look shorter in any outfit.” Turning his face away from the camera, Stuart yelled, “You almost ready for our run?”

“Yeah, I just can’t find my running shoes. Have you seen them?” Andrew said from off camera. 

“They’re in the hall by the backdoor!” Stuart grabbed the camera and took it with him as he walked to the hall to watch his prank unfurl. He got there just in time to see Andrew tying his laces. 

“Why do you have the camera, what did you do?” But Andrew’s question was quickly answered as he dropped inch by inch, step by step. By the time he’d walked over to Stuart he was now craning his head to make eye contact with the man he’d previously had to look down at. 

“Oh gosh, you’re not even eye level with my shoulders now!” Stuart stuck out his hand and tousled Andrew’s hair. “We better get going! With those short legs this run is going to be way longer.”

Andrew lifted his shirt up, which was hanging to his knees, “I don’t think I’m going to make it very far unless I change.”

“Sucks when you have to buy new clothes,” Stuart turned to his side, showing off his gargantuan mounds in the tight leggings, “You’re probably going to have to check out the children’s section little guy. Don’t worry, it’s just a prank.”

************************************************************

“So you guys know Stuart and I are in a little bit of a prank war right now, and I definitely got the short end of the stick thanks to his latest video. He’s been calling me little ever since, so I have a little surprise of my own for him.” Andrew lifted up a tank top that looked massive next to his shrunken frame. “This is Stuart’s muscle tank he usually wears to work out. I swapped it out with a very special tank-top I got from ‘Presto.’ Shout out to ‘Presto,’ guys. They caught wind of our feud and actually sent this one free of charge!”

Andrew climbed down off of the stepping stool he’d placed in front of the camera. With his whole body in frame it was clearly visible he was wearing women’s work out sweats, the only ones that would fit right on his new proportions. “You might be noticing the wardrobe, Stuart offered to pick me up some clothes. I’m gonna go grab Stuart, hopefully we don’t miss the show.” Walking away from the camera it became visible the word “Sexy” written in glittery gold was stretched across Andrew’s perky little bubble.

“I’m heading out to my work-out, what do you need to show me,” Stuart said as they walked back into the view of the camera. 

“This should only take a second. Oh, the tag is still on your tank, let me get that for you!”

Andrew reached up and pulled the tag off Stuart’s top. “What I’ve had this tank for yea-” The second the tag left his tank Stuart’s body deflated like a balloon letting the air out. Every muscle on his body shrunk down until he was supply smooth all over. The only thing part of his body that didn’t shrink was the ghetto booty that jutted out from his now stick thin body. 

“What did you put on my tank-top?”

“That’s not your muscle tank, I swapped it out for a ‘Presto Muscle-less Tank’.”

“Dude. I just got new clothes.”

“It’s just a prank.”

************************************************************

“Okay, after our latest pranks both Andrew and I needed new clothes.  So I went out on another wardrobe run. That gave me the perfect opportunity for my next prank. He’s getting dressed now, so...let’s go see the results!”

Andrew walked out of his room, wearing a pair of women’s jeggings. “Real funny man, did you throw out all my underwear? This was the only thing I could find.” He rolled down his waistband just enough to show off the top off a metallic pink thong. “I’d rather wear my baggy old boxers then this.”

“Well I had to be sure you’d put them on, things feeling roomier?”

“What does that mean? Oh no, what are these supposed to do?” Andrew fled down the hall to examine himself off screen. 

“That was a pack of shrinky-dink thongs! You can probably guess at what those do.” Stuart laughed hysterically as Andrew shouted from off screen. 

“That’s way too far!”

“It’s just a prank!”

************************************************************

“Well, for some reason youtube demonetized both of us, so here we are on onlyfans. Get your mind out of the gutter, though! We are still all about the pranks. But this new prank I’ve got is definitely going to be worth the subscription.” Andrew pulled up what looked a normal bottle of baby powder. Before he could explain what it was, Stuart snuck up from behind him. 

“What are you doing?” Andrew yelled out. But Stuart wrestled him to the grown. Even without his muscles, he still outweighed Andrew at his diminutive new size. Stuart pinned Andrew to the ground and pulled out the ‘Muscle-less Tank’. Stuart maneuvered so he was sitting against Andrew’s chest shoving the tank over the smaller man’s head.  Andrew struggled to no avail. As soon as Stuart pulled both of his hands through the armholes the tank did its thing. Andrew’s muscles faded away almost instantly, but Stuart wasn’t done. He pulled out the bottle of ‘Double Bubble Bath’ and poured it onto the quickly thinning man. 

As soon as Stuart stood up, Andrew jumped to his feet and ran to his room. His ever expanding ass swaying as he ran. When he emerged from his room he dived straight for Stuart’s feet, shoving the ‘Any Flats Soles’ into his shoes. Even if though he could just get the tip of the soles in, they worked their magic. Stuart quickly started to shrink down until him and Andrew were on even footing. When they were looking eye to eye, Andrew tried to yank down Stuart’s slacks, but they were caught on his massive posterior. Andrew quickly changed gears and shoved the ‘Shrinky-Dink Thong’ into the pouch of Stuart’s underwear. With how strained his slacks were, the new adjustments to Stuart’s manhood were on full display, even though his clothes were now baggy everywhere else.

Stuart’s body hair started to fall out every below his eyebrows. “When did you?”

“I filled the pouch of the thong!”

Stuart tackled Andrew to the ground as Andrew’s phone started to ring. The phone fell out of his pocket as the two fell to the ground, sliding across the floor the momentum swiped to answer. 

“Hey Andrew, it’s Danny! I’m excited for our video today, I’m about five minutes away. Are you there? I can’t hear you. Sorry I must have bad service. Either way, see ya soon dude.”

As they were rolling around on the ground Andrew remembered the most recent prank he was going to pull. He jumped up to grab the powder and the label ‘Gay-by Powder’ became visible to the camera. Before he could get it opened Stuart tackled him to the ground and wrestled the bottle out of his hands. They continued rolling around on the ground, each wrestling the bottle out of the other’s hand before either could get it open. 

Danny knocked on the front door but no one answered. He’d known Andrew long enough though to feel comfortable letting himself in. But what he saw inside wasn’t the Anderw he knew. Instead, he saw two slim yet thicc men rolling around on the floor, fighting over something he couldn’t make out. When the two guys flipped positions, and he could see their faces, he was taken aback that it was Andrew and Stuart wrestling on the ground. 

“What the hell happened to you two?” 

Stuart was startled by the sudden shock of being caught in this compromising position, and Andrew took full advantage, grabbing the bottle. He couldn’t get the bottle to open with his dainty new hands, so he put his whole body into it. The force of it finally opening shot the powder all over the room, coating all three men. 

As the powder cleared, the two little twinks writhing on the ground had climbed to their feet. Danny was no longer looking down on the men with shock, but with lust. The twinks first locked eyes with each other before turning their cute faces up to the young jock standing between them. Danny took charge of the situation and ripped the slacks pants off both the other men. He pulled the little twinks into his arm as his pats began to tent. 

“I don’t know what this is,” Danny grabbed each of the twinks by their jiggling cheeks, “but I think I’m going to have a handful with the two of you.” He leaned down and planted a kiss on Stuart’s rosy lips, as he slipped a finger into Andrew’s crevice. Pulling his face away, he whispered, “Not that I’m complaining, but what’s going on?”

“It’s just a prank,” Andrew said between moans. “Good thing we’re on only fans.” Andrew sat the empty container on the desk by the camera, and the label came clearly into focus. “Warning: Do not mix Presto Products. Mixing products may permanently extend the effects.”

[housamo-side-blog-2]

Sick Day

{Harumo’s room}

The Sun rises to the world of Tokyo,dark areas illuminated, the greens and living beings, everyone in the world of the unknown,And speaking of unknown, in one of the dorms rooms of Shinjuku Academy lies a young chubby boy with hundreds of simps [literally] lay dormant in his room resting from all the fighting and all nighters they do because everyday is a new huge event for him, The curtains sway lightly as the wind  passes through,the room begins to bring color as the rising run brings joy to some individuals, There the chubby hero name Harumo covered in blankets still asleep even though he was about to be late for his classes starting right........now..

Lil Salomon: Wakey-wakey master its time to get up, You’re going to be late for school again.....Master?

Your forevor close buddy familiar attempts to wake you up,however you appear  unresponsive to his pleas. But something about your silence begins to worry him.

Lil Salomon: Master!,Master!,Wake up!

Attempting to wake you up again in a panic state,circling around your blankets shaking any area to atleast make you twitch,however it doesn’t work.. This only made your butler more worried,because of the fact he can’t be seen by other people and only you can see him, he cannot go to your classmates for aid as well as his father Mr Mononobe whom can see Salomon if he has the ring,that is now in your right ring finger.

[KNOCKING OF A DOOR]

Lil Salomon:  Who could that be?!

Shiro: Harumo?,are you up!, You’re gonna be late again for class.

Lil Salomon: What Luck!... Master!, you’re friends are here to see you,Master please wake up.

He tries to wake you up again,

Lil Salomon: Ma-Master?, {Touches forehead}...ow! Oh my goodness!, Master you’re burning up! 

Harumo.....*soft groan*....

{Thud}

Ryota: Did you guys hear that?

Shiro: Yes, i did,Harumo what was that noise?

Kengo:Step aside you two.

Ryota: Kengo?, what are you doing?

Kengo: Im gonna punch that cute ass of his if he doesn’t wake up.

Shiro:Absolutely not Kengo!, You’re going to break school property!.

Lil Salomon: How am i going to tell them,,,Uhmm......Oooohhhhhh thats it!HOLD ON MASTER!

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Ryota: Wahhh!,,what the?,, 

A  piece of paper mysteriously appeared on Ryota’s shoe..

 Ryota: HELP?!

Shiro: What the?...HARUMO!,,{KNOCKING}

Shiro: Kengo break the door!

Kengo: RARRRGGHHH!

With no hesitation Kengo easily breaks the door down with his mighty kick as strong as horse’s gallop.A loud bang with a surprise for the trio waiting for them as they found themselves shocked to enter your room with you on the floor,

Ryota: Harumo!, 

Kengo:Partner what happen?!

Shiro touches your forehead.

Shiro:{Gasp} Harumo,you’re burning up! 

Ryota: Shiro, we have to bring them to the clinic 

Shiro: Kengo grab Harumo and bring them to Shennong’s clinic,Hurry!

Kengo: Right! Hold on partner! will get you to Shennong! so hang in there!

Kengo lifts you up with both hands carrying you as Kengo looks at you with a serious yet scared face followed by Shiro,whom is both running with him as he checks on your body along with Ryota, who is seen almost on the verge of tears as he looks upon his friend while hearing the soft groans as a slight displacement is enough to hurt them...

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                                                                                                                                                          HARUMO SICK DAY

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{Kabukicho} 

In a old abandoned building in Kabukicho, a lone transient is seen sleeping on the couch, with his usual expression, though in some moments it changes to a happy one, where he could be seen smiling. i wonder what they’re dreaming about?

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{Shino”s Dream} 

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In a calm peaceful forest in Shino”s homeworld, Lays a medium sized hut with a  large window next to the entrance with a small workshop underneath it. There the chimney is seen being lit as puffs of smoke exits from it,indicating that someone is cooking...Waiking slowly to the door the gray fured therian sees.. 

Shino: Beloved,,, i have returned... 

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Harumo: Hello Shino, Welcome back! 

Shino: Yes, my dear. that smells nice,

Harumo: Well, thats because im cooking your favorite today, 

Shino:  i see, be careful with cutting with a knife dear. 

Harumo: Don’t worry, dear, im always careful. 

Shino: i should aid you in cutting the meat.

Harumo: All right, you big fluffy worry wart, 

Shino: Tha-,,i already told you, to please stop calling me that!. 

Harumo: But its cute, and you really are fluffy and big. 

Shino:{Blushes}

Harumo: Im going to pick some vegtables from the back. 

Shino: Ok dear..

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*COUGHING* 

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Shino: Harumo?.... 

His ears twitch as he went to see his dear coughing and it appears They’re trying to cover it. 

Shino: Harumo...are you ill?..

Harumo:*coughing small amounts of blood*...

Shino:.you’re not well!, you medical assistance! 

Harumo:*coughing....

Shino steps in to catch you from falling as your knees begin to gave out,,as soon as he lifts you up in his arms like a knight carrying they’re princess,

But as soon,as Shino turns back...

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Shino: {Gasp}..... NO!!!....

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{PIERCING SOUND}

An unexpected arrow,was fired as Shino’s back....

Shino: AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Hunter:i’’ve found him!....

Other Hunter:There he is!,, Fire! 

Shino: Harumo!...Hold on!

Harumo:Ahhh!,,

Shino: I won’t let them harm you my beloved! 

Hunter: Fire at him! 

{Piercing sound} 

Shino: Thaaaa! 

Even with arrows sticking out of his back, Shino takes a stance in fury and readys his sword,with his paw clutched,Shino could never forgive the ones that try to harm his dearly beloved.

Other Hunter: He’s gettin ready to attack,,defend yourself! 

Shino: I WILL TEARS OFF YOUR HEADS! ..

Harumo:*Coughing*

Hunter:His coming! 

Running furiously,sword in hand and paw ready to grab the head,  Shino,,full on runs towards the two hunters in rabid speeds even though he was hit with two arrows on his back,but it seems to have no effect on him as he was about near the hunter who shot the first arrow...

Shino: YOUR HEAD!

Hunter: aHHHH!

Harumo: SHINOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

Shino: Huh,,,Harumo....

Just moments away from pulling his neck, Shino heard the cries of his beloved and stopped him from taking his life,,,however hunters,,,give no mercy to their prey.....

Shino: You dispicable!

Harumo:...*coughing

With his sharp animal senses, and even more high alert, Shino spots the hunter about to stab him,. 

Harumo: NOOOOOOOOO!!!!! 

Shino:I DON’T THINK SO!

Other hunter: No! {Fires an arrow}

 Shino dodges the incoming arrow,with the unconcious hunter out of commisioned,the now calm Shino hurrys back and sweeps up and hunt continues on..

Harumo:*coughing*....

Shino: Just hold on a little longer, and we’ll be there. 

Harumo: T-thank you Shino,,,,for sparing his life..

Shino:.....

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Shino: Look, we’re nearly out,,just hold on a--

{Pierce}  

Harumo: Ahhh!!! 

Shino: Harumoooo!!!!

While near the exit of the forest,a lone hunter is seen in a firing postion,as though they have been waiting for a while and shotted an arrow hitting Harumo in they’re right side....

Shino: Harumo....Harumo!!...YOU!!!!!

As the blood of his beloved’s body spreads, 

Harumo: Ahhhhhh!!!,,,,,*Coughs blood. 

Shino tries to take down the lone hunter,,but alas,,,the hunter had shot an arrow in Shino’s chest piercing his heart...as they fall,,and slowly close they’re eyes,,,The image of his beloved covered in blood on the ground as Shino can only see the life of his beloved eye’s slowly fade away....

{WAKES UP} 

Shino: Thaaa!!!----*gasping* *sweating*....

Shino: *Gasping* I..its...its just a dream...*gasping*  

Shino:My lord.....

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{Clinic} 

Rushed to the medical clinic of Shinjuku Academy The Summoners watch in worried as they see in bed while Shennong examines your body and coming up with a diagnostic. 

Shiro: How is Harumo? Shennong..

Shennong:Its all right now,,,Harumo just got a really high fever. 

Shiro: {Gasp}

Ryota: Harumo....

Shennong: I’d say 2 days of bed rest,and Harumo will be better.,   

Shiro: Understood Shennong.  

Harumo: *soft groan* ahh...

Kengo:  partner...just relax now..

Shennong: I called Mr Mononobe, to inform him about Harumo, he should arriving soon ..oh......speak of the devil. 

{Door opens}

Mr Mononobe: Oh, so this is were you three were.  

Mr Mononobe: How’s Harumo? 

Shennong: Harumo is in bed, They just got a high fever, but he’l be fine.They just need a lot of rest.

Mr Mononobe: I see, Thank you for your work Shennong,and to you to also Shiro,Kengo and Ryota, 

Shiro: We’re just glad Harumo is going to be okay. 

Mr Mononobe: I’ll inform the other teachers about Harumo and tell them why you three are late.. 

Shiro: Understood,Thank you Mr Mononobe..

Mr Mononobe: No problem, Now you three better go to class all right. 

Kengo: Im staying to take care of Harumo!

Mr Mononobe: Now,now Takabushi, i understand that you’re worried, but Shennong can keep an eye on Harumo,, 

Shiro: Kengo we can’t do that!, 

Ryota: Im worried also for Harumo,and i want to take care of them... 

Shiro: Kengo,Ryota lets go now!

Kengo:rgghhhh!,, fine,,.....I’’ll be back for you partner!.

Ryota: Harumo..i promise im going to take care of you! 

Shennong: See you all as well, I’ll  watch over Harumo.

Shiro: Thank you Shennong. 

Shiro: ....I’ll be back to take care of you!

Kengo: Hey you’re stealing my lines!

Mr Mononobe:all right now, run along kids. 

{Door close} 

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 {Nakano Shopping Mall} 

In the mall.... 

Customer: Can i have 10 rainbow buns please! 

Customer: I’ll take 14 rainbow buns to go and can i have a soda! 

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Here in the Nakano Shopping Mall is where a very popular bun is being sold,not only for its deliciousness,but for the wide varieties of colors that represent that each a different kind of flavor, and as you can tell, from its name,the buns come into all different colors hence earning its name Rainbow Buns. sold by the shop being managed by the father of a young pink-haired chubby boy.

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Ebisu: Coming up 10 buns of Special Rainbow buns!

Employee: Hey Ebsu, where’s num#4′s order?! 

Ebisu: Oh, Coming!,

Normally its not as busy in the shop, but strangely,people have been coming in to taste and witness the popular Rainbow Buns thats been getting famous in Nakano..And hopefully Ebisu doesn’t get tired....

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2 hours later.... 

All orders that have been piling up, has now begin to disappear one by one as the customers each take of what they have ordered, feeling thirsty and tired,Ebisu goes to the terrace of the mall where it faces the calm sea...

Ebisu: Phew.......{sips tea}

Resting calmy  on a bench, he stares blankly at the tranquil sea, as it reflects the rays of the sun,and the many fishing boats moving rapidly to their fishing spots. 

Ebisu: Its so beautiful....*sigh*

Sitting on the bench,reminded him of the person who sat next to him, in comfort, 

Ebisu:......

{Memory}

Harumo: Can i sit here? 

Ebisu: .....

{End of Memory} 

He stares at his tea while remembering that said person.

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Ebisu: I wonder how Harumo is doing?...Hmm..

{Remembers Harumo sweet moments}

{Heartbeat} 

Ebisu: w..Did, my heart,,,just beat skipped a beat?.. and why is it when im remembering Harumo? 

Ebisu:.....w-w-.why do i want to see Harumo again?!, do i like them?Well offcourse i like them!, but whats this feeling that,,,that my heart is about to explode!.....Ahhhh!,..

 He scratch his head in confusion.

.Ebisu: Thaaaa,,,,C’mon Ebisu,,Do you really like Harumo as a friend or as a lover!

Employee: Hey Ebisu!,Breaks over! lets get back to work! 

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Ebisu:Thaaaa!!!,,,,, Oh,,,sorry sir!,,, 

 Employee: Get a move on, those rainbow buns aren’t gonna cook themselves!

.Ebisu: We actually bake them sir.

.Employee: Oh.,,,also, what were you shouting back there?,  

.Ebisu: What?, you heard?,, its,,,nothing,, nothing sir,, 

Employee: ......Then i why were you shouting lover then?!

Ebisu: You heard that?!,, ohhhhhh,,,,

Ebisu covers his face out of embarassment as you can tell from the tomato colored face he’s doing,, the employee, looks at him sharply into his eyes as if he wanted to tell something to him,, 

Employee: Is it about that Harumo guy you mentioned, the one that you’re inlove with?!

Ebisu: What?!,no!,,i just,,,its just that,,,

Employee: Shhhhhh,,,don’t say anymore, 

Ebisu: But...

Employee: A THAT THAT THAT THAT,,no more..

Ebisu: *Sigh*  its just that, i just,,can’t seem to stop thinking about them, it confuses me, and i don’t know if i really love them, 

Employee: You can tell them about it later after work,C’mon the customers are probably waiting.

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 {Shinjuku Cafeteria}

Lunch time,at Shinjuku Academy, Ryota is at the front of line,  

Ryota: Hey Choji!, whats special for today?.

Choji: Hello Ryota,Our main menu for today is our special Chicken Karaage and it comes with a sauce of different flavors,you could also pick which flavor of the Karaage,we have spicy,sour,sweet,savory,  flavors so take your pick. and we also have chicken soup and chicken curry...

Ryota: Karaage?!,,,,Can i have 5 sweet karaage!, 

Kengo: Hey its chicken on a menu!, I’ll take 10 of....uhh....the savory ones!

Choji and Ryota: T-t-TEN?! 

Ryota: Are you sure you can eat all of it?! 

Kengo: Hah!, i need a lot of protein for my body you know,also im going to bring these to Harumo,, i bet they’re hungry.

Choji: Come to think of it,I don’t see Harumo with you, you guys are always with them.

Ryota: Harumo is sick,,He’s got a high fever so they can’t come..

Choji: Oh no!, hope they’re feeling okay...

Choji: Its a good thing we have chicken soup on the menu,, that will help in they’re recovery,I’ll save a batch for him and you can feed it to them...

Ryota: Thanks Choji,

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Shiro: You better eat all of it Kengo! 

Kengo: Whaddya think im doing, im not going to waste chicken, and also Choji will go berserk on me. .

Moritaka: We warriors need a lot of protein to sustain our bodies,so im sure Kengo will eat everything on his plate..

Toji: Still, it will be better if you added some vegtables to your diet Takabushi. 

Kengo: Why is everyone questioning my food choices!

Ryota: Hey,how about we visit Harumo,to see if they are awake. 

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Chernobog: Is something a matter with my heroic one?

Ryota: Ahhh!, Oh,,its just you Chernobog,, don’t scare me like that!. 

Chernoog: I did not mean to frighten, you Ryota, i just heard you mention about the heroic one,, but i don’t see them.. 

Shiro: Harumo came down with a high fever

Moritaka: Might i ask Chernobog, Where is Zao?, you’re always accompanied by him.. 

Chernobog:  Zao, sneaked out of class and went mountain hiking.

Kengo: Hahaha!,Nice job Zao!

Shiro: [Pinches Kengo’s ear} 

Kengo: Ow,ow, what the heck nerd!

Ryota: How you join us in visiting them, im sure they’ll be so surprised.

Chernoog: I do wish check  Harumo’s  wellbeing...

 .Toji: I’ll also wish to pay them a visit, just to ensure they’re being taken care of, 

.Moritaka: Me too,, Having a fever is very common for me, so i want to look out for them.. 

.Ryota: Shiro,,can we??Please???

..

Shiro: *Sigh* fine, I’ll go ask Mr Mononobe if we’re allowed..

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After a moment,Shiro comes back with news. 

Kengo: So, how it go? Can we see them.?

Shiro: Yep,,Mr Mononobe gave us the approval.

Kengo: Well what are we standing around for, Lets go! 

Moritaka: Lets go!

Chernobog: Wait for me Heroic one.

Ryota: Wait! im going to fetch Harumo some lunch,im sure they haven’t eaten!

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{Clinic} 

After some time, you have awoken from your pained state of slumber and scan your entire surroundings,

Harumo:W-where am i?,,,,is this Shennong”s clinic...?

Lil Salomon: Master!, {hugs them} 

Harumo: Whoah hey, Lil Salomon, what happened just now? 

Lil Salomon: You had a high fever Master,and then quickly rushed here by your friends.

Harumo: Really?!,,

Lil Salomon: Oh!,i was so worried about you, you have no idea how paniced i was when you rolled down on the floor!

Harumo: W-well, sorry to worry you ..ow!. 

Lil Salomon: Master? 

Harumo: My throat..feels like its being pierced.

{Door Opens} 

Kengo:  partner!,

Shiro: How many times do i have to tell you,to not run in the halls!

Kengo: Can it Class rep!, I have to be the first one my partner has to see!

Shiro:  Oh Thank goodness you’re awake Harumo,,.. 

Harumo: How long was i out?..

.Shiro: You were out about 2 hours now.

.

Moritaka: Harumo, my friend!, 

Harumo: Well theres a fluffy cute face..

Moritaka: I--Well,,thank you for the compliement!

As soon as Toji enters,he immediately examines your forehead, to check your temperature..

Toji: huh...you’re burning up.

Chernobog: My Heroic one,

Harumo: Never seen you wore the uniform before...

Chernobog: Yes, it came to me just now,,its a miracle they found a size for me.

Shiro: Moritaka, is the towel cold? 

Chernobog: What is the purpose of this towel on you? 

Chernobog points at your towel that Moritaka checks if its cold. 

Moritaka: This is a towel that they use to cool down Harumo, we drenched it in cold water and put it on their forehead..Oh no! 

Shiro: What is it Moritaka? 

Moritaka: The water is warm now. 

Chernobog: Let me..

Chernobog summons a small cloud over the bowl of water and rained ice from it. 

Moritaka: That was amazing Chernobog, how did you do that.?

Ryota: You’re a wizard Chernobog.!

Chernobog: it is the power granted to me of being the dark lord of Bald Mountain. 

Moritaka dips the towel into the now cold water that is giving off a cold air, 

Moritaka: Its so cold!, that my hands are going to freeze, There we go! 

Harumo: Shhhhh,,,ahhhh,,,,

Chernobog: Is it too cold Harumo? 

Harumo: No,,,Its just right...

Ryota: Okay, I know you haven’t eaten in a while, so,, i packed you some delicious snacks and also Choji ask me to feed you some chicken soup.. 

Ryota places a handful of snacks comprise of chips, fruit juices and also Karaage that Choji saved for you.

Shiro:Good thinking Choji,it will surely help Harumo

Harumo: ....ow....uhm,,can you feed it to me?

Ryota: W-what?,,o-okay say ahhhhh....

Ryota takes a spoon of chicken soup ..

Harumo:Ahhhhhh,,,  Mmmmmm,,,This is delicious.. 

Chernobog: Is this a tradition when one is ill? 

Harumo: Do you want to feed me too Chernobog? 

Chernobog: I-....Well...if it aids in your recovery. then  i shall..

Ryota hands Chernobog the spoon, and gently takes a spoon of chicken soup,being cautious as to not break or drop it,by his massive fingers.

Chernobog: Say ahhhhh...

{Mmmmmm,,,,,*Gulp*} 

Chernobog: Is it to your liking? 

Harumo: It was delicious Thank you Chernobog!

A smile finally appears to your face as,, you have seen all the people that will take care of you...

Chernobog: My pleasure.. .

Harumo: ahh.....my...throat .

You hold your throat as you try to speak,,in every second you try to speak your throat feels like a burning furnace inside you.. 

Ryota: Here Harumo,,,some orange juice,,

Ryota hands you a can of  orange juice with a straw in it...and slowly sip.

You can still feel a slight sharp pierceing feeling,when you sip the orange juice,, as your tonsils are inflammed.. 

Harumo: Mmmm,,mmm,,, 

You start to feel drowsy and fatigued as you slowly lean on your backside.

Your friends can only watch you wreath in pain and sweat like you’re running a marathon, as they have seen you triump in many hard battles, and always went ahead with a fierce smile on your face, but now,,that smile is nay in the present ,for as they see infront of them is a highschool student in pain,,, 

As Ryota wipes away your sweat, he worrys more,as he looks more closely to your face, 

.

Ryota: Harumo..whats wrong?!

Moritaka: Ryota move!

.

.

Harumo:Blaaaagghhhh!!

Chernobog:Harumo! 

Shiro: Moritaka,,could you go flush Harumo’s vomit away.

Moritaka: Oof!, that is most unpleasant.

 Toji: You were:somewhat aware of that happening..

Moritaka: To tell you the truth, I’ve experienced having fevers from past years during those times and i have learned the symptoms.

Harumo: *groans*  

Shiro: Oh Harumo...

 Kengo: Partner...

{Door Opens} 

..

.

Shennong: Whoah!,,,well this is,,uhm,,  

.Shiro: Shennong, Harumo just vommited just now, what does that mean? 

Shennong: Lets see....

Taking into account that Shennong was the military medic of the Warmongers,and you could expect that whenever training goes into the walls of Penitentia Academy, you would expect the training regime to be brutalizing.

 To the point where some trainess would even vomit out of exhaustion or go cranky, or even losing their lives to its merciful dictatorship, whereas  Shennong have seen the dark side of being a medic and as he calmly examines  

The body of the that person, he as already a prognosis. 

Shennong: Well, They’re temperature hasn’t changed, Lets just give them some rest, I’’ll have one of you take Harumo in a wheel chair, so you can get them back to their dorm,after school,because i won’t be present by that time.   

. Shiro: Understood Shennong. 

Kengo: Yeah, but whose gonna take them? 

Shiro: Well off course it should be me, 

Kengo: Huh!, who made you chief here? im going to do it. 

Ryota: Shouldn’t it be me, since im the closest to his dorm.

Moritaka: Comrades, cease yourselves, im much more qualified to do it!

Toji: I’ll have to intefere with that bold proclamation of yours Inuzuka. I swore to protect Harumo, so I’ll be escorting them, 

Ryota: No ME! 

Shiro and Kengo: ME! 

Bickering over to whom shall be entrusted to carry out the responsibility of escorting them back to their dorm, one individual angrily intervenes. 

.

Chernobog: RRRR...ENOUGH!

 Everyone:.....

Harumo: {Shivering} 

Chernobog: Your bickering has cause Harumo discomfort, I’ll be the one escorting them back to their dorm room, Do i make myself clear! 

Summoners: ........Okay....

Shennong: I’’ll also have to mention that someone has to stay with them, incase they feel any pain or to replace their towel with cold water. 

The room falls into an awkward silence,An uneasy stare off, and then.

.

.

.

Shiro and Kengo: I’ll be staying with them! No me! 

Ryota: NO ME! 

Moritaka and Toji: ME! 

Chernobog: RRRRRRRR.....

 Harumo: *groan*,,,guys,,,,*coughing*

As you attempt to breath out a word, you continue to cough aggresively.

Harumo: .....Guys....please.. don’t fight!.....

You released those words just before falling sleep, 

.

.Shennong: Thats it!, im going to the one assigning,,,, Chernobog, you’d be the one to escort them back to their dorm and gonna spend the night with them..Do i make myself clear!      

Summoners:..Yes.. 

Shennong: Good, use that whellchair there to transport them after school,got it? 

Chernobog: Yes, i understand.

Shennong: Check if his towel is cold before  going to bed,and you will the one feeding them, i highly recommend feeding them soup, 

Shennong:That way its digestable,and if they can’t taste it,do not worry,  its normal when you have fever and after meals, have them swallow this pills,..Understand Chernobog? 

Chernobog: i understand it all. 

 Shennong: Thats good to hear, now run along kids, lunch time is over by this hour correct? 

 Shiro: Oh crap!, We have to hurry you lot! See you later Harumo.. 

After every visitor have said they’re goodbyes to them, The afternoon classes can finally resume.. 

Chernobog:.....

.

.

.

.

[Dorm} 

Meanwhile, As the afternoon classes had begun, a lone figure slowly waiks in a  familiar room, only to discover a scene that sends chills down their spine. 

.

.

Horkeu Kamui: Huh?,,,What the?!

Horkeu Kamui: What on earth happened here?

The worried shocked faced transient, looks inside to find it to be a total mess,as scattered pieces of wood are scattered throughout the floor,the airconditioner still open,and a stack of books,journals and other reading material spread around their study desk. 

its as if someone had broken inside, maybe someone very strong broke in and did someting to that person,  

.

Horkeu Kamui: MY HERO!?.

.

The screams of his worry echoes throught out the halls of the dormitory, as if a vengeful ghost is screamed in fury.. But, he does not know that his beloved hero is safely in the clinic, resting,.. 

 .But to him, he interpreted it as much more sinister, for he’d had witness the deaths of his students over and over at the hands of a certain dark lord..  

.Who will tell him that his beloved hero is just resting, and not in danger, as per everyday they are always in constant danger.  

..

.

.

While,back in Nakano. 

After work....

A pink-haired chubby boy , is seen mopping away the grime and dirty water off the floor as the massive crowd did a lot of running for Ebisu. 

But he still is conflicted about a certain issue that boggles his mind.

.

Ebisu:....

.

.After the treasure hunt, A part of Ebisu was confronted and it did him wonders after, for as they have said they’re goodbyes after departing from each other...

Ebisu had a strange feeling, to him atleast,but for everyone to witness, its perfectly obvious that Ebisu has a thing or somehow special connection with a certain someone. 

 But for Ebisu, he is somehow confuse about what to feel about them, for he has been debating whether they like Harumo as a friend, or Love Harumo as a lover. 

For as he continues to mop away, He’s expression changes to a slightly annoyed Ebisu, as he is infact nervous to tell them, As he continues on, 

  Ebisu: ahhhhhhh!!....

Ebisu: C’mon Ebisu!,

He holds  two pudgy cheeks,

Ebisu: *Inhale* ....*exhale*.....Okay...

Ebisu: Do you like Harumo?, Ebisu?,

Ebisu: I do like them,,Do i love them? 

Ebisu: Well.....

  .

.

Employee: Listen to your feelings for once Ebisu...

Ebisu: Whaa!....Oh..sir..I didn’t know you were there..

Employee: The part about questioning yourself is only i heard..but.you should ask  those questions to the person. not yourself,.. 

Emplyee: How could will you get the answer that you want,when you already have a sure way to answer it..

The 6ft tall employee stands infront of Ebisu as if he was a fatherly figure just now. for as they and Ebisu are both Papa and Son, 

Ebisu: Sir...

Employee: Works over, so call me Papa,..Now, you’ve been acting differently ever since you returned from your voyage, Its as if you have close your scars now. 

Ebisu: Thats because during that long journey i  have learned to not feel about what people expect of me, and i have finally got my answer..But...mmm

Papa: But?...

Ebisu: But i don’t know, i...can’t make out what this feelings thats stirring up in my head...

Ebisu: I’ve already know how to not feel about people’s expectations, but why do i expect them to feel the same way that i do feel for them..

As continues to release his frustations, the tall dad figure kneels down to meet his eye level, and looks directly into to his eyes as if he wants to convey something to him.

 Papa: Ebisu,let me ask you one question...

Ebisu:....

Papa: Does Harumo expect something from you?

He puts his hands on both of Ebisu’s shoulders.. 

Ebisu:No..

 Papa: Do you expect them to feel the same way you are feeling? 

 Ebisu:No...

Papa:Then you have nothing to worry about.

Ebisu: Huh?.

Papa: Did i ever told you,that i used to have massive love interest to one person when i was your age?

Ebisu: You did?!..and what happened? 

Papa: Well, i was so confused about what my feelings for them mean to me, i couldn’t even sleep,thinking about ,,, what will they say to me?... 

Papa: I can’t stop thinking...but in the end, i mustered up all of my courage to tell them about what i feel about them,,..

 Ebisu: And?...what did they say?..

Papa, takes a moment to answer as Ebisu waits for his response.

.

.

Papa: They said: “i love you too, but. I don’t want it to be romantic” 

Ebisu: Did you get rejected?!...

Papa: It didn’t feel as a rejection, its more like i finally got my answer..

and ever since that day.. i was satisfied with their answer..

Papa: For as i didn’t expect them to either to be my lover nor i want them to be mine. but,, the thought of them answering ,,, was enough for me...and to this day..that friend of mine,are still friends..             

.Papa: Our relationship to each other hasn’t changed back to my childhood days. and im glad it didn’t...Hahaha. 

.Papa: So, now that you heard my story, what are you going to do?...Uh..Ebisu? 

.

Ebisu: Im....IM GOING TO CONFESS TO THEM!...

Papa: Whoah easy there, you gonna burn down the kitchen if you keep this up! 

Ebisu: Thank you Papa, i know what i must do!, Thank you very much!..

Papa: Your welcome.,,oh and as an added bonus, give them this here rainbow buns that i saved, for you know..when...

 Ebjisu: Wait..don’t tell you knew this was gonna happen, did you?.

 Papa: Well,. it was 50/50,but im glad you know what you need to do now..

Ebisu: Yes,,Thank you a bunch papa. i have hurry now, before the train leaves.! 

Papa: Hehehe, Go, you better reel in a good one!.

Ebisu: Yes!..    

Tightly grasping a medium box in his hand,The confident pink haired boy sprints in a hurry to catch up to the train station and soon follows his destination...Shinjuku...

Ebisu: Harumo,,if you’re gonna reject me!,its fine by me,,but i want to know your answer, and to figure that out ,i have to tell you the truth..of what i feel about you!.     

.

.

.

.

{Shinjuku Dormitory} 

After school..in the mid afternoon.

 Chernobog prepares your wheel chair as you try to get out of bed, but sadly, the strength that pull everyday is no longer present ,as every step feels as if you’re dragging 10 pounds of weight, and every step you take,

  leaves you out of breath as you lean onto Chernobog for support, 

.Harumo:{breathing softly} 

 Chernobog:Harumo, we’ll be going back to your room now, so you can rest easy now, 

 Harumo:....W-we?...

Chernobog: Yes...

Chernobog:Per instruction, is to accompany you and that is to sleep beside you.

Harumo: ...Oh..cool...Nurse Chernobog..

Chernobog: Lets us make haste now.. Onward! 

.

.And as the drama begins, the two of you slowly make your towards the dormitory so that you may sleep.

.

.

On your way towards the exit of the school, you encounter a familiar student leaning on the side of the door frame, its as if that said person is waiting for someone in particular. 

.

 .

.

 Harumo: Kengo?..

Kengo: Hey partner, I’ve been ..waiting for you..

Harumo: For me?..

Kengo: Yeah...i just...i just want to guard you,make sure you both are safe, An enemy could take advantage of your fever, so i want to make sure.

Chernobog: I am mostly grateful for your intent of protecting Harumo, 

Harumo: Okay,...Lets go...

The second strongest member of the Summoners and The Dark Lord of Bald Mountain, had became your escort, its as if two alphas are protecting their King. as they keep an eye out for anyone that will attack out of the blue..

.

..

.

After reaching the entrance of the dormitory,  

.

.

Horkeu Kamui: Dark lord Chernobog!, 

Chernobog: ....

Kengo: Hey, what are you doing here Horkeu Kamui?! 

Horkeu Kamui: Harumo!, what did you do to my hero?! 

Chernobog: Calm yourself Horkeu, you misunderstand the situation.

Harumo: HorkeuKamui, calm down for a sec...

Kengo:Hey, Quit you two!, nows not the time ! 

Kengo steps in-between the two people who have a sharp gaze at each other as they look deep into each others eyes

 As if they are about to pounce at each other.. Their gaze are almost sharp daggers that pierce into each other’s soul. as Kengo becomes the peacekeeper.  

.

.

Harumo:ENOUGH YOU TWO! {Coughing} 

As you try to scream at the top of your lungs,your voice becomes hoarse as your tonsils are inflammed,

 After that, you continue to cough aggresively as you hold your neck feeling the sharp pain of your tonsils, your sweating more and more as the two feuding have snapped to their senses. And return to your eyes as you are weaken. 

.

Kengo: Partner, don’t taik, Thats you two idiots, Harumo is screaming because of you’se two keep on bickering, 

Chernobog: Harumo im sorry, i...

Horkeu Kamui: My hero, i did not intent to cause you great harm, Im sorry..

.

.

Ebisu: Harumo...?

Trio: Huh?..

A mention of your name, the three escorts quickly turn their sights at a lone chuby figure behind you.   

.

Harumo: That voice...

Ebisu slowly waiks towards to you shyly. 

Horkeu Kamui: Who are you? 

Chernobog: What business do you have with Harumo? 

Harumo: Ebisu!

.

.

Ebisu: I’ve finally found you!

.

.

.

.

.

AND THATS IT FOR PART 1 OF SICK DAY,THOGUH I WANTED TO MAKE THIS A  IN ONE POST BUT, I FELT THAT I SHOULD TURN IT INTO PARTS AND NOT MAKE IT INTO A WHOLE, HOPE YOU GUYS LIKE THE STORY AND COMMENT ON WHAT YOU ALL THINK OF IT OR SEND AN ASK, EITHER WAY, AND THATS IT FOR PART 1 OF HARUMO GETTING SICK AND IT WAS HARD TO GAUGE EVERYONE’S REACTIONS TO HARUMO GETTING SICK AND HOW THEY WILL DO OR EVEN TAKE CARE OF HARUMO, OKAY, THATS ALL FOR TODAY,      THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH. 

[neighborhood-goblin]

COF Highschool au Chapter 1

“We can just put it back,” Sev said, studying the golden objects on the table.

“What do you mean ‘just put it back’? Look at it!” Tristan exclaimed. It was true that perhaps the trophy was a little worse for wear. The figure on top had snapped off the base pillars, and the side of it was splattered in mud. This is the worst day of my life.

“Let’s clean it off, glue the top back on and stick it back in the case. Easy-peasy.” Tristan was already shaking his head even before Sev finished speaking.

“It’s already daytime, people will see us, and I bet they’ve already noticed the missing trophy!” Tristan ran a panicked hand through his hair and spared the broken trophy another look. He froze.

“I know what to do,” He spoke slowly, carefully, glancing towards the closed door.

“What?” Sev asked, curious as to what Tristan could possibly have thought of.

“We hide it. We hide it somewhere where it won’t be found and we don’t tell anyone what we did.”

“It’s a trophy, not a murder, Tristan,” Sev reminded him, despite the fact he was already coming up with possible places to hide it. His house would be the obvious choice, since Tristan’s dad was the principal and they couldn’t risk him finding out about the broken trophy. “But I guess I can find a spot for it at my house.” Tristan’s face broke into a grin.

“Thanks, Sev. Will you be able to hide it for the school day?” Sev nodded and shoved the trophy pieces into the depths of his backpack.

The pair emerged from the empty classroom into the flooded hallways. Students were everywhere, clustering around lockers, chatting in the middle of the halls, and making their way to first period. Sev and Tristan nodded quickly at each other before separating and disappearing into the crowd.

***

Nyk had to sprint to Spanish in order to claim the seat beside Anders before Latham could. The older boy raised an eyebrow at her as she flopped down on the chair, panting.

“I want to join the cheer squad,” She breathed out. Anders grinned at her.

“Finally! We’re desperate enough for members that I even asked Sev to join. Sev!” He exclaimed. “Come to the gym during lunch, you can try out, and we can get you your uniform.” Nyk let out a relieved sigh and thanked Anders. The bell rang. A binder slammed down onto the table.

“You’re in my seat.” She looked up to see Latham glaring at her.

“Jeez, okay, I’m moving..” Nyk gathered her stuff and retreated to her usual spot in the back, next to Kade. He was reading something on his phone and glanced at her when she sat down.

“Have you seen the school’s website?” He asked. She shook her head and he held his phone out to her. She took it and skimmed the page in front of her.

Recently Auzerec’s High’s first place soccer trophy was stolen. We are asking any and all students involved to come forward and return the trophy by the end of the school day. If the trophy is not returned by the end of the school day today, then students may be pulled for questioning.

Nyk laughed and handed Kade back his phone. “This is ridiculous. It’s a trophy! They can just get a new one.” She quickly quieted as their teacher, Mrs. Dee entered the classroom. Nyk pulled out her phone and held it under the table to text Tristan.

Nyk: did you see the website lol

♥ Tris ♥: No? What does it say?

“His contact name has hearts in it?” Kade’s voice was practically disgusted. Nyk’s face heated.

“Mind your own business!” She hissed at him.

Nyk: some kids stole a trophy apparently

♥ Tris ♥: Did they say who did it?

Nyk: no but their gonna be questioning people

♥ Tris ♥: They’re*

Nyk: ok

A hand tapped on the wood in front of her. “Phone please, Veronyka. You can pick it up after class.” Nyk met Mrs. Dee’s eyes, quickly silenced her phone, and handed it to her, embarrassed that she’d been caught. Kade smirked at her as their teacher walked back to the front of the classroom. She stuck her tongue out at him and turned her attention to Mrs. Dee as she began to write verbs on the whiteboard.

***

Nyk :) : some kids stole a trophy apparently

Tristan froze. Surely if he’d been busted he would’ve already been called to his father’s office. Right? He tapped out a response with shaking fingers.

Tristan: Did they say who did it?

It took Nyk an agonizingly long minute to respond. Tristan bit his nail and waited for her to finish typing. Did Sev get caught with the trophy?

Nyk :) : no but their gonna be questioning people

He grinned in relief.

Tristan: They’re

Nyk :) : ok

He rolled his eyes and pocketed his phone before the teacher caught him with it. It was far too early in the day for him to be doing statistics, but that didn’t stop Mr. Ellet from passing out worksheets. Tristan frowned at his, noticing that it was different from the sheet belonging to the kid sitting next to him. Again? I need to have a talk with my dad; he can’t keep doing this. Nevertheless, he picked up his pencil and began to fill out the paper.

The bell signaling the end of first period rang, and Tristan rose from his seat. He hurried out into the hall and shot Sev a few texts.

Tristan: They know the trophy’s missing.

Tristan: You still have it right?

Tristan: Sev

Tristan: Sev

Tristan: Sev

Tristan: SEV!

Sev: jhgfkdjhgkdjf

Sev: Yes I still have the trophy

Sev: You can relax

He opted not to respond to Sev’s last text.

***

“That was great!” Anders shouted at Nyk. She beamed at him. “Okay come over here so I can get your size and uniform.” She jogged over to the other side of the gym “Alright, you can go back to lunch now.” She nodded and grabbed her things.

She hurried to the cafeteria and slid into an empty spot at her table.

“Guess who’s officially a cheerleader!” Nyk exclaimed excitedly. Kade grinned at her and Tristan congratulated her. Latham didn’t bother to look up at her, probably still peeved that she had briefly borrowed his seat during Spanish. She glanced around for Elliot and Sparrow but they weren’t there.

“That’s cool, Nyk,” Tristan flashed her a smile. She offered one back, and could practically feel Kade rolling his eyes at them. Latham stood up and walked away, most likely leaving to track down Anders.

K: Ugh get a room you guys

Nyk smirked at her phone.

Nyk: someday youre gonna have a crush that i can tease you about

Kade took suspiciously long to respond.

K: unlikely

“Are you guys seriously texting each other while I’m right here?” Tristan gave each of them a mock offended look. Nyk and Kade rolled their eyes at him. “Very uncool, guys.” He paused and glanced at their table. “Hey, why doesn’t Sev ever eat with us?”

Nyk thought for a moment. The question was kind of out of the blue, honestly. Sev showed up for the study group and then they occasionally waved to him in class or in the halls. But that was it. He wasn’t really friends with any of them. She’d never really thought about what Sev did when he wasn’t with them. Did he even have friends at all?

“I was under the impression that he didn’t want to,” Kade said. Nyk had forgotten that Tristan was still waiting for an answer.

“Well I don’t think he’s really hanging out with anyone else. We should see if he wants to have lunch with us tomorrow,” Tristan nodded as he said this, as if confirming that he liked his idea. Nyk and Kade looked at each other. Kade shrugged and returned to his salad bowl.

***

Sev twisted the key through the lock and yanked the door open. Hestia would be home soon, so he quickly grabbed the trophy pieces and shoved them in the back of his closet, where hopefully she would be unable to find them. His phone chimed several times in a row.

Tristan: Did you hide the trophy?

Tristan: Did your parents find out about it?

Tristan: Sev

Tristan: Sev

Tristan: Sev

Sev: You have got to stop

Sev: Yes the trophy is hidden, no my mother did not find out about it

Tristan: Thank heavens

Tristan: Hey do you want to have lunch with the study group tomorrow? You don’t usually eat with us.

Sev: Hard pass.

Sev: Stop texting me.

Sev turned off his phone. He didn’t want Tristan to keep trying to convince him to hang out with the group. If he was being honest, he was pretty close to quitting it. He didn’t really fit in with them. He was always the outsider. It felt pointless to attend their study group if no one except Tristan was even going to try to engage with him outside of it. He tossed his phone on his bed and went to kill time before Hestia got back. He could probably fit a movie in.

***

This is so bad. I can’t do this. I’m going to say the wrong thing oh my-

“Come in, Tristan,” His father’s voice sounded from the open doorway. Tristan slowly walked in and sat down in the chair that was closest to the principal’s desk. Unsurprisingly no student had come forward and returned the trophy, so interviews were being conducted. Tristan met his father’s eyes.

“Now, obviously this is just a formality.” Cassian informed him. “But still. Where were you on the night before last?” Tristan began to panic.

We didn’t have a cover story! What am I supposed to say?!

“I was hanging out with my friend, Sev,” He began. Cassian nodded for him to continue. “We got some food and went back to his place to watch a movie.” He opened his mouth to continue, but his father held up a hand.

“That’s good enough, you can go.” Tristan thanked his father and quickly left. I did it!

His feelings of relief were quickly halted when he saw who was being interviewed next. It was Sev. Tristan hastily grabbed the other boy’s arm and whispered in his ear: “We got food and watched a movie at your house.”

Sev gave him a brief nod and disappeared into Cassian’s office. Tristan returned to class and worried about Sev and the trophy. Then he went to his next class and worried about Sev and the trophy. Finally, he couldn’t take it anymore.

Tristan: Okay I know you told me to leave you alone but please tell me nothing went wrong in your interview.

Sev: It was fine. We got burgers, fries, and shakes, then watched Spirited Away

Tristan: Studio Ghibli?

Sev: Yeah it’s a good movie.

Tristan: Never seen it.

Sev: Well don’t go around telling people that, we’ve got to keep our cover intact

Tristan: What, are you a spy now?

Sev: You’re the one who wanted to hide the trophy

Tristan: That’s fair.

***

When Tristan got home, it was clear that his father was frustrated with the theft of the trophy. He and the school’s safety officers had interviewed the bulk of the students and found no viable culprits. Tristan had never been a very good liar, and he was afraid that he might crack if his father continued to chase his own tail in an effort to find whoever had stolen the trophy.

Tristan: I think we need to tell my dad that we did it.

Sev: ???? why

Tristan: He’s getting very frustrated at the whole situation.

Sev: Ok? He is a grown man he can deal with himself

Tristan: I really just think we should

Sev: Ok then go tell him if it’s making you so upset

Tristan: I don’t know if I can.

Sev: Then don’t Tristan: I feel like I have to.

Sev: Then do it

Tristan: I’m worried about getting in trouble.

Sev: dude just stop

Truthfully, Tristan wasn’t quite sure of what to do. On one hand, telling his father would get the whole situation over with, and he wouldn’t have to worry about keeping any covers intact. But on the other, he was facing some probably pretty serious repercussions for what he and Sev had done. It had been his idea too, to take the trophy. He only wanted to take a picture of it, to send as a joke to the study group chat. Instead the trophy had fallen and broken, and he had gotten stuck in this mess.

Finally, he poked his head into his dad’s office. His father was on the phone with someone, so Tristan waited until he hung up.

“Who was that?” He asked, hoping to get a somewhat pleasant conversation going before he confessed. Cassian graced him with a rare smile.

“That was Sevro Lastlight, calling to tell me that he was the one who took the trophy.” What?

“Really?” Tristan responded after a moment. Why would he do that?

“Yes, really,” His father replied, sifting through a stack of papers on his desk. Tristan slowly retreated from the room. He still hadn’t fully processed what had happened. Why would Sev confess for me?

Tristan: You called my dad??

Sev: Yeah

Tristan: Why?

Sev: eh I’ve already done worse things than stealing a trophy

Tristan: That was really awesome of you, Sev.

Sev: np

Tristan: np?

Sev: No problem

Sev: How do you not know that

Tristan: Hey, have lunch with the study group. I know you already said no, but you’re my friend and I feel bad that you eat alone.

Sev: I don’t mind eating alone

Tristan: Please?

Sev: Fine.

Tristan cheered. Maybe today wasn’t that bad after all.

[fantastic-rambles]

Your Move [1]

Fandom: Yuukoku no Moriarty

Summary: I just wanted William to play chess with Sherlock because I’m a nerd. Starts shortly before the events of “Scandal in the British Empire” and will loosely follow the manga (hopefully). A real game is played throughout the story. [NOTE: Given the time period, there’s an argument to be made that they should be using descriptive notation, which was far more common in England at the time. But I personally believe that William would opt to use the more elegant algebraic notation. I also wanted to confuse John initially, not that that’s hard. Lol.]

Characters: Sherlock Holmes, William James Moriarty, John Watson, Louis James Moriarty, Sebastian Moran, Fred Porlock, Albert James Moriarty (mentioned)

Warnings: None.

Word Count: 2.5k

"Holmes! Hey, Holmes! Message for you!"

John and Sherlock looked up at the cheeky call, watching Wiggins run up to them while waving an envelope. It was about the size of a calling card, and after Sherlock accepted it and turned it over, they both saw that the front was blank.

"I've got orders to wait for your reply," Wiggins informed Sherlock with a grin, a shilling flashing briefly between his fingers before it disappeared. Curious, John peered over Sherlock's shoulder as he opened the envelope, pulling out a small card with a cryptic message written in a neat script.

1. e4 Your move, Mr. Detective.

But Sherlock seemed to have understood it immediately, given the way his face had lit up. Usually, he only looked that excited when he was solving an interesting case or talking about the mysterious Lord of Crime.

"John, give me a pen," Sherlock said, holding a hand out expectantly as he flipped the card over to the other side. Even though he was still confused, John obeyed, unclipping the pen from his pocket and handing it over. Grinning, the master detective scrawled "e6" onto the back before stuffing it back in the envelope and handing it to Wiggins, who immediately dashed off.

"What was that about, Sherlock?" John asked as he tucked his pen away again. "Something related to the Lord of Crime?"

"Nah, it was Liam. He must be in London today!" Sherlock's stride lengthened as he made as if to follow the urchin, and John had to hurry to catch up to his sudden energy. He'd only really seen William James Moriarty in passing, when he had been arrested on the train and subsequently exonerated, but Lestrade had told him afterwards about the young noble who had proved himself to be as intelligent as Sherlock. John found it hard to believe that there could be anyone who could compete with his flatmate, but he did feel a sense of gratitude to Moriarty for his contributions to securing his freedom.

Still, seeing how Sherlock could behave like a child… or rather, a child looking forward to playing with a friend (since he behaved like a child most of the time), John felt that he could believe Lestrade. Just talking to anyone else seemed to bore Sherlock since it was incredibly difficult--if not impossible--to keep up with him, so for him to actively seek out someone else suggested that, at the very least, he sincerely found them to be fascinating. John couldn't help feeling bad for William, though; Sherlock was difficult enough to deal with when he had no personal interest in someone. To be an object of his obsession seemed like it would be positively exhausting.

"Wait, Sherlock. Wiggins went that way," John pointed out as they crossed an intersection where he'd seen the boy turn left, but Sherlock shook his head.

"Do you really think I'm going to chase after a child? As long as I can figure out where Liam is, that's what's important. Taxi!"

John sighed, but he followed Sherlock into the hansom cab, listening to his friend give instructions to the driver. Their route brought them to the outskirts of London, depositing them outside a large manor, and John had a sinking feeling that he knew just who the owner was. Sherlock didn't hesitate to step inside the gates and walk up the broad walkway framed by carefully manicured gardens, while John followed more hesitantly.

"Sherlock, there's etiquette that should be observed when you're calling on someone," he whispered. If the card had really come from the second son of the Moriarty family, then wouldn't he be in town, rather than at home? John simply couldn't fathom how Sherlock had come to the conclusion that the man was here, and he hoped that his friend wouldn't make too much of a fuss when he was told otherwise.

"Don't be such a bore, John. Knowing Liam, he's probably expecting me." He rapped smartly on the door before John could reply. Bracing himself for the inevitable confrontation, John glanced around the grounds. There seemed to be a surprising lack of servants: John had only spotted one young-looking gardener kneeling by some rose bushes. He had looked up briefly as the two men passed by before returning to his work, and John wondered if the other workers were just taking a break. It hardly seemed likely that such a well-tended estate could be managed by just one worker.

When the door opened, a rather rough-looking butler looked out at the two of them, and John tried to look apologetic, but Sherlock didn't seem put off at all, speaking up before the other man could even inquire about their visit.

"Is Liam in?" Sherlock asked.

The man seemed to contemplate them for a little longer before turning around and calling, "Oi, Will, there's two blokes here to see you! I think one of them's that famous detective!"

His lack of propriety shocked John. Were the Moriartys some sort of eccentric family? Their servants certainly gave him that impression. Or maybe they had hired them out of noblesse oblige, giving them an opportunity to earn a living and learn how to work, so that they could find employment in other houses afterwards, as some other families did. After all, they had adopted and cared for two orphan children, one of whom had died in a fire, but the other one still lived with them. If so, that was rather admirable, though still odd, as there didn't appear to be any upper servants who would normally be given the role of training new workers. But before he could contemplate the situation further, a familiar face appeared in the doorway of another room.

"Mr. Holmes? And Dr. Watson?"

The young aristocrat approached the two of them, his expression curious, but not surprised.

"We were just about to have tea," William informed them. "Would you like to join us?"

"Thanks for the invitation!" Sherlock replied enthusiastically, stepping inside without any reservations. John followed more slowly, letting the butler close the door behind them. All three of them followed William through the room that he had appeared from, stepping out onto a low patio that looked out over the garden. William's adopted brother--Louis, if John remembered correctly--was standing by a table already set for afternoon tea, meticulously polishing one of the knives before setting it down. Four places had been set, which surprised John. It seemed that Sherlock had been right: William had been expecting them.

"Please, sit." William gestured to the chairs, and Sherlock and Louis immediately claimed the seats closest to him, leaving John to gingerly take his own seat across from William. Louis poured out the tea with a deft hand as Sherlock leaned towards William, his eyes glittering with excitement.

"So, Liam, what brings you to London? Another plot by the Lord of Crime?" he asked, plucking a scone off the platter and shoving it whole into his mouth. John, who had just begun to sip on his tea, choked. Seizing a napkin, he began to cough vigorously into it, his eyes huge. Was Sherlock really suggesting that William was a murderer, or at least working with one? His coughing fit prevented him from hearing most of the answer, but judging from William's face, he hadn't taken any offense at the accusation.

"... just helping Albert out," William was saying airily when John finally managed to get himself back under control. Taking a deep breath, he managed another sip of tea without incident before helping himself to a madeleine.

"Albert is your elder brother, right? And he's in the military?"

"He was, but he's been discharged. Currently, he's setting up a company to invest in trading companies or factories in England. After all, it would be beneficial to our society to support progress and provide people with opportunities to break free of the traditional system in which the poor are bound to the land they are born on, with no choice but to work for the gentry, don't you think?"

"Aaaah, that sort of stuff doesn't concern me," Sherlock replied, waving his hand dismissively, and John winced. Of course, he knew that Sherlock was the kind of person who completely ignored anything that didn't interest him, but for him to continue behaving in such a way when they were guests was deeply insulting to the host. "You're probably right, though, Liam. Anyways, it seems that my reply hasn't arrived yet? e6."

William arched an eyebrow, then leaned back and beckoned the butler over, murmuring something to him before turning back to Sherlock. "d4."

"d5."

They spat strange codes at each other, and John glanced at Louis, who looked irritated as he stared at Sherlock. John couldn't blame him: if William was half as obnoxious as Sherlock when it came to flaunting his intellect, then the other man must have also gone through a lot. Feeling as though the two of them had been left out of whatever was happening, John leaned towards the other man.

"The tea is very nice," he said awkwardly, but at least it caught Louis' attention.

"Thank you," Louis replied with some stiffness.

"Do you know what they're doing?"

Just as Louis was about to reply, William and Sherlock's next exchange answered the question for him, though it seemed that they were using some sort of system that John was unfamiliar with.

"Knight to c3."

"Bishop to b4."

"e5."

"c5."

By then, the butler had reappeared with a chess board, placing it down between Sherlock and William. As William reached out to move a piece, Sherlock chuckled.

"You can't expect me to believe that you need that, Liam. Come on, let's keep going."

But William just smiled as he continued to rearrange the board.

"There's a certain charm in moving the pieces yourself, Mr. Holmes. It's easy to just use words to command others, but if you distance yourself from the feeling of having their lives in your hands, it's very easy to forget what's important. A game of chess is ultimately a game of war, and even the pieces that fall to the wayside or are sacrificed should have their value remembered. Don't you agree, Dr. Watson?"

"Excuse me?" John blinked, surprised to be suddenly addressed, and William picked up a bishop, toying idly with the carved birch piece.

"As an army doctor, you would have a better insight into this discussion, wouldn't you?" William asked, staring at him intently. John was reminded of the unwavering stare of a viper, coiled in the trenches and ready to strike at any man unwary enough to walk about without checking if there was anything underfoot. "To you, are the men you treated, or those who died on the operating table, just numbers? Or did they have names and families, reasons to travel so far from home to die in a distant land?"

"Well..." John shifted uncomfortably, his mind shying away from those memories, so he was relieved when Sherlock suddenly reached out and grabbed William's hand.

"Oi, Liam, it's just a game. Make your move already."

William blinked, and the intense pressure that John was feeling faded. "Ah. I apologize if my questions upset you, Dr. Watson. Excessive curiosity is not a very attractive trait, I'm afraid, but it is one of my flaws."

He contemplated the board briefly before placing down the piece in his hand. "Bishop to d2."

"Brother," Louis interrupted softly. "We're supposed to meet Albert soon."

"Is it that time already?" William pulled out a pocket watch, opening it to examine the dial. Then, he snapped it closed again, getting to his feet and straightening his clothing. "I do apologize, gentlemen, but we have a prior engagement. If you'll just wait a short while, Mr. Moran will call you a cab."

"Eh, don't be such a killjoy, Liam. You're heading into town, right? You could give us a ride," Sherlock protested, but William shook his head, smiling enigmatically.

"Unfortunately, I would not be good company. There are several documents that I was planning to go over this afternoon, so I'll need to catch up on them in the carriage instead. But it was worth it, as this was far more enjoyable. Mr. Holmes, Dr. Watson." He inclined his head slightly in a clear farewell, leaving the patio with his brother trailing behind him.

"Liam! Knight to e7!" Sherlock called after him before slumping back in his chair. He reached out to nudge his knight forward before sighing and tilting his head back to stare at the sky. John recognized the signs for the start of one of his flatmate's dark moods, but fortunately, the butler came to fetch them before Sherlock tried to do anything extreme. Again, John was struck by how unprofessional the man seemed as he ushered them out the door and into the waiting carriage.

"Sherlock, what do you think of the butler? Mr. Moran?" John asked in an attempt to distract his friend as the horses clopped through the gate. Sherlock was digging around in his pockets, eventually pulling out his cigarette case and taking one out.

"Match," he ordered brusquely, and John handed him the requested match, waiting for him to light his cigarette and take a long drag. Only after that did Sherlock deign to answer his question.

"He isn't a butler by trade. He was a soldier before--an officer, most likely, since he seems to come from a noble family. He probably saw a lot of men that he cared about die while he was abroad, but unlike you, he seems to be mostly over it now. Perhaps you should ask him for a referral to his therapist."

John frowned. "What's a man like that doing as a butler?"

"What's an army doctor doing as an assistant to the world's only consulting detective?" Sherlock retorted. "People have their own circumstances, and their decisions don't always make sense to others. What?"

John was gaping at his friend as though he'd suddenly grown another head.

"What?" Sherlock repeated, and John shook off his surprise slowly.

"I didn't expect you to actually show consideration towards someone else," he replied, his eyebrows still raised.

"What are you talking about? What about Hope?" Sherlock pointed out, sounding mildly irritated, as he usually did whenever John pointed out something patently obvious--at least to Sherlock. But before John could respond, the carriage stopped, and their driver announced, "221 Baker Street!"

They exited the cab, and as they were crossing the threshold of 221B, John suddenly remembered another, more pressing issue.

"And what was that about? Accusing William of being the Lord of Crime? Even as a joke, that was incredibly rude of you!" he reprimanded Sherlock, only to be taken aback when the other man actually laughed out loud. The suddenness of it even prompted Miss Hudson to poke her head around the corner to see what was happening.

"He's brilliant, isn't he? But you don't need to worry about that, John. He's just playing along, like he did on the train. God, if he really was the Lord, it would be perfect!"

Still laughing, he headed upstairs. John exchanged an exasperated look with Miss Hudson's confused one, then headed up himself.

[Part 2]

[ubernoxa]

The Token: A GNR FanFic

Chapter 5: Burnt Pastries and Coffee

Masterlist

Story Summary: Story inspired by the movie She’s the Man. A female Duff is tired of dealing with the bullshit of trying to make it on the strip as a female bassist. Did Michelle think it through as she chopped her hair? Nope. All she knew was that she wanted to make it on the strip. If she had to mascarade as a guy, so it shall be.

Chapter Summary: Izzy and Axl stop by Michelle’s work.

Tags: Taglist: @viralwolf02 @littlemisscare-all @smokeandmirrorz @aratbaby @slashscowboyboots

I have absolutely no desire to be at work this morning. My head hurt, my hand hurt, my arms hurt, hell EVERYTHING hurt. I popped my third aspirin of the morning into my mouth after dealing with an annoying customer who was complaining about how we were out of cherry danishes. It took every ounce of my will power to calmly tell her why we were sold out. Not only were the cherry danishes a very popular item, but we also stop making them at 10. Eventually she calmed down and made some comment how I should have gotten a better education to get a real job, but I digress. All I want to get across is that I should win some sort of acting award for smiling and not shoving a cherry pastry up her you know what.

“You know you’re only supposed to take one of those every 6 hours right?” I glared down my coworker wishing he would just leave me alone.

On top of the pain, my head was sweating because of the stupid wig. I felt like I had just gotten out of the shower and had yet to dry my hair. I wanted nothing more than my shift to finish, so I could take a shower.

I was grateful this morning when my coworker noticed my...hungover state and offered to run the register while I made the drinks. It was unconventional, but I defiantly appreciated it. I always looked forward to working with Derek during my shift. He was a nice guy, super easy to get along with. ..unless he was bugging you about the serving size for pain killers.

Any normal musician would smile and feel a sense of relief if a couple of her band mates came into the coffee shop, but I’m not what they call a normal musician. I felt my stomach tighten as the came in.

“Wow they just let anybody in here now,” an older woman said as I handed her the coffee she ordered.

“Well...we are open to the public, ma’am,” I replied before I returned to making the next order. I heard my coworker hide a snicker.

I watched the Indiana boys as they slowly made their way over to the pick up counter. Why were they here?

“Hey,” I ignored Axl at first. I didn’t want to give Derek the idea that I was friends with them because not too long ago I would constantly complain about them. ObViously my opinion of them has changed over the past days. I could feel Derek’s eyes wander towards me as I blended the smoothie I was making. When I heard Izzy raise his voice this time, I turned the blender on and blended the smoothie one last time.

I poured the smoothie out of the blender, turning around sending them a warm smile as if it was the first time I heard or saw them.

“Order for Tracy!” I cheered as I handed a girl no older than me her pink smoothie pulling her from the flirty eyes she was sending Axl and Izzy.

“Hey,” I stood at the counter smiling at the pair who were definitely out of their element.

“You guys look horribly out of place, you looking for Duff?” I asked trying to remember that Michelle didn’t like the Indiana boys.

“Nah, you guys dating or some shit?,” I let a laugh escape me as Axl finished talking.

I stood still and shook my head. “You think I’m his groupie?” Izzy sent me a look that meant one thing, careful. Did they really come down just to ask me that.

“Funny, Slash said the same thing last night,” I heard Axl say out loud. Why? I have no idea.

“Why you curious about Duff’s love life?” I tried to causally ask, but it definitely came out awkward.

“I’m more curious about the girl who gave us the free coffee.”

“Axl, don’t forget that’s the same girl who has definitely thrown a punch or two your way in the past,” I snapped back. It needed to sound hard. Duff..was was their band mate, friend even, but Michelle...she was the girl who had been in several fights with the pair.

“And yet..I don’t recall you every landing a punch,” I rolled my eyes as Axl spoke. I was in no mood for this.

“Did you guys come here to pick up chicks or something else. If you were coming for the girls, you definitely got their attention,” I asked as I tilted my head in the direction of the girls who hadn’t stopped looking at the pair.

“Didn’t notice,” Izzy cooly replied.

“Well, if you’re here to pick up a girl. You wouldn’t need to look far,” I gestured towards another table that had a few girls who were trying to discretely check out the pair, key word trying. The coffee shop was in a nicer part of town, and these rich girls had a thing for rockers. Something about the whole bad boys vide...at least that’s what I’ve been told.

“Come on Michie, we both know I don’t need to look for girls. Girls look for me,” he gently played with my fingers as he spoke. A small laugh escaped my lips.

I sent Izzy a ‘what the actual fuck’ look before he stepped forward.

“Thanks for the coffee, yesterday. It was the pick me up we all needed,” I thanked God that Izzy had decided to interrupt whatever conversation we were talking about.

“You should come to our next show. We’d love to have you there! Especially Duff, he seems to get a little red whenever we mention you,” Axl added.

So that was their reason for coming here? They wanted to invite me to their next gig? That was kind that they would do that for their band mate, but too bad that was never going to fucking happen.

“Sorry but I work nights,” I shrugged.

“You’re a coffee shop, who the hell buys coffee at night?” I stared Axl down as I felt like an idiot. How the hell did I not think the lie this far through.

“Yeah, we.....make the dough...and pastry stuff the night before! If you want the next time I work late I can give Duff a couple pastries for one of your practices,” I said praying he would buy into my answer. The offer of free food hopefully distracting him. Smooth, very smooth Michelle. I was mentally kicking myself.

“I’ll never turn down free food,” Axl flashed the first genuine smile he has ever sent in my direction when I was Michelle.

“You used to perform nights all the time, what happened,” I wanted to slap Izzy senseless when he opened his mouth and asked that question. He knew it was all a lie, so why was he pressing further. Did he enjoy watching me squirm?

“I got a recent promotion,” I cockily replied. It was such a blatant lie. I burnt half the pastries I made the other day. I was distracted by trying to figure out a line or two for a new Guns N’ Roses song. No way a promotion was in sight for me especially since I caused the pastry today’s shortage.

“Didn’t know you watched me perform...” I hadn’t meant to say that out loud, but the words came out of my mouth anyway.

“There probably isn’t a guy on the strip who hasn’t seen Pixie perform. Plus from what I’ve heard about you..,” Axl’s tone pissed me off as he spoke. How was he so infuriating?

“You guys weren’t bad,” Izzy interrupted Axl from digging his hole. Obviously it was an attempt to move on from Axl’s stupid comment.

“Thanks, I’ll take not bad,” I offered a half baked smile as I spoke.

“What did you make me again, yesterday? You know the coffee you gave Duff? It was good,” Axl leaned forward as he spoke.

“Cinnamon coffee, but if you’re looking to try something new I recommend the vanilla berry coffee. It’s not on the menu, but it’s a house special,” I shot Izzy a quick glance and I could tell he was hiding a smirk. He knew this wasn’t just any ordinary coffee, it was karma coffee. (As I like to call it)

“Sounds good! Can I have that?”

“Michelle, I pay you to make coffee and other drinks. If you want to keep your job I recommend you do your job,” I turned to my uncle and flashed him a quick smile and nod. It was clear my uncle knew this wasn’t a conversation about work.

“Axl, I know this whole coffee shop thing is probably new to you, but you gotta order at the register,” I teased before returning to work.

“You okay?” I turned to Derek who seems somewhat concerned.

“Besides this headache I’m good...why?” I quickly rebutted. What the hell was he trying to get at?

“I don’t know much about the Strip, but for the past months I have heard you bitch about Axl and Izzy. Why are you being so nice to them all of a sudden?”

“I’m not they’re just...associates that’s all,” Derek made no attempt to hide his eye roll as I spoke.

“They’re gonna order some weird shit, just written it down and I’ll make it. Also just charge their orders to me. You know I’ll pay it. I’m good for the money,” I said as I walked past Derek to get more cups.

“Yup just associates.” Derek mumbled under his breath.

——————-

“It should be Take me down to the paradise city where the girls are fat and got big tities,” the room bust into laughter as I shook my head at him. We had been working on a song back at the ‘hell house’ as Axl called it for the past couple of hours. I would be lying if I said any of us were sober.

“No,” was all I could muster. My speech was beyond stuttered and slurred as I spoke. It was slowly becoming harder and harder to keep my voice deep.

“Why not? I love me some big girls and titties,” Slash threw his hands up in defense.

“I like grass is green waaay better,” I said before I finished my fifth or sixth beer. No wait seventh.

“Duffles,”

“Slaaaaaaash,”

He then continued to sing take me down to the paradise city where the girls are fat and got big tities. I was about to give in, but Steven immediately jumped in.

“I agree with Duff on this one,” Steven said before taking another sip of his drink.

“Thank fuckin god,” I mumbled the words under my breath, but somehow Axl must have heard me.

“Thank god you joined the band,” Axl sent a smile his way.

I felt a little pride flow through my veins as Steven and Axl agreed with me. This was new, the feeling of comrodery. In the past if I said something in one of my previous bands I was immediately shot down or completely ignored. I could get used to this.

I could feel a smile plaster on my face as I leaned back into the couch. We continued to fiddle around with different cords and lyrics for the next hour not really accomplishing much. The song was pretty good, if I may say so in my non sober state, but it wasn’t ready yet. There was something missing and I couldn’t put my finger on it.

I almost jumped as I felt Izzy twirling my hair around his finger. I quickly snapped my head in his direction as he spoke to Axl. Was Izzy just doing this because he was drunk and knew I was a chick? I quickly looked around the room making sure not to draw attention to myself, and noticed that Izzy was either being incredibly discrete or everyone else was plastered. Maybe it was both?

“Looks like he’s out for the night,” Slash pointed towards Steven who earlier was passed out on the floor.

“Yeah,” he passed out like 20 minutes ago.

“Hey Slash,” I perked up as a couple girls came stumbling into the apartment. I couldn’t help but smile at Slash’s drunk girlfriend. She was sweet. If I met her as Michelle, I believe we would have been good friends. She came stumbling into the apartment with a couple of her friends, something that wasn’t incredibly uncommon. I watched as Axl quickly joined Slash heading to one of the shared closets that were setup as bedrooms. The last time Slash’s girlfriend stopped by with friends, they had made advances on me which Izzy immediately interrupted. I brought him a coffee the next day as a thank you.

“Do you want me to walk you home?” I perked my head up as he spoke.

“I’m a long ways away,” I let a giggle escape me as relaxed. Besides Steven who was clearly passed out, Izzy and I were the only two in the room.

“Stay the night then,” I giggled at his response before I finished my drink.

[scandeniall]

good & the bad [11/12]

| song 11: the good & the bad | good & bad masterlist | prev | next 

pairing: osamu x reader

summary/warnings:  Hang on to the moments when you're flying, he moments when you're crying. Hang on to the ones that hold you down./ straight up manga spoilers lol

wc: 1868

“Samu,” his name comes out barely above a whisper as you enter the dimly lit room shutting the door behind you. “Atsumu let me in. He said you haven’t come out at all today.” You softly say as you make your way deeper into his room, until you're standing at the space next to his desk where he’d been hunched over for the majority of the day. He still hadn’t said anything as you eye the content covering the surface. Lots of numbers. You notice the way he relaxes just the tiniest bit as you rest your hand on his shoulder. “You ok?”

“No.” The shortness of the answer doesn’t come as a surprise given, what’d he’d most likely been working on. You only nod, noticing the way he slides his chair back enough so that you could seat yourself sideways on his lap. “More shop plans?” Your question is only met with a nod. 

You remember when you met the twin. It had been during his second and your first year of university. The two of you crossing paths by mere chance. Essentially being in the right place at the right time. You met at an obscure cafe that you both tended to frequent, just never at the same time. It had been a place that had such few customers, that everyone wondered how it was still in business. However, it’d had the best damn yakitori you’d ever had. It had actually been one of the waitresses who introduced you two. Saying you were the only two people who ever ordered it from there, and that if it wasn’t for you two they’d considered taking it off the menu.

From there the friendship and eventual relationship blossomed. You found out he was in school for culinary arts, with a minor in business in hopes of opening his own food shop, eventually settling on Onigiri. That had been two years ago, and as a recent graduate he was ready to get it up and running. A process that proved to be a difficult one, causing his current stress. 

“I’ve been running these numbers and looking for suppliers all day. Kita said he can help with rice, but there's still fillings, and seaweed, and packaging. And now theres a problem with my location and actually pay for workers if I’m struggling now—fuck. Maybe I should have gone pro with Tsumu.”

He let out more than he’d initially intended and he blames the feel of your fingers massaging his scalp for the word vomit. It feels much better than the tugging he’d done at his scalp as he eyed the dizzying numbers for the millionth time. “Hey. Don’t say that. You know you wouldn’t have been happy doing that.” His gaze shifts from you to the papers covering his desk as you continue talking. “Besides, who the hell said opening a business was easy. If it were, everyone would be doing it-”

“Well it's obviously not,” your hand goes to clamp around his mouth so he wouldn’t interrupt again. “As I was saying. It's not easy, but you’re doing it. And in 80 years when you end up as the happier twin it’ll all be worth it. I know it’s stressful now, but that’s where your superhero volleyball strength should kick in. The same mental strength I’m sure it takes to get through games, physically pushing yourself past your limits is what you need now. It’s The mental strength to see this through Samu. You’ve got it, so just hang in there through the good and the bad.” The quietest of sniffles causes you to let out a laugh. “Wait are you actually crying right now at my stupid speech.”

Your boyfriend’s hands go to try and fail to push you off as you continue laughing. “It’s the hunger. I haven't eaten in hours,” Osamu counters as you roll your eyes. “Yeah, Alright. Come on let’s go get something. My treat tonight.” Hands tighten around your waist as you lean down to press your lips to meet his. The kiss is soft, lips ghosting against one another as you fight yourself smiling. Before you could push it further he pulls away a lazy smile on his face. “You said you were gonna treat me to dinner.”

Your annoyed groan does nothing but amuse him, but as you go to get up you find that his hands don’t loosen. “For someone who wants food you don’t seem to be making the effort to let me go.” Osamu only shrugs. “Thank you. For having my back.”

“Just remember, hang through the good and the bad. And stop being afraid to ask for my help. I’m here, always.”

——

‘I’m outside,’ your eyes gloss over the text before you start packing your backpack. Bidding your friends goodbye you quickly make your way down the steps of your school’s library before slipping into Osamu’s passenger seat. You eagerly accept the quick kiss he offers in greeting. 

“So you think this is the place?” 

“Hopefully. I’m ready to sign a lease already.” You nod humming along to the radio. Right now he was going to take a last look at the potential shop location before hopefully signing for it. You’d offered to go with him since you didn’t have any late classes for the day. Ever since your conversation a month ago he’d been just the slightest bit more accepting of help from others. 

“Oh, my friend gave me some of the logo drafts today. They look pretty good, you might have a winner there.” His hand goes to gently squeeze the skin of your thigh in appreciation. You had a friend majoring in graphic design who was more than willing to gain experience designing a logo for a business. Osamu was grateful for it. That was one last thing he had to worry about. 

“When i decided to do this, I thought i'd be on my own. According to so many people I was letting my talent go to waste going into food instead of sports.” This time your hand goes to offer him a comforting squeeze. “But— I’m thankful. For you, shitty Tsumu, Kita and everyone else helping me. But don’t ever mention that to my brother.”

You can’t help but laugh, swearing to secrecy. You remember how Osamu half told you that him and his twin got into a nasty fight about him quitting sports back in high school. It ended in them betting who would end up the happiest at the end of their life. Thankfully the two got over it as they grew into men, and now Atsumu acted as his brothers ‘official and professional taste tester.’ He’d even gotten some of his teammates to do taste tests for more opinions. 

—-

6 years later

“Thank you for all being here. I wanted to give a special thank you to the person who has held me down and kept me sane from the beginning. At least for the most part, sometimes they’re annoying.” Your jaw drops in a mix of amusement and shock at Osamu’s words. The mid size crowd around you laughs, even more as you go to push the man who doesn’t even falter. 

“The first Onigiri Miya shop opened 6 years ago. And today we’re here to celebrate the grand opening of the largest branch yet here in Tokyo. Thank you for being here, and enjoy.” Osamu quickly bows before cutting the ribbon open to the new shop and allowing people inside. 

As the last person trickles inside your left outside with your boyfriend and his twin, who was looking at you weirdly. He had a stupid smile in his face that seemed unusually genuine. “Would you stop looking at me like a weirdo. Let’s go inside” your walk is stopped by a hand grabbing yours. Your confusion is just marked by Osamu grabbing both of your hands. “Samu— what’s up?”

“This is weird. But not really,” You notice the twin starting to break his usual deadpan persona, even glancing at the blonde counterpart for a moment before taking a deep breath. A thought of what's about to go down briefly crosses your mind, but only for a point of a second, because there's no way. 

“A few years ago you told me to hang on through the good and the bad. To this day, I don’t even think you knew what you were really saying. But you said it, and I did it. I stuck through the long nights where I wanted nothing more than to pull my hair out and give up. At the beginning when everything was going to shit. When I was spending more to run the shop than I was making. When my first shop caught fire and nearly burned to the ground-”

“All about you huh. Way to be self centered Samu,” both of you shot a glare at the blonde. Osamu for the interruption, and you for- well you didn’t even know. You only bit back that maybe he was learning from him, causing a smile to tug at Osamu’s face.

“Anyways- but I also stuck through with the good. From getting enough money saved to open a shop, getting approved for the starter loan, to finding the best vendors and having the chance to sell and grow at professional games. Then I opened up my second, and third and now fifth branch.” You can’t help but smile at the memory as you nod.

“I couldn’t have done it without you. Your love, kindness, and everything that makes you, you. You hung in there with me as you went through your own life. You graduated, started working at your dream company, and started working your way up. All this while supporting me endlessly. You even went as far as putting money down for me, and working at the shop for free. You were there through every step of the way. 

You always told me to feel and don’t be afraid to ask for help, but the help you gave and continue to give is more than anyone could have ever asked for. During one of our midnight talks, you told me to hang on and love the ones who continue to keep me ground. You’re one of those people. The name of the shop. Onigiri Miya always had a nice ring to it.” Your eyes went through several emotions: confusion, realization, and now shock, as your boyfriend took a step back now getting onto 1 knee. You almost feel like you’re going to pass out as your mind runs blank. 

“I love you a whole lot. So, (Y/N) will you make the name on the shop yours as well and marry me.” You don’t even remember the words yes coming out of your mouth or even nodding. Apparently you did because you're met with metal sliding on your finger and obnoxious hollering from a twin who you didn’t even notice was recording the entire time. Arms that circle around your waist and a failure figure hugging yours breaks you out of your state of shock.

“Here's to handling the future together. And sticking through the good and the bad.”

a/n: this series is NOT written in song order which is why the prev/next buttons dont work and wont until its applicable. This is the 3rd installment and my first time writing osamu so this shit seems mad OOC but i also dont know his character that well, but this song made me go to this idea so?????? Also reread and take a shot every time i reference the fucking title god i hate myself

[singingunderthecurtain]

God, Is That You? | 20190321

Author: @julietsoddeye​ Genre: Angst | Fluff | Fantasy AU Pairing: Xiumin x Female Reader (ft. Taeyong) Warning: Language | Mention of ONS

Plot: Dear Diary, hopefully this is just a dream because this is not how he said it should be!

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﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎

You were awoken by the ear-splitting sound of your ringtone right into your right ear. You fell asleep instantly last night, forgetting to put your phone on your bedside table.

Who the fuck is calling you at this hour? Since your suspension you have been sleeping late, ergo you wake up late.

Not looking whoever the hell is calling, “Hello,” you answered groggily.

“I need you to come to the office.”

You shoot right up. Eyes suddenly the size of plates wide. 

That was your manager. No, not your immediate boss, but the department manager, Mr. Lee. He never, ever calls you… 

Well he called you once last year, to ask you to pick up his three ugly pugs from the groomers because apparently everyone in his household was too busy to do so. He did give you a crisp ₩50,000 that day, to silence you about running him a personal errand, which is prohibited in your company. 

You’re so used to doing things for everyone because before there were newbies, before Taeyong, you were once the “Errand Girl”. When it was Taeyong’s turn to be the errand boy when he started, you felt bad for him and you helped him. That’s how you became good friends.

“Are you there? Did you hear me?” your Manager slightly raised his voice.

You shook your head to fully wake yourself at once, “Yes, sir. I’m sorry, I just woke up,” you scramble to your feet and grab your bath towel.

“Be there on time,” he said before abruptly ending the call.

—

It’s still too early, considering your manager called you an hour and a half before the actual work time, EVERYONE seems to be here already, even the usually tardy people are around, scrambling to their feet like crazy as if a disaster is about to happen. A lot of your coworkers come in literally five minutes before nine and it’s not even eight-forty-five and here they are.

You made a beeline to your desk, making sure to dodge your busy coworkers when nobody even noticed your presence. The moment you put your purse down the table, you and Taeyong made eye contact. ( your tables are parallel to each other)

“What’s happening?” “What are you doing here?”

The both of you exclaimed at the same time and then laughed immediately right after.

“I’ll go first,” Taeyong started with a giggle, “apparently our CEO will have an early retirement and wants his son to take over asap. So the old man is gonna show his son around the whole company today,” he said as he placed down his phone on his table. 

You see that he was just messing around with his mobile phone with just the right amount of paper stack he does every day. He is pretty efficient at his job, he makes sure to finish the right workload so that he will never have backlogs or bring home any work with him. (unless it’s new season projects, taking home work can’t be helped)

“I see,” you nod your head up and down in understanding. 

Your coworkers are pacing around the office to make their workspace look busy, adding unnecessary papers and old logs from previous weeks ago. Pffft, wouldn’t that only show the company owners that their employees are lazy? That they don’t do their work???

“So what are you doing here?” he asked again, this time standing from his chair to hand you the paper bag of pastry he bought. Obviously wanting to share the food with you.

“Mr. Lee called me earlier this morning, asking me to come in,” you simply reply. 

Thankfully he doesn’t have coffee on his table yet, so you hand him one of the cups you were holding. Taeyong’s eyes lit up seeing the written order of his favorite drink on the paper cup.

“Hey, guys listen up!”

The loud voice of your immediate boss suddenly pierces through the slight buzz around the office. Took a minute before everyone settled to listen.

“Mr. Lee is going to say a few words.”

He and Mr. Lee are standing above the few steps leading up to their respective private offices. You, Taeyong, and the rest of the people in your department are frozen waiting for whatever the hell the department head is about to say.

“Floor is yours, Sir…” your immediate boss motions for Mr. Lee to start.

“So,” Mr. Lee started, paused to clear his throat, “you all already know that we will be having a new CEO soon. Kim Sajangnim called for a board meeting two weeks ago to announce that.” he continues.

Taeyong suddenly nudged you and when you looked at him, he discreetly handed you half of the blueberry muffin he gave you just a few minutes ago.

You smile a bit as you take the snack from him and Taeyong smiles back and takes a sip of the coffee you bought for him.

“Kim Sajangnim wanted to spend time with his new wife. That’s why the early retirement,” Mr. Lee had his left hand over the right side of his mouth pretending to whisper with a weird and petty expression on his face.

How lucky are you to land a job in an environment like this? You almost rolled your eyes but stopped yourself from doing so. You just got back from work, you don’t want to be on his bad side again. He’s not even looking at you, but someone might be and tell on you. You don’t know who the suck-ups are among your colleagues, you can’t trust anyone.

Everyone whispers among themselves. Taeyong nudged you again and he gave you a knowing reaction and you slightly shrug your shoulders as a reply.

“Anyway, be on your best today. I don’t exactly know what time they will visit, but our department needs to look good. Okay, team?” Mr. Lee said. 

After a chorus of ‘Yes, Sir’ from everyone, your boss, Mr. Lee, and two more managers retreated to the meeting room.

You had a brief talk with all the managers before Lunch telling you investigation is still ongoing regarding the incident last week. They also said they won’t be telling the higher office about it just yet, not until the investigation is complete. 

That gave you a sense of relief for now and you dare not inquire anymore when they seem to neglect to answer some of your questions. Kind of weird, but you ignored it, the important thing right now is you’re back at work.

Some of your coworkers seem to quiet down every time they catch you around, some whispering after giving you a slight peep as they talk among themselves.

Taeyong told you to ignore them, reminding you that it has been a slow few months and everyone is just bored so they gossip about you. 

The last big office scandal was Wonseok’s cheating chronicle three months ago. He and his wife made a huge commotion in the building’s lobby when she found out he was cheating on her with your now resigned coworker, Mina, and a few more other women. You don’t like gossip and scandals but that week was very interesting, you can’t help but listen when your coworkers babble to you and Taeyong about it.

Other than that, the day was kind of okay.

To everyone's (not you and Taeyong, duh) disappointment, the scheduled visit from the CEO and his heir didn’t happen. It is a pretty big company with a lot of different departments, you can’t squeeze a visit in just one whole day.

You and Taeyong decided to celebrate your comeback over dinner and a quick drink at the samgyupsal place just a block away from work. You’re laughing about how unsatisfied everyone when Mr. CEO and son were a no-show. You both hate how everyone’s a fake, some a little more than others. They would go to lengths just to make it seem like they’re very, very useful for the company. 

You’re happy you found your mutual with Taeyong. You’re both just neutral about office stuff.

You both had a bottle each of soju tonight and you know you’re gonna sleep well.

﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎

THURSDAY | 20190321 — This should be a suspension countdown. But I am suddenly NOT suspended anymore. Mr. Lee said he needs me to be in the office. (he needs to look good in front of the new CEO. Typical.)

Yeah, new CEO!!! A young one. The old man’s only son.

YAY! :-|

[dadgonedeku]

Celebrating Bakugou’s Birthday Headcanons

💥🎊~SFW (very fluffy...the most fluffy)

💥🎊~Bakugou x Fem!Reader (mutual pining)

💥🎊~Happy Birthday to the little rat, here are some hcs to celebrate! 🥳

💥🎊~Tbh I should have just made this a oneshot because that’s basically what it is but in HC format because it’s easier for me to write whoopsies...🥴

💥🎊~I wrote this in like four hours so I’m super sorry if it sucks...it was honestly really hard for me to write with no motivation what so ever but I just wanted to make sure I got something out in time for the baby’s b day! Double whoopsies 🥴

💥🎊~Also long post triple whoopsies 🥳

💥🎊~ “Here we go, today is the day!” You say to yourself as you wake up in the morning, already excited for what’s to come.

💥🎊~ You see reader, you and the rest of 1A (mainly the bakusquad) decided to surprise the gruff explosion boy for his birthday.

💥🎊~ And as you got ready that morning, you decided to take a little extra time in making yourself look even more beautiful than you already were, examples being putting on a little more makeup than usual or even taking some extra time to learn a new hairstyle.

💥🎊~ You’ve had a crush on the ash blonde for a while now, ever since the beginning of the school year, and it only continued to grow as you watched him become stronger and develop more of a gruff softness with his classmates.

💥🎊~ So this was the perfect opportunity to show him how much you cared, and on top of that you had an excuse for you lookin even more ‘like a snacc’ than usual.

💥🎊~ “Y/N!!!! Come on hurry up!!” You hear you’re best friend Ashido knock at your door, you quickly finish whatever you’re doing and pull yourself together, taking a quick glance at how you looked in a mirror before opening the door.

💥🎊~ “Geez girlie, you look bomb, get it, bomb?” You huff a laugh at the bad joke as she takes in your appearance.

💥🎊~ “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this spruced up before, well except for that one party you got to go too. Lookin good, ready to try and reel him in?” She teases as she takes a quick snap of one of your bra straps under your shirt.

💥🎊~ “Ashi!!! No. And besides, I’m sure he doesn’t even like me back anyways.” You shoot back as a bright pink blush paints itself on your s/c cheeks. Ashido was the only one who knew about your longtime crush on the ash blonde, and frankly she was the only one you trusted enough. Fortunately for you, she proved liable.

💥🎊~ “Ha, I wouldn’t think so, have you seen the way he looks at you whenever you’re paired up in a match or even during the sports fest?” She asks excitedly as she steps into your dorm room, following you over to your bedside table as you open the top drawer, retrieving a medium sized box wrapped in a bright orange paper, a green bow attached to black ribbons sitting on top of it.

💥🎊~ “No Ashido, and ya wanna know why? Because I’d be in the middle of a FIGHT then!” You playfully yell back as she lets out a laugh at your flustered face. “Plus, I’m sure that’s not even true anyways, there’s nothing special about me that would make him ‘fall in love’” You quote with your hands as you take the gift from your drawer, tucking it under your dominant arm as you grab your purse with the other.

💥🎊~ “Alright, think what you want. Just know that you are a tasty lady with a tasty bod and personality and if he don’t like it back, he doesn’t deserve you.” She chuckles with her hands on her hips as you roll your eyes amusingly in response, nudging her out of the door as you close it behind you.

💥🎊~ “Where is he right now anyways?” You inquire as you and Ashido make your way down the fourth floor hall to the elevator, “Doesn’t he get up really early in the mornings?”

💥🎊~ “Yep, sure does. To be fair I don’t really know what he’s doing right now, but he’s not in the common room.” She responded as the two of you stepped in the elevator, pressing the lobby button that would transport you to the common room.

💥🎊~ “Oh, well I hope someone came up with a good enough distraction so we have enough time to get everything ready.” You say hopefully as the elevator drifted downward, Ashido nodding in agreement. The rest was silence, a few moments going by before the familiar ‘ding!’ sound of the elevator alerted the two of you that you had arrived to the floor.

💥🎊~ You took a deep breath and fiddled with a necklace that hung around your neck, anxiety building of the unknown, and if your secret plan would actually work. Ashido placed a comforting pink hand on your shoulder and flashed you a small smile, you shot one back and took a deep breath, closing your e/c eyes for a moment before stepping out of the elevator.

💥🎊~ “There you guys are!” Kaminari waved happily from the common space, alerting the rest of your classmates that you and Ashido had finally shown. Well...all except for two?

💥🎊~ “Huh? Where’s Kirishima? Wasn’t he another mastermind of all this?” You ask curiously, placing your box on one of tables and signaling to Urakaka to keep an eye on it, to which, of course, she saluted with a bright smile.

💥🎊~ “Oh he’s keeping Kacchan occupied for now, they went to the gym for a workout an hour or two ago.” Your vibrant green-eyed classmate Midoriya replied with a grin, also holding a small box in his right hand.

💥🎊~ You took a sigh of relief, thankful that Kirishima had bought some time...but wait...Midoriya said a couple hours ago...

💥🎊~ oh no...

💥🎊~ “Wait?! A couple hours ago? That means that they’re almost done by now right?” You ask suddenly, startling a few of your classmates in the process, a couple seconds go by before all hell breaks loose, Iida resorting to shouting out orders to his various fellow classmates.

💥🎊~ You and the other girls were tasked with setting up tables and helping hang streamers from the ceilings, Urakaka’s quirk coming in handy as she would hold onto you as you attached the fragile paper material to the bland, off white ceiling.

💥🎊~ Orange and Black sheets were draped over the kitchen tables as Sato and Momo worked in the kitchen, whipping up tea and desserts for the class to enjoy during the party.

💥🎊~ To be fair, all of them would probably be chewed out by said birthday boy for ‘doing too damn much’ but deep down they all knew that he would appreciate it.

💥🎊~ Bakugou, however, never really thought much about his birthday, sure he celebrated it as a child but once he became a teen he kinda dropped it. He never really saw the appeal, I mean...all a birthday means is that you turn a year older right? To him it was just another day, so why did it matter so much to the rest of his class?

💥🎊~ Well, all of you had been through a lot as a class, with all of the villain attacks and heartache never seeming to end. It was rough, and it was hard to deal with. But the 21 of you still managed to get through it together, but part of you feels like Bakugou was hit the hardest by it all. Him and Midoriya of course.

💥🎊~ You’d never really seen him show any emotion aside from anger or brashness, maybe you’d even experienced some sass or a few cocky comments. But that’s about it....

💥🎊~ So why did you care so much about him?

💥🎊~ Why did your heart flutter every time you saw him?

💥🎊~ Why?

💥🎊~ You never realize that you had subconsciously tuned out the happy smiles and giggles and shouting as you don’t pay attention to the front doors opening and the immediate echo of “Surprise!” that comes right after.

💥🎊~ “Y/N!! Look out!” Urakaka shouts from below you, snapping you out of your thoughts, which only resulted in you to beginning to fall from the ceiling as you hear your female friend shout “release!” from underneath you. A scream rips from your throat as your body fails to react fast enough for you to catch yourself. You clench your eyes shut as your vision catches quick blurs of your classmates scrambling after you.

💥🎊~ 1000 thoughts rush through your brain as you brace yourself as best you can for impact in those quick couple seconds.

💥🎊~ But the impact never...came?

💥🎊~ “Oi, the hell was that for dumbass?” You hear a gruff voice say as your eyes open in shock, your mind drawing a blank as you stare up at none other than Bakugou himself, who had caught you in the heat of the moment with that sexy rapid reaction time of his-

💥🎊~ “I....uhhh...” You fail to answer as your eyes dart around the room, only for them to land on Ashido trying her best to hold in a laugh. “ I don’t really...know?”

💥🎊~ “Hah?! Whattaya mean you don’t know? You just fell from the ceiling! Watch how you release your quirk pink cheeks!” He shouts as he gently places you back on your feet, keeping a strong hand on your back to make sure you’re steady before removing it.

💥🎊~ Embarrasment rushes through your body, giving you shivers and goosebumps as you quickly look for Urakaka. “Urakaka what happened?” You unintentionally shout in her direction. She flushes profusely and shakes her hands in front of her before moving to cover it.

💥🎊~ “There was a huge spider right next to you on the ceiling, and I didn’t wanna startle you but I know how much you hate them so-“ She starts but interrupts with a very profuse “I’m so sorry I panicked!” that you can’t help but chuckle at. You calm down a little more and thank her for looking out for you before apologizing yourself, but you still can’t help the huge blush that rushes to your cheeks.

💥🎊~ ‘Omg omg omg that did nOt just happen he did nOt jUsT cATCH mE I-‘

💥🎊~ The worries voices of your fellow classmates snap you out of your thoughts once again as you rush to reassure them you’re okay.

💥🎊~ “Y/N are you okay?!” Midoriya and Kirishima ask in unison.

💥🎊~ “Ah! I’m fine! I promise!” You say, only before turning to face Bakugou, who was looking away...almost as if...

💥🎊~ ‘he was embarrassed too...’

💥🎊~ “Thank you, Bakugou.” You say lightly as you flash him a small smile of gratitude, only for him to reply with a rough ‘tch’.

💥🎊~ “Okay! Now that that’s over let’s get this party started!!!” You hear Ashido yell eagerly over the rest of the class, soon enough shouts of agreement could be heard as Sato and Momo appeared from the kitchen with Tea and Cupcakes, along with an actual birthday cake that was hidden in the back of the kitchen.

💥🎊~ You hear a “Tch, nerds” from behind you as you rush to the goods, your classmates following close behind as you help Momo and Sato set up the food and drinks.

💥🎊~ The day continued on with Bakugou putting up an annoyed front as you all agree in shouting happy birthday, blowing kazoos and pulling strings on confetti poppers as he reluctantly blows out the array of candles that are placed on the huge 3-tier cake that Sato had been working on all day. It was truly magnificent, white fondant draped over each of the layers, decorated with orange and green stripes with black frosted roses trimming the third tier, ‘Ground Zero’ written in cursive along the top of the cake that was encased in the roses.

💥🎊~ “Holy crap Sato!! You really went all out!!!” You hear Kaminari say behind you as you hear the clicks of phone cameras sound off around you, all of your friends recording and taking pictures to remember the happy moment.

💥🎊~ A few more minutes pass and each one of you has a cup of tea and a cupcake in hand as you all parade around the birthday boy, much to his surprise and slight annoyance, but he’ll never admit that deep down he was thankful for the enthusiastic celebration.

💥🎊~ Cheap, plastic party hats are passed around and even Mr. Aizawa partakes in the festivities, wishing the ash blonde his own happy birthday as he retrieves a cupcake and teacup himself, much to your surprise.

💥🎊~ Soon enough it’s time for present opening as Kaminari nudges the birthday boi over to the couches, the other 19 of you taking sitting positions accordingly around a coffee table that was filled with presents from everyone.

💥🎊~ “The hell is all this for?!”

💥🎊~ “For you Bakubro, duh.”

💥🎊~ “You extras do too damn much.”

💥🎊~ “But you still love us anyways.”

💥🎊~ “Tch.”

💥🎊~ His gifts include all different items, from boxes of pocky and video games, to even hoodies and fitted shirts and sweats, and of course a custom pair of black crocs with the words ‘ground zero’ spelled across the front in the little attachments...wonder who those could be from?

💥🎊~ “You’ve gotta be kidding me Shitty Hair...”

💥🎊~ “Don’t hate the player man, hate the game.”

💥🎊~ Your eyes widen as you see him reach for your gift to him, and you immediately find the courage to speak up and excuse yourself to the bathroom, when really, you were lying and choose to sneak outside instead.

💥🎊~ “But Y/N isn’t that your gift?” You hear Sero inquire.

💥🎊~ “Yeah but it’s fine! I really gotta go though.”

💥🎊~ “If you say so...”

💥🎊~ You quickly look back and notice that he opens it slower than the other ones, taking out a small index card you had placed in the lid of the box, you quickly glance through one of the window, only to see him reading it before you hide yourself from view.

💥🎊~ ‘Meet me outside, it’s important’ The card read, written in messy f/c gel pen.

💥🎊~ He sighs before quickly standing up and brushing off anyone who questions him, he grunts out a “Ill be back soon, screw off and don’t worry about it.” Before walking towards the front door.

💥🎊~ To his and your surprise...no one followed, and no one even seemed to question it.

💥🎊~ You feel your breath hitch in your throat as you hear the front door open and see Bakugou step out, turning to face you and letting the door close softly behind him. He flashes you the card and you give a small nod in response, almost as if the two of you had just silently confirmed the reason why you even wanted him here in the first place.

💥🎊~ “Well, what is it?” He asks with his usual gruff tone, but for some reason it feels much softer than earlier.

💥🎊~ “Umm...well I-“

💥🎊~ The worry comes up again as your mind decides to draw a blank on you once again, and you can’t help but blush profusely and look away. Why? Why are you like this? Why can’t you just say what you want to say? You hate it, you dread it. This empty and tingly gut feeling in your stomach, almost as if it is truly churning to the sounds of your embarrassment.

💥🎊~ “Well? Out with it already, don’t have all night ya know.” He replies bluntly as he leans back on the rails of the front porch, crossing his arms in front of him as he switches his gaze to the wooden ground instead of your flustered form.

💥🎊~ ‘Come on, out with it already y/n! He’s right here, right in front of you. He paid attention, he didn’t come out here for no reason. Just come on...say it....do it.’

💥🎊~ “Alright, think what you want. Just know that you are a tasty lady with a tasty bod and personality and if he don’t like it back, he doesn’t deserve you.”

💥🎊~ ‘fuck it, here goes nothing...’

💥🎊~ “If you’re not gonna say anything then I’m just gonna go back inside, this is a waste of my time.” He says, causing you’re eyes to widen and tear up. You shake your head silently as he turns his back to you, walking toward the door and reaching his hand out to the handle.

💥🎊~ ...but you grab it just in time...

💥🎊~ “Stop...” The word that exits your lips is barely audible as he feels the shake in your voice.

💥🎊~ “Hah? What is it then? You wanted me to come out here? So if you’re not gonna say anything then I don’t see the appeal in wasting-“

💥🎊~ “ I like you.”

💥🎊~ You feel the world stop around you and the silence that immediately follows as you prepare yourself for the worst. Good lord, the words just came out...they just escaped your lips and you could barely even handle it.

💥🎊~ “What?” Is all you hear back...

💥🎊~ ‘screw it, it’s too late to go back now...’

💥🎊~ “ I like you...Bakugou. I do...and I’m sorry if it’s weird or anything and honestly I’m okay if you don’t feel the same way...but I just want you to know anyways...”

💥🎊~ He only stares in silence, crimson eyes widened with shock.

💥🎊~ “I’ve felt like this for a long time to tell you the truth, and if I’m being honest I’ve tried to shake it off countless times but i just can’t get you out of my head. Whenever you show up and show out, whenever you talk about your dreams of becoming the number one hero...I can’t help but smile and think about how hard you must be working, and how far you must be pushing yourself to get stronger. And I feel it in my heart whenever I see you look my way or whenever you stand tall with a huge boasting smile after you’ve just won a battle. You’re amazing Bakugou...and I know that you’re gonna make it. I know that you’re going to get where you want to be, and I can’t help...but...we’ll I can’t help but long to be there with you as your journey continues...”

💥🎊~ more silence...

💥🎊~ “and I want to be there for you when you finally reach your goal...if you’ll have me of course.” You can only look down at the ground, twiddling your thumbs in anticipation as you let the words just explode from your lips...silence...more and more silence...“I love you...Bakugou.”

💥🎊~ The moments pass painfully slow as the silence fills the air and you feel heartache set in again.

💥🎊~ “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to say all of it at once. I’m sure it’s a lot and I don’t want to-“

💥🎊~ “Shut up.” Is all you hear, and before you can even register the sound of Bakugou’s boots hit the wood...you feel strong and calloused hands engulf your face and wipe away your tears.

💥🎊~ tears you didn’t even know you were shedding...

💥🎊~ “Baku-“

💥🎊~ “I said shut up...ya damn nerd.”

💥🎊~ And you do...as you instinctively reach for his waist, wrapping your arms around it as your bury your face in his chest, finally letting out the sobs that you had kept in for so long...it was finally out...and he finally knew. And all you could feel was relief as you felt his right hand come up to rest on the top of your head.

💥🎊~ “Tch...you girls...always so damn emotional...just like Deku....” You hear him huff out in a short chuckle as you giggle slightly through your tears.

💥🎊~ “I’m sorry...”

💥🎊~ “You know...I’ve been thinking about it...”

💥🎊~ “Oh?”

💥🎊~ “and I think I love you too...Y/N.”

💥🎊~ It takes you a few seconds to even register the words that come out of his mouth. He lets you pull away from his chest and take a few steps back...e/c eyes meeting crimson ones as you stare at him in disbelief, mouth agape.

💥🎊~ “Yo- Your- hold on...you’re joking right?” You whisper with a shaky voice, just loud enough for him to hear as you bring a hand to clutch your chest.

💥🎊~ “Do I look like the type of person who jokes about shit like this? Idiot, of course I’m not joking.”

💥🎊~ “Then that means-“

💥🎊~ “Yeah...I like you too, dumbass.”

💥🎊~ “Holy shit...” You don’t even finish your sentence as you squeal, your hands rushing to cover your mouth, tears starting up again.

💥🎊~ “Oi...” “Holy shit.” “Oi!” “Holy shit.” “Oi!!! Y/N!” You finally snap out of it as your gaze switches back to his, he gives you a look that means it’s time to go back to being serious and you do, pulling yourself together before turning to face him again.

💥🎊~ “So are we gonna do this or what?” He asks bluntly, holding out a pale, calloused palm your way.

💥🎊~ It takes you a few moments to respond...but when you do-

💥🎊~ “Yeah...let’s do it.” You say as you take the hand that reaches out to you, only to be pulled into a deep, sweet, and intimate kiss as the sun sets on the horizon.

💥🎊~ Your first...and his first.

💥🎊~ “Happy birthday...Bakugou.”

💥🎊~ “Katsuki, call me Katsuki.”

💥🎊~WOWIE ITS FINALLY OVER WOOO!!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE RAT AND IF YOU SOMEHOW REACHED THE END OF THIS POST I APPLAUD YOU! This took so much thinking for me to write out the way I wanted and honestly I’m pretty darn proud of it...so I hope you enjoyed it too! If you like it then please lemme know what you thought!!! I love talking to you guys! Have a good night and happy 4/20/20!!!🥰🎊💞

[shadowthrone-ammanas]

Ghost Kid Chapter Seventeen: Scary

It’s my birthday today (April 14th) so have another chapter! It happens to be my fav chapter so far too so that’s neat! :)

“There,” Snatcher said as he tied the enchanted strand onto Hat Kid’s wrist that he should’ve given her a long time ago. But at least she had it now so Moonjumper couldn’t cause mischief through her either by telling her anymore things she didn’t need to know or convincing her to do something she shouldn’t.

“Cool thanks,” she said with a smile as she took her wrist back to examine her new bracelet.

“Now uh…” Snatcher sighed. “I… added a little something extra to that bracelet too.” And part of him was already regretting it. “With it, I can summon you to me whenever I please, just like I can with Subconites. And you can…”

“Hey,” she interrupted with the gall to look offended. “You didn’t tell me you were going to do that.”

“Yeah, kiddo, but I don’t think you have to worry too much about me using it a whole lot, I really don’t want you around anymore than you already are. In fact, I would prefer for you to be around less often. But on top of that power and the whole repelling Moonjumper thing, it also gives you the power to send stuff to me as long as it’s small. If you…”

“Wait what?” she interrupted again this time with far too much excitement. “Really?”

“Yes, really. Go ahead and try it out I guess.”

She glanced around the hollow before leaving to pick up a stick from the ground. She looked at it intently for a few seconds before it vanished, appearing next to Snatcher instead before falling to the ground. He scowled at it before looking at Hat Kid again; the look on her face made him regret this decision even more.

“Only use it for important things,” he said, pointing at her as she reentered, probably readying to say something annoying. “If you abuse it even one time, I will take it away.” Though, he’d threatened the Subconites with that too and despite multiple offenses and three whole coordinated attacks, never had. With her though, he meant it; tolerating nonsense from her encouraged it and made it worse so he was going to stick to his resolve on this at least. “Understand?”

She gave him a disappointed look. “Okay. But… what kind of stuff do you want me to send?”

“Just… important things. Like if run into an emergency, send me something to let me know. Or when you finish one of your books, just send it to me so I don’t have to deal with you coming to talk to me about it. All right? No funny business.”

“Yeah, okay. I’ll be good, I promise. But speaking of being good, when do you start teaching me to be spooky?��

Ugh, Snatcher was not in the mood for that. “Tomorrow.” He wouldn’t want to do it tomorrow either but best to get it over with sooner rather then later so he could have it done.

***

One second Hat Kid was chatting with Subconites in the Village, the next she was looking up at Snatcher. Confused, she glanced around. She was suddenly in an entirely different part of the forest, near the ruins.

“You summoned me with the thing?” she asked, looking back at Snatcher as she pointed the bracelet he’d given her yesterday.

“Yes,” Snatcher replied with a sigh. “You said you wanted me to teach you how to be scary so I am. If you want to complain about me doing it on my time and not yours or about how I summoned you here go ahead.” He crossed his arms, clearly waiting for her to do so because he’d promised her complaining would lead him not doing it anymore.

“No that’s fine.” She smiled up at him because she wasn’t going to fall for that. The being abruptly summoned thing was a bit annoying but it was worth it. She was excited to learn to be a proper scary ghost like him.

“All right fine, let’s begin then I guess. First, you don’t have enough power to make yourself large or change you shape much yet meaning if you want to be scary you need to learn how to turn your cuteness scary.”

“You think I’m cute?”

“No, but I know a lot of people would. They’re wrong by the way, there’s nothing about you that’s actually cute. You’re not even ugly in any remarkable way either, just plain and uninteresting.” He almost sounded like he believed that.

“Oh yes, ‘plain and uninteresting’ says the noodle ghost.”

Snatcher scowled at her as she smiled up at him. “For the last time, I am not a noodle. If you’re going to compare my shape to anything it should be snake.”

“Danger noodles!”

His mouth twitched as if he wanted to smile at that. “Nuh-uh,” he said shaking a finger at her. “We’re not playing this game. I refuse to put up with it so we’re going to get on with the lesson and get it over with as soon as possible.”

“Whatever you say Mr. Noodle sensei.” She saluted him. “I await your instructions.”

“I hate you.”

Hat Kid giggled and broke the salute to blow a raspberry at him, earning an eye twitch. She wasn’t complaining though and he hadn’t said her being annoying was a reason to call off the lesson so he wasn’t allowed to yet.

He put his hands together and took a deep breath before speaking. “Have you ever seen any horror movies that feature children?”

“Nope.” She wasn’t really much of a movie person. “I didn’t even know movies like that existed.”

“Well they do because children can be horrifying if they’re cast in the right light and act and talk a certain way. Which I guess is what I’m going to be teaching you how to do. You’ve already done some acting in movies so hopefully it shouldn’t be too hard. Give me your best scary laugh.”

Hat Kid took a deep breath out of habit and did so, giving him her best interpretation of how he laughed. She wasn’t great at it in part because she couldn’t make her voice loud enough for it to be truly effective. But she had practiced it in her room a few times, before and after her death, so she wasn’t horrible at it either.

“Nope kiddo, the way you’re going to be scary is different than the way I’m scary. We already established that. That kind of laugh from someone like you comes off as a cute attempt at being intimidating and is only going to endear people to you. Try this instead.” He giggled but it wasn’t in his voice but a voice that sounded an awful lot like hers. She’d never giggled like that though, it was creepy.

“How do you do that with your voice?”

“I have no vocal cords so with a little bit of willpower and focus I can make any sound I want. You can too, try it.”

That was true, she didn’t have vocal cords anymore so in theory she could make whatever sound she wanted. So she took a few deep breaths and closed her eyes to center herself, unable to help the smile forming on her face at her plans. She took one more big breath and… “AHAHAHAHA FOOOOOOOOL!” she shouted, forcing her voice to sound like Snatcher’s when he caught someone in his trap. It left her with a weird tickling feeling in her throat though that made her cough a bit even though she shouldn’t really need to.

Snatcher was grinning wide now. “Yeah, real cute kid, you sounded just like me.”

“Thank you!”

“Now, are you here just to imitate my laugh or do you do you actually want to try to be scary? If it’s the former you already got that down and I can just leave so honestly I’d prefer that one.”

“Nope, I’ll be serious now.” She wanted to be scary and powerful like him. She wanted to be able to help protect what was now her home should she need to. She wanted to be able to put on a show and be flashy the way he liked to do because it looked like fun. Basically, she just wanted to be like him in general because they were both ghosts, he was cool and she liked him and he was basically her mentor now, right? Wanting to take after him wasn’t a bad thing, right? … If it was, she didn’t care. “Teach me please.”

“I knew you’d say that.” He didn’t sound too terribly disappointed though. He was having fun too even if he didn’t want to admit. That was fine though, he was just like that.

 -

First, he had her practice a creepy laugh until he was satisfied with it being creepy enough. Then he taught her a few more so she wouldn’t get repetitive. From there learning to talk in a creepy cadence was easy. She wouldn’t know what things to say that were creepy or scary but they’d deal with that later.

Next, he started teaching her how to hide and sneak properly in the shadows. She had just enough power to disappear into them for a short time. He also taught her the more mundane tricks of hiding behind the trees while being able to see anyone on the path and follow them without drawing attention.

Then, he taught her how to project her voice, make it sound like it was coming from somewhere else or multiple places. It wasn’t a tactic he used often because he didn’t need to in order to scare people but would supposedly be useful to her with her size and ‘supposed’ cuteness.

And that was where he finally called an end to the lesson because… “That’s probably all I can teach you, right now.” Despite how reluctant he’d been to teach her and how much he’d complained about it before hand he seemed to have enjoyed it. “We’re going to have to watch horror movies later so you can hopefully pick up some stuff from that. Also, reading scary books is a good idea too. But other than that, until you gain enough power to do more magic, you’re probably about as scary as you can be right now.”

“Thank you,” she said, smiling up at him. She felt exhausted after all that and was looking forward to going back to her ship to relax in her bed and read a bit.

“You’re welcome, I guess. Now go get some rest, you deserve it.”

Previous / Next

[yoddream]

The Price to Pay | n.jm

pairing: jaemin x fem!reader

summary: when you’re given your dream job, what will happen to you and Jaemin?

warnings: ANGST, bad writing lmao, depression (not specifically mentioned but it’s obviously there), a shit ton of crying, jaemin being kind of an asshole ngl, mentions of hockey (only because there might be some things that don’t make sense idk maybe they do to somebody who doesn’t watch it), VERY INACCURATE INFO ON BECOMING A TRANSLATOR

notes: here’s part 2 to New Beginnings! idk how to link it lmao im sorry im really bad at this also im iffy on how this came out but at this point whatever i wrote a lot. I’m gonna try to do the bold for korean again (cuz new beginnings on the app is fucking jacked af but on the full website it looks how it’s supposed to) but like just assume that everything the OCs are saying are in Korean and whatever the Dreamies say that aren’t to English speaking people are in Korean

“Please put on your seatbelts as we will begin our descent to Los Angeles, California.”

You did as the flight attendant asked and looked out the window. The ground slowly got closer and closer, and your heart raced with excitement. Despite how you’d felt a year ago, you couldn’t wait to land and start the next chapter in your life. You could still feel the exhaustion from it being in the middle of the night in Seoul, but that was so little compared to all the emotions running through your body.

Once you were out of security, you pulled up FaceTime on your phone and called Jisung. It rang and rang, and you almost gave up when he finally answered the call. He was out of breath, as if he’d just run to get his phone. His face lit up when he saw yours.

“Y/N! You landed safely!” he said. Your parents appeared in the frame, which made you smile.

“I did! I’m heading towards pick-up now, so hopefully I’ll be on my way to the rink,” you told them.

You’d decided you wanted to be an English-Korean translator, so you had been hired as a translator for a new NHL prospect. He was born and raised in Korea, and he knew very little English, so you were going to help him during prospect camp, translating and teaching him English. You expected to be in America until September, but if he made it past both prospect and training camp, who knew what your future held?

“Oh honey, I’m so proud of you,” your mom said.

“We both are. You’re gonna do great, we know it,” your dad added.

You looked around and spotted your name on a sign that was held by a man with a driver’s cap. You told your family you had to go and hung up before walking over. He greeted you with a smile and grabbed one of your bags, heading to the parking lot. You shot a text to the boys, letting them know you’d landed. The drive to the rink didn’t take long, and you were escorted by a security guard through the hallways to an office.

“Ms. Park is here,” the security guard announced before heading back to his area.

“Y/N, it’s very nice to meet you. I’m Rob Blake, the general manager,” a very tall man in a suit said. He held his hand out to you, which you shook. “We’re very happy to have you here. Chi-won Han’s translator from last year has a new job, so we’re glad you can stay for longer.”

“Thank you, Mr. Blake. I’m very excited for this opportunity,” you stated with a wide smile. “So, where should we start?”

Mr. Blake’s assistant gave you multiple papers to sign before bringing you to get your ID made. You proudly hung it around your neck, even though your picture looked absolutely horrible (you just got off an eleven-hour flight). Then, Mr. Blake himself brought you to a conference room where the prospect, his agent, and the coaches were.

“Everyone, this is Y/N Park. She will be Chi-won’s translator.”

You bowed and said, “Han Chi-won, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Park Y/N.”

The boy bowed as well. “Thank you for flying here, Y/N. You have to idea how appreciative I am.”

You then introduced yourself to the agent and the coaches, dropping your bags to bow and shake hands. You told them about your exact role and how to contact you in case you were needed last minute. You’d been given a phone for work with everyone’s contacts in it, along with a rental car since you still had a valid driver’s license. You were then handed the keys to your apartment, which you would be sharing with Chi-won and one of the Kings’ players, Tyler Toffoli.

“Y/N, do you own any skates?” Marco Sturm, one of the assistant coaches, asked.

You shook your head. “I’m not very good at skating, but I’ll definitely do my best.”

“Have Tyler and Chi-won take you shopping for a pair. We really need you on the ice for drills.”

You translated for the hockey player when his head perked up at his name. He nodded shyly, his eyes darting to the floor. You couldn’t help but feel bad for him; he had no idea what anyone was saying, so for all he knew you could’ve been talking poorly about him. None of you would do that, but he didn’t know any better.

“Camp doesn’t officially start until tomorrow. We just wanted you to meet before then so that you can get situated. before the madness,” Mr. Blake explained.

“I appreciate that. It’s past midnight in Korea, so I’m pretty exhausted,” you replied.

“You guys are all set for today. We’ll see you bright and early tomorrow for day one.”

You turned to Chi-won and asked, “You wanna get food?”

He nodded vigorously, saying, “Tyler and his wife were making breakfast when I was called down here.”

Grabbing your bags, you said your farewells to the men before heading out, Chi-won hot on your feels. When you clicked the key fob for the rental car, a new SUV lit up. You let out a low whistle and popped the hatch, tossing your suitcases and duffel in. You and Chi-won then climbed in and decided on a local diner. The car ride was mostly silent, the radio playing softly in the background. When you walked into the restaurant, his eyes widened in fear as the waitress spoke to him. You ordered juice for the both of you and then started translating the menu with ease, watching his shoulders relax at the sound of a language he knew.

The two of you ate in silence for a couple minutes, simply enjoying your food. You checked your personal phone for any messages, but there was nothing. You weren’t surprised, though. The boys were supposed to be asleep, so you expected there to be nothing, but it still hurt to see that you hadn’t even heard from Jaemin. Then again, you probably should’ve expected as much.

“What?” Jaemin asked quietly.

You’d shown up at the dorms, wearing one of your boyfriend’s sweatshirts and a pair of shorts. Your hair was a mess from stressing out, so you had the hood up. He had to know what was going on, and you were out of time.

“I’m going back to America,” you repeated. “A major sports team contacted me last month to help one of their prospects. He doesn’t know much English, so I’ll be translating for him during camp.”

“When you do leave?”

“Tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?!” You flinched at the sudden rise of his volume, the sound bouncing off the walls. There was no way the other Dreamies hadn’t heard him. There was no way the other Dreames hadn’t heard him, and you started to panic. This was definitely not how you expected this to go. “You’ve known for a month, and you’re just telling me now?!”

“I was going to tell you sooner, but since you’re working on your comeback, you’ve had to cancel dates! I didn’t have a choice but to tell you now!” you argued.

“Oh, so now it’s my fault?”

“I didn’t say that, Jaemin. I’m just explaining that there wasn’t a good time, so that’s why you aren’t finding out until the day before my flight. I’m sorry it wasn’t sooner.” Your hands were wringing in the kangaroo pocket, but it was hidden by the island in the kitchen.

“How long will you be gone?” When you didn’t answer right away, his jaw clenched. “How long, Y/N?”

Scared by his tone, you said, “I have no idea. Prospect camp is for a few days, but they’re expecting him to continue on to training camp in September.”

“Are you even coming back? What does that mean for us?”

“I don’t know, Jae!” you snapped. Your voice reverberated off the walls, and you could hear shuffling down the hall. “I don’t know.”

There was a heavy pause. He then asked, “You don’t know if you’re coming back? Or you don’t know what will happen with our relationship?”

“Both.”

“You’re very young to be a translator,” Chi-won stated, snapping you out of your thoughts.

You wiped your mouth with a napkin, giving you time to think of your answer without revealing too much. “My step-dad is from Korea. He and my mom got married when I was nine, but he and my step-brother had to stay there while my mom and I live here. We would visit whenever there was a vacation for school, so I learned it over the years.”

“Do you live in Korea now?”

“Right in Seoul. I moved after I graduated high school last year.”

Chi-won was silent after that. After you paid the bill, you plugged in the address for the apartment building and made the quick drive over. Parking along the street, Chi-won grabbed your bags for you and led you to the apartment. You used the key to unlock the door and walked inside. A man and a woman looked over at the same time from the kitchen and smiled.

“You must be the translator. I’m Tyler, and this is my wife, Cat,” the man introduced.

You shook their hands and said, “It’s nice to meet you. My name’s Y/N Park.”

“Come right in. I’ll show you where your room is,” Cat offered.

You followed her down the hallway to a room that had grey walls, dark wooden floors, and a matching wooden dresser. There was a queen-sized bed with fresh sheets on it and a cream armchair in the corner. Identical nightstands stood on either side of the bed, and there was a bathroom attached to the bedroom.

“Make yourself at home. You look like you’re about to fall asleep standing up,” she joked.

“Yeah, I’m gonna take a quick nap, if that’s okay?” you asked.

“Go ahead.”

Cat closed the door behind her, leaving you alone. You collapsed onto the bed and checked to see if any messages had come in before you’d left the diner’s WiFi, but still nothing. Sighing, you put your phone on the nightstand and let your eyes close, the heaviness becoming too much to fight against.

When you woke up, the sun was high in the sky. You groaned as your arms stretched above your head. According to your phone, it was a little past noon, so you rolled out of bed and headed to the kitchen. Luckily, the password to the WiFi was on the refrigerator. As soon as your phone was connected, it started blowing up with messages and snapchats. The sudden sound made you jump, definitely waking you up. You took some time to respond to the boys and your parents, and it took you a few minutes to notice that none of the notifications were from Jaemin. Sighing, you shoved your phone into your pocket and went looking for Chi-won. You found him in his room, looking at an English book with furrowed brows.

“I’m not starting lessons until after prospect camp,” you said.

The boy jumped, clearly unaware of your presence until you announced it. He closed the book and placed it on the nightstand before looking around the room, avoiding your eyes. Sighing, you sat at the desk that was by the window.

“What’s on your mind?” you asked.

“What if I don’t make it past this camp?” he questioned.

You let out a deep breath and said, “Then you go back to your team in Korea, continue to train and practice, and then next year, you’ll come back. The exact same thing as what you went through last year.”

“What will happen to you?”

“I’ll go back home as well. I’m currently under contract with the team, so if you’re not here, I’m not needed. They’ll let me know when I am. You’re stuck with me.”

///

You and Chi-won walked into the practice rink the next morning, a fresh pair of skates in the duffel bag on your shoulder. You’d gone out with Tyler and Chi-won after dinner to buy them, just like Coach Sturm had told you to. The thought of being on the ice with a bunch of hockey players and falling on your ass was terrifying, but you didn’t have much of a choice.

You headed to the weight room and sat on a bench. Skating wouldn’t come until after they were done for the day, so your bag was simply dropped to the floor. You then pulled out your phone and looked at the last message you’d sent to Jaemin.

You: I know you’re upset, but I would love for you to be at the airport tomorrow.

He never showed up. Everyone else had, but he’d stayed at the dorms. The way the conversation had ended left the status of your relationship up in the air, and you were too scared to ask. Your anniversary was supposed to be in a little over a month, but you didn’t even know if that was something to be celebrated anymore.

The sound of the door opening behind you caught your attention. The players started filtering into the room, shooting odd looks your way. You stood up when Chi-won walked in, moving to his side for when the head strength and conditioning coach started talking.

After a speech, the coach came over and introduced himself, apologizing for missing the meeting the day before. When you assured him it was fine, he transitioned the conversation to the first test he wanted Chi-won to run through. You translated everything as you followed them to the bikes, not missing a single beat. You watched as he pedaled and pedaled, sweat dripping down his face as his leg muscles rippled from the rapid movement. You could hear the cheers of encouragement from the other prospects as they watched the others that were running through the tests.

When there was time for a break, Chi-won took the water bottle you handed him, draining it fairly quickly. He then grabbed the towel from your shoulder and wiped his face and neck, tossing it in the hamper in the corner. He looked around at the other prospects, watching them talk and laugh with each other. You felt bad knowing he wouldn’t take that first step. It was understandable, though. You’d gone through the same thing when you started making trips to Korea; you’d been surrounded by people who understood you as much as you understood them, which was not a lot.

After a few minutes, it was time for more testing. You followed the group around the weight room, mostly watching but translating when needed. Everyone’s eyes were on you whenever either of you spoke, but all your attention was on him and whoever was talking to him.

At the end of the day, Chi-won looked like he was about to drop at any moment. You decided to skip the skating and brought him back to the apartment, using the work phone since it could connect to data. He dozed in the car, his face finally relaxed. You’d never noticed how much tension was there until now. Between the stress of getting past this camp and not knowing what anyone was saying, his head was probably spinning.

When you entered the apartment, Chi-won immediately headed to his room to nap. There was a note from Tyler and Cat that they’d gone to run errands, leaving you alone. You tried to FaceTime your parents, but neither of them answered. You knew the others were rehearsing, so you called Mark, but he didn’t answer either. Feeling dejected, you headed to your room and sat in the armchair. You looked out the window and watched the world below, a sudden flashback to the day you and Jaemin were sitting in the mall’s food court. Your heart ached at the thought of one of the happiest days of your life, knowing there was a chance it was all over.

///

It was the last day of the four-day camp for prospects. You wobbled onto the ice as you tried to skate closer to Chi-won. He looked over and rolled his eyes before skating over, grabbing your arm, and dragging you to the group. A few of the players laughed, but you didn’t care. You would be laughing too if you’d seen it.

Yesterday, they’d run drills, so you got to see Chi-won on the ice for the first time, and you could see why he was their first-round pick the year before. However, the true test was the scrimmage scheduled for today. Drills could be run over and over until you got it right, but in a game if you made a mistake there was no going back.

Once the teams were split, Chi-won helped you to the bench. You could hear your personal phone ring with a FaceTime call, but you ignored it. It was most likely Jeno, calling to talk to you before he finally went to bed. He loved to call you before he went to bed, which annoyed Jaemin whenever you were on a call with your boyfriend. You wished you could answer, since you hadn’t had much interaction with anyone. You mostly translated back at the apartment, leaving you craving to talk to someone, but you felt too awkward talking to Tyler and Cat.

The scrimmage was exhilarating to even just watch. Chi-won was fast, despite how large he was. He wove through players, making fantastic plays. His stick work was quick, and he seemed to know where his teammates were, making passes without looking. There was no doubt in your mind that they were keeping him, but seeing the looks on the coaches faces made it that much better. Chi-won played fairly, probably too much; he always passed the puck for a goal instead of taking a chance himself.

During a break, Coach Sturm was going over a couple plays to Chi-won’s team. You translated as fast as you could, trying your best to make it sound clear and right. Hockey pretty much had its own language, so you assumed it was working when he nodded along. As he was about to head back onto the ice, you grabbed his attention.

“Shoot the fucking puck, man. You’ve made plenty of great passes. They want to see what you’re capable of.”

His eyes widened, but he nodded and bumped your held-out fist before skating back to the face-off. You watched the puck drop, and the game was on. Your eyes never left the player you were there for, his form zipping across the ice with a breakaway. He was denied, but you could tell there was a fire lit under his ass. There were still amazing passes, but he was taking shots on goal more. The goalie was just unbelievably good at his job,

There wasn’t much time left in the scrimmage when Chi-won was skating towards the goal, him against two defensemen. His feet moved in a way you couldn’t explain, and he slipped past the opposing players, taking a shot on goal. You nearly jumped with joy as it flew past the goalie’s shoulder, and you didn’t miss the smile on his face as he celebrated with his teammates.

At the end of the day, Chi-won was asked to dinner with some of the other prospects. He nodded his head with a grin, so they told you the restaurant. Your phone connected to the Bluetooth as you were typing it into the map, and “My First and Last” immediately started playing through the speakers. Chi-won sent a look your way but said nothing.

The other players made sure you and Chi-won had seats next to each other so you could easily translate for him. They asked him questions about his life in Korea and his teammates. He talked about his family, his girlfriend Eun-ji, and his friends. You were learning more about him by doing your job rather than conversing with him yourself. You could feel something heavy settle in your chest as they all talked to each other, only looking to you when you translated.

When you were back at the apartment, Chi-won collapsed onto the couch. You sat in an armchair and stared at the ceiling, thoughts of Jaemin running through your head. It’d been five days since you last heard from him, and you were still hesitant to reach out. He was probably in the same boat, but what if he didn’t want to hear from you? What if your relationship was over and you didn’t know it? You hadn’t talked to the other boys about it, not wanting to drag them into your drama.

“You’re thinking too loud,” Chi-won complained.

“Sorry,” you said quietly. “How do you think camp went?”

“I think I did well. My whole body hurts, though. I wish Eun-ji was here. She gives amazing back massages. I would be in constant pain if it wasn’t for her. I’m definitely the luckiest guy in the world.”

That’s what Jaemin tells me. “Is she gonna be starting college this fall?”

He nodded. “She wants to study sports medicine, so she’ll be studying at Seoul University. I’m so proud of her.”

You looked at the time on your phone before realizing that it was your work one. Your personal phone was still in your duffel, which was in the car. Cursing under your breath, you rushed downstairs and grabbed your phone from the bag.

Jaemin💕: 3 missed FaceTime video calls

Shit. Just in case your relationship wasn’t fragile enough, you’d missed three calls from him. It was the first time either one of you had tried reaching out since you stormed out of the dorms in tears. Worried, you headed inside and returned to the apartment as fast as possible. You tried calling Jaemin back, but he wasn’t picking up. It was about ten in the morning where he was, and he never slept in too much no matter what time he’d gone to bed, so you knew he was ignoring you. Trying again, you cursed and swallowed around the lump in your throat. He finally picked up, and he was not happy.

“Hey,” you said as you moved to your room.

“Hey. Where were you?” he asked.

“We were at camp, and then we went to dinner after,” you explained.

His eyebrows raised. “You went to dinner?”

“Yeah.”

“Was it a date?”

Your eyes widened in shock. “What the fuck, Jaemin? Of course it wasn’t a date! Why the hell would you ask that?”

“I mean, you did say you didn’t know how this would affect our relationship,” he snapped.

“That doesn’t mean I would cheat on you. God, do you really think that low of me?” You could feel the sting behind your eyes of tears forming, but you tried to hold them back.

“I don’t know what to think anymore, Y/N. You waited until the day before you were leaving to tell me about it—”

“I didn’t have a choice, and you know it!” you exclaimed. “You know what? I’m done. I can’t do this right now.”

You hung up and threw your phone across the room, muffling sobs into your hands. Being here, having the job you’ve worked towards the past year, it was supposed to be exciting, yet you were dealing with possibly the worst heartbreak yet, and you didn’t even know if there was a relationship to salvage anymore.

Your phone was ringing with a FaceTime call from Jisung, but you ignored it. He couldn’t see you like this; even though you were partially in the wrong in the fight, he would completely lose it and attack Jaemin. You didn’t want to be the cause of something happening to NCT Dream. It would have to stay to yourself, just like everything else about your life.

///

You’d been in America for two weeks, and you were absolutely miserable. You didn’t talk to the boys as much, ignoring some of their calls so that when you did answer, there was too much to talk about for you to think about Jaemin during the calls. You hadn’t talked to him since your last argument, and you didn’t know what to do. Jisung didn’t now, but it was clear he was suspicious of something. You just wanted to go home, but Chi-won had to stay in California for more training and practice. He’d been invited to training camp in September, so it was easier for him to just stay here until he knew his future with the team post-camp.

Chi-won’s English was improving a little, but it was clear he wasn’t confident in himself. Learning a language was hard, and English was one of the most difficult. From conjunctions to words sounding the same but being spelled different to even the sentence structure, you didn’t blame him for feeling self-conscious and frustrated. You had talked to Jisung, and he’d agreed to speak with Chi-won.

“Chi-won, can you come here for a minute?” you called out.

He walked into the living room, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He looked at your phone, jaw dropping when he saw Jisung on the screen. You held it out and said, “My brother wants to talk to you.”

He took the phone, sending a glance your way before looking back at Jisung. You moved to the kitchen to make breakfast, giving the boys some privacy. You could hear Jisung’s laugh through the tiny speaker, and it made your heart ache. Not seeing him every day felt like torture. You were so used to talk to him every day, but the both of you were too busy with your jobs, not to mention that you were still unsure of what the others knew about you and Jaemin.

As you were making some fried eggs, Chi-won joined you, holding your phone out with Jisung still on the screen. The hockey player sent a look that told you there would be a conversation later, and then he disappeared to his room. You looked at Jisung and smiled, asking him how it went. He said it went well, that Chi-won seemed to really listen to what he’d had to say. A door had opened behind him, and Chenle walked into the room. His face lit up when he saw you, and he ran over and jumped on Jisung’s back.

“Y/N! I haven’t talked to you in so long,” he said, suddenly pouting.

“I know, I’m sorry. Prospect camp was crazy, and I’ve been busy with teaching Chi-won English,” you replied. “I wish you guys were here. You’d love it.”

“We’ll have to visit sometime. Jisung, we gotta head to bed. We have practice tomorrow morning,” he said.

“Sleep well, you two,” you said with a smile.

“Love you!” they shouted, and then the call ended.

You finished breakfast and called for Chi-won. He joined you in the kitchen, taking his plate from you without a word. The two of you sat at the breakfast bar, eating in silence. Tyler and Cat were in Canada for a wedding, so you were alone with him. You waited for him to say something, anything, but he didn’t. Instead, he washed the dishes and went back to his room. He returned a few minutes later in workout clothes, so you changed into your own outfit and silently followed him to the gym downstairs. He started out on the bike while you went to the treadmill, starting a light jog.

After a few minutes, Chi-won said, “So, your brother is Park Jisung.”

“Yup. Has been for ten years,” you panted.

“I didn’t even know he had a sister.”

“No one does. It’s too dangerous.”

“That must suck. I can’t imagine keeping my sister a secret,” he said.

“Seeing him live his dream makes it all worth it. Besides, once I’m living here permanently, we’ll be able to tell everyone who I am.”

///

Getting out of bed was harder and harder as each day passed. You could feel yourself settle into a deep and heavy depression. and it seemed like the people you were living with were concerned. You never felt hungry, you were having trouble finding the motivation to shower, and you were ignoring every call that popped up on your phone.

There was a knock on your door before Cat poked her head in. You glanced at her before turning your attention back to the window. She sat in the armchair and leaned on her elbows, sending a smile your way.

“So, Chi-won and Tyler talked to the team, and they decided that if you want, you can go back to Korea until it’s time for training camp,” she told you.

You sat up slowly and asked, “What?”

“We can all tell how homesick you are, and Chi-won said that you had an argument with someone that sounded like your boyfriend. They have a back-up translator, so you can go home for a little bit,” she explained.

“He told you all that?”

“Well, he used an app to translate, but yes.”

Leaping out of bed, you hugged her tightly, mentally thanking yourself for having showered that morning. She laughed and hugged you back before telling you to start packing. You started throwing your things into suitcases and your duffel bag as she left, and tears started streaming down your face in happiness.

You hugged Tyler and Chi-won in thanks before rushing to the airport, not wanting to stay in America any more than you had to. You called your parents and Jisung once you had a ticket purchased, and they promised to keep it a secret. Jisung was practically vibrating in his seat once he heard the news, and you couldn’t wait to hug your family again.

Somehow, you managed to sleep on the flight. When you landed, it was about three in the afternoon. You raced towards your family as soon as you spotted them, leaping into Jisung’s arms. He lifted you up and squeezed tight, as if you would disappear if he let go. You then hugged your parents, not afraid to let the tears fall down your cheeks.

“I missed you guys so much,” you sobbed.

“We missed you too, sweetheart,” you dad said.

When you were home, you took a couple hours to settle in before taking Jisung with you to the dorms. Not only did you have some boys to surprise, but there was a certain boy with blue bangs you needed to speak to. Jisung seemed to be excited to be on the other end of the surprise.

As you walked into the building, your stomach twisted into a giant knot. You didn’t know how Jaemin was going to react. Before you could dwell on it too much, Jisung opened the door to the Dream dorm. Jeno and Haechan were playing video games in the living area, but they stopped immediately when they looked at you.

“Sunshine!” Jeno shouted. He threw the controller on the couch and ran over, scooping you into a bear hug.

“What are you doing here?” Haechan asked as you managed to pry away from Jeno to hug him.

“They let me come back home until training camp starts,” you explained. “Where are the others?”

“They’re in their rooms. Jaemin’s napping, but Renjun and Chenle are playing PUBG,” Jeno explained. “It’s good to have you back. Jaemin’s been moping every since you left.”

So they didn’t know. “I’ll go see Renjun and Chenle first. Jaemin must be really tired if he’s napping.”

You walked down the hallway and quietly stepped into Renjun and Chenle’s room. They were too busy looking at their phones to notice, so you sat by Renjun and asked how he was doing. He glanced at you and then did a double take before tackling you to the bed. Chenle complained, but when he looked up a screech left his mouth instead as he piled on top. They started asking you a bunch of questions at once, but you shushed them and explained why you were home. Chenle didn’t want to let go, but you explained that Jaemin didn’t know yet.

Jaemin looked so peaceful as he slept. You could just stand there and watch until he woke up, but the conversation needed to be had sooner than later. Quietly closing the door, you walked over and sat on the bed as gentle as possible. Your fingers carded through his hair, pushing it away from his forehead. He sighed in his sleep, melting under your touch. You called out his name lightly, but he didn’t stir. You tried a couple more times, and his eyes finally opened. He stared at you for about ten seconds before grabbing you. You were suddenly thrown on the bed, and he pinned your arms down before kissing you.

Kissing Jaemin felt like a dream, especially after what you two’d been going through the past few weeks. He pressed kiss after kiss to your lips, finally pulling away with a frown.

"I’m really sorry for how I acted the past couple times we talked. I trust you, and I support your career,” he said.

“I forgive you. God, I forgive you. I’ve been so miserable the past few weeks. I should’ve tried harder to tell you sooner than when I had.”

“Let’s just forget this, okay?”

“Deal.”

He leaned down to press your lips together again, not leaving any space between your bodies. He trailed kisses down your neck, sucking a mark into your skin at the base of your throat. When he moved back to your face, he whispered, “I love you.”

That was the first time either of you had ever said those words. Whenever the two of you were together, there was a good chance another Dreamie was with you, so actual dates were rare, which meant that neither of you felt like it was the right time to say them. However, the past three weeks, had proven that it didn’t matter how much time was spent alone.

“I love you too.”

It was about half an hour before you two emerged from the room. The others made fun of the hickeys that were all over your necks, but in that moment you didn’t care. You and Jaemin were more than okay, and that was all that mattered to you.

[100storiesin2020]

Chapter 11: the first week

Come read on AO3!

It was only the first day of official college for Blue, and it was not going well. She’d been secretly relieved when she learned that it was tradition for the older Foxes to walk the freshmen to classes. Campus was big, the buildings were weird, and she hated asking for help, so hopefully with her teammates’ help she wouldn’t get lost.

Her hope was in vain.

“I’m pretty sure we are at least in the right building,” Dan said.

“Then why are these doors all labeled with thousands instead of hundreds?” Blue demanded. “We need room 255, not 2250!” They’d been having this argument for about 10 minutes now and had still not found the room despite lots of wandering around. Blue strode back down the hall purposefully, noting the changing tile patterns below her feet. Why did half the building have purple tile? It made no sense.

Dan gave up and waved at a person who clearly knew where they were going. “Excuse me! Can you help us find-”

“Room 255 is down the hall, take a right at the end.” The girl pointed back the direction Blue had come from. “Everyone misses it. It doesn’t even look like there’s a hallway over there, does it?”

“Not really, no,” Blue said. “This building is a mess. What even is up with the numbers?”

The girl laughed. “This is actually two buildings smashed into one. See where the tiles change from gross to less gross?” She gestured behind them. “When they expanded the building they gave it a whole new name but also kept the old one.”

“Business majors,” Dan spat. The girl laughed again and shrugged. “Thank you!” They went around the corner and, as promised, found a hallway they had somehow missed, with a big sign for 255. “This is your stop, Blue.”

“I’m glad I insisted on being 20 minutes early,” Blue replied. “Who is walking me next?”

“Allison. See ya!” Dan ducked out, and Blue took a seat in the giant lecture hall.

*

Allison appeared shortly after the class ended, dolled to the nines as usual but - for once - not wearing heels. Blue gave her feet an exaggerated surprised look. “Sneakers are fashionable too,” Allison said indignantly. “And I am not walking you to the engineering building in heels. We have 10 minutes to go half a mile, and then we have to navigate the maze that is that hellhole of a building.”

She wasn’t exaggerating, either. Her next class was on the farthest corner of campus, and the lower level where her class was located was even more confusing than the business building had been. At least Allison seemed to know where she was going. She led the way down some stairs and through a maze of corridors until Blue was completely turned around, but they arrived at the correct classroom on time. 

“Aaron will be here to walk you back to Fox Tower,” Allison said. “Good luck with your class! 

Blue took a seat and pulled out her knitting needles, glaring at anyone who came close enough to stare at her. It was going to be a long day.

*

Blue flopped dramatically onto the bean bag at Henry’s feet. “I can’t believe it’s only Tuesday,” she groaned. “If this is what college is actually like, I should never have wished for it.”

Henry smirked. “Practices getting to you?”

“I’m used to practice. It's the early mornings that are killing me! And the classes.” She threw a pencil at the wall. “I’m surrounded by idiots.”

Katelyn laughed softly from her desk. “That sounds par for the course,” she agreed. “But if you’re going to complain, can you go elsewhere, please? I have a boatload of homework.”

“But it’s only Tuesday!” Blue was aghast.

“Junior and pre-med. Get out.”

“Is that any way to treat your new best friend?” Henry asked with obviously fake dismay. “You wound me!”

Blue laughed. “I’ll get this rascal out of your hair.” She reached out a hand so Henry could help her to her feet.

“Please.”

“See you at practice tomorrow!” he called as they left the dorm. “Thanks for the cookies!” To Blue he whispered, “run.”

They booked it down the hall as Katelyn shouted after them. “You better not have eaten my cookies you little -” They slammed the door behind them, cutting off what seemed to be an impressive stream of curse words. Blue raised an eyebrow; Katelyn could apparently give Ronan a run for his money.

“I didn’t actually eat her cookies,” Henry confided as they descended the stairs, footsteps echoing. “She’s just really fun to prank.”

Blue rolled her eyes. “You’ve known her for all of a week and a half. How does she rank pranks when I don’t?”

Henry gave her a wide-eyed, innocent look. “I prefer to keep my fingers.” She laughed. “Also, it’s a Vixen tradition to haze the newbies with harmless pranks, but no good deed goes unpunished in my book.”

“Ah. The Exy team doesn’t really have anything like that.”

“The Exy team doesn’t know the meaning of harmless.”

“A fair point,” Blue conceded. She opened the door to her floor and pulled out her keys to open her dorm door. “Speaking of the Exy team, are you looking forward to the game on Friday?” She nodded hello to Renee and Nicky, who were having their Tuesday Bible-study session at the desks, and flopped onto the love seat. Henry chirped a hello to them as well before flopping across Blue’s lap dramatically.

“I really am,” he said, deliberately ignoring Renee’s disapproving look when he put his feet up on the armrest. “I just wish I knew the routines better. A week and a half is really not enough time to learn everything, even if one week was an intense boot camp.

“A week surrounded by pretty women in short skirts sounds like a dream,” Nicky chimed in. “Not that I could relate.”

“I could,” Renee said with a snort.

Henry laughed. “I can’t.”

“I knew it!” Nicky shouted. “Allison is going to have to pay up!”

Henry raised an eyebrow. “I see I’ve been subjected to the famous Fox bets.”

“Famous??” Nicky squeaked.

“In certain circles,” Henry replied with a smirk, nodding his head towards Blue. “What was the bet, exactly?”

“Gay or straight.”

“Well you all lose.”

“What?” Nicky almost screamed. “Dang it. I thought I had it in the bag.”

“Sorry not sorry,” Henry said with a salute. “I’m aro/ace.”

“Or Henrysexual, as he likes to call it,” Blue said dryly.

“And what does that mean, exactly?”

“That he’s not interested in anyone either sexually or romantically,” Renee answered. “They’re both the A in LGBTQA.” Nicky gave her a bewildered look and Renee sighed. “You really should look into our history more, Nicky.”

“You’re right as always, Renee,” he said. “Seems like a shame though.”

“Why you little-” Blue started to reach for her knife.

“And on that note I’m out of here!” Nicky yelped, scrambling to his feet. “I’ll look it up tonight!” He slammed the door behind him. Blue and Henry looked at each other and laughed.

“Sorry, Renee,” Blue said contritely. “I didn’t mean to ruin your Bible time.”

Renee shrugged. “He’s going to need to learn to control his mouth at some point.” She smiled with perfect sweetness. “Better you threaten him than me.”

Henry gave her an appraising look. “You do knives too, I think Blue said?”

“Did. Did knives. I try to use other weapons now.” She held up her Bible. “I’ve thwacked a boy with one of these and I can do it again.”

*

Blue wasn’t fond of having people babysitting her, but she had to admit it helped her learn a lot about campus as a whole. Allison and Nicky knew all the gossip, and how to get in with the best professors. Dan knew all of the school traditions and kept her from doing “unlucky” things like walking under the clock tower. Aaron knew all of the best study spots, and Neil had escape routes for any given situation. And Andrew?

Andrew had just introduced her to the best smoothie she’d ever had.

They were in the gym - the student one, not the athlete one - and Blue had had no idea there was a smoothie booth here, let alone one that accepted her food card. Andrew had shown up in Aaron’s place after her Environmental Science class and marched her over here without a word. He’d ordered them two chocolate and peanut butter smoothies (with protein booster) and a third mango strawberry one and marched them over to a table, still not even truly acknowledging her presence. And tasting her smoothie, Blue didn’t even care.

Then she realized he had paid for the smoothie. She stared him down across the table, hazel eyes meeting hers. She set her cup down with a small thump. “What do you want.”

He appraised her for a moment before nodding and sipping more smoothie. “I want to know how Ronan got that damn spider into our dorm.”

Blue snorted. “Prank war or not, sometimes a spider is just a spider.”

“It was the size of a dinner plate.”

“Point.” She sighed. “I helped him sneak it into Kevin’s bag when he was talking history with Gansey,” she admitted.

Andrew huffed. “Kevin has no survival instincts.”

Blue laughed. “Not off the court, he doesn’t.”

Neil appeared out of nowhere, as he was wont to do, and took a seat next to Andrew, who slid the mango smoothie over to him. “Thanks, Drew,” he said with a soft smile, and his eyes lit up when he took a sip. “It’s my favorite.”

“As you said.”

“Like 6 months ago!” Andrew raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, yeah, eidetic memory. How are you finding campus, Blue?”

“Too orange and with badly designed buildings,” she replied, “but at least the smoothies are good.” Andrew’s lip twitched, she was sure of it. “What is Aaron up to today? Normally he walks me back to the Tower around now.”

“His classes are different on Wednesdays,” Neil answered. Andrew gave him a look. “You’re not the only one with everyone’s schedule memorized.”

“I know why I know them,” Andrew drawled, “but why do you?”

Neil shifted nervously in his seat. “In case something happens and I need to find everyone.”

“Something as in a zombie apocalypse?” Blue asked, purposefully derailing the conversation. It worked. Andrew launched into a spiel about saving his family, and Neil argued for the benefits of rescuing all the Foxes until Andrew gave in. Blue sipped her Knockoff Reese’s smoothie, her own nickname (much better than the official one), and watched them. It was rare that Andrew talked in front of others, even to Neil, but she always enjoyed seeing this side of him. They weren’t friends, exactly, but they had an understanding after the whole lake incident. These two had seen the supernatural and hadn’t run away. That was kind of nice. They were assholes, yeah, but so were all of her Raven boys.

She was pulled out of her thoughts by a question from Andrew. “Sargent sews. What do we need to keep an apocalypse survival village clothed?”

Blue grinned, and jumped right in.

*

Blue took a deep breath and leaned forward, pressing her forehead against the cool metal of the lockers. Behind her, Allison and Renee were chatting and Dan was reviewing the notes on their opponents, the Badgers, one last time. Their first game was going to start in 45 minutes and Blue was terrified. Not that she’d ever willingly admit it.

She took another deep breath and straightened up, turning around. “Ready?” Dan asked. Blue nodded, and they all headed over to the team lounge where the boys were already waiting. Blue sat down on Gansey’s lap, ignoring the conversation about the Badgers that he was having with Neil, and put her feet up on Ronan’s lap. He pushed them off and she put them back. He left them that time, apparently defeated for now.

“Now that you’re all here, it’s pep talk time,” Wymack boomed. The chatter immediately silenced. “Here’s the thing, kids. We had a close game with these guys last year, and no doubt they’ve improved. You guys are the reigning champions and they will be coming for your throats. But we are not the same team we were last year.” He stared them each down in turn. “This year, we will work together. This year, we will fight as a team. Do you understand, Lynch?” Ronan sneered, but Wymack continued like he’d responded affirmatively. “This year, they won’t even know what hit them. Are you ready?”

*

Henry loved being part of the cheerleading squad. He was in the best seats, decked out in orange, encouraged to scream at the top of his lungs. He got to chant and run and flip and show off, and watch his friends play. None of his friends had been in the starting lineup, which was unsurprising, but it gave him a chance to see some of his heroes up close. He’d been rooting for the Foxes since they’d started to turn around last year, and it was fun to analyze each player’s style. It was also fun to see how his friends ranked among them.

Kevin Day was always the best. He was known for his precision: impossible angles, trick shots, balls moving just fast enough to squeeze through and not a hair more effort. His opponents knew what kind of tricks he would pull, and yet they still couldn’t stop him.

Neil was the fastest player in the entire NCAA, and was probably faster than all the professional players as well. And he was good. He’d come a long way in the last year, going from a rookie to better than average, and adding his speed into that - he was an unstoppable force.

Then, fifteen minutes before the end of the first half, Blue went on the field. Henry had watched her games at the end of last year, after they’d become friends, and he knew her style (as well as anyone could). She was strong. She was accurate in her shots. But Blue’s strength? It was that she was unpredictable.

With most strikers on the field, Henry could learn within a game or two how each player would move in almost any scenario. How they would block, how they would dodge around. With Blue, it was hard to say. She switched up her game on purpose but also by instinct, unwilling to let herself get boxed into a way of playing, a way of life. It made her difficult to face, according to Gansey, because she never acted like any other players on the field. When you expected her to strike, she dodged. When you expected a dodge, she hit you head-on. She’d duck around and through and could not be stopped.

And so it was today. Blue ducked around a ginormous linebacker and feinted for the lower left corner, a logical place to shoot based on the placement of the goalie. The goalie anticipated that shot and moved to block it. Blue scored in the upper middle part of the goal right as the buzzer for the half rang out.

None of his friends were on the field long, due to their status as newbies, but they all played well. Adam got a chance in the first half, and Gansey took one in the second. Ronan’s time in the goal coincided with Blue’s time on the field. He let in one goal, but blocked several more than that, and Henry was very proud of his friends.

The game ended 6-4, Foxes favor, and Henry cheered with the rest of the Vixens.

*

The team was in the parking lot, talking about the game and the plans for a party that evening, when suddenly a short blue blur ran through and tackled Ronan. Renee watched in alarm before realizing that it was a child- a girl? - in a white shirt, baggy overalls, and a flat cap. “Kerah! Kerah!” the girl shrieked, and Ronan laughed as he picked her up and gave her a big hug.

“Opal! What are you doing here?” he asked.

Just then a tall, handsome boy in a gray suit ran up to them, panting. “There you are,” he wheezed. He straightened up when he saw Ronan and gave him a nod. “Good game.”

“Oh fuck off, Declan, it’s not like you’ve ever liked Exy.”

Declan shrugged. “It got you into college, didn’t it?”

“Be nice!” The girl said to Declan without letting go of Ronan. “Kerah! I got to see you play! It was so fun!”

“It’s good to see you too, squirt,” Ronan said with a soft smile that looked out of place on him.

“Can I stay with you?? I don’t want to go home!”

Declan looked pained. “Please take her,” he said. “I don’t know if I can survive another car ride.”

Ronan squatted down to the girl’s level. “Just for the weekend, then you have to go back to Aurora,” he said. She shrieked inhumanly but joyously and latched onto his neck. “And you have to keep your boots on.” She pouted. Ronan stood up and looked around at the Foxes, who were all staring at him.

“So, um, who is this?” Nicky asked.

“Opal,” Ronan replied.

[promptswrites]

The Artificials / A short story

This is a short story I wrote some time ago, but only recently went through and edited.

(5.5k, scifi with just a dash of action and queer feels.)

xx

“I told you I’ll do it.”

A brief smile crosses Colonel Davie’s thin lips. He leans forward, pushes his elbows on the desk, and locks his fingers. “Look at you, Aden. That’s what I like to hear.”

It’s easy for this jackass to smile. He won’t be the one running head on to the enemy, no — he leaves it up to me. An Artificial. The Expendable. 

I scoff and turn away. “Sure. I’ll let you know how it goes.” 

As I make my way through his office, past the paintings and the maps and the huge collections of enemy helmets just collecting dust in big glass cabinets, Davie clears his throat. 

“This time, you’ll have a partner.”

My heart skips over a beat. I reach the door and stop, my brains repeating that last word like a stuck record player. 

A partner? For me? But— 

Davie laughs. His chair creaks, and heavy footsteps approach me. “It’s someone like you. I’m sure you’ll get along with it just fine.”

I don’t want to turn around but I do, and I meet Davie’s amused gaze. 

“Your mission requires two people,” he says, circles his desk, and leans his butt over the edge. He reaches into his chest pocket and pulls out a fat, brown cigar. “Or, well, not people. I wouldn’t risk my soldiers over this. That’s why it’s you two. Even if you die… Well, you know the drill.”

The familiar heat rises in my chest. I tense staring at him, at that smug face, as if he’s so much better than me just because every part of him came out of a womb. 

I didn’t ask for this. Any of this. Not to be made, not to be put in this body, not to fight in this stupid war. 

“Fuck you.” The words slip out before I can register them. “I’m flesh and blood, the same as you.”

Colonel Davie pulls out a lighter, snaps his finger across the wheel, and lights his cigar. The cocky look on his face never wavers as he exhales a thick cloud of smoke that smells as disgusting as his personality. “Are you?”

Whatever. 

“I’ll have someone let you know when I return,” I say, pushing out the door. 

“You’ll find your new partner from the armory,” Davie calls out, and I slam the door shut behind myself. His muffled voice yells: “You might find him familiar.”

xx

The guy in front of me is tall, probably half a head taller than I am. The arms that poke from the sleeves of his white tee are muscular, and I guess he’s the type of soldier who lives and breathes gym — and yet, when he looks down at me, he smiles the sweetest smile and offers me his hand. White paint, already dry, decorates the side of his palm.

“Hey,” he says. “Nice to finally meet you. I’ve heard a lot. I’m Kane June.”

With a polite smile, I grab his hand and shake it. “Aden May. Hopefully all things good?” 

‘Might find him familiar’? What the hell had Davie meant by that? This guy is a total stranger, and by the lively look in his eyes, he’s never been to a real battle before. He’s definitely never died before. How could I know him? 

Kane’s grin widens as he nods. He steps back as we let go of each other’s hands. “Dude, you’re like a legend to us down in the Third Floor. It’s an honor getting to go out with you.” 

The choice of words makes me laugh. “Let’s finish this mission first and we’ll see.” 

In a blink of an eye, his cheeks go from brown to red, and he falls back another step, lifting his hands up. “Shit, I mean, I don’t—”

“It’s okay, I know what you meant,” I say, still grinning, and turn to the rows of weapons on the wall. 

It’s unusually empty here in the armory — but figures, since the previous attack on the base killed more than twenty of us. Out of the five hundred specialists we started with over four years earlier, only seventy-six are still standing. 

It won’t be long until we lose. 

“So is this your first time out in the field?” I ask, glancing at Kane. He’s busy hiding his face in his hands. 

That’s… kind of cute. 

He nods, looking up. The blush on his cheeks is almost gone. “I wasn’t supposed to go today, either. I’m not done with my training yet.”

“Why did they make you come, then?” I ask, turning my focus back on the weapons, and swallow a sigh. 

A complete beginner on a mission our survival depends on. Davie really outdid himself. Does he want us both to die?

“The attack a few days ago,” Kane says. “They sent everyone out to defend the base. You’re the only Expendable who came back, right?” 

I pick a modified pistol from the rack. The faces of the others flash in my head, bleeding and screaming and dying—

A shiver runs down my back and I force the memory out. 

No matter. They’ll be reinserted into new bodies and come back. Probably tomorrow or the day after, with eyes that are a little bit deader than before. 

“That’s why,” Kane continues. “But you don’t need to worry about me. I was the top of my class. Outdid most the humans in every task. I’m not saying I’m as good as you, or will ever be, ’cause I mean… You’re a legend. But I can handle myself.”

I turn to face Kane, forcing a smile on my lips.

He stands there, such an innocent drive in his dark brown eyes. He doesn’t know anything yet, that much is certain. And after seeing what it’s really like out there, he will wish he had stayed oblivious.

But that’s not why they created us. People like the two of us aren’t here to be happy. 

Our bodies are expendable. Even if we die, we’ll never stay that way. Illness, bombing, suicide, it doesn’t matter; our suffering will never end because they’ll always bring us back, again and again, until we finally go crazy and destroy our code from the inside. They force us into living and dying for a world that doesn’t give a shit about artificials like us. It doesn’t matter our bodies, borrowed from the dead soldiers, are flesh and blood; our consciousness is fake, created from lines of code and a bunch of numbers. To them, we are nothing. 

“When were you supposed to graduate?” I ask. 

“A week from now.”

At least he isn’t a complete beginner.

I hand him the gun. It has an extended clip; God knows he might need the extra ammo. “You know how to use it, right?”

He nods and pushes the gun down the holster on his waist. “Like I said, I can handle myself.”

“We’ll see,” I say, and pause before continuing. “Hey, uh… This is a weird question, but you have any hobbies?”

He laughs, lifting his hand up to the back of his neck. “That’s fine. I mean, yeah, I guess. I like drawing. And painting, though I always make a huge mess. Why?”

“No reason,” I say and turn back to the weapons. “Get ready. We gotta leave the second it gets dark.”

“Aye, aye, captain.” There is a grin in his voice. 

Eventually, he’ll lose joy in everything. We all do; it’s only a matter of time until the truth gets to him. That there’s no hope for beings like us.

But right now, he’s innocent. Happy. Full of life.

I smile as I watch him bend over and tie his shoes, but a coldness creeps up my chest. My smile fades. 

He won’t stay happy for long. 

Nobody does. 

xx

“We should wait.”

I lift an eyebrow at Kane. In the blinding darkness, it’s only my night vision lenses allowing me to see him. 

He nods towards the open yard between us and the lone warehouse. It’s the size of a garage — inconspicuous by design to hide the fact it shelters some of the most important data known to man. Davie won’t tell me what exactly, because why on earth would an artificial need to know that? But it is the type of information that would help us even the playing field.

Behind the warehouse sits one of the tens of massive wooden barracks. Which enemy they belong to, I don’t know, but that doesn’t matter. What I know is that they’re filled to brim with soldiers, both human and artificial alike, ready to kill us both if things go wrong. 

“Doesn’t it seem too convenient to you?” Kane asks. “Where’s the security? All the soldiers? The dogs?” 

“You’re saying it’s a trap?” I whisper, eyeing the warehouse. 

“Could be,” he says. “I think we should wait and see what happens.”

I check the watch on my wrist; it’s already fifteen to five in the morning. Fifteen minutes until the whole base will wake up. Half an hour until the sun will rise. 

And if we go back empty-handed for no good reason, we’ll both get in deep trouble. 

If we wait and lose our only chance...

“Stay here. I’ll go get the case,” I say, giving my new partner a look. The words make him tense. “If it turns out to be a trap, head back to base. Let Davie know.” 

“But you’ll—”

“Be reinserted,” I interrupt. “They’ve got a ton of bodies ready, and my memory was backed up a few hours ago. I’ll be fine.” 

Kane’s lips draw back. He stares at me, his breathing picking up. 

“Don’t forget what we are,” I say, keeping my voice stern. “This is what we do. It’s not my first time losing a body.”

“You mean dying.”

“Call it whatever you want. I’ll be back in a few days.”

“But it’s still painful, isn’t it? And you’ll remember it?” His tone borders desperate as he takes me by the wrist. “I really think we should—”

I snatch my arm back. 

Kane flinches. His eyes widen on me and his mouth opens, but he doesn’t say a word. 

The hurt expression on his face is like a dagger to my gut, but this is the only way, because he’s right. It will hurt and I will remember it, and I don’t want him to go through that. 

If he can just hold on to that innocence for a little while longer… 

I stand up. “Stay here. That’s an order. If something happens, head straight back to base and tell Colonel Davie. Don’t wait for me or try to help.”

Before Kane can argue, I turn around and jog off, an invisible fist squeezing my insides. 

This is why I don’t work with others. To send them to their deaths, to watch them go through that indescribable hell of a slow, painful death, just to meet them again a couple of days later… 

Their bodies are always different, but you can always tell who it is by the haunted look in their eyes. The eyes that lose more and more of their sparkle each time they get reinserted. 

Kane’s eyes are still alive. 

An artificial consciousness or not, he is alive, in body, mind, and spirit alike, and he deserves better than this. 

So I cross the yard to the warehouse; dig into my pocket and pull out the little device I can’t understand but can open any electric lock with; push it against the reader by the side of the heavy door and wait for the click. 

The door unlocks. I pocket the device and pull it open. 

There’s another click—

Shit. 

My heart rushes to my throat and I spin around, swinging myself forward just as the bomb goes off. Something heavy hits my back and slams me to the gravel. 

For a moment, I can’t breathe. My body is on fire and every single cell inside me screams and trembles as hot waves of pain rush up and down my back. 

I’m not sure if I’m screaming, too. 

I roll onto my side. The pain flares in my back with the movement and I close my eyes, fighting the nausea rumbling in my gut. I let the back of my head hit the ground. Terror traps my breath and crushes my chest, and I squeeze my eyes shut tighter.

The ringing in my ear subsides and the blaring alarm takes over. A yell rips through the air. Gunshots follow it. 

Tears rush down my cheeks. The sobs don’t sound mine as they escape my throat. 

“Aden!” Kane screams. 

A hand takes me by the cheek. I lift my eyelids just enough to see the blurry outline of his face above mine. 

“Aden, come on, get the hell up!” 

Why? Why is he here? I told him to—

“I’m not leaving you behind! If you’re going to die here, both of us are going to die here,” he yells over the ringing of the guns and the blaring of the alarm. His eyes are on the enemy. “But I really, really don’t want to die here, so get the hell up!” 

I stare at him, unable to get my tongue moving. A warmth spreads in my chest but it, too, hurts, bringing tears to my already blurring eyes. 

What an idiot! Risking himself like this, and for what? Me? For a guy who has already died and been reinserted twelve times? A guy whose eyes have been dead for a long time already?

There’s nothing that’ll make me emptier than I already am. 

But Kane holds onto me tighter while exchanging bullets with the enemy I can’t be bothered to look at. There is a fire in his eyes, one filled with life and love and longing for something better. 

And I remember that look. 

The memory makes me pause. It’s from such a long time ago, he’s nothing but a hazy memory — one that I push away as soon as it surfaces. 

Doesn’t matter. 

Right now, this version of him is here, and everything about him screams a will to live. 

I can’t let him lose that. 

Especially not for my sake. 

“You idiot,” I manage to croak. Blood drips down the side of my head and splashes on the gravel. 

“I’ll take that as a yes,” he says, grabbing my arm. “Come on. I’ll carry you.”

xx

“You feeling okay?” Kane asks. My room is barely big enough for a bed and a desk, but somehow, Kane managed to fit a chair by my bed. 

I sigh. “Peachy. You know, I might be the first artificial person to ever get dragged back from a battlefield.”

“That’s what I don’t get,” he says. “We’re people too. We should be protected just like the ones without a chip for consciousness.”

The grin that spreads on my lips is involuntary. I close my eyes. 

Some day, he’ll know better than to wait for that sort of miracle. 

Kane shifts on his chair. “It’s fucked up. Why is it like this? Why can’t we be equals with them?”

“Because they created us,” I say. “People can’t even accept other humans as equal. You really think they’d think lines of code are as valuable as they are? To them, we’re just smart, immortal weapons.” 

He huffs. “Maybe right now, but who knows what the future brings?” 

I open my mouth to reply when the door to my room clicks and opens. I push myself on my elbows, but a sharp spike of pain makes me grunt and fall back down. I squeeze my eyes shut and lift my hands up to my face as the pain burns me to my core—

“Take it easy,” Kane whispers. He lays a hand on my chest. “Breathe. You’ll be okay.”

The plethora of curses slip past my lips. “Yeah, I’m fucking trying—”

“Have you two forgotten your manners?” Davie’s harsh voice calls from the doorway. 

Great.

Kane shoots up to his feet so fast his chair tips over. The clatter echoes around the room. “No, sir. I’m sorry, sir. Welcome,” he says and bows.

“At ease,” Davie says and steps further in. Now, I can see him, too—he’s holding a thin file in hand—and as our eyes meet, he nods. “Aden.”

“What the hell are you doing here? I don’t remember inviting you,” I say. My voice is tense as the pain throbs around my spine, and I can’t give two shits about what this asshole of a human being thinks of me. “Got all your other soldiers killed so you had to come down here yourself?”

Kane shoots me a horrified glance. Most likely, he has never seen an Expendable talk back to a human, especially not a human of as high ranking as Davie, but that’s not my problem. 

This is my room, and this dick is the last person I want to see. 

“You have always been an exceptional soldier,” Davie says, his eyes narrowing on me. “That is why I’ve let you get away with things nobody else ever would’ve. Your disrespectful attitude, for example. But I am getting very tired of you.” 

Well, that’s a threat. 

Does he still think he has the power to hurt me? That there is something he can do that would make my existence any more miserable than it already is?

But he’ll never leave if I keep pissing him off, so I sigh and nod. “Sorry.” 

Davie doesn’t look satisfied, but he takes a step further in and waves the file in the air. “These are the results of your medical examination. Your injuries are severe, to say the least.”

There is a question in Kane’s eyes as his gaze travels between me and Davie, but he doesn’t ask it out loud. 

It doesn’t take a genius to figure out his question, though. 

What now?

“It is treatable, yes, but even with the best doctors and extensive physical therapy, it would take several months for you to be able to fight again. Years, most likely,” Davie says and tosses the file onto my bed. “See for yourself.”

“No need.” I flash him a sarcastic smile. “I can feel it just fine.” 

“Suit yourself,” Davie says. “You know what this means.”

Even a child knows what it means. 

Even if they could wait that long for this body to get back in fighting order, they wouldn’t waste such precious resources on an Expendable. Even our bodies are from the fallen soldiers, for hell’s sake; because we are not important enough to waste precious metals on. Why would they waste time and medicine on us when there are plenty of usable corpses coming in every single week; when they can simply kill the body and transfer us?

“I’ll contact the lab,” Davie says and turns for the door. “I’ll have them prepare a new body for you, and—”

“What? No!” Kane snaps. 

Davie stops and turns his widening gaze to Kane. So do I.

He’s breathing shallow and fast, a different kind of fire in his eyes — he’s glaring at Davie, unafraid and strong, his entire body tensing. 

He’s just like him. The man from those hazy memories. 

Was that what Davie had meant by ‘familiar’? Is there something more to him and I? 

“He is not some mindless puppet you can force into this! Into dying whenever it’s most convenient for you!” Kane yells. By the look on his twisting face, it’s a surprise he doesn’t shove Davie into the wall. “He’s not some robot! He’s a human, just like you, and you can’t treat him like—”

A slap across the cheek shuts him up. 

Davie grabs Kane by the collar of his shirt so hard it rips from the seam, and yanks him closer. 

Kane’s eyes widen, but as he blinks, the shock disappears and the burning anger rises in its place.

“Do not speak to me like that,” Davie snarls. His tone is beyond a threat — it’s a promise. “You hear me, soldier?”

“Yessir,” Kane hisses through clenched fists and gritted teeth. 

I stare at the two, frozen in place, my heart pounding in my sore chest.

What the hell is Kane doing? Doesn’t he know what happens to disobedient Expendables? He can’t be this stupid!

Davie releases Kane with a shove, scoffs, and heads for the door. “I’ll send someone in to finish that body. And Kane…” He stops at the door to look at him, icy hatred in his gaze. “You better behave when they come. I have deleted your kind for less.”

Davie steps outside and slams the door shut. As the echo of the blam fades, a second passes in silence. 

Then another. 

And another—

Before Kane drops down on his chair, groaning, and pushes his hands up against his face so hard, his cheeks mush into his eyes. “God. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to do that. It’s just… This...” He falls quiet with another frustrated groan. 

I watch him, something weird spreading in my chest. Something I can’t figure out. 

Why does he care so much about what happens to me? 

“This is wrong,” he finally says, drops his hands, and meets my gaze. There are tears in his eyes. 

The sight makes my lungs trap my breath. 

“This is wrong! It’s like we’re worth nothing but what we can do for them!” he continues. Frustration and anger boil in his tone. “I know I’m new, but I want more. I want to be more than their weapon who lives and dies when they want it! And I hate that I can’t have any of it. How is this fair? We’re just like them! Fuck!”

He slams his hands on his knees and doubles, hiding his face into his hands. 

I stare at him, a lump in my throat, knowing I should say something, but what even is there? 

I’m sorry? It’ll be okay? Don’t cry? 

Those are just bunch of meaningless words. 

But I have to try. 

“It’s okay,” I say.

“Sorry.” Kane lifts his gaze back up to me and laughs weakly. Tears glimmer in his eyes. “I’m sorry. I just… I hate this. You know? Hate they can use us like this. But what do I know?” He pauses to draw in a deep breath. “You’re the expert here, and I’m a newbie who just got out of his first assignment. So if you say it’s okay, that this isn’t that bad, then…” 

Don’t, I want to say. Don’t believe me.

He forces a smile. Though he tries, it isn’t enough to mask the defeat in his eyes. “Then, I’ll believe you.” 

Those words, that look… 

My heart wrenches. 

And from the bottom of it, I want to tell him that it is indeed okay, that dying and coming back is really not that bad and I’m used to it — to save the innocence in his eyes and let him be happy for a little while longer. To face tomorrow with the same joy and honest optimism I’d seen in those same eyes half a day earlier. 

To not cry for me. 

But this isn’t okay, and if I tell him that it is, if I lie to him, it’ll only hurt more when it’s him lying on the ground, bleeding to a meaningless death. 

Yet, there is no other choice, because I won’t be the one to destroy that innocence. I can’t be.

He is all I’ve lost. All I can never regain. And if he can remain happy for a week, a day, or, hell, even an hour longer, the lie is worth it. 

Tears rise to my eyes as I force a smile that rips my heart in two. “You know, it’s actually not that—”

“We could run away.”

His words stop me dead on my tracks. 

Kane lifts his gaze to me. There it is again — that fire in his eyes, that drive to live and find something better. He wipes the tears away and nods. “We can,” he says, and he is so sure of his words that my heart beats a little faster. 

Could we? 

“I mean it,” he says. “We can just get up and leave. They’re not gonna waste soldiers on trying to find us.” 

I stare at him, unable to utter a word. 

Running away. 

It’s been a long time since I last thought about that. 

“I know you’re injured, but we can do it,” he continues. His words come out faster and faster as desperation and excitement grow in his tone. “I’ll steal a wheelchair, or— or I’ll carry you on my back, or whatever you need! But we can do it. I swear, we can.”

“Why?” is all I can ask. 

He smiles, looking like he thinks I’m an idiot. “Because you deserve better than this.”

I scoff. It’s unfair for him to use my own thoughts against myself. 

“Also, don’t think I’m stupid. I saw it in your eyes out there, when you pushed me away and went out on your own,” he continues. “You didn’t want me to get hurt, right? But it would’ve gotten us both in trouble to come back empty-handed, so you went ahead and sacrificed yourself.” 

A heat rises to my cheeks. I can’t help the laugh. “I didn’t know I was so easy to read.”

“So I’m right?” he asks. 

I hesitate. 

The truth will hurt him. It will. But he isn’t an idiot, and I can’t keep lying to him after he’s already figured out the truth.

So I close my eyes. 

“Dying, it’s… It’s agony.” My voice is a whisper as the words fight me. “It leaves you scarred and empty and terrified of it happening again, and the worst part is… You know it will. That there’s no ending it. No matter how many times you die, you’ll always come back. And I… I didn’t want you to go through it.”

Kane’s breathing picks up. “How many times have you…?”

“Twelve.”

“Shit.”

Warm fingers curl around mine. I open my eyes to look at him sitting right there next to me. The fire in his gaze is warm now. It’s hopeful and confident and kind, and a part of me melts — a part I had forgotten exists. 

“So what do you say?” he asks. “If we run, neither of us will have to worry about dying again. We can go somewhere safe.”

“If we get caught, they’ll reset us,” I remind him, even though I’m not sure I fear that possibility. 

That fire in him... 

My heart picks up the pace. 

What if he’s right? What if we could run? 

“And if we stay, we’ll never be anything but their slaves to live and die at their command,” Kane says. “I really think it’s worth the risk. We either make it or nothing changes.” 

I don’t let the rushing of my heart show. “Where could we even go?”

“Well, I heard they aren’t fighting in Iceland.”

I can’t help the burst of laughter. It sends a flare of pain down my gut, turning my laughing into airy gasps as I squeeze my eyes shut once more. 

“Iceland, huh?” I manage. “That’s— That’s a long way from here.”

Kane’s hold of my hand tightens as the grin on his lips widens. “It’s just a hop and a skip and a boat-ride away. I heard they’re taking refugees from all over the world, and they have no laws regarding artificial people. Aden, we could be real people there. There’d be no more this— This, dying and fighting and being all miserable. And I know I’m a newbie who has no idea what it’s like, but out there today with you? I saw enough. I don’t want this, and I know you don’t want it either. When that warehouse blew up… You were screaming and I was terrified. And that asshole’s just gonna kill you? Put you through all that agony like you’re worth nothing, after everything you’ve done for him? To hell with that! We deserve better. You deserve better.”

The pain eases and I lift my gaze to him. Thar confident, hopeful glimmer in his dark brown eyes makes me smile. 

How could I ever kill that sparkle? 

“Okay,” I say, and it’s the easiest word I’ve ever said. 

Kane gasps, snapping upright. “That’s—”

“But,” I interrupt, “let’s wait for me to get into my new body first. After that, we have to get out and destroy our backups. I mean, what good does it do if we’re killed somewhere out there and just get reborn here again?” 

He furrows his brows at me, though the excitement never really disappears. “Are you sure? About the new body, I mean.”

“My back’s broken. I can barely wiggle my toes. If we want to go, I need a new one.”

“But what about the pain and the scars and—”

“It’ll be different this time,” I say, slip my hand out of his grasp, and smack him across the forehead. “Because it’s for me. Not them.” 

A shy smile rises on Kane’s lips. He nods. “If you’re sure. Tell me what I need to do.”

xx

“Did you know that we were designed to yearn freedom?” Kane asks. He lies next to me, his hands behind his head as a pillow. “I saw it when I hacked in to delete our files.” 

Waves beat against the sides of the ship in a rhythm I never want to end. Chatter echoes from somewhere far away, but here, on this empty, dark deck at the rear of the massive ship, there’s no one but us. The milky way crosses the pitch black sky, and I realize this is the first time I’ve ever seen it. 

I keep my gaze on the sea of stars. “Well, that came back to bite them in the ass.” 

Kane sighs. “It kinda makes me wonder how real I am. Do I only want this because they designed me to want this?” 

A smile grows on my lips. I roll over onto my side, closer to him. “You think too much. But the answer is no.” 

He turns a bit more sideways and faces me, a grin crossing his face. “You sound sure.”

“I am,” I say, shrugging as well as my position lets me. “You were the one who said it first. We’re people, just like them. Who cares what they designed us to be? We already defied it.” 

He lifts an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

In the darkness, his eyes are almost black; and as gorgeous as the stars are, I don’t want to turn my gaze from him.

I clear my throat. 

Focus, Aden. 

“I mean, we were designed to be the perfect soldiers,” I say. “We were designed to fight, to yearn to win the war, to find that sort of freedom. We weren’t meant to disobey our leaders or run away. We weren’t designed to do any of that, and yet, here we are.” 

I roll onto my back, lifting my gaze up to the stars. 

They really can’t compare to his eyes. 

Kane’s voice is soft as he laughs. “Okay, yeah, since you put it that way. Maybe I do think too much.” 

“You most definitely do.”

“But why did we start disobeying them?” he asks. “And when? They’re our creators, so couldn’t they nip it in the bud? Make changes to our code and that’s that?”

I shrug. “Maybe they just don’t care. As long as people keep dying, they can make more of us, so even if a few disobey and run, it’s no issue.”

“Huh,” Kane says. “That makes sense. I guess.”

Silence falls on us. 

It’s been a long time since I could lie down and watch the stars like this. So long, I don’t even want to think back to it. 

The memories of my first lives are hazy. Back when I was nothing but a thing, an object only practicing independent thought, decades before the war ever started. 

But no matter how hazy my memories are, I remember him. In another body, yes, but I remember a man just like him by my side. A man with the same fire in his eyes, the same kindness in his tone, and the same need for freedom. A man who taught me hope. A man who made my smile a little brighter and my heart beat a little faster.  

Was this designed? 

Kane moves closer to me. He brings his hand to my palm and curls his fingers around mine. I smile and return the hold as my heart fills with something he’d reminded me I could feel. 

Nah. 

There is no way anyone could design a feeling like this. 

I turn my head to sneak a glance at him, but his eyes are already on me. 

He grins. “You look happy. Relaxed.”

“You too,” I say. 

“Well, I am,” he says. “Nobody’s gonna force us into anything ever again. And when we die, we’ll die. There’s no code to bring us back to that hell anymore. And Iceland’s only a few more hours away. We made it. What’s there to worry or feel shitty about? And yeah, anything could happen, but whatever waits for us in Iceland… It’s gotta be better than what we had.” 

My smile widens. I trace my thumb over the top of his hand. “By the way, you gotta teach me how to paint.”

“Seriously?” he asks and melts into an innocent little laugh. “Sorry. Sure. I’d be happy to. I just didn’t take you for the type that’d enjoy something like that.”

“Honestly, me neither,” I say. “But who knows? I’ve never gotten the chance to try it, or anything else, really. So... I want to find out what I like.”

Kane’s eyes light up as he smiles, and I swear my heart can’t take it. 

“You’ll figure it out,” he says, nudging closer to me. His voice is soft. “You’re free now.”

I can feel a heat rise on my cheeks. I touch my forehead against his and close my eyes. 

Thank you.

[kprciffdw]

Kim Possible: The Extremely Secret Files-Part 16

Ratchet and the rest of the group made their way to and arrived at the Planet Boldan. They landed themselves in a large, silver colored metropolis and jumped out of the ship. Kim: "Let's go find Mr. Fizzwidget."

They rushed off as fast as they could. As they made their way to the entrance to the city, they got themselves involved in a fight with the Thugs-4-Less goons. Kim: "Oh, great! More of those boneheads! What could they want from us, this time?" Ratchet: "I'm guessing whoever bought them off also has an agenda with us." Kim: "Well, then, let's see to it that they don't get anything that they need from us."

As they continued further into the city, they fought through more Thugs-4-Less goons. There seemed to be more and more of them coming as they progressed into the city while searching for Mr. Fizzwidget, with no end in sight of the barrage. Many of the Thugs stood in their way, but they were able to manage them, except for Ron who always ran away screaming at the sight of them. Ratchet: "I'm guessing he'll want a special order of those Nacos he keeps asking for." Kim: "Grande size. Absolutely."

They kept on their way, with the path becoming tougher for each step. They were eventually able to find someone that appeared to be Mr. Fizzwidget. Kim: "Look! There he is." Ratchet: "Let's get him."

However, when they got close enough towards him, they found that it wasn't him, but a robotic duplicate. Ratchet: "What the…? This isn't Mr. Fizzwidget!" Fizzwidget bot: "Would you like a free Protopet sample? Available today only…" Ron: "Aw, man! It's just a cheap, broken-down knock off!" Ratchet: "You can say that again." Thug Leader: "Freeze, knuckleheads!" Clank: "Oh, no!" Kim: "What!? You again!?" Thug Leader: "You've got that right, missy redhead! Yous alls are under arrest for attempting to bump off Mr. Fizzwidget!" Ron: "You're kidding, right? This isn't…" Thug Leader: "Save it, blondie boy! You're not fooling anyone!" Kim: "Brainless as always." Thug Leader: "Good thing a loyal employee of Megacorp informs me of your scheme."

Stepping out from behind the Thug Leader was Dr. Drakken. He had an evil grin displayed on his face very vividly. Drakken: "Oh, quite right, my good man." Ratchet: "Drakken!" Ron: "You bought off these Thugs-4-Less guys from that thief girl?" Drakken: "That's right. Megacorp has given me special ties to their corporation so I have been doing some work on the side for them along with my…other obligations." Kim: "Don't think for a minute that you will succeed, Drakken! We're going to stop you!" Thug Leader: "Oh, I wouldn't count on that, missy redhead. All of yous will be sent to our new prison. Check this out."

He pulled out a monitor. Displayed on it was a preview of the new Thugs-4-Less prison and a few things that it provided. Thug Leader: "(laugh) So, what did you guys think of that?" Ron: "Well, that didn't seem so bad. In fact, it sounded really nice." Drakken: "Did I forget to mention that it's full of rabid monkeys and I will destroy Bueno Nacho if you and your friends try to escape?"

Within a split second, Ron went from calm to screaming and running all over the place. Ratchet: "Uh…well…this is awkward." Thug Leader: "You guys, take the girl over to the blue guy. These other 3 are going separate."

A few of the Thugs grabbed Kim and pulled her over to Drakken. Kim: "Ratchet!" Ratchet: "I'll find you, Kimberly. Just don't worry. I will…"

Shortly afterwards, they were flown to the Thugs-4-Less prison on the Planet Aranos. Ratchet was placed in a cell with Clank. Kim and Ron were nowhere to be found. Ratchet lied down on a mattress, then sat up as Clank made a lot of noises. Ratchet: "Hey, keep it down, will ya…!?" Clank: "Sorry, I did not mean to annoy you." Ratchet: "Uh! No, no, you weren't. I…I'm just worried about Kimberly. Who knows what horrible things Drakken could be doing to her right now?" Clank: "Yes, I understand your plight. Just to let you know, I have analyzed our surroundings and I am afraid that there is absolutely no means of escape."

Just then, a female bot broke right through a nearby air vent. Clank: "Except that."

She shushed them then slipped back out. Ratchet: "Someone's got a girlfriend. (giggle)" Clank: "I will be right back." Ratchet: "Don't, uh, stop for anything along the way."

Clank glanced at him in an annoyed manner then walked out.

He made his way through the secluded interiors of the facility. With the help of a few robot companions of his own, he was able to navigate through the small corridors. There were many obstacles in the way, including several guard bots, but it wasn't anything that he and his robot brigade couldn't handle.

He fought his way through chamber after chamber, corridor after corridor until he was able to find a switch and pressed it. Computer voice: "Power failure on decks 4 through 14." Clank: "Hopefully that should be help us out with our situation."

Meanwhile, back where Ratchet was, his cell was deactivated. Computer voice: "Emergency generators online." Ratchet: "Way to go, Clank! Now to find Kimberly."

He rushed out as fast as he possibly could. As he made his way through the corridors of the facility, he fought against many robot guards; a lot of which went berserk from the power failure caused by Clank. Everywhere he looked, robots came at him without hesitation, but he was able to manage and fight through all of them. He made his way to another deck on the prison ship.

Elsewhere, Clank continued through the small corridors of the ship. He was aided by more robot companions that followed his every command. There were a few tough obstacles that kept getting in his way, but he was able to handle them all, with the help of his robot companions, of course. Thankfully, the trek was brief so it didn't take him long to get through. He was eventually able to make his way towards the hanger bay. Clank: "Alright, now I just need to wait here for Ratchet. Hopefully, he is able to find Miss Possible and Ron."

Meanwhile, Ratchet arrived on another deck of the ship. There, he continued fighting his way through more robots, but this time, none of them were going berserk. Ratchet: "Hm, seems as though these robots haven't been affected by that power failure that Clank caused. Perhaps it's because this is one of the decks that didn't experience the power failure at all. I have to keep searching for Kimberly."

He kept rushing through the corridors. He was able to arrive in an area where he could hear voices. Kim: "You so won't get away with this, Drakken." Drakken: "Oh, but I will this time. With those Thug-4-Less goons at my command, my plans will be a sure-fire win and you will witness my greatest triumph." Kim: "Oh, please, those Thugs-4-Less idiots will not guarantee you anything other than a less than average dependency that is probably much less promising than their bonehead leader's IQ points." Ratchet: "Kimberly."

He rushed over towards where the voices were coming from. Drakken: "Well, regardless, my plans will succeed and the Impossible Space Station of the Future will ensure my victory!"

Ratchet managed to find Drakken and Shego in a small room with Kim, who was hooked up to a restraining machine. Kim: "Yeah, sure, I bet you're not even aware of what is contained within that space station you stole." Shego: "Oh, we already know that the ISSF consists partially of alien technology. I've had my suspicions considering that no ordinary Earth spacecraft could reach another galaxy within 2 hours or even at all, for that matter." Drakken: "There are many more secrets that I have yet to discover, but once I unlock them, everyone back on Earth will tremble before the awesome might of Dr. Drakken!" Kim: "Oh? And how do you suppose you'll be able to do that?"

While Kim was still talking to Drakken and Shego, Ratchet crept around nearby. Drakken: "Like I told you before, I have established a special connection with Megacorp. The CEO of the company is providing me with the resources and know-how to unlock the ISSF's secrets, in exchange for the services that I am willing to provide for him and his company." Ratchet: "So Mr. Fizzwidget is working with Dr. Drakken. Just when I thought that geezer couldn't get any worse." Drakken: "And that cat alien boyfriend of yours was far too clueless and naïve to even realize that Mr. Fizzwidget was merely using him to undo one minor set-back on his own schemes and then planned to dispose of him when he was no longer needed."

Ratchet growled angrily. Kim: "We already know that Mr. Fizzwidget is planning to intentionally set off a terrible disaster, but why would he want to do that?" Drakken: "Eh, I don't know, but I don't really care. What happens in this galaxy is none of my concerns. I only care about taking over the Earth."

At that moment, they heard a blast. They looked over towards the nearby door and noticed Ratchet who was greatly angry. Kim: "Ratchet!" Drakken: "What?! How did you get all the way here?!" Ratchet: "I walked! How else did I get here?" Drakken: "That's not what I meant, what I meant was…!" Shego: "He means to ask you how you got out of your cage, but that doesn't matter because I'm going to throw you back in one way or another." Ratchet: "You don't scare me one bit, Shego!"

Ratchet made an advance towards Kim, but Shego jumped in his way. Still greatly angered, he managed to fight her and tossed her directly into a switch that deactivated the shackles holding Kim, releasing her. Kim: "Ratchet!"

She ran towards him at great speed. Ratchet: "Kimberly!"

They embraced each other and had their moment as they reunited. Kim: "You came!" Ratchet: "I told you I would find you. I'm just hoping you didn't expect me here sooner."

She shook her head. Kim: "Forget that. I'm just glad you came at all."

Ratchet smiled. Soon enough, they both noticed Drakken and Shego rushing out. Ratchet: "They're getting away!" Kim: "Don't worry about them, we'll catch up to them later and we will, considering Drakken stole the container with the shuttle pieces we have managed to collect. For now, we just need to look for Ron." Ratchet: "But where could he be? We'll need to search this entire prison ship to find him." Ron: "AAAHHHH! MONKEYS!" Ratchet: "Or we could just follow the sounds of his screaming." Kim: "Yeah, I think that would be a lot more helpful."

They soon ran off.

[blainethelonghorn]

are you that somebody?

- WHO: Sebastian Smythe and Blaine Anderson

- WHEN: Evening of June 5th into morning of June 6th, 2020

- WHERE: Sebastian’s apartment in Dallas

- WHAT: Sebastian invites Blaine over, singing and fooling around ensues. Some nsfw elements but actual smut is omitted. 

Sebastian:

sebastian had settled into his apartment that wednesday. by thursday he was laying in his bed, alone in his apartment and staring up at the ceiling of the high end apartment. his eyes focused in on the roof. his thoughts swarmed around in his mind for the next couple of days. he personally hated that he was here alone... but really what was he to do? this was normal. sebastian continued this trend until friday. only this time, he picked up his phone and started to message people again. blaine's name popped up and sebastian's mind remembered that blaine was in town for the competition. he sent of a text 

[text] hey, are you in dallas yet?

Blaine:

Arriving in Dallas, Blaine was basically humming with excitement about the weekend. They were performing at Nationals and he thought they might have a good chance at placing high if not winning the thing entirely. By the time he got everything unpacked enough in the hotel room, it still definitely wasn’t late enough for Blaine for bed and with other people off doing their own thing, he found himself curled up in one of those uncomfortable hotel room chairs watching Netflix on his phone. He was torn out of a rewatch of Parks and Rec by a text from Sebastian. 

[text] yeah! just finished unpacking actually

Sebastian:

[text] are you doing anything fun? 

Sebastian wiggled as he got the text. For the past month, Sebastian had messaged Blaine non-stop. There was just something so about him that made Sebastian go crazy. Blaine was ridiculously fine. The bonus was Blaine was also smart and fun to talk to. Sebastian found himself thinking about Blaines text and what he could’ve said better or no said at all. He didn’t do this for anybody. His lips pressed together has he waited for Blaine to message him back.

Blaine:

[text] Ha, no. Just watching tv on my phone. Everyone's doing their own thing really 

[text] what are you up to? 

Blaine still couldn’t figure out what was going on with Sebastian. There was the flirting, yes, that Blaine had mostly chalked up to that just being how Sebastian was as a person. He liked talking to him, though. A lot. He asked Blaine silly questions about Disney and talked about what they were like as kids. He didn’t feel like he was trying to artificially construct a conversation. He even thought, maybe, that Sebastian was interested in him when he’d come over to study and the taller man had looked at him the way he did. Then suddenly Blaine was being all the ushered out the door. It must have been all in Blaine’s head.

Sebastian:

[text] You wanna hang out? 

Sebastians mind rattled in his head. His heart pounded as he sent of the message and he waited for a reply. He wanted to see Blaine. No... he needed to see Blaine. He sat up and stared at his phone waiting to see the response.

Blaine:

Blaine knew that Sebastian was in Dallas and that he'd come see them, but he hadn't really thought about the fact that he could just leave the hotel and hang. It sounded nice. And, honestly, it was more than a little exciting that Sebastian had suggested it. Logically, he knew they were friends, but, there was always doubt. 

[text] sure! where should we meet?

Sebastian:

[text] my place your place it does matter 

Sebastian ginger flew over the keyboards. Once Blaine said yes, Sebastian rolled out of bed. It was the first time in a day he’d done this. We went to freshen up his look. He watched his phone carefully for Blaines text.

Blaine:

[text] I mean, my place is a hotel, so… 

[text] unless you really want to hang out in a lobby 

Blaine smiled slightly to himself. It would be nice to get out. Here, it was all he could do not to think about the competition and the dance steps and whether or not he’d mess up the singing.

Sebastian:

[text] my place then? 

Sebastian combed through his hair, adjusted the ring in his nose so that it was centered and put on some deodorant. His heart jumped as he thought about Blaine being in his room.

Blaine:

[text] sounds good! just send me an address 

Blaine got up and went to slide on a pair of shows. It would be interesting to see how Sebastian lived when it wasn’t a dorm room. Suddenly a thought hit him. Sebastian had been pretty eager to hear the first song he’d written and he’d brought the guitar from Austin, mostly as a security blanket. Playing always made him less anxious. 

[text] mind if I bring my guitar?

Sebastian:

[text] please do-- but only if i get to hear that song ~ 

[text] my address is 4509 Knoll Tr dr. apt 457 

sebastian went through the apartment to start to get ready for blaine arrive. he realized he hadn't eaten for that evening and surfed through postmates for something he could get delivered. 

[text] im pretty hungry, would you like something to eat?

Blaine:

[text] that’s the idea :P 

He plugged the address into his phone and gathered his things including his guitar case and headed out of the hotel room. Blaine hadn’t even really thought of the fact that he hadn’t eaten since arriving to Dallas. Eating was rarely on his mind, really. 

[text] Sure! I haven’t had dinner yet either.

Sebastian:

rather than attempting to have this conversation through text, sebastian hit the call button and put the phone to his ear. he walked on over to his cabients and opened them up to look through what groceries he has just in case he got really hungry.

Blaine:

Blaine felt the phone in his hand start to vibrate and turned it to see who it was. Sebastian. He smiled, accepted the call, and raised the phone to his ear. "Hey," he greeted.

Sebastian:

"hello." he greeted with a cool tone before putting blaine on speak phone. "i thought this would be easier to discuss food. what are you feeling today killer?"

Blaine:

"No problem," Blaine said with a nod. That was better for him too, especially since he was holding a guitar in one hand. "Hm, I'm really up for anything. Anything you really know is good around here?"

Sebastian:

sebastian hummed and tilted his head. "there is this thai place i really like. let me see if they're on postmates--" sebastian moved to postmates and found their page. "what do you think?" he asked as he scrolled through their menu. "it looks like they're on postmates."

Blaine:

"I always love a good pad thai," he laughed, heading out of the hotel lobby and onto the street. "I say do it," he replied.

Sebastian:

sebastian sent him the link to the menu through his phone. "alright, let me know what you want and i'll order it. hopefully with the snail traffic out there, it'll get here right when you arrive."

Blaine:

Blaine moved him on to speaker phone, pulling up the menu. "Sounds good...Hm..." he paused glancing stuff over. "Should I text what I want? Is that easier?"

Sebastian:

sebastian turned around and looked around his apartment. "i have a pen actually, you can tell me." he told him as he grabbed the pen and paper. "shoot"

Blaine:

"Cool, I'll get the panang curry and a side of rice," he said, turning him back off speaker phone. "And if you want to split a gyoza or something, I'd be in."

Sebastian:

sebastian repeated the order to him. "sounds good with me. i also love calamari, would you like an order of that too?" he asked as he wrote down the gyoza.

Blaine:

"Yup," he confirmed as Sebastian read back the order. Thenn he brought up calamari. "Oh, for sure," Blaine said, excitement clear in his voice.

Sebastian:

sebastian smiled at blaine's excitement. "alright, i'm putting in the order now. i can't wait to see ya." the words slipped out of his mouth. he closed his eyes and pressed his lips togethers. "can't wait to see you."

Blaine:

Blaine couldn't help but smile at the casual way he said that. It was kind of adorable. "Great. Can't wait to see ya, too," he replied with a chuckle.

Sebastian:

"um... bye..." he laughed. "i'll see you in a minute."

Blaine:

"See you soon," he said, ending the call and tucking his phone into his pocket. It wasn't terribly long until he arrived at the address Sebastian had given him. He quickly glanced at his phone again to see which apartment he was in before hitting the appropriate buzzer to let him know he'd arrived.

Sebastian:

sebastian turned on the tv for some background noise as he moved about the apartment. from the entrance to sebastian's apartment, it was obvious that it was a high end apartment. the building's updated smooth walls gave the impression that sebastian was living in the high end area. he opened the door to the apartment to see blaine. he stood in front of the other with a regular pair of jeans along with with a fresh shirt on. "come on in." he invited as he stepped aside. he closed the door behind blaine and locked in. to the left of the entrance showed an elegant entertainment room. clean white couch with a modern coffee table there. in front of it was a wide flat screen tv that was playing the news. underneath the tv was a grand fireplace that was closed for the time being. on the right was a dining table that matched the furniture on the right. the cieling stretched a whole two floors, and showed off the banister to sebastian's room that over looked both the dining room and the entertainment center. the whole room was a decent size. walking in further, there were the stairs that lead to the bedroom above and the open kitchen with an island. with updated cabinets an appliances, it was obvious that sebastian's parents made sure to put him up in the place with the highest class. sebastian moved in. "make yourself at home. would you like something to drink?" he asked as he walked on over to the fridge. on top of the fridge, there were bottles of liquor aligned. "i have water, juice, beer, some mixers if you want a little drink. i recently discovered something pretty sweet. or--" he paused as he pulled a wine bottle from aside the fridge. "my mom got me this if you'd like to try it." he showed off the rich white wine to blaine.

Blaine:

"Hey, thanks," he replied, giving him a smile. When Blaine walked in, he was shocked by how beautiful the apartment was. He'd been able to tell from the facade of the building that it was a nice place, but he hadn't expected this. Of course, Blaine wasn't a stranger to luxury with the amount that his parents have, but this was beyond just a really nice apartment. "This place is amazing,..." he said looking around. He followed Sebastian into the kitchen area, setting down his guitar for a moment. "Oh. Sure, if you want to try it," he replied. He was always the over polite guest in situations like these.

Sebastian:

sebastian went to the automatic wine opener and placed the wine bottle down in it. he turned it on and went to get the two glasses. "how was the drive over? was it hard to find?" he asked as he set the glasses down. he also pulled out some chips and cookies for them. "and no need to be so stiff there killer. it's just me."

Blaine:

Blaine shook his head, chuckling slightly in embarrassment at the reminder to loosen up. He didn't know why he felt so rigid. "Sorry," he mumbled, leaning against the counter. "The drive was fine. The Uber guy seemed to recognize the area," he explained. "My car is still back in LA," he explained.

Sebastian:

“That’s good.” Just as he said this, there was a knock at the door. Sebastian is walked over and grabbed the door. He picked up the food and handed over some cash for tip and brought it in. He went to the cabinet to pull out some plates. “Where do you want eat? Bar, dining room, in front of fox. Makes for good material to laugh at.”

Blaine:

Blaine waited as Sebastian got the food, picking up one of the cookies to eat. He came back and Blaine gave a shrug. "Maybe the couch," he chuckled. "Though lately the news just kind of makes me mad."

Sebastian:

“With that recent cop killing, I would understand.” He said as he handed Blaine the plates to bring to the couch. “We can turn on something else.”

Blaine:

"And all the protests and riots. I've been donating to as many causes as I can to support them," he replied, taking the plates and walking them over. "Sure," he said, giving an appreciative smile. "What's your go to background noise show?"

Sebastian:

“Ummmm....” Sebastian paused and looked at the TV. He grabbed a hold of the remote and shifted over to Disney plus. “Anything but the little mermaid.” He said has he handed out the remote.

Blaine:

Blaine took the remote with a chuckle. “I can do that,” he replied, starting to scroll through stuff. “How about Alice, then? Since you like it?”

Sebastian:

"don't pick it for me-- we can do mulan." he offered as he picked out his order of curry and rice. he moved it onto the plate and grabbed a hold of the extra pepper to put on it. he moved so that he was close to blaine on the floor. "have you tried red curry before?" he asked as he pulled out part of his chicken. and dabbed it into his rice.

Blaine:

"I'm not just picking it for you. I like that movie, too," he replied. It was like Blaine to offer what someone else wanted, but he also did really just want to watch something he knew Bas liked. He took his own food and portioned himself out some on the plate. "I don't think so? At least not recently," he replied.

Sebastian:

sebastian made blaine a spoon packed with the how curry along with some chicken and rice. he held his hand under the spoon and held it up for blaine to try. "it's really good, at least i like it. not too sweet." he mentioned as he let blaine try it. he looked up and the wine and then got up to go get it. he poured them half glasses and set it out. he sat back down on the floor. "sure, i like that." he hummed as he had another spoonful.

Blaine:

Blaine flattened a hand to hold by Sebastian's - just in case - and leaned in to take the bite. He hummed appreciatively as he chewed. "That is really good," he agreed once he'd swallowed. "Thanks." When Sebastian got up, he looked for the movie and clicked play once he'd returned. "I have a really old copy of the Alice books from my Dad's side of the family," he mentioned.

Sebastian:

There was a smile at blaines reaction before he went back to his food. He perked up. “I would have a nerd jizzing contest with you and Blaine about that.” Sebastian told him. “I love the original books.” He looked over. He really didn’t want the movie to get in the way of what they were doing.

Blaine:

Blaine picked up the wine glass and took a sip. He laughed at Sebastian's reaction to his comment. "My mom used to read it to me when I was falling asleep. And then I saw the movie and was very confused because there is so much that's different. Where was the Duchess? And the movie is basically the two books twisted," Blaine laughed. "I was kind of an obnoxious kid, I'm sure."

Sebastian:

Sebastian snorted. “I would love a kid like you.” Sebastian said as he looked over at Blaine. “I bet you were so cute with those big around eyes looking up at her.” He blinked as he glanced over Blaines hair. “Do you always get it down like that?” He asked.

Blaine:

Blaine smiled, blushing slighty at his words. "I was a pretty cute kid, I have to admit." Blaine nodded, continuing to eat his food. "Yeah, pretty much every day. It's just easier this way," he said with a shrug. The routine had been his since he was a kid and it was a reliable way of it looking nice.

Sebastian:

Sebastian smiled brightly at blaines comment about his childhood. Sebastian thought about his own childhood— running around and attempting to hide from his mother. He took a sip of his wine as that imagine evolved. He quickly stopped it whenever it turned into his teenage years. “I’m obsessed with hearing these. I what else did you read growing up?” He asked. “Oh really everyday?? I think that’s noble. Even when you’re not doing anything?”

Blaine:

"She also read me all the Narnia books and the Oz books. I think The Patchwork Girl of Oz was my favorite," he replied, still slightly bashful in the way he spoke. No one had ever asked to hear more about what his childhood was like. "What about you? What were your go-to childhood books?" He gave another nod at the next hair question. "If I have any intention of leaving my room, then yes. If I'm just going to be alone, maybe not."

Sebastian:

Sebastian listened with intent. His brain commit to memory everything about Blaine. After Blaine had asked his question, Sebastian thought for a moment about his childhood books. “Don’t laugh. I hate to casually admit that I loved the Nancy Drew books and Goosebumps. I also love the little prince or...” the translation flipped in his head. “The adventures of tintin. It was another detective series.” Sebastian explained to him knowing full well that it was a book released in France. Sebastian turned his torso to Blaine and his hair grazed over the males smooth hair. Sebastian wanted nothing more than to touch it. He had been thinking about Blaine a lot for the past few weeks. All he wanted to do was get Blaine next to him in bed so their conversations weren’t so distant from each other. He leaned onto his elbow and mindlessly stuck some curry in his mouth.

Blaine:

Blaine smiled as Sebastian listed off the books he'd loved as a kid. It was really adorable. "I think I've heard of Tintin. He has a dog right?" he asked, trying to make a mental picture in his head. "I also loved the Goosebumps books, little you had good taste," he laughed, taking another sip from his glass.

Sebastian:

sebastian smiled and shook his head. "no, but he has a dog named snowy." sebastian pulled out his phone and showed him the pictures of the poodle and talked through some of his favorite adventures. "excuse my ranting, i loved the stories. my mom would also read them. sometimes my nanny, but she was never successful at getting me to go to sleep. as for goosebumps, that would always put me to sleep." he laughed.

Blaine:

Blaine leaned forward to look at Sebastian's phone screen, occaisionally looking at Sebastian's face while he talked. If you asked him if he ever thought he'd see Sebastian Smythe prattle on about a French children's story, he definitely say no, but it also somehow made sense. "No, don't apologize at all," Blaine replied, echoing his laughter. "You fell asleep to Goosebumps? Those always kept me up worrying about whatever boogeyman was in my closet."

Sebastian:

sebastian tongue pressed to the inside of his bottom lip, creating a bubble on his chin and showing off the jewelry in his mouth. he was starting to get full, so he simply started to pack up his food and set it aside. "i never thought there was a booyman." sebastian thought aloud. an idea popped into his head when blaine said this. his breathe slowed as he leaned back against the couch. his breathe slowed down a bit and he forced his eyes to soften. "it makes me think about a story my mom used to tell me..." his voice softened. he scrunched up his nose as if the information he was relying was becoming painful. "my mom told me--" he changed to a french accent. "sébastien, as a little boy, you should always know you family." he changed back to a regular english accent. "one summer, my mom's estranged aunt came to visit. with her came a little girl named maria that was my mom's age. together, they hit it off right away. they would spend their time in the swimming pool together, painting and dancing out in the fields. but maria was funny in the sense that she would walk up in the middle of the night. every so often she would get up and leave my mom's bed." his voice lowered to a hush sound. his green eyes connected with blaines and sebastian breathed in, to make sure that blaine had eye contact with him. his arm slid down to the floor and closer to blaine. "one night, her cousin left the room and didn't return. confused in the morning, my mother sat up and went to her aunt and asked where maria went. her aunt looked at my mom  with bewilderment and shook her head." he said this in a french accent. "maria? what are you talking about dear? who i maria?" english again. "my mother told her about maria, her cousin that the estrange aunt brought. in that moment, her aunt started to wail and all around the table came looks of despair. immediately, my mom was sent to her room. --- without understanding, my mother stormed off to her room in tears. not understand what she had been punished for. later that afternoon, my grand mother came to the room, telling her that such thing was inappropriate. in tears, my mother demanded an explanation. there-- my grandmother told my mother that maria was her estranged aunt's stillborn baby and why she had been gone for so many years. horrified at this discovery, my mother tossed herself under her blanket and cried herself to sleep. later that night, she woke up hungry. as she sat up, she shivered and pulled on her jacket." sebastian's voice became lower and he leaned into blaine. his voice barely above a whisper. "when she stood up, the old floor boards below her creaked. she took a step-- then another before she felt and heard that familiar voice. 'adrianna?' she stopped dead in her tracks, but the floor boards kept creaking as if there were another walking behind her. they got closer... and closer and then..." as if it were timed, alice from the movie let out a petrified scream while sebastian reached out and grabbed blaine's shoulder from behind. sebastian himself jumped a little bit at the loud sound that came from the tv.

Blaine:

As Sebastian started his story, Blaine set his plate back on the table. At first he was entirely fooled into the story - he certainly was a good actor. He listened with rapt attention, leaning forward on his legs as his eyes stayed glued on Sebastian's. It was about at the moment where the story started to take on the more ghostly elements that Blaine realized that Sebastian must be pulling his leg, but he was so wrapped up in the story that he didn't dwell too hard on his own gullible-ness. He was leaning forward just a bit more, excited to see where this was going when the scream came from the TV. That combined with the hand on his shoulder made Blaine startle, letting out a surprised yelp. It took a few moments before he looked at the movie and realized where they were in the film and his wide eyes crinkled into laughter.

Sebastian:

sebastian waited for blaine to laugh before sebastian copied him. his white teeth shined on as the other laugh. sebastian finished his wine before he started to clean up. "i'm ready for a couple of songs-- if you're up to it." sebastian asked.

Blaine:

"You really got me," he chuckled. "Did you know that scream was going to happen?" As he saw Sebastian start to clean up, Blaine did the same, getting the food packed away and swallowing the rest of his own drink. The request for music came and Blaine gave a nod, getting up to grab the guitar from where he'd left it. "I'm always up for a little music," he replied as he returned. The guitar was fairly simple, but still clearly elegant and not inexpensive. He sat on the couch, starting to tune by ear. "Okay, what do you want me to start with?"

Sebastian:

Excited, Sebastian collected everything and went to put it all away. On his way back, Sebastian brought the wine to refill their glasses. Sebastian sat down across from him and examined the guitar with a bit of admiration on his face. He’d never learned how to play, and he commended anybody who did learn to play it. He watched Blaine from the other end and thought about his next words. “Anything you’d like killer.” He said as he took a sip of his wine.

Sebastian:

Blaine strummed it once to ensure the tuning was good. Satisfied, he started picking out a melody. "I'll give myself a warm up before I show you my song," he said, giving Sebastian a grin. He was a little nervous about playing it for him. With Rachel, the only person other than his professor who had heard it, he knew it was so she could help him improve it. And the song at the gala - that was fun but it didn't hold the kind of personal significance this did. Playing it for Sebastian, it felt...sort of intimate. He started playing James Taylor's "You've Got a Friend", slow and quiet with just the guitar and his voice.

Sebastian:

Sebastian nodded and allowed Blaine he time. He hummed a long, letting his leg swing to the beat. He could tell Blaine was a bit unsure. So Sebastian joined in lightly, and sung with him. After it finished, Sebastian smiled. “You don’t need to sing me your first song.” Sebastian said cooly. “I just want to hear your voice.” He smiled. “Just play what you’re comfortable with.” He encouraged. He took a sip of his wine.

Blaine:

Blaine smiled as Sebastian sung with him. He liked his voice a lot. He didn't hear a lot like it, as softly as he was singing. And he had to admit their voices sounded really nice together. His fingers rested against the strings as he looked over at Sebastian. "I want to play it for you," he said before biting the inside of his lip. "I know it's silly... I've let other people hear it, but those were music people... It feels different playing it for you," he explained. "In a good way. I'm just... I guess..." What? That he cared about Sebastian's opinion on it? That he wanted him to like it?

Sebastian:

Sebastian showed him a soft smile. His green eyes softened as Blaine rambled. He shifted so that he was facing Blaine now. His torso was stretched out long, his butt sitting on the edge of the couch while the bottom of his shoulder nestled softly into the couch. His legs were twisted with his left leg over his right. His full attention was on Blaine. Sebastian watched blaines lips for a moment before he tore away to his eyes. “I can’t wait to hear it.”

Blaine:

Blaine met his eyes and returned the smile, grateful that the other man was just listening and watching. He nodded as he spoke, turning his focus back to the strings below him as he started plucking out the intro. Every once in a while, he'd lift his head up to look at Sebastian, trying to gauge his reaction to both the melody and the lyrics.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPaBXxA_k-g

Sebastian:

Sebastian expression for the most part was still rather than reactive to the playful banter. His expression had softened something he would find to be weak and vulnerable. The emotions that music traditionally brought out struck him with both lyrics and the melody. Sebastian heart pounded as he felt it’s effect wash over him. His body numbed to its message that Blaine had to tell him. It shook his bones. Thanks to the uplifting beat, Sebastian felt all his emotions suddenly become valid. He could feel the pressure behind his eyes build up. Before he could stop himself, Sebastian leaned in and pressed his lips to Blaines. His body held itself above his guitar as to not damage the instrument.

Blaine:

As Blaine played, there was a sense of confidence that grew within him, just from the soft way Sebastian was looking at him. There was no judgement that he could find. When the song was coming to an end, Blaine was trying to formulate what he'd say. He didn't often give one on one performances. All of those thoughts were wiped out with Sebastian coming so close to him. Before he could really figure out what was going on, Bas's lips were on his. At first, he was startled, but after a second of recognition, he let himself lean into it, sliding his guitar out from between them to lay beside Blaine on the couch.

Sebastian:

He could feel his happiness bloom as Blaine had returned the action. Once the guitar was out of the way, Sebastian leaned in deepen to the kiss. His heart thumped loudly in his chest, enough to feel it heavily in his throat. He could feel himself wanting more; not the the way he usually got though. He opened his eyes, realizing that they had been shut right out of nervous energy. Sebastian couldn’t even remember the last time he felt these things and to be honest, this was due to repression. Sebastian could feel his body torn between continuing and stopping. In response, Sebastian tilted his head down out of the kiss, leaving only his wine stained lips on Blaines. His forehead rolled against blaines. He let out a laugh. “Sorry...” Twice within a week was more times Sebastians apologized in 4 years. “It was amazing.” He said as his eyes directed downward to blaines chin.

Blaine:

Blaine's hand found it's way up to Sebastian's cheek. He couldn't believe that Sebastian was kissing him. A million thoughts raced through his head about all of their past interactions and how the other had been flirting and that this hadn't been all in Blaine's head. He tried to quiet this racing and just focus on how nice it felt to have Sebastian so close to him. Then, Sebastian slightly pulled away. His laughter drew some out of Blaine, shaking his head ever so slightly as their foreheads still pressed together. "You don't need to apologize," he assured, eyes looking for the others, despite how close they were. You never have to apologize for kissing me, he wanted to add, but stayed quiet. "Thank you. I don't think any one has ever kissed me because they like my music," he teased, moving his thumb against Sebastian's cheek slightly.

Sebastian:

Sebastian hand went to blaines hands. Sebastian felt over the rough callous built up by those talented fingers. He moved his body so that he would finally be in comfortable next to him. Sebastian thought long and hard about what to do next. “Mhmm...” he snorted. He smiled. “Do you like it?” Sebastian asked as his eyes connected with Blaine’s.

Blaine:

Blaine shifted as Sebastian did, letting them settle near each other. He kept his gaze on him, smiling like an idiot, Blaine was sure. "My music? Or you kissing me?" he said, perhaps a little cheekily. He brought his hand from Sebastian's face, but kept it close to him.

Sebastian:

Sebastian wanted to link them up again and kiss, but his mind was starting to come down off the love high and starting to be rational again. Then again, what exactly is rational to him? “I would be very interested in how you wouldn’t like your own music.” He laughed at blaines cheeky attempt as he inches nearer. “I might give you more sugar for the right answer though.”

Blaine:

Blaine chuckled, shaking his head at Sebastian’s first comment. “I think your own music is the easiest kind not to like. Hence why it’s taken me so long to actually show people what I’ve been working on since I was, like, a teenager,” he pointed out, match his body language of desire. “Because it’s a part of me that I’m showing to someone else.” He smoothed the back of his hair, slightly nervous. He didn’t know much much to address this obvious mutual attraction. “I’m glad you kissed me.”

Sebastian:

Sebastian listened intently. He had even pulled his head back. As Blaine spoke, Sebastian let his hand rest into Blaines. His thumb stroked Blaines hand. There was a pause for Sebastian to think and internalize Blaines speech. Sebastian had felt Blaines passion and warmth along with his compassion for others. Something Sebastian hadn’t believed in for a long time. Even watching others perform this act made Sebastian think that it was all fake and for the single purpose of gain. However Sebastian didn’t quite understand what was happening in the moment. He’s rational thought was a lie and Sebastian resorted back to that scared teenage boy he was stuck in. His jaw clinched as the pause dragged on. “Thank you.” He smiled to Blaine as he thought of a way to recover for this slip up. “For doing that. It was really beautiful.” He spoke slow as a way to pause for more time. Pressure exploded from behind his eyeballs and he felt his body go numb, like it usually did when he felt about to cry. He took in a deep breathe as he attempted to get through it. But he couldn’t help his eye water at the edges. He placed his wrist against his eyes. “Oh allergies.” He complained as he blinked. “My contacts are also super old too. I need to take them out. Excuse me for a minute.” He said as he stood up from the couch and went to the bathroom on the first floor.

Blaine:

Blaine curled his fingers around Sebastian's as their hands touched. It meant a lot that he was just listening and taking it in. The pause after he spoke didn't feel that strange to Blaine until he saw a subtle shift in the planes of Sebastian's face. Quickly, it melted into words and a smile and Blaine smiled back at the gratitude, mumbling an 'of course.' Then he started to see the wetness gathering in Sebastian's eyes and heard the way his breath changed. Was he about to cry? "Oh, uh... okay," he said, his body turning to face in the direction that Sebastian had left in. He didn't really believe that it was allergies or contacts since he'd been fine until that second, but he also didn't want to crowd him, figuring he'd give him a moment and only follow if he was gone too long.

Sebastian:

Sebastian went to the bathroom and pulled out his contacts. Later he returned with the gold thin wire framed glasses. He picked up his wine and his small little fit was over. Or at least suppressed for the time being. “Is that the only song you brought?” He asked as he returned to his spot where he was before. This time with his wine.

Blaine:

Blaine was about to get up when he heard Sebastian's footsteps heading back. Seeing that he was now wearing glasses, he decided not to say anything. Maybe it was just his contacts bugging him. Blaine picked the guitar back up, running his hand along the strings. "I mean, I can play a lot things," he chuckled. Had whatever moment they'd had passed? "Is there something you want to hear?"

Sebastian:

sebastian felt a bit bad looking at blaine. he wanted to kiss the man again. in fact,  sebastian wanted to take him upstairs and undo that hair. but his mind was attempting it's damn near hardest to hold him back. he sat down with his wine and took a sip. "anything." he told the other. "i love listening to you."

Blaine:

Blaine smiled a little wider when Sebastian spoke, shaking his head in modesty. "Let's see..." he said, trying to think of something. He hummed as an idea came to him and started to play a sort of jazz swing, but a little more punctuated. "Sinatra," he explained, but it was also clearly influenced by his own style. He licked his lips after the first chorus, starting in a whistle section as he kept up the fingerwork. Guitar was definitely his best instrument. Something about it had always called out to him.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rC4ZnKL0a-k

Sebastian:

it didn't take much to pull down sebastian's guard again. as blaine started, sebastian bopped along to the beat. he had to force his body still to not show off too much swaying. when blaine started to whistle, sebastian's jaw clinched. there was no way that would fly again with bas' being the reason. he laughed as blaine finished the song. sebastian put down his wine glass, reached forward for that blasted guitar, gently set it down and pushed himself onto blaine. this time, his lips pushed inward to show off his aggressive side.

Blaine:

He finished, laughing along with Sebastian, though he wasn't really sure why. The other started to pull the guitar from his hands and he let go, more than curious to see where this was going to go. Then, he had Sebastian's lips on his again. Good to know that all it took was a little guitar to get him to close the distance between them. It had been way too long since someone had kissed Blaine like this, forceful and needing. He did his best to match Sebastian, hands finding his body to hold him close. He had had no idea when he left the hotel that this was where today was going, but he certainly wasn't going to complain.

Sebastian:

this time, sebastian's lips twisted in with blaine's. his tongue craved every taste of the man. he moaned softly as his tongue pushed through his lips and into his mouth. sebastian's ring ran over blaine's tongue as sebastian explored the roof of blaine's mouth. he playfully clicked his tongue ring against blaine's teeth. sebastian opened his eyes to watch blaine's face.

Blaine:

Sebastian was deepening the kiss and Blaine let him, parting his lips gently so his tongue could dip inside. He knew Sebastian had the tongue piercing from little glimpses of it here and there. He had always thought it was hot, but it was definitely a million times more of a turn on, he decided, when it was tracing the inside of your mouth. The clicking against his teeth spurred Blaine on, teasing his tongue against Sebastian's with a stuttered breath and a small sound of enjoy mean somewhere between a moan and a laugh.

Sebastian:

sebastian took part in the laugh, catching blaine's tongue between his teeth. he let go of his tongue and continued to laugh. "I wanted to kiss you for so long." he breathed as he kissed blaine's chin. he turned his head to the side of blaine's face. "every since i saw you the first time next to sam, i thought you were the hottest thing i'd see all semester." he whispered to him.

Blaine:

Blaine's hands moved up Sebastian's back as he moved from his mouth to the side of his face. He could feel heat in his stomach as Sebastian said that he wanted to kiss him for a while. "Why didn't you?" he whispered back. "I thought you were just flirting for flirting's sake, not that you actually wanted to..." He demonstrated, kissing where he could reach on his jaw from this position. "For the record, I also thought you were hot. I probably acted like an idiot," he chuckled.

Sebastian:

sebastian connected eyes with blaine. he hummed as he fit himself in-between blaine's legs. his body buzzed with excitement as he hovered over blaine. he had been thinking about nothing but the man since they met that one evening for studying. he didn't understand this-- if blaine were any other man he picked up from the bar, sebastian wouldn't be stopping for conversation, he'd be wiggling off their pants. instead, he listened to the man under him. his soft green eyes looked at blaine in a different light. sebastian moved to blaine's jaw line. "i would never...." sebastian huffed into blaine's ear. "do that to anybody as sexy as you."

Blaine:

Blaine shifted so he could lean back more into the couch and let Sebastian settle against him. He tilted his chin up slightly, almost arching into Sebastian's touches. "I thought you were going to kiss me that night we were studying," Blaine admitted, tracing the tips of his fingers up and down Sebastian's back just to give them something to do. "But I'm glad you are now." He turned his head to reconnect their lips.

Sebastian:

sebastian could hardly say anything to that night. that's when it all started-- this damn crush. maybe he had it before. but the time for talk was coming to a close. as he heard these words, sebastian's pierced tongue wiggled into blaine's mouth. his hand cupped blaine's smooth chin and brought him in. he hoped with this action that blaine would stop talking.

Blaine:

It certainly did shut Blaine up. His hands found more solid purchase as Sebastian deepend the kiss, lifting his head slightly to meet him. His hand moved up the back of Sebastian's neck, resting at his hairline and letting his fingertips slightly dig in. His tongue traced around Sebastian's, enjoying the unfamiliar sensation of the metal in his mouth.

Sebastian:

sebastian moved his hand over the back of blaine's neck and pulled him in. sebastian stuck out his tongue, closed his eyes, and drowned himself in blaine's taste. he let out soft moans as his tongue dug deeper. his hands wiggled between blaine's head and that stiff layer of gel. sebastian pulled away for air. "what do you put in your hair?" he asked.

Blaine:

Blaine was entirely in the moment, trying not to let thoughts wander beyond anything other than how Sebastian's weight felt over him or the sounds cming from those lips. He couldn't help but laugh when Sebastian was clearly trying to reach into his hair. Everyone he'd ever been with had made some comment or another about the gel. "It's just hair gel," he said, though he knew most people didn't use quite the strength or amount he did.

Sebastian:

“Are you sure?” Sebastian asked as he felt through it. “How hot and bothered do I have to get you in order to get that unglued from your head?” He asked as he lifted Blaine up. “You want to go upstairs?” Sebastian asked him.

Blaine:

Blaine smiled back at him. "Pretty sure." That second comment made him blush, mostly because he knew that the gel did, in fact, release when he really got going in bed, but he laughed it off. "Maybe you'll find out," he teased, letting himself sit up. The thought of seeing his bedroom was definitely enticing. "Sure."

Sebastian:

Sebastian took blaines hand and stood up. He lead the way to the stair case in the back. It was dark, typically Sebastian didn’t even turn on the light. He’d just feel his way through the darkness. Once they got upstairs, the two of them stood in front of a grand king sized mattress with two shelves on either side. Sebastian flipped on a light switch, but instead of the bright Lights in the roof, fairy lights came on about the dark mattress. Sebastian turned to Blaine and stepped back. Sebastian let go of his hand and walked over to the grand stereo that sat the right. Right on top of the beautiful vintage stero sat Sebastians baby, the vinyl record player that was Sebastians pride and joy. “Any request?” Sebastian asked him. “Maybe that jazz that I got at Waterloo.” He said as he pulled out the record that he purchased they say they went.

Blaine:

Blaine kept their hands to gether as they walked up to Sebastian's room, careful not to trip going up the stairs. Once the lights were on in the room, Blaine couldn't help but let out a breath at how nice it was. The bed was huge with those twinkly lights...then he looked at Sebastian and the stereo he was indicating. That was one of the nicest set ups he had ever seen, record player included. "I think you could play anything on that thing and it would sound amazing," he said, giving him a nod.

Sebastian:

Sebastian put in the jazz CD he mentioned and was careful with the technology. He made sure that the music was playing before he turned to Blaine. Sebastian moved over to Blaine and took his hand. He leaned over slowly, he moved his hands to cup around blaines legs and up into his ass. Sebastian pulled him up so that Sebastian could deepen the kiss.

Blaine:

Blaine gave his hand a small squeeze as they were pulled closer together. He leaned into Sebastian's touch, meeting every new touch. He hummed at the contact, hands finding Sebastian's cheeks as they moved their lips against each other's.

Sebastian:

Sebastian pulled Blaine up on him by his legs and walked over with him on his hips. All the time not parting from blaines lips. Adrenaline pumping, Sebastian threw him on the bed. As he leaned onto the bed, Sebastian reached behind his neck and pulled his shirt off, showing off the pale long torso with the light outlines of abs. He tossed it aside and pushed himself on top of Blaine and returned his lips to Blaines. His hands drifted down blaines neck and over his chest. He twitched when he felt over the tuff of chest hair.

Blaine:

Blaine lifted his legs around Sebastian's waist, clinging tight to him as they made their way over to the bed. Blaine landed on the bed, scrambling back towards the pillows. He watched as Sebastian pulled off his shirt, smiling appreciatively. He tugged at his own clothes, pulling his shirt off and throwing it over with Sebastian's before they met again in a kiss. Blaine let his hands skim over the skin on Sebastian's back, appreciating the definition of his muscles. He held the other as close as he could, breaking their lips apart to kiss along his jaw.

Sebastian:

Sebastian let out soft moans through the kisses as he dove into Blaines world. For weeks, he had been craving this. Every male Sebastian brought him was to attempt to get the imagine of Blaine out of his mind. Shameful to admit, he’s touched himself to these thoughts and feelings too. He closed his eyes and drowned in the sensation of the man beneath him. The kiss earlier and everything after that was everything he wanted. Instead of focusing on the psychical feelings, all Sebastian could think about was Blaines bright smile and starring personality. With every inhale, Sebastian absorbed that sweet smell that the other had, making him hard in what seemed like world record time. There was nothing strong enough in Sebastians mind to stop him now. His fingers flowed through Blaines chest hair some more before moving downward over Blaines abs. He spent little time there and kept going to blaines pants. With one hand, he undid the belt and jeans. He opened his eyes as Blaine started to kiss his jaw, that tinkly hot feeling flushed from his mouth to the skin where Blaines lips touched.

Blaine:

Blaine honestly couldn't believe this was happening. Since he met Sebastian, he'd put him on this sort of unattainable pedestal. He just assumed that it wasn't even worth the energy to pine after someone who seemed so hot and cool. And, getting to know him, Blaine found that he was funny and interesting and a great listener. He couldn't tell if that made him more or less intimidating. But, there they were in Sebastian's bed, clearly turning each other on with every movement of their tongues and hands. Blaine ran his hand up Sebastian's back to tangle in his hair, the other moving to rest on his waist, his thumb pressed against the outline of his abs. They stayed there as his lips moved to Sebastian's neck, only moving as his pants were undone and he brought his hands down to start to pull them off. Sebastian's hands being so close to where Blaine wanted them most was clearly having an effect on his bloodflow, bringing some relief as he was freed from the denim.

Sebastian:

Sebastian moaned as he felt Blaines soft lips. He moved slowly to Blaine ear and gave it a tender kiss. The next fifteen minutes came hard and fast for Sebastian. Once they had finished, Sebastian came up from to lay down next to the other. He gave himself a few minutes to catch his breathe before he rolled over and stood up. He went to the restroom and came back with a towel for Blaine. “Here you go.” He offered.

Blaine:

Blaine panted as he relaxed into the pillows. The two lay there for a few moments, the only sounds were their calming breaths. He looked over at Sebastian with a dopey, post-orgasm smile as he stood up. His eyes followed him to the bathroom , sitting up a bit as Sebastian returned. "Thanks," he said, taking the towel and wiping the mess from himself. He had never been exactly comfortable in these after-care moments, especially sudden things like this, but he felt fine with Sebastian there. "Are you going to lay back down?" he said once he was done.

Sebastian:

sebastian leaned over the bathroom counter, completely naked and comfortable. he turned on the water and felt over it and waited for it to get warm. "only if you come lay down next to me." he said, poking his tongue into his check. he leaned over and splashed some water on his face. he grabbed a hold of his mouth wash and rinsed out his mouth. "if you need anything use it." he offered. "if you want a toothbrush, i have an extra. just in case for round two." he winked at him.

Blaine:

Blaine watched him go through is cleaning ritual. If it was possible, Blaine was probably even more attracted to him now. He didn't seem to have any care or insecurity like this. The gel had started to come loose, especially around the nape of his neck and his hairline where sweat had collected. "I might at least take you up on the mouth wash."

Sebastian:

sebastian nodded and handed it over to him to take a sip from the bottle like he had done just five minutes ago. sebastian leaned his bare ass against the counter of sink. "are you coming to lay down with me?" he asked in a sweet like manor. "all that energy you've got, i might need to go downstairs and refuel." he laughed.

Blaine:

Blaine took the bottle and did a rinse of his own. Setting it down with a quick thank you, he looked up at Sebastian with a grin and a laugh. “We could definitely grab some more food. Then curl up?” he suggested, stepping a little closer to him.

Sebastian:

the fact that blaine was saying thank you put a smile on sebastian's face. damn this boy's inferno need to be adorable and respectful. sebastian nodded looking back at blaine. he hesitated for a moment. sebastian had the urge to lean over and hiss him. he licked his lips and stared at blaine for a moment. they weren't boyfriends or anything like that, why would sebastian act in such an affectionate way. his mind started to put up blocks as he looked at the ground. he leaned over and grabbed a hold of his boxers and pulled them on. "sure, you want the rest of your dinner, some cream-- excuse me if i don't have any. i've had enough for tonight." he chuckled.

Blaine:

Blaine just looked back at Sebastian, unsure of what the next move would be. He was the kind of person for whom, once a physical barrier was withdrawn, he usually kept it that way. Physically affectionate, he didn't see a reason not to be close to people he cared about, even if this wasn't anything more than sex. Seeing Sebastian start to put layers back on he went to find his underwear from the clothing on the floor. He smirked at the joke. "Sure, maybe," he replied, chuckling with him.

Sebastian:

"i think you're getting comfortable." sebastian commented. "usually you'd be a bright shade of red." he laughed as he reached for blaine's hand to go down the stairs. once he was there, he shuffled through the cabinets to find his snacks. he had himself some thing to eat. he got himself a bottle of water and offered blaine some. he dug around some more and pulled out some fruits. "oh, you want some strawberries?" he asked as he set down the fruit.

Blaine:

Blaine laughed, rubbing his neck. Ironic that being called out for not getting embarrased made him more embarrased than the sex joke. "I think once the blowjob line has been crossed, you have to work a little harder for the blush," he joked, taking his hand. Once in the kitchen, Blaine leaned casually on the counter top, watching Sebastian as he searched and sipping the water. "Strawberries sound perfect right now," he said, giving a nod.

Sebastian:

“Is that a challenge?” He asked. He pulled out the strawberries and washed over them.l with water. He took out the knives and chopped off the tops. He put them on a plate for the two of them. He picked up a big one and stuck the end between his teeth. He leaned forward for Blaine to take the other half.

Blaine:

“I would say yes, but something tells me you’d win pretty quickly,” he giggled, trying to smooth out his hair. He watched Sebastian’s hands as he cut the fruit. He was gorgeous, even just doing little things like this. He smirked as Sebastian leaned for him to Lady and the Tramp-style eat the strawberry. He met Sebastian where he was and sunk his teeth into the rest of the strawberry, careful not to knock their noses together.

Sebastian:

“You know it.” As he cut the fruit he noted Blaines loosened hair. Sebastian laughed when Blaine did his thing. Sebastian leaned on the counter to get a peak at the loosened curls. He reached back to Blaines black hair. His fingers caught a curl.

Blaine:

Blaine smiled, tilting his head towards Sebastian as he touched his hair. “It’s definitely not all loosened, but you got a couple curls free,” he chuckled.

Sebastian:

Sebastian realized he had just flipped his finger through Blaines hair without saying anything. “I didn’t know it was curly.” He mentioned as his fingers laced into the hair that was still stuck to his head. “Makes round two all that more appealing.” Sebastian kept his fingers there and reach for another strawberry.

Blaine:

Blaine chuckled, nodding at his statement. Not a lot of people did. Really only close friends who'd seen him when he woke up in the morning. "Yeah, it's pretty curly. Hense the gel," he explained. He very rarely had any hands but his own in his hair and he couldn't deny how nice it felt to have someone else's touch. He reached for a berry as well. "That curious, huh?"

Sebastian:

Sebastian pulled his hand away. He smirked at the statement. When the berries were finished off, Sebastian took the plate and tossed it in the sink. He reached for Blaines hand again to go upstairs. Sebastian checked the record player again. “Last opportunity to request something before you’re lost in my eyes.”

Blaine:

Blaine liked that Sebastian took his hand to go room to room. There really wasn't any reason for him to do that, so he didn't really know what it meant. That didn't stop it from making him feel flutters in his chest. "Ooo, do you have Let It Be? The album, obviously."

Sebastian:

a smile came to his face as he removed the needle gently. he fixed the records and set the music down low. he stepped backward and then came to the bed. he laid down. he shifted under the quilt that he had for the hot texas summer days.

Blaine:

Blaine smiled as the music started. It was one of his favorite albums. Seeing Sebastian climb back in bed, Blaine followed. He laid down as well, resting on his side and looking acrss at the other. This is nice, he thought to himself.

Sebastian:

without giving it any second thought, sebastian reached his hand back and gave blaine the option of resting on his chest. either way, sebastian was going to get to loosen more and more of blaine's hair, he was absolutely determined. "ready for tomorrow?" sebastian asked him.

Blaine:

Blaine saw the gesture and curled up to him, laying against his chest. "I don't think it's possible to feel ready for something this big. Especially when they've trusted me with the solo," he admitted. "But I think we've got a really great set list. And everyone's working their butts off for it. So I'm optimistic."

Sebastian:

sebastian blinked. "oh yes, adore me right?" sebastian asked. "you're gonna kill it. fyi." he chuckled. "i'm pretty sure it won't be only my panties on the stage."

Blaine:

Blaine nodded at the name of the song, but blushed at the compliment. He was a performer to his core, but it still felt nice to have that kind of approval someone he wanted to like him. "Thanks. I hope so," he replied. "Hope that I kill it. Not hope that there are...panties."

Sebastian:

when blaine blushed, sebastian smiled widely. that was what he was used to. his fingers entangled themselves in the loose threads of blaine's tightly wove hair. his plan to reveal blaine's in glued state was starting to come to life. "why not?" sebastian asked. "are you more of a boxer/briefs kind of guy?"

Blaine:

Blaine could tell that Sebastian was trying to pry the gelled strands apart. Before today, when Sebastian was this untouchable fantasy in his head, the thought would've freaked him out. But now? There was something about the other wanting to see more of him that felt reassuring. "I'm, uh," Blaine said with a laugh, "I think I'm more of an applause kind of guy."

Sebastian:

sebastian held his smile as blaine spoke. "not even roses?" he asked. his fingers slid further up blaine's head.

Blaine:

Blaine chuckled, looking up at him. "Maybe roses. Flowers are always nice," he replied. "Though unnecessary."

Sebastian:

"you're right, you might just get as red as those roses. dunno, if we'll be able to find that cute face in the middle of all of that." sebastian mused with a smirk on the face.

Blaine:

Blaine laughed again definitely proving Sebastian's point. He traced along Sebastian's collarbone with his fingertips. "You really flatter me too much," he said fondly.

Sebastian:

sebastian leaned forward and kissed blaine. his heart buzzed excitedly as he felt those amazing lips again. he kept his eyes opened, as he pressed a bit harder. he released. "you're gonna be great tomorrow." he whispered. "i can't wait to hear you sing."

Blaine:

Blaine returned the kiss, moving his hand to the back of Sebastian's neck. "Thank you. I really hope it lives up to expectation. And I'm really glad you are coming to watch."

Sebastian:

sebastian kept his face close to blaine's. being so close to blaine shook sebastian to his core. he would give absolutely everything to keep blaine there in his bed forever. "anytime." sebastian told him. he rested his head to the side and listened to the sweet tune of the beatles floating in the air. his green eyes softened as he stared at blaine. his fingers continued to move through blaine's hair.

Blaine:

Blaine smiled, keeping his eyes on Sebastian as they sat quietly with each other. He really was gorgeous like this, just relaxed and listening to the music. He could tell he was making some headway with the gel in his hair and found that the touch was comforting. He could only imagine what it would feel like if his hair was free of product and his fingers could glide through unhindered. "I'm really glad you asked me to come over," he said quietly after a few minutes.

Sebastian:

sebastian gazed at him longer. taking in all of the man in his bed right then. sebastian had never done this before. just hang out. usually, he was attempting to find an escape route. and the oddest thing, they didn't even have full on sex. "i'm glad you came." he responded in a rusty voice. "you wanna sleep here?" sebastian asked. "i can take you back in the morning."

Blaine:

Blaine smiled a little wider as Sebastian confirmed that he was enjoying this time as much as Blaine was. His hand reached for one of Sebastian’s, just to hold it. His heart skipped a beat at that question. “I have to be ready pretty early. Are you sure?”

Sebastian:

a smile tugged at the edge of sebastian's lips. "if this were four months ago-- i would be piss drunk right now with a 800 am class. though, it might be kind of hard being drunk off you and waking up." he teased. "but i'll manage as long as you wake me up with a kiss."

Blaine:

While Blaine didn’t like to think of Sebastian partying on a weeknight, the idea that he was something special meant a lot. He leaned up to kiss him at that last statement. He felt like there was no other choice. “I can definitely do that,” he replied, nodding slightly.

Sebastian:

Sebastian smiled and continued to work his way through Blaines hair. “I’m almost through the gel concrete.” He announced. “You gonna be able to sleep on these fluffy curls?”

Blaine:

Blaine laughed shaking his head slightly. “They’re pretty bad right now, huh. Normally I shower to get the gel out.” Blaine reaches up to feel his own hair. Wow.

Sebastian:

Sebastian pleated his hand on blaines. He hummed as he took in the sight of the disheveled Blaine. He had never imagined Blaine untangled and it turned Sebastian on more than ever. This made Sebastian feel that even though Blaine had an air of class around him, there was still this other side of nerdy mess. “It looks good.” He said simply. His eye lids closed about half way. He fought to keep them open.

Blaine:

Blaine shifted so they were in a better position for sleeping. “Thank you,” he replied, running a hand through his hair as best as he could. “I don’t let just anyone see the curls, so you’re very lucky,” he chuckled.

Sebastian:

Sebastian followed Blaines guide and settled into the soft bed. He closed his eyes. “Would you say that these curls are worse than looking at your dick?”

Blaine:

Blaine cocked his head slightly, looking up at him. “are you insulting my dick?”

Sebastian:

"i find entertainment that i've seen you naked but you're worried more about your hair." sebastian rocked as he took away his hand.

Blaine:

Blaine laughed, touching his hair again. "Ah... Well, I guess I can't really explain that. I guess not having the gel makes me feel even more naked."

Sebastian:

sebastian joined in with him. his little spike of energy had started to drain away again. sebastian moved so that his arm curled around blaine's waist. his eye lids fell heavy again. his mind fought against his body sleep. "noted." he mumbled.

Blaine:

Blaine cuddled closer, smiling slightly as he could tell that Sebastian was nearing sleep. "Goodnight, Sebastian," he replied, half starting to wonder if he'd wake up and this was all a dream.

Sebastian:

"good night b." sebastian replied. sebastain's arm went limp on blaine's hip as he relaxed his body.

Blaine:

Blaine didn't fall asleep immediately, just holding Sebastian close of him and thinking about how everything had accelerated that evening. And how glad he was it had. Eventually, he let himself fall asleep, lulled by the warmth of another body against his. When he woke up the next morning to the sound of his alarm ringing from the pocket of his pants that still lay on the floor, it took him a second to place where he was. He sat up groggily, trying to move slowly on the off-chance Sebastian wasn’t waking up to the alarm. He scooped up his pants, pulling out the phone and turning the alarm off. “Shh,” he whispered to it, quickly checking any notifications he had.

Sebastian:

sebastian woke slowly. his eyes adjusted to the bright early morning light. he felt the shift in the bed. rather than saying anything, sebastian lay still-- lulled between more sleep and getting up. however, it was hard to conceal his amusement whenever blaine spoke to his phone. "is there another person in here that i should be aware of?" he asked, he was still laying on his side with his arm over his arm as some way to block out the light.

Blaine:

Blaine chuckled slightly at the comment, looking up to see that Sebastian was awake. "Sorry, it was being loud." He knew it was pretty early, but he'd have to get to the hotel, shower, and change to be ready for 8AM call time. Blaine had never been a morning person and entirely related to the disgruntled way Sebastian was trying to block out the morning light. "Told you it was going to be an early morning."

Sebastian:

sebastian removed his arm and glanced at blaine through the crook of his arm. he couldn't help but get a crack at blaine's look. he knew that blaine was conscience about his hair and his look-- but seeing the half undone, half drenched in old product made him laugh. the picture he saw sent warmth through his body and the energy made sebastian sit up. "well, you should've told me how beautiful you looked in the morning, i would've opened my eyes a lot sooner." he said as he pushed aside the covers. he moved quickly and picked up his jeans and pulled them on. it was pretty easy to find these since they were the only things on the floor. as soon as he was half dressed, he turned to blaine. "here, let's take my car." he offered. "coffee?"

Blaine:

Blaine flattented the hair to his scalp, laughing with a hint of embarrasment. "Please," he said with a wave of his hand. "I look like I need a shower and a lot of coffee," he chuckled, pulling his pants on and then going to find the shirt he'd worn yesterday. "Cool, thank you. I can give you the hotel address. And coffee would be amazing," he stressed, getting the shirt over his head.

Sebastian:

“At your service.” He leaned over and pressed a kiss to Blaines cheek. Sebastian left the room down to the lower levels. He started to work on his favorite drip. He waited for the water to warm up and looked through his fridge for anything like a quick breakfast. He found some sandwiches his mom has bought for him. “Hey Blaine, you want a breakfast sandwich?” He  asked from his position in front of the fridge.

Blaine:

Blaine smiled at the bit of affection. He finished getting himself as put together as he could before following him down the stairs. "Oh, sure, if you have some," he replied, not wanting to take food Sebastian might need. He went over to where his guitar was still splayed out from their makeout session. He started gathering it up and putting it away.

Sebastian:

"is that okay like that?" sebastian asked as he wrapped the sandwich in a towel and placed it in the microwave. after he set the microwave, he went back to his coffee drip and made sure it was working properly. "i don't know much about instruments-- if you need to protect them in their case."

Blaine:

“It’s okay for just an overnight,” he replied with a shrug. Once the guitar was packed, he set it aside and went to stand with Sebastian and watch him get coffee ready. “I just use the case when I take it places. In my room I have a stand. But, yeah, always best in a case so it doesn’t get crushed or something.”

Sebastian:

sebastian pulled out the two to-go cups. he placed them down and separated out the coffee. the microwave beeped. he moved over to grab the breakfast sandwich. he wrapped it in a paper towel. "go to the fridge and pull out whatever cream you want." he told blaine as he started to pour the coffee into the two cups.

Blaine:

Blaine nodded and headed over to the fridge. He pulled out a little container of half and half. “What are you going to do before we go on?” he asked, just making conversation in this somewhat domestic scene they’d created.

Sebastian:

“At least shower.” Sebastian chuckled. It was weird having Blaine there. He realized it in the moment that his mornings were usually filled with music, blasting out of the small blue tooth speakers around his house. Sebastian got the sugar pot for them and adjusted his coffee. “Have breakfast somewhere. Maybe pick up some roses.” He smiled to himself. “You have any thing to prepare before then?” He ask.

Blaine:

Blaine started to add cream and sugar to his coffee. “God, same, that’s the first thing I’m doing,” he chuckled, stirring his drink. The mention of the roses made him glance over at Sebastian with a smile. He assumed he was just joking, but it was still a sweet callback to their earlier conversation. “No, mostly just getting ready for call. Shower, change, get my hair reveled. We did our run through yesterday after we arrived.”

Sebastian:

Sebastian watched Blaine and noted the others coffee preferences. He committed it to memory. Sebastian modded at his words. “Better get you ready then.” Sebastian smiled as he grabbed his phone and his keys. Instead of going out the front door, Sebastian went to the back door where the garage was. He pressed the opener and looked to Blaine.

Blaine:

Blaine took his things and followed Sebastian out the back door. He didn’t think he could be more impressed with this complex, but he was wrong. The fact that there was a back door to a garage? It was really nice. “Thank you, again, for breakfast and the ride back to the hotel.”

Sebastian:

“Do you need some help with your guitar?” Sebastian asked as he walked around the dark blue Cadillac. He opened up the back door for Blaines instrument. “And anytime.”

Blaine:

Blaine thanked him as he opened up the door. “Just that is great,” he confirmed as he lay the case across the back seat. “It’ll be fine like that.” Blaine walked around to the passenger seat. “Beautiful car,” he commented as he climbed inside.

Sebastian:

Sebastian nodded and walked around to the other side and slipped in. “My mom got it for my birthday.” Sebastian told him. He touched the car to start. “Had some issues back when I got it, and it had to go into the shop.”

Blaine:

Blaine got himself buckled and looked over at him. “Wow, great gift,” he replied, admiring the interior. “Oh? What happened with it?”

Sebastian:

“My mom has been taking about replacing the BMW for a while.” Sebastian caught himself. The BMW was only a couple of years old and he knew that mentioning the young age of the car. All of it just made him sound like the rich white boy he was. “Yeah, it was a good present.” He smiled as he backed out carefully. He closed the garage door and drove off to the hotel. His hand rested in the middle counsel and slowly started to drift over to Blaines leg. “Something about it needing a new starter or something. I don’t know.”

Blaine:

Blaine nodded. He’d grown up very well off, so the idea of multiple cars and new ones especially wasn’t that foreign to him. “Really nice,” he said with a nod. Nicer than most cars he’d been in. He noticed Sebastian’s hand getting closer to his leg and looked over at him, smiling just slightly. “Ah, yeah, that happens,” he replied. He didn’t know all that much about cars, but he at least knew what a starter was.

Sebastian:

Sebastian continued on with his hand. Eventually placing it on the top of blaines knees. He kept it there as he turned the steering wheel. “It makes up with its space. This was one of the only cars that’s fit my legs.” He explained. “Even struggled a bit with the BMW sometimes.”

Blaine:

Blaine watched as Sebastian's hand stilled on his knees. It was the sort of casual intimacy that Blaine didn't often experience. It was this kind of little thing...the touches, the freeing of his curls, the music playing in the background of them falling asleep... that Blaine knew was going to make it very hard not to fall for this guy. "You are pretty lanky," he said with a laugh. "Not a problem I relate to, but I imagine it's annoying while driving."

Sebastian:

sebastian snoted with blaine's comment. "oh, believe me, it was either this or something bigger." he said. "but i don't like big cars." he mentioned as his hand lulled lazily on blaine's knee. sebastian hit the break as a truck swooped in front of them. sebastian shot a look of annoyance before hitting the breaks and putting some distance between them. he thought about blaine's word: lanky. he gave a snort to it. "sexy." he commented.

Blaine:

Blaine chuckled at the thought of Sebastian driving some sort of massive SUV. It definitely didn't seem like his style. "Tall guys are sexy, what are you talking about?" he teased. As much as he was teasing him about it, Blaine thought his long legs and frame were one of the hottest things about him.

Sebastian:

suddenly, sebastian's hand moved to the inside of blaine's legs and squeezed his inner thigh hard. he let out a low humf as he took his hand back so that he had two hands on the steering wheel. smoothly, he started to maneuver quickly around in the traffic.

Blaine:

Blaine let out a small sound at the grip against his thigh. And then just like that, his hand was gone. He wasn’t quite sure how to fill the silence that followed, so he just watched the road in front of him. He took a sip of his coffee and nibbles at the food.

Sebastian:

"how is it?" sebastian asked as he got off the highway. "i haven't tried them, but my mom bought them for me."

Blaine:

Blaine nodded as he swallowed. “It’s pretty good,” he confirmed, looking over at him. “Definitely a good choice on her part. And I’m sure better than whatever hotel food everyone else ate this morning.”

Sebastian:

sebastian smiled. "better than fake eggs and weird looking gravy?" he asked, looking over at blaine. "stale cereal? i would never think that of a microwave sandwich."

Blaine:

Blaine chuckled, sipping his coffee again. “I mean, it’s not high culinary level, but definitely better than stale cereal,” he pointed out.

Sebastian:

"i was expecting you to have the high culinary skills." he chuckled as he turned at a light. "i thought about adding a cookie just to show off that i won't be a complete dead beat in the kitchen."

Blaine:

"I mean, I'm definitely not hopeless in the kitchen either. I'm definitely better at baking than I am any other cooking skill," he replied with a smile. "I think between the four of us we'll be able to make some really good stuff," he replied, referring to the house.

Sebastian:

sebastian pulled up to the hotel and glanced over. "you're making me want to skip this whole summer." he looked over at blaine as he shoved the car into park. he paused for a second and looked over at the other. his heart pounded as he thought of something to say to the other. his brain barely even registered the past ten minutes it took to get there. "i don't... um..." his brain was stuck. last night they made out, messed around, and sebastian couldn't grasp this. typically, sebastian would get them an uber and then kick them out. taking blaine home, making his breakfast, giving him coffee-- sebastian didn't want to let this go. he glanced at blaine as he felt his coffee come up. "um... break a leg today." sebastian stretched out his smile at the other.

Blaine:

Blaine smiled. He definitely couldn't wait for the fall either. They arrived at the hotel and Blaine almost didn't want to get out of the car. It had been a great night. Not just because of the kissing or the orgasms, but just because he spent it with Sebastian, feeling like someone cared about him and wanted to be near him. "Thanks," he said, returning his look. "For everything." He got out and went to get the guitar from the back before coming back to the open passenger side door. "I'll see you later?"

Sebastian:

sebastian blinked at blaine. he waited for blaine to go grab his things. his brain started numb out as blaine peaked through the passenger door. he stared at blaine for a minute. he gripped the loose fabric on his jeans. "yeah... you'll see me today."

Blaine:

Blaine gave a slight smile again. "Okay, cool. See you then." Blaine could feel the tension at leaving this night behind. Should they part with a kiss? A wave? It was just a hook-up, right? But, it felt like something more than that. "Okay, uh, bye."

Sebastian:

"bye..." sebastian said. he couldn't help but feel the awkward moment. there was something he wanted to do, he wanted to tell blaine to come back and stay with him. he wanted to follow blaine up stairs and continue to feel through that fluffy frizz hair and listen to him warm up. he lifted his hand up and waved at blaine.

Blaine:

Blaine returned the wave and shut the car door, stepping back so Sebastian could peel away. He knew he had to hurry upstairs and take a shower, change, start making sure his voice and body were ready for today, but he stayed for a moment to watch him peel away.

Sebastian:

Sebastian stared at Blaine for a moment. Maybe he should get out and hug Blaine, kiss him, or... something. But Sebastian just push himself into drive and Sebastian pulled away from him.

@utsmythe

[franticbindings]

Ability Check, Please! - Part 1

As Eric’s consciousness slowly drifted towards wakefulness, he became dimly aware of the room around him. He was snug and warm in the bed, which was piled so high with fluffy blankets that only a sliver of his face was peeking out. The pale morning light streamed in through the window and fell gently on his closed eyes. He breathed sleepily and could make out hints of pleasant, familiar smells—wood smoke and fresh-baked bread. He hovered on the cusp of waking for several long minutes, dozing contentedly.

Then he remembered.

Four days ago, he had arrived in Waterdeep—the City of Splendors—with his adventuring companions.

Three days ago, he had woken up filled with excitement to explore the city, only to find their rooms empty and all their belongings gone.

Two days ago, he realized that they weren’t coming back.

Yesterday he had climbed into bed, and he had yet to emerge. The innkeeper had been kind enough to bring meals up to him.

All the shame and despair over being abandoned so casually—without even a word or a note—came rushing back, and Eric let out a low groan and rolled onto his back, squeezing his eyes tightly shut. He had always been a bit of an outsider in the group, but he had thought that all those months on the road where they faced danger together would have counted for something. 

Maybe I’m just hopelessly naïve. He supposed he should be happy that they waited until they had reached their destination before ditching him, but mostly he just felt sad. At least I’m not totally alone. The stillness of the room was disturbed by the flutter of delicate wings, and Eric felt the soft impact of tiny feet through the blankets covering him.

“Good, you’re awake. Get dressed, we’re going out today.”

Eric squinted up at his familiar, Dex, who was perched on his chest. His iridescent wings were at full attention, his hands were on his hips and his face was set with determination; it might have been an intimidating sight if Dex wasn’t only nine inches tall. He was a sprite, which meant he looked mostly like an elf writ small, but his exaggerated features would give away his fey nature even if his size and wings didn’t—his ears were a little too prominent, his hair too brilliantly orange, and his eyes were like burnished gold. His pale skin was dotted all over with dense spirals of freckles in a way that was both beautiful and strange.

Eric’s voice was still rough with sleep when he spoke, “Dex, I believe you may have some misapprehensions about which of us is in charge in this relationship.” He rolled over onto his side, petulantly dislodging the sprite, who nimbly flitted up into the air before settling cross-legged on the pillow in Eric’s line of sight.

Dex crossed his arms over his lightly armored chest, “You’re being a sad sack, so I get to be in charge until you’ve got your head on straight.”

Eric rolled his eyes, “I think I’m allowed to be upset when I’ve been abandoned by almost all of my friends.”

“First of all? Those assholes were never your friends. They treated you like dirt and you only put up with it because you lack confidence and you grew up knowing each other. Inertia is a terrible reason to base who you get into dangerous situations with.”

Eric’s tried to muster some indignation on his own behalf but only managed to yawn, when he spoke his rustic Dale’s accent was thick. “This is a swell pep talk—real inspirin’.”

Dex didn’t dignify that with a response, “Secondly, you’re better off without them. Seriously, I read their hearts, so you can trust me on this.” This statement was accompanied by significant finger wiggling, which Eric presumed was to indicate Dex’s ability to read someone’s inner nature by laying hands upon them. “They’re one bad week away from going feral. I won’t be in the least bit surprised if they manage to get kicked out of the city before winter is out.”

Eric sighed, “They did have a tendency to ruffle people’s feathers.”

Dex leaned forward and met Eric’s gaze pointedly, “Are you really going to miss having to clean up their messes?”

“I guess not.” Eric chewed on his lip thoughtfully, “I kinda still want to mope for another day though. Can I put off getting my act together for just a little longer?”

Dex shook his head, “We’ve got to be out of here by noon.”

“What? Why?”

“We’re almost out of money.”

“What?!” Eric’s eyes widened with shock. “What about the payoff for the escort job? My share was almost thirty gold.” You could live comfortably on that much for nearly a month, even in a city like Waterdeep.

“Remember? They convinced you to wait and split the money until the morning and then…”

“And then they left!” Eric sat bolt upright in his bed and felt his face flush with anger. His short blonde hair was wild from days of neglect and he was so outraged he could barely think. “Those… those…”

“Bastards? Shit weasels?” Dex fluttered up into the air and hovered at eye level in front of Eric.

“Those... ungrateful assholes! I’m the only reason we got that job!” Eric crossed his arms in a huff. His anger had an invigorating effect, pushing back the fog of negative emotions, but it was fading as quickly as it had come. Worry and fear were quick to take its place, and Eric looked plaintively at his friend.

“What are we gonna do?”

“We are going to find a new party. Hopefully this time without the assholes.”

Dex flew over to the bedside table and returned carrying a rolled-up piece of parchment, which he unfurled. It was an advertisement, the kind that people put up on signposts and bulletin boards. Written on it was:

The Yawning Portal Welcomes All Adventurers!

Rainrun Street, Castle Ward

-Gateway to The Undermountain-

-Hire Adventurers-

-Join or Form a Party-

-Trade Information and Items-

“Is this what you were out doing yesterday?” Eric took the page and settled it in his lap, reading it over a few times.

Dex nodded.

I could find another party, but what if they don’t respect me either? It had been hard to get the measure of other adventuring groups during their travels since the unrestrained egos of his own party invariably made rivals out of anyone they met. He had seen pity in some of their eyes when they had looked at him—at the time he had thought that were questioning why someone like him was getting involved in the dangerous business of adventuring, but now he wondered if they just saw how he was treated and thought he deserved better. Eric slumped over a little, resting his chin on his hand. His gaze was downcast and unfocused, “Maybe I should just give up on adventuring and get a job at a bakery.”

Dex landed in front of Eric and kicked him lightly in his blanket-covered leg with one pointy boot. “You’re doubting yourself again. Quit it.”

Eric met Dex’s eyes briefly before his gaze skittered away to the window, “I can be kind of a liability—I’m useless if I get grabbed. That’s probably why everyone left.”

Dex scowled and hopped up the pile of blankets that covered Eric’s lap until he was right in his friend’s face, “You are a handpicked champion of The Flawless Queen. Are you doubting her wisdom?”

Eric leaned back, but kept his eyes averted and his voice soft, “She was pretty clear that I only had the potential to be a hero. That’s no guarantee.”

Dex planted his hands on his hips and flicked his wings in frustration, “Well, after watching you in action and reading your heart more times than I can count I’m sure about two things—you’ve got a genuine heroic spirit, and that would be wasted working in a bakery. Think of all the people you’ve helped!”

Eric sighed, and was finally able to meet Dex’s gaze, “You’re probably right.”

“I’m always right.”

Eric managed to muster a chuckle at that and started to climb out of bed, “Sure, Dex. Do you know how to get to this Yawning Portal place?”

“Yeah, I scouted it out yesterday. It’s not far.”

Eric hummed in consideration as he stretched out his back and limbs, which popped loudly in the quiet of the room, “I figure we should drop by this tavern and see what time everybody usually shows up. We might need to sell our last healing potion if we can’t find a cheaper inn. Not sure what to do after that.”

“Well, you wanted to explore the city before everything happened. I figured we could do that. The stuff I saw was pretty impressive for mortal work, but it doesn’t really rate compared to The Queen’s palace.”

“No, I guess it wouldn’t.” Eric began to strip off his two-day-old undergarments and he moved over to the washbasin, where he did a simple spell to heat the water. He was of average height but compact with lithe muscle, and he was unselfconscious about being disrobed in front of his familiar. As he washed, he let his mind drift among memories of his time with The Flawless Queen.

He had gotten lost in the woods and stumbled across her entourage purely by accident, much to his initial consternation. He had heard plenty of stories about the fickle nature of the fey, and when he was brought before her there was no doubt in his mind that he faced one of the most powerful of their kind. Eric expected to be so overwhelmed by her raw aura of majesty and power that he would be unable to speak but found instead that the words came easily—he surprised himself with clever turns of phrase as he apologized for his intrusion and explained his predicament. The Queen must have been pleased by this, as she agreed to help him find his way back to his home in Featherdale in exchange for his conversation as they traveled. Eric soon discovered that The Flawless Queen was inspiration incarnate, and it didn’t take long in her presence before Eric was admitting to dreams that he had never given voice to—the desire to help people in a way that mattered, his dream of leaving home to find adventure and perhaps, if he was lucky, love. When the Queen offered him her blessings—magic, and an ally in Dex—in order to help make those dreams a reality, Eric had been eager to accept. 

It had all seemed so simple at the time. When did I lose that? The next hour passed quickly as Eric completed his ablutions and prepared to depart with Dex’s help. He cleaned his dirty clothes with magic and dressed warmly for the chilly autumn wind that he knew would be blowing in from the ocean. He hung his spell component pouch over his left shoulder, and his Book of Shadows hung from his waist on his right. With some difficulty he crammed all of his various belongings into his backpack, which settled on his shoulders with only a modicum of clanking—he was carrying quite a bit of cookware. He paused in the common room to grab a quick breakfast and to thank the innkeeper for indulging him the previous day (“Of course, dear! I do hope you’re feeling better!”). That done, he hurried out into the pale morning light in search of the next adventure.

~*~

Eric looked curiously up at the Yawning Portal inn—all three stories of it. It was built of stone, with a slate roof, and looked to be about as old as the other buildings in the area. It was also clearly labeled with a sign that hung from black iron chains above the door. As he watched, a group of three dwarves emerged from the inn, talking amongst themselves in dwarven. Eric swallowed down his nervousness and walked up to the door and entered.

Eric found himself in a large open space with wooden floors—it was pleasantly warm after the chilly autumn air, and the sunlight was streaming in through tall windows that faced the street, illuminating a bar along the left wall and a dozen or so tables with chairs scattered around the first floor. Eric’s attention was immediately drawn to the center of the spacious room, where there was what looked like a giant well—easily forty feet across—which was surrounded by a waist-high barrier of bricks and descended who knows how deeply into the earth. The building was constructed so that there was a column of open space above the well, extending up to the second and third floor, and Eric could just make out more seating for patrons on the upper floors. Staircases spiraled around the pillars that supported the ceiling and dangling down from the top of the third floor was a rope and pulley system that descended into the depths.

“Do people go down there?” Eric wondered aloud as he approached the barrier and looked down into the pit. He could see about thirty feet down before everything was swallowed by darkness.

Dex landed on the edge of the barrier surrounding the hole in the floor and was peering down into it when a gruff voice boomed out from behind them.

“Entrance to the Undermountain is one gold per person, though I can’t in good conscience let you go down there by yourself.”

Dex flitted up to head height and let out an offended, “He’s not alone. He’s got me!”

Eric turned around and took in the barkeep, who was making a placating gesture. He was about a head taller than Eric and looked quite fit despite his greying hair. The man’s thickly muscled arms looked made for swinging swords, and Eric immediately pegged him as a retired adventurer. He continued speaking, with a little contrition in his voice.

“I’ve got the same objections for two as for one. Unless you’ve got a few more in your party out in the city somewhere?”

Eric walked over to the bar, which was empty of patrons except for one, down at the end. As he slipped off his pack, Eric spared them enough of a glance to make out pale skin, dark hair, and gleaming silver armor. He settled himself on one of the bar stools and made introductions and exchanged a few polite niceties. The barkeep was actually the owner of the establishment, and his name was Durnan.

“‘As to your question, I’m afraid it’s just us at the moment.” Eric was wringing his hands below the bar top but still wearing his best ‘Please like me!’ smile. He pressed on, “That’s actually why we’re here. We saw your flyer and figured it coming here was a good way to meet some new people.”

“Could be, could be. How long have you been adventuring?”

“I’ve done a few quests here and there since I was sixteen, so for about two years now. But I’ve been doing this full time since I left home about six months ago.”

“You’re a spellcaster, right? What’s your best spell?”

“Well, my specialty is illusions and enchantments. My best trick is probably…” Eric hummed, considering, “Either making someone fly, or hypnotizing a bunch of people at once with an illusion.” 

“Not too bad. You really made it this far with just the two of you?”

“I’ve been traveling with a group for the past six months, but…” Eric looked down—he had hoped to avoid explaining this. Despite Dex’s words of encouragement, he still felt quite a bit of shame over being left behind, and he wasn’t keen on sharing that with someone he just met.

Dex cut in, crossing his arms as if daring anyone to contradict him. “But they were jerks and we’re better off without them.”

Durnan made a sympathetic noise, “Sometimes that’s how it goes. As for finding a new party—there are usually a handful of people looking to get their feet wet that show up every night around sundown. At your level of skill, you could get a group of them and set yourself up as the leader��might have to take some jobs that are below your usual pay grade until they get more experienced. As for more advanced groups—Jack over there has been looking for a spell slinger to round out his crew for a while now. His group is a good one—skilled, and not in the business for the wrong reasons. I’ll introduce you if you like.”

 “Oh!” Eric blinked, a little surprised that Dex’s plan was bearing fruit so soon. “If it’s not too much trouble!”

“Think nothing of it. Besides, if you go on to do great things together then I get to say I had a hand in it.” Durnan chuckled a little and strode over to the other end of the bar. As the innkeeper conversed with the man, gesturing a few times back in Eric’s direction, Eric got a good look at him.

Jack was, without a doubt, one of the most attractive people Eric had ever laid eyes on. This was saying something since Eric had spent a day and a night in the company of a faerie queen and her entourage. He had seen ethereal beauty and grace the likes of which the mortal world would never know, but they fey were beautiful in the way the most glorious aspects of nature were—you could appreciate the sunrise from a distance, but you couldn’t reach out and touch it. 

Jack was beautiful in a more human, potentially obtainable way—Eric noticed short dark hair, broad shoulders, sharp features, and intense pale blue eyes. He was armored elegantly but simply, with a breastplate, arm guards and greaves, and he had a longsword strapped to his waist. The armor was well fitted, so it didn’t obscure the fact that his body was solid with lean muscle in a way that Eric was definitely appreciating. 

Jack and Durnan concluded their conversation, and Jack started over in Eric’s direction with an easy grace, one hand resting on his sword’s pommel. Jack gave Eric an obvious once over as he approached, taking him in, and Eric did his best not to blush.

Dex fluttered up next to Eric’s ear and whispered, “Just so you know—he’s been totally stealing glances at you since you came in.” 

Eric was definitely blushing now, and Jack was standing right in front of him, extending his hand.

“Eric, right? I’m Jack Zimmermann.”