#I got a keychain of this guy very excited for it to arrive

[vernrot]

Wayne scarlet hollow my beloved

[lunathebee]

Pairing: Steven Grant x fem!reader

Warning: none just cheesy fluff

A/n: I love lego flowers so much but its so heckin expensive in my country ugh, i changed the plot a tiny bit if u dont mind @spicydonut25

Summary: Y/n brings the perfect gift for Steven on their date.

Meeting Steven was strange, and dating him is even stranger. The British man seems to drive Y/n crazy (in the best way possible) because he doesn't fit in any male category that the internet offers.

Y/n's eyes are starting to get tired from looking at the laptop's screen, scrolling mindlessly through the lists of gifts that everyone thinks are good ideals for a man. But they're all wrong! This is not any man; this is Steven! For God's sake, he doesn't need perfume or a pair of sneakers.

Y/n cursed under her breath. She wants to get the perfect gift for Steven; the poor guy should keep a random trinket she found at his table like a lucky charm.

*ting*

The sound catches Y/n's attention. Quickly tossing the laptop aside, she reaches for the phone to see what's up.

*Hi Im just texting to make sure our date are on Friday 7pm this week yea?*

It seems to be a text from Steven himself; he always wants to double check everything and tries his best to be on time. Y/n can't help smiling while tapping the screen and typing back a reply.

*Yep, im looking forward to meet u soon <3*

Steven replied almost immediately after, but instead of making Y/n happy, it made her stomach churn with anxiety.

*Me too, got a small surprise for you*

Y/n sighed tiredly; she can't believe Steven had already gotten her a present, and here she is, on her bed, with a blank mind. Would a new jacket do the trick? or a bag? or maybe something for little Gus.

Y/n returns to scrolling on her laptop, looking at the many items that flash on the shopping website. And just when she thinks her luck has run out, she notices something. 

Lego.

Not only Lego, but Lego's flowers! The store even had the flowers that Steven gifted Y/n on their first date, the type of flowers that Steven was so determined to get that he ran to five different stores to find them and almost missed the date.

Y/n smiles to herself while thinking back on the memories. This sure would be a very thoughtful gift for Steven, and plus, his desk will look better with it as a decoration (not a random trinket).

Feeling satisfied, Y/n added the lego set to her cart and completed the payment, thinking about how happy her lover would be.

===☾︎ ☾︎ ☾︎===

"You're early!" Y/n exclaimed when she arrived at the spot and already saw Steven sitting there, waiting for her. "Traffic is terrible; I should have left the house earlier."

"No, no, it's alright, you're right on time." Steven smiled and stood up to hug Y/n, sneaking in a quick kiss on her cheek too.

"Oh and here," Steven said, letting go of his lover and reaching into the pocket, pulling something out to show. "A present, as promised."

It was a beige box with silk ribbon wrapped around it, forming a bow. Y/n's face lit up when she eagerly took the box from Steven's hand, quickly unwrapping it. "A keychain! of my favorite animal!" Y/n said out loud before holding it near her eyes, seeing how the glitter sparkled under the street light.

Steven swears it's the most beautiful sight ever, seeing how excited Y/n is over his small gift. It's not very exaggerated to say he is a bar of ice cream and Y/n is the sun, the way he melted for her but still wants to admire her forever.

"Oh, I've got something for you too!" Y/n held up a paper bag and smiled shyly. "It arrived a bit late, so I don't have time to wrap it properly, sorry."

Steven mumbled a quick "it's okay" before saying thank you and taking the bag from Y/n's hand. The moment he looks inside to see what it is, his eyes widen with shock.

"A..No way! Is this for me, darling? Lego?! Oh, hang on now, let me take a better look...Lego's flower! Oh...wow.." Steven can't help his excitement upon seeing the gift; he had seen some kids bring some sort of blocky toy like this to the museum but never dared ask what it is.

"So this is... popular among kids, right?" He asked, fingers trading the display picture of the box.

"Hmm, I would say so, but this one is for adults; it contains a lot of pieces."

"Oh geez, I appreciate it, but why don't you just buy something cheaper? Like...real flowers? I love anything, as long as it's from you." Steven blushed while saying this and looked down at his lap; he has this bad habit of avoiding eye contact whenever he is nervous and can't seem to quit it.

But Y/n never mind; instead of getting mad, she put her hand on Steven's cheek, slowly guiding his head so that he looked at her.

"Real flowers will wither, but this one won't; it will stay forever, like my love for you."

[beannary]

After a long and arduous journey from the north hemisphere to the south, my TLP keychain finally arrived ✨🎉 so I can hold it gently in both hands and cry about how smol Donnie is

And thank you for the handwritten note this is the coolest thing I've ever received :D

oh my gosh im SO happy he got to you ok!!!! im always so nervous about the TLP donnies that are being shipped internationally but its so cool to me that theres someone so far away that has my little guy!!!!

i hope you enjoy him and im glad you like the note! i was very excited to write little thank you notes to everyone uwu

[yummy-egg]

I keep forgetting to share him but I made this lil guy for myself (a custom plush keychain) w my own art ofcourse 🤭 He's very soft and cute !! Since it's a lil pillow I thought a beddy bye side would be perfect, while the other one is just a tiny squishy husband to cuddle 🥰I do plan on makin a blondie to go with him (I got a sketch layin around hehe) but printing only 1 of each ;w; )

I've actually been makin a buncha silly lil things for months now but for my bf !! Gettin confident enough to draw ones for my besties recently too and I'm excited for them to arrive >w< )o💓

Special shoutout to my cat Mimi for lettin me bother him for filming !!

(bonus comfort doodle of Toki holding him aifshaifshasfo 🥺)

[fukuokanodivision]

Eko’s Thoughts On Kumamoto Division

Aoba Yamamura-

“Yamamura Aoba? I’ve definitely seen them around. My idol work does take me places, So Kumamoto is probably the closest place aside from Fukuoka I’ve preformed. When I first arrived, The locals spilled me on Kumamoto’s team and induced me to see them in action, Saying ‘you’d never forget it.’ They were true to their word, I managed to catch them in a performance and their leader stuck out to me the most. For a librarian, He’s got some talent in him. He did sound pretty impactful with his rapping, So I’ll give him a plus on that. I’ll see if I can snag another visit to Kumamoto and maybe meet this guy!”

Kunio “Kurome” Choten-

”Choten, ‘The smiling nobleman.’ Like Aoba, He also has some potential. Acting sure sounds like more of something Yuno would do, So he doesn’t stand out particularly. But~ He sounds pretty solid to me, “Amazing Parade”, Seems interesting for a rap ability, Though I’m not letting my guard down easily. Names can be as deceiving as the whole thing itself, After all. What else…Oh. On the same trip in Kumamoto, I could’ve sworn outside their little ‘group performance’ I’ve seen him out and about doing some magic shows downtown. From my observations, He also seems to like magic stuff and possibly children? Very fitting when you have a magic themed rap team…”

Natsume Kurome-

“Kurome…Choten’s wife? Right. Once again, I also managed to spot him over at his shop downtown, Fortune tellings, Tarot cards, Stuff like that. I just went inside, had a little peruse through the place and managed to buy OverDrive coloured mini crystal ball keychains. Electric blue, Vermilion and gold, They were so cute~. Anyway, I caught a few glances as they were talking to some customers. As I left, I couldn’t really stop thinking about Kumamoto and the team I managed to observe unfold before me. I’ll have to mostly research later, Kurome sounds to be the interesting sort of type anyhow.”

Strange Magic-

“Kumamoto Division, Let’s see…Here! Strange Magic? That’s definitely them. Yamamura Aoba, Choten Kunio and Kurome Natsume, Yep! A rap team dedicated to…Wait. ‘Causing chaos in the DRB, Similar to Edogawa Division…’ So these magicians want to use some tricks up their sleevies, Do they? Edogawa…That’s Wicked Requiem if I remember…Yes, It is. Jeez, These guys do really present themselves as a tough opponent. I can’t lie, We as OverDrive have made ourselves look pretty tough, After all, we are here to dominate anybody we face in the DRB too. These guys just sound like your average team, But with a little spice of scariness. It’ll be somewhat of a challenge if we have to put ourselves into this. But, I’m excited to see what they can do.”

[chuusheartattck]

HAUNTED

Chapter 1: Ghost child

Class had finally just been excused for you and Scara. You were half expecting him to ditch you but he surprisingly waited for you to get done packing.

“Fuck you take forever,” He groaned while stretching out his arms.

Today’s lecture seemed to drag on forever.

You quickly finished packing your belongings and the two of you started heading over to the culinary building. You had promised Xiangling to show her the library. Luckily her class ended the same time as yours.

You hadn’t become familiar with the campus yourself but it was fairly easy to spot her in the crowd. Her petite figure and the amount of keychains on her bag wasn’t hard to miss.

The three of you started walking to the library. Xiangling was going off about how her class went meanwhile you and Scara were just listening.

She can yap forever.

Despite arriving two hours early, the three of you decided to kill time inside and work on any assignments.

It seems like you weren’t the only ones who had that idea since you spotted Cyno, Aether, and Xiao at a table together.

“You guys just got out?” Aether asked while dapping you up.

“Mhm. It was only for two hours,” You replied back, taking a seat next to him.

Scara sat down next to Xiao who was across from you, “That’s because psychology isn’t a major that needs to take forever.”

“Aren’t you in the same class?” Xiangling questioned, sitting down next to you.

“Yeah but I can acknowledge it’s not the most hardest major out there. I only took it because my mom wanted me to do business,” Scara replied, “She wants me to take over her cafe one day.”

“Dude your mom is hot,” Cyno had to mention.

Scara was speechless and could only give him a disgusted look.

“What’s with that face?” Cyno asked, “I’m not the only one who thinks so, right guys?” He looked around at everyone. They all silently nodded but avoided eye contact with Scara.

Scara scowled, “You guys are all disgusting. She has a wife-“

“Who is also very hot,” Cyno interrupted, “Right guys?”

Once again, everyone silently nodded while not glancing at Scara’s direction.

You could feel the glare coming from his face. One day his face is going to get stuck from all the dirty looks and side eyes he gives to people.

His mom Ei and her wife Yae were always friendly to everyone. Ei runs a cafe while Yae runs a bookstore in attachment. Think of it as a small business version of Barnes and Nobles, just less overwhelming.

.

It was already 4:15 when Heizou showed up.

“Glad I’m not the last one,” He said while sitting next to Xiangling.

“Hu Tao doesn’t get out until 4:30. Ironic she’s the last one but planned this whole thing,” Xiao answered.

Scara stretched out his arms and yawned, “This seems like a waste of time. There’s probably nothing out there.”

“You never know, I mean there has to be some sort of truth to this place,” Aether replied in a hush tone, “I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s dead bodies under here.”

“Now you’re just being dramatic and exaggerating,” Heizou rolled his eyes.

“I have no idea why you tagged along. You get scared every time we watch a horror movie,” You started teasing, “Last time you flinched so hard you almost spilled your popcorn.”

“Did not.”

“Did too-“

You got interrupted by an all too familiar voice, “Hey guys! Sorry to keep you waiting!”

You all looked up to see Hu Tao walking over. Her eyes were filled with excitement and a giant smile was plastered on her face. She seemed way too happy.

“You won’t believe what just happened! I was using the bathroom and as I was washing my hands, I looked up at the mirror. Some pale little girl was standing behind me. I turned around but she wasn’t there!” Hu Tao practically shouted, “She almost looked like a zombie.”

Scara was holding back his laughter, “What did you smoke today?”

“Nothing! I promise it just happened,” Hu Tao huffed, crossing her arms.

You took out your phone and showed her a picture of the Qiqi girl Charlotte had told you about, “Did she look like this?”

“Yes! How did you get that picture?”

“That Charlotte person was texting me about this ghost child named Qiqi. Apparently she died during the construction of the school and likes to lurk around the students. She’s harmless. Allegedly.”

“She’s cute and all but can we get going?” Cyno asked, “I want to do this before it gets dark out. I’m not trying to see her.”

“I’m going to summon her and make sure she haunts you forever,” Heizou taunted.

All of you walked out of the library and towards the direction Xiao was leading you guys in. The campus was breathtaking beautiful and luxurious. However, it still had a creepy vibe to it but you weren’t sure as to why. Perhaps you’ve been thinking too much about the spirits here.

Xiao had led you guys to a fenced off area that was covered in heavy greenery.

“Do we have to climb that?” Aether questioned, studying the fence.

Before Xiao could even answer, Xiangling had already climbed the fence and made it to the other side.

“There was already a hole in the fence that you could’ve gone through but that works too,” Xiao pointed towards the opening right next to her.

“Oh..” Xiangling could only say quietly.

The rest of you walked through the opening and saw a giant cement tunnel. It was pitch black inside and looked abandoned. It was quite ominous looking which made everyone nervous, some more than others.

Your biggest fear was some tweaker living inside as opposed to an entity. You didn’t come prepared with anything to defend yourself.

“I’m not going in there,” Scara was the first to speak, “It looks dirty and someone could be living in there.”

He was on the same page as you.

“Too bad you already agreed!” Hu Tao chirped, already stepping close.

She turned on her phone flashlight and peered around the entrance. There were a few graffiti marks but no needles or drugs on the ground.

The rest of you cautiously stepped inside, making sure to turn on your phone flashlights as well. The tunnel had no distinct smell but it appeared to be cold and wet.

“If I get some sort of tunnel liquid on me I’m booking it,” Cyno muttered as he looked around.

“You’ll be fine!” Hu Tao replied, “It’s only a small tunnel. Look we’re already at the other side!” She pointed towards the clearing at the end.

Just like Xiao said yesterday, it led to the forest surrounding the school.

You didn’t feel much relief since the forest was a lot more creepier than the tunnel. It was secluded from the school and the tree lining was dense.

Could people hear you scream from out here?

As you walked deeper into the forest, the air grew colder and the trees grew thicker. The path you guys were following seemed to become narrow and overgrown. You weren’t sure if you were freaking yourself out but it felt like you were being watched. Not even in a paranoid way but in the way where someone’s eyes are burning in the back of your head.

There was an eerie silence in the air but it was broken by an occasional rustling of leaves. Something felt off but you chalked it up to your imagination and anxiety.

It was until Xiangling said something that basically confirmed your fear, “Hey why is it quiet all of a sudden? I know we’re in the forest but I haven’t heard any animals in a while. Usually there’s birds or a squirrel.”

“Now that you’ve mentioned it, it is a bit strange. If there’s no animals making sounds then it means there’s a predator they’re hiding from,” Heizou whispered, “But we’re not that threatening are we?”

“Of course not. We have a blonde twink with us,” Scara scoffed, “If anything it’s probably a bear that’s scaring them. Which isn’t so great for us.”

“I’m going to ignore the first part,” Aether said, “If there’s a bear then shouldn’t we get out of here?”

“Except there’s no bears in this part of Teyvat,” Xiao butted in.

Everyone became silent after that. Another eerie tension settled in, causing your heart rate to increase. You knew something was wrong but you were ignoring your gut instinct.

You didn’t know what was out there with you guys but you didn’t want to draw attention to it.

“Let’s wrap this up quickly then yeah? I’ve seen too many horror movies to know that we shouldn’t stay out here much longer,” You suggested. The nervousness in your voice didn’t go unnoticed by the group.

Everyone agreed with you. It was best to be safe than sorry. Hu Tao tried protesting, but gave in.

Walking back, a large rock got thrown in front of you guys. Almost as if something was trying to stop you from continuing.

Heizou picked it up to examine, “An animal was probably messing with it.”

Alarm bells were going off in your head.

Snap.

Everyone turned their heads to the direction where the sound came from. You felt like your heart was going to fall through your ass.

A sense of dread washed over the group.

“Fuck this shit I’m out of here,” Cyno walked in front of everyone, “I’m not going to die out here.”

“It was definitely a squirrel,” Scara tried rationalizing, “You’re acting like a pussy.”

Even if it was nothing, everyone tried speed walking back. You weren’t about to take any chance.

As all of you were about to reach the tunnel, a low but slow, guttural growl could be heard from the shadows. The sound shook the trees close to you guys.

The group froze and looked around. Nobody wanted to say anything but you all heard it.

It was right next to you guys. You weren’t sure whether to scream or cry. Your hearts were pounding in your chests.

You tried thinking that it could be a group of students pulling a prank.

Knock.

Everyone’s flight or fight kicked in. Without a second thought, you all bolted towards campus, not sparing a glance to whatever was behind you. You swear you heard stomping echoing around you, but it must’ve been your running.

Right?

You weren’t sure if the thing was chasing you guys but you didn’t want to find out. The adrenaline rush made you run the fastest you had ever ran. You didn’t even try this hard in pe during school.

You didn’t stop until you reached campus and far away from the forest. The adrenaline wore off and everyone was drenched in sweat gasping for air.

“Never…again…,” Cyno managed to say in between pants.

“What the hell was that?!” Xiangling was on the brink of tears.

“That had got to be an animal,” Heizou replied, “I think.”

“Bullshit! What kind of animal makes that sound?” Aether interrupted, “Let alone cause the trees to move.”

You looked in the direction where you guys came from and didn’t see anyone following you guys out.

You chimed in, “I don’t know about you guys but it felt like I was being watched the entire time. Not even being paranoid. It genuinely felt like someone was staring at me.”

“You felt it too?” Xiao looked at you, “The whole time I thought I was just being crazy.”

“Scara now you have to admit there was something out there,” Hu Tao pipes up.

Scara only shook his head, “I don’t think it was anything supernatural. It was probably frat bros trying to scare us. It looked like it worked.”

“Acting like you weren’t scared,” She muttered.

“I don’t remember asking you,” He argued back.

“See if you remember when I stick my foot up your—“

“That’s enough from you,” Aether covered Hu Tao’s mouth before she could finish her sentence, “Let’s just head back to our rooms and worry about this in the morning. It’s pretty late already.”

Everyone silently nodded and headed back.

By the time you got back to your room, Lumine was already sleeping. You got unready and changed into your pajamas.

You were scared to sleep in the bed by yourself so you climbed into bed with her. To be fair, the bed was a bit small for the both of you but you didn’t care.

You found it hard to shake off the fear that gripped you. You laid in bed, staring at the ceiling, the events replaying in your mind. Every creak, every rustle of the wind outside your window made your heart race.

You tried convincing yourself it wasn’t anything crazy. The memory of the trees shaking and the stomping echoing wouldn’t leave your head. You tried pulling up the covers to your chin, trying to find comfort in the familiar surroundings of the room. However, the darkness felt thicker than usual.

You tried closing your eyes but every time you drifted off to sleep, you would hear that low growl echoing in your ears, jolting you awake.

Or it could’ve been Lumine’s heavy snoring.

Either way, you tried convincing yourself it was a bad dream. Deep down you knew it was more than that. You wouldn’t go there ever again.

For a while at least.

Masterlist II Previous II Next

A/N: Chapter 1!! Tbh i feel like this chapter wasn’t that good but i promise the lore and actual creepy stuff happens soon 😓😓 I just need to get comfortable with writing horror

Synopsis: Friends start their first year at Teyvat University. The school that is known for its paranormal activity. The group doesn’t truly believe the rumors until they start to experience how frightening the school can be. What happens when the friend group investigates the truth of the hauntings?

Taglist: @morgyyyyyyy @state-of-grac3 @trulyylee @jellichuu @practicoi @yuminako @eyshamuun @kuniz-darlingg @heartsforni-ki @lalalaloveallmydays @animeobsessed56 @samyayaya @lloovvv @adepticiaoo @cherrysnows @miisamores @strayharmony943 @xionri @kazumiku @bethleeham @sukisprettyface @jayzioxx @kaikaidenkai @js-a-silly-little-guy @jiminscarmex

[concerthopperblog]

K-Rockathon Reboot 7.27.2024

The 2024 K-Rockathon made a triumphant comeback after a 6-year break to "reboot" the festival. Although the show may not have been sold out, the turnout was fantastic. This year's K-Rockathon featured Puddle Of Mudd, Hoobastank, Nonpoint, Stabbing Westward, Boy Hits Car & Brand New Sin, all of which are alumni of this event. When I arrived at the venue, I was greeted by a huge crowd of fans eager to see what the day had in store for them. Between each set, one of the event sponsors, Sweet Grass, handed out free drink cozies, bracelets, keychains, and T-shirts. There were also various food vendors offering options ranging from ice cream to cheesesteaks and more. Additionally, Monster Energy provided free water and energy drinks to keep the fans hydrated. Towards the end of the show, anyone who purchased a ticket was entered into a raffle to win a Monster Energy-branded bicycle. But enough about the vendors—let's dive into the main part of the show.

Brand New Sin opened the show, hailing from Syracuse, NY. They were the only local band on the bill and alumni of the K-Rock Festival. The band members are Kris Weichmann, Chuck Kahl, Joe Altier, Brian ("Slider") Azzoto, and Mike Rafferty. They have performed alongside well-known acts such as Slash, Godsmack, Dope, Chris Cornell, Deftones, Drowning Pool, Audiovent, and Dillinger Escape Plan. In 2006 Brand New Sin recorded Big Show's theme song "Crank It Up" for WWE Wreckless Intent. Despite having released 6 albums, they have not put out new music since 2011. Hopefully, they are working on some new material. I enjoyed their energy and sound at KRock; I hope that I can catch these guys again at another show.

Boy Hits Car is an American rock band from Los Angeles, formed in 1993. They have released 4 albums to date, with the latest one being Stealing Fire. The band's setup is noteworthy: the singer, Cregg Rondell, had his acoustic guitar set up on a stand so that he wouldn't have to keep picking it up and setting it back down each time he wanted to move around the stage. Cregg was very energetic, jumping around the stage and at one point even had to put his shoes back on due to the high temperature of the stage, which was absorbing the hot sun because of its black color. However, this didn't stop the band. My favorite song from this set was “Man Without Skin” The next day, they performed again at The Jugg on Teall. At the end of their set, Cregg even got on top of the crowd to connect more deeply with the audience.

Stabbing Westward is an American industrial rock/alternative rock band. Christopher Hall and Walter Flakus formed the band in 1985 in Macomb, Illinois. Stabbing Westward has released five albums to date. The band has not released any new music since 2002, apart from their most recent single "Hex." During a recent performance, the band displayed great passion and energy. Despite lead singer Christopher Hall being injured, he still gave his all during the performance. He even apologized to the crowd for not being able to give more but made light of his injury. Nevertheless, the show went on. At the end of their performance, a person climbed into a large bubble ball and crowd-surfed on top of the fans, which was a definite highlight of the day.

Nonpoint is an American nu-metal band from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The band currently consists of vocalist Elias Soriano, drummer Robb Rivera, rhythm guitarist Rasheed Thomas, bassist Adam Woloszyn, and lead guitarist Jaysin Zeilstra. The last time Concerthopper covered Nonpoint was on the Kings & Queens Tour with Butcher Babies. Seeing Nonpoint on this bill was exciting for me. I remember them having a lot of energy and amazing stage performances. Since their debut, they have released 11 albums, with the latest one being To The Pain (Deluxe Edition), and their latest single “Underdog” dropped earlier this year. During their performance, Rasheed Thomas started doing the robot while he was playing his guitar. Before they ended their set, Elias Soriano, their lead singer, said that he wanted to hear everyone sing to the next song, "In The Air Tonight" by Phil Collins, as he believed everyone should know this song regardless of whether they had listened to Nonpoint before. Everyone sang along in response to his request.

Hoobastank, sometimes stylized as h∞bastank and originally known as Hoobustank, is an American rock band formed in 1994 in Agoura Hills, California. The band consists of lead vocalist Doug Robb, guitarist Dan Estrin, drummer Chris Hesse, and bassist Jesse Charland. I couldn't contain my excitement all day in anticipation of seeing these guys come on stage. When I was younger, I vividly remember hearing the song “The Reason” when it came out and was on MTV during the days when they still played music videos (I was only 5 at the time). The band played for a whole hour, and right before they started playing “The Reason,” they asked the crowd how long they had been listening to the band. They found out that some of the younger fans only knew about the band because of their parents. Once they started playing, I noticed that many couples began singing and dancing together, which filled me with joy. While we were in the pit taking photos of the bands I turned around and saw a ton of green balloons being bounced around on top of the fans. Monster Energy had a bunch of balloons at their stand and threw them onto the crowd. They even had “Rock On” hands and I saw a little boy holding them throwing his hands up inside the balloons showing how much of a good time he was having to each set.

Puddle Of Mudd is an American post-grunge band formed in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1991. The band has sold over seven million albums to date and has been nominated for, and won, several awards for "Song Of The Year," "Best Album," and "Favorite Pop/Rock Album." After numerous lineup changes, the band's current lineup consists of Wes Scantlin, Josh Gilbert, Michael Anthony Grajewski, and Marc Slutsky. During a recent performance, Puddle of Mudd received a warm reception from the fans. Lead singer Wes Scantlin made a grand entrance onto the stage dressed as an old man, creating an element of surprise for the audience. The crowd's energy reached new heights when he revealed his true identity. The band played from 7:30 to 9:00 PM, treating the audience to a mix of older and newer songs, including classics like "She Hates Me" and "Blurry.". Wes also made a lighthearted joke while tuning his guitar, pretending they were about to play a new song called "Pitchin’ a Fit," even though the song was released back in 2009.

Who else is ready for K-Rockathon 2025? I can't wait to see who will be performing next year. Stay updated on the latest music events and concerts by following Concerthopper on Instagram and Facebook. Join our community today to make sure you never miss out on the most popular music experiences. Immerse yourself in the heart of the action and be a part of unforgettable music moments with Concerthopper!

[helbramstrauma]

So I made this Headcannon a while ago about a Fem! Ballerina Reader x Tsukishima Kei, and I decided to make a little one shot for it.

This is lightly proofread and was typed on my phone so apologies in advance :)

The beaming lights come to a dim, along with your stage smile as the curtains come to a close, you turn around to face the rest of your team for a job well done. Tonight was the closing performance for Swan Lake- the spring show is now no more, as you get a week break from rehearsal before practice starts for the summer recital. However as you are backstage quickly touching up your makeup so you can meet the guest in the hall for greetings, your eyes quickly pass the gaze of familiar yellow orbs. You turn around quickly again, you didn’t think Tsukki would be able to make it as he usually has practice on Friday nights and he already came to the Wednesday show. Never the less you were ecstatic to see him, you were smiling ear to ear whilst he was sporting his signature smirk.

“You did better than Wednesday,” Tsukishima remarks attempting to reach down and pick you up, but the tutu surrounding you gets in his way. “Can you take this off now I can’t reach you”. You let out a little snicker before shaking your head, “It wouldn’t be much of a gathering by the stage door if the black swan doesn’t show up”. You say, before padding away the sweat on your face that the stage lighting caused. “Besides you shouldn’t even be back here, go wait outside like everybody else”.

He faints being hurt before a devilish and teasing look paints his face once again before saying, “well if I wasn’t allowed back here why do I have the keys” he says holding up a pair of keys with a small rabbit keychain he gave you when he went away for a training camp. You know full well those are the keys that went missing causing you to use your friend’s set. He even helped you look for them, he can be too sly sometimes.

“You’re so mean to me,” you say before going up en pointe to grab your stolen keys and giving him a quick peck on his cheek before you tuck them into your leotard sandwiching it between the tutu and your tights.

He lets out a chuckle, “I hope you didn’t expect me to be nice before we started to date”. You poke your tongue out quickly before turning around and putting on an exaggerated smile before opening the door to the lobby.

The crowd is dense, you certainly wouldn’t want to be lost in it, plus it is moving slowly. However once people start noticing Odile’s arrival the crowd starts its way towards you, you are used to this by now but this is the first show you headlined. This is the first show where you were on the playbill and advertisement, this is the first time you were the star. Of course, it is an honor but it is quite overwhelming, the first night you had to go back backstage because you had a panic attack- but it got better throughout the week.

The crowd is now forming a makeshift line, as you greet the people and thank them for coming. Signing a few programs and taking a couple pictures. However, by far the best people you got to greet are your students, once you reach a certain level at the school you get to co-teach younger classes, and nothing can beat the feeling of seeing them look up to you. Once the lobby is almost empty besides a few lingering guests and family’s waiting for their child to wrap up, you decide to head backstage to get out of costume.

As you are the star of the show you got your own dressing room, although it is extremely small it makes you feel very special. To be honest it is a converted storage closet but the star that sits on the door with your name on it still gives you butterflies. Once you open the door you see Tsukki slumped over attempting to stand under the bar holding your garment bag, shoe bag, and purse. It is honestly a sight to see. Before sitting down, you shimmy out of your skirt and throw it at Kei so he can hang it in the garment bag. You hop into your director's chair that was a gag gift from Tsukishima and begin to dab miracle water on a makeup wipe before swiping away the stage makeup that is weighing down on you. Frankly, you have never been so excited to do a facemask, while you are removing your makeup you feel Tsukishima take the bun maker out of your head along with an ungodly amount of bobby pins. You hand him a damp brush while you start to work on removing some of your body crystals and the shimmer spray they envelopes you in.

Once you are cleaned up as well as you can with baby wipes you throw your still slightly stiff hair into a low loose ponytail. Then you throw on a plum hoodie with a holographic star detail that is definitely not tsukki’s you are able to take off your leotard without flashing your boyfriend.

“you could have asked me to leave”

“We both know you would have teased me about it” you retort

He then pulls you closer pressing your back against his chest before placing a kiss on the top of your head, “well you clearly don’t know me, because I would have teased you either way.”

You throw on some leggings after removing your tights before you make your way out of the performance hall and into the local 24-hour western imitation diner. The owners there know you guys now out of the sheer amount of times you’ve been there. It started as a joke since Tsukishima forgot a bouquet at your first performance, but you quickly decided you like it so much better than some flowers that were going to die anyway. Because one thing is certain you are always starved after performances. As you guys eat your regular orders from the dinner you can’t help but think you wouldn’t want it any other way

Hope you enjoyed the little one shot, this is the first thing I've written in a while so I'm a little rusty.

[marvelsimp]

The New Kid: Arrived

The New KId Masterlist

Ch. 4

Genre: Fluff, Angst Pairing: Peter x Lesbian!reader (Platonic duh), Avengers & Reader Warnings: swearing, nerdiness, mentions of homophobia and being kicked out, panic attack, Description: Y/n's birthday continues. Reader’s Powers: Healing, telepathy, and empath. Word Count: 2,217

“Cupcake, please.” says a small voice, Morgan.

This causes the room to erupt in everyone’s laughter including your own.  The group then sings “Happy Birthday” to you and as you blow out the candles you wish that one day your parents will love you enough and that if that doesn’t that you will be okay.

“Morgan,” you say calmly, “You get to pick the first cupcake since you asked so nicely.”

She smiles and jumps up and down. She takes a second but finally picks one. You decide to take the one from the top and very happily take a bite.

“Hey, before everyone splits off,” Peter says, “Let’s get Y/n to open her presents!”

Presents? Seriously? Today was honestly enough. You open your mouth to protest but Peter stuffs your cupcake in your face and leads you to a chair that’s surrounded by gifts. He forces you to sit down just as you get the last bit of icing off of your nose.  “You guys seriously didn’t have to get me gifts, today was enough.”

“Shut up,” Peter retorts.

You put your hands saying, ‘ok fine.’

“Open mine first!” yells Carol.

You blush, you honestly forgot you were still holding it.  You open the bag and inside is a Captain Marvel plushie, you let out a chuckle and get it out of the bag to show everyone. There are a few laughs and aww’s around the room. You look up at Carol who’s grinning and give her a nod of approval which she seems to enjoy.

You next grab a small box it reads ‘The Starks’ and you open it, it’s a bracelet. Tony tells you about its functions and how to use it.  Most importantly, you can get her to send messages although you can’t hear Friday through it.  

The next gift is from Nat and Clint, it’s a few sets of training clothes. She informs you that in a week you’ll start basic combat training, you aren’t too excited but it's better than dying.  That training will also help teach you about the present from the Starks.

Next is a gift from Scott, Hope, and Cassie it’s a beautiful Captain Marvel necklace. You look up at Peter, “So you told EVERONE.”  There are a few nods around the room, and you can feel carol trying not to laugh.  You blush a little harder.

Next is a gift from Sam, Steve, and Bucky as you open it you let out an evil laugh, there’s around Spider-Man pillow. You quickly pull it out of the bag and smack Peter in the face causing him to fall on the floor.  There is an eruption of laughter. “Okay, I like her!” Sam yells.  You look back in the bag and there is a set of matching Spiderman PJ’s.  You get them out and toss a pair to Peter, who is still on the floor.  There were a few ‘awws’ to that one.

“Well,” I’ve got to put this one to bed,” Pepper said standing up.

Morgan pouted.

Pepper picked her up, dismissing Morgan’s protests. “I might come back down once she’s asleep. Happy Birthday, Y/n!”

“Happy Birthday,” waved Morgan who was still very annoyed that she had to sleep.

“Sweet Dreams,” you tell Morgan waving back.  As they get on the elevator you pick up a tiny bag that’s from Ned, when you open it you discover a Deathstar keychain. You tear up a little bit and explain to everyone how you met Peter.  (In case you don’t remember, Y/n first messaged Peter after he posted a picture of the LEGO DethStar.)

Next, you open it from MJ, it has three books in it.  MJ is quick to explain that she wanted to share her favorite but couldn’t pick just one.  You thank her you know how important books are to her.  

Next is a rectangular box from Thor ‘and Loki’ seems to be added later.  In it is a simple yet beautiful dagger, it leaves you a little confused, but Nat offers to teach you how to use it and you accept.  

You still three gifts and one card left. You decide to go on ahead and open up the card, it’s from Rhodey. You open it and it’s just a simple Birthday card signed Rhodey and $20 falls out when you open it.  “Like I said I didn’t know until this morning and I had to come from the west coast.”  His defense makes you smile, and you assure him that you’re pleased.  

Next is a large gift bag from Wanda inside is a large amount of “spa day” items, bath bombs, face masks, candles, etc.  You tell all the teens, including her, that there has to be a spa day.  The girls accept pretty quickly while Ned and Peter are a little more hesitant but accept anyways.  The next gift is from Bruce, it’s a decently large box.  

You start to unwrap it and discover it to be a microscope, you let out an excited gasp.  “I saw yours this morning, it looked ancient so I thought you might enjoy a newer model,” Bruce explains, “We do have some more powerful ones in the lab, but I thought that you might enjoy your own.”  You’re like a kid on Christmas, excited to try out all of your new gifts.

“One more,” Peter smiles handing you a bag.  It’s from him, obviously, you take out the tissue paper and there are two toy lightsabers one has “Peter” engraved on it and the other one has “Y/n.”

“Haha, you nerd!” you giggle out.  You grab yours and toss Peter his. You stand up and turn on your saber. You pause for a second, looking for his approval.   He nods in return.

“I have brought peace, freedom, justice, and security to my new empire.”

“Your new Empire?” Peter replies in the worst British accent you’ve ever heard.

You can’t contain your giggles, neither can Peter or Ned.

“Don’t make me kill you,” you say trying to contain your smile.

Tony has his hand on his head, you can hear him mutter, “Dear god, not another one,” under his breath.

“Anakin, my allegiance is to the republic, to Democracy!”

You start to carefully walk around Peter, “If you are not with me, then you are my enemy.”

“Only a Sith deals in absolutes.  I will do what I must.”

“You will try.” That’s when the very epic battle began, as you fought you both making noises like “Vruummummm” or “Schvrmmmm.”  

You could see Bucky’s concerned/confused face that Steve seemed to be amused at.  You also saw Steve lean down and whisper something in Bucky’s ear which seemed to calm him.  Finishing the battle, you jumped up in the air as Peter pretended to chop off your limbs.  

He laughed and reached his hand out for you to get up.  You accept and he pulls you up.  The crowd is laughing and a few of them are clapping so you and Peter bow which causes them to clap a little louder and a few cheers.

“Imma guess that you’ve never seen Star Wars,” you say to Bucky as you go to reclaim your seat. He just shakes his head.

“Well, that’s a problem,” laughs Peter.

You nod, “That means a movie marathon sometime soon.”

Over the next two hours, the group just hangs out.  You disperse back into smaller groups.  Rhodey and Carol have to leave about 30 minutes after the battle.  They both wish you a Happy Birthday and go back to the west coast or space.  

You’re with the teen group, Wanda and you are the only two who are done with high school, Peter, Ned, and MJ still have a year and a half while Cassie has two and a half left.  Wanda is nice, she could snap any of you in half if needed but you know that she wouldn’t.  Cassie is pretty goofy like her dad; she and Wanda aren’t nearly as nerdy as the rest of the group, but they know enough to keep up.  

“Ok so why do you like the sequels better?” Peter asks, he already knows the answer but wants you to say it.

You let out a nervous laugh.  “Come on, Pete.”

He grins waiting for your answer.

“Fine,” you say lowering your head a little bit in shame. “I don’t like the others as much because of how they sound.”

“What?” Ned breathes out.

“I know! It's just… they sound so weird and fake. I hate it.”

Wanda giggles at your answer, which causes you to smile.

“Y/n, I don’t even know what to say,” giggles Ned.  “Seriously, that’s the reason?”

MJ looks down at her phone, “Oh, shit I got a curfew.”

Ned’s eyes widen, “Me, too!”

You hug them both as they wish you Happy Birthday again.

“I kinda wanna put on my PJ’s,” says Cassie, she, Scott, and Hope are staying the night.

“Yeah,” you say looking at Peter, reminding him of your matching PJs’.

As you and Peter go down the hall to go to your rooms, Peter takes you into his room. “I have one more gift for you,” he says smiling a little. He grabs a box from his desk and opens it.  It’s a lesbian pride flag, you smile and wrap your arms around him.  You’ve never had one before.

Peter shoves you out the door after you separate from the hug. He tells you to put on your PJs.  When you walk into your new room you set your new flag on your desk.  You quickly head to your bathroom and change.  When you step back into your room a surge of emotions rush through you.  You’re so happy that you’re there but all that you want to do is tell your parents.  On your bedside table is a picture of the three of you, it’s one of your favorites.  You pick it up.  It was taken on your first day of high school and you all look so happy.  Why couldn’t they just be here? Why did they have to kick you out? Why? Why did they not love you?  You see your tears drop onto the picture.  

Your angry, you’re so angry that they’re not there.  You just want to hug them and tell them about how great your day was and how fun it was.  You want to just want to be able to collapse into them because of how exhausted you are, but you can’t.  You can’t because they are not there.  They’re not there because they kicked you out.  And they kicked you out because they don’t love you enough to have a lesbian as a daughter.  And do you want to know the worst part of it? You still love them.

You throw the picture against the wall, causing the glass to shatter.  Why couldn’t they just love you are you are? You didn’t decide to be this, you just are.  You can’t breathe. You can’t get any air in it's like the world is You let out a sob.  What parents would decide not to abandon their child because of who they love?

Peter enters with some of your gifts.  He sees the picture on the floor and picks it up, putting it on your desk.  He drops the gifts he is holding and rushes to your side.  Steve and Bucky are behind him with gifts in their arms as well. They were smiling at first but now they’re concerned.  Peter sits down on the bed next to you, his eyes are asking you what’s wrong.  Steve and Bucky quickly set down the rest of the gifts and leave.

“Y/n, what’s wrong?” he looks concerned, sad.  “You gotta breathe.”

“They don’t love me,” you explain in between sobs.  

Peter’s concern turns into anger, he can’t believe that someone’s parents would kick out their wonderful daughter just because she likes girls.  “Fuck them,” he says pulling you into his chest as you sob.  “You are incredible, Y/n. You deserve the world, but they are too stupid and too blind by their stupid ass beliefs to see that.  You are one of the best, kindest, most intelligent people I know and if they don’t see that as worth it then fuck them.”

You let out a small chuckle.  He tells you to follow his breathing and you do.  After a few minutes, you’ve calmed down.  “I still love them.”

Peter pauses for a second.  “Of course, you do,” he sighs, “You’re allowed to love them, they’re your parents.  But that doesn’t mean that they didn’t hurt you or that you can’t hate them.  THEY are in the wrong, not you.  You never forget that you did absolutely wrong and you are not wrong.  You are perfectly you.” He pauses for a second, not because he doesn't know what to say and not because of what he is going to say, he's told you a million times before so it isn't new.  But because of how important it is that you hear it.  “And I love you, I’ll love you enough for both of them and more, Okay?”

“Okay.”  

“Come on,”  Peter says wiping his eyes.  “Let’s go watch a Pixar movie and eat some ice cream.”

Next Chapter

Arrived - deleted scene

[milfjensenackles]

nothing safe is worth the drive

2.8k words | read it on ao3

found family road trip :) I decided team free will 2.0 needed a vacation 

“Let’s go on a vacation.”

Dean walked into the kitchen and sat down at the table across from Sam. Sam looked up from his newspaper, incredulous at the suggestion. “A vacation? Since when do you, of all people, want to take a break from hunting?”

Dean smirked. “We’ve been working hard for years, Sammy. I think we all deserve a break. You, me, Cas, and Jack. We could… go on a road trip! There’s plenty of stuff you and I haven’t seen yet. We could drive to California and see the ocean, maybe stop by those tourist traps like the ‘Biggest Ball of Twine’ or whatever.”

Sam shook his head and laughed at his older brother. Dean’s eyes were lit up with excitement, though, and who was he to ruin that? “Sure, Dean. Sounds good.”

Dean clapped his hands together before running down the hall to share the news with Cas and Jack. Sam smiled to himself. This would be interesting.

Cas and Dean had started dating only a few months ago, so things were still relatively new and exciting between them. Dean still struggled with not only giving Cas the love he deserved, but accepting that Cas loved him, of all people. It was difficult, coming to terms with the fact that loving Cas meant that he liked dudes in general. Dean still wasn’t comfortable labelling himself, and Cas was okay with that.

Dean’s thoughts wandered back to the day he and Cas finally got their shit together. Dean, after a grueling five days in The Empty, finally brought his angel home. After a tearful homecoming, Sam and Jack retired to their bedrooms, leaving Dean alone with Castiel for the first time since they said goodbye. Dean suggested a movie they’d already seen plenty of times, and Cas agreed easily as usual. As they settled into the couch together, Dean couldn’t help but focus his gaze on Cas’ lips. Cas couldn’t help but notice. Dean remembers Cas looking nervous, before slowly asking: “What’s going on here, Dean?” As soon as the question was out of his mouth, Dean’s hands were on his face and his lips were pressed against Castiel’s.

Dean finished the walk to his bedroom. Their bedroom. Cas moved in only last week. Another new thing Dean wasn’t used to yet, but he loved it all the same. Cas didn’t have many belongings, so the transition ended up being easier than Dean anticipated. Dean purchased another nightstand for Cas, which Cas covered with a small lamp and some framed photos of his family. One of Cas and Dean, with Cas holding the camera and Dean pressing a kiss to his cheek. Another of the four of them, sitting around the table and eating pizza. The final one shows a smiling Jack, arms around both of his dads.

Hearing Dean move into the room, Cas looked up from his book to smile softly. Dean grinned back, leaning over their bed to ruffle his boyfriend’s hair. Cas gave Dean his best disgruntled face before softening again, holding his arms out for Dean to join him. Dean kicked off his shoes, immediately kicking his leg over to straddle Cas. Cas stretched up to meet Dean, wrapping his arms around Dean’s neck and pressing their lips together. Even after all this time, Dean felt his heart drop into his stomach every time Cas kissed him. They stayed there for a moment, wrapped up in one another, trading lazy kisses back and forth. Cas swiped his tongue across Dean’s bottom lip and his hands started wandering lower on Dean’s waist. Dean regretfully pulled back, placing his hands on either side of Cas’ face. “Before you completely distract me”, he kissed the tip of Cas’ nose quickly, “I came in here to ask you something.”

Cas pecked at the bolt of Dean’s jaw one more time before quirking an eyebrow at him. “Okay. What did you want to ask me?”

“So… I was talking to Sam. What do you think about all of us going on a trip?”

“A vacation?” Cas smiled. “I’d like that very much, Dean.”

Satisfied with that answer, Dean returned to their previous activities. Cas definitely didn’t mind.

***

“You guys finish packing yet?”

“Yes, Dean. Almost done.” Even though Dean couldn’t see his face from the hallway, he knew Cas was rolling his eyes. He couldn’t bring himself to care, focusing instead on his own luggage.

Dean had mapped out their entire trip. As fate would have it, they happened to be passing by the twine ball Dean had mentioned on their way to the Grand Canyon, seeing as it was only thirty minutes from the bunker. Cas suggested a stop at a honeybee farm that gave tours in Utah, and Dean couldn’t say no to that. Once Jack became privy to the information that Dean was taking requests, he made an extensively researched list of the places he’d like to visit. When Dean saw it, he gave Cas a look, but Cas merely shrugged and smiled softly at Jack. In that moment, Dean knew he was absolutely whipped by the man in front of him. He’d do anything to make Cas and their son happy.

They packed the Impala to the brim, including camping supplies for when they reached their destination. Dean hadn’t been this excited in… well. He had never been this excited before. He never had a chance to do the normal stuff, like a real family vacation. He and Sam had never really even had a family to go on a vacation with.

Dean rolled his shoulders back to shake the thought from his head as he reached up to close the trunk of the Impala. Cas and Jack strolled up to the car a moment later, arms full of suitcases and backpacks.

“Did you pack the whole bunker?” Dean asked with a chuckle.

Cas looked confused. “No, Dean. We only packed items that we thought might be useful on the trip. How would we fit the entire bunker into these bags?”

Dean threw his head back and barked out a laugh before unceremoniously pressing a kiss to Cas’ lips. He reveled in the feeling of Cas’ mouth against his, not caring if anyone could see them. “Where’s Sam?”

“He told me to tell you that he was almost ready and would be out in a minute!” Jack was already in the backseat, very proud of himself for passing along Sam’s message.

Eventually, Sam finally appeared, ignoring the mumbles from Dean about his tardiness. Dean started driving.

***

The World’s Largest Ball of Twine was… less than impressive, in Dean’s opinion. Cas and Jack found it fascinating though, so it ended up being worth the trip. Cas managed to purchase a t-shirt, without Dean noticing, that said in big block letters: Check Out My Balls. In the center of the shirt sat two circles of twine. Sam burst out laughing when he saw Cas walk up to the Impala wearing it, but Dean thought it was adorable. Jack was holding his souvenir, a small twine ball keychain. He insisted that he was going to use it to break the previously held record for largest twine ball once they arrived home to the bunker.

Once they got back on the road, Jack immediately requested to stop for McDonald’s. Dean groaned but knew Sam would have to stop to use the bathroom soon anyway. Dean pulled into the parking lot, and as expected, Sam rushed out of the car immediately. Cas handed Jack some cash to get food for everyone, and then it was just Cas and Dean waiting. Dean looked over at Cas. He couldn’t believe how lucky he was sometimes. Cas had the most beautiful blue eyes Dean had ever seen, and they were even more impressive with the evening sun reflecting on them. Cas realized Dean was staring and reached out to run his thumb along Dean’s hand. “I hope you’re having fun.”

Cas’ voice always made him weak, especially when he was worried about Dean. “I always have fun when I’m with you.”

Cas smiled, content to sit in the front seat of the Impala, palm pressed to the back of Dean’s hand, for the rest of the evening. They were soon interrupted by their son though, hands full of burgers and fries with a huge grin on his face. Sam followed soon after with a salad and a water bottle. Dean rolled his eyes at him before shoving a handful of fries into his mouth.

***

By the time they were close to Jack’s first location request, Cas was starting to get a little grumpy from the lack of sleep. It was day three of their trip now. Some days, Dean would stop at a motel for them to stay in, but yesterday he chose to drive through the night. Cas stayed up with him, fighting against Dean’s argument that at least one of them should get some shut eye. “Dean, if I don’t stay awake, you’ll fall asleep behind the wheel. You can’t get by on four hours anymore.”

Dean snorted. “You callin’ me an old man?”

Cas smirked and Dean pushed at his shoulder softly, grinning to himself.

Sam groaned from the backseat. “You guys are such an old married couple.”

Quirking an eyebrow at Sam in the rearview mirror, Dean pulled to a stop at a red light before reaching over to give Cas an obnoxious kiss, releasing his lips with a loud pop. “Jealous much, Sammy?”

Sam mimed a gagging motion at the display, while Jack looked on with glee. “I didn’t know you and Dad were married!”

Dean choked at that, coughing for a good minute before stuttering out, “I- we’re not- Jack- “

“Dean and I are in an intimate relationship, but we are not married. Although, I would like to marry him someday.” Cas cut Dean off, speaking with certainty.

Dean gaped at that. They hadn’t even said they love each other yet, and Cas was thinking about marriage? “You want to marry me?”

“Of course, Dean. Why wouldn’t I?” Cas was smiling at Dean now. Dean couldn’t help but smile back, lacing their fingers together.

“Alright, enough of this gross couple stuff. We get it, you’re in love and it’s disgustingly sweet. Let’s stop for dinner.” Sam said, a hand running through his hair, obviously frustrated with himself for being the one to start this conversation.

***

Today marked their fifth day on the road, and they were finally going to the honeybee sanctuary Cas was desperate to visit. Dean was actually pretty excited too. Anything was better than Sam’s pick, which had been a weird museum back in Colorado. Dean couldn’t remember what the museum was actually for, he couldn’t focus on all of the old relics and ancient artifacts when Cas was right there. Cas was Dean’s favorite ancient relic, which he decided to share with Cas, only to be greeted with the bitchface Cas saves only for Dean.

Dean pulled into the parking lot of the farm, which was made up of an assortment of small buildings along with green fields that extended for miles. Jack tumbled out of the backseat, dragging Cas by the elbow to the front door. Sam and Dean followed closely behind, watching as Cas and Jack pointed out various new sightings to one another. By the time Sam and Dean met up with them, Cas had already signed them up for a tour of the farm and a session explaining how honey is harvested and sold.

Their tour guide started speaking as he walked backwards, explaining the purpose of the farm, “This honeybee sanctuary is a place that supports the health and positive transformation of the honeybees that come to stay with us. Honeybees are an endangered species, so we do everything we can to protect them and maintain their species. Up ahead, you’ll see one of our beekeepers working with a hive to prepare for honey harvesting.”

They continued forward, Cas with the biggest smile on his face Dean had ever seen. If this is what it took to make Cas look like that, he’d drive them to Utah every weekend. Dean had to admit, honeybees were pretty cool. He could appreciate their loyalty to the hive, always working to support one another unconditionally.

By the end of the tour, Cas was waxing poetic to Sam about the efficiency of hexagonal honeycombs and Sam was attempting to keep up with the conversation. With Cas distracted, Dean snuck off to the gift shop to make a purchase. He came back with a pair of socks with cartoon bumblebees on them, which Castiel was so delighted to receive that he kissed Dean in front of Sam, Jack, and their tour guide. Dean didn’t mind.

***

It took them much longer than anticipated to reach California, but Dean didn’t mind. It just meant he had more time to hold Cas’ hand across the front bench of the Impala. Soon enough, they finally reached the ocean. Dean drove onto the beach, the tires leaving indentations in the sand behind them. The sun was setting quickly, so they needed to move quickly to set up camp. Having realized this, Dean moved quickly to remove their items from the back of the car. Before he could, though, Cas grabbed his hand and pulled Dean toward him, their chests resting together. “Come with me.”

Dean nodded, and Cas pulled him toward the water. Cas pulled his shoes and socks off, and Dean followed suit, pressing their toes into the sand. Dean reached for Cas’ hand again, and Cas complied, interlocking their fingers. They stood there for what felt like an eternity, watching as the water ebbed and flowed and crashed. Cas broke the silence after some time, murmuring, “Are you happy, Dean?”

Dean paused for a moment to look over at Cas, who was still staring out at the sea. Releasing Cas’ hand, Dean gripped his elbow to turn the angel’s body to face his own. Dean’s other hand reached up to softly brush some of Cas’ hair off of his forehead. Eventually settling on Cas’ jaw, Dean pulled Cas’ gaze from the water to finally look at him. “I know I’m not great at showing you how much I care, but I do. Care, I mean. I have never been this happy before. You. Me. Sam and Jack. That’s all I need. I’ll spend every day trying to prove it to you if that’s what it takes. I love you, Cas.”

Cas pulled back like he had been shocked. Oh, shit. They’ve never said that before.

“You love me?” Cas was looking at Dean like he hung the damn moon. Dean opened and shut his jaw a few times, trying and failing to make words come out of his mouth

Both of Cas’ thumbs softly caressed Cas’ face and Cas brought their lips together. The kiss wasn’t what Dean would describe as aggressive, like it usually was with them; it was slower and sweeter. Like they loved each other. Cas pulled back an inch, his lips still ghosting on Dean’s. “I love you, too.”

Dean reached up to his own face to place his hands over Cas’ and rested their foreheads together. They both started giggling uncontrollably. “You love me,” Dean said, looking into those beautiful blue eyes.

“I do. So much more than I could ever put into words.”

A loud noise pulled Dean out of his Cas-induced reverie, and he looked up the beach to see Jack struggling to finish putting together a tent.

“We should get back and help,” Cas said, hiding a smile. Dean rolled his eyes but pulled Cas by his hands toward Sam and Jack’s makeshift campsite.

“While you two were having a moment, Jack and I finished getting the tents set up, so you both are responsible for cooking dinner.”

Dean groaned, but was secretly happy to take care of dinner, as long as he got to do it with Cas. While Cas started unpacking their food, Dean reached for the cooler. He grabbed four beers and started handing them out.

Cas immediately saw the fourth beer and said, “You can’t give Jack a beer, Dean. He’s three years old.”

“Hey! I’m three and a half,” Jack said, indignant.

“See? He’s three and a half. It’s fine.”

Cas shook his head, but Dean could tell he was trying not to laugh. “No, Dean.”

Dean held up his hands in surrender but leaned over Jack anyway to sneak the bottle into his hand. If Cas noticed, he chose not to say anything.

Dean looked around for a second, trying to take it all in. Sam and Jack were in the middle of a heated discussion debating the best part of their trip, Sam gesticulating wildly in defense of his museum. Cas was preparing a fire to cook their burgers, the dimming sunlight golden on his concentrated face. Dean could hear the waves crashing on the shore behind them, a sound he never thought he would get to hear and actually appreciate. As he moved to start helping Cas, Dean realized that maybe now they can be happy. They can be at peace. And he couldn’t wait to find out what came next for himself and his little family.

[addaellisplaysgames]

((Just something inspired by the new Mysteries of the Lost Gold Trailer. Probably not canon-compliant and at least a little OOC. Luke x MC/ Raven x Rosa.))

WC: 1854

His Rosa was scrutinizing something from a market stall when he found her. Luke watched fondly for a while before softly tapping her and taking her hand, careful now to startle her. She rewarded him with a relaxed smile.

“Look, it’s seaweed!” She showed him the hair clip. At first he thought it was a regular poppy flower, carved out of wire and cloth. But as his Rosa had observed, the texture of the flower, the thin carved veins on the surface, and the way it was folded resembled red seaweed with small silk beads for stamens.

“I didn’t even know red seaweed looked so different,” she mused. “It must have taken a lot of effort to carve the flower like that.” She set the hair clip down and turns to him. “Did Adjudicator get in contact with the dealer?”

“Yeah,” Luke replied. “We’ll talk about the details later.” He pinned the hair clip on her, replacing the usual clip. “It’s cute. You should get it.”

“You always say that,” she said, but her cheeks blushed happily from his compliment.

“Well, you’re always cute.”

“You silly….”

“Excuse me storekeep, how much for the hair clip?”

———

Rifle. Check. Scope. Check. Ghille. Check. Wind. Check. Target…in sights.

Luke carefully tracked the man between his crosshairs as they walked to the meeting point. He looked up and could see Libra and Rosa standing a few feet away, calmly keeping the target in position. He hated that she was so close yet so far away, and he hated that she was in danger again. But he was proud of how calm and brave she was even facing off a notorious criminal who called himself the “God of Death.”

Luke returned his eye to the scope. In the National Security Bureau, snipers were sometimes called gods of death themselves, for being able to rain silent death from afar. He preferred his Sherlock Holmes moniker, but if being a God of Death was what it took to take down this criminal, then that’s what he would have to be.

Luke took a deep breath…And fired.

Luke’s heart jolted when the rifle went off. It wasn’t the recoil or even the dulled bang of the gun. It wasn’t even the prospect of killing another human, even if the shot had been lethal. But just as he’d fired, he could have sworn he’d seen a flash of familiar red through the crosshairs.

———

Artem Wing was having a very surreal day. Raven and Rosa flirting over a hair clip was nothing unusual, and neither was arguing with King or even Adjudicator agreeing to this whole ridiculous plan with a creepy smile. But the sunny beaches and clear waters seemed too idyllic to be hiding a gang of murderers. For the legend of gold to be poison…this whole paradisal island was built on poison and blood.

Still, setting the target up for a sniper’s bullet—even if it was simply a tranquilizing bullet—sounded awfully like an assassination to him. Artem was an attorney after all, a pillar of justice and legal operation. Due process wasn’t just a motto, it was a creed he solemnly swore by. But the dealer this time was a confirmed killer, and had already escaped justice multiple times. Taking him down by normal means was simply out of the option. And if Raven was as good as he was confident, if they got the right suspect immediately…then this could be over in one shot.

The meeting and conversation itself seemed to go smoothly. Too smoothly. It was like he was in a dream world, and he didn’t even have to think to say the right words to placate the dealer. As the interaction was wrapping up, his partner suddenly whispered to him. They had the wrong guy. This had been a set up—They had to let Raven know the right target right away before a potential innocent was hurt in the crossfire—

But when that one shot happened. Artem watched in slow motion as the supposed dealer was flung back, clutching his shoulder and screaming in shock. His partner collapsed on the ground. Her eyes squeezed shut. There was blood in her hair.

Next to her laid the tattered remains of the poppy hair clip. The tiny beads scattered like dark red grains of pepper sunk into the pristine sand. The carefully carved red seaweed folds were torn to mangled shreds of cloth, like another life sacrificed before the golden alter of the God of Death.

———

According to the plan, Artem would be doing most of the talking. She glanced around, noting the dealer’s bodyguards around the space.

The dealer seemed nervous, but that wasn’t itself unusual. They were attorneys after all, and anyone would be hesitant to talk to lawyers, regardless of how many times they had gotten away. But she studied how his too-casual crossed arms contradicted the fidgeting with the cuffs of his sleeves—which were a tad too long for a dealer that could more than afford to have every suit hand-tailored. Yet his head seemed unusually still, as though the hat on it was a crown. Hm…

She kept one ear on the conversation as she studied the bodyguards again surreptitiously. The dealer hesitated. And then she saw one bodyguard shift—his face barely moved, but his neck moved as though he were speaking. He stopped, and the dealer spoke again.

She suddenly remembered how the ex-con had said the dealer was particularly paranoid, and how he continued to avoid capture and death. Calling himself “God of Death”, he seduced his victims with golden poison, and commanded loyalty through fear and an antidote just out of reach. All who voiced complaint would mysteriously vanish….

The conversation was coming to a close. The dealer signaled for his bodyguards to leave, and she knew the way were running out of time. The suspicious bodyguard was turning around to leave, and she noticed he was slightly taller than the dealer. And his shoes—brand new boots, without a scratch.

“This is the wrong man,” she said quietly to Artem. “The real culprit—“

She held her hand up to reveal the decoy, and suspicion and alarm flashed through the fake dealer’s eyes. He dealer grabbed her, pulling her in front of him and shouting for Artem not to move, else he’d snap the pretty girl’s neck. But before anyone could do anything, an invisible force whistled past her head, throwing the fake dealer back. He howled, but all she felt was ringing in her ears and a forceful tug, like someone yanking her braids. The world around her turned black for a moment, and she found herself on the ground, covered in sand.

“The bodyguard!” She called out, pointing. She struggled to move but her legs felt like jelly and her head was spinning like she was thrown into a centrifuge. She tried calling out again, because Artem wasn’t looking—he was kneeling by her side, eyes blown wide with concern and fear. “The bodyguard is the real dealer! He’s getting away!”

The suspicious bodyguard was running without a backwards glance for his decoy, and the groups as quickly collapsing around him. She fought through the throbbing in her head to keep an eye on him. Marius was nearby, she knew, ready to be backup. Her fingers trembled on the phone. “King! The real dealer is reaching the road now, the one on the motorcycle—don’t let him get away!”

———

It was over. Marius had pulled some crazy motor-cross stunts and managed to take down the suspicious bodyguard. The police had arrived to take all involved into custody, and the decoy had joined them once the tranquilizer wore off. As obnoxious as the little brat was, Luke had to give Marius credit for understanding what happened and taking down the target before they could get away.

The real hero though, was perched on the couch talking to him. He handed her a cup of tea, and took the ice pack from her ankle. “Wasn’t this supposed to be for your head? Are you feeling that much better already?” He asked lightly.

Rosa simply nodded, sipping lightly on the tea. Luke had made sure it was cool just enough so she wouldn’t be dangerous even if she did spill it. “The ringing stopped a while ago. I think I twisted my ankle trying to run in the sand though.” She sat up straight. “Are you okay?”

Luke sighed self-deprecatingly. “Shouldn’t I be the one asking you that? You’re the one that nearly got shot.”

She set the tea aside, cupping his cheeks to look her in the eye. “Dr. Ritcher said there doesn’t seem to be any damage, psychological or physical. I guess I was too focused on the case to realize I was nearly shot. You and Artem were the ones that had to watch.”

He nuzzled into her soft touch. “My heart nearly stopped,” he confessed. “He moved so suddenly. I thought I’d accommodated for that, but then I saw you fall….”

“But it was a tranquilizing dart, not a real bullet.”

“But he’s a much bigger person!” Luke exclaimed. “That dose might have been lethal for you. And it wasn’t supposed to be delivered to your head! And then…there was blood in your hair…I’m so sorry.”

His Watson—his brave and clever Watson—was undeterred. She patted him gently as she explained again. “It was just the decoy yanking my hair so suddenly and the sound of the dart so close that startled me. And it was his blood. I’m fine.” She smiled brightly, banishing the dark clouds that had been swirling around his heart with radiant confidence. “I never doubted you’d hit your target precisely. You’re my beloved Sherlock, right?”

He hugged her close, hoping he could shelter her from everything, even himself. “I’m yours.”

———

It had been a few days since they returned to Stellis. The bell of his antique store announced a visitor, and Peanut’s excited chirp announced his girlfriend. “In all the commotion after the case I forgot t give this to you,” she said, approaching the desk. She paused to hold out a finger to Peanut, who landed with a happy trill. “I thought your old keychain could use a well deserved break.”

Luke took the tissue-paper wrapped gift. It was a keychain of a distinctive detective’s hat and pipe, carved out of a seashell and coated in resin. “This was what you had gotten? I thought…I thought you’d gotten yourself a present.”

“A present for you is a present for me, silly,” she replied, entertaining Peanut with a toy. “Do you dislike it?”

“No, it’s amazing,” he said, immediately attaching the keychain to his camera. “Actually, I have a surprise for you too,” Luke said. He set a hair clip in front of her: gentle red cloth and wire, etched to look like red seaweed, but folded like a flower.

“The hair clip! You remade it?”

“Except this time as a rose,” he said shyly.

She pinned it to her hair immediately, twirling to show it off. “How is it?”

“Cute,” he said, wrapping his arms around her gently. “You’re always cute.”

“I think I like this one better,” she murmured against his chest. “You made it for me after all.”

“I do too. Truly, a rose represents you best.”

[tundrainafrica]

Title: A Tale of Two Slaves (3/17)

Summary:  “Soulmates don’t exist. Fate doesn’t exist. Everything is a choice.” At that moment, Levi could only watch as she made the choice for him.“

Reincarnation AU. Levi remembers everything from their past life. Hange doesn’t.

Note: This has been sitting on my computer untouched for a while, along with the timeline I prepared for a multichapter fic. Will probs go back to it soon. Feedback is very much appreciated.

Other Chapters: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

Link to cross-postings: AO3

The forms were so painfully boring, Levi almost regretted agreeing to meet Moblit. One of the few things, if not the only thing, stopping him from backing out of the study then and there, was the hope it could give him an excuse to see her again. He planned to ease himself into the process of meeting her, not wanting to make a complete fool or a complete stalker of himself.

There was the option to ask for her number. The option to ask for her schedule. Or he could maybe just scan through enough pages on google to find some hint as to what the hell she does, where she goes and where he could possibly “accidentally” meet her. The last option had proved ineffective, Levi spent a good few hours a day doing just that. Just in case maybe, the links he found through google do change.

The sheer embarrassment and conflicted feelings that came with having delusion drive his actions, had Levi worse off than before. Although the nightmares that left him in pain in the mornings had become few and far between, he could not help but think that possibly the reason why was because he barely got any sleep anymore, kept awake by his brain trying to process that relationship he had with Hange and the story that was made known to him.

His five hours a night had dwindled into three when classes started. His brain having no time to process the dreams during classes and training, Levi found himself taking up more time lying awake in bed, building the world his dreams were telling him about and how Hange fit into all of it.    

The lack of sleep caught up to him particularly when he was sifting through the pages of waivers and information sheets in the coffee shop near campus at nine in the morning. The words started to blur into blobs and Levi became aware of how much he hated Calibri as a font, a small issue in the grand scheme of things. Lacking sleep and utterly frustrated at his lack of progress though, Levi was finding many reasons not to read them.

He eventually gave up, instead checking box after box after box. “When do you need this?” Levi asked Moblit who sat in front of him.

“As soon as possible… But I really recommend you read ---”

“Well, how much time are you gonna give me to read?”

“I don’t have any classes today so I’m pretty much free the whole day.”

“Same.” He felt the venom in his tone particularly resonate and a part of him regretted it as he said it. That day was particularly special. He had no class. With their coach out on a meeting with other schools to discuss the tournaments and line ups this year, he had given the players a day off. Levi pretty much had that whole day to himself yet, he still went to the trouble of dressing up just to meet Moblit only to find out he’d be going through pages worth of documents while half awake. “I’ll just get a cup of coffee.”

Levi was already halfway out of seat when Moblit took out his wallet.  

“Let me pay for it.” Moblit handed Levi a few bills. He had an apologetic look on his face as if he did understand the inconvenience the study would cause anyone. The look Moblit gave him suddenly made Levi self conscious about the tone he had been answering Moblit with since a while ago.

Levi took the money with a small nod of thanks. It was free coffee after all and he did not have much leeway given his monthly allowance.

When Levi got back to their table black coffee in one hand, he could see that Moblit had reorganized the papers, the uncompleted page sitting neatly on top. He had also opened the sandwich he had bought half an hour ago and was eating it already

“Before I forget, did you bring Hange’s keychain?” Moblit asked in between bites.

“Ah, I forgot about that.” Levi kept his tone emotionless for fear of having his guilt take over him. In fact, he never did forget about the keychain. It sat on the side table next to his bed, a glimmer of hope that that morning in the track wouldn't be the last time he saw her.

“Maybe I could come back to your dorm with you and get it after this?”

“Oh yeah, I forgot. I’m not going straight to the dorm. I have plans after this.” A blatant lie. Levi rarely forgot plans.

“Really?”

Levi made a show of going through his phone as he sat down. “Sorry, I didn’t check my calendar this morning. It looks like I have to work on my own stuff for my thesis with my groupmates.” Seniors did not have as many classes as lowerclassmen so the excuse for classes probably would not have worked. As Levi also was aware, the weight of the responsibility lost by only having two classes a week was replaced with the weight of the expectation of creating their own research to add to the body of knowledge in their major.

“How long is your meeting? Maybe I could stop by...” Moblit looked unsure about his own suggestion as if he too understood too the importance of thesis for any senior.

“I dunno. It’s our first meeting and it’s pretty important since we still don’t have much planned.” At that moment, Levi thanked the heavens for his course. He was taking an interdisciplinary track so people had the option to do their thesis by group or individually. His choice of his classes had made it so that he had to do his thesis individually. Moblit did not need to know that much though.

The magic word “thesis” eventually did work in the conversation between the two seniors and finally, Moblit had dropped his shoulders in defeat. “Sorry if I’m being a little pushy. I guess that keychain is just pretty important to me too. I was the one who gave it to her.”  

Levi studied the face of Moblit as they talked. Molit did not have the most memorable face so Levi had not figured it out at first glance. As he allowed himself a few seconds to focus on his features and match it to those in his dream, he realized that Moblit was the same soldier who was constantly following Hange in his dreams. “You two must be close,” Levi said. Hange and I were close too.

"We're childhood friends.”

Levi found himself envying Moblit’s place in Hange’s life. Not wanting to engage that thought though, he instead decided to digress into something more positive for him. “So you'd know why she seemed pretty enthusiastic about her thesis.”

“She’s just passionate and gets a little too excited at times.” Moblit gave an embarrassed smile from what could have been second hand embarrassment. “I really hope you didn’t end up hating her. She really wanted to get to know you.”

“Oh really?” Then why doesn’t she. Levi added to himself.

“She’s been studying athletes since we were in high school. One of our friends was actually the subject of our final thesis for high school and Hange won best research with her. She wanted to move on to studying more high level athletes and she was talking non stop about the possibility of working with an athlete here. Then when we were scouting around for athletes to possibly study, she started showing me a lot of videos of you. She could talk non stop about your form, the height you achieved, your body control. I guess that was until you guys ended up meeting...” Moblit looked like he was aware of the weight of that statement and had tried to lighten the mood with a light laugh.

Levi rearranged that last sentence in his head. Until she met me.

Moblit had trailed off from there and Levi wondered how what kind of face he was making for Moblit to realize he had felt guilty about it.

Moblit gave Levi a consoling look. “She seems to be progressing well with Elijah though.”

For a second, Levi could not fathom how Moblit got the idea that that sentence could console him. In fact, just knowing that Hange had gotten over him so fast, had his chest knotting up.

On the outside though, he made sure to raise his eyebrows and nod, to look at least a little surprised and interested. “How’s her research so far?”

Moblit shook his head in amazement. “She's working at a much faster pace than I am. After what happened with you, it’s pretty admirable she bounced back so fast.”

“I don’t hate her. I could work with her if she really wants to.”

“God, this makes me think I should have started earlier." Moblit rested his forehead on his palm. "Your suggestion might be hard... Last time I checked, she was neck deep in her research with Elijah already.”

Even as a senior, there were places on campus Levi had never visited. All of his classes were clustered in one small area of the campus.  The track he would rush to train in would be just a five minute walk away, his dorm a fifteen minute walk or a five minute bike.

He never had any reason to visit the other side which housed the science students and the laboratories. Possibly, one of the reasons why he had never met Hange until that day in the track.

It was a ten minute walk from his dormitory, in a completely different direction from his buildings and the track. He decided to abandon his bike for the more flexible option of walking. He did not know if they had have any place to park a bike nor how long he would be there. More importantly, he wanted the freedom of slowing his pace without considering the traffic as he took in the unfamiliar scenery.

Third floor. Fritz Hall.

In fact, he did not need the directions to the biology department. He could have easily asked anyone among the students there. The more important information was the room number and the laboratory name.

He clutched the keychain in his pocket and  took the stairs two at a time arriving into a narrow corridor that stretched into both directions.

Thesis labs. Or that was how Mobilit described them. Each biology professor managed a laboratory for students. There were those who focused on internal medicine, those who focused on epidemiology. In each of those rooms was an office and a lab for senior students doing research under the guidance of a professor of a similar specialty.

If he wanted to find Hange, the office was their best chance. Room 301. It would be at one of the ends of the corridors. He only had to figure out the order of the numbers and from there, walk towards the end of the hall. He gripped the handle of the door and pushed it down, only pushing slightly at the door to open a crack wide enough to peek in.

“May I help you?”

“You’re Erwin Smith…” Just like with Hange, Levi had quickly picked up the name as he saw him.

“Yes I am. Nice to meet you.” Erwin did not look surprised to see that someone had named him by face. That was enough of a hint for Levi to realize that that man was probably their professor on top of how he dressed and how he carried himself.

“I’m looking for Hange Zoe.” Levi decided at that moment not to lie. He was sure he could find a reason to justify wanting to give it directly to Hange. He did not want to consider it at that moment. He just wanted to see her.

“She has class now but you can wait for her inside the lab." He gave Levi a onceover. You must be Elijah then.”

Levi gave a subtle nod, hoping Erwin would at least not take that as a full yes later on. At that point in time, he just wanted to minimize the questions he might need to answer. HIs heart was beating hard and his mind was racing. He had gone behind Moblit’s back, taking note of the schedule shared to him and picking a time where Moblit would not be in the office. Pretense and lies were nothing new to Levi but the presence of Erwin in the room particularly made Levi feel dirty for going through all that just to meet one person. With Erwin in front of him, for the first time he felt guilty lying.

"It's obvious from your build that you've been jumping and running your whole life. I hope you could give Hange some good data. All she’s been talking about was this study since I agreed to take her in."

“What’s her research about?” Was she enjoying working with Elijah so far? Was she happy? There were too many things Levi had wanted to ask but he found himself treading along the narrow path of things only Elijah would have known.

Erwin looked at him questioningly. “She wants to do a case study. I expected she’d at least tell you that much.” He shook his head and smiled. “She always had trouble explaining science jargon to the average person.”

Levi wanted to kick himself. Erwin at least answered his own question on any suspicion he might have about Levi (or Elijah.)

“Elijah, do me a favor and ask her yourself. I’d rather Hange also learned how to communicate science to the average person.” Erwin tapped Levi on the shoulder. “Make yourself at home. NIfa’s in the laboratory right now so she can keep you company. You can also use the computer while waiting.”

Levi only noticed the book bag Erwin was holding to his side as he looked back at him. He could not help but feel a bout of disappointment as he saw the professor walk away. It felt like there was still a lot to learn from him.

Levi entered the laboratory to find a woman with auburn hair hunched over a microscope. “Where’s Erwin going?” He asked.

“Erwin?” Nifa looked up from her  “Doctor Smith you mean?”

Nifa. That’s her name. Oddly, Levi did not need to ask for her name either.

Nifa only confirmed it a second later after chastising him for calling Erwin his first name. ‘Doctor Smith did not roll out of Levi’s tongue as well as Erwin. The most Levi could hope for was he never faced a situation where he had to call him by name again. A long shot if he ended up working with Hange or Moblit. At the same time, a worry he did not want to occupy himself with again.

“Hange’s class ends at two so you’re gonna have to wait an extra thirty minutes. You can use the computer over there to pass the time.”

Levi looked down at his phone to see only one bar on the upper right.

“Yeah, problems about being stationed at the corner of the building. No signal. And the wifi is only strong enough for a laptop.” Nifa gestured at her own laptop next to the microscope.

Levi walked towards the computer. It was an older model but it looked well loved. He only had to click on his mouse for the screen to boot up to the home screen with some desktop background which looked like some campaign for underprivileged kids and untapped potentials.

He clicked on the google chrome icon. The option to restore pages from a previous session popped up. He had considered completely ignoring it but he considered it might be someone’s precious browsing history and instead decided to leave it on and to just open an incognito instead for his own personal browsing

He was ready to open one up when he saw the tabs that had opened up in front of him.

Ackerman bags gold, Miller silver in the Collegiate Cup.

Levi looked to the profile on the right to see that it was Hange’s Google profile logged into the account. She was researching him?

That small glimmer of what could have been happiness dissipated as soon as Levi figured out the pattern of the articles.

It wasn’t about him.

High Jump Superstar Miller breaks record in high school meet.

Miller commits to Paradis University.

College sophomore Miller bags gold in Horizontal Jump Event.

It was torture looking through the multiple tabs that reopened. As painful as it was, he still  wanted to confirm if Hange really was ‘neck deep’ in her research. The bookmarked pages, he also decided to take a peek at had confirmed his fear. There were fifty if not a hundred tabs with article titles mentioning that one athlete.

Levi found himself closing the tabs as he went through them, a small rebellion to the reality in front of him. Hange probably bookmarked them if she needed them anyway. He stopped as he came across a Youtube video towards the end of the string of tabs.

WATCH: College Junior Ackerman beats both personal and national record for the High Jump Category.

Rookie Ackerman bags gold in the Regional Cup with record breaking height.

Levi recognized those tournaments. Those were his best jumps, one of them the most recent one he had performed, only earlier that year.

Watching the videos with the commentary felt surreal. In the interviews, he was the one answering the questions but somehow, Levi felt like he was still learning something new from the version of himself of the screen. He never did pay too much attention during interviews, only asking the questions when asked in the manner Coach Greg had directed him too.

Not wanting to confuse himself any longer with what seemed like another out of body experience, he focused again on Hange’s Gmail account which was logged into Youtube. Just to make sure his conclusion had been real. She was still watching his videos.

She had committed to working with Elijah. Why?  

“Miller was slated to be the new superstar in Paradis University with a vertical jump of 8 centimeters  and a promising record height differential of 40 centimeters.”

Levi jumped as he heard someone talk behind him. How long has she been there? It was her voice. Yet at the same time, it was too uncharacteristically serious he did not want to believe it was her. As Levi slowly looked behind me, she only continued to talk.

“But then four years ago, Coach Gregory Rivers scouts a new kid from a small town five hours away from the city. The kid had potential. Enough potential to maybe play backup to Elijah Miller. Levi Ackerman with a vertical leap of 76 centimeters and a record height differential of 37 centimeters.”

“Elijah Miller had a higher overall record. Mike Zacharias and Nanaba Briete too." Mike Zacharias and Nanaba Briete . Those were the two athletes who had cooperated with Hange's study back in high school. Levi had made sure to read her old research, in case he would have to use them to convince her to reconsider him.

“Your numbers in high school weren’t groundbreaking. Unless we consider that you’re 157 centimeters tall." The wonder was back in her voice, completely replacing what he realized was the scientist in her talking. "You did not have the height but you had remarkable control, the core strength, the leg power and the flexibility to fly over the bar even when you’re so close to it. That was what Gregory Rivers saw in you when he scouted you for Paradis University. What he didn't expect was for you to outshine Miller or even the seniors."

Hange came up behind him and grabbed the mouse. As Levi watched her go through the bookmarks, he realized if he had scrolled further, he would have seen more bookmarks.

Rookie Ackerman bags gold in the Regional Cup.

Super rookie carries Paradis to nationals.

She clicked one of the bookmarks and played the the video that came up. Levi could only watch silently as the Levi on the screen ran towards the bar, and propelled himself through the air. His vertical was definitely much higher than 37 centimeters at that point. In college though, no one in his team was counting anymore. The importance was he got through every jump without ever touching the bar.

"I wanna know Levi. From a nobody from a no name school, how did your height differential increase twofold. More importantly, how is it that you've not failed a single jump since you entered university? It's amazing. The amount of balance, core strength and body control to keep your body flexible enough not to hit the bar. The amount of leg strength needed to jump that high. You really must be superhuman.”

“I’m not.” Regretfully, Levi’s denial was enough for Hange to snap out of her state of what seemed like euphoria.

Hange put her hand to her mouth. "Sorry, I talked too much." With that, she resisted the closeness and was once again a meter away just standing awkwardly behind him. "I guess I should go back to work. Did Moblit tell you what time he'll be coming?"

"Moblit's not coming today."

"Oh... Can I help you with something?" Once again, Hange was watching her words and her movements with him. That was not the Hange from his dreams. The Hange that had introduced herself the first time they had met on the track. It pained Levi to see her like that and he wanted to make it right.

Levi had prepared himself for possible interactions when he read through Hange's old works. At that moment, Levi took control of his feelings. " I came here because I wanted to ask if you'd be willing to consider." He kept his words as careful as Hange's were with him. "I read your case study on Nanaba Briete and Mike Zacharius. And I thought I could probably provide you with similar data, maybe better data. Let me jump for you."

"Levi…"

"No. I wanna jump for you." Levi did not know what Hange had planned to say. At that point, he did not want to give her any doubts to build on.

This time I'm not going to lose you. A voice inside him said. It disappeared soon after and Levi wondered when he had he lost her.

[that-bajan-kid]

Boku No Hero Academia Chapter 289 SPOILERS

(IIIIIIIT'SSSSSSSSS SHOOOWTIIIIIIIIIIMMMMMMMME)

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Is the chapter title another name? Uh names? Also Iida, sweety, I get that you want to return the favour but PLEASE go back. Do not go there. You can't fly. You could die from this. PLEASE HORIKOSHI DON'T TAKE AWAY MY SPEED BABY :(.

We cut back to The Boys and Shouto some how manages to catch Izuku as well and is currently having a panic attack over his dad and two bffs being on death's door. Their all still alive tho so that's good. Someone please help this poor child.

ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?!?!?!?!?! TOMURA PLEASE, I'M BEGGING YOU, LEAVE THEM ALONE PLEASE!!!!!! I'm actually hoping he listens to AFO, just this once.

Nejire and Iida picked the absolute perfect time to show up. Well terrible timing really for Iida, who can't fly, since Shiggy is up and really wants to kill people.

They warn everyone about how royally screwed they'll be of they're still here when Giganto shows up. Ooooooo Nejire sees Ryūkyū and she looks pissed. Iida is like "So this is what took you guys so long" but with more panic. Izuku is saying they should all just leave him behind, like self sacrificial idiot he is. Let your friends help you Izu. You literally can't do anything. Tomura looks like some kind of demon.

Speaking of Tomura, he's sounding awfully confident for someone who's regen speed has decrease significantly. I swear fighting him is like fighting the fucking Ender Dragon except the regen boxes can't be destroyed.

SO ANYWAYS BACK TO THE REAL FIGHT

Toga starts talking about why she does what she does and brings that time Curious almost killed her. Damn I haven't thought about Curious since the my villain academia arc. Ochako looks understandably horrified by this and girls start attacking each other.

Wait what happened? Did she get hit?

Oh fuck she took the All Might keychain she got from Deku.

Toga is all "whoops I think you dropped this" and Ochako is all "Hey that's very important to me" and Toga is all " Jin was important to me too, you know"

Now Toga is talking about Ochako's super obvious crush on Izuku and how that makes them the same while Ochako prepares for another surprise attack.

OMG SHE USED HER QUIRK ON HER SURROUNDINGS DURING THE FIGHT. She's calling them Zero Satellites. You love to see it. Ochako yells at Toga to give back the keychain and Toga looks like she about to pull an Ending.

Oh never mind lol. Toga's about to go Plus Ultra.

Oh no Toga's crying. Also TSU TO THE RESCUE.

So Toga dipped and left the keychain behind and is thinking about how she got her answer while looking very depressed about it. Meanwhile Ochako looks kinda concern because she also notice the tears in Toga's eyes.

MEAN FUCKING WHILE

God DAMNIT! They just can't catch a break, can they? Man they're so fucked.

BUCKLE YOU'RE MOTHERFUCKING SEATBELTS PEOPLE, DABI HAS ARRIVED ON SET I REPEAT DABI HAS ARRIVED ON SET

Next chapter better have the Todoroki confrontation from my dreams. Also Endeavour looks like he's gonna keel over any second now. Dabi looks like he's accessing the situation. Mmmmmmmmm I'm vibrating in my seat right now I'm so excited.

Until next time.

[artificialqueens]

Pretty in Pearls, Chapter 3 (Jankie) - Plastiquedoll

read on ao3 💄| previous chapters

A/N: hi! I was going to update earlie but things happened...... so here's a new chapter. I hope you enjoy it and thanks for reading it <3

-3-

It was late when they went back to their room, Jan had only two classes in the afternoon but Rosé had one in the morning, yet, they talked for what it felt like hours and Jan only stopped speaking to read Jackie’s message. She was very happy. During that day she had made several friends –something she couldn’t have imagined a week before- she had met some of her professors and attended a couple of classes so she wouldn’t feel as nervous the following day.

In the morning she heard cursing in whispers when Rosé’s alarm went off announcing she had to get ready to go to class. After the girl left, Jan had the room for herself. She laid in bed watching videos on Instagram for a while and then decided it was a good moment to take a shower and get a cup of coffee.

Tuesdays were her lightest days and she could get used to it. She felt fresh out of the shower, braided her hair, and put on some clean clothes before walking out of the dorms.

On her way out she crossed paths with Nicky and who seemed to be her roommate. The girl had orange long hair and a great amount of makeup on but that worked perfectly on her. She also wore high waist pants with a turquoise loose blouse and dangling earrings. Nicky looked as great as the day before with a mauve off-the-shoulder mini dress and a high ponytail.

“Jan!” She waved at her.

“Hi, Nicky! How are you?”

“I’m doing good, thank you.” She smiled at her. “This is Crystal, my roommate. Crystal, this is Jan, the friend I talked you about.”

“Hi!” Crystal greeted Jan with a lot of energy. “Nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too, Crystal. Well, I kind of feel like I know you through your room.”

“Oh, God…” She blushed. “I’m not taking the One Direction poster off, I already told Nicky.”

“I swear Niall’s eyes follow me whenever I’m in the room.” Nicky shivered.

Jan giggled.

“I have to go, I’m already running late.” Crystal said while checking the time on her phone. “See you guys later.”

“Don’t forget your keys…” Nicky reminded her.

Crystal pulled a key set with tons of colorful keychains. “Never again. Bye, Jan.”

“Bye!”

After the girl left, Nicky looked at Jan. “You missed a great dinner yesterday.”

“Oh, I imagine but I needed to spend some quality time with my roommate. But I’m still craving Thai food since it was mentioned.”

“There’s no choice, we’ll have to go back soon.”

“Please.”

“Are you heading to class?”

“No, I have my Tuesday mornings free. I was getting some coffee, actually.”

“Ugh, lucky you. I have a class in thirty minutes. Do you mind if I get coffee with you?”

“Sure, that’s great because I was going to google where the café is, I have no idea.”

Nicky just smiled. “I’ll show you the way.”

They walked for a couple of minutes; Nicky pointed to the café’s exterior when they got closer. As soon as they got in the smell of freshly brewed coffee embraced them. Autumn was around the corner and college students demanding pumpkin spice lattes prematurely were flooding the place.

Luckily for them, the line moved fast and the barista quickly took their orders. Jan ordered decaffeinated –because she wasn’t technically allowed to drink coffee after that one incident on St. Patrick’s day- but she compensated it with a lot of sugar and whipped cream. Nicky, on the other hand, asked for an iced Americano.

While they were waiting sitting at a little table, Jan recognized the familiar figure of the one person from her hometown she so badly wanted to see.

“Oh my God…” She suddenly felt coy when he started walking in their direction.

“Janie!” He greeted the girl but his eyes went directly to Nicky who was unimpressed while on her phone.

“Hi, Nathan.”

The name rang a bell for the blonde girl who looked up.

“How are you doing?” He rested half of his arm on almost all the table’s surface.

“Oh you know… just chilling before classes. I have Tuesday mornings free.” She tried to sound chill, smooth even.

“Cool…” He kept staring at the other girl a little too much. “Who’s your friend?”

“Ah, yes… this is Nicky, she’s in the same dorm as I am… Nicky, this is Nathan, he’s…”

“A friend from New Jersey.” He extended his hand to shake Nicky’s but the girl glared at him.

At that moment, their names were called by the barista.

“I’ll get the coffee.” Nicky rushed to leave the table. “Salaud…” She murmured before going.

Jan was thankful because now she had some time to speak with Nathan alone.

“So how’s the-”

“Janie, your friend is smoking and she’s French or something, right? That’s hot. Do you think you could set us up?”

Jan’s spirit sank. She should’ve guessed.

“Uh… I don’t think she’d be interested. She’s already dating someone.”

“What a shame because she’s one hundred percent eye candy.”  His gaze followed Nicky’s curves.

“Besides, I thought you liked that girl you met yesterday,” Jan mentioned shyly.

“Abby? She’s alright I guess but this is week one, I have to keep my options open, you know?” He shrugged. “Can’t wait to hit the baseball field next week again, huh?”

“Yes! I’m so excited about it, actually-”

He threw his backpack over his shoulder. “I gotta run, Janie.”

“Oh, okay… see you.”

“Tell your friend that if she ever needs a rebound…” He left, still looking in Nicky’s direction.

Jan tried to smile but she ended up with a weird grimace.

The blonde returned to the table when he was away.

“Here’s your drink…” She tried to put a real smile on the girl’s face but she failed. “Jan, what is it? Did he tell you something?”

“Oh, no… it’s nothing.” She took a sip of her sweet beverage but didn’t enjoy it as she intended. “It’s just Nathan being Nathan…”

Nicky bit her tongue to avoid telling her he seemed like an asshole.

Jan looked at Nicky, of course he’d be interested in her. She was beyond gorgeous and she was stylish as hell with her pretty dress and makeup while Jan had barely washed her face and put on the first pair of joggings and a graphic t-shirt she found in her drawers.

“I bought you a cookie.” She slid the little chocolate treat in front of her.

“Aw, Nicky… thank you.”

Nicky squeezed her shoulder.

“I have to go to class but I don’t want to leave if you’re feeling down.”

Jan shook her head. “No, I’m fine, really…”

“Are you sure?”

“Yep, I’ll go to the library or drop by the copy room to annoy Jackie a little.”

“She’s in class during the mornings, someone else is running the copy room in the mornings.”

Jan sighed. “The library is then.”

“Always exciting.” Nicky checked the time on her watch. “Now I really have to go. See you later, dear.” She blew a kiss in the air.

“For sure.” She smiled to show Nicky everything was alright even when it wasn’t.

But enough of being pitiful, she had a cup of coffee, a cookie, and the sun was shining outside. She had this.

The library turned out to be a great place to spend some spare time between classes. Jan met the librarian –Mrs. West- who was probably one of the sweetest people she had ever seen and she was kind enough to explain Jan the rules –besides keeping it low in the study and reading area- Jan walked directly to a free desk and pulled out her computer. She needed to check if she was registered correctly on her classes once again just to be sure and she had to revise if her teachers from the previous day had left some new reading –they did.

She read the two papers and prepared a little draft for the next class before she noticed, it was almost noon. Nicky had said Jackie had classes in the morning but maybe she was free already, so Jan pulled out her phone and typed a quick text.

To Jackie C.: Hi Jackie! Nicky told me you were in class I was wondering if you’re out already, I can drop by the copy room :D

The reply arrived a minute later.

From Jackie C.: I’m already out and heading to the copy room, I’ll be there in no time.

And with that, the girl picked up her things and walked following the map that was scribbled over. She rushed toward the copy room in a way that her former high school teacher would’ve scolded her for« running in the hallways». Finally, she opened the door of the room carefully.

“Hello…?” She walked in.

“I’m over here.” Jackie had a little closet in the corner open. “I’m picking some toner for the machine. I swear, every morning it’s the same, Yvie forgets to change it every time and I have to-”

Jackie smiled as soon as she saw Jan waving in front of her.

“Hi, there.”

“Hi! Thank goodness you’re out of class I was so bored… Well, I was being «productive» or something like that –I’m guessing it’s something college students aspire to be- but then the internet of the library started malfunctioning and I got distracted with the little T-Rex game –do you know which one? With his little jumps and tiny arms, it was so cute- and then I wasn’t being productive anymore so…”

“It’s so good to see you again.” Jackie shook her head.

“How was your morning?” She moved closer to the counter.

Jackie pointed at the chair next to her and Jan sat there.

“All of my classes are during the mornings; that’s how I get to work here after I’m done with them.” She explained while changing the copy machine’s toner. “On Tuesdays, I have this one class with a professor that absolutely despises everything I say because –and listen to this- «I try to push a gender agenda» on his classes.” She scoffed. “Only because they don’t mention women in art centuries ago it doesn’t mean that they weren’t there… it’s ridiculous.”

Jan listened to Jackie ranting for ten minutes about the class, the girl was fuming but there was something entertaining about seeing her mad and the way she gestured as if it was a Ted talk… not to mention she did it all while doing the maintenance work of the printers.

“I’m sorry, I really went off with it…”

“No! It’s okay. I don’t know much about art and listening to you is like actually taking a class… but more engaging because you’re pissed and it shows.”

“Yeah… I have to tone it down in class or that… professor… is going to fail me.” Jackie let a big sigh out of her chest. “Anyway, I’m sure Nicky told you about last night’s dinner…”

“Yes! I wanna eat Thai food so badly now… Nicky is great by the way, she’s very nice and helped me a lot with the dorm things. Thank you so much for introducing me to her and Jaida.”

“No worries. They all liked you the moment they met you anyway.”

Jan beamed and blushed a little.

“So, you met your roommate…”

“Oh, right! My roommate, Rosé, is great… we got along like, instantly and she’s a theatre major so now I’m sharing the dorm with a Broadway fangirl. It’s going to be fun.”

“Wait, isn’t that the girl with the pink hair? I’ve seen her a couple of times I think.”

“Yeah, she thought you were very serious.”

“Don’t tell anyone I’m nice, I have a reputation to keep.”

Jan giggled. “But you are nice! I can’t believe people think otherwise.” She snapped her fingers. “You know what, I’m having lunch with her right now. I have a class at one so I was going to head to the cafeteria, why don’t you come with me?”

“I’d love to but I have to stay a little longer before taking my lunch break. If you have a class at one you better hurry before it gets too crowded there.”

“Oh, that’s too bad… I’ll get going there but… text me later?”

“Sure.” Jackie smiled at her.

“Okay, have a nice day! See you later!” The younger waved on her way out.

“Bye, Jan.”

At lunch, Jackie sat with her friends and while she tried to finish reading a museum review of a new exhibition, she got a text message from Jan telling her how boring the class was. Jackie shook her head and replied back to her shortly after.

Widow was next to her chatting with Heidi, Jaida was sitting across the table typing on her phone until Nicky arrived so the quick smile that appeared on her face went unnoticed –thank goodness.

“Bonjour, mon rayon de soleil.” Nicky kissed her on the cheek.

“I’ll pretend I understood every word… hi, baby.” She kissed her back.

The blonde sat next to her and they shared a lovey-dovey look.

“I want what they have,” Heidi whispered while looking at their friends. “What does take to get a girlfriend here? I’m in the art department, it should be easier.”

Widow cackled.

“I thought you had retired from the dating world when Janelle Monáe blocked you on Instagram.”

“Okay, listen… I was nothing but respectful to Miss Monáe, I still don’t understand the reason behind that blocking but yeah…”

“Heidi you don’t want to date, you’re just horny.”

The girl gasped. “How dare you?”

“Because… you can’t keep your interest on one person for more than a week.” Jackie pointed.

“I think you’re better off single.” Widow agreed.

“Excuse me… I came here to have lunch and a lovely chat not to be attacked like this.” Heidi crossed her arms on her chest. “Unbelievable.”

They didn’t say a word.

“You may be right though…” She finally admitted.

“Oh! You know who should get a girlfriend…” Jaida glanced at the brunette in front of her.

Jackie sighed. “We’ve been through this yesterday… I already told you she’s out of the conversation.”

“I didn’t give any names though,” Jaida smirked. “You did that to yourself.”

Jackie blushed. “Whatever… I’m too busy to date anyway.”

“But you’d make an exception for a special someone, wouldn’t you?” Nicky pushed.

“She’s straight.”

“So it’s pasta until it gets hot and wet.” Heidi pointed.

“Heidi!”

The table burst into laughter.

“Enough with that, I’m serious. The last thing I want is Jan to feel awkward, she already has a lot on her plate.”

“Right, all jokes aside… I met the guy she pines after this morning…” Nicky started gossiping. “and my goodness he’s even worse than what I pictured… a jerk with capital letters. I think he was trying to get my number through Jan.”

They all made a disgusted sound in response.

“No fucking way…” Heidi’s mouth dropped.

“She deserves better and I don’t even know her personally.” Widow stated.

They agreed, especially Jackie who had seen the guy the day before breaking Jan’s heart in just a matter of seconds.

“Maybe meeting new people will help her seeing beyond his… spell?” Jaida raised an eyebrow.

“He’s not that charming, trust me.” Her girlfriend assured, basing her opinion on the –hopefully- only encounter they had. “But anyway… Crystal has classes until four…” She looked at Jaida with bedroom eyes. “would you like to take a nap with me?”

Jaida caught the hint instantly. “See y’all later, bitches.” She stuck out her tongue and both left the table.

“Maybe I am just horny.” Heidi reflected before sipping her apple juice.

“Be honest with me, do you hang out with us because you like us, or is it part of your sociology thesis investigation?” Jackie asked Widow.

“Bitch, you’ll never know.” She chuckled.

A week had passed and with that, Jan had established a little routine: in the mornings she would go to the library –sometimes on her own, sometimes with her roommate or one of her classmates-, she had lunch at the cafeteria in rotating schedules –as if she was the loving child of a divorced couple- during the afternoons she was at the copy room whenever she had some spare time and when Jackie was there and afterward she’d have dinner with her and her friends or with Rosé. They all ended up having dinner together on Friday night so Jan was secretly hoping the group would merge into one big supergroup.

She had also become close with Jackie’s friends including Widow of whom she had heard a lot but was formally introduced to a few days later and with Crystal, Nicky’s roommate who shared the struggles of being a freshman like her. Plus, she met one of Rosé’s friends from her musical comedy class as well, a girl called Lagoona that adopted Jan immediately and kept teaching her Spanish words.

On the weekend she watched cartoons wearing pajamas with the girls from her dorm in the lounge room and then completed some assignments for her classes with Crystal at the same place.

On Monday, however, she was extra excited –more than usual- because it was the day she was going to play baseball again. She could almost smell the grass of the field, the rubber of her sneakers, and the leather material of the ball… She could picture herself running around scoring like no other.

And because she was so thrilled, time seemed to pass slower than ever.

“Jackie…” She cried while sitting on her –now- regular reserved spot behind the countertop. “I still have to wait another two hours…”

“Two hours are almost nothing, c’mon.” The brunette was in the middle of copying a Shakespeare play for a group of students from the Literature department. “Besides, it’s not like it’s been years since the last time you played.”

“It’s been like two months.” She pouted. “Two long never-ending months.” She dragged the words to make emphasis on her sadness.

“But you survived.” Jackie pointed out before reaching for the staple on the shelf.

That day, Jackie was wearing a pleated plaid skirt with a knitted long sweater and mid-heel loafers. She moved smoothly in the limited space; Jan had memorized her moves by the time; she knew exactly when she had to lean back for the brunette to pass through while she mumbled something about Yvie not taking proper care of the machines or when she was fighting with the printer that didn’t mind for the students’ urgencies at all. She had also discovered that Jackie always hummed to California Dreamin’ no matter how often it played on the radio, that she liked gourmet jelly beans and that she had a stock of candy hidden somewhere -only she hadn’t found her secret spot yet.

“Hi, Jackie.” A girl hummed with a melodic voice as she rested her elbows on the countertop while batting her lashes overly.

Jackie, who was on her back stapling a final set of copies, took a deep breath as she recognized the owner of the voice right away.

“Hello, Vanessa.” She spun on her heels and faced the girl. “What can I do for you?” Her tone was deadpan.

Vanessa, the girl in question, was gorgeous with her long black hair perfectly curled, flawless makeup, and clothing; she was wearing a cropped pullover with the word «Angel» stamped on it a and pair of high-waisted jeans. She was tiny but she wasn’t scared of wearing high high-heels.

She flashed a dazzling smile as soon as Jackie turned around.

“Are you finally going to accept going on a date with me?” She blurted out.

Jan’s eyes got wide. Her type of courage was worth admiring, she was certainly fearless.

“No,” Jackie replied, coldly. “I’ve told you before; I’m not going to date you.”

Jan gasped but Vanessa didn’t even flinch. She just waved her hair and readjusted her pose.

Oh, she was about to say something, wasn’t she? Jan looked, expectant.

“Please…” She pouted. “Pretty please? You can’t say no to a pretty please.”

Jackie rolled her eyes. “There we go.” She shook her head and sighed. “Look, I’m not going to repeat the whole speech but if you have something for me to print or copy, I’m all ears.”

This time, Jan couldn’t keep it to herself. “Jackie!” She shouted and jumped off the chair.

The brunette turned toward her. “What? It’s Vanessa.” She said as if that was a fair justification.

Vanessa waved. “And who are you?” She looked at Jackie, then at Jan, and then at Jackie again. “Is she your girlfriend?”

“No.” Jackie blushed a little. “This is my friend, Jan. Jan, this is Vanessa she’s a sophomore that testes my patience since she was a freshman.”

“I worked very hard for that title.”

“Nice to meet you, I’m Jan!” She shook her hand.

“Vanessa has an on and off long-distance relationship and she likes to flirt when she’s on the «off» side,” Jackie explained.

The girl shrugged. “Can you blame a girl for asking? I gotta try once in a while at least.”

Jan chuckled.

“Anyway, can you copy the marked pages of this textbook? I need it for class, you’ll be glad to know I didn’t come here exclusively to ask you out. Although…”

“Give me the book.” The brunette extended her hand to grab the object, Vanessa held it tightly for an instant but Jackie pulled it. “I’ll be done in a couple of minutes.”

“Thank you!” She smiled showing all her teeth. Then she turned back to Jan. “So Jan, is it…?”

“Don’t even try it!” Jackie yelled from the distance.

Once her shift was over, Jackie closed the copy room and walked around for a little before deciding to take a look at Jan’s baseball practice. She told herself it was okay to drop by, after all, she had been hearing about it all afternoon, she was curious now. But being honest, she had to ask around to find where the baseball field was –she didn’t even know their university had a women’s team before she met Jan- so she wandered through the corridors before finding the door that led to where they were playing.

The lights were on since their practice was after sunset and most students had classes during the day. The perimeter was surrounded by a chain-link fence so she guessed that was how close she could get to the field; she finally found a bleachers section -and she was one-hundred percent sure people smoked weed behind them.

She sat holding her purse against her chest. It seemed she made it just in time; it was Jan’s turn to bat. Even in the distance, Jackie had never seen the younger so focused on something as she was at that moment, it was like watching a completely different person. She moved into position and prepared.

She had the number eleven on the left sleeve of her striped uniform, purple socks on and a pair of shoes –already- covered in dirt. She adjusted her high ponytail under her cap before grabbing the wood bat with determination. Jan’s eyes were sharp as she tried to read into the pitcher’s moves.

Jackie had a shiver.

The pitcher threw the ball and she missed it, it went directly to the catcher’s glove. The brunette mouthed some curse. She had never been this invested in some sport.

Second attempt, she would get it this time. Jackie crossed her fingers, her heart was beating faster.

The pitcher threw the ball again and this time, it impacted against Jan’s bat making a thunderous noise that echoed everywhere. Jackie gasped, her eyes followed the girl’s figure as she ran as fast as she could before one of the players grabbed the ball from the ground. Now she knew her heart was about to break her ribcage, she couldn’t get herself to calm down. Jan was running and running like a roadrunner cartoon and she was about to make it when the players started passing the ball, maybe someone was going to catch her before she made it. But she was so close, just one more base to go. She ran, encouraged by her teammates, and drifted creating a cloud of dirt around the base.

She made it.

Home run.

“Yes! Yes!” Jackie cheered and raised her hands in the air.

Apparently, loud enough for the whole team to hear it.

Jan, who was bent over her knees, still out of breath due to her incredible race, grinned and waved as soon as she recognized Jackie. The brunette smiled back and clapped discreetly, even when she had just displayed such enthusiastic behavior.

The team -mainly the batter- had gained a new fan and the season hadn’t even started.

[3000-200-grains-of-salt]

SBI: Survival 101 (SBI Fanfiction)

Read it on Wattpad here: https://www.wattpad.com/myworks/275527714-sbi-survival-101-my-version

Chapter 1: Great View From Up Here

A shiny black alarm clock strikes nine PM.

Tommy had been waiting for this day for months. Tonight, he is finally going to see a concert by his favourite band, Lovejoy. Tommy's parents weren't as ecstatic as he was when he told them his plans. Even after weeks of begging, telling them he'd pay for it, even promising to do extra chores, the answer was still a resounding "no".

So, like any other teen without permission to do something, Tommy snuck out.

Grabbing his red and white camera, a few microSD cards, and a pre-loaded backpack, Tommy slid open the window and clambered out. The sun was casting its last rays of light on the surrounding neighbourhood and the warm night breeze gently brushed Tommy's golden hair. He slid onto the grass and walked to the bus stop.

All of the teen movies really hyped this up way too much. Sneaking out was way easier than Tommy thought. At 9:15, the evening bus arrived right on schedule. Tommy jumped on and dropped a few dollars into the driver's open hand. Sitting down on one of many empty seats, the excitement finally hit Tommy. He smiled. Today would be one of the best days he's had for a while.

Tommy spent the 20 minutes on the bus hyping himself up for the upcoming ecstasy. His smile only grew wider as the bus slid to a halt in front of an outdoor stadium glowing with lights. Tommy got out of his seat, thanked the bus driver, and jumped off. He tried to contain his excitement as he walked to the entrance. He showed the guard his ticket and stepped into the concert. Even though Tommy was early, the crowd was huge. Burgundy posters with Lovejoy's symbol hung on every empty surface. Shops were selling novelty Lovejoy merchandise.

Tommy remembered that his friends Tubbo and Ranboo were coming as well. He scanned all of the people standing around him, looking for Ranboo's tall silhouette. Tommy spotted him over by the snack bar, Tubbo standing next to him. Shoving his way through the crowd, Tommy made his way over towards Tubbo, using Ranboo as a beacon.

"Tubbo! Ranboo!" he called.

"Tommy! You made it!" replied Tubbo as his face lit up.

"Of course I did." Tommy turned his gaze to Ranboo. "Good to see you too, man." Tommy playfully shoved Ranboo.

"When's it gonna start?" asked Ranboo.

"I dunno. Maybe in like, two minutes?" replied Tubbo.

"Well then, we better get good spots. Right in the middle and towards the front, where we can see," suggested Tommy.

"Tommy, you can sit on my shoulders," Ranboo joked.

"Ha, ha, very funny. Come on, let's get to the front!" Tommy grabbed Ranboo's wrist and started pulling him towards the middle. But before they got there, the crowd pushed Ranboo from Tommy's grasp.

"Meet up with you later?" Ranboo yelled to Tommy.

"Yeah!" Tommy called back. He hoped that Ranboo would stay with Tubbo. Maybe his tallness would prevent Tubbo from floating away. Tommy pushed his way to the centre front just as the band members started to walk out on stage. The lead singer, Wilbur, had curly brown hair swept to one side and peeking out of a grey beanie. He was wearing a black leather jacket on top of a pale yellow T-shirt. The crowd clapped and cheered.

The opening riff started. Here we go.

"She's always asking,' Am I alright?' " Wilbur, the lead band member, sang.

"As if auspicious or in my pint," Tommy had never been so excited.

"I'll find the answer or a good night," He was being pushed around by the crowd.

"Thank God the time is short." Tommy looked around for Tubbo and Ranboo.

"And yes, you always do that one thing," The crowd was smothering.

"When you wrinkle up the nose bridge," Ranboo waved to Tommy.

"I'm tryin' to figure out what that meant," Tommy couldn't hear what Ranboo was saying.

"I took it as a taunt." Tommy turned away from Ranboo and faced the stage.

"Remember way back then in school?

Oh, did anybody ever say no to you?

Oh, did anybody ever say no to you? Whoa," Wilbur sang. Tommy was happy.

The rest of the show passed quickly and slowly at the same time. Tommy enjoyed every second. The band even played a bunch of songs that hadn't been released yet. After an hour of music, it was finally the end of the concert. Tommy had the entire thing videotaped and stored on a microSD card. He was sad it was over, but still satisfied. He started to look for Ranboo again.

Tommy saw him and Tubbo by the snacks again. Ranboo and Tubbo were buying treats for themselves. But when Tubbo turned around, he was holding up a green Lovejoy bandana. He waved to Tommy, yelling something that he couldn't hear over the hubbub. He gestured to the bandana, then pointed to Tommy. He understood. Tubbo bought Tommy a bandana. He smiled and started to walk towards the snack bench. But before he could reach them, a hunched man clad in red shoved past Tommy roughly.

"Hey! Watch it!" Tommy yelled. The man turned back towards him. Ghastly white eyes poked from beneath dishevelled hair. Thorny red vines crept over clammy grey skin. The man— thing? Whatever it was— turned away from Tommy and continued pushing through the crowd. Surprised outbursts came from whoever it shoved past. Tommy shook his head to clear it. His phone rang. It was Tubbo. Tommy accepted the call and held the phone up to his ear.

"Tommy? You there?" Tubbo's voice came through the speaker.

"Hi. Yeah. I'm here," Tommy looked around for Ranboo and Tubbo. "Where are you guys?"

"Uhh..." Tubbo paused. "We're towards the front of the stage. See you there?"

"Yeah. Hey, did you see that guy wearing red? He was kind of shoving his way through the crowd,"

"I did," Ranboo's voice piped in through the phone. "Kinda sus." Tommy ignored the joke.

"It doesn't matter anymore." Tommy shook his head. "Hey, I'm gonna go see if I can meet Lovejoy. Talk later?"

"Of course, big man. Have fun!" Click. Tubbo hung up. Tommy put his phone away. He started to walk to where the band was standing.

Tommy heard screaming behind him.

Tommy whipped his head around as the entrance doors flung open. Hundreds of people—were they people? They looked vaguely humanoid, but not enough— flooded in through the doors. All had glassy white eyes and dead grey skin. Thorny red vines clung to tattered clothing and ripped skin.

Tommy didn't know what the hell was going on.

All he knew was that the things—maybe zombies?—were spreading these vines that radiated evil. Tommy would have investigated more, but his fight or flight instinct kicked in. He fled. Faster than he had ever run before. He caught a glimpse of Ranboo and Tubbo sprinting out of the stadium unharmed and internally sighed with relief. They would be safe for now.

Tommy slid to a halt and surveyed his surroundings. He could barely see anything because of the stampeding crowd. His gaze turned to the stage, now devoid of any band members except for Wilbur, who was using his sturdy guitar like a club.

"HOW DO YOU LIKE MY MUSIC, FUCKER?" Wilbur knocked down a cluster of zombies. He was doing well, but seconds away from being overtaken. Adrenaline couldn't last forever.

Tommy snatched a heavy bass off of the stage and swung it at a bunch of zombies. Wilbur spun around, almost hitting Tommy as he smashed through the remaining zombies. He looked towards the huge doors of the exit. Tommy followed his gaze. A white van with Lovejoy's symbol on it sat just outside the doors.

Wilbur started running towards the van. Tommy followed, attacking any zombies that got in their way. Wilbur slipped on a green piece of cloth. Tears pricked Tommy's eyes as he realized what it was. The bandana Tubbo had bought him. Tommy grabbed it and spurred Wilbur onwards. The zombies were crowding around them. Wilbur and Tommy finally broke through the mass of bodies.

"GET IN THE VAN," Wilbur screamed. Tommy jumped into the driver's seat.

"Keys, keys, keys!!" Tommy exclaimed as Wilbur slammed the passenger door shut. He fumbled in his pockets and tossed Tommy the keys to the van. He shoved them in the socket and twisted the guitar-shaped keychain. The van shuddered to a start.

"Castaways... We are castaways..." The song from a kids' show blared through the speakers.

"WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS MUSIC??" Tommy started spinning the radio dial.

"JUST DRIVE FUCKING DRIVE," Wilbur called back.

"WHY IS THIS ON THE RADIO??"

"SHUT UP, GREMLIN CHILD," Wilbur shoved Tommy's legs aside and pushed down the gas pedal with his left hand. He placed his right hand on the steering wheel and swerved away from a car just in time. The van veered onto the freeway. Tommy moved Wilbur's hand off of the wheel and straightened out the van. Wilbur sat back up and looked out the back of the van. He faced forwards and leant back. Tommy sighed and hoped that Tubbo and Ranboo were alright.

But for now, Tommy was in for a long night.

[otakuneko-lotus]

Sushi fun!!

I'm going to do my own Sushi story that @roninhunt0987 did. Yet I have to be honest that there was hardly ANY SUSHI EATING!!! And I'm bumped and Suzuki is pissed so. I'm making my version where there is actually sushi eating. Sorry dude your storys are usually on point but this time it was a miss. I know you were tired.

Gen’ichi and his family were having a nice lovely evening. Ninjara was getting ready to start making dinner while gen was keeping the kids in the living room. (since they didn't want the kids to get hurt in the kitchen when dinner was being made)

Ninjara: *walks into the living room tying her apron* ok everyone I’m about to start what should I make for mom dinner night?

The kids were getting all excited because they were HUNGRY!!!!! Gen'ichi and Ninjara had 8 kids. Septuplets and one little baby. Ran, Rei, Reiko, Rika, Miwa, Nori, Gen'ichi jr and Lil Geni. They began to say what they wanted

Ran: Burgers!!!

Rei and Reiko: Pasta!

Miwa: mac and cheese

lil Geni:....ham

SUSHI!!!

Everyone paused...

Gen'ichi: who screamed sushi?

All of a sudden, there aunt Suzuki bust down the door and made a very heroic post!

Suzuki: I said Sushi!!

Kids: Auntie Suzuki *They all run to her as there dear mother looked in horror*

Ninjara: My front door!!! 

All 8 of the kids fox piled there Auntie Suzuki pushing her to the ground all laughing.

Suzuki: hehehehe ok ok you little nuggets your got your auntie Suzuki *she said as she was getting up from the floor*

Gen’ichi: Hey sis, why you yelled Sushi?

Ninjara: And why did you break down my door?!

Suzuki: Oh good questions, and let me answer with “Who wants sushi for dinner!?”

Kids: sushi!

Gen’ichi and Ninjara: sushi?

Suzuki: Yes, I know this great sushi belt restaurant and I am taking you all for some sushi tonight!!

Kids: Yay, Sushi sushi sushi!! *all the kids began to cheer*

Gen’ichi: well that's very nice of you sis. But why sushi? You never really this excited for Sushi?

Suzuki: what? Can I just invite my favorite brother and his lovely family to dinner? I’m hurt bro I am so hurt! *Suzuki was being a bit dramatic*

Gen’ichi and Ninjara: *raised there eyebrows*

Suzuki: ok ok This Sushi place if you eat more you get more chances to win a prize, last time I went there alone I ate 40 plates of sushi and won twice and the prizes were the same a tiny sushi keychain but i wanted to see what other prizes they have...you know me bro....I have a weakness for prize games.

Gen’ichi: there that wasn’t so hard huh Suzuki.

Ninjara: well sushi those sound nice, and I know if you want to go back the food has to be good.

Suzuki: Sooooo?

Gen'ichi: kids get your shoes on we are going out tonight!

The kids cheer and began running all over the house each one trying to find and get there shoes. After finally getting there shoes on the family fallows Suzuki to “Tai’s Sushi” a restaurant that appeared several months ago. As they walk in they are meet with the host who took them to a LARGE booth where Mikey and Raph were there.

Gen’ichi: Mikey? Raph? What are you guys doing here?

Mikey: Sis invite us to this sushi party!

Raph: Yeah, sorry sis dad, Leo< and Donnie could not make it.

Gen’ichi and Ninjara look at Suzuki was a glare and Suzuki just shrug. She though she could get a bit more help. Wow Suzuki you are crazy for prizes. Everyone has a seat and GJ looked confused.

GJ: were are the menus?

Suzuki: oh its here this pad *Suzuki points to the pad which she was right next too* here you can order specials order but if you don't want that you can grab anything from the belt see all the food.

Since Suzuki finally mentioned it everyone notice a conveyer belt full of sushi  they even notice a screen above the belt where the game was and above that was the prize box.

(closest pic I can find but with booths)

Suzuki: Any way the more you eat the more chances you get at winning but it not easy they make it a lucky draw. So its mostly lucky. So is everyone ready to try this place?

Everyone: yes!

Suzuki grabbed the pad and order some simple type of sushi for the kids. Like tuna, salmon, cucumber rolls and crab sushi too. After the special order arrive Suzuki began to take plates of the belt and placing them on the table. There must have been one plate for every kind of sushi at that table. Everyone began to chow down.

Geni: *see some werid green paste* what's this?

Ninjara: oh that is wasabi honey. It's a spicy paste you put on sushi. *puts a piece of Uramaki in her mouth*

Before anyone can react Geni puts the whole blob of it in her mouth.

Gen'ichi: Ahhh sweetie!!!

Suzuki: oh furball no!!

Geni: what....? *feels no pain*

Everyone: huh?

Suzuki: wait, Geni your not crying from the spice?

Geni: no, it those not taste anything to me

Mikey: really? Maybe wasabi is not so spicy *pics up a picese of wasabi*

Raph: Mikey-

Suzuki: No!

Mikey stick the whole piece in his mouth and that moment he knew....he ...fucked up! Mikey began screaming from the pain and began to run all over the restaurant, people were videotaping Mikey making a ass of himself.

Suzuki: *makes a cup of green tea* Mikey!! Drink this!!!

Mikey gets the cup and gulps it down in a sec. It taste bad to him but it stopped the pain. Mikey was on the floor pants from running and from the pain. The kids all laugh and Suzuki speaks up.

Suzuki: dont become your uncle mikey kids.

Mikey: Hey!!

After the excitement they all got a good stack of plates and were ready to see if they will win.

Suzuki: ok 5 plates for each try

GJ: can I try frist

Ninjara: of course sweetie all you kids will get a turn.

GJ moved his seat and sat on his dad lap so he could reach. He put the 5 plates in the machine and a little cartoon appeared on the screen under the prize machine. The cartoon says....loser.

GJ: awww

Mikey: sorry little dude

Raph: it is a game of luck.

Suzuki: it's ok bud *runs GJ's head*

Rei: Me next me next!!

Rei had a go...lost

Rei: dang it!

Gen'ichi: it's ok sweetie we have more plates

Soon it was Reiko...lost....Ran....lost....Miwa...lost.

Ninjara: I'm starting to think this is rigged.

Geni: My twurn *push the plates in and won!?*

Kids: huh!?

Geni: yay!!!!

Suzuki: good job furball you won.

Geni won a cutie little kid bracelet from the prize box it fit her wrist with little plastic charms on it.

Geni: hehehehe

After seeing the prize there little siblings got the septuplets were determined to get some prizes too. After doing the game more of the game Nori got a prize. It was a keychain of a ramen bowl it looked every cute.

Gj: we need more plates!!

Ninjara: arent you kids full?

Ran: No mama

Rei: we

Reiko: want

Rika: to

Miwa: win!

Gen'ichi: I guess we need more sushi *took some sushi off the belt*

After about 30 mintues of more eating...from what Suzuki can tell they have been there for over and hour and won twice. They got more plates from the kids eatting every sushi that lands on the table. Gen'ichi worst fear....Suzuki was teaching his kids her guilty pleasure.

After so many games each child finally got a prize. How much sushi did they eat...over 200 plates and won 9 prizes. Suzuki of course got one. Everyone walked out of the restaurant super full.

Raph: I never want to see a tuna roll again...

Mikey: *covers mouth because he felt like her was going to barf*

Ninjara: ok kids let's go home *she said as she holds some of the kids*

Geni: Auntie Suzuki?

Suzuki: yes honey?

Geni: can we come back here again?

Suzuki: *smiles*yes

Gen'ichi and Ninjara: NOOOO *both scream*

The End

Bonus

Mikey: *bards in some bushes while raph pats his back*

Raph: let it all out bro

Mikey: Bleeeeeeeeeeeegggggggggghhhhhhhh

@roninhunt0987 here you go dude