#I read that earlier and it had me flabbergasted because I forgot she said that

[viiisenyas]

the more I re-read A Game of Thrones, the less I like Ned and Catelyn 🙃

[butwhyduh]

Spare Key

Jason Todd x reader who’s Dicks neighbor

Summary: your friend Dick gives you keys to his place but he didn’t tell you everything.

warning: mentions nudity and bad words

You’d been neighbors with Dick for a few years. He was a pretty nice guy. Traveled a lot and kept weird hours and used to be a cop. But he was always helpful and good to his neighbors. He had watered your plants when you went on vacation a few times. It wasn’t a huge surprise when he offered you a key to his place so that you could collect his mail and feed his dog on one of his big trips.

Dick’s apartment was across the hall. He didn’t do much as far as renovations. The original white paint covered the door that the apartment came with and you weren’t sure if he ever moved his furniture. But it made it easier because you knew where everything is.

So after you dropped off your few grocery bags, you went over to feed his brand new adorable puppy Haly. As you turned the key in the lock you were surprised that she didn’t start barking. She must be asleep.

You sat the keys in the key bowl and moved to go to the kitchen when-

“What the FUCK-“ a man yelped.

“Ahhhh-“ you shrieked at the sight of a fully naked full frontal view of a naked man making a sandwich in Dick’s kitchen.

“Who are you?!?”

“Why are you NAKED?”

“What are YOU doing in someone’s apartment?” He asked grabbing a hand towel to cover his junk. It did a pitiful job covering the body of a man that was probably the fittest person you’ve ever seen. He was covered in scars but it didn’t take away any of his beauty. You looked away quickly. He moved and you grabbed an umbrella by the front door.

“Oh great. What are you gonna do, hit me?” He asked with a rolled eye.

“I don’t know you. You could have a weapon,” you defended looking at him again. Safety over modesty. He look flabbergasted.

“Where?? Under the towel?” He asked bewildered. “Look lady, I don’t know why you’re here since you clearly aren’t my brother’s girlfriend-“

“And neither are- wait, you’re his brother?” You said as his words caught up.

“Yeah, I’m his brother. Care telling me know YOU are?” He asked.

“I’m his neighbor. I’m so sorry,” you stammered before turning away to avoid staring and sat the umbrella down. He grabbed a hoodie from a chair and tied it around his waist covering the front. “Dick asked me to feed his dog. I didn’t know anyone was here.”

“Oh, yeah. Dickhead forgot to tell me he was having a visitor. I’m Jason,” he said holding out his hand automatically without thinking. You flushed hot shaking the hand of a naked man you just met.

“Nice to meet you,” you said and then you mumbled out your name. You looked anywhere but at him. “Uh, since you’re uh… on it, I’ll just- I’ll go. Sorry to just barge in.”

“No, it’s okay,” he said running a hand in his hair awkwardly.

“Okay, yeah,” you said quickly leaving. You walked down to your apartment and quickly shut the door behind you. You leaned against the door and started laughing at the ridiculousness. Oh man, you had gone over to feed a dog and instead ran into a naked man.

A extremely handsome fit man who was blessed in the uhh, pants department. You weren’t trying to look but damn. He had nothing to be ashamed of there. Nope. A healthy man for sure.

A knock at the door made you jump. You quickly opened it to see him, fully clothed, standing outside. Hopefully he couldn’t read minds, you thought. You were a little ashamed to be thinking about his dick like that.

“Hi,” you said.

“Hey, sorry about earlier. I don’t usually walk around other people’s apartments naked,” he said with an embarrassed smile.

“Oh, uh no. It’s your brothers place. I don’t judge,” you replied.

“Sure. Uh, if you could just not tell Dick about this. They would be great. I’m not sure he’s uhh cool about that,” he grimaced.

“Mum’s the word,” you said. “As long as you don’t mention that I threatened you with an umbrella.”

He laughed. “Deal. And tell me to fuck off, but would you like to go get some coffee or something?” He asked looking at you with a fake casualness.

“Do I have to tell you to fuck off? I’d rather have the coffee,” you answered with a little smile.

“The fuck off, while an open invite, is not required,” he replied with a grin looking at the floor.

“Then I’ll decline and instead take the coffee offer,” you answered. “There’s a new place a few blocks away. We can just walk if you want.”

“That sounds nice.” He answered as you grabbed your coat.

“You know,” you started. “I’ve never gone on a date after seeing someone naked.”

3 weeks later

Dick turned the key to his apartment expecting Haly to bark like crazy. He’d had multiple people help care for her while he was gone but she always missed him like crazy when he got back.

“Girl? Haly?” He called to silence. Dick quickly went around the apartment to find her when he heard noises of people talk by the door. He walked to the front quietly.

You and Jason were holding hands. He had Haly’s leash in his other hand that he quickly let go of without paying her attention. She raced towards Dick who ruffled her hair while staring at you both. Jason grabbed you around the waist and pulled your coffee cup from your hand and sat it down before grasping you close to kiss you softly.

“What the HELL??” Dick asked. You jumped away from Jason rather violently.

“Jesus, Dick, what the fuck man,” Jason said after having jumped too.

“What is that? Why is this? You two,” he asked.

Jason shrugged and you flushed.

“Hi Dick,” you said softly when no words came to. “How was your trip?”

“Good.”

“That’s nice. I’m just gonna go. I’ll talk to you later,” you said awkwardly before leaving. You could hear Dick from behind the closed door.

“You took my suit. You took my bedroom. You took my glute-master 1000. And now my neighbor??? Get your own shit, bro!”

[riversofmars]

Sometimes 13 just poses as a student and attends rivers lectures.

Hellooo! I’ve been saving this prompt for a long time cause I love it so much and now finally did something exciting with it! This is actually a little collaboration I did with @serawalkerwrites. She keeps getting asked to write for DW and never has, so we decided to do a little thing together! Basically, we took turns writing paragraphs! She's written the River bits and I wrote for 13. Really fun thing to do because our styles are quite different but it worked :D Apart from the fact that she made me write in present tense which I hate lmao! Also, if you like American Horror Story or Ratched, check out her stuff!

Rating: Teen

Word Count: 2300

Read on AO3 or below

Like The First Time

“I might be younger and far prettier than the other Professors at this University, but that doesn't mean I don't expect the same level of good behaviour from my students,“ Professor River Song barks up the rows of lecture hall seating, slapping her papers on the desk. She tosses her bouncing curls of hair and brings her hands to her hips, watching the chatting students in the back row and waiting for them to take notice. That blonde girl seems to whispering at some speed, with enthusiastic hand gestures to boot. “That means you in the back row!“ She raises her voice again, finally getting the young blondes attention.

The Doctor hadn’t been able to stop herself. When River had started talking about the Venusian tomb she’d visited not long ago, it had been a perfect opportunity to tell the other students about the time she’d been invited to a funeral service there. It’s an incredibly stupid thing to do, of course. She isn’t meant to interact with anyone - as strictly speaking - she isn’t meant to be here. For a start she isn’t actually a student at Luna University; for another, she could very well be causing some damage to the fabric of space and time. Visiting her wife earlier in her timeline is risky… but she hasn’t been able to stay away. Sometimes, when the Doctor misses her a lot, she sits in on her lectures, right at the back. She knows River won’t recognise her and she never speaks to her… there’s no harm no foul is there? However, a slip up is bound to happen eventually.

Now, as she looks at River, who is shooting her piercing glare from the front of the auditorium, the Doctor realises she’s messed up. The Doctor looks left and right to the other students, hoping it’s one of them River is scolding.

“Yes you, don't act like I cant see you -“ River lifts her eyebrows at the petulant student. “Forget it, I’m not shouting at you from down here, stay behind after class. Then we’ll talk, and believe me you won’t like what I have to say.“ River rolls her eyes away, a taut huff tumbling from her lips to find her inner calm once again, before continuing. “Now where were we…“

The Doctor shrinks back in her seat, her neighbouring students giving her sympathetic smiles. Others just snicker and smirk. River has a reputation for strictness, no-one messes with her…The Doctor’s made a big mistake. She glances to the exit; she can still escape this situation. But if she does, she’ll never be able to come back. Perhaps it’s time to face her wife at last. She gnaws her bottom lip anxiously and tries her best to sit still for the remainder of the lecture.

As a shrill bell rings out, signalling the end of class and an end to the Doctors torture, River watches the troublemaker while she packs her things. Students rise to their feet, stuff their bags with books and file out in an eager swarm, heading into the midday sunshine. But not this student. She’s bouncing down the steps to the front, an epic grey coat and too-short trousers have her piquing River’s interest before they start talking. “Ah, good. At least you decided to be smart this time and not run-off out the doors. I would have found you,“ River informs the girl, whose swinging her arms and looking guilty. If this were any other circumstance, then River might have bought her a drink. But as it is, she's her student, however adorable she is. “Care to tell me what is so pressing you had to take time out of my lecture to talk about it?“

“Ah well, you know, the whole thing about the Venusian tomb, just brought back some memories to when I was learning Venusian aikido. There was this one time when I was invited to a funeral at one, which - you know - is a big deal for any outsider and…“ The Doctor starts rambling, unable to stop herself. A grin spreads across her features, hoping to entertain River with her story, as she had done so many times in the past. River always liked to listen to recounts of her adventures.

“Venusian Aikido?“ River folds her arms, skeptical. “They don’t teach that to just anyone. I happen to be a black belt myself.“

“Oh I know.“ The Doctor grins.

“It’s not on my resumé,“ River parries, her eyebrows lifting into an arch. “So someone told you. Perhaps at this funeral, you supposedly attended?“ River laughs doubting the girls claims. “No-one just gets invited to a Venusian funeral, or a wedding, or any kind of ceremony unless you’re a honoured noble. Which you clearly cannot be, no offence Sweetie but -“ River pauses. She stares at the blonde and her mismatched clothing, then bunches her lips. “What did you say your name was?“

The Doctor doesn’t answer immediately. This is it, the moment of truth. She could just tell her… surely there’s no harm in it. This is River Song after losing her parents in Manhattan, and before Darillium; there is no real reason to keep her identity from her. Apart from the fact that she isn't sure how she will react. They didn’t see each other for so long in between Manhattan and Darillium, enough for River to come to doubt if the Doctor had ever truly loved her. Her words still echo through the back of the Doctor’s mind now. The Doctor doesn’t and has never loved me. - But you are the woman who loves the Doctor. - Yes I am. I never denied it. But whoever said he loved me back? Those words still haunt the Doctor, even after spending 24 years with her in which she’d done everything she could to convince her of just the opposite.

“Jane Smith.“ The Doctor answers at last with a thin smile.

River lets out a loud chortle. “Jane Smith? Of course it is,“ River replies not believing her for a second. Who has the most standard name of all names like that? River postures a little, shuffles her papers around into a neat pile already thinking of the lunch that’s waiting for her in the refectory, because she's not getting any truth from this girl. “I don't recall your name on my student register; so…how about you tell me the truth.“ River hooks her bag over her shoulder and takes a long stride forward, claiming the podium as her space, the lecturer to the student. River examines her, because if she’s not her student, then who is she? All beautiful round eyes and choppy blonde hair, River certainly doesn't recognise her. Should she, recognise her? “Or you can come to my office and explain yourself there.“

“I uhh…“ The Doctor swallows hard. Of course she doesn’t believe her, people rarely do initially; but usually she can use her psychic paper to back up her identity. She knows River would see right through that if she tried it, so that isn’t an option. “Well, I’ve actually got somewhere else to be. A really very important…thing. A thing that can’t wait, so…it was really nice talking to you, brilliant lecture. Slightly exaggerated in some parts but - you know - got to keep the students engaged…“ Her eyes flick to the door. She’s parked her TARDIS in a supply closet, so it’s not far away.

“Are you calling my stories embellished?“ River trails after this Jane Smith towards the door, flabbergasted. She’s a bone fide time traveller, she knows her subject matter better than anyone in the known universe, except  - “It’s not as though you can possible know better? How old are you anyway, twelve?“ She carries on trying to get under the girl’s skin, who is clearly hiding something.  “Where on earth are you going? You realise that’s the closet.“

“Why are you following me?“ The Doctor had hoped to simply shake her but River seems to have different ideas. She doesn’t dare open the supply closet door, River would see the TARDIS and she would be done for. But where else could she possibly go? She looks around anxiously for a way out.

“Mmm it seems you might be trapped…“ River drops her voice to a knowing whisper. She smirks, delighting in watching the girl fret.

“I just… forgot which way I… uhh…“ The Doctor struggles for a response suddenly aware of how close River is getting to her. And that smirk… She knows it all too well. Like a lioness stalking her prey. She can’t even think of a credible lie to get her out of her predicament.

“Which way you meant to go?“ River bobs her finger on her lip pretending to think hard about it. “My office is this way, if you didn't get the hint earlier.“ River ghosts her hands over the girls hips, rubbing into her hipbones with her thumbs and sucking her lips and humming. “Jane Smith. I appreciate the code name. You can slip me your paper later, I’ll be sure to mark it up a grade, well, depending on your performance of course.“ River winks coyly.

“I…“ The Doctor’s mouth suddenly feels really dry, she can’t speak. Flirting and reading innuendo isn’t exactly her forte but River can’t possibly be more obvious with her advances. Is this what River is like when she isn’t around? The Doctor isn’t sure whether to be flattered or hurt. They’re not exactly exclusive but she doesn’t like her nose rubbed in it like this. But at the same time, perhaps this is an opportunity… She could be with River without having to reveal her identity… but is that something she wanted to do under false pretences?

“Good talk, come along!“ River grins and leads the way across the lecture hall to the staff door, and unlocks it with a quick key-twizzle, then presses the door open wide to wave ‚Jane‘ through. River uses the opportunity to loop her arm around Jane’s waist and scoops her in the right direction down the hall towards her office.

The Doctor doesn’t know what to do. Things are moving fast, River doesn’t even give her a chance to protest. Her hearts seem to skip their beats when River pulls her along.

Once inside, River tosses the door shut and wastes no time in pushing Jane against it, roaming her hands up and down her sides and snapping the elastic braces. “These are retro, but I can go with the flow, off they coooome…“ River sings as she yanks them off Jane’s shoulders, then the coat, and where is the edge of this t-shirt? River is keen to feel her hands up Jane’s abdomen, and the flush of her skin. River knows her hands are rough - years of archeological digs will do that to a girl - but Jane is young and sweet enough to need a little roughing up.

“River…“ The Doctor tries to protest, this was moving too fast. Her breath catches when River untucks her t-shirt. The Doctor is still getting used to this new body and she suddenly feels very hot.

“First names already? My my…“ River tosses her mane of hair out the way as she leans in to kiss Jane on the neck, biting her and enjoying teasing her far too much. “Sweetie you do give yourself away, even in this body,“ River tickles her teeth along the Doctor’s collarbone searching for the next spot to bite. “I mean, I like it darling, but give me a heads next time -“ River explores the Doctor’s petite body with enthusiasm. “My apparatus is your apparatus and all that, got to get my head around it.“

“You knew?!“ The Doctor blurts out and pushes her off, holds her at arms length. “And you just played along?!“ She’s breathless from River’s kisses but her outrage overshadows her arousal.

River unbuttons her shirt confidently, tearing the sides apart and presenting her body to the Doctor once again, even if it’s all new for the Doctor, River is still River. “Well what did you think? I do this with all my students, Jane Smith?“ She smiles a broad, proud River smile and holds her hands out for the Doctor to take. “I’m married, remember?“ Mutually exclusive is…a bit of stretch, there might be other husbands here and there, but there is only one Doctor. “So, wife, how about a little ride on the merry-go-round with this new body?“

The Doctor just stares at her for a moment. It’s been a while since Darillium but she still recalls every moment, and River is just as beautiful as she remembers. And just as much of a temptress. She bites her lip, suddenly feeling very insecure. It would be her first time in this body…and it’s her first time being a woman as far as she can remember. That’s a lot to be anxious about.

Softening the come-on, River takes the Doctors hands and steps closer to her, squeezing her hands in reassurance. “I knew it would happen eventually, a wife and not a husband. It’s okay, you know.“ River takes a deep breath, and kisses her wife properly for the first time. Her lips are thinner softer and taste of cinnamon, but she kisses back just like her husband did. Her Doctor. “I love you. This adorable new body is just a bonus,“ she says gently, then kisses her nose for extra effect.

The Doctor can’t help but chuckle as she looks up to her. This was new. She is shorter than her! Though only due to River’s ridiculously high heels.

“I love you, too.“ She whispers nuzzling into her crook of her neck as she wraps her arms around her. River smells exactly the way she remembers, like sunshine on a spring day. “I’ve missed you so much.“ She confesses.

[feferipeixes]

Still Alive

After Dipper learns that this whole "being a demon" thing means he's going to live forever, he and Mabel talk about the future, and what he's going to do when everyone he knows dies. It's not until much later that he starts to realize that they'll never truly die -- just like he'll never truly get sick of ice cream.

Thanks to @toothpastecanyon for beta reading!

(See the most updated version on AO3!)

===

“If you could choose one project to do and be guaranteed that you’d finish it eventually, no matter how long it took, what would you do?”

“Hmm....” Mabel replied, itching her scalp with a plastic hand clapping toy. “Oh! I’d get my hands on the Ultimate Magical Shimmering Rainbow-splosion Fluffykins doll! There’s only five hundred in existence -- they’re super duper rare!”

“No no no,” Dipper countered. “That’s too easy, and too short. All you’d need to do is set up some eBay alerts, bribe a few people, maybe sneak into the FluffCorp factory building. Not even -- you could just snap your fingers -” (he snapped his fingers for effect, causing a puff of blue flame to momentarily appear) “and conjure it.”

“I can’t -” Mabel started, but Dipper kept talking over her.

“I’m talking about something really unprecedented. Something that would take a long time, something you wouldn’t ordinarily be able to do. Something that would change the world.”

“Oh, I get it now!” Mabel tossed the toy aside and flipped over, letting her head dangle off the end of her bed. “I’d call you a dork a million times.”

Her brother scowled at her and jumped out of his chair and into the air. “Hey!” he yelped over Mabel’s laughter. “I'̼͚̻͓͎̲m̡̖̰̘̣͎ ̖͇̕n̛̻ơ̰t̷̟͇̱ ̝̺̻a̳̦ ̪̟̮͖ḑor̞͓̭k̟̤̖!̛͍ And even if I was, that wouldn’t take you very long! At, uh, a rate of, let’s see, you could probably say ‘you’re a dork’ at least 30 times per minute, and if you didn’t ever sleep…”

Mabel watched the red tinge fade away from his features as he paced around in mid air, doing math in his head. “Yeah. You’re totally not a dork, Sir Maths-a-lot. You sure showed me.”

“- It wouldn’t even take you a month,” Dipper finished. “Besides, how would that change the world?”

“Hmm, well if I call you a dork enough times,” Mabel answered, “maybe my big scary demon brother would decide he doesn’t want to be a dork and instead he’d do something with his cool magic powers that ends up making the world a better place!”

“Mabel?”

“Yeah bro-bro?”

Dipper frowned at her. “Your face is turning purple.”

“Touche,” she replied, rubbing her chin very seriously. She slid the rest of the way off the bed and clutched her throbbing head. “Owww…”

“That's what you get for giving me dumb answers,” Dipper quipped, arms crossed.

“You mean for giving you fun answers,” Mabel corrected, and then winced at another sting of pain. “Why are you asking me these weird questions anyway?”

A panicked look flickered across Dipper's face, and his feet touched the ground. “I don't know what you're talking about.”

Mabel, still massaging her temples, pushed herself semi-upright to give her brother a look. “Come on. ‘What would you do if you had all the time in the world?’ ’What movie could you watch a million times and never get sick of it?’ ’Do you think Stancakes have a shelf life longer than 100 years?’ Something is clearly up.”

Dipper giggled awkwardly (was there any other way he could giggle?) and stared at the ceiling. “Nothing. It's nothing!”

“What, are you really not gonna tell me?” Mabel pushed. ”What if I tickle you?”

Her brother recoiled in horror. “You wouldn't.”

There was a tense silence as the two twins considered whose was the stronger will: the expert fighter with a plethora of torture tactics at hand, or the demon. Mabel narrowed her eyes. Dipper sharpened his claws. No words were exchanged. The room was perfectly still.

Mabel jolted forward half a foot and Dipper shrieked.

“Okay, you win, just don't tickle me!” he begged, throwing his hands up. “I'll tell you!”

“Good,” Mabel replied. “Things were about to get ugly. Spill it, bro-bro.”

Dipper sighed. He dusted himself off -- a habit he'd gotten into lately even though he was pretty sure nothing he could do would make his orange shirt and vest look any less weird with his new body.

“Remember… Remember the thing I told you the other day, when I had that infodump and learned more about my powers?”

“Oh yeah,” she said. “You found out that your omniscience tells you whenever anyone farts.”

“No!” he squeaked. “Although, you are right, it does do that and it's annoying, especially because now I can smell it from like a mile away.”

He wrinkled his nose, staring off into space for a minute before shaking his head. “But that's not what I mean. I'm talking about… how I'm never going to die.”

It had been about a week since Mabel had walked into the living room to find Dipper writhing and sobbing on the floor. She remembered the way he’d looked right through her, how he hadn’t seemed to even notice her presence when she sat him upright, how he kept muttering “still alive, still alive” over and over again, and it hadn’t made any sense to her then, but when he finally snapped out of it and was able to vocalize what he’d seen…

She shuddered at the memory of it.

“Since then,” Dipper continued, “I’ve been thinking about how I’m going to deal with it. And I had this idea that I could come up with things to do to fill the time.”

“What, so you’re going to plan out your whole life?” Mabel asked, incredulous. “Let me guess -- you’re making a checklist? Hah! Can you imagine?”

She giggled, and then he reached into his vest and pulled out oh sweet Moses.

“I’ve already got some good stuff on here,” Dipper said, ignoring or not noticing his sister’s flabbergasted expression. “I’m gonna learn how to make a sword by hand. I’m gonna watch all of Tiger Fist backwards to see if there are any hidden messages. And there’s this spa getaway weekend that the Multibear invited me on -- shoot, wait, he’s gonna be dead by then, umm…”

Mabel raised an eyebrow as her brother started scribbling on the checklist. “Dipper. This is obsessive even for you.”

“What would you know?” he shot back. “You’re not the one who’s immortal.”

“I know how to have this thing called ‘fun’,” she replied. “Maybe you’ve heard of it?”

He grumbled at her, eyes locked on his checklist. He couldn’t believe he forgot that the Multibear spa trip thing was a limited time offer. That kind of stuff was slipping his mind more and more these days, like the time Mabel asked him to play cards with her and he was so busy alphabetizing his Sibling Brothers books that he neglected to respond to her for three days.

Although, now that he thought about it, that might’ve been before he became a demon.

Something damp and cold hit Dipper in the face, and he spluttered in surprise. “What was that?” he shouted. One of his flailing hands happened to close on the object as it fell, and he held it up to the light.

“It’s a popsicle, doofus!” Mabel said. She’d fetched two from the minifridge in their room while he was distracted, and was busy licking away at her own, which was chocolate. “Remember those?”

He wrinkled his nose. “I don’t have ti-”

“I’ll throw another one at you,” Mabel interrupted.

“- I guess I could have some ice cream,” Dipper finished.

He floated over and sat on the floor next to his sister. He removed the paper from the popsicle and gave the object a sniff. The aroma of orange and vanilla caressed his sensitive nose, and he realized how long it’d been since he had any sugar. Without a second moment’s thought, he threw his head back, stretching both his neck and jaw further than they were supposed to go, and placed the entire popsicle -- stick and all -- into his gaping maw.

“See, what’d I tell you?” Mabel said, smirking at the satisfaction on her brother’s face. She reached up with her popsicle to scratch an itch on her nose, and then went right back to eating it. “I always know what to do with my time. I wonder what it’d be like if I lived forever…”

Dipper eyed the glob of chocolate ice cream on the bridge of her nose. “The world would probably be a much more chaotic place.”

“You mean a much BETTER place!” she declared. “Everyone would have fun and ice cream all the time!”

He grinned. “You’re right. It would be a much better place. Because my best friend would be there.” Mabel looked at him, a twinkle in her eye and ice cream all over her face, and his grin fell away. “I guess this is what you felt like when I said I was going to be Grunkle Ford’s apprentice, huh. I’m such a shitty bro-”

Mabel at once had her hands on his face, squishing his cheeks together so he’d stop talking. “Nuh-uh. Bro-bro you’re gonna stop hating on yourself Right. Now.” She was still smiling, but her tone had twisted into something harsh. “Okay, sure, I’m gonna die someday and then you’re gonna have to figure out what to do on your own. But I’m not ready to think about that and neither are you! We’re hecking 13 years old! We should act like it, while we’ve still got the chance. Please don’t make me think about dying yet.”

Dipper winced, and she let go of him. “I’m sorry,” he murmured.

“S’okay.” She patted him on the back, harder than he’d been expecting, and he was so surprised that he coughed up the popsicle stick he’d eaten earlier.

For a minute, neither of them said a word. Dipper lifted a hand to his face, where he felt something sticky.

“You got chocolate on my face.”

“Yeah. On your vest, too.” She stuck her tongue out at him. “What are you going to do about it?”

He looked at his hands, still small and smooth like a child. With a thought, he bathed both hands in a blue flame, searing away the chocolate and leaving them clean, just the way he liked them. Then he cleared his throat.

“I’m gonna chase you around the house,” he stated matter-of-factly.

Smiling ear-to-ear, Mabel jumped up and ran to the wall. “You’re nuts if you think you can catch me, even with demon powers!” Cackling, she threw the door open, which bathed her in a blinding white light.

Dipper thought about his infodump from the other day, thought about the part he hadn’t told Mabel, the tiny glimpse he’d gotten of his sister when she’d been old, pale, and still -- too horribly, horribly still. It was just a glimpse, but it haunted him -- the thought that one day there wouldn’t be a single trace left of Mabel Pines anywhere in the world. She was right -- as always -- that he was obsessing, that he was letting a thought hurt him when it didn’t have to.

He wasn’t ready to think about growing up yet, either. No matter how strong the pull to obsess was, he had to find a way to fight it.

“You can’t get away from me!” Dipper roared, and flew after his sister into the future.

---

"Wahoo! That was a great idea -- getting ice cream -- Dipper! I feel so much better! You always know how to cheer me up."

Dipper, clad in his usual human disguise, collapsed onto the bench with a grunt. "I dunno, this stuff tastes off. You’d think with all the technological advancements since the Transcendence that they’d have found a way to perfect ice cream."

His friend Arin, who was somehow managing to carry five popsicles in two hands, nodded with a serious look on her face. "Yeah. Oh sure a lot of old timey diseases were eradicated and we've got flying cars and stuff. But not one of these ice pops actually tastes like orange!"

She stared at him for a beat longer, then finally broke into snickers. One of the popsicles fell out of her hand, and a stubby arm immediately shot out from under the bench to catch it.

His face twisting in confusion, Dipper bent over to look under the bench. There were two gnomes right beneath him -- one of them hissed when they saw him, making him jump and making Arin laugh even harder.

"Ha-ha, okay," Dipper said, hand on his chest like his heart was racing. Despite this, he couldn't keep a small smile from creeping onto his face.

So much had changed in the last five hundred years, and yet so much else had stayed the same. Wars were fought, societies had formed and collapsed, but people were still people, and Dipper was still Dipper. Even though he’d had more than a few incidents where his demonic nature overcame his humanity, he always seemed to land back on his feet again eventually. Sometimes all it took was a friend.

Right now, his friend was a girl named Arin who he’d saved when someone else had tried to sacrifice her to him. He remembered how grateful she’d been, how she gave him a hug despite him being a void black monster splattered with blood, and how she then spent 20 minutes chatting with him about dragons even though she’d just had a very traumatic experience. She seemed, in other words, cool. So he later presented himself to her as fellow undergraduate student Dipper, without revealing that it was him who’d saved her that night, and they’d been good friends ever since.

Arin sat next to him and started taking bites out of her ice pops. "Yknow, the Transcendence-era wasn't that great," she said, although with her mouth busy it sounded like she was drowning.

Dipper's brow creased. "What do you mean?"

She gulped down the hunk of ice in her mouth. "No offense -- I know you're totally obsessed with Transcendence history stuff -- but that was soooo long ago. There's no one left who was alive back then, except like vampires I guess. But vampires don't eat ice cream so it doesn't matter."

Dipper bit back the urge to say "I know a vampire who loves ice cream as long as there's blood in it". What came out instead was "So?"

"So!" Arin shoved an entire popsicle into her mouth, and then had to take a minute to cough up the stick. "S-so," she continued amid gasps, "no one knows for sure what ice cream tasted like in the year 2012. And that includes you, Mr. Argues-With-The-Teacher! For all we know, old timey ice cream tasted like sawdust!"

Dipper considered his chocolate popsicle, which he's barely looked at since the first taste. "I guess you're right." He gave it another wary lick.

It didn't taste like chocolate the way he remembered it, but it was close enough.

"Do you ever think," he asked, unable to meet his friend's eyes, "about all the stuff that used to exist but doesn't anymore? All the ideas and food and... people?"

Arin groaned. "Is that what this is about? My best friend of the past 2 years -- secretly one of those 'I was born in the wrong century' people?"

"No!" he shot back, before taking another lick of the popsicle. "I just think it's sad that stuff goes away and no one's there to remember it."

"Well, maybe no one remembers that stuff, but that doesn't mean it's forgotten."

Dipper looked up. "Huh?"

Arin scarfed down her remaining two popsicles, which had begun melting onto her hand. "People die and ideas change and the world moves on. It happens constantly! But those people influenced their friends and their family and their coworkers. Who in turn influenced other people. Those people might be dead, but they live forever in the words and actions of everyone who came after."

Dipper just stared at her, jaw dropped. "Where did that come from?" he managed to get out. "Five seconds ago you were gagging on frozen sugar! You're not allowed to be this insightful!"

"Sugar rushes always make me super thoughtful," Arin said, patting him on the back. "It's 'cause I'm a genius. I'm probably gonna crash hard later though. Also by the way your ice cream is totally melting."

"Ah, shoot." Dipper hurriedly tried to catch the melting ice cream with his tongue, and Arin giggled again.

"The point is," she said, "if you've always got your head stuck in a history textbook, you're gonna miss out on the present. If you're always thinking about the dead guy who invented ice cream, you won't be around to eat any with me."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," he said. He felt an itch on his nose, so he wiggled it. "Thanks, Arin. I feel better- why are you looking at me like that?"

Arin was indeed staring at him with a perplexed look on her face as if she was not the one who'd just swallowed a metric ton of ice cream. "Why do you do that?"

Dipper frowned. "Do what? AGH-"

He yelped as Arin whipped out her phone and snapped a photo of him, blinding him with the flash even though it was a bright, sunny day out. "What was that for?"

She didn't say anything, simply handed him her phone. It certainly was not the best photo ever taken of him. It was blurry, his hair was a mess, and his mouth was contorted in shock.

On the bridge of his nose was a dollop of chocolate ice cream.

"You do it every time we get ice cream," Arin said, taking her phone back. "I mean, you call me weird, but I'm not the one always itching my nose with an ice pop."

"Oh," Dipper said. He paused and looked at his fingers, which were all chocolate-y too now. "I didn't even notice I was doing it."

"Suuure, weirdo," Arin chuckled. She stood up, wobbling a bit as she did so, and steadied herself on the back of the bench. "Listen dude, this was fun but I think the sugar's starting to hit me. I'm gonna head back to the dorm before I collapse. Wanna hang out later?"

"Definitely!" Dipper replied. "You should get some rest! Try not to give psychological counseling to anyone on the way -- you're gonna burn out your brain!"

He waved at his friend as she staggered away, and watched her until she turned a corner around a building. Then he sighed, and wiped his nose with his finger.

"Hey Mabel," he whispered, looking at the chocolate he'd collected. "It’s me, Dipper.”

A passing jogger sent a pointed look at the young man who was talking to his finger, but Dipper ignored them.

“I seem to remember you saying something to me about living forever. You said that one day you’d be gone, and I’d have to find a way to carry on alone.” He thought about Arin’s words, and felt something swell in his chest. “But I guess you’re still alive after all.”

He sniffed, and looked up at the sun as it started to bathe the sky in the pinks and purples of evening. He saw people in flying cars, people rushing through pneumatic tubes, people high fiving on jetpack because it was a wonderful day to be out. And he thought about what Arin said; thought about all of the sicknesses he'd seen friends and family afflicted by that no one ever had to suffer from again. He thought about all the preters he saw walking freely and happily on the campus, without worrying that they'd be attacked.

"And you were right," he said. "The world is a better place."

Dipper licked the remaining chocolate off his fingers, and got up. As he headed back toward his dorm room, he wondered what other legacies his loved ones had left in him.

(AO3 link)

[collabwithmyself]

Interlude: Just Like Me

"Did you SEE THAT?!" Maya crowed, leaping off the couch and onto her feet. "That was AWESOME!"

Miles was right behind her, flapping his hands as giddiness overtook him. "I can't take the suspense, Maya, I can't wait another week for this! We've been looking forward to this showdown all season!"

"YES! Did you see the way the Steel Samurai was so cool with his spear?!" Maya grabbed the nearby broom - Miles had abruptly abandoned his chores when they realized the show was about to start - and swung it haphazardly. "See you in Hell, Evil Magistrate," she said, her voice dropping into a deeper register Miles wasn't even aware she was capable of. He stopped trying to grab the broom from her to correct her technique, flabbergasted.

"How in the world did you just do that?"

"Huh?" Maya blinked. "Do what?"

"Th-That! With your voice!"

"Ohhh..." Maya grinned mischeviously. "A girl has her ways."

The pair stood there for a second.

Two.

"Okay, it's a lot harder than it used to be, since I've been doing voice training and all," Maya admitted in a rush, unable to contain herself.

"Why would vocal training make changing your voice harder?" Miles wondered aloud. "...Why would you need vocal training in the first place, in fact?"

The answer cracked him over the head like a wooden rod. No, wait, that was Maya fooling around with the broom again.

"NGHOOH!"

"Whoops!"

Miles rubbed the swelling knot on his forehead, grimacing. "What was that for?"

"Hee... Cain instinct?"

"What? Where do you get these words?"

"Internet."

"Who is giving you access to the internet? Don't you live on a mountain?"

"I usually use Mia's computer whenever I visit to look at stuff," Maya said matter-of-factly.

There was something else he wanted to ask, but it had been very rudely interrupted by Maya whacking him. He racked his brain, retracing his mental steps. She was messing with the broom because they were talking about the Steel Samurai, and Maya had made herself sound sort of like the Steel Samurai, and she brought up voice training when Miles asked... aha!

"Maya, what did you mean earlier by vocal training?"

Maya stiffened, clutching the broom. "I was hoping I hit you hard enough you forgot about that."

"Wha-- why would you--" Miles was bewildered. "You hit me on purpose so I'd forget I asked you a question?"

"Yeah! Let's talk about that! I'm such a card, aren't I?" Maya gave him a toothy grin.

"Maya."

Maya puffed up her cheeks and then let out her breath with a noisy sputter of her lips. Her arms drooped, and the broom slid out of her hands and onto the floor. "Can't you just drop it, My? It's nothing important."

The curious part of him yearned to know what Maya was hiding, even though he had a decent hunch. The rest of him, however, felt regret at seeing Maya so dejected. He cleared his throat awkwardly and sat back down on the couch.

"Right. I... I'm sorry."

...perhaps there was something he could do that might be able to coax the story out of her, but if he was wrong, he'd be baring a particularly vulnerable part of himself to someone he still didn't know all that well. Maya didn't seem like the type to be hurtful, but she'd lived in a village with heavy gender roles her whole life, and he wasn't sure if he was mentally prepared to walk her through the basics if need be.

Eventually, he settled on saying, "I had an odd voice when I was younger, too."

Maya perked up. "You have an odd voice now," she said almost immediately.

Miles spluttered. "I do not," he protested.

"Nghooooh," Maya groaned. Miles took a cushion from the couch and chucked it at her.

Once she stopped cackling, she leaned on the couch with an expression Miles hoped was intrigue. "Okay, okay. Tell me about your weird voice."

"Well, it could... very easily be called feminine, I suppose." He folded his hands in his lap as he carefully picked his words. "I had to go through a lot of effort to make it sound the way I wanted it to."

Maya was wearing an expression he couldn't quite read, looking like she was somehow simultaneously staring at him and through him.

"So I, erm," Miles mumbled, all too aware of how little he'd thought this through, "understand what it's like. To be unhappy enough with your voice to want to change it. And I, er, I'm glad you're comfortable."

An extremely awkward silence filled the room, stretching longer and longer. Miles began to fidget in place, squeezing his hands together before releasing, squeeze-release, squeeze-release--

"I'm trans."

Miles stiffened. "O... Oh?" he managed, wincing at how terribly desperate he sounded.

Maya wound a piece of hair around her finger. "Yeah, I realized that being a boy sucked one day, and I wanted to be a girl instead. So I am a girl."

"I don't know," Miles mumbled, tensing, "I found the concept rather appealing."

It took her a moment, but then her jaw dropped. "Wait, you--?!"

He folded his arms across his chest, giving himself a firm squeeze. "I haven't known anyone like myself since I was nine years old," he admitted.

Maya chose this moment to hurl herself over the back of the couch and flatten Miles in something approaching a hug, but was really just a mess of flailing limbs.

"NGOOOH!!"

"I've never met ANYBODY like me before!" Maya shouted, ecstatic. "Do you have any idea what it's like being the only trans person in an entire village that still doesn't even grasp the concept of gay couples?"

"I can only imagine," Miles wheezed. "Please get off my stomach."

Maya chose instead to somehow drop even more of her weight onto him. Miles coughed.

"It's like destiny we met or something, My! This is incredible!"

"I-I don't... wait, aren't only women born with spiritual powers in your village?"

"The spirits said trans rights," Maya said sternly.

They stared at each other.

Then they both started laughing.

Maya collapsed fully against Miles, wheezing as she tried to catch her breath. "Hoo, yeah... once I figured out I was a girl, I was like, I wanna be a spirit medium! Because that's what women in Kurain Village do, y'know? And it turns out, bam, I've got spiritual powers! I think it's probably the only reason anybody in the village actually takes my identity seriously!"

Miles's grin slipped off his face. "Ah... that's..."

But Maya seemed unperturbed. "I think my Aunt Morgan thinks I turned myself into a girl specifically to spite her, which, while a hilarious concept--"

"Maya," Miles said firmly, "you deserve a more accepting environment than that."

Maya deflated. "Yeah, well, it's the best I'm gonna get," she sighed.

"Well, I can say with certainty that you're a woman regardless of whether you can channel spirits."

Maya was silent, resting her face on Miles's shoulder.

"...thanks," she finally mumbled into him.

Miles awkwardly patted her on the back. "Er... yes."

[fantranslatorbychoice]

Kakuriyo no Yadomeshi Volume 6 Chapter 4 - Secret Girls' Night-out

T/N: Hi y’all, it’s me again, it took a bit longer because I did my best to beta-as much as I could, but if it’s still wonky, I apologize, it's not like I get paid to do it lol also it's rather challenging when I had to convert my brain waves from Japanese to English to my native language and however those combinations work just to spew all of these out in sufficiently passable English. So I hope you all don't mind stuff like typos or inconsistencies with the tenses srsly even the original text has that and I just literally gave up evening out the tenses, like really apparently it's no biggie to have an entire paragraph in Japanese that both has past and present tenses (they mostly don't have future tenses) but if that happened in English some would just nitpick that shit out. I mean, yeah, for sure when I do editing and get paid for it I would, but if I'm just reading fanfics from writers who don't have English as their native language I just don't give a hoot, as long as the story's good, to heck with grammar, spelling and syntax. Srsly some non-native EN speakers get turned-off or even scared when nitpickers hit on their imperfect spellings or grammar or dictions, srsly honestly just give them a break, they worked hard to learn another language. I felt this even more so when I started learning Nihongo, like srsly as long as a person gets to say what they want to say even if it's not perfect in anyway, then that's more than enough for me.  srsly I am forgiving like that. Also this chapter has more notes than usual, especially regarding Nihongo and stuff, so if you don't like it you can always move along lololol Also I gave up, I'm keeping the titles and roles in Japanese i.e. Odanna-sama, Wakadanna-sama, Bantou-san, etc. I'll just stick in more notes instead lol

Also if you like this translation, you can heart it, share the link, reblog, I just respectfully ask that DO NOT REPOST ELSEWHERE. This is my contribution to the scant English content of this fandom, and I worked really hard to finish this thing, it’s not like I just copy-pasted everything. I even had to build the kanji in Jisho one by one. Try it and you’ll see what I mean.You can rave about this, rant about this, but if possible please link back to this page. If you’re unsure how to do that, just copy the web address of this page. If you’re on a blogsite just insert the web address as a hyperlink as a link back to here. Honestly if this light novel was officially-published in English, I wouldn’t even be doing this right now... And if it did, I’d take this offline to support the publishers and Yuuma-sensei. Creators support creators, is what I believe in. As previously-mentioned in earlier chapters, if you stumbled upon this one, the two seasons of the anime covered volumes 1-5, so other than the extra details, you didn’t miss much stuff. OK, with all of that out of the way, here's Chapter 4 now. P116 "Th... These are... The Southern Lands' cultured Japanese amberjack**... A bundle of Kiseki beef.. And there are so many other local products from the Southern Lands too. Ah, there's even the coconut oil that I always wanted!" So many extravagant ingredients have been hauled into Yugao, and I was flabbergasted by them all. There were also so many cans of various contents as well as dried fish and other products stuffed inside. Canned tuna and other canned stuff were considered as high-end products in Kakuriyo, and I am very grateful. Ginji-san and the Daruma gang from the kitchens delivered a box packed with so many ingredients to Yugao, and we had no idea why. "Well, the Dog said that these are their repayment to our kindness. It's because a while ago, Ranmaru came to Tenjin-ya." "Really, Ranmaru from Orio-ya?" "Hatori-san also came too, with him." In some way, Ginji-san's mood was good. For a while now, his nine fluffy tails were wagging from left to right. "It's from our head accountant Byakuya-san, Aoi-san's rewards for your achievement, and for Tenjin-ya's cooperative business venture and all sorts of other demands that were deemed justifiable, and because they wanted to give other things as a way of expressing their gratitude, they brought in many other souvenirs and products as well. They also exchanged with us various other information." T/N: This is related to tuna fish, but don't ask me how they cultured it. Probably in the open sea, like in sea cages. Yes, that's a thing, and yeah I was also in the fishing industry at some point in time, if you're wondering. Also if you're wondering why I rarely use "you" in the dialogues of the translations, it's because in polite Japanese conversations, instead of saying ANATA or OMAE= you, one's name is mentioned instead. In the original text, when people are talking to each other, rather than say "you" they say the other person's name or occupation + san instead i.e. bengoshi-san= lawyer san, Ginji-san, or if it's a username because they don't like using their true names- USERNAME-san. Because using "you" in any way, shape or form in conversations is deemed rude AF. So the next time you chat with Japanese people, please remember to address them by their name, or occupation, unless you've established rapport with them. I forgot to put this explanation in my earlier posts, but it's one of the most important stuff I learned in my Japanese classes, the Japanese folk won't care so much on grammar but more on being polite and taking care of remembering social status stratification aka just be polite by using polite terms. I actually experienced this first hand after chatting with some of them, they just told me not to use Google translate and just chat with them with whatever I know. They're very grateful when people could talk to them in their native tongue, especially when the honorifics are used. This note's long AF but I did say that I'm gonna drag you all with me in this whole learning Nihongo thing, and I'm doing just that. P117 "That friendly Ranmaru did that? Doesn't he hate Tenjin-ya?" "Hee hee. Well, don't take this too seriously, OK?" Even though saying it that way, I imagined that Ranmaru's horrible words and demeanour were probably due to his circumstances. Orio-ya sees Tenjin-ya as its rival, it's hard to imagine them having an image of humbly bringing over souvenirs. And the business dealings, I wonder what those are...? "Oh that, Ranmaru saw that you had a strong sense of duty. He wanted to particularly express his gratitude to Aoi-san." And thereupon, these ingredients from the Southern Lands. Stuff I rarely get hold of, especially something like that one round amberjack, and I unconsciously grinned. "Even so, if the circumstances allowed, he would have stopped by and said it himself** ..." "It was before Aoi-san's business hours, and Ranmaru is also busy it seems, so he had to go back immediately. Even I wanted to take our time since I thought it was fine, but it can't be helped... Because Ranmaru is the Southern Lands' Hachiyo." "Ha ha. Then what happens next is that if it's possible, Ginji-san will go to Orio-ya, won't he? Nothing's stopping you two from visiting each other now?" "Aoi-san...." Up until recently, Ginji-san and Ranmaru's long sibling feud previously ended sometime ago, and the long-standing so-called inn rivalry and clash between Orio-ya and Tenjin-ya has been cut. T/N: aisatsu=挨拶=greeting, introducing one's self, improving relations by dropping by every now and then, can also mean like popping up to say hi or whatnot. I don't know how to directly translate it since aisatsu has more of a sense of how a supervisor pops up in the work place or a teacher suddenly appears in a class just to check, it's not as informal as a neighbor dropping by the house just to have idle chitchat. Hweh. P118 But after the ceremony, the changed relationship between the two has been noticeable. "Oh, that, I see. Someday soon, I will take a break and go visit him too." "Yeah, I agree, that's great. Oh, I wonder if everyone's doing well... Hatori-san and Tokihiko-san, Hideyoshi and Nene, the cute twin chefs.. And Nobunaga." "It seems that everyone's doing fine. The twins Kai-san and Mei-san, Orio-ya profoundly realized that they're really suited to be chefs, and everyone seems to cheer them on, Hatori-san was still the same as ever, but sometimes he returns to Shumonzan. He says that he bickers with Matsuba-sama as always, but one way or another they've become in good terms with each other." Ginji-san asked Ranmaru, and he told things about Orio-ya's management staff. I see, everyone in each of their own way have been doing their best to move on forward. "Oh, and somehow Hideyoshi-san and Nene-san seems to have been engaged." "Whaaat? Why that fast?" Wait a minute. Hideyoshi knew that Nene-chan has decided, that she likes Ranmaru, wasn't it? But that's what Hideyoshi said... My astonished face must have looked funny, and Ginji-san turned away his face and giggled. "It's surely shocking, isn't it? Why, it's amazing, Hideyoshi was especially honest and manly. P119 I simply cannot..." Ginji-san let out a tiny laugh again. What is it about his old haunting grounds, being delighted at the many changes in Orio-ya? At any rate, I was surprised with Hideyoshi and Nene's engagement. Firstly, congratulations Hideyoshi. You thought that your unrequited love has been going on for so long, it was outside your thoughts early on, but now your love bore its fruit. I'm glad, as I'm rooting for you on from the sides. What the heck, behind my back, how did they get involved in that, that was surprisingly an unusual story, if I meet Nene this time I need to get information from her. "But the when the trustworthy Waka-danna** and Waka-Okami** get married, Orio-ya will surely become peaceful, and Ranmaru will also be pleased. Certainly after the marriage, their organization will grow even stronger. He'll get exhausted if it's just Ranmaru holding everything together." "Isn't Tenjin-ya also reasonably solid?" "I guess, although the position for Waka-Okami easily changes. Originally the person in that position is supposed to only resign once, but right now Kikuno-san has temporarily retired as the Young Mistress and supposed to come back. However, there have been circumstances in her family, and she immediately relinquished her seat as the Waka-Okami." "Ehh, like that?" After showing my disbelief, Ginji-san sadly nodded.

T/N: Waka-danna=young master, Waka-Okami=young mistress P120 "If it comes to that, when a new Waka-Okami doesn't hold the position for very long, we can say that there's a gifted person in Tenjin-ya, and it's only a little issue.** Likewise, during that matter with Orio-ya, we in the management staff really wanted the former Waka-Okami O-ryo san to come back and give it another go. Her abilities are very outstanding." "Even I too... I was shocked to see O-ryo completely doing her job well. Even Nene, one way or another admires her so much." "Yes, I agree. But, oh well... O-ryo-san returning to her former position, it's already a huge chance and a necessity. Right now she's drifting away from supporting her fellow waiters and waitresses, well, O-ryo-san must be intending to. To me, she seems to be enjoying having lesser responsibilities and more carefree in her current position." "Well, that's for sure..." Based on how Ginji-san talked about it, lately it seems that O-ryo has no obsession on the position of Waka-Okami. A little bit until recently, she seems, to have returned the bearing of her Waka-Okami decorum, but lately she's wholly just wanting to eat and eat, when she finally gets some free time she goes to Yugao, and lately has been persisting on going out hunting for marriage partners. However, I could say with confidence that she seems to be taking advantage of being relieved of her position as a Waka-Okami , and surely Tenjin-ya will realize that they need O-ryo's abilities. O-ryo's strength, is diligently doing her duties in that position. "Anyway, Aoi-san. I was preparing and building up the Autumn Festival here in Tenjin-ya at the end of this month, and I was thinking of using pumpkins, is it possible for Yugao to make Autumn foods and sweets for us?" T/N: Honestly double-triple negatives are a pain in the ass, srsly it's like inception to the nth power, I had trouble deciphering this line and almost this entire page in the original text so if it doesn't make sense, meh, I did my best within my current abilities. P121 "Pumpkin? Of course. It's gonna be fun, like Halloween." "Oh, right! There's a foreign festival called Halloween in Utsushiyo, but I thought it's impossible to recreate that here in in Kakuriyo, though I could imagine it to be made into a Pumpkin Festival." "Oh, not at all, we can make that same Halloween theme here because Tenjin-ya is mostly full of Ayakashi." A Japanese Halloween that doesn't use costumes... "But certainly, this year's pumpkins are delicious, so Pumpkin Festival sounds good, doesn't it? It's also a great idea to give out candies to our young guests." "We can probably decorate with paper lanterns and pumpkins too. We can place ogre-fire inside, and make them float all around Tenjin-ya." "Wow! That's very much like Utsushiyo's Halloween!" Why, the Autumn Festival goes well with the Pumpkin Event and our imaginations ran wild. "Also, Aoi-san. Pumpkins are not Odanna-sama's favorite." "..." Abruptly, the topic on Odanna-sama popped up, and I stiffened a bit. Some days ago, we came back from the orchard park date. I remembered being hugged in the airship's deck...** "How are you feeling, Aoi-san? Why is your face all red?" T/N: **insert lenny face here** You can't stop me wahahaha P122 "Hm? Oh, it's nothing, this is nothing. Odanna-sama not liking pumpkins, I wonder if I somehow  asked that before..." "Oh, right. I saw that Odanna-sama often puts a lot of his boiled pumpkins in Byakuya-san's small bowl." "...really, isn't Odanna-sama unbelievable?" "Yes, he is. I don't know when Byakuya-san patience will end, but I want Odanna-sama to overcome his distaste for pumpkins." "You're right. His pickiness for food would not end... In this event I will feed Odanna-sama with the pumpkin cuisines I wanted him to try..." I haven't yet known what Odanna-sama likes, but I know what food he doesn't like. It wasn't at all regretable to make fun of Odanna-sama, but this time I got surprised. "Aoi-sama-- Manjuu-steaming has been finished!" Ai-chan's face suddenly popped out of the kitchen. She seemed to have established her affairs in Hyakumeyama, and she has changed her appearance to that which she made herself. Her time before returning to the pendant is still short, but she's working hard right now as a newly-hired employee. "You were steaming manjuu**? I thought I was smelling something good." "Yeah. Just a while ago Dr. Saraku was asked by Tenjin-ya to do some manufacturing trials for a new souvenir product.** T/N:  Steamed bread with bean jam filling. They’re really good, try them when you can!

when I write souvenir product, it's translated from omiyage=お土産= something that you take home for your friends or family when you go have fun somewhere like a national park or a museum or amusement park. Like when you buy takeaways -  T-shirts, food, keychains, etc. and bring them home or something. Is there an English equivalent for this? Because I don't know. In my native language we have an equivalent, well, for most Asian languages I guess. Don't know about others though.. Hm.... korewa....*inhales* O_O

P123 "We're still only in the middle of improving it, but once we're done we want Ginji-san to be the very first to try them out." "Wah, that sounds fun. When Byakuya-san saw the special products from Orio-ya, he also also saw the need for Tenjin-ya to make new specialties and other famous products, and he's going to be considerably sensitive about it." "Uhm.... But we have no confidence to meet that expectation..." If we couldn't get to sell all of the products that we made, what will we do if Tenjin-ya gets struck greatly by that? What will we do if Tenjin-ya's status and popularity crashes down? With regards to that, we had to think very hard. For Yugao as a small establishment it is a challenge, and the pressure feels a bit different. "It's alright. With regards to hit products, through time and through fads, luck always has a greater control. To me, the only thing needed by Dr. Saraku are failures no matter how many times, in his division. That is why it is important to fail when tackling new challenges." ".. Ginji-san..." "Because I think, we become stronger, don't we?" Ginji-san's relieving smile is so bright, even today it's promising. Having his support, for today as well, I will work harder for Yugao's business operations. P124 The next day, around noon. Tomorrow Tenjin-ya will be closed for a break. Since today Tenjin-ya's business operations will end and all shall check out at the same time, everyone's waiting to be free of work. Today, Yugao also has no business transactions, so tonight I was making up my mind to call all of the ladies to make hotpot. I was thinking of calling out all about to all the members who could attend, I only need to walk to the inner garden. "Oh, it's Kasuga." I noticed Kasuga first. On the other side of the log bridge, she was under the ginko tree. I was about to call out "Hey Kasuga--" but she seems to be talking to someone and I stopped. Behind the base of the ginko tree whose yellow leaves were slightly changing color, what the... Kasuga is usually cheerful but her face now weirdly has this blank expression. "Isn't that..." Beside her, it was Chiaki-san, the doorman in charge of the footwear. A Bake-Tanuki like Kasuga. Normally he doesn't get involved with her much deeply, but this time their dialogues seem to be at a crossroads. I thought that the young man was humble and modest, somehow trying his best to look cool, but somehow he is speaking to Kasuga with a harsh expression, the atmosphere doesn't seem good in there, the impression is very different from the usual funny and light. What is up with those two. These two were different from how I knew them. "Oh, Aoi-chan." P125 From far away, Kasuga noticed me, her Tanuki ears popped up, and rushed towards me. "Aoi-chan, are you going to the main building?" "Ehhhrm, yeah. That was weird, seeing the two of you." "You think so? Chiaki is my relative you know. We were just talking." "Oh, I see..." I don't understand but, I wonder what's normal for those two. "Speaking of, Kasuga, tonight, uhm, won't you come to Yugao after work?" "To Yugao? To make me eat food?" "Yeah. I was thinking of actually holding a ladies-only hotpot banquet. I'll set up the kotatsu, and there's also mountain apple liquor. Let's have a girls' night-out once in a while." "Girls night-out..." Kasuga said "That sounds so much fun" with a wicked Tanuki face. I wonder if she's recalling amusing stories she got out of everyone. "I was thinking of calling O-ryo and Shizuna-chan too. I'm going out to meet them now." "If you say so, I'll go tell them. I'm roommates with Shizuna-chan, and I'm assigned to the banquet hall with O-ryo sama." P126 "Oh, is it OK to ask? Sorry about that." "It's fine, it's like the usual running of errands." Smiling like a beast, Kasuga nimbly dashed away. Under the deep autumn air that feels cold, her fluffy Tanuki tail swings left to right. "..." Looking back at the ginko tree, Chiaki-san the chief doorman wasn't there anymore. I wonder what the two talked about. He seemed to have casually listened to the girls night-out plan. The strong mountain apple liquor, lend me your strength... "Aoi-dono" "Wah, Sasuke-kun!" Without warning, Sasuke-kun the O-niwaban fell down beside me. He has a long scarf hanging down his neck, ninja-style from sunrise to sunset. Normally, during the day he usually wears a monk's robe as he sweeps the garden. "What's up? Something happened during work?" "I am patrolling around. Lately, there has been some disturbances." "Well, tomorrow the inn will have its break, it must be difficult. Are you hungry?" "Ah, my stomach is..." P127 Grrrrrmmmmm. Sasuke-kun's hungry stomach made some noise. "My stomach is probably hungry..." "Hee hee. When your duties are done, while on break come to Yugao. We received a lot from Orio-ya, blessings from the sea. The Southern Lands were also grateful to Sasuke-kun, would you want anything?" "Is that true?" Sasuke-kun always had a cool expression, but when it comes to food his eyes sparkle with joy, like  a child's. Realizing that he's let out his enthusiasm, he cleared his throat and hid his mouth with the scarf while saying "Well then, until later," and he disappeared into the wind. Sasuke-kun is just as always very earnest, it's adorable. "Nevertheless, some disturbance..." I heard about that by accident, recently. The disturbance, it's shady, things don't look good, among other things. I was working and doing my best in Yugao, and whatever lurks up in my surroundings I don't notice anything at all. But, at the moment I don't know about  the things that have started happening, and I got more anxious and worried. P128 Today is a secret girls; night-out, no guys allowed. It's going to happen after Yugao's working hours, a hotpot party will be opened for the ladies of Tenjin-ya. Today it's not at Yugao, the venue will be at my room at the back, and I will bring out the kotatsu. Tonight's dinner will be amberjack shabu-shabu. We'll make a light konbu/kelp dashi amberjack shabu-shabu from the many seafoods from Orio-ya. "We'll use the top shelf kelp to make the konbu dashi for the seafoods of the Southern Lands. It's a hotpot filled with crunchy mustard greens and thinly-sliced daikon, Welsh onions and enoki mushrooms, I'm going to fill it with amberjack as much as I want." "OK--- Let's eat!" Despite it being after work, the ladies' eyes will get fired up. I wonder if that's the case when they get hungry after working hours. I immediately placed in the fatty slices of amberjack in the hotpot's boiled  konbu dashi, and let it cook. I will add in here some ponzu for that single tingly flavor.** "Ahhh, what is this luxury. It's been a while since I had amberjack shabu-shabu..." "O-ryo sama, eat the vegetables too. Adding the thinly-sliced daikon makes this a shabu-shabu." "Alright, I get it..." O-ryo just ate only the amberjack, and Kasuga sneakily added in the vegetables. She also placed some of the boiled enoki, and placed a lot of the dashi along with the fish slices, placing all of these together she took a bite. T/N: Sour-tasting soups are best with fatty meats and fish, so I'd get that Aoi would do this to cut the fat and make the shabu-shabu taste even better and also to cut the fat and greasy feels. P129 The two closed their eyes in contentment. Certainly, when the raw amberjack was cooked over a flame, the entire flavor of the fish changes. Instantly the soft slices of amberjack became tough, and over that ponzu was added,  this was entirely different when eaten as sashimi or with pickles, it can be an enjoyable, extravagant yet healthy food. Well, not really, it's just the season to eat hotpot deliciously. "Speaking of, what time is Shizuna-chan coming?" "The bath hours haven't ended yet, I think she'll come over after fixing and cleaning up the bath houses. She's the only one from the management staff, and she has to stay in her working area up until the end of business hours." "Oh, yeah. I see. Shizuna-chan is part of the management staff." I lightly glanced at O-ryo. O-ryo was a former management staff member, but she seems to be unaffected by my words. It seems that the person in question enjoys whatever working position she's in right now, and is drinking carbonated water as well as the mountain apple liquors equally. Somewhat it's like being that annoying single office-lady... "Perhaps I should say it- did you know? Orio-ya's Nene is married to their Waka-danna?" "No, aren't they just engaged? It seems like that for the time being, before getting married?" P130 Uhm, Kasuga and I looked at each other. But O-ryo wasn't listening. "Hmmph. That young girl, she'll be suffering so much marrying so young. That Waka-danna called Hideyoshi, that tiny squirt, he'll noisily scold her." "You think so? I've seen that Hideyoshi, he seems good enough. Well, he is pretty noisy. But he seems to like Nene very much, I think it's wonderful that he got his feelings through." I feel like an aunty who's earnestly chatting away about her relatives. If I could talk about it better, those two make a cute, tiny couple. "Gah! Enough chatting about a guy's love for some girl! I am not interested in the happiness of other people!" With a thud, O-ryo slapped her empty wine glass on the kotatsu. "Ahhhh, O-ryo sama don't start complaing about envying other people..." As always, Kasuga started telling her off with her "good grief!" pose. "I'm sorry I'm late--" A breath of fresh air, Shizuna-chan has joined the party.** Shizuna-chan takes care of the bath houses and bears the task of keeping them in order, and is Tenjin-ya's sole management staff for that purpose. "Shizuna, you're late! The battle has already started!" T/N: well the transliteration of the original text was "Shizuna-chan has arrived in the battlefield", but I think this has the same feel, from RPGs honestly IDK anymore lol anyways IMO food parties are always a battlefield so wth it's the same gahaha P131 "Ah, yes--? I'm sorry, ehhh, a battle?" After that, even if O-ryo was just a waitress who glared at her instantly, Shizuna-chan humbly apologized. It seemed that she had no idea what O-ryo meant with her words of choice. Shizuna-chan brought a box for us, filled with so many delicious sweets.This seemed delicious to eat as dessert. "Shizuna-chan, come sit beside me. Say, do you like amberjack shabu-shabu?" Shizuna-chan rarely visits here. I did my best to take care of whatever she needs. "Well, it has been a while since I had some amberjack shabu-shabu, how nostalgic..." "Oh, right. When you were young, you were a staff at Orio-ya. During that time, did you ate a lot?" "Yes, it was my favorite. Shishou-sama** made a lot of it for me..." Talking while bashfully fidgeting, Shizuna-chan started to eat with a lot of etiquette. Suddenly, O-ryo started looking at Shizuna-chan like a sister-in-law. "I say, uhm, Shizuna? There's someone in Orio-ya like you, who's also nice and has good vibes?" "Yes? A person with good vibes?" "Hey, weren't you explicitly pursued here in Tenjin-ya? Who was it.... That guy who looks withered up, called Tokihiko. You like someone who looks bitter and glum, don't you? It's illogical and unadult-like. Don't think that somehow you're under the shadow of that guy.. *hic*" T/N: I don't know how to call the main artist or the one who takes in a lot of disciples or students or apprentices so this is the next best thing, I guess? I mean, it’s directly translated as Master=師匠-Shishou, but it can mean other stuff, not just like sensei though. P132 "Oh, uhm.. that.. Shishou-sama.... he is uhm..." Shizuna-chan's face started blushing, like she had some beer or whatnot. Once that conversation was started, she immediately got perplexed. "Wait a minute, O-ryo! Shizuna-chan just started eating, don't ask her such direct questions, her throat might block off the shabu-shabu." "You're loud Aoi! Shut up, what's more important than looks are the uses**, you crazed-cook!" "What the.." Whom on earth did she think this hotpot party was prepared for? When O-ryo drinks liquor, she always blurts out unapologetic things. "Haaahhh... Aoi may be crazy about cooking, but in the end, eventually she'll get married to Odanna-sama... He'll pick up an excessively-expensive palanquin for you, you won't understand how miserable I am..." "What the heck are you saying... I'm doing my best to avoid being his fiancee." "But Aoi-chan, didn't you and Odanna-sama went out, and you were away for more than a night?" "Hold up, Kasuga, it's a weird, story, it can't be helped. We were captured by the mountain's Kaku-zaru." "Ah, but.. Odanna-sama pulled you out of a pinch, didn't that made you have a change of heart? Or some progress?"

T/N: hanayoridango=function before looks, like buying food first before buying flowers, yeah that’s the literal meaning of the phrase. P133 "...what?" A while ago Shizuna-chan got asked the same kind of questions. Suddenly, the  three girls gazed at me. What the, what's up with their eyes, those three? They look like hyenas having an eye on their prey. "I.. I didn't mean it that way! Uhmm... Odanna-sama just.. gives his all as he saves me..." Speaking of progress, what on earth is progressing right now? My first-hand experiences weren't much, and even using those as my basis, I still don't understand. In the end, somehow despite never having an idea on what occurred, the warmth I felt when I was hugged just abruptly pops back again into my mind, and ultimately my face remains blushing, as I chattered and gritted my teeth in silence. I really don't understand this, I wonder... what is this feeling? "What the heck is that..?" "Yeah, what gives? It's weird, Aoi-chan's face is so red, why is that?" I could hear Kasuga and Shizuna-chan somewhat breaking the silence with their hushed conversations. "OK--- that's enough talking about sweethearts and whatnot--  That's every last one of them--" "Yeah, I heard you, I heard you!" O-ryo had enough of the topic already, and she rolled down into the kotatsu with an angry and dead-drunk expression. She probably got one-punched...** T/N: Yeah I feel you O-ryo, when everyone has some special someone and you're the lonely third wheel I mean, I can't blame you girl, I really can't. It's worse than getting one-punched by Saitama, but... Still lol tho sry my bad P134 "O-ryo sama, with that middle-aged man attitude such as yours, you'll miss your chances of getting married." "Kasuga? With the romance that a little girl-chama like you would know, wouldn't have an idea on what love is like, there's no such thing as an immediate fated encounter. Really esteemed women like me, wouldn't have to rush in choosing.There's no leeway for mistakes--" "Yeah, yeah. But regarding myself, I have a first love..." "What, that story about when you were young? Yeah, yeah, sure, that story that smells of inexperience is good enough. Kasuga, go pour me some more.." "Y-yes... Good grief..." The esteemed woman bully lied down again. And as the junior poured more liquor for her, she drank heartily, again. "But Kasuga, speaking of that, during the day, I saw you being with the Gesokuban** Chiaki-san. What on earth were you two chatting about?" "....uhm..." I suddenly remembered it, and without thinking I asked. Kasuga's facial expression slightly changed. "Reallyyyyy?! What the, Kasuga is with that Chiaki?!" Hearing that topic, O-ryo suddenly bolted upright. She kicked her legs inside the kotatsu, and Shizuna-chan let out a tiny, pained "ouch". "What is it, O-ryo?" "Chiaki may look sloppy and gaudy, but so many waitresses are eyeing on him. Not only does his face look good,

T/N: Gesokuban=下足番= doorman in charge of the footwear, normally in Japanese inns or hotels the footwear are kept outside the halls to prevent dirt from coming in. I think elsewhere in the world this is a practice, there’s a thing called indoor and outdoor slippers or shoes. P135 but being a Gesokuban, he's pretty much a member of the management staff. If he gets married, it's easy to dominate him. That's what I understand from hearing other people. Kasuga, he's also your type?" "...what are you talking about, O-ryo sama? Chiaki is my Uncle. Simply put, my father's younger brother.**" "Whaaa... Really?" Everyone got shocked. Everyone in here seemed to be unaware of that fact. Kasuga went "Uh-oh". Her face spelled out "I shouldn't have said that." "It's probably due to this liquor.. I may have said too much..." Kasuga was scratching an itch on her temple. Taking the opportunity, Shizuna-chan suddenly seemed to have remembered something. "Speaking of that... Kasuga is taking a long vacation to go back to her parents' home, and at the same time, Chiaki-san probably won't we working too, isn't it? Could it possibly be that, he's going home with you?" Somehow, a lot of suspicions and doubts started rising up, and Kasuga started clamoring and wailing. "Geez... stop it already! What I told you is already enough! More importantly, hotpot! Look, the mustard greens and onions, and the tofu had all boiled down.The umami of the vegetables and the amberjack have already dissolved into this precious konbu dashi, and it's considerably better now. Aoi-chan, how are we going to divide this?" With dexterity, Kasuga started distributing the contents of the hotpot into smaller bowls, but I was still determined to press information out of her. This girl is pushily taking charge over the hotpot... T/N: I don't know about you guys, but in some families due to the age gaps between the siblings, some of the nieces and nephews ar more closer in age to their aunts and uncles than the aunts and uncles have to the children's parents. I was actually raised by an elder cousin, and her eldest brother was around the age of my father, so yeah, I could understand how this whole thing with Kasuga goes. P136 "Ok, with this, it's definitely udon!" "Udon!" "Yeah let's do that" Shizuna-chan gratefully put her hands together, and O-ryo's sparkling eyes were on standby. Immediately, the udon balls were brought in, and these were dunked into the deliciously-filled dashi stock. After boiling it down, we only had to wait for the noodles to absorb the flavors. "By the way, you all, what do you think of the single guys in Tenjin-ya?" "Yes?" "Do you have anything funny about them to talk about?" While O-ryo poured some newly-opened liquor, she drunkenly pushed the question at me. This woman, sets herself aside and starts gossiping about Tenjin-ya's male army. "First of, let's start with Akatsuki. That guy's the youngest male in the management staff, he may have a promising future, surely being young his composure isn't yet enough, I think. Well, in desperate times I could say that he's adorable, but he's the type that holds grudges, and it's not a good thing that he easily snaps out. For certain, I think he doesn't have a girl." "It seems that O-ryo sama has a problem with the Bantou** -sama snapping out at her words and deeds, don't you?" "Shut up Kasuga--" "Owwwww" T/N:Bantou=番頭=head clerk, or the head receptionist

P137 O-ryo pulled out Kasuga's cheeks. Kasuga's cheeks stretched out so much. "Akatsuki-san's face is a bit scary, but he is a hard-working employee, in my opinion. But, well... I'm not interested in someone younger than me..." "That's right Shizuna, you have an older guy fetish don't you?" "Yeah, the guy has been living for 500 years now, yes..." Shizuna-chan just casually blurted out that she wasn't interested in Akatsuki. She's probably a bit drunk. She's drinking the mountain apple liquor on the rocks... "Akatsuki, you say... When I met him he shouted like he was going to kill me, that guy gave me the impression that he was the worst but... Now I think he's a really good chap. One way or another way though, he's not someone who likes taking care of others. I remember her younger sister.." That child** comes here to Yugao, his eyes may look evil but he's a caring person. Surely, I think that he's concerned about troubling his younger sister Suzuran and grandpa, among others. "Oh, and by the way..." At this point, Kasuga secretly pulled out a notebook and started telling us the stuff that she wrote. What the... What the heck, that is scary. "According to my research, the Bantou-sama doesn't have a woman's touch on him. He's aloof, and he easily and earnestly gets resentful. It also seems that despite the lady waitresses asking him out to have fun, he always doesn't go with them." "As expected..." T/N: the term Yuuma-sensei used for Akatsuki is mame=マメ=bean, but can also mean a child, a little person, etc. Honestly it's not wrong, Akatsuki is an actual precious bean IMO lol protect that spider bean lelz P138 "But that guy, a little girl once invited him to play with her..." Surprisingly, I thought this was a bit rude. Most likely, Akatsuki is sneezing a lot right now. "Wah, udon, udon--" Finally, the udon has been boiled enough. Everyone started putting udon on their bowls. "Gahh... This is it. The udon to finish the hotpot."** "Cooking this in the dashi makes it yummier, doesn't it?" The udon has surely absorbed the umami and the fatty flavors of the amberjack. I added the refreshing taste of the Sudachi Ponzu in mine. This went smoothly down the throat, and this perfectly wraps up the the meal. No, I mean, this is a work of art. "Hey Aoi, you only drank one glass of the liquor? You go drink some more..." "Sorry but, I dont drink more than a cup. Previously, drinking made my eyes hurt when I look at things." A cup of that liquor tastes great. But I dread getting drunk if I drink more than my limit. But everyone was just drinking heartily, so I guess it's fine. The mountain apple liquor also has another nickname, it's called "Easy Bandit-Killer". "Well then, next is the Waka-danna sama's turn" O-ryo continued the conversation where we previously left off. "Waaat? Even Ginji-san?! But.. Isn't Ginji-san perfect? No, a perfect Youkai? I couldn't find any fault with him." T/N: Just in case you're wondering how this works, it's rather easy.. After eating all of the ingredients in the Japanese hotpot, like taking out the veggies and meat, there's a lot of soup left. It's easier to just drink the soup but in Japan, they add stuff to help it go down easy. Choices are either noodles or rice, and the young ones love putting the noodles in. It actually tastes good either way, but I prefer noodles. I think in Persona 5 they also had this same dilemma lol Also yeah Ginji is just the ball, perfect ball of fur lol but he also has this shadowy and mysterious side so if you want a dude of mystery, Ginji's your man gahahaha P139 "Eh. You don't understand, Aoi. Seeing no faults or imperfections is that person's shortcoming-" An adultish smile floating up her face, O-ryo started spinning her glass around. "Waka-danna sama is, well, fanstastic. When you look at him he's handsome, he is well-mannered, and is skillful at his job." "Yeah I get that. He's very sweet, and he always lends a hand... But for sure, Ginji-san seems to have no interests in romantic relationships..." Even I haven't unraveled the reasons to why Ginji-san is still single. But I'm not surprised that he's well-liked. "Oh, well, based on what O-ryo-san was saying, Ginji-sama has no chink in his armor, doesn't he? When a little girl couldn't get any confidence from everyone and has to hold it together by herself, when that perfect Ginji-sama sees that person, his voice would probably not break so easily." "The Waka-danna sama isn't a greedy type, but look, what Aoi-chan is saying is that the Waka-danna seems to have no hobbies or interests. Aoi-chan doesn't understand how, but among the employees he seems to be the type that only admires one person. In that case, his attraction for this one girl could unfortunately end. And she won't be pursued relentlessly." Oh, I get it... Shizuna-chan and Kasuga pointed this out, and I could understand it better. "But after that thing with Orio-ya, somehow the air around the Waka-danna sama has changed, didn't it? T/N: OK I just translated from Japanese what I'd say if I was fan-girling over Ginji, srsly arrrghhh does a guy like this exist? I'd want the extra tails and the transformation powers but I'm OK without those as long as he's into romantic stuff.. Does he? Does he not? I don't know yet lol are there any Ginji fan-fams here too lololol P140 I heard it from the lady waitresses that aren't easy to talk to. That person, he has undoubtedly became likeable. And then, the Waka-danna sama, didn't he take care of you in your condition?" "..." With a wicked face, O-ryo was testing me with her words. But to me, up until now I think that Ginji-san is likeable, and in that case it's not even a joke. He hardly comes to Yugao now, and because of that it's gotten lonely... "On another point, among the Waka-danna sama's nine tails, the third one below, from the right seems to be the most unique.That is somehow a weak spot." "Kasuga, how did you know such information?" It's scary... Kasuga's information is creepy. Even though she's drunk the power of her research skills scared all of us. "Well then... Choubachou** Byakuya-sama--" "O-ryo, don't you dare take another step over there--" We suddenly exercised caution with Byakuya-san. If we speak rudely of him, we feel like we're going to get cursed.** "I honestly couldn't remember a time when he got angry..." "Me either..." "Me too..." T/N: OK so my bad, Byakuya’s supposed position ranges from accounting to reception, but I just previously translated his position as head accountant because it’s what I got before. But he’s more or less the chief of management operations, which includes accounting. Anyway... Hey, I mean, if Byakuya can kick Raijuu's ass then it's justifiable that Byakuya is always in a sour mood, and it's bad to talk about him rudely. Raijuu's a pain in the ass for sure. Arrrgh P141 In the end, this girls' group had nothing more to say. We shuddered when we remembered stuff, and inside the kotatsu we all curled up. Though we were only just talking about him, his pressure on us made us feel defeated even in here. "H.. However, Byakuya-sama stealthily spoils the pipe cats living at the back of the mountain..." "Kasuga, nobody knows about that yet. Don't talk about it, if that gets leaked out we'll get killed." Well, in short, Byakuya-sama pours all of his love to the pipe cats. "Geez, we've wrapped out heads too much on these puzzles, and my hands have lost all feeling. Like Odanna-sama, he also exists above the clouds." "That's because Byakuya-sama is Odanna-sama's good old wife." O-ryo and Kasuga opened the box that Shizuna-chan brought for us, and while munching on these they were sloppily chatting. "Good old wife?" Isn't Byakuya-san a guy? as I tilted my head. "Since long ago, he has assisted in the running of Tenjin-ya. Odanna-sama is able to go here and there freely for work, and Byakuya-sama was staying in Tenjin-ya and presides over it. He has long been in good terms with Odanna-sama, and Byakuya-sama could readily and frankly give out his opinions to him." Come to think of it, before Odanna-sama and I went out, him and Byakuya-san were talking about something one way or the other. P142 In that case, other than the other employess and executives, nobody sees it like an older wife giving encouragement to her husband. "And for sure, when the Oo-Okami** sama isn't here, Byakuya-sama also takes in that role as well, doesn't he?" "Oo-Okami?" Shizuna-chan was drinking the last drop of the sweet liquor, she was reminded of her old home and started talking. "Ougondouji-sama is currently residing in Orio-ya. Previously, Ougondouji-sama was asked to be the Oo-Okami. She holds the same position and rank as Odanna-sama, therefore ever since Ougondouji-sama left Tenjin-ya,the position has been vacant." "Oh, I see... If that's so, with regards to that old tale, I have asked Ginji-san about that." And with that, Byakuya-san also holds the position of Oo-Okami. "Haaaahhh... That weird chat about the Oo-Okami has been a bit too much already." "O-ryo sama, didn't you tell me back then that you'd focus intently on becoming Oo-Okami ,once upon a time?" "Shut up Kasuga! It's a harsh fact that I have to live with!" With O-ryo and Kasuga's conversation, my ears grew eager to listen. "But isn't that.. O-ryo already has no interest with the Waka-Okami position?" "Whaaat? Aoi, you're asking that question? Did't I tell you that I won't get into the position of Waka-Okami again?" T/N: Oo-Okami, Mistress of the House, or something, like the big lady boss.

P143 "R..Really?" "It's fine, really it is. My enthusiastic, indomitable personality is dead. I want to enjoy living a carefree life. I plan to marry a rich guy, then immediately stop working--" "..." Somehow, the atmosphere became tense. Could it be possible that, among all the people in here right now, we're all thinking that O-ryo didn't really want to give up that position? Especially Kasuga, she was shell-shocked, and her face looked troubled. I felt that the mood has changed, so I tapped my fist in my hand. "Oh, right, right. I brought some large-sized grapes from the fruit orchard park, and I made some grape tarts. Let's eat some? I added a lot of grapes on it, it's a custard cream dessert." "Kasstard? OK OK let's eat--" It seems that nobody understood what I meant, but everybody nodded their heads excitedly. Grape tart. I made the crust with the coconut oil from Orio-ya and baked it, and by adding the large grapes called Daishisui that I gathered with Odanna-sama yesterday, the tart looks like a sparkly jewelry box. On top of the crust, I laid down an easily-made custard cream made of Cassowary egg and some wheat flour, with cow's milk and a bit of sugar, P144 and these buried the grapes cut in halves, which I later baked in the oven. After baking this for a while, I topped everything with raw grapes and pure cream. These were arranged as such because the tightly-packed grapes beneath this layer cannot be seen. "Woooooow!" Those dynamic-seeing eyes, everyone's eyes were sparkling. I sliced the large tart in front of everyone, and when the neatly-arranged grapes were cut through, Shizuna-chan let out a regretful-sounding "Awww".** There wasn't any fork, we used kuromoji, special wooden chopsticks** normally used for Japanese sweets or just ate them using our bare hands. "Uwahhh this is juicy-- What is this, I thought this food has raw grapes, but this tastes is like it was meant to be a baked dessert!" "This is the first time I ate something that tastes like this, but the grapes' sweetness stands out, it's really delicious--" O-ryo eating with her hands and Shizuna-chan using a kuromoji, they fell into a trance like typical ladies who love sweets. "This is generally called a fruit tart, and with the rich taste of the eggs in the custard cream, it blends well with the sweet and sour freshness of the fruits, and together these really bring about the best-tasting combination. The sweetness gets reduced, and the sourness becomes mild." As I was explaining how the mild taste came about, Kasuga haven't taken a single bite of the grape tart, and while propping her chin with her hand, she was observing it quietly. T/N: Lol I feel you Shizuna-chan, I feel the same when a freshly-bought ice cream tub looks so neat I don't wanna cut through it lol that's why ASMR of perfectly arranged anything are famous bahaha

Kuromoji=黒文字= Japanese sweets are eaten traditionally by using tiny wooden chopsticks, to cut and skewer them. You can check them out via search engine or smth P145 "What is it, Kasuga? Don't tell me, you don't like grapes?" "Hmm? No, it's not like that.. I really love grapes. That dessert you called tart, I was thinking of something." Kasuga ate held tart like it was a hard cookie, and bit on it heartily despite doubting what it was, before chewing on it. She filled her cheeks with the grapes, the custard, and the fragrant crust. "Mmmm, I wanted to eat some more. The grapes are heavy, and they burst in my mouth." Just a while ago we were enjoying some amberjack shabu-shabu, but we still had room for dessert, and all of the girls ate as much of the grape tart to their hearts' content. "Aoi-dono--" In that moment, came a boy's voice that can be heard from inside Yugao. "It's Sasuke-kun. I told him that I was going to give him something to eat after his working hours." The three ladies around me went "It's.. Sasuke-kun?", and they looked at me from the side. "Say, Aoi, tell Sasuke-kun to come here too." "Really? Even if today's a no-guys-allowed girls' night-out, it's OK to call him in?" "Yes, it's totally OK. Sasuke-kun is an adorable and good boy." "..." Even though there was a nagging feeling, I went outside of Yugao and called out to Sasuke-kun. "Sasuke-kun, thank you for your hard work. We were just having a hotpot party inside but, P146 I'll also add something for you, OK?" "Hotpot, is it? Is it because it has already gotten a bit cold?" "Come in. Everyone's waiting for you. I'll go and prep up." "I understand." Sasuke-kun unknowingly trudged toward the innermost room, and opened the door. "?!" No sooner than opening the door. Sasuke-kun the ninja couldn't react fast enough, and he was dragged into the room. "Gyaaaaahhh! Aoi-dono, Aoi-dono---" Sasuke-kun, the innocent and sweet Sasuke-kun, he was preyed upon by the ladies starved of men. "I- I'm sorry, Sasuke-kun. I'll make you a delicious hotpot, OK?" I feel guilty that he gets harassed, and using another earthen pot I added dashi stock, vegetables and the amberjack slices, and hurriedly went towards the innermost room. Please, please let Sasuke-kun be OK! "..." Sasuke-kun was already pestered by the drunken ladies, here and there he was grumbling being urged to drink liquor, P147 his hair has been tousled and his scarf stretched out, it was horrible, but he was being coddled and spoiled. "Aoi-dono--" Poor Sasuke-kun, he was crying out of fear. He was unprotected, and the swarming girls were getting their fill, it was another shabu-shabu over the kotatsu setting. They're feeding him too much. While he's eating delicious food, I will protect Sasuke-kun.

Despite the determination of that bunch, just like turning off a lamp, the girls suddenly collapsed. 

Zzzz.... The effects of the mountain liquor came at last, and the intense sleepiness has struck. "Aoi-dono.. What on earth, were you doing here?" "Hmm? It's a secret girls' night-out, Sasuke-kun." "Secret girls' night-out..."

It's really too much to handle drunkeness. The true intents and personalities of the girls, were hidden and unseen, in this empty room these must not get out. Everything that they spewed out, they'll probably forget in the morning. And that was the so-called, girls' night-out.

End of Chapter 4, Volume 6. Previous - Intermission 1 Next - Intermission 2

References:

Wonderful site for the youkai references

Other stuff I used to do this: Kodansha Kanji Learner’s Dictionary (you can buy here, I’m not sponsored btw). I was about to buy the older edition but then the newer one came out 2013 so I bought that instead. Worth buying since I was able to find nearly all of the words I needed just by stroke pattern alone.

Merriam-Webster's Japanese-English Dictionary (the red-covered 1996 version is apparently out of print right now). This is what I have been using for a very long time, I bought it when I was still a fetus (yes I am old so what lol), and after so many years, when compared to newer editions, I still prefer this one since its entirety is Japanese-English, the English to Japanese gloss are just 16 pages tops, so you get more Japanese words for your buck. But that’s just my opinion, maybe other people prefer the Jap-En x En-Jap IDEK.

Basic online dictionary, Jisho. Knowledge of verb conjugations  and other words are necessary since not all have entries.

If you can read Japanese, you can buy the whole set in Amazon Japan, they’re shipping worldwide now, I think.

[athingthatwantsvirginia]

The Infamous Jethro Tull Incident

PART THIRTY-THREE OF THE DO YOU SEE HER FACE? SERIES

Pairing: Jess Mariano x Original Character (Ella Stevens)

Warnings: discussions of anxiety/panic attacks please read with caution, plentiful pop culture references, allergies

Word Count: 6.9K

Summary: Visiting Stars Hollow once again, Ella and Jess help Luke with his custody battle and see the Spring Fling.

A/N: The descriptions of panic attacks in this chapter and in this fic are based on research and my own experiences. Everyone is different. If you need to talk, I am always here. I just felt Gilmore Girls always kind of ignored Jess’s trauma, and the after-effects it would have had on him. 

Though Chris and Matthew had invited them out, neither Jess nor Ella had any desire to eat at some fancy restaurant on a Sunday night. It was under the guise of a celebration over the monthly Zine including an interview with someone who had once interned for Dave Eggers. Not that it was a small feat, but both Ella and Jess knew it was simply just an excuse for Chris and Matthew to go on an expensive double date. Often, the two called them frugal. And they called the two of them unnecessarily hedonistic. Whatever the case, Ella was glad to have the apartment for the night. Two days into spring break, and she was still only just bouncing back from the mid-semester exhaustion.

She sat cross-legged in her pajamas on the couch, sketching, as the water on the stove began to boil. Once again, she was attempting dinner. Spaghetti, something simple, she’d told Jess earlier in the evening. She could totally manage it. She still couldn’t understand why her baking skills were never able to travel over into cooking territory. Just as she finished the lines around the eyes, the phone on the counter began ringing. Putting her sketchbook to the side, she rushed up to the counter and saw it was Jess’s cellphone alight with a number.

“Jess Mariano’s phone,” she said as she opened the phone, hoping to answer in time.

“Ella?” the voice came through the receiver.

“Luke?” she asked.

“Yeah, it’s me.”

A smile came to her lips. “Hey, boss! How are you?”

Luke cleared his throat, hesitating a minute. “Oh, well I…”

“Jess is in the shower, but I can get him if you really need to talk,” she cut in, growing worried. Not only because she noticed the water on the stove was boiling over and hissing on the oven. She dashed over to the stove.

“No, that’s okay. I have no desire to speak to him while he’s any degree of naked,” Luke said gruffly.

Ella uttered a chuckle and she stirred the pot to lessen the overflow. “Well, that makes one of us.”

Only a heavy sigh came from the other side of the phone.

“Sorry, sorry,” she said. As she broke the spaghetti in half, balancing the phone between her ear and her shoulder, several noodles flew across the kitchen. A few landed on the burner and started to smoke instantly. “Fuck!”

“What?” Luke asked, suddenly alarmed.

Growling under her breath in frustration, she sweeped the noodles from the burner with a damp kitchen towel. “Nothing, sorry. The spaghetti caught on fire but it’s fine now.”

“Why are you trying to make spaghetti? You can hardly make toast,” Luke groaned knowingly.

She rolled her eyes. “I’m broadening my horizons, alright? But that doesn’t matter. What’s going on?”

“Well, uh...you know April?”

“The name rings a bell, yes.”

“Well, Anna wants to move her to New Mexico,” Luke said, voice emotionless. “And I’m trying to get joint custody. The lawyer uh...he said Jess, or you, might be a good character reference. The trial, or whatever we should call it, is on Tuesday. If you can’t get here, that’s fine. They’re speeding up the process because they’re moving away so soon. You could just put it in writing, but I don’t know if it would get here in the mail. So, if you can’t, I completely-”

“Luke,” she interjected.

“Yeah?”

“We’ll be there,” Ella said with finality. “What time is the hearing?”

“Eight,” he answered.

Nodding, she stirred the spaghetti. Furrowing her brows, she considered the time. “Could we maybe stay over tomorrow night? Then, we can all go to the courthouse.”

“Really? Is Jess okay with that?” he asked.

“Jess won’t hear of anything else, I promise. The Zine just came out. The other guys will understand. We’ll call it a family emergency. And I’m on my spring break. It’s fine, boss,” Ella reassured him, face flushed over the steaming pot.

“Are you sure? I mean, only if you’re sure-”

She sighed again, a long exhale through her nose. “Luke, I’m sure. Just hang in there. We’ll be there tomorrow. I’ll bring you some of this spaghetti, if you want.”

“I think I’ll pass,” he said flatly.

“Noted.”

There was a long pause. “Ella?”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you.”

A sad smile ghosted over her face. “Don’t mention it.”

“Hey, it’s the Spring Fling, too. In case you guys need something to do tomorrow night,” Luke added, shifting the conversation away from emotions.

A pang of nostalgia hit her, and she could smell the greasy food. “Oh, well, I was on the fence about coming up there before. But the Spring Fling? There’s the thing to seal the deal.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Luke grumbled, unamused by her sarcasm.

“Alright. Well, I gotta focus on this spaghetti, for the sake of public safety. I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?” she said, brows furrowed in concern.

“Yeah. Okay, Ella. See you tomorrow.”

“Bye, Luke.”

“Bye.”

Hanging up the phone, Ella flipped it closed and set it back on the counter. Waiting for the spaghetti to finish boiling, she tried to hum but couldn’t bring herself to. A knot sat in her stomach. She knew how much Luke loved April; she had seen it even through the few months she’d witnessed them together. And she knew how much April loved Luke. She wondered over how the girl would feel, if she were not allowed to see Luke ever again. Not exactly like her own mother’s death, but Ella could certainly sympathize.

She was too deep in thought to hear Jess emerge from the bathroom, hair damp and still dripping slightly.

“Is something burning?” he asked, coming up next to her.

She jumped slightly and then huffed out a breath when he smirked at her surprise. “For just a second, it was. But, now, everything is under control.”

“Whatever you say, Stevens,” he teased, brown eyes twinkling.

Pursing her lips, she finally took her eyes away from the water. “We have to go to Stars Hollow tomorrow.”

“What? Why?” he asked, his brow crinkling.

She bit the inside of her cheek. “Luke is trying to get joint custody of April. The hearing is on Tuesday morning and he wants us to testify as references.”

“Huh,” Jess deadpanned, nodding slightly.

“If we get there tomorrow, we can make sure he doesn’t completely melt down during the dinner shift and then ride with him to the courthouse. Is that alright with you? If you can’t come, I could just-”

“Woah, Stevens. I’ll go. Obviously, I’ll go. Not like Matthew can’t babysit Chris all on his own for a couple days. He’s been doing it pretty much his whole life,” Jess said, pressing a kiss of reassurance to her cheek.

“Good. Just...making sure.” She bit at her thumbnail for a moment, nodding. “What if...what if he loses her?”

“I don’t know,” Jess said, shaking his head. “But, at least we can try to help. Here’s hoping it’s not too A Few Good Men.”

“There’s the bright side, Mr. Sunshine,” she said, smiling weakly.

Jess smirked a tiny smirk, then grabbed the wooden spoon as the pot began boiling over, spaghetti spilling onto the glass top, once again.

.   .   .

Misty March air seeped in through the cracked Station Wagon windows, the afternoon sun warming up the early spring day. Pollen and dust were stagnant in the air, flowers beginning to bloom in the Connecticut countryside. Television, “Marquee Moon,” played on the radio, Jess’s arm draped over Ella’s headrest. Hydrangeas were blooming, blue and purple and pink, on the sides of the road as they crossed over the edge of town into Stars Hollow.

As soon as they passed over the border, Ella’s eyes began to itch, and she started sneezing into the crook of her elbow.

“Jeez, Stevens. Bless you,” Jess said, eyebrows raised. “Are you getting a cold?”

“I don’t know,” she sighed, sniffling and blinking the irritated shine from her eyes. “Maybe it’ll make me more sympathetic to the judge.”

“There’s one way to win a case,” he chuckled.

“Hey, who am I to look down on a shortcut?” she said, shrugging lightly as she took the turn down Main Street.

As they reached town center, their eyes widened. Parking was one of the chief worries to pop into Ella’s mind, but not the only one. Hay was stacked up every which way, forming a maze. Stray straws littered the empty spaces, bales piled ten feet high and taking up space on every single street. Hitting the brakes, Ella came to a stop on the edge of the strip, next to the bookstore.

“What the hell is this?” Jess asked, flabbergasted.

Shaking her head, Ella was at a loss for words. Then, it dawned on her, and she groaned in frustration. “I forgot to tell you. Luke said it’s the Spring Fling this week. I guess now that means a hay bale maze?”

“Ugh,” Jess grunted, rolling his eyes. “The last time I was at this thing, Taylor almost called the cops on me because of my Jethro Tull t-shirt.”

She chuckled as she turned around, headed for the small parking lot with the dumpsters behind Luke’s. “Well, only time will tell what this year will bring.” Sneezing again, she sighed.

“Besides hay fever, that is,” Jess added, teasing, tucking a strand of hair which had fallen loose behind her ear again.

“We’re doing this for Luke, we’re doing this for Luke,” she muttered under her breath, feeling a headache already forming behind her eyes.

.   .   .

She felt transported to the past as they entered Luke’s through the back door, leading into the stock room. It still smelled of tomatoes, dirt, pine; an odd mixture but not unwelcome. The room dark and dank, Ella took Jess’s hand and led him carefully through the random crates and boxes. In his other hand, he held their old duffel, containing both of their only business-appropriate clothes. Apparently, she would be wearing the pencil skirt again much sooner than she had hoped. Jess could already hear Luke ranting before they got to the main room, flashbacks to the consequences of stealing gnomes and baseballs and dry erasers.

Lane passed by the stock room door and caught sight of them out of the corner of her eye. A panic filled her eyes and, immediately, she approached them, a dirty dish bin held in just one hand.

“He’s on the warpath, guys,” she began, retreating into the dim room and glancing over her shoulder anxiously.

“Well, hello to you too, Lane,” Ella smirked.

Lane’s face morphed into a delicate, rushed smile. “Right, sorry, sorry. How’s one of America’s most historical cities?”

Jess shrugged. “Historic.”

“Wow, your vocabulary had really grown since I last saw you,” Lane said, feigning amazement.

A crash sounded, followed by a yell, from out in the main room. The door slammed and Ella couldn’t mistake the sound of a fearful yelp from some customer.

“I think we can continue this love fest later,” Ella suggested, gesturing to the main room.

“Agreed,” Lane said, turning on her heel.

Jess and Ella followed her out of the stock room, finding the counter almost completely empty of customers. The tables were dotted with just a few customers, staring down silently at their plates, faces drawn in fear. Boots trodding heavily on the tiled floor, Luke was making his way back from the door to the kitchen. Caesar was nowhere in sight, and a thin cloud of smoke was billowing through the kitchen window. The front windows were a view of nothing but giant walls of hay. Nothing boded well. Ella glanced at Jess doubtfully, and he only gave a slight shake of his head in response.

“Can I get you guys something?” Lane asked, returning to the space behind the counter.

“No, I think I’d rather not risk it,” Jess said, taking a stool, placing the duffel on the floor next to him.

Ella hopped onto the seat next to him. “Says Mr. I-Live-On-The-Edge.”

“Even I have my limits,” he replied.

“I’m fine, too. Thanks Lane,” Ella told her friend.

A couple steaming plates appeared from the kitchen window, burgers blackened and fries soggy. Lane looked at them suspiciously, but placed them in front of Kirk, who sat on Jess’s other side. Kirk grinned and nodded emphatically.

“The gourmet experiments keep on coming,” he exclaimed, digging in with a fork and knife instead of his hands.

Ella’s brow crinkled. “Kirk, that’s-”

“Don’t,” Lane warned. “It’s...not worth it.”

Perking his head up from his food, Kirk craned his neck to see the two of them. “Oh. You’re back. I’ve missed your pies, Ella. I hope Luke has rhubarb.”

“Kirk, we’re not...moving back here. We’re only gonna be here until tomorrow,” she said, head tilted in confusion.

He narrowed his eyes, then turned to stare closely at Jess, who leaned back against Ella slightly. “You just had to take her to Philadelphia with you.”

Jess was about to respond, before Ella jumped in again, tone vehement.

“Excuse me, Kirk, but I moved to Philadelphia on my own to go to grad school. Jess just happened to be there.”

“The hand of fate, huh?” Kirk asked, unphased. “What a beautiful thing.”

Jess snickered, eyeing Ella to gauge a response. Instead of retaliating, her jaw tensed and she turned her head to the kitchen window.

“Luke, we’re here!”

Raising his eyebrows, Luke reappeared from the kitchen. His sleeves were rolled up messily, his shirt splashed with grease. He didn’t look as though he’d been careful in the kitchen. A black baseball cap sat backwards on his head, the one he’d been wearing since he and Lorelai broke off their engagement. But Ella had heard, through her weekly phone calls with Lane, Lorelai and Christopher had divorced, breaking up once again. The constant romantic whiplash was beginning to make Ella dizzy.

“Oh. Hey, guys. How was the drive?” Luke asked.

“Well, I don’t know about Eleanor, but that huge ball of twine gets more interesting every time I pass it,” Jess deadpanned, arms crossed over his t-shirt, elbows on the counter.

Ella smiled thinly. “Jess is thrilled about the Spring Fling, if you couldn’t tell.”

“Yeah, I might’ve guessed. I mean, who could forget that Jethro Tull incident?” Luke replied.

She was about to respond, but instead Ella buried her nose in her sleeve again and sneezed.

“Bless you,” Jess said.

She sneezed again.

“Bless you,” he repeated, smirking.

A moment more, and she sneezed a third time.

“And one more for good measure,” Jess continued, increasingly smug. “Bless you.”

Luke furrowed his brows at Ella. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

“The hay doesn’t agree with Rudolph,” Jess chimed in, smoothing a hand over Ella’s back.

Blinking the wateriness from her eyes again, she shot Jess a look. “Bite me.”

“Just like old times,” Luke grumbled, going over to the register when two meek customers came up to pay.

Catching her breath, Ella got down from the stool again. “I’m gonna go to Doose’s. Try to get something to handle this new reindeer look I’ve got going for me.”

“You want me to go with you?” Jess asked, almost hopefully.

“As much as I would love that, cutie, I think your existence would probably be a catalyst for Taylor’s flashbacks. I’ll be back in like ten minutes. I think you’ll survive.”

“That’s debatable,” he said.

She turned away and sneezed into her elbow yet again, growling under her breath in annoyance.

“Debatable for me and you both,” he added, smirking once more.

Flipping him off, she made her way to the front door, preparing to brave the wall of hay which was about to meet her eye-to-eye.

.   .   .

“Don’t touch!” Ella exclaimed, exchanging a flathead screwdriver for a phillip’s head on the counter next to her.

“Do you see me touching anything?” Jess shot back, rounding the counter to make his way to the dish pit.

She snorted a bitter laugh. “You were getting too close. I think you just coming in this register’s dance space would be enough to break it more.”

“If you make one more Dirty Dancing reference-”

“Need I remind you of the shower head?” she continued, ignoring his complaints.

He sighed heavily.

“Oh, please, remind him of the shower head,” Luke piped up from where he was wiping off the red tables.

“In January, the shower was leaking,” Ella began, straightening up from her spot tinkering with the cash register drawer.

“C’mon, Elle,” Jess moaned from the dish pit.

“Jess, both Luke and I are privy to the swan attack. This is far less humiliating, I promise.”

“Fine,” he said, turning the boiling hot tap back on. Only a few more mugs and he would finally be finished. He was careful to avoid any stray kitchen knives.

“The shower was leaking. I had class, but I said I would fix it when I got home. Because, somehow, Chris, Matthew, and Jess are all completely devoid of home improvement skills,” Ella said. “Jess tried, which was so sweet of him. But then the entire shower head and the faucet ended up coming off the wall. It took me four hours to get them back on.”

“Hence the register dance space,” Luke replied, biting back laughter.

“Exactly.”

“Hey, I fixed that toaster out there!” Jess shouted over the sound of the water.

“And it only took you six years to admit it,” Ella said.

“Shut up,” Jess retorted.

“There’s the charm,” she mocked. She pushed the small gold button, and the register drawer popped out silently. A bright smile crossed her face. “This might be the first time this hasn’t sounded like Janet Leigh since I started working here.”

She wondered in the back of her mind why Luke hadn’t fixed the cash register sooner. It was antique; maybe he thought a screeching drawer just came with the territory. Or, maybe it was because nearly every single repair he had done in the past few years was on either the Gilmore house or the Dragonfly Inn.

“I told you guys you didn’t have to work,” Luke said, rolling his eyes guiltily. He began flipping the chairs up onto the tables, stuffing his damp rag into his apron.

“For the last time, we wanted to!” Jess called from the back, wiping his hands on a stained dish towel as he finished up with the mugs.

“Well, you’ve done enough. I can finish closing. Go see the Spring Fling.” Luke came over and took the screwdrivers from Ella’s hand, putting them back in his toolbox and shutting it with a snap! before she could protest.

“Oh, yes, it’s bound to get wild out there in the hay bale maze,” Ella quipped, going to grab her coat from the rack with Jess following behind.

“You’re tellin’ me. Just go see it. Taylor certainly spent enough on it.” Luke went back to the tables, upturning the chairs rhythmically, as he had for so many nights and so many years, wearing the same thing.

“We’ll be back before midnight,” Ella said, shrugging on her leather jacket and tugging her long hair, half-up, half-down, out from beneath the collar.

“And, now that we’re grown up, we can go get involved with as many ritual cults as we want while we’re out,” Jess added, grabbing Ella’s hand.

“Don’t mention that in the deposition tomorrow,” Luke warned.

“It’s good you said something. Otherwise, I definitely would have mentioned it,” Jess shot back smugly.

As they emerged into the evening, the stars were just beginning to appear, Luke having closed up early at around eight o’clock. Ella looked around, trying to see any other way into the maze besides the opening just in front of Luke’s. She’d thought about popping into her old house, surprising Fiona and Adam after school. But, she’d gotten busy with the dinner shift and could see no physical way to get there in the dim light of the twinkly strings somewhere beyond the maze.

“How the hell do they pay for stuff like this?” Jess asked as they began strolling through the maze.

“Beats me,” Ella replied, shaking her head. “This place makes no economic sense. I stopped guessing a long time ago, my friend.”

He hummed, eyes roaming over the seemingly endless yellow straw. “Tax fraud, you think?”

“I wouldn’t put it past Taylor,” Ella said, smirking.

“Oh, now how could you accuse a sweet old man like that of such a crime?” he asked, feigning shock.

She shrugged, grinning. “Since he conveniently ‘lost’ the money for the bridge renovations and we had to start the whole fundraiser over again.”

“Y’know I was the one who took that money, right?” Jess asked, thinking back to his first two weeks in Stars Hollow.

“No, I meant the first time. I was like eleven,” she explained, feeling a pleasant night time breeze ghost through her hair.

“What?” Jess chirped. “It happened before?”

“Yeah, and Taylor kept saying someone stole it. But I had a sneaking suspicion it was an inside job.”

Breathing deeply, she could smell nothing but the hay. It seemed odd, considering the Spring Fling usually had booths with caramel apples and popcorn and all other sorts of junk. But, she was also just glad she could breathe through her nose again with the help of the allergy medicine she’d picked up at Doose’s, though her eyes were still a bit itchy.

“How very Watergate.”

“I’m telling you,” Ella insisted, only half-joking, “Taylor could be an evil genius for all we know.”

“It would explain a lot,” Jess agreed, nodding. They’d taken many turns, and he figured they must be nearing the end. The carnival in town square was what he remembered as the main event.

“Yes, all the sweater vests would be perfect for establishing a mild-mannered cover,” she continued, speaking with her free hand.

“Well, with that logic, Chris is also an evil mastermind,” Jess pointed out.

Ella pursed her lips in thought for a moment. “I think Chris is probably more of a Jekyll and Hyde situation.”

“I just love how much faith you have in humanity,” he smiled, pressing a kiss to her hair.

She laughed, and was about to retort, when they turned a corner and she almost ran straight into Lorelai. Her stomach did a quick flip, and her hand tightened slightly on Jess’s. But then, her old instincts kicked in, and she plastered a small, polite smile on her lips. On Lorelai’s right side, Rory stood hand-in-hand with some blonde guy.

“Oh, hey!” Lorelai greeted them brightly, looking between them. “I didn’t know you were in town.”

“Only for today and tomorrow. Just taking care of some stuff, y’know?” Ella said, unsure of whether Lorelai would be aware of the custody battle. Then, she turned to Rory. “What about you guys?”

“Visiting. We just had to come down for the Spring Fling,” Rory explained. She turned to the man at her side, gesturing between him and the two of them. “This is my boyfriend, Logan.”

“Oh, hi,” Ella said, shaking Logan’s hand.

“It’s a pleasure,” he grinned slyly, one dimple on his left cheek. “Strong handshake.”

“That’s what I’m famous for,” she replied. “I’m Ella.” Tilting her head to Jess, she broke hands with Logan. “And that’s Jess.”

“Hey,” Jess said shortly, also shaking Logan’s hand.

Logan’s smile didn’t even falter in the wake of Jess’s tight demeanor. “Nice to meet you, Jess.”

“So, how about this hay bale maze? Gives you Labyrinth vibes, doesn’t it?” Lorelai asked, smiling warmly.

“Yeah. All that’s missing is Bowie,” Ella agreed, nodding.

Intertwining their fingers again, Jess leaned into Ella’s side slightly against the chilly spring breeze.

“I wouldn’t mind seeing him in that costume,” Lorelai continued.

“Agreed,” Rory chimed in.

It occurred to Ella how long it had been since they had seen each other. Rory’s hair was longer and straighter, with side bangs and a redder tone. And her clothes seemed different, as well. Kate Spade and Coach and other brands Ella couldn’t have named. As far as first impressions went, she couldn’t quite figure out Logan. His smirk seemed constant, but not genuine like Jess’s. It wasn’t endearing, as though he were about to laugh at a private joke. Instead, it was almost smarmy. She wondered in the back of her mind what he was trying to sell her. Seeing Lorelai, though, was welcome. Images of movie nights and sleepovers and quiet afternoons reading flashed across her memory. Ella could recognize Lorelai just fine in the memories; Rory was not as easy.

“Not sure it’s worth it for how long we’ve been wandering around, though,” Lorelai added. Ella could see new, blonde-ish highlights in her hair. A pang of guilt hit her; with as much Lorelai had done for her, she should’ve checked in more. Even if she and Luke were still, inexplicably, on the outs.

Jess furrowed his brows. “What? I thought we were near the end.”

“Far from it,” Rory said.

“What about the caramel apple stand and stuff?” Ella asked.

“The budget wouldn’t allow it. Not after Taylor bought all the hay in Connecticut,” Lorelai said, gesturing to the maze around them. “This is it.”

Ella scoffed, shaking her head. “I’ll say it again. Evil mastermind.”

“What?” Logan asked, laughing.

Before she could answer, Ella’s nose began to tickle and she caught another sneeze in the crook of her elbow.

“Gesundheit!” Lorelai exclaimed.

“Well,” Jess began, looking between Ella and the other three, “we should probably start making our way to the other side. Seems like sneezy’s allergy medicine is wearing off.”

“Anyone who starts naming the other six dwarves will be in grave danger,” Ella warned, sniffling and blinking harshly.

They bid each other goodbye and were about to part ways when Rory suddenly spun around and called Ella’s name.

“Yeah?” Ella asked.

“Do you wanna maybe...go to lunch at Weston’s tomorrow? If you’re still gonna be in town,” Rory offered, her voice soft and hopeful. Her blue eyes were large in the moonlight.

Ella blew out a breath, considering it for only a moment. “Sure. Meet you at noon, alright?”

Rory nodded, and was soon whisked away again by Lorelai and Logan. They turned a corner and were masked by the hay.

.   .   .

She had never been to the Hartford courthouse, and it shocked her how much the place smelled like a dentist’s office. Chilly and plasticy and devoid of all human feeling. Painted in white with mahogany accents and bright lights, the building had supposedly been standing since before the Salem witch trials. Or so the plaque on the front of the red brick structure read. The minute hand on her watch ticked on silently, as nine o’clock rolled around. Ella had tried sketching, but couldn’t keep her focus on the portrait of her grandmother surrounded by sunflowers. Jess was halfway through a worn Bukowski volume, scribbling penciled notes in the margins, despite the faded writing already there. Ella’s head rested gently on his shoulder, dozing. Neither of them had slept especially well, nervous over the deposition. And neither of them were willing to take Luke’s bed again, and had squeezed onto the old brown couch. They considered the old twin bed, but decided falling off wasn’t worth it.

Ella was nearly asleep, her sketchbook shut and stuffed into her purse next to her, when she felt Jess shifting beneath her. His form tightened, and his breathing had become labored. Immediately, Ella’s eyes shot open, as she recognized the noise. She turned to find the novel shaking in his hands, his eyes wide and watery as his breathing began to pick up.

“Whoa, Jess, hey,” she began calmly, taking the book from his hands and placing it absently on the bench behind her. She faced him fully and reached out, but then hesitated. “Can I touch you?”

He swallowed dryly, trying to fight the tears blurring his vision. One second, he had been underlining a sentence; the next, his entire being became rigid and his heart was pounding. Not long after, he felt his throat tightening. Harsh shivers rolled through his body. He simply couldn’t control his erratic breathing.

Then, his eyes flitted to her face, the crease between her brows, and he nodded slightly.

“Okay,” she replied. Grabbing his wrist with a gentle hand, she brought his palm to her chest, the fabric of her blouse soft beneath his fingers. “Just breathe with me, cutie. Everything will be fine.”

“Pretty optimistic, Stevens,” he grumbled breathlessly, raising a doubtful eyebrow.

“Desperate times, Mariano. C’mon, just breathe with me,” she said softly, breathing in a long breath through her nose, exhaling out her mouth.

Beneath his hand, he could feel the rise and fall of her chest. Though he felt a little silly, he focused on the earnestness in her face. A few pedestrians passed by them, tossing uncertain glances their way, but Ella paid them absolutely no mind. She only focused on Jess. His cheeks were flushed as he ran his free hand over his mouth, nodding at her again as he finally began to mimic her breaths. Air hitching in his throat, he had to try more than a few times to steady himself.

“Good job, James Dean,” she smiled, watching him eventually begin to relax. His cheeks were glistening in the fluorescent light, and she wiped them dry with her thumb. “You okay? I can find you some water.”

“I’m pretty sure all they have here is burnt coffee,” he said, voice still uneven. The stench of stale coffee permeating the air in the whole building only added to the dentist office vibe.

She gave a breathy chuckle. “Hey, anything’s possible. My powers of persuasion are pretty strong.”

“I’m fine,” he insisted, averting his eyes from her. His cheeks burned hotly.

“Hey,” she said, tone serious once again, as she placed a hand on the back of his neck, “are you sure? If you can’t do the deposition, you can just write something down. I’m sure I could just go in.”

“No, I’m fine,” he said, eyes widening emphatically. “Don’t worry, Daria.”

“Impossible,” Ella said, dropping her hand from his neck and intertwining their fingers instead.

Jess cleared his throat. She saw his eyes flicker nervously over to the door of the room Luke had disappeared into over an hour earlier. Jess almost raised a hand to run through his hair, but then stopped as he remembered they were supposed to look professional in front of the lawyers. He felt fidgety and anxious.

“You’ll do fine, cutie,” she told him.

He faced her again, trying to force a confident smirk on his face. But he couldn’t bring himself to. “I know, just...like you said. What if he loses her? Or if-”

“‘You’ll never get anywhere if you go about what-iffing like that,’” she interjected.

He stared at her curiously for a moment before he ventured a guess. “Chuck Palahniuk?”

“Roald Dahl,” she answered.

“Huh,” he chirped indifferently.

Her eyes lingered on his distracted expression, watching his gaze be drawn again to the door to the deposition. He pursed his lips, a wistful, guarded look.

“Jess,” she started warily, her voice a sigh, “did you ever think about seeing someone? I mean, is this only the second time-”

“Can we please not talk about this, Doctor Laura?” he snapped quietly. Not unkindly, simply impatient. Ella hadn’t previously realized just how nervous he was for the deposition, considering how neutrally he’d reacted when she’d first told him about it.

She sighed again through her nose, jaw tensing. But she reminded herself where they were, and who they were. She told herself not to push too hard, not to worry about him getting scared and running off again. But still, a familiar fear threatened to rise in her throat. She swallowed thickly, then gave a slow nod. She pressed a quick kiss to the back of his hand and disentangled their fingers.

“Okay, James Dean,” she said flatly, handing him back his book. “To be continued.”

“Thank you,” he replied, flashing her a weak, half-hearted smile.

She tried to quiet the uneasiness whispering in her mind.

.   .   .

Weston’s looked much the same. The outdoor tables were adorned with vases of gerber daisies, fluttering in the light breeze. Bright sunlight warmed up the afternoon. Rory came back to the table with a tall coffee in one hand and a tea in the other. A tin of pound cake sat in between them on the frilly lace tablecloth, two forks beside it. Back in her plain purple dress and leather jacket, Ella felt more comfortable. And the judge had, thankfully, ruled in favor of Luke. Ella’s heart was alight with joy at just the thought of the verdict.

But an odd sense of deja-vu filled her. After Saturdays swimming in the Stars Hollow Community Pool, she and her father would come to the bakery, sunburnt and exhausted. She would get an apple tart and he would get a slice of chocolate satin pie. Just the two of them while her mother and brothers were at home playing board games. It had been their place, a father and a daughter, before everything fell apart. Her mind wandered to Jake for only a moment, wondering where he was and what he was doing. She wondered if he ever remembered their post-pool bakery visits, sitting outside with towels wrapped around them, damp bathing suits sticking to their bodies.

But then Taylor rode by, in the front seat on a bus of tourists, blasting his words through a megaphone. She snapped out of it. Offering a grateful smile to Rory, she took a sip of her tea. “Really, Rory, you didn’t have to get my tea.”

Rory waved a dismissive hand as she sat down. “It’s fine, Ella. Consider it making up for those last few birthdays when I wasn’t there to force presents on you.”

Ella smirked through a chuckle. “Okay. Thank you.”

“So,” Rory began, leaning in, conspiratory. “Tell me everything.”

“Well,” Ella said, shrugging and glancing over to her left. She forgot that her vision of the lush green square would be obscured by the wall of dry yellow hay. Having dosed up again on allergy medicine, she was glad to soon be leaving. She snickered under her breath, then turned back to Rory. She had a small smile on her pink lips. For a moment, Ella saw her as she had when they were teenagers. Bookish and shy, similar to Jess in a lot of ways. “I’m pretty busy with grad school. My students are all so fucking smart though, so it’s honestly not all that hard getting things to stick with them.”

“Yeah, Lane told me you graduated early,” Rory nodded along, almost jealous.

“Just took a bunch of summer classes and stuff. Luke gave me so much time to study. I wouldn’t have been able to do it otherwise,” Ella shrugged, spinning the tea mug around as she spoke.

“And how’s living with Jess? Above the publishing company, right? Is it Truncheon? I can’t remember. It seems like so long since Luke told me about it,” Rory said, giggling through her words.

Ella’s smile widened. “Yeah, Truncheon. They sell books and local art. Even some of mine, actually. But we live with Chris and Matthew, Jess’s partners, above the store. They’re...interesting. Matthew can do these crazy, Good Will Hunting math problems in his head. And Chris has, like, forty Red Bulls worth of energy everyday, but he hardly ever drinks caffeine. He just has a natural, endless supply. Kinda reminds me of your mom.”

“Sounds eventful,” Rory chimed in.

“That it is. But...it’s really fun. The city...it’s so lively. Everyday I walk outside and it’s a whole new place,” Ella said, blushing slightly at the sentimental words as she spoke them. But it was true. Returning to Stars Hollow always reminded her how much she enjoyed Philly. “But, what about you? Let’s hear about this Logan character.”

“Oh,” Rory began, looking down at her drink. “He’s good. We’re good. He’s really smart and we have a lot in common. And he’s really well-traveled. We’re great. He’s great.”

Eyes widening marginally, suspiciously, Ella nodded at Rory’s babbling. “So, you’re great, I hear. Alright. He makes you happy?”

“He does,” Rory answered, taking a sip of her coffee. Then, after a moment of pause: “It’s just…”

“What’s up, Ror?” Ella asked softly, furrowing her brows. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”

Rory finally met her eyes again. “It’s just...I got offered this job at a newspaper in Rhode Island. And it’s solid and steady. My mom thinks I should take it.”

“That’s awesome, Rory! You’re gonna be at the Washington Post before we know it!” Ella exclaimed.

Rory offered her a weak smile. “Yeah, but, I also applied for this big scholarship. Only like five people get it every year. But it could be huge, and Logan thinks I could go for it. But, he also just lost about a million dollars and quit his job at his father’s company.”

“Hm,” Ella hummed, trying to keep her face expressionless as Rory continued. They were nowhere near close enough anymore for Ella to criticize her boyfriend.

“And then, the other day, I found this ring...”

“Oh, fuck,” Ella said, leaning back in her chair.

“Yeah,” Rory sighed. “And I have no idea what to do. I don’t know when he’s gonna ask me, if he’s gonna ask me, if he’s gonna want to follow me to Rhode Island, and...I mean, do you wanna spend the rest of your life with Jess?”

Taken aback by the question, Ella bit the inside of her cheek and paused. “Um...I...I hardly believed in love before I met Jess. Sometimes change doesn’t happen all at once. But...I mean...I would always rather be with him than not with him. If that means I want to spend the rest of my life with him…then, yeah. I do.”

Rory tucked her hair behind both her ears, shrugging. “I guess it’s not the same type of thing. I mean, you’ve been the Catherine to his Heathcliff forever.”

“Nothing’s perfect, though, Ror,” Ella said. She thought back to a few hours earlier in the courthouse, Jess’s stony expression. She could practically see the scowl he was sporting back the diner, where she’d find him after Weston’s to drive back home. “I mean, marrying someone doesn’t solve everything. Living together doesn’t solve everything. Jess and I argue. We fight.”

“Yeah, I think we all remember what it was like when you two worked at the diner together,” Rory scoffed nostalgically.

Ella snorted a laugh. “Believe me, I know. Jess and I don’t love each other because it’s easy. We don’t communicate the best sometimes. He’s not the chattiest, if you remember. And I’m not the most flexible. He turns the heat up in the apartment way too high. And, sometimes, I swear he’s got the worst taste. But we promised each other a long time ago we would always try for each other. That’s all it is. We try for each other.”

“You sound like a Nicholas Sparks novel,” Rory said, giggling once more.

“I do not!” Ella exclaimed, a blush creeping further up her skin.

“Oh, really?” Rory asked doubtfully. “Tell me what you love about him, then. Tell me the little details about the man who melted the icy Ella Stevens.”

Ella snorted again, shaking her head. “It wasn’t some sexist Taming of the Shrew situation. He’s just...he’s my best friend. That’s it.”

“Come on, you have to get back to Philly soon, don’t you? Humor me for the sake of this advice session,” Rory continued.

Rolling her eyes and groaning dramatically, Ella shifted in her seat and sighed. “Fine. For old time’s sake, Rory. He...he’s such a good writer. He writes like nothing I’ve ever read before. It’s thoughtful and deep and...I don’t know. He does that thing where he bites his lip when he’s nervous. And he’s probably the biggest romantic I’ve ever met. I used to think it was absurd, but now it’s just cute. He rubs circles on my back sometimes, for no reason. He just…always likes to be touching. And, as much as that man loves words, it’s the actions. He doesn’t need to say something for me to know...I guess. He’ll show me instead. Does that make sense?”

After a moment of gaping, Rory burst out in laughter. “I knew it was serious. I didn’t know it was a Tennyson poem.”

“Alright, alright, enough,” Ella grumbled in embarrassment. “The point is: do you want to be with Logan for the rest of your life?”

Rory’s face fell slightly, and she could only manage a non-committal shrug.

As the breeze blew past them again, and Ella watched Rory’s expression falter, she felt her stomach fill with nerves. She hadn’t realized it before, quite how committed she was. When she imagined her life, Jess was always there. It wasn’t even a question. She didn’t know exactly when she’d decided he would be a permanent fixture, if he wanted. But apparently she had. And no matter how frustrated she was with his refusal to talk about his panic attacks, or the anxiety which had been following him for, perhaps, years, it didn’t matter. It had been a tough trip for him. She just wanted to get back to him, to make sure he was alright. To see if he was feeling better.

[yetanotherreader]

Useful—4

Genre: College AU

Pairing: Dean Winchester x Y/N Y/L/N, slight Dean x Lisa

Summary: The school’s most popular boy wants to be friends with Y/N, out of the blue. It definitely doesn’t have anything to do with her hot best friend, though.

Word Count (For the chapter): 2,627

Warnings (For the chapter): Language, self deprecative thoughts.

[For some reason, some of the tags aren’t working. I’m sorry about that.]

[[ Also I’m sorry for the no Read More thingy because it doesn’t happen on the phone app :-(]]

Useful Masterlist

Chapter 4

Chapter 3

Time flew by faster and in no time, it was the last week of the semester. Winter breaks were going to begin and you didn't know what to do with your life during the vacation. Lisa was going to be spending it with her family, Dean was going on a road trip with his friends and you had no plans whatsoever. You had no funds to go visit your family, overseas. You were saving for an apartment, and your parents understood. You were, in fact, surprised that they did without any clashes but again, maybe, living away from each other did mend your relationship with your family better. You missed them and, hopefully, they missed you too.

Right now, though, you were trying to figure out how you were going to survive the holidays, browsing the library for some books you could use for your time alone. Older times, you would have enjoyed it. Would get bored, might go into overthinking drives, beat yourself up for things of the past, but still somehow enjoyed the undisturbed two weeks. Now, it was different. Everything was. You were not used to being alone all the time anymore, there was a certain green eyed idiot who made sure to be around you as much as he could. The idiot you've started to dangerously feel for. He introduced you to Cas and Jo, and they were amazing people. Lisa had started spending time with you, too. It was funny. A few months ago, you had literally no one to talk to and now, you barely got to be alone.

"There you are! I've been looking for you."

"Well, I'm honored. Hey, Lis."

"Gotta say your sense of humor has worsened more," she said with a laugh, "Hey. So mom is going on a holiday with her fiancé for the new year. So had to cut the trip short. They invited me but I bailed out"

"I'm sorry," You knew Lisa and her mom's new boyfriend didn't get along all that well. The previous guy her mom was with, though, treated Lisa like her own, and she missed him. For some reason, they broke up and that was why Lisa  moved here for college from Michigan. Her mother's new fiance was a nice man, according to Lisa, but she just couldn't give him that place in her heart.

"Yeah. So, yeah, I'll be here a week earlier."

"That's cool. We can catch up on some movies then."

"And bars and parties and hot boys at the beach."

"Oh, Lord." You laughed, and she soon joined you.

"Hey Y/-" You heard Dean stop, abruptly before continuing, "H-Hey."

You looked up at him to see him looking at Lisa, only to realize it was her he actually greeted, "Um..hey, Dean."

He practically tore his gaze away from her to look at you, "Oh, hi, Y/N. You didn't tell me your friend was going to be here with you."

"Uh, you didn't tell me you were going to be coming here, Dean." You laughed awkwardly trying to cut the tension in the air.

"Oh, yeah, actually I was looking for you. Well, I was wondering if you-"

"Y/N, won't you introduce me to your friend?" Lisa chimed in, practically eye-fucking your best friend—and you hated to notice, it was coming right back at her.

"So, you don't know who I am, huh?" Dean smirked, flirting. You couldn't help but roll your eyes.

It was like you weren't even there while they continued to make filthy comments and it was disgusting, you audibly groaned making your way out of the library, "God, ew."

For the rest of the day, you were supposed to be busy. You had assignments to submit before the vacations started, but it seemed like you dropped your concentration somewhere on the road. You couldn't stop wondering what Lisa and Dean were doing right then. Did they kiss? Or were they planning somethi-

You shook your head, shaking away the thoughts. They were your friends, you should be happy for them if it came to something like that. What you felt for Dean was a tiny, little crush which would fade in no time. You weren't going to make things between you two awkward by acting on it. This friendship was important to you, after a long, long while you were willing to put your trust in someone. You didn't even remember the last time you ever talked to someone like you talked to Dean. He was starting to become the closest friend you'd ever had, so yeah, you were going to be happy for him no matter who he dated.

The only thing was...you weren't.

You typed furiously on the computer, trying to ignore the insecurities that were creeping inside you little by little. Dean is going to leave you too. No one will stay. Everyone leaves. Your fingers danced across the keyboard smoothly yet faster than before as you hurried to get the work done so that you could get the hell out of the premises and take a nap. Because you deserve it. You're not worth any love. You're a disgra- You typed the last words and emailed yourself the document, not bringing anything that was going on in your mind show on your face.

"Y/N!" You stopped at the familiar voice, turning around as Lisa made her way towards you, "Guess what?"

"What?" You asked, not surprised by her happy attitude. She was always so happy, it made you wonder what was wrong with you that you couldn't be.

"You never told me you were friends with that hot snack!"

"Um.. actually. I did." You said, rolling your eyes. Obviously she wasn't paying attention.

"No…" you gave her a long look, "you did?"

Exhaling heavily, you made your way to your room, "Lis, I've had a busy day. I'm really really exhausted. Can we gush over how hot Dean is later when I've had some shut eye?"

"No, I didn't stop you to tell how hot Dean is. I mean, yes he is but I wanted to tell you he invited me to the road trip he's going on with his friends." Your eyes shot up to her face, searching for any signs of it being a joke. It wasn't. Dean, actually, did ask her. They met...like...just now?

Lisa must have gotten an idea of your discomfort 'cause her eyes saucered in realization, "oh my god...I'm so sorry, Y/N! I completely forgot about you and the plans we made. I can drop going, I'm so sorry."

"No..it's..it's okay. Really. Go enjoy your holiday. I was, anyway, going to spend my time alone before we made those plans."

She looked at you, guilty, "Are you sure?"

"Yeah.." You smiled in understanding.

"I can always ask Dean to let you tag along."

You chuckled at the irony. You were his best friend, you didn't need anyone else to ask him anything for you. And you even felt a little insulted by the statement. You could do without this favour. You could definitely do without anyone 'letting you' tag along, "Braedon, really, go. I'll be fine on my own."

She went away without another word. The pit in your stomach only seemed to grow as you did your best to drag it aside. You, somehow, managed to stop the slumping of your shoulders as you walked into your room. You changed out of your jeans into your pajamas, ready to call it a day. You made yourself a peanut butter sandwich and was done with all the chores that you settled down on the bed. Switching off the lights, you pulled the warm blanket over your head. It was then that all the thoughts you'd been pushing aside started making appearances.

Your friend 'completely forgot' about you and the plans, your best friend didn't even bother remembering that he forgot about you. It was like you didn't even exist. You knew it was stupid, in fact it was really childish to think like this. Them people have gotten their own lives which DID NOT have to revolve around you. And pretty honestly, you knew no life revolved around you, not even your own. No one would give two shits if you suddenly disappeared, including you. Still, you weren't supposed to feel this way. You weren't supposed to be so much affected because of something like this. Being left out was not something that was happening for the first time to you. But this time, it hurt a little. The thought of you getting replaced bothered a little when it shouldn't. It wasn't a crime or anything. What did you ever do to make a lasting impact in someone's life anyway so that they'd want to keep you forever?

You woke up to constant pounding on your door. Groaning, you got up to open the door.

"I was about to knock the door down, sleepyhead." Dean ruffled your hair playfully as you slapped his hand away annoyed.

"I was sleeping, asshole."

"Shocker."

You looked at him, bored, for a while before widening your eyes and pulling him inside and locking the door behind, "What the hell are you doing here? If the warden saw you, she'd rip me two."

"For a second I thought you were going to kiss me," he snickered sheepishly. "I called you to inform, you didn't pick up." He made his way inside the room, putting the box of pizza and a backpack on the couch. You scrunched up your nose at the action.

"Pizza? Why?"

"Why are you surprised?"

"It was Tuesday. Did I sleep for three fuckin' days straight?!" You said, flabbergasted for a moment until you saw Dean making the most annoyed face ever.

"Y/L/N. It is still Tuesday. Wednesday, actually. And our Friday night outs are at my place, not here where your warden is ready to eat me alive."

"Your point?"

He sighed, "We didn't spend any time together today, Y/N. I saw you earlier, you didn't look well."

You frowned before the memories made their way back, "oh…

"Well that's exactly why I was trying to sleep, Winchester." You scolded, trying to not sound too cold.

"What is it?"

"What?" You turned away from him, walking to your bed, Dean following suit.

"What's wrong? And don't give me there's-nothing-wrong-i'm-okay shit. Tell me." He sat himself beside you as you crawled under the blanket to the other end.

"There's nothing wrong, I'm okay." Dean rolled his eyes as you pulled the covers over your head.

"You know I hate it when you do what I tell you not to."

"Then don't tell me what to do." Your voice came out muffled, as you replied back sharply. He sighed.

When she walked out of the library, groaning as Lisa and him flirted, Dean had noticed. He thought it was just the playful best friend reaction seeing them two flirt with each other, so he let it pass. Later that day, he went to meet Y/N and saw her working on the computer. She would look normal to anyone around there, but Dean had secretly picked up on her habit of doing her work extra smooth when she's stressed. Her shoulders were tensed and eyes sharp. Yep. She was definitely bothered. What he was about to tell her would have to wait, first he needed to know what was bothering her. He decided to talk to her after his class, but by the time his class was over, Y/N was already out of the campus.

"I never got to tell you why I came to talk to you this morning."

"Oh, you came to talk to me? Didn't think I was so lucky." Was that what it was all about? Was she... jealous? But why would she be jealous? She was so darn confusing, it frustrated him sometimes.

"You need to talk to me, Y/N. What's going on?" He said, pulling her blanket to him before she pulled it back.

"Nothing is going on Dean, really. It's nothing. I'm just tired is all."

"And grumpy?"

"And grumpy."

"I need you to know no one is going to take your place, sweetheart." He felt her stiffen just a bit, not enough to be noticed but enough to be noticed by him.

"Stop thinking you're that important to me, Winchester. You're not." He flinched. He knew Y/N didn't mean that, it was just her defence mechanism with some extra sass but it still painfully tug his heart a little bit. She made a lot such comments, mostly playfully, with that serious face but playfully. Maybe it wasn't the comment but the fact that she was hurt that was bothering him? He wouldn't know. One thing he knew, though, was whatever was bothering her, he needed to make her smile. Maybe she noticed his sudden pause because she immediately spoke up, "Sorry. It came out harsher than I intended."

"S'okay. So you're not gonna tell me what's bothering you?"

"Nothing is bothering me Winchester."

"Whatever you say, Y/L/N." He gave up. It bothered him that she had still not opened up to him even when they'd been 'best friends' for so long. Every time he thought she would, she would close off and change the topic. She still was the mystery girl he met at the beginning of the college, a mystery he didn't know how to figure out "So, you coming?"

"Where?"

"The road trip?

"So Lisa did that after all."

"Lisa did what?"

"Nothing. And well, I've got some work so I can't come."

"Yeah I know what work you got. Come on, Y/N. Be easy on yourself sometimes. It's gonna be fun."

"But-"

"Great. So it's a 2 weeks long trip. Pack accordingly and now we have that pizza." He stood up before she could protest and got the pizza.

"How many times are you going to watch this show, Dean? Don't you get bored?" You said taking your third slice.

"As many times as I please, babe. It's Dr. Sexy M.D, it never gets boring." He said casually, thankfully missing the pink that dusted your cheeks at the nickname in the dark.

After a couple more episodes, you were starting to doze off, and so was Dean, "Alright, let's sleep. We have classes tomorrow.

"There's no morning class. Just one more epi." He said, clutching the remote in his hands, like a child, "please?"

"No." He pouted at your response, defeated.

"Okie." He said letting out a small yawn. Sleepy Dean was always adorable, "So it's settled that you're coming with us?"

She paused for a moment before shrugging slightly.

"I guess...yes," he smiled cheekily as she said that, "but, why did you want me there all of a sudden?"

"Because I want you there? It's gonna be fun. I've heard girls need their girl-friends on these tours for some 'girl-company' thing. I invited Lisa, so-"

He stopped abruptly as she stood up and made her way out of the room, "I'll go and throw these boxes, you change in here."

"- that you could get some company." He whispered mostly to himself. What the hell just happened? He shook his head, too sleepy to think about it right now and stripped out of his clothes into his pajamas.

Obviously. There it was. The reason he wanted you there, it's all here. It's because he didn't want Lisa to be alone around people she didn't know. You stood by the sink and chuckled to yourself, feeling a sting in the back of your eyes. Wow.

"Same old easily replaceable Y/N." You whispered.

-------

Chapter 5

A/N: alright. I know I know. I'm a terrible author who do not care about her readers but it's not that. I'm really, genuinely sorry. Life's been really rollercoastery and I've been dealing with stuffs lately. I promise I'll be better next time. And if you could take out a minute of your day and pray for me and a lot of people who need it, please, I'll be really grateful. They say prayers are powerful and I think I can do with them a bit.

Also, please don't do something wrong with yourself. You're worth every effort you make for a better life. Each minute of your life counts, just make sure you keep yourself and others as happy as you can. Be kind to you and others, I'm rooting for you. ❤️

And show some kindness to the animals too, they deserve it. ❤️

.

.

Tags for useful:

 @fandoms-fiend @mrsdeanfuckingwinchester @itsjaybro16 @mml232 @blablatiti @stilltoomuchafangirl @bat-shark-repellant @bluebell-24 @shortwinchester @always-money-in-the-banana-stand @ima-be-a-mongoose @soullessbabee @infinityspacesuniverse @vicmc624 @roonyxx @fandoms-fiend @slythermyg

[bcimbatmandude]

More Human Than Meets the Eye-chapter 1

A/N: Hello! I’ve posted this before but stopped writing it, so I’m posting it again because I’ve picked it up again. This story involves Sherlock having a daughter. It goes through the series and we see how the character would change to fit around a 7 year old lol. This might be trash to some of you but it’s fun to write. Please enjoy!

"We don't know a thing about each other; I don't know where we're meeting; I don't even know your name!" John Watson was utterly flabbergasted. Here before him stood a tall, very strange man. He had short, dark curly hair. A scarf was hanging loosely around his neck, and he was sporting what appeared to be a very nice dark grey Milford Coat.

"We've only just met each other," John continued, "and you want to go look at a flat together?"

"Problem?" the curly haired man questioned, left eyebrow rising.

John just stared. His mouth opened and closed a few times. He was aware that he probably looked like a blubbering idiot, but for the life of him, he couldn't think of a retort. He looked to his left in the hopes of receiving assistance from his friend Mike. However, none was to be found. Mike smiled towards John somewhat smugly.

A bit put out, John finally managed to find his voice again. "Look mate, I don't know if…"

"You're an army doctor," the man interrupted. "You've been invalid from Afghanistan. You've got a brother who's worried about you but you won't go to him for help because you don't approve of him due to either his alcoholism or the fact that he just recently walked out on his wife. I'm leaning towards the latter. Your therapist believes that your limp is psychosomatic. She's correct." He ended his rambling and smirked at John, then proceeded to stride towards the door.

"That's enough to sate you I believe." He opened the door and started to strut out before quickly swinging his upper half back inside the room. "The names Sherlock Holmes and the address is 221B Baker Street. Afternoon."

The door swung shut behind him, and John stared dumbly at it for a few seconds before swinging his head back towards Mike. The man simply smiled at his dumbfounded friend. "Yeah, he's always like that."

SHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSH

John gazed at the bronze letters in front of him curiously, his cane propped carefully next to him.

221B Baker Street.

The sound of a car pulling up interrupted his thought process, and he turned around to see the man from earlier, Sherlock Holmes, get out of his taxi. He closed the car door and leaned back in through the window to hand him the driver money. "Thanks very much," he said before turning around and walking towards John. "Hello again," he greeted, holding his hand out.

"Ah, Mr. Holmes," John replied, grabbing his hand in a firm shake. "Sherlock, please," he requested. John nodded and commented, "This looks like a prime spot. Must be expensive."

Sherlock hummed. "Yes I suppose it would be." At John's questioning look he continued. " The landlady, Mrs. Hudson, owed me a favor and gave me a special deal."

"Oh?" John hummed.

"Yes,” Mr. Holmes nodded. “A few years back her husband got himself sentenced to death in Florida. I was able to assist her with his sentencing." "You were able to stop her husband from being executed?" John inquired."Oh no," Sherlock smiled, "I ensured it."

Before John could respond to that, Sherlock had swung the door open. A small, older woman with a kind face was there to meet them, and John watched as she greeted Sherlock cheerfully. She embraced him, and John was somewhat surprised to see Sherlock briefly return her affections with a hug of his own.Sherlock allowed his landlady and new flat mate to exchange introductions before making his way upstairs to his abode. He waited patiently for John to limp his way up the necessary steps, and opened the door exposing the living room.

John thought the flat looked nice, very nice indeed. It just needed some tidying up. He said as much. "Well this could be nice. Very nice indeed."

"Yes, my thoughts precisely. So I went ahead and moved in." As he spoke the last sentence, John also said, "Soon as we get all the rubbish cleaned out."

An awkward pause filled the room, and John inwardly cringed. He opened his mouth to apologize, but before he could, he heard what he thought sounded like a child giggling. "Sorry," he started, looking at Sherlock in confusion. "Did I just hear a child?" Sherlock rolled his eyes."I forgot to mention that I have a…"

"Dad!"

John swung around towards the door of the flat, watching as a small child burst through and ran straight towards Sherlock.

"…daughter," Sherlock finished. John watched as the little girl ran up to Sherlock and hugged his leg. She only reached up to about a little above his knee, and John ruled her to be about 7 or 8 years old. She had blonde curly hair that reached to about her shoulders. She was turned towards her father so the rest of her features were hidden from him.

"Dad, you're back!" the child exclaimed happily.

"Yes," Sherlock simply replied. "I see you've gotten into the ice cream again."

The child stepped back a bit from the man, ducking her head. "Yes, well, Mrs. Hudson offered me some and I couldn't be rude and refuse…"Sherlock rolled his eyes again in exasperation. John figured he did that a lot.

"Hello!" He looked down towards the small voice that was suddenly addressing him. "My name's Adaline," she started, walking towards him. "Adaline Cecilia Holmes. But I just go by Adaline."

She held her hand out towards John.Highly amused at her adorable action, he gently took her small hand in his. "Are you going to live with us?" she inquired, looking up at him with big green eyes that matched her fathers.

In fact, a lot of her matched her father. She definitely had his particular shade of green eyes. The shape of her nose was from Sherlock, and her ivory complexion matched his as well. The only difference of course was the color of her hair, and a rosiness to her cheeks which made her look very innocent and cherub like.

"I believe so," John answered, and couldn't help but smile back at her when she beamed up at him in response to his statement.

"Adaline what on Earth are you wearing on your feet?" Sherlock spoke in an exasperated voice.John looked down curiously and chuckled. She was wearing bright green rain boots which didn't at all match the blue floral dress she had on. They had little lily pads on them and a frog was show cased near the toe of the boots. John was even more amused when she turned towards her father and the shoes let out a tiny croak.

"Do you like them?" she grinned excitedly. "Mrs. Hudson got them for me!"

"Mrs. Hudson!" Sherlock yelled suddenly. "Yes dear?" the kind lady inquired, walking inside. "Mrs. Hudson how many times have I told you that if you buy her clothing, it must be sensible?" The landlady's eyebrows went up in confusion. "I don't know what you mean Sherlock."

Croak.

John snickered a bit and Sherlock groaned. "Oh lighten up Sherlock," she lightly laughed. "She was such a sweet girl helping me tidy up my apartment and I couldn't resist." Sherlock huffed when Mrs. Hudson and Adaline both looked up at him with innocent smiles. "Oh alright," he conceded. "Next time just make sure you buy her things that aren't so…loud."

Mrs. Hudson nodded and looked towards John."What do you think of the flat then Doctor Watson? If you'll be needing two bedrooms there's another one right upstairs."

"Of course we'll be needing two bedrooms," he answered, slightly confused. She smiled at him. "Oh don't worry dear, there's all sorts round here. Mrs. Turner next door's got married ones." John spluttered in indignation and looked to Sherlock, who seemed to be oblivious to the land lady's words. "Sherlock the mess you've made!" Mrs. Hudson continued, also unaware of John's plight.

He watched as Sherlock began to somewhat attempt to tidy up the place. He limped himself over to the nearest armchair and plopped himself down. Adaline giggled at John's silliness and walked over to the coach, croaking the entire way. "Adaline I insist you take your shoes off before walking any further. I simply cannot endure the croaking." "But dad I can't take them off yet!" She cried, looking at her father imploringly. "Mrs. Hudson says I need to wear them as much as possible to work them in." "Of course she did," he muttered, letting the matter drop.

It was silent throughout the flat for a little bit then, and John glanced around trying to take everything in. His eyes landed on one particular item on the mantel piece. "That's a skull." He stated the obvious. "Friend of mine," Sherlock answered, glaring for a second at Adaline's shoes.

"His name is Rupert," Adaline provided for John. "I much prefer the name Billy," Sherlock countered.

"I looked you up on the internet last night," John said then.

"Find anything interesting?"

"I found your website," John answered. "The Science of Deduction." Sherlock smiled at John, quite proud of himself. "What did you think?"

His smile fell when John got a hesitant look on his face."You said you could identify a software designer by his tie and an airline pilot by his left thumb." "That's correct," Sherlock nodded. "I can also read your military career in your face and leg, and your brother's drinking habits by your mobile phone."

"How is that possible?"

"My dad is quite clever, Dr. Watson," Adaline said. Sherlock gave a small smile to his daughter in thanks. "What about these suicides then, Sherlock?" Mrs. Hudson inquired. She walked over and grabbed the newspaper that had been thrown on the table in the living room. "Three exactly the same."

"Four," Sherlock corrected, walking over to the window and peering out of it. Adaline hopped up from her place on the coach and walked over to her father. She wrapped an arm around his leg, and he glanced down at her, placing his left hand on top of her head. She leaned into him sweetly and he gently began running his fingers through her curls. "There's been a fourth."

John turned his head towards the door when he heard footsteps coming up towards the flat. Inspector Lestrade strode through. The man looked over at John, giving him a polite nod in greeting before looking back towards the curly haired man.

"Uncle Greg!" Lestrade looked down when he suddenly felt something small attach itself to his leg and grip it firmly. "Hello Ada!" he greeted warmly, hugging her back happily. He was quite fond of the little girl, and commented to Sherlock as often as he could how much more pleasant she was than her father."Where?" Sherlock asked the detective, cutting right to the chase."Brixton, Lauriston Gardens," Lestrade answered, looking away from the child now and back to Sherlock.

"What's new about this one?" Adaline asked, and the detective looked back down, eyebrow raised. "Uncle Greg you wouldn't have come if there was nothing new," she finished smartly. He shook his head a bit at her astuteness, and answered. "This one decided to be a bit different and leave a note. Will you come?"

Sherlock gave a pause before continuing. "Who's on forensics?"

"Anderson."

Sherlock grimaced and Adaline looked at her father worriedly. John had no idea what was going on or why Adaline was now somewhat pouting. "Anderson won't work with me," Sherlock said."Well he won't be your assistant." "I need an assistant."

Adaline opened her mouth, and without even looking in her direction, Sherlock said, "No, Adaline." She huffed and crossed her arms dejectedly.

"Will you come?" Lestrade asked again."Not in a police car," he answered. "I'll be right behind." Lestrade thanked the man and left. Silence echoed through the flat for a good five seconds before Sherlock excitedly leapt into the air, clenching his fists triumphantly. He picked his daughter up and whirled her around in a circle happily.

The little girl, completely forgetting she was supposed to be upset, giggled wildly and latched onto her father's arms. He plopped a sweet kiss on her forehead before setting her down and running towards the door.

"Brilliant!" he cried. "Absolutely brilliant. Four serial suicides, and now a note! Oh it's Christmas! Mrs. Hudson please watch Adaline for me. I know you won't mind. I'll probably be late coming back; make sure she eats something. Bed by 9:30 at the latest. I will also require sustenance."

"I'm your land lady Sherlock, not your babysitter," she reminded him."Something cold will do," he continued.

He stopped all movements suddenly and looked towards Adaline. He gave her 'the look' and she sighed and nodded, seemingly understanding just what it entailed. He nodded back, satisfied. "John, have a cuppa and make yourself at home. Don't wait up!" Sherlock darted out of the room, leaving the three remaining occupants staring at each other. Adaline croaked herself over to her father's chair, sitting down. She kept looking towards the door, as if she were waiting for something to happen.

"Look at him, dashing about!" Mrs. Hudson tutted. "My husband was just the same." She smiled fondly towards John. "But you're more the sitting down type, I can tell. I'll make you that cup of tea. You just rest your leg."

"Damn my leg!" John shouted loudly and quite unexpectedly, making Mrs. Hudson and Adaline look at him in shock.

"Sorry. I'm so sorry," he back tracked when he realized he had startled a child. She looked at him from her chair, blinking owlishly. "It's just sometimes this bloody thing…"

"I understand dear," Mrs. Hudson cut in. "I've got a hip." John cleared his throat. "A cuppa would be quite lovely, thank you." "Just this once dear," the land lady replied, walking towards her flat. "Couple of biscuits too, if you've got them."

"I'll help Mrs. Hudson!" Adaline threw in sweetly, bouncing towards the older woman. Mrs. Hudson chuckled fondly towards the child. "You just want some more sweets." "Well.." the blonde haired girl started. Mrs. Hudson winked and lowered her voice a bit. "It'll be our little secret dear." Adaline beamed at her and John chuckled at the two. He picked up the newspaper next to him, and began sifting through it.

"You're a doctor," John heard a deep voice say and looked over to see Sherlock leaning against the doorway. His eyebrows rose. "Yes…" he started. "In fact you're an army doctor."

"I am," John confirmed.

"Any good?"

"Very good."

"Seen a lot of injuries then. Violent deaths."

"Yes."

"Bit of trouble too, I bet." "Of course, yes," John answered quietly. He watched as Adaline peeked her way in through the doorway again, having heard her father's voice. "Enough for a lifetime. Far too much.""Want to see some more?" Sherlock inquired, already knowing the answer. John looked away from Adaline to Sherlock. "Oh God, yes."

The two men headed out of the room towards the front door. "Are you all going out?" Mrs. Hudson asked. "Impossible suicides Mrs. Hudson? Four of them? There's no point sitting at home when there's finally something fun going on!" He took the older woman by her shoulders and pressed a chaste kiss to her cheek.

"Look at you, all happy. It's not decent," she said, the smile on her face contradicting her words."Who cares about decent?" Sherlock and John headed towards the door, John going outside first.

Sherlock went to follow when he stopped suddenly and turned back towards the flat. John turned as well and saw that Adaline had grabbed the back of her father's coat. Sherlock kneeled down to her level."I'll be back very soon," he promised quietly.

Adaline said nothing, only gazed at her father very seriously for several seconds. She bit her lip and creased her eyebrows and John had to fight back a smile at the adorableness. He didn't dare move for fear of interrupting the father-daughter moment. She nodded then, and Sherlock moved towards her, grabbing her small body in a tight hug before kissing the side of her head and standing to his full height once again, and bounding outside.

"The game is on!"

that’s chapter 1! I’ve gotten all the way to chapter 13 written I think?? I’ll post them randomly. anyway! thanks for reading! next one should be up soon.

[echoes-of-the-clockwork]

Book Three: Pestilence (Ignis x Reader) Chapter Ten

"Don't stray too far, lest you get left behind," Ardyn started as they headed for the ruins. "And surely you'd rather avoid unnecessary scuffles, seeing as you're now a trio. Well, with the exception of your new acquaintance." He stopped for a brief second, looking back at the four. "Oh, dear. Touchy subject?"

(Y/n) only smiled in response. Underneath the surface, she felt a tinge of anger when he doubted she could handle herself in battle. She decided not to spark an argument and continued to smile.

"One we won't discuss with you," Ignis responded.

"Then let's discuss why you're here. Hmm....It can't be archaeology...Mythril, perhaps?"

"This guy's reading our thoughts!" Prompto gasped.

Ardyn smirked, continuing to lead them through the swamp. "Mythril-it's a precious resource. We can't just let anyone get their hands on it."

"But you'll help us get ours on it, right?" Noctis questioned with a raised brow.

"I never said that."

"Of course you didn't," the freckled boy groaned.

The chancellor chuckled. "Where is the fun in that? I thought you'd rather dig it up yourselves."

Arriving at the ruins, the group spotted a familiar figure standing at the entrance with two imperial officers beside her. Ardyn spun around to face the boys and Horseman, causing them to stop in the ankle-deep waters of the swamp. "Fear not-I'll be but a moment."

He walks away from them, giving (Y/n) the chance to breathe. "My, my. What a character."

"He's a creep with the way he was touching you earlier," Prompto stated. "I mean, smelling your hair? That's really creepy."

"Mm, yes. I must admit-it sent a chill down my spine," Pestilence confesses with a small grimace.

"You really know how to hide your emotions," Noctis comments.

"Only when it concerns others."

"Ooh. Does that mean you've hidden some from us?" Prompto asked.

"That's for me to know and you to find out," she snickered in response.

Ardyn suddenly calls out to them, silencing the group. "All clear! Go ahead." He walks a few feet back toward the four, allowing them to proceed forth.

Noctis took the lead and approached the woman they fought only a week ago at Fort Vaullerey. She crossed her arms and tilted her head to the side. "So, you're the "new recruits" they sent over for "special training." Nice cover, runaway prince. At least you brought snowflake with you."

"Thanks," Prompto cheerfully replies.

The prince groaned in disbelief at his best friend not recognizing the sarcasm in the woman's tone. "Oh, c'mon!"

Aranea shook her head with a sigh, waving her hand in the air. "At ease, "recruits." There's nothing in it for this ex-mercenary to turn you in. Especially not with her around." The last part clearly being directed toward (Y/n). She directed her gaze to the ivory-haired girl with a slight smirk. "I know you were holding back during our first fight. Wouldn't want to see you in complete action unless you were fighting alongside me, snowflake."

The Horseman smiled. "I'm afraid my full potential is rather...unbefitting for human eyes. It is quite unsightly."

"Oh, yeah. Heard from some strange group of highwaymen that you've killed more than twenty of their men in just mere seconds. Gotta say, snowflake, you definitely don't look like a killer with that innocent face."

(Y/n) was somewhat relieved to know Aranea hadn't overheard from Silas' men of her status as one of the Four Horsemen. "Yes, well, Silas and his men are a cowardice bunch who wish to eradicate Eos of the weak by using a force no human could control even if the Astrals blessed it upon them themselves."

"Hmm..." Aranea hummed. "I'll keep that in mind when my men and I come across them again. We'll teach them a lesson or two."

"Please, do," Pestilence chuckled. "They deserve whatever punishment that comes their way."

The ex-mercenary grinned. "Will do, snowflake. Now, let's get this show on the road."

Prompto's eyes narrowed in bewilderment. ""Show"?"

"Forgot about your "training"? Well, I'm being paid to escort you...Just watch yourselves in there."

Ardyn overheard them and called out. "I trust you'll be civil. Commodore Aranea Highwind, I leave them to you."

Ignoring the chancellor, Aranea grabbed her helmet and pulled it snuggly over her head. "Search until sundown. It won't do you any good. If you're lookin' to get inside, you're gonna have to wait."

"(Y/n)," Ignis called out to the girl, remembering the trick she used on the entrance to Costlemark Tower.

"It seems you and I are on the same page, Ignis," she smirked at him. Walking past Aranea, she headed to the sealed entrance of the ruins. The boys and a confused ex-mercenary followed her through the murky water and up the ancient stone staircase.

The Horseman placed her hands against the frigid stone and casted a shadow spell to activate the mechanism sealing their only entrance into the ruins.

Aranea watched in amazement and merriment. "Well, well, well. Snowflake's got even more tricks up her sleeves. Nice work."

"Now we won't have to waste precious time to wait for sundown," (Y/n) exclaimed.

The five enter the ruins, Prompto eyeing the architecture around them. "What kind of place was this? Any idea, Ignis?"

"None," the jaded-eyed man responded.

"Maybe (Y/n) knows," Noctis said.

All eyes fell upon Pestilence, wondering if she could give them a little information on who once lived in such a structure since they knew she was an archaeologist in her previous life. She ran her hand across the stone wall, admiring the intricate carving method and design. "Along with the structure, all hints of who once lived here has been washed away with time. Though, I have seen such a design before on the outskirts of the Duscae region. Maybe the two are connected."

Aranea placed a hand on her hip. "Don't tell me you're a scholar, too."

"Not exactly," (Y/n) grinned. "I...am following in my father's footsteps of becoming an archaeologist." She worded her sentence carefully. She didn't want to drop hints about her true status because she had yet to find a reason to trust the ex-mercenary. There was melancholy behind her words, but it wasn't enough for the woman to detect.

"You're not just some dainty little flower these guys lug around just for looks, huh? You can kick ass anytime and are pretty knowledgeable. You're one hell of a package, snowflake."

The Horseman simply smiled as they delved deeper into the ruins. They maneuvered through countless of hallways and conjunctions leading in different directions. (Y/n) nibbles on her bottom lips when she saw a look of suspicion come across Aranea's face. "Where the hell are all the daemons? This place should be crawling with them."

Prompto briefly glanced at (Y/n), swallowing nervously. Noctis, being slightly calmer than his best friend, cleared his throat. "Maybe they're sleeping."

"You would say something like that," the blonde whispered to the prince.

When Pestilence tried to brew up a better explanation, a chill crept up her spine. She recognized the familiar presence as her eyes darted to the hallway to their left. Ignis and Aranea were the first ones to notice her strange behavior.

"(Y/n)," Ignis called out to the girl only a few feet away from him. "Is everything alright?" He heard a faint inhale of air from her slightly ajar lips before she stormed down the hallway.

"Wha-(Y/n)!" Prompto shouted as she ran away from the group.

Without hesitation, the group rushed after her. They turned various corners racing after the Horseman, but when they made another turn, she was no longer in sight. "What way do you think she went?" Noctis looked down the two pathways presented to them.

Ignis placed a hand over the pocket containing the summoning orb, but he decided against using it with Aranea currently tagging along. As he was pondering what to do next, he received a faint whiff of mock oranges. Immediately, he knew it was (Y/n)'s scent. "She's nearby," he said.

"How do you know?" Aranea questioned.

"This scent-it's hers."

The ex-mercenary sniffed the air, smelling the mock oranges. Before she could comment, everything began shaking. The group braces themselves as pebbles and a few large pieces of stone rain down around them. "An earthquake?! I thought we were done with those!" Prompto shouted over the loud rumbling.

"This isn't a natural phenomena," Ignis stated, dodging a pile of falling stones from the ceiling above.

"Since when are you an expert on earthquakes, Specs?" Noctis retorts.

"The rhythm is inharmonious."

"You think a daemon is causing the tremor?" Aranea asked.

"Or whatever creature resides in these ruins," he added.

"Guess we're in for a surprise," the woman snickered. "Better find snowflake before whatever's causing this place to shake finds her first."

<-------<<<<<<<<

An hour passed by without anyone knowing. They had yet to find (Y/n), having lost her scent half an hour ago. With her presence no longer in the vicinity, they were attacked by several daemons. Fortunately, the boys were able to play off why the enemies were now just appearing to keep Aranea from prying.

While walking down a long stairwell, Prompto grumbled as they descended deeper into the ruins and seeing no end to the stairwell they were traveling down. "Man, how far does this go?"

"Yet a ways still," Ignis sighs.

"And we still haven't found (Y/n)," Noctis said.

"I'm sure she's fine. She can handle herself," Aranea stated. "So, which one of you is the lucky guy?"

"What do you mean?" Prompto answered her question with one of his own.

"There's no way in hell a girl like that would be traveling with you unless she's close to one of you. So, who's the boyfriend?"

"B-Boyfriend?" The gunslinger stuttered.

"Out of the three of you, I'm guessing it's you." Aranea points to Ignis, who became flabbergasted at the accusation.

Before the advisor could deny such words, Noctis interrupted him. "Uh, yeah. They've been dating a while."

Ignis' face scrunched up at the prince's words. "Yes, well..."

"Oh, definitely!" Prompto chanted with a smirk. "Iggy can't keep his hands off her. He always talkin' about her, too!"

"Prompto," Ignis scolded the younger boy.

"What?" The sharpshooter feigned shock, ignoring what consequences he would suffer from later. "I'm only telling the truth!"

Ignis held his tongue, pinching the bridge of his nose with a sigh. Aranea chuckled and grinned at him. "Didn't take you for a clingy type of guy. I'm a little shocked."

"As am I," he mumbled to himself while adjusting his glasses.

"We better find your princess before she winds up impaled by daemons or by whatever thing is making this place shake," Aranea said, patting the strategist on the shoulder.

They continued through the ruins, more daemons spawning and blocking their path. They checked around every corner and dead end for (Y/n) but still couldn't find her.

Prompto huffed, slumping his shoulders forward as they checked another room off their list, Noctis tugged at a few of his raven locks with a sigh, Ignis rolled his shoulders from the pent-upped stress of the missing girl, and Aranea simply smirked at them. She folded her arms over her chest, watching their vexation caused by their absent companion. She thought about making a comment but decided to keep from teasing them.

Further into the ruins, the group makes their way into a large central chamber. They all gasped in amazement at the beautiful architecture. "Beautiful beyond words..." Ignis gazed all around them.

"That is pretty neat," Aranea said.

Prompto wandered over to the railing and leaned over it, staring upward. "Look up!"

"Whoa-If that's the water's surface..." The ex-mercenary's voice trailed off.

"Wait, what? Does this mean we're underwater?" He spotted a various amount of fish swimming in the water above. "Whoa. There's even fish."

"The hell is this place?" Noctis muttered.

"Can we truly be submerged?" Ignis asked.

"It does seem harder to breathe," the blonde said.

"Like seeing a dream," the prince stated.

"Gladio is seriously missing out."

"Probably not his thing."

"Now, now, you can never tell," the tactician exclaimed.

Prompto, taking the opportunity of the serenity, took out his camera and snapped pictures of the central chamber. As he scanned the area with his camera for the next perfect shot, his eyes narrowed when he spotted someone standing on the railing of a bridge below. He adjusted the lens and zoomed in to get a better look. When he recognized the person, he gasped and lowered his camera. He leaned over the railing, nearly losing his balance in the process. "Hey, (Y/n)!" Everyone's attention was grabbed and they rushed over the railing to peer down at the girl.

Pestilence heard Prompto's shouting and immediately looked up. She smiled and waved at him and the others, relieving them of their stress. But, it was short-lived.

Another tremor shook the entirety of the ruins. Among the rumbling, a strange and eerie hiss resonated throughout the large chamber. "W-What was that?" Prompto stuttered in a fearful tone.

"No daemon we've encountered has made such a ruckus," Ignis responded. The group held onto the railing, bracing their bodies as rubble fell all around them. The bespectacled man's eyes landed on (Y/n), seeing as she hopped off the railing to prevent from falling. She gripped the stone tightly, avoiding a few large pieces of stone that threatened to smash her skull in.

His emerald eyes widen in horror when he saw the bridge beginning to crumble. The cracks webbed around her feet, which didn't go unnoticed by the girl. She knew the fall would injure her severely, but the wounds would heal within seconds. What she feared the most was the extreme pain she'd experience. She also couldn't focus on teleporting to safety because she couldn't properly clear her mind. Slowly, she backed away, but the cracks followed with her every step.

"Noct!" Ignis shouted just as the bridge collapsed underneath (Y/n)'s feet. Luckily, she was able to grab on a part of the bridge that wasn't crumbling at the last second to cease her plummet.

"On it!" The prince conjured his engine blade and threw it to the bridge below. The sword embedded into the sturdy portion of the bridge and he felt the familiar tug on his body as he warped. His fingers wrapped around the hilt as his feet landed on the bridge. He dispelled his blade and immediately lunged forward to grab the Horseman's hand before she slipped. "You're a handful, (Y/n)," Noctis grunted, trying to pull her up to safety. The tremor had yet to cease and made it impossible to hoist her up onto solid ground.

Pestilence was speechless as she looked up at the ravenette. She couldn't believe he's risking his life for her. "Noctis, it's too dangerous!"

"Tell that to Specs!" He retorts just as the advisor made his way down to the bridge.

Ignis arrived and tried to help (Y/n), but she refused to give him her other hand. "You two need to head to safety! Leave me!"

"We won't stand for such stubbornness," Ignis sternly proclaimed. "Give me your other hand, (Y/n)."

She stared up into his eyes and saw the resolve in them. She knew this was not the place nor the time to be stubborn. Lifting her other arm, she reached up and Ignis grabbed it. As they began pulling her upward, the magnitude of the tremor increased. From where she hung, the Horseman saw the remainder of the bridge was collapsing. Before she could even warn them, it disappeared from underneath them.

Plummeting downward, Noctis was able to warp back to Prompto and Aranea. His body hung from his blade, eyes wide with fear, as he watched (Y/n) and Ignis fall.

[josiahyb825]

Kiss Of Reluctance Ch 2) Temperatures Rising

After The Core Four spent some more time in the hot tub, they paired off once again. And went to their respective rooms. The atmosphere between the couples was tense, but each for different reasons. 

Jughead and Betty's room 

Jughead was laying on the bed in a bathrobe, reading a book. Betty was in the bathroom. Doing what? He was not sure. He knew that she was still annoyed with the stunt that he pulled in the backyard. But considering he did not actually do anything wrong, he did not much care for her attitude. "Did you enjoy that little stunt, Juggie?" Yes, she was definitely mad. That much he could tell from her voice.

"It felt good watching the look on Archie's face." He was clearly amused.

"You know? It really looked like you wanted to kiss Veronica for a moment there." She  continued from the behind the bathroom door.

"Did it now?" Jughead was not sure what Betty was trying to pull, but he wasn't about to give her statement any merit. The only reason the teen even went through with his little scheme was because he thought Betty would know him well enough to realize he would never try to hurt her. 

"yeah it did." She pulled the bathroom door open slowly. She was standing in what appeared to be a fake black wig, dark red lipstick, and lingerie.

Now Jughead was beyond confused. "What are you doing Betty?" He turned back to continue reading his book.

She was not fazed by the question. "I was thinking. If the thought of actually kissing her crossed your mind, then you should be punished." She began to strut closer to him, moving her hips in a sensual manner.

Jughead wasn't one to not satisfy his curiosity, and he had to admit. The situation was beginning to intrigue him. "And how are you planning to do that?" He took a second to glance up and down her body, as she continued to move closer to the bed.

"Oh, don't worry. You'll find out soon enough." She finally reached the bed and shoved him down on his back, climbing over him until she was straddling his lap. The blonde leaned down until her lips were right next to his ear. "Are you ready for your punishment, Juggiekins?" 

That was enough to snap Jughead out of it. This was getting to be too much for him. He didn't know what was going on, but he knew that for whatever reason, Betty was not being herself. He put his hands on the girls forearms and gently pushed her off of him. "What's going on Betty?" He climbed off the bed. Turning around to face her, the boy waited for her response. 

The blonde was completely thrown off. She did not expect Jughead to reject her advances. "What do you mean?"

"What do I mean?" He asked, incredulous. "You're not acting like yourself is what I mean."

"How am I not acting like myself?"

"huh, let's see,' he replied sarcastically. "One example is the way you're dressed," he continued counting off on his fingers. "Two, the dark lipstick, three, the over sexuality, and let's not forget. You called me Juggiekins." He was appalled with the girl's behavior, clearly. But he was also worried about her. Why would she act this way? "What was all this about?" He tried to keep his eye contact, but the girl kept glancing away from him, seemingly deep in thought. 

"I don't know?" Betty didn't really have an answer that would satisfy the teen. "I just thought you would like it if I spiced up our love life a little." She kept looking anywhere but at him.

"Why would you think that I would like, let alone want that at all?" A thought crossed his mind. "Are you not satisfied with our relationship?" He really did not want to know the answer, but he knew he could not avoid the situation.

Betty kept her head down, and didn't say anything. That was an answer in and of itself. "Oh, I see." Jughead didn't wait any longer. The Jones  walked over to the door, opening it before turning back to the blonde. "I'm going to go ask Veronica if there are any spare bedrooms that I can stay in for the weekend. If not, I'll just sleep in the living room."

Jughead's resignation flipped a switch in her mind. "Wait Jug-" She didn't get a chance to finish her statement.  The door slammed shut, cutting her off. She was about to get up and go after him, when she decided that it would probably be better for her to give him some space for the moment.

Archie and Veronica's room

A Similar conversation was going on in the next room. Archie was still pissed off with Veronica. "What the hell was that about, Ronnie?!"

"What are you talking about Archiekins?" The Raven feigned ignorance.

The Teen was not up for playing games. "I am talking about you wanting to kiss Jughead in the hot-tub. I thought you said that you had forgiven me for kissing Betty. You told me it didn't bother you."

Veronica turned to face Archie, with a look of shock on her face. "Of course it bothered me, Archie. You kissed my best friend, the girl you used to like, and who used to be in love with you not 6 months ago." She was flabbergasted. "I know I have no right to be upset, because we were broken up,  but it still hurts."

Archie did not know how to reply to that. "Look, Ronnie. I am sorry. I can't say it enough. But nothing either of us say or do is going to change the fact that it happened, and we can't change it."

Tears were starting to well up in Veronica's eyes. "Would you have ever told me?"

"What do you mean?"

She wiped some of the tears from her eyes. " If Cheryl had never blackmailed you, would you have ever told me?" Now she was the one who was upset. The question has haunted her mind, ever since he had first told her.

The boy was silent. It's not because he never would have told her. Archie did not really know what he would have done if Cheryl had not manipulated him. Truthfully, he never thought of it before.

The boys lack of answer was enough for her however. The fact that he has to think about it says a lot. Veronica tried to wipe the remaining tears from her face, but they just kept falling. "I need some space." She got up and went to the door. As soon as she opened it, Jughead's first appeared in front of her. He was clearly about to knock on the door. "What do you need Jughead?" Veronica asked, trying to hide her sadness from the boy.

The current state of the girl in front of him gave him pause. "I,I was just about to ask-" He changed his mind, and decided to voice his other question. "Are you okay, Veronica?" He tried to show her that he was actually concerned. Whatever bad blood existed between them, he still cared about the girl. And not just because she was his girlfriend's? Ex-girlfriend's? Best friend. He was not sure at the moment.

"I am fine, Jughead." She turned to hide her face from him.

He was not convinced. "Do you wanna go somewhere and talk?"

She was about to say no. She didn't want anyone seeing her in this vulnerable state. She hated when people pitied her. But when she looked up at his face, all she could see was concern. Without another thought, she agreed. And they both left the room. The door closed behind her, as they walked in silence towards the living room.

Even after they sat down on the couch, the silence continued. Jughead didn't want to pester the girl with questions. If she was anything like him, he knew she would start talking when she was ready. 

"What did you need earlier?" Veronica was thankful that he was patient with her, but she still was not ready to start bearing her heart and soul to the boy.

The question disappointed him. But he understood why she wanted to change topics, and shift over to him. It seems what she said about them having ' a lot in common,' was true. "I wanted to know if you had any spare bedrooms I could crash in?"

She paused for a moment, wondering if something happened with him and Betty. Was it her fault? Did his teasing cause it? "There are two more on the opposite side of The Lodge." She turned and pointed to the staircases behind them. "You just go up those stairs, and there is the second room on the left. And the first one on the right."

"Thank you."

"No problem. I don't mean to intrude, but did something happen between you and Betty? Was it because of what happened in the Hot Tub?"

"Yes and no." He really did not feel like getting into it. He tried to show her that it was not a big deal, but she would not let it go. She could tell he really needed someone to talk to. So he relented. "Betty thought it would be a good idea to put on a black wig, and act like a seductress." The girl's eyes widened, in response to what he told her, but he didn't seem to notice. "Yeah, I know. It sounds insane. But it's true." He let out a pitiful laugh. "She said she was gonna punish me, because of the idea that I might have actually wanted to kiss you." He started laughing a little harder.

Veronica knew he wasn't trying to hurt her feelings, by laughing at the possibility that he might have actually wanted to kiss her. But for reasons the raven could not explain, she couldn't stop herself from feeling hurt.

Jughead saw the hurt expression,and tried to remedy the situation. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have laughed." He placed his hands on her shoulder in an effort to comfort her. "I hope you know, I wasn't trying to be mean. I was just trying to point out that I was not the kind of person."

She looked at the hand that was on her shoulder. It was surprisingly warm. Then she looked up at him. "It's fine, Jughead. I know you didn't mean any harm." She looked back down, until she remembered what the boy had said about his Girlfriend. "So Betty brought back Mistress Hyde I see." She grinned at the memory of what Chuck referred to as 'Dark Betty.'

Jughead's eyebrows moved closer together. A sure sign of his confusion. "What are you talking about?"

Veronica hesitated. Betty never told him about that night with Chuck? Wait, he was in the room when Chucked mentioned it at his birthday party. Maybe with all the stuff going on, he just forgot. "You don't remember?"

The Jones shook his head.

"Chuck told everyone about how Betty dressed up in a black wig and some lingerie. It was at your party."

He laughed again. "I think I was focusing more on how I wanted to punch him in the face. To be honest, I don't really remember what he said."

A look of understanding crossed her face. "Fair enough." She waited in silence for a minute. "So did anything else happen? I can't imagine that would be enough to make you not want to be around her?"

"Yeah, she called me Juggiekins." He frowned at the memory. "It was all really weird."

Betty called him Juggiekins? Adding the ins at the end of names is her thing. Is Dark Betty supposed to be an imitation of her or something? Veronica quickly let that train of thought get derailed. It was too creepy to think about. There was a snapping sound coming from in front of her. She followed the fingers up to Jughead's face. He looked concerned. "Sorry, I must have spaced out for a second there. Continue."

There was a small moment of hesitation, while he stared at her for a little while longer, as if he was trying to read her mind. Surprisingly, the look didn't bother Veronica. What did bother her, was her own lack of discomfort. What was going on? True, they never hated or even outwardly disliked each other, but they weren't exactly close either.  There was a time when she thought they might become close friends. It was when she told him that they had a lot in common. But after that, nothing really happened between them. Except when he gave her advice on whether to try and reconnect with her Father. They both got pulled into their own drama, and never really had any time to hang out or get to know each other. Yet in moments like these, it felt like they've known each other forever.

"So anyway," he spoke up, pulling her away from her thoughts. "Betty wasn't acting like herself. So I asked her what was wrong. She couldn't answer me. So I asked her if-." He tried to explain, but he seemed to have a hard time getting it out. Veronica didn't rush him, and he appreciated her for it. "I asked her if she was not happy with our relationship."

"Oh. What did she say?"

A despondent look crossed his face,before he tried to hide it with a look of indifference. "She didn't respond to that question either. Which is an answer in and of itself."

Veronica noticed the shift in Jughead's expression, but she decided not to comment on it. "I'm sorry that happened to you Jughead" She was curious though. What about their relationship was Betty unhappy with? It never seemed like it was a problem. Betty never mentioned it in any of their many conversations they have had about their significant others. She made a mental note to ask Betty about it later. When they were alone of course. No need to stir the pot even more.

"yeah. So now, I don't know where we stand. Are we still together? Do we break up? Do we stick together and try to work it out?" Jughead kept glancing back and forth between Veronica and the stairs that led to Betty's room. "I wish I knew what the problem was. It'd make the answer a whole lot more simple." He had a feeling he already knew the reason. It's been at the back of his mind the entire time. He just did not want to accept it. Was she still in love with Archie? Is he really just some placeholder until The Jock decides he wants her? Or is it something else entirely? "Anyway," he starts again, wanting to change the subject. "Why were you crying earlier? Did Archie say something to you?"

"He was mad at me for trying to kiss you."

"Oh."

"He was upset because I had told him that his kiss with Betty didn't bother me, even though it did." She scoffed at the fact that Archie had even for a second thought that it wouldn't bother her. "I mean how could I not be upset by it? Betty was in love with him until about three months ago." She gave Jughead an apologetic glance. He put his hand up, dismissing it. He was not bothered by the statement. He told Betty the exact same thing earlier. "Not to mention the fact that it happened not too long after we split up." She elaborated on her concerns, as fresh tears started to gather in her eyes. "She's my best friend for crying out loud." Her countenance switched to anger as she made her last statement. To put an end to this Shakespearean nightmare, when I asked him if he would have told me, had it not been for Cheryl. You know what he said to me?" The look in Veronica's eyes was less than forgiving.

"What did he say?"

"Nothing, zilch, nada. He couldn't even answer the damn question. Which shows me that he most likely never would have told me. And that is not okay." She gave him a hard stare. "I am telling you, Jones. For possible future reference. Never. Cross. A. Lodge." She warns, putting emphasis on each word. while moving her pointer finger back and forth in front of his face.  Her eyes started filling with tears again, but she tried to remain strong. "Because if you do. You will regret it." After that her sobs got the best of her,and she couldn't hold her gaze anymore. She broke down, putting her face in her hands as she leaned slightly off the couch.

He didn't know what came over him, but he moved closer and wrapped his arms around her, and started rubbing her back, making small circles with his hand. She continued to cry for a while. Jughead actually ended up losing track of time. 

After they separated, they looked at each other for a second, before deciding that they should call it a night. Jughead moved up the stairs and went to the first spare bedroom, the one on the right. And Veronica, not wanting to be around Archie right now, went to the second spare bedroom, the one on the left. Jughead laid his head down and instantly fell asleep. Veronica, on the other hand, had too much to think about. And it was keeping her awake. Was Betty still in love with Archie? Would they be competing for him once again? Did She still want to be with him after learning that he probably never would have told her about him and Betty. Why was she so comfortable around Jughead? And why was it so easy for her to talk to him? All these thoughts made her feel like she was drowning in her own self doubts. She shut them out. And when she finally fell asleep, it was around 1 A.M.

Alright guys, and gals. That was the next chapter. I am sorry it took so long. I actually started this chapter a month or so ago, but was unable to find inspiration for the rest. I really wanted to nail the dynamic between Jughead and Veronica. Let me know how I did. As usual, constructive feedback is much appreciated. If anyone had any concerns with the Shakespeare line from Veronica. The reason I had her say that was because in my opinion her character tends to exaggerate things. For instance in season one. When she tells Betty that getting Penelope and Alice in the same room without attacking each other was easy. And that what was actually difficult, was her having to choose which party to go to. Elton John's or some other famous person. It also relates to her and Jughead's tendency to add pop culture references into their speech.

On a side note. One of the things that bothers me about Riverdale is the dialogue of Veronica. At times it can be really cringy, and unrealistic. And besides the first chapter, I am going to stray away from doing that with my version of Veronica. I will admit, I don't really like what I have seen of Veronica in the later seasons, and much prefer what she is like in the several fan-fictions that I have read. Please don't feel like I am attacking her character. She has a great amount of potential. This is just my opinion on the character as of now.

Pertaining to Updates. Once I finish editing all my current chapters of My Naruto Story: Underestimated Genius, I will try to write at least 1,000 words a day for each story I have. Hopefully, that will mean that you guys won't have to wait so long for updates anymore.

I have to say I am pretty proud of this chapter. Considering I wrote it at 2 A.M. Well Anyway. Have a good night, day, or morning, depending on when you are reading this. And I will See you all next time.

[adenhamcreations]

Seven Feathers - Chapter One

Here’s the first chapter for my new short story (it may come out as a novella...?), Seven Feathers. I’d love to know what you all think so far,  and of course if you’d like to be on the tag list, let me know. <3 

Prologue

We found her in the woods not far from my house.

She stood out immediately against the dreary ground, a long spot of ivory among the piles of leaves. Her hair is cropped short and favors moonlight, and her clothes are white and smudged with dirt. My friends and I stepped closer cautiously, but she didn’t flinch, didn’t acknowledge that we were even there. It wasn’t until the five of us were surrounding her, blatantly staring down at the poor girl, when she finally lifted her silver eyes to ours.

I saw her lips move; she was muttering something, but I couldn’t understand. My friends’ breathing was ragged, panicked. They didn’t know what to do.

I opened my mouth to speak, but the words got caught in my throat once I noticed the blood: staining the ground, the leaves, her skin.

Except it wasn’t red.

It was blue.

Chapter One

We carried her as gently as possible back to my house. The girl is small and light as a feather, yet we all helped in lifting her. I think it’s some strange, unspoken desire to lay a hand on this mystery… maybe even discovery?  I tried looking into every one of my friend’s eyes to get a glimpse of their intentions, but the only things I saw as we made our way through the woods were panic and fear.

I’m leaning against the wall beside my bedroom door now, a good vantage point to keep a watch on everyone. Mark is also standing, pacing really. It’s making me nervous. Lisa and Caroline are huddled on the couch together. Caroline’s hand is placed on top of Lisa’s, and I see her squeeze, a tiny gesture I would have missed had I not been paying attention. Jacob seems the most nonchalant, as usual: he’s chewing a mouthful of chips on the floor, his back against the couch. However, his eyes are squinted, staring straight ahead, concentrated and serious.

The girl is currently laying in my bed, bandaged and dressed in one of my sweaters. It’s so big on her that I had to roll the sleeves up several times. She looks like a child that’s been forced to wear one of her mother’s frumpy dresses. I picture her face in my mind out in the woods: eyes barely open, her cheek pressed against the dirt as she gave a small nod when I asked if we could help her. She hasn’t actually spoken, but it’s clear that she understands our language.

The little one had many cuts, some that were way too deep for comfort. The worst were on her back, notably around her shoulder blades. We found several feathers in her hair and clothes. From her? From whatever hurt her? We asked, but her eyes would never meet ours, effectively dismissing the topic.

Lisa walks over to me and interrupts my thoughts.

“Julie... what do we do now?” She whispers it, despite my bedroom door being closed. There’s no way the little one could hear unless we yell.

I take a deep breath. “I don’t know.”

“I’m just really freaked out.”

Caroline rises then and comes to stand beside us. Lisa places her head on Caroline’s shoulder, looking defeated.

“Maybe we should take her to the hospital?” Caroline wonders, stroking Lisa’s arm.

“But what if they do bad tests on her? She clearly isn’t human… She’ll be a science project!” Lisa’s voice slowly rises, which makes Jacob and Mark perk up.

“Sssshhh,” I hiss at her. “Let’s go in the kitchen if you’re going to be loud. That girl needs her rest.”

I take off for the kitchen, knowing that everyone will follow me. That’s how it’s always been. The group settles in, taking their seats around the table. Lisa always has to be in the middle of two people; she likes feeling surrounded and included. Mark prefers the one chair against the wall so that he can lean. Jacob always stretches out and puts his feet up on the edge of my chair, despite my constant requests for him to get his feet away from me. Caroline just takes whatever chair is empty, content no matter where she ends up.

“So…” I begin, folding my hands in front of my face. “Hospital?”

“I’m against it,” Lisa says, repeating her fears of what the people outside of my house may do to the little one.

“But they may know better than us,” Mark interjects, folding his arms over his chest. “How are we supposed to take care of wounds like that?”

Lisa tries to counter this argument, but her words turn into a frustrated sigh. A silence falls over the table for a moment, all of us mulling over Mark’s point.

“I agree with Lisa,” Jacob says, getting up from the table to peer into the refrigerator. Mark lets out a small grunt of a laugh, and Lisa’s eyes widen.

“That’s a first,” Caroline replies without humor.

“Can you explain?” I say, hoping to cut off a potential fight. Jacob and Lisa never really got along, and Caroline is famously defensive of her girlfriend. No need to start this now.

“It’s like she said, you know that little girl will have all kinds of shit done to her.” Jacob pulls out a dish of leftover mac ‘n’ cheese from my fridge and sets it on the counter. “We all know it. We’d absolutely lose her to who…. The city? The government? We’d never know if she really turned out all right.”

“This isn’t about us. It’s about what’s best for her,” Caroline growls.

“You think having a bunch of people staring at her, asking questions, demanding to know what she is and where she came from is the “best” for her?” Jacob scoops a bunch of macaroni onto a plate and places it in the microwave. “They wouldn’t fix her up and then let her go peacefully. There’s no way.”

The microwave’s hum accompanies another silence. It’s somehow soothing to me, and the anxiety in my chest calms a bit.

“How about this?” I ask, and suddenly all eyes are on me. “We’ll keep her here for the weekend. If she doesn’t seem to get any better, then we’ll ask for outside help.”  I glance at every one of my friend’s faces. “It will give us a chance to help her, and then if we can’t, we’ll figure something else out. Maybe we can find a doctor to make a house call that will keep quiet.”

Mark nods. “Seems reasonable enough.”

Caroline and Lisa both utter agreements at the same time, and Jacob says okay through a mouthful of food. I raise an eyebrow at him.

“What? I eat when I’m stressed, okay?” Jacob spits, and I can’t help but smile. He returns the smile, but I turn my head before our eyes linger too long on each other.

“All right,” I say, rising from my chair. “I’ll go talk to her, then. We don’t need to make any decisions without including her.”

As I leave the room, I hear Caroline mutter “Always on top of everything, huh?” I can’t decide if it’s an insult or not, but I keep going anyway. She can think what she wants. I’ve stopped caring what Caroline thinks of me at this point.

I knock softly on my bedroom door. The little one is still as we left her: legs stretched out in front of her, back propped against a pillow.

“Hey, can I come in?” I keep my voice low. She nods weakly, so I step in and close the door. I have second thoughts about closing it… would that seem threatening? I hesitate with my hand on the doorknob.

“It’s fine,” her small voice says. I can’t help but look flabbergasted as I turn to the little one. She’s talking to me?

“I know you don’t mean any harm,” she continues. “I don’t feel scared. The door can stay closed if you want some privacy.”

I stutter in response, desperately trying to gain my composure. Is she reading my mind?

“Thank you for helping me.” A tiny smile plays on her lips.

“You’re...welcome,” I answer, finally able to find my tongue, but only because it’s the usual response to a thank you. I try to take a deep breath.

“I apologize for not speaking earlier. I was in shock.”

My heart squeezes. “I don’t blame you.” Suddenly, the words tumble out. “I came in here to hopefully reassure you that… we aren’t keeping you here. You’re free to go whenever. But you’re welcome to stay and recover.”

“Thank you.”

Silence. What else am I supposed to say?

“Do you feel any better?” I blurt out. God, I’m a moron.

“I’m…” She stops and moves her body a bit, almost like she’s testing something. “I’m not used to this.”

“Not used to what?”

“Pain.”

“You’ve never felt pain?”

“Not physical, anyway.” The little one winces and lays back on the pillow.

“You’re definitely not like us, then. We feel physical pain just getting out of bed.” It feels wrong to joke, but it slips out of my mouth.

The little one exhales, a semblance of a chuckle. I relax.

“Do you need anything? Something to drink, eat? Are you comfortable?”

She shakes her head. “No, I don’t need anything.”

“I’m…” I hold my hand out. “I’m Juliet, by the way. It’s been so chaotic that I forgot to introduce myself.”

She stares at my hand for a few moments, to the point that it gets a little awkward. I keep my hand out anyway, pretending that this is perfectly normal, whatever is going on. Finally, her eyes meet mine and she grins.

“My name is Isabelle. It’s nice to meet you, Juliet.”

When she places her hand in mine, I can’t believe how small it is. There’s no telling how old she is, but she must be a child. She’s roughly half my height and weighs almost nothing. I don’t squeeze at all during our handshake, afraid that I will break her.

“I’m tougher than I look,” Isabelle says, reading my mind again. Or maybe she’s judging my weak handshake. To my surprise, I burst out laughing.

“Sorry, but those are stern words coming from someone who looked like they didn’t even know what a handshake was a minute ago.”

Isabelle lets out another little laugh. She never seems to laugh from her lungs and out of her mouth, but through her nose instead.

“You’re right. I’ve never done this before.” We look down simultaneously and see that our hands are still entwined. “I don’t deal with people much.”

I let go of her hand. Is she teasing me? Every question we asked earlier went unanswered, but she did say she was in shock then.

“What do you deal with?”

Isabelle opens her mouth and closes it, her eyes on my comforter.

“Many things, as I’m sure we all do,” she says. “I’m actually a bit worn down. Would you mind if I rest for a while?”

I bite my lip. I guess I stepped over some kind of invisible boundary.

“Of course. Just let me know if you need anything.”

When I get up, I notice that she isn’t watching me. Her eyes are still fixated downward. As I close the door behind me, I spy something I didn’t see before: her hands are gripping the comforter tightly. It takes everything in me not to open it back up, to ask more questions. Dejected, I walk quietly by the kitchen and head upstairs to my father’s old bedroom. I stand just on the outside of it. I haven’t quite had the courage to go through his things yet. Right now, I just need his smell, the comfort of his presence, even if it’s just his things. I lean my forehead against the doorframe and sigh. I guess I’d better go back downstairs before the others get too worried.

Lisa is coming upstairs as I begin to come down, and we meet in the middle.

“Hey,” she says softly. “You okay?”

“Fine,” I reply. “She actually talked to me.”

Her eyes widen. “Really?”

“Yeah.” I feel myself smiling for some reason. “Her name is Isabelle.”

“That’s pretty,” Lisa says, dreamy-eyed.

“Are we having a meeting on the stairs?” Caroline joins us. I have to keep myself from frowning.

“The little girl’s name is Isabelle!” Lisa shares.

“How do you know that?” Caroline looks at me then. “She talked to you?”

“Yeah.” I know it’s silly, but I was kind of hoping to tell Lisa about the conversation privately before anyone else. I’m glad that at least the guys seem preoccupied in the kitchen, and I imagine returning to an empty fridge.

“That’s awesome!” Caroline exclaims. Lisa grins and grabs Caroline’s hand.

“Isabelle seems like she’s okay with staying, at least for today. She wanted to rest, so I left her alone,” I say.

We walk down the rest of the stairs to share the news with the boys. They’re laughing boisterously about God knows what. There’s usually some sort of inside joke that we aren’t a part of; Mark and Jacob have known each other since middle school, almost as long as Lisa and me. Caroline walks ahead, and I hear her scold them for being too loud since Isabelle may be trying to sleep. Lisa tugs me back by my sleeve.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” She has her Worried Lisa face on, though I can’t say she has many other expressions. Wearing her anxieties on her sleeve basically is her whole personality. I admire her for that, since I usually take my own and stuff them down, down, until I can convince myself that they’re gone.

“Yeah, of course.”

“I saw you hanging around your dad’s room. I just wanted to be sure.”

“I was seeing if we had anymore pillows in there in case everyone spends the night, that’s all.” I give her an award-winning smile.

She glances back towards the stairs. “Have you gone through any of his things yet? I could help you take anything you want to donate. I know Caroline would let us use her car if you have anything big.”

At the mention of Caroline, I  decide to shut the conversation down. There’s no way that I’m going to drag people through the process of getting rid of my father’s belongings, let alone someone that I don’t feel close to.

“I can handle it,” I say, my smile wavering. “There isn’t much. I’ve looked through most of it already.”

Is it wrong to lie to a friend if it’s to spare them from worrying?

“Well… I’m always here. You know that.” Lisa reaches out and squeezes my hand.

“You’ve always been here for me,” I say. And that’s not a lie. “Thank you.”

The corners of her mouth stretch upwards slowly, a sappy smile, so I know what’s coming next. “Love you, Jules.”

I return the sappy smile. “Love you, too.”

Lisa glances towards my closed bedroom door.

“Do you think she’ll ever open up to us?”

And somehow, even though she’s asking about Isabelle, I know that she’s also asking me when I’ll finally talk, too.

“Maybe someday,” I answer. Because I sincerely don’t know about her or about myself.

[shibuemiyuu]

Desires - Hakuoki Fanfiction - Chapter 9

Here’s another chapter! I want to thank for all the reader for giving a chance to read my story. I forgot to say that start from the previous chapter (chapter 8), the story will roll into the angst one. And in this chapter something important will be revealed that will be the main key of Hijikata and Chizuru’s s situation. 

Even if we know that Chizuru is in love with Hijikata, but I don't think that the need to be near and the weird tension in the Shinsengumi is something just from their unsolved situation. For me it's a little bit weird if there is no some solid explanation behind that.

And also thanks to @impracticaldemon for the editing on this chapter (no matter when, thank you for the help Oni-chan!)

Let’s get on with the story. May you enjoyed then :3

Chapter of the stories:

Prequel - Prologue - I - II - III - IV - V - VI - VII - VIII

@hijichiweek @kirakirachiizuru

-IX-

"Phew~!"

That was the first word Sen spoke after she sat inside Chizuru's room. The owner of the room sat next to the princess. And her bodyguard was waiting outside the room.

"The tension inside that room is suffocating. I can hardly breathe inside." Sen inhaled a deep breath and exhaled it out in relief. "Their reaction was not the one I expected. I thought that they would agree to the offer. They kind of give off an aura that they don't want to get involved with an oni matter. I guess, your bond with the Shinsengumi is not something I put into the equation."

Sen was less formal now that they were not in the same room with the captains. Chizuru smiled when she remembered the captains' reaction. "Yeah. I guess you are right. And, um… I'm sorry. You know, they said some pretty mean things to you earlier."

"It's okay. Like I said, I didn't know that your bonds with the Shinsengumi were pretty deep. Don't sweat it." Sen gave an easy smile to Chizuru. "So… Enough about them. We are here to talk about you. How about you Chizuru-chan? Have you given any thought to my offer? Do you want to leave with me or not?"

Chizuru indeed had a thought about the offer. The problem was she didn't know what she should do regarding the matter. If the princess had come to ask her when she had first arrived in Kyoto, she would have gladly taken the offer and gone with her, leaving the Shinsengumi. If only she had met the princess much earlier before the things in the past months had happened… No, if only Sen had met her before she bonded with the Shinsengumi members, before she fell for the oni fukuchou…

Chizuru went into silent mode and Sen looked at her face with concern. "Chizuru-chan?"

Chizuru snapped from her thoughts when she heard Sen call her name, "U-um… Osen-chan. About your offer…. Honestly, I don't know." She cast her eyes to the ground and muttered her confusion softly.

Sen took one of Chizuru's hands and gave a light squeeze to her confused friend. "Chizuru-chan, the Shinsengumi seems to believe that they can protect you from Kazama. I acknowledge their dedication, but like I have said before, I doubt their ability against an oni strength. I'm not sugarcoating it, but the oni power is not something humans should underestimate. The reason why the Yukimura clan was murdered was because the humans that knew about them were afraid of them. We can overpower them easily. And knowing of Kazama's character, they can get killed when they are defending you from him. I know you will feel devastated if that happens."

Chizuru lifted her eyes and looked at Sen. What Sen had said was true, she had acknowledged it. The right thing that she had to do was leave the Shinsengumi. From several encounters with Kazama, she knew that Kazama was indeed extraordinary. And after the confirmation that he was oni, she wasn't surprised. Maybe because she and Kazama were both oni, she could feel his big power and strength emanating from him. Even before she knew that they were oni. If Kazama became serious and attacked the Shinsengumi… she didn't want to imagine it.

She knew it, she realized it. Still…

"Chizuru-chan!" Sen called her name and shook her a little, pulled her from her deep thought. "Why are you looking so, I don't know, like you want to cry. You're so drawn into your thoughts that you didn't realize I have called your name a few times…. Why are you finding it so hard to decide?" Sen looked at Chizuru with a meaningful gaze. "Is there something that you want to tell me?" Sen said in a solemn tone.

"I-I…" Chizuru tried to speak, but in the end, she just stayed silent. She averted her gaze from Sen and pulled her hands back to her lap. Sen didn't question why Chizuru pulled back her hands from her. She didn't want to force Chizuru to speak. She could feel that there was something that made Chizuru so reluctant form leaving the Shinsengumi. And whatever it was, it was not an easy matter to talk about. She waited in patience.

Chizuru was struggling with her thoughts, whether she should tell Sen about her and Hijikata's situation or not. It was obvious that the thing that made her so reluctant to leave the Shinsengumi was the infamous oni fukuchou. Their situation wasn't solved yet. And to leave from the compound with their situation like this, it would leave a bitter taste in her mouth. Not to mention that for some reason she just couldn't, didn't want to be far from the vice commander. She bit her bottom lip.

'Osen-chan has given me an offer to protect me from Kazama. I know… I can feel that her offer is an honest one. She really cares about me. Of course, she will be confused about why I am so reluctant to leave the Shinsengumi.' She turned her head to look again at the demon princess. Her eyes were serious, but she could feel that Sen was really concerned and worried about her being. Her eyes, while they were serious, were also honest and warm. 'I guess I should tell her about it. And honestly, I need to talk to someone about this matter.' Without Chizuru realizing it yet, her situation with Hijikata had nearly made her suffocated. She didn't have anyone to talk to about her situation. She had pushed the matter deep inside her and unconsciously it had eaten her from inside more than she had realized. It had bottled up inside her. A ticking time bomb that was near its time to explode.

She would tell Sen about her situation and hoped that Sen could help her about the matter. But when she opened her mouth and was ready to tell her story, suddenly the door of her room was opened and Kimigiku poked her head inside the room.

"Pardon for my intrusion, but the two of you have been silent for quite some time. May I ask if everything is okay?" The kunoichi, a term for a ninja woman, had been listening to their conversation from the outside. She stood a few meters from the door, not exactly in front of the door. She wanted to give privacy to the two girls.

"There's nothing for you to worry about." Sen answered her bodyguard without turning her head to the woman. While Sen seemed calm, Chizuru was surprised with the sudden intrusion. She forgot that Kimigiku was also stood outside her room. She just intended for Sen to be the one that would hear what she wanted to talk about. She thanked whoever had given the opportunity for the sudden interruption.

"In fact, Okiku please go to the common room and stay with the other men of the Shinsengumi. We will go to that room if we finish our talk later."

"Hime-sama-"

Sen turned her head and looked at Kimigiku with authority in her eyes. "I need to talk to Chizuru about something and I really need the privacy. Please leave and wait for us there."

The kunoichi knelt to her mistress and closed the door before disappearing without another word.

"Now Okiku has gone. You can continue whatever you wanted to tell me before she came Chizuru-chan!" Sen encouraged Chizuru to continue from where she left before.

"But, isn't there something that you want to tell me Osen-chan? You told Kimigiku-san that you wanted to tell me something?"

"That was just an excuse for her to leave both of us alone. I saw your expression when she entered the room before. And I would bet that whatever that you wanted to tell me earlier was not something that you want another to hear and know. It's not me that has something to tell about. Chizuru-chan, you can trust me on this one. I will never tell anyone of your secret." Sen gave Chizuru a reassuring smile. Chizuru that never had any girl-friend that she could share with and talk to, felt touched by Sen's intention. She nodded to her friend.

"There's some reason that makes me not want to leave the Shinsengumi," she started slowly. "And it started about half a year ago. The matter has not been resolved since then. Many things have happened in the Shinsengumi that make the matter remain unsolved."

"Is it something so big and complicated that it already takes about 6 months and it hasn't been solved?" Sen was curious about whatever problem Chizuru had.

"Well…. rather than something, it is more of like…. Someone." Chizuru whispered the last part.

"So the problem is this someone…. AH!" Sen exclaimed suddenly. She looked at Chizuru with narrowed eyes and for some reason had a mischievous glint in it. "Correct me if I'm wrong. That someone that makes you not want to leave this place is someone that you like, isn't it?"

Chizuru blinked her eyes, flabbergasted with Sen's sudden change of mood. Once the princess' question had gotten into her mind her cheeks started turning red. And she gave a small nod to answer her friend's question.

"Really?!" Sen said excited. "Who?! OH! Would that be one of the men in the common room?" She teased her tomato-face friend.

"...Yes."

Once again Sen grabbed Chizuru's hands and gave a little squeeze to them. Chizuru looked straight at Sen while the latter gave a warm smile to the former. "So, you don't want to leave this place because you can't leave behind this man." Chizuru nodded again. "But Chizuru-chan, if you stay and Kazama comes, you would also risk this man's life. Losing someone that you loved is not a thing that I want you to regret later." Sen emphasized the situation that they were in with her serious tone. "It is not that you two can't meet later in the future. I will arrange it so that you and he can meet frequently without the two of you having to risk your lives by meeting and countering Kazama. Believe me, he's not someone that you want to get mess with."

Her mind was processing Sen's words.

"Osen-chan..." Sen gave another squeeze. "If the only problem is like what you've said, that we couldn't meet each other, I wouldn't be so reluctant to leave this place. The thing between me and him is much more complex and complicated than what you've said."

The princess silently listened to Chizuru. It was Chizuru's time to speak and she's afraid if she cuts into her story, it would take some other time for her to be brave enough to tell her story.

"Something happened between me and him about 6 months ago. Something that only myself is aware of."

Sen tilted her head, confused with Chizuru's words. "Eh?"

Chizuru gulped and clenched her hands, bracing herself for the upcoming revelations. "Osen-chan…. I have slept with him."

"…" Blink. "Sorry?"

"I'm no longer… virgin."

"….." Blink. Blink. "What?"

"And the worst part is he was drunk when we slept together and he didn't realize that he had slept with me. He also doesn't remember or have any recollection about this."

"….." Blink. Blink. Blink. "W-WHAT?!" Sen pulled her hands from atop Chizuru's hand and placed them on her cheeks, while exclaiming her horrified shock. Sen felt her body go limp. She felt that her energy had gone somewhere far away. The revelation of Chizuru's confession was too shocking for her. She didn't prepare for anything this… this shocking! It looked like her outburst wasn't so loud that it would alert the occupants in the common room to burst into the room. She felt relief for that. But still!

Women in the Bakumatsu era, the era that the Shinsengumi existed, didn't have any significant value other than to bear the man a child and to be a good wife. Any woman that was found that to have lost her virginity outside marriage would be looked down on by others. Not to mention that she would be a shame to her family. If men that didn't have a wife were looking for some pleasure without attachment, there was a red light district for that purpose. That's why virginity was so valuable for a woman in that era. Losing virginity was like losing your value as a woman already.

Chizuru was a girl that had been raised with such knowledge since she was little. She wasn't afraid of what her family would think about her. The only family that she had was gone missing. The matter would be addressed properly after she had found her father. And no one knew about her condition except herself. But to let another person be aware of her condition would be another matter. She still felt ashamed of what she had done. To share her condition with another would be embarrassment on another different level. That's why she was so horrified when she knew that Kimigiku almost heard about her condition.

Sen widened her eyes and they nearly fell from their sockets. She was speechless. Never in her wildest dreams would she dare to imagine that Chizuru would be in this big trouble. She didn't give any vibe of being such a character that would be daring enough to do that thing. Her head was spinning. She took a deep breath and heaved it loudly before setting her eyes again on the other occupant. "May I know, who is it?"

That was the question that Chizuru had expected to be ask since she told her story. But still to speak out loud the name of the man, it made her insides churn and honestly she didn't want to tell it.

"It's…. It was…" She darted her eyes to anywhere but Sen. 'You have told it so far Chizuru. It would be weird if you don't put a name to the man that you just informed your friend you had slept with. And after you told her that only you that were aware of the situation.' She opened her mouth but was frozen by the next words Sen spoke, which cut all the words from her.

"It's Hijikata isn't it?" Looking at her still friend confirmed her suspicions. She had pondered why Hijikata's reaction was kind of… odd before, when she was assessing the captains' reactions. Looks like she didn't read into his reaction too much like she had thought earlier. Because indeed there was something between Hijikata and Chizuru. She just didn't realize that this something would be this… big.

Plus, Chizuru nodded her head a little to confirm Sen's conclusion. Her bangs were covering her eyes.

"Osen-chan…. I'm sorry."

"Chizuru-chan…."

"I know that what I've done is not something that I should do. Even right until now I feel so ashamed of myself. That one spur of a moment, blinded by my desire, I've crossed a line that I should not cross. But one thing that you must know," she lifted her head to look straight at Sen with a firm gaze, "I did not regret it. And if you ask me how I feel about it right now, my answer would be same: I don't regret what I've done." Her voice didn't waver. She hoped that her friend could be convinced of what she had felt.

Sen looked back at Chizuru with a knowing expression. "You love him, don't you?"

Such a short question. A question that was not a question, rather than more like a statement that needed to be confirmed. A question that for the first time someone other than herself had asked her to answer. A question that when she had realized it for the first time, she had felt dread and denied the answer with all her might. Because there was no way she could fall to a person that would kill someone without a second thought, someone that showed nothing but cold and stiff expression, someone that would not hesitate to kill her if just in a slightest he thought that she threatened the existence of the Shinsengumi…. Someone that didn't care or like or love her at all!

But also, a question that for the first time made her look beyond the man that he showed and what other people believed him to be. Beyond that cold and stiff exterior. Beyond that oni demeanor. Beyond the vice commander of the Shinsengumi…. In which she found the very man that she had fallen in love with. Behind the persona that he always exuded for the exterior, the other side of him, his inside persona had made her heart flutter like no other man had. A question that she could answer in only one way to the demon princess.

"Yes."

Sen knew that look. Even if she hadn't had the luxury to feel that way toward a man, she had seen it on some other people. A look of someone in love. Chizuru gave that look without any hesitation. And for that she felt sorry for her friend. Looks liked Chizuru had no idea at all, of what kind of trouble she had gotten herself into.

"When did this thing happen?"

Chizuru thought back to that night. For some reason, her body was getting a little bit hot. "It was at the same night when we met in Shimabara."

"Oh my…" Sen was lost for words.

"There was a man that pushed me to a room beside our room after I parted from you. And in that room, I found him drunk alone. Things happened and it escalated to something that led us to have a sexual intercourse." Her blushing face got redder. "Osen-chan…. I did that on my own decision. Even though I feel ashamed of what I've done, I would never forget that night. He made me…. a woman. It was as if he knew what he was doing and with whom he did that. My body never reacted like that night before. Only him that could make me feel that way. And because of that, I could accept my feeling that I love him.…

"I could feel it, that night was not just a night to satiate a need. We… We made love. I know that sounds absurd, with him not aware of the situation and who he had slept with. But…. When he gazed at me, in his drunken stupor, I could see that it wasn't only lust that reflected in his eyes. Even though I couldn't describe what I had seen, I could feel it. His caresses, his kisses…." Chizuru hugged herself to prevent herself from moaning at the memory of that night. "Osen-chan… I was loved that night. And I gave my love back to him with the same intention that I felt he gave to me." Tears had sprung to her eyes, overwhelmed by the feeling that slowly was too much for her to suppress. She looked hopelessly at Sen. "I...I…."

Sen hugged Chizuru. "I'm sorry. But I guess you could use a hug right now. Calm down Chizuru. Just pour out your feelings slowly. You must have bottled up this feeling without someone to talk to. I won't go anywhere until we finish this."

Chizuru placed her forehead on Sen's shoulder. "There's this feeling." Chizuru spoke again, slowly. She clutched her kimono in front of her chest. "I don't know why, but since that night I always want to be near him. The need to be near him and to be with him was almost too much to bear. A desire to be quenched. For the first month after that night, there was this weird and high tension in the compound that had made kind of a suffocating atmosphere. I knew that some of the captains felt that tension. And it didn't go away until sometime later." Chizuru lifted her head from the princess' shoulder. "And I knew that tension must be from the unquenched desire from my body. Each second it called for it to be satiated. I could suppress it for the most time. And maybe the tension had gone because somehow I could control my feelings.

"I barely can make it in this state. I don't know how I would cope if I have to separate from him. I know how dire the situation is and how it's imperative for me to leave. It's not I don't want to. But I can't." A lone tear escaped from her eyes. It had been a long time since she could pour out her heart, to share her feelings with someone else. Sen had offered to listen to her, and she used it to her heart's content. After all she really needed this talk.

Sen hugged Chizuru again and rubbed her back. Chizuru was confused about why she was feeling what she felt right now. Her friend was clueless of what situation she was in at the moment. Well, she was a kid when she got separated from her family. Her supposed father didn't give her what she needed to know regarding this situation. And if he was kind of hiding her heritage of being an oni, it was to be expected she guessed. Because no human had this kind of thing like what the oni had. She was the one that had to explain it to her friend. She heaved a sigh and pushed Chizuru to arm's length.

"Chizuru-chan. I have something to tell that would explain your situation and why you felt the feeling that you felt toward Hijikata." Sen spoke solemnly. "It's kind of a long explanation, so I need your focus in here. But first you need to calm yourself."

Chizuru nodded. She was regaining her composure. She breathed in and out, and after a few moments her breath was calm. "I'm all ears."

"Have you heard anything about Oni no Kizuna (Demon's Bond)?"

Chizuru dug in her memory and shook her head in the end.

"Oh, sorry, I forget that you don't remember any memory of you being a demon. Because Chizuru the cause that have make you feel that strong to be inclined toward Hijikata is this bond that you have unconsciously formed with Hijikata."

"I don't understand. What bond?" She looked confused and did not understand one bit of Sen's words.

"Chizuru-chan, you have created this bond when you slept with Hijikata." said Sen bluntly.

Chizuru blinked her eyes rapidly, still didn't understand what Sen told her meant. "Osen-chan, what kind of bond?"

"The bond that you have created is a bond that tied your soul. In this case, yours and Hijikata's. As an oni finding our partner is like a matter of life and death, because once you have bonded with your partner you can never annul or break this bond. And we perform that bond by having sexual intercourse; in other words you bond if you have sex with or, if you are fortunate enough, make love with your partner. We, the oni, can only bond once in our life. Even though our partner is dead, we can't make another bond because our soul has merged and will be together with our partner's forever.” explained Sen. “The weird atmosphere you told me before that lingered around this place previously was most likely because of the bond. Maybe it happened because the bond is incomplete, that it unconsciously made you and Hijikata called toward each other. You must feel like there's some strong urge to always be near him."

Chizuru remembered ‘the urge’ that Sen had mentioned. She absentmindedly nodded. Of course, she remembered what Sen referred to as the urge. How many times she almost lost to that urge and just went to Hijikata and threw herself toward him? The first time she felt that urge, she almost did what her body told her to. But being her clumsy self, she tripped herself and instead of Hijikata, she met with the hard, cold floor and got a nasty bump on her head. Fortunately, no one noticed her action. But she swore she had felt Hijikata gaze toward her before she plunged to the darkness, unconscious from the bump she got. Inoue told her later that Hijikata was the one that brought her to her room and until he arrived, Hijikata was the one that tended her injury. That was just one of the many urges that she had felt during the past months. It wasn't that she had been getting used to it, because the urge was as strong now as the first time she had felt it. She had learnt to control it, even though it would slip from time to time if she didn't focus enough.

"That urge won't go away unless you complete the bond. From what you told me of your story I can tell that you haven't completed the bond." Sen continued with her explanation.

"….What should I do for completing the bond, Osen-chan?"

"Don't worry. It isn't a hard thing to do. You just have to drink each other's blood while saying a vow to each other that you are bonded to each other."

"But… if we have to complete the bond, that means that I have to tell him that we are bonded to each other, and I have to tell him what happened that makes us bonded to each other." Chizuru bit her bottom lip hard and said her next sentence in a heavy tone. "I CAN’T do that,” said Chizuru adamantly. "….Osen-chan, I don't want his pity." She said in defeated tone. "I knew him, know him enough that he would try to take responsibility for what happened if he knows. That is one of his characteristics that has made me fall for him. His sense of justice is so strong. But in this case, it is also his flaw. Rather than tell him so that he will be forced to be together with me unwillingly, out of duty, it would be better that he doesn't know our situation at all."

Even though Chizuru said her confession in her defeated tone, Sen could hear there was some conviction behind her tone. Chizuru might look soft and weak. But she was one of the most stubborn people she had met. Within the short time that they had met and spent together, she could see that Chizuru had this stubborn streak. Not to mention that she also had the pride of an oni, that wouldn't like to be look down to and would rather die than someone took pity at her.

She was proud that Chizuru didn't lose her pride and dignity as an oni, but as a woman she was frustrated with Chizuru's decision.

"But Chizuru-chan. You would suffer for unknown time." Sen had heard stories of some oni that didn't complete their bond with their partner because of some dire or special situation. The agony and longing that Chizuru would feel was something that Sen didn't want her friend to feel later. It could push you to insanity because of the intense pressure of the incomplete bond. "I don't want to scare you, but this is not something that you should decide so easily. As I told you before, this is a matter of life and death. It can kill you if it isn't done in a right and complete way."

A pregnant silence stretched in the room. Neither of the two occupants had any idea of what they should do regarding the matter. It was Chizuru that broke the silence first.

"Osen-chan, I want to ask you a question."

"What is it?"

"Can you know if someone, an oni has bonded with another without that said oni telling you that they have bonded?"

Sen shook her head. "No. I would not know at first glance at you that somehow you have bonded with whoever, Chizuru-chan."

"Then Kazama will not know that I have bonded with someone else."

"No. The bond is a sacred thing that only the ones that have created it can feel."

Chizuru nodded and went silent again. For a moment, she was afraid that the other oni (Kazama) could know that she had bonded with Hijikata. Kazama was coming for her because of his intention of making her his bride. If he found out that she was no longer available to be his bride and it was because of someone that was his enemy… The scene would not be pretty, surely. A relief spread through her body after Sen told her that there was no way the other could know, oni or not, of the bond beside the two persons that had created it.

"Chizuru-chan, even though you could hold the urge and desire inside of you all this time, but you won't be able to hold it for much longer. You have to complete the bond as soon as possible."

"…No."

"Chizuru-chan!"

"No, I can't. At least for now, I can't. Give me time."

They were exchanging stares. One with determination, one observing. In the end, for the umpteenth time that night Sen heaved a sigh. "I hope that time won't be too long."

Chizuru gave a grateful smile to her friend.

"I guess asking you to leave from this place is out of the question now."

"I'm sorry."

"You don't have to apologize. It's your decision. And it can't be helped." Sen gave her a rueful smile while she shrugged her shoulders.

"Thank you, Osen-chan."

"No. Don't thank me. You just don't know what misery you have signed yourself into." Sen sounded defeated.

"No, I mean it. Thank you for listening to my situation."

The demon princess could feel the sincerity and gratitude from Chizuru's smile. While she still felt frustrated with Chizuru, she was happy that she somehow could help her.

"You're welcome, Chizuru-chan."

---

When the two female demons entered the common room again, all the captains greeted them with an anxious look. Discreetly, Sen gazed at Hijikata and analyzed his reaction when Chizuru told them that she would not be leaving the compound.

She could only sum up in one word what she saw reflected in his eyes.

Desire.

She didn't know if she should smile or feel sorry because the man himself was oblivious to the situation he had gotten himself into.

For Hijikata himself, relief beyond anything spread through his body when he heard that Chizuru would be still with them. With him. And he knew that the demon princess had stared at him when she had entered the room. Frankly he didn't want anything to do with her. And he didn't detect any bloodlust from the princess, so he just let the princess do whatever she wanted to do. It didn't do him any harm.

The other captains were happy that Chizuru would stay with the Shinsengumi. They were rushing to her side and promising to keep her safe.

"The Shinsengumi accepts responsibility for your well-being, Yukimura-kun," Kondou said in his warm tone.

"Just relax and leave it all to me!" said Nagakura while grinning.

"Glad to have you around," Harada said while patting her head.

"But I have to wonder, what kind of girl would want to stay with the Shinsengumi, huh?" Okita snide remark wasn't as mean as before. It just his way to show his concern.

And last, when she looked at him, the soft smile that she had seen a few times only, greeted her sight. "This doesn't make you some kind of special guest. You get the same treatment that you always have."

What Hijikata didn't say to Chizuru was that the treatment that she would get would be the same from anyone other than him. He swore to himself that Chizuru would be treated in his own special way from now on.

Chizuru bowed her body and said her thanks: "Thank you for letting me stay!"

Before Sen departed from the Shinsengumi's compound, she took Chizuru's hands in hers and let her eyes rest on Chizuru. "Do be careful. And remember, I am on your side. If there's anything that you would like for me to help with, you know what you should do. And Chizuru-chan, don't ever hesitate to seek for my help. After all we're friends, aren't we?"

"Yes, we are. Thank you, Osen-chan." Sen gave Chizuru one last warm smile, and then she and Kimigiku, the kunoichi, were gone.

---

After they had walked for some distance, the demon princess and her bodyguard stopped and turned their head to look back. Sen silently looked back at the place that they had just walked out from.

"Hime-sama?" Kimigiku could sense the unease from Sen.

Sen didn't acknowledge Kimigiku's call. She stared back for several minutes before facing the front and beginning to walk again.

"Let's go, Okiku."

And the kunoichi followed her mistress back to their village without another word.

'Ganbatte, Chizuru-chan.'

---

Three figures blanketed in dark shadow strode toward the Shinsengumi later that night, not long after Sen and Kimigiku left the compound. Two of them only accompanied the third figure to accomplish the goal that one figure had.

And no one could stop him from what he wanted. He always got what he wanted.

"Found you."

To be continued

Note: Okay, you get a glimpse that a figure will come and make some havoc inside the Shinsengumi. You DO know who is he and at how the story would turn into. But... This won't be a fanfic if I don't do something of what will happen for the next event. 

For some reasons, this chapter was harder for me to write. Chizuru's feeling has been bottle up for so long that it's not easy to tell someone of her feelings. That's why she was beating the bush and go round about before telling Sen her story. 

Hijikata has got his turned to share his thought with someone (Kondou) and that helped him with his feelings. I guess it's unfair that Chizuru didn't get to talk and share her bottle up feelings, isn't it? So here comes Sen, to the rescue! I always like the friendship between these two.

Stay tuned for the next update and see u on next chapter. 

Jaa ne~

[bubba-san]

Okay, but do you know how badly this is ingrained in our culture?

I recently started at a DGM (distinct from a Dollar General, different companies somehow or something) and when I started it seemed like every other retail job.

Well, I couldn't arrive for my 2ND DAY because my roommate couldn't be bothered in a weekend, and my stepmom who swore to me she could get me there couldn't, and not even Uber or Lyft had cars available (it was a Sunday). I had to call in and explain, sock to my stomach because finding a job is harder than running a marathon for me. The manager said he understood.

Me: Flabbergasted and and almost crying because I need this job

When I arrived the next day, the other manager understood and said things like that happen. Either way, I moved to a new apartment that weekend so I could take advantage of the bus line. I try to get used to it on my off day and take the buses leading from my apartment to the store and determine when I need to wake up, get ready, and get on to make it on time.

I forgot to take into account the weekend route schedule. It was totally different.

I call in, tell them I'm going to be late, worried sick because it's been just a week since missing that day, and they say it's fine. They understand.

My manager actually moves my hours a bit so I don't have to wake up earlier.

And just recently, I read the schedule wrong and confused an on day with an off one. Manager called to ask what was up, and I realized the mistake as I rechecked it, and he was fine with it. He just wanted e to come in and work to stock the fridges.

Part of me says the store is so desperate that they're keeping even people messing up like this, but it's just been so surprising that I've been working for people who act like freaking humans with empathy, and it really shouldn't BE a surprise.

i hate when managers pretend they don’t understand how the real world works because they’re in a corporate setting yet if you removed them from that corporate setting and contextualized the situation they would realize how fucked it was.

like lmao one time I got hit by a car so i had to last minute call out from work at walmart, and i get there the next day, i looked fucked up as hell, and they’re like “so whyd you call out last minute without checking with us first? it’s a major warning gotta say”

and i’m like “well, as the call out said, i got hit by a car and was in the hospital. because you know. i was hit by a car and as you can see bones are broken on me and i am very scratched up and bruised.”

and they get the fucking most ridiculous look on their face like they’re broken or something and theyre like “will it happen again?”

and i’m like “will i get hit by a car again? I don’t know. Didn’t think I would this time either”

like they’re acting like they don’t understand what getting hit by a car is because their bullshit training doesn’t account for it lmao… as if they aren’t human enough to understand what getting hit by a car is

it’s so fucking annoying.

[prongsno]

This is not the end; part II

Lily meets the love of her life for a second time.

part I; read on ao3

dedicated to @gxldentrio​; @padfootdidit​; @hiddenpolkadots​ 

The second time Lily meets him, she swears it’s like she’s fallen into a dream.

She’s been imagining what it would be like to see him again; daydreaming about what he would look like (windswept hair and bright eyes and that glorious, wide smile directed just at her).

So, when she sees him there and his eyes light up, it’s like she’s been swept away in a current of feelings. She says a little prayer, thanking God that she actually decided to come to the party after all, because otherwise she would have never have seen him.

Lily realises with a pang in her heart, quickly followed by giddy and abrupt butterflies in her stomach, that their story is finally going to continue.

This is not the end.

Sirius notices in an instance.

Their quick eye contact, like they’re both magnets who connect as soon as they see each other, and the dazzling smiles, like they can’t believe the other one is there.

“Do you two know each other?” He asks with a grin, nudging James with his elbow (who is quick to clear his throat and pretend that the intense redness on his cheeks is from the temperature of the room and nothing else).

“Um.” Lily watches as James bites his lips and brings a hand to his head, messing his already tousled hair.

“We’ve met.”

His voice isn’t like how she remembers it.

Sirius nods his head slowly. “Right… how?”

The question makes James breathe in deeply and oh God… is he embarrassed by her? Lily’s lungs tighten, she’s afraid to breathe in or out.

James’ eyes haven’t left hers at all and she needs to look away, but they're bright hazel and so breathtaking, they entrance her. He widens his eyes at her, like he’s trying to tell her something but she has no idea what.

Her heart hammers against her chest so brutally that she wants to gasp from the pain and hide away in a corner of the room. Her ears ping, a white static noise filling her mind and making the hairs on her neck tingle.

And then, before she even realises it, he’s grabbing hold of her hand. His fingers are hot and sweaty and he holds her hand limply, his palm shaking against hers.

“We’re dating!” James blurts out in a rush.

The ringing in her head, the gongs and bells and whistles and chimes that were all banging and clanging together so loudly making her mind spin, stops suddenly as James says those words.

Is she dreaming?

His voice is high pitched, like he’s been sucking on helium, and she tries to catch his gaze but The Handsome Boy is already explaining to Sirius (who somehow actually believes James is telling the truth?) how the two of them ended up ‘dating’.

His fingers are warm, so different from the last time when they felt like ice buckets as the rain danced around them. And yet… and yet, it’s like her hand is supposed to fit into his; soft and delicate, just like before. She remembers the touch. Remembers how her heart ached… and it’s just like before.

“We err,” James scratches his neck awkwardly with his other hand, he glances at her briefly before turning back to Sirius. “We met in the library.”

“But you never go to the library.”

No, this is definitely not a dream. If it was, James’ hand wouldn’t be clammy and sweaty in hers.

And yet... here they are, with James clasping onto her desperately, like he’s sinking and she’s his anchor.

James’ awkward laugh fills her entire senses. It’s a soft harmony, so pleasant to her ears.

“Y’see it’s a um, funny story. ‘Bout how we met and all. Really funny… but I haven’t seen Lily in a while so…” James trails off.

It takes Sirius a few seconds to understand, the two lads stare at each other and it’s only when James widens his eyes and cocks his head towards a blushing Lily that he lets out a knowing ‘ooooh’.

"Ah,” Sirius says, realisation hitting him like lightning. "I didn't realise I was cock-blocking." He grins again, giving Lily a friendly nod. James looks like he wants to strangle himself. “I’ll leave you two lovebirds to... converse, then," he adds and finally, after giving James a knowing look, leaves.

Only one thing follows immediately after: silence.

Lily is flabbergasted. James looks horrified.

They’re both still holding hands, frozen amidst the party that’s going on around them.

The music is loud, people are laughing and dancing and Sirius makes a beeline to join a group of six (it’s only a few seconds later that the guy is already chatting with a pretty girl Lily vaguely recognises from one of her classes) who are giggling over a game of twister.

James clears his throat and looks sheepishly at her.

James, who she fell in love with at Tesco Extra, the same boy who spilled pasta over himself and on the floor, who forgot his umbrella when the forecast had clearly said it was going to rain… the same boy whom she had been thinking constantly about since the day she had met him.

He ends the silence by casually asking if she wants a drink.

Dizzy, she says yes.

This is when they drop hands, when he leads her away to the kitchen and she’s facing the back of his head again. His hair is even messier from this angle.

A sudden rush of cold sweeps upon her and she finds herself curling her fingers into her fist, relishing the feel of something against her palm.

It’s like they’re still holding hands this way.

“I’m really sorry about… about that.” James says finally after he’s offered her a can of coca-cola. She takes it with a small smile, sipping it quickly so she’s at least doing something.

She doesn’t say anything, she refuses to. She’s not even sure what she would say, if the words managed to get out and make sense at all.

She can feel his jittery gaze, it’s unnerving. He has these beautiful eyes that she could stare into forever, but when she’s trying to avoid his face altogether it’s something that she finds extremely distracting.

His irritating but divinely beautiful smirk is back. And it’s contagious.

“I am really sorry.” He says again. “I didn’t want Sirius to know about… well,” He trails off at this and she finally looks at him again. He scratches his nose and gives a little shrug. “He’d never let me live it down. That I dropped my pasta everywhere in front of a… ”

“In front of a what?”

James’ cheeks are red, a shade that she’d expect to see on Rudolph the Reindeer’s red nose.

“I mean you. In front of you.” He says quickly and before she can ask anything further he’s already speaking again. “Are you hungry? Do you want some…”

He semi-runs towards the fridge and opens it hastily. He all but throws himself into it, his fingers tapping nervously against the handle. Lily can’t help but smile at him; all she can see are his tall, lanky legs and a rather cute backside.

“Um, cheese?” He pops his head out of the fridge and waves the packet with a sheepish smile. At a shrug of her shoulders he’s already handing her some sliced red leicester on a plate which she silently accepts.

“We have some crackers too.”

James is off again and ten seconds later he’s back at her side, handing her some Jacob’s crackers. She can’t deny it, she is starving and cheese and crackers, although a little strange to eat at a party, does sound rather delicious right now.

“I thought you lived in E4.”

She freezes as soon as the words leave her mouth, but she tries to act as natural as possible. It’s not like she’s been stalking him… just that she remembered where he lived and had walked past it at every opportunity. And yet here he was, looking like he owned the place in another flat. She can’t help but be nosey.

James, luckily, doesn’t seem to notice and he’s far too interested in eating cheese to notice her cheeks tinge red.

“Oh,” He wipes his mouth with his sleeve and gulps down a bit of cola. “I do.” He’s speaking with his mouth full, but Lily doesn’t care at all. She could listen to him like that all day. “But well, Sirius is my best mate and I spend most of my free time here.”

That explains it, Lily thinks with a grumble. Now she knows… she’ll make sure she walks past this apartment now at every opportunity.

“Plus, Sirius’ flatmates are amazing. There’s Remus and Peter, they’re both by the TV,” James points and Lily follows his finger. Remus, the taller one she presumes, has his phone out and the two of them are in hysterics about something they’ve seen.

“Why?”

“Pardon?”

They both reach for the last cracker and their hands brush against each other. It’s like an electric shock and yet it doesn’t hurt in the slightest. It’s static and surreal and gives Lily a little giddy feeling in her gut all at the same time. They pull their hands back in an instant. Shy smiles and nervous glances fill the air.

“You can take it,” Their voices ring out at the same time. James sounds desperate, Lily sounds hysterical.

“You have it,” Lily says again, refusing to look at James because she can feel her cheeks burning already and can hear the smirk in James’ suave and cool tone.

“No, please.” James says with a laugh and nudges the plate gently in her direction. “You’re the guest… and Remus will no doubt berate me if he ever got wind of me eating the last cracker when a pretty guest wanted it as well.”

He’s grinning at her, clearly well aware that he’s causing her stomach to flop up and down like she’s on a roller-coaster and a carousel at the same time. Plus, he just called her pretty and right now she feels so flipping elevated and happy that she doesn’t care that this would be her fifth cracker. She takes it with a smile.

If she was in love with him before, it’s now a bone-crushing, soul-destroying love that is burning her heart and setting her whole body aflame.

She’s halfway through the final cracker when she finds the courage to speak again.

“You never answered my question earlier… about why you prefer here?” She feels rude asking such a personal question when this is only their second meeting… but she feels as if she’s known him forever. She feels so drawn to him; he’s like a comfort in the storm. 

Safe, stable, pleasant… she could go on forever.

James just shakes his head and shrugs. No reason, he claims simply. But she’s not buying it at all and won’t take no for an answer.

“I just…” He relents finally. “It’s fun with all my mates here, that’s all.”

He’s clearly hiding something, that becomes far more apparent when he begins to walk aimlessly towards the fridge, pretending to look for something. He’s mumbling aloud to himself as he opens said device and stands in it for a good thirty seconds before he saunters back to her empty handed.

She can take a hint.

“Then, answer me this.” She knows it’s awful asking the poor boy so many questions, but she’s been daydreaming about meeting him again and can’t help but wonder if she’s in some sort of cliched fairy tale full of magic wells and fairy godmothers.

“Anything,” James says, automatically.

His voice is quiet and when she glances upwards to see him she’s met with… a vulnerability that she hasn’t noticed before. His eyes are open (ok, that’s a given… and it’s not like he’s been talking all this time with his eyes shut… but they’re open); they’re so wide and honest and hopeful and for a second it’s like she’s seeing herself in a mirror.

He bites his bottom lip in worry as he waits for her answer and she’s unsure as to why his reply affected her so much.

Lily takes in a deep breath. “Why say we were dating? Like, why not just say we’ve met and that’s that?”

He sends her a goofy smile, followed by a sheepish shrug of his wide, broad shoulders. He looks almost relieved.

“I panicked?” He offers, laughing a bit awkwardly. “I’m still being ridiculed for the last time I fell on my arse… and I know I could have said anything but…” His voice jitters, like he’s being questioned by a fearsome detective about a murder investigation. “But I, err… my mind just went blank.”

He’s not making much sense, but she understands him completely. Because that’s what had happened to her; seeing him there, like he was part of her dream had caused her mind to almost shut down completely.

“Like you had all these thoughts running across your mind, but you couldn’t say anything.” She offers.

“Exactly.” He smiles.

Only once during the night does Sirius and the other flatmates come over. James and Lily are playing a game of snap by the kettle, already on their second cup of tea, when the three saunter over and demand to know how they began dating.

The past few hours has allowed Lily to build her confidence and she really (like, really really) likes James. So she’s willing to tell a few white lies to help the poor guy out.

His cheeks are already red as soon as the three come over, and he whispers a quick ‘oh, balls, I’m so so sorry about this’ to her before he falls silent, fearing the worst.

“Was it when I asked you to join me at the gym that one time and you rang four hours later saying you had ‘lost track of time’?” Remus asks with a grin. James splutters into his mug.

“Yes.” Lily says quickly, grabbing hold of his hand and entwining her fingers in his. “James was showing me his action man collection.”

Sirius lets out a bark of laughter and Peter quips out with a snigger ‘is that a euphemism?’.

She blushes, but James strokes his thumb against her palm softly and her words jumble at the tip of her tongue.

He clears his throat, helping her out. “It’s true. I asked her if she really was okay flipping through comic books and she said she couldn’t think of a better way to spend her saturday morning.”

She suddenly recalls seeing James with the packet of superman tissues, Henry Cavill as the popular superhero doing the familiar and infamous superman flying stance amidst bright blues and reds. She sniggers, that is going to be a memory she will not forget in a hurry.

“I mean, I know we’re all a bit geeky but… action man? Seriously?” Peter seems to buy the lie and Remus and Sirius quickly follow.

“My collection isn’t all action man…” James mutters in defeat, his cheeks are so red that if she had a marker pen she could draw dots on him and he’d look like he had two ladybirds on his face.

“Batman?” Sirius asks, carelessly throwing a teabag into his ‘THE DARK KNIGHT’ monster-sized mug.

“Superman.” Lily answers smoothly before James can even open his mouth. “James is a really big fan,”

James looks mortified.

At one o’clock, when a few of the guests have already started to leave, Sirius decides to turn the party up a notch.

Lily and James had been competing in some mindless and addictive mobile games (temple run, candy crush and crossy roads are the main three the couple spend hours agonising over) when Sirius makes his loud and dramatic announcement.

The boy grins and holds up a sparkling DVD that twinkles and gleams under the bright lights of the room. The Sound of Music.

James groans beside her and she hears him mutter something along the lines of ‘not again’ before the two of them are ushered onto the sofa in front of the television. Sirius is grinning like a madman as he puts the disk into the blu-ray player and Lily finds herself squashed into James as seven other people fit on the sofa with them. 

Peter sits on Remus’ lap, a steaming hot mug of tea in his hands, and the girl Sirius was flirting with before as they played twister sits on the lap of said gentleman as well (the two look very comfy, Lily notices a little enviously as she fidgets to find a comfy way of sitting with the hard end of the sofa on one side and James’ hard and bony shoulder on the other).

“Are you okay? Comfortable?”

Lily has to shuffle awkwardly just to lift her head up to meet his gaze. He bites his lip in an attempt to conceal the laughter that’s threatening to bubble up his throat.

“Peachy,” She manages. 

At that moment Peter spills his tea on him and lets out a surprised yelp. Remus is instantly pushed into James, who in turns squashes Lily closer to the side of the sofa. Not that she minds… if there was anyone squashing her it would be James every single time.

“I’m so sorry!” He shuffles a little (or as much as he can) away from her and she’s so tempted to grab hold of his wrist and pull him closer to her again so that their thighs are touching and she can hear the sound of his heartbeat and his bony elbows pressing against her…

He blushes and sends her an apologetic smile, which Lily hastily returns as she curses student flats and their lack of good air conditioning. It feels like a sauna and sitting next to one of the most attractive guys she’s seen is not helping her at all.

The movie starts and all Lily is aware of is James’ heavy breathing and how his fingers dance anxiously against his legs.

Everyone else on the sofa is chatting along to themselves, the main culprit being Sirius who quotes aloud alongside the movie. Remus tells him to shut up every single time but eventually joins him in the quoting.

Sirius’ silence lasts all but two minutes and then the sofa gets into a discourse about ‘how do you solve a problem like Maria?’ or ‘what would it be like to sit on an acorn, we need to try this’.

Conversations dance around the room, but Lily and James are frozen. 

They try desperately to look everywhere and anywhere but when James’ phone vibrates and she feels the buzz against her thigh, her cheeks are on fire again. More so when he murmurs out a ‘sorry’ (he’s said that word a lot to her in the past few hours) and has to awkwardly reach into his pocket and if they were close before they’re even closer now and she can almost feel his hair tickling her neck and she can almost count the freckles on his cheeks and nose.

After a few seconds of struggling he finally manages to get to his phone out and she watches as he stares intently at the device. His forehead crinkles in concentration, his nose twitches and he bites his lip. 

She's entranced.

He breathes out a dramatic, heavy breath as his long fingers begin to tap against the screen in an almost unbearably slow pace. Lily’s eyes are glued to his hands; how he takes such a long time to tap out the words, like he should really be a grandma who's gotten a mobile for the first time and has to take ten minutes to type something out as the grandchild watches in agony. 

Then she remembers how much she’d like to kiss him, and all grandmother/grandchild analogies fly out the window.

“Everything okay?” She finds herself asking. She doesn’t usually like to talk during movies but since the whole sofa is already talking over the film, she feels less guilty about it.

James seems concerned as he stares at his phone and his problems are suddenly important to her.

“Yeah…” he scratches his chin and sighs. “It was just domino's sending me a text about half price pizza. I texted ‘STOP’ to stop them from spamming me.”

She's not able to say anything in response (although what she would have said, she has no idea) as the song ‘Sixteen going on seventeen’ graces the screen.

Sirius instantly stands up to dance and serenades the broom which is standing next to the bin. As Sirius and the brush dance around the kitchen lovingly together, Peter and Remus secretly film the whole ordeal on their phones and a tall, lanky guy (whom Lily has heard Sirius call ‘Franky-dank’ throughout the night) decides this is a good a time as any to make the party a nice cup of tea.

James’ eyes are glued to the tv screen when she next glances towards him. There's so much more room on the sofa now and yet they're still pressed up against each other and she wouldn't change it at all. 

Yes it's uncomfortable and his elbows are sharp and his shoulders are bony… but he's amazing and she's in so deep now she might as well continue on sinking.

She can see his lips moving and she realises he's singing along with the song quietly underneath his breath. She can't help but smile at the image, what with Sirius singing aloud (and in the totally wrong key) in the background and with James pretending like he doesn't know every single word to the song.

She could watch him forever.

And as her eyelids start to feel heavier and heavier she continues staring with a soft and enthralled smile etched upon her face.

She’s as close as can be to being in his arms and she falls asleep to the sound of his breathing and with the sight of his picking his nose. Delightful, she wouldn't change a thing about him.

The next thing she knows tiredness has taken over and her head drops and she hears a soft bespoken ‘oh!’ in the endless void.

When she wakes up the world is a blur.

Lily opens her eyes slowly, and for a second she can't remember where she is or what she was doing because this room doesn't look familiar in the slightest. It's then that she starts to panic and lifts her head.

James is leaning against the sofa, his head resting against the wall in what looks like the most discomforting angle imaginable. It’s when her eyes drop down to follow his fingers, which are tapping slowly on his phone, that she she notices her own position.

Her face is resting against the nook of his shoulder and there's a wet patch right where her mouth is. If she's been drooling then there is every possibility that she's been snoring too and she can just imagine how horrified James must have been and what a gentleman he is to have not thought enough is enough and abandoned her alone on the sofa.

He must have sensed her small movements because he finishes typing something quickly before he looks down at her. One arm is bent awkwardly at her side… but the other, oh the other is delicately wrapped across his chest. 

She can feel his heart beating gently against her hand and it's like the flipping elephant in the room because they both know it's there, that her fingers are against his chest and that he feels warm and safe and so familiar. She's afraid to move but when he looks down and smiles at her it's like watching a breathtaking sunrise; her heart leaps in her throat and butterflies erupt everywhere.

“Hey,” He murmurs softly and swings an arm around her shoulder. 

His fingers are warm and they curl against her in such an intimate way for a few seconds before his hand freezes and goes limp, dropping back to his side as if he had never made the move in the first place. He shows no signs of embarrassment, just gives her another smile to which she gladly returns it.

“Sorry,” Her body is aching from sleeping in such a weird way and yet she doesn’t want to move away from him in the slightest.

“What for?” His voice is so deep and when she's right by his chest like this she can hear every intake of breath. The hairs on the back of her neck tingle and she lets her fingers grip onto him just that little bit more.

She gulps and all she wants to do is snuggle deeper and kiss every inch of him and trace the lines on his face and pull her fingers through his hair.

They both stay still, no intention of moving at all.

The sofa isn't full anymore, so there's much more room now.

And yet they're pressed against each other at the far right as if there's still ten people squashing them into their close proximity.

“You don't look very comfortable,” is what she says eventually, blinking her eyes and stifling down a yawn. 

The sun is only just starting to rise through the cheap and broken curtains, it gives the kitchen a hazy, orange glow and James looks almost ethereal with the light shining against him.

His laugh is soft, just as always, addictive, delectable and as sweet as honeycomb and caramel.

“I chose to stay.” It's a different answer from the one she was expecting, but she can see the truth in his eyes and it's all she needs.

“Plus,” His voice rings out and she realises she's been staring mesmerised at his lips for goodness knows how long. “You have a tight-death grip and I don't think I would have been able to move even if I wanted to.”

All she gets from that is he didn't want to move (or that's how she's going to interpret it anyhow) and she's going to continue sinking and drowning because that's all she knows.

They say it takes two to tango, and it also takes two to almost cuddle on a sofa after knowing the person for only a total of twenty four hours ish. 

There's a part of her completely terrified that she's in way over her head, that there's a possibility that she's making up all these feelings. That he has no interest in her whatsoever… that their meeting at Tesco that one day was a complete coincidence… that it wasn’t fate, that it was just her helping him pick up pasta from the shop tile floor and not her falling helplessly in love after just thirty seconds of seeing him.

They chatter for a few minutes.

James recounts last night; how insulted Sirius was that Lily had dozed off during the best song of the movie but had forgiven her when he was offered a nice sugary tea off Franky-dank. How the movie had slowly just become background noise as Peter and Remus went through the various filters on snapchat and took a few rather amusing videos that Lily would have to see later.

It’s when Lily covers her mouth to yawn that James reaches down to hold her hands. She stares at him, surprised by how forward he’s suddenly become (but secretly loving it at the same time). His hands envelope hers, warm and soft and rough at the same time and she’s just about to fold her fingers through his when he gently drops them and gets up off the sofa.

His knees click, just like last time, and he lifts his arms, stretching as if he hasn’t moved in a million years. His shirt rises just a little, but it’s enough for Lily to see a slither of skin and the top of his jeans. Then she’s blushing and cursing herself because she doesn’t know if it’s from seeing James like this or from her thinking that he was about to hold her hand like they were a couple.

When he’s done stretching he plods over to the kettle and gets out the mugs they used last night. As she watches him make their teas, and notices how he listened and remembered the way she liked the perfect brew (weak and milky with no sugar), she realises that the reason why she blushed was both the aforementioned reasons and more.

It’s that he’s here.

And she’s here.

Together.

Even though they were together most of, or rather all of, the night, she still wants more. She doesn’t care if it’s a selfish thing to think. She doesn’t want to be so shy and embarrassed by a slither of skin.

A hot cup is placed into her hands and she thanks him instantly (tea etiquette is always thanking the tea maker no matter if it’s the right colour or not).

“Is the colour okay?”

She swirls the teaspoon around aimlessly and takes a hesitant sip after blowing on it a few times. He watches like a hawk and doesn’t stop until she gives him a nod and smiles, “perfect,”.

He makes the best brew, despite his own being the complete opposite to hers (so dark with only a dash of milk and one heaped teaspoon of sugar which almost definitely counts as two).

The clock reads four a.m. when they’ve finally finished their teas. Tangled feet and heads resting against each other, their voices dancing back and forth.

She never wants to leave. But when he fidgets and checks his phone she knows all good things must come to an end at some point.

She places her mug down on the small coffee table, twiddles her thumbs and stands.

“I suppose I best be off,” At the sound of her voice he’s staring at her again. Eyes so open and yet hiding all emotion. He nods stiffly. “I have an essay due Thursday.”

“Started it yet?” He asks as he places the mugs in the sink.

“I’ve not even looked at the questions yet,” She laughs a little and watches as he reaches over to grab his brand new, sparkling clean and expensive looking trainers.

“Peter once wrote an essay one hour before the deadline. He got a first and the teacher said it was the best damn essay she had ever read. You’ll do great, I’m sure.”

There’s a couple of seconds of awkward silence. James stands there in his shoes with a light jacket clad over his shoulders whilst Lily stands in just her mismatched christmas socks. She spots her scruffy shoes by the hallway and drags her feet over to them, highly aware of James’ heavy gaze on her back.

Once the shoes are finally on and her bag is swung over her arm James smiles and says he’ll walk with her to her flat. That much had been obvious as soon as he had put on his shoes, but she thanks him nevertheless and smiles giddily when he opens the door for her, the two of them walking out of the flat together like they’ve known each other for years.

She doesn’t want to leave.

Last time ten minutes had not been enough.

This time it seems like twenty four hours aren’t enough either. She needs weeks and months with him. Years. Endless encounters, conversations that last days and smiles that last ages and over lifetimes.

They walk down the steps in a comfortable silence, listening to the birds sing and twitter in the light glow of the rising sun. Their feet step in unison, gravel crunching under their shoes and the wind twirling around them in a soft, delicate breeze.

It’s not enough.

He asks her which building she’s in and smiles for some reason when she replies with ‘P’. She doesn’t ask, nor does she want to because she’s afraid that speech will fail her and that she’ll end up croaking and making a fool out of herself.

“Listen,” He says once they’re walking from Sirius’ B flat. “I err, wanted to thank you. About last night.” When she doesn’t say anything he continues on, his voice mumbling. “It wasn’t fair of me to put you into that kind of situation before asking if it was okay. And Sirius and the others believed it and so you really helped me out there.”

He chuckles and this time when he looks at her she swears she can’t breathe. He smiles and his eyes are alight, shining and she’s so drawn to him like a captivated moth to a flame. “I wonder if we’ll make a habit out of this.”

They stop when they reach P, a shabby looking building with moss growing out of the bricks. She fidgets and puts her hands in her pockets, watching James as he kicks a small stone onto the grass.

“Well,” She says at last. “This was uh, fun.” She means it, and more. But words fail her, not for the first time.

Once again James smiles and with the sun behind him, the light gleaming through his glasses and brightening his dark hair, he’s like the perfect happy ever after ending to any story.

When he doesn’t say anything and only stares at her she feels like she’s now overstayed her welcome. She grips onto her bag tight, needing some kind of support, before she gives him a nod and a quick smile and turns away.

She hates how it’s like déjà vu, turning and walking away. The realisation that it’s over hits her hard like she’s just slammed into a brick wall and broken every bone. But there’s no reason for her turn back. He’s not calling out her name or tugging at her hand. It’s just like before and yet it’s not. Instead of being filled with giddy daydreams it’s the hard, nitty-gritty realism that fairytales and wishes do not come true.

Lily bites back the tears and glares at the door. It’s the end, if you want it. She thinks bitterly and grips onto her keys tight, full of anger.

It’s the end.

It’s the end.

And he wants it.

Her keys fumble into the lock and then she hears movement and a flurry of angry and foul swear words before James is suddenly by her side, breathing as if he’s just ran a marathon.

His eyes are dancing with fear and hope and expectation, just like hers. She’s too scared to say anything, but her hands pause. The key stays in the lock.

“I was thinking,” He breathes out, his eyes refusing to leave hers in a trance-like state. “If you wanted to, that is, if we could… we could meet. Again? Sometime.”

She should be angry, but as soon as she sees how sincere and desperate he looks it melts away and an unbearable wave of emotions swallow her whole.

“I would love to.” It’s amazing, saying those words. They’re true, they scream out into the void and ring for all to hear it.

He smiles and damn, she loves his smile. He looks exhilarated and ecstatic and she would bet on anything that she looks exactly the same.

Like two fools hopelessly in love. But they don’t care, they’re sinking together and it’s the best thing in whole world.

“You should go and work on your essay first though. I don’t want to be the reason you don’t get the mark you deserve,” In a single movement he’s taken out his phone and after a few seconds later passes it to her.

He’s created a new contact and after her name is the sun emoji, smiling up at her in such a cliche way that she hates and loves it at the same time. Once she’s done she creates a new one for him, James, followed by the sun emoji because she’s trash okay.

“I guess I should go in then,”

They stare at each other and God, they can’t stop smiling. Shy smiles, smirks, wide grins and soft chuckles. It seems like hours go by before her phone makes a sound and she finally pulls her eyes away.

Her flatmate asks if she’s okay since she never returned back. She types back that she’s never felt better.

“I’ll see you then. Soon.” He says and it’s a promise, as he watches her turn the keys in the lock. She gives him a wave and then another and then one more before she turns to climb up the stairs, just for good luck.

He stands there until the sun is risen, smiling at the door with the goofiest, most elated smile he can muster.

The third time she meets him he greets her with a bouquet of white daisies and soft yellow roses. 

This time, they both know they’ll meet again. That they have their whole lives ahead of them.

That this... well, that this is not the end.

[nalu-week]

Scars

(NaLu Week Flaws Prompt- 7/3/17)

To the outside world, the pretty blonde was almost perfect.  Smart and beautiful, she made friends quickly, got along with almost anyone whether a nerd or from the popular clique.  For years she successfully hid her inner demons but by 16 it was becoming more and more difficult.  No one save her best friend at Magnolia High had any clue what secrets lay beneath the smile…

It had really started by the age of 4 when her mother Layla passed away from cancer.  Her father, who was never very affectionate to begin with grew ever more distant and the older she got, the more she was convinced that he blamed her for her mother’s death; no worse, sometimes she’d blame herself too.  With no friend’s around to interact with and only the servants to talk to, a cancer of its own took hold in the little girl; depression. 

She would steel herself away in her room for hours, reading or surfing the internet and on one of these occasions she googled ‘suicide’, ‘depression’, and ‘chat room’.  Of course, most of the sites that appeared were about getting help and prevention but one chat, the one she zeroed in on was for people who openly talked about what they did to deal with their depression; and not in a good way.  That’s when the cutting began. 

When her 9th birthday rolled around and her father forgot all about it, a chain reaction of emotions flooded the young girl, voices in her fragile mind screaming for her to end the suffering.  Stealing a bottle of pain killers from her father’s room she swallowed a handful. 

It was her nanny that found her unconscious next to the open bottle.

Finally forced to act, her father sends her to the best child psychologist in Magnolia and slowly she began to heal emotionally.  As part of the therapy process, she was enrolled in public school so she could interact with other kids her age; friendship, the doctor told her dad, can be one of the best tools in fighting depression.

Luckily for Lucy, the first girl she encountered turned out to be just what the doctor ordered.  Levy, was a sweet, smart, friendly girl who quickly gravitated to the new student and soon the two were the best of friends; maybe more like sisters.  After a few months, it was during a sleepover at Levy’s home that she finally felt comfortable enough to reveal her painful past.  Much to her relief, her friend was not only understanding but supportive in a way that Lucy’s never felt before.  Even the scars that marred parts of her body didn’t frighten her friend.  And with this positive encouragement Lucy began to blossom into the girl she was always meant to be.

This went on for the next 6 years and Lucy was doing well but now the girls had entered high school and all the typical issues teenagers face.  School work was harder, that didn’t bother her; social standing, she didn’t have problems there; but body consciousness, that was an issue; peer pressure to start dating, that was a major concern.  Sure, she’d had crushes, been asked out by boys, but either she’d turn them down, or never really pursed such relationships because she didn’t want them to see the scars.  She had worked so hard to build a decent reputation for herself but there was always that anxiety that the wrong person would find out about her past and stigmatize her for it or worse… 

When Levy started dating a boy named Gajeel, she encouraged Lucy to do the same, “We could double date.”

“I don’t know Levy, most of the guys seem to only be interested in…. and I don’t want anyone to see… you know what.” 

“You just need to find the right guy Lu, I know he’s somewhere out there.”

“I hope so too.”

“What about the one from your chemistry class that often smiles at you, he seems nice.”

“You mean Natsu?  Yeah, I think he’s hot but I don’t know much about him.”

“According to Cana and Lis, he was adopted when he was a baby but he doesn’t let that bother him.  They said he’s a really sweet guy, but never had a girlfriend ‘cause he said he’s looking for someone special.  Makes me think he’s not like the typical guys we know.”

“Still, I don’t know…”

“Aaaand…” she drags out the word, “…they said, he asked about you…”

“He asked them about me?!”

Levy grins, “Yup, asked them what were you really like, you know nice, mean, blah blah, blah.  And when they told him you were sweet, he asked if you were single.”

Lucy’s face lights up with a tinge of pink.  “So, what they tell him?!”

“Of course they said you are.”

“And??”

“And what, they said he just smiled and left it at that.” 

“Great so what does it all mean?”

“I have no idea Lu; my crystal ball is broken.”

“Ha, ha.  Very funny Levy.”

“I’m sure you’ll find out eventually.  So, wanna go to the mall after school?”

“Sure, I’ve been wanting to check out the summer collection at Forever 21, but I’m supposed to see my therapist at 3.”

“Why don’t you meet me there afterwards, the sessions only like 30 minutes right?”

“Yeah, I can get to the mall by 4, I’ll text you when I arrive.”

“Great.  I’ll see you then.”

Lucy’s feeling great after her therapy session.  Routinely it’s just a check-up by the doctor to make sure everything is going fine in the girl’s life, and aside from a few minor things, all is running smoothly.  Arriving at the mall, she gets onto the escalator and starts texting Levy.

‘Just got here, heading up to the food court now.’

‘I’m by the Cold Stone Creamery.’

‘See you in a mi..’  So focused on the screen Lucy doesn’t realize she’s at the end of the escalator; she trips and starts to fall backwards.  A startled scream involuntarily erupts from her only to cut off seconds later.  “Oomp!” as she lands on something, or rather on someone…

“Hey are you okay?”  Asks a sexy voice as he helps her off the moving stairs.

“I, yeah, thanks to…”  her voice trailing off when she looks up and sees pink hair.  Her cheeks instantly turn red, “Thanks to you I’m okay.”   

“It was my pleasure,” the boy gives her a cheeky grin.  “You’re Lucy right?  From chemistry class?”

She nods, “And y-your Natsu.” 

“What brings you to the mall today?”

“Oh, I um am meeting my friend Levy at the food court.”

“Mind if I walk with you, I was heading that way too.”

“S-sure.”

He sticks out his left arm, “Shall we?”  Blushing again, she weaves her arm through the crook of his.  ‘He’s such a gentleman!’  After a couple minutes of walking he breaks the silence.  “You know Luce, it’s funny I ran into you today ‘cause there was something I wanted to ask you.” 

She tenses a little, remembering her conversation earlier with Levy.  “Oh?”  she mutters, “What did you want to ask me?”

“Are you free Saturday night?”

“I-I um…”

“Yes, she is.”  Levy appears in front of them.  Lucy blinks her eyes and looks around them, she hadn’t realized they were already at the Food court. 

“I-I am?”  is all Lucy can manage to stammer out.

“Yes, you are.”  Levy turns to Natsu, “Be good to my friend or I’ll sick your cousin on you.” 

Natsu salutes Levy, “Yes ma’am!” 

“Tch, Smart ass.”  She turns and winks at Lucy who’s still a bit flabbergasted, “Lu, I’ll see you in school tomorrow.”  And skips away smirking.

“Sh-she planned this, didn’t she??”

“Huh,” Natsu turns to the girl who’s still holding onto his arm and runs his right hand nervously through his hair, “Oh yeah sorry, I was nervous about approaching you so she and my cousin set up this meeting.”

“Cousin?”

“Gajeel.  She didn’t tell you he’s my cousin?”  Lucy shakes her head.  “Well um… are you still hungry, where would you like to eat at?”  When she doesn’t respond he teases her.  “Luce I’m not gonna bite ya.”

“Err,” she bites her lower lip and looks at the options around her, “how about Arby’s.”

“Arby’s it is!” 

For the next 3 hour’s the pair sits in a booth at the food court.  Long after having finished their meals, the two had found a lot to talk about and the longer this went on for the more at ease Lucy felt around the young man.  It wasn’t until the mall was ready to close that they finally made their way out. 

Parting at the front entrance, “So Luce, I’ll see you in school tomorrow?”

“Yup,” she smiles.  “If you want to, we always meet at the picnic tables in the front around 7 to chill before school starts.”

“Count me in,” he takes her hand and kisses it.  “Good night Lucy.”

She blushes, “Good night Natsu.”

~~~

It’s been 6 months since their first date and the young couple have become inseparable.  Even Levy is surprised on how quickly her friend let Natsu into her inner space, that’s not something she’s ever done before with a guy.  At first, she was a bit protective, always checking on them, always reminding Natsu that he ‘better not hurt her friend or else…’  But eventually she realized that there really was something special developing and could only hope that Lucy wouldn’t have another episode.  But true to his word, those fears were becoming a distant memory.

~~~

To mark their 1 year anniversary, Natsu takes Lucy out to dinner and a movie, then to his house to relax.  While his parents are downstairs in the living room, the couple head up to his bedroom and throw on some music.  But this always makes Lucy a little nervous, things had been going well with Natsu, and even though he’s never pushed her into anything uncomfortable, in the back of her mind she always worried.  They’ve made out a few times but he’s always respected her boundaries, never tried to grope at her, so she was torn.  She was falling hard for the young man and wanted to go further, but her fears always got in the way.  Levy and her therapist had started encouraging her to open up to Natsu, that he deserved the truth and if he truly cared about her he’d understand.  So, with Levy on call tonight, she planned to do just that.

Sitting on his bed, the couple are making out.  “Natsu…”  she whispers through the kisses.

“Yes Luce?”  he whispers back

“I need to tell you something.” 

He stops kissing her and cups her cheeks.  “You can tell me anything Luce.”  And pecks her lips again.

Her eyes glaze over.  “It’s um…” she sighs, “difficult for me to talk about my past and um… problems… and I’m really grateful that you’ve been so patient, never pushing me but I, I think it’s time I be honest with you.”

“Babe, if it’s too painful, you don’t need to do tell me…”

“No, I need to do this.”  She takes a deep breath… “I think it’ll be easier if I start from the beginning.” …and stands up.  Pacing next his bed as he listens intently to her ramble.  “My mother died from cancer when I was little and my dad was distant… no I believe he blamed me for her death like somehow I made her sick.  By the time I was 7, I was very depressed and I started to do things like cut myself to dull the pain…”  Tears start to trickle down her face.  “I was homeschooled, had no friends, no one to talk to…  I was so lonely.”  He reaches out and squeezes her hand to try and reassure her; this kind act makes her smile a little.  “Finally, on my 9th birthday when he forgot all about it I had a full nervous breakdown and tried to kill myself by overdosing on pain killers.”  She sees Natsu’s face cringe, but he squeezes her hand again.  “It was my nanny that found me and rushed me to the hospital; they said if I hadn’t been found I would have died within 30 minutes.”  She exhales again.  “After this my dad was forced to realize I had a problem and that’s when I started therapy, even our relationship got a little better.”  Natsu smiles.  “I was enrolled in public school as part of the therapy and Levy was the first friend I made.  It’s really thanks to her that I’m a lot better than I was before… She’s the only other person that knows the truth about me…”

“Lucy,” he pats the bed and she sits, “many of us have issues that we try to hide from the world or rather not think about.  Everyone thinks that I’m okay with having been adopted because I act like it doesn’t bother me but the truth is it took me a few years to accept it.  I wondered why my birth mom didn’t want me anymore.”  Exhale, “The adoption agency wouldn’t tell us anything so I just hoped that she had had a good reason, maybe she was a teenage mother who realized she couldn’t take care of me properly and rather me find a good home.  But luckily for me, I had supportive adoptive parents that made sure I felt loved and wanted, and eventually I realized it didn’t matter how my life started out, only what became of it.”

Lucy smiles and rubs his hand, “I don’t know what’s worse to deal with sometimes, the emotional or physical scars.  With cutting myself, the physical pain helped to dull out the emotional ones for short periods of time… But that created a new problem for me, it left me with a few physical scars that I’m… ashamed of.”

“Come here,” he pulls her onto his lap and wraps his arms around her.  “Do you know what attracted me to you?”  She shakes her head.  “I could tell there was something unique about you.  Not only are you beautiful on the outside, but on the inside as well.  And now knowing that you had been hiding all this pain yet was still able to somehow shine through tells me I was right; Lucy you truly are special.”

“You really think so?” her eyes twinkle

He nods and kisses her cheek.  “Will you show me your scars?”

She takes a deep breath and moves off his lap to turn and face him.  “I-I’d need to take off some of my clothes.”  He nods, gets off the bed, locks the door to his room, and returns to her side.  Slightly trembling, and with a blush to her cheeks for this is the first time she’s ever revealed her whole body to anyone, let alone a boy; she pulls her top off and capri’s leaving her in just a bra and panties.  Slowly she points them out, a few on her upper arms, these had been hidden by sleeves, a few on her abdomen between her navel and just under her boobs, and a few on her upper thighs.  “Now you know why I wear the kind of clothes I wear…”

He looks closer at the scars, trailing his fingers along some of them.  “Luce, I’m so sorry you had to go through this…” he has moisture in his eyes.  “But these…” he runs his fingers along the ones on her arm, “don’t make me love you any less.”

“Y-you l-love me?” she stammers

“Yes.” He grins.  “And not just like you.  I mean I’ve fallen head over heels in love with you, the sweet side, the crazy side, every part of you.” 

“Natsu…” she tears up more.

His smile brightens, “I think these could be like your badges of honor, to remind you that while life can be difficult at times you can survive and you can move on.  It may have taken you a few years to get to this point but this also gives you the ability to understand human nature in a way that most people will never fully comprehend.”

She cocks her head to the side, “I don’t understand.”

“You were lucky to have found a good therapist, and a good friend to help you through it but many therapists aren’t as good, or many patients just don’t trust them because in the patients mind they think, ‘how do you really know what I’m feeling?’  But when someone who has genuinely been through what they are going through tells them there is a light at the end of the tunnel, that is more powerful than anything a therapist can quote from a text book.”

“Wow…  I never thought of it that way.” Her face lights up, “How do you know so much about therapists?”

“I’ve been through a few too.  When I was younger I didn’t cut myself but I got into a lot of fights, I guess to let the anger out, and that’s where some of my scars come from.”

“Natsu, thank you for being so understanding…”

He caresses her cheek, “I just wanna see you happy Luce.” He kisses her softly, “I’d spend the rest of my life trying to keep a smile on your face…”

~~~

10 years later…  Dr. Lucy Dragneel PsyD opens a new practice in Magnolia specializing in child psychology.  Hung prominently above her desk is a sign; ‘Scars tell a story.  They are reminders of when life tried to knock you down… But failed.’