#I sit like a shrimp when I draw and now my back hurts ;-;

[awberryy]

Demon Lord Ghirahim, illustrated on Pantone notecards!

[oxylli]

I redrew my favourite panel of Julia because ughhh I love her so much 💕💕💕

I made this in an hour and nine minutes in one sitting with no breaks because for some reason I lose motivation to finish drawings when I take breaks while making them so now my hands and back hurts but that’s okay (my spine becomes closer to looking like a shrimp each day)

[ibis-gt]

i made a fairytale au for cam and luther and then wrote nearly 5k words of fic for it?? which is wild bc i am not much of a writer. but. that’s under the cut. content warning for a pretty violent scene towards the end but there’s a happy ending i prommy

Once upon a time, there lived a prince. This prince, Luther by name, lived in a kingdom that was plagued by monsters. His father, the king, had gained his throne by feats of heroism, most notably by slaying a fearsome dragon that had ruled the land for years. The time came for Luther to prove he was worthy of the title of prince by slaying a monster of his own… 

Down in the countryside, farmers have been complaining for weeks of an ogre stealing their cattle and frightening their children. So Luther sets off in a splendid suit of armor, with a sword sheathed on one hip, a quiver of arrows on the other, and his bow slung on his back.

Luther rides his horse down to the village where the ogre was last spotted. He talks with the locals and gets a description of the creature. At least forty feet tall, they say, with greenish-grey skin and dark hair and teeth the length of a man’s forearm. Luther leaves his horse behind with the farmers because he doesn’t want her getting hurt and marches off, following a set of giant footprints left behind by the ogre, sword in hand. He would have to admit that he isn’t the best at sword fighting, and that really he’s never faced a monster on his own. But his father gave him a crucial tip: every monster has a weak point. Find the weak point, exploit it, and you’ll win every time. 

The footprints lead through the plains of grass, past the area where the farmers let their cattle out to graze, and into a dark forest. The sun is going down before he manages to find the ogre, so he sets up a little camp with a little fire and rests his tired bones. His armor isn’t the most comfortable thing in the world, but it takes forever to get on and off even with someone helping him, let alone by himself. He sits with his back to a big boulder so nothing can sneak up behind him and eventually drifts off.

Luther awakens the next morning and groans at how stiff and sore he is. He sits up and pauses, brow furrowed, remembering that he’d gone to bed sitting upright. But just now, he’d been lying on his back. And he’s not the best tracker, but those giant footprints look… disconcertingly fresh. These things add up in his mind. He just about passes out. He crouches down and puts his head between his knees for a moment until he can breathe again and his heart stops pounding quite so hard. He was right next to it! He fell asleep leaning on it! If his father heard about this he’d give him such a beating. How could he not have noticed that the boulder was actually - 

His stomach rumbles, interrupting his panicked thoughts, and Luther remembers that the last time he ate was back in that farming village around two in the afternoon yesterday. He digs out a bit of beef jerky and morosely works at it. His father swears by the stuff, but it just makes his teeth hurt. Luther dreams of the kitchens back home and drools a little.

He gives up on the jerky and manages to take down a couple squirrels with his bow and arrows. He gets his fire blazing again and sets them cooking over it, and sits down to draw in the dirt and form a battle plan. He gets wrapped up in his drawing and loses track of time, but is startled violently back to reality as a deep booming voice from behind him says, “Your squirrel’s burning.”

Luther’s eyes snap up to the fire. He hastily pulls the stick with his squirrels off of it, waving it in the air to put out the bit of squirrel that had caught fire. He blows on it and inspects the damage. Not too bad, a little charred. Still definitely edible. Then realization dawns, and he slowly looks up and over his shoulder.

That’s the ogre. He’s unmistakable. Huge, greyish-green, with shaggy black hair and big tusks that jut out of his mouth. He’s down on one knee looming over Luther, modesty barely preserved by a loincloth stitched together out of the pelts of many different furry animals. Luther wills himself to not faint for the second time that day. 

“You gonna eat that?” The ogre booms. “’Cause I will if you won’t.”

“W-well, yes, I was planning to,” Luther quavers, “But there are two, so, um, you can have one if you want? We can share?”

He takes the non-burned squirrel off the stick and holds it up. His hand only shakes a little. The ogre takes it carefully between thumb and forefinger and tosses it in his mouth. With such a tiny morsel, he’d usually just swallow it whole, but an interesting flavor makes him stop and savor it for a moment. 

“What’d you do to it? Not like any squirrel I’ve eaten. And I’ve eaten a whole army of squirrels.” He slaps a hand on his formidable belly. The sound makes Luther jump. 

“I- I didn’t do much, j-just some seasoning, I-I’m sorry, I d-didn’t mean to, please don’t eat me next." 

"You?” The ogre laughs. “Why would I eat you? You shared your food with me. That’s mighty polite. I’d say that makes us friends now, and I don’t eat friends.” He grunts as he shifts position, sitting down heavily and stretching out his legs. “Bad knees,” he grumbles. “Sat like that too long, but I wanted to see what you were drawing." 

Luther is now horrifically aware that he is directly between the ogre’s legs. He is also horrifically aware that he was drawing himself hitting an ogre with a sword. He hurriedly kicks some dirt over it. 

"Nothing. Nothing interesting. I’m a bad artist anyway.”

“Sure. What’s your name, little tin man? You didn’t seem too talkative when you snuggled up to me last night, but I thought maybe you were just tired. I’m Cam." 

"L-Luther.” Oh god. He was supposed to kill this thing, it - well, no, not ‘it’, he can’t think of Cam as an ‘it’ now he knows his name - he’s terrorizing folks, stealing their livelihoods, he’s supposed to drive him away, save the day, bring peace to the kingdom. Instead he’s sharing his meager breakfast and making friends with the monster. How did it all go so wrong!!

“So, Luther, you made of metal? I thought you were gonna take all that off, looks pretty uncomfortable, but you wore it all night. Unless it’s like… you?" 

"No, no, um, it’s just… it takes a long time to put it on and take it off? And I usually need help.”

 "Well shoot, friend, why didn’t you say so?“ Before Luther can object, a giant hand descends and plucks him up. He panics, struggles in Cam’s grasp, and Cam tsks at him. "I can’t get all that off you if you don’t hold still. Don’t make me squeeze." 

Luther goes still. If Cam squeezes the armor, it’ll stay squeezed. He wouldn’t want to still be in it if that happens. Cam clearly has no idea how to get someone out of armor though. He just pulls at clasps and buckles till they break, then shucks the metal off of Luther like an ear of corn. His helmet comes off first, freeing his dark brown curls.

“Aww,” Cam says, “lookit you. You’re kinda cute for a tin man.” He musses up Luther’s hair with a fingertip. "You’re like a little crab,” Cam chuckles. “Crack open the hard shell to get to the soft stuff underneath.” The food metaphor does not put Luther any more at ease as the rest of his armor is pulled off and tossed aside, piece by piece. Cam even strips the chainmail off of him and dumps it on the ground. This leaves Luther in his shirt and breeches, shaking like a leaf and terrified for his life. 

“Oh, you cold? Here, I gotcha.” Cam sandwiches him between his hands. Luther awaits the pressure and the horrible crunch that will no doubt be the end of his short life, but it never comes. Cam just holds him there, and truth be told his hands are very warm, and it had been a chilly morning. Luther relaxes very slightly.

After a few minutes, Cam lifts one hand a little and peeks at Luther. “Better?" 

"Much better, thank you. Even a little too warm, actually? Can I, um, come out now?" 

Cam laughs and opens his hands like a book, then tilts them so Luther tumbles into the palm of his left hand. "So what’s a fancy little shrimp like you doing all the way out here, with that tough shell and those sharp weapons? You huntin’ something?" 

Luther hesitates. It’s not… technically a lie, just an omission of truth, right? "Yeees…. Hunting.”

Cam laughs out loud, leaning back and slapping his knee with his free hand. “HA! You are just about the worst liar I ever met, Luther. Whew.” He actually wipes a tear from his eye. Luther feels his face heating up with anger and embarrassment.

“I am hunting! I’m hunting you!” As soon as he says it he regrets it. He slaps his hands over his mouth and cowers back as Cam sits up straight again and looks down at him, raising an eyebrow. 

“That so? Huh. Well, you found me, oh mighty hunter. And you fed me, and let me take your armor off you, and left all your sharp things on the ground while you sit in the palm of my hand. So, uh… how’s that goin’ for ya?”

“It… I… um… please don’t kill me?”

Cam grins. It’s not a nice grin anymore. It shows off too many teeth. “Lotsa folks have hunted me, you know. Not a one has succeeded. Most of ‘em can’t find me in the first place, not unless I want them to. Neat little trick we ogres have. We blend in well. The ones who did find me, they regretted it pretty quick. When I heard you clanking along with your silly armor and your little sword, I thought oh boy, here comes another one. But it turns out this one couldn’t find his own ass with both hands and a map, so he ain’t one of them legendary monster hunters lookin’ to claim some bounty. And he’s a little scrawny slip of a thing, too, and he keeps stopping to look at birds. I kinda liked you. And honestly, when you found me, it took me by surprise. Thought I had you pegged all wrong. Then you made your little fire, curled up next to me, and went to sleep, and it took everything I had not to bust my gut laughing right then and there. And now… well, I don’t rightly know what to make of you. Cute little thing, I know that. But cute won’t save you if you wanna tussle with me. So, little hunter… what’re you gonna do now?”

Luther’s nearly in tears. He manages to say, “Then… were you just… toying with me? This whole time? Waiting to see what I’d do?" 

Cam shrugs. "Pretty much.” That does it. The waterworks are in full swing. Luther’s chin trembles, his lower lip wobbles, and then tears are streaming down his face and he’s sobbing. 

“Y- you’re s-so-ho meeeaaaan,” Luther wails. “Y-you’re j-just making f-fun of me, I thought w-we were friends!” 

Cam has absolutely no idea how to respond to this. For some reason he actually feels guilty. “Aw - no - now look, there’s no call for - just… just stop crying, okay? Please?” Luther continues to sob, heedless of Cam’s pleading. “There, there,” Cam tries, patting Luther’s head. “I’m not going to kill you. Okay? How’s that? I’m sorry I called you - well. All those things. I’m sure you’re a great hunter. Look, you got those squirrels. And hey! That one I ate tasted great. You got some real skill there." 

Luther wipes his eyes and looks up, teetering dangerously on the edge of another sobbing fit. His eyes are all watery and a little red-rimmed. "R-really?" 

"Yes! Of course!” Cam clings to the compliment like a life preserver. “I bet you’re like, like the king’s cook or something, right? Cause you’re the best in the land?" 

Luther’s face crumples a little and he looks down, mutters something. 

"What?” Cam holds him up a little closer to his ear. 

“’m his son,” Luther mumbles again. 

“His son? You’re a prince? And you’re all - oh, hell.” Now he’s really put his foot in it. Luther bursts into tears again and curls up in a little ball.

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I - oh, ugh, you’re getting my hand all wet.” Cam picks him up between thumb and forefinger and shakes the little tear droplets off his palm. “Now look here,” he says, attempting a sterner approach. “You’re a prince, all right? You can’t be crying and going to pieces just ‘cause some big bad monster was mean to you. You gotta kill big bad monsters, right? So here’s what you’re gonna do.” Cam sets him down gently, picks up his sword and hands it to him. “There you go. You’re gonna take that sword, right, and you’re gonna really let me have it. That’ll make you feel better, won’t it?“ 

Luther purses his lips and looks up at him. "But… all I can hit from here is your foot. That’s no good. I need a shot at something vital." 

"Oh fine, fine, Mr. Picky,” Cam grumbles. He shuffles his legs to the side and leans down til he’s practically laying on his belly. “Face shot. Free one for ya. Go on, hit something good.” Luther considers. Just as Cam realizes how ridiculous this whole thing is, he draws his sword back and plunges it into Cam’s eye.

- Almost plunges it into Cam’s eye. The ogre moves suddenly, turning his head to the side to avoid the blow. Luther makes a deep gash in Cam’s cheek, and Cam roars. “Oh, you sly little shit. Very good, very sneaky. You almost had me there. Fine. We do this the hard way.”

He gets to his feet, draws himself up to his full, impressive height, and looks down at the dirt where Luther was a moment ago. Cam blinks in surprise. “Where’d you… goddammit…” He looks around, trying to catch a glimpse of where Luther could’ve gotten to. 

Luther was not about to let the golden opportunity to run and hide during a big dramatic show of power go to waste. He slides into a patch of underbrush, catches his breath, and takes stock. He has no armor, no food, no bow or arrows. Those are all back at his camp, which is currently ogre territory. He has one sword that he’s okay at using. The ogre has the homefield advantage, and some kind of ability, possibly magical, to hide himself from those who want to find him. Luther shouldn’t let him out of his sight. But he should work on camouflaging himself. He takes a handful of dirt and smears it on his face and shirt. The sword he can’t do much about, he’ll just have to try and keep it from glinting. He glances to his left, away from where Cam still stands, turning in circles and peering around. Luther had only gone a little ways into the woods before he stopped for camp last night. He can almost see the forest’s edge from here. He could dart for the grasslands and try to make it back to the village, but he’d be in plain sight as soon as he’s out of the trees and there’s no guarantee Cam won’t just follow him all the way back. The further he goes into the trees the more firmly he is in Cam’s territory, but the more coverage he has. 

Possibilities begin swirling around in his head. His best bet is trickery rather than a face to face confrontation. He’s got a running list in his mind of Cam’s weak points now. Food, monologuing, emotional outbursts. Although that last one’s probably off the table now. Bursting into tears isn’t going to get him out of a second pinch. Bad knees - if he can trip Cam up, he can get a shot at his face again, maybe cut his throat or get at his soft belly and sides. Cam’s a talker and likes to gloat, maybe if he gets him distracted by looking pathetic he could get him to walk right into a trap of some kind. He likes food… but Luther doesn’t have the resources to make a big feast to distract him or sate him, just a pouchful of seasoning that he never leaves home without. His lip wobbles again as he thinks about how that’s back at his camp… he may never see his precious seasonings again.

Meanwhile, Cam is getting frustrated. “Well, the little shit can’t have gone far,” he grumbles. “Just gotta flush 'im out.” Luther watches, petrified, as Cam lumbers over to a nearby patch of underbrush and without warning stomps down on it hard, twisting his foot and smashing every inch of it. He steps back and leans down to inspect what’s left. Luther bites his lip hard to stifle a whimper. 

“Nope, not there,” Cam announces. “Eeney, meeney, miney…..” Another bunch of bushes are mercilessly ground into the dirt. “Moe. Hmmm. Where are you?”

Luther can’t stay in his hiding place for long. It’s only a matter of time before Cam gets to him. He needs an opening to make a break for it though, if he runs now Cam will spot him right away. As slowly as he dares, he picks up a large, flat rock, then skims it like a frisbee off to his right, where it hits a tree with a satisfying thock. Cam whirls around, and Luther bolts out of the brush. Cam hears the leaves rustling and turns back around, catching sight of him as he flees. 

“There you are! Hold on now, don’t go running off! I just wanna talk, I swear. The whole monster-slaying prince thing not working out for ya? I got a better job offer! You can be my dinner!” Luther keeps sprinting as fast as he can, not even bothering to glance behind him. The last thing he needs is to miss a fallen branch or a groundhog hole and trip.

On flat, open land, the ogre would outpace him easily. But if he can get deeper into the forest where the trees are closer together, that could slow him down enough for Luther to get some distance and hide again, have a moment to breathe and think so he can work on his plan. He’s starting to get an idea of what he’ll need. He needs the element of surprise for sure, and he needs more than just his sword. If he had some rope he could set up a tripwire, maybe. He curses himself for not taking his father’s advice about packing, for letting Cam strip him, for being too weak and scared to do anything when he had the chance, for being born in the first place. His eyes well up with tears and he scrubs at them furiously. He can’t afford to have his sight blurred right now, he needs to keep his head clear and keep moving. He can hear Cam’s thudding footsteps behind him, gaining quickly. He can cover so much more ground in a single step. It’s simply not fair. The little bit of distance he was able to gain with his rock trick is disappearing fast and it won’t be long before he’s in arm’s reach.

Almost as if he can read his thoughts, Cam lunges forward and takes a swipe at him, trying to knock him off his feet. Luther hits the deck and Cam overbalances, stumbling and crashing into a tree. The tree snaps when his weight collides with it, and Cam has to windmill his arms to keep from falling over. Luther scrambles to his feet and keeps running. He even manages to put on an extra burst of speed when he hears Cam roar with frustration behind him. He’s not as fast as he could be because he’s lugging the sword along with him, but he doesn’t dare drop it. It proves its usefulness in the next minute. Cam closes the distance and grabs for him. Luther sees the shadow fall over him and whirls around, lashing out at the reaching hand. He slices across Cam’s palm, and Cam howls with pain and pulls back. Luther dashes away, and Cam stomps his foot in frustration. 

"Hold still, dammit! You’re just making it worse for yourself!” He takes off after Luther again, but his stamina’s flagging. It’s harder for a creature his size to haul himself around and he’s used to running down his prey in the first minutes of the chase. This has dragged on long enough to tire him out, but he’s not willing to give up just yet. “When I get my hands on you, tin man, you’re paste,” he growls. “They’re gonna have to come up with new words for how dead you’re gonna be.”

The trees start getting close enough together that Luther has to dodge around them from time to time. He can hear Cam behind him crashing through them, spluttering as he gets a face full of branches and leaves. Luther smiles to himself. That’s nice, at least. At last he gathers up his nerve and dodges to the side behind a particularly large tree, hoping that Cam’s too busy navigating the foliage to notice. His gamble pays off. A few seconds later, the ogre goes lumbering past him without so much as a sideways glance. Luther waits just a moment more, then bolts in the opposite direction.

He’s got a plan now. He probably won’t be able to find Cam again, but Cam can find him. So he’ll set up an ambush. He circles back around to his camp and grabs his supplies as quickly as he can, his bow and arrow, his helmet, his tinderbox, and most importantly, his seasoning. He hunts for deer, takes down a decent-sized buck, and sets up a new campfire, deep in the woods, where the trees are close. He’s hoping that Cam will think that Luther thinks he’s safe in there, and that the smell of the meat cooking will lure Cam in. He takes off his shirt and fills it with twigs and leaves, sets his helmet up on a stick driven into the ground, and makes a decently convincing decoy Luther that he leans against a log. The helmet tilts at an angle that makes it look like he’s fallen asleep. With that set up, and night closing in, Luther climbs up a nearby tree and waits, sword in hand.

He doesn’t watch the fire. He wants to keep his night vision sharp. And sure enough, before too long here comes Cam, moving surprisingly quietly for his size. He squeezes through the trees with barely a rustling of leaves. Cam’s eyes are fixed on the fire and the silhouette that the decoy makes against it. Cam gets right behind the decoy and slams his foot down on it. He grinds it into the dirt with a relish that makes Luther shudder. Then Cam looks at the deer cooking with that lovely smell rising off it, and his eyes go big and shiny. As Cam bends down to pick it up, Luther chooses his moment. He drops like a stone and buries his sword lengthwise in the back of Cam’s neck. The impact sends a jolt up his arms and he hangs on as tight as he can. Cam lets out a garbled scream of pain and collapses face first on the ground. Luther gets to his feet, pulls his sword out with some difficulty, takes a deep breath, and begins to chop.

It’s messy, horrible work. By the third swing tears are rolling down Luther’s cheeks. By the seventh, he’s sobbing. After the twenty-third cut, Cam’s head is finally severed, and rolls to the side. Luther stumbles back. He’s trembling, covered in blood, panting and crying, but it’s finally done. 

And then Cam’s head says, “Wow, kid. I didn’t think you had it in you.” Luther watches, dumbfounded, as Cam’s body sits up, searches around with its hands, locates his head, and puts it back on his shoulders as the flesh knits together again. Luther drops his sword in disbelief. He falls to his knees. That was it. That was all he had. He can’t even imagine what he could do against a foe who can just reattach his own head. 

“Oh,” he says quietly. “Okay. Um. Make it quick, please?” Cam had been planning to crunch the little shit once he was back on his feet, but he can’t help but feel a pang of guilt at how despondent Luther looks.

“Aw, no, no, don’t give up so quick! Really, you almost had me!” Cam scoops him up and pats him on the head. “Look, it was a good effort. I’m sure if you had known I can’t be killed, you wouldn’t have spent all that time and energy trying to kill me. Just do a little more research next time, yeah?" 

"Next time,” Luther repeats, and gives a hollow laugh. “There isn’t going to be a next time. I’m not welcome as part of the royal family if I can’t kill a monster. Even my sister’s done her first slaying already. A whole nest of vampires! And I can’t kill one measly ogre." 

"Hey, watch who you’re calling measly,” Cam warns, but his heart isn’t in it. “Jeez. You’ve got some issues, kid. Not much of a fighter, I take it?" 

Luther shakes his head and sighs. "I’m just not very good at it." 

"Well they chose one hell of a first mission for you, that’s for sure. Ogres are tricky ones. We’ve got a lot of defense mechanisms.” Cam thinks for a moment. “You know what you are good at, though? You’re a good talker. Very convincing. I mean, you really had me going, with the crying and all? It was a really good ruse." 

Luther bites his lip. "Um…" 

"Okay, so it was for real and not a ruse. But you made the best of a bad situation! That’s also a good skill for a ruler to have. You just gotta show your family that your skills are less conventional, but still effective! Like, okay, why do you have to kill me? What’d I do?" 

“You’re eating all the farmers’ cattle and scaring people." 

"I thought free range meant I had free reign. Eh? Eh?” Cam pokes Luther in the ribs. Luther frowns at him. “Oh, fine, whatever. No sense of humor. You know, that’s pretty important for a king too. Yeah, all right, I’ll leave the cows alone." 

"And the sheep,” Luther says sharply. “And the pigs, and chickens." 

"I haven’t eaten any pigs or chickens,” Cam protests. 

“Not yet. I’m being proactive." 

"There you go!” Cam says, beaming. “There’s that negotiator skill! But seriously, if I can’t eat the cows and sheep I’ve got to eat something. Can you make it worth my while? 'Cause I’m not going back to squirrels." 

"Well…” Luther says slowly. “What if… I hire you?" 

"You… hire me?" 

"Yeah. Like, as a bodyguard or something. Then I’d have to pay you, right? I could pay you in food?” 

Cam is quiet for a moment. He brings Luther up closer to his face and scrutinizes him. Luther’s heart is pounding out of his chest. For a moment he thinks he’s made some horrible mistake and offended Cam and it’s all over for him. "You’re serious? Not kidding me, here? That’s your offer?”

“Y-yes? Is that… is it bad?" 

"Bad? Bad? That’s the best offer I’ve ever heard! Pay me in food? HELL yes, kid! That’s what I like to hear!” The force of Cam’s enthusiasm knocks Luther over on his back. He stares at the sky for a moment. His life is so goddamn weird.

~~~~~~~~~

Luther’s father’s dragon slaying days are behind him. He’s an old man now. He has good days and bad days, but even on his best days he frequently needs help getting around. But when he sees that giant ogre enter his royal halls, he reaches for his spear. Luther eases it out of his hand. 

“No, see, it’s okay. I didn’t kill him, but I stopped him terrorizing the countryside, and I kind of… hired him. As my bodyguard. This was easier, and we both benefit, see? Also, um, were you going to tell me ogres are immortal?" 

"You were supposed to figure something out,” his father says. “Since you’re so damned smart." 

"Well, I did figure something out. Just… maybe not what you wanted me to." 

Cam waves lazily. "Hi, Yer Majesty." 

"Cam,” Luther hisses. “We talked about this." 

"Oh, fine, fine,” Cam grumbles, and takes a knee to bow low before the king. “I humbly pledge my service to your son,” he intones, hamming it up just a little. “Please allow me to protect him from all harms, and so on." 

The king glares. His stabbing hand is itching. But he doesn’t currently have a better plan, and this’ll keep the peasants quiet for a bit. "Fine,” he spits, “But you’re taking care of him. Feeding him, walking him, cleaning up after him, whatever. No getting the servants to do it for you. He’s your responsibility now." 

Cam grins at Luther. "So, speaking of feeding… when’s dinner?”

[melancholic-pigeon]

WIP Wednesday #15

Since Jason's birthday is tomorrow and all, I'm doing something longer as a treat. A triptych, if you will!

Content warnings for child abuse and neglect, alcoholism and food insecurity.

Thalia wakes up, like she usually does, to Jason curled against her with his fingers in his mouth. She can't easily put him in his crib by herself, but her mattress is on the floor and there's nowhere for him to fall, so she can ensure that she's there to hold him whenever he wakes up crying. Her shirt's a little damp, but this time it's just because he's drooling in his sleep. Last night, thankfully, was free from disruptions.

For him, at least.

He's a year old today, and she hasn't seen their mother since two nights ago, slumped on the couch with an empty bottle of vodka on the ground next to her. The door to her room is closed. Whether she's in there sleeping it off or out somewhere getting drunker, Thalia has no idea.

Bitterly, she doesn't care. It's not like their mom cares about them, either.

Jason yawns, his hair sticking up like a cockatoo's feathers. The first eye contact of the morning always leaves him giggling and reaching for her, and the feeling of his small, warm body flopping onto her brings her focus back to where it should be.

"Happy birthday, shrimp."

"Happy," he repeats, nosing at her stomach.

It's up to her, like usual, so she gets him dressed and ready and gives him the last of the cereal to occupy himself while she digs through her closet to find the old coffee can she stashed there.

Every time she thinks she can get away with it, she lifts a bill from their mother's wallet and puts it in the can. Every nickel she finds on the street, every dime she pulls from the couch cushions; it all adds up, a little at a time.

After carefully saving as much as she could for the past few weeks, she's squirreled away enough. She takes out a fistful and stuffs it in her pocket, then re-buries the can under a pile of her laundry.

Today's special, and she'll cover the loss somehow— by sneaking some extra groceries under her coat again, if she has to.

Jason's finished with his breakfast by the time she emerges, sitting patiently and playing with the plastic dish she'd given it to him on. Her sweet baby brother, looking up at her with a smile so sunny you'd think they were living like kings.

Her chest feels tight and her throat's in no better condition. After a deep breath, she reaches down to grab his hands.

"Do you know what birthdays mean?"

He takes a second to think about it as she pulls him to his feet, then shakes his head.

"Birthdays, Jason," she says, grinning— it's harder to dwell when he's holding onto her hand— "mean birthday cake."

The gas station a block away at least has the miniature kind wrapped in cellophane. He won't know the difference, since he hasn't even been introduced to the concept of cake yet, but she'll still have to make it up to him with a real one someday.

—

By the time Jason turns two, Thalia has shoplifting down to an art form.

People are usually too busy fawning over how precious her brother is to pay her much attention, and having Luke along makes it almost easy. Jason adores him, and he's happy to draw focus away from her by translating the toddler babble and proclaiming that they're his favorite babysitting clients, which conveniently explains the lack of adult supervision.

Thanks to him, she's managed to get Jason something a lot better than cake.

She saw it in the window of a toy shop and immediately knew it was perfect, but it cost more than she'd scrounged in the past six months. She'd been resigned to the idea of stealing a brownie instead, and then last night, Luke showed up at her doorstep with it tucked under his arm and his face split into a wicked grin.

She's not sure she wants to know how he managed to smuggle it out without getting caught, but the way Jason lights up when he lays eyes on it, happier than she's ever seen him, is enough to make her ignore the uneasy feeling.

"Puppy!"

She can't help but mirror it back to him, her heart swelling with emotion as he flings his arms around the stuffed animal's neck. It's almost as big as he is.

"That's right. It's a wolf puppy. She's named after a mama wolf called Lupa."

The real Lupa is the matriarch of a pack living at a conservancy in San Diego county. Her likeness is an embodiment of the fiercely protective love Jason should have gotten from his own mother, and which has fallen to Thalia and her limited capabilities instead.

Jason rolls over, still holding tight to his new doll, and lays his head in her lap. If she's coming up short, he certainly hasn't noticed.

"My Lupa?"

He's gently petting the wolf's fur, in a movement that's strikingly similar to how Thalia's petting his hair. She blinks a few times to chase away the burning in her eyes.

"Your Lupa."

She can't give him the childhood that he deserves. It's a struggle to make sure even his most basic needs are met, and some days it feels like the whole world is united against them, but then he hugs her leg or curls up against her shoulder or tells her in that sweet voice love you, Taya—

And everything settles in her chest, refining itself into a white-hot determination.

She's all he has, and the one thing she can make sure he'll never want for is someone who loves him enough to fight for him.

She understands how the real Lupa must feel about her cubs. She knows, with more certainty than she's ever known anything, that if anyone so much as thinks about hurting her little brother— hurting her baby— she'll tear them to shreds with her teeth before they have time to run.

—

Everything is perfect. Thalia's made sure of it.

The party doesn't start for another hour, so she has to keep Jason occupied until then. He thinks she has lunch reservations and they're meeting at her place for coffee first— the second part is true; she has a pot of Kona ready to go as soon as he arrives.

While she's preparing his decoy surprise, the rest of his friends are in Manhattan, helping Percy and Sally get his bash underway. She finds herself quivering with excitement as she puts the last few touches in place.

The doorbell rings and she squeaks, shoving the main item behind a bookshelf before racing to answer the door.

"Happy birthday, shrimp." She stands up on her tiptoes and hugs him around the neck. "I have something for you."

Jason beams, pink, and squeezes her back.

"I told you last year that you don't have to get me anything. Your company is a gift in and of itself."

"Ha ha," she counters dryly, knowing he can hear her getting a little emotional at the sincerity on his face. "Very funny. Like I'm not going to try to make up for the ten of them that I missed."

She takes hold of his arm and pulls him into the apartment, past the kitchen to the hall that leads to her bedroom. She opens the door beside it, the one that used to be her study.

Jason's eyes go wide.

The desk is still there, but the chair is new, much larger than the one she used. The bookcase is the same, too, but she's put her video games in a box in her bedroom and filled the shelves with fresh sketchbooks and paints and pencils instead. The bed is new too, as well as the nightstand and the dresser.

Sally stripped and varnished all of the wood, and built a set of floating shelves that are currently storing a series of framed photos from Annabeth's camera reel. Piper decided on the paint colors— sky blue with a deep purple accent on the wall that slants to the ceiling. Leo took care of borrowing Jason's favorite sketches to make the framed prints above his bed, by pretending he was doing a photography project with them.

(He'd burst into laughter when she gave him Jason's baby drawings to frame too, and she'd almost punched him in the mouth— but then she'd noticed his voice was a little tight when he told her the crayon scribbles looked just like her.)

"Wow," Jason breathes, staring around the room as though he doesn't know where to land his focus. "This— is all of this for me?"

"Anytime you need an escape, you've got one. Think of it as your safe house. And there's one more thing."

Reluctantly, she steps away and retrieves what she hid earlier.

Jason's mouth drops.

"Lupa," he whispers, raising his hand. He stops himself halfway through reaching over, like he doesn't know if he should. "How did you find another one? I thought they were a limited run."

Thalia takes his hand, wrapping his fingers around the new doll's front leg.

"I traded twenty-seven ultra-rare mint-condition beanie babies for her with a collector in Montana."

"Do I want to know how you got twenty-seven ultra-rare mint-condition beanie babies?"

"It's not as sordid as you're thinking, I just spent a lot of time on Ebay."

Jason laughs, shaky, and sits down on his new mattress. He's probably not even conscious of the way he's running his thumb over Lupa's paw, exactly the way he did the first time.

He said that donating the original to charity was his idea, but Thalia has a suspicion he was pushed into it with a healthy dose of shaming and manipulation, and the look on his face— shocked, bright-eyed, a little scared like he thinks she'll disappear if he blinks— pretty much confirms it.

Thalia sits beside him and wraps an arm around his back. He slides down along the mattress until he's lying with his head in her lap.

"My Lupa," he says quietly, and she knows he remembers doing it before.

"Your Lupa," she chokes back. "For real, this time. Nobody's going to take her away from you, ever again."

It's different now, because Lupa is about the size of a two year old child, and Jason very much no longer is. She fits in the crook of his elbow, and he couldn't wrap his arms and legs around her if he tried.

Thalia tries not to think about all the nights between then and now that he's needed her, and didn't have her.

He smiles, wiser than his fifteen years.

(He's fifteen years old. God. She missed so much— thirteen months isn't long enough to even really begin to catch up.)

"I know they won't," he tells her. "You won't let them."

She's never going to get those years back. The only thing she can do is make sure she appreciates what she has now.

"I believe you would."

"I'll bite anyone who tries," she whispers back, leaning down to kiss his forehead. He bursts into laughter, reaching up to ruffle her hair like she used to do to him.

@perseusjackson-jasongrace @msdrpreist I still feel self-conscious about pinging people tell me if you'd prefer I didn't difjvhg

[chelsfic]

Leftovers - Part 4 - Nandor the Relentless x Reader Fanfic

Previous Parts: Masterlist

Summary: Vampire (bite) aftercare, Nandor tries to pretend like he doesn’t want to fuck you, you bond with Guillermo!!, and the gang gets an invitation!

A/N: GUYS! You’re so nice to me with all these comments and asks!! You keep me going! I hope you like this chapter. I didn’t mean for it to be the Guillermo slumber party chapter, but here we are.

Warnings: Reader described as short and plays roller derby, vampire/human relationships, blood drinking, smut (in other chapters), power differential

---

Nandor lays you down on the towels and picks up the tube of antibiotic cream on your nightstand. He wrinkles his nose as he unscrews the cap.

“This ointment is putrid,” he grumbles, but he squirts some out onto his fingers anyways and gently applies it to the wounds on your neck. 

Whatever remaining energy you had following the feeding seems to have bled away with your makeout session because you can barely keep your eyes open now. The antibiotic stings a bit but you’re grateful for the attention and feeling a little light-headed and delirious--which surely accounts for the way you nuzzle your face against Nandor’s forearm as he tends to the wound.

“There, all better,” he proclaims as he places a large band-aid on your neck. He sits there for a moment, fidgeting awkwardly with his cape before abruptly standing. “I will tell Guillermo to bring you some of your electrolyte drink.”

---

“It seems the human wants to do the sex with me,” Nandor leans into the camera conspiratorially. “I mean, I can’t say I’m surprised. Humans have always been attracted to my dark power but…”

He grimaces in distaste and shakes his head, “I’ve never seen the appeal. Vampire/Human relationships? I mean...why? They die--either you eat them or they get old and gross…”

Nandor pauses at a muffled question from behind the camera.

He shrugs and knits his brows together, “Why would it be different with this human?”

“[Unintelligible]...out of your way not to kill her…”

“Yes, because of her virgin blood!” Nandor exclaims, enunciating his words condescendingly. “Why would I do the sex with her? Then she wouldn’t taste good anymore. Sex with humans is more trouble than it’s worth. They’re weak...fragile...they have to breathe. Where is the fun?”

Nandor reaches the bottom of the stairs and pauses to call out, “Guillermo!”

“Yes, master?” Guillermo pops out of his closet-bedroom and goes to the vampire’s side at once.

“I’ve just fed from the mortal. Bring her the Gatorade beverage and a snack. She’s very weak,” Nandor commands.

“Right away, master,” Guillermo does a little half bow and turns to leave.

Nandor puts out a hand to stop him, “She likes the blue flavor. Make sure you get the right one.”

Guillermo shoots a shocked look directly into the camera. When was the last time Nandor ever recalled a little detail like that about him?

Guillermo scurries away and Nandor rearranges his cape, making ready to leave for the evening. He catches the camera guy staring at him with a knowing smirk.

“What?!”

---

“Thanks, Guillermo,” you murmur after a sip of Gatorade. You have no idea what the proper treatment for blood loss is, but a snack is always nice. Maybe you should start taking iron supplements? 

Guillermo goes to leave but you stop him.

“Will you...stay with me for a little while?” you ask feeling unaccountably timid. “I feel gross and I don’t want to be by myself…”

Guillermo looks like he’s torn but he finally sighs and walks back over to you, perching awkwardly beside you on the bed.

“Sure, I’ll stay for a bit,” he says and you give him a toothy grin.

You turn on your side to face him, snuggling up under the covers and giving yourself some major slumber party vibes. You’re finally going to bond with Guillermo! He’s sitting rigidly up against the headboard and you have to swallow a laugh.

“Thanks, Guillermo,” you try to imbue your sincere gratitude into the words. “And...I’m sorry if you feel like I’m coming between you and Nandor. I don’t mean to…”

Guillermo lets out a long sigh, “It’s not your fault. He’s always been distant with me and I’m just...surprised to see him being so nice to another human.”

“Nice?” you laugh. “I’m still not convinced he isn’t planning on draining me dry one of these nights…”

Guillermo scoffs and shakes his head, “I don’t think so, Smash. I mean...he seems to care about you?”

The thought gives you a secret thrill that you try to ignore. Having feelings for a vampire--that’s pretty much the closest thing to a death wish you can imagine. But you find yourself raising your fingers to your lips and recalling the press of his mouth on yours. You look up to see the sad look on Guillermo’s face and it squeezes your heart.

“Hey… I’m sure Nandor cares about you, too,” you offer. You’re trying to come up with something to say to cheer him up when your brain backtracks and processes his words, “Hey! Did you just call me my derby name!?”

Guillermo blushes adorably and stammers, “Oh--uh, yeah? Is that okay? Or is it only for other skaters to use?”

You can’t help it, he’s such a teddy bear, you reach out and squeeze his arm in a hug.

“No, it’s great! Oh my god, Guillermo, we’re really gonna be friends, aren’t we!?” you gush.

“I guess so…hey, can I ask you something?” Guillermo scoots down the bed so that he’s laying on the pillow next to yours and facing you. Slumber party vibes!

“Shoot,” you reply.

“What’s it like?” he pauses and darts his eyes away from yours before looking back at you. “When he bites you?”

Your lips twist into a crooked smile and your turn your face into the pillow to hide with an embarrassed squeak. The bite and the making out are all jumbled together in your stupid human brain. Was it painful? Sexy? Hot? Horrifying? All of that, yes.

“It’s…” you struggle for words. “Intimate. You’re very close and he wraps his arms around you. He’s so strong, you couldn’t struggle away from him if you tried. But you don’t...try. Because his eyes are so dark and intense and...gorgeous and they’re focused just on you. And then he puts his mouth on your neck and for a second it’s like a kiss but then he bites and it hurts. But his lips are still on you and his hands. He puts his hand on your head to support you and you feel kind of...taken care of? While he’s--uh--you know, drinking your blood. You worry that he’ll go too far and forget to stop but then you’re floating and happy and you don’t care anymore if he stops or not. But he does. And his lips are red with your blood but they still look so soft and--and...uh. And, uh, that’s pretty much it.”

Guillermo’s staring at you with his eyes narrowed in suspicion, “Have you--did you two--? Smash!”

You’re burning with embarrassment and you stumble over your words, “What? No! We haven’t...well--not much. But--would it be bad if we did?”

In this moment Guillermo looks like nothing so much as a concerned older brother and you want to melt a little. 

“It’s...I don’t know?” he shrugs but his eyes are a little frantic. “Vampires are very, very...sexual beings. And you’re a virgin--which they love for, uh, other reasons but...I’m just a little worried you might be in over your head.”

You sigh and try to suppress your natural instinct to be defensive. You are in over your head. You’re living in a vampire house as a live-in blood donor. 

“So, you and Nandor have never…?” it’s a question you’ve been asking yourself since you first met Guillermo.

He smiles slightly and shakes his head, “No. We’re not--that’s not what our relationship is about. I care about Nandor, of course. And there was a time that I felt more but...I’ve let it go.”

You frown at his answer, “Are you sure? Because I don’t want to cause any drama…”

“Really, Smash. Nandor’s my... friend--even if he has a funny way of showing it most of the time. That’s all.”

Your eyes are feeling heavy and you yawn into your elbow before you answer, “Alright...if you’re sure.”

“But are you sure?” he quips, arching one brow. 

You let out a long sigh and shrug your shoulders.

“Hey...you want me to tell you what’s it like kissing Nandor?”

He giggles and rolls his eyes, “You shouldn’t kiss and tell.”

“What’s the fun in that?!”

---

“Nandor! Hey--come here you big donkey!” Nadja hisses from the upstairs hallway. 

She draws him over to your bedroom doorway and pokes her head inside, “Look at these adorable, baby humans, Nandor!”

You and Guillermo are asleep, curled up like shrimp side-by-side on your bed. Guillermo’s glasses are askew on his face and there’s a pool of drool on your pillow beneath your open mouth.

“Aren’t they precious?” Nadja croons. “I just want to chomp their little limbs right off.”

Nandor’s eyes flick from you to Guillermo and he stays in the doorway long after Nadja drifts back downstairs.

“Sweet dreams, my humans,” he whispers.

---

“Attention, everyone! I have some very exciting news to share this evening,” Nandor stands by the fireplace with Guillermo flanking him on his right brandishing a postcard-sized piece of mail in his hands.

You’re sitting sandwiched between Nadja and Laszlo on the long couch and Colin Robinson is sitting in an armchair with a newspaper folded on his lap. Nadja takes your hand in both of hers and holds it on her lap and you let your head fall on her shoulder. You’ve enjoyed falling into friendship with her even if you’re pretty sure she sometimes thinks of you as some kind of human baby doll to play with. 

“Nadja!” Nandor exclaims with a stamp of his heavy-booted foot. “How many times do I tell you to leave my human alone?”

“Nandor!” you shout in annoyance. “Nadja’s like my vampire mommy. Leave her alone!”

Guillermo’s eyes are wide with anxiety and he flicks his gaze from his Master to Nadja.

“Yes, Nandor. I’m her dear mama,” Nadja taunts and makes a show of baring her fangs and clawing her fingers over your head as if she’s about to bite you. “Chill out, donkey brain.”

Nandor presses his lips together in annoyance. Rather than reply to Nadja he turns on you, “You’re being very disrespectful to me, human. And I’m noting it. It’s being noted!”

Maybe it’s Nadja’s presence that boosts your confidence or maybe it’s the memory of Guillermo telling you you’d be out of your depth with a vampire lover. But you want to prove that you can play on their level. You smile up at Nandor and bat your eyes.

“I guess you’ll have to punish me then…” you say with false innocence. You catch Guillermo’s expression in the corner of your eyes and he looks like he’s having a coronary. 

“Oh, you saucy minx!” Nadja praises.

“Shall I get the cat’o’nine tails from the attic?” Laszlo pipes in.

Nandor looks totally unamused. He narrows his eyes at you with a storm cloud gathering on his brow.

“Enough foolishness! I have an announcement. Guillermo, the letter,” Nandor turns to his Familiar and takes the paper from his hands. “We have been invited…to a vampire rave!”

“Oh, goody!” Nadja claps her hands together.

“Drug blood!” Laszlo cries in exultation. 

Even Colin Robinson perks up.

“What’s a vampire rave?” you ask smiling in curiosity. You’re getting excited just from the others’ enthusiasm.

Laszlo answers, “It’s like a human rave only with vampires. We feed off the humans and get high ourselves. It’s great fun.”

“Uh, okay, but we all remember what happened the last time you guys drank drug blood,” Guillermo’s warns.

“Oh, shut up, Guillermo!,” Nandor flicks his wrist at him. “It would have been fine if you were a little more careful.”

Guillermo looks like he’s about to make a retort but Nandor talks over him, “It’s tomorrow night at an abandoned Circuit City across town! We’re all going to have a great time! Except...for you.”

Nandor looks down his nose at you and you whine, “Me!? Why can’t I go?”

Nadja joins your cause, “Nandor, why can’t we take the little human with us? She will be fine. If any vampire tries to attack her she will do the hip-check on them.”

“You’ve disrespected me in front of the other roommates!” Nandor admonishes. “This is the consequence. You can’t come. You’re not invited.”

You stand, walking up to Nandor and poking your finger in his chest as you proclaim, “You’re being very mean to me. And I’m noting it!”

You storm out before he can respond. You hear Laszlo’s voice as you jog up the stairs.

“Are you going to let her get away with that kind of behavior!?”

Nandor holds out his hands helplessly, “She’s gone! She’s gotten away with it!”

---

“Human!” Nadja hisses a whisper as she creeps into your bedroom later that night. “Human! Wake up!”

You roll over in bed to find her looming above you. You can see her wickedly sharp fangs to full affect and you gulp down the instinct to shriek.

“Nadja?” your voice comes out full of gravel.

“Don’t worry my little roller warrior. I’m taking you to the vampire rave tomorrow! We can’t let that stupid piece of snake ruin our fun!”

---

A/N: Is my Nadja crush showing???

Tags-- let me know if you’d like to be added to the tags!

@festering-queen​ @glitterportrait​ @kandomeresbitch​ @scuzmunkie​ @redwoodshadows​

[introductions-are-a-spook]

Tag list: @kyuudomo @kissthe-gogoat @caloroso-cosmos @omrade-echorin < You said you like the last one so added you. Let me know if you’re okay with that, and sorry if not!

Let me know if you want to be added or taken off. Reblogs and feedback always appreciated!

Fifty miles from the Chapman house and twenty years ago, rain fell over an English boarding school. Children ran from building to building, clutching their bags under hunched chests in an attempt to protect them.

Visible through a window, one student sat huddled on a library bench, nose deep in a book. And of course they didn’t see through their concentration to the rambunctious upperclassman arguing with the librarian.

“I told you before, my father tore the book, not me. I can get the money to pay for it, it’ll just take a couple days!”

“That’s ridiculous. Just why in the world would a parent do that, hmm?”

“You obviously don’t know him like I do,” he snipped under his breath.

After a moment more of this, he sauntered over to where the bookworm- maybe a grade or two below him, sat. Flopping down, he groaned.

Finally the quiet one spoke. “Mrs. Kingsley’s going to wring your neck if you don’t replace the book soon, you know.”

“Yeah, I get it already. Geez.” The older boy looked at the younger with a raised eyebrow. “Hey I know you, you’re in my chemistry class. Mary, right?”

“Er, it’s Maxwell. And yes, what about it?”

“Isn’t that a bit too hard for you? You’re what, twelve?”

“Fourteen. You?”

“Aww, a little shrimp. I’m seventeen. Andrew, by the way,” although teasing, his tone lacked any genuine malice. He held out a hand to shake.

“Nice to meet you, prick.”

Andrew laughed. “Damn right. Whatcha reading?”

Maxwell tilted the book. A collection of Sherlock Holmes stories. “I want to be a detective when I get out of school, so I’m studying now.”

“That’s cool. We better get to class though, the bell’s gonna ring soon,” Andrew said, standing up and checking his watch.

Maxwell reluctantly closed his book and nodded. “Just try to pay for the book soon, okay? Mrs. Kingsley isn’t the only one who cares about this library.”

“Oh sure. I’ll just steal the money from my dad while he’s at church or something,” he said with a mischievous grin. “Nice meeting you, Maxwell!”

“Same here. Criminal!”

Andrew laughed and walked off. Maxwell allowed a chuckle as he went the opposite way.

~*~

Six pictures were laid out in front of Andrew. All of various bedrooms. Half he recognized- Maxwell’s, Isabella’s, and his own. The other three varied. There was a rather plain, maroon themed bedroom with several camera monitors in one corner. Another was coated wall-to-wall in weapons and a bright scarlet palette. The last of which was more pink and the most homely, with picture frames full of people everywhere. All belonging to Maxwell’s siblings, most likely.

And yet, Andrew was not confused. In fact, he was quite disturbed. He sat with his ferret, Brie, in his arms, petting her in an attempt to calm down.

He had finally worked up the courage to read the letter. Mr. Antigone had left a graphic plan of all the horrible things he would do if Andrew didn’t leave Maxwell as soon as possible. He detailed all the ways he could get away with it, and included the pictures as proof of his deadly seriousnessand capability.

Well if he hasn’t killed me yet, it probably means he wants me alive. He must be trying to beat me into submission.

What a mess. Within just a few weeks of going out with Max, Andrew’s world had turned upside down. Of all the people in the world, he had to fall in love with a detective.

A knock at the downstairs door stirred him. Quietly putting Brie in her pen, he cursed himself for not burning the letter as told. Walking down to the front on tiptoe, he slipped a kitchen knife into his pocket- just in case.

Another knock. Andrew took a deep breath, prepared for the worst, and opened the door.

“Maxwell! Oh, it’s just you, thank god,” he sighed in relief.

Maxwell raised an eyebrow. “Of course it’s me, who else would it be?” He cut Andrew off before he could respond. “Nevermind, it doesn’t matter. We need to talk.”

A twinge of fear settled in Andrew’s gut. “About what? Is everything okay?”

“Given that you feel the need to answer the door with a knife in your coat,” he gestured to how poorly it was hidden, “No, things are far from okay.”

Andrew studied Maxwell’s face. His handsome features were pulled into a grave expression, his demeanor uncomfortable.

“Why don’t you come in,” Andrew said, holding the door ajar for the other man.

“Thank you,” Maxwell responded, sitting down at an empty booth in the main shop. Andrew sat down across from him, and they sat in silence for a long few moments.

Maxwell slowly tapped his thumbs together. Andrew could see how his eyes faded in deep thought.

“Andrew.”

“Yes?”

“Are you…” he took a shaky breath. “No. I know you’re the thief.”

Andrew’s stomach flipped, but he calmed himself. “You’re good. Guilty as charged. Is this my day of reckoning, then?” His tone was bitter, almost scared.

For the first time since arriving, Maxwell looked Andrew directly in the eye. “I have an idea.”

“You didn’t answer my question, but go on,” he said with a dry chuckle.

“Tell me, who is Nikos Antigone?”

Andrew stood up suddenly. “What do you mean, has he contacted you? Have you met him?”

“So you do know him. He sent me a letter- or, as it turns out, two letters. The first ‘anonymously’ telling me to run away from you, the second saying that you robbed him. Tell me, have you ever used violence in your hijinks?”

“I don’t know how much you’ll believe me, but no, I haven’t.”

“I figured as much. So it was Antigone that broke your nose a couple weeks back?”

Andrew hesitated. Was this an interview? But Maxwell seemed so genuinely worried. “Yeah, basically.”

“I’m very sorry,” he said, brushing a finger over the bridge that was still sore. Andy winced slightly, causing Max to draw his hand away.

“I’m not going to turn you in. I want to help, but to do that, I need answers. Could you tell me more?” He was now surprisingly soft.

So with a heavy sigh, Andrew spilled his guts about everything, even ousting Isabella’s involvement in the process. He also provided some insight on Jennifer. She was the daughter of a nobleman, one that rudely broke off dealings with the Antigone family’s crime loop, when she was just a baby.

Despite this, all four of them had attended the same school without realizing. She and the young Nikos were the best of friends, before they all went their separate ways, and Nikos followed in his family’s footsteps. Andrew was doing jobs for him simply to make him money and to be a jewel in his crown.

“You won’t have to be for long. If we can find a way to get him in the wrong place at the wrong time, we can pin all of your wrongdoings on him.”

“Maxwell, no. You could lose your job if you did that!”

“I’m more than willing-“

“And besides, I’m the one at the wheel, I should take the blame-“

“You think I haven’t shuffled blame before? You know neither of us have ever cared about morals and virtue.”

“That may be true, but this is still a huge risk. One I’m not willing to let you take for me!”

“Well too bad, because I refuse to allow you to keep on like this. If you don’t let me help, I’ll find a way to do something on my own.”

“Max, what the hell has gotten into you? Why can’t you let me sort out my own problems- or just throw me in jail already?”

“Because I love you, you nitwit!”

There was a long, charged silence. The tension of argument melted away, leaving something else entirely in its place.

“I… I think I love you too. And I don’t want you to get hurt. You have no idea the things this guy will do to you.”

Max held Andy’s hand, up on the table. “You’re right, I don’t. But I know with our combined minds, we can outsmart him.”

Andrew took a deep, shuddering breath. “Do you really think so?”

Maxwell nodded. “The Antigone family has done enough damage. It’s about time someone put a stop to it. I only have one condition.”

“That being?”

“For both of our sakes, you need to drop your game. Once Nikos is in prison, well…”

Andrew nodded and pondered for a moment. “I’d need something else after the fact- to keep me entertained. But yes, for you, I will.”

“Then our plot can be your last heist. Any ideas as to a replacement?”

“You could marry me, and we could run away together. Be musicians in Vienna till’ we’re old,” Andy smirked.

Max giggled. “Ask me again in three years.”

And then he gave Andy the most lovestruck look. Andy returned it. They glanced at their pose- they were awfully close.

“I’d ask if I could kiss you, but there’s a table in the way,” Andy whispered with a quiet laugh.

“Just get over here, you,” Max then pulled a laughing Andy by his tie to the nearest wall, moving close, only to be stopped.

“Hang the hell on, you’re the short one, shouldn’t you be the one-“

Max swatted Andy’s arm. “Oh, shut up.” And with that, they finally closed the gap.

Andy smelled like fresh cakes, and Max like old books. Where the thief tasted like strawberries, the detective was like tea with milk; both felt like smooth butter.

Andy’s arms were strong as he lifted Max and held him so close. They stood like that for a long time, pausing only to dash upstairs. Andrew had only one thought before his mind went blank with bliss.

Antigone thinks he can use me as a puppet. Poor man has no idea what he’s messing with.

[stillchaoticlogic]

Falling: Chapter 5

Pairing: Raihan x Reader

Falling in love is easy…

It’s falling out of love that’s the hard part.

As you try to run from old feelings you meet someone who is determined to bring the spark back into your eyes. Raihan isn’t sure what happened in the past and he doesn’t care. He’s got one shot to make you his and he’s going to take it.

Masterlist

Chapter 5: Kings and Queens

A low growl draws you from the bliss of unconsciousness. Blinking your eyes open you glance over to see Luna, your Midnight Lycanroc emitting a low growl and Raihan with his arms raised in surrender.

“Luna,” your voice is soft as you address your pokemon. “I’m okay, let him pass.”

It’s at that point that you notice your Pokemon are all standing around the bed, glaring at the male with hostility. 

“I’m sorry Raihan…” you murmur as you slowly sit up in the bed, “They aren’t used to you yet and they're very protective.” 

“It’s okay,” he says chuckling nervously still eyeing the Pokemon glaring at him. 

“Play nice everyone! He’s trying to help!” you gently scold them and you watch as Luna’s ears flatten before she makes her way over to you, rubbing her head against yours. 

“It’s okay you didn’t know…”

The others are beside you in a moment and you spend a few minutes convincing your team that you're fine. 

Swinging your legs over the side of the bed, you take a moment to get your bearings together; noticing you are still damp and you heave a sigh. 

“Do you have some clothes I can borrow?” you ask glancing up at Raihan. 

He jumps as if startled before he makes his way over to the dresser and pulls out a huge sweatshirt and sweatpants. He motions to the bathroom in the corner and lays the clothes on the bed. 

“Raihan?”

“Yeah…?”

“You okay?” You can tell he’s rattled by how quiet he is.

“Shouldn’t I be asking you that?” he mutters as he shifts from one foot to the other. Your eyes narrow as you regard the man in front of you. 

“You’re shaken up, and I want to make sure you’re okay,” you say calmly. 

He looks surprised for a moment before a sheepish smile blooms onto his face. 

“I was pretty scared that you were really hurt and I couldn’t get to you. Your Pokemon wouldn’t even let me near you once they realized what was going on…” he trailed off,  looking away from you. Standing up you make your way over to him and take his hands in yours. 

“I’m fine and it’s all thanks to you. If you hadn’t been there I would have died,” you gaze up into his eyes. He blinks in surprise before he pulls one hand away and rubs his neck in discomfort. Looking deeply into your eyes before he looks away, “Please don’t say that…”

“It’s true, you fended off Gyrados and found me in the water after my bike was destroyed. I couldn’t find the surface because I was so disoriented. You saved me. Thank you.”

You pull him forward into you and feel him wrap around you. His strong arms envelop you into a hug and you feel yourself relax. You feel safe.

“I’m just glad you’re okay…” he whispers into your hair. 

You giggle as you pull away, “Well now you have to be my favorite since you saved my life.”

He chuckles as he scratches the back of his neck again, a nervous habit you note. 

“I thought I was already your favorite…” He says with a hopeful glint in his eyes. 

“Well, I couldn’t tell you that… It would make your head even bigger than it already is,” you say with a smirk reaching up to poke his cheek.

He rolls his eyes, “Go get warm, I know you’re freezing. I’ve ordered dinner and it should be here soon,” he says as he bats your hand away. 

You head towards the bathroom with a smile, the chill in your bones suddenly very apparent without your pokemon hovering around you or Raihan’s warmth. 

The water is almost scalding as you stand under the stream. Your feet and hands are still freezing despite the temperature of the water. It takes a few minutes before the warmth fully encompasses you and you feel good enough to actually lather up. His body wash is a clean fresh manly scent. You wash quickly and jump out of the shower getting dressed in the clothes he lent you. 

You walk out of the bedroom and head towards the sound of voices. Turning the corner into the living room you see Leon and Raihan lounging on his sofa, black leather, and plush but expensive looking. You notice the way that Raihan stops mid sentence and his eyes widen as he looks at you in awe. You blush under his gaze and avoid his eyes. No one has ever looked at you like that before. Especially when you’re in baggy oversized clothes that swallow you whole. Leon glances at Raihan out of the corner of his eyes to see his friend frozen in place. He elbows him, making Raihan jolt to attention and glare over his friend. Leon tilts his head towards you and you hide your smile as Raihan glances between the two of you for a moment before his eyes widen and he gets up suddenly.

“Feel better?” he asks nervously, his gaze intense as he holds your eyes. 

“Yeah, much better,” you say with a relieved smile. 

“Good, good… I ordered pizza, hope that’s okay?” 

“Yeah! It’s great! I’m starving!” 

You head over to the couch and plop down leaning your head back. A few moments later a drink is dangling before you. 

“You should drink something that isn’t pond water,” Raihan says, holding the drink more insistently towards you. 

You blink in surprise as you take the glass of water from him and start sipping on it. Quietly you thank him as the three of you sit in silence for a few minutes. You can tell the guys are reflecting on what happened. You can tell that they are shaken up by the events of your incident. 

“I think we should postpone the tour,” Leon declares into the air. 

Both you and Raihan turn towards him in surprise. “We still have five gyms to visit and you have to find and get settled into a house and start your duties as Chair-woman. I think we should just have a meeting before the opening ceremony, so you can meet the gym leaders and then you can tour the gyms at your leisure.”

“I think that’s a good idea… Today kinda got me, I’m not gonna lie,” you heave a sigh, recalling how scared you were of the wild Gyarados. 

“You can stay here for the night if you want? I have a guest room,” Raihan says as he holds your gaze, “Then we can get you in touch with a realtor tomorrow.”

“Are you sure Hammerlocke is where you want to move to? Wyndon is where the action is!” Leon interjects.

“I’m not really one for huge cities. Alola wasn’t very big and I got used to having smaller towns there and it’s nice to know your neighbors. Hammerlocke seems to be just the perfect mix of city and town and I like that.”

“Raihan should be able to help with that since he knows the area better than me.”

“And you would get lost in a paper bag if we let you,” Raihan interjects with a smirk. 

Leon glares over at his friend even if he knows it's true. 

“Well, on that note, I’m going to head home. Rest up and I’ll see you in Wyndon soon so we can get started on prepping for the new season!” 

“You aren’t staying for dinner?” you ask in confusion.

“No, I’m going to head out. I really need to get a workout and some training in. I can’t have anyone taking my title this year!”

You wave at him as he heads out the door a confused smile on your face at the chipper champion. 

“He’s…” you begin.

“Don’t even try…” Raihan says with a laugh.

You just nod in understanding as you turn towards the man beside you, an amused look on your face. The two of you just share a look and end up laughing.

There is a knock on the door signifying that the food has arrived. Raihan jumps up to answer the door. You follow Raihan into the kitchen where he sets the bags of food and grabs plates for the two of you. There is an assortment of food on the counter and it smells delicious. 

“Thanks Raihan! This looks amazing.”

“Anything for you, my Queen,” he says with a wink as he hands you the plate. 

You roll your eyes at his antics but you can’t help but love the attention he gives you. 

“Does that mean when we get married I get a crown? I’ve always wanted one!” you say with a giggle. 

He chuckles as he spoons food onto his plate. 

“I’ve already told you anything you want is yours. You want a crown, you’ve got a crown.”

You lean back against the counter and look up at his ceiling lost in thought.

“When I find a place…” you pause as if you aren’t ready to say the words, “I’m going to have to go back to…”

“Get your things?” He asks with furrowed brows shooting you a look of confusion. 

“Among other things…” you say softly as you regard him solemnly.

“Does this have anything to do with last night?”

You look away from him and cross your arms across your chest. You can feel yourself just cave in. A frown mars your features as you regard the wall opposite you. 

“If you want,” He’s hesitant to speak as if doing so would break you, “I could… go with you?”

You whip your head around to face him an incredulous look on your face, “You want to fly all the way to Alola to help me move?” 

“No, I want to fly all the way to Alola to catch a Drampa.... and be there for you if you need someone.”

Your eyes soften at the man in front of you, “You don’t…. Have to do that…” 

“Maybe I just want to?” he says with a smirk as he holds a piece of shrimp out to you. You reach your fingers out to take it from him but he just pulls it back and shakes his head. You narrow your eyes at him as he just crooks his finger at you, beckoning you to come closer to him. You take a step towards him and roll your eyes as he just holds it out to you again. 

“Come on open up, you’re going to love this,” he pleas as he dangles the morsel in front of you. 

“And you have to feed it to me?” you ask in amusement. 

“I like to pamper my queen…” he says regarding you with a lazy smile. 

You can’t deny him, especially with everything he’s done for you, and you just simply ignore the part of you that admits you don’t want to. You take another step forward so you are almost pressed against him and open your mouth as you look up at him through your lashes. You hold back a smirk as you notice him swallow before he lowers the shrimp into your mouth. He closes his eyes as he pulls away, your lips catching the just tip of his fingers. 

“Why do I have the feeling you’re going to be the death of me?” he asks as he looks down at you. His eyes are a little hazy as he brushes his knuckles down your arm as if all he wants to do is touch you. 

“Well,” you say turning away from him, “I probably am, but if it makes you feel any better, you’ll probably be the death of me too…” you turn on your heel and send him a wink over your shoulder as you make you way back out into the living room Raihan following along behind you.

You hear him groan from behind you. “Does that mean you’re falling for my charm and dashing good looks?”

He smirks lazily at you as he does to all the cameras when he’s won a fight. You know that look and you aren’t sure you’re ready to let him know just how much of an effect he has on you. It’s too soon… Plus you have to deal with Kukui and that is another situation entirely. 

“Or I can’t stop thinking about all the trouble you’re going to cause me as Chairwoman…” you say innocently as you take a bite of your dinner. 

 “Shot through the heart again!” he says as he dramatically grips his chest, his plate balanced in his lap. 

You laugh as you grab a pillow off of his couch and smack him in the face with it. He laughs as he grabs the pillow and sets it down before putting his plate on the side table next to him. Getting up he grabs your plate of food as well, putting it next to his.

“Hey! What are you-?” 

He tackles you to the couch as he begins to tickle you. You squeal his name as you throw your head back and attempt to get out of his grasp. 

“No! Raihan!!” 

“What? I thought you wanted to play though?” he asks innocently as he pulls away so you can breathe. 

You scowl up at him, “You did that on purpose…”

His smile is sly as you go to push him off of you. He doesn’t resist instead he just grabs your food and hands it to you as if he hadn’t just attacked you with tickles. He shrugs as he sits back on the couch and pulls his own plate back into his lap and chuckles as you pout. 

“What’s the matter princess? Not like when you lose?” 

Your mouth drops open as you regard the man before you in mock offense. Raihan just laughs at your reaction, “Excuse you…. You just attacked me out of nowhere!”

“Excuse you! You hit me with a pillow, so I retaliated and won.”

“Who said you won?” you challenge. 

“Oh? You didn’t admit defeat? Allow me to fix that…” You leap up from the couch as Raihan begins to creep towards you. You squeal in excitement as he chases you through the house, around the kitchen table, and back through the living room. You know he’s just playing around, his legs are long enough that if he wanted to catch you no doubt you would have been caught. 

Raihan sends you a feral grin from the opposite side of the table. You are now facing off with the Dragon Tamer and you love this side of him. You narrow your eyes as you regard him trying to predict his next move. He fakes to left before going right and instead of running you let him catch you and slide your arms around his waist. The demure look on your face as you regard him through your lashes has the man reeling as he steadies himself, arms wrapping around you so you both don’t go tumbling to the floor. 

“So you give up?” he asks panting. 

“Nope… But I did win…” 

“How?” 

You slide your hands up under his shirt and smirk to yourself as his breath hitches in his throat. 

“What are you-”

Your hands slide along his abs distracting him before you dig your fingers into his sides and Raihan doubles over in laughter. 

“Wait! Stop!” he wheezes as you attack him with tickles of your own. You giggle as you bring the Dragon Tamer to his knees. His hands going to yours to try to stop the attack. With a laugh of your own you stop and you both catch your breath as you lean against one another. 

“I’ll be honest…” he begins between deep breaths, “I wasn’t expecting that…”

“I’m full of surprises!” you chuckle as you pull away from him. 

“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” he says with a smirk as he bumps his hips against yours as you make your way back to the couch. 

“Movie?” he asks out of the corner of his eyes?

“Yes, please!” 

The two of you spend the rest of the night watching ridiculous comedies and making fun of over-dramatic acting. As you drift off to sleep that night, your head resting on Raihan’s shoulder for the second night in a row, you wonder why all days can’t end like this one. 

***

The next morning dawns and there is no way you can sleep on a couch for another night, your back will simply not allow it. You groan as you sit up and feel a pair of arms pull you back against a strong chest. Blinking, you glance back at Raihan and notice the peaceful expression on his face. He’s still asleep as he pulls you against him and mumbles something in his sleep. You giggle to yourself and try to gently remove his arms from around you. You’re successful and gingerly go to get to your feet before you feel strong arms wrap around you from behind and pull you back down. This time you’re a little startled and let out a squeak before you turn towards the grinning male behind you. 

“Thought you could escape?” he asks, his voice thick with sleep.

“Well I was going to surprise you with breakfast and coffee as a thank you for all the times you brought me breakfast but you insist upon ruining everything.”

His smile only widens at your reply, “Well, by all means, surprise away!”

You shake your head as you lean forward to get up and his arms fall away. You won’t admit to yourself that the warmth was comforting or that the way he held you made you feel safe and cared for. You would, however, push the thoughts from your mind and make your way to the kitchen. After some searching you find everything you need for a simple breakfast and begin to make sausage, egg, and cheese sandwiches on toasted bread. You start the sausage and begin to whip up the eggs. You had noticed that he seemed to favor sausage when he would pick you up in the morning, the bag having the distinct scent of the sandwich lingering behind. You hear the shower start in the other room and put on a pot of coffee. Sliding cheese onto the cooking egg, you toast the bread adding butter, before you build the sandwich. 

Raihan walks into the kitchen in a loose black tank and dark wash jeans. 

“No uniform today?” you ask as you take in his appearance. 

“We’ve got some house hunting to do, so I figured I could be casual today,” you notice the blazer he puts over the chair and the wink he sends your way. 

“I like it! I just realized I’ve never seen you in street clothes before.”

“League business requires the uniform,” he says with a shrug as he comes up behind you, “What’s this?” He asks, his hands casually resting on your waist as he looks over your shoulder at the food. You’ve known this man less than a week you’re astonished at how easy it is for you to let him this close to you. 

“Sausage, egg, and cheese? I hope you like it,” you say with an almost embarrassed smile. 

He looks surprised for a moment. “They’re my favorite actually! How did you know?”

“I always smelt sausage when you would bring me breakfast in the morning, so I figured you liked it.”

His smile is like the sun as he takes one of the sandwiches, wrapped up in a napkin, and plated for him. He closes his eyes and groans at the bite and you know he likes it. You hide your pleased smile behind your own breakfast. 

The two of you eat in relative silence, both of you are still waking up as you sip on coffee. After you have finished eating, you excuse yourself to get ready and come out about forty-five minutes later ready to start the day. 

“I contacted my realtor and he agreed to meet with us today, are you ready to go?” Raihan asks as he slips his blazer on, a pair of sunglasses replacing the orange band he usually wears. 

“Yeah, let’s go!” you say as you grab your purse and head out the door behind him. The walk to the reality office is relatively short and you both make small talk along the way. Once there, you meet with a tall man with cropped dark hair and deep brown eyes. He’s maybe a little older than Raihan and you can see instantly why the two get along. There are a few metals from Pokemon tournaments hanging on his wall and a photo of him and his team. His eyes widen the moment they land on you.

“No… When you told me that we were looking at a house for the new Chairwoman I wasn’t expecting… Wow… So sorry… I just… You’re the Alola Champion!”

“Former Alola Champion, current Galar Chairwoman,” you say with a smile as you shake his hand. 

“Right right! Sorry about the loss…” he seems unsure of how to react to his slip up, so you decide to help him out. 

“Don’t worry about it! I’m not! I was ready for a new adventure. I’ve considered trying my hand at specialty breeding, do you have any place with a bit of land?”

“Do I have any place with a bit of land?! Of course! Let’s sit down and take a look.” 

You spend about thirty minutes browsing the places he has available before you settle on a few to go tour. You head outside and Brenden, your realtor, calls for a Corviknight taxi. 

“Raihan you don’t have to go with me, you know, I’ve done this before alone,” you say, turning to the man beside you.

“Do you not want me to go?” he asks with his brows furrowed, looking a little hurt at the thought. 

“No! I just figured you would have more to do than follow me around and help me pick out a house.”

“Well if I don’t follow you around and help you pick out a house, how will I know if I like it enough to move in when we get married?” he asks with a cheeky grin. 

You smile and shake your head as you regard the man before, “Very true! I didn’t think about that. Forgive me for not taking your feelings on our future home into consideration.”

“Nothing to forgive, we just have to make sure that there is ample space for the Pokemon and I would like man cave for Friday night poker with the lads.”

You throw your head back and laugh at his suggestion.

“How do you know I don’t want your Friday nights?” you ask with a smirk and bat of your lashes.

He raises a brow. “Well I suppose I could be convinced to turn the guys away if my lady wants my attention.” 

The look he sends you is almost sinful and you just blink innocently back at him. It’s about that time that the taxi arrives and you both pile in after Brenden. You spend the next few hours flying from one house to another, touring the homes with Raihan at your side. You almost laugh at how domestic it is. 

You and Raihan spend the next couple of days touring houses and properties. During that time Brenden had asked you both several times if you were sure you weren’t together, about to move in with one another, or getting married. Every time either of you said ‘no’ he became more confused. You couldn’t blame him really, the ease the two of you felt with one another for only just meeting was unheard of. The almost incessant flirting coupled with the care the two of you showed the other was that of two lovers not two almost strangers. Regardless, you found Raihan to be an excellent house-hunting partner and friend, and the next time that barista looks at him with dreamy eyes you were going to throw your coffee at her.

Finally, the day comes when you find it. The house of your dreams. It’s a cottage made of stone with flowering vines growing up its front. The peaks of the house come to perfect points and the chimney growing from the center immediately speaks of cozy nights by the fire. There is a small stream that runs through the edges of the property with an expansive garden and a couple of acres of land. The back of the house has a sunroom that begs to be filled with plants and cozy furniture. 

“If you’re wanting to start breeding Pokemon, there is a field up for sale connecting to this one. It’s owned by a different person, but it connects and you should be able to make an offer on it as well,” Brenden says as he watches you tour the inside. The kitchen is done in an off white with wooden beams showcasing the vaulted ceiling. The living area has a window seat and the fireplace looks inviting with a stone mantle. The bedrooms are cozy but spacious and although it’s not a huge house, it’s not tiny either. You love it.  

“Oh this is perfect!” you say happily. 

“The best part? It’s only about ten minutes outside of the city! And it has a basement…”

“Huh?” Raihan says as he glances over at Brenden who just sends him a meaningful look.

You chuckle as you follow him into the basement where there is a small kitchen and ample space for entertaining. 

“You know… for your poker nights with the… what did you call them? Lads?” you ask as you come down the stairs. 

“I thought you wanted my Friday nights?” The smirk he sends you sends a shiver through your body.

“A lady needs her space as well,” you say with a wink.

You chuckle at one another as you regard the space. “This will be great for entertaining and lounging.” 

“I knew you would think so,” Brenden says as he begins to go over the figures of the house and neighboring property. 

“I want to put in an offer, this place is too perfect to pass up!” You squeal. 

Raihan nods as he continues to inspect the house, “I think this place is perfect for you. I think your pokemon will love it too.”

You turn and smile brightly at him, “Thanks Raihan! This was so much easier with you here…” 

“Anytime, my queen,” he says with a wink. “Anytime…”

Notes: I hope you loved it! Sorry for the wait, but I hope it was worth it! Drop some love by liking, reblogging and commenting! Special thanks to @westsideeffectsvary​ @janethegamergirl​ and @stellar-constellation​ for helping to Beta and edit! 

Do I have a taglist for this story? Is this is thing I didn’t do? huh...

[aph-honk-kong]

Soaring Gold

After one successful marriage comes a very unsuccessful engagement. [A continuation of this.] [Very late for day six of @aphasiaweek with the prompt of “culture”.]

Peninsula Hotel, Hong Kong

  “Wah diuuuu, you tried to ask out a Diocesan alumni? I bet she turned you down before you could say ‘five double stars’.”

  “I finally got that apartment in Qatar! It cost an arm and a leg, but it was worth it. Do you think I should go for a place in California, next?”

  “Hold on, which province did you say your sister moved to?”

  A million conversations seem to be happening at the same time, a cacophony of voices filling Harald’s head as he tries to find his table. The dining room is massive, at least three times as big as the entirety of the Dragon Room back in London, and he has no idea where he’s supposed to be sitting.

  “Babe!”

  Leon grabs him from behind and presses a not-so-sneaky kiss to the tip of his ear. He can feel his ears getting warm. “I was wondering where the fuck you’d gone off to. Come on, our table’s right next to the happy couple’s.”

  He’s lead to a table near the centre of the room, covered in a pure-white tablecloth and set with elegant porcelain plates. Ling is already sitting there, deep in conversation with the blonde next to her. Also at the table are Lauren, Berwald and his husband.

  “Why the fuck are you grading papers?” Leon exclaims incredulously.

  “Because I care more about my students than this massive dinner that’s probably going to last three hours, that’s why,” Lauren shoots back. “Heaven forbid some of us actually have to work for a living.”

  He presses a hand to his chest in mock offence. “Oh wow, so hurtful. I feel deeply wounded.”

  Rolling his eyes, Harald sits down. Next to him is Berwald’s husband, who smiles at him. “Well, hello again!”

  “Hi.”

  “I don’t think I’ve introduced myself yet.” He extends his hand. “My name is Timo Väinämöinen. This is my husband Berwald.”

  Berwald shakes his hand next, saying quietly, “I believe I know your brother?”

  “My brother-in-law, actually,” Harald corrects. “Henrik says you’re the reason he and Stell got to come here.”

  “Speaking of Henrik,” Ling cuts in, “is nobody going to talk about how he looked in that suit of his? I may be a lesbian, but hot damn.”

  The woman next to her scrunches her face up slightly in dissatisfaction.

  “Don’t be jealous, Nat.” She giggles and kisses her temple. “The man’s a pancake, unlike you.”

  “A pancake?” Nat rolls her eyes. “He’s a crepe.”

  Harald chokes on his water. 

...

  A few tables away, many-named Arthur is sitting with Francis, Roderich, Erzsébet, Jo and Niklas, nibbling daintily on the pig’s-ears biscuits served before the banquet is due to start. He occasionally throws a glance towards the married couple’s table, where Vicente and Madeline are practically sitting on each other’s lap. “Goodness gracious, how much do you think they spent on this wedding?”

  “Including the chapel, the after-ceremony lunch, the Rolls-Royce that drove them here, this dining room, the banquet, the complimentary party favours, the lucky draw involving twenty-four-karat gold jewellery and however much it took to get Mr. Edelstein to perform, I assume the entire thing cost at least two million Hong Kong dollars,” Niklas pipes up. He snatches the last biscuit before Arthur can and crunches it loudly. “Give or take a million or so.”

  The adults all stare at him in shock. Roderich leans over to whisper to Arthur, “see, this hip new Scandinavian education system that treats kids like human beings lets them pull things like this. But again, he’s not even wrong...”

  Francis smiles and pats Niklas on the head. “You were very close. The wedding actually cost five million. Five million Euros, that is.”

  His eyes widen. “Euros!?”

  “Oui, Euros. I am pretty sure that’s more than the GDP of some countries.”

  Jo looks around them, big eyes taking in every bit of the room’s extravagance. “If I ever get married, I’m going to do it in a park or something. The guests can wear whatever they want and the only food we serve will be the wedding cake.”

  “Nonsense, I’ll organise your wedding in St. Stephen’s Cathedral.”

  They blow a raspberry at their father. 

  Erzsébet points at the table next to the couple’s. “Say, isn’t that Vicente’s brother?”

  “That’s Leon, all right.” Francis takes a sip of white wine, swirling it around the glass. “He even brought along a common boy. Poor Yao, can you imagine what he’s thinking?”

  “Nothing good, that’s for sure,” Roderich tuts. “At least Leon’s not trying to marry him. The continent would go up in flames.”

  Arthur clicks his tongue disapprovingly. He’s looking at another table, where the more famous guests are sitting. “I know his brother, who attended my luncheons while on tour in England. The two of them are fine fellows, I must admit, but unfit to marry into the Wang family.”

  “That guy dresses funny,” Jo says. “At least, he doesn’t dress like the rest of us. Nik thought he was the usher when we got to the chapel.”

  “Sounds about right!” Francis laughs. “Nobody would expect somebody of his upbringing to know how to dress.”

  A group of waiters enter the room, holding a number of steaming dishes. Roderich sits up straighter and elbows his child sharply. “Put that tablet of yours away, now. The banquet is starting.”

...

  “This is incredible,” Harald says for what feels like the millionth time. Course after course has been served, each plate presenting a clever fusion dish he never would have thought of. Nothing at the Dragon Room could ever compare.

  “Vic hired two of Asia’s best chefs to make tonight’s banquet, plus their wedding cake.” Leon nibbles at a forkful of buttery Arborio rice before setting it down on his almost-finished plate of white-truffle garlic butter and Hangzhou shrimp risotto. “The desserts are going to blow you away.”

  He nods gratefully at the waiter who takes his dish away. “I want to meet the chefs behind this one day.” The next dish is placed down, and Harald stares down at it. On the plate is a mini sculpture made of sorbet, shaped like a rosebush with tiny candy flowers and caramel branches. “You’d have to be some kind of genius to think of this.”

  “I think you’re plenty genius yourself,” Leon quips. He swallows his first bite of sorbet before kissing him briefly. His lips taste of mint.

  Soon, dessert is over and a pair of waiters wheel out the massive wedding cake. The icing around it is pure-white, topped with narrow grey-pink filigree patterns. At the very top of the cake is a sugar butterfly, holding two thin sheets of rice paper covered in thin writing, inked with chocolate sauce. Harald peers closer and realises it’s Vicente and Madeline’s wedding vows.

  “Amazing, huh?”

  “Yeah,” he breathes. 

  Leon stands up the moment they receive their slice, holding his plate and his dessert fork. “Grab your plate, too.”

  “Won’t people notice?” Harald protests.

  “They would, on most cases.” He winks at his brother, who smiles back while balancing the caramel butterfly on a plate. Vicente stands up, hand in hand with Madeline, and lift the plate up. A crowd of photographers surge forward, cameras at the ready, to capture the moment. Leon grabs his hand and tugs. “But not today.”

  Holding on to his plate, Harald follows him out of the dining room, up grand staircases and past jewellery stores until they reach the topmost layer of the hotel. Leon opens the door, revealing a stunning rooftop garden. 

  Nobody is there, and the only sound is that of leaves being rustled. He leads him to sit down on a cushioned loveseat that overlooks the streets and Victoria Harbour. On the other side of the Harbour, Central glows radiantly. 

  “Isn’t this a better view than that stuffy dining room?” Leon eats his first forkful of cake.

  Harald cuts into his slice and pops it into his mouth. It turns out to be a rich red velvet cake, dotted through with pieces of vanilla fudge and lemon crumble. He smiles. “This is good.”

  “We’ve been going to parties all weekend, so it’s nice that we get some time alone.” He reaches across the loveseat to hold his hand. “I’m almost dreading going back to London. What would I do without all my crazy friends?”

  He lets out a short puff of laughter. “‘Crazy’ is an understatement. No sane person would spend so much money on a wedding!”

  “You said once that you’d prefer a simple wedding if you ever got married,” Leon reminisces,” and I gotta say the same. I’d go nuts organising stuff like this!”

  Slice of cake finished, Harald shifts closer to snuggle up to Leon, shrugging his suit jacket off. “I love you,” he mumbles.

  “Love you too.” He drops an absent kiss on the top of his head. “I actually have something to tell you.”

  “Hmm?”

  Leon pulls a small box out of his pocket and shows it to him. Harald’s breath hitches.

  “Normally guys would get down on a knee to do this, but I don’t want to stop cuddling you so here we are.” He drops his gaze for a moment before returning it, strong and sure. “And, uh, I just love you so much and I’d like nothing more than to spend the rest of my life with you.” He flicks the box open, revealing a simple silver ring. “So what I want to know is... is if you want to marry me.”

  Harald’s cheeks prickle with heat. His heart is thudding wildly in his chest. “I - “ he sputters. “Of cour - “

  “STOP!”

  The door leading back to the hotel swings open. Standing in the doorway is Yao, arms crossed and glaring daggers at them. Leon glares back. “What are you doing here?”

  Yao marches towards the loveseat. “I know what you’re doing,” he says. “Ka Long, I know you’re planning to marry Harald. And I’m here to say that you can’t. I forbid it!”

[perfecttimeseleven]

https://open.spotify.com/episode/599XTxnDzzcJibnEaEjPdb?si=e9ce5c51fbdb474e

PERFECT TIMES ELEVEN EP. 7 TRANSCRIPT

ACT TWO SCENE ONE Lights rise on a table and two chairs in an otherwise empty-seeming room. THIEF #1 and THIEF #2 are seated at the table, examining a laptop. They’re both young; even younger than REMINGTON, JAY, and DAISY (think 13 or 14.) They’re unassuming — cute little kids, even — dressed in all black. THIEF #2 (bored) When you said “surprise job for our two-month anniversary”, I thought we’d like, I don’t know, kiss with tongue. THIEF #1 Yeah, but this is just as good. THIEF #2 Do you care about kissing with tongue at all? THIEF #1 Babe, of course I do. I just think -- THIEF #2 It’s just heist after heist all the time. The only thing you don’t seem to care about stealing is my heart. THIEF #1 Babe, it’s what we do. THIEF #2 Besides, it’s a crap job. Robbing a supermarket? A supermarket? That’s the most boring junk I’ve ever heard. THIEF #1 Don’t you trust me? THIEF 2 You’re a bank robber. THIEF 1 You’re a bank robber. THIEF 2 Okay, that’s fair. I just…will this be worth it at all? I know you have trouble grasping the fact that we’re now fricking loaded. We’re not little please-sir orphans snatching heads of lettuce from farmer’s markets anymore. We’ve stepped up our game. What’s so special about this supermarket? THIEF #1 Trust me. This will be an easy, fun night out. What’s not special about it? THIEF #2 Why are we wasting our time? We could be preparing for the Minecraft job. Or kissing with tongue. And…and, and, and…you’re not even taking the proper precautions. I don’t know about you, but I’m not going to get caught robbing a stupid supermarket, of all things. Like imagine it! You get cornered in the...I don’t know, produce aisle or something stupid like that and the headlines are all “two kids got caught stealing from the Shoprite off the highway” — who wants that? (THIEF #1 stands up. 11. Super Supermarket Heist.) THIEF #1 (pointing at the laptop screen) LOOK. ALL RIGHT, WE’VE GOT OUR TARGET HERE. THIS LOCAL SUPERMARKET. YOU KNOW YOUR JOB, YOUR INSTRUCTION — THIEF #2 (standing up) I THINK WE NEED SOME MORE DISCUSSION. THIEF #1 IT’S A QUAINT UNPOPULATED SPOT WE KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT, AND THAT’S NOT A LOT! THIEF #2 WHERE’S THE FUN? WHY NOT GO BIGGER AND PULL OUT ALL THE STOPS THIEF #1 AND PULL THE TRIGGER? THIEF #2 Fine. I guess you have a point. I’ll do it. But you better watch a sweet, romantic movie with me later. THIEF #1 Is it — THIEF #2 Cats 2019. I know you hate it. THIEF #1 Fine. THIEF #1 YEAH, WE’RE GONNA MAKE YOU STOP AND SHOP NOW PUT YOUR HANDS ON TOP OF YOUR HEAD OR YOU’RE DEAD OH YEAH, THAT’S WHAT WE SAID GRAB THE CASH, THEN DASH OUT THE BACK AROUND THE TRASH THIEF #2 WILL THAT WORK? THIEF #1 (exasperated) JESUS CHRIST! THIEF #1/THIEF #2 A SUPER SUPERMARKET HEIST! WE’RE GONNA MAKE YOU STOP AND SHOP NOW PUT YOUR HANDS ON TOP OF YOUR HEAD OR YOU’RE DEAD OH YEAH, THAT’S WHAT WE SAID! SIT TIGHT OR WE’LL FIGHT OH, THIS AIN’T THE NIGHT TO BE STUCK UNSUPERVISED IN A SUPER SUPERMARKET HEIST! THIEF #2 YOU KEEP ON SAYING THIS’LL BE A CAKEWALK. ALL OF THIS “NOTHING MUCH AT STAKE” TALK! HOW CAN YOU KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT? WE NEED TO PREPARE FOR ANY THREAT THIEF #1 I’VE GOT INSIDER INFO FROM MY SOURCE. I TRUST HER. SECURITY TONIGHT WILL BE LACKLUSTER. RIGHT NOW, WE WILL JUST SIT TIGHT. AT EIGHT O’CLOCK, WE’LL SHOP RITE! THIEF #1/THIEF #2 WE’RE GONNA MAKE YOU STOP AND SHOP THIEF #1 AND NOT A SINGLE COP WILL SEE, TRUST ME, THIEF #1/THIEF #2 IT’LL BE EASY! GRAB THE CASH, THEN DASH IN AND OUT IN A FLASH! CATCH THEM BY SURPRISE! A SUPER SUPERMARKET HEIST. WE’RE GONNA MAKE YOU STOP AND SHOP NOW PUT YOUR HANDS ON TOP OF YOUR HEAD OR YOU’RE DEAD OH YEAH, THAT’S WHAT WE SAID! SIT TIGHT OR WE’LL FIGHT OH, THIS AIN’T THE NIGHT TO BE STUCK UNSUPERVISED IN A SUPER SUPERMARKET HEIST! THIEF #2 I just…this is so out of nowhere. We usually plan these together. THIEF #1 I wanted to surprise you. You’ve been so stressed. I didn’t want to add the stress of planning a fun anniversary outing on top of that. THIEF #1 I KNOW

THINGS HAVE BEEN ROUGH — THIEF #2 YOU’RE NOT AN OPEN BOOK. THIEF #1 BUT THAT’S EXACTLY WHY WE CAN’T GIVE UP HOPE AND — THIEF #2 LOOK. WE’VE GONE DOWNHILL. ADMIT IT. IT SURE SHOWS! BANKS WERE OUR TRADE, NOT TRADER JOE’S! THIEF #1 SURE, WE’VE DONE MUCH COOLER JOBS WITHOUT MUCH  CONSEQUENCE BUT A SMALL VICTORY WILL BOOST OUR CONFIDENCE! THIEF #2 DOING IT TOGETHER IS WHAT MATTERS MOST TO ME ART MUSEUM OR BANK OR MALL OR…I GUESS GROCERY THIEF #1 Yeah? THIEF #2 Yeah! THIEF #1/THIEF #2 SUPER SUPERMARKET, SUPER SUPERMARKET, SUPER SUPERMARKET, SUPER SUPERMARKET, SUPER SUPERMARKET, SUPER SUPERMARKET, SUPERMARKET HEIST! YEAH, YOU’LL STOP AND SHOP NOW PUT YOUR HANDS ON TOP OF YOUR HEAD OR YOU’RE DEAD OH YEAH, THAT’S WHAT WE SAID! SIT TIGHT OR WE’LL FIGHT OH, THIS AIN’T THE NIGHT TO BE STUCK UNSUPERVISED IN A SUPER SUPERMARKET HEIST! WE’RE GONNA MAKE YOU STOP AND SHOP NOW PUT YOUR HANDS ON TOP OF YOUR HEAD OR YOU’RE DEAD OH YEAH, THAT’S WHAT WE SAID! SIT TIGHT OR WE’LL FIGHT OH, THIS AIN’T THE NIGHT TO BE STUCK UNSUPERVISED IN A SUPERMARKET WE’RE ARMED AND DISGUISED IT’S A SUPERMARKET GROSSLY OVERPRICED IT’S A SUPER SUPERMARKET HEIST! (THIEF #1 and THIEF #2 exit.)

ACT TWO

SCENE TWO

The lights rise on REMINGTON and HP. REMINGTON is sitting next to a Dumpster in the back alley behind a restaurant. HP is squatting beside her, picking at a piece of crumpled paper and tossing its remnants into a small trash can that he hugs with one arm. REMINGTON is wearing floral shorts and a tattered, half-tucked in Domino’s employee shirt. HP is still in his original outfit, although he’s ditched the rainbow scarf and his jacket. Those can be seen laying on the other side of the Dumpster, next to the wall in a pile of other fabrics that seem to comprise a makeshift bed. The two kids have a half-empty and surprisingly fresh-looking Domino’s pizza box in front of them. REMINGTON is snacking on one of the last pieces. REMINGTON Okay. I’ve been doin’ some big brain thinking. Superhero names. HP (turning his head sharply from the paper) Hm? REMINGTON Let’s do a little word association, okay? Test the power, the wow-factor that these names hold. Ready? HP Mmkay. I like to word associate. REMINGTON What comes to mind when you hear the word...Flambé? (HP pauses, looking up contemplatively, before turning his head back to REMINGTON.) HP Shrimp? REMINGTON Nooo, like…I don’t know. (takes a bite of the pizza) Doesn’t it sound fancy? Like ain’t it French or something? (receives no reaction from HP) Okay. Okay. How about...the Remedy? HP (squints a little in confusion) What? Like medicines? Medicines and pills and little maggots in bowls? REMINGTON Like, my name is Remington, but there’s not much you can do with Remy or Remington that isn’t Ratatouille — (sees HP’s blank face, gives up) I’ll think of more names. (takes another bite of her pizza) Mm. Domino’s could beat up Papa John in a fight. (HP finishes tearing up the piece of paper and jumps to his feet.) HP Your break is almost over. You need to get back to work. REMINGTON No. The voices hurt. I’m lazy! HP One fire by the end of the day. That is our rule. REMINGTON (reluctantly dropping his half-finished slice in the pizza box) One spark. HP No, one fire. You’ve passed the spark level. (HP offers REMINGTON his hands, which REMINGTON takes. HP effortlessly pulls REMINGTON to her feet.) HP C’mon! It’s easy! (REMINGTON reluctantly unclasps her bracelet and tosses it aside. 12. Perfect Times Eleven.) HP NOW DEEP DOWN, THERE’S A FIRE GROWING STRONG JUST LET THEM HELP YOU SET IT FREE, REMINGTON LONG! IMMERSE YOURSELF IN VOICES, AIM THEIR ENERGY AT ONE SPOT! CAN YOU FEEL YOUR INSIDES SORTA GETTING HOT? REMINGTON Yeah, but it doesn’t feel healthy... HP ONCE YOUR BRAIN WIDENS, GIVE IN TO PRIMAL DRIVES, YOU’LL GAIN ENERGY FROM ALL YOUR PAST LIVES NOT JUST THE ONES YOU HEAR SINGING! REMINGTON What do you mean? HP WHETHER ANIMAL OR HUMAN, THEY WILL BE BRINGING YOU ENERGY! AND THAT’S THE KEY! IT SWELLS UP IN YOUR BRAIN! LET IT PLUMMET DOWN LIKE RAIN ONTO YOUR GOAL HP/REMINGTON THIS ENERGY IN YOU AND ME, ALL OF IT COMES FROM THE MOMENT WE BECOME ONE WITH THE SOUL AND OUR SOULS HAVE BEEN PERFECT TIMES ELEVEN REMINGTON WHICH MAKES US NOW GODS AMONG MEN HP WE COULD BURN AWAY ALL LIFE AND CREATE THE WORLD AGAIN REMINGTON THAT’S A LITTLE EXTREME, BUT SURE, I SUPPOSE. AT LEAST ONCE I'M TRAINED, WE CAN LEAVE THIS TENT BEHIND A DOMINO’S! HP/REMINGTON PERFECT TIMES ELEVEN, A UNIVERSAL LOTTERY WIN! NATURALLY MORE DISPOSED TO FREE THE ENERGY WITHIN! TIME AND SPACE WILL JUMBLE AND CRUMBLE AT MY HAND I’M A GLITCH IN THE MATRIX WITH REALITY AT MY COMMAND! HP STARTING LITTLE FIRES IS THE EASIEST TO MASTER! AFTERWARDS, YOU’LL LEARN TELEKINESIS FASTER TO SET A FIRE, GIVE YOUR SOUL’S ENERGY A TOSS! SCOOP UP A BIT OF THAT TIME AND SPACEY SAUCE THROW IT OUT OF YOURSELF AND JUST LET IT ALL GO THE HUGE AMOUNT OF ENERGY WILL SET SHIT AGLOW AND AFTER YOU CAN GET FUN LITTLE FIRES TO START, MASTERING THE REST OF IT’S THE EASIER PART HP/REMINGTON ‘CAUSE ENERGY IS THE KEY! IT SWELLS UP IN YOUR BRAIN! LET IT PLUMMET DOWN LIKE RAIN ONTO YOUR GOAL THIS ENERGY IN YOU AND ME, ALL OF IT COMES FROM THE MOMENT WE

BECOME ONE WITH THE SOUL AND OUR SOULS HAVE BEEN PERFECT TIMES ELEVEN, THE LUCK OF THE DRAW REMINGTON IS BEING A REALLY GREAT TEACHER ONE OF YOUR POWERS? ‘CAUSE I AM IN AWE. HP WELL, TEACHING YOU’S AS FUN AS MAKING ANIMALS COMBUST! REMINGTON THANK YOU…THAT’S A COMPLIMENT, I TRUST? HP/REMINGTON PERFECT TIMES ELEVEN, A UNIVERSAL LOTTERY WIN! NATURALLY MORE DISPOSED TO FREE THE ENERGY WITHIN! TIME AND SPACE WILL JUMBLE AND CRUMBLE AT MY HAND I’M A GLITCH IN THE MATRIX WITH REALITY AT MY COMMAND! HP Now, concentrate! Feel it build up inside you until every cell of your body feels like it’s screaming! REMINGTON Ahhhh! This shit hurts! HP And let it go! (REMINGTON propels her hands forward in one strenuous motion. There’s a whooshing noise and the inside of the trash can is now impressively aflame.) HP That’s it! REMINGTON That was my best one so far! HP/REMINGTON WE’RE PERFECT TIMES ELEVEN! A ONCE-IN-A-BLUE-MOON CHANCE, WE'RE EXISTENT AND ALIVE AGAINST ALL CIRCUMSTANCE! HP IT’S GREAT TO BE BETTER THAN HUMAN! REMINGTON EH. IT’S OKAY. IT’S GREAT TO LIVE WITH YOU IN THIS ABANDONED ALLEYWAY! HP/REMINGTON PERFECT TIMES ELEVEN, A UNIVERSAL LOTTERY WIN! NATURALLY MORE DISPOSED TO FREE THE ENERGY WITHIN! TIME AND SPACE WILL JUMBLE AND CRUMBLE AT MY HAND I’M A GLITCH IN THE MATRIX WITH REALITY AT MY COMMAND! (REMINGTON, perhaps spurred by the vigor of the musical number, is ready to go apeshit with the fire. She concentrates on the pizza box.) REMINGTON’S VOICES AHH! (She manages to set the pizza box on fire.) HP Yes! Nice! REMINGTON’S VOICES AHH! (REMINGTON manages to start a fire from somewhere inside the Domino’s — we can see a faint flicker through the window.) HP You’re doing so good! REMINGTON’S VOICES AHH! (REMINGTON sets all of the nearby Dumpster’s contents on fire. Spectacular!) HP Fantastic! (REMINGTON victoriously embraces HP, who attempts to spin her around. REMINGTON then takes HP’s hand. They skip around a little/dance giddily amid the blaze.) HP/REMINGTON PERFECT TIMES ELEVEN, A UNIVERSAL LOTTERY WIN! NATURALLY MORE DISPOSED TO FREE THE ENERGY WITHIN! TIME AND SPACE WILL JUMBLE AND CRUMBLE AT MY HAND I’M A GLITCH IN THE MATRIX WITH THE WORLD AT MY COMMAND! (pausing in a triumphant pose center stage) PERFECT TIMES ELEVEN PERFECT TIMES ELEVEN PERFECT TIMES ELEVEN! (REMINGTON and HP freeze in their triumphant pose. Somewhere behind them, a burning piece of cardboard unceremoniously falls out of the Dumpster. Blackout.)

[girlwithshipsshitshow]

Part 20

(Eri got off the train walking the ten blocks to Rose’s house, after she parted with the boys she went back to their house got her stuff, (she had an extra extra  she wasn’t dumb, but she would give it back to Usagi, he didn’t want her to have it, but she was glad she did today), she then made her way to the train that led Rose’s house. She just gotten a text from her saying she was getting off work in an hour, so Eri was going to surprise her with a simple meal of shrimp fried rice, it wouldn't be much, but it was something. Eri smiled to herself as she unlocked the door, placed her things down and started the meal. She decided to video call the boys to see how their day went. 

Misaki: Hey Eri.

Eri: (Squints), Where are ya’ll

Usagi: HI, we’re at a diner

Eri: Why?

Usagi: This is where we were meeting Takahiro, we got into a fight and-

Misaki: Things didn’t end well and we ended up staying here talking about what we want our new house to look like. (he smiled kissing Usagi on the cheek). So what are you up too? 

Eri: Cooking shrimp fried rice for Rose and I, she should be home soon. 

Usagi: Cool, speaking off home, Misaki and I should get going, we’ve been here for almost two hours, you two have fun.

Misaki: Bye Eri!, say hi to Rose for us!.

(The two hung up and Eri went back to cooking, she was just finishing plating when Rose walked in the door)

Rose: Wow, it smells amazing in here. (She walked over to Eri giving her a small kiss or her cheek). Hi

Eri: Hi, I missed you, how has work been? (She turned around wrapping her arms around Rose’s neck).

Rose: Good, what have you been up too? (she pressed her lips to Eri’s, smiling against her lips).

Eri: Hanging with the boys.

Rose: how are they?

Eri: Okay, there’s some stuff going on, but they can handle it. (smiles), so are you hungry?

Rose: Yeah!, 

(the two walk over to the high-top counter, digging into the amazing meal Eri made, talking about the time they spent apart, they missed each other a lot, and were glad to be back in each others presence).

(Manami stood with her finger hovering above the intercom button, Mahiro was running around the lobby, he was excited, he wanted to see his uncle).

Mahiro: Mommy, hurry!

Manami: Mahiro, give me a second honey. (She sighed pressing the button on the intercom, Usagi answered, his laugh dying down).

Usagi: Manami?, what are you doing here? 

Manami: Takahiro said some really offensive stuff, can we stay here awhile? 

Usagi: Sure, come on up. 

(Usagi unlocked the door, Manami stepped back, taking Mahiro’s hand, they were up they elevator and in the penthouse mudroom  in no time, Mahiro ran into the house, without taking off his shoes).

Manami: Mahiro! shoes! (she slid her shoes off taking of after him), She smiled when she saw her son in sitting in Usagi’s lap, Misaki holding the young boys hand. He squirmed while Usagi struggled to take off Mahiro’s shoes). 

Usagi: Mahiro, stay still, I need to take your shoes off.

Mahiro: I wanna play Unagi!

Usagi: Okay, okay. (He finally got the shoes off), but can you put your shoes in the mudroom first?

Mahiro: ‘kay, (He smiled jumping off Usagi’s lap with his shoes, running into the mudroom, coming back into the living room with his backpack full of toys, dumping them onto the floor, they fell everywhere.) Don’t worry.  (He looked at Usagi’s shocked face), I’ll clean up.

Usagi: Okay, thank you.

Mahiro: Welcome. (He picks up a dinosaur, studies it, and begins to draw it). 

Manami: (She finally walks over to the boys), Wow Usami, you look like a real dad.

Misaki: (He smiles, rubbing his leg), Yeah, I think he would be a good dad some day.

Usagi: I just want to prove it to you. 

Misaki: You have time you know, when we have kids, it’ll be after we get married.

Usagi: WHEN 

Misaki: Yeah, (he had tears in his eyes), I think I want to have kids with you.

Usagi: (Grins, He throws his arms around the smaller boy hugging him tightly), I love you.

Misaki: I love you too. (He pulls away, pushing hair out of Usagi’s eyes). You really are amazing. 

Usagi: So are you.

Manami: So, I hate interrupt this moment, but I think I should talk about why I’m here, and you aren’t going to like it so much. 

(They all looked down  at Mahiro, who was still focusing on his drawing of the Dinosaur it looked pretty good for a three and half year old.)  

Usagi: Wow Mahiro, you’re a great artist bud. 

 Mahiro: Thanks. 

Manami: Can we go to the kitchen table to talk? 

(The boys nodded, and they all made their way to the table, leaving Mahiro focused on his work).

Manami: (She folded her hands together, sitting across from the boys), I do I put this gently?  Um, Takahiro doesn’t like you guys together because, He doesn’t like the fact that Misaki is gay.

Usagi: He actually said that?

Manami: Mhmm

Misaki: Okay, (He took Usagi’s hand), We, uh kinda had a feeling, but we weren’t sure. 

Usagi: What else did he say? 

Manami: That Misaki should be normal. 

Misaki: (Clears his throat), Um, I’m going to-uh (he stands up knocking the chair over, making his way over to the balcony, struggling to open the door).

Usagi: (Stands up), Misaki? 

Misaki: (opens door), No, I’m fine, I just need air. (steps out onto the balcony, leaning against the brick wall),

Usagi: (Walks out, standing behind him), Misaki. 

Misaki: I already knew, (turns around, eyes filled with tears), so why does it hurt so much? 

Usagi: Oh, sweetie, (He pulls Misaki to him, running his fingers through his hair),  I’m so sorry, (they sunk to ground against the brick wall, Usagi held him in his arms tightly, while the younger boy sobbed in his chest.) 

Misaki: What, (sobs), are, (sobs), we, (sobs), we, (sobs), gonna, (sobs), do?

Usagi: We’ll figure it out we always do, I know it’s different this time but. (sighs), it’ll be okay.

Misaki: He (Shudders), hurt me. (sobs), hurt us. (leans back, looks at Usagi), Sorry, um- heh.

Usagi: (Wipes Misaki’s eyes), Why are YOU apologizing, it should be your brother. 

Misaki: For crying. 

Usagi: You cry all the time. Like when we make love.

Misaki: (Blushes), It’s beautiful, I can’t help it.

Usagi: (Kisses forehead) I know.

Misaki: But, mostly I’m sorry for acting the same way my brother did in the beginning of our relationship. I was experiencing a lot of  internalized homophobia, I took  it out and you and myself, it took me a while to come to terms with who I really was, and longer to say that I loved you, when I knew I did.  I would  always used the “oh, we’re both Japanese men” as that was an excuse, because it’s not like that would make my feelings for you go away, and even I said I was raised normal. (He shook his head chuckling),  I became fully aware of what I was doing, and admitting to you, and myself that I only want to be with you for the rest of my life, I said that to friends, people we know, your family, my family. I knew my brother would have problem because I was dating you, his best friend, or eh, that you were dating me. His problem his that I’m gay, he needs to deal with that. (He looks up at Usagi), What if he can’t? 

Usagi: (sighs, pulls Misaki closer into his lap), We will deal with that, would you cut him out? 

Misaki: I think we might have to, if he can’t come to terms with me being gay, uh, m- my own happiness. I really hope he comes around. D-d you think that. he just doesn’t like that I’m gay?

Usagi: I don’t know baby. 

Misaki: He had all these ideas for me you know? He wanted me to have a wife, and raise a family, I think that might be what upsets him the most, that I-

Usagi: That you won’t be doing it normally? 

Misaki: Ugh, I hate that word, Normal, what does that even mean now? everyone has their own idea of it. We live in a world, we’re everyone should be accepted for who they are. 

Usagi: Unfortunately, people aren’t so accepting. But our normal is the two of  us getting married, being in love, raising a family. That’s what our idea of being a family is, everyone as their own idea of it, even if people don’t always accept it. I don’t care what someone thinks about us, do you?

Misaki: I used to, but I don’t now, I  just want to be happy, and I truly am. 

Usagi: (Smiles, kisses Misaki on his head hugging him tightly), I love you so much sweetheart). 

Misaki: I love you too.

(Manami put the last of the dishes away, while the boys sat on floor playing with Mahiro, Misaki turned to look at Manami, smiling at her).

Misaki: You didn’t have to do that.

Manami: I know, but I made dinner so I felt like I should do the dishes too.

Misaki: You’re our guest, we should be making diner for you.

Manami: I really  don’t mind. (she grinned, making her way over to the living room floor), Mahiro, It’s time to clean up and take a bath. 

Mahiro: Okay, (he stuffed his toys into his bag, leaving out his stuffed elephant, then stood up taking his moms hand, as the walked into the bathroom).

Usagi: He’s a good kid.

Misaki: I know. (He stood up stretching, picking up the elephant), I’m going to put this in the guest room. 

Usagi: Misaki, (He stood up, taking Misaki’s hand, staring into his eyes, placing his other hand on Misaki’s face he titled his head back softly pressing his lips to his. He pulled away giving a tiny smile), I just love you so much. 

Misaki: I love you babe. 

Usagi: Hey um, (He ran his hands trough Misaki’s hair).

Misaki: (Laughs), Yeah?

Usagi: I just wanted to run my hands through your hair, it’s really soft.

Misaki: I love when you do it, It relaxes me.

Usagi: (He grinned), I know. Um, you can go take that up now.

Misaki: (Giggles), okay. (he sprints up the room as the phone rings).

Usagi: (Walks over to the landline, picking up the phone), Hello... What do you want? 

[leeknow-bestboy]

If You Close One Eye - Chapter One

Ships: Han Jisung | Han/Lee Minho | Lee Know, Bang Chan/Yang Jeongin | I.N, If you really squint you can notice Lix is into Binnie, Hyunjin was into everyone once

Characters: All the kids, The ex kid isn't here I edited him out, Other Character Tags to Be Added

Trigger warnings: panic attack, ptsd, original character death, homophobia, original character cheating, descriptive imagery.

Word count: 5277

Chapter: 1/?

Next chapter 

Tags: Murder Mystery, amateur detective minho, Soulmates, not your typical soulmate AU, Alternate Universe - College/University, Slow Burn, Slow Build, good things take time let it slowburn, minho is singlehandedly responsible for the slow burn so blame him, no soulmates in this universe only they are, criminology student minho, art student jisung, POV Third Person, chan deserves better and he does indeed get better don't worry, art references please look stuff up, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, best sibling bond ever.

"If you close one eye, you can see what your soulmate sees"

Born with one eye an unnatural golden color, Minho and Jisung have been forced to cover them up with colored lenses in order to blend into society.

The magic to their eyes? Even they still didn't know.

This is the story of how criminology major and dance minor Lee Minho found himself hopelessly in love with the serial killer, local artist Han.

[Alternatively, let's see how long I can make these two dumbasses pine without one of them snapping. Edit: they finally did]

[Also WARNING: a HUGE amount of Jeongchan ahead, it's not subtle at all! So much fluff--]

As per usual, the playground was packed; children of all ages ran wild, squalling and laughing like the little menaces they were- all of them avoiding a short kid who couldn't be older than five, seated at the very end of the sandbox and holding back tears of offense and loneliness.

It's not that he got bullied, he wasn't. His mom raised a tough kid who'd bite back when he's bit, but no one would play with him now. Not with how he looks, they'd rather scream and run.

Five year olds shouldn't worry about that.

Rubbing his left eye- the good one, he could see a woman's shoulder and hair. Her smile, bright and comforting, wording out a song with no sound.

"Jisung!" His mother's voice rang aloud, recognizable and warm in the hostile environment.

"Baby," She called again, finding him and wrapping her son in her arms. For the moment, there was no strange woman- only his own mother.

Jisung sniffled. "I hate people." -These words that shouldn't be said by a child flowed so easily from his lips, as if it was the only reasonable conclusion.

"We need to talk about something" his mother's voice, once excited and lively sounded utterly defeated. Little did he know, it was the last time. Years of telling him he's perfect just the way he is, special and unique in a good way, definitely- have ended up making no difference in the end.

That day, he learned to put on contact lenses.

.

"I know you're upset about the divorce, but you have to accept that it happened."

The woman's voice, high pitched and unpleasant, drove Minho ever so slightly closer to the edge. By now he knew no adult in the world would ever take him seriously, so what was the point in sitting here and listening to her talk?

The woman pursed her lips, plump and telling of the many times they went under the scalpel. Tapping her foot, she hazily reminded Minho of his own mother when scolding was due.

"If you don't talk to me, that's fine. Nothing's going to change. I get paid by the hour you know, I can do this all day."

That being said, she was probably stressed- no therapist had ever gotten Minho to talk, he's been changing doctors since his hallucinations began, which adds to a little over three years now.

"Minho, I can't help you like this. Tell your mother I give up."

A sense of dread spread over the eight years old. Again, another adult doesn't get it. Another one giving up on him, leaving, and suddenly he wanted her to stay. Pretty badly he did, at the time.

"I don't care that my parents broke up, I've been seeing monsters all day"

The woman blinked, stunned into silence. At the tinge of tears he rubbed his right eye- and there it was, certain as ever; drawn with a sharpie, people with horns. In a moment, a pair of hands that weren't his took the drawing away and pulled out a new one, drawing harshly a sad smiley face.

Although he was a big boy, he cried right then, scared out of his mind and very confused. He cried so hard it almost slipped off- the contact lens hiding his mother's disgrace.

Looking up, the woman made no effort to comfort or dissolve his fright. Rather, she was scribbling down the whole ordeal. Taking notes, furiously assessing and picking him apart, she finished her analysis smugly and said,

"It's time we get you a prescription, my dear"

And that was definitely not the last of it.

.

"Oppa"

Minho groaned lowly, alerting the speaker to the fact he's been woken from sleep.

"Minho oppa!" the voice persisted. Fully intent on hanging up, Minho side glanced at the caller id to make sure it wasn't important.

"Motherfucker!" the voice on the other end rose. From the corner of the bed Doongie meowed, alarmed.

"Freaking shrimp, what do you think you're calling your oppa?" He blurted. This isn't a call he should skip.

"Egg laying bastard! Answer me when I call you!" His sister's comforting voice trickled out.

"Gremlin twarp!"

"ballerina!"

"Whiny child!"

"Prune old man!"

"spoiled princess!"

"Mean hoe!"

"-!" Wheeze.

"I got you, you horrible gay bitch"

"We're both gay, Ryu" He threw back.

It's been a while since she last called.

"Well, you live alone, so I assume you're doing much gayer things than I can do at home."

Minho started, failing to hold back his horrified gasp. "Ryujin, you're eighteen!" He exclaimed. It seemed like yesterday she was still following him around, like some baby duckling.

"She's being mean Doongie, like you three don't count." He added, Ryujin electing to ignore his comment.

"How's dance going?" her tone changed, turning softer. For all their differences, dance for sure has always been something both loved and loved together. From copying idols on TV, to taking ballet and hiphop together, Jazz too.

"I'm not in college for dance and you know it" He groaned, immediately softening as well.

"I miss it a lot. I wish I could do more than minor in it.." On the other side of the call Ryujin hummed, understanding. She has always known his passion best.

"You're good at what you do too. You'd make a kickass detective." She claimed.

"I'm not taking criminology to be a detective." Why she had to be reminded was beyond him. If anything he aimed to be an officer, someone to tell kids off if they mess with the neighborhood cats.

"I'm just saying you could be!" She defended- which wasn't wrong, if he played job openings right. He did have a knack for picking apart mystery books too, but that was nothing out of the usual.

"How's grad life?" He asked with genuine interest. Nothing could ever matter to him more.

"I asked Chelle out, finally." She said, and Minho couldn't help but notice the edge evident in her voice.

"What happened? Did she let you down? Should I come over?" The questions left his lips before he could consider them, worry clouding over him.

"No, it's nothing like that. She said yes, but.. Yeah, oppa, I really wish you were here. I need to talk to you, face to face. Mom misses you too." She ended lamely. It was so unlike her, Minho couldn't find it in him to correct the fact that it was only Ryu's mom and not his.

"Tell her I'll be visiting tonight then, I'll go get ready." He said, fully intent on making the sudden drive over. It was only a two hour ride over to his father's, where Ryujin and his step mother lived too. If he headed out now, he could make it before dinner.

"Really? You don't have to, I know you hate it here-" Her attempts of taking it back wouldn't work once he set his mind to do something.

"Really really. I miss my stinky troll sister too," He insisted. No way was he leaving her be. The moment something felt off with her, he knew he had to go make sure she's fine; there aren't many things as precious in his life as she is.

"Dumbass," she relented, voice worryingly relieved. "I'll go tell mom."

He smiled, tapping his nail on the headboard, now sitting up at his bed. "Bye"

She huffed, pausing for a moment before giving her last reply. "Goodbye, oppa. I love you."

.

Minho sighed, leaning his forehead against the steering wheel.

For what little time he spent at his father's place, a surprising amount of bad memories were made. Up until his teen years he wouldn't even enter, and every time after that made for a rich history; first panic attack, first time breaking a leg falling down the stairs, coming out, taking Ryu to junior prom- door shut in his face that time, claiming she was grounded for beating up the neighbor's son. First time stung by a bee, and that weekend when his father's doberman puppy bit him in play, tore open his front lip and got sent to a dog pound despite his protest.

'Come on,' he thought. 'You can do this. Count to three-' and at three he did, opened his car door and walked up through the front gate.

"Minho! How lovely to see you." Smiled his step mom, a warm, if not a tad unnerving woman.

"Nice to so see you too. How have you been?" He asked, clean-cut manners kicking in. Dal and Byul had meanwhile made their way running over to the door, immediately rubbing against him with some level of desperation. He leaned down, rubbing Dal's small head.

"I've been well, your father too- that's right! Honey, come say hi to Minho." The short, lean woman called, still blocking the entrance to the oversized house and keeping Minho at the door. Whether this was on purpose shall forever remain a mystery- she did it every time.

"That brat has nothing to do in this house" His father's voice warmed over.

"Hi dad." He tried still, calling over the woman's shoulder. "Can I come in?"

Said obstacle smiled, moving aside at last. "Of course sweetie, Ryujin will be right over."

Taking that exchange for what it was, he made fast pace towards the kitchen. Avoiding his father has become a praised skill by now, a crucial one by all means.

"Dallie, Byulie, psps" he tried, pleased when both ran on over towards his outstretched hand. Two more allies at the ready.

Light steps cleared the remaining discomfort sullying his mood in short moments. "You!" A pair of arms tightened around his shoulders, prompting Minho to lift his little sister in a piggyback.

"You too!" He answered, relieved at feeling welcomed at last.

"I can't believe you actually came. Did you tell your mother you're over?" She asked, tactless as ever. He loves her a whole lot for that, too.

"She's not the boss of me, I'm twenty one" He announced, eyes closed in a content smile as his sister gently pet his hair like a cat.

"What about me? I'm almost nineteen, I wish I was free like you, Lino!" Exclaimed Ryujin, but really she didn't. There was a certain freedom gained from nobody caring about you that no one should be jealous of.

Letting her hop back onto the ground, Minho kept the smile on his face. She seemed fine, but he could tell better. Still, they couldn't talk before dinner- the pots and pans at the stovetop smelled just about ready, after all.

Instead he turned to face her, petting her head lovingly like she had his. "What's this? This tiny Ryuddaeng's nineteen? No way."

"Almost!" she growled. "Next month I'll be."

"Where have the times gone?" he questioned, shoving her playfully at the comments of "old man".

.

Dinner went as uncomfortably as expected, his father and he had behaved remarkably well- hadn't spoken a word to each other throughout. Minho ate neatly, made sure to compliment his step mother for every dish, and Ryujin helped by washing them after. All in all, it was successful unlike many dinners before.

Making way to the guest bedroom, Minho paused at the sight of his sister's door left slightly open. Right, yes- this would be a good time.

Knocking quietly, he waited for permission before entering and closing the door, waiting for Byul to enter alongside him. "Are you alright?"

Ryujin nodded, glancing up at him and back to the floor. He took that as a sign to take a seat down on her fancy dragon themed carpet.

"Are you really alright? Ryujin, I know we're not great communicators, but I'm still very worried. Is it dad?" At that his sister shook her head, taking a deep breath.

"Don't get mad, but I have a huge favor. You know Chelle, I swore I'll ask her out when I graduate and I did, but she…" Minho crossed and uncrossed his legs, chin finding its place resting on a knee. Byul purred, rubbing against it.

"She's missing. She's been missing for two weeks now, no one knows where she is." She explained, voice stern.

"I don't think she ran away, but her parents keep saying she did. She said nothing to me." She added, hoping he'd fill in the rest on his own.

"They're not filling in for missing person?" He asked, worry making his back stress and ace.

Ryujin nodded. "I know she's the bad girl type, but she wasn't into drugs and her friends seem fine. I keep trying to ask around but I can't, what if something serious happened?"

Minho nodded, realizing where he comes in. "You want me to investigate? See where that takes us?" He asked. For sure, that should be the police's job- but with her parents saying she ran away, would they even bother?

Ryujin kept quiet, eyes burning holes into Minho's. This was her crush, a big one- he's never liked Chelle, but now? If Ryujin cares that much… sure. It's not something he should be messing with legally, and a new project to be added atop his ever growing college work, but he'd do it for her. "Okay."

"Okay?" Ryujin asked back, relieved.

"Yes. I'll do it." He assured.

Ryujin's features softened farther, mouth breaking into a smile. "You're my new favorite person."

Minho smiled lightly, mind running full speed. "I need details. When and where she was last seen, and about her; exes, Instagram, friends and hangouts."

Ryujin's smile faded. Nonetheless she turned, pulling a notebook out of her bedside drawer.

Scribbling away the details he requested, she paused to ask a couple questions before turning back to her chore. "I know less than I thought." She admitted.

"That's fine, but I have a few more. How was her mental state, where did she study, was she on meds and did she mention any places?"

This kept on for a few hours, ending after they let an annoyed Byul out of the room - with Ryujin tiredly announcing that her brain is fried and he can ask the rest over chat when he's back in college. On his end, Minho learned one important thing:

This girl was not who she seemed to be.

.

Back at his apartment, Minho re-read all eleven papers of info they've gathered. On the way he's prepared a list of places to visit, only two of which stemmed from the info Ryujin herself had given him. Other than the school and family bistro down the street, it seemed the two have never gone out together, although Chelle was one to do so.

Good, he thought.

Scrolling through her Instagram, he noted which followers seemed to comment more, and who would show most often on highlights. Her latest post have been boring- it was landscape art of what he assumed to be a tall grass field on the outskirts of seoul. Around three months back he found a picture of some guy at the beach, shirt off and abs in clear view. Seeing as he looked nothing like Chelle, it would seem they weren't related.

Sorting through the packed comment section, someone's request to take it down stood out. Tapping on the person's icon, he realized that was probably the guy in the picture, although the account was made private. An ex? That would make a good trail.

Not having an account himself, by now Minho has used Ryujin's, but to follow guys it would seem he needs his own account.

Setting up all the necessities, he took a nice picture of Dori and made it his profile, sending the guy a follow request right away.

Now we wait.

.

"Oppa, if you have no photos or description and no followers, and he doesn't know you, did you really expect he'd approve your request?" Ryujin's laughter trickled through the speakers, as if it's been obvious. "You're going to have to find him." She pointed, before hesitantly adding, "Or I can-"

"No." Minho said, stern. "This guy could be Chelle's ex, he might be really dangerous! You don't get to follow his Instagram."

Ryujin sighed, and Minho got the sudden mental image of her rubbing the bridge of her nose as she did. "You have friends right? Ask one of them." She advised.

"I need to go, dad said I can't go out unless I finish these applications." She explained, hanging up after a round of goodbyes.

Right. He did! He has friends.

Picking his phone back up, Minho scrolled his contacts looking for either Felix or Hyunjin. The two weren't in his major, but they shared a dance class. Out of the student body, they were closest to his definition of friends.

A couple rings went by before the line picked up. "Hyung? Hello!" Felix's cheerful voice calmed the older's nerves ever so slightly.

"Felix, hi." He answered, trying to seem casual. "How are you?"

Felix took a moment before responding. "I'm great! I'm actually out with Chan hyung, is something up?"

"Who?" Minho asked, confused.

Felix took another moment. "Bang Chan. He's a fourth year in sociology, I don't think you'll know him."

Minho came close to a sob right then. "Can you pass him the phone?"

"Yeah sure." Felix agreed immediately, followed by ruttling sounds.

"Hello?" A voice sounded, accent similar to Felix's own.

"Hi! My name is Minho, I followed you on Instagram a couple days ago."

A short silence. "Oh my god." Chan exclaimed.

"No, never mind that, I need to talk to you." He rephrased.

"I have no idea who you are." Chan replied, confused.

"It's about Chelle." Minho added, hoping to learn anything from the other's reply.

"Oh." Was all he got. "Okay, I guess we should meet sometime then. How is she?"

The question caught Minho off guard.

"I, I'll tell you more when we meet. When are you free?" he asked, quickly seeking out a pen and scribbling the time and date on his wrist, phone squeezed between his ear and shoulder.

"Yeah, sounds great! See you then." He concluded, getting passed back to Felix and thanking him profoundly before hanging up.

"In my own college." He muttered after the phone found its place back on the table.

"Unbelievable."

.

Not many people occupied the café, despite its convenient location not far off the olympic park. For that reason Minho concluded, the coffee there probably sucked.

It wasn't his intention to show fifteen minutes early, but his nerves got the best of him, taking shape in miserable pacing until he deemed it late enough to leave his apartment already. Worst case scenarios running through his mind, he wasn't expecting it as someone took seat in the chair opposite of his.

"Hello. It's Minho, right?" Asked the stranger, dimples forming in an awkward smile.

"Ah." Minho voiced dumbly before quickly picking himself up adding,

"You're Chan?"

In the short time that passed between first learning of Chan's existence and actually seeing him, Minho's mind managed to fill with expectations and fears, all of which shattered right in that moment.

First of all, the guy in the picture had very defined abs and arm muscles, making it seem as if he'd be your average muscle-head, someone who could pull apart limbs off boys like Minho- a description that apparently had nothing in common with the hesitant and awkward person in front of him. Rather, he found that this Chan was a tad shorter than him, barely filling the light gray sweater he threw on.

Secondly, while the photo showed a man with straight dark brown hair, the man in front of him had soft blond curls that seemed so, so fluffy- invoking a primal urge to pet them in, Minho assumed, not only himself, but also every innocent bystander.

Lastly, by the amount of english in his Instagram description, one would expect an obvious accent, but that had been proven false on the phone call anyway. Regardless, Minho imagined a foreigner, so seeing his face up close had been a surprise on its own, especially considering the smile… he was, how would he put it? Cute.

"Yeah! Nice to meet you. I was worrying I'd be early, but it's good to see you are too." Minho could only half process the words, a glance at his phone telling him they both still had around ten minutes before the planned meetup time.

"Right! Right, I wanted to talk to you." Minho started, forcibly clearing his mind of any strange thoughts.

"You said it was about Chelle? I assume you're her new boyfriend?" Chan asked, voice a bit strained.

"No, It's not like that. I wanted to know if you've heard from her for the last couple weeks." Minho replied, quick to correct him so to not make things needlessly awkward. Right, he thought- Chan still might have had something to do with this girl's disappearance.

"Oh, well, I actually hadn't, I try not to do that anymore. We didn't end things on good terms." Chan confessed, picking Minho's interest.

"What happened?" He asked, worries picking back up.

Chan paused. "Are you her friend? This kind of thing is a little personal, I don't want it to affect your friendship."

Minho blinked, thinking up a smaller scale storm. "I live in her neighborhood. We're not very close, but some things happened that made me look for you."

Chan hesitated, saved by the waiter's interruption asking which drinks the two would have. Still suspicious, Minho only ordered a small iced americano, Chan matching with a small iced tea.

"You probably know we dated for around two months, it ended after I found she was cheating for a long time."

Minho's breath hitched, dangerously close to choking on his coffee. "She cheated on you?"

Chan's expression fluttered before he nodded, sheepish smile back on. "Kind of pathetic, isn't it? I couldn't hold her attention. At least, the others didn't know."

Minho gaped, unsure how to handle the new information. Chelle, the girl Ryujin asked him to look for. Was that her true nature? "What do you mean others?"

Chan's embarrassment grew, yet he didn't look away. "We were around.. five, I think.. that I know of. I followed her for a bit."

The awkwardness settled, leaving both speechless.

"Okay, I'm really sorry but I still need to ask you a couple more things." Minho was the first to break the silence.

"Go ahead." Chan smiled in relief.

"Were you mad? Wait, no- Can you think of anyone who could have held a grudge against her? More than, I guess, this."

Chan shook his head. "She's a really nice girl! She has some serious issues, but I liked her a lot at the time."

Minho bit his lip, ready to push on. "Chan, I'm going to be honest with you.. Chelle's been missing for over two weeks now."

If Chan was drinking at the moment, it would have been his turn to choke. "What?" he asked, voice steady.

"I got in touch with you because right now, nobody knows where she is. Or someone does know, but I don't" Minho explained, hoping his message went through alright.

"Are you sure she's not ghosting you? She might be." Chan offered. Minho stiffened. If Chelle was fine, if she was ghosting his sister- there will be hell to pay.

"I don't think so?" he continued anyway.

"I can't remember a specific person who would want to hurt her, but.. God, I'm worried. Chelle's gone? Like, kidnapped or.." Chan paused, taking deep breaths.

"If you have any information on where she could be, it would help a lot. I don't know her well, I'm not sure who else to ask either." Minho added.

"What do you want to know?" Chan asked, worry clouding his face in an unpleasant way. Minho almost felt, scratch that- he did feel really bad for the guy.

"Hangouts, friends, habits, names of other exes- mental state too, it's a little invasive but I can't find her otherwise." Chan stared, eye contact with Minho intensifying as neither averted their gaze.

"Okay." Chan replied after a while. "I don't really know you, but I guess it suits her. If anything happened, I wouldn't expect an officer anyway."

Slightly disturbed, Minho pulled his notes from his bag, offering Chan a big sheet of paper. Just like that, the two had begun- Just as Minho had with Ryujin before.

"I can't help with other Exes, I don't know any of their names. I do know where she hangs out usually." Chan supplied helpfully.

"Chelle, she's very into art. She thinks her art, only hers, is the best of the best. She considers herself an undiscovered gem, that kind of mentality. She'll do anything for exposure, and she likes compliments a lot." Chan bit his lip, pausing in his writing.

"She's not on good terms with her parents, and sometimes I remember, she said she wanted to run away. She has horrible mood swings, but when she's happy she can be the sweetest, most considerate person in the world. I think she had too much love in her, that's why…" Chan trailed off, sighing before shaking his head and writing down some more details.

"I'm not okay with that, you know? It's the worst kind of betrayal, but I'm still so worried. I never wanted anything to happen to her, I don't wish that for anyone." Minho hummed, recalling back on his previous suspicion, how ridiculous it seemed now to think that of this person.

So it went on, the two of them coming up with important details and question marks to jot down. Before they knew it the sky turned dark, an impatient barista politely asking them to leave.

"You have my number, right?" Chan asked.

"I don't." Minho replied, glad Chan remembered. The two exchanged phones, filling in their details with some hesitation.

"Call me if you need anything, or if you find her." Chan added, eyes glinting under the streetlights.

"You too, call me if you remember anything important." Minho replied, parting with a wave goodbye and heading towards the bus station.

It was only on his way back that he recalled their first exchange through the phone, and how stupid it had been to expect anything else from a friend of Felix's, of all people.

Groaning lowly, Minho moved his bag up, staring at the paper pile stuffed inside it neatly. Ahead was, he expected, a night full of reading- all 38 new pages of details about this girl, who he found himself liking less and less with every passing statement.

.

Over an extended time period Minho had found himself visiting many different places to no avail. He tried asking around, dropping Chelle's name here and there for good measures, but it seemed that the girl had vanished into thin air. Her only legacy had been the outrageous rumors surrounding her name, such as dating kids much younger than herself and having sex to get her way in the art world. Really, Minho should have stopped there- he wanted nothing to do with this girl anymore, was happy even; happy that she didn't get to lay her hands on his sister. Yet he couldn't stop thinking, this girl.. She was missing, it was real, and not one soul other than him have made a single attempt to locate her. How could he give up now?

It had been a long day- visiting a bar from the list in the morning before moving to a café nearby and finishing one of his assignments, Minho decided to follow up on Chelle's tracks. Twelve days have passed since his meeting with Chan, and although his anxiety kept getting worse, the list of things to check kept getting shorter with every lead he crossed out.

This one had honestly been a lame lead, but he wanted to make the most out of it- a short trip out of seoul, to a grass patch stretching a couple miles that was similar to the one he saw on her Instagram. If he couldn't find her with anyone's help, he thought- maybe he should try to think like her more. This girl, where would she go? Who would she meet? What would she do? And for that this practice was important, too.

The land stretched, tall grass for as far as the eye could see. He roamed around, looking at the tall buildings that made his home from afar. From here, definitely- he recognized the scenery as the one she drew that time. Stepping back through the grass, it didn't make much of a difference from how far he's already been, but the moment felt special somehow.

Minho breathed in, a strong breeze blowing from the front and carrying the dust and pollution of the city with it. Bad air, even this far back. At least it was silent, no cars, no birds either- it felt peaceful. Minho stepped back again, pulling out his phone, intending to take a photo. A couple more steps back, and he tripped- landing on his butt in the grass.

It was there that he found her.

.

Jisung stretched, back aching after sleeping in so late.

"Good morning, and good luck falling back asleep at a normal hour." Seungmin commented. True that, Jisung managed to mess his sleep schedule pretty badly. Good thing it was friday.

Standing up, he considered responding before giving up and making his way to the kitchen.

"Ji," Seungmin spoke up once more,

"At least brush your teeth. I'm your roommate, not your mom- I shouldn't have to tell you this!" His voice, although annoyed, remained calm. He did have a point.

"Okay mom." Jisung replied, deadpan. Without another word he turned, entering the bathroom and picking up his toothbrush to do as instructed.

Life as an art major was hard- he had so much work to do in little time, and the pressure made it feel a little like a job. Nowadays his minor in music made for the only stress reliever he could put time into without guilt, and he wondered if maybe he should have chosen it for major instead. Useless thinking about it now, anyway.

Jisung went on brushing, releasing a small whine at the thought of his next assignment. Whatever- he rolled his eyes, raising a hand to rub the remains of sleep away.

Tall grass, the clear view of seoul from afar- blurring, moving, fast as if he was struck by lightning.

The toothbrush clinked loudly against the sink as it dropped, leaving Jisung with the reflection of himself in the mirror, left hand raised. He made quick way, spitting the paste and powerwalking back to their room, brushing against Seungmin on his way there.

"Jisung? Jisung, you can't just leave this here." Seungmin bristled, pausing at the sight of Jisung pulling out his sketchbook with the craze of someone going through a revelation.

He sighed, recognizing the scene in front of him. "Inspiration struck?"

Jisung hummed, wiping his mouth and beginning to sketch. This happened every once in a while, it was one of the things that made Jisung… well, Jisung.

"I'll clean up. Should I order takeout?" Seungmin asked, affection sneaking into his voice. He's a bit weird, but sometimes he was cute too.

"Thank you, please." Jisung replied absentmindedly, focused on the paper.

"I will. Okay." Seungmin concluded, fishing his phone out to call his favorite fast food handler.

To them, after all, it was nothing more than an average friday night.

[kpopchangedme]

Im Jaebeom | Pregnancy!au [M]

Jaebeom read so many baby-related books he's forgotten how to enjoy some simple pleasures... (Oh, and you are obviously cranky and hormonal but he knows better than to tell you that!)

Protagonists: Im Jaebeom & You

Word Count: 2.4k

Genre: NSFW - Newly Weds - Romance - Angst - Pregnancy - Pregnancy sex- Smut || [Drabble 2k]

Prompts: “I can’t help the fact that I’m so goddamn moody all the freaking time” + “Should have gotten a puppy.” [Anon]

Lyly's note: Is this sexy pregnancy!au worthy of Things I Wish I Knew or what? lol. Pregnant ladies, go get some! ;)

GOT7 | M.list

You let out a loud swear, stepping on a phone charger someone has somehow abandoned in the middle of the living room. It freaking hurts, like a tiny torture device, tore the sensitive skin of your foot. Of course, when you sit on the couch to examine it, it looks perfectly fine. 

“Should've gotten a damn puppy,” You curse again under your breath, unreasonably livid. 

Instantly, the guilty party's head pops out of the doorframe to his office. “Honey!” Jaebeom considers you from head to toe in outrage, “The Shrimp has ears.”

That's his thing now that the third-semester started; obsessing about auditory development and what the baby is able to hear. Swears, news coverage of dramatic events and loud quarrels are strictly prohibited. He plays music whenever he has the chance, boasting about how you are growing a music whiz. 

Ever since he read his first damn pregnancy book, Jaebeom turned into a helicopter daddy-to-be, always hovering to make sure you are doing everything right. At the end of the third prenatal visit, he decided on moving his whole studio at home to work and mommysit – as he calls it.

By the time he was done with the fourth pregnancy book, you felt like nothing but an incubator to his spawn. That's not exactly what you wished your first year of life together would feel like. But then again, you didn't plan on getting pregnant on your honeymoon, the first time you two ditched contraception. It happened very fast. Everyone called it a blessing and you did too for a while, you were elated. Right until you started to lose your hair and struggle with acne like a damn teenager… Now it varies daily, you are either excited or scared shitless, in high spirits or easily irritable, you can't tell before it shifts. Overbearing, Jaebeom has gotten better than yourself at reading your daily disposition.

When you glare at him, he straightens worryingly in the doorframe, partly to blame for your current mood. “Don't look at me!” You snap in exasperation, still rubbing the sole of your aching foot. “Can you stop looking at me like that?”

He risks taking a few steps in your general direction, expertly assessing the situation, “Like what?”

"Like I’m a ticking bomb; like I'm gonna start yelling at you any second!” Freezing in the middle of the place, he presses his tongue to his cheek. You are almost shouting, but he knows better than to point that out.

“I’m not,” Jaebeom comes to sit by you guardedly. He makes sure not to maintain eye contact for too long, as though you're a dangerous fickle animal. "Did you hurt yourself?"

You hiss threateningly at the question but he still reaches for your perpetually bloated foot. Gently, he massages it, flashing you a dumb innocent smile. Still sullen, you at least allow him to do that much.

Fine, you do not completely hate having your man work from home. 

“I can’t help the fact that I’m so goddamn moody all the freaking time...” 

“Moody?” You cross your arms over your chest and Jaebeom chuckles, shaking his head. “You're the living definition of serene honey... You're the best. I love you.”

“Shuddup.” Groaning at the fake compliment, you offer your second foot after a minute of pampering, slightly appeased. “Stop trying so hard, it turns me into a cliché bitch.” You don't miss Jaebeom’s grimace at the word, but he isn't brave enough to correct you again. “Tell you what, if the baby's first word is a swear... I’ll do everything you ask of me for a year.”

"Everything? A whole year?” Raising his eyebrows suggestively, Jaebeom leans in for a lengthy kiss. “You know I can't say no to a promise like that. I would abuse that power, I’m quite imaginative.” You laugh against his mouth, sliding your arms around his neck for him to linger a little longer. Your hub has one hell of a gift, he can always change your mood, even on the worst days. That being said, you're always in the mood for some sexy time with him lately. You just have limited positions and flexibility. “I might teach the Shrimp your favourite cusses just to win that privilege.”

“You wouldn't dare.”

Laughing, Jaebeom sits back but you follow, managing to climb him without difficulty. It's clear he has started something with his massage, stirred your desire. “I’m not done,” he warns pointlessly, not talking about you, "I'm working hard." He points his chin to the studio, but you don't climb down. There's no way he believes you will let him go back to his office right now.

“Very hard yeah,” chuckling, you pull at the collar of his shirt, “Mister Producer.” He breaks the kiss to get rid of the piece of clothing himself, eager to entertain your favourable disposition. Some sacrifices are harder to make than others, and taking a break from work for quick sex is a no brainer. Your hands roam his shoulders, even after all this time you still can't get enough. “Did you save it?” Nudging your nose to his, you pull away to throw your loose gown over your head. 

Jaebeom groans, already expertly unhooking your bra, “Of course I saved, but I’ll need to get back to it...” His mouth explores your neck and you throw your head back, savouring every single one of his kisses. “Feeling better?” He hums, lightly sucking your skin and you moan. Fine, having your man work from home is the best damn thing that ever happened to you. At your natural response, Jaebeom cups your swollen breasts, thumbs rubbing circles on your areolas. 

“Shit.” Instantly, he shushes in disapproval making you laugh. You lean into him as much as your 29 weeks belly allows. “I can't help myself, I'm too sensitive.”

“I can see that baby,” Jaebeom marvels as his constant stroking of your nipples makes your thighs jerk. “I read third-semester’ orgasms are incredibly intense...” You rise to your knees to slide his fleece jogger pants down, smoothly freeing his erection. These darn books sure reveal some useful information sometimes… “What do you think?”

“Oh, how would I possibly know that?” He stops altogether, freezing under you at the joke. Barely two days prior, you finished twice before he did – very expressively – but still, he hesitates. For a man as skilled as he is, it sure is easy to make him question himself. Jaebeom is contemplating his life, a dubious look on his face when you take his cock in your palm. His eyes shut, goosebumps spreading on his body at your touch. Smirking, you stroke him leisurely, “I guess you’ll have to keep working hard so we can find out.” You say that but really, you’ve been so hypersensitive lately, he could make you reach your high without even trying.

“You know...” Opening his eyes lazily, Jaebeom frowns; “I'm not sure how I feel… About the Shrimp is hearing all our sexy talk...” It's your turn to stop everything.

Oh no, he did not just say that… Not after all the stuff he put you through!

“I swear to God, Im fucking Jaebeom! I let you have your way until now; I gave up caffeine, cheese and fish…” Suddenly livid, you start checking things off of your fingers. “You are worried of dumb stuff you read about despite the doctor's best opinion... So, I let you hire a cleaning service; I stopped driving myself around and dyeing my hair; I allowed you to post our ultrasounds all over your socials; I didn't say anything when you sent the cats away to your mom's…” His mouth is open in awe as you angrily go on. He's clearly racking his brain to find out what he said wrong. Him and his stupid pregnancy obsessions. “But this... This is where I draw the fucking line Jaebeom. If you stop making love to me because it creeps you out... Honest to God, I will murder you. I don't care what the baby hears. The doctor said it was safe. I want sex, I need sex. Give me sex, or I'll destroy you.”

“Honey,” Jaebeom bites his lips, struggling to conceal his amusement, “I wasn’t saying we should stop. It doesn't bother me like that...” His right palm rubs your lower back in repetition to ease you. “I was just wond–”

“I don't care what you wonder about,” you interrupt, still down, “just do me.”

Before Jaebeom can fully laugh at you flaring over nothing again, you're kissing him roughly, intended on getting your way. Wriggling under you to get to a better angle, he doesn't seem too affected, simply enjoying the hormonal rollercoaster ride. One of the actual perks of your pregnancy is being in the mood quickly and it's more than just your desire, it's physical too. Something that is undeniable when his hand finds its way between your legs. You're ready for him already, wet and messy. Though you rock into his palm briefly, there's only one thing on your mind right this instant. 

You don't want to wait any longer to feel him inside you. You use Jaebeom's shoulder as a fulcrum to position yourself, raising on your knees and he helps, holding his cock as you gradually sink down. Once you're sitting back on him on the couch, filled, you pause, dropping your forehead to his. Eye to eye, out of focus, Jaebeom pecks your lips tenderly. His hands caress your belly on their way to the side of your thighs. That's enough to make you soft all over again. The power that man holds over you knows no limit. Careful, you rise, rocking your hips forward to add friction before sliding back down. This lazy back and forth goes on for a while and every time you fall down and your ass meets his thighs with a clap, you feel like breaking. 

“Okay?” Jaebeom mumbles, using his strength to firmly guide you upwards. You're thankful for his help because you're heavy and tired. You nod, letting out a weird throaty sound when he fills you up once more.

Jaebeom chuckles, entertained by your acute senses and unusual reactions. Sliding on the large couch to lay, he makes sure you follow closely, riding him. From this position, he can take better control, raising his hips to slam into you. You coo when he does, hovering above to let him have his way. You're already too taken by so little. There's a gentle thud in your belly at the shift of position but Jaebeom doesn't seem to feel the baby stir, awakened by your unrest. Thank God, because the last thing you want right now is for him to stop or slow down. It's not something abnormal or new at all, but now that the baby's movements are getting more noticeable from the outside, you wouldn't be surprised if it messed up with Jaebeom's sexy groove. In the dark, he picks a swift pace, thrusting faster but lighter, making sure to stretch this moment for as long as you both can.

Yet, you're shaky and unfocused, unable to calm yourself. Way too fast, you come undone, overwhelmed by the friction and pleasure. Ecstatic, you drop on your hands, on all fours, as your intense orgasm washes through you. Aware you're peaking already, Jaebeom maintains his rhythm, breathlessly laughing at your shortage of stamina. Sure, he was right, pregnancy orgasms are amazing but they also come almost unannounced and are ridiculously exhausting.

Losing the smile, Jaebeom frowns in concentration, probably trying to finish too. After a whole minute, you're still being carried by your own paroxysm, core quavering when his hips halt altogether. Sighing deeply, he cums in spurts inside you, letting go probably more hastily than he would have wanted to. He's a team player. He knows you won't be able to handle him for long after oversensitivity hits you.

Afterwards, you both stay like that for a moment – as one – trying to repossess yourselves. Some days, it's like you're an entirely different person. Food doesn't taste the same, you yell at your caring husband over nothing and your orgasms are absurdly drawn-out. 

“Hey,” Jaebeom speaks up after an eternity and you take it as a cue to pull away, letting him fall out of you, “that was very quick. Are you alright, was it good?” Typical of him lately, being so overly concerned, you snort. Reaching for the tissue box on the coffee table, he offers them up so you can clean yourself. Still overpowered, you nod, laying back naked on the couch to do so.

What a sight it must be, a stranded whale in the middle of his living room.

Jaebeom doesn't seem to see that though. Transfixed, he positions himself to comfortably kiss and hold your heavy belly. His fingers linger, tracing patterns over the stretched skin. “What about you Shrimp?” He asks mouth pressed to the bump, tickling. “How are you doing?” Sure enough, the baby rolls, following the sound of his familiar reassuring voice. 

“We definitely woke her up”, you announce casually, grabbing one of his hands to position it better. Now that it's over, hopefully, he won't mind or get weirded out by that idea. “And you’ll need another nickname, we're both getting huge.”

“Sorry,” Jaebeom apologizes with adoration when there's a more obvious kick. To him, his baby girl's tumbling never gets old. To you neither, but it's a different sensation entirely. Whispering in confidence, he adds, “You'll always be a shrimp to me." At the words, you can't help the flutters you feel, not from the baby. When he looks up this time, Jaebeom doesn't seem as apprehensive of your reaction. You're on the magical post-coital cloud of happiness, together. “What?” If it could, your heart would physically expand from emotion at the sight, swelling with unconditional love. As an only answer, you run a hand through his locks and he cutely grins. “Shrimp, I think we're safe for now. I don't think mommy wants to murder daddy anymore...”

“Daddy needs to get over himself,” you dramatically roll your eyes, smiling, “he knows mommy loves him, no matter what…”

GOT7 | M.list

[aurora-the-kunoichi]

For the Love of Shell- Chapter 38

Here is chapter 38 of my Oc story! 

Full Story here

With winter come and gone, spring and summer came rushing in. The dreary slush and ice melting away to flowers and flowers gave way to hot summer nights. It was hard to believe the year was already half way over with.

They continued to keep the purple dragons check with the police, their mutant presence known within its ranks. They had yet to meet the brains behind the operation, Hun, but it was only a matter of time before he would make himself known and deal with them himself. They looked forward to that meeting maybe that could end this foolishness with his downfall.

The battle nexus championship was a just a week away, and everyone was beside themselves with excitement. Leo looked forward to seeing his friend Usagi again, along with showing what he and his brothers could do in the tournament. He was determined to have at least one of them win the championship, they had been training hard and hoped they deserved to at least make it to the finals.

Master Splinter was going to accompany them to the Battle Nexus but was not going to participate in the tournament, but he was looking forward to seeing his old friend the Daimyo. Leo sat on his bed sharpening his katana when he looked to the side of his bed and rested his eyes on the special bonsai tree that sat proudly on his night stand. Well maintained, green and lush, he took pride keeping the tree alive and well. It had been almost a year since they had seen Aurora last; her last painting had sold in Egypt for a substantial sum. Most of the proceeds were given to a local charity which didn’t surprise him in the slightest.

He hoped she was well and happy. Maybe she had a boyfriend? Maybe she was married? The thought suddenly made his heart drop into his stomach, rolling over on itself at the mere thought of her in someone else’s arms.

Shaking the unpleasant image from his mine he didn’t need to think about that. Besides he was the one to let Aurora go so foolishly, so he needed to stop thinking about her and learn to deal with the consequences. He allowed the tree to remain by his bed side as a reminder of the love they shared, that he had, had a glimpse of happiness for at a moment in time. He never wanted to forget the smell of her, the taste of her lips, the sound of her voice. Each of those precious memories were slowly slipping away as time went by. Vanishing from his senses like dust in a storm. It hurt to lose them like he was losing a part of himself as they faded from his mind. Selfishly he hoped she would attend the Battle Nexus championship, so he could see her once more, maybe refresh the happy memories of her sound and smell but knew she most likely wouldn’t. He imagined she had moved on making a new life for herself and wouldn’t trouble herself with a championship of mutants and aliens.

Leo imagined her lying on a beach in Egypt curled up on someone’s arms nuzzled into their armpit like she once did with him, kissing his lips. Shaking his head of the unpleasant thoughts again he finished sharpening his katana and made his way to the kitchen were Mikey had just finished preparing dinner for the family.

The entire family sat down at the kitchen table as Mikey set the large casserole dish filling with something delicious smelling on the makeshift trivet in the middle of the too small for four mutant turtles kitchen table.

Splinter leaned forward taking a low pull of the pleasant aroma his eyes closing in delight. “My son, your cooking skills have much improved over the past year. What is this dish called?”

“Shrimp and White Bean Cassoulet sensei.” Mikey smiled sitting down next to Raph who was already dishing up a sizable helping for their father.  

The old rat took a spoon full of the helping he was given and took a tentative bite. Mikey watched his father chew the food he made and waited with baited breath to see if he liked it or not. After what seemed like forever his father’s swallowed what was on his mouth and a giant smile broke over his face and took another bit bite. “You have outdone yourself Michelangelo. It is very good.”

After the approval of their father the rest of family eagerly dug in filling their bellies with Mikey’s new talent.

Raphael leaned back rubbing his now fully belly and gave his little brother a thumbs up. He could get used to the home cooked meals; he was beginning to get tired of pizza nearly every night. His eyes wandered over to his eldest brother, their leader. He seemed a little distracted as he played with his fork from across the table.

He was still angry with him but after time passed he begin to understand why he did what he did. Aurora deserved to be happy and if it was without them then he was ok with it. But damn did he miss her. “Penny for your thoughts fearless?” he finally asked tossing his napkin at the distracted turtle.

Raph smiled when his older brother caught the flying projectile without even looking up, his senses had definitely gotten better over the past year. Leo had been training pretty much nonstop most likely to keep his mind off of the forbidden subject in the lair. Aurora’s name had barely been mentioned since last Christmas. Leo took care of that bonsai tree like it was his child, tending to it every day without fail. He would admit he had spent a few times sitting on Leo’s bed staring at the tree imagining Aurora near death laying beside the small fragile sapling fighting with her body to stay awake, to stay alive. He would give the tree a mist of water before running his fingers over the green foliage before returning to his day. He knew Mikey and Donnie did the same, he had caught them both staring at the tree several times as well.

Finally Leo looked up from his fork and locked eyes with his hothead brother.

“Just thinking about the Battle Nexus Championship, trying to mentally prepare for it I guess. Looking forward to seeing Usagi as well, it’s been a year since we’ve seen him.”

“What about little bunny foo foo?” Mikey playfully cooed running his fingers up his older brothers arm. “I’m sure she’s gonna be happy to see you bro!” His eye ridges waged suggestively.

“Yeah she’s gonna be happy to find out your single.” Donnie chimed in taking another bite of casserole directly from the dish still sitting on the table.

Leo grunted in frustration at the nickname Aurora gave Asuna and shook his head letting his fork drop with a clang onto his plate. “Not interested, she’s the one who put doubt in my mind when we were there last.”

“What?” Raph suddenly got irritated eyeing his brother. “What did that fucking rabbit say about Aurora?”

“She asked me how long it would take for Aurora to realize that I couldn’t give her a normal life. I can’t marry her, can’t give her children. I can only offer seclusion and a sewer.”

“That bitch.” Both Raphael and Mikey growled.

“What makes you think you can’t give her a child?” Donnie cut in questioningly.

“Um..I’m a mutant turtle and she’s human.”  

Donnie leaned back in his chair and hummed his disappointment in his brother, “In theory there is no reason we can’t have children with humans. You forget we ourselves are half human with human DNA. I’ve analyzed my semen and found it nearly identical to humans. There’s no guarantee but it’s not impossible.”

“Donnie my boy, I don’t wanna know how you got your hands on human sperm to compare to your own.” Mikey laughed gathering up the remains of dinner before shuffling it off to the sink to soak the dishes.

“Sperm banks Mikey.”

“Ewwww!” the orange banded turtle grunted in disgust from the sink.  

Donnie shook his head pushing himself away from the table and began helping Mikey with putting away dinner. Gently nudging his younger brothers from the sink he took over the duty of washing the dishes.

Leo ignored his brothers, his thoughts lost to the pleasant thought of Aurora’s belly swollen with child…. their child. Lying in his arms her back resting against his plastron as his hands rubbed lightly across the taught flesh of her extended belly feeling their unborn child shift beneath his fingers. A genuine smile tugged at his lips as his fingers splayed across the table rubbing the formica top.

“Leo?” a deep voice broke him from his thoughts.

“Hmm?” Leo looked up to see Raph eyeing him cautiously.

“After we digest all this shrimp you wanna train?”

“Sure Raph.”

~~~~~~~~~

The four brothers sat in the poorly lit alleyway and watched their father draw the mystic symbols across the old bricks of the vacant building with white chalk. Each swipe of the chalk was smooth and calculated as his furry fingers drew the symbols from memory. Finally finished Master Splinter handed the chalk to Donnie who quickly placed it into his duffle bag. Taking a deep breath the old rat pressed his palms together in a praying pose and began to recite the incantation.

Slowly the water that lay in the alleyway rushed towards the symbols rolling up over the chalk outline merging and swirling into what looked like a water door. After a few moments the water congealed into a watery doorway and began to glow with a light blue hue. Splinter wasted no time and passed through the liquid passageway followed shortly by his four sons.

As the white light of the portal faded they found themselves in the bustling city of the Daimyo’s kingdom. The streets were teaming with anthropomorphic animals buying and selling wares seeming unfazed by the sudden appearance of five bodies through a portal.

Hoisting their bags over their shoulders they made their way through the market towards the Daimyo’s palace. They were invited by the Daimyo himself to stay in his home as they attended the battle nexus championship.

As they passed by the carts of goods eyes began to follow them, fingers pointing in their direction followed by excited mumbles. Young females of all species lined up on the street to stare at them eyes bright with enthusiasm.

“What was that about?” Mikey whispered to his older brothers eyeing the eager gazes in the crowd. The young turtle could feel the adrenaline start to race through his veins. This was exciting; it looked like they had been expecting them and thrilled to meet them, his baby blue eyes sparkled with anticipation.

Reaching the gates the large doors opened allowing the passage into the court yard. The main door slide open revealing the large ruler his arms outstretched in welcome as they approached.

“It is good to see you old friend.” The large man rumbled with laughter as his eyes beamed with happiness.

“My old friend it has been too long and for that I apologize, the past few years have been….busy. And I am sorry it wasn’t me that introduced you to my sons last year. How have you been? How is your son?” Master Splinter grinned up at Daimyo his hips tiling as he bowed out of respect.  

“Nonsense Splinter, there is no need for apologize our meeting a year ago was destiny I am sure of it. Ue-Sama is good, healthy and eager to learn. His skill advances everyday and looks forward to his time as Daimyo. Sometimes I think he’s a little too eager to take over. But that is here nor there. Now I’m sure you’d like to see where you’ll be staying for the tournament? I hope you don’t mind sharing a room, it is big enough to accommodate all five of you and has been set up with five beds but rooms this week are scarce in the palace as you might have guessed.” The Daimyo smiled ushering them into the large door of the large palace.

Leo stepped next to his father and spoke up, “We are grateful for your hospitality Daimyo and will take whatever is available to us. We are used to sleeping in the same room so it is no trouble.”

The Daimyo slowed and looked down on the blue leader while he led them through the great hall. His aged eyes flashed with something but quickly returned to his joyful demeanor before answering him. His large came down resting on the top of his carapace, “Leonardo I look forward to seeing you and your brothers competing in the tournament this afternoon. There have been stories of you four and your skill and bravery from last year’s battle. You four have become rather popular with the ladies.” A deep rumbling laugh escaped the ruler’s throat opening a door to what looked like their quarters for their stay.

“Yes we noticed the stares as we passed through the market. We were wondering what that was about.” Donnie said setting his duffle bag on one the farthest bed from the door.

“Yes don’t be surprised if you become very popular very fast. Now if you will excuse me I need to make final preparations for the tournament this afternoon. Please make yourself at home and don’t hesitate to ask Gyoji if you require anything. Please present yourself to the battle arena for registration at 2pm your time. You all must take part in the qualifying round before you enter the tournament. But I have no doubt each of you will succeed. I’ll see you all on the arena. Good luck turtles.” And with that the Daimyo exited their room disappearing down the hallway.    

Leo sat down on the bed he chose and set his bag down next to him. His eyes moved to his brothers as they settled in. “Does anyone want to join me in the market? I’d like to wander around for a bit before we register. I’m hoping we can run into Usagi, would be nice to see him before we go.”

All three of his brothers were happy to go but Sensei wanted to stay behind to attend to a small matter, but promised to meet them at the arena at the given time of registration.

The street loud with conversation they looked over the wears and food for sale. Every once in a while they were stopped and gushed over, random hands brushing up against their shells and fingers lingering on their arms. Most of the admirers were female but they did get a few males come up to them shaking their hands thanking them for their help last year.  

Mikey and Raph soon broke off from the other two wanting to find something warm to eat and Donnie got distracted by some old artifacts.

“I’m gonna be a bit, go ahead and keep going I’ll meet you back at our room in an hour.” Donnie waved his eldest brother on turning an ancient metal tool over in his fingers.

Further down the street Leo was buying a sharpening stone when his name rang out behind him. Turning around after completing his purchase his eyes narrowed in on a familiar female rabbit.

“Asuna.” Leo forced a smile waving to the cheery rabbit as she jogged towards him her arms outstretched for an apparent hug. Bracing himself he let the rabbit practically knock him on his shell wrapping her arms around his carapace.  

“It’s so good to see you Leonardo. It has been too long! Are you and your brothers here for the tournament?” She smiled sweetly up at him her chin placed on the top of his plastron her eyes sparkling with adoration.  

Returning the hug awkwardly he gently pushed her from his body. “It’s good to see you too Asuna. Yes my brothers and I are here to participate. Hey have you seen Usagi? I was hoping to chat with him before everything starts.”

Her fingers remaining touching his forearms and nodded quickly pulling at his arms. “Yes he’s down by the stables talking to Gen. Here I’ll take you to him. He will be very pleased to see you. He has also expressed his excitement in seeing you today.”

Being led by his arm Leo had no choice but to follow the eager rabbit doing his best at keeping the young female from brushing up against him as they weaved through busy streets. He was finding it very difficult to keep her from touching him, her hips brushing up against his, her grasp pulling a little too hard so his arm would brush across her breasts. She was incorrigible.

After a few silent moments being dragged by his arm she finally slowed giving his arm reprieve. Her white furry fingers began dancing across his pebbled skin of his bicep and he could tell she wanted to ask him something. He didn’t have to wait long.

“So is Aurora here? I figured she’d be by your side.” She asked almost in a whisper her eyes training on his looking for any emotional reaction.

Letting out deep sigh he shook his head. “I have no idea, I broke it off with her a year ago and we haven’t seen her since. And that’s all I’ll say about it so I would appreciate the topic not being brought up again.”

Her head turned no doubt keeping the happy grin to herself at the news he was no longer with Aurora. He really didn’t want to see her nor spend any time with the meddlesome rabbit. She was conniving and calculating her mind scheming, she was nice enough but he didn’t trust her. True it was still his fault his relationship with Aurora ended due to his poor judgment but she had planted the poisonous seed of doubt that grew into a snarling demon in his mind.  The sooner they got to Usagi the sooner he’d been free of little bunny foo foo.

As they rounded the corner Asuna’s body tensed and pushed him back around the corner pressing him carapace back against the brick building. Her eyes darted to him and back to the looming corner they had just been.

“What? What’s going on?” He asked feeling annoyed at the close proximity to the female rabbit.  

A smile spread across her face and she struck with a quickness he couldn’t prepare for. Her furry hands cupped his cheeks and leaned forward her lips slanting over his. Her tongue pressed into his mouth catching him off guard he couldn’t even make his mind move fast enough to push her away. Her warm body pressed firmly to his her breasts compressing against his plastron.

His mind began to process what was going on and his hands rested on her shoulders ready to push the conniving rabbit from his body when he saw why the rabbit was kissing him.

In what seemed like slow motion Aurora in all her glory rounded the corner nearly running smack dab into them. His mind still in a confused fog he was unable to react fast enough as her purple eyes focused quickly in on his.

Not quite registering what she was seeing she smiled awkwardly at the kissing duo but realization struck her like a runaway bull hitting her in the stomach. Her eyes widened in shock then pain watching helplessly as the rabbit’s mouth assaulted his. Leo noticed her body go rigid her hands clenching into fists at her side as her breath hitched in her throat. The sorrow that played over her startled features soon was replaced by anger as her purple eyes flashed for a second with their brilliant light.

It all seemed to happen slowly dragging on before his very eyes as he tried to get his body to respond with his minds commands but in all reality it all happened in a matter of a few seconds. Getting his hands to move Leo finally pushed Asuna from his body their mouths popping as their lips parted.

“Aurora.” Leo gasped for breath wiping their mingling saliva from his mouth with the back of his hand. But time began to run at normal speed again and as quick as she was there she disappeared back around the corner leaving his eyesight.

“Asuna, what the shell were you thinking?” Leo growled trying to go after the retreating Aurora but was slammed back against the wall by Asuna who pressed back into him her eye hooded with excitement no doubt pleased with her display.

“Let her go Leonardo. She’s human, your animal, you should be with an animal, you should be with me. I’ll treat you right, I’ll love you, I’ll obey you.” She cooed trying to run her fingers down his cheek but was abruptly stopped by Leonardo crushing grip. A yelp of pain pushed past her lips as her smile faded from her face.

“I can’t believe you did this, your advances are unwarranted. I told you before I was not interested in you Asuna but you still pulled this inappropriate display to blatantly hurt Aurora. Please leave me and my family alone.” Not giving her a chance to object Leo pushed Asuna with force nearly sending her into a cart behind her.

He wiped around the corner fully intent to find Aurora as she retreated but found her gone. As fast his legs would carry him he darted down the street searching the busy crowd for her. How difficult would it to be to find a human in a street filled with animals. Very, apparently, he had no luck locating her doubling back twice to make sure he didn’t miss her.

True to her nature she had vanished into the shadows like the skilled kunoichi she was. At least he knew she was there, no doubt getting ready to take part in the battle nexus championship.

@imthegreenfairy88​ @bluesakurablossom​ @alonia143​ @ravn-87​

[mynachopaper]

Heyo...I’d like you to answer all of the weird questions that say a lot please...😇🖤

That’s very naughty of you. I expect payment when I’m done...

1. coffee mugs, teacups, wine glasses, water bottles, or soda cans?

Wine glasses. I love their shape

2. chocolate bars or lollipops?

Chocolate

3. bubblegum or cotton candy?

Bubble gum, I like the oral fixation

4. how did your elementary school teachers describe you?

Wierd, creepy, creative. “He needs to find an outlet or have a beating”- My arabic teacher

5. do you prefer to drink soda from soda cans, soda bottles, plastic cups or glass cups?

Glass bottles

6. pastel, boho, tomboy, preppy, goth, grunge, formal or sportswear?

Tomboy

7. earbuds or headphones?

Headphones

8. movies or tv shows?

Both

9. favorite smell in the summer?

river in the cedar forest

10. game you were best at in p.e.?

Fencing

11. what you have for breakfast on an average day?

Nothing (sometimes fruit if I need to)

12. name of your favorite playlist?

SHmood

13. lanyard or key ring?

key ring

14. favorite non-chocolate candy?

Turkish delights

15. favorite book you read as a school assignment?

Simon versus the Homosapien agenda

16. most comfortable position to sit in?

Legs to my chest on a chair

17. most frequently worn pair of shoes?

My trainers

18. ideal weather?

Thunder and rain

19. sleeping position?

Curled up on my side

20. preferred place to write (i.e., in a note book, on your laptop, sketchpad, post-it notes, etc.)?

Notebook but laptops are great for convenience

21. obsession from childhood?

Horror stories and or occult (Yes I cringe too)

22. role model?

Don’t have one

23. strange habits?

I like to practice voices and movements (mostly for DnD) anywhere. Shopping, cooking, with the cat. normally I’m on my own but I’ve been caught a few times.

24. favorite crystal?

Obsidian

25. first song you remember hearing?

Wide, wide as the ocean- My dad sang it to me as a kid

26. favorite activity to do in warm weather?

Swimming

27. favorite activity to do in cold weather?

Bonfire jumping (used to do it with the scout kids)

28. five songs to describe you?

Fall into me- Alev Lenz

Rush- I am waiting for you last summer

Smile- Nat King Cole

Limb to limb- Fatal

Kiss breakdown- Micheal Brook (Perks of being a wallflower soundtrack) 

29. best way to bond with you?

Discuss your passions and your fears. Other than that, play silly games with me.

30. places that you find sacred?

Anywhere that is deemed so. 

31. what outfit do you wear to kick ass and take names?

My pajamas (honestly no idea)

32. top five favorite vines?

Don’t have favourites.

33. most used phrase in your phone?

I love you to the moon and back.

34. advertisements you have stuck in your head?

I have adblock so I don’t hear enough for them to get stuck. Maybe the old spice commercial.

35. average time you fall asleep?

12-1am

36. what is the first meme you remember ever seeing?

The orly owl

37. suitcase or duffel bag?

Duffel bag

38. lemonade or tea?

lemonade

39. lemon cake or lemon meringue pie?

Lemon meringue pie (obviously)

40. weirdest thing to ever happen at your school?

Nothing too weird. We did have a slew of dead birds that were killed and placed in weird positions. They were claimed to be omens.

The culprit was never caught. But I did have an old journal where I kept notes on them. I lost it in the move though..

41. last person you texted?

My online friend in the uk

42. jacket pockets or pants pockets?

Jacket pockets

43. hoodie, leather jacket, cardigan, jean jacket or bomber jacket?

Hoodie, I need the soft

44. favorite scent for soap?

sandalwood

45. which genre: sci-fi, fantasy or superhero?

Fantasy, DnD for life

46. most comfortable outfit to sleep in?

Shirt and underwear

47. favorite type of cheese?

Brie

48. if you were a fruit, what kind would you be?

Orange

49. what saying or quote do you live by?

Already answered

50. what made you laugh the hardest you ever have?

When my friend and I got stuck in traffic so we listened to the John Mulaney story about the salt and pepper diner. Afterward we actually made the playlist and listened to it. We died, the song got to us and we lost our minds.

51. current stresses?

My Father being ok back home. Me not finishing uni. Breaking my promise to my friends back home of making something of myself.

52. favorite font?

Bree Serif

53. what is the current state of your hands?

Their ok, quite dexterous. My nails have grown out too

54. what did you learn from your first job?

People take production for granted. The public opinion of a show means little. The entertainment industry is weaker than everyone treats it.

55. favorite fairy tale?

The Bloody Chamber

Book by Angela Carter

56. favorite tradition?

Our family does breakfast in bed for the birthday person

57. the three biggest struggles you’ve overcome?

Self harm, the invasion of my country, getting out of my old life.

58. four talents you’re proud of having?

I improvise well, I remain calm in an emergency, and am often the first to act. I have good emotional skills. I will always find a way, though it often comes at great cost.

59. if you were a video game character, what would your catchphrase be?

After someone tells me I can’t do something “HAVE YOU MET ME?!”

60. if you were a character in an anime, what kind of anime would you want it to be?

Probably Shonen. Love me some JoJoBA

61. favorite line you heard from a book/movie/tv show/etc.?

Yeah, I stayed. I stayed, because every time you threw a brick at my head, or said I smelled, it *hurt*; but it could never hurt more than every day of my life just being *me*! I *stayed* because I thought, if anyone can change me, can make me... *not* me, it was you! - Kung Fu Panda

62. seven characters you relate to?

Tarzan-Stich-Quisimodo-Ginger (From Chicken run)- Po (Kung fu Panda)- Mulan (Yes really)- Charlie (Perks of being a wallflower)

63. five songs that would play in your club?

Shut up and dance with me- Walk the moon

Suzy- Caravan Palace

Rocket Fuel feat. De La Soul - DJ Shadow

Come with me now - KONGOS

Dance with me tonight - Olly Murs

64. favorite website from your childhood?

Miniclip

65. any permanent scars?

Some on my arms and a large one on my forearm 

66. favorite flower(s)?

I’m a cliche, I love roses

67. good luck charms?

My Celtic ring and my pride pin

68. worst flavor of any food or drink you’ve ever tried?

It was chocolate shrimp in Sanfrancisco. Fad food with an abhorrent mixture.

69. a fun fact that you don’t know how you learned?

Spiders don’t kill every prey that falls into their web. Sometimes they just wrap them up and let them squirm helpessly.

70. left or right handed?

Right, unless eating

71. least favorite pattern?

Uh... not sure

72. worst subject?

Maths

73. favorite weird flavor combo?

Fries and Icecream

74. at what pain level out of ten (1 through 10) do you have to be at before you take an advil or ibuprofen?

8

75. when did you lose your first tooth?

I was 5

76. what’s your favorite potato food (i.e. tater tots, baked potatoes, fries, chips, etc.)?

Baked potatoes, especially with Sour cream and garlic 

77. best plant to grow on a windowsill?

A succulent?

78. coffee from a gas station or sushi from a grocery store?

Sushi from grocery

79. which looks better, your school id photo or your driver’s license photo?

School Id (not by much though)

80. earth tones or jewel tones?

Jewel tones

81. fireflies or lightning bugs?

Fireflies

82. pc or console?

PC

83. writing or drawing?

Writing, though I wish I could draw

84. podcasts or talk radio?

Podcasts

84. barbie or polly pocket?

Neither

85. fairy tales or mythology?

Mythology

86. cookies or cupcakes?

Cookies

87. your greatest fear?

That I had no impact on anything

88. your greatest wish?

To gain the power to change the world

89. who would you put before everyone else?

The one I love. A partner (If we had a child then it falls to them)

90. luckiest mistake?

When I had an accident at work over my selfharm wounds. Some metal staging scraped against my arm.

91. boxes or bags?

Bags

92. lamps, overhead lights, sunlight or fairy lights?

Fairylights

93. nicknames?

Teddy, Monster, Quis

94. favorite season?

Winter

95. favorite app on your phone?

Reddit is fun

96. desktop background?

My current Pfp

97. how many phone numbers do you have memorized?

2 My parents

98. favorite historical era?

Don’t really have a favourite

[yamithediaperdork]

Don’t be a bully!

The first thing 12 year old Lance Kennedy noted as he opened his eyes was that instead of waking up in his bedroom, he was looking up at the ceiling of the school bathroom. the tall for his age blond sat up and winced, his head hurt and he tried to figure out what had just happened, and looked around the smelly boys room and locked eyes with the new transfer student. a full head shorter then Lance and with mushroom cut red hair and freckles, Timmy chuckled and waved to Lance. "Hey crew cut! welcome back to the land of the living." the little shit said. Now it all came flooding back to Lance, He had been laying down the law to the little shit, having caught him all by himself in the boys room, and telling him how he expected the twerp to pay a bathroom tax if he wanted to use the schools shitter's. The dumb ginger had actually been dumb enough to mouth back, telling Lance that the bathrooms was for everyone, unless the abused the privilege, whatever the fuck that meant. Lance had had enough by that point and had gone to smash his fist into the little shit's face but somehow the little fucker was faster then he looked and had dropped down, then replied with a shot to lance's gut that had knocked the wind out of him. as he'd fall to his knee's gasping, the little shit had brought up his knee and- "..where the fuck did you learn to fight like that?" Lance asked, going to get up on his feet and pausing, as for the first time he noticed a weird noise when he moved, and a funny feeling around his hips. Looking down the bully's eyes went wide as he saw that instead of his power ranger briefs and black jeans, he was currently only wearing a bulky white diaper with a nursery print. "WHAT THE FUCK!?!" "I was wondering how long it would take you to notice that. honestly, i was hoping you'd storm out of here not noticing butttt I guess that was a long shot." Timmy franc laughed, leaning on a sink. "How did you even.. Why do you..what the fuck!?!" Lance yelped, hand going down, trying to cover the bulky diaper up and squirmed back and forth as he noticed for the first time his undies and pants were at Timmy's feet. "I knocked your butt out, and every school I go to there's a jerk like you I end up having to put in his place, so I always carry some spare diapers around. Speaking of, your gonna wanna follow me to my locker and snag some more, you';re not allowed in the boys room anymore." Timmy said. "..I'm gonna fucking kill you!" Lance growled, taking a fighting stance and Timmy, just snapped a picture. "Youuuu sure you wanna try something right now? I took a lot of pictures while you were out 'tiny' and got one with your thumb in your mouth and you in all your padded glory. would be a shame if they ended up on the school website." Timmy said, Looking totally relaxed. "besides, if you come at me again, You'll wake up in just your diapies tied to the flag poll. I'm a black belt and your just a thug." "...Give me back my fucking pants and underwear and I'll think about not pounding you face into mush." Lance said, gritting his teeth. "Counter offer, I'll give you back your pants, your undies are going on my trophy wall, and you be a good boy and mind your P's and Q's or I'll make you famous." Lance was taking slow steady breaths, but a small part of him realized that the longer he stood here arguing, the more likely it was someone else would come into the boys room. "Fine whatever. give me my pants!" "See? was that SO hard?" Timmy asked and tossed the jeans over. "By the way, I'll be doing diaper checks and if your not in your huggie..well there's gonna be trouble." He said and winked, then turned and walked away as Lance glared a hole at the back of his head, the hoped up and down trying to get his jeans to fit over the bulky diaper. "Gonna..freaking..Kill..Him!" He huffed, hoping and tugging, then tripped and went sprawling into one of the stalls, his head dunking in the thankfully clean toilet and as he reached to stop it, he pulled on the handle giving himself a swirly. '...God, what did I do to piss you off today?'

the bell had rung but lance was still late getting back into class, wearing his gym t-shirt and his crotch and butt area puffed out under his jeans, with his hair looking damp. Timmy just grinned in his seat, wondering what exactly had happened but never spoke up, though many of the others boys began to whisper and talk among themselves. "Why's he back in his gym shirt?" whispered the brunette Taylor, the shrimp of the class with confusion in his voice. "wait, do you think he got a swirly?" giggled the brown haired Frankie, the pudgiest kid in the class and frequent target of Lance's wrath. "who would have the balls?" Taylor asked, though the idea made him grin like a Cheshire cat. "Forgot that, look at his butt! it's huge! did he sit on a bee or something?" the long haired blond Justin asked, sounding slightly concerned. "Looked like my little brother when he puts on pants.. but he's only 2." blue haired Ike (dyed naturally) giggled. "wait, are you saying that's a diaper butt?" Frankie asked, laughing louder and getting Lances attention drawn over even as he was getting a lecture from the teacher. "ask him and find out!" Ike urged. "No thanks, I like life." Frankie said, shaking his head. Lance waddled, there was really no other way to put it, towards his seat and the class went silent, so that the faint sound of crinkles could be picked up as the bully sat down. it didn't help that due to his poor grades Lance had to sit at the front of the class, and ergo kept reaching back to tug his shirt down. "Now that Mr.Kennedy has graced us with his appearance, we'll go over the results of your last math test." Mr. Davis said, drawing the attention of the rest of the boys. Class went on as normal for the next 5 or so minutes, but as Timmy watched, knowing what was about to happy, he couldn't help but grin as Lance started to shift about in his seat more and more. 'I was wondering how long that fleet enema would take to kick in.' Timmy thought, and for the briefest of moments considered trying to give a heads up to the other boys. It was after all, about to get VERY stinky in the classroom.

Lances bowel felt all weird, and he played it up to his nerves since it was clear the rest of the class had figured out he was wearing a diaper. But now as Mr. Davis droned on and on about the test, and how many of the boys had failed certain parts of it (and Lance of course had funked it ALL) he could feel a urgent need building up and raised his hand. " Yes Mr. Kennedy, do you have something to ask?" Me. Davis asked, the tone in his voice making it clear he didn't expect much. "C-Can I go to the bathroom?" Lance asked, face wincing as a powerful cramp racked his body. "You were JUST on lunch break. I think you can wait a few minutes." Mr. Davis said dryly and started to turn back to the chalk board. "N-No sir I can't! Please!" Lance whined, all bravo forgotten as he gripped the sides of desk. a powerful fart was brewing and lance had a sneaking suspicion that if he let it out, he was going to fudge the stupid diaper taped snugly around his hips. "I'm sure you can-" was as far as the teacher got, before he was cut off by a massive wet sounding fart that filled the classroom. Lance himself found his body reacting on it's own as he leaned forward and raised his butt up from the chair, Helpless to do anything but let out a even wetter fart that was followed but a flow of sludge pouring out his back side and filling the diaper. His toxic smell also filled the classroom quickly, making eyes water and bring up complaints. "Is he.." Justin asked, a smirk turning into a grimace and he started to gag. "OH GROSS!" Taylor said, laughing and holding his nose. "Ugh! what a stinker!" Frankie complained, grabbing his hoodie of the back of his chair and burying his face in it as a semi shield. "Man my little brother brother doesn't smell that bad!" Ike laughed, holding his nose and waving a hand "Somebody change the BABY'S diaper!" Timmy called out, getting laughs from all the boys. "in the future Mr. Kennedy, if you have to go that bad, just leave the classroom." Mr.Davis said and walked over to the side of the classroom, opening windows. "Your excused to go and change your diaper." he added, getting even more laughs from the rest of classroom. "S-Stop laughing at me you JERKS!" Lance shouted, getting up and taking all of three steps before anther cramp hit and he was forced into a diaper pooper's squat, trying to cover his crimson face as more muck joined the back of his full diaper. Thankfully the diaper seemed to be a (pun aside) heavy duty one and hadn't leaked yet, though the wear and tear on his black jeans was becoming clear as the seams were starting to buckle under the pressure from the rapidly expending diapers. "Maybe I should help him to the nurses office." Timmy volunteered, making Lance turn and glare. "If it gets him out of my classroom faster.. your a braver soul then I." Mr. Davis said and nodded. wagging his eyebrows for the classroom and getting chuckles,Timmy made a show of it, acting like the smell coming off of Lance was a physical force and if he hadn't of been overwhelmed by the cramps making him take the biggest dump of his life, Lance would of slugged Timmy right then and there and dealt with the fall out after. Instead as he finished up with a series of stuttering farts, Lance felt too weak to do anything but numbly accept Timmy's help and as much as he hated the little shit, he leaned on him when it became clear the added bulk to the diaper had left him too unbalanced to walk on his own. 'As soon as i get this diaper off, then I'm gonna clobber him.' Lance promised himself as he waddled like a baby learning to walk out of the classroom.

"Man, you must of been backed up for awhile to unload like THAT huh?" Timmy asked as he lead the way. while Lance leaned on him for support Timmy didn't doubt for a second the only reason Lance wasn't at his throat right now was that he was literately too pooped to do so. And even if he had tried to attack him, one little shove and Lance would of gone butt first onto the floor and as good as the diaper was, it WOULD leak if that happened. Lance's jeans were making sounds of distress and Timmy had a feeling if they were pushed too much more the soon to be ex-bully would find himself waddling in the halls with his poopie diapers on display. It really was just too easy to make these so called big shots into helpless diaper filler, and Timmy enjoyed doing it at every school he went to. Though despite this being the 6th bully he had reduced into a pamper packer, there was one part of this that even Timmy had never fully adjusted to. The smell. Taking in shallow breaths he led the way to his his locker, to stop and get a new diaper for the new diaper filler, noting how Lance hadn't said a thing the whole time. "heh, you gone all baby brain on me? you even know where you are?" Timmy asked. That had actually happened at his last school, a pint sized bully named Malcore had been drunk on his own kool-aid after becoming student council president, and then ended up filling his diapers in front of the school while he was suppose to be giving a speech and had ended up giggling and singing 'I'm a little teapot'. Timmy didn't peg Lance as the type to break that bad but then again, you never really knew. "Hello? anyone home?" Timmy tried again and lance gave him a look that almost made Timmy need a diaper. "Shut up, and help me out of this shitty diaper." Lance growled. "I can see being a little stinker hasn't improved your attuide." Timmy said dryly, but handing Lance the clean diaper to hold, he got them into the boys room.

Lance wasn't even sure why he was hanging onto the diaper, save that the last time he'd gone commando in jean he'd chaffed pretty badly. the smell coming off of him wasn't as bad to him as it seemed to be to everyone else, but then again he was prone to having fart wars with his older brother Leon, who made Lance smell like a rosebush. In fact it was only the fact that lance could see HOW bad his smell was getting to Timmy, who had to keep stopping to wipe at his eyes, That Lance let the dead nerd walking help him get a change.   well that and he didn't know jack shit about changing a diaper. with his jeans tugged off off Boy boys got as look at just how totally Lance had destroyed his diaper, the designs were all gone and it was swollen and discolored, and sagged on his hips. "Uh..I mighta over stepped my reach here.. maybe we should take you to the nurses office." Timmy said, looking worried for the first time and lance smirked. "No way it'll survive the trip and if I go though the halls naked from the waist down in a shit coated ass, I'm making sure the headmaster knows who to blame." Lance said. "Fuck."

The clean up effort took by Timmy's estimate at least 10 minutes though it felt like hours, and he gagged badly several times during it. frustratingly enough lance just leaned back with his hands behind his head, smirking as poor Timmy did all the work. Finally the bully was ready for his new diaper and not eager to repeat the performance this time Timmy didn't even think of giving him anything to make him crap himself. Tapping up the new diaper, and having tossed the old one in the trash, Timmy scrubbed his hands over and over again in the sink as lance got up and grabbed his pants. "Now, while I'm grateful for the diaper change..I think you see I kinda owe you and well, logic dictates that I gotta pound you now." Lance said, tossing his jeans over his should and striking a fighting pose again. "...didn't we already go though this? or did you think just because your funk gagged me somehow I'll be a easier target now?" Timmy asked, turning the water off and well, just mostly ignoring Lance as he started to dry his hands. "I think you were bullshiting me before, and sides, I ain't got nothing to lose after the whole class just saw me..uh.." and lance lose his fighting pose for a second as his cheeks flared red again. "They all just watched you shit your huggies. Look, if it's a whooping you want, I'll give you anther one, but I really wouldn't recommend it." Timmy said, honestly trying to be helpful. "I know I can kick your ass!" Lance growled and started to charge in. 'Some people just insist on trying to skate uphill.' Timmy thought as he rolled his eyes. Snatching the top off of the trash can and then sweeping low with a kick, Timmy sent Lance flying head first into the trash can where he was then pinned, his diaper and legs sticking out and kicking in the air and Timmy just smirked. "I think you should take a little time out, and think about if trying to fight me is really working out for you." Timmy said, and after giving Lance's pamper butt a few pats, he left the bathroom, pausing only to grab the boys jeans and rip open all the stressed seams.

Lance whimpered and squirmed, trying to break free but the trash can itself was bolted to the floor after someone had been using the trans cans to break windows. And of course by someone, it had been him. He was a victim of his petty acts of vandalism and the only saving grace was that Timmy had put a few layers of paper towels over the dirty diaper to try and keep the boys room from becoming too toxic. If not for those layers Lance would of landed with his face against his own smelly diaper. the narrow design of the trash can meant his arms were pinned at his sides and useless and he just didn't have the leverage to force himself out by his legs no matter how much he kicked and squirmed. 'son of a bitch! I'm gonna kill him!' Lance sworn in his head over and over, truing it into a war chant of sorts as he tried to get free. 'Kill Timmy. Kill Timmy. Kill Timmy.' though even as he plotted out what he was going to do to the little shit, a nagging voice in the back of his head tried to remind him that he was 2 and 0 when trying to pound the bastard. never one to listen to common sense however, Lance figured third time was the charm and he'd figure out a way. He froze as he heard the bathroom door open, and then the voices that followed. "Man, who took a shit and didn't..flush.." came a voice that Lance knew VERY well and he groaned. If he was the top terror of the school, then Dustin Clearly was terror number two. the 13 year old was actually the same size as lance and had been the resident bully till Lance had put him in his place, but Dustin had made it clear he was only waiting for the right chance to strike to take back his tittle. "well well well.. what DO we have here." Dustin's voice rang out and then Lance felt a smack on the back of his pampered ass. he bit his bottom lip to keep quite on the hope that Dustin wouldn't be able to reorganize him from just a diapered butt and his legs. "awww, did the silly baby fall and go boom?" Dustin asked and laughed, smacking Lance's butt again. "or were you trying to be a good widdle boy and toss out your diaper and fell in?" again Lance kept silent, and prayed that Dustin would just get bored and leave. "You might as well speak up..Lance. Your the only one in the school with those tacky light up sneakers." Dustin added. Fuck! why had he begged and whined for his parents to get him those! he should of realized how much they made him stand out! "O-Ok Dustin. it's me. Can you PLEASE help me out of here?" Lance whined, with the jig up he had nothing to lose asking for help. "Hmmm i dunno..I think face down ass up in a trash can is a good look for you." Dustin laughed, and then Lance felt something poking the back of his diaper and moving around. "H-Hey! knock it off! what are you doing!?!" Lance yelped, kicking his legs only to get them grabbed by the stronger boy and held in place. "well you always made fun of me for liking to draw, but now I have this biggg white crinkly canvas to work with and a new black sharpie to boot." Dustin said. "Come on dude! this isn't funny! I'm getting light headed in here!" Lance whined and cringed as he felt himself starting to get close to crying. "alright alright calm your tits, I'm just about done and then I'll help you out. You know your pants are wreaked right?" Dustin asked. "Damn it! D-Dustin listen to me, there's this new kid.. he doesn't look like much but he did this to me and you're likely next. but if we team up-" Lance started to say and got a smack on his thigh. "OW! WHY!?" "oh quit your bitching, and no offense, but I think if I run into this kid I'm just gonna mind my manners." the sharpie stopped moving across the back of the diaper and then Lance felt himself tugged free, though some of the paper towel came up as it had plastered itself to his forehead. Dustin went to say something, then held his nose, his blench blond dreadlocks moving as did so and took a step back. "Ugh, dude! maybe you should go outside for a bit and air out, you reek like a shitty diaper." he said. Lance growled and thought about picking a fight with Dustin right then and there, but a small part of him nagged about the chance of ending back up in the trash can, and he stormed out of the boys room instead, trying to look as tough and as bad ass as he could, considering he was only in a diaper and t-shirt. Not to mention said diaper now had a warning written on the butt. 'Caution: full load!'  

Despite what his test scores might suggest, Lance wasn't stupid and knew better then to try and go back to class in just a diaper and t-shirt, and also knew better then to try and sneak out of the school in the same attire. Looking around the hallways of the school he tried to make his way to his locker, to get his gym shorts and cover up the diaper at least. if anything, his gym shorts would work better then his jeans had since his mom made it a point to get a size or two bigger (his jeans had been from last last) and he'd had to draw the string on it super tight to keep them from falling down. 'Huh, should of thought of that before..eh..I thought of it now, still means I'm a genius.' Lance thought, smirking and puffing up his chest in pride. He actually had a little swagger in his step as he got close to his locker, thinking about how he had outsmarted Timmy and while it might take awhile, he was sure he could get enough boys together that they'd make that ginger asshole into a even bigger baby then he'd been forced to be today. Lance was so caught up in his own head, picturing his victory that he failed to look at the clocks and see that it was just about the end of the period. he was just at the door to his locker, when the loud bells that singled the end of a period rang and made him yelp and jump. It also made him freeze as his bladder suddenly decided apparently that his bowels shouldn't be hogging all the fun and he started to flood the front of his diaper. As students poured out into the hallway he could only hunch over and try and will the flow to stop, even as more and more people started to notice him, pointing him out. there was a hush over the students in the hall as they looked, like the quiet before the storm, and then a roar of laughter washed over him as tears started to flow  from his eyes. "Stop it! stop laughing at me!" He whined and forgetting operation get some shorts, turned and ran away, sadly giving them all a good look at the message on his butt.

After that, Lance was never a problem for the most part. he kept to himself, he did his school work and his grades actually improved. He also never got back out of diapers as his parents didn't believe him when he said anther student had diapered him, and now he was in diapers 24/7, and even bulkier ones then the ones Timmy had put him in. These days the only time he's a bother to others is when he stinks up the classroom. Timmy sadly didn't get to stick around long to enjoy his handy work, His dad had anther transfer come though after only 3 weeks in town. Still he kept in touch with the boys from the last school, and saw how Lance even ended up having to drink from a sippy cup at lunch time and it gave him ideas for the bully at his new school, A know it all named Dan.

The end?

[way-veee]

yān yǔ

pt. 3

today you had to go grocery shopping. 

you and wayv were going to go out and buy ingredients for a filmed dinner making segment. the segment started at four, and you were to be taking notes the whole time. what a great way to spend an afternoon. 

it was just around lunch time, so you decide to go out and get something to eat before you have to leave. the confides of your quarters were crushing, you couldn’t stand the structured day schedule for one more minute. 

you knew a ramen place close-ish by,and it sounded like a nice break from everything.

you were more than excited to leave as you stick to the corners of the halls not wanting to explain yourself to any managers. 

you thought you were alone on your adventure outside, but you were sadly mistaken. xiaojun, lucas and winwin were following you from behind. they saw you leave and being presidents of the we hate y/n club, they had to follow you to see what you were doing.

you round the corner and open the door, you feel the fresh air on your face and rejoice.

“hey!” lucas yells in a bird like voice. “where are you going!”

you jump, startled again. god, this day was supposed to be fun. “ i was just going out.”

they look confused.

“alone?” winwin says. it was like the whole concept of independence was new to him.

you nod looking at these boys. then you remembered the promise you made to yourself.

“i.. i’m going to a ramen place for lunch. would  you like to come?” you muster up your best relaxed smile.

“no,” xiaojun says.

“yeah that sounds boring.” lucas replies.

winwin just looks at you with a face of disgust and you assume he means no as well.

you were so glad you were a nice person.

“when you guys usually go out how many guards do you need with you?”

they look you in the eyes now, aware of what you’re doing.

“we need at least two at all times, if there’s filming then we bring over 10 people.” lucas replies.

“ i know it’s not my place to say this, but even if you wont tell me i know you guys want to be alone outside. no one wants to be caged up.”

they know you’re right. but they also know that the’re rules that they need to follow.

“you shouldn’t be caged up. do you hear me?”

they stay quiet. maybe they shouldn't have talked to you at all.

“im going,” you say sternly. “you should come.”

then you walk off, breaking your facade and breathing heavily from fear. if they tell on you you’d be off this report immediately and would probably be fired. 

but for some reason you know that they won’t. 

“were you actually gonna follow her!” winwin yells at lucas. 

“well, yea for a second i was.”

“why!” winwin whispers yells still not wanting to be caught and hurried back into their rooms.

“you know she’s right,” xiaojun says, serious. 

winwin quiets, you were right. then lucas begins to speak

“listen, i know that we hate her and she’s annoying and a bunch of other things, but i still think we should go with her. we won’t get another chance like this for a while.”

“i want to go too,” xiaojun says, siding with lucas.  

xiaojuns pleading eyes completely destroy whatever counter argument winwin has.

“fine,” he says, a hint of excitement in the back of his throat. “but if she sells us off to sasaengs or tries to kill us, it’s on you guys.” 

“im gonna put on my travel pants!” lucas yells galloping back to his room.

when they catch up to you, you were relieved, excited and a little bit confused on why lucas kept on talking about “travel pants”

you stay silent and let them talk in hushed tones. this was an alliance between you both and you didn’t want to wreck it.

when you get to the ramen place you speak to the waiter in hushed chinese for a table in the back.

“i forgot she could do that,” winwin says to the boys, saddened by the lost prospect of talking about you while you were with them.

you get a table at the back, the boys sit facing the wall side, just so no one would notice them. 

they were surprised that no one had discovered them yet. was going out really that easy?

“i’ll get one of those please, “ you say to the waiter.

“and i’ll get a ramen bowl with shrimp, tofu, green beans and rice.” lucas says with a dazzling smile on his face. 

“um, the tofu and rice are part of a separate meal, so what you ordered would be enough for three people, are you sure you don’t want something else?” 

lucas eyes the waiter definitely not impressed. “i know what i said.” he never blinks once. the waiter gives up with an indignant huff and walks back to relay the orders to the chefs.

“xiaojun what drink did you order?” you question, inspecting his brownish drink.

he triumphantly lifts up his glass and says, “this is pepsi, coca cola, sprite and fanta!”

you vomit in your mouth, that sounds so disgusting. “why... why do drink that?”

“well, i really like all of those drinks and it would be gross to order 4 drinks at once, so one day i thought, hey why don’t i put them together?”

he gestures proudly to his drink. so proud in fact that he lifts it up for you to look at it but instead spills it all over your sweater.

you stand up gasping, “my sweater!”

“oh my gosh im sorry!” xiaojun yells embarrassed.

“do you have a change of clothes or something?” lucas says concerned at your shirt stained brown.

“i could go back to my room, but that’s far and i-”

“miss?” the same waiter says snooping in on the conversation. “we might have something for you in the back?” he gestures past the kitchen and you of course follow him not wanting to sit in a carbonated sweater.

“that sack was ugly anyways” winwin snickers as you leave.

xiaojun and lucas nod, both agreeing.

was this all they had? it wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t what you normally wore when reporting. it was tight and dark blue with buttons. 

you weren’t about to leave your lunch because of three- no, one drink crazy idol.

you walk out and sit back down. they had just brought out your ramen and you start to eat it.

you feel them all staring at you. this wasn’t some movie where you wore a winter color palette and let your hair down and all the guys fall for you.

“you look even worse!” winwin exclaims, not impressed.

“it’s better than the sack” xiaojun shrugs.

“is it?” lucas says looking at xiaojun “is it really?”

“hey im sitting right here,” you say while waving your hands.

they didn’t seem to mind at all.

the rest of  lunch went surprisingly well, lucas ate enough for four people when you decided to give him the rest of your bowl. and the insults at each other became jokes and teasing. 

the boys couldn’t believe it. they were actually enjoying your company. people usually wouldn’t talk bad about idols to their faces, but you really didn’t care. your company was refreshing. 

not to mention the way you looked in the shirt you had to wear. you actually looked pretty not wearing a sack shirt. it was quite surprising.

“we better go back,” you say looking at your wristwatch. “filming starts in under an hour.” 

you look at the boys. they looked like they could stay there forever. they looked so normal and happy like when you had seen them the other night.

“and action!”

“okay!” kun yells at the boys with a giddy smile. “we have to find the ten items we want in 3 minutes, then we’ll choose the dish according to the rules of the game.”

the boys break out into indistinct crazy conversations as the bright lights of the grocery store and camera crew illuminate their foundation padded faces.

you watched admiringly from behind the camera. they were wearing new clothes again, probably some that they’d never wear again. but at least they looked happy, or happier than they had been in restricting suits.

“one two thr-” before kun can finish counting hendery and ten breakout into a run down the grocery store aisles completely ignoring kun’s authority as a leader. you chuckle.

you had to give it to them, they were really funny on camera and entertaining to watch. you understood now why so many people liked them. 

then the camera goes zooming past you as the other boys break away running to find food for the challenge. you scribble down more notes back with the film crew.

the boys were energetic. if there was a more powerful word than energetic i’d use it right now, the boys were driven by the prospect of food and nothing could derail them. they are after all young men. 

“aah!” lucas yells, you gasp, had he hurt himself or fell?

 then you see him run by with three loaves of bread in his hands and at least four cans of beans in his pockets. ten then follows yelling at lucas that he took his beans.

the rest of the grocery store segment had much more chaos and yelling like before. 

 the youngest members teamed up against the oldest and they stole all of their chicken and seaweed. then ten and lucas also sided with the younger members so it was really just them yelling and stealing food items from kun and winwin.

at one point hendery decided to do a back flip down the aisles which ended surprisingly well, but then lucas tried and knocked off a whole shelf of rice which he then had to clean up.

when it was over you hadn't written many notes down because you couldn't draw your eyes away from them. you were inexplicably drawn to them and their personalities. 

you also found them quite entertaining.

“y/n did you write down that i did a back flip!” hendery says out of breath running up to you.

you nod slowly, “i did, good job with that by the way.”

“thanks” hendery says while pushing his sweaty hair out of his face.

‘i’ve been practicing on a chair and on my bed and then i just run really fast and do an air somersault. you know?”

you look at him in shock, was he okay?  but then you remembered, no, he’s just a member of wayv. that was reason enough for you.

you took a separate car to the kitchen where the boys were gonna be filming at. it made you sad, you kind of missed their presences, even if it just was them pestering you.

when you finally got to the restaurant they gave you a chair to sit on as you watched them. 

they had the food laid out on the table and they were gonna make scallion pancakes and congee. it was a weird combo but they insisted on making it.

you enjoyed the filming, watching the boys joke around and horribly make food. 

at one point you see one of their managers try to signal at winwin to move. for some reason he wanted winwin on the sides not in the center? 

but winwin didn’t see the gesture, or ignored it. either way he stayed in the middle.

 it was fine by you, the boys looked unconcerned by winwin’s presence so why should it matter.

the show ended with the boys trying to eat their creations but laughing too much and then having to throw it out because it wouldn’t unstick from the pans.

as lucas walks away to get changed he whispers “im glad we ate at lunch because i don’t think that food was even edible.”

you look at lucas who was trying to actually have a nice conversation with you.

“good thing you ate enough for four people,” you joke.

then you look behind lucas’s shoulder to see the manager sternly talking to winwin. winwin looks visibly upset, but the manager wouldn’t stop. it was probably about the incident earlier.

lucas follows your eyes and his face falls. “y/n, don’t.”

but the second the manager stops talking, winwin runs away and you follow. you had to see if he was okay.

lucas doesn’t try to stop you anymore. he just goes and get changed. stuff like this has happened before. what could he do about it?

you follow him. he doesn’t run for much longer and stops, sitting in one of the many dark hallways of the building.

he’s crunched on the ground crying. winwin has always been visibly strong and outgoing. now he’s not.

you don’t know what to say or do so you just sit beside him on the ground, listening to his shallow breathing.

he looks up at you after some time. 

“i should’ve just moved.” 

his eyes were red and wet from crying. that was no way to treat another human being. you couldn't do anything right know, but you wanted to yell and curse at all of the managers at SM.

winwin’s hand was atop his knee and you slowly put your hand on top of his. he stops shaking almost immediately and you just sit there with him.

“i’m afraid they’re gonna get rid of me again.” 

you didn’t know if he was talking to you, or just in general. so you just listened.

“i don’t know what to do anymore.”

 you can hear him  start to cry again.

“why don’t they like me?” 

you wondered how many times the boys have been upset or cried like this. you wondered how many hours or days were spent hating their management. it made you sick.

you grasp winwin’s hand a little tighter. then wipe the tears off of his soft cheeks.

“i like you” you say smiling at him.

“no you don’t” he says through his knees.

“i do. you’re a talented person, and you’re nice. i couldn’t hate you if i wanted too.”

“you’re lying” he says. but then he grips your hand even tighter in the dark hallway and you smile.

when you arrive back to the boys they immediately ask winwin so many questions. they were so concerned about him. 

it made you happy to see people care about other people in such a way.

“thank you.” xiaojun whispers while walking by you. apparently he can give up hating you for a second to thank you. that made you happy too.

after some hugs and hushed words kun approaches you.

“so y/n. we had an idea, can you help us with it?”

“umm, probably? can you tell me what it is?”

kun smiles a short smile in the hallway of the building.

“it has to do with an article, us and our company-”

“i’m in.” you say automatically.

pt. 4