#I'm sure everyone else can hear that too and they're just not bothered by it | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

madebycloud · 2 months ago

Text

Sweetener

jinx/powder x female reader — 𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐞'𝐬⠀𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭

summary: matcha has always been too bitter for your taste, but your new coworker seems to love it, especially when she makes you taste it every single day. warnings/themes: fluff and angst, friends to lovers, coffee shop, mordern au, barista!jinx, barista!reader, jessica words: 18.5k notes: just 2 broke (tired, stubborn, idiot, proud) college students in a shitty city

Working as a barista, you're used to seeing all sorts of people.

Most times it's just a bunch of early morning adults rushing through with their quick coffee pickup before work or the mid-afternoon college students stopping by for their third/fourth cup of the day to fight off the dark circles under their eyes or the late night studiers trying to consume enough coffee to finish their all-nighters for the upcoming exams.

But you can't please everyone all the time. Some of the people are just downright arrogant.

“Whatever.” They wave their hand in the air, as though swatting away an annoying fly. “Anyway, I need a matcha latte.”

You try to keep the grimace off your face. Not only does matcha taste like grass, matcha is expensive as hell. And it's always the stuck-up pricks that ask for matcha lattes.

“Yes, anything else?”

They look you up and down with a scoff. “Did I stutter? yes, that'll be all.”

You grit your teeth, trying to keep from throttling the prick then and there. It's not only just unprofessional, but you'd probably lose your job. And you need this job. You type their order, being careful not to say something rude.

“Great,” they say as they pull out a credit card.

You ring the total up and hand the card back, watching as they slide it back into their wallet.

“And you better get it right this time, it was too hot last time,” you hear them say before taking a seat at a nearby table.

Too hot. The last time you made it for them, you were careful to keep it at the right temperature—but apparently, even that wasn't good enough for that uptight person over there.

You grumble to yourself as you get to work making the matcha latte.

Carefully getting the perfect blend of matcha powder and water. Steaming the milk to the perfect temperature, ensuring it isn't too hot for the entitled prick, but also not too cold.

You grumble again, knowing full well the tip they're going to leave you won't be anything more than fifty cents or nothing at all.

You look at the clock. Only four hours left of this shift. Only four hours.

—

“You alright?”

You glance up from shoving your apron into a locker as Jayce, the cafe owner, walks over.

Is it that obvious you're not doing so well? You shrug. “I'm fine. Just glad it's quitting time, y'know?”

You're really not fine. This day was just awful. Between classes, this shift, and the never ending classwork load, you're ready to collapse from exhaustion. But you don't want to bother Jayce with your problems. The guy's already got enough on his plate running this café.

When you shut the locker, you catch Jayce eyeing you with concern, but he doesn't push further.

“Speaking of,” he starts, changing the topic. “You'll be getting a new co-worker tomorrow. Maddie's moved to another city.” He leans against a wall, crossing his arms. “Can you show them the ropes? I won't be here tomorrow.”

You give him a weary smile. “Can do.” Sure, training's easy, and showing them how to make coffee and deal with difficult customers isn't that hard. But what if they suck? What if they're lazy? What if they're incompetent?

You sigh, knowing that you're getting ahead of yourself. It's all conjecture right now. For all you know, this new co-worker could be great.

Jayce seems to notice your exhaustion, and he smiles reassuringly. “Get some rest.”

Right… rest. How the hell are you supposed to rest when you still have three classes to stress about, a mountain of classwork, and a new person to train at a job tomorrow?

“Maybe I should,” you reply lazily. You're not sure if you'll be able to get rest with the load of classwork waiting for you in your apartment, but at this point, you feel too exhausted to care. You grab your backpack and sling it over your shoulders, giving a tired wave. “See you.”

He waves back. “Have a good night.”

You exit the cafe, a chill wind hitting your face as you step out onto the sidewalk.

Tomorrow is going to suck.

Tomorrow is waking up at the ass crack of dawn, half dead, and dragging yourself to several classes.

Tomorrow is getting bitched out by entitled pricks who need their overcomplicated, overpriced caffeinated crap just to feel awake.

Tomorrow is the same old bullshit.

You're already dreading tomorrow.

—

Weekends. The two days of respite from the hellhole of college—at least, it's supposed to be. When you arrive at the cafe on a Saturday morning, the sun is just beginning to rise as you park your bike nearby and make your way inside.

You step through the door and are greeted by Jayce, standing by the counter. And next to him is a blue-haired girl. Must be the newbie.

“Morning,” you greet Jayce with a tired yawn. You set your belongings in the locker before walking over to the counter.

“Morning,” Jayce greets back with a smile, nodding towards the girl. “This is Jinx, the new barista I mentioned,” he tells you, confirming your suspicions.

“Jinx,” you repeat, looking her up and down.

Blue hair with two braids, and a chin-length swoop of hair on the right side of her face. She's probably around your age. Despite the early hour, she looks far too cheerful and energetic.

Jinx's eyes lands on you, and she smiles broadly. “That's me,” she chirps.

You introduce yourself, and Jayce nods in approval. “I've gotta go,” he says, putting on his coat. “I trust you can take it from here.” He pats you on the back as he walks past. “See you later.” And with that, he's out the door.

You turn back to Jinx, noticing her eyes wandering around the café. “So, uh,” you start awkwardly, “have you worked in a café before?”

Jinx snaps her attention to you. “Nope.”

“Okay… that's not a big deal,” you assure her. “I'll just walk you through everything.”

She nods, and you begin the training.

You start by showing her the basics. Operating the coffee machines—which are pretty damn fancy and confusing at first. Explaining the menu, the prices, and the specials of the day. You tell her about the regulars and the usual customers, and she seems to listen closely.

After the basics, you get to the actual coffee-making. You start with a simple latte. You demonstrate the process, showing her how to prepare the espresso and steam the milk. She watches closely and even tries to mimic your steps.

Her first attempt is... messy. The espresso is weak, and the milk isn't steamed right. You point out her mistakes and try to guide her through the process again. She tries again… and again, it looks like a mess.

“Here—watch.” You adjust her grip on the pitcher. “You're holding it wrong. Try pouring again.”

She nods and tries once more, this time managing to make a decent pour.

“Not bad,” you praise. “Keep that up and you'll be good in no time.”

Jinx grins, but then her gaze falls to her hands. “Not so sure about that.”

You follow her gaze and spot the multiple band aid wrapped around her fingers. Her band aids seem to almost be covering every single finger. It's a little weird that her bandages cover her fingers of all things.

But you don't pry.

She sets the pitcher down, and you turn to glance at the clock on the wall. The clock reads 7:36 AM. It's still early, but the cafe opens at 8 AM.

“Hey,” you begin, “I was thinking…” You motion at the clock. “We still have time before opening. Wanna try making something different?”

She nods eagerly. “Yeah. Sure. Why not?”

“Alright.” You walk over to the cupboard. “What would you like to make?”

“Hmm, something... fun,” she hums, fingers tapping on the counter. “Like... matcha?” She shrugs. “It's my favorite.”

Matcha. That disgusting green tea powder that all these rich assholes seem to worship. And if you hear one more person saying it tastes rich or some other dumb bullshit...

You hate matcha. But if Jinx's favorite drink is matcha, then fine.

You shove down your own disdain for the drink and give her a strained smile. “You like matcha?”

“Yeah. It's delicious!” She's much more energetic than you've ever been.

You open the cupboard and sift through the supply drawers, pulling out the ingredients for a matcha latte. Jinx's eyes lock onto the ingredients that you place on the counter. “Why do you love matcha so much?” you ask.

“Uh, it tastes good! Matcha cake, matcha ice cream, matcha mochi, matcha tea... Oh! Matcha pudding is really good too.”

She seems very enthusiastic about the drink. So much so that you wonder if she's done an advertisement for it before.

“You know,” you start, measuring out the matcha and starting the water to boil in the kettle. “For someone who seems like they'd be more into sweet and sugary things... you like some stuff like matcha.”

“Eh, I also like sweet stuff, but I like matcha better.” Makes sense. Some people just like different tastes.

The water boils, and you spoon the powdered green tea into a cup and add the steaming water. You stir the matcha in the cup with a whisk. “You've probably had tons of matcha drinks in cafes before, huh?”

You turn to grab a frothing pitcher from the counter, but the bluenette has already snatched it and started foaming the milk, her fingers gripping the handle.

“Yeah, I have. But I've never tried making it myself.”

“Never tried making one yourself?” you repeat, watching her steam the milk.

She shakes her head. “Nope. I've had a lot of matcha drinks in cafes, but I've never made one myself.”

You finish stirring the matcha in the cup. “Well, at least you haven't broken anything yet. That's a good start.”

She stops frothing the milk, glancing at you. “You mean that? you're not joking?”

“I'm just being honest.”

She hesitantly nods, taking your answer. “If you say so…”

She pours the frothed milk into the cup along with the matcha, and you add the finishing touches before giving it to her.

Jinx grabs the cup and looks down at the drink. “It looks good.”

“Well, take a sip.” You watch her expectantly. You expect her to spit it out, complain...

But she doesn’t. She swallows the liquid and sets the cup down. “I didn't know making matcha was so easy,” she muses, staring down at the frothy green drink.

“It's not so complicated. Just some boiled water and milk.”

She takes another sip. “So... I could make matcha myself?”

“Yup. If you know how, it's pretty simple.”

“I never knew it was this easy.... I've been buying matcha this whole time-”

Then, the bell chimes, interrupting your conversation. The first customer of the day walks in.

“Ahh…” you mutter, turning toward your new co-worker, who is still sipping on her matcha latte. “You ready?”

She sets the cup down. “I guess.”

“Just follow my lead and try to keep up,” you tell her, “it should be an easy morning.”

She smiles, adjusting her apron. “Easy as pie.”

—

The first day of work for Jinx was... well, interesting, to put it mildly.

She made a few mistakes—like over-foaming a latte, accidentally giving a customer way too much sugar in their coffee, and almost setting fire to the coffee machine… but it could have been worse.

Some of the customers were patient, kind, and understanding. Others... not so much.

One customer complained that their coffee had too much cream and was way too sweet. Another complained their frappe was melting despite ordering it without ice. Then there was the customer who ordered a ‘coffee flavored coffee’, whatever that means. And the guy who wanted an Americano with no coffee.

By the end of the day, Jinx looked like a mess, and her apron was covered in coffee stains. You and her both shared a look of exhaustion.

“I had no idea customers could be so…” she trails off, her head in her hands on the counter.

“Frustrating?”

“More like…” she ponders some more.

“Inconsiderate?” you suggest jokingly.

“No, that's too nice.”

“How about…” you pause, mulling over some choice words. “Just plain dumb?”

“Dumb, stupid, idiotic, moronic, blockheaded, imbecilic-” she continues, listing off synonyms.

“You're going to run out of adjectives.”

“I've got plenty.” She lifts her head up, drumming her fingers on the counter. “You have no idea how many words you can use to describe an idiot. I could go on for hours.”

“I'm sure you could, but-”

“Like numbskull! Dolt. Imbecile. Nitwit. Dimwit. Dunce. Jackass. Cretin-”

“-Alright, that's enough,” you cut her off before she can start listing the entire dictionary. “I get it.”

She laughs and pushes back her bangs. “I was sooo tempted to dump a whole pot of coffee in a customer's face.”

“You shouldn't be pouring coffee on people, no matter how annoying they are.”

“But just imagine the look on their face when a steaming cup of hot coffee hits them-”

“That's assault.”

“It's self defense if… I'm defending my sanity,” Jinx counters.

“You can't just dump coffee on every annoying customer.”

“Says who?”

“Says the law,” you remind her, “...and Jayce.”

She sighs, flopping onto the counter. “I can't believe people can be this annoying. Like, how hard is it to just be nice to the people who serve you coffee?”

“Eh, well, it's too hard for some people. It's like they wake up in the morning and think… ‘Hmm, I'm going to be a massive jerk to someone working their minimum wage job today.’ And smetimes you just get those customers that you wish…” You gesture with your arm as if to mimic strangling them.

Jinx sits up, mimicking the motion with her own arms. “Or- or… you can poison their drink! Like, just a little bit. Just enough to make them a bit... sick and queasy. Or make it taste gross so they never come back, and they tell all their friends not to come back, and the cafe suddenly gets no business, and we get laid off-” She suddenly stops herself, realizing what she's saying. “I'm not making sense, am I?”

You snort. “Can you imagine the cafe being empty?”

“Mhmm! we could play our own music. Reorganize things. Drink as much coffee as we want,” she says, dropping her arms back to the counter.

“No stupid customers. No stupid complaints. It sounds like a dream.”

She leans forward, propping her chin on her hand. “It does, doesn't it?”

Just as both of you start fantasizing about the dream of an empty café, the sound of the bell above the door rings, signaling the entrance of a new customer.

You look up, assuming it's just another customer ready to order their coffee and then complain about it. But the sight of Jayce walking through the door immediately caught your attention.

“Oh, hey, boss,” Jinx greets.

Jayce approaches the counter, his eyes scanning over the cafe. “Evening, how's the first day?” he asks Jinx.

“Just great,” she replies.

Jayce glances at the coffee stain on her apron, the corner of his lip twitching upwards, but he doesn't comment on it. “And how's the training been?” He turns towards you, raising an eyebrow.

You shrug, trying to play it cool. “She's done well-”

“Except for spilling the drinks, the coffee machine almost exploded, accidentally giving customers the wrong orders-” Jinx pipes up, counting on her fingers, “-and me almost assaulting a customer.”

“She's still learning,” you quickly add, “but she's catching on pretty quick.”

Jayce purses his lips, studying Jinx for a moment before returning his eyes to you. “She almost assaulted a customer?”

“Uh, no, it didn't happen. She was just... venting out some frustration.”

“It was close,” Jinx mutters.

You clear your throat and give her a subtle glare, silently telling her to shut up before she makes it worse, which she luckily gets the hint.

Jayce hums and glances down at the watch on his wrist before looking back up. “Right, you two can head home now. I'll take over closing the shop.”

You and Jinx exchanged confused looks. “You sure? we can help.”

He waves a hand dismissively. “No, no, it's fine. You've both had a long day. Go on, get going.”

You raise an eyebrow, a little suspicious, but you decide not to question it for now. You turn to Jinx. “Come on, let's get our stuff.”

She immediately stands up from her seat. “Holy shit, I'm dying to get out of this apron.”

—

You wave goodbye to Jayce as you both leave the cafe, heading straight for your parked bike, and climb onto it.

You notice that Jinx is walking a few feet away from you. “You need a ride or something?” you call out.

She turns around, looking at you with a smirk. “Why, are you offering?”

“Unless you want to walk-”

“I'll take that ride.” She walks over, stopping right next to where you're seated on the bike.

“Hop on, then.”

She glances at the back seat, hesitant. You notice that she doesn't have any sort of vehicle either. She bites her lip, contemplating it for a moment, before carefully climbing on the bike.

You feel the bike sag a bit underneath her weight, but it thankfully holds.

She awkwardly sits behind you, her arms wrapping around your waist and her legs tucked beside your thighs. “You know how to ride this thing fast, right?” she asks.

“Of course, I do. I just like being careful.” You kick off the ground and begin to pedal, leaving the café behind.

“Boooring. Just gun it. I wanna feel the wind in my hair.”

“If I crash this thing, it's your fault,” you joke, picking up speed on the deserted sidewalk. “Where are you headed anyway?”

Her grip tightens around your waist, the wind blowing through her hair. “The subway.”

“The subway?” you ask, turning the bike towards the direction of the nearest subway station. “You live across the city?”

“Yeah, I live in a shitty area. Easier to use public transit.”

The entire city is shitty. “Why'd you get a job at a cafe so far from where you live, then?” You're genuinely curious.

“Not many other places are willing to hire me.”

“Why?”

She scoffs. “Too crazy. I had a job last summer at a local convenience store.”

“What, did you steal from the cash register or something?”

“Me? Hell no. You think I'd do something that obvious?”

You glance backward with a raised eyebrow.

“Alright, fine. I might have tried to steal some drinks and candy a couple of times. But! my boss was a scumbag who stole money from charity donations. He deserved it,” she explains defensively.

“I'm sure he did,” you reply, trying not to laugh at her defense. After all, she didn't need to justify stealing from a scumbag. Not that a few stolen chocolates really matter in this shithole of a city.

You continue down the sidewalk, making a left turn at a stoplight. Cars honk at you, but neither of you gives them so much as a glance of acknowledgment.

“Besides, those things are way too overpriced anyway,” she continues. “Everything in that damn store was overpriced.”

The subway station is now in view just a few blocks away.

“What happened?” you ask. “You get fired or quit?”

“Both. They fired me, and then I quit.”

“How exactly do you quit after getting fired?”

She laughs a little. “I walked back the next day and quit myself.”

That makes sense... somehow. “But, back to my question, why work so far?”

“Er, I didn't have a choice. Jayce was about the only one that would hire me.”

So it was out of desperation. You could understand that. Everyone had to do what they had to do to survive in this city.

You slow your bike to a stop, parking it outside the entrance to the subway station. You put the kickstand down and hop off the bike. “How long does it take to get to your place?”

“Like... maybe forty-five minutes? sometimes two hours,” she says, getting off the bike and stretching her arms above her head. “It's not that bad. There's usually an old guy who plays really shitty polka music on the accordion to keep me entertained.”

“Sounds lovely,” you reply sarcastically. “Shitty music and a shitty city.”

She hums, looking around. “So... I'll see you tomorrow?”

Despite the shitty city, the shitty job, you find yourself slightly looking forward to seeing her tomorrow. “Yeah, tomorrow,” you reply.

She turns and begins walking towards the stairs that descend into the depths of the subway station, before stopping and turning back around to face you.

“Hey-” she begins, stopping you. “Thanks for the ride, and... you're not so bad. For a coworker.”

You can't resist a smile. “You aren't so bad either.”

Jinx scoffs. “Pft, I don't know. Some people might disagree.” She pauses, studying your face for a moment. “See you, partner.”

She gives you one last grin before bounding down the stairs. You watch her disappear into the depths of the subway station.

You stare at the empty place where she once was, then turn away and get back on your bike, beginning to pedal away.

—

You enter the café, eyes still heavy from lack of sleep as you drag yourself through the door, only to be nearly deafened by the sound of loud music blasting from the speakers.

…this isn't the usual song that Jayce plays on the speakers. It's not soft rock, nor is it jazz, or any of those ‘old people’ types of music that he usually has on.

It sounds like... is that heavy metal? Not just any kind of heavy metal, but the really fast-paced, hyper, head-banging kind.

You step inside and spot Jinx, who is currently in the middle of aggressively sweeping the floor.

Within three seconds of seeing you, the bluenette immediately abandons her task of sweeping, bounds over to the counter, grabs a cup, and holds it out to you.

“Mornin' partner!” she greets, a smirk on her face.

Confused, but too tired to question her, you cautiously take the cup from her. “Uhh... morning.” You nod, looking down at the cup. “Thanks.” You take a small, tentative sip.

Matcha. You almost want to spit it out. But you swallow it anyway. After all, it'd be rude to spit out something someone went out of the way to make for you.

The liquid hits your tongue, and it's… different?

Different from how you make it. It's sweet, too sweet. But oddly, despite its different taste... it's actually kind of good. Good enough to make your morning slightly more bearable.

You set the cup down on the counter, trying to hide how oddly satisfied you feel.

“So?” Jinx asks eagerly, “What do you think?”

“It's... “ Good. The word almost slips out, but you stop yourself, instead clearing your throat and going for a more neutral answer. “Different.”

“Different good or different bad?” she prompts.

“Different... fine,” you say, lifting the cup back to your lips and taking another sip.

That isn't necessarily a lie, right? just because something is different doesn't mean it's good or bad. It's like a math equation, neutral on both sides.

“What's with all the-” you gesture around, “loud music?” you ask, changing the topic.

“Oh, that?” She jabs a thumb behind her towards the speaker. “I was bored out of my mind before you got here, so I changed the music.”

The loud blast of drums and guitar fills the café.

“You like it?” she asks.

It's not... bad. Just different. “I don't know if like it is the right term.”

“Mhmm, but it's good for the morning. Helps wake you up, you know?”

You look back at the cup. The taste is still weird, but the flavor is oddly growing on you. “Yeah, I guess so.”

—

For the next few weeks, every day was the same. Every shift, you stumbled into the café, half-asleep and barely alive, and Jinx would greet you with a cup of matcha latte. She doesn't bother asking if you want one, simply places down your drink and starts her own work in the café.

It's still a drink that normally makes you grimace, but... the way she makes it... she makes it different.

It doesn't make your facial muscles twitch anymore. It just tastes better. It's odd, the way that the drink has changed you. The once bitter, almost disgusting taste that you used to dread is now...

Less bitter and somehow not so awful.

You're actually able to drink it without cringing. And you don't know if that should worry you or not.

Though, there's still one burning question on your mind.

“Why do you keep making this?” you ask her one day.

“Hmm?” She glances up from the coffee machine.

“This.” You gesture to the cup in hand. “You always make me matcha lattes.”

She sets her rag down on the counter and leans against it, resting her chin on her hand. “And why are you asking?”

“I don't know, it's just-” you pause. Why are you asking? It's just a cup of matcha. Who cares? “Just wondering,” you answer, shrugging.

“Is my matcha that bad?”

“It's not that,” you assure her, shaking your head.

“Then what?” she pries. Why do you care?

You shift a bit on your feet, uncomfortable at her question.

Because, it makes you enjoy something that you originally hated. But you don't say that.

“Never mind,” you mutter, shaking your head again and taking a sip.

She just hums and goes back to her task.

From that point on, you never ask the question again. And she continues making the matcha lattes every shift.

—

You stand on the subway train, gripping the pole to maintain balance.

The train is too crowded to find a seat, so you're forced to just stand. It's a little uncomfortable, but not the worst thing you've experienced. You're used to these long commutes. Normally, you would be riding your bike all the way to your campus, but your bike decided to betray you this day, and your tire popped.

You still haven't gotten it fixed. You didn't exactly have the money to fix it yet. Which meant you had to rely on public transport, and getting up earlier. You usually listen to music or daydream to pass the time. But today, no music, and your brain is too tired to think.

So you just stand there, staring vaguely at the people crowding around you. They're all strangers. Most of them are wearing business suits, heading to work. Some of them are students, like you, bags slung over their shoulders, looking equally tired.

A particularly loud sound of rattling metal rings in your ears, and you grimace. The subway system is old, outdated, and in need of repair. But it's still better than the old monorail they used a few years back.

You're snapped out of your thoughts as the train jolts to a stop. The doors open with an ear-piercing screech. A group of people file off as a few others get on. You barely pay attention.

You focus on the ground, listening to the rhythmic tcha tcha of the wheels on the track.

Just as your thoughts begin to lull, you're suddenly shaken from your tired trance by the feeling of another hand gripping the pole you're holding.

You lift your gaze and... Jinx?

She stands right across from you, one hand gripping the pole and the other clutching a backpack slung over her shoulder.

“Oh, hey,” she greets, shifting her grip on the pole as the train begins moving again. “What are you doing here?”

“My bike broke,” you mutter. “Flat tire.”

“Ah, that suuuuuucks,” she sympathizes, wincing. “You gonna get it fixed?”

“When I have the time,” you reply, shifting your own grip on the pole. “Or the money,” you add, grimacing as a particularly loud grinding sound rings in your ears.

You keep a decent distance between your body and Jinx, and your hands don't touch. But she stands close enough that you can see the details of her face.

She is surprisingly freckled. They're not visible unless you look closely, but she has a small smattering of brown spots on the bridge of her nose and across her cheeks. Also, she's wearing makeup. The eyeliner and dark eyeshadow are expected, but she's also wearing something purple-glistened on her lips. It almost looks like-

Her tongue darts out, licking the lip gloss off.

You look at her eyes, and she's looking directly at you. You notice her eyes flitting between your own. You're not sure if she's doing it on purpose or if the staring is some strange coincidence.

“Cars are so damn expensive,” she says, shifting her gaze at the floor. “I wish I had enough money to buy a motorcycle.”

“You drive?”

“I mean, no,” she replies, her gaze lifting again. “But if I had a motorcycle, I could finally ditch public transport.”

“You don't like the subway?”

She gives you a look, gesturing around to the crowded subway train. “Does anyone like it?”

You concede. Good point.

She studies you for a moment, eyes drifting over your bag. “Where are you headed?”

“University. You?”

“Same.”

The train jostles, and you both shift the grip on the pole again. Your hands brush against each other, her hand just above yours.

“Which university?” you ask.

“The Academy,” she answers. “Engineering.”

“That's... an expensive university.”

“Yeah, it is,” she agrees, adjusting her grip again, her hand almost touching yours. “Full ride scholarship.”

“Damn, really? that's pretty impressive.”

Something in her mouth twitches in distaste, but she swallows it down, nodding her head with a smirk. “Thanks.”

Her gaze moves across your body, then settles on your hand on the pole. She stares at it for too long before looking away.

“Engineering, huh? you a genius or something?”

“Or something,” she says.

The train lurches again, and her fingers touch yours.

She doesn't move away. You don't move away either. Every slight motion causes her fingers to brush your knuckles or your fingertips.

The train continues moving and the silence stretches on.

Jinx's eyes are everywhere. It's roaming around the train. But it's also flickering back to you. Then it's roaming again. Then it flicks to your hand.

Then, you catch her staring at your lips. “Nice lips,” she suddenly says.

“What?”

“What?” she repeats.

Who compliments someone on their lips? “You just suddenly said I have a nice lips,” you respond.

She looks away, face turning pink. “Uh, I dunno. I think you have a nice lips.”

Another jolt of the train. Her head whips back to look you in the eye. She still does not move her hand.

“You have nice eyes.” You're not sure what possesses you to say that. It just popped out of your brain and into your mouth.

She narrows her eyes at you and snorts. “You think so?” Her thumb brushes against the back of your hand.

“Yeah,” you say, ignoring the shiver that runs down your back at the touch. “Pretty.”

Pretty? Is that the only word you can think of? The word feels insufficient to describe her eyes. Beautiful, gorgeous, striking. Instead, you just say pretty. Idiot.

Her nose is scrunched up, but it does little to hide the redness of her cheeks.

You keep staring at her eyes. And she stares back. Her eyes flick down again to your lips. She wets her own lips. Her thumb rubs the back of your hand, moving in circles.

The train slows and comes to a stop.

“My stop,” you mutter, dropping your hand and straightening up. “I'll see you later at the cafe?”

“Uuhhh, later,” Jinx responds. “And…”

You raise your eyebrow, waiting for her to finish the sentence. But she doesn't. She just looks at you, face turning pink again. “And...?” you press.

She looks away from you. “Nothing. See you later, partner.”

“Later,” you repeat, then push your way out of the crowded train, feeling her stare follow you.

The sound of the train doors shutting makes you look back.

Jinx is still standing in the same place, watching you leave. Her hand is still on the pole, and she's smiling, her cheeks are still pink. But when she sees you looking, that smile fades, and she quickly averts her gaze.

Then the train pulls away, and she disappears from your view. You're left staring at an empty railway, feeling strangely warm.

The ride to your university passes without much thought. For some reason, your brain is too exhausted to focus on anything but the feeling of Jinx's hand on yours.

And even after you arrive at class, you're still preoccupied with thoughts of Jinx.

No, not preoccupied. More like... preoccupied-adjacent. There is nothing to be preoccupied with.

You just got off the subway with your coworker. Just a normal subway ride. There are hundreds of people every day in the subway. People brush against each other all the time.

Nothing strange about that.

But you can't stop thinking about the weight of her hand on yours. Or the brush of her touch. Or the pinkness of her cheeks. Or the freckles on her nose. Or the lip gloss on her mouth. Or her eyes.

...

Okay, fine, you're preoccupied.

—

The cafe is blissfully empty. You take a quick glance around. Only a few customers are sitting at their tables, quietly working on an assignment or studying for their own midterms.

As usual, a cup of matcha latte is pushed into your hands. It's the same old drink, but this time, it's over ice instead of steaming hot.

“New recipe?” you ask, looking at Jinx, who is brewing coffee.

“Trying something new,” she calls back, focusing on the coffee machine in front of her. “You like it?”

You stare at the ice floating around the top of the drink, then take another sip. “It's fine.”

It's more than fine. It's good. The ice makes it a hell of a lot more refreshing.

Jinx glances at you over her shoulder. “Just fine, huh?” she responds, raising her eyebrow at you.

“Yes,” you answer. “Fine.” Delicious

She goes back to messing with the coffee machine, leaving you to stare at the back of her head.

You continue sipping on the latte, savoring the cool drink. It's an improvement over the usual steaming hot drink. The ice makes the flavors blend differently than it usually does, and it's much more tolerable than the hot version.

Delicious. The word echoes in your brain again, but you ignore it, staring into your cup.

Then your eyes wander towards Jinx's position behind the counter.

Her hair tied up in two braids as she fiddles with the coffee machine. Sometimes, her hair will escape the confinement of the hair ties, and it will dangle about her face. She pauses to pull back a strand of loose hair, tucking it behind her ear. Her attention doesn't deviate from her task, not noticing your gaze following her movements.

Your gaze drifts back to your cup. It's getting low. A few ice cubes remain, still bobbing in the liquid.

You take another sip of the latte.

Just fine. Not delicious.

Maybe it's a bit delicious. A little delicious. Delicious is such a funny word. An odd word. Is it possible to be half-delicious?

You lick your lips, tasting the remains of the ice-cold matcha latte, and glance back at Jinx.

Damn it. Delicious.

—

A month has passed, and you can tell Jinx has improved. Maybe even... good?

Good enough that she's stopped yelling, stopped breaking, stopped accidentally pouring coffee on the customer's shirt. Good enough that the customer is now enjoying their coffee instead of screaming at her. Even Jayce seems pleased, no longer concerned that Jinx would set the coffee machine on fire.

You set a cup down and look over at Jinx, who is standing by the coffee machine. She's working on latte art and actually managing to do a good job.

You watch as she pulls the milk wand away from the foam, leaving behind a decent… is that a heart?

It's just a simple heart, nothing extravagant, but definitely better than all the blobs she'd been trying to pass as latte art weeks ago.

“Not bad,” you comment.

Jinx jumps, nearly causing the matcha to spill over the rim. “Holy fuck,” she hisses. “Warn me next time you sneak up on me like that.”

“I didn't sneak up on you,” you reply, raising an eyebrow. “I was standing next to you the entire time.”

“And you still managed to startle me.”

“I did it on purpose,” you answer, smirking. “Just to see you jump.”

She flips you off and turns her attention back to the drink in front of her. “Ass.”

You grab a rag and clean the countertop. “A heart, huh? Trying to impress someone?”

She shrugs. “Maybe I am.”

You lean against the counter, watching her work on the drink. “Who's this lucky person?”

She hums without taking her eyes off the drink. “None of your business.”

“So there is someone?”

She glances at you out of the corner of her eye, and then she shrugs. “Maybe.”

There is absolutely someone. “Is it someone I know?” you press on, curious.

“Yes.”

You're not sure how to feel about that. On one hand... well, you're curious about who the hell this person is. On the other hand... you feel... jealous?

No, not jealous. More like... annoyed. Yeah… Annoyed.

Your hands grip the rag tighter. “Is it someone I know well?”

She pauses, her gaze flickering to you for a moment, before looking back at the drink. “Yes.”

Annoyance continues to simmer inside… strange.

Why does this annoying feeling keep poking and buzzing at your brain? maybe because you had someone in mind? someone who you wish she was talking about? or maybe it was just curiosity getting the better of you.

You try to shrug off the annoyance, continuing to clean the countertop.

“What do you think?” she asks, staring at the matcha latte art.

“I already told you it doesn't look bad,” you reply, still scrubbing at the counter. “You're getting better.”

“I'm always getting better,” she says, “You can taste it if you want.” She turns the drink towards you, holding it out.

You reach over and take the cup from her, your hands brushing against hers. She looks down to look at your fingers for a moment before returning to your face.

You bring the cup up to your lips and take a sip. The moment the liquid touches your tongue, it's as if all the annoyance evaporates. The drink she makes is always delicious. You manage to swallow before the noise threatens to escape from your throat. “Thanks,” you say, lowering the cup.

She just hums, staring at your lips. “You've got…” she begins, pausing to reach out.

She uses her thumb to gently brush away the remaining foam on your upper lip. Her touch is warm and soft, and you instinctively lean into the touch. Her lips are parted a bit, and you can see her teeth slightly biting into the bottom lip.

“Foam,” she finishes, pulling back her hand. “All gone.” She wipes her finger on her apron.

You can't explain the heat that crawls up your neck. “Thanks.”

She smiles a little, a strangely satisfied gleam in her eyes. “...no problem.”

She continues to stare at you, studying your face. You're not sure why you're so stuck on just staring at each other without talking, but it's like neither of you has anything to say.

It's almost awkward. But not exactly. Awkward would require you to be uncomfortable.

You're not uncomfortable with her eyes on you. It's kind of… comfortable. Like some kind of strange comfort. The kind you get after spending too much time around someone. And you've been around Jinx a lot these past few weeks.

Jinx is the first to break the eye contact by looking away. She clears her throat, staring at the coffee machine next to her. “I'm gonna... make some more coffee…” she mumbles.

And then she just turns and walks away.

You're left standing there, clutching the cup of matcha latte in your hands and staring at the back of Jinx's head as she begins brewing more coffee in the machine.

You're struck with the oddest of desires. You want to go over there, stand next to her, and stare at her face. You want...

You quickly stop yourself.

Why in the hell are you thinking like this? It's a ridiculous thought, that's what it is. You just need some sleep. All this damn thinking isn't going to help anything.

For the rest of your shift, you do your best to avoid looking at Jinx. Unfortunately, you keep finding yourself looking at her anyway.

—

“Are you gonna help me out, or you're gonna stare at your phone the whole time?” Jinx calls out, breaking your concentration.

You look up from the screen of your phone, then realize you've been scrolling aimlessly for the past ten minutes.

“Ohhh… yeahhhh right.” You set the phone on the counter next to hers. “Sorry,” you apologize, beginning to help her with the remaining closing tasks.

The café closing hours are always calm and relaxing. Usually, Jayce is there helping, chatting to you and Jinx. But tonight, Jayce is out doing something important, leaving just you and Jinx to close the café.

This isn't the first time. The two of you have closed the cafe together on several occasions.

You grab a towel and begin wiping down the tables and chairs, making sure to leave the café spotless for tomorrow. Jinx sweeps around the floor, humming something as she works.

When you're both finished cleaning, you and Jinx move to the last step of closing.

You start by putting up the chairs on the tables, stacking them neatly around so they don't collect any dust overnight. Jinx helps as well, putting up her share of chairs, then begins straightening up the chairs as you finish with yours.

Soon, all the chairs are organized on top of the tables, and the café is as tidy as a mouse's ass.

You walk over behind the counter and grab the boxes full of new cups from a low shelf. “Can you help me with this?” you ask, lifting the box and nodding at the other one.

She comes over and helps you, carrying it into the storage room. You trail after her, watching her as she places the box gently on top of the other boxes.

The storage room is a small room connected to the cafe, used to store supplies. The walls, made of concrete, are painted yellow. Inside, the room is tidy, neat, and somewhat small. The floor and walls are covered with several industrial metal racks, stacked with boxes of supplies. A single light bulb hangs from the center of the ceiling, illuminating the room.

You pause and set your box down as well, glancing at her as she dusts off her hands. “I swear, Jayce is way too paranoid about restocking,” she says, glancing around.

You nod. “He's definitely got a bit of a hoarding problem.”

“He'll probably start to fill up the back next.”

“And then he's gonna fill the manager's office.”

“And the bathroom.” She snickers, looking over the boxes. “I swear to god, he needs a damn therapist for this obsession.”

You share a laugh and turn towards the door, Jinx following behind you.

“Well, guess everything is in order-” you start to say, but pause when you turn the doorknob and find that it's locked. You frown and try pulling the knob again, harder this time. It still doesn't budge.

“What the hell?” Jinx comes up beside you and grabs the knob, rattling it a few times. She stops after a few seconds and tries again, but still no luck. “Fuck!” she exclaims, tugging the knob. “Why won't this stupid thing open?!”

“It's damn well jammed.” You kick the door, which does absolutely nothing.

“That's... not good,” Jinx mutters. “I guess this is one of the cons of having a paranoid boss.”

There are no windows into this room, and Jayce won't be back until tomorrow. The only way out is through the door, and it's clearly not budging.

“Looks like we're trapped,” you deadpan.

She swears again, staring at the door. “Of-fucking-course.”

“Guess we're stuck here until tomorrow.”

She grunts. “Great, just great. What are we going to do—wait, do you have your phone?”

“I do, but…” You search your pockets, realization dawning. “I think I left it on the counter.”

She pats her pockets too, and her face falls. “Ugh, same.”

There's a beat of silence as you both process this new information… you're screwed.

Jinx slides down the wall until she's sitting on the cold concrete. Her eyes glance at the other boxes, then back to you. “Are you just going to stand there?”

You sigh and slowly lower yourself next to her. “Guess not.”

“This sucks,” she grumbles, pulling her knees up to her chest.

You look at the storage room around you. There's not much in the storage room. It's all supplies—cups, espresso beans, various syrups, milk-

Oh, milk.

“At least we have food,” you say, pointing at the several cartons of milk stacked on one shelf.

Jinx glances at the milk and scoffs. “Yeah, if we plan on having heart disease. We'll be dead before anyone remembers we're locked in here.”

“Can't you just be a tad... optimistic?” you mutter. “Like you usually are?”

“I'm only optimistic when I'm caffeinated. Now I'm tired and miserable.”

The two of you go back to sitting in silence.

You take a quick glance around the storage room again, noting how bare it is. It's cold in here. No carpet or insulation. Just two people, three days' worth of food, and an uncomfortable concrete floor.

Jinx looks up at the ceiling, probably wondering if this is how her life ends.

“Stop sulking,” you say.

“I'm not sulking.”

“Yes, you are. You can stop being gloom and doom now, it's not that bad.”

“Oh yeah? it's not that bad? we're literally stuck in an empty storage room with nothing to do. Not to mention this floor is cold and uncomfortable-”

“Then sit closer. It'll be warmer,” you interrupt her rant. The moment the words escape your mouth, you realize how it could be interpreted.

You clear your throat awkwardly. No, it's not that bad. It's not... intimate or anything. You're not, y'know, trying to be close. It's just practical. Yes. Practical.

Her gaze flicks to the ground between you, and she shuffles closer, sighing. You watch silently as she scoots over, closer and closer, until your shoulders are touching.

Neither of you speaks for a few moments, both of you focusing on the door in front of you.

“Do you think ghosts are real?” she asks suddenly.

You turn your head to look at her. “Yeah, I think there's someone watching us in that corner.”

“Fuck you.”

“No, really.” You gesture to the darkest corner. “I think I just saw something move.”

She turns her head, staring at the far corner of the storage room. “Really?”

“Yep.”

Both of you stare at the corner for a few seconds. Nothing happens. The corner is completely still. Not a single speck of dust is moving.

She huffs and turns to glare at you. “I hate you.”

You huff in return. “The hell did I do?”

“You're trying to scare me.”

“Maybe I am.”

“If a goddamn ghost really is watching us-”

You cut her off. “What exactly are you worried about?”

“I- I don't know,” she stammers indignantly, “I just—ugh, whatever.”

“I mean, it's not like they'll do anything.”

She gives you a dubious look. “I bet they're already judging me.”

You grin at the thought. “Oh, definitely. I can feel them judging you right now.” You gesture at the dark corner again. “See that? that's Jessica.”

“Jessica?” she repeats.

“Yes, Jessica,” you say with a grin. “She died here and has been here a long time, waiting for the next victim.”

She eyes the corner again, narrowing her eyes. “I can't see anything. Not sure if the ghost is real.”

“She's real, alright. Watch this.” You point at the corner. “Jessica, give her a jumpscare.”

She looks back and forth at the corner, then back at you. “What-” She's cut off when you suddenly poke her side. “AHK-” she yells, jerking away from you. “You-!”

You grin at her. “See? Told you Jessica's real.”

“Are you trying to kill me?” she accuses, shoving you in the chest. “I hate you, you are the worst, motherfucker-”

“Jessica said you should watch your language.”

She swivels her gaze back to the corner. “Jessica can go suck my dic-”

“Jessica said you shouldn't talk to the dead that way.”

She gives you another indignant glare. “Jessica can eat my ass.”

“Ohhhhh, Jessica didn't like that.”

She looks at the corner again, trying to look intimidating. “Jessica, I don't like you.”

“Jessica said she's heartbroken.”

Jinx tries to kick your leg, but you dodge playfully. “Jessica's a damn liar.”

“Maybe Jessica should haunt you for the rest of your life,” you say, still grinning.

She scoffs, turning to look at you. “I bet it's worse to get haunted by a ghost than see a dead body,” she mutters, coughing.

Her words catch you off guard, and you look away, suddenly feeling guilty about joking with her. “Yeah.” You try to think of anything else to say. “Um. Sorry.”

She shrugs. “It's fine. It's just a stupid joke.”

Silence falls between you again, and you stare at the ground, not knowing what to say.

“What if…” you start after an awkward silence, “What if you're being haunted by someone you like forever… I mean, would it be better to get haunted by someone you like instead of… you know, someone you hate.”

She hesitates, looking at nothing in particular. “Uh... probably... yeah.”

“Yeah?” you repeat. “And who would you want to be haunted by?”

“No one,” she quickly replies. “I mean, it's not like I want to get haunted, I just think it would be better if I did.”

There's a beat of silence as the two of you sit, listening to the nothingness of the storage room.

“What if I haunted you?” she asks.

“You?”

Her eyes whip over to you. “Yeah, me.”

“You want to haunt me?”

“Why not?” she responds. “If I had to haunt someone, why wouldn't I pick you?”

You blink. “Why would you pick me?”

“Is a good reason really needed?” she asks, looking away from you. “Maybe I just want to be around you.” She says it nonchalantly, as if she's stating a fact.

A fact that makes no sense to you. Why would she want to stay with you? “That makes literally no sense.”

She shrugs, her knees bumping against yours. “Does it need to make sense?”

“Yes.”

“Why does it need to make sense?”

“Because-” you stumble over your words. “Because you don't get to just say things and expect me to understand-”

“Bullshit.” A retort is on the tip of your tongue, but she cuts you off again before you can respond. “Just answer this.”

“Answer what?”

She stares at you intently, eyes narrowed. “If I said I wanted to stay with you all the time, would that make sense to you?”

“Well, yeah. That makes sense. You already hang around me-”

“No, not just when we work. I mean-” she stops, staring at the floor in an attempt to avoid your gaze. “I want to… be with you.”

“You're already with me,” you say. “We're literally stuck in a storage room together.”

Jinx sighs exasperatedly. “No, I mean, I want to always be with you.” There's a pause. “And… if that means haunting you, then I'd want to haunt you.”

Your brain stops. What? She wants to be with you all the time? As in... always?

...

The floor is suddenly very interesting. You stare at the concrete, trying to process the words that just escaped her mouth.

“Why?”

“Why what?”

Your voice is too fast. “Why would you want-”

“Because I enjoy your company,” she interrupts you quickly, “and you probably wouldn't mind if I was around.” She stares at her fingernails, avoiding your eyes. “I'm just saying,” she continues, “It'd be pretty nice. Spending eternity with you.”

Something in your chest tightens at those words.

Spend eternity with you.

It dawns on you that you're feeling something that you haven't experienced before. Or maybe you've felt it before, on rare occasions. The feeling of your heart beating too fast, for no reason.

Your eyes dart to your hand, lying on your right leg. Her knee brushes against yours again. You look away from your legs and stare at her face.

She's still staring down at her fingers.

In the dim light of the storage room, her face is almost glowing… she looks beautiful. How can someone look so perfect, even when talking about such disturbing things?

Huh. It's strange. Someone who looks so beautiful, talking about something so disturbing.

She tucks a strand of blue hair behind her ear, eyes not lifting from her fingers.

You feel the urge to touch her.

Not in a weird way. But to feel the smoothness of her skin on your hand. To feel her hair run through your fingers. To… you don't know. Just feel her.

“Why-” you start, your voice too loud. You stop talking. Why are you trying to say something?

She glances up and stares back at you. “Hmm?”

“Why me? I mean... there are a lot of people in this shitty city or shitty world, so why would you like to stay with me?”

She looks at you and pauses for a moment. Her knee brushes against yours again, and she scoots closer, resting her head on your shoulder. “I don't care about the world. I just want you.” Her words are quiet, spoken only to you.

Everything in the storage room seems to disappear. The boxes that surround you have disappeared. Everything melts away, except for the girl, resting her head on your shoulder, and the words that she speaks to you. Just the two of you, in a room of shadows.

“You wouldn't mind, do you?” Her words rip you out of your thoughts.

“Mind what?” you respond stupidly.

“Spending an eternity with me.”

You lick your lips again, but your mouth is completely dry. Your throat is dry too. Your brain is going stupid.

You aren't sure why. It's just... the implication of her words. Of eternity with Jinx.

With the woman who made a shitty job… less shitty. With the woman who somehow made you look forward to the drink that you hated so much, all because she makes it differently. With the woman who taught you that there are some things, even disliked things, that can grow on you.

You realize you're smiling and quickly attempt to return a neutral expression.

You glance down at her head, right below your chin.

You imagine living with her constantly. Stuck with her. For eternity.

It would drive any sane person mad.

You aren't a sane person.

“I wouldn't mind... spending an eternity with you,” you hear yourself saying.

You can feel her smile even though you can't see it. She shifts on the floor, and suddenly her hand is sliding across the space between you. Her fingers are brushing against your arm, slowly creeping down as if to find yours.

“That's good,” she murmurs.

Her hand finally finds yours, she stops for a second, and then she slowly intertwines your fingers together.

You move your thumb across her knuckles, tracing the lines and veins. You'd thought about holding her hand once before. You'd never thought that it would make breathing so much more difficult.

Her thumb starts doing the same, tracing over your knuckles.

You glance at her hand, interlocked with yours. You stare at the bandages as Jinx continues to trace over your veins, the pads of her fingers soft and delicate as they brush against your skin.

Her hand is so gentle and yet also so rough at the same time. Rough, because you can feel the callouses, the slight scrapes across her knuckles. Gentle, because even with her rough skin, her hand still touches you so softly.

What would it be like, being with her forever? Always.

Would the moments like this become mundane? would it get old? holding her hand and sitting in a storage room, talking with her?

She pulls her head away from your shoulder and looks fully at you.

You notice how close she is. You could easily reach out and touch the strands of hair that fall over her forehead. Her eyes are dilated, looking at you with what can only be affection.

You realize how easy it would be to kiss her.

“I wouldn't mind it either,” she says.

Her eyelashes flutter, and her gaze darts to your lips. You feel a heat grow in your chest, and your own eyes drift to her lips, slightly parted.

You aren't sure who leans in, but one of you is shifting forward.

She swallows, and her tongue flicks out to wet her own lips. You find yourself unconsciously copying their movement, licking your bottom lip.

You think about how her lips would feel. Soft? Warm? What would it taste like-

And then she turns her head away from you and back into the corner, clearing her throat awkwardly. You clear your throat as well, trying to think of something else to focus on.

Anything but how close her lips were to yours.

She squeezes your hand briefly before letting go, and the loss of her touch leaves a cold feeling on your skin. “Uh-” her voice is slightly hoarse, “is Jessica still there?”

—

The next few days went by in a dull routine, one that you quickly fell back into. Wake up. Go to class. Study. Work. Classwork. Get some sleep.

It was just like the rest of any normal week, except one thing had changed.

Jinx.

Or rather, the lack of Jinx.

She hadn't shown up to work. You didn't know why, but the fact that you arrived at work and she wasn't there to hand you a matcha latte was definitely... odd.

You had gotten used to the smell of her matcha assaulting you the minute you stepped into work, to the point where the smell of coffee beans seemed unusually bland.

And now there was just coffee.

Even the matcha latte you had made yourself didn't taste the same. You're not sure why you had decided to make yourself a matcha latte.

It's stupid to do. You hate matcha, you've always hated it.

Too bitter. And yet...

No amount of sugar can seem to make it sweet, like Jinx somehow does. Nothing seemed to taste the same without her. Matcha, bitter. Coffee, bland. Café, boring.

Everything had suddenly, and quite inexplicably, felt wrong… like…

The sugar in the cabinet was suddenly moved to a new place, and you couldn't remember where the hell it was now because it wasn't where it was before. Or an apocalypse, but instead of surviving a nuclear blast or zombies, you now had to survive the absence of someone you didn't quite know you had begun to depend on so much.

You look at the clock. Only four hours left of this shift. Only four hours.

—

“Oh, did you not hear? Jinx is sick,” Jayce says. “She called saying she was sick, probably not coming in for a week or so.”

“Sick?” you echo.

“Yeah, she didn't sound too good.” He shakes his head as he continues making coffee.

“When did she call?”

He pauses what he's doing. “Uh... about a couple days ago.”

She called in over a couple days ago, and you're only being told now. “Couple days…” you repeat, just to clarify. “Why are you just telling me now?”

“I thought you knew?”

“No, I didn't.”

Jayce looks mildly annoyed as he finishes up a customer's order. “She told me she talked to you about it.”

“She talked to me? When?”

“Are you telling me she didn't talk to you?”

“She didn't. Not one word.”

He finishes the order and hands the coffee to a customer. “That's weird. You guys are close, I thought she would've told you that she was sick.”

Close. That's the word that sticks in your head when he says it. Close enough where she would've told you something as big as not being able to come to work for a week. Right? but she didn't tell you anything.

“She didn't tell me anything,” you say.

He scratches his chin. “Maybe she forgot to tell you?”

“Maybe.” Maybe.

Or maybe she was avoiding you. Maybe she just didn't want to talk to you. Maybe she suddenly had an epiphany about how you were close. Maybe she just didn't want to be close anymore. Maybe she got scared and regretted it.

But that makes no sense.

If she regretted it, why would she have held your hand so tightly? why would she have said that you were the person she wanted to spend an eternity with? why would she say it like it was something she had thought about for a while?

“Maybe you should go check up on her?” Jayce suggests, shaking his head like he can sense your train of thought going off the rails.

“Check up on her?”

He shrugs. “Yeah, she might appreciate some company. Someone to look after her while she's sick.”

“I'm not sure if-,” you begin, but you're cut off by Jayce.

“Come on, it'd be nice for her,” he urges. “She doesn't have anyone else around to check up on her.”

You remember her telling you that her last family was killed when she was a kid, and she lives alone. She also mentioned that her sister is in prison.

Yeah, maybe you should go check on her.

After all, why wouldn't you? it would be a perfectly reasonable thing to do. You cared enough about her to go see how she was doing.

You care about her, so it only makes sense to go check on her. “Yeah,” you say, “I'll go see her.”

“Alright. I can handle the rest of the shift if you want to go.”

—

The entire commute there is a test of your sanity.

It takes nearly two hours to finally reach her address, the commute filled with cramped subway trains and waiting in pouring rain for buses to show up. Your hair is wet and sticking to your face.

Carrying a bag of the matcha sweets she liked was easy enough, but the latte was a little more difficult. It kept sloshing in the cup and threatening to spill over the edge with every step you took. Still, you managed not to dump the drink all over yourself.

By the time you finally arrived at her apartment, all you wanted to do was collapse in a chair and take a nap for the rest of the year.

And it was only 4:35 in the afternoon.

You look at the piece of scrap paper that Jayce gave you with Jinx's address on it. Fifth floor, room 505.

With a weary groan, you take the stairs. The elevator is broken, and there's no way in hell you're taking that janky elevator. You feel like it might just get stuck halfway and drop you to your death.

When you reach her floor, you're pretty sure you're ready to die. You walk around the hall and look at the first few doors.

500... 501... 502… 503... 504...

You pass a group of teenagers who walk past you with their phones out, shouting at the top of their lungs and shoving each other around. A baby is crying in some apartment as you pass the door, and a dog is barking from behind another.

505.

You eye the door, taking a moment to catch your breath and try to straighten out your wet clothes. Here goes nothing.

You knock on the door. No answer at first. You knock again. Nothing.

You knock louder, hoping to get some kind of response. It's another solid minute of no answer, and you're getting increasingly annoyed. She's either asleep or-

The door suddenly opens.

“Yeah, who-” Jinx starts but then stops speaking entirely when she sees you. “What the fuck are you doing here?”

She's wearing a threadbare gray t-shirt that hangs off one of her shoulders and barely comes anywhere close to covering any of her thighs. She has a tissue shoved into her nose and dark circles around her eyes. Her hair is messy, unbrushed, and unkempt.

Is this really the same person who had been handing you daily lattes every day for two months?

“Well, that's a hell of a greeting,” you grumble, shifting your bag and the nearly spilled latte to your other hand.

She's looking at you like you've done something wrong. Actually, she's looking at you like she's trying to kill you with just a stare.

You hold up the bag. “Brought food.”

“You shouldn't be here,” she spits out before slamming the door shut.

…wow. That was a warm welcome.

All you wanted to do was give her food and check to see if she was ok. She was sick, alone, and she probably didn't have anything to eat. And she just slammed the door in your face?

Screw this. You turn around ready to leave but stop when you hear the door creak open.

“Hey.” You turn and look over your shoulder. The door is open, but only slightly. Jinx peeks her head out the door, glaring at you. “What kind of food?” she asks, pointing to the bag

Not the kind of apology you're hoping for, but you'll take it. “Matcha sweets and a latte that I made.”

“That actually sounds-” she cuts herself off and sniffles, “...alright.” She opens the door all the way and turns to go back into the apartment. “Come in or leave, but don't just stand there like an idiot.”

You scoff and step inside, cautiously shutting the door behind you.

The first thing you notice is the smell. It doesn't smell exactly like garbage, but it stinks of old clothes and day-old food. It's not quite disgusting, it's not quite nice, but it reeks. Like someone hasn't opened a window and aired out the apartment in a while.

The next thing you notice is how much everything there is. Clothes sprawled over the couch, cans of energy drinks strewn across the floor, boxes of takeout littering the kitchen counters.

“Make yourself at home,” she says sarcastically, kicking a pile of clothes out of the way so you can sit on the couch. She pulls a tissue out of her nose and tosses it onto the floor.

You tentatively take a seat on the couch, shifting the latte and bag to the coffee table. Your eyes dart around the room as Jinx continues to shove things off the couch and onto the floor.

The entire wall beside the couch is covered in papers... and notes... and equations. It looks like a bunch of chemical compounds and designs.

She doesn't seem to notice you staring at the wall as she collapses onto the other end of the couch.

There are a few diagrams of rockets and some drawings of the coffee shop. Drawings of her and her deceased family, her deceased friends, and a drawing of…

Wait-

Is that your face?

A drawing of your face is taped to the wall, scribbled with notes around it. ‘Nice lips.’

“What the-” you start, tilting your head to get a better look.

Jinx looks at you, noticing where you're staring, then follows your line of sight. She immediately turns red. “Oh. Uh-” she stutters, sitting up.

“Did you-” you try to ask.

“It's nothing,” she says quickly, jumping off the couch. She scrambles towards the wall, tearing off the drawing. “Just a—just a quick sketch, it means nothing.”

You're fairly sure it means something, but you don't get the chance to press her further as she rips the paper apart and throws it into the trash can, avoiding your gaze.

“Anyway-” she says, plopping back down on the couch, “-I bet the food's good, right?”

Food... right. That was the whole point of coming over in the first place. “Uh... yeah.”

You watch as she grabs the latte and takes a sip. “Ugh, this is too bitter.” She sets down the latte and pushes it away from her. “What'd you put in this? It tastes like dirt.”

“The same stuff I always put in it,” you respond, slightly annoyed at the insult to your latte making abilities.

She shrugs and picks up one of the matcha sweets instead, popping it in her mouth. “Might as well teach you how to make one when I'm back.”

You watch her chew the sweets, then pause, letting out a sniffle, then reach up to wipe her nose with the back of her hand.

She lets out a dry cough. “Why exactly are you here?”

“Jayce told me you were sick,” you reply.

“I'm not—wait, Jayce told you that?”

“Yeah, he did.”

“Why were you even listening to him?”

“Because I was worried about you.”

She looks at you for a moment, then turns to grab another tissue and shoves it into her nose. “I'm not sick... just busy.”

You pointedly look around. “Uh huh,” you grumble, “Doing what exactly?”

“Stuff.”

“Stuff like-” you gesture to the entire mess. “-this?”

“It's my midterms, idiot.”

“So, no one's been cleaning up?” you ask, eyes darting around again in the apartment.

“I don't have time,” she complains, before letting out a deep cough and clutching her chest in pain. “I have more important things to do. Besides, do I look like I can clean when I can't even breathe through my damn nose right now?” Jinx sniffs, then reaches for another matcha sweet, her hair falling over her face.

You give her a sidelong glance. “You look like you're about to keel over.”

“Don't be dramatic.”

“I'm not,” you say, reaching out a hand to touch her forehead, checking for a fever.

She swats your hands away. “Don't touch me.”

You retract your hand. “Seriously?”

“Yeah, seriously. Why are you even here anyway? You don't have to worry about me.”

“I know I don't have to.”

“Then just go. I'm busy.”

You groan. “You're sick. You need, like, I don't know, someone to take care of you.”

“I'm fine-” she coughs again, “-I just need to-” Another dry cough, and she grabs another tissue. “I just need to-,” another cough, “-finish my midterm exam.”

“You need to rest.”

“I can't rest.”

“Why not?”

“Because I'm behind.”

“What's the exam?”

She pauses, then reluctantly gestures to the mess on the wall. “I'm trying to design something, and it requires a lot of diagrams and calculations.”

So that's what all those equations and numbers and notes are. But that doesn't explain why her apartment is such a wreck.

“And that's why you haven't cleaned up?” you ask.

She glares at you, tossing the used tissue. “How would you react if you had a deadline, and you were on the verge of throwing up?”

“I know you're stressed, but-”

“You don't know anything!” Jinx snaps all of a sudden, standing up and looking you dead in the face.

“Seriously, what's your problem?” you retort.

“My problem is that you're here when you shouldn't be-”

“I'm here because I was worried about you. You-”

She interrupts you again. “Well, you shouldn't be. I don't want your help.”

“You don't want my help,” you repeat slowly.

“You heard me.”

You bite your tongue and take a deep, slow breath. “Then…” you manage to choke out, “...whose help do you want?”

“Nobody's,” she mutters. “I don't need anyone's help. I've done just fine for years. I can do it myself.”

But you shouldn't have to.

She continues as she walks towards her bedroom. “I'm sick and tired and trying to finish something that's due in a few days, and I don't need you to come barging in, trying to-” She stops, clutching her chest and coughing again.

“You should be resting and taking it easy-” you coax, standing.

“I would be resting and taking it easy if you weren't here.”

You freeze, feeling yourself grow cold.

You know she's just cranky, that she's sick and upset that she's stuck like this, that her deadline is near, and that you're just the person who happens to be around.

“Sorry,” you mumble, “didn't know you wanted me gone.”

She opens her mouth, hesitating for a second, before nodding her head firmly. “I'm sick, and I need to finish some work. So just do me this one favor and get out.”

Her words are harsh, more harsh than you think you can handle.

But even more than the fact they were words of rejection and anger, what hurt was the feeling that those words were coming from the same woman who had, just days earlier, curled against you, told you that you were the one she wanted to spend an eternity with.

“Fine,” you say quietly, “If that's what you want.”

She looks at you, and you swear for a second you think you see her expression soften, but then she nods her head again. “Yeah, that's what I want.”

You glance around at the mess of diagrams and paperwork plastered on the walls, the trash littered everywhere, and the couch that looked like it hadn't been slept on in days.

“I'll see you at work,” you say lamely, turning away and walking towards the door.

She doesn't say a word to stop you. You open the door, and you want her to say something to stop, a please, a wait, or anything, but nothing comes.

With one last glance back at her, you leave.

—

“That was…” Jayce starts, pausing. “Did she even listen to you?”

“She was more dead set on booting me out of there.”

He lets out a breath. “She's stubborn.”

“Yeah,” you agree, “And stupid as hell.”

“But she's unwell,” he continues.

“Doesn't give her an excuse to say that I shouldn't be there.”

“True.” He looks over at you. “You look upset.”

You scoff. “Of course I'm upset. I show up to see how my friend is feeling, and her immediate response is to kick me out. Like she doesn't want me anywhere near her.”

Jayce frowns. “Don't take it too personally. She's not trying to hurt you on purpose. I'm sure that once she's feeling better, she'll apologize.”

—

She did not, in fact, apologize.

It's been over a week since you entered her apartment, Jinx isn't sick anymore and isn't busy with midterms, she's back to how she usually was. She talks, she laughs, she jokes but never looks in your direction, no word, no greetings… and not once does she ever slide a cup of matcha in your direction like she used to.

Whenever she works with you, she keeps things strictly professional. Her hands never accidentally brush against yours, and she never stands closer than necessary.

You've tried giving her space, hoping she'd approach you when she was ready to talk it out. But the space never got filled.

It's like, in a single day, you went from being... almost something to nothing.

—

Jayce calls out your name from the counter as you wipe down the tables.

“What?” you call back, watching as Jayce walks over to you.

He nods towards Jinx, who is currently chatting with a customer. “When are you going to talk to her?”

“When are you going to stop being so nosy?”

He snorts. “I want to help you two sort this out. She's too stubborn, and so are you.”

“She doesn't want to talk to me,” you reply.

“Because you both are too proud.”

“Or I just don't want to go chase after her when it's clear she doesn't want to talk to me.”

Jayce sighs. “Look, you're my friend, I want to help you work it out.”

“She doesn't want to talk, Jayce,” you say firmly. “I don't know how to fix this if she's ignoring me.”

“That's the point, you have to make her talk.”

You scoff. “Yeah, make a girl talk who probably wants me dead right now.”

“She doesn't want you dead. Do you think it's a coincidence that she makes a point to talk to all the other regulars?”

“What's that supposed to mean?”

He lifts his shoulders. “I'm just saying, every time you're here, she tends to talk more to the customers, especially the male ones.”

“Are you saying she's flirting now?”

“No, I'm saying she's doing it for your attention.”

“Why would she be doing it for my attention? She made it pretty clear she doesn't want me around.”

He throws his arms up. “Because she wants you to get jealous. She wants you to react to it. She wants you to get mad and do something about it.”

“How would you know?”

“Maybe the fact that she's been glancing at you every five minutes for the past hour?”

“...she's not.”

“Yes, she is.”

“Stop saying that, I see her right-” and your sentence cuts off as your eyes flick over to where Jinx is, she's still talking to a customer.

The customer leans closer to her and says something that clearly makes her laugh. Her eyes dart in your direction as she laughs.

She's definitely looking at you. Jayce is right, she is looking at you. Her laughter dies at the same time her eyes lock on yours. She averts her gaze the moment she sees that you caught her.

“See?” Jayce says, “She keeps looking at you. She's doing it for your attention, not anyone else's.”

“Okay, so let's say she's doing it for my attention,” you continue. “What am I supposed to do about it? You said it yourself, she's stubborn.”

“You're going to have to do something that gets her attention. Make her upset, make her angry, make her do something. She won't talk unless you push her to.”

You stare at him. “Are you really implying what I think you're implying?”

He grins smugly. “That depends, what do you think I'm implying?”

“You're asking me to make her jealous.”

“I'm not asking you to do anything,” he retorts. “I'm suggesting you do it because it'll work. Do you want to continue like this, ignoring each other, for god knows how long? or do you want to get this sorted out?”

It sounds absurd. Ridiculous. Stupid. Immature. But if it makes her talk to you… “You really think it'll work?” you finally relent.

He grins knowingly. “Oh, it'll definitely work.”

—

It was a really stupid idea, especially coming from Jayce. But he was pretty adamant about it, and you were a bit too desperate.

You're trying your best to not scratch at the sleeve of this stupid shirt that Jayce forced you to wear. It's a dark blue long sleeve. Jayce claimed to have worn it on a ‘date,’ and it ‘worked’ with the person he was trying to date at the time. Now, you're the one wearing it.

“This is stupid.”

“No, it isn't,” Jayce insists from behind the counter. “It'll definitely work.”

“It's dumb.”

“Will you just do it?” he huffs. “She's going to be here soon.”

There's no way in hell this would work. It's just a shirt. There's no way that Jinx would-

The bell on the cafe door rings as it opens.

Jinx is walking through the door. She spots the counter where Jayce and you are, and she stops for a second.

She takes a look at you from head to toe, her gaze lingering longer on the dark blue shirt, and then she forcefully looks away from you and begins walking towards the break room where the lockers are.

Jayce elbows you in the side, nodding in her direction. “See? It's working-”

You elbow him back. “She just went to the break room, how is that working?”

“That was just the first step. Wait and see.”

—

You stand by the coffee machine, waiting for it to finish brewing a drink for a customer. Jinx is on the other side, making a different drink.

The machine's steam causes the sweat on your lower forearms to be sticky, causing the cloth to cling to your skin, and so you roll them up slightly, just above the elbow.

You make a point to not look at her, but you feel her attention fall onto your forearms, her eyes trailing down to the way your arms look, seeing the cloth of the shirt clinging from the sweat.

At the corner of your eye, you see her biting her lip, her breath hitching, and there's a subtle flush on her cheeks.

She looks away the second she realizes that you caught her staring at your arms, but it was enough for you to know that she was.

It's working. Damn it, it's actually working.

—

You feel her breath on the back of your neck as she reaches behind you for the coffee machine, her body just barely brushing against your back.

She quickly pulls away, going back to her end of the counter. “It's really hot in here,” she mumbles.

You nod, picking up a towel and wiping some sweat off your neck, lifting the collar of your shirt to wipe off your collarbone. “I know, the air conditioning really sucks.”

She stares at you, her eyes traveling down your neck to your collarbone. “It's hot in here…” she repeats. Then, she swallows and looks away with a cough, the steam from the machine giving a good excuse for the redness on her face. “Yeah, it really sucks.”

It goes on like that. Glances are stolen. Awkward touches are exchanged. The air seems to grow hotter every time you're near her.

You're surprised neither of you have passed out from heat exhaustion yet.

—

“Are you free this Friday..?” The customer in front of you asks.

You're well aware of the fact that Jinx is behind you. You can hear her moving around. “Uh, I-” you pause, trying to ignore the eyes that are boring into your skull. “Yeah. Why?”

“Do you have a…” she trails off and glances over your shoulder, “Girlfriend?”

Jayce coughs obnoxiously beside you as he wipes the countertop. You almost give him a look, but instead, you shake your head. “No, I'm single.”

There's a loud bang behind you. Jinx bumps something, and whatever it is clanks against the floor.

“Really?” she continues, her voice raising a tone. “A pretty girl like you doesn't have a girlfriend?”

Jayce says something under his breath, and you swear you hear a muttered “yet.”

You ignore him and respond to the customer. “Uh, you think I'm pretty?”

The customer looks you up and down, her eyes stopping just below your chest before slowly trailing down. “Yeah, you're pretty hot,” she replies as she leans forward, resting her hand on the counter and showing off way more skin than what most would consider decent.

“Ah, thank you,” you say politely, forcing your gaze to stay on the customer's face and not... anywhere else. “You're pretty yourself.”

There's another clang behind you.

The customer laughs and twirls a strand of her hair. “I bet you say that all the time.”

Jinx steps around you, almost brushing against your side.

“Not really,” you reply, keeping your eyes trained away from her. “I don't really-”

You're interrupted suddenly by Jinx, who is now standing directly beside you, grabbing something from the shelf. She leans in closer, her chest almost brushing against your arm as she grabs something.

It's the first time she's been so close to you in weeks.

She leans back, holding a container of matcha powder—the same one she always uses to make your latte—and she looks you in the eye. “You want your latte, right?” she asks you. She smiles, but it doesn't reach her eyes.

Yes. You miss her matcha latte so much. “No,” you force yourself to say, avoiding her eyes.

“Oh,” she says, she sounds surprised? “Really?” She looks down at the matcha powder, running a thumb over the label, and looks back up at you.

Don't look at her. “Yeah, I... I don't want one,” you lie.

“Are you sure? It's been a while since you had my matcha latte.”

You want one so much. You want her to smile and be carefree and make you a latte that will warm you down to the core, but- “I'm sure,” you lie again. “I'm good.”

“That's... that's a shame.”

“Yeah,” you reply, and you want to punch yourself because no, it's not a shame, it's a sin. You are an idiot. “Definitely a shame.”

She's just a few inches away, and all you want to do is reach out for her, take her into your arms, and make her look at you, but she looks at the matcha in her hands.

“Guess I wasted this then,” she mumbles before putting the container back and starting to take orders from the other customers.

“Idiot,” Jayce mutters, and you elbow him hard in the gut. He doubles over, clutching his stomach, and you turn back to the customer.

“Uh… anyway,” you say, then turn your attention back to the customer, forcing yourself to smile. “What were you saying?”

—

After a long shift, the café is finally empty, and the cleanup is done. You've mopped up the floors, put everything away, you're starting to get all nice and sweaty, and the break room has a much-needed air conditioner.

You open your locker and shoved your apron inside, sweat clinging to your shirt and making it cling to your skin. You grimace and reach down, trying to fix the collar of the shirt that feels tighter than normal.

Before you have a chance to readjust it, a glimpse of something in the locker catches your eye. You look down, and there, sitting in the center of your locker, is a cup of matcha latte.

You didn't put it there. Jayce didn't put it there either. So there is only one other person who could have put it there.

You pick up the cup, looking at the steaming drink. Well, you aren't going to drink it just to let it go to waste.

You immediately take a sip, feeling the warm, sweet taste of matcha on your tongue. It's been so long since you had this, and it's still the same taste as the ones she used to make for you when you two were in a... good place.

That was a long time ago now. Things are different now.

“So you do want one.”

A familiar voice makes you jump, causing you to almost spill the drink. You turn around to find the bluenette leaning against the doorframe to the break room.

“I made it for you, in case you wanted it,” she adds, entering the break room, then leaning one shoulder against the row of lockers. Jinx looks at your face, then your shirt. “You look sweaty.”

You want to say something, but your brain forgets how to function when she's looking you up and down.

“I like the shirt,” she comments, pointing at the shirt that is a little too tight around your shoulders. “It looks good. Fits you well.”

“It's not my shirt,” you reply, placing the cup down on a nearby table, hoping that she'll let that be the end of that. “Jayce gave it to me.”

“He did?” she asks, and you catch a subtle whiff of her favorite perfume. It makes you want to grab her and drown in it.

“Uh, yeah,” you mutter, pulling the collar of your shirt nervously.

She looks over to your nervous gesture, and her lips twitch. “You should loosen the collar,” she notes. “You're going to suffocate like that.”

Her comment gives you pause, and you try loosening the collar, but your sweaty hands can't get a grip. “Here.”

She reaches up, her delicate fingers undo the first few buttons of your shirt, exposing your collarbones. Her fingers then pull the collar slightly, allowing your hot skin the cool touch of air.

“There,” she murmurs once the collar is loose. “That looks more comfortable.”

You manage to find enough sanity to nod, knowing that if you speak now, your voice will most likely crack. You expect her to pull back, but her fingers remain, trailing over your collar as though they just happened to land there.

Her eyes roaming over your neck before lifting to your face. Your eyes are caught on her as well, studying every movement of her face, the way her expression softens and her eyes drift over your features.

“...I'm sorry.”

The words finally bring your attention back. “What?”

She pauses, biting her bottom lip. “I said I'm sorry,” she clarifies. “I... I shouldn't have snapped at you like that a week ago. Shouldn't have said what I said.”

“Then why did you?” you ask, eyes fixed on her lips.

Jinx seems to struggle with her next words, her hand finally dropping from your collar. “...I don't know how to handle things well,” she whispers, “I wasn't... I wasn't feeling well either. That's why I lost it. You showed up... when I wasn't in the right mind frame, and I said all these stupid things-”

She sighs and pushes some hair behind one of her ears. “I was stupid. I was stupid, and I said some awful things. Words I didn't mean and couldn't take back. Everything with my college work started to pile up, and I felt like I couldn't handle it. So you showed up and-” she swallows. “-I took it out on you… and then I just ignored you for a week.” She shifts from foot to foot. “I… I wasn't trying to avoid you. I just... I thought you'd be annoyed.”

“Annoyed because you were ignoring me?”

“No—yes—maybe—I don't know, alright?” she says hastily. “I just... I wasn't in the mindset to talk, ok? I was trying to figure things out.”

“You could’ve told me-”

“-I don't do so well when it comes to opening up about my feelings-” she stops, then shakes her head. “-I don't do so well with being honest with myself.”

You let out a breath. “I know... I know you don't, but that-”

“Stop,” she interrupts you, raising a hand. “Just... stop. I know what you're going to say. You're going to say that I should work on being better instead of pushing you away.” She continues. “I know I do it. I know I'm bad at it, and I'm not good with my emotions. I know I'm not the best at saying how I feel. I know I should work on my communication.”

“Why don't you then?” you ask bluntly. “Why don't you do something about it? why can't you just try to deal with things instead of pushing me away and dealing with everything alone? why can't you just talk to me instead of bottling everything up?”

She closes her eyes, looking away. “I don't know,” she exhales, “I just... I don't know how.”

“You could start today,” you tell her, reaching out. Your fingers brush over the back of her hand.

Her eyes drop to where you touch her and linger.

“Right now,” you emphasize, “Just... try. You don't have to start working on all your emotions and feelings. Just say one thing. Tell me how you feel, right now.”

She shakes her head, refusing to look at you.

“Tell me one thing,” you insist, “Just one thing. Try.”

She sighs, as if you're the worst person in the world. Maybe you are. “Okay-” she starts and finally looks up, “If you're trying to make me spill out my feelings-”

“I am,” you confirm. “That’s exactly-”

“-Then maybe I should show you first-” she continues over you “-What I'm feeling.”

She suddenly reaches out and grabs the back of your neck, gripping it tight enough to pull you forward.

“Hey-” you stumble, hands instinctively wrapping around her waist, but any protests you might've had are smothered because her lips are suddenly on yours.

A week of ignoring each other, and suddenly she's kissing you.

Her lips are so soft. So soft and insistent, and when you don't respond because your brain is still trying to catch up, her teeth graze over your bottom lip, and it's this gesture that snaps you out of it.

You kiss her back, eyes finally closing, and lean in to meet her. Your fingers sink into the fabric of her shirt, and her arms wind around your neck. Her mouth parts, and you take the silent invitation, your tongue slipping in, exploring the inside of her mouth.

She tastes like the feeling when it's cold, and your teeth ache, and it feels like all warmth has left your body, but then you take a sip of your hot drink, and the burn of the drink goes down your throat, and you feel just the tiniest bit warmer. It's not enough, it isn't enough to make your fingers warm or the tip of your nose, but still, the small warmth you feel is better than none.

You want to bottle up this feeling, this taste, and store it in the back of your throat until, when you need it, you can just swallow and feel the warmth.

She hums, low in her throat, and it sounds like a moan. She pushes you forward until your back is met with the lockers, pinning your body between the hard surface and herself.

Her teeth graze your lip again, her tongue teases yours, and you shiver despite the warmth you feel. “I was stupid,” she mumbles against your mouth, “So, so stupid.”

You grunt out some sort of agreement because yes, she is stupid and yes, you're stupid and yes, you're both idiots for ignoring each other.

You feel her smile before she pulls herself away. “That,” she murmurs, breathless, “that was what I was feeling.”

You open your eyes to look at her, and notice her pink cheeks, half-lidded eyes, her swollen lips, and you fight down the urge to turn her around and just shove her back against the locker and kiss her senseless.

“Are-” you manage, breathing hard, trying to regain the words that have fled from your head, “Are all your emotions channeled through your mouth?”

“Maybe,” she says, eyes dropping to your lips. “Is there a problem with using my mouth?”

There are a lot of words you would like to say. Words relating to how her mouth has driven you crazy for a long time, that you've spent more time than you'd like to admit imagining what it would be like to kiss her and see that mouth do things other than talking.

Too bad, all those words are stuck in your throat. “No,” you grit out, “No... there's no problem.”

“Great,” she replies, then grins, leaning closer until your noses bump. “Then maybe my mouth has more things to show you.”

—

The usual routine of making matcha lattes continues, and the days slowly pass.

Each day, Jinx greets you with a smile and a cup of that disgustingly good matcha. You no longer try to argue with your taste buds. You have given up and accepted the matcha as a part of yourself. Now you drink the horrible drink willingly.

And your relationship with Jinx went from ‘maybe something’ to ‘maybe nothing’ to ‘definitely something.’ You're finally dating, which isn't to say that everything is magically all better. Jinx is still Jinx, and you're still you.

So not everything changes.

The cafe still looks the same, the customers still act the same, you still have to deal with shitty customers and traffic. But even through all the normal, unchanged things, there's one thing that's different.

Jinx is now in your life.

“Hey-” Jinx waves a hand in front of your face. “Are you listening to anything I'm saying?”

“Uh-” you blink, returning to reality. “...yeah,” you lie, giving a sheepish smile, “totally listening.”

She stares at you for a long, long moment, as if trying to determine if you're lying to her or not. Apparently, she thinks you're being truthful.

“Great, now pay attention.” She resumes her instructions, and you try your hardest to pay attention. Mostly. Maybe.

You watch as she grabs a glass bottle from the shelf above the coffee machine and pours a small amount of... something into her mug. “What's that?” you ask.

“Honey.”

“Yeah?”

“Honey,” she repeats, tilting the bottle for you to see. “Honey. Sweet, golden honey.”

Ah, that honey. “That's what I thought.” You nod, like that completely makes sense.

Jinx rolls her eyes but hands you the bottle so you can read the label for yourself. “This,” she explains, “is what makes my matcha better.”

You look between the bottle and the mug of matcha before placing the honey back on the shelf.

She stirs the matcha and takes a sip, then gives you a smug look. “See? That's why it's better.”

The honey is almost as sweet as the way she's looking at you.

“Sweet,” is what you say instead of how you'd love nothing more than to taste it off her lips.

She stares at you for a moment, and then she smirks. “Want to try it?” she asks, holding out the cup.

“Sure,” you answer. Why not?

You reach for the cup and lift it to your mouth. You take a small sip of the hot liquid, and… the matcha is sweet, and sweeter because it was in her mouth only moments ago.

“What do you think?” she asks as she takes the drink and sets it on the counter.

“Perfect,” you admit, licking your lips, trying to get rid of some of the sweetness.

She lifts up a hand, her thumb brushes against your lip, wiping away the remnants of the matcha. “You missed a bit.”

You want to grab her hand and-

She pulls her hand away from your mouth and then sucks off the same thumb that had lingered against you while staring at you directly in the eye. “Mhm… Tastes better this way.”

That's it. You'll drag her into the break room and kiss her until neither of you can breathe-

But, before you can do any of that, the cafe door chimes.

Customer, your brain reminds you. It's like getting pulled from a dream... right as it's getting good.

“Hey,” she whispers, “Let's continue this later, yeah?”

That... sounds like a great idea. Amazing idea. Customer first. And then later.

—

The wind whips through both of your hairs as you pedal down the sidewalk. After putting in long hours and some very generous coffee tips, you've saved up enough to finally repair your bike.

Your ears pick up a familiar chuckle. “This is awesome!” she exclaims, “We're like birds, but cooler.”

Jinx's arms are wrapped around your waist, her legs pressed up beside your thighs, and you don't need to see her face to know that she's grinning.

You grip the handlebars tighter. “We're nothing like birds,” you reply, “Birds can actually fly.”

You feel the soft brush of her lips against the back of your shoulder. “But we're much cooler, right?” she counters.

Your retort dies in your throat as she presses her chin to your shoulder.

“Mmm, I'll take your silence as a yes,” she hums, her breath tickling your ear. She nuzzles her nose against the back of your neck. “You know, I don't think I've ever been this happy.”

“Ever?” you ask, focusing on the road in front of you. “Of all the years you've lived, you're the happiest now? when you're sitting on a bike, of all things?”

She pinches your waist, making you twitch slightly. “Well, if we're being honest, it's not the bike I'm happiest about,” she replies. “It's you that I'm happiest about.”

You roll your eyes to yourself. She's always so honest. You're grateful that she isn't in front of you, because your face feels unusually warm despite the breeze. “You like me that much?” you ask, half joking, half serious.

“Mmm,” she hums, “I like you a lot, actually. Like... a lot, lot.” Each word is emphasized with a light kiss to your shoulder.

“Oh yeah?”

“Yup,” she continues to pepper kisses on your back. “My favorite person in this whole, shitty city.”

“I'm honored,” you quip, trying to sound mocking, but the tone is ruined by the fact that you're smiling without realizing.

She snorts at your lame response against your shoulder, and you feel the brush of her fingertips underneath the hem of your shirt.

“You might be my favorite person too.”

“Only might?” She laughs. “You don't sound very certain.”

“Eh, it's a hard competition,” you reply, making a slow turn left, “There's lots of people in this city-” and you feel her pinch your side again. “But, yes, maybe you're my favorite.”

“Maybe?”

“Definitely,” you correct, feeling her hum against your back.

“Ah, there we go,” she says approvingly. “I knew you had great taste.”

Your smile is wide, and you have the urge to turn around and kiss her, but you're pretty sure that will result in a crash. “Oh, and how did you know?”

“I just had a feeling,” she murmurs, “I always had a feeling we'd end up like this.”

You focus on pedaling, your feet moving in a circular rhythm. “Did you just... know?”

“Yeah. I just knew.”

“You just... knew?” you repeat.

“Sometimes you just know when something is going to happen,” Jinx says. “It just makes sense. Like how the sun will rise every morning... or something.”

You pedal forward, the subway entrance comes into view. “Like the sun will rise every morning,” you repeat, “or something.”

She pauses, and the sound of the wind is the only thing that fills your ears. “You know…” she starts after a moment of calm silence.

She presses her forehead against your shoulder, her grip tightening around your waist, and you can hear her drawing in a deep, shaky breath.

“When I'm bored,” she whispers, and you can feel her hair brush up against your nape, “I sometimes think about you.”

She continues. “It sounds weird, but yeah. I don't think about you in a ‘sexual way’ that people do with crushes or anything like that. I just... want to be with your presence or see your smile or hear you laugh... or just sit with you.”

You blink, surprised by her words.

“You make me feel better than anyone else can, and I've had to watch your ass almost every day when you're at the café.”

“That's my fault? you never had to watch my ass, that's a choice you made.”

She scoffs, pinching your side again. “Shhhhh, I'm having a moment here.”

You chuckle softly. “Right, sorry, sorry. Continue.”

“Thank you-” she huffs. “Anyway, I just…” Jinx pauses, her words coming to a stop, and you continue to pedal in silence.

“Sometimes, when I'm not happy or sad, I just... think about you. When I'm lonely and I need someone to say something... when I'm really angry and when I'm so tired of everything and everyone... I think about you. I don't understand why I feel that way. I know that it's not normal.” She hesitates, and you can feel her fingers tighten around your abdomen. “Because even though it's not normal, I don't think it's wrong. I just want to… have you by my side.”

Her words echo in your head, and you find yourself listening more intently than you thought you would.

She sucks in another breath. “I don't care what we're doing, I don't care what we talk about... I just want you to be around.” She presses another soft kiss to the back of your shoulder and buries her face in your shirt once again, mumbling, “I'm happy.”

You swallow, taking your left hand off the handlebar to place it over her hands. “I... I want to be around you too.”

She sighs in relief. “I'm a bit insane,” she whispers. “I'm not.. normal.”

“I don't care if you're not normal,” you reply quietly, your fingers brushing across her knuckles. “Who wants to be normal, anyway?”

She chuckles and kisses your shoulder, inhaling your scent.

You can see a glimpse of the subway station just ahead, the entrance of a tunnel on standby.

You pedal slowly, taking a few more seconds to enjoy the wind and the warmth of Jinx's behind, and then come to a stop in front of the subway entrance.

Her arms loosen their grip on your waist, and you feel the heat of her body leave your back as she hops off the seat. You swing your legs off of the bike and put down the kickstand before facing her.

Your eyes trail over to the tunnel, the sounds of the trains coming in and out of the subway filling the night sky.

“This is me.” She jerks a thumb towards the entrance.

You nod. “See you tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow. Work. Yeah.”

“Yeah,” you echo.

You can see people walking into the station in your peripheral vision, the world continuing to go on despite the standstill you're in. Your eyes don't leave her as you both hesitate, neither of you wanting to leave. You're both just standing awkwardly, looking at each other.

You can't help but look at her with fondness. She's not even doing anything, just standing in front of you, and you still think that she's the most beautiful person in the world.

You watch her smile in response, and you have the urge to reach out, wanting to pull her back into you.

“Guess I should…” her voice trails off, and she makes a gesture with her hand. “Subway time.”

“Yeah…” you say softly, “Subway time.”

She doesn't move, though. Neither of you do.

Her eyes flit between the tunnel and you, and she gnaws at her lower lip. “You should, uh…” she begins, “...go.”

“Yeah, I should…” You should. You know you should. You should pedal back to your apartment, maybe do some dishes, and go to bed. You have class tomorrow, and Jinx is going into the subway.

But you take a step forward. She looks at the ground. “Are you... are you going to hug me?”

“Should I?”

She shrugs. “I don't know. Do you... want to?”

“I could be convinced.”

She rolls her eyes but smiles anyway. “Yeah? you could be convinced, huh? what would it take for you to agree then?”

You tap your chin with your index finger, pretending to think. It's not like you need to put much thought into it. “I don't know. A few hundred bucks? A fancy dinner? Maybe a yacht?”

She smacks your arm with a huff and a glare. “You aren't taking this seriously.”

“Oh-” you say, clutching the fake wound, “You're brutal. I'm wounded, I'm injured-”

She crosses her arms and gives you a deadpan look. With a laugh, you step forward and wrap your arms around her waist. Her arms immediately slide over your shoulders as she burrows herself into your neck.

You breathe in her scent, closing your eyes. Your chin rests on her shoulder comfortably, and you feel her fingers slide into your hair.

“Just one more second,” she whispers.

You nuzzle her neck in response, and her fingers tighten around the back of your head. Her breath ghosts against your ear, and you swallow, feeling the goosebumps rise on the back of your neck.

You could stay like this with her for an eternity. On the sidewalk in front of the subway entrance. You could take turns leaning on her shoulder.

But the world doesn't work like that, and your moment is being watched by a few strangers walking in the entrance. She pulls back just far enough to be able to look at you but still holds onto you.

Her hands cup your cheeks, and you find yourself staring at each other for a few seconds, her face lit up by the orange glow of a nearby streetlamp.

She's looking at you, you're looking at her, and the world hasn't collapsed. Her eyes trail over every feature, and you wonder if she sees you the same way too—if she finds each piece of you as beautiful as you do of her.

She brushes her thumb lightly over your cheek and the corner of her lips twitches into a smile. Her smile widens as she looks at you, showing the slight gap between her two front teeth, and it's- it's…

You blink, feeling your knees grow weak, you can almost hear the sound of wedding bells and wonder if you've just found the closest thing to heaven on earth.

She presses a light kiss to your nose. “See you, partner,” she murmurs. She takes hold of your chin with one hand and presses another kiss to the corner of your mouth.

“See you,” you repeat. You can't help but smile, a bit dumbly.

She stares at you for a second longer before finally letting go of your chin and stepping back. You try to memorize every detail of her as she walks backward. “Call me when you get home, 'kay?” she says.

You nod. “Okay”

She stops in the subway entrance and offers a small wave.

You wave back, but you keep waving even after she disappears into the tunnel. You keep waving, even after the last of her is gone, until you're just standing there like a fool, waving goodbye to the empty subway entrance. You realize just how dumb you look, waving to nothing, and finally drop your hand.

You tear your eyes away and stare at the bike that sits abandoned on the sidewalk, waiting for you. You finally pick up the kickstand and grab the handles, starting to pedal.

You think about tomorrow.

Tomorrow is when you're going to deal with shitty customers in the shitty city.

Tomorrow is her smile as she hands you your cup, making your day before it even starts.

Tomorrow is drinking a matcha latte, a drink you used to hate, but now you look forward to it, because she makes it.

Tomorrow is her arm around your waist as you take her to the subway.

Tomorrow is her pulling away and saying, “See you, partner.”

Tomorrow with her… and it's almost as if, for the first time, you don't dread tomorrow.

#arcane #jinx #arcane x reader #arcane jinx #jinx arcane #arcane x female reader #arcane x you #jinx x reader #jinx x female reader #jinx x you #jinx x y/n #jinx imagine #fluff #angst #valentines #valentines day #coffee shop #coffee shop au #barista

403 notes · View notes

berryz-writes · 11 months ago

Text

You're mine, sweetheart

Summary: Theo cheers you up after a shit day

Theodore Nott x reader

Pansy looked me up and down, hate simmering in her eyes. She scoffed "Don't tell me that's what your wearing. You look like an absolute slag"

After being best friends with her for our first few years and realising how toxic she really was I had tried to keep my distance from her but she didn't get the hint and instead liked to comment on each and every thing I did. Of course the comments hurt me but maybe after the years they just didn't hurt as much. Maybe I was immune now. The dress I had chosen for this nights party was a short green dress, something to celebrate our Quidditch win but of course the dress didn't live up to her expectations. What was really annoying was she wore a similar dress just a few weeks back but according to her I was the one who looked like a slag.

"I think it looks nice Pansy"

I turned to my mirror and applied a light pink lip gloss that was almost finished because of the amount of times I had used it. I couldn't be bothered arguing with her tonight. I wasn't about to let her ruin my mood.

"I bet you tried finding the shortest dress in that store"

I rolled my eyes "What are you on about?" I was getting tired of her stupid, annoying comments.

"You know exactly what I'm on about. Don't think Theo's gonna fuck you after this, honey. Your just like all the other desperate bitches at the party"

I gritted my teeth together and put my lip gloss down trying to appear as unaffected as I could. "Fuck off. Jealousy isn't a good look on you"

I walked past her, tears forming in my eyes. Before I could leave she made sure to mutter "Once a whore, always a whore". I let my feet carry me outside to the warm summer evening where the sun was setting. I walked around the lake trying to blink away the tears so my makeup wouldn't be ruined. Was there any point of going to the party? No, probably not.

I sat down on hill, the freshly mowed grass making a soft carpet for me to relax on. Me and Theo had sat hear many times before whether it was to have a late night snack or to miss lessons. It was a comforting place.

I sat there until the sun set and soon it got darker. Almost too dark. My thoughts had cleared now. My tears no longer trying to make an appearance. Maybe I could join the party. Just because one person was being an ass didn't mean everyone else would be.

As I was contemplating on whether I should stand up or not someone cleared their throat behind me. I raised my wand instantly expecting...well something scary I guess.

It was in fact Theo holding a small golden lantern. I didn't bother standing up and instead waited for him to flop down next to me.

"My favourite person isn't going to congratulate me on my performance today?" He placed the lantern between us so we were both bathed in a warm orange light. I could just about make him out, his features looking almost worried.

"You were good." I said. I didn't have the social battery to talk to him right now even if he had done nothing wrong.

He smiled at me "I know. What's up with you? Your usually dragging me to parties but instead your...well from my point of view it looks like your mourning your rabbit"

I let out a small laugh. Even at times like these he could make me laugh. "I just don't understand. Why is it so hard for some people to be nice?"

Theo shrugged "They're probably insecure. Or jealous."

"Yeah. Probably"

We sat in silence for another few minutes before Theo stood up stretching out his hand to me "Come on, sweetheart. Your the life of the party. It's no fun without you"

I stood up and handed him the lantern instead "You can be the life of the party tonight. I'm tired"

"Don't let someone ruin what you want to do. Y/n you love parties. You've never missed one. Unless you really are tired, I'll respect your decision and walk with you to your room"

I contemplated my options. I could do what I really wanted to do which was go to the party and enjoy life with my friends or I could get cosy in my bed and feel like a coward for the next week. He was right. No one got to influence what I wanted to do.

"Your playing truth or drink with me then"

He grinned at me "Whatever you want, sweetheart"

As we walked back inside the castle from a more hidden entrance Theo made sure to hold my hand because apparently he "didn't want me to trip and get hurt". Whatever the reason was it didn't stop butterflies from forming in my stomach.

I had to blink at the sudden brightness of the corridors, the light finally letting me see Theo clearly. He had dropped my hand and instead was surveying me.

Theo's eyes took their time on inspecting my outfit, hungrily devouring the way the dress emphasised my curves. He finally brought his gaze up to look at me, his eyes slightly darker than usual "You look absolutely divine"

I smiled at the compliment "If you weren't my best friend, I'd say you were flirting with me"

He raised an eyebrow "Maybe I am. It's quite hard not to when my best friend is so fucking gorgeous" My cheeks heated at his words, my dress feeling a little too tight all of a sudden. I think I needed to sit down after that.

He extended his arm so I could wrap my hand around it. "I can't wait to tell everyone we're dating"

I paused. What did he say? "If that's ok with you" He added hastily.

I thought about what he said. Had I always imagined what it would be like if Theo asked me out and we weren't just best friends anymore? Of course I did. Every single second of every single day.

"That's fine with me"

He smiled again, a small dimple appearing in his left cheek "Then it's settled. Your mine, sweetheart. And I'm yours"

#theo nott x reader #theo nott imagine #theo x reader #theodore nott imagine #theodore nott x reader #theodore nott x slytherin!reader #theodore noise #theodore nott x you #theodore nott x y/n #slytherin boys

556 notes · View notes

audliminal · 7 months ago

Text

It's Just a Game, Right? Pt 3

Masterpost

"You still good?" Sam's voice crackles through the walkie talkie, as Danny flies erratically through and rooms. Danny ignores it for the moment, focusing on his current task. Their distraction plan had certainly worked, but now Danny has to maintain his balancing act, keeping the giw agents engaged without actually getting himself hurt. "Danny?" Sam asks again.

"Real great timing, Sam." Danny mutters, changing his tragectory to straight up. He's on the roof in moments, and allows his body to slip back into tangibility without dropping his invisibility.

"I'm getting a workout for sure, but they haven't hit me yet." Danny says, the moment he has the walkie talkie in hand.

"Good." Sam's relief is clear. Sam was the least enthusiastic about this arg idea from the start, but this current plan, with Danny acting as a distraction had driven her almost frantic with frustration. "We're almost done filming, so you can probably start trying to lose them. And let us know if you need help."

"Yeah? What, are you gonna go ghost and come distract them too?" The joke comes out a bit harsher than intended and Danny immediately winces. "Sorry. Sorry that was supposed to be a joke."

Sam doesn't immediately respond and Danny hears footsteps on the stairs, so he jams the walkie talkie back in its holder and takes off, making sure to fly away from where his classmates are working.

Moments after he drops back into intangibility, the door to the roof slams open and three giw agents rush out, already taking shots in his direction. By now their strategies are familiar though, and Danny is already making evasive moves as he flies off.

"Straight lines are boring anyways," he snickers, dipping down, so he can fly directly through the floor of another building, and then shooting straight up for a moment before continuing on. "Though it would be nice if their damn sensors could stop improving..."

On the other side of town, Danny's class has just finished recording footage of their school with untreated tech. Tonight, Wes and Tucker will start adding the dozens of layers of encryptions and hidden messages that they've been layering their project with.

A surprising number of people have already followed their channel, but so far they've only broken through around two layers of the content they've posted, and certainly haven't even come close to finding the encoded file drops, where they've actually hidden the bulk of the information.

That's the reasoning for this latest idea. As far as the plot of their series so far, the green-tinted, garbled footage won't make any sense. So, if they can get this out there without getting caught, it might help queue the people investigating their videos to dig a little more in search of an explanation.

"Halt, ghost scum!" The booming voice below Danny is immediately recognizable as his dad, and he just rolls his eyes and groans, without slowing. The good news about his parents joining the hunt is that they'll likely distract the giw's own efforts. But it also means they're gonna be extra annoying when he gets home tonight. It's the kind of trade-off that Danny will take every time, but he reserves the right to be annoyed by it.

Danny's parents, like everyone else, are far from happy with the giw's occupation and quarantine of Amity Park. Jazz should be heading off to college in a matter of months, but instead she's going to be stuck here. Jazz hadn't even bothered sending off applications this year - a matter than had been the target of much distress by their parents, and the first thing that got them to really stop and think about what the giw were doing.

Recently, they'd even considered shutting down their portal, but unfortunately that had proved more complicated than would be reasonable. So ghosts continued to drift through, and Danny continued to swiftly catch them before the giw or his blundering parents could show up to cause problems. Most days he managed to get the ghosts captured and himself out without serious injury but, well, even if his parents had stopped developing new weapons, lately, the giw had only ramped up their efforts.

And Danny was stuck in the middle of it all.

"We're done and out, Danny. Please tell me you haven't gotten yourself hurt." Sam's voice comes through again, startling Danny away from his thoughts. He glances back behind him, and is relieved to see no signs of chase behind him.

"Yeah, we're good. My parents showed up with some real clutch timing. Maybe if we're lucky, they crashed into each other and they're out a vehicle or two."

"Yeah, if we're lucky." Sma laughs. "Meet up at the arcade?"

"Sure thing." Danny says, ducking into a nearby store and dropping his ghost form safely in the bathroom.

#had a rough week but im back with part 3 #i struggle a lot with action scens so this one is definitely rough lol #but at least it's written #next up: bernard and tim sit down to review the arg so far #dp x dc #the one where the amity parkers make an arg

182 notes · View notes

melondecarabia · 2 months ago

Note

uhh uhh uhh Ren fluff where uhh uhh uhh reader plays Stardew valley with him or something idk

˙⟡ ren and the full immersion fishing simulator experience

ren shiranami x reader

crack, fluff

mdni!

authors note: this has nothing to do with stardew valley, but there's some gaming? don't question my vision (thank you for requesting)

tw: fainting, gagging, talking about death, violence on frostheim student npc (deserved)

"Ren? Reeeeen? Even Peekaboo is super worried! Won't you pleaaaaase come out to at least have dinner?" He can hear that clown just on the other side. You know what? He should stop calling Haru a clown, because that's an insult to the industry. Damn, another perch. The water is freezing, but it adds to the authenticity of the experience.

Here's the current setting: Ren, dressed in wading overalls and a bucket hat. The bathtub, filled with enough water to reach mid calf from where he's sitting on a metallic step stool, and a chair to keep the old laptop at elbow level. Yes, he's in the bathtub. Yes, the only light inside comes from the small bathroom window, and the computer screen. Yes, this is an electric hazard. But desperate times call for desperate measures, and Superior Fishing Simulator: Remastered is the only thing between Ren and a long walk off a short ledge.

"Reeeeeeeennnnnn!" The only distraction is Haru. But Ren is a man of sheer will, and won't crack under any amount of pressure. "REN!" Why does the dorm captain act like his mom? He already has like a million animals to bother. Stupid discount milf.

˙⟡

"—-? — —- !" "No, Towa, please don't. I can't afford a new wall, like ever." That boy has been in self-imposed isolation ever since he came back from the old Clementia dorm yesterday evening… And Haru might know why. Bahnti may not work on his braincells, but he's pretty sure they're up to standard. Probably. "Towa. We need to intervene." He seems displeased.

˙⟡

Towa knows you can do better. "Think about the romance! She could fix him!" Hmmm….. That's a possibility. On one hand, maybe you could straighten that good-for-nothing bastard up. On the other hand, literally anyone else has more emotional intelligence than the seaweed-head loser. "Pleeeaseeeee?" Oh, fine. Towa can just electrocute him if he doesn't act right.

˙⟡

There he is. Some passing Hotarubi students are giving him weird looks, but Haru's locked in. From this vantage point, which happens to be one of the trees lining the walkway to the school building, he can see Ren whipping his head around, probably to make sure you're not closeby. But oh, he's not prepared for this!

˙⟡

Like a deranged eagle to a deaf rabbit, Haru descends upon Ren just as he's about to pass by. "Ren! What a coincidence meeting you here! There's something we need to talk about." The taller man is about to escape, but a firm hand prevents that. Time to take advantage of the element of surprise! "About the honor student…"

"NO!" Oh god, now everyone's staring… this is the worst… "But-" "No, no and no! You're not getting involved! You complain about needing help, but you clearly have too much free time! Get a life!" Ren has seen Haru's many expressions. Joy, mischief, devastation after a look at his bank account. This is the first time he's seen disappointment. It actually manages to shut him up.

˙⟡

"Ren. I know it's scary talking to girls, but she won't bite." He actually can't promise that, as evidenced by last week when a Frostheim student almost got a surprise amputation. Something to do with Yuri? Whatever. Haru's like, 87.6% percent sure Ren will stay intact after talking to you.

˙⟡

"It's nothing. I've got this under control. Do NOT get involved." Ren has already googled temples to become a monk in. If you find out he has a- gag reflex- can't even say it. No. Absolutely not. He won't say it. What if it becomes a tulpa if he says it? "Oh, honor student!" Scoff. "I'm not falling for that-" "Hi Ren! Hi Haru! How-"

˙⟡

You watch on as Ren runs the fastest you've ever seen him move. Haru looks deeply disappointed. "What's going on with him?" A sigh. "Nothing…" And the redhead waddles away like a demoralized penguin.

˙⟡

Did you fuck everything up? Professor Nicolas is struggling with the projector, giving you free time to wallow in melancholy. Sadly, the spot for the best anime protagonist impression is already taken by someone who seems to be having heartaches too. Sigh. As you're about to restart thinking about every possible bad outcome, the bell interrupts. This sucks.

The students start to pack up and leave, but you still need to finish imagining that scenario where Ren becomes the chosen one, and leaves Earth to save all of it's residents. Except your heart.

"If there's any higher power listening, please help me deal with Ren."

A roll of thunder seems to answer your plead.

"God?"

A flash of lightning from clear skies illuminates a silhouette just outside the window.

"TOWA?"

˙⟡

You, and the two Jabberwock students are currently squatting under a staircase, like a group of nature-loving mobsters.

"It's just… We were watching Ponyo, right? And Ren says that kid is stupid for almost dying to save Ponyo, and asks who would be that dumb. And I said, I'd do that for him. I'd give him all the ham he wants. After that? He was quiet. How badly did I fuck up?" Haru is giving a perfect impression of The Thinker, and Towa just looks sorry for you.

"No way to deny it. He likes you." Oh? "Went to wake him up one day. There's a new poster in his room, one of those gacha games, right? Right. That character," Haru points at you, "Looks suspiciously lot like you." Before you can say anything, Towa shuts your and Haru's mouths with his hands.

That walking pattern… Ren may act like a skittish deer, but you're a persistence hunter. The three of you exchange a look of agreement.

˙⟡

He's safe. A sigh of relief. Just a few hours, and he'll get back to his quest of catching a swordfish in Superior Fishing Simulator: Remastered, and prove his iron conviction of not talking about- gag reflex. While gathering his breath, a flash of red appears. What the fuck? He can feel the cold sweat running down his back. Ew.

But there's no one around. Yeah, Ren's just paranoid. He still takes slow steps.

"Hi Ren!" He shrieks, louder than anyone knew he could. Haru has jumped from his hiding place behind a pillar to block the hallway. The other way? YOU? How are you running so fucking fast??? What- Why does he hear boss music?

As last resort, he looks to the window- TOWA? Oh noooo no no no no.

Haru? He's grinning like a maniac.

You? Positively deranged looking, heaving like you're about to tear him apart, not unlike a polar bear.

Towa? Looking into his fucking soul.

Ren? On the verge of death. He should've become a monk. Fuck. Getting blurry now…

˙⟡

-eeeennn?" Huh? Did he manage to quit life with sheer will? "Ren?" The voice of an angel. He's pretty sure that he's in heaven. "Ren? You good buddy?" Nevermind. This is hell. The bright light that fills his vision is not from the gates of paradise, but instead hellfire. It's even red! "REN!"

˙⟡

The mentioned man almost caves in Haru's skull with his own, as he pounces up from the grass. Towa had reluctantly carried Ren like a sack of potatoes from the hallway, instead of dragging him around like a ragdoll.

˙⟡

"Ren." He doesn't want to look at you. You probably want to talk about- gag reflex. You take the hand that isn't covering his mouth. "I meant it." Huh? "I would feed you ham everyday." Cringe. But- he's the one who bought a poster of a really frustrating to play character, just because she kinda looked like you. He frowns deeply.

˙⟡

"hrrhngh…" Haru and Towa are 'hidden' behind a tree. Ren's mumbling something unintelligible. "Yeah?" "…hmph." He squeezes your hand back. "Can we leave? Don't wanna be around those" he gestures at the tree, "Right now." He doesn't need to say it. "Mhm. Wanna watch Howl's Moving Castle?" You know he likes you. And when he calms down, you'll tell him you really like him too. For now, there's a ham sandwich in your fridge.

#tkdb #tokyo debunker #tokyo debunker x reader #ren shiranami #ren shiranami x reader

59 notes · View notes

teojira · 11 months ago

Note

I hope it's not too much to ask... do you have any head cannons about Bigby dating neurodivergent reader?

[Bigby Wolf with Neurodivergent!reader]

Summary: Bigby trying his damndest to be a good s/o

Warnings: Bigby trying his best, you're a mundy in this!

A/N: Cracks my fingers, it's been fucking ages since someone has asked me about Bigby. I hope these are okay! I miss this man so much. Incurable brainrot he gave me for the last 10 years.

I am not confident in these but I tried, thank you for requesting!

Bigby is rough around the edges, he's not gonna be the best person to comfort you or say the rights things. He's gonna fuck up, and he's gonna feel like shit about it.

You're gonna have to be understanding that this'll probably his first genuine relationship with a mundy, and while the fables use glimmer to pretend to be humans, they're not.

He doesn't get it, neurodivergentcy is not a common topic in fables lives, he will learn for you.

Bighy tries his best though, the second you tell him you're beginning to feel overstimulated, he'll make room and take you away from it.

He's overprotective, almost to an annoying degree but he can't help it. He's not gonna ease off, and he thinks he can handle everything on his shoulders that gets thrown at him.

You gotta tell him that yes, while you may be different and have some issues that fables don't frequently deal with, you're not a child.

Depending on what you struggle with more, he tries to fill in the gaps.

Struggle with time management? He'll be the one to try and remember for you, or telling you to keep track of the alarms on your phone when he isn't around.

Issues with anxiety? He'll force you to lay down with him, sitting in his shitty chair with you on his lap. He'll give you the run down of his day, letting you ask any and as many questions as you want until whatever that's scaring you is gone.

"I'm just, so scared to go in-"

"Do you want me to go?"

"I couldn't ask you to do that."

"So what I hear is that I'm going with you."

There are no real off days for the man, but he does his best to follow you around like a guard dog when he's technically off duty.

He realizes it could be seen as codependent but you're his partner, the primal urge to protect you is strong and it will damn near overweight whatever else has has going on.

Mood swings that deal with anger? He knows all about that, he'll let you scream and cry as much as you want, hell he'd let you hit him if you wanted, he lets you work through your issues on him and just holds you after.

Struggle with the hustle and bustle of the city? He keeps you far away from just about everyone, he's not well liked and he's sure if they spot you, they'll give you a hard time. So he'll probably be the one visiting you on your side of town more often than not.

Takes into consideration that the cigarettes he smokes can be a sensory overload, so he tries to limit it to when he's away from you.

At first he tried to push back on it, saying that it's just smoke but when you put your foot down and say it makes you sick, he starts to wean off of them.

Always tells you you're not a bother, that he would never mind comforting you nor does he hate that he's your safe person.

It makes him feel like he's actually important, that he has a job that actually means something.

He deals with bullshit day in and day out, but at least he has you and you have him.

#teddy asks ♧#teddy loves bigby ☆#the wolf among us #twau #bigby wolf #bigby wolf x reader #telltale #fables #fable bigby wolf

154 notes · View notes

vikkirosko · 4 months ago

Text

🚬 Tim Masky x Reader Oneshot Ghosts of the past 💊

You were usually pretty quiet. So quiet that Tim forgot about your existence.

It didn't matter if both of you were at the mansion or during assignments, you always remained quiet, as if immersed in yourself, but as long as you did what was wanted of you, he was fine with it. You didn't bother him, you didn't annoy him, which meant he could forget about you until you caught his eye again.

But sometimes there were days like today. The days when you could talk softly, as if to yourself. That's what everyone thought, but today Tim heard you talking louder than usual. You were in the mansion, early in the morning he woke up and wanted to drink water when he heard sounds from the kitchen. When he looked in there, he saw you making breakfast and chatting cheerfully with someone. But you were the only one in the kitchen.

You definitely didn't notice that he was standing in the doorway and watching you, continuing to cook for several people and talk.

"Oh, sure, then I'll make pancakes for you next time, I'm not sure if I'll make them like my mom's, but I think they'll be delicious"

It's the first time Tim has ever heard you talk so cheerfully to someone, and it's the first time he's ever seen you smile. It was obvious that you were seeing someone, but it was a good thing that they weren't frightening hallucinations. Tim didn't want to hear you screaming in terror because of the illusions your own mind was showing you.

He took another look at the three plates that you had prepared and came to the conclusion that you saw two people, someone who was dear to you. Perhaps sibling? He didn't know. You've never talked about your past, and he's never asked you about it. He only remembered how his boss brought you to the mansion, covered in someone else's blood, with a dazed look and a bag of things that you brought with you. He didn't know what exactly was there. Perhaps Toby, whom you seemed to have become friends with, knew this. Maybe you saw him as a brother and that's why you treated him so warmly, but he never talked about it.

"Hmm? Oh, don't worry about me. This place, of course, doesn't look like the house where we lived, but it's nice here. There's a forest here too, but now I have neighbors, so I won't be lonely, I'm more worried about you"

You kept talking to your hallucinations, and Tim kept watching. He wouldn't say it out loud, but he was curious to know what was going on in your head. He was curious to know who you missed so much that your mind was ready to create their illusions just to numb your pain.

You would have continued to talk further, but when you turned around, you saw him and the smile on your lips became uncertain.

"Oh, Masky, good morning… I'm sorry, did I wake you up?.."

"No"

He was looking at you intently, and you didn't know what to do in this situation. You felt awkward and it was obvious. You hurried to put the cooked breakfast on the plates.

"Let me make you breakfast too…"

You wanted to say something else, but you froze, as if only seeing that there was no one next to you.

Your gaze became darker and sadder again, and then you slightly pushed one of the plates towards him.

"Here, you can eat it if you want…"

"Are they gone?"

“no… They're still here… I just completely forgot that it's not really like that…"

Masky was surprised that you were actually aware that you were hallucinating, but it would seem that you weren't feeling very anxious about it.

You looked up at him and smiled wistfully.

"Every time I see them, they look the same as the last time I saw them, when they were no longer alive… But talking to them like that, even knowing it's not real, is better than being in pain… It's just that sometimes I forget that they're not really here…"

You sat down on a chair with your head down. Tim watched you for a few seconds, then pushed another plate towards you.

"Eat, and someone will eat the third portion"

He watched you eat, realizing that your mind was in chaos. Perhaps you needed someone who would listen to your story, help you move on with your life, or deal with your pain in a different way. Masky wasn't sure if he could be someone who understood your pain, he wasn't sure if he could support you the way you needed to, but he could at least try to talk to you, and then if he couldn't to help you, he could have sent you to someone who lived in the mansion, who could have treated your grief with more understanding. But first, he wanted to try to help himself.

#creepypasta oneshots #creepypasta #creepypasta x reader #marble hornets oneshots #marble hornets x reader #marble hornets #tim masky #Tim Masky x Reader #tim wright #Tim Wright x Reader

53 notes · View notes

kneazle · 5 months ago

Text

Read on ao3

Regret was an emotion he was all too familiar with.

It was what he felt leaving Evan on their first date, even knowing it was the right choice– and now the regret burns hot for leaving Evan again.

Except this time it hurt. This time he lost the man he loves because he got scared, because he needed to save what he could of his heart before Evan shattered it to bits. Just Tommy's luck, he didn't realize it was too late to stop it until he pulled into his driveway, the damage was already done– to his heart and relationship.

Then came the following days, and Tommy expected it, but it still stung and made his eyes sting with tears he refused to let fall as he stared at his quiet phone. A week later and no one, not even Howie or Eddie, had reached out. Not even to tell him off.

Tommy's heart ached twice over. For Evan, and for the friendships he built and ruined, all of it in one night.

Hatred for himself grew in his chest and made a home by the time a month went by.

By month two he was grounded from flying and didn't bother fighting it. Not when his eyes burned with lack of sleep and a permanent heavy weight was on his chest as everything he was feeling swirled together, becoming too much at once.

Month three was right around the corner when Tommy heard from one of Evan's family for the first time—because they were his family not his friends at the end of the day—and it was one of the last people he expected to hear from.

"Hello?" Tommy answered the phone with a dull tone, staring at his empty coffee cup that held the last of the coffee in his house.

"Hey Tommy."

He pulled the phone away from his ear so quickly, it fumbled in his hand, barely catching it before it hit the floor. Tommy's heart raced. "Chris?"

"Yeah, I hope it's okay I called."

"W-What? Of- of course it's okay!" He swallowed trying to push down the emotions rising, his hands shook. This was it. One of them was finally going to tell him off, to tell him god knows what, that would make the weight on his chest grow until he crumbled. "But uh, how did you get my number?"

"Buck sent it to me when- when I left, and said I had more than him and dad to talk to if I needed it."

Tommy sat down heavily on the barstool at his kitchen island, he let out a shaky breath at the mention of him. "I'm- I'm sure you know-"

"I do, but not any details, I don't need to know."

"You might not want to talk to me if you did-"

"Why? Because no one else has? Your reaction was pretty telling."

Tommy sighed, letting out a dry laugh. "You're too smart for your own good, you know that bud?"

"Oh I know I'm smart." Tommy laughed for real this time, a small smile pulling at his lips as he could practically hear Chris's grin through the phone. "But I'm also not like everyone else, Tommy. I wasn't around for your relationship much but I could see your feelings for Buck."

"Yeah well...I blew it either way."

"I could see his feelings too, they're like flashing neon lights actually. He's never looked at anyone the way he does you and that isn't going to change because you messed up."

"I walked away from him Chris, he has abandonment issues and I walked away without much of an explanation or leaving him to say anything-"

"So explain, and let him say what he has to." Chris sighed and Tommy felt the 'are you stupid?' energy from that sigh. Okay, he deserved that. "He's going to be upset and angry but if you really love him you can handle it."

"The things he was saying though-"

"Tommy. I don't know what either of you said, but you two love each other and I know if you actually talked it could be worked out! Not everyone has time with the people they love, Tommy, don't waste it."

He closed his eyes and leaned his forehead on the palm of his hand. He knew Chris was thinking of his mom, and Tommy wanted to kick himself for being selfish. Evan was within his grasp if he fought, not everyone had that chance.

"How about this, you talk to Buck, and I'll talk to dad."

"Chris!" Tommy sat up straight. "That's not-"

"Well?"

He blinked at all the attitude coming through with just one word. Though should he really be surprised? Chris was a teenager.

Tommy was terrified to talk to Evan despite wanting to because Tommy missed him more than he ever thought he could, but if Chris held up his end, could he really hide behind his fear? He thinks of Eddie coming over to take out his emotions on the punching bag in his garage or the aggressive way Eddie would spar with him knowing Tommy could take it. Eddie may not want to be his friend anymore, but Tommy still cared about him, and if he could give him this chance?

"Are you actually going to talk to him? Lay it all out?"

"Yeah, I'm tired of all this anger I feel Tommy, I miss my dad, but will you?"

Tommy knocked on the door with his heart in his throat.

His breath caught at the sight of him. His curls wild, flour all over his apron that covered a sweater Tommy knew was his– he looked a mess but Tommy thought he looked beautiful.

Shocked eyes roamed over him, and Tommy tried not to flinch at the intense gaze knowing he looked terrible. He had bags under his eyes, his own hair all over the place, and clothes he obviously had been wearing since he came off his shift the day before, not giving himself time to change after Chris's phone call in case he chickened out.

"Evan.." Tommy breathed out.

A mix of emotions swirled in his eyes, written all over his face, but the last thing Tommy expected was for Evan to pull him into a hug. "Tommy.." He choked out, relief and hope in his voice.

Tommy felt his eyes water as he returned it, Evan's arms tightening around him when he did. He buried his face in Tommy's neck, breathing him in. Tommy squeezed him as much as he could.

They had plenty of talking to do, but in the meantime they let their hearts settle for the first time since that night– and the weight on Tommy's chest lessened with Evan in his arms.

#sorry if half of it seems off I wrote half of it weeks later then the first half 😅#idk how to write chris sorry if it's bad fjjfjf #tommy kinard #bucktommy #evan buckley #tevan #911 abc #911 fic

54 notes · View notes

nonsscrapheap · 1 month ago

Text

TFP: Universal Observations

WELCOME BACK EVERYONE! HAVE A NEW CHAPTER AND THE ENDING OF PART 1 OF ACT 1! i already know the results of the poll so i'm already planning ahead the next au ;)

in the meanwhile, say goodbye to rung! we'll see him again at some point.

hehe

ACT I: Show Acting - III -

[ ----- TP : UO ----- ]

Omega Outpost One

[ "Such hostility and confusion I sense, it has been quite a while since this thing operated on its own…" The mysteirous mech said, tapping the screen. "Curious."

Clearing his throat, the mech gave a gentle smile, "Settle down you all, I mean no harm. Even if I wanted to, which I don't, I can't. Your relays are incomplete, damaged. I can't do anything in your world, nor can you do anything in mine. My name is Rung, it is a pleasure to meet you all… Somewhat." ]

Raf was glad to be on the ground again- he wasn't afraid of heights, but constantly moving between Bee's shoulder and hands was getting tiresome- he couldn't really blame him though, his alternate- or well, future? Self? Nearly died! Like actually nearly died.

He knew that missions with the bots were dangerous, he sometimes still had nightmares of the first time he, Miko and Jack got on the Nemesis to save Agent Fowler. The loud noises, the violence, almost getting squashed by giant metal bodies falling down with explosions and blaster-fire in the background…

Yet he couldn't exactly find it in himself to regret being with the Autobots. Being allies with them, being friends. He had friends of his own, not his sibling's friends, or family friends. Sure they're not his age, Bumblebee being nowhere near his age, but they were still his closest and dearest friends.

He didn't even mind that he was sometimes babied or treated the youngest- he was the youngest of them so it wasn't exactly wrong…

But he just knows that after this, after watching his possible death of the future, even if the source was from another universe from a fictional show that depicted their universe's future (that was both still weird and cool, but his actor seemed nice at least? Antonio was a nice name, the cons weren't really cons there so that was nice too), they were going to be a little bit more protective than usual.

Thankfully though, something else was taking up their attention now; someone from the otherside was talking to them. Through the orb! And there was another orb there too! Is that how they're talking to them? Through that? There were more of them out there?

Raf peered at the screen in the air, Miko and Jack's hands were on his shoulders as the three of them were being guarded by the Autobots, the cybertronians forming a protective wall in front of them.

Optimus shared a look with the other bots, discomfort and suspicion on their faces. "... Greetings Rung, it is a pleasure to meet you. I am Optimus Prime, Leader of the Autobots."

( "I am Lord Megatron, Leader of the Decepticons. Explain yourself, 'Rung'!" )

[ Rung stayed silent for a moment, tilting his helm before sighing. "Your relays are definitely damaged, I cannot hear anything if you're speaking to me right now, nor can I see you. The output is doing fine, but any input isn't possible for the moment." ]

"Wait, so lanky there can't hear us?" Miko immediately asked and didn't even bother waiting for a reply, "Hello?! Dude! Orange with goggles, can you really not hear us?!" She shouted, going as far as to weave herself through the Autobot's legs to stand before them beneath the floating screen.

"Miko!" Multiple voices exclaimed, exasperated.

Miko didn't even bother squirming when Bulkhead gently grabbed her and deposited her back with Jack and Raf behind them. Pouting and thoughtful.

"What relays? Must be internal, which is just fantastic considering we have no idea how to open the spheres and look in them." Ratchet muttered, glaring at the orb with heated eyes.

( A series of voices were stitched together, "Relays- possibly internal-unable-to open." "Find a way to open it then!" )

[ "Your relays should be able to be fixed on their own, they're capable of self-repairing. Though it will take time." Rung spoke to them, "Perhaps you've already tried to open the spheres, you'll find it near impossible to do such a thing. They're pretty much indestructible."

The mech sat back against his chair, legs crossed and hands on his lap. "I'm assuming that you're new users of it. That you've managed to stumble upon- well, there's no real name for them but we've been calling them 'Observers' considering their purpose. My assumptions are entirely based on the fact you've not known how to respond to me whatsoever." ]

"By the sound of it there's more of these things around." Bulkhead muttered, reaching out to poke the gold and silver sphere only to be halted by Optimus.

"Indeed." The Autobot Leader nodded, looking between the sphere and screen with caution.

Raf frowned, muttering to himself. "'We'?" Jack looked over to him with confusion and he spoke a little louder, gaining the bot's attention. "He said 'we', so there's- there's like, other people like him. Other people who have a sphere or, uh, 'Observer' and know what it can do… I just wish we could respond and like, actually ask questions."

.: Well, we'll be able to eventually. Right? He said the internal relays will repair themselves and we'll uh, be able to do that. :. Bee beeped out, most of the tension finally slipping out of his body and stance. He was still protective though, it showed in his wings. They were still up and straight and he was keeping close to Raf more than usual.

[ Rung stayed silent for a moment, before humming. "I have no doubt that you have a lot of questions, some I may have the answer to. Let's get the basics out of the way, shall we? No, I do not know where these Observers came from, nor do I know of their creator or creation. They simply just… appear, out in the universes. I do not know if they're in every universe, but I do know their purpose; it's to, as we've named them, 'observe'." ]

Ratchet was typing rapidly into the base's console, "Observe what though." Jack asked aloud, and was startled when Rung answered his question- a coincidence considering he was explaining what these… Observers were.

[ "As to what they observe- anything, everything, they're particularly biased to whoever finds them. They show their users what they've observed- never in their current universe, but in others. Again, I don't know how it works, nor do I know the exact specifics but that's just how these Observers are." Rung said, patting the orb that sat nearby on his shelf.

"Their purpose is to observe, or rather, have people observe through them. Observe into other universes. Admittedly this is hypothetical, even after all this time, we're still learning quite a lot with these things. But this hypothesis has been mostly supported by the fact that if there's an Observer around, then soon it'll attach itself to users and show them universes based on what they want." ]

"Yes, yes, but how? Miko and Bumblebee were prattling words earlier on when it asked for keywords but it was Jack's words that it clung on to instead which gave us this universe instead!" Ratchet said aloud, making Raf nod, it had been weird.

Was it because Miko had accidentally activated it earlier by saying the words 'shatter' and 'glass'? Raf tried to think on why that was, what happened- what lead to the sphere's activation…

"Guys, guys!" He exclaimed, interrupting conversations going on- he hated being rude but, this was important! "I'm pretty sure that the 'users' that Rung is talking about is Miko, Jack and I- we were touching the Observer when Miko accidentally activated it saying a passcode remember? She said, 'boring' which apparently was a passcode, which activated the artifact and since we were touching the Observer— "

"It accepted us as its users?" Jack finished incredulously, though as he said it he seemed to believe it. "That… makes sense, Miko said 'shatter' and 'glass' afterwards which triggered it to look into that universe where the Cons and Bots morality were all, uh-"

Miko was quick to help him out. "Swapped? Switched? Completely on the flipside?"

"So the sphere's connected to the kids, great." Arcee drawled with great sarcasm.

.: Is there a way to transfer uh, user-ship? Or maybe just- get the orb to see us as users as well? :. Bee questioned.

Optimus sighed, "A good question, Bumblebee, one that I wish we could as to Rung." He said, nodding over to the orange mech who was still speaking. The mech had managed to go off course, mumbling to himself while typing into a datapad.

[ "-m rambling. Pardon, it's just been a while since I've had a guest with the orb.,, Where was I? Ah yes, the basics." Rung nodded to himself, smiling at the screen. "You might be asking by now how exactly to work the Observers, how to control it… I'm sorry to say that I cannot help you with that." ]

"What?" "What do you mean you can't help us with that?!"

( "Useless mech!" A seeker sneered, "What even is his alt? None of his kibble makes sense!" )

[ "You see, although they all look extremely similar, each Observer have unique controls. Mine, for example, activates when I offer it a model of something. It searches the universes for its replica or something similar to it and shows me the universe. Another Observer that I know of, is controlled solely through wordless song. It seems that each Observer is one of a kind in terms of controls and they adapt to the user. So whatever advice I can offer you to control your observer would be mostly useless." ]

"Who the frag decided to make all powerful observation devices like that?!" Ratchet hissed with great annoyance, glaring at the Observer once more. Bulkhead gave a sympathetic pat to the incensed medic.

( A warlord expresses similarly, snarling at the Observer with offended optics. A visored mech plays an old clip of a certain cycloptic mech saying the phrase, "It is completely illogical." )

"Wordless song? Like what, one guy is just screaming or playing guitar to control his orb-thingy?" Miko deadpanned, Raf thought it over and snorted, holding back a laugh at the image of someone trying to control the Observer through guitar. He gives up holding back when he spots Bee playing an imaginary guitar.

"I guess we're lucky aren't we?" Jack piped up, smiling crookedly at an unimpressed Arcee and a stoic-faced Optimus. "All we have to do is like, say Key Words and that's it."

"It is thankfully convenient." Optimus murmured with an agreeing nod.

[ Rung gave them a hapless smile, "You will have to learn how to navigate your Observer on your own. Although, the only commonality between all Observers is that every one has a 'Universal Library'. Every Universe you look into will be recorded and saved into the Observer's storage, you can even revisit any universe previously viewed using the Universal Library." ]

"Didn't that thing say something about an error in its universal library?" Arcee muttered in thought.

"Yeah… Yeah! It- slag, it said something about losing it didn't it?" Bulkhead said with a grimace as he realized what that meant. "Guess we can't look at any other universe that it had before, we're starting off fresh."

Raf frowned, "There's gotta be a way to restore the lost data. Maybe there's a hidden back-up on it?"

"One could only hope." Ratchet grumbled.

[ Rung seemed to pause, shoulders tensing up before slumping down. "There is much I'd like to speak with you, however I am a busy mech unfortunately. I have obligations that I cannot put aside, so I will have to cut this short. My last couple of advices to you…" He trailed then smiles, "The Observer isn't sentient, but it does have its bias and tastes. Despite its namesake and purpose, a more accurate purpose to it is that it's a story teller. It likes to present the universes it observes akin to shows on media. Especially when it shows past information that might confuse the user- you might have seen a moment like it before. A flashback sequence perhaps?" ]

Give me your fa—

"Ah, so that's what that was." Miko said aloud, sounding nonchalant but Raf could spy her hands clenching by her sides. "I was wondering what that was about."

"Guess the Observer's a theatre kid." Jack joked to them both, making them grin and snicker slightly.

[ Rung paused again, his smile slipping before he reached up to take off his goggles, primal blue optics glowing bright through the screen. ]

Raf's breath hitched, and he knows he isn't the only one.

There is something unnerving about Rung's eyes.

Something that makes Raf thing he can see them through the screen.

He'd almost forgotten the feeling, with how soft-spoken and unassuming the mech had been. But when he first looked right at the screen, it really felt like Rung could see them with that unsettling gaze of his.

It makes Bee tense again, standing defensively before him, Miko and Jack again alongside the others. Optimus at the very front, a complicated expression that was mostly caution and something confusing.

( On a far away warship, blasters were aimed at the screen once more on pure instinct. It's unnerving annoying, the feeling of those optics on them... )

[ "You will see many things." Rung starts out softly, smiling once more, wane and quiet. "You will see beautiful sights, emotional moments and witness things that will change your perspectives forever. You might even learn information that might be important or pertinent, something that could help your own universe somehow…"

His optics hardened and his smile turns into a stern frown, a warning finger points at them through the screen. "But in the same vein, you will learn horrible secrets, witness personal nightmares and agonizing moments, you might view others in ways you never thought you would. You must understand that the Observer peers into countless of universes that each have their own differences. Similarities may come often, but one universe's information may not work for your own. Please… Please… keep that in mind when you see what else is out there."

"Some universes will give you hope, some, despair. An ally in your world may be an enemy in another and likewise the same can be said reversed. Your counterpart may end up doing acts you despise or are horrified by, keep in mind that they are not truly you. Their actions and words are their own, as are yours. Whatever you see through the Observer's showings…" ]

Raf didn't move an inch from behind Bee as Rung reached out to press a hand against his orb- his Observer. What he was saying, he said with clear experience. He sounded tired, sad, but somehow reassuring.

[ "Be mindful. And be careful." Rung used his other servo to put his glasses back on. He was smiling again, reassuring, calm and apologetic.

"When your relays are fully repaired, and you have more questions and I am not as busy, feel free to revisit this universe and contact me. I hope your experience with the Observer will be a positive one… but be prepared for that to change at any moment. You never know what kind of universe you will stumble upon. Goodbye." ]

Abruptly, the screen turned black but even after it did, the Autobots were still tense. It wasn't until the screen changed did they begin to relax once more.

[ UNIVERSAL OBSERVATION CEASED DUE TO OTHER UNIT'S INTERFERENCE.UNIVERSE AVAILABLE FOR PURVIEW WITHIN UNIVERSE LIBRARYUNIVERSE DATA AVAILABLE FOR CURRENT CONTINUITY: TWO (2)- SHATTERED GLASS (JM-DESIGN) [AVAILABLE FOR VIEWING]- SHOW ACTING (RU-DESIGN) [UNAVAILABLE FOR VIEWING]SEARCH FOR NEW UNIVERSAL OBSERVATION? ACCEPT / DECLINE ]

"Decline." Raf immediately said, they… they needed a moment.

[ UNIVERSAL OBVERSATION DECLINEDSTANDBY MODE ACTIVATEAWAITING FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS ]

( It went unsaid, and would never be pointed out aloud but even the Cons were relieved to see that Standby Mode had been activated. )

"I think we need a moment to uh, process everything." Jack groaned, rubbing his hands against his face. "Figure things out."

Miko, though, was quick to recover from whatever that was from Rung and was already bouncing in place. "What else is there to figure out? We got a thing that let's us see into other universes! We just watched ourselves being like- actors on a late night talk show! And we saw a bit of our future!"

"A future where Raf got shot at by Megatron and nearly died." Arcee deadpanned with a clenched jaw and narrowed eyes trained on the girl. Miko faltered, but only for a moment.

She shook her head, looking angry and determined. "Which now we know! And we won't let it happen to Raf! We'll be prepared! No one's going to touch Raf, certainly not that buckethead robot!"

Bulkhead made a strangled, garbled noise, coughing to quickly clear his throat. "Well- Miko's right." He was quick to continue so he wouldn't interrupted, seeing both Bee's and Arcee's expressions. "We won't let anything happen to Raf. To any of the kids. We know a little bit of what's coming, we can prevent it from happening."

Raf reached out to touch Bee's leg, smiling up to his best friend reassuringly when he let out a distressed beep- it was just noise, no words. "It's gonna be okay Bee."

"We promised to keep you children safe when we took you in our protection." Optimus said gravely, eyes dim and sorrowful. "It pains me to know that in another future, regardless of where we've seen it from, you were put in such danger Rafael. I'm sorry."

"Like Miko said, it hasn't happened yet. And it won't happen now that we know." Raf replied firmly towards him, smiling brightly at the stoic but kind and gentle leader.

"By the way, are we just going to ignore the fact that the Earth's core is apparently Cybertron's satan? Uh, Unicron, right?" Miko couldn't help but blurt out, glancing around.

At the reminder, all the bots present cringed and had various different expressions on their faces. "i'd… rather let that be a subject of discussion for another time." Ratchet replied stiffly, the mumbling agreements he got from Arcee, Bulkhead and Bumblebee reinforced the idea. Optimus said nothing but his expression had only darkened slightly before settling back to somber. "In any case, what's more important right now is figuring out how to actually control this- Observer. Rafael, if you could assist me?"

…

Good news; they've managed to figure out the general controls of the Observer and gained a little bit more information about them.

Bad news; any more information they want to know? Currently locked because it turns out, it wasn't just the relays inside the sphere that were damaged. A lot of the Observer was damaged.

"Despite what it looks like, this thing is severely busted inside." Raf explained to his friends who needed a short and simple, understandable answer. Miko's eyes had started to glaze over when Ratchet mentioned 'interdimensional quantumatic technofocus' and other big, literally alien words because apparently the human language didn't have the right vocabulary and words for them. "Like, outside, it looks fine and it's almost my size right? But inside, it's the size of the Nemesis ship twice over and nearly all of its machinery is damaged."

.: Seriously? :. Bee gawped, echoing Jack's words who was struggling to imagine it in his head.

"It'd say it's a miracle it's functioning as it is, however we've discovered that although we cannot open the sphere without the proper tools lest we risk tearing apart the fabric of reality," Ratchet drawled as he tapped his finger alongside his datapad, "Rung was correct in that the Observer is self-repairing. Given time, it will fully fix itself back to top shape. The only problem is…"

Raf winced, finishing Ratchet's words with his own. "It needs to be gathering universal data to do that, and to do that, we need to watch more universes."

"Wait, seriously?" Even Miko was surprised to hear that. "Dude, what the scrap? What about like, powering it? Does it also self-power itself or something?"

"Yes, actually." Ratchet nodded, though he didn't look too pleased, he also seemed begrudgingly impressed. Like it was entirely against his will to be impressed but he had no choice but to be. "Whatever idiot created this tech was also genius enough that the power it draws runs parallel in observing other universes and repairing whatever damages it sustains- don't ask me how. I don't know, nor do I wish to know at this point. In any case, if we want this thing repaired, we need to use it… Optimus?"

They all turned to the Autobot Leader, the Prime looking troubled as he gazed at the motionless floating screen that came from the gold and silver sphere.

"… Do we use it?" Bulkhead asked after a moment of hesitance, "It gave us kinda valuable information."

"We could learn stuff from other universes." Raf piped in, already onboard with the idea. Too intrigued with the artifact to stop now.

"It wouldn't necessarily be good information, could be useless or just… really, really bad." Arcee cautioned, not really liking the idea.

"We can handle it! We're just watching stuff anyway, we could also drop out of whatever bad universe we're watching and watch something better!" Miko insisted, rocking on her heels with an excited grin.

"… Optimus?" Jack questioned, wanting to hear from the big bot himself.

Optimus Prime took in a soft vent, optics dimming for a moment before glowing bright once more. "Although there are understandable concerns about the Observer and the contents it might show, I do believe this is a unique opportunity that we must take advantage of. However should any of us be uncomfortable with the contents of what we see, we can stop and from there, it will depends on what you want. Either request to look at something else, or to be excluded until further notice. Is that agreed?"

Nod and noises of confirmation reassured him, and he nodded back. Privately, he wonders just how he was going to explain this to Agent Fowler before shaking his helm. "Alright, then, let us continue and observe something. Raf?"

"Got it! Universal Observation; Activate!"

[ UNIVERSAL OBSERVATION ACTIVATEDENTER KEY WORD TO START UNIVERSAL OBSERVATION ]

( "Autobots: have - decided to - continue." A racer groaned in relief after trying to make sense about whatever the pit they'd been seeing on the screen for the last few kliks alongside Starscream, the only other con who could try to make sense of the scientific and engineering information that had been shown. "Finally! Wonder what's going to happen now?"

"We shall see." A warlord rumbled almost impatiently as they all watched the screen. )

[ ——- TFP : UO ——- ]

the next AU is...

THE MECHA AU!

I'M HYPED FOR THIS ONE FOLKS! GOT BIG PLANS FOR IT! also i did say that the next au is going to be longer parts right? YEAH THIS'LL BE MORE PARTS! i don't know exactly how many, we might even take a break from it halfway and do another au before finishing it SO THIS'LL BE GREAT!

anyway, rung is being very mysterious for... reasons.

little bit more lore about the spheres/orbs- now named Observers! hope you guys enjoyed! no promises as to when the next chapter is gonna come out, might take a break for a while- or maybe after i post the next chapter of Mecha AU.

we'll see!

[PREV]

[START]

[NEXT]

#transformers #maccadam #transformers prime #fanfic update #tfp uo #universal observations #transformers prime universal observations #tfp optimus #tfp kids #tfp ratchet #tfp arcee #tfp bulkhead #tfp bumblebee #reaction fic #jack darby #raf esquivel #miko nakadai

39 notes · View notes

marrrrss · 3 months ago

Text

A different Valentine's Day?

Hank voight x Daughter! Emma

Angst (?) And fluff

summary: what happens when your boyfriend decides to follow bro code (or whatever) on valentines day?

word count: 1,310 words

authors note: (My mind has been a mess but I think that now I'm back for good.) Happy Valentines! To everyone!

-English is not my first language-

Some people spend Valentine's alone. Some go for dinner by themselves or with friends or, if they're lucky, with a special someone.

Others do long distance.

Others have a fun date.

Others have their boyfriend saying he's going on a boys' night.

As weird as it sounds, that happened to Emma. Asking Jake what he was doing for Valentine's and hearing, "I'm spending the night with my boy Toni because he got cheated on," was NOT what she expected.

Sure, okay, he broke the news over breakfast when Emma asked what they would do tonight, but hearing a whole speech about bro code? C'mon, seriously?

So what were the plans after work now? Get drunk in a bar? Go back to the apartment and stare at the wall? Overtime? Ugh, wine sounds better.

Parking the car in Voight's street felt weird. She was supposed to be having dinner or on a date with Jake, not sitting in her car, staring at the house she grew up in, questioning what the hell was happening.

Getting out of the car, closing the door with a bit too much force, she walked toward the front door of the house—the all-too-familiar house.

As she approached the door, she noticed the living room lights were on. Well, at least she hadn't come here for nothing.

She didn't even bother knocking. He gave her an extra key for a reason. Well... more like emergencies, but this counted.

As soon as the door opened, Voight looked up from the couch, where he was lying with a case file in hand and a half-empty beer on the coffee table.

"What the heck are you doing here, Em? Weren't you supposed to be out with Jake?" he asked, sitting up and tossing the file on the table as Emma closed the door behind her.

A loud sigh escaped her lips as she stood there, feeling her father's gaze on her. It was the same one he used on suspects and criminals—or on her when she ate candy right before dinner or came home really late after curfew.

"Do I gotta call in some favors?" Hank asked in the most natural tone of voice.

"No. God, no. Tempting... really tempting, but no," Emma said, walking over to the couch and sitting beside him with a sigh, sinking into the cushions. "Jake decided to have a boys' night," she added, her voice low, betraying the confusion, hurt, and everything in between.

Voight's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Wait, what? The same guy who went all out last year for Valentine's?"

Yeah, that guy—the one who gave Emma flowers, cooked her a damn good meal, complete with dessert, and topped it off with an incredible night. The guy who'd been her Valentine and everything else for three years.

"Yeah... that guy," Emma replied coldly. "Jake said he was going to spend the night with Toni because he got cheated on. Literally told me over breakfast when I asked what we were doing tonight. And after he said it, I just stared at him like a complete idiot and said, 'Alright.' Then he goes, 'Alright, good. Talk to you later,' gave me a kiss, and left for work." She ran a hand down her face, frustration bubbling to the surface. "I only realized I had nothing to do when I left work, and then I asked myself, 'What the fuck is happening?' And now here I am."

Voight just stared at her blankly for a moment, processing it all. "I can make some calls to find out where he really is... or whatever you want."

"No, just stop," Emma said, shaking her head. "I'm not going down the rabbit hole of 'he's cheating on me,' not tonight at least. I just... I don't even know why I came here." Her gaze dropped to the coffee table as though it held all the answers.

"Don't move," Hank said, getting up and disappearing into the house.

"Stupid," she muttered under her breath, rubbing her eyes. How the hell had the guy who went all out last year turned into someone who'd rather spend Valentine's talking about bro code? Almost three years for this? Jake had moved into Emma's apartment, for crying out loud.

She was still spiraling when Voight returned with a brand-new bottle of bourbon and two glasses.

Her eyes narrowed. "Isn't that the special-occasion bottle?"

"Special occasion. You looking like a lost puppy? Same thing," he said with a small smile, opening the bottle and pouring generous amounts into both glasses. "Seriously, if you want me to scare the shit out of Jake, I can make a call."

Emma took a long sip before turning to him. "As tempting as it sounds—again, no." She wanted to say yes, but she knew it would make things worse.

"The offer stands, kid."

Emma swirled the bourbon in her glass, watching the amber liquid catch the light as she let out another long, heavy sigh. Her thoughts were a whirlwind of confusion, hurt, and anger—all mixing together like a storm she couldn't calm.

"I don't know, Dad. I just... I never thought he'd pull something like this." She glanced over at Hank, his steady gaze unwavering, trying to understand. "I mean, we’ve been together for three years. I thought we had a... connection. I thought we were stronger than whatever this is."

Voight leaned back on the couch, crossing his arms. His eyes softened, but his voice was firm. "Kid, sometimes people do things you don’t expect. Doesn’t make it right, but it happens. You just gotta figure out what you’re gonna do with it." He took a sip of his own bourbon, his face hardening slightly. "Jake needs to know that what he did was a low blow, but it's on you how you handle it. No one can make that decision for you."

Emma stared at the glass in her hand, the warmth of the alcohol doing little to ease the chill settling deep inside her. "I don’t even know what to say to him. He just... dropped it on me like it was nothing. Like I didn’t even matter."

Hank’s expression softened again. "People screw up. Doesn’t mean they don’t care, even if they don’t show it right. You gotta decide if you still care enough to figure it out. If not, that’s on him."

She gave a slight nod, taking another sip. "I just don’t know if I can trust him right now. And I don’t want to be someone's backup plan when they’re done feeling sorry for themselves."

"Then don’t be," Voight replied, his voice steady but with that familiar edge that made Emma pay attention. "You don't owe him anything if he's not showing you respect. But whatever you decide, it’s gotta be for you. Not because of what anyone else says or does."

Emma leaned back into the couch, trying to process it all. Her mind was still spinning, but Hank’s words were starting to sink in. She couldn’t let this define her or make her feel small. She had to take control of her own happiness again.

After a long silence, Hank spoke again, his voice lighter now. "You’re always welcome here, Em. No matter what happens with Jake or anyone else. This house is still your home."

"Thanks, Dad," she murmured, the weight of it all pressing down on her. "I just... need time to think. And figure out what the hell comes next."

"Take all the time you need. You know where to find me," he said with a small smile, raising his glass in a quiet toast to her.

Emma clinked her glass against his and took another sip, feeling just a little bit more grounded. Whatever happened with Jake, she knew her father had her back.

That was something she didn’t need to question.

#hank voight #hank voight fluff #hank voight x reader #chicago pd #one chicago #hank voight x Daughter reader #hank voight x you

34 notes · View notes

reorientation · 26 days ago

Note

hey its me (🧨 anon, the ftm in college..) some updates!

the roommate who i actually share a room with had his friend over recently and i guess they thought i couldnt hear them cause i had headphones on (i wasnt listening to anything, its just a comfort thing) (probably a defense mechanism from when i was a girl to keep guys from bothering me, lol. ironic) but wow. men really are completely different when there aren't any girls around.

i kinda thought i knew what this guy was like, given that we've been living together for a good few months, but i was wrong. him and his friend spent about an hour talking about the girls they've fucked, or want to fuck, or whatever, and it was really... sexist? one of them talked about his ex and basically bragged that he ruined her life, the other lamented the fact that girls weren't as "easy" as they used to be (except for freshman girls, he said. we're all in our final year of uni). it was so objectifying and surprising, and made me realize that as much as i thought they treated me like one of the guys (i think my original message said that, i forget) they really don't.

obviously i jerked off until my vibrator died right after they left. because i'm pathetic. but it made me notice other things about the living situation. I'm always the one doing the dishes. I'm always the one buying toilet paper and sponges and making sure the stove isn't totally disgusting with grease and stuff. They do chores too, of course, but i'm pulling more than just my weight. i can't help but feel like they see me as a housewife or something.

also- didn't end up wearing the skirt im sorryyy :( but, i did buy a really tight crop top. i wear a binder with it but my "bisexual" roommate was definitely checking me out when i was making dinner the other night. very hot.

just figured i'd update you & everyone, i can't tell if i'm in over my head or if i'm living the dream. we're all staying in the city after graduating and they're asking if i wanna renew my lease with them. i initially figured i'd live with a friend after the lease ends but now i'm thinking of staying. idk!!!!!! idk......

-🧨

(Previously)

(probably a defense mechanism from when i was a girl to keep guys from bothering me, lol. ironic) but wow. men really are completely different when there aren't any girls around.

Your self-concept is already slipping, isn't it? Even from one sentence to another: "when I was a girl" lapses into "when there aren't any girls [like me] around".

Maybe that's because you're seeing how slippery and conditional your position as "one of the guys" really is. They strut around in their underwear, and you can too - as long as you're willing to ignore how their eyes follow you when you do. They'll chill out with you, and it'll feel laid-back and open - but they won't really talk about girls, not while you're listening.

I wonder if they even fully understand how they're treating you. Maybe they don't; maybe there's just something in their hindbrain that says you could fuck her when they look at you, and everything else follows from that.

So: is that what you want? Whether they understand it or not, they won't stop looking at you like that. You can either move on... or accept the role. Wear tighter clothing, except for your binder. Wash their dishes for them. Let things get a little less censored and cloaked every day, until they're all smacking your ass when you walk by.

You've found out that they'll never really treat you like one of the guys, and you've found out how they like to treat girls. Which one do you want to be?

#kink interactions #reorientation writing #reor: anon ask #ftm misgendering kink #ftm girl #ftm detransition kink #reor: anon life story #detrans kink

24 notes · View notes

autistic-danieljackson · 17 days ago

Note

Salty Ask List - 13 and 17 :)

13. Unpopular opinion about XXX character?

Daniel - I really don't think he's that OOC in season 9-10. I hear this complaint all the time but I feel like it was a natural progression over the seasons. I also prefer early seasons Daniel but I don't think he gets that out of character in the later seasons. You know when he was OOC? RIGHT AFTER FOREVER IN A DAY! That's not an unpopular opinion but I will never get over that.

Rodney - I don't know if this is an unpopular opinion and I feel like it's going to come off the wrong way but truly he is not as misogynistic as a lot of people like to claim he is. I always see people claim how horrible and disgusting he is and that they couldn't watch Atlantis specifically because of him and I guess I just have to assume they've never watched another show from 2005 before? Because while it definitely isn't great or something to be condoned...there was way way worse during that time. And also he grows so much so I'm guessing they're just watching like half of season 1 and giving up. Again, not sure how unpopular this is but it's something I see way more often than I expected to and it bugs me a lot.

Teal'c - In my opinion, Teal'c was so underutilized. Especially being, as far as we're shown, the only alien employed by the SGC(other than Jonas for a bit of course). But too often it felt like he was there to be the straight man and punch and shoot when it was called for. I would have loved to see more character development and also what sorts of things he got into on Earth. Because that man is getting paid(hopefully) but he's living on base with no rent and his money isn't good on his home world. So what's he doing with all that cash? Personally, I think he buys all the things on those late night infomercials. But I just would've liked to see more personality from him. Also, I just cannot be bothered to care about his family. They feel like such an afterthought(a lot like Sha're). I would've either liked to see more of them or just have that plot cut all together.

I'm realizing I don't know how unpopular any of these actually are but I don't think I have a lot of really controversial opinions haha.

17. Instead of XYZ happening, I would have made ABC happen…

You've opened a can of worms with this lmao! We all know I wouldn't have had Carson die. There are so many other things they could've done instead. I think if they still wanted a shock factor they could've given him a major injury/permanent disability. Losing hearing or sight or a limb and the impact it would've had on him and the team would have been way more interesting than just killing Carson off.

I also saw once where someone was talking about how they should've had Jonas go on the Atlantis expedition and I whole-heartedly agree. His antics would've fit in so well with the Atlantis crew and it almost feels disrespectful that he was main cast for an entire season and then just cast aside other than one episode in season 7(although I'm fairly certain this was due to the actor and not the writers just writing him off but this is ideal Stargate where everyone is pleasant and easy to work with 😂)

Last, I don't know what I would've done differently but I wish they would've kept Ford around. He and Ronon would've been such a good duo and I think we really missed out.

WAIT I FORGOT HOW HEATED I GET ABOUT ELIZABETH! Okay sorry one more because the shit they pulled with Elizabeth actually makes me so mad. First, I don't know if anyone else has noticed but the s4 credits immediately introduce Sam as being main cast with Elizabeth nowhere in sight which spoils the whole thing and also feels extra disrespectful. They didn't change the s2 ones for an episode or two until Ford was gone. But second, there was no reason to do what they did. Just like Carson, I think character death(or I guess in both cases "death") was the least interesting route. I think major injury would've been so interesting in this case as well. Sam steps in as interim leader while Elizabeth gets back on her feet. Watching the pain and frustration as someone who was always in control can't even get their body to obey them. That would've been interesting to watch. And then eventually Elizabeth is able to step back into the leadership position, maybe solely or maybe she and Sam are co-leaders because we needed more women in the Stargate universe. Oh what we could have had...

There are like a million other things I would've done differently but I'll be done for now before this post gets ridiculously long haha

#stargate #stargate atlantis #sga #sg1 #stargate sg1 #ask #ask game #coffeechevrons #this wasn't only supposed to be about atlantis #but apparently i have very strong thoughts and opinions about atlantis haha #it's my baby i can't help it #thank you so much for the ask and allowing me to rant!!#not that i need a reason y'all know i'll do it anyway 😂

19 notes · View notes

hereghostslive · 5 months ago

Note

Hi Rose! #5 please 💜

hi dalawa!! thank you for sending!

#5: help

Tommy tries knocking again.

But Eddie still doesn't answer.

"Eddie! Open up or I'm calling 911!"

"What's going on?"

Tommy jumps at the sound of Evan's voice directly behind him.

"Jesus," Tommy says. "Where the hell did you come from?"

Evan raises a bemused eyebrow. "Did you not hear me pull into the driveway?"

Tommy looks over Evan's shoulder, and, sure enough, Evan's jeep is parked right next to Tommy's truck. How he didn't hear it is anyone's guess, but he will solely blame Eddie for making him worry by not answering the front door.

"Uh, no, I guess I didn't hear you," Tommy says.

"Clearly," Evan replies. Evan's clearly laughing at Tommy and he would be annoyed by it but it's better ground he's been on with Evan lately, so he'll take it.

"So, what are you doing here?" Evan asks. "And why were you yelling?"

"Eddie texted me, said to come by his house as soon as I could because he needed my help. Put an SOS and everything, which is why I was yelling. He's not answering the door."

"Huh," Evan says, which is odd, considering Tommy just said Eddie might be in trouble.

"What?"

Evan sighs, and starts heading back to his Jeep. "Hey, since you're here, can you help me with unloading these?"

Confused, Tommy follows Evan. When he makes it to the trunk of Evan's Jeep, he's even more confused.

"Buck, what's going on?"

"Well, Tommy, it appears Eddie's trying to parent trap us. Here." Evan shoves a sack of garden mulch in his arms. Before Tommy can protest, Evan stacks another one on top with a little too much force.

Tommy's a big guy, so they're not really a bother, but Evan's clearly pissed, so Tommy's not gonna complain.

"And what makes you think that?" he asks as Evan pulls out another bag of mulch, but keeps it for himself.

"Eddie's not here, Tommy. He's in Texas. You didn't know that?"

Evan closes the trunk of his Jeep and starts heading to the side of the house, toward the backyard. Tommy follows again.

"No, I ... I didn't know that," he admits, and wonders how much else he missed by ignoring everyone in the wake of his breakup with Evan.

They make it to Eddie's backyard and Tommy throws the mulch down near a garden bed that Evan points to. There's a bunch of tools already laid out, and varying flowers already planted in the soil.

Evan doesn't reply to Tommy's admittance but he does roll his eyes, then bends down to start opening the mulch.

Considering they've been here for a little bit and no one's come out to yell at them, Tommy guesses Evan's right about Eddie not being here. Texas, he said? Eddie must have gone for Christopher. Feels like he should have known that. Then again, he ignored every one of Eddie's calls.

He should probably leave. It's clear he's not actually needed here, and Evan seems angry enough as it is. Except —

"So what are you doing here, exactly?" he asks.

Evan's started laying out the mulch in the garden bed, spreading it evenly across the ground. At Tommy's question, he looks up, hands on his hips. Tommy had been too worried about Eddie when Evan first showed up to really look but now that Evan's standing there looking at Tommy with a mixture of disdain and bemusement on his face, sweaty from whatever yard work he's already done, he sees it now. Evan looks good. Really good. Tries not to think about Evan keeping in shape, either by the gym or other ... activities.

"What does it look like I'm doing, Tommy?" Evan gestures to the entire garden bed like Tommy's not standing directly in front of it. To be fair, Tommy really only has eyes for Evan.

When Tommy shrugs his shoulders, Evan sighs again. "Eddie asked me to water his plants while he was gone."

"And that turned into you planting an entire garden back here?"

Evan glares at him from where's spreading the mulch around.

Tommy smirks. He recognizes that glare as the face Evan makes when he's trying really hard to be mad at Tommy but is losing the fight.

"If you're done making fun of me," Evan says, "I could use your help."

Tommy's not sure how long Eddie's been gone, but he and Evan obviously still talk. If Eddie sent Tommy here to have a run-in with Evan, then that has to mean something, right? He should probably call Eddie back, soon. To apologize. And say thank you.

He glances over at the flowers Evan's already planted. They don't fill the entire garden bed. There's room for more. Pictures what this garden will look like in a couple months time, when summer arrives. If they keep at it, it could be full of a variety of plants, of all shapes and colors by then.

Tommy picks up the other bag of mulch and drags it to the other side of the garden bed. Evan watches him, not giving anything away about what type of answer he's looking for.

"Sure," Tommy says. "I'll help. I'll cover this side and then we use the other one to layer on top of what's already on the ground?"

Evan gives a reluctant smile, and goes back to work.

Send me a number for a prompt!

#bucktommy #evan buckley #tommy kinard #micro fics #911 #911 abc

31 notes · View notes

keen-li · 1 year ago

Text

"Ahhh....help me"

You've just spent a night in your boyfriend's holiday house that he's sharing with his friends. You'd got in late from the airport when namjoon came to pick you up, so you didn't feel like touching.

But immediately in the morning before you even did anything else your man was on you. Sex for breakfast.

Namjoon left you to get ready for the morning and you cleaned yourself form the scent of sex. The huge shower was a pleasure to shower in and you couldn't take your eyes off the hickeys namjoon left on you as you look at yourself in the mirror while brushing your teeth. They're low so they won't show when you wear a vest but you won't be able to hide them when you wear a bikini and go swimming.

You're joining your boyfriend and his friends for the summer. You weren't for the idea at first seeing that you're the only female, and you didn't want to be a hinder or make his friends feel weird. But after they told you it's fine and your boyfriend reassured you on a facetime, you were for the idea. Immediately you packed your bags and left on the flight your boyfriend paid for.

You walk out of the house the summer sun hitting you were it blinds. You find his friends, jungkook, taehyung and yoongi on the porch seemingly watching something in the distance.

You greet them.

"Hi y/n. it's good to see you " They greet.

"It's nice to see you guys too" you rub your hands over the skin of your arms, of course nervous. You don't want to be a bother.

"And thanks for letting me join " you say sweetly.

"You don't have to thank us you're namjoon's girl, so we don't mind" yoongi says. "Plus he'd probably be depressed if you couldn't come. Cause before you got here all he did was speak about you." Yoongi continues and you blush at the information.

You knew namjoon missed you but you didn't know he'd spoken about you.

"You know y/n I missed you so much, you're the only funny one here" taehyung jokes as they glare at him. You chuckle at that and hum an appreciation.

"I'd hug you but namjoon would stab me" he continues.

"I'm sure he wouldn't mind" you say opening your arms so that taehyung could hug you, which he does. Nothing to dramatic.

And from a distant you can hear your boyfriend exclaim. "Taehyung don't touch her" you chuckle as he moves away from your hug.

"See?" He says and you all laugh.

You decide to turn your eyes to find the voice that just spoke. You didn't see namjoon immediately when you came out but now that you see him, he isn't that far away just like a hundred meters away.

You gasp when you see your boyfriend crouched down with a dog in between his thighs.

"A dog. What the fuck " you exclaims nervously and the boys standing next to you look at you confused by your reaction. You look terrified. They are about to ask what's wrong when you hear namjoon shout.

"Don't worry baby he doesn't bite" like he'll know, you scoff. He looks twice your size, that's an exaggeration but that's how it feels. Namjoon knows you're scared of dogs and didn't tell you there was one here. You never saw him yesterday assuming he must've been sleeping in his owners room, cause you both arrived when everyone was asleep.

When the dog sees who namjoon is speaking to he forces himself out of namjoon's grip and he comes running to you. He's probably just excited to see someone new, he's not a biter and everyone knows that except you.

The dog runs to you and like he's owner knows it he turns to warn you but your already far gone.

"Y/N DONT RUN. HE THINKS ITS FUN TO CHASE PEOPLE " jungkook yells but your legs move before your brain as you sprint along the sand like it's a track.

"He's not dangerous babe don't run" namjoon yells after, and watches as bam sprints behind you like it's a game of catch.

"She's quite fast" yoongi laughs and they all watch you run and scream. Jungkook tries call for bam but the canine is too far interested in you.

"Ahhhhh..... someone help me" you scream and taehyung slaps jungkook's arm so he can do something.

"Help her" taehyung says. You're running in circles when you catch a glimpse of namjoon and jungkook running after you like it's bay watch. They can barely catch up to the two of you, you and bam's speed to fast for them. They are so chill about it cause they know bam won't do anything to you apart from licking, jumping and sniffing you. He's just excited.

Soon enough you and bam's escapade is brought to an when your ankle bends and you fall. You groan loudly when you hit the sand and the canine is soon sniffing you and licking your face.

"No boy, stop it" you say but bam doesn't seem to understand, too excited that he caught his prize.

"Bam come here" you hear jungkook command and the dog finally leaves you. You feel namjoon's shadow cover you as he crouches down and eyes a tired you.

"Are you okay baby" You can only shake your head. "My ankle hurts" you say pointing to your ankle. No one knew how you fell but they just saw you going down. It did hurt but its not something that's going to hinder your holiday.

"Your ankle?" You nod when your boyfriend asks cutely.

"Awww baby... let's get you some ice" namjoon coos and he carries you bridal style, nothing hard for him.

You're a little embarrassed when you pass by the guys as you cuddle into namjoon's neck. You're very much embarrassed. Especially when you hear them mumble apologises and hear yoongi laugh namjoon gives him a death glare which shuts him up.

You're now sat on the couch with your injured leg on namjoon's lap.

You shake your head when he asks you if it hurts, the ice preventing swelling.

"Just a little but it won't hinder my time here" you inform him and he hums acknowledging.

He runs he's other hand up and down your thigh comfortingly.

"Can't believe this is how I start my morning " you scoff "getting chased by a dog" you shake your head at yourself and namjoon laughs and you smack the bare skin on his bicep.

"It's your fault even" you whine.

"You knew my friend had a dog"

"But I didn't know it was here" you complain.

"Okay that's my fault. But I told you he doesn't bite" you shake your head.

"That's not guaranteed joonie " he knows you aren't seriously mad at him when you call him like that.

"I'm sorry baby it's my fault. I'll make it up to you" he smiles reassuringly at you. And you smile.

"You didn't tell me you were a track star babe" he jokes laughing and you forget your ankle is injured and you kick him immediately regretting it. "Careful"

After setting your leg down you speak "actually did a little track back in school. Haven't been practicing but today was a good start " you both chuckle.

"Well this leg better heal quick" you think there's a hidden sexual innuendo but the look in his face tells you otherwise. You farrow your eyebrows.

"Why?" You question.

"You have to meet yeontan" he says and you widen your eyes.

"THERE'S ANOTHER ONE" you exclaim surprised.

"Don't worry he doesn't bite too" namjoon can't help but laugh at you.

You scoff as you lay back sighing once your body is layed down.

"I'm done with this doggy drama. This isn't the doggy drama I wanted"

183 notes · View notes

mysteryshoptls · 1 year ago

Text

SSR Kalim Al-Asim - Playful Dress Vignette

"Spending time waiting in lines"

[Playful Land – Bazaar]

Grim: Ace already went to line up for the roller coaster again…

Grim: He rode it before the show too, how many times is he plannin' on goin' on it?

Grim: I'm gonna check out all the other attractions. What should be next, hmm～

Grim: Hm? Sniff, sniff, something smells reaaaaal good over there. Let's go, [Yuu]!

Grim: This is where the tasty smell is coming from! But what is everyone lining up for? I can't see the front of the line at all.

???: Oh hey, it's [Yuu] and Grim.

Kalim: Did you come 'cause you smelled the popcorn? Me too, ahahah!

Cater: The flavor they're giving out at this stand is salted caramel, apparently. I guess that's a different flavor than regular caramel ♪

Grim: That's different than the one [Yuu] and I had earlier. I wanna try the salted caramel one!

Kalim: Yeah, let's get in line together. We'll get to the front of the line in no time if we chat together.

Kalim: Oh yeah, also, I went and tried the food that [Yuu] and Ace suggested earlier!

Kalim: Cater showed me where all the food wagons were.

Kalim: Leona and Jack were just passing us by around the same time, so I invited them to join us and we all ate pie and chicken.

1. What was the pie like?

Kalim: I was surprised 'cause they gave us a whole pie! I didn't know how I should dig in. Kalim: And that was the first time I ever had a cherry pie that tart. That was a refreshing experience.

2. How was the chicken?

Kalim: It was delicious! The meat was a little tough, though. Kalim: Leona and Jack were just tearing into the meat～ It was pretty intense watching from up close.

Guest A: Oh hey, it's the popcorn wagon! I'm starting to get a little hungry, so let's grab some.

Guest B: It looks tasty, but… There's a really long line. I don't really want to wait, so why don't we just skip it?

Kalim: Looks like those guys want popcorn too. It sucks that they're going to give up just because the line is long…

Kalim: HEEEEY, YOU TWO～～～!!

Guest A: Hm? Are you talking to us?

Kalim: Yeah! You guys want popcorn, right? You can jump in line ahead of us!

Guest B: Eh, you sure? We really didn't want to wait at the end of the line, so that's a huge help!

Guest A: I'm so glad there's someone as nice as you here. Thank you～!

Kalim: Yeah! Seeing you happy makes me happy!

Guest C: Man, I'm getting tired of waiting. Let's just give up on the popcorn and go somewhere else.

Kalim: I'm hearing some voices behind us… Ah, our eyes just met. Is that them?

Kalim: HEY, IF YOU'RE TIRED, YOU CAN JUMP IN LINE AHEAD OF US! THAT WAY YOU CAN GO AHEAD A LITTLE FASTER, RIGHT?

Guest C: Is that okay? You're so nice, young man! Then, I'll take you up on your offer.

Kalim: Yeah! Hope your turn comes soon.

Guest D: That person over there'll just let anyone ahead of him. We should definitely take advantage.

Guest E: I was just thinking that. So, we'll just raise our voice so he can hear…

Guest D/E: AAAAH, MAN, I'M SO HUNGRY～! IF I DON'T GET ANY POPCORN, I'M GONNA COLLAPSE

Kalim: Oh, that's no good! Here, hurry over here. Get in line ahead of me!

Cater: H-Hey… Kalim-kun?

Kalim: Hm? What's up, Cater?

Cater: Uhhh… I'm kinda thinking… At this rate, our turn might never come…

Guest F: Man, we're pretty tired too! Hey, let us in front of you too.

Grim: Ugh, now we got some scary looking dudes…

Cater: Yeah, that was bound to happen～ Might be better to just let them in without a fuss…

???: Hey. What're you all doing?

???: We would deeply appreciate it if you would refrain from bothering other guests.

Kalim: Jade! Floyd!

Cater: Nice timing, you two! Did you see we were in a pinch and come over to save us?

Floyd: Hah? What're you blabbering about? We're pissed at all of you.

Kalim: Eh, me!? Did I do something to anger you two?

Floyd: We've been in line behind your group for a little while now, y'know…

Jade: Thanks to Kalim-san permitting many people to jump in line, we've been suffering quite extraordinarily so.

Floyd: You're just addin' more people in front of us, so the line's not getting' any shorter. And everyone else's now just tryin' to push their luck…

Floyd: That really ticks me off, so… You good if I squeeze every single one of you?

Guest F: EEK!!! W-WE'LL HEAD TO THE BACK OF THE LINE!

Grim: Those guys just zipped away as fast as they could…

Cater: Well yeah, Floyd-kun just now was super scary. But in the end, him shooing them away really saved us.

1. That was scary…

Jade: Fufu, you were in quite the predicament on all sides, [Yuu]-san.

2. Thank you for helping us.

Floyd: 'S not like I was doin' it to help you. I'm pretty pissed off at you too, Shrimpy-chan, y'know.

Cater: Ah, hey, now! The line's moved up a ton. Let's keep going.

Kalim: Oh? You're right! I can't wait for the popcorn.

[Playful Land – Bazaar]

Kalim: They packed this bucket full of popcorn, and look! It's made to look like the Friendly Fox's head.

Kalim: See, see, his hat is the lid. This is so cool.

Cater: Yeah, it's super cute! Hey, Kalim-kun, can I borrow your bucket to snap a pic?

Kalim: Yeah, of course. Oh hey! I'll rest it on your shoulder.

Cater: Thanks～! I bet the folks online won't be able to get enough of seeing this bucket that can only be nabbed at Playful Land!

[snap!]

Cater: Nice, that came out good. I'll upload it to Magicam later～

Jade: Oh my… We meet again. And here I thought you had already received your popcorn.

Kalim: We were just taking a photo of the special popcorn bucket.

Kalim: What are you two doing after this?

Floyd: We're heading to the go-karts. I've always wanted to drive one of 'em land vehicles.

Floyd: Might not actually be the same as driving the real thing, but it might give me a taste, y'know?

Kalim: Go-karts, huh… Sounds great! I want to try driving myself too.

Grim: I wanna go too!

Cater: Then I think I'll head off on my own then. I want to go searching for all the fox symbols hidden through the park ♪

Kalim: Oooh, didn't know they had such a thing. I'll be cheering you on, I hope you find all the foxes!

Grim: Okay, now on to the go-karts!

[Playful Land – Catch The Star]

Jade: It seems the go-karts are also rather popular. This is quite the line of people.

Floyd: Hey, Sea-Otter-chan… I'ma say this now, but don't even think of lettin' other people in front of us, mmkay?

Floyd: I don't care if you wanna get cut in line, but I ain't gonna let it fly.

Floyd: If you do it again, I'm definitely squeezin' ya.

Kalim: I know. Come on, let's get in line.

Grim: Yeah! Hey, Kalim, open your bucket up. I wanna eat the popcorn while we wait!

Kalim: Did you already finish your popcorn? Sure. Eat as much as you like!

Grim: Yay! Chomp, chomp, scarf, munch! Mmmm～ I love how sweet and salty it is.

Kalim: Good, good. You have a great appetite.

Jade: You seem to be in high spirits, Kalim-san, despite standing in such long lines…

Kalim: Yeah! This is the first time I've ever had to wait in long lines. This is super fun.

Jade/Floyd/Grim: WAITING IN LONG LINES IS SUPER FUN?

Kalim: Yeah. Usually when I go to amusement parks, we reserve the whole place, so…

Kalim: I've never seen an amusement park completely packed full of people before.

Floyd: But if the whole place is reserved, then that means your wait time for every ride is basically zero. Isn't that better?

Kalim: Hmmm. I remember back when I was around 6 years old. My family had promised to take me to an amusement park…

Kalim: But then my mom and dad suddenly had to deal with some urgent business.

Kalim: So I thought I'd invite Jamil to come with me instead, but he had already left for school, so it was too late to ask.

Jade: Oh my, what a pity.

Kalim: Yeah, the timing really didn't work out ～ So in the end, I went to the amusement park with some of my other servants that day.

Kalim: There weren't any people in line, so I could get on any ride I wanted by myself, but…

Kalim: But doing everything by myself felt… a little lonely. Like I was missing something.

Kalim: By the end, I was asking my servants to ride with me, so we got on all the attractions together.

Kalim: We'd scream at the top of our lungs on the roller coaster, and play tons of games in the game corner.

Kalim: I wanted everyone to get a chance to ride, so on smaller attractions, I'd wait around to make sure everyone was able to ride them…

Kalim: Having so many people to hang out with is way better than just riding stuff by myself!

Kalim: Even spending time waiting in lines makes me happy because it's all so lively.

Kalim: That's why I didn't mind giving up my space in line to those people earlier, either.

1. I get it.

Floyd: I don't get it at all. It's boring waiting in line～ I wanna get on the ride already.

2. But waiting is still a little…

Jade: After all, we may never be able to come back to Playful Land, we wouldn't want to squander our time here.

Floyd: And even if you're having fun, you're being a bother to everyone behind you in line.

Kalim: But I want everyone who comes to the amusement park to enjoy themselves.

Kalim: Hmmm, what should I do?

[Playful Land – Catch The Star]

Kalim: But I want everyone who comes to the amusement park to enjoy themselves.

Kalim: Hmmm, what should I do?

Grim: Fnyaaa～ …I finished all the popcorn. Now I'm out of things to doo…

Grim: I wanna get on the ride already! Hey, what if we just barge in line like those guys from earlier tried to?

Jade: That won't do, Grim-kun.

Jade: We must politely explain our predicament, and tell them something like, "We are in such dire straits…" until they fully understand.

Floyd: No way. Just say, "Yo, care to get out of my way?" and they'll alllll just slowly move back for us.

Kalim: Wait!? I thought we said cutting in line was bad!?

Floyd: Didn't say that at all. All I said was to not let anyone in front of us.

Kalim: Really? But if you guys take someone else's spot…

Kalim: Then everyone else behind them'll feel upset, just like you did earlier…

Grim: I totally get why people would wanna cut. It's so boring just waiting in line.

Kalim: I don't really think so, but… Hm?

Kalim: Basically, what you're saying is that if you're not bored, then you could enjoy the wait, right!?

Kalim: I just had a great idea. Everyone, wait here a sec!

Grim: Fnyah!? That's not fair, making us wait in line and goin' off somewhere on your own!!

Kalim: Everyone, sorry to keep you waiting!

Floyd: Aha! Sea Otter-chan, what's with that getup～? You're all lit up like an atolla jellyfish.

Kalim: I went and got a bunch of the shiny and sparkling accessories they have at the stalls.

Kalim: Don'tcha think they're super bright and flashy? Plus, when I move like this…

[ting-a-ling-ling] ♪♪♪ [shan-shan-shan] ♪ [ting-a-ling] ♪

Grim: Ooh, they're making some neat sounds.

Kalim: Kinda gets you feeling good, doesn't it? So, I'll start a rhythm, and…

Kalim: JUST DANCE MY HEART OUT!!

[dances]

Guest G: Hm? I hear some sounds over there. Is there some kind of street performance going on?

Guest H: Look, look! That guy there's really standing out. His coordination of the accessories to his outfit is on point.

Guest I: And his dancing is super good! Look at those killer moves.

Grim: He's making me want to start dancing too～ Dum dee dum ♪

Jade: Oh my… It seems all those in line have had their attention drawn in by Kalim-san and Grim-kun. Everyone seems to be enjoying themselves greatly.

Kalim: Alright, I'm really riding the rhythm now. Everyone, watch me!

[backflips]

Grim: Woah, a backflip!? I can't let him show me up!

1. Amazing!! 2. Well done!!

Guest J: [whistles] You rock, keep going!

Guest K: Everyone, come over here! Check out this awesome performance.

Kalim: Woah, so many people are gathering around now.

Kalim: Looks like everyone's enjoying themselves. That makes me happy!

Kalim: Alllright, I gotta go even further. Next is…

Floyd: Niiice, it's getting' pretty fired up. Looks fun!

Jade: Indeed. What a fantastic turnout…

Jade: However, as people stop to watch, they're calling over more people… Those two have been completely surrounded by a crowd.

Jade: At this rate…

Puppet: Dear Guests!! You Are Blocking The Path For Other Guests!

Puppet: Please Cease Your Performance Immediately!

Grim: Fnyah!? Now there's a ton of the staff puppets all around us!

Jade: Well, this is quite expected.

Kalim: Eh, should we not have been dancing here? I thought it was a pretty neat idea, too.

Guest L: That was a really great performance! I wish I could have seen more.

Guest M: That made standing in line much more fun, thank you!

Kalim: That's great. I'm happy that I could make you all happy!

Kalim: For all of the amusement parks attractions, the waiting time, the stage show earlier, and even now…

Kalim: It's the best when everyone can be enjoying it together with a smile!

#twisted wonderland #twst #kalim al-asim #cater diamond #jade leech #floyd leech #twst kalim #twst cater #twst jade #twst floyd #twst grim #twst yuu #twst translation #twst stage in playful land #mention: jamil #mention: jack #mention: leona #mention: ace

166 notes · View notes

a-killer-obsession · 8 months ago

Text

🔞 Minors DNI 🔞

A search for a rumored Vegapunk weapon leads the Kid Pirates to an unexpected new crewmate, with a bloodlust that rivals their own and an incredible power.

CW: Please check AO3 for all current warnings, but general warning for smut, slow burn, serious gore, and really dark themes. AFAB reader, she/her pronouns.

Masterlist || AO3 || Chapter 1

Chapter 50 - Enemy

With Kid successfully rescued, it's time to go find Killer.

Word Count: ~4k

“So, what's the plan then?” Kid asked, chomping on an apple from your very quickly dwindling food stash, “they're gonna wake up and discover I'm gone soon.”

“We need to find Killer,” you replied, “I'm hoping he knows where the others are. Either because that's where he was, or because he's… working with the Shogun.” Kid sighed at your forlorn expression as you curled your knees up to your chin. “Last time I saw him was in the Flower Capital.”

“How far is that from here?”

“About a day’s walk,” you replied, laying out your map for him to see and pointing to the relevant areas, “we're somewhere around here, Heart Pirate base is here, capital is right here in the centre. I was thinking though, maybe we go to Law first, so we can get your seastone off.”

“Absolutely fucking not,” Kid growled, “I don't need that smug cunt's help. Kil can pick the lock when we see him.”

“Sure, if he wasn't a whole different person right now,” you sighed, “he's more likely to fight you. We're gonna have to subdue him, maybe bring him back here. Can you carry him with one arm?”

“Aye,” Kid responded confidently, “ye of little faith, I can take him without my devil fruit.”

“It's not taking him down I'm worried about,” you explained, “his fighting is off right now. He's manic and sloppy, I can take him down no problem with my fruit. The problem is getting him all the way back here, keeping him restrained and trying to get him to talk. I don't know what they did to him but they convinced him that we're the enemy.”

Kid examined your face carefully, seeing how lost and defeated you looked. Your expression reminded him of the way you looked after you lost your baby, something was hurting you deeply, that much at least was clear to him, even if he himself was emotionally stunted most of the time. “There's something else bothering you, isn't there?” He pried. You blinked away tears and sniffed, only sparing him a short look before hiding your face between your knees. “Talk to me doll, what is it?”

“I don't even know if everyone else is alive,” you sniffed, “what if Heat is dead? I should have told him I loved him earlier, I shouldn't have made him wait. He could be rotting somewhere for all I know.”

“He knew long before you said it lass,” Kid soothed, pulling you into his lap and resting his chin on top of your hair, “he's alive, they all are, we're gonna find them Yin. Just stay strong. You've done so well on your own, you don't have to suffer on your own anymore, I've got you. We're gonna find everyone.”

“What if we don't?” You cried, “what if we're too late? What if I took too long? What if we can't bring Killer back to his senses and everyone else is dead already?”

“Shhh, shh,” Kid soothed, holding your head against his chest, “I'll have no talk of that, you did everything you could, we're gonna save them. Together. You're not alone anymore, I'm right here Yin, don't cry. You're a Kid Pirate, you've gotta be brave.”

Kid took your face gently in his hand, tilting your chin up with a crooked finger, before running his thumb softly over your cheek to catch a tear as it ran over your scattered purple freckles. “You're not alone,” he said uncharacteristically softly, “let me hear you say it.”

“I'm- I'm not alone,” you sniffed, watching his amber eyes flick between your eyes and your lips, overly aware of how close he was and warm chest against yours. “I'm not alone,” you repeated, softer, almost a whisper as you leaned towards him. He made a quiet grunt as you pressed your lips against his, but he quickly took possession of the kiss, pressing back with a harsh need and forcing his tongue in your mouth. The kiss turned frantic, moans swallowed as Kid fisted his hand into your hair and you rolled your hips to grind against his growing erection.

“Not alone,” you whined, “Kid, I need you.”

“I know baby, I know,” he groaned back, shifting you to lay on your side next to him so he could hitch your leg over his hip, holding your ass firmly so he could grind his clothed length against you. “Gonna help you, gonna take good care of you till we get your boys back, I promise. They'd want me to take care of you.”

Desperate to feel full and distract yourself from the anguish still potentially waiting for you, you pushed Kid onto his back and straddled him. You made quick work of his belts while he groped at your tits, pushing up your shirt and bra to reveal the soft flesh underneath. He squeezed them purposefully to make you release your milk, groaning as a thin line shot out somewhat violently and hit him in the face, which made you giggle a little at his surprised expression. His eyes rolled back as you freed his cock and took it in your hand, pumping him and admiring the precum beading at the tip. You shuffled to squat over him, too impatient and needy to properly prepare your cunt, pulling aside your panties and whining as you sunk down on his length, letting the painful stretch and the pleasure that followed distract your mind from your stresses. Things didn't seem so bad with Kid's fat cock buried in your cunt.

“There you go sweetheart,” Kid groaned as you rode him, “let yourself go, all will be well. Fuck, you're so tight. Good girl, such a good girl.”

Kid's praises made you whine and ride him faster, and you wondered if Killer had shared your pension for praise with him. “S-say it again,” you whined.

“You're such a good girl,” Kid cooed, guiding your hips with his one good arm, the stump of the other moving like it longed to reach out and touch you as well, “such a very good girl, Yin. Doing such a good job taking my cock. Looking after your captain like a good sweet thing. You gonna be a good girl and cum on my cock?”

“Yes!” You moaned, coil pulling tight far too quickly thanks to his praise, “c-cumming!”

Kid groaned at your walls squeezing around him, his balls tightening as he realised it was the first time you'd cum on his cock, and it drove him wild. You were trying to come down from your orgasm but he began to piston up into you, making you scream as your orgasm seemed to continue on forever. “Good girl, good girl, good girl,” he chanted before making an animalistic roar and unloading inside you. The moment he stilled you collapsed against him, panting into the scarred crook of his neck, his hand still on your hip, his grip a little lighter now, keeping you sat where you were to warm his cock.

“Do you think they'll hate me?” You whispered. Post nut clarity was a real bitch.

“Who?”

“Killer and Heat,” you clarified, “do you think they'll hate me… for sleeping with you.”

“Not a chance,” Kid soothed, pressing a hard kiss into your hair, “they know you sweetheart. They know your heart is theirs. This is just a comfort. They won't hate you for just trying to feel a little comfort after all you've been through.”

“Okay..” you resigned, not entirely convinced but trying hard to trust your captain.

“Don't sweat it Yin,” Kid insisted, “you're okay, everything is gonna be okay. I'll tell them myself if you're worried about it. I promise they won't care.”

“We should get going soon,” you sighed, letting his softened cock slip from inside you and rolling off him, “it's a day's walk to the capital, we should get moving.”

“Yin,” Kid crowded behind you as you gathered your things into your duffle, stilling your frantic movements with a firm hold on your arm, “we're going to find them. When have I ever let you down?”

You let him pull you into a tight hug, his arm rubbing your back soothingly while your arms struggled to wrap around his thick waist. “I know captain,” you sniffed, “I'm just so worried.”

“Let's get going then, aye?” Kid suggested, giving you a reassuring pat on the back before separating himself, “let's go put those worries to rest.”

You slipped your visor on with a nod and threw your duffle over your shoulder, then you led your captain out of the crumbling shack, onwards to find your friends and lovers.

Your biggest concern right now was how to stay unseen and avoid fights on your way to the Flower Capital. Until now you'd been travelling under the cover of night, when you were at a visibility advantage and it was easier to hide. But with the guards at Udon no doubt having discovered Kid's escape by now, the two of you couldn't afford to stay still for any longer than necessary. You'd both allowed a few hours for a nap, but the sun was now risen, and soon there would likely be Beast Pirates out searching for the missing captain. You couldn't wait till nightfall, you had to keep moving, but that left you both exposed.

Some of the Beast Pirate Gifters were able to fly, and would spot you from a distance, especially now that they were no doubt actively searching. That left travelling under tree cover as the best option, though it would greatly slow the journey, and not all of the route had trees to hide under. You could use your devil fruit to cloak, but it would need to be used sparingly to conserve your energy in case it came to a fight, and you had no way to hide Kid's seastone cuff. If the two of you got caught out with nowhere to hide, the floating cuff would stick out like a sore tooth.

The best option, after checking with the map Kin’emon had given you, was to take a longer route via the neighbouring region of Hakumai, instead of going directly to the Flower Capital. It would take longer, but you would still hopefully make it before night. After that the plan was to search the capital after dark, being that it was the most likely time for Killer, or rather, Kamazo, to appear. The plan was less clear after that, but you hoped you would be able to disable him again so that Kid could carry him somewhere he could be bound, until you both figured out how to fix him. Or at the very least get information out of him so you could find where they were keeping the rest of the crew. You weren't keen on giving Killer another concussion, a man could only take so many knocks to the head before it resulted in permanent damage, or even a death-inducing brain bleed, but if it came to it you didn't have much choice.

The two of you made your way under the treeline, Kid refusing to let go of your hand. He felt responsible for you, as more than just a captain. He felt a responsibility to look after you on behalf of his best friend, and his long time friend Heat. Kid knew how sad and stressed you were, so he was trying to do what he thought they would do in this situation. He was no good with dealing with feelings but he was trying his best, and not to be too humble, but he thought he was doing a pretty good job. You appreciated his effort though. After more than a month on your own, a simple thing like having a warm hand in yours gave you a great deal of comfort. Just knowing you weren't alone anymore did a lot to soothe your anxiety and give you hope.

“How much further?” Kid huffed as he stomped along behind you.

“Why, tired already, captain?” you teased.

“Oi, some of us have spent the last month in a labour camp,” Kid scowled, before quickly remembering you hadn't had things much better, “Sorry, I'm fine to keep going for now, I was just curious.”

“It's still a few more hours, I think,” you hummed.

“You think?”

“I didn't have to take the long way last time,” you sighed, “have some patience, Eustass. This country is fucking crawling with Beast Pirates, and some of them can fly. We have to stay hidden.”

“Fine, whatever,” Kid grumbled.

The edge of the treeline came into view as you worked your way through the brambles, and you pressed your spare hand against Kid's chest to indicate for him to stop, the two of you squatting behind a bush. You adjusted the settings on your visor, searching for any nearby sounds or heat signatures that would indicate enemies. The next treeline was a good five hundred metres away, it was a decent distance to go without cover, so you needed to be extra careful, making sure to scan the skies as well. A group of warm bodies heading your way caught your attention, making you glad you'd taken the time to stop and check.

“Incoming,” you whispered, “big group of them, prisoner escort on their way to Udon I think, I can see one with shackles on.”

The two of you hid in the bushes, thankfully with no need for your devil fruit with the thick foliage, you could only hope that there would be nobody with good observation haki among the group. Even if you cloaked the two of you, you couldn't mask against decent haki. You heard Kid take a deep breath and hold it as the group came into view, maybe you should have warned him you'd masked sounds, to keep any accidental rustling from giving away your positon. Based on their clothing you could see they were all Beast Pirates, led by one on horseback, who dragged behind him a prisoner led by a long chain. Your breath hitched as you saw who they had, grabbing Kid's forearm and gripping it with a strength that told him something was very wrong. He hadn't seen him yet, or perhaps hadn't recognized him, given how wildly different he looked, and even moved, compared to the man Kid had been raised by.

“Killer,” you said in a hushed tone. Kid's brows, or lack thereof, shot up, amber eyes flicking between you and the blonde being forced to walk behind them.

“You're sure?” Kid replied with gritted teeth.

“One hundred percent,” you stammered. Kid made a move like he was going to stand, and you gripped him harder. “What the fuck are you doing?”

“Freeing him,” Kid growled.

“And how are you gonna do that?” You hissed back, “you're unarmed, literally, without your devil fruit. All you've got is me and I'm just as fucking exhausted as you are. I don't have the energy to take that many. Not to mention we don't know if Killer will fight them or us. We're outnumbered, it's better to let them take him and free him later.”

“Fuck that,” Kid growled, “they're not taking him to that shit hole. I'll fight them on my own if I have to.”

“Kid! Don't!” You pleaded, “look, they have guns, even if you can take them hand-to-hand, you can't do shit if they shoot you. You're strong but you're not fucking bulletproof.”

As you argued with your captain the group got closer, the two of you turning to watch as Killer walked by. He stopped for a moment, staring directly at the bush where the two of you were hiding, and you knew full well that his haki told him the two of you were there. The horse-mounted pirate tugged at his chain, forcing him to continue, and he threw back his head and laughed as his feet moved again. It wasn't a happy laugh. It wasn't a laugh that said ‘my crew are here, and they're going to free me’. No, it was all pain, mixed up in his brain by the defective SMILE fruit, his true emotion was only fear and hopelessness, you could sense it in his brainwaves. Your chest felt tight watching him walk, and Kid made a soft growl beside you. There was no doubt in his mind now that it was his friend, and that something was very wrong with him. Killer never laughed out loud around strangers, let alone enemies. He hated his laugh more than anything, suppressed it except in the presence of those he loved and trusted most. Everything you'd told Kid was true, as much as he hadn't wanted to believe it, and if it weren't for his bubbling rage, he would have cried.

Kid moved to stand once again, pushing you away when you tried to stop him. “Kid, please,” you begged, “listen to reason, you can't help him right now, they have too much advantage.”

“Who's the captain here?” He bit back, “either you're with me, or you're against me. You're gonna help me free him, or you're gonna stay the fuck out of my way.”

“Kid, please!” you shouted, glad for your power masking the sounds of the argument, “you're just going to get us both captured!”

“Then don't fucking come with me,” he growled, “stay here like a fucking coward.”

Tears welled in your eyes as your hand dropped away from him. His heart hurt seeing your expression fall, but his anger was still in control of him. It always was when Killer wasn't there to show him there was a better way, only Killer had ever been able to convince him to stop and think. Kid had a one track mind to get his best friend back, and he wasn't going to let anyone stop him, not even you. Which only gave you one choice.

“Kid, please, if they take you again I might not be able to free you this time,” you reasoned, “I can't let you go out there.”

“Let me?” Kid growled. He grabbed your face and pinched your chin between his fingers hard, and you whimpered, immediately going back to that dark place in your mind that you thought you'd never have to return to. The one where every man in power was a threat to you, and you had to behave, or face the painful consequences. “You don't let me do anything, you fuckin’ hear me? You're my subordinate, and you're gonna do as you're fuckin’ told. Or you can find yourself a new crew.”

Something in your brain snapped then, images of Thompson's body under your knife flickering behind your closed eyes. His blood and piss pooling on the floor, the fearful expression on his face, the way he cried out when you cut him. His life draining from him as he choked on his own dick, the light in his eyes fading by your hand. ‘Never again,’ your mind chanted, ‘never again, NEVER AGAIN.’

“Fine,” you spat back, your voice laced with venom, “you can find yourself a new weapon. I'm fucking done. I'll find Heat on my own, you already know full fucking well he'll choose me over you. And as for Killer, you can explain to him for yourself where I am, why his girlfriend and daughter aren't back on the ship. See if he stays by your side after that.”

Kid let you go quickly, shock evident on his face. He didn't think you'd be so quick to quit, he thought he would be able to convince you to help him if he just threatened you. In the blink of an eye he'd ruined the months of trust he'd built up with you, and he immediately regretted it, but it only served to make him angrier. His anger was misplaced though, it wasn't you he was angry at, it was himself, and Kaido for tearing his family apart in the first place. But right now the only person here to receive his wrath was you, and he'd never been good at holding back when he was mad.

Multiple things happened in the blink of an eye. Before you could register it, a seastone-cuffed fist was flying at you, landing square in your gut and knocking the air out of you. You went down hard, wheezing and struggling for air as your arms wrapped around your stomach. In your struggle you groaned loudly, revealing Kid to the enemy, who spotted him immediately. You had the self-preservation to mask yourself with invisibility, but in your anger and pain you decided to leave Kid on his own. He'd made an enemy of you, he wasn't your problem anymore. He insisted he could hold his own, so he could fucking hold his own.

Next came the laughter, Killer turning manic as chaos unfolded, barely masking the two gunshots that rang out. Your vision was blurry as you lay on the ground, but you could see enough to watch Kid go down, a smug smile on your face as he realised too late that you'd been right. As soon as he went down, he knew it was over, as the pirates used the butts of their guns and swords to beat Kid until he was too hurt to fight back, all the while set to the eerie sound of Killer's mania. Your smug smile was wiped from your face as you watched them drag Kid to his feet. A new chain was attached to his cuff, which was then linked to Killer's, and the two of them were forced to walk again.

You laid shell-shocked on the ground, releasing your cloaking as soon as they were far enough, all your energy now going into the harsh sobs that racked through your body as you realised that once again, you were alone. You stayed there until night fell, curled up in a ball with your knees to your chest, wheezing as the sobs agitated your bruised ribs, twigs and stones digging into your side. The temperature dropped and you began to shiver violently, until you had no choice but to get your shit together. You had to keep going, at the very least you had to help yourself, and if not for your own sake then for Dawn's, and for Heat. Even if you couldn't get Killer out of prison on your own, you could at least sneak in and get information out of him, find out where they were keeping Heat and the others, rescue the rest of the crew, and then guide them to rescue Kid and Killer. Once you freed the rest of the crew, your commitment to them would be over, and you would leave with Heat and Dawn. Steal a ship and leave this awful fucking country for good. Maybe Killer would come find you, but you couldn't let yourself hope right now that he would even ever be himself again, hoping would only lead to more heartbreak.

With shaky breaths you struggled to your feet, your mind set. You would go to Udon, but only for information. For now, you just needed to get somewhere safe, and without Kid you could now move much faster, cutting back to your abandoned shack as fast as your legs would take you, relying on your devil fruit to keep you hidden. You ran for what felt like hours, collapsing immediately as soon as you made it inside the dilapidated building, and quickly passing out from exhaustion.

[NEXT CHAPTER]

👉 Like my stuff? Consider buying me a ko-fi

Taglist: @h0n3y-l3m0n05 @tremendoushorsepatrolgoth @iggy5055 @eyes-ofhell @luvnisstuff

#one piece fanfiction #one piece smut #killer one piece #killer x reader #massacre soldier killer #heat one piece #heat x reader #kid pirates

33 notes · View notes