#MAYBE THE SUN SINGS A LADY AND TELLS EVERYONE TO SHUT UP AND REALIZE THE WORLD IS GOOD *AND* EVIL

[finleyforevermore]

Can someone make a "Good & Evil" musical? Thanks. /silly /hj

Tags from yours truly:

[privet-sosed]

I wanted to share this semi-official explanation (most likely approved by a dev) about the original HN game, from the end of 2017.

it was on a since then shut down blog. translated from russian.

--

So, according to numerous silent applications, we are writing a FULL ANALYSIS OF THE PLOT OF THE FINAL VERSION OF HN. These are NOT our guesses, NOT theories, this is exactly how it really is. I (admin name) want to explain everything precisely so that you, subscribers and just passing by, do not litter the game just because its meaning and plot have not reached you.

GO

Let's start with the fact that the game is eventually divided into three acts. The first act is the events that actually happened. The second is painful memories and, in fact, nightmares of an already adult Player. That is, everything is exaggerated there, for example, a large high fence. This was thought out by his mind, his childhood trauma associated with imprisonment. The third act is a kind of rethinking of what happened and the fight against these childhood fears.

WHAT HAPPENED WITH THE NEIGHBOR?

I will try to explain everything in order, using the same visions-memories in all the acts that were associated with a neighbor.

The neighbor had a family. Wife and two children, a boy and a girl. Everything was great until one day he went somewhere with his lady and got into an accident. She died and everything went wrong after that. The son pushed his sister off the roof, and she also died. A neighbor had to bury it behind the house to protect his son from the possible consequences of this incident. He hid him in the basement, and, in order to avert all suspicions, put both on the wanted list. That is, the son is alive at the time of the first act, and he has been in the basement for quite a long time. But he tried to escape, which was stopped by a neighbor, and our little Player saw this when he ran past for his ball. He just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, and so that he wouldn’t tell people anything, he was also imprisoned in the basement (from where the boy rescued him by opening the door for him). Player escaped, but what happened to the neighbor next is unknown. Here already as the fantasy will lay down. He may already be dead at the time of the third act, this does not affect further events in any way.

WHAT IS THE “SHADOW” WE SEE ALL THE TIME?

The Shadow (and to put it correctly, it’s name is Essence(The Thing), not Shadow, so I will write that way further on) is not a person, not a monster, and not some kind of mystical creature. Essence is the personification of human fears and anxieties. Everyone has their own essence, their own fears, and a neighbor with Player as well. The fear and anxieties of the neighbor are all related to his family and his actions. Player - with a neighbor and memories of those terrible events from childhood.

In the third act, the Player struggles with his fears. Fear of the dark, fear of people, society, the whole world. Imagine that you are an ordinary child, as carefree as the Player in the first act. And then you realize that ANYONE, even your neighbor across the street, can be a threat, that you can't trust anyone. He lived with these fears all his life, they prevented him from living normally, and then, when he saw that there was nothing left of the house of _that very_ neighbor, that there was essentially nothing to be afraid of, that it was all far in the past - he was able to gain freedom. In the final cut-scene, when he woke up, everything was light around, the birds were singing, the sun was shining. He even waved his hand to some stranger who was riding a bicycle past (maybe it's a postman). He overcame his fears and was able to breathe calmly. THIS IS THE ONLY POSSIBLE FINAL AND THERE ARE NO OTHER AND WILL NOT BE!

I don’t know if I forgot about something else, but if you suddenly have questions, write in the comments, maybe I will supplement this text or answer separately there in the comms.

Thank you all for your attention.

[midnightstar-90]

Live Laugh Love ~ Pilot

Masterlist | Taglist | Request

Georgie Cooper x Reader

Summary: 9-year-old Sheldon Cooper learns that having a brilliant mind doesn't always help growing up in Texas.

Warning: None

A/N: I wrote 2,587 words! I loved being able to bring my creations to life. I hope to do more in the future.

Y/N and Georgie are in Georgie's room when Mary calls the two teens down for dinner. They head down the stairs and into the kitchen. As they sit down in their chairs, right next to each other, they hear Mary yells towards the garage, "Shelly, dinner's ready!" Mary starts serving the table as we wait for Sheldon. George yells out to Sheldon after a couple of minutes, "Sheldon! Don't make me come in there!" Y/N and Georgie sit there engaging in a hushed conversation about the movie they watched together earlier that week. Missy soon gets tired of waiting for Sheldon, and yells to Sheldon, "Sheldon, if you don't get in here, I'm gonna lick your toothbrush while you're sleeping!" Sheldon quickly responds with, "Coming" before rushing into the house to eat.

Sheldon enters the house, and he quickly sits down with the rest of his family, who are all sitting around the table. George waits for the boy to sit down before saying, "What the hell were you doing in there?" Mary calls George's name with a calm yet angry voice. George notices and responds with, "What?" Mary gets onto George for his language. "What language?" George asks Mary before turning to Sheldon, "So?" "I was having fun with dimensional kinematics", Sheldon says responding to his father. Hearing this, Y/N and Georgie look at each other and roll their eyes.

"Just at admit it, he's adopted," Georgie says to his parents after turning his attention away from his food. Sheldon turns to Georgie and says, "How could I be adopted when I have a twin sister? Think monkey, Think." Y/N chuckles at Sheldon's insult towards Georgie. Georgie gives Y/N a glare. Mary breaks the fight between the boys by telling them that no one was adopted, but Y/N. Mary realizes what she says and sadly looks at Y/N. Y/N just shrugs and goes back to listening to the people she called family. Y/N was sad about the reminder of the situation that occurred when 11 years ago but didn't let the comment affect her.

"I wish I was.", Missy comments under her breath. "That can still be arranged.", Mary tells Missy before telling the family that it is time to pray. George expresses his irritation with a groan, causing Mary to give George a very stern look. Right before the family starts to pray, Sheldon puts on a pair of mittens. George groans again which makes Y/N chuckle. "Leave him be," Mary says defending her youngest son. George argues, "He can hold hands with his family, it won't kill him."  "We don't know that." Sheldon says before looking at Georgie and asks, "Did you wash your hands before dinner?" "Shut up," says Georgie defensively. Y/N finally speaks up, "Hey, I have to hold his hand to pray every night, whether his hands are washed or not." Georgie glares at Y/N again, and Y/N and Missy laugh and high-five each other under the table. "I hold his hand Y/N, hence the mittens." Y/N playfully rolls her eyes at the comment. The family holds their hands together and prays.

After prayer, Sheldon takes off his mittens and starts eating with the family. Mary asked everyone at the table if they were excited to start school on Monday. Sheldon is the first to respond with an "I am". Missy then responds to Mary's question with an "I guess so". Y/N is third to respond with, "I guess. The only thing I like is hanging out with Georgie and the fact that I am in Art this year". Ever since Y/N moved into Cooper's household, Mary noticed that the one thing Y/N loved more than hanging out with Georgie was how creative she was. At church, Y/N would sing like angel. When Y/N thought Mary wasn't looking she would dance her heart out. Y/N also had a sketchbook full of really cool art and a notebook full of wonderful poems and stories. Mary knew Y/N was gonna have a successful life, and she hoped and prayed that Georgie wouldn't mess it up for her.

Georgie was not happy about starting school. "How can I be excited when he's gonna be there?!" Georgie complains. Sheldon boasts, "Don't worry, I won't be in the ninth grade for very long". George tries to help Georgie by saying, "Never mind him, you and Y/N just focus on your practice". Georgie is on the football team and Y/N is on the cheer squad. "How am I supposed to do that when he's in the same grade as me?" "Just ignore him. At least you'll have me there, except for 5th period. I have art" Y/N reassures her best friend.

"All I know is he's not in the same grade as me anymore, and I am thrilled," Missy says before getting a kick in the leg and glare from Y/N. Sheldon sarcastically says, "Good luck with your finger painting."Missy responds with, "You're gonna get your ass kicked in high school". Mary yells at Missy about her language. Sheldon says, "I'm not going to be assaulted- high school is a haven for higher learning". Y/N and George both respond with a quiet, "oh, dear God".

"Speaking of God, who's going to church with me tomorrow?" Mary asked. George says he can't make it because he has to meet with the other coaches. Mary asks if they could meet after church which George responds with a, "no, we can not meet after church". There is an awkward pause before Mary asks Georgie. Georgie tells his mother, "I have to study my playbook." before looking to his father for approval. George nods at his son, while Y/N looks down at her food with a sad expression, wishing that Georgie would have gone with them. "I have to practice my cheer performance, but I can do that after church. It would be nice to go back," Y/N tells her godmother, which puts a big smile on Mary's face and a frown on Georgie's. Sheldon also decides to go with Mary. Y/N's face grew a wide smile hearing that Sheldon was going. "Oh! Cheer practice can wait! Sheldon at church will be more fun than any cheer performance! I can just see it now. Sheldon and science versus Pastor Jeff and God." Y/N jokingly says while laughing. Missy brings the conversation back to Sheldon by asking why he's going to church when he doesn't even like church. "No, but I believe in mom," Sheldon said putting a big smile on Mary's face.

When Mary asked Missy if she was going, Missy tried to get out of it, but as I said she tried. "Son of a bitch.", Missy says under her breath. Mary flicks Missy's head and Georgie laughs. George smacks Georgie's head and Y/N laughs.

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Y/N's Pov

Mary, Sheldon, Missy, and I were all in our church clothing, sitting in a pew. The church was full. Everyone except for Sheldon sang Onward Christian Soldiers. Sheldon whispers something to Mary, that I couldn't hear.

Pastor Jeff starts the sermon and Sheldon is still asking Mary questions. "Do you have evil thoughts?" Sheldon whispers to his mother. Mary shh's him but he still keeps going, "I just don't think this part applies to me". "That's fine, be quiet and listen," Sheldon says something else about puberty, causing an older woman to turn towards the boy and his mother. When the woman turns back toward the Pastor, Sheldon asked Missy and me if we had evil thoughts. I respond with a "Not really" but Missy said the opposite, " I'm having one right now". When Sheldon asks what it was, Missy said that she was going to kick him where the sun doesn't shine when we got home. Sheldon tells missy that his balls haven't dropped yet and then asked his mom when his balls would drop. The older lady turns back towards the family and Mary threatens the woman.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

We get back from church and Sheldon instantly goes for the student handbook. I pass Mary and Sheldon to go change. I go into Georgie's room after I change. Georgie is in his normal wear, a t-shirt, and jeans, reading his 'Sports Illustrated' magazine. "You know you have no chance with any of those girls in that magazine, right", I say leaning against Georgie's door frame. Georgie instantly looks up at me and says, "You look good. Maybe more than those girls in my magazine." I'm wearing a black jean skirt, with a nirvana shirt tucked in and a black and white striped long sleeve shirt under it.

Georgie and I laugh at his comment and walk over to his bed. "So, how was church?" Georgie asked while going back to reading his magazine. "It was ok. Your mom almost beat up an old lady for calling Sheldon weird, after he talked about his balls dropping. Other than that, it was like any regular church day." I tell Georgie. "So!", Getting Georgie's attention, "How was your playbook?" I ask Georgie knowing he was lying. Georgie looks at me then back at his magazine. "You know that was not the main reason I didn't go to church. I'm not as invested in church as much as you are, so don't give me that look." Georgie says knowing I was going to get onto him for lying to his mother. I dropped that conversation, and we went downstairs to watch tv and talk.

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When I get downstairs, I see George and Georgie talking, so I walk over to them. On my way there, Mary stops me and asked me if I've to saw Sheldon's bowtie. I shake my head no and continue walking. When I get to the table where the boys are talking, they are talking about football. Mary comes up and asks if the boys have seen Sheldon's bowtie. George tells Mary, "Leave it alone Mary, he doesn't need a damn bowtie." Mary argues back, "It's his first day of school, let him wear what he wants." Sheldon yells down the stairs that he still can't find his bowtie. "Oh dear lord, why's he gotta wear a bowtie?" Mary says walking away.

"Can Y/N and I ride in with you", Georgie asked his father. I sit there eating my breakfast quietly, before looking up when hearing my name. George contemplates the situation, then says "sure". "Everybody's gonna know he's your brother. You can't hide. It's gonna be awful for you." I didn't even know Missy was at the table before she said something. "Tell her to shut up." Georgie defensively tells his father. Georgie tells his son, "She's not wrong" earning a light slap on the arm from me. George mumbles sorry and goes back to his coffee.

We're all eating when Mary storms into the kitchen. "George Junior, give me back that bowtie right now!" She yells. "I didn't take it!" "Don't you lie to me!" "I'm not lying!" "We'll see about that!" The pair go back and forth. When Mary walks back upstairs, he yells for his mother to stay out of his room. Missy smiles and says, "She's gonna find your dirty magazines." "Shut up." "You are not having a good day." I shake my head at Georgie, agreeing with Missy.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Georgie and I are sitting in homeroom when we see Sheldon walk in. Sheldon calls out, "My father's a football coach, my adoptive sister's a cheerleader, and my brother's a football player!" When Sheldon sees us he yells out, "Oh, 2/3 of them are over there! Hi, Y/N! Hi, Georgie!" Georgie and I put our heads down in embarrassment.

Ms. Macelroy introduces herself and the class. She makes a joke about having some of our family members in her class, which causes a few students to chuckle. She introduces Sheldon and Sheldon raises his hand. When the teacher calls on Sheldon, we hear Sheldon tell Ms. Macelroy who is breaking the dress code. Georgie and I sink in our chair lower and lower as Sheldon keeps talking. She dismisses Sheldon, but he puts his hand up again. Sheldon tells his teacher that she is also breaking the dress code because she has a mustache. Georgie and I sink as low as we can in our chair while the rest of the class laughs.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Georgie and I are on the football field but on opposite sides. I am with the cheerleaders practicing my moves, and Georgie is with the football players practicing blocking drills. I knew Georgie was having a hard time with starting school with his younger brother, so I kept my eye on him. When I see the fight between him and Albert Stinson, I excuse myself from my squad and follow Georgie to the boy's locker room.

I walk in to see Georgie angrily tearing off his equipment. When he accidentally throws something at me, I quickly dodge it. "You know, if you threw like that on the football field this year, we would win playoffs for sure," I say jokingly getting Georgies attention. "What are you doing here? This is the boy's locker room." "I don't care if the whole team was in here naked, I would do anything to help my best friend when he is down." Georgie sits down next to me. George is watching the whole thing play out. "Do you remember when I was 5, and I missed my parents so much that I had that tantrum?" Georgie nods his head. "You were there for me when I needed you, now it's my time. I've seen how upset Sheldon going to school with us has made you. You have held in your emotions for too long. I know you get jealous when Sheldon gets special treatment. I want you to know that you are not the only one. Missy and I feel that way sometimes, but I have you. I don't need anyone to but you to make me feel special. I guess what I am saying is..." Georgie looks up at me, and I take Georgie into a side hug, "When you feel emotional don't take it out on your team. You have me. Talk to me. We are always together and I don't want to see you tear your life apart over something stupid like going to school with Sheldon."

George comes from behind the locker and tells me to go back to practice. I let go of Georgie and give him a sad look before doing as George instructed.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

We get home, and George stops me at the door. "Thanks. You stopped your practice to help out Georgie. I appreciate that.", George tells Y/N sincerely. "Georgie is my best friend. Now, if he managed to hit me, that conversation would have gone a whole other direction." I say jokingly. George chuckles and lets me go.

I go up to Georgie's room. Georgie looked like he was in a better mood. I went in and talked with Georgie until time for dinner.

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Narrator's Pov

The whole family gathers around the table to eat, but first, pray. When it's time to pray Sheldon surprisingly doesn't wear one of his gloves. No surprise when it wasn't the hand Georgie held.

Later that night everyone was sleeping peacefully, except for Y/N who would find laying right next to Georgie, like they have been for the past 11 years when someone was upset.

[study-coffee-chicago]

Country College (A Halstead Brothers + Halstead Sister Imagine; Part of AU-gust)

A/N: Thank you for reading! Remember to like/reblog and comment! I'm also donating all the proceeds that from my buy me a coffee account to Save The Children to help the children of Afghanistan. Buy me a coffee link here.

Also, here's the playlist of songs I listened to while writing this and some of these songs are actually mentioned in the imagine in case you guys wanted to listen while reading: Country College AU playlist.

I went on vacation and I swear, this entire imagine was based on stuff I did in Tennessee and country songs I listened to while there.

Anyway, enjoy!

"You got everything?" Jay asked you at six in the morning.

"For the last damn time, Jay, yes, I have everything," you answered as you jumped in the passenger seat of his truck and put your backpack at your feet and your tumbler of coffee in a cup holder.

"Jesus. I was just asking because I will not be turning this truck around," he said as he moved around the basket of snacks in the backseat so that the two of you could reach them easier. "Someone's cranky."

"Yes. When I finally got to sleep at 12:30 last night and had to wake up at 4:30, I'm gonna be cranky. Please tell me we're stopping for coffee."

"You already have coffee," Will said as he walked up to the truck. "Why do you need more?"

"Shut up. I know for a fact you drink way more coffee than I do, Mr. Med Student."

"Jesus, Jay. You sure you're gonna be able to put up with her for eight and a half hours?" Will asked.

"I dunno, man. Maybe I'll make her ride with you," he joked.

"Yeah, no way in hell that's happening," Will said.

"In all seriousness," Jay started, "stop for coffee in about an hour and a half?"

"Sounds good to me," you agreed.

"Same here. I only have to ditch you guys when we get like eight hours in," Will said.

"Gonna be weird not having you on the drive down, man," Jay mused.

"Yeah, but at least we can meet up at the rest stops and we'll  be in the same state."

"Are we gonna go?" you asked. "If you two were just gonna talk, I could've slept for an extra ten minutes."

"Holy shit," Jay muttered. He turned to Will. "Guess we should get going then."

"Yeah, see you in an hour and a half. Don't piss off the driver too much, Y/N."

You rolled your eyes. "Goodbye, Will."

Will got in his car and Jay got in the driver's side of his truck.

"Eight and a half hour drive plus traffic," Jay started as you both pulled out of the driveway, "so how do want to split it up?"

"I'm tired and I wanna sleep and I don't want to drive through Knoxville because I have no idea where to go," you answered as you pulled your headphones out of your backpack.

"Okay, Miss Sassy Pants. You can drive in the middle, through Kentucky. Might hit traffic, but we'll hit traffic in Tennessee, too, so we'll both have to drive through it. Just please, do not crash my truck."

"Relax. I know how to drive. Just make sure Will stays on your ass the entire time so we don't lose each other."

***

"And, we're officially in Kentucky!" Jay announced. "Time to change the music. At the next rest stop, we'll pull over and go to the bathroom and grab some lunch."

"Jay! You can't be on your phone while you're driving!" you yelled as he reached for his phone in the cup holder, which was also acting as the GPS...even though Jay claimed he could get there without it.

"Y/N, I'm fine. I've done this for three years now. I think I know what I'm doing."

"If you say so."

He turned on a song you didn't know.

"Got a truck, get it lifted," Jay started to sing.

"The hell is this?" you asked.

"Country music. Gets changed from pop to country the second we cross the border into Kentucky. Now, shh. This is a good song. You'll like it. It's upbeat."

Jay drummed his fingers on the steering wheel and sang quietly to Redneck Be Like by Thomas Rhett as he drove while you listened. He was right. It was a pretty good song.

"All day in the sun, always havin' fun, always gettin' stuck in that muddy river. Always got a buzz, always double cup..."

"You'll know the next one," Jay promised.

"And you know this how?" you asked.

"Because it's on Tiktok. When we get there, Adam and Hailey are gonna have to teach you some southern culture."

"So, I'm gonna need a definition of southern culture."

"You'll see when you get there. Now listen. I know you know this part."

Yeah we fancy like Applebee's...

Jay was right: you did know this song. It was Fancy Like by Walker Hayes.

"On a date night," you sang along. "Got that Bourbon street steak..." Jay joined in. "With the Oreo shake. Get some whipped cream on the top, too. Two straws, one check, girl I got you. Yeah we Bougie like Natty in the styrofoam..."

Five minutes later, you pulled off to a rest stop with a McDonald's nearby. Jay and Will filled up their vehicles while you ran inside to go to the bathroom. Once you were inside McDonald's and at a table eating, you asked Will if it was true that he and Jay always changed it to country music when they crossed the border into Kentucky. Will said yes, so you knew you were in for a long car ride. Then, you and Jay switched so that you were now the one driving and you were off again.

***

Hours later, Will took a different exit to get to Nashville and gave you and Jay a salute to tell you goodbye when he changed lanes and then took the exit.

"Not long now," Jay told you. "You excited?"

"Yeah, but a little nervous," you replied.

"Oh, don't be nervous. They're all really nice. And you've already met Hailey, so that helps."

"Yeah, she was nice. She had a cute little southern accent, too."

"One of the many reasons I fell in love with her in the first place."

Before Jay left for a weekend last summer to meet Hailey halfway and then stay in a hotel for a weekend to spend time with her, he finally told you the story of how he and Hailey met.

"Hey, we're goin' to the marketplace," Adam said on the first weekend of their junior year. "You and Will up for it?"

"Uh, Will's studying like normal. I'm up for it. Kim coming, too?" Jay asked.

"I promised her ice cream, so yeah, she's comin'. Baby, you ready?" he yelled down the hall.

"I'm coming, Adam!" Kim yelled back and then walked out of the bathroom.

"Let's go and make some bad decisions," Adam stated, causing Jay and Kim to laugh.

"We can't even buy alcohol yet, you dummy," Kim said.

"I may be a dummy, but you love me." Then, Adam gave Kim a kiss on the cheek.

"Please stop before I puke," Jay said and made a gagging face.

Adam rolled his eyes. "Let's get outta here."

***

Kim was laughing at a horrible joke Adam made while he had his arm slung around him. He had taken off his signature cowboy hat and had let Kim wear it because she forgot her sunglasses. Adam said he felt naked without it on.

They were walking towards Kilwin's when Jay spotted it: a homeless guy next to a blonde who couldn't be more than college age.

"Man, look," Jay pointed.

The three walked faster.

"No, this is for my friend back at the dorm," the girl explained.

"Lady, I'm hungry. Can I please just have your leftovers?" the guy asked.

"I'm sorry you're hungry, but this is for my friend."

The guy reached for the food.

"Hey, that girl sits behind me in my women and the law class," Kim stated.

Jay, Adam, and Kim took off on a run.

"Hey, baby," Jay said and slung an arm around the girl. He leaned in close to her. "Just go with it," he whispered in her ear. "You got Anna's food?"

"Yeah," the girl said hesitantly. But then, she realized that this guy was trying to help her out. And, he was pretty sure that the girl with him sat in front of her in her women and the law class. "Yeah, I've got her food."

Jay raised an eyebrow at the guy and then looked at Adam as if asking the man to try the two of them.

"Alright, well y'all have a good night now," he said and then turned around and walked away.

Once the man was a few shops down, Jay took his arm off of her. "Sorry about that. Just thought you might need some help," he said.

"Was greatly appreciated, thank you, uh..."

"Jay."

"Jay, well I'm Hailey. Nice to meet you."

He didn't miss her cute little southern accent and he loved it.

"You getting ice cream?" he asked.

"No, I uh was just textin' my roommate to tell her I'd be back soon."

"Well, I-- we'd feel much better if you came into Kilwin's with us. Just so that creeper doesn't come back."

Hailey smiled and agreed.

Kim and Hailey started talking about their class while Adam and Jay ordered their ice cream. Then Kim ordered.

"You want anything, Hailey?" Jay asked.

"Oh no, I'm fine, thank you, though."

Jay nodded, but then turned to the worker. "And can I also get a single scoop of chocolate in a waffle cone, please?"

"Sure thing." As she scooped it out, Hailey looked at Jay and he just shrugged.

When they got to the cashier, Hailey pulled out some money and tried to hand it to Jay.

"I've got it," he said.

"But--"

"Hailey, it's fine. I can pay for a little ice cream."

She loved the way her name rolled off his tongue.

"Okay." She took her ice cream cone.

"Hey, Hailey," Kim began when they walked out of Kilwin's. "Do you have friends you need to meet up with?"

"No, I was just gonna head back to my dorm," she replied.

"Oh, did you drive?"

"No, I walked. It's only like a twenty-minute walk from the sophomore dorms."

"Well, after all that, I'm pretty sure we'd all feel more comfortable if you rode home with us."

"I don't know..." Hailey trailed off.

"Those dorms are only like five minutes away from the house we stay at. And, it's on our way there anyway. Please, just come with us."

Hailey sighed. It would be a lot faster than walking. "Okay."

Then, they finished their walk to Adam's truck and the two girls got in the backseat and the two boys got in the front.

And that is how Jay Halstead met the sweet Georgia peach that is Hailey Anne Upton.

***

Jay, Adam, Will, Kim, and Hailey were all at a sports bar one Saturday night in October. It was loud, it was rowdy, everyone was going crazy over the football game on tv, and Hailey was totally over it. And Jay noticed.

"Hey," Jay whispered from his seat next to her. "You wanna get outta here?"

She turned and raised an eyebrow at him. "You'd wanna leave and not finish the game?"

In the past two months, Hailey had been spending a lot of time with Kim, and by default, she had been spending a lot of time with Adam, Jay, and Will. She will admit going over to their three-bedroom house they all rented together was a lot better than being stuck in her small dorm with her roommate. So, she went over there quite a bit to study with Kim. And, turns out she and Jay were both law studies majors, so they had a lot of the same classes, but they were in different sections, so they did a lot of studying together, too. And, she knew like most college boys, Jay loved his football. Not as much as Adam, but he watched it whenever one of his teams were playing. Which, was Chicago or Tennessee.

"Yeah," Jay started, "it's kinda loud in here anyway. And, it's just Tennessee playing. I'd be more likely to stay if the Bears were playing."

"Okay, let's get outta here. I know a great little diner we can go to for milkshakes. Pretty sure they're open until 11 and it's only 10, so we should be able to make it."

"Adam," Jay said over the game. Adam turned to face Jay. "Me and Hailey are gonna get out of here. I'll see you back at home."

"See you," Adam said and then turned back to his game.

"Guess we know where his loyalties lie," Hailey laughed.

The two of them stood up from their chairs at the table.

"You better get my friend home safe, Halstead!" Kim yelled.

"Yes ma'am," he said, borrowing a line from Adam. "You've got nothing to worry about."

Then, the two of them made their way out of the local sports bar and to Jay's truck.

***

"You've gotta be kiddin' me," Hailey said as the two of them walked up to the diner. "They're closed. Closed at 10 and not at 11. I'm really sorry, Jay."

"That's okay. Got anywhere else you wanna go? Or I can just take you back to your dorm if you want?" Jay suggested.

She sighed. "Just take me back I guess."

The two of them walked back to Jay's truck and got in. Hailey gasped at the song that was on the radio.

"What?" Jay asked, quickly turning to look at Hailey.

"This is my favorite song!"

Lights go down, wheels go around. I'm taking you home. Hoping for a slow song to come on the radio now.

Slow Dance in a Parking Lot by Jordan Davis continued to play through the speakers of Jay's truck.

"What's it about?" Jay asked.

"Slow dancing in a parking lot."

Jay listened to a few more lines and then decided to turn up the radio and jump out of the car.

"Jay, what are you--"

But he was already at her side of the car and pulled her door open.

"Dance with me?" he asked, sticking his hand out for her to take.

"What?" she laughed as a huge smile grew on her face.

"You said the song's about slow dancing in a parking lot and we're in an empty parking lot, so, why not recreate the song?"

Hailey laughed once more and shook her head and then grabbed Jay's hand. He helped her out of his truck and then she wrapped her arms around his neck and he wrapped his arms around her waist and they swayed to the music.

"Slow dance with you. Spinning you round by the Walmart sign and moving our feet over the painted white lines. Getting close to you. Making the most of whatever we got, even if it's just slow dance in a parking lot," Hailey sang quietly.

"Spin," Jay said as he held his hand up.

"What?"

"Spinning you round just like the song says."

Hailey laughed and reached for his hand and did a spin.

"Beautiful," Jay complimented.

"Yeah, right. That's was probably the messiest spin known to man."

"Well, um, it was beautiful. You're beautiful, Hailey."

She was glad it was dark so that Jay couldn't see the heat that rose to her cheeks.

"You're somethin' else, but thank you." She rested her head on his chest as they swayed to the rhythm of the rest of the song.

The song ended and the broadcaster started talking.

"Can I kiss you?" Jay asked.

"What?" she pulled away from his chest.

"I asked if I could kiss you. Was that too much? You know what, just forget--"

"Yes, Jay, kiss me," Hailey smiled and then she and Jay both leaned in.

It was just a peck, but it was their first kiss and despite it being in a dark parking lot late at night, it was still magical.

"You know," Jay began once the quick kiss was over, "there's a Walmart across the street. What do you say we go grab pints of ice cream from there and then you can show me your favorite country songs?"

"I'd like that. Adam didn't show you enough?" she asked.

"I've only got like thirty I like. I need to expand my horizons."

"Okay, let's go."

They held hands in Walmart and then picked out their respective pints of ice cream. Then, they went back to the parking lot of the closed diner and Jay plugged in the aux, allowing Hailey to show him her favorite country songs while they ate their ice cream from the pint and even shared with each other.

Hailey knew nobody would have a first kiss story like that.

Then, at the beginning of the winter semester, Hailey's roommate decided not to live in the dorms anymore. Hailey couldn't afford to pay for a dorm all by herself, so Kim offered to let her stay with her, Jay, Adam, and Will. So, that's how she ended up living with her boyfriend and sharing a room with her best friend, Kim Burgess.

"We're here," Jay announced. "Well, actually, we're a few streets away, but that's one of the lecture halls on your right."

You looked out the window to see a big red and brown brick building with white pillars on the steps. There was also a white sign telling you what building this was.

"Wow," you said in awe. "It's like those old-fashioned colleges. I love it."

"Well, we'll give you a tour and help you find your classes sometime this weekend before classes start on Tuesday. That way, you aren't getting lost on the first day. But, we'll head to the house for now and get all unpacked."

"Sounds good to me."

Five minutes and a few back roads later, you pulled up to a simple two-story brick house.

"Alright, let's get our stuff out and get inside," Jay said.

You stepped out of the truck and started grabbing some stuff out of the back seat.

"I'll jump in the truck and hand you the suitcases. Think you can grab them when I hand them to you?"

You nodded.

"Halstead!" you heard someone shout and you and Jay both whipped your heads around to see Hailey and Adam walking out of the garage and toward the two of you. Adam, well who you assumed was Adam, was carrying two cowboy hats and he and Hailey each had one on themselves.

"Catch!" Adam said and threw one to Jay where he was standing in the box of the truck. Jay easily caught it and placed it on his head.

Adam walked over to you.  "And one for you, darlin'," he said as he placed the hat on your head.

"Thank you," you said. "But I thought Kim was darlin'," you said. It'd make sense because if this guy was in fact Adam, then he and Kim were dating.

"You didn't tell her?" Hailey asked Jay.

"Didn't think there'd be a need to." Jay shrugged.

"Tell me what?" you asked.

"Well, Adam calls every girl darlin'," Jay explained. "It's just normal for him. And, down here, you're gonna get a lot of huns, sweeties, and sweethearts. A lot of waiters and waitresses do that here."

"And what do they call you two?" you asked, motioning to Jay and Adam.

"Sir," they said in unison.

"Oh, and you'll occasionally get a ma'am," Hailey added. "But, that one's rare because we don't look old enough to be called ma'am."

"Okay. And, uh, not to be rude, but what's with the cowboy hats?" you asked.

"It's a tradition we just started last year," Adam explained. "We unpack, wear cowboy hats, and drink moonshine. Oh, I'm Adam by the way, darlin'."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Y/N."

Jay handed you a suitcase and you set it on the ground. Then, you did the same thing with two more suitcases.

You grabbed your backpack from the front seat, your duffle bag from the back, and your two suitcases.

"Here, I can take those two for you," Adam said.

"Oh, okay," you said and then allowed him to take the two suitcases from you. So this is what Jay meant by southern hospitality since Adam was from Tennessee and all.

"Jay, lemme take your suitcase," Hailey said.

"Baby, I've got it," Jay argued as he jumped out of the box of his truck and closed the tailgate.

"The hell you do," she argued. "I see all your other stuff in the backseat and that basket of snacks you gotta carry in, too. Just lemme take your one suitcase."

"Let 'er take the suitcase, Halstead. Best to listen to your lady," Adam said.

"I like Adam already," you laughed.

He let go of one of the suitcases and tipped his hat. "Thank you, darlin'."

This caused all four of you to laugh and then you all went inside carrying both yours and Jay's stuff in one trip between the four of you.

***

"Shine in the fridge?" Jay asked after you and he had brought all your stuff to your room.

"Shine, Jay? How southern do you get when you're here?" you asked.

"Oh, he gets pretty southern, hun," Hailey said.

"See?" Jay asked as he pointed to Hailey. "Told you you'd get called hun."

"So, Adam's thing is darlin' and Hailey's is hun?" Hailey nodded. "And it's because you're from Georgia and he's from Tennessee?"

"That's right, darlin'," Adam confirmed and then turned back to Jay. "Yeah, shine's in the fridge. And Kim just texted and said she's on the way back with pizza."

"You got apple pie flavored shine?" Jay asked.

"Hang on. I'm just gonna grab 'em."

The three of you sat down on the bar stools at the counter and waited for Adam to pull them out.

"Alright," Adam started after he put the bottles of moonshine with sip lids on the counter. "We have peach for Miss Georgia Peach." He passed the peach bottle of moonshine to Hailey. "We've got apple pie shine for me and Jay. We've got strawberries and creme for Kim because that's her favorite." He turned to you. "And for you, I got you blackberry because it's not that high of a proof, so it's not that strong." He slid the jar to you.

"Nuh uh," Jay said quickly and grabbed the bottle.

"What the hell, Jay? Give it back! Adam said it's for me, not you!" you argued.

"Last I checked, you're only eighteen."

"Last I checked, Dad's not here. And I know for a fact you drank before you were 21, so pass me the blackberry shine, please."

"I'll take the first sip and then you can have it." He made sure the straw part was open and then he took a sip. "Adam, that shit's like a chaser compared to the apple pie one."

"I know. That's why I got 'er that one," Adam said.

You heard a door shut.

"Pizza's here!" Kim announced.

She walked into the kitchen with three boxes of pizza.

"I got us three pies," she said as she set them down on the counter. "We got one pepperoni and green olive, one supreme, and one meat lovers." She turned to you. "And you must be Y/N. I'm Kim. I see Adam already got you started on that Tennessee moonshine."

"Nice to meet you," you said. "You're from New York, right?"

"Yup, not New York City, though. More upstate."

"Of course she's from New York, Y/N!" Jay exclaimed. "Who else would call pizza a pie except for a true New Yorker?"

"I'll take that as a compliment. Thanks, Jay."

Jay raised his bottle of apple pie moonshine in a fake cheers and then took a sip.

"Now that's the strong shit I need to start off this semester right," he announced and then set the bottle down.

"Oh, and if your brother didn't tell you yet, he turns into a borderline alcoholic when he's at school," Kim told you.

You laughed. "He didn't tell me that, no."

"Better than being a caffeine addict like Kim and Hailey here," Jay argued.

"Shut up," Hailey said. "You know you're a caffeine addict during finals week just the rest of us."

"I was a caffeine addict in high school, so we'll see what happens," you shrugged.

Kim grabbed a stack of paper plates and set them on one of the pizza boxes. "Dig in. Oh, Y/N, did Adam get you the blackberry flavored moonshine?"

"He did. Haven't tried it yet because Jay has yet to give it back to me."

Kim quickly reached down and grabbed the jar of moonshine.

"Hey, Kim! She's only 18!" Jay protested.

"So? I know you drank an insane amount during your freshman year. So shut it." Kim popped open the sipping lid. "Taste."

You took a sip. It did taste like blackberry, but it was also sort of strong, but it didn't burn your throat that bad like you had read in books that alcohol did.

"This is actually pretty good."

"I know, right? And, me and Hailey will let you try ours when we help you unpack," Kim said. "But, do not try the kind the boys have because it's nasty."

"Baby, I don't know what you have against apple pie moonshine, but it's good," Adam said and then took a sip of his moonshine. Kim rolled her eyes. Adam leaned across the counter. "The New York in her is coming out, darlin'."

"Oh, shut up," Kim said and reached over to steal Adam's cowboy hat off his head.

"Baby, now I feel naked without it," Adam argued and tried to reach for the hat.

"Sucks for you. Now eat your pizza before it gets cold."

***

"Morning," Jay said when you walked into the kitchen the next morning. "How'd you sleep?"

"Good. it's nice not having to share a room with anyone like you and Adam, and then Hailey and Kim have to. It was fun having them help me unpack last night, though," you said.

Last night, Kim and Hailey had helped you unpack and when you mentioned that you didn't really know any country music, Hailey pulled up all of her favorite country songs to play for you. You especially liked Girl in a Country Song by Maddie and Tae. They showed you the music video for that song and it was about how, in most country music videos, girls had to dress up in little skimpy outfits and have the boys just stare at them all day. So, in their music video, they changed the roles, and the guys had to dress in skimpy clothing in the music video. It was pretty funny and the song was catchy.

"Let me guess," Jay began, "Hailey showed you some good country music?"

"Yup. The songs she showed me were pretty good, pretty upbeat. Didn't sound like a cat being put in a blender like old-fashioned country, so I guess that's good."

"What do you have against old-fashioned country, darlin'?" Adam asked as he walked into the kitchen.

"I dunno." You shrugged. "Too slow for me and I just don't like the voices I guess."

"You know what we ought to do, Jay?" Adam asked and Jay raised his eyebrows, silently telling adam to continue. "We should show her all the songs that are mentioned in What's Your Country Song."

"Wait, wait. I think I know that one. I think Hailey played it for me last night. Is it the one that mentions Chatta- Chatta..."

"Chattahoochee?" Adam asked.

"Yeah, that funny word. What even is that anyway?"

"It's a river that runs through Georgia," Jay answered. "Pretty sure Hailey used to go tubing down it like we're gonna do today."

You furrowed your eyebrows. "We're going tubing? Like behind a boat?"

Adam laughed. "Christ, Jay! Do you tell her anything?"

"He doesn't," you answered. "So, explain, one of you."

"Alright, I'll do it," Jay said as he poured milk on top of a bowl of Raisin Bran. You looked at him intently. "What we do is, the first Saturday that we're all together before school starts, we go on tubes and float down the Tennessee River. We bring a cooler full of snacks, sandwiches, booze, and water, and a waterproof speaker and we just have a fun time. Oh, and this year, you're the DD."

"Me?" you asked as you pointed to yourself. Jay nodded. "But I don't know where to go! I haven't even been in Tennessee for a full 24 hours yet!"

"Kim's like the mom of the group," Adam supplied. "So she'll still be pretty lucid and could probably drive if she needs to. But, she'll at least be able to give you directions on how to get back here."

You sighed. "Good. That makes me feel a lot better."

"Where are the other two girls anyway?" Adam asked. "They're usually up a lot earlier than we are when we go on the river."

"I think they were a little buzzed last night," you said. "Might still be sleeping."

While you were unpacking, you took a few sips of your jar of blackberry moonshine, but not a lot. You'd never really drank before, much less drank moonshine and you didn't really feel like puking from being drunk or having a killer headache from a hangover...at least, that's what you thought happened from what you had read in books and seen in movies and tv shows. But, Kim and Hailey had each finished like a quarter of their jar, so they had been buzzed last night. They weren't drunk because they could still walk in a straight line and knew what they were talking about, but they did have little dopey smiles on their faces while they helped you unpack.

"She's right," Kim said as she and Hailey walked into the kitchen. Hailey's hair was wrapped in a towel, alerting you that she had just taken a shower. "Adam, can you grab me an Advil?" She took a seat on a stool and put her head in her hands. "My head is fucking killing me. I didn't even think I drank that much."

Adam laughed. "You do this every semester, baby. First shine of the year and you always drink a little too much." He handed her the pills and a cup of water and Kim quickly washed the pills down.

"I just need some coffee," Hailey announced.

"We know, you don't get hangover headaches," Kim groaned.

"Yeah, but I feel exhausted all day. Everyone goin' for coffee? I'll make a bigger pot if that's the case."

Everyone said yes and Hailey started on the coffee.

***

"Okay, we got the tubes, the speaker, swimsuits are on, we have the towels, cooler," Jay rattled off as the five of you sat in his truck. "Anyone double-check the cooler?"

"I did," Hailey said. "We got water, the same shine from last night, some white claws, the sandwiches me and Kim made for everyone, chips, and a few other snacks."

"And I threw in a little first aid kit with bandaids, alcohol swabs, Neosporin, and other stuff. And I've got the sunscreen, too," Kim said.

"See, what'd I tell you, darlin'?" Adam asked as he turned around from his spot in the passenger seat. "Kim's the mom of the group."

"I'll take that as a compliment," Kim said. "It means I'm responsible and prepared."

"Those two would get so damn sunburned and dehydrated if it weren't for Kim," Hailey said as she pointed to Jay and Adam in the two front seats.

"Thanks, Hails," Jay replied sarcastically. "Real nice."

"You're welcome," she said with a smile.

You leaned your head against the window. You were supposed to get stuck in the middle, but seeing as you got car sick easily, Kim said she'd switch spots with you.

"You okay?" Kim asked.

"Yeah, just, Jay really needs to turn on the AC before I throw up from motion sickness and how damn hot it is in here."

"Least you got that cowboy hat to puke in if you need to," Jay laughed as he reached for the AC. "You better not puke in my tuck or you will be walking home."

Adam smacked him upside the head.

"Ow!" Jay exclaimed and took one hand off the wheel and rubbed the back of his head. "The hell was that for?"

"Dude, be nice! Look at her!" Adam exclaimed.

Jay looked in the rearview mirror and saw you leaning your head against the window with your eyes closed and pinching your nose. You groaned.

"Here," Jay said and tossed you a blue bottle of Gatorade from his cup holder. "Drink this. Get you some hydration and electrolytes."

You took a few sips and then handed the bottle back to him. "Thanks."

"Mhm."

Kim moved the vents so that the AC was blowing on you more. "That help?"

"Little bit, thanks."

"Think you'll be good to go down the river?" Jay asked.

"Yeah, because then I won't be trapped in a hot box going sixty down the road!"

"She's right about that," Adam agreed. "You'll be lucky if you go five miles per hour, darlin'."

"Alright, so the motion sickness should stop. Thank God."

"Just rest your head against the window and listen to some country music," Jay said. "Speaking of that, who's controlling the music on the river?"

"I got it," Adam volunteered. "Everyone give me a song and I'll get the queue started."

***

You had been going down the river for about half an hour now and had finished a bottle of water and eaten a banana, too. You felt fine now. Adam was right, you were going slow enough that you didn't get sick, and you also weren't in the backseat of a truck.

"Hey, Kim," you started, "can you pass me my moonshine?"

"Mhm," she said. You guys had tied a cooler to a tube, which was then tied to Kim's tube. Because, the boys figured that between the five of you, she was the most responsible. They toyed with tying it to your tube because you probably wouldn't get shitfaced (like the boys most likely would) since you were underage, but you had never gone tubing down the Tennessee River before, so they decided on Kim. "Here, Hailey, hold my white claw."

She passed Hailey her drink and then maneuvered the cooler towards her, opened it, and handed you your moonshine.

"Thank you," you said and popped open the sip lid and took a sip. "Ahhh."

"Hey, drink it slow," Adam warned, turning towards you and practically yelling over the music. He and Jay were in front of the three of you girls so they could tell you if there were a ton of rocks coming or if it was super shallow coming up. "Heat makes getting drunk a lot easier because you keep drinking it because you're so thirsty."

"I don't think that's how it works, man, but whatever you say," Jay laughed.

Another song started.

"Hey!" you yelled. "I know this song!"

"Yeah, because it's old as hell," Jay laughed.

"Shut up! I like it!"

Baby you a song you make me wanna roll my windows down and cruise. Down a back road, blowin' stop signs through the middle every little farm town with you.

"And this brand new Chevy with a lift kit, would look a hell of a lot better with you up in it. Baby you a song, you make me wanna roll my windows down and cruise," the five of you sang Cruise by Florida Georgia Line while holding your drinks in pure happiness.

Because of this, you didn't notice Jay drifting off to the side toward the trees.

Jay let out a sinister laugh as he got closer. "C'mere, buddy, c'mere." The black snake stuck his tongue out and hissed. "Yeah, I know, you wanna scare Y/N, too." Jay held his hand out toward the snake. "I'm nice, I promise." The snake slithered and went up on Jay's hand and started up his arm. He turned once most of the snake was on him. He started using his other hand to paddle himself back toward the group. "Y/N!"

You turned and looked at him. You saw the snake on his arm and tears pricked your eyes. "No! No!" you shouted.

Snakes were your biggest fear and knowing that they were in the river that you were in right now was absolutely terrifying to you. And, with each paddle, Jay and the snake were coming closer and closer to you.

"Jay, please, please!"

Adam turned and looked at Jay and then back to you. "She scared of snakes?" You quickly nodded as tears ran down your face. "Jay! Stop! She's terrified!"

Jay laughed. "No!"

He was coming closer and closer to you.

Adam quickly paddled over to you and went in front of you. "I won't let it go near you, darlin', don't you worry."

"Uh huh," you said and grabbed onto Adam's arm in complete and utter terror.

Unknown to Jay, Hailey was making her way to him. But, she was behind him, so Jay couldn't see his girlfriend coming up behind him with her empty bottle of white claw raised high in the air.

He felt it before he heard her.

"Don't." Smack on the head with the empty can. "You." Another smack on the head with the empty can. "Do." Another smack on the head with the empty can. "That." Last smack on the head with the empty can.

"Ow!" Jay yelled. "Hails, stop!"

"Put the fuckin' snake back and stop scarin' the daylights outta your little sister or I will keep smackin' you, Jay!" Hailey told him.

"Fine, I'll put it back," he groaned.

"Hailey, keep that can raised above his head. If he tries to come back here, hit 'im again!" Adam yelled.

"You got it!" Hailey said. "Hear that baby? Your head is gonna come in contact with this 'ere empty white claw can again if you don't get a move on."

"I'm going, I'm going," Jay grumbled.

"Good, then you won't get smacked again."

"Just for all that," Adam started, "you wanna pick the next song, darlin'?"

"Can you play Better Dig Two by The Band Perry?" you asked. "That counts as country right?"

"Sure does, darlin'." He started messing with his phone. "Comin' right up."

"I told you on the day we wed, I was gonna love you 'til I's dead," you started to sing. "Made you wait 'til our weddin' night, that's the first and the last time I wear white."

"Snake's gone! Made sure he put it down and I even watched it slither away!" Hailey announced. "Put me in the ground, put me six foot down," Hailey joined in after she had finished yelling over part of the first verse.

"And, as for you, Jay," Adam started over the music and all of you singing. "You don't get to pick a song for the next hour."

"Son of a bitch," Jay muttered.

"Hey, you brought this one on yourself, buddy. So just sit back, relax, listen to our music choices, and enjoy your shine."

***

One week later

"And we're here!" Adam announced as the five of you pulled onto a long dirt driveway. "You ready to ride some horses, Y/N?"

"I dunno," you said. "I've never ridden a horse before."

"Oh, Adam'll make sure you're super safe," Kim reassured you.

"Okay, so whatever horse I ride won't buck me off?"

"Oh no," Adam said quickly, "we'll put Jay on Buck."

"Like hell you will!" Jay argued from the backseat.

Despite the studying the five of you had to do, you were at Adam's childhood home. Adam's parents had rented a cabin in North Carolina for the weekend since it was Labor Day weekend and needed someone to watch the five horses they owned.

His parents used to own a riding place with multiple horses, but since their kids got older, they stopped doing it because they were getting older and couldn't give the tours anymore. So, they sold most of their horses, left five so that their kids could ride them with their friends, but still kept the house and the land. Whenever Adam's parents went out of town, either he or his sister would come and stay over at their childhood home and take care of the horses. Seeing as his sister was married and just gave birth to a daughter, this left Adam. And, luckily for him, his parents were fine with some friends coming over to help Adam out.

"Relax, man," Adam began, "I'll ride Buck."

"Wait, is he called Buck because he bucks people off?" you asked.

"You would be completely right, darlin'. Which, would be the reason I'm riding him and neither of you four will be doing that."

Adam put the truck in park and you got out of the passenger seat. Yes, you had ridden in the front because Adam said you could because of your motion sickness. Jay wasn't too happy, but it was Adam's car, so therefore it was Adam's rules.

You got inside the house and it had two extra bedrooms, one of which was Adam's childhood room and had an extra twin bed in it for when his friends wanted to sleepover (Because, in Adam's words, it was only girls who shared beds at sleepovers and he said guys didn't do that, so that's why there was the extra bed). In his older sister's childhood room, there was a full-sized bed, so Hailey and Kim would share the bed and the boys said they'd move a couch into that same room for you to sleep on.

Adam opened the fridge once all of you had put your stuff in the rooms that would be yours for the weekend. "Ooooh, y'all, my mama left us some food!"

"Oh, he southern southern now," Kim laughed and walked over to the fridge. "What'd she make?"

"Let's see. We got fried chicken, mashed potatoes, cornbread, gravy, biscuits, grits, tater salad, peaches that she canned herself, and apple pie. She must really miss me if she cooked this much!" Adam laughed after he rattled off the food his mom made for all of you.

"Mama's cookin', paper plate, and tater tater salad," you said, quoting a song Jay had played on the way down here that you had taken a liking to and had added it to a playlist and been listening to it a lot the past week.

"Did you just..." Adam trailed off.

"She did!" Jay exclaimed.

"Is it that hard to believe that I know more than two country songs, y'all?" you asked.

All four of them gasped.

"She's southern! She's southern, y'all!" Hailey yelled.

"What?" you asked as you looked around at your brother, his girlfriend, and his two friends in confusion.

"That was yer first y'all, hun!" Hailey told you and pulled you into a hug. "Yer a regular southern belle now."

"Next thing you know, girl's gonna be fallin' for cowboys," Adam said.

"Aw, hell nah," Jay said. "Ain't no way she's datin' a cowboy. No way."

"Shit, Jay just went southern southern, too," Adam laughed.

"What can I say, when my girl goes hella Georgia, I go hella Tennessee," Jay said.

"That made zero sense, baby, but okay," Hailey said. She turned to Adam. "When we ridin'?"

"We can go right now if you want. Everyone good with that?"

You all nodded and then Adam told all of you to put on your cowboy hats.

***

"This 'ere's Maddy," Adam said before he helped you onto the horse. You put your feet in the stirrups. "They feel good? You can reach 'em well?" he asked.

"Yeah," you told him. "Thanks."

"You're welcome, darlin'." He turned to Jay, Hailey, and Kim. "You three remember how to get on the horses since we rode so much last year?"

"We're good," Jay said.

"Hey, baby?" Hailey asked and turned to Jay. He turned to look at her. "You think you can help me on 'im? Pretty sure Diablo's gotten a lot bigger since I rode 'im last."

"Yeah, sweetheart, I got that."

"Did he just..." you trailed off and looked at Kim.

"He did," she confirmed. "She turns into sweetheart around this time every year. Jay gets really southern after only being here a week. Might also have something to do with Adam calling me sweetheart sometimes and he just picks up on it."

Jay helped Hailey onto the huge horse named Diablo and then got on his horse. You were riding Maddy, Adam was riding Buck, Jay was riding Sinbad, Hailey was riding Diablo, and Kim was riding Atta'Boy.

"All y'all need to watch me now," Adam announced from the front. All four of you gave Adam all your attention. "Well, mostly Y/N because she's never ridden before." He paused. "To make your horse stop, just give the reins a little tug. To turn, hold the reins on your right side, and pull towards your right hip, like this." He demonstrated and pulled the reins like he told you and Buck's head turned to the right. "And turn left, do the same thing on the left side. To make them go, just flick the reins a little bit, but they're pretty well-trained, so you shouldn't need to do that. But, if they still won't go, give 'em a little kick. I promise you won't hurt 'em. But, most of all, keep at least one hand on the reins at all times. Oh, and they will try to eat on the trails, but they ain't supposed to, so try and get them to stop by pulling up on the reins if you can.

"Any questions? Everyone sure their stirrups and saddles are good?" Adam finished.

Everyone answered with a chorus of "yeses" and then the five of you were off...that was until Maddy decided she was hungry about a quarter-mile (400 meters) in.

And, to make matters worse, you were in the mountains (because everyone is in the mountains here) and Maddy was bringing you closer and closer to a small ravine.

You did not want to have the experience of trying to control your horse and deciding whether or not to jump off or not and possibly being rushed to the hospital.

"Maddy!" you yelled and tugged up on the reins. Nothing. "Maddy!"

"Pull hard!" Jay yelled from behind you.

"I am pulling, Jay!" you yelled back. "Come on, Maddy!"

Shit, she was still moving towards the edge and trying to eat more.

"Pull to the left!" Jay yelled. You pulled. Nothing. "All the way around! To your left hip!"

You did so and she moved. Finally.

"Now straighten out the reins," Jay told you. You did. "And give her a kick to move."

You did and she continued walking...this time with a huge branch and leaves hanging out of her mouth because she had gotten herself a nice little snack.

"What's with all the yellin'?" Adam asked as he turned his head around and had Buck slow down a little bit. Then, he saw Maddy. "Maddy stop to eat? She acts likes she's starvin', but I promise you she's not."

You kept going and then you started going down a hill.

"Lean forward when going down a hill," Adam yelled back to all of you, "and lean back when going up a hill."

You started going down the hill and kept trying to maneuver yourself so you were in the middle of the saddle. You felt like you were leaning too much to the right, so you kept trying to fix it, but with Maddy still walking, it was kind of hard.

You clenched your stomach muscles to try and pull yourself back to center, but it wasn't working. You tried to push up with your left foot because you were leaning to the right, but that wouldn't work either.

"Just hold on tight, Y/N," Jay told you. "Adam!" Jay yelled as you kept leaning to the right and pulled the reins a little harder to make sure that Maddy would stop.

"What?" Adam yelled back.

"We need a little help back here!"

Adam turned Buck around and he got halfway to you and stopped next to Hailey and Diablo.

"She's fallin' off, you big dummy! You gotta go!" Adam yelled. He flicked his reins. "C'mon, go!"

It was like Buck knew what was going on because the minute he lifted his head up and saw you trying to stay in the saddle, he started coming towards you.

"Buck, stay," Adam said sternly and jumped off him. He walked to your right side. "Now, I'm gonna push your saddle to the left and I need you to lean the same way, okay?"

"Lean to the left?" you asked.

"Yup," he confirmed. "One...two...three."

He pushed up and you leaned to the left, which allowed the saddle and you to be re-centered.

"Can you reach the stirrups okay, darlin'?" he asked. "Or do you need 'em a bit higher?"

"I think I need them a bit higher," you answered. "I thought they were fine, but I guess not."

"That's okay. That's what I'm here for. Take your right foot out."

You did as he said and then he adjusted the stirrups and helped you get your foot back in. Then, he did the same for the left foot.

While Adam was adjusting your left stirrup, Maddy was curious about what was in his first aid bag that was attached to Buck's saddle.

"I ain't got no treats in there, you fatty." He put his hand on Maddy's head. "There's nothin' in there for you. Get out." She started chewing on a drawstring that was on the bag. "Okay, I guess you can chew on that."

"So, to get her to turn, do I just pull like this?" you asked and showed Adam.

"Yes, but put your hand further down the reins when you do that. Works better like that."

"Okay, thanks."

"And, if she keeps tryin' to eat, pull up hard--but not too hard and far that you make her walk backward--and if that doesn't work, give her a quick kick. I promise you won't hurt this little fatty right here."

"Okay, awesome."

"You good?"

"I'm good," you confirmed.

"Okay, so if you ever need to adjust yourself, just grab this 'ere saddle horn." He put his hand on the stub on the front of the saddle. "And put two hands on it...unlike me, and then just push down with your foot on which side you want the saddle to go. Pretty simple."

"Okay, got it," you said.

Then, Adam jumped back on Buck and you were off again.

***

You and Kim were sitting up on the bed in Adam's older sister's childhood room that you were staying in and watching a dumb comedy when Adam poked his head into the room.

"Both you up?" he asked.

"Yeah," Kim answered. "Why?"

"Well, I want to go to the rope swing, and Jay and Hailey both fell asleep spooning while watching some shitty movie in the living room, so do you two wanna go? I'm bringing alcohol."

"Adam, it's like 11 o'clock at night!" Kim laughed. "We won't even be able to see the water!"

"Honey," Adam laughed. "I'll leave the headlights of my truck on! I'm not that stupid to have us jump in blind!" He paused. "You two in?"

"Sure," Kim agreed and then turned to you. "Y/N?"

"Why the hell not? I'm in college, let's go!"

"Alright, I'll let you two get changed and I'll grab the towels and the booze," Adam said.

"Adam, if you're the one driving, you cannot drink a ton!" Kim told him.

"I know! I'll just take like two shots and use moonshine as a chaser."

"You got more moonshine?" you asked.

"Holy hell, Adam," Kim agreed.

"Where do you two think I was the past hour? I went into town and grabbed a few flavors. and, I got both your flavors, too. So, y'all can't yell at me. Now, get changed so we can go before Jay and Hailey wake up and decide they want in on this, too."

***

"You good to sit in the back, Miss Car Sick?" Adam asked you.

"Yeah, you said it's only like a five minute drive, so I'll be fine. Thanks for asking, though," you answered.

"No problem, darlin'."

Then, the three of you were off to this rope swing to jump into a river in the middle of the night.

Five minutes later, Adam threw his car in park and left the radio and headlights on. The three of you got out and Adam grabbed the booze and shot glasses and then you followed him around to the back of his truck. He handed the stuff off to you and Kim to hold while he flipped his tailgate down. Then, he used the flashlight app of his phone to see as he poured each of you a shot of gummy bear flavored vodka.

"Cheers to late night decisions and possibly bad decisions!" Adam toasted.

The three of you clinked your shot glasses together and then took the shots.

"Shit. That was strong," you coughed.

"Chaser, chaser," Adam said as he flipped open the sip cap on the blackberry moonshine.

He handed it to you and you took a few sips.

"Compared to that shot, this moonshine tastes like nothin'," you said.

"See? Told you it had a low proof!" Adam exclaimed. "Now, do you two want me to go first so I can show you how it's done?"

"That might be a good idea, yeah," Kim agreed. "You've only brought me here during the day and it's been over a year, so yeah, you go first, cowboy."

"Oh, that reminds me." He took his signature cowboy hat off. "Hold this for me, will you, sweetheart?" He held the hat out to Kim and she took it from him. "Thank you. Now, watch and learn, ladies, watch and learn."

Kim laughed. "Whatever you say, babe, whatever you say."

Adam walked up to the edge of the river and waded in the water to grab the rope. You and Kim stood on the edge of the river and watched as Adam dragged the rope with him as he stood on a rock, which was right below the tree that the rope was tied to. Then, he cinched the rope between his feet and jumped up and swung forward.

"Yeehaw!" Adam yelled.

Then, after a few seconds, he let go of the rope and fell into the river.

The rope dangled back and forth until Adam grabbed it and dragged it in with him.

"Who's next?" he asked as he held the rope out.

"You wanna go, Kim?" you asked.

"You sure you don't wanna go before me?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm sure. Go ahead," you said.

"You nervous, darlin'?" Adam asked you as he took his hat back from Kim and placed it on his head.

"A bit." You looked down at your feet. "Are there snakes in there?" you practically mumbled.

"Oh, darlin'," Adam said with a wave of his hand. "I can promise you that there's no snakes in there. You've never seen a snake in there have you, baby?" he asked Kim.

"Nope, no snakes. I promise. Now, I'll go, and then you gotta go because it's so much fun!"

Kim grabbed the rope and then made her way up onto the rock. She did the same thing that Adam did and soon it was your turn.

"I'm stealing your aux, babe," Kim said as she walked toward Adam's truck.

Adam raised an eyebrow. "I don't know why you can't just listen to the radio like we've been doing, but go ahead, baby."

Kim walked over to the truck and changed the input to aux and then quickly pulled up Spotify. From there, she pulled up the song Like A Lady by Lady A, formerly known as Lady Antebellum. She turned the volume all the way up on her phone, plugged it into the aux, and hit play.

"Lady!" came out of the speakers as well as the opening chords.

You gasped as Kim came running back to you and Adam.

"How'd you know this one of my favorite songs?" you asked.

Ever since Hailey had played it for you on your first night in Tennessee when you were unpacking and sippin' on moonshine, you loved this song. It was all about feeling like a lady while wearing jeans and drinking and being comfortable with yourself and not needing a man.

"Y/N, I follow you on Spotify. I can see what you listen to. Now, go get to it, lady!" Kim cheered.

You smiled and turned around. You walked to the rock and climbed up on it just before the chorus. You grabbed onto the rope.

"'Cause I feel like a lady," you sang loudly to the music. "Sippin' on tequila with my Levis on."

You clamped your feet around the rope and jumped.

You felt weightless for just about one second and then you let go of the rope and fell into the water with a splash.

The water wasn't freezing, it was a little cold, but it was still decently comfortable. You started swimming back to the shore and grabbed the rope when it swung back toward you.

"Hell yeah!" Adam yelled as he ran up to you and took the rope so you could pull yourself up onto the river bank. "You did awesome! Did you like it?"

"I loved it! Let's do it again!" you yelled.

"See?" Kim said. "I told you that you'd love it!"

"I propose a celebratory shot for Y/N's first time jumping off the rope swing!" Adam said and the three of you headed back to his truck to have more booze.

And that is how you learned that you didn't get hangover headaches like Kim, but got hella tired the next day just like Hailey. But, a little hangover (despite not being old enough to legally drink) was all worth it because of how much fun you, Kim, and Adam had.

***

Months later

"Welcome to Chocolate Moose, everybody!" Adam announced and fumbled with the lockbox to get the key.

Since it was exam season, there was a tradition that started during the winter semester of their sophomore year that was where they'd all go up to a cabin (each cabin had a name and yours was Chocolate Moose) in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, which was an hour away from school, to go study without the temptation of parties and the libraries that were packed as hell and barely had any seats open because everyone and their mama had decided to study there.

He unlocked the door and opened it.

You walked in and were in awe. When you walked in, you saw a small kitchen complete with a stove, oven, microwave, and pots, pans, plates, bowls, cups, mugs, and silverware stored in cabinets and drawers. There was also a small pantry to your right the minute you walked inside.

Off of the small kitchen were the living room and the dining area. There was a circular wooden table with six chairs and there was a tv and a couch that folded out into a bed. Right next to that was a bedroom with a bathroom, which also had its own tv in it.

And, if you walked to the end of the living room, there was a door that led to the first-floor deck that overlooked the Smoky Mountains. On the deck was a wooden table that matched the wood of the deck and six stools, so it would be a nice place to study or eat breakfast or sip coffee in the morning.

The stairs to go to the second floor were above the table (so the table was tucked beneath the second set of stairs). When you got up there, there was a pool table, a bubble hockey table, another couch that folded out into a bed, and a coffee table in front of said couch.

To the right of the couch and coffee table was a California king-sized bed with a trunk in front of it which held the bedding for the pull-out couches. Then, there was a dresser with a mirror to the side of the bed and a closet. There was also a full bathroom with a washer and dryer and a dressing table (so tons of counter space and two mirrors) upstairs as well.

And, there was another deck on the second floor. This one didn't have a full-sized table, but it did have two chairs with a small table between, and a small couch complete with a bunch of throw pillows on one end of the deck. This deck too overlooked the beauty that was the Smoky Mountains.

"Who's that?" you asked fifteen minutes later after you had finished touring the cabin and figuring out sleeping arrangements.

It had been decided that Adam and Kim would take the first-floor bedroom and that you'd take the pull-out couch on their floor. Hailey and Jay would sleep upstairs and you wondered why you couldn't take the upstairs couch like you wanted to because Jay was quick to tell you no.

You knew they weren't gonna try to do the nasty up there since there was no door shutting the upstairs off from the downstairs, so you had no idea why he wouldn't let you sleep on the pull-out couch upstairs.

"Who's that?" you asked again while looking out the kitchen window.

Then, you saw a head of red hair in the driver's seat and rushed out the door to where the person parked their car.

"Will!" you shouted as he got out of the car. "I missed you!" You wrinkled your nose at what he was wearing: a pair of blue scrubs.

"I drove here right after I got off a twelve-hour ED rotation," Will told you. "Hence the scrubs."

"I would give you a hug, but who knows what kinda bodily fluids have been on those."

"Good choice. We'll postpone the hug until after I take a quick shower and change."

Adam, Kim, and Jay came outside and said their hellos to Will, and Jay took Will's backpack, making a joke saying that it felt like he stuffed a ton of rocks in there.

So, now you knew why you couldn't sleep on the pull-out couch upstairs: Will was sleeping there.

***

"Fuck!" you yelled as you felt a bee sting you on the upper part of your left inner thigh.

"What?" Adam asked.

You, Adam, and Kim were outside at the table on the first-floor deck studying while Will was upstairs studying and Jay and Hailey were studying one of their law studies classes at the kitchen table together.

"The fuckin' bee stung me!"

"Well, you were swattin' at him, darlin'," Adam said, which earned him a smack to the arm from Kim.

"Because he was between my legs!" you argued. "What was I supposed to do? Let him fly up my shorts and sting me there? Oh hell no!"

You got up and walked inside.

"Will!" you shouted the minute you closed the door to the deck.

"Y/N! Keep it down!" Jay scolded. "We're trying to study!"

You had made it up the first set of stairs and leaned over the railing. "Well, I just strung by fuckin' bee, so I think I can yell a bit, Jay! Will!"

"What?" he said and ripped out his headphones when you got all the way upstairs. "Med school's no joke, you know!"

"Well, what do I put on a bee sting?" you huffed.

Will sighed. "Hold on. They asked me to be the one who brought the first aid kit and I'm glad I did."

He got up and then came back with a bottle of lotion.

"Put this on it. Should cool down the stinging. Tell me if it gets worse or starts itching."

"Okay, thanks."

You put it on and hoped it would be better soon.

***

Okay, so this bee sting wasn't getting better. It was actually getting worse.

It had been itchy all day and you were currently shaving your legs in your shower. You felt the place where the bee had stung you and it was swollen as if someone had shoved a disk the size of an Oreo in your leg at the place the bee had stung you.

You got out of the shower, got changed, and walked out of the bathroom where country music was blasting and Jay and Adam were playing a friendly (okay, so maybe not so friendly) game of pool.

"Hailey, is my bee sting supposed to be super itchy?" you asked as you sat down on the couch next to her.

She and everyone else was drinking one of their two allotted white claws. Yes, during finals week you had all decided there needed to be a daily cut-off for alcohol so that you could all get your shit done. And, it helped keep everyone accountable since everyone in the cabin was only having two per day...and you weren't spending a ton of money this weekend on alcohol.

"Um, none of mine have ever been," she said. "Will!" He turned to look at her from where he was sitting and intently watching the pool game...mostly to make sure neither Adam nor Jay cheated. "Her bee sting supposed to itch?"

"Not unless she's allergic to bees...and she's not." He stood up. "Go lay on the bed and let me take a look."

"Oh, fuck no! I am not letting my brother look there!"

"Y/N, I'm a med student. I've seen a helluva lot more than a bee sting on your inner thigh. You can even go put on some short spandex if that would make you more comfortable."

You currently had on loose-fitting shorts that you knew would fall back to expose what underwear you were wearing if you let Will take a look. "Actually, I think I'll go do that," you said.

You quickly grabbed a pair of spandex from your suitcase and went back into the bathroom and changed into them.

"Y'all check for a stinger?" Adam asked.

Will must've filled him in when you were changing your shorts.

"Shit," Will cursed. "I knew there was something I forgot to do."

"What kinda fuckin' doctor are you if you forget to check something like that?" you asked Will rhetorically. "Hailey, I'm gonna need that empty white claw bottle to smack Will over the head with like you did to Jay on the river."

"Sorry, hun," Hailey apologized. "I ain't finished with this 'ere can yet."

"I'll hit him!" Jay yelled, putting down his pool stick and grabbing his empty can.

He hit Will on the arm with the empty white claw can as hard as he possibly could.

"The fuck?" Will yelled. "Why'd you do that?"

"I dunno." Jay turned to Adam. "Why were we hitting Will, again?"

"Holy shit," Adam muttered to himself. "Because he forgot to check Y/N's bee sting to see if the stinger was still there."

"Oh, okay. That was stupid, Will."

You laid on the bed and let Will look at the spot the bee stung you. Then, he put on a pair of gloves and pulled out a pair of tweezers.

"Hailey?" he called. She looked up expectantly. "Can you come over here and hold up a flashlight? I think I found the stinger."

Hailey got up and turned on the flashlight on her phone and crouched down next to Will.

"That good?" she asked as she finished positioning the phone so the phone's flashlight was pointing directly at your bee sting.

"Yup." He looked up at you. "Now, I'm gonna put one of my hands above the bee sting, that way you won't be able to see the tweezers go in. Sound good?"

"Mhm. At least this is better than when Jay tried to attack me with a snake!"

Will laughed. "I bet."

Five minutes later, the stinger was out and Will told you to put Neosporin and a bandaid over it just so you didn't keep itching it because he told you the itchiness wouldn't go away immediately.

"I need a drink," you said after you were all done.

Hailey handed you a raspberry white claw from the mini-fridge next to the couch and you popped it open.

"Thanks," you said.

"You're welcome."

"Everyone shut up!" Adam yelled. "This is Jay and Hailey's song...well, they didn't exactly meet at a bar and Hailey wasn't drinking a white claw, but it was a Saturday and those two did ditch us. So, dance you two!"

They tried to object, but Adam dragged Jay over to Hailey and Kim pushed Hailey up off the couch and towards Jay.

"Sittin' over there in the corner, baby, I saw pretty red lips workin' on a white claw," you all sang along to Single Saturday Night by Cole Swindell. And, you'd be lying if you said that this song didn't remind you of the story that Jay had told you about the first time he took Hailey out when she was bored one Saturday night in a sports bar. "Shakin' to a little Shook Me All Night Long. And I thought, man, what a beautiful sight."

You smiled. Four months ago, there'd be no way you'd know this song. But, thanks to your brother's friends and his girlfriend, you knew so many more country songs. But, most of all, if your first semester of freshman year was any indication, you were going to have the time of your life going to college here in Tennessee.

A/N: Thank you guys so much for reading! Again, please remember to like/reblog and comment because I love reading all your comments and seeing that you voted because that means you enjoyed reading the imagine! As always, if you want to be added to my taglist, just tell me and I’ll add you! Again, I am donating all my proceeds on buy me a coffee until the end of AU-gust to Save The Children to help the children in Afghanistan. Buy me a coffee here.

Taglist: @theambracer88 @virtualreader @kelelas-life @celyndavies @brookerz122493 @musicismyescape27 @anotherfan07 @thexplosivegirl@dreamingwithlens @xoxmariaxox @onechicago18 @iamasimpingh0e @i-like-sparkly-things @herecomesthewriterwitch @liampayne88

[sokkascroptop]

traitor. (sokka x f!reader) pt 12

part 1 | part 11 | part 13

A/N: Enjoy a fic where Katara is able to express her emotions to someone and not have to keep everything bottled up inside until she explodes in a blinding rage. The next couple parts are gonna be so angsty :) *Also, I never came right out and said this, but I allude to it a lot. Y/N is a tall bitch. That is all.*

Katara peeked her head in. “Can we talk?”

The sound of her voice didn’t soothe any of Y/N’s fears. “Yeah, sure,” she said shakily. 

Y/N sat on her bed roll and left room for Katara to sit across from her. She pulled her knees up and played with her hands. They aren’t your friends. They aren’t your friends, Y/N chanted inside her head. She willed herself to take this well. She always knew this was going to be the ending, that this was going to happen–

“You know how you said I could talk to you?”

Y/N let out a huge breath she had been holding. Maybe this wasn’t a send off, no hey, thanks so much for your help so far, Sokka really appreciates you teaching him to sword fight, but we’re off with the Avatar now! 

“What’s wrong?” More importantly, what’s so wrong that you wanted to come to me to talk to? Y/N wanted to say. She settled herself a little more comfortably against the wall. “Is it about your dad?” Y/N guessed.

Katara froze, halfway between pulling her legs into cross them, her face a mask of shame. “Gods, is it so obvious?”

“Oh–um…” Y/N trailed off, not sure of what to say. 

“I don’t know why I feel this way,” Katara stuttered out.

“Don’t you think that you should talk to Sokka or Toph?” Y/N wasn’t sure that she was the best person to talk to about father-daughter relationships, seeing as she didn’t have one. They knew her better. Although, that might be the exact reason why she wasn’t going to them. 

“No,” Katara waved her hands. “Sokka, he wouldn’t get it. He loves my dad–not that I’m saying I don’t but–ugh,” Katara groaned and dropped her head in her hands. When she looked up again her eyelashes were wet. “Sokka doesn’t get what I’m feeling. I don’t understand what I’m feeling. I really do love Dad and I missed him every single day, but the moment I saw him I just felt this anger towards him. He was gone for so long and I was forced to grow up more than I should have with both my parents not being around. When I needed him the most he left. How–how can I just ignore that? How do you love someone and still be so unhappy with them?”

“Oh,” Y/N realized now what this was all about. Everything always comes back to Azula. Every decision she makes, every conversation she has, Azula still dominated her life. 

Y/N didn’t realize she started crying until Katara grabbed her hand. “No, no. I’m sorry! Don’t cry.”

Y/N squeezed Katara’s in a vice grip. “It’s not the same. Your dad, I’ve seen him look at you. He loves you and Sokka, he cares about you so much. He never meant to hurt you by leaving, but you don’t need to ignore it either. I love Azula because I’m weak. You love your dad because you know that no matter what he did, it was for the best even though it hurt.” Y/N wiped at her cheeks. “You need to talk to him. Tell him everything you told me. He’s probably hurting because you’ve shut him out, but he’ll understand.” 

“I didn’t mean to make you cry,” Katara sniffled. 

Y/N gave Katara’s hand another squeeze, not trusting her voice at the moment. She wished she had the courage to ask what was going to happen to her. It meant so much more now, but they were both teary-eyed and vulnerable; Y/N wasn’t sure she wanted to know the answer. 

There were always distractions on the deck while Y/N and Sokka sparred, other warriors stood around eating, talking, watching them; the two of them had gotten used to it and ignored most of the voices, focusing on the task at hand. The difference that morning being that Aang was awake, and Aang didn’t know that she wasn’t their enemy anymore. 

“What are you doing?!” Aang’s voice broke through her concentration. A small gust of wind knocked her to one knee. Sokka’s inexperience didn’t give him the ability to pull back when going in for a strike and his sword glanced across her leg. 

Y/N didn’t feel it right away, in fact she thought he had missed until she looked down and saw the hole in her pants and the blood seeping through the fabric. It was the first blood they’d draw while sparring, and in the back of Y/N’s mind, she was thankful it was hers and not Sokka’s. 

“Oh shit. Oh shit, I am so sorry.” Sokka grasped her wrist and pulled it away so he could look at the wound. “Katara?!”

“It’s just a scratch.” Y/N waved her away after noticing that Aang was leaning heavily on his staff after airbending at her. “I’m fine, Katara.” 

“It’s like the size of my hand. Let her heal it,” Sokka protested. 

“Sokka,” Y/N growled through her teeth. “Let her help Aang first.” 

---

“Sorry, Aang. We should have told you when you woke up last night. I just didn’t want to overwhelm you,” Katara explained as she mended the gash on Y/N’s leg. The water soothed the sting, and when she was done all that was left was a pink scar. 

Aang rubbed his neck. “Sorry, Y/N.”

“No harm done. I probably would have reacted the same way if I saw someone beating up on my friend,” Y/N reassured. 

“You weren’t beating up on me,” Sokka muttered. He was quickly silenced with an elbow to the ribs, courtesy of Toph. 

“Maybe we should tell Twinkle-Toes what’s happened these last couple weeks.”

“Right, so after Ba Sing Se, we had to get you to safety. We went to Chameleon Bay and found Dad and the rest of his fleet. But the bay was full of Fire Nation ships and we wouldn’t stand a chance against them. So, we stole one.” Sokka gestured happily around him.

“So, what now?” Aang asked. “What are we going to do now that I’m awake?”

“My dad and I have been working on the invasion plan,” Sokka said. 

Y/N knew of the invasion plan. They didn’t act like they were trying to hide the plans from her, but it wasn’t like they included her in them either. 

“We won’t have the Earth King’s armies but we’ll have our allies from the Earth Kingdom, the eclipse and a surprise on our side.” Sokka wiggled his eyebrows. 

“What’s the surprise?” Aang asked suspiciously.

“You! The whole world thinks you’re dead! Isn’t that great?” Sokka jumped to his feet.

“Great?!” Aang stood up too, albeit unsteady, and leaned over the railing. “That’s terrible!”

“No, it’s great.” Sokka countered. “The Fire Nation won’t be hunting us anymore and they won’t expect you the day of Black Sun.” 

“No, no, no! You have no idea. This is so messed up!” Aang ran his hands through his short hair and opened his mouth to say something else when a foghorn interrupted him. 

Everyone’s faces whipped around in the direction of the sound. A Fire Nation ship was approaching. 

---

The five of them huddled on the staircase that led below deck, each one peeking their eyes (or ears) over the railing to catch what was happening. A metal gangplank was dropped between the ships and two soldiers and their captain approached Bato and Hakoda. Words were exchanged between the men but Y/N couldn’t hear a thing. 

“Gods, he looks familiar,” Y/N mumbled to herself. 

“Something’s wrong. They know!” Toph grabbed the edge and was about to haul herself over to tell everyone. 

But Y/N grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back. “Wait.”

“What?!” she shrieked. 

Y/N ran up the steps. Sokka grabbed her calf but she shook him off and put on her most confident walk; long legged strides and her billowing cape hid her shaking hands. Y/N still wasn’t sure what she was doing. 

“Captain, what is going on?” She blinked at Hakoda and begged the spirits to tell him what she was doing. 

“My Lady,” He said gravely and Y/N held back a smile. “This Captain tells us that we need to be headed back to Ba Sing Se to support the occupation there.”

“Absolutely not!” She shouted.  

She stepped up on the gangplank and walked towards the three enemy soldiers who had frozen in the middle at her voice. “What is your name?” she pointed at the Captain.

He looked at her, taken aback. “I am Captain Sato. And who are you?” 

His eyes moved up and down her body and she stood a little taller. She put on her most diplomatic voice. “My name is Y/N, daughter of Commander Zhang. Right now you are delaying a very important mission. I command you to disembark our ship immediately and let us be on our way.”

Captain Sato let out a chuckle. “And what mission would that be? Your Captain is heading in the opposite direction of where he should be going and doesn’t even know which Admiral is in charge.” 

“That’s the point, you idiot! I’m on a secret mission for Fire Princess Azula; one of which you aren’t privy to the facts of and neither are they! Get off my ship!” 

He took an intimidating step towards her but Y/N didn’t back down. “I will be sending a messenger hawk to Capital City to confirm this, of course.” His voice was slimy, and she finally knew where she recognized him from. Some dinner party or something. His eyes always lingered too long. 

“You can do that, but know that I will be sending my own to make sure you are stripped of your title, stripped of your ship and you will go back to the Fire Nation as a disgrace. How does that sound, Captain Sato?” she sneered. 

She was met with silence. His face was red and he was breathing heavily. He wasn’t going to risk his job for his, Y/N knew it. “You’re free to go, My Lady.”

“Yes I am,” she growled. 

She marched back to Hakoda and Bato with wide eyes. She stood shoulder to shoulder with them as the Fire Nation ship pulled away. 

Toph grabbed her from behind and spun her around. “Y/N, I laughed so hard when you said you were going to strip him of his title, I thought they were going to be able to hear me.” The younger girl threw her head back and laughed some more. “Who even says ‘privy’?”

“You did good, kid.” Hakoda patted her shoulder, and that little action took a huge weight off her shoulders. Y/N let herself laugh loudly and freely along with Toph; she laughed so hard that she could barely pull a breath back in. 

“I–I don’t even remember what I said. I think I blacked out.” Y/N giggled again and she felt good. 

---

The ship docked in a Fire Nation port at dusk. Food was getting low on the ship but that was just the essentials they needed. It was also exhausting being at sea for so long. They all needed to stretch their legs on dry land. 

Toph, Sokka and Y/N waited just inside of town. It was beginning to get dark outside and Sokka was pacing. “Where are they? I’m starving.” 

“Calm down, Snoozles,” Toph said. “Katara said they’d be right behind us.”

“But what if they got captured? We are in the Fire Nation.” Without meaning it, he looked very pointedly at Y/N. She in turn, focused her eyes anywhere but him. 

“Wait!” Toph said. “I can hear Katara…” She trailed off and gave them both a confused look. “It’s just Katara.”

Y/N followed Sokka and Toph as they ran to meet her. 

“There you are!” Katara’s cheeks were red from running. “Aang is gone.”

“What? Where did he go?” Sokka inquired. 

“I don’t know! He said–he said he needed to redeem himself. He took his glider and left! I think he wants to finish this on his own. He said he needed to defeat the Fire Lord alone.” Katara shook her head, not even she could understand the reasoning behind it. 

“Well come on! We have to go find him!” Toph was already running back in the direction of the ship. Y/N hesitated, but then followed them. The least she could do is give them a proper send off when they took Appa. 

---

Katara climbed up and took the reins while Sokka and Toph clamored up into the saddle. Y/N opened her mouth, but she didn’t even know what to say. Was good-bye something even appropriate? Good luck? Sokka interrupted her thoughts and she realized she was standing there staring at them like a fish out of water. “What are you doing?”

“Saying goodbye?” Y/N replied. 

“Why are you saying goodbye?” Toph asked. She nudged Sokka in the arm. “Why is she saying goodbye?” 

“I’m not a part of your team.” Sokka and Katara shared a look. Y/N felt stupid, like she was missing something very important. 

“You’re coming with us,” Katara declared. “We thought you knew. You became a part of this the moment you fought with us, fought for us. Aang would want you here. I–We want you here.”

Y/N couldn’t help the small smile that drifted across her face. Finally, here was her answer. And it was as simple as Sokka leaning down to grab her hand and help her climb up Appa. She finally had a cause that she could be proud to serve. Because this was what it was all for; uniting the nations. And here they were, five kids doing it themselves on the back of a sky bison.

---

A/N: How do we feel, guys? Send me asks and messages bc i love hearing your feedback ��️

I think I’m gonna let Toph say fuck in this fic. I don’t know exactly how Katara’s healing powers work when it comes to severity of wounds so I’m just making it up as I go. Also, I don’t know if I’ve made Y/N sound passive at all because of how Azula treated her but I want all of you to know that that is not her in my head at all. She is aggressive and vindictive, and despite all of her internal monologuing, she actually hates being told what to do. 

Taglist: @myexgirlfriendisthemoon @reclusive-chicken-nugget @astroninaaa @aangsupremacy @beifongsss @crownofcryptids @welovediaaxx @littlefluu @lozzybowe @thebluelcdy @ohjustlookalive @sugarmoongey @fanficdepot @teenbiology @13-09-01 @riespage @davnwillcome @naanlianid @creation-magician @lunariasilver @vintagerose1014516 @bcifcng @rockinearthbending-marauders @francesciak @thia-aep @aphrcditeee @milk-n-cheese @solarsuki @sendnuwudes @humbleseame @my--shitty--art @lovingcupcake51002 @loganrwebb

[booyoubatch]

Y/N ROUTLEDGE PART 1

hey everyone so this is my first fanfiction please let me know what you think. I hope you enjoy.

JJ Maybank fanfic but has the other pouges in it too.

The Pouges sat around a fire, beers in their hand, tears in their eyes. Remembering and promising to never forget.

"to y/n" pope spoke up, holding his beer towards the fire in a cheers motion.

You sat between JJ and Pope on the HMS pouge, Kie sitting opposite you, and John b, your twin brother, driving.

"did you know that aliens helped build the pyramids" you claimed, setting your sunglasses on-top of your head. Your eyes twinkled with the sun. JJ couldn't keep his eyes off of you especially the yellow little bikini top that you wore.

" yeah and did you know Avril Lavigne was replaced with a clone" Pope whispered in a 'spooky' voice making you hit shoulders with Pope as you both laughed.

You and Pope loved sharing conspiracy theories even the most outrageous ones. In a way, you were both alike both wanting to go to college and both loving to read. That's what made you two the best of friends.

"to y/n" Kie repeated, sipping her beer as she smiled sadly at the fire.

You and Kie sat silently at the Warf, feet dangling into the cold water as the stars sparkled above. kie was sniffling as her head laid on your shoulder. kie had just had a fight with John b over Sarah Cameron, telling him he had to choose between them.

You rubbed kies back, singing softly to her in your angelic voice. Everyone, secretly even the kooks, loved to hear you sing. They all believed one day you would make it big. and perhaps you would have.

"I just cant believe he would kiss me one moment and the next be in a relationship with the one person I dislike the most" kie barely whispered

"oh kie kie, I know its horrible what he did but maybe he had a reason?" you tried to reason even though you knew your brother was just a plain idiot when it came to women. You thought you had taught him better than to treat a lady like this especially their best friend.

slowly and softly wiping the girls tears away you told her "you are so beautiful and if he cant see that then to hell with him. you deserve so much Kiara"

kie knew you were serious when you used her full name, she didn't know what she did to deserve a best friend like you. no one knew, as you were there for each of them whenever they needed you. they knew no matter the time of day or how far away you were they could always rely on you. Especially JJ, you two were like two peas in a pod having met when you were in 1st grade and never separated after that. People would say where you would find one you would find the other. JJ would always sneak into your room at the chateau and snuggle up to you after a fight with his father and you would always tend to his wounds, sometimes you would talk about what happened but sometimes you knew all he needed was a shoulder to cry on. he loved that he could come to you and you wouldn't judge him.

"I can't believe it's been 5 years" JJ spoke softly as a tear travelled down his cheek and he sniffled. Kie nodded at JJ, she herself in shock.

On the beach knees to chest and head on knees, you couldn't believe the news you had just come to realize. you were in love with your best friend, JJ. you watched the waves roll up and slightly touch your bare feet the anklet with a shake tooth that JJ had given to you danced in the water. you couldn't help but feel stupid, how could you love someone when they already loved someone else. the sun was harsh against your skin already feeling a slight burn but your heart ache burnt a lot more. For a while you had watched as JJ pined over Kiara. it had hurt you but up until now you had no idea why. you always thought it was just because you didn't want to loose your best friend but you realize know it was more.

The sand beneath your shorts felt soft yet cold. JJ loved these shorts, he had actually picked them out for you when you had gone shopping for some new clothes as your old ones had grown to tight. this was due to working on your squats, which by the way did not go unnoticed by JJ who would sneakily slap or grab it every now and then.

A tear slid down your cheek. you wished you had the nerve to tell JJ but you knew that it would only end in heartbreak but you knew you also couldn't hold it in. later that night writing it all out in a note addressed to JJ.

John b broke down, clinging onto Sarah for comfort.

you two were womb mates but also best friends, you did everything together especially go into creepy murderer houses to find gold.

"be safe" he had whispered to you and Sarah. Sarah staying back to reply as you ran ahead wanting to distance your self from JJ. You had been trying to avoid him since you became aware of your feelings which of course everyone was slowly coming to realize.

"you be safe" JJ laughed trying to distract himself from how hurt he felt by you avoiding him.

"for you, ill be so safe" pope laughed back playing along with JJs teasing.

"oh shut up, its not like you're not worrying over y/n right now." John b shoved JJ, making him shut up.

"has she spoken to you about whatever's up?" pope asked referring to your distance from JJ. JJ only shook his head wanting to forget about it for a little bit.

After running out of the house with the old lady shooting at the 6 of you, you all climbed into the twinkie. You sat up front in the passenger seat as john b drove. you smiled over at john b as he showed you he had found the gold.

"we did it" you whispered excited

"we did it" he repeated, smiling at you

"i love you so much" you had replied happy that you had completed your fathers mission together, always together.

It had indeed been 5 whole years since the incident that changed all their lives.

let me know if I should do a part 2 of what happened to y/n.

[midnights-light]

Ladybug and the Hound

So before I begin I need to say a few things

This is my first attempt at writing a fanfic so it’s most likely going to suck and all that jazz

I do not own any characters in the DC or Miraculous universes (if i did everything would make little to no sense so yeah)

Can we all agree that  @ozmav is an amazing writer?

If you don’t like Daminette, don’t read it’s that simple

I am also going to use “Dogs are a Ladybug’s best friend” by @kelelamentia for some inspiration on this cuz I love that idea

All characters are going to be OOC so just be prepared

If ya’ll like it I might write more just let me know if I should write more or if I should never think about writing again (I have low self-esteem so if it look like I am hating on myself it’s because I am but I’ll get over someday but if you criticize me please at least try to be constructive criticism)

Now onto the terrible thing I decided needed to exist

LB-Ladybug

CN- Chat Noir

M-Marinette

Di-Dick

D-Damian

B-Bruce

T-Tim

J-Jason

A-Alfred

The Meeting

It was a normal Tuesday, ya know? Birds are singing, the sun is shining, the Eiffel Tower collapsed, ya know the usual. Well usual for Parisians who had to deal with this for 4 almost 5 years now but for those who just wanted a vacation like the Waynes... well let’s just say they were unprepared to see the Eiffel Tower come crashing down just a few blocks ahead of them as they were walking to get some pastries from Tom and Sabine Boulangerie patisserie for a afternoon snack and to walk Titus (they brought Titus because Damian refused to leave him alone in the mansion for two weeks while they are on vacation so Bruce reluctantly agreed to bring him with them). So them being them ran towards the fallen tower and see a few people dead and some injured. They help the injured, but just as they are about to get the remaining few out of the wreckage a girl in a clearly ladybug themed suit comes crashing to the ground creating a few cracks to form on the ground. She gets up with a groan just as a dog in a fox themed costume came running up to her and helps her steady herself. “Thanks, Hound.” says the spotted girl and as the batfam are about to check if she’s okay a... IS THAT A GIANT BABY?! Well the giant baby comes walking towards the girl and the dog when a voice shouts “If you go on a date with me Ladybug I will come help you just accept your feelings for me already!” 

Damian's POV

As soon as the spotted girl heard that she looked towards the owner of the voice and low and behold it’s a guy in a leather cat suit and on the outside I look indifferent to what is happening but on the inside the only thing I can think is ‘What is going on in this city!’ because I was just expecting a boring two weeks of ‘required’ vacation in the ‘city of love’ I hate the nickname of the city because as Father has shown love is a weakness. But apparently the city of love is not as boring as I thought it would be. The girl (ladybug I think is her name) now has a look of murder in her eyes and the dog (hound is what she called him) growled at him as ladybug said “Chat, you can’t be serious! You just caused the Eiffel Tower to fall and kill and injure people!” CN-“Yes because you can’t realize that we are meant to be together!” LB-”No we are not now either help or shut up so I can focus on gigantitan!” CN-”Fine then i’ll just sit here and enjoy the show” That one interaction makes me question if this is how it is everything something like this happens.

*Time skip because i can’t write smart plans or fight scenes*

Dick’s POV

After ladybug got his watch thing off his wrist she and hound tore it apart which released a black butterfly and the giant baby was now back to a normal sized baby. WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?1 I’M SO CONFUSED! After I stopped questioning reality I realized that ladybug was comforting the kid (HE COULDN’T BE OLDER THAN 4 YEARS OLD!) she picked him up and was about to throw her spotted thing up in the air for some reason but was interrupted by the cat boy saying ‘Pound it!’ and acting like he actually helped her and didn’t just sit there on a roof watching ladybug and hound do everything. What the heck? Ladybug walks over to me and asked if I could hold the kid for a sec and I said sure because she looks ready to murder. After she hands me the kid she walks over to cat boy and started yelling at him about how he can’t just be reckless like that but it seemed to just go over his head as he replied saying something about how she owed hit to him to date him but I quickly stopped listening when the kid started crying because of all the yelling going on so I started to talk and play with him to cheer him up until he pointed to ladybug as she yelled miraculous ladybug and tossed the spotted object into the sky. I was confused about what she was doing until I saw a swarm of ladybugs appear and start fixing the damage, healing the injured, and even bringing people back to life. Then she came back over and was about to ask something but then a shrill beeping noise came from her earrings causing her to ask if we could watch over the kid until his mom came and picked him up. Titus and Hound were playing until she called him over to her and then they jumped, yes JUMPED, up to the roof and left. “What the hell was all that and does anyone else want to kill a cat boy?”

Tim’s POV

“So that all really happened, huh? It wasn’t really just a coffee dream?” I say and then look at everyone else has a different reactions to what just happened: Jason is looking at where dead bodies had been but now they were alive, Bruce is trying to understand what just happened, Alfred looks concerned, Dick is keeping the kid happy, and Damian is trying to keep Titus from running after Hound. I notice other civilians just walking around like nothing just happened and I’m just thinking ‘How long has this been happening and how have we not noticed? WHAT IS LIFE!?’

Jason’s POV

I look at everybody that was dead just walk away like nothing happened and I am about to ask Bruce if he know what that was when I feel someone bump into me. I turn around to see a girl around Damian’s age on the ground picking up the stuff she dropped while rapidly apologizing while a dog, presumably hers, was sniffing her making sure she was ok and had what looked like a glare on his face when he looked at me. M-“I’m so so sorry Monsieur! I wasn’t looking where I was going.” J-”It’s alright little lady, but if you don’t mind me asking, what’s the rush?” M- “Well you see I’m supposed to be helping in my parents bakery after I finished walking Captain but we got caught up in the akuma attack so I’m running a bit late. My names Marinette by the way. I don’t think I’ve seen you before are you visiting?” What’s an akuma? I’ll file that away for later for replacement to look at but for now. J- ”Yeah we are here for a family vacation to take a break from work. Would you mind if me and my family follow you to your parent’s bakery? We were heading to one for a snack but it seems we got turned around during the attack.” M- “Sure just tell me your names first so I at least know you to some degree cause I’m not supposed to talk to people I don’t know. I hate life but I’m not ready to die just yet.” She laughs and I swear it feels like the world just got a whole lot brighter, J- “Of course where are my manners name’s Jason. I have a feeling my family is going to love you and your dog.” I say as I hold my hand out for Captain to sniff and after he does he stops giving me what I swear looks like a glare but he’s still standing near Marinette when I notice my family looking at me and Marinette and Alfred asks me, A- “Master Jason are you going to introduce us to the young miss?” J- “Oh right, guys this is Marinette, Marinette this is Alfred he’s our butler/ grandpa, the one who looks like he’s about to pass out is Tim, the one playing with the kid is Dick, the stern one is Bruce, and the  one with the dog is Damian.” I say.

Damian’s POV

I hear Todd talking to someone and introducing us and as soon as I turn to glare at Todd I see the most beautiful eyes in the whole world. they look like sapphires and her hair is like the midnight sky. She looks like an Angel... wait WHAT!?  I only zone back in as soon as Todd told the Angel my name so I did what not even I  was expecting, I took her hand, gave the back of it a kiss and said, D- “Nice to meet you Angel.” I was not smiling when I saw her blush and I for certain do not want to make her blush again... but if I have a chance to then I will take it. Then I hear a low growl and I then notice that she has a dog (yes she loves animals to!) that is looking at me like he’s going to rip me to shreds and I will forever deny that I was a little scared. M- “Sorry Damian, Captain’s just a little protective of me and doesn’t like strangers being around me.” D-”I understand.” I say then I hold out my hand for her dog (Captain I think it was) to sniff and after he does he still growls at me but doesn’t look ready to tear me to pieces so progress towards getting to know the Angel before me. And then my good mood is ruined by the sound of my idiot brothers and father, the traitor, snickering behind us. I turn and scowl at them but they don’t seem to care. Meanwhile Titus and Captain appear to have met and are now chasing each other around making me and the Angel laugh. Her laughter sounds amazing and her smile makes it feel like the world brightens up just a little. M- “So shall we start walking to the bakery?” A chorus of yes comes from my family and then we start walking. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all.

BONUS

*Whispering* J- “Am I going crazy or did Demon Spawn just laugh and smile at Marinette?”

Di- “No I heard it to *gasp* do you think he has a crush?”

J- “Are we sure he’s capable of having a crush?”

T- “Well I’m sure she will be good for him, but what I’m confused about is how she doesn’t recognize who we are. I mean how does she not know us she didn’t even seem to recognize our faces.

A- “I think Miss Marinette will do Master Damian some good.”

And Bruce is just looking at his youngest son with pride. His first crush and he’s able to witness it.

So as I said in the beginning this is my first fanfic and It’s most likely terrible so let me know if I should never write again, if you want another chapter, or if I should just reevaluate my life choices.

Chapter 2

[sunareii]

petrichor — rintarou s.

suna rintarou x fem!reader

sypnosis: suna was grown to hate everything within the castle or most likely everything else but when a simple commoner came into the picture.. well.. tags: royal au, TRAGICALLY RUSHED ENDING, fluff and a little angst sunareii is writing . . . this has been in my drafts for almost a month and decided to finish it despite hating it halfway but since it was already in 3k words i had too. i'll proofread this later, i'n tired and in need of shower

word count: 4.3k

suna was never fond of big parties or parties in general, there were countless of times where he told his parents, the king and queen, that there are no need to have some lavish gatherings for something so simple as his own birthday

the two majestys however couldn't fathom of how could their own son that they raised isn't accustomed to the events they hold yearly despite the fact they've been doing that before he was even born

well, maybe because they aren't the ones who practically raised him, the long-time servant of theirs took genuine care for him as a child and as a adolescent more then his parents could possibly give.

suna was never fond of big parties or parties in general, there were countless of times where he told his parents, the king and queen, that there are no need to have some lavish gatherings for something so simple as his own birthday

the two majestys however couldn't fathom of how could their own son that they raised isn't accustomed to the events they hold yearly despite the fact they've been doing that before he was even born

well, maybe because they aren't the ones who practically raised him, the long-time servant of theirs took genuine care for him as a child and as a adolescent more then his parents could possibly give.

he could only frown as he hears the heavy doors swung open from his upstairs bedroom, which was seven floors away from the ballroom where the celebration was being held. at that point he doesn't even desire to celebrate his date of birth if it were to be as mediocre as this. royal gatherings are always so extravagant, too extravagant yet so uninteresting and repetitive, why even waste the time and effort someone worked hard for?

suna rolled his eyes as he finally reached the ballroom and sat down on his own throne. the entire room was covered in gold decorations, chandeliers that only ever bright in a occasion such as this, the guests wore ravashing gowns and suits with silver rings as if they're the host(tess). a few rustles can be heard from the guests then the enormous door slam shut everyone became silent and the day begins but first a long unnecessary speech from the king.

'is the twenty foot tall entrance mandatory for every palace is there?'              he thought to himself

ting ting ting ting

his father who sat beside him created a noise, loud enough to get everybody's attention with the use of his steel fork and well-made glass just for him. suna grunted silently at him before the king stood up and spoke "welcome and thank you all for coming, we are incredibly delighted for you to be able to come at our only son or as you may know prince rintarou's seventeenth birthday"

suna could feel his father eyeing him in the side as if saying that he should have been the one to speak at that moment, but then why would he be taking responsibility when he didn't wanted this party to begin with

suna shifts his body on the seat uncomfortably as his father continues his fabricated discourse. no, suna was certainly not happy of them coming, how many times does he have to say it? the prince gawped at every side of the room to see many familiar faces, he could only deadpan repulsively—if that's even a thing—the guests looked far too chummy in spite of not even being in a deep relation with his family. suna wanted nothing but to run away from everything.

"yer look down in the dumps for your birthday" atsumu started to babble, his booming of a voice resonates moderately at the empty halls, the only hall that's completely clear, no noisy pigs or bodyguards whatsoever

"yeah, atleast you don't have to share your birthday with this idiot" osamu groused eating the pudding he unquestionably slipped with him, "hey! where did ya get that?" ginjima asked, suna wouldn't confess this to anyone but he particularly like time like these where he doesn't have to use any baffling mannerism along with some close acquaintances that couldn't care less of how he talks.

however unlike the three close acquaintances he doesn't have any brawny accents, suna sighs deeply before looking at them in the eye, "isn't it obvious, the parties get boring overtime, not like it was already boring to begin with" he explains

"and the champagnes got old too, don't they have anything else to drink?" ginjima questions "what's a champagne?" atsumu bewildered "i like parties, one of the only times i get 'ter eat delicious food" "yeah, cause ma puts ya in a healthy diet especially when you started sneaking in some baked goodies from a commoners bakery" osamus twin said who got sunas senses and attention all to atsumu, unbeknownst to him.

"how'd ya find a way to get out, we literally share the same room"

"ever found out yer a deep sleeper?"

"so ya ran away at night then!"

"i wouldn't say 'ran away'"

"the bakery is open even after hours? "

"nah, i made a deal with the baker, he's a good man i'm tellin' ya"

"do you have a royal guard with ya? ya could have been killed not that i would care but— "

"unlike you 'tsumu i am an independent prince, thank you very much!" "and yer exchange his food for what?"

"golds, hundred of them if you have to ask"

"like ma and pa would let ya have that much"

"who said they let me have 'em in the first place?"

"... you didn't!"

"i did!"

"i'm disappointed osamu, thought yer were the better twin" ginjima shakes his head in dissatisfaction.

"see, 'samu? you're a disappointment, snitching in some riches from ma when you possibly know better! just wait 'till aran and even kita hears about this!"

"what'r ya? a tattletale little brat!?"

"let's go back there so i could tell ma ya've been stealin and get yer ass grounded!"

"wait-!" suna cuts in as the blond twin stood with his left foot forward ready to disclose information and see his brothers downfall.

"what is it suna?"

"... you look stupid today" suna says before walking away, leaving atsumu rather astonished in a way. "told ya green tunic doesn't suit ya"

"the least you could do is give lady shiozaki a bit of courtesy" his father taunts at him, pointing at him as if accusing him of something vile, take osamus thieving for example. suna knows that by courtesy he meant kiss the top of her hand, his face grimace at that as his father puts his finger down looking at him with a offended look,

'it's my birthday, if anything they could kiss my— '

"rintarou!" his father shouted in rage, even the platters and cups on the table that laid so still tottered from the kings petty action

"you— you ungrateful child!"

"what did i do?" suna questions, his face stays in a blase even when the royal whatever is about to erupt like a volcano after years in the waiting line

"rintarou, my dear.." the mother finally has spoken through all the sore talk of a father and his son. "you're way too nonchalant but heedless" she says softly like a woman singing a lullaby to her baby, but suna is no baby

to make long story short, the father could only threw a fit as he watched his son, nod at his complaints with an expected apathetic look that irked the king of a guy even more than before, provoked he sends suna to go to his room and lock him there 'till he learns his lessons 'cause you know, parenting 101 logic and stuff.

they wouldn't know but suna is peeved at all completeness and abundance of insignificant orders, sweet cakes that now tastes like stale bread and bogus geniality that even he, had done formerly to many suna would have fought him if he wanted too but he just couldn't bring himself to do it because of hallow reasons

but that didn't matter, he watches from outside as he sees his father soothes himself whilst with his wife brush his hand, trying to cool him down most likely. yes, instead of being in his bedroom he's out there off the foot of the castle grounds. unfortunately for him though, he didn't had the chance to grab any lantern's or candles for him to use as the sun plummet and the blue moon had took a rise.

'now what' he says to himself, there were barely even stars to guide him his way tonight but only the dusky moon ray could help him. he figured it's enough to accompany him for the night since he didn't have any sort of options. he walks forward to southeast with the knowledge that it has the nearest town he could go to before sunrise, atleast he hopes so.

he trails down the bulky grounds of the forest, allowing the eerie sounds of calm or danger to surround him. now's the only time that he begun to contemplate what will he do once he gets to his destination, start a new life maybe or go back after.

'no, i'm sure father eh.. knights will come fetch me soon after they realize i was gone, sadly.. '

the dark element of the skies covered the rain to watch for, thus suna's taken by surprise, the forest surely didn't have any hut or any of the kind, so he lets the droplets patter around him, from his hair down to his chest the raindrop go.

he sits down by the old tree that slope downward, he exhales deeply from frustration, 'i couldn't even go as far as this, the guards probably notice my absence by now and—’  his thoughts were cut off short by a flicker of light coming from behind him.

"there it is! i knew you'd be here!" then came a voice, a figure in the distance not too further away from him moves around in the trees that seems to almost close at them.

"is someone there?" the feminine voice say, the voice sounded silvery-like perhaps fluttery is a better word for it. the girl pulls out her lantern to suna's spot where he sits, the rain grew cold and strong as minutes passes, wind brushed off their exposed skin fiercely. "why are you here all alone, it's dangerous here of all places!" she shouted as she runs towards him not letting the frightening storm throw her body down. "are you okay?" before he could even answer, a tree not that far infront of them went down,falling onto the grass, without letting him answer, she immediately grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him out of the woodland where all sorts of danger could occur

he wakes up with shivering bones, his blanket or what seemed just a rug to him gave him little heat from the cold he was exposed in. "are you awake?" a voice asked in worry, his eyes fixated at the woman infront of him wearing simple dress, length just below her knee along with a stained white apron holding a small basin

'is there two of her?'

he thought as the sight of her doubles suna attempts to stand up but the heat burns his skin all around his body. "you shouldn't stand up yet!" she exclaimed, rushing towards his side, setting the basin to the ground, dipping a piece of cloth before placing it ontop forehead, "you shuld rest then —" her words couldn't be heard anymore as suna could only faint.

subsequently, the fog that enveloped in his head has eased, he's fever isn't gone but he surely gotten better by just a few hours and yet the rain hasn't ceased

"What.. where?" he murmurs rewinding everything that happened the night before. suna finds himself in a strangers house, the living room is combined with the kitchen, no doors or walls to separate both rooms. the living room doesn't have a big fireplace where he used to keep himself warm in during the cold season, there is nothing much to be seen in the kitchen just a few plates and condiments and then a table with a flower vase ontop right by it, suna assumed that that is already the dining area.

he's at the couch with the blanket and wet cloth draped over him, the bowl of water is still beside the him, suna manages to move his arms to take care of himself. just then the door infront of him swings open revealing the same person he saw before, her tangled hair in loose braids that's pinned behind her head, a bit of her hair sticking out of every direction. regardless of her poor housing and clothing suna thought she was pure and alluring

"hi" she greeted rather bashfully

"hello" suna said back with a blank expression

"are you feeling better?" she inquires as she puts the basket she was holding down on the table "better thanks to you" he answers earnestly, she smiles "dont mention it"

"you must be hungry" she says, a bit like a whisper, she starts grabbing the pan and eggs from the basket, getting the stove ready. "no, no. you've done enough, i'm not really that hungry" he claims intensely, but the sound of his stomach grumbling contradicts what he had just said.

she giggles silently before continuing  what she was just doing. the sound of sizzling and occasional water splash engulfs the room, suna proceeds to treat himself 'till when she have finished

"say.. what were you doing out there in the wilds, all alone in the night?"she inquires hesitantly as plates clatter around the kitchen "did you run away?" she asks more

"sort of.."

"here" she says handing him his plate with eggs, bread and pieces of grapes, 'that's a weird match of food' he thoughts but chose to not question it as she already helped him enough already and also because he doesn't have much choice

suna could feel her eyes analyzing him up and down while he eats, growing uncomfortable he stares back

"sorry, i haven't catched your name yet"

"oh.. its..  su..--hibiki.. katsuo"he answers the last minute, he knows that his palace is pretty popular in quite a few places and knowing from some prior experience the person infront of him could give him a threat for money or sell him for ransom which is very unlikely.

his white lie didn't go through and naturally she knew he was lying even so she played along just because.

"i'm y/n l/n, feel free to call me whatever hibiki"

the smile she sent him tug a string to his heart, feeling sheepish with the tense atmosphere around him, they shortly finished their meal.

"y/n, what were you doing there in the middle of the night?" suna asks, the rain slowly winding away as she opens the window from the kitchen side and suna does the other.

"hmm, i lost my house key"

"why would it be in the forest of all places?"

"well, i do pick fruits and berries from trees and such for a living, sometimes i help carry lumber from tree cutters" she explains, tiny droplets of water falling leisurely from her house roof, the rain had passed but on the flip side the clouds are still dyed grey

y/n inhales lively, taking in the good fresh air after the rain. "don't you just love the smell the rain leaves behind?" she asks avidly, suna doesn't know what to say and opted to stay quiet and whiffs the scent y/n was talking about

"do you plan to come back yet, hibiki?"

"uh, no, not really"

"great!" she beams with a smile before walking towards the front door and opening it for him. "you still haven't changed your... quite fancy attire from last night" her words trails down inaudibly as she looks up and down at suna's choice of clothing which was the same dress robe he wore from his birthday partyas

they step foot out of the house, the village is already packed with people. girls chatting, kids playing and men working. the place is productive and conscientious something that his palace guards lack, his bodyguards were anything but a bunch of old drunkards once they have their break and though they are some younger ones just a few years older than him that works as a protector but there's rarely any of them

"hey! daisy, who's that little fella with you?" a elderly man said as they reached a small bakery with great goods. "goro this is hibiki, hibiki this is goro, he owns the bakery shop and has the best one around here" she explains, "well, the others are certainly not all bad" suna has never heard of such a heavy accent before,

'and i thought the twins dialect was the worst'

"so what brings you here today?" goro asked with a deep voice, "he's kinda lost and doesn't have a spare clothes, i was wondering if we could borrow some"

"well of course! happy to lend some help for the new guy, my son has a loads of clothes to spare for a life time!" the mans voice was defeaning to say the least, "haruto can-!" as if his son had already heard him a small pile of clothes is thrown at the stairs that is built just at the side of their house

"here ya go! you can go change at the back room" goro says then another voice chimed in the conversation

"what's the occasion? wearing glamourous outfit in a place like this?" the son sneered as he stood at a narrow terrace attached to the wooden stairs. he looks down at mockingly mocking him for his appearance

"don't let him blow yer gasket" goro says reassuringly while patting his shoulder

"thanks" he deadpans but with a little more emotion than he used to display with his father.

afterwards, y/n gave him a little tour around places, he used to see this small town from his library window pane but diving inside upclose feels alot bigger than he anticipated. saying suna had fun would be an understatement, he feels something larger than just joy.

safety, vulnerability and mostly freedom. he wasn't necessarily held captive inside the castle like the backstory of every damsel in distress, the tables may have turned in this story, the prince who was trained with a sword have been the helpless damsel during the thunderous night whilst dearest y/n being his knight in just a dirty old dress. but what was he gonna do with his sword skills at the stormy evening? battle zeus?

needless to say he doesn't even have his mighty sword with him, how naive.

"when do you plan to go back?" y/n questions randomly at their peaceful stroll back to her residence, "i'm not too sure" he answers back hoping to change the subject.

"your parents are bound to notice your absence being the prince and all" she enunciated casually, suna stops in his tracks

"you.. knew?" he croaked

"from your princely outfit and the place i found you, i stick two and two together"

his mouth curved down in exasperation, his fist clench tightly, his nails almost digging his palms

"your royal highness, i request nothing of you than you might think, to be quite frank i didn't knew how to approach you first-"

"it's okay.. i'm not mad" he soothes with the softet voice he could master, the tight grip of his hands decreased and he exhales slowly to calm himself down

"i mean after today, i never assumed you were the type" and he partially knew his dishonesty was noticeable with just how he stood but he left that part out 'cause he couldn't handle the shame he felt

"are you going back though?" she fretted with a begging tone as if she doesn't want him to go

"do you want me to?" he teased

"no! i mean if you really need too"

"is it okay for me to stay at yours for a little while?"

"of course! you're welcome at my place anytime!" she immediately answered cheerfully

"it just feels nice to have some company again" she mumbles discreetly but suna heard it loud an clear.

and he did stay, longer than he should've, it's like he left his royal crown behind his bedroom and also like his parents have forgotten about him, he learned and loved many knew things such as wood cutting and though he doesn't have much experience but he's working on it

suna had insisted to work for y/n seeing as she was letting him sleep in her house unpaid. he surprisingly have very strong stamina. for most of the week, suna made sure to pay her back for her kindness and hospitality every single day regardless of her resistance

he felt butterflies in his stomach as he recollects the warmth he felt when she suggested him to sleep in the same bed as her and though at first he thought nothing much of it except the berth had little no space between them and he could feel her soft breathing beneath his skin, he possibly spent half the night admiring her face as disturbing as it sounds

oh, and the splinter he had by some means on his first try of using an axe, y/n was there for his aid although it was just a splinter he was bleeding alot. suna had enjoyable memories there and most of it was literally every interaction he has with herhe loves everything about her from her kindess to her boldness even

but of course, suna knew he would be found anytime by now

it was a nice morning whereas suna was alone in the house when suddenly the door bursted open harshly breaking it,

"your royal highness, we have finally located you, the king and queen are worried sick!" the knight explained, "you must return home immediately" he said grabbing into his wrist while suna resisted, "i dont want to!" suna keeps saying but to no avail, the guard buckled him up on the horse between two other guards

this knight was extreme loyal to his father and he follows his commands more than anyone else, suna would admit his father treated him more as a son and loved him more than him but he didn't wanted to leave just yet without seeing her for the last time knowing that he'll most likely forever be locked in the castleand despite suna having to take his fathers place sooner, the knight somehow had power over him.

"let's go back on the road, hiyah!"                                                                    the lead went up into the air before smacking onto his white horse, the animal hurriedly went west eith just one slap of the rope, suna looked back at the city behind him, many people crowded to watch the prince leave their home waving at him merrily presumbly knowing he was royalty all along

suna did wanted to see y/n for the final time however seeing her beside the audiences watching his leave was indescribable, he couldn't tell what she was feeling from the distance he was in but he certainly felt isolated again and so were she. the continuous sound of a horses hoof racing towards sounded annoying to him and he wanted nothing more but to dismount it

when he finally came home he was only greeted by his mother and a few other maid and butlers to welcome him back. of course, what did he expect from his father. suna went straight to his room without a word, his mind stuck to the question of how was she doing and how did the guards found out where he was, she couldn't have told them.. right?

that night is certainly eventful, when suna walks down the corridor to get a little fresh air only to receive a heavy news once he hears his fathers voice from the dining hall talking to his soldiers and it seems to him the king will send them for battle between another kingdom"but his majesty, the king you are aware that we'll also ambush a town with no involvement into this matter”

"they don't matter having to govern an extra land is even better, the decision has been decided the night before, you'll leave within the next minutes and go straight forward to invade the southeast!" he yells, his plan is rather reckless and is relying to brute strength. knowing his father, suna didn't say anything and hides back to his room

thunder strikes loudly ringing his ear as he tries to cautiously open the stable, he could feel the rain slowly dropping one by one by the second, grabbing his horse before he disappears away from the castle.

sad to say, the fighters on both sides have beaten him to it. even with the rainwater going down suna could still make out a bit of smoke from the town

he grips the lead tightly, it's almost unrecognizable, everything was demolished, burned down and he hopes to atleast see someone alive other than the soldiers who was ordered to fight

"y/n!" he screams piercingly and as if on cue lightning struck feets away from him, almost blinding him. instantly making a beeline to her house that was also gone and burned to ashes

suna dismounts his horse and started yelling like he'd lose his voice by tomorrow while also picking up the wooden pieces of the house

"y/n! goro! haruto!"

rather than the sound of thunderbolt like earlier he heard a gunshot that scares off his great horse away to the darkness

"wait-"

in his mind, he knew he was done for when he hears the rapid footsteps towards his direction, then it stops as the person halted catching their breaths but suna couldn't hear them stopping from the heavy rain that's almost drowning his ears. he takes a step back to turn around and face them only to see the face he loves so much

he may have did lost his voice and could only run towards her, their lips touching each other then and there and the place around them is not the most beautiful place to get your first kiss but when the two finally gets who they truly needed nothing else matters

[aizawaorkuroo]

on the house (chapter 2) - maple soy latte

Ship: Yagi Toshinori x reader

Rated: T+

Word Count: 2.4k

Summary: Toshinori finally introduces himself, and you fumble your way through a conversation. But maybe it's not one-sided?

Warnings: some language and mentions of sex

AN: still trying to vibe with this writing style, but i just wanna write this haha

OTH Masterlist

____________________

Yes, you had fumbled your entire conversation with the man with piercing eyes and sunflower hair. Yes, you had embarrassingly ranted to Suga after. Yes, you had overwatered a tea plant or two the first night because you were thinking about how his hair bloomed behind him so nicely. And you may have gotten an order or two wrong, but it doesn’t matter, you’re fine now. You can now amicably chat with the UA faculty and students who pop in without nervously looking for him, and other customers are just customers. No sense of attachment. You’re back to normal now.

However, the way Aiko’s palm hits her forehead after looking at the tea leaves you’ve brought for her today tells you otherwise.

“Y/N, you promised you were gonna bring the spices I needed. I’ve already got tea leaves here”, she groans, her horns shifting into a bright red out of frustration. You grimace at the thought of the bulk bags that were sitting on your counter at home. You had set them out as a reminder to bring them in today. Why had you brought more leaves instead?

You shut your eyes and pinch the bridge of your nose. You had been thinking about that dumb, tall stranger and left the bags at home. You exhale and open your eyes, giving Aiko a pointed look.

“Alright, alright. It’s fine,” she chirps. “I’ll make do, boss. We shall experiment another day,” she mumbles in a far off tone. You offer her an apologetic grimace before making preparations to open the cafe. Now, you swear you’ll be fine.

____________________

The sky’s a warm, deep orange, rippled with pinks and yellows. You reach your arms above your head and stretch from behind the coffee bar, exhaustion beginning to creep up on you. But on the weekend you stay open late, and today was no exception. Your face screws up in what’s sure to be an unpleasant sight as you glance at the clock. The second Suga gives Hizashi Yamada his fried chicken sandwich, he’s out the door. And Aiko would be right behind him.

As the sun continues to dip down, the bell above your door rings and Aiko is practically buzzing.

“Hello, Sweet Bean!” A loud, clear voice rings out in the cafe. Hizashi Yamada, otherwise known as the Pro Hero Present Mic. He comes in every Friday before his radio show to get a caffeine boost and a hot sandwich made by Suga and only Suga. Why did he want a fried chicken sandwich of all things, you may never know. But Aiko, your excitable friend, had taken a shine to Yamada. They seemed to feed off of each other's energy.

You smile at Yamada as he bounds over to giggle at something with Aiko. When you turn your gaze forward, your mind goes blank. He’s back. The man who had been living in your thoughts the past two weeks was back. Your stomach is practically in your throat, but there’s a light at the end of this tunnel: redemption. The chance at a normal conversation, or maybe something even better. But for now, you turn to Yamada.

“Your usual sweet monstrosity, Yamada?” you ask playfully.

“You know it, baby girl,” he sings at you. “Y’know, I never go anywhere else but here. I swear nothing makes me feel as happy as the coffee you make.” You bark out a laugh as you flush. But this game isn’t over yet.

“Well, I’m sure I could do some other things that would make you happy too,” you purr and bat your eyelids. Aiko doubles over in laughter, and you hear Suga groan from the kitchen. Yamada gives you a nod of approval, and you grin.

You stick your tongue out at him before forcing yourself to look up at the other man. A pretty red color blooms all over his face, and he looks mildly uncomfortable at best. You take a sharp breath and steel yourself before leaning into your customer service voice.

“It’s nice to see you again. I never got your name,” you prompt, in what’s hopefully an innocent voice. His eyes widen slightly, and he sheepishly rubs the back of his head.

“Toshinori. Yagi Toshinori,” he rumbles. Toshinori. You tilt your head as his name bounces around in your head. Finally, a name to go with the face that’s been plaguing you.

“Oh, so you’ve been here before, Toshinori?” A mischievous smirk slips onto Yamada’s face. The blush on the man’s - on Toshinori’s - face deepens. His slouch dips even lower, and he shifts uncomfortably.

“Right, Aizawa brought me a few weeks ago.” Yamada’s eyes open in surprise as if he knows something no one else does. His lips pull into a smirk, and he turns to look you up and down in a new light. Your face burns and you shift your gaze towards the counter in front of you.

“Anyways,” Aiko chimes in to your relief, “Yamada, how are your students?” You let out a small breath as Yamada and Aiko begin to chatter away. A large, calloused hand enters your field of view, and you look up. Toshinori stands a little straighter, and there’s a gleam in his eye.

You stare at his hand dumbly before realizing what he meant. Wiping your palms on your apron, you accept his handshake before offering your name shyly. He grins lazily at you, and something warm bursts from your chest.

“Well, what do you recommend this time?” One of his eyebrows quirks up, as he waits for your response.

“Oh, well our weekend special is a maple soy latte!” Your voice feels too loud, too forced, and you wince. “But if you’re allergic to soy we’ve got plenty of other milk options. Or if you don’t like maple-” His small chuckle cuts you off, and you flush.

“I’ll try the special.” You nod and fidget with a stray coffee stirrer.

“And if you’re hungry,” you rush out, “Suga is a pretty decent cook, and our kitchen has a whole assortment of ingredients. I’m sure he’d be happy to make you anything.”

With perfect timing, Suga comes to the front to give Present Mic his neatly wrapped sandwich. He’s smiling, but he turns to face you, and Aiko snorts at how pained he looks. Ah right, they’re both about to leave. When you turn back to Toshinori, he’s got a knowing look on his face, and he lightly shakes his head.

“Thanks for the offer. I think I’ll be happy with just the drink.” You nod, and you swear Suga’s about to cry from relief.

“Alright, I’m gonna head out. Are you good here?” His offer is just a courtesy, and you roll your eyes.

“Get out of here, kiddo. And Aiko, you’re good too. I’ll clean and close up.” Suga’s face scrunches up unpleasantly at the nickname, but he’s gone almost immediately. Aiko nods, but tilts her up and taps her chin.

“I’m gonna go check on the tea blends, and then I’ll head out,” she says carefully. You nod, as she skips back to the kitchen. When you hand Yamada his double-shot caramel, mocha chip frappuccino, he practically swoons.

“Y/N, you absolute goddess. Truly, I have never had a sweeter drink from a sweeter lady,” he croons. You roll your eyes, but can’t help the warmth that rises to your cheeks.

“You have the palette of a child,” you deadpan, and Aiko lets out a resounding laugh from the kitchen.

“But you make it so well.”

“Only for you baby.” You wink at him before dropping the act. “Now pay up!” Once he’s got his receipt in his hand, you turn to quickly make Toshinori his drink. And it’s only when you set down the in-house mug in front of him that you realize your error.

“Oh wait, did you want this to-go? I can absolutely make you one to-go. I just have only been making these in-house today, and I just blanked. Sorry about that!” you apologize. He shakes his head at your offer.

“That’s fine, don't worry about it. I can drink it here. How much?” He looks at you intensely, and you flush, your stomach twisting into knots.

“Oh! It’s on the house.”

He reddens and looks away, and you can’t help but feel like this was maybe a mistake again. You can practically feel Aiko’s stare from the kitchen. Before you spiral and curl up into a ball, a loud yell snaps you back to reality.

“Hey! How come I never get anything on the house?” Yamada slurps at his drink as he waits for an answer. You turn to look at him and put your hands on your hips.

“First of all, you never bring in your rewards card. Second of all, we play your goddamn radio show every Friday night until we close. Because you asked me to. That’s gotta be worth something.” You raise a brow at him, and he tilts his head as he ponders your words.

“Alright, that’s fair enough for now, but this discussion isn’t over! I’ll see you next week Sweet Bean! And I’ll see you later, Toshinori!” he calls over his shoulder as he runs out the door. Aiko steps back into the storefront, and she’s looking at you funny, but she grants you the small mercy of not bringing anything up.

“Y/N, I’ve gotta head out too.” She says in a calm, far off tone, making your eyebrows crease, but you nod. She looks back at you as she goes to clock out, and you almost miss the small wink she gives you.

The door slams behind her, and you turn back to face Toshinori. Your eyes trace the lines of his face, and your stomach flips when he cocks his head to the side and stares right back at you.

“Enjoy your drink!” you blurt out. “I’ll be in the kitchen starting to clean up if you need anything.” He nods before taking his drink to a free table. There are only a few other regulars in the cafe, so you figure you’d be safe to do the dishes and put some things away.

About thirty minutes later, you step back into the front, expecting everyone to be gone. To your surprise, Toshinori is still there. His cup’s empty, and he’s reading over a few papers that he had with him.

You watch him from behind the counter. He’s deeply focused on whatever he’s reading, and the way his face twists makes you smile. He’s sharp, all angles and hard lines. You barely know this man, but fuck, you were infatuated. You bite the inside of your cheek as you make a spur of the moment decision.

“Mind if I join you?” Toshinori’s head snaps up to see you standing in front of him, and his eyes widen, but he gestures to the seat across from him.

“Not at all.”

You smile graciously and pull the chair out. His eyes try to refocus on his paper, but they continuously flutter up to your face, as if checking to make sure you're still there. You lean forward and rest your head in your palm.

“What are you doing?” you murmur. The tips of his ears heat up, and you know then and there, that you’re going to eat him alive.

“Just some paperwork. Nothing too interesting.” You hum at his words. He sounds honest enough, but something in his eye tells you to not believe him.

“Do you work with Aizawa and Yamada?” He nods and one of his hands moves to scratch the back of his head.

“Yes, though I feel they’re more suited to teaching.” His voice is distant, and worry pulls his face tight. You tap your fingers against your face, as you think of what to say.

“I know I don’t know you all too well,” you murmur, “but don’t be so hard on yourself.” You purse your lips in thought. You had never seen him before. Was he even a Pro? Wasn’t that a requirement to teach at UA? Or maybe it wasn’t? Is that why he’s worried?

“The way I see it, as long as you’re doing your best, watching out for your students, and looking for ways to improve, you shouldn’t stress too much. As long as you choose to do the next right thing, one step at a time, I think you can get through anything. Even teaching the next generation of heroes,” you conclude.

Your eyes drift back down to Toshinori, and you flush at how intently he’s looking at you. He’s mirrored your position, resting his face in one palm, while his other hand is on the table, dangerously close to yours. “But, like, what do I know? I’m not a hero, and I don’t teach,” you backtrack in a panic.

His gaze is too, well, too something. It stirs up a swirl of emotions and thoughts in you, and butterflies fly free in your stomach. You tilt your head down, looking at the proximity between your hands. You swallow past the lump in your throat; you're particularly struck by how large and rough his hands are. His fingers are thick and long, and your blood heats up. He’s lean and gangly, all sharp angles and intense looks, but your thoughts drift to darker places against your will.

You do everything in your power to not squeeze your thighs together. When you look up at him, your eyes are half-lidded, and you can’t help but lick your lips. You don’t miss the way his eyes jump down to watch the action. The cafe is way too warm now; you feel like you're on fire.

“Good evening listeners!” You flinch as a loud, familiar voice blares through the sound system of the cafe. Looking down at your arms, you realize you’re faintly glowing. You slam the metaphorical brakes on your quirk, and the cafe feels bearable again.

“I’m Present Mic, and this is Put Your Hands Up On The Radio!” You roll your eyes before pinching the bridge of your nose.

“Well, Toshinori. I don’t think you’ll be able to get work done here in peace.” He hums in agreement, nose scrunching as Yamada chatters away. “And it’s been a long day, so I may just close early tonight,” you softly say, mostly to yourself. Toshinori nods anyways, and he slowly moves to pack his things up.

You shakily rise and smooth down your apron. You quickly turn around and get to work bussing the tables from previous customers. The entire time, you feel a white-hot gaze on your back, making your hands fumble. After dumping the dishes in the sink and promising to do them tomorrow, you move back to the front to put away the chairs. Toshinori’s still there, but he rises when he sees you working.

“Would you like any help?” You look over at him, eyeing him up and down before nodding.

“Sure, but don’t feel pressured to help. I can get it done.” He chuckles lightly, and your stomach flips.

“I don’t doubt that.”

With his help, you finish quickly. He watches you silently as you run around turning things off and locking doors. Once you have your things, you meet him at the front of the store. He holds the door open for you, and you thank him shyly, trying to not think of the things you want to do to him. As you fumble with the lock, he looks around the street.

“Do you want me to walk you home?” Putting your keys in your pocket, you smile softly before shaking your head.

“Oh, no it's okay. I’ll be fine. I live just a few blocks that way.” You jerk your head behind you in emphasis. He nods but continues to just look at you. Warmth seeps into the pit of your stomach, and the tension is tangible. He runs a hand through his hair, and you admire the way the yellow strands pop right back up again.

“Well, have a good night,” he rumbles. Part of you wants to drag him home with you, and your gaze snaps back to his hands. Arousal pools in the pit of your stomach, but you force your eyes to move up and look him in his eyes.

“You too.” Your voice is soft, and you feel an overwhelming sense of fondness and want growing rapidly in your chest. You turn to start walking, but before you take a step, you pause and turn around.

“Toshinori?” He cocks his head to the side, waiting for you to continue. “You know, you don’t have to come with Aizawa or Yamada? You’re welcome whenever.” The blush that had been adorning his face all night returns, and he nods at your words. You give him a small wave, before turning to walk to your apartment, doing your best to ignore the throbbing in between your legs.

____________________

When Toshinori makes it home, he exhales. That was … different. But it wasn’t bad. He kicks off his shoes and rubs his face. He could maybe do this. Maybe. Aizawa and Yamada, and plenty of his students at that, liked you well enough. When Yamada had mentioned he was going, he had practically jumped at the opportunity. Aizawa shot Yamada a look, one that Toshinori pretended to not see.

So what? You intrigue him, and he finds you attractive. His face heats up at the thought, and he exhales shakily.

But a thousand questions plagued his mind. Would you be okay seeing a Pro Hero? Fuck, is he going to have to tell you he’s All Might? How would you even react? Would you get disappointed? Is there a chance you’re already seeing someone? He pales at the thought. Were you even interested? There’s a chance he’s misreading all the signals.

But he saw how you looked at his hands, the way your eyes trail over his face, he felt the tension that wouldn’t dissipate no matter how much he wanted it to. But it’s hard to believe anyone, let alone you would be interested in him while he looks like this.

He sinks down into his mattress and runs a hand through his hair. It’s impossible to know the answers to anything. And worrying about them isn’t going to accomplish anything. So he lets them slip from his mind. Turning his thoughts to other things. But as sleep overtakes him, there’s only one thing he’s sure of.

He should’ve walked you home.

[benscursedkid]

*title from the song of the same name by ricky montgomery and based on this post from @weirdcursedvaultkid*

i | ii | iii

he’s singing, "she's a, she's a lady, and I am just a line without a hook"

year one

Everything is bigger than she imagined. 

The walls are much higher, the tables longer, Dumbledore’s podium taller. She takes a look up to the ceiling and finds that there is no roof. Constellations freckle and connect across the dark expanse of space above her. The number of floating candles about burn brightly enough to trick her eyes into believing that there are even more stars all around her. 

She’s trapped somewhere in the middle of the group, surrounded on every side by the anonymous and mesmerized faces of strangers. Rowan is nowhere to be found and suddenly she feels very, very alone. 

Once or twice she catches herself looking around for Jacob. His familiar bush of messy brown hair and bright sparkling jade eyes. The easy smile he always gave her that made everything feel better. 

But he is no longer there. 

The reminder of what she’s lost has her head spinning. She can hear her heart pumping in her ears and feels the beat of its rhythm in her temples. Things were supposed to be different. He was supposed to be here—

Something prickles at the edges of her awareness, the burning phantom of a stare somewhere just off to the side of her peripheral. Slowly, her head turns to her left, her focus still settled on the mass number of identical black shoes. Whoever is staring at her doesn’t move, nor do they look away, and Rebekah chances a glance up to their eyes. 

Not a lot registers for her once she finally sees his face. The only thing she can focus on is the warmth that radiates from him in gentle waves. Thankfully, she does not have to crane her head up very far to look him in the eye and for a moment she forgets why she was afraid. 

Because he is even more so. 

Shakily, he turns away and goes back to trying not to catch anyone’s attention. His cheeks burn a soft shade of red and Rebekah thinks that, just for a minute, maybe things won’t be so bad. 

Another name is called from the platform the tall woman stands on, but Rebekah’s mind is elsewhere and it sounds fuzzy on the ends. She does not catch it. However, her attention piques when the boy moves. 

His steps up to the chair are hesitant, small strides. His eyes flicker about for a few seconds before he screws them shut. Gryffindor, the hat says, earning it many a baffled expression from its audience, the boy included. And unlike many others, the boy does not rejoice. He simply shuffles his way to the table where he is greeted with a number of questioning looks and a handful of upturned noses. 

Gryffindor, the hat had declared with certainty—and dare Rebekah wonder: are hats able to smirk?—it's got to be Gryffindor. 

It’s a joke that I got put in Gryffindor, the boy—Ben—said to her later the next day, his eyes low and downcast. I’m scared of everything.

Everyone is afraid of something, she offered as what she hoped was a small piece of solace. He regarded her as if he did not believe her words to be true, but was hopeful enough to imagine it anyway. And as he did, the corners of his lips curved up into a wishful smile. 

The sight itself washed over Rebekah like a remedy, lightening her shoulders and easing the lump in her throat in a single swift movement. She smiled back, transforming the one on his face into something much more dazzling, yet still soft around the edges as his eyes shone a dark amber in the morning sun. 

It was then that she realized that was the first time she had smiled since stepping into this large and looming and grandiose castle. All because of someone else's dream. 

She hoped, then, to make a habit out of it.

Ben crouches down to be level with Rebekah as she sits on the lip of the fountain, his eyes roaming her figure for any sign of pain or injury. His own qualms forgotten, he no longer seems to notice the ripening bruise on his own arm or the gathering crowd around them. 

Are you okay? He asks carefully, his brows furrowed into a knot and an exaggerated frown pulling at his mouth. She didn’t really hurt you, did she?

Rebekah blinks for a moment, her thoughts drawing a quick blank at the sight of his worry. Around them, she can hear the whispering of students who care little for hiding it. They point and gossip and Rebekah isn’t sure if they’re talking about her or them but either way, it makes her skin crawl. 

Concern flashes across his eyes for a moment before he looks around and remembers himself, his cheeks pinking a little to match hers. His hand ghosts over her forearm as if unsure where to put it or what to do with it. 

Don’t worry about them, Ben whispers almost to himself, but just loud enough for her to share in the secret. His hand balls into a fist before finally settling back to his side and Rebekah isn’t sure if she’s thankful or disappointed. You were amazing. 

This does not do well for her fair complexion as his words only deepen the blush on her face and she quickly drops her gaze in an attempt to hide it. A beat passes and neither of them speak. Idly, she wonders where Rowan has gone off to, before Ben opens his mouth to respond. 

His voice is hushed and soft, light and mostly air as he informs, They… they aren’t saying anything mean. In fact, they seem happy that you knocked Merula down a peg. At this, Rebekah shrinks a little, their blatant attention burning holes into her skin. Ben hesitates before shifting in his place to block her from view. 

You don’t like the attention? He guesses to which Rebekah can only nod. Ben returns the gesture, but his shoulders seem to loosen up at her answer. 

He goes for what she thinks is meant to be a comforting smile. It works. Me neither. 

A spot on her elbow tingles with heat as she looks back up to face him, only to realize that his hand has moved from its place by his side to settle there instead. From the way he relaxes slightly as he continues in his original task of making sure she is okay, Rebekah can only assume that he has not noticed. She decides not to comment on it.

It seems, though, that their short moment of serenity was not meant to last very long as a flash of long, flimsy black robes and tiny circle rimmed glasses peek into her vision as their charms and potions professors make their way over to the group of gathered first years. 

At once, Rowan throws her an apologetic look from her place by Flitwick’s side, clearly having been the one to alert him. Rebekah shakes her head in a silent display of forgiveness as her and Ben stand to greet them. 

Somehow, Rebekah finds that she feels strangely complacent. She helped her friend today and for that she will never apologize. 

His grip turns his knuckles white as the wind rakes its fingers through the short strands of his hair. Even over the whistling of the wind in his ears, Ben can hear the rapid beating of his own heart in his chest, though it feels suspiciously closer to his throat for his liking. 

How is it possible that he is flying? Briefly, his mind flickers back to the cartoon witches he used to see plastered in storybooks. At once, he is reminded again that this new world is not the ‘fabrication of his own overactive imagination���, as his parents used to tell him when he complained about the ghost in the attic. 

Faintly, the sound of excited clapping drifts up to him and instinct forces his eyes back open. Anxiety is quick on his heels as he immediately finds himself looking down to the ground below him, but something else stands out against the stark green backdrop of grass. 

Rebekah stands, the only student to remain on the ground, her head craned upward to peer at him. Her eyes, kind and curious and sparkling as though home to their very own galaxy, are trained intently on him. 

She follows his every movement against the wind, every turn of his broom is caught with enthusiasm. The Ravenclaw pulses with pure and unadulterated excitement and Ben finds himself drawing energy from her and she jumps on her feet, waving up at him with the widest smile Ben has ever seen adorn her face. Strands of her ink black hair fly into her eyes, but she does not seem to mind, content with simply cheering him on. 

In that moment, it does not escape Ben’s notice that the sight, though infinitely welcome, only serves to quicken his heart rate until it begins to race even faster than before. 

His eyes have gone starry, glossed over in faint astonishment as Rebekah tells her story. She can feel her lips moving, her vocal cords vibrating in tandem, but as she looks at him she finds that she cannot hear herself speak. 

Her cheeks feel hot. 

She finishes and Ben grins, it’s giddy and goofy and Rebekah can’t help but offer him one of her own in return. 

Wow, he whispers, his eyes glued not to the vast galactic sky that they can afford to see clearly in their place up in the astronomy tower, but to her. I can’t believe Dumbledore actually took special notice of a first year!

Rebekah chuckles and rubs at her wrist bashfully. It’s not like I gave him much of a choice, she whispers back. 

At this he simply shakes his head and strangely, he looks as if there’s nowhere else he’d rather be. His smile does not falter, his big brown eyes bright. No, he says, It’s impossible not to notice you.

She’s not ready for it to end. 

She’s not ready to return home, to a still and empty house where her parents never laugh and no one ever smiles. She does not want to walk to her room everyday where she has to pass by Jacob’s, untouched and void and not at all the same. She’s not ready to see their faces or look into their eyes and be struck again with the realization that she is not enough. 

She’s not ready to continue in a life without her brother. 

But as the train whistles in her ears and the breeze blows flower petals into her hair, she knows the choice is not hers. Slowly, she shuffles her way off the platform and wraps her arms delicately around Rowan, the dark strands of her hair tickling her nose. 

Her friend grins so wide Rebekah fears her cheeks will sting and giggles out a last goodbye, accompanied with a merry promise to keep in touch. A voice sounds from behind her and Rowan waves her off, skipping over to her family with a youthfulness Rebekah has never seen in her before. 

She watches them go with a growing lump in her throat. 

She checks her watch. 

“Rebekah.”

This time, his voice is small, yet as it curls around the syllables of her name she finds that it is no less affectionate than it always is. The girl turns, her eyes catching his for what feels scarily like the last time. 

“Ben—”

He grins when he hears her as if on nothing more than instinct alone and the thought twists a smile onto her own lips as well. 

“—I was wondering if I’d see you.”

“Well, here I am.”

“There you are.”

The sun shines above them and under its gracious attention, Ben’s hair glimmers a more golden color as it flickers in the breeze, landing softly against his forehead. Had Rebekah been older or more poetic, she might have equated it to something like gold or freshly bloomed daffodils. 

But alas the thought escapes her. 

He clears his throat. 

“I don’t think I’ll have much downtime when I get back. Mum and Dad will probably have enough questions to last them until the summer is over, but…” His cheeks pink and he rubs at the back of his neck. “I’ll write to you,” He promises. “When I can.”

And with that, he does his best to lift his chin and walk away, leaving her behind. Yet, as she watches him embrace a woman with white-blonde hair and a tall man with a smile just like his, Rebekah can’t seem to muster a single dour thought. She only smiles and waves at him as he stalks away even if he is no longer paying attention. 

A gust of hot hair rushes over him as his father opens the door to leave, but something itches at the back of his head and he turns around. 

But she is already gone. 

[jaeminlore]

bard!taeil ^_^

commissioned by @warmau luv u thank you for giving me free reign i’m sorry i used it all on world building

words: 5k+

a/n: sorry this is a bit late ! also for any mistakes !

okay first thought when given free reign of a story is PRINCE or ROYAL bc that is where my mind is for every story i love a good castle moment

i just think they’re neat ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

but yknow i was thinking about bards and also my skyrim game and how annoying yet precious the bards are in the inn. and if that is not taeil i will eat my own foot,,,,, like omg i forgot his name i think it’s mikael?? he’s at the inn in riften!!! i beat him up to preserve the honor of some lady and now we’re best friends ^_^ anyways he’s lovable and it makes me think of taeil

i miss taeil i read a post about how precious he is and it made me feel some type of way ,,,,, my favorite taeil era was cherry bomb bc the CHOKER and the EYELINER and he just felt like the embodiment of that tiktok sparkly filter

okay now that that’s over

this story is set in a lone kingdom called intima,,,, intima is a word meaning the heart of something and it’s where the word intimacy comes from and it makes me feel warm and happy so i assume it will make the people of intima happy too !!!!! it’s an island centered around the sun — and YOU my dear reader are the eldest princess, the first before six younger siblings !!!

as the oldest, the throne is in your future, and you are set to be the reigning queen WHICH you are quite excited about this isn’t one of those aus where you hate your kingdom and your job and serving,, you LOVE your people and your culture and you genuinely can’t wait to become queen

i’m going to set the world!!!! bc world-building gives me endorphins >.>

intima is a HEAVILY floral-filled island. the clivia (or bush lily) is the capitol flower, often associated with patriotism or pride for intima as an island!!! it’s the flower people pin to their chest during coronations or royal festivals!! and the yellow/orange/coral shades are often what you and your siblings wear to represent yourselves and your island.

intima is a land of equality!!! bc i said so!! and also because the culture is purely built on gratitude and kindness ,,,,, i like to think the spirituality or “religion” in the culture is the worship of the sun and the warmth it brings,,,, a sort of serving the thing that shines a path for the hopeless!!!! there are hundreds of poems and legends and songs about the sun and who she once was and why she blesses intima with her harvests and all kinds of other things and i do have the time to get into it but i know all of you do not

intima also believes that art is hard work!!! and it’s one of the most respected jobs there are!!! like a busker or a street painter are often praised and it’s expected of islanders to tip them and stay to praise them a bit!!! and usually they’ll sell their art (if that’s what they made) afterwards!!!! and poets will read for the children and adults alike and they’ll sell their services to like,,, people who struggle to put their words down on paper and it’s all very helpful and lovely

farmers and fishermen are well respected as well!!!! ofc they bring the food in and the vendors at the marketplace sell them while the artists keep entertainment going. it’s a lovely system and often as the seasons change people will shift their jobs so a vendor will decide to create for a season or a fisherman may decide he wants to sell wares,,, it’s a system so that people can enjoy where they are as well as express they’re creativity properly

and the wealth is distributed equally so that no one goes hungry!!! everyone helps each other out to find a job that fits them!!! and not many people take advantage of the system because it’s quite shameful to refuse helping your fellow neighbor

so yes!!! kindness and helping each other out is not only expected but it is often an indicator of how respected you are as a member of society

ungrateful people get the shame cone >:(

the island is HUGE and set in a sort of jagged star shape, with villages and markets surrounding the castle itself!!! and there’s a moat surrounding the castle made from the streams that trail in from the sea ,,,, and the harbors are quite beautiful if you stand atop the castle walls you can see the ships come and go and it is just *chef’s kiss* immaculate

and the moat is so beautiful i can just imagine the ferns!! like palm brush ferns and tiger lilies and birds of paradise just lining either side of the moat,,, so pretty :( and the moat isn’t to keep people out!!! it’s actually a natural pool for the villagers when it gets too hot :)!! but otherwise the drawbridge is always down so people can come and go throughout the courtyards

similarly, the castle walls run down the island as main roads, leading to the actual castle where the main courtyard sits.

you and your siblings are very personal with your subjects, and it’s not uncommon for the princes and princesses to walk hand in hand with those of a lower class than them,,,, esp bc there isn’t really a class system in place. since wealth is evenly distributed,,,, it’s evenly distributed to the royals as well, and everyone lives comfortably. the only added expense are gifts!!! so if there’s a birthday or something more wealth might be offered to the recipients by default

the courtyards!!! are so beautiful!!! there are four in total but the one i want to focus on is the coronation courtyard!!! this is the courtyard where the coronations and celebrations are held!!!

but when there aren’t any coronations, it’s where people hang out to have picnics or sell their wares or tell stories!!!

and this is where we see taeil!!!!

every day our hero brings his life and ~sings~ a different story to whoever happens to be walking by. he’s actually hugely popular with many of intima’s people,,,, mostly because his voice is like HONEY and his smile reminds everyone of home

he has like,,,,, kind big brother who only comes home for thanksgiving but each time is more memory-filled than the last energy ,,,,, anyways

you don’t actually notice him at first!!! because usually he isn’t in the coronation courtyard.

also you’re too busy planning your OWN coronation

#queenshit and all you know the vibes

it actually isn’t until yuta points out that there is a “very tiny man singing about how beautiful you are” in the courtyard that you’re actually like,,,, okay,,,,,, interesting..?

and at first you’re like shut up yuta i’m trying to work on seating placements you know ten from iacto can’t sit beside donghyuck from stella or they’ll start a prank war during MY coronation

also there are a lot of people who write songs about you and your siblings that’s just how the vibes are !!!!!

you and your siblings are known for your beauty and kindness, so many creatives often use y’all as muses

so you just brush it off

and go back to your planning

which actually consists of you begging your advisors to make little goodie bags for everyone on the entire island (they WILL eventually agree because who doesn’t want a small bee charm necklace or some cleansing crystals)

but i digress

it’s not until you visit the courtyard to finalize the seating arrangements that you actually see the man your brother was talking about

at first you don’t even realize it’s the same person

sure, this man is short, but he is nothing like the unattractie picture you painted in your mind. not that short men are unattractive, but most men who hit on you are often uhhhh creepy and old bc intima is a beautiful place but men are still a disease

this man is, dare you say it, handsome.

like prettily handsome

his hair is a warm chestnut that falls over his eyebrows in loose curls. strands curl and bend around his ears and his eyes are lined with what seems like kohl

his lips are pursed, and he’s too far away for you to hear him, but he seems to be singing

you tear your eyes away from his coral-colored jerkin and try to focus on the seating arrangements

in the end, you leave the work to your advisors, choosing to break away and listen to the lonesome bard

and just IMAGINE for a moment taeil singing like real people do by hozier

just taeil singing any hozier song i cannot get over the thought of it >_>

those are the vibes for this story

taeil a sexy irish bog man

not really but i’ll bookmark the idea for later !!!!

okay so imagine him singing real people do or sunshine and it’s so gentle and warm coming from his mouth that you’re entranced at the very start of it,,,, you’ve heard tales of sirens luring sailors into the sea,,, and they’ve always sounded quite far fetched but now that you’re hearing taeil’s voice you’re like,,,,,, maybe it’s possible

you sidle up to another listener and ask for his name

“taeil moon”

it’s a befitting name. you run it over your tongue for a good while until it feels familiar,,, and when the song is finally over, you clap and shout a few praises, thinking your voice would get caught in the crowd

but taeil catches your gaze, and he strums a sour note on his lute. it’s a swift apology and an even swifter exit as he leaves the courtyard.

you watch him go, unsure as to why he seemed so uncomfortable knowing you were there. “is he alright?” you ask the same listener who told you taeil’s name. they answer, “he’s never left a set before. perhaps you frightened him, princess.”

you DID frighten him. moving into taeil’s point of view, the man has been declaring his infatuation with you for months now and you’ve never come to listen. he suddenly feels naked and vulnerable,,, the one person he chose to write songs about is the future queen and he could very well be executed for such unauthorized poetry

(as if executing is something intima didn’t outlaw ages ago)

so taeil is just a tiny bit dramatic, and he clings to the honest hope that you came to his show late and didn’t hear his declaration. his “all my love songs of now and forever after are for the princess y/n” that he starts every set with. he feels like a fool, so he finds himself hiding in the royal gardens, far behind the brush and hedges, where a lone forgotten fountain rusts. still water bubbles out of the spout, but there isn’t enough for the fountain to actually flow, so it just makes an incredibly awkward gurgling sound as taeil strums his lute and tries to collect his thoughts

taeil doesn’t just like you because you’re the princess. it goes so much deeper than that; he has one faint memory of his graduation out of bards college (it’s a thing in skyrim so it’s a thing in my au) and it consists of you meeting with all of the graduates and giving them each a bush lily from your own personal garden,,,,,,, you also wrote everyone a handwritten letter addressing them by name !!!!!!!!!

and it’s not much to go by at all, and taeil would feel incredibly foolish even bringing up the memory, or the fact that he keeps the card in his memeriy box,,,,, because it’s obvious that you don’t remember him from it, but he can still remember the color of your eyes up close, and he knows what it feels like to be on the receiving end of your smile,, and just the memory of your fingers grazing his when you handed him the flower and card makes his cheeks warm with childlike fondness

he’s a fool, he knows. he’s also a coward, because he ran at the very sight of you

“you ran off before i could tell you how lovely your voice is.”

taeil falls into the rusting fountain as soon as you round the hedge. he has no idea how you managed to find him, but he can’t really think much about it because he’s soon coughing and shivering from the cold and dirty water he’s just fallen into. he mourns his lute,,,,,, just floating in the shallow water ,,,,,, it’s not dead it’s just wet :/

“oh dear i’m so sorry!” you grab his hand and help him out of the fountain, wincing at the way his clothes cling to his body. (Wait. wait. taeil’s lil baby tummy.... through the sheer shirt,,,,,,, like after he takes off his jerkin to dry it out :(((( omg he’s so cute) “i just wanted to compliment you.”

“thank you, princess,” taeil manages to get out. he paints a smile on his face even though he feels like he’s never been put in a more awkward situation. “it means a lot, honestly.” he decides to avoid the topic of having a crush on you, because he thinks he has experienced plenty of embarrassing moments today, thank you very much. so he changes the topic completely. “good luck, uh, on your coronation. i’m looking forward to it.”

you lower yourself into a mock curtsy. “why thank you. save me a dance during the after party, won’t you?”

taeil nods, not trusting himself to speak, and you bid him goodbye

y’all know taeil’s face where he’s just cheesin. like :D

that’s his face for the rest of the day. and every day up until the coronation !!!!!!

and you visit him!!!! when you can !!!!!!!!

taeil has a very easygoing personality i feel like after the initial awkwardness he’d actually be the one to initiate a friendship!!! like sometimes he leaves you letters by the old fountain !!!!!! :((((

and taeil’s letters are very friendly but every once in awhile he’ll slip in song lyrics that make your heart flutter!!!! just imagine your favorite love song or folk song written out by taeil to you because he learned it and it made him think of you :(( i’m crying and i know you’re crying

one day you have a picnic!!!!!!!!! and it’s just the two of you and taeil thinks he should be nervous but he genuinely does enjoy your company,,,,, and he kinda sort of slowly starts to think of you less as a muse and more as a friend,,,,,, or even maybe a potential ,,,,,,,,, l o v e r oooohhhhhhhh,,,, omg it’s so cute tho he lays out a blanket in front of the fountain and the two of you eat sandwiches and apple juice and :(( eventually the sun makes you both a lil tired so you fall asleep side by side

and you get kind of flustered when you wake up beside taeil like oh 😳 okay 😳 now 😳

the two of you hang around each other in secret. not because it’s against the law or it would be publicized or anything like that,,,, intima is a very casual island and no one would bother the two of you too much,,,,,,,,, but taeil feels like a little secret you aren’t sure you want to share ,,, also your brothers and sisters would tease you relentlessly for giving your time to someone KNOWN for singing love songs about you

your friendship w taeil feels a bit like a bird feather on a windy day,,,,,,, like one hesitant breath could blow him away,,,,,,,, but taeil is so FUNNY and warm and gentle and COMFORTABLE that you slowly start to feel yourself fall for him.

taeil is a story-telling bard in the way that the songs he sings often tell stories of his life or the life of someone famous, installed in their hearts from the moment they were all in elementary school. like imagine him singing a tale about the greek gods or norse mythology or perhaps he goes and bit more fairytale and songs of thumbalina or sleeping beauty

he’s an amazing storyteller, so much so that when the two of you hang out, he often recites some form of verse to you, especially if it’s a legend you love dearly (SIRENS) ,,,,,, but the one thing that kind of irritates you is that he has yet to sing you one of his legendary songs that are “supposedly” for you

you’re not trying to be prideful, but this is the lovely singer everyone has told you about, and you still haven’t heard any of his original songs. or at least, his original songs dedicated to you. you’re very curious to see what you look like in taeil’s eyes, even though it might make you feel horribly vulnerable.

and taeil is like :) obviously :) i’m not going to sing love songs :) about my crush :) to my crush :)

but it’s whatever.

what i want to talk about is the coronation babey !!!!!!!!!!!

it’s very public,,, in the middle of the courtyard,,, and all the market stalls are up selling their wares to the large crowd!!!!! and kids are playing in the moat !!!!! sort of a summer festival and you’re the main event lol. like some people will gather and watch the coronation and some people will be off dancing on the other side of the courtyard but everyone is celebrating the same thing!!

and this is a high fantasy setting so there aren’t any modern things like microphones or speakers aside from a copper horn or smth ,,, but it’s all very fun and festive!!!!

merchants are selling banners of orange and gold,,, yellow roses and tiger lilies,,,,,,, flower crowns and faux scepters for the little kids!!!!!! and there’s lively music for people to dance and celebrate to,,,,,, and can you guess who is in charge of the music !!!!?! TAEIL

he’s got an entire band leading the courtyard and it’s all traditional songs for the most part of taeil is able to slip in a few love songs now and again. and ofc everyone loves them bc they know taeil and OBV it’s hard to hate taeil

but :( you aren’t really focusing on the music since it’s such a big day for you but if you were you’d know that taeil is singing his original songs :((( all the love songs about you,,,,,,,,,,

and i SWEAR i can imagine taeil singing hozier-esque songs..... omg or like mystery of love ,,,,, imagine him singing mystery of love on one side of the courtyard while you’re getting crowned queen on the other side

that image is something that can be so personal to me ╰(*´︶`*)╯♡

:(((( and you’re dressed in a tan and peach maiden dress,,,, cloaked in golden silk with day lilies tucked in your hair,,,,,,,,, omg or BRAIDED into your hair,,,,,, you just look like a sun goddess okay golden by harry styles are the vibes ALRIGHT babes,,,, and there’s a speech to be made and someone made cake for the masses,,, so you get a bit caught up it everything

taeil isn’t really in the crowd for the coronation as i already stated before ,,,,, but he can kind of hear everything that’s happening and it makes him just smile to himself as he messes with his lute :((( omg if you guys haven’t heard you are gold by the national parks THATS the song taeil sings as the celebrations are dying down

and all the street lanterns are lit and people are quieting down and eating or chatting or rounding up their kids for bedtime !! omg little kids racing past and giggling, their flower crowns askew as they shout about becoming a queen one day :( that’s so cute esp to imagine taeil watching them fondling and waving at them as they pass

and there are fireflies all around!!!! lighting the pathway!!! it’s just so cute and soft and lovely think tangled at last i see the light scene OKAY except it’s not on water it’s a festival and it’s beautiful every seems to be glowing in the light

this au is partially inspired by tangled,,, or the kingdom of corona (lol) so

anyways back to you are gold

the chorus is as so: “you are gold / you are all i see / you are aurum scarce and meant for kings / and i will wait if it’s time you need / what i see in you i hope you find in me.”

and can’t you just SEE taeil singing that absentmindedly not really knowing that you’re making your way to him and then he just looks up during the final chords and he just,,,,,,, fumbles the music and his voice cracks a little (but how COULDNT it bc you’re so beautiful and angelic and taeil could easily picture the stars against your skin and in the shade of your eyes)

“h-hi,” he stutters. “you look. nice.” :D

i think taeil is pretty confident with his feelings but i also feel like he can be quite clumsy with them as well. if that makes sense. but on the other hand confessing to the now-queen of your island is a bit much and taeil isn’t really ready to be rejected on a regal level.

“thank you,” you say. AND!!! you can feel your cheeks get hot because taeil is quite handsome and you DEFINITELY heard the last few lyrics of the song and it ignited feelings inside of you that you weren’t sure you’ve felt much of before.

you kind of just want to take his hand and go spend some ~ alone time ~ with him ^_^

“you know,” you sit down beside him and wrap your cloak around yourself. “everyone has been telling me that you’re quite famous for dedicating your love songs to me. how come i haven’t heard such declarations?”

taeil’s ears turn red and he smiles down at the lute in his lap. “isn’t it a bit disrespectful to make you listen to all the songs i write for you?”

“i want to hear them!! genuinely!!”

can you just IMAGINE taeil holding eye contact and singing sunshine by hozier >:( or like ANY song by ray montangue for today we’re pretending taeil wrote all of these

hold you in my arms by ray montangue YOO :((

just taeil strumming and singing sort of under his breath because he doesn’t really want anyone else to share this lil moment with you. and he’s so sweet like i imagine after he sings he doesn’t expect any praise and he certainly doesn’t expect you to confess your love or anything like that

bc taeil is a respectful future king

LIKE JUST IMAGINE kind of grabbing his face and just giving him a lil kiss,,,,, a lil smooch,,,,, if you will

taeil is probably rlly pretty just after being kissed like his eyelashes would flutter so prettily and it would be so soft like he’d just press his forehead against yours and then omg a FOREHEAD KISS like a really gentle one

you would be so important to taeil like i think he would just be so gentle with you in every way

the relationship is a slower one,,,,,, you have queenly duties and he’s still working as a busker,,,,, getting ready to help the merchants in the winter,,,,,,,

but the two of you make time. it’s similar to before, you just set up picnics, or sometimes you watch him sing, and he’ll write you love songs and send them to you through a letter,, stamping with purple wax,,,

and taeil is always so sweet :( i think he’s more of a casual lover in the sense that he doesn’t need pda or loud declarations in order to make you feel loved flashback to him dedicating every love song to you in the middle of the square but he’d be the type to just hold your hand around the courtyard,, or he’d just send you soft smiles from the other side of the marketplace

he’s the time to buy you a basket of your favorite fruits and deliver them personally to your door

everyone in the castle just lets taeil into the chambers section at this point

the two of you will swim in the moat and play hopscotch with the village children or go shopping together or take naps beneath the afternoon sun and with taeil by your side it’s all so fond and precious and some times you’ll go days or weeks without seeing him just because of schedules but it’s never awkward when the two of you get back together

and it’s actually not until some of your very own villagers are coming up to you like hey,,,,, why haven’t you made taeil your partner yet?? he’s so precious and sweet and he would look lovely in a crown 👀👀

and uhhh who are you to argue with that lmao

so you buy taeil a ring

a pearl !!!! encased in silver <3333 i like to think that the tales he sang to you about sirens often slides to a pearl of some sorts,, so you make sure it’s the rock you place on the ring

and you take him back to that rusty old creaky old ugly old fountain :)

and you just,,,,,, ask him to marry you ,,,,,,,,,,

ofc taeil says yes, a bit frozen because the two of you have talked about marriage but only briefly,,, and he wasn’t sure you’d ever take that step so he didn’t want to pressure you

taeil ofc has always been ready,,, his soul is more open than yours if that makes sense !!! which isn’t a bad thing but he has definitely been ready for a lifetime with you for a long time now

and it’s a long-ish engagement i feel like

not that it really matters but it’s more of a betrothement !!!! so the two of you are technically already married even before the ceremony if that makes sense??? like everyone alludes to taeil as the consort and the two of you live together and receive gifts of betrothement and !!! it’s quite sweet and it’s the way they do things in intima

also you guys aren’t in a big hurry for another ceremony esp bc yuta’s coronation is coming up and you don’t want to take any of his spotlight

king!yuta hold up

but yeah taeil is a wonderful consort !! doesn’t do much yet politically bc he isn’t especially versed in politics but he’s learning!!! he’s really good at keeping a good energy in the room even if two ambassadors are fighting taeil will just be vibing like :-D and it often calms tensions

he’s just a GREAT person and a helpful ruler even tho he really doesn’t even have to be,,,, he’s just a consort,,,, but he still takes the effort to learn genuine laws and help guide the people

the people are obviously obsessed with him,,, they wouldn’t ask for another consort because he’s so kind with all of them

still sings in the courtyard as his job ,,, and the people love it just as much ^_^ esp because now all the songs are openly for you and about you and it makes people more fond of you as well

taeil creates y/n propaganda pass it on

but he works in the castle too,, and he’s a fast learner especially when it comes to settling arguements within the village or even within the court,,,, he also sets up festivals !! he’s wonderful at it !! genuinely !! taeil as an interior designer i can just see it man him designing flower arrangements and the setlist and just !! being a wonderful host

and tbh you’re very thankful because it’s nice to rule with siblings but it’s even nicer to rule with a soulmate

and taeil feels just like that — a soulmate, a missing piece of the puzzle,,,,,

and if intima is the sun , if you who rules it is the sun, then taeil is the moon,, and it’s quite obvious that the two of you were made for each other

perhaps in the future the two of you will have kids or adopt

or you guys get a puppy!!! i can see you w a puppy and taeil with a kitten and the two lil pets just follow you guys around omg

the two of you fix up the old fountain so it isn’t rusty or squeaky anymore

you guys find rocks out on the shore and create a new bed at the bottom of the fountain

and guess what!!!! you guys write little wishes on the rocks and invite everyone else to do the same with the idea that once the fountain is filled with wishes, you’ll hold a festival where you put the wishes back into the sea to be completed

omg how cute would that be like a yearly thing where the fountain would be filled with rocks and everyone gets a handful to take down to the beach and throw into the sea

it’s where lovers write their names and people confess to their crushes and anniversaries and birthdays are celebrated and it’s where artists write pictures and poets write verses and people write prayers to the sun

and it’s where you and taeil announce your first pregnancy >.<

and it’s really soft

the place between the sea and the sun is where your love lies

where your family lives

omg taeil singing lullabies to his baby :( HES be such a sweet dad

i feel like taeil already has a family just by his vibes yknow

but say it’s a daughter he’d teach her how to play the lute and he’d buy her her own

he’d let her express herself in any way and identify however she’d want and love whoever she wanted

he’d be an AMAZING father and husband and king

ANYWAYS to conclude

this was fun to write and i hope it made sense i know it’s all over the place but in conclusion taeil is sexy and deserves to be loved

[all1e23]

Aeipathy

Pairings: Hades!Bucky x Persephone!Reader

Summary:  You wandered into the forest on your own and met a handsome stranger.

Warnings:  Um, none for this chapter I don’t think? General series warnings: angst, death, bloodshed. Ya know, fun stuff. Bucky is still sappy. It is what it is.

A/N:   This is my entry for @itsbuckysworld​ Summer Writing Challenge. My prompt was Enchanted Forest AU. This was going to be a series but it will not be continued. It’s my own take/spin or whatever on Hades and Persephone and I am making shit up as go because I’m the writer and I can. 😉 Send me love, write me a song or come scream at me if you like it. Pic Credit [x]

***My fics are not to be saved or posted on any other sites without my written permission. Reblogs are my jam though! Thanks!*

“Y/n!” Steve hissed through his panting. He was running as fast as his small legs could take him, but you were still quicker.  “We can’t go into the Enchanted Forest. It’s forbidden! Everyone knows that."

"When have you ever cared about the rules?” You asked and slowed your pace to allow Steve the chance to catch up; his breathing was labored but nothing you needed to worry about, yet anyway. You wiggled your toes in tall strands of grass, you’ve always liked the way the soft grass felt against your bare feet. The gentle blades turned sharp the closer you got to the edge of the treeline, the shadows that lurked within enticing you as they always did. For as long as you could remember you’ve been told to fear the darkness before you, but now that you were standing on the edge of it you couldn't see why.

It was beautiful; even the shadows.

Steve rolled his eyes, stopping a few steps behind you to catch his breath. This was becoming your new normal. You had an obsession with finding out what was beyond those trees, and Steve had a feeling it was going to get you both in trouble. “That’s not the point. There’s a reason it’s forbidden. No one knows what lives in there. It’s been centuries since anyone has gone inside.”

You turned back to look at your best friend with a mischievous gleam in your eye. "Doesn’t that make you a little curious to see what lives in there?”

“Not even a little,” Steve answered you, dryly and slightly annoyed. “Come on. We need to get back. Your mother would have a fit if she knew we were out like this.”

You sighed but linked arms with Steve and allowed him to direct you back towards the castle. You smiled, amused as you listened to Steve, complain about the grief you were going to get from Sam. It was not the first time you ditched your personal guard and would not be the last. Before your mother agreed to let, Steve stay in the castle -- after you agreed to her terms, of course. Steve had to be by your side for your good, and you had to let a new girl, Wanda, be your lady in waiting -- before that happened, you often snuck out of the castle and out from under Sam’s nose so you could spend time with Steve.

He should be used to it by now, but by the look on his face as he waited outside the gate for your return, he was not used to it.

Sam raised his brow and pursed his lips the second he laid eyes on you, disappointment was oozing off him, and you couldn't help but smile. “I thought we had moved passed the sneaking out, my lady?”

“You don’t like to lie, Sam. I was saving you from having to lie for me.”

You continued right on by Sam, spotting the smile he wanted to hide from you. As much as he adored your adventurous spirit, it wasn’t safe for someone of your status to be out by herself. You weren’t royalty, but you weren’t nobodies either. Your family had enemies as did all prominent families you supposed.  

“You don’t have to follow so closely, Sam. I’m not going anywhere.”

“That’s what you said this morning.”

Steve snorted from his place next to you, and you shot him a playful glare. “You know what they say, Y/n. Fool a man once…”

“Hush, Steve.” You muttered under your breath as you approached your panicked mother.

“No.” Your mother said in a harsh whisper. “It’s best if that stays between us. You know what Heimdall said about her and that... thing. This stays here--” Her guard - Brock Rumlow, a terrible man, one that never failed to make you feel uneasy, cleared his throat and nodded behind her where you were approaching rather quickly, avoiding the man’s glare as you did.  

Sam wasn’t fond of him either from what you gathered over the years. He stood a little closer to you when Rumlow was around, but when you asked about it in private, he would never give his reasons, and you suspected he had plenty.

“Where have you been?!” Your mother's shout filled the bustling hallway startling nearly everyone walking nearby, enough to draw their attention.

“I was out picking flowers with Steve.” You pulled a small bundle of wildflowers from behind your back for proof, and Steve frowned. You saw the question in his eyes without him having to ask, when did you pick those? A small shrug of your shoulder had Steve narrowing his eyes. Your mother, on the other hand, simply nodded -- content with your answer. “Fine, but next time Samuel is to stay by your side and for the love of the Gods, change out of that dress before dinner. You have grass stain all over it.”

You glanced down at the blush-colored fabric and grimaced at the dark green and brown marks covering it. Another dress ruined then. Perhaps you should start wearing black, no need to worry about grass stains when everything you own is black. You opened your mouth to give another feeble excuse behind the stains, but she pointed to your bare feet covered in mud, and your mouth snapped shut.

“Honestly, Y/n. You’re not a teenager. You can’t expect to win over suitors running around with bare feet.”

“I don’t want to win--” Your mother lifted her hands, silencing the same argument you’ve had for months now, and ushered you towards your chambers.

Steve was quiet as he walked a few steps behind you like he was supposed to when you were in public. He waited until the hallway was empty and your room was within sight before he jogged up to your side and asked in a whisper, careful for any spying ears. “Where did those flowers come from? You didn’t have them when we walked through the gates.”

You grinned and linked your arms with the smaller man before placing a small sprig of lavender behind his ear. Your grin widened watching the blush on his cheek spread down his neck, turning his ears bright red.

“We are not supposed to talk about it, Stevie. It’s a secret.”

--------

The sun rose too early for most. Not for you. It was your favorite time of the day. Early morning, just before the sun had a chance to warm the air and spread its light over the olive-colored bushes that rest along the castle walls. It was rare that people were up and moving about the halls, so it gave you the perfect opportunity to sneak out, no Sam and no Steve to watch over you.

You loved them both dearly, but sometimes it was nice to have a few moments alone to be yourself, and it happened to be the perfect time to make your way into the Enchanted Forest. What could be so scary about a few flowers hidden amongst the trees?

That was the very question you asked yourself as you stood at the entrance once more -- alone this time, no one to tell you to go back or run and find Sam after you entered, who drag you back to the ‘safety’ of your home. Maybe you spent too much listening to whispers, there was a voice in your head telling you to go back, but the pull to go in was stronger. It felt as if there was a string wrapped around you and someone was pulling, pulling you into the dark. You pushed your fear aside and ventured into the blackness, passed the trees and thorny vines covering the only entrance for hundreds of miles and the sight before you sucked the air right out of your lungs.

It was beautiful.

Dreary, yes. The trees were nearly on top of each other, and they were so tall you could have sworn, now that you were standing under them, the tops had to touch the clouds. There were vines of some kind tangled from branch to branch connecting every tree you could see for miles. It was strange you couldn’t place the flowers that littered the ground under you. You knew every flower in existence but these, sweet-smelling purple buds had you falling in love with each petal you came across, and you didn’t even know its name.

You were so taken with the beauty surrounding you that you had not realized you wandered so deep the entrance was merely a speck behind you. You should turn back, stay near the edge of the forest but… were those steps? Yes, those were stone steps in the middle of what you knew was the trunk of a dying tree. You could feel it from where you stood, but your curiosity was outweighing the ache. A hundred questions were swimming in your head; how could the steps lead down to anything? And who put them there? Where they did lead to? What was… under all of this?

A preliminary step towards them had your heart racing, and the pull you had felt at the treeline was stronger than ever before. Before your feet could touch the stone, a sparkle caught your attention. You looked up to see what it was, and the darkness was glittering with hundreds of bright blue lights floating in the air.

You grinned and whispered into the quiet, “Fireflies…”

You leaned back against the closet tree, and a soft hum left your lips as you watched the light show above you before it disappeared with the rising sun.  

"Do you hear that?"

It sounded like humming -- the most beautiful humming to ever grace his ears. He didn’t know the song, but the siren that was singing it certainly had his attention. That was a first. Well, the first in a very long while.

"No, my king." The redhead didn’t even glance up. She had no interest in whatever James was talking about, but she could sense he had something on his mind. “I’ve told you over and over I can’t hear anything that happens up there unless I want to and right now, I do not. I’m assuming you’re going up to investigate whatever it is?”

He didn’t answer her question, only listened to the sugary melody drifting down. He liked the way there was no pause, the tune carried on as if she was unafraid of who would hear her. It was fascinating. No one stepped foot into the forest, let alone wandered this far into the middle near his home.

Perhaps he had been gone for too long if people are no longer scared of what lies within. It might be time to change that.

He pulled his legs off the arm of his chair, and gracefully rose to his feet, gently tapping the nose of the orange cat that laid next to him. “No, you stay, Goose. No eyes to scratch out.”  

The melody in his head was getting louder, and by the smirk on his face he had made up his mind, he was heading towards the surface. Natasha watched until he faded from her sight, but that didn’t ease the worry on her face. She leaned back against the chair she was resting in and took a deep breath, letting her bright green eyes fade to a foggy white. If he was going to the surface, she was going to keep a close watch over him.

It didn’t take him long to find the source of the humming. You were standing right on his doorstep, disturbing his rest and his underlings. Had no one taught you manners? Taught you of him? He watched as you leaned over an old tree trunk that was full of water, you let your fingers skim delicately over the top of the water. Manners or not, he was memorized by you. Your hand froze over the water, and you turned to face the trees he was watching you.

“Hello?”

He smirked but not unkindly; he liked the strength in your voice and the look of awe in your eyes as you took in your surroundings. Your eyes landed on the shadow he was hiding in as if you knew he was there and he watched as you took careful steps towards him -- fearful of scaring whoever or whatever was lurking nearby.

“Is someone there? You can come out. I promise I won’t hurt you.”  

He chuckled to himself, amused by your gentle words as if you could hurt him, even if you came with the intention to, you wouldn’t succeed. Your fingers were inches from finding him, and he decided to make himself known for if you inched any closer your hands would be pressed against his chest.

He wondered how long it would be until you were frightened.

"What's your name, sweet thing?" You startled at how close the voice was to you, and you quickly pulled your hand back from the shadow. Whoever it was, they didn’t sound scared of you.

"Y/n. What's yours?"

‘That is not her given name, but she’s unaware.’

The man grinned, and you swore something red glimmered in his eyes, but he spoke the red faded away to nothing, and you were back to staring at a shadow. "I'm afraid my real name would scare you. Didn't you hear about the dangers lurking within the shadows of this forest?"

There were dangers everywhere. What made this forest anymore threatening than the castle you grew up in? There were plenty of threats hiding behind those stone walls. At least out here, none were masking themselves behind pretty clothes and well-practiced smiles.

"What makes you so dangerous?"

The man laughed and slowly stepped out from behind the shadow of the century-old oak. He didn’t look frightening now that he was in the light. He was dressed in all black, dark brown hair tucked behind his ears and bright blue eyes that crinkled when he laughed at you. Only... his left hand, it looked black -- a glove perhaps.

"You don't think I'm dangerous?" He asked, amused, and humoring you no doubt.

Distracting? Yes. Dangerous? No, you would bet your life on it.

"You don't look like it to me."  

He grinned.

"Even roses have thorns, sweet thing."

You stood quietly, your fingers toying with the sheer black fabric of your gown as you watched him. You’ve never seen him before; you would have remembered him if you had. So where had he come from? He met your eyes and quickly averted his gaze; he did not like the way he reacted to feeling your eyes on him. His heart thumped against his chest for the first time in centuries, and it made his skin crawl.

Natasha’s voice in his head rang loudly in his head once more, and it was beginning to grate on his nerves. ‘You’re far too interested in her. Let her go and back home where you belong.’

"I know all about roses and their thorns.” You finally told him, still watching him curiously. “They don't scare me. Thorns can be just as pretty as the petals or haven’t you heard? There’s a bit of beauty in roughness.”

Bucky smirked, and this time she saw the red in his eyes thanks to the sun catching the burning flecks through the holes in the tree canopy. As much as you wanted to stay, you needed to go. The height of the sun meant you had stayed longer than you intended. Steve probably sent himself into an asthma attack looking for you.

"I overstayed my welcome. My friend will be looking for me. I should find him before he panics."

‘Let. Her. Go.’

Bucky snapped the fingers of his left hand, severing his connection to Natasha. He would discuss this with her later. He can only tolerate the Fate interfering in his affairs for so long. She was lucky he entertained it at all. Friend or not, his patience for her games only lasted so long.  

"Will you -- will you come back?" He grimaced at the weak, stutter in his voice. He did, however, like the way it made you smile.

"Would you like me to?"

"I'd like you never to leave." He answered, honestly.

You’ve only talked for a few seconds, and he was wondering when you would return? And where would you stay if you decided to? Sleep in the trees it would seem. It was an odd thing to say to someone you just met. Yes, you’ve met with lords and princes and soldiers, and yes, many were very forward with what they wanted from you, but not one sounded like that. None were a desperate plea to be in your company, and it made your insides warm.

“I can come back tomorrow. At the same time. I only have a few minutes before they realize I’m missing, but I… I can come back tomorrow.”

You pulled a deep red rose that appeared to be pulled out of thin air and held it out for him to take. He reached out with his right hand, leaving the left tucked safely into his side. Showing you his left arm now would only ensure you never came back and that would be a terrible, terrible waste.

“Be careful of the thorns. They pinch.”

He smiled at your worry and nodded towards the edge of the forest. “You better run along. I believe your.. friend is looking for you.”

You couldn’t hear any shouts or see much of anything thanks to how deeply you wandered, but you knew the stranger was right. Steve would have come here once he saw you were nowhere to be found in the castle. You started towards home with tentative steps because truthfully you did not want to go. You turned to peek back at the distractingly handsome man one more time, but he was already gone, and it felt like a hollow pit in your chest.

You hoped you wouldn’t have to sit with it until sunrise tomorrow.

The rose in his hand began to turn black as it slowly burned from the inside out, stemming from where his fingers were gripping it firmly. He watched as the flame delicately worked it’s way up the steam and turned the petals black, and it hardened to a dark stone. A thorn that had yet to turn stuck into his thumb, letting a bit of blood trickle down. He peeled his thumb away and gently sucked the blood from his thumb as he held up the rose to examine it.

He knew every inch of the forest, and this particular rose was not a resident. You just happened to have one at your fingertips.

Intriguing, but everything about you was very intriguing.

“What did you mean it is not her given name?” He asked into the empty surrounding him. A stretch of silence meant Natasha was still mad at him. She would answer him when her anger settled. He waited, staring at the stone flower in his hand as he progressed down the stairs, brick crumbling under the pressure of his feet. The light from above was stamped out by the darkness he carried with him and the screams of those trapped within his walls, and still, the flower in his hand consumed all of his thoughts.

‘Persephone. Her name is Persephone.’

[ariparri]

Christmas Sweater

Here's another story written by cursedautum on Instagram! This was her part of our little story/art trade we've been doing since October. I'll be sharing my part later. She has given me permission again to share the story.

I'm very happy with how it turned out, I just love how cute they are 😭💖 I plan on drawing something for this. But I don't know if I'll have the time due to my busy schedule!!

There are such winter days when you wake up and understand: today you will find something new and very good. It feels like Christmas morning is coming, even if it's just an ordinary winter day outside the apartment door, and nothing special is going to happen. But, as his mother had said to Diego a few years ago, the heart is not ordered, and this applies not only to love. And she was right, as always. 

That morning, Diego and Veruca were walking through the park. It was Saturday, the lazy, restful city was slowly waking up, the pale golden sun streaming down on the ground, drenching the smooth snow with a mother-of-pearl sheen. The sky was so bright and blue, so clear, as if it was a freshly washed window. Icy drops hung from the trees, snow-covered branches intertwined in intricate patterns; somewhere between them, bullfinches hopped about.

Veruca warmed her hands on her cup of hot chocolate and thought about something. Diego looked at her sideways. He rarely understood what she was thinking, but he just liked to look at her. Veruca was beautiful. And not just beautiful, but her own kind of beautiful, different from others. Diego especially liked her eyes — pale green, with thick lashes, serious and a little sly. Only special people have eyes like that.

"What are you thinking?" Diego asked, putting his arm around Veruca. A little girl ran past them, followed by a laughing man and a woman, presumably her parents. Veruca shook her head. "You will be surprised."

"Oh, come on."

"Seriously," Veruca smiled. "I'm not really thinking about anything that special. It's just... you know, I'm thinking about a sweater." and she laughed. Diego's brows went up: "About a sweater? Very thoughtful, Lady McQuaid. What led you to such an unusual thought that not every creature of our mortal world thinks about, may I ask?"

Veruca laughed and poked him in the shoulder, nearly spilling her cocoa. They walked on, hugging each other, and looked at the happy people, well-fed, rested, looking forward to the approaching Christmas, whose spirit crept like an invisible haze through Bristol, hiding behind the twinkling garlands, in the fluffy  tree branches, in the aroma of fresh pastries from the street cafe around the corner. Diego felt happy: he was home, safe, surrounded by friends and the girl he loved. R is no longer there. What else does a peaceful person need for complete happiness? Nothing for him.

Veruca, on the other hand, didn't seem to agree with him.

From that day on, Veruca was not herself. The very next morning, after spending the night with him, she began to search through all the remaining Burberry and I-Wardrobe catalogues in the house with obsessive zeal, looking for something on the glossy pages. These magazines were left in Diego's apartment from the previous owner, and he was not very interested in them, but they added a certain charm to the atmosphere of a creatively bright and cozy apartment.

Veruca had never paid much attention to them before, preferring to chat with him at breakfast or read one of her favorite books, but that morning, after making coffee and cheese toast, Diego noticed that his girlfriend was quickly flipping through the pages of magazines, swallowing their contents along with toasted bread and stringy cheese. It was a surprise to him.

"Hey, Ruca?" Diego laughed nervously. She was so familiar, in his shirt, sitting cross-legged on a chair and chewing on her toast. They liked to eat something unhealthy for breakfast, and for lunch they were content with soup or salad. "Did you want a sweater for Christmas? I was planning on giving you something more interesting."

Veruca looked up at him thoughtfully. "Nah," she smiled a little distantly, as if her thoughts were somewhere out there, far away from the apartment. "It's not for me. It doesn't matter," she put down her magazine and began to talk about how it would be nice to go and visit Coby before Christmas, but the wistful look in her eyes, which still clouded Veruca's gaze, did not disappear.

Sweaters seem to have become Veruca's favorite theme. Now not only Diego, but also Carson, and Tulip, and Penny, and in general absolutely everyone heard some strange questions like: "What style of sweater do you like the most?" or "What color sweater would you wear for the Christmas holiday?"

Penny rightly pointed out that she wouldn't have worn a sweater at all, but would have chosen a dress, and Veruca didn't talk to her for the rest of the day. Once, Talbott glanced sideways at Veruca, who had gotten to Chiara with questions about the warmest sweaters, and pinched his temple in annoyance. On any other day, Diego would have just shut him up — this guy and his girlfriend often annoyed him, but now he just shrugged. Talbott sighed and shook his head in understanding.

Sweaters. Sweaters. Sweaters. Diego didn't understand why Veruca wanted to do this, but in the end he thought that maybe she was looking for a Christmas present for him, her boyfriend. He didn't get a very clear answer from Veruca, but the realization that she was so determined to find him a suitable gift was very flattering to Diego. So maybe he should just wait a little while, and at Christmas Veruca would explain everything to him and give him the best sweater he could get for Christmas.

And he should just wait patiently.

Christmas morning greeted Diego with the smell of pancakes and syrup, the scent of a wreath of mistletoe hanging on the door, and the pale sun flooding the spacious room with a timid light. Diego stretched in bed, remembered it was Christmas, opened his eyes, and heard Veruca singing softly from the kitchen. He almost fell out of bed as he pulled out the box of perfume and the Katrina Richmoney pendant he'd bought just two days ago, knowing that Veruca wanted it so badly, and prepared to give it to her as soon as she came in. But Veruca still didn't come back from the kitchen, and Diego fought down his reluctance to get out of the warm bed, but he got up and went to the kitchen.

Veruca danced by the stove to Dancing Queen, dressed in her favorite niffler pajamas, her hair pulled back in a messy braid, surprisingly deftly turning over thin, crispy, fried pancakes that smelled so good that Diego's stomach rumbled. He came up behind her and purred in a catlike voice, "Good morning, my Christmas fairy."

"Oh!" Veruca jumped, and the pancake fell back into the pan. "Good morning, pretty boy." She quickly turned off the stove, turned to Diego, and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. Diego broke into a satisfied smile. "What are you... oh!"

He pulled from behind his back a cream-colored rectangular box tied with a thin lemon ribbon, with an ornate inscription that read: 'Katrina Richmoney: J&P.' Veruca stared at him blankly for a few seconds, as if seeing him for the first time, and her eyes flashed with an emotional swirl of shock, joy, disbelief and gratitude, she then threw her arms around his neck in joyful delight: "Diego, thank you! Oh thank you, thank you-" she took the box from him, untied the ribbon with a few deft movements, opened the lid, and sighed with delight when she saw a pendant with a shimmering light green stone in the shape of a letter V and a bottle in the shape of a seashell filled with a pleasant-smelling liquid. 

"Oh, that's so sweet!" she smiled slyly. "Will you put it on for me?"

Diego obeyed without question. The pendant fit perfectly around her neck and shaded her eyes beautifully. Veruca immediately tried out the perfume that smelled of cloves, and was completely delighted. 

Diego liked to see her smile. Because of Coby, R, Rakepick, and the Cursed Vaults, she'd forgotten about the emotion of joy for a while, and she didn't smile, so he was acutely aware of her every joy as his own. Diego just wanted Veruca to be happy. Maybe that was why she smiled and laughed and just enjoyed life more because it mattered to him how she felt.

"Where's my present?" Diego moved closer to Veruca and almost pressed her against the countertop. She smelled of syrup and pancake batter. He wanted to surprise her by telling her that he already knew all about the sweater, because even a blind man would have noticed her obsession, but he decided to tell her after she handed him her present. No need to spoil the surprise.

"Do you want it?" Veruca asked playfully.

"Well, can you be my present, hmm? I was just dreaming that I got something sweet for Christmas. I think it's you. Or pancakes."

"Silly cute boy," Veruca laughed softly. Then she twisted around with a grin. "I'll go get your present."

"Of course, my love," Diego gave her his most charming grin, and she went into the other room while he started on the pancakes. Although Veruca had never been much of a cook, today's breakfast was so delicious that when she returned, Diego had eaten almost half of the pancakes and washed them down with a glass of milk.

Veruca returned with a surprisingly small box, and Diego was surprised to see that it was not the sweater she had been raving about for the past two weeks, but a white box with the inscription WizWatch — one of the most popular and expensive brands of wristwatches. The latest model.

Diego had often seen it in shop windows, but he never thought he'd get one from his girlfriend. It was, perhaps, very pleasant, and he could not even find the words to look at the gift that Veruca handed him with an expectant smile, but there was one question that still haunted him, despite the fact that the watch was his long-standing wish.

"Oh, that's just awesome!" he quickly opened the box. The watch glittered like a brand-new galleon with its smooth black dial and almost begged to be worn on his wrist. "Damn, babe, I've been dreaming about this watch since summer!"

"I know," Veruca said, smiling contentedly as they headed back to their room. Diego stared at the clock for a long time, and Veruca kept turning in front of the mirror, watching the pale green pendant shimmer in the timid sunlight. Diego stared at her, homely and comfortable, and finally decided to ask a question that might break their morning idyll, but the answer was too important. He cleared his throat, walked over to Veruca, wrapped his fingers around her shoulders, and murmured, "And that famous sweater you were obsessed with? Was it for me?"

Veruca looked up at him. For a few seconds, she looked as if the mirror reflected not her boyfriend, but some strange person, and an idiot. Then she burst out laughing.

Diego, not understanding, even stepped back. Veruca laughed, she laughed so hard that tears came out of her eyes, and he stood there, not understanding what was happening, and he felt like a complete idiot: why the hell was she laughing? Veruca, on the other hand, could not calm down her burst into such infectious laughter that in the end Diego himself began to laugh nervously, still not fully aware of what he was laughing at. More precisely, without even realizing what he was laughing at. But his girlfriend clearly understood everything and finally just fell on the bed, bending over with laughter. When she stopped, she looked at Diego and groaned: "The sweater... wasn't... for you."

"I've already guessed," he said, still smiling, but now in a jealous tone. Not him. Then who? Coby, one of their mutual friends? "Who then?" Veruca gave another stifled laugh, wiped away a tear, "Gambat."

Diego just stared at her for a few seconds  with the most stony expression on his face. "What?" he asked. Really, what?

"Gambat," said Veruca. "You know, my bat. Here, take a look." she pointed to the ceiling. Diego looked up and saw Gambat, Veruca's pet. He was hanging from the ceiling in a tiny green sweater with white Christmas trees and a red deer. Suddenly, two emotions seized him by the throat: amusement at his own stupidity and jealousy. Of course, it's strange to be jealous of your girlfriend's pet, but... yes, he was. Veruca must have sensed it, because she held out her hand to him and said: "You're offended."

"Nothing like that," Diego said. Veruca got up, walked over to him, stood on her tiptoes, and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him. The world swayed and seemed to be rapidly slipping away from under his feet. "I love you," Veruca said, smiling slyly. "You're a jealous fool, Diego Caplan, but I still love you. Merry Christmas."

"And you're crazy and incomprehensible, Veruca McQuaid, but I still love you, too," Diego grinned. "Merry Christmas," he said, and pulled her into a giddy kiss as they both giggled. 

Gambat, who was watching them from the ceiling, gave a barely audible snort and covered himself with his wings for show, but continued to watch the couple from his hiding place and cheerfully glittered with black transparent, cunning, beadlike eyes.

Merry Christmas, sweet couple!

[harley-sunday]

Final Approach [01]

Summary: Something’s different at Sandspit Airport when you return after some much needed time off. 

Pairing: Chris Evans x reader (f)

Warnings: Language

Word count: 3352

AN: This has been sitting in my drafts for a while now and I think I’m finally ok with putting it out there. You can blame my endless love for NGC’s ‘Air Crash Investigation’ (no crash involved here though!) and having worked in aviation for this. That it involves Chris Evans is somehow a given for me because he just seems to ‘fit’ the story.   For the observant reader - yes I already posted this a week ago, but I didn’t like the direction it was taking and so I changed some things around. You might want to reread :) 

Masterlist

You stifle a yawn just as Deb appears at your table with the Cobb salad you ordered a couple of minutes earlier, earning you a kind smile from the older woman before she says something that you don’t quite catch. Like pretty much always, Mike, the bartender, has turned the music up way too loud and so you point to your ear before you shake your head to let Deb know you didn't get any of what she said.

"You work too hard," she says, her voice raised just enough for it to reach you over the outro of Bruce Springsteen's 'Born to Run', the look on her face nothing short of judgmental, her arms now crossed in front of her chest for good measure. When your parents moved back to the mainland a little over ten years ago, Deb promised them to take good care of you and so you’re used to this by now.

There's a lull in the music then, in which you assure her you're fine even though you know she doesn't believe you. You sit upright to appear more awake but the scowl doesn’t disappear and you know there’s nothing you can do to convince her otherwise. She’s right, of course she is, but you can’t let her know that, now can you? “Must be because I just had a couple of weeks off,” you try in a last ditch effort, “too much sleep, I guess.”

The way she nods lets you know she doesn't really believe you but that she'll let it go for now. It's at that moment Mike turns up the volume even more for Chumbawamba's 'Tubthumping' to let everyone know happy hour is about to begin. A loud cheer erupts inside Don Cherry’s Bar and so all you can do is smile in a way that you hope tells her there’s nothing to worry about.

Deb just winks and mouths, "Enjoy your meal!" She never could stay angry for too long.

Like every Friday night the bar is slowly filling up, most if not all of the patrons Prince Rupert locals who have known each other, and thus by default you, since pretty much the day they were born. The high table you're sat at is closest to the door and so all throughout your meal a chorus of, "Hey, how are ya?" and, "Good, how about yourself?" echoes around you as more and more people make their way inside.

There’s chatter all around you but you eat in silence, eager to finish your meal and head home. No happy hour for you tonight, you still need to unpack and get some laundry done before you get back to work on Monday.  

As if on cue Deb brings your bill the moment you push the plate away from you, because that’s how well she knows you. You hand her your card and while you wait for her to return it you grab your jacket off the back of your chair and put it on, pulling the zipper all the way up because you know it’s going to be cold outside. They’ve predicted some snow over the weekend, which is unusual on the island, but there has been a chill in the air that tells you the forecast might be right.

Deb hands you your card and the receipt back with a smile and tells you to enjoy your weekend.

You’re about to tell her you will, but she’s already rushing off to another table and so instead you wave to Mike who winks at you from behind the bar. You greet a few other people on your way out and nod to the guy who’s holding the door open for you, who you recognize as someone you went to Kindergarten with.

It’s dark outside even though it’s still early, but that’s how it is this time of year. You hurry towards your car, hands deep in your pockets and shoulders up high, trying as much as possible to shield yourself from the cold. It’s not much better inside though and you’re quick to start the car so you can at least get the heater going. It takes you a few tries to get the engine running, but your car is old and always acts up when the temperatures drop below forty degrees and so you are not too worried.

That is until you’re almost halfway home and all of a sudden there’s a weird shudder that runs through your car before the ‘check engine’ light comes on. Before you even have a chance to react everything shuts off and you come to a complete standstill on the middle of the road. 

“Fuck.” 

Sixth Avenue isn’t a particularly busy street, day or night, and there are street lights on either side, but you still turn on your hazard lights, relieved to see they at least still work. With a sigh you get out and kick the front tire for good measure before you realize you’re going to have to push your car off the road until it can get towed. Leaning back in you put it in neutral and grab a hold of the steering wheel before you try to push it to get it moving. 

It won’t budge.

Fine. It’s fine. You’ll just leave it here for now and call Burt to come pick it up. His tow trucking service’s only a few miles away so it shouldn’t take too long. You take your phone out of your back pocket and push the home button only to see the screen light up with a battery warning. Of course. Unlocking your phone proves to be too much and so that dies on you too then. 

It takes everything you have not to scream in frustration and so you aren’t really paying attention to what’s going on around you.

“You ok?” 

The voice comes out of nowhere and scares the shit out of you and so you can’t help but curse, “Jesus!”

“I’m sorry,” he takes a step back, hands up to show you he means no harm, “I’m sorry. I just wanted to see if you were alright and if you need any help.“

“Well, you scared the shit out of me,” you say even though, in all honesty, you’re glad there’s someone kind enough to come up to you. You take him in and realize you don’t know him, which is weird, because over here there really are no strangers. It’s hard to get a good look at his face though, because he’s wearing a baseball cap that’s pulled low over his eyes, the logo on it not one you recognize. It’s then you notice a dog sitting next to him, patiently waiting for whatever comes next. 

You’re about to ask him if he’s new here but then he interrupts your thoughts, “But you’re alright?”

“I’m fine,” you assure him. You motion towards your car then, “This thing though, not so much. And my phone’s dead, so you know, double the fun.”

He chuckles, “What’s wrong with it?”

“I think it’s the battery. I mean, you get an iPhone and you would think that by now they would have figured out how to make the battery last longer than one day, but no-“

“I was talking about the car,” he interrupts you and laughs, “but if you want to talk shit about Apple products for a little longer, please, be my guest.”

You smile and shrug, “It’s an old car, who knows what’s wrong with it? Maybe you could have a look?”

He puts his hands in his pockets and kicks the gravel at his feet, not looking at you now, “I’m not really that great with cars.”

You snort, “So much for helping a lady out.” 

“Hey,” he crosses his arms in a defensive manner, but smiles anyway, “at least I have a cell phone that’s fully charged, thank you very much.”

You throw him a wink, “That’s the one thing you have going for you at this moment.”

“Listen, why don’t I call someone for you and I’ll wait here until they arrive?”

“That’s really not necessary,” you hold up your hands when you see his eyebrows knit together in confusion, “I mean the call, yes, please, but really, you don’t have to wait here with me. I’ll be fine.”

“You sure?” He doesn’t sound convinced. “Let me at least call first to see how long it’ll take.” 

“Fine.” You give him Burt’s number and listen as he tells him where you’re at and what’s going on while you take a step closer to pet his dog, his tail wagging when you scratch him behind his ears. You can’t hear what’s being said on the other end, but he ends the call with a “Thank you,” shortly after.

‘He’ll be here in five,”

“See,” you nod, “I’ll be fine.” 

“Well, if you’re sure,”

“I am.” It’s not that you don’t want him to stay, it’s just that you don’t want to hold him here on a Friday night, you’re sure he’s got other things to do. You smile at him, “Thanks for your help though.”

He lets out a low whistle that has his dog jump to its feet, “No worries.”  

You’re quietly singing along to the song that’s been stuck in your head since the moment you got up this morning when a flicker of light on your left draws your attention. A quick glance over your shoulder and out of the window has you smiling, the reflection of the sun in the water of Mathers Lake bouncing around beautifully, like a welcome back sign from Louise Island. All around the lake there are flecks of orange and yellow, surrounded by fir trees that stay a dark shade of lush green all-year round.

Seeing Mathers Lake lets you know you’re almost at your destination and so you hit the switch to transmit the call to let Joanne know you’re on your way, “Sandspit Tower, this is PASCO seven five, fifteen miles out south, requesting inbound.”

“PASCO seven five, report over channel three for runway one left.”

You’re about to respond, almost absentmindedly, like you’ve done a hundred times before, but then you realize something’s off. It takes you a moment to realize what it is. Because unless Joanne’s voice suddenly dropped a few octaves, there’s someone else in the tower. Panic hits you almost instantly, knowing Joanne would never give up her seat out of free will. Hell, she tends to joke she’ll be at Sandspit until the days she- Oh shit.

“PASCO seven five?” The unfamiliar voice returns. “Report over channel three for runway one left.”

“Who the hell are you and what did you do to Joanne?” It comes out more like an accusation and less like the question you intended it to be, but you’re freaking out just a little bit because why isn’t Jo answering your call? Jesus, you were only gone four weeks.

“PASCO seven five, please confirm.”

There’s a lot more authority in his voice and it sets you on edge almost immediately. This can’t be a good sign. Right? You let out a frustrated sigh with the mic still open before you respond, “Sandspit Tower, PASCO seven five, reporting over channel three for runway one left.” Then, as an afterthought, “You still owe me an explanation though.”

“PASCO seven five,” there’s a hint of irritation seeping through now, “do I need to remind you of protocol?”

You roll your eyes even though he can’t see you, but also because you know he’s right. You’ve broken just about every aviation protocol there is, but things like that never really mattered at Sandspit Airport, not until now anyway. Apparently whoever took over from Joanne is a stickler for the rules. Cursing quietly, you switch to channel three even though he’ll still be the one taking your call because Sandspit Airport isn’t big enough for Tower and Ground to be separate departments. And because you’re still a little upset and want to stick it to him, you put on the voice you only ever use at Bella Coola airport, where the woman working at ATC is an absolute bitch, “Sandspit Ground, PASCO seven five, requesting inbound on runway one left, if it so pleases you.” Then in a sing-song voice, “Thank you.”

The reply comes almost immediately and is as unfazed as it was before, “PASCO seven five, enter right for runway.”

Shaking your head ever so slightly you try to regain your focus - you have an airplane to land, after all. You’ll figure out what happened to Jo once you’re on the ground, you decide, before you sit up in your seat and relay the latest information, “Sandspit Ground, PASCO seven five, entering right for runway. Seven miles out.”

You’ve just started the checklist needed before you can start your descent when his voice returns, a little kinder now, “Joanne retired two weeks ago, by the way.” 

“I’m sorry, what?” Any concern for protocol has disappeared, knowing full well things aren’t as strict once you’re on Ground frequency. At least that doesn’t seem to have changed.

“She didn’t tell you?”

“No,” you shake your head even though no one can see you, “no, she did not.”

“I’m sorry.”

Realizing how defeated you must have sounded, you clear your throat before you continue, “Sandspit Ground, PASCO seven five, four miles out, please stand by.” You end the call and try to clear your head, knowing you need to focus on the task at hand. No matter how small the plane, taking off and landing are where most fatal errors happen and so there’s no room for distraction. But the checklist isn’t long and everything is as it should be and so you call back not much later, “Sandspit Ground, ready for final approach, please advise.”

“PASCO seven five, confirmed on runway one left.”

Even though Joanne won’t be there to greet you, you can’t help but smile when you see the Sandspit Air Traffic Control Tower in front of you, the two runways of the small airport looking as pristine as ever, no doubt thanks to Joe’s commitment to the place and his new sweeper. “Sandspit Ground, PASCO seven five, ready for touchdown on runway one left.”

“PASCO seven five, landing confirmed. Please taxi via Delta over to parking nineteen, one-niner.”

You scoff, pretty sure you heard the hint of a snicker coming through over the radio, “All the way in the back? Really?”

“Protocol, PASCO seven five," he replies almost instantly, but he doesn't sound all that serious.

“Fine,” you mutter before repeating, “Sandspit Ground, PASCO seven five, parking one-niner, taxi via Delta confirmed.” You lean forward in your seat a little as you fly past the tower, trying to catch a glimpse of this mysterious new air traffic controller. No such luck of course, because the mirrored windows only show the reflection of your plane. 

Almost there, you think to yourself then, as you take a deep breath that you hold in until you feel your wheels hit the tarmac and you get to add another successful flight to your record. Superstitious? Maybe. But you’d rather be safe than sorry.

“Nice landing, PASCO seven five,” he compliments once you’ve touched down. “Dave will be your valet for today. Please standby.”

“At least Dave’s still here,” you joke quietly. “PASCO seven five, standing by.”

Your smile only grows wider when you see Dave guiding you onto your parking spot, because like Jo he’s been at Sandspit for as long as you can remember. Once you’re in the right place you kill your engine and wait for the propeller to slow down somewhat before you open your door and jump down onto the tarmac, “Hi Dave!”

“Hey kid, how have you been?” He gently slaps your shoulder, always considering you one of the guys albeit being a little less rough with you. Which you appreciate. “How was your holiday?”

“Good, good,” you reply while you take off your sunglasses and put them in the pocket of your jacket.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah, it was nice to be away for a while,” you admit easily.

Dave nods understandingly, “Sort of like a fresh start, eh?”

‘I guess it was,” you agree, although you don’t really want to talk about it. Not now. And so you change the subject rather abruptly, “But what’s this I hear about Jo retiring?”

“Well, you know she was long overdue anyway,” Dave explains as he opens your cargo door, “and then Roger had some troubles with his heart a couple of weeks back, right after you left, and I guess she decided enough was enough, ya know?”

“Hmm,” you respond absentmindedly, trying to figure out if you have time to go see Joanne and Roger soon, a little disappointed when you realize it won’t be for at least another couple of weeks. “Roger’s ok now, though?”

“Sure is,” he says with a wink, “they’re tough, those two.”

“Just like you,” you offer kindly, even though you absolutely mean it. Dave is one of the most dedicated ground crew out there and always ready to give you a hand even though you’ve told him many times already you’re more than capable to handle your own. Something Dave somehow never seems to remember.

“Oh stop it,” he grins, as he reaches into the cargo hold and grabs the first bag of mail, “you’re making me blush.”

“So…” you draw out, “who’s the guy replacing Jo?” You take the bag from him and place it on the back of his truck, “Sucker for protocol or what?”

“He’s not that bad,” Dave offers, “came in right after Jo left, from somewhere on the east coast I think. We still busy teaching him how things work around here.” He laughs then, “Don’t worry, kid, Joe and I will have him whipped into shape for you in no time.”

“Ah, thanks Dave,” you reply as you take another bag from him, “I knew I could count on you.”

“You know I got your back, kid.” He turns to you then and nods to his truck, “Let’s get some coffee before we load you up for your trip back, eh?”

Enjoying a cup of freshly brewed coffee you listen to Dave as he brings you up to date to the latest news and gossip at Sandspit Airport. Turns out none of the crew particularly liked the guy they sent in to replace you while you were on holiday, and once you learn it’s Chad Dave’s talking about you can’t help but agree. The guy’s a dick.  

“Alright, kid,” Dave grunts as he gets up out of his chair after putting his now empty cup down on the table, “let’s get you loaded.”

There’s just one mail bag to take with you this time and some empty crates you know have to go back to Vancouver Airport eventually, and so loading only takes a couple of minutes. Before you know it you’re back in your seat, calling the tower once you’ve filled out the departure forms, “Sandspit Tower, PASCO seven five, at parking nineteen, one-niner, ready for departure.”

There’s no immediate reply but you decide to give him a couple of minutes, after all you’re not really in a rush. Plus, you figure, he might be occupied with some of the sightseeing planes that always circle the island in the afternoon and so you busy yourself with the weather forecast instead.

He comes on not much later, sounding a little out of breath as though he has been running, “PASCO seven five, hold short for runway two right via Charlie.”

You decide to ignore the probability of having caught him on a bathroom break and instead confirm, “Sandspit Tower, PASCO seven five, holding short for runway two right via Charlie.” As you line up at the runway you glance at the tower again, but of course there’s nothing to see from the ground and so you shrug and call him instead, “Sandspit Tower, PASCO seven five, ready for takeoff.”

“PASCO seven five, fly straight out until advised, runway two right, cleared for takeoff.”

“Sandspit Tower, PASCO seven five, taking off, flying straight out.” You open the throttle and build up speed as you move along the runway until finally there’s liftoff and you’re steadily climbing higher and higher. Some people ask if it never gets old, flying from one small airport to the other, the flights only three and a half hours at most, but you always assure them that even after seven years you still get as excited to get airborne as you did the first time.

“PASCO seven five,” he says, his breathing back to normal, “turn at your discretion.”

“Sandspit Tower, PASCO seven five, will turn at my discretion.” Then, because there’s no need to blame him for Jo’s departure and it’s always nice to be on good terms with ATC, “See you on Thursday.”

“Safe travels,” he responds and you swear you hear a hint of a smile.

“Sandspit Tower,” you scold, already starting to laugh at your own joke, “do I need to remind you of protocol?”

[kova-killian]

Lady of Light episode 2

Alrune keeps pace with Thallan and the silhouette of Linden comes over the horizon cast in a golden haze as the fog begins to roll in and the sun starts to dip down.

Thallan reaches the city gates before the rest of them, "open quickly! There's wolves behind us!" He yells up to the guards standing atop the wooden wall.

The gates open just enough for the horse's to fit through and slam shut behind them as the growling of the wolves on the path grow closer. Axelia gently pats the agitated, panting Alrune as they make their way to the inn. The red roofs of the town cast a strange red glow onto the streets below. Thallan goes inside the inn for a moment but tosses his cloak behind him, annoyed.

"There are no rooms available anywhere in town." He scowls, "we have to get moving, maybe we can reach the Glen before the sun completely sets." He looks at Axelia worried.

"Is the Glen safe from the wolves?" She asks.

"It's surrounded by silver ore, they can't cross the threshold." Pierre smiles at her.

"Let's move." Thallan snaps as he gets back in his saddle, "I'm sorry I couldn't get you anything warmer, it's going to get colder the closer we get to home." He tilts his head at her as they make their way through town to the other gates by the church.

"It's fine, I have my wool cloak." Axelia nods at him.

Out of the gates again, Axelia keeps her ears trained on the sounds of the forest. The darkness starts to set in and the crystals on her daggers glow.

Axelia quickly looks down and then at Thallan, "magic crystals?" He asks.

"It tells me what kind of danger is near. White means we're safe, moss is an Ogre, red is wolves, pink is Pixies."

"Well we're worried about wolves so keep an eye on her daggers lads." Thallan calls back.

"Yes sir." They all say together.

The eerie air around them keeps Axelia’s nerves on edge as not even the moon's glow touches them in these deep woods. Every small animal scurrying in the fallen leaves makes her flinch.

"Not out much Duchess?" One of the knights chuckles.

"I was hunted while I was trying to run away for the last five days. Pretty sure it was those wolves." Axelia gives him a snarky smile before listening to the forest again.

"She's on edge Vax, shut up. Duke Luvon was a skilled hunter and he taught her, she knows what she's doing." Pierre punches the young knight's shoulder.

"Quiet." Thallan hisses.

"Yes, sir." They whisper.

Axelia’s eyes widen as she listens, but all she hears are happy voices up ahead and a soft silver glow lighting the path.

Paying attention to the voices, none of them notice her daggers glowing red. Out of the darkness of the forest, six Werewolves attack, sending Alrune bucking, knocking Axelia to the ground and unbuckling her weapon from the saddle. She curls into herself and guards her neck as all the horses react violently, before running off towards the soft silver light.

Thallan grabs Axelia and pulls her to her feet before whipping her towards the silver glowing light, “Run!” he snaps as he pulls his sword from his hip.

That's a fairy glen blade. . .

How does he have a fairy glen blade?

She darts for the soft glow of the Glen but stumbles back towards Thallan as one of the wolves pounces onto the path in front of her. She takes a deep breath and pulls her claymore from her back. Planting her feet, the wolf charges at her. She clenches her jaw and squeezes her eyes shut readying herself for the inevitable impact. But it doesn’t come, only the sickening sound of hardened limp flesh smacking the compacted path. And then Thallan’s calloused hand swiftly grabbing her jaw as his gloves and sword clatter to the ground next to her.

Her eyes snap open, his eyes searching her for wounds. He gently takes her sword from her hands and hands it to the equally panicked knights behind him. As if he had been holding his breath he lets out a long sigh and as his stern worried expression softens.

“Don’t look at me like that,” she stammers. “I’ve never fought a werewolf before.”

Thallan smiles, “you don't have to explain. They caught us off guard.”

“Take her to the Glen, we’ll search for the horses.” Pierre hands her sword back to Thallan.

Thallan reaches down for his bloodied sword without taking a hand off of Axelia. Without hesitation he pulls her towards the voices in the silver glow of the Glen.

"Wait, we don't know who's there." She resists his pulling.

He smiles at her concern, "they are brother knights, they fought the dragon while my men and I went for the fortress."

"The Opal dragon?"

"Yes, their leader took him down."

Great. . . dragon slayers.

He realizes Chain Breaker is a dragon right?

She gives in and follows next to him, "if you trust them. . ." She sighs.

The sound of a soft stream fills the silence as they step inside the circle of silver ore. All the voices go quiet as the tired eyed knights turn towards them.

"Lord Thallan! I thought you would have been in your little fishing village by now!" A man taller than Thallan with blue black hair and onyx eyes smirks as he stands from the roaring fire.

"Just picking up a certain Duchess of castle Luvon, Drest." He smiles looking down at Axelia.

Drest finally notices her, "Oh! Well my apologies Lady Axelia! Go sit, I insist." He furrows his brow at Thallan as she walks away but still within earshot. "Was Luvon serious?"

"Her bitchy step mother forced me to marry her before allowing her to leave." Thallan grumbles as a knight with soft grey eyes hands Axelia a warm bowl of stew.

"Lady Cordelia?"

"She's horrid. The way Luvon talked about Axelia I expected her to be this proper noble woman. She tried taking on a wolf just now." Thallan looks over at her.

"Is that what I heard?"

"Yeah." He lets out a frustrated sigh, "the four men that came with me are looking for the horse's that were startled. You didn't happen to see a jet black Clydesdale run through here did you?"

Drest furrows his brow, "I think it ran down to the river, I'll go check. Go sit and eat supper with your pretty new wife." He pokes fun.

"Oh fuck off." Thallan punches Drest's arm as he laughs before joining Axelia.

They sit around the fire with the dragon slayers. She tries to be meek about her hunger but it takes over and she devours two large potatoes, the bowl of stew and a few pieces of bread before Drest, Pierre, and the three other knights that were looking for the horses return. The Glen becomes more lively when everyone's stomach is content. The knights get rowdy, singing pub songs about the dragons they killed and the rogue king. Thallan even joins in the fun as they toss around a piece of broken dragon horn. Axelia watches him closely. He wasn't beastly like Cordelia and her sisters had said, only a man with a playful side from a fishing village.

She covers her mouth as she yawns and Alrune lays down for the night after eating grain with the other horses.

So tired. . .

Axelia quietly slips away from the fire and over to Alrune. She lays against him and gently places her wool cloak over herself.

“Where’d Axelia go?” Thallan breathlessly asks just before she drifts off.

[httpfandoms]

Make a Move (Yancy x Female!Reader)

So, hey! I decided to start writing this year actually so take this small little Yancy thing I’ve been thinking about because I love my boy <3

This idea was inspired by a fic (Kiss the Girl, I think?) that I can’t really find anymore with the same concept of the inmates singing to Yancy and Y/N for him to confess his love to her. I’m using Make a Move (hence the title :3 ) from Shrek the Musical But I’ll be making some adjustments and remove some parts that don’t really make sense. I recommend listening to it while reading this to set the mood~~ (play it right before the bold/italic letters) I also recommend listening to the whole album and watching the musical, it’s up on Netflix I believe! So without further ado 💕

~Color Coded for Lyrics~

(Jimmy the Pickle is only the sound guy, y’know those beatbox people with the deep voice and all so he doesn’t really sing ;3)

BamBam

Sparkles McGee

Tiny

Everyone else singing/Joining in/ Background

——

“It’s almost disgusting...in a cute way of course.”

Tiny let out a small huff, blowing hair out of her face as her and the gang sat at a nearby table in the courtyard. Their eyes were fixed on the sight of their leader, Yancy sitting right beside you. Yancy didn’t seem to notice his friends glancing their way as his eyes were fixed on you and you only.

The two of you had come out from the cafeteria, holding your plates of food the cooks had fixed up for dinner. Bright smiles crossed both your faces, cheeks growing pink every once in awhile that your shoulders brushed together. Poor Yancy had to hold himself back from just taking your hand or getting any form of physical contact from you. He understood boundaries, of course. Ever since you got here, the tough guy trope the rest of the inmates were used to from him seemed to disappear anytime you were near. Of course, Yancy denied it but they all noticed it.

“It’s driving me mad! Why don’t we do anything?”

“Well what can we do, Sparkles? Any suggestions?”

BamBam threw his hands up in the air and questioned his friend, Sparkles McGee, who now wore a frown as the group seemed to grunt at a loss for any ideas. They looked to the oblivious, totally in-love inmates sitting side by side at a bench.

You were munching on your sandwich as Yancy went on telling you about his new musical number he was practicing with his little group. The two of you were just lost in a trance of eachothers eyes. It drove crazy the inmates and guards— hell, even MurderSlaughter could see something going on between the two and he got quite a kick of it, teasing Yancy over it anytime he got the chance.

“I’ve got it.”

The group turned to Jimmy the Pickle, a determined look on his face while they wore a shocked one.

“I’m sorry, you? You have an idea?”

“Can it, Bam.”

Jimmy pointed a stern finger to BamBam who flinched slightly as he held his hands up in defense.

“What Yancy needs is some help. I’m sure we can cook up a nice number for him to...make a move on the lil’ lady of his.”

He hummed as the others seemed to catch on, Tiny and Sparkles hopping off the table they sat on as BamBam seemed to smile at the thought. Sparkles let out a small whistle, getting a few of their friends attention. Jimmy started to whistle a small, funky tune as the gang started to slowly approach the unsuspecting ‘couple.’

“There’s something going on around here.

We’ve been watching and the signals are clear.

A nervous laugh when she brushes his skin,

The sweaty palms, the big dopey grin.”

Yancy seemed to flinch at the sudden beginning of a song, seeing BamBam start singing. He was trying to stay calm like you who didn’t quite seem to notice for some reason. He glanced over your shoulder to look at his friends approach you from behind, their small number clearly directed towards him.

“Is something wrong, Yancy?”

“What? O-Oh! No! Um...no, everything’s fine! Youse just...have a little something here, ‘s all...!”

Yancy was quick to reply to your question, a little distracted over his friend’s movements. He reached a hand to fix your hair behind your ears and get the ‘little something’ off of you. The light of the setting sun hit your skin just oh so perfectly. You seemed to tense at the touch of his fingertips gracing your cheek before he quickly pulled away, taking a large bite off his sandwich.

The gang let out a hum and BamBam kept singing, joined soon by Sparkles.

“Mmm-mmm~

With a giggle and a flip of her hair,

We smell the pheromones in the air!

Making goo-goo eyes over their food,

They need our help here in setting mood.”

Yancy seemed to glare at them, rolling his eyes as you went back to eating your slice.

BamBam was quick to jump behind Yancy who was almost startled but remained his cool, trying to ignore him. The gang’s humming and movements seemed to stop before quickly continuing, snapping their fingers.

“You gotta turn up the heat,

You gotta butter the pan. You gotta—

(Make a move, and don’t be afraid!)

Reach for her hand, maybe give her a kiss?

(She’s waiting for a move to be made!)

You gotta— (gotta)

Gotta— (gotta)

Gotta— (gotta, yeah!)

You gotta make a move!

(You gotta make a move!)”

BamBam, Sparkles, Tiny, And Jimmy shock their bodies in sync to the chorus. To be completely honest, Yancy was impressed but he denied on realizing the lyrics were real events happening just now. He just couldn’t comprehend how he got weak at the knees seeing your hair flow away from your face, his palms growing sweaty each time she spoke of looked to him. That smile of yours would make him do anything for it to always be because of him.

Man, he hated how right they were he cursed himself for being this much of a coward to do something over his little crush.

You on the other hand...god, your thoughts about him basically muted anything else going on around you. Probably the reason you couldn’t hear the show number going on. Too focused on the goofy inmate in front of you to even notice his friends singing.

Yancy could feel his friends rise from behind him, a slow, gentle tune coming from them as they moved slowly.

“Boss...we know you can’t hear us right now,

But if you could,

We’d wanna say a few things to ya’.

We are in your corner sir—

But you have go to tell this girl

What you are really feelin’ deep down!”

BamBam and Tiny switched between each other. Yancy’s leg started to bounce slightly before he furrowed his brows, a stern and determined look on him before turning to you as he gripped his fist above his knee.

“You may not get another chance,

So just go on now.

Just open your heart and...”

“Uh, (Y/N)?”

“Here we go!”

“Yes, Yancy?”

“Oh, he’s gonna tell her!”

“I uh,”

“I can’t take this...!”

“Well, I was...”

“Uh-Huh?”

“I was wondering...”

“Okay!”

“I was wondering...”

“Spit it out!!”

The whole yard went silent, his friends leaning over the bench as the inmates leaned in to listen carefully to his next words.

Yancy faltered in his speech as you gave him a bright, hopeful smile.

“A-Are you g-gonna eat that...?”

You looked down as he pointed to your sandwich. Yancy saw you furrow his brows before you handed him the second piece of your lunch with a smile. The others groaned in annoyance, their heads thrown back or facepalming at their love sick leader.

“Man, What is WRONG with you?!”

“You! Gotta—

Make a move, you gotta shift into gear!

You gotta (buckle down and give it it a whirl!)

The scene is set right out of a book,

With a sunset, and a beautiful girl!

So you gotta— (Gotta)

Gotta— (Gotta)

Gotta— (Gotta, Yeah!)

You gotta make a move! (You gotta make a move!)”

“You gotta use the sunset!

What a beautiful sunset, baby!

Woah, oh yeah~!”

You perked up at the sound of a loud bell ringing, signifying the end of the dinner as guards shouted for everyone to head inside for curfew. Yancy looked to you as you threw your plate away, his eyes longing to tell you how he felt. He could feel his heart thumping like crazy in his ears!

His friends and inmates still sang and danced as they went to their designated buildings, piling up inside. Some prisoners from inside watched the two of you still side by side. Without a word, Yancy took your wrist making you gasp before being spun around.

“You gotta reach for the ring,

You gotta give it a shot.”

Your bright, surprised eyes looked up to him as you held onto his biceps for support. Oh my god, his biceps could crush a watermelon...

His hands...His gentle hands rested at your waist and it almost made you putty in his hands.

You took a good look at his features.

“Yancy...?”

“Grab the bull by the horns, or give up the pot!!”

Warm, soft lips crashed into yours as you were dipped down, this time having to wrap your arms around his neck. His lips were on yours...Yancy was kissing you in front of everyone for all the prisoners and guards to see. Your eyelids fell shut as you savored the moment and kissed back.

“Woo! And make a move!”

BamBam managed out his last sentence before being tugged into their building by Sparkles. He let out another cheer from the window, muffled to the others from the noise being canceled out.

Yancy pulled away slowly, his eyes fluttering open as he looked down to you. Your eyes had stars in them over what you had just experienced. Too caught up in the moment, you failed to see some inmates obviously amused at the show provided and some guards being handed a few bucks from other guards after making a bet.

A bright smile formed across your face as you were lifted up slightly.

“Hmm...creative...”

You nodded as Yancy grinned from ear to ear, holding you close.

“Well...youse Uh, deserve the very best. I knows I ain’t that but...I love you, (Y/N).”

Yancy rubbed the back of his neck as he glanced to the side before your hands cupped his cheeks. Your thumb graced over his lips.

“Yeah...I kind of figured after that kiss.”

You giggled, shoulders rising from the motion as Yancy gently took your wrist.

“And I love you too, Yancy...I’ll love you more if you kiss me again...?”

A blush formed on your cheeks as his eyes widened, a low chuckle leaving him before taking your waist and pulling you close.

“Oh, I can arrange tha—“

“BACK TO YOUR CELLS! ALL OF YOU! I DON’T WANT ANYONE UP AFTER CURFEW OR YOU’LL BE SENT TO THE DITCH!”

They jumped back from each other at MurderSlaughter’s cries before seeing him come over to the two, adjusting his suit tie. Without knowing until he looked down between the two, their hands were interlocked together.

“Ah, I see we got two lovebirds in here, huh? Get to your cell, the both of ya.”

He scolded as Yancy was quick to drag you and himself out of the courtyard. You smiled softly at the sight of your hands together.

“I better not have noise complaints or any funny business happening from you two!”

MurderSlaughter laughed time himself seeing the deep red blush creep up on your faces as the lights flicked on in the courtyard.

—

Ugh, I know terrible. It’s my first time writing something like...Ego related that isn’t theories! Heh! But I hope some of you liked it, there may be mistakes since I was in a rush since that’s why the ending was a bit abrupt but I apologize! Anyways, I may cook up something else in the future for Illinois or something, who knows! ;) But for now, buh-bye! 👋🏻