#My favorite part of this is Duck’s whole body being the size of Slam’s arm

[theangrycomet-art]

Happy 18th Anniversary, Loonatics Unleashed!

~Ooooooh~ *spooky ghost noises* you want to watch this mid 2000s action cartoon so bad ~oooh~

Fixed up the Loonatics' Civilians look, so they have a stronger futuristic feel as well as reflect their personalities better. Tweaked their armor a bit too.

COMMISSIONS OPEN

[shutupandshipit]

Wrong Bathroom - Oneshot

Summary: It was a rare occasion that that she ever got to shower alone, not as rare as the boys, but rare enough that it was something to be enjoyed. Only, there always seemed to be something that ruined her quiet moments.

This time, it came in the form of the door slamming open.

.....

Or where Mina is minding her own business taking a shower when Bakugou and Midoriya ruin her peace and quiet.

Pairing: Bakudeku

Rating: T

Notes: More outside POVs of our favorite boys. This one is Mina.

If you didn't read the tags, Izuku is trans female-to-male. There's body dysphoria related to the female cycle/periods, so just watch out if your sensitive to that. Also, if I got something wildly wrong in how I wrote Midoriya as trans, please let me know so I can learn and adjust.

Hope this is worth the read! Enjoy!

Mina yawned widely and washed shampoo out of her white locks, scrubbing her nails across her scalp as she went. With a groan of aching muscles, she shut the shower off and stepped out of the stall to wrap a towel around her body. She sat on the bench that ran between the showers. Leaning her head over her knees, she wound her hair into a towel and let herself bask in the silence.

It was a rare occasion that that she ever got to shower alone, not as rare as the boys, but rare enough that it was something to be enjoyed. Only, there always seemed to be something that ruined her quiet moments.

This time, it came in the form of the door slamming open.

"I've got you. I've got you. Almost there," Bakugou's unmistakable voice snarled, and the sound of a stall door being kicked open joined his voice.

Mina sighed silently. Of course Bakugou, ever angry Bakugou, would end her peace. She loved him just like she loved the rest of the Bakusquad, but she loved them a lot less when she was naked in a towel. She had to wonder though what in the world he was doing in the girl's bathroom.

"Kacchan, this is the girl's-" Midoriya's softer voice cut off as quickly as it had started as he heaved and something splattered into a toilet bowl.

Cringing, Mina stood silently and moved so she could watch them from the connecting door between the toilets and showers. There was a singular door open, Bakugou shivering in the opening as his hands were filled with green curls.

"Don't fight it. It'll be worse if you fight, it always is. What did you eat?" Midoriya must have shaken his head because Bakugou asked a much different question. "The pain? I saw the blood." A keen slipped from Midoriya, and Bakugou's shoulders sagged. He waited until Midoriya's retching had stopped before backing from the stall.

Mina ducked out of sight before he turned, but she listened carefully as he turned to a sink.

The water cut on and shut off quickly. Then, "Wipe your face."

A moment passed, enough for a breath and for Midoriya to spit into the toilet. "Why did you bring me into the girls' room? What if someone had been in here?"

"Honest mistake if they asked. I don't fucking know. Would have come up with something. There's, you know, stuff in here. Like feminine products. I've heard them talk about the stash. They're like crows. Magpies when it comes to feminine hygiene products."

Midoriya laughed quietly. "Magpies is a good metaphor."

They were silent as Bakugou rummaged around, but he was in the wrong part of the bathroom for period products. They kept all the extra stuff in a cabinet with the lockers, but why they would need period products, Mina couldn't fathom. This whole situation was an entire conundrum to her. Then again, Midoriya and Bakugou's relationship was a whole conundrum in and of itself.

"This is where all the hydrogen peroxide had gone?" he grumbled before, "Zu, I need your clothes."

"No."

Bakugou turned.

Mina poked her head back out again to watch as he crouched in front of Midoriya where he was curled, head pressed to his knees. Tilting his head, Bakugou murmured softer than she'd ever heard before, "Look at me."

Mina was milliseconds away from falling out. Not only had she never seen Bakugou acting soft before, but she'd never seen him act soft towards Midoriya! She felt like she'd walked into a different dimension. They were childhood friends, they all knew that, and since the start of second year, Bakugou had protected Midoriya on multiple occasions, but this... This was not the relationship they had.

"Zu, you bled through your shorts and onto your shirt. I need to wash the blood out before it sets. We can throw your briefs away," Bakugou explained in a calm, even, soothing tone, "Here, you can sit on my shirt." Not waiting for Midoriya to reply, he pulled his shirt over his head and held it out to the other teen.

Midoriya lifted his head, turning frustrated eyes to Bakugou. "I don't want to bleed on your shirt."

"It's black. It'll be fine."

"But-"

"That's your favorite All Might shirt. My shirt isn't important."

Tears filled Midoriya's eyes, but he blinked them away before holding out his hand.

Bakugou helped him to his feet, and then out of his shorts. The crotch of Midoriya's briefs were soaked through the middle with blood, and the three of them grimaced at the mess. Gently, he pulled the shirt over Midoriya's head next. Midoriya shivered in what Mina recognized as a binder, and Bakugou held him close for a moment. When he pulled away, he spread his shirt on the ground and helped him sit again.

Mina ducked back out of sight.

A plastic bottle thudded on the counter and after a moment, the sink started running.

"After I finish with this, you should take a shower. I'll get you clothes. Then you need to rest. This one is worse than you've had in awhile..." Bakugou trailed off as a sob filled the bathroom. "Zu, baby," he sighed.

Looking again, Mina watched him pull Deku into his arms as he sobbed long and hard.

"Ssh, baby, ssh," Bakugou hushed.

"I hate this, Kacchan! I hate this so much. Why can't it just end? The hormones, they're supposed to make it stop eventually, but it still comes, and I just want it to be over. I don't want to be like this anymore," Midoriya sobbed raggedly, clutching at him as if his life depended on it, "I'm so tired of feeling wrong! And the pain! And the blood! The fucking blood... I just want to feel normal." His breath hitched harshly.

Things slowly started to click in place for Mina.

Bakugou pulled him into his lap, but almost immediately, Midoriya bolted away and hung his head over the toilet again. Bakugou held his bangs away from his forehead and rubbed his back. A sigh slipped from his lips.

Biting her lip, Mina debated for a long moment before stepping into the toilet area. "Katsuki, Midoriya, let me help."

Bakugou swiveled around, spinning to glare and block the stall doorway. "How fucking long have you been there, Pinky?" he snarled fiercely, looking almost feral as he crouched in the doorway.

Tightening her towel, Mina sighed and stacked her hand on her hip, "Stand down, Kat, it's not like I'm going to tell anyone. I can help him."

"How?"

She leveled him with an unimpressed glare. "There's this thing between my legs called a vagina that bleeds once a month and nearly lays me flat for three days."

In the toilet, Midoriya laughed miserably before retching again.

Bakugou continued to glare at her, never moving a muscle.

She huffed. "You care about him, so let me help him. Do you want to keep seeing him miserable? No. So, get out of the way and take care of his clothes."

Glancing over his shoulder, the pair made eye contact. Midoriya nodded, and Bakugou slowly stepped out of the way.

"Okay, honey, let's help you get better," Mina said brightly as she passed Bakugou to crouch beside him, a hand on his back, "Have you taken anything to help the pain today?"

"I didn't realize I'd started until I was about to puke. The... the hormones make it unpredictable," Midoriya whispered, not meeting her eyes.

"Right. What products do you usually use? We've got pretty much everything."

Midoriya stayed silent, back bent and shoulders trembling minutely.

Bakugou spoke up from behind them. "He has some underwear that's reusable and absorbent, usually."

"Okay, so we'll use a pad. What size briefs do you wear? We don't have briefs, but we have some cheap underwear that you can at least wear until you can change. Is that alright?" she asked, but Midoriya didn't answer, and she turned, "Kat?"

"Mediums."

"Awesome. So, I'm going to go get that stuff and some things that'll make you feel better, okay?" Standing, she hurried into the connected locker room to rummage through the treasure trove of products the girls stored for each other. She pulled out a pair of underwear from the cheap set they kept if someone ruined their underwear beyond saving, a pad and a bottle of Dramamine and Midol.

When she came back, Bakugou had Midoriya bundled up in his arms and in his lap. Their faces were pressed close, Bakugou pressing soft kisses all over his face and hair as he made soft reassuring noises. He paused with his face in Midoriya's hair. His red eyes opened, but he just stared her down as she watched them.

She smiled. "You two are really the cutest. How long have you been together without any of us knowing?" When neither answered, Midoriya nearly catatonic and Bakugou just petulant, she rolled her eyes. "Hold out your hand, Kat."

He narrowed his eyes, but did as she asked.

She shook two Midols and a single Dramamine into his palm. "Midol for the pain and cramps and stuff. Dramamine for the nausea. Mido, you're going to probably get sleepy after those, so you need to take a shower. Then you can change."

Midoriya didn't react at all, and she looked at Bakugou in concern.

"He gets like this when... his cycle hits. It's a coping mechanism. I'll take care of him."

"Will he take the pills? They really will help. Does he take anything normally?"

"It's not usually this bad. I'll get him to take them."

Mina nodded, and glanced at the door. She could hear the rest of the class just outside as they filtered in from their excursion to the mall, loud and raucous as always. "You should use the shower. If you let me get dressed, I'll finish with his clothes and watch the door. You can use my shower stuff."

Bakugou nodded, and she quickly dressed.

He stood easily with Midoriya held in his arms as if he weighed nothing more than a bag of feathers, and took him into the showers.

"My towel is with my stuff when you're done. Feel free to use it."

"'Kay."

She worked quickly as she listened to Bakugou coax Midoriya to life and get him under the warm spray. She sang as she worked, trying her hardest not to listen to Midoriya's quiet renewed sobbing. She finished with cleaning and drying his clothes before the shower cut off again. She put the clothes, underwear and pad on the bench besides Bakugou's clothes before they opened the curtain, babbling all the while about how the pad had essential oils that would help with the cramps and how well they worked for her all the while.

Midoriya came out of the shower area draped on Bakugou's back, but more cognizant than before. Dark bags sagged beneath his eyes, but even now, he smiled at her. "Thank you, Mina. I really appreciate the help."

She smiled brightly in return. "Don't mention it, and don't worry. I won't tell anyone. I'm always here to help though, so don't hesitate if you need anything. I don't want to pry, but can I ask you something? You don't have to answer, of course. I'm just curious."

Midoriya nodded.

"How long have you known you were trans? And have you been going through your transition alone? I guess that's two questions. I had a friend who was trans back when I was in middle school. It was really hard on her for a lot of reasons. She ended up moving because the bullying was so bad, and I don't get to see her anymore. I just want to make sure you're supported."

The pair stared at her for a long moment of surprise before Midoriya smiled. "I've known since I was a little kid. Kacchan was the first person I ever told." He turned fond eyes onto the blond holding him who looked at neither of them with an impassive expression even as color bloomed in his cheeks. "It was so funny. When I told him, he said, 'Of course you are, Deku. There's no way you can be a girl. Girls don't like All Might.' Little kid logic, but he never once questioned me, even when we got older and things went sideways. No to answer your second question. Even though we've had our differences, Kacchan's always been there for me during my transition. And still is." He pressed his face into the side of Katsuki's neck, and the blush grew on his face.

Mina beamed. "I knew you were just a big softy in there, Kat. Well, maybe just for Mido, but still. I'm glad though, and I'm here if you ever need anything."

"Thank you again, Mina," Midoriya said, and Bakugou started for the door, "I'm tired, Kacchan. Can we take a nap?"

"Sure. I'll make peppermint tea before," Bakugou said, but as they passed Mina, he leaned close and whispered, "Really, thank you, Mina."

She was grinning for the rest of the day.

[icarialex]

Discord Threads

Who: Zoey Katz and Kassandra West @kassmeifyoucan​

When: February 12th

Where: Little Icaria, Beach, then Zoey’s doorstep

What: Zoey takes Kassandra out on a date. Before Robin beats Kassandra up and she shows up to Zoey’s a bloody mess.

Zoey

Once they were seated, Zoey decided to reply to some things Kass said as they were walking. “Amaze you? By shapeshifting? It’s not really something I worked hard to obtain. I was just born with it. Comes with the mom being Demeter thing,” she said with a shrug of her shoulders. Zoey was happy to talk about her mother. While the two weren’t close, she had a better relationship than many others on the isle. The blonde understood that being a Goddess and a parent didn’t really blend well. Still, she appreciated that her mother seemed to try and check in on her when she could. Quickly getting tired of the idea of sitting across from Kassandra, the blonde moved to sit on her side of the booth and just quickly maneuvered the table settings to accommodate what she wanted. She’d never understood why it was customary for people to sit that way. Dates were supposed to be an intimate affair. Sitting across made conversation easy, but seriously limited touching. She’d rather just turn her body slightly while talking. “Oh,” she asked playfully as she reached for her glass of water that was just placed at their table. “Is that because only you want to see me naked or are you protecting my honor,” she asked over the rim of the glass before taking a sip to hide her smirk slightly. 

.

Now that they were next to each other again, Zoey reached for Kass’ hand and started absentmindedly playing with her fingers. “Me? No, not really,” she said with a shrug. “I stopped by my parents’ house this week for dinner. Even though we literally live less than eight minutes away from each other, they still think me having my own apartment puts me in a whole new world or something.” The illustrator affectionately rolled her eyes as she talked about her dad and step mother. They were such a silly duo, and anyone that met them could see where Zoey got her quirky and affectionate nature from. “I don’t know if I’d call having a woman wrapped in a bedsheet boring, but hey, if that’s your boring I’d hate to see you having a wild time.” She made sure to keep a smile on her face as she made light of the situation. Although it made something stir in her abdomen, she could deal with it more easily now that the two of them weren’t being so odd anymore. 

“Tonight? You seem to give me the lead on most things,” she retorted. Fortunately, she didn’t need to look at the menu really to know what was best on it. She was a big fan of Little Icaria and had been more times than she could count. It was also her dad’s favorite place to take her since it opened. When their waiter returned, she smiled at him as she asked, “Can we get a bottle of the Pinot noir please? Also, I’m going to have the sea bass, and this beautiful woman is going to have the lamb. Lamb medium please, and the sids that they come with is great.” With that put in, she was happy to see him take away their menus. Since she was paying, she didn’t need Kass looking at prices and then getting all unnecessarily self conscious. “I’d order appetizers, but seriously, the plates are such a nice size here that we will not finish our main dishes if I did.”

Kassandra

Kassandra tried not to feel some sort of jealousy at the way Zoey could so easily talk about her Godly parent. Family, really. Not once had Kass ever even mentioned her father to Zoey. Not out of hiding, just out of not really seeing the point. Okay... Maybe a little bit out of hiding. Part of her wanted to say something about her father, give some more common ground to bond over but before she could even say anything, Zoey was doing the unthinkable. The brunette blinked slowly in shock as her friend decided that sitting across from her just wouldn't do. Now she was sitting next to her, their legs touching. As if on instinct, or maybe because she didn't know what to do with it, she moved her right arm so it was laying along the back of the seat. "Hi there." Gods. Who the fuck said that after something as innocent as just sitting closer to someone. Grabbing for her water, she began to drink from it greedily. That is until Zoey asked her if she wanted to see her naked. Kassandra's eyes went wide, almost slamming the cup down as she choked, water going down the wrong pipe for a moment. "The uh... The choice of who sees you naked is uh... Up to you." She  managed to squeak out, clearing her throat with a well-timed cough.

It didn't take long for Zoey to do that thing where she got bored and needed to do something with her hands, Kassandra being brought out of her panic to only fly straight into another wall. The blonde had now acquired her hand and was playing with her fingers causing Kass to bite her lower lip. Instead of thinking about how much her heart was pounding or how ridiculous she was being for getting nervous over absolutely nothing, she tried to focus on Zoey talking so freely about her parents. Once again she wanted to say something about her mother or even Kratos but it was just hard to get the words out. None of them seemed right enough. Or happy enough. Once again, Kass wasn't prepared for the mental whiplash as Zoey talked so nonchalantly about the woman that she'd seen in her room a while back. Clearing her throat once more, she shrugged. "She wasn't boring. That was just... Not memorable." Eyes closed in a wince, ducking her head for a moment. "That sounds awful. I just mean... She wasn't meant to be anything more than a.... Nevermind. I'm just digging myself a deeper hole."

Letting out a deep breath that she didn't realize she'd been holding, Kassandra watched with a slightly shocked expression as Zoey ordered for them both. Sure, she'd offered the idea up to her on a silver platter but Zoey didn't even really look at the damned menu. She must take people out to dinner often. Which, of course meant that this wasn't a special occurrence. This was just something that made Zoey... Zoey. "I'm excited to eat the food. I trust your judgement." For a moment she stayed silent, mind wandering off to other things until she tuned back into the woman sitting next to her. "My uh... My dad likes to joke about how he blessed me with my gifts." She inhaled sharply, pushing past the uncomfortable feeling swirling in her gut. "Honestly, the strength is a pretty nice thing to have as a girl. Especially growing up where I did. My mom never really knew how to deal with the fact that I was super strong. She wanted me to hide it so I did. Wasn't allowed to play sports because she didn't want me hurting the other girls. I snuck them though... Until I broke Spencer's leg and then that kind of stopped." Kassandra looked down at the table, focusing on the napkins and the silverware. "Sorry if I'm not good with talking about my parents. Mom isn't uh... Anyway. And my dad is kind of busy. Ya know... Being a God and all. You might have heard of him? Kratos." Somehow, telling Zoey who her father was didn't feel nearly as scary as it did when she had to tell her boss. "He's kinda cool. Kind of a dick too. Guess that's where I get it from."

Zoey

When Kassandra started nearly coughing, blue eyes went wide as she tried to rub her back. Honestly, she should probably feel bad, but she didn’t. Getting a reaction out of the woman who so often tried to play it cool was fun. She also had no other way of learning if any of the confusing feelings she was feeling were returned. Well, unless Kassandra decided to just broach the subject which she doubted. From what she’d learned of the woman so far, that didn’t seem likely. “Mmm — that it is, and me asking you if you would want to be the one who saw me or just want to defend my honor wouldn’t take away that choice,” she agreed with a nod once she was sure her friend was done choking. “But you mentioned how you might feel which has me curious about what’s going through that pretty head of yours.” Complimenting Kass was becoming easier and easier for Zoey. Words of affirmation were always easy for her in regards to anyone she cared about. 

.

People sleeping around for fun was not an unknown concept to Zoey, and she didn’t judge it. Just because it wasn’t something for her didn’t mean that she thought it was wrong. The blonde just knew herself well. Sex wasn’t something she held in a high regard, and she needed to feel something for someone in order to even contemplate going there. Although, her thoughts towards the act were wavering due to the thoughts plaguing her mind lately were changing, and it had everything to do with the person sitting next to her. “You’re not digging yourself into anything with me,” she said gently as she absentmindedly drew patterns on Kass’ palm. “I don’t judge sleeping around. If that’s something you can do, then awesome. If it makes you happy, then who am I to judge? I just know myself to know I can’t because I am not someone who gets sexual unless I have a connection with someone. Doesn’t make my way of seeing things better than yours or worse. We’re just different.” Zoey hoped that explaining the way she thought about it would stop Kass from thinking it was in any way horrible or shady.

The waiter brought out their bottle of wine quickly and poured them each a glass before disappearing again. “My dad brings me here whenever he wants to go out to dinner. It’s why I’ve tried just about everything,” she said with a light laugh. “His philosophy is that he has to try everything once, so that makes tackling menus a game of sorts until we’ve covered it all. I’ve never ordered for someone though, so hopefully I did okay. We can also just pick at each other’s food since the portions are so big to get a bit of everything if you want.” Zoey didn’t really know the protocol for these things, but she was just going off instinct. Even if Kass didn’t tell her if she didn’t like something, she could rely on her observation skills to figure it out and adjust. “You have enhanced strength,” she asked curiously as she learned more about the woman besides her. “I will officially never feel bad about sitting on your lap or jumping on you.” The illustrator taking leaping jumps to greet people she really cared for wasn’t new. At least she knew with Kass that she wouldn’t have to worry about toppling them both to the floor. “I can’t imagine what it was like growing up in a world where you had to be careful with powers since I grew up here. I’m glad you eventually found your way here though so you can just be yourself. That has to be less stressful.” While her shifting had gotten her trapped in the zoo a few times, that was a very mild consequence in comparison to what could happen outside of Icaria. “School covered a ton of theGods, so yes, I’m familiar with your dad,” she answered with a smile. However, it quickly turned into a frown at Kass’ following words. “You’re not that. You’re sweet, a little awkward, and really silly when you want to show that side of yourself. I really like you, and who you are,” she said with a shrug.

Kassandra

Green eyes found blue as Zoey responded to her with such earnest and honest words. And then her brain melted as she realized that the blonde said that she really liked her. Her mouth went dry and all sensible thought left the damned window as she just held her gaze for a moment that probably stretched on far longer than most would deem acceptable among just friends. "I uh... Thanks, Zoey. It means a lot. I just don't really feel comfortable around people. Not anymore. But with you, I don't know... It's different. You're different." Kassandra's eyes went wide, squeezing Zoey's hand for a moment. "I don't mean that in a bad way! I just meant, like, you make me feel like I can be the me that... That I haven't been able to be in a very, very long time. I actually, uh--I kind of forgot she existed for a while." She wasn't even remotely about to go into how that girl had basically been dead in the water for a decade, not really wanting to ruin this date not date that they were on. Date. Her mind drifted back to the earlier bit of the conversation that had kind of gotten broken away from when Zoey asked about how she felt with her being naked due to her shifting. Everything went blank for a moment, not even realizing she'd started speaking until it was too late.

"I'm pretty sure that if I ever saw you naked, I'd short circuit. Have you seen you?" Her brain slowly caught up with her words, thankful that Zoey couldn't see the hand that was resting on the back of the booth as it was now gripping the material tightly. "I definitely now see what you mean by awkward." She wanted to facepalm but one hand was gripping the booth and the other was currently being held by Zoey, trying to not melt with how she was drawing random shapes and patterns against her skin. "I'm glad I found my way here too. The place is growing on me. And, well...." Kassandra trailed off, her other hand that had been trying to maintain a grip on her sanity moved of its own free-will and found itself placed lightly on Zoey's upper back, gentle circles being rubbed. "You kind of were the reason for all of that. So thank you." She smiled gently, far too gently for her liking, and quickly moved her hand back to its previous positioning. Part of her wanted to down the wine that was on the table and the other part of her wanted to actually give her full and undivided attention to Zoey without anything fogging her mind. The wine remained untouched.

Zoey

Kass’ words had an effect on Zoey, and she was trying very hard to keep it under wraps. Acting on those feelings without even fully understanding what they meant wasn’t smart. Plus, if she did and messed up such a feeling of comfort for her friend, she’d feel terrible. Still, her blue eyes couldn’t help themselves as her eyes looked down towards Kassandra’s lips for a millisecond longer than could be passed as innocent before snapping back up. Words still couldn’t leave her lips which only made the air grow thicker because those green eyes weren’t helping. Never someone to get lost in the physical, Zoey felt herself being drawn further into a space she didn’t understand. Luckily, the waiter chose that moment to bring their food down, and she was thankful. She had no idea how that would have gone, and she needed a moment to catch her breath. After thanking him, she turned towards Kass again. “I’m happy I do that for you, but don’t think this is one sided. You make me very happy. My favorite days lately are the ones where I run into you, or when you find some excuse to come by my shop. You’re different to me, and I guess our different goes together.” Zoey couldn’t even explain it. Could she draw it? Probably, but words? Those weren’t always her best friends.

“Why would you short circuit,” she asked quietly as she spread the napkin out on her lap. She needed to understand if it was just because she was beautiful, or because it was her. That was a large distinction. “I know I’m attractive, but you there are attractive women everywhere, and you’re too smooth typically to short circuit. So, why?” Where her courage was coming from, she didn’t know. It wasn’t like she’d even touched her own glass of wine. She was too busy focusing on the company besides her to even think about it. 

Regrettably, she released the hand she was toying with and moved to work on her fish. There were many bones that needed to be taken out after all if Kass was going to try some. “I find your awkward endearing, if that helps,” she said with a giggle while working on the task at hand. “You don’t have to thank me. You’ve made this place feel even more like home which I didn’t think was possible, so we’re both happy. Now,” she started as she took a piece of fish with her fork before turning towards Kass. “You have to try this. I can’t believe you’ve been in Greece and haven’t tried our seafood. It’s criminal, Kass.”

Kassandra

Did Zoey just... No. No definitely not. She'd clearly seen things. Licking her lips, she was thankful for the waiter showing up at the perfectly imperfect time to bring them their ordered food. As she stared down at her plate, she felt her cheeks heat up, bringing her hands back to her sides in order to grab at the silverware. Part of her began to panic as she looked at the food that was waiting to be eaten, knowing that Zoey would cackle when she told her why she looked so awkward. Luckily for her, the blonde decided to speak up about--Wait. Oh no. Not luckily. Oh Gods. Her cheeks were blushing a deeper shade of crimson once more, fingers tightening on the silverware so much so that she felt them wince beneath her grip. Placing them down as gently as possible on the table, Kass let her hands go to rest in her lap. Like always whenever she got nervous or antsy, she began to play with her fingers, staring down at her lap in thought. She didn't know why this always happened when she was around Zoey. Granted, if she really allowed herself to truly go there, she'd figure it out quick enough. But something in her wasn't ready to admit it, definitely not out loud and certainly not in her own head. Not yet, anyway. So she smiled warmly at Zoey, the facial expression turning into a cocky smirk as she wrapped her hand around Zoey's and leaned over to take the offered fish meat off of the fork. Logically she knew she could have just reached for the fork and taken it into her own hand but this was much more tempting. Pulling away and chewing the food, she looked at Zoey thoughtfully as she swallowed. "I'm sorry that I'm a horrible human being. I will be sure to turn myself into the police under the crime of not ever having seafood in my life." She held up two fingers in a mock 'scout's honor' knowing full well that wasn't the hand signal.

Leaning back so she wasn't invading Zoey's space as much, she took a hold of her glass of wine and almost downed the entire thing. Hopefully Zoey wouldn't notice the absolutely insane move but given the fact that she could feel the heat of her gaze, it was safe to say she'd seen it all. And to make matters worse, just because she couldn't quite put a finger on how she felt towards the blonde didn't mean that her brain wouldn't fuck her over at every little turn. Which is why she started talking. Again. "I realized I never answered your question from earlier. But to answer it now... You're you, Zoey." Her words came out in a smaller voice than she would have expected it to. "There could be a thousand attractive women around and... And none of them would be you." After a moment where everything felt too real and she realized that everything had just stopped in their little pocket of the restaurant did she offer up an awkward chuckle. "Anybody else who didn't think the same is lying." There. Make it seem like some obvious thing that everyone else thought of. Yeah, that's super believable. She could slap herself. For fucks sake. Instead of doing that she chose to focus back on the food that awaited her, picking up at her utensils once more. Her brow furrowed, nose crinkling cutely as she stared down at the dish. "In other news, I regret to inform you but I grew up for the first half of my life being a vegetarian. So uh--I don't exactly know how to eat this." She quickly held up a fork. "I eat meat now! I just, ya know--its always been like. Oh look a burger. Oh look, chicken nuggies. Things that make sense and don't require previous knowledge other than open mouth and chew."

Zoey

If Zoey’s eyes didn’t become a darker blue due to the woman’s actions, she’d be surprised because she felt everything within her become thicker. Perhaps that wasn’t a word many would use in the situation, but it was the only one that made sense. An overwhelming feeling of desire became like a fog that covered the rest of her senses and mind which made it very hard to focus on anything else. Her eyes wanted to drift again, and once again she wasn’t successful at stopping their trajectory, but she did move them up once again quicker. “You’re a tease,” slipped past her lips before she even realized, but she didn’t regret the words when her ears picked up what she had said. How could the woman not see the effect she was having on the illustrator? The deeper breathing, glances, and comments were going to give her away sooner or later. Not to mention the date that she’d somehow manage to slyly get. “I’m glad you’re experiencing it with me then,” she replied honestly once the lust induced fog cleared a bit. “Although, turning yourself in won’t be necessary. I’ll take responsibility for you and correct this atrocity at once.” Playful was always an easier territory for the two of them. It seemed to lead to less trouble. 

Zoey noticed how quickly Kass seemed to drink her wine, but didn’t comment because she went through her own glass a little quickly. She then poured them another. With all the food around them, she knew she wouldn’t feel it too terribly. Thankfully she’d put down the wine bottle before the other woman spoke again because if she hadn’t, she was positive that it would have been dropped. Her food was forgotten for the moment as she shifted her body, so she was almost completely facing Kassandra. “Many people don’t see what you do, and I’m happy they don’t. If they did, what you tried to do would be successful. I’d actually believe your attempt to shrug it off as something less important than it is.” The blonde knew that if she said more, that she would genuinely get emotional or spill her own feelings that she didn’t make sense of herself yet. Zoey almost panicked at the mention of not eating meat until Kass clarified. Then, an endearing smile appeared on her face. “Cut the meat similar to a steak. The big piece that’s like hanging away from the bone is the best. Promise, there isn’t a wrong way to eat it. I won’t even judge if you picked up the bone and ate it like a wing,” she promised with a smile.

Kassandra

"Babe, you haven't experienced the kind of tease I can be." Kassandra muttered under her breath before nodding decisively and looking at the dish. "Alright I'll try. But if I eat it weird... Blame my mother." With a little awkwardness she began to cut the lamb in a slightly horrific manner and grumbled softly to herself. "Damn thing..." Finally after too many painstakingly long seconds, she got a decent size bite and chewed on it thoughtfully. "Well, I have to say that you've really outdone yourself on this whole ordering thing. This is actually really good." For a while she just ate her food in silence, sneaking glances at the other woman. She wasn't too terribly hungry after the day of nerves, trying to get up the gumption to actually talk to Zoey. Of course she'd offered up some of her food for Zoey to take, happy to return the sentiment. Now she was sipping at her water, refusing to go any further down wine lane. She'd just finished pushing the plate away, one hand on her stomach and the other having returned to the back of the booth. She was about to start talking about the rest of their evening when she noticed that Zoey had some wine on her upper lip.

For what wouldn't be the last time that night, Kassandra's body reacted of its own accord. Without even thinking, she turned her body more towards Zoey, her full attention to those lips that she desperately found herself wanting to kiss more and more. The hand that had been resting on her stomach moved toward's the other woman's face. "Hey you uh... You've got..." Kass trailed off, biting her own bottom lip in concentration as she brought the pad of her thumb up to trace along the curve of Zoey's lip, effectively getting the wine. Her breath hitched as she realized what she'd just done, hand frozen just a few inches away from Zoey's face. Someone cleared their throat, snapping her out of her trance. It was the waiter, asking if they wanted anything to go. "O-oh. Uh, yeah that'd be great. Just a second, I can pay for dinner." And just like that, whatever moment had been happening or almost happened was broken as Kass moved away to reach into her back pocket to grab for her wallet, effectively putting space between her and the woman that was causing all reasonable thought to leave her body.

Zoey

At Kass’ words, Zoey felt her body heat up and fill with anticipation all at the same time. “What if I wanted to experience it,” she said in a bit of a challenge. The artist had no idea what was happening, but she wasn’t overthinking it. All she knew was that she wouldn’t regret it since it seemed she wasn’t navigating the confusing waters alone. If she was, Kass would have let her down easily by now. At least, Zoey thought so. As the dinner kept on, she offered up more bits of her fish to the woman beside her. They were comfortable around each other, and it was different. Yes, she and Theo had always been comfortable, but he was more of her best friend. The atmosphere she was in during dinner was one with an undercurrent of wanting which she wasn’t used to and was growing to like. It was exciting, and she liked not feeling bashful as she took in the woman beside her, “I’m glad you like it.” 

When Kass touched her lip, Zoey felt her breathing stop for a moment. Actually, she was positive every part of her froze. Without even thinking, her lips puckered slightly to kiss the finger. Noticing that the hand stopped in midair, the illustrator reached for it and was about to tug it towards her to pull Kass forward when they were interrupted. She didn’t know whether to groan or be thankful that they didn’t share a kiss in the middle of Little Icaria, but she took the moment to regather herself for what felt like the millionth time. A smirk did appear on her face when she heard the waiter say the bill had been taken care of. He thanked her by calling her Ms. Katz as he handed her the receipt to sign. “I handed my card to the hostess when we got here,” she said without looking up as she calculated the tip to answer the silent question. “I asked you out, so I pay. That’s how it goes before you argue, and unless you have a creative way to shut me up, I’m quite stubborn.” Flirting was so easy with Kass which was weird. Zoey was sweet, funny, and caring, but smooth was not an adjective she’d use. Yet, there she was.

When their to go boxes were returned to them, Zoey took the brown bag and stood up from the booth. “Are you ready, darling,” she asked as she offered her hand to the woman she was struggling to continue thinking of as a friend.

Kassandra

'What if I wanted to experience it'. Her mind was a wreck. Zoey just kept saying and doing things that were slowly killing her. And what's worse is that she didn't know how to take it. On one hand, Zoey could just be a really easy-going flirt. And on the other? Zoey could actually be feeling whatever tension there was that had filled up this whole damned restaurant. Either way, Kassandra was trying desperately to find some sort of balance. It was barely possible, since just looking at Zoey made her want to throw all rational thought out the mother-fucking window and just kiss her until she was breathless and whimpering her name. Swallowing thickly, Kassandra tuned back into the present, brought back to her senses by Zoey standing up from the booth and offering her hand. Had... Had she just called her darling? The brunette blinked and took the offered hand as she scooted out of the booth. She was sure she'd missed something else that was important from the conversation but honestly, after what she'd said earlier? Everything else was a blissful blur.

As they began the walk towards the Inn, Kassandra kept quiet for as long as she could manage, just giving small squeezes to Zoey's hand to let her know that she was still mentally present enough to acknowledge her. It wasn't that she couldn't talk. She just was afraid of what she might fucking say if she did decide to open her mouth. Everything inside of her was screaming at her to do two very different things. Part of her wanted to invite Zoey to her room and have her way with her for the rest of the evening. The part of her that was definitely winning wanted to just do something as equally dumb--like hold her hand and just talk to her until the wee hours of the morning. Like some kind of fucking sap. No. Whatever was happening, or trying to happen, she couldn't let it continue. Right? She didn't do getting hurt. And whatever was happening would definitely lead to heartbreak. Be it her own or Zoey's. And she honestly didn't know if she could handle hurting the other girl. The problem with that is that's what she always did. She ruined people.

Once they got to the Inn, Kassandra took the leftovers out of Zoey's hands. "I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere." She teased before doing another unthinkable, leaning down and kissing Zoey on the cheek. As she turned around, her eyes widened. Why the fuck are you doing this to yourself, Kassandra. She's probably just flirty with everyone and this doesn't mean anything. Do not even remotely think about fa--nope. No. She wasn't going to even think that word. No way. As she made her way into her room, she put the food into her mini-fridge and checked on her puppy. He was fast asleep and she didn't have the heart to wake him. It had only been about an hour and a half since she'd left so he'd be fine. Her eyes fell on a hard-case, wondering if this was really a good idea. Without thinking too long about it, Kassandra grabbed her car keys off the dresser and then grabbed the case, quickly exiting her room. Going out the back entrance, she loaded her car with the item and closed the trunk before getting inside and driving out to the front to where Zoey was waiting. "Shall we?"

Zoey

“Oh yes, because I’m just going to bolt on you,” she teased. Anything else that she was thinking of replying with fell dead on her lips due to the kiss on her cheek. Kass so far didn’t initiate affection, which didn’t bother Zoey, but then she did something to take her completely off guard. It left her only being able to follow the woman with her eyes as she went to her room, which only gave her something equally as problematic to focus on. The blonde wasn’t the type of girl to focus on someone’s butt, yet, there she was staring. Fortunately, Kassandra didn’t turn around. That would have caused her to blush profusely. 

The more time she spent around Kass, the more positive she was of her feelings. Emotionally she knew she was drawn, but the physical aspect was new. Then again, it had been a long time since she’d had a crush on anyone. After her break up, she didn’t really allow herself to go there. Not because she didn’t want to or was hurt, but because she wanted to learn more about herself before trying anything with anyone else. Then, whatever was happening decided to slap her in the face. Fortunately, she was taken out of her inner musings when a car pulled up and Kass got her attention. “And you told me not to go anywhere. You have a get away car and everything,” she teased as she opened the passenger door and slipped in.

“You do know we could have walked,” she teased lightly. Zoey herself didn’t even have a car. The island was so small she never needed one. Her father taught her how to drive since it was apparently a right of passage, but other than practicing every so often, she never used the skill. Since they were heading to the beach, the blonde reached for the bottom of her shirt and lifted it up over her head. She shook her hair out of the braid she had it in and relaxed against the seat. “I have a blanket in my bag. I actually am totally one of those girls that has just about everything in her purse.” It was why she carried what looked more like a satchel or knapsack than a traditional purse.

Kassandra

"I know we could have walked but the idea of you walking back to your place after being in the ocean doesn't really sit right with me. Hence, car." She didn't add the fact that it was much easier to lug around a certain item via a car than on her shoulders. Kass put the car in gear and pulled out of the parking lot, one hand on the gearshift and the other on the steering wheel. She found herself restricting her movement, not allowing herself to reach over and grab the other woman's hand. This was getting far too close into dating territory, or at least a variation of that and well, Kassandra didn't do that anymore.It didn't take long to make it to the beach, after all, they were on a relatively small island. When Kassandra originally thought of Icaria, she had imagined it being much larger. This? This wasn't at all to the scale she'd whipped up in her head. But in all honesty? It was better.

As they pulled up into a parking spot, Kassandra turned off the car and got out to quickly jog over to Zoey's car door, opening it. "It's the least I can do for the girl that wined and dined me. Also... I'm going to get something out of my trunk and you're not gonna look okay? I promise you it'll be worth your while. Just... Stay here..." Kassandra positioned Zoey so she was staring out towards the ocean before going over to the trunk and opening up the case, pulling out the instrument and strapping it to her back. Walking back over to Zoey, Kass gently placed her hands over the blonde's eyes as her torso pressed up against the blonde's back. "So.. While you go out in the ocean and get incredibly wet, I'm going to stay on the sand. Where its dry and isn't an abyss of death." She didn't dare let her mind focus on how exactly she'd started out that sentence.

Removing her hands, she walked around to stand in front of Zoey, curling her finger in a 'come hither' motion. "And don't worry about me getting bored. I've got something to keep me company in the meantime. Besides, I'll start a fire so you'll be nice and warm when you're ready to come out." Kassandra took this time to sling her guitar into view. Green eyes found blue for a moment, a faint blush spreading over her cheeks. "Before you even remotely say something about me being adorable--hush. I learned how to play when I was younger by the principle at my school. Between that and choir, it was pretty much all my mom would let me do." Instead of waiting for Zoey to start towards her, Kassandra reached forward and grabbed onto the blonde's hand. Interlacing their fingers together, she began to walk backwards for a couple steps, pulling Zoey towards her for a moment until she turned to face the ocean.

Zoey

Zoey shook her head playfully as she got out of the car. “If that impresses you, then I need to have a serious talk with the other people who have taken you out on dates,” she said in mock seriousness. What she’d done wasn’t even that big of a deal. Honestly, she was a bit annoyed with her impulsiveness. If she’d thought things through, it could have been better. Although, the two of them always seemed to have fun together, so it didn’t bother her too much. As Kass went to the trunk, Zoey leaned against the hood of the car by holding her wait up against her palms as she gazed at the ocean. She followed orders even though she was very tempted not to. 

When she was guided towards Kass and then felt the woman press into her back, she felt her body temperature skyrocket. Instead of letting herself feel frazzled, she instead reached back slightly just to squeeze the woman’s hips slightly and pull even the slightest bit closer. “Abyss of death is a little dramatic,” she teased lightly. “Also, you think very highly of my self control if you think I will be able to resist making you wet too.” If innuendo was the game they were going to play, then she’d have to keep up. It was exciting and frustrating. While she had no idea if she’d make a fool of herself, for some reason she didn’t worry about that much. She knew any teasing that came from Kass would be playful, or apparently aimed at making her flustered.

When the woman finally moved to stand in front of her and beckoned her over, Zoey just smirked and moved to remove her shorts first. When she was left in just her bikini, she finally obliged and moved towards the woman. Although, blue eyes shined as she caught sight of the guitar. That was not at all what she expected. “Adorable wasn’t the word I was going to go with. Hot is more what came to mind,” she said with a shrug. When Kass turned to look at the water, Zoey moved beside her and bumped her hip lightly. “Do you want me to go in the water so you can warm up? That’s the only reason I’d go instead of staying with you right now. I would be perfectly content just laying beside you on the blanket and being with you.” She had the blanket in the bag and their dessert. It would be perfectly relaxing for Zoey, but she understood nerves, so she’d go in the water if needed.

Kassandra

The fact that Zoey was basically naked save for a bikini was enough for Kassandra to keep her gaze completely forward. She really didn't need to look like a complete and utter perv by checking out her friend. "Zo, you said you were gonna go to the beach and if that involves night swimming then don't let me take you away from that. Besides, you can lay down near me once you're ready to get cozy by a fire." Not to mention that would give just some time alone to her thoughts where she could mentally scream at whatever the hell was going on with this evening. Her train of thought led her back to when Zoey had mentioned how she'd have to have a serious talk about others who had taken her on dates. Did she tell her? Or did she just avoid the subject. It would probably be best to avoid it all together.

"I've uh... Never actually been taken out on a date." If Kassandra could look into a camera like she was on the Office, she would. Her mouth and brain were not in communication it seemed. "I've been on dates!" She quickly clarified, sighing deeply. "I was just the one that took her out on the dates." Her. Singular. Fuck. Stop giving away so much of your shitty, painful past tonight, West. "Oh look! A fire pit. That's nice, just means I get to light it and we'll be good to go!" Kass was thankful for the distraction as they neared the shore. Letting go of Zoey's hand, Kassandra looked around for a moment before spotting what she'd need. Setting her guitar down near the fire-pit, she walked a bit away to a rather large piece of driftwood. With ease, she lifted it up and brought it over to the fire-pit, setting it down with a loud thunk.

Kneeling down in the sand, she pulled out a lighter and began the process of lighting the kindling. Within a few moments the fire began to roar in front of her and she dusted off the sand from her hands. "Alright, I'll be here whenever you're ready to come out of the water. If you need me, call me. I hate the water but if you need me, I'll brave it for you." Kassandra said with a smirk. That was easy. Playful banter was so much easier than admitting that there was truthfully something going on. But Gods, was she finding herself more and more wanting to do something about what she felt every time she saw the blonde. But for now? For now she'd just sit by the fire, play her guitar, and throw her lust out the window. Cause that's all it was. Lust. Mmmmmmmmmhmmmmmm.

Zoey

“Kass,” she said teasingly in response before continuing. “That was before I ran into you, and I’d much rather be with you than burning off steam because I wasn’t seeing you.” She almost scolded herself for letting that out, but saying how she felt for those awkward weeks was a relief. She felt like a weight was lifted. “Also, you better know getting cozy next to a fire includes cuddling you when you aren’t playing. Just laying that expedition down now.” Still, she wouldn’t fight her on going into the water. It looked like a really nice night, and that didn’t mean she had to be gone long. 

“You hadn’t been taken out on a date,” she corrected lightly. Zoey didn’t know how much more clear she had to be about what her intentions were that evening, but she’d repeat it if necessary. “Whoever she was, obviously was an idiot if she didn’t want to treat you to something special every once in a while. I mean, I’d never taken anyone out on a date before until tonight, but I wanted to because you deserve to be taken care of sometimes too.” Zoey was thankful that she’d said that while Kass was busy setting up the fire because she didn’t know if she’d gotten it all out otherwise. Suddenly, she thought that getting a swim in was a good idea to get her emotions in check. “I could just shift into a water animal, but thanks for your courage,” she teased. “I’ll be back in a little bit.”

As the blonde walked towards the water, she stretched lightly. The temperature was perfect since Khione was no longer angry about her son being taken, and she quickly lost herself in the waves. Her mind was running in circles. Zoey was never the person to initiate things or even have thoughts that could lead to innuendo. She’d never felt the urge to go there. Still, with Kass, she felt like she was practically on fire. There was tension in her lower abdomen, and her mouth, Gods, it just seemed to work on it’s own accord. Before she realized it, she’d swam a good mile away from the shore. Not wanting to be gone too long, she turned around and headed back. 

As she walked back towards where Kass was, she couldn’t help but smile as she wrung her hair out over her shoulder. The other woman just looked so beautiful in the glow of the fire out by the water. She’d left her bag with Kass so she could set the blanket up to make herself comfortable. Zoey sat in front of the brunette. The fire was a nice way to dry off. “Are you sure you don’t want to go in? Your bra and underwear is essentially a bikini. Or we could skinny dip instead in a little while. There would be less people out and about,” she said with a shrug. She’d done it late at night and loved it. Although, her getting caught was much less likely when she could just shift into bird or something that made an easy escape. Plus, seeing Kassandra naked was not something she could handle. She’d surely explode from frustration and would not be able to resist touching.

Kassandra

Words escaped her as Zoey spoke to her before taking off into the night to go swim. For several moment she just stared at the flames that licked the air, not sure how to process anything. Had she meant like... A date date? Or like a friend date. She'd been on friend dates before, some of her former friends from academy calling them 'frates'. Biting her lower lip, she looked up from the fire to the water where Zoey was going out rather far. The woman relaxed some at the distance that was between them, worried that Zoey would suddenly develop the ability to read minds. So instead of thinking of that, she picked up her guitar after laying out Zoey's towel for her when she'd get back from her swim. Fingers began to pick gently at strings, chords falling into a rhythm as she leaned back against the drift wood. "I've watched my wild youth disappear in front of my eyes...Moments of magic and wonder, it seems so hard to find...Is it ever coming back again? Is it ever coming back again? Take me back to the feeling when everything was left to find..." Her voice carried out gently into the night, singing to herself. Luckily no one else seemed to be on the beach as she continued. "Cause it comes and goes in waves, it always does... It always does..."

Eventually that song faded out so she began to play another, followed by another and another. After a while, Zoey began to walk back and Kassandra chose to stop her singing. Gentle strumming remained as she took in the sight of the very, very attractive blonde in front of her. Her mouth went dry, trying to form words until she realized that Zoey had said something about skinny dipping. "As uh... Amazing as it sounds getting buck-ass naked and freezing my tits off, I'm good. I'm not really a fan of the ocean. I think going in at night would make it ten thousand times worse. But I'm glad you had fun. Now c'mon and get warm. I laid out the towel for ya." Kass patted the space next to her, giving a warm smile. When Zoey sat down, Kass took her jacket that she had on and wrapped it around the other woman's shoulders. "Before you even think about asking me if I need it, I'm fine. I run hot. And yes, you heard that right." Her grin was cheeky, trying to push past the feelings that bubbled up in her gut every time she flirted with her. For a while she just strummed on her guitar, not really doing any true tune. "We were sixteen," She started, not sure if Zoey would remember the conversation that they'd kind of had before she had gone in the ocean. "When I took her out on our first real date. We went to this abandoned park and I made a picnic for us. I couldn't take us out anywhere because we weren't out yet. Or at least... I wasn't. I paid for everything with my summer job money and it was great. That was the night we..." Kassandra trailed off, clearing her throat.

"After that though... I never went out on another date. Or at least anything that I qualified as a date. I tried in my senior year. This girl that I had kind of a thing for. Took her out to dinner and a movie. And then found out she... Nevermind. Just a bad experience all around. So I haven't really been on one in uh... A decade?" Her head ducked down, biting her lip as chords began to be played once more, a familiar tune drifting into existence. "Until tonight, that is. Do you treat all your friends to dates?" It was mostly a teasing tone but there was a hidden layer of worry that she'd been imagining the charge between them. What she'd do with that information, she didn't know. Either way, she didn't really wait for an answer as she started to sing along to the tune she'd been playing. "Somebody said you got a new friend... Does she love you better than I can?" Green eyes found blue, holding her gaze for a moment as she continued to sing softly. "Big black sky over my town... I know where you're at, I bet she's around... Yeah, I know it's stupid, I just gotta see it for myself..." Her eyes drifted away as she sang the next lyrics unable to look at her anymore out of fear that she'd go breathless. The fire was easy to look at as the shadows danced along her face. "I'm in the corner, watching you kiss her, ohhh... I'm right over here, why can't you see me? Ohhh... I'm giving it my all but I'm not the girl you're taking home, ooh..." Kassandra chose this moment to chance a glance up at Zoey, breath hitching slightly as she sang out the last lyric. "I keep dancing on my own..."

Zoey

Without having to think about it, Zoey moved to sit beside Kassandra and stretched her legs in front of her while leaning back on against her palms. She listened as the other woman talked more about her past and tried to imagine what it was like. Her upbringing was so different. The artist knew how lucky she was to grow up in the home she did. Even though her father had zero idea about what he was doing at first, there was never a question about how much he loved or accepted her. “I’ve never had to do the whole coming out thing,” she said with a shrug. “My only relationship was with a guy. Well, Theo,” she said with a roll of her eyes but an affectionate smile was on her lips. “But my father knows that I don’t really care about gender when it comes to attraction or relationships. I go by what I feel. He doesn’t care who I bring home as long as I’m happy. Although, Theo perplexed him. Not because he wasn’t great. We’re actually still best friends. We just — there was no spark there. We love each other but not the way a couple should.” Explaining her and her ex’s relationship was always complicated. So many people had an idea of exs and how they should act, and well, Zoey and Theo could not fall further outside of that idea. “We broke up about a year ago.”

The question was an out if she wanted one, and the blonde knew that. If she wanted to, she could say she treated her friends the same way and be done with all the confusing, all encompassing feelings. Yet, she couldn’t lie. She’d hate herself if she did. Someone needed to take a leap of faith for Kass it seemed, and she’d hate it if she didn’t. “I don’t take people I consider just friends on dates, no,” she started explaining. “I mean, I may go out with friends to dinner, but I won’t call it a date unless I’m interested in something other than friendship.” There, she’d done it. There was absolutely zero grey area left about what she’d said. Kass couldn’t act obtuse about it anymore even if she wanted to. The idea was both thrilling and terrifying. 

The lyrics hit her in a way that made her sad. She’d felt them all too much when she’d seen the other women in Kass’ room. Jealousy. It wasn’t a feeling she was used to, but she was starting to say that a lot when it came to the woman singing beside her. When she finished singing, she took in a breath and let it out slowly. “You really have a beautiful voice,” were the first words out of her mouth. “You’re — you’re kind of a goober.” The blonde couldn’t help but chuckle as she said the words because honestly she was in a bit of disbelief. “For someone who doesn’t do this often, you don’t even realize how good you are at charming someone without even trying.”

Kassandra

Her heart pounded in her ears as she felt herself going into an almost out of body experience as Zoey's words floated around like a damned ping-pong ball in her head. She was interested in something other than friendship? The thought made her chest swell and a blush tinge her cheeks. Was this happiness that she was experiencing? It is. Or at least it was. Because as swiftly as the feelings of euphoria had entered her, they just as quickly were replaced with fear. She didn't let people get close for this very reason. What they had, whatever this was... She'd fuck it up. Just like she always did. First with her mom, then Aurora. Everyone else after that had barely been let in until all Kassandra had done was hollow herself out. No longer did she believe in romance or love. No longer had she thought she was worthy of being something to someone. First loves come and go, she knew that. She learned that lesson well. But when your own mother doesn't even want you.. When your own father doesn't even care until he can make use for you... It was all too much. When had her chest gotten this tight? Was Zoey calling her charming? She couldn't tell, everything around her was fuzzy.

Kassandra's breathing came in soft gasps, eyes wide as the guitar was placed down to the side of her. She blinked in surprise at what was happening, never having experienced this sensation before. Why was her chest so tight? She couldn't... She couldn't breathe. Looking up at Zoey in confusion, she opened her mouth to try to say something but all she did was gasp in air. Oh Gods, that made it worse. Beginning to hyperventilate, Kassandra stood up far too quickly than she should have, not even bothering to dust off her pants from all the sand. Her head swam as she stood tall, not knowing where to go. She was on a beach for Zeus' sake. This wasn't really an ideal place for whatever the hell this was. Her right hand flexed open and closed several times, trembling. "I... I can't... I can't breathe." The brunette managed to choke out, eyes wide and terrified. What the fuck was happening to her?

Zoey

The silence was unnerving, but what happened afterwards was even more. At first she let Kass walk away figuring she needed space after being made to feel uncomfortable, but then the more she looked, the more Zoey saw that she didn’t look okay. Without thinking, she jogged towards her, and it didn’t take long for the blonde to realize that Kassandra was having a panic attack. There wasn’t a lot of time to think about how her vulnerability and feelings had caused it. All she could think about was helping. So, she stood in front of Kass, grabbed her hand, and placed it on her chest. “Breathe with me,” she said as blue eyes locked with green. “Feel my chest go up and down and try to mimic it.”

After a few moments, she noticed Kass’s breathing come more easily. When she was sure that the woman was no longer having such a hard time, she took a step back to give her some space. Now that the major problem was out of the way, Zoey couldn’t help but remember what had caused it in the first place. It was the most obvious she’d been about her feelings and intentions which had led to the girl she felt them for having a panic attack. That was far from reassuring, and she’d be lying if she said that she knew where to go from there. “Are you okay?” That was much easier to focus on than her feelings. Focusing on someone else was always what she was better at anyway. “Do you want to head back? We can always hang out again another time if you’re not feeling great.” Giving Kass an excuse to leave was the nice thing to do. It was the only thing Zoey knew how to do. There wasn’t exactly a how to book for the situation lying around anywhere.

Kassandra

A hand reached out for her own and soon Kassandra's palm was resting on Zoey's chest. Nothing about this gesture was sexual however it was very intimate. More intimate than Kassandra was truly ready for but somehow, someway... It was helping. Zoey breathed for the both of them for several moments until finally her chest didn't hurt, her hands didn't tremble, and she could breathe on her own again. She wanted to thank her for helping her with whatever had just happened but the blonde was moving away from her, her heart sinking like a stone. The look in Zoey's eyes was one she never wanted to see, Gods, those eyes. "No!" Kass quickly spoke, realizing it came out more like a loud plea than the soft tone she wished she would have used. So she tried again. "No... Please. Don't go." Licking her lips, she took the small steps forward towards Zoey, hoping to close the distance that the blonde had put between them. "I'm sorry that I... That that happened. I've never had that happen. Not since my--I'd uh.. I'd forgotten what that had felt like." Another deep breath as she steeled her nerves, closing her eyes for a moment. "The truth is I'm terrified." I'm not good, Zoey. That's what she wanted to say. She wanted to tell her that she was poison. But she couldn't.

Fingers shook for a moment until they made purchase on Zoey's cheek, the backs of her knuckles softy trailing down the skin there until she tilted the other woman's chin up gently. "I wasn't looking for anyone." Those words were probably the most honest thing she'd ever said to Zoey, her chest tightening once more but swiftly deciding to push the panic aside for just one fucking minute. "And then I met you." There. That was simple enough. Right? "I don't know what is happening between us. But you... You scare me. And that's--Gods, that's not on you. That's all on me." She closed her eyes tightly, sighing. "Fuck, I'm not wording this right at all." Kassandra took the last few steps closer to Zoey, eliminating any major distance between their torsos. "I don't know what to do about any of this. I'm... I'm scared to do anything about this. About you. But Gods, I want to." Her forehead rested against Zoey's, unable to look at the other woman. "You make me feel like I'm on fire. You make me... Feel." The older woman could feel just how close they were, could tell that by the sensation of her breath puffing against Zoey's lips as her hand remained cupping her jaw. "Zoey... I... I really want to..." The brunette tipped her head closer, lips wanting desperately to search for the other woman's. She could almost taste--RING.

Whatever spell that had taken over her was broken as soon as her phone started ringing from her pocket. "I..." She rasped, voice low. Lower than Zoey had ever heard it. "I think I need to... To take this." Kassandra regrettably pulled away, grabbing her phone from her pocket as she held it up to her ear. Immediately she winced as someone talked sternly to her for several moments. Eventually she hung up, clearing her throat as she looked at Zoey helplessly. "Nugget woke up and is terrorizing the neighbors. I have to get back. Zoey..." She tried, still in close proximity to the other woman, not quite sure what to do.

Zoey

The blonde was so entranced with the words coming out of the woman’s mouth, and her proximity, that she couldn’t say anything. All she could do was wait with baited breath for Kass to kiss her which was what she thought was going to happen until the blasted phone rang. When Kassandra pulled back, Zoey tilted her head back towards the sky and closed her eyes. She needed to focus on her own breathing so she didn’t scream in frustration. When the phone call ended, the artist looked at her date again and gave a small smile. “Mmm, considering the owner of the Inn had to leave the island and left her sister in charge, who you’re currently with, I’d say you’re safe from too much trouble,” she added lightly to hopefully stop some of the worrying. It was something she’d meant to bring up anyway since she’d be at where Kassandra was staying more often. That was just a fun way to bring it up. 

Zoey stepped forward so they were close again, looped her index fingers in Kass’s belt loops, and tugged the woman forward slightly. “Let’s head back,” she started before leaning forward on her tippy toes and giving the brunette a kiss on the cheek. She lingered for a few seconds to hopefully quell the need she was feeling before pulling back. “This is always going to be scary. Not because it’s me and you, but it would be with anyone. Vulnerability always is. I’d love to promise I’d never hurt you, but that would just put me on a pedestal that wouldn’t be healthy,” she started as she tried to find the right words to give Kassandra some comfort. “You just have to figure out if I’m worth the risk of getting hurt over, and I don’t want you answering that now. Sleep on it. Take your time to figure this out and fight your demons. If you need help, I’m here.” 

With that, she took Kass’ hand, interlaced their fingers, and walked them back to where their belongings were. When they got back to the fire pit, she threw her shirt on again, and worked to get things packed up. “You didn’t ruin anything before you worry,” she said as she worked on folding the blanket. ���So don’t let your mind go there.”

Kassandra

"Wait, I'm sorry what?" She was about to press further at the blonde mentioning that she'd be at the Inn more often, mouth feeling like it was full of cotton as she tried to process that. But then Zoey was getting closer again, the brunette feeling a tug on her jeans as she stutter-stepped closer. Her breathing almost stopped as Zoey leaned up on her tippy-toes to kiss her on the cheek. Green eyes fluttered shut from the contact, staying that way for several moments, even after the other woman had pulled back from her. So instead of opening her eyes, she just kept them closed as Zoey talked to her, trying to quell any and all fears from her mind. Whatever was happening between them clearly wasn't one-sided. Kassandra just had to be willing to do something about it. To put whatever this was into words. Fuck. That was a lot to process. Eventually she did open her eyes as a hand slipped into her own, following Zoey back to the firepit. It didn't take long for them to pack up their things, put out the fire and wait for Zoey to get her clothes back on over her beach attire.

The walk back to the car was silent as they walked, fingers still interlaced. Only when she needed to put the guitar up did she finally let go of the blonde's hand, regret filling her instantly. Once she got into the car, she turned on the ignition and took the car out of park, backing up before taking off down the road. The stereo connected to her phone via bluetooth and began to play a song softly through the speakers just in time for Kassandra to get up the guts to do what she hadn't on the ride over; she reached over and interlaced her fingers with Zoey's once more. 'I want you more than I need you and I need you so bad...Are you coming back? Are you coming back? I'm waiting...' Giving a small squeeze to the hand that was in her own, she kept her gaze focused on the road for the remainder of the time it would take for her to get to Zoey's home. When they pulled up, Kass got out of the car again to move around to Zoey's door, opening it up with a small smile. "I believe this is your stop."

Kassandra helped her out of the car despite not needing to, offering her a hand. Sure, it was because she wanted to instigate physical touch, something that she didn't know she craved. Keeping quiet as she walked the short distance to Zoey's doorstep, Kassandra waited until Zoey had reached the step that led into her home. This gave them more of a level-playing height and it honestly was what Kassandra was waiting for. Fingers tugged lightly on Zoey's, getting the girl to turn around to look at her. "You're worth the risk." She breathed out, licking her lips. It was honest and terrifying and she almost shook from the fear of it all. Leaning forward, she pressed a soft kiss to Zoey's forehead, staying there for a moment too long to be considered just a friend. As she pulled back, she gave another smile and began to walk backwards away from Zoey. "And hey," She started, hands quickly being shoved into her jeans pockets. "The next time you see me on your doorstep... I'll finish what I started." Her cheeks were tinged pink at the implication but she gave a small nod despite this, turning around and heading back to her car until eventually she was out of sight.

[kyber-kisses]

As You Wish

Dean Winchester x Reader

Summary: the reader is shocked to discover one of Deans favorite movies ( though he would normally never admit it) is the Princess Bride.

Warnings: this one is so incredibly cheesy that I think it needed to be considered a warning, so here it is.

A/n: I was watching the Princess Bride earlier and this came to mind when I was planning some one shots. Hope you guys like it!

“ Are you kidding me?!” Your voice echoed throughout the entirety of the bunker as you let out a shriek.The sudden burst of noise sending both Sam and Jack sitting upright in their chairs, eyes wide with confusion.

“What was that?” Jack looking to Sam for an answer, who only shrugged his shoulders.

“I’m not entirely sure.” He’s eyes moving towards the direction of your voice.

A moment later your figure came stomping up the steps of the library, wide eyed and practically radiating energy. Dean following suit a few moments later, a look of annoyance on his features.

“My whole life has been a lie!” You shouted, throwing your hands up in the air.

“Y/n, would you calm down? It’s not that big of a deal.” Dean sighed, sinking into the vacant chair next to his brother.

Your eyes widened again, as you gaped at him before slamming your hands down on the table, making everyone jump. “Not a big deal?!” You swiveled your head towards Sam and then Jack, only to see the still confused and slightly scared expressions on their faces. “ Can you believe this man?” You breathed, locking eyes with Dean again.

Sam leaned back suddenly, slamming the book in front of him shut. “ OK, can you please fill us in on what the hell is going on?” He questioned, eyes darting back and forth between you and his brother.

Dean opened his mouth to start, but you quickly held up a hand, silencing him. “ I literally just discovered that one of your brothers favorite movies is The Princess Bride! How did I not know that?!” You yelled again, a fire blazing in your eyes.

Sam was taken back, his eyebrows furrowed together but a highly amused smirk on his lips. “ Have you really not noticed how often he quotes that movie?”

Your eyes widened as you looked over at Dean, who gave you a nod and a look that screamed It was pretty obvious sweetheart.

“Of course I noticed! But I just thought that was Dean being Dean. To be fair they were really subtle quotes.” You whined, pulling out a chair next to Jack and defeatedly falling into it. You let your head fall onto the table as your mind still processed the fact that you had known Dean since you were 14, and yet never knew what his favorite movie was. It was a shock to say the least.

“Good job Dean, look you broke her.” Sam's voice scolding his brother. Jacks voice pulled you from your defeated position.

“I’m sorry, but what is The Princess Bride?” You could feel your eyes widening to the size of saucers as you whipped around to look at the nephilim, realization kicking in that Jack had never seen it.

You then glanced over at Dean, who shared the same expression as you.

“What’s the Princess Bride? Well, it’s only one of the greatest movies ever created.” You nodded. “I mean, it’s got bandits, Princesses, massive rodents!” You sighed, shaking your head in disbelief. “And Westley.” At this point you were practically swooning, leaning back in your chair.

You were completely oblivious to the look of surprise on Deans face, which was mixed with what could only be described as Jealousy.

Sam let out an amused chuckle as he looked over at you and then his brother. “ You got a crush on Westley Y/n?” He mused.

You let out a huff before nodding, a light smirk on your face. “ Are you kidding me? Westley was my first love.” You placed a hand on your heart. “He was my dream man.” You sighed, leaning back further into your chair. “ when I was younger I wanted him to ride in on a white horse and whisk me off into the sunset.”

Dean could feel a blush creeping up his cheeks as you talked, which only made him duck his head down, trying to distract himself by picking at the side of the table. He wanted to be your hero. God he wanted to be your hero more than anything, and for some reason he was jealous over a fictional character.

“Dean, are you alright?” Your voice pulling him from his thoughts. He cleared his throat, nodding his head.

“Yeah, yeah I’m fine. Just thinking of going on a beer run.”

“Cool! I’ll go with you! We can go rent the Princess Bride so Jack can watch it. We can make it a movie night!” You exclaimed, popping up out of your chair in excitement.

Dean couldn’t figure out if he was more excited or nervous about going with you. He was never nervous around woman, so why the hell was he acting like this? “ Sounds good to me.”he sighed, pushing himself up.

*                            *                                 *                           *

Half an hour later You and Dean found yourselves walking out of the store with way more items than you planned on buying. Just beer and the DVD turned to Just beer, the DVD, two boxes of microwave popcorn, several bags of candy, and an apple pie Dean had promised to split with you.

You juggled the items as Dean fished through his pockets in search of the keys. You watched with a smile as the two of you continued your walk down the street towards where Baby was parked.

“Dean, are you sure you’re okay?”

Dean flipped through his keys, trying to avoid your eyes. “ I’m telling you I’m fine! Why do you keep asking?” You raised an eyebrow as you watched him continue to look for the correct key.

“It’s the square-“ you began.

“It’s the square one I know.” Dean breathed, finally finding it and jamming it into the door, unlocking the car for you.

Dean helped you load the bags into the back seat, every once in awhile letting his eyes wander to your face. God, you were beautiful.

“Okay why do you keep looking at me?” You questioned, not looking up from your task. Shit, you had caught him.change the topic Dean. He quickly panicked.

“I um— So Westley huh?” He teased, or at least attempted to, looking over the roof of the impala at you. You shot him a death glare, walking around the car to stand next to him.

“I never should have told you that.” You shook your head with a laugh before looking up into the jade eyes of the eldest Winchester.

“I thought it was cute.” He teased again, smiling down at you. You squinted, looking deeper into his eyes. There was something off in the tone of his voice. Was he- was he jealous?

“Dean Winchester are you jealous of my childhood crush on Westley?” You mused, tilting your head as you watched a blush creep across his freckled cheeks.

“Wh-what? No!” He huffed. You smirked, taking a step closer.

“Oh my god. You are!” You pokes his chest with a giggle. “ Dean, he’s a fictional character!” You laughed.

“Okay. Okay alright get your laughs in.” He rolled his eyes, grabbing your wrist.

You fell silent for a moment, taking in this side of Dean. You liked blushy Dean. He was even cuter than normal. “ you know how I said earlier that when I was younger I wanted Westley to whisk me off into the sunset on a white horse?”

“Kind of hard to forget sweetheart.” Dean chuckled, staring into your y/e/c eyes.

“Well I didnt realize it until now, but that did happen.” You smiled, watching Deans eyebrows knit together in confusion.

“Are you high?” He questioned, only making you laugh.

“No! It’s just that my Westley didn’t wield a sword and ride a white stallion, instead he was a flannel wearing idiot who drove a black 67’ impala.” You smiled, watching as Dean pieced it together.

“Are you talking about me? Because I kinda need to make sure since apparently we suck at communication skills.” Dean questioned, pointing a finger at his chest.

“Yes I’m talking about you, you big dummy. You're my Westley.” You rolled your eyes.

You stepped forward, Flinging your arms around his broad shoulders, his arms wrapping around your waist to help steady you.

“Oh, my sweet Westley.” You sighed, carding your fingers through the back of his hair as you watched the blush on his face grow to a deeper red. “Kiss me.”

Deans next words made you smirk, as he went to cup your face in his hands. “ As you wish.”

Pulling his head down to your level, you pressed your lips against his, feeling your body melt as his lips molded to your own. It was just like what you had dreamed about as a little girl. Full of passion, full of heat and adoration. Full of love.

Since the invention of the kiss, there have been only five kisses that have been rated the most passionate, the most pure. This one left them all behind.

It was so perfect you didn’t want to pull away, and nor did Dean, but the need for air became too great and the two of you parted.

“We- we should probably head back. We do have a movie to watch.” You breathed, looking into his eyes once more.

“Yeah, probably a good idea.” Dean smiled, squeezing your hand in his. “Let’s go home Princess.”

[endoftheworldpaul]

Bright

This is my Pinescone Secret Santa fic, written for @pancake-man hope you enjoy! This follows their prompt soulmates. Always did want to write a soulmate fic!

Check it out on AO3!

Color reference sheet:

Blue- Trust, stability, calm

Pink- tenderness, caring, sympathy

Royal blue - stability, honesty

Beige - dependable, flexible

True love was tricky to understand, especially for a six-year-old. That didn’t stop Dipper Pines from asking every question about that popped into his head about the subject. Why is the world besides his family all gray? Why did Mabel illuminate a room with bright pinks and purples and oranges when all of his classmates remain a monochrome series of grays? Why did kittens glow orange and blue-gray and chocolate brown when the scary dog across the street that barked real loud every time he got close stayed a solid dark gray? ‘Why did’ and ‘how come’ poured from his lips faster than syrup on Mabel’s pancakes and Dipper could see that his parents were getting tired of deflecting his questions. 

Finally, they explained that everyone and anything you loved would light up with color for as long as you cared for them, that ancient magic encouraged a love for everything. And that some people would never see a single color in their lives because their hearts grew so cold and angry that no love could ever warm them. They explained that when people who loved each other touched, their skin would light up with a color representing the relationship wherever they touched, and that’s why when momma and dad held hands, they lit up with a soft blue hue. 

Dipper found out that Mabel loved everything. She rambled on about the colors of the sky, girls’ hair, and even spiders.

Dipper didn’t love spiders or the sky, but he did love lakes and rivers and trees and funny-looking fish. So he watched documentaries and science shows and learned and absorbed information and slowly, he began to see more and more colors.

When Dipper turned ten and invited his best friends Sam and Caroline to his birthday party at the new arcade, he first learned heartbreak. He knew he loved his friends because he could clearly see Caroline’s dark skin and the bright pink flowers in her hair and the way the blue raspberry lollipops she loved stained her tongue and Sam’s freckles and his blush when Caroline told a joke and the way his brown eyes sparkled when he planned on pranking someone. When Sam handed him the bright green birthday present he brought for Dipper, their hands brushed and nothing happened, no colors, no glowing. At first, he was sad but cheered himself up at the realization that it was likely just that Sam was slower to love people and since Sam and Dipper had only been friends for a few months, that he just was working to get there. 

Then, when Caroline grabbed his hand to drag him over to a game with flashing lights and loud music and silly ducks on it and their clasped hands also didn’t glow, Dipper was struck with the fear that something was wrong. He and Caroline had been friends for five years now. 

So, when he had the chance, he pretended to go to the bathroom. He followed Sam and Caroline around, weaving between people’s legs and trying to keep track of their conversation. 

“—such a nerd!” Caroline giggled.

“Yeah, and he never stops talking! It’s nice that his family lets him go to so many fun places because he drags us along.”

They continued to talk, the topic changing from Dipper to Mabel, calling her names. Right before they were blocked by a particularly tall man, he noticed their colors be replaced by deep grays.

Dipper ran to find Mabel. Mabel hugged him close and Dipper found comfort in the soft pink glow that illuminated their skin where Mabel’s arms wrapped around his arms and neck and how her fingers shined when she wiped away his tears. 

After that, Dipper found it harder to love people. Books and nature and games still had prominent colors, but only Mabel and his parents had color. Sometimes, Dipper would look in the mirror and smudges of gray would seep into his skin, hair, eyes. Times like that made him scared. When that happened, the only thing that brought him comfort was the soft rosy pink of Mabel’s hugs. 

Over time, Dipper made better friends, met new people, and occasionally developed crushes on pretty girls and nice boys. But very few people ever were brightened by colors. 

One said crush was Wirt Palmer, a dorky boy six months his senior. They had met at a sleep-away writing camp and immediately got on like fire on a house. Wirt was soft-spoken but passionate, clumsy yet gorgeous. Wirt was perfect, and Dipper would be damned if he hadn't tried everything to not fall in love with him. 

It would be cliche to say Dipper fell in love slowly, and it would be a blatant lie. Three hours after they first shook hands during their introduction to one another, color slammed into Wirt's form. Wirt had quoted Shakespeare, softly mumbling "'Tis the way to call hers exquisite, in question more…" under his breath, the following lines providing a comforting touch, their warmth soaking into Dipper's bones. And then, color. It was as simple as that, but also horribly convoluted and worrying, as Dipper hadn't felt love anew in a year. 

But, despite the panic creeping in, he was also comforted by how right it felt to love Wirt. Dipper was also just a teenage boy, and he struggled to differentiate the platonic and romantic affection he felt for his new companion. After all, love came in many forms, and identifying one after so suddenly being overwhelmed by its presence was a feat in and of itself. 

So, Dipper kept his feelings to himself, only letting Mabel know that he had made a new friend. As the week progressed and Wirt opened up more, Dipper came to the conclusion that no matter what he felt for this boy, he was certain that he would never feel whole again if not by his side. 

And stay he did, at least to the best of his ability. After all, Wirt lived in Massachusetts, the other side of the country from Dipper's home of Piedmont, California. They texted, nigh constantly, and during school breaks they would talk into the early morning hours, night coming to an end before their conversations. Dipper rarely actually saw Wirt, as opposed to just hearing him, seeing his words through a screen. That made it easy to ignore how clear Wirt's colors were, never wavering, never dimming. 

The few times he and Wirt were face to face—video chats or the occasional meetup—Dipper could only be amazed by how beautiful Wirt was. Fluffy brown hair and chocolate eyes, tan skin, a big angular nose, all made Dipper's insides warm pleasantly. And the beauty and determination of the colors comforted Dipper. He was reminded that despite being hurt and despite being taken advantage of, he was no less worthy of being surrounded by love than any other person. When he felt close to Wirt—despite the hundreds of miles separating them—he loved himself more. 

Sometimes, late at night, after Wirt finally succumbs to the siren call of sleep, Dipper would trace patterns onto his arms, royal blue bleeding through the gaps between his fingers, and feel closest to the old Dipper, the one who loved easily and truly, a part of him he had previously given up on finding again. 

Other times, gray would wobble across his body, only lasting mere seconds before returning to its bright hues, and a deep cold would seep into Dipper, down to the bone. On those days, Wirt would be quick to comfort, rambling on about plans for college or a book he had read or a song he was writing. The distractions helped, but Dipper wondered if it was more the words or the person they came from that brought him comfort. 

Dipper developed a habit of dedicating a large portion of his free time to conversing with Wirt, whether it be during school or during breaks in between study sessions or talking until midnight. And suddenly, as the end of junior year rolled past and suddenly the bubble of consistency was popped, making way for the stress and panic of searching for colleges. 

On more than one occasion, Mabel let Dipper know her opinions on his three-year-long college search, telling him that he has no reason to stress since he had had his favorites narrowed down to a reasonably sized list since the end of last year's winter break. She had known this because, for each day of Hanukkah, Dipper had gotten eight sweatshirts, each proudly advertising the mascot of one of those schools. Mabel had five of those same colleges on her list, she also had half of the colleges on the west coast on that very same list, so the overlap didn't surprise Dipper. 

His biggest confidant for his college prep fears was Wirt. They both discussed the pros and cons of each school, their interests overlapping enough that the most appealing colleges for one often intrigue the other as well.

And as the season for college applications neared, Dipper noticed Wirt often finding nitpicky reasons to dislike any school that Dipper wasn't applying to. It was almost as if Wirt couldn't bear the thought of consciously choosing to not be closer to Dipper. At first, Dipper brushed thoughts like that aside, but as Wirt steadfastly continued rebuffing schools he had previously fawned over, Dipper reconsidered his behavior. It was relieving to think that maybe, just maybe, Wirt would finally be within arms reach, for the first time since the summer before their sophomore year. 

Their last year of high school passed much the same as the previous two, worrying about grades, studying, preparing for college, and talking. Then, spring came and brought with it college responses. With his grades, test scores, and essays, Dipper managed to get accepted into some high ranking colleges, but he was most happy that Wirt had gotten accepted to three of the same colleges that Dipper had, one of which was highly favored by both. They video chatted that might, gushing over each others’ successes and happily imagining what the first year of college might be like. 

Wirt wasn’t a fan of cold weather and Dipper hated temperatures over 80 degrees, so they settled on a college in a warmer state, with just enough of an elevation to limit how hot the summers would be. 

As his final summer break before college finally began and the stress of finals started to abate, Dipper began packing for the drive to his new campus. Sadly, Mabel hadn’t applied to that college, but she had gotten accepted to one that was only a few hours’ drive away, so visits would be frequent. Freshmen had assigned dorms on campus with a roommate exam matching each person to one or two others, so Dipper had prepared a few different scripts to use, one for a cool roommate, one for a boring roommate, one for a douchey roommate, and one for an absent roommate, all color-coordinated. He didn’t want to say the wrong thing to the person he would be rooming with for the next two years, minimum. 

A few days later, he and Mabel had shoved their luggage into the trunk of Dipper’s car and were in the midst of saying goodbye to their parents for the eighteenth time. Mabel had refused to get a driver’s license, quoting studies about the damage driving has on the environment and human health, so Dipper would drive her to her campus, where she would rely on the college’s free bus system to get where she needed. 

The drive would take a day so they stopped at a hotel halfway there. Since Dipper had driven and was therefore too busy to talk to Wirt, he spent the next two hours chatting with Wirt about tourist traps he has driven past, the whole time trying to tune out Mabel’s loud getting-ready-for-bed-one-woman-performance. 

Wirt said that he was already at his dorm and that his roommate, singular, had yet to arrive. He then sent an invite for a video chat and, when Dipper accepted, gave him a shaky but descriptive tour of his half of the large suite. There were five rooms: a living room, two bedrooms, each with personal bathrooms, and a small kitchen. The kitchen had a stove, a small fridge, and a microwave. Dipper also noticed a small kettle, covered in stickers. 

Wirt babbled on about how nervous he was to meet his roommate and for classes to start, only stopping when Mabel burst from the bathroom to fill the room Dipper was in with her loud and only slightly off-key singing. 

“Oh hi, Wirt!” She shouted at the laptop, receiving a shocked greeting from Wirt in return. Shortly after the disruption, Wirt yawned, his jaw popping at the exertion. Dipper said goodnight and not long after he and Mabel were out cold. 

When he dropped Mabel off, she gripped him tightly and whispered “Go get him, tiger. He’s gonna love you, if he doesn’t already.” Her words were comforting, if not surprising, and he focused on the gentle pink lighting up around the points of contact to distract from the tears that wanted to escape. 

Her words echoed in his brain as he sped down the highway, stealing any semblance of extra focus that he would have had otherwise. 

As Dipper hauled his suitcase down the hallway, pausing a second to glance down at his phone to double-check what room he’s heading to. As he does, he hears a soft voice muttering what sounds like poetry escape the open door a few rooms ahead of him. 

“I falter, for the sight of you stops my breath, and gaze at the light that is you. Instantly, color fills my world, as there is no life where I do not love you.” Dipper creeps closer, not wanting the speaker to stop. “I stumble around blindly, looking for your guiding light, for when you are not around the world is dark. Now I stand, gazing upon a—” the speaker cuts off as Dipper lets out a gasp. 

In the room, Dipper’s room, Wirt stands, dressed in a pale yellow sweater and old blue jeans, and stares at Dipper before stuttering a rushed “Dipper! What, what are you doing here? I didn’t tell you my room did I?”

Dipper let out a breathy chuckle. “Wirt, this is my room. I… it seems like we might be roommates. I, what was that that you were reading? Who was it for?” Wirt’s Face burned bright red and the heat of Dipper’s own cheeks told him that he was blushing just as hard. 

“It was…” He trailed off, the answer whispered into his hands, which had crept up to cover his face. He peeked through a gap in his fingers and followed Dipper as he took a slow step forward. He dropped his hands, took a deep breath, and blurted out “It was for you! I wrote it for you because I love you!” He pauses. “I love you,” he muttered, softer this time. 

Dipper closes the distance between them, shakily stretching out a hand and pausing just inches from Wirt’s face. Wirt takes the initiative and leans into his palm. Instantly, the points of contact light up a soft beige, but Dipper focused on the beige pouring from Wirt’s chest, illuminating the shape of his heart. 

“Oh boy. That’s a, that’s a soulmark.” Wirt must notice the confused furrow of Dipper’s brow because he continues. “It’s a super rare thing that happens only when people love each other purely and like initiate purposeful contact with each other or something. There’s like twenty cases of this happening in the last four decades.”

Dipper felt his blush spread down his neck. “We’re just that special, I guess. If you couldn’t guess, I love you too, Wirt. I’ve been in love with you since the first day we met.” Dipper looked into Wirt’s eyes, filled with comfort by the pure love held in the brown depths. His other hand met Wirt’s cheek and the beige hue brightened. 

Dipper knew then and there that he would move heaven and earth to keep Wirt’s love close by, would fight the world if it meant making him happy.

[yoitssabrinee]

POROUS [02]

I cranked two chapters in a single day. I am ashamed proud of myself tonight.

Now my head hurts and I want to write more.

WARNING: None, probably some angst but not much?

PAIRING: Ignis Scientia/GN!Reader

SETTING: Post-Brotherhood Era; AU of sorts.

A/N: it really got a brain of its own, idk what happened

PART: 01 | 02 | 03

You woke up to the smell of fried eggs, and the sound of Ignis cursing to himself.

Bright light was streaming from the curtains, parted to allow the flow of air from the open balcony. It was strangely humid, and the breezy wind coming from outside wasn’t enough to cool the heat. Taking another moment to re-orient yourself, you realized that you were sweltering under a thick layer of blankets.

Pushing the fleecy materials off, you sat up, noting that the plushy thing you’ve slept on was actually the couch of your living room. The apartment still smelled of fried eggs and something that reminded you of sausages, but you were too drowsy and lightheaded—plus still groggy—to stand up and find the source. But even then, you hadn’t need to, because someone’s footsteps were making their way through the hall, and then Ignis was right beside you, balancing a tray on gloved hands.

“Good morning,” he said, his tone light and soft. “I made breakfast. Would you like to have any?”

“Ignis?” you said, rubbing a bleary eye with one fist to wipe off the sleep. “W-why are you here?”

He put the tray on the coffee table before you, and it was then you realized the television was on; it was playing the morning news, though the sound was muted. You took note of the items displayed on the tray before you—thinly sliced ham on toast, fried egg on top, a block of butter complete with its own knife at the side, grilled cocktails, and a jug of warm milk.

Even in your state of disorient, you were touched—Ignis remembered your favorite breakfast.

“You were feverish,” he said, pulling off a glove and placing a cold hand on your sweating temple; by then you suddenly felt a sharp spike in your head and winced, and he grimaced. “You must have been in the rain for far longer than I thought. My apologies for not coming for you sooner."

You blanched at his words. Rain? You were soaked in rain? Another sharp throb and you winced again, and suddenly Ignis was clutching your wrist, gently pushing you down to lay on the couch again.

“Easy,” he said, then leaned back to grab a glass of water and a couple of white pills from the tray before handing them to you. “Here, swallow these before you eat. Slowly, now…”

You downed the pills, and then the water, and then you were handing an empty glass back to Ignis, who took it and placed it on the table. He was still holding you by the wrist, but his hold was gentler.

You looked at him, and he shot you a warm smile.

He asked, “Now, how about that breakfast?”

It took a while for your brain to reorganize itself, for it to pick up tidbits of information that were once holes in your memories, for it to register and process the emotions behind them as realization dawned on you, and nearly made you bawl again.

It pained you.

You knew it pained Ignis, too; seeing you broken and exhausted and sick, of course he’d want to know what had caused them. Yet he never said anything about, never asked you anything about what had transpired on that night. He simply hovered close by, asking if you needed this and that, disappearing for a few hours afterwards to cater to Noct before a meeting, promising to come back to cook dinner for you.

He hadn’t slept a wink; the angry red irritation in his eyes was proof of that.

You felt awful, even as you soaked yourself under the shower’s warm pour, dousing yourself in bliss. You should have known this would have happened; you should have picked up the signals before, but you didn’t, you didn’t, and now it was all your fault that Ignis had to stay awake the whole night to tend to you while you wallow in self-pity. Just because of—

Just because of—

A pang in your chest made you hunch over the tiled wall. It hurt to breathe, when your brain began replaying the scenes of that awful night. Furtive looks, sneering glances, a concerned waiter asking if you wanted a refill, and then—

And then—

You saw Ignis.

“Would you like another glass, ma’am?”

The waiter meant well, you knew. He didn’t mean to come prying into your personal space every half hour, trying to keep you company in his own way even when he was attending to other customers, but you knew.

You knew better.

And you should have known earlier.

Another call went unanswered; that was the twentieth voicemail you’ve left when you realized your date was late. An hour and a half late. You’ve ordered some snacks because you took pity on the loitering waiter who kept glancing at your table with hopeful looks, and because you were really, really hungry; you had refused Ignis’ offer to cook you dinner before, and now you were regretting it. His panna cotta would have been a great dessert in a sweltering environment such as this, but it wasn’t even humid or hot, it was almost night-time, and the atmosphere was becoming quite chill…

You squirmed in your seat; the clothes, while they accentuated your every curve and appeal, and was tailored to fit your size—courtesy of the prince’s chamberlain, because of his connections—was making you uncomfortable. Your skin was itching, sweat made the material slide on your body like rough parchment, and the whole thing was downright unbearable.

And worse yet, the looks thrown your way hadn’t eased the nervousness seeping in you. They were deriding, taunting snorts, and unheard whispers behind jeweled fingers; the restaurant you’ve picked was, after all, a high-end one, so of course someone of low class like you shouldn’t be here. But your crush—your date—seemed like the person worth the money you’d spend for, and if only they would show up now—

Until you chanced a glance outside the window—the spot you’ve reserved for that specific occasion—and you felt your blood turn cold.

There they were, your supposed date, strolling at the other side of the road, with someone else wrapped in their arms.

Immediately you turned your head the other way. It couldn’t be them, could it? They had promised you a date, and they were supposed to be here near two hours ago, but that person… it couldn’t be them. It couldn’t be.

You turned to glance at them a second time and—

There they were, looking straight at you, flashing white teeth behind a smile that had charmed you before. It didn’t charm you now.

The smile felt mocking, jeering, insulting.

And their partner was looking at you, too, flashing the same smile, white teeth and all, and you felt—

You felt—ridiculed.

You leaned in your seat, feeling hot and cold at the same time. Outside, thunder reverberated through the sky, signaling the oncoming rain, and you knew you should make it home before it poured; but somehow you remain rooted at your chair, sipping wine and taking bites out of the second snack you’ve ordered that night.

It felt like a long, long time, before you finally thanked the waiter for his hospitality, paid and tipped him with what’s left of your wallet, and made your way out through the entrance, ignoring all the glances thrown your way as you went past them.

Your supposed date was gone.

And just as you stepped out of the restaurant’s lounge, it started raining.

The can made a crinkling noise, the hand clenching it tossing it into the waste bin as the other reached out for another can.

Noct eyed that can warily.

Ignis couldn’t really give enough of two fat chocobo turds to care about the situation; he was tired, he hadn’t slept at all, and Noctis was trying his best to help him out despite being entirely incapable to do so while being lazy at the same time. And Noctis had always been lazy.

But this time, he couldn’t really have it in him to care about whether or not his charge was burdening him with yet more tasks to do.

Solid evidence was the piling mountain of empty Ebony cans currently deposited inside the waste bin, and he was prepared to drain another as he ran through the half-assed notes Noct had written for the report he sent last night, biting back a curse at a slight throb behind his eyes.

The two dozen boxes of Ebony cans he’d bought blocked the sunlight from irritating his eyes further.

Noct was still eyeing the can in his hand warily.

He heaved a deep sigh, pulled his head from its awkward position of ducking down to read the notes splayed on the table, and fixed Noct with an even look. “Anything interesting plastered on this thing, Your Highness?”

Noct pulled his eyes away from the can and shot Ignis a look with his brows furrowed. “You okay, Specs?”

Ignis sighed. “I’m in perfect condition, Noct,” he said in a clipped tone. “You would do best to care more about your gods-forsaken notes than my well-being at the moment. Your handwriting is horrendous.”

Noct winced, hissing behind clenched teeth even as his face remained impassive. “Ouch, Igs,” he said. “That stings. What’s got your knot all tangled up?”

“Nothing.” Ignis was fast to respond, and the dark-haired prince narrowed his eyes at him in disbelief. “It would be imprudent for you to try to prod me for information that doesn’t concern your future as crown prince of Lucis, Noctis. I am fine.”

Noct hissed again, but this time it was more grimace than impassiveness. “Geez, dude,” he said, leaning back on his chair and crossing his arms over his chest. “You coulda been nicer ‘bout it.”

But Ignis didn’t say anything.

In retrospect, he knew he was crossing a line; taking a jab at Noct’s status as the sole heir to the throne and pressuring him about it was probably as far as he dared himself to make in this state, but he knew he had offended his charge, if Noct had shown any signs of being offended. Still, he was irritable, he was being irrational, and he had one too many cans of Ebony to even think straight anymore—

He slammed a hand on the papers, and Noct nearly jumped out of his clothes.

“Whoa there,” he said, eyeing the hand. “That’s… kinda-“

“-rude, I know,” Ignis cut him off; he had settled his other hand on the bridge of his nose, glasses off now. “My apologies, it seems that my bearings have gone off track as of late. May we continue this when I’ve finally gotten myself together on a more appropriate-“

“Dude, no,” Noct cut him off before he could go on. “Go home. Take the rest of the day off. Tomorrow, too. I’ll tell dad myself.”

Ignis, too surprised to respond properly at first, looked up from his position so fast his head felt as if they were spinning. “I beg your pardon?”

Noct was grinning now, leaning on one arm as he fingered his notes with the other. “I mean it, go home, help yourself with some well-deserved nap or whatever, do anything you want, I don’t care,” he said, not looking up from the papers littering the table. “You really look like you need it. So, uh, yeah, do whatever, I’ll tell dad you’re taking today and tomorrow off because you’re sick.”

And Ignis could only stare at him, surprise evident on his face.

“My word, Noct,” he said after a long moment of silence. “I never thought you were capable of such compassion, considering you liked to put your subjects under dire stress.”

“What was that supposed to mean?!”

[flapperfromthefuture]

Confession time: I am a crazy plant lady. I take good care of them and they make me happy, so it’s okay, right? When I’m a little down, I repot a plant or two and I feel great. When my anxiety is ramping up, I buy a new plant. Or two. Succulents are like five bucks. They’re cheaper than ice cream and they don’t have any calories.

I may have too many plants.

So when I drove past one of my favorite spots in town, the Matthaei Botanical Gardens, and saw this sign, I did the full cartoon slam on the brakes and shouted to no one, “Put that on my calendar!”

This sale kept me awake at night for two weeks. When it finally arrived, I got to the gardens at 10 on Saturday morning, because I wanted to see the good plants before they got sold (anxiety!). I wasn’t planning to stay long or even buy more than one or two plants. I’ve been to the orchid sale and bonsai sale and the flower basket sale so I know these events get crazy and I get anxious, so my trusty strategy has always been “get in, get plant, get out,” and it’s never let me down .

But there’s regular crazy and then there’s succulent crazy.

At only a few minutes past 10 in the morning, I found myself at the end of a rapidly growing line that had already spilled outside the actual building.

Now, if you’ve read my previous post you know that I’m a Disney veteran who does not get thrown off by a line—but they don’t sell exotic plants on Peter Pan.

People on their way out were passing by every few minutes, carrying giant boxes full of plants that I. wanted. A man the size of a linebacker hustled by with his arms full of air plants. A girl with a giant Amazon box full of plants said, “Can’t wait to get them home and introduce them to their brothers and sisters!” and I wanted to cry.

MY plants needed new brothers and sisters!

This was not the usual plant crowd either. Sure, the requisite elderly ladies in sun hats and purple sweatpants were there (aka my heroes) but there were also hipsters with too many tattoos and questionable blue hair stripes, people with kids, babies in strollers, college kids excitedly planning where to put their plants on their single windowsill.

I texted Stella, “Good news! I’m not the only crazy plant lady. Bad news: the crazier plant ladies are going to take all the good plants.”

  “Yeah man, you gotta get in there,” she said. “The plants need you!”

The young couple behind me were in full complaining mode. “We don’t want to spend our whole Saturday waiting in line,” they agreed, and bailed.

Those people wouldn’t last long on New Year’s Eve in Epcot, I’m just saying,

I was now about halfway to the entrance.

I focused on my phone so I wouldn’t look at the people leaving and the plants they had bought, but still, I was consumed with anxiety. What if they ran out of plants? What if I got in there after all this effort and all the plants left were gross and dying? What if my dream plant is in there? I don’t even know what my dream plant would be, but what if I have one and it’s in there and being bought by someone right now who won’t know how to take care of it and it’ll die—

An elderly woman with pentagon-shaped glasses—yes, pentagon-shaped, five sides—brushed past me and decided to address the entire line.

“It’s worth the wait!” she said. “They won’t run out of plants, I promise. I’m only leaving because I have too many. But it’s worth it!”

I watched her head out the door, wondering what adventures awaited her.

“I want to befriend this person but I can’t leave the line,” I texted Stella.

I have worn glasses since the second grade and I have never seen pentagon-shaped frames. They were tortoiseshell. Where does someone buy pentagon-shaped tortoiseshell glasses? What experiences has this person had that made her go, “You know what? Rectangles and ovals are boring. Life is short. I’m going with the pentagons.”

I would buy her whatever drink she wanted to hear her life story.

After a good 25 minutes (which as my dad will tell you, is not that bad, especially for a big ticket ride. We could do 25 minutes for Toy Story Mania in our sleep), I was at the entrance to the show. My muscles started to tense, ready to run in as soon as the young volunteer who got the coveted job of “bouncer for the succulent sale” deemed me worthy of entering.

“This is pretty crazy,” I said, flashing my best smile.

“It always is,” she said. “You can go in now.”

I swear I heard a choir sing.

There was a table full of cardboard boxes and I made sure to take the smallest one, as an attempt to counter my hoarding tendencies. At this point, I swear I was only going to buy one plant, maybe two. Stella wanted one, and A needed a new hanging plant for her office.

I ventured into the fray, carrying my little empty box in front of me for protection, and a third mission made itself imminently clear: survive.

If you’ve ever been in a crowded elevator and then the elevator stopped and another dozen people got in, and the elevator was also full of plants and also an actual greenhouse with glass walls that, you know, conduct sunlight, you would understand the vibe of this sale.

In other words: claustrophobia officially triggered.

There was a line around each plant table, a line to get into the line for each table, a line to pay, and plenty of people were in a line but had no idea what the line was for so there was a ton of confusion and “Is this the line to pay or the line for air plants?” and people jostling for position and it was far from the chill and relaxed ambience that you usually get in a botanical garden. This was Black Friday for succulents.

A woman behind me loudly complained that she had just set down a plant she wanted to buy for two seconds and someone had grabbed it. No one around her looked sympathetic.

It was every plant person for themselves.

I don’t remember when I transitioned from “buy two plants” to “buy every plant” but it must have been somewhere around the time that a guy tried to sell me this rare little beauty—for 45 dollars!

I put that sucker right back. Do I look like I started buying succulents yesterday?

Of course, I almost bought a rare plant from Indonesia that depends on ants colonizing its root pod for nutrients. I almost bought three of these.

I thought A might like one as well, and then I would have to get one for Stella too, because who wouldn’t want a super-cool ant plant?

When I told A, she was horrified.

“If your plant lived that would mean you had ants! In your house!” she said.

“I thought they looked cool!” I said. “And they were only 7 dollars!”

“You’re paying 7 dollars TO GET ANTS!”

Fortunately, sanity prevailed in the moment, and I put the ant plants back.  Still, I was in frenzy mode. I picked up a plant, then put it back a few minutes later. I grabbed a plant for Stella, fell out of love with it, then got her a different one. All the while I’m weaving in and out of the endless lines of hot, sweaty people, their faces all dawning with the sudden realization that humans are indeed animals and we will resort to our most primal instincts in mere seconds.

Perhaps the more evolved being is . . .the humble succulent?

Fortunately, Disney trained me well, and I wove in and out of the crowd with a minimum of panic symptoms. I did have a quick fantasy about bumping into my first anxiety therapist and saying, “I did it! Look where I am right now!” But then I would have had to shove her aside to get to the plants.

And then, I saw it—the Holy Grail of the succulent sale—the only hanging basket left in the entire joint. I grabbed it before I could even read the tag to know what kind of plant it was. And not to brag, but I read very quickly. That’s how heightened my reflexes were.

“That’s a really nice one,” another seller told me. “Just don’t overwater it, and it’s almost indestructible. Hey, and it’s my last one! You were lucky.”

I clamped down on this thing so hard that you’d think I was trying to sneak it out of the country. Actually, getting it out of the sale was almost as hard.

Now that I was struggling to make my way through the throng with this basket on my arm, people were whipping around to look at me and loudly ask if there were any left.

  When I said, “Sorry, this was the last one!” they looked at me the way my cat does, when he’s hungry and bites down on whatever body part I’ve make the mistake of exposing to get my attention. The narrowed eyes of, “You have something I want. Prepare to die.”

My box was now stuffed tight with six little plants—one for Stella, one for A, and (cough) four for me. A volunteer very kindly offered to get me a bigger box and that’s when I realized, “I gotta get out of here.” You know, the way that Dorothy or Coraline or whoever is having a great time in the other universe until something makes them realize, “This isn’t right! I have to go home!”

This was my Auntie Em moment. But getting out was even rougher than getting in, plus I had this hanging basket on my arm, and it was the last hanging basket in the entire sale.

I finally understand the expression, “People were on me like I had the last bump of coke at the party.”

It took three different attempts, but I finally got in the right line to pay. It took all my strength not to duck out and take one more look-around or grab one more teeny tiny plant that was only $2 and needed a home where it would be loved . . . anyway, I cashed out, and honestly it was cheaper to get seven plants than to go out to brunch, so I did really well.

As I made my way to freedom, past the now even longer line, people looked at my hanging plant with envious eyes. “Did they have a lot left?”

I hustled my way past before anyone could offer me money for it.

The line was easily three times longer than when I went in—instead of extending just outside the building, the line now went around the building and into the parking lot. So if I waited 25 minutes, those people waited around 90. That’s a Space Mountain during spring break wait.

  I made my way to my car, which was parked a full nautical league away, carrying this box and heavy hanging plant. My arms were shaking by the time I made it.

I had been at the gardens for two and a half hours.

When I got home, my cat was waiting for me with an expression of, “What did you bring home this time?”

  The Apocalyptic Succulent Sale Confession time: I am a crazy plant lady. I take good care of them and they make me happy, so it's okay, right?

[fictionwriter26-blog]

The English Project

 Kat’s English teacher was going to kill her. She had a short story assignment due in two days and she didn’t even have an outline started. It was supposed to be fifteen pages of anything she could think of and all she had was a crappy title. “Coffee shops” she scoffed, what kind of title was that? Usually she was pretty good at this sort of thing. Today however, was not one of those days.

She had been holed up in her favourite coffee shop on Granville Street for at least three hours, her laptop mocking her. Her legs tingled from being bent up under her for so long. The chair she sat in was comfortable and familiar. It was her chair these days-she spent so much time here they might as well make a sign. The smell of espresso and baked goods wafted from behind the counter. Her mouth watered as a fresh tray of muffins appeared from the kitchens. An employee she did not recognize slipped them into the display case and posted the prices. Her eyes drooped again.

Four cups of bitter drip coffee had done absolutely nothing to wake her up and her laptop was almost dead. Glancing out the window at the constant, unmoving flow of Vancouver traffic, she heard the endless shriek of car horns, pedestrian chatter and whining cyclists. She pictured hailing a cab to take her away. Anywhere would be fine, as long as it wasn’t home.

After illness took her father last year, the house had become a dead zone. Her mom was intent on living life to the fullest and not wasting time, so she was always out doing something. Her brother was always working or out with friends so there was never anyone home. Not that it really mattered. It was just so quiet. Kat hated quiet these days.  

She was snapped out of her musings by an incredibly green pair of eyes and a smile. Her favourite barista, Chase.

“Long day?” he asked quietly, sliding a steaming mug of hot chocolate across the table toward her.

“The longest” she replied with a grateful smile, curling her hands around the warm, brightly coloured ceramic.

He grinned at her over his wide framed glasses. “What are you writing about this week?”

Wordlessly she turned her laptop toward him and raised her eyebrows.

“Ahh, it’s one of those days then” he chuckled. Kat just groaned and dropped her head to the table.

She heard Regan, the owner and manager, shouting obscure coffee orders and barking at employees over the white noise of the shop. Chase sighed, “I better get back to work before she goes completely insane.”

Kat laughed at that. “That’s probably a good idea.”

“See you tomorrow?” he asked, seeming hopeful.

“Most likely.” she said with a smirk. “Who else is going to polish off your entire caramel mocha stock?” All she heard was a sharp laugh as he walked away. Chase had been dubbed by the regulars as the “caretaker” and Kat had always understood why. He had an impulsive need in him to make sure that every single customer was well looked after and smiling.

Turning back to her laptop with a sigh, Kat realized that her battery had finally decided that she wasn’t going to be writing anything worth while and died. Contemplating how to tell her teacher that her fish, had eaten her homework. Kat admitted defeat.

 Stepping heavily into her bedroom, she dropped face first onto her bed, exhausted. Her mom was out doing yoga and James was at the movies with some friends. She was alone. It was quiet again. She figured that some music would fix that problem at least. She fumbled with her phone, her body like lead, eventually she managed to find the play button and soft melodies filled the silence. She could have fallen asleep then and there but she knew she had to plug in her computer and try to get some work done. Even if it was just a rough draft. Problem was, she had no motivation to move. Eventually, hunger won over and she got up. Fiddling with the charger, she managed to plug in her laptop and left it to scavenge for food. She returned twenty minutes later with three slightly stale pop tarts and some milk. Attempting to dislodge pop tart from the roof of her mouth, she dropped unceremoniously into her desk chair. Once again in front of her crappy titled blank canvas. Only…it wasn’t blank. Gaping like her fish, Kat stared at the computer screen, unmoving.

There on the screen was fifteen pages of short story. She read through the pages, trying to remember writing any of this. She couldn’t. The entire document had a consistent flow and it read smoothly. A well-crafted plot, clear, definitive details, characters that seemed relatable and a decent conclusion. It seemed to be about a girl having trouble writing an assignment for English class, who ended up whisked away to another universe similar but different than the one she had left behind. All through the back room of her favorite coffee shop.  It even included Kat’s signature reference to pears, which she always included into her stories because Billy Coleman had dared her once in eighth grade that she couldn’t reference a fruit during her persuasive argument essay assignment.

Kat couldn’t believe it. Her story was finished, except she hadn’t finished it… Hell she hadn’t even started it. She had been worried about this project for weeks because it was the replacement project to her final exam. Every other assignment she’d had all year had been handed in on time and fully completed. This one had terrified her due to the sheer size and depth of it. She had never done anything of this size before. Usually with her writing, she got in, wrote a few pages and got out again. It worked best for her that way. It was part of the reason she had been having such a tough time with the project, she didn’t know how to keep going. Yet here it was, fully completed with her name in the top corner. Still utterly bewildered and slightly scared she would get caught for magical plagiarism, she printed two copies of the story and emailed one to her teacher just in case.

Kat frowned suddenly, the title had been altered only slightly.

“Coffee shops, and Their Caretakers.”

She thought immediately of Chase but she couldn’t figure out how he had done it. She knew she had to speak to him before she made any assumptions, of course that didn’t mean that she wasn’t completely freaked out by the whole thing. Sighing slightly, Kat lifted her phone to check the time. White numbers glared at her from the overly bright screen, 10:30. “Late enough for bed I guess.” she murmured, closing the laptop with a resounding click.

      It was the slamming of the front door that woke her. James must’ve just left. Groaning, Kat reached blindly in the general direction of her phone. 9:02 glared back at her from the too bright screen. “Shit!” She practically flew out of bed and across the room. She had to talk to Chase before opening at 10 so he wouldn’t get distracted. Though she knew Chase often unlocked the door before officially opening in case some of the local homeless population wanted somewhere warm to sit for awhile. She also knew about the hot chocolate he offered

them, payed for out of his own pocket so Regan wouldn’t know.  Throwing on clothes, grabbing her phone and laptop bag, Kat ran for the SkyTrain platform.

      She burst into the blessedly still closed shop with a gasp. “Chase, I need to-” she stopped cold at the sight before her. Two large men in suits stood in front of the counter. Something was off about them though. She studied them blankly. Suddenly she saw it, they were shimmering! It wasn’t Edward Cullen in twilight (thank god). It was more like the one of the holograms from Star Wars. Chase was facing the shiny suit guys from behind the counter, a dishtowel thrown over his shoulder. The men turned upon hearing her entrance. “Hey, your business is with me not her” Chase stated in a cold, sharp tone she had never imagined he possessed. “Chase what-”

“You need to go Kat.” He cut her off.

“No, I’m not just going to leave you here with these goons.” Her spine straightened in defiance as she glared at him, though terror spread through her veins.

“You don’t know what you’re saying.” He replied, finally meeting her gaze. There was fear in those green eyes she knew so well and that scared her more than any thugs could.

“Whatever this is about.” She stepped forward hands raised slightly. “Let me help you fix it.”

“These matters are none of your concern little girl.” One of the suits finally spoke, his tone empty.

“He’s my friend, that makes this my concern.” she shot back, hoping she sounded braver than she felt. Both suits turned their full attention her and neither one saw Chase reach for the coffee can tip jar. Without warning he swiped it off the counter toward the floor. As it fell he vaulted the counter and dove to the left. The tip jar shattered at feet of the suits. Shards of glass flew in all directions and Kat stepped back, shielding her face with her arms. Chase didn’t hesitate as he ducked between the distracted men, and ran right at her. “Run!” he grabbed her hand as he bolted for the door.  He pulled her out the door and into the crowd on the street.

    He finally slowed a few minutes later in a needle-littered alley that smelled heavily of marijuana and garbage, which were probably not the only things in the large city dumpster beside her.  She turned to him once she could breathe without choking. “What the hell was that?! Who were those guys and why were they glowing?” She demanded, glaring hard at him.

He studied her for a moment, stepping back slightly to lean against the gray brick of the wall across from her. Eventually he spoke, his tone even. “Those men aren’t from here, the rest you wouldn’t believe if I told you. Or you would and I’m pretty sure that would be worse.”

“Try me.” She jumped up to perch on the closed dumpster lid and raised an eyebrow. Finally calm enough to want answers.

He regarded her carefully. “Why did you come to see me this morning?”

He was avoiding the question and she knew it, but she would let him have this one. “The story.”

His eyebrows pinched together. “What story?”

“Oh, come on don’t play dumb. The story that you somehow wrote on my laptop.”

He stared at her, a genuinely bewildered look across his features. “I honestly have no idea what you’re talking about. I never wrote any story.”  

She paused, listening to the white noise of traffic and waiting for him to admit he was kidding. Realizing that he was being truthful, she continued. “Then how and why is my assignment finished when I didn’t finish it?” Shaking her head, she met his eyes, looking for any sign of answers. Scratching at the back of his neck, he stepped towards her and gestured to her bag. “You have it with you?” wordlessly she slipped the strap from her shoulder and held it out to him. He sat back in a crouch, balancing on his toes and pulled her laptop from its messy pockets. He held the device against his knee, ensuring that her computer stayed off the sticky, trash covered pavement. She stayed silent as he opened the document and read through it. He swore softly to himself as he finished. “We need to go.” He said suddenly, springing to his feet.

“What?” her eyes widened as he shoved everything back into her bag and started fiddling with his watch. “They know about you. That I care about you at least, and they probably think you know more. We need to get out of here before the bureau finds us.”

“Know more about what?” she shouted, getting angry now. “What bureau? Chase seriously, what the hell is going on?”

“There’s no time. Do you trust me or not?”

“what do you mean do I-”

“Do you trust me” he cut her off again.

She gawked at him, trying to gauge how serious he was. How serious could he possibly be in an alley in Vancouver where nothing ever existed except rats and homeless addicts. She searched his face for the hint of a laugh trying to escape. She found nothing but a sort of pleading worry on his face, that was the reason she agreed then and there. “Ok.”

“Ok?” he seemed stunned.

“yes, now before I change my mind, what do you need me to do?”

“Just stand back and don’t scream.” He threw a smirk over his shoulder as he spun to face the wall he had leaned on.

“why would I scream?” She hopped from the dumpster to stand at beside him.

He grinned at her familiar and easy, then raised his wrist toward the gray brick of the wall in front of them. A whiteish beam of light came from his watch as Kat stared in shocked silence. It looked like something from a bad eighties sci-fi movie and it was even stranger when it began to widen into an archway. she stepped back and nearly tripped over her own feet. Chase lowered his arm, but the strange white arch remained. “what the hell is that and what are you not telling me?”

“you said you trusted me.” She could hear the smirk in his voice.

“with getting us away from the suit guys! Not with some freaky portal thing.”

“This is how we get away. Now let’s go.”

“you want me to go through there?” she said in utter disbelief.

“Yes. Now let’s go” he grinned again.

“fine. But this better not end with me losing a hand. Or a head for that matter.”

“Don’t worry I’ve got you.”

She stepped toward the arch tentatively. “So, I just walk through?”

“Yeah. Just relax.”

She inhaled slowly, trying to ease the terror clawing its way up her throat, and reached out to grab Chase’s hand. “If I’m going we’re going together.”

“Ok. Together.”

“Together.” She said again.

He clutched her hand tightly as they stepped through the arch, into what she wasn’t sure.

Kat still wasn’t entirely sure how much she actually understood about what was happening. She was even less sure how Chase was going to explain it. She wondered the most about what this all had to do with the short story from her computer. Kat realized two things at once. Her eyes were still squeezed shut and she still had a death grip on Chase’s hand. “you know you can let go now right?” she heard a soft chuckle pull itself from his chest. Slowly her eyes crept open.  Confusion was the only thing she could feel. She turned slowly on the spot, and she felt her shoulders tense. She turned to look at Chase, noting the amused expression on his face. “Is this some weird prank?”  They were standing in an alley that was nearly identical to the one they had just left. The needles on the pavement, the dumpster to her left, even the gray brick was the same. To Kat, it looked as though they hadn’t moved at all, though she vividly remembered stepping into the freaky, glowing white portal thing.

“This is no prank trust me”

“Then where are we?” She snarked at him “because by the looks of things this, is some sort joke.”

“It’s not a joke I promise. we aren’t in Vancouver anymore.”

Yeah, alright Dorothy, whatever you say” She scoffed at him as his grin widened.

“This place doesn’t have a name. I usually just call it the other.”

“The other what exactly?”

“the other plain, the other dimension, the other universe, you get the point I’m sure.” Chase watched her carefully, possibly waiting for her to laugh or maybe experience a mental breakdown, but she did nothing, just held his eyes. Finally, she dropped his gaze and sighed heavily.

“you don’t believe me huh?” he said before she could tell him as much.

“you really expect me to believe that we’re in some sort of alternate reality?” Her eyebrows raised as she contemplated how to get the hell out of there.

“Not right away no.”

She watched his cheeks flush as he ran a hand through his hair.

“Let me prove it to you. Then I’ll explain what I can.”

“Explain things how?” she was still skeptical. His lips pulled into a smile again and he held out his hand again. “Walk with me.

She had only followed Chase to get away from the shiny suit guys. Now she was apparently trapped in an alternate universe, (not that she believed that) and Chase was giving her no clear answers whatsoever. She knew that she should have second guessed following him, but for some unexpected reason she trusted him. she just hoped she was right and this wasn’t some elaborate kidnapping scheme. She hesitated a moment longer then took his hand and slipped out of the alley onto the street.

 “Ok so I need you to keep an open mind about this.”

“what do you call not screaming and running?” she tried to sound casual, but her voice shook slightly, and she knew he caught it. “shock.” He replied with a wide smirk.

“Ok, ok but seriously start talking.” Just as she said this, a loud shriek pierced the white noise of the city. She stared at sight coming right at her, but no one else seemed to notice. Barrelling down the sidewalk towards her was a man dressed in mud coated chainmail armor wielding a sword and clutching a badly dented medieval style shield. He raised the blade toward her as he approached, pulling his arm back to swing. She opened her mouth to scream. Rough hands tugged her sideways sharply. Chase. The knight in not so shining armor, bolted straight into a familiar looking white arch placed right there in the middle of the sidewalk. She tensed as she looked around, waiting for somebody to point out the anomaly. No one did. They all remained glued to their phone screens or in deep conversation, not a single one even glanced at it. Stepping out from behind her, Chase closed it as quickly as he’d opened the one in the alley. Kat turned to him expectantly once again.  She was starting to think that confused and slightly scared were going to become her default emotions soon. “Ok now you really need to start talking.”

 He pulled her up the rusted, creaky metal staircase without pause. They had ducked into what appeared to be an old warehouse because Chase had told her that the mysterious bureau had surveillance everywhere. She had only believed him after seeing large robot-like droids flying overhead, weaving through the crowd every few minutes. Sliding to the floor, Chase busied himself by picking at a piece of chipped concrete next to him. “What do you want to know first?” He still wasn’t looking at her.

“First off, why were those guys glowing this morning?”

“They work for the bureau and the glowing was because they weren’t disguised by bureau tech, as they usually are in your world. they wanted to be sure I knew exactly who they were. The glowing just happens when agent’s cross through the Keygates. Nobody knows exactly why.”

Who or what, is this bureau you keep mentioning?”

“They’re government organization from this universe, tasked with fixing things like what you saw in the street today.” His answer was honest, that much she could see.

“You mean the really dedicated cosplayer?”

“He wasn’t a cosplayer.” Chase chuckled nudging her leg with the tip of his shoe.

“Ok, but the only other explanation I can come up with is crazy.”

“After all you’ve seen today you still think something is crazy?”

“Ok fair but it is pretty crazy. Just tell me before I embarrass myself.” She reached out to smack his arm, cheeks pink.

“Fine.” He smirked. “The bureau deals with historical inaccuracies due to a broken timeline. People and other things from different periods of history have been accidentally scattered through time and the bureau was formed to fix things.” Chase shrugged “That’s not to say they actually do their job well, but no one can see the inaccuracies anyway, so it really doesn’t matter.”

“Hold up, if no one else can see them then why can I?”

“You’re not this world. You were never put under the veil.”

“The veil is what exactly?”

“A type of technology used to disguise any abnormalities a person might notice. They are enacted when children turn nine. So that no one notices the time paradoxes around them. Kids don’t realize that what they are seeing is real when they’re still so young, and if they do, they get put under the veil early.”

“How are people put under the veil then?”

“Parents take their kids to the doctors for a check-up and doctors inject a microchip with the tech under the guise of mandatory vaccinations. The parents are non-the wiser and the kids each get a dinosaur sticker.”

“That my friend, is some comic book type shit right there. But I have to ask, dinosaur stickers? Seriously?” A disbelieving laugh pulled itself from her throat.

Chase looked affronted. “Hey dinosaurs are cool!”

He grinned at her, oddly pleased. “I suppose you’re right though. It is like something out of a comic book.”

“Can I ask you something?”

“Haven’t you been doing that all day?” His eyebrows lifted, lips pulling upwards.

“Don’t be a smartass, I’m serious!” She laughed, swatting at his leg.

“Alright what’s on you mind?”

“The two bureau guys from the shop this morning, what did they want with you?”

Chase froze. His eyes darkened, his hands clenched, and his shoulders curled inward as he hung his head. “I’m sorry I didn’t mean-” she started.

“It’s fine.” His tone was flat and emotionless as he let a sigh pass his lips. “I’m not from you’re world.

“I think I got that.” She smiled softly, “you weren’t exactly subtle.” His answering smile held a bitter edge.

“No, I suppose not. Anyway, I was an intern in the Charting Department of the bureau five years ago. The guys in Charting map out history so that the field agents know where and when to return each paradox.”

“What does that have to do with you making espresso in downtown Vancouver in another universe?”

“I was getting there, be patient.”

“That’s not a strong suit of mine.”

Chase gave a real smile at that. “No, it really isn’t. anyhow most of history is hard to pinpoint here. Our universes are very much the same save for a few things. One of those being our incredibly poor record keeping throughout time. My father ended up stumbling onto something. I was never told what it was but everyone knew it was big.

“Again, what does that have to do with-” She started to ask, but was cut off again as Chase was lost to the tale he was spinning.

“My father was taken into the higher offices of the bureau a few weeks after he found whatever it was and I never saw him again. I tried looking into his disappearance but never found anything except dead ends and agitated bureau snobs.

“What do you mean?”

I mean that they didn’t need to threaten me for me to understand that asking any more questions would have gotten me killed. There’s something the bureau wants to keep hidden. That’s why they offered me a chance to learn about history in its entirety. By sending me through a gateway to your world, they got me out of the way. They didn’t say it but I knew that if I went through, I wouldn’t be allowed to return to this world, and if I did I would be treated as a hostile and executed.”

“Why hell would you leave everything behind if you knew you couldn’t come back?” Kat asked arms waving madly as she tried to comprehend why he would leave everything he had known.

“There wasn’t anything left here for me.” He snapped, eyes ablaze as he jerked forward and wrapped a hand around her wrist. His grip was tight but not painful and she realized that he was simply desperate for her to understand his actions. She wondered if this was because he didn’t understand them himself.  Chase continued. “Gateway travel was new and exciting, as was more of a chance to study history.”

“Gateways are the white arch things, right?”

“Yes, they are also referred to as Keygates. At the time they offered me the trip there was only one open. We didn’t have the tech for the portable ones yet.” He gestured to his watch.

“If you left before the tech was out, how do you have one?” A wide infectious grin lit up his face. “I got tired of being a rule following sheep destined to do the bureau’s bidding. I intercepted a field agent’s gate and slipped back over. Snagged one while outrunning a few agents after they realized I had returned. Problem is that no one has worked out all the kinks yet so each watch can only open three gates before they need to be replaced.” Chase stopped suddenly a panicked look crossing his features.

“What is it?”  Kat whispered, the look on his face making terror once again claw it’s way up her throat.

He met her eyes, white as a sheet. “I’ve already opened three gates with this one. I can’t get us home.”  

Kat sat stunned until an idea came to her. “you’ve only opened two with that one! One to get us here and one to save my life!” Chase shook his head sadly, “I had to open one to get to your world right after I grabbed this model. So saving your life earlier makes three. I can’t get us home.” His shoulders slumped again and he rubbed his hand over his face. He looked much older in that moment, weary and tired as if all the hope had left him. “If the bureau finds us we’re dead. We can’t run forever.”

“We have to find a way to get home.” Her voice shot from between her lips in a choked sob. The harsh reality of his words settled over her like a blanket of tar. Thick and heavy, suffocating her.

“There isn’t one Kat. Even if we manage to avoid detection, somebody will realize that you’re not from here and report us. So what else do you want me to say?”

“I want you to say that there’s another option. that we’re not just trapped here until the bureau finds us.”

“I don’t think there is.” He shrugged his shoulders as she stared hopelessly back at him.

“What do you suggest then, running from the bureau forever. Never able to relax because they might be just behind us?” She looked up at him expectantly. He paused and she saw an idea cross his face.

“What? What are you thinking?” Brilliant green eyes met hers, and just by that look she knew there was hope for them yet.

“I think our only option is to break back into HQ.”

She stared at him, waiting for the punchline to what had to be the worlds worst joke. Chase just held her gaze. “Your joking.” She scoffed, “Please tell me your joking.”

“I’m serious! They leave the base Gate up all the time. All we need to do is get to it and we’re home free. We wouldn’t need one of the watches!” She could see he wasn’t going to let this go. She knew he was right. She certainly couldn’t come up with a plan to navigate a world she didn’t know. There was no other way. She nodded stiffly. “Alright fine, but if we die in there I’m going to kill you.” She warned him. He laughed lightly, almost seeming to bounce. “I’ll be sure to hold you to that.”  Sighing, she stood and stretched, holding out a hand to pull him up. “So, what’s the plan?” He smiled again, that same comforting smile, and together they got to work.