#ONLY thing I would miss is my music but ... pfft I have an old phone that does charge and can easily be my player

[kifu]

So! My exhaust went out on my car on my way down to see my parents. Sounds AWESOME. Killed my gas mileage and tripped a sensor. Both probably because there isn't enough back pressure, but my car is eight inches off the ground so I can't see shit.

My phone went out! Won't charge, won't register the sim card.

I AM SO FUCKING OVER THESE PROBLEMS!

[rumbelleshowdown]

Author: Sleeve garters

Prompts: Getting a lift home. Unexpected matchmaker. “Neck tattoos, very classy.”

Group: C

-

They were text mates

10 February 3am Storybrooke Maine, 7pm Mornington Melbourne

R: So here it is my first smartphone text. Managed to get the flip thing you told me about. Feels almost like my normal phone. BUT It has taken me 8 hours to set it up and send this! RG

B: Well done! Just closing up, will get back to you.

B: I am so pleased you took the plunge. You can still ring me but at least we can keep the dialogue going despite the time difference and the demands of dealing with customers.  

R:  Best thing is not having to listen to your blasted hold music

B: I thought Greensleeves was an excellent choice for a pom

R:  Pfft. Actually feeling sleepy, this flip will be the death of me. Good night. RG

B: Night. PS You don’t have to sign a text I know it’s you.

R: Manners dearie. RG

11 February, 9am Storybrooke

R: Sorry about last night

12 February, 6am Melbourne, 11 February 2pm Storybrooke

B: No worries. Any time. Our deal is forever.

R: You still haven’t told me how I’m repaying you.

B: You will pay me in random acts of kindness to the residents of that town you terrorise.

R: What the hell is a random act of kindness? What is kindness even? Dearie, I have money let me pay you.

B: I don’t want your money. You are the one insisting on paying me. Those are my terms.  You did say you would give me “anything I desire”.

R: I was thinking on the lines of money, jewellery, a yacht!

B: An act of kindness is what I want, you owe me “dearie”

R: You are going to have to give me a clue.

B: Got to go, busiest time of the year, talk to you at the usual time

13 February, 1pm Storybrooke, 14 February 5am Melbourne

R:  I know you are really busy so I won’t bother you today/tonight

B: OK if you are sure. It has been crazy but I’m almost there, just doing all the last minute preparation for deliveries. Happy Valentine’s Day!

R: Not yet here dearie and never a Happy day. Enemy of love, remember.

B: Wow you are real ray of sunshine today

R: It’s raining, dark and windy, my bones ache. I get darker by the minute.

B: Promise me you will ring tonight. I will tell you how our singing Valentine deliveries goes.

R:  Ha, how could I refuse. You are a brief flicker of light in my world though.

B: I will bring Sunshine into your life if I have to cross the ocean and shove it up your arse.

R: Is this when I’m supposed to say Lol?

B: Lol

14 February, 6 pm Storybrooke, 15 February 10am Melbourne

R: I have performed my act of kindness.  I tipped the waitress at the diner double this morning.

B: No I don’t think that counts.  You can afford that, waitresses earn a pittance.  You should do that as standard. Good start though, but I think it should be something that puts you out, for the good of others. Something out of the ordinary for you. Carry someone’s shopping. Give someone a month off rent.

R: Miss French! I have a reputation to uphold. If I allow such lenience to my tenants no one will pay on time ever again.  I couldn’t possibly carry shopping with my leg and cane, I could send my assistant I suppose but they may have me committed to an asylum for the suggestion.

B: OK , so your act of kindness can be in secret.  I’ve got a great idea.  As an enemy of love your act of kindness is to act as a cupid and bring some love and joy to your little sad town.

R: You are out of your mind.

B: Valentine’s day has gone to my head! I’ve even agreed to go on a blind date. Ariel has been badgering me to try again before I become an old mad cat lady.

R: Good grief. What happened to your “all men are gross and I will only put my book down for Mr Darcy”.

B: I know I’m a hopeless case. My ambition has always been to become the Aussie version of Miss Marple.

R: Finally I have a picture of you in my head - Miss Marple with no tweed but a sundress, sun hat and shades.

B: I imagine you as a snarling crocodile, with a sexy accent of course

R: You think my accent is sexy? Crocodile is pretty spot on.

B: Anyway I expect you to use your “knowledge is power” sneakiness to work out who may need a little push to find their true love, and then set them up.

R: I’m more likely to be able to spin straw into gold

19 Feb  11pm Melbourne, 7am Storybrooke Maine

B: As predicted the blind date was a disaster

R: Back to your cats and your spinster ways then?

B: Yes on my way back to Charlotte and Emily

R: Where are you now? You’re not walking are you? It’s late.

B: Don’t panic. Ariel is giving me a lift home, since it was her stupid idea. It’s not like you can rescue me you are 10,000 miles away.

R: Never underestimate my reach dearie. So you didn’t meet up with Mr Darcy then?

B: No! His name was PETE, I knew that because it featured on a dagger tattooed on his neck

R: Neck tattoos, very classy!

B: He was also a classy conversationalist.  He had just got out of prison and was keen to tell me about some beads he had implanted in his “python”, apparently for my pleasure.

R: I’m speechless! How long did this date last?

B: Not long after that revelation, when he deliberately poured his drink in my lap so he could help me wipe it up with his used tissue.

R: That’s it I’m sending a hit man

B: Hey, you promised not to be the Storybrooke Mob Boss again. A deal is a deal!

R: Yes and our deal is forever, I haven’t forgotten

B: Almost home, text/ring me tonight (your night) if you need me xxx

R: I never break a deal Sunshine

B: Maybe I should have sampled the beads?

R: An investigation too far for Miss Marple?

20 February,  3pm Mornington Melbourne, 9am Storybrooke Maine

B: Hi Cupid any news?

R: It’s an impossible task. I’m sitting in the diner now assessing my prey.  They are all miserable.  Well there is the mayor, she is far too smug to be totally unhappy, seems to revel in everyone’s misery. Think she will only ever love herself.

B: Is that the one you call the Evil Queen?

R: Well she is called Regina.

B: Who else?

R: The grumpiest man alive, vulgar, short, bald, nasty beard, permanently hungover.

B: That would be a challenge. I bet I could make him smile.

R: Miss Marple you could make a mountain smile

B: Charmer

R: There is the nauseatingly nice school teacher who talks to everyone like they are ten and thinks we can all be cajoled with a lollipop and a sticker

B: Ooh, maybe she can make grumpy guy smile, does he like lollipops?

R: Apparently she is pining after a guy in a coma. Hopeless cases I tell you. Oh and to top it all two nuns have walked in.

B: They could pray for a miracle to wake up coma guy?

R: Hang on. The young nun fell over Grumpy’s bag and went bright red, and Grumpy actually stopped eating and apologised.

B: Did they have a moment?

B: Update?

B: Where are you?

R:Sorry had to have a snark session with the Mayor.

B: Ooh what about you and the mayor then?

R: I’d rather gouge my eyes out with a rusty fork. However I have secured the services of grumpy Leroy to paint and decorate the nunnery, at my own expense. Lets see if the nun takes the bait.

B: That’s perfect! Random act of kindness and a possible love match.

R: Never going to happen but I’m glad you approve. It is also going to really annoy the Mother Superior having Grumpy around all the time and if he manages to corrupt a few innocent nuns I will count it as a great victory over the conniving flea.

B: You really don’t like nuns do you?

R: Long story. But no.

B: Excellent work. You are paid up for January and February. You just need to get them dating next.

R: This could take a life time. Good job I’m immortal.

-

[imagine-straykids]

Stray Kids SS: Argument PT. 1

SS for short scenarios. Stray Kids arguing with their significant others

requested? No. I just write whenever I feel like it.

genre: fluff, angst, romance, etc etc.

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Bang Chan

     You’re no bragger but you think you’re pretty reasonable most of the times. You understand your boyfriend is a busy person and his work came first and foremost. You’ve tried not to take it personally and he has made it pretty clear before you guys even got into this relationship that he wouldn’t be the best person with time management.

     Of course you took a gamble and compromised to form this bond with the one and only Christopher Bang. You had always put his feelings first whether that’s him choosing his friends, work, or music over you, you were definitely okay with that as long as he came back to you at the end of the day. Even the smallest texts nearing the end of the night like “Goodnight sweetie, hope you had a good day!” was enough for you. You weren’t asking for much. You don’t know how much lower you can set your standards because slowly and progressively, Chan was already failing to meet them.

     The most you guys have ever been apart was maybe two weeks and even then, Chan had always made sure to check on you through texts or phone calls. So when it was nearing a month, and he has rejected your invitation to do something for the second time in a month, you were left to feel less than pleasant whether you had set yourself up for failure or perhaps did you deserve more than what you had settled for.

       You couldn’t help but to be upset to some degree and even then you still doubted if your feelings were valid. You even felt guilty since you had promised him a long time ago you would be understanding. Were you wrong for just wanting a little bit of your boyfriend’s attention?

       So when Felix brought you his breakfast treats like he would every Sunday because the boy loves baking, he could tell in your eyes that your world was seeing more than blue. You weren’t your usual self who was always welcoming and greeted him with warmth. The tone in your voice and your body language imitated that of a walking dead and although you tried your hardest to put on a great appearance, Felix could see right through you.

       When he had asked you if you were alright, a sea of tears just came bursting through. Like a puddle that you had held inside for weeks finally being freed. You told Felix everything and everything. It was nice to have someone to talk to, for once in a long time. Felix had always been very understanding of you and was very much like a brother. He reassured you and you felt so much better after, that when he left, you even thought you might finally be able to get a good nap after some words of comforts.

       Your nap was shortly disrupted when a series of loud knocks were ringing through your door. It took you a few seconds to process everything because your brain was still trying to wake up along with you. Then a beep from your phone was heard. You turned to the left side where you had placed your phone and noticed long notifications of texts and missed calls from Chan. Oh lord. Well of course who could that be at the door then.

       Felix had only told Chan out of good intention, and honestly you weren’t even surprised. Not one thing said to one of those boys will stay in its origin. You crankily tossed your blanket aside and walked up to the door as you took a deep breath. You opened the door and it was just the one person you were expecting.

       Chan looked totally out of breath, as if he had been beaten by a stick over and over again, you can see the sweats tracing along the line of his forehead down to his cheeks and his hair has gotten messier than usual.

    “Chan--” You were cut when Chan just shoved himself inside your apartment.

    “Why didn’t you tell me earlier?” He looked at you dead in the eyes as he shut the front door.

    “Tell you what?” You weren’t acting naive but you just wanted to know what exactly Felix had told him.

    “What you told Felix. Why didn’t you tell me that? That you wanted to hang out with me, that you’ve been feeling sad and lonely?”

    “I did. I asked you twice if you wanted to go out or do something. You said no both times.” You defended yourself.

    “Why didn’t you say anything when you were not feeling good then?” A worrisome look overshadowed his angrier look earlier.

    “Pfft,” you scoffed. You couldn’t believe what he was saying. “Really Chan? Do I need to feel less than okay, do I need to question if my boyfriend even wants to be with me, for you to actually worry now?” you challenged him full on.

    “What do you mean.” Chan wasn’t gullible, but sometimes when he gets too caught up on one thing, he misses another.

    “Why should it be my responsibility that you act like a reasonable boyfriend who cares about his girlfriend’s needs. I shouldn’t need to tell you when you should be doing your parts. You were on the line of almost ignoring me for a whole month, doing whatever you’re doing without caring for my well being, and the two times I ask to do something, I get pushed aside. And you’re here telling me I’m not trying harder?”

    “I already told you from the beginning, y/n, that I am not the best person to be in a relationship with. I lose track of times, get lost in my own thoughts. I apologize if I made you feel like I didn’t care about you. I do. Sometimes I just need time to myself, you know. And I try to do it without hurting your feelings but it’s hard. Because I care about you too.”

    “I know that you’ve warned me from the beginning. And I’m a fool. I can’t do it anymore, Chan. I’m not the girlfriend you want me to be. I thought I could do it because I love you so much... but it hurts to be away from you. I can’t do it, Chan. Sometimes I just miss you, and want to be with you, but I’m afraid I’m going to bother you because you’ve already set your boundaries. I’m sorry.” you started sobbing even thought you told yourself you weren’t going to cry. 

    Chan quickly pulled you into a hug as you ugly sob into his chest.

    “It’s going to be okay, y/n. We can get through this together. If you still love me, we can talk it through. You still love me, right?” he angled your frowning face up to his.

    “Of course,” you answer like music to his ear.

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Lee Know

    Before you ever accepted Minho’s confession, you’ve been told by nearly everyone around him that he would be a handful. And oh Jesus, you wish they had warned you better, because he wasn’t just a handful. Minho was a pain in the ass if he didn’t try. Even before you got together with him, he found pleasure in teasing and making fun of you whenever he got the chance to. 

    But besides the assholery moves Minho liked to pull, when he was just with you, he showed sides of himself that only you got to experience. That’s pretty much your answer whenever somebody ask you how did you guys even got into a relationship considering y’all were pretty much like fire and water. The person who everyone else found to be a living nightmare because you just don’t mess with him since he has such a way with his words, you’ll find yourself questioning your intelligence.

     Minho can either be the best person you’ll ever meet in your lifetime or as so he likes to claim, or he can be the person that makes your feet turn the other way whenever you hear his name. So you knew this weren’t going to turn out pretty when Minho was forced to be in a team with Hyunjin for game night and Hyunjin was losing every single point possible.

       At first, him and the rest tried to play it off light heartedly, but you can feel the room growing sour each time Hyunjin missed the hints and was unable to score a point for this game of Charades that was suggested by the super innovative Chan, who decided that Hyunjin and Minho in the same team was evolution.

       The others were having a blast poking fun at Hyunjin and Minho whose points were definitely not looking very nice until Minho out of a sudden, slapped the pile of papers onto the ground and said he’s had it.

    “I don’t want to be in a team with him! He sucks!” Minho pointed fingers at Hyunjin who obviously took it personal by the look of his face.

      The room silenced and everybody just stared until Chan spoke up, “Come on, just this once. You guys are never on the same team because you always want to change.” 

    “Yeah, because he sucks, can’t you see. Even a 5 year old kid would be able to score more points than him. We’re not even losing by a little. We’re unredeemable at this point,” Minho spit out without missing a single beat.

       Everybody was growing uncomfortable, especially Hyunjin who had done his best to stay positive the whole time.

    “Minho! Can you not. That’s incredibly rude. It’s just a game. Losing one night won’t kill you. How childish can you be.” You stared at your own boyfriend in disgust.

     “Really now, you’re going to argue with me against this?” It was like he really couldn’t believe you were not on his side.

    “So what if I am. You’re acting ridiculous and you deserve to know it.”

    “Guys! Please stop. Don’t argue because of me please. He’s right. I wasn’t very good. Don’t be angry at him because of me, y/n. I’ll be fine. I’m going to go outside to get some fresh air, I’ll feel better once I come back.” Hyunjin excused himself and left.

      You could only roll your eyes when Minho, being his stubborn self was refusing to go after Hyunjin and continued to stay in the same spot.

    “How selfish can one be.” You criticized him before you followed after Hyunjin.

     You had hoped Hyunjin didn’t think too much of it, knowing how Minho usually is. Being the sweetheart he is, he thanked you and told you not to worry. When you went back inside, the others notified you that Minho had already left and honestly, you could care less. He was being a d*ck and this time, you weren’t going to cave in. Only time would help kill that inflated ego of his. 

         About a week has passed and you still haven’t talked to Minho and vice versa. You knew that his diva ass would never give in, so you didn’t quite know why you were silently battling him when you’re pretty sure if you wanted to fix this, you’ll have to do it yourself. But you didn’t want to.

         You’ve had enough of Minho always getting what he wants, always having the last say in anything, and thinking that you’ll always bend backward for him. It’s kind of funny because Hyunjin had actually told you that Minho already apologized, so why are you guys still fighting? Pride. Now it’s just a fight of pride. And as much as Minho has it, you have a lot of it as well.

           It was the weekend, and usually you’ll spend your weekend with Minho doing whatever you guys usually do but since he wasn’t here anymore, you decided to just spend your day relaxing with a nice cup of tea watching Netflix. It was your day off work and you weren’t going to let this day go to waste.

           You gently set your tea down on the little table to your right, about to lay against the couch when the corner of your eyes caught your screen lit up with a text message. You sat back up and struggled for about a couple seconds trying to reach your phone that you had placed a little too far. 

           It was from Minho. You couldn’t believe it. Reading what he sent you just made it even more amusing.

        Stupid, are you going to apologize or not - Minho Lee

        Why should I apologize. What the hell? I didn’t do shit - Y/n

        Okay well I already said sorry to Hyunjin so I don’t know why you so pressed for. I didn’t do nun to you. I mean I know you kind of had a thing for him and all before we met but don’t take it out on me - Minho Lee

         This little shit, you thought.

         Bruh. I never liked him tf. I just think he’s very pretty. Prettier than me. And unlike someone, he actually has half a brain and some human decency - Y/n

           Okay we get it, you have a crush on Hyunjin - Minho Lee

           No, dumbass. The problem is you always going around saying, doing whatever you like without considering other people’s feelings. I know that’s your personality and all, but there’s a limit between what’s okay and what’s crossing the line, and whenever I try to tell you, you never listen. Always doing whatever you want. Hyunjin is one of your best friend and you hurt his feelings the other day and didn’t even feel bad about it until someone got in your face and told you you were being a d*ck. I love you, Minho. But I just wish you would listen sometimes and be open to I don’t know... improvements? - Y/n

           I’m sorry, I’ve just grew up this way so it’s hard to get out of a pattern. Sometimes I say things I don’t mean and sometimes I say things I do mean and then I don’t realize that my actions has caused harm to the other person, because I’ve just always been this way you know. Others have tried telling me before but I've always brushed it off because I am a stubborn person. But I care about you. You’re one of the very first person other than the members that I deeply care about. So if you’re telling me this out of love then I’ll take it into consideration. I know I should’ve been nicer to Hyunjin as well. Chan yelled at me for a while the other day, so please don’t yell at me too :( - Minho Lee

         Of course I care about you. Everything I do is out of love, dear. You’re one hell of a nuisance but I love you. I know you grew up this way and it is difficult getting out of a pattern, but take little steps. I’ll be here with you. and yeah, you totally deserved that from Chan. Jk I love you - Y/n

         You’re mean :( can I come over. We were supposed to go shopping today - Minho Lee

          Mhmmm. Let me think about it - Y/n

          Well you have 2 seconds, because I’m already outside your door - Minho Lee

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Changbin

    Changbin liked to brag about anything and everything, whether that’s how many confessions he got on Valentines, to how many people who wanted to be his partner when it came to a science project, or even the amount of girls that would hit on him daily.

    You never really minded because that was just how he is. And of course, mainly because you knew all those scenarios only existed in his head and was as real as flying fairies and pink unicorns. So when someone was actually blatantly hitting on him, Changbin wasn’t as knowledgeable as his bluffs claimed to be.

    Changbin was one of the best from his music class, so good that the professor made him the teacher’s assistant even when the semester was on going. He usually talk tales of how many students usually needs his help when it came to writing lyrics or composing as a beginner. Interesting enough, but nothing major as he’d like to phrase it.

    Then every time when you guys would usually meet at the end of classes to which you usually ask how his day went, he started talking about this girl who he’s currently assisting. At first it was nothing out of the ordinary. Just a student from his class who he’s helping because that’s his job. Even the first two or three days of his on-going blabbering about this student didn’t kick something in you until maybe the fourth time this week where this girl is always managing to squeeze herself into his schedule everyday. It shouldn’t have bothered you, but for some reason it did.

    Especially when he’d say alarming things like “Oh yeah and she also asked me if I wanted to get a drink after class but I told her I have plans.” or “She compliments me a lot and told me if I have time, she’d love to listen to my work.” 

    Maybe you’re overreacting and she’s just a really engaging and kind person. You felt bad at first for assuming such a thing about another human being, so you gave her the benefit of the doubt because you didn’t know your dumbass boyfriend would be this oblivious when someone is clearly trying to get inside his pant.

    So when you happened to walk past the school garden the following week and saw the both of them from your very clear sight, you were a little more than dumbfounded. This girl was not even trying to hide it at all. You didn’t know how Changbin was keeping his eyes to himself at this point. The outfit she was wearing was definitely very sexy and appealing. Changbin was still faced down, scribbling something on the music sheet trying to get the female to engage but she clearly had something else in mind.

    You could’ve sworn you saw her hand trailed alongside Changbin’s thigh and so you accidentally let out a shriek, but quickly hid behind the thick white pillar, grumpily dragging yourself back to class in anger after.

    After your final class of the day, Changbin waited for you at the bench near the entrance where you guys had always met up. He beamed with ecstasy once he saw you, but you quickly brushed past him and continued walking completely shunning his existence. His smile progressed into a frown once he realized that you were not in your usual mood.

    He ran in front of you and blocked any further movements.

    “Y/n, are you okay?” He asked with a concerning expression.

    You didn’t say anything and only continued scowling.

    “Come on. You know you can tell me anything,” He encouraged.

    You of course, continued to be silent for a few more seconds because you honestly couldn’t get anything out due to how enraged you were feeling on the inside.

    “You liar!”  you slapped his chest with literally no strength at all as your tears escaped at the same time.

    “Wait hold up, what did I lie about?” He was in complete confusion.

    “I saw it, Changbin. You and her at the garden. How could you let her make a move on you like that.”

    His face showed that it wasn’t really clicking with him until he thought more about it.

    “Who did I let make a move on me? Minji? I was only helping her, Y/n. Please don’t misunderstand. The class was getting really loud and we needed a quieter place, so I asked the instructor if it would be fine if me and her went somewhere else.”

    “So you just let her be all up on you like that? She was clearly hitting on you, Changbin. How do you not see it?” School was no place to be emotional, but here you were, bawling like a little baby at the entrance of the school as Changbin tries to comfort you. You guys definitely weren’t getting weird stares. Nope.

    “I-I’m sorry. I didn’t know you thought of it like that. Cause I didn’t. I just thought of her as another student that needed help. I’m sorry Y/n, if I made you uncomfortable. I didn’t do it on purpose I swear, because in my mind, there’s no one else but you. I know I like to boast all the time but I only do it as a joke because you seem to like it. I would never in a million year think of hurting your feelings. Hundreds of other girls could give me attention or like me, but none of them matters if they’re not you. I only love you, Y/n.”

    His words made you immediately stopped sobbing as if your broken heart has been patched up.

    “R-really? You mean it?” You pout.

    “Of course, silly. I would never think about being with someone else but you. Never.” He leveled your face with his.

    “I’m sorry I didn’t trust you. Just seeing another girl being intimate with you kind of tugged something in me.” you awkwardly chuckled.

    “Aww. My baby was jealous. Not going to lie, you’re kind of cute when you’re upset,” He teased you.

    “Changbin!” you slapped his shoulder in retaliation.

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Hyunjin

    Between the both of you guys, Hyunjin had always been the one who had the upper hand in almost everything when it came to catching others attention. Anything ranging from looks, to talent, or even intelligence, you can admit he’s got it better than you do.

    Going out to public places, you quickly got used to getting stares from other girls or even old Aunties who would comment on how good looking your boyfriend was, and how lucky you were to have him. They weren’t wrong, you were of course very lucky to have someone like Hyunjin who was definitely way too good for you. You didn’t take it to heart very much that other girls have eyes for him the way you do, because he’s made it distinctly known that he only saw you. Jealousy in the relationship was a bigger problem for you than for him at the beginning, because compared to him, you were not as sought after.

    The whole duration of your guys relationship, he never had to deal with any actual threat or competition that he could possibly lose you, or that you would find someone else more intriguing than him because he was always accustomed to you having your whole attention toward him whenever he was in the room. So that was why when the opportunity finally present itself, he found himself developing a sort of ill feeling that he wasn’t familiar with. A feeling that left a bitter taste in his mouth, one that turned his vision red when he wasn’t a violent person in the first place.

    You had been talking about this friend all week, reminiscing the past to Hyunjin about all the crazy things you and this friend did back in the days. Hyunjin being the amazing boyfriend he usually is, was very supportive of course. You haven’t seen this friend in years ever since his family moved away to another city.

    He called you a few days ago to let you know he’ll be back in Seoul, visiting for a few days and wanted to catch up. How could you let this chance pass by. The person that was there for you when you had your darker days, the person that ran miles through the rain when you needed him, there’s no way you would say no.

    Hyunjin was more than happy to accompany you to the Mall although you did assure him he didn’t have to, as you didn’t want to bother him if he had plans, but he was persistent he wanted to meet your friend and get to know one another. Since he agreed to everything, you thought might as well introduce them to each other.

    But Hyunjin’s cheerful and optimistic aura rapidly changed into a stinging one when your friend ran up to you with a hug, and oh boy did your friend looked nothing like Hyunjin had drew in his head. In his head, he was a she. The person that was arms deep within your hug didn’t have long flowing hair, nor did he looked very feminine like he had pictured. He was growing some kind of hatred for this stranger that he barely even knew, and it was only solidified more when you would get so engaged in conversation with your friend, you would forget for a moment Hyunjin was even there. 

    The way you laughed at his jokes mirrored how you would exactly react to Hyunjin’s whenever he said something funny. He hated how your friend would sometimes pull you so close to him and you would just go along with it. Hyunjin literally felt invisible. This friend of yours managed to shrink you and Hyunjin’s year long relationship into what felt like you both only knew each other for weeks. Hyunjin could tell just by his body languages and actions that this friend knew you for years. And then he just felt like nothing. Hyunjin was nothing compared to this friend of yours, and he was mad at himself, mad at you, mad at him, mad at everything.

    He was so tangled up in his own train of thoughts that he hadn’t even realized you have been trying to call him.

    “Hyunjin!” you pinched his arm not too hard.

    “Oh I’m sorry, what.”

    “Do you want ice cream?” You asked him.

    “I’m good no thank you,” He answered completely uninterested.

    “But you love ice cream, Hyunjin. Are you sure?” you tried to get a confirmation just one last time.

    “Yes, I am sure.” He rolled his eyes as if he’s being pestered by an annoying bug. It wasn’t what he said but it was the way he said it. He was giving you attitude and you didn’t like it at all.

    “Okay geez, just a no would’ve done.” you frowned.

    Hyunjin has his days, but he’s usually self composed when it came to your friends. He had always been nice and pretty kind if someone was close to you since you were his girlfriend, but he was different today. He was hushed and soundless, not at all like the Hyunjin you knew.

    “What flavor would you like, Y/n?” Sanghyun, your friend asked.

    “Mhmm. Any flavor will do.”

    “I’ll get mint for the both of us then, if that’s fine with you.” Sanghyun looked for an answer in your eyes.

    “Yeah, that’s fine.” You nodded.

    You were not too cool with the flavor but you haven’t seen your friend in a while and it wouldn’t hurt to just take it this one time, for him. It didn’t bother you too much that he might’ve forgotten. It’s been a while.

    Hyunjin was beyond confusion. For as long as he knew you, you hated mint. Absolutely refused to eat it whenever he took you out, and now all of a sudden you’re fine with it? For him?

    “But I thought you hate mint. So what? You suddenly like it now because he suggested it?” Hyunjin fired, as if he was ridiculing you.

    For a second you thought you forgot to clean your ears, because you refuse to acknowledge that Hyunjin was actually trying to cause a scene right now, in the mall, with your friend by your side, in front of all these people.

    “What’s up with you today, Hyunjin. Giving me an attitude when I asked a simple question and now this? If you have a problem, you can tell me. No need to make a scene,” you scolded him, utterly embarrassed by your boyfriend’s action.

    Sanghyun looked terrified down to his toes just glaring you guys down.

    “Fine, I’ll tell you what my problem is.” And without your consent, Hyunjin somehow managed to drag you all the way to the parking lot against your protest.

    “Let go, Hyunjin!” you threw his hold off of you.

    “What the hell is your problem? You made me look like an absolutely fool back there. How do you think Sanghyun feels now, seeing how much of an asshat my boyfriend is acting after all those stories I told him about how you’re the most kind and caring person ever,” you raised your voice, too irritated at this point to even care if anyone heard you.

    “Well, I probably wouldn’t be acting like this in the first place if you had made it clearer that your friend was a freaking guy.”

    “Really, Hyunjin. Is this what it’s about? That my friend is a guy? That’s it? I’m sorry but, if you’re going to act childish and jealous because you can’t handle me being friends with the opposite gender, then that’s your problem. Not mine. Besides, we don’t even like each other like that. He was one of my only friend back when I had nobody. He was there for me when no one else was. I don’t see anything else in him but the same guy back then who was like a best friend to me.”

    You had hope you knocked some sense into him. Your tone turning from furious to more serious.

    “I don’t care if he was your friend from back then or whatever. You have me now. I don’t like the way he looks at you, or act around you. I never act like that around any other females.”

    You were this close. This close to just straight punching him and running him over with his own car. The person you were talking to right now and yesterday was the difference between day and night. You think that might’ve been the shittiest thing Hyunjin has ever said since you’ve known him and you were denying it yourself that it came out of his mouth.

    “Oh go cry me a river, Hyunjin! When I was telling you the details of my past friendship before you even knew the gender, you were rooting for me, but now that you know it’s a guy you’re all of a sudden acting like a little bitch? Why does it matter whether it’s a guy or a girl?” You questioned his integrity, but most of all, you were just in disbelief.

    “Fine, whatever. Suit yourself.” He sarcastically threw his hands up in the air in defeat and drove away without final words from you. Unfuckingbelievable. He was like a little child throwing a tantrum because he didn’t get what he wanted.

    You didn’t want to leave Sanghyun hanging, but if you were to be frank, Hyunjin totally killed all the good vibes within you and left you with no motivation or energy to do anything else. You made way back to the ice cream court and simply apologized to Sanghyun on yours and Hyunjin’s behalf. He didn’t mind too much and only wished you luck on the relationship. It was a bummer that he was leaving tomorrow already and the only day he was free to spend it with you, your man child “boyfriend” had to go and ruin it all.

    When you entered the lonely atmosphere of your hollowed apartment, Hyunjin’s well being did crossed your mind because he was notorious for being quite stupid, always acting on his feelings whenever he was upset. You never had to worry too much before though because it was only on rare occasions where his head would be so far up his ass, but you knew this time was one of those occasion. But you were mad at him as well. Never in a million years could you picture him ever saying those nasty things.

    You settled down on the couch and eventually put your mind and body to rest. Today’s been a long day and you needed that nap more than anything. You had called Jeongin and Chan to notify them of what happened and to keep an eye out for Hyunjin in case, before closing your eyes and seeing black.

    When you were finally conscious enough, the only thing that made its existence clear, was the sound of traffic outside your window. You may have overslept just a tiny bit. Rubbing your eyes to get a better view of your surroundings, you felt a weight on you as you struggled to get up. Turning towards your left, you found Hyunjin completely knocked out and slouched against you with his head on your shoulder and his arms around your waist. Right, Hyunjin had a spare key to your apartment.

    He looked like an absolute angel that fell from heaven, almost as great as the day he conquered your heart. He was adorable and quite resembles a puppy when he’s not spurting all those hateful words. You needed to use the restroom bad so you made an effort to untangle him off of you but just as you were about to get up, a strong force wrapped you back down. 

    “Ahhh! I thought you were asleep.” you faced him with bulging eyes.

    “I was.” He calmly replied, his arms still around you.

    “Bummer. I like it when you’re peaceful and not so angry. You are cuter that way,” you purposely jabbed.

    “I’m sorry. I really am. I wasn’t thinking at the moment and just acted on emotions. I’m really sorry y/n. I was angry when I drove off but when I got home, I just kept thinking and thinking and the more I thought, the stupider I realize I was... please forgive me.” he pouted and rested his head on your shoulder.

    “Oh you big baby. Don’t try to bribe me with your cuteness now. You made Sanghyun scare of you and today was his only free day to catch up,” you scolded him as you pinched his cheeks.

    “I won’t ever do that again, I swear. I’ll be better next time. I was just... jealous when I saw another guy acting close to you. It makes me scare that I’m going to lose you. I know I was wrong. But I just want you to know I’m sorry.” He said it softly but also with shame.

    “Oh dear. There’s nobody else I love more than you. If anything, I should be the one scared to lose you.”

    “I only love you, y/n.” He looked into your eyes and did that little smile that always makes your heart weak. The one where his dimples would pop out.

    “I love you too, Hyunjin. Now let me go, I need to pee.”

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

SORRY I GOT CARRIED AWAY WITH HYUNJIN’S. anyways.

Part 2 for the remaining members coming soon

[reginaaxxwrites]

Walls Could Talk • Todoroki Shoto

Pro Hero! Shoto x Villain! Reader

warning: mentions of blood, gore, killing, problems in psychological thinking

° • ° • ° •

"I'm asking you again. Why did you kill those people?" Tsukauchi asked the 20-year-old woman.

They were both sitting at a chair, a table between them as they were facing each other. He couldn't believe that the girl who's sitting in front of him, used to dream about being a hero someday.

But instead, she became a wanted villain. A woman who would kill innocent people, enjoying every stab she makes at a lifeless body. Her hands were used to be gentle and pure. Now, it's tainted in blood and hatred.

Tsukauchi didn't understand why she would do such a thing and why did she become what she is.

Y/N looked at him. Instead of answering his question. Her lips form a grin and started to laugh. It frightened him.

"Of course, you would ask that question." She stopped laughing and remained her body composed.

She leans forward even though chains surround her body, keeping her from escaping under their hands.

"I can see how sad and frightened you are, Mr. Tsukauchi. But you see... You can't change the fact that I killed people. I can see it in your eyes that you couldn't believe what I had become. A girl who you once thought a pure and innocent—you probably still think of me that. But I'm sorry to tell you that L/N Y/N is no longer here." She laughed again.

Tsukauchi wanted to save her. Maybe there's another way that could bring herself. He believes that there's still hope to bring back into your senses.

"No one can save me... Not even All Might himself." She looked at him, this time her eyes glowed in red like Aizawa's.

He stood up in his chair, leaving her behind. He took out his phone dialed his number. Maybe he can make her talk. Maybe he can bring her senses back.

Maybe he can bring her back.

He can't let her become like this.

Tsukauchi waited for him to pick up his phone. He balled his fist, his knuckles turning white. He's becoming impatient. He knows that he's busy due to his hero works but if he could just answer the phone.

He's the only person he thought could save her.

"Hello?"

"Shoto! I know that this might not be in a good time. But could you lend me some of yours? I need you here. ASAP." He said in frustration.

Todoroki could hear his frustration and panic through the phone. In fact, Tsukauchi called at a good time since he was about to talk to him about his recent investigation.

"I'll be there in 10 minutes." Todoroki hanged up and went to his car.

Δ Δ Δ

"I don't why Mount Lady said that girls would die if I smiled. Is my smile, deadly? Does my smile kill you?" Todoroki said, sitting beside the girl who tried her best to stop herself from laughing.

"Pfft—Sho, no. You're helpless." She laughed.

Todoroki stared at her. He felt warm in his chest, hearing her laugh, seeing her smile. Everything about her just makes him feel warm and happy.

"Okay—Pfft—I'm done laughing." She giggled, removing her small tears from her eyes.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." She smiled and let her head lay at Todoroki's broad shoulder. "It's just a way of telling that they love how you smile. Because you know... You're handsome, seeing you smile makes them like you even more. It's making me kinda jealous, though." She giggled as she intertwined her fingers to his.

Todoroki caressed her hand and kissed it, making Y/N flustered from his sudden actions.

"Then, should I only smile whenever I'm around you?"

"Oh, stop. That's making me sound a little selfish."

"I don't mind."

"You're literally taking every word seriously, aren't you?"

"Is that bad?"

Y/N once laughed again. Todoroki never fails to make her laugh. But he didn't mind. Her laughs were music to his ears. He loved them. Everything. He loved everything about her.

Days like these... He wishes to stay like these forever. He never wants to let go of her hand. Without her feels empty and cold.

She brings him happiness. A love that once was taken away from him was brought back because of her.

Δ Δ Δ

Todoroki arrived at the police station where Tsukauchi is. Tsukauchi went to Todoroki after seeing him enter inside the building.

"About the investigation—"

"We have some important serious matter besides that mission." He cuts him off. "Follow me." He turned around and walks off.

Todoroki followed him, yet he is confused. What is that important serious matter is he talking about? He hopes that it isn't dangerous because if it is Tsukauchi would not just have called him but also Midoriya and Bakugo.

After entering a room. Todoroki stood there in shock to see a familiar woman sitting inside the custody suite. Chains were surrounded her body as she looks emotionless.

She's breathing, alive. But at the same time, the aura she's giving was cold. There was no warm feeling he used to feel whenever he sees her.

Todoroki could feel his body weakened. How could possibly that the girl he thought died a few years ago was alive and is sitting inside the room? Not knowing that he's outside. He could've sworn he saw her took her last breathe.

"I'm sure you know why I called you."

"H-How? She died in my arms." His voice was shaking.

"Remember the wanted villain? Phantom Scarlet. Who kills innocent people. Whether it's a child or an elder. She kills them without mercy." Tsukauchi feels sick of how brutal her ways of killing are. She likes to kill them in a creative way. She's a psychopath. A serial killer. Sure, saving her is not a solution to this case. But he wanted to know why and how did this happen.

All of her classmates knew that she had died. They were there during her funeral. So how could a dead L/N Y/N is still here, killing people as the way of her fun time, a hobby?

"Maybe you could bring herself back to senses. Or ask the questions that could get answered. I know this is a sensitive favor. But I know that you also, have some questions to ask her." Tsukauchi started to talk. He gave Todoroki a glance that he should enter inside the custody suite.

Todoroki nodded at him as he held the doorknob tightly, taking a deep breath before entering.

He sat down at the chair that faces her and kept himself calm. He took one last glance at the large window where he could see Tsukauchi looking at them.

"Y/N."

The E/C-haired girl looked at the man she once knew. She stared at him, plainly. Not really surprised that he was sitting in front of her.

"Who would've thought that he would call you."

"You died. We were at your funeral. You died during the war between Midoriya and Tomura Shigaraki. How—"

"You know nothing, Todoroki. The man we fought killed my parents, my family. I seek revenge. I wanted to avenge my parents that's why I fought him together with Midoriya even if it caused my life."

Todoroki gripped his pants. He remembered how Shigaraki stabbed her deep. He stabbed the critical parts of her body. She coughed blood, she was losing all of her blood. Todoroki trying to keep the pressure. He was desperate to close your wounds so she would stop bleeding.

"H-How did you survived?"

"I didn't die. Everyone thought I did. But I didn't." She chuckled. "No one dared to open my casket because I wasn't the one who's inside of it."

Todoroki widens his eyes as Tsukauchi heard the words she said. If she isn't the person inside... Then who?

"Surprising, isn't it?" She smiled, her voice in excitement as she was about to reveal something important. "You're wondering who's inside? Honestly, I don't even who's inside. Probably another person's dead body that I killed." She giggled.

Todoroki was in shock to see the girl he loved. Up until now. He couldn't even go out on dates and love another girl because he still loves her.

"Disappointed to see the girl you once fell in love with is a psychopath? I killed people because I wanted to. I woke up and felt an urge to kill. The first time I killed after the war... I felt alive. It's like it was the missing piece in a puzzle. It completed me. I let all of you knew that I died because being with all of you doesn't feel like home anymore."

"What about you told me that you wanted to be a hero? To save people and bring them into justice?" Todoroki asked. He was still looking for her.

Y/N...

"Aww... Can't you see, Shoto? I'm not in the right mindset. I said those words to fit in. When clearly what I wanted was to avenge my family and kill villains. It's a cruel reality, Sho. Accept it."

Bring her back...

"Did you... Did you really loved me?" He looked directly at her eyes. He could've sworn she saw her eyes widen by the sudden question he asked.

He's hoping that even if she lied about becoming a hero and her true intentions. At least the love that she gave to him was enough to make him believe that deep inside she was honest about herself. That she really, truly loved him.

"Our love made me crazy, Shoto. I wanted to kill those girls who come and flirt with you. But I stopped myself because I knew you would leave me. Though, I did hurt Camie once. She kept texting you so I gave her a little warning." She giggled. "You made me a maniac, Shoto. And you didn't even know."

Everything was clear. The days they spent together, he didn't even notice that she was a psychopath. That she has a longing for killing people. But how would he know when you were the girl that kept him warm and loved?

All of it was a lie.

"I did love you. That's why I am willing to kill for you. But seeing your face right now, makes me wanna burst into a laugh. Did I disappoint you? I hope I did."

"STOP! BRING HER BACK. I KNOW SHE'S STILL IN THERE. WHOEVER ARE YOU—JUST FUCKING BRING HER BACK!" Todoroki couldn't hold it any longer and shouted at her.

He refused to believe, but how can he tell that this wasn't happening when she told him everything.

Everything is twisted.

"Give up, Shoto. You can't save everyone. That includes me. Let me go and move on." Y/N said in a gentle voice. Todoroki calmed himself but he already knew.

She has a split personality.

"Y/N?"

"There's nothing you can do. I let myself do this. I chose this path." She looked at him the way she looked at him during their high school days. "No one can stop me from killing." Then a split second, she was no longer there, again.

"That's enough, Shoto," Tsukauchi called to get their attention. "We've got the answers we wanted. It's enough."

It was truly terrifying. Tsukauchi looked at her. She was still there but it feels like she isn't.

Todoroki went out of the room, feeling sick about what happened. She had a split personality all this time. He couldn't save her... He can't save her. Not anymore. In order for her to stop killing, is by locking her inside a psychiatric ward or by putting her on a death sentence.

"Thank you for your help, Shoto. And I'm sorry." He followed Todoroki as sat down in frustration. His right hand on his face, still shocked about everything.

"It's all my fault."

[waveypedia]

and now, for my next number, i’d like to return to the classics

Rymin Week Day 7: Domestic

1 2 4 5 6

Ao3

~

It’s been years since he lived primarily in his van on tour, but Ryan will never not be grateful to always have a kitchen.

Early morning sunlight streams through the soft white curtains as he goes through the motions of breakfast. The curtains were a gift from one sister, the cookware a gift from their old manager before she got promoted. The sleek fridge, which Ryan opens next, was a careful purchase he and Min worked together to carefully pick out, as is the same for most of their furniture. The eggs he pulls out from inside it are from their local farmer’s market, where all the vendors know them by name. Not because they used to be semi-famous rock stars, but because they come by every week toting instruments to serenade the shoppers with.

Ryan coats the pan in nonstick cooking spray and cracks the eggs into it. Salts it. He puts the ingredients away while he’s waiting for it to cook and pours two glasses of water.

Then, all that’s left is the waiting.

Ryan finds one of his guitars leaning against the wall in the next room. Their apartment is chock-full of all kinds of musical instruments they’ve accumulated over the years. After all the fuss Ryan had to go through to get his first guitar as a teenager, it feels both strange and gratifying to see how far he’s come.

One instrument they do not have is a viola. Min has played it on his own, usually on lease from friends, but he won’t play it regularly enough to buy one. Ryan is more than happy with that.

Ryan sits down on top of the counter and plucks a few, soft notes on his chosen guitar. He doesn’t have any particular melody or song in mind; he just lets his fingers play what they wish.

In no time at all, the eggs finish cooking. Ryan regretfully sets down the guitar to flip them and slide them onto plates. Just as he’s turning off the stove, the sound of a door opening down the hall and resounding footsteps reaches his ears.

Ryan snorts.

His husband emerges into the kitchen, hair still messy from bed. Even after all these years, Ryan’s heart flutters at the sight of him.

Min leans down to steal a kiss off the top of Ryan’s head. “Ooh, eggs. Are those for me?”

Ryan swings the plate away, nearly spilling the coveted breakfast. “Of course not. I cook for myself. Never for my handsome husband.”

“Hmm, too bad.” Min grabs a fork and leans in for a bite. “Hey, these are good!”

Ryan laughs and leans against Min’s chest. “Almost as good as your ability to come running as soon as there’s food ready. I swear, Min, it’s superhuman.”

“Only if it’s your food,” Min promises, struggling not to laugh.

Ryan cackles. “Of course. I see how it is”

Min kisses him again and steps away. “I’ll get the table set if you plate the eggs and get some fruit, dear.”

“I can do better than that!” Ryan dishes out the eggs on two plates and cuts some oranges up. He walks over to the toaster and drops two pieces of toast in. “A full breakfast. How about that?”

Min laughs and pulls a tub of butter out of the fridge. “Lovely, thank you.” He peers at the plates. “Eggs and toast. How downright American of you. Would you like some bacon with that?”

 “Hey, at least it’s not post-war,” Ryan quips back. He stretches his arms over his head and sets the plates down on the table. “Eh, that would take too much time.” He leans over to peck Min’s cheek. “After all, I would hate to miss breakfast with my lovely husband.”

Min beams. “Good choice.” His wedding ring twinkles in the early morning sunlight.

Ryan sighs dreamily. “Man, am I glad I married you.”

“Me too.” Min’s smile is fond and so full of love it makes Ryan’s heart swell. When he smiles, all his wrinkles soften and curve upwards like little smiles themselves. Ryan loves to kiss each one.

“So.” Min straightens out and pulls out his phone. “We have a practice session at 4 today, booked at the venue for Saturday’s performance.”

“Okay, good.” Ryan nods. “I want to run through the new arrangement Train to Nowhere.”

Min shakes his head, chuckling. “We’ve been playing that song for forty years, Ryan. Shouldn’t you know it inside and out?”

“I just want to tweak some things for this arrangement,” Ryan shoots back, not unkindly.

“Ryan.” Min reaches across the table to lay his hand on top of Ryan’s. Their wedding rings make a soft clink sound when Min’s hits his. “It’s going to be fine. The fans love that song, as do we. We know it well.”

  I know, I know.” Ryan squeezes Min’s hand and glances away. His eyes catch on a vase of beautiful purple flowers. I need to water those today, he notes offhandedly. “That’s why I want it to be as good as it can be.”

“It will be,” Min promises.

Ryan smiles. “I believe you.”

Min laughs, reaching across with his other hand to squeeze Ryan’s cheek gently. Ryan laughs, batting his hand away. “Of course you do. You should listen to your husband more often, Ryan.”

“What are you talking about? I always listen to you,” Ryan snorts.

Min waggles his finger. “Ah-ah, that sheet music you bought last week would beg to differ,” he says. “I told you we already had it in a songbook somewhere.”

Ryan crosses his arms, faux-affronted. “Excuse me for wanting more music to play!”     

“I don’t care about that. Just spend our money on music we don’t already have,” Min says, leaning back in his chair with a smile.

Ryan shrugs and lets out a small huff of laughter. “I can do that.”

“Good.” Min gets up to clear their plates. “I’m going to go grocery shopping and then call my parents. Do you need anything?”

“No, but I’ll pop on that call if you don’t mind,” Ryan replies, standing up. “And can you grab some cheese? And the-“

“Those crackers you like, the ones that come in the blue box, I know, I know,” Min says, laughing and shaking his head affectionately. “It’s on the list.”

Ryan walks over and wraps an arm around his husband. “Ah, you know me so well. Thanks, babe.”

Min shrugs him off, laughing. “Stop calling me that! It’s not classy!”

“Pfft, okay.” Ryan kisses Min on the cheek before releasing him. “See you in a few hours?”

“You know it.” Min waves and kisses him goodbye before he’s out the door.

Ryan hums softly to himself as he cleans up the kitchen. It starts out as a B-side from one of Chicken Choice Judy’s earlier albums - their third, if memory serves correctly. Four years after they’d escaped the train, when their career was steadily taking off and they started touring outside of North America.

Ryan shook his head, chuckling softly to himself as he wiped a dish clean. “Man, what a time.”

As he works, the tune slowly shifts into something more original and unique. Something new. When he notices the change, he immediately scrambles for a pen and paper. Luckily, there’s a large notebook of blank sheet music in the drawer under the microwave for this exact reason.

Ryan flips past pages of sheet music penned from similar scenarios to a blank page. He leans against the counter, writing down notes and chords and lyrics as time slips away. Before he knows it, he has a full song on his hands and Min’s returned.

“Hey, honey,” Min says, dropping the grocery bags on the kitchen table and leaning in for a kiss. “Whatcha got there?”

Ryan tips the sheet music notebook over so Min can see. “A new song. I’m calling this one ‘Sunsets’ for now. What do you think?”

Min hums thoughtfully as he peruses the notes. “It sounds pretty, Ryan! May I suggest a ukulele rift here?” He taps the third line down as he talks. “I think that would add to the image.”

Ryan grins. “You’re a genius, Min.” He’s said similar statements many times over their forty-year music-writing career, but it never gets old.

Min preens, laughing. “Oh, I know. I’m gonna call my parents in a few, okay?”

“Sure. Call me when you’re ready.” Ryan doesn’t take his eyes off the music as Min leaves.

When he eventually hits a block, he puts away the groceries. He’s just finished when Min pokes his head out of the office door and beckons.

 “Hello, Ryan!” Min’s mother greets when he steps inside. “Lovely to see you.”

“You as well, 어머님,” he replies, squeezing into the office chair next to Min. It’s not supposed to be big enough to fit them both, but they always seem to manage. Min laughs and tries to bat him off, but it’s halfhearted at this point. Ryan has been doing it for long enough that Min gave up a while ago. Besides, they both know Min likes the subtle affection.

“Just get another chair,” Min’s father grumbles, not unkindly. His wife gives him a small nudge on the shoulder.

“Leave them alone. Let them enjoy each other’s company,” Min’s mother replies, shaking her head in mirth. “If they’re still in their honeymoon phase after all this time, that’s on them.”

“엄마, please,” Min sighs, burying his head in his hands. His mother just laughs.

--

At precisely four P.M., he and Min are settled onstage at Saturday’s venue. It happens to be a beautiful outdoor amphitheater with vines and greenery gently climbing up the pillars holding up the stage’s ceiling. The audience area is open-sky and curves gently downward, like a bowl.

Ryan stands in the center of said “bowl”, guitar hanging from his shoulders by its strap. He raises his arms to the sky and spins, taking in everything.

From his place onstage, behind his synthesizer, Min laughs. “What are you doing?”

“Just taking in the sights.” Ryan does a final spin for good measure before turning to face Min. “It really is quite pretty.”

“It is, isn’t it?” Min gazes up at the orange-tinted sky with a soft smile. “Our manager really outdid herself with the booking this time. We’ll have to thank her.”

Ryan clambers up on the stage, silently wincing at the height gap between the audience floor and stage floor. He’s really not as young as he used to be, is he? “Should we send her flowers?”

“I think she really liked the sunflowers we got her last time. They were on her living room table when we visited her.” Min places his fingers on the keys, hovering just above them. “Maybe chocolate, too.”

Ryan laughs. “How cliché. Is there something I should know?” He waltzes over to Min and wraps a lazy arm around his husband, leaning all of his weight into Min’s shoulders.

Min laughs and shoves him off. “Please, do I have to come out to you again? Not all of us are interested in women, you know.”

“And what a great loss to the female community it is. The ladies of the Min-Gi Park fan club will have to go in mourning,” Ryan giggled. “But really, flowers and chocolate sound nice. She’ll like it.”

Min gave him a thumbs-up. “Sound check?”

Ryan gives his guitar an experimental strum. It echoes across the amphitheater beautifully, filling the bowl with sound and vibration. He whoops. “Let’s get this party started!”

“Not until Saturday, or else we’ll have some very unhappy neighbors to contend with,” Min admonishes, laughing. His fingers fly across the keys. “I’m good too.”

Ryan taps his mic. “Then let’s get ready to rock!” His voice booms across the venue. A few peacefully roosting birds take flight, squawking indignantly.

Min rolls his eyes. “Leave the poor birds alone, and you have a deal.”

“Please, we all know they just want to hear us play.” Ryan fishes his guitar pick from his jacket pocket and holds it poised over his guitar strings. “How do you feel about Train to Nowhere as a warm-up?”

“Fine by me,” Min says. His eyes don’t leave his synth. “It’s my favorite song to play with you, Ryan.”

“Well, of course,” Ryan says. “It’s what got us together, after all. In more ways than one.”

Min laughs. “Well, I can’t argue with that. Care to count us off?”

“Oh, I was just waiting for you to ask.” Ryan raises his pick and grins. “Five, six, eleven, twelve!”

Somewhere in Canada, the sun sets over a practicing music duo in the early 2020s. They laugh and goof around on an empty stage as birds and a few curious passerby stop to watch. The notes of their original hit song, “Train to Nowhere,” grace the evening air.

In the middle of the song, their eyes meet. They do not speak outside of the song lyrics, but an entire conversation passes through their gaze. It’s all they can do to not run to each other and hug each other right then and there.

After all, Ryan and Min-Gi Akagi-Park have lived a lifetime with each other. And they will live out the rest of their lives with each other, happy and content beyond imagination. 

~

i'm not korean so i'm not sure if the words i used for min's mother are right. if anyone knows better and sees i'm wrong, please tell me! the website said the word min uses ( 엄마 / eomma) is the informal way to say mom, and you only use it for your own mother. the word ryan uses ( 어머님 / eomeonim ) is formal and often used for mothers-in-law. eomma is really similar to the hebrew word for mother, which is amma. i think that's fascinating because hebrew and korean are not similar languages at all. lingustics as a whole is fascinating because you can see where languages and dialects split off from each other and where/why that happened in history. it's also really cool to see languages so similar to each other you can communicate with someone else in two different languages. languages also have cognants (not sure if i'm spelling that right) where a word is basically the same across multiple languages. it's really interesting to see in this modern world of quick and easy communication how many cognants we have, especially for semi-recent terms (the technology unit in french was SO easy). anyway sorry for the tangent i just really love linguistics

man i wasn't planning to write for today until i realized i'd overestimated the chapter count and it felt weird to not write aksdgfjs. i hope i can keep to this schedule of writing every day but school will probably put a hard stop to that. gotta get out as much writing as i can before then! i started writing this at like 9pm i'm so sorry if it's messy dkfhjfkd

we've come full circle! this started with baby rymin and now we have much older rymin. poetic cinema........

the euphoria i got everytime i wrote "his husband"......... they are MARRIED gamers!!!!!

this is a callout post for every time i pour myself a bowl of chips at my aunt and uncle's house and all five of them suddenly think my bowl is a free-for-all even though the bag is sitting right there. stop i am not a chip dispensary. do not be min-gi akagi-park leave my chips alone

title is from uhhhh i don't know what it was called (some indie thing) but it was in my last winterguard show (fuck covid i wanted a senior season) and it just popped into my head. or it might have just been a voice line from something i heard it in another show with different music. whatever it's almost 1 am i'll look it up later. i put it on my titles doc (which is 90% song lyrics and which my brother likes to call the "song lyric moodboard" even though it's just a bullet list) out of impulse and nostalgia and never really intended to use it but it actually fits really well here?? who knew

it didn't make it in but i imagine that ryan and min have a parrot named kez and they've taught it some of kez's favorite and most iconic phrases. imagine you are visiting acclaimed musical duo chicken choice judy's house and you hear a parrot squawk at you "Why do you hate fun, Min." another thing that kind of made it in but not quite was that ryan has all those weird guitars. im picturing this one my temporary songleading teacher at camp, who's a professional musician and probably the most famous jewish folk artist out there (which is a very niche group so he's not really famous), brought out once. it was really small and had like eight tiny strings all crammed in together and it both fascinated and terrified me. i have no idea how you can play that without accidentally pressing all the wrong strings all the time but dan nichols can do it so i've decided ryan can do it too

tomorrow is au day... you know what that means... *shoves rymin into my current hyperfixation*

if you ever wanna talk infinity train, writing, these amazing characters, or really anything hmu here on my tumblr or on twitter! thank you for reading, and please leave a reblog/like/comment if you enjoyed it!

@ryminweek

[becamitchellsbeats]

Bechloe - Skype Night

Inspired by the Bellas performance of Love On Top!

Beca is isolating alone and is missing the Bellas more than she cares to admit. One skype call and a spontaneous burst into a song later and everything changes.Might continue it so lemme know your thoughts!]

-

Beca's music career had been put on a temporary hold as she was made to isolate at home, her hand wrestling to the bottom of yet another chips packet as she flicked through the TV channel for the 17th time. "Well this officially sucks" she groaned to herself, tucking her legs in closer as she eyed a photo frame on the TV cabinet,  it was the Bellas graduation photo, looking back at it she wished she smiled more for the photo, she looked so grumpy, especially when compared to Chloe who her eyes focusing on Chloe in particular.

Beca hadn't seen Chloe in around 2 months which felt like agony seeing as she was used to seeing her daily, not that she'd ever admit it. The emptiness of her apartment was also driving her insane, she was in a position of wanting company but not wanting to ask for it, especially considering it had bizarrely became against the law for the time being, something she never could of seen coming.

See, everything went to crap when the Bellas graduated, a virus had taken the globe by storm, and university life had changed drastically, Beca was glad they had graduated before all the changes but it now meant she was isolating alone.

Fat Amy, who said she'd be Beca's 'roomie for life' received a 'dodgy' lump sum from her father so of course she was off living in a massive house somewhere and Chloe, who was her other potential roommate had gone and got herself stranded abroad whilst helping out at a vet overseas to gain more exotic animal experience.

Beca reluctantly removed herself from the sofa, dragging her feet across the wooden flooring as she made her way into the bathroom. She stared at herself in her mirror, her bottom lip tugging as she winced at the sight. Hair tangled, Cheetos dust staining her once white t-shirt and chipped black nail paint.

Tired eyes looked her reflection up and down, her hand lazily hitting the nozzle on the taps splashing herself with some cold water. "Okay Mitchell, you need to sort yourself out jeez" she said whilst waving her finger at herself in the mirror, pointing at herself somewhat sternly, then lightly smirking at herself for her own weird behavior. "I'm officially losing it" she admitted.

Feeling motivated to freshen herself up Beca jumped in the shower, warm water running down her body as she collected her thoughts. Stepping out the shower and feeling immediate regret as the cold air wrapped itself around her body, she shuddered, eagerly grasping for her towel as her wet hair now covered her eyes. She huffed, trying to blow the clingy wet hair off her lips as she blindly reached for her hair brush. Groans filled the bathroom as her hairbrush tore through the knots in her hair, her eyes watering from some particularly painful knots.

Fully clothed and nails now painted Beca had just finished on putting on her signature eyeliner. She sat in her bedroom, that was surprisingly still tidy, but that was because she had barely managed to remove herself from the sofa. She rarely socialized nowadays, other than her occasional skype calls with the group, but she always felt funny about joining calls, she was a bit awkward about having her webcam on and well, all of them insisted they have them on so she'd often opt out.

Beca however was eager to speak to Chloe, which was hard to do as she was a key worker at the vet she was helping out at abroad, with time zones and Chloe's long hours she was often exhausted so she rarely had the time and Beca felt weird reaching out to the others, she refused to come across as clingy but secretly felt sad whenever they left their skype calls. She even felt disappointed when Jessica left her.

Her hand moved to flip open her laptop lid as she adjusted her hair once more "I'll just call her, she'll be home" she mumbled to herself as her mouse hovered over the call button on Chloe's contact.

"Why do I feel so damn nervous" she said fidgeting as she stared at her username "Okay after 3, i'll click the damn call button" she moved her mouse up once more as she counted to three, pressing down on the green button as her own video filled the screen whilst a ringing noise echoed out her laptop speakers.

"Man I hate staring at myself like this" she muttered as the whole screen was filled by her camera.

A red circle, with a hang-up symbol filled the screen. Beca's heart sank. "Bad timing?" she wondered.

_______________________________________________

Chloe's heart raced with excitement when Beca called. She was getting worried about her since she had been so far away, she would often flood her with texts making sure she was eating and drinking enough. She knew Beca was down about not being able to carry out with her record label work and she wanted nothing more than to be there with her, but she knew she'd been neglecting Beca lately, she just didn't have the time and the time gap only worsened things.

"You guys Beca is calling give me a second I'll add her!"

DontBelieveInLadders: [Quick AMBUSH her!]

________________________________________________

Chloe's icon flashed up on Beca's screen it was her wearing sunglasses cuddling a baby fox, a new photo it seemed. Beca now focused her attention on her laptop that was now ringing as it flashed up "Chloe Beale + 8 others" "Group call?" Beca wondered as she clicked the green phone icon.

"BECAAAA!" the group greeted in unison. "Oh sweetie you look so good!" Chloe said with a grin who was also visible on her webcam "And you've got your camera on! I'm so glad" she said excitedly."Someone made an effort" Fat Amy teased, taking notice of Beca's stylish yet casual appearance.

Beca looked away from her camera awkwardly "What? I always get ready pfft"

"You literally have no where to go" Fat Amy responded in a pitchy yet blunt tone "But thats okay Beca, self-care is important and Impress-Chloe-Care even more so"

Beca rolled her eyes "How long you guys been on a call for anyways?" her hands fidgeting with the items on her desk, just out of shot of her camera.

FlippingThroughBorders: {Oh we just started} Flo typed on the message box below

DontBelieveInLadders: {We're still waiting for Stacie and still setting up bits} commented Aubrey as she rustled around in the background for her physical webcam to plug in.

_______________________________________________

Stacie laid in bed, browsing memes on her phone, her attention was diverted when Emily's text popped up {Heeeey hurry up and join the group skype call!} Stacie dangled over her bed and grabbed her laptop from underneath her set of bedside draws. She blew the dust off the top of it and opened it up "I've not used this bad boy in a while" she said as she turned it on, the battery flashing orange from where it was getting low.

As she opened up her search engine it flashed up with her old google tabs, an explicit site was restored and automatically started playing the last video she was watching. Stacie's eyes widened "Well that's quite the greeting," her eyes bulging as she looked the model in the video up and down before shaking her head and closing the tab. "Now is not the time for that" she laughed to herself as she launched skype and joined the chat.

"Hey you guuuuuys" she greeted with a toothy grin. The Bellas greeted their soprano cheerfully., Stacie's eyes focused on Beca "Look who finally learned that isolation doesn't mean isolating from virtual calls!"

Beca rolled her eyes again "I join in!""Occasionally" Emily countered."Or when Chloe is in the chat" Fat Amy coughed

"Aw poor Beca" Flo said into the mic now she had got it set up.

Beca began snapping her fingers rhythmically, gaining even more attention from the group. "I'm not doing this with you guys"

"Ba bah bah ba, ba" Beca hummed trying to drown them out

"What is she doing?" asked Emily"Ba ba bah da..." Beca continued "is that?" Aubrey raised an eyebrow "I recognize that arrangement, is that, Queen B?" Aubrey said enthusiastically as she leaned forward in her seat.

"Oh my god you guys are we going to sing?" Chloe said excitedly clasping her hands together as she bounced in her seat.

"Aw yeah!! lets sing together tonight you guys" Emily beamed"Okay legacy calm down don't ruin it before we've begun" Amy groaned.

The Bellas began snapping their fingers and harmonizing as they began to develop more of a beat for the song Beca was starting off.

"Here we go" said Fat Amy as the beat had been accomplished.  A grin slowly tugged at Stacie's face as Lily began beatboxing. "i'll bring  owowowo beat in"

Beca glanced away shyly as she sang into her microphone.‎"Honey, Honeyyy, I can see the stars, all the waaaay from here, can't you see the glow on the--"

"windowpane" the girls harmonized in unison

"I can feel the sun, whenever you're near, everytime you touch me I just melt away" Beca's eyes glanced at Chloe occasionally as she continued singing.

Fat Amy then jumped in with a solo "Everybody asking why i'm smiling now from ear to eaaaarr!" ("You can say love hurts") "Well I knooooooow-OHHH" ("It's gonna take a little work") Fat Amy said raising her fist passionately.

"Nothings perfect but its worth it, after fighting through my tears!" Stacie sang strongly

"And finally you put me first!"  (dah-dah) the Bellas all sang in unison

The Bellas danced together, doing hand gestures and performing together in perfect harmony. As the song continued Beca felt herself feeling more confident again, her heart feeling full as it felt like everyone was finally with her again.Her eyes closing as she found herself getting lost in the moment.

"Chloe its you, you're the one I love, you're the one I need!"

"You're the only one I see, C'mon Chloe its yoooooou"

Beca blurted out raising the octvave as they were reaching the end of the song "you're the one who gives your all, you're the one I can always call!" the girls continued the beat but stared at her. This was the version Beca would sing on her own, as she often would change song lyrics to fit how she felt.

"When I need to make everything stop, finally you put my love on top"

Chloe paused for a moment, failing to continue singing as her mind tried to grasp the lyrics that had just left Beca's mouth, her face reddening with slight tinges as started singing through her smile and teary eyes.

Being a supportive team the girls continued to hold off on teasing her, after all it was one of the Bellas standards not to let distractions interrupt a performance. Fat Amy couldn't help but smirk as she sang, she was itching to tease Beca.

The DJ was in her own world, snapping and swaying in her seat, singing with her eyes closed she hadn't even realised what she had said untilt he girls changed the lyrics themselves.

"Oh Baby I can feel the wind whipping past my faaaace" Beca sang

"As we dance the night awaaaay" the girls harmonized.

"And girl your look it tastes like a night of champagne"  (oooh) Chloe sang solo

"As I kiss you again and again and again and again" Aubrey chimed in.

As the song continued the girls began grinning, looking over at Chloe and Beca, then back to eachother as they all nodded, clearly on the same wavelength as the song progressed.

"CHLOE ,its yoooou" they sang raising the octave.

"you're the one Bec loves! you're the one Bec neeeeeeeeds"

"WAIT, GUYS" Beca yelled as her face went a shade of red she had never gone before.

"You're the only one she sees! c'mon Chloe its yoooou, you're the one who gives your all, your the one Bec can always call, when she needs you everything you DROP,  finally! you say your love out loud"

"Baby, you're the one that I love, you're the only one that I need!" Chloe sang loudly with a cheeky wink as Jessica and Ashley dominated the top notes.

"C'mon Beca its yoooooou" the Bellas sang in harmony

"When I need you everything stops, finally you put my love on top" the group then faded out to a stop.

The girls all cheered and celebrated as they finished the spontaneous arrangement of love on top. "Crushed it" Amy said with a fist bump.

Beca had already retreated behind her hands, wishing nothing more than to have a wheelie-chair so she could move herself off screen with speed.

"So Beca, remember the last time at the ICCAS when you changed the lyrics, well this was certainly distracting but, it kinda sounded like a confession" Aubrey teased.

"Hmm, thats so ODD Aubrey, I TO was thinking that sounded like a confession to me"

"I mean I got ripped a new one for performing an orginal song at that riff off, but to lyric change Beyonce, you're bold Mitchell" Emily joked.

"Aw don't tease her guys, shes drowning, although Beca, you should know, I've experienced  drowning for real,so this is better" Flo joined in.

"There was no hiding that Becs, surprised you didn't notice!" Stacie grinned

Beca groaned "I hate you, I hate you, I hate you, I hate you" she said behind the safety of her hands.

"Well duh, it wasn't my name you sang the word 'LOVE' next too, quarantines got you all soft huh" Stacie couldn't help but tease.

Beca slowly dragged her hands down her face, peering out from the tips of her fingertips. "It was that obvious huh... guess thats what happens when I have the place to myself to sing the wrong damn version."

Chloe cleared her throat "Well I for one found that really sweet Becs" she said with a smile that met her eyes as her hand rested on her chest "Honestly my heart is pounding! its a good thing I know how to do CPR well on animals but, y'know" she fanned herself with her hand feeling flustered.

"Yeah um that wouldn't work Chloe, you can't do CPR on yourself" Fat Amy said shaking her head.

"I-I know that its just" Chloe went red "I just--" she threw her hands up in the air "Oof just get over her and kiss me Mitchell, screw this virus, lets just isolate together"

Beca looked up "Man this is so embarrassing this wasn't meant to come out like this and--"

"I'm glad honestly!" Chloe said with a grin "it just makes being a part from you even harder" she whined.

"I just wish you weren't so many miles away" Beca groaned

"Y'all need a ride because I can fly a plane, I just ain't got no licence officially at least" Cynthia Rose commented with a slow nod. "If you know what I mean" she said clicking her tongue.

"Thats so sweet of you but highly illegal, the Bellas have been in enough trouble in the news so we better do things legally this time, ahem, that goes to you too Amy" Chloe said suspiciously looking over at Amy who had moved off camera.

"Whaaaaat" Amy groaned "Its not like I was up to anything suspicious on a dodgey website just now"

"C'mon ladies lets give these two lovebirds some space and go gossip in another chat!" said Emily as the Bellas all began to retreat from the call so only Beca and Chloe remained.

Chloe placed her hand on the screen "Can't believe i'm only saying this now after like what, three years but, I love you Beca"

"I love you too Chlo"

- End of part -

[hotmessexpress404]

Saviors in a Half Shell 5

“Let me get this straight. You guys were the ones who really saved the city? Twice?”

The commotion had made national news headlines for weeks years ago. The most recent occurrence was five years ago, way before Y/N had made her way to the city.

It was the sort of thing that led to many online conspiracy theories, but none of them had any solid evidence. The media led people to believe it was a man named Vernon Fenwick, who had subsequently called himself ‘the Falcon’.

How obnoxious.

“We knew we wouldn’t be accepted by the general public, and he just so happened to be working with us- it made sense,” Leonardo shrugged.

“People are so gullible,” she snorted. She shook her head. “Even I had a feeling he couldn’t have taken that thing down without help. I mean, one man? Unless it was dumb luck. I’m still trying to understand why someone wants to take over a city. A single city. What, turn it into his kingdom? He knows there are bigger and better cities out there, right?”

“Bigger and better? Oh, man! We have been so busy saving this city, we haven’t been able to finish our hip-hop Christmas album!” Mikey couldn’t have sounded more pitiful.

Y/N laughed. “I’d love to hear you guys try to rap Silent Night. Ninjas and all.”

Right as Michelangelo opened his mouth to give her a proper demonstration, he was pushed over by his red-banded brother.

“Someone’s a party pooper.”

“I just spared your eardrums,” Raph said, looking quite pleased with himself.

“What a sweetheart,” Y/N said through a snort. These guys were definitely brothers, the way they treated each other.

“Speaking of sweethearts,” Mikey grinned. “What are you going to do now? Now that you know us and all. You gonna stay here for good?”

“Mikey-” Raph growled.

Y/N just shook her head. “I have an apartment in Brooklyn I should probably get back to at some point. And a job.”

“Do you think you’re ready to get back to all that?” Leonardo asked her quietly. He still wasn’t sure what pushed you so far towards the edge- depression, that was pretty clear. Was there a more specific reason?

She shrugged again. “Have to sooner or later. It comes and goes. Good days, bad days, you know?” She looked around the room with a small smile. “Plus, if I go back to… All that, and I feel like it’s all going down the drain again- well, you guys make a mean cup of tea.”

The brothers looked between each other. It was obvious they all felt some type of way to hear that she was leaving. They had known this woman for less than twenty-four hours, and yet the thought of her leaving them left them feeling empty. She was one more human that accepted them for who they were. She didn’t run, she didn’t scream, she just accepted it.

“I took the liberty of adding our numbers to your phone,” Donatello said finally. “In case you ever need us for any reason.”

“Need a cup of tea, an escape, a friend-”

“-Boyfriend-” Mikey cut in.

Raph wasted no time knocking him over completely this time.

“I don’t think I could handle you, Michelangelo,” Y/N gave him a small smile. “You remind me of me when I was younger.”

Mikey got to his feet, dusting off his thighs. “How old are you again?”

She grinned. “Twenty-one, legal drinking age.”

He shook his head in confusion. “We’re older than you.”

“I really can’t thank you guys enough for this,” Y/N said, ignoring Mikey’s statement. “Especially you two.” She looked between Raphael and Leonardo. “Especially you two. And the Thai food of course.”

~

It felt like it had been an eternity since she left. It was almost dusk, it had really only been hours. Donatello gave her an extremely detailed map of the sewers, including the streets they followed, in case she wanted to come down by herself. They all figured she’d just ask for an escort, but in case she didn’t feel like it.

“And as soon as she comes into our lives, she leaves,” Michelangelo said through a dramatic sigh. “Do you think she’ll be okay?”

“She’ll be alright,” Donatello said. “I added multiple suicide hotlines and therapists to her phone when I added us.”

“She can’t just stay here forever,” Raphael grunted. “She lives up top, she belongs up there. April and Casey don’t live their lives down here with us, do they? No, they live up top with the other humans.”

Leonardo stayed quiet. They were right- she belonged up there with the other humans. She had a job, an apartment, a life- they were just four turtles that lived in the shadows. They saved her from a mistake she couldn’t go back from. What she did now was up to her.

“Maybe we should check on her tonight!” Mikey said, disrupting Leonardo from his thoughts. “Don, you got her address, right?”

“You think I’d let her leave without knowing where to find her? Do you even know me?” Donatello let out a ‘pfft’. “I have her address, her workplace, her social media profiles.”

“Isn’t that going a little too far?” Leonardo said.

“It’s all for her safety!” Mikey argued, even though the question obviously wasn’t pointed towards him.

Leonardo sighed. “Fine. We can check on her tonight.”

He tried to convince himself it was for his brothers’ sake.

“Since you did all that research on her, might as well not put it to waste. Whadoya got, Donnie?” Raph asked as he plopped back down on the couch.

Donnie pushed up his goggles, more for effect than anything. They were quite literally strapped to his head. “According to all of her profiles, she was born in Iowa and moved here a year and a half ago. No listed family members. Says here that she works for herself, doesn’t say what, but I’m seeing a portfolio right here with a bunch of different headshots.”

Mikey made his way over to Donnie’s corner, squinting at the screens. “Maybe she’s a professional photographer. Do you think she could shoot the music video for our Christmas album?”

“I have a feeling it’s more of what’s in the picture that is her job,” Donnie said slowly. “My money’s on makeup or hair.”

“What do you know about that stuff?” Raph questioned.

“Hey, if it was a photography portfolio, you’d definitely see more variety than just heads,” Donnie replied, rolling his eyes.

“Too bad we don’t need a new hairdresser,” Raph snorted, running his hand over his bald head. “Alopecia right here.”

“We’re turtles, we don’t grow hair in the first place.”

“It was a joke, Don.”

“It wasn’t a very thought out joke.”

By that point, Leonardo was no longer paying attention to his brothers. He was no judge of skills with hair, but these pictures didn’t look half bad. Maybe he needed to pay attention to pop culture a bit more to understand. Was she dissatisfied with her work?

She hadn’t mentioned a roommate. He figured she lived alone. Leo recalled April saying how expensive it was to have your own apartment in any part of New York. She couldn’t have been that bad at her job to be able to live on her own.

His thoughts were disrupted when he felt his phone buzz.

Miss me yet? - Y/N

He frowned, looking down at the screen. It had only been hours.

You guys seriously messed up my sleep schedule, I’m wide awake and it’s almost nine at night. - Y/N

Oh yeah? Almost time for us to get to work - Leonardo

Ah, the night shift. Latest I’ve worked was probably until two. I didn’t want to even think about waking up the next morning. - Y/N

You work that late? - Leonardo

I had no idea this client was going to take me eight hours. We were almost sick of each other by the end of it. - Y/N

Maybe Donnie was right. He had no frame of reference for photography, but that seemed late. Did hair related things take that long?

I’ll let you get back to work. Maybe you’ll even save another damsel tonight. - Y/N

Let’s hope I don’t have to - Leonardo

He wasn’t sure his brothers could handle two humans in twenty-four hours. Mikey would go crazy.

“Leonardo? Earth to Leonardo?”

He bounced back into reality. “What did I miss?”

“Um, our entire conversation?” Mikey said, poking him on the shoulder. “It’s your head that’s in the clouds today.”

He sighed. “What, then?”

“April says she has a lead on the Purple Dragons,” Donnie said, turning towards them. “They’re hitting several spots tonight. We need to get going.”

“Alright, you know the drill,” Leonardo said loudly. “What are we waiting for?”

He didn’t have to ask twice.

~

Meanwhile, Y/N was settling back into her apartment. She regretted leaving it in such a mess the night before. It had taken her until now to finally get it straightened up enough to have company.

Not that she was expecting company.

She let out a small sigh as she placed a mug of tepid water in the microwave. She briefly recalled the events that ensued in the past twenty-four hours.

She did not wake up yesterday thinking she was going to get that close. It had taken all of her courage to even stand on that ledge. Heights were not her friend, ever since she was a child. Maybe it wasn’t the fear of heights so much as it was the fear of falling.

It didn’t make sense that it was her chosen method.

She shook her head quickly. No, those were not the kind of thoughts she needed. Not this soon.

Truth be told, it was hard to live in a city such as New York. It was so easy to get carried away with the hustle and bustle the city was known for. Even on her daily walk to the shop, she felt like a tiny speck in the big picture. Nobody gave her a smile, nobody even looked at her. It wasn’t what she was used to.

Hell, back in the Midwest, people smiled at strangers as they passed them on the road. They waved to people driving tractors, and were even pleasant if one was going ten miles per hour. But here?

If you so much as stopped on the sidewalk, you were given death glares and knew people wished you didn’t exist in that moment.

Maybe she wasn’t meant to stay here.

It was almost every hairstylist’s dream. If you could make it in New York, you really made it. It was a cherry on top if you ended up catering to hair shows, took on a sponsorship for various brands. If you made it in New York, you could even create your own line of color and hair products.

Two and a half years after gaining her license in hairdressing, it just wasn’t what she expected. The hair was great, that wasn’t the problem. The environment drained her. She wasn’t sure if it was worth the heartache.

But those four brothers…

“Maybe I should check in on them,” she told herself.

The microwave began to beep. She reached in to pull the hopefully hot water-filled mug and gasped when the ceramic burnt at her skin. No, she’d give that a minute to cool off, actually.

She glanced over at her phone, it was dangerously close to falling off the edge of the couch. Y/N made her way over and unlocked it with her fingerprint. As she did so, she quietly wondered how Donatello managed to get into it in the first place.

In fact, their four names were now listed as her emergency contact numbers. They were even color coded, not that she needed a reminder on who was who. She decided to text Leo.

Miss me yet? - Y/N

After thinking for another second, she sent another text. Hopefully they weren’t weird about double-texting.

You guys seriously messed up my sleep schedule, I’m wide awake and it’s almost nine at night. - Y/N

It wasn’t completely true, she didn’t typically go to bed until midnight or so. There was no harm in friendly banter, right?

She set her phone back down, on the counter this time, and went to check on her mug of hopefully no longer boiling hot water. Before her fingers even touched it, it dinged.

Oh yeah? Almost time for us to get to work - Leonardo

She looked at the message for a while, her mug of tea leaf-less water all but forgotten.

Ah, the night shift. Latest I’ve worked was probably until two. I didn’t want to even think about waking up the next morning. - Y/N

You work that late? - Leonardo

Did I ever tell them what I did for a living?

Not that it would really matter to them. They obviously didn’t need a beautician.

The hair thing, she was definitely referring to the hair thing. Turtles didn’t have hair. Not that she saw, anyway-

Y/N, I swear, they’re fuckin’ turtles. Of course they don’t have hair anywhere.

I had no idea this client was going to take me eight hours. We were almost sick of each other by the end of it. - Y/N

She remembered that night well. It was actually one of her first clients that she ever got since moving to the Big Apple. And boy, was this girl loyal. She bought product every time, tipped well, even consulted for possible wigs. Y/N wasn’t sure why she would want wigs, she had beautiful hair, but she wasn’t about to judge. That was money.

Plus, she worked for some TV station local to New York. This client was a dream client.

As soon as she sent the message, she groaned. He probably didn’t even care to hear about that kind of stuff. He was probably busy anyway. You know, saving the city.

I’ll let you get back to work. Maybe you’ll even save another damsel tonight. - Y/N

She had to admit, knowing she was the first person they’d saved in such a way made her feel special. Sure, it was the worst possible circumstance, but… In her mind, it was almost like fate. They were different, but they accepted her into their home so easily. They knew she needed help and didn’t hesitate to try their best. They gave her a safe space to sleep, away from her own world. It gave her time to clear her head. Maybe the meditating had something to do with it.

Let’s hope I don’t have to - Leonardo

For some reason, the last message didn’t hit quite right with her. It suddenly drew her back.

Just make some tea, Y/N. Light some candles. Deep breaths.

The last thing she wanted was to be a burden to these four new beings in her life she’d love to consider her first real friends in the city. She crossed her fingers that he didn’t mean his words the way she took them.

Candles lit, tea freshly brewed (and with a chunk of ice for good measure), Y/N settled down on the couch with an oversized blanket and decided to watch something on TV. That’d clear her mind.

“April’s hair does look so good,” she mumbled to herself with a smile, the first thing on TV was the nightly news. “Good job, me.”

[bangtaninink]

when night falls i am your escape

a sequel / prequel to sanctuary! ( as requested by @athenakyle )

The dull sound of rhythmic knocking against a wall has Jisook stopping in her tracks, a tray of dirty dishes in her grasp.

“I’d keep walking if I were you,” Sanghoon says, fixing his glasses, a leather portfolio tucked in the crook of his arm. “Miss _____ has Master Jeongguk over again.”

Jisook sighs.

“I just did the laundry,” she mutters, walking off.

Sanghoon lets out a terse chuckle in reply, checking his watch.

“Ah, the Chairman and his wife also informed me earlier that they won’t be home for dinner tonight,” he calls out to Jisook. “They’ll be dining with the rest of the board of directors. Miss _____ will be dining out with Master Jeongguk also, so do let the rest of the staff know that only a light supper will be needed when they return, Jisook-sshi.”

“Thank you, Sanghoon.”

Sanghoon bows his head as Jisook disappears into the kitchen, the sound of her shuffling slipper-clad feet growing distant.

The rhythmic knocking eventually stops, and Sanghoon arches a brow at the sudden quiet, looking up from his diary, page half-turned. A few beats later, the door to your room opens, and you emerge in the middle of tying the silk belt of your robe around your waist, hair in a messy bun atop your head.

“Afternoon, Sanghoon,” you greet, lazy smile stretching across your lips. “How you doin’ today?”

“Good afternoon, Miss _____,” he replies, bowing his head. “I’m well. Thank you for asking.”

“Want anything from the kitchen while I’m there?”

“No thank you.”

“Okie dokie. Enjoy the rest of your day, okay?”

“I will do my best, thank you.”

                                                         〰️

Jeongguk yelps when something cold hits the small of his back, clicking his tongue as he pushes himself up off his stomach to sit against the headboard, taking the beer you’re holding out to him.

“It honestly surprises me that I’m allowed inside here every time I come over,” he says, taking a sip.

“Why?” you laugh, reaching into your bowl for a strawberry.

“Uh, ‘cause you’re one of the richest people in the country, and me and the hyungs literally have diets consisting of ramen and discounted kimbap. We are not the same, dude.”

“No one’s complained yet.”

“I don’t think your staff would complain. Maybe talk about you behind your back though.”

“Jeongguk, you’ve seen Jisook. She nags me more than my actual grandma. She would not hesitate to call me out.”

“True. She has such a cold stare sometimes. I can come over here horny out of my mind, but then I see her and I feel like my balls shrivel up and die in an instant.”

“Gross.”

“Well. I could be rich soon though. I hit five hundred thousand followers on Soundcloud within twenty four hours of those photos coming out from that dinner. And then seven hundred and fifty thousand followers on Instagram not long after. Kinda scary how quickly people can find my shit. You didn’t even promote me straight away.”

“Your nudes will be next,” you joke.

“Pfft. Please. You say that like it’s a bad thing. My nudes are spectacular.”

“You know who I bet would love to see your nudes? What’s-her-face. Hara? No, Hana.”

“Oh, Jesus. Don’t,” Jeongguk groans. “I thought her seeing you with me would force her to give up, but now I feel like she’s gotten worse. She keeps blowing up my phone.”

“You gave her your number?”

“Nah, nah. She’s been messaging me on Instagram. I bet it’s because of your ‘statement’.”

“What about my statement?”

“You said I was a ‘close friend’.”

“Well, what am I supposed to say? ‘Jeongguk’s my fuckbuddy. He’s got my favourite flavour of dick!’”

“Aww,” Jeongguk coos, hand pressed to his chest. “I’m touched.”

“Yeah, well, you can touch yourself on your own for the rest of eternity if you keep that up.”

                                                         〰️

“Hi, excuse me, um… c-can I get your autograph?”

You look up from your menu to see someone standing a few feet away from Jeongguk, holding a notebook close to her chest as she waits nervously for an answer.

“Yeah, for sure,” Jeongguk says, grinning and wiggling his eyebrows at you briefly before taking the notebook from the girl, scribbling his signature on a blank page before bowing and watching her walk off. “Look at that. I’m famous.”

“Congratulations,” you say, nonchalant as you turn your eyes back to the menu.

“Damn, you really live like this? I could get used to it.”

“You say that now. Wait ‘til you’re getting followed into the bathroom when you go to take a dump.”

“How much do you think I could sell my shit for now that I’m famous?”

“I dunno. Ask Hana. I bet she’d be the only one crazy enough to buy it,” you say, looking up from your menu again to grin.

“Shut up.”

“Are you ready to order, Miss _____?” a waiter asks, stepping up to the table with a small notepad.

“Mmm, I think I’ll have truffle linguine,” you say, setting the menu down on the table.

“Of course. And for you, sir?”

“Uh… I’ll have the tenderloin steak with the cream potatoes, thank you. Medium rare,” Jeongguk replies, smiling.

“Excellent. We’ll have it over right away.”

“Thank you.”

“Damn. The perks of being rich.” Jeongguk leans back in his seat, hands on the back of his head. “I really could get used to this.”

“Don’t get too cocky, Jeon,” you say, taking a sip of your wine. “It’s not a good look on you.”

“You know what is a good look on me?” You look over your wine glass. “You.”

“God.”

                                                      ��  〰️

“How were your meals tonight?” the waiter asks, collecting you and Jeongguk’s empty plates.

“Amazing. Send my compliments to the chef,” Jeongguk says, smiling. “I’ve always wanted to say that.”

“Would you like some dessert? Coffee?”

“Oh man, I’m stuffed.”

“Just the bill, thank you, Minwoo,” you say, reaching for your drink.

“Of course,” the waiter says, bowing his head before walking off with the empty dishes.

Jeongguk reaches into his back pocket for his wallet as you finish off your wine, counting out his money before slipping it into the small leather folder the waiter sets down on the table.

“What’re you doing?” you ask, amused; Jeongguk looks at you, confused.

“Paying?”

“Why?”

The crease between his eyebrows grows deeper as he furrows his eyebrows, saying, “because I asked you to come to this restaurant with me? Wait, hold on, I’m confused. Am I missing something? Should I not be paying?”

“No, it’s just… most people would be making me pay, that’s all,” you say, shrugging your shoulders.

“Please,” Jeongguk scoffs, proceeding to put his money in and shut the leather folder. “In case you haven’t noticed, I am not like most people, sweet cheeks. Also, making you pay makes it seem like you’re my sugar mommy or some shit, and that feels weird as fuck.”

“Oh, eww. You’re right.”

“Come on, let’s go. I need a smoke.”

                                                         〰️

You can feel the floor of the club pulsing beneath the soles of your heels, walking over to your usual table with Hyemi and Sora on either side of you, paying no mind to all the heads that turn your way. The rest of your friends cheer and wave when they see you approach, making space for you three in the booths.

The drinks easily come and go, and eventually a bunch of you end up on the dancefloor, nodding your heads and swaying your bodies to the sound of the music, laughing and fooling around as you always do.

One by one, you friends drift off, returning to the tables or leaving with a handsome stranger, until only you and Hyemi remain on the dancefloor – but even she looks like she’s one song away from disappearing from your side.

As you anticipate, just as one Jay Park song ends and another starts, Hyemi has her fingers entwined with an unfamiliar face, and she turns to look at you with an apologetic smile before wandering off. You let her go with a casual shrug and a smile, unbothered because you’re used to this routine now, knowing the fun is only yet to start now that you’re no longer surrounded by your friends.

It’s now that others will gain the courage to approach you, no longer resorting to fleeting glances your way—as if they weren’t being completely obvious in doing so—but using their alcohol-fuelled bravado to make their way closer to you on the dancefloor, until eventually, someone will sidle right up to you, hand on your waist, department store jeans pressed to the back of your tailored Prada dress.

“Hey.”

Like clockwork, you feel a hand come to rest on the small of your back, and the air around you briefly smells like whiskey, cigarettes, and clean laundry.

“Jeongguk,” the stranger says, guiding your hips to sway in time to his.

“_____,” you reply, smiling to yourself.

“Knew that.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Surely everyone here does,” Jeongguk says, chuckling.

“You’d be surprised.”

“No way. They’d be insane to think you’re just another pretty face. Are you having a good time so far, _____?”

“Sure am, Jeongguk. How ‘bout you?”

“Me? Oh, I’m fuckin’ petrified.”

“What?” you ask, laughing as you turn around, Jeongguk’s hands wrapping around your waist as you rest your hands on his chest.

(You’re excited to find that his chest is beautifully firm—almost rock solid—beneath your palms.)

“Oh, definitely.”

“Why’s that?”

“Well, I’m not sure if you’ve got bodyguards watching you from afar. If I move my hands an inch lower, I could be tackled to the ground and banished from the country for laying a hand on probably the richest twenty-something year old in Korea.”

You throw your head back and laugh, the sound barely drowned out by the loud music.

“I don’t leave the house with bodyguards all the time,” you reply, grinning.

“Ah. A wild child, huh? I’ve heard that too actually.”

“Is that right?”

“Yup,” Jeongguk says, emphasising the last syllable with a pop.

“I’m surprised the tabloids are reporting the truth.”

“Oh, so it’s true? Oh, I like that.” Jeongguk grins when you laugh again. “So. What do you usually do on nights out, Miss _____?”

“Well, that depends on what you usually do on a night out, Mr. Jeongguk,” you reply.

“Hmm. Well, I’ll usually down a few drinks, dance next to a pretty girl, get slapped in the face before she tells me she has a boyfriend, and be on my merry way, crashing on my third secondhand mattress to the sound of my roommates fucking their boyfriends.”

“Sounds like a great time.”

“Eh. Could be better,” Jeongguk replies, shrugging. “Maybe havin’ the balls to dance with one of the richest people in the country will change my fate.”

You hum, barely audible.

“Or maybe this is the part where I slap you and find another hot guy to go home with.”

“Well if that’s the case, at least I can say I tried. I think I’ve done a lot better than that table on my left who’ve been staring at you from the moment you stepped foot on the dancefloor.” You turn to look off to the side, snorting when a cluster of guys startle and turn away from you before any of them can meet your eye.

“Story of my life,” you say, turning back to look at Jeongguk.

“It’s not too late to rewrite it, sweet cheeks,” Jeongguk says, winking. Smooth! “Unless, of course, you were planning on leaving with someone else.”

“Considering you’re the first person to come up to me, I think the gold medal is going to you tonight.”

Dramatically, Jeongguk swipes a finger under his eye.

“I’d like to thank my mother, my lucky lighter, and Jack Daniels.”

He takes your hand and leads you off the dancefloor, no complaints when you detour to your table and grab your things and wave goodbye to your friends who watch on with wide eyes as you leave with your arm hooked around Jeongguk’s.

His friends do the same, it seems, if the way he juts his chin out with a smug look on his face is anything to go by, ignoring the frantic waving to try and get his attention as he walks you to the door. He does, however, humour them with another wink just before he follows you out with a hand on your lower back, paying no mind to the ping of his phone when you’ve both exited the club.

“So. My place or yours?” he asks, waving down a taxi.

“Yours, s'il vous plait,” you reply, running your fingers through your hair. “My place is swarming with people and paperwork right now – probably the whole reason why I came out tonight actually.”

“That sounds so fun.” Jeongguk chuckles, opening the door to the taxi and holding it for you. “After you, sweet cheeks.”

“Wow. A gentleman.”

With a shrug, he waves you in, before climbing into the taxi after you, quoting the address of his apartment to the driver and leaning back, shoulder pressed against yours.

“So. What’s it like being filthy rich?”

“Eh,” you reply, shrugging. “It’s got its pros and cons.”

“Cons?” Jeongguk repeats, eyebrow raised. “That’s hard to believe.”

“That’s what everyone says – until they get a taste of the life, that is.”

“Hmm. Can’t relate. I get excited when I get a new follower on Soundcloud and Instagram, or when I can afford three cups of ramen instead of my usual two. I bet you barely notice followers flooding in – or even eat cup ramen.”

“Well, I can’t say cup ramen is a staple in my diet, but even I can’t resist that stuff. Just means I’ll have to do an extra session of hot yoga to get rid of all that excess sodium.”

“Hot yoga, huh?”

You look at Jeongguk, who stares off into space with wide eyes, totally distracted by what you’d just said. You laugh loudly, shaking your head.

“God, you’re such a… guy.”

“You said ‘hot’ and ‘yoga’ in the same sentence, and I am but a mere mortal,” Jeongguk replies, hand on his chest.

The taxi slows to a stop in front of an apartment complex, and you watch, intrigued, as Jeongguk hands his money to the driver, before stepping out and rounding the car to open the door for you.

He leads you up to his apartment, but without warning, he pauses, hand on the keypad of the front door.

“Shit,” he mutters.

“A problem?” you ask, amused.

“Yeah, I just remembered neither me nor my roommates cleaned up before we left.”

You shrug, saying, “doesn’t sound like a problem to me.”

“Oh, it’s a problem. How dare I invite a goddess into a trash can of an apartment?”

“Are you like this with everyone you sleep with?”

“Well… the guys and gals I sleep with don’t usually have a net worth of a trillion Won…”

You laugh again, shaking your head.

“You can open the door, Jeongguk.”

“Alright, alright. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Jeongguk punches in the passcode and pushes open the door, turning on the lights and kicking aside stray shoes in the doorway to make a clear path to walk through.

“Honestly,” he says. “I’d say shut your eyes and let me carry you to the bedroom, but I can’t even guarantee my room is any better.”

“This isn’t bad,” you say, scoffing as you look around at the expanse of the apartment, unbothered by the old takeout boxes, empty soda and beer cans, crumpled loose papers, and the remnants of rolled joints and cigarettes in ashtrays around the living room. “You made it seem like a junk yard.”

“I don’t know if you’re just saying that, but I’m not gonna push it,” Jeongguk says, rubbing the back of his neck and chuckling, before motioning to the door of his room. “If you so desire, your Highness, your throne awaits just over there.”

“Weird. Your lap is right here,” you say, nonchalant as you kick your heels off and put your bag down on the sofa, before walking over to Jeongguk’s room.

“Oh,” Jeongguk groans, fist pressed to his lips as he watches the way your hips sway, nodding to himself before eventually chasing after you.

                                                         〰️

Taehyung whimpers softly as Yoongi bites gently at his neck, punching in the passcode without pulling away.

“Hyung,” Taehyung moans, toeing off his shoes, hands fisted around the lapels of Yoongi’s shirt. “Hyung, wait. What’s that noise?”

“Huh?” Dazed, Yoongi lifts his head, eyes squinted in concentration as Taehyung takes the opportunity to nibble at the shell of the elder’s ear, fingers curling around his belt loops. “Is that… I think that’s Jeongguk.”

“Jeonggukie’s home already?”

“Oh fuck, Jeongguk! Yes! Yeah, right there. God!”

Frozen, Yoongi and Taehyung stare off into space as the apartment fills with the sound of moans and groans, jolting in surprise when Jeongguk’s bedroom door swings open.

Panting, Jeongguk frantically crosses the apartment completely naked, stopping dead in his tracks when he notices Yoongi and Taehyung standing in the doorway, staring at him. He jerks his head in a nod, chest still heaving as he grins.

“Hyung, I’m grabbing some condoms from your room,” he calls out.

They watch silently as Jeongguk disappears into Yoongi’s room – and Hoseok’s room, for good measure – before returning to his own room and kicking his door shut, and it isn’t very long before the sounds return.

“You wanna just… watch a movie?” Yoongi mutters, sighing.

“With the volume turned up very loud please, hyung,” Taehyung replies, nodding solemnly.

“I guess I’ll text Hoseok to warn him in case he plans on doing anything with Joon then.”

                                                         〰️

“Christ, you guys wanna turn that down?” Jeongguk says loudly, wincing as he stands shirtless and in a pair of sweatpants against his bedroom doorframe, arms crossed over his chest, lit cigarette held in the corner of his mouth.

Yoongi and Taehyung look at him, eyes narrowed, even as Yoongi’s thumb mashes the volume button on the remote.

“What the fuck were you doing in there?” Yoongi asks, frowning as he holds his lit cigarette to Taehyung’s lips. “I know you’re loud, but Jesus Christ, Guk.”

Jeongguk shrugs, exhaling a cloud of smoke.

“Did you kill her?” Taehyung asks, exhaling. “Have you just fucked someone to death? I’m telling you right now, we will not be your accessories to murder, Jeon Jeongguk. I’m telling the police everything.”

“I’m sure I can settle any lawsuits that might come from tonight.”

Yoongi inhales sharply, dropping his cigarette into the ashtray on the coffee table as he coughs violently when you step out of Jeongguk’s room, tying your hair up. With wide eyes, Taehyung stares at you, mouth opening and shutting repeatedly as he struggles to find words.

“Y-you’re… you… you’re…” he stammers.

“That’s Yoongi hyung, my roommate; and his boyfriend, Taehyung hyung,” Jeongguk says, motioning towards them. “I’m sure I don’t need to introduce you to _____.”

“What the fuck, Jeongguk?” Yoongi says in between coughs. “What the fuck?”

“Your boy’s got game, hyung.”

“Mmm, and a great dick,” you add, picking up your bag.

“Is your driver here? I’ll walk you down.”

“It was nice meeting you two.”

Yoongi and Taehyung stay frozen on the sofa, completely dumbfounded, even when you and Jeongguk leave and meet your driver at the front of the apartment complex.

“Oh,” you say, reaching into your bag and pulling out a pen, grabbing Jeongguk’s hand to scribble your number on his palm.

“Oh, this is officially the best day of my fuckin’ life,” he says, grinning. “Same time next week, sweet cheeks?”

“Wouldn’t say no to that,” you reply, winking and opening the car door. “Let me know if any of your neighbours wanna file any complaints.”

                                                         〰️

[ sms: YOONGI ] _____.

[ sms: _____ ] mr. min. how can I help you?

[ sms: YOONGI ] my phone feels like it’s going to eXPLODE WTF [ sms: YOONGI ] did Jeongguk tell you to do this?

[ sms: _____ ] pfft no [ sms: _____ ] if anything, I did this to piss him off ;

[ sms: YOONGI ] jesus _____ [ sms: YOONGI ] there are so many notifs on here what do I do??? [ sms: YOONGI ] my phone is not strong enough to handle all this [ sms: YOONGI ] I’M not strong enough to handle all this oh god

[ sms: _____ ] you want a new one?

[ sms: YOONGI ] huh?

[ sms: _____ ] a new phone lol

[ sms: YOONGI ] HUH???

[ sms: _____ ] i’ll send you a new one [ sms: _____ ] and hoseokie too :)

[ sms: YOONGI ] hold on [ sms: YOONGI ] HOLD ON [ sms: YOONGI ] YOU’RE SENDING ME AND A SEOK A NEW PHONE??? [ sms: YOONGI ] HELLO?? [ sms: YOONGI ] _____?!

 [ DISPATCH ] Samsung heir, _____, promotes underground Soundcloud rapper, Agust D’s second mixtape, ‘D-2’.

 [ sms: JEONGGUK ] you gave the hyungs new phones??? [ sms: JEONGGUK ] WHAT ABOUT ME

[ sms: _____ ] i’m not your sugar mommy, sweet cheeks ;) [ sms: _____ ] maybe hana will buy you a new one!

[ sms: JEONGGUK ] SHUT UP [ sms: JEONGGUK ] YOU’RE UNBELIEVABLE

[ella-se-vuelve-loca]

Chapter 21

Grand Masterlist

Series Masterlist

This is kind of short guys 😬💕 you’ll find out what’s in the package really soon 👀

Previous Chapter

~~

Joel’s P.O.V.

“You don’t think he knows, do you?” I asked Richard as we were on our way to go meet up with the rest of the guys downstairs for breakfast. “I don’t think so. Nobody has said anything about what had gone down between you two yet, so I’m assuming Johann doesn’t know jack – shit.”

I nodded as we kept walking downstairs. “How.. how was she?” I asked. “Well, she wasn’t expecting any sort of package, that was for sure.”

“I know, but you know why I couldn’t be there to deliver it myself.”

“Yeah.. well, she looked fine. You’re lucky we had a couple days of break and I didn’t get caught. Clara would’ve had my head if she found out I left in the middle of the tour for your dumbass.”

“I know I know and I’m sorry! It’s just that.. I wouldn’t have trusted anybody else to deliver it to her other than you..”

“You owe me.”

“I know.”

“I felt like I was a spy or somethin’, ya know? Like I had to get in, get out real quick and head back to base ASAP.” He chuckled and made himself a cup of coffee. “I think she almost recognized me, so I left before she could figure out who I was.”

We made our way over to where the boys were now eating and placed his cup on the table. “Zabdiel still not here yet?” Richard asked as Chris shook his head, laughing. “No, but I woke him up and told him to come down earlier. I bet he’s still knocked out.”

Richard playfully rolled his eyes and went to go and grab himself a plate of food as I followed after him. “So, she was doing okay? Did you see Johann anywhere? You hear his voice?” I asked him and he shook his head.

“Woah woah woah hold up.” He chuckled and started plating some food on his plate. “Give me a chance to wake up first and then answer your questions.” I smiled and nodded. “Sorry, I’m just.. this is the first in a while I’ve heard from her.”

“I know man, I know. We’ll get there, okay?” I sighed and put some batter in the waffle maker machine and waited for it to be done cooking. “I’ll answer your questions, just give me a few minutes, yeah?”

He took his plate and started walking back where the rest of the guys sat. I sighed and tried to envision what (Y/N)’s reaction was if she opened the box.

I wondered if she would be happy. Would she be upset that I sent her something even after she told me that she wanted nothing to do with me anymore? Is this a big mistake? I heard a ding and took my waffles out and placed it onto my plate.

I grabbed a cup of orange juice as I walked back towards the table where the rest of the guys were sitting. “Hey, look who decided to show up!” Richard laughed as Zabdiel came down with a smile on his face.

“What did I miss?” He laughed as he grabbed himself a plate. As him and Richard were talking, I looked over and saw Christopher slowly reaching his fork across the table to try and get some of Richard’s food without him noticing. I chuckled and shook my head. Aye Chris, what are we gonna do with you?

“We have a little bit of time left before we go to – hey wait!” Richard looked at Chris bringing his fork up to his mouth giggling. “Dude, you have your plate right there!” He laughed and shook his head. “Well, yeah but.. you got something different and I wanted to give it a try. No harm done.”

“You didn’t want to go up and get some?”

“… You’re already here, it’s just easier.” Rich rolled his eyes and chuckled. “You’re something else, you know that?”

“Why are you even surprised?” Chris laughed and took a bite of his own food on his plate. “You know I love food.”

“I’m not that surprised.” I looked between the two and smiled. Zabdiel came to the table and set down his plate. “Hey bro, watch out. Chris is gonna take a bite out of your food when you aren’t paying attention.”

“No!” They both laughed as Zabdiel shrugged his shoulders. “I had a feeling, so that’s why I put more on my plate just in case.” Seeing them like this almost makes me forget about (Y/N) and Johann – almost. We continued to eat until we had to go back up into our rooms to change.

Me and the boys are gonna go out and explore for a little bit before our concert tonight. Ever since I sent her that package, I’ve been on edge. What if she ends up telling Johann? What if she just threw it away without looking inside?

That gift… is my last attempt at getting her back. It’s up to her now if she’ll take it.

Richard and I came up with this little plan that night we had a talk. Even though he’s helped me come up with a few more ideas to try and win her back, I honestly don’t know if they would even work.

I don’t want to waste our time if she really doesn’t want anything to do with me. I got an answer when she didn’t come to the airport and now it’s like déjà vu all over again.

If this doesn’t work, then that just tells me that she’s really done with me and I should learn to drop it. It means that I’ve lost her for good and I’m just wasting my time.

If this last attempt doesn’t work… then I won’t try again…

~~

Johann’s P.O.V.

Things are going according to plan.

Kind of, at least.

I know she hasn’t moved on if she still has that fucking picture of Joel in a frame just sitting in her house. I thought that kiss would’ve worked.

Why doesn’t she feel anything for me yet? How long does it take for people to fall in love with someone else?

(Y/N)… beautiful, sweet innocent (Y/N). If only you knew the truth.

I need to find a way to get Joel out of the picture for good. I need to start pushing it a little more if I’m gonna get what I really want. I want the spotlight. I deserve it, not them… not him… me.

I looked at (Y/N) and saw her lying down, a book in one hand and a bitten red apple in the other. I rolled my head back and I could feel the warmth of the sun on my skin, breathing in the fresh air. “This is nice..”

“Mhmm…” She mumbled as I heard the crunch of her biting into the apple. “I haven’t gone to the beach in a while.” I said, reaching down to grab one of the grapes and put it in my mouth.

“I haven’t had time to go because of my music career and stuff, but.. I made time today.” I chuckled and looked back down at her. I couldn’t help but admire her figure. She’s beautiful, I’ll give her that.

“What about you?”

“Me?”

“Mhmm when was the last time you went to the beach and felt this calm?”

She stayed silent for a few moments before she cleared her throat. “Um.. it was actually with Joel..”

“Oh.”

“Yeah..” She stayed glancing down at her book as she kept talking. “We.. we actually went late at night.” She smiled as she kept talking.

“It was just us two. He had a whole little picnic planned out for us and we talked and laughed about the stupidest things.” She chuckled and she flipped the page to her book. “Oh, really?” I rolled my eyes as she continued, nodding her head.

“I remember um.. being nervous as fuck because that night we..” She shook her head and sighed. “What?” I asked. “What did you guys do?” Oh please… enlighten me. Like I actually want to know. Pfft.

“He kissed me for the first time and.. hmm…” She bit her lip and furrowed her eyebrows. Joel, you smooth motherfucker. “That was the last time I went to the beach, since you asked.”

Just how long is she gonna be stuck on him? It’s been a few months… like what the fuck? “Well, since we’re on the topic of kissing..” I rolled my shoulders back and reached down, grabbing another grape. “Can we talk about your birthday?”

“Oh.. that..”

“I don’t mean to make you uncomfortable or anything, but I just.. I gotta ask how it was on your end.” She cleared her throat and turned to face me. “It wasn’t… it wasn’t bad, if that’s what you were asking.” She paused for a second before continuing. “It was definitely unexpected.” I chuckled and nodded. “That's for sure.”

She became quiet and I wondered why she all of a sudden stopped talking. “Did it make things awkward between us? ‘Cause if that’s the case, I’m so sorry.” She shook her head. “No no don’t be uh.. I mean, it was just a simple kiss, right?”

“Yeah! Yeah no I just.. it was in the heat of the moment. It was just us two and.. I just had to know – ”

“I get it. It’s not a big deal.” She smiled and looked back at the water in front of us and sighed. “I’m not.. quite there yet, you know?” She said. “What do you mean?”

“I mean.. I’m not.. I’m not trying to lead you on if you felt something. Quite frankly, I’m not looking to be in another relationship right now..”

“I know and again, I’m really sorry if it caught you off guard.”

“Don’t worry about it.” She smiled and got back into reading her book. So… it wasn’t bad. Okay, I can work with that. At least she didn’t push me off that night. That means she’s kind of moving on.. right? I’m glad it’s not as awkward as I thought it would be after that kiss because if it was, then I wouldn’t be able to try again.

I’m not backing down. Why should I? This is just something to keep me occupied until I find a better way to get my name in sparkling lights. Yeah I’m a little hurt that Joel and I aren’t friends anymore, I did like him, but I like my career a little bit more than our friendship.

After some time, she had ended up lying down on her back with the book covering her face. She looks so peaceful. I sat up and took out my phone, going straight to camera mode and held it above her. “I can’t believe I forgot my sunglasses.” She chuckled as I snapped a quick photo. “You’re a dork for that.”

“I’m aware.” I laughed and looked down at the picture, going straight to Instagram. Maybe if Joel sees it he’ll flip his shit.

johannvera: What a plot twist you were, @y/n ♥️

My dear old friend, sorry about this.

Let the heartbreak begin.

Next Chapter

~~

Wanna be tagged for future fics?

@apla-o-eaytos-mou @pretendcnco @cncos-baby @theweirdsideofstuff @littlestripmix @ericksmamita @urafakebetch @cncoaddicted @shordyfromdablock @chellybear98 @boundtobreakk @pizzaspirits @guitargirl006 @cncoawo @ash-zahira @brightdarkeyes @ashhemmingsstylesvelez @prettymuch-cnco @cncohhhhwoah @pimentelssmile @h-bea92 @xxxstormyninixxx @buttercup-chey @cncogirl18 @sacredmercvry

If I forgot anyone, please let me know! 💛

[pancakexspacexdragon]

Long ass post ahead. TL;DR I found an old set of questions and decided to answer them again 7 years later because why not.

1: What are you wearing?

2014: Some Shorts and a shirt I accidentally stole from my brother.

2021: Panic! at the Disco shirt and some running shorts

2: Ever been in love?

2014: Oh yes, sadly...

2021: pfft.

3: Ever had a terrible breakup?

2014: Not technically, but I once had my homecoming date hook up with another girl.

2021: hahahahahaha. Yes.

4: How tall are you?
2014: like 5 foot 1, maybe 2? I dunno.

2021: 5’4”, apparently

5: How much do you weigh?
2014: How about no...

2021: Who’s to say ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

6: Any tattoos?
2014: Yes! I got one on my left shoulder blade not too long ago. I often forget I have it, actually lol.

2021: I’m up to five, and six is planned.

7: Any piercings?

2014: I do. I have double lobe piercings, and my left ear at the top. No non-ear piercings. Those seem uncomfortable to get, tbh.

2021: Uh...double lobe, helix, forward helix, tragus, nose, and septum.

8: OTPs?
2014: Marshall and Lilly on HIMYM. I mean, I think that's what this is asking. Right?

2021: I’m still not 100% sure what this means but I’m doubling down on Marshall and Lilly.

9: Favorite show?
2014: I'm still recovering from the ending of How I Met Your Mother, but I also love Criminal Minds, and the Big Bang Theory.

2021: HIMYM, Criminal Minds, Stranger Things, and Masked Singer.

10: Favorite bands?

2014: I pretty much love anything, so I'll try to shorten it to Love and Theft, Newsboys, t.A.T.u, Beast, and Fun.

2021: My Chemical Romance, Panic! at the Disco, twenty one pilots, Maroon 5, Relient K.

11: Something you miss?

2014: Going to the park and just lying in the grass with my friends or crushes. I know, I'm Cheesy.

2021: Not having responsibilities or bills to pay.

12: Favorite Song?
2014: ...why do they even bother asking this? Tbh, “I'll Be” by Edwin McCain, and “Hello, My Name is” by Matthew West

2021: “you should see me in a crown” by Billie Eilish and “no body, no crime” by Taylor Swift

13: How old are you?
2014: Nineteen. I feel old.

2021: ...twenty-six.

14: Zodiac sign?
2014: Aries, barely.

2021: (not) shockingly, I’m still an Aries.

15: Quality you look for in a partner?
2014: Just someone who's willing to go on cheesy dates at the park, and love me for who I am. And a Christian. Yea, I'm one of those people. Sorry...

2021: dude just someone who’s gonna stick with me.

16: Favorite quote?
2014: It's actually a verse. I love Jeremiah 29:11. It's actually part of what's tattooed on my shoulder; right below a cross.

2021: “it do be like that sometimes”

17: Favorite actor?
2014: Uhhhhh. Matthew Gray Gubler, or David Tennant. I love them both :)

2021: Matthew Gray Gubler.

18: Favorite color?
2014: Green, or pink. Depends on the shade and whatnot.

2021: pastels. mostly green.

19: Loud music or soft?
2014: If I'm alone in the car? loud. Anywhere else I enjoy my soft music.

2021: If I’m by myself loud but if there’s others I like to keep it low enough so we can still talk.

20: Where do you go when you’re sad?
2014: My Room, or the park not to far from me. I like parks, if you haven't noticed.

2021: My room

21: How long does it take you to shower?
2014: Uh, probably about 10 minutes.

2021: Either 10 minutes or 45 minutes. There is no in-between

22: How long does it take you to get ready in the morning?
2014: About 30 minutes. I like to sleep tbh.

2021: Maybe 20 minutes at the most. Cutting off all my hair really took some time off my getting ready list.

23: Ever been in a physical fight?
2014: heck no.

2021: hell no.

24: Turn on?
2014: Cute shy smiles, and geekiness. I love someone who I can be comfortable with.

2021: dorks with a lame sense of humor. I am all about the dad jokes.

25: Turn off?
2014: Those guys who try to make you uncomfortable, or act like they're super cool. I guess that would be douches, huh?

2021: the “oh you should smile more” men.

26: The reasons I joined Tumblr?
2014: I was trying to find a place where I could post stuff without my parents seeing it tbh. I like having a place where like 2 people actually know me.

2021: Because where else can I release the true psychotic chaos within me?

27: Fears?
2014: Being abandoned. And darkness, for sure.

2021: Finding out people only stayed in your life out of obligation and not out of their own choice. And spiders.

28: Last thing that made you cry?
2014: The guy I liked totally looked past me and started telling me about this other girl, after I told him how I felt (not RIGHT after, it had been about two months...but still).

2021: My mom manipulated me into showing up to something I didn’t want to because “I should really go visit family”

29: Last time you said you loved someone?
2014: My best friend and I say I love you after we hang up the phone Lol.

2021: Other than normal parent “Love You”’s, it’s probably been about 3 years.

30: Meaning behind your Tumblr name?
2014: I'm short, totally socially awkward in new situations (and with old friends, now that I think about it) and Idk about the fox. I just like foxes, I guess...

2021: There is no meaning. I like pancakes, space, and dragons.

31: Last book you read?
2014: If you don't count my English Lit book, then it was probably "Only the Good Spy

Young" by Ally Carter, but I don't remember.

2021: oh geez. It was probably “George” or “Rick” by Alex Gino

32: The book you’re currently reading? 
2014: Nothing yet. I do have that last Gallagher Girl book to read though. I'll probably start it this weekend.

2021: Nothing. But I never got to that last Gallagher Girl book...

33: Last show you watched?
2014: The Big Bang Theory.

2021: The Masked Singer

34: Last person you talked to? 
2014: My dad lol. We were watching the NFL draft.

2021: Guy friend of mine. I went to his place for dinner and some video games.

35: The relationship between you and the person you last texted? 
2014: Good Friend

2021: hahahahahahahaha. We’re just friends.

36: Favorite food?
2014: Cajun. Blame my grandparents, that's what they cook a lot lol.

2021: Pasta

37: Place you want to visit?
2014: I wanna go to Alaska. Even though I know it's super cold.

2021: Europe. Specially Spain or France.

38: Last place you were? 
2014: I honestly left home like twice today, to bring something to my brother at the High school, then to bring him to a friends house. He has a better social life than me.

2021: Friends place to hang out. We played Stardew then ordered wings and watched a movie.

39: Do you have a crush?
2014: Yes. See question 28 lol. Also, there's this other guy who I got close to last year, but I haven't spoken to him in weeks, and it's killing me.

2021: See guy referred to in 34, 35, and 38.

40: Last time you kissed someone?
2014: Never. I have never kissed anyone. Well, besides like a kiss in the cheek from family. Yeah...

2021: wow it’s probably been about three years.

41: Last time you were insulted?

2014: Recently lol. I guess... I don't really pay attention, or care...

2021: I don’t know. Probably recently.

42: Favorite flavor of sweet?
2014: I'm just gonna act like this doesn't exist, cause idk what it's asking.

2021: Chocolate.

43: What instruments do you play?
2014: I can play the French Horn and Mellophone! I also want to learn the flute, but I can't unless I have something to practice lol.

2021: French Horn, Mellophone, and Ukulele. Still want to learn the flute.

44: Favorite piece of jewelry?

2014: My purity ring. If I forget to put it on, I can seriously feel the emptiness, and it bothers me...

2021: My septum ring! I feel like it’s the first piercing I got for myself, and not just something I thought others would like on me.

45: Last sport you played?

2014: Maybe Soccer? Idk.

2021: pfft. Sports.

46: Last song you sang?

2014: “I'll Be” by Edwin McCain. But I really don't sing well, so it doesn't happen much, unless I'm alone.

2021: “You Belong with Me (Taylor’s Version)” by Taylor Swift and I 100% sang it to my dog.

47: Favorite chat up line?

2014: I don't have one

2021: It’s been 7 years and I still don’t have one.

48: Have you ever used it?

2014: Since i don't have one, no.

2021: Nah.

49: Last time you hung out with someone?

2014: I hung out with my future roommate before I left college yesterday.

2021: When I went to the previously mentioned Guy’s house earlier today.

50: Who should answers these questions next?

2014: Well, I guess any of my followers can choose to, if they want.

2021: Bold of you to assume anyone’s actually going to see this.

[dxrksong]

Old Mirror Chapter 6 part 1

FINALLY WE MADE IT!!!

-----------

You woke up around noon, your first instinct going to reach for your phone to check the time

12:42

A good 3-4 hours, not too bad you suppose.

You opened up YouTube and proceeded to waste most of your time on there. You looked and looked and looked but noticed some things missing from Mark's channel, things you don't recognize being there in their stead. 

You spent your day watching those mostly before checking on Jack's channel. 

It was dark outside when a knock on your door caught your attention. You turned to the door as Mark gingerly opened it. 

Mark: hey…...you ok…?

You blinked at him, trying to find the right words

Y/N: like…...mentally or physically?

Mark: um…...I guess both?

Y/N: oh. Then no. I'm not ok. 

Mark: do you want to...talk? About it?? 

You perced your lips, looking down. Would he understand??

Y/N: I mean…..I'm dealing with the memories of two completely separate people. Think you can help THAT?

Mark: w-well. 

Mark carefully stepped inside as if you were going to snap at him at any second, him sitting next to your bed

Mark: I can try to listen a-and I can...TRY to help?

He's acting uncharacteristicly twitchy 

Y/N: did Dark beat your ass or something? 

Mark: huh?

Y/N: you're acting like I'm going to bite your head off the second you make a wrong move. 

Mark: w-well…..let's just say I more or less figured out some things.

Y/N: like…….? 

Mark: well……

[Earlier]

Dark: Mark, may I talk to you about something?

Mark: oh?? Well this is rare. Usually you don't want to talk at all. 

Dark: follow me.

Dark led Mark to an empty room filled with glass windows. They seemed to be completely untouched

Mark: why did you bring me here…?

Dark: remember that screaming match a few nights ago? 

Mark: how could I not? I think that was the first time they've ever yelled at me. 

Dark: watch. 

Dark's aura overtook the room. Almost immediately the windows revealed cracks with static in-between. 

Just like the mirror

Dark: I found all of the windows like this later that night. That's not all. They nearly trapped Wilford within their frames when he got too close. 

Mark looked on in horror

Mark: wh-what does this mean…?

Dark handed Mark the ghost hunting book he borrowed from the Jims, the pages turned to a chapter on banshee

Dark: it means, if you don't do something to mend your relationship with Y/N, YOU could be the one trapped in a mirror for a century. 

Mark: wh-why are you telling me this…..?

Dark: because. Unless you fix this, something tells me Y/N wouldn't just stop at you. 

[Back to current time]

Mark: Dark said he'd kick my ass into Mars and to take the host seriously with his warnings. 

Y/N: pfft! Well….he's not wrong. Alright fine, I'll tell you what I know. 

You told Mark your story like you did with pretty much everyone else, including the details about how you died and the similarities. And then how you met the Jims and the weird string of emotions you've noticed about yourself. 

Y/N: it's like two people fighting for control sometimes. One is incredibly vengeful and the other is trying to sort everything out calmly and failing. 

Mark: that….might actually be incredibly accurate to what's actually happening. 

Mark turned to face you, having sat against your bed with his back turned to you. 

Y/N: ……..I mean….I won't deny that might be happening. But I don't know how to fix it. 

You looked at him then turned your eyes away, staring at the only source of light in your room, that being your phone. 

Mark: have you tried meditating?

Y/N: like listening to music and zoning out?

Mark: yeah, that! Maybe you can talk to them that way, fix the issue. 

Y/N: there's still a problem with that. They might not listen to me the way they are at the moment. As far as I'm aware they'd push me away. 

Mark: ……..what if I talked to them?

Y/N: HUH???

Mark: you heard me, what if I talked to them? 

Y/N: if this involves any kind of going into my head I can 100% guarantee your death! 

Mark: no no. Nothing of the sort. I know too well that the mind is something only the master controls, which in this case would most likely be the very angry DA despite you're current control over the body! 

You just nodded

Mark: i was thinking that maybe if you let them take control in a more or less controlled environment, I can try to talk to them! Maybe sort things out, start the healing process. 

Y/N: you'd basically be talking to a rage demon, you know that right?

Mark shrugged

Mark: that's why I said controlled. 

Y/N: I swear if this requires a collar or chains of any kind I'd have to request EVERYONE to be present or prepare for your eardrums to be ruptured. 

Mark seemed to be disgusted by the sheer thought of it

Mark: no no!! Nothing of the sort!! Geez just WHAT was in that dream state you were in?

Y/N: you don't wanna know. 

You gave Mark the world's deadest stare and you think he believes you. He sighed, running a hand through his hair

Mark: how about this? I use one of those windows you broke a few nights ago and from there I'll try and talk with the DA.

Y/N: I broke what now?

Mark: oh-right. The kitchen windows were pretty much turned into jail cells for anyone unfortunate enough to get too close after your episode a few nights ago

Y/N: wait i did THAT?!

Mark: surprise….? 

Y/N: ……...honestly I think the DA would rather FIGHT you then trap you in a window! 

Mark: uh-

Y/N: nah nah nah, hear me out! It's a healthy way to relieve stress and if you die, you die!

Mark: actually egos of the manor can't die

Y/N: EVEN better!!! So we have two plans! Either we try to talk this out or we fight till the DA is exhausted and THEN talk!

Mark opened his mouth to speak but eventually closed it, thinking

Mark: as much as I'd hate to admit it, that second option has more strategy.

Y/N: Riiiiiiight? 

Mark: *sighs* alright fine. I have to warn you though, I'm a pretty good fighter!

Y/N: and that's why you were hesitating so badly? Or are you worried I'm gonna beat ya within two seconds?

Mark: pfft! As if! I'll show you! Tomorrow at noon by the cherry tree! 

Y/N: it's a fight! 

Mark: yep!

Mark stood up and stretched 

Mark: well. I should probably let you rest. Goodnight Y/N!

Y/N: goodnight!

You waved as he left, you listening to his decending footsteps before you got up as well. 

Probably best to find a suitable weapon for tomorrow NOW rather than spend an hour looking later. 

You stepped out into the halls before going to look around. The hallways were mostly empty as you stuck near the shadows. Up ahead a lit room was left slightly open and you could hear a conversation on the inside. 

"You're going to do WHAT?!"

"Dude you shouldn't! You could get seriously hurt!"

Oh sounds like someone is getting into something dangerous-

"You know if Y/N suddenly gets the urge to kill you, THEY'LL DO IT!"

"Yes, well all I have to do is tire them out, I'm not ACTUALLY going to try and fight them! That's basically suicide!"

So he IS scared of you. Good to know. You snuck past, not needing or wanting to know the rest of that conversation as you made your way to the armory. 

Unfortunately you didn't know where you're going so you paused time to go look. 

---

(Part 1)

[lovemesomesurveys]

1. What is your favorite shade of blue? Pastel blue, teal, Tiffany blue, baby blue, powder blue, sky blue, turquoise. 2. When's the last time you bought something just because? I bought some room sprays and hand sanitizers from this place that makes Disneyland/World scented things because I was missing Disney and wanted to bring some of it to my house. 3. What Ozzy lyric describes you best? I only know Crazy Train and I mean, I do feel like I’m on a crazy train. 4. When was the last time you went for a walk without a specific destination in mind? I don’t do that. 5. Do you daydream? Yeah. My mind wanders and I zone out a lot.

6. What was your last daydream about? Random stuff. 7. Ever won the lottery? No, I wish. 8. How much did you get for your high school graduation? I think around $300 and my parents my threw me a nice graduation party. 9. What was the most important decision you made that screwed up your life the most? Not taking care of/putting off some things and neglecting myself.  10. Do you know what your Chinese horoscope is? Nope. 11. What is love really about? Encouragement, support, growth. 12. What's the most you ever made in a year? I’ve never had a job. 13. Do you have an online diary? You’re lookin’ at it. 14. What's the biggest pot you've won in poker? I’ve never played poker. 15. What's your most prized possession? I love all my things. 16. What Metallica lyric most describes your life? I don’t listen to Metallica. 17. Ever been to Ozzfest? No. I take it you’re an Ozzy fan. 18. How many concerts have you been to? I think I’ve been to 7. 19. Which one was your favorite? All of them were fun, but the Jonas Brothers concerts and the Green Day concert were my favorites. 20. What shade of purple most describes your feelings right now? I don’t know. 21. Pick a shade of a color. Now describe it to me and name it. Nah. 22. Sun tea or brewed tea? My mom used to make sun tea during the summers growing up, which I liked. I haven’t had that since then. Nowadays I just throw a tea bag in a cup of hot water and let it steep for a few minutes.  23. What's the most illegal thing you've done? I haven’t done anything serious. 24. Ever get busted by the cops? What for? No. 25. What's under your bed? Nothing. 26. Vacuum or dustbuster? Vacuum. 27. How many people are on your buddy list? Aw, the days of AIM. 28. How many pairs of rollerblades do/did you own? I’ve never owned a pair of rollerblades. 29. Ever wear out a CD? What was it? No. 30. What's your favorite card game? I like card games like Uno, Apples to Apples, and Cards Against Humanity. 31. Who was the most annoying person you've talked to on the phone? I’m not a fan of talking on the phone in general. 32. What's your favorite fast food meal? Wingstop’s boneless garlic parm and lemon pepper wings with their ranch and a a side of lemon pepper sauce. 33. Where is the best restaurant you've ever eaten in at? This Mongolian BBQ place was my favorite back when I could eat spicy food. 34. Lamb chops or pork chops? Neither. 35. How many roses have you received/given? I’ve never received or given roses. 36. When's the last time you mowed the lawn? Never. 37. Washed your car? I’ve never had a car since I don’t drive. I have participated in several car wash fundraising events for Girl Scouts and the psych club I was in in community college, though. 38. Ever have a tornado in your town? No, thankfully we don’t get tornadoes. --- 40. What state is your wardrobe in? Uh, it’s fine?  41. What's the last article of clothing you bought? A cute Valentine’s Day themed Baby Yoda shirt from Boxlunch. 42. How many trash cans can you see right now? One. 43. If you HAD to pick ONE song to listen to for the rest of your life, and that would be the only song you ever heard, what would it be? Ah, I don’t know. 44. Ever heard of Shinedown? Yeah. 45. They rock, don't they? I only know one of their songs and I don’t really care for it much. 46. What size is your bed? It’s a full. 47. When's the last time you had pigs in a blanket? I have no idea. It’s been several years. I don’t particularly care for those. 48. Have you ever painted the ceilings in your home? No. We haven’t painted anywhere in this house. 49. What does your lawn furniture consist of? We just have a bench in the backyard. 50. Ever live off of canned soup and ramen noodles for weeks at a time? I do have my nightly bowl of ramen, but it’s not the only thing I eat. 51. What flavor of jelly are you? *shrug* 52. Ever take any of those online personality quizzes? I’ve taken several. 53. What musical group/artist do you love, but hide from other people? I don’t hide any of the musical artists or bands that I’m into. 54. What's on the floor in your bedroom? Nothing. 55. What is the first meal you remember eating? Pfft, I have no idea. 56. Ever been to a drive in? Yeah, a few times. I wish those would make a big comeback. 57. What was the first movie you ever saw? I don’t remember. 56. What's in your keepsake box/scrapbook? I don’t have like a designated box and I don’t have a scrapbook, but I’ve kept a lot of things throughout my life and a ton of photos all stored away in various places.  57. Describe your first date. It was dinner and a movie. 58. Would you recognize most of your classmates 5 years after graduation? Not from my college graduations. 59. What percentile of your class were you in? I have no idea. 60. When was the last time it rained while the sun was shining? I don’t recall. 61. What did you score on your SATs? I never took the SATs. 62. When was the last time you saw a rainbow? It’s been several years. 63. Name your favorite artist/song from before 1990. I have many favorites. 64. Do you think there should be new genres of music to encompass some of the newer rock performers out now? I don’t know, man. 65. What colors is your lava lamp? I don’t have a lava lamp. I did have one as a kid, though. I think it was blue. 66. What's the strangest thing you've ever hung on the wall? I haven’t hung up anything strange. 67. When's the last time you did laundry? My laundry was done a few days ago. 68. How many hammers do you own? I don’t personally have any hammers, but my dad does. I could use one of his if I needed to. 69. Can you name every place you've ever had sex? Yeah, nowhere.  70. How many speakers are in your bedroom? My laptop, TV, iPhone, and my Nintendo Switch.  71. DVD or VHS? I just watch movies through a streaming service. 72. What's the most important thing you ever lost and never found again? Myself? Lost her a few years ago...still haven’t found her. 73. What forms of birth control have you used? Abstinence (I’m a virgin). 74. How many webpages have you created, and can you still find them all? I’ve made a few back in the day, but no I don’t remember any of them. 75. You have .30 in two coins. One of them is not a nickel. What are they? One of them is not a nickel, but the other one is.  76. What's your pet peeve when cleaning the house? I don’t enjoy cleaning in general. 77. Do you use sponges or dishcloths when doing the dishes? We use a dish washing brush. 78. How many people are in your family portrait? Four. 79. How many times have you moved? A few, but only once that I’m old enough to remember. 80. Handcuffs or rope :D? Neither. 81. What season best describes your temperament? Whatever one best goes along with irritability and moodiness. 82. What's the last thing you had to drink? Starbucks Doubleshot energy drink. 83. Ever been so drunk you blacked out? No, but parts of my memory from one night when I got too drunk are spotty. 84. What's your favorite song on the top twenty right now? I don’t even know what the top 20 is right now. I haven’t been listening to music.  85. What do your light fixtures look like? I have a ceiling lamp and a floor lamp. 86. How many jobs have you held for more than a month? I haven’t had a job. 87. Ever punched a wall? No. 88. When's the last time you really lost your temper? It’s been a long time. 89. How do you cope? Good question. 90. What's your antidrug? My go-to distractions ASMR, watching YouTube videos, scrolling through Tumblr, checking my social medias, doing surveys, reading, watching TV, coloring, sleeping... 91. Ever grown any plants before? What were they? Nope. 92. Ever own a director chair? No. 93. When was the last time you camped out? Never. I have no interest in camping. 94. Went swimming? It’s been like 7 years now since I last went swimming. 95. Went fishing? I’ve only done it once and very briefly. 96. Oust or Glade and why? Glade.  97. Ever thought you (or a girlfriend) were pregnant, but it was a false alarm? Nope. 98. If 97 is yes, were you glad or sad? -- 99. Do you have a red-eye mouse or one with a ball? I don’t have a mouse, I use the trackpad on my laptop. 100. What do your doorstops look like? Uhh those springy ones. I don’t know how else to describe it. The ones that make a lot of noise if you accidentally bump into it. 101. What was the last conversation you had with someone before they died? I was by my grandpa’s side when he died and I was just telling him how much I loved him, thanked him for everything, and comforted him; letting him know it was okay to go. 102. What do your drinking glasses look like? We have various glasses and mugs. 103. How many bottles/containers are in your medicine cabinet? We don’t have a medicine cabinet, but we have a medicine drawer full of various medications. 104. How many funerals have you been to? Three. 105. How many states have you been to? Five, including my own.

106. What was the last bug you killed and what did you use? A gnat. I just swatted it. 107. What does your country need right now? Unity. 108. Are you creative? I wish I was. I don’t have any creativity, artistic abilities, or good ideas. 109. How so? -- 110. How many computers in your household? Two. 111. Ever help to solve a crime? No. 112. Who is in the picture frame on your bedside table? I don’t have any photos on my bedside table. 113. How many CDs does your player hold? I don’t have a CD player. I haven’t had one in many years. 114. What is one thing you'd like to do before you die? Get my shit together and do something with my life. 115. Do the good die young or do they die before they have a chance to be bad? That seems to imply that everyone ends up bad. 116. What's your favorite totally cliche' saying? Blah. 117. Ever go out of your way to exact revenge on someone? No. I’m not a vengeful person. 118. Was it worth it? I don’t think it would ever be worth it.  119. Ever get pulled over by the cops and get away without a ticket? I don’t even drive, so no. 120. What's the weather like right now? It’s currently 50F. 121. What was your first legal alcoholic drink? Tequila shots. 122. Do you have a door/doorknob to your room? Yes. 123. Name one thing you regret? I have a few regrets. :/ 124. Ever get published by one of those poetry groups? No. I don’t even write poetry. 125. What's the furthest distance you've moved? Across town. 126. How many friends from high school/college do you still talk to? None anymore... 127. Where is your home/heart right now? Right here. 128. What's the most expensive things your parents ever bought you? Many things throughout my life and even still.  129. What's the most expensive thing you've bought? My first MacBook back in 2009.  130. How many hangers are in your closet? Uh, a lot. I’m not counting. 131. If you died right now, would you feel cheated or happy? I haven’t accomplished anything. :/ 132. How many times did you intentionally start to commit suicide? Zero. 133. Ever spent the night in the "loony bin?" Don’t call it that, first of all, and no. 134. What's wrong with society? Ignorance, close-mindedness, greed, hate, violence... 135. How many crazy ice cream trucks are in your area? Uh, I’ve never considered any of them to be crazy. Anyway, lately there’s been an ice cream truck coming through my neighborhood, which is is the first in many years. What a random time, though. 136. What is your favorite cover song? I love the cover of George Michael’s, Fast Love, that Adele performed at an award show after he died in honor of him. I always describe it as hauntingly beautiful. It was just so good. I wish she would have released a studio version of it. 137. Does the weather ever seem to reflect your mood eerily? I’m always moody, so when it’s rainy and gloomy it does. 138. Are you more psychic than most people? I don’t believe in psychic abilities.  139. What's your inspiration? I don’t know. :/ 140. What's the longest relationship you've been in? Whatever it was Joseph and I had lasted 3 years, which is longer than technically the only relationship I had that lasted just a few months. What I had with Joseph felt more like one as well in a lot of ways. 141. Did you ever drop out of school? No. 142. Ever raise a child that wasn't your own for more than 3 months? No. 143. What is your favorite piece of jewelry? Probably the stuff I have with birthstone.  144. Ever help someone cheat on someone else? Absolutely not. 145. Are you a cheater too? No. 146. What was the last dessert type food you've eaten? I had some mini funfetti muffins yesterday. 147. Fill in the blank: I'm a ________aholic. Coffeeholic. 148. When's the last time you went to a hairdresser/salon? Last February. I’ve over a year due now.  149. Strangest medical procedure ever performed on you? I had to wear this thing called a halo, which is a weird thing that gets drilled into the front of your head (I have two tiny circular scars above each eyebrow from that) and on the back are some weights attached to it that hang down. It was put on after my spinal fusion surgery and is meant to keep your back straight and things in place. It was awful. And heavy. When it was removed I had to wear a neck brace for a bit because my neck was weak. 150. Do you own any appliances? Yeah, we have several appliances. 151. Do you have an "egg crate" on your bed? Yes. 153. Last time you went to the laundromat? I remember tagging along as a kid with my grandma before. 154. How many hinges are on your front door? I’m not sure. 155. Can I be done yet? Yeah, I think you’re good.  

[szopenhauer]

Do you believe in any conspiracy theories? some

What trends do you refuse to give in to? basically all of them What types of perfume/cologne do you like on your preferred sex? none How do you get rid of anxiety? wish I knew! Are you a more of a homebody, or someone who’s always out with friends? homebody Are you materialistic? been told - in a sentimental way, not rich way Would you consider yourself open-minded? no Is there anything in your life right now that needs fixing? my body/mind Would you say that the simple things in life make you happy? they make me smile, I enjoy them Do you come up with your own words or sayings often? yes What’s the first thing you think of when I say ‘pearl necklace’?

Gummi worms: Yay or nay? nay What do you do when you have ‘me time’? why after the question before it sounds so... ekhem... What’s your opinion on Weird Al Yankovic? I liked his SW song Have you ever met someone online that you wanted to meet in real life? yup and met but only one person When was the last time you entertained yourself with shadow puppets?  not that long time ago tbh as I like to do that randomly :D

What do you think S.H.C. stands for? school lmfao

Have you ever heard of Salad Fingers? mhm *I like rusty spoons

How do you feel about oldies (50’s-70’s) music? depends on the song

Ford or Dodge?  Ford What’s your favorite element: fire, earth, wind or water? I think that most spectacular, in a movie/book, is fire, then wind, earth is most lame but I still dislike water, when it comes to real life then eart would be most interesting instead hahaha but I’m either wind or earth probably 

Do you visit craft/hobby stores often? nope

How do you feel about spiked collars?  cool

What’s keeping you from going after the person you like? I’ve been writing about it plenty of times...

Who/what brings out the best in you? depends on your definition of “best”

Have you ever watched or read A Clockwork Orange? no and don’t want/plan to

How do you feel about plastic pink flamingos? love

Do you like your ice cream super frozen or somewhat melted? in between

Fill in the blanks: I wish _____ knew _____. I wish I knew what’s wrong with me and how to fix it. I wish I knew what’s good and bad and what I should do. I wish I knew who I am and what I want/need. 

Do you enjoy playing with magnets? :3 I collect them but don’t play with magnets 

How do you handle an awkward moment? depends

The Beatles: totally amazing or horribly overrated? overrated

Have you ever felt like you belonged in a different century? not really

Pretend you just saw a shooting star. What do you wish for? health *not that it will work

Was your first phone a flip phone? nope What is an old website that closed down that you miss? polyvore forever <3 Do you listen to Grace VanderWaal? If yes, what’s your favorite song of hers? I know/like one of her songs - I don’t like you What is the grossest thing you have ever vomited up? everything about puking is disgusting so... If you had had a baby in high school, what would you have named him or her? omg...

Are you foreign-born? I was born and live in Poland Do you drink coffee with your breakfast? I don’t drink coffee at all

Did you know that dolphins & whales are mammals?  I did Are all of your grandparents still alive? no

do you need to take a smoke break? I don’t smoke honestly, do you think that you’re going to be an overprotective parent? I won’t be a parent :P what kind of relationship do you have with the last person you kissed? uh... have you ever been tutored or tutored someone yourself? been tutored would you rather wear necklaces, bracelets, rings, or earrings? hmm... is everything you have on actually yours? sure when was the last time you wore a band-aid and why? wbiłam sobie metalowy drut w palec what would you do if you discovered that you had a 7 year old kid? ... how? moon sand or play doh? Playdoh do you honestly believe that someone will waste their time reading this? I know she will pfft what’s something you need to get done soon? don’t remind me... your grandparents just died in a plane crash, what are you doing? sit confused as why would they be in a plane in the first place? :o if i came to your house, could i find any kind of chocolate? ask my mother do your parents allow smoking in your house? hell no last person you left a voicemail for? I don’t like voicemails what is the last thing you charged? cellphone have you ever held a snake? I wanna describe to me the nearest stuffed animal to you. there’s shitload of those around me do you ever wear sleep masks when you sleep or shower caps when you shower? neither zebrah print, cheetah print, cow print, polka dots, or stripes? stripes would you rather go to a beach, and amusement park, or a water park? beach or amusement park, definitely not water park

Have you ever thought about becoming a crime scene investigator? yep

If I asked around, would people say you’re an actually good friend? doubt it

Where are your siblings at right now, if you have any? most likely her apartment

Do people say you complain too much? I know I do, sorry not sorry?

Have you ever considered changing your sexual orientation? there was a moment

Do you miss any of your past best friends? kinda

Have you graduated high school yet? If so, what color were your cap and gown? we didn’t have caps and gowns

Does your significant other complain about the way you dress? does she? XD

Have you ever been in an abusive relationship? would say so

What would you do if a stranger smacked your ass and whistled? dunno

Do you understand the game of Monopoly? why not

Do you ever make fun of short people? I’m short...

Would you say you’re reliable to be a good babysitter? I don’t like kids

Do you feel replaced in any way at all right now? when my dad plays with my niece :( also when I see/hear about my ex friends and exes in general?

Do you think it’s actually possible to have a ‘beautiful nightmare?’ yes

Have you ever held an intervention for someone before? I don’t want to participate in such a thing 

Do you ever blame your problems on someone else? only if they’re at blame

As a child, were you ever made fun of? What about right now? I’ve been bullied my whole life

Are you more of an open, optomistic person or lonely and pessimistic? loner* and pessimistic but I’m also quite open about who I am, because I’m an introvert doesn’t mean I’m shy

What is the last thing you tried on in a store? not sure what was last

When did you realize you are no longer a child? this question makes me sad Is sleeping naked more comfortable then in clothes? no idea Are you comfortable enough around your friends to change in front of them? I don’t care most of the time anymore tbh Have you ever had a dream in which you were making out, or more, with someone? smth more more often than just kissing which is weird Do you prefer to fix the problems or just end the relationship? depends Have you ever accidentally stepped on a cat tail? possibly

Did you know that when a worm is cut in two both pieces grow again and continue living? been told Do veggies gross you out? why Have you ever dated someone in secret? :x Do you bring pillows and blankets on road trips? nope Does walking by yourself make you nervous? might When dog’s bark, do you think it actually sounds like ‘ruff’? no What about when cows moo? yup Do you kiss your pets? yuk Have you ever forgotten where you parked your car? I don’t drive Does your leg itch right now? not rn Would you rather marry someone repulsive or be alone forever? be alone When is the last time you saw a monkey on TV? I don’t watch TV Would you be sad if you were 50 and still not married? nope Is it dark out yet? mhm Do hugs help when you’re sad? sometimes Do you buy more things online or in stores? stores Do online dating sites ever work? not for me

Do you find kite flying boring? if for a long time Have you ever released a paper lantern? I’d like to 

Do you ever listen to Jpop? not anymore What is the best summer camp you have ever been to? been to two and both had good and bad sides  Is your bed next to a window? it’s not 

Have you ever ran a cash register? I have

Does anyone appreciate your talents? what talents? Do you ever write letters and send them through the mail? used to Have you ever had an allergy test at the doctor’s? even recently

Skeletons or scarecrows? scarecrows

Do you own pumpkin earrings? - Have you ever walked through a haunted house? no thx Have you ever asked someone to be your Valentine? and they laughed at me?...

Do you like the name Ellery? sounds like Celery so no

Do you find cemeteries pretty? yeah Does your phone screen freeze a lot? could say so

Do you tend to wear the color blue the most? as a kid Did you kiss anyone on New Years? never Who did you spend your last velentine’s day with? by myself

Is there anything plugged to your computer? two pendrives and powerbank Anyone ever got you something while you were with them without you knowing? sort of Are you more of the indie or mainstream type? indie Where is your favorite place to be massaged? I don’t receive massages When did you last speak with your grandparents? years ago Don’t you hate it when something limits the amount you can type/write? very Do you live where there are a lot of cows? nope Have you ever went an entire day without looking at yourself in the mirror? as a person who avoids mirrors... Do you like the colors purple and orange together? depends? Honestly, do you smell nice at the moment? do I ever? my partner tells me I do but I’ve been told I stink several times before

[thinkingaboutyoungroyals]

Who Waits For Love (Chapter 3)

Summary: T.J. Kippen lost his chance to tell Cyrus Goodman how he felt when they were in the 8th grade. Now, they are in their junior year of high school and Cyrus is on his 3rd relationship. Is it time to give up… or continue to wait for love?

A/N: This is so much longer than I thought it was going to be. A lot going on here!

When T.J. pulled up to the Goodman home that morning, the porch steps were empty. Furrowing his brows in confusion, he decided to give it another minute or so. Cyrus was rarely late in the mornings but then again, after everything that happened the day before, T.J. couldn’t blame him if he was a little delayed.

When five minutes passed and the door never opened, T.J. grabbed the bag of chocolate-chocolate chip muffins from the compartment beside him and exited his car. He walked up to the front door and rang the bell.

Cyrus’ mother opened the door. “Oh, good morning, T.J.,” she greeted with a kind smile. “I’m sorry but Cyrus isn’t feeling well enough to go to school today.”

The way she flashed him a knowing look after saying that made T.J. realize that she was aware of what happened.

“He told you?” he asked, hesitantly.

Sighing, she nodded. “Thank you for taking care of him yesterday.”

“Yeah, of course. He’s my best friend.” He looked down at the muffins in his hand before handing them over to her. “Can you give him these? My mom made them last night.”

Dr. Goodman nodded, taking the bag. “Of course. I’ll let him know you stopped by when he wakes up. He went back to sleep.”

“Thank you.”

He gave her a polite nod before turning on his heels to get back to his car.

For the first time since he got his license, he was driving to school alone. The absence of enthusiastic chatter made the silence all the more glaring so he turned up the stereo.

It felt a little strange arriving at school alone and just following the crowd. He had gotten used to Cyrus being next to him. Alone, he went to his locker to grab the things he needed for the day.

“Kippen.”

T.J. froze upon hearing the voice he knew and despised so much. 

Scowling, he turned around to see the brunette Lacrosse player who broke his best friend’s heart standing there. T.J. felt a smidge of satisfaction at seeing a bruise marring the corner of the guy’s lips and a little regret that he didn’t do more than just one punch.

“You got some nerve showing your face to me after what you did,” he spat, making sure to lace his words with poison.

Lance’s confidence faltered before he schooled his features to that of the cocky bastard he was.

“Whatever. Where’s Cyrus? I need to talk to him.”

At that, T.J. barked out a sarcastic laugh. “And you think I’d let him talk to you?”

“Pfft, you’re not his boyfriend, Kippen.”

Low blow, but he didn’t let it bother him.

“Neither are you. At least at the end of the day, I’m still his best friend.” He chuckled without humor. “You think after what you pulled, Cyrus would want to get back with you? You’re over, remember? He said so.”

“I can get him back if I want to,” Lance replied, cockily.

T.J. raised a brow. “Really? You think he’d take you back? A little overconfident there, aren’t we, buddy?”

Lance’s gaze flared. “Look, here, Kippen-.”

“No, you look here, Parker.” Squaring his shoulders and standing tall and intimidating, T.J. took a step forward. “This is what’s going to happen. You’re going to stay away from Cyrus. Don’t look at him. Don’t talk to him. Don’t even think about him. Or so help me, I’m going to make sure you’ll never play another game of Lacrosse again. A shame to miss out on those college scouts, right?”

It was an empty threat. T.J. would never actually hurt him (much). But, his old reputation as a middle school bad boy still preceded him. Not to mention, his height allowed him to tower over the Lacrosse player. 

Lance seemed to have lost all his confidence and swagger from earlier. He knew that T.J. had the physical capabilities to render him unable to play another game. He had proven it the day before.

He scoffed. “Fine. Whatever. Keep him, then.” He looked T.J. up and down, wrinkling his nose. “He was boring, anyway.”

T.J. made to lunge at him in anger, school rules be damned.

“Whoa there, Kippen.”

A hand landed on his shoulder and forcibly pulled him back. He turned his head to see Marty, flashing him a warning look. When T.J. turned back to Lance, the bastard was already walking away.

T.J. shrugged Marty’s hand off. “You shouldn’t have stopped me,” he said, heading back to his locker.

“If I didn’t and you got in trouble for beating him up and Cyrus found out, you know you’d regret it,” Marty replied, harshly.

He was right. Unfortunately.

T.J. just huffed, choosing not to respond. After getting heated from that encounter, he needed to clear his head.

Marty leaned against the locker next to T.J.’s. “How’s Cyrus?” he asked, more gently.

T.J. sighed, shutting his locker and swung his backpack over his shoulder. “Not good. He’s not in today. His mom told me he went back to sleep.”

“He’s really broken up about this, huh?” Marty stated as they began to walk together.

“He got cheated on Marty, of course, he is!”

Marty raised his hands in surrender. “Sorry, I just… they didn’t seem serious. At least, Lance didn’t seem to be.”

“When Cyrus likes someone, he gives it his all. No matter what his relationship with Lance was like, I know he gave it his all. That’s why this is breaking him. That… that bastard doesn’t deserve him.”

“Yeah, I agree.”

They walked in silence for a moment, T.J.’s fury slowly being replaced by worry for Cyrus again. He wondered if he should text him just to check in.

“How are you doing, though?” Marty asked.

“Me? I’m fine. It’s Cyrus who’s hurt, Marty.”

“Yeah… but when Cyrus cries, you’re unfocused until he feels better.”

It was true. He hated whenever Cyrus cried. He wanted to cheer him up until he smiled again. For all of Cyrus’ past breakups, he was there as a shoulder to cry on. But, this time, he knew it would take more than just muffins and a High School Musical marathon to take away the pain.

He sighed. “I don’t know, man. I just… I can’t get his face out of my head. How hurt he was and all I want is to just…”

“Kiss his tears away?” Marty teased.

T.J. glared at him but didn’t deny it because, yes, that was exactly what he wanted to do. All the time.

“All I can do right now is just be there for him, like I always am,” he replied.

“At least now you have a chance with him,” Marty tried to help.

“I… wasn’t even thinking about that. You know, too busy being worried about my best friend while trying to not destroy his asshole of an ex.” They finally reached his homeroom. “Anyway, I’ll text him to ask how he is before the bell rings. I’ll see you, guys, at lunch.”

Marty nodded. “See ya.”

T.J. found his seat and sat down before taking his phone out to text.

Underdog Cyrus: Hey. Just checking in if ur OK. I gave ur mom muffins. Let me know if u want to talk. I’ll come right over. Luv u, underdog.

He felt his lips twitch at the last line. He wasn’t shy about telling Cyrus he loved him, anymore. He just wished he had the guts to tell him how deep that love really went. But, as long as Cyrus was okay, he would do everything in his power to make him happy again.

…….......

Time seemed to drag on the entire day. T.J. had History with Cyrus and he normally enjoyed the class. But, that day, his friend’s absence was felt even more as he didn’t have a seat partner to do the day’s class activity with.

Lunch couldn’t have arrived sooner and when it finally did, he bought his food and made his way to his usual table with the Andi, Buffy, Jonah, and Marty. (Some days, he would sit with the basketball team for socialization purposes, but that day was not one of those days.)

They were already seated and digging into their food when he arrived. Andi, Buffy, and Marty were seated on one side so he slid into the seat next to Jonah across from them. He sadly stared at Cyrus’ empty spot next to him and sighed.

“Did you hear from Cyrus?” Andi asked him.

He nodded. “He texted me around third period. He said he was feeling better but he’ll probably skip school for the rest of the week. Good thing it’s Thursday.” He stirred his bowl of chili. “I brought him muffins this morning. I hope it helps.”

“We should try to see him after school,” said Buffy.

“That’s a good idea, we can bring his homework,” added Jonah.

T.J. groaned in disappointment. “I have basketball practice today.”

Jonah nudged his arm with his elbow and grinned. “Don’t worry, we’ll tell him you miss him.”

T.J. blushed but before he could respond, Andi let out an excited squeal. She was looking at her phone and Buffy leaned over to look.

She snorted. “It’s just Amber,” she said, exaggeratedly rolling her eyes but she was smiling.

“She said she did really well on her Sociology test!” Andi squealed as she enthusiastically texted back. Finishing, she put her phone down and sighed, forlornly. “I miss her.”

Andi and Amber were a surprise to everyone. Last year, Andi realized that she might also like girls… and by girls, she meant one specific girl: Amber. And, apparently, Amber always knew she liked girls and tried to date boys to get rid of those feelings...until she met Andi, that is. They started dating last year and were currently in a long-distance relationship, since Amber was away in California for college. But, they seemed to be holding on pretty well.

T.J. always wondered how Jonah felt about both his exes dating, but he still hung out with both girls whenever he could so he probably got over it.

As they all dug into their lunch, T.J. took a moment to observe everyone around him. At first, he only really hung out with them because of Cyrus. After Reed and Lester pretty much abandoned him back in the 8th grade, he didn’t really have any other real friends.

He wondered...Would he have found another group of friends? Ones who actually liked and supported him?

It took him a long time to gain this group’s trust. And, now, even without Cyrus there, he no longer felt shy and out of place when Andi handed him her box of fries to share or when Buffy stole a piece of grape from his fruit cup.

“What are you smiling about?” Buffy asked with a raised eyebrow.

T.J. realized that he was, chuckled, and shook his head. “Nothing. Now, can you please stop stealing my fruit and start getting your own?”

“Nah, it’s not as fun.” And to demonstrate, she reached over and stole a pineapple.

Yep, these were his friends now. 

He couldn’t help but stare at Cyrus’ empty place again.

He really hoped he was okay.

…….......

Thursday ended and Friday passed. Before he knew it, the weekend had arrived. T.J. went to work Saturday morning and by the time he got off in the afternoon, he still didn’t feel like going home. His mom was working until very late, anyway, so he had the day to himself. So, he drove to Cyrus’ house.

He parked across the street from the driveway and made his way to the backyard. Finding Cyrus’ window, he stood under it as he took out his phone and called him.

It took three rings for Cyrus to answer.

“Hello?” His voice was a little raspy.

“Hey,” T.J. greeted. “How are you feeling?”

“Better, thank you. I didn’t cry today.”

T.J. smiled at that.

“Sorry about yesterday,” Cyrus continued.

T.J. had tried to see him after school the day before but Cyrus had shooed him away, saying that he didn’t want to see anyone. T.J. was a little hurt by that but he knew that his friend was going through something that he couldn’t dare to imagine or understand.

“It’s okay, I get it,” he replied. “Are you okay enough to hang out with me today?”

Cyrus chuckled. “Yeah.”

“Great! Then, come out.”

There was a pause.

“What?”

T.J. smiled to himself as he looked up at the closed window. “I’m outside your window. Come out for a drive. We can go anywhere you want.”

He heard shuffling and kept his eye on the window until it slid up. Cyrus poked his head out and found him fairly quickly.

T.J. waved. “Hey.”

Looking confused yet elated to see him, Cyrus replied, “Hey. Why didn’t you just go through the front door?”

T.J. shrugged. “This is more fun.”

His friend did look better, though his eyes still looked droopy and a bit swollen, probably from all the crying. His hair was a messy mop, like he just got out of bed and didn’t have time to brush it.

“And cheesy. What are you? Romeo?”

He was happy to hear that Cyrus was feeling well enough to joke.

“If I’m Romeo then you’re my Juliet,” T.J. couldn’t resist flirting.

To his delight, Cyrus blushed and lowered his head, shyly.

“So… you wanna drive or what?” T.J. asked.

Up on his window, Cyrus nodded. “Okay. I’ll be down in 10 minutes. Just gotta get changed. Come through the front door, you savage! Mom’s home.”

“Okay, see ya.”

Cyrus waved before shutting his window and hanging up. Meanwhile, T.J. bounded back to the front door, a skip in his steps.

Dr. Goodman let him in with a smile, asking how he was and if he would like something to drink. She settled on an armchair in the living room while T.J. plopped himself on the sofa, making small talk.

There was a moment of brief silence where they could hear Cyrus pottering about upstairs as he got ready.

“Is he really okay?” T.J. had to ask.

Dr. Goodman leaned back in her seat. “Well, it’s the first time in days where he’s willing to leave the house. On Thursday, he just slept all day and only came out of his room when Andi and the others stopped by to drop off his homework. Yesterday, he didn’t leave his room at all and was listening to sad music on full volume. I would have reprimanded him but… well… I think he needed to let his emotions out, one way or another. So… I think he could use a distraction today.”

“I’m hoping to do just that. We’ve been worried.”

Footsteps coming down the stairs silenced them. T.J. turned his head towards it to see Cyrus neatly dressed and his hair now brushed.

He flashed T.J. a faint smile. “Hey,” he greeted.

T.J. stood up. “Hey, ready to go?”

Cyrus nodded.

They bid Dr. Goodman goodbye, promising to be back by dinner, and Cyrus followed him out to his car.

“So, where do you wanna go?” T.J. asked as soon as the doors were closed.

Cyrus shrugged.

“Park?” T.J. suggested. “We can go on the swings.”

“Sure.”

T.J. reached over and ruffled his hair, fondly, before starting the car and driving.

Cyrus was silent during the ride, only staring out the window.

“So, you wanna hear something funny that happened in history class yesterday?” T.J. casually said.

“Sure.”

“So we were watching a documentary on the Great Depression…”

Cyrus hummed to indicate that he was listening.

“… and Mrs. Shapiro fell asleep!”

T.J. flashed him a quick look from the corner of his eye and was pleased to see Cyrus breaking into a small smile and chuckling.

“Of course, she did. She finds her own class boring!”

The mood after that turned lighter, even if Cyrus barely spoke.

They arrived at the park and headed right for the playground where, thankfully, their swings were empty and devoid of children. Cyrus immediately went for his swing, sitting on it, and kicking his legs, silently.

T.J. settled on the one next to him, still watching him.

He didn’t like seeing Cyrus so… devoid of life. He wasn’t like this with his past breakups.

Tommy was more of a friend than a boyfriend and sure, Cyrus had been sad, but it was a mutual split. His feelings for Freddie went deeper but they broke up and made up so much that Cyrus didn’t even cry when he broke up with the drummer for the last time. Lance must have been special.

Not for the first time, T.J. wished it was him, instead. He wouldn’t break Cyrus’ heart the way Lance did.

“Legs go up, legs go down,” T.J. began to sing. “That’s how you make the swing go ‘round.”

Cyrus’ lip twitched.

“Come on,” T.J. prodded. “You gotta sing it, Underdog.”

His friend flashed him a look that asked, “Really?” But, eventually, Cyrus sighed in resignation.

“Drag your feet, you go slow,” he sang. “The more you drag, the less you go.”

Smiling, T.J. sang along with him, kicking his legs into the air, enthusiastically.

The sight of two high school guys sitting on the swings and singing what sounded like a nursery rhyme was probably comical to the outside view. But, T.J. didn’t really care what other people of them thought because Cyrus needed this. He needed to feel and be reminded that things would be okay again.

They rarely went to the swings anymore. High school made sure to get in the way of that. But, the rare times they did, it was always for a good reason. Either they were celebrating something or one of them needed comfort. The swings were always there, waiting for them.

“Remember when we first really talked?” T.J. asked, out of the blue. “It was right here.”

Cyrus chuckled. “I thought you were going to make fun of me.”

“Nah, you were too cute. I couldn’t make fun of that.”

Cyrus blushed. “It’s amazing how much things have changed since then, right? Except for these swings. I’m surprised they haven’t fallen apart yet. Unlike my heart.” He dug his feet into the ground, stopping his swinging, and let out a loud sigh. “I’m sorry for being such a downer.”

T.J. shook his head. “It’s okay. You’re allowed to be.”

“I don’t want to feel this way anymore.” Cyrus’ voice cracked as he spoke. “I want to stop crying. I want this pain here.” He placed a fist against his chest. “To stop. I just… want to move on already.”

“And you will, Cy. I know you will because you always do. You always pick yourself back up.”

Finally, Cyrus turned his head to look at him. “Really? You think so?”

T.J. grinned. “Definitely.”

Cyrus’ smile widened. “Thanks, T.J.”

“Anytime.” T.J. pushed himself off his swing. “I’m in the mood for ice cream. What about you?”

“I’ve eaten so much ice cream in the last three days, I feel like my stomach is gonna pop.”

T.J. raised an eyebrow. “So… yes?”

Cyrus stood up. “Lead the way, basketball guy.”

They bought ice cream from a guy with a cart and sat on a bench to enjoy their treats. T.J. regaled Cyrus with stories of what he missed at school, all the shenanigans of their schoolmates, and how he missed the rare day where the cafeteria served curly fries for Friday lunch. At some point, someone came by, walking their puppy, and it resulted in Cyrus getting on his knees on the asphalt to pat and briefly play with the little critter (T.J. took photos and videos).

By the end of their hangout, the color and vitality were back on Cyrus’ face and he was laughing and bouncing as they made their way back to T.J.’s car.

“Today was fun!” he exclaimed. “And that puppy was so cute! I have got to convince my parents to let me adopt one!”

Meanwhile, T.J. placed the key in the ignition, getting ready to drive Cyrus home.

“Hey, thank you, again.”

He turned to his friend, who was watching him, softly.

“You’ve always been there for me, Teej.”

T.J.’s heart fluttered at the complete faith and trust Cyrus had in him.

“I don’t think there’s anyone else in this world I trust more than you…don’t tell Buffy and Andi I said that.”

T.J. chuckled. “My lips are sealed.”

Cyrus sighed and leaned back in his seat, his smile faltering. “I always thought that… Lance would become someone I could completely trust. I’m kind of glad now that I never introduced him to my parents. Can you imagine the humiliation?” He chuckled, humorlessly before sighing again. “Damn, why do I have such bad tastes in guys?”

T.J.s heart began to quicken. “You just haven’t found the right guy. You never know… he could just be… right around the corner.”

Or right beside you, T.J. wanted to say but kept his mouth shut.

Cyrus huffed. “Where? They should just come out and sweep me off my feet.” He flashed him a grin. “I sound demanding. Sorry.”

T.J. shook his head. “It’s fine.” He paused, a lump forming in his throat as he turned his head to look at the wheel, instead. “Actually… Cyrus…”

“Yes?”

“I… um… if you want, you can…”

Go out with me. Date me. Be my boyfriend.

All those words ran in T.J.’s mind. He wanted to say them so badly.

“I can…what?”

Cyrus sounded like he was anticipating his next words. But, they only made T.J. even more nervous.

Cyrus had always said he was an athlete with boundless confidence but he couldn’t be further from the truth. T.J. was a coward when it came to him.

“You can… skip school on Monday,” he ended up saying, mentally kicking himself. “If you’re not feeling better, you shouldn’t go.”

“Oh. Yeah, I thought about that. But, I already missed two days. I don’t want to miss any more. Besides, I need to show Lance that he didn’t break me.”

T.J. finally chanced a peek at him to see Cyrus looking determined.

“I’m strong, right?” he asked, almost tentatively.

Feeling a little brave, T.J. reached out and placed a hand over his. “Very,” he agreed, squeezing his hand before pulling back. “So… ready to go home?”

Smiling, Cyrus nodded.

The drive back to the Goodman home was still silent but it lacked the tense atmosphere of earlier. Cyrus was feeling okay and relaxed enough to turn on the stereo and sing along to a few songs.

Meanwhile, T.J. was in turmoil, mentally scolding himself for being a coward. But, then he reasoned that Cyrus just got out of a relationship and probably wasn’t ready for a new one right off the bat. Besides, he didn’t want Cyrus to go out with him just because he was heartbroken. He wanted Cyrus to go out with him because he wanted to.

He pulled up to the house and parked. It was late afternoon now but he managed to bring Cyrus home before dinner so that earned him brownie points with the Goodmans.

“See you Monday?” Cyrus asked.

He nodded. “Monday.”

Cyrus leaned over and wrapped his arms around his neck and T.J. instinctively brought his own arms up, wrapping around his waist.

“You’re my best friend, Teej.”

T.J. swallowed. “You’re mine too, Cy.”

They hugged for a beat or two before pulling away and Cyrus got out of the car.

T.J. waited until he was inside the house. When the door shut closed, he let out a loud groan, leaning back on his seat, head hitting the headrest.

“I’m an idiot.”

…….......

“You’re an idiot!”

“I know!”

“You said he can skip school on Monday?!”

“It wasn’t my brightest moment, I know!”

Huffing, Marty dropped himself on the bed next to T.J. “He was practically giving you an open invitation to ask him out!”

“I highly doubt it’s that.”

“Dude, you are hopeless.”

T.J. snorted. “Don’t I know it.”

After dropping Cyrus off, T.J. had the bright idea of texting Marty and coming over to his house to rant.

He wasn’t sure if it was a bright idea anymore. Marty just kept on going about how he missed an opportunity to finally make his move.

As they both stared forlornly at the ceiling, the door opened.

“And this is why your moms think I’m some sort of cover-up for your secret relationship with T.J.”

Both boys looked up to see Buffy standing by the door, arms crossed and eyebrows raised.

“Yeah, babe, we’re totally in love,” said Marty as he sat up and opened his arms invitingly.

Buffy rolled her eyes but nonetheless, walked over and plopped herself onto Marty’s lap. Meanwhile, T.J. continued to lie on Marty’s bed.

“So, what’s going on?” she asked.

This allowed T.J. to relay the story again, complete with arm gestures and his inner thoughts of the moment sprinkled in. Buffy listened, nodding or rolling her eyes in response to his narration.

When he was done, she was shaking her head.

“I agree that maybe asking him out right in this moment is a little… inappropriate,” she said, carefully.

“Ha!” T.J. blurted out, pointing at Marty. “I told you.”

“But!” Buffy continued, flashing him a pointed look. “You also shouldn’t waste time like you did after Tommy and Freddie. You’ve been crushing on Cyrus for years, T.J.! You’re a better choice than all of his previous boyfriends! And that’s saying a lot coming from me! So, why don't you just make a move?!”

Yes. Why didn’t he? Ever since 7th grade, there had always been this strange… pull… between him and Cyrus. He never understood what it was. He just knew that he liked him. A lot. Between then and now, he could even say that he had fallen in love. Hard. 

“I’m… scared of losing him,” he replied, softly as he stared at the ceiling. “I should probably just give up. You know how relationships go. Honeymoon stage. Then, you get comfortable. Then, you realize you don’t have feelings anymore. Then, you break up and never talk again. I can’t… I can’t handle it if Cyrus and I stopped talking.”

Buffy and Marty were both watching him now, sympathetic to his plight.

“Is that what you really believe would happen to you, guys?” Buffy asked, gently. “Your entire friendship is not that shallow, T.J.”

“I know… it’s just… I’d rather have him as just a friend and not lose him than go out with him and have things go wrong.” 

He let out a loud and long sigh.

“T.J.-,” Marty began.

“Guys.” He sat up and leaned against the headboard. “I’ll be fine. Don’t worry.” He managed a smile at them. “And, I’m not going to give up. I’m just… going to let him heal a bit. You know, get rid of all the Lance pain before I swoop in and put his heart back together. That’s a plan, right?”

He sounded confident on the inside but on the inside, his hope felt like a dry desert.

And judging by the looks the couple were throwing him, they weren’t buying it either.

It was worth a shot.

…….......

True to his word, that Monday, T.J. picked up Cyrus for school and he was waiting for him on the doorstep.

The drive was normal with Cyrus chattering, T.J. listening, and the two of them play fighting over who got to choose the next song that played.

This time, Cyrus didn’t leave his side to greet a boyfriend but simply to go to his own locker.

“Are you gonna be okay when…. You know…. When you see him?” he had to ask.

He didn’t have to say a name but Cyrus stiffened before loosening himself up and nodding. “I’ll be fine,” he replied. “Don’t worry. See you at lunch?”

“Yeah.”

With a smile, Cyrus bid him goodbye and bounded off.

T.J. went about his morning routine of being greeted by Marty, walking to homeroom, and settling in his seat to wait for the morning announcements and other stuff to start.

The announcements were a blur – updates on school events, wins and losses of their sports teams, and what they were serving in the cafeteria that week.

T.J. doodled on his notebook, bored.

Finally, announcements were done and they had a full fifteen minutes to do homework, study, or chat before the first bell.

And, then, the door opened. Everyone in class, including T.J., looked up to see the Vice Principal entering with a guy in tow. He was tall with distinguished curly brown hair and really thick eyebrows (that reminded T.J. a bit of Cyrus’ eyebrows, they were really cute).

The Vice Principal briefly spoke to Mr. Singh, T.J.’s homeroom teacher, before clapping the new guy on the back and leaving.

“Okay, kids! Eyes up here!” Mr. Singh called out, but everyone already had their attention on him, anyway. “We have a new student joining our homeroom. Please introduce yourself to your classmates.”

The guy grinned and lifted a hand in greeting. “Hi, everyone. Name’s Aidan. Aidan Ross. Moved here from Florida.”

From sunny Florida to breezy Shadyside? Quite a change.

“Okay, Aidan, there’s an empty seat right there by the window.”

The rest of the class murmured to each other and themselves as they watched the new guy make his way down the aisle. By this time, T.J. went back to his doodling, no longer interested.

“Hey.”

He raised his head to see the new guy in front of him, still grinning.

Oh, right. There was an empty seat next to T.J. right by the window.

“Um, hey,” T.J. greeted back, politely.

The new guy held out a hand. “I’m Aidan.”

T.J. knew that already, he was just introduced.

Nonetheless, he took the hand and shook it. “T.J.,” he provided.

Aidan squeezed his hand. “Nice to meet you.” He let go before proceeding to the seat next to T.J.

Confused, T.J. managed a, “Um… you too.”

That was odd.

A/N: So, I imagined this guy to be... Joshua Bassett. I just really adore his friendship with Luke and while I was setting the story up, his face popped into my head so... here he is! I even used his character name from “Stuck In A Middle”. (Super creative, I know. But I do like the name.)

Tag list:

@androgynouspoetrycollector

@tyrusmuff1n

@thedampjofangirl

@tjsmuffin

@alyssailovespuppies

@buffy-driscool

@cyrusyeehaw

@r4anly

@delicatesleeper

@amazingpartytattoos

@unprofessionalart

@myrandom-fandomlife

@tjshoodie

@just-fic-me-up

@i-am-confussion

@completelysterling  @theobligatedklutz

@justeilona @literally-just-for-fanfics

@turtle0verl0rd

@angel28716

[veridium]

just another girl

HELLO, HOT MESS EXPRESS. 

Here I have one hot, out-of-the-angst-oven segment of Isabella’s and my baby, our college AU adventures. Safe to say, Olivia is not having a great week. But, in the true queer tradition, friendship backs you up and shines when would-be-romance falls flat. So, I thought she could use some quality time with a certain brilliant woman by the name of Montilyet...

special thanks to The Killers for being the soundtrack inspo for this segment (obvi..)

part 1 // part 2 // part 3 // part 4 // part 5 // part 6 // part 7 // part 8 // part 9 // part 10 // part 11 // part 12 // part 13 // part 14 // part 15

--

Her weekend could have best been represented by the barrage of texts she gets over the course of two days. Ones she doesn’t even begin responding to until Sunday evening:

Theia: Hey, Ellinor messaged the group chat for you. You wanna go out tonight? You know dancing always cheers you up! Btw I’m gonna kill her

-

Sera: Hey dude, I’m on my way back into town, ya need anything? I can pick up some of the weed from that shop outside town…

Sera: ya know, the one you kept calling “smokin’ hot blonde”?

-

Dorian: Not that I care, but you haven’t annoyed work chat with memes, so...I thought I’d ask, you alive?

-

Josie: Theia told me everything. I have a busy week, but keep Wednesday at 2 open for me? It’s back quad bikini time :)

The queer web is tiny, but mighty.

The last message is the most foreboding in its enthusiasm. Josephine joined into their friend group after her and Theia fell head over heels for each other. An unlikely pairing -- a college dropout-turned-mechanic and the SGA President and leader of several clubs. But they were so good together; despite their differences, they made sense.

She used to wonder the same thing about her and Cassandra, but, that is something she can’t even stomach anymore. She can only cry, cry, and cry some more. She cries so much the 24 hours after their meeting that she googles WebMD asking if it’s possible to die or get sick from it. But, eventually, the faucet does run dry. 

If it wasn’t for Ellinor’s supervision and assurance that Olivia gets in and out of the shower, has at least two decent meals both days, and has plenty of space to grieve, she would have likely receded into her closet of emo clothes and hid for the rest of the semester. If you went simply by the sounds coming from her door, you’d swear Paramour was having their own multi-day music festival in her room. The more she languishes the more it feels pointless: an argument that ended unresolved and with so much left unsaid. But it isn’t just the argument, or the flyer, or the kiss that crashed before it even took off. It’s the whole fucked up pizza: the fact that Cassandra gives her so much and so little at the same time. Little to no blunt reassurance, but all the feelings that come with it.

Olivia knows she’s gotten in deep when, even in the thick of her weekend haze, she still checks her phone for texted musings or rants from a certain someone. But there’s nothing. She listened, perhaps for the last time.

When Monday morning rolls around she figures the best way to move on is to suppress and get on with everything. Ellinor is on day 3 of quietly walking on air since she dropped off the cookies on Saturday. She’s glowing, even dressed in her linty green-and-blue flannel draped over her black ripped jeans and grey tank top. Her hair is braided all pretty, too, and walks with more energy down into the stairwell than Liv has ever seen her in the early Monday morning. Cullen’s making her happy.

Good. As he should.

Monday and Tuesday are the days when she tries her best to latch back onto reality. Monday it’s a sweatshirt in jeans, no makeup, but washed hair. Her homework is done -- not as meticulously as it usually is -- but it is correct. She gives back graded work to the class she TA’s for and despite a few groans and curses, the class is too happy with not having a Professor to talk at them to bother her. Or, maybe it’s the way everything about her aura screams “don’t fuck with me, I’m on my last fucking straw, you fresh meat.”

Tuesday evening she walks home after work, keys in her hand and gym bag on her shoulder. She notices the same preps that scowled at her in the parking lot hanging out in the window of one of the student cafes. They don’t know she exists, and happily talk amongst themselves, though they have the same air of “too good for everyone but Jesus and even then, it’s debatable.” She stops on the curb and stares, pondering whether or not to confront them. She could be ballsy since she has nothing left now to lose, and have a rom-com triumph moment.

Her hand buzzes from her phone, which she is clenching with unresolved angst.

Josie: Don’t forget about tomorrow! I’ll bring Starbucks. Theia says hello. XO

Josie Montilyet. Josephine Montilyet. You never broke plans with her if you were an acquaintance, and you surely never did so when you were friends. Olivia sighs to herself and responds with a heart emoji. After that she looks down the sidewalk, and can see the top corner of her dorm building through the various peaks of red brick and concrete architecture. The trees nuzzled in between them have been changing color, and now match. It’s the season where everyone is getting together and finding who they want to take home to the parents for the holidays. Everyone’s holding hands or studying up against one another. Somewhere, for all she knows -- who is she kidding, she does know -- Ellinor is either cuddling or wishing she could cuddle her selected partner.

She slips her phone into her coat pocket and pushes her headphones into her ears. With a sore heart she keeps walking. The preps aren’t worth it. Not this time.

--

The following day she goes to class and doesn’t bother with anything else. Wednesdays are when she and Cassandra would cross paths on the north pavement on quad in the morning, and say hello. She wants nothing to do with it, now, and heads out the back door of her building after her class.

Cassandra has become like a ghost to her by day 5 of their embargo on one another. She doesn’t show her face anywhere near Olivia’s dorm, and neither does Olivia tread near the suites where she and her puppy-dog roommate dwell. It starts to become a question of whether or not she cared enough to miss her when they aren’t speaking. Irrational, but, in the silence it’s easy to think Cassandra in all her stoicism is somewhere on campus unaffected, doing soccer drills or making freshman philosophy majors cry.

But she still checks her phone, and still there are no messages. Reading the old ones again and again has gotten old. No word, no face, no presence. Just wondering about and rehearsing the disaster that caused it all in her head, over, and over, and over again. This is getting ridiculous, she thinks to herself, as she gets back to her dorm at 1:30pm. Ellinor is there, stopped in for a quick pick-up of a few things before she is off to wherever she has plans to be.

“Hey, Queen of the Underworld,” Ellinor knocks on her open door before stepping in. Olivia has taken to laying across her bed, hands across her stomach. “Whatcha up to?”

She shrugs. “Relaxing.”

“You’re looking good. Is that...highlighter I see on those cheeks?” she pinches her on the side of her hip and sits down beside her on the bed. “Did you, dare I say, contour this morning?”

Olivia rolls her eyes and grins like the sour brat she is. “I had to, I’m hanging out with Josephine today and she makes me feel like a turnip when I am in her glorious presence.”

“I see,” Ellinor snorts, leaning onto her elbow. “So Theia sent her after you to make sure you’re alive? What, am I not good enough?”

“It’s not that! It’s just...ya know, the queer mafia. We look out for one another. Everyone knows everyone or knows someone who would know the someone you want to know.”

Ellinor tilts her head. “That...makes absolutely know sense. Can you speak human, please?”

Olivia giggles and pokes her in the nose, causing her to laugh along with her. Ellinor stands up and circles the room -- the room Olivia took care to stress clean Monday night after she realized she was living in the squalor of her depression. It looks good, but it’s not as homey or warm as it usually feels.

“Well, you have a good time, then. I’m sure Josie has a plan for resurrecting you. That woman is formidable.”

“Pfft,” Olivia huffs, “there’s a reason why she has diplomatic immunity in like three countries, okay.”

“Three?! The fuck?” Ellinor turns. “How?”

“Fuck if I know!”

“I thought she just studied abroad a bunch.”

Olivia sits up and leans against the wall. “Yeah, but, she--”

“I merely interned at several government agencies during my abroad summers, Ellinor,” a bright, brilliant voice projects confidently from the doorway. “The diplomatic immunity is more like a diplomatic ‘acknowledgement.’”

Josephine steps in like an angel descending upon the unworthy mortals of 21C hall. Dressed in a purple sundress and holding a lawn chair under one arm and her back of scholarly secrets in the other, her hair in a voluminous ponytail of curls and braids. She is taller than them both, not by much, but her presence makes it feel like ten feet of difference.

She smiles, and looks to Olivia. “Hello, my dear. Sorry, I arrived a bit early.”

Olivia’s brows are lifted, mouth in an agape “O.” “H-hey, Josie, it’s no trouble. I’m ready anyways.”

Josie gives her the once-over. “That is an interesting fashion interpretation of ‘bikini.’”

“Oh, crap, right,” Olivia exhales and slides off her bed. While she goes to her closet to pick out her swimsuit that’s without a doubt buried under ten mountains of fall wear, Josephine and Ellinor are left to make conversation. Which goes something like this:

“Hey, Josie.”

“Hello, Ellinor! How are you?”

“Uh, good. I’m good. I’m...this boy I’m hanging out with is really cool, and…” she blurts it out, her words slightly fumbling with...silliness? Is she feeling silly all of a sudden? No, it’s just the warm and open tolerant atmosphere Josie seems to bring wherever she goes, emanating like perfume.

“I have heard! You both look adorable together, may I just say. The perfect combination of grunge and gullible charm. Very sweet!”

“I...thanks!” Ellinor smirks, embarrassed and honored at the same time. Olivia knows the feeling. “I...I feel like I’ve said things I never would say out loud ever in my life. I...I think I should go. I have to study anyway, uh, thanks for taking Olivia out.”

Olivia looks back and glares. “Taking me out?! Am I a chihuahua or something?”

Josephine laughs the scorn off the room with ease. “It is no trouble. I’ve missed her! Thank you for sharing her, Ellinor. Take care.”

Ellinor smiles and waves like a BBQ dad and sees herself out, a little too eager to not be basking in the light of Josephine Montilyet and the self-deprecating honesty she seems to inspire in her wake. Now alone with her, Olivia plays with the strings of her bikini in her hands, a bit timid at the idea.

“You sure this is a good idea, Josie? I mean, It’s Fall, and…”

“Agh, of course I am! It is currently 78 degrees outside and no wind. It is probably one of the last hot days of the year. Besides, it’s you who’s in need of some sun, my dear vampiric friend.”

Olivia blushes and side-eyes her standalone mirror in the corner, where indeed, her paleness is the first noticeable thing about her reflection. Cringing to herself, she takes a breath and nods. “Alright, you’ve got a point.”

“I know I do,” Josie giggles, stepping towards the door. “Now, you get that little number on and let’s get out of here. I am finally going to hear all about this mystery person Theia says she doesn’t know yet swears she’s going to kill her.”

“You think she would?” Olivia chuckles, taking off her cardigan.

“Psh! Over my beautiful, curvy, and impossible to improve or replace body if she does,” Josie winks with a tease. “Now, hurry, or we’ll run into the in-between class rush at Starbucks and they have a berry tea with my name on it.”

--

Front quad was the picturesque place where everyone walked and the marketing photographers for the university took more pictures than they needed. Pretty, but boring.

Back quad, on the other hand, was where students could lounge and sprawl on blankets and under trees and actually be themselves. Everyone from couples sucking face to the school’s rollerblading club can be found there. It’s an interesting dichotomy, divided by the Honors building and clock tower at the heart of campus. When Josephine and Olivia were first getting to know each other, it was when Theia was still enrolled, and back quad was a more frequented hangout spot.

Having gotten their iced teas -- which ended up being heaven sent, as Josie was right about the heat -- they find their spot by one of the walkways intersecting the quad lawn and put up camp. Two short lounge chairs and a red blanket to go underneath, and that is all it takes for Josie to set her stuff down and slip off her dress.

“Ugh, thank goodness,” she says with relief, revealing her high-waisted yellow two-piece, “It’s been too long.”

Olivia, more paranoid given her last two weeks of ‘yikes’-worthy circumstances, delays her strip-down. Shoving her hair up in a bun, it’s hard not to feel like eyes could be on her at any point, trying to find more reasons to hate her.

“You come all this way just to get sweater tan lines?” Josie asks, settling into her chair and pulling a book onto her lap.

“Uh, no,” Olivia shakes her head. She knows what Josie is doing, because everything Josie does has a dual-benevolent purpose. So, she goes along, for the sake of appreciating her taking the time. Slipping out of her shorts and over-sized sweater, Liv reveals her black string bikini. 

People from across the quad stop and stare at them, and that is the point. As she sits down on her chair and puts on her large round black sunglasses, she wishes they could all scram.

“It’s always a good idea to spend time out in one’s community,” Josie narrates, in her half-flirty, half-student body Presidential tone.

“You think?”

“Yes, Liv,” Josie plays and puts her own sunglasses on. “Especially for the one for whom papers are pinned onto doors mocking her sacred bodily and sexual autonomy.”

Olivia blushes and looks at her. “Josie! You know?!”

Josie hunches one shoulder. “I...may have...inquired…”

“Ugh,” Liv tossed her head back, her legs scrunching up against her stomach. “I want to disappear. I want to disappear into this grass lawn and never emerge again. God almighty.”

While she laments, Josie closes her book onto her thumb gently and reaches a hand, resting it on Liv’s forearm. It’s comforting, if not a sweet bit of salt on her wounds. “Liv, don’t worry, it won’t be a thing if you don’t want it to be. I just wanted to show some...solidarity. I know SGA Presidents don’t have all the clout in the world, but, we do have some to spare.”

Dual plan revealed, then. Olivia can’t blame her, nor can she be mad at her. Josie didn’t ascend into her roles by being cold and calculating in her ambition; she did because she was everyone’s favorite. She visited people in the tutoring lounges, shared baked goods with custodial staff, and learned everyone’s secrets which she handled with the warmest, and indeed precise, attention. Things got a bit rough for her when it was revealed she was queer, and dating someone not necessarily in her scholarly echelon, but that was a year ago. If anything, it made her a bit more unapologetically decisive. She did not mince her words, or her loyalties.

“I just…” Olivia held her breath, “I handled it. It’s fine. That flyer was where it ended.” And where her and Cassandra ended, ultimately. Ouch.

“Are you sure?” Josie slid back further into her lounging position, reopening her book. She reached over to her bag and found one of her lecture notebooks, flipping it to the page she last left notes on. “I mean, remember what I got when I went public with Theia?”

“Yeah, but, Josie, the people after you were also being racist assholes. You had reason to be concerned. All I got is one shitty note and suddenly everything has become a Victorian serial novel. And Cassandra, she...it’s gone too far with the intrigue. I’m fine. It was just some foolish prank.”

Josie does a tsk tsk click of her tongue, her head tilting from side to side. Her thinking maneuver. “That’s how they like to start it, Olivia. But you’re giving them what they want -- that’ll just make them think they can demand more of you while being anonymous still. You remember what I ended up doing after the five-hundredth gossip post on Yik Yak, after weeks of me trying to keep my relationship private?”

Olivia puckered her lips while she recalled. It was a long while ago, though that drama was hard to forget even when she was just a witness to it. Then, the light bulb went off.

“Hah!” Olivia concedes gleefully, “you lounged out on quad in your bikini with Theia during that heat wave spring semester.” Damn. Some things never changed when it came to college survival tactics.

Olivia looks and sees Josie smiling with pride, head held high while she pulls the cap off her yellow highlighter. “Precisely.”

They settle into homework and lounging, Olivia feeling her shoulders and arms burn even with her double layer of SPF 100 rubbed on. People walk by, more often than not glancing their way, some with smiles and others with confused frowns. A lot of them say hello and greet Josie, who matches their excitement at every turn. Endless energy, endless kindness. At one point, a couple of players from Cullen and Cassandra’s soccer team walk by -- something that makes Olivia want to crinkle up like a raisin. If it wasn’t for Josie’s confidence encouraging her to remain as she is, she likely would. They gawk at her, one nodding as if he knows her, but they don’t engage. Olivia just pouts, spread out in her itty-bitty-gothic-bikini, her sunglasses providing ample cover.

“Josie!” a voice called from up the walkway, paired with a waving hand. Both women looked up, Liv’s heart skipping a beat. It’s no one she recognizes, though. Thankfully.

“Ah! Leliana, there you are.”

The woman is dressed like a European artist and jet-setter, really. A head of red hair in an asymmetrical bob, precision cut and shining in the sunlight. Her black blazer looks tailored, rolled up sleeves on her elbows. She walks like she owns the whole college but doesn’t want anyone to know. A subtle kind of boldness. Upperclassmen, at the very least. Grad student, maybe.

She’s holding folders to her chest. When she arrives in front of them, Josie stands and hugs her. So they were friends.

“I’ve brought the reports you wanted. I only had to slightly hack,” Leliana grins, handing them off to Josie. “Just slightly.”

“Ah, well, don’t worry. It should be public knowledge anyway.” Public knowledge? What on Earth were they uncovering? The location of the stolen Declaration of Independence?

Olivia watches and remains still, laying out on her chair and hoping to blend into it like camouflage. Unfortunately, when the hand-off is completed, Leliana’s lightly-colored eyes look past the SGA President and onto her companion behind her.

Nope, too pale. Always too pale. Makes her noticeable from space.

“And is this who I think it is?” she asks, like she already knows the answer and is just being nice.

Olivia’s brow twitches. “Depends on what informs your thinking, I would say,” she replies a bit curtly, her mouth getting ahead of her manners.

Leliana’s grin widens. “Blonde hair, blunt mouth, and bold style. Olivia Sinclair, we meet at last.”

What? The? Fuck?

Olivia stands at once, trying to make it look casual. She pulls at the drawstrings on either end of her bikini bottom piece and comes a bit closer.

“And who, might I ask, knows me so well?”

Josie makes room, now the mediating person between the two staring at each other. Of course, she is never one to be out of her element in odd social situations, and holds a hand out to the both of them.

“I cannot believe you two don’t know each other! Liv, Leliana takes classes in your major. Leliana, this is, indeed, Olivia.”

“Unfortunately, I don’t think we’ve had any classes with her, Josie, so I wouldn’t know.” Olivia does her best to go along with Josie’s pleasantries, but if her reputation precedes her as being bold and blunt, why not fit the bill?

“No, I’m afraid she’s right,” Leliana agrees, “I am more involved with the communications and international studies than poli sci. You?”

Olivia doesn’t miss a beat. “Governance, theory, and policy.” Reciting her major focus word for word, like she’s had to say so many times before.

“Mhm.” Leliana folds her arms, vindicated. “It’s nice to put a face to the name, though. You probably gathered the fact, but, I’ve heard about you.”

Olivia grows a bit colder under her skin, and she folds her arms to match her posture. “From who, exactly? Do you mean Josie?”

“From…” Leliana’s grin grows into a smile, “people I know, and know well. People whose recommendation I consider very...well, what would the word be?” she glances at Josie.

“Ah, esteemed, maybe?” Josie offers happily.

“Yes...esteemed, we’ll go with that.” Her eyes return to Olivia. “Like I said, it’s good to meet you. Now that I know you are also friends with Josie, I imagine we’ll see more of each other. I am the Honor Board Chair, and sitting in for the SGA Secretarial position as the previous person had to...resign, rather recently.”

“Oh?” Olivia replies, interested but also not. Even though she was a poli sci major, she had no interest in student government. Too ceremonial for her tastes. Obviously, though, some people did not agree.

“Yes,” Leliana snickered a bit, looking at Josie. “Well, student government drama as per usual,” she has a sudden burst of personability, shrugging and letting her arms fall and pat her sides. “I should get going. I have a review for my drawing class tomorrow and have made shit progress on it since yesterday. See ya, Josie. And you, Olivia.” She waves low and sees herself off back on the sidewalk path heading east, where the art buildings are.

In her wake, Olivia feels like she’s no longer in the direct eye of a hawk.

“Uh…” she relaxes, “Josie, you have interesting taste in friends.”

Josie giggles. “You know it. Leliana and I go way back, though. Back to first semester Model UN. She was a ruthless lobbyist. But she has a heart of gold, too. She’s a student Chaplain when she’s not being a superhero on Cabinet. I think you two would get along, she has a lot of of views you do.”

“Views? Like what?”

“You both want a different pie as opposed to a slice of it. I’ll just say that.” Josie gracefully steps over her lounge chair and seats herself back down, sighing with ease as she gets back to ‘business.’

“Huh,” Olivia gives in, and sits down as well. Crossing her straightened legs out and grabbing her textbook, her thoughts can’t let go of the knowing stare in Leliana’s green -- or were they blue? Anyway, they were eyes, and eyes that did not get distracted easy by the looks of them.

“So...you and Cassandra Pentaghast.” Josie returns the topic Liv had tried her hardest to let fall into irrelevance. 

Olivia flinches, huddling her book against her chest. “People can hear!”

Josie laughs and flutters her hand dismissively. “Oh, fine, fine. I just wish you would have mentioned it earlier. She and I run in similar circles, after all. I could have given you advice!”

“Advice on what? How to get tossed into the lake to sink or swim on accusation of witchcraft?” Olivia groans. It was such a pleasant afternoon for as long as it lasted. Now she’s back in her own personal circle of hell, talking about her.

“Agh, you’re so funny,” Josie giggles some more. “I would have told you where I’ve seen her, what seems to pique her fancy...or, in her case, doesn’t. Her family has investments in half the town’s commerce. They’re on boards for most every nonprofit entity: museums, parks, the art galleries…”

Art galleries. Art. Oh, shit.

Olivia slams her book shut and looks up. “Wait, shit, you don’t think she’ll be at the Board gala this weekend?!” she asks, but she has a hunch. She knows Cassandra well enough (regrettably) to infer such a schmoozing, elitist event would be the antithesis of a good Saturday night for her. Still, in Olivia’s desperate suspicion, nothing can go unchecked.

Josie is cool as a cucumber in comparison to her friend’s frazzled nerves. “I don’t think so. The soccer team has that game this weekend, I thought? I was supposed to show, but, my parents want me at the gala. Yvette’s painting is being exhibited there. Finally, all that art school tuition…” she starts, but stops the sentence and sighs, turning the page of her book. “Anyway, Cassandra is not the social butterfly her family might wish her to be. I hardly ever see her at events with our families, and when I do, she’s always keeping to the background and quick to leave.”

That is her. Olivia can almost quote her off of her memory: Events where nothing substantial is going on besides drinking and showing off money make me want to stick pins in my eyes. It made Olivia laugh, because in her own way, she agrees. Especially with everything her own family puts her through to make her shape up for who they think she should be. It was one of the many reasons why Olivia feels seen when she was in Cassandra’s company. Or, felt, as it was.

“It is kinda fascinating, though. I mean, Cassandra’s one of those women people wonder about...you know, who they...are attracted to,” she raises a brow, “but no one’s ever had the guts. It’s like a movie.”

It is like a movie, and it’s exhausting. “Well, if anything, I’ve likely just confirmed the conservative estimates. At least she won’t be there this weekend and I can keep getting space. I don’t want to worry about running into her. I have enough on my mind, emotionally preparing for my Mother’s bullshit.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t answer for her. Don’t you hate that when people try to do it for you?” Josephine doesn’t bother looking up from her reading, but she delivers honest criticism. It hits home. “And as for your Mom, you should just tell your you’ll go shopping with me. She loves me, does she not?”

“Hah! Yeah,” Olivia confirms, “I think if I told her you were my girlfriend, she’d lie and say she listened to Macklemore and had a come-to-Jesus moment. Shit, she’d probably start fundraising for the Human Rights Campaign.”

They both laugh, Josephine’s bubbly tone underpinned by Olivia’s lower, mischievous one.

“If only,” Josephine says through her laughter, “but hey, at least we can find something for you to wear that isn’t sequined, lace, and beige.”

“Ugh, please?!”

“I have my connections,” Josephine peers at her, and takes hold of her hydroflask, a large pansexual pride flag sticker pasted on it. Olivia chuckles and grabs her own canteen, which has a bisexual flag sticker on it to match. They clink them together, smile, and continue on with their strategic lounging.

“That never gets old,” Olivia sighs, picking back up on the paragraph she left off.

[bisexualstokes-archive]

Ten Across

Rating: General Audiences Word Count: 3468 Characters: Nick Stokes, Gil Grissom Summary: Nick has a last minute emergency at work, and asks Grissom to babysit his kids, Madison and Parker, who ask Grissom why their dad doesn't like ants. Notes: Something to make up for the angst-fest that was Hellbound.  GSR implied, Nick's partner is left up to the reader!

@hands-christian-handersen @deltajackdalton, this your fault specifically, @impossiblepluto, @altschmerzes, @dannilea, I just feel obligated to tag you three in any nick and grissom friendship fics I write.

Read it on A03

“Uncle Grissom’s here! Uncle Grissom’s here!” Madison screams, running down the stairs towards the front door. The six year old was clutching two books, one on grasshoppers and one on hummingbirds.

“Uncle Gil’s here? Awesome!” Parker shouts from the couch. The nine year old was too busy playing his video game to turn his head towards the door.

“Daddy, Uncle Grissom’s heeeeeeeere!”

“Yes, Maddie, I heard you the first time,” Nick laughs as he continues to multitask, writing down names and phone numbers, packing up his backpack, trying to adjust his tie. He rushes out of the kitchen, nearly knocking into his daughter and dog (who surely would have told him “Uncle Grissom is here,” if he could speak english) to open the door for his former boss.

Grissom must have heard Madison’s shouts, because he is smiling as Nick welcomes him in.

“Hey, Gris, thanks again, man, I know it’s...last minute,” Nick seems to linger on those two words, his brow furrowed as he keeps trying to adjust his tie.

“My pleasure, Nick,” Grissom replies as he pets Sam, the dog with one hand, while the other is pulled by Madison.

“Uncle Grissom, look at the books Daddy gave me! This one’s about hummingbirds, and this one is about grasshoppers--I mean, Acri--Acridim…”

“Acridomorpha. That’s very interesting, Maddie! I brought some books of my own, for you to look at, until bedtime, of course,” he added, winking at Nick. He pulls a book out on atlas beetles, showing it to Madison, who beams brightly.

“Beetles! Did you know that the lava is capable of biting?”

Nick laughs at Grissom’s look of bewilderment.

“That’s larvae, Mads!” Parker beckons from the couch. “Dad told you a million times, jeez! Hi, Uncle Gil!”

“Hello, Parker.”

“So my son gets to call you ‘Gil,’ but I don’t?” Nick pouts, waving Grissom into the kitchen. He pours himself a cup of coffee from a pot that’s still half-full. “Coffee?”

“Thank you. And yes, he does, he helps me with my crosswords.”

“Pfft, so did I...once or twice...I think. Anyway, here’s a list of emergency contacts, they both just had dinner--I gave them desert already so don’t let them tell you otherwise. Madison goes to bed at 8, Parker at 9. I shouldn’t be long, I’ll try to be back as soon as I can, I swear--”

“Nick, it’s okay, you know I love spending time with the kids.”

Nick smiles, patting Grissom on the shoulder before running out the back door.

“They love you to, you know. Maybe even more than me.”

“I highly doubt that, Nicky, my boy.”

Nick leaves, still grinning, and Grissom has a moment’s silence, before the energy of the house rises to a frenzy. Sam circles around with a toy in his mouth, begging Grissom to play with him. Madison is jumping up and down, reciting facts about all the books in Grissom’s briefcase. Nick’s birds are chirping, disturbed by all of the sudden noise. Parker turns the television up a bit louder, scoots himself closer to the screen.

The energy reminds him of the lab, the buzz of voices talking, people rushing through the small building. It also reminds him of a much younger, clean-shaven Nick Stokes, playing video games with Warrick Brown, excitedly talking about birds, cranking up the music playing in the DNA lab as he hangs around with Greg Sanders.

So, in a situation where he would suffer a migraine, he was smiling, because he expects nothing less from the Stokes residence.

The initial chaos dies down after a few minutes, and everyone is at peace until Madison’s lower lip begins to tremble, mid-rant about the parrot that was currently squawking in the corner of the room, and she falls silent.

“Maddie, what’s wrong?” Grissom asks softly, noticing the young girl’s sudden silence.

“I...I m-miss Daddy!” she begins to cry.

“Pfft, I don’t,” Parker mumbles.

“It’s okay, Madison, he’ll be home soon enough,” Grissom comforts her, shooting Parker a warning look. Parker gulps and falls silent, he’s got Nick’s anxiety Grissom briefly thinks. He places a hand on her shoulder, lifting her chin gently to look into his face. “When you wake up in the morning, he’ll be here.”

“P-promise?”

“I promise.”

“Okay…” she sniffles, but Grissom can sense that their promise offers little comfort. He glances towards his briefcase, noticing that only three of the five books were taken out and placed on the floor, before Madison got distracted by the bird.

“I think there’s some more books in my briefcase, if you wanted to take a look at them.”

Madison’s tears faded away, and she grinned. Grissom can’t help but see how much her smile reminds him of Nick’s. She gets up and runs back towards the case, and Grissom sits down on the couch, beckoning Nick’s dog to jump up on his lap.

Parker throws down the controller in frustration, running his hands through his hair.

“Ugh, I’m terrible at this game! I just died, again, and now I have to start all over!” he whines, beginning to pace around the room.

“Maybe a fresh start will help you see things in a different perspective,” Grissom told him. “Like a puzzle.”

Parker sighed, throwing himself next to Grissom on the couch.

“Yeah...or maybe I just need a break.”

Grissom dug out a piece of folded paper in his pocket, and handed it to Parker.

“Here, I brought this for you. I think it’s time you try it on your own.”

Parker unfolds it, it’s a crossword puzzle.

“You think I’m ready?” Parker asks him, his eyes shining bright. Determined eyes, just like Nick’s.

“I know you’re ready, Parker.”

Parker grins, and runs off to find a pencil. Grissom turns off the television, still stroking Sam with his right hand. There is peace for the next hour, bedtime is growing closer and closer. Parker seems to have moved to the kitchen table, Grissom can hear him reciting the clues, thinking out loud.

Madison, however, is suspiciously quiet, which Grissom knew wasn’t a good sign.

“Uncle Grissom!” she suddenly wheezes behind him, startling both him and the dog.

“Yes, Maddie?” Grissom asks in a slightly annoyed tone.

“Daddy’s never told me about this bug!”

Grissom’s heart sinks as he stares at the book Madison is holding up. It’s a book on fire ants.

“He doesn’t like ants at all, I don’t know why, I think they’re cute,” Madison keeps talking. Parker looks up from the table in the other room, and Grissom can’t help but see a younger Nick, a haunted look etched all over his face. Did Nick tell Parker what happened, why he doesn’t like fire ants?

“Sometimes one will crawl on me and I’ll talk to it, but then Daddy brushes it off me,” Madison keeps saying. Parker makes eye contact with Grissom for a moment, a worried look on his face, before he shakes it off and looks back at the puzzle.

“He told me they bite, but they never seem to bite me.”

“Hey, Maddie, I think it’s getting close to bedtime,” Grissom tells her, gently lifting the book of ants out of her hands. Madison pouts, but starts to walk up the stairs. Grissom follows behind her, standing awkwardly in the hallway as she brushes her teeth and changes into her pajamas in the bathroom. When she’s ready, Grissom guides her into her bedroom, and reads her a story about a woodpecker. She sits, listening very intently, but a yawn escapes her body as Grissom finishes the story.

“...the end.”

“Aw, can I have another story? Five more minutes, pleeeeeeease?”

“Remember our promise? The sooner you go to bed, the sooner you’ll get to see your Dad.”

“Fine. But..can I keep the fire ant book?”

Grissom thinks for a minute, torn between wanting to let this curious young girl learn more about a topic she is very interested in, but worries as to how Nick would react if he found out about it.

“I don’t think that would be a good idea, Maddie, because your dad really doesn’t like ants, but I’ll tell you what, the next time you’re at my house, you can read it all you want.”

Madison hugs Grissom’s waist, before hopping into bed, pulling the blanket over her.

“Can you put on the nightlight?” she asks in a worried whisper, as Grissom begins to walk out of the room. He smiles and obliges.

“Goodnight, Madison,” Grissom says to her, turning off the main light to the bedroom.

“Goodnight...Uncle...Cisco…” Madison breathes as she drifts off into dreamland.

Grissom walks back downstairs, where Parker is still sitting at the kitchen table, but the crossword is blank. He seems to be lost in thought, his eyes dark, his thick eyebrows furrowed. It’s a look Grissom knows all too well, one that is usually accompanied by the word “why,” spoken by another Stokes mouth.

“Penny for your thoughts?” Grissom asks the young boy. Parker looks up at him, licking his lips.

“Why doesn’t Dad like ants?” Parker asks.

“I...don’t think that’s for me to answer.”

“Why not? I’m nine years old, I’m not--I’m not a baby like Maddie!”

“Have you tried asking him?”

“I did, and he just gets...sad.”

“Your father will tell you when he’s ready.”

Parker huffed, crossing his arms, and clenched his jaw. Another look, that Grissom knew well.

“That’s not the only thing on your mind, though, is it?”

“He gets mad with me...a lot. Almost took my video games away yesterday.”

“Oh? What did you do?”

“Well, the first time, last week, I had gotten out of bed in the middle of the night, I was so close to beating this level that I just wanted to try, one more time, and he caught me sneaking through the house--I think I scared him, and...he had something behind his back though, and he wouldn’t show me. He always shows me what he’s doing, but instead, he just...told me to get my ‘ass’--oh, sorry, Uncle Gil--’butt’ back in bed.”

Grissom fills in the blanks of the story. Didn’t take a forensic investigator to realize, how worried Nick must have been, to hear someone walking through his house at night. He pictures a troubled Nick, gun drawn, walking cautiously through the halls, eyes fixated on the ceiling above him, before being startled by the young boy.

“The second time we were at the park, when Maddy was playing with the ants a-and he told us to stay away from them b-but I just wanted to look at them and I found the ant’s home and was playing around with it until he told us we were going home cause I wouldn’t listen, he didn’t yell but he just got...sad again, like he was...disappointed.”

“And the third time?”

Parker falls silent for a moment, and his lips begin to quiver, just as Madison’s did earlier. His eyes grow damp, and Grissom’s heart rate rises to a dangerously high amount, worrying about what he’s about to hear.

“Me and Mads were--were playin’ a-and I, I didn’t mean to hurt her, I suh-swear…” Parker begins to mumble, his voice shaky, his accent thickening. “We...we were playin cops n robbers and I was the cop and she was the robber, and I c-caught her, so I had to put her in jail and…”

He falls silent again, Grissom can sense the tremendous amount of guilt and shame from the young boy. He feels bad, allowing this innocent boy to relive an experience that has apparently caused him a lot of grief, but he knows that if he truly is Nick’s son, talking it out with Grissom would help him in the long run.

“I pushed her into th-that closet, over there!” he cries, pointing to the small closet in the living room area. The door is open, Grissom can see that it’s just barely enough standing space, not to mention all the coats and shoes littered inside.

“It was just part of the game, but it--she--it was so dark and she’s scared of the dark and she started yellin’ at me to let her out, an-and then she started screaming a-and Daddy came runnin’, threw the door open and yelled at me…”

Grissom’s mouth tightens to a frown, and reaches for Parker’s hand in an effort to comfort him. It seems to work, the boy’s tears stop and he sits up straight, wiping away his face with his free hand.

“He...He ‘pologized to me later, even let me stay up late that night to play my game...but...I thought I heard him cryin’ when I walked by his room on my way upstairs...Why won’t he tell me what’s wrong? Is-is it because he doesn’t like me?”

“Your dad...your dad’s been through a lot, Parker, I won’t lie to you,” Grissom sighs. He struggles to think of something to say, flipping back through flashcards of phrases to use when talking to the families of victims, but none of them seem to tell him how to address the son of one of his closest friends, who just wants answers to questions Grissom’s not authorized to answer.

“But he loves you, more than anything in this world, okay? You’ll never disappoint him, even if he gets angry with you sometimes. You know, he used to get angry with me sometimes, too.”

“He did?” Parker asks, his eyes wide in shock. He lets out a small giggle as Grissom nods.

“You just have to be...patient with him. He’ll tell you about the ants, when he’s ready.”

“You think so?”

“He told me,” Grissom replies, matter-of-factly. “You know what else he told me? That your Aunt Sara once got sprayed by...a skunk and she still smells really bad.”

Parker bursts out into a fit of giggles, and Grissom knows the hard part of his job is done. The easy part is giving Parker a special treat, chocolate covered grasshoppers. Helping him with the crossword, even though he claims he’s “got it” without Grissom’s help. Grissom educating him on some of the more complicated words, with Parker listening to him as if it was the most important lesson in his life.

The hour came and went, almost too quickly for either of their liking, but they only had a few more to go…

So Grissom lets him stay up, just “a few more minutes”...which was an hour ago.

“Okay, Parker, it’s time for bed, I let you stay up long enough.”

“Aw, but Uncle Gil, I got one more!”

Parker’s back is to the door, he doesn’t seem to notice as Sam runs to the door eagerly, scratching. Grissom can just barely see Nick’s smiling face on the other side of the door, gesturing for silence from Grissom with a finger on his lips as he gently opens the door. Grissom winks at him, as Parker continues to be undisturbed at the sudden commotion from the excited dog. Nick silently steps towards his son, crouching down and hovering next to him.

“Hmm...10 across, ‘what cows drink.’”

“That, my boy, would be ‘milk.’” Nick says, startling his son and making Grissom burst into laughter.

“Wha--Dad!” Parker blurts, nearly falling out of his chair. Nick joins Grissom in laughter, and Parker pushes him back playfully.

“That’s not the answer! It’s ‘water,’ cows produce milk!”

“Oh! Of course they do!” Nick exclaims, playing dumb to appease his son. He ruffles the kid’s hair. “Whoa, looks like you finished your first crossword! I’m so proud of you!”

Parker beams up at him brightly, as Nick lifts him up into a tight embrace. Grissom winks at Parker as Nick spins him around, making Parker giggle.

“But now, it’s time to go to bed, buddy,” Nick sighs as he sets his son back on the ground.

“Okay…” Parker mumbles, but runs around the table and gives Grissom a tight hug.

“Thank you, Uncle Gil.”

“Your welcome, Parker.”

Parker runs up the stairs, clutching the finished crossword puzzle, and Sam follows behind him. Nick sits down at the table, where Parker previously sat. He saw the small bag of chocolate covered grasshoppers, and smirks knowingly at Grissom before grabbing a handful.

“They weren’t too much trouble, I hope. Maddy’s been fighting bedtime, lately.”

“They were great, Nick, no trouble at all.”

“Parker’s been, uh...a handful lately.”

“So he told me.”

“Guilty conscience, just like his old man, huh?”

Grissom chuckles, and the two sit in silence for a few moments, before Nick takes off his glasses and rubs his eyes with his hands.

“Did he tell you about the closet thing?”

“Yeah,” Grissom sighs heavily. He suddenly feels a phantom pain in his shoulder, one he hasn’t felt in over a decade.

“Man, I was so...sometimes I wonder, you know, if I’m…if I’m not...messin’ them up somehow...”

“Nick,” Grissom begins sharply, trying to steer Nick away from any self-depreciation, before softening his tone. “Look, I know that I’m not the most...educated person on this subject matter, but for what it’s worth, I think you are an excellent father of two bright, wonderful children, who are proud to call you their father.”

Nick’s lips curl into a smile, and he sniffles.

“I’d say you know a lot, man, you basically were like our second dad, back in the day, you know? You gave us advice, you set us on the right path, you were so patient and...you listened.”

Both men sit in stunned silence, at the sudden realization of the true nature of their relationship, which had, until now, been solely unspoken. Nick clears his throat and gets up from the chair, awkwardly asking Grissom if he wanted anything to eat or drink, before Grissom mentions he needed to get going, because Sara should be coming back home any minute now.

Nick reaches his arm around Grissom’s shoulder, as Grissom sticks out his hand for a handshake, and they clash in a clumsy embrace.

“Thanks again, Gil!” Nick calls out to him as he walks off of the Stokes’ porch. Grissom looks back at him, shaking his head.

“No."

“Still?” Nick winces.

“Respect your elders, Nick.”

Nick laughs and watches as Grissom drives off. He does a sweep of the house, checking all the doors and windows before shutting off all the lights and heading upstairs. He checks in on Madison, surrounded by stuffed animals, he can see a smile in the faint glow of her night-light.

He checks in on Parker, who is doing a poor job of pretending he’s asleep, as Sam lays curled up at the foot of the bed. Nick enters the room, sits on the bed. He adjusts the blanket to cover his son’s body completely, and gently removes the comic book and flashlight from underneath his pillow.

“He still doesn’t like me calling him ‘Gil,’” he sighs to his son, whose eyes are shut tight, but Nick can see his ears twitch upward at the mention of his favorite uncle.

“I...I know I said it before, but I really am sorry for what happened yesterday. You didn’t know, what you were doing and, uh…”

He takes a deep breath, and strokes his son’s hair out of his face.

“It’s my job, you know, to catch bad guys, put them in jail but...sometimes...the bad guys win. We catch them, but it doesn’t take away the bad things they’ve done. Sometimes they get away with it, but the...things they do to hurt people, it doesn’t go away. And one day, when you’re older, I’ll tell you all about those times, where I….why I...But, it’s…”

Another deep breath, Sam whines slightly, placing his head on Nick’s lap.

“You know, I was nine years old, just like you are, waiting for my...mom to get home and I-I want you to know, Parker, no matter how angry or sad I get, I will never stop loving you, okay? You can always talk to me about anything you want.”

He places a soft kiss on his son’s forehead.

“I promise.”

He gets up and walks out of the room, wiping his eyes as he takes one last look at Parker, who, for all Nick knew, did genuinely fall asleep. He smiles in disbelief, what did he do to deserve these two little angels? He shuts the door gently behind him, leaving the flashlight and comic book on the ground, knowing that Parker will need them for his nightly adventures later. He’s completely unaware, of the four words spoken in a whisper from his son’s lips as he drifts off into a blissful dreamland.

“I love you, Dad.”