#Poor boy surrounded by childhood friends who like... TRY to include him but never really do outside a BL run-

[inkperch]

...the problem with writing any kind of novelisation of Fe3h is that as soon as one BL is recruited, half the available BLs are recruited by default unless you have a narrative contrivance ready and waiting-

[maddiwrites]

The Hybrid (Prologue)

Pairing: JJ x Reader

Summary: The Pogues rekindle their friendship with their old childhood best friend and JJ’s first crush, Y/N. Old feelings resurface for JJ and Y/N, possibly leading to a summer neither one of them could ever forget. Due to past trauma, Y/N is reluctant to let anyone into her heart, but JJ never backs down from a challenge, even if he knows it will come back to haunt him in the end.

Note: So happy to be back with another series!!! I honestly really missed posting. Unlike Secrets of the Shore, updates will be slower because I don’t have them all written out yet. A couple things I wanted to let you know before you read. I based Y/N’s family off of Gilmore Girls. I thought they were the perfect fit for this story and the show in general and I just love their dynamic. (Including Luke who I renamed Steve for obvious reasons). Chapter 1 will explain more obviously but I wanted to give you guys a little snippet of the characters and relationships. So let me know what y'all think!

Word Count: 3.3k

Outer Banks. Paradise on Earth. It's the sort of place where you either have two jobs or two houses. Two tribes, one island. As you know, the Outer Banks is essentially divided into two groups. If we want to be blunt - it’s the rich and the poor. Figure Eight is home to the rich. Aka the Kooks. With houses bigger than necessary with extra rooms that go untouched, boats the size of homes on the Cut - the other side of the island. Most people who live on Figure Eight are your naturally raised assholes. People who don’t know the value of a dollar and take advantage of people who do most of their dirty work that lets them prance around the island with perfectly manicured fingernails. These hard workers are the Pogues. They live on the south side of the island where most Kooks wouldn’t be found dead. They serve fancy meals at the country club for shitty tips, mow lawns, and work their asses off at any other job for minimum wage. The drastic difference in lifestyles tend to cause many spats and arguments between the two communities. Especially between the teenagers who still don’t know how to control their raging emotions or know when to bite back their tongue. For the Kooks, every fight is a fight for dominance where as the Pogues fight for equality - to put the Kooks in their place. Many of these fights happen at summer parties where the two groups clash to find a good time with their friends filled with alcohol, drugs, and good music.

That’s where they find themselves tonight. The infamous Pogues. John B, JJ, Kie, Pope, and now Sarah Cameron. Although born a natural Kook, she’s earned her spot next to the adventurous teens and her boyfriend. Unlike her brother Rafe who basically is the leader of his notorious group. Topper and Kelce are his best friends who follow him blindly.

The Pogues watch them from their spot surrounding the keg. Kie purses her lips in distaste as the boys cat call for the ladies around them. Somehow most of them finding it flattering. Sarah sips on her beer to hide her embarrassment, often wondering how she and her brother grew up to be so different. Pope and John B stay mostly disinterested, only worried if they try to make a pass at an unwilling girl or fire a degrading comment at their short tempered friend. JJ Maybank is known around the island for his trouble making behavior. Usually if he gets in trouble for fights, no one ever asks who the other people were in the scuffle. Because if JJ Maybank is in the fight, he’s the one who started it, right? Wrong. In fact, JJ usually is never the one to start it. He’s good at keeping his head down and only speaking when spoken to when it comes to the Kooks - the only form of advice worth taking from his father. But his short temper is something the Kooks his age loved to take advantage of because they liked getting a rise out of him. It was like an adrenaline rush.

Luckily, tonight both groups were keeping their distance, either only talking to each other or random Tourons that have found their way to the party. This is usually JJ’s favorite part of a boneyard party. Finding his one fish in a sea of many that he can reel in just for the night and never have to worry about seeing them again.

He has his eyes set on a beautiful blonde making her way to the bonfire when all of a sudden Kie’s voice pulls him out of his trance.

“What’s she doing here?”

JJ follows her line of vision, spotting you walking down the wooden steps that lead to the beach, pulling your best friend behind you by his wrist. He first notices your smile and how it brightens up your entire face. Then of course his eyes scan down your slim but athletically toned body. You’re wearing a pair of jean shorts and a cropped white T shirt that says UNC across the chest. Who knew someone could look so good without even trying?

Well JJ did. He’s known it for a while.

“Careful. I think you’re drooling,” John B whispers in his best friend’s ear.

JJ pushes him away and mutters, “Shut up. No I’m not.”

But maybe he was.

Y/N Y/L/N is a unique resident of the island. Unlike majority of the island, she doesn’t fall in either Kook or Pogue category. She’s what everyone calls the Hybrid.

People who work hard for what they have but haven’t fallen to be Pogue status. Quite literally living in the middle in a place they call the Crest.

Your story is well versed among the gossipers of the island (which tends to be just about everybody).  And mainly that’s because of who your grandparents are.  Claude and Doris Y/L/N. Two of the riches people on the island, living in a three story house on the beach. Many people fear them, others envy them. Most feel both. Even Ward Cameron walks on egg shells around them, which is quite often, considering he works for Claude. They’re the kind of people who have never heard of Barefoot wine or Walmart. They keep their noses up and turn a blind eye to the suffering communities around them. Thirty four years ago, Doris gave birth to a daughter that couldn’t be more opposite than them. Lorelai Y/L/N was a wild child. A rule breaker. She snuck out at nights, dated boys her parents would never approve of, dabbled in breaking the law here and there. It didn’t matter how many times her parents disciplined her. She always managed to make her parents’ life a living hell. 

No one was surprised when word got passed around that Lorelai had gotten pregnant at eighteen. Although it was with another Kook, she brought shame upon her family name when she refused to get an abortion, even when her mom tried dragging her by her hair. 

Lorelai risked everything by running away from her parents’ home in the middle of a windy night. With only one suitcase, the baby daddy out of the picture, and less than a grand in her pocket, she managed to make a life for herself on the South side of the island. She worked two jobs, found an affordable apartment for cheap rent, and managed to save some money before her babies were born.

Yes, babies. As in more than one. Five months after running away from home, she gave birth to twin girls and they instantly became her entire life. With the help of her best friend Steve, who she met one month after being on her own, meeting him at his automotive shop when she very much literally rolled her junky car into the garage, she raised you and your sister on the Cut. The two of you are her greatest accomplishment. Every now and then, she mentally throws up a middle finger to everybody who doubted her, proud of who the two of you have become. 

Right before you turned ten, your mom took a business risk and opened her own Cafe. The Bikini Beans cafe, very popular amongst both Kooks and Pogues. The business did so well that she was able to move the three of you out of your shitty apartment into a beautiful one story home with three bedrooms in between the Cut and Figure Eight, aka the Crest, the summer going into your freshman year.

You actually used to be best friends with John B Routledge, JJ Maybank, and Pope Heyward. It was easier being friends with them than the girls, finding more joy in sports and rough housing than makeup and gossip. 

Doing the same summer that you moved, your mom pulled you out of Kildare County High and placed you in Outer Banks Private Academy. Aka Kook Academy. Around this time, your grandparents had also become more involved in your life, and you wondered if they had somehow bribed your mom into forcing you to transfer schools. You tried asking her during one of your many fights that started with you begging her to keep you at Kildare County High, but she quickly shut you down and told you to be grateful. That was ironic coming from the woman who ran away from the people giving her an expensive high school career. 

You had no choice but to do what your grandparents wanted and attend Kook Academy. Making friends was a lot harder there than it was in Kildare County High. You managed to make one friend in your freshman year. Andre Cortez. Due to an incident a couple years back, you built thick walls and Andre was the only one able to break them down. You were grateful for your friendship, but hanging out with him was nothing like hanging out with the Pogues. 

When you transferred schools, you lost touch with the Pogues slowly. Your life became busy with school and playing dress up for your grandparents and the boys were starting to work. Eventually all contact was cut and ever since, you’ve felt a void in your heart.

“Look,” You tell Andre. “I told you I would be your wing woman and I’m not backing down from what could possibly be the most important role in my life.”

You didn’t notice the Pogues or any of the stares around you. It’s true you’re not much of a party girl. I mean, you’ll go out here and there, have a drink or two, but you felt more comfortable at places where you weren’t surrounded by drunk and horny teenagers. 

“He’s probably not even here,��� Andre says. He’s trying to look nonchalant but you notice the way his eyes dance from face to face of the people around him. 

“He told you he was going to be here, right?” You ask him with one brow raised. Andre nods. “Then, we’ll find him.”

Sarah and Kie never made any effort to talk to you at school, but to be fair, neither have you. You’ve heard mixed reviews, some people call them spoiled brats, ungrateful...some even go as far as calling them ‘The Cut Sluts.’ Of course you never take any of those things to heart. You can’t judge a book but it's cover. Plus, they’re friends with your old best friends. They can’t be that bad for John B and JJ and Pope to be hanging out with them, right?

“You think she'll come over here?” Kie asks. No one’s ever said it out loud, but her friends wonder if deep down, Kie was a little jealous of you. Because you were their first real girl friend. You were the first girl they ever let in and opened their heart too. That was a tough pill for Kie to swallow when she originally thought she was that girl. Of course the boys don’t like you any more than Kie and vice versa. But sometimes Kie wishes she could have grown up with the boys the same way you had. 

“Probably not. Unless she’s drinking,” Pope says and motions towards the keg they’re near. 

“I have an idea,” John B says and fills up a red solo cup. He hands it to JJ. “Why don’t you go offer her a cup.”

JJ snags the cup out of John B’s hand and glares at him. “Fuck off, dude.” 

“Do you guys ever see her around at school?” Pope asks the girls.

Sarah shrugs. “Not really. She doesn’t really get a long with my old group of friends.”

Kie rolls her eyes. “No one gets along with your old group of friends.”

Sarah playfully shoves Kie by the shoulder and they laugh. 

“I heard she turned down Raymond Easterling a couple weeks ago and he didn’t take it very well,” Pope says, remembering the words he heard from the kids in his class roaming the school hallways. 

Raymond goes to Kildcare County High with the Pogues. He’s known to be a trouble maker and a class clown. He works with JJ at the country club. The kid can make JJ laugh sometimes, but he wouldn’t necessarily say he likes him all that much. He can be an arrogant asshole with an ego bigger than it should be.

“She turns down everybody,” Sarah says. “Some people at my school call her ‘The Heart Sucker’ because she can pull people in with the snap of her fingers and break their heart just as quickly.”

Something stirred in the pit of JJ’s stomach.

“Hey! Where you going?” John B calls out to JJ who’s making his way deeper into the sea of people on the beach. 

“Taking advantage of a good boneyard party, my friend,” JJ calls back and slugs the rest of his beer. Looking left and right, he searches for the blonde he had eyes on earlier. Because right now, he needed a distraction. 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

The party starts to die down a little after midnight. Some people leave to find another party, some are passed out in the back of their cars, and others had already found what they were looking for - someone to leave with. 

The boneyard party wasn’t as bad as you expected it to be. You had found a couple of kids from your school who were nice enough to make small talk with you while Andre left to find a guy named Devon, a Touron he’s been talking to who’s renting for the entire summer. 

Now you’re waiting for Andre to come back so the two of you can walk home. You find comfort under a slanted palm tree towards the back of the beach, scrolling through random apps on your phone to pass the time.

“Y/N?” You look up from you phone and smile when you see your former best friend inching closer to you, squinting in the dark to see if it’s really you. 

“Maybank? What are you still doing here?” You stand up and pat the sand off your hands on you thighs. 

Your heart skips a beat in your chest when you look at him. He’s beautiful. Lucious blonde hair, perfectly tanned skin, piercing blue eyes. You always knew JJ was going to grow up to be gorgeous. He was cute when he was younger. At least you always thought so. 

“I was just leaving, but I thought I saw you sitting here and wanted to make sure you were all right.” He knows it’s not like you to stay this late at a party, especially all by yourself. When he first saw you sitting there, he didn’t know if he should say something. Mostly due to nerves of seeing you again. But the other Pogues had already left and he didn’t trust anyone else at the party to be near you alone late at night. It didn’t matter if you were sober or not. 

“Aw. Was JJ Maybank worried about me?” You tease. Talking to him felt easy. As if you never stopped being friends. A few years ago, you and JJ had the best banter. Despite constantly bickering back and forth, John B always swore the two of you would get married one day. The two of you just always clicked like a natural connection. And even now, when only seeing each other every now and then for a few minutes at a time, it felt normal. You smirk when JJ rolls his eyes. “I’m kidding. Yeah, I’m okay. Just waiting for my friend to come back from his little rendezvous,” You say. 

JJ nods. “Did you have a good time? I feel like I never you see at these things.”

“Yeah. Parties aren’t really my thing. But Andre was nervous to meet this guy he’s been talking to for a little while so I came for moral support.”

“Looks like he didn’t need much of the support.”

You shrug. “It’s better that way, anyway. I don’t mind waiting for him. What about you?”

“What about me?” 

“Did you have a good time tonight? I hear your quite the ladies’ man at these things.”

“Come on, Sparky. You know better than to believe everything you hear.”

Your face lights up at the mention of your old nickname. You use to always be busting out the seams with energy. On days where the boys just wanted to chill and play video games, you would drag them to the park for a game of kick ball. Or when they wanted to sleep in after a long week, you showed up at 8 am to drag them out of bed to catch the morning waves. So one day JJ started calling you Sparky, and it stuck with the rest of your little gang. You always pretended to hate it, but secretly you loved it. 

“Oh I don’t believe everything I hear. I do, however, believe what I see. And your arm around that tall blonde in the little black dress looked quite convincing.”

You first saw JJ at the party when he was making his way to the pretty girl by the water. Your teeth involuntarily clenched and there was a twisted feeling in your stomach you couldn’t shake whenever you looked at them. 

In that instant, JJ felt grateful for the dark sky. He felt the rush of heat rise up his neck to his cheeks before he could stop it. He knew the motivation to see that girl was because of you. He just wished you never saw it. But he didn’t know why. 

“I walked her home. She wasn’t my type,” JJ plays it off. 

“I didn’t realize you had a type,” You giggle, but a small part felt relieved to hear this. “So what is it? Your type?”

Hybrids with a Pogue attitude, bright smile, beautiful eyes, and a mouth that could make any sailor turn around, JJ thought. 

“I don’t know. Haven’t figured it out yet.”

You roll your eyes playfully. “Well, when you figure it out let me know.”

“Why? So you can transform into my ideal girl?” He teases.

Now you’re the one thankful for the dark sky. “In your dreams, Maybank. But so far, I do have the perfect wing-woman track record, so if you needed help -”

“I don’t think I need any help in that department. Thank you very much.”

You throw your hands up in fake surrender. “Ooo. Touchy subject.”

JJ rolls his eyes at the same time your phone pings with a text message. You pull it out of your shorts pocket and open the text from Andre, telling you to leave without him because he’s gonna stay out late with Devon and won’t know what time he’s going to be done.

“Everything all right?” JJ says, watching you read the message.

You lock your phone and stuff it in your back pocket again. “Like I said. Perfect wing-woman track record.”

“That was Andre?” 

“Yeah. He’s most likely not coming home tonight.”

“Lucky bastard.”

“At least one of us is,” You joke. 

JJ’s grin slightly falters but you don’t catch it. You have no idea how much he wishes the two of you could be equally as lucky. Together. 

“Well, I should probably go,” You say and bend down to grab your flip flops.

“Let me walk you home,” JJ offers. 

“Oh no. It’s okay -”

“You’re cute. It’s wasn’t up for debate. I’m not letting you walk back by yourself.”

You scoff lightly. “I’ll be fine.”

“Just humor me.”

You roll your eyes and smirk but choose not to argue. In fact, you’re excited to spend more time with JJ. It’s been so long.

“Fine.”

“And here I thought you might’ve grown out of your stubborn phase by now.”

You shove him playfully by the shoulder. “Shut up!”

And just like that, it felt like old times.

[sluttbuttsstuff]

La Squadra Backstory Headcanons Part 1 (GHIACCHIO AND MELONE

Since we’re probably never going to get any straight answers on their backstory, i’m writing my own for them.  Obviously, none of this is canon and guesswork

WARNINGS: none really, aside from dark themes 

GHIACCHIO:  

Came from a very large and very poor family, the youngest of many children.  

As a result, he was the last to get anything-last to get fed, last to get clothed, last to get attention.

He didn’t get the proper care he truly needed, so he had to fight and take what he really needed, or he would have to make do without.

He’s always had awful eyesight, but it wasn’t until stealing a classmate’s glasses that happened to be exactly what Ghiacchio needed, he fought the kid for them and gave him a black eye

“There, now you can’t even use them, they’re better off with me!”

Despite getting into a lot of fights, School was actually something of a sanctuary for Ghiaccio.  

He got the attention he needed, he was able to get free food through the lunch program, and excelled in several sports activities and physical Ed.

During middle school, under encouragement of a favorite teacher of his, he dedicated himself to his studies, and enrolled in as many extra curricular activities as he could stomach.

With his impressive physical fitness, natural intelligence, and a little anger management, his teacher convinced him he could get into a good college with a full scholarship that he wouldn’t otherwise be able to get into

Ghiacchio wasn’t always as loud, angry and violent as he was in La Squadra, but he did have issues with anger management, an inferiority complex, and a self-sabotaging need to always be right.  

But his teacher, now his mentor, never gave up on him.  He took Ghiaccio to therapy, gave him a shoulder to lean on, and served as the support he never got from his parents or siblings.

His family had no interest or desire to get involved with his life, or offer any support or encouragement.

School was tough- it was extremely stressful and he was pushing himself to his limits.  He had very little sleep, had to maintain a 4.0 grade average, but despite it all, Ghiacchio was very happy.

His mentor was like a father figure to him, without him, Ghiacchio wouldn’t have been able to get as far as he did.

And then the worst happened.

His mentor died naturally, of a heart attack, he was an older gentleman with a history of heart disease in his family.

It still broke Ghiaccio.

He skipped school for the first time in years to attend his funeral, and ended up getting in a fight with one of his teachers at school the next day.

Ghiacchio and his teacher argued over the correct pronunciation of a word, but really Ghiacchio was angry at his teachers and school-hell, the WORLD- that no one else had been at his mentor’s funeral.  He felt like no one cared about his mentor, and that included him.  

He broke the teacher’s nose, as well as several other bruises and nearly gave him a concussion.

Obviously, he was expelled from school after that, and sent to a juvenile prison.  He was able to finish high school in juvie, but no university or sports team wanted to sponsor him or offer him a scholarship. 

 It is his greatest regret, not being able to get the scholarship he and his mentor worked so hard for

But at the same time, he doesn’t regret attacking his other teacher and leaving school; he couldn’t stand by and let his mentor’s memory be forgotten, besmirched.

He would be picked up by Passione through the juvie system, he kept getting into petty fights with others and managed to impress some soldatos into offering him initiation.

I like to think that his strict grammar pet peeve stems from his mentor, who taught italian grammar and literature studies, and as a result was especially strict with teaching Ghiacchio proper italian.

The ice theme for his stand?  Yeah, it’s funny because he’s a hot head, but i think it’s his stand, as an extension of his mentor’s teachings trying to literally “Cool” him down.  He has to use a lot of focus to use White Album properly, just like how his studies and athletics would distract him from his own mental health issues.

At least, this is just what I think lol

MELONE:

Hoo-boy, this kiddo has to have had some serious  family issues

His father was the head doctor at the most prestigious fertility clinic in Italy

(He was also secretly into eugenics, and lots of other nasty stuff, but let’s get into that later)

He was so successful, he had even cured his own wife’s infertility

At least, that’s what he had everyone believe

Secretly, Melone’s father had had an extramarital affair with his secretary, who became pregnant and had Melone.

Under extreme threats and blackmail, Melone’s father managed to take Melone away from his biological mother, and convince his wife to raise Melone as her own.

Needless to say, Melone’s father was a very bad, manipulative man

Despite this, his wife had always wanted a child, and actually loved him and cared for him deeply, and Melone became her child as much as his biological mother

Melone’s father was very strict and had high expectations of Melone from a young age.

Melone had private tutors, a personal chef and nutrition plan, and even a physical fitness teacher who would regularly exercise him.

Melone had no other siblings, surprisingly, despite his father’s obsession with eugenics and breeding.  

His father must have been afraid of the possible scandal that would arise from an affair or divorce (italy is still a heavily catholic country after all) and his wife, Melone’s “adoptive” mother was still barren,

Since Melone was an only child, home schooled and surrounded by paid lackeys of his father, he was very lonely.  

His mother was his one and only real friend in his life.  She would sneak him dessert snacks, read him fairytale stories if he got tired of his textbooks, and even played games like jump rope and hide and seek with him.

The entire reason his “Adoptive” mother had married his father in the first place was because it had been her lifelong dream to have children, and she was determined to give Melone all the love his father couldn’t and wouldn’t.

And that was life for a long time- it wasn’t the best childhood but Melone couldn’t really complain.  His father kind of scared him, but at the same time he earned Melone’s respect.  

Melone was interested in Biology, and learning about genetics like his father.

And when the stress of living up to his father, and his own, expectations became too hard, he could always run to his mother.

Then, Melone’s biological mother found him

Melone’s biological mother had never really gotten over losing her only child, and despite the monthly salary and isolated home she had received for her silence, she couldn’t forget about Melone.  

It started innocuously enough, clipping out pictures she saw of him and his father from the clinic’s advertisement brochures, watching him from afar play at the beach with his mother on vacation.  

But it wasn’t enough- she couldn’t just GIVE UP her child.

She started to stalk him, taking photos of him playing in his backyard, going through the garbage to find old school projects and tests in the trash can.  She would try to sneak into the house, bribing guards and getting in fights with the tutors trying to get into Melone’s home.  

Melone didn’t know the whole story between his parents and this “Surrogate” (he had been sworn to secrecy by his mother, knowing it was important to tell adopted children early on or risk causing severe trauma later in life)  but he knew his parents were becoming more and more stressed out.

One day, it came to a head, and Melone’s biological mother successfully was able to meet Melone.  

Melone was a little afraid at first, but his other mommy was so nice to him, and gave him lots of hugs and love like his other mom and played with him at the park.  

They actually had a really fun time together, and it had a lasting impact on Melone for the rest of his life.

But all good things have to end, and for the first time in his young life, Melone was confronted with death.  

Eventually, Melone’s bodyguards (his father had employed some after finding out about Melone's biological mother stalking him) caught up to them, and Melone and his mother tried to escape.  

Melone’s other mother was with the bodyguards,and when Melone saw her, he was unsure of what to do.

He loved both of his mothers, he wanted to stay with both of them, why were they making him choose?

Under His father’s orders The bodyguards, who Melone later found out were associated with passione, shot his biological mother.  Terrified Melone would be shot as well, his adoptive mother dove in front of him to protect him from the bullets.

Both of his mothers were shot, his father had ordered them to kill the bio mother no matter what, even if Melone got shot.  Apparently, MElone’s father would rather risk his son’s life than let his bio mother escape with them and risk the scandal.  Knowing this, his adoptive mother was shot and killed protecting him.  

On that day, Melone lost both of his mothers, the most important people in his life, all because of his father.  

It took a long time for Melone to process what happened-his father didn’t help things either.  He was just as cold and clinical with Melone as ever, and with no one who truly cared about him in his life, Melone withdrew more and more into himself and his studies.

He was civil with his father, and maintained his studies and health, until he officially turned 18.  

After years of planning, he poisoned his father in his sleep and killed him.

The Police were never able to press charges or find any evidence on him, but Passione noticed, and saw potential in him.  

They gave him an ultimatum, pass initiation and join their ranks, or get turned into the police by passione and get his inheritance stolen by the gang.

Without much of a choice, Melone agrees, and finds he actually likes life in la squadra

It goes without saying, his mothers were a huge influence in both his life and his stand.

Both of his mother’s lives were so sad and lonely because they couldn’t have a child.  

He desperately wishes he could have used Baby Face on his mothers, either not realizing or not caring about the implications.

Despite his mother’s best efforts, Melone never really had proper social interaction as a child, and it seriously screwed him over in life, even interacting with la squadra. 

 He’s read up on how to behave in public, social psychology, but it's not the same as learning as a child

It’s easier to learn those things as a child, which is why he makes sure to spend at least a little time with each Baby Face on how to behave and treat others; at least they can succeed where he couldn’t.

It’s also why he can’t control himself around women- he thinks he’s genuinely helping them by giving them children or getting them pregnant.

He’s giving them what his own mothers couldn’t

And you can BET he takes his role as father VERY seriously- you saw how he taught and trained Baby Face in canon.  He’s intense, but he’s also a lot more loving than his own dad was.

I’ll admit, this backstory is a little bit “Soap Opera” but I think it still fits him

[postmodernmulticoloredcloak]

The Rooster Sunrise motel and the roots of the narrative at the sunset of the story. A masterclass in Dean characterization

If I didn’t care / more than words can say / if I didn’t care / would I feel this way? / If this isn’t love / then why do I thrill? / And what makes my head go round...

This song plays as Travis comes in to check at the Rooster Sunrise motel - late in the night, later than the motel technically allows checks in. Metaphorically, this episode happens later than it should. Everything happens later than it should. Dean defeats the monster too late, after it gets Travis dead. They’re running a case when they should actually be preparing for the ultimate showdown against God. Dean tells Sam the truth about Jack too late. The very episode is “out of place” in the season - I mean, purposely so - because it gives us a “old style” hunting case in a season where hunting has lost its original purpose in the narrative but has taken a different purpose, as a sort of caricature of itself, as we’ve discussed about before.

This episode is a last. Okay, we haven’t seen the next few yet, but this episode has a specific function, and it is to be the last traditional hunting case of the show. It’s about the past, and that’s why it can happen now that hunting can no longer exist, not really. This season, we have never had real hunting cases. Fake ones, weird ones, ones that just felt off -- obviously because the story is no longer working the way it did before. Chuck’s “hamster wheel” has been fully revealed, and the narrative can no longer function in the old way.

And this episode happens as... a sunset, actually. Or better, both sunrise and sunset because it shows us, in parallel, the beginning and the end. The first case Dean and Sam work together, and what is essentially the last, at least the last with the traditional formula - a monster of the week, a motel, a gross place, a civilian saved, some choking, some yeeting across a motel room, you know how it goes.

(The elephant in the room is the sun/sunrise imagery across the show, especially relevant after the latest episode brought back the Gas’n’Sip logo, of course, but let’s talk about something else here.)

There are many echoes in the episode. 2x11 Playthings, a case in a hotel that involved children. 11x16 Safe House, where a case was run both in the past, by Bobby and Rufus, and in the present, and involves a monster’s nest and visions. Of course 1x18 Something Wicked, where they defeat a monster that targeted kids after an attempt when they were kids had failed to get rid of the monster for good, and where we also get flashbacks of them as kids. And many other little references and callbacks. A pretty major one (*rubs hands together*) is 10x19 The Werther Project, where something supernatural causes hallucinations that make the victim kill themselves; Dean also almost stabbed himself back then. (Cuthbert Sinclair again... bless.) Oh, well, the pilot itself, where Dean and Sam comment that they make a good team. And then Carver-era secret and lies, of course.

And 14x13 Lebanon. (Yes it gets its own paragraph...) Dean smashing the stone in the ring, making the monster disappear, parallels straight to Sam smashing the pearl, making John disappear. The other monster of the episode is John, of course, who drops the kids in some motel alone while he gets “out of reach” when Dean tries to contact him on the phone (callback to season 1, when they kept trying to call John on the phone and he never answered, not even when Dean was dying or they were in their old house in Lawrence and terrified). John only appears as an invisible figure driving the car, symbolically driving their lives (all this “killing God and getting free” is nothing but a mirror to getting free from John’s influence, right). Callback to 9x07 Bad Boys, where we also see a younger Dean and we also deal with the weight of the lifestyle John placed on him, in an episode that features a literal ghost of a parent. (Heck, we even had Dean stealing food - in 9x07 he was caught by a policeman and brought to the boys’ house, now Caitlin jokes about arresting him.)

As 1x18 Something Wicked, we are presented with how growing up among monsters and hunting cases impacted Dean as a kid. Interestingly, Sam tries to reassure Dean in both episodes, telling him that he was just a kid and he shouldn’t be too hard on himself. In 1x18 he had ruined John’s hunt and put Sam in danger (of course the implication is that John put them in danger by using them as bait and expecting a child - addditionally unaware of what was going on - to watch after a younger child), now that he didn’t tell anyone about the nest because it was too horrifying to share that with other kids (of course, he’d also been a kid and shouldn’t have had to investigate a child-killing monster, so the implication is again that John shouldn’t have left them alone and unable to reach him in case of danger. It’s so telling that the episode has Dean discovering the bodies of dead kids while Sam is playing with another kid - although, of course, the game also turns terrifying soon).

So it’s an episode that has it all: the ghost of John Winchester, the way Dean’s parentified role impacts negatively his relationship with Sam (the episode establishes a connection between Dean shielding Sam from the horror of the monster’s nest and Dean essentially shielding Sam from the horror of the latest Jack news, it’s always about Dean feeling the weight of a responsibility to Sam because he’s Sam’s caretaker, even if he ostensibily mentions Billie’s plan and stuff as the reason of his silence), and of course the theme of FEAR.

I’ve been screaming this from rooftops pretty much since I’ve been here on tumblr - fear is the interpretative key to Dean’s character. Since season 1. Since the beginning. (You’re scared. It’s okay. I understand. See, when I was your age, I saw something real bad happen to my mom, and I was scared, too.) Many posts have been written about how anger is a secondary emotion, when the narrative ostensibly had Dean be “angry”. Dean has dealt with fear almost his entire life, and this episode basically works as an asterisk to the season. Hey, we’re having everyone comment on Dean’s anger! Including Dean himself! He says he doesn��t know why he has these outbursts! Well, we do know. Little reminder here now... he’s scared. And he’s scared because he cares, because he loves so much, and when you keep losing what you love you are scared, scared of losing more and more, stuck in a hamster wheel of losing and losing and losing.

In fact, if losing Jack will stop the hamster wheel, he’s fine with it, because as long as they’re stuck in the wheel they’ll lose Jack again anyway, they keep losing everything over and over, Jack and Cas and everyone. In this episode he mentions funerals of hunters, friends, how they couldn’t even attend all the funerals of people they were close to. There were so many. They’ve always been so surrounded by horror and fear and death. He just wants it to stop. (Of course the plan cannot work, just like the immersion therapy method didn’t work for Travis. Well, poor Travis’ idea of facing his fears to overcome his trauma worked very well on paper, just like Billie’s plan seems to be the best option on paper, but we still have a few episodes still to see...)

This episode is an exploration of the motives of Dean’s behavior, and it spells them out very clearly. John’s abuse and neglect, the forced parentified role he had to take towards Sam since a too-early age, the nightmarish horrors he had to see (while shielding Sam from, which reminds me of the infamous scene about Max’s childhood...), the neverending chain of losses with its baggage of fear.

Dean wants - needs - to defeat Chuck, just like Travis needed to face his fears and overcome his trauma. Because Chuck means hamster wheel. And the hamster wheel isn’t just a theoretical lack-of-free-will thing. It’s not just about a philosophical/theological concept. It’s about the very real cycle of horror and fear and loss that Dean has spent his entire life in. It’s about a pile of dead children, both a metaphor for his brutally ended childhood and a very concrete example of what has been haunting him for so long.

His apparently “okayness” with Billie’s plan is not out of a revenge thing or lack of forgiveness towards Jack (of course we can add millions of words about Dean’s relationship with Death). His okayness with killing Amara is... well, only partly about punishing her for, as he sees it, toying with him. His anger is because he feels so much. If I didn’t care / more than words can say / if I didn’t care / would I feel this way?

[okaywitheverything]

World’s Worst Best Men: Itachi x Wife!Reader

A/n: I'm not writing a summary but I have a feeling you'll like this one. Not so much romance as usual, but it is fun and I’m proud of it. 

Pairing: Itachi x Wife!Reader, Platonic Sasuke x Reader

Word Count: 1.7K

Here’s the dress I imagine wearing. Though, your imagination is key.

                                  ♤♤♤♤♤♤♤♤♤♤♤♤♤♤♤♤♤♤♤♤♤♤♤♤

Uchiha weddings were nothing, if not extravagant and over the top, you should know, you have had one for yourself.

Standing beside your husband of three years, the prodigy, Itachi Uchiha, you couldn't have been happier. Sasuke was getting married and you and Itachi had the most triumphant grins on your faces, both beaming gleefully.

You and Itachi had been childhood bestfriends but didn't start dating dating until late teen years. So naturally Sasuke had been an important person in your life, an amazing boy whom you had watched grow up.

The wedding had been a blast, everyone enjoying themselves to the fullest. Asuma and Kurenai were dancing along with their son in a group with Kakashi and Gai. Kakashi drunk dancing was really a sight for sore eyes.

Genma was at the bar, really vibing with one of Sakura's distant aunts while Iruka was being paired up with one of Hinata's quiet aunts by Naruto.

Minato and Kushina were standing alongside Fugake and Mikoto drinking champagne and feeling proud.Smiles of genuine happiness were on each of their faces as they felt their life goals had been achieved.

Of course all the boys were dancing alongside the Jounins' group with Sasuke in between surrounded by a wild Naruto, drunk Kiba, flustered Lee and other friends of the like.

The girls were in their own group with the bride in between surrounded by perfectionist Ino, jovial Tenten, inebriated Temari, bewildered Hinata and likewise. Ino kept straightening the flowers in the newlywed girl's hair.

This was all you could ever ask for someone as important to you as Sasuke. You, someone who never cried, almost shed a tear when Sauske said his vows. The fact he found love in his life made you really grateful to God.

After all the guest tired themselves out by uncoordinated and off beat dancing, it was time for the best man's speech or in this case, best men.

Naruto and Itachi were the two best men as they both mean the world to Sasuke. His best friend and his elder brother.

With a champagne flute in hand, Naruto started, "Putting our rivalry aside for one day, I would go so far as to call you-, this is only a once in a lifetime privilege remember Teme," He referred to Sasuke getting off track his speech, "-my best friend. Who would have thought you would get married? Howbeit to a girl?"

Everybody laughed, silently agreeing with Naruto. The atmosphere of the wedding hall was bright, beautiful and cheery. The exuberant and buoyant gathering listened with real enthusiasm.

"I don't have anything against you marrying a guy, honestly because all of us expected you to, after you broke a lot of poor girls' hearts."

Sasuke seemed really shocked at this, even his mouth fell open with widened eyes while everyone once again silently agreed. Sasuke's shock told you that he actually had never heard about this rumor before. 

God, he was a really oblivious kid.

"I know, Dobe," Naruto said referring to Sasuke's surprised expression, "I was that shocked too, when I came to know they shipped you with me nonetheless, because that was something even I wasn't aware of." Naruto and Sauke both made disgusted faces, as if on cue. The look of terror on Sasuke’s face might have led people to believe it was the most sinister thought ever.

But they did look cute together.

"But I guess they say, you aren't really best friends if they don't confuse you as homosexuals." Naruto let out a beaming grin while Sasuke gave a crooked smile. Everyone inwardly cooed at the pure expressions.

"However, there is one female I remember you crushing on, the only one in the entirety of our lives."

Sasuke had a look of horror on this face as he shook his head 'no' immediately, trying to get Naruto to shut up, specks of red in his eyes as he threatened to activate his 'Sharingan'.

"I remember you being all flustered and look at (Y/N) with heart eyes.”

Naruto's grin widened, showing his pearly whites, clearly content with Sasuke's reaction. 

Your name caught you off-guard and you were in absolute shock. People turned around to give you a not-so-subtle glance but you didn’t care. You always thought Sasuke was a shy and quiet kid who liked to keep to himself. Mikoto let out a cheer while Fugaku smiled. Itachi let out a deep-throated chuckle from beside you which caused you to turn to him, “You knew about this?”

He silently nodded with a smile on his face and you carried on, “And never even mentioned it to me? Would it have killed you to do so?”

“It wasn’t any of my business. Also, it was pretty funny.”

You lightly hit his arm and retorted, “Oh God, I don’t even know who I got married to!”

A smile still broke out on your face as you turned to Naruto once again.

“I remember once Kiba and I were hanging out and we heard a really high pitched shriek from the forest. We ran all the way inside thinking someone was in danger but it turned out to be Sasuke squealing beacuse it was (Y/N)’s birthday and she gave him a kiss on the cheek for some gift he gave her. I swear our ears started bleeding. He was so red that we thought all the tomatoes he ate finally caught up to him.”

You blinked twice, your expression blank. Then a coy smile made its way to your face. You looked over to find Sasuke as red as a cherry, not even meeting your eyes. He was definitely praying to God that looks could kill, so that Naruto would drop dead.

“I remember that back in the academy, he never let any of us touch his hair because (Y/N) ruffled it while dropping him off. So he would sit through the lessons looking like he just woke up.”

All his classmates snickered at that, recalling the fond memory, while you were amused. It was so hilarious to see such a stoic person so flabberghasted. 

“The most interesting incident that came out of all this was, and I’m totally risking my life by telling you all this. Sasuke would kill me if I even narrate it to anyone, rather announce it on the microphone at his wedding, but your best friend gets married only once. Well hopefully. If I turn up dead by the coming of dawn, it was Sasuke Uchiha everyone.”

Everyone laughed along once again while half of the people were on the edge of their seats thinking what it could possibly be. Sasuke had a puzzled expression on his face, anticipating and fearing what Naruto had up his sleeve.

“Anyways, one when we were high........ I mean drunk, he confessed of a secret love letter he wrote to (Y/N) as a tween but never sent it.”

Your eyes widened as you let out an audible gasp while the room buzzed with chortles and sniggers. Your brother-in-law crushing on you wasn’t necessary negative news but the whole event had overwhelmed you that you could not contemplate even your reaction.

Apparently, you were the only one to be surprised as all the other guests smiled knowingly and cackled. You glanced over to find Sasuke so scarlet that you wondered if the sharingan had spread to his face given that his kekkei genkai was active now.

Itachi chuckled again seeing your reaction and put an arm around your shoulder while gently squeezing. You turned to him and finaly let out a chuckle yourself, eyes still widened in disbelief.

“Am I dreaming?” you asked and shook your head.

“Seriously though, have I been that oblivious Itachi? How could I not notice this while everyone here recalls it as some keen memory?” You held your head with one hand, leaning furthermore into itachi. Your eyes flickered to see Sasuke’s eyes, boring apologetically into your own. 

One look at his chiseled face told you of his anxiety and concern. The small frown on his face saddened your heart.

Does he think I hate him? Poor baby, NO!

You weren’t offened, flattered if anything. But the spontaneity of the situation rendered you speechless.

You gave him the best smile you could muster, wiggling your eyebrows at him and blowing him a kiss from your cherry lips, and grinning again.

He visibly relaxed, shoulders now less taut, jaw a bit slackened though his face remained painted in scarlet hues. Seeing him calm down, you winked at him and turned to Naruto again, anticipating his next words.

“My only regret tonight is that I couldn’t find that letter even inside his personal diary or his deep closet. I swear it was there the last time! No worries, hope you found this speech of mine, entertaining as it is. One last toast to Sasuke though, for his new life ahead. Cheers.” 

Sasuke cooled down with each passing word, smirking triumphantly when he realised he won’t be shred of his remaining dignity anymore.

Everyone toasted together, drinking huge mouthfuls of their wines, rejoicing in Naruto’s words for Sasuke.

Itachi kissed your temple, and left you while moving to the centre of the stage, where Naruto was.

“If I may?” He asked as Naruto passed him the microphone.

“I’d like to say how proud of my baby brother to have come this far in life, as a great shinobi, an excellent son, a marvelous friend and a terific human overall.”

Everone clapped vigourously including you, while all his classmates hollered and hooted. A faint blush adorned Sasuke’s cheeks as he visibly pouted on being call ‘baby bro’.

“And I was about to give a half an hour long speech, but my wee brother’s best friend, Naruto just stole all my content. So much for the tales.” Itachi playfully sighed, all the specatators buzzed with laughter while Sasuke deadpanned.

Well, he wont forget his wedding day ever now. Everyone is dead set on embarrassing him.

“However, I do have something Naruto didn’t have.”

Everyone stilled, waiting with anticipation of what was about to come, including you. Itachi refused to rehearse his best man speech with you because he wanted to write a speech for Sasuke on his own, heartfelt and everything.

He reached inside his tuxedo’s jacket and took out an old cramped paper, yellowing a bit and you raised your eyebrows, questioningly.

Sasuke gulped.

“I have the love letter, everyone!”

Oh Wow.

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

A/N: If you reading this, atleast you made it till the end. Thank you.

So that was that. It was some scenario I just thought about. A bit of a cliffhanger, I haven’t thought about a follow up part 2, but we’ll see if that’s what you want.

Thanks for the love you gave me on my first post, we reached 200 if you count the separate posts I made by mistake. This inspires me to write. Remember, requests are OPEN so feel free to hit my asks page. 

[amazingorangedangantrash]

Do you have any headcanons for Makoto interacting with class 77??

oh bOY DO I-

Makoto interacting with class 77

(AH i started typing out his interaction with the remnants + post sdr2, but then I thought maybe you meant something more like the literal class + their school days/pre-despair? so here's that, sorry if it's not what you meant-)

(Also I got a bit excited and this ended up being less so headcanons and more like- how Makoto befriended the entirety of Class 77-B and then some, and because it’s long af, I decided to put it under the cut for the sake of both mine and your sanity, anon)

Makoto Naegi and class 77 (and Hajime Hinata because I just want to include him ok-)

• Chiaki Nanami- honestly I think him and Chiaki would get along well. She wants to make friends, and he's extremely good at it- I can imagine him walking up to her one day whilst she's alone and shyly asking if she'd want some company. I think he'd probably be a big help in her trying to befriend the rest of her class, and I think she'd probably come to him for advice/to complain. She'd probably look up to his outgoing and extroverted nature, and try to apply that to herself. He probably gives her some suggestions on how to get everyone closer. I also like to think she'd come to him when she needs a break from the rest of them too- she loves them, but they're a handful, and Makoto is sweet and soothing to be around, he's very open and easy to read, which can be comforting. Makoto and Chiaki are the “glue” of their friends, they help keep everyone connected (after all, it’s only when those two ‘die’, that everyone completely falls into despair). Whilst I think they enjoy and are proud of that responsibility, the expectations might get a bit much sometimes, understandably so, and they’d need to let it out to someone who feels the same. They both cherish their friends a LOT, and it’s sweet to imagine them gushing about it how awesome everyone is and how much fun they have spending time together. Chiaki and Makoto will be seen playing video games together to blow off steam from time to time.

• Hajime Hinata- he probably gets introduced to Makoto through Chiaki, and the two bond, if not instantaneously. Hajime and Makoto are VERY similar, in that they're both "normal". Hajime straight up doesn't have a talent, and Makoto only kind of does? He got into the main course through a lottery, and his luck is nowhere on the level of Nagito's- he's just as "ordinary". I think Hajime would be jealous of Makoto at first (after all, they're not that different, and yet it was Makoto who got to be part of the "special" group), but that would quickly turn into being comforted by him. Makoto also believes in everyone's potential, and whilst he admires talent and Hope's Peak, he doesn't believe that only the talented are worthy or capable of producing hope. I like to think Makoto harbours a little bit of an inferiority complex, being surrounded by talent all the time, and Hajime can definitely understand that. I think the two of them could form a strong bond, and a close friendship, due to their similarity. It's one thing to hear about your worth from someone 'better' then you, it's another when they're on your level. Makoto is very humble, and that's what Hajime needs- someone on his level to get real with him and be a friend. Additionally, Hajime is someone Makoto could maybe confide in about his own insecurity- lord knows he couldn't with his own class, or any of the other Ultimates really, but Hajime gets it. The two could bounce off each other well. I know a lot of people joke about them being ‘brothers’, but I can really see them forming a close, caring bond. Hajime doesn’t really have friends, and whilst he might be prone to bitterness and agression, he’s also got a good heart and cares about doing what he feels is right (dr3, when he tries to befriend the Kuzuryu sister and demands to see Mahiru (I believe it was). They both have an advocacy for justice, but a self-sacrificing nature too. They’re similar but yet also opposites in a way. They’re perfect as each other’s support and as their mirror perspective. 

• Nagito Komaeda- oooohhh boy. We all know how Nagito thinks of his own talent *wheeze*, let's just say at first he's not- the kindest to Makoto. He doesn't understand why Makoto is so carefree and friendly when he's so 'worthless'. He sees Makoto as being overly confident and cocky (when the opposite is true), and almost finds it insulting that he can just casually walk up to the others and act like they’re ‘equals’. However, as time goes on, he comes to realise that Makoto's attitude and approach to life is truly extraordinary, and that he has a way of inspiring hope in others that Nagito has simply never seen before. I think Makoto would be a little hurt at first by the harsh treatment, but would continue in his endeavour to reach out to and connect with Nagito (and Nagito would find that persistence astonishing- no one has ever tried that hard with him). Unlike the others who either ignore or are irritated by Nagito's continuous self-deprecation, I think Makoto would instead be primarily concerned and do what he always does- try to help. Makoto is an excellent people-reader, and he'd be able to tell that Nagito's hostile and antagonistic attitude towards him (and other "normal" people) comes from a place of self-loathing and a twisted admiration for hope (a feeling he's admitted isn't entirely foreign to him). I think Makoto could grow close with Nagito, and maybe help him to see his own worth. After all, if someone as "talentless" as Makoto could be (what Nagito considers) the Ultimate Hope, what's to say Nagito doesn't also have worth? I think Nagito would go fanboy once he figures out Makoto's true talent though (maybe not as hardcore as dr3 lmao) and Makoto maaay have to reel him in a little (it's definitely jarring to see Nagito jump from disdain to total adoration towards him in the span of like- half a week). Makoto probably wouldn't like being idolised (he's definitely not used to it), but he wouldn't put Nagito down or push him away because of it either- he recognises that it's not, well, the healthiest, but he also knows it's not from a place of malice or impure intent. He thinks that Komaeda's outlook on life is similar but different to his own, and respects him for making him consider hope from a new viewpoint- and the same for Nagito. Makoto admires that Nagito chose to turn to hope instead of despair, despite the hardships he's endured. I also like to think Makoto (alongside Chiaki, probably) would play a pretty important part in getting Nagito to interact more with his classmates (he has a tendency to just... watch from afar), and open up more to people in general.

• Also on the note of Nagito- I've seen people suggest that Makoto could cancel out Nagito's super luck with his own- making them both just average. It's definitely interesting to consider! I believe somewhere Nagito stated that he just wanted a normal life and that he resents his luck for making him endure such suffering? (His poor dog ;-;). I'm going off into my own little Komaegi world at this point I'm sorry sjjdjssjdh but if that's the case then Nagito would be extremely comforted in Makoto's presence, finally not having not worry about something extremely bad happening to someone else due to his luck. He gets to feel what it is to be "talentless", and to his surprise- he enjoys it. It’s not so bad being ‘normal’. (secretly it’s all he’s ever wanted).

• Kazuichi Soda- Kazuichi seems to really crave friendship and connection with others. (I don't know a lot about him, but apparently he had a real tough/abusive childhood, and a bad experience with his peers lead to him developing trust issues) He puts on a façade, but we all know he's really soft underneath. I think someone like Makoto, who's very open with his feelings, honest, and naturally friendly, is the kind of person Kazuichi would appreciate. Makoto has a LOT of patience, and he could deal with Kazuichi's antics and goofiness a lot better then the others. Kazuichi is one of the more "normal" characters (personality wise anyway), as he acts a lot like you'd expect from a teenage boy. He's relatively carefree, he's talkative, he likes girls, etc- Kazuichi and Makoto would have a very typical "bromance"- they both offer a bit more of a typical friendship then their classmates. Kazuichi can be pretty clingy, but I don't think Makoto would mind too much. It probably feels nice having someone actively seek out his company and companionship instead of the other way around. Kazuichi could also teach him some stuff about mechanics- which comes in usual for anyone, really. (Once Kazuichi finds out about Makoto cancelling out Nagito’s luck, he insists that Makoto accompany him whenever he knows he has to be close to him for too long- he always seems to get the brunt of it around that guy...)

• Gundham Tanaka- Gundham can be very... enthusiastic, sure, but Makoto is used to the overabundance of energy from his own classmates already. At this point I feel like he's started to be able to read in between the lines when people talk to him, and he'd be able to see Gundham's gentle and caring nature, espeically when it comes to his furry friends. He'd see that Gundham probably craves company and connection, but due to his fear of intimacy, covers that up with an appearance of self-grandeur. In actuality, Gundham appreciates the time Makoto spends with him. I feel like Makoto understands that Gundham struggles with conveying his emotions and thoughts, and instead communicates his own feelings of friendship through Gundham's own love language- his animals. Makoto probably even goes out of his way to learn more about hamsters just so he can show he's made an effort- something Gundham is extremely grateful for. Makoto helps him with coming out of his shell a little, and Gundham helps Makoto learn to appreciate life a lot more when he's not cleaning up animal poop haha.

• Peko Pekoyama- Makoto is definitely no stranger to strong female fighters, especially the quiet and reserved type, so he'd be able to click with Peko. Whilst I think he’d be a little intimidated at first, he'd soon see past that icy exterior and realise that Peko isn't necessarily cold or emotionless- she just doesn't show her emotions visibly much. He'd learn to recognize that she speaks more with her actions then her words or even her face- as she often will do subtle things (such as buy him a drink or offer up her own time to talk with him) to communicate their friendship, something people don't realise at first. Peko has a lot of trouble communicating her feelings to Fuyuhiko in particular, and thus Makoto is more then happy to help her "practice" her communication, not just for Fuyuhiko's, but for her classmates' sake too. (Also it's mentioned that she likes cute animals and I just- imagine her struggling so hard not to reach out and ruffle his hair because omg he’s literally just a pupPY-)

• Akane Owari- Akane is a basically the lovechild of Sakura and Hina lmao. She's this wonderful mix of Sakura's strength and Hina's personality- I think Makoto might be a little intimidated by her (especially as she can be... aggressive at times), but he'd quickly warm up to her and vice versa. I think it was mentioned that Akane likes "small hungry things"? She'd definitely feel protective when it comes to Makoto, since he's so small and sweet- and not outwardly the strongest. I like to think he might remind her of her little siblings, who she adores and almost misses looking after. Whenever they hang out, it's normally at lunch, and Makoto will always make an effort to bring her some kind of food or snack if he knows he'll see her, a gesture she's extremely grateful for. Akane is great company on days where Makoto wants to be active, since she's like a big ball of energy. She's also laid back and carefree, and sometimes they'll sit in the grass and just eat and talk about stuff. Akane doesn't like to bother herself with complicated thoughts and feelings, so she's great to spend lazy days with too.

• Nekomaru Nidai- (apologies I don't know a lot about him but-) like Akane, Nekomaru is quite protective over Makoto. We've seen that he's got a righteous heart and strong protective streak, and he's unafraid to show his emotions, even if it gets him mocked by others. He's very passionate, much like Makoto. Makoto is very honest too, and I think the two of them would click over that. Nekomaru could act as support and encouragement for Makoto, as well as help him with organisation (he IS the ultimate (team) manager after all). I think Nekomaru would recognise that Makoto's talents lie elsewhere then his physicality, and instead of mock or belittle him for it, acknowledge that proudly.

• Teruteru Hanamura- ah yes, the little perv. Much like everyone, Makoto would probably be annoyed by Teruteru's... suggestive-ness at first, but I think after they spent some time together, Teruteru would ease up on the perviness, and treat Makoto with a bit more respect. Seeing as he's bi as hell, I can definitely see him developing a little crush or infatuation with Makoto (at the very least find him hot lmao). Makoto definitely wouldn't be used to someone expressing their attraction towards him so forwardly, and he'd be a little flattered (if not also rather disturbed-). Teruteru has been shown to have a real soft spot for his mama, and him and Makoto could definitely bond over their deep love for their families (the Naegi sibling relationship is so cute gah-). Makoto would learn to see past Teruteru's persona and recognise that underneath, is a boy who loves him mama and cooking food for people to enjoy more then anything. (Teruteru will complain at him for his "trash junk food" prefences, but Makoto will pretend not to notice when he secretly sneaks a bite because he knows it reminds him of his mom's cooking).

• Sonia Nevermind- Sonia is definitely a bit overwhelming at first. Makoto struggles a bit to not treat her as an figure of authority (she is royalty after all, it feels weird to treat her like a close friend right off the bat), but he soon gets over it. Sonia has expressed she wants to live like a "normal Japanese highschool girl", and I think Makoto would understand that, doing what he can to make her feel comfortable. He might find her obsession with Japanese culture and general misunderstanding things a tad off-putting (having her stare at him for 15 minutes straight while he slurped up some instant ramen was... an experience) but he understands it comes from a place of curiosity, and chalks it up to her being a foreigner. He actually finds it very sweet that she's trying to learn about different cultures and educate herself, and he's the last person to judge for it. He doesn't mind sitting and explaining things to her, and it's also interesting to learn about her life too, as vastly different as it may be from his own. She doesn't have to worry about him treating her badly or trying to take advantage of her occasional naivety. (He also recognises that she's a lot smarter then she may first appear, having in-depth knowledge of warfare, economics, and the complex hell that is international politics-). Her love for the occult and spooky stuff would remind him of Komaru- he makes a note to set up a ouija board session for the two of them someday.

• Ibuki Mioda- Ibuki is definitely an interesting person! She's very upbeat and friendly, and whilst it throws Makoto off a little at first ("M-m-makoto-chan?!") he gets used to it. After all, it's not like the others aren't also... quirky. It's stated that Makoto likes pop music (probably a result of his friendship and early feelings for Sayaka), so he'd probably be pretty fond of/interested in Ibuki, being a musician. She'd probably help him branch out into some more...*ahem* niche music tastes, and to his surprise, he actually ends up liking some of it (the absolute whiplash his own classmates get when one of them accidentally rips out his earphones and intense heavy metal comes blaring out-). Ibuki isn't exactly book smart, but she has a lot of emotional intelligence, like Makoto. Unlike Makoto, whose empathetic (or I suppose sympathetic) and caring nature is pretty obvious at a first glance, Ibuki isn't as much so, which is why Makoto finds it interesting how her outward punk appearance doesn't match her inward very caring side. She really values individualism, and encourages him to be himself, thinking it's dumb that he feels inferior for his "talent"- she thinks it's cool that he doesn't have an obvious focus or persona like everyone else puts on, that he gets to explore his personality and expression for himself, and she tells him as such. Makoto is grateful for this- he worries that he's too bland or doesn't have a ‘real’ personality and isn't special, and Ibuki is quick to refute him, pointing out all the little quirks and aspects of his personality she finds super duper cute (to his embarrassment)! Like with her music, Ibuki is able to find the beauty in places one typically wouldn't look, and Makoto admires that about her. Ibuki is pretty good at reading the mood, and if she senses something is off, will do her best to lift up Makoto's spirits without needing to outright confront him about it- similarly, Makoto will happily listen to her rant or gush about things without judgement- she knows that her interest and personality isn't what people typically expect from her, and he doesn't care. She doesn't feel like she has to hide her emotions or put on a mask to make him feel better, like she might with others. She knows her negative feelings won't bring him down, so she feels comfortable expressing herself around him, even when it's not always happy. They appreciate each other's honesty in being who they are. They bounce off each other's energy well, being such optimistic and enthusiastic people.

• Mikan Tsumiki- Mikan is a very, very vulnerable person. She's nervous and insecure and has some very obvious self-esteem issues. Unlike Komaeda however, she isn't *confident*, and is therefore very meek and timid and easy to take advantage of. Girl's got a lotta issues (i just read through her page on the fandom wiki and- man-), and someone gentle and understanding like Makoto would be really good for her to form a healthy relationship with (hopefully just the start of one of many). Unlike others, Makoto wouldn't want to take advantage of Mikan, and I think he'd genuinely want to help her improve herself, both in becoming more assertive and also in learning to have a little more faith in people, not always assuming the worst from them. He'd help teach her that there are good people in the world too, and that by learning to view herself with more respect, it will be easier for her to (rightfully) demand respect from others too. I honestly don't want to go into the more *unhealthy* sides of Mikan's potential for obsession, but as with Nagito, I can see her developing a bit of a crush on Makoto. (Whether or not that goes anywhere is up to you of course.) I think Makoto, whilst understanding that it stems from an unfortunate past, would appreciate Mikan's sweet and helpful personality. Makoto is very clumsy, partly due to his fickle luck, so I can see him getting bruises and minor cuts and stuff often due to it- Mikan ends up being the first person he goes to when this happens, and she doesn't say it to his face, far too shy, but he knows she's grateful to be considered a help to him.

• Hiyoko Saionji- Hiyoko is definitely... a tough one. She's very openly hostile and aloof, and she has no problems bullying others. I think a lot of Makoto's experience from dealing with Byakuya, Toko and Celeste would come into play here, as he's used to dealing with the openly mean, dismissive and arrogant types. A lot of Hiyoko's hostility comes from her past, and being treated cruelly herself, leading her to develop a harsh exterior as a coping mechanism. I think she'd be kind of jealous of how Makoto can roll with the punches so easily- I think she'd start to feel kind of bad about saying mean things to him. He would be patient with her, but would also call her out on her behaviour (without being dismissive or cruel himself) something I'm sure she didn't have people do before. She might not consider him to be like an "older" brother, but she'd respect him as an equal (since she deeply loves her father, I think she'd want a genuinely kind, good male figure in her life). Makoto is an older brother to a younger sister- I'm sure he's had to deal with Komaru being a bit of a brat before haha (am older sibling myself, can confirm). Hiyoko really appreciates traditionalism, and knowing this, Makoto might try to learn more or engage with that side of her- she acknowledges that her interests and attitudes are out-of-fashion, so she'd appreciate the effort made to understand her. Makoto might help to get her to be more sympathetic towards others. She'd offer a different perspective of their country and it's beauty to him.

• Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu- ah yes, the irl boss baby- as with everyone, Fuyuhiko would be short-tempered and aggressive towards Makoto. He'd eventually come around though. Makoto is pretty used to dealing with tsunderes, and takes it all in stride. It's a little to surprising to Fuyuhiko at first to see someone who isn't as easily deterred by his attitude as the others, and he admires that. Fuyuhiko has quite the inferiority complex, and part of that comes from his short height and youthful appearance (babyface-). It's nice to see someone like Makoto who isn't really that affected by his own appearance, and doesn't let it affect how he sees himself (Fuyuhiko is actually a little shorter even pfft). Fuyuhiko seems to want company, but has trouble initiating friendships and conversations (think back to the party from chapter 1), due to keeping up his lone wolf persona. Makoto recognises this, and will instead take on the role of instigator, which Fuyuhiko is thankful for. Though you wouldn’t expect it, he's actually also a Good Boi, and has a certain respect for rules and order (he's against underage drinking, smoking and sex, can you believe it?). Because of that, he'd respect Makoto for being the obedient student he is. I think Fuyuhiko would like Makoto's sincere and honest nature, especially considering he's not someone who's easily trusting- the Yakuza don't take friendship lightly, and once Fuyuhiko takes a liking to someone, he'll become fiercely defensive, protective of, and loyal to them to a fault (of course that doesn't entirely stop the jabs or insults- hey, he's trying). I think eventually Fuyuhiko would confide in Makoto about his own feelings of inadequacy and insecurity when it comes to honouring his family name- Makoto would be able to relate. He'd be able to reassure Fuyuhiko of his strengths, whilst also providing him with chance to experience a more typical, playful highschool boy's life. (He'll drag Fuyuhiko along with him to hang out, and although the other will complain and scoff at him, he'll enjoy it). He gets to be a bit more laid back and amiable, and less snappy or snarky. Makoto won't judge or embarrass him for letting loose a little, and vice versa.

• Mahiru Koizumi- Mahiru and Makoto are very similar, in that they both take on a friendly and optimistic attitude. They both tend to be the "caretakers" of their groups, and like to help others. Mahiru is the closest thing to a "makoto" class 77 has. They're both very kind and caring, and don't hesitate to offer their assistance and support. At the same time, they aren't doormats (well, Makoto is a bit of a pushover, but not to the level of characters like Mikan or Hifumi). Whilst I feel like Makoto is a bit more- restrained (he's seriously sarcastic and sassy, he just keeps it to himself most of the time), both he and Mahiru won't hesitate to point out when they don't agree with something. Mahiru's treatment of him due to him being a "boy" might be a little irritating, but it's not like he hasn't heard it before- (kyoko's "after all, you are a boy, aren't you?" comes to mind). He understands that she's probably had to deal with a lot of crap from guys, and doesn't take it to heart. It's been mentioned that Mahiru likes to take pictures of smiling faces? Well, I think Makoto would find that beautiful. Whereas others chastise her for it, and urge her to take pictures of other things, like objects for example, he instead encourages her to pursue what she's passionate about- after all, a talent is a gift, and you deserve to enjoy it. So what if it's "generic"? If it's what she likes, he sees no reason why she shouldn't continue to do it. He thinks her work is lovely regardless. (This is more of a personal interpretation, but Makoto gives off very foresty, natural imagery, and I think he'd maybe like that kind of thing, so maybe she'd find inspiration through his likeness to it?) Due to his innocence and pure nature, she starts to see a bit more of the appeal in nature. His smiling face is one of the first pictures of a boy she genuinely likes (though, it's not as if she'd ever tell him that).

• Ryota/Imposter- well, Imposter would probably act the same way around Makoto as whoever they were impersonating, though Makoto would probably be able to tell something was... off (though he just wouldn't be able to put his finger on what, exactly). If Imposter ever did reveal themself to him, he'd make sure to let them know that it was ok, and that he'd support their journey to reclaiming their identity however they wanted. Ryota (if he ever left his room and actually made connections with his classmates hsshhsh) would probably be the same as he was in dr3? He'd probably be a little inspired by and hold admiration towards Makoto, seeing him befriend all of his classmates, before that started to slowly turn into resentment and envy- animation is a wonderful thing, I'll be the first to defend, but Ryouta basically uses it to fill the hole in his heart that really, can only be filled with genuine human connection. Makoto could act as a stepping stone for this, much like Imposter, and act as support- him and Ryota are similar in firmly believing in and wanting to spread hope more then anything. Makoto would also genuinely take an interest in and admire Ryota's talent, giving him well-deserved validation for his efforts.

BONUS-

• Chisa Yukizome- news of the remarkable underclassman who managed to miraculously befriend all her beloved students reaches her, and she can't be more ecstatic! She takes whatever opportunities she can to invite Makoto into her classroom, under the guise of "important faculty stuff". Makoto's talent (luck, as they haven't yet fully realised his potential of hope) is a lot harder to cultivate then the norm (they're almost scared to experiment- the LAST thing they need is another Komaeda incident), so it's best to just- let him be most of the time. His schedule is a lot more flexible because of this, and you BET Chisa takes advantage of this whenever she can. She's extremely grateful to the young boy for uniting her class, and finds it simply wonderful how so much potential- so much hope can reside in someone so young. She makes sure to let Makoto know how much she appreciates his help, and will often leave him little gifts, like sweets and handmade arrangements, to show her gratitude. (Makoto doesn't really understand why this one teacher in particular seems to have taken a shine to him, but he doesn't mind- he finds he actually really likes having people place their trust in him- he enjoys spending time with class 77, and finds it both extraordinary and humbling that they seem to reciprocate the feeling).

• Izuru Kamukura- he doesn't understand why Makoto Naegi has had such an effect on the others. He's so unremarkable it's almost special. His talent is hardly enough to be considered "ultimate", especially not compared to someone like him, who has more talent then all of them combined (which isn't arrogance, merely undeniable fact). Someone like him, the 'ultimate hope', should be utterly bored and disinterested to the brink of tears with someone as mind-numbingly normal as Makoto Naegi and yet-

He isn't.

Perhaphs because unlike everyone else, Makoto doesn't consider him any more "worthy" then the rest of them. Unlike everything Izuru had been taught, had understood as soon as he'd opened his eyes for the first time, had known since the moment of his conception, Makoto didn't believe talent was all that was needed for hope. He believed everyone and anyone was equally capable of it, of becoming hope-

Makoto Naegi is-

Very interesting.

_

Aaaand there you have it, anon! ahdgjdsfhs I’m sorry it took so long. It kind of turned into more potential relationship analysis then actual headcanons oops- I might make a follow up to this that’s a bit more general-hcs style haha. I hope if anyone actually read this they enjoyed it! lemme know what you think!

tl;dr makoto is an angel and class 77 will happily steal him away hehe

https://www.zerochan.net/2046777#full

[thelittleredheadedmusician]

I don't want to linger any longer

DCU Gen Rating: G Words: 7,523  AO3

In upstate New York there's a very lush, very expensive summer camp that caters to the children of the rich and famous. Bruce and Oliver happen to be those children. And they're less than thrilled to be at this camp.

Alfred was leery of the summer camp. Bruce went to public school partially because of Martha's pointed remarks regarding democracy and public education, partly because of her pointed remarks regarding Thomas's own time at boarding schools and prep schools surrounded by equally rich and entitled boys. Alfred never said anything at the time, it wasn't his place, and would never say anything now but, he whole heartedly believed both. Especially after his own childhood in private schools, even if the times and the British and American systems were very different. Regardless, Bruce was remaining in public school with all the trials it entailed. Including the socializing problem.

He'd always been a quiet, almost shy child but after Martha and Thomas died he retreated far beyond. Even friends from before like Miss Zatara took coaxing and occasionally trickery to get him to interact with. At thirteen and with the beginnings of acne and voice cracks the behavior was partially to be expected. The newfound interest in The Clash was too. Still, Alfred felt strongly that the boy should have the opportunity to at least try and make some friends. So when he overheard some of the women mentioning the summer camp during one of the Wayne Foundation luncheons Bruce insisted they attend "for appearances" (and Alfred was a little worried about the thought process behind that as well but well, one thing at a time) he had to break his normal rule and butt in.

"Pardon me, but what summer camp might this be?" He tried to be as nonobtrusive as possible, it still raised some eyebrows from the women with their pearls and perfect red lipsticks. Their clothes were so immaculate that while he knew they all had nannies, looking at them you never would've even known they had children. Alfred no longer owned a single shirt that wasn't stained somewhere by something, he just hid them well.

The blonde in the most putrid shade of chartreuse he's ever seen recovered first. "Oh! Camp Open Woods. It's in upper state New York, very exclusive but so worth it." Mimi flicked her wrist and half rolled her eyes as though to indicate sending the children she never saw there was the best parenting tip she'd ever taken. Mitzie shifted her hair before continuing, "They've got hiking and horses and like there's a lake." The other women all hum and coo their agreement at how pretty it is, Muffy silenced them with a brow, she was the one who started the story after all. "The kiddos just love it there. Go for a month a time. Would be there year round if they could!" They all nod enthusiastically in agreement.

"Sounds lovely." Which isn't strictly incorrect, but Alfred sincerely doubts these women would actually know whether their children enjoyed the camp or not. "I'll have to look into it, thank you," Alfred excuses himself. He will look into it.

The camp itself does seem the definition of picturesque, with acres of land and woods as well as the lake. The cabins looked to be clean and well maintained. The extensive list of activities alone made Alfred want to go. He reached out to the nannies he'd made friends with over the years, trying to gauge how any of the kids who attended regularly really felt. And the reviews were glowing.

Alfred made an executive decision, the fresh air would be good for Bruce, and called to secure a place for June. Just one month, to test it. Bruce might not be pleased at not having been consulted but Alfred was sure the end results would be well worth it. And if not, it's not like the boy could fire him in revenge. Legal guardianship made that rather tricky.

~

Oliver heard someone stop in the hall outside his room. From where he sat on the floor organizing the old jazz records his mother had given him he couldn't see who it was, the bed was in the way and he didn't really want to move everything just to get up. That seemed like a lot of work. Whoever it was could just come in. Or talk. Whatever. He wasn't moving.

"Are you in here, Oliver?" he finally heard his mother ask, apparently having grown impatient.

"Yes."

"I signed you up for camp. You leave for New York in the morning. It comes very highly recommended, I'm sure you'll enjoy it. Chef is making your favorite chicken parmesan as a treat for dinner at six. I will see you then." The sound of her heels were nearly silent as she made her way back down the hall with its plush carpeting.

Taking a minute to process this, Oliver stared at the short shelves in front of him momentarily. Well there went his record organizing, now he was going to have to try and pack.

~

Bruce narrowed his eyes as Alfred slowed to turn the car onto a narrow lane that was barely a break in the trees. A large, wooden arch above it was carved to proclaim it as the entrance to "Camp Open Woods." Somehow, Bruce managed to narrow his eyes even more. Though he suspected it made him look like he was squinting. Especially by the way Alfred pressed his lips into a tight line, an obvious tell that he was trying not to smile.

The lane curved gently through the trees until they opened up to show a field, teenagers and college students in soft blue polo shirts and khaki shorts were scattered throughout it, directing cars in where to park and kids and parents in where to go next. A girl with brightly colored beads on the ends of her tight braids waved at Bruce through the window as they passed. Tentatively, he waved back at the counselor.

Once they were parked, the sleek black sedan settling a little into the grass as they both got out, Bruce immediately slung his backpack on and beat Alfred to the trunk to pull out his bulky footlocker. "Master Bruce," Alfred chided gently, reaching in to help lift the heavy thing, "I do wish you'd let me do that."

"It's fine, Alfred," Bruce protested. Even if the help was appreciated. "Isn't the whole point of this to teach me to be self-sufficient?" Bruce tried to level his steeliest gaze on the man. The unimpressed look he got in return told Bruce he might need to work on that.

Alfred sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in the process -- and really Bruce didn't think his actions warranted that level of dramatics -- before leveling a flat look at Bruce. "No, Master Bruce. The point of this endeavor is that you enjoy yourself with peers of your own age. Possibly make friends. Build lifelong bonds. Get a nasty sunburn on the first day and minor bear scare on the last."

Bruce frowned and lifted one end of the battered footlocker Alfred had dislodged from the attic the week before. Possibly, it had been Alfred's and come from some hidden corner of the man's room as Bruce had never seen it before even in all his exploring of the manor's nooks and crannies. "Exiting pursued by a bear is not a worthy goal, Alfred," he said dryly.

Lifting the other end of the footlocker the duo began to make their way towards the counselors with carts lined up at the front of the field. "Maybe not for yourself, but personally an exciting and Shakespearean end would be the greatest achievement of my mundane existence."

He snorted, and Alfred wondered where his own penchant for melodrama came from.

"Hiya folks!" The young man next to a cart already loaded with duffels and trunks waved brightly as they approached. "Welcome to camp! Where are you staying?"

Bruce glanced to Alfred and Alfred returned the look, both challenging the other to speak first. If Bruce admitted that he had read and memorized the pre-camp welcome packet then Alfred would see it as a win. If Alfred's patience crumbled before Bruce's then it would vastly undermine the veneer of authority Alfred had managed to paint over their strange relationship. The poor guy standing by the cart was starting to look uncomfortable.

Finally, Bruce broke. He was going to be here for a month, it's not like he'd have to see Alfred be smug during that time. "Pine Ridge," he said flatly.

The counselor visibly sagged in relief. "Ok, great! You're going to toss your gear on that cart up there where Gambit's standing then follow the road to the Health Center to turn in your paperwork and get your head and foot check."

Wrinkling his nose, Bruce nodded. He wasn't really a fan of being touched, even for medical examinations, and was a little glad he got a heads up. He'd briefly forgotten about the fact the packet had said there would be a lice and athlete's foot examination. Not that Bruce had either, which is probably why he'd let it slip his mind. They reached the next cart and a young woman with large sunglasses leant against it. Bruce squinted at the lanyard she had around her neck with an odd badge on the end as a nametag, all the counselors had variations of brightly colored and often glitter coated badges on lanyards. Each as unique as the names on them. Hers had popsicle sticks layered to make a large X and playing cards glued on top so that their back's made a place to write. "Gambit" had been scrawled in looping white paint. With red glitter. Bruce really hoped they weren't going to force him to make a glitter nametag.

"Are you living in Pine Ridge?" She asked, pushing off the cart to stand and raising her clipboard.

"Yes," Bruce said simply.

Gambit nodded. "You can toss your stuff on. What's your name?"

"Bruce. Bruce Wayne."

"Ok, double-o-seven," she smirked, checking off something on her clipboard. "I'm Gambit, head girls counselor for Pine Ridge. But just cause I'm not the one doing bed checks on you doesn't mean I'm not still in charge," she teased. Bruce was fairly certain he heard Alfred snicker. "Anyway, you'll be seeing a lot of me over the next month even though we don't share a latrine. You a first time camper?"

"Yes."

"Well then, welcome Bruce, Bruce Wayne!"

Alfred definitely snickered at that.

"Um, thanks."

She grinned and stuck her pen back behind her ear. "I'll watch your stuff until the grounds guys come and hook the cart up to the ATV to take it up to the cabins. Lucky us, we're on the hill. Nice site, one of my personal favorites actually, but you'll be getting your steps in while you're here. Whole summer or no?"

"Um, just the month." Bruce was starting to get a little overwhelmed in the face of her relentless positivity.

"Rad. Well, I hope you enjoy it! You're gonna want to follow the gravel road trail and head to the health center. I'll see you at dinner."

Bruce nodded and began to walk on, Alfred a step behind him. Once they were out of earshot, Bruce hung back slightly so that they walked next to each other and turned to Alfred. "Do you think everyone's going to be like that?"

"Well Master Bruce, I don't think that children's summer camp counselor is a position that attracts introverts," Alfred replied dryly.

Bruce glared.

"Which isn't to say, however, that every person here would be so enthusiastic."

"Hmm." Bruce didn't say anything else and they made their way to the two-story farmhouse that had a sign hanging from the porch proclaiming it the "Health Center" in silence.

A large group of people were spread out in the grass in front of the porch around a series of low, backless wooden benches. Bruce slowed as they approached, lingering on the gravel. Alfred gripped his shoulder once before gently pushing Bruce forward to step into the grass. Alfred was still a head taller than him, but Bruce was catching up and he couldn't wait for the day he could glare at the man without craning his neck. Alfred looked the picture of cool indifference and collected innocence.

"Excuse me," Alfred called, striding forward and fully expecting Bruce to follow. Which he did, but in silent protest. "Is there a queue?"

"Not really," the teenaged boy Alfred had asked shrugged. "Just give your paperwork to nurse Doc, then pick a spot on a bench and we play monkey."

"Monkey?" Bruce tried to raise an incredulous eyebrow. It was a work in progress.

The older boy's face split into a wide grin. "Yeah! You know," and here he began to howl and jump, scratching at his head in imitation of a monkey.

"Ohmystars, Apollo you're ridiculous!" Another teenager said, her silver painted crescent moon nametag read "Artemis" and the two did look like they could be siblings if not twins. "Theater kids." She rolled her eyes derisively.

Apollo stopped abruptly. "Arty, you're a theater kid."

"Tech kid. There's a difference," she snapped with practiced ease.

"She is correct," Alfred added sagely. Bruce's forehead met his palm as he hung his head.

"Thank you!" Artemis preened. "C'mon, I'll take ya in to Doc." She gestured at them to follow as she turned and headed onto the porch. Having no real other option, Bruce glanced at Alfred before following. Artemis had waited for them, holding open the screen door before shouldering open the second door and leading them into a large room with worn wooden floors and a table with a trio of adults sitting behind it. Some other children and parents stood in front of them and spoke with the adults at the table. Artemis winked and wiggled her fingers in a wave before turning to head back outside. But she stopped short and came to stand next to them again. "Actually, they don't need me out there right now and I'd much rather soak up the AC with you."

Bruce nodded. It was cold in here, especially compared to the muggy afternoon it was shaping up to be. And those polo shirts didn't exactly look comfortable. Neither did the crisp button up and khakis Alfred wore, but Bruce could count on one hands the number of times he'd seen Alfred in shorts or a t-shirt. The group in front of them shifted and Artemis lead them to the table. The burly woman on the end glanced up at them and smiled. Unlike the counselors, her nametag was a pin though she, and the other two adults at the table, still wore the light blue polo shirt. And her nametag also had sequins spelling out "Doc."

"Hey there, you have your paperwork?" she said by way of greeting.

Alfred produced a carefully paperclipped stack from somewhere. Bruce honestly had no clue where. Sometimes Alfred liked to do things like that just to puzzle him. Often times. Bruce was certain he did it routinely just for fun and Bruce's annoyance.

Doc took the stack and looked it over before leaning over to file it in a plastic tub and marking this off on a couple different clipboards. "Alright," she said finally, "you're officially checked in, Mr. Wayne. You still need to be checked over before we can let you run wild. But you're checked in. Welcome to Camp." She smiled broadly and held out a hand, Bruce shook it and managed a small smile in return.

Artemis led them back outside and instructed Bruce to sit, take off his shoes and socks, and wait for Apollo cause she didn't "do feet." Alfred chuckled as Bruce sat, his nose wrinkled, and Artemis took gloved hands and a comb through his hair. Apollo eventually reappeared as she declared him lice free and he poked at and spread Bruce's toes before proclaiming him "good to go!"

As Bruce pulled his socks and sneakers back on --  Alfred refused to buy him hiking boots because they wouldn't be broken in in time and apparently if Bruce was going to be miserable it was going to be his own conscious choice and not due to poor footwear decisions -- Alfred chatted with Apollo about a production of Midsummer that the counselor had done in fall. Finally, Bruce was standing up and slipping his backpack on again.

"Well, I'll let you say bye to your dad and then we'll go find your group," Apollo grinned.

"He's not-" Bruce started but the older boy had already walked away and started talking to one of the other counselors. "Hmph."

Alfred raised a single eyebrow -- Bruce wished he'd just teach him how to do that already -- and gave him a sly smile. "Well Master Bruce."

"Alfred."

They both stood there staring at each other. Finally, Bruce caved and stepped forward to wrap his arms around Alfred. "Bye Alfred," he muttered.

Returning the hug, Alfred replied. "I shall be back at the end of the month. I do sincerely hope that you enjoy yourself, Master Bruce. And I expect letters at least once a week. You should have more than enough stamps for that and if not you have credit at the camp store."

Bruce snorted at that before pulling away. "Thanks, Alfred."

Alfred smiled. "Of course, Master Bruce."

Apollo reappeared then and led Bruce to the edge of the trees and a path there. Bruce looked back once to see Alfred still standing by the benches, waving. Bruce waved back before turning to walk into the woods.

~

Oliver tapped his fingers restlessly on the formica topped table. The other kids all seemed to know each other and once the counselor escorting them to the dining hall left they immediately headed off to meet their friends. Not that he minded, Oliver was used to being alone and could function on his own just fine thanks. But all of these kids would be living with him for the next month at the least. They could at the very least come over and ask him who he was. But apparently, Pine Ridge was the largest unit at camp and so his age group was the biggest if they were staying there. And already there were at least twenty other kids who were all preoccupied and not noticing the blonde kid with a bad haircut.

Tugging at his recently shorn hair, Oliver frowned. He'd been trying to grow it out and it was almost to his shoulders when this morning his mother took him to the barber before putting him on the plane and shipping him off. Supposedly, she thought he'd be too hot with all that hair. Oliver just thought it was a convenient excuse. Oliver respected the trick even if he didn't like it. Especially because he didn't like the end result. His ears were still slightly too big and the cut just emphasized that. No girl would want to go out with a guy with satellite dishes attached to his head. Not that any girl seemed to even want to talk to him right now. Not that anyone at all wanted to talk to him. Maybe if he'd stop glaring at the table? But Oliver didn't really want to be here to begin with.

One of the dinning hall doors opened again and Oliver turned to look. The dorky guy who'd walked Oliver over, and only a dork would name themselves Apollo, and a new kid stood next to him. All dark hair and pale skin that Oliver bet was going to be looking like a lobster by the end of the week. He lingered in the doorway as Apollo said something and turned to leave, scanning the space in front of him. One of the other counselors walked over to meet him, he'd said his name was Sherlock and he was the head boys and Oliver secretly respected him for having the guts to name himself after the world's greatest detective. Sherlock was obviously introducing himself to the boy and Oliver was trying to figure out why the kid looked so dang familiar as his gaze landed on Oliver. And stuck.

That's when it hit him. That kid was Bruce Wayne. His parents talked about him all the time. Mostly, wondering what he would do with Wayne Enterprises once he turned eighteen and could take over and what that would mean for Queen Industries' contracts. Oliver had ever only met the kid once. Right after his parents had died and the whole Queen family had flown out to Gotham to "express their condolences" at the Wayne Foundation's Annual Holiday Party. It wasn't until a couple years later that Oliver realized how awkward the whole thing had been. But that was definitely the same kid, older now but his eyes no less haunted. Oliver blinked and turned away. Bruce Wayne was one kid he'd be happy to leave him alone.

Oliver never did have good luck.

"Oliver Queen?" The kid had come up behind him and without asking, walked around to sit on the bench across from him.

"Yeah?" Oliver winced as his voice cracked at the end. Stupid fraggin luck what the frickety heck stupid stupid puberty.

"I remember you." The kid still hadn't taken off his backpack. They were inside and it's not like someone was gonna steal it. Oliver's own sat on the bench next to him and he barely had anything in it anyway.

"Yeah?" This time his voice didn't crack. Small victory.

"I'm Bruce Wayne."

"Yeah."

The kid's brow crumbled in annoyance and he frowned. "Do you ever say anything else."

Oliver gave his cheekiest grin, oh this was too good. There had never been a more perfect set up. "No."

Impossibly, the kid's look got darker.

Oliver sat and smiled back. The seconds stretch out and Oliver just knew they were each waiting for the other to crack. Bruce continued to glare. Oliver continued to smile.

Finally, his cheeks started to hurt and Oliver took the loss. He was kinda starting to feel like an idiot anyway. "So, this your first summer?"

Bruce relaxed his glare but he still frowned. "I'm just here for a month."

"Didn't answer the question, Brucie."

The frown deepened. "Yes."

Oliver nodded. "Mine too," he admitted. Bruce finally seemed to relax.

"I'm... not sure what we're supposed to do," Bruce admitted, though it looked like struggled to.

Oliver let some of his bravado fall. "Yeah, neither do I. I think we're supposed to have fun, whatever that means."

Bruce's mouth twitched in the direction of a smirk. Oliver took it as a small victory.

"Hi!" A high voice warbled behind Oliver and he turned in surprise.

"Zee?" Bruce sounded just as shocked, though he apparently knew the girl that had just yelled in Oliver's ear. She settled heavily on the bench next to him and Oliver turned to look at her. Long black hair pulled up in a ponytail, bright pink shirt and darker pink shorts, light-up sneakers. She looked younger than him too. Which was confirmed when Bruce said "Aren't you too young to be in this unit?"

The girl rolled her eyes. "I turn eleven in July and I'm here for the summer so."

"That didn't answer the question," Bruce pointed out.

"And the unit is twelve to thirteen," Oliver added, finally recovering from his shock at her sudden appearance.

Pushing out her breath in annoyance, the girl flounced to her feet. "So, I may have heard that you were here and in the dinning hall and convinced my buddy to take a detour on the way to the latrine." She wiggled her arm in the direction of another girl shifting awkwardly by the side door. "We have to sit with our groups at dinner tonight but find me at breakfast tomorrow," she said it like an order and then ran off towards her friend and together they left.

"Alfred," Bruce muttered like a curse.

"Her name's Alfred?" Oliver felt like strange names were just a part of camp life but still.

"Her name's Zatanna." Oh, that was even weirder. "Alfred's my butler."

"Right," Oliver nodded like he understood. He absolutely did not. And Bruce did not seem like he would be explaining.

~

The counselors finally rounded them all up and made them stand in a wide circle, saying that they were going to count off and play get to know you games since one game of like forty people could be fun but maybe was a bit ambitious for first thing. Bruce told Oliver to stay where he stood before wiggling away further down the circle so that there was three people between them. Four groups of ten or so made logical sense and even if Bruce didn't know if he liked Oliver, he at least kind of knew Oliver and would prefer being in a group with at least one person he knew. So Oliver would have to be that person.

They both wound up being number three and Bruce leaned forward slightly to look at Oliver and smirk. The other boy just blinked back at him.

By the time dinner and the opening campfire rolled around, Bruce had come to the conclusion that Oliver wasn't his friend, but he was certainly one of the more tolerable of the other campers. As soon as he'd introduced himself as Bruce Wayne he'd been all anyone else could focus on. Even the kids not from Gotham looked at him with wide eyes. It made Bruce sympathize with the lions at the Gotham Zoo a whole lot more than usual. But Oliver acted like he didn't care. Oliver acted like he didn't care about anything. Just joking and smirking. He gained a gaggle of admirers over the course of the afternoon despite how downright obnoxious Bruce thought he was, but he still didn't seem to care that Bruce was Bruce and that's really all that mattered.

Besides, they apparently were in the same cabin. It just made sense that they hung out together. And if Oliver got sick of Bruce or Bruce got sick of Oliver well lots of kids wanted to ask Bruce all sorts of questions and everyone else seemed to love Oliver.

Even still, they sat next to each other at meals when Zatanna and an everchanging roster of her friends would flock to Bruce. Zee sitting herself down next to him and chattering on about what she'd done in the few hours they were apart. Oliver looked bewildered by the interaction every time. Bruce just nodded along at the appropriate points and asked questions as the fancy struck him. Sometimes he'd ask her stupid questions, like if she was sure the horse she rode that morning couldn't fly so that she would laugh and say she hasn't "learned levitation yet, you dingus!" Oliver's face when that would happen always made Bruce grin.

These meals were the bright spots in Bruce's day. He was... not having a good time. They'd had a swim test first thing Monday morning and Bruce had stupidly forgotten to put on sunscreen, so between swimming laps in the lake while the lifeguards made notes and sitting on the beach he'd very quickly burnt to a crisp. And would have to deal with that for the foreseeable future. Then on Thursday during their hike, Oliver had been behind him and tripped, stumbling into Bruce and pushing them both off the trail. Right into a patch of poison oak. So now Bruce had sunburn and poison oak. To say he was in constant pain was putting it mildly.

Bruce wasn't making friends. He wasn't enjoying the great outdoors. He was just slowly suffering in silence. Especially after Oliver left the screen door open one night and mosquitos had gotten in to use Bruce as their very own all you can eat buffet. So now Bruce was sunburnt, covered in mosquito bites, and still had poison oak.

Doc was really the only bright spot in this hellhole. Her air conditioned domain of the Health Center was quite and comforting. With individual exam rooms that meant Bruce could be completely alone for at least a little while. Which Bruce desperately needed. Being around people all the time was exhausting. And Doc herself had a wry, dry sense of humor that Bruce appreciated and a calm demeanor when Bruce sat and complained about the fact it was all Oliver's fault everything itched twice over. She would just snicker and have Bruce put some slightly odd smelling pink cream on his skin. Then she'd tell him that maybe he should write home about it. Bruce would frown and say "I will."

Alfred didn't seem to care though based on the letters back Bruce received. Or possibly the man was making fun of him. Most likely both. The end of the month really could not come soon enough.

~

Frankly, Oliver had no dang clue why Bruce flippin Wayne decided they were friends. Ok, "friends" was a stretch. But still, the kid spent more time with Oliver than anyone else at camp. Maybe he'd hang out with that Zee girl if she weren't in the younger group, and she did come have meals with them and wander over during all camps, but he didn't even really bother to even attempt to talk to anyone else. Oliver at least tried. If only because he was fairly certain he'd singlehandedly end the Wayne family line if he only talked to Bruce. Besides, the other boys in their cabin weren't terrible. Sure they were a little stuck up and that Brad guy had about the same amount of brain cells as Oliver's old hamster, but they weren't awful people. Which couldn't be said about all their fellow campers. Bruce had pushed one boy off the end of the dock the one morning after he said his third sexist remark in an hour. Oliver had gladly covered for him on that one. Another kid kept picking on two of the girls and Oliver might have possibly sort of filled his bag with rocks and as many spiders as he could find when he wasn't looking. He thinks Bruce saw him do it, but he never said anything once the kid got tired of carrying it and opened his backpack then immediately started screaming.

Neither incident had necessarily endeared Bruce to Oliver though. Especially since the kid had somehow managed to tip their canoe while they were in the middle of the lake. So they both floated there buoyed by their life vests spluttering water and trying to right the stupid canoe while screaming at each other and kicking madly. In the cold lake. They never did manage to flip the boat and the counselors had to come with the little motorboat to fish them out of the water. They were still glaring at each other after Sherlock had taken them to get showered and fresh clothes. He let Bruce mess around with his nametag as he ran their wet, smelly stuff into the Health Center and throw it in the washer that was supposedly there. Oliver was still pissed though so he ripped the plastic magnifying glass out of the other boy's hand. Sherlock's name was just a label stuck onto the handle so you could still use it. Which Oliver immediately did in an attempt to burn Bruce's shoelaces.

Which is about when Sherlock came back. "Hey! Oliver! Cut that out! Seriously dude, what're you doing? And Bruce, you were just gonna let him light your shoes on fire?"

Bruce shrugged. "I have other pairs. And I did dump him in the lake."

Oliver handed the nametag back and nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, he's the one who thought he saw a frog and tipped the thing."

"A fish, not a frog."

"Whatever."

"And you gave me poison oak."

Oliver frowned and scratched at some of his own poison oak. "That was not intentional and I have it too."

Sherlock looked between them. "Right. You two are supposed to see Doc soon anyway, wanna go in now?" They both nod and that was the end of that. For then at least. That night Oliver got up to go use the latrine and forgot to close the screen door again. All five boys in the cabin wound up eaten alive and never mind the fact Oliver was just as itchy, Bruce acted as though he'd planned it just to mess with him.

Still didn't excuse the fact that the jerk got them lost and banned from the stables on the following Monday. Oliver liked the stables. He thought the horses were cool and they seemed to like him. He'd tried to schedule as much riding time as they'd let him after the initial group session. Bruce just so happened to have scheduled some on Monday morning too it would seem. And they both were the same ability level. Great. But they were doing a trail ride, going single file through the woods at the edge of camp, didn't leave a whole lot of room for talking and Oliver was more than ok with that. He wound up behind Bruce at the very back of the group and took it at a leisurely pace which Pancake didn't seem to mind. So long as Oliver stayed behind Bruce he just zoned out. Taking in the forest with its sounds and smells, the warm horse that swayed gently as she walked making him sway too. Oliver should've been paying more attention. Because Bruce decided to take his horse on a bit of an adventure. The two were wandering through the woods for an hour before Oliver realized that Bruce had hijacked a horse and gotten them lost. Another two before anyone found them. They'd completely missed lunch. And they were banned from horseback riding.

Not that Bruce cared, he was only here another two weeks.

Oliver had two whole months.

It's not like his father recognized he ever existed half the time, but his mom sending him off to the other side of the country was a bit much. He'd thought they had an understanding. Apparently not. And now he wouldn't even get to ride the horses.

Which Oliver naturally thought was overkill for himself but it was totally punishment for Pancake too. They had bonded. Not that the riding staff seemed to care when he tried to plead his case. Knox looked a little sympathetic at least. And she called after him when he'd turned to walk back over to Brad and maybe go play volleyball or something. "Oliver!" Knox said again and he paused. "I'll talk to Bambi and see about a probationary period or something. Maybe clean some stables or just make it a two week ban since you're here all summer. Kay?"

Oliver grinned. "Thanks." She returned the smile before turning to go back to mucking stalls and cleaning the tack.

~

Archery, Bruce decided, was the worst. It slapped his reddened and itchy skin even with the arm guard on. The smaller bows they had were too easy for him to pull and sent the arrows almost skittering at the target when he released. The bigger ones and the compound bows were too heavy a draw though and Bruce's twiggy thirteen year old arms just didn't have the strength. Oliver didn't seem to like it either. He seemed like the type of guy who had everything handed to him and most of the sports came naturally to him. Archery didn't. It clearly frustrated him that while he managed to hit the target he couldn't hit the center. Or even the yellow rings just outside it. He managed to pepper the blue ones every time. He could at least use the larger recurve bows at least. Which Bruce wouldn't admit to but was supremely jealous of.

"You just gotta practice, you'll get there!" Legolas reassured him. Bruce and Oliver both raised skeptical brows at that. Legolas had gotten his name because he was a crack shot. Hitting the bullseye just about every time. His encouragement wasn't as meaningful as he meant it. Especially when there was a rumor going around that the other counselors had dared him to shoot an arrow off of someone's head while blindfolded. And that he had managed it. "Though not today," he laughed after checking his watch, "we need to clean up for lunch."

The boys and other campers all turned their bows in and Legolas set them in the shed before returning and sending them to collect their arrows. By the time they were all cleaned up a couple other counselors had wandered out of the woods where they must've gone for a hike on their breaks and decided to head with them to lunch. A week and a half of camp had all the kids falling into a buddy line without even being told and Oliver fell in next to Bruce out of habit. Beaker made them do a headcount, checking each camper off on her list, and let Legolas lead them off toward the dining hall. He also started to lead them in some insipid song about a worm getting stuck in a straw. Legolas would shout a line and around Bruce all the other kids would eagerly shout it back. Even Oliver. Bruce would rather actually swallow a worm.

Inside the dining hall was the usual premeal chaos as counselors took their assigned tables and yelled across the room to each other. Kids swarmed around trying to find seats next to friends or at tables with specific counselors. Bruce scanned the space when a small arm covered in bright string bracelets -- and there hadn't been that many at breakfast, Bruce was certain -- shot up and waved towards him enthusiastically. "BRUCE!" Zatanna bellowed. He was fairly certain she'd pushed her magic into it because he could clearly hear it over everything else. That, or Zatanna was just disturbingly loud.

Bruce began walking to the table she was at and the two seats she appeared to be guarding with her life. Oliver followed and Bruce couldn't explain why. Well at least not beyond the fact that it was just what they did anymore.

"Hey kid," Oliver said by way of greeting. Zatanna preened and smiled. She was a ten-year-old queen and this table was her court. Just no one beyond the three of them knew that just yet.

"Hi Ollie. Oh! I want you guys to meet Hartley! He lives in the cabin two over from mine. He really likes music," Zatanna told them breathlessly, pointing at the small redhead next to her. Bruce and Oliver both sat down across from the two as more kids took the spots further down the table. Oliver waved at the boy while Bruce just nodded. "That's Oliver and that's Bruce, he's my best friend," Zatanna told Hartley and pointed at the two older boys.

Bruce frowned at Zatanna and was glad to see the boy looked skeptical when he glanced between Bruce and Zee. "Isn't he a little old to be your best friend?" he asked a little too loudly.

"Yes." Bruce said. "And we're not best friends."

Zee pouted. "Well until Oliver I was your only friend."

"We're not friends," Bruce and Oliver corrected her at the same time.

"Sure," she said with an eyeroll.

The poor boy she'd dragged into this looked so confused. "So, how old are you?" he finally dredged up the courage to ask.

"Thirteen," Oliver sounded smug. Bruce just nodded.

"Oh." Hartley seemed to shrink in on himself.

"How old are you?" Zee asked, genuinely curious.

"Eight." He was still a little too loud when he spoke, even though he seemed like he was shy.

Bruce raised an eyebrow. He'd been practicing and he knew it wasn't as smooth as Alfred's but Oliver provided infinite possibilities to practice and it was still leaps and bounds better than a week ago. "Aren't you in the nine to eleven group?" he asked Zatanna.

"Yeah," she frowned. "Hartley, how'd you wind up in my group?"

He shrugged. "I skipped a grade and my mom kinda bullied them into putting me in by grade instead of age."

Oliver seemed to hum in understanding. Bruce just felt himself frown. Zatanna met his eye with a slight frown of her own. The moment passed though when one of the counselors started the quiet clap and everyone shut up and turned to pay attention.

~

Oliver was officially tired of camp by the last week of June. A racoon had gotten into their cabin the day before and went though literally all of their things. It didn't eat or destroy anything though, just wanted to make chaos by rubbing its tiny hands on everything apparently. Sherlock had to make another laundry run for them. Gambit had heard about it over the radio and claimed a golf cart just so she could come laugh at the mess before they managed to clean too much of it up, having been off on her break at the time. She left the cart for Sherlock before heading to her own cabin for the rest of her break, laughing the whole way. The other counselors in the unit made a fire for the boys while everyone else got ready for bed and they waited for their sheets and sleeping bags to be washed.

Unfortunately, Oliver had a whole two more months to go. He was officially less than pleased with his mother for this grand idea.

Luckily, Knox found him before the Final Campfire for those who were only there for the month. Taking long strides up the wide stone steps of the amphitheater to where he sat next to Bruce. Zatanna and her little friend Hartley on Bruce's other side. They all watched as the barn staffer made her way towards them, standing out in her jeans and tall muck boots while everyone else was wearing shorts. "Hey, Ollie!" she called as she approached, obviously not realizing that she already had everyone's full attention. "I just got back from the barn and I wanted to be the first to tell you that your ban has been lifted! You're allowed to come back starting Monday, since Bruce is leaving." Here she grimaced over at Bruce. "Sorry, but Bambi kind of decided you were the responsible party and Ollie just collateral damage. Very foolish collateral damage." She didn't bother to apologize for that one though as she turned to look back to him. "So Pancake will see you Monday? She's missed you."

Oliver nodded eagerly. "Yes. Absolutely. I'll talk to Sherlock about changing my schedule right after the campfire."

Knox nodded. "Sweet. Ok, I need to hit the showers. Bye all! I'll see you at breakfast tomorrow!"

They all said their goodbyes and Oliver couldn't stop smiling. Camp still sucked and the one person who made it interesting at least was leaving tomorrow, but at least Oliver's ban had been lifted. He could spend the rest of summer riding horses.

~

Bruce thought that he'd never been happier to see Alfred in his life. The man stood on the porch of the Health Center, talking with Doc when Artemis came to collect him from the dining hall where he'd been sitting on the steps, avoiding singing camp songs. The irony of Apollo taking him to the dining hall at the beginning of the month and Artemis leading him from it at the end was not lost on Bruce. Nor was it lost on Alfred by the sly grin he had when he saw who walked with Bruce. "Have a safe trip home!" Artemis said brightly before heading to Bugs, the camp director, and getting the name of the next camper she was to fetch.

"Well Bruce, I'm sorry that the circumstances weren't better but I'm glad I got to know you," she said and held out a hand that Bruce shook. "Maybe I'll see you next year? And if not, keep in touch. Mr. Pennyworth has my mailing address, maybe you can write me some of your famous letters."

Bruce smirked. "I will."

Doc laughed and the corners of Alfred's mouth twitched. "Shall we, Master Wayne?" he asked. "Your footlocker has already been loaded and you have officially been checked out."

Nodding, Bruce eagerly turned to go search the field for the car. He thought to look back once and wave to Doc, but then he was off and moving. He closed the door hard after he climbed in. Alfred started the car but didn't shift into gear. They just sat there in silence as the vents slowly began to push out cold air.

Finally, Alfred asked what he wanted to. "How was camp?"

"Never again, Alfred. Never. Again."

"That bad?"

"Didn't you get my letters?"

Alfred finally pulled out of the field and started down the long drive towards the road. "I did. I had just assumed that you were exaggerating as is your penchant."

Bruce glared at him. "You were talking to Doc."

"And I realized that you were not exaggerating."

"Never. Again."

"Yes, Master Bruce."

[unlocktxt]

more than just a memory | c.s.b

Choi Soobin

❦ genre: angst, fluff, ghost soobin!au, soobin x reader

❦ description: moving into your new house, you expected to be met with peace and quiet, but everything doesn’t seem to go according to plan when your met with a tall lonely ghost named soobin.

❦ word count: 5.6k

❦ warning‼️: this includes/mentions death, loss, heartbreak, afterlife, and swearing

The burning sun could be felt on your skin, tanning it as you ran down the never ending street. You checked your digital watch to see that you were now five minutes late to your moving in get together. Your absence would be evident to your close family and friends. The thought of your parents nagging about your tardiness only motivated you to move faster. You were running so fast that you just barely managed to dodge an old woman and her barking chihuahua. “Watch where you’re going before you kill someone’s dog!” You didn’t have to look at her to know that she was pointing her angry accusing finger at you. “Sorry miss!” You quickly turned the corner, finally on your street. You were relieved to know that the old woman wasn’t your neighbor. With the house in your sights you ran even faster, those years spent in track finally paying off. Practically feeling like a cheetah, it was hard for you to stop yourself as you approached the house. Trying to slow down was a useless attempt as you tripped. The stupid rock causing you to fly forward, foot hurting like a bitch. Your reflexes didn’t seem to be enough, but they still managed to get you to crash into the parked car, rather than the pavement. As if things couldn’t get any worse, the car alarm started blaring. At that moment, you were willing to dismantle that moving money eater. The car alarm suddenly stopped, causing you to face the small group of people on the porch. Well shit. Waving with a big smile on your face, you fought the urge to laugh at yourself and feigned innocent. This clearly didn’t work because when you made eye contact with your parents, you could practically feel the disappointment. Good thing you have your own house now. 

You made your way over to your favorite people, still out of breath from running. “Hi guys! So sorry I’m late. I uh... I had to go help this elderly woman catch her chihuahua that got loose.” You decided against telling them that you managed to get lost walking around the many, many blocks. Nodding your head in satisfaction, you thanked the old woman and her dog for saving you from the wrath of your parents. The only person who didn’t seem to fall for this was your friend, Taehyun, who shook his head in disapproval, although you knew he found it funny. “Let’s get this party started!” You ushered everyone inside as you made your way over to Taehyun and Beomgyu. “Okay so what the hell were you actually doing?” Taehyun raised an eyebrow at you, basically staring you down. You let out a sigh, knowing they would make fun of you. “I went out for a walk because I got spooked... and then I got lost.” Beomgyu immediately started laughing. “You- You got lost in your own neighborhood!” He couldn’t help his laughter, you were just too oblivious of your surroundings. Taehyun, who actually listened carefully, had more questions. “So why did you get scared in the first place?” Taehyun seemed interested in what you had to say, giving you the confidence you needed. “Well... the house is always kind of cold you know... and they say it could be because it’s haunted. I didn’t really mind it, but I swear I saw a reflection in the mirror.” You shivered just thinking about it. This caused Beomgyu to look around with wide eyes. “No way... your house is haunted!” Beomgyu shouted, causing Taehyun to put his hand over the loud man’s mouth. “She probably just isn’t used to being home alone, so she got paranoid.” Taehyun shrugged. To be fair... it does sound more reasonable, however, you could’ve sworn you saw a tall figure staring at you. Then again it only lasted for a split second. “Your parents brought cake, come on.” Taehyun got us back on track, but not before Beomgyu mouthed we should totally go ghost hunting. Ignoring the heavy feeling on your chest, you followed after them. What couldn’t be seen, was how Soobin lit up. So she did see me, he thought. After months of having an empty feeling, he finally felt something. Hope. He now made it his mission to get your oblivious self to notice him.

“I can’t believe our child is all grown up now.” Your mom’s eyes glossed over as she looked at you. “Mom don’t cry,” you chuckled at her pouty face, “you’re acting like I’m never going to visit you.” Shaking your head, you realized that you were going to be all alone in this house. Like a slap to the face, the thought of having to be completely independent hit you. The sudden realization scared you, but you knew it was about time to grow up. “I think that you’re still our little one, after all I’ll just be glad you don’t burn the house down.” Your dad’s joke had everyone laughing, they all knew how much he wanted to see you everyday. The memories of your childhood seemed to flash through your mind - the time your dad would always set you on the tree until you were able to climb up it just like him- or the time your mom chased you around the yard, trying to tickle your small self. These are the memories you would cling onto for the rest of your life. “I’m not that bad of a cook!” Sure you had caught noodles on fire, but that was like three years ago. You’ve improved since then, or so you thought. “There’s a reason no one asks you to cook.” Your mom admitted, to which you puffed your cheeks. You were being called out and your friends just nodded in agreement. The ultimate betrayal. “Then it’s a good thing I had you to take care of me. I probably picked up a few of your tricks.” Key word probably. 

Your parents weren’t going to stay long, that way you and your friends could have some fun. Just when you turned to walk your parents to the door, the plastic cup moved an inch. Soobin, who had moved it, quickly turned to look at you with a big, proud smile. “I just did that!” He was excited about his achievement that took ten minutes to pull off, but as he looked at your back facing him, his face fell. “You have got to be kidding me.” The poor invisible Soobin really wanted to take out his frustration, but as his fist went to collide with the wooden table, it went straight through. An exasperating sigh came from Soobin as he moved onto plan b. Having not seen this, you waved your parents goodbye, slowly closing the door before turning to your two friends. “I call the dog!” Beomgyu ran to the monopoly board that Taehyun set up, diving for the little piece. You happily scurried over to your friends as you grabbed the shoe before Taehyun could. “Oh I’m definitely going to make you go bankrupt for that one.” Taehyun grabbed the car, sending glares. From past experiences, the three of you decided to put away the hammers and any potential weapon. Rolling the dice to see who’s first, you punched the air as you rolled a 6, higher than the two of them combined. As you did so you could’ve sworn your hand brushed against something cold, but maybe it was just the air conditioning. Soobin, sitting directly beside you, jumped as a result of your fist going straight through him. Was monopoly really this exciting, Soobin wondered, now wanting to play along. The three of you, not noticing the ghost boy, started the game with you rolling the dice. Your game face was now on. You decided to buy the first property you landed on. Taehyun went next, landing on the same color, his face told you that he wasn’t planning on letting you go that easily. “Don’t you dare buy that property!” You wanted all of the greens, but Taehyun wasn’t letting you have that chance as he bought the property. “Fine then... I’ll just make you go bankrupt.” You were now going to make them pay.

When the game ended you felt defeated. The look on Taehyuns face scared you. He truly was the monopoly master. “I can’t believe you took all of my money.” Beomgyu whined. It was now eleven at night, the game had lasted a while. “We should probably get going.” Taehyun said as he grabbed his stuff, taking a slice of cake with him. “Okay be safe on the way home.” You walked them to the door, waving their car goodbye.

Sighing, you couldn’t help but notice how chilly it was in the house. “Does the thermostat even work?” After messing with it a bit, you decided to just get a blanket, however, as you leaned over to grab one you met eyes with a man who looked similar to a bunny. “Get out before I call the cops!” You turned around quickly as you ran to the kitchen, grabbing a knife. You could tell he was caught off guard as his eyes seemed to enlarge. He definitely wasn’t very good at whatever he’s doing. As you turned on your phone, he seemed to get the gist. He came running at you, panicking. You were terrified and did the first thing you could think of- stab him. Your hands shook as your eyes trembled, you didn’t know what to do, but you did know you were terrified. Your hand and knife just went straight through him. Now that Soobin knew you could see him, he put all his energy into taking your phone. You were stuck in shock at what was happening. When you finally gained enough sense to move, you backed up. “P-please don’t kill me!” You were helpless against an invincible man.

Soobin knew he shouldn’t scare you, but he wanted to have some fun before reassuring you, after all... he used to joke about haunting people. He slowly approached your cowering figure, trapping you against the wall with his body. His arms were placed beside your head and he stared, you didn’t have anywhere to go. This is when you got this brilliant idea, if the knife could go straight through him maybe you could too! His face was a little too close for comfort, so you quickly tried to catch him off guard and lean forward, however, when you expected your face to fall right through him, you ended up meeting with something hard. Not only did this shock you, but also Soobin. He did not expect you to lean in and kiss him... the warmth of your lips sparking a fire within him. You were now highly embarrassed on top of fearing for your life. “I... I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to! You know I just thought that I would go right through you... but that didn’t work. Please don’t kill me... just tell me what you want!” You rambled trying to get him to spare your life. Soobin had just gotten over the shock, now enjoying your flustered state. He smirked as he leaned closer, “Maybe another kiss.” That surely was not what you expected. Is that really what he wanted... or was it a trick? The tall black haired boy started laughing as he backed away from you. You were confused, but relieved as you finally let out the breath you were holding.

 “I actually want you to help me see my friends and family. You see... you’ve probably already guessed, but I’m a ghost and I’d like to say goodbye to them one last time.” His whole demeanor  had changed and you were now looking at a very cute guy. You opened your mouth to speak, but he continued. “My names Soobin. I actually used to live here or well... still kind of do. Surprise you have a dead roommate because I can’t seem to leave the house.” This was not normal... at all. When you decided to live here, you didn’t think it was haunted. “May I ask when you died?” You couldn’t help yourself, you were curious. Besides if you were going to help him  then you’d need to know if these people were still alive. The humor he had before seemed to be a mask because once you asked this he had a distant look on his face. “If I remember correctly it was three months ago.” Something seemed to hit you, now looking at him you felt pity towards the ghost. You don’t know if you would’ve had a different reaction had he said something else, but you were now fighting the urge to cry due to his tragic situation. He was alone for three months, knowing that his loved ones were in pain missing him. The lump in your throat formed, “why don’t we sit down?” You grabbed his hand, almost retracting yours from the ice cold feeling. When you looked up at him, your eyes seemed like a mirror, reflecting the light as a burning feeling reached your nose. Don’t cry, you reminded yourself. Soobin, who had longed for the warm feeling, unconsciously tightened his grip on your hand as he moved closer. Noticing this warmed your heart, it relieved you that he seemed to enjoy your contrasting temperature. You wanted to give him the warmth he needed, so you placed another hand on his. The two of you smiled at each other before heading to the living room. His smile contained so much kindness, you wish you knew him before he had passed away.

Soobin had talked on and on about his plan to get his friends and parents here. You could tell he was excited and thought a lot about how to this this, however, it didn’t seem that he thought of the consequences. It was a wholesome plan, but you just didn’t think it would work out. Although his plan wasn’t all that great, you knew that the reason he couldn’t find peace was because he didn’t get to say goodbye. You had to compromise. “Soobin,” you took a deep breath before looking him in the eyes, “I don’t think telling your loved ones that you’re a ghost is a good idea.” You were met with Soobin’s confusion. “Well they obviously won’t believe you at first, but that’s where I come-”

“No Soobin... I don’t think they should know that you’re still somewhat on this earth.” The hurt on his face tore you to shreds, he felt betrayed. “And why not? I thought you were going to help me.” Soobin released his grip on your hands, confusion turning into anger. His narrowed eyes were locked on you. “I still want to help you Soobin... it’s just... they have been adjusting to your death for three months. In other words, they are three months into grieving.” You hoped he would understand as you reached for his hand. Soobin’s pale face tensed up as he pulled his hand further away. “As if you would know. My parents need to know that I’m okay! You don’t know what it’s like, so keep your shitty opinion to yourself. If you won’t help me then I’ll figure out another way.” Venom was laced in his voice and you noticed he seemed to be going in and out of transparency. You stayed calm, “I could never know what you’re going through, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to help. We can think of another way. By telling them you’re a ghost, you’d be giving them hope to be with you again. They’d have to lose you all over again, who knows what could happen to you as a ghost. I’m sure it would hurt them to know that this whole time you were alone and not in a better place.” You hadn’t looked away from Soobin, so you were able to see his expression change. His furrowed brows seemed to drop as he looked at the ground, clearly upset. He looked lost, his hope of saying goodbye being stripped from him. You felt guilty that you were the one to make him like this, but it was the right thing to do. Or were you just telling yourself that?

 “What am I supposed to do now?” Soobin felt defeated, he was stuck in a place he didn’t belong. You slowly leaned into Soobin, looking for any sign of disapproval, and hugged him. The warmth that enveloped Soobin like a blanket was still able to give him comfort. “You could always write a letter and pretend you wrote it before you died.” You talked softly, scared that any harsher of a tone would break him even more. Soobin escaped from your hug with newly found hope, his red puffy eyes looking at your pity filled ones. “That’s a brilliant idea!” Soobin was sad that he wouldn’t get to have a conversation, but at least this would cause less pain. Looking at his excited self made you wish you thought of this plan sooner. You had just met this man, but you were completely willing to make him happy. You assumed it was just the fact that you’d want the same done for you. “Well let’s get some rest and then we can start on that tomorrow.” Soobin nodded, he didn’t need any sleep, but knew that it was important for you. You still managed to get the couch comfortable for him, even putting a heavy blanket over him just in case it would work. Although Soobin knew blankets would do nothing to ease the cold feeling, he felt warm on the inside as you tried to take care of him.

When you fell asleep Soobin hesistantly walked through the wall and into your room. His eyes softened as he looked at your relaxed form. He didn’t want to admit it, but he was scared. Scared that if he didn’t stay beside you, he would be forgotten. Which led him to sitting beside your bed, holding your hand for the warmth.

You could smell something delicious, making your mouth water as you woke up. With eyes halfway open, you made your way to the smell that was coming from the kitchen. “Oh you’re awake!” Soobin turned towards you, hearing your dragging steps. Seeing him like this made you feel like you lived with him for a while. You’re once tired eyes opened wide as you realized he was cooking. “You cook?” You asked as you walked over to him. “I cooked here and there when I was alive. I heard that you’re not a really good cook and thought that I could pay you back for your help.” Soobin’s small smile and words left your cheeks tinted red. “You didn’t have to do this.” You couldn’t help your watery mouth when you looked at the fresh pancakes. When Soobin looked at you he was overjoyed seeing your shining eyes looking at the pancakes. “Yeah I know, but I wanted to. Besides I thought you’d be hungry.” He slid the last pancake onto the plate as he brought it to the table. “I’m not that hungry...” You tried to play it off, but the rumble coming from your stomach betrayed you. Soobin chuckeled, “eat up. I can’t really eat.” You we’re stuck looking at Soobin. You didn’t even think about it... he couldn’t really enjoy pancakes anymore. Shaking away this thought, you spread the syrup and grabbed the fork in excitement. As you went to dig in, you saw Soobin staring at you with a smile on his face, causing you to slow down.

“So when do you want to start writing?” You swallowed a big piece of the pancake as you waiting for an answer. “I’ve actually started already. The problem is that I keep throwing them away because I don’t know what to say.” Soobin sighed, resting his chin on his palm. “Why don’t you try writing from the heart?” The words flowed out of your mouth, too busy focusing on your almost finished pancakes. Soobin looked at you, clearly unimpressed. “Why didn’t I think of that? Oh wait... I did.” You laughed a bit at his sarcastic tone, now putting up the dirty plate. Soobin came up behind you, grabbing your arm and swinging it. “I need help.” He pouted. “Well... have you tried starting with the memories you’ve shared? That way you can work your way up and really know what it is you want to say.” You used to write a lot of letters for your friends and this had always helped you.

Soobin nodded, heading over to the small table where tons of paper were sprawled about. By the time you got over there Soobin had already picked up the pen and started writing. Being the nosy person you are, you read over his shoulder, giggling at the cute memories he wrote down.

“No way... did you really set your couch on fire and try to hide it?” You were hunched over trying to catch your breath as you visualized a tiny Soobin sitting on the burnt fabric, never getting up in attempt to hide it. Soobin, watching your fit of laughter, smiles fondly. Your laughter was beautiful and he never wanted to let it go. “Says the one who nearly burnt her house down trying to cook.” Soobin added in, causing your laughter to come to a halt. “You weren’t supposed to know about that.” You cursed your dad in your head.

You started to learn a lot about Soobin from reading about his life, to talking with each other. The longer Soobin was around, the more your head was filled with thoughts of him, but you blamed it on the fact that he was in the same room as you. “Ugh... I finally finished and need a break.” Without thinking about it, Soobin grabbed your hands and placed them on his chest. He couldn’t help but long for your warm touch. you were now pressed up against the chair and his back, leaving your face awfully close to his. The close proximity made your face heat up and when Soobin turned to look at you, you panicked. Coughing you withdrew your hands and backed up a bit. “Then let’s talk.” You pulled a chair next to Soobin and sat down. Soobin knew that he flustered you and he couldn’t help but enjoy it. He knew he was being selfish, but the feeling of his fake heart beating told him that he was starting to see you as more than the living girl willing to help him. You on the other hand, wouldn’t allow yourself to admit the reason behind your not so subtle glances at him that made your heart flutter. When you looked at him now he seemed different. He seemed... happy. Looking at him like this, you could easily mistake him for an everyday attractive boy. Couldn’t the two of you just stick together? The selfish thought of yours shocked you. If you did that then you’d be forcing him to live without his friends and family. Couldn’t you be enough? You quickly disregarded these thoughts, Soobin needed to find peace and you were not going to be the one to stop him. 

You didn’t notice your eyes getting watery until a single tear streamed down your cheek. Soobin managed to see this. “Maybe we should talk about this whole thing.” He suggested, leading you to the couch as you quickly wiped the tear away. He ended up laying his head on his thighs as you ran your fingers through his hair. “Okay... what about it?” You asked with a heavy heart. “I know you’ve been wondering what I think about this whole situation.” You nodded your head, admitting to your prying mind. “I’m a little scared.” You could see where this was going, the look on his face showing concern as his eyes darted around. “I can’t help but wonder what comes next.” He took a deep breath in. “What if I get stuck here or if wherever I’m going isn’t as nice as it seems?” After telling this to you, Soobin felt the weight lift off of his shoulders, but you were stuck thinking about how he was going to go into the unknown. “Well... I don’t know. It depends what you believe, but what I do know is that you won’t have to feel out of place anymore. You’ll probably be comforted by the big bright light.” You yourself didn’t know what you believed, but Soobin’s glow was enough to reassure you he’d be alright. 

There was a soothing silence before Soobin spoke up once more. “I don’t want to be just another memory that gets forgotten.” Soobin was now looking at your eyes that were focusing on his hair. “You would never be just a memory, nor would you be forgotten. You lived Soobin and in everyone’s hearts you will stay alive.” His hands grabbed yours, placing them where his heart should be. This caused you to look into his ocean blue eyes. The eyes that once lacked life were filled with emotions, causing a fire to ignite within you. You couldn’t lie to yourself anymore, you were falling for him. A forbidden relationship that should never exist. Maybe you didn’t want to admit this to yourself because you knew it would end in heartbreak, but you couldn’t seem to lie to yourself anymore. “Thank you.” Soobin wanted so badly to confess to you, but he was dead. He wanted to stay for you, but he knew it would only hold you back, so he kept his feelings to himself. He could tell you were being distant, so he made sure to continue. “You know... when I first saw you I knew there was something different about you, so I kept trying to get your attention.” Soobin wore a smile now, and you noticed that he was slightly glowing. He was ready to accept death completely and you had to live with that. “Well I’m glad I was finally able to meet you.” You successfully hid your sadness behind a smile. In order to stop himself from saying something he shouldn’t, he decided to get the show on the road. “I guess you should head to Yeonjun’s house now.” Soobin hesitantly mentioned. The two of you looked at eachother in silence, both having so much to say, but keeping it all in. “Yeah... I guess so. Bye Soobin... I’m glad I could help you.” You quickly grabbed the envelopes as you left in a heartbeat.

When you arrived at Yeonjun’s house, you didn’t think you would be this nervous. Hesistantly knocking on the door, you were trying to shake your nerves away. Maybe you should’ve mailed them. Your breath hitched while watching the wooden door open. The man who had opened it was young, blonde, and very handsome. “Hi, I’m looking for someone named Yeonjun. I found this letter left behind from the house I just moved into. Your address was on it.” The exact words that you rehearsed on your way here were hard to get out. “Okay well... I’m Yeonjun.” He looked at you weirdly, probably ready to call the cops if anything went south. “It says it’s from Soobin.” With that one name Yeonjun’s happy exterior seemed to deflate. “Oh... thank you.” His shaky voice broke your heart, you knew they’ve been best friends for the longest. “I hate to ask this... but there’s also one for someone named Hueningkai.” The boy infront of you clearly was having a hard time dealing with Soobin’s death. “He’s actually here right now. I’ll take it to him.” You handed him the other letter, reluctant to leave. “You know, you look like his type.” You looked up at the blond best friend with a raised eyebrow. “Who?”

“Soobin.” His answer left a bitter sweet feeling in you as you just smiled and nodded before walking away. You were close to tears, but wanted to be strong for Soobin. Seeing his parents could potentially break your heart even more, but you knew it was for the best. You used everything you could to distract yourself from the sad thought, now choosing to look at the different colors of the pavement. You must’ve been so distracted that you managed to forget about the world around you, that was until the unfamiliar door opened. You were now looking at a man that resembled Soobin in many ways, just older. It was obvious this was his dad. His sunken eyes were a little too noticeable and you were correct, your heart was breaking piece by piece. It was almost like you were reliving the life that was lost. Just seeing the people he wrote about left images of what the memories looked like to you. Why did the world have to take away this young twenty-two year old? Holding back the tears, you once again said what was rehearsed, like a broken record. “Hi, I’m sorry to bother you, but these two notes were left behind from where I just moved. They had your address on them and it’s from someone named Soobin.” His already sad eyes seemed to fall deeper in the darkness as he shakily took the letters, with a faint thank you. Before he could close the door you couldn’t help yourself and went off script. “Your son must really love you. I bet he’d want you to live a nice, long, and happy life.” You could tell he considered your words, finally walking into the house with his shoulders raised. The moment the door shut was when you realized that Soobin should’ve found peace by now. Instead of crying, you decided to hold it all in.

You didn’t realize how lonely you could feel until you opened the door. You kept reminding yourself that he had found peace, but you just felt numb. that was until you saw the tall black haired ghost looking at you with a frown. You wish your heart didn’t flip when you saw him. You wish that you didn’t hope to see him one last time. Although you wanted to be happy for this moment with him, you panicked. “What are you doing here? You should’ve found peace!” Did something go wrong? “Y/N... the reason I can’t move on yet is... is because of you.” You didn’t know how to react. His words sent a surge of emotions through you, causing you to lash out. “Soobin you can’t stay here! There’s nothing keeping you here! I’m okay with you leaving!” The lies left your mouth, anything to have him move on. Soobin didn’t say anything as he walked over to you, strongly pulling you against him. His hand pushed your head against his chest as he rubbed your back. “Please...” the anger left your body as you struggled to keep your tears back. “I couldn’t leave yet because it didn’t feel right. I never gave you a proper goodbye. Now... it’s okay to cry, I’ll miss you too.” He seemed to hug you tighter, his words relieving you. “Why did you have to die?” Tears ran down your cheeks as you started to shake from your choked sobs. “I don’t want to lose you, but I can’t keep you here.” Soobin’s shirt was getting drenched as you continued to cry into it. 

He pushed you back a little so he could look into your eyes. “I like you Y/N and I’m sorry that we had to meet like this.” His eyes were red and puffy, but you didn’t have time to say anything before he leaned in, placing his cold, soft lips against yours. The kiss was passionate, the two of you never wanting to let go of this moment. You grew to enjoy his cold comforting touch, but it was slowly disappearing. When your lips left eachother Soobin made sure to put his hand over your eyes. “Please... just keep your eyes closed.” You listened to his last wish, shaking as you choked out a goodbye. The little trace of cold was replaced by warmth, causing you to fall to your knees as your eyes opened. You were met with an empty living room. For once, the house felt warm, but this could never make up for the internal warmth that had been stripped from you.

The next day was hard. Everything seemed to be going in slow motion and you seemed to zone out the whole day. People continued on with their lives as if nothing happened, but you knew and that was enough. You were able to say goodbye and you were grateful for that. When you got home and tossed your keys on the dresser, you became aware of the white envelope with Soobin’s handwriting. You were delicate with the envelope, not wanting to rip it. This letter was to you, the last thing you had of Soobin.

Dear Y/N,

You told me to write about my memories and work my way up. Sadly, we didn’t have much time together, however, every moment spent with you meant a lot to me. The days can get hard, but life is worth living. Even when everything seems to be going wrong, there is always something good right around the corner. Anyways, I’m sorry for scaring you that night, although I wish I could’ve messed with you some more before I leave...or left. I’ve never met someone who has made me feel the way you do. If you’re willing, I’d like to meet you in another life. Our time together was too short. I want to thank you as well. Thank you for helping me move on and for finally being able to save me from the cold. Please don’t cling onto me, I’d like you to move on as well. Let’s both be happy. Thank you for keeping me alive in your heart.

Love, your ghost boy Soobinie

[honey-dewey]

Random Dewey Finn headcanons (?) I came up with while eating my breakfast

Before Dewey wanted to be a big rock star, he wanted to be an astronaut. 

His aunt gave him his first guitar for his 10th birthday, thus sparking his love of rock music. 

One of the major reasons he never quit music was because of that aunt. She passed away early, and was constantly the only member of his family that truly believed in him. 

Dewey’s mum was kind of absent, so he was raised primarily by his dad. 

Dewey and Ned met on the first day of high school, and were inseparable for all four years. 

Despite both of them liking both, Dewey likes Star Wars more, while New prefers Star Trek. They have debates of epic proportion over which of these preferences is better. Dewey somehow always wins. 

One of the reasons Ned let Dewey live with him is because Dewey is an amazing cook. He never eats what he makes though. 

His specialty is breakfast foods

While he may be an amazing home cook, he’s an even better baker. 

Dewey is highly sensitive to textures, especially food and fabrics. 

Because of this, he rarely tries new foods, sticking to a decently firm schedule. (He really likes hard boiled eggs) 

It’s also why he likes sweater vests. The actual sweater doesn’t touch his skin, but he can rub his hands up and down the knit when he gets overwhelmed. 

He’s also sensitive to criticism. Along with that, he cries easily. 

After the whole School of Rock incident, Dewey did some quick online classes on teaching. When a music teacher position at Horace Green opened up, he was the first one contacted to fill it. 

During SoR shows, Dewey has a tendency to get very hyped, and this eventually leads to a collapse, usually on the bus ride home. It happened once on stage, where he just went still and quiet all of a sudden and then began to panic. 

All of his kids know exactly what to do during his collapses. 

They made him (yes made him) a stress doll. It weighs about twenty pounds and looks like a panda. They lay it across Dewey’s chest and let him lie down on a blanket. The kids then surround him to make a protective barrier. It’s a very effective method. 

It took almost thirty years for Dewey to get diagnosed with mild autism, anxiety, ADD, and seasonal depression. His mother was a firm believer that mental illness was a hoax. 

He did try and take medication for it, right when he started teaching full-time. It made him nauseous and tired and so unlike himself that he quit after three months, a decision that was fully backed by his students. 

He eventually did go back and get a new prescription for his ADD. It works surprisingly well and doesn’t make him act any less like himself. 

This isn’t even a Headcanon. It’s straight up actual canon from the Broadway.com Stick it to the Man video! Dewey stims! He knocks his wrists together and does the raptor hands! (I don’t think his hands were truly by his side at any point during the entire show) He taps his feet and shakes his hands! His facial expressions are always on 10 and he scronches his face when he’s excited! His head go bop! He’s a stimming Boi!

Also have you ever seen a neurotypical person dress like that? Ever? Nope. Sweater vests and jeans and sneakers (that look like heelys) is not a neurotypical outfit. 

Dewey doesn’t like rainy weather, nor does he like the cold bite of winter. He has a heater and a happy light in his classroom for rainy and/or cold days. 

His favorite season is fall. He really really likes to step on leaves and hear that satisfying crunch. 

Dewey also has a weakened immune system, and is pretty vigilant about his health. He takes vitamins and vitamin D supplements, and yet always ends up with some kind of illness in winter. Despite this, he refuses to get any kind of flu shot. 

Dewey’s list of phobias includes: needles, heights, clowns, and the dark. 

He’s dead terrified of the dentist. Ned has to practically drag him every time. It’s not even that he has poor dental hygiene or has actual odontophobia, he just hates the experience. The combination of strong smells and uncomfortable touches and horrible noises overwhelms him so much. 

For much of the same reasons as his hatred of the dentist, Dewey dreads getting his hair cut. Social interaction mixed with weird feelings on his surprisingly sensitive head and the constant background noise and the hair spray-y smell make it an experience Dewey’s hated since childhood. Now, Ned usually cuts Dewey’s hair because he’s really not picky about how it looks, and Ned knows exactly how to go about the job without causing Dewey to hyperventilate and cry. 

He uses a night light! It’s the fun kind that projects stars on the ceiling. 

Dewey is the king of field trips. He’s always just as eager as the kids to go, and he loves to learn niche facts. His favorite field trip location is the aquarium. 

Dewey quit drinking after his 23rd birthday, when he blacked out and woke up in some random girl’s bed. She promised they didn’t do it, but ever since then, he’s terrified it’ll happen again. 

Speaking of which, Dewey’s a virgin. 

Once, one of Dewey’s female students came to him and said an older man was following her to and from school every day. Dewey was later suspended from work for a week for punching a man and putting him in the hospital. Once they knew why, the school board unanimously decided not to punish him. 

Dewey absolutely insists all of his kids call him Dewey and not Mr. Finn. 

He’s the most supportive teacher in the entire school. He’s got name tags on every desk with each kid’s preferred name and pronouns. When Billy comes out as non-binary, he makes the pronoun switch immediately and puts a beautiful stained glass-esque progress pride flag in one of his windows. 

Someone hatefully vandalized said pride art project and Dewey actually cried. His kids all banded together to make a new one. 

Sometimes, the kids purposefully ask Dewey to sing certain things because his voice gets so damn tender and beautiful, as opposed to the usual bombastic singing they’re used to. (Think like. Some of the 35MM songs) 

Dewey has a routine with his drinks throughout the day. Two cups of coffee in the morning, one at home and one at work. One water bottle before lunch and one after lunch. A Gatorade or some other fitness drink after school, usually during band practice to make up for how sweaty he gets. And one cup of lavender citrus tea with extra honey after dinner. 

He broke his only water bottle about four months into teaching full-time and started to use a plastic one every day. Ned decided that wouldn’t do, and got him a Mandalorian water bottle. Dewey loves it to bits. 

Dewey doesn’t celebrate any one version of a holiday. He’s equal opportunity for any and all holidays, but he grew up Jewish. That doesn’t stop him from helping Ned put up his Christmas tree every year. Nor does it stop him from celebrating Yule with his online friends. 

Despite being Jewish and mainly celebrating their holidays, Dewey loves Christmas music and starts playing it as soon as he can. The kids dare him to hit those ridiculous Mariah Carey high notes in All I Want For Christmas. He does it. 

He also once sang ‘Little Drummer Boy’ to his kids the day before holiday break. He only played his guitar softly and by the time he was done, each and every kid was fast asleep. (He played Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer as well) 

Dewey absolutely collects soft blankets. He has four halloween ones, two Tim Burton ones (a Beetlejuice and a Corpse Bride), eight winter holiday blankets, and three miscellaneous. He brought them all into class once and built a blanket fort to teach his kids about ancient civilization. 

Speaking of which, his teaching methods are unorthodox at best, and at worst downright crazy. But he always teaches and he always makes it memorable. His class has the highest test scores in the school. 

Dewey usually teaches using music or hands on activities. He plays soft background music during every class no matter the circumstances, and said screw the building’s lights and uses primarily lamps and strings of Christmas lights. 

He also kind of forgets that he teaches essentially middle school, and he swears every so often when he’s super passionate. Like when he taught the kids about the US Presidents and called Andrew Jackson a racist bitch and Richard Nixon a lying bastard. 

After getting bullied throughout all of high school, Dewey came to terms with what his body looked like, and now he really doesn’t care. (He did have a lot of fun smashing the scale his mother got him for his birthday once) 

Dewey was supposed to teach his kids about mental illness for a suicide prevention thing the school did, but got about halfway through before he had a breakdown and the kids declared the rest of the day a bust. They watched cute animated movies instead of learning for the rest of the school day. 

Speaking of animated movies, Dewey really loves Studio Ghibli. 

The first time one of his kids called him ‘Dad’ he cried. Then they kept doing it and now he’s had to accept that he’s basically a father to about 30 11-year-olds. 

If you ask any kid in the school who their favorite teacher is, they will not hesitate to answer ‘Mr. Finn.’ Even if they aren’t in his class, he’s their favorite. 

Dewey’s classroom is always open for lunch. It’s quiet and calm, usually with a movie going in the background. 

He also stays after school for about an hour every day, helping kids with homework. He hates math with a passion but that didn’t stop him from trying to figure out Katie’s math homework with her. 

Even at home, Dewey cannot stand the quiet. He either has his headphones on or the radio going. Silence just isn’t an option. 

Dewey once got pneumonia and tried to come in to work anyway. The kids made him go home. He didn’t really put up much of a fight. 

The first instrument Dewey ever learned to play was the piano. He started to learn when he was super young, and that was how he learned how to read music. His kids didn’t even know he knew how to play until they walked in on him practicing one day. 

Dewey says ‘fuck gender roles’ and wears the girl’s skirts to a few SoR concerts. He likes the way it makes his legs look. 

Some jerk parents constantly tried to get Dewey in trouble for months because they didn’t like him and thought he wasn’t ‘high class’ enough for their kid’s education. Dewey was so stunned when they showed up during one of his classes that he couldn’t speak and just started to cry. Said student stood up and called their parents out. Two days later, those parents were off the school board. 

Meanwhile, on the other end of the spectrum, Dewey found out a new kid he’d received was being abused at home because they weren’t getting high enough grades and he yelled at the kid’s parents in front of all the other staff members. 

Essentially, Dewey can’t defend himself at all, but will not hesitate to protect his kids. 

Dewey has said multiple times he would die for his kids. He’s always 100% serious, especially during lockdown drills. 

Once, the school had a lockdown that wasn’t a drill, and Dewey managed to keep his entire class silent and calm while mentally preparing himself to lay his life down for his kids. Thankfully, it didn’t come to that. 

Dewey’s also said he’d seriously consider adopting any of the kids if their at-home situation was that bad. 

When he finally could, Dewey moved out of Ned’s house and into his own cramped loft apartment. He’s in love with the apartment, even though it’s tiny and kinda smells. 

Dewey has almost no concept of volume control. He’s slightly deaf from constantly doing very loud shows and sometimes shouts because he thinks that’s a normal speaking volume. 

As one of, if not the actual, youngest teachers at the school, Dewey is universally adored by the rest of the staff. It took a while for all of them to get on board with him, but now they all really like him. 

Dewey’s favorite fruit is pomegranate. There’s just something super cathartic about cutting into a pomegranate and slowly de-seeding it. Plus, it tastes super good. But he only likes them if he can de-seed them himself. 

One of the ways Dewey grounds himself is by pressing things to his mouth. He usually just puts his hand up on his face or the end of a pen in his mouth, but whenever he has a blanket, one corner is up against his lips. The same goes for stuffed animals. They’re always against his face. Most of the time, he doesn’t even know he’s doing it. 

[jalapeno-princess]

Nobody Compares to You

Mark Tuan X Reader

Word Count: 5.8K

Genre: Angst (Yugyeom stans, you have been warned. It isn’t sunshine and rainbows for our sweet maknae in this story so if your bias is Yugyeom, this imagine isn’t for you)

Summary: It’s been months since you and your ex-boyfriend Mark called it quits on your relationship. Six years of a relationship isn’t something that someone can easily get over which is why almost four months ago, your coworker Youngjae introduced you to his good friend Yugyeom. Although your first meeting got off on the wrong start, over the course of the last three months, you found yourself becoming very fond of the extremely kind and gentle boy. When your mother finds out about your new relationship, she invites you and Yugyeom over for dinner in order to get to know your new love interest and unfortunately, things don’t go the way you wished they could have. All your family members seem to immediately take a disliking to your boyfriend and it is revealed later on in the night that the reason behind your family’s hostility is not something; but someone. Your ex-boyfriend in particular.

This was not how tonight was supposed to go. Usually, when you introduce your boyfriend to your parents for the first time, it was expected that things might end up a little awkward. Poor Yugyeom was already very nervous at the idea of meeting your parents when you told him that they invited him over for dinner with the intentions of meeting the new man in your life.

The two of you have only been together for a little over three months now, so you felt as if it was still pretty early on to be bringing him over to your parent’s house and having him spend time with your family. However, the older boy was very understanding and did his best to try and impress your parents.

When your mom found out about your relationship, she was pretty upset to hear that you moved on from your previous boyfriend. Mark had to be everything she could ever want in a son-in-law and more. He was such a gentleman; he took care of you in ways she could only dream about your significant other doing for you.

Although he was very soft spoken and kept to himself a lot of the time, he was extremely polite and a very good listener. She would observe the way you would interact with one another while you would go over to your parent’s house. Your mom was always the type to be very observant of her surroundings.

All she ever wanted in life was the best for her children; she made sure they received only the best education, a well-paying job and a life partner who would treat them the way they deserved. She noticed how happy Mark made you. You were always such a bubbly, happy-go-lucky individual. It didn’t take much for you to laugh, or smile; but your smile was more genuine if Mark was the reason behind it. Not that you were secretive when it came to your relationship with Mark, but you weren’t one who believed in telling people what went on in your relationship. This included your mom.

She may not have known how the two of you would act while you were alone, but when you were with Mark in a place surrounded by others, it was as if you would be in your own little worlds. Both of you could be in a crowded room with hundreds of people and pay nobody any attention other than each other. Every now and then, when you’d find yourself on the phone with your mom talking about your day or just how your life was going in general, you’d absentmindedly bring Mark up in every conversation.

No matter what you and your mom would be talking about, you’d always find a way to bring him up and your mom found your admiration and the love you had for him very adorable. Some days, she would meet Mark’s mom for lunch and they would talk about your future and how neither of them could wait much longer for the two of you to finally get married and start having a family. You didn’t know this, but they would even plan out your wedding; where it would be located, what kind of food would be served, the kind of entertainment you’d have, how many people you wanted to invite—and then they would converse about the different types of names they wanted you to name your children.

You didn’t have to say it out loud that you loved Mark, your mom could just tell by the way your eyes would light up when talking about him, or the way you’d sound so happy telling her about the many things he would do for you. She’d watch the way he would make a plate of food for you at parties before he could even make one for himself; she’d observe how he would give you his undying attention whenever you’d inform him about something that happened at work or a story from your childhood that one of your aunts would bring up.

Your mom particularly liked the way that he would always need to be touching you in a protective and affectionate yet not too touchy or improper way. On one occasion, you excused yourself to go use the bathroom and a couple of your aunties and some of your cousins took this opportunity to see what Mark’s intentions were with you. They wanted to witness for themselves the kind of man you claimed to be “the most perfect man in the entire world.” Anyone could see that Mark was overwhelmingly handsome.

He was the definition of a sight for sore eyes. Time and time again, your cousins would never fail to remind you of how lucky you were to have scored such a good-looking man with such a wonderful personality. If only they knew just how amazing he actually was. Since Mark was very shy and only talked to your family members when they would approach him; unless it was one of your nieces and nephews asking him for a piggy back ride to which he was always quick to agree to, nobody really had the chance to learn more about him other than what you or your mom would tell them.

It seemed as though Mark would follow you around like a lost puppy and your cousins thought it was such a heart-fluttering notion. As much as you loved your family, there were times where some of them could be a little too blunt and sometimes a little too nosy, no matter who they were dealing with. First they complimented Mark on his breathtakingly gorgeous looks, and then they told him how they admired how polite and gentle he seemed to be. Your oldest cousin asked him what he genuinely thought about you and if only you were there to hear his response.

“She’s my entire world. She’s the reason for my existence. Everything I do, it’s with making her proud in mind. I love her more than I can even fathom in to words.”

He scratched the back of his neck in the most enchanting way, even if it was because he was so flustered. It was one thing to tell you on a daily basis just how much he loved you and treasured you as if you were the one who set the moon, sun and stars on the sky. It was another thing to describe to your family what he felt for you. Mark wasn’t embarrassed at confessing his feelings for you to anyone else; he loved the idea of you and being in love with you. He didn’t care how people viewed him for being in love.

Sometimes, he could turn in to a real sap whenever it came to you. You just made him so happy, and his response seemed to make everyone in the dining room swoon over him. Your mom was listening in while washing dishes and she couldn’t stop the wide grin on her face once those words fell from his mouth. Right before the party ended that night, your cousins came over to you and told you what Mark said. No matter how many times he would tell you he loved you, or why he loved you, for some reason; knowing that he told your family with so much love and excitement in his tone, no matter how embarrassed you were sure he probably was, it set your entire body in flames.

Your mom pulled you to the side and told you that Mark was the one for you. Which is why you could understand that it would take her a little longer to accept Yugyeom as your current boyfriend. When you first told your mom the news of your breakup with Mark almost seven months ago, it took her a while to process it in her mind. In fact, with the way she was acting towards Yugyeom; so fake and so artificial, you couldn’t help but feel as if she still wasn’t over the end of your relationship.

It came as a shock to everyone who knew the two of you. Your relationship with Mark was the envy of all of your friends and some of your relatives. The love you and Mark shared was that of what one could only witness in movies. Your relationship was honestly too good to be true. Unfortunately, all good things come to an end whether we’re prepared for it or not. Five years was quite a long time to be with someone; but that did not necessarily set in stone that the two of you would spend the rest of your lives together even if that’s what you both planned. Sometimes life throws situations at us that we’re never ready for. There are some battles we have to go through and storms we have to face that we don’t always end up coming out triumphant.

Couples grew apart—sometimes to the point where they fell out of love. You didn’t know how or when it came to that point in your relationship, but when you looked at Mark and didn’t feel that same spark you did for almost the entirety of your relationship; nor did butterflies fill your tummy whenever you’d see him, that’s when you knew you couldn’t continue being in a relationship with him anymore. What was once your only source of happiness, turned in to the number one thing that was bringing you so much pain and misery.

Before you could end things with him, it seemed as though Mark had the same idea in mind and told you that he couldn’t do this anymore. Accepting that you and Mark were actually over and learning how to live without him took a very long time. How do you go from having someone you loved more than life itself; waking up to his contagious smile and stinky morning breath, holding him and being held by him, eating breakfast he would make for the two of you, showering together to “protect the environment”, staying in on the days you were both off from work to cuddle and lounge around doing nothing together—having him in your everyday routine for the last five years only to stop all of that, it was pure torture.

There were some days and even some nights where you’d forget that the two of you were no longer a couple, and you’d begin typing out a text, asking how his day was going or if he ate only to delete the message in it’s entirety because you no longer held the rights to do so anymore. How his well-being was, how his life was going, what he was currently doing or if he was seeing anybody was no longer your business. You attempted to stay friends; the two of you started off as friends, so naturally you’d still crave to have his presence in your life even if it was strictly platonic.

That ship was quick to sink as it was to sail; there was no way you could continue being friends with Mark, especially when you finally came to terms with the fact that you were still so in love with him. Just because you no longer felt a connection with him didn’t mean you stopped loving him. Five years of a relationship plus two years of a friendship wasn’t going to disappear overnight. You don’t think you’d ever stop loving Mark.

He was your genuine first love and everyone knows that you could never forget about the person who showed you what love was. Mark taught you how to love yourself when you thought that was impossible. He helped you learn to love the things you claimed to hate about yourself because he claimed that every single thing about you was extraordinary. You haven’t seen or heard from him since you told him that you couldn’t handle being just friends with him, but the two mutual friends that you shared together would update you on how he was doing every so often, but they never seemed to want to tell you if he moved on to somebody else.

One day, you went over to your parent’s house to drop off some food to your mom when you heard her on the phone with who you assumed was Mrs.Tuan. The disappointment in your mom’s voice caught your attention and you found yourself leaning against the doorframe to eavesdrop on their conversation. As soon as you heard her reconfirm that Mark was giving dating another try, you soon regret your decision. You could tell your mom was even more upset and you tried your best to pretend that you didn’t hear anything and that the news didn’t affect you.

The boy sitting beside you with his hand gripping tightly on your thigh as a sign he was growing uncomfortable was the effect of what hearing about your ex-boyfriend’s new love interest would do to you. Yugyeom was a friend of your co-worker Choi Youngjae. He claimed that the tall and lanky boy was very sweet and had kind eyes. Youngjae also informed you that he was also very passionate about dancing. The first date he took you on was in more or less words, a disaster. Not only was he over twenty minutes late and had you sitting there looking like an idiot waiting for him, but he was completely underdressed for the restaurant you were dining at and with the way his hair stuck to his forehead and the dried sweat on his neck, you had a feeling he came straight to the restaurant after practice.

He was very apologetic, and he seemed to be everything Youngjae explained him out to be, he just wasn’t what you were used to. If he was already like this on the first date, what more the rest of your dates or just your relationship in general. For some reason; which you believed was the fear of being alone and just needing someone to fill the void Mark created in your heart when he took all of his things out of your shared apartment, you continued to go on dates with Yugyeom hoping you’d be able to develop any sort of feelings for him so you could finally move on from Mark. You weren’t going to lie, Yugyeom seemed to be a very charming and animated kind of guy.

A lot of the dates he’d plan out for you both had a lot to do with music, dancing and anything that had to deal with the performing arts. He would also text you at least once a day to see how you were doing and would send you memes that he’d find funny, but you still found yourself comparing him to Mark. Yugyeom had no idea about Mark; you didn’t feel like it was necessary to tell your current boyfriend about your ex-boyfriend, especially since you wanted nothing more than to be with him than with Yugyeom.

He could tell there was something you weren’t completely honest about, and sometimes he felt as if you weren’t interested in him the way he was with you. He didn’t want to force you to have feelings for him, nor did he want to bother you about what seemed to be clouding your thoughts, but as a boyfriend; he hated seeing you so down about something he had no clue about. After you told him that your family wanted to meet him, his mind went haywire and a part of him wanted to find an excuse to get out of it. But you were someone Yugyeom saw himself dating for the long run; therefore he hesitantly agreed.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to meet your family, he was just afraid that they wouldn’t like him or approve of him. He bought your mom a bouquet of sunflowers, he bought your dad his favorite bottle of whiskey and a cake for your family to enjoy. He compliment your mom on her cooking and he conversed with your older brother about sports—so you thought things were going pretty well. You were sure with how polite and attentive he was acting towards your family; especially towards your parents in order to make a good impression, that your mom would at least accept the fact that you were seeing someone else.

You didn’t know if it was because she still felt as if Mark should have been the one at dinner; that he should still have been the main man in your life, or if she just genuinely did not like Yugyeom at all. You couldn’t find a reason why she wouldn’t like him though; it wasn’t like he was rude or unamused. Poor boy was shaking his leg out of nervousness. He was genuinely trying to get them to like him yet it was painfully obvious that nobody really seemed to have the slightest bit of interest in what he had to say and you found it completely disrespectful. You’d look from out of the corner of your eye and you’d watch how your mom looked at Yugyeom in aversion.

For a few minutes, you contemplated on confronting her about her negative reaction but you didn’t want Yugyeom thinking anything was wrong nor did you want to leave Yugyeom alone with them in fear of someone saying something that could hurt his feelings. When Yugyeom got a call from his mom and politely asked to go answer it, you motioned for your mom to follow you in to your old bedroom so you could try and find out why everyone was acting so cold towards your boyfriend. Once you closed your door and right as you were about to open your mouth, she beat you to it and her emotionless and icy tone sent chills down your spine.

“I don’t like that boy.”

You looked at her in confusion; what could Yugyeom have said or did that she wasn’t particularly a fan of? You were with him this entire time, you didn’t witness him being rude in any way; matter of a fact, he seemed like the type of guy most parents would want their daughters to bring home to them. Sure, it took some time for you to get used to dating someone new. It was obvious his qualities were completely different from that of Mark’s, but you didn’t go in to this relationship expecting him to be a carbon copy of your ex-boyfriend.

Even after three months together, you were still learning more and more about him every day. You learned about his love for chocolate shakes only a week after your second date together. You were also quick to learn about his allergy to dust and lint when you wore a cardigan on a date and he ended up sneezing the entire night. It was going to take some time for your feelings for Yugyeom to grow, but you did genuinely care about him. Youngjae told you that this was Yugyeom’s first actual relationship, so he was still learning how to be the kind of boyfriend that you deserved.

Hearing your mom say something so negative about him made your skin crawl. Maybe if he showed no interest in being there or if he didn’t treat you in a such a loving and affectionate way, then you’d be able to see why she took a disliking to him. The only reason you could come up with, was the fact that she still wanted you to end up with Mark. This may have been your first relationship since the breakup, but you were sure that no matter who you ended up with; even if they were very successful, intelligent, good looking—hell, they could have a mansion in Beverly Hills and in your mom’s eyes, they would never be good enough. You didn’t know what it was that made her gravitate towards Mark so much, however, that shouldn’t be an excuse as to why she would treat any of your future partners in such a cynical way.

“Well, that’s just too bad. I like Yugyeom, he’s a really sweet guy and he makes me happy. What Mark and I had was amazing and yes, I do miss him and I do think about what could have been but our relationship is no longer. It’s been months mom, I have every right to want to move on. You of all people should be happy for me. It doesn’t matter who he is or who he isn’t, he takes good care of me and I know he feels the same way about me as I do for him. I can’t find another reason as to why everyone’s treating him like he’s a criminal, but I refuse to let this continue any longer. We’re leaving.”

You could tell there was more she probably wanted to say. This was the first time you have ever talked back to your mom, but it was inevitable. You refused to just stand there and allow her to continue degrading Yugyeom. She didn’t know anything about him. This wasn’t her life; it wasn’t her decision to make. Your relationship was nobodies business but yours and Yugyeom’s. When you went back downstairs and saw that he was no where to be found, you released a frustrated grunt.

As much as you wanted to think that there was a chance he was still on the phone with his mom, you were away with your mom for at least ten minutes. You marched over to your dad angrily and all you wanted to do was find Yugyeom and go home. Tonight drained out all of your energy and you were sure the poor boy was probably scarred by this entire experience.

“Where’s Yugyeom?”

Your dad tilted his head towards the front door; it was adamant that similarly to your mom, he too couldn’t care less about your boyfriend. The way your family was treating him made you frustrated. If it were you in his shoes and his family were to act so unwelcoming and cold-hearted, you would’ve came up with a reason to leave. It was unfair, both to you and Yugyeom. Without even saying goodbye to anybody, you yanked at your things and stormed outside the door; slamming it in your wake. When your eyes landed on his sullen figure, you could physically feel your heart clench at the sight.

“Hey, everything alright?” He looked up at you with the saddest look in his eyes and you were sure his pained expression would stay etched in to the back of your mind. All he wanted to do was get your family to like him in order to impress you and win brownie points, but this entire experience caused him to question your relationship. If your family was already acting so cold towards him after only the first meeting, what more as your relationship continued? He didn’t think he’d be able to visit them again knowing that they didn’t necessarily care about him. Once he took a deep breath in and stayed quiet, you walked over to him and lifted his chin up; making sure he was giving you his full attention before stealing a chaste kiss from the corner of his mouth.

“I’m sorry Yugyeom. My family, they’re not normally like that—and it’s not you. Trust me. You are a wonderful guy and an even more amazing boyfriend. Please don’t think tonight meant anything—we really shouldn’t have came here. Let me treat you to a chocolate shake.” He gave you a sad smile at your attempt to make him feel better, but it was quick to disappear and the question that’s been heavy on his mind hesitantly fell from his lips.

“It’s because of Mark isn’t it?” Not once in the duration of your relationship with did you tell him about Mark so you were a little nervous as to how he knew of him. Did your dad or any of your siblings say something while you were away? The way your brows furrowed in curiosity caused him to respond quicker as to how he could have known about the man in question.

“Youngjae told me about him. He kind of warned me in a way, not because he was afraid of you leaving me or cheating on me with him—it wasn’t like that. Knowing that you’re my first actual girlfriend, I guess he just wanted me to know that you were probably still healing and still growing from your breakup. I wanted to be an understanding boyfriend; I wanted to be there for you in any way possible but you never showed that you were suffering or anything so I just assumed Youngjae was fucking with me. I felt like it wasn’t my place to ask you about him or any of your past relationships for that matter. All I care  about is you. I was fine this entire time; you seemed to have moved on. But then your family didn’t seem to like me all that much and I just assumed it’s because they must still want you and Mark to be together. I—You don’t—uh—still have feelings for him do you?”

Just like what you had told your mom, you did wonder about Mark every now and then, and you knew that you still cared about how he was doing but you no longer held any romantic feelings for him. Or at least you didn’t think you did. But Yugyeom was the only person who deserved your full attention, all your love and your affection and that’s what you planned on giving him. This was the first time you’ve seen him anything but happy and it bothered you knowing that your family was the reason. You were now regretting this entire gathering and you were sure this only made Yugyeom insecure about your entire relationship.

He was never one to really admit what he was feeling; even on the days where work was a little too hard on him or if his dance teacher would overly critique his performances, he would never make it known that it troubled him. Why didn’t you put more thought in to this? It was considerably too early to have brought him over to meet your family and knowing how they favored your ex, you should have expected them to be so harsh. You brought your hand up to his face and cupped his cheek sweetly in attempts to show how apologetic you really were.

“No, I don’t. Mark and I are no longer together for a reason babe, you have nothing to worry about. I really like you Yugyeom and I’m sorry that they were so mean to you. Thank you for trying; I know you must’ve been worried to meet them and they made it extremely difficult for you, but I know you did it to make me happy. That just shows me how much you adore me. What my family thinks—or just what anyone thinks about us or about you means nothing to me. If I allowed people to dictate my life and tell me who I can and cannot be with, then I’d be miserable. I’m a grown woman Yugyeom. I make my own choices; I decide what I want and I want you. Now, I think it would be best if we both pretended this night doesn’t exist. Don’t you agree?”

Your sweet words made him smile like an idiot. He admired how headstrong and I depended you were. You were soon pulled in to his warm embrace and he left a few gentle kisses on your forehead. Unfortunately, Yugyeom ultimately decided he had enough drama to deal with in one night and declined your offer to go out for dessert. The car ride back to your apartment was eerily quiet other than  the soft hip hop playlist he put on. He reached for your hand and placed it on his lap as his was of reassuring you that he was okay. You snuck some glances at him and you had a feeling he was overthinking tonight’s events.

Yugyeom was the type of person who could talk for hours about pretty much everything. While on the way to your parent’s house, he was giving you his honest opinion about the live version of Mulan and how it wasn’t even half as good as the cartoon which led you to fill the car with your laughter. Now the air was filled with underlying tension and it made your heart hurt. He may have been holding your hand, but you could tell it was more so for your sake; not because he wanted to. After what felt like hours of awkward silence, he pulled up to your apartment structure and put the car in park.

“Thank you for dropping me off. And thank you again for being such a good sport. You’re really such a extraordinary person Yugyeom. I’m so sorry—“ he stole a few kisses from your mouth for what you thought was to prevent you from muttering any more apologies.

“I’ll call you tomorrow. Maybe we can go get those shakes you mentioned earlier. Have a nice rest of your night babe.” With a playful pinch on your cheek and a few kisses later, you said your goodbyes to your boyfriend and made the short trek up to your unit. As soon as you entered, you made a beeline toward your bedroom and began changing in to your pajamas. Once you were done preparing for bed; ridding your face of any trace of makeup, brushing your teeth and putting on your moisturizer, you went back in to your room and practically flung yourself on to your bed.

You released a hysterical laugh of disbelief; did tonight really even happen or was it just a fever dream? You could only hope that Yugyeom didn’t take your family’s hostility to heart. When you reached for your phone to see what time it was, you were curious to see that you had a few text notifications. Since you were just with him, you assumed it was your boyfriend informing you that he was home now. But once you saw who the messages were from, you really believed that you were probably asleep and that you’ve been dreaming the entire time. You had to be, there was no way this could all be going on in the same night.

Mark: Hey. 10:23 P.M.

Mark: It’s been a while. How have you been? 10:23 P.M.

Mark: I know you’re probably wondering why I’m contacting you right now and honestly I don’t know what to tell you other than I made a mistake. 10:25 P.M.

Mark: My mom talked about you this morning and it’s been a while since my thoughts wandered to you. Now they won’t stop. 10:29 P.M.

Mark: I don’t know if you’re single or if you’re seeing someone else, but if you are you can completely ignore this entire message and I’ll accept it for what it is. 10:29 P.M.

Mark: But if you’re still single, then I just want to tell you that I miss you like crazy and if you still feel the same way that I do, then maybe we can try again? Don’t feel like you have to reciprocate my same feelings. 10:30 P.M.

Mark: Although, it would be pretty amazing if you did. 10:30 P.M.

Mark: Goodnight y/n. I love you. 10:30 P.M.

[deathbyvalentine]

The Crucible Children

Their nickname was based on two facts: 1) they lived right on the cross road, tucked into one of the ninety degree angles, 2) they were the children of the town pastor. For this part of the state, that managed to count as wit and the name stuck. So they were the Crucible children and they would be until well into adulthood, no matter what happened next.

There were five of them in total but Agnes was just a baby and so didn’t really count. The other four were jostled close together in age, all being borne from the same mother, which Agnes was not. The pastor’s first wife had died shortly after her last child and another wife was quickly found to continue the important business of raising a family. All agreed this could not be done by a man alone and the second wife was very almost as pretty as the first without eclipsing the poor woman’s memory and was so met with general approval by the populace.

The eldest was a daughter named Miranda. She had long brown curls that formed natural ringlets. Her hair very nearly reached her waist and would have been considered ridiculous if it were not so beautiful. She would too have been considered beautiful if not for the perpetually worried expression on her face and her slightly too-large front teeth chewing on her bottom lip whenever she was thoughtful, which was often.

Teddy was next, a handsome youth with blonde hair who looked as frivolous as his sister did worried. He had exceptionally rosy cheeks and eyes that set the girls in his Sunday School class whispering and doing all sorts of small performances to try and get him to look their way. He seemed utterly oblivious to the contained chaos he caused and cheerfully denied the poor things his affections, not realising that was what they wanted.

Eliza was, chiefly, small. She looked the image of her mother, sickly pallor and dark circles under her eyes not excepted. She herself was not fretful but she caused fretting. Not a week went by when her step mother bore her to the doctor’s office, anxiously presenting some new malady. She had a permanent cough and tired easily. She stayed at home with her not-mama rather than going to school and only left the house in company of her two older siblings. Luckily her father thought the country air would do her the world of good so she was not entirely housebound.

Leon was the youngest and so perpetually out of breath from trying to catch up with his siblings. Like his brother, he had rosy cheeks but only time would tell if he would grow up handsome or homely. He was still sat firmly in the boundaries of childhood, looking longingly over at the coveted teenagerdom that was thus denied to him. This had lent him a somewhat sulky air.

It was rare to see one without at least two of the others. They walked like ducklings to and from school and on the weekends they were joined by Eliza too. Teddy made friends easily and included Miranda in all of his activities as she was paralysingly shy and was not likely to make friends alone. Leon had playmates but was not always very kind for to them, impatient as he was for the induction into grown up friendships, where you talked and explored and traded secrets. Leon had no secrets and couldn’t wait to find one.

He found his first secret on the last day of school, when a light sprinkling of snow covered the land, making it hard and unyielding. Walk on the ground long enough and your knees would ache. The sky was a constant pearly grey and Leon thought that there would be more snow overnight, perhaps even enough to make snow angels. The thought excited him and as he played for what passed as the back yard, he kept craning his neck upwards to squint at the sky. The yard itself was a barren piece of farmland, stretching out for a little while until it met a tree line. They were explicitly forbidden from entering the forest, even Miranda and Teddy. Their father said they would either get lost or get eaten by some wild beast and even when they were feeling brave and rebellious they never managed to move past the first row of trees. They had never seen anything else come out or go in, man or beast. Which is why Leon started when he looked up and saw a woman in a white dress amongst the trees.

She was far away enough that Leon had to work to see her. She was definitely a woman and she was definitely blonde, but little else was he able to discern. What disturbed him though was the absolute certainty she was looking at him right back. He had no way of telling this and yet he knew it, as though her gaze were a layer of snow over his skin. He shivered, all interest in his game gone. A small wind grazed the horizon but her dress did not move. Neither did the leaves of the closest trees to her. 

He suddenly felt the cold in his bones and he got to his feet, abandoning the meagre attempt at snowballs. With a burst of speed fuelled by fear, he clattered up the back steps of the house and into the kitchen, slamming the door shut behind him, causing an automatic scolding call from his step mother upstairs. He rested against the door for a moment before inching it open and gazing across the barren fields. She was gone but the odd sensation of ice in his chest had not vanished with her. The cold clung to him all evening, finally only disappearing when he and his siblings took their turn in the sturdy tin bath, heated with water from over the fire. It was then he was able to convince himself his eyes had fooled him, the white snow forming a shape he had mistaken for a woman. This idea soothed him and he found his mood lifted to the point where he was able to bother his siblings his usual amount. He slept as soundly as he did any other night.

*

Miranda saw her exactly a week later. She had been charged with a trip into town to collect some bones from the butcher. Eliza’s cough had worsened and their fretful stepmother was demanding their cook make a bone broth to warm her. Leon was too young to make the trip alone and Teddy was engrossed in schoolwork so it was left to her. She didn’t mind. In a house with four children, she treasured her moments of silence where she could find them. So she was in a pleasant mood when she started her walk back from town, the sky darkening rapidly. The expected blizzard had not yet arrived but the wind carried with it flakes of snow. Her cheeks reddened and she was forced to press her hands deep in her pockets to maintain any sensation. The last of the light had vanished from the sky when she turned onto the road that lead to the crossroads. There were no stars. There was only the sound of her laboured breath and the slight crunch as her feet moved through the snow.

Then there was something else. Her house spilled light through its windows. Not much, but enough to illuminate a little of the road. In the middle of the crossroads, a woman stood. Miranda blinked and stopped walking for a moment, wondering if it was a parishioner needing sudden spiritual guidance or a lost traveller. As she continued walking and she came into sharper relief, Miranda realised neither of these things could be true for the woman was not wearing shoes. She stood in the snow as if it were a warm summers day and gazed at Miranda and Miranda gazed back.

This turned out to be an error. Not watching her feet, she stood on a hidden slice of water, turned to ice in the cold night air. She fell, spectacularly, landing on her back and smacking her elbow painfully hard into the ground. She heard a snap but it was simply the butcher’s bones in her backpack breaking. She lay there for a moment, gathering herself before sitting up. When she did, the woman was gone, absolutely nothing stood in the yellow half light from the house. 

When she arrived home, she was duly fussed on, hot tea given and a poultice wrapped around her elbow that was turning an interesting shade of purple. Miranda sipped the tea gratefully but it didn’t warm her. Not completely. When she went to bed that night, she lay awake, shivering, despite the three blankets piled on top of her body.

 *

Teddy was next. If he had known some of his siblings had seen her first, he would have been much aggrieved. Being the oldest and being a boy, he usually insisted on going first for everything, regardless of how desirable it actually was. He volunteered first for chores, treats and everything in between. He would have perhaps also been aggrieved at the distinct lack of drama surrounding her sighting. 

He was reading to Eliza in the nursery. Fever had touched her and her cheeks were twin flames, her eyes hazy and unfocused. But in many ways, she was content. Teddy had a particular fondness for his younger sister and her for him. Having him read to her, all to herself, was a rare treat and not one to be diluted by the mere fact of illness. She had long since lost track of what he was reading and after a heroic fight which she lost, she had fallen asleep. With a small chuckle, he placed the book back on its shelf, glancing out of the window as he did so.

There was a woman on the front steps and what’s more, she was looking up at the nursery window. This was not unusual - many people visited his parents, them being both popular folk and important folk. He did wonder however, that she did not feel cold. She was wearing no coat and the sky was turning a threatening yellow. The blizzard would arrive any day now, if not any hour.

Wanting to save Katie (their housemaid) the job, when he returned downstairs, he pulled open the front door to greet their guest. Of course, there was nobody there nor any indication there had been. He stuck his head past the doorframe and peered right and left. He could see no person in any direction. If he had been looking a little closer, he may have also noticed the lack of fresh footprints. But he didn’t and so that mystery eluded him. He shut the door and went to sit in front of the fire to warm up. A gust had quite caught him and a shiver had went up his spine when he opened the door.

*

Eliza died two days after new year. The fever took her as the blizzard enveloped the house. It took her in a flurry of sweat and vomit, doctor’s visits and servants weeping at all hours. Nobody saw it coming and everybody saw it coming. It had been assumed that Eliza would go on being sick forever, never well but never dying. God, the pastor said, apparently had other plans. She was gone from them and the house sounded silent without the sound of her coughing, the wheeze of her unsteady breath.

None of the children so much as thought of the woman in white. Black was the colour of their lives now. Black clothes, black moods, black tidings. Teddy moved as if he was in a dream, eyes unfocused, taking several seconds to realise when anybody addressed him. Miranda chewed on the end of her plaits and bit her nails as if it was these materials that had caused the loss of her sister. Leon was old enough to know what had happened but too young to really understand it and took to throwing tantrums so severe there would be a dent left in the wall of the hallway for many years to come.

It was at her funeral when they saw it. At the edge of the cemetery. The woman in white, exactly as she was last. Except this time she had a small, dark haired child in her arms. Except this time Eliza was gazing at them too. The effect was instant and catastrophic. Leon sprinted towards the edge of the cemetery. Miranda began to wail. Teddy finally looked away, his eyes bright with a fear that went beyond anything this world could offer. Of course, she disappeared and Eliza with her before Leon reached her. The pastor, furious and embarassed in front of the assembled mourners, caught his youngest son by the arm and demanded to know what he was playing at.

It was like this the whole story came out. In turn, each of the semi-hysterical children blurted out their encounters, all summarising that clearly a ghost had taken Eliza and worst of all, they could have stopped it had they known. The pastor was mystified by the superstition of children. The mourners behind him murmured amongst themselves. The children were calmed just enough for the service to end. They went home with their ears ringing of death and about how ghosts were most certainly not real. They almost believed their father, knowledgeable and wise as he was; and then night fell. Then their belief didn’t matter at all. Neither did their prayers.

*

The Crucible children (minus one) were the talk of the town. Their breakdown had been very public and therefore every member of the township that was there and several that were not had an opinion on the matter. Maybe it was the dark nights and cold mornings that encouraged them. Or perhaps it was that the pastor was never quite able to steer them away from the superstitions that ran deep in their bones, as much as the land did. Whatever caused it, the result was the same. At some point, the townspeople decided they believed the children. There was a ghost and the ghost had taken Eliza.

It was Old Ernie that had verbalised what everybody was thinking. He was something of a town historian, though the town didn’t have all that much history to document. He knew the comings and goings of every family, every company and every skeleton this place had. He had stories and he would tell them whether you wanted them to or not. Not all of the stories were nice. Some of the stories weren’t possible. If something happened and nobody knew why, you could bet Ernie would know.

So it was with a certainty that bordered on casual that he said his piece. His sons and their wives were gathered about him on a Friday afternoon, the time they always visited, come rain or shine. They gossiped and drank and filled his house with company he was usually deprived of. This afternoon he took his pipe out of his mouth, nodded twice and said, “It’s the wife that’s done it.” When queried, he elaborated. “Not this one. The first o’course.” After he had finished his pipe and sunk a few more drinks, he told a story, one he had heard from his pop. Sometimes when a woman died, not all of her died. The part of her that loved her children lived on. And well, sometimes a girl could love too strongly. Women being women, they didn’t always take kindly to their babies getting a new mama. They got jealous. They got angry. They watched and they seethed until they didn’t just watch no more. They got their babies back. 

When he was done, nobody laughed. But everybody listened.

*

It was spring when Leon got sick. His lungs were filling with fluid as if he was drowning on dry land. He coughed and coughed and coughed and could never empty himself enough to breathe easily. He was constantly bent over bowls of hot water spiked with mint or placed in warm baths, all to little avail. His step-mama fretted and fretted. She had lost one child already, proving her to be a failure of a mother. If she lost two, she wasn’t sure what that would make her. 

It wasn’t just the children who saw the lady in white this time around. Mrs Thompson was just coming back from the tailors when she saw her walking behind the pastor, eyes fixed to his back. A carriage went past and she was gone, quick as a bird. Ivan had gone into the forest to collect some firewood, his family too poor to stretch out their coal all winter. He had thought it was a white deer at first, flitting through the trees. It was only when he saw the bright flash of her hair that he realised. Little Kitty, niece of the factor was skipping with her new skipping rope and paused, wailed stranger danger and could not be consoled when her father sprinted out the house and found nothing at all. The tales added up. Small and undeniable. The details, each tiny fragment nothing on its own, painted a picture. The picture was a portrait and everyone in the town knew exactly who it was of. 

One of the important things about this town is that they loved their children. In a small town everyone knew everyone and everyone kept an eye out even if it was not their kin. So the town watched Leon grow sicker and sicker and they worried. To lose one child was horrific, to lose two... well that was something like neglect. There wasn’t a meeting or a vote or anything like that to decide what happened next. It probably started as a whisper. But by the time it came around, nobody was at fault and everyone was to blame.

The pastor looked out of his bedroom window and saw the warm glow of torches walking down to the crossroads. He counted fifteen strong men and a few of their wives, anxious faces illuminated by the flames. When they got to his house, he calmly walked down the stairs and opened his front door, inclining his head courteously. As each man walked in, they took off their caps and held them by their side. The children tried to spy from the top of the stairs and were rapidly shooed back into their bed by the maid.

The townsfolk were quick about it at least. They grabbed the pastor’s second wife and calmly dragged her outside into the neat, cool air. She screamed in a way that made several men wince as if it had pierced not only their ears but their skin. It was not a man but a wife that threw the noose over her head, like she was hooking a wayward calf. It was certainly a man, several in fact, that strung her up on the crossroads pole, leaning back with all their strength until her feet were off the ground and her screams became choking became silence. Annie swore blind later that despite the dark, she saw a woman in white watching them from the woods, but her uncle said that she was just talking foolish and that shut her up right quick. They only left the body there a night before they buried it, all respectful and clean. The pastor stumbled through his words and everyone felt for him. The man was plagued by tragedy. To lose two wives and a child! The Lord did indeed test those He loved most.

Leon got better. By the time the spring came, he was running about, getting underfoot as usual and had forgotten all about the woman in white and indeed, the woman who had stroked his hair as he gasped for breath. Children bounced back quickly from all sorts of things. Even this.

[westfrosts]

Fluff ABCs - Colt x MC

A/N: it’s ya favourite colt writers! hehe, we whipped up a quick little something for Colt, some fluffy prompt ABCs, we got the lovely template from @pixelburied so thanks to them!

Tag List: y’all know the drill hehe @tabithacarlisle @lifeof314universe @flowerpowell @lady-dianelewis @confessionsofabrokegirl @drakewalkerdrunk @zeniamiii @i-am-clementine @gayplaychoices @marcela13mars @ladymarquess @claudevonstruke @stillafictosexual @wolfmckenzie @emomoustache @inkandfables @coltkaneko @thegardendiety @akrenich @ckanekos 

A – Anger (What was their first fight about? Any big or recurring arguments?)

Their first major fight was over a dangerous race that Colt had entered, perhaps for his father or simply to show off. MC doesn’t want Colt to participate in them, however, or at least wants him to participate less. At one point, they even fought over their fathers/families since they constantly have those troubles. Sometimes, Colt and MC find themselves wondering if they’ll ever be a ‘normal’ couple and if he’ll ever leave the MPC. Part of Colt wants to leave but the other half wants to remain and protect his father.

B – Best (What would they say is the other’s best trait?)

Colt loves MC’s humour, it’s so bizarre at times and so stupid at others, but it never fails to make him smile or laugh. MC loves Colt’s charm and witty banter, he can always lighten up a room or a situation by making one of his comments. They get on so well because of how similar their sense of humour is.

C – Camera (How do they document their relationships? Who likes to take pictures? Or videos?)

Colt takes sneaky photos of MC who thinks that he hates it and never has any of her but his camera roll is almost full to the brim with candid photos of MC. MC is a lot more open about it and openly snaps photos of him, something that Colt has slowly gotten used to. She loves it especially when he’s not wearing his jacket and manages to snag some shots of his arms. MC takes a lot of videos of Colt when he’s unaware, loving how he furrows his brow when he’s determined and focused on something.

D – Dates (What are their dates like?)

Colt loves astronomy and science so he’d make their first date be a picnic/late night meal that ends in stargazing. He points out constellations to MC and tells her everything he knows because it’s one of his favourite topics and things to learn about. MC stares at him the entire time with a smile on her face. Probably also go on study dates because they both like being the top of their class. Another date is where Colt takes her on a motorbike ride throughout town or the city he grew up in, pointing things out to her and being her tour guide. They normally go out to eat because that’s one of their favourite things to do. Sometimes they even go to those dance party sort of things with all the cars around, Colt is a great dancer and his hips move like you’ve never seen before.

E – Early (What was the first month of dating like?)

It was nervous, hesitant, neither one of them was too sure because Colt was in a gang and MC’s dad was the one trying to bust them. Eventually, they managed to work around it and through it and everything felt like normal. But there were many times in the beginning where MC doubted herself, Colt, everything. She couldn’t read him that well back then and never knew what he was thinking, never knew if he liked her as much as she liked him which really stressed her out at times. Colt was also in a similar position because he’d never loved/liked anyone this much before and it scared him.

F – Friends (How is their relationship with each other’s group of friends?)

They all get on with each other quite well, even though the MPC can have their little arguments and fights, they all care for each other, including Logan despite his whole ‘never sticking around long enough to make friends/family’ thing going on. Whenever Colt tags along on study dates, he gets on quite well with Darius and they both end up talking forever about all sorts of deep and wonderful topics.

G – Gifts (Do they like giving each other gifts? What kind?)

They most likely got each other some sort of charms related to vehicles/motorbikes what with their ongoing ‘bike/car’ rivalry. It’s their inside joke and they never go anywhere without their charms. When Colt sees MC eyeing something one day, he’ll make sure to buy it at a later date and try his hardest to wrap it up all nice and fancy for her. Then he’ll leave it laying around somewhere, conveniently at a time when he’s not there so she can’t bombard him and drown him in all that cheesy affection. .

H – Hugs (All things involving hugs)

MC and Colt love being hugged by one another. Colt hasn’t been loved as much so he needs all the warmth, hugs, love, everything! MC likes hugging Colt because he smells nice, he has a woody, piney smell with a hint of ocean breeze and cinnamon. Colt loves when MC hugs him and runs her hands through his hair, it calms him down and soothes him a lot.

I – Inside Jokes (Do they have any?)

MC and Colt buying each other a motorbike and car key-chain/charm of some sort because of their half-hearted vehicle rivalry. They also share jokes and make quips about their fathers and their family lives, something they’ve now come to bond over and actually be able to bounce back from thanks to the understanding they have of one another.

J – Jealousy (Who gets jealous easier? How do they show their jealousy?)

I feel like Colt would get jealous easier because he’s more insecure and stuff what with his childhood but he would never show his jealousy or he would try not to because he wouldn’t want to come off as too overprotective or insecure. If MC gets jealous she wouldn’t hesitate in showing her emotions and would walk right over, throwing her arm around Colt or something.

K – Kiss (How do they kiss? Who usually initiates?)

MC would probably be the one to initiate the kisses but Colt would then be the one who gets pulled in and can’t seem to let go. MC going in for a soft or chaste kiss and Colt decides to deepen them and make them more passionate. He kisses like he’ll lose her or she’ll disappear in front of him. MC’s kisses are chaste because she’s still doesn’t believe Colt likes her. She never thought she was anything special and hardly enough to catch the eye of someone like Colt, but he’s always vocal about how much he loves her or her subtle touches so there’s no room for doubt.

L – Love (How do they first say those three words?)

I feel like Colt fell in love with MC first but he never really said it out loud because the poor boy has never been able to properly articulate his thoughts surrounding love and those sorts of feelings. Once he knew him and MC were in it for the long run he would probably be the first to say the words because she was able to make him open up, to understand his feelings better and to understand love better, both receiving and giving that love.

M – Movies (What kinds of movies do they watch together? Is it a regular Netflix ritual?)

Hmm, I feel like Colt would like practical movies with plots that are not outrageous. I imagine if he watched an action or fantasy movie with MC, he'd point out plot holes or how dumb something is. MC loves rom-coms or feel good movies and Netflix binges are a ritual. It makes them feel normal despite everything that's going on.

N – Nicknames (Things they call each other)

A classic, but I feel like Colt calls MC a shortened version of their name that MC only lets him and her father get away with. Sometimes, baby or babe for both of them. MC calls Colt ‘Golden Child’ which is the actual meaning of his surname. She wanted something sweet but meaningful so she decided to look up the meaning of his name.

O – One (Tell us about the moment they realised they were with the one.)

I think MC knew early on, but she didn't know if Colt liked her back. He had so many walls up, it was scary for MC to show her feelings. The bond they shared over their parental problems made them closer and when it helped MC see him in a new light, that was the moment. There was so much more to him than his dry humour. Colt was hesitant to even come to terms that he liked MC, so he suppressed all his feelings because he thought it made him seem vulnerable. However, one day he saw MC just laughing with the gang, how carefree and beautiful she was and all his feelings came rushing towards him. That's when he realised he couldn't live without that light in his life.

P – Pizza (What is their favourite food to eat together?)

I feel like they’re a Mac n Cheese type of couple. Head-canon that Colt is the best cook and MC is always bugging him to make this or that. Sometimes, to treat him or surprise him, she decides to make something for him, whether or not the food is actually good doesn’t matter (at first) because Colt finds the gesture too sweet. But soon enough, he’ll be teasing her about what she made and how long she took.

Q – Quit (Do they break up? Almost break up? What happened?)

This would also be related to any dangerous decisions and threats that mostly Colt would receive as part of the MPC and also MC not wanting Colt to constantly go out on missions and whatnot. One day, MC gets threatened/put in danger and that makes their relationship rocky. MC and Colt break up, something MC instigates but they eventually come back together with the promise of being more careful.

R – Rainy Days (How do they comfort each other on dark days?)

MC gets stressed a lot with school and her overall relationship with her father (after he found out everything), so MC goes to Colt for comfort. He doesn't like to admit it, but he's touched-starved thanks to his childhood with Kaneko as a father, but it makes him give the best hugs because he just likes the feeling of MC in his arms. When Colt is having a frustrated day with the MPC or Kaneko his first instinct is to say nothing because growing up Kaneko never cared and made him feel like it was better to keep your feelings hidden. The more he’s around MC, he’s encouraged to tell her and not bottle it up. MC lets Colt rest his head on her lap while she runs her fingers through his hair, whispering reassuring words to him. This is how the MPC often find the two of them, with Colt asleep in MC’s lap and MC in an awkward position on the couch.

S – Soft (Something one of them did that turned the other into absolute mush.)

Colt low-key loves how MC is constantly showering him in love physically, she’s always trying to make sure she’s touching him at some point, whether that’s through a hug, holding hands or simply just leaning on one another. He secretly loves it and finds her sort of clingy behaviour cute. MC loves how Colt has opened up to her more and let his walls down. He’s a lot more affectionate in terms of how he speaks. He easily says ‘I love you’ to her and is often found admiring MC when she’s not looking, not afraid to stare at her anymore.

T – Texting (Do they text each other a lot? What do they usually talk about over the phone?)

MC hates calling people and prefers texts, so she texts Colt a lot, especially when she’s in awkward situations or when she’s alone. He probably snaps pics of the MPC gang looking dumb and sends it with a snarky text to make MC laugh. When they do talk over the phone, they always end with “I love you/I love you too” because they never want to take anything for granted especially with how unsafe being associated with MPC is.

U – Unique (Tell us about some of their odd habits that surprised one another.)

MC being surprised at his neat apartment and life, thinking he’d be a messy bad boy. She’s also quite taken aback by Colt’s ability to completely hog the sheets at night and often wakes up barely covered by the duvet, having to drag it all back from him. Colt being surprised at MC’s productive and innovative ways while being really lazy. She also has funny sleeping habits and he has a love-hate relationship with how MC always ends up suffocating him in her sleep somehow, whether that’s by lying on top of him in some way or throwing her limbs about haphazardly.

V – Vanity (Something they’re proud of in themselves and their partner.)

MC’s proud of how determined she is because she wants to do something important with her life because that’s what her mother would’ve wanted. Even though MPC isn’t entirely that, she does a lot in college to hopefully better her community. She’s also proud of how strong Colt became despite his childhood. His confidence is also alluring even if others think it’s narcissistic. Colt is proud of his development because before, he did everything to please his father, but now he knows his own worth. He’s proud of how far he’s come. He loves how MC sees the good in people, before he used to think it was naive of her. Now, he realises it makes him fall in love with MC all over again because she’s the goodness he needed his whole life. She believed in him when no one else did.

W – Wedding (Tell us about your wedding head canon if they’ve gotten that far. Or if not, have they talked about it?)

It was already a big step admitting their feelings for each other, so marriage is FAR from being on their minds. Personally, they don’t enjoy labels that much either or a contract of some sort. However, if they did get married, Colt would prefer the smallest most inconspicuous wedding possible, trying to keep it simple. MC and Colt would definitely entertain the idea of eloping because it seems like a very ‘them’ kind of thing to do, if anything, they wouldn’t be able to wait for the honeymoon stage and would want all the legalities out of the way to just be together.

X – X (Something they hate about the other.)

Colt tends to not tell MC about bad MPC related situations because he wants to keep her safe and handle it himself, but MC hates it because she doesn’t like to be out of the loop and they’re supposed to trust each other and should be able to tell each other everything. Colt doesn’t like how MC is willing to put herself the line for anyone. He doesn’t want her to get hurt, Colt himself does it for his dad but MC is ready to sacrifice herself and put herself in harm's way for just about anyone because she’s so selfless and compassionate.

Y – YouTube (What are they like online? Do they post about their relationship constantly?)

They are both the type of person that posts funny videos and memes that go viral every now and then on their social media. MC would probably post all types of pictures and videos mainly of Colt whereas he would be the type to post a photo of the two of them every now and then but with no caption which ends up getting a load of cheesy comments and the MPC gang teasing him too.

Z – Zoo (Are they into animals? Do they want pets? What kind?)

MC isn’t an animal person and never has been, but Colt loves huskies a lot. Plus, any animal around him naturally gravitates towards him, and they end up warming his heart and the witty, standoffish Colt turns into a big softie. Colt slowly converts MC to the animal loving side, with MC unable to resist the two puppy dog eyes staring back at her whenever Colt is around a dog. Soon enough, they’re taking monthly trips to the local shelters and end up becoming regulars with both the staff and the animals eager to see them.

By: Ifraah and Khadijah

[sxnnerman-frxllo]

Clayton Frollo

Name: Clayton Frollo

Alias: Clay, Claudia (Deadname)

Age: 19

Gender: Male (FTM)

Pronouns: He/Him

Sexuality: Bisexual

Height: 5’5 (165 cm)

Faceclaim: Fedya (Lest.at)

Nationality: French

Spoken Languages: French, English, a little Latin

Villain Parent: Claude Frollo

Personality: Snarky, Rebellious, Hot Headed, Sassy, Nervous, VERY Anxious around people who he precives as better people than him

Talents and skills: Proficiency with Base Guitar, really fast

Backstory

(Tw; Abuse, Homophobia, Transphobia)

Nobody knows who the mother(s) of Claude Frollo children, nobody knows who’d be dumb enough to sleep with the old man, but people do talk. In Claudias case, some theorize her mum was the famous queen of hearts, though all parties involved denied it on several occasions. Really, it didn’t matter to her, because she wasn’t around. All who was around was good old Frollo.

Frollo taught his children everything straight from the holy word. You couldn’t eat, sleep, or wipe your bum without knowing it was either god’s will or a straight sin. Some of his children took to his teachings, others did not. And those ‘rebellious devils’ were treated the worse. While his good little angels would receive low punishments for not doing what they’re told, the others would be beaten and whipped. While his perfect sons and daughters would get good meals, the others would live on leftovers and scraps. While his darling children would get to go outside and run errands, the others were kept in the high towers of his makeshift cathedral.

These poor children soon grew scared of him, frightened that he might lash out as he often did, and tried their best to act as good as they could be, going to extreme lengths to prove themselves. But Frollo had made up his mind about them, and his will was harsh and unchanging.

Claudia just so happened to be one of them. Her initial crime was being ‘too tomboyish’ for a young lady her age. She was constantly being told she had too loud a mouth and not sharp enough a mind. But whenever she did ask questions she was always turned away. When she was young she was especially curious especially about their teachings; “Why were these people punished so severely, they didn’t do anything?” “But that doesn’t match up to historical accounts?” “Isn’t this contradicting what he said earlier?”

Though she meant no harm, her curiousitys infuriated Frollo. Most often she was beaten the worst, sometimes for no reason. From age eight to eleven, she began to learn first aid to help her own and her siblings wounds.

Then at age twelve, she decided to finally venture outside. Her siblings tried to convince her not to go, but she persisted. She decided that she would go at night and come back at dawn, an hour before her father woke them all up. And by god it worked! This, perhaps, was one of the best decisions of her life.

While looking about she discovered all sorts of things on the isle like other cultures, pirates, different clothing styles, ideas of anarchy, music, wonderful food, and different communities, all of which she shared with her siblings when she returned. She learned the most about herself.

One of the many things she learned during this time period was she was not actually a she. She was talking with one of her new found friends about how she feeling uncomfortable in her skin when the other told her about being transgender, and that it sounded like she was experiencing body dysphoria. Naturally, as kids do, they tested every possible identity, pronouns, and names they could think of to find one that fitted Claudia and eventually they did. They settled upon male, using he/him pronouns, and after riggorus internal debate decided on the name Clayton. Another thing he found, when he was a little older, was his own sexuality, quite easily find out he was attracted to any gender.

Clayton was ever so excited about these discoveries but knew if his family ever found out, he’d never hear the end of it. So he kept these discoveries to himself.

He did this almost every weekend for a few years, and his father didn’t catch him so he just kept doing it. Until, of course, one day, the old judge did find out. At this time he was fifteen years old. It was late and Clayton had fallen asleep while out. When he finally woke up in a little alleyway surrounded by his sleeping friends, he quickly realized it was well past dawn. He ran home quickly but as he turned to corner to face his home, Frollo was waiting for him, standing in the doorway. The two made eye contact, and Clayton just knew he was gonna get beat to hell.

Frollo hadn’t ever given him hell quite like he did that day. If you’d ask any of his siblings or even the neighbors, they would’ve told you they heard the shrieks, wails, and shouts for hours on end.

Eventually, Clayton had a realization. At this point he was already numb to the pain so it didn’t matter what the old judge did. So he hurled every insult and poisonous word he could think of to describe the monster of a father. He spoke with a venom Claude hadn’t seen from his children and boy did it scare him. So much so, he lashed back with more force, more words, until the young boy got physical right back at him.

Though Clayton landed a few got hits, he was still no match for the judge, who pulled him out onto the streets by the hair. The two walked to the docks still dragging the boy out by the hair. This was probably the most anyone on the isle had seen Frollo for some time. During this walk Clayton did not try to break free but instead taunted the man, spilling everything he’d learned out of the cathedral, about his discoveries about himself. And this produced perhaps what haunts him the most to this day.

“You poor foolish child, you lose yourself in the ways of the devil! No matter, as you will never be my son or my daughter. Go on, die with your fellow scum, die in irrelevance, we were the only ones who cared for you. And now no one will ever remember you.”

Those were the last thing his father said before throwing him off the side of the docks. He surely would’ve drowned if it hadn’t been for a few helpful sailors who fished him out once the judge had left.

From then on Clayton was a homeless kid, living in the streets stealing what he could. On ocasion, his father would find him and mock him, and on others, the boy would do certain things to really piss his old man off in plain view of the cathedral,

Main Verse: Between Descendants 2 and 3

Location: Isle of The Lost

Clayton didn’t really pay attention to much that was happening on Auradon, mostly because he didn’t care. He has no intention of going to Auradon, he’s comfy enough being homeless amongst villains who really couldn’t judge him, why would he wanna be homeless in boreadon and just be looked at like a freak? During this time he’s had many run ins with the various pirates in his area including Umas ship. On some occasions he works with them on some he’s actively messing with them in any way. Other than graffitiing pirate ships, he spends most of his days stealing food, trinkets, whatever he can really, and selling them or, if they’re really cool, keeps them for himself.

Secondary Verse: Post Descendants 3

Location: Auradon

For some reason, he thought it best he leave the isle of the lost and join the rest of ths VKs down in auradon. It isn’t easy for him, often being judged for being the son of, though not the most powerful, arguably the most vile villain on the isle. This wasn’t something he alien to, though it’s much more prevalent here. Along with that, getting used to the customs, housing, and an abundance of food and medicine is...good but overwhelming. His personality shifted a bit, dying down from the rebellious loud mouth, to a rather nervous child. He begins to attend school, education wasn’t exactly something he could afford on the isle, and makes some friends. And things just start going uphill from there. He joins a band, he goes to parties, he gets on T, he rushes to have the childhood he never got. And God damnit he does.

Tertiary Verses: Various

*Will add to this once I make them*

[charminglatina]

Like I said in my previous Anti-Bughead post, there are so many more reasons to absolutely despise this couple. I could write a novel on why Bughead is literally the worst ship on television but it would be way too time consuming. There’s so many reasons that Bughead is an inferior ship. Such examples of Bughead being mediocre and terrible include them being a highly overrated couple, being a very boring, dull couple that takes up too much screen time even though they are so boring, being a seriously underdeveloped relationship as a result of happening way too quickly into the show, and Jughead and Betty bringing out the absolute worst in each other when they are in each other’s presence. But there are numerous reasons why I hate them and why I will never ship them. But because there are so many reasons to dislike this couple, I have to try and condense my reasons for hating this couple and explain why Bughead is the weakest part of the show. Here are another 5+ reasons why I despise Bughead.

Bughead is EXTREMELY overrated: This ship is so fucking overrated and overhyped. It is one of the primary reasons why I hate Bughead. It doesn’t deserve the attention and popularity it receives. Bughead is just another boring, hetero White ship with no chemistry, no passion, no development, and is toxic as all hell. Why is this ship so well-liked and poplar by the fandom? I just don’t get it. They are fucking annoying and dull. They are, by far, the least exciting couple, canon and non-canon, in the entire show yet for some backward ass reason, the writers and RAS consistently force and shove this ship in our faces on a week-to-week basis. There are other interesting, exciting, and dynamic couples on this show that deserve more attention recognition and screen time than Bugcest does. Couples like Choni, Falice, Veggie, Barchie, Jeronica, the list goes on and on. Any other couple (canon and non-canon) deserves more attention than Bughead does. At this point, Bughead is probably the most overrated ship in television history. For such a ship that provides nothing to the show but fanservice and doesn’t bring anything exciting and nourishing to the series table, it’s so grandly overhyped. There are undoubtedly other couples in TV and film that deserve so much more attention, recognition, and kudos than Bughead. Why are they so overhyped and celebrated amongst the Riverdale fandom? Is it because Cole and Lili are a real life couple and are dating off screen? Is it because the Bughead fandom primarily consists of screaming teenaged girls who live through Betty and are living out their bad boy/good girl romance fantasies along with their Cole fantasies through Bughead? I don’t get the hype surrounding this mediocre couple. There are plenty of other couples in television and film that have or have had way more chemistry and proper development than Bughead. Another couple that I loathe is Delena from TVD, but even they had some spark, passion, and chemistry in the earlier seasons. At least they had some development and journey, despite how screwed up and toxic they were in season 4 onwards. At least the actors portraying the couple of Delena had some semblance of spark or romantic chemistry at the start. With Bughead, there is none of the above. No chemistry, no passion, no excitement, no development. Bughead is one of the worst written couples in recent years, but it gets so much attention from the fandom, the writers of Riverdale and the media. And I can’t seem to understand how such a mediocre couple with no chemistry, with bad writing, and a severe lack of development could garner so much attention and became the “face” of Riverdale. The only reason why Bughead is even that popular in the first place is because of Cole Sprouse. That’s the truth. And yet if the couple of Bughead has Cole Sprouse as half of the couple, it STILL doesn’t deserve the hype and attention that it receives.

Bughead is boring: I’ve said it many times before and I will continue to repeat it. Bughead is the most boring couple in existence. They are so dull that every single time they are on my TV screen every Wednesday, I want to either fall asleep or skip through their scenes. The lack of chemistry, passion, and excitement in their relationship is what makes them the most boring couple ever. Even when they do so-called exciting stuff together or when they have drama, it’s still dull. Their investigative quests, fights, interactions, romantic bullshit, and drama is boring. As if Bughead wasn’t boring enough as it is in the previous seasons, they are even more boring in season 3. Bughead is so dull that they have become a ghost couple and non-existent. Bughead has so obviously overstayed its welcome, and their relationship has ceased to matter anymore. They served their purpose, and there’s nothing else to do with them, and the writers know it. Otherwise, why would the writers choose to separate them so much or have them interact so much less this season in comparison to last season? Even when Bughead is acting all lovey-dovey and couple-like, it comes across as incredibly forced. I see two friends trying to force a romantic connection that has ceased to exist. It’s time for the writers to cut the cord on this couple. When a couple on a show becomes boring, dull and tasteless and an increasing number of viewers and fans alike mention this, then it’s time to put an end to a couple.

Bughead is underdeveloped: This couple can’t be understood as a romantic couple because they have a severe lack of development. And that is a result of the couple being seriously rushed as I mentioned in my previous post. Supposedly, Jughead and Betty have known each other since childhood, and they were friends since. But there are many plot holes and inconsistencies in their relationship. If Betty and Jughead had known each other since childhood, then how come Betty didn’t realize when Jughead’s birthday was? Why did Archie have to tell her that it was Jughead’s birthday? How come Betty had never met Jughead’s father before? It is what I don’t understand. I feel like the writers have tried to rewrite history and retcon Bughead’s relationship and because of that, it comes across as inconsistent with a lack of proper development. Another reason that Bughead lacks development is that the couple just happened way too fast into the series. Normally, a couple that happens in the very first few episodes of the series is considered to be a rushed couple. There is only one couple that can get away with arriving in the first couple of episodes, and that is Stelena from TVD. Stelena may have happened very fast and without tons of development in the beginning, but at least they had believable chemistry and were a love at first sight type of couple. Those kinds of pairings and couples are scarce on television, so I give Stelena and their relationship a pass. But Bughead is nowhere near Stelena’s level because they don’t have strong enough chemistry for me to believe that they all of a sudden like each other without actually seeing the development in their relationship. It's confirmed recently by a writer on Twitter that Jughead had liked Betty for a long time during their childhood. But didn’t make a move on her because Betty was in love with Archie and she was much closer to Archie that she was to him. Huh? That sounds so peculiar and doesn’t coincide with anything that happened in season 1. I feel like the writers are trying to retcon Bughead in many ways, starting with their childhood and their history. The lack of development in Bughead’s relationship is a huge reason why they don’t click as a couple. In most cases, people need to see the journey with a couple falling in love. We need to view it, not told how much two people love each other. I feel like Bughead is shallow in that sense; I and the audience are told that Bughead love each other, but it’s not shown. Bughead would have probably been better written if they didn’t happen so fast in season 1. If Bughead took time to develop into a relationship, like say developed throughout all of season 1 and earlier part of season 2, then I could at least understand their relationship a bit better. I still may not ship them, but I wouldn’t be complaining about the lack of development and plot holes and inconsistencies in their relationship. Another reason why Bughead comes across as underdeveloped to me is that I feel like the writers just threw Jughead and Betty together randomly without even thinking. It’s like they just tossed two random characters together and luckily, it managed to be reasonably well-received by the fandom (unsure if it’s necessarily well received by the general or casual audience, however), and now it’s sticking. Bughead is just really poorly written and not thought out very well. And now, because of the toxic, screaming loudmouth Bughead fans, the writers feel threatened if they ever think of breaking them up and exploring other relationships. The writers wrote themselves into a corner because of their shoddy and poor writing, and it’s destroying the show and the content of the show. Now, I’m not saying that any of the other couples are well developed either. Couples like Varchie didn’t have the best of development either, but at least I saw hints and glimpses throughout season 1 that Archie and Veronica had an attraction to each other. My biggest issue with Varchie isn’t necessarily the development, but the fact that it’s a shallow relationship and it’s toxic. Choni is also very rushed and underdeveloped as well but what saves them and makes them worthy of shipping is the chemistry between the two characters.  But this post isn’t to address my issues with Varchie and Choni. This post is to point out all the problems that I have with Bughead as a ship and a couple. And this is one of the reasons why I can’t ship this couple because of the severe lack of development and the inconsistencies in writing for them.

Bughead bring out the WORST in each other: A huge reason why I hate this couple is because of how they bring out the very worst in each other. Their characters become extremely annoying and unlikeable whenever they are together. They don’t have a good influence on each other, and they act very stupidly and impulsively where the other is concerned. Jughead seems to have a habit of bringing out Betty’s dark side and making her intolerable. One of the biggest reasons why Betty has become so unlikeable throughout the series is because of her relationship with Jughead. Before she got with Jughead, I liked Betty and found her tolerable. As soon as she jumped into a rebound relationship with Jughead, I slowly but surely went from liking her, to being annoyed by her, to disliking her to downright hating and loathing her as of now. Jughead has a habit of bringing out betty’s darkness. Not only does he bring out her darkness but he enables her darkness. He seems to think that it’s okay that she relishes in her dark side. He’s been the one to see her dark side aside from Veronica yet he has done nothing about it. When Betty was dressing up in BDSM clothing and misbehaving, Jughead chose to relish in it and enjoy it. The only time that Jughead semi did something about Betty acting an inappropriate way was in 2x08 when he broke up with her after Betty stripped in front of him and an entire bar of Serpents. Jughead being a part of Betty’s life isn’t good for her mental health and her emotional state. Jughead’s life is consistently stressful with constant unpredictability and ups and downs. Does a girl like Betty who struggles with mental illness and emotional troubles need to be with a guy that has such a hard life? The answer is no. Betty is troubled enough as it is. Betty is a dark person as it is. She doesn’t need more darkness and trouble added to her already troubled dysfunctional life. She needs someone that will bring her out of her troubles and her darkness, someone that will encourage her to do the right thing and bring her to the light (that person is Archie by the way). Jughead also does a lot of stupid things in the name of Betty. He was perfectly okay with covering up the dead body of a man that Fake Chic had killed in the Cooper house simply because Betty is his girlfriend. He was okay with taking part in covering up murder evidence so that Betty, Alice, and Chic wouldn’t have to suffer the consequences of their actions. Jughead gets involved in numerous morally ambiguous situations because of Betty. He is always getting his nose stuck into criminal activity because Jughead and Betty are just itching to be that investigative duo that solves all the crime and mystery in the town. Also, Jughead found out that Betty was faking pill prescriptions and lying about a therapist. She was abusing Adderall, and he did nothing about it. Instead, he enabled her addiction and didn’t get her the help that he needed. Instead of encouraging her to get help for her mental health issues, he simply told her that everything was going to be okay and then placed his dirty, stinky beanie on top of her head and kissed her on the chin? What the fuck? What boyfriend does that? What good boyfriend brushes aside his girlfriend's mental health problems and acts like it’s nothing important? It’s the same thing that happened in season 1. Betty told Jughead that she was scared of herself because she has bubbling darkness inside of her that she can’t seem to control. She shows him her palms and how she cuts them by digging her nails so hard into them that they scar and bleed whenever she lets her emotions get out of control or when she gets enraged. That is a very troubling confession that Betty made to Jughead, yet he just sat there and did nothing about it. Instead, he chose to take her palms and kiss them. Um, hello? Your girlfriend just confessed to you that she’s mentally unstable and you don’t do anything about it except kiss her palms? Nah son. That’s now how it goes. Jughead makes Betty so annoying and intolerable, and he is the reason why she has become my least favorite character on the show. Betty also does stupid things in the name of Jughead. She threatened Cheryl, a girl who has gone through numerous trouble and trauma, with the video of her father killing her beloved twin brother simply because she was blackmailing Cheryl to lie for Jughead’s father about covering up Jason’s dead body. Betty was perfectly fine with blackmailing a girl who just lost her brother and is dealing with PTSD and depression to the extent that she almost killed herself at Sweetwater River all because she wanted to save her boyfriend’s guilty father? I mean, seriously? That was just a straight up sinister and evil move on Betty’s part. Betty also wanted to join Jughead’s world of gangs, violence and criminal activity. She wanted to be a Serpent so that she could be with Jughead and “watch out for him.” So what did Betty do so that she could become a part of Jughead’s world? She got up on a stage in a bar full of mostly adult Serpents (who are mostly older men) and stripped in front of them without any sense of shame whatsoever. Not only did she strip in front of older men that she didn't know, but she stripped in front of her boyfriend and his father! It’s just weird! She is an underaged teenage girl for God’s sake! Do you see what I mean by Jughead influencing Betty to act terribly? It is what makes Bughead incredibly problematic and toxic. Because of their relationship, Jughead and Betty as characters have grown stagnant. They haven’t experienced and character development or growth that is positive. They are indeed changing, but they are changing for the worst, not the better. Jughead and Betty’s relationship has caused them to have serious character derailment and regression. Jughead has become an egotistical, dictatorial, tyrannical leader of a gang. He has become obsessed with power and has let it get to his head. He’s been playing the dangerous game of G&G and is letting it influence him toxically. And Betty hasn’t been able to snap him out of these terrible moments. Betty tries to convince Jughead to stop playing G&G, but he continues to be more intrigued with it and continues playing the game despite Betty’s warnings about how dangerous it is. Betty tells Jughead to ease up on his subordinates as Serpent King? But instead, he acts even more tyrannical and dictatorial and letting the power consume him and get to his head. Betty has failed on numerous occasions in getting through to Jughead. She doesn’t temper his darkness and brings out the good side of him. She doesn’t healthily challenge him. She enables him and his bad decisions and poor behavior. The relationship has just managed to destroy and damage these two characters that I’m uncertain if they can even be repaired. The same is said for Jughead enabling Betty’s bad behavior and poor attitude. The way I see it, the only way for Jughead and Betty to show any character growth is for them to break up and explore other relationships and become better, stronger people on their own. The toxicity of their relationship is killing Jughead and Betty as characters, and they need to break up to rebuild themselves. Because right now, Jughead and Betty are shells of their former selves.

Bughead are highly incompatible: They are much too different from each other to have a healthy romantic relationship. I’m all about opposites attract relationships as they can be, but Bughead is opposites attract relationship that is toxic and unhealthy. Sometimes being opposites can be a beneficial and good thing because it can teach you about different lifestyles, outlooks, points of view and perspectives. On the other hand, opposites attract couples that can cause tension, drama, pain and tons of unnecessary problems. Unfortunately, Bughead is the type of opposites attracts couple that is the latter. Betty is the epitome of a normal girl next door. She’s born into a regular everyday middle-class American family. She seemingly has everything going for her, but despite that, she does have personal troubles and family issues. Jughead, on the other hand, is from highly dysfunctional, broken and toxic family background and environment. He’s poor and doesn’t have much in the way of money and security. He has to resort to being a gang member to get by financially. The problem with Jughead and Betty is that they are too opposite. They come from vastly different worlds. Though Betty’s mother grew up on the Southside and was a Serpent back then, Alice outgrew her Serpent and Southside side back in high school. She is more of a Northsider than anything else and has been for a couple of decades. Alice doesn’t identify with the Southside anymore. So just because Alice was a Southsider doesn't make Betty a Southsider. Just because her mother was a Serpent doesn’t mean that Betty should be a Serpent. Betty just doesn’t fit into Jughead’s world at all. She is a Northsider through and through, and she always will be. I don’t care if Betty is currently a member of the Serpents or is their “Serpent Queen.” She is still from the Northside, and that’s never going to change. Do you ever wonder why the other Serpent members never pay attention to Betty or treat her as if she is the co-leader of their gang? Do you ever wonder why the other Serpents never turn to Betty for her opinion or input when they have Serpent meetings? It’s because they don’t respect her and they know that Betty doesn’t belong there or fit in their gang. She is not a part of their world because she grew up privileged and spoiled on the Northside. Betty tried to integrate herself into Jughead’s world throughout season 2, and it did nothing but cause trouble and tension in their relationship. Even though Betty became the Serpent Queen at the end of season 2, it still doesn’t change the fact that she doesn’t belong there. If you look at the way Betty is when she is around the Serpents in season 3, she seems uncomfortable and entirely out of place. Betty looks like a fish out of the water. The only reason that Betty is even a part of the Serpents right now is that she is Jughead’s girlfriend and he is the Serpent King. It means that Betty is Serpent Queen by default and by pure nepotism through being the love interest of the Serpent King. Betty didn’t earn the title of Serpent Queen through accomplishments or what she has done for the Serpents. If anyone is qualified to be the true Serpent Queen, it’s Toni Topaz. She is a Serpent by blood and was raised as a Serpent. Not to mention that her paternal grandfather Thomas Topaz is the founder of the Southside Serpents. It’s clear, and it’s evident that Betty does not and will never belong in Jughead’s world. She is just an outsider in the Serpent world, and even Sweet Pea criticized Betty for having input regarding Serpent matters. Other than that, Jughead and Betty’s personalities are much too different, but they are also too alike in regards to being too troubled and having too many issues. Their relationship is toxic because of how troubled both of them are. They are too different and too alike at the same time, and there’s no healthy balance in their relationship. A healthy relationship is all about balance and Bughead doesn’t have that. There’s either too much or too little and not enough middle ground, and that is why they aren’t compatible. Jughead is very intense, moody, brooding and impulsive. Betty is more cheery, positive, light-hearted and upbeat. On the surface, that looks all good and appealing enough to ship, but if you get down to the nitty-gritty reality of it, it’s a recipe for significant clashes and differences. The reason why Bughead fights so much and have so many arguments is because of the differences in their viewpoints, outlooks, backgrounds, and personalities. They have vastly different temperaments that deem them strongly incompatible. Some people would argue that Bughead being the opposite is a good thing because they would balance each other out or complement each other. But in Bughead’s case, they don’t. Bughead doesn’t make for a harmonious romantic relationship. They would be far better and more compatible as a friendship than anything else.

Bughead has 0% passion: I know this appears to be a shallow reason to dislike Bughead but believe it or not, chemistry and passion are fundamental for me to like or support a fictional pairing. I don’t think that a couple should be all about passion, lust, and chemistry but I do believe that there should be some spark and heat in the relationship. And to be honest, Bughead doesn’t have any passion at all. Their relationship is devoid of any excitement, spark or passion. To be blunt, Bughead is just plain dull and boring. I’m not asking for Bughead to be filled with tons of passion or for their relationship to be merely defined by heat and passion. But those components are what makes a romance on television fun and exciting to watch. Without that heat, that chemistry, and that passion, romantic couples on television become a chore to watch. There’s nothing to pull the viewer in or make them interested enough to watch. As to why Bughead lack significant amounts of heat and passion? I have two reasons. 1.) They happened way too fast, and they were rushed. Because of how quickly they got together in the series, there was no build up to their relationship. Build up can equate to a couple having a certain degree of passion and excitement. When a couple is rushed and lacks development, the audience cannot see the passion and the spark and the chemistry unfold between the two. And that’s what happened to Bughead. The audience wasn’t able to see the buildup of chemistry and heat between Jughead and Betty. Because of how quick they arrived, they became stale quickly. In season 2, they were already dull and lacking chemistry and passion. Even when they became sexual with each other, it came off as forced and non-sexual. By the time Bughead has their first sex scene in 2x12, it wasn’t interesting or exciting. Their first time fell flat for me chemistry and passion-wise. 2.) The two actors lack chemistry in general. I know Cole and Lili are supposedly dating in real life, but for some strange reason, any supposed chemistry that they have isn’t translating on screen. One would expect a couple who are dating off screen to be able to play a romantic couple with ease while acting, but not the case with Bughead and Sprousehart. Like I said in my previous post, I made the argument that Bughead lacks on-screen chemistry because Sprousehart is a fake PR couple and they aren’t real. I made the comparison between them and Brangelina in Mr. & Mrs. Smith; how Brad and Angelina had so much on-screen chemistry that t was very apparent that the two were having a romantic and sexual affair off-screen and off-set. But Cole and Lili are the antheses of Brangelina when it comes to chemistry on screen. Though both couples were real life, Brangelina was able to convey and translate their off-screen romance and chemistry onscreen while they were playing a couple in their movie while Sprousehart consistently fails to carry any semblance of romantic and sexual chemistry on the screen when they are supposed to be a romantic couple as Bughead. Why is that? It leads one to question the nature of Sprousehart’s romance in the real world. Are they a real couple? Or are they a fake PR couple that is together for marketing purposes? Judging by the lack of chemistry and the forced nature of their on and off-screen relationship, I’m guessing it’s the latter. To sum it up, passion is essential in a romantic relationship especially one that’s fictional and being watched by viewers every week. It’s what keeps viewers intrigued with the romance, and unfortunately, Bughead doesn’t have an ounce of chemistry, spark or passion.

Bughead fans are terrible and annoying: One of the primary reasons why I hate Bughead is because of their fans. A lot of their fans are downright awful and terrible. They are indeed the worst fans within the entire Riverdale fandom. They make the Riverdale fandom experience for everyone else who doesn’t ship Bughead a complete and total nightmare. Bughead fans are so loud, annoying and extremist that they come across as petty and childish bullies. If someone says that they don’t like or ship Bughead (add Sprousehart to the mix), then they have no issue with attacking and insulting people and bullying them if they don’t share their opinion. Going by the way that many Bughead fans act and how badly they treat other people who have a differing opinion to theirs, it’s apparent that the majority of the Bughead fanbase is filled with a bunch of teenage girls who lack maturity and don’t understand the meaning of true love and romance. They will do anything and say anything to get their way even if it means bullying the writers, actors, RAS and other fans of the show. Bughead fans are very insulting and hurtful in their words. They are downright bullies IMO. When Vanessa Morgan was cast and was stated to have been a possible obstacle to Bughead, the Bughead fans went on the attack and sent her death threats on Twitter because she was going to pose a threat to their ship. When Ethel Muggs kissed Jughead in a recent season 3 episode, Bughead fans attacked the real-life actress who plays Ethel Shannon Purser. They fat-shamed her and bullied her on her social media, and it was so bad that Shannon had to call people out on it. Not to mention that Lili Reinhart had to come on social media and denounce the attacks made towards Vanessa and Shannon that Bughead fans were making. It was that bad that Lili had to try and stop it. Bughead fans also somewhat attacked Camila Mendes after her character Veronica had kissed Jughead in 2x14, although not as severely as they struck Vanessa and Shannon. Camila even admitted that she was so scared and intimidated to go on her Twitter and Instagram accounts after the episode 2x14 aired out of fear that she would be bullied, insulted and attacked for her fictional character kissing another fictional character. It's bullying, plain and simple. For some reason the Bughead fans don’t care about the fact that they are hurting people all because of a fictional mediocre couple. The primary reason why Bughead fans resort to bullying anyone who poses a threat to their ship is because of one thing: they are insecure. They know that their couple is on borrowed time and that it’s a complete bore compared to other couples and potential couples on this show. When they see a couple that has more chemistry and excitement than Bughead, the Bughead fans lash out in anger and take it out on the writers, the actors, RAS, and other fans. Bughead’s bullying of the actors and other fans of other couples is based on pure insecurity and pettiness. I don’t mean to exaggerate, but I will argue that the Bughead fandom is one of the worst fandoms I have ever seen in the history of my experience in all TV and film fandoms and that is saying a lot.

Barchie & Jeronica are superior to Bughead: I think that the pairings of Barchie and Jeronica have way more potential than Bughead (and Varchie). First, Barchie and Jeronica have tons more chemistry than Bughead and Varchie. I’ll be so honest as to claim that Barchie and Jeronica’s chemistry puts Bughead and Varchie’s chemistry to absolute shame which isn’t at all hard since both of those pairings don’t have an ounce of chemistry, to begin. Other than the chemistry factor, Barchie and Jeronica are vastly more interesting than Bughead. I think those two pairings will bring out the best in each other and they will positively challenge each other. Breaking up Bughead (and Varchie) will give the show a new and fresh direction instead of the same stale, stagnant path that it’s been on for three seasons now. Barchie is better than Bughead because not only is the chemistry so much better, but because they would be perfect for each other. Archie and Betty are so much more compatible than Jughead and Betty are. Archie and Betty come from similar words and backgrounds. They understand each other at a fundamentally more in-depth level. They have a bond and a connection that goes so deep, and that’s something that Bughead and Varchie can’t understand or comprehend. Archie and Betty’s relationship is more than just lust/sex (like Varchie) or escapism (like Bughead). It’s an emotional connection that is deep, eternal and transcendent. These two know each other better than anyone else does, and they understand each other better than anyone else. And that’s thanks to them knowing each for a long time since they were kids. Archie and Betty are soulmates IMO. They would bring out the best in each other. Archie and Betty would challenge each other for the positive, and they would keep each other’s dark sides under control. Archie would bring out the best in Betty. He would temper her darkness and bring her into the light. And Betty would stop Archie from making morally questionable decisions. She would pull him back when it’s needed. Let’s not forget that Barchie has been an iconic canon couple in the comics for almost 100 years. Nothing can compete with that, especially not a forced, rushed, fan serviced couple like Bughead, which doesn’t and never has existed in the comics in the first place. On the other hand, Jeronica would be way more exciting and dynamic to watch than Borehead. They have strong on-screen chemistry, and I could buy the two eventually becoming involved romantically because of said chemistry. I think that Jughead and Veronica are overall more compatible because they come from very similar backgrounds. Both of them come from families and environments of organized crime; Jughead comes from a gang family, and Veronica comes from a mob family. Jughead comes from a gang family; Veronica comes from a mob family. Both of them would be able to handle each other’s family backgrounds because both families are situated in organized crime. Jughead can stand up to and challenge someone like Hiram Lodge. And Veronica can handle the Serpent lifestyle because she understands where they are coming from. Other than the similarities in their backgrounds, they have a lot of personality traits in common. Both are intense, outspoken and passionate about things. Both of them are natural born leaders, come from dysfunctional families, have issues expressing vulnerability and their emotions, are afraid of commitment, have serious daddy and mommy issues, are intelligent and manipulative, and have a very nasty streak when angered or provoked. Both have a love and appreciation of literature, film and popular culture. In addition to the many things in common that they have, there’s also the fact that their journeys parallel in each other on the show. Jughead and Veronica are mirror images of each other. They have similar events that happen to both of them throughout the series. And finally, let’s not forget that great and robust chemistry that Jeronica has. It is some of the most robust on-screen chemistry on the show by far. Jeronica has more chemistry than Bughead and Varchie combined, and they hardly share scenes. I think that Jeronica has the potential to be something great if the writers choose to utilize their potential.

I might make a Part 3 Anti-Bughead post soon, but for now, these are another top 5 reasons why I hate Bughead and why I believe that this couple needs to crash and burn. Thank you for listening to my Ted Talk. ✌️

[hitchell-mope]

(First film. Coronation. Audrey’s grabbed the wand and is pointing it at Mal. Ben Jay Carlos Doug Evie Lonnie Jane and Verna are standing in front of Mal protectively)

Audrey: she told me everything. Why would any of you do this. Why would any of you protect that

(Jay’s eyes glow dangerously)

Ben: Audrey it’s not what you think.

Audrey: alright benji. Enlighten me. Tell me why I shouldn’t blast her face in

Ben: I knew.

Audrey: I know.

Mal: I told her everything

Evie: well. We’re fucked

Mal (addressing the court): my friends and I were sent here to steal the wand

Leah: I knew it!

Evie: SHUT UP YOU OLD BAG! Go on Mal

Mal: but a month in. I decided. No. Why would we want to steal the wand. Our parents were probably gonna kill us regardless of what we did cause we “fulfilled our purpose”.

Audrey (smiling sweetly): I’m sorry. Is this supposed to make me feel sorry for the backwards circus freak that ruined my life AND STOLE MY BOYFRIEND FROM ME

Ben: Audrey I wasn’t yours to be stolen from. And I broke up with you.

Audrey: because it tricked you. She showed me the book but she probably ripped the pages out herself

Mal: pages that were burned/see yourself now returned

(Nothing happens)

Mal: see. I can’t summon something. Or create something. That doesn’t already or no longer exist. And my mother was very clear. No one could ever love me.

Ben: your mother was wrong.

Audrey: nah. She was right. Villains are incapable of being loving or being loved.

Jay: choose you next words very. Very. Carefully. “Princess”

Audrey: exactly. I’m the princess. That’s the evil witch. Who must be destroyed. Bibbidi bobbidi boo

(A bright pink light zaps its way to Mal. She flinches. Her own magic constructs a shield that deflects the light. It ricochets around the room sending people scattered. And then fly’s our of a stained glass window. Directly at the barrier)

(On the island)

Jafar: what was that?

Maleficent: freedom. Fare thee well. I will come back for you. Maybe. Maybe not

(Purple smoke envelopes her and she disappears. Back in the cathedral the lights are extinguished and the smoke reforms into Maleficent who immediately freezes the adults in the room)

Mal: mother

Evie: like I said. We’re fucked.

Maleficent: well. Well. Quite a glittering assemblage king Adam. The nobility. The gentry. And. Oh. How quaint. (Looking straight at Audrey). Even the rabble

(Mal gets between her mother and the princess)

Maleficent: now don’t be stupid child. Because I will thoroughly enjoy how this ends either way

Mal: I won’t let you hurt her. Or any of my friends

Audrey: I’m not your friend I hate you

Carlos: Audrey. I’m literally begging you. Quit while you’re ahead. BEFORE you’re just a head.

Mal: Jay?

Jay: on it.

(In a flash of gold smoke Ben Lonnie Doug Carlos Chad and Audrey vanish)

(In the basement)

(Chad’s in the foetal position rabbiting on about war movies. Ben’s trying to kick the door open. Audrey’s ranting about how she knew she was right. Carlos stalks up to her and slaps her around the face so hard she falls to the floor)

Carlos (in a very low very angry growl): listen here you Carmelita Spats wannabe my friends are trying to save your sorry ass so the least you could do is shut the fuck up

(Audrey cries louder. Carlos almost kicks her in the face but Doug and Lonnie stop him)

Doug: C no

Lonnie: she’s not worth it.

Carlos: I know but it’d make me feel a helluva lot better

Audrey: see my friends. My friends always help. Doug

Doug: no.

Audrey: what?

Doug: heh heh. I’m not your friend Audrey. According to you I’m just an unimportant half breed that’s not fit to breathe the same air as you let alone look or talk to you. There’s no use in you trying to expunge that now

Audrey: Lonnie! Lonnie’s my friend.

Lonnie: no, Audrey. We’re not friends. The only reason anyone ever hangs around you is because they like Ben. So no. We’re not friends

Audrey: Ben please

Ben: Audrey please be quiet I’m trying to open this room I can help my girlfriend and her family

Carlos: face it. You’re not as big a hotshot as you think you are. All you are is a stupid stuck up little brat who needs to learn how to shut her mouth

(Back upstairs)

Maleficent: come on child. Give me the wand

Mal: no.

Maleficent (eyes starting to glow): give me. The wand

Mal: no

Maleficent (trying a different approach): Mal h h honey. Remember this is for us

Mal: no it’s not. It’s for you. You want this. And it is not my job to make you feel better. And it’s not my fault you were there. Yes Leah Stefan and Hubert should have invited you. But did you have to curse an innocent baby?

Maleficent: that “baby” as you put it ensured myself insomnia for 16 years

Mal: because you can’t let things go. It has to be your way or they die

Evie (under her breath): like we’re about to

Maleficent: correct. But first. Let me just. Break this down for you. You need me my dear. I am the only one who will ever love you. And you my darling little princess. Just think of what your mother will say when she finds out you couldn’t land a prince and instead settled for a subhuman replacement. As for you oh handsome one. What will happen to the boy when you’re in lamp and can no longer help him?

(Jay lunges at her)

Mal and Evie: Jay no!

Evie: don’t give her an edge

(Maleficent has spotted Jane cowering behind her immobilised mother)

Maleficent: ooh. Hello dear. Tell me. Do you want to give me the wand? I bet you do. Oh I can see you’re scared. But don’t worry. I won’t harm you. I can tell my daughter is fond of you. That’s why I’ll let her destroy you herself

(Just then Carlos Doug Lonnie and ben come burying out of the basement followed by chad and Audrey who hightail to the exit. Maleficent grabs Audrey and lifts her up by the neck)

Maleficent: before I kill you and you’re little band of ragamuffins I think I shall finish what I started all those years ago. Watch Leah as I force the breath out of your precious granddaughter

(Mal’s eyes glow bright green. The wind picks up)

Mal: LEAVE MY FRIENDS ALONE

(The stained glass windows explode and surround Maleficent forming a pillar. Jay Carlos Evie Jane Ben Doug and Lonnie gather around Mal. Jay Evie and Jane’s eyes start glowing. Ben Carlos Doug and lonnies gloved hands start shining brightly in the colours of Mal jay Evie and Jane respectively)

Mal: the strength of evil is good as none/when it stands before eight hearts as one

(The others join in. The stained glass pillar gets smaller trapping Maleficent. This continues as the dark fairy tries to free herself but to no avail.)

Maleficent: YOU NEED ME. WITHOUT MY GUIDANCE YOU ARE NOTHING

Mal: no. You’re nothing

(The core eight say the incantation one more time and the stained glass pillar explodes. The ones with magic shield the ones without. The dust settles leaving nothing a...)

Carlos: gecko? What the hell?

Evie: thought she’d look like Audrey’s personality

Mal: you know what indigo?

Evie: what magenta. What is it now

Audrey: I’m sorry.

(Everyone turns to look at her)

Audrey: I’m sorry. I’m sorry that I

Evie: tried to get us in trouble repeatedly? Tried to get us sent back to a hellhole slag heap be because you felt oppressed by our existence? Sicced your gormless idiot of a philandering bastard boyfriend on my best friend? (Sarcastically) why would you ever want to apologise for that?

Mal: indigo. Hush. Audrey you know I’m gonna have get you back eventually right?

Audrey: mhmm (She flinches bracing herself for an onslaught)

Mal: not now. It has to be when you least expect it. Jane dear. What say you and I unfreeze the old folks huh?

Jane: ok

Maljane: Bibbidi bobbidi boo

(The adults all unfreeze)

Verna: oh my stars. What. What happened

Audrey: I happened. I was an idiot and a bully and a fool and

Evie (“helpfully”): a bitch

Audrey: yes. I accidentally released Maleficent from the isle. She almost killed me. Well. Everyone in fact. But Mal jay Carlos Ben Lonnie Doug Jane and the one who’s still looking at me like she’s measuring my coffin saved all of us

Leah: I want that child expelled. If it weren’t for her and her kind this would never have happened. You have only yourself to blame for all of this Benjamin. Because of you my granddaughter was humiliated assaulted and almost killed.

Audrey: GRANDMA FOR FUCKS SAKE SHUT UP

(Everyone looks shocked)

Evie: well well well. The bitch isn’t all bark after all.

Audrey: This was my fault. I grabbed the wand. Not Mal. This is on me

Leah: you wouldn’t have done what you did if those things hadn’t drove you to it

Audrey (steely voiced): Mal Jay Carlos and Evie and Ben Lonnie Jane and Doug saved everybody. Including you

Elsa: I believe that you owe Mal and her friends an apology Leah

Lonnie: gecko on the loose

(Maleficent is scurrying towards her sceptre. Mal gets there before her and tosses it over to Jay. She kneels down in front of her mother)

Mal: I don’t need you. I never did. I have what I need. And they are all better then you. And you. You were a piss poor excuse of a mother. And I hope you rot. (She stands up, sniffling hard). Jay can I have the sceptre please? Thank you

(She snaps it in half over her knee. The power surge reignites the candles in the cathedral)

Mal: fairy godmother. If you can could you take this. In the wrong hands it could be very dangerous. And I am the wrong hands. It doesn’t matter where it goes. So long as it’s nowhere near me. And thistle if you can (she hands Verna the spell book)

Fairy godmother: only if you’re sure dear

Elsa (having vivid flashbacks to her childhood but not wanting to influence Mal): it’s your choice sweetheart. Is this what you really want?

Mal: yes. I don’t need magic. I mostly used it as defence. For Carlos and myself. So there’s not really any need to use it any more

Ben: you always have the option to go back on this.

Mal (cheerfully): I know. But right now I’m thinking of seeing my boyfriend crowned king of the world

(She walks up to Ben as she says this and shifts the crowns position on his head to a jauntier angle. Then whips around and slaps Audrey around the face so hard something shiny fall out of her mouth. Mal bends down and helps her back up)

Mal (tentatively): I did say I’d get you back

Audrey (chuckling): yeah. Yeah you did. Square

Mal: square.

Carlos: why?

(Everyone turns to look at him)

Mal: yeah hon?

Carlos: why the gecko. Why not you know. Dust

Jane: um. I think I know.

Mal: yeah?

Jane: the love in her heart. She um shrank to uh. Mother

Fairy Godmother: it’s ok. Mal dear. You and your friends defeated Maleficent with your own image goodness. And it shrank her down to the size of the live in her heart.

Mal: ah. Right. So. She does love me. Just not enough to not attempt to murder me and my family. Great(.) Marvellous in fact. Freaking copacetic

Guard: lady Mal. What shall we do with the reptile?

Mal: Just. Take her away. Get her out of my sight. I don’t want to see her. Ever.

Ben (pulling her into a hug): are you ok?

Mal: I will be. Eventually. But today isn’t about me. It’s about you. And the glorious path your reign will lead us down

Ben (laughing): is that sass?

Mal: maybe a little bit

Ben (appreciatively): I kinda like that

Mal: I know you do

Carlos (aside to Jay): are they gonna kiss

Jay: maybe. Got a problem with that?

Carlos: well she is my mother. Oh so not them

(Evie’s just dipped Doug and planted a very long kiss on him)

Evie: well. Can you blame me. I mean look at him

(Doug looks a tad punch drunk. He hiccups once. Laughs. Then passes out)

Evie: I’ll take that as a good sign

Bal, jaylos and janelonnie: yeah

Elsa: is he ok?

Doug: I’m good. I’m really. I’m fine. Could uh. Could someone help me up please?

Ben: sure buddy

(After Ben helps Doug Elsa approaches the group£

Elsa: you makesty. I can tidy up here. You run along and celebrate your new position

(Mal glomps her into a tight hug before Ben can thank her)

Mal: thank you

Elsa (hugging her back): you’re very welcome my girl

(Mal pulls away and leaves with the others. Elsa turns to the adults)

Elsa: lets get this place clean.

(This is when “shine your way” starts)

[mermaidsirennikita]

July 2019 Book Wrap-up

July was actually a really good month for me!  I read a ton of books, and a lot of them were actually pretty good?  It’s been a very transitory month for me; and I’m hoping to keep up the momentum as I start a new job.  The standouts of the month include War, of my beloved Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse series by Laura Thalassa, and Lock Every Door, a creepy, apartment-centric psychological thriller by Riley Sagers.

What the Wind Knows by Amy Harmon.  3/5.  Heartbroken by the death of her grandfather--the only parent she really knew--Anne Gallagher travels to Ireland.  Ireland was her grandfather’s homeland, she she grew up on his stories of a family she has little connection with.  Going out on the lake, she suddenly finds herself thrown back into 1921, in an Ireland on the brink of civil war.  Taken in by Thomas Smith, a friend of her great-grandfather--who himself died young in the conflict--she finds a young boy who is oddly familiar, and a group of people she can’t help but connect with.  As she grows close to Thomas and enveloped in his political struggles, Anne becomes terrified of her lack of control over the time she’s in, or the future she’s facing.  This is a time travel romance, as you’d probably guess.  And it’s really not super amazing or much to complain about.  There is fluff.  There are the necessary “out of time” moments, the tension between the hero and the heroine.  It does seem that Harmon did her research on the Irish political landscape of the 1920s--but I can’t verify the novel’s accuracy.  To be frank, I think that this actually got in the way of the story to an extent.  The amount of time Michael Collins took up in this novel, acting as like...  the best friend character?  Was a bit awkward.  Otherwise, it’s a fluffy, nice read.

The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren.  3/5.  Olive and Ethan hate each other, which is awkward as his brother is marrying her sister.  But after the entire wedding party--save Olive and Ethan--end up with food poisoning, they agree to go on the honeymoon trip together, to save it from being completely wasted.  The plan on avoiding each other the entire time; but when Olive encounters her future boss at the resort and tells what seems to be a white lie, they end up having to impersonate newlyweds.  You can probably guess what happens next!  Christina Lauren books usually feature protagonists with a fun, sweet chemistry, and this novel is no exception.  The beach setting and Olive and Ethan’s angsty, unresolved sexual tension makes most of this book a super fun read.  The only reason why I didn’t give it 4/5 is that the last twenty percent or so really annoyed me.  There is a very typical twist, which wasn’t the problem--how our male lead reacted to it was.  It didn’t ruin the book, but it did make me much less likely to give it a wholehearted recommendation.

Lock Every Door by Riley Sager.  5/5.  After losing her job and breaking up with her live-in boyfriend, Jules is desperate for money and a place to stay.  As luck would have it, she stumbles upon an opportunity that offers both.  The Bartholomew is an old building, populated by the wealthy elite; and Jules has long idolized it as the setting of one of her favorite childhood books.  When the apartments are in between owners, their inherent value makes them targets for thieves--which is why the building’s managers employ apartment sitters.  Jules is offered $12,000 to live in an apartment for three months; and despite her wariness, she can’t turn that kind of offer down.  But when her newfound friend and fellow apartment sitter Ingrid goes missing, Jules sets on to a horrifying search for answers, which yield far more than she’s bargained for.  It’s official: I really do love Riley Sager books.  He’s 3/3 so far, and this one just may be my favorite.  Sager isn’t shy about drawing from classic horror tropes, and this novel is no exception--it owes a good bit to Rosemary’s Baby and The Shining.  But of course, another totally out there twist is thrown in, making the story his own.  I can’t say much without spoiling it.  But if you love thrillers and horror, try it.  What pushes the book over the edge for me is that it has a real point about today’s class systems, and the privileges of wealth and the victimization of the poor in America.

The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary.  4/5.  Following a disastrous breakup, Tiffy needs a flat, and badly.  So when she sees the ad posted by Leon, she’s desperate enough to take it.  As Tiffy is an assistant editor and Leon is a night nurse, they have different schedules.  They live in the flat together and even share a bed--though they sleep on opposite sides--but never see each other, communicating through notes left about the apartment.  At first, it’s stiff--but gradually, as they learn more about one another and their separate troubles (from Tiffy’s obsessive ex to Leon’s incarcerated brother) they begin to rely on each other for more than just room and board...  This is a really fucking cute, very sweet romantic comedy that touches on deeper subjects than you might think.  The way through which Tiffy and Leon connect is pretty unique, and I felt for both of them.  They were pleasant without being annoyingly perfect, and I just had a great time with the novel.

War by Laura Thalassa.  4/5.  As the apocalypse rages on, Miriam struggles to live in an Israel ravaged by the literal War--that is, the horseman of the apocalypse.  When the supernatural warlord stumbles across her in the battlefield, he’s taken aback by her own fury, and declares that she was sent by God to be his wife.  Thrown in with War and his followers, Miriam is exposed to the true horror of the battlefield--while also learning that there may be more to War’s purpose, and her connection with him, than she thought.  This is the sequel to Pestilence, and part of a big fat series about women falling in love with the four horsemen of the apocalypse.  And I love them.  War is a surprisingly endearing hero, though Thalassa never shies away from how brutal the horsemen are--which I so appreciate.  You never forget that War isn’t a human, however you may love him.  Miriam is another fun heroine, and one of those lovely characters who is honestly quite softhearted but still aggressive and never weak.  It’s a cheesy romance novel, and it’s exactly what you should read right now, immediately.

Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson.  3/5.  Elisabeth is a foundling, raised in the Great Library of Austermeer to take care of its magical grimoires.  When the library is attacked and its most powerful grimoire unleashed, Elisabeth is implicated in the crime.  Sent to the capital to be dealt with, she becomes wrapped up in a conspiracy, with only a suspicious sorcerer to rely upon.  I adored Rogerson’s first novel (An Enchantment of Ravens), and I wish I’d loved this one more.  It was well-written, and the characters were interesting, but I just found the story a bit hard to get caught up in.  Honestly, I think this had less to do with the plot itself and more to do with the pacing and length of the book.  It took way too long for things to get started, and things just moved too slowly for my taste.  However, I do think that tons of people will LOVE this book--if sorcery and slow burns are up your alley, go for it!

On the Island by Tracey Garvis Graves.  2/5.  Thirty-year-old Anna is happy to take a dream teaching job--she’s tutoring the nearly-seventeen year old T.J. as his family vacations over the summer in the Maldives.  Flying separately from the rest of the group, Anna and T.J. are thrown off course when their pilot has a heart attack and crashes into the sea, leaving the two of them trapped on an isolated island.  As the years pass and Anna and T.J. survive together, they come to face the reality of a new world--and their changing feelings.  I had to read this for the what the fuck factor, basically?  To clarify, nothing happens between the leads until the guy is almost nineteen, and by then they’ve been alone for so long that it’s honestly pretty understandable.  I feel like this could have been great, trashy fun and it still kind of was, but the writing was so........................................  Not great?  It was really clunky and really awkward, and the characters kept repeating things to each other that didn’t need to be repeated.  The dialogue took me out more than anything else.  But I don’t know, I wasn’t disengaged?  It’s a spectacle of a book.

The Royal Secret by Lucinda Riley.  3/5.  After the death of acting legend Sir James Harrison, reporter Joanna is set to cover his funeral.  There, she meets a mysterious older woman, who sets her on a path to uncover a secret that has been hidden for more than seventy years--connected to the royal family.  I don’t have much to say about this one.  It intrigued me because it was actually published a little over 20 years ago, but due to the timing--it was written when the royal family was at a peak low in terms of popularity, but published right around the time that the popularity took an upswing--it did rather poorly.   It was an interesting enough read, but never grabbed me. The characters felt disconnected and bland, and ultimately the thriller aspects were pretty light, or maybe just not the types that I enjoy.  It’s not a bad book, but it’s also not for me.  

Three Women by Lisa Taddeo.  2/5.  This non-fiction book follows three women throughout the years, focusing on their varied sex lives.  This just wasn’t for me.  Other people will love it, but I was looking for something less...  intentionally poetic.  I wanted it to be more honest and upfront and analytical.  

The Last Leonardo: The Secret Lives of the World’s Most Expensive Painting by Ben Lewis.  4/5.   An account of the history of Salvator Mundi, the allegeded Leonardo da Vinci work sold for $450 million.  Lewis writes in an engaging manner, revealing both the painting’s history and the case for and against it being a Leonardo--and what I really love too is his examination of the questions surrounding its value even if it is a Leonardo, considering the painting’s extensive restoration (which could have arguably taken away from the artist’s original hand) and its general quality compared to other works by Leonardo.  I’m not sure if people who aren’t into art history or at least history would be into this, but I found Lewis’s skepticism and reserve regarding the topic weirdly refreshing.  I have a lot of feelings about Salvator Mundi, and I appreciated the way he communicated his.

The Descendant of the Crane by Joan He.  4/5.  After the death of her father, Hesina is left as the heir to the throne.  The issue?  She thinks that her father was murdered--and in her pursuit of the truth, she seeks help from a sooth, one of the magic-users forbidden by the Eleven, the wise people who restructured the kingdom years ago.  She is then set to work with Akira, a thief who’s meant to represent her in court as she struggles to find the killer--but ends up on a path that will reveal more than she’d bargained for.  It’s hard to not spoil this one?  It has many twists and turns, to the point that it did get kind of convoluted (and the ending is far from resolved, though there’s no guarantee of a sequel). But I admire He’s ambition and the scope of the story.  I hope we do get a follow-up!