#a simple ‘seating plan’ get together is also fine though ….

[lizzieandersoncore]

how did yall get with your bfs/gfs/partners ™️ ?? Wanna know if anyone has a fuckass get together

[f1version]

THERE’S ONLY ONE..COUCH ★ CS55

pairing: carlos sainz jr x fem!reader (she/her)

summary: You and Carlos have to sleep at Lando’s place after a party, but the guest room has no furniture, you have to sleep in the living room. So, there’s no ‘only one bed’… there’s only one couch.

warning: teasing, carlos speaking spanish.

word count: 1.5k (it's 1.555 and i love that)

note: this is my first “one shot” ever, i am SCARED. also asking for part two is allowed in this one lmao, tell me if you would like that :)

Three days ago, Lando Norris had won his first race in Formula 1 and because celebrations were never-ending to him, he had to plan something with his closest friends three days after the big obnoxious party. That’s how you and Carlos ended up in Lando’s flat in Monaco.

Now, the thing is, Lando was the one who bought your plane tickets, sending them to you at 1 AM. He was in a rush since you were the only one of his friends who wasn’t in Monaco already, which means you were also in a rush, so no hotel. And even if you can afford a night in Monaco, you are now a bit too drunk to look for one.

So.

"Hey Lan, is there any chance I stay the night? If it isn’t a bother, obviously.” you ask, words slurred together.

“Oh, of course, mate! I already told Carlos you can crash here,” Lando answers, grabbing a bottle of wine from the floor, tossing it aside when he sees there’s nothing on it. "The guest room has no furniture yet, though. You have the couch or the floor.”

"The couch is fine” Carlos answers behind you.

Lando raises an eyebrow, "For the two of you?"

The brit doesn’t have that teasing tone he uses for people with “clear sexual tension”—not that you and Carlos have it but it just means Charles is wrong.

You exchange a glance with Carlos and he shrugs before nodding.

“Yes," both of you answer at the same time.

The Monegasque who’d been talking with Lando chokes on some wine, laughing. “Sorry, mate, I just love that they get along so well,” he clarifies as he winks at you.

You roll your eyes. Charles has been like this for months, insisting you should date Carlos, saying you both are far into each other. You tell him he is just your friend, that you’re his strategist and that’s it, but Charles Leclerc can be very stubborn.

“Yes, well, I think I'm going to the balcony for air, I'll see you later,” you say and Charles lets out a big laugh. “Thank you again, Lan!”

“I'm going with you,” Carlos speaks up.

“What?”

"I'm going to take some air with you," Carlos explains to you and you nod, exiting the scene side by side, leaving behind Charles’ victorious smile and new gossip for Lando.

"I'm going to sleep on the floor," Carlos says as wind hits your face softly.

“No, you won’t, you have a lot of media duty to attend this week, Carlitos. Also a race next week, can’t be sore for that.”

“I'll be fine, mujer,” he smiles, surrounding your shoulders with his arm “I've been doing it for a while now.”

“And that’s exactly why you shouldn't” you exclaim “If it bothers you, I'll take the floor.”

Carlos looks at you as if you just committed a crime and shakes his head. You laugh, snuggling a little into the Spaniard's arm, feeling warm and safe around him. Yeah, Carlos made you feel safe.

“Carlos, as part of the Ferrari team, I don't want you sleeping on the floor.” You complain, again.

You have been having this discussion for about three minutes. It was simple, Sainz said that he was used to it and you attacked, saying that there was room for both of you on the couch.

“Cariño, there is no room for both of us on the couch.” He repeats for the thousand time “Just lay down and sleep, I'm fine.”

"Sainz, stop it. There is enough room here, so you come to sleep here, where there is enough space, or I will make sure you can’t seat, rest or sleep in beds and couches for the rest of the season"

At that moment, Carlos turned to look at you with wide eyes, it was a funny statement, but he loved when you went all fearless for him.

Getting lost in his thoughts, Carlos gave you enough time to believe you had won the battle; so when he looked at you again, you already had a satisfied smile on your face, and he knew he had no way out.

Carlos sighs. "Okay, you win, just promise that you won't do that, please”

You looked at him tenderly and smiled. It was a peculiar smile, it was full of yearning and confessions. It wasn’t a smile you gave a lot, at least not to people who weren’t Carlos Sainz Jr. Oh, but Carlos was too blinded in his own fascination to notice.

“It’s okay, for now, I'll leave your furniture alone.”

After that, you shared a couple of laughs with the Spaniard before sitting on the sofa, moving the cushions aside, and putting down the pillows Lando gave you.

You lay down, turning to Carlos —whose eyes haven’t left you— making a small signal for him to lay down next to you.

The Spaniard approached quietly, laying down. And, it turns out, the couch wasn't as big as it looked, a quarter of Carlos's body was outside it, and it was somewhat uncomfortable.

"Hey, do you think you can move a little?" Carlos asked in a soft tone, to which you automatically agreed.

You both started to move and complain, because when you moved, he did, making you uncomfortable. You moved again. It was still messy.

This is how a few minutes passed between complaints and movement, at least before you fell directly on top of Carlos, after that, everything was silence, surprise, and closeness. Bodies so close you felt the other’s skin burn through your clothes.

You wanted to burn.

“I told you there wasn't enough space.” Carlos whispered, mockingly.

“Are you uncomfy?” You asked with annoyance, he shakes his head. "Then you're fine, I'm not uncomfy either."

For a moment, silence rules the room. Quiet enough to hear Carlos’ heart beating against his chest, you breathe deeply, so deeply that he feels it.

"You’re heart is racing, honey," you whisper, pet name slipping right through. You normally use it to joke around, and you think you are, but at some point it feels like you’re supposed to say it.

His eyes dart over your face, looking for something he knows he will find. “So it’s yours.”

You see it then. Gaze drowned in desire, pupils dilated just like yours. There’s also fear—fear of making the wrong move, of dooming something that has barely started.

You bring your fingers to Carlos’ face, caressing his jaw in the most delicate way you know.

“I want... Mi vida, can I kiss-” You don’t let him finish his question, your lips are on his.

Carlos holds you by the neck, bringing you closer. His face tilts slightly, kissing deeper. His tongue asks for permission to play with yours as butterflies find home in your stomach. You can feel Carlos melting from the taste of you, loving the feeling, the intimacy of the moment.

This felt so right yet so wrong. It was strange. One of his strategist and him. If any of the team knew, this could end bad, would bring a thousand problems, attention none of you wanted for each other. But they didn't know.

Carlos felt too good for it to be a bad thing.

He wants to kiss you for as long as you let him. He wants to pour his heart into every single one.

He wants it to last forever and that’s why splitting is the worst part of it. That moment when your body asks you for more, but needs to breathe. When it asks to be pleased, but can’t stop begging for mercy. You want his lips to be mercy. But you find air.

Carlos looks at you in fascination, his hands instinctively falling on your hips. Something stops him.

“Can I touch you?” He asks and you nod.

The Spaniard’s eyes sparkle, surrendering to intimacy. His fingers begin to slide down your curves, slow and fearful, trying to do everything not to disturb you. You who can’t be more eager.

“Your curves are… beautiful” He whispers, looking for the words he wanted, “So perfect.”

“Carlos,”

“Si, mi vida?” He whispers into your ear, biting the lobe gently. This small contact causes your back to arch slightly. Carlos speaks again “So, so, beautiful.”

“Carlos, please,” you beg, it was unnecessary to ask if you wanted to stop or continue.

"Oh, what I would do to you if we weren't at Lando’s place." That little innuendo seems to leave Carlos’ lips by accident, realization making his face burn.

You just smile. Wanting more, wanting his words to be spoken with promise.

“Want to know something, Sainz? We have a two-week break after this race, and I have no plans.” That makes Carlos smile, closing the gap between you once again. You wonder if it would actually happen, if it’s not you making empty promises.

“Then I’ll have to get you to Spain.” Carlos whispers, kissing your neck, finding comfort in it. “Good night, mi vida.”

“Good night, my love.”

translations:

linda pretty cariño sweetheart mi vida my life

[waywardserpent176389053]

Natsuki's Doki Doki Panic

So, I wrote this awhile ago and thought it would be a good idea to post it here as well. I'll upload the other chapters in the next few days.

Anyway here is chapter one.

The Clubroom Incident.

Natsuki woke up tired. Groaning, she forced herself out of bed and moved to get dressed. Lately she had been getting more and more exhausted, worn out by simple day to day effort. Natsuki had already stayed home from school a few times, but she was falling behind on class work and had to study for the big test. Besides, today was Literature Club and Natsuki wouldn’t miss it if her life depended on it.

As she put her shirt on a spike of pain lanced though her chest. This had also started happening recently, and it bothered her even more than the exhaustion. Natsuki rubbed her sternum, was something wrong with her heart? No, it couldn’t be, she was young and healthy. Natsuki shook away her troubled thoughts. She was going to school, she was going to Literature Club, she was going to talk to Yuri, and she was going to have a good time. Filled with resolve she headed down the stairs to start her day.

Monika was already finishing up breakfast when Natsuki entered the kitchen. The smaller girl gave a quick wave and hoped up to take a seat at the central table. "Hope you prepared extra!" Natsuki said with a smile.

The club president turned to her ward, "Natsuki! I thought you still weren't feeling well?" Monika asked. It had only been a few months since Natsuki came to live with her after Natsuki escaped from her fathers 'care', and the smaller girl had spent a not insignificant portion of that time ill.

Natsuki shrugged her shoulders "I got better." She responded simply. "And I'm hungry, so if you could." Natsuki gestured to her empty plate. Monika rolled her eyes before dropping a pancake onto Natsuki's plate, which the girl immediately attacked.

Monika sat across from her friend and began to eat her own food. "This is the most energy you've had in a while Natsuki" Monika said. "I hope you still have enough to make it to Club after school."

Natsuki nodded as swallowed another bite of pancake. "That's the plan. And I need to catch up on classes, even with your study help I still think I'm missing some things..." Natsuki trailed off.

"I'll ignore that insult" Monika stated calmly before taking a sip of her drink. Natsuki reddened immediately in response "Sorry I didn't mean-"

"It's fine Natsuki, I'm aware that I have limits and it was a joke anyway." Monika gave Natsuki a soft look. "I'm not him, I won't get angry for no reason, okay?" Natsuki released a breath and nodded. They spent the rest of breakfast quietly chatting.

Finally they made their way outside getting inside Monika's car. Right before leaving Monika turned to Natsuki again "You are sure you're fine?" Monika questioned.

Natsuki beamed. "Never felt better" she lied. Together they set off.

Unfortunately for Natsuki she wasn't fine, there was something wrong with her heart. While she had recently escaped her father’s abusive hold, the years of malnutrition had reaped a toll, stunting her growth and, critically, weakening her heart. If Natsuki had been in good health before she had starved then perhaps her heart would still be in good shape. But fate could not be so kind, in addition to the malnutrition Natsuki had been born with a heart murmur. On its own it would have been harmless, but working in concert with the malnutrition it created a critical flaw in her heart. Now with a ticking time bomb in her chest Natsuki went about her day with little knowledge about how close to death she was.

The day had been a hard one. Natsuki had struggled to stay awake through her classes, and had twice more felt sharp chest pain. By now Natsuki had decided that she would go to the doctor, probably tomorrow if she could manage it. Not tonight though, it was probably already too late to schedule an appointment anyway. And Yuri... Natsuki really wanted to see Yuri again. She had become increasingly sure that Yuri probably liked her back, and that thought was just so exciting. Her happy feelings were interrupted by another jab of pain. Natsuki sucked in a breath and clutched her chest. That one had really hurt! She waited a moment for the pain to recede before continuing on, now very sure that there was something wrong. Suddenly, a pair of arms embraced her.

“Hey Nats! How ya doing?!” Sayori nearly yelled. Natsuki smiled even as she fought down another wave of pain. ‘God, if she does that again I might have a heart attack’ Natsuki thought to herself.

“Fine” Natsuki lied. The pain was fading once more, but it wasn’t completely subsiding. Sayori gave a quizzical look.

“Are you sure Natsuki? I mean, you missed a lot of school recently.” Sayori had a concerned look.

“While I got better.” Natsuki said with a grin sticking out her tongue. Sayori smiled back.

“Well, I guess there’s nothing to worry about then.” She began to make her way to the Club room and Natsuki followed. “Oh! By the way MC won’t be here today.” Sayori explained.

Natsuki turned her head “Why Not?”

“Some family dinner thing or something” Sayori said as she waved her hand about.

“Shouldn’t you know? You’re dating him, Sayori.” Natsuki laughed and Sayori did as well.

“Well I don’t know everything he does!” Sayori exclaimed as the two friends shared their mirth.

Meanwhile, within Natsuki’s chest her heart continued to suffer. Going through back to back jolts had unbalanced the organ even further. It would now take only one or two more pushes before failing completely.

At last Natsuki and Sayori arrived at the club room. Monika had set things up as usual, and Yuri had already seated herself in the corner. She was beautiful, her purple hair flowing over her shoulders, her face a picture of perfection, and her chest... Natsuki calmed herself, no need to get too excited.

“Alright everyone, we’re going to have a light day today, no poem readings or anything like that.” Monika said with a smile.

“So just personal reading?” Yuri asked.

“Yep!” Monika replied. She had already pulled out her own book and taken a seat. “You can read together of course, but I’m sure you already knew that.” She said with a knowing glance in Natsuki’s direction.

Natsuki could take a hint and had already made her way over to Yuri. “Mind if I sit?” she questioned.

“Well you would have to if we want to finish our book” said Yuri with a soft smile. Natsuki returned the smile and took up her seat next to Yuri.

Together they picked up where that had left off. Each took turns reading out loud as they flipped each page. Being so close to Yuri, sharing this experience with her, the book itself, all of it combined to make Natsuki very happy. The warmth sunk into her chest which caused another wave of fresh agony.

Natsuki grimaced and rubbed her chest. ‘Goddamn it! Not again’ she thought, trying very hard to make Yuri not notice.

“Is something wrong Natsuki?” Yuri said as she turned around. Natsuki had failed.

“Um, well nothing really. I feel fine.” Natsuki lied. Yuri gave her a stern look.

“You sure? You missed a lot of school. And just then you looked like you were in pain? Natsuki, if something’s wrong you can tell me.” Yuri wore a look of concern.

“It’s nothing serious,” Natsuki replied. “I’ve just been tired lately, that’s all.”

Yuri gave an unsure and worried glance towards Natsuki. “Okay” she replied. They returned to their reading, surrounded by a new uneasiness.

Meanwhile, Natsuki’s heart rate began to rise, half due to nerves, half due to the malnutrition and murmur. Natsuki shifted around in her seat, a small trickle of pain flowing into her chest. Suddenly Yuri spoke again.

“Sorry. It’s just that...” Her sentence trailed off and Natsuki froze, waiting for her to finish the sentence. Yuri took a deep breath before continuing, “It’s, well, I don’t know how to put this...”

Natsuki had moved to the edge of the seat. Both Sayori and Monika were trying to hide their very clear glances behind their books. Yuri was blushing heavily now, twisting her hair between her fingers, she continued. “I just really care about you and... I think I might like you Natsuki.”

The room was silent. Natsuki sat bug eyed on the chair next to Yuri, her face just as red as hers. Her breath was coming out fast as she hunted through her mind for a response. “Yuri...” Natsuki began, then the most awful wave of agony Natsuki had ever felt washed over her.

Acting on instinct Natsuki moved her hand to her chest, digging into the shirt above her left breast. “I...” she tried to communicate something, a warning, a cry for help perhaps, but it died on her lips as she struggled to draw in air. Yuri was immediately next to her, her expression one of fear.

“Natsuki! What’s wrong!” Yuri said, almost falling out of her chair as she rushed for her companion. Sayori was almost immediately next to Natsuki as well, helping her out of her chair along with Yuri. As Natsuki stood black spots began to creep into her vision. She tried to walk, but her legs felt like they were made of lead. Sayori was trying to help her walk (when had she started walking?) but she had no balance. Her legs gave out, she reached out to grab a desk, succeeded, then her arm gave out spilling her to the floor. Natsuki was aware of her friends surrounding her, their desperate voices, and the overwhelming sense of her heart seemingly being crushed.

Within Natsuki her heart had taken too much, the organ was beating out of control and rapidly heading towards complete arrest. With every skip and stutter a new pulse of torment swept through her. Within moments the pain became too much for Natsuki’s consciousness and she fell into the black void of senselessness. Her heart couldn’t take the punishment either, within a moment of Natsuki sinking into unconsciousness ventricular fibrillation took hold. With that Natsuki’s life began to slip away.

The Club erupted in chaos, Sayori stood over the collapsed Natsuki in shock, Yuri had fallen next to the girl and was shaking her shoulders begging her to wake up, and Monika was only just beginning to process what had just happened. Monika shook her head, she needed to focus, a friend and Club member was in trouble and she looked to be the only one who could help. Monika moved to Natsuki’s side, kneeling down and rolling the girl over. Natsuki’s eyes had closed and worryingly her lips were turning blue. Monika checked Natsuki for breath or pulse, and unsurprisingly found neither. For a moment terror threatened to overwhelm her, one of her close friends was literally dying in front of her. Monika took another deep breath and steeled herself.

“Yuri! Call 911 now!” Monika shouted. “Sayori! Run to the theater and get the AED!” Monika was already undoing Natsuki’s blazer, her fingers gliding along the clothing.

Sayori nodded immediately and sprinted out the door. Meanwhile Yuri, shaking, handed the phone to Monika. “911, what is your emergency?” Asked the voice from the phone, calm and focused.

“My friend just collapsed, she isn’t breathing and doesn’t have a pulse” Monika quickly spoke into the phone, her hands struggling to undo Natsuki’s vest, it’s zipper jammed a third of the way down.

“Do you know CPR?” The operator questioned as Monika continued to wrestle with the zipper. Yuri was next to her and, without a sound, handed Monika a knife. Monika took it without hesitation, using it to slice through the vest and white button-up underneath. Natsuki was now left only in a simple black bra.

“Do you know CPR?” The operator repeated her question as Monika interlaced her fingers over Natsuki’s sternum.

“Yes'' Monika replied with more calm than she felt as she forced her weight forward. The compressions were fierce, each one crushing Natsuki’s chest in and rocking the rest of her body to and fro. “We are at Grancastle High School, room 119.” Monika was composed as she forced her friend's heart to pump blood, keeping a steady pace of fast compressions. Monika switched her gaze up to Yuri, who looked on the edge of tears.

“Yuri,” Monika said quietly, “I’m going to run out of steam if I have to do all this alone, I’m going to need you to breathe for Natsuki” Yuri’s eyes went wide as she turned red.

“But-”

“I’ll show you how to do it” Monika said as she finished the first round of compressions, she moved towards Natsuki’s head. “It’s easy” Monika said with forced serenity, “You tilt her head back” Monika handled Natsuki with great care as she bent her head back. “Then you pinch her nose shut and give two breaths.” Monika’s lips met Natsuki's, the smaller girl’s cheeks puffing out and her chest expanding with the breath. Monika lifted her face from Natsuki’s for only a small moment, huffing in another breath before forcing it into Natsuki’s body. Respiration completed, Monika returned to compressions without hesitation, hammering her friend's sternum.

Monika looked up at Yuri who still looked petrified. Monika’s gaze pierced into Yuri’s “Yuri, if you don’t help, Natsuki will die” her words were edged with ice. Yuri took a deep breath and steeled herself. She moved next to Natsuki, close enough to hear the air forced out from her lips with every one of Monika’s compressions, Close enough to see her crush’s stomach bulge as her chest was forced down, close enough to see her feet sway in a fast rhythm. Yuri rested her hand on Natsuki’s head, already it was beginning to cool. Yuri forced down a wave of nausea as Monika finished the set. “Breathe!” She commanded, and Yuri, drawing in a breath, obeyed.

Natsuki’s lips were slack as Yuri's own met them. She didn’t move or react to the contact in any way, Yuri’s breath merely moved into her causing her chest to expand. Yuri sucked in another gasp of air and forced it into the girl again. The same result followed. Mechanically Monika moved back into position and once more tried to force Natsuki’s heart to beat. Natsuki remained still, her only motion caused by the outside effort of the CPR.

The sound of sprinting foot falls heralded Sayori’s arrival as she practically leaped through the door, AED under her arm. “I’m sorry! I forgot where it was for a second and I paused-“ She was crying as she knelt down with her friends.

Monika quickly glanced her way, not once ceasing her compressions. “It’s okay Sayori, just set it up.” Monika didn’t bother to look up from her frantic work. Sayori unzipped the machine and flipped it open.

“REMOVE CLOTHING FROM PATIENTS CHEST” The AEDs voice was unsurprisingly flat. Sayori snatched up the clothing shears, and moved to Natsuki’s bra as Monika paused her compressions. Sayori hesitated only a moment before cutting the last piece of clothing on Natsuki’s chest. Immediately Monika was crushing down Natsuki’s chest once more, the smaller girls exposed breasts moving in pace with the rhythm.

“REMOVE AND ATTACH PADS AS SHOWN” Was the next prompt. Sayori unpeeled the pads and attached them around Monika’s hands: one on the right under Natsuki’s collarbone, the other on the left below Natsuki’s swaying breast. “DO NOT TOUCH PATIENT- ANALYZING HEART RHYTHM” The machine stated before beeping twice. Monika and Yuri moved back leaving Natsuki laying still on the floor. Though invisible to the rest of the club, the AED carefully measured the electrical impulses of Natsuki’s heart, finding them chaotic and not fit to sustain life. “STAND BY- PREPARING TO SHOCK” the AED announced before releasing a high pitched whine. The AED continued: “ EVERYONE CLEAR. PUSH THE FLASHING BUTTON” Sayori reached out and pressed down on the blinking red light.

The stored charge rolled though Natsuki’s body striking her fibrillating heart and causing her body to spasm slightly. Her head lolled to the side and fingers twitched as the AED did what it could. “SHOCK DELIVERED. ANALYSING HEART RHYTHM.” Once more the machine searched for a stable heart rate, but the shock had been ineffective and Natsuki’s heart still shook uselessly within her. “CONTINUE CPR” Without missing a beat Monika returned to keeping Natsuki alive.

“Shouldn’t she have woken up?” Yuri said as tears began to streak down her cheeks. “It doesn’t always work on the first one” Monika didn’t bother to look up from Natsuki’s chest as she answered Yuri.

“Then…” Sayori attempted to form a question before Monika interrupted her. “Then we shock her again and we keep going until the medics get here or she wakes up.” Sweat was gathering on Monika’s brow, the toll of the constant, exhausting compressions. Her face was expressionless, her gaze focused on making sure that every push on Natsuki’s rib cage carried enough strength to force blood through her dying friend’s system.

“Breathe.” Monika said, almost as much to Natsuki as Yuri. Yuri once again forced oxygen into her crush’s system, then repeated the action. As Natsuki's chest rose with Yuri’s breaths it became clear that a large bruise had settled between her breasts.

“DO NOT TOUCH PATIENT- ANALYZING HEART RHYTHM” The AED’s voice shook Yuri back to attention. Once more the AED searched for a life sustaining heart rhythm, and once more found only an ever-weakening fibrillation. “STAND BY- PREPARING TO SHOCK.” Monika and Yuri moved back, while Sayori already had her thumb over the shock button. “EVERYONE CLEAR. PUSH THE FLASHING BUTTON.”

Everyone’s gaze was locked on Natsuki as Sayori practically hammered the blinking red light. This time the shock was much more visible, arching Natsuki’s back slightly. It only lasted for a brief moment before she crashed back down, her small breasts swaying with the impact. Once again Natsuki laid still and gave no response. “SHOCK DELIVERED. ANALYSING HEART RHYTHM.” A brief moment passed, “CONTINUE CPR.”

“Goddamn it” Monika whispered under her breath as she returned to keeping Natsuki alive, the rest of the club looking on with increasing horror. They didn’t say anything, perhaps they were too frightened that saying something would cause the worst to happen. A sudden pop sound caught their attention, Monika briefly pausing before continuing to force down Natsuki’s sternum. “What was…” Sayori started before Monika interjected “I broke a rib, it happens.” Monika was clearly exhausted, her breathing had become haggard and even more sweat covered her. Tried as she was she did not relent, she wouldn’t until Natsuki got better, her body gave out, or she was forced to stop.

Monika finished the set, “Breathe” she gasped out as Yuri scrambled to position. Two breaths and more canned AED dialogue as the club waited. The machine searched for electrical activity and found none, not even the chaos of fibrillation. After the last shock Natsuki’s heart had fully given out slipping into complete cardiac arrest, it now lay still in her chest. “NO SHOCK ADVISED. CONTINUE CPR.” The voice said.

“Fuck!” Monika practically yelled before going back to desperate compressions. “Wait” Sayori said eyes wide “What does that mean?” Yuri’s hands covered her mouth, she was beginning to shake. “It means we keep going,” Monika huffed out with difficulty. Doubt was beginning to eat at the club, as far as they could reckon their friend was dying on their watch.

It was then that the paramedics burst in, wasting no time in surrounding the fallen Natsuki. There were two of them, both men dressed in matching blue. One had already begun to move Monika away from her friend while the other took over CPR. “Easy now,” said the one pushing Monika back, “We’re going to help your friend now, but I need to know some things, okay?” The man's voice was calm and Monika gave a shaky nod.

“How long had she been down?” The paramedic asked as he opened a bag, revealing an EKG. He removed the AED pads and with haste attached the leads of the new machine, the green screen flaring to life displaying a straight line. He turned to his partner “Asystole” he reported.

“Seven minutes” Monika guessed, Sayori nodded in agreement. “We gave her two shocks from the AED, but it told us to stop.” The paramedic nodded as he took out a pen light and opened Natsuki’s closed eyes. He shined the light in as Monika continued, “She just collapsed, I don’t think she has any condition.”

“Pupils reactive,” he said to his partner, “Anything else? Drugs maybe, she’s sick?” Sayori piped up: “She’s been out of school a lot lately. She said she was too tired to come.” The paramedic knoded, “Giving her a dose of epi, continue CPR” he said as he removed an ambu bag and attached it to Natsuki’s face. He quickly forced three breaths into her before pulling out a syringe and an injection port, he attached both to Natsuki’s neck. The injection was quick, and he immediately returned to the ambu bag, casting his gaze towards the flatlining monitor as the other medic forced Natsuki’s dead heart to beat. The club members had also turned their attention to the EKG, Sayori and Yuri holding one another in blind fear, Monika beside them trying to regain her energy.

A minute passed, then another, as the drug slowly worked its way to Natsuki’s heart. As the epinephrine came into contact with the cardiac muscle it began to twitch and spasm. On the outside the EKG began to spike and surge at random, both medics snapping to attention and grabbing the defibrillator out of the case. “Set for 300,” said the medic with the ambu bag as he set the paddles where the AED pads once laid. “Charge set” his partner stated, the other medic nodded as he turned to the club, “Stay clear.”

The AED shocks had been much smaller in visibility than the full defibrillator, the shock arching Natsuki’s back in full her chest straining against the paddles. Her body fell back to earth with a jolt, shaking with the impact. The monitor showed a large spike settling down into another flatline before picking up again, the arrhythmic peaks of V-fib returning. “Continue CPR, prep second shock” said Ambu bag medic as he returned to his assigned role, his partner doing the same.

Natsuki’s body shook with each compression, but as before she did not reawaken. The paramedics counted softly as they crushed her chest. Before long the paddles were charged again. Another yell of “Clear” preceded another discharge of electricity into Natsuki, but once again her heart failed to return to a proper rate.

As the efforts to revive her friend continued Monika watched the EKG. The longer the resuscitation went on the weaker the waves became, the once high peaks of the arrhythmia flattening out. They were running out of time, if Natsuki fell into asystole a second time the chances of saving her would plummet.

Without comment the paramedics charged their third shock, their expressions set into determined masks. They carefully set the paddles on Natsuki’s naked chest and glanced around at the other girls. Each had their gaze locked on their friends, each face set in a different mask of fear. The paramedics didn’t bother to say clear.

This third shock bowed Natsuki’s entire torso upwards, body seeming to stay in that arched position for a full second before gravity cast her body down with a harsh thump. All attention turned to the EKG, which after the shock had gone flat. A breathless second passed, followed by another. Hope began to flee the room before the EKG announced with a sharp beep and the green line twisting into a peak that Natsuki’s heart had contracted. Then another beep and peak traced across the screen, and a third, and a fourth.

One of the paramedics dug his index finger into Natsuki’s throat, “Sinus Rhythm, slow but stable.” Immediately Natsuki was being placed on a stretcher and wheeled, out her friends following behind. Within moments the paramedics were placing her in an ambulance, the club tentatively standing close by.

One of the paramedics turned, “ Does she have any family to contact?” he asked.

Monika shook her head, “No, she lives with me right now.” The paramedic nodded, and reached out helping her into the ambulance. Sayori and Yuri watched as Monika turned to them with a terse smile. “I’ll call you if anything changes.” Her friends wordlessly nodded as the ambulance doors closed and it drove away.

[vorrentis]

Reader x Jihyo - Looking Out For You (Part 1)

I can't believe I haven't put this up yet lol.

Just in time for Jihyo's solo so let's say it was planned.

One of my first chapters ever so if it's crappy, I'm sorry.

WORDS: 6314

========================

It was early as usual, and you were the first one in class, since you had nothing else to do.

You walked into class, ready for the boring lecture set for today, but today had a surprise for you.

Behind your seat, was a girl you've never seen before. 

She was sitting there looking at her phone. 

You went towards the teacher who was at her desk.

"Um, Ms. (teacher)?"

"Hmm," You used your eyes to motion to the girl. "Oh, she's a new transfer student. It's her first day here. That's also her new seat by the way."

"Ahh, okay. Thanks." The teacher nodded and you went towards your seat, which was in front of hers.

She looked up and you waved your hand. She was really cute.

"Hey. My name is (YN). I'm guessing you're new here?" You asked.

"Jihyo, sorry, my English...not so good." She said with a bit of trouble.

"It's fine," You then looked down to see her handwriting, it was in Korean, "Korean right?"

"Yeah. How'd you know?" She nodded a bit surprised.

"Mannaseo Bangawoyo" (It's nice to meet you)

"You know Korean as well?" She said in her language.

"Yeah, my dad's side is actually Korean so I know Korean." You said in Korean.

(You're speaking Korean to her from here on out.)

"Hey, do you need someone to help you out? I'll show you around and everything, I can even teach you English if you want."

Her face looked surprised.

"Sorry, I know it's sudden, but I don't want you to be lost or anything."

"Oh no no, it's just that I don't want to waste your time though, and no offense, but you don't even know me." She said.

"Well, I know your name so that's good enough for me. Besides, it's much easier with a person translating than the machine you have." You said pointing at her translator, which was a mini laptop that she typed into to get her translation.

She looked back and forth at you and the mini laptop. Then she closed the laptop and put it away.

"Then (YN), I'll take your offer." She said smiling as you smiled back.

That was the start of a new friendship...

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

Throughout the next couple of months, she was by your side whenever you both had classes. You did not mind one bit though. You were helping her with her assignments, notes and even teaching her the basics of English.

She was learning pretty quickly, but she said that she was learning lessons at home to, so it was no wonder she was learning quickly.

By this time she was getting used to the language and soon was able to understand some of the lessons too. She was very thankful for your help.

You just waved your hand and said that it was nothing.

Soon both were hanging out outside of class: showing her around the city, taking her to your favorite places to eat, the mall, even each other's places.

She introduced you to her parents and her to yours. Her's were happy that she found a friend quickly that was helping her out and they were thanking you for it. Your's were happy that you've finally found a girlfriend.

You quickly corrected them as both you and Jihyo blushed. She knew what they were talking about since she was learning quickly.

But other than that, everyone was going smoothly...was...

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

"I don't know what to do bro." You were currently at your room, on your phone with another friend of yours, (FN).

"Easy, just ask her out. Simple."

"It's not that easy, (FN). Maybe for you, but for me-"

"Man you're really taking this hard...and since when did you start liking her that way anyway?"

"Last week, I took her out for dessert, you know the ice cream place at the mall."

"Yeah...and."

"and when we were at the table together, I just imagined that we were on a date..."

"But haven't you already taken her out before and stuff."

"Yeah, but last week was...different. I've never seen her that way before, but the way she looked, ate, laughed...It was just ice cream, but I really felt like we were on a date...and I wanted to go on more with her."

"So just ask her out."

"I don't even know if she even likes me. What if she sees me as a friend only? Imagine this...

"Jihyo, I was wondering...umm...would you like to maybe...go out with me?" 

"Ohh...(YN)...I'm sorry," You said impersonating Jihyo's voice. "I...I don't have the same feelings as you.

"(YN)...I'm sorry."

"No it's fine really...um...can we just...forget about this..."

"Y-yeah...sure, she says and then after that, we both don't talk regularly and both start to avoid one another

Yeah, that's how you thought in your mind the scene was going to go as you told your friend about your situation.

"Listen (YN), no offense, but you're pretty stupid for thinking that that's going to happen."

"It's just...I don't know what to say to her...we've only been friends for a couple of months, but-"

"I know, I know, she's the best girl you've ever hanged out with, she's different, she's funny, cute, etc, etc. I get it." Your friend said cutting you off. "Look she's not going to say no to you, after everything you both do. Look I've got to go, but you better ask her out soon, I'm rooting for you." Your friend said as he hanged up after.

With a sigh, you laid in your bed, covered your eyes and prepared for tomorrow.

========================================================

ONE WEEK LATER

Yeah, it's been a week since your conversation.

You were really nervous and kept coming back to your initial theory of what might happen. But today was the day, you had all your courage and made it a mission to ask her out.

You were looking for Jihyo, but she wasn't where you would usually meet. You shrugged thinking she went on ahead.

You then walked into the lunchroom and looked at your usual table, but she wasn't there. You looked around...until you saw something that was hurting you.

Jihyo was sitting somewhere and someone had their arm around her shoulder.

'No...don't tell me...'

Jihyo then spotted you and got up from her table and went towards you.

"Hey (YN), sorry for not meeting you."

"No it's fine, it's just that, why are you over there?"

"Oh...well, you know Daniel right." You nodded slowly. "I wanted to wait till I thought we were doing well and it just so happens that that day was yesterday. Dan and I are in a relationship."

'...No way...' Your heart was dropping after this.

"R-Really, umm, when did he ask you out?"

"Maybe a couple of weeks ago, we already went on a couple of dates too. But I wasn't too sure about the relationship, but he was sweet and told me that we could take it easy." Jihyo happily said with a big smile.

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

There was one major problem with that...

Daniel was a playboy.

No one knew to expect you. 

You caught him on multiple times with different girls, sometimes being with someone else when he already had a relationship with someone.

You've seen him with a girl at school and on that same night, with someone else.

You hated this kind of people that treated women like 'trophies'. 

How you caught him is that you got a job at this restaurant, one of the best around actually...as a busboy, but it still was a job for you.

The worst part was that it was Dan's family restaurant.

And being one of the best around, your guess was that he brought them here to show off his wealth. He even has his table prepared whenever he wanted.

Good thing was that he wasn't that smart. He doesn't even notice you since you've never interacted with him, school nor work, but you saw him from afar, flirting and holding on to his ladies. It was always the same antics.

You didn't see the same girl often and you've seen only about 1 or 2 girls from school. Your guess is that he dated girls from other schools as well.

And now here he was taking Jihyo as well.

You wanted to say don't bother and go out with me instead, but you didn't...you couldn't...but she seemed so happy at the thought that you couldn't just say don't do it to her.

Even if you did, she wouldn't believe it anyway or even simply agree with you.

"That's great Jihyo." You said with a fake smile.

"Thanks (YN)... but that doesn't mean that won't hang out though. Today I'm going to sit with them if that's okay with you?"

"No, go ahead. I'll hang out with (FN) instead."

"Great thanks (YN)." And with that she left, leaving you miserable.

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

ONE WEEK LATER

You've been hiding the fact that you still didn't like the relationship Jihyo has been on. You both still hang out, but whenever Jihyo brought his name up you couldn't help, but ignore her. You also spend fewer days together since she was now hanging out with Dan and his friends.

Saturday night came and it was your day off, you asked Jihyo if she wanted to do something, but she was busy studying for a test on Monday. At least she wasn't with Dan you thought. But your parents asked if you wanted to see the new Halloween movie that came out with them after the learned that you aren't going anywhere.

You nodded and got ready.

It was nighttime and you were leaving the movies with your parents, you both went to see that new Halloween movie that came out.

As you three were walking out, you saw someone at the side of your eye. Your eyes widened at the sight.

It was Dan and his friends...but that wasn't what caught your eye, Dan was with a girl...and it wasn't Jihyo. They were kissing with each other in line while his friends ordered the tickets.

'Damn it. I knew this was going to happen. Okay just need to take a quick-' but Dan then turned towards your direction, and you quickly turned around yourself and left.

'That was too close...' you turned around and saw them head inside.

'Well it's too late now, but at least I caught him. I knew it, I just knew something like this was going to happen...now for the hard part.'

Jihyo

=========================================================

THE NEXT DAY

You quickly went to find Jihyo, this wasn't something to do over the phone, but in person. You went early to school again knowing that she was going to be there, she was there earlier than you sometimes.

And it turns out she was.

She was at her locker grabbing stuff. 

You quickly went to her and she saw you while smiling.

"Morning (YN)."

"Dan's cheating on you." You whispered as Jihyo didn't seem to understand.

"W-what?"

"Dan, he's cheating on you." You were assertive as Jihyo gave an short laugh.

"Heh, are you serious?" 

You nodded.

"I've caught him last night. I went to the movie theaters and saw him with another girl."

Jihyo shook her head.

"(YN), Dan told me he was going to the movies with a cousin of his that he hasn't seen in a while. I didn't go because I was studying. It was probably her."

"Jihyo, they were kissing." You whispered the last part.

"Kissing? Are you sure?"

"I'm pretty positive."

Jihyo looked away for a few seconds and turned back to you.

"Do you have proof? (YN) this is-I can't believe that."

You mentally sighed.

"No I don't, but Jihyo I know what I saw. You have to believe me."

She took some seconds thinking and you saw her lips purse.

"...I'll talk to him."

"Talk? Jihyo he-"

"(YN), I'll talk to him okay. I need to hear from him."

"He's going to lie Jihyo." 

"He's honest (YN)." You rolled your eyes.

"No he's not Jih-"

"Hey babe." You both looked to see Dan coming closer as Jihyo smiled even more at him.

"Dan~"

He came close and the two hugged as you scoffed and gave a look at Dan.

"How are you doing?"

"Great, just talking to (YN)."

"Sup (YN)." You motioned your head to say hi.

"Hey sorry about yesterday," Jihyo nodded.

"It's okay, don't worry," Jihyo excused as you turned away from them and started walking, catching the eyes of her and Dan.

"Did I interrupt?" He asked as Jihyo looked at him.

"Dan, we need to talk." 

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

RING

10 minutes passed by and students were starting to get into their seats. 

Eventually Jihyo came along as well and sat behind you whie Dan came in with his friends.

TAP TAP

You felt a tap on your shoulder and turned as Jihyo leaned closer.

"I talked to him."

"And..." Of course, you knew what the answer was going to be.

"He said that he was with his family/friends and what you saw was him kissing her on the cheek, that was a cousin of his that he hasn't seen in a while. Even his friends confirmed it."

'That lying piece of-'

"He also said that I was the only girl he's ever had his eyes on. He said that he would never go behind my back. Even though we only been dating for some weeks now, but I can tell he was sincere in his words."

You couldn't say anything to argue that, what could you say. You didn't have proof.

"I know what I saw Jihyo."

"(YN) seriously, Dan is nothing like that okay. Just drop this." She said with a serious tone.

"...Fine."

"Good."

And after that, none of them said a word to each other. The whole day. It was hurting you, but you needed some kind of prove that Dan is cheating on her.

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

You walked home alone, you didn't bother saying goodbye to Jihyo.

About a good 10-minute walk from school and someone shouted your name.

"Hey (YN)."

You turned around to see the man you despise himself, Dan. Along with a couple of friends of his.

"Can I help you?" You asked.

"Yeah you can. So you're good friends with Jihyo, right?" You nodded.

"And as friends, I can understand how you would want to protect her."

"Where are you going with this?" You said as he had your full attention.

"Now I know that nobody knows about my...relationships that I had before. And somehow Jihyo knew about last night and of course, I had to sweet charm her into thinking I was the only one for her. Now I don't know how, but I know for a fact that she was told this...am I right." His friends then circled around you.

You looked around at the three.

"Jihyo deserves better. I know you're seeing someone behind her back." You said.

"Saw you last night...you were right by the way. Can't keep this a secret any longer from you."

"So it's true. Why?!" You said angrily.

"Why not, Sarah's cute and all, but Jihyo...with that body...I think I'll keep her for a while."

You clenched your teeth and formed a fist, but suddenly your chest felt pain and all the air was gone from your lungs as Dan kneed you in the stomach making you get on your knees.

You clenched your mouth and hugged your stomach as the pain was coursing through your body.

"If you ever, say anything to Jihyo again. I will personally make you suffer."

You got up after the three left you. You clenched your stomach. But the pain was going away. Now you know that it's true, you have one objective.

Catch him again.

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

ONE WEEK LATER

It's been a week since the incident and you were now focusing on trying to catch Dan. You barely even talked to Jihyo.

You came up with a plan though.

Your plan was the restaurant. You haven't seen Dan yet for a while, but that means he hasn't brought Sarah (his other girl) here yet.

You asked for a shift for each night, it was going to be hard work and you didn't know when he might come, but you needed to catch him. You couldn't get all the nights, but four of them only.

You were praying that this night was his night to be here.

'Please...you know you want to bring her here.'

Luck was on your side today, as of course, Dan came through the entrance with the same girl as you saw him with last time.

You smirked as you waited till you got some photos of him doing something flirty with her.

It took a while, but you saw him putting his arm around hers and even gave a kiss on the cheek.

SNAP SNAP SNAP

'Perfect' You thought as you scrolled through the photos.

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

The Next Day

You immediately went towards Jihyo's locker and there she was alone too. You both were always the first ones here. There was no one, but a couple of students walking around.

'Good.'

"Jihyo." You said as you fast walked to her. She turned towards her name and saw you.

"Hi (YN), look about last ti-" She said with a smile.

"I caught him. This time I have prove."

"Caught who?"

"Dan," Jihyo rolled her eyes, "I caught him cheating on you again, except this time I have some prove." 

"(YN), I'm not having this conversation again." She said with her tone getting agitated.

You didn't respond, but you took your phone out and showed the multiple photos that you took of Dan and the girl he was with.

Jihyo took the phone and looked through each one.

"(YN)..."

"See, now I know this must be har-"

"Have you been spying on us!?" She said angry.

"What?"

"These are fakes aren't they." She looked up at you.

You just blinked a couple of times. 

Surely you didn't hear that right.

"What do you mean 'fakes'?" You said confused.

"(YN) this is the same exact place that we had our date a couple of days ago. We're even sitting on the same table...wait...have you been stalking him?" She said with a shocked look on her face.

"N-No, Jihyo look I-"

"Why are you so hellbent on making us break up?" She spat as you...

"...I-I'm looking out for you Jihyo. What other reason could I possibly have or need?"

"..."

"..."

"...you have feelings for me." She uttered as your heart raced.

While it wasn't how you wanted her to know, it wasn't the time to act timid.

"My feelings have nothing to do with this Jihyo. He's been cheating on you this entire time," You pointed at your phone. "Look at it again and tell me that these aren't fake." You pushed your phone forward as Jihyo stepped back.

"(YN), now you're taking this too far...you're starting to creep me out." Jihyo said worryingly, "...maybe...maybe we shouldn't see each other for a bit." Jihyo said.

Your head leaned back.

"Y-you can't be serious?! You think this is a joke Jihyo?!"

"Why can't you understand (YN) that he loves me and I love him."

"Jih-"

"No (YN), you don't have the right to even speak! Dan is sweet and caring and he's been nothing but loving with me." Jihyo was getting angrier.

"And I haven't?! Who's been there for you since day one Jihyo! And now I'm suddenly the villain!" You pointed at yourself.

"Well you certainly aren't acting like a good person right now (YN)! Dan makes me happy! Why can't you get that!"

"He's only using you Jihyo, he wants to brag about getting you at his side! Jesus why aren't you getting this!"

Jihyo took a few moments.

"...you're jealous."

"Oh my-"

"No, you are. That's why you're trying so hard to get rid of Dan, so you can have me for yourself." She said accusingly.

"I told you my feelings-"

"Well it ain't happening. Dan is a lot of great things (YN), more than you can think! And right now, more than you! That's why I would choose him over you! Dan makes me feel wonderful and I want you to stay away from us!"

"..."

...

...

...

Your heart shattered at what she just said.

It was at that point that whatever you said didn't matter...not that you had anything else to say...what could you say?

You closed your eyes and shook your head.

"...do you what you want then," you muttered, "I was only looking out for you. And if you think it's best if we don't see each other, then, fine." You said while turning away, trying to keep your composure.

Jihyo then huffed her frustrations and turned around towards her locker. 

She couldn't believe what just happened. 

You were getting too far.

'I can't believe (YN). How could he just say things like that.'

Then she closed her eyes and took deep breaths. She opened her eyes and the first thing she saw was the inside of her locker door. 

It was with a two clips of selfies of you and her. Each photo had both of them smiling and goofing off.

She remembered each one when she and you took them in the photo booth machines in the mall. One for the first time they went there and the other wasn't that long ago with her new hairstyle.

She shook her head and closed the door after getting her materials. 

===========================================

TIMESKIP

TWO DAYS

Two days have passed and it wasn't good for Jihyo.

She didn't mean what she said.

She was angry at what you were suggesting and lost it.

She liked Dan a lot, but she enjoyed being with you too.

You were right, you were looking out for her well being.

She was going to apologize to you the next day and talk about this more calmly but you didn't show up.

She called you but no answer.

After school, she went to your home, but you weren't their either as your parents wondered the same.

That's when Jihyo started to get worried.

She went and called her friends and asked, but no.

She called your friends but nothing either.

That's when Jihyo started to panic.

She remembered the last words she said about not wanting to see you for a while, but she didn't think you'd take it this hard.

Guess that's what happens when you break someone's heart.

Now she felt horrid about what she said about 'choosing Dan over you' and 'to stay away'.

That's not true at all.

You made her feel welcomed and happy too.

God she was an idiot.

If she hadn't lost it, this mess wouldn't be happening and if anything happened to you...she didn't know what she'd do.

And now, sitting on her desk, staring forward at the lone table while students around talked, she couldn't think of anything but you.

'Where are you (YN), I'm so sorry. Please be safe.

As class was about to start...

"Jihyo?" The teacher approached her, "Mr. (Principal) wants to see you in his office."

Jihyo nodded slowly.

"Is it about (YN)?"

"I don't know."

Jihyo's breath shook.

"...okay,"

With that Jihyo sat up from her desk and with a heavy weight, proceeded outside the classroom, noticing the lack of emotions from other students, including Dan fooling around with his friends.

'Can't they see he's missing...'

With a couple of minutes walking, she made her way to the principal's office and knocked on the door.

"Come in,"

is what she heard and she turned the doorknob and stepped in...to see the principal, along with two officers.

She started to stress seeing them.

'No...no, i-it can't be-'

"Ms. Park, please sit." The principal waved at the empty chair as Jihyo sat down as her heart couldn't take it.

"Is (YN)-..." She couldn't bring herself to say what she thought.

"That's why we're here. We're from the (Location) police department, we're here to question students about him. His parents filed a missing report."

Jihyo felt her body go limp.

Ice in her veins.

And a loss of breath.

"M-missing..."

"Yes, now, Mr. (Principal Name) has informed us that you and (YN) are close. May I ask your relation to them?"

"..."

Jihyo's mind was scattered.

She just assumed you were at home moping.

'(YN)...missing...' 

"Ms. Park. I understand it's difficult to process, but we need your information."

Jihyo turned her head to the principal and then to the cops, one who had a notepad.

"...w-we're friends."

"And when was the last you spoke to them?" He wrote down her answer.

And that's, when the conversation of you and her came in like a flood.

"T-tuesday morning...a-are you sure he's missing?"

"His parents stated that he hasn't been in contact at all and based on the school cameras, he walked off the grounds shortly before school ended. You were the last seen talking to him in the halls."

Now Jihyo was starting to freak.

"May I ask what you were talking about?"

"...I-it was about my boyfriend...w-we were talking about...about..." Jihyo's breath rate increased.

"It's okay, take your time." The second cop suggested, "and take deep breaths. I know it's difficult, but we're doing everything we can to find him and every information helps." The cop explained as Jihyo nodded slowly.

"..."

"..."

"...we were talking uh, my boyfriend potentially cheating on me. I didn't believe him, we had an argument and he left."

"Did he say where?"

'What did I do...'

Jihyo shook her head.

"Did he say something that he was going to do?"

'I did this...'

Jihyo shook her head once more.

"He said that...that he was sorry about it and he left. I-I didn't see him after..." Jihyo rose her hand over her mouth, "I-I didn't mean to be rude-I-I-was mad at that point and-"

"It's okay Ms. Park, no one is blaming you." The principal lowered his hand but it was futile as Jihyo started to shake in her chair, "these men are looking for leads."

"Ms. Park, are you absolutely sure that he didn't say anything." The first cop asked as Jihyo shook her head as the first cop nodded.

"Well, then may we ask everything about (YN). We're hoping you have something new for us. Something that may lead us to somewhere."

Jihyo slowly looked up at the cop and nodded.

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

TIMESKIP

SLAM

Jihyo hurried and ran towards the door of your home.

Immediately after school, Jihyo drove towards your place.

After finishing up questions, she went back to class and hurried for school to end.

She only gave information that they seemly already knew from asking your parents.

Favorite restaurants, places, etc.

Although nothing was new as the cops assured her that they're doing everything they can and she was excused.

And when Jihyo left the room, she went to the nearest bathroom stall...and cried.

You were missing and Jihyo blamed herself for it.

After sobbing for some time, even when class was almost over, Jihyo vowed to find you.

She had to find you.

KNOCK KNOCK

"(YN)! Is that you!" Jihyo heard from behind the door.

The door swung open to reveal your mother with your father behind her

"J-Jihyo..." She said weakly as started to become emotional, "w-we don't know where (YN) is..."

"I know, the cops asked me about him."

"Oh god..." Your mom started to cry a bit. "We tried contacting him and now we have the police out searching, but...but..." She stopped talking as she broke down. 

Your father came over and consoled her.

"Jihyo, if you know anything, anything that could cause him to disappear, please tell us."

She broke your heart.

That's what happened.

"...N-no, I-I don't know. I'm going to look around as well."

"Maybe something at school, was he getting bullied?" Your dad asked.

Jihyo shook her head.

"My baby..." Your mom sobbed as Jihyo was almost at the same state, "(YN)..."

"Shh, he's okay (mom's name) he's okay, he's strong. Jihyo, help us find him," Your dad asked as Jihyo nodded.

"I-I'll look around..."

"Thank you," You dad said as he hugged your mom and ushered her back in, "I'll join as well," he said as he brought your mom back inside, instructing her to remain here.

Jihyo's eyes fell and her body felt like gravity increased by 100 times.

'I did this...'

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

TIMESKIP

Five hours later

Jihyo was sitting in her car, thinking of anything. 

ANYTHING that she could have missed.

It's been five hours since your parents and she couldn't find you.

She wished to every god and deity to find you sitting somewhere safe, but no.

It was getting night and Jihyo was all out of ideas on where you could be.

But she wasn't going to stop.

She'd search every corner of the city to find you.

'Where could he have gone...(YN)...maybe...maybe Dan knows something? After all, this started with him...but I'm hoping he didn't do anything.' She didn't think of Dan at all after these two days.

She texted and after a bit of not answering, she called him twice, but he wasn't answering either.

She scoffed and she drove towards his house to see if he was there. 

After a short drive, she arrived at his house, parked outside his pathway, went out the car and towards the door.

She rang the doorbell as she looked around the front yard.

CLICK...SWING

"It's about t-" Jihyo noticed that Dan's eyes widened to the fullest and he was all in a pretty nice attire as well, "J-J-Jihyo!?" He then looked over Jihyo's head and back to her, making Jihyo wonder why he was acting strange, "W-What are you doing here? Damn it you should have called!" Dan demanded and had panic in his tone.

That was a bit much, but Jihyo didn't care at the moment.

"Twice I called you pabo. We need to talk, but I'm guessing this is a bad time." She said as she nodded.

"I-I'm just about to head out with family, so we'll talk later okay!" Dan said quickly as Jihyo sighed. 

"Fine, I'll talk to you later then, but I have one quest-"

"Jihyo just go." Dan said as Jihyo burrowed her brows.

"Don't tell me to just leave!" Jihyo barked back. "And why are you so paranoid?" She asked with venom in her tone as Daniel's eyes tightened.

"Just ask your damn question." 

Jihyo did not like that language.

"(YN) is missing. Do you know anything about it?"

Daniel scoffed.

"How should I know? Maybe he's just done with life."

SLAM

Jihyo then rushed towards him as Daniel's eyes widened as the door was pushed open and Jihyo was in front of him with a glare that sends shivers down his spine.

"Don't! Don't you dare say something like that!" Jihyo pointed at his face, "this isn't a joke or laughing matter! (YN) is missing and I need to know if you know anything Kang Daniel!"

Jihyo was fuming and it was only going to be worse since...

HONK HONK

Daniel's eyes widened and prayed to the gods for help.

Jihyo turned around and noticed a pretty nice yellow car was parked and someone stepped out the driver's seat and started to come towards them.

"J-Jihyo I'll answer anything, but you have to leave now." Daniel said fast as Jihyo kept her eyes on the person arriving.

A blond girl with a nice attire as well.

"Hey Dan~" Was the girl's tone as she stepped closer "Sorry for being la-and who's this?"Jihyo didn't know who she-...no...wait...

No, no she recognized who she was...she just can't figure it out...

"M-Marissa...c-can you give us a minute." Dan asked cautiously as Jihyo kept her gaze on the girl. 

"Sure babe~"

.

.

.

Everything in Jihyo froze.

"B-babe..." She repeated.

Then it hit her...

It was the same girl from your phone.

Jihyo froze and stared at the girl's appearance, it was exactly her and her saying babe...

She turned around and saw Dan's perplexed face.

Her frozen body was engulfed with fury.

"(Y-(YN) was right...you were cheating on me..." Her fist formed and her tone was cold.

"Ji-" 

PUNCH

Dan held his nose hard as he looked at Jihyo, who had a glare that looked like she was going to murder him.

"You bastard! You two-timing bastard! (YN) was right!" Jihyo shoved him as Daniel went back a step.

"Ji-"

"We're done! We're so over! I don't ever want to hear or see you again you hear me!"

Jihyo screamed so powerful that it left Daniel and even the girl hurt in their ears as Jihyo stormed off.

"C-cheating?! You were cheating?!" Jihyo heard the other girl yell from behind, but she didn't turn around to observe.

She was so furious...and so blameworthy.

She, in quick time, got into her car, and drove away without looking back.

During the drive, she thought how incredibly stupid she was. 

You were right...

The whole time you were telling the truth and she didn't believe you because of affection for that piece of shit.

She drove you away from her because of that...

Because of her blindness and mistrust...

"(YN)...oh god...I-I'm so so-agh..."

The tears came down.

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

TIMESKIP

THE NEXT DAY

Jihyo was at her desk, by herself in the class. 

She came to school early to avoid that piece of garbage Kang Daniel, knowing he never arrives early to school

She was staring at her phone, nothing was going to distract her. 

The very millisecond it rings, she was going to answer and no one was to stop her.

All night last night, Jihyo cried and called you many times.

She felt horrible and felt every negative emotion in her as she was on her bed just calling and texting nonstop.

You were right...

You were looking out for her.

She should have known better.

And what hurt the most is that you could have been-

No, no she couldn't think of that ending.

Jihyo needed you to be with her ASAP and safe and she'll do whatever she can to have your trust and friendship back.

But she didn't even think that's possible now with what she said to you, but Jihyo will find a way no matter what.

"Jihyo?" Jihyo tensed up, she knew that voice.

It belonged to Leon, one of Dan's friends.

"How are you doing?" He asked but she didn't turn around.

"Ms. Park, Leon here would like something to you, I think you should listen." Another voice spoke up, she turned around to see the principal behind Leon, whose expression was hurt.

She didn't reply, nor did she want to talk to any one of them. 

If they were friends with Dan, then they were now nobody to her.

"..." 

The principal nodded and looked down at Leon.

"Understandable, Leon." He spoke with a serious tone as Leon gulped.

"Listen Jihyo. I wanted to tell you that we got expelled," Jihyo's glare softened and her eyes were curious, why was he telling her this? "Mason and Dan included." 

"And?" She spoke with confusion as he looked downward.

"We threatened (YN)." Jihyo recoiled, "Dan even hurt him."

Jihyo stood up with lightning speed and rushed at him only for the principal to stop her in time as a couple of other students and the teacher was staring with awestruck looks as Jihyo swung her arms.

"You bastard! ALL OF YOU! WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM LEON?!" Jihyo screeched with malice in her voice.

"Ms. Park, Ms. Park! I know you're disconcerted, but please lower your attitude. He knows nothing of (YN) after that." The principal fought against her grip as Jihyo lessened her movement, but kept her glare.

"...why? Why the hell would you hurt him?!" She barked at Leon as he looked down.

"Dan wanted to keep him shut, he told you that he was cheating on you." Jihyo's eyes widened and her whole body went solid. "He threatened him to keep quiet and...god I'm so sorry Jihyo, but I swear we had nothing to do with him after. I felt so guilty about it and I turned us in." He rubbed his arm as Jihyo remained still.

"The other two don't know about him telling me and all three will be expelled. Even though he says he's done nothing with (YN) after that, we fear that that bullying led (YN) to being scared and leaving." The principal added as Jihyo felt a dagger in her already wounded heart.

"Jihyo, I'm so sorry. I know it doesn't really mean anything now, but Mason and I were trying to find him too. We didn't mean-god we-I-I'm sorry..." Leon apologized, but it was meaningless as Jihyo didn't acknowledge him with the principal figuring that was it.

"Jihyo? Would you like to ask or say anything else?" The principal asked as she shook her head.

"I want him gone..." She muttered as he nodded.

"Leon let's go grab your belongings." He instructed him as Leon nodded with the principal walking forward and turning back to see Jihyo's heartbroken look, "And don't worry Jihyo, rest assured we'll find (YN)." He expressed up as she merely sat in response, as the principal felt horrible that she was like this and looked to see the teacher as she nodded at him. 

With one look at her, both males left the room as Jihyo sat with her face buried in her hands.

"Jihyo?" The teacher was near her as the other students watched, "I don't mind if you need to go home. Would you like to call your parents to leave?" She asked, "I'll send you-"

"No..."

"...Okay. And I'll allow your phone to be on your desk, but silent please."

"..."

The teacher knew how much you meant to her, you were her first friend here.

"We'll find him Jihyo, we will." She spoke with a soft tone as she patted Jihyo's shoulder and left her to her desk, leaving Jihyo. 

Dan hurt you, he hurt you...

Jihyo couldn't 'believe it...

She couldn't believe she dated that monster...and she said that she'll choose him over you...

.

.

SNIFF...SNIFF

Jihyo started to shake and cry silently.

If she had believed you back then, you would still be here.

They would still have lunch and be close and...

And...

Jihyo shook her head.

'(YN)...please come back...I'm sorry...'

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

THREE DAYS LATER

News about your disappearance was all over the school and even news station.

The students in the class at the time gossiped and of course, like any rumor, it spread like wildfire.

Students were chatting about you which led to multiple guesses about why you left.

All Jihyo did was search around and hoped that you will come to school or her home soon. 

She and her parents helped your parents by looking for you at places you have been to.

Jihyo went to each spot that was both her favorite place to go each day, but nothing but hurt and sadness were brought to her as she recalled memories of each place.

She left messages, voicemails, and calls just about every time she picked up her phone hoping you will hear her and come back to her. Each one was apologetic about how she was and that she needed you.

Currently, Jihyo was on her bed, holding onto her phone. She hardly talks at school and rushes home and lays on her bed, watching and waiting on her phone to ring.

Her parents were worried, but they understood that you were important in her life. 

Even though it was only about three months of them knowing each other, you were her first friend here.

You got her adjusted to the school, to the language and showed her around.

And what did Jihyo do...

Break your heart.

Told you to stay away.

That she'd want...

Jihyo just held onto her phone for dear life, she felt empty on the inside and she just wanted to hear your voice, she wanted to be near you.

She just wanted-

RINGTONE

Jihyo's eyes widened and answered right away.

"(YN)!" Her hopes were in the positives after what felt like an eternity...only...

"Jihyo?"

It wasn't your voice.

"Who's this?" Jihyo asked sadly.

"It's (Mother's Name), (YN)'s mom." 

Jihyo sat up in bed.

"Did you find him?!"

"Sadly."

She started to shake.

"W-where is he?" Jihyo asked frightened.

"..."

"Ms. (LN)?"

"...the emergency room."

=============================================

And that's that. 

Thanks for taking a pause in your life to reading this. Vote/Comment if you want. And thanks again.

[equallyshaw]

ᴅᴀʏ ᴛᴡᴇʟᴠᴇ: ɴᴇᴡ ʏᴇᴀʀꜱ ꜱᴜʀᴘʀɪꜱᴇ - Qᴜɪɴɴ ʜᴜɢʜᴇꜱ

and just like that, we are on the last day of holidays with equallyshaw

for those that have been here from the first to this one...ily guys

without further ado, happy holidays- i hope you all have a wonderful day with loved ones. and i also send extra love to those who could not spend christmas with loved ones for any reason. i see you and am going through the same thing🫶🏻🎄

word count: 1.3K

warnings: none!

ᴏʀɪɢɪɴᴀʟʟʏ, ᴅᴀɪꜱʏ ᴀɴᴅ Qᴜɪɴɴ were not meant to spend new years together. the two had decided for daisy to stay in boston where she is from, and spend time with her family. daisy though, didn't want to spend it without. it would have been their first new years out of the three previous ones that they'd spend not together. quinn seemed content the last time they finalized their plans for the holidays, but daisy was not content with them.

❅

daisy had been a ball of nerves all day. from the moment she woke up, the moment she got through tsa, the moment she picked up a coffee from the airport cafe and the minute she sat down in her airplane seat. she had turned off her location so quinn couldn't see where she was. they were texting back and forth after she boarded and then she heard the worst news possible, they were being delayed an hour. which meant by the looks of it- she would not be getting there until 9 pm. she texted bella brock's gf, letting her know her arrival time might be pushed back. and bella being the best, had no issue with that. she would make it work. she put her phone on silent, and pulled out her book to read.

she was in for a travel day.

❅

it was 9:15 pm when bella hugged her good friend, daisy. "oh my god i thought i was never getting out of there!" she exasperated as she flung her carry on suitcase and bag in the back, and hopped in the front. "i was worried you weren't." bella said putting her car in drive. "all that matters is that you got here safe and sound." she hummed pulling out of the airport pickup area. daisy nodded, "are we heading to your apartment?" she asked to confirm and bella nodded. "yeah, brock just left for dinner with the boys. i said that i would meet him there later since he knows about you already. but im so excited for q!" she said clapping her hands together. daisy blushed, "me too." she hummed responding to a picture quinn sent of his outfit to confirm that it looked good.

"quinn was being super mopey knowing that you weren't gonna be here this year.." bella let out, as they stopped at a light. daisy frowned, "well its a good thing im here." she hummed locking her phone. "he really said that he was fine with you not being here?" she questioned, as she began to drive again. daisy nodded, "yeah, he said that he was fine with it. he knows how much I've missed my family with starting work here in vancouver, and because of that i haven't been able to travel this season so far. i had a feeling he was putting on a front when we spoke about the plans a few weeks back." she explained and bella nodded. "yeah, im glad you're here. he was sad last night when brock asked about you. it was even more harder i assume because his parents went to jersey." bella concluded. "oh yeah, that was not a fun conversation to listen to when his mom said they'd be going to jersey again.." daisy sighed. "he puts on a brave face but when he could he definitely spoke his mind. i felt bad already leaving and then ellen told him last minute they weren't coming up and had me searching for new years flights day and night." daisy explained. "that's makes me so sad." bella frowned, to which daisy echoed.

❅

it was around 11 by the time daisy had finished her hair and makeup, which was simple and natural looking. just the way quinn adored it. she felt tingly with butterflies fluttering within her, as she smoothed down her pink strapless dress. "listen girlfriend...damn you look hot!" bella said knocking on the door before walking into he guest bathroom. daisy blushed, "he's not gonna be able to let go of you tonight. trust." bella said making daisy do a twirl for her. "lets get going but first we need to do a shot!" bella exclaimed, pulling her downstairs and into the kitchen of the townhouse. "alright alright." daisy smiled taking the shot of tequila and throwing it down. "damn never gets easier." she said after chewing the lime. "oo." bella echoed that sentiment, as she saw the uber notification go off. "brock sent us an uber, lets get going!" bella said throwing on her jacket with daisy throwing on her's as well.

the two hopped into the uber, and they were on there way to the private and upscale bar the boys had rented a private room in. daisy's leg bounced up and down, and bella took a quick snapchat for brock tagging it with "cargo has been secured". "im so nervous." daisy said and bella smiled, "my mom always says that if you still get butterflies or nerves before seeing the person you love no matter how long you've been apart, that that is something to hold on too. its a good thing. quinn is going to just about die." bella smiled trying to comfort her good friend. daisy nodded, and soon enough they were pulling up to the bar.

❅

the two gave their coats to the hostess who then took the two over to the private group. daisy walked behind bella who was texting brock that they were about to walk in. he texted back saying that quinn was in the corner with a few of the single guys. brock greeted them at the door, and daisy gave him a big hug. "thankyou for keeping him company." she hummed and brock smiled, "ofcourse!" he beamed. elias saw daisy from across the room and grinned and threw two thumbs up to her, which she mimicked. she waved to some of the wags who caught on to what was happening and they all smiled widely.

a zach bryan song was playing on the stereo, and once she caught sight of quinn in the corner, her heart just burst. he looked to be having a good time but seemed quite reserved. brock pushed daisy in front of him, and gave her a bit of a push to get going. she gave him a fake glare, before walking the rest of the way. the guys next to quinn face's lit up once they saw daisy, and then smiled and grinned toward quinn.

quinn was confused when the three guys he was with were grinning or smiling at him, like they knew something he didn't. he looked towards his left, and just stared at the girl who was supposed to be in Boston. his mouth was agape trying to process the situation, and she could only giggle in response.

"wait what?" he asked looking around and seeing the team watching him, before he stood up and wrapped his arms around daisy. daisy felt a sense of relief once his arms wrapped around her.

she'd caught him off guard, she'd gotten him good.

"oh my god - youre here?" he asked pulling away a bit to embrace her, and she only nodded in response. "couldn't ring in the new year without q!" she smiled before he pulled her in for a kiss. which made the guys and wags erupt with cheers. they pulled away, as somebody pushed a drink into daisys hand. "how'd you get here?" he asked, and she pointed to brock and bella. quinn smiled at brock who smiled back, and then he looked back down at daisy.

he wrapped his arms around her again, not believing that she was here.

"youre never letting me leave again, i assume? heard you've been miserable without me." she teased, and he shook his head. "never again. not a chance." he mused before pulling her in for another kiss. he pulled away after a few seconds, "wait! who said i was miserable?" causing daisy to giggle loudly.

and there you go folks!! hope you guys enjoyed this series (:

tags: @cuttergauthier @jackhues @toasttt11 @jayda12 @dancerbailey3

[mojo-bro-tho]

A Paean of Old and Present Days... Ch.4

Note: I said I would slow down, but the temptation to double post was too great. This one is a bit easier to digest since the next one will be back to being hefty.

Fic content warnings at large: Blood, violence, gore, explicit content with so much plot

Word count: 1.722

Summary: After an impromptu invitation, Emmrich finds a solution to the growing issue Rook's self isolation.

Link to previous chapter

And here lies the AO3 link

A Balm For No Wounds

It had been a few days since Lenore agreed to visit the Necropolis on Emmrich’s spontaneous request. He had gone back and forth on it several times since. It was too late to cancel it now, what if she was looking forward to it? But in truth he was entirely befuddled over it at this point. Feeling more and more like a fool for every moment the thoughts tossed and turned in his head.

Several times they had shared passing conversations, nothing quite as of note as some of their previous ones had been. She was letting herself get rather busy. Once, she even apologized to him for taking so long to get herself in order. He was quick to deny the need for it. After all, he still was unsure what his plan even was, something entirely uncharacteristic of him. Putting together these sort of outings was usually a strong suit of his. 

But a nick of doubt clipped at his mind, telling him this was a foolish idea all together. It wasn’t as though he was the only person who had asked Lenore for one on one activities. It also wasn’t as if the others hadn’t done the same with each other, not just her. Still he was beside himself. A simple stroll and just her observing his work? That was the best he could come up with? Then again, the whole point of him asking her to begin with was to give her a moment to relax. But what if a walk wasn’t engaging enough? He could ask about the wisps as he had originally intended, pivot her focus. That seemed like a good idea. 

Emmrich eventually found himself outside her quarters, having paced about a good portion of the Lighthouse without seeing her. He hoped no one had truly caught on to what had riled his nerves. A quick knock on the door. Silence. He knocked again. More silence. 

The Watcher was fairly certain she had not left through the Eluvian today, he had seen everyone else already and she did not seem to make it a habit of leaving alone. He must have missed her somewhere. As he trotted back down the stairs, he found Lucanis and Neve taking seats in the library. 

“Good afternoon, you two. Have either of you seen Rook today? I had a question for her.” Lucanis raised an eyebrow to the man’s inquiry, mid sip of coffee. 

“Have you checked the kitchen? Or Davrin’s room?” Lucanis responded once he sat his cup back into his lap. 

“Why would she be in Davrin’s room?” Neve glanced at him quizzically. Lucanis shrugged, which made her form a tight lipped smile. “Rook is in the infirmary.” The tone she used caught Emmrich from guard. Even more matter-of-fact than usual, and uncharacteristically lacking the quippishness that proved she cared.

“Oh goodness, she isn’t hurt is she?” Emmrich brought a fretful hand to his chest. A confused expression passed over Neve’s face before something flickered in her pupils. 

“No, she’s completely fine. She just likes to sit in there sometimes.” 

“Ah, she’s talking to the crossbow again.” Lucanis retorted, and then came another voice that mumbled in a malformed hiss. 

“A sharp tongue to match the wit. She sits by the broken string and waits for him to respond. Laughs when she is sad, wishes he was well again. Another teacher gone. But advice he whispers in her pointed ear.” The voice muses. Lucanis’s nostrils flare. 

“May I ask why exactly there’s a crossbow in the infirmary, and why is Rook talking to it?” He wondered, allowing his words to pad like cautious footfall. Neve takes a breath and flips the book in her hand from side to side. A quiet debate forming in her mind. 

“Grief does weird things to people sometimes.” She finally replied. “Before all of you joined in on this, it was a job with me, her, Harding, and Varric trying to stop Solas’s ritual. One of us didn’t make it out…” Her gaze follows up the fall and over the balcony. “We thought about moving his stuff. Sending it back to Kirkwall or to the Inquisitor. But Rook likes to sit in there sometimes. Talks to him, I think it helps her cope with… everything. Process and come up with ideas, that sort of thing. So, we leave it there.” 

Grieving. Emmrich had no idea. His brow knit together as the revelation occurs to him. And suddenly, many things made sense to him. She doesn’t stop, doesn’t rest. This likely had something to do with it. Why someone as young as her would be taking on this much responsibility at all, a thought that had fastened to him since their introduction. She may blame herself, even on a subconscious level. That would actually explain quite a bit about how she could keep herself going without a second thought. Empathy swelled in the man’s chest, and the spirit Emmrich had come to know as Spite chimed in again. Purple and swirling across Lucanis’s hands. 

“She smells like sour blood and wolf’s fur. But under it, there is lavender so sweet. Crushed under shambling feet as she cries out. Ash and honey laced. In that room, the blood goes still. No longer boiling.” The poor thing, he must be referring to Lenore again. Lucanis pushes out a sharp exhale, as though trying to ignore a sudden scent. 

With that in mind, something else struck Emmrich. Why do it alone? Emmrich had never met this Varric, obviously. But it was clear that Harding and Neve knew him. Why not seek comfort with them? As if sensing the very ponderings that haunted him, Neve decided to continue. 

“Davrin says it isn’t uncommon for Wardens to ‘be bad’ with death. Try to move past it as fast  as possible. I guess that isn’t too strange for you though, is it? Talking to the dead for comfort.” Her observation held true once again. 

“That’s right. It is common for Nevarrans to commune with the deceased, even if not literally.”

Which was part of what worried him. As far as he knew, Lenore was not too familiar with Nevarran customs and his country’s practices were very different compared to other Andrastian nations. In his homeland, families may gather to have discussions with the dead, seeking their presence in their tombs to soothe the ache of loss. But this wasn’t quite that. 

Lenore was hiding herself away. Talking to what was left behind, clinging to it just to feel any amount of relief. That isn’t something anyone should shoulder alone. He understood that better than some would guess, especially considering his place of birth. 

“When she does this, speaks to him, is it always with the door closed?” He asked. 

“I walked in on her doing it, after the ritual. Harding has interrupted her before too. She just pretends like she wasn’t doing anything at all. But she looks a lot better every time she talks to him, so I think it’s for the best.” 

On that point, Neve and Emmrich agreed. Although Lucanis seemed skeptical. This was emphasized by a small grumble and the shake of his head. 

“Are we sure the way she’s going about it is healthy? It doesn’t seem right to just act like she isn’t doing it.” There was also some level of truth to that sentiment. 

“I wouldn’t want to embarrass her. And like I said, if it helps, it helps.” Neve argued. Lucanis conceded for the time being, leaning further back into his chair. “We’ll send his things back once all this mess with the Gods has been cleaned up.”

“All I’m saying is that if Teia or Viago caught me talking to Caterina’s jewelry for comfort, they’d think I’d lost my mind. But…” He sighed. “What do I know, huh? Crow’s aren’t exactly good with death either, at least not outside of making it happen.” 

Perhaps that was part of the problem. Shame. Emmrich saw nothing wrong with her wishing to speak to Varric, especially if it was relieving her stress. But Lucanis was right, her insistence on putting up a wall of dishonesty as though she isn’t is indicative of a deeper issue than the grief itself. It did give him an idea, however. 

“I suppose that means my question will have to wait for now. I wouldn’t want to disturb her.” Neve nodded along to his statement. 

“Appreciated, Emmrich. I’m sure she’ll come around to you when she has a second, you know how she is.” 

Indeed he did. At least, he was starting to see a large aspect of the picture she painted. He left the library without further delay, going out to find Manfred outside. There was much planning to be done. He had originally assumed Lenore would simply observe him as he performed the rites as needed, but now his thinking was starting to shift.

She may very well need to participate with him. Rites in the Necropolis were often meditative in nature, as a way to make remembrance more of a pleasant experience rather than a painful one. In essence, Lenore was doing something similar. But the purpose of him recentering her focus, perhaps it would be best to ensure she knows that he understands what she’s going through. It may not open her eyes to just how much she’s hurting, but it could be enough to open her up to the idea that she has nothing to feel ashamed over. Especially not if this was a new experience for her. 

Others could share in her burden, he could if she wished it. She need not put on a brave face all the time or deflect other’s worrying over her the way she had with Bellara. Things of that sort, they were much harder vices to pull oneself away from. All the more difficult when done alone. 

His mind rattled on, thinking of how best to go about it. She could light the candles. Yes, that would do nicely. He wondered what sort of tea she might like, he could find something comforting to help console her after the ceremony. She said she spent a lot of time in the Anderfels, Davrin might know something. Once Emmrich retrieved his faithful assistant, the pair got to work.

[the-offside-rule]

Carlos Sainz Jr (Scuderia Ferrari) - Blind Date

Requested: on wattpad

Prompt: Seemingly, Carlos has his blind date not show up, but it's okay because he's found his replacement.

Warnings: nope

Y/n sat fiddling with her thumbs in her seat awaiting for her blind date to come along. Her friend had sorted out the date for her to get to know someone and she was absolutely fine with it but she didn't even know who this man would be. She kind of just hoped he was a decent human being. The door of the coffee shop opened up and in walked a good looking foreign man. He looked around and spotted Y/n sitting alone. He smiled to himself as he figured he'd basically hit the jackpot before realising that wasn't his date. His date wasn't even at that coffee shop. She cancelled. So much for trusting his friends to set him up with people. Carlos ordered a coffee and looked back to the miserable looking woman. She looked so lonely, maybe she would like some company. "Excuse me, could you actually make that two please?" he asked the barista. He didn't know if she liked coffee or not but atc this point he was just going with it.

He thanked the barista for his order and went over to talk to her. "Excuse me? Do you mind if I sit here?" The woman looked up to him with a warm smile on her face. "Why not? Go ahead." Carlos sat down and slipped a coffee over to her. "I got you a coffee just in case I was bothering you." he explained. "You aren't bothering me at all. Thank you for the coffee." she said sipping it. "I'm Carlos." he said stretching his hand out. "Y/n." she replied. "What a beautiful name." he remarked, causing a bit of a blush to creep onto her cheeks. "So why are you here alone?" he asked. "Oh, my date cancelled so here I am."

"What a coincidence. My date cancelled too." Y/n and Carlos just smiled at each other. They had more in common than the other thought.

Carlos and Y/n continued talking for a good hour or so. They learned so much about the other but Carlos wanted to know her a little bit better, so he grabbed his coat before he asked her to go elsewhere. "How about we go to the park or something?" he asked her. Y/n thought for a moment and nodded in agreement. "Sure. There's a lovely park around here." Y/n replied also getting her coat. The pair walked out, happily chatting amongst themselves before a very familiar car drove around the corner and rolled the window down to reveal the person they both figured it would be. "Charles, what are you doing here?" Y/n asked walking up to the car. Carlos was a bit confused as to why Y/n knew who Charles was. "I thought I'd come to pick you up but it seems like you have good company." Charles grinned. "It seems that way." Y/n chucked. Charles looked over to Carlos and waved. "Hey Carlos."

Y/n took her turn in confusion now. "You know him?" she asked. Carlos nodded in response. "Yes. I'm his new teammate." Carlos said. "So I take it myy plan worked since you ended up meeting." The pair were both very confused which Charles picked up on and decided to explain himself. "I didn't get you seperate dates, you were each others dates. I decided to cancel though just to prove a point and it appears that it has worked." Charles mused. Y/n bit her lip. Was she really that predictable? "And how did you know it would work then?" Carlos asked folding his arms. "Simple. Carlos, you are basically a lady magnet. You would see her alone and think you could be her friend of sorts." Charles smiled before turning to his other friend. "And my dear Y/n, you would be too shy to tell him to leave you alone. I basically just predicted how both of you would react to seeing each other and go with that."

"Then why did you come to pick me up?" Y/n asked. "I'm going to be honest, I just wanted to know whether or not you two had managed to go on a date together." Charles replied. "Well, I should get going but have fun you two." he said turning his car on. "And don't forget to use protection!"

"Charles!"

"I'm kidding! I know you both like going to a dinner first." And with that he drove away, leaving Y/n and Carlos in a bit of an awkward silence. "So...where do we go from here?" Carlos asked, stuffing his hands into his pockets. Y/n smiled softly and took out a pen. "Show me your hand." Carlos knotted his eyebrows and obided by her before she wrote a few numbers, presumably her phone number, ont to his hand. "Here's my number. I have to go now unfortunately but I would really like to see you again Carlos." Lucky him, because he wanted to see her again too. "Well I'll see you on the second date then, yes?" Carlos asked. "Absolutely." Y/n pulled Carlos in and pecked his cheek before they shared their goodbyes and went seperate ways, but will undoubtedly cross paths again...

[bangtanhoneys]

BTS WEDDING SERIES: Countdown Begins!

SEOKJIN

Three days. 

That’s all that was left until the day of your wedding and family had started to arrive on Jeju Island, including the boys and your bridal party. Everyone was descending on Jeju like a tidal wave and already locals were starting to see an increase in traffic though they weren’t entirely sure what was going on. The hotel where you would have your ceremony and reception had already started to get things prepped including privacy screens, putting guards on the perimeter to ward off anyone with a camera and other hotels had been warned of what was coming. 

It was dealing with things like military clockwork, which Seokjin had plenty of experience with and was making sure he knew who was coming, how, why and when. 

His parents and your parents had flown over together and had been picked up by Seokjin a the airport, already bombarding him with questions. 

“Emomma, we’re fine. She’s fine, everything is under control. The hotel are doing an amazing job of getting everyone sorted,” Seokjin comforted his mother in the passenger seat with his Dad in the back including his future in-laws.

“The boys are literally on their way now as well and the rest of the bridal party are on the way, and obviously hyung and the babies and Suni are coming tomorrow. Bit of a squeeze but it’s fine, it’s all stuff we’ve prepped for. Anything that can go wrong, we’ve prepped for so I’m not worried,” Seokjin added as he drove the car past the security guards and round where the wedding would take place. 

“It’s looking beautiful already,” your mother commented as they got out the car, seeing the staff lining up the chairs in the garden for your aisle and already the florists were hard at work, prepping some of the bigger pieces of decor such as the arch.

“It’s going to be amazing,” your groom grinned, taking his mother in-laws hand then his mother’s and leading them to where you were finishing the last minute bits.

YOONGI

It had been the plan all along to get married in a simple ceremony with your parents, Yoongi’s brother, Yoongi’s parents and the rest of BTS. You had arranged for the formal Korean ceremony to take place at the Raum with the reception afterwards, allowing you to invite who you needed to and who Yoongi needed to. But for the actual legal ceremony, you both agreed it should be just the two of you. 

You didn’t need the world to see this part where you and Yoongi said your vows, signed the legal piece of documentation and put your rings on. In the end, it was the most important part of your whole wedding week.

Two days before your formal wedding would take place, you were in front of the registrar signing the marriage certificate that declared you and Yoongi husband and wife. 

“Well, that’s the easy part done,” Yoongi laughed as he glanced at the silver wedding band now on his finger while you had a gold wedding band on yours. 

“Party time soon,” you gently nudged his hip as your families joined you outside to take photos. After all, it had been agreed that this part would be intimate, private and just everyone you loved. 

“It’s a pity the Korean wedding ceremony wasn’t as quick as that,” he mused as he tightened his hand around yours. “That would be a waste of money,” you advised as you adjusted your free hand around the small bouquet of flowers, wearing a simple white dress that wouldn’t overshadow your actual wedding dress. 

“True, I did spend a lot of time on those whiskey bottles.”

HOSEOK

Three days to go. That’s what he had to keep reminding himself. Three days to go. 

Hobi had his own little checklist going on for the day as he collected the suits, and delivered items to the venue that would be needed including the 275 friendship bracelets that had taken two days to do even with the boys roped in. 

His parents were arriving in Seoul in two hours with his sister going to pick them up to bring them to the hotel, your parents were also bringing items from home to the hotel to drop off and the boys were finishing up their schedules so they would be clear. 

Rehearsal was going to take place that night and he had caught sight of the room being cleared, seeing the florist and wedding organiser ordering staff to move things around and clear things away. Hotel security had been topped up too and he had stopped on more than one occasion, just double checking as to where he was going. 

Hobi snapped a quick picture of the room in its blank state and sent to you with the words ‘Countdown begins!’

‘My nails are nearly done and I’ll be with you all.’

The picture he got back made him grin - he had sent you with your bridal party to a spa so you could relax, get your facials, pedicure and the like and your best friend had taken a photo of you being glammed up and dotted on by everyone there. 

It was literally countdown and he felt no nerves. He was going to marry his best friend, his number one supporter in everything and the one who he couldn’t imagine living with out. 

Tucking his phone into his pocket, Hobi made his way back to the car as he hummed Bruno Mars’ ‘Marry You’ on the way. 

NAMJOON

He accepted the box from his mother, ignoring the weary look he got and turned to make the long walk to the garden. The wedding was only three days away and already things were in high gear. The family were coming out of town, and he already knew the important individuals such as celebrities and politicians had arrived in Seoul and were at the hotel, HYBE were in full protective mode as guards stood on the perimeter and even Hitman Bang had landed by private jet and was on the way to the hotel to check-in. 

He could hear the boys in the background, pointing out the view from the garden as he carried the box to the small house where you and your maid of honour where separating things to what needed to go to the bridal room or what needed to stay here for the decor. 

Organised chaos you had told him. 

“Happy?” Namjoon asked, setting the box down next to you. 

“Everything is going to plan. You ready for the rehearsal later?” you asked, smiling up at your groom-to-be as he crouched down to open the box. 

“I am. The boys are more than ready from the sounds of it and yes, Hoseok has the rings. He’s checked, double and triple checked.”

You grinned at the answer to the question that was on the tip of your tongue.  

“I’ve got the rings, I promise!” You heard Hobi yell at the bottom of the garden. “JK! Don’t even come near me.”

JIMIN

It was an hour's drive to get to Incheon airport, where your hotel was just a couple of minutes away from. So Jimin had borrowed or bribed, depending on who you listened to, a couple of HYBE’s big cars and loaded the two everything you needed - dress, suits, decor, favours, bridesmaid dresses, and the like. You took one car and he took the other, heading over to the hotel like a convoy. 

Jimin’s parents, brother and family were flying in from Busan and would be arriving in an hour. The rest of the boys would be joining you tomorrow as was the rest of your bridal party. Four days to go but there was so much to do. 

Rehearsal was going to take place tomorrow evening and the hotel had already begun to prep the room with your florist due to arrive tomorrow morning to start work. It was exciting to see your year of planning coming into full swing with everything. 

A private entrance had been arranged for you two to back the cars and start bringing boxes and other bits into the room. “It looks so different,” you commented as you joined Jimin with your own set of boxes, watching as the staff set up the partition with other members of staff rolling tables in. 

“Just think, we’ll be husband and wife by the weekend,” Jimin grinned as he put his box down to wrap his arms around your waist, resting his chin on top of your shoulder. 

“Hmm, then honeymoon. I can’t wait for that. It’s like a reward for all this planning.”

“A reward? Is marrying me not enough?”

TAEHYUNG

While it may have seemed silly to everyone to arrive in Los Angeles three weeks early, you were glad you did that for the little hick ups that happened. Some guests had pulled out which meant a slight rejig of the table, guests were starting to fly in so Taehyung had to pull out V and greet everyone like a member of BTS. The boys had arrived a week before the wedding, bringing what they needed. 

Now it was three days to the wedding and nerves were starting to set in. You weren’t nervous about marrying Tae, you could go down to the town hall and do it there and then but it was the people who were coming, it was all eyes on you. You wondered if you had planned enough, thought enough, if everything was going to be what you wanted. 

“I can hear you thinking from all the way out here,” Tae commented as he joined you from where you stood, watching the hotel staff turn a blank room into your reception room with another team working on the room down the hallway to transform it into your ceremony room. It was all systems go with plenty of time, yet it felt like there wasn’t.

“I don’t know, I guess I’m just nervous. Not about marrying you but the day itself. All those eyes on us,” you shrugged as you leaned against your future husband. Celebrities, fashion designers, politicians. It wasn’t just going to be your families, it was going to be all the people who had befriended Taehyung over the years. 

“I know but in the end, it’s just you and me,” he said as he took hold of your hand and gave it a good squeeze. “And that’s all that matters at the end of the day. You and me.” 

“And the red roses everywhere.”

JUNGKOOK

“Three days,” he said to you that morning when you opened your eyes to look at the time. 

“Nervous?” you asked as you rolled over to face him. 

“Not nervous. Excited…maybe a little nervous about relying on other people to do a good job but excited for you and me.”

“Everything will be fine - nearly everyone is here anyway and we’ve got rehearsal to do today and a few other bits and then we’ll be done,” you grinned. “Then it will be D-Day and we can finally relax and just get married and then think about our honeymoon.”

Whoever said you could relax in the final days was a liar as you watched the florist secure the beginnings of your wedding decor thanks to the breeze that had arrived that morning. The weather was due to be lovely Busan sun but this light breeze was making you worry a little. 

“You need a haircut,” you heard Seokjin yell from inside the reception room and you hid a grin, hearing Yoongi chastise his younger brother who had obviously darted away from his grasp and run outside. 

“You’d think they were my fathers,” Jungkook muttered as he stood next to you, watching the florist and staff at work. 

“Well they are in a way, but you do need a haircut. I like it when your forehead is exposed.” 

[paper-poppy]

Telling

The day had arrived for the union. Fixing her hair in the mirror, Xira smiled softly. Longing for this moment so long.

Having their families be friends for ages, Xira had grown with Ren over the years, throughout everything they supported each other. 

Reminiscing over their little moment they spent together as children, sitting together by their favorite tree as the others were having fun at gatherings. Looking back Xira remembered seeing him blush when she would surprise him, not giving him a heads up before yelling out, ‘HELLO!!!’. 

Her mother came in and smiled warmly at Xira, “You look amazing sweetie”, kissing her head softly as she held Xira's face. 

Putting the final touches on everything else they were set to go. 

Xiela had tears, but the father of the bride was beside himself, crying waterfalls. 

It was a touching moment for everyone in the two families. Emil was a groomsman, and for the bridesmaid was Rinni, sister of the groom and best friend of Xira.

There was also the lingering sadness, as Xiela brushed back Luca's bangs, noticing the empty seat next to him. In the chair was a teddy bear with a small dress. 

Xiela put her arm around Luca and squeezed him in a hug. Stoic Luca just looked ahead of him, feeling so empty and alone. 

During the ceremony, the grooms eyes darted behind him and he squinted. Picking up on the silent queue Rella stood up discreetly, walking into the hall. She had come to know when he'd seen the future, but this time it was just a bit too late.

A huge crash made the guests jump out of their seats. 

Fog seeped into the Grand Hall, people were rushing into the room with all kinds of weapons. G'raha quickly roused to his feet, summoning his shield and sword he was beyond infuriated. Giving a look to stand down to his aether starved wife, Xiela frowned but nodded. 

Grabbing Luca she pulled him away to hide under a table to the side. The young boy was shaking, the loud crash was a frightening reminder when his sister was ripped away from them.

Burying his face in his hands Luca wished the world would just fade away. Comforting him with gentle words, Xiela held him.

“It's going to be okay Luca, everything will be okay. Every- thing. Is going to be okay.” Biting her tongue she felt a sharp pain. 

“Mum?” Luca was panicking, his breathing becoming shallow and fast.

“I'm fine love, we have to stay quiet though”, bringing her voice down quieter. The fighting continued, Xira had a furious expression on her face. 

Summoning her staff, her father's old weapon of choice, she spun it around and rained down crystals on the enemies. All those months planning for this day to be perfect.. she wouldn't let them get away with a simple warning.

Meanwhile Emil was cornered, his back pressing into the walls. Giving a sheepish grin he held his hands up. 

“Can't we just talk this out fellas?” 

A sword was flung at him and he narrowly dodged it, breathing deeply he stared at the group.

“I didn't want to do this…”, taking off his glasses, revealing his long lashes and piercing pink eyes. With a commanding voice and having eye contact with one of the men.

“Stop. You don't have to do this. Turn around and leave.” 

The man stumbled and swayed a moment until another lackey smacked him. 

Blinking he grunted and shook off the eye ability.

“Well it was worth a try-”, with a yelp Emil continued dodging attacks and ran.

G'raha was constantly fighting back attacks, it was like all the big guys kept aiming for him. He could take them but in a big group he was starting to feel winded. Rella came to his aid and took out the large group but there were still so many to handle. Giving thanks to her, G'raha went on to try and find his wife. 

Kicking the table up into the air, the food and drinks crashed into the ground. Instinctively Xiela put up a barrier to protect her and Luca. A giant scythe was trying to pierce her shield. Unable to sustain it much longer, her vision was becoming hazy, unfocused and blurry. She was beginning to use Luca to prop herself up. The sharp stabbing pain in her back didn't let up either. Finally she fainted. 

Filled with shock Luca was trembling. With a scoff the scythe user walked towards them.

“You should have died 10 years ago. I'll just finish what they left undone.”, raising the weapon to swing down on the two, he was blindsided by something red, slamming into him with a shield. 

“Don't touch them.”

[mithrilhearts]

I have put my entire musical collection on shuffle so what about (for any character you want):

Courtesy Call

I had an opportunity to think about this ALL day, and I had a variety of ideas floating in and out of my head. You know, little fleeting thoughts and such, and the only one that really stuck with me had to go down the dirty route, didn't it?

Anyway, I have decided to do a small snippet for this one because I couldn't resist. Also....is this going to fall on the wip list? Maybe. 👀

Also, let's all laugh because I wrote that "I have decided to do a small snippet" nonsense before I ever started writing it, and now here we are...nearly 1k later. Anyway, there are sexual implications below, but enjoy!

The more Bilbo had sat and mulled over his weekend agenda, the more he was growing less and less keen on the idea of sitting at a table with nothing but feigned compliments and smiles towards one Lobelia Sackville-Baggins. He wasn’t in the mood to deal with her high and mighty attitude considering the day would revolve around her. Birthdays weren’t overly exciting anyway once you passed the first adulthood milestone. She would be fine if he didn’t attend–though would likely make some side comment about a lack of gift all the same.

It mattered little.

At least he had the courtesy to call and rescind his RSVP for the family and friends-littered party. Or, it was on his to-do list anyway. Falling into his desk chair and looking at his phone, Bilbo begrudgingly swiped away from whatever distraction had caught his attention, ready to field shrieks and displeased side comments from his dreadful cousin. 

Dialing up the number on the touchscreen keypad–as Bilbo was one of those forgetful sorts who never saved phone numbers under contacts–he waited. Already anxiety was fluttering around in his gut, but more often than not those feelings tended to fall to the wayside as soon as he heard that snotty tone directed at him. All he had to do was get one hello out of Lobelia, and he’d be on his A-game, ready to match her snark, and surpass her wit. However, he wasn’t sure what could be witty about claiming he had ‘work related things’ that he couldn’t get out of. 

Granted, Bilbo planned on spending his evening at home, probably catching up on documentaries or reading, or even scribbling down a few words in a journal about a new book idea. The possibilities were endless, and far more enjoyable than whatever Lobelia had planned.

The rings stopped, and Bilbo braced himself in his seat, his back straightening as already he could feel that spark of impish sarcasm rolling across his tongue, ready to hit Lobelia quick and unexpectedly–only the voice on the other end that answered was so far from that of his cousin, but it practically paralyzed Bilbo into a speechless state.

“Good evening,” the deep baritone voice on the other end of the phone practically purred right into Bilbo’s ear, sending goosebumps across his arms, “and whose lonely mountain do I have the pleasure of visiting, tonight?” 

Bilbo’s lips remained tightly sealed.

“Shy tonight, are we? That’s alright, give me a few minutes, and I’ll have your lips loosened, alongside your pants–if you’re wearing any, still.” That voice paused once more. “Respond to me, are you still wearing anything? A simple hum will suffice.”

Bilbo could already feel his cheeks flush, his eyes dropping to the zipper of his pants as he felt far less confident than he had a few moments ago when he’d been ready to give Lobelia a verbal lashing. “I–I…don’t know what to say–” He’d started to stammer, and whatever sultry attitude had been held over the phone from the other man had halted abruptly.

“Who is this, and how did you get this number?” The tone was far less purr-like, more direct and didn’t hold a hint of any playfulness to it. “This is a private line, and I don’t give out my extension to just anyone–”

“I’m sorry, bye!” Bilbo’s words practically melted together into one as he ended the call and tossed his phone to the other side of his desk as his head dropped. With his fingers clawing at the wood of that desk, his eyes peeked beyond his arm towards his phone, wondering just how he had managed that one, and why that low purr-like tone had him so entranced and so…tongue-tied. Hesitantly reaching for his phone, sliding it his way and then looking through the call history towards a number that was most certainly not Lobelia’s…Bilbo had to wonder if calling back was an option.

After all, he wasn’t naive, he knew exactly what kind of service was about to be whispered in his ear, and as his gut swirled with both embarrassment and an unintended neediness, he groaned and placed his phone down again.

Lobelia’s courtesy call could wait.

….

But on the other side of the line where it had gone dead…

Thorin stared at the phone in his hand, and namely, at the number that remained within the phone’s call history. “How did he bypass the billing process even…?” Thorin grumbled to himself, thinking about the silly stammering he’d heard mumbled over the phone. It bothered him on more than one level.

Grabbing the first piece of paper within reach and jotting down the number, it wasn’t that he thought the phone’s logging history was going to disappear. For safety purposes, each call was logged properly via technology that he didn’t need to understand, but there was something offensive in the fact that he had just been hung up on…and that had never happened in his handful of years providing this kind of service.

It’s why he had his own private extension, and why he got to pick and choose his clientele! But now, what confidence he held towards himself and his job began to wither, and for whatever reason, jotting down that phone number was going to be an escape from those wretched self-derogatory feelings, should they continue to eat away at him.

No doubt that little piece of paper with an offensive (but shy) man’s number written on it would burn a hole in Thorin’s pocket. And try as hard as he might to resist, he desperately wanted to know why.

[edosianorchids901]

Merry Flowers

@flashfictionfridayofficial prompt - "sink or swim"

Crowley had never performed a blessing before. Not exactly a lot of opportunities for that, as a demon. And his time as an angel had come to a close long before there were any humans to bless.

He sat cross legged on the grass, prodding at a clump of tangled green with a stick as he thought. The Arrangement had been his idea in the first place. Seemed so damn simple when he proposed it. And even yesterday, when he and Aziraphale shook hands on the plan and agreed to swap assignments, it seemed simple, straightforward.

Now that it was time, though, he had no clue what was he supposed to be doing. He and Aziraphale drew their power from a different source, after all. Could the primal forces of Below do the same things as those Above?

And if they couldn’t, what then?

“Bless the crops,” he murmured, flopping back on the grass to stare at the wispy clouds that drifted on a light breeze. “Demons and crops, maybe shouldn’t mix. Oh hey, village, I accidentally blighted everything instead, sorry about the starvation and everything…”

And not just that. If he fucked up, he could get Aziraphale in loads of trouble. Michael’s a bit of a stickler, and you don’t want to get Gabriel upset with you.

Crowley heaved a sigh and laid one arm across his eyes so he could think better. Had to cut down on the distractions, that was it. Focus.

The Arrangement would be brilliant for him and Aziraphale, not to mention a fantastic opportunity to hang out together whenever their jobs canceled each other out. That meant that he couldn’t give up on the idea, but he also couldn’t make a mistake or let his friend down.

He’d created things, once. Mostly stars and nebulae, since that was his job, but he’d messed around with other stuff in the labs. Channeled his curiosity and enthusiasm into the act of creation, an act that always flooded him with joy.

Had that been taken away when he Fell? He still played around with human methods of creation, but affecting life was different.

No way to know without trying. And Crowley had always been the type to dive right in when there a problem to be solved.

“Nnnnh, okay.” Crowley shoved back into a seated position, exhaled slowly, and rubbed his hands together. “Time to sink or swim.”

Then, focusing, he spread his hands palm up and wiggled his fingers. Sparks of energy flashed into being above his hands, and he flicked and arranged them into shape. A glowing spiral formed, twisting as he channeled his intention. Little more there, thin it down there, and then infuse it with life.

The infernal power balked and protested at the unprecedented use, like a recalcitrant horse refusing to advance down an unfamiliar road. It wanted to turn around, to go back to what it knew. Destruction, annihilation, darkness.

Crowley shushed it, coaxed it, guided it forward with significantly more luck that he’d ever had with a stubborn horse. “Come on, that’s it, you’re fine…”

Daffodils burst into existence in his hands, and he whooped with delight. Triumphant, he snapped his fingers, and the meadow erupted into bloom around him. He laughed, twisting around to look at all the blossoms.

Not just daffodils, now. It was a whole sea of flowers, all kinds of them, brilliant colors bursting into being as he played with the infernal energy. Crowley flicked a hand, grinning, and a patch of the daffodils doubled in size.

Sink or swim? Swim, definitely. He hurtled through the currents of creation and generation, seizing on all the potential energy that brimmed around him and bringing it to life. He conjured another daffodil just because he could and held it up to the sunlight, laughing in wonder.

“This does not look like blessing the crops.”

“Aaaaugh!” Crowley jumped, losing the thread of his miracle. Half formed plants flickered out of existence, but the ones he’d already finished remained. A whole meadow of color still surrounded him. “Angel! Uh, hi.”

He grinned up at Aziraphale, who stood just beside him with arms crossed, a bemused expression on his face. “My goodness. Crowley, what do you think you’re doing?”

“Swimming,” Crowley blurted, guilty. Aziraphale’s entire expression twitched with confusion, and Crowley thrust the daffodil towards him. “Hey, wanna flower? I made it.”

“I… um. Thank you.” Aziraphale took the flower and stared at it for a moment. Then he raised his eyebrows. “Well, I see you’re indulging in sloth today, my dear. And I already finished your temptations!”

“Oh, thanks! That’s cool of you.” Crowley gave an innocent grin and savored the irritation on Aziraphale’s face. “How’d that go?”

“Well, it’s hardly difficult to tempt hungry people to gluttony once ample food and drink is provided. So, it went quite well.” Holding his flower, Aziraphale sat beside Crowley. “And said food and drink were quite delicious.”

Crowley chuckled and snapped his fingers, coaxing another patch of flowers to life. “Glad you had fun too. I’m gonna fulfill my part of the bargain, don’t worry. Just wanted to get some practice in first. And it’s been a long time since I had a chance to just…”

He trailed off and shrugged, smiling, and Aziraphale’s expression softened. “A chance to play?”

“Nh, something like that. It’s important for a demon to slack off sometimes. You know me, big fan of sloth and self-indulgence.”

It was a good enough excuse to get away with. But in truth, it felt amazing to exchange his usual assignments of chaos and destruction for a chance to make things grow.

[mrswhozeewhatsis]

Shifted - The Dinner (Chapter 3/?)

A/N: My goal was to finish this story completely by New Year's Day. *checks watch* Hmph. *sigh* Again, this is a Secret Santa fic for @jensengirl83, who I can only hope will forgive me for how long this is taking me to throw together. Also, not beta-read because we die like men and all that. (Want to read what I post a day before I post it everywhere else? Check out my ko-fi page!)

Story summary: The Winchesters are meeting your family for the first time when you all visit for Christmas. Things don't go quite to plan.

Chapter summary: The most awkward dinner and post-dinner conversation without a participant actively trying to make it as awkward as possible.

Pairing: Dean x reader

Word count (chapter/story): 1396/4049

Warnings: None so far.

Previous chapter - Series masterlist

Dinner went about as well as could be expected, really.

Yeah, that well.

Your dad seated Dean at the end of the table in your mom’s usual spot, with you and Sam flanking him like bodyguards. Exactly who you were guarding, though, was the question.

You had told your mom that your new boyfriend would love simple burgers and pie and not to stress about what to cook. That would have been fine if you’d introduced Dean as your boyfriend. Sam, however, complimented her beet salad and discussed the merits of different beans in a three-bean surprise recipe. (The surprise was, of course, a fourth bean.) Dean made his usual pornographic noises while eating both his burger and his pie and was sure to compliment your mother on her cooking every chance he got. He even got her to disclose her secret spice blend for the burgers! Oddly enough, this didn’t seem to improve your family’s attitude towards Dean but somehow made them even more suspicious.

Dean took advantage of sitting next to you to touch you under the table as much as possible. He’d squeeze your hand, lay his hand on your knee, and bump knees with you whenever he could. Sometimes, it was to silently ask if he was doing well, sometimes it was for no reason at all. You caught yourself grinning stupidly at him a couple of times, unable to help yourself as you watched Dean try to charm your parents. Tracy caught you once, giving you the most scandalous look, obviously asking you why you were swooning over your boyfriend’s brother. You switched to trying to swoon over Sam, but he’d gotten into an extended explanation of the definition of a serial killer, somehow. Your dad was definitely not interested. Your mom was hiding her alarm. Tracy picked up the conversation, much to your parents’ chagrin, and she and Sam spent all of dessert quizzing each other on serial killer statistics until you kicked Sam in the shin and glared at him.

Dean was quick to offer to help with cleanup while your mom was quick to tell him not to worry about it. He was still polite and helped to clear the table while Sam tried to get out of the serial killer debate with Tracey without being rude.

Once the dishes were done, you all moved towards the living room to open your one Christmas Eve present. As you made your way through the doorway, Tracey squealed.

“Oh!!! Look at that! Y/N and Sam are under the mistletoe! Let’s see that kiss, yeah?”

Both you and Sam stiffened up and then turned to stare at each other in dismay. How did Sam miss it, anyway? He had to duck his head not to knock it down!!

You and Sam looked at each other with panic in your eyes. Sam quickly bent low to kiss your cheek and you made a show of blushing cutely and mumbling, “He’s so sweet about PDA, you know?”

Tracey’s face would have been funny if the situation had been happening to anyone but you. Dean’s carefully relaxed expression would luckily fool anyone but you and Sam.

Your parents made a big deal about leaving the loveseat for you and Sam to sit in, while they surrounded your sister on the couch. This left Dean dragging in a chair from the dinner table to sit on and pretend like it was comfortable. He made do with affection from Rocky, but you could see the strain all of this was having on him. Dean wasn’t used to being passively disliked in this way. Monsters hated him, but they would try to kill him with claws and teeth, not stiff, polite kindness. His wit and charm had won over even the crustiest of old sheriffs over the years. You’d thought that your parents would have accepted him as a person by this point in the evening, even if they’d never accept him as your boyfriend. As it stood, only Rocky had warmed up to him.

As usual, your Christmas Eve presents were something to wear on Christmas. When you and Tracy were kids, it was Christmas pajamas. Now that you were all adults, it was ugly Christmas sweaters. Since your parents couldn’t pick out sweaters for the boys, they’d gotten them each a bottle of whisky.

“You boys don’t mind a little Irish in your hot chocolate, do you?” your dad asked with a smile.

Dean immediately replied, “I sometimes forget to add the chocolate!”

Dean’s grin was met with only a half laugh from your mother.

You didn’t think it was possible, but the conversation only worsened as the night wore on. Your dad finally asked about your work, and while the boys were adamant that you did mostly paperwork for them, they somehow managed to contradict each other on exactly what kind of paperwork was necessary.

“Well, that’s why they need me, you see,” you interrupted, just trying to slow the train wreck that was the Winchesters trying to cover for each other and failing. “Because they weren’t getting it done right until I came along, and they weren’t getting paid and whatnot.”

Both boys mumbled their agreement and then got quiet. Rocky got up from where he’d been settled by Dean’s feet and pushed himself between you and Sam on the loveseat. Sam started to pet him, in spite of the awkward position, but Rocky just turned away from him and flopped onto your lap, begging you for attention. Sam’s pout at being rejected by a dog would have been funny in any other situation.

“Wow, Sam,” Dean said with a smirk. “I’ve never seen a dog give you the cold shoulder like that before! Did you forget to slip him some food from your plate at dinner?”

Your mom gasped while you winced.

“Mom, I’m sure Dean’s just joking, and he didn’t actually give Rocky table scraps,” you quickly interjected. “Right, Dean?” The look on your face could probably be read by people in space. Feeding Rocky from the table was strictly forbidden.

“Oh, no, I didn’t!” Dean answered. “I know better than to mess with a pet’s diet without asking the owners, first.”

You could tell that Dean was telling the truth, and your parents calmed down at hearing his reassurances, but you felt Sam twitch nervously beside you. Withholding a groan and deciding that investigating Sam’s sudden case of ants in his pants was a bad idea all around, you reached for any kind of topic of conversation that might distract from Sam’s apparent guilt and maybe shed a better light on Dean. How on earth could you explain Dean pulling a shedding shifter out of someone’s house?

As if a light bulb went on over your head, a rational explanation for everything suddenly hit you. You wished you’d thought of it hours ago. Feeling like there might be a light at the end of the tunnel, you dove in to try and fix things, at least a little.

“Although my part of the job is really boring, the work Dean and Sam do is really important, and sometimes dangerous. Occasionally, they do a little bounty hunting. A while back, before my time, Dean took on a case of a guy that was from Hollywood. He did makeup and prosthetics for movies and stuff. He got away because he was so good at disguising himself.”

For a second, Dean wasn’t following your lead, and you wished you still had the cover of the dinner table so you could literally kick some sense into him. Just when you thought you’d have to prompt Dean further, he finally caught on to where you were going and picked up the thread.

“Oh, yeah! That guy was awful! He managed to disguise himself as me at one point! I didn’t want any civilians to get hurt when I grabbed him, so followed him for a while. Unfortunately, he went home with some girl, and I had to grab him from inside her house when he attacked her. I secured him and drove him three states over to turn him in. Also had to ruin his mask and makeup or they might have arrested me, instead!” Dean chuckled, and you and Sam chuckled with him, but your family stayed quietly alarmed.

Well, that didn’t work.

Chapter 4

Ye olde forever tags list: @manawhaat @sammit-janet @littlegreenplasticsoldier @leatherwhiskeycoffeeplaid @iwantthedean @growningupgeek @feelmyroarrrr @thing-you-do-with-that-thing @chelsea072498 @helvonasche @rizlowwritessortof @wheresthekillswitch @sandlee44 @icequeen1371 @tistai @pie-and-pudding @thelittleredwhocould @supernaturallymarvellous @ellen-reincarnated1967 @notnaturalanahi @salt-n-burn-em-all @fumar-et-flores @chalicia @smalltowndivaj @littlefreakingfangirl @straightestgay-voice @percywinchester27 @vanessa-monique-blog @gallxntdean @antares1980 @hunterpuff @beffyblueeyes-blog @sammiesamness @cassieraider @emoryhemsworth @speakinvain @andkatiethings @latetothewinchesterparty @winchesterprincessbride @drakelover78 @calaofnoldor @idreamofplaid @akshi8278

[romance-lover77]

Newt Scamander X Fem Muggle Reader Chapter 13

Plot: Something is extremely wrong with you, a big surprise….

side note: Sorry if this chapter is a bit short than normal

Your POV when it has been 5 weeks

It’s been 5 weeks since Newt left and of course you’ve missed him terribly but his letters helped you ease a bit and knowing that he was safe. But you didn’t anticipate that the mission would take more than 2 weeks and that killed you because you had planned on confessing to Newt when he would return.

Though some part of you was distraught because there could be a chance that Newt would regain his feelings for Tina while they spend time together. You felt selfish for thinking that because you couldn’t force Newt to be with you so with all your heart you were hoping that he loved you back.

There was also something strange going on with you, lately you had been feeling nauseous almost all the time, feeling dizzy, and feeling hungry all the time. But you just let it slide and ignored it, thinking that maybe it was a stomach bug.

It was morning where the streets were filled with noise from the people of New York and it was September so the leaves of trees were the color of Autumn. The air was getting a bit chilly and everyone was starting to wear warm coats.

You were in front of the entrance door of your shop, feeling extremely fatigued and your shoulders felt heavy that you were slumping. You grasped the keys from your pocket to be able to open the door until someone stopped you.

“Good Morning Y/N! How are you feeling?” Queenie said genially

You were about to respond when Queenie hastily interrupted “Oh my! Y/n you are glowing! Did you do a new skin treatment?”

You chuckled confusedly and had no idea what she was speaking about “Queenie, what are you talking about? I haven't done anything at all, you know I can’t afford those kinds of treatments”.

Queenie was astonished that what you were saying was true “ Really!? It’s just that this morning your face is glowing so much”

“It must be the sweat, I have been feeling ill lately” then in that precise moment your stomach growls immensely loud and your cheeks become flushed a bit

Queenie hastenly grasps your arm and began to drag you .You were dumbfounded on what was happening

“Queenie, where are you taking me!? I have to open my shop!”

She just chortles which makes you stare at her as if she were demented

“Don’t worry Y/N i’m taking you to eat breakfast, my treat anyways we haven’t talked in while”.

You sigh in defeat and smile back “Fine only because i’m starving”

Both of you go to a small restaurant that seems cozy and beautifully simple. It was the place where you and Queenie always ate and talked ever since becoming best friends. You and Queenie were both seated by a waiter who took your order. Queenie ordered a simple breakfast that contained a piece of toast with creamed chipped beef on top ,1 sunny side up egg, fruit salad on the side and tea to drink. While for your order it was a massive plate of Bisquick Pancakes (which apparently was popular in the 30s) scrambled eggs, bacon, toast with jam, fruit salad and cup of orange juice.

Queenie exchanged looks with you, with widened eyes expressing her astoundment on your big order of breakfast

“Y/N isn’t that a little too much? Are you sure you’re gonna finish that?”

You nodded happily and all you could think of was that food that your mouth was drooling a bit.

Queenie instantly pointed it out “Y/N you have a bit of drool”

You hadn’t even realized the drool until Queenie pointed it out and you began to be a bit embarrassed. You chuckle a bit nervously as you rapidly grab a napkin from the center of the table and clean yourself

“I’m sorry, I’m just really hungry-“

Queenie interrupts you abruptly with a worried tone “Are you sure you are okay Y/N?”

You were perplexed on why she was asking that when you are fine “Why are you asking? I’m completely fine”

“Well I know for a fact that you never eat this much, and second of all you hate eggs! and you just ordered scrambled eggs, there is totally something wrong with you”

Your eyes widened at the sudden realization that she was right, you hated eggs yet you ordered them and was looking forward to eating them. You began to feel a bit anxious

“I don’t know lately i’ve just been feeling extremely hungry but i’ve been feeling ill as well”

Queenie stares at you with wonder and suspicion, she asked curiously “What do you mean by ill?”

“Well i’ve been nauseous, feeling really fatigued, my breasts haven't been feeling sore, i’m also bloated and i’m frequently peeing a lot. I think I might have a stomach bug or something”

Queenie’s eyes widened and was now really suspicious and believed that it wasn’t a stomach bug like you believed.

“Y/N have you thought of the possibility that you might be pre-“

She was then interrupted by the waiter who placed the plates of food on the table and all your worry was gone. You couldn’t wait to start eating and the waiter said to Queenie “I’m sorry miss your toast with cream chipped beef will take a bit longer is that all right?”

Queenie nodded “That’s fine I can wait” and then the waiter left. Queenie stares at you worriedly as you are stuffing your face with the pancakes that taste heavenly. You were eating non stop until you felt Queenie’s stare and exchanged looks with her and wondered what was wrong “Um is there something on my face?”

Queenie motions her hand “Oh no no, just keep eating”

You shrugged it off and went back to eating and 8 minutes passed as you were nearly done with all your food when the waiter came back with Queenie’s toast order and placed it on the table.

“Here you go miss, your toast with cream chipped beef, will that be all for today?”

Queenie smiles at the waiter politely “Yes thank you” and the waiter leaves.She then grabs the toast and is about to eat it when in that precise moment you smell the odor of the cream chipped beef. Your stomach began to turn horribly and you felt something go up your throat. You immediately drop the fork that you had and instantly cover your mouth with your hands.

Queenie noticed and was so taken aback on what was wrong with you “Y/N what’s the matter?”

You abruptly get up from the table rapidly which made a scene from all the stares you were getting and you make a run for it to the bathroom. Queenie instantly went after you to the ladies bathroom and heard you puking in the toilet behind one of the stalls.

You felt extremely horrible and it felt like you were puking your guts out.

Queenie was so concerned and felt the desperate need to help you. She felt terrible seeing you suffer so she knocked on your stall door “Y/N do you want me to hold your hair?”

“No I’m fin-*blargh*”

After a couple of minutes of vomiting, You finally finished and stepped out of the bathroom stall, looking immensely pale. Queenie runs to you and panics a bit

“Oh my Y/N you look so pale!” She then checks your forehead and it was scorching hot

“Y/N! You have a fever! We need to get you to a doctor!”

You really couldn’t think and you felt so hot and sweaty but your body began to shiver. You really hated going to the doctors so you pleaded desperately with fear in your eyes “No please! I’m fine!, all I need is rest”

But Queenie wasn’t going to take no for an answer and was determined to get you to the doctor. She gripped your arm firmly and began to yank you “Well too bad! We are going to the clinic! and that’s final!”

Your face was full of fright as you squirmed to get out of her grip but your body was too weak so you gave up.

Queenie wasn’t taking you to St. Mungos for a healer because you were a muggle so she took you to a muggle clinic that was close by. You guys arrived and went up to the front desk where Queenie told a nurse the reason for the visit. The nurse appointed your name on a paper attached to the clipboard and stated that the doctor would see you shortly. So you and Queenie sat on the chairs that were in the waiting room.

As you were seated, you began to feel very anxious that it felt that you couldn’t breathe properly and your leg couldn’t sit still

“Y/N it’s going to be fine, i’m here”. Queenie stared at you with a soft gaze and grabbed your hand. You stared back realizing that you weren’t alone and you began to feel at ease.

Finally after 15 minutes of waiting your name was called and a nurse escorted you and Queenie to a room. The room was filled with equipment that a doctor would use and again just the sight of it freaked you out. You wanted to make a run for it and get out of there but the nurse seated you on the medical recliner while Queenie sat on a guest chair at the corner of the room not too far.

Your breathing was heavy and your whole body was trembling as you imagined the possible horrible things that a doctor could do when a sudden noise interrupted your thoughts.

It was the doctor who had just come in and had a smile on his face as he was staring at you.

“Hello there! I’m Dr. Clark, nice to meet you Y/N! Now what’s the reason for your visit today?”

You stared at him with complete fear and your body was immobile as well as your mouth. No response came out of your mouth and the doctor was puzzled

Queenie chuckled nervously “I’m sorry Doctor, she’s just very nervous”

The doctor understood and chuckled “No worries I get it, sometimes coming here can be a bit frightening, so maybe you can tell me what is wrong with your friend”.

“Yes well, you see right now she has a high fever and about an hour ago she had a vomiting incident. She says that she has been feeling nauseous constantly , feeling extreme fatigue, her breasts have been feeling sore and says that she has been urinating more than usual. “

The doctor began to write everything down on his clipboard and suddenly stopped. It appeared that he was thinking and was examining what he had just written. He then exchanged looks with you, who was still trembling “Miss by any chance is your menstruation flow late?”

Queenie’s eyes widened, noticing that the doctor suspected the same thing as her on what could be wrong with you. While you were clueless and all you could think of is the thought of wanting to be home at this moment. But you knew that you were here for your own good and you took a deep breathe

“Y-yes I am late”

“Just as I suspected” the doctor said and he then grabbed his gloves. Putting them and came close to you

“ I’m going to do a physical examination on you alright?”

You began to freak out and Queenie instantly came to your side

“Y/N it’s going to be okay!”

“Are you going to inject me with a big needle!? and do other horrible things!?” you asked the doctor with a horrified expression and tone

The doctor laughed “ Oh no! A physical examination is just slightly examining your body, there are no needles or scary equipment involved I promise”.

Queenie held your hand and you knew that everything was going to be okay because your best friend was here so you nodded. You closed your eyes and the doctor asked you to lay down on the recliner which you did. He then pressed your stomach, your upper abdomen and lower abdomen.

Your eyes remained closed and you expected something painful to come but it never did.

“All done!” the doctor exclaimed and you slowly opened your eyes and stared at him feeling perplexed “That’s it?”

The doctor chuckled “Yes, you can sit up now”

Queenie slowly helped you sit up and both of you stared at the doctor ready to hear the news on what can possibly be wrong with you.

You began to sweat feeling agitated, hoping that it wasn’t anything serious and Queenie was confident that she knew what was wrong. So both of you anxiously stare at the doctor.

“So Doctor, what's wrong with her?” Queenie asked

the doctor smiled “Well Y/N I’d like to announce that you are pregnant, congratulations!”

Your eyes widened and you yelled in a state of shock “WHAT!?

Queenie sighed because she was hoping that the doctor would say a different result but her suspicion was right. You were so shocked that you became immoble again and tears began to fill your eyes. Your body trembling and your face pale as a ghost.

Queenie saw your reaction and knew what was going through your mind. She knew that you were completely scared.

The doctor didn’t anticipate this reaction and cleared his throat so he could get both of your attention “ Well Y/N, I will be seeing you every four weeks to check how your baby is doing alright? Have a nice day both of you”

The doctor had left the room and now it was just you and Queenie. Silence filled the room as many thoughts were going through your mind. Thinking about how you would tell Newt that he was going to be a father, how you were going to be a mother, asking yourself if you would be a good mother. Fear that Newt would reject you and the baby and not wanting to be a father.

It was getting hard to breathe and in that moment you were having an anxiety attack as you began to sob uncontrollably. Your body trembled uncontrollably and Queenie panicked in concern.

“Y\N!”

She held you in her arms and rubbed your arms in comfort . Her cheek leaning onto yours

“It's going to be alright, you are going to get through this because you’re strong! and you’ll see that this is a blessing”

Your body began to relax and you were feeling calmer. You couldn’t be luckier to have your best friend.

You and Queenie had left the clinic and were now walking back to the apartments/flats. For a moment none of you were talking, Queenie believed that you needed time to think for yourself but you broke the silence

You stare at her with a worried expression “Queenie I don’t know what i’m going to do! I’m terrified, terrified to tell Newt, terrified that he doesn’t want this baby, terrified that he doesn’t love me, gosh I can’t tell him”.

You stop walking and cover your face with your hands. Queenie frowned and felt horrible seeing you suffer like this

“Y/N you have to tell Newt! He deserves to know, this is his child and you can’t just think of the negatives when you don’t even know what is going to happen.”

You uncover your eyes and exchange looks with Queenie, knowing that she was right but fear was completely consuming you

“I can’t! …Goodness, why did I have to get pregnant on my first time?”

Queenie grasped your arm and tried to give you a smile but it was a poor one. She too was nervous for you on Newt’s reaction if you happen to tell him but she had to be strong for you.

“ Yes you can! This baby is a blessing and is lucky to have you as their mother. No matter what Newt’s reaction happens to be, you will be strong for your baby. You will raise this baby with love even for the possibility of being a single mother, but first you are going to tell Newt because he has to know that his child is on the way and let’s hope that he will be filled with joy to become a father”.

You sigh undefeatengly, realizing how right Queenie is “You’re right I can’t just hide this from him, sooner or later he will find out. I will write to him tonight telling him the news”.

You then stare at Queenie, giving her a soft smile “Thank you for being here for me, I truly don’t deserve you “

Queenie embraces you “ Don’t be so hard on yourself you deserve more than you think”

Then an unexpected feeling consumed you, the feeling of happiness realizing that you were going to be a mother. This baby was growing inside you and Queenie is right. This baby is a blessing.

to be continued….

[wh3nturtlesfly]

Set Him Free (Chapter 8)

First | Previous | Next

Relationships: Slow Burn prinxiety and logicality

Word Count: 2695

Summary: Virgil receives a new job, though it seems this time he is not so pleased. Meanwhile, Janus continues with his plan…

“No, no way! I am not doing this!”

“Virgil, careful with your words,” Janus offered a warning tone, keeping his eyes locked on the angered thief.

“Don’t tell me what to be careful about! There is no way in heck that I’m getting stuck with babysitting duty!”

“Aw, what’s the matter Virgey? Is the itsy-bitsy-spider mad that he doesn’t get to handle the thievery anymore,” Remus taunted, flashing a wicked grin.

“You don’t get to say anything about this!” Virgil barked, “And you,” he raised an accusatory finger to Janus, “Are out of your mind if you think I’m going to spend as much as five minutes around him.”

Janus sighed, scribbling a few notes upon a piece of paper and handing it to Remus who giddily waved it in Virgil’s face. He snarled back, causing Remus' grin to grow wider. That only increased Virgil’s frustration, and he looked at Janus expectantly .

The latter only shrugged, “You know this is for your own safety Virgil. Seeming as you are a wanted criminal, the kingdom will be scouting for you throughout the towns. It is best that you don’t show your face within the city to avoid recognition. Simple precautions.”

“Since when were you one for precautions? We literally just kidnapped a prince. A prince as in royalty! Has this not registered within either of your minds?”

“It most certainly has, which is exactly why Remus will be performing our daily tasks. Would you rather be caught on the streets now swarming with guards and imprisoned for multiple counts of thievery as well as a suspect within a known capture?”

Virgil sighed, glaring daggers at Janus. If looks could kill, the whole kingdom would be dead by this point.

He sighed, tightly opening and closing his fists, “Fine. I’ll watch Roman, but you owe me for this.”

Janus smiled, clasping his hands together and spinning on his heels, “Good. Thank you Virgil.”

“I resent you,” Virgil grumbled as he slunk towards the main corridor.

“Not so bad yourself,” Janus called back, and as much as Virgil wanted to be angry, the corners of his mouth turned up at the remark.

He was right. If Virgil were to enter the streets right now, nothing good would come from it. Still, he hated to allow Remus of all people to do his job for him.

Each task would be done just fine, but the line of chaos that followed, though laughable, was never fun to clean up. Not to mention that all while this was occurring, Virgil would be stuck watching over Roman of all people. Nothing about this was fair.

The locked door lay at the very end of the hall, a dark iron latch kept fastened just above the door handle. Virgil inserted the key, dropping the open lock onto the floor with a dull thud. He pulled the door open.

Roman remained tied to the chair in the center of the room, seemingly asleep. Virgil glanced around the room. There were no other seats besides the one that the prince occupied. A smile crept onto Virgil’s lips as he took notice of this, turning to face the shelves that lined the side wall.

Shifting his weight onto his back leg, Virgil vaulted upwards, coming to settle on the top of the shelf. A leather satchel also occupied the space, appearing as if it had been tossed there recently and leaving Virgil curious.

He reached for it though was interrupted due to the cloud of dust that floated from the shelf. It teased his nose and triggered an unpleasant coughing fit. One apparently loud enough to wake the other presence within the room.

Roman startled, eyes darting frantically. The sound had caused him to jolt awake, leaving him wincing from the coarse ropes that had scraped against his skin.

His breathing was somewhat shaky, each breath sounding like it took an extra bout of effort. Though Virgil knew that the prince had not been greatly harmed, he could tell that he was in pain.

And just like that, Roman’s eyes settled on him, expression hardening. Any previous ounce of distress had disappeared, hostility replacing all, “How long have you been sitting up there?” he asked.

“About a minute. Why? Did I disturb your precious beauty sleep?”

Roman scowled, though kept his mouth shut.

“I guess you’re the only one who can ask questions then, huh. Good to know despite being a prisoner, you still believe you’re in control.”

“I don’t need to answer anything from you.” Roman spat.

“And why is that,” Virgil bit back, “because you’re the prince? Because you always get your way?”

“No,” Roman seethed, “Because you’re a villain. One who has committed treason and deserves no ounce of my respect.”

Virgil jumped down from the shelf. “I’m going to let you in on one little secret,” he hissed, and Roman drew back, “I don’t know what Janus wants from you, and I honestly don’t care. But if you think for one second that I will tolerate your stupid bravado, then you are greatly mistaken.”

Roman’s eyes narrowed, though he did not retort. He wasn’t going to give Virgil the satisfaction.

He watched as the thief again ascended the shelf, retrieving something from the top. Roman sucked in a breath at the sight of the object. Virgil’s gaze trailed down to him, then back to the item in his hands. A satchel. Roman’s satchel.

Keeping his eyes trained on Roman, Virgil lifted the leather flap and flashed a defiant smile much to the prince’s discontent.

He emptied the contents of the bag, eyebrows raising excitedly as if everything was nothing other than a lighthearted game. Much to Roman’s misfortune, it was quite the opposite. He watched as Virgil removed a series of pencils from his bag, a slight look of disappointment crossing the thief's face.

Roman frowned, but did gain a spark of victory at the thief’s underwhelmed reaction. Bored, Virgil tossed the pencils from the shelf. One of which bounced off the prince’s head, arousing a smirk from Virgil.

He again reached into the bag and pulled out a set of iron shackles, immediately dropping them to the floor with a heavy clank. This left him slightly troubled, but his curiosity took over once more.

The next thing to emerge from the satchel was a folded slip of paper. Roman recognized it immediately, flooded with the memories of all he had been taken from just a few days ago. Virgil however, glanced at it with a wavering uncertainty.

Roman watched his eyes scan the letters on the page, as if he had to read it multiple times to comprehend what had been written on it. Virgil raised the parchment to face Roman, “Where did you get this,” he said, the phrase sounding more like a demand than a question.

“Recovered from the castle gates.”

Virgil’s brow creased, and he took another peek down at the sheet. The same one that had detailed the blacksmith robbery and led to Roman’s capture. Pursing his lips, Virgil refolded the paper then tucked it into the folds of his cloak. He didn’t say anything else about the item.

Returning to focus, Virgil pulled out a silver dagger from the bag.

“Careful!” Roman shouted before he could stop himself.

Virgil glanced his way with a sudden interest. The prince felt his heart sink.

“I… that was my father’s dagger,” Roman explained.

He caught a flash of something within Virgil’s eyes. Maybe it was pity, or even a concealed sympathy, but moments later Virgil was sliding the dagger back into the satchel. Roman wasn’t sure what to think of it. The thief could've simply ignored Roman’s sudden request and used it as a tool for manipulation… but he hadn’t.

The satchel was returned to rest on the shelf as Virgil jumped to the floor with a thud. Crossing the room, he rested his hand on the door handle, “I’ll be right back, don’t try anything.”

“Like I really have the choice,” Roman retorted.

Virgil opened his mouth as if to snap something back, though stopped and shot Roman a glare instead. He slipped through the doorway, slamming the door much harder than necessary behind him.

As soon as he registered the latching of the door, Roman shifted his mind into focus. There had to be some way to slip free of the ropes that currently held him bound.

Roman strained for a glimpse behind his shoulder. The ropes were impossible to untie by oneself. Knowing that no one within his vicinity would willingly aid him, Roman would have to find some kind of sharp edge capable of cutting through the tightly wound threads.

His thoughts were interrupted as Virgil swung the door open, a needle and thread in hand. This time, he took a seat on the floor opposite Roman. Needle placed within his fingers, Virgil took up the hem of his cloak and began to get to work.

Roman observed curiously. “What are you doing?”

Virgil glanced up, irritation lacing his features, “Fixing the hem of my cloak which you managed to tear after pulling it last time.”

“It was justified as you were committing a crime,” Roman groused, “and I don’t see how you could be so upset, when you’re currently the one putting the kingdom in danger.”

“I’m not the one who decided to kidnap you princey. I’m sure the Queen is fine ruling without you and your precious input.”

“That’s what you think,” Roman muttered. Virgil raised an eyebrow in response, but Roman didn’t elaborate.

Virgil returned to his sewing, leaving Roman to- well, sit there, much to his discontent. However, he was not left to his own thoughts for long, as the click of the door latch caused both him and Virgil to flinch.

Janus strode in, and looking over to Virgil, Roman realized they were both in the dark as to why the inventor had entered the room. That was never a good sign.

Silently, Janus came to rest near the singular window in the room, tapping his fingers on the wooden sill. “I believe there is something I need from you Roman,” he said, turning to face the prince.

“You already know my answer to that,” Roman replied coldly, “If you’re looking for secrets, then go find someone else.”

Janus chuckled, “Oh darling, is that what you think this is all about?” He crossed the room, wandering through the space, “I do suppose you are partly right, but at this rate, I believe you need a little push before I can get what I want.”

“Nothing you do could ever make me concede to you.”

“Come on Roman, I only have a simple request.”

Virgil glanced up at this, seemingly curious. Roman scowled.

“No request from you could ever be so simple.”

“If you say so,” Janus hummed, grinning, “tell me the name of the palace messenger.”

“Never in a million millenia.”

“But my dear prince, don’t you want the people to know where you’ve gone? I’m sure your mother is worried sick.”

Roman’s lips pressed into a thin line at the thought of his mother. “What are you implying?”

“If you must ask, I will be informing the kingdom of your disappearance.”

Janus’ answer was rather vague, though Roman was becoming too trapped in his own thoughts to notice, “No-,” Roman whispered, “I refuse.”

“Haven’t you already done enough, prince? You wouldn’t want to keep them in the dark, panicked and distraught, would you?” Roman shoulders slumped, his gaze trailing to the floor.

Janus’ smile deepened. All too easy. “You must know they miss you, imagine how much they must be working to find you. All that distress, because of you.”

Roman’s face fell. He tried to push Janus’ words from his mind.

He’s a liar. Roman couldn’t trust a single thing he said, though the spirals of sentences wove around his head, trapping him in the very thing he was most afraid of.

It really was all his fault, wasn’t it? Janus couldn’t have lied about that, not when everyone in the kingdom knew how distraught the Queen could get. His poor mother, and worse- Patton and Logan. They must all be fretting beyond belief.

He hung his head, voice shaking, “Patton Aureole. Send your message to him, and the kingdom may be informed of my absence. Just, please- tell them I’m unharmed, that’s all I ask. I can’t bear causing them any more distress.”

“That can be arranged,” Janus drawled, spinning on his heel and giving a small nod to Virgil who turned to follow. “You’ve done well Roman, keep it that way.”

He shut the door, pushing the lock back into place.

They entered the kitchen, where a cream envelope lay on the table. Janus plucked an ink vessel from the nearby counter and scribbled Patton Aureole on the front. He gently blew on the ink, and allowed it to dry before handing the envelope to Virgil. He curiously took the envelope in his hands, removing the letter and reading it for himself:

‘To anyone who sees this, I have run away and I won’t return for a long time, possibly forever if I so decide.

It is nothing of your concern, I simply can't stand to be around the unstable nature of our kingdom any longer. I have tried for weeks to show my discomfort, but no one seems to want to listen. Clearly, I am not needed.

Please inform my mother and friends not to worry, there is just too much to explain and too little words. Do not come looking for me, I can assure you that I am unharmed and am in no need of your assistance.

Sincerely,

Prince Roman’

Virgil cocked his head, “This isn’t what happened. What are you doing?”

“Only what is best for us,” Janus grinned, “I did say that I would inform the kingdom of what happened, but I never specified I would be telling the truth. I even catered to his request and stated that he was unharmed. This way, we may shake them from our tail.”

“That… is incredibly cunning.”

“Why thank you,” Janus bowed, bringing a laugh from Virgil, “Now, can I see to it that you slip this letter past the castle gates?”

Virgil’s eyes widened, “You’d let me? But what about all the guards?”

“I thought about it, and I trust you Virgil. Just please be cautious. Stay away from the public and return as soon as possible.”

Virgil clutched the letter in his hands, “Thank you Jan, really. Thank you so much.”

“I believe I owe you after leaving you to watch the prince,” a genuine smile found its way onto Janus’ lips, and he waved Virgil away, “Now go, before I change my mind.”

Virgil slipped on his boots as fast as he possibly could, pulling the hood of his cloak over his face. He offered Janus a final smile, then rushed out the door and almost ran into Remus, who had just arrived, in the process.

“Be careful!” Janus called behind him, to which he could faintly hear Virgil call back:

“You’re such a dad!”

Janus chuckled, placing his hands on his hips. Remus strolled in, the day’s stolen items hanging from his belt. “Virge is right you know,” Remus snickered, “What if instead of Janus, we called you Father Jan, better yet, how about da-”

“No!” Janus shouted, covering Remus’ mouth before he could utter his next words, “Under no circumstances will you call me anything other than Janus,” he jerked his hand back, wiping his hand on his shirt as Remus dissolved into a fit of giggles, “Did you just lick me?!”

“Yup! Serves you right! No one can silence me!” Remus left to his room, still drawing out the ‘me’ portion until the sound of a shutting door could be heard.

The inventor sighed, pushing away the small burst of annoyance that emerged in his features. After all, there was too much to look forward to in the days that would follow. All starting with the cream envelope that found its way to a certain messenger’s desk.

[omsdoortodoor]

OMS Door to Door Challenge Departure date minus 19 weeks

Ian's week

Training & a trial run.

The first training ride this week was the Culm Valley loop again, it felt hard but when I got back, I had completed it three minutes quicker than the previous time.  This would explain why it seemed harder.

The second ride was a trial run of part of the first day of the ONS Door to Door Challenge.  We had lunch at the Sun Inn near Dorchester and I cycled about 23 miles to the Bakers Arms at Lytchett Minster.  This is a possible first night stopover, being very close to the ferry terminal.

A bit of a pub theme developing, I think!

It was a good ride through interesting countryside and villages, but very flat which meant I kept up a good speed.  But the disadvantage of a flat terrain is that I had to pedal all the time because there was no downhill section to rest on.

Jane's week

Crash and Burn

This has been a week of two halves, great fun but with massive consequences.  Will I ever learn?  At the start of the week, I was away with some friends near Bicester.  Get a few ladies together and there was a fair bit of singing and general larking around.  Such as teaching each other how to Moonwalk (I learnt that), trying out front rolls (I declined trying that) and trying out the Worm dance move. 

I paid for that one the following day and stayed at the house to have a quiet day.  A wise move as I felt much better for it.

Monday was Vitamin D test day.  I test myself twice a year.  I could get an annual test on the NHS, but with UK weather it seems to make sense to me to do one in the spring as the UV is increasing (believe it or not we had UV 4 the other day), and also to do one in the autumn to see how my Vitamin D levels have been through the summer and what the starting point is for the winter.  I can then make a judgement about how much I need to take to try to maintain it at a level in line with the OMS programme. It’s a really simple process, but I am a bleeder and a wimp.  Before I knew it, I was dashing to the sink to stop everywhere becoming covered.

I had a great swimming session this week with friends, great Pilates on Thursday and Friday and in the afternoon Ian and I were interviewed for our blog.  That will be coming in next week’s blog.  But then I started to feel fatigue and decided not to go out as planned.

I was a little concerned because we had our Day One test run over the weekend.  In some ways it went well but in others I was disappointed.  I did some of the driving but not as much as I would have liked but we tested out the new Sat Nav, which I am very pleased with.  However, during Ian’s drive (not he did not cycle all the way to Poole as was our original plan), the Sat Nav started to come unstuck (crash number 1), so by the time I drove (and Ian cycled) it had to sit on the seat next to me and I had to try to follow directions like that.  So, Ian cycled some of the way but what he hasn’t mentioned is that he too had a little crash on his bike. (Crash number two). He’s fine with only a scraped knee and handlebars that needed to be straightened.  (I am talking about the bike’s, not Ian of course.)

We had our meal at the Sun Inn but by that time I was really tired.  I was a little bit anxious about the massive dog at the next table in the bar and how Belle might be (Actually she was brilliant).  It was very noisy, and it was hot.  Heat and noise do not go well with my MS and the following day I had a lot of my MS symptoms hit me all at once.  We were seeing some of Ian’s family in Dorset on the Sunday and I had to go to bed and then we came home a day early.  (My crash and burn).   I pretty much spent the day in bed on Monday.  I was disappointed and felt as flat as a flat tyre.  The worst I have felt for some time.

I’m back in the ‘saddle’ now though but taking things slowly and concentrating on my OMS programme.

Looking forward to a better week coming up and don’t forget that in the next blog we have our interview.

Thank you for reading Jane and Ian

Thank you for your amazing support. Ian's strava routes and just giving links are here.

[likimard]

Let’s Get Aware About special Billiga Flygresor

It can be difficult to find billiga flygbiljetter, even so doesn’t ought to be. You can find simple techniques that can be used brand new cars savings and then save important family vacation. A number of airlines offer you discounted price plane tickets entirely on at the moment, and so do not forget to take a look for the safe place. Utilizing this type of scam is often a tiny bit confusing, it will assist you to acquire more effectively values upon longer-haul expeditions. Any time you’re driving a vehicle from the New York to London and also stop by Paris on the right path, bookings the two legs as separate bargains conserve too much money. That suggestion isn’t invariably as well as how to attract, though if you have the option to course inside a number of unit of currency, that is the fantastic help you save a tad money your personal plane. It usually is better to take advantage of a unsecured credit card with virtually no global transaction fines after you’re purchasing, such as which may help you save yourself additional. Those that would you like to acknowledge billiga flygbiljetter, they'll click here. Nearly always, carrier costs get less affordable like the get together involving leaving draws near. Nonetheless, there’s a fabulous delicious area best places to gain flygbiljetter billiga and then it’s all too often a couple of to a few days in advance of your main taking a trip. Routinely, low-cost airlines now have average bundles. It’s a better plan that you should follow any of these airlines over social media or perhaps a repeatedly examine online store resway.se relating to advancements combined with deals. Just in case you’re trying to find a Billiga flyg, it’s aware of have a look at shopping a wide range of airplane tickets sticking with the same airplane or alternatively airlines who are a part one partnership. In the event that you’re travelling by air as a result of New York to London, it’s often additional cost-effective to choose going back pass along with a one-way answer by using one other airfare with your London stopover. Before you purchase any kind of flight tickets, it is significant go over with a those with tested purchasing aeroplane accident lotto tickets.

Multiple airlines provide cost free or perhaps a inexpensive stopover packages that allow you devote every day or even more during a totally different community preceding extended as part of your holiday. This is a great strategy for saving from the ticket, professionals who log in typically sent straight to a much more on the vacation spot by subtracting plus side to these kinds of stopovers. When it comes to paying for flight tickets, you’ll generally get the very best price levels if you opt for your personal seats individually. The reason is airlines try to sell billiga flygbiljetter when they can, and consequently it’s aware of local plumber when you textbook your main aircraft in an effort to get a hold of Billiga flyg conceivable. All through the look up system, airlines may keep with how many many are researching particular type of passes and often will accordingly enhance their the price. This is due to they know that when they can earn more income away, then simply just you’ll much more inclined to shop for that airfare for a second time. Those people who require to comprehend hitta billiga flygbiljetter, they will go here.