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the-writing-mobster · 4 years ago

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Yes Man AU

I know no one was asking for this, but this is literally my favorite movie! So as a small love letter to Yes Man starring Jim Carrey, I wrote a small au oneshot with the WDYW cast. I do hope you enjoy, and found it just as funny as I did while reading it!

Yes Man AU

Sans couldn't believe he was doing this. He couldn't believe he had let Nick talk him into coming. He hadn't even really talked him into it. Nick had just popped up out of nowhere, threw a rock into the university window where he worked and yelled at him to go to the stupid Yes Seminar while getting chased by security.

Honestly the reason he had actually come to this stupid fucking thing was because he had accidentally blown off Papyrus's engagement party. What kind of a brother was he!? That was the wakeup call he needed to get off his ass. Maybe… maybe this would… he didn't know. He already felt stupid as he walked through the throngs of happy humans and monsters alike.

It was like walking through a mega church. There was an air of… some weird spirituality sprinkled with scummy book stores.

Everyone was so… smiley. He himself had a literal permanent grin on his face but… their smiles were different. Alive?

“Sans! You actually came! I knew you would. Trust me man, this is what you need. You're gonna love this man. You need this!” Sans nodded along, trying to hide his pained grimace as best he could from his longtime friend.

“Yeah well… I just… yeah,” he murmured as Nick dragged him to their seats in the audience. Sans sat awkwardly amongst the jabbering crowd as Nick waited impatiently for the seminar to start.

He felt as out of place as an atheist during mass.

Then the lights dimmed and a hush fell over the crowd. Music swelled throughout the room and his brow bones raised and he glanced at Nick, who's eyes were wide with childish excitement.

“Life… we are all living it… Or are we?” spoke a mystical voice. Sans grunted.

“Riveting…”

“Change is generated from consciousness, but where is consciousness generated from? From the external. And how do we control the external? ... With one word. And what is that word?”

“YES!” screamed the crowd, Sans jumping in his seat at the sudden roar of noise. He laughed nervously and shot Nick a desperate look, already regretting his decision to come.

A man emerged onto the stage, a monster. An old tortoise man in a sharp white suit and silver tie.

“The word is yes! Yes. Yes! Yes!” Sans smirked and leaned over to Nick.

“That's what she said,” he teased and Nick rolled his eyes as he stifled his snicker, punching Sans lightly on the shoulder.

“What are you, twelve? Pay attention.”

“Say it a million times. Say it a million more times. And the word you will have said two million times is…” This time Sans was expecting it and waved his hand with annoyed amusement as the crowd screamed YES once more. There was an uproar of cheer and staggering emotion that swept through the ballroom. Sans didn’t know what to think of it. There was such a mixture of being freaked out and being very interested in what was about to occur that he merely just sat there in stunned, awkward silence while the crowd lost their fucking minds.

Finally, everyone had the decency to shut up and let the old tortoise talk. Sans let out a breath and leaned back in his seat. He hadn’t even realized he was on the edge of it.

“I want you to invite yes into your life… because when you say yes to things, you will embrace the possible.” Sans’s eyes wandered the stadium. Psh, what a bunch of horse shit.

“You gobble up all of life’s energies… and excrete the waste.” Sans furrowed his brow with puzzled disgust at the wording and shot a wary look at Nick. What the fuck did he drag me to?

“I would like to welcome our newcomers… Who among us is new?” asked the turtle man, his eyes glittering in the spotlight. Nick jumped up and pointed directly at Sans with giddy excitement.

“He is! This guy right here!” Sans’s soul dropped to the floor, his eyelights snuffing out and leaving his sockets black as the abyss. He shot Nick a poisonous warning glare. The entirety of the ballroom seemed to turn and lock their eyes onto him.

“Haha… I’m gonna kill you...” he growled under his breath as he shot a sheepish, nervous grin at everyone. His threat didn’t phase Nick, who continued despite Sans’s embarrassment, to point him out to everyone.

“Come on up, future Yes Man!” beckoned the tortoise. Sans grimaced and shook his head, he was flooded with humiliation. He really was going to murder Nick Creamer. No doubts about it. He was already planning where to dismember and bury his body.

“Uh… No thanks I’m just… auditing?” he called back. The crowd vocally cringed at him, some laughing and shaking their heads like they knew exactly what was about to happen. He couldn’t believe his luck, or rather lack of luck.

“You can’t audit life my friend, now get on up here!” Sans seethed through his teeth and gave the fucker a dismissive wave of his hand.

“Nah… No thanks, I'm good.” Let it go old man.

“I’m sorry, what was that you just said?” he asked. Sans gritted his teeth and shot Nick a withering glare. Nick merely smirked smugly at him, sealing his fate. He glanced back up at the dumb ass turtle and shook his head stubbornly.

“Uh… I’m good?” he grunted. We could play this game all night. It was clear though that Gerson wasn’t going to let this go.

“Before that.” Asshole. Fuck you Nick. You’re dead. You’re so dead. You’re already dead. The crowd all looked at him expectantly. He wanted to wipe their smug little grins off their faces. This was awful. This was worse than the entirety of middle school.

“Thank you…?” he said again. A few people rolled their eyes at him and he growled. Gerson shook his head and held up his hand as if trying to reach something intangible. This guy ain’t gonna let up.

“Back up just a little bit more…” Sans glared at him and ran his tongue along the edges of his fangs. Nick nudged him and he punched him in the shoulder hard. Nick winced and held his aching arm. Sans grunted, sinking under the pressure.

“...No—”

“—No man! No Man, No Man, NO MAN!” Sans shrunk into himself as the crowd yelled at him, wagging their fingers as they shamed him and only him.

“Ok! If the molehill won’t come to Gerson… Gerson will come to the molehill!” he exclaimed. Sans’s eyes widened as the old man took off in a sprint down the aisle right for him. His eye flared with shock as he stumbled back in his seat, Nick holding him in place. The only reason he hadn’t used his magic was for all the humans’ sakes.

Gerson stole a chair and turned it to face him, sitting down as a crew member handed him a microphone. Sans gulped.

“What’s your name?” He shoved the microphone into Sans’s face and he let out an annoyed grumble. No getting out of this now.

“Sans.”

“Let me guess Sans, someone talked you into coming here today didn’t they?” Sans rolled his head to look at Nick and he sighed. Yep it definitely looked like he’d have to do this. Fuuuuuuck!

“...Yes.” Everyone shouted YES at the top of their lungs and Sans rolled his eyes.

“And you’re not… sure about this are you?” Sans narrowed his eyes at Gerson as he weighed the options of his answer. It was just a yes or no question. He inwardly groaned. This sucked.

“No,” he grunted. Again, the audience shouted no man over and over, none more passionately than Nick, who was only digging himself into a deeper hole than he was already in. Sans shook his head with irritated bafflement at his predicament. He really should’ve stayed home. Gerson shrugged.

“You’re dead Sans,” he said bluntly, with a nonchalant shake of his head, “you say no to life and therefore you are not living.”

Sans’s skull grin faltered at the words.

“You make up excuses to the people around you, and to yourself. You’re trapped in the same dead end job you’ve been stuck in for years. You don’t have a significant other. You don’t have anything close to a significant other, and you lost the love of your life because they couldn’t be with someone who couldn’t live theirs…” Sans’s brow furrowed as he read him like a newspaper. ...Hittin’ a lil’ too close to home their bucko.

“And most nights you’re so bored and filled with ornery that… you can’t even summon up the enthusiasm necessary to masterbate.” Sans choked at the statement. He was right. Jesus I’m depressing.

“Am I right, Sans?” He shoved the microphone right against his skeletal nose and Sans avoided looking into his dark, glittering… piercing, green eyes. He had just read the contents of his soul… In front of everyone!

“Um… you uh, I mean I guess you could say I’m sans enthusiasm,” he murmured the shitty pun, trying as hard as possible to not let the microphone pick up the rumble of his voice, or allow the audience to hear his meager confession. Gerson gave a soft smirk. He glanced up as the old turtle pulled himself closer. Way too much closer. Sans scaled his chair to somehow escape him as he came right up to his nose.

“We’re gonna make a covenant Sans… do you want to make a covenant?” he whispered into the mic. Sans’s breath shook as he glanced down at the floor.

“Come on Sans!” shouted some random guy in the crowd. Sans grimaced and groaned softly as he tried to battle his thoughts.

“Uh—” Sans flinched as Gerson hit his head with the mic, the auditorium filling with feedback at the move.

“—The answer is yes, Sans.” The crowd screamed Yes.

“Yes!” he croaked. Nick screamed yes with fierce passion into Sans’s ear and Sans curled away from him.

“Yes!” This time with a bit more conviction. Nick was right. He… maybe he did need this. Gerson had been right about everything. He really was a sorry sack of shit. Would it really kill him to spice up his life like this?

The crowd screamed yes again and Sans let escape a soft whisper, pleading and desperate, partly for this whole ordeal to be over, but… mostly a sincere want to change.

Gerson’s piercing eyes locked onto his, his face solemn and sober.

“Once you leave this building… every time an opportunity presents itself…no matter what it is… you will say yes.” Another round of yes’s filled the hall, and this time Sans found himself embracing it. Afterwards he gave Gerson a nervous grimace and nodded.

“And what if I say, heh… the other word?” he asked, not willing to risk the chance of saying no and being yelled at again. Gerson narrowed his eyes at him.

“You’ll be breaking a promise to yourself… and when you break a promise to yourself… things can get a little dicey. What do you say, Sans… want to make that covenant?” God yes, if this is what it takes to make Papyrus… or, fuck, if this is what it takes to get out of my funk then…

“Yes.” YES!

“Yes!” YES! Gerson grabbed him by the face and dragged him out of his seat with such vigor, Sans gave a growl of surprise.

“MAKE ME BELIEVE IT!” he snarled as he shook Sans.

“Yes! Yes! YES!” he cried desperately, Gerson throwing him back down in Nick’s arms. Sans was shaking from the entire experience. What. The. Fuck… just happened to me?

Gerson turned back towards the stage and made his way through the crowd. He rose his fists into the air with a triumphant gleam in his eyes.

“YES!” he cheered, the audience practically screaming their inspired praise. Sans breathed shakily as he tried to regain his composure. A laugh escaped him as Nick pushed him back into his own seat. Slowly Sans began to clap. Guess you could say I’m a little shell shocked.

⁂

“Hey! There he is!” Sans glanced up at one of the men from the auditorium as he and Nick walked through the parking lot. The man’s wife smiled brightly at him.

“That was wonderful, so inspiring,” she said sweetly as they climbed into their car. Sans grinned and saluted them lazily. Nick chuckled as they came to his little blue car.

“So… you gonna do it?” he asked. Sans hummed in thought and shrugged.

“I… I don’t know. Maybe,” he said with a coy grin. Nick scrunched his nose at the answer and chuckled.

“That’s weird, I didn’t realize we stepped out of a maybe seminar,” he teased. Sans snickered and rolled his eyes as he turned away, coming face to face with an old homeless monster, his head cloaked with a black hood, nothing but bright white eyes peering back at him.

“You… are a reaper, tralala… yes?” asked the homeless monster. Sans swallowed and raised his brows, looking down at his skeletal hands.

“Uh, tch, yes,” he grunted. The hobo gave a small squeak of delight.

“Do you think you could use those fancy powers of yours, tralala, and take me to Ebbot City park?” he asked. Sans hummed his displeasure at the request and began to shake his head. He hadn’t gotten a lot of sleep last night, in fact, only around three hours and the closest thing he’d had to a meal all day was a hotdog from a street vendor. He only had enough energy really to get himself home and make a measly ramen noodle dinner for himself. Jesus Christ, I really am pathetic.

“Uh… liste—”

“—YEEESSSSS!” shouted Nick as he came sprinting to Sans’s side. Sans winced at the reminder of the stupid covenant.

“Sure he can! Right Sans?” asked Nick with a mischievous gleam in his eyes. Sans laughed wryly at him. Nick, do you want me to kill you? You have to say yes. He thought bitterly. He inwardly groaned and turned back to the homeless man. With a long sigh of resolve he shook his head yes.

“Uh, yeah. Sure. Why not?” he grumbled. Nick giggled gleefully, and the homeless monster shot him a puzzled look.

“Yes! You won’t regret this Sans!” Sans shot him a warning glare and chuckled bitterly as the hobo held out his dirty hand for him to take. Sans grimaced as he debated on taking his hand, the two dancing around each other awkwardly before Sans grabbed sternly onto his shoulder.

“Alright just… Ebbot City park right?” he asked. The man nodded and he sighed as smoke poured out of his sockets. He longed for the days people were scared shitless of reapers. They were all getting so comfy.

“Have fun!” called Nick as he walked back to his car. Sans shook his head as the red smoke surrounded them.

“Fuck off.”

⁂

The mist dissipated to reveal the gate leading into the park, big rod iron letters spelling Ebbot City Park. Sans grunted and turned away before the hobo cleared his throat and pointed inside.

“I need to go a little further in, tralala. It’s in the hiking range near the water, if you don’t mind tralala,” he said. Sans froze and glanced back at the hobo. He stifled his annoyed growl and plastered on the fakest smile he could.

“Of course… silly me.” Because nothing could be easy. He sighed as he clasped his hand onto the monster’s shoulders and shrouded them in red mist again. The hiking range was way deep in the park. He prayed to whatever dumbass god was listening to allow him to have the energy necessary to get him home.

When they arrived at the riverside, dark water lapping up at the shore, the hobo searched the water. A tired sigh exploded from Sans’s jaw and he shot the hobo a disgruntled look.

“Got any more requests or can I just leave ya here cause it doesn’t really matter… tralala…?” he grumbled. The hobo hummed his disapproval and glanced back at him with a sheepish sparkle in his bright, white eyes.

“I’m sorry man, but… it’s on the other side of the river, tralala” He said. Sans stared at him. Fuck you Nick, fuck you Nick, fuck you Nick. He mustered up enough decency to give the homeless monster a gracious smile and snatched his arm.

“Fine by me,” he growled as once again, his smoke surrounded them.

He stumbled and leaned against a tree as he took them to the other side of the river. There was a small encampment with a little canoe pulled up on the river bank. The hobo clapped his hands cheerfully before slowly turning to Sans.

“Thanks man for doing this, you know a lot of people would’ve just said no, tralala… although I have been getting a lot of luck lately outside of that hotel,” he said. Sans chuckled wrly and shook his head.

“Hey man it’s… it’s no problem,” he grunted as he wiped his hand on his jeans.

“Um… you wouldn’t mind if… do you think you could spare a couple bucks, tralala?” he asked. Sans’s eye socket twitched before he chuckled aridly and yanked out his wallet.

“You know what? I’ve come this far,” he hissed as he leafed through some of his on hand cash. “Yes you can… tralala,” he said with a gracious smile.

The hobo glanced at his stack of cash and chuckled, shaking his head and pointing to it.

“You’ve got a whole lot there, tralala, can I have it all?” he joked. Sans’s eyes snuffed out, abyssal black holes filled with rage. These assholes keep testing me. The riverman hobo let out a jolly laugh and Sans laughed mockingly along before holding out the whole stack.

“Sure,” he hissed as he held out the stack of cash. The hobo laughed nervously, his eyes widening at the generous gesture. He hesitantly reached for it and clasped it in his hand. For a second, they both pulled on the money, Sans’s grip a cold dead grip on his hard earned money. However, the hobo eventually won that game of tug-o-war.

He held up the bundle to him as Sans glared across at him.

“Angel bless you, tralala,” he breathed with genuine gratitude. Sans waved him off as the hobo got into his canoe and pulled a raggedy blanket over his head. He scoffed and walked along the river path as he tried to summon his magic. A curl of red mist fluttered around him, but he was exhausted and he had reached a depletion in magic. He panted and leaned against a tree trunk.

“Come on man!” he snarled. He tried again only for his eye to flare like a sputtering candle and he stumbled back. He gritted his teeth and growled low under his breath.

“Great” he spat. He dug through his pockets for his phone. He’d have to call an Uber or something once he made it out of the park. A reaper in an Uber. What was the world coming to?

As he glanced down his eyes widened when he realized his battery was at one percent. He had forgotten to charge it before he left, banking on just charging it at the seminar.

“Oh no, no, no!” he gasped, just as it decided to shut down. His fists clenched and he rummaged through his jacket pockets. Yes, he had his charger, thank God. Ok then… new plan… walk to a gas station, charge my phone, get somethin’ to eat and call an Uber. He would’ve called Papyrus, but where they stood right now… he knew his brother would rather not deal with him. He was on his own.

“Heh… perfect.”

⁂

“Hey Sans, do you wanna give away all your cash to a homeless guy? Why yes. Yes I do,” he growled to himself as he marched over the empty bridge across the river. He couldn’t fucking believe he was in this situation.

“How about expending all the rest of your energy teleporting him around a six hundred acre park? You know what? That sounds like a fucking great idea!” he shouted into the indifferent night.

Assholes. All of them. Weird culty assholes. How could anything good ever come out of this? He’d probably get jumped, and with no magic to defend himself… Ugh! He read the directions to get out of the hiking trail and sighed as he found himself running along a thin dirt path. Fuck this Park. Fuck that homeless guy. Fuck Nick. Fuck the covenant!

“Let’s just take a late night stroll through the hills and get killed by a murder cult! Don’t mind if I do!”

It took hours. Literal hours. He was winded… and sweaty and exhausted! His legs felt like jelly by the time he was practically crawling up to the closest gas station. He threw the door open, eyes black as a starless night as he locked the cashier in his gaze. He held up his phone as he caught his breath and bared his fangs.

“Charging port. Where is it?” he snarled. The tired teenager squeaked with fear, that’s more like it, and pointed outside. He groaned and stomped back out to find the port. As he bent down to plug his charger in, the rev of an engine filled the air.

A vespa pulled into the gas station and parked at the front near the building. He glanced up as the rider slid off of their ride and spared him a curious look while they took off their helmet. It was a rather stupid sight. A large skeleton monster hunched over a little outlet with his stupid little cell phone. Might as well join the circus while he was at it.

To make matters worse, they were a human woman. A rather cute one at that and he looked like a fucking idiot.

They smiled awkwardly at each other and she stepped inside. He gave a small sigh and turned back to his phone to check if it was charging. Now with one percent battery life and still charging, he gave a small breath of relief and tried to force it to turn on. He shook his head as frustration flooded him. He couldn’t believe this.

“Do you wanna call an uber for the first time in your stupid ass life and sit in some smelly guy’s car as he forces you to talk to him about your fucking day while Nickleback plays just a little too loud? Oh could I? Could I really?—” He froze when the flash of a camera lit his vision and he jerked up.

The woman looked down at her cute polaroid camera as it printed the picture she had just taken. People still used those? She giggled quietly to herself and glanced back up at him with a coy smirk.

“That’s a good look,” she said as she waved the picture in the air. He narrowed his eyes as he studied her. She was small… short brown hair that framed her round, bronzen face and… her eyes were big and brown. Ugh, just my luck that I would look like a complete dumbass in front of such a pretty girl!

“Did you just… take my picture?” he asked, pointing to the photo in her hand. Her smirk widened and she bit her lip as she unscrewed a water bottle. He watched as she took a sip before turning her attention back to him with a sigh.

“Maybe… Did you run out of battery?” she asked. He chuckled wrly and glanced down at his phone. He glanced back up at her through narrowed eyes, running his tongue along the top of his fangs.

“Maybe…” he murmured. She grinned and shook her head.

“That sucks. That happened to me last week,” she said as she grinned down at the picture before pocketing it. He rolled his eyes to the heavens.

“Was it because you forgot to charge it and then had to keep teleporting a homeless guy all around a park because no matter where you took him it just didn’t feel enough like home… which depleted all your magic and left you stranded with an empty battery so you couldn’t call a driver?” he asked. She snorted with laughter and leaned against the wall, head tilted with tender curiosity.

“Um… no… but I take it that… that’s what happened to you?” she asked with a giggle. His grin widened and he shrugged innocently.

“Nope. What would make you assume that?” They laughed quietly as he looked down at his phone. Four percent. He glanced back up at her as she continued to drink her water. Why was someone like her talking to someone like him? Not that he was complaining… after all she was super cute.

“He kept making you teleport him around a park?” she asked. Sans grunted and nodded at the ridiculous truth.

“Yeah, uh, apparently he was the most demanding homeless man on the planet. Wasn’t letting anyone walk all over him. He was keeping his sense of dignity… It was good to see,” he said with a teasing grin. She laughed with him, her nose wrinkling sweetly as she tried to understand his current predicament. He chuckled along and held open his arms with a welcoming grin. “I’m just glad to be a part of it really…”

Her smile grew on her face. “Yeah that must feel good,” she said with a firm nod.

They shared a lingering gaze before he cleared his throat and turned back to his phone. “Truly, yeah… oh and I’m getting some exercise… which is cool,” he mumbled as he glared at the Uber app in the app store. Was he really gonna have to download this and make an account and everything? Tonight was gonna be a long night…

“Well… do you need a ride?” she asked, gesturing to her scooter. Is she for real? He looked over her shoulder at the little vespa and swallowed his nerves. Would he even fit on that?

“Uh… on that thing?” He asked nervously. She quirked a perfect brow at him as she sauntered back to her scooter and handed him her helmet. No fucking way. Well… Yes is the only option you have…

⁂

They sped through the street, weaving in and out of traffic, Sans’s arms awkwardly wrapped around her slender waist. The rev of the vespa engine and the slap of wind in his face was exhilarating. This was probably the first time in a long time he had felt like he was alive… and maybe that was because at any moment they could go flying to their certain death.

“Am I going too fast for you, faucheuse drôle?” she shouted over the wind. He laughed nervously and leaned his chin over her shoulder.

“Nah, in fact I think you should go faster… that way if we crash at least I’ll die.” She barked with laughter at his quips and he chuckled along. “I just don’t want to be kept alive artificially, ya know?” They laughed together as they drove.

She turned into a street with a little less traffic and slowly raised her polaroid into the air. His grin faltered as she straightened and smiled into the camera lens.

“Wait, what are you doing?” She laughed cheerfully and leaned against him.

“I’m taking our picture! Sourire!” she said as the camera flashed. He groaned as the flash cut through his vision.

“Oh God, are you trynna blind me? Can’t see shit,” he said, but he couldn’t help but chuckle. She gave an easy laugh and shook her hair in the wind.

“Me neither! Isn’t it great!?” she exclaimed as she swerved through traffic and down another road as he shouted in terror. Is she crazy!? Yeah, he was definitely not a vehicle kind of guy.

When he realized that, yes, they were still alive, he allowed himself to grin and hug her a little tighter. This was… kind of fun. She was really fun! He was having such a great time! To think all it took was an awful trip through the park.

They laughed together as she drove the rest of the way to his apartment complex.

They stopped a little ways down the street and the woman dismounted, kicking her stand out to lean the scooter on. He stalled as he glanced up at the building, then back at her. She glanced at him as she ran a hand through her short, windswept hair. They stood in silence, studying each other with gentle curiosity.

He cleared his throat and scratched the back of his skull. “So uh… thanks for uh, doin’ that. Ya didn’t have to really,” he said as he tried to avoid her gaze. She smiled sweetly at him and began to walk, Sans stupidly following behind her to his own apartment complex.

“No problem, maybe the color will return to your face sometime… or not, considering you’re a skeleton.” He laughed at her joke and nodded along.

“Well I hope you feel powerful because you’re the only person who’s made me scream like a little baby,” he said with a bashful grin. She scoffed with teasing laughter and winked at him. She was so pretty… How had he gotten this lucky?

“Je le porterai comme un badge d'honneur… Can I have my helmet back now?” she asked as she pointed at his skull. He glanced up and chuckled with quiet embarrassment. He pointed at it and grinned.

“I’m still wearing it, aren’t I,” he murmured. She gave a sleepy laugh and nodded. He sighed in mock sorrow as he took it off and handed it back to her. As she reached for it, he lifted his hand out of her reach and she whined playfully. He laughed and tossed it to her, her fumbling it a bit before pulling it to her chest. They giggled together.

As they came to the gate to the complex she faltered and shoved her hands in her coat pockets. She swayed on her heels and smiled.

“So… are you gonna be ok?” she asked. He grinned and leaned against the gate as he eyed her. Well now that I’ve met you…may the angel bless me indeed.

“Yeah! Yeah I’m great… unless you wanna stick around and makeout,” he murmured under his breath. Her big, brown eyes perked up at the words and he inwardly kicked himself. No I did not just say that out loud. I don’t even know her name!

“What?” she asked, eyes wide. Oh shit, I totally fucked that. Stupid, idiot, asshole!

“Wha- What did you say?” he stammered. She narrowed her eyes and advanced on him with aggressive finality. He held up his hands as he feared maybe pepper spray, or a taser if she was one of those girls.

“Hey listen, I wasn’t bein—” She grabbed his jacket and pulled him down, pressing her lips to his fangs in a forceful kiss. He froze up. That had been the last thing he had been expecting. She pulled away… too soon… and stared up at him. A shocked silence fell over both of them.

“... Have a good night,” she said as she gave him a firm pat on the chest. His eyes followed her as she sauntered back to her vespa. She swung her leg over and revved the little engine before taking off down the street. He watched her go and looked down at his chest, where his hands were clutching a… a photograph. His grin softened. The two of them on her scooter. He actually looked happy…

He glanced back down the street where she had driven off and smiled to himself, tucking the photo into his jacket pocket.

“Yes…” he murmured thoughtfully, a skip in his step as he made his way back to his room. Yes always leads to something good… Thank you Nick.

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snapsicle · 5 years ago

Text

Chalk Flu- Chapter 1

heya! finally finished chapter 1- it’s a semi-long one, just a warning!

chapter summary: Snap comes down with a strange illness, and Rudy and Penny need to find the cure. They visit a library to try and find out more.

TW: Illness, death mention, gross-out, germs, bugs/insects.

the whole 5 pages are underneath the cut!

It was a sunny afternoon in Chalkzone, like it always was, the sun’s many triangular points rotating around it in a rhythmic pattern, shining warm beams of sun onto the ‘zoners below it. Snap was busy sunbathing, underneath a tree, sighing, sipping on a halved coconut full of water.

“Ah, this is the life, ain’t it?” He reclined. “What a lovely day.” Under his breath, he hoped he didn’t jinx it.

Today was the day Rudy was going to visit chalkzone for the first time in 2 weeks- he was really busy with his studies, considering he was a freshman in middle school, it was a little bit of a heavier workload than he was used to. It had been another 2 years, Rudy was 12 now, a 7th grader- the youngest in his class, with a summer birthday. Snap usually waited around the portal, but he almost had a 6th sense of when it was going to open. He recalled that Penny was probably coming too.

Snap reclined further, almost laying down now. He sighed loudly as if Rudy could hear him getting annoyed. Rudy was coming to chalkzone less and less now, and it was becoming more apparent- this drove Snap up a wall. His train of thought was interrupted though, suddenly, when he felt something crawling up his leg. He attempted to brush it off, but it seemed to cling. This is when he stopped to look at it. It was a weird little green germ, and Snap wrinkled his nose.

“Hey! Get offa me!” He said, attempting to swipe the little circular green amoeba off his leg. It stuck to his glove. “Wha- You don’t know when to quit, do ya?”

Before he knew it, the green thing had jumped on his face. This is when Snap really began to panic. He yelped in surprise and started slapping at his face in a desperate attempt to kill the tiny ‘zoner, and winced as it crawled into his mouth, almost gagging. He attempted to cough it up, but he was sure he’d swallowed it, and he stuck his tongue out. “BLEGH, that’s DISGUSTING!” He cried, and made exaggerated choking and gagging noises.

“Gee, I hope that thing doesn’t make me sick.” Snap shuddered. “I’m getting a little tired of things wanting to eat me and things wanting ME to eat THEM.” Snap had lost his appetite.

That’s when Rudy and Penny both opened the portal. Snap saw the familiar sparkling of the magic chalk in the distance, and he hopped up onto his feet, watching Rudy and Penny jump in through the magical gateway. He smiled to greet them.

“Heya bucko, buckette, how’s life?” Snap said. “Long time no see, amiright?”

“Haha, yup, life’s good alright!” Rudy said, scratching the back of his head. “Sorry I haven’t been here awhile. You know I’ve been really busy with work, and stuff.”

“Nah, don’t even worry about it, Rudy!” Snap said. “You’re here now, and that’s what matters!” and with that, Snap felt a tingling in his nose. He drew back, and sneezed- a loud “ACHOO!” that blew him to the ground. He wiped his nose. “Oy coloy, I hope this ain't the start of somethin’.” Snap smiled weakly and Rudy helped him to his feet.

“Alrighty! What did you fellas wanna do today?” Penny said. “We could visit the candy cane forest, or go to the Globetheater, or River Rafting, or sledding, or catch a show in nightzone, or-” Penny paused. “Wait.. Snap, there's something on your face.”

“Wait, really? What is it?” Snap said, wiping at his cheeks.

“It looks like a purple pepperoni.” Penny commented.

“Yeah Snap, on the left side of your face-” Rudy said. “Right about here.” He pointed to his left cheek right below the eye.

“What?? It’s not comin’ off!” Snap cried. “Ugh,” Snap’s train of thought was interrupted with another sneeze. Pop! Another purple spot appeared, this time on his stomach. Pop! Pop! Pop! More purple spots started appearing all over Snap’s body!

“Wh-wh-wha??” Snap said. “AAACHOOO!!” He said, and this sneeze almost knocked him out.

Penny and Rudy winced. “Penny, what should we do?” Rudy said, cringing.

“He’s clearly sick with some kind of chalkzone-specific disease.” Penny said calmly.

“So much for our play-date,” Rudy said flatly.

“THIS- ACHOO- Isn’t- ACHOO- FUNNY!- AAACHOO!” Snap said, wiping his nose. “I think it was that stupid little bug i swallowed earlier- ACHOO!”

“Bug?” Penny said. “You swallowed a bug?”

“Not exactly a bug-” Snap said, and his train of thought was interrupted by his chalk-white face turning a brilliant shade of green. “Wha…. Anyway, It was this little, teeny tiny germ-lookin’ thing.” Snap said, sniffling. “Did it get suddenly colder in here, or is it just me?”

“Patient 0,” Penny said.

“Patient 0?” Rudy repeated questioningly.

“I’ve seen it in all kinds of plague movies! He’s the first one to get the disease. They call that Patient 0,” Penny explained.

“Something about this doesn’t feel so good,” Rudy said. “It’s like the inflatermaus all over again.”

“C’mon Snap, let’s get you home.” Penny said, scooping him up and carrying him over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

“Are you sure you should be…. Touching him?” Rudy said.

“Don’t worry Rudy,” Penny said. “We’re human! Snap is chalk, and so is the disease, I’m assuming. We can’t be affected by it.”

“Oh yeah. Almost forgot.” Rudy said.

Snap’s house was a ways away, but Rudy and Penny had no trouble getting him there, although Snap was making dramatic, exaggerated groaning noises the whole time Penny and Rudy hauled him all the way to his house, all the while rolling their eyes. Once they got to the door, Rudy located the key underneath the doormat, and opened up the door, greeted with the smell of pot roast and Blocky sitting on the couch and reading a comic book. With the sound of the opening door, he looked up and put down his comic.

“Hey Penny, Hey Rudy! Hey Sn-- Snap?“ He looked a little concerned. “What's going on?? Is Snap alright??“

Snap weakly waved his arm up at Blocky. “I'm fine, don't worry about little ol- ACHOO- me… uahahhh..“

“Yeah, he's sick.” Rudy said flatly.

“We need you to temporarily take care of him while we figure out what to do.“ Penny added. “But! Be very careful, because you can catch his disease as well!“

“Ah! Poor baby,“ Blocky said. “Snap has been sick before, and I took really good care of him. I promise I'll take care of him and be real, real careful, and nurse him back to health!“

“Thank you Blocky.“ Penny responded. “We really appreciate your help.“

Penny set Snap down on the carpet and Snap sneezed and knocked himself to the ground. Blocky walked up and scooped him into his arms, holding him as if he were a baby.

“We seriously cannot thank you enough for taking care of him while we go figure out what to do,“ Rudy added. “Make sure to not leave your house or let Snap leave unless you ABSOLUTELY need to!“

Blocky nodded. “Can do! I'm gonna go take this poor sick little thing to his bed,“

Snap groaned.

With one last nod, Rudy and Penny left the house, and started aimlessly wandering away from the little cottage. “At least we know he's in good hands,“ Rudy said, giggling slightly. “So. What do you think we should do now? What is there to do?“

“We obviously can't just ignore it and mess around,“ Penny said. “Out of all the chalkzone diseases i've researched i've never seen ANYTHING like this. We have no idea what it can do to a zoner!”

“Agreed,“ Rudy said. “It could be highly infectious and debilitating, or worse-“ Rudy gulped.

“I think I know just the place to get some research done.“ Penny responded.

“Are you thinking what I'm thinking?“ Rudy raised one eyebrow.

“Hug Bugs library?“ Penny said.

“Lead the way!“ Rudy said, bowing and gesturing towards the direction of the distant library.

“Lets go!“ And so they began their journey towards the massive, looming library in the distance.

The walk wasn't unpleasant- nor was it particularly fun, there was interesting sights to see and many distinctive landmarks that led them straight to the giant, rotting building filled with everything from shiny new books to ancient tomes. The building almost didn't look like a library, it was almost like a Victorian castle, with twisted spires covered in moss and vines and amazing curved and spiked architecture, looming what seemed like miles above the two small kids.

“There it is...“ Rudy said.

“I've seen it before, is the thing, but it never fails to blow me away,“ Penny said. “An amazing display of chalkzone architectural prowess.“

“A display it is, indeed.“ Rudy said. “Lets go inside.“

They walked through the massive swinging doors decorated with strange engraved knocker gargoyles. When they came in, the inside was just as spectacular as the outside- and there were many little caterpillar zoners running around, moving books from place to place, scuttling almost as if they don't even notice anyone else. In addition to that, there were many larger zoners browzing books, some reading, others talking quietly over coffee, and Rudy and Penny honestly didn't know where to start. The ceilings were high and stacked all the way up with books. There were little bug-assistants that could crawl up and fetch one for you, but there was also massive cream-colored ladders leading up to each section, which you could theoretically climb to find the book you need- and it was all neatly organized using the dewey decimal system.

“Woah...“ Rudy said. “You know what we need to do now.“

“Find Hug Bug. Agreed,“ Penny added. “There's no way we can comb through all this information all by ourselves and still have time to spare.“

“That means we have to go into the more… secret sections of the library. The other librarians won't like that,“ Rudy said.

“I'm not too excited about it either. If we get stopped, we do have an excuse.“ Penny said.

Behind one of the bookshelves is a gap barely big enough for one of Hug Bugs body segments to squeeze through- and a secret door on the inside. It wasn't strictly forbidden to go inside- but not many zoners knew about it. Behind the door is where the REAL powerful books are. Books about necromancy, spells, hexes, curses- and age-old secret family recipes. Rudy and Penny silently slipped behind the bookshelf, and creeped through the massive, heavy doorway, making a quiet scraping sound, but that's about it. Immediately, they felt a soft breeze as the candles alongside the walkways illuminated instantly.

“Gee, I forgot how creepy it is here.” Penny said.

The caterpillars scuttling across the floors and walls all turned to stare at them menacingly. Like they were judging their every move, ready to forcefully throw them out.

“We come in peace,” Rudy said weakly. “We’re looking for Hug Bug?” He spoke, and with that, the little caterpillars began chattering amongst each other quickly and quietly.

“I’ve got a bad feeling about this.” Rudy muttered, as if the caterpillars could hear him.

After a couple seconds, the chattering turned into soft giggling, and then into uproarious laughter. All of the sudden, in the ancient, empty hall, Rudy felt a presence behind him.

Rudy jumped and yelped when he felt something soft and twice his size embrace him tightly, suddenly, almost choking him. After a few seconds, he realized who it was.

“Hug Bug!” Penny and Rudy cried in almost perfect unison. And Hug Bug released Rudy, and he stumbled to his feet.

“Well well well well well, look who it is!” Hug Bug drawled, “Great creator Rudy, and his genius girlfriend!”

“Well- She’s not really my-”

“What are you two doing in my woooonderful library?” Hug Bug said, his voice deep and cartoonishly slow. Hug Bug himself was like a giant, multicolored version of his little caterpillar assistants, little book-sized pouches on the front of his many body segments, and a little bell attached to a silk ribbon tied around his neck. The bell rang sometimes, sure, but somehow, when he was sneaking up on you, you never heard it until the last second, and then it’s too late, and you’re smothered in giant plush bug cuddles! Truly a stealth predator.

“You see, Hug Bug, Our friend Snap-” Penny said, and was cut off by the massive insect,

“OH, Snap! I looooove Snap. He’s one of my favorite guests.”

“Ahem. As I was saying, Our friend Snap, he’s in some deep trouble,” Penny explained. “You see, he’s sick, and he has a disease that i’ve never even seen before.”

“Yeees, of course- a disease- and you neeeed my help to find a cuuuure…” Hug Bug rested his face on his hands. “What a predicament…”

“Well, actually, we were just wondering if you could point us in the direction of any books that might hold the secret to this strange disease.” Rudy said bashfully.

“Hmm… What are the symptoms…?” Hug Bug spoke.

“Well, Snap claims he swallowed a little green germ, and then he started sneezing, got covered in purple spots-” Penny continued.

“And he turned green!” Rudy finished her sentence.

“Ohhhh, that doesn’t sound the slightest bit familiar to me…” Hug Bug seemed concerned now. “I think I have a book that might interest you, though…” He said, suddenly scuttling up the wall at inhuman speeds, pulling on a book at one of the highest, strangest-looking shelves in the secret room, and all the little caterpillars seemed to gasp when he did so. After he pulled on the book though, strangely, he just let go of it, and it slid back into place. Could it have been a secret lever? A strange shifting and scraping sound confirmed their suspicions.

A pedestal slowly came up from below the floorboards, revealing a small, dusty, odd-looking bookshelf that wasn’t there before. One of the books, though, stood out, as it was resting on the top, and the cover was green and covered in purple spots- the title was “CHALKZONE PLAGUES” in a blocky, black font scrawled across the entire front cover.

“I think this might help youuu…” Hug Bug scuttled back down quickly, and handed them the book after dusting it off with one of his mitten-like hands.

“Uhh… Plagues?” Rudy gulped.

“I’ve got a real, real bad feeling about this, Rudy.” Penny said. “Let’s see what we can find. Thank you so much, Hug Bug,” Penny continued, and was forcefully scooped up into a big, warm hug.

“Take care you twooooo! Hope my books find a way to help you… You can come back anytime... And make sure to invite me to the wedding...” Hug Bug giggled, and scuttled off to take care of other business.

Penny and Rudy laughed nervously and rolled their eyes.

“Ahem. Anyway, let’s see what we can find-” Penny opened to the table of contents.

“Hmm. Topical diseases, infections, transformation-type diseases- plagues,” Penny read. “I really don’t know where to start.”

“It’s just one book, that hopefully has the answer we need,” Rudy said. “We just need to try and track down the type of disease he has. First. Let’s check in plagues,”

Penny flipped to a seemingly random page- “no,” She mumbled.

“What about this?” Rudy flipped to another page, and found a graphic that looked almost identical to what Snap’s symptoms looked like. They both gasped.

“It says here- This disease- Dubbed simply “Chalk Flu”, is brought upon by swallowing a small germ-” Penny read, “And the only cure is the Chameleon Lotus Tea, found only in Barney’s impenetrable forest!” Penny read further, “And if left untreated… Victims will…” Penny winced. “So this is pretty serious.” Rudy said, cringing. “Looks like we need to take a visit to our favorite Encyclocentipedia.”

“He won’t be happy to see us, that’s for sure.” Penny said. “Last time we were there, it wasn’t exactly a relaxing experience.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll try our best not to rope him into anything this time… And he owes me one.” Rudy responded.

“Alrighty. That settles it. Before we go, we better check on Snap and Blocky,” Penny said. “Make sure nothing has happened. Then we go.”

“Agreed. Gotta make sure it doesn’t spread to anyone else.” Rudy responded. “I sure hope he’s okay…”

#chalkzone #my writing #fanfiction

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water-writings · 5 years ago

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11/11/11

I was tagged by @demidemonwrites and @ezwriting. Thanks you guys and sorry this took so long to write!

I know I will be breaking the rules to some extent, but I will be answering both their sets of 11 questions here. I don’t have exactly 11 people to tag, let alone 22 at the moment haha. Sorry!

Demidemonwrites’ questions!

1) Least favorite writing trope?

I’m going to be honest, I’m not entire sure. I’ve never thought of this before. I actually went through a couple forums where people are telling their least favorite tropes to see if anything struck with me. Honestly, I couldn’t find anything. Maybe I haven’t read a lot to know what I don’t like or if I’m just not that picky. I guess if things are written well I’ll be down with anything.

I guess if I had to pick one, it would have to be “the good guy is actually the villain” trope. With Frozen I remember when I first sat down in the theater and thinking “Haha what if Hans was the villain” and then BOOM I was right. There was some other movie I watched where I called one of the good guys being the villain, but I can’t remember what it was.

2) Which of your characters are underdeveloped but you want to develope more?

My current new character for My Hero Academia, Yuriko Umeda. She’s the first character since my Marvel character, Tracey Madison, that I’m super excited to work on and write for!

3) Do you prefer writing stories or worldbuilding?

I prefer writing stories. I’ve mostly written fanfiction and gone off of worlds from fandoms. But I have recently been practicing worldbuilding by attempting to add onto the already existing worlds. I have an original story in the works, but I haven’t touched it in nearly four years. It’s there, but I’m struggling with it. Maybe one day I’ll finally figure it out. But yes, I like writing stories more so than worldbuilding at the moment.

4) Where do you do most of your writing? (In bed, at a desk, ect...)

Literally anywhere. I write on my computer and on my phone on Google Docs so writing is portable for me. I do tend to write more on my bed or on a couch. I guess somewhere where I’m comfy.

5) If you have multiple ocs, what do you do to keep all their info organized?

Hahahaha I don’t. I’m pretty sure there have been times where I created a character in my head, came back to them months or even years later and forgot what their name was. I used to write a list of characters I created (even ones that I didn’t have stories for) back in high school, but now I don’t. I guess I just remember characters I really like. If I write for them I remember them of course, but if they are characters I have in my head and create a story for them then I tend to remember those characters. Although, I probably should start keeping them organized somehow.

6) Do you write your ideas down or are they mostly in your head?

Both. I tend to come up with ideas in my head (as everyone does haha) and when I have time I write them down on my notes section of my google doc for the story. But I also have ideas written down and in my head. Small ideas come to mind every now and then that I forget about that pop back up or they are minor details that I’ll write in as I write the story.

7) What is your character(s) favorite food?

Yuriko’s favorite food is omu rice.

Tracey’s is Hawaiin pizza.

Barry’s would be fried rice.

Aria’s is cookies.

Wes likes pretzels. Crunchy or soft he loves them.

Lyra’s is meatloaf.

I haven’t thought of Barry’s, Wes’, or Lyra’s before but those popped in my head. It might change, not sure haha.

There are probably other characters that I can’t think of at the moment or characters that I haven’t written for in forever that I just omitted from this list. These are my recent projects.

8) Out of all your character, which has the best story arc?

I guess Tracey? She’s the character who I actually write a complete story for instead of abandoning it. To this day I’m not sure how I did it, but I did. I have four stories completed in the series with her in it. The second one I liked, but looking back on it there’s some stuff I’d like to change in it. But I also think with that story I was able to develop her character more after that.

9) Do you prefer heroes, villains, or anti-heroes?

D. All of the above. I like characters who are well written. Even if its a villain I will like their character.

10) What character have you had the longest?

My longest character would be from my very first fanfic ever, but I don’t want people looking into that one hahaha! Out of my recent characters its definitely Tracey and Barry.

11) Favorite villian trope?

This was another thing that I’ve never thought about before and once again I looked into lists of villain tropes. I think I like bad just to be bad. One of my favorite villains is Joker and he’s evil just because. Another trope (if you count it as a trope or personality) is crazy. Harley Quinn, Junko Enoshima, and Himiko Toga are happy crazy and I don’t know why, but I love characters like that.

Ezwriting’s questions!

1. Do you listen to anything while you write? Music, television, white noise, etc.

I tend to have something on in the background, whether it’s music, TV, or YouTube. I just like to have background noise. I do like to use music to picture scenes for stories. There’s been times where I’m listening to a song randomly one day and I just picture a new scene that has that song playing as background music and I just add it to a story.

2. Can you describe your favorite character? Either yours or a beloved favorite from a book or any other media – I’d just love to hear about them.

Tracey and Barry are my MCU OCs. They are the Madison twins and they’ve been with me since I was a freshman in college. So about six years or so. That may have given away my age who knows lol.

Barry worked with SHIELD and was picked up right out of high school. Tracey didn’t know what he did until the Battle of New York where she basically interrogated him on his uniform. Tracey is a hacker. She majored in Computer Science (even though I know absolutely nothing about it) and she has been playing with computers since she was a kid. She had an interest in them.

Pepper was a friend of their mom’s so that’s how they met Tony and then the Avengers through Tony. Everything just falls into place or goes down hill from there!

I’ve worked so much on them that they have become my favorites. But at this point, I’m taking a hard hiatus on them and focusing on other characters.

3. When you write, do you have any particular requirements before you can start? (Have to be a specific somewhere, need music, etc.)

Nope! If I end up writing, I’m lucky. I have the worst attention span and lack of inspiration at times that the moment I sit down and try and write I end up watching the most random videos on YouTube or scroll through Tumblr. It’s bad haha.

4. Do you prefer to be hot or cool when writing? Do you snuggle up with blankets or have fans running, or are you somewhere in - between?

I’m in between. It depends on the day. Like right now I’m fine sitting on my couch in some comfy shorts and a shirt and write. But some times my legs might get cold and I’ll lay a blanket on them. But that’s usually if it’s cold out. I’m in between.

5. What kind of writing ‘quirks’ do you have?

None. I literally sit and write. I usually have background noises I mentioned in the first question (sometimes, very rarely, will I write in silence). I might have a cup of tea or a snack, but other than those I don’t think I have any writing quirks.

6. What is your favorite book or book series?

Harry Potter, Peter and the Star Catchers, and The Truth About Forever.

7. Is there anyone who inspires your writing?

@pen-in-hand @apocalyvse They’re writing is amazing!!

8. What first got you started in writing?

I honestly can’t even remember. I think it was this anime that’s my favorite called D Gray Man. A friend got me into it late 8th grade early freshman year of high school and I loved it. I was also a major major dork back then (probably still am but not as much) and had a crush on one of the characters that I wanted to create my own to add into the story. I think one of my friends told me about ff.net and I picked up a notebook and pen and started writing.

I do remember a couple times in elementary school where I had to write short stories. One I think I still have in my junk somewhere that was about a dog wanting to be a sled dog and the other was I had to write how the Oregon Trail was made. That one I don’t have, but I think I remember I wrote about how a girl ran into a goblin in a forest and had some competition with him over something. She ended up using this basket she had and used it to create the trail.

Elementary school Mel was wild. I don’t even know how I remember that Oregon Trail one. Star Kid pick up my story and make a prequel to Trail to Oregon.

9. What would you suggest to new writers?

Just write. Even if you think it’s bad, just write and post it. Someone is going to love it. You are also your worst critic. I look back at my first fanfic and CRINGE when I think about it. But I have reviews on it. I also look back on it and realize that I have improved so much since then. You improve as you write and you can only go up. If you enjoy it, keep writing.

10. Do you prefer to write first, second or third person?

Third person for sure!

11. How do deadlines affect your writing? Do they hinder or help you?

I don’t set deadlines for myself. Unless I’m writing something for a holiday or as a present to someone. I don’t do deadlines, but I think it would either help or hinder me. It would help me sit down and write, but I also think - knowing me - that I’d procrastinate and then rush to meet the deadline. Rushing would then result in my worst work I think. Maybe. But I just don’t do deadlines. I post when I want to.

My questions

1. Do you write fanfictions or original stories and did you ever write fanfiction?

2. Did you ever write your stories in the middle of class instead of paying attention?

3. How many notebooks do you have filled with your writing?

4. What’s your favorite way to write? Notebook, Word Doc, Google Docs?

5. Do you write by yourself or do you need people writing with you?

6. Have you ever cowritten with someone?

7. Who do you bounce ideas off of?

8. Have you ever taken an experience from your life and written it into a story?

9. Favorite type of music to listen to while you write.

10. Have you ever had anyone give you “advice” that hurt you and prevented you from writing for a while?

11. Have you ever had fans of your writing pester to write a certain way?

I tag @pen-in-hand @apocalyvse @starsandstormyseas @loopally @morganwriteblr @writing-and-nutmeg @luciandra-writing @nightwingshero @scouthearted @invernessie41 @odpadkywriter @alalawrites

I did 12 instead of 11 since I had two sets of questions haha!

#ask me things #tag game #mel writes #writeblr #my ocs #my stories #wow this was a long post but a lot of fun!!

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realphan · 7 years ago

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kevaaron coffee shop au

this is a 2.2k fic for @some-sort-of-firefly for the @aftgexchange , I really hope you like it!

Starbucks had never been the most exciting building. The brown walls reflected the boredom (and often frustration) in the brains of the baristas while the too-bright lights were reminiscent of the naïve customers with their double soya low-fat caramel mocha lattes. It was certainly the most boring place that Kevin Day had ever been and he was a history major who had once visited a wheel museum which he had to write a 10-sided essay on.

Kevin had once been a bright star - a face roughly 10% of the country would recognise – and was supposed to become a professional baseball player. However, his family lost all of their money in a stupid investment when he was seventeen and they essentially dropped off the face of the earth, Kevin losing all chances of fame and stardom.

Day-in and day-out, Kevin now made coffees for arrogant businessmen and giggly schoolgirls. Today was a particularly rough day, he had been finding it hard to concentrate and had already messed up the order of one particularly pretentious man in a brown suit. As if he wasn’t already in a bad enough mood, he looked up at the next customer and had to hold in the sigh threatening to burst out. An incredibly short man stood in front of him, blonde hair sticking up all over the place, with the largest scowl where a smile should have been. He practically spat out his order and Kevin almost forgot to ask his name.

“Aaron,” he growled. Kevin was in no mood to deal with this Aaron so he turned away to make the black coffee that matched both the man’s mood and fashion sense.

A thought struck Kevin as he heard Aaron tapping impatiently on the counter. Why should he care about this man who obviously thinks he is superior? Before he could change his mind and think better of it, he put the plastic lid on top of the takeaway cup and scrawled ‘Erin’ on the side. What it would prove, Kevin didn’t know, but he felt satisfied when Aaron raised the cup and turned to glare at him. “What the fuck?” he asked, but Kevin just turned to the next customer as Aaron stormed out.

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

The sun glared through the windows of the coffee shop. Kevin didn’t know if there was any worse way to be spending the end of summer.

Kevin didn’t even try to conceal his groan when the asshole from the previous day walked in. Today, however, his frown had been replaced with a blank look. Couldn’t be worse than yesterday, Kevin thought.

Aaron ordered the same drink and Kevin made it perfectly again. All was well until Kevin turned to face him and Aaron was looking pointedly at his watch. Fine then, he thought, we can do this again.

The cup read ‘Aarun’ and the man’s retort today was simply, “Go to school sometime, might learn how to spell.”

Kevin almost ignored him but changed his mind, “I’m a history major at Palmetto State University.”

“That shithole,” Aaron snorted and walked out. Kevin tried not to be offended by this stranger’s opinion but it was not in Kevin’s nature to take things kindly, and he vowed to win this war.

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

Even though Kevin hated working there and Aaron appeared to hate Kevin, he still showed up every day and ordered the same coffee. For the first week, Kevin kept the names to simply misspelled versions of Aaron, but he soon ran out so he threw logic out of the window entirely. One day the cup would read ‘Dave’, the next it would be ‘Sebastian’. Kevin tried his best to avoid any repeats and kept a list of names that he had used. It wasn’t until three weeks in that Kevin realised that he was putting far too much time and effort into this petty feud. That was the same time that Aaron started saying his name – he just didn’t call him Kevin.

Before that, the only words that had been exchanged between them were the order and the price (Aaron had given up giving his name, regarding it as futile) and there had been nothing personal about the encounter. Until one day, Aaron called Kevin ‘Bob’. Kevin chose to ignore it, assuming that he was addressing someone in the queue, but the next day he looked up and realised that Aaron just called him Henry. It wasn’t a genuine mistake – the large and obnoxious tag on Kevin’s apron insured that even those with the worst vision could read his name.

Both boys smirked at each other – this is getting fun, Kevin thought.

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

Another two weeks later, Kevin was lying in bed when he realised how much he was actually enjoying this mini war. Ever since Aaron had started joining in, his personality had come out and Kevin thought he was genuinely funny. Also, Kevin may have picked up on the fact that he found the man quite attractive, despite his messy hair and height (or rather lack thereof).

He knew that the small crush he was developing was ridiculous – he knew nothing about the man other than his name, they hadn’t even had one proper conversation and after all, Aaron probably hated him.

Thankfully, Kevin was going to visit his father for a week and he was completely ready for a week away from both work and school. It was honestly unfair that he was still working throughout summer while his friends were drinking cocktails in hot tubs (and making sure to send him pictures, too). It would also give him a chance to clear his mind of Aaron, although he expected that he would miss the two minutes that he sees him every morning, since that was usually the most interesting part of his day.

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

Aaron entered Starbucks the next day and immediately noticed Kevin’s absence. He ordered his coffee anyway, and the barista had to prompt him twice to give his name, as Aaron was used to the routine he and Kevin had. It was bizarre to see ‘Aaron’ written on the cup and it felt completely wrong. He dumped the coffee without even sipping it.

He turned up the next two days and was disappointed both times so he decided to stay away for the week and see if Kevin would return the next week. Aaron hadn’t realised that he actually enjoyed seeing Kevin, but he pushed the thought to the back of his mind and refused to ponder it.

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

Kevin returned from his visit fully refreshed. He loved seeing his father as they got along so well and it had been nice to essentially sit around for a week and do nothing. He had finally had a chance to enjoy the summer sun and had spent most of the break lying on the beach and swimming in the ocean. The thought of work hadn’t crossed his mind once and he was grateful when he got back and realised that he hadn’t thought about Aaron once. Perhaps he had been wrong and he didn’t actually have a crush on the blonde.

All self-satisfaction was thrown out of the window when the aforementioned man walked through the door. Aaron had his usual grumpy expression until he looked up and saw that Kevin was serving again. For a brief moment, a wide smile flashed across his face, replaced with a smaller one only when he realised Kevin was looking right at him. Fuck, Kevin thought, how can I find him so attractive when I know nothing about him?

By the time Aaron reached the counter, both of the boys had managed to conceal all feeling and expression. Their interaction was no different from normal until Aaron went to speak the wrong name as usual. Aaron didn’t know anything had gone wrong until Kevin looked at him with wide eyes. He thought back and had to stop himself from cringing when he realised that what had come out of his mouth was, “Babe.”

Kevin had forgotten how to move. Aaron had called him babe but then immediately looked like he regretted it… Kevin couldn’t deal with this right now. He turned away to make Aaron’s coffee, feeling his heart beat fast in his chest.

When he could no longer stop stalling and turned around, he saw a bright red flush over Aaron’s face which gave him a surge of confidence. He seemed more embarrassed than regretful so instead of writing an incorrect name on his cup, Kevin wrote his own mobile number.

Before Aaron could read his cup, Kevin turned quickly to the next customer. He was mortified, why had he just given his phone number to a customer? There was no way he could listen to customers while his own mind was being even louder, so he shut all of his thoughts away and vowed not to think of Aaron, at least until he got home.

--------

By the time he did get home, he had three messages on his phone.

[15:05] hi, it’s aaron [15:05] i can’t believe you gave me your number, i’m hoping it wasn’t a mistake, it would be great to talk to you more [15:17] you’re probably still in work, i’m so stupid

Kevin wanted to tell him that he wasn’t stupid but he thought that that probably wouldn’t have been the best way to start a conversation with a boy he had a crush on.

[17:36] sorry I didn’t get your messages, I was working, and I’d like to talk to you more too

It took ten minutes for Aaron to message back and those ten minutes were filled with Kevin picking his phone up and throwing it down, trying to distract himself with a book but not being able to concentrate and burning himself on the tea he was trying to make when his phone finally buzzed.

[17:46] no problem, i’m in med school so i understand being busy haha

For some reason, Kevin found the ‘haha’ incredibly cute. They started talking about university and what they were studying and somehow moved onto topics including (but not limited to) what animals they most related to (they mutually agreed on a sloth although Kevin put forth a convincing argument for a fox), their Hogwarts houses (both Ravenclaws) and Beyonce’s most recent album.

Kevin had been thoroughly enjoying texting Aaron and had completely forgotten the awkwardness from the start. He hadn’t realised how long they had been talking until at 11pm Aaron said that he would have to go to sleep as he had a 5am shift the next day. Somehow, they had talked for five hours, with only a short break in the middle for both of them to put their ready meal dinners in the microwave (Kevin was a student who worked in a coffee shop, it wasn’t like he could afford anything healthier).

In bed that night, Kevin smiled to himself, thinking back over the conversation that had felt so natural to him, and feeling grateful for the grumpy blonde shortie that had entered his life.

Three weeks later, the boys had a new routine. Aaron would get coffee when he was finished with work or school, rather than in his break, and then would wait for Kevin’s shift to finish. They would then go for a walk, or head back to one of their apartments (usually Kevin’s since Aaron had roommates who loved to tease him). They were making the most of the summer, although Aaron was eager to stay out of the sun considering how pale he was.

Kevin couldn’t believe his luck. His shitty Starbucks job had gotten him a boyfriend who loved to hold Kevin’s hand while they kissed on his cheap Ikea couch. While Kevin hadn’t hated his life before, it had been dull, and the introduction of Aaron brought a new enthusiasm into his life and he found himself appreciating the little things.

He knew it wouldn’t always be this easy, but they were still in the sickening honeymoon phase where they would text the other saying they missed them, and they could cuddle for hours without getting bored.

All of this was why, when Aaron walked through the door at Kevin’s work earlier than usual and with a dark look on his face, Kevin was worried. He made him his coffee before he had even reached the till as there were no other customers queueing and he wanted to cheer his boyfriend up.

He approached the till and handed over the coffee while Aaron stood there with a raised eyebrow and a five dollar note in his hand, “Aren’t you going to take my order?”

Kevin ignored the question and smiled at his boyfriend until Aaron looked at the heart Kevin had drawn on the cup and took a sip of the coffee, “What the actual fuck? This is so fucking bitter.”

The confused barista stood looking at his boyfriend in bewilderment. He was trying to figure out what he had done wrong when the door opened and a second Aaron walked in. In passing, Aaron had once mentioned that he had a twin brother and from the look on the faces of both of the Aarons, Kevin could figure out his mistake.

“You’re not Aaron, are you?”

#kevaaron #aftgexchange #tfcbronet #aaronminyarddefencenet #aaron minyard #kevin day #tfc #aftg #the foxhole court #all for the game #mine #yo if I get shit because this is kevaaron #I will get mad because this was a requested fic #and a gift so calm yourselves

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rimalupin · 7 years ago

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50 More Interesting Questions

Rules: fill this out and tag at least one person you’d like to know more about! Or just fill it out! Or don’t! Answer only some of them! Make up your own questions! “What kind of requirement is that”, you ask? A reasonable one! Who am I to tell you what to do? Anything goes!

Thank you for tagging me @theempresskaizer & @kakihoden! :D <3

1. What kind of food can’t you stand?: Anything fermented. Like, ew. Also brussel sprouts (Then again, I have yet find someone who can cook brussel sprouts “well.” :b)

2. If you could choose one minor inconvenience to never have to deal with again, what would you pick?: Public transit schedules. They’re so darn inconvenient (And yet I’m commuting for the remainder of my uni career. At least I’m saving money..?). -.-’

3. Have you got any useless talents?: I try to make use of my talents, so I’m gonna say no. :b

4. If you could be really really good at one thing, what would it be?: Taking (good & worthwhile) risks because I’m always so darn careful so I end up not trying new things sometimes.

5. Name a few people you think are extremely good-looking: ALL THE FRIENDS AND FAMILY I KNOW AND LOVE. <3 Oh, also Emma Watson, Gal Gadot, Shawn Mendes, Tom Holland, and all the other celebs I tend to fangirl about (I can’t name them all rn, haha sorry~. :P).

6. What was your favorite way to pass the time as a kid?: Singing all the Disney songs (Which I still do nowadays, haha~.). I would also read books, write my own stories, and act as if I was on a Disney Channel show (I was quite the Disney fangirl back in the day. xD)

7. What is something you’re proud of?: My friends who are just starting college/uni this year. Most of them are already setting up their dorms and getting ready for classes. They’re growing up so fast! :’)

8. What’s one character flaw in people that you just can’t tolerate?: Dishonesty. I don’t associate with phonies.

9. Do you consider yourself to be more of a leader or a follower?: I’m a bit of both. Then again, being a follower makes you a kind of leader: you essentially lead people to follow your leader, if that makes sense Okay I’ll shut up about leadership theory sorry y’all. :P

10. What kind of student are/were you?: The diligent one (but people often claim I’m the overachiever even tho I’m not always a straight A student lololol).

11. Butterfly effect question! Has there ever been a seemingly minor decision you’ve made (at the time) that ended up having a profound influence on your life?: Ohhhhh yes. This kind of thing has happened to me many times (In like the best ways possible, thankfully.).

12. Name your most irrational fear/aversion: Being alone/left out (Even though “I’m never really alone” ((Which I know I’m not. Hence the “irrational” part of this particular fear/aversion.)).)

13. Are there any fictional characters you find especially relatable?: Yup. Plenty of ‘em.

14. If you drink, what kind of drunk are you? Alternatively, what sort of person are you at parties?: I don’t drink... Yet. My Canadian friends are trying to get me to drink with them since I’m now legal in Canada but I’m scared heeeeeelp. :b I’m usually the wallflower if I don’t know anybody too well at a party. However, if I find people I’m comfortable hanging out with, I’ll stick with their squad throughout the event, talking, eating, dancing and taking pictures/SnapChats to our hearts’ desires~. ^-^

15. Do you fall in love easily? Or does it usually take a long time for you to trust someone?: Nope. I have to get to know the person before I “fall in love” with them, let alone having a crush on them. Which is why the biggest crushes I’ve had were on some of my closest friends. But I’ve never told them because I didn’t want to risk our friendships IDK I’M A NOOB WHEN IT COMES TO LOVEY-DOVEY THINGS. :b

16. Would you rather have one close friend or 100 casual friends?: One close friend. <3

17. Do you consider yourself to be more of a slob or a neat-freak?: Neat-freak. Definitely a neat-freak. xD

18. Describe a place (imaginary or real) that you would find incredibly cozy:

Both of these locations are places where I’d have more than enough room to move or think. ^-^

Outdoors: Somewhere near the sea, where I could feel the sand on my toes, hear the waves splashing onto the shore, smell the ocean breeze, and watch the orange sunset glowing along the horizon.

Indoors: An empty practice room. Wooden floors, large mirrors in front of the room, dance barres along the side walls, a few windows displaying the outside world, and a speaker/stereo system perfect for blasting the music around the room.

19. Do you have kids? If not, do you want them someday?: No kids atm, but I love working with them! Yes, I’d like kids someday~.

20. What was your favorite book as a child?: I read many books as a wee child. But one book I can clearly remember is Stellaluna. It’s an adorable story about a bat who discovers who she truly is thanks to both her adoptive and biological families (The former being a family of birds and the latter being a family of bats.).

21. Name one thing you just don’t get what all the hype is about: Fidget spinners. I’m still seeing people freak out about those things. Didn’t the trend die a month or two ago?

22. Name one thing that you think is tragically underrated: Myspace. *evil laughs despite the fact that I never had a Myspace account* :P Sorry I couldn’t think of anything else bahaha~

23. If you had to be glued to a person for a month, real or fictional (who you have never met), who would you choose?: I mean, I’ve never met MYSME’s 707 IRL, so I’ll stick with him And we can visit his space station, haha~ ^-^

24. What’s something you’d like the chance to do someday?: Act in a theatrical production. I haven’t done theatre in a year and I already miss it. T.T

25. Do you typically speak your mind when you have a controversial opinion? Or do generally prefer to not rock the boat?: I’ll definitely speak my mind if I’m well-versed in the topic and if I’m passionate about it. If I want to present a controversial opinion, I have to be sure that I can articulate my POV eloquently and professionally. I’m also more than willing to listen to the other side, as long as they fully know what they’re talking about (Frankly, I will not take any B.S. if I suspect B.S.).

26. What’s the dumbest fad you’ve been caught up in?: I’m blanking... Yeah, IDK, but I’m pretty sure I got caught up in some kind of dumb fad back in middle school. *shivers b/c I don’t want to relive those years*

27. What’s something you thought was cool as a kid/adolescent, but now cringe at yourself for?: When I was younger (like elementary/middle school-age), I dreamed of becoming a singer. In order to accomplish that dream, I joined my school and church choirs: however, that turned out to be a pretty toxic experience since almost everyone I was singing with treated every single practice and performance as a singing competition. Like, c’mon you guys: we aren’t on Glee. -.-’

28. What’s a trait you consider to be very admirable?: Honesty: I admire people who are genuine and true.

29. Is there a particular kind of item people always tend to give you as gifts? (For instance, people always get you things with ducks on them because you like ducks, etc.): Books (people know I’m a huge bookworm), clothes (b/c I’m usually too lazy/don’t have time to shop for my own clothes, LOLOL), stuffed animals (I’m a child at heart and I love cuddly & cute things), sweets (especially chocolate).

30. Do you speak multiple languages? Which ones?:

English is my mother tongue.

I apparently used to speak Tagalog fluently when I was very young, but then I stopped speaking that language once I started preschool; however, I’ve picked up some terms over the years, so I can sort of dissect my parents’ conversations w/ the other adults (”Yes, Mom, I knew that you were talking about my uni stuff with Tita *insert name here*.” :P), plus I’m going to take a Tagalog 101 class in Autumn Quarter, so I’ll (hopefully) learn how to say complete sentences instead of just the names of foods, holidays, and Filipino Folk Dances. xD

I learned Spanish throughout my high school career, so I’m okay in that department even though I haven’t practiced speaking/listening/writing in that language recently. I’m still fluent enough to help my sisters with their Spanish homework, so that’s something. :P

I tried learning some French, Japanese, and Korean through various language learning apps, but to no avail. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

31. Would you rather live in the big city or the countryside?: Can I choose like a little town instead? Big city: the countryside would be MUCH too quiet for me (Plus I’d be much too tempted to run atop every hill Sound of Music style and start singing at the top of my lungs - which would probably annoy a lot of people, myself included. :P).

32. Has there ever been something you were certain you’d hate, but ended up loving?: Giles Christophe a.k.a my Midnight Cinderella bias. Ironic, huh? xD <3 Also Jumin Han from MYSME. :P

33. Do you mind being the center of attention, or do you prefer the spotlight to be on someone else?: I will hide from the spotlight like I’m a friggin vampire unless there’s a damn good reason for me to be under it.

34. Favorite holiday?: CHRISTMAS!!!

35. Are you a more go-with-the-flow type of person, or do you need to have things planned meticulously?: If I’m in charge of scheduling something, then I MUST have everything carefully planned. If I’m leaving the scheduling to someone else, then I’ll just go with the flow~.

36. Is there something you loved so much you wish you could forget it and experience it all over again? (A tv show, book, series–anything.): My first trip to Hawaii: I’d love to explore the islands and swim in its oceans again.

37. What hobbies do you have?: Reading, writing, singing, dancing, listening to music, playing the guitar or ukulele, checking social media (JKJK :P), drawing/arts & crafts (If I’m EXTREMELY bored), playing video games, watching TV/YouTube, exploring places both old and new Yeah, I do too many things, haha~

38. If you could have a superpower, but it was only mildly useful, what ability would you want to have?: “Mildly useful?” (O.o) I guess the ability to learn things VERY quickly - like, master an activity on the first try. I actually have a friend with that ability, which has allowed him to almost effortlessly master almost every sport he’s ever learned: he’s basically a superhuman and I admire and envy him for his “superpower.” :P <3

39. Something people are always surprised to learn about you: My age: people think that I’m much younger than I actually am, mostly because of my shorter-than-average height and my baby face. I’m basically an adult stuck in a teenager’s body. xD

40. Something that took you way too long to figure out: How to apply the Unit Circle to various math problems eff you precalculus and calculus never again ugggghhhhh.

41. Worst injury you’ve had?: My broken heart (JKJK, sort of. :P) I got burned by the metal tip of a very hot glue gun. Thanks to that, I have a tiny scar on my upper right arm.

42. Any morbid fascinations?: Does watching playthroughs of horror games through YouTube count?

43. Describe your sense of humor: Clever/witty, sarcastic, sassy. Oftentimes unintentional: jokes will usually come to me naturally through conversation. If we’re close, plenty of embarrassing stories, inside jokes, and horrible puns will be part of our daily doses of humor.

44. If you had to be born in another era/place, which would you choose?: I’d want to be born in Canada, mostly because I’ve got a lot of family living up there, plus I’d love to live in a place that isn’t completely messed up rn. #SorryNotSorryAmerica *crosses to the Canadian border like a badass*

45. Something you are irredeemably bad at: LOL, WHAT’S A SPORT? :b

46. Something that sucked but you’re glad you went through: Freshman year of high school. I first moved to my new home that year, so being the new kid sucked for a while, but I eventually made some friends and found more opportunities to grow as a person (through writing and theatre).

47. Would you rather have a really godawful ugly tattoo in a place that is only slightly inconvenient to conceal with clothing (upper arm, thigh, etc.), or the coolest, most beautiful tattoo ever in the middle of your face? (Neither tattoo can be removed or concealed with makeup, and the ugly tattoo will deeply offend anyone who sees it.): Ugly tat. At least I’d have a place to hide it. xD

48. Are you more of an optimist or a pessimist?: Realist. Leaning on the pessimist side. However, I do try to believe that things will get better, that there’ll be more bigger and better opportunities out there, etc. etc.

49. What would be the most flattering compliment someone could give you?: That I’m a hardworking and genuine person. Then again, I don’t do well compliments anyway: I’ll definitely blush and stutter and try to hide behind some kind of an object while complimenting you back. xD <3

50. Something you feel people often misunderstand about you: I’m often quiet and reserved when I’m meeting new people. Some may think I’m naturally calm and composed, others take it as slightly intimidating. But I’m just quiet because I’m awkward, plus I don’t usually start conversations. :b

Tagging: @princessofwysteria, @sukio-sakamaki, @allforthecrown, @o0w0o, @widzzicles, @rizosrojizos, and anyone who wants to do this! (I would’ve tagged more peeps, but I didn’t know if they had been tagged already. So please join in if you haven’t done this already~.). ^-^ <3

#wheeee #more tag games!#^-^#tagged #50 more interesting questions

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myndopeus · 8 years ago

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you give me something to think about (chapter 4)

ao3 link in bio (idk if tumblr is still hiding external links)

Summary: Trini has no plans for the future, no idea of what she’s going to do after she leaves school. All that’s left is to enjoy the last year she has left.

And oh, what a year it will be.

The Slowburn Hogwarts AU that no one asked for.

Trini turns and watches the early blue light of the morning creep through the window. She rubs groggily at her eyes, looking at her clock again, watching the second hand tick past. It reads 6:07. One of those days, I guess.

She quietly gets out of bed and gets dressed, careful not to wake any of the other girls. She decides that sitting in the common room trying to work would probably make her feel even worse, so she tiredly creeps quietly out, hoping that the castle doors won’t be locked.

Luckily enough, they aren’t, and she steps out, the dewy morning air cooling her skin. She shivers a little, wraps her robes tighter around herself, and starts walking. She’s not really thinking about where she’s going, just focused on putting one foot in front of the other, hoping the rhythm will drown out the thoughts in her head. When she finally pays attention to her surroundings, she’s somehow ended up near the lake. The memory of that day in detention surfaces, and she suddenly feels a little more awake.

The castle looks strangely blue in the light, much like how Trini is feeling. The cloudy sky filters the sunlight that reflects off of the lake. Even the green grass looks strangely grey. She chalks it up to her shitty mood and walks, keeping a wary eye out for doxies.

She practically jumps out of her skin when a blurry shape darts across her path. She fumbles with her wand, her mind completely blanking on spells. Luckily, the animal isn’t one of ill intent, just a rabbit. She places a hand over her racing heart, breathing heavily. Suddenly, a much larger shape swerves out from behind a tree, and she yelps. The figure stumbles back in surprise, letting out a similar yell, and she realizes she recognizes the messy black hair.

“The fuck, Taylor?”

“Trini?” His face crinkles in confusion, before shaking his head. “Whatever, one sec,” he says, running past her.

She turns, confused and mildly offended, to see Zack cast out a barrier charm. The sprinting rabbit collides with the spell with a mildly audible thump, bouncing off and immediately dashing in another direction. Zack sends out another spell that hits the grass, missing its target. After a few more missed shots, he swears to himself before simply diving at the animal and grabbing it. He skids a few feet before getting up, the rabbit in his hands.

“Son of a bitch. Anyhow, what are you doing here? Aren’t you usually on the pitch around this time?”

She simply stares at him as he tries to restart the conversation. “So we’re not gonna address how you were just chasing a rabbit?”

“Transfiguration assignment.”

“There must be some sort of law out there on manhandling animals. Even if it’s for school purposes.”

“Oh, no need to worry about this guy. I’m supposed to be turning him back into a statue.”

Trini hums in sympathy. “Reversing transformations is really weird, I still haven’t got the hang of it.”

“Yeah, I’m still figuring it out too. Really have to work on it though, because it’s a bit early in the year for me to be falling behind in class, especially with Quidditch and all that.” He shrugs like it isn’t a big deal, tucking the rabbit under his other arm.

It might be the early hour, or the lack of sleep, but Trini finds herself speaking before she fully finishes her thought. “If you want, I could help you out. I mean,” she stutters slightly, “I still need to work on it too, so it might be good if we, y’know, practiced. Together.”

Zack blinks, clearly surprised. “Oh! Um, yeah. Yeah that… that sounds good.”

“I kind of owe you anyways, for the quidditch training and stuff…” She trails off awkwardly.

Thankfully, they don’t stand in silence for too long. The clanging of the bells draws their attention, startling them both. They both speak at the same time.

“I should probably- ”

“That’s my cue-”

Trini cringes internally. She fires a quick “see you later” to Zack before turning and walking briskly back to the castle. She hears him call out as she’s leaving.

“Later, Crazy Girl!”

* * *

Something bounces off her head, jolting her awake. Trini’z eyes shoot around disorientedly, trying to make sense of everything. The garish color of the walls tells her that she’s in the Hufflepuff common room. She looks down, and sees a colorful paper tiger prowling on her books.

“Sorry about that.” She turns to the source of the voice walking towards her. It’s a tall boy with long, silvery hair that’s tied back. He reaches out, and the tiger jumps into his hand. “Didn’t mean to disturb you, especially since you looked so comfy.”

She chuckles bashfully. “It’s probably a good thing,” she says. “I don’t even remember falling asleep.”

“We’ve all been there before, believe me.” He sticks his hand out. “I’m Ernie, by the way. And yes, that is my real name, short for Ernest, haha, it’s funny, I know.”

She smiles, shaking his hand. “Trini.” She looks at his face, and something clicks. “You’re on the quidditch team, aren’t you? You’re, uh, a chaser? Keeper?”

“A little bit of everything, actually,” he laughs, eyes twinkling. “I move positions almost every year.”

“Wow. That’s pretty impressive.”

“Eh,” he shrugs. “Mostly I just round out whatever position needs filling.”

“Still, you must be pretty talented. Are you captain this year?”

“No, although I am technically Vice Captain, in an unofficial capacity. Jen’s captain, and she’s certainly got the passion for it, but she forgets a lot of the administrative stuff, which is where I come in. Speaking of quidditch,” he says, “I hate to be that person, but tryouts are on Saturday. Jen’s making me tell everyone I see,” he explains.

Trini nods. “Cool. I’ll be there.”

“You don’t have to say that just because I brought it up,” Ernie says quickly.

“No, really, I was planning on going anyways.”

“Oh. Oh! Great, then.” He smiles. “I’ll see you around, Trini.” He walks off, his long hair swishing behind him, the paper tiger crouching on his shoulder.

Trini glances at her watch and sees that it’s around the time that Zack’s last class gets out. She clears her things off the table, putting her books on her bed, before heading out to meet him.

She reaches the tree from before and sets her bag down. She stretches a little, looking around. It’s sunnier today, and the sun is hovering quite nicely over the water. One of the perks of living in a hidden castle in the middle of nowhere, she muses to herself. At least you get a good view.

“Sorry, had to go get him from Professor McGonagall.” Zack shuffles up to her, a cage tucked under his arm. “How’s your day been?” he asks, setting it down.

She shrugs. “Same as every other day. Did meet this guy with a sick ponytail though, Ernie.”

Zack’s eyes light up in recognition, a little smile on his face. “Oh, Ernie! Yeah they’re cool, great quidditch player. Also super hot as well.” He sighs a little dreamily, staring off into the distance for a moment.

Trini blinks, her brain frantically trying to process all of the information packed into the last few seconds. It’s not that any of that information bothers her, per se. She’s more shocked at the ease with which Zack mentions it.

She chooses to go for the least personal question. “They?”

“Oh yeah, Ernie uses they/them pronouns. They’re genderqueer.” Zack looks at her. “You’re cool with that, right?”

“Way to put me on the spot, but yeah, of course. And they’re cool with you telling me this?”

“Yeah, Ernie is out, they don’t mind. Did you guys talk about tryouts?”

She nods. “Yeah, they mentioned it and I told them I was going.”

“Ernie’s pretty high up in the hierarchy of the Hufflepuff team. Would have been a good time to use what little charm you have, butter ‘em up a little, earn some bonus points, eh? Eh?” Zack winks excessively at her, nudging her with his elbow.

“First of all, no,” she says, pushing him away. “I’m not quite as willing to embarrass myself like that as you are. And they’re not my type, anyways.”

“Well, what is your type, then?” Zack asks, and Trini freezes. Luckily Zack doesn’t seem to notice, he just watches her waiting for an answer. Unfortunately, she doesn’t know what to tell him.

Fortunately, a slight movement in her peripheral vision gives her a distraction.

“My type is someone who actually pays attention to what they’re doing,” she says, pointing over Zack’s shoulder at the escaping rabbit. He looks at the open cage, before cursing and setting off after the animal, Trini laughing at him as he scrambles.

* * *

“So did you always want to play quidditch?” Trini asks. They’ve been sitting there for a while, the rabbit between them as they took turns trying to cast the spell. Her back is leaning against the tree, and Zack is sprawled out on his side, his head propped up on his hand.

Zack tries the spell again, and the grass around the rabbit glows for a bit, but nothing happens. He sighs disappointedly.

“Actually, when I got here, I had no idea what quidditch was,” he says, and Trini pauses, her wand in the air. “There isn’t much opportunity to learn about that kind of stuff outside the wizarding world.”

Trini’s eyes widen. “Oh. You’re--”

“Yup. Muggleborn, 100%.”

She nods. “Me too,” she says, and Zack’s eyes meet hers. “I just didn’t think… I mean, you look so at home here, I thought that you were at least half-blood, or something.”

He shrugs, sitting up. “Yeah, well, wasn’t always like that. It was super awkward my first year, everything was really weird. It was my mom who suggested that I join quidditch, actually.” He chuckles, a look of fondness growing on his face. “The only thing she knows about it is that it’s a sport, but she kept insisting that I try and make friends somehow. Plus, it was a good outlet for all my nervous energy.”

Zack reaches out and gently strokes the rabbit, scratching the back of its neck a little. Trini watches him, a little surprised. She never would have guessed it, but it turns out that underneath all his loudness and bravado, Zack is actually a really nice guy.

“So what about you?” She starts, pulled out of her thoughts. Zack is looking at her, that air of openness still surrounding him. “How’d you adjust to all of this?” he asks, gesturing to the castle.

She doesn’t meet his eyes, reaching out to tentatively pat the rabbit instead. “Dunno, I guess I managed somehow,” she mumbles. She can’t bring herself to lie to Zack, not when he’d just been somewhat honest with her.

He raises an eyebrow, but to her relief, he doesn’t push her for a better answer. She takes a deep breath, concentrating, before carefully waving her wand and saying the incantation, making sure to enunciate.

The rabbit stops chewing, the grass around it glowing with a bright light. It rises, freezing into a pose on its hind feet, and Trini and Zack hold their breath in anticipation. A moment passes, then another, and then the light fades and the rabbit unfreezes, landing back on all fours. It continues chewing as if nothing had happened.

Zack groans, flopping onto his back. Trini closes her eyes, tilting her head back until it hits the tree. “Damn.”

“You’re rushing it,” a voice calls, and Trini opens her eyes to deliver some snarky response to whoever was butting into their business. Unfortunately, her voice seems to completely disappear for a second when she sees who it is.

Kimberly is walking towards them, and she is in a completely unreasonable state of undress, a towel in her hands. Trini frantically turns away, afraid that she might start staring. Unfortunately, she wasn’t quick enough, and the image of Kimberly Hart in a fucking bikini, her legs and stomach completely on display, keeps flashing behind her eyes.

“You’re enunciation is good, but the wand movement is still a bit unclear,” Kimberly says casually, as if she isn’t practically naked in the middle of the grounds. Her skin is littered with droplets, and water drips from her hair. She tilts her head, starting to wring her hair out. “If you slowed down a little, you’d probably get it.”

“Woah, Hart,” Zack laughs incredulously. “I always knew you were a little crazy, but you actually go swimming in that fucking lake? Home to the giant squid?”

Kimberly shrugs, slinging the towel over her shoulder. “Weather was looking nice, figured I’d go for a swim.”

“In a lake full of deadly magical creatures?”

“I live in the dungeons, Zack, and there are windows. They’re actually not as scary as everyone makes them sound.”

“Sure they aren’t. I’m just saying, when a giant pervy tentacle snatches your top off, you’ll have no one to blame but yourself.”

“I… In what scenario would that possibly happen? I don’t even want to know how you came up with that.”

Trini feels awkward just sitting there listening to Zack and Kimberly banter, so she turns her attention back to the rabbit, who has hopped a few feet away. She exhales, focusing intently, and tries the spell again. Once more, the rabbit assumes the correct pose, but it doesn’t turn into a statue, and the spell fails. She lets out a huff of frustration.

“You’re still rushing it.” Trini notices that Kimberly is addressing her. “The second movement needs to be softer—”

“Well, if you’re so good at it, why don’t you show us how it’s done?” Trini challenges. She can feel her ears burning slightly from embarrassment.

Kimberly raises an eyebrow, and Trini expects her to just make some snarky remark and walk off. Instead, she steps forward, and soon she’s standing over Trini. It’s an awkward angle looking up to her face, but Trini figures it’s more appropriate than looking at any other part of Kimberly’s very much unclothed body.

There’s an awkward silence before Kimberly speaks. “Um. I don’t have my wand.” Trini blinks in confusion before she realizes that Kimberly’s hand is outstretched. Oops. She still doesn’t move, simply maintaining eye contact with Kimberly.

Finally, Kimberly lets out a sigh that is somehow both patient and condescending, before turning to Zack. “Can I?” she asks, and Zack hands his wand over.

She turns to the rabbit and lifts the wand. Her wrist flexes gracefully as she casts the spell, and even before she finishes, Trini can already tell that it’ll work. The glow barely lasts, and soon a ceramic statue of a rabbit rests on the grass.

“Good enough?” Kimberly asks, and Trini doesn’t have a reply. Kimberly simply smirks and hands Zack his wand back. “See you later,” she says to him before she walks off, not even bothering to say goodbye to Trini.

“That girl is hot as hell,” Zack comments, and Trini kicks him lightly, because there’s no way that Kimberly is out of earshot.

“Ow! What?” Zack complains, rubbing his shin. “It’s true.”

Trini rolls her eyes. “Whatever. Who does she think she is, acting like she knows everything?”

“I mean, she did get the spell right.”

“So?” Trini scoffs. ��It’s still rude.”

“You realize she’s top of our class in Transfiguration, right? She’s got the brains and the body.”

“Gross, dude.” Trini grimaces, aiming another kick at Zack. “Do you talk about all your friends like that?”

“Actually I do,” he says, before winking at her. “If you think that’s bad, you should hear the stuff I say about Jason—” She cuts him off with a groan, burying her face in her hands, and he laughs. There’s a pause before Zack speaks again.

“So, you reckon Kimberly’s more of your type?” Her head shoots up, and Zack is watching her with a devious twinkle in his eyes.

Instead of responding, she turns to regard the rabbit statue. She looks at Zack, smirks, and then raises her wand. His eyes widen.

“Wait, don’t—”

“Lapifors.”

The statue wavers, comes to life, and the rabbit immediately starts hopping away. Trini rises to her feet, grabbing her bag. “Good luck, Taylor,” she taunts as he gapes at her.

“Wha-? What am I supposed to do now?”

“Keep practicing,” She says as she backs away. She waves her arms in an exaggerated conductor-like gesture. “Remember, slooooowly.” She turns away, and chuckles when she hears Zack swear as he goes back to chasing the rabbit.

* * *

Trini fidgets with the handle of her broom, her brain already filling with regret. Her nerves had been getting the best of her, so she figured that there was no harm in getting to the tryouts a little early. Except she might have been too early, and now she’s facing the prospect of sitting awkwardly by herself, waiting for someone else to arrive.

Stupid, she mentally berates herself. She’s tempted to fly around a bit, just to give herself something to do, but it might look pretentious if someone saw her. She settles for pulling her wand out and messing around a bit.

Even after all these years, Trini never gets tired of doing magic. Not to say that being gifted this way was easy; she figures her relationship with her parents would still be strained either way, but magic definitely played a part in that. Still, she found something calming in casting spells. There was a certainty in it, in the way she could actually make things happen. It helped her feel in control, even if only for a little bit.

She conjures a rainbow, and smiles as it hovers in a perfect circle front of her. Her smile fades a little when she remembers her earlier conversation with Zack. She bites her lip, mulling over the questions he’d asked her.

You reckon Kimberly’s more your type?

She hears footsteps approaching, and it turns out to be Ernie again. She gives them a wave.

“That’s pretty neat.” Ernie says, and Trini shrugs.

“Thanks. So’s that.” She gestures to Ernie’s hair, and they chuckle.

“Tragically, I’m nowhere near this skilled. It’s all Jen’s work,” they say, fingers brushing against the braids pinning their hair back. “Speaking of which, she swore she was gonna be on time…”

There’s silence for an awkward amount of time before Ernie tries to start up the conversation again. “Feeling nervous?”

Luckily, at that point, a bunch of other Hufflepuffs walk in, some of them in jerseys, some of them wearing regular clothes. Some of them call out to Ernie, and they excuse themself before going to join their teammates. Trini lets out a breath, glad to not be the focus of attention anymore.

People keep arriving for the next ten minutes or so, and soon the pitch is full of noise and chatter. Eventually, a sharp whistle calls them all to silence, and Ernie steps out.

“Hello everyone,” they say cheerfully. “Hopefully you’re here because you want to try out for the Hufflepuff quidditch team. If you thought this was gonna be something else, then I’m sorry to disappoint, but we’d still like you to try out anyways. If you’re not in Hufflepuff, then I don’t know what you’re doing here, but could you please leave, thanks.” There’s a titter from the crowd, and some groans from Ernie’s teammates.

“For those of you who don’t know, I’m Ernie, the unofficial vice-captain of the Hufflepuff Quidditch team. I am not the actual captain, as that would be—”

“That would be me.” A voice booms from the entrance, and everyone turns on the spot. There’s a girl walking towards them, purpose evident in her every step. Trini can feel the wave of intimidation settle over the crowd.

Ernie shakes their head. “Always one for dramatics,” they sigh as the girl comes to stand next to them. Her long, dark hair is braided down the back, and her dark, serious eyes scan the crowd.

“Listen up,” she commands, and everyone snaps to attention. “I am the Captain of the Hufflepuff Quidditch team. You may call me Jen, Jenny if I like you, and Jennifer if you have a death wish.” Some idiot in the crowd chuckles, but he chokes when she immediately fixes him with a piercing glare.

“I’m not going to lie, the team has suffered a bit of a blow this year, so you have some big shoes to fill. If you want to even be considered for this team, I want you to give 100% effort. There will be no do-overs for these tryouts, no second chances. This is your one and only chance to prove that you are tough enough and talented enough to be on the team. You want a place? Then. Earn. It.” She punctuates the final words by staring into the crowd, and Trini swallows thickly. “Warm ‘em up,” Jen says to Ernie before taking off on her broom.

“Well then.” Ernie claps their hands enthusiastically. “We’ll have a few laps around the pitch to warm up, do some drills, and we’ll go from there. Sound good?”

The girl standing next to Trini leans in close. “The captain sure is scary, huh?” she whispers.

Trini nods, watching Jen fly around the pitch. “Yeah. I wanna be her when I grow up.”

* * *

“We’ll take a five minute break,” Jen calls out. “And no slacking!”

Sighs of relief can be heard throughout the pitch. Trini settles on the ground, wiping the sweat off her face.

The tryouts so far had been… chaotic, to say the least. After warm-ups and passing drills, there had barely been any structure at all. Jen seemed to be calling out exercises at random, some of them sounding so ridiculous that Trini was sure they’d been made up on the spot (at one point she tried to have them steer their brooms with their legs, which Trini is pretty sure is impossible). To add to the weirdness, every so often Ernie or one of the other squad members would fly up, seemingly out of nowhere, and yell “Catch!” while throwing some random object in the air (they lost a couple of recruits from black eyes, and Jen eventually had to call them off when someone launched an umbrella through the air like a javelin).

“Hey Trini! Catch!” She whirls around, hands just barely coming up in time to catch the object being thrown at her. It’s cold, and wet, and she realizes that it’s a bottle of water. She looks for the source, and is startled to see Billy waving to her from the stands.

“You need to stay hydrated!” he calls down, hands cupped around his mouth like a megaphone. There’s a huge smile on her face as she sips from the bottle before giving him a thumbs up. He gives her two in response, and Trini feels like she could cry.

“Alright grunts, circle up!” Jen barks, and Trini quickly takes a few last sips before heading over.

“Surely there’s a nicer word to call them?” Ernie suggests, and Jen waves the suggestion off.

“Meh, who can be bothered? Alright,” she addresses the recruits. “We’ve split you guys up into teams, and we’re gonna run a practice match. We don’t have a snitch, so instead you’ll be chasing Ernie here. Rules as usual, except the game doesn’t end when the snitch is caught. If you somehow do manage to catch Ernie, both seekers will be switched out, and the match will continue. Any questions?”

A hand rises. “If Ernie is gonna be flying, how are we supposed to catch them without anyone getting injured.”

Jen shrugs. “That’s your problem. Anything else? No. Good. Also, positions may be switched up randomly and without warning, so you suckers better be on your toes.”

Fourteen people are selected to be on the starting teams, and the rest are told to wait in the stands. There’s a lot of confusion and apprehension floating among the recruits, and Trini tries to tune it out. She grabs a seat next to Billy, giving him a smile.

“Didn’t know you were gonna be here,” she says, nudging him with her shoulder. He flinches at the contact, but waves off her apology.

“You’re my friend, of course I’m gonna come watch. I would’ve brought the others, but I don’t think players from other teams are welcome at tryouts.”

“Probably not,” Trini agrees. They turn their attention back to the pitch as the quaffle is thrown up and the match begins.

Billy watches the pitch with a blank expression. After a minute, he speaks up. “This is a hot mess.”

“I agree.” They both wince as two of the players exchanging Chaser positions collide into each other, calling for a time-out. A player in a jersey flies up and points to Trini.

“You, Tiny. You’re up.” She glares at him defiantly before saying goodbye to Billy. Rather than going back down the stairs, she simply jumps to the top of the barrier and leaps from there, mounting her broom in mid-air.

The Hufflepuff player nods. “Impressive. Hopefully your skills live up to your showmanship. You’re in seeker position for team Yellow.”

The whistle blows, signaling the match to resume, and Trini immediately flies to a higher vantage point, scanning the action. She quickly spots Ernie by their silvery hair, the Black team seeker in pursuit. She almost dives down, but then she sees Ernie heading towards the thick of the action, where the chasers are battling for the quaffle. She heads on an interception path, aiming for the other side of the mass of people.

Ernie skillfully weaves under and between the other players—the other seeker isn’t as lucky, almost colliding with a chaser before getting brutally pummeled by a bludger. Trini winces in sympathy as they’re quickly swapped out.

Something flicks her in the ear, and her hand comes up instinctively. “Ah!”

“Focus, Trini,” Ernie’s voice says over her shoulder, and she immediately turns, but they’re already speeding off. She sets off after them, keeping an eye out for obstacles.

They zig-zag across the field for a while before Ernie tries the same tactic, darting by the other players in an attempt to throw her off. Instead, Trini drops altitude, flying a level below the action. She’s able to track the action above her, and she spots Ernie as they’re looping back to the other side of the pitch. She’s gearing up to intercept when her path is suddenly blocked.

“Get out of the way!” she snaps at the figure that swerved in front of her, and she nearly pisses her pants when she looks and sees Jen glaring at her sternly.

“I-I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean…” she manages to stutter out. Jen looks between her and Ernie before speaking again.

“Change of position,” she says, tossing Trini a bat. “You’re beater now.” She speeds off before Trini can say anything else.

The rest of the match passes quickly; there isn’t much for Trini to do as a beater, since the players are so disorganized she can barely remember who to defend and who to attack. Eventually, Jen calls a halt.

“That’s good, we’re done now. Good show, we’ll get back to you… at some point.” She flies away, leaving Ernie standing in front of everyone. They look around before throwing their hands up in celebration.

“You guys did really well!” they cheer, a comically large smile on their face. “That was a lot of fun, I hope you guys enjoyed it, we’ll have a discussion and once the team has been selected we’ll probably post something in the common room. Get some rest, make sure to drink water, and have a nice day!” As abruptly as their speech began, it ends, and Ernie is already walking towards the rest of the team before Trini can process what they said.

“Talk about good cop, bad cop,” she mutters to herself as she heads out. Billy is waiting for her outside the pitch, and he claps his hands when he sees her.

“You did really well!” he says excitedly. “It’s a shame you didn’t get to play chaser, but all that practice we did paid off! It was a really unorthodox method of choosing players though, I’m really interested in what their goal was. When do the results come out? I’m pretty sure you have a good chance of getting in. Do you think I’d be able to talk to the captain?”

Trini holds her hand up for a second, and Billy pauses. She thinks for a moment before responding. “Thanks Billy, it was fun, I had no idea what was going on either, results will be out maybe in a week? And you can try and talk to her, but she’s kinda... rough. Ernie is nice, though.”

He nods. “That’s good to hear. What are you going to do now?”

“Have a shower, eat everything I can get my hands on, and then take a nap.”

“Sounds like a good post-practice plan. But don’t eat everything, because it’s really easy to overeat after you exercise, because you’re so hungry. Plus, if you’re too full, you might get indigestion during your nap.”

She smiles, touched by his concern. “Don’t worry, I’ve got this. Everything in moderation.”

They chat a little about classes and the other players on the walk back to the castle (“It takes a lot of skill to drop the quaffle.” “I’m sure it happens to everyone though, right?” “They literally have Gripping Charms on them, Trini.” “Oh…”). Billy eventually heads off to the library to do some more research, and Trini heads back to the Hufflepuff common room. She stops by the kitchens first, and the house elves are very curious about her appearance. She gives them a very brief rundown of the tryouts as they foist sandwiches and pastries on her, and they wish her luck while sending her off.

Stepping into the Hufflepuff common room is incredibly awkward, because all of the other players from the tryouts are also just making their way back. Many of them are congregated by the windows in a sweaty mass, discussing the tryouts and how each of them thinks they did. Some of them recognize Trini and try to start a conversation, but she manages to quickly, if somewhat brusquely, brush them off as she heads to her dorm.

She debates whether to eat or shower first, but after getting a good whiff of herself, she decides that the sandwiches can wait. The hot water of the shower feels heavenly, and the only reason she manages to make it back to her dorm is because her stomach starts grumbling. The sandwiches are delicious, as always, and she has some pastries left over for later, as always. She barely manages to set everything aside before she passes out from exhaustion.

* * *

Zack is waiting for her outside the Great Hall after lunch. He falls in step besides her as they head to the library.

“Well?” he asks insistently.

“Well what?” she says, feigning ignorance. He sighs dramatically, rolling his eyes.

“The quidditch tryouts, what else?! It’s been over a week, surely they must have said something by now.” She keeps her expression innocent, and he makes an exasperated noise, throwing his hands in the air. All of a sudden he stops, and his eyes narrow at her in suspicion.

“Wait a minute… You’re pulling my leg, aren’t you?”

She keeps her expression blank.

“So results did come out, then?”

No response.

“Did you make it on the team?”

Silence. Then, a slight twitch of her mouth.

“I KNEW IT!” All of a sudden, Trini finds herself wrapped up in one of the most intense bear hugs of her life. She feels herself lifted clean off her feet, and her bag presses uncomfortably into her side as Zack squeezes her, spinning around.

“That’s my Crazy Girl! I knew you could do it!” After a few spins he sets her down, and the first thing she does is punch him in the kidney.

“I’m proud of you,” he wheezes out, and while she doesn’t respond, the smile on her face says it all.

She and Zack make their way triumphantly to the designated study table, when Trini stops short. Billy and Jason are sitting next to each other, as usual, with designated space for Billy to lay out his inkwell and quills. But on Jason’s other side sits Kimberly, her hair falling in her face as she leans over her book.

“Huh. Fancy seeing her here,” Zack whispers. Trini frowns.

“You say that like you come here all the time. You’ve literally stepped in this library once.”

“Twice, now.”

“Same difference.” Taking a moment to get herself together, Trini walks up to the table, Zack in tow. She takes her usual seat across from Billy, who looks up at her.

“Any news?” he asks, and Jason turns as well. She exchanges glances with Zack before turning back and giving a thumbs up.

“That’s great,” Jason says, giving her a smile. “You’ve been working hard, you deserve it.”

Billy looks confusedly at her for a moment, hesitantly giving her a thumbs up. “Um, thanks? But did you make it onto the team or not?” he asks again.

“Yeah, I did!”

Billy gasps, clapping his hands together. Out of the corner of her eye, she notices Jason watching Billy fondly.

“Congrats.” Trini is surprised to hear Kimberly speak. She gives a sort of awkward nod in response, and Kimberly turns back to her book.

After a moment of silence, Trini gets out her astrology assignment, rubbing her eyes as she looks over the star chart.

Zack leans over (which is kind of unnecessary, considering how much taller than her he is), and frowns. “Wait, what’s that doing there?” He points to a dot on her paper.

She blinks at him. “That’s Pluto.”

“Pluto’s involved in this?”

“Yeah, we’re supposed to calculate based on a waning half moon. But I thought Pluto was supposed to be over there.” Billy points to a different cluster of stars.

“What? Let me see your chart.”

The three of them spend the next thirty minutes comparing star charts and quietly arguing about the positions of the planets. They eventually attract the wrath of Madame Pince, who gives them a brief scathing lecture on collaborative work and library etiquette before making them all swear to be silent. As soon as she’s out of view, the whole table dissolves into quiet sniggering.

As she reaches for a reference book, Trini briefly wonders how she came from studying alone in the common room to sitting at a library table with her two best friends, her best friend’s quasi-boyfriend, and her best friend’s quasi-boyfriend’s mysterious ex-girlfriend. She rubs at her eyes, turning back to her work. She’ll have time to ruminate on all of this later. Right now, she’ll just enjoy the calm while it lasts.

#trimberly fic #trimberly #kimberly hart #trini kwan #power rangers 2017 #my fic #hp!au #trimberly fanfic

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georgebenjiart · 6 years ago

Text

NANOWRIMO

Okay, so I only got 2,599 words. lol. This is a story that I’ve been working on and crafting for 3 years now, with the help of my older sibling who isn’t on tumblr. At one point I had 10k long novella written out for it. There’s also a 2nd 10k long novella from another character’s perspective as well. This is most likely going to be the first chapter, and I’m sorry that it’s really rough. This story doesn’t have a name, but at one point it was known as How I Lived, so I’ll be referring to it as HIL until I decide on something better.

HIL-

(if you’d prefer the google doc link to read it, dm me)

Words- 2599

Summary- A world where your chest glows a color when you’re near your soulmate, Heath, a boy who doesn’t believe in soulmates, or love, gets the biggest surprise. (note: only about half of this is in the story so far lmao)

Story:

My brother always tells me that waiting is even better than the reward, but to that I say bullshit. That’s all we do, right? We just sit back and wait. We wait until it’s time to talk to our friends, we wait until it’s time to go to sleep, to wake up, to go to work, to go home. Loops and endless waiting. My brother will die on a hill claiming that the wait is the best part. Personally, I think he’s just looking for an explanation as to why he hasn’t found his soulmate yet.

Like clockwork, Mel knocks on my door at six-forty-five that morning and I’m out the door, a quick goodbye to Onus and my backpack swinging onto my shoulder.

“Alright, spill. Jungle Blitz 4 demo, promising or no?” Last night we were up on a voice call waiting for leaks of the newest demo of the next game in our favorite video game series. Mel had to go to bed before the demo dropped.

“Depends. Do you like good games or not?”

“Oh God. That bad?”

“Think Kingsley has a kid.”

“So… good then?”

“Continue thinking, Lane is canon.”

“Holy shitting fuck. No.”

“Yes.”

Mel squeals a little bit and I know she’s going to be smiling about this for the rest of the day. “I can't believe the audacity of them to release the demo on the first day of school.”

“Oh, come one, it was world wide, they didn’t do it just to spite you.”

“You don’t know that, Heath.” Mel wiggles her finger at me and I can’t tell if she’s completely serious or not.

We continue our conversation as we make our way to school and as we pass through the student parking lot, a group of jock-ish seniors slow their conversation to glare at me. Mel just kind of glances my way and we don’t say anything about it.

“Alright, your first period is Mr. Long in room 105? Algebra 1?” I flip my hair out of my eyes and Mel laughs just a little bit.

“Get a haircut, and yeah. Well, yeah and no. Mr. Long in room 105, yeah. But it’s for Algebra 2.”

“How in the- That’s… I’m only in geometry you smart bitch.”

“Yeah! Remember, I was ahead of you in middle school too.”

“Yeah, yeah.” I walk her to her class and hug her goodbye. “Good luck, sorry you’re like ten minutes early.”

“Eh, it’s the first day, who cares?” Mel shrugs and her jackets make a sound.

As soon as Mel enters her class, the first bell rings and I head to the stairs. On my way up, I spot a very confused and short freshman gripping their class schedule.

“You need help finding your first period?” I’m afraid my voice scared the poor kid.

“My.. My brother said that he would… he would walk me to my first period.”

“Where is he?”

“I don’t… know.”

“I can help you in the meantime, can I walk you to you class?”

“Y-yeah.”

“Okay, coo. What’s your class?”

“Room 105.”

“Hey, I just walked my friend Mel there. She’s super nice, and a freshman like you.” I turn around and motion for them to follow me. “So what’s your name?” After a beat, “And pronouns.” They look very feminine, short bleached pigtails, blue tips, very big, bright blue eyes, a small button nose, and a thin pink jacket.

“Naomi.. And uh.. She/her.”

“Okay, cool. I’m Heath and I use he/him.” I smile at her, but she still looks like she’s ready to explode any second. “So what are you into? Do you play video games or anything?”

“Um… Kind of, not really.” We get to her class and I point at Mel, who is sitting at a table by herself.

“Go make sure Mel makes at least one friend, please.”

“Sure.. thing…” Naomi then rushes into the class, her tiny backpack bouncing with her.

When I finally get to my class, I choose a seat towards the back of the class, having not recognized any friendly faces in the crowd. My first four classes go by slowly, my teachers discuss silibi and give us “peer bonding” assignments to get to know the classmates we’ve known since freshman year. Lacking as that sounds, it’s still stressful and by the time I get to lunch, I’ve forgotten that Mel and I have the same lunch.

“Heath, I’ve been texting you. What the heck?” Mel sits down next to me, startling me from the astral plane my soul had traveled to.

“Oh, sorry, I was spacing out.” I check my phone, sure enough there’s five unread messages about lunch.

Then Naomi sits down next to Mel and gives me a little wave.

“Hey, you have lunch with us!” That gets a simple smile from Naomi. I pull a piece of bread from my backpack and begin to chow down.

“You cannot be serious.” Mel glares at me, her glasses slipping down her nose.

“What?” I ask, my mouth full.

“That’s your lunch?” Mel has pulled out a sandwich and soda can, while Naomi has a bag of chips and a salad.

“Yeah. I slept in this morning and Onus forgot to make me lunch.”

“Oh for christ’s sake, here,” Mel pulls out a second sandwich from her bag and hands it to me.

“Ohoho, thank you!” I kiss Mel’s hand begin to chow down a second time.

Just then, a loud bang sounds and we look over from our cafeteria table near the double doors, to see none other than Ronnie fucking Yule, their face pressed against the glass. “Let me in bro,” they mouth.

“Who’s that?” Mel asks.

“Ronnie, they’re in our discord server. You’ve talked to them before.” I open the door for then and they join us at our four-person table.

“My little brotato chips, what is cracking?” I can just feel the cringe radiating off of Naomi and I’d be lying if I said the only reason why I wasn’t cringing as well was because I love Ronnie with my entire fucking heart.

“Not much, just my bones.” And then I crack my neck.

“Oh, yucky. Hey, who’re you, you little carraromo?” Ronnie is talking more so at Naomi, rather than with her. That’s just a thing that they tend to do tho.

“I’m N-Naomi.”

“Sweet! Hey, so say you’re not just Naomi, but also a sister. Would you be having a brother who is on the football team?”

“Uh… Yes…?”

At this point in the conversation I’ve spaced out again and only really care about my sweet sandwich. I wait for lunch to end. Then I wait for the day to be over and I walk home with Mel.

I ask her if she plans on joining any clubs, she says no. I ask her what she thought of Naomi, she tells me Naomi is pretty cool so far. I ask her how her day went, apparently okay. I ask her if she wants to hang out at my house to play Jungle Blitz, she says yes.

My house isn’t much to look at, to be fair I’m surprised we still have it. It’s a mobile home, and a very homely one at that. It’s painted a perfect suburban beige on the outside, and a sickly sweet yellow on the inside. Our kitchen and livingroom are mostly connected, but there’s still a breakfast bar separating the two. We have fairly lights up in the living room year round because one reason or another when Onus and I were younger. The house always smells like either musty old books or whatever was most recently cooked, usually pancakes or spaghetti.

I sprawl out on the couch, Mel takes her place on the floor, leaning back on the couch, and she starts playing the third Jungle Blitz game. “I need one of the achievements still.” I fall in and out of sleep, watching Mel play. We hold a running commentary on events of the game, events which I am so well in tune with that I’m able to talk about them in my sleep apparently.

Mel leaves after a few hours, and I’m free to sort out the stack of silibi and other assorted papers I need my mom to sign. I leave them on the couch and I head to bed.

The next day of school is the first day of one of the three clubs I’m a part of (I know, social butterfly Heath), which is the first thing Onus informs me of when he hands me the stack of papers my mom signed sometime during the night. The next thing he tells me is that he’s made pancakes. I’m out of bed, ready for school and pounding my fists on the table within the next four minutes.

“Calm down, bro. I have a headache.” Onus serves me the pancakes and it takes everything in my not to eat the plate with the pancakes. “Didn’t put butter on-” I take a bite out of the stick of butter on the breakfast bar. “No. No, jesus christ, not this early in the morning you fucking gremlin.”

“Awugh c’mon O-nie,” I spit some crumbs his way and he rubs his temples.

“How old are you? Six or sixteen?”

“As if a six year old could be as funny as me.”

“Fucking Hell.”

“I have club today?”

“Chew your goddamn food. Yes, you have GSA today. Tomorrow you have DnD.” Onus reaches into his backpack haphazardly lain on the kitchen counter to pull out a textbook and a bunch of papers.

“What- that?” I swallow my food between words.

“Just some biomed bullshit. Doesn’t really matter.”

“Ah.” Just as he spreads his papers out to start working on them, there’s a knock at the door, and I’m stuffing my papers in my messenger bag and sprinting out the door, tugging shoes on as I run.

“Guess who got breakfast this morning!” I brag.

“You, for once?” Mel yawns and clearly would rather be in bed.

“Haha! Onus is the bestest brother in whole entire wide world ever!”

Mel yawns in agreement.

Similarly to yesterday, when we pass through the parking lot, the group of seniors hanging around some small sports-ish car all stare at us, mostly me, and glare. One of them laughs a little bit. When I glance over, usually I ignore them, I realize that I do, in fact, recognise most of them. The one laughing is Calvin James.

Calvin James sure is a character, or something like that. I’ve never spoken to him, but I’m certain he’s spoken about me. Not that his friends are horrible and the worst people in the whole world, but they sure don’t like any of the trans kids who go to school here. Including me. And probably Mel is they ever get close enough to her to know that.

“I need a haircut still,” I whine as we enter the school. Calvin James is the hottest guy I’ve ever seen. “This sucks!” I flip my hair out of my eyes and my glasses almost fly off my face.

“Get one then.”

“I need Onus to take me, but he’s busy with, like, adult stuff or some shit.” When we get to Mel’s class I walk in and sit with her at her table.

“Do you think my parents could take you?”

“Um… Maybe?” I think about this for a moment. “Wait- new topic, are you going to GSA today? Please say yes. You have to say yes or I’ll cry.”

“Bitch.”

“Fucker.” We makes hearts with our hands to really get the fact that we actually hate each other across.

While we’re having our chat, Naomi joins and we welcome her, there’s a brief exchange in which Mel agrees to go to the club after school today, only if Naomi goes too and Naomi agreed to because it beats just watching the football team practice while she waits for her brother to drive her home.

I only get a few complaints from teachers about the crumpled papers, it’s mostly just jokes though. At lunch, Ronnie joins us again.

“Heath, you need a snake?” Ronnie offers an applesauce cup to me and I oh so humbly accept it from them.

All but inhaling the applesauce, it’s gone sooner than anyone can start a new conversation. As I slam the empty applesauce cup onto the table, a group of preppy-adjacent freshman girls pass by us and sicker to each other, pointing at Naomi.

“I can beat them up for you,” I offer, wiping applesauce from my face.

“Haha, n… no. That’s not… needed.” I’m just now realizing that Naomi might not be stuttering from anxiety and she might actually just have a stutter.

“If you say so.” I shrug my shoulders and start a conversation with Ronnie about our Dungeons and Dragons characters, before moving on to talk about how GSA is meeting after school.

After lunch, my next three classes are boring and nothing particularly happens in them. At the end of the day, I head back to my art class where GSA meets.

“Hey Heath!” I’m greeted by Jae, who is in conversation with a freshman, who must me new this year.

“‘Sup.” I start moving some of the tables together so there’s a large table for about twelve people to sit around. “We’ll be starting soon, probably. Take your seats, please.” Jae and the freshman sit down at the other end of the table, soon Ronnie joins, then three small freshman, then Mel and Naomi. “Okay, we’ve got mostly everyone who will be showing up today, and it’s about time to start.” We start with check ins, which consists of stating your name and your pronouns?

“I’m Heath, this club’s president, and I use he/him pronouns.”

“Ronnie, I’m the vice president, they/them.”

“Mel, she/her.”

“Naomi, she/her.”

“Christian, he/him.” The freshman with Jae.

“Jae, the secretary, he/him and they/them.”

“Felicity, she/her.” One of the three freshmen.

“Alex, she/her.” The next freshman.

“Kali, she/her.” The last freshman.

“Okay, thanks for coming, everyone, today we’re just gonna set some stuff up for the rest of the year…”

The meeting goes well enough, the three freshmen mostly just whisper and giggle to each other, but other than that nothing goes wrong. I walk home with Mel after the club and I eat dry cereal out of the box as I do homework in the living room.

Mom doesn’t come back home that night, and I feel sorry about how many hours she’s currently working.

The next morning goes business as usual, except for the fact that I didn’t get any sleep at all. Onus arrives at the house, makes me a pancake, packs me a lunch and does does homework while I get ready for school. I leave the house with Mel, we walk through the school parking lot.

“School parking lot” is where things deviate from business as usual. As we’re walking by the regular group of jock-adjacent kids, they snicker at me and I turn to them.

“You’re just gonna do that everyday, huh?” I shout. The morning is bright, cool and the perfect time to throw some hands.

“Keep walking, girl,” one of the guys, a taller, lankier one, who isn’t even facing my direction just kind of shouts back out of the side of his mouth.

“Keep laughing, asshat.” I tiptoe my way towards them, and I can feel Mel plant herself in the pavement.

#GAB #gab writing #my wriring #nanowrimo #unfinished #novella #my writing

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