#almost ten days into 2021 is the perfect time to do this okay

[amourdivine]

𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐕𝐀𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐄'𝐒 𝐃𝐀𝐘 ઉ   pick a card

Hello, lovelies. I hope you're doing really well this Valentines season and if not, I'm sending you some big hugs! Today, I bring to you a more general-style type of reading. Let's look into how this person views you, shall we? If you liked this reading, please consider tipping me at @ amourdivinetarot@gmail.com! xo ♡

paid readings are closed as of february 2024

none of the images are mine unless stated otherwise!

pick a card masterlist & information

how to choose your pile.  take a few deep breaths for and look at each and of the piles separately. see which one brings you to a feeling, a place or a memory. take your time and feel free to come back to it later!

amourdivine | 2021 - 2024 © do not copy, redistribute or edit my content.

୨୧ PILE ONE

knight of swords ✧ the sun ✧ king of pentacles ✧ five of cups ✧ five of wands

This pile feels like you're either in a new relationship or some kind of situationship. Take what resonates for you! Honestly, from what the cards tell me, it will be a little chaotic, rushed and different from what you expected. It's nothing bad, but you may feel like you or your Valentine didn't plan it in its entirety. There may be too many unpredictable events.

You'll have fun, surely. It seems like you may go some place very beautiful and expensive, but it may not fulfill yours or your partner's expectations. I think either one of you may feel really upset about it, like a date gone wrong or maybe some sort of petty argument takes place instead of enjoying one another's company. Like I said, I don't think it'll be necessarily awful, it feels more like a series of unfortunate events taking place and not going according to plan.

If it's an expensive restaurant, you may find the food kind of sucks or, alternatively, if it's a carnival ride, it may rain and you might have to cancel it. Or- maybe your partner gets called at work and you can't spend it together.

There's a feeling of crying over spilled milk, of a lost opportunity. However, this day will highlight what's really important to the both of you - the relationship or perfection? I think both of you will have to weigh in and find a solution or some kind of compromise. It's an opportunity for the both of you to truly prioritize each other and pursue happiness.

୨୧ PILE TWO

three of pentacles ✧ knight of pentacles ✧ three of cups ✧ the tower ✧ ten of swords

I don't see a lot of romance here, pile two! I don't think it's what you're looking for. You look like you're someone who's recently single and ready to mingle. It's likely you're approaching relationships from a more practical and slower pace, scared to rush into anything after someone broke your heart really badly.

Either you'll work and enjoy the day with your work colleagues (I see people eating candy and treating themselves to all the pink food in the world) or you'll spend it with your friends, partying, going out and clubbing, mayhaps? You seem more focused on your career and friendships than love right now. That's okay! You'll have so much fun, just be mindful of excesses and remember to treat you body kindly.

I don't see you interested in anyone either. I get the feeling you might reject potential suitors over being heartbroken, emotionally unavailable or just... focused on yourself right now. This pile has more of a #girl boss feeling, but not in a bad way or anything. I feel a lot of Earth placements - Capricorn and Virgo standing out the most. It's okay to have high standards, pile two. You don't have to set the bar low just because other people have nothing to bring to the table. Good for you!

୨୧ PILE THREE

ace of wands ✧ ace of cups ✧ page of cups ✧ nine of pentacles ✧ seven of swords

This pile almost screams "self care" to me. The term could signify wildly different things to each of you, but I see someone planning and enjoying a relaxing, self-indulgent day ahead. Lots of facial mascara, skin treatments, maybe a mini spa day for yourself. You're replenishing your energy this Valentine's day and tuning into yourself, calling your vitality and strength back to you.

You may buy yourself flowers, spoil yourself with an expensive perfume, maybe makeup products or something you've had your eyes on for a while. There's a luxurious feel to it, a feeling of peace and calm. You may spend it somewhere nice - like a nice hotel room or maybe near a body of water, somewhere beautiful and expensive.

This pile feels very independent, but open to love. I think you're sort of.. preparing your life to accommodate love in it. Most, if not all people from this pile are single, but I think you are in a place where you feel ready, with a stable sense of self and in a fruitful phase for a new, loving relationship. I also feel some of you may be polyamorous, for some reason.

It's a very self-loving energy here regardless. I smell roses and chocolate, nice candy, jewelry and I see someone dressing up solely for themselves, putting makeup or perfume on to look and feel good for themselves.

୨୧ PILE FOUR

page of cups ✧ the empress ✧ eight of pentacles ✧ three of pentacles ✧ six of pentacles

You're celebrating love in all of its forms, pile four. This is the only pile where I feel that your relationship status doesn't really matter as much. It's gonna vary very wildly for most of you, but the underlying theme is the same: making room for all relationships to flourish in your life.

I see someone texting their friends, family and loved ones wishing them a happy Valentine's Day. It's quite loving, lighthearted and carefree. You'll also feel the love around you. It gives me Disney princess vibes, when they sing or dance around town and everyone seems enchanted by it, lol. It's very cute!

Maybe you're not really focused on romance or you just love love in all its forms and it seems like it's coming back to you tenfold. I could see someone strolling around town with a big smile plastered on their face. You will likely celebrate in small, but meaningful ways. I don't see partying here per se, but you may grab coffee with your friends or enjoy a heartshaped muffin. Valentine's Day is everyone else's excuse to wear and use all things pink, and I can see you doing that too.

There's a prominent Venusian feeling with the Empress here, like being in love with life and taking this day as another moment to remind the people around you how much they matter to you. You may even give or receive cute Valentine's Day cards.

amourdivine | 2021 - 2024 © do not copy, redistribute or edit my content.

[zhouszishu]

the sisters drama anon here: thank you to the people in the comments, i'll check those dramas/movies out! and if you know some good dramas about a female friendship then i'd like a rec as well please and thank you 🤲

IM SO SORRY THIS RESPONSE IS MONTHS LATE im still in bar study hell at the moment

(1) delicious romance (2021)

probably one of my favorite female-centric female friendship dramas in recent years i love all the ladies so much!!

it was extremely easy to binge and in my opinion, very heartwarming, relatable, and funny

a huge plus is how it handles a lot issues that a lot of women face in a very mature yet still lighthearted way

there is also a movie sequel (although i haven't watched it yet so cannot speak to its quality)

(2) remembramce of things past (2021) - tw for suicide

first things first -- if zhou yutong has a million fans, then i am one of them. if zhou yutong has ten fans, then i am one of them. if zhou yutong has only one fan, then that is me. if zhou yutong has no fans, then that means i am no longer on this earth. if the world is against zhou yutong, then i am against the world.

an urban slice of life drama centering around the lives of a group women in beijing and from the first episode you already know just how heart-wrenching this drama will be

definitely very heavy at times but all the characters are so compelling despite their seemingly very ordinary lives and these women feel so real because of all their flaws and struggles

also i am in love with zhou yutong i will literally watch almost anything just for her

(3) faithful (2023) - tw for sexual assault

heed the trigger warning -- the story is very heavy due to its subject matter

this drama is not about female friendships technically but the relationship between the two female leads is so central and important to the story and honestly the driving force behind the plot so it counts

the drama isn't perfect but i think that it is a very meaningful exploration of the injustice victims face when they speak out on sexual assault and just how difficult it is for victims to obtain justice in a world that cares more about protecting rapists than believing victims

it portrays the many ways in which victims are punished for daring speak up and fight for themselves and how the justice system and society are culpable in further traumatizing the victims

like this drama was so difficult to watch at times and can be quite triggering so please take care of yourself if you end up watching!!

by the last episode i was bawling like a baby

(4) the story of minglan (2018)

I HAVE A LOT OF FEELINGS ABOUT MINGLAN TO THIS DAY AND GET THE URGE TO REWATCH ALL 63 EPISODES LIKE EVERY YEAR EVEN THOUGH I DON'T HAVE THE TIME FOR IT

okay again not a female-friendship drama but it is female-centric

such a great slice-of-life drama about the inner lives of women with really rich, detailed storytelling and so many complex women AND UGH I LOVE IT SO MUCH

like the story treats their female characters with so much care and love and the writing allows you to understand all their motivations, and show you how these women, even if they are cruel, scheming, and manipulative, are not passive victims of their circumstances but are doing what they can to exert agency and control in their lives in order to protect themselves and their loved ones

also i lovelovelovelove the main couple so much they're up there as one of my favorite cdrama couples of all time

one day i will manage a full rewatch so that i can re-gif all of my favorite scenes in better quality :)

(5) ode to joy (2016) and ode to joy 2 (2017)

about five women who enter each other's lives because they all live on the same floor of an apartment building in shanghai -- they don't all start out as friends but over time do overcome their differences and become close friends

similar to remembrance of things past in the how it explores issues of career, family, and love but just as good and compelling

some of the ladies are difficult to love at first but by the end i was rooting for them all and enjoyed watching them all grow

(6) twenty your life on (2020)

drama centers around the lives of a group of college-aged girls and explores their struggles as they enter adulthood

it's not a groundbreaking drama but still quite a fun, light-hearted watch that i enjoyed a lot

i loved the girls' friendships so much and was rooting for them all by the end

there is a season 2 but again, i have not watched so cannot speak on its quality

[holocene-sims]

next // previous

july 4, 2021 7:15 p.m. adam's house

[wyatt] wait, actually, i changed my mind. i want to play skyrim now, too. we can just play one game.

[ezra] yay!

[grant] okay, okay, perfect. we have an agreement. let’s get a new save going. votes for character race?

[ezra] cat person!

[grant] any disagreements? no? sure, then it’s cat person time.

[ezra] can we get a horse?

[wyatt] cats don’t ride horses.

[grant] i think this one should.

[ezra] uncle grant, what were the first games you played?

[grant] ooh, i don't remember the very first one, but it was stuff like morrowind, knights of the old republic, icewind dale. old, old stuff.

[ezra] did you play them in black and white?

[grant] i'm sorry, what–

[ezra] are you choking? do i have to call the ambulance–

[grant] no, no! i'm fine! i'm not–

[wyatt] you said you were old.

[grant] i'm not that old!

[wyatt] i don’t know what life was like in the eighties.

[grant] oh, my soul is withering. i was not born in the eighties!

[ezra] when were you born?

[grant] 1991.

[wyatt] sooooooo...almost the eighties.

[grant] i'm going to pretend i didn't hear that.

[grant] anyway, while this loads, what have you been doing so far this summer? it’s summer break, you gotta enjoy it.

[ezra] uhhh, we go to our friends’ houses a lot, and since mom doesn’t work at the hospital anymore, we can do a lot more stuff. we’ve been learning to bake with her and she takes us to the park all the time. yesterday we went to the zoo.

[wyatt] we got new bikes, too! our old ones accidentally rusted.

[grant] that’s exciting! you can just ride around in the neighborhood all day again. that’s super fun, especially with each other and your friends. i miss that part of childhood so much.

[grant] okay, it’s loaded, but we need a little tiny ground rule, yeah? let’s talk controller sharing.

[ezra] he hogs stuff all the time!

[grant] hey, everyone does that. we all want to maximize our fun. but it’s not fun for everyone when we do that. it stops being fun for you, too, when your hogging the controller starts a fight you don’t want to be in. it ruins the mood.

[grant] okay, um, time is a really awful way to do it, so how about this? one person per area. somebody does the tutorial, somebody does whiterun, etcetera.

[grant] caveat: you can’t artificially delay your time with smithing or enchanting or something like that. if you want to do that, there’s definitely a patience limit, and as a third party, i think i'll reserve the right to decide when that rule applies.

[wyatt] that’s fair.

[grant] okay, pick a number one through ten.

[ezra] hmm, it’s your birthday number?

[grant] first of all, it can’t be my birthday, and second of all, i picked it randomly. no gaming the system.

[wyatt] well, i say four.

[ezra] uhhh, seven?

[grant] i was thinking eight, so congrats! the honor of starting the game is yours, my good sir.

[alpinelogy]

director’s commentary: the scene from we found wonderland where the twitch quartet go to eat together for the first time w alex!!

Ask me about directors commentary for any of my fics

Okay so first of all yes this is the ask that I lost the answer to after two hours of writing it last night. Fun. At least I can rewrite it and make it sound less like a lunatic’s rambling written between 10:30 pm and midnight and make it more structured (spoiler alert, I think I failed at that).

This is a beautiful 1.3k words of me rambling about what ultimately is a minor scene in the grand scheme of things so I’m leaving it under the cut :DD 

What's lowkey relevant to the way I write is that I was this close to being a literature major, so I like to think about the themes and character motivations as I write a scene/a fic and often rewrite earlier parts, even if the themes and character motivations end up as subtle as a brick to the face or yeet out of existence in the end. I am not good enough just yet, but I like rubbing my two braincells together to see what they produce.

The fic at large is supposedly about the circular nature of F1 and legacies. George does not believe there is anything worth remembering him by, empirically he is not even the most successful driver in the sport of his generation, much less of the 84 years of the sport (fun fact: this fic takes place in 2034. It has to, to add up with the kid’s age), however that ignores the fact that he left a different mark on the sport. This is the closest Williams has gotten to a drivers championship in almost 40 years; he will be within the history of the team either way.

So what I aimed for with the first half of the scene, especially with the description of the Williams factory, was to make it seem like larger than life, have an overwhelming presence beyond George's time. There is also the comparison of George feeling ‘less’ than a lot of his contemporaries, especially Lando, and repeatedly compares himself to him several times throughout the fic including here with the way their achievements are displayed. He doesnt recognize that they very much are not the same, that they are foils of each other if anything.

Lando then comes in as a contrast to George's thoughts. For the record if it wasn't obvious, he is full of shit, he is in the UK because George and Alex are there, and he dragged Charles along. Dragged may be the wrong term, Charles came willingly. Much like George, he also misses Alex and hey, this is a perfect excuse to reconnect on a personal level. From a purely utilitarian perspective when it comes to story progression and pacing, I needed George and Alex to reconnect on a personal level so I could do more stuff to them.

As an aside on where the characters are within the story to establish them:

George: Despite the seemingly terrible, horrible, not good, very bad year he's having, I want to make it clear that in the long run, he has a good life and a good career, that he is loved by so many people and that he knows that even if he doesn't realize it right now. That conversation with Lando in Barcelona would have happened either way, really his main problem currently that he blames himself for drifting apart in 2021 and to an extent he's put Alex on a pedestal. At the end of the day, he's a victim of circumstance, if he retired a year earlier or Alex wasn't the team principal, he would not be in nearly so much misery, it would maybe take longer but he would still go through the same realizations he goes through in the fic. (* yes a lot of George's character arc was thought out while I was staunchly ignoring Jane Eyre and it shows, sue me

Alex: Emotionally speaking, he had to distance himself from actively racing and to an extent, had to put some space between himself and people who were literally living his dream. Unlike George who only had a handful of months to process the entire situation, Alex had the past ten years to work through it and he did. He knows they effectively sleepwalked into falling apart but they are older now and he wants to reconnect and believes they can do so because they are in a different spot than he was 10+ years ago.

Lando & Charles: The friendship these four have is very important to me and even if its slightly recontextualized in this fic, Lando plays a more important role within the context of the entire fic but it isn't as important here so I will not go on another tangent. Realistically speaking, they probably fill the spot Alex fills in real life in this fic. They are the friend(s) who would road trip with George from Monza and then say how shite he is at driving road cars. They are the two people who care about George the most because George cares about them a lot. I cannot overstate how good friends they are. Their friendship is important to me in basically anything I write if it wasn't obvious already.

Back to the actual fic:

The second half of this scene is largely about how George, despite thinking otherwise, has made a spot for himself within the history of F1. I was aiming for a cozier feel for the entire scene, hence a nameless british pub and rain outside.

Despite the four of them being successful within F1, they are still just some guys catching up. Their (George’s) stories stretch beyond their mark on the sport and that's what this scene is supposed to be. Friends catching up. It's just that. George fades into the background of the conversation because while at times especially in this fic likes to be in control, work by a practiced script, he trusts the rest of the Twitch Quartet enough to let go, let the conversation flow out of his control.

The last bit of coming out was very hard to write. In total, George comes out in some form or another five times. To Lando, to Alex, to Charles, and twice more in the final chapter. Lando and one in the final chapter are unique on their own by the nature of how they work, but the other three could quickly be samey so I had to be careful while writing them.

For this one I ended up going with the ‘I’ve known you since we were little kids please stop making eyes at another person’ thing. At the end of the day, Charles has known George for decades, he can probably at least make an educated guess that George is into guys and he hasn't been subtle about Alex the entire evening.

Internalized homophobia is a bitch, first hand experience, and even in safe places like this because lets face it, Charles knows about Lando and Carlos, its still hard to say anything. Fortunately, Charles once again comes through because he understands George and what he is thinking very much. At the end of the day, this moment is one of the pillars George later builds his confidence on, as he came out to someone and the world went on just fine, nothing bad happened. Letting go of internalized homophobia is hard but this sort of acceptance is in my personal opinion very important, that people don't make a big deal out of it.

The entire scene is ultimately about reconnecting and catching up with old friends no matter who you are now and the calm sort of acceptance. Oh and found family because the subtle hints of that are also common for me when I write.

Anyway this took very long to write but it was also very fun to think about the fic, hopefully the rambles will be at least a bit comprehensible. If it wasn't clear, I very much like talking about writing. Something, something almost a literature major, if anyone is so inclined, please ask more about my writing.

[tabbytabbytabby]

2020 Writer Memes

I was tagged by the lovely @matan4il. Thank you! 💜

Writer Interview

Name(s): Tabitha, Tabby, Tabs (username tabbytabbytabby)

Fandom(s): So so many. My favorite ones this year were 9-1-1, 9-1-1 Lonestar, Chicago Fire, Prodigal Son, The Rookie, The Mandalorian, Anne With An E, Teen Wolf, Merlin, Hawaii Five-0, Agents of SHIELD, Julie and the Phantoms, The Umbrella Academy, The Witcher, Star Trek Discovery, The Good Place, New Amsterdam, The Resident, Roswell: New Mexico, All American, Doctor Who, and Once Upon A Time. I feel like I’m forgetting some. 2020 lasted a million years.

Where you post: AO3, mostly. Sometimes I double post to Tumblr if I have the time/feel like it.

Most Popular One Shot (by kudos) Overall/this year: High Hopes (906) (Sterek)

Most Popular Multi-Chapter (by kudos) Overall/This Year: Gonna Make This Place My Home (433) (Thiam). This one was started in 2019, but I finished it this year so it counts.

Favorite story you’ve written so far: I’m going to take this to mean so far in 2020, and not like overall. Because that is far too much pressure. Even 2020 is hard since there are 203 things. All Doors Lead To You was one of my favorites I did this year though. It was an endeavour plotting that out but I had a lot of fun with it.

Fic you were nervous to post: I get a little nervous with all of them. Even with how much I’ve written, it still happens. But the one I was probably most nervous about was The Best Present I Ever Got, which was major character death. I write MCD alot for the Teen Wolf fandom, but it makes me nervous doing it for other fandoms because I never know what the reception will be same. Same with unrequited love, which is why I was also nervous about Somebody Else’s Arms.

How do you choose your titles? I should say now that I usually hate naming things. Especially lately, when I’ll think of a title for something and then realize I’ve already used it before (which is bound to happen with 800 fics but still). Sometimes the titles come from lines from the fic or something about it, sometimes the prompt itself if there was one, and then other times song titles. I’ve started a doc with lines from songs that can work as titles so maybe that’ll help me be more creative with them 😆

Do you outline? It depends on the fic, really. I usually have a doc with notes if it’s a longer fic that I can turn to. I have outlined for a few though. Especially for Quest For Camelot, because it helps me know what I have planned for the chapters and who I wanted to write for. Which helped after I took some time away from it. I had an outline when I was writing All Doors Lead To You as well, which helped me keep track of which universe I wanted to have in which chapter and colors for doors, etc. 

Upcoming work you’re most excited about: I’m pretty excited for my fic for the Buddie Big Bang. If it turns out how I want it to, it’s definitely going to be one of my favorites that I’ve done. I have a Sterek fic I’ve been working on that I’m pretty excited about too and hope to have done in the next couple of weeks.

AO3 stats (for 2020)

Amount of works posted: 203

Total word count: 608,437

Longest fic: Reconcile (80,545) (Thiam)

Shortest fic: Rainy Night (106) (Sterek)

Fic with the most kudos: High Hopes (906) (Sterek)

Fic with the most bookmarks: You Are In Love (153) (Buddie)

Fic with the most comment threads: All Doors Lead To You (90)

Total amount of kudos: 37,116

Total amount of bookmarks: 4,795

Total amount of comment threads: 1,976

Fandoms written for: 9-1-1, 9-1-1 Lonestar, Teen Wolf, Chicago Fire, Merlin, All American, Agents of SHIELD, Hawaii Five-0, Chicago PD, Prodigal Son, Criminal Minds, Star Wars, The Rookie, The Witcher, The Good Doctor

Fandom events you’ve written for: Fandom Trumps Hate, Fandom AU Fest, Jenna Geyer Appreciation Week, Dr. Geyer Appreciation Week, Buddie Big Bang, Thiam Big Bang, Sterek Week, Sterek Secret Santa, A small disord Secret Santa, 9-1-1, Crack Week, Secret Elf Buddie Discord fic exchange, Buddie Discord Advent,  Sprint September, Whumptober, TW Bingo, Greenberg Appreciation Week, Laura Hale Appreciation Week, Merthur Glompfest, Scisaac Week, and maybe more? This year has been a blur. 

Pairings written for: We’ll start with 9-1-1 and end with all the Teen Wolf pairings to make organization easier. Everything else in between. Here we go... Buddie, Jevan,  Eddie/Josh, Buck/TK, Arthur Pendragon/Josh Russo, Greenberg/TK Strand, Brettsey, Chenford, Merthur, Geraskier, McDanno, Tarlos, Daisysous, Luke/Penelope, Finnpoe, Melendaire, Ashivia, Malcolm Bright/Derek Hale, Thiam, Sterek, Steo, Chris Argent/Dr. Geyer, Scott/Nolan, Scisaac, Berica, Morey, Therek, Isaac/Theo, Greenberg/Derek, Isaac/Jackson, Danny/Theo/Jackson, Halemore, Sceo, Danny/Jackson, Danny/Greenberg, Isaac/Danny, Liam Dunbar’s Mother/Liam Dunbar’s Father

Favorite fic you’ve written this year: I answered this above and said Doors, but here I want to mention my Geraskier fic I’m Mr. Brightside because it’s something I’m really damn proud of. And also a mention to my Theo/Derek fic Strangers on a Train where they meet The Doctor. It wasn’t something many people read, but I had fun writing it. ALSo, my Jevan fake dating AU You’re My Favorite Place

Goals for next year: Continue writing and being productive. It’s going to be hard over the next few months since I’m in the home stretch of nursing school (done in June). But I want to write when I can and just keep enjoying it.

Gonna tag (and sorry if you’ve done this already. I’m late here): @lovelylittlegrim @hazelestelle @novemberhush @manonisamelon @acejuddryder @schweetheart @theproblemwithstardust @dopemixtape @halinski @snaeken @li0nh34rt @lightfiretomypaperwings @imjustafangirl-nobodylovesme @underthegallowws @theladyandthewolves @seylaaurora (and anyone else that wants to do this, just say I tagged you!)

[spaceman-earthgirl]

Supercorptober 2021 Day 7: Party

Fic link. Series link.

Lena’s hiding. This is technically her party, she should be out there, talking to the CatCo employees and various party guests, but here she is, hiding in her best friend’s office to avoid any awkward social interactions. Or, more specifically, to avoid having to talk to one person in particular.

At least Kara’s office is a safe space where she shouldn’t be found.

Lena knows she can’t hide in here forever, but for now, she’s going to take advantage of being alone.

She hopes no one has noticed her absence.

No sooner has she had that thought, when the door handle turns and she suddenly finds she’s not alone anymore. She holds her breath for a moment, but then Kara is there, and all the worry turns to relief as she finds her best friend in the doorway, blue eyes filled with concern.

“There you are, is everything okay?”

It does stupid things to her heart that Kara noticed she was missing.

“I’m fine,” Lena smiles. “I just needed a moment.”

“Can I join you?” Kara asks, waiting for Lena’s nod before she steps into the room, pulling the door shut behind her.

“It is your office, after all,” Lena adds, eyes on Kara as she crosses the small room, ends up perched on the edge of her desk.

“Do you want to talk about why you’re hiding in here?” Kara asks after a long moment. She’d wondered if her best friend would let it go. Apparently not.

Lena sighs, but if you can’t talk about this sort of thing with your best friend, then who can you talk about it to? Sure, she’s in love with said best friend, but that’s besides the point right now.

“James asked me out.”

Lena can’t look at Kara as she says it, eyes focused on the twisted fingers in her lap, but when the small “oh” falls from Kara’s mouth, Lena looks up, catching the ripple of Kara’s jaw.

“So…umm…how come you’re hiding in here then?”

“We got interrupted before I could answer this morning, and ever since he’s been trying to talk to me, so I’ve been avoiding him.” The party had started fine, but that was only because James hadn’t arrived yet. But of course he’d be here, he is CatCo’s CEO after all, and she’d spent the first hour of the party after he’d arrived, strategically moving around the room, all the while keeping an eye out for James and avoiding him.

“And you’re avoiding him because…?”

“He looked so hopeful when he asked, I just feel bad saying no and I don’t want to lose him as a friend.”

She’s sure she’s just imagining the way Kara’s shoulders relax.

Usually, she’d have no problem saying no to unwanted advances, but she actually likes James, not in the romantic sense, but she likes working with him, likes being a part of Kara’s group of friends, and she doesn’t want something like this to put it in jeopardy. 

“I considered saying yes,” Lena finds herself admitting too. “It’s nice to feel wanted for once, but it wouldn’t be fair to him and I’d only be stringing him along.” Another reason she’d almost said yes was because she’d wondered if that’s what she’d needed, to get over Kara, to throw herself into another relationship, but that’s not fair to any of them either.

And honestly, she’s content with her life, happy having Kara in it just as she is, as a friend, even if that’s all they’ll ever be.

“I don’t know if I ever told you this, but James and I were nearly a thing, before I realised we should just be friends. And we’re still friends now. He’s a good guy, he’ll understand and accept your decision if you tell him no.” Kara pauses. “And if he doesn’t, then I can deal with him for you,” she grins, clenching her fists, looking ready to fight. “I can even throw him off this planet, if you like.”

Lena laughs, already feeling better. “That won’t be necessary but thank you.” Her smile falls as she sighs. “I suppose we should get back out there.”

“Or…”

Lena lifts an eyebrow. “Or?”

“Or we steal as much food as we can carry and sneak out. We can go back to my place, eat food, and have a party of our own.”

“I should really go and talk to James.” She already feels bad, avoiding him, she should just go and talk to him, get it over with. Knowing Kara is here helps.

Kara gives her a small smile “Okay,” she nods. “New plan, you go and talk to James, I’ll get the food, and we’ll meet back here in ten and we can go back to my apartment and watch a movie and eat food until we feel sick?”

Lena laughs. “Sounds like a plan.” She figures she’s made enough of an appearance at this party anyway.

She finds James easy enough in the crowd and the conversation is quick and painless and she should’ve just done this earlier as he smiles and nods at her answer.

She makes her way back to Kara’s office, talking to a few people on the way, and when she returns, she finds a mountain of food sitting on Kara’s desk, her best friend standing beside the pile, looking uncharacteristically nervous as fingers adjust her glasses.

Lena’s never seen Kara ignore food when it’s right there.

“Is everything okay?” Lena asks.

“I…” Kara swallows, glancing through the open door, so Lena steps inside and closes it, giving them some privacy once more.

“You said something earlier,” Kara starts again, fingers now twisting together in front of her. “You said it’s nice to feel wanted, like it doesn’t happen often, but I want you.” Lena’s breath catches. “It might not be the best time to say it, maybe I should’ve told you months ago, or maybe I should have never have told you at all, but I want you, and I wish I had the courage to just ask you out like James did.”

“You want…” Lena breathes, she can’t even get the words out, it just doesn’t make sense. She never imagined that Kara might want this too.

“I want you,” Kara says, nerves from before gone, words said loud and clear, ringing through the small room. “I’ve never wanted anyone the way I want you.”

Kara’s been brave, Lena can be brave too. “You already have me,” she says, stepping into Kara’s space, hands rising to cup Kara’s cheeks. “You’ve always had me.”

“Can I kiss you?” Kara whispers into the small gap between them, blue eyes so close.

Lena’s not sure how they got here from her hiding in this very office, hiding from the advances of someone else, but she’s not going to complain as she nods.

This is everything she’s ever wanted.

Kara’s nose bumps into hers in the next moment and it’s a little clumsy, but no less perfect when Kara’s lips meet hers, warm and gentle. Lena hums into the kiss, relaxes into Kara’s embrace as hands land on her hips, as Kara crowds her against the desk so she’s surrounded completely by her best friend.

Though, this isn’t exactly best friend behaviour.

“I want you too,” Lena breathes into the kiss. She’s not sure she exactly said it before, but she wants Kara to know to. “I love you.”

Kara pulls away then, but not before Lena feels the way Kara’s lips curve up against her own. “You love me?” she grins. “Rao, this really is the best evening ever.”

Lena laughs. “Are you sure that’s not the big pile of food behind you?”

Kara barely spares the food a glance before soft eyes are back on her. She shakes her head. “Definitely this.” She peaks Lena’s lips. “And I love you, too.”

[latetaektalk]

(he)art thief | jjk [i, preview]

“jungkook is charming, kind, smart, and funny. jungkook is the guy to fall in love with. he is perfect in every sense, except that he is also a member of a notorious heist group and only getting close to you to steal from you. but what does he do when he starts to fall for you? who does he choose? his brothers or you?

genre: heist! AU, thief! jungkook, art curator daughter! oc, ocean’s! AU, fluff, angst, sexual themes/implied smut (in later chapters)

pairing: jungkook x female reader

estimated word count: 35 to 40k

warnings: cursing/swearing, a bit of alcohol consumption

a/n: this is loosely based off the ocean’s film! to be added to the taglist, shoot me an ask/message! also, gureum is jungkook’s dog! and thank you to movie club for helping me come up with this amazing title!!

coming sunday, may 30th 2021  

Jungkook avoids playgrounds.

Does so because when he was at the tender age of just seven, he fell off a swing. He ended up in the hospital (his first but not last visit); seven stitches, his mother told him, but he could swear it was a million.

Needless to say, Jungkook has been avoiding playgrounds like the plague ever since.

But here he is, in the middle of one, dog leash in his hand, and heart pounding in his chest so violently it might just explode.

A mob of boys runs past him, all of them no older than six—which means that, for the most part at least, they’re harmless—but still, Jungkook flinches. It’s embarrassing, even more so because Gureum turns and stares at him. If one of them should flinch, it should be Gureum, with him being a dog and Jungkook a full grown adult, but God, today is just not his day. He’s stressed! Out of it! Nervous! A wreck-

“Did you just flinch?”

Jungkook feels his heart drop. Fuck, he thought he walked out of sight!

“No, I didn’t, Tae,” he hisses, pressing the earpiece further into his ear.

“You flinched! We can still see you- ah, okay, not anymore. But we saw that-”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I definitely did not flinch-”

“Denying it is pointless. We all saw it. Back me up here, Jimin.”

“You definitely flinched.”

Jungkook stops dead in his tracks, is about to walk back to the car and tell them that they must be hallucinating because he definitely did not flinch when-

“Can you see her already, Kook?” Namjoon asks and for a moment, Jungkook forgot why he is here, you.

He looks around himself, and it doesn’t take him long to find you, sitting on a bench, under a big tree, soft shadows dancing on your skin.

“Yeah, I-I see her,” Jungkook says under his breath.

“Okay, good. I’m gonna need you to focus up then,” Namjoon continues, and Jungkook nods like Namjoon could see him.

“Yeah, if you screw this up, it’s your fault if we end up in jail-”

“Tae!” Namjoon warns, and judging from the ‘ow’ that follows, someone punched him. Jungkook’s guess is Jimin.

“What? I’m just saying-”

“I knew I shouldn’t have let you come,” Namjoon mumbles and runs a hand down his face. “Hey, Kook, don’t listen to Tae, yeah? He’s just messing with you.”

“Yeah… I know,” Jungkook mutters, and he means it. He really does know that Taehyung is messing with him, but there’s a part of him that takes it to heart, that is worried sick about how he’s going to fuck this up and be the reason for why they all end up in jail.

“Don’t worry, Kook,” Jimin cuts in, taking the phone from Namjoon. “We’ve got your back. All you have to do is repeat after me, say what I say. You’ve got this. Remember what I taught you?”

“Always smile and laugh and never talk about yourself. Keep the conversation about the other person because people love talking about themselves,” Jungkook repeats, and looks at you again, heart heavy in his chest.

He shouldn’t feel like this, wishes he wouldn’t. But he can’t help it. This isn’t how he imagined he’d meet you. Jungkook thought he’d meet you at some fancy event, sipping expensive champagne, or at some luxury clothing store maxing out your parents’ credit card—after all, your mother is a world famous art curator. But instead you spend your time at playgrounds, babysitting.

There’s actually no reason for Jungkook to be this nervous. Jimin did practise with him this exact scenario, but he can’t help but think that with a flute in his hands and some alcohol buzzing through his system, he’d feel more comfortable. But here he is, in the middle of a sea of children.

“Kook, do you copy?”

“What? Sorry, I wasn’t…” Jungkook pauses. He shouldn’t admit that he wasn’t listening.

“Get your head in the game, please,” Namjoon tells him over the earpiece.

“Sorry, you’re right. I’m here,” Jungkook says and starts to walk again even though he still feels fucking lost as a goddamn adult at a playground. Gureum follows him when he tugs on the dog leash.

“Okay, good. Just- just try your best,” Namjoon says, voice a bit muffled. “You’ve got this.”

Jungkook could swear that there’s a waiver to his words.

“Don’t worry. We’re here,” Taehyung tells him before Jungkook can think about it too much, distracting him from the quiver he heard.

He stops behind a tree, close enough for Gureum to spot you, but not close enough for you to spot them. His knees crack when he kneels down to stroke Gureum’s ear.

“Hey, Gureum? I’m gonna unleash you in a second and then I’m gonna need you to run towards,” Jungkook points as discreetly as possible to you, “her, yeah? Just like we practised? Remember? Remember how you ran towards Seok and Yoongi? Do it exactly like that again, okay? If you do, I’ll get you your favourite treat.”

Gureum doesn’t run away instantly when Jungkook unclips him because he’s trained, but when he points at you and whistles, he’s gone.

You react surprisingly calm to a dog barreling towards you, barely flinching. You lean down and greet Gureum.

“Approaching target now,” Jungkook mumbles quietly and can only faintly register how Namjoon tells Taehyung to be quiet from now on, all of his attention on the mission now.

With the leash in his hand, Jungkook jogs towards you, heaving extra hard to sell the act of a dog-owner-who-has-been-chasing-his-dog-for-the-last-ten-minutes to you.

You look up to him when he stops in front of you, eyeing him. Jungkook stands there, bend over, his hands on his knees, breathing like he’s struggling to catch his breath.

“Uh…. hi,” you start, brows pinched together.

Jungkook puts on his most charming smile, ignoring his thumping heart to the best of his abilities.

“Hi.”

“Oh, we’re starting- okay, showtime: I’m sorry, are you okay? My dog- he just ran and I couldn’t stop him. I’m so sorry,” Jimin says in his ear.

“I-I’m so sorry.” There’s a quiver to Jungkook’s voice, and it isn’t on purpose. “Are you okay? He just ran and I-”

“It’s fine,” you tell him with a small smile, still petting Gureum who has clearly taken a liking to you. During practise with Seokjin and Yoongi, Gureum always ran back to Jungkook, but now he’s staying at your feet, relishing in your pets. “Is that your dog?”

“Yes, yes, it is. I’m so sorry. I just unleashed him for a second, but then he ran away and I couldn’t catch up with him. Are you okay?”

“Yes, and I’m so sorry. I just unleashed him for a moment, thinking it was okay, but-”

“Can you prove it?” you interrupt and Jungkook pauses. “I mean that it’s your dog. It’s just that he isn’t really reacting to you, you know?”

Jimin’s response comes a bit late. “Oh, yes, I can. His name’s Gureum and he is- what’s the breed of your dog again? I don’t remember. If you look at his collar, you’ll see I’m telling the truth.”

“Oh, yeah, I can,” Jungkook smiles, wiping the non existent sweat from his temple. “His name’s Gureum and he’s a white Maltese dog. If you look at his collar, you’ll see that I’m not lying.”

You actually look at the collar and part of Jungkook is offended that you don’t just believe him. Does he look like a liar to you? “Actually, I have pictures too-”

“No, no, it’s fine. I believe you,” you say before gesturing for Gureum to go back to Jungkook. He does, but somewhat reluctantly and Jungkook doesn’t know how to interpret this.

“Ask her if she’s okay again.”

“Are you really okay?” Jungkook says and offers you a smile the way Jimin taught him to. “I really am sorry about-”

“It’s fine,” you tell him and wave him off. “Nothing happened. Don’t worry about it. Just leash your dog.”

And then, you turn away from him. Jungkook stands there awkwardly for another moment before kneeling down to Gureum, absentmindedly petting him, mind filled with questions because what now? How does he communicate to the others that you turned away from him? That the conversation has ended and he has no idea how to start it again?

“What’s going on Kook? Is she smiling-”

“Ah, Gureum, no,” Jungkook cuts in. “Don’t turn away- I can’t leash you if you do that. Don’t turn away.”

“Oh, shit, she turned away, huh?”

“What now, Jimin?”

“Shush, Joon. Let me think, yeah?”

Jungkook fiddles with the leash like he has a problem clipping it, hoping that maybe you’re going to offer him your help. You don’t. And why would you? He’s an adult after all.

Before Jimin can come up with anything though, the solution to the problem presents itself. It comes in the form of a girl running and tripping right next to Jungkook and him catching her just in time before she can faceplant in the dirt and scrape her knees open.

“Oh, hey, careful here!” Jungkook brings the girl back up on her two feet. She stares at him with big eyes, and he recognises her from the pictures. It’s Siyeon, the seven year old girl you babysit regularly, the reason why you’re spending your afternoon at a playground today. ”You okay?”

“Kook, what’s happening right now?” Namjoon asks.

Siyeon looks at you, and you’re already kneeling beside her, fixing her hair.

“Siyeon, I told you not to run. See, you almost fell now!” You say it the same way a mother would, less strict though. “If he hadn’t caught you, you would have hurt yourself, wouldn’t you have? Now, what do you say?”

“T-thank you,” Siyeon mumbles, and Jungkook isn’t sure if she’s staring at her hands because she’s embarrassed or just about to cry.

“Who’s that? Who are you talking to? Who’s he talking to?”

“Was that a kid?”

“Are you okay?” Jungkook asks Siyeon, ignoring Namjoon and Taehyung to the best of his abilities.

“Y-yes, thank you.” She won’t look at him.

Jungkook smiles. “Well, I’m happy that you didn’t get hurt there.”

“Kook, answer please. Do you need help?”

“Should we interfere?”

Jungkook’s about to snap. Does it seriously sound like he needs help? He’s talking to a seven year old, for fuck’s sake! Sure, he didn’t practise this scenario, but God, he was capable of improvising!

“Thank you. She’s really clumsy,” you say to Jungkook.

“Ah, don’t worry about it. I’m like that too. After all, I let,” he looks down at Gureum and finishes his sentence by gesturing to him and then you. You laugh.

And that’s when Siyeon seems to notice Gureum for the first time, eyes growing big at his sight like she has never seen a dog before. A chance.

“His name’s Gureum. You wanna-”

“Do you think we should go over there? See if he’s okay?”

And with that, Jungkook snaps. Yoongi is going to give him an earful for destroying his oh so precious equipment, but he can’t do this any longer with Jimin, Namjoon and Taehyung in his ear. So in one smooth movement, Jungkook digs out the earpiece and crushes it between his fingers, hiding it in his hand.

“Sorry, a fly, I think,” Jungkook says, swatting at his ear, and before you can think about it, he moves on. “Do you wanna pet Gureum, S- Is it okay if I call you Siyeon?”

Siyeon stares at Jungkook like he can’t believe he just asked her that. It’s probably the first time an adult has asked her for permission to call her by her name, and she seems to appreciate it immensely because she beams at him and gives him a huge nod.

“Okay, Siyeon, do you maybe wanna pet Gureum? He doesn’t bite, I promise.” Jungkook can feel your eyes on him. He’s doing it, charming you!

Siyeon turns to you.

“Can I-?”

You hum. “If Gureum is okay with it-”

Siyeon kneels down. “Hello, Mr Gureum. Sir, can I please pet you?”

Jungkook melts, and so do you.

Receiving no response from Gureum, Siyeon looks back up to you. Jungkook quickly takes his paw and waves. “Hello, Mrs Siyeon, if you promise not to hurt me, you can pet me. I like it especially if humans pet me at the back of my head. Just, please, be nice to me.”

In all of the years he has had Gureum, Jungkook has never tried to imagine what his voice would sound like, but he knows for a fact that he doesn’t sound like a chain smoker. It’s a questionable choice, but he doesn’t regret it. Because not only does it make Siyeon laugh, it also elicits a chuckle from you.

You look at him with a grin. “I don’t think I’ve introduced myself yet, have I?”

“No, I don’t think so,” Jungkook says, and you two rise to your feet when Siyeon starts to pet Gureum and he doesn’t bite her.

“Well,” you stretch out your hand, “I’m Y/N.”

Jungkook swallows the ‘I know’ that wants to slip him and takes your hand. He has to stop himself from bursting with pride, only allowing his smile to grow into a blinding grin.

“Nice to meet you, Y/N,” he says, and he means it. It’s really nice to meet you. “I’m Jungkook.”

coming sunday, may 30th 2021

[duskwood-by-daylight]

Kinktober 2021: Stress Relief

Bucky is in a bad mood and it's up to you to fix it.

Warnings: cursing, oral (m receiving), grumpy Bucky being mean, poor Tony's virgin ears

Word count: 710ish

A/N: ALL KINKTOBER FICS ARE NSFW. If I miss a tag or a warning, let me know. I'll get these organized into a master post when I get home. As always, 18+, minors DNI. Don't steal or copy or whatever. Feedback always appreciated.

Bucky has been a moping, surly, nightmare all damn day. You've suggested he go take a nap or read a book or do anything that will get him out of your ass for five minutes, but he seems to genuinely prefer following you from room to room of the tower, grumbling passive aggressive comments. Your final straw is Bucky telling Steve to go fuck himself.

You grab his hand and jerk him toward your room, "Come with me."

He goes willingly enough but grumbles, "what the fuck are you doing, doll?" 

You don't answer his question, entering your quarters and locking the door. He's still frowning but you don't let that stop you from undoing his belt and shoving his pants down. Now his face reads as very concerned and mildly uncomfortable, almost afraid to ask you what is happening.

 "Sit." Pointing at the plush armchair, you watch as he digs his heels in a little, crossing arms over his broad chest. "Goddammit, James, I said sit." This time, you physically move him into the chair then set about removing his boots and pants. "You've been grumpy all day. It's driving me crazy." He leans forward to help and you place your hand in the center of his chest, shoving him backward. "You won't get something to eat. You won't take a nap. Fine. If this is the way we have to do it, fine." 

Without warning, you palm over the bulge in his boxer-briefs. He exhales a panicked moan, "Wait, doll. You don't."

You hold up a finger to silence him and he quickly shuts up. If an angry woman has your dick in her hand, do not say anything to piss her off more. Freeing him from the cloth, you slightly glance up to see him biting his lower lip, but he's watching you closely. He's trying to sear the image into his memory, you kneeling between his legs, fingers gently tracing along his half hard length, gazing affectionately up at him. 

"Relax."  

Before long, he's whimpering at your every movement, allowing you to slowly take him apart. "You just needed some undivided attention from your girl, huh?"

Bucky nods vigorously, desperately fighting back a moan when you swirl your tongue over his leaking tip. "It's okay, baby. You can talk."

He reaches out his hand, petting over your hair, as you swallow him again. "Oh fuck, you make me feel so good, doll. Damn, doing such a good job, my perfect girl. I bet your mouth is almost as perfect as your," His praises are interrupted by his phone ringing. He ends the call without answering and focuses on gently gathering your hair away from your face. "You're so pretty. I." This time, it's your phone that cuts him off. He silences it and throws it into the hamper across the room. 

You pull off of him and readjust your position with a giggle. "My sweet boy." You nose at his cock, placing teasing kisses along the shaft. "Can't even get ten minutes of peace. Let me help." You bury him to the hilt, hearing another phone ringing when your nose bumps his groin.

"What?" He answers the phone aggressively, holding back his breathy moans. It only serves to make him sound more irritated.

"Where are you?" Tony is annoyed but not nearly annoyed as Bucky. 

"I'm busy."

"Where's Y/N?"

"Busy."

"Is she at least there? We could use you two for a mission. I'll go over the basics if you put me on speaker."

You hum and the vibration has Bucky squeezing the phone so hard, it nearly cracks. He chokes back another groan, bliss interrupted by Tony's, "Can you hear me?"

"Listen, sweets has my cock halfway down her throat. She'll have to call you back if you want to chat." He ends the call and fists both hands into your hair, rolling his hips as his head falls back on the couch. "Oh fuck, baby doll, I'm so close. Just like that." 

"Well." Tony sits back in his chair, still a bit shocked. He glances around the board room at the rest of the team.  "I guess we can count them out."

Steve chuckles, "Sounds like they have better things to do."

[ghostgothgeek]

Awkward.

DP Shiptember 2021 - First Date

Pairing: Danny and Sam

---

“Ugh!” Danny groaned as he threw another shirt to his growing pile. “None of these are working!”

“Dude, they all look fine to me. Just pick one!” Tucker picked some lint off his shirt.

“I can’t just pick one! It has to be perfect!” Danny pulled on another button up shirt.

Tucker sighed and slid off Danny’s bed and onto the floor. “It’s just a date.”

Danny almost tore his shirt in half in anxiety when Tucker said that. “But it’s Sam! And it’s our first date! If it goes wrong she’ll suck me in the thermos and throw me down a well or worse - never talk to me again!”

Yes, Casper High’s lovebirds finally got together. Surprisingly enough, it was Danny who made the first move. Sure, he was nervous and had some encouragement from Tucker (and Jazz and Clockwork and just about every ghost or human who would listen to his anxious rambling), who assured Danny that his friendship with Sam would most likely be okay no matter what happened, but he finally asked Sam out. Sam was cautiously optimistic (she wanted to be sure it wasn’t a prank) but finally said yes. And Danny has been a nervous wreck ever since. He asked her out two days ago, and Tucker’s patience was being tested.

“Interesting how you think her not talking to you is worse than being trapped in the thermos forever. But exactly. It’s Sam. She likes you for you. Just be yourself, you’ll be fine,” Tucker reassured his best friend for about the twentieth time in the past 5 minutes alone.

“But myself isn’t good enough for her! She’s so pretty and smart and kind and strong and she has a good heart and she has my back and oh god have you seen her with the Fenton Bazooka? It’s so hot and -“

“La la la don’t want to hear that!!” Tucker put his hands over his ears.

“Well she is! And I’m just dopey Danny Fenton,” Danny sighed and plopped down on the floor next to Tucker.

“Dude, that's one of the things she loves about you. She knows who you are. You guys have been best friends for years. You know everything about each other already. It’ll just be like hanging out, but with kissing or something.” Tucker patted Danny supportively on the shoulder.

“I guess…I just don’t want to disappoint her.”

“You won’t. Trust me. I know you guys will have a great time and you’re perfect for each other.”

Danny’s face twisted into a goofy smile, “you think so?”

Tucker snorted, “everyone and their parrot thinks so and has for years. Including Sam.”

Danny exhaled in relief. “Okay good.” He stood up and reached for another shirt in his closet.

“Just go with the light blue one. It matches your eyes. She’ll love that.” Tucker dug his phone out of his pocket after it vibrated.

Danny looked at Tucker in bewilderment then shrugged and put on the aforementioned shirt. He quickly buttoned it up and stood in front of Tucker, bouncing up and down anxiously. “I think this is the one. I feel ready. I can do this. It’s all good from here on out.”

Tucker rolled his eyes at the text he got from Sam asking for his help choosing an outfit for tonight. She and Danny were definitely made for each other. He shot her a quick response saying he’d be over in ten, and looked up at Danny. “You missed a button,” he pointed out.

Danny looked down and groaned. “Fuck!”

——

Danny wiped his sweaty palm off on his pants and took a deep breath before ringing the doorbell. He tried shooing away a bee that was trying to get at the lilies he bought for Sam, but the bee kept coming back.

“No! These are for Sam, not you!” He held the bouquet of flowers over his head thinking it would be out of reach for the bee, then started whipping the bouquet in the air, the bee following the flowers in every creative direction Danny could think of. “Stupid bee! You’re gonna ruin everyth- ow! The little fucker stung me! I’ll show you…” He began to form an ecto ball in his hand before he realized the front door was open, and had been for quite some time. Sam was leaning against the door frame, arms crossed and trying to suppress a giggle. She was so cute. “Um…hi. How long have you been standing there?”

“Oh no, please don’t stop on my account. Want to introduce me to your friend?” Sam smirked as she pushed herself up from the door frame so she was fully standing.

Danny rubbed the back of his neck and held the flowers out. “These are for you!” He yelled a little too loudly. Danny narrowed his eyes when he noticed the bee on one of the flowers and let out a low growl.

“Thanks!” Sam grabbed the flowers, blowing gently on the one with the bee (which promptly flew away in response). She admired the flowers with a smile on her face. “Wow, you remembered my favorite flower.” She signaled a butler to put the flowers in a vase and grabbed her purse. “Are you ready to go?”

Danny stood there stupidly. He was just staring at her. She looked so pretty. Her hair was down and in loose curls, lavender eyeshadow and black lipstick adorned her face, and she was wearing a simple black sundress that fit her like a glove until the skirt flowed out. The dress landed mid thigh - which is where Danny’s eyes stopped. He couldn’t believe she was this dressed up for him. He was so lucky! His goth goddess was showing off her sexy long legs for him and he couldn’t help but think about how amazing they would feel wrapped around his waist while he loved on her and-

“Danny! My eyes are up here, babe.” Sam smiled smugly.

Danny blushed as his eyes returned to her face. “You look amazing! So pretty-gorgeous! Your legs and your face and wow!”

Sam laughed at his babbling as a small blush dusted her cheeks as well. “Thanks. You look really handsome too. That shirt really brings out your eyes.”

Danny smiled and noted he would have to thank Tucker for that one. Sam turned around and locked her door, and Danny took the opportunity to admire how amazing that dress made her backside look too.

He wiped off his sweaty palm again and grabbed her hand before immediately letting go. “Sorry! Is that okay? Friends don’t do that but I guess we aren’t friends anymore and no not like that I mean we aren��t just friends anymore because we’re dating you actually said yes to me and we’re going on a date and you look amazing! Nice boobs, I MEAN BOOTS! Well, your boobs look nice too but it’s not like that’s your only asset, and speaking of ass,”

Sam busted out laughing and somehow refrained from ruining her makeup with her tears. “Oh my god, I can’t believe I was nervous about this!”

[niko-jpeg]

WiP and Draft Post

All of the fics will be under the cut and there will be a brief description of each if you want to skip it. They will be organized from shortest to longest, and none of them are really heavily edited so if you find some mistakes, I apologize. Word counts are all estimates (except the first one). I didnt steal this idea from @psycho-chair you stole it from him.

Just comment which one(s) you liked and I'll write more! If you want any of these in a separate post for any reason, I will post them in separate posts.

Total Word Count: 17,659 FUCKING YIKES BESTIE

1: SOUL FUSED CHAPTER FOUR

Notes: Dont worry, SF is not cancelled. It is not discontinued. Its just on hold while I do Fail Boat stuff and get my life together.

Words: 59 (yikes)

Date: December 2021

____________________

Error had mixed feelings about Killer and Nightmare’s little gang of misfits. They were just kind of… there. He honestly had no idea where they came from or why they suddenly were a big part of his life, but he liked to think it was for entertainment value and not at all because he was getting attached to them.

2: UNTITLED 1

Notes: I genuinely dont remember writing this. I think it was supposed to be about Chara getting up to ghostly shenanigans or something, but I dont remember anymore.

Words: 100

Date: September 2021

_____________________

“Hey kiddo.” Frisk looked up from their book at Sans, who was sitting on the other side of the couch, just moments ago taking a nap. Toriel had asked him to look after Frisk (and Chara) while she went on a trip to Soia City, which was roughly a ten hour drive from the small town at the base of the mountain where they lived. She claimed it was so they wouldnt get lonely, but Chara suspected that the true motive was to make sure the two kids didnt burn the house down. Its not like Chara could if they wanted to, they mooched off of Frisks life force in order to even exist. They had even figured out how to momentarily manifest into a physical form, almost like a ghost for a few minutes.

A lot had happened since the monsters had resurfaced.

3: SPLATTERS OF INK CONCEPT

Notes: I have no idea where I was going to take this, but I guess it was just supposed to be a fun little short ft. some characters I have a very big soft spot for. Mew if youre reading this I am so sorry I have no excuses.

Words: 100

Date: November 2021

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Before the Story: Basically just introducing the characters and how they were made. Airbrush is introduced the most as one of the Inklings who had a parental figure growing up. Airbrush asks Ink about the possibility of others like him existing. Ink vehemently denies it and changes the subject.

Reconnection (Airbrush): Airbrush was just sitting under a tree minding his damn business when a group of boys came and harassed him. He flees the situation and PJ finds him in the forest, looking to recruit him into a group called "The Splatters". The Splatters pick up after Ink and Error in secret, as well as get other "Inklings" to safety. The reason they hadn't been able to get to Airbrush was because Ink found him first. Airbrush says no and continues on with his day, though PJ doesn't leave him. They send Gradient in to try to convince but he has a breakdown halfway through his speech and gives up. Dizzy doesn't even try. It's Reimancy who gets through to him.

4: TRUST FALL CONCEPT

Notes: Okay so this one actually has a trigger warning! Mentions of eating disorders and a suicide attempt. Just an idea and excuse to write Dadmare lol. Of course, its at Cross' expense.

Words: 400

Date: December 2021

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A set of three oneshots surrounding Cross and his time joining the bad Sanses. He's stuck with this idea that he needs to be perfect and any slip up he does is a weakness.

PART ONE: Perfect.

The first Oneshot is about how He develops this awful mental state where he starves himself and forces himself to throw up any food the others try to get him to eat, patrols the castle instead of sleeping, and takes any thing he does wrong personally.

One day, Dust or someone snaps at him and tells him he'll never be perfect and to just get over it after Cross starts venting to Dust about how awful he feels about not being perfect. Cross takes it the wrong way and tries to stab his soul, Nightmare stopping him at the last second.

Nightmare isn't negligent, he just hoped Cross would be able to work it out either on his own or with the others, since his relationship with his team was kind of… shaky to say the least. Nightmare forces him to fess up about his eating disorder and his various other issues and it's basically just pure fluff and comfort from there. Horror essentially force feeds him so at least he has something in his system, Nightmare officially places him under "Suicide watch" (meaning hes not allowed to be alone for about a week and if he's caught by himself then the watch time gets extended) and Horror goes mother hen mode on Cross.

PART TWO: Challenge.

The second one is focused on developing Cross' relationship with the others. Killer and Dust get into a fight and Nightmare forces them to do team building games like the flying hula hoop and the pillow pile game. Cross is still recovering from the whole ordeal the previous week but still participates because Noot Noot mom told him too.

Killer gets on friendly terms with Cross and the team gets to know Cross a little better than "Nightmares little weird guard dog".

PART THREE: Trust Fall.

Basically a big ol chapter full of fluff and Nightmare teaching Cross it's okay to trust others and that he belongs to the bad Sanses now and will always have a home with them no matter what. 5: ANOTHER SHOT PROLOGUE

Notes: This was a little Oneshot au I whipped up a few months back but never did much with because life. The idea was Niko moved to a big city and nearly forgot about the World Machine until they get back in contact through their phone and they go on another adventure. Also the Author is Niko's dad in this, though thats part of the mystery they're trying to figure out so shhhh ;)

Words: 1,000

Date: August 2021

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As the light faded away, Niko stepped out onto the plush carpet of their room, a triumphant smile gracing their features. They had done it. With the help of the Player, they had saved the world and given everyone the happy ending they deserved. The sun was back for good.

Niko blinked a few times, adjusting to the lower light levels of their room. Everything looked just as they had left it, tidy and neat. They always tried to keep it clean, it made their Mama happy when they did. It was the most they could do for her.

Niko flopped over on the neatly made green covers of their bed, situated in the far left corner of their room and glanced out the window. It appeared the sun was just beginning to rise in the distance, painting the skies a soft purple. They sighed and sat up, fidgeting with their scarf. It was weirdly quiet.

“Well, obviously. The Player isn't here.” Niko mumbled, a regretful feeling washing over them. They probably weren't ever going to talk to them again. But, they had their own life, as did Niko. They just dearly hoped they wouldnt forget the god of that world. Or the world itself, for that matter.

Niko jumped off their bed and ran to the desk on the opposite wall of their bed, an idea hitting them like a train. There was a way to remember. They pulled open the top drawer and pulled out crayons and some paper, flicking on the lamp and plopping themself down on the cream carpet and pulling the crayons out of the box.

They drew the first people that came to mind, which were (for obvious reasons), Rue, Proto, and Cedric. They drew themself golding the sun next to the siblings, all of them smiling. Niko wanted to draw the Player, but couldn't quite picture what they would look like, so instead they drew the World Machine. Well, technically they drew the reflection that the Entity borrowed to talk to Niko. It could contact the Player any time it wanted.

The rest of the colorful cast Niko met along the way soon followed. Kip, Silver, George, Calamus, Alula, even Prophetbot were down on paper by the time the sun was fully risen and Niko’s mother was knocking on their door and asking them to get up.

“Coming mom!” Niko called, springing up and flinging the door open to greet their mama. Their mama seemed surprised at their enthusiasm to start the day.

“Well someone seems excited. Have a good dream?” Their mother asked as Niko got up on their toes and nuzzled her. “Did you… sleep in that?” She asked, stepping back to observe in better detail what they were wearing.

“Actually, I didn't sleep! Well, very much. Instead, I went to a really cool world where the sun went out and I had to fix it, and I got help from the people of that world and a god named the Player and-” Their mother laughed awkwardly. “I’m sure you did. It sounds very exciting, my child, but please, lower your voice. You’re being awfully loud.”

There was something stiff and unnatural about her reply. Did she not believe that Niko had done all of that? But they had! They even had proof. “Why dont I make pancakes? You can give the extra leftovers to Mrs.Fideli later too. Maybe you can hang out with Sona while you're there too.”

“Yeah! That sounds fun!” Niko replied, brushing off their mothers strange behaviour. Maybe they could tell their mama all about the adventure they just had over breakfast! That would be the coolest!

____________________________________________________________________________

“...and then I said goodbye to the Player and walked back into my room!” Niko finished, taking another bite of pancake. Niko’s mama sat across from them with a weird expression on their face. It looked to be a mix of confusion and alarm.

“That's very… interesting, sweetie.” Niko’s mother got up and turned the corner, entering the kitchen and grabbing a few pancakes, placing them delicately on a ceramic plate, coating them in foil and handing them to the child.

“W-why don't you go give these to Mrs.Fedeli. Please be back by noon if you choose to stay with Sona.” Niko grabbed the plate and nodded, grinning and giggling. “Sure mama!�� They jumped out of their seat and ran to the door, tossing it open and running though, shutting it less than gently on their way out.

Their mama sighed shakily and wiped her hands on her yellow apron, watching the door for a few seconds before going to Niko’s room across the house. It was a relatively small cottage, meant for a small family obviously.

She pushed the door open gently, stepping inside and looking down at the floor. Crayons and paper littered the floor, just as they had that morning. She picked one up gently as if afraid it would explode and took a closer look at it. Despite the fact it was an eleven year olds drawing, it was obvious what the drawing was of.

She sat tentatively on her knees and looked through all of the drawings. They were all exactly what her child had described. And before her, HE had described.

She placed the drawings back on the ground and pulled out a simple flip phone, dialing a number and holding it up to her face.

“Hello? Yes it's me, Shara. I was wondering if that apartment on the eighth floor was still open…”

“Niko?” Niko looked up from their book at their mother, a little concerned about the resigned tone in her voice.

“Yes mama?” Their mother sat on the couch next to them and folded her hands neatly in her lap, shifting uncomfortably. It was around one in the afternoon, yet the pancakes from that morning still sat cold and now soggy on the table.

“A recent… event had transpired and, because of said event… we…” Their mama’s voice wavered a little. “What does ‘transpired’ mean?” Niko asked.

“It means something has happened… and… I’m so sorry, my child, but we’re moving.” Niko tilted their head at their mothers words. “Moving?”

“Next month. To the big city a few hours away. Permanently.” Niko froze. It took a few seconds for Niko to truly process what she was saying.

“What?!” Niko shouted, confusion painting their face. Niko’s mama looked away, tears welling up in the corners of her eyes.

“I’m sorry this is so sudden, but… we have no choice.” The perfectly good day Niko was having was shattered by this news. It was so sudden.

“B-but?! But mama, we can't just LEAVE!! What would Dad think?!” That small, innocent comment about their father caused their mama to burst into tears. “M-mama?” Guilt welled up inside them.

Their mother sobbed into her hands, ignoring the child's now frantic questions. "Mama?! Are you ok?! Mama!!"

"It's for the b-best…" Their Mama whispered, continuing to son inconsolably. Niko ran out of the room and out the front door to their neighbors house, knocking frantically on the door.

Sona answered the door and Niko did their best to explain what was happening. After failing, Niko dragged Sona's mother to their house. Now knowing that their Mama was being looked after, Niko booked it to the middle of a wheat field and broke down in a panic themselves.

They shouldn't have brought up their dead father. They really shouldn't have…

6: THE SILVER LINING PROLOGUE

Notes: This was supposed to be a reader insert a little bit like TGBM but with an actual plot lmao. I didnt get very far before I decided I had better things to do.

Words: 1,000

Date: September 2021

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You pressed your face to the glass of the window, staring out into the never ending sea of trees. You had seen nothing but them for the last few hours. It was starting to get a little repetitive.

You reminded yourself once again that this was now your reality. Why the new boarding school you were going to was in the middle of the woods was beyond you. The memories of the last few weeks played through your head once more, reminding you once again, that you brought this upon yourself.

“It’ll be worth it,” they said. “You’ll make lots of new friends and go on so many neat adventures!” they said. You somehow doubted their claims, but it's not like you really had a say in what your future held anyway. You were getting shipped off to this new school on an ancient looking bus regardless if you wanted to or not.

The chatter around you made a nice background noise to your thoughts. Every once in a while you could faintly pick up bits and pieces of people's conversations. There was a lot of talk about the new English teacher and plenty of excitement about the new term to go around. And then there were scrubs like you, huddled together to talk about what maybe to expect. You weren't sitting with them not because you were anti-social, but because you had no idea they were all sitting up front, and by the time you had made the realization that the newbies were sitting up front it was already too late to move.

“Attention all passengers! We will be arriving in five minutes, please be prepared to retrieve your things and report to the gymnasium in an efficient manner. Your dorm assignments will be posted on a wall in alphabetical order and you may pick up your schedules there as well.” Someone up front instructed. You sighed and picked up your bag, shoving your phone deep into a pocket in the front and pulling off your headphones. You had stopped listening to music when you ran out of songs on your playlist a half hour ago but didn't bother to take the headphones off. In hindsight, that probably made you look like an edgy anime protagonist, but oh well.

“Who do you think is going to go missing this year?” An older student asked another student behind you. You perked up and turned your head to hear better. “I dunno, probably one of the newbies.”

Go missing? You didn't read about people going missing in the little pamphlet they gave you before you got on the bus. You strained to hear anything more about the matter but the two guys behind you had already moved on to talking about the new teacher. Apparently getting a new teacher was a big deal? Why?

The bus skidded to a halt in front of the school building, which looked surprisingly normal. The students at the front of the bus timidly disembarked. You watched everyone get off, a few asking if you wanted to go first. Every time you decline, deciding you’d rather watch to see what the others would do first. You had read that this was a relatively small private school. It was supposedly a “second chance” school for people who had gotten kicked out of their previous schools. It was weird though, because they also noted it would not tolerate bad behavior. Even weirder was the fact that you were not in need of a “second chance”. You just moved a lot and your parents wanted to give you a consistent place to make friends and go to school. Even if said school was in the middle of the woods.

“Oh my god Stacy, LEAVE ME ALONE!” You jolted a little at the loud voice coming from two rows behind you. “But Cirrus, you're the only one here I know!!” Two kids about your age (you could guess the girl with long brown hair and pale skin was Stacy and the boy next to her with darker skin and white hair was Cirrus) hurriedly went down the aisle. Cirrus, the boy, seemed rather annoyed with Stacy.

“Yeah, only because you got us expelled last year from Foxfield! I don't want any trouble this year, ok Stacy?!” You got up behind them and followed, realizing you were now the only ones still on the bus. “It's not my fault we’re both freaks-”

You followed them off the bus and onto the gravel pavement below. You joined the crowd of people into what you could assume was the gym, given its size and the basketball hoops hanging from the ceiling. Cirrus and Stacy were still arguing in front of you, their conversation still centered around the topic of getting expelled from their old school, apparently for being in the wrong place at the wrong time and blowing something up.

The list of dorm assignments was on the opposite wall to the outside entrance. Cirrus, Stacy and you all seemed to have the same idea and casually walked over to the paper covering the wall with the other students.

You scanned the paper for your name and found it next to another name. Shit, guess you were going to have to put up with a roommate. You took a closer look at the name and blinked in surprise. “Cirrus Featherduster” was the name next to yours. You thought it was safe to assume that the Cirrus on the paper was the same one standing next to you. You checked the number and sighed. 305. Of course you were on the third floor.

“YES!! I’m not paired with you!!” Cirrus exclaimed, causing Stacy to jump. “Well, yeah. They would know better than to put us back together I hope.” Stacy spat, punching his shoulder. “I did get paired with… someone named ‘(Y/n)’ though.”

“That's me.” You said, poking Cirrus in a non threatening way. This time it was his turn to jump. “Dear god! Don't scare me like that!!” He hissed at you, swatting your hand away. “Nice to meet you and all, but geez dude!”

You grinned at him and he grinned back. Looks like he might be entertaining to mess with. “Hmph. I have a roommate too. What floor are you on?”

“Floor three I think?” Cirrus looked over the page again and shrugged. “I think thats what the ‘3’ in the number means.”

“Oh cool. If thats the case we’re on the same floor. HA! You cant escape me!!” Stacy laughed maniacally while you and Cirrus stood there for an uncomfortable amount of time. “Y-you done?” You asked after a solid minute. “Yeah.” Stacy snapped out of it and shrugged.

“Okay that was weird. Anyway…” You turned to Cirrus. “Since we’re roommates and neither of us really know what we’re doing, wanna get our schedules together?”

“Sure, why not?” Cirrus replied, grabbing your arm and dragging you along to the table to the left of the list.

“HEY!! Wait for me!!” Stacy called, speed walking to you and Cirrus all while complaining about how you were no fun.

7: CHAOS ENSUED.

Notes: I had a funky dreamand Error was there for some reason, so I decided to make something of my ability to remember my dream details very vividly. So I gave said dream a comprehensible plot and this is the result. I have no excuses.

This is supposed to take place in a multiverse where the XEvent was kind of… diverted I guess. Ink decided to opt out of the little “game” in favor of screwing with Error and forming the Star Sanses as an officially recognized group. Cross still is “not adopted” by Noot and crew, but they totally adopt him this time around. He's their baby brother lol.

The Reader is a creator who got pulled into the multiverse by an experiment gone wrong of sorts, but all that gets explained later. They gain the ability to do that stupid Gacha trope of their creations coming to life. There are a few other creators who got pulled in too, one of which is a big character in this. Reader is on good terms with both Nightmares Gang and the Stars, but more neutral than anything.

Sorry for the long explanation lol

Words: 2,000 words

Date: October 2021

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Ink and Error had made a truce ages ago. Well, less of a truce, more of an agreement. A truce implies that they started getting along. Despite everything, Ink was still insistent on annoying Error and Error was still insistent on being a baby over it.

The multiverse had adjusted well to said truce, despite the balance of Positivity and Negativity still a little all over the place. Dream was stubborn, but Nightmare was more so. But at least the Creation-Destruction ratio was somewhat balanced.

“G-GET BACK-K HERE Y-YOU LITTLE S-SHIT!!” A glitched screech echoed through the Doodle Sphere as a very pissed looking Error chased Ink, who was grinning like an idiot. Ink had, yet again, successfully broken into the Anti Void and stolen one of the various not voodoo dolls Error made. This one was of a human. Upon closer inspection, it was a human both of the gods knew very well. And Ink was threatening to show it to them.

“I’M GONNA TELL (Y/N)!! I'M GONNA TELL THEM YOU LOOOOOOOOVE THEM!!” Ink taunted, sticking his tongue out. Error screeched some more and shot some strings at him. The protector dodged with ease and continued running around and evading Error’s attacks. This was basically routine. Ink’s new purpose in life was helping Dream fend off his brother and his gang. Oh and also harassing Error. Just for fun.

Speaking of Dream, the golden demi-god himself teleported into the Doodle Sphere in hopes of getting a word with Ink. Following closely behind him was a human. That human being you.

You were one of the few people allowed into the Doodle Sphere, the reason being you were a Creator. A few years ago, you had been involved in… an accident of sorts that sent you and a group of others through time and space, landing you in the Omega Timeline. Core had discovered you and the others on the outskirts of the main town and offered you a home until you figured out how to go back to your home world. You had personally befriended Ink a few months into the stay and shortly thereafter made friends with all of his friends too. You even managed to get yourself off the “destroy on sight” list of the supposed bad guys, who kidnapped you by accident once or twice thinking you were someone else. Who that someone else was you never quite figured out though. You suspected that Error grew fond of you the first time you got kidnapped and set up a second time to talk to you again. How sad.

Anyway, you jumped through the portal Dream created and landed firmly on your feet. You grinned at the sight before you, stifling laughter in your hands. Error had Ink tied up and hanging from the ceiling by blue thread, gripping tightly onto a plush doll of sorts. From a distance you couldn't quite figure out what it was, but didn't really care. Dream sighed and facepalmed, mumbling to himself about how he should've known. “(Y/n), can you break them up please?”

You nodded and ran ahead to the pair.“Error! Ink!!” Error whipped around with a panicked look, hurriedly opening a portal and tossing whatever he was holding through it. “(Y/n)! W-what a lovely surprise!!” Error greeted in a strained voice, his cheeks turning a shade of yellow. It was no secret he was a respectful simp for you. Everyone kind of just knew.

“Nice to see you too! Um, can we steal Ink real quick? Dream wants to talk to him.” You asked, nudging the tightly contained upside-down bundle of chaos. Ink smirked evilly and giggled maniacally. You shot him a weird look and he continued cackling. “Error, you should SEE your face right now!”

Error’s face turned four shades yellower. He began glitching like crazy and buried his face in his scarf. He looked like an angry kitten. With a wave of his multi-colored hand, Ink dropped face first onto the floor. “Take him. I got what I needed from him anyway.”

The Glitchy god of destruction opened a portal and stepped though, glancing over his shoulder hesitantly. He looked as if he wanted to say something. You waved to him and he smiled, glancing at the floor and mumbling into his scarf.

The portal closed and you shrugged, offering your hand to Ink, who was just sitting there on the floor giving you a smug look. “What?”

“Nothin’.” He replied, taking your and pulling himself up, before promptly dragging you back over to a very impatient looking Dream.

“Ink, what did you do this time?” Dream asked, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. Ink smirked and nudged his best friend's side playfully. “I decided I was going to bully him into telling you-know-what to you-know-who.”

Of course, you knew what that meant. You weren't the oblivious idiot that Ink seemed to think (or hope) you were. He was trying to get Error to confess to you. For the last year and a half since you had met him at Nightmare’s Castle, he had done his diddly darn best to talk to you at every given opportunity. Both you and Ink had picked up on the fact that he got all blushy faced when you talked to him and he always seemed to be in the same general area as you at almost all times, and Ink was not gonna let him live it down any time soon.

Dream rolled his eyes and sighed like an annoyed parent. “Ink, you have to stop. He’ll let them know when he wants to. You shouldn't push it.”

Ink pouted for a second, his eyelights turning blue for a hot second before switching back to the usual combination of yellow and green and random shaped. “So what did you call me for?”

“Ink. My friend. My best friend in the whole world. The chaotic to my neutral. You’ve been

ignoring me for the last week. I am now forcing you to participate in an obligatory hang out session with Blue and I. (Y/n) can come if they want to.” Dream stared Ink down menacingly. Why did he have to say the nicest things in the scariest ways?

Ink cowered and nodded reluctantly as you smiled nervously. Were they really going to drag you into this? Dream turned to you for your answer.

“I… I think I’ll pass. I have some house work to do today. Sorry.” You apologized. Dream looked a little disappointed but nodded. “That's ok. We’ll have to hang out together sometime else though!”

You smiled and agreed, opening a portal to the Omega Timeline and stepping casually through, waving to your friends. The portal closed behind you and you began down the streets of the refugee timeline, waving to people you knew and making your way downtown, walking fast, faces pass and your homebound-

You arrived at your house and pulled your key out of your pocket, stuffing it in and twisting, the tell tale sound of the door unlocking greeting your ears. You pushed the door open and stepped in the paper cluttered house. It was small and only one room, but it was home. You had done your best to make it look like the room you used to have before the accident.

You plopped down at your desk and pushed aside some papers, pulling your laptop from the mess and opening it. Sure, you had house work to do, but more importantly you had some art to make. Digital art was your only way of making things and not having them spring to life. You had learned your lesson the hard way when you drew one of the inhabitants of the OT and you suddenly had a bitty sitting in front of you on your paper. You gave the bitty to one of Ink’s friends, Fresh, who promised to take care of it. Sometimes you wonder whatever became of it.

You opened your art program and began doing some warm up doodles, completely oblivious to everything that was about to go down.

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Meanwhile, halfway across the multiverse…

Error sat on his beanbag chair, holding the small plush doll that Ink had tried to steal. Thankfully it was unharmed. He stared at the little doll, a faint blush on his cheeks. God he was such a simp-

He tucked it safely in his arms, wondering what the human was up to. They were interesting, so if he had to guess something equally as interesting.

The god of destruction leaned back, thinking about the first time they had met. It had been when they and the others had arrived. It had been a regular ol day of sitting in the Anti-void, eating stolen chocolate and stalking whoever he deemed worthy. Ink had suddenly burst through a portal and landed face down on the ground a few feet away. At that point they had started visiting each other in their domains, normally just to annoy each other. While neither of them took it seriously anymore, at the time it really was kind of hostile. The ink stain had practically dragged him by the scarf to the Omega Timeline. There, standing shyly in the corner, had been (Y/n). They looked worried and sick, but when they started talking, Error practically crashed. It was the same voice as the creator that had just suddenly disappeared. Then again, there were 17 others with them, all of which matched the voices and descriptions of the creators.

Error had gotten to know (Y/n) a little bit better beyond ‘holy hell it's the creators’ when Killer kidnapped the wrong human. They had to stick around for a while as they sorted the whole thing out, and Error had actually grown quite attached to them. They were funny and not afraid to kick people out windows who needed it. That was the day Nightmares Gang learned how aerodynamic Killer actually was.

When they were returned safely, Error had actually been a little sad. They had become rather good friends by the end of the accidental kidnapping session. From then on he had made it a point in his life to drop by and say hello every once in a while.

Sadly, ‘every once in a while’ became almost every week and he realized he was kind of obsessed with the human. Respectfully, of course. Not in a weird or creepy way. There was just something about them that was so… endearing. And that was the moment he realized he 100% screwed.

Well not quite. It was Ink finding the doll he had made of them (so they’d always feel close by) and connecting the dots that really meant he was thoroughly fucked. Ink didn't let him live it down since.

A tug on one of his strings pulled him from his thoughts. He knew that tug. Nightmare was requesting his presence, once again. Error signed and planted a small kiss on the dolls cheek, placing it gently on top of the Bean bag next to the Ink plush and the plush he made of himself. He ripped open a portal and jumped through, wondering what Nightmare could want this time.

Inside the meeting room was Nightmare, Horror, and the newbie Cross. The latter was curled up on a chair and looking sleepy.

"Ah, good. You're here." Nightmare looked up from the first aid kit that he was rummaging through. "I apologize for calling you out of the blue, but would you be willing to do a favor for me?" At least he was being polite about Interrupting his train of thought. "Cross is developing insomnia again and we ran out of melatonin. Can you run to a random timeline and steal some?"

Oh yeah, hadn't Dust made a comment about Cross practically refusing to sleep because of frequent nightmares? Error had almost forgotten it had been so long. The glitchy god sighed and nodded, ripping open a portal before he could even question why they needed it in the middle of the afternoon rather than nighttime. He wasn't opposed to running errands for the gang, but sometimes he wishes they would do it themselves. Eh, maybe he could drop by (Y/n)'s side of the OT and see if he could catch them out and about. That would be nice. He wanted to ask them to hang out sometime soon anyway, so maybe now was his chance.

Meanwhile, Dream was thinking. That wasn't a very uncommon occurrence. He did most of the thinking for his team anyway, mostly because he was the only one who had more than seven brain cells. Well, none of them have brains, but that's besides the point.

One of the things that came to mind was how he wished that Ink would stop harassing Error. Sure, it was frustrating to watch him uselessly try to make moves on one of his ‘beloved creators’, but he really did need to lay off.

“DREAM, ARE YOU OK?” Blue asked, bouncing down the stairs and landing not so gracefully on his face. Oh. Right. The hangout session. He was sitting on Blue and Honey’s couch next to Ink, so was jotting something down on his scarf.

“Yeah, I’m fine!” Dream smiled hurriedly in an attempt to reassure his friend. The blue soldier nodded and grinned, clearly glad to see them. “ALRIGHT, IF THAT THE CASE, WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO TODAY-”

“Lower your voice Blue.” Honey called from upstairs. Blue lowered his head and looked a little guilty. “We’ve been working on that for the last week. It's not going very well.”

“Maybe we could help you then!” Dream suggested, jumping up from the couch excitedly at the prospect of helping his friend. Ink looked up in confusion. “What's wrong with the way you talk?”

“My bro thinks I’m too loud, SO I'M GOING TO WORK ON IT AND BECOME THE QUIETEST IN TOWN!!!” Blue exclaimed, jumping up and down. “Well clearly you’re not trying all that hard.” Honey came down the stairs, looking tired and grumpy.

Shame danced across Blue’s face as he grabbed Dream’s hand and walked out the door. “Sorry bro.”

The protector jumped up to follow them, exchanging a worried look with Dream.

8: SECRET SANTA THING

Notes: This was made for the secret santa thing for @skyedancer2006 but I decided I didnt like it very much. So, uh, merry late crisis I guess.

Words: 2,000

Date: December 2021

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Another cold breeze swept over the hill and through the village, ruffling the grass and pages of Nightmares book. Nightmare shivered, pulling his legs closer to his chest and shuddering a little. All day, the weather had been nothing but overcast and ominous. Yet Dream had still insisted on going into that dreadful village.

Nightmare sighed, a puff of air forming where his breath met the cold air. He hoped Dream would get back soon. When he got back they could huddle together to share warmth and wait out the cold together.

The purple clad twin looked back down at his book, focusing on the words of the page instead of the chill in the air. Dream had brought back the book from one of his trips to the Village a while ago, but he never bothered to read it. It didn't seem too interesting, but now that he had started it he couldn't stop. Sure, the writing was a little questionable at best, but he was already invested in the characters.

He flipped the page, losing himself in the plot of the book. It was about a group of friends trying to track down a dragon and kill it so they could be famous. So far, the plot had been giving him the vibes that they were going to end up defeating the dragon brutally with the power of friendship, since that's just kind of how these things go.

Nightmare set the book aside, giving up on reading it in the pitch darkness that was the night. The lights from the distant village illuminated the distance slightly, casting a warm glow over the field in front of the twin’s tree. Faintly, he could see the silhouette of his twin hiking his way across the field separating the Village from the Tree of Feelings.

Nightmare waved, getting to his feet and wincing. His legs were numb with cold and he couldn't feel his toes anymore.

Dream waved back, making a gesture for Nightmare to come to him. Confused, Nightmare padded down to the base of the hill where Dream was standing with his hands on his hips and a grin across his face.

“Greetings?” Nightmare greeted, approaching his brother. The others' eyelights shone in the dark, as opposed to Nightmare's darker cyan ones.

Wordlessly, Dream grabbed his twin's hand and pulled him towards the village, a grin still plastered to his features.

“Wh- hey! Dream, what are you doing?!” Nightmare asked, trying to pull his hand from his brother's grip. Dream continued to pull him along without as much as a glance back.

Dream pulled him into the Village, the paths almost barren. In the distance, quiet music could be heard.

“Dream, what is going on?” Nightmare asked again, still receiving no definitive answer. Nightmare was getting a little uneasy about the whole situation, the Village was rarely ever almost empty. Then again, he wouldn't really know. He tended to stay away from the village.

Dream continued to lead him down the path, eventually leading them to the town square. Nightmares' eyes widened at the sight of the normally plain looking square now transformed into a bustling market of sorts, stalls lined up around the sidewalks and the music significantly increasing in volume.

“Okay for real, What is going on?” Nightmare asked, interest (and confusion) piqued.

“Well, today is the Winter Solstice!” Dream explained, wrapping an arm around Nightmare's shoulder. “They have a festival every year to celebrate it for some reason. Do you know what else is today?”

“No…?” Nightmare replied quizzically, shooting his brother a questioning look. Dream laughed and bonked him on the head with his fist.

“It's our birthday silly! And here's my plan on how we’re going to celebrate it!” Dream reached into his pocket and pulled out a large stack of G and thrust it into Nightmares hands. “I'm going to get you a gift, and you're going to get me one, then we swap at the end of the night or when both of us are done, since I know you aren't particularly fond of it here.”

Oh. So that was what today was.

“Wait, Dream, how did you get all of this?” Nightmare asked, staring down at the stack of G in his hands. It had to be at least 100.

“Why do you think I've been spending so much time here? I've been doing simple chores and things of the sort. Pays really well and they usually give me extra because I’m ‘sO dArN cUtE’. They treat me like I'm five sometimes and it's a little weird but whatever, G is G.” Dream explained, pinching his cheeks at the mention of him being cute.

Nightmare laughed, feeling bad for taking what Dream had worked hard to earn. But the logic checked out, so Nightmare went with it. “Okay… do you have anything in particular in mind that you would want?”

Dream shook his head. “Nope. See you in like, 30 minutes?”

Nightmare nodded and Dream sped off into the crowd, probably trying to lose Nightmares gaze. The cyan eyelighted twin sighed and skipped off, looking for something that would appeal to his brother. He had heard of birthday celebrations before, but never actually taken part in one.

Nightmare hummed along with the music being played by a group of musicians at the center of the square, the upbeat tune bringing the whole setting to life.

The stalls were selling an assortment of interesting things, ranging from food to cloth, and occasionally other random items. One caught his eye though.

A dimly lit stall in the corner was run by an elderly looking Rabbit monster. They were selling an assortment of blankets, some patterned, some plain. Nightmare considered for a moment, before continuing on.

“Child.” The Bunny called. Nightmare turned back to the bunny, confused. Was she talking to him?

“Yes, you. Come here.” The Bunny confirmed. Nightmare tentatively approached the stall, nervously fidgeting with his hands.

“Yes ma’am?” Nightmare asked politely, praying he didn't do anything wrong or offensive by just being here. The Bunny squinted at him and chuckled.

“You’re related to that other Skeleton child, correct?” She asked. Nightmare nodded, wondering if she was going to hurt him.

“Heh. He's a sweetheart. Here,” The Bunny reached over to a simple fuzzy green blanket, holding the folded fabric out to Nightmare. “Give this to him next time you see him.”

Nightmare took the folded blanket in his arms, admiring the fuzzy fabric. He knew technically the Bunny had given him it for his brother, but it was the first time anyone in the Village hadn't just looked at him weirdly and moved on with their lives.

“I- I will.” Nightmare promised, bowing to the bunny quickly out of respect. “Thank you.”

The bunny smiled as Nightmare turned to the crowd pushing his way through to look at the other stands. He stopped and bought a cupcake for Dream as well because while the cyan eyelighted twin did not like sweets, Dream had quite the sweet tooth. He still had a lot of G left but opted not to use it. He would give it back to Dream when they met back up.

Nightmare found the place they had started and Dream was already there, holding something behind his back.

“There you are!” Dream greeted, bounding up to his twin. Nightmare kept his gift behind his back as well, smiling at his brother.

“Wanna trade?” Nightmare asked. Dream nodded enthusiastically, declaring he would go first.

Dream pulled from behind his back a strange line of light cased in glass balls. Nightmare looked at them strangely and asked “What are those?”

“They're magic lights! You can put them on the tree and read at night! I saw them earlier today and knew that you would like them.” Dream replied bashfully, holding them out for Nightmare to look at.

“How do they work?” Nightmare asked, taking one of the warm glowing balls in his hand.

“Magic.” Dream replied smugly, wrapping them around Nightmare's shoulders. “And now I wont lose you in the dark!”

Nightmare smiled and pulled the blanket and boxed cupcake from behind his back, holding them out for Dream to see. “It's not much, but…”

Dream took the blanket and rubbed his face against it, purring. “It's so soft!” Nightmare smiled at his twin and took the blanket from him, carefully wrapping it around Dreams' shoulders and tying it like a cape.

“Now you won't be as cold as I was while I was waiting for you!” Nightmare smiled, petting the fabric one more time. “Holy cow that stuff is soft.”

“You were cold?” Dream asked, frowning.

“A little, but it's fine. Oh, here's your cupcake. I didn't really know which to get you so I got a vanilla one.” Nightmare gave the cupcake to Dream, who looked a little guilty.

“How about we head back now?” Dream asked, already taking Nightmares arm and pulling him away from the village at last.

They climbed the hill and Nightmare set up the lights, wrapping them around the banner they tied to their tree mom. It illuminated the area with a warm glow, making the area seem a little less lonely.

Dream had split the cupcake between them and wrapped them both in the blanket so they would both be warm. The snow had started shortly after, littering the ground in piles. Both of the twins were thankful for the blanket and each other to keep warm.

After all the snow had set, the skies were not so gloomy anymore. And with the help of the lights, Nightmare could finally read to Dream while they both tried to sleep. Maybe things were going to be okay.

9: TO THE LOST, FORGOTTEN, AND UNNAMED

Notes: This I plan on continuing and its based on a post Alex and I made because at this point we're just writing buddies and great friends. The idea is Nightmare has had 4-5 other teams that werent the Bad Sanses we know now. Cross wasnt aware of this and becomes invested in their now long past lives.

Words: 2,000

Date: January 2022

___________________

“Hey, can you do me a favor?” Dust asked from across the room. Cross glanced up from his phone and sat up, knowing Dust was likely going to send him down the hall again to get more pins. He had been working on a sewing project all afternoon and somehow STILL kept running out of pins. Thankfully for him, he had set up shop in the living room on a folding table right across from Cross, who had been mindlessly browsing Reddit or something.

“Sure.” Cross replied, shutting off his phone and standing. It may come as a surprise, but each member of the bad sanses had a sort of side hobby. Killer whittled, Horror cooked (though that was unsurprising), Cross played a few instruments, and Dust liked sewing of all things.

“In the closet there should be a clear box of thread. Might Have put it away in the basement though.” Dust informed around the pins he held in his mouth with his teeth, pulling a few out of the fabric he was working with. It seemed that he was making a sweater, but it was hard to tell from across the room.

“We have a basement?” Cross asked, doing a slight double take. He had explored nearly ever corner of the castle and never run across a basement.

“Yeah, its just storage though. You have to go in the broom closet on the ground floor near the entryway and pull open a hatch to get in.” Dust replied casually, shifting the fabric.

Cross hummed quietly, trotting down the hall for the third time that hour and pulling open the linen closet door, pushing the various boxes of supplies aside. Fabric scraps, boxes of bobbins, a dead bug or two… no box of thread.

“I dont think the box is in here.” Cross called down the hall.

“‘Kay, check the basement. Oh, bring a flashlight with ya!” Dust responded, seeming unbothered by the delay in thread.

Cross sighed and patted his pocket, double checking he had his phone on him. Skipping down the stairs, the oreo found the broom closet with relative ease. As Dust had said, there was indeed a trap door of sorts embedded into the ground.

The monochromatic X pulled the dusty door open with ease, another flight of stairs greeting him. Now he knew why Dust told him to bring a flashlight.

Flicking on the light on his phone, Cross descended the stairs timidly, each step giving a painful groan with the sudden weight. It was pretty clear no one had been bothered to upkeep this place.

The basement was musty and damp, as one could usually expect with a basement. True to Dust’s words, it appeared to be mostly storage. Boxes of… stuff piled high around the relatively small earthen basement.

Cross raised his phone light to get a better look at the surroundings. He could assume that the sewing supplies were with the creepy ass mannequin and piles of fabric in the far corner.

Cross strode towards the fabrics and shuffled through the mess, ignoring the way that the lifesized doll was positioned to “look” (despite not having a head) in the general direction of where Cross needed to be.

The box was near the bottom of the pile, but easy enough to dislodge from the rest of the supplies. Checking that the lid was shut, Cross began to walk back to the base of the stairs, glancing at the boxes piled high against the walls around him. If he looked hard enough, it almost looked like there was names or words written on the sides.

Cross stepped on something that wasnt the earthy floor of the rest of the basement, jolting him from his thoughts. The oreo took a step back, sticking the box under his arm and picked up what he had stepped on. It appeared to be some kind of… book?

Cross tilted his head and checked the back, taking note of how old the leather bindings and cover looked. There wasn't a name written anywhere on it that he could see. He propped the book open in his hand and turned to the first page, holding the light to the page.

Property of Cappri

The text was faded and smudged, but eligible. Cross’ bone brow furrowed. Who was Cappri? As far as the X was aware, Killer, Dust, Horror, Nightmare, Error and himself were the only ones in the castle. Maybe it was stolen?

Cross climbed back up the stairs, shutting the trap door with his foot and shutting the book with a soft thump. He would look at it later, right then he had a… friend? to deliver a box of thread to.

Skipping up the stairs once more, Cross deposited the box of thread on the folding table that Dust sat at. He thanked the oreo quietly and continued to sew, the now evident jacket coming together nicely from what Cross could see.

Cross shortcutted to his room and placed the black leather book on his desk, shooting Killer (who was unsurprisingly sprawled out on Cross’ bed playing on his phone) a look and retrieving his sketchbook from the set of drawers next to his desk. Horror and Error had helped him decorate and customize his room a few months back after complaining about how sterile and hotel room like his room was. And ever since he had strung up fairy lights, painted the walls brown and filled the shelves of his once barren bookshelf Killer had decided that the oreo’s room was the place to be and sometimes would go as far as to spend the night. And somehow, even when Cross set up a space on the floor for him to sleep, the eyelightless skeleton would always end up snuggled up next to Cross and under the blankets. It was like having the worlds biggest and most infuriating cat.

The night went on as usual. Horror made soup for everyone and Killer had to practically drag Nightmare away from his paperwork to eat. Dust finished the sweater, Cross accidentally dozed off on the couch, and Killer thought it would be funny to pour ice water on him.

Everything went normal until about midnight, when Cross excused himself from the group to go make a feble attempt at sleep. Only then did he remember the book he had picked up earlier.

Flopping over on his bed, Cross gingerly pulled open the old book and checked the front page for any more details on who’s journal it was.

Upon finding nothing, Cross flipped to the next page and began reading.

Day 7

Wow. Ive been here for a week now. Cant tell if thats sad or what.

The next part was ineligible

--. That stupid human (I think their name is Tris??) got in that asshole from Underfell’s way and the other newbie and I ended patching them up. When will they just give up? Its clear he isnt interested in making friends. I wish t----

More smudged text.

Cross frowned. From the way it was worded, in the context of whoever these people were living in the castle would make sense. But who were they? There wasnt a date or anything written anywhere he could see, so he would just have to keep reading.

He flipped the page, reading on.

Day 8

That stupid eyeless freak wont leave me the hell alone! What the fuck did I do to get his attention?! According to the others, hes been here for a while but no one knows where he ----

He just sticks to our “boss” like glue and leaves us alone most of the time, but all day he just kept ---------

I hate this god damn castle.

Day 9

The entirety of day nine was crossed out and smudged. The next few pages were ripped out or stained with time, making them unreadable. Clearly no one had bothered to take care of the book.

Cross pulled out a notebook from under his bed and flipped to a blank page, beginning to take notes of his thoughts and the people mentioned. So far he had Capri, the journal’s owner, the guy from Underfell, Tris, and the eyeless freak. He put “Name Pending” next to the two without specified names, unwilling to just call them those names. How would he feel if someone just walked around calling HIM “XTale Survivor”- oh wait.

By four in the morning, he had gotten through the whole of the journal and even translated a few strange entries from Wingdings to English. Still no name on the Eyeless guy though. After entry 43 the entries just stopped. Very abruptly. It was a shame too, Capri had promised to follow up on Scarlet (the Underfell Papyrus)’s backstory and compare it to their own au. There also probably wouldve been name confirmation for the eyeless one. Cross was pretty sure Nightmare was their boss, but some confirmation would have been nice.

A knock at the door jolted Cross from his thoughts, and only then did he actually check the time. 4:38 AM. Oh shit.

Cross tossed his books back under the bed and flew across the room, tugging on the lamp string and bathing the room in darkness, throwing himself onto his bed and pretending to be asleep. The light might have not traveled through the door and he may still have enough time to pretend he was asleep before whoever was on the other side of the door did so.

10: THE GOOD, BAD, AND MULTIVERSE PART TWO

Notes: Based around a concept I made when I first joined the fandom! You can read it here if you want: https://www.quotev.com/story/13951119/The-Good-Bad-and-Multiverse

Words: 3,000

Date: July 2021

_______________

Your smile dissipated as your throat felt like it was closing. Even though you didn't turn around or see the guy, you had a pretty good idea of who it was. Sonder stopped too, looking at the figure that now was behind you.

You breathed a sigh and turned on your heel, a hand sticking out from behind a tree. A very bony hand. With, naturally, a pink whoopee cushion tied to the inside. You wondered if you should pretend to fall for it for the sake of comedy but Sonder didnt give you that option.

“Hello sir!” He called, bounding up to you and tripping over his own feet. Sans jumped out of the shadows to get out of his way and you realized that Sonder had fallen intentionally. You turned to Sans who was now staring at the face planted raptor.

“Hey kiddo. Your parents were looking for you before I left. Where ya been?” Sans asked, looking around the forest. He jumped back up to his feet and tilted his head. “What? I don't HAVE parents. The closest thing I have is the great Dr-” You stomped on Sonder's tail in a panic to shush him. The last thing you needed was the already self aware Sans asking awkward questions. “As for you, I… think I've seen you before?” There was something in his voice you didn't like, a ‘have we met before’ tone. His expression remained neutral as he looked you up and down, a hint of familiarity dancing across his face. You shrugged. “We’re tourists.” It wasn't a complete lie, as your ‘job’ according to Gaster was to explore the multiverse but be home by 7 so your parents dont worry.

Sans gave you a disbelieving look and asked with an obvious wink “Then whatcha doing all the way out here in the woods? Visiting the town wood be better.” You snickered and Sonder sighed. Quickly regaining his composure, he turned to you and replied “Y-yeah! We got lost, ain't that right (Y/n)?”

“Yep. In fact, we were looking for town when we wound up here! Crazy how bad navigation apps are nowadays!” You took the lie and ran with it, even going as far as to pull out your phone as subtly as possible and just hold it so it looked more realistic. Sans shrugged and waved you in his direction, you and Sonder following him as he began to lead you through the forest. He didn't say much after that, seeming to be thinking about other things. The deep green trees got lighter and lighter until...

“Woah.” The three of you broke through the mass of trees, standing atop of a hill that overlooked a quaint and simple town, Mt.Ebbot towering in the not too far off distance. Monsters and humans mingled amongst each other in the streets, everyone looking a little apprehensive about the weather. The sky was darkening still, the threat of rain hanging above the towns head as the townsfolk tried to do their thing.

“If ya dont mind me askin’, what were ya doing in the forest sir?” Sonder asked as the three of you began down the hill. “...” Sans didn't reply immediately.“I was looking for something, that's all.”

Sonder looked up at you and you shrugged. You may have been able to help pilot Frisk through the underground, but Sans was an enigma outside of the few interactions Frisk had made with him. You only did a neutral and true pacifist run, so you never had to fight him. Thank god. You had as much of an idea as Sonder as to what he may have been looking for.

Sonder struggled to keep up with you, so you picked him up bridal style. Much to your surprise, he was pretty heavy. You began to notice small details about the town the closer you got. A lot of the monster owned shops you could see were marked with the Delta Rune, characters you recognized were milling about, tending to their new lives, and much to your surprise, humans and monsters getting along really well. You certainly did not expect that, as most of the time you imagined the humans putting a little resistance against the monsters moving into their town. But, they didn't seem to have a problem. You smiled a little at the thought that maybe this timeline was the perfect pacifist ending you had worked towards.

“Here we are.” Sans did a small jazz hand-like gesture and you set Sonder down. “I forgot to ask, what’re your names? I could give ya some heads up on where the best places are if you’d want.” You smiled at the skeleton as he shoved his hands back in his pockets sheepishly.

“Oh! My names (Y/n), and this is Sonder. He's my… travel buddy.” Sonder shot him a toothy grin and Sans narrowed his eyes. “That's funny. I knew a kid ‘round these parts with the same name. Looked an awful lot like you. You sure you're not pulling my leg-” He stopped himself and sighed. “Nevermind. Stupid question, given I cant even figure out what the kiddo’s name was. We’re ya from?”

“We’re from…” You thought of a random legitimate sounding town name. “Valerian City! It's a bit far from here.” He shrugged casually. “I know. I live there too. The name Sans. Sans the Skeleton. You must’ve done a lot of walking to get here. Even more to get THAT lost.” You bit your lip in panic. Was he messing with you? “Most of us live out there actually. Most of the underground residents went there since it was bigger. But mostly out of fear of agitating the humans already here some of us moved to the city. I’m out here assisting Dr.Alphys move her research. Even though that's what I did last month. And the month before that. And pretty much every month since we reached the surface half a year ago. Makes me wonder how much research she actually has. She must have a ton. A skele-ton.” Sonder sighed and you suppress a laugh. “That pun sucked.” You commented bluntly, regaining your composure.

“Really? Then why are you smiling?” He shrugged at you and sighed. “Whatever. I better find Dr.Alphys. See ya ‘round kiddos.” He took a shortcut and you dropped your semi upbeat facade. “Holy shit that could've gone south so fast.”

Sonder nodded and looked up to meet your eyes. “I think he’s suspicious. We should probably hope he doesnt connect two and two. Sans’ are normally the first to pick up on strange multi-universal events. Closely followed by Floweys and Chara and Frisk duos. We should probably lay low.” You wholeheartedly agreed to that plan, and what better way to lay low than to further cement the lie you had just told the self aware skeleton.

And by that, you meant to be a literal tourist. This was, after all, your first time in an Undertale AU, so it only felt fair. Even if this wasnt where the main cast was, it would still be interesting.

____________________________________________________________________________

“T-that should be the l-last of it!” Alphys sighed, shoving the last box of information into the back of a minivan that belonged to her human research assistant, Coley. She had volunteered to drive Sans and Alphys out to Ebbotton an hour away to collect the remaining research. In fact, the human scientist was very insistent on letting her drive them and overjoyed when they showed her the CORE. All in all, Coley was very VERY over the top, but no in the same way that Undyne was.

Sans leaned against the red van, staring off into the still ominous skies. It was well past 6 in the evening but those kids from earlier were still there down in the town. Heck, they were visible from where he was standing! They were sitting at a park bench in the local park talking to each other about heck knows what. For whatever reason, the human, (Y/n)’s presence… it felt familiar. It was like a mixture of how it felt to be around that inkstain and his group, but more intense. And there was something else there, something like… familiarity?

“S-sans? Are you okay? You're not making a pun about the obscene amount of research I have.” Sans snapped out of his thoughts and turned to the other two scientists. Coley was shutting the car’s trunk as Alphys approached the skeleton.

“Hm? Yeah, just thinking.” Hew replied, relaxing his shoulders and closing his eyes. “A-about…?” He opened one of his eyes to shoot Alphys a look, but she wasn't looking at him anymore. She was staring at the sky along with him. He sighed and replied “I met some really weird kids in the woods. Claimed their names were (Y/n) and Sonder. Except, not the Sonder we know. He looked… so familiar. Same with the human. I can't help but feel I’ve… maybe met them before..”

“W-well, maybe they're f-from the city?” Sans nodded. “They claimed to be, but I would have seen the monster kiddo when we brought everyone back. He wasn't accounted for.”

Alphys looked thoughtful. “That is weird. Do you think they have anything to do with that… oh what did you call him?” “Inkstain?” “Yeah, him and his gang?” She pushed her glasses up the bridge of her snout.

“It's possible. Oh, speak of the devil. There they are.” Sans gestured to you and Sonder, who were hiking up the hill to where the scientists were. “Heya Sans!” Sonder called out, pushing his way up the hill with you slowly following behind.

“Hm? Oh hey kiddo.” The two of you made it to the top of the hill as Coley got in the car and rolled down the windows. “You heading back now?” You asked, watching as Alphys got into the front seat. “Yep.” He shrugged and pulled open the car’s door. Before he got in, he looked over his shoulder with a confused look in his eyes. “You kids should be getting home too. You have a ride?”

You bit your lip and shook your head. “No, we uhm, promised we’d call the person who c-came to drop us off! He isnt going to be here for a while, even if we do call now.” Yes, finally! All those years of lying to your parents about your sleep schedule and how much time you actually spent on the internet came in handy. It was a little rusty, but the lie seemed to convince Sans.

The driver of the car overheard you and piped up “Wait! Maybe we can give you a ride. Where are you going?” “Valerian City.” You replied simply, recalling your previous exchange with Sans. “Ohmygosh so are we! Would it be ok if we gave you a lift? I don't like the idea of leaving a bunch of kids here. There's room back there right?” ‘Bunch of kids’ your ass. You weren't REALLY a kid. Neither was Sonder. He was likely over 100 years old. You elected to not ask that right now, but keep it in the back of your mind.

Sans sighed quietly and replied simply. “Yep.” “Great! We better get out of here before the rain begins though. I’m Coley by the way, and this is Alphys, the royal scientist. And I take it you know who Sans is.”

You turned to Sonder, who shrugged despite being armless. Wow, you two sure did a lot of shrugging. That's what happens when you put two indecisive multiverse travelling weirdos into situations where they need to have a solid opinion on something.

You went around the side and opened the other door for Sonder, who gestured for you to go in first so you would get the middle seat instead of him. But you refused. He refused again. You gestured for him to get in. “Ladies first.” “Wha- children first!” “Im 200 years older than you.” And with that, you got in the middle seat, with the armless raptor getting the window (lucky bastard).

____________________________________________________________________________

A gold clad guardian, sky blue shaded warrior and what appeared to be an artist happened to witness the whole thing from a nearby tree, with the aforementioned artist looking highly offended.

“Inkstain?! Is that what they've been calling me?!” Pouted the artist, crossing his arms childishly and shaking the branch of the tree the three were sitting on. “Hey! Be careful.” The guardian exclaimed, gripping the branch tighter. “YEAH! NOT ALL OF US HAVE YOUR UNNATURAL BALANCE, INK.” The warrior exclaimed rather loudly, The artist named ink shifted his sash full of paint a little and sighed.

“Just be glad he's not calling you ‘overoptimistic ray of sunshine’ like he was doing to me

last week.” The guardian sighed. “OR ‘VIBRANTLY LOUD BLUEBERRY’.” The warrior added.

“I'm starting to get the feeling he doesn't appreciate our presence here.” Ink commented. The other two nodded in agreement.

“It's not that he doesn't appreciate it, it's just that he finds us a little… on the strange side. We should get going. It's going to start pouring rain soon.” The guardian commented. “Yeah.” The artist agreed, teleporting to the ground, the blue one following suit. The golden guardian was going to do the same but hesitated.

“Dream? What's taking so long.” Ink asked, gazing up at his normally bubbly and positive friend. Dreams' mind seemed to be elsewhere, his eyes off somewhere on the horizon. “Earth to Dream? Dream. DREAM!!”

That got Dreams’ attention real fast. Ink never yelled at him, and he jumped so hard he fell off the branch and onto the ground.

“OH MY GOD DREAM ARE YOU OK?!” The blue one was laughing so hard he fell over too trying to ask Dream that, and Ink followed in Blues footsteps, but snapped out of it fast enough to help Dream get to his feet.

“Hey, you good? Ink asked, a small smile lacing his face. “Y-yeah.” Ink squeezed his hand and let go, also helping the blue one stand as well. Shortly after, it began raining and the three teleported out of the AU, Ink thinking about the new AU jumper, Dream contemplating something, and Blue thinking about Tacos. Classic Blue.

For just a little while, everything felt warm. Like all your worries had passed on and the world at peace, even just for a little while. Sadly, you were being dragged out of this warm sensation by a couple of voices, all of which sounded familiar.

“...wake them up....” “....es…..” You felt someone shake your shoulder. Snapping awake almost immediately, you search for the source of the hand and see Coley leaning over you. “Can you wake him up?” She asks, gesturing to the skeleton you were leaning on for support. Wait hold up what-

You jumped to the other side upon realizing that the not so soft thing you had been napping on was Sans. Like you were minutes ago, he was fast asleep against the window. The sun was setting beyond the window and in the distance you saw Mt.Ebbot past the towering office buildings and such you find in cities, the skies turning a pale orange. Looks like the rain passed.

You unbuckle your seatbelt and shake the skeleton gently. He opens an eye to glare at you for a split second before realizing the context behind you oh so rudely awakening him from his slumber.

He sighed and sat up as well as you jumped out of the car, stretching your stiff limbs and taking a look at the city. It looked like any ol city, plain and simple. Just, rather than humans littering the streets, there was an even mix of monsters and humans. You could feel the tension in the air here, as opposed to the smaller Ebbotton. Just an overall sense of unease that seemed to not exist in the town by the mountain.

Sans crawled out of the car and pulled out a ring of house keys, picking through them until he found the one he was looking for. “You kids know how to get home from here, right?” Sans asked, approaching an intimidatingly large apartment building. “Yeah. We live not too far from here.” Sonder commented, seemingly more calm than when you had left. “That's good. Maybe I’ll see you ‘round then. Until then.” He shortcutted out of existence and Alphys sighed. Coley smiled and waved you two off, allowing for you to turn a corner, out of sight from the monsters and humans.

“Thank god that's over and done with.” You muttered to your apparently older, smaller friend. He nods and sighs in relief. “That was crazy.” “For real. We almost got caught.”

11: UNTITLED 2

Notes: Okay if you made it here youre a fucking champ. Like bro. Thank you for reading all of that! Now for the finale and the reason I had to put these in order of longest to shortest. A sort of High school au- y'know what Im gonna let it explain itself.

Words: 7,000

Date: December 2021

_____________________

Long ago, two races ruled the earth. Humans and monsters. The peace they shared was unmistakable and refused to fade with time. However, a new race began to emerge. The Supernatural, as they were called, possessed great power that many could not even begin to imagine. Everything from creation to destruction, controlling emotions, right down to controlling time. Of course, they were feared and respected as gods. But after a war broke out between a few of the creatures, the other two races plotted to keep them all in one place and never allow them to leave.

And so, they built a city. The city was fortified with magic and the Supernaturals thrown into it, leaving them to live out their own lives. But as with many things, people began to forget these abnormalities of creatures even existed and acknowledged them as myths, beginning to inhabit the very city they were trapped in. To this day, humans and monsters share the earth and the Supernatural remain in the city, waiting for the day someone may set them free to wander the earth once more...

CHAPTER ONE:

“SOMEBODY ONCE TOLD ME THE WORLD WAS GONNA ROLL ME-”

Cross jolted awake, gasping as he shot up from his comfortable position hidden among the blankets of his bed. He reached onto the table next to his bed and fumbled with his phone, turning the volume down on the alarm. Kai had promised that it was a good alarm and would get him up instantly. While normally it was safe to doubt Kai, this time he had been right on the nose.

Cross sighed and checked the time. 7:00 AM sharp. Just as it was supposed to be. Ever since he had transferred to the new school with Kai, he had needed to get up an hour earlier every day. It sucked at first, but after the month that had passed it had become relatively routine.

Pushing aside the blankets, Cross planted his feet firmly on the ground and forced himself up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. His room was a mess as usual, sketchbooks and papers littered about with the occasional sock to go with.

Yawning, Cross threw on a pair of slippers and exited the cluttered room, walking down the relatively short hallway to the central area of the house. Xavier and Papaya were already awake and sitting at the table, 100% ignoring each other. The Penaloza family tended to do that to each other.

Xavier, Cross’ father, glanced up from his notes to smile politely at him. Papaya continued to pay no mind to him, staring down at the piece of toast as if it had personally offended him. Papaya was a year younger than Cross, but had a far bigger attitude issue than him. Don't get him wrong, he was a nice guy, but he tended to be a little impatient.

“He lives.” Xavier commented, looking back down at his notebook and tapping his pen to his chin. Papaya glanced up for a second before snapping his focus back to the toast.

“We leave in thirty minutes.” Papaya informed, finally picking up the food and taking a bite with a loud crunch.

Cross stuck his tongue out absentmindedly and wandered into the kitchen, pulling open the fridge and grabbing a bottle from the door. Cross sighed quietly at the ecru shaded liquid and pulled the lid off, pouring the foul-smelling, borderline paste into the measuring cup built into the lid.

Cross took a deep breath and took it like a shot, trying not to get it on his tongue. It never worked, but the effort was there.

The liquid was pure magic, intended to be absorbed by one's soul usually for medical reasons. Cross’ magic levels had always been a little low but the older he got the more easily depleted and naturally low they got. Last year, it had gotten so bad that Xavier had taken him to the hospital because he had collapsed and become unresponsive. It sucked, but it was better than being sick all the time.

Cross resisted the urge to gag and swallowed it, instantly feeling less groggy and dizzy. It worked like, well, magic.

Everyday had essentially been the same since Summer Break had ended. Get up, get dressed, still somehow nearly miss the bus, catch up with Kai on said bus, stumble through the day running on a sip of coffee Kai would sometimes let him have and the hope that art would be soon, nearly miss the bus again, come home, have dinner, go to sleep, rinse and repeat. And that was okay as far as the Penalozas were aware.

The Penalozas were a weird group to anyone who didn't actively know them. Three skeletons, two humans, no real parental figure (unless you counted Xavier, but no one really did) and a sketchy family history. But to the members of the family, it was all they had ever known. And they didn't really care enough about what a normal functional family was supposed to look like to try and change.

Cross meandered back to his room, still sleepy. Pulling off the oversized shirt, he pulled open a drawer and put on whatever his hand touched first, that being a long sleeved black shirt and similar black leggings meant to look like pants. He tied a scarf around his neck and shoved the textbook he had been reading the night before into his bag and slung it around his shoulder, grabbing a white sweater for some contrast and shoving it in as well.

He glanced at the mirror hanging on the closet door, staring unhappily at his reflection. Despite all of his attempts in the past, he still looked like a ragamuffin. He gave up around the time that Frisk, the youngest, made it to middle school a year ago.

Frisk was the perfect example of what a gifted child should look like. He had perfect marks in all of his classes and was very steadily building a resume and would surely become something great. Chara was a little tricky, but was also showing a lot of promise. Hell, even Papaya was starting to take going to college seriously. He had picked up a weird interest in engineering that Xavier had welcomed with open arms. Where as Cross? He was just plain ol’ Cross. The quiet eldest of the siblings who liked to draw and had only a few friends. Smart, but not that smart. Talented, but not that talented.

“Cross! We gotta go!!” Papaya yelled from the other room, pulling Cross from his thoughts. The oreo (what a shock it must be, but this name also came from Kai) shook his head and yanked open the door, meeting his younger brother at the front door. Frisk and Chara, the lucky bastards, started school at 9:30 instead of 8:00. And their school was closer and still in the town of Satellite rather than in the neighboring Yinmon City.

Yinmon city was a weird place. It seemed to have been themed completely on neon lighting and eyestrain disguised to look like your average city by day. A lot of strange myths and urban legends also arose from the city, none of them making very much logical sense.

Papaya opened the door and didn't bother to hold it for Cross, the two stepping out into the cool morning. Despite being September, the weather had begun cooling off early that year. Not that anyone was really complaining.

The bus stop was pretty far down the street from their house, and the bus’ arrival was a surprise usually. Sometimes early and the siblings would have to enlist on Xaviers help to get there (or if Xavier was busy skipping the day entirely), sometimes two hours late. But never on time.

Papaya walked ahead of Cross, leaving him to his own slow pace. He knew Papaya didn't mean to be cold or rude, but it was clear they didn't have the camaraderie they used to.

Cross shut his eyes and hummed a small tune as the pair walked down the bumby, sidewalkless road. It wasn't a poor neighborhood, but not close to a rich one either. Just below average, since the average had sidewalks.

The bus stop was relatively empty except for one person, who very energetically bounded up to Cross and swung an arm around his shoulder.

Kai had been Cross’ best friend since the empty socketed one declared it on their first day of school. Cross had been adamant against it, claiming not to associate himself with the other. Sadly, the determination in Killer’s protruding soul wasn't there for show and by the next week they were a very close knit pair. No, “Kai” was not his real name. No ones birth name is ever Kai. His very very dead name was, well, dead. Normally anyone outside of legal situations got clocked in the face if they called him his old name.

There were only two problems with having Kai as a best friend. One issue was the fact that he was in and out of hospital a lot thanks to his soul condition. The school board had almost not let him go to school because of how unstable his soul was. His life could go from dandy and fine to in a hospital bed in ICU in minutes sometimes. On the plus side, complaining about their soul conditions was a great bonding activity!

Second was the fact that he had no parents and was in and out of the foster care system a lot. Sometimes Kai would have to change schools mid year and he would always be moving a lot.

“Criss Cross! Long time no see~” Kai joked, nuzzling Cross’ face and smudging some of the dark liquid constantly pouring from his empty sockets on his cheek.

“Kai, you saw me yesterday. And the day before that.” Cross retorted, wiping the smudge off his face.

Kai dragged Cross under the awning, Kai grabbing his bag from the bench of the small bus stop and standing near the edge of the road, waiting for the slowly approaching bus in the near distance to arrive. It didn't take long for the cliche yellow bus to roll up to the stop and let the students on.

The bus was quiet, as usual. Two skeletons sat in the front and in the back (the one up front had a labrador service dog, Kai had him in PE and claimed he was a nice guy despite his scary appearance and hole in his skull) and a few humans here and there, as well as a group of bunny monsters that Cross knew from elementary school. Adi was the nicest by far, but they were not a bad group.

Kai and Cross took seats behind the scary skeleton, Papaya sitting across the aisle from them. Kai had taken the window seat, leaving the other with the aisle.

“Next stop, Elmore Street in Yinmon City.” The bus driver announced unenthusiastically, shutting the doors and stepping on the gas.

Kai pulled out a thermos full of coffee and offered some to Cross, who gratefully accepted. Kai liked his coffee how he liked his men. Very very hot and ridiculously sweet. It was always a shock that early in the morning, but not an unwelcome one.

The skeleton in front of them glanced back at them with one very large eyelight and watched them not so subtly. Kai began monologuing about how his night went, paying no mind to the scary skeleton watching them over his shoulder.

The scenery passed by peacefully, the relatively empty fields of the outskirts of Satellite subtly transforming into the wealthier housing developments of Yinmon. Kai continued to babble on, Cross occasionally engaging in the conversation. The neatly dressed skeleton watching them never broke his gaze, and inevitably Kai took notice.

“Hey pal, can we help ya?” Kai asked, stopping his tangent about basking sharks (why were they talking about basking sharks?). The other skeleton blinked a few times, then reached over the seat and grabbed Cross’ face.

Cross panicked, reasonably so, and tried to push the others enormous hand off his face. The other squished his cheeks with his fingers, mumbling under his breath.

Kai laughed hysterically as Cross shoved the others hand away and hissed.

“Your face is squishy.” The other commented in a low rumble. Cross withdrew into his scarf, face igniting in a blush. He knew he had squishy cheeks, but that didn't give anyone the right to squish them.

“What the hell?! Back off!” Cross snarled before the other could squish him again. The other looked a little surprised, but back to amused. Papaya glanced over at them and rolled his eyes, going back to staring out the window.

“The names Alex.” The bigger introduced, offering his hand to Cross. He took it carefully, not trusting Alex not to try and grab his face again.

“I’m Kai. And marshmallow cheeks over there is Cross.” Kai replied, reducing his laughter to giggles. Cross swatted at Killer playfully.

“Nice to meet ya’.” Alex pat the seat next to him and the dog jumped up next to him. “This is Ms. Fluffles. You may pet ‘er.”

Cross reached over the seat and patted the dog's head timidly. The dog licked his hand and wagged her tail. Cross smiled and scratched between her ears, the dog getting increasingly excited about the attention.

“She's a good girl, ain't she?” Alex commented, patting the dogs back. Cross nodded timidly and continued to pet her surprisingly soft fur.

“‘ad to get ‘er after I got this hole in my head. More of a seein’ eye dog than anythin.” Alex continued, nuzzling her face.

Cross muttered a thank you and withdrew his hand, remembering he was still holding Killer’s coffee. He took a small sip, the hot liquid burning his tongue.

Kai snatched the thermos from Cross and chugged, paying no mind to the fact he was probably not going to be able to taste anything for the next week.

Alex turned back around and leaned against the window, watching as suburbia turned into city. The school they went to (Elmore Academy) was in the center of the city. To some it may seem unreasonable, kids from Satellite had to go to the school, but because of weird zoning they were forced to go to the school in the city instead of the much closer local High School.

Cross pulled out his phone and swiped it open, pulling up messages and checking the one notification he had gotten. It was from Chara 10 minutes ago.

Chara: Hey nerd

Cross rolled his eyes and typed his reply.

You: What?

Chara began typing his reply immediately.

Chara: Frisk was wondering if he could borrow 10 G for a thing at school.

Cross wracked his brain for where he could have stashed his money. He trusted Frisk to have enough integrity not to steal his hard earned 15 G he got from chores (though if he did it really wouldn't be the end of the world).

You: Yeah, check inside the white blanket in the closet. Why does he need it?

Chara did not reply immediately that time.

Chara: He didn't say. But what he did say was “Thanks”. Don't die at school dearest brother, I would miss you.

You: You too, Poison Ivy Eater

Chara: please let me live that down

You: No :)

Cross shut off his phone and stared out the window. They were almost there, thankfully. It was inevitably going to be a long day, but that was fine. Once it was over, maybe he could talk Kai (and by extension Xavier) into hanging out after school in the city and catching a different bus home. Which shouldn't be too hard.

“Elmore Street up ahead.” The bus driver announced over the loudspeaker. Most of the people on the bus began shuffling about, grabbing their bags and preparing to depart.

Kai chugged the rest of the coffee and shoved the thermos into his bag. The pair looked over Alex’s shoulder at the oncoming bus stop in front of their school. The school doors were crowded with people of all different types, ranging from human to sentient fire. There were another one or two skeletons in there as well, if you looked hard enough. That wasn't hard to believe though, given skeletons were a surprisingly common kind of monster in the City. Legend had it that the princes of the country were also skeletons even though their mother was not. But, the royal family had long since died out after an attack on them hundreds of years ago leaving no survivors and the country began electing presidents instead.

Alex got off the bus first, followed by Papaya and the bunnies. The skeleton with his hood up sitting in the back followed at a distance, glancing over at the childhood best friends for a mere moment before continuing on. Cross led Kai off the bus and onto the sidewalk in front of the school, Kai grabbing hold of Cross’ scarf before entering.

Kai had been doing that since they ‘officially’ became friends (just as Cross had always been wearing a scarf). Kai found it easy to get distracted or lost even in a school as small as their elementary school, so holding onto someone who actually knew what they were doing was a big help in keeping Kai from running off and chasing squirrels.

The halls were crowded. As usual. The school was far too small for the amount of people in it. Cross squeezed through the crowd and approached the stairwell where Kai and Cross broke off. Cross waved to his friend and Kai let go of him, waving back. Cross ascended the stairs two at a time and stopped in the entryway of the slightly less busy and loud second floor. Mrs.Wells sat at her desk in the front of the class, grading papers by the looks of it. The other students in the class were doing their own thing, barely interacting with each other. The Oreo took a seat in the back corner of the classroom like the edgy wanna be protagonist he was.

Cross stared out the window into the wall of the building next to the school. It was a simple brick wall with absolutely no redeeming qualities or defining features. It was just a wall.

The bell rang eventually, spelling the beginning of the day. Most of the students had trickled in at that point, all of them pulling the text book out of their bag. Cross reached into his own, feeling around for the overly heavy book and pulling it out.

DRAFT SECTION: This will not be staying the same, as I think I'm going to save this whole interaction (s) for a later chapter so I don't overwhelm the reader.

Mrs.Wells stood and addressed the class, pulling out a dry erase marker and beginning to write the day's assignment on the board. She was a strong believer in textbook work and usually just made the students work on their own in the books. However, she was nice enough and let him draw during class. The only thing that kept him from liking her class was the fact that she was a transphobic asshole who refused to call him by his name.

Around half way through the class, there was a brisk knock on the door. The teacher got up to answer it and talked with whoever was on the other side for a moment, prompting Cross to stop reading about Passive Voice for a hot second to eavesdrop.

The teached closed the door and another student came in. Cross recognized him as the skeleton from the back of the bus earlier. He had his arms crossed and a mean smirk on his face as he surveyed the class.

“Dust, why don't you go sit in the back with the other skeleton, Violet.” Mrs.Wells pointed at Cross. Cross cringed at the mention of his dead name, but pushed his books to one side to make room for his new desk buddy. The closer he got, the more he realized how big the hoodie he was wearing was and how the only thing keeping his eyes from being covered was a hat underneath the hood.

Dust swaggered over to him and pulled a chair from an empty desk, and placed it on the opposite side of the desk, resting his head in his hands and staring contently at the textbook.

“So, Violet-”

“It's Cross.”

Dust seemed surprised for a moment, but continued.

“Whatcha readin’?”

Cross checked the cover of the book and showed it to the other. Dust seemed satisfied and studied Cross’ eyes for a moment.

“Dust, take your hood off.” The teacher snapped from the front of the classroom, sitting back down and going back to grading papers. Dust slipped his hood off and gazed smugly at the front of the classroom, still wearing the hat.

The teacher rolled her eyes and continued what she was doing, leaving Dust to continue staring at Cross. Cross continued reading, pulling out a notebook to take notes. He flipped to a random page, half full page and began writing a few things down.

Dust leaned forward and snatched the notebook away from Cross, reading the page. Cross panicked and tried to get it back, knowing full well what was on the rest of the page. Dust’s bone brows shot up and he held the book out of reach.

“Wow, you drew this? Nice.” Dust commented, pushing Cross’ desperate hands away. Mrs.Wells looked up from her work once more and scowled.

“Violet, Dust, behave!” She snapped at them, prompting Dust to argue.

“But ma’am! She drew this! Isnt it cool!”

“Its HE drew this and give it back!” Cross lunged for it before anyone could see the drawings inside. It was just a few simple drawings of flowers, but they still weren't meant to ever be seen by another (unless you counted Kai).

“Both of you, OUT.” Mrs.Wells violently gestured to the door and Dust grabbed Cross and dragged him out of the classroom, flipping off the teacher in the process.

Cross shoved Dust away once they got into the hallway and growled angrily.

“What the hell dude?!” Cross crossed (pun not intended) his arms angrily. He had never been in trouble with a teacher so bad to where they sent him out before.

“Sorry ‘bout that. Now we gotta go to the Principal's office. Oh what a shame.” Dust replied, handing the book back to Cross and shrugging.

“Wh- SORRY ISN'T GOING TO CUT IT BUDDY!” Cross all but yelled. What the hell was up with this guy?! He was already halfway down the hallway and at the stairwell, giving him an expectant look.

“Well, what are you waiting for, the flowers to grow? Get over here!” Dust asked innocently, beginning down the stairs. Cross chased after him and caught up to him, glaring at the others back. He hadn't noticed before, but the other was wearing a blood red scarf. Huh. Scarf buddies. To scarf or to not scarf, he was still pissed.

Dust tossed open the door to the guidance office and entered like he lived there, waving to the administrator at the desk. The administrator pursed his lips but waved back.

Cross pulled open the door a little more timidly, following closely to Dust, who seemed to know what he was doing. Maybe this wasn't his first time in the office.

He turned a corner and knocked on a door labeled “principal” and a goat monster answered. Cross had never actually met the principal and had desperately hoped he wouldn't have to.

“Dust? Why are you here again?” The goat monster asked, tilting her head in a confused manner.

“Teacher sent me and her out of the classroom.” Dust replied simply, gesturing to Cross.

“For the last time, I'm a dude! What part of that are you not getting?!” Cross snapped.

“Oh, a Penaloza. Come in, both of you.” She instructed, pulling open the door. Dust stepped inside confidently, leaving Cross to stumble awkwardly behind him. How did she know his last name? Had she met Papaya before?

The office was surprisingly cozy. Two plush chairs sat across from a simple wooden desk with a computer and name plate on it. The name plate read “Ms.Toriel”. Dust took a seat casually, as did Ms.Toriel. Cross awkwardly sat in the other chair, waiting for someone to say something.

“Dust, you know you can't just keep getting in trouble to be here, correct? It goes on your permanent record.” Ms.Toriel stated, leaning back in her chair and pushing her glasses further up her snout.

“As for you, I do not believe we have met. I am Ms.Toriel, principal at this school. As a random guess, are you Xavier Penaloza’s son?” Cross perked up at the mention of his ‘father’.

“Y-yes. How did you know?” Cross asked awkwardly. Ms.Toriel smiled warmly.

“We went to school and worked in a lab together for a while. He was a good soul. It really is a shame what happened though.” Cross stifined. What happened to Xavier's career as a scientist was never discussed among the family, but Xavier’s friends (the few that he still had) referred to it a lot.

“When I saw your name on the registration paperwork I almost couldn't believe my eyes. I had met you once before, but you were very young at the time. I was also surprised to see he seems to have adopted two other children. Human children, at that.” Ms.Toriel continued.

Dust listened intently, seemingly interested in what Ms.Toriel had to say about Cross’ family.

“Yes. Chara and Frisk. Chara is coming to this school next year I think.” Cross replied. Ms.Toriel nodded and glanced at the clock on the wall adjacent to the desk.

“I will allow you two to stay here until the next bell, and then you both will have to go back to your classes.” Ms.Toriel informed. “And yes, we can work on the puzzle if that is what you wish, Dust.”

Dust perked up and smiled, prompting Ms.Toriel to pull out a puzzle box and set it on the clear desk. Dust scooted his chair forward and Ms.Toriel dumped out the contents, the two beginning the puzzle. Cross sat awkwardly and pulled out a pencil from his pocket, pulling his feet up onto the chair and resting the notebook on his knees, flipping to a blank page.

He doodled a few random things as warm up and then began sketching the scene in front of him. Dust had pulled his hood back over his head at some point, making his face not clearly visible.

Cross’ stomach dropped, realizing he forgot his bag and books in his English class. Great. Now he was going to have to go back into the classroom and likely get yelled at by the teacher.

____________________________________________________________________________

The day passed by relatively quickly after the encounter with the principal. Kai and Cross luckily had art at the end of the day together (even though Kai wasnt a huge fan of art), so he got to tell his friend all about the strange start to the day he had. Kai himself had never actually met Dust, but had heard that he secretly did drugs under the table and slept around a lot. It didn't come as a surprise to Cross (since he had heard similar things), but what confused him was why he was so… adamant about going to Ms.Toriel.

“I dunno, maybe its because shes a nice person?” Kai suggested as they worked on their still life paintings of a pear. Cross shrugged and glanced back over at the table where the plastic pear lay. He must be really off his rocker, because the shading just didn't look quite right.

“Eh, I wouldn't worry about it. It was probably a one time thing. Both of you are gonna move on with your lives and forget the other ever existed.” Kai suggested, adding a few messy strokes of brown onto the table portion of the drawing and blending them with the lighter brown.

“He's on our bus. What if he tries to talk to me? He kept deadnaming me the entire time we talked.” Cross asked, sticking his brush in the water jar.

“Clock him in the face if he tries or something, I dunno.” Kai shrugged and speckled a few brown spots onto the pear.

“Excuse me, can I borrow some of your black?” A human asked from the other side of the table.

“Of course.” Cross replied, the palette he and Kai were sharing over to the human girl. She took some with her brush and put it on her own before sliding it back. Cross thanked her quietly and continued shading.

A sudden wave of dizziness rolled over Cross, causing him to hold onto the table for support for a second. Stools were never a very good balance keeper.

Kai glanced over at him, his soul flickering with concern. You could always tell how Killer was feeling based on the brightness and shape of his soul.

“I'm fine.”

The bell rang shortly after and they had to put their painting supplies away. Kai grabbed Cross’ scarf and they began heading towards the front of the school to hop on the bus.

“Hey, I was wondering, would you wanna stick around in the city for a bit? I heard the cat cafe just got some new cats that we haven't met yet.” Cross asked over his shoulder.

“Ask Xavier. I'm sure my fosters are fine with it, they forget I even live with them sometimes.” Kai shrugged. Cross nodded and pulled out his phone, quickly typing up a message and sending it, leading the two of them out of the school and into the sunny afternoon.

Xavier replied back quickly, giving the two the okay to hang around. Cross and Kai broke away from the sea of highschoolers and began to wander in the general direction of the cafe, passing the subway entrance.

“Welp. Wonder what the new cats are like-” Kai began, but glanced over his shoulder and stopped abruptly.

“Huh? Kai, what's the matter?” Cross turned and saw it too. Dust was very subtly walking in their general direction.

“Weird. I thought he took the bus home.” Cross pointed out.

“He DOES take the bus home. I think he's following us.” Kai hissed, pulling Cross by the scarf at a faster pace than before. “If he keeps following us, run.”

Dust barely acknowledges the fact that they sped up as the two rounded a corner and continued following the directions they had memorized to the Cat cafe. They may or may not have been there a few times.

Dust continued to follow them at a distance. It was unlikely that he had decided to go to the cat cafe that very day at that very moment as well.

“Okay, on the count of three, we start running and aim to be in the cafe’s back alleyway. Got it?” Kai hissed lowly, not taking his eyes off of Dust over his shoulder. Cross nodded and waited for the count down.

“One… two…. THREE!” The two took off in a sprint, dodging people and lamp posts and nearly colliding with a few people. They were close, they could tell.

Cross and Kai threw themselves into the alley, pressing themselves to the side of the building, panting.

“Is he gone?” Cross asked between breaths, clutching his chest.

The answer, as it turned out, was a no. Dust casually walked by the ally and stopped in the middle of the entrance. His right eyelight began to glow and he raised his hand.

Cross and Kai’s souls lit blue and they were thrown in the air by their souls. Dust approached menacingly with a cruel grin on his face.

“You should see the look on your faces right now.” Dust stated, lowering them closer to the ground.

“What's with the look? Did you REALLY think I was just going to let a cutie like you walk right by me without getting your number or somethin’?” Dust asked, marching up Kai and booping his nose.

Kai looked thoroughly confused, staring at Dust.

“What.” Dust stated more than asked.

“You have terrible taste is all.” Kai said matter of factly. Dust snorted and rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, what of it?”

“Leave ‘em alone, freak.” A voice from the entrance demanded lowly. Cross turned to see Alex of all people standing menacingly at the entrance of the ally, Ms.Fluffles right next to him with her tongue lolling out to one side happily.

Dust gave Alex a weird look before smirking once more, placing his hands on his hips and sticking his tongue out tauntingly.

“Oh yeah? And what are you going to do about it?” Dust mocked. Alex seemed as if he were about to make a retort but stopped before it came out, his eye widening.

“What's wrong, big guy? You scared- Hey, what the hell are you looking at?” Dust waved his arms in front of the neatly dressed skeleton's face but Alex’s expression refused to falter. Cross turned to look over his shoulder curiously and his non existent stomach dropped.

“W-what is that?!” Cross exclaimed, struggling against the blue magic keeping him in the air. At the end of the ally, something that looked suspiciously like a dead boy lay. Blood was flowing from an open wound on its chest and a cloud of what looked like glitches covering one eye. Dust dropped the friends and took a step back, trying to process what he was seeing.

Kai made the first move and took a step forward and approached the person, nuding its side with his foot. Its eye shot open and it sat up suddenly, scowling at the empty socketed one.

“Can't you see I'm trying to nap?! Can you let a dude sleep in a suspicious ally way? For god's sake kid!” The seemingly skeleton yelled, pushing Kai away. Geeze, how many new skeletons was Cross going to end up meeting??

“Y-you're bleeding! We need to get you to a hospital- or something- what the fuck, I dont know, someone call an ambulance????” Cross stuttered, trying to organize his thoughts. To be fair, he had never seen blood that wasn't his own before.

“Im fine kiddo. Now fuck off before he gets back and ruins my nap oppertunities.” It said snarkily, rolling over and laying back down.

“Who?” Kai asked inquisitively, poking the person with his foot once more.

“He means me.” A voice said from above.

“Oh GOD DAMN IT REAPER.” The person shouted, taking a shoe and chucking it at the fire escape of the apartment next to the cafe. A figure moved to dodge it and caught it, tossing it back passive aggressively.

The person in the fire escape jumped down onto their level and stepped into the half light. They were yet another skeleton, but this one seemed different. Powerful, almost. They wore a strange black cloak with a hood over their head and a scythe rested on their shoulder. If Cross looked close enough, he could swear there were wings on his back as well. They looked like a stereotypical Grim Reaper.

“Who the hell are you?” Dust asked accusingly, stepping back and nearly onto Alex’s feet.

The newcomer rolled their eyes.

“Oh great, a bunch of teenagers. Who do you think I am?” The stranger retorted, pulling the scythe off his shoulder and leaning on it.

“A cosplayer?” Kai suggested inquisitively. The stranger stared blankly at Killer and sighed.

“Im the- y’know what, you wouldn't believe me even if I told you. Just get lost. I have a mortal to woo.” The cosplayer-strange-new-comer-person flicked his wrist and the group was sent flying back into the (thankfully) empty street. Cross landed on his butt in the middle of the street with an audible ‘oof!’, Kai landing beside him.

Dust and Alex had landed further back, both with confused expressions about what had just happened. Upon looking back at the alley, the two strange skeletons were gone.

“...”

“...”

“...”

“What the hell…?”

After a very very awkward bus ride back to Satellite, Cross had practically ran home and thrown the door open. He was 10 minutes past curfew and had a very high chance of getting grounded (because parents, am I right?). The Penalozas all sat around the table, generally quiet until Cross made his rather loud entrance.

“Ah, there you are. Why didnt you tell me the bus was late?” Xavier asked, his head placed on his hands.

“Uhh, things happened.” Cross replied, internally facepalming at how stupid he sounded.

“...I see. Well, come, sit. Your food is getting cold.” Xavier instructed, leaning back in his chair. The other children had clearly finished eating earlier and now just had to wait for Cross to pick at whatever was being served before being excused. Family rule.

Cross took his seat at the circle table sitting in between the kitchen and living rooms. Since their house was so small they had to keep the table small so they could all fit. The oreo glanced at what was on the table and sighed, dishing out a small helping of spaghetti. The less he took, the faster he could eat it and the sooner they could all go back to doing whatever they were doing before dinner.

Cross scarfed down the meal and pushed his plate away, signifying he was done. Xavier got up from the table first and sat on the couch, pulling out a notebook from what seemed like thin air and beginning to write in it. The other kids dispersed and headed to their rooms, the two humans sharing one and Papaya choosing to live in the basement as there was more room than if he and Cross shared a room.

Cross pushed open his door and stepped inside and around the sketchbooks littering the floor, flopping onto his bed on his back, subconsciously beginning to trace the jagged scar under his eye. He was still trying to process everything that had happened. It was such a strange day, having met two new possible acquaintances (well, maybe not Dust…) and then that whole thing in the alley. Who were those people? They seemed to know each other, and one had called the bleeding skeleton a ‘mortal’. Or at least that's what it sounded like. What had he meant by that?

Cross felt a soft buzzing in his pocket, alerting him of a notification. He reached into his pocket and pulled his phone out, rolling onto his belly and turning it on.

He seemed to have a notification from a new group chat he didn't remember joining. He opened the notification and read the message.

516 - 689 - 3393: Are we all here?

Cross furrowed his bone brow and pulled his other hand out from under his pillow to type a response.

You: Who is this?

Kai, much to his surprise, was also there and began typing after Cross sent his message.

Kai: Idk, all I can see is C is here

The 516 number began to type back.

516 - 689 - 3393: Its Dust, from earlier. I added Alex, Cross, and Kai. Are we all here?

516 - 774 - 8976: how did you get the numbers

516 - 689 - 3393: Elmore School’s database is easy to hack

You: oh.

Cross saved both the numbers in his phone and continued conversing.

You: Any particular reason you’re reaching out to us???

Dust: Yes. We can't just pretend like what we saw didn't happen and I have a proposal to make.

Kai: And what is that

Dust: We meet up after school tomorrow and look for those two people and get answers through any means. I dunno about you guys, but I haven't stopped thinking about this since we got off the bus.

Alex: Dude we literally just met.

Dust: Exactly. We do this one thing, then forget it ever happened.

Cross considered for a long moment, weighing his options.

You: I'm down if everyone else is. Got nothing better to do anyway.

Several people began typing.

Dust: Fantastic

Kai: What the fuck Cross

Alex: Eh, I'm fine with it too.

Kai: God damn it now Cross is gonna peer pressure me into this new fake investigation squad

You: You know it lmao

Cross smiled down at his phone and awaited Killer's inevitable (probably reluctant) agreement. Sometimes, silent peer pressure was the most effective peer pressure.

“You looking at hentai or something?” A voice asked from Cross’ door. Cross whipped around and scowled at Chara.

“No!” Cross tossed a pillow in his brother's general direction, the smug little shit sidestepping it.

“Bummer.” Chara took and running start and flopped over onto Cross’ bed, burying his face in the soft plushness that was his blanket.

“What do you want?” Cross asked, exasperated. Chara propped his head up with his hands and kicked his feet back and forth.

“To bother you. Duh. Xaviers too absorbed in his work to give a response and Frisk is doing homework.” Chara replied, rolling onto his back and splaying his arms. He was now in 8th grade and had entered his rebellious teenager phase. 13 year olds could be scary sometimes.

“And what about Papaya?” Cross asked, his phone buzzing.

“Whatcha talkin’ about?” Chara did his best blanket impression and looked over Cross’ shoulder nosely. Cross shut his phone down and pushed him off, flipping him the bird.

“Nunya. Leave me alone.” Cross requested, sitting up.

“Whats wrong sour pants? Are you mad ‘cause you dont know how to make friends-”

“Get out.”

Chara blew a raspberry and jumped off the bed, likely going to bother Papaya. Cross sighed and reopened his phone, reading over Kai’s “Fine I’ll help” quickly and shutting it off. It was almost dead, but he was too lazy to get up and attach it to its charger.

Cross flopped back over and sighed. He was tired, but it was too early to call it a night. So doodling it was.

The oreo pulled out the sketchbook he had shoved in his bag and flipped to a drawing he had started of a cat, silently wishing he had a reference. The night ticked on and by the time Frisk had finished all of his homework and was coming to say goodnight, he was already asleep. What a strange day it had been…

[whoabo]

crystal clear

pairings: bo burnham x reader.

readers pronouns: she/her

part one: hate to see your heart break.

part two: daydreaming.

warnings: a couple time jumps :/, angst if you squint, fluff, a little spicy scene, also not proof read but eh.

era: i’m bo yo, (2009) inside (2021)

a/n: okay!! this is the last part/epilogue of this mini series. and i feel like i should say that the era thing, it’s bo in those years and between, if that makes sense. so anyway,, please enjoy! ok bye ily.

( promising young woman set, 2019 )

“alright, take ten. when we come back we’ll be starting the scene in the pharmacy.” y/n spoke as she and emerald walked off set.

“y/n, can we talk?”

she turned around and saw bo, his glasses perched on his nose. his hands rested on his hips in an awkward stance.

she turned to look at her co director— who shrugged. she nodded and followed him to his trailer. she held her clipboard close to her chest as they walked.

bo practically skipped to his trailer door, holding it open for the woman. she was wearing a simple black t shirt and some baggy jeans with converse, but she looks perfect.

bo closed the the door behind as she walked in. it was as soon as the door closed, the two were on each other. bo cradled her head in his hands all while leaning down to kiss her. her hands reached up into his hair — as best as she could.

slowly the two made their way to the couch, not breaking the kiss. the dirty blonde boy soon pulled her onto his lap and pulled away.

“too much?” he whispered.

she shook her head and leaned forward to rest on his shoulder. she felt his hand start rubbing down her back. she could feel the coolness and firm metal—from his watch— through her shirt.

“we have to be back in like five minutes. most of our time was taken up by walking here.” her voice wasn’t whisper, but rather right above it. she moved her head where it was resting between his neck and shoulder.

bo groaned dramatically and shook his head. “are you coming over tonight at least?” he asked the two stood up. she helped him fix his shirt and hair as she thought it over.

she shrugged, “i don’t know,” she spoke almost taunting him. “i was thinking of just relaxing tonight and take a bath or something.”

bo made a noise, one that could only be described as a whine. his hands circled her waist as he leaned down closer to her.

she smiled at him and left her hands resting flat against his chest.

“you can do all that with me, honey. i would love to relax in the bath with my pretty girl.”

she laughed as she looked away from him. she said she’ll think about it and they need to get to set. bo rolled his eyes lightheartedly and opened the door for her.

after a day of nonstop filming and constant teasing from bo, the day finally came to an end. y/n and emerald were talking over the upcoming scenes when carey and bo walked over to them.

the four made casual conversation before carey stated she had to leave, wanting to get a good nights rest for the next day.

emerald packed up her bag and turned to the other two smiling at them. “alright, i’m off. y/n, if you do any rewrites or alternatives, text me, okay?”

she nodded, and gave her friend a hug.

“okay then, see you two tomorrow. love you, y/n. you too, bo.. i guess.” emerald laughed as she hugged bo, he patted her on the back before sending her off.

was she was out ear shot bo turned to look down at y/n. “so.. did you make up your mind? can you come with me tonight?”

she laughed as she reached up to brush some of his hair back. “you know, you’re awfully clingy recently.”

his brows furrowed, as his lips turn into a frown. “i’m just trying to make up for lost time. i was an idiot for how i handled things back then, and i’m so fucking sorry.” he spoke almost whispering, he leaned down to press a kiss to her forehead.

she wrapped her arms around his torso, her head resting on his chest. his arms circled around her shoulders and pulled her as close to her as possible.

“i love you, y/n.”

“i love you too, bo.”

he pulled away and looked at her. he leaned down and pressed a kiss to her lips, smiling as he does so.

“i’ll never not love doing that.” he laughed.

( may 2021, los angeles )

“i’m gonna vomit.”

“babe, you’ll be fine. you did amazing.”

he shook his head as he fell onto the couch, bruce immediately cuddling up to him. bo pat his stomach as he felt y/n sit down next to him. he leaned up to rest his head on her thigh.

today was the day bo’s latest special is being released, to say he’s nervous is an understatement. all he wanted to do was hide in the bedroom for the rest of the day.

“you don’t even know, you haven’t seen the finished product.” he frowned. he sat back up, pulling his legs up with him.

she turned towards him, “well, can i see the finished product?”

bo reluctantly said yes and grabbed the remote. as he scrolled through netflix, he handed the remote back to y/n. stating he couldn’t bring himself to press play.

she laughed and found the special under new releases. she pressed play and smiled as bo his his face in her neck.

“this is worse than you came with me for my first show.”

about an hour of laughs, tears and even at one point pausing the special to talk about something. the credits started. she smiled as she heard bo’s ‘socko’ voice singing. she was about to turn it off before something popped up on screen.

‘for y/n, for everything.’

she smiled as she looked over at bo. he didn’t make eye contact as he hid his face from her.

“oh my god, you love me!” she joked.

he rolled his eyes as he combed back his hair with his fingers. he looked over at her and leaned to press a kiss to her lips.

“yeah, yeah. don’t let it get to your head.”

“that was amazing, bo. truly something spectacular, incredible, beautiful, adjectives!”

he laughed at her and stood up. he grabbed the remote and turned the tv off. he pulled her up and over his shoulder. she laughed as he walked to their bedroom and tossed her on the bed.

he climbed in after her, bruce joining the couple. he held her close as they laid in a comfortable silence.

“love you y/n. thanks for putting up with my shit.”

[floraljae]

THE ART OF LOVING A VILLAIN | One

Pairing: Lee Taeyong x female reader

Themes: Hero x Villain dynamics, enemies to lovers, Hero!Taeyong, Villain! Reader, secret relationship, angst, fluff, Top tier (shitty) anime betrayals you people are going to beat me up for

Warnings: profanity, the villain is dumb, mention if a minor injury, blowing things up for funsies

Wc: 1.1k

Taglist : @jenophilia @sassyong @tenhyuckie @moanwalk @sicluvz @yutaalove @bluejaem @fullsunfluff @a10vely-yutazen @hhyungsuk @mirohtron @cupidtaes @adoreateez @at-the-end-of-your-letter @junglewoos @heephoriia @cofhees

Networks: @/ficscafe @neoturtles @kpopscape @whipped-kpop-creators @nct-writers @czennienet @kokonomi

Summary: Yet another forbidden rendezvous and you are try to figure out what you exactly feel about your lifelong nemesis.

Alternatively, illustrated band-aids from Taeyong make you feel questionable things.

A/N: I just hate how I love and hate this fic so much. @mirohtron is to blame, the reason I am stuck in my eternal hero x villain feels. I love writing this more than anything. It's quite personal as it reflects a lot of things I personally felt about the world around me haha.

This entire series is dedicated to @lebrookestore, a simp I l*ve with all my heart (even after what she does to me with all her fics ;-;)

The breath you were holding in for what seemed like ages escaped your lips. It was long, exhausted- a little frustrated, even. You hated waiting. And if it were the roof of just one of the thousands of skyscrapers in Seoul, the annoyance was definitely a little more. Waiting alone in those uneventful places was nothing but a mere waste of your time. There was nothing small enough to ruin or blowup for funsies, and you weren't heartless enough to blow up a whole building just out of sheer boredom.

It had been a tiresome day already. You'd attended classes, fed some cats on the way back to your lair and put up yet another power show to let people know they still had something to be afraid of. The air was unnervingly humid today, and your suit had stuck to your torso as if it were a drowning person who didn't know how to swim- holding onto a log of wood for dear life. Weird comparison (or metaphor, you couldn’t be arsed to even get it right), but you weren't the most poetic person.

You wondered how Taeyong would describe it. Sticky? Ew? You didn't know. He was one unpredictable being, well at least when he wasn't in his superhero suit (figuratively, he was just dumb and tended to miss a lot of shots when he puts on the crimson and black piece of clothing). Maybe he would just come up with a random word and try to make you believe it was real. He couldn't possibly lose to a villain! And especially not after what you did today. You could bet that the first thing he was going to do was sulk about you almost burning his perfect eyebrows to ashes during today's face-off.

You loved to see your enemy getting all riled up more than you'd admit. Maybe it was the villain inside you speaking. But his desperate attempts at winning an argument or the pout when he complained about causing the least damage to you were just too serotonin inducing.

When did he become such a big part of my life- you smile to yourself.

Truth to be told, he always had been one of the biggest parts of it. Whether you wanted to admit it or not.

"I'm sorry," a voice trails off right behind you, breathless, "I got-"

"Stuck in a bad traffic," you complete his sentence, your tone mocking and eyes trained on the night sky. The statement was his go-to excuse for when he’d show up late- which was almost every other day.

"Too busy trying to pick out a nice bandaid for you."

He corrects, leaning against the railing. You almost scoff at how cocky the hero sounded. You were supposed to be the cocky one here.

"Whatever."

And with that, for what seemed like an entire eternity, the both of you spent the time together in silence. He didn’t dare to mouth a single word- and neither did you. There was no malice behind what any of you wanted to say; but you didn’t even know what was holding you both back. It was becoming a habit, to be honest. Well, not in general because you still were very vocal about your own opinions everywhere else-- but not in the (almost regular) meetings with your arch nemesis.

Ironic how the both of you had so much to say when the cameras were flashing and the world he tried to protect watched. So many curses, insults, edgy slash extremely cocky remarks and frustrated warnings. But at times such as right now, your mind felt like a blank slate that had never been touched. It was comfortable though, no malice, no screaming- just comfort and some sort of warmth you hadn’t felt in ages.

Well, you were always the kind of person who thought, thinking before speaking was highly overrated (that too, was a product of capitalism in your opinion). And thus, you figured staying quiet at the forbidden rendezvous with your arch nemesis would be the best thing. He was a servant of the so-called good, after all. Righteous, sophisticated, well known and way too fragile for your own good.

“Everything’s okay,” you hear him break the silence.

“Huh?”

The hero smiles, spinning around on his heels to point at your surroundings.

“Intact, not a scratch!”

And as if the small toothy grin he’d been sporting was infectious, you felt a sudden urge to break into one as well. Anyone would mistake him for just another college student if they saw him like this, in a pair of washed denim and a shirt that he must've been wearing for the past ten days. More so, it would've been terribly difficult to believe that the otherwise calm and composed public charmer Onyxate talked like a kindergartener, always fumbling or just too excited to even properly finish his sentences at times.

“What is that supposed to mean, mr. onyxate?” you ask, biting back a smile.

Disappointed, the hero clicks his tongue. He grabs hold of your wrist, spinning your frame around as well. The brunet scans the surroundings again, “You actually didn’t blow out a single thing! That is some progress, I say.”

You scoff at his remark, “I am not that heartless, mr. hero.” But deep inside, you did know it was some kind of a progress, and of course, you wouldn't tell him that.

He chuckles, but doesn’t remind you of the time you did, as a matter of fact, had blown up a nearby water tank while waiting. He was like that, Taeyong loved believing in a better present- rather than an awful past.

The comfortable arms of silence yet again engulfs you into a warm hug. Taeyong silently studies the cuts on your hand, his slender fingers carefully caressing them. You almost let out a sound of sheer amusement as he finally takes out a few strips of band-aids he took so long to buy, the infamous printed medigrip ones for kids (that too the ones with spongebob on them), rips the adhesive, and focuses on nursing the now dry cuts.

You then look up to catch a glimpse of Taeyong’s face, just to find the moonlight washing his features in all its grace. Faint neon lights from the buildings surrounding blending with the moonlight to create hues across his profiles.You stop to admire his countenance and insides alike, thinking how someone could be so kind even to their enemy.

He was so pure, so charming. He had those beautiful brown eyes. The ones that were like a mirror which knew nothing but to reflect his innermost emotions, the ones that knew to see the best in everyone- including you, a villain who had spent more than half of her life cursing all things good. His trained hands were still gentle and soft unlike any other hero you had ever known. Tears well up in your eyes. And for once what seemed like a lifetime- you decided to let yourself get overcome with emotions.

He was the kind of person anyone, including you, couldn’t help but fall for, the kind of person you’d want to hold close to yourself, no matter what.

And it was at that moment that you realised that it wasn’t hate that you felt towards him, but admiration.

© FLORALJAE, 2021

[thexanwillshine]

a;lskfjdk

Author: thexanwillshine (twitter, ao3) Pairings: Levi x Hange Cross-Postings: AO3 Notes: made for Day 2: Confessions of Levihan Week 2021

“But Levi,” Hange whines as she slumps her head on the back of her sofa and closes her eyes. “Kissing scenes are so tricky to write.”

Perhaps it’s the fact that it’s almost 5:30 in the morning. It could also be because he's tired from lack of sleep. Whatever the case, Levi Ackerman’s filter completely disappears when he asks, “Do you need a demonstration?”

Levi Ackerman can argue that every writer he’s met is always a little bit more eccentric than the average person, but no one proves his theory more than Hange Zoë.

Hange wakes him up in the middle of the night, voice screeching on the phone in her excitement. He responds groggily—as one does when their sleep is disturbed at an ungodly hour by an overly-excited author who acts as if they’ve just found out the answers to the universe—and tries to keep himself sober enough to understand what in the goddamn fuck Hange was talking about this time.

“Levaaiiii,” she says, drawling out his name in a manner that was both annoying and endearing, “I’ve figured it out!”

He can almost imagine the look on her face: starry-eyed in her joy, mouth stretched wide into a grin, fingers shaking as she bounces in glee, shifting her weight from the heels of her feet to the tips of her toes . . .

And Levi exhales in both relief and the tiniest hint of delight, because this is exactly how he wants Hange to be: happy .

Nevertheless, he replies “Figured what out?” snarkily.

Hange’s response comes out quickly, as if she needed to say everything that had to be said in the span of five seconds or less. “So you know how I’ve been trying to write a fiction novel because I wanted to get out of my comfort zone?”

Levi hums in acknowledgement as he fixes the covers over his legs before turning on his bedside lamp. He leans back on the bed frame and closes his eyes to listen to her ramble.

“So I was thinking, I wanted to write a romance novel, because you know how people fall in love and stuff?”

“No Hange, I’ve never heard of that concept in my entire life,” Levi says in a deadpan voice.

Hange laughs, because of course she would know that’s his pathetic attempt at lighthearted conversation. Levi is glad that she knows him better than most people, and it is this sense of familiarity that made him feel particularly comfortable when graced with her presence.

“Just because you’ve never fallen in love before doesn’t mean it’s not real, Levi!” Hange tells him in jest.

Wrong, Levi thinks.

“After all, you’ve probably never wanted to kiss someone your entire life!”

Wrong, Levi thinks.

“Sure, Hange.”

He rolls his eyes at her teasing, because yes, Levi has fallen in love—and maybe, just maybe, he’s still on the road to understanding what it meant to treasure someone far more than just a regular friend.

He shakes off such thoughts before maneuvering Hange back to the initial reason why she had called. “So, what did you want to tell me?”

“I finished,” she proclaims on the phone, her voice proud, “I finished writing the first ten chapters.”

Levi blinks in confusion before sitting straight up, the information processing in his mind that was still a bit drunk with sleep. “You what?” “I couldn’t stop writing,” Hange told him sheepishly, detecting the slightest hint of concern in her editor’s voice, “I’ve been writing for the past 24 or so hours. Maybe more.”

Levi grunts in annoyance, pulling the covers away from his body and jumping out of his unmade bed. He runs a hand through his dark locks, sighing. “Four-eyes, you need to get some sleep.”

“But Levi,” Hange says in protest, “I need you to read my draft. There are some parts I just don’t think are super natural.”

“And I was sleeping like a regular human being,” Levi retorted as he shrugged off his shorts. After that, he put on jeans that he had recently washed before patting down the shirt he was wearing in a pathetic attempt to get rid of the wrinkles that had accumulated while he tossed and turned in bed.

“Oh my gosh, Levi, I didn’t realize the time!” Hange replies, and he can almost feel her guilt starting to set in. “You should go back to sleep,” she immediately adds. “Take care of yourself!”

Levi slips on his rubber shoes and grabs his umbrella before answering. “Coming from you? Not that credible.”

Hange laughs light-heartedly, and his heart flutters just a tiny bit. Levi pushes the feeling away almost as quickly as it had come.

“Have you eaten?” he asks, almost dreading the reply.

There was none.

“Hange,” he calls, but there’s still no response. “Hange. Answer me,” he says firmly, prodding her on. “Have you eaten?”

The laughter that comes out from the other end is nervous. “Woops.”

Levi sighs. He opens his car door and slips inside smoothly, grabbing his keys from his pocket and starting the engine. “Hange, you’re supposed to eat.”

“Sorry,” she tells him honestly. “I really didn’t want to ruin my momentum. I can’t believe I forgot.” She mumbles her second sentence, sounding almost deep in thought. “I’ll go find food now! Want me to email you the working draft? You can look at it in the morning when you wake up.”

“No need,” Levi tells her, placing his phone on his dashboard and accelerating his car. “I’m on the way.”

“Levi!” Hange exclaimed excitedly as she heard her doorbell ring at around four in the morning.

She rushes to the door in delight, opening it to reveal Levi standing in front of her, a paper bag in his hand and a jacket half-heartedly slung over his shoulder.

“Hi,” he greets calmly, before walking inside and letting himself in.

Inwardly, Hange thanks whatever god is out there for her foresight. Her unit was relatively clean since she hadn’t really done anything since Levi’s last visit. The place seemed to pass Levi’s health protocols, since he sat on her couch and placed the paper bag on the table right across from him.

“Eat,” he tells her, crossing his arms over his chest.

Hange grins, before plopping down beside him and opening the paper bag. “What did you get me?”

“You’ll see.”

She raises an eyebrow at his ambiguity, before taking a glimpse inside the paper bag.

The smell of quesadillas immediately fills the room, and Hange lets out a soft squeal, taking out the food from the bag quickly.

“Oh my gosh,” Hange says as she nudges him on the shoulder. “You also got me onion rings! You know me too well, Levi.”

“Unfortunately,” Levi responds sarcastically, and Hange laughs almost automatically.

As Hange hums in glee, picking apart the paper wrapped around the food items, Levi maintains his silence. They stay like that as Hange eats. Every so often, she would comment about how the amount of cheese was perfect and how the onion rings just about melted in her mouth. Levi alternates between watching her eat and scrolls through his phone placidly.

Soon, he chooses to break the silence. “So where’s your draft?”

Hange is munching on her last piece of quesadilla when she glances in his direction. “Oh, it’s on my laptop! I can’t believe I forgot to tell you, this food was just so good.”

Levi stands up and heads on over to Hange’s room, gently pushing the door open and scanning the area for her laptop. On top of her unmade bed was a half open Macbook Pro, which he gently took before returning to his seat beside Hange.

Without hesitation, Levi opens the laptop and inputs the password. For some reason, Hange made it his birthday—1225—because she claimed that no one would guess such a random date. He is greeted with a blaring Google Docs document entitled “a;lskfjdk.”

“Nice title you got there,” he comments, and Hange chuckles.

“I didn’t want to think of a title yet, okay!” Hange pouts, and Levi nudges her foot gently in an attempt to comfort her from his own teasing.

He scans the document first before reading it. Hange is a good writer, but fiction is an entirely new genre for her. Immediately, he notices common habits from writing research papers leak into her new work: overexplaining, using words that are too formal for her target audience, sentences a little bit void from emotion.

He takes note of these comments on her notes app before going over her draft again, this time more meticulously than he had done previously. During this time, Hange finishes eating, wraps her trash and tosses them all inside the paper bag before standing up and dumping the entire thing inside her garbage bin.

“Levi,” she calls as she washes her hands through the sink faucet. Levi gives her the smallest hint that he’s listening by raising his eyebrow, but he doesn’t take his gaze away from her laptop. “I’m going to take a shower,” she announces, and he waves his hand dismissively.

Hange smiles to herself. Levi is always nagging her whenever she would accidentally hyperfixate on her writing, but he acts the same way when reading her works.

When Hange stepped inside the shower, Levi was already conducting a deep dive in her third chapter. The gears in his head slowly begin to turn as he begins to analyze her work.

The story revolved around the tales of the people who went to the clinic. The first chapter was a brief introduction on who the main characters were: There’s Janelle, a bright-eyed psychologist whose passion influenced the people around her. Together with El and Bea, her trusted assistants studying under her guidance, they would aid the people who went to the Hopiatria Clinic seeking care.

Meanwhile, the second chapter featured a child who felt as if she was being blamed for the death of her mother by her father. Her mother had died in a plane crash shortly after the young girl wished that her mom could go home on her sixth birthday. Janelle talks to the child gently while El and Bea provide emotional support, offering the child toys and biscuits whenever the need arises.

The third chapter was trickier, and it was there that Levi noticed a twist in Hange’s writing. The story revolved around a boy busy getting her doctorate, and a young girl who had been in love with him ever since they were in college. It’s the young girl who comes to Janelle’s office, and she relays the tale of her unrequited childhood romance to the psychologist.

The young girl is passionate, and wanted to take a step forward in order to guide her towards falling out of love with her best friend. Janelle presents two suggestions: (1) confession, while being fully-open to the possibility of rejection, and (2) accepting rejection without confession. The young girl decides to go with the first option, but to her surprise, the boy returns her feelings.

Everything seemed well-written up until the end of the chapter, where Hange had written,

And then they kissed.

Levi scrolled down the page, tilting his head to the side in slight confusion. That’s it? He thought, trying to find the rest.

Everything had been so well-described; from the girl’s internal turmoil—caused by her fear of destroying their friendship and the pain that came with unrequited love—to the boy confessing his own emotions for her.

The ending was anticlimactic, to say the least.

As he blinked at the google document in confusion, already typing out his comment on her notes app, Hange emerged from the bathroom. Her hair was loose on her shoulders, wet from her shower. Wrapped around her waist is his bathrobe, which she had borrowed from him long ago and never bothered to return it.

Levi scoffs as he glances in her direction. Here she was, parading with the cloth on and rubbing that specific fact in his face.

“Hey,” Hange greeted, smiling as she ran a hand through her brown locks, “How’s the reading going?”

“It was okay until the third chapter,” Levi says honestly, pointing the laptop screen in her direction. “The ending’s anticlimactic.”

Hange hummed, pursing her lips together. “Yeah. I didn’t really know how to end it,” she tells him as she opens her cabinet and grabs a few pieces of clothing. “Give me a bit, I’m going to change.”

She disappears into her room and Levi focuses on her story, trying to think of a way to spur Hange on and perhaps actively improve the ending’s writing.

Hange emerges in a loose t-shirt (which was, once again, his) and shorts. She sits down right beside him, leaning over his shoulder to glance at her laptop and read the specific line that particularly irked Levi.

“It’s that one, right?” Hange asks, pointing at the last sentence. “And then they kissed.”

“Yeah,” Levi responds, shaking his head. “Everything was so well-written up ‘till that point. You were able to describe the emotions perfectly, and the narration’s not that bad . . save for a few paragraphs that maybe should’ve stayed in your research papers.”

Hange chuckles. “Old habits die hard,” she responds, before taking her Macbook from his lap and transferring it to hers. “So what should I write?”

Levi shrugs. “I’m just your editor. You’re the writer.”

Hange pouts. “Yeah, but I don’t know how to make this better.”

“Maybe describe the scene more,” Levi suggests. “Everything ended so abruptly. Every emotion you’ve created and built disappeared in that one line.”

She nods in agreement. “But Levi,” Hange whines as she slumps her head on the back of her sofa and closes her eyes. “Kissing scenes are so tricky to write.”

Perhaps it’s the fact that it’s almost 5:30 in the morning. It could also be because he's tired from lack of sleep. Whatever the case, Levi Ackerman’s filter completely disappears when he asks, “Do you need a demonstration?”

Hange’s eyes shoot open immediately, and Levi’s face turns red just as quickly.

“F-Forget it,” he says, interrupting her just when he saw Hange open her mouth to speak. Any semblance of calm in his body disappears immediately, and his heart starts pounding against his chest in a rhythm that reminds him too much of a beating drum.

Hange, however, looks elated.

“You want to kiss me?” she tells him in excitement, blinking at him. “I’d like that. It could help me write this scene, you know.”

Levi looks away. “It was just a spur of the moment question.”

“So, you’re not going to kiss me?”

He actively avoids her gaze because he can already see from his peripheral vision that she looks sad, disappointed even. He grunts in response, closing his eyes and focusing his attention on a random spot on the wall.

“Oh,” Hange replies, “Well, I thought it was a good idea.”

Contrary to popular belief, Levi does want to kiss Hange. More than anything.

There were many reasons why: Because she looks so handsome and beautiful at the same time, and her very smile could light up any room she’d walk into. Because she says his name in the most endearing way. Because she understands his flaws. Because she has one of the kindest hearts he’s ever seen. Because she welcomes him with open arms, not a single thread of hesitation in her mind.

Most of all, it was simply because she was Hange.

He steals a glance in her direction, and she’s slightly fiddling with the hem of his shirt, her head downcast. Her sad expression tugs at hi

Levi thinks he’s already in this too deep, so he decides to speak.

“Did you want me to kiss you?”

From his periphery, he sees her look up at him so quickly he thought her neck would break. “What would you do if I said yes?”

He doesn’t dare turn his head in her direction when he replies quietly, “What do you think?”

“Would you kiss me?” Hange asks inquisitively, tilting her head to the side.

Levi’s heart skips a beat.

“Maybe,” he says in a voice barely above a whisper. “If you’d let me.”

Hange is silent for a moment, and Levi thinks this is it, I’m going to be rejected, but he feels a gentle finger touch his chin and turn his head in Hange’s direction.

He is met with her brown orbs, shining just a bit in what seemed like hidden glee. He cocks an eyebrow at her then, confused.

“I’m letting you,” Hange says, laughing. “Kiss me, I mean.” Her face is already slowly nearing his, and he can almost see the way her thick lashes brushed against her skin.

Slowly, Levi raises his head just a tiny bit and responds against her lips, “Okay.”

Hange smiles and closes the distance between them, wrapping her arms around his neck as he does the same around her waist. She tastes like the peppermint of her toothpaste, smells like his shampoo (which he had kept in her apartment since he always found himself staying over), and felt warm as her skin made contact with his. Hange's lips are gentle, slow, and a little shy—so different from how she usually is. Levi knows it’s because she doesn’t want to scare him off, so he makes the first move and nips at her lower lip, taking it between his teeth and sucking it gently.

She lets out a moan, and Levi takes this as a sign to continue. He slides his hand over her back, and she shudders and deepens the kiss at the same time. Her tongue meets his, and they battle for dominance. Hange’s hand sweeps over his undercut and pushes him towards him, and it is then that he lets out a sound that vaguely resembles pleasure.

After a few minutes, Hange whispers “Levi,” as her lips make contact with his. He hums in response, pulling his lips away from her and connecting his forehead with hers.

“Hange,” he says, breathless.

“Is this you telling me you like me?” Hange asks, closing her eyes.

He doesn’t form a reply through words, but he nods and closes his eyes as well.

“Great,” Hange tells him, pecking his lips with her own. “Because I like you too. Ever since I met you, I’ve liked you. Even though you were so rude to me on the first day of college.”

He chuckles silently in relief, pulling her closer to him before placing his chin on her shoulder. “Think you’ll be able to write the ending now that you know what a kiss feels like?”

Hange laughs, and it vibrates against his shoulder as she hugs him tighter. “It’s exhilarating. I probably wouldn’t be able to put into words how good I feel that you like me back.”

“Try,” Levi teases.

“Well . . . you know that alternative title I wrote for the fictional novel?”

Levi’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “The keyboard smash?”

Hange nods. “Yeah. That’s exactly what I feel like right now.”

a;lskfjdk.

[cheri-translates]

[CN] S2 Gavin - The Stories Project

🍒 Warning: Detailed spoilers for content not yet released in EN!🍒

Trigger warning: Mentions of suicide

Features S2 Gavin but contains no spoilers regarding the S2 storyline

This is a continuation of The Broadcast Countdown Project. Do read that first!

[ This was released on 25 August 2021 ]

[ Chapter One ]

Gavin and I are standing outside Door 501 of the 7th block in Pavilion Village.

This is also the home of Zhang Nian, the kidnapper who handed me an anonymous letter in the TV station before eventually committing suicide.

A thorough investigation of the case involving the anonymous kidnapper and his suicide has ended. The STF has also removed the cordoning around the scene.

I liaised with the TV station, planning to showcase the incident from start to end in a special episode of the show which will be aired in the last episode of “Inquiries”.

Gavin: This used to be a crime scene. If you’re afraid, wait for me here. If you need any materials, I can head inside and find them for you.

MC: It’s okay, I don’t avoid such things... Also, I have a feeling that there’s definitely something behind this case worth seeing in person.

The husband and wife who were kidnapped had related the details to me, and mentioned that even though Zhang Nian had kidnapped them, they weren’t treated harshly at all.

It’s just that Zhang Nian was deaf and couldn't speak. He could only communicate with them with hems and haws, which ended up frightening them.

In hindsight, they realised that Zhang Nian never harboured malicious intentions towards them.

MC: What was Zhang Nian’s goal and what did he want to tell us? The answers to these riddles... they might be hidden here.

Gavin pushes the door open, and we step into Zhang Nian’s house.

Gavin: This place was sealed off since the incident, which is why the arrangement of furniture we’re looking at is the same as when he was still alive.

In contrast to the dim and cold space I had imagined, the living room is well lit.

The cream coloured wood flooring, a white cloth sofa, a simple wall painting of the ocean... all of these elements set off one another in the indolent afternoon sunlight, displaying a warm atmosphere. 

MC: This place gives me such a strange feeling... the person who lived here must have really loved life...

Gavin: His fiancée decorated this place.

Gavin taps on a magnet on the refrigerator. Tiny colourful slips of paper are stuck underneath zebra, bunny, and elephant magnets. 

“Special discount for wax gourds on Tuesday, special discount for pork ribs on Thursday.” - It’s as though the weekly booklet of discounts from the supermarket had been copied down.

“Invitation cards, wedding dress, decide on the hotel.” - The ring which had rolled onto the zebra crossing in the news immediately flashes across my mind.

Aside from that, they have simple recipes on them.

MC: What a pity. If that incident didn’t happen, they would have had a perfect life here.

Gavin: All the furnishings and decor came to a halt when the incident happened to Xu Wen. He did everything he could to retain traces of her existence. As for his own life...

Gavin opens the refrigerator, showing me that it’s more or less empty aside from condiments which had been used a few times. 

White cold mist hover in the empty space, out of sync with the warm tones in the living room.

Gavin: This too.

He opens a wall cabinet to reveal a few boxes of ordinary flavoured cup noodles. The incandescent light in the cabinet is chilly, shining on plastic film surrounding the cup noodles.

Imagining the taste of cup noodles submerged in MSG, I once again turn towards the recipes stuck on the refrigerator.

Gavin shuts the cabinet, then points at the bedroom.

Gavin: MC, I want to show you something.

-

[ Chapter Two ]

Gavin: During the investigation, we found these.

Gavin guides me to the bookcase, then pulls open a drawer at the bottom.

MC: A disability ID, marriage certificate, graduation certificate, guarantee card for a hearing aid and a bank book...

Gavin: We checked his background. He grew up in an orphanage. 

Gavin: Back then, the orphanage didn’t have adequate facilities, and didn’t have teachers or special medical setups for guiding people with hearing issues. He was always reclusive in the orphanage, and didn't have friends. 

Gavin: When he was ten years old, people from the orphanage and community sent him to school.

While saying this, Gavin retrieves a pile of books from the drawer and shows them to me - they are all sketchbooks, and the pages have long since turned yellow. It’s evident that they were here for a very long time.

MC: He can draw?

Gavin: In these books, there are some sketches of streets and still life. Some are comics modelled after existing works. Although I don’t know much about art, I think he could draw pretty well.

While flipping through the pages, I find myself affected by the exquisite details conveyed in these drawings.

Perhaps because he didn’t go through systematic training, he wasn’t limited to one style in the way he expressed his art.

A distinct and unique style leaving a deep impression seems to break through the sheets of paper, revealing the emotions the artist had hidden in his heart.

MC: ...he must have been a really talented artist. 

Gavin points at the wall - there’s a sketch hanging on it. It takes up almost half of the wall, and it’s mounted in a white frame.

MC: The person in the drawing is Xu Wen.

MC: ...it’s drawn really well.

Gavin releases a “mm”, and is unable to hold back a sigh.

Gavin: Extraordinarily well.

It doesn’t matter if it resembles the actual person. It doesn’t matter if it was meticulous or not. 

The person in the drawing has her eyes curved upwards with a smile on her face, and she looks like any other young girl you can find in a crowd.

But the limitless gentleness and happiness contained in her eyes - that’s a unique feature belonging only to one person.

Gavin: They seemed to be schoolmates. I read through Xu Wen’s background - she graduated from the same school for deaf students. But there weren't any questionable points in this case, which is why we didn’t probe further. If you want to know the specifics, we'd have to investigate again.

My heart hovers in the air, wanting to figure out everything about this matter.

But from the STF’s perspective, this case is already closed...

Gavin gives me an affirmative gaze.

Gavin: I know what you're going to say. I want to continue listening to this story too. He wasn’t able to speak, but he left behind a voice that he hoped for others to hear.

After a pause, he turns his head, once again glancing at the drawing hanging on the wall.

Gavin: I can feel such emotions.

Gavin says this softly, and the light in his eyes grow deeper.

Floating dust in the surroundings gather on Xu Wen's portrait. We stand in this warm and tranquil space, as though we can sense their story surging forth without a sound.

-

[ Chapter Three ]

After this, Gavin and I gather information about Zhang Nian and Xu Wen from various sources.

A few days alter, we arrange to meet at a cafe to exchange materials collected from our individual investigations.

MC: I found the teacher from the school for deaf students. He said that when Zhang Nian first arrived at the school, he didn’t even know how to use sign language. He was gloomy and blue. 

MC: Only Xu Wen knew how to converse with him, and would teach him sign language after school. 

MC: After learning of his interest in drawing, she used her pocket money to buy him colouring pencils and drawing paper in secret without her parents’ knowledge. 

MC: They had a pretty happy time in school. Zhang Nian even organised a small exhibition in school, and many teachers and students supported it. 

MC: But after graduation, his days became a little more difficult.

He didn’t have a place to stay, and he couldn’t find work. While Xu Wen could rely on her parents for financial assistance, he could only rely on himself. 

MC: During this time, Xu Wen seemed to have been using her parents’ money to buy him stationery for drawing, and even accompanied him to set up a stall for his paintings...

MC: But they couldn’t earn money at all.

Gavin opens a few files in front of me.

Gavin: Afterwards, he found a job in a finance company. He went around conducting financial transactions for people, and earned commissions based on the number of successful transactions.

Gavin: Not long after, this company was reported for illegal fund-raising. Both he and his boss were jailed for three years.

I recall seeing his ID from before - a crew cut and a white shirt along with a black suit which looked tidy and fitting.

Turns out he wasn’t working at a bank...

Gavin: Even during his time in jail, Xu Wen never gave up on him. She’d visit him every weekend and converse with him via sign language from across the glass.

Gavin: Of course, Zhang Nian behaved very well in jail, and gave his own drawings to many prison guards. After he was out of jail, he found a stable job.

Separated by the scorching 3pm afternoon sunlight, the gaze Gavin gives me is deep with a tranquil light.

Gavin: Do you know why he planned this kidnapping and handed you the video clip anonymously?

I shake my head. This has been my biggest question.

Gavin takes out a few photographs from the file.

Gavin: Before the case was closed, these documents couldn’t be disclosed to the public, which is why I didn’t tell you at the time.

I scrutinise one of the photographs - an A3-sized sheet of paper is stuck on a door, with a few lines written on it.

From the format of the digits, they appear to be bank account numbers.

Gavin: He was behind this door.

MC: Then these bank account numbers...

Gavin: We checked them.

He points at the first line of digits, then speaks calmly.

Gavin: The first account is for an animal treatment centre. It treats stray cats and dogs which meet with accidents. 

Gavin: This one is for a 10 year old girl with hearing issues. She lives with a granny who sells fruits, and is currently saving money for surgery.

Gavin: The both of them had a habit of sending money to these accounts.

Gavin: Even though Zhang Nian continued sending money to them after Xu Wen passed away, he could only maintain his own livelihood with his income.

MC: What you’re saying is, if the video camera could capture this... and document them properly so that more people would know about them...

Perhaps he could help these people. Even if it was for the last time.

MC: ...but that was such a complex method. There was no need to do a good deed in such a roundabout manner, and even kidnap people to reach that goal.

Gavin silently picks up one of the photos from the table - it’s a note that Zhang Nian wrote before he committed suicide. A short message is written on it - It’s Wen Wen’s birthday today.

Gavin: Aside from that, he more or less did think of seeking revenge.

Gavin’s finger remains on the photograph.

Gavin: In Zhang Nian’s life, Xu Wen was the only one who gave him warmth. She was his lover. 

Gavin: After losing such a person, it isn’t difficult to guess what kind of an attitude he had when facing this world, and facing the people who caused such an ending.

Gavin: When people are in pain, their hatred will involuntarily become amplified.

Gavin: From this perspective, at least he didn't take things even further.

Gavin’s voice is dull, as though he’s mulling over something, or affected by their misfortune.

I can’t help but reach across the table, gently bumping the tip of his finger with mine. 

Silence permeates the air. He curls his finger slightly, hooking it around mine.

-

[ Chapter Four ]

The files, photographs, and a few scattered pages of a notebook are spread on the table randomly, as though illustrating their entire story in front of me.

The car accident was a tragedy, but it wasn’t the only tragedy. I find myself hesitating to speak. When I open my mouth, I sigh.

MC: Xu Wen was such a good person. She tugged onto him from beginning to end, and never gave up on him for a single moment. She actually managed to pull him out of the abyss.

Even though she couldn’t hear nor speak, she used her gentle gaze to heal the person she loved.

Gavin tidies the items on the table one by one, storing them properly.

His composed voice is mixed with ruefulness. He seems to be slightly moved, but has more or less come to terms with his emotions.

Gavin: From the perspective of an observer, there were many dismal and extreme traits in Zhang Nian’s personality. This is a point that can’t be denied.

Gavin: However, he was abandoned from the moment he was born. The path he walked on all these years, and the world that he saw - those are things we’d find difficult to relate with.

Gavin: Perhaps from the time he knew about the world, he realised that living was already something requiring courage.

Probably seeing such stories again and again when handling various cases, Gavin’s attitude is objective and calm.

Gavin: No matter what attitude he had when he made this decision, he shouldn’t have done so.

In contrast to the practised manner in which Gavin handles his emotions, I remain immersed in the regretful ending experienced by the two.

MC: Aside from her, he had nothing else.

The furniture, the recipes underneath the magnets, and the drawing hung on the wall... these images flash past me one by one.

MC: If I were the one who experienced this, and the only important person in my life was gone, I’d lose my connection with this world. Perhaps death would be a form of liberation.

Before I can finish speaking, Gavin raises his voice, cutting off my impending sigh.

Gavin: It wouldn’t.

He looks at me resolutely and decisively.

Gavin: No matter when, death will never be a form of liberation. Pain can always be treated. 

Gavin: Whether it’s because someone important is no longer around, or if you were to lose contact with someone, it’s inevitable to carry some pain.

Gavin: Perhaps time is needed, and perhaps meeting a certain someone is needed, to gradually put an end to such pain, and to use various methods to put an end to such pain.

Gavin: But things will always get better.

Gavin seals the brown paper bag which is filled with materials related to Zhang Nian and Xu Wen, then places it at the corner of the table which has been warmed by the sun.

I watch as his palm presses against the paper bag, a moment of hesitation surging past his slightly lowered gaze. Almost at the same time, he looks up at me -

There’s only certainty in his eyes.

Gavin: No matter when, never give up on yourself. Xu Wen was constantly pulling him out of the abyss. He shouldn’t have given up like that.

-

[ Chapter Five ]

By the time Gavin and I walk out of the cafe, much of the sun’s heat has dispersed. Wind blows over from the river, and it’s refreshing and soothing.

Countless little flowers with names I’m unaware of bloom among the grass along the street, swaying in the evening breeze of midsummer.

MC: The weather is really nice today.

After sitting down for an entire afternoon, I can’t help but stretch, relaxing my shoulders and back.

Before I can take a few steps, I suddenly remember the moment I met Zhang Nian face-to-face, causing me to halt in my footsteps. He had walked towards me in a timid manner, a sincere and apologetic expression on his face.

He had handed me a letter, its edges creased from being pinched. Then, he turned away hurriedly before running away.

Too much time has passed. Even his Evol has lost its effectiveness.

Gavin senses that something is off about me, and draws a few steps closer. I wave my hand at him, signalling that I’m fine.

Having second thoughts, I can’t help but sigh with emotion.

MC: If only Zhang Nian was willing to contact me earlier and tell me about what exactly happened...

MC: If only I could tell him how nice today’s weather is. I wonder if he’d have made such a decision.

Gavin responds decisively from beside me.

Gavin: He wouldn’t. 

Gavin: If someone told him that the weather would be nice today, he’d have definitely held on for a while longer.

Gavin: But he couldn’t always wait for someone to pull him along and bring him out of the abyss. He had to muster his courage and walk out by himself.

I nod quietly, gripping the notebook in my hand. 

MC: Gavin, aside from the original plan for this episode, I think I’d need to add some new content...

Gavin halts in his footsteps, immediately reading the thoughts in my heart.

Gavin: Are you thinking about how there are many people in the world like Zhang Nian?

MC: Mm.

There are definitely some people who are shouldering pain alone, and are hesitating at the crossroads of life and death.

MC: Although this tragedy can no longer be salvaged, we could prevent even more tragedies from occurring.

I turn towards the direction of the river, looking afar at the boundless sky.

MC: I want to tell them about the beautiful scenery all around the world, and the beauty of the four seasons.

MC: Tell them about the colours of sunset, the sounds of the ocean...

MC: And tell them that as long as they’re willing to wait for a while longer, there are still people on earth who will love them.

MC: I want their eyes to be able to see the world that I see. I want them to believe that this world is always worth it.

Realising how overly idealistic and visionary my words are, I give Gavin a smile.

MC: ...I might have sounded too exaggerated.

Gavin: Nope. It will be a very meaningful show.

He suddenly reaches out, combing my hair which has been blown messy by the wind. His fingers linger on the ends of my hair for a long time.

The corners of his lips curl upwards slightly, and he brings me into his arms.

Gavin: Thank you.

Gavin: This world is always worth it.

His voice is far too soft. For a moment, I wonder if I misheard.

MC: What did you say? I couldn’t hear you clearly.

Gavin chuckles, then raises his volume.

Gavin: Since the weather’s pretty good, want to go for a drive?

MC: Did you drive here today?

Gavin: Mm. It’s rare to have such nice weather, so I took the car out for a drive.

MC: Wow~ That is rare. It’s been such a long time since I sat in Captain Gavin’s car.

Gavin takes my hand, striding with large steps as he leads me forward.

Gavin: Let’s go. The car’s in front.

- End -

Filming for the special episode of “Inquries” came to an end. When the final episode aired, the show became a trending topic. After watching it, many members of the audience provided assistance and support for organisations targeted at disabled individuals. Although Zhang Nian and Xu Wen have already left this world, they’ve enabled people who experience difficulties in life to obtain warmth. Such warmth continues to last. I guess being able to allow more people to believe that the world is worth loving, and to do what little they can to help those in need is what it means to be a person in the media industry.

More S2 content: here

[nakachuchu]

Sourdough Bread | Nanami Kento

SYNOPSIS: You bake sourdough bread with your father figure.

READER: gender neutral

WORDS: 1056

WRITTEN: 02/05/2021

NOTES: Thank you for requesting!

You were one of Gojo’s first years, and while you enjoyed his company, he wasn’t exactly the father figure you expected.

However, Nanami was the father figure you expected. He was mature, calm, and kind to those who didn’t annoy him.

You didn’t have a father figure growing up, so it wasn’t a surprise you were so attached to Nanami.

He would have considered you another Gojo because of how attached you were to him, but you were more respectful. Plus, you were essentially a child compared to him.

He often invited you to his apartment to bake bread with him. It was a hobby you both enjoyed—eating bread, not the making of it.

Today, he invited you over to make sourdough bread. You both knew it was one of the most difficult breads to create, so you two were determined to make it as perfect as possible for your first try.

He was whisking together two-hundred-fifty grams of water, one-hundred-fifty grams of sourdough starter, and twenty-five grams of olive oil. You were waiting for it to be incorporated before adding five hundred grams of bread flour and ten grams of fine sea salt.

Nanami’s sleeves were rolled up and the two of you wore matching aprons with a panda print on them. it was a gag gift for Christmas from Panda, but you both loved it.

Nanami placed the bowl onto the countertop and squished the mixture together with his hands until the flour was fully absorbed.

“Is it supposed to look like that?” you questioned.

“Touch it.”

You poked the mixture. “It’s dry.”

“It’s supposed to feel dry and rough. We’re doing it right,” he said. “Get plastic wrap.”

You cut a piece of plastic wrap and covered the bowl. The two of you walked over to the two-sided sink and washed your hands together.

“How long do we let it rest?” you asked.

“Thirty minutes,” he answered, handing you a towel to dry your hands.

“Thank you."

To pass time, Nanami read you a novel. You would have fallen asleep if he hadn’t nudged you now and then while he was reading.

“Now we have to work it into a ball in the bowl,” he instructed.

Now your sleeves were rolled up as you worked the dough. Once it was kneaded properly, you covered the bowl again and let it rise at room temperature.

“What exactly is room temperature?” you asked.

“Well, this recipe calls for sixty-eight Fahrenheit or twenty Celsius,” he explained. “This room is around there, so it should be fine for the dough."

“When will it be ready?” you asked, peering at the dough like a child.

“When it’s doubled in size. It could take up to twelve hours.”

“Huh? That’s way too much!” you exclaimed.

He chuckled, placing his hand on top of your head. “But it could also take only three. It depends. Should we get started on dinner?”

“Okay! What are we making tonight?”

“Soba noodle salad, teriyaki salmon, and baked tonkatsu,” he answered.

Your mouth watered. “Let’s get cooking!”

The two of you cooked dinner together, occasionally checking on the dough to see if it doubled in size yet. Making a big dinner for two took almost three hours, so you two decided to eat after deciding the dough wasn’t ready.

Your legs were swinging back and forth, feet kicking as you took the first bite of the teriyaki salmon. Nanami smiled at how happy you were.

“You should have become a chef!” you exclaimed.

“Unless I was famous, I wouldn’t have made good money.”

“I guess that’s true. Oh, well, at least, I get your food all to myself,” you said.

The two of you took your time eating dinner, occasionally talking. By the time you stored the leftover food away, the dough looked ready.

To be honest, you were a bit tired from being up on your feet in the kitchen all day, but you enjoyed sending time with Nanami.

“Now what do we do?” you asked.

“Remove the dough onto a lightly floured surface, then cut it in half to make two loaves. It’ll fit in my oven easier that way.”

You nodded and did as he instructed. “Next?”

“Start at the top and fold the dough over toward the center. Turn it slightly and fold over the next section of dough. Keep going until you have a full circle."

He watched as you did what was told, occasionally guiding your hands. Once finished, he grabbed an oven-safe pot from a cupboard and lined the bottom with non-stick parchment paper before placing the dough inside.

"How long does it need to rise?" you asked.

"Half an hour," he answered as he slid the pot into the oven and closed it.

"Read to me again?" you questioned.

"You'll fall asleep."

"Please?"

Looking down at you, he couldn't help but give in and nod due to your puppy eyes. The two of you settled down on the couch. He opened the novel he was reading earlier and began reading.

Eventually, you fell asleep. He knew you were going to fall asleep. He closed his book and slashed the dough down the center to allow the steam to escape while it baked.

He placed the lid on top of the pot and reduce the oven temperature to four hundred Fahrenheit for twenty minutes. After twenty minutes, he removed the lid and continued to bake for forty more minutes.

When the bread was ready, he took it out of the oven and left it on the cooling rack for an hour.

He spent that hour debating on whether or not to wake you up. It wasn't necessarily late, but you looked so comfortable on his couch. In the end, he decided to wake you up because he knew how excited you were.

"Hmm?" You rubbed your eyes. "Is it done?"

"Yeah, come on."

He helped you get up from the couch and into the kitchen. You smacked your cheeks in an attempt to wake yourself up.

"It looks good!" you exclaimed with glittering eyes.

"It's proof of our hard work," he said. "We can eat it tomorrow. It's late."

You pouted.

"I'll drive you back to the dorm," he offered.

"Fine, but I want a big piece of the sourdough tomorrow."

He smiled. "I can do that."

[imagineteamfreewill]

A Good Kind of Not Okay

Title: A Good Kind of Not Okay

Pairing: Nanny!Reader x Director!Sam

Word Count: 4,414

Warnings: A little bit of pining

Square Filled: Director!Sam

Summary: Sam is a single dad who also happens to be one of the world’s most famous movie directors. When he struggles to care for his daughter like he wants, he hires the reader to help care for his pride and joy.

A/N: This is a submission for the 2020-2021 SPN AU Bingo (@spnaubingo​). Please let me know what you think. Enjoy!

X

_______________

Sam was running late. Again. Filming was behind schedule for the third time that week, and as the director, he had to stay until everything was finished. Of course, he was part of the reason why the filming was behind schedule. He couldn’t help it. Sam was a perfectionist, and he always had been. That’s what got him hired.

“I’m so sorry I’m late,” Sam said. He glanced down the street and then turned. “I’m on my way, I should be there in ten minutes.”

“Mr. Winchester, we’ve talked about this.”

“I know, I’m sorry. I’ll be there soon.” He ended the call before the center director could chew him out any further. He felt bad enough as it was, he didn’t need more reminders and warnings about being late. He really did try to keep a normal schedule, and he always made arrangements if the filming was scheduled to go late into the night or early in the morning, but there were some things that were out of his control.

The roads were blessedly empty and Sam pulled into the parking lot in just over five minutes. He wasn’t normally one to speed, especially if Elsie was in the car with him, but it was times like these when he was thankful for the extra horsepower. The Charger was the last big thing he’d bought for himself before his daughter was born and he rarely took advantage of its capabilities. Dean constantly nagged him about it.

Climbing out of the car, he grabbed his phone from the cupholder and rushed inside where he knew Elsie was waiting. The day care was completely deserted except for her and the director, who was sitting in one of the waiting room chairs, alternating between watching the front doors and the small child perched at the plastic drawing table beside her. Even the lights in the back playrooms and the office were off.

“Mr. Winchester, I’m glad you made it here okay.”

“Daddy!” Elsie bolted from her chair, abandoning her backpack and leaving the crayons to roll off the table and onto the floor. Sam crouched to scoop her up as soon as she was in arm’s reach, and his daughter immediately wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her face against his shoulder. 

“Hey, sweetheart. I’m sorry I’m late,” he murmured, and he cradled the back of her tiny head in his hand. He still couldn’t get over how tiny she was, even at four years old.

The director stood from her seat, clipboard and radio in hand. She gave him a scolding look. “Mr. Winchester—”

“Please, call me Sam,” he interrupted. “And I know, you can’t keep waiting with her. It won’t happen again.”

Her expression turned withering. “That’s becoming a catchphrase for you. I’m sorry, Mr. Winchester, but Elsie can’t keep coming to Gilded Hearts after the end of this week. We have very strict policies about parent pick-up and you signed a contract agreeing to uphold them. You’ve broken that contract multiple times this week alone, and I can’t count the number of times you’ve broken it otherwise.”

Sam frowned, shifting Elsie in his arms so he could pick up her backpack with one hand. “You’re kicking her out? Please, don’t kick her out just because I messed up a few—”

“It’s been more than a few times,” the director pointed out. “If it had been an emergency, it would be a different story, but we can’t keep staying late with her because you can’t seem to be able to pick her at the time you agreed upon when Elsie first started coming here.”

Lifting her head, Elsie looked up at Sam with big, hazel eyes. She’d perfected his own puppy dog expression solely to use on Sam and her Uncle Dean, and Sam’s heart sunk. The guilt settled in and suddenly all he could think about was how selfish he’d been. He’d been putting work in front of his daughter, something he promised he’d never do, and now he had to face the consequences.

“Okay. You said the end of this week?” Sam asked, sighing. The director nodded and gave him a polite, albeit tight, smile. “Alright. Thanks for staying with her. Have a good night.”

The director waved goodbye to Elsie, then watched in silence as Sam carried her out to the car. It was still sunny out and Elsie squinted, whining a little when he stepped out of the shade provided by the enormous oak trees that guarded the day care’s entrance.

“I know. Your sunglasses are in the car, honey.” Sam dug his keys back out of his pocket and unlocked the backseat, then carefully situated Elsie in her carseat. The tiny pair of Minnie Mouse sunglasses were right where they always were, and once his daughter was buckled in, he handed them to her so she could slip them on. She did so immediately.

“Are you sad, Daddy?” she asked. Elsie reached out a hand, grabbing onto Sam’s coat before he could back out of the doorway and go around to the driver’s side.

“I’m not sad, babygirl. Daddy’s just tired from work. Are you hungry? You ready to go home and eat?”

After a moment, Elsie nodded and let go of his coat. Sam shut the door and let out a long sigh as he went around the back of the car. His head was pounding and he was exhausted from shooting in the heat all day, but getting food in his little girl’s stomach and making sure that she got everything else she needed before bedtime had to be his priority right now. Then he would have to figure out where she was going to spend her days after the week was over. She couldn’t exactly come to work with him on an R-rated movie set. The impending migraine would have to wait.

_______________

“What’s your name?” the little girl asked, and you raised your eyebrows at her for a brief moment, then crouched down to her level.

“I’m Y/N. What’s yours?”

She held onto the door handle with both hands, swinging her weight on it as she stared at you. “I’m not supposed to tell strangers my name.”

“That’s very smart,” you replied, smiling. “Is your daddy home?”

“Who’s asking?”

A laugh almost slipped out at the cliché response, but you carefully held it back. You started to answer when a very tall, very handsome man in a suit stepped up behind the little girl in the tutu.

Nodding, you stood and held out your hand for him to shake. “I’m Y/N, from the nanny agency. Are you Mr. Winchester?”

The man smiled politely and shook your hand before reaching down to scoop up Elsie. He held her on one hip and stepped aside, gesturing for you to come in. He didn’t even seem to be bothered that his shirt and jacket were now rumpled from being squashed by the little girl and her very fluffy tutu, nor did he seem phased when she reached out to hold onto the tie around his neck.

“It’s nice to meet you, Y/N. Please, call me Sam. I’m glad you could come on such short notice.”

“It’s not a problem,” you replied. You glanced around the entryway of Sam’s enormous house, a little surprised. It was grand, but compared to some of the others in the neighborhood, this house seemed more… lived in. Turning around, you smiled politely. “Is there anything you wanted to ask me that wasn’t in my file? I know that they already sent over my resume, references, and bio, but there’s always something that people want to know.”

Sam gave you a once-over before closing the door. “You’re a live-in nanny, right?” he asked. You nodded. “I don’t have any questions, but how about you check out the guest room before you decide if you want to stay? The last nanny we tried had some issues with it.”

“Issues?” you repeated, suddenly a bit more hesitant, and Sam gestured for you to follow him up the stairs. You did, glad that you’d left your suitcase in the car. The staircase was immense and it would’ve been a pain to drag it up all the way.

As you walked, Elsie chattered to Sam, who glanced at her and replied when necessary. You couldn’t hear everything they said, but it was clear that he cared deeply for her. Every nod, every thoughtful reply, every second of eye contact he offered her reassured you that this would be a good family to work with for your next position. It would certainly be better than your last one, that was for sure.

When you finally arrived at the opposite end of the hallway, Sam pushed open a door and gestured for you to enter first. You did, taking a look around. The “guest room” was more like a deluxe suite and you had to remind yourself not to let your mouth hang open as you took it all in. It made you wonder if there was some sort of housekeeper or maid that cleaned Sam’s house, because there was no way he kept the room as beautiful as it was, worked, and took care of his gorgeous little girl.

“It’s got an attached bathroom with a shower and a tub, and you’ll have your own private balcony. It overlooks the backyard and the pool, which you’re welcome to use at any time. There’s a walk-in closet through that door,” Sam pointed to a closed door off to the right of the bathroom, “And there’s an office across the hall you can use if you want. There’s a printer and internet hookups in case you’re having problems with the WiFi. You shouldn’t, but it never hurts to be prepared. Of course, if you don’t like the furniture I’ve got in here we can move it and you can put your own things in. I hired a decorator for the whole house when I first moved in and I haven’t done anything with the room since then.

You nodded, a bit overwhelmed. “Right. Can I ask what the issue was? That the last nanny had?”

“She didn’t like the view from the balcony, apparently, and she complained that she was too close to Elsie’s room.” You frowned and Sam shrugged. The distaste was clear in his voice as he continued, “She said she preferred to have a room near the other adults in the household instead of the child that she cares for. My room is on the other side of the stairs we came up.”

Elsie started to wiggle in his arms and he set her down, not looking away from you. She instantly ran over to the bed and climbed on top to sprawl out over the plush white comforter.

“The room is great, Sam,” you replied, nodding. “It’s amazing, actually.” You glanced back at Elsie and sat on the edge of the mattress. “How’s the bed? Comfy?”

Elsie giggled and nodded before rolling onto her stomach to look at Sam. “Is this my new nanny?”

“I think so,” Sam replied. He looked over at you and you nodded. “Looks like it, Elsie girl! You can show her your room and your playroom in a few minutes, okay? First we gotta do the grown-up stuff.”

Grinning, the little girl scrambled off the bed to run off to another part of the house. She shouted a quick “Okay!” on her way out of the room.

“So, you think you’d be okay being her nanny? Obviously I’ll let you look over the contract and you can take it to a lawyer if you need—”

“That’s not really necessary,” you told him, holding up your hand to stop Sam from going any further. “I’ll look it over downstairs if you wouldn’t mind getting me something to drink while I read.”

“Water okay?”

You nodded, and you and Sam headed downstairs where the contract was waiting.

_______________

Working for Sam was one of the best things that had ever happened to you. Not only was Elsie adorable and one of the smartest, funniest kids you’d ever nannied, but her dad was amazing, too. He never failed to make you laugh and though he was constantly overworking himself during the day, you admired the way that his focus was entirely on Elsie and his homelife as soon as he parked in the garage. Even if he finished work at three in the morning, he came looking for his daughter the minute he was home. If she was awake, she was always more than happy to cuddle up and watch a movie, go swimming in their pool, or just show him the pictures she’d worked on for him during the day. Then, as soon as the little princess was in bed, Sam’s attention turned to you. That was one of the best parts of your job, though it was becoming a problem. No matter what Sam did and despite your best efforts, your crush kept growing. He was just too great, and you worried that someday you’d be heartbroken when he brought home some gorgeous movie star. Then you’d have to quit, and not only would you be out of a job, but the best two people in your life would immediately become a part of your past. That was the last thing you wanted.

It wasn’t until you’d been the nanny for eight months that Sam asked you to bring Elsie to set. The request caught you off guard—usually he avoided involving Elsie in anything that had to do with his work because of the nature of his films—but you knew that he was a smart guy, so you loaded up the almost-five-year-old into your car and drove to the address he’d texted.

“Daddy!” Elsie squealed. Sam’s head turned towards you and he smiled wide when he saw Elsie dragging you by the hand across the packed dirt of the filming site. She had insisted on wearing her princess dress, and the sight of her in the poofy, sparkly dress and Minnie Mouse sunglasses was enough to make anyone laugh. You were thankful you’d put your own sunglasses on before you’d climbed out of the car, otherwise the sun’s glare would have been too bright for you to even see Sam. He had his glasses on as well, and you briefly wondered if he’d take them off at some point so you could see his eyes in the sunlight.

“Hi, Bug!” As soon as she was within his reach, Sam picked her up and swung her up onto his shoulders. The move was almost one fluid motion and though he did it all the time, you still marveled and Elsie still giggled.

The man Sam had been talking to—you vaguely recognized his face from a magazine in the grocery store checkout—was dressed in an elaborate suit of leather armor. He glanced over at you as you approached, but he quickly turned his attention back to Sam.

“So what are you going to do about her?” the man asked.

Sam glanced at him before looking up at Elsie, smiling wide. “We’ll have a talk. Don’t worry about it, Erick.”

Ah, so he’s the action hero, you thought, and you looked the actor up and down. He looks shorter in person.

Erick turned and caught you staring at him, and his lip curled up in disgust. “Who are you?”

“She’s my best friend!” Elsie replied before anyone else could. You smiled on instinct.

“Right...” Erick drawled. He looked up at Elsie and the disgusted look on his face didn’t fade even as he walked away to a u-shaped cluster of chairs and makeup vanities. He was immediately swarmed by women fussing over his hair, makeup, and costume.

Once he was fair enough away, you turned towards Sam with raised eyebrows. “So. This is the movie business,” you retorted.

He laughed and adjusted his grip on Elsie’s little legs. “Something like it, yeah. Don’t worry about him, he’s always like that. It’s not one of his redeeming features, but he was the favorite for this role. Do you guys want a tour of the set?”

Elsie cheered and wiggled a little on Sam’s shoulders, and he tightened his grip accordingly. You nodded in agreement.

“A tour would be great, Sam, but aren’t you on your lunch break?”

Sam shrugged and started walking. You followed close behind as he began to explain the set in terms that Elsie could understand. She was smart, and she loved big words, but she was still just a kid. After a while, he managed to commandeer a golf cart for the three of you, and you ended up riding around not only just the set, but in between all the trailers and the service roads that surrounded the site. You had to admit that the area was beautiful, even if it was hot and dusty.

Eventually, you, Sam, and Elsie ended up outside his trailer. It was smaller than the actors’, but he explained as you followed him up the steps that he really didn’t use it much, and he only had one for this part of production because they were filming in a more remote location than usual. Food was waiting for you on the small dining table inside, and all three of you breathed a sigh of relief at the air conditioning.

“Can I come to set tomorrow?” Elsie asked as she climbed up onto the couch.

Sam handed her the hot dog from the container marked with her name and smiled a little. “Not tomorrow, Ells. Maybe another day,” he said. He picked up the two remaining containers and held out the one with your name scrawled across the top.

After murmuring your thanks, you settled down on the opposite side of Elsie from him and opened the styrofoam box. Your favorite sandwich was inside and you smiled over at Sam, a little bit surprised that he’d remembered. He didn’t make or order you food often, since you normally ate with Elsie during the day and on your own at night so that Elsie’s attention wasn’t divided between the two of you.

“You mentioned that it was your favorite that one time we went to the boardwalk,” Sam said, noticing your surprise. “It just kinda stuck in my brain, and I saw it on the menu when I was ordering our lunches before you got here.”

“I can’t believe you remembered that,” you replied, honestly shocked. No one had ever remembered your usual order. “Thank you.”

Sam nodded in reply and the three of you dug into your meals in relative silence. Elsie finished first, like usual, and she was starting to dig through the things in Sam’s trailer when there was a knock at the door.

Elated, the little girl ran over and tugged it open, the force of which pushed her down to sit on the top step of the entry. “Hi!” she cried, and you sat up on the couch to see who she was talking to.

“Hi!” a woman chuckled. After a second, Elsie popped back up and led the short-haired woman into the trailer by the hand. “Is this your daughter, Sam?”

“No, this is a monster!” Sam grabbed Elsie around the waist and pulled her into his lap, growling playfully. Elsie squealed and squirmed as he tickled her, and the woman laughed. You smiled too, but you reached over to move Sam’s half-eaten meal out of the way. You’d seen this play out too many times to think that he and Elsie would be able to avoid knocking it onto the rug.

Elsie finally freed herself from Sam’s grasp and scrambled into yours. You wrapped them around her, hugging her tightly, and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. Sam caught your eye and grinned wide before looking back at the woman still standing in his trailer.

“What’s going on, Jody? Are we having a wardrobe problem again?” he asked, getting to his feet.

She shook her head. “No, but I heard a certain someone in here really likes princesses, and I thought I could give her a little tour of the wardrobe trailer,” Jody replied with a slow smile.

“Right, the wardrobe trailer with all the princess dresses…” Sam looked back at Elsie, who was watching him and Jody with wide eyes. She’d cued in on the key words in their conversation and was practically vibrating with excitement in your arms. “What do you say, Elsie? Would you like to go with Miss Jody to see the princess dresses for daddy’s movie?”

Elsie nodded vigorously and you let her down off your lap. She grabbed Jody’s outstretched hand with a wide smile and waved at Sam as she was led down the steps that led out of his trailer. The door slammed behind her and Jody, and after a second, you stood and gathered up two of the discarded lunch containers. 

Sam stared at you as you carried them over to the trash, and finally you looked up at him. “What?”

“Nothing,” he quickly replied, shaking his head. “Nothing.”

“You’re staring at me, Sam. There’s not something on the back of my pants, right? Or shirt?” You twisted, trying to get a look at your back just in case, and your face grew hot at the idea that you’d been walking around with Sam-freaking-Winchester, the super hot, award-winning director, all the while looking like a slob.

“No, no. I just…” Sam sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. He watched through the window as some of the crew members walked by outside, then dropped his hand back down and looked back at you. “We need to talk about something.”

Oh no.

“Sure, is everything okay?”

Sam sat back down on the couch and gestured for you to return to your own seat. You did, and you purposefully folded your hands in your lap so that you wouldn’t fidget and give away how nervous you felt. Your stomach was twisted up in knots.

“Yes. I mean, no, but… It’s a good kind of not okay.”

“Oh…Okay.”

“That didn’t make sense,” Sam said after a second.

“No, it didn’t,” you agreed, smiling a little. “Is this about Elsie? Is there something different you maybe want me to do with her? Or do you think it’s time for her to go back to a daycare, or even a preschool? She’s almost in Kindergarten anyway. I really don’t mind just watching her in the mornings and afternoons, if that’s what you need.”

“Do you not want to work with Elsie anymore?” His eyebrows furrowed and you quickly backtracked. “Because if you don’t—”

“No! No, I love Elsie. She’s an amazing kid, Sam. I just… I’m trying to figure out what you mean. A good kind of not okay?”

Sam sighed and nodded. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees for a few moments as he thought, then leaned back and relaxed against the couch cushions. You watched in silence, and with each passing second, the feeling that you might puke just from the suspense of the whole thing grew.

“I like you, Y/N. I like you a lot,” Sam finally said.

“I like you and Elsie too, Sam, but what’s that got to do with this?”

“No.” He shook his head, reaching over to put one large hand over your folded ones. You froze, absolutely stunned. Sam had never touched you except for handshakes, or maybe in passing when he took Elsie from you.

“Y/N, I really like you. I like you in the non-professional sense.”

Oh.

“I like you in the romantic sense,” Sam continued. “And I’d really like to see you romantically, but you’re my employee. I don’t want to cross any boundaries, and the only reason I’m telling you this is because I think that you might want the same thing.”

You swallowed, looking down. Slowly, you relaxed your grip on your hands and let him take one of them in his. After a second, his thumb began to rub over your skin and the feeling was hypnotizing. “I do. Want the same,” you added. “I’ve liked you a long time, Sam.”

“I don’t want you to feel pressured, Y/N.”

Looking up at him, you shook your head and squeezed his hand. “I don’t. I don’t feel pressured, Sam. I really do like you, and I was honestly worried I’d have to quit if you ever brought home some famous movie star or something. I wouldn’t have been able to handle it.”

Sam smiled wide, his eyes lighting up. “Do you know how long I’ve been wanting to hear you say that?” You shook your head. “A really long time, Y/N. Almost the whole time you’ve been Elsie’s nanny,” he admitted, and you grinned back at him.

Any nerves you’d had were completely gone now. Sam’s touch—even though it was just his thumb on the back of your hand—was more soothing than you could’ve ever imagined, and though the butterflies in your stomach were alive and well, you’d hoped for a while that you and Sam would have this conversation.

“Really?”

He nodded and brought your hand up to his lips to kiss it. The butterflies leaped for joy.

“That’s a long time. I didn’t even catch on,” you told him.

“I had to be careful. And to be honest, the only reason I suspected you liked me back is because Elsie started talking about how you and I act like one of her friend’s parents whenever we’re together. She started asking questions and it made me think.”

You laughed. “That little girl has got a brain bigger than yours. She’s gonna grow up amazing.”

Sam hadn’t stopped grinning at you and you felt your face grow warm under all the attention. If this was an old black and white movie, you would’ve swooned by now, but now his smile was beginning to fade. You sensed that the other shoe was about to drop and your own smile wilted.

“I’ve got you to thank for a lot of that,” Sam said, his voice softer. “We can’t be together if you're my employee, Y/N.”

“We’ll figure it out,” you murmured. After a second, you gave him a sly smile. “You and Elsie just need to put your big brains together.”

_______________

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