#also sometimes when it happens it feels kinda like déjà vu

[malewife-cas]

y’all ever look in the mirror so long you don’t feel real and a weird feeling washes over you? yea that happens to me all the time except i’ll just be doing normal every day things and the feeling washes over me and my brain gets foggy and i can’t tell what’s a real for a a while and it scares the shit out of me, especially when i’m driving!! it’s the worst feeling and i hate it. it’s been happening so much more often i wanna cry

[haveyouseenthisskeleton]

To the fell skeletons, how would they feel when their own kid inherited their own temper/anger

Like father like child in other words lol

Underfell Sans - He's so annoyed about this sometimes because he's not very brave and that means his kid keeps fighting him during their teenage years and winning the arguments. Red has a déjà vu kind of impression because that's definitely how Edge was as a child. He's frustrated and wonders how the hell it could happened twice in his lifetime, but there's not a lot of things he can do against that so...

Underfell Papyrus - He was happy his child took him as a model... For the first week at least. After that, he doesn't think it's nice at all as his child constantly argues with him to do the simplest things and since Edge struggles to stay calm, it often turns with the both of them screaming. He kinda understands his brother now. Maybe he can see why Edge was so annoyed with him growing up.

Horrorfell Sans - He'll live. Copper is a lot more chill with everything, and more patient too. He knows his child is mostly anxious and pushing people away to protect himself, and maybe he's a little frustrated his child feels the need to hide their feelings now that he's finally learning to open to people. He keeps reassuring his child they don't need to hide.

Horrorfell Papyrus - Oh no, if it isn't his own sassiness coming to bite his butt. He can't believe his kid is confronting this like that, not caring one second for Chief's inevitable anger following. His kid just doesn't care. Chief has no idea how to deal with that and he doesn't have the patience for it, so most of the time, he gives up and let them be. What do you want him to do?

Swapfell Sans - That's entirely his fault, and he's willing to accept the consequences. Nox would mostly have an only child, and spoiled rot them to the point the kid thinks they're royalty and explodes when someone says no to them. Well, Nox is happy they don't let anyone walk on their feet... Except when his kid acts the same way with him lmao. That wasn't part of his plan. Now he's confused what to do.

Swapfell Papyrus - He created a monster. It's a mini-him, but with even fewer filters than he has. When his kid told Toriel he couldn't trust the dying hybrid of a cow and a goat, he felt so proud. And also kinda terrified because Toriel didn't like that at all. But that's fine. It's a family tradition. He did the same thing at 7 years old and almost got executed for this you know. Nox is desperate.

Fellswap Gold Sans - He doesn't discourage their behavior at all and makes it way worse actually. His kid thinks they rule the world and that everyone is one of his servants. They are terrifying most kids at school and claim propriety over half of the playground, fighting children who dare to disobey them. Wine is so proud of them. Show them who's their leader.

Fellswap Gold Papyrus - Coffee didn't mean to give them his anxiety but turns out he kinda feed his baby with anxiety their whole life so... Coffee isn't sure how he can help with that. Because just thinking about this kinda send him into a panic attack and then his kid has a panic attack because he has a panic attack which makes him panic even more. Please someone help them.

Dancefell Sans - Rumba taught them well: when there's danger, throw your dad into the danger and run for your life. Ok, maybe they're doing that because he used to throw them towards the danger to save his own life, but still. That doesn't justify anything. He's not a lure!

Dancefell Papyrus - Tango is so annoyed his kid is always on TikTok. He's even madder about the fact they're getting a lot more popular than he is and using his things to steal his own audience. Who do you think you are? He deprives you of your phone this instant! Stop stealing his job!

Mafiafell Sans - His kid is a little shit. They fear no one, answer to everything just to have a reaction and they're mostly not caring about the consequences. Fang is not controlling them at all, he gave up trying long ago. He always have 200 dollars in his wallet to pay people his kid are offending too much so they shut up and don't create problems :')

Mafiafell Papyrus - What do you mean that's a problem his kid thinks everyone in the mafia must serve them? Torpedo told them they are the next mafia boss and to be respected by all of them, even if they have to crush them under their shoes like insects. Torpedo doesn't see any problem with that. His brother keeps joking about the fact one of his day his kid is going to betray and kill him Lion King style and that he would never see it coming.

[hopetofantasy]

Translated interview with Willem De Schryver

Also on my website: Behind wtFOCK - link in comments

The young stars of Streamz series 'Déjà-vu': 'You learn more on the internet than at school'

‘Déjà-vu’ is the name of the latest Flemish fiction series that’s rolling off the production line of ‘Streamz’. In addition to the traditional list of actors' names, Xenia Borremans (21) and Willem De Schryver (19) are featured as fresh blood in the credits. Two newcomers who shamelessly rival the established values.

Calling Willem De Schryver a newcomer is really failing the truth. He has more than 50,000 followers on Instagram and cannot cross the Ghent Korenmarkt without posing for a selfie. It’s the fault of ‘wtFOCK’, a youth series that mainly takes place online and is extremely popular with all those who saw the light of day after 2000. The chance that you’ve seen Xenia Borremans in action, is much smaller. Her only claim to fame for time being, is the horror short ‘De vijver’. And ofcourse, there’s her family name. Xenia is the only daughter of artist Michaël Borremans, but really wants to make a name for herself now.

How did you get into acting? Borremans: “Ever since I was a child, I wanted to act. There are piles of videos at home in which I try to recreate scenes from old films like ‘Some Like it Hot’. I also acted for ten years at ‘Kopergietery’ (children's theater company in Ghent). Acting was a dream, but I didn't dare to hope for that too much. There was always that little voice in the back of my mind that said, "You don’t only need talent but a lot of luck to make it." That was evident when I started to participate in castings. I often cried when I didn’t get a role.

I didn't dare to hope too much for ‘Déjà-vu’ either. Actually, I had no intention of auditioning at all. For fear of being rejected again. In the end, it’s my mom who pushed me to try. When they called me to say I had the part, it came as a complete surprise.”

De Schryver: “I can recognize myself in that story. I too was always performing plays at home. I did ‘Diction’ on Wednesday afternoons, but that wasn’t more than a hobby. When I no longer felt at home at school in secondary school, I took the step to go to the ‘Lemmensinstuut’ in Leuven. That was a revelation. Suddenly, I was allowed to be involved in theater day in, day out. I was happy to get up in the morning, when before, I often came home crying because I really didn't want to go to school anymore. It was obvious that after secondary school I would take the step to theater education at the ‘KASK’.” Borremans: “I also took the entrance exam at the ‘KASK’, but I wasn’t admitted. Maybe I'll try again next year. But maybe not. I’m not convinced that such an education is necessary. There are plenty of examples of actors and actresses who also made it without a diploma.” De Schryver: “In the classes I’m taking now, there isn’t only attention for acting, but also for making plays. I get building blocks to get started in the future. But, just like Xenia, I’m convinced that it can also be done without it.”

In ‘Déjà-vu’ you play the ideal son and the rebellious adolescent daughter, respectively. How deep did you have to dig for that role? De Schryver: “The role of Max is pretty close to my own personality, so that wasn’t too bad. I only had to practice playing hockey. (laughs) Although as far as I’m concerned, a role does not necessarily have to be written for me. For example, in ‘wtFOCK’ I play a bipolar, gay boy. That’s difficult and I had to do a lot of research for it. But when - like recently - you’re approached on the street by a boy who tells me that through my role he had learned to live with his own bipolarity, then the satisfaction is all the greater. ” Borremans: “I recognized myself super hard in Louise's character. I have done quite a lot of rebellion in my puberty years and just like Louise - who has a mother who makes a living as a radio host - I can be bothered too by the fact that one of my parents is famous.”

In what sense? Borremans: “I’m very proud of my dad, that's not the point. We have a very good relationship. He's my best friend. For real. But my family name isn’t always a gift. Many times in the past people have tried to contact me with the sole intention of getting closer to him. Even people I thought were friends, turned out to be solely interested in me because they were fans of my father's work. I also noticed that some teachers marked my grades more strictly just because I was ‘the daughter of’.” Did that influence you to choose acting and not, for example, drawing? Borremans: “I did drawing. In ‘Sint-Lucas’, just like my father. He did push me a bit in that direction. But I stopped when all the lessons suddenly had to be online due to corona. Dad thinks it's important to get a diploma. I attach less importance to that. I prefer to figure things out on my own. If you have the discipline to do self-study, then that’s in my opinion as valuable as any education. I’ve already learned a lot more on the internet than in school. My mom is part of that story, daddy still has some work to do in that aspect.”

You both had a supporting role on the set of ‘Déjà-vu’. How much pressure did it cause? De Schryver: “I did lie awake at night. Although it had a lot to do with the beginning of the shooting period, when I overslept. I cried when I arrived on the set. Such a gigantic production and it gets delayed, because a rookie like me, is late. In the end we hardly lost any time, but the nights after, I was wide awake in my bed waiting for the alarm to go off.” Borremans: “Willem arrived on the set, crying, but was professional enough to put himself in the shoes of Max a few minutes later. Pretty impressive.” De Schryver: “There really was no time to lose. The makeup artist just had about enough time to get rid of my red eyes, but that was it.” Borremans: “I’ve experienced something similar. During the shooting period, I met with a friend who turned out to have corona. Panic, of course. In the end, the shooting stopped for a week as a precaution. There were some tears then. You have a first major role and then something like that happens. Fortunately, it was handled very well on the set. Everyone came to tell me that it could’ve happened to them too.”

The corona crisis has been defining our lives for over a year now. How do you deal with this? De Schryver: “The first weeks, I didn't mind the lockdown. It gave me a chance to catch my breath. By the way, I still don't miss going out that much. Although that also has to do with ‘wtFOCK’. That show has a very fanatic fan base. And you notice. In any case, going out to a bar with friends was no longer possible without being approached or posing for selfies. When people have been drinking, a number of inhibitions also disappear. As soon as they recognize you, they’ll immediately hang onto you. It made me prefer to stay in the room even before the lockdown.” Borremans: “I’m now 21 years old. This may sound strange, but I’m kinda done with nightlife. Of course, I also want to be able to go out again and see people, but I notice that it’s more difficult for those who are younger. I get bored sometimes. But that also has its positive sides. It makes you do creative things. For example, I started to design and make clothes. Without the lockdown, that would’ve never occurred to me. I never read books either, now I do. Although, I would like for it to gradually return to normal. " De Schryver: “I mainly suffer from touch starvation. Actually hug people. I really miss that. But just like Xenia, I also think this is an interesting period. It makes you think. About yourself, about where you want to go in life.”

The Covid crisis also makes painfully clear how vulnerable creative professions are. Did that change your plans for the future? Borremans: “I was already looking for a plan B before this whole situation. Acting is and remains the big dream. But there are no guarantees. I’ll continue to go for it anyway, but I realize that I cannot assume that I’ll succeed in making acting my livelihood.” De Schryver: “We shouldn't be shy about that: the acting world is a tough world with a lot of competition. It’ll not be easy to make it and I know that there are still difficult moments to come. But I do not intend to suddenly follow other classes just to have something as a back-up. The corona crisis has made me realize even more how important acting is to me. I could never completely push it aside. This’s what I was made for. I just feel that.” Déjà-vu can be seen on Streamz. The series will be released on Play4 later this year.

[iamhereonlytobeanunstableshipper]

Your Universe (A Cherik One Shot)

Read on AO3

Summary:

Two years after the incident with Apocalypse, Charles hasn't seen Erik again. When his old friend's birthday comes, Charles finds himself looking at the calendar all day long. Would it be a good idea to wish him a Happy Birthday? Well, it will be just a moment, Charles thinks. A brief touch of his mind. Two words, as a sign of peace. And that's it.

But of course, nothing is that easy when we talk about love.

Notes:

I wrote this a long ago, and I know it's not perfect. But this fanfiction kinda grew up on me because it was the first Cherik one I ever wrote. So, I'm finally posting it. Hope you enjoy it!

Also, I'm not a native speaker. So my English is a mix of public school lessons, google translate, and Grammarly. Sorry and feel free to correct me if I wrote something wrong :)

The chestnut eyelashes tinkled like the flutter of a soft butterfly in the ample room, gently pushing away the dust that was approaching the oceanic irises. They stood out like sapphires in the dim light that the sleepy sunset allowed to pass through the windows.

The man was resting on his comfortable mattress, a pillow lifting his head slightly. His hands were placed in his lap, while his left thumb repeatedly stroked the knuckles of his right hand, a gesture he used to do when he thought about a difficult subject.

Meanwhile, his ruby lips were nibbled over and over again nervously by his pearly teeth, unconsciously.

Something had been haunting the telepath's head since, the night before, his watch had marked midnight.

He remembered it as if it were yesterday when, in one of their many whiskey and chess nights, a deep-eyed man confessed that his birthday was that exact day that now passed through the calendar.

It had been two years after he had last seen him, in the incident with Apocalypse. He had hoped that now that things ended with no fights involved, the magnetic man would one day go back to the mansion (to say hi, at least). But the weeks ran one after another, and Charles could only try to convince himself that he didn't miss Erik at all.

Fake it 'till you make it, they say.

But, oh. Sometimes faking it was harder than letting himself drown surrounded by those memories. Charles could still feel those piercing eyes watching him with an indecipherable gaze, sometimes so intense that Charles wondered who was the telepath there. His coffee scent, striking his pituitary, was so sweet and so sour. Always sweet and sour, of course. His smirk, showing his gleaming and sharp teeth. His messy kisses, exploring Charles' mouth during that night that had been carved into his memory like a mantra.

It was a blessing to remember all this with acute certitude but a curse to know that it would never happen again.

Loving a memory was the most addictive and delusional form of torture the telepath could ever experience.

Despite all the pain, the anger, the betrayal, it was impossible to hate that man. And the desire to see him again or simply touch his mind was unshakable. And, now that he knew Erik no longer carried that helmet, the desire was unbearable.

Erik's birthday was the perfect occasion to wander through his mind, even if it was just a simple touch.

Charles decided not to think about it anymore. It had been torturing him for hours, and that was enough. He knew right away that he would regret it, but the decision was made.

The mansion halls seemed to be sleeping, just like the students did. Charles could feel the tall walls judging him as he passed by.

Sooner than he had expected, he arrived at Cerebro. Charles reached there by inertia because he surely wasn't paying attention as he wheeled through the mansion. He was too busy thinking about how stupid was what he was about to do. Without paying too much attention to his common sense, he placed the helmet-like machine on his head. He hid his blue orbs behind his lids and focused on his telepathy.

Finding Erik among all the other minds was frighteningly simple. As if it was a reflex action.

As soon as Charles entered Erik's mind, a sense of nostalgia intoxicated every inch of his being.

He stopped for a few moments observing the beautiful work of art that made up Erik's mind.

He explored with his telepathy the brain connections of the opposite, feeling with amazement how each neuron connected with the rest, creating constellations of stardust around him. An infinite universe of dark nebulae elegantly intertwined with each other, creating lugubrious galaxies of thoughts and emotions.

Charles gazed in awe at the mental barriers built into Erik's mind, how impressive they were to be made by someone who wasn't a telepath. He remembered when he had taught the man about telepathy in one of their many conversations. Those barriers housed Erik's most significant memories, Charles noticed right away. Most were gray; they gave off inhuman suffering and loneliness, creating a gloomy atmosphere between all those galaxies. But there were some, only some, so beautiful and brilliant that they would beat the sun any other day.

Charles shuddered to see that in most of those beautiful memories, he was the protagonist. The telepath's ruby smile was kept in the German's mind like a precious treasure, like the brightest star in all that small yet infinite universe.

Between the painful and the brilliant memories, all those agitated galaxies that comprised the place were created. The telepath could feel the magnetism being born from all that nebulae in a stealthy but persistent way.

Erik's mind seemed like the Guernica painted with stardust. So full of war, beauty, disorder, sublimity.

Meanwhile, Erik was sitting on his bed, looking outside the window. He had lived in the mutant shelter for quite a while now.

It didn't take long for him to realize that something was wrong with his mind. He realized that a presence was in there, and it took just a brief second for one of his most precious memories to come to mind like déjà vu, instantly recognizing that person.

Recognizing when a telepath is inside your mind is not an easy task, but Charles had taught it to him years ago. Now, the telepath wondered if it had been a good idea to have taught that to Erik.

"Charles?"

That precious name touched Erik's lips in a hopeful sigh. The man wasn't quite sure if he had drunk too much whiskey and was beginning to imagine things.

"Happy birthday, Erik."

Said a voice pearled with memories within the magnetic's mind. His tone was calm and somewhat carefree as if that situation was the most normal thing in the world. But slight nuances of nostalgia, pain, and... love colored the letters of the man's name.

Charles was grateful that he didn't have to speak aloud, so that the opposite would not have to hear his voice breaking more and more with each syllable, making a clear portrait of his trembling heart.

Before leaving the mind of the other, the telepath stopped for a moment to feel how sadness and happiness were intermingled in each star of those nebulae, creating a battle that they both knew would win the distance from each other.

A selfish thought crossed Charles's mind, as a small part of him was glad that Erik still cared, if only a little.

Erik felt Charles's presence fade from his mind, leaving it with a cold feeling of loneliness. For a few seconds, he forgot that he was the great and impenetrable Magneto. He forgot about his promise of never to love anyone else. He forgot to forget about affection. For a few seconds, he was Erik again. That boy who jokingly kissed the hand of a young blue-eyed man while taking him out to dance to the sound of Can't help falling in love.

Magneto had dedicated half of his life to lock Erik in the depths of his mind. And with him, all the memories of those crimson lips he longed for.

But, with a simple touch, Charles managed to make Erik dominate every cell of his body, making that song resonate in his ears, accustomed to the deafening sound of bullets. What Charles had given him, Erik didn't know. But he guessed he really couldn't help falling in love with that man.

The two men would never talk about the tears that were created in their orbs. Or the small smiles that raised the corners of their lips. Neither the heavy knot that closed their stomachs or the devastating cold that harbored their minds. Not even the glass that they both served themselves, knowing that neither one nor a thousand could fill the void that the other had left in their lives.

[greekgeek21]

Percy Jackson & The Avengers: Convergence - some badass demigod training!!

Hello, and welcome back to...my horrible explanation for being absent! Coming up on this episode, you'll see me explain that I had my first 2 lacrosse games of the season and was left with bruised ribs. If anyone ever says that women's lax isn't a real sport cuz there isn't contact, you can tell them that someone from a fanfic website said they had bruised ribs from playing.

Anyway, I hope you like this chapter. We're starting to get some actual plot movement I think so have fun with that. Honestly, I kinda forgot what happened in here so...yeah. Please comment, like, follow, and reblog! Stay safe & happy reading!

- your author

Ω ♆ Ω

Percy and Annabeth woke up to the sound of a startled shout. Frank's startled shout, to be specific. They both shot up right away, their battle instincts kicking in, but Frank had seen enough.

"Seriously guys!? Again?" he exclaimed.

"Nothing happened!" Annabeth reassured, "We just fell asleep!"

"We did kiss a little," Percy muttered, and Annabeth shot him a death glare.

"Not. Helping," she whispered scathingly.

A sense of complete déjà vu washed over Percy. Except this time, the rest of the Seven were standing in the doorway, watching on with various amused expressions on their faces.

"Oh, this is perfect. Coach Hedge is gonna love this," Leo smiled in maniacal glee.

"No, Leo," Piper ordered, "You're not going to do that. Instead, we are going to get this meeting over with so I can get some sleep."

"Aw...you ruin all my fun!" he exclaimed.

"Someone's gotta do it when Calypso isn't here," Piper said.

It was true. Calypso and Piper are probably the only ones who could actually control Leo. Calypso because of Leo's fear of losing her or just general fear of her, and Piper because of her charmspeak.

"Ok! That's enough. We're getting sidetracked. We need to start this meeting." Jason clapped his hands to get everyone's attention.

He gave Percy a meaningful look; one which said to 'take it from here.' So Percy did.

"Um, well, Annabeth and I wanted to talk to you guys about what's been going on. We need to come to an agreement on what we are allowed to say and do with the Avengers. I don't think we should show them the full extent of our powers because it seemed like those spies were looking for a reason to lock us up," he started, "And I'm not particularly fond of being put in a cell. How about you?"

"Yeah. And we need to figure out a way to deal with the bombings without them figuring us out. The mortals seemed pretty Hades-bent on releasing the big secret, and that never bodes well for people like us. I know that we need their help, but I don't trust them." Annabeth said.

"We can just say we were born with the powers, and have no idea why. I mean, it's technically true," Jason offered.

The others all nodded in agreement.

"Ok, now what about the pattern? What is it?" Piper asked.

"All of the places are big parts of the Greek and Roman world. Brooklyn Bridge is near Manhattan, the home of the Gods, Portland: Mt. St. Helens, where Typon used to be held, LA: entrance to Hades, Long Island: Camp Half-blood, and San Francisco: Camp Jupiter," Annabeth answered.

"Woah," Jason whispered, shocked.

"Yeah, but that's not our biggest concern. We also need to figure out how to hide our identities from the world while we're fighting with the Avengers," Annabeth said.

Everyone else there hadn't even thought of that. It comes in real handy to have a daughter of Athena around sometimes. Ok, not sometimes, all the time. All of them would be really dead without her quick thinking and planning.

"Um, I could try to see if the Aphrodite cabin could cook something up?" Piper suggested, "But most of them are still getting used to fighting, so they won't really know what to make. They need help with the designs."

Leo shot up from where he had slumped down into the desk chair, "I can help! Well, the Hephaestus cabin can. We can help design it so it's battle-ready."

"Good. We'll need those soon, I think. I have a feeling that we're going to have a lead soon, so we need to be ready when it comes. This is just one quest, so there is no need for people to think we're some kind of superheroes," Annabeth said.

"Aw! But I already had a name picked out!" Leo exclaimed.

He looked like he was about to let them in on his superhero name, but Annabeth held up a hand with a glare that clearly said to not speak unless he wanted to lose some very important parts of him. That kept him quiet, for sure.

"Is that all?" Frank asked, towering over them all.

"For now, yes. Remember, say the absolute minimum and stick to twisting the truth. If you reveal any new information without the others knowing, call a meeting to let us know," Annabeth confirmed, nodding her head.

"Great, now I can go back to sleep," Percy said, pulling Annabeth back down with him.

The others filed out soon after that, already hearing Percy's soft snores as they left and returned to their respective rooms. Ok, so Jason and Piper stayed in the same room like Percy and Annabeth did, but nothing happened. It was just nice to be in the arms of someone who cares about you, you know?

Ω ♆ Ω

"Up and at 'em, kiddos! It's training day!" Tony gleefully exclaimed over the speakers that Percy was absolutely sure he did not see in his room.

Percy groaned when he saw what time it was: 6:00 AM. He knew he wasn't allowed to (and that it was wrong, of course), but he wanted to kill Tony so badly in that moment. It would be quick! Nobody would suffer!

But, alas, he had to actually work with the man-child. It might not come off like it, but Percy takes war very seriously, and this was starting to feel like a war. Or at least, it would become one if they didn't stop it soon. And to do that, they needed the Avengers, apparently.

That was the only reason that he followed Annabeth in getting up and ready for the day. He took a little longer than Annabeth, but at 6:30 AM, they were stepping out of his room. They saw that the others were slowly doing the same. They were all tired. There weren't any big dream incidents, but that doesn't mean that staying up until midnight and then waking up at six in the morning won't do something to you. Even Leo looked exhausted, with big puffy eyes from rubbing them in an attempt to wake himself up quicker. If Leo Valdez was tired, then you knew that it was too early for this.

Also, you have to remember that they'reteenagers. Teenagers aren't meant to be up super early- it's a scientific fact, Percy thinks. Annabeth once told him something about their melatonin not releasing until later at night, so they could stay up and sleep in later.

What? Percy pays attention to what she's saying sometimes.

"I hate Tony," Piper grumbled, practically falling asleep on Jason.

"You and us all, chica," Leo mumbled before letting out a huge yawn.

"What did he say was going on? Training?" Jason asked, looking over at Annabeth for answers because she seemed the most awake of the group.

"Yep. Training, whatever that entails. I don't know, so be prepared for anything. I really hope it has nothing to do with electronics, but knowing our luck, and how Tony has been so far, it will, so just try not to get too close," she answered.

Leo tiredly saluted her, "Yes, ma'm."

Hazel rolled her eyes, "Come on, Repair Boy."

She grabbed his arm and started leading the way towards the living room, which was their best guess at where the Avengers were.

As they were walking, they were interrupted by the disembodied voice of JARVIS, "Excuse me, but I was told to direct you to the training room, where the Avengers are currently assembled and waiting for you. Shall I proceed?"

All of the demigods were still really weirded-out by the AI, and there was no way it was ending soon. It's just a reminder that they were currently in a building basically composed entirely of technology, one of their greatest liabilities. Liabilities were a dangerous thing in their lives.

"Yes..." Percy answered hesitantly, unsure where to look.

"Then please follow the arrows projected on the ground, sir," JARVIS said.

Sure enough, there were large white arrows pointing them away from the living room, so they followed them. It was about a two minute walk to the elevators, where they were told to go to the 60th floor, which was apparently one whole training room by itself.

Ω ♆ Ω

"So let me get this straight, you guys want us to...play a video game?" Frank asked, gesturing to the giant room around them.

The Seven were quickly ushered by the Avengers into a big room with a bunch of white, padded tiles all around them as soon as they had reached the training floor. There was only a viewing window and an exit that disappeared when the door was closed. Then, Tony explained what they were going to be doing. None of them really understood it yet.

"No! I want you to fight the LMDs! The robots! They will simulate different levels of skill to evaluate your skills. Understand?" Tony punctuated each word, quickly losing any sense of patience he had started with.

"Yeah. We got it," Annabeth sighed.

Ok, she was sure she was the only one of them who realized that they were about to break one of the rules they established last night on the first day. They were about to fight robots. TECHNOLOGY.

This should go well, Annabeth thought.

Steve interrupted before Tony could make a snarky comment, "Good. We'll start with fighting separately and then together as a group. Afterwards, we'll see how you work with different weapons."

"Aye aye, Cap," Leo joked.

"Leo, focus. We're about to fight ROBOTS." Annabeth tried to get the son of Hephaestus to understand the severity of the situation. "You have a back-up plan, right?"

He could talk to machines. Robots were machines. Therefore, he should be able to get them out of this mess if anything went wrong.

He gave her a nod of understanding, and Annabeth settled back into her natural stance rather than her tense one. Well, she's always tensed for battle. At least in her natural one it's less obvious.

"Alright, who wants to go first?" Tony asked over the intercom.

"Uncle Leo will go first, right?" Percy joked, referencing to one of Leo's favorite nicknames for himself.

"Sure! I just need to know how much damage I'm allowed to do," Leo said, looking up at the Avengers.

Annabeth was shocked that he had even thought to ask that, and apparently the Avengers were, too.

"Um, just let go. There's nothing you can do to break this room. I designed it myself," Tony answered, still arrogant even through his confusion.

"Come on out, the rest of you," Natasha instructed.

Once the rest of the demigods had exited the room and stood next to the Avengers at the viewing window, Tony pressed a button on a screen that made a compartment in the walls of the room open up, revealing a row of floating LMDs.

"Now, I'm going to start you at Level 2, okay? It gets harder as you move up. The LMDs should stay the same form throughout every level, though. Ready?" Tony said.

Leo pulled his war hammer from his magical toolbelt and lit it and his arms on fire, "Ready."

Tony had to shake himself out of his shock before he pressed the start button, but when he did, every one of the mortal heroes had sat on the edge of their metaphorical seats, eager to see just how powerful these kids could be.

Plus, the kid had just pulled a giant war hammer from his normally-sized toolbelt, and then proceeded to light himself and the hammer on fire. They were bound to be curious after that display.

They knew the very basics of the young heroes' abilities, but most of that stuff was based on just what they had been told. Actual, visible proof is what they wanted.

All at once, the LMDs transformed into the Avengers minus the Hulk. Repeat, they changed into the Avengers. Leo had to fight a copy of the Avengers, alone.

Percy was freaking out inside. Sure, he trusted his friend, but Leo was a joker, and he tended to not understand how serious things were. In this case, he hoped that didn't happen.

"This should be interesting," Natasha remarked.

"No, this should be terrible. Tony, you never told me you were using this setting," Bruce said, rushing up to the other scientist, "He's just a kid."

"I think they've made it clear they aren't just kids, Jolly Green. It's fine. If they wanted to be treated like the rest of us, then they need to pass this test," Tony said.

Bruce looked like he wanted to say a lot more, but Jason stepped up to stop him, "He'll be fine, Dr. Banner. Leo may not look it, but he's powerful and he's smart. He can handle this."

Jason looked so sure of himself that it was enough to convince the doctor that it would be okay.

In truth, Jason had no idea how this program worked. There was a good chance that Leo did not, in fact, have this handled.

While this was being discussed, Leo had already started to fight the Iron Man LMD. He was currently alternating between swinging his hammer at it and firing balls of fire. The LMD had only been hit a couple of times because it kept maneuvering around the attacks by flying away.

It was getting tiresome, and Leo wanted it to be over with. So, he dropped his hammer and set a determined look on his face, glaring up at the robot.

The Seven were grinning, already figuring out what was happening, while the Avengers were just plain confused. What was the kid gonna do? Glare them to death?

Then, Leo started grinning and they knew it was all over.

He crouched down onto the ground and placed a hand on the floor, closing his eyes in concentration. The LMDs seemed to be as confused as their originals.

Three seconds passed before Leo's grin grew even more, and then he spoke a single word, "Stop."

And they did. Every single LMD lost their form and fell to the ground, limp and unmoving. Leo stood up, dusted his pants off, and turned to the viewing window to see his teammate's reactions.

They were priceless.

"That's how you do it," he said, "Am I done?"

Tony literally shook himself out of his stupor, "Yeah, sure. I need to reboot the LMDs."

When Leo came through the door, the rest of the demigods crowded him, patting him on the back and laughing at his dramatics.

"What was that?" Natasha demanded, breaking through the teens to tower over Leo's elf-like form.

Okay, maybe tower isn't the right word. She was taller than him, but not by much. Natasha was just very intimidating.

"Uh...fighting?" Leo tried.

Natasha's glare hardened, "You know that's not what I mean. What did you do to make the LMDs stop attacking?"

Leo glanced at Annabeth, who nodded in consent, "I talked to them."

"You did what?!" Tony exclaimed.

"I talked to them. They were pretty boring, to be honest, but I was able to shut them down," he answered.

Tony let out an incredulous laugh, "That's not possible! You can't just TALK to machines!"

"He can, and he did," Piper said, smiling proudly at her best friend.

"But–" Tony's voice died out.

"How come you never told us of this ability?" Natasha asked.

"You never asked," Percy answered simply, not liking her interrogatory tone at all.

The spy looked like she wanted to continue the conversation, but Clint whispered something in her ear and she stepped back with one last glare.

"Welp! That was fun! Who's next?" Tony clapped his hands.

Everyone turned to see that he had gotten the LMDs back online and back in the Avengers' form.

Piper sighed and started to walk to the door, "I guess I'll go next."

Before she could enter, Steve asked, "What weapon are you going to use? Your powers won't work on the robots."

Piper smirked at him over her shoulder before pulling Katoptris from its sheath on her thigh. Apparently, the Avengers had yet to fully break through the Mist, and they could not see her having that strapped there this entire time. But when she pulled it out, they seemed to finally be able to see it for what it truly was. It makes you wonder what they thought was there before. A ruler, maybe?

"I've got this," she stated before slipping into the training room.

Ω ♆ Ω

It was obvious Piper had been taking more lessons on dagger-fighting with Annabeth. As soon as the first person attacked, she was slashing and stabbing like crazy. Her lithe form was swisting out of the way of punches from Steve's copy, while Clint's arrows were shooting at her from behind.

Tony had clearly upped the level of difficulty after seeing what Leo could do.

Piper ducked under one of the arrows, and then shot back up to land a finishing blow to the center of LMD-Steve's chest. Then, she ripped Katoptris out of the robot and turned to throw it at Clint's copy, which just barely managed to avoid getting stabbed.

She was running on pure adrenaline now. It was best to imagine these opponents as monsters. Sure, when they actually fought humans, they would need to not kill, but these were just robots.

Cilnt's robot shot it's last arrow, and it exploded right before her face, stunning her into stillness. In that couple of seconds it took for her to recenter herself, Natasha's copy jumped onto her back for a chokehold. Piper struggled, but the LMD had been designed to know all of Natasha's known skills, and it was working. The Iron Man LMD landed and shot a stunning shot at her chest: the final straw for Piper to finally surrender.

She knew they wouldn't kill her, but she was not in the mood to be knocked-out. It left you with a massive headache.

So she tapped out.

"Ok ok, I'm done. I'm done," She panted as she was released, rubbing her neck.

Piper was not happy about having to surrender, but it seemed like the Avengers had been thoroughly impressed with her skill with such a small weapon.

"I'll do next," Annabeth declared, high-fiving Piper on her way out.

"Good luck," Piper said.

"Don't need it," Annabeth responded, pulling out her drakon-bone sword.

Out in the control room, Tony said, "Is that a bone?!"

"It's whatever you want it to be," Hazel grinned, manipulating the Mist just a bit.

"You scare me sometimes, Miss Metal Detector," Leo muttered, glancing at Annabeth's sword, which had shifted into a machete.

He wasn't sure whether to be impressed by Hazel's skill, or weirded-out by Tony's brain.

"Make sure to move to difficulty up a bit," Percy told Tony, "She'll be insulted otherwise."

The billionaire seemed to be getting used to the teens' weird ways because he didn't even flinch when he heard that, and instead moved to comply.

"And...here we go," Tony said over the intercom, "Good luck, Annie."

"My name is Annabeth!" she shouted before going into the fight.

In this level, every single one of them attacked at once. Annabeth back-bended under Steve's copy's punch, and then kicked up into LMD-Natasha's face. After, she turned and sliced the Iron Man armor on the side, just under the armpit. She had picked that as a point of weakness before she had even stepped into the building.

"She's good," Natasha relented, watching as the daughter of Athena thrusted her sword into Steve's robot foot.

Seeing that Clint's LMD copy was not going to get any closer to her, Annabeth pulled out a hidden dagger and threw it in a perfect line to hit it in the center of its forehead. Then, she turned and blocked a punch from Natasha's robot, who had recovered from the face-hit. The spy copy used the Iron Man LMD to jump up and wrap her legs around Annabeth's neck, trying to do a scissor hold, which failed because Annabeth rolled forward, slamming Natasha's head into the ground. The left a big enough dent that the LMD wasn't getting back up.

That only left Iron Man to deal with.

She settled into a fighting stance, but didn't attack, choosing to wait for her opponent to make the first blow.

Percy was grinning. This was what they needed: a good way to blow off steam without it possibly ending with one of them dead.

"What is she waiting for?" Steve asked.

"She's playing with it. It's fun for her," Jason answered, "It's Annabeth."

Finally, the robot got impatient and attacked. It sent a stun blast at her, which Annabeth quickly avoided. After, she ran up to the wall, kicked off of it, and jumped up to drag the Iron Man LMD down to the ground, where she sat down on it and landed a few punches. But she quickly realized punching wasn't doing much good.

"Judo flip! Do the judo flip!" Leo exclaimed, jumping up and down in excitement.

When it wasn't him being the one attacked by Annabeth, it was super entertaining.

Annabeth sighed, but a smile was pulling at the edges of her lips. She hauled Iron Man up, who was still recovering from being slammed down to the ground, and got a good hold on it's arm. Then, she flipped it over her shoulder with an ease that only came from years of experience.

With a huge smile on her lips, and a last glance at her carnage, Annabeth walked back out to the control room.

"How was that for a kid?" She asked Natasha.

"Not bad," she got for an answer.

Ω ♆ Ω

Jason, Hazel, and Frank's individual tests went-by pretty quickly. Jason electrocuted all of the robots, rendering them immobile.

After that, and with another new batch of LMDs, Hazel used her Spatha to slice and cut through the robots. In the end, it proved too hard for her to do it with just a sword, so she pulled a chunk of the wall out and smashed it against the LMDs until they were in many different pieces.

Frank ended up having to forfeit, but not before getting every single Avengers copy but Steve down. Steve ended up having him in a chokehold that was just too difficult to get out of. And Frank had already transformed into many animals, so he wasn't sure if he could've changed back if he had transformed again.

If it wasn't obvious, Percy was avoiding doing his turn. He was trying to stay in the corner, and out of the notice of any of the adults. However, that wasn't possible with two spies in the room. They notice everything.

"Percy? Your turn," Natasha said.

So much for that plan.

Percy hesitated, "Um...about that, I don't think I should go."

Natasha raised her eyebrows in mock-surprise, but it was actually Steve who spoke, "You have to go, son. In order to work well together, we need to know each other's strengths and weaknesses. This will never work without you doing this."

"Plus, we promise it's completely safe," Bruce added in.

Percy sighed, admitting that he wasn't going to be able to worm his way out of this one. Instead of fighting, he turned to whisper to Annabeth, "Don't let me get out of control."

Annabeth gave him a sad look, "Percy, I know you have control. I trust you. You just need to trust yourself. You would never hurt us. I know that for certain."

The Avengers were watching this interaction like hawks, but the other demigods were averting their attention. This happened sometimes, Percy and Annabeth going into their own world that only they could understand, and it was best to just let them be. Plus, privacy is a real thing people. The moment seemed almost too intimate for them to interrupt.

Percy still seemed to be having trouble believing Annabeth's statements, but he went into the training room without another protest. His shoulders were sagging in defeat, and he seemed to be folding in on himself. He was never one for attention, but that was a bit much in Leo's mind.

However, Leo and the rest of the Seven didn't have a full grasp on just how uncomfortable Percy as with using his powers now. They didn't know what happened in "that place."

"Are you ready, Percy?" Tony asked, readying the LMDs again.

"Yeah, I guess," Percy answered.

Annabeth was rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet, "Just breathe, Perce," she whispered under her breath, "You can do this."

She had to put on a brave face for her boyfriend, but she truly was terrified of Percy's potential. She had seen it first-hand in their trip underground, and it was nothing to be underestimated. The Avengers didn't know what powers they were playing with here. She only hoped that her insistent trust she was putting in Percy was going to amount to truth.

"We'll start you on Level 5? Based on what your friends can do, I think this will be a good start," Steve asked.

"Sure," Percy responded, bringing Riptide from his pocket.

"What's he going to do with a pen?" Bruce whispered to Clint.

The Seven all smiled at each other. Little did the mortals know, that pen was definitely not just a pen. It was always amusing when people saw what Riptide truly was for the first time.

"Alright. Here we go," Tony said, starting the simulation.

Percy closed his eyes, inhaled, exhaled, and popped the cap off of his pen. Opening his eyes, you could tell something had shifted in him. He was in his natural element now, and nobody could stop him from achieving his goal.

That goal just so happened to be mutilating some billionaire's robots.

"Let's have some fun," Percy said, charging the first LMD.

He was a flurry of motion. His fighting style was a mix from Greek, Roman, and modern martial arts that he had learned from Annabeth. He'd kick one adversary just to turn and thrust his sword into another one trying to attack him from behind.

"He's amazing," Bruce said in wonder, mesmerized by Percy's skill.

The son of Poseidon was relying only on his hand-to-hand and swordsmanship skills, rather than his powers, but that barely slowed him down. If the mortals wanted a display of his competence, then he would give them one.

Annabeth had a proud smile on her face as she watched Percy judo flip Natasha's robot over his shoulder and slammed it hard enough to the ground that it "died," ending his fight.

That had gone well, considering Percy's worries.

However, he knew better than to let his guard down just yet. As all demigods know, life never gives any breaks. That, and the Fates are cruel.

Ω ♆ Ω

"Ok, guys. Let's take a lunch break, and then we'll do some more training, but this time, with only abilities," Steve said.

Percy had put his sword away, and was not standing in the viewing room with the rest of the heroes, mortal and demigod alike. All of the teens looked and felt exhausted, so it was a given to take a break.

"Got it, boss," Leo saluted, turning and exiting the room, heading no doubt in the direction of the kitchen.

"I guess that means we're leaving," Percy laughed. A real, genuine laugh.

It made Annabeth smile larger than she had in a long time. Improvement is always good.

Soon, everyone was gathered around the kitchen and living room area. Percy and Leo were scavenging for food while the Avengers and the rest of the Seven talked. So far, the hunt was not going as planned.

"Tony! Are you seriously telling me you're a billionaire, and you can't afford some decent Cheerios?!" Percy yelled.

"Yeah! Who goes grocery shopping around here?" Leo exclaimed, holding up the near-empty jug of milk.

The Avengers all looked at each other in confusion, "Who DOES go grocery shopping?" Bruce asked.

"Pepper, sometimes, I think. She must've been busy this week," Tony answered, "We can just order some Chinese or something for now."

"That should work, but if you're going to house these boys," Annabeth pointed to Percy, Leo, Jason, and Frank, "You're going to need a lot more food around at all times. Their appetites could rival that of an elephant."

Hazel let out a tiny laugh, realizing Annabeth's little pun about Frank. She received a small smirk in response.

"Teenagers," Tony muttered, rolling his eyes, "Always hungry."

"Now wait a second, Tony, I remember seeing you eat an entire large pizza by yourself just a couple weeks ago," Natasha remarked, smirking at her teammate.

Tony only glared in response, and then he told JARVIS to order lunch.

"Well, while we're waiting, I'll explain what our next exercise is," Steve said, "Basically, we're going to see and document your powers, but in a more controlled environment. You won't be fighting anything, but this will be more focused on precision than quantity. We need to know your full capabilities so that we know where to put you in a fight. Is that okay?"

He was asking their permission as more of a courtesy than an actual question, obviously, but the demigods still nodded their heads in confirmation. It wasn't like they couldn't leave at any time if things ever got too out-of-control.

Or at least, that's what they told themselves. In all honesty, nobody trusted each other yet. They could be shot down by the Avengers if they tried to run away, for all they knew, and that's what the scariest thing was. Neither group really KNEW the other group's intentions, only what they had told each other.

Everyone was walking on thin ice, whether it was known to them or not.

Ω ♆ Ω

I hope you liked it! Remember, this is also on FF, Ao3, Inkitt, Webnovel, and Wattpad.

other chapters :)

[maerenee930]

random thoughts/kinda rambling. heads up, long post ahead 😅

(it’s totally cool and more than okay if you don’t want to read all of this and just wanna keep scrolling! and i wouldn’t blame you if you’re like “ugh! not again… they write these long ass and random posts far too often and i just can’t. i don’t have the energy for this rambling nonsense” 😂)

woah… i have so many thoughts running through my mind right now 😳 like… what?? how??

and i pinkie promise and swear to a higher power or being that this actually and legitimately happened!

so earlier today when i was sleeping, i had dreamt i was at my brother’s wedding (which isn’t happening until april i think. i thought it was in may but i was wrong lol. anyway…) and while we were there or like before the reception, we were talking with some friends and they told us in the dream that they’re not longer together.

and when i woke up, i remember feeling kind weird and off. like the feeling i had from this dream is very distinct and very strong. and honestly it happens usually when i’ve dreamt something this is going to happen. it may be weeks, months or even sometimes years from now and everything in the dream most likely won’t happen but the things that stick out to me the most, is what will happen. and like usually when it does actually and finally happen, i get the strongest déjà vu and it’s just really intense.

so any way about two hours ago, someone sent me a screen shot of a post on facebook and it’s one of my friends from my dream, letting everyone know that they and their partner are no longer together.

first of all i want to say that i’m very sad for my friends. i hope they’re both alright and it’s sad that things haven’t worked out for them. they both feel this is the best for them and i can understand that, but it doesn’t make it any less sad. you know?

and second of all… like, i’m sorry…what? how did i…? did that just really happen? it was only a few hours and it actually happened…? like huh? what? i- how..? i- i don’t believe that actually happened. 😳

the dream was so vivid and it felt so real and i honestly wasn’t expecting it to happen like this soon, you know? like it really did and i just- wow.

(now all of this is about to sound like super like hippie-ish or crazy to some people and that’s more than okay with me if you do think i sound crazy lol. it doesn’t bother me and i totally understand that not everyone believes in the same things i do. 😅)

but yeah, i’ve been asking the universe (or i suppose it could be guardian angels or spirit guides or some other higher form of power) for signs letting me know that my manifestations are coming true and everything i’ve been hoping and wishing for and have been working towards, is actually going to be mine and that it all will really happen soon and it’s on my way to me and i’ve been seeing what i’ve been taking as definitive signs as a yes, those things are on their way to me soon and those dreams and wishes are coming true and my manifestations are coming to be and will be my reality soon 💙 and just- idk… with that dream, it was another sign to me that the dreams i’ve had, those strong gut feeling, me ending up having déjà vu at some point down the road after i’ve had them, have all be signs that everything my heart has desired and more will be mine 🖤 and i just need to keep being patient, continue to work on myself and trying to grow and trust in the timing, it’ll happen when it’s supposed to and when i’m ready for it to.

(also, it wasn’t just me deciding that those signs are a yes, you know.? like idk, it’s hard to explain the feeling i get when i see these signs. it’s like something inside of me that reassures me that it is true and these signs are positive one, you know? it’s the same feeling i get when i’m having those dreams that have ended up and do end up coming true, you know? that gut feeling that’s just so unbelievably strong and give me such a certain feeling. i can’t really describe how it feels besides saying like it’s my intuition.)

but yeah… sorry this is so long. i know all of this is super random and not totally necessary to talk about and share with everyone 😅 but i just needed to talk it all out, you know? and to anyone who does read this, thank you for taking the time to 💙 i hope everything i said made sense for the most part and i’m sorry if it didn’t and for any spelling or grammar errors 😅💖

[wheresmynaya]

Two Ghosts Ch.21 | Brittana

Yes, you’re seeing that correctly LOL. I’m determined to turn 2020 around, at least through writing fics! I will also (try very hard to) update weekly. 

Available on ff.net (x) ao3 (x) & below the cut!

The wheels of the plane from New Haven barely hit the tarmac before Quinn is texting Santana and Brittany to ask if they want to grab a coffee. Santana figures Quinn must be dying to know what happened with Alex because she sure didn’t call Quinn up to tell her. She also highly doubts Brittany had the time to do it either.

They’ve both been…busy.

Not like that, they’ve just had their own things to deal with. You know, private feelings.

Like knowing Britt still loves her after all these years and Santana wanting to do things right this time. Brittany had teased Santana about being courted, but Santana kind of liked the idea of taking things slow. There were still so many things about Brittany she didn’t know and the thought of learning her all over again sounded nice.

Brittany P. ��� You free to meet up with Q?

Santana sees the text from Brittany and it makes her smile. It’s so reminiscent of their high school days when Quinn would message the Unholy Trinity group chat but Santana and Brittany would text each other on the side to confirm what they wanted to do first before replying. They’ve grown so much over the years, but the text just shows Santana that some things never do change. Do they?

Santana L. – Yeah, hbu?

Brittany P. – Yup!

Santana swipes into the group chat and sends a text agreeing to meet up which is closely followed by Brittany saying the same. Quinn’s all too quick to provide the when and where before Santana sets off to get dressed. She’s nearly made it to her closet when her phone goes off again. It’s a private text from Brittany.

Brittany P. – I’m glad you’re free. I’ve kinda missed your face.

Santana feels a heat rise up the back of her neck and cover the apples of her cheeks upon reading the text. She quickly types out a reply, trying to keep her cool.

Santana L. – It’s only been like…2 days?

Brittany P. – 2 days too long!

And just like that, Santana feels like a silly school girl again blushing over a cute text from Brittany. She remembered at time back in high school when Brittany would make it her mission during class to break Santana’s bitch face with an onslaught of cute texts that she would totally make fun of if they had come from anyone else but Britt. Sometimes she’d send corny pick-up lines or puns are just straight compliment the crap out of her. Either way, Santana never stood a chance.

She was like putty in Brittany’s hands.

Apparently after all this time, she still is.  

She ruffles up her hair and positions the camera towards her. She gives it a cheeky grin and snap the selfie before sending it off to Brittany, followed by a text.

Santana L. – Don’t want to deprive you of this beautiful mug.

Brittany texts back almost instantly.

Brittany P. – hubba hubba!

A picture of herself sporting the cheesiest of grins accompanies the new text and Santana laughs at the combination. She makes a point to set the picture as Brittany’s new Caller Id later.

\\

When Santana steps outside, she’s surprised by how cold it is. With years of having to wear a Cheerios skirt no matter the weather and 5 years worth of living in New York, Santana was pretty immune to the cold but today seemed to be a dramatic drop in temperature.

Then again, now that it was December could she really be that surprised? She let that thought sit with her for a moment as she slid into her Honda. December already? Time was flying by, the school years was nearly halfway over!

What is she going to do after?

She hadn’t really given it too much thought. She figured she would head back to New York, but things were changing. It wasn’t just her future anymore, it was Brittany’s too. And maybe she’s jumping the gun a little, fast-forwarding that far ahead after she told Britt she wanted to take things slow, but that talk would have to come up eventually, wouldn’t it?

Santana shakes away the thoughts, they’re too heavy for the lack of caffeine in her system, and sets them on the back burner for now before she goes to start her car. She twists the key in the ignition and surprise surprise it doesn’t roar to life.

“Seriously?” Santana frowns and tries again but it’s no use. Her little Honda refuses to start up. She lets out a sigh and glances over to the empty spot in the driveway where her mom’s SUV is usually parked if Maribel didn’t happen to be at work right now. Santana rolls her eyes and tries to start the car one more time before giving up.

It feels a bit like déjà vu; Santana’s car refusing to work right before the first Unholy Trinity meeting at the beginning of the school year which ended up making her late. She had felt so bad for making her friends wait for her and here she was about to do it again. Back then she had to figure out her useless car on her own, but again, things were different.

Santana heads back inside for warmth and fishes her phone out from her purse before making the call.

“Hey Santana!” Brittany greets enthusiastically, albeit slightly out of breath. The sound makes Santana’s mouth go dry, remembering other times where Brittany sounded just as breathless.

“Hey Britt! Are you…running?”

“Kind of,” Brittany answers through a chuckle, “What’s up?”

“Do you think I could catch a ride with you to meet up with Quinn?” Santana asks a little nervously, “My car is being a piece of shit again and refusing to do the one thing it was built to freaking do.”

“It’s probably just mad at you for still not taking it in,” Brittany teases her, “But yeah, I can totally pick you up! Be around in 10?”

“Thanks Britt,” Santana grins, “I’ll see you soon.”

“Kay bye!”

It’s ridiculous to think how all of a sudden Santana’s heart starts beating a little faster and her movements become more fidgety in anticipation for Brittany to come over. She really wishes she could get a grip, but after everything that happened on Thanksgiving and their talk after seeing Alex it’s hard to control. She couldn’t get over the fact that Britt still loved her and they still had a chance to make things right. She couldn’t believe it, after all the years of struggling and pushing away those feelings, there was still something there for them.

Britt had said that her body wakes up whenever she’s around Santana and now Santana totally gets it.

Santana’s body wakes up around Brittany too and she has missed that feeling so much.

\\

There are a couple knocks at the front door, but she doesn’t have to check to know that it’s Brittany. Other than the fact that Santana knew she would be coming, Brittany still taps the same signature rhythm with her knuckles.

“Hey, I would’ve-“ Santana’s words get caught as her eyes land on Brittany.

Her blonde hair falls from her messy bun in cute tendrils, something that’s prone to happening whenever Brittany breaks a sweat. In fact, she glistens and steam rises from the top of her head against the cold air. Santana wonders how the hell she isn’t freezing, but she can’t comprehend much as her eyes start to rake up Brittany’s body on their own.

She’s dressed in baggy red sweat pants and a black sports bra that’s damp with sweat and it’s barely covered by the pathetic excuse for a t-shirt. The material is so thin it’s practically see through and Santana can literally count each one of Brittany’s abs.

Santana’s swallows dryly because woah.

Brittany’s still got it. Then again, did she ever really lose it? Apparently not, she just got hotter.

There’s a muffled chuckle that brings Santana’s eyes to meet mischievous blues. Brittany smirks and adjusts the strap of her duffle bag on her shoulder. Santana didn’t even realize she was carrying it.

“Hey Santana.”

“Sorry, hey Britt. Come in,” Santana gestures, not wanting Britt to catch a cold with the lack of clothes she has on, “Why are you so…sweaty?”

“My dance class ran a little late so I didn’t have time to get ready there,” Brittany explains, “Could I change here?”

Santana begins to picture Brittany’s lithe body breaking it down in dance class and god since when did she become such a desperate mess? She blames the lack of sex and Brittany.

She thinks how they kind of go hand in hand, but she quickly pushes that thought away.

“Yeah, sure. Go ahead. Did you want to shower too?”

“I should,” Brittany says, “Class was really intense today.”

“I can see that,” Santana comments without thinking but covers it with a smile, “Go shower. I’ll tell Quinn we’ll be late.”  

“Thanks,” Brittany grins and presses a kiss to Santana’s cheek as she walks by.

Santana turns and watches as Brittany head up the stairs, a dopey grin filing her face as her eyes land on Brittany’s perfect ass.

\\

That dopey grin is replaced by something of annoyance as Santana and Brittany sit across from Quinn at Starbucks a little later. Brittany is busy talking about her class and how they can incorporate some of the elements into their set for Sectionals since it’ll be coming up soon, but Santana can’t focus with how Quinn keeps glancing between her and Brittany so analytically.

Quinn’s itching to say something, Santana can tell, but she won’t interrupt Brittany when she’s speaking so passionately. She stays engaged and listens intently, but Santana knows the minute Brittany stops it’ll be fair game and she’s not ready for all that.  

It makes Santana nervous; not because she wants to hide whatever is going on between her and Brittany, but because it’s too new to hash out over lattes. It was literally a day ago that they were even suggesting picking up their thing again, so Quinn would just have to wait until they sorted everything out themselves.

Santana holds out a little hope though. Quinn’s a lot more mature now than she was in high school, softer even, but she’s still the same ole’ Quinn in some aspects and Santana really doesn’t want to lure her out with talking about relationships.

But of course it’s a difficult topic to dodge when Alex is brought up. Santana and Brittany explain everything that happened at Frank’s and where Alex is now. It was already hard to miss the similarities between Alex and Santana, but it’s even more so now. It’s common knowledge so Santana’s glad that neither Quinn nor Brittany decided to delve into that. Instead Quinn says how thankful she is that Santana and Britt were around to help Alex and she’s a little upset that she missed out.

Quinn talks about being mentors and wanting to have a positive impact on the squad, something that was hit or miss when they were all in school because Sue could be so horrible and it wasn’t a secret that Mr. Schue had his favorites.

They could all agree that they wanted to do better if they could help it. When Quinn says she thinks Santana and Brittany did a great job with Alex and would make Ms. Holliday proud, Santana nearly gets choked up if she weren’t so badass. Ms. Holliday helped her and Brittany through so much so to be compared to her is a lot for Santana. If it weren’t for her, it would’ve taken her way longer to come to terms with her feelings. Maybe she never would’ve?

She owed Ms. Holliday everything.

Brittany thanks Quinn for them though and nuzzles into Santana’s side for a hug like she can sense Santana’s struggle. Santana’s grateful but she can’t help but smile at the scent of her shampoo wafting from Brittany’s hair, reminding her further of their new closeness. She catches Quinn’s analytical eye again and quickly turns up the snark.

“Who knew the holidays could turn you into a big softy, Quinnie.” Santana comments as Brittany pulls away. She already misses the warmth but she miraculously keeps from frowning about it.

Quinn just rolls her eyes and smirks, “You’re one to talk, Satan.”  

\\

After a refill, Quinn goes on to ask how everyone’s Thanksgiving went. Santana really feels like Quinn is trying to set her up here. Or maybe, Santana’s just feeling a little paranoid because Quinn always has that look like she knows something you don’t.

It seems that Santana’s the only one that’s trying to make it a bigger deal than it is, because Brittany easily fills Quinn in on how great it was to spend Thanksgiving with Santana and Maribel. She excitedly goes over the events of the night, but thankfully leaves out the more intimate details.

“I’m glad you didn’t have to spend it alone, Britt,” Quinn comments genuinely then looks to Santana, “It sounds like you guys had a lot of fun. I knew including Britt would be a good idea!”

Santana bites her cheek and narrows her eyes. She knows Quinn isn’t trying to be a pain in her ass on purpose judging by her tone, but the way she’s always silently rooting for them is embarrassing and makes Santana feel jittery. But more importantly, Brittany wasn’t aware of the fact that Santana had been considering inviting her to dinner and she doesn’t want to that to hurt Brittany’s feelings or for her to misunderstand.

Santana just wasn’t brave enough at the time and if Maribel didn’t invite Brittany over, then she and Santana wouldn’t have had such a great time and they would’ve never had the chance to reconnect like they did. There was no way of knowing Thanksgiving was going to have such an impact on their progress, but it doesn’t keep her from regretting her lack of bravery.

She hates that it still has the ability to dictate how their relationship pans out and unfortunately, that’s just another thing that hasn’t changed.

Santana scowls at how fast her thoughts are moving and she’s about two seconds away from saying something witty to take the attention off of her when she feels Brittany’s hand slip over her knee. Her knee twitches at the unexpected move, but she soon relaxes at the gentle squeeze Brittany gives her.

The gesture instantly softens her up and she glances over at Brittany who remains looking at Quinn like nothing’s happened, but it’s all the reassurance she needs for now.

“Oh no, Maribel invited me.” Brittany clarifies and squeezes Santana’s knee again, “We ran into each other at the grocery story. Not literally, but she did need help reaching something from the top shelf. She invited me over, but I didn’t want to impose. Santana was the one who convinced me to stay.”

When Brittany puts it that way, it eases more of Santana’s nerves. She didn’t even consider the amount of courage it took her to ask Brittany to stay. She always loved Brittany’s ability to turn her negatives into positives and she ducks her head in a quiet thanks.

Quinn smiles at them, but it’s more loving than her usual Queen Bitch Smirk. It makes Santana roll her eyes although her stomach flips from the fluttery feelings brought on by the feel of Brittany’s hand on her. She’s sure now that Quinn is on to them, but she doesn’t want to get into that right now.

“Shut up, Q.” Santana grumbles as she subtly overlaps Brittany’s hand with her own before taking a sip of her latte with her free one.

Quinn just laughs and waves her off, “I wasn’t saying anything.”

\\

They spend the rest of the time talking about Sectionals and developing a game plan. They’ve been preparing for awhile now, maybe just before Thanksgiving break let out because they knew the squad would start to get less focused the closer the break came. For the most part, they felt ready and were confident that the squad felt it too.

“The Cheerios have placed first every year since 2003,” Quinn said, “At least, that’s what Sue said. I’m not sure how accurate that is.”

“I believe it,” Brittany replied with a shrug.

Santana just inhaled deeply and said sarcastically, “No pressure or anything.”

“We’ve got this in the bag,” Quinn answered confidently, “For one, we’re the only squad with 3 coaches.”

Brittany wagged her finger at Quinn, “True. That’s 3 times the awesomeness.”

“And we’re probably going to be the only hot coaches there too,” Santana shrugged nonchalantly.

“Also true,” Brittany nodded then sent a wink Santana’s way, “The hottest.”

Santana felt her cheeks flush, but she just smiled back smugly and dusted off her shoulder, “You know it.”

“Not really important,” Quinn chuckled causing Santana to screw up her face in disgust.

“Are you kidding me?” Santana looked astonished, “Looks are everything in the Cheerleading world, where have you been? Remember all those ridiculous diets Sue put us on?”

“Santana’s right,” Brittany added, “Our squad is a reflection of us, we have to set the example. Although, those diets were really unhealthy so let’s not tell the squad about it.”

“Oh we won’t,” Quinn clarifies, “These next couple of weeks are going to be pretty intense. Our girls are good but we can’t let them get too comfortable.”

“Let’s make them do wind sprints tomorrow,” Santana suggests devilishly, “Make them run off all that food they had over Thanksgiving.”

“Greens, beans, tomatoes, potatoes,” Brittany starts rapping and it makes Santana and Quinn laugh.

“This is our first competition as coaches and it’s important we make a good impression,” Quinn adds after their laughter dies down, “Afterall, we want to make it to Nationals, right?”

Santana briefly remembers Sue’s tape and the arrangement that brought them all together and the bonus that was promised if the squad were to place at Nationals. She had almost forgotten the real reason she was back in Lima, that it had nothing to do with Brittany, and it made her sit a little straighter.

She needed to stay focused too. She and Brittany both needed to.

“Of course,” Santana says and she’s surprised to hear Brittany’s voice in time with hers, mimicking the same words.

Always in unison, even without meaning to be.

“We have to be on point then,” Quinn adds a little more solemnly, “For Coach Sylvester.”

Santana can see the storm clouds rolling in above Quinn’s head and she wonders what that is about. She knew this was a job and they had to meet certain expectations in order to get paid, but she didn’t think Quinn would take it that seriously. Then again, she and Sue had always had a different dynamic. Maybe she really did want to honor her legacy by winning.

“We will be,” Santana replies anyway and gives Quinn an encouraging nod, “We don’t know how to be anything else but flawless.”

\\

After saying their goodbyes to Quinn, Santana and Brittany are back in the car on their way to Maribel’s a little while later. Brittany had passed Santana the aux cord upon settling in and they decided on taking the long way home since the queue was so good. Santana had missed many aspects of Brittany, but being able to ride around in the car with her as they bobbed their heads to songs they use to sing for Glee Club is probably something she missed the most.

Brittany really was the easiest person to get along with, they just fit together so perfectly.

“You know, I don’t mind driving you around while your car gets fixed. You have great taste in music and your car dance moves are the best,” Brittany says after belting out the final note of a Whitney Houston song. She’s a little breathless again from the dramatic runs and the bellyaching laughter, but that’s when Santana finds her the prettiest.

She’s so wrapped up in staring that she nearly misses the words that follow.

“You are going to get it fixed, right?” Brittany asks and chances a glance at Santana to find her biting on her bottom lip. She might’ve forgotten to call Burt’s shop while she was waiting for Brittany, mostly because she was too busy running upstairs to touch up her make up before she arrived.

She smiled guiltily, “Yes?”

“San,” Brittany sighs as they come up to a red light. It was meant to sound frustrated but it was more endearing than anything. Santana hasn’t heard Brittany call her San in years and it makes her heart flutter wildly. Brittany gives her that you’re exhausting but I love you look and it has Santana’s guard instantly dropping.

“What?” Santana laughs as Brittany lifts a brow, “I will!”

“You better,” Brittany warns and her voice dips low.

The rumble of her tone has Santana biting her lip again and she presses further, edging over the middle console.

“Or what?” She asks challengingly.

Santana lingers there and she knows the exact moment Brittany’s head starts to cloud with thoughts, she can see it in darkening blue eyes. The glow of the red light illuminates them both, masking flushed cheeks, but Santana is confident they’re there. Suddenly, the heat coming from the vents is way too hot but it only seems to increase the longer Brittany stares heatedly back.

Santana remembers this look a little too well considering how long it has been. It was the same look that led to many spontaneous make out sessions in a dark parking lot when they were meant to be on their way to somewhere important. Back when they were young and reckless and couldn’t keep their hands of each other. The windows of Santana’s little Honda would be so thick with fog that she’d have to turn on the defroster afterwards just so she could see.

Brittany would just sit topless and doodle love hearts until it went away.

“You don’t want to know,” Brittany manages to reply in a whisper as she leans in and it’s like she’s daring Santana to close the distance.

And she would, she totally would! Their lips are so damn close now and the scent of her cherry lip smackers and peppermint gum is just so Brittany and it’s flooding her senses. All Santana has to do is lean just a little bit further and they’d be stopping traffic. She would give not one single fuck if it meant having Brittany’s lips on hers again.

But then their faces illuminate in green and Brittany’s the first to break the trance as the car behind them beeps their horn.

Santana settles back in her seat, tossing shy glances in Brittany’s direction, crossing her legs a little tighter as they continue their journey to Maribel’s.

She waits a few minutes before clearing her throat a little, “Maybe I’ll get Burt to have a look at it tomorrow before practice, see if it’s worth repairing…or whatever.”

She’s thankful that Brittany’s success in getting her all flustered can’t be detected in the tone of her voice and takes that as a small win.

“That’s my girl,” Brittany teases lovingly and reaches over to squeeze at Santana’s thigh.

Santana just about melts into a puddle on the spot because she wasn’t expecting Brittany to say something like that. Brittany can be so smug sometimes, but trying to fight from swooning at Brittany’s words is hard. She knows she can’t give Britt the satisfaction no matter how right she is in wanting Santana to take her car in, but being her girl?

Santana hasn’t been anyone’s anything in so long, at least not to anyone that mattered. She had forgotten what it felt like to be wanted in that way, even if Britt only said it as a passing comment. It makes Santana feel whole in a totally different way and she loves it.

She loves being Brittany’s girl.

[ficstogo]

Normal

Pairing: Daryl Dixon x Reader

Word Count: 6,248

Summary: Daryl feels as if things aren’t the same now that you’re all in Alexandria. As if you no longer need him since what use to be his favorite things to find for you are all in Alexandria.

Warnings: Language, Grammar and Spelling Errors

A/N: I just never know how to end these one shots. Or how to title them but here it is.

It was stupid. It was so stupid of you to do this. Honestly, you can live without it but for some reason, you thought the opposite as well, yet here you were, standing in front of Daryl’s cell, hesitating on whether you should intrude his privacy to ask him a very stupid question. A question that could really set his opinion of you being annoying to the max.  

“You goin’ keep standin’ there or you goin’ come in already?” His gruff and annoyed voice startled you out of your ridiculous overly thought out ideas.  

You grab the drape that was in front of his cell and pull it to the side to enter. You hate yourself right now because there he was looking all annoyed and you didn’t want to be the reason for him to suddenly want to leave everyone like how he planned with his brother Merle from the start. You didn’t hear them plan it but from the way they acted towards everyone at the quarry, you had a feeling they would’ve.  

“Sorry, I was, uh, debating on wanting to ask you or not to be honest...” You say in a nervous manner. God, the way you were talking was going to further your personality trait of stupidity and all in front of an attractive man at that. Why did you have to be so awkward?  

“Ask me what?” Daryl asked as he fidgeted with the wooden arrow that he was carving.  

“Uh, well, I know you guys are going on a run tomorrow and since we’ve all settled down here and everything, I was wondering if maybe you can find me a CD player or any kind of music player really...” You said as you looked everywhere else in the room but him. You didn’t want to see the irritation on his face or worse, anger.  

Daryl didn’t say anything straight away. He only left your request unanswered which just made you nervous. Once you finally looked at his face, his previous look had not changed from when you entered. Too anxious to actually let him answer, you proceeded to talk.  

“Or, just not.” You chuckled nervously. “It’s nothing that I really need. I don’t want anything to happen to you guys over something as dumb as that.” You stepped backwards noticing that he hasn’t changed his posture, the direction his eyes were looking, the arch of his brows, anything. The only thing that changed was him not playing with his arrow anymore. Once you pulled the curtain between you and him, you let out a sigh as you walked back to your cell.  

You two didn’t have anything against each other, at least you don’t think on his side of things. He was intimidating and you were a meek person so it was natural that you two haven’t really spent much time together, even if he seemed he was starting to get along with everyone else in the group.  

Except for you. Go figure.  

But the was the one thing you had in common with him. You were both starting to feel a bond with the group. His false start was because he was stubborn, mean, and preferred to be alone. Yours was because you were quiet, shy, and always thought you would be a burden to them. Especially out there. You can hold your own. You know how to work a gun and you obviously know how to stab and cut things, as knives should do. You just weren’t as “advance” as Rick or Daryl. Honestly, you didn’t give yourself much credit but that’s just the way you are.  

Because you doubt yourself so much, it’s the reason why you don’t go on many runs, which is also the reason why you made a fool of yourself in front of Daryl just a second ago.  

You laid on your bed as you stared up at the bunk above you. Another restless night for you. You couldn’t sleep, even back then. Back then, it was only because you just couldn’t bring yourself to sleep, especially on time. You would call yourself an insomniac but that’s technically not correct. Nowadays, it’s a mix of that, nightmares, fears, anxiety, so on and so forth. That’s why you made that request to Daryl. Not only were you wanting it to help you sleep but because you haven’t heard a single tune in so long. You love music. You were one of those kinds of people. You also hoped that if you did have some songs to play, you would think that it would help brighten everyone else’s day.  

The only kind of music you get was from Beth singing to Judith but most days you were out doing chores when she does that.  

The following day seemed to be a successful day. Not only was the run short and sweet but it was filled with prizes. Food, supplies, clothes. A successful day it has been. Even for you.  

Once you were done with chores and dinner came and go, you headed back to your cell with something awaiting you on your bed. Once you got a closer look, you had the biggest smile on your face. Maybe Daryl didn’t think you were stupid for asking or maybe he did and just thought that if he did this, you could leave him alone. Either way, you were too happy to care how you look, you just knew you had to thank him for being thoughtful when he went out.  

As you stood there in the same position as yesterday night, you fought with yourself again about the same thing but before you could stop overthinking to actually alert and enter his cell, Daryl had beat you to it.  

“You can come in...” He said in a somewhat irritated voice. Damn. There goes not looking stupid out the window. You immediately went in as to not keep him waiting.  

“Uh, hi, again. Um...” It was like déjà vu, you noticed, as you were tripping over your words and he was seated in the same way on his bed like yesterday. “I just wanted to say thanks...For the CD Player a-and the songs, the CD’s I mean,” You flinched at your stutter hoping that Daryl didn’t notice. You didn’t know why but you were a lot more nervous now than yesterday. It was silent again as this déjà vu continued on and so you tried to take your leave until Daryl actually spoke up.  

“I, uh, didn’t know what kind of music ya liked...So I just took all that I could find...” He sounded gentle and nervous as well which only you brought you comfort. “Sorry if it ain’t none ya like...” He looked away from you to his fumbling hands. You just turned and smile at him for his demeanor and thoughtfulness made you happy.  

“It doesn’t matter, I mean, what I like. I really appreciate what you got me. Honestly, I’ll listen to whatever at this point...I just needed something to listen to. I’ll learn to love them all.” His bashful blue eyes took a peek at you and nodded to let you know he understood what you meant. You only smiled again and headed out of Daryl’s cell but once you rounded the corner, he called out to you.  

You peeked your head to see what Daryl needed. He was sitting upright looking at you with curious eyes that never seemed to stay on you long. “Uh, I picked up a Skid Row CD when I found ‘em...Was wonderin’ if I could give it a listen sometime...” He. Is. Adorable. So timid when he asked, it only made you smile bigger than before and it made you feel less intimidated of him.  

“Yeah, of course! Whenever you wanna use it. If you want, we can, you know, relax and listen together if you want.” You shrugged at the suggestion hoping that this could help be more interactive with him. Daryl hesitated for a second before nodding his head in agreement.  

From there, you walked out feeling much more satisfied than when you received your special gift at the beginning.  

At first, nothing had changed between you and Daryl and he never came by to ask to borrow your CD player and so you thought that whatever it was that happened was a fluke, that he was only trying to be nice and so eventually, you both went back to the way you use to be. Not talking. Were you shocked? Not really. Were you upset? A bit but it’s not something to dwell on. Daryl was usually quiet and so were you so it was obvious that neither of you would do anything about that.  

At least that’s what you thought because after about a week or more, Daryl was waiting by your cell with one hand tucked under his arm and the thumb of his other hand in between his teeth. Obviously, he was a bit nervous but you didn’t think much of that, you only thought of what it is that he wanted.  

“Hey.” You said from behind which caused Daryl to get startled and whip around to see who was calling him. He was tense and had his hands in his pockets now. “What’s going on?” There was a frown of worried curiosity that covered your face as you felt your heart race and your legs prepare to run in case he was going to tell you that you all needed to leave.  

“Uh, nothin’. Was kinda wonderin’ if maybe I’m still able to listen to some music is all.” That took you by surprise. At first you were upset that he didn’t ask earlier in the week, then you scold yourself for expecting him too when he was obviously busy trying to keep everyone alive and then soon enough you forgot that it was something he wanted to do.  

“Oh! Yeah, right. Let me just...” Soon you swiped pass him and into your cell, retrieving what he wanted and then met back with him face to face. “Here you go. You said Skid Row, right?”  

“Yeah, thanks.” He said as he looked at the stomped-up CD case that was cracked with pieces of the plastic missing. He only took a moment to look at it before he turned around beginning to walk away from you. Oh well. This was the most you two interacted this week than the entire time you knew him. Right when you were about to walk into your cell, you heard him call out to you.  

“Hey Y/N.” You came back out to take a curious peek and see him walk back to you. “I was thinkin’... Maybe I can listen to it in your room?” You blinked your eyes in shock of his question. You weren’t actually expecting him to want to do that. He was so closed off and reserved, it was just an actual surprise to you.  

It was easy for Daryl to ask as you can plainly see because you can see him shifting his weight from foot to foot and was chewing up his thumb as he looked down at his boots. You snapped yourself out of it and replied instantly. “U-uh, Yeah! Sure, come on in...” You lead him in.  

You went to seat yourself on your bed you turned to see how Daryl was clearly feeling out of place as he only stood by the entryway of your cell with very little of an idea as to what to do. “Oh, uh, you can just sit here on my bed if you want.”  

“Nah, I’ll just sit here.” He took a seat on the ground with his back against the wall that was across from you. Daryl then placed the CD into the player and put on the earbuds that luckily came with it when he found them. The music blasted into his ears and he realized how long it’s been since he’s listened to anything in a good while. With his eyes shut and his head leaned back against the wall. You had no idea what to do at that point, you felt awkward in your own space and all you did was dart your eyes across the room. Soon enough, they landed on the book that you started reading a little bit ago and went to read instead.  

When a good chunk of time had passed, Daryl opened his eyes not realizing that he gave himself a good little nap. When he raised his head, he only seen you looking down at your lap with your head on your hand reading the page that was in between your fingers, readying yourself to turn the page. He sat up and cleared his throat to gain your attention.  

Looking up, you see his blue eyes on you with him taking the earbuds off. He wrapped them and stood up, handing them to you. You only looked at him with a questioning look until he explained. “I got watch duty.” You grabbed the set and watched him walk off until he turned around again. “Sorry if this ain’t what you were wantin’.”  

“N-no, it’s alright, I mean, I don’t mind this if this what you want to do.” You made sure to let him know. He only nodded and gave his thanks before leaving your cell. He was right, it wasn’t what you wanted. You wanted to start a conversation with him, befriend him, get to know him and all that other stuff but as you noticed how he fell asleep, you only smiled and read as you were happy that at least he was here spending his company with you and you realized that with the way he is, he was putting in his effort and that it was gonna take awhile for him to really become your friend.  

You were just happy that there was someone that you suddenly want to put the effort into talking to in so long.  

.~.~.~.~.~.  

To your wonderful surprise, it suddenly became routine for Daryl to come by your cell whenever he had some free time to listen to music. It was the same songs over and over again and he didn't mind it all that much.  

At first, it was the same way the first meeting had gone, then it became you sitting next to him to read, that soon turned into you sitting next to him reading with one earbud in your ear and the other in his, then it shifted the location to your bed with some words exchanged between the both of you and then finally it became you ditching your book, lying down next to him either in a comfortable silence or with the both of you talking freely like never before.  

You were happy because as long as it took, it was worth the wait to finally feel as if you had someone in your corner.  

It felt good to be one of the few people who got to see Daryl's soft side. Every time he came by to your cell, he would either give you little trinkets or gifts that he found on his time outside the prison or find you new discs to listen to. What got you the most in awe with him was whenever he did find you new music, he always told you how he hoped you'd like the one he found. Even nicer than that were the times he'd let you know he didn't find anything that you would like. Since he was the one finding all these gifts for you, you figured that he was unintentionally showing you his music taste and most of them were eighties bands which you didn't mind at all.    

All though that was all rainbows and butterflies in your book, what made you really go heart eyes for him is how you two became closer physically which is honestly a something you didn't expect from him. It went from shoulder to shoulder, thigh to thigh, a head on his shoulder when you fell for a nap to his head on your lap for the same reason. A hand on top of his without him pulling away to him actually holding yours casually with his fingers pattering away against yours. That was beginning to be your favorite of physical contacts with him. Honestly, you couldn’t believe it was you he was doing this with. But there was a problem with all of this. You were starting to like him a little more than you care to admit and all of these touches were starting some strange circus acts inside your stomach and heart.  

What didn’t help was the fact that there had been a couple close calls from time to time to which you were only grateful that they happened. You could imagine the scenarios played out and those were helping you get to sleep along with your music. It was also nice of Daryl not to act weird towards you after them as you thought he might do.  

They were moments where everything goes silent after an intimate talk and you find yourselves either looking at your clasped hands or at his lips or, if you were brave enough, his eyes and it always felt like something was about to happen. Obviously, nothing did happen but you couldn’t help but let your imagination go from time to time.  

Things changed though. You would say they changed for the better.  

It was a small run. Nothing that needed more than two people. As Daryl being Daryl, he always volunteered to go but what was different this time was that he asked you to come along with him. It shocked you honestly as there were far more capable people to go along which you made sure to let Daryl know. You even told him that you may be rusty from not being out there in a good while to which he replied that you going out there now would grease you up.  

So, you agreed. How could you say no to that man?

It was a small run to a house that Rick saw on the way back. That was it. You expected the worst because that��s how you survive. Expect the worse and you can anticipate and plan your time out in the walker's territory. It was still a shock to see that walker in the bedroom to which you easily killed. You've seen them every day clearing them away from the fences but there wasn't a fence between you and this walker in front of you. It was still a shock to feel a walker grab onto you after killing the one you found before it. It never gets easier when you feel their weight on top of you with their teeth chopping the air. The feeling of fear surging through you with your mind going blank of any thoughts except kill. It was still a shock to feel it immediately go limp right on top of you as you felt it’s head thump right on the crook of your neck with its blood oozing out slowly down to the back of your neck to your collarbone and it was still a shock to know that you made it out of there alive.

To add on to the list of things that shocked you was the immediate attention Daryl gave you right after, with him on his knees in front of you and his hands on your cheeks as he looked into your eyes telling you that you were okay. You then noticed his eyes scanning all over your body asking if you were okay for sure and if you were bit. Once his eyes landed on the small puddle of blood on your neck, he panicked only for you to hold your hands against his and assure him it was the walkers. It shocked you how tight he hugged you after you said that. How he couldn't let go with his hand on the back of your head pulling as close as humanly possible. The feeling of arms wrapped around you as you didn't know what to do with yourself except lightly hold on to him. Before you could hug yourself harder against him, he lets go saying how it was time for them pack up and leave before sunset began.  

The drive home was quiet as the tension of the close call from earlier occupied both of your minds. As soon as Daryl noticed how even more quiet you were with him, he placed his hand on top of yours, you instinctively clasped onto his hand with your fingers intertwined. You kept looking out the window as Daryl kept glancing at you in fear that maybe you'd disappear if he didn't check on you.  

Once Daryl pulled in to the prison and helped with getting the small number of items inside, he came back out to find you sitting on the hood of the car looking up at the moon and stars. Glenn asked if there was something wrong to which Daryl only told him to give you and himself a minute alone.  

You noticed him get inside the car and start it back up, the way it rumbled underneath you startled you. As he made his way to take a seat next to you, you only raised an eyebrow until you heard some soft music playing behind you. You just looked straight ahead in order for you to get lost in thought once again.  

"You doin' alright?" He finally asked.  

"Yeah...Just thinking, really..."  

"About?" He fiddled with his thumbs in between his fingers.

"Obviously of what just happened but...also other stuff in general."  

"Like what?" You only shrugged at his question, not really knowing yourself. "'s alright. You don't gotta talk about it." He shrugged as well looking down at his beat-up dirty boots.

"No, it's nothing like that. When I figure it out, I'll tell you. Honestly, at this point, there isn't anything that's a secret anymore between you and me." You wanted to make sure he knew that you weren't trying to push him away or keep things from him. You two have come too far to suddenly shut down.

"That right?" He looked back up at you. His eyes looked like they were glistening under the pale moonlight. It was honestly mesmerizing and if you could, you would stare at them for hours waiting to see what your future would be like if you did, as if they were a crystal ball. But you didn't as you looked down to now be the one to reach out and hold his hand.  

"Yeah. As hard as it is to believe, I... I trust you. Wholly and completely." You then laid your head on his shoulder with your eyes feeling heavy as the events of the day finally weighed down on you.

"Me too. I know I haven't told anyone everythin' 'bout me but I know that when I do, it's gonna be you I tell." With your head rising back up, your eyes immediately went to Daryl's and his were on yours as he wanted to make sure you saw how serious he was being. You just smiled as you leaned in for a quick kiss on his cheek. Never have you felt this deeply for another person and never have you felt that someone else would care for you this much in your lifetime.  

He didn't look away. He didn't try to go ahead and bite his thumb like he usually does when he's nervous. The only thing he did was continue to look at you and you suddenly felt as if you done something wrong. Never had you two done anything like that before and there must be a reason for it if he's reacting this way. But like every time you start to overthink, Daryl begins to act out his actions before you could pull away and do so yourself.  

His finger and thumb found themselves holding your cheek pulling to him but not roughly enough to where you could really feel him pinch your cheeks. It was in that moment that you didn't want to be anywhere else but here as he kissed you deeply, his lips moving to give you such innocent pleasure that you longed for. All of the emotion that he had in him from before and the ones from earlier on were put into that kiss. The longing, the patience, the worry, the relief, all of it he made sure you felt as he kept on kissing you in a way you didn't think a first kiss with Daryl would go. You imagined it to be soft, slow and in place but right now it was a bit rough in the sense that if he went in soft, he wouldn't be able to evoke all that he was feeling. It was at a faster pace but not much where it felt he was ready to take you right there and then (although you wouldn't have mind that). He wasn't giving you quick or long pecks, his lips moved as if he were soothing them from an ache. Either your bottom or top lip was always in between his and never had you felt this good.

Once he pulled away, you were both out of breath. It was unbelievable. One day you thought he didn't like you at all, the next, it was if he never wanted you to leave his side again. "Wow..." You blinked the sudden daze away.

"Sorry..." He pulled away quick as he looked down in a shy manner. Never had you looked at someone with pure adortion. Your hands went to take his cheeks as to pull his eyes to look at you.

"Hey, it's alright..." He only peeked at you, frightened of your reaction. You lifted his head up to look at him with a smile on his face. You gave him a peck on his lips to assure him you were fine with what he did and wrapped your arms around him in a hug. He reciprocated the hug, burying his head into your shoulder.

.~.~.~.~.~.

From there you two were now an item. Being that the both of you were shy in nature, you didn't show signs that you were together but you did spend more time with each other than before. No one really noticed at first but they soon caught on and understood.  

The both of you spent a lot of time being affectionate with one another in the privacy of your cell. Like before, you two would listen to music together but it felt as if you were teenagers staring at the ceiling and talking throughout the night. Daryl would always bring you back more music to listen to it and it seemed to become the norm.  

There was routine, there was a life and then the prison had fallen.  

From there, it felt as if all was lost but you were with Daryl and things didn't seem all that bad. You both lost all of what you gained and Daryl felt awful about it. Your lives were set there and it was all gone. All that you built. He was even starting to think of a future with you in that romantical sense.  

Soon enough Alexandria was found and although everyone was on edge from what happened previous, things began to settle down. Everyone began to feel at ease here including yourself.  

But not Daryl.

Daryl still felt distrustful. He still felt scared. He still felt as if all wasn't well and he didn't like the fact that everyone felt the opposite, especially you.  

Today was one of those days that he felt those emotions come on strong. Daryl headed out on a run to let some steam out and to not feel so claustrophobic in those walls. You stayed behind this time to take on the job of babysitting duty while Rick and Michonne went out on patrol.  

The run was a simple in and out to the nearest town. Luckily, there weren't too many walkers roaming around as they took to the nearest forests and roads. Supplies were gathered and everyone was packing up to head back to Alexandria. Daryl wasn't all too ready to head back. He still felt nervous going back to that place so when he was heading back to get on his bike, he took sight of a small electronics shop to which he could only nod his head and give a smirk. Should he? To hell with it, he already made up his mind. If anything, it would be like old times, that and he needed something to feel like home, to feel like something was normal, or as normal as he wanted it to be. Before he headed in, he made sure to tell Tara that he'll be behind them, all he needed was to grab one thing. Tara could only smile as she knew that whatever it was, it had to be for you.

.~.~.~.~.

When the gates open, you headed out to the front porch and peek at who was there. To your relief it was the gang that went out on a run earlier in the day. With Judith at your hip, you headed out to the front of the gates, ready to give Daryl a small hug to reassure yourself that he was there but once you did, you didn’t catch sight of his bike or him himself. You were ready to panic. What happened? Once you saw everyone else, you noticed that they didn’t have a solemn look, if anything, they were normal and relaxed.

“Hey, Glenn...” Turning around to your voice, Glenn just gave you a smile. “Where’s-”

“Oh! Daryl! Right, he just needed to pick up something back at our run. Said he’d be behind us.” You nodded at his response, not really feeling at ease about that. It worried you that he was out there on his own but you knew that he can take care of himself, he’s been out on his own plenty of times. “To be honest with you, I don’t think he’s warming up to the place as much as us.”

“Yeah, I’ve been noticing that too but he doesn’t want to talk about it.” You looked down as you felt a bit sad about the situation. You knew Daryl wasn’t feeling all that great and you also knew not to push him into talking about it, knowing that when he’s ready, he will. That was always how it worked with the both of you and it always seemed to work. You were worried that this time wouldn’t be the case, especially since he’s out there on his own when he had a group with him earlier.  

You went back to the shared house where Carl is ready to take Judith in his hands. It was a good opportunity for you to sit and worry in the room that was given to you. You were scared. No matter how many times you tell yourself that Daryl would be fine, that this would be a walk in the park for him, it never made the sickening feeling in your stomach lessen.  

Your heart went into a complete rush when you heard a knock on the door and you were afraid to hear some news that would send you into absolute breakdown. You only reached out to wrap your arms around Daryl’s neck holding him tight. “Jesus, thank god...” Daryl only wrapped his full hands on your hips a bit confused at your reaction.  

“You alright? Somethin’ happen?” Now it was his turn to worry. He knew this place was too good to be true.  

“No, no. I was just scared when I didn’t see you back with the others.” You pulled away from him. “What’s that?” You asked as you finally took noticed of the bag in his hands.

Daryl only shrugged and shyly handed you the bag. “Saw this store right before we left. Thought I check it out.” You opened it up, taking the items out and laying them on your bed. You could only smile at his gifts for you.

“Daryl, you didn’t have to...” A shrug was all you got. You took notice of one of the CD’s that were in the pile. One from Kansas. “I think we have this one downstairs...” You kept looking through all of them until you see Daryl grab the bag and stuff all of the CD’s in them. “Daryl, what are you...”

“Seem like you got what you need downstairs, huh? I don’t know why you gotta keep these then.”  

“Daryl, No.” You reach out to grab his arm only for him to pull away.  

“Nah, I get it. You don’t need shit from me. You got everything you want here so I don’t see what’s the point of me bein’ here!” He was about to walk out the door, turning the knob until you slammed your hand against the door.  

“Daryl! Stop!” He did as you demanded not fighting against you. “Look at me please...” Taking a peek through his hair, scared of your reaction now that he was able think some things through. “YOu have to tell me what’s wrong. I don’t want you suddenly going off on your own angry and then have something happen to you. I can’t have you be out there when you could be here with me talking about whatever’s bothering you. I don’t want you feeling alone and angry.”

He only stood there quiet looking down at his boots like a child in trouble. “I know. You don’t like talking about your feelings but you somehow always do with me and I’m scared maybe you’re feeling a lot worse than any other time or maybe that you can’t talk to me about these kinds of things anymore. That maybe I’m not the go-to for you anymore.”

Instantly Daryl nodded his no being vocal about it as well. His thumb was up to his teeth as he couldn’t help chew on it. “Nah, that ain’t it. That’ll never be it.” You could only look at him and him at you. “Don’t ever think like that. It’s just... I don’t know. This place, Terminus, I just...” His head went back to the direction of the ground. All you did was wrap your arms around him knowing how hard it is for him to express what he wanted to say.  

You spared him from pushing himself too hard as you told him you understood what he meant, what he was feeling, how you felt the same and how it was ok for him to feel this way, “I know you’re scared. I’m scared too. This place seems too good and either they’ll turn on us or those walkers get in, I don’t know but we’re all still together...” He only buried his head into your neck as he held onto your waist tighter.  

“I get that you think we’re thinking nothing of it, that we’re pretending everything’s normal and wonderful here but we’re only trying to make the best of what we have right now.” You stroked his hair to sooth him. “If this place is as great as we want to believe, then I want it to be better with you here. You wIth me.” Daryl pulls his head back to look at you. “You know I care about you right?” He nods his head, making him look far much smaller compared to your first impression of him.  held onto his face, stroking his cheek with your thumb. You hate seeing him like this but it also made you feel special that it was only you that he showed this side to. That he still had trust in you. “Then you know how much I hate seeing you like this?” He nods again slowly.

“I just can’t. This place, it don’t feel like home, it don’t feel like they need me. I belong out there, where I know better, not some place where they throw parties whenever and pretend like we can share cookin’ recipes and shit. That ain’’t me...”  

“It’s not me, either. We’ve been through too much to pretend but know that we’re not.” You grab onto his hands, slipping the bag into yours and placing a hand on his shoulder, leading him to the bed. “Lay down.” Daryl did as he was told without complaint and stared up to the ceiling. The corner of his eyes had tears to which you wiped them away and kissed his forehead. From there, you laid next to him. He didn’t notice you were doing much until you tapped his shoulder to offer him an earbud. Head on his shoulder with his on top of yours, you both laid there holding hands. This was what Daryl wanted, to feel as if things hadn’t changed. They never did. All that did change was where they were and the new people they’ve encountered with new experiences to add to their list. Things haven’t changed, not when he was laying beside you doing your favorite pass time together. Right now, he didn’t feel angry, anxious, worried or scared. He felt as if he is at home and maybe that future that he was thinking up before can be a reality. 

[hamlets-ghost]

 After finishing ’A madness of angels’ by Kate Griffin in one sitting yesterday, I wanted to share some of my favourite things about the book series so far:

-     I love the world building. As a person who lives in a big city (Copenhagen isn’t that big but it’s a lot of people in a very cramped area so…) there are so many elements you recognize but in a weird déjà vu-ish way. So many things that you don’t really notice but know are there. Also some things that you normally try to ignore because it’s kinda disgusting is used in a beautiful way in the book. The only thing I can think of right now are the rats and pigeons, but there are many more examples of this.

-     The way urban magic in the Matthew Swift series works also fascinate me more than magic in other books I have read, because a lot of it is drawing from things that you know are there. As with the world building, I love how Kate Griffin have taken small things that you can find and know exist in a city and made them magical in a plausible way (aka the magic they emit make sense when you think about how they are used/what they are). One of my favourite moments of this was by the station, where Matthew used the already established norm that you can only enter with a ticket to keep the shadow at bay. And how the spell was basically the rules of public transport.

-     The magical elements of the world are so simple yet resonates a lot with the everyday life of a city. The last train with the ‘typical’ passengers that always seem to be there so you never notice normally, the graffiti that sometimes feel like it is moving (really, as a person who run a lot through the city when its dark, this happens way to often) or the feeling of not ever being completely alone no matter how empty a street is. It again sparks this weird sense of not-really-déjà-vu that makes the world of the book even more realistically fantastic.

-     The magic entities like the beggar king and the bag lady also just feel right in a very weird and kind of urban legend way, which again just pushes all my ‘I need to know more’ buttons.

-     I also want to talk about Matthew Swift and the blue electric angels. I love the seamless integration of the two and the smooth switch between ‘I’ and ‘us’ both when he is speaking and when he is thinking. You learn some things about Swift from before through his actions, but as a reader you also don’t really know a lot about him in a unreliable narrator kind of way, which is great in this kind of book, as it makes thing less black-and-white which a lot of fantasy novels I have read tend to bend towards. A lot of the elements in the books are way more grey which again makes it ever the more realistic and lovable.

-    The ‘is he still human or is he not’ feeling is also always a big yes from me. Also I love the angels and their childish excitement with human life like the cinema and food. I know they are very powerful and all but also I think they are cute…

-   I could talk forever about the action scenes and the more calm ‘talking with the enemy on enemy ground’ but all in all I love that people don’t just rush into action, and when they do they have a plan(-ish).

I have a lot more to say but all in all one of the best books I have read in years, and I can hardly wait for the next one which should arrive in a day or two…

[littleplebe]

A sweet nothing for one of my favourite human writing machines @dresupi. Happy birthday, my friend. You’re an inspiration. 💕

Shout out to the absolutely amazing @aenariasbookshelf for her cheerleading and hand holding.

Note: If I were you, I’d read Pietro’s lines with his signature accent. It helps. I think.

“This forest is dangerous place for girl like you.”

The accent. It was thick and heavy. Russian, she decided after some thought. The words sounded like a warning, almost a promise of something bad about to happen; but the face that went with the words was too young, too curious to be threatening.

“What about a boy like yourself?”

A slight curve of lips. A smirk that reminded her of the wolf in the fairytale Red Riding Hood. “I can take care of myself.”

“So can I.”

“Maybe so. But can you do this?”

There was a flash of something. The wind blew past her in an unusual sort of way and she felt herself falling… and falling… and falling.

Darcy screamed. Her eyes snapped open to find her fellow flight passengers looking at her in alarm. Beside her, Jane jerked awake, wild and alert.

“Wha… what happened?”

Darcy gulped. An apology was on the tip of her tongue but her body felt rigid and heavy, almost as if she was frozen in place, staring straight ahead as she tried and failed to hold on to the last vestiges of her dream.

“Hello! Earth to, Darcy.” Jane placed a hand on hers, trying to get her attention. “Woah, you’re freezing!”

“Sorry,” came out nearly a minute later as her body slowly relaxed and her brain regained enough awareness to realize that a member of the cabin crew was standing there with a glass of water and blanket in her hands.

“Don’t apologize,” Jane said, taking the blanket from the woman’s hand and draping it over Darcy’s lap. “Tell me what happened.”

“Bad dream, I think,” Darcy mumbled, gratefully sipping the warm water, feeling it slide down her throat all the way to her stomach. It felt unexpectedly good.

“You think?”

Darcy shrugged. She couldn’t remember what she had been dreaming about. She couldn’t even recall what she was feeling just a moment ago when she had woken up screaming. It should have frustrated her since she was just as confused as Jane, but it didn’t really. Darcy Lewis was someone who didn’t dwell on stuff. She preferred living in the moment. And this moment with Jane, where they were flying to a new location to live and work with new people, was pretty incredible.

“Darcy, are you sure you’re okay?”

Perhaps a change of subject was in order.

“Yes. Are we there yet?”

Almost as if he had heard her, the pilot’s voice rang out through the speakers, informing them all they had reached New York and would be landing soon.

Darcy grinned at Jane. “We’re gonna take the city by storm, Janey.”

It was nice to see the concern on her friend’s face melt into excitement.

-

“What’s a place like you doing in a girl like this?”

The accent. It was thick and heavy. Russian, she decided after some thought. The words made her smile even as the face made her heart beat a little faster. She turned so she was facing him, openly checking him out to see whether it would make him uncomfortable. It didn’t.

“You mean on this balcony or in this tower?”

“Tower,” he said after a moment, coming to stand next to her, resting his elbows on the sleek wooden railing as he studied her with interest.

She could sense his eyes linger on the fanny pack around her waist and the knee-length Capri she was wearing. She knew she looked like someone who was about to go off camping into the woods, but that is how she dressed now, ready for any type of world ending situation. She had started wearing the fanny pack after the Destroyer attack. It carried things important to her and things that would be helpful in difficult circumstances. Like her dad used to say, “It never hurts to be prepared, kiddo.”

“Let’s just say I’m attracted to opulence,” she replied with a straight face, uncaring whether he’d catch on to her sarcasm.

Surprisingly, he did and an amused little smirk formed on his face. It looked so familiar that for a second, Darcy thought she was having déjà vu. She returned his smile and let her eyes sweep over the stunning Manhattan skyline. The sun was about to go down and she had never seen a more orange sky. There were hints of pink and yellow here and there, enhancing the beauty of the scene, making it a perfectly wonderful sight to behold. Anyone who had clearance to this part of the tower was very lucky.

The stranger seemed to think so too because he casually revealed, “I come here to think.”

Darcy feigned surprise. “Oh, there’s a brain behind that pretty face?”

“Hah-ha.” He moved his elbow as if to nudge her playfully but thought better of it, tucking it back into his body at the last second. Maybe he wasn’t as confident as he let on. “You’re new, no?”

“Nope. Been working here for years,” she lied, silently admiring the brown locks of hair falling over his forehead. He was strikingly handsome, almost to the point of distraction. It was disconcerting.

He stared at her for a minute, then shook his head decisively. “I’d have remembered you.”

She hadn’t expected the compliment, hadn’t expected the flush of heat creeping up her neck or the strange flutter in her belly. She supposed, with a face like that, she would have remembered him too if they had ever crossed paths before.

But she wasn’t done messing with him yet. “Not if you have amnesia.”

“What’s that?”

“Memory loss.”

His brow furrowed. “I don’t have amnesia.”

“That’s what all amnesiacs say.”

She grinned when he rolled his eyes. It wasn’t a bad way to be welcomed to the Avengers Tower, by an attractive Russian man on a balcony watching a beautiful sunset.

-

“You again.” She would recognize that silver mop of hair anywhere. Then again, they had met just two days ago, so the memory of him was still pretty fresh in her mind.

He didn’t seem to care for her icy tone and continued looking at her with interest. His eyes flickered to the tent behind her, then to the bonfire she had built, and back to her. “What’s your name? Why are you here?”

She set aside the marshmallow she was roasting and scowled at him. “I’m not talking to you. You pushed me into the creek!”

He gave her a winning smile. “But I also pulled you out.”

“What, so you want me to thank you for that? Throw myself at your feet and refer to you as my savior?”

A look of confusion passed over his features. “Er… no.”

“There are other ways to show off your super powers, dude!” She huffed and went back to making s’mores. Silence reigned on them as she continued with her meal while he stood frozen in one spot, eyes fixed on her, looking utterly lost. It was unclear what was more disappointing to him: that she wasn’t scared of him or that she didn’t want to be friends with him. Well, excuse her for not being impressed. Thor was a literal God and he had nearly gotten her killed in New Mexico. She was done being friends with trouble. Super done.

The trees around them rustled, an owl hooted somewhere, making the hair on her arm stand on end, the fire crackled happily before her and he still stood there like a statue. It was becoming difficult to ignore his presence.

“Why are you still here?”

He blinked and then averted his eyes. “I don’t want to go back to them.”

“To whom?”

“HYDRA.”

-

“Why don’t you like Tony Stark?”

“He’s the reason my parents are dead.”

“Then why are you in his tower, working for him?”

“I don’t work for him. I work for SHIELD. I just live here.”

“I heard Stark himself sought you out and brought you here from Sokovia.”

“That doesn’t change my feelings for him.”

“But you don’t want him dead anymore.”

“I don’t know what I want.”

-

“We have to stop meeting like this.”

Darcy jumped, nearly falling off the branch she was perched on. She had climbed up a tree to snap some pictures of her tent and the landscape from above. God knew if she’d ever have a chance to experience something like this again. Nature in its true form. Unkempt and untouched.

She glared at the man before her. He hadn’t been there a second ago and had literally appeared in the blink of an eye. “We would if you stop following me,” Darcy snapped, reaching forward to swat his arm.

Pietro laughed. It was a genuine heart-melting sound of delight. Such laughs were so rare coming from him that Darcy had learned to cherish them. He scooted forward until their knees were touching and plucked a stray leaf from her hair. Butterflies immediately erupted in her stomach and her expression softened.

“If you wanted me to stop following you, why did you tell me where you were camping next?”

Darcy turned pink. He had caught her there. It sucked that he was aware of how much she enjoyed his company but it didn’t bother her as much as it normally would have. Pietro never used that knowledge to his advantage and that kinda made him more attractive to her.

She tried to divert. “You’re lucky there are no alarms on your cell block. Aren’t you worried what would happen if Dr. List found out you’ve been breaking out every so often?”

Pietro made a rude sound of dismissal. “List is mad. Idiot person.”

“He’s the one who gave you your powers.”

“No. My powers were asleep. He brought them to life.”

“Same thing.”

“Not same thing,” came the sharp response. He got upset, and rightfully so, whenever she tried to talk to him about HYDRA or the facility where he was imprisoned. She couldn’t, for the life of her, understand why he always went back. If he hated them so much and could escape so easily, why not run away for good?

She supposed he had his secrets, she had hers.

“Are you really going away next week?”

“To London, yeah. Jane needs me.”

“For what?”

“Science stuff.”

“I need you here.”

“No, Pietro, you don’t.”

“Do you even want to go?”

“I don’t know what I want.”

-

“Sometimes I feel like I know you.”

Darcy looked up from her laptop to find him watching her… rather intently. He did that sometimes, grew intense and broody and unusually focused on her. It scared her, his attention. She shouldn’t be getting so much of it when there was someone else in the picture.

She had seen him around the tower with another woman, talking to her, having lunch with her, holding her hand… it was like a knife to the heart. Darcy had never known such jealousy before. What was it about him that called to her? Why didn’t he feel the same way? And if he could never be hers, what gave him the right to look at her like she was the most fascinating creature on the planet and how dare he say things to her that made her heart beat out of her chest?

Sometimes I feel like I know you.

There was no way she was telling him she felt the same way. Like she knew him from somewhere. Like they were meant to be together maybe…

“You do know me,” she said instead, going back to her laptop. This data needed to be typed and categorized into separate folders before Jane returned from her break.

Pietro didn’t say anything for a while.

“Nevermind. I can’t explain it.”

-

They were in her tent and he had just revealed something new to her.

“You have a sister?”

“Yes.”

“She has super powers too?”

“Yes.”

“And you say she’s been using them to help you break out?” She did not give him a chance to reply. “Oh my God, why doesn’t she leave with you?”

“She can’t. She’s not ready yet.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I was afraid if you knew, you’d try to save her too.”

“Damn right I would!”

“Darcy, you have to understand, we chose this. Wanda and I wanted this.”

“Why?”

“To free our country.”

“Bullshit! I chose to camp in a Hungarian jungle. That’s a choice. There’s no such thing as willingly being tortured and imprisoned by a terrorist organization.”

“You don’t understand…”

“You’re right. I’d never understand.”

-

“Hide me!” A dark-haired young girl wearing a black shirt and red jacket scurried into the lab and crouched under Darcy’s desk.

“Wanda, what’s up?”

It wasn’t that difficult to accept that Wanda was Pietro’s twin sister and not his girlfriend. Maybe if she had ever looked closely, she would have noticed how platonic their relationship was. She had never even seen them kiss before foolishly assuming the worst.

“It’s the Captain,” Wanda whispered, peeking out to see if she had been followed. “He’s at it again.”

“Staring?”

“Hardcore staring,” came the annoyed reply. “He thinks I don’t know but I can sense these things. I always know when someone’s looking at me.”

Darcy slid down from her chair and crouched beside Wanda. “Why don’t you just talk to him? Tell him he’s being freaky?”

“Why should I? I don’t know the guy, never talked to him save for that one time in the beginning when we were introduced and he held my hand for eight hundred years and got choked up for no reason!”

Darcy snorted. Wanda sounded so much more American these days. It was fun to hear her talk.

“Dude creeps me out,” she finished with a shudder.

“Maybe he likes you,” Darcy suggested, waggling her eyebrows. “Maybe he wants to do dirty things to you.”

“Ew, stop!” Another shudder rippled through Wanda, making Darcy laugh. “He’s old, Darcy!”

“Not that old.”

“He doesn’t like me, not like that,” Wanda stated, sounding surprisingly firm for someone who had never spoken to the man. “And it’s not just him. Agent Romanoff sometimes does it too, looks at me like I’m some kind of a miracle, like I’m going to vanish into thin air if not monitored at all times.”

“Really? That’s weird.”

“Tell me about it.”

“What are you going to do?”

Wanda shrugged. “Don’t know. See if I can get myself transferred to a remote SHIELD facility. I don’t need to stay in Stark’s stupid tower to become a SHIELD agent. If I talk to the right person, I could maybe be placed directly under Agent Coulson.”

“Who’s the right person?”

“Pepper Potts? Director Fury?”

Darcy nodded along absently until a thought struck her and her heart sank. “What about Pietro?”

An impish smile spread across Wanda’s face and she gave Darcy a knowing look. “He can stay here if he wants.”

-

“I’m afraid I’ll never see you again.”

“Me, too.”

“When do you think they’ll let you out of your cells?”

“Once Wanda learns to control her powers.”

“What will you do then?”

“Go to war.”

“You’re gonna get yourself killed, aren’t you?”

“Have some faith, lapushka. If I’m lucky, I can even outrun death.”

-

“Tell me a secret.”

His answer was quick and playful. “I’d like to have super powers.”

Darcy rolled her eyes but couldn’t help matching his grin. “Wouldn’t everyone?”

They were lying side by side on the balcony where they had first met, pretending to star gaze while really just relishing this rare moment away from prying eyes. Darcy took his hand and laced their fingers together, bringing them to rest on her belly. She loved that she could do this. Hold his hand, hug him, kiss him whenever she wanted. After having pined for him for weeks, this new dynamic between them felt amazing. Darcy would even go so far as to say that apart from meeting Jane, being with Pietro was the best thing that had ever happened to her.

“No, I mean a proper secret,” she explained eagerly. “A deep, dark one that you haven’t told anyone.”

“My deep, dark secret,” Pietro echoed pensively. “Hmmm.” He tucked his other hand under his head like a pillow and regarded the stars with a thoughtful frown.

Darcy watched him, letting her eyes rake over his handsome face as she herself wondered if she had a deep, dark secret. She supposed she had secrets (who doesn’t?) but nothing deep, dark or worrisome. Definitely nothing too bizarre… save for the dreams she kept having every now and then that she could never remember.

“Don’t laugh,” Pietro began, pulling her out of her thoughts. “But there are times I feel like I shouldn’t be alive.”

Not knowing how to react, Darcy chuckled in confusion. “What?”

He laughed nervously. “Yeah. It’s difficult to explain.”

“Is it survivor’s guilt? Your parents died and you didn’t?” Darcy asked, trying to understand where he was coming from.

But Pietro simply shrugged. “I don’t know. I can’t pinpoint where the feeling comes from.” He sighed heavily, closing his eyes for a long tense minute before turning to her with raised eyebrows. “What’s your deep, dark secret?”

Darcy huffed out a laugh. “I don’t have one.”

“Then tell me something you haven’t told anyone.” He turned on his side and scooted closer to her, looking genuinely interested in what her answer would be.

“Okay,” Darcy said slowly, racking her brains. Something she hadn’t told anyone… hmm. “I’ve always wanted to go camping.”

Pietro gave her an incredulous look. “You haven’t told anyone you want to go camping?”

Darcy giggled. “No, I haven’t told anyone I was going to quit working for Jane so I could go camping.”

“Really?” He sounded impressed. “Why didn’t you?”

“Some time after the battle of New York, Jane got a call from Pepper Potts and,” here, Darcy grinned complacently, “what idiot would pass on an opportunity to work with the Avengers?”

“You say that now. Wait till you actually meet all of them,” Pietro mumbled wryly. “They’re an intense brood. Always alert. Always together. Sometimes they stare at you in a totally weird way and it creeps you the hell out!”

He sounded so much like Wanda in that moment that Darcy couldn’t help but laugh. “Well, I’ve only met Thor and Bruce and they’ve been nothing but nice to me. Besides, I like it here. You and I wouldn’t have met if I had left Jane to go live in the jungle.”

“Nah, I think we’d have found our way to each other even then.”

Darcy looked at him. “You think so?”

“I know so.”

-

“Do you believe in destiny?”

“No. I believe in serendipity.”

-

She entered Bruce’s lab to find him engaged in a serious conversation with Tony Stark. They were speaking in unusually low tones but Darcy still managed to catch some words here and there when she went in.

“… still in prison… can’t get a hold of Pym…”

“What about strange…?”

“… and the Maximoffs…”

Darcy started at the name and the question “What about the Maximoffs?” slipped out of her mouth before she could stop herself.

Both men stopped talking and turned to stare at her in alarm. “Darcy!” Bruce exclaimed uncomfortably. “When did you come in?”

She caught a glimpse of a man with a goatee on the screen behind them but she blinked and the picture was gone.

“Just now,” she replied carefully. Maybe it had been a bad idea to barge into his lab like that but now that she was here, she wasn’t about to leave without knowing what they were saying about the Maximoff twins. “Is Pietro in trouble?” Her eyes flickered from one Avenger to another in concern.

There was a brief awkward silence before Stark responded, “No.”

“What about Wanda?” Oh God, why was she pushing her luck?

“She’s fine.”

“Then what…?”

“That’s classified, Ms. Lewis, I’m sorry.”

Darcy opened her mouth, then closed it. “You know my name?”

Stark’s lips curved up just a little. “I know everyone in my tower, honey. Especially those who walk around with fanny packs.”

Well, that was a pleasant surprise. Her respect for him increased tenfold, even though she didn’t appreciate the use of an endearment.

Bruce cleared his throat. “Darcy is Pietro’s… uh, that is to say they’re together.”

“In that case, you should join me,” Stark said, jerking his head to the door of the lab. “I was about to go and look for him.”

“Why?”

He exchanged a look with Bruce, who smiled. “Curious, this one.” To Darcy, he said, “Come on, Lewis.”

She followed him out of the lab, bursting with questions. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and seemed to drag his feet as he walked. It was oddly unlike what she had expected of him. But not in a bad way. He looked up at the ceiling and spoke to his A.I.

“Vision—I mean, JARVIS, is Quicksilver in the tower?”

“Yes, sir. He’s in the gym sparring with Agent Romanoff.”

“Good.” He gave Darcy a sidelong glance. “So, Pietro Maximoff, eh? How did that happen?”

Darcy’s brow furrowed. That was highly personal, not to mention rude. Eh, she had never been much for social etiquette anyway. “It just happened. How did you and Miss. Potts happen?”

He grinned. “I pestered her till she loved me back.”

“That’s not a promising start to a relationship.”

His grin widened. “You don’t say.”

Darcy didn’t know if anything could compare to kissing Pietro, but making Iron Man smile was right up there. In all the pictures she had ever seen of him in media, she had never seen him smiling. He was either smirking or looking smugly at the camera or shooting finger guns, but never truly smiling. It was a good look on him.

“Why does Pietro have a codename?” she asked thinking maybe now he’d answer her questions.

“Because he’s special.”

That was unarguably true. Pietro was definitely special, but Darcy doubted Stark meant it the way she was thinking it. So she asked, “How?”

Her question was met with silence. Stark studied her carefully, eyes boring into her as if looking into her very soul. Then he shook his head and said, “You’ll see one day.”

Darcy scowled but didn’t push it.

They reached the gym in no time. Four people were in there out of which two were engaged in a heavy hitting sparring session. Darcy had never seen Pietro fight and she couldn’t believe how amazing he was. The Black Widow was obviously stronger than him—it showed every time she landed a punch and he went stumbling back—but Pietro was definitely faster than her. He fought mostly in defense, weaving under her arms and breezing around her almost like the wind, dodging punches and being a little shit in general. Darcy was proud of him.

In the corner stood Wanda and Agent Coulson, watching the fight with muted interest.

“Hi,” Darcy said excitedly, bounding over to hug Wanda. “How are you? Are you back for good?”

Wanda shook her head. “I’m here for a ‘debriefing session’… like anyone knows what that means,” she said, doing air quotes and everything. Darcy laughed and Pietro promptly got distracted. The Widow spun around and kicked him in the chest, sending him sprawling.

“Damn that hurt,” he groaned, clutching his ribs in pain.

The Widow looked like she couldn’t care less. Giving a deliberate flip to her hair, she left him on the mat and came over to join the bystanders. Darcy started to run to him but Wanda grabbed her hand.

“Don’t. He needs to get up himself.”

“That was a nice show,” Tony Stark said to the Widow, who glanced back at her fallen opponent in disappointment.

“He’s weak,” she declared bluntly.

“He’s just a kid, Nat. He’s gonna get stronger.”

“Don’t talk about me like I’m not here,” Pietro grumbled from the mat, forcing himself up in a sitting position, blue eyes fixed firmly on Darcy.

She shot him a worried smile, every cell in her body telling her to go to his aid. But Wanda was still holding onto her hand. Eventually, he pushed himself up and limped over to join their little group, situating himself right next to Darcy.

“Hi.”

“Hi.” The surroundings blurred and melted every time she looked into his eyes. If she concentrated hard enough, she could imagine them alone on the balcony, just drinking each other in, sneaking kisses every now and then, without a care in the world.

“What are you doing here?”

Before she could reply, the iPod stealer loudly cleared his throat. “This is sweet and all but we have work to do,” he announced, looking meaningfully at Stark and Widow, both of whom nodded, suddenly businesslike.

“Right. I’ll assemble the Avengers in Conference Room 3,” the billionaire stated, pulling out his tablet and making a few quick taps on it. “Is Nick coming?”

Coulson shook his head. “He’s stuck in D.C. Now that Pierce has been taken care of, his responsibilities have fallen to Nick.”

“Gotcha. Now then, Maximoff and Maximoff,” Stark said, looking to Wanda and Pietro mysteriously. “Follow me.” Darcy had just opened her mouth to protest when he interrupted, “Not you, Lewis.”

Great. No one ever told her anything important.

Everyone filed out after Stark. Coulson deigned Darcy with a rare smile as he left. Wanda waved nervously and Pietro hung back to press her against the wall and kiss the breath out of the lungs.

“Do you know what this meeting’s about?” she asked him between kisses.

He made a negating sound, dragging his lips up her jaw and pressing them to her cheek. “I’ll find you after, okay?”

Those words triggered something in her brain and Darcy blinked rapidly, experiencing a horrible déjà vu. Tears sprung to her eyes for no reason and she was so confused by them that she let them slide down her face and soak into her sweater. Her hands tightened around Pietro and she burrowed herself into him for one desperate second before letting him go. “Okay.”

He stepped back and looked into her eyes searchingly, giving her the feeling that he wanted to say something.

When he didn’t, she whispered, “What is it?”

“Nothing.” He stole one last kiss and was gone.

-

“Hello?”

“Darcy?” The voice was muffled but she’d recognize it anywhere.

“Pietro… is that you?”

“Yes.”

“Oh my God!” Her voice cracked with surprise and relief and she slapped a hand to her mouth. “How… how are you?”

“I’m fine. How are you?”

“I’m fine, too.” Tears unbidden welled up into her eyes. She hadn’t realized how much she had missed him until this very moment when he was calling her for the first time after their separation in Hungary. “Are you free?” From HYDRA was implied.

“Yes,” he replied after a second’s delay. He sounded okay, if not too cheerful. “I miss you.”

Her heart leapt into her throat at his words. Fresh tears rolled down her cheeks, happy ones. “I miss you, too,” she whispered. “I can’t believe you remembered my number!”

“How could I…?” There was disturbance at the other end of the line and she was unable to catch the end of his sentence.

“I can’t hear you. Where are you?” Darcy asked, raising her voice.

“I’m on a plane.” His words reached her low and broken. “Something bad… to happen… going to stop it… to you?”

Darcy stood up and went out of the room, ignoring Jane and Ian’s puzzled looks. “What? Pietro, I can’t hear you.” She was getting frantic, desperate to hear his voice, to know what he wanted to tell her. Why was he calling from a plane? Where was he going and with whom?

“I’ll find you after, okay?” The line went dead.

“Hello? Hello?”

-

The rest of the day passed in a haze. Darcy couldn’t concentrate on work, couldn’t eat, forgot to feed Jane, and accidentally knocked a cup of coffee over the star charts. Her nerves were on end and she was growing more impatient as the minutes ticked by.

“What’s wrong with you?” Jane hissed irritably as she cleaned the mess her assistant had made.

“I don’t know,” Darcy mumbled resignedly. “I’m gonna go home. Call me if you need me.”

She couldn’t help being worried. Pietro still hadn’t returned from the meeting and the wait was nerve-wracking. How long did debriefing sessions last anyway? Come to think of it, what did they even mean? And why only the Maximoffs were in attendance? Why not any other agents in training?

She couldn’t identify what it was that was making her so anxious but she had a dreadful feeling something bad was going to happen. The mere idea that the feeling was associated with Pietro somehow was causing her much distress. Her apartment was the only place she felt even remotely comfortable, so she kicked off her shoes and curled up on her bed, trying and failing to clear her mind of these morbid thoughts.

She had no idea when she fell asleep but at around midnight, perhaps even later than that, JARVIS woke her up to tell her Mr. Maximoff was at the door. She scrambled up and out of the room as fast as her legs would allow her, and threw open the door to see him standing on the other side, tired but smiling.

“What took you so long?” she cried just before he stalked forward and gathered her into his arms in a crushing embrace.

“Sorry, I’m so sorry,” he breathed into her hair, lips brushing against her neck as he spoke. “I’m here now.”

At first she thought he was apologizing for being late and making her worry, but he kept whispering the word over and over again like a mantra and Darcy wondered what it was that he was really apologizing for. She decided she’d have time to grill him later. Right now it seemed like he needed her, so she let him cling to her for as long as he wanted. It was something they had never done before, held each other in an intimate embrace for such long minutes… but it felt like coming home. And the moment itself felt like it meant something. Like there was more to it than just two lovers hugging.

“I told you we’d find our way to each other,” Pietro murmured, pulling away to cup her face with both his hands. “No matter what path we choose or decisions we make.”

Darcy didn’t want to ruin the moment because he was looking into her eyes and saying nice things that were possibly even deep, but she had no idea what he was talking about. “What are you saying?” she asked, staring at him in wide-eyed innocence.

It was the first time she noticed how red his eyes were, as if he had been crying… or maybe he was just exhausted and sleepy. It was the middle of the night after all and it had been a long day for him.

He ignored her question and pressed his lips to hers in a soft kiss. “Can I stay here tonight?”

“Of course!” Darcy replied immediately, reaching behind him to shut the door. “You don’t even have to ask.”

She tugged on his hand and led him straight into her bedroom. There was no awkwardness, no fear of what would or would not happen. They were just so comfortable with each other, it showed in the way they held hands, shared glances, and lay close to each other under the sheets.

“You have no idea how much the world has gone through to bring us together,” Pietro said unexpectedly as he traced patterns on the back of her hand.

Darcy giggled. “What? Since when are you so cheesy?”

He broke into a big grin. “Since I discovered the truth.”

“And what’s the truth?”

Pietro hesitated, just for a second. “That I love you.”

Darcy punched his arm, unconvinced. “That is not the truth you meant. Liar!”

He frowned. “I just told you I love you. Aren’t you going to say something about that?”

“I already knew it. For an otherwise smart person, you’re clueless when it comes to matters of the heart,” Darcy teased, pinching his chin affectionately.

“Oh,” he whispered, taken aback by her candor. “Won’t you say it back?”

“Not until you tell me what happened in the debriefing session.” She did the air quotes just like Wanda had.

Pietro sighed and didn’t meet her eyes. “I can’t tell you. Sorry, Darce.” He did sound sorry but that didn’t mean it hurt any less.

Darcy’s face fell. “Why not? I won’t tell anybody.”

“It’s not that. It’s just… a long story and it’s hard to believe and also, knowing it could put you in danger.” Pietro shook his head firmly. “And I’m not willing to risk that.”

“What about you?” Darcy asked, now more curious than ever. “Doesn’t it put you in danger?”

His lips curled into a smirk. “I can take care of myself.”

“So can I.”

“Maybe so.” He regarded her with mischief in his eyes, reminding her of the wolf in the fairytale Red Riding Hood. “But can you do this?”

Before she could blink an eye, he had rolled on top of her and buried his face in her neck, blowing a loud raspberry below her ear. Darcy screamed with laughter, momentarily forgetting their conversation as he repeatedly made increasingly funny fart noises on her skin. She wondered how someone could go from being serious to totally goofy in no time. Pietro amazed her to no end and as she wriggled beneath him, unable to stop laughing, Darcy knew that he was right. When he said that they’d always find their way to each other, in his own twisted way he meant they were meant for each other. And to Darcy, that made a lot of sense.

-

He never told her what had happened in that top secret ‘debriefing session’, neither did Wanda. But a year later when a dangerous undercover mission triggered his latent super powers to life, Darcy found out why the top secret meeting had been called in the first place. The Avengers knew more about the Maximoffs than they let on and Darcy realized what Tony Stark had meant when he had told her Pietro was special.

Silver hair suited him and so did the codename Quicksilver.

I can tell you have questions. Throw ‘em at me. :)

[oofurixmas]

This time (it will be alright)

From: @ichikonohakko

To: @the-bug-witch

Soulmates and reincarnations are a given-thing, but skeptic Abe Takaya would never be a sappy believer… until he met a certain Mihashi Ren.

Merry Xmas and Happy New Year! I’m really sorry if this is a bit messy, I hit a writer’s block and this piece was pretty much my try-to-start-again piece. Your request stated you wanted AbeMiha snuggly fluff (or memes) and you like AUs… so here’s an AU with a fine spice of fluff and angst (sorry again, I’m just way better at writing angst). Please enjoy your gift!

i.

Abe Takaya knew that the universe wasn’t so simple.

Soulmates are not predetermined, reincarnations are not real, and people around him were just screwing around with him and someday they would finally tell him that it was just one big fat joke. Shinooka wasn’t the reincarnation of some princess and Mizutani wasn’t a ronin samurai who had fallen in love with her. They didn’t ‘find each other again after so long in a destined fate’ or anything. They were just a sappy couple who loved sappy tropes.

Even his mother and father had thought that the reincarnation thing was a load of croak, but they do believe in soulmates. After all, Takaya could see the beautiful lilies blooming on his mother’s shoulder every time she and Dad were close to one another. And those lilies should have looked ridiculous on his Dad, but it wasn’t. And people are all proud to show their marks to the world or flaunting to the magazines about the previous lives they remembered. Takaya hated it and he swore that he would never ever be a sap. This world also had plenty of people who didn’t meet their soulmate and yet still got married and functions as normal members of society. Takaya expected to be one of those people.

“Oh you shouldn’t be so negative, Taka,” Shun said lightly as he stared at the small dot on his hip. “Who knows that you’re going to find someone who’s not only your soulmate, but also your lover from the past. Mom and Dad happened to not remember their past lives, but they found each other again just fine. Don’t you think that’s amazing?”

“Not really.” Takaya rolled his eyes as he got around the room, trying to prepare for morning lecture he would probably be late for if he didn’t finish up soon. “Well, whatever floats your boat, I guess. But I am going to find my soulmate someday. Just you see.” Takaya sighed as he stood up and ruffled Shun’s hair. “Sure you will. See you later, kiddo.”

Yeah, right.

ii.

Takaya’s skepticism was sort of a running joke in his current circle of friends.

And he really couldn’t blame them, because they were all already going out with their soulmates. Shinooka and Mizutani, Sakaeguchi and Suyama, even Izumi had been converted the first week of university when he was ran over by an excited Hamada, who yelled at the entire campus that he had finally found his soulmate. The only sane man in Takaya’s circle of friends was one Hanai Azusa.

The former captain of Nishiura baseball club had a healthy amount of skepticism, which was the only reason why Takaya genuinely liked the guy, but he was also open to the concept of finding his own soulmate. Unlike Takaya who actively tried to shut down any arguments regarding his own past life or soulmate, Hanai very much knew that he was a cook somewhere in Spain in his past life.

Takaya genuinely thought that their circle of friends would stay like that forever, with his friends being fools and him and Hanai being the straight-men of the world. But it all changed when a certain Tajima Yuuichirou from the veterinarian faculty came crashing down on Hanai after the other slipped off the stairs in their favorite café.

It was the first time Takaya saw it with his own eyes. The way those sunflowers bloomed on Hanai’s wrists and all the way until it covered his right arm, feverish and warm and magical as the guy who fell on him groaned and scrambled away from Hanai with identical sunflowers wrapping his left arm. “Whoa!” The stranger said loudly as he eyed Hanai from head to toe. “Are you Mariana?! You’re bald!” Hanai exploded into red when he screamed ‘SHUT UP ANTONIO’ and dragged the other to have a private conversation.

That had been three months ago, and now Tajima Yuuichirou is a part of their group and Takaya had never cursed his life more than he does right now when Tajima was the only person waiting for the others in their favorite booth by the café.

“You know, Abe,” Tajima started as he leaned towards the wall next to him. “Are you really not interested about your soulmate? Or at least what your soul-mark looks like?”

“No.”

“How about your past life? I can remember up to three lives ago perfectly, others kinda blur. But I know that I’ve only been a girl once and Hanai’s been the girl twice.”

Which was hilariously fitting and has been the topic of the group’s running joke for the two months since Tajima told them the story of Mariana the Spanish cook and Caroline the church organist. But really… “I’m not really interested at it, no.”

And unlike Hanai and Tajima, Takaya never had a dream about his own past life. He couldn’t remember them and didn’t really care to remember. He knew that sometimes people would go to hypno-therapist to find out more about themselves but Takaya was not some people.

“Well, suit yourself then,” Tajima said as he took a comic from the table and began reading. Takaya was thankful for the silence between them.

iii.

Takaya woke up feeling terribly hot and feverish, but he had a pop quiz worth forty percent of his grade today and he would not miss them.

His mother was worried and fussed over him and it made him feel nostalgic. She didn’t really fuss over him all these years, but there was someone who… would…?

What?

Takaya shook his head, dismissing his unreasonable déjà vu on his feverish state. The soul-mark on his collarbone was particularly hot, but he slapped it with some cold patch and he was out running to the nearest bus stop.

That day was a particularly blurry day for Takaya when he told the story years after, but there was always one part he could remember clearly more than any other part.

He remembered that it was a spring, and flower petals were falling around campus, and Takaya woke up to a stranger’s crying face.

“-ou o-okay?”

Nowadays when Takaya told the story, he would say that there were two things that caught his attention at that time. The first one was how beautiful the stranger was and the second one was the scattering baby breath flowers on the stranger’s neck.

But really, the first thing Takaya did was knock the stranger’s forehead with his own as he abruptly tried to sit up from the stranger’s lap.

“You’re… Mihashi Ren, right? Best pitcher of Gunma and Tajima’s former pitcher…?”

He was dressed like a typical university student, with a varsity jacket and baseball cap that seemed to hide his eyes. But he was unmistakably Tajima’s best friend, the other half of Gunma’s star-battery of Mihoshi Academy. Takaya knew him from both TV and Tajima, and yet…

It didn’t prepare him for the scattered baby breaths blooming on his collarbone and all the way to his cheek.

Mihashi Ren kept his eyes on the ground, fingers fiddling on his shirt as he struggled to give Takaya the answer to his question. His eyes flitted from the ground and to Takaya’s neck and then to the ground and anywhere but his eyes. “Well?” Takaya pushed, earning a startled garble from Mihashi Ren, who then leaped back on an instant.

“Y-y-yeah! I-I’m Mihashi… Ren…”

Takaya had a really high fever, and he also had a pop quiz worth forty percent of his grade today and he would probably miss them if he didn’t run soon. But…

But that day, Abe Takaya ended up not running to the classroom.

He ran to Mihashi instead.

iv.

When Abe Takaya woke up, he didn’t know why he felt angry that Mihashi Ren was not the first person he saw after he opened his eyes.

It was stupid and ridiculous, and horribly irrational and Takaya hated it and…!

“A-are you… awake…?”

Mihashi Ren was standing behind the curtain that separated Takaya’s bed with the other bed in the infirmary. His fingers curled at the edge of the curtain and only his face was visible. Takaya breathed in relief. He’s okay. He’s safe.

…what?

“Sorry I scared you, Mihashi…” Takaya began as he tried to calm the weird gnawing worry that just won’t leave him alone. Mihashi nodded then shook his head (it was really confusing, but Takaya figured that he just didn’t understand Mihashi) before sitting down on a chair on Takaya’s left. “You… collapsed all of a sudden…” Mihashi mumbled, eyes not meeting Takaya’s own. “I was. Worried. About you.”

“I’m sor-“

“But I always. Worry. Last time, you… didn’t make it…”

Takaya snapped his head at Mihashi, who was still staring at his own lap. His heart was ramming onto his chest, probably because of the fever, but also because of what Mihashi just said. Was this… his past life…?

“Do you remember… your past life?”

There was a nod, and for the first time since their really bizarre encounter, Mihashi stared at him with undeterred determination. Takaya noticed just how… pretty Mihashi looked. Hazel eyes, orange-ish brown hair, furrowed brows and all Takaya could think of was he was home.

“I-I should probably get going. It’s. Weird. I mean, you clearly don’t remember? So…”

Somehow, the notion of Mihashi not being with him ticked him very much. So Takaya grabbed the other’s wrist so hard he could have left a bruise if Mihashi wasn’t wearing a jacket. “Please, stay. I don’t really get it but I don’t like the feeling of you not being with me.” Mihashi stared at him, shocked and scared and relieved all at the same time. It confused Takaya, but he just knew that he had to make Mihashi stay.

“S-sorry…” Mihashi said as he sat on Takaya’s bed, his eyes glued on the baby breath scattered on Takaya’s neck. “I-I don’t think I’ve caught your name…?”

“I’m Abe. Abe Takaya,” now Takaya didn’t know why he cried or why he went on to hug the star baseball player of Gunma whom he knew nothing about, but it felt right and it didn’t feel sappy.

It felt just right.

v.

Tajima Yuuichirou was the first person to scream when Takaya brought Mihashi to his favorite booth at the café.

“SEE?! I TOLD YOU THAT ABE IS PROBABLY YOUR SOULMATE!”

It was deafeningly loud, but Mihashi laughed and it was all that mattered.

(And yes, Takaya knew that he sounded like a lovestruck sap. But it was for Mihashi, so…)

Bonus

Mihashi Ren always loved to sleep in.

It reminded him—grounded him—to the fact that he was not living in his past life when things could go wrong at any time anymore. He was not sleeping in the barracks, where he had to be extra careful not to let anyone knew that they were sharing a blanket together. He was… here.

“Ren… stop wiggling…”

He stilled at the sound, reflexes from his previous life still somehow there. Unlike most people who remembered their past life as something like a dull memory, everything felt too real to him to the point that he had trouble differentiating between his memories and reality. He lost count of the time he broke down and cried whenever the explosion happened and ripped them both apart, only to have his mother and doctor calming and reminding him that nothing was happening to him…

But here he was, Mihashi Ren, sleeping in the arms of Abe Takaya on a lazy Sunday morning. He ran his fingers on Abe-kun’s cheek, slowly noting the peaceful look on his usually-grumpy face, down to the baby breaths scattered around his neck and chest only to converge on a spot on his collarbone…

“Are your perving on me, Ren?”

Ren startled, but Abe-kun pulled his waist until they were even closer than before. “I don’t mind though. You should perv on me some more.” Abe-kun put his face on the crook of Ren’s shoulder and slept.

It was alright. Everything was fine.

This time, they are together.

[behindheremeraldeyes]

Hello lovely mutual! Can you please write a sasusaku oneshot of Sasuke kissing Sakura by surprise while she's reading?

My dear mutual, I hope you enjoy this little one! College has been killing me lately, but it will never be wrong enough to destroy my SasuSaku heart!! (sorry dor taking so long >.

title: Déjà vu.summary: It’s that time of the year again. The time when he realizes Haruno Sakura is, perhaps, even more annoying than when they were younger. The day she never seems to remember. Luckily, there’s one, normal person in her life right now.

She looked incredibly serene at that moment. Emerald eyes focused as they read every word in front of them, pink lips forming a thin line as she signed a few pages and fingers slightly brushing the rim of her coffee mug as she continued to make her way through another stack of documents. Papers were scattered all around the table as well as a mix of medical records and pathology scrolls, and he could easily tell there were some pens lost in the middle of that organized mess she usually makes while taking care of her daily share of paperwork. There were barely any sounds echoing through the walls of her apartment, and even if the silence wouldn’t normally bother him, Uchiha Sasuke couldn’t be more annoyed at the scene in front of him.

That idiot, he thought. She had done it again.

As he watched her from her couch with those intense eyes of his, the raven haired boy had no doubt in his mind that Sakura had forgotten what day it was again. It was probably the third time in a row already, and right now, not even the Uchiha could take that lack of common sense from her. Not anymore.

Not this year, when they were finally together, and— according to that dobe— it was now his responsibility as her boyfriend to make sure the pinkette’s workaholic tendencies didn’t keep her from being a decent human being.

As her boyfriend, it was now his responsibility to make sure she remembered her own birthday.

Even if he had to be a little rude to do so.

After he finally gave up on the idea that she would somehow surprise him by suddenly remembering her own day, Sasuke closed the book he had been pretending to read since she got home and walked over to her. He found himself a seat across from her in the middle of all those papers, and had she spared a glance at him, Sakura would’ve found a pair of mismatched eyes judging every cell of her body.

“ You forgot it again.” He stated, his voice calm as ever as he was clearly condemning her actions.

“ Well…” She started, not taking her eyes from her papers as she remained unaltered by his clearly condemning words. “ Since nothing comes to mind even after your words, it’s safe to say you’re right, Sasuke-kun. I forgot.”

“ Don’t you even wanna try remembering it?”

“ Not really. I’m kinda busy, as you can see, and it’s not like it’s an emergency or anything.”

“ Oh, and how can you possibly know that if you don’t even know what you forgot?”

“ That’s pretty easy to tell, actually.” Sakura finally looked up at him, her ever-so-green eyes calm and serene, as she was clearly not bothered by whatever it was that she had forgotten. “ You see, you’re here, safe and healthy. No one barged in through the front door telling me either Naruto or Kakashi-sensei aren’t okay, so I assume they’re also safe and healthy. There’s a closed box somewhere in the kitchen from my parents that arrived a few hours ago, so I also can assume they’re safe and healthy. Tsunade-sama is also safe and healthy since Shizune-san didn’t call me or anything, and the village is clearly not on fire… So, yeah, whatever it may be that I forgot, it’s not an emergency, therefore, it’s not more important than these papers.”

The way her expression didn’t change as she said all those things slowly grew on him. His hand turned into a fist, words got caught up in his throat and he swore he had to count up to thirty not to burn down all those papers with his Amaterasu. At that moment, as she slowly returned to her work without further explanation, Sasuke didn’t really know what to do to put some sense into her. He knew he couldn’t scream, for her neighbors would start knocking on the door worried about her. He wanted to shake her stubborn head— and damn it!

He wanted to smack a calendar on the table and scream that she was becoming one year older on that very day and that she was supposed to be a normal person and celebrate it with her loved ones and cake!

Of all the things the pinkette could’ve become during the three years he was away, a medical ninja with no sense of normality was the last thing he would’ve placed his bets on. At first, those new traits of hers were really appealing, and seeing how professional she looked even did things to him he couldn’t really name. She got rid of that childish personality of hers and he was really proud to see her focusing on her training now.

The Uchiha was proud of the woman she became. Though, as he began to spend more time at the village and with her, he realized the ninja world did not need an emotionally dense Haruno Sakura.

Honestly, all those technical terms and medical priorities made of her an incredibly stoic and messed adult. Always running late to places, barely getting any food or sleep; and constantly worrying about the people she loves while holding that beautiful smile on her face.

Tch. She’s so, freaking responsible. He really wonders where all that strictness came from considering her master’s personal records.

That is certainly not the girl he left behind on that tragic night all those years ago. She’s no longer that girl he once fell in love with during the spring of his troubled youth. She’s smarter, stronger and a lot braver than she used to be, and he doubts he could ever not be captivated by how she’s flourished.

Sakura has become a formidable woman, there’s no denying that.

But at times like those, when her emotional density is flourishing, Sasuke knows she’s still that same, annoying girl as before. The only diference is that, now, apart from her incredible skills and that twisted sense of normal, he’s there to take care of her. Even if she’s more than capable of taking care of everything, he’s finally there to make sure someone will take good care of her.

And that, of course, means reminding her of the existence important things that are not related to her job.

Once he realized she was not going to leave her spot so soon, Sasuke stood up from his place and took a few steps until he was standing next to her. His eyes were looking down at her, and if anything, he couldn’t help but love the way those short, pink strands refused to stay tucked behind her ear. She seemed incredibly focused based on those angry highlights, and were that any other day, he swore he would’ve let her finish whatever that was that she was working on.

Too bad for her that it was her birthday.

“ Sakura.” He said, almost as a whisper, immediately attracting her attention. She turned her face up to meet his, her hair falling a little to the side. Judging by how fast she turned, it was possible to tell the pinkette was about to offer him a snarky comment regarding his unusual impatience, however, before she could even open her mouth, his lips were already on hers.

Green eyes widened, hearts skipped a beat and her mind was clouded by that unexpected kiss initiated by her stoic boyfriend. The contact was as soft and intimate as the first time, and since he had to lean down, his jet black hair was falling forward and brushing her cheeks. It was a calm, chaste kiss, but judging by her flushed face, it felt a lot more than that.

Any kiss between them always feels a lot more than that.

“ W-What was that for?!”

“ Hn.” He smirked, taking a few steps towards the fridge so he could drink some water. “ Can’t I just kiss my girlfriend for no reason?“

” No, you can’t!” She stood up, still flushed and with her face growing a bit angry due to curiosity. “ I mean, yes, you can, but that’s not something you would do without a very good reason!”

“ Aah… You’re right. There’s a reason for that and it has something to do with what you forgot.”

“ You have got to be kidding me!” She whimpered, pouting like a small child. “ What could it be so important for you to actually stop what you’re doing to tease me?! Is it our anniversary or something?!”

“ Well….” He started, enjoying that situation more than he probably should. “ You can say so. Though you don’t need to know, right? It’s not like it’s an emergency.”

“ I really hate you right now, Sasuke-kun.” She glared at him, hands crossed over her chest and eyebrows knitted together. “ This is so unfair, shannarou!”

“ Are you sure you don’t even wanna try finding out?”

“ Can’t you at least give me a hint?”

“ No. You’re not a child.”

“ Meany… Tch.” She sighed impatiently, running her fingers through her pink locks and knowing very well that she was playing right into his game. “ What could it possibly be?! I don’t know what on earth is supposed to happen on March—“ Her eyes suddenly widened, as if a really cold breeze hit her face. Bingo, he thought, as her entire expression showed him that, at last, she had remembered about the day she was born “ …28. Oh… Are you seriously making such a mess just because of my birthday?!”

“ Tch, You’re impossible… Do you seriously not see any problem in forgetting your own birthday?”

“ Not really…. It’s not the first time, and it probably won’t be the last, but…” She smiled softly, clearly not caring about the whole point of this conversation anymore. “ If it will make you kiss me like that again every year, then I’m fine with that.”

A chuckle escaped her lips, and at that moment, the Uchiha didn’t know if he wanted to scold her for being so dense or if he wanted to just kiss her again for being that cute. His girlfriend can really be a dork sometimes, and even if he will never admit it out loud, he loves that pure side of hers.

It’s annoying and incredibly troublesome, but it’s who she is and he would never change anything about her.

Not even if he wanted to, Haruno Sakura could never be changed.

And surprisingly, he’s glad about that.

“ You’re really annoying, Sakura.“

“What did you just say, you ba—“ Her phrase was suddenly cut by the sight of a blue, flying box coming towards her. She managed to catch before it hit the floor, and by the time the small object was safe in her hands, her boyfriend was already by the door putting on his shoes. “W-Wait! Where are you going!? And what is this?”

“ You see… ” He turned to her, his face calm and serene as he had clearly given up on hoping his girlfriend would be able to connect the normal dots of life. “ I’m heading out to get a cake and some drinks like Naruto asked me to. There are a few people coming over later today, so could you please prepare everything around here?“

“ What?! But I still have work to do! There are still all those papers to read, those documents to sign and—“

“ That’s not my problem. That Dobe is your friend and he has invited a few people over. They’re coming to celebrate with you, whether you like it or not, so you better be ready by the time they get here.”

“…. Okay. And what about—”

“ The box? It’s called a birthday present. Open and find out what it is. I’m heading out now but I’ll be home soon. Do you need anything?“

” Actually….” She tagged along, standing closer, but not close enough to reach out and touch him.

“ What is it, Sakura?”

“ Thank you, Sasuke-kun…" She smiled softly, clutching the small box to her heart. “ Thank you.”

“ Hn.” He turned around, hiding a small smile from her. That girl…. She really is annoying. “ You’re welcome. It is your birthday, after all.”

[starspatter]

Heroes and Thieves, Ch. 7

Title: Heroes and Thieves Fandom/Universe: BTAS, pre/post-RotJ flashback

Summary: A story about second chances, healing, and having hope.

Rating: PG-13, for references to character death, child psychological torture and trauma.

Genre: Romance/Family/Friendship/Hurt/Comfort

Word Count: 2,067 Previous Chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Also on ff.net and AO3.

Well time has a way of throwing it all in your face The past, she is haunted, the future is laced Heartbreak, you know, drives a big black car Swear I was in the back seat, just minding my own

-Gregory Alan Isakov, "Big Black Car"

Now.

“The Bat Signal is not a toy, Ms. Brown.”

Startled, Stephanie swerved around at the sudden emergence of a man swathed in black from the shadows, cloak whipping wordlessly in the wind.  She hadn’t even heard him arrive on the rooftop.

How does he do that?

“You know my name?”

She asked, flustered.

“I make it my business to know.  You’re Stephanie Brown, daughter of Crystal and Arthur Brown, a.k.a. Cluemaster. …Tim Drake’s girlfriend.”

Stephanie blinked, sighing before lowering her mantle and removing the guise’s (apparently ineffectual) inner layer, letting luminescent locks fall free around her shoulders.  (Reasoning that if the cops hadn’t come up to bust her by now, then it seemed rather unlikely they’d show up anytime soon.)  …Wish I knew what the heck to do with my hair under this thing, she thought idly as she combed her hand through the tangles.  Maybe I should try putting it in a ponytail or something.

“Then you probably know why I called you here then.  Sorry about the theatrics,” she gestured towards the spotlight, “But I figured this was the fastest way to get your attention.”

“Tim told you about our history together.”

“Some of it.  He wouldn’t tell me why you two split up.”

There was a palpable beat.

“If he didn’t see fit to explain, then it’s not my place to intervene.”

“Please, Mr. Wayne.”  Those crescent slits narrowed at equally intimate address.  “I think I deserve to know at this point.”

“This isn’t any of your business, Ms. Brown.  I suggest you go home, and get rid of that silly costume.”

Like yours is any less ridiculous.

“This isn’t a game.  Quit before you get yourself into trouble.”

Holy déjà vu.

She crossed her arms frankly, standing firm.

“Tim said the same thing.  I’m getting real sick and tired of hearing it.”

“He’s right.  The streets are far too risky, especially for someone like you.”  There was a rough rigor to his tenor; like a razor blade scraping severely against the grain, incisive and insistent.  Deliberately rubbing salt and steel into the wound until it irritated. “I’ve seen how you operate: rash, reckless, impulsive, impetuous – not thinking before you act.  You might believe you’re being brave – that you’re endeavoring to prove something by jumping directly into danger, putting yourself in the constant thick of threats – but you’re just behaving brashly like a child. A person of your kind doesn’t belong in this field.”

Stephanie bristled at the blunt onslaught, blue irises burning boldly defiant.

“You don’t understand: My dad was supposed to be dead, and now he shows back up again in Gotham like nothing happened – except now he’s committing crimes without even leaving clues.  I couldn’t just stand aside and let him get away with it.  I had to do something.  After all, I’ve got a stake in this.”

Batman made a smothered sound, like a pained grunt – as if someone had just punched him in the gut.

“You sound just like he did.  All you stupid kids, don’t know what you’re getting into.”

“I know that without me you wouldn’t have been able to figure out the next place my father was planning to hit.”

Admit it, that “chopping mall” clue was a stroke of genius.

“And your assistance in bringing him down during the heist is appreciated. But this ends tonight.  You should leave the crimefighting to trained professionals.”

“I just wanted to help…”

Batman took a step forward, looming ominously over her.  His voice was dangerous.

“You don’t know what you want.  None of you ever did.”

Despite the fierce menace in his tone, she staunchly stood her ground, eyes stubborn and challenging as she declined to back down.  Her opponent carried on lecturing:

“You’ve accomplished your mission; succeeded in putting your father in jail.  Now that you’ve gotten your revenge, there’s no more reason for you to continue this fight anymore.  I suppose you’re just doing this now for fun, for the thrill.  Because you think it’s ‘cool’.”

Stephanie clenched her fists.  He had struck a chord, but she didn’t take kindly to being patronized either, her entire motivations being put down, brushed aside just like that.

“That’s not the only reason.  I mean, yeah this just kinda started out as a goof to get back at my dad of course, and sure I’ll confess I do get a kick out of the rush – but there’s more to it than that. I may not be all that smart or skilled at… anything really.  But this – this is something I can do to help others.  People in need.  For the first time in my life, it feels like I’m really doing something worthwhile, that I’m doing some good.  Like I’m making a real difference.  I’m doing this… I don’t know.  Not even for me.”  She turned towards the skyline, surveying over the (for the moment at least) peacefully sleeping city, lights reflecting above and below.  “I’m doing this for all of them.”

Batman stared at her.

“Regardless, this isn’t your responsibility.”

“And it’s supposed to be solely yours?  You’re just one man in a batsuit, you’re not in charge of this town.  You may be able to handle all the crimes within the city limits, but the suburbs don’t have anyone.  Not even you can be everywhere at once. Hell, no one can carry the weight of the world by himself.”

“This is a vow I took on my own shoulder’s, no one else’s.  I work alone.”

“If you really thought that, why’d you agree to take an apprentice on in the first place?”

While visibly there was no noticeable wince, another wounded growl escaped from the cowl.

“That was a mistake.”

“Oh really?  I’ve seen how you operate: Ever since you’ve gone partnerless, you’ve been colder, harsher, overly aggressive, and more unforgiving than ever before.  Everyone’s noticed; it’s been all over news reports everywhere, criminals claiming to be the ‘victims’ of vigilante violence. All the tabloids assume you’ve gone off the deep end, that you’ve finally cracked – or that you were off your rocker all along.  That’s why they say even the police won’t cooperate with you anymore.”  She looked towards the tarp lying on the ground, which had been covering the searchlight up to now.  Lucky for her they hadn’t removed the apparatus entirely.  “You accuse me of being hotheaded, but I could say the exact same of you.  Heck, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say you seem to have some sort of death wish.”

“How I conduct myself is none of your concern.”

“It is when there are people suffering for it.  Tim included.  The truth is Batman needs a Robin, doesn’t he?  Since your parents died, you need – want company.  Otherwise you’ll go crazy, doing what you do all the time.  Anyone would.”

Way to play psychoanalyst with the most famous and powerful – not to mention richest – man in Gotham, girl.

Batman held her undeterred gaze.

“…You really do sound just like him.”

Grudgingly, he gruffly acknowledged the comparison – though it wasn’t quite a concession.

Still, Stephanie seized on the opening.

“Seriously, just what the hell happened?  You two used to be such a great team.  You guys were a legend, the ‘Dynamic Duo’ and all that.  Nightwing and Batgirl too, whatever happened to them?”

His answer was aggravatingly simple.

“Things change.”

Why do I get the feeling I’ve heard that somewhere before?

She exhaled in exasperation, sensing the discussion was going in circles. She wasn’t about to allow such curt tautology cut her off though.

“You used to mean something to people.  This,” she pointed purposefully at the symbol in the sky, before jabbing at the mirrored center of his chest, “…used to mean something.  Sure, you could be scary sometimes, but it was clear that you cared.  Now, it’s like all the lives you save don’t even matter anymore.  All that exists in your mind – or your heart, whatever’s left of it – that is, assuming you even still have one – is darkness and dread.  Am I wrong?”

Her assertive allegation was met with stony silence.  Tentatively, she tried to uplift the weight on the conversation somewhat.

“Not everything has to be about fear.  There’s room in our line of work for hope too, you know.”

Again, he merely remained mute, scrutiny slanting into the distance.

All right, fine.  Don’t answer me.

Growing annoyed by such obstinate reticence (which she recognized all too well at this point; it was no wonder where her boyfriend got it from) and desperate for some sort of reaction, she attempted to return again to the original topic – her whole goal for summoning this guy’s big broody butt in the first place.

“Look, I’m sure you’re as aware as I am this isn’t just about me trying to barge in on your territory – your private little crusade – is it?  I don’t mean to pry open old wounds just for the sake of sating my curiosity either.  Something obviously happened between you two – something that changed him – that changed the both of you – and I need to know what in order to get through to him.”  She placed a palm on her breast, clutching and curling fretful fingers against cloth as she bit her lip, baring honest emotion.  “I want to be able to understand what he’s going through, but every time I try to get him to talk about it, he won’t let me near.  Refuses to open up, shuts me out just like you’ve been doing all night.”

His vision panned back slowly, restoring rapt concentration.  Again, those slim slivers of snow were silent, searching – scant headlights scanning in the dark.  Stark and cold against coal, yet somewhere within seemed to spark a vestige of warmth; like stoking, coaxing the burnt out ashes of an old flame to stir and rise again.  To remember.

“Tim means a lot to you.”

“The whole world.  He’s a great guy.”

“Greater than he knows.”

“Please,” she begged, “Let me help him at least.  I’m worried about him.”

He regarded her unwavering expression, gauging sincerity.

“…You really care for him, don’t you?”

She nodded, thinking to herself that- despite his still-outwardly icy demeanor, there was indeed a thaw in his throat, a slight swell of sympathy slipping through the grave gravel.

He rotated with a sharp whisk of cape, heading for the edge of the roof.

“Come with me.”

She followed, taking cue to simultaneously fumble for her cheap grapple as he reached for his own (no doubt state-of-the-art) device.  Whilst descending down the decel line, Batman pressed a button on his utility belt, and a rumble hummed from down the road as a long, sleek, jet-black vehicle charged along the street, skidding to a stop right in front of them as they alighted on the sidewalk.  The hood automatically slid back upon recognizing its owner, inviting within the depths of its leather wings.

HolycraptheBatmobile.

She hesitated as he walked round to the driver’s side and climbed in, casting an expectant – impatient – glance at his guest.

“Well.  Hurry up and get in.”

“O- okay.”

Dear Diary, whatever you do, don’t tell my mom I agreed to get into a strange car in the middle of the night with a shady man wearing a mask.  Pretty sure she’d flip her shit.

She hopped in after, settling against the cozy cushions.  Leave it to a billionaire to be able to afford the best quality sitting material.  Admiring the impressive array of controls on the dashboard, she figured the machine in itself probably cost more than her whole house combined.

“Hang on,” he warned as they lurched forward, “And don’t touch anything.”

Stephanie hastily withdrew her itchy fingers from the nearest knob, sweating nervously.

“Can I ask what this does at least?”

“Passenger seat ejector.”

She shrank back sullenly, leaning slumped into the lavish upholstery.

Mock me at your peril, masked man.

As they sped past buildings and streetlamps, Steph inquired with a hunch as to their destination:

“So are we going to your hideout?”

“I prefer to think of it as a lair.”

She couldn’t tell whether that was supposed to be a joke or not.  Either way, she couldn’t help but feel a hint of giddy excitement at her current situation.  Not many people could proudly proclaim they got to ride in the freakin’ Batmobile once during their lives.

Cool.

Hope was a letter I never could send Love was a country we couldn't defend

And through the carnival we watch them go round and round All we knew of home was just a sunset and some clowns

[mornadest]

STORYTIME.

I've been having a vivid, bad dream and Idk what it means.

I’ve been debating posting this for a few days but I need to get it out, it’s playing on my mind a lot and really don’t know why.

I’ve been having extremely vivid and unnerving dreams and I can't stop thinking about it.

Firstly, I know what you’re thinking, oh this is some new viral scary story or some shit but I promise, it’s not. These are very real dreams /experiences I’ve had. So, let me preface, I suffer night terrors and sleep paralysis often but these dreams or nightmares seem different somehow.

It started out a few days ago. I dreamt I was in Japan, more specifically, I was walking to Mt Fuji via Aokigahara Forest with a hiking group. Now, everyone should know this forest as the ‘sea of trees' or commonly known (unfortunately and rather awfully) as "suicide forest". The dream started out innocently enough, albeit extremely vivid. I’ve never been to Japan, let alone Aokigahara...yet everything felt so familiar and I had the weirdest most incredible sense of déjà vu. I was on the walking trail right by an ice cave.

This is where the dream took a turn into more nightmare territory.

I was no longer with a group. I was alone and the forest had turned irregularly quiet. Ominously so, it was like time just ceased to be, the air was thick, swallowing, and darkness enveloped the entire area surrounding me, Out the corner of my eye I saw this well dressed, business looking man stood watching me, when I turned to face him he smiled and turned, walking into the forest.

I had an insistent urge to move southward off the path and into the thick brush of the forest, to follow this guy. Something told me this was a Bad idea but I persisted anyway. I walked for what felt like hours. Yet time seemed impossibly slow.

After what felt like forever, I couldn’t see the stranger but I came across a large tree that marked the start of where someone had left a trail of red string. A feeling of utter dread and hopelessness washed over me. I knew what I’d find if I followed it yet I couldn’t turn away.

Something told me I HAD to follow. So I did. I followed the string deeper into the wood and each foot I followed the forest seemed to darken. It was unnerving. Sure enough, after a while it lead me to an unfortunate sight, it was the same fucking man. Only he had passed on. Chosen sadly to end his life.

He looked like he was in his late 40s and the sight-he looked I hate to say it, but fresh. Like it had just happened. As that hit me, I ran all of 4 steps forward before I stopped in my Tracks. Something was incredibly wrong but I couldn’t place it.

I had the most awful paralyzing feeling that I was unwelcome to come any closer. That if I attempted to save this man the forest itself would be angered. For some reason, it felt evil. It struck me somewhere deep in the back of my mind that this may be a dream so I edged closer and reached out for the man, desperate to help despite feeling somehow it was wrong.

As soon as I made contact with the body, wrapping my arms around the torso to lift him out of the rope around his neck, everything changed.

The man contorted into something grotesque, it was literally like something out of a horror movie. I shit you not. He, or I guess It, whipped it’s head round to face me and the once soft features of this man had, stuck in perpetual torment and sadness now shifted into a skeletal mutated monstrosity. It fucking grinned at me. IT FUCKING GRINNED.

I felt physically sick. Now, I’m happily atheist but let me tell you, seeing that thing look at me felt like staring into the darkest depth of hell itself. I’ve never felt more scared in my entire life.

The worst part was when it spoke. I saw it’s face contort, it looked like it was speaking yet it didn’t physically make a sound except the rattling and squelching of bone and well.. flesh. All of a sudden I saw letters in my mind. I felt myself write them down physically as they appeared. I didn’t understand exactly what it was saying but after glancing down at an open journal in my hands-things I’m certain I didn’t have before. What seems like Latin appeared on the page in dark red ink. I at least pray it was ink.

I looked up and the thing was gone. The man was back. Sounds came back to the forest and I could hear my hiking group calling for me and finding me all the while I’m staring at this journal and the words I don’t remember writing in a stupor. Shaken and paralyzed. We cut him down got police and they informed family. Turned out he’d been missing for almost 3 months. It felt...both real and...also not?

That’s when I woke up. Throughout the dream some deep part of me knew I was asleep but it didn’t make it any less real in my mind. I’ve had sleep paralysis less real seeming than this dream, night terrors too and I can’t shake it.

I tend to take notes of my nightmares and terrors or anything of note in my dreams so instantly grabbed my phone, opened notes and typed the words I remember.

The words are what scare me most. I don’t know Latin, I don’t know how I even still remember what it said in full but I remember waking up and writing them down immediately. Thank god for translate too I guess? Or not.

“Expectavi enim sermones tui. Vos ipsi vidistis eum. Ergo? tu sequere” The translations a little off I think, from talking to my friend it seems so. Think I chalk that down to dyslexia and not really knowing Latin? Either way..

The "translation" of the full sentence according to Google

"I waited for you. 'You yourselves have seen him. Therefore? you follow" See what I mean about the translation being a little off? Idk Well, it certainly doesn’t help with how shaken it’s left me.

What’s worse is last night I had another dream and this time all seemed normal. Except, every now and then, HE appeared, at first out of sight. Then he started appearimg closer until eventually he was just there. Part of everything, not saying anything, not hanging. Just stood. Watching and sometimes smirking. It honestly sent shivers down my spine everytime i saw him.

honestly I have no idea what to make of all this. Just needed to get it off my chest. Honestly don't care if you believe it or not. Just need to share. My best friend seems to think it's not necessarily bad and that Someone is trying to tell me Something?

Idk maybe I'm overthinking a few night terrors? But yep. That's all really. Kinda don't want to sleep tonight.. Maybe I'll update if I have anymore dreams but Idk

guess I'll die? 🤷

[imperfectdifferent]

Around a week ago or something like that one of my friends seemed quite upset because of the way people behave nowadays. Even if the whole conversation was related to BTS, there are certain things which we could think of in a more general way as well. There’s a question which keeps bothering her and honestly she’s not the only one: Why are people so mean? 

That’s a good question to which I haven’t received an answer so far and I’m not sure whether I will ever receive one or not. I constantly try to remind people they should judge less, be kinder and always remember that every person they meet might be going through a hard moment. We don’t know what’s in their mind. We can’t guess based on what we see. 

“ Why do they feel satisfaction and pleasure in mocking someone for their looks or whatever language they speak ( especially if they are not familiar with it)? ”

“ Have they never heard of self esteem, self conscious and having that feeling of always trying hard and working hard but never enough to receive a damn ‘good work, I am proud of you, you are doing great’ ? ”

“ It bothers me so much this kinda thing now... ”

It bothers me as well. And it bothers many other people. I can’t stop thinking of the way artists might be feeling. We are all human beings. We can all become overwhelmed by certain situations, but what about them? The thought of being watched by thousands of people? All the pressure? The expectations? The hate? 

“ Seriously, don’t you have something better to do with your life than bashing other groups? No one truly knows what a person might be going through and to diss them and mock them just for the fun of it… totally not ok. You don’t like BTS, fine, but don’t judge them, don’t disrespect them, don’t talk shit about them. ”

Why does this feel like déjà vu? Ah, right. Because this is a constant thing happening everywhere, to everyone, and sadly it can’t be stopped that easily. 

“ So what if Jungkook’s English isn’t on point always? He’s trying hard to learn it and did like 7 covers of English songs, goddamn it, and he sings awesome, his pronunciation is better than mine. ”

“  Jimin is self conscious more than me, he is not confident with his looks or his voice. But he tried and still tries his best, he gives it all and for what? To be mocked like that? He was fluffy when he debuted, had abs and so on, but in the next eras he went constantly on diets and lost his hot thighs, he lost his chubby cheeks and now he has like 47 kg, and STILL SELF CONSCIOUS. Why mock him just because he opened the new album, some songs and overall that he’s in the band? Not to mention he can sing high notes. “ 

” TaeTae has a deep, hot and sexy voice. What I said about Jimin applies for Taehyung too. He too works hard, he too can reach high notes and bless your ears when he sings Stigma or Lost or Sea and the list can go on and on.  " 

“ Namjoon, just as Jin, received and most likely still receive hate. They’re the ones who try their best to not get hurt by those hateful comments. Jin was called ugly, talentless, that he’s not worth it and he should quit Bangtan. Same for Namjoon. And Jin can sing Awake like oh man, holy fucking shit, he can reach those high notes and can kill you and bring you back to life… Namjoon knows he’s the most hated too. And he’s the leader of the group and so he has to stay strong and pretend like this ain’t affecting him… But if you listen to Reflection’s lyrics… it just hurts to know they are not supported and bashed like that…" 

” Suga used to hate himself. Used to starve himself just for the sake of music. But he made it. He won against his depression, he didn’t quit, he kept on fighting to reach his dream and now he’s living it. “ 

” J-hope too received a lot of hate. In a V Live some fans asked about other members, totally ignoring the boy, and when he passed the camera to Jungkook and Jimin he walked out of the room and it’s been one year and a half since he did that V Live all by himself. “ 

I have to admit, I don’t know much about BTS. I might listen to some of their songs once in a while, but I don’t keep up with the news. Everything I know is thanks to my friend. 

If anyone is going to attack me for this, just allow me to say something first: it’s ok to listen to different genres of music, it’s totally fine if you don’t constantly listen to that certain band – this won’t make you less of a fan or a bad person. We got the right to choose what we like or not or what to do and when. Each person is different. But it’s not alright to insult anyone, neither the band members, their families or their fans.

Looking better at what my friend said above you might realise there’s more than just her appreciation towards them. She also showed you some type of persons. Persons who struggle and work hard for their dreams. There are many out there just like them.

” Not saying all this just because I am a big fan of them… It just hurts to know all this and that they keep pushing their limits sometimes just to get acknowledged and meet everyone’s expectations… “ 

Yet there we still have this one category of people constantly unhappy and impossible to please no matter what. 

” Last year at MAMA when they won their first Daesang, K-Armys cheered them so loud not only to show them that their fans are proud of their work but to cover the cursing and hateful screams too. Alright, Bangtan receives all this attention, they’re famous worldwide but this doesn’t mean they suck or whatever. They are hardworking boys, just as every idol group. Who can truly know how much they maybe cried in the practice room or struggled with lyrics? When you think like that it just simply hurts.  " 

Talking about lyrics, I wish people paid more attention to the lyrics. Music got meaning. The lyrics are meant to draw our attention to a certain fact or situation. Sometimes the band members might be directly related to those lyrics.

“ Every member has his role in BTS. Every member is hardworking and deserves praise, to be acknowledged and respected. " 

That’s perfectly normal and I agree with you.

” Jin, even though he received in the beginning a lot of hate and disrespect, not credited enough for his work in Bagtan and that he had very few lines in songs, he really worked hard. He improved his dancing, he improved his singing, I admire him for his self-confidence. Not my bias, but it doesn’t mean I don’t have respect for him. He deserves it. He takes care of the boys, he’s a sweet and talented guy, and if you listen to Awake you can really feel the emotions and true feelings he’s pouring in the song. The fact it’s his first song written is also something, HE. WORKS. JUST. AS. HARD. Jin deserves love from fans too, just as Namjoon, just Jimin and the rest of the boys. They are one team, they are a family and one hell of a beautiful one. “ 

You don’t know how much I love people when I hear those words. 

Yes, they are family.

” If I were to meet them one day, I think I’d break down and cry in front of them and tell them in broken Korean that I respect them so much and that through their songs they give me the self-confidence I kind of never had. They’re my first Korean boy-group I truly ever listened to, not with my ears, but with my heart too and I felt their passion, emotion and message. It may seem like I only listen to their music, but they just mean this much to me. They’re inspiration for me. “

Reading again the things my friend said, I couldn’t help but think more and more about this and I feel like I have much more to say, but I will leave that for a different post. The only thing I have left to say is this: pay less attention to the way someone looks, and more to the talent, skills and knowledge, no matter what domain.

[c-apturings]

Pinky Promise

Summary: It was supposed to be a typical morning… until you suddenly decided to ask Ned a question about Peter Parker. 

Words: 1791

Warnings: None (except dis shit is straight fluff)

A/N: Hi! After days of reading Peter Parker imagines, I figured I’d try writing my own. It’s currently 3:30 AM, and I just imagined this lil situation up a few hours ago because I was thinking of doing something very similar as the reader does, but irl LOL. Also yay bc the GIF matches the plot and his outfit in the story 

It was a chilly October morning, half an hour before the first class of the day would begin. You walked through the main entrance of Midtown High, letting out a sigh of relief as you felt warmth immediately engulf you. Thank god for central heating. 

You weren’t looking forward to this particular hump day – today was the first day it actually felt like fall, and it was especially hard to leave the warm confines of your bed and get ready in an apartment that had yet to turn on the heat. Not to mention that you had a Spanish quiz later that day that you may or may not fail, and a six-hour shift at the local bookstore almost immediately after school.

As you walked down the hallway, you noticed Peter Parker already at his locker, shrugging off his jacket to hang it up on the hook. After a quick cursory glance, you noticed that he was wearing his typical outfit: a dark green sweater with a plaid shirt underneath, pants, and scuffed sneakers. For some reason, you’ve never seen Peter wearing normal jeans: his pants were always some dark and unassuming color, occasionally cuffed at the ends, and once or twice you could’ve sworn you saw atom-patterned socks peeking out underneath…

Suddenly, you snapped out of your reverie, your eyes darting away from Peter’s figure as you quickly shook your head. Okay, how exactly do you know all this? Oh god Y/N, you need to stop staring at him, you creep. Still, you couldn’t help but glance at Peter one last time before passing by, just as the wire of his earphones somehow got caught in his jacket zipper, pulling them right out of his ears and landing with a clatter on the floor. You let out a soft laugh as you heard him mutter adorably before bending down to pick them up.

You wouldn’t consider yourself to be very close to Peter Parker, though you guys had been in the same Spanish class for the past two years and had been project partners a few times. Peter was definitely an introvert, choosing to spend most of his time with Ned and occasionally his other academic decathlon teammates. He was also so quiet in class – he usually never spoke unless the teacher called on him, but you were pretty sure he had said the right answer every time.

When you were first paired up, you learned more about him. Though he was a little awkward, it was hard not to warm up to him. He had a tendency to blush really easily (even at the smallest and most offhanded compliments), but those blushes were always followed with a crinkly smile or a stuttered “thank you” that reassured you he appreciated the comment. Plus, not only was he smart, but he was also hard-working and focused – so basically, he was the perfect project partner.

From then on, you always liked working with him. But Ned was also in that class, and only an assigned partner situation could ever split those two up. 

That was Peter Parker in a nutshell: shy but nice, incredibly smart, and a bit dorky. But in an adorable way, your mind teased.

Shut up, conscience.

You finally reached your locker and shoved your backpack in, pulling out the books you needed for the day. You were still lost in thought when Ned sidled up next to you, the clattering of his combination lock making you jump and snapping you out of your thoughts for the second time that morning.

Ned noticed your little spasm and turned his head. “Morning, Y/N. You okay?” You didn’t know Ned very well either, but after a few months of small talk by your lockers every morning or afternoon, you found out that he was just as nice as Peter.

“Morning Ned! Y-yeah I’m fine. Just… thinking,” you said hesitantly.

“Oh, about what?” He asked, shooting you a curious look.

“Ummm…” 

You couldn’t very well tell him that you were just thinking about his best friend, could you?

“Um Ned, can I ask you something? But you kinda need to promise me something first. Pinky promise,” you added quickly. Oh god oh god, what am I doing?

Ned’s face morphed into one of confusion. Y/N wasn’t usually so… worked up, especially this early in the day. In fact, he was pretty sure she wasn’t a morning person, if her radio silence and huge cup of coffee she carried every morning was any indication. “Uhhh… sure?”

“No Ned, seriously. Pinky promise.” You held out your pinky towards his.

He held out his hands, almost as if in surrender. “Okay, okay. I mean, I haven’t really done this since the third grade, but okay.” He dropped one of his hands and linked his pinky around yours, sealing the deal. “Wait – what am I pinky promising exactly?”

“Well, not to tell Peter anything about what I’m about to ask you,” you said imploringly, looking up at him with wide eyes. “I know you guys are best friends, but please don’t.”

Ned seemed a bit taken aback, motionless until he shrugged his shoulders slowly. “I guess a pinky promise is a pinky promise. I won’t tell him anything, Y/N.”

You nodded, relieved. “Okay.” You paused to take a deep breath, still in disbelief that you’re about to go through with this. “So… uh, do you know what Peter’s type is? Like, in girls?”

“His type? In girls?” Ned repeated. “Wha – Y/N, are you… into Peter?” You felt your face flush slightly.

“Er, maybe, a little bit? I-I don’t know, I mean he’s… such a good guy and everything, it’s kind of hard… not to?” Your voice lilted up at the end as you stuttered. Meanwhile, your face grew even redder, creating a very good impression of Peter Parker himself.

“Oh… oh. Oh. Wow.” Ned was stunned. He didn’t say anything else as he crossed his arms and stared off as if in thought, making you shift uncomfortably as an awkward silence fell upon the two of you.

“Um, so… do you know?” You finally said. Now it was your turn to jolt Ned out of his thoughts as his eyes snapped back to you, then past you further down the hallway, and back to you again.

“Okay, Y/N. You have to pinky promise me this time – what I’m gonna tell you, you’ll never admit you heard it from me.” Out of nowhere, your heartbeat went into overdrive as you nodded and pinky promised again.

“Okay.” The odd sense of déjà vu hit you again as Ned braced himself to answer you. “You’re probably exactly his type because Peter’s actually liked you for some time now,” he said in a rush.

“Wait, what?” You thought you heard Ned right, but… did Peter actually like you too?

“Yeah, yeah. He does! This like, really works out well. You should go for it. I keep telling him to talk to you more, but he’s just too scared to, I guess.” Ned shrugged, smiling slightly. He couldn’t believe Y/N actually liked his best friend back. This was the best thing to ever happen since he bought that Lego Death Star.

You were still in shock, but a smile began to grow on your face. “You know, I think I will. Thanks, Ned.” Shooting him a grin, you turned back to your locker to grab the last few things you needed, feeling so much more at ease. He actually likes me.

Right at that moment, Peter suddenly appeared, standing in between you and Ned. “Hey, man. Ready to go to Chemistry?” Hearing him greet Ned, you felt your face flush again, hiding your face behind your locker. Your body hadn’t yet calmed down from all the excitement of the past five minutes, apparently.

“Oh, hey Pete. Yeah, I’m almost ready, hold on.” Ned shuffled things around his locker, not having done much before he and Y/N began talking.

You were still hiding behind your locker, absentmindedly rearranging the magnets stuck to the door. Come on, Y/N. He actually likes you. Talk to him, dummy, you thought, trying to psych yourself up. Glancing at your watch and noting there was plenty of time left before the warning bell, you nodded slightly to yourself and finally eased the locker door shut.

“Morning, Peter.” You greeted, smiling slightly. Peter turned to you, brown eyes widening comically.

“Y/N! H-hey. What’s up?” He replied, trying to sound nonchalant. Jeez, Parker. Way to be smooth, he berated himself.

You shrugged, trying to prevent your smile from growing larger as you noticed his nervousness. “Nothing much. Are you ready for the Spanish quiz?” You asked, falling into step with him and Ned as the three of you began walking towards the classrooms.

“Uh, I’m not sure. I did study for it but honestly, I still don’t know what a subjunctive actually is,” Peter confessed, laughing slightly as he tried not to grow even more flustered by your proximity. You had situated yourself close enough that your hand brushed with Peter’s every now and then. He gulped as you suddenly turned to look up at him. Peter took in your Y/E/C eyes, the sweet smile on your face, and your slightly pink cheeks that must have been from the cold weather.

“Oh, please. Knowing you Peter, you’ll probably ace it,” you teased lightly, patting his arm reassuringly. You were a little surprised at the firmness you felt, hinting at muscles hidden underneath the sweaters and hoodies he always wore. This guy keeps on surprising me. Without pausing to think (and probably wimp out), you added sweetly, “We should study together sometime – I might actually be motivated to study then.”

Now Peter fully blushed, going into full-on awkward mode. “O-oh. Yeah, sure, if- if you want. I can help you. De-definitely.” You smiled, heart melting as he ran a hand through his hair nervously, tousling the brown curls. By then, the three of you had reached your classroom so you stopped walking, the guys stopping as well. You glanced over at Ned, who had stayed silent the entire time observing the two of you with a cheesy grin. “Well, this is my stop,” you said, gesturing to the doorway. “See you guys in Spanish. We’ll figure out our study date then, yeah Peter?” You shot him one last smile, moving to hug him quickly before heading inside.

As you walked away, you heard them whisper hurriedly to each other.

“Ned… What just happened?”

“Dude, you just got yourself a date with Y/N Y/L/N, that’s what!”

You smiled. Maybe today wouldn’t be so bad after all.