#and i hope it's okay that i went ahead and transitioned locations!! just let me know if i need to change it if it doesn't flow for you!

[tvrningout-a]

upon his prompting, chiyo looks at the cigarette between her fingers for a beat before placing it between her lips. she doesn't inhale yet, though. she's too lost in thought ( and a little scared she'll cough up a lung. do you really just... breathe in? ).

she smiles and dodges and pretends, but anxiety rises in her chest only to be stubbornly pushed back down. niko is smart, and he knows her -- chiyo realizes that means her usual deflections and white lies will be a little harder to sell. her mask, the one that never reveals the more difficult parts of herself, might be harder to wear in front of him. but chiyo's been this way for years. there's a reason for that ( she's good at this, at being polite with her struggles; she's bad at this, at being vulnerable with her loved ones ).

pushing those thoughts away, chiyo snorts, taking niko's hand and pulling herself up. she doesn't let go right away ( the contact is a comfort, even if he's the reason she's nervous ). " i swear there's nothin' all that juicy or as funny as the naruto-run. might be boring, listening to me... but it's fine if we're together, right? " her tone becomes teasing, a grin upon her face, but chiyo means it ( to be cheesy is to be honest in a low-risk way, so she thinks ). slowly, some might say reluctantly, her hand slips from niko's as she heads for the sidewalk and finally takes a slow, deep puff of his cigarette... chiyo chokes and coughs and promptly gives the pesky little thing back to niko. that was a mistake.

the pizza place isn't busy when they get there, which isn't a surprise, considering the hour. it's nice, though, because it almost feels like they're alone. the cashier and cooks are too busy with closing duties to pay them any mind while they enjoy their pizza. it helps chiyo feel a little more at ease.

" so... since i'm being honest here, i'll come out and say it: veggie pizza's the best, and i hate eating the crust. " her smile is back, the one that's easy and contagious and distracting. " oh, and i think pineapple pizza's an abomination, of course. "

"ya sure? people are always quick to say that & then it turns out, they're hidin' more from ya than ya would think." almost absentmindedly would those words spill from his lips, deep blue gaze racing with the stars that adorned the dark sky. (just like the one in your heart.) a voice . . . a voice?! that wasn't chiyo, was it? suspiciously had he jumped in his seat, turning his head to where the woman was sat; his own lit cigarette stolen from him whilst she grinned. no. it was something else. that thing that kept him sleepless on nights like these. perhaps, keeping secrets from one another was better. it would keep her safe. strained facial features relaxed somewhat as one of his large hands reached for her, fingers messing with loose strands of hair. "sure, but ya maybe wanna smoke that one if ya steal it. otherwise, a good cigarette will go to waste. "

it was said half-jokingly, though, really . . . cigarettes were expensive. "i can handle ya bein' cheesy just fine." a groan could be heard once he heaved himself up from the swing, adjusting the hood so he could hold her gaze. "i mean, ya saw me doin' stupid anime shit when we were kids . . . naruto-runnin' down the school yard is beyond bein' cheesy, don't cha think?" lost within own thoughts of childhood glee, the male kicked a pebble laying next to his shoe as he let his gaze fall to the ground. "so, let's go 'fore they close . . . " trailing off, a hand held out for her to take with a smug grin to match his attitude. "don't want to miss ya spillin' your heart out for me."

[jamiethetrans]

Women of SVU - Day 4 - Under the influence of strong medicine, alcohol or edibles

Alexandra Cabot x Reader

AN: Hey everyone!

Sorry about the long wait. Got a lot going on at the moment, and needed some time away to clear everything out.

I’m currently on waiting list to get testosterone/hormones for my transitioning and I’ve waited for almost six months now, so it’s taking quite a toll on me at the moment.

Plus I’m changing location of my job because I hate the current managers and everything is just going very slowly when you have a whole month ahead of you with those people still.

But I am back and I’m planning on writing more than ever!

Sorry about the spam of all the stories and chapters but needed everything transferred before deleting the account.

Hope you like this one!

- Jamie

•

"Would you say you're a charming man, mr. Brown?", Alex asked as she began her cross examination, looking down in her files. Both you and Olivia scoffed at the way the man's face instantly turned into a smirk. Not to mention the biggest one yet in the four hours the trial had taken so far.

"I would say I'm rather charming yes", he answered and Alex looked up from her papers meeting the man's eyes.

"So you don't have trouble finding women?"

The man shook his head. "No. It has never been an issue"

"Then why rape Bridget Harper?"

"Objection!", the defense called and the judge nodded.

"Withdrawn", Alex quickly said though before the judge could say anything and conitued. "Mr. Brown is it true that miss Harper worked at your firm for almost ten years before you fired her?"

"I didn't fire her, she decided to leave the company herself", he countered and Alex gave a weird smile towards him.

"It's funny you should say that”, she said walking back to her desk. “Because in this e-mail, people's exhibit fourteen, you're using the exact line 'You're fired'. And from her respones, it doesn't give any clue nor indication that she herself put down her resignation", she countered back and mr Broan immedietly froze looking down. He looked down at his fingers and you smirked as you sat next to Olivia.

"I-I didn't mean-"

"She also writes, and I qoute 'You're only firing me because I told you no. And then you raped me" You turned and wathced as Bridget let a tear fall down her cheek. "She's accusing you of raping her"

"I didn't-"

"She told you no. You couldn't take no for an answer so you raped her and fired her for it", Alex said and mr. Brown sighed and looked down. "Nothing further", she said and walked back to her seat.

Right in that moment, mr. Brown turned to one of his people from behind the defense table and one of them suddenly stood from his seat. You immediately noticed the gun in his hand, pointing it at Alex and you stood from your seat and held up your own gun.

“Drop the gun!”, you yelled and the man turned, redirecting his gun towards you. You quickly shot him in his shoulder and everyone screamed and got down on their knees.

Before you could react you heard another gunshot and felt a heavy amount of pain in your own shoulder, falling to the ground. “Y/n!”, Olivia yelled and the shooter was quickly shot down as well. She brought her hand to your shoulder and held the wound tightly.

“Stay with me y/n. Stay with me”

You felt yourself slowly getting tired as you saw the blood floating from your body and onto the wooden floor. You turned your head and saw a wave of blonde. “Y/n? Y/n stay with us”

The last thing you saw was blue eyes and a wave of blonde getting closer to your face.

•

When you opened your eyes again you saw a small hand in yours and immediately squeezed it as hard as you could but for the small hand it only came as a soft squeeze. “Mom! Mom she’s awake”, a voice yelled and you feel your head already banging.

“Ssshh, easy Noah”, a soft voice said and you turned your head slightly to see your Captain walking towards you from her seat on the couch. “Hey champ, how you feeling?”

You chuckled giving her a nod. “I’m good thanks. What happened?”

“I drove with you to the hospital while Fin drove Alex over here. They’re in the cafeteria getting some coffee”, she said and you sighed turning to Noah who stood next to his mother. You had always adored the boy and you would do anything for him.

“Hey kid”

“Hey auntie y/n”

You chuckled and right there the door opened and you all turned to see Fin and Alex walk in, Kat and Rollins following up. “Hey kid, how are you feeling?”, Fin asked and you chuckled. He always called you kid. No matter where it was.

“I’m fine Fin. My shoulder hurts like hell though”

They all gave you sad smiles and you rolled your eyes. “Don’t give me those pity looks. I’m fine”

They all let out small laughs and your eyes met Alex’s. Oh how you loved her eyes. Sea blue with a hint of choral green.

“Alright miss y/l/n”, a voice suddenly said and you all turned to see the doctor coming in. “You’re awake. How’s the shoulder? Any pain?”

You wanted to be strong. Show your strength to your colleagues, to Alex. You wanted to show it to Noah, showing him you were his strong aunt that could survive anything. But the pain was just too unbearable. So you nodded and moved your neck away from him.

Olivia walked over to Fin and squeezed his shoulder. “We should let her be”, she whispered and Fin nodded. She turned to Kat and Rollins and they both understood the gesture.

They all left the room after goodbyes to you and that left Alex standing alone by the end of the bed. “I will give you some pain relievers, it should hold the pain down for a while”, the doctor said and you nodded. He walked out of the room and you turned meeting Alex’ eyes.

“Hey you”, she whispered and you smiled softly, trying to hold back the tears. She walked over to you and let her hand softly squeeze yours. “God you scared the crap out of me”, she said and you chuckled.

“Sorry. But I’m fine. I’m getting painkillers and I will get better, okay?”

She nodded and gave you a weak smile, your hands tangled together.

•

When you opened your eyes you immediately noticed you were alone. You turned your head and saw the bright light shine through the curtains. You felt yourself getting light headed, not able to control your own brain. It felt like that anyway.

The door opened and you Olivia walked in, Fin right behind her. “Eeey, my cap and my serg”, you said with a lousy smile. The two shared a look and you held out your hand for Olivia to take.

“How is my beautiful Captain today, mmh?”, you asked and the woman couldn’t stop herself from chuckling.

“I’m fine y/n, how are you?”

“Oh pft! I’m fine!”, you said with a pitched voice and Fin frowned at your behavior. Olivia simply chuckled, happy to see you in a better mood than yesterday.

The door opened again and you widened your eyes at the sight your partner. “Katty. Katty! Oh my god I have missed you so much!”, you said with a wide smile and Kat frowned with a smile at the nickname, turning to Olivia who simply shook her head.

“I’ve missed you too girl”, she said and you smiled wide.

“Oh of course you do. You and I? We are the best partners in New York!”, you said and extended a turned fist towards her. She smiled at the action and extended her own turned fist towards yours, doing your handshake. Up and down, meet in the middle for a fist bump before making a finger gun, firing it off.

The door opened again and Alex walked in, a file in her hands. Your eyes widened and smiled wide. “Alex!”

The blonde turned to you and smiled. “Y/n. How are you feeling?”

“Oh I am so good! I feel like I’m on fire! And that’s not just because of the meds”, you said giving her a wink and Alex’ cheeks reddened at a blush. Kat raised her eyebrows turning to Amanda who looked just as shocked.

“You guys wanna know a secret?”, you asked chuckling, feeling yourself getting higher. “I’m secretly in love with Alex”, you half whispered, holding your hand to the side of your mouth, meeting Kat’s eyes.

Kat widened her eyes, Amanda slamming her palm to her mouth while Fin turned to the others. Olivia turned to Alex who stood frozen in place looking at you.

It had only been a week since the blonde had come to her apartment and confessed her feelings for you. They had talked about it for hours, Alex practically exploding her heart into the apartment.

“But don’t tell her!”, you said obviously to the tension filling up between the others. “She doesn’t feel the same so please don’t”

Kat found herself nodded with a smile. “Of course partner”

You smiled nodding and soon you fell asleep, the meds taking all of your energy out.

•

The day you went back to work, you had your arm in a sling, your shoulder completely covered in bandages. Kat was the first to notice you as you stepped into the squad room and she stood from her seat faster than ever before.

You groaned at the tightness of her hug, feeling your shoulder complaining at the amount of pressure. “Sorry”, she whispered and you shook your head.

“S’okay”

You made your handshake before you turned and saw Amanda standing ready. You let her hug you as well, though a little softer. “How you feeling?”

“Better. The painkillers are definitely doing their job”, you said and the two women shared a look making you frowned at them. “What?”

“Nothing”, they both said in unison and you raised a perfect eyebrow at them as Amanda walked back to her seat. You shook it off and sat down by your desk, feeling relief wash over your body as you were finally back to work. God how you’ve missed it.

You sat and worked on a few reports for the next hour and you were almost done when you heard the familiar heels sounding through the entire squad room. You turned and met Alex’s eyes and the woman gave you a linear smile.

“Detective. Good to see you back on your feet”, she said and you sat completely tranced in her beauty. And completely unaware of what had happened at the hospital.

“It’s good to be back”, you said in a haste, blinking your eyes and she smiled at you. “I’ve missed working”, you continued.

“Of course you have. You’re a workaholic. Working is what you’re best at”, she said and you froze for a moment looking at her.

“Are you o–“

“Alex. Good you could make it”, Olivia came and interrupted and you watched as the blonde followed the brunette inside.

“You okay?”, a voice sounded through your ears and you turned to Tamin who gave you a soft smile.

“Yeah. Yeah I’m good. Wha... what was that about?”

“You don’t remember?”

You frowned at her quizzed expression and you shook your head gently. You had absolutely no idea what had happened. “What?”

Tamin turned to Rollins who sighed with a nod, telling her you deserved to know. Taming turned back to you who still sat with a frown.

“You were high on meds. You…”, she trailed off.

“I what?”

“You… you confessed your feelings for Alex to me”, she said and you blushed hard.

“Uhm… okay. Well, that’s not that ba–“

“While everyone else was there too”, she continued and this time you froze.

“You… you mean…”, you were unable to finish and both Tamin and Rollins nodded their heads.

All the color suddenly drained from your face and you turned towards Liv’s office and instantly met Alex’s eyes.

Shit

•

“Another?”

You turned to the sound and noticed the bartender standing in front of you, looking down at your now empty glass of scotch.

“Yeah sure”

The bartender took the bottle and poured, you watching the liquid fall into the glass.

“You sure that’s healthy for you?”, a voice suddenly asked and you turned to see Olivia standing next to you.

“Well, it’s too late now”, you said and Olivia rolled her eyes with a smile and sat down next to you, the bartender immediately noticing.

“Captain?”

Olivia shook her head with a smile at the question before turning to you. “You should talk to Alex. She’s been absolutely out her mind since you got shot”, she said and you chuckled.

“Really? She’s not scared since I basically confessed my heart out in front of everyone?”, you said and Olivia chuckled.

“Well you’re not the only one who’s confessed their heart out”

You frowned at her and Olivia smiled. “She adores you y/n. She absolutely adores you. Go talk to her”

You sat and stared at your drink for a moment debating your thoughts before standing from your seat. “Thanks Liv”

Olivia smiled at the kiss she received on her cheek before watching you leave the bar faster than ever before. She smiled and looked down at your still full glass and turned to the bartender. “Give me her tab”

•

It was just past ten when Alex heard a knocking on her door, frowning at the sudden guest at this time. She stood from the coach, turning the tv down before walking over to the front door.

When she opened she met your eyes and froze. “Y/n?”

You stood still staring into her eyes and Alex felt herself blush under your gaze. You stood for a solid minute staring into each other’s eyes, her blue ones the most beautiful ones you ever laid your eyes on.

“You want to come in?”, Alex suddenly asked and you nodded walking in. You noticed the tv and smiled.

“Say yes to the bride”, you read and turned to the prosecutor who blushed.

“What? I like the program”, she said and you smiled.

“It’s okay, I’m not judging. I like it too”, you said, trying to make her feel better about her little guilty pleasure. You caught yourself staring into her eyes again and blushed hard clearing your throat.

“May I… May I watch it… with you?”

Alex smiled at the small voice you used to ask and nodded. “I’d love that”

You smiled wide and sat down in the couch, Alex sitting next to you. You were about five minutes in when Alex began commenting on the dresses, and you laughed every time. Either they were too ugly or too big or just didn’t suit the woman who was wearing it.

“Wow Alex, if I knew you would be so savage with this program, I would have watched it with you sooner”

“Shut up”, she said hitting your arm and you laughed making her smile as well.

“This is nice”, you said after a while and she smiled. She laid her head on your shoulder, her hand squeezing your arm and you felt yourself blush.

“You know, don’t you?”, you asked into the silence and Alex turned to you, her eyes meeting yours. Your faces were so close now and you felt your heart beat faster.

“Know what?”

You knew she was challenging you. You could see it in her eyes. She wanted you to say it.

“That I have feelings for you”, you whispered and Alex stared into your eyes for a while, her hand coming to softly stroke your cheek.

“You should know too then”, she said and you furrowed your eyebrows.

“Know what?”

“That I have feelings for you too”

Before you could get a word out, she brought your face closer and brought your lips together in a chaste kiss.

[flying-nightwing]

Damn Him

Hi, this is average af but I needed to post something. You’ll probably be disappointed lmao. Anyway, enjoy some Dick Grayson content!

More on my masterlist, pinned as a top post!

Pairing: Dick Grayson x Reader

Word count: 4798

Warnings: None

Summary: Dick Grayson never seems to say the right thing around you, and it’s not quite for the reason you initially thought

You looked up from your book when your cellphone vibrated on your desk beside you. You were in the midst of studying for your last exam of the semester, so you had your phone on a strict do not disturb schedule, which meant it remained on 24/7. Your notifications were blocked for any social media, text or calls you might receive, well, except for your one emergency contact: Bruce Wayne. He knew he was supposed to contact you only if he had no other choice but ask for your help, and never had he even used that card ever since you knew him. Reluctantly, you put down you book and marker to switch them for your phone. Turning on the screen, you ignored the various hidden notifications, focusing only on the single line that stared back at you.

Call me when you can - B.

Sighing, you unlocked your phone and pressed the contact name, then the phone icon next to it. It rang twice before Bruce picked up.

"(Y/N), how are you?"

"A bit stressed out, but it could be worse" You replied truthfully. "What's up?"

"I hope you know I wouldn't do this if I had any other solution" He began. "But I need your help on a recon mission, almost all my effective got busted last night"

"Oh my, are they okay?" You frowned with concern, even if he couldn't see you.

"Yes, don't worry" He said, "I'll explain in person, that is if you agree to come. I'd understand if you refused, though"

You rubbed the bridge of your nose and closed your eyes for a second. You owed a lot to Bruce, and since it was a simple recon stakeout, you could take one or two nights off to help him out. You were already ahead of schedule in your studying and confident in your knowledge of the material.

"Yeah, sure, I'll be there" You finally answered. "What time do you want me over?"

"As soon as you can"

"Aight, see ya"

You hung up the phone and put it back on your desk, observing it for a second. It had been gifted to you by Bruce after you began going on missions more regularly with the batlings, he said that way he knew for sure all communications would be secure and sheltered from hacking or government surveillance. You had to admit, having an encrypted phone was pretty neat, as it ran entirely on Wayne Enterprises servers and networks. The simple thought of not having to suffer through youtube ads was satisfactory enough on its own to justify the need for it, even if you didn't join missions as much as you used to.

You finally stood up and went to change from your yoga pants and loose tank top to black jeans and a sweater, then jumped in your car and drove to the manor. You punched in your code at the gate and took the right to the garages, where you entered a second code to open the doors. Your car was several notches under those parked there, but you had to have something less flashy as not to attract too much attention. Still, it was more than a majority of college students even had. You had to thank Bruce for that too. He wasn't your adopted father per say, since he found you a few days before your eighteenth birthday, but he still acted like a guardian and mentor for you.

You jogged down to the batcave, where you instantly spotted a chatty blonde sprawled in a seat, making wild gesture. She sprung up straight at the sound of you coming in and her face split in a wide grin. She jumped on her feet and skipped toward you.

"Hey giiiiirl" She drawled out excitedly. "Long time no see!"

"Hey Steph" You chuckled, going for the hug. "Sorry I didn't call, I have no excuses"

"Don't worry about it" She waved off with an airy laugh. She knew how busy school kept you, and how you kind of wanted to separate yourself fromthe vigilante life. "I'm just glad you're here"

"So am I" Bruce called from the computers. He gave you a subtle smile, and you nodded back to him. "It seems like we're in a bit of an impasse here"

You didn't miss the quick glare he sent to Tim and Steph, who sheepishly avoided looking back at him. It didn't seem too serious though, or the air would have drastically changed.

"Before he says anything, know it wasn't our fault" Steph hurried to say.

"We were totally ambushed by Vicky Vale" Tim nodded along."No idea what she did there, but she was, and she saw right through our disguises.We had to bolt before she exposed us"

You frowned in confusion. "Okay can someone tell me what is going on here?"

"Tim and Steph were supposed to go undercover and cozy up with the high leaders of what I have suspicions on good authority are transiting premium grade opium into the US and Europe, and are close partners to Count Vertigo" Bruce began, already exhausted. "But as they said, Vicky Vale was somehow invited to the banquet and singled them out immediately before they could get even near the big guys"

"My magnificent blond mane attracts way too much attention, I'm afraid" Steph sighed sadly, making you chuckle. "It's a curse, babes. I tell ya"

"Keep telling yourself that, Stephi" A new voice came from the top of the stairs. You both wanted suddenly to go back to your books as a big part of why you barely tag along on missions anymore skipped down the stairs. Damn Dick Grayson, damn him. "We all know covert missions are not your strong point"

"I'm gonna kill you in your sleep, Grayson" She smiled sweetly at him.

"No, because you suck at being subtle" He returned the grin, just as sweetly if not more. He ruffled her hair as he passed by. "What's up Timbo"

He hummed something unintelligible, flipping his brother off. Dick laughed, then almost added something when he finally noticed you. His laughter died down and his eyes widened, and suddenly he looked uncomfortable. "Oh, you're here"

"So it seems" You replied as flatly as he spoke. It wasn't new, you had never known how to act around each other. Did you hate him? Of course not, you had absolutely no reason to. Did you consider him your friend? Hard to say. All you knew was that any and every encounter you had with Dick Grayson was awkward. You got along with Tim just fine, and even Jason when he was still around. You loved Cass and Duke, and you even managed to get on Dami's good side, or most of the time anyway. But Dick remained a mystery to you, one that had eluded you for years now. You didn't understand a single thing about that boy, and you doubted you ever would. You've had conversations before, loads of them, and you had no doubt he would make an amazing friend, but you couldn't seem to get past the stage of acquaintances.

Which was frankly disappointing, because you had been instantly attracted by his charms and easygoing nature when you first met. You had been drawn to him, and you couldn't try and pretend you hadn't pinned after him for the longest time. But you hit a wall when his behaviour began changing wildly around you, right around the time you slipped flirts every now and then to let him know that you were into him. Right now, you were just really over his poor attempts at pretending he never noticed it happen.

"So" Bruce spoke up, breaking the tension that had suddenly arisen in the cave. "Tomorrow night we'll have a new opening to try and get to them, hopefully without interruption this time. I've taken a look at the list, and no reporter was on it. We should be good"

"But Tim and Steph already got busted" You pointed out. "They'll know something is up if they show up again"

"That's why they will be seen at the Gotham Charity Auction at the museum" He explained, meeting your eyes. "That's why I called you up. You'll be going undercover with Dick as husband and wife"

"What?" Dick coughed almost immediately. "We're not–" He laughed nervously. "Us? As a married couple? This is ridiculous"

Your head turned sharply toward him, your eyebrows raised in disbelief. "Wow, thanks a lot for the vote of confidence" You snapped. "I didn't know being my fake husband was such a terrible perspective"

"No– Wait– That's not–" He stuttered, his eyes wide. "I didn't mean it that way"

"Sure" You rolled your eyes, before turning to Bruce again. He had an unreadable expression on his face, more unreadable than usually anyway. Tim and Steph stood there in stunned silence, not daring to speak up. "What's the briefing?"

Bruce glanced in between you and Dick, before looking back at you again. "Félix Lachance and Stella Gustavsson, they're the one you need to befriend. Since you're not known to the public, it'll be easier for Dick to pass under the radar and not cause an incident like last time"

"We get it, B" Tim muttered under his breath as Bruce passed you the files with the pictures.

"I need you to retrieve any information you can" He continued, ignoring Tim's comment. "Names of business partners, location of transactions, dates, anything, you know the gig. Your occupation and alias if you want one will be at your discretion, I trust you can deal with that. As always you need to be extremely careful as not to alert them, because this is our last chance to get the critical Intel we need to take this down. So I'll need you at your A game, both of you"

This was a warning and you knew it. He let you know more or less subtly to put aside whatever was happening between you and behave like adults. You straightened your back and took a deep breath, getting your head in the right mindset.

"Alright, I'll be ready for tomorrow night" You nodded as you gathered the files. "Can I stay over tonight? There is no point in trying to study now"

"You don't need to ask, (Y/N), you're always welcome here" Bruce said, a hint of fondness in his voice. He always liked having you around, he said your presence tamed the boys. You nodded and made your way upstairs, finding the room you claimed as your own for about a year, and the same you always came back to when you stayed the night.

You went to the drawers, fishing out old training clothes you had left behind. You weren't sure all those were yours, they were probably mixed with pieces you stole from Steph and Cass. In return, they probably did also steal from your drawer occasionally, balancing it all out. You were about to change into something comfy for bed when a soft knock at your door caught your attention. You walked to it and tentatively opening the door, your expression flattening when you saw how it was.

"Yes?"

"Hey um" Dick scratched the back of his neck. "I just wanted to say, I'm sorry it came out that way. I just meant that it would be, you know, weird"

You stared at him blankly. "You're not helping your case here, Dick"

"Shit, that's not what I mean either!" He hurried to say, realizing his mistake. But you were already closing the door. "Please (Y/N)–"

"Get some rest Dick" You said as you pushed the door closed. You sighed and shook your head before adding in a whisper, "God knows we'll need it"

------

You had done covert missions before, but this was the first time you were operating in such conditions. You finished retouching your hair, staring at yourself in the mirror, wondering whether or not it was more expensive than your total life income. The floor length champagne coloured dress was stunning, tailored to your form and just sparkly enough to let you shine through the design. You suspected the shoes were made especially to fit with the dress, as they resembled its lace and belt colour. You were sporting on top of that a heavy diamond necklace with matching earrings, proving the general high cost of the outfit. Your comm was carefully tucked in your ear, functional and well hidden.

"Oh my my" Steph whistled lowly. "If I wasn't dating Timbers I would date you"

You laughed. "This is the outfit talking. You haven't seen me tired and puffy in sweatpants just yet"

"Grump, just take the damn compliment" She playfully poked your exposed shoulder.

"Alright alright, thanks" You rolled your eyes. "Since it's gonna be the only one coming from this household anyway"

Steph wiggled her eyebrows. "Wouldn't be so sure about that" She said in a sing-song voice. "Your fake boyfriend may have some thoughts too"

"Ha" You snorted, walking out of your room with her following at your side. "It's good, that you're wishful thinking. The boy can't seem to talk to me without insulting me lately"

"Trust me, he won't be able to resist to this bombshell" She gestured at your form. "Dick's a people pleaser, and looking like a whole five course meal like that, you sure are easy to please if you want my opinion"

You shook your head, a small grin on your face. Steph had always been your favourite for a reason. She knew how you felt about Dick, but she never meddled. Well, not more than she typically would anyway, and not enough to cross your boundaries. And even then, she had no explanation either for his behaviour. You finally reached the foyer, where Bruce was dressed casually, sleeves rolled up and without a tie, talking to an all dressed up Dick, his hair now dark red and with almost black contact lenses. Your heels clicking on the stairs was what snapped their attention to you; Bruce nodding at his choice of dress for you, and Dick, his mouth slightly agape. You felt Steph gently but excitedly elbowing your ribs.

"Ah, (Y/N), there you are" Bruce said. "I'm glad to see the dress fits well"

"Yeah" Dick tried to smile, but it came out more like a grimace. "You look okay"

You blinked in disbelief as you heard Steph's facepalm behind you. You closed your eyes and exhaled through your nose, while Bruce shook his head slightly at his son.

"Yikes" Tim made his presence known. You shared this one word mood immensely right about now. "Way to go D"

Dick cleared his throat, trying to push back the embarrassment blush creeping up his cheeks. "Uh, shall we go?"

"That would be preferable, yes" Bruce replied, making Steph choke and cover he laughter with a cough. The way he said it was clearly meant to be a jab to his son's tactless attitude. "Be careful"

"Of course" You smiled tightly and all but dragged Dick outside. You'd take one of Bruce's luxury car to get there, and it was already waiting in the driveway. Dick pressed the door button and slowly, they lifted up to let you in. You slid in the passenger seat without waiting for Dick's help and you kept your eyes on the windshield in from of you as he began to drive. The ride was silent until he decided to speak again, tentatively.

"It's nice to see you all dressed up, for once" He said, still clearly not thinking of his choice of words more carefully. "It's different. A good different!"

For once? Was he serious?

You audibly sighed. "I'm begging you to just stop talking"

"What?" He objected, confused. "What did I say wrong this time– Oh"

"Yeah" You replied, your tone clipped and dry.

"I'm an idiot" He mumbled under his breath. That you could agree on, but you didn't voice it out loud.

He couldn't pull into the driveway fast enough. You slipped on your fake engagement ring as Dick stopped in front of the awaiting valet, doing himself the same thing. You both had a recording device slipped in your clothes, and the ring allowed you to turn it on and off at will, as well as the comm in your ear. You turned both off for the awaiting scan at the entrance, as not to emit detectable frequencies.

"Ready?" He asked, and you gave him a firm nod. He got out first and rounded the car, opening your door for you as he would be expected to by this particular crowd. You took his offered hand to climb out and linked your arm to his as he gave the keys to the valet in exchange for a ticket. He left a tip before you walked inside, registering to the guest list. You passed the security checkpoint without a hassle and found yourself in the hall where the auction was held. You turned on your comm and recording device again.

"Recon first, then regroup?" You suggested in a mutter as you were both visually scanning the room.

"Yep" He replied shortly. "B, copy?"

"Crystal clear" 

"Good. Let's go"

While Dick headed to the bar, you opted for the art collection on display, pretending to scout for potential pieces to bid on. But your eyes weren't on the expensive paintings and statues, but moved around the room to spot some VIP lounge or area where the big shots might hang out at. There was a room where attendees came and went, but you shrugged it off as there wasn't enough security for the profile you were searching for. You paused your recon for small talk here and there, and you were in the middle of a casual chat about painted landscapes with an older gentleman when Dick rejoined your side, handing you a drink.

"There you are honey" He smiled sweetly, his unusually dark brown eyes reflecting the light from the chandelier.

"Joey, my love, allow me to introduce you to Sir Fernand Bretworth of Essex" His alias flew out of your mouth naturally, then you took a small sip of your drink. Non alcoholic, nice thinking. "We were discussing impressionism and its influence on modern art"

You wanted to smirk at the clueless look Dick gave you. He was a prodigy in a lot of things, but art wasn't one. It was more Damian's thing, or Tim's if he tried hard enough, but definitely not Dick's. Take that now. 

"Ah, yes..." He replied slowly. "Fascinating indeed"

"Alright" You let out a small, cover up laugh as your hand rested on his bicep. "My husband has little interest in art, my apologies"

"No offence taken" He chuckled. "I'll leave you two, my wife must be looking for me. An old fool like me gets easily distracted!"

You laughed along with him until he was out of earshot. Then you dropped your hand and turned to him. "Noticed anything?"

"Yeah, there is a guarded room with special access" He said as you walked deeper into the crowd not to look suspicious. "Only owned of a special pass can go in, and the guards are very thorough"

"Great" You breathed. "Now let's hope out lovebirds will come out to mingle"

"As it turns out..." He trailed off, and instinctively, you began turning your head toward where his gaze lead. He immediately redirected your head back to him with a firm, but gentle touch on your cheek. His hand remained there for about three seconds longer than necessary, until he realized what he did and retracted his arm. You could have almost enjoyed it if he didn't look like he was touched by literal fire. "Don't look"

"Sorry" You mumbled, avoiding his gaze.

"... They got out, they're talking to people" He informed you, ignoring what just went down. "You go for Stella, I'll take Felix. Remember, friendly but not suspicious. Sweet talk your way into spilling the beans"

"I know" You bit back, your voice low. "Not my first mission, remember? I know what to do"

"I was just reminding you"

"Yeah, I got that" You scoffed. "If you don't trust me, just say so, it'll save you trouble of babying me"

"Come on, that's not–"

He began arguing, but you walked away before you could slip up and say his real name. It would give him one more reason to come down on you like you were a beginner in need of guidance. You were rusty, not stupid. You didn't need him insulting your undercover talents as well. You stopped in front of a beautiful emerald necklace that had a start bid of ten millions dollars and took a long sip of your drink, now kind of bummed it was non alcoholic. But that very detail was probably why you felt a presence approaching you from behind, giving you a few seconds to compose yourself and sweep your frustration under the rug.

"Trouble in paradise?"

You turned around, surprised. It looked like the voice made you jump, when it was in fact the nature of the question that threw you off, as well as the person who had spoken. Before you could ask, the Stella Gustavsson smiled warmly and nodded to where Dick had been seconds earlier.

"I saw what happened" She began, and your heart skipped a beat, hoping she hadn't overheard. "Those frustrated hands gesture are all too familiar. What did he do?"

You relaxed slightly, for now. "We've been having trouble lately, well, more than usually" You explained with a little complicit cock of your head. She seemed to get it. You, on the other hand, knew Dick was hearing everything on his comm, so you decided to go for it. "He's acting... Weird. Can't seem to talk to me without irritating me, whether on purpose or not. I'm sorry, I'm venting to a stranger, I can't imagine how it must look look like.

"Don't worry about it dear, I asked" She winked, extending her hand. "I'm Stella"

"Aleka" You shook her hand.

"Your dress is stunning, by the way!" She exclaimed. "Which designer?”

You froze for a second before shrugging. "No idea, my designer got it for me" You brushed off. "As long as it looks good, I don't care where it comes from"

"Amen" She said, taking a sip of her champagne. "Although, I need to know the name of your designer. They have amazing taste, and I'm looking for a new one for myself"

Oh shit.

"It's B" You replied instantly.

"Bee?"

"Yeah" You nodded, and she looked at you incredulously. "I mean, that's what we all call him. I'm sure he has a name, but I pay him to dress me, not to know his personal life"

"Harsh, (Y/N)" Bruce said in your ear, and you remembered he had been listening to everything. "But nice save"

She laughed, unaware of the comments from Batman himself. "That is very true. How have I not met you before? I feel we have a lot in common"

"I sincerely have no idea" You replied, adding a little gasp of disbelief.

"You're different from this crowd, I can feel it" She kept going on as you started walking side by side in the exposition room. "Everyone here only cares about petty, trivial things. You have a head on your shoulders, you're smart. Too bad your man can't seem to see what's in front of him"

You sighed in agreement to hide the fist pump of victory that threatened to come up. Just like that, you had won Stella over. "I don't know what to do about it. I've tried to talk to him, but it just makes it worse"

"But have you tried to make him jealous?" She suggested with a perfectly shaped eyebrow raised. "There are plenty of young men around, or older bachelors if you're into that. Flirt with them, make sure he sees you, he'll come running, take my word"

"It won't work, he's not–" Even my boyfriend, you were about to say, but you saved your fall just on time. Still, you could practically see Dick's glare in the back of your head at the almost slip up. "Jealous. He's not a jealous man, he's very confident and secure"

"What a shame" She drawled out, going for her champagne again. "Here's what you can do then. Go to him, take him by the neck and french kiss him like there is no tomorrow”

You choked on your saliva as she watched you with a mischievous grin. "Excuse me?"

"It's guaranteed to work, darling" She lifted her shoulder in an elegant shrug. "Then you hold him off. You'll thank me later tonight when you're back at home, just wait and see"

You were about to argue some more, but her insisting stare told you she wasn't just going to let it go. So you scanned the crowd for Dick, spotting him casually excusing himself from a conversation group, going for a refill at the bar. You reached him and grabbed him by the elbow, bringing him face to face with you. You made sure your back was to Stella before beginning to explain the situation.

"I heard" He told you in a mutter, making sure his lips were unreadable under Stella's stare from the distance.

"Then you know what she expects" You sighed, slipping your hands behind his neck. "It doesn't have to be deep, just convincing. Can you do this without grimacing?"

You thought he would stumble into some weak apology, or say something clever. He did neither, instead dived straight for your lips so quickly it was you who was taken by surprise. Naturally, all you could do is kiss him back and try to keep up with him. At some point you thought he would break off, but you weren't prepared for him to actually deepen the kiss. He wasn't letting you go, and it made you dizzy in all the best ways. Let's say you were thankful for his arm around your waist right about now. Finally, you still had to breathe, so you parted reluctantly.

"What was that for?" You asked, your eyes still dazed.

"An apology for irritating you unintentionally" He grinned boyishly, for probably the first time ever directed at you. "I'm an idiot"

"Can confirm" You replied, bringing him down on your lips again. This time, it was a bit shorter, but the spark was still very much present. "You should have done this a long time ago"

"I know" He nodded, his head slightly down and his puppy dog eyes shining even underneath the dark contact lenses. "You're a bit intimidating, I didn't know how to act"

You let out a loud laugh at his confession. "You're kidding"

He pouted.

"Me?" You repeated. "But you're– You're you!"

"Well, duh" He chuckled. "You've got me all tangled in here," He pointed at his chest. "Made me nervous all the time"

You melted just a little bit at his little display, before remembering doing this was a specialty of his. You were just not used to be on the receiving end of it. "You're lucky you're cute, and that I'm already sold on you"

The bright grin returned.

"As heartwarming as this moment is, please focus on the task at hand" Bruce's stern voice echoed in your head, and you were suddenly reminded your conversation had been integrally transmitted to him.

"Right, sorry" Dick apologized sheepishly.

"See, I told you"

This time, you were taken by surprise by Stella walking on you. Even Bruce's intervention hadn't quite brought you back to reality. Damn Dick Grayson, damn him. You turned around, trying to hide your flustered state and instead focusing on the tall gentleman at her side. Must be Felix Lachance, you thought.

"It works every time" She added, sipping from a new glass of champagne.

"You were right" You let out an airy laugh. "Stella, this is my husband Joey Moore. Joey, this is my new friend Stella"

They shook hands before she introduced her husband to the both of you. You already knew his name, but you both pretended you didn't for the sake of your covers.

"Nice to meet you two" Félix smiled politely.

"Hey, would you like to go for a drink after this?" Stella asked. "I sure would like to get to know you two better"

Dick and you exchanged a glance, knowing you had locked the target. Acquiring intel from now on would only be a piece of cake, the base was laid for further actions. You smiled, returning your glance to Stella.

"That would be absolutely lovely"

[kittydemon9000]

Hrrrrrrrr I know @blursed-ninjago-ideas reverse prompt thing was a while ago, but it took a while to finish mine and I ended up cutting out bits that didn’t work, so here. The prompt was Kai getting akumatized, but HM loosing control so here we go

————————————

Kai didn’t know akumas could be so destructive. None of them did. Or at least, they’d been stopped before they could do any real lasting damage.

“GET DOWN!” Cole shouted, tackling him to the ground. A bright blue laser sailed past where Kai had just been, hitting a car instead.

It crumbled to dust.

From what Kai has gathered, the Akuma was from a young boy who had been bullied for his love of sci-fi, to the point where they’d started beating him up. His Akuma powers were the same as the kid’s favorite character: being able to blast beams of light that disintegrate whatever they touch.

Kai found himself cursing Hawkmoth yet again.

The group had already seen more than ten people get disintegrated, and there were probably many more.

“I have located the targets.” A monotonous voice said behind them. Kai’s blood ran cold.

The group turned around in horror to see true Akuma behind them. He had pale blue skin with a black visor covering the top of his head. He was wearing a deep, black suit with gold accents and a golden cape fluttered behind his. His boots were a similar gold with tiny rockets on the bottom, granting him flight. And his gun…..his gun was pointed right at them.

Before any of them had a chance to react, he fired.

Jay didn’t even have a chance to open his mouth before he crumbled to dust. They barely had a chance to breathe before the Akuma fired two more, at Cole and Zane respectively.

Nya was next, having a second to jump out of the way but the Akuma easily tracked her movements.

“KAI-“ was all Lloyd had time to say before he was gone too.

Kai could barely breathe. Jay, Cole, Zane, Nya, Lloyd…...his family, his siblings…..every single one of them was gone…..turned to dust

He vaguely heard the sound of the Akuma yelling out as Ladybug and Chat Noir chased him away, no doubt to lure him into a trap, or at least away from all the civilians.

The smell of burning surrounded him, he needed to leave, it was so suffocating and he needed to get away.

He was running. Sprinting at full speed, with no destination in mind other than far away from here.

Kai didn’t know how long he ran for. Minutes, maybe hours. All that filled his ears were the echoing sounds of Lloyd’s call and the haunting ringing of his phone.

In his running, Kai tripped on a piece of sidewalk, sending him crashing to the ground.

And that second of pain was enough to bring him back.

His family was gone. Turned to dust before his very eyes. And Kai? Kai was terrified. Kai was angry. Kai was guilty. Kai was filled to the very brim with unwavering, unrelenting grief.

Why did the Akuma decide to shoot him last? Why was it even targeting them? Why wasn’t it going for Ladybug and Chat Noir’s Miraculous instead? Why did it have it be them?

Pyrovenge.

Kai’s breath hitched before letting out a dark chuckle. That was a new one. How many Akuma forms did he have now? Four? Five?

In return for avenging the deaths of your family, I want Ladybug and Chat Noir’s miraculous.

That did sound nice……...but no.

Why not?

That kid. It wasn’t his fault. He was just another victim.

And what about Ladybug and Chat Noir! If they had kept him distracted, or shown up earlier, your family would be fine!

Heros can’t be everywhere at once. They’re still human. The fact they step up to beat you-

But then something clicked in Kai’s mind.

Targets.

The Akuma had called them targets.

The anger grew.

Wait! Stop-

Hawkmoth had told the Akuma to target, to murder, his family. Probably to get him akumatized.

“I’m coming for you Hawkmoth, and there is nowhere you can run that I won’t find you.”

The purple blobs enveloped him, Hawkmoth yelling in his mind. But it didn’t matter.

Pyrovenge wouldn’t stop until Hawkmoth was dead.

———————

Ladybug bolted across the rooftops, dodging and jumping over the fires, ice spikes and piles of rocks that blocked her path. This new Akuma was tough. They so far hadn’t gotten anywhere close to him, and only through some live video footage did they learn their name was Pyrovenge. But, despite the name, they seemed to be able to do more than just make fire.

They also seemed to hate Hawkmoth, which could be used to her advantage.

“COME OUT YOU COWARD!” A deafening and furious voice echoed, followed by a loud explosion. Up ahead, Ladybug saw what looked like a fire tornado appear for a second before dissipating.

“Pyrovenge!” Ladybug yelled out as she reached the end of the building.

The Akuma was wearing a bodysuit that started at black by the feet but slowly transitioned into red as it went up. He had fingerless black gloves with a molten rock pattern runnin up his arms and stopping at the elbow. On his left shoulder was something that resembled a grey archery chest guard while on the right was a brown and gold shoulder guard that went down the length of his arm. A blue sash was wrapped around his waist with a few colorful buttons pinned on. It looked as though someone had taken clothes and accessories from six different closets and thrown them together. Ladybug’s inner designer cringed. It wasn’t even horrible, all the accessories by themselves would’ve looked great, but together it was just too random and all over the place.

Their skin was a burnt brown color with a black domino mask covering their eyes. The Akuma also wore a sort of head band, but instead of hair there was a roaring fire. His eyes were blazing red and filled with rage.

“What do you want!?!” He yelled, temporarily stopping his war path. The block of street they were on was almost completely destroyed, fires roaring on all sides. But luckily, Ladybug didn’t see any civilians.

“You need to stop. You’ll destroy all of Paris!” Ladybug pleaded.

“So what?” He spat. “You can just cast the cure to fix everything.”

“That doesn’t mean that damage hasn’t been done! Think of the people who might get hurt!”

Think of the people who could die went unsaid.

“That’s what I'm counting on.” Pyrovenge snarled.

“Well, we’d be pretty lousy heros if we let you.” Chat Noir quipped as he landed. He winked at Ladybug. “So it took so long, Milady. I got a little held up.”

Pyrovenge growled. “I won’t let you, or anyone, get in the way of my revenge. Hawkmoth killed my family. I won’t let that deed go unpunished.”

The sash around his waist started glowing a cyan blue and suddenly the flames atop his head went out, replaced by a slowly growing mass of water. The harsh reds of this clothes were replaced with a vibrant cyan blue.

He held his hands out and lifted them, and suddenly water erupted from the nearby fire hydrants and shot toward the heros.

The pair jumped out of the way, but the water curved around and shot toward them again. The heros just barely jumped out of the way again, dodging for a few more seconds before Pyrovenge let out an angry growl.

The floating water suddenly dropped to the ground with a splash, spraying outwards.

“Lucky Charm!” Ladybug cried out. From the magical ladybugs, a piece of paper began to fall. Before it could be snatched away, she jumped up and grabbed it.

“I don’t have time to deal with you!” He shouted.

Then, the buttons started glowing a darker blue and electric sparks exploded from his head. The cyan of his outfit was replaced by a dark blue, similar to the color of the electricity.

With speed like lightning, he darted away.

“Oh no you don’t.” Chat Noir said, sprinting after him, but he was quickly yanked back by Ladybug grabbing his tail.

“Meowch, Milady. What was that for?”

But Ladybug was looking with a slightly horrified expression at the Lucky Charm. For once, it wasn’t just bright red with block spots. There was a window of color.

“What is it?” Chat walked over and peered over her shoulder, but felt his breath stutter.

Chat recognized it, or rather, Adrien recognized it. It had been taken mere days before at the park.

In it was Lloyd, Zane, Jay, Cole, Nya and Kai. Only everyone but Kai’s eyes were scratched out.

“He doesn’t know the Cure brings people back.” Ladybug whispered.

“He doesn’t know the Cure brings people back!” She said again, this time much louder.

“Well, at least we know how to get him to calm down.” Chat commented.

————————

Pyrovenge let out a small snarl. Hawkmoth was back to trying to get him under his thumb.

“You’re just delaying the inevitable.” He said aloud. “If you just come out, it’ll be over quick.”

That was a lie and they both knew it. Pyrovenge would do anything to make sure his death was as slow and painful as possible.

“Pyrovenge!”

He let out an angry sigh.

“For the last time, I don’t want to deal with you!” he yelled. He glowed red and the fires atop his head grew.

“We just want to show you something.” The bug said.

“Nothing you say or do will make me stop. Hawkmoth. Needs. To. DIE.”

“Maybe nothing they say will.”

Pyrovenge stopped. No. No it was impossible. They were….they were dead.

“But maybe we can.”

But they weren’t. Standing before him were his family, each of them without a scratch or bruise. Looking just like they had before they were….

“Kai, please. Stop this. You don’t need to get revenge. We’re all okay.” Lloyd said.

“.....Lloyd?” Kai Pyrovenge whispered. The gloves started glowing and the earth keeping him high above the ground slowly started retreating back into the ground. Once he touched the ground, their glow faded and the reds and fire was back.

“Is it really you?” He whispered, his eyes pleading, desperately hoping it was true.

“Yes! Now please Kai, stop all this!” Lloyd pleaded. Pyrovenge took a few steps to him, hesitant and afraid.

With every step he took, the ninja grew tense. They trusted Kai to never hurt them. He’d probably die before he allowed that to happen….. But he wasn’t exactly Kai right now.

Once he was within a foot of Lloyd, he stopped. The flames shrunk until they were barely embers and he placed a hesitant hand on Lloyd's shoulder. His eyes widened at the contact, almost like he was expecting Lloyd to disappear under his touch.

He suddenly pulled Lloyd into a tight hug, tears escaping from his eyes.

“It really is you.”

[currywaifu]

𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: summer date 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩: sumeragi tenma/reader 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: sfw 𝐰𝐜: 1.9k words

𝐚𝐧: I debated what kind of “summer date” to do, until I remembered something I was supposed to do with some friends + one of Tenma’s lines about being tired. I hope this turned out decent!

“Are you sure it’s okay with your parents if I come over tonight?” Tenma asked, and as much as he tried to mask it you knew he still had his worries.

“Pfft, at this point I think my mom likes you more than she likes me,” you joked, “besides, it’s not like we’re gonna do anything.”

You laughed as Tenma sputtered; even though you were talking through the phone you could envision the traitorous rose flush blooming on his cheeks, his face turned away in a vain attempt to avoid your gaze.

“Hah? What are you even saying? You’re the one who's being weird!”

“Didn’t even say you were being weird in the first place, but go off I guess.” Other than an exasperated sigh, there was a momentary silence in the call.

“You sure you’ll be able to make it? If filming ends late we can always resched-“

“No need. I promised I could make it, right?” He interrupted with a huff, his tone eventually transitioning to something a little softer but still sure of himself. “I already cancelled our date last time. I’m not doing that to you again.”

You were unable to hold back the giggle bubbling up within you, being pushed outwards by the slight jump your heart did. For all of his oddly cute quirks, you sometimes forgot how cool Tenma could be.

“Tenma… my heart totally skipped a beat just now,” you teased, knowing fairly well he’d either tell you off or pretend to be nonchalant to hide his embarrassment.

“Of-of course it did! Are you only realising my charm now?”

You continued to talk a little longer, half indulging him and half teasing him. He would have to leave the call soon at the signal of his manager, so who could blame you for relishing even the shortest of moments together?

You knew beforehand that getting into a relationship with Sumeragi Tenma wouldn’t be the easiest thing. His celebrity status meant having to hide your relationship and a lack of time spent together.

The former wasn’t that hard to deal with.

Spending time with Tenma probably allowed you to pick up some of his acting skills, as it became easier and easier to dodge inquiries from your friends and his fans about your close relationship; it also helped that Juza and Taichi were often there to cover up for the two of you, both of them sworn to secrecy.

You knew the importance of Tenma’s image, so if he was with other celebrities in dramas or had to hide his face when he was with you, you understood that he was only looking out for the two of you and the peacefulness of your relationship.

Even so, it was hard not to get lonely sometimes.

Juggling being a popular actor and being a high-school student barely gave him any free time, and by extension, time to go on dates with you. Recently, with his practices and filming ending late in the day, the two of you only had the few hours of the evening to spend time together until one of you eventually had to retire in exhaustion.

Still, as nice as the songs sung together were during karaoke night and the dinners together in and out of his dorm, you wished you could take the time to have both of you relax, the summer breeze caressing your skin as you both relaxed and the week’s stresses flew away with the wind.

“I’m here at the shoot location. I have to go now,” Tenma said, “you don’t need me to bring anything later? I can ask someone to buy stuff.”

“I’ve got this, don’t worry. Do your best today!”

As soon as the line went dead, you sprung into action. Operation: Relaxing Summer Date Night with Tenma was a go!

“Maybe I should check the set-up again and see if I missed anything,” you muttered, glancing at the glass sliding door where you could see your backyard outside.

When your doorbell rang, you knew it was already too late for that.

“It looks great, kid. This Sumeragi boy is lucky you’re putting that much effort for him,” your dad said, ruffling the hair you already tried to make presentable an hour ago. “I didn’t get to meet him last time he was here. Should I pretend to be a strict and serious dad?”

“Dad, don’t scare him!” you exclaimed. Tenma was a talented actor, but very gullible. If your father didn’t admit he was joking right away, who knew how long Tenma would go along with his act?

“I’m joking~ I’ll greet him normally, just watch.”

You watched your boyfriend greet your parents respectfully at the doorway, his face shifting from slightly nervous to a more relaxed one as your father said something to him that you couldn’t hear.

When he finally enters the house you lock eyes with him, resisting the urge to hug him with others’ eyes on the two of you. You didn’t want Tenma to combust so quickly into the night.

“Alright, just call us if you need anything. Have fun, don’t stay up too late!” at the cue, you asked Tenma to follow you outside.

Tonight wasn’t the first time Tenma’s been to your house. Still, even with your dad telling him you worked hard on making tonight go perfectly, he hadn’t expected this.

Fairy lights hung from the tree branches, helping the stars of the night sky illuminate your backyard. A white drop cloth was hung and clipped on a string rope in between two trees, some rocks weighing it down in case of a heavy breeze.

A few decorative rugs, throw pillows, and blankets were placed purposefully on the grass— the combination tasteful but cozy. On the small side table, several food and drinks were stacked for the two of you, from a box of pizza to popcorn and candy to soda.

Tenma was glad for the minimal lighting, it was making it much easier for him to hide his flushed face and give him time to still his beating heart.

“This is…” he trailed off, unable to find any semblance of coherence in his thoughts.

“An outdoor movie theatre,” you supplied helpfully. “It was a bit last minute so the projector and sound system might not be the most high-qual, but I think I did well for a DIY!”

Well? Just well? Seriously, to think you’d even put in the effort to do all this for him, even though he was the reason the two of you barely went on normal dates.

Since the start of your relationship, he’d done his best to pace himself with you, to be the one to make the big surprises and heartwarming gestures, but somehow you were always one step ahead that he didn’t know what to do with himself.

Realising you were waiting for a response, he let out a small cough, forcing out a line that was so much easier to say in a drama. “Don’t sell yourself short, it looks really nice.”

As you beamed at him, Tenma resisted the urge to crumble into dust and settle onto the ground beneath him. Shouldn’t he be used to the sight of that by now? Does he need to practice looking at a picture of you smiling or something?

“Ahh, that’s good. I was worried it’d look too messy,” you said, him following suit as you plopped yourself atop a pillow. “Are you up for Aladdin first? It reminded me of you.”

“Because of Water Me?” Tenma asked, grabbing the soda bottle that you offered him. You hummed thoughtfully as he twisted the cap open, before finally replying.

“Because the camels there looked like you— Tenma don’t drop the drink! I’m joking!” you said, nearly shouting as his grip loosened. “Obviously because of the play.”

“You should really leave the comedy to me,” he turned away from you, hiding a small pout. “Seriously, why a camel?”

His body stiffened as you inched closer to him, hugging his arm loosely and trying to make eye contact with him. He wasn’t gonna look at you, no, no—

“Tenma,” you said in a sing-song voice, a syrupy sweet tone making its way to his ears.

He looked, and he immediately regretted it because he was, once again, spiralling down. Don’t think about how beautiful you are, the two of you haven’t even watched a single movie yet.

“Should… shouldn’t you turn the movie on now?” he said, barely giving him the time to miss your warmth as you were back beside him in minutes.

The movie was great, really. He enjoyed the songs, and he managed to tolerate the brief look you gave him whenever a camel was up on screen. Tonight, however, was one of those few moments where he could be honest— at least to himself— that you were a lot more interesting to watch.

It’s not just because he hasn’t seen you in a while, although that definitely contributed, it’s just that your reactions were so… endearing? Heart-clutch worthy?

“Did you see that? That was so, ahhhh, right?” you asked him, pointing at the screen.

“Mhm,” Tenma replied, unsure if you were referring to the magic carpet or the song or what. Even with his short response, you rewarded him with a small grin before dragging your eyes back to the scene in front of you.

You were adorable whenever you acted like this, you and your honest and unabashed enthusiasm. It was something he still struggled with every so often, so watching the way your eyes lit up always lit a fire in him as well.

As the next movie played, the more used he got to your proximity. Sometime in between the opening credits of Sleeping Beauty, the two of you had gone from sitting to lying on the bundles of cloth beneath you, a position much more comfortable and close.

At this point he’s barely paying attention, a little lost in his thoughts about tonight.

“Why did you decide on a movie night?” he asked, absentmindedly watching the main character dance with the prince.

“I figured you’d be tired from your busy schedule,” you paused to yawn, “plus, I thought it’d be nice to just… relax, you know?”

When you stared at him, he tried to give himself the courage to stare back instead of looking away immediately.

“You’re the one who sounds sleepy,” Tenma said, but not denying that he was tired. That this really helped him, your presence, and the plan you had for your date ultimately relaxing him.

“Did I do okay, though?”

He almost scoffed, only softening up as soon as he noticed it was a serious question. “You did great, thank you for doing this,” he murmured. That simple admission was enough for you, you returning to the movie and him wondering if you could feel his eyes on you instead.

It turned out the name of the movie was rather telling.

It was around two-thirds through the movie when you just fell asleep, then the cuddling started. He doesn’t even dare move at all. There’s nothing he can really do at this point, not that he minds your weight on his, even if his arm is a little dead.

The credits roll and you’re still fast asleep. Not wanting to wake you, he carefully moved to lay a blanket on top of the both of you. This might not be the most optimal way to sleep, his back might hurt tomorrow and he was still in his jeans, but as he watched you slumber he figured it was worth it.

“Good night,” he whispered, kissing the top of your head, his only audience the trees you two were nestled under and the night sky.

want to order again?

[lppsidefics]

Meihem Fanfic: Victim Parallel

Chapter 05: Miles behind

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Officer Morrison zoomed passed vehicles on the highway, his motorbike easily threading through traffic. Inside his helmet, a robotic sound repeated until he pressed a small button on the ear protecter.

“This is Officer John Morrison. I’m in pursuit of the punks that orchestrated the robbery at Valiant Marks…and Ana… They’ve got a girl with them.”

“A hostage?” Officer Ana concluded, bringing her hand up over the ear piece, internally praying she’d simply misunderstood him.

“Affirmative.” He replied, switching lanes to pass a slow moving storage truck. “They’ve stolen an emergency vehicle, and entered the ramp going westbound out of town.”

Clicking the computer monitor awake, Ana attempted to locate Officer Morrison via G.P.S. “Do you have eyes on the fugitives?”

“I’m on their tale, but they’re fleeing fast…” Officer Morrison slipped his bike between two cars, thrusting forward once clear of the traffic. “I’m gonna need a barricade at the merger onto Highway 7, and every exit leading up to it.”

“Understood, but John…” Ana had already begun the data input as she voiced her concerns. “…I doubt another barricade is going to stop them, they’ve plowed through everything we’ve thrown at them so far. Now that they have a hostage, do you really think we should be giving them another wall to demolish?”

“I’m hoping I can get to them before they reach that point, but we can’t let them get away again.” He insisted, as the target vehicle sped further ahead.

With a moment of radio silence, the female officer sighed. “Alright, all other dispatched units have been informed, they should be moving in on your location now.”

“Thank’s Ana.” John said, a smile cracking on his face despite the circumstances, but then his features stoned again as the vehicle vanished over the other side of a steep incline. “Damnit. Those punks are really booking it. Can you get me a leg up?”

“Give me a moment…” Ana clicked away at the keys, and the maps of transit routes and highway lines flashed in her eyes as she scoured for a possible short cut. “Okay, go ahead and take the left most exit.”

“The exit?” John questioned, but when he spotted the suggested ramp, he did as he was told, following the single lane into another crowded highway.

“You need to get three lanes over to your left now.” She directed, but the road was congested and there was little room for such a maneuver. “Do it now, John!”

When Ana demanded him, Officer Morrison abruptly weaved across the lanes, dangerously cutting off another driver in the process, and the cars sang a harmony of angry honks. But he made it to the other side, and up another ramp he went.

The road bent and curved like a rainbow, with cement boarders on either side. This upper lane was clear of traffic and far above the packed side streets. He revved the throttle, and zipped faster on the speedy motorbike, before connecting with the westbound highway again from the right side.

He could see the ambulance again, bullet holes pathed across it’s back wall and door still swinging wildly. Officer Morrison chuckled quietly, before swerving into the next lane and gaining speed.

Oblivious of the cycle closing in from behind, the ambulance careened dangerously forward. The Shark didn’t even bother to maneuver around the cars that blocked the path, only powering through the traffic, causing other drivers to swerve out of the way.

Actually, the cars seemed to part in anticipation of their approach, perhaps because it was an emergency vehicle, and unaware that it had been commandeered and gone rogue.

In the trailer, metal tools and other things needed for medical purposes, jingled and clattered in the drawers beneath the bed. Mei-ling desperately clung to the hand rest, nails digging into the plastic pleather, as the vehicle reached eighty- ninty- one hundred miles per hour, and the force of escalation pressed her backward.

An ambulance wasn’t really made for derby like conditions, and it’s suspension jittered on every bump. Legs jiggling like noodles, and stomach churned in knots, Mei’s eyes shut with nausea as she was bounced in place upon the uncomfortably stiff seat.

The Scarecrow on the other hand, stood solidly at the back exit, one hand firmly bracing the doorway and the other on his holstered gun. He leaned into the force like a professional surfer, riding the road like a wild wave.

Barely able to see the man through her jostling glasses, Mei watched him bend and brace over every bump. Then she was tossed up, and came right back down onto the hard pull down seat, leaving her rump sore and tingling with pain. She made a pathetic whimpering sound, and clapped a hand over her lips.

His attention shifted to her, tilting his masked face down to meet her stare, and she shrank away. The Scarecrow seemed to be inspecting her appearance, and then made a bubbly giggle at her disheveled state.

Mei’s brows furrowed and her face flushed with embarrassment, but she could only continue to sit limply as the vehicle shimmied about. Turning away from the masked man didn’t deter his gaze though, as he simply stared at her jiggling body in amusement.

Then there was a noise emanating from the distance behind the speeding ambulance. It was the prolonged purring of an electric engine, and Mei spun back around toward the noise, her hand pushing her glasses up as she peered beyond the Scarecrows body.

A motorcycle was gaining on them, and the man riding it was wearing a black helmet, but the bright blue long coat was unmistakable. It was the Policeman from the hospital, Mei realized with an elated smile, and with some confusion, the Scarecrow followed her gaze.

“Wot? This bloke again?” He sneered, before digging into the pack on his hip and retrieving a frisbee like disk. Crouching at the door, the Scarecrow waited for the Officer to speed up closer to the back of the trailer. “G’day.” He greeted cheerfully.

“Pull over!” Officer Morrison commanded, and the criminal just tilted his head to the side, as if considering it.

“Mmmm… No thanks mate.” He said, and then casually tossed the disk like thing out the back, which then clung to the front fender of the bike. John’s attention snapped to it, trying to quickly discern it’s purpose, but before he could do anything to remove the disk, the Scarecrow revealed a detonator in his other hand. “G’bye.”

The bike veered a head and out of sight, but when the Scarecrow pressed his thumb into the tiny red button, there was a blast, and the wreckage of what was left of the motorcycle crashed and twisted into the cars behind them.

Traffic squealed and swerved to avoid the damaged bike, but a heavier truck that couldn’t turn as abruptly, crushed it beneath it’s large tires, and snapped bits of plastic went flying across the roads.

“No!” Mei screeched, thrusting out of her seat and reaching for the doorframe, but once again, the Scarecrow stood between her and the exit.

Barring the open door with his flesh arm, he loomed over her, the stitched smile of his mask hiding his true expression. Mei searched the landscape for the Officer, but the bike was too far away for her to see it in clarity anymore, and hot tears burned the edges of her eyes.

She shot the Scarecrow a glare, her head painfully turned upward to stare into his masked eyes. “You!” Mei-ling screamed, and his shoulders hunched in surprise, as if he’d been called out by a teacher on the school playground.

“Nǐ zhè guàiwù! Nǐ shāle tā!” She thrashed her arms at the man, not really aiming her hits but simply swinging blindly at his chest. It didn’t hurt him, as her dainty fists struck his tight muscles, but the frantic-ness of her motion was irritating.

“Oi sheila!” He grabbed her by the wrists, preventing her from attacking anymore, and stretched her arms out above her. He then lowered his head to her eye level, with a curious little tilt to the right. “What’s gat’n inta you all-a’sudden?”

With her hands being forcefully held helpless, Mei kicked at his shin, though it felt so wrong to do. The Scarecrow hissed through his teeth, releasing her and clenching his fists in pain.

She almost immediately apologized, but the argument was interrupted by the sounds of rumbling on the roof above them. With a frustrated groan, the Scarecrow drew his weapon again, and Mei flinched in place.

But, then the man gave her an expressive shot of a flesh finger gun. “Hold that thought miss, this’ll just take’a tick.” With that, he anchored his metal hand onto the roof of the vehicle, and impressively lifted himself up on over the top.

Rising to stand, the Scarecrow braced into the hard winds that lashed against him. His eyes locked with Officer Morrison’s, who’d recklessly leapt onto the side of the ambulance before the bike exploded.

The Officer brought his fists up in a brawlers stance, shifting his boots to firm his balance, and the Scarecrow plucked a homemade grenade from his hip pack.

“Ya know… I’m getti’n re~eal tired of blow’n ya up mate.”

Mei had watched in horror as the criminal disappeared beyond the open door of the moving vehicle, and the sounds from above brought her no ease. There was stomping of boot against metal, and then the clank of the Scarecrow’s prosthetic, but then another sound caught her very thinly spread attention.

The Shark was wheezing, gruff and sickly gasps from behind his mask. Grabbing onto the back of the chair, Mei hesitantly peeked over the man’s shoulder. Her eyes stayed on the side of his mask, forcing herself not to look at the road ahead, and she gulped when asking, “Are you okay?”

He didn’t answer at first, only taking another deep scratchy breath, but then the Shark groaned something that actually sounded like a word. “Nǐ shuō- What?” Mei couldn’t quite make out what he’d said through the thick gravelly voice, and he repeated the word with much more aggression.

“Morphine!”

“Oh, o-okay.” This time she understood, and his agitation jolted her nerves into a scramble, yanking out drawers and throwing open small tin boxes, searching for a vile somewhere in the many storage compartments. Mei wasn’t sure if she should be obeying the man’s obscure demands, but she didn’t really feel she had a choice.

Trapped in a small space, speeding down an open highway, with men who were clearly dangerous, and she was so scared, that her instinct to help was overpowering all other logical thoughts. She knew what she should have been doing, she should be trying to escape, she should have run when the Shark yelled at her in the street, she should have struggled harder when the Scarecrow grabbed hers she should have just- found it!

Taking up a tiny bottle labeled ‘Morphine’ on the paper sticker, Mei prepared a syringe. Volunteer work at the hospital had taught her about these sorts of things, injections were simple enough, just mortifying to preform. She pierced the vile and started to extract the medicine, pausing for a moment to rethink her actions,

With another impatient gurgled demand from the Shark, Mei-ling withdrew the needle and returned to the man. “Nǎlǐ? Wh-where should I?” She stuttered, and he made a stabbing motion with two thick fingers into his shoulder.

Again gulping back her fear, Mei injected the syringe into the Shark’s neck, aiming for the small slip of skin visible between his jacket and his mask. As the liquid entered his blood stream, the man gave a relieved sigh, and his breathing seemed to steady again.

Removing the needle, Mei rubbed the spot with her feather like fingers, a habit from having to inject children with insulin, and the soothing motion relaxed the muscles there. Her comforts were interrupted though, as the sounds from above became more worrying.

Guns fired, something hit the roof hard, and then with the final blow of a smokey blast, Officer Morrison tumbled off the top of the car, being left to lay in a heap on the mostly empty road behind them.

The Scarecrow crouched at the back of the vehicle, laughing at his fallen enemy. “Oi! An’ by tha way! I lied!” He called out with a prosthetic hand cupped at his mouth. Then he stood tall with his hands on either hip, and the back of his mask bent against the force of the wind. “I never get tired of blow’n things up…”

Satisfied with himself, the Scarecrow swung back in the open door like he’d just been playing in a tree house, and he giggled dementedly before dropping into the passenger seat beside the Shark driver.

With a giddy sigh, the Scarecrow rested his hands behind his head and wiggled comfortably in the seat. “I think that’ll be tha last’a him this time, but just in case, let’s put’a few behind us mate.”

The Shark didn’t reply as usual, and Mei who was still standing directly behind the drivers seat, looked over her shoulder at the fallen Officer she could no longer see in the distance.

[ahlex-playboy]

Saturday Night’s Alright For A Fight

Ehlena: The other females she attended courses with had invited Ehlena out after the session finals were over, on a spur of the moment Ehlena accepted the offer. Now she was stuck going out. She fluffed her hair to give it volume and checked her makeup.

She checked her phone and saw it was almost time to go. She pulled a dress from the hanger and slid it over her curves. It was a perfect fit. She adjusted the bottom of the dress, it was beautiful black lace.

Ehlena zipped up the thigh-high black boots and checked her image again. She looked possibly like she may belong at Iron Mask. It was more gothic according to what she had heard. She grabbed her cell phone and replied to the messages on it. People were arriving and they had started ordering drinks.

She walked out to the vestibule and dematerialized to the downtown bar. Ehlena took a deep breath before she walked in. It was rare that she got out, and after her feeding fiasco she was unsure about males in general.

The bouncer opened the door and she was greeted with a plethora of sounds and scents. Ehlena quickly located her med-school friends. And offered a gentle wave as she walked up to the grouping and integrated into the conversation.

Ahlex:

{Stepping out of the shower, drying off. I tied my hair into a ponytail, then shaved. After I went to my closet to get dressed in my dark blue suit and black tie. I grab my chest holster for my guns. I grab one of my daggers placing it inside my hostler on the back of my pants and putting the other one inside my right boot on the inside hiding it from view. Once I was armed I grab my suit jacket and car keys.

Once I got to my door I was debating if I should just dematerialized over there or take the car. I end up taking my Lamborghini Centenario, it was sleek and black. It was better to take this since I was going to Iron Mask, it’s a goth club that my boss Trez runs and I was not working tonight was my night off.

Once I got to the club I was inside and headed for the bar to get a drink. I was scanning the place out till I thought I saw someone I knew but kept away.}

Ehlena: Ehlena’s blood indicated something was different, something was off. She scanned the club and did not see Ahlex, she felt him though. The fact that she had ingested his blood kept them connected, at least for now. As long as she kept near her friends she did not imagine him coming to talk to her.

“Beautiful, I want to buy you a drink.” A cocky male strolled up to Ehlena and put his hand on her hip.

She was thirsty and needed the distraction. “Okay.” She agreed and pondered her drink. “Rum and Coke.” Ehlena went for a classic, it did not seem like it would go over well if she ordered a sangria or something fruity in such a dark place.

Once drinks arrived the stranger basically trapped Ehlena against the bar to talk. He repeated many phrases, he was not truly looking to get to know her. “You’re so beautiful, I want to take you home and fuck you stupid.” He went to brush the hair from her face and she pulled her head back.

“Don’t touch me.” She warned him.

“Come on baby just a little fun never killed anyone.” He shot back and pulled her flush against him, grinding against her.”

Ehlena shoved the male away from her.

“Why are you such a fucking bitch? I complimented you, bought you a drink, you owe me at least a dance.” He was glassy eyed drunk.

His hand wrapped around her wrist and he yanked her towards the dance floor. He held her by her hips and decided to grind himself against her. She was disgusted. She went to slap him, however he caught her hand by her wrist and he squeezed.

“I said we’re going to have fun. When I’ve gotten mine you can go.” He was menacing.

Ehlena did not know how much of a scene was being caused, she was focused on her fight reflex. “Go fuck yourself.”

Her free hand connected with the male’s jaw. She hurt herself a little, but hurt him more. Ehlena turned to go back to her group, who had continued drinking and not noticed her debacle, the male caught her arm and spun her to face him.

He loomed over her ominously. His fists clenched. “Bitch, you want to fight like a man I’ll treat you like one.” He raised his fist.

Ahlex:

{looking over when heard some raised voices. My eyes scanned the bar area. I saw the blonde female fighting with a male or more like the male was fighting her. I jumped off the stool when he spun the blonde around to face him, I made my way over to them till I saw who the female was.

I place my hand on the male shoulder “I believe the female told you off and no she is not fighting you but I will.”

The male looked at you then at me as he tried to swing at me but before he could hit me I grabbed his arm pulling it behind him, “wrong person to mess with. Now take this elsewhere or I will show you the door.”

I look over to you but didn’t let what happened to us get in the way of this now. I was doing my job and keeping the peace in the club.}

Ehlena: Ehlena braced herself for impact but it did not come. Someone had stepped in, the male she had fed from was standing there. He had saved her ass despite her kicking him.

Hello guilt.

Ehlena watched on. She was worried for who had fed her, her stomach was in knots. Maybe he wasn’t as bad as she thought after the feeding.

The two tangled. The drunk male swung at her savior and missed. Ahlex then locked him into a hold. Ehlena couldn’t hear well over the sound of the music. The male pulled away from him then turned back to him with something in his hand.

“Watch out!” She yells worried for who had come to her rescue.

Just in time Ahlex avoided taking the knife to his chest, however it was not completely avoided….

Ahlex:

{I had just heard you scream but it was too late, the male stabbed me in my thigh. I manage to punch the guy. I look over to the bouncer who took him away. I step away from the females including you.

I manage to make my way into #Trez office. I pulled my jacket off and was about to pull the knife out of my thigh when I heard the door open and you standing in the doorware looking at me, worried. “You don’t need to worry about me after the way I treated you. You can leave. I got this since it is my own damn dagger that is sitting in my thigh.”

You walk over to me and almost grab the dagger I growled at you, “don’t pull it out and if you do I could bleed out.” I look up at you “I guess this is your payback for how I treated you. So go ahead pull it out and gloat.” I lean back into the couch after I pull off my tie and throw it to the side. I was letting my blood to stop even though I still had the dagger in it.}

Ehlena: The rest of Security came quickly once the dagger was out. Ehlena stayed close and watched them take the male out, then she looked for the male who saved her and he was gone.

She followed the blood to the back office. And waited at the door until he spoke.

“I’m worried about you because you’re hurt.” She went to him and knelt by his thighs. Soon a waitress came by with the first aid kit.

Once they were alone again she looked up at him and his protest. “I know that… I’m in med school and work as a nurse for the Brotherhood.” She gave him information she didn’t need to.

She prepared alcohol pads, gauze, and in case she needed it needle and stitching thread. It would depend on how the blade entered the skin.

“This is going to hurt.”

She ripped off part of her dress and made a bite bar of sorts for the male. She wrapped her fingers around the blade and looked up at him.

“One...two” before she said three she pulled it quickly and placed pressure on the wound.

To distract him. “My name is Ehlena.”

Ahlex:

{before you said three you pulled my dagger out of my thigh} “fuck that hurt. Thanks.” I soften my temper. I let go of the back of the couch and dropped my hand to my side.

“Thank you again for this but you can go, you don’t need to stay. I will heal on my own.” I tell you without looking at you.}

Ehlena: Her gaze softens as she looks at the wound, wondering what to say to him. The wound worried her more.

“When was the last time you fed from a female of our race? Your blood isn’t coagulating like it should by now.”

Ehlena waited for his response. She blinked when he finally said how long. It was not suitable. “You fed me when I was in need. I want you to feed.”

Again he had refused, but Ehlena couldn’t let him suffer. Would he be more willing if he knew who her family was? She decided to not say anything else. Eyeing the dagger she grabbed it quickly and sliced her neck.

“Feed” she demanded.

Ahlex:

{growl when I see you cut your neck with my dagger} No I won’t feed from you now or later. I don’t need you kneeing me again in my nuts. You don’t need to worry about it. I'll find a female to feed from. You can go. I will handle this.

I was trying to find every possible way to get you to leave. “I’m sorry for what I said to you the night I feed you. I was being a jerk more like an asshole. You have other things to do besides sitting here and feeding an asshole.”

{I was hoping you would leave but on the other side of me I wanted you to stay and be here with me.}

Ehlena: she was not swayed. She held her neck. “I accept your apology. Now either you get more scars and possible tissue damage and a limp or you allow me to help you.” She was no nonsense. He wasn’t in a position to fight her so she raised up from her knees and her neck was close to his mouth.

The scent of her blood hung in the air, she waited for his strike. “I want you to.”

Ahlex:

{I so wanted to feed from you but after what I said and did to you. I was an unworthy male and shouldn’t feed from a worthy vein. I push you from me} No you can go. I will be fine, if I get a scar it will be with the rest I have. They are not my first nor my last.

{The smell of your blood was too damn strong and I haven’t had blood as strong as yours since my transition all did years ago. I was trying hard to push you away but you weren’t moving. You straddle my hips and force your neck to my mouth. I gave up, my fangs ache and then struck your neck. I wrap my arms around your body as I feed from you. The taste of your blood was making me moan against your neck. Having your body on me was making me hard.}

Ehlena: She hissed when he struck her neck and took what he needed. Ehlena moved her hair to the side so he could feed peacefully.

He was potent. She closed her eyes for the moment. Ehlena was grateful that he was feeding, and if what she felt from his body was true, he was very happy to feed as well.

To offer him comfort Ehlena stroked the back of his head to show she was okay, and he was not taking too much. Her full weight rested on his lap and he kept her secured against him. She dared not move.

By the time he had taken his fill Ehlena had experienced arousal. It had been so long since she had given her vein she had forgotten what it was like.

Her gaze drifted down his muscular frame and she looked at the wound, it was starting to heal already. She smiled that she was able to help.

“Take what you need.”

She was wrong about him, he did have honor. And when this was over she was going to properly apologize for her assault on him.

Ahlex:

{I took fill of your blood slowly pulling my fangs out of your neck I left your wound open. I look to your eyes}

I don’t deserve you and your blood. I did deserve that knee to my crouch. I am sorry for what I said to you.

{lean towards your neck, licking the wound close and pull from you again. I let go of you and push you off of my lap}

You don’t need to worry about me. I won’t use the blood in me to track you. You are free to do as you wish and find yourself a worthy male. Thank you for letting me feed.

{I try to get up but my legs give out, making me drop down on the couch again. I see that the wound has reopened on my thigh but I don’t show the pain.}

Ehlena: She was surprised when he pulled away. She remained silent as he sealed the wound. Ehlena tried to comprehend the words.

“What do you mean?”

Ehlena was not concerned about him tracking her. She wouldn’t admit it, but she enjoyed herself. It felt good to be useful. She even felt pleasure. Just as she was getting up to question him further about what he said she saw him fall back to the couch.

Immediately she was worried. The wound broke open and blood permeated the air. She grabbed the kit and pulled his pants back down.

“Get the bite bar I gave you.” She nodded to the torn piece of dress she had given him. “I don’t have time to numb you and I need to sew you up.”

As soon as he bit down she began to thread his skin back together.

“Now when I finish this, you are not to put weight on this leg tonight.”

Ahlex:

{I was shocked when you pulled my pants down luckily for me I had my boxers on. You sew my scar up after telling me to bite down on a piece of your dress. I was growling when you started.}

Well I can’t stay here, I have to get home. Plus I have work and other things to do. Just wrap it up so I can head home.

You can leave after you wrap my thigh and not worry about me anymore.

{I couldn't figure out why I was pushing you away but I didn’t want to get close to you. The lifestyle was not good for any females and not one that was a worthy female and she needed a worthy male. That thought alone made me growl deep in my chest and the pain in the middle of my chest didn’t help either.}

Ehlena: Ehlena smirked and looked at the male, “If you don’t stop trying to fuck up your leg or my patch job I’m going to stitch my name into your skin” she warned him.

“I don’t have to, but I do. Hell you can say I want to…. I will help you back to your home. You’ve saved me, twice. I owe you, and I would like to talk to you about the other night.”

Ehlena pushes the hair behind her ear and bit her lip. She then steadies her nerves again and begins to re-wrap his leg carefully.

Ahlex:

{looks over to you studying your face} you want to talk about the other night. What so you can knee me again but do it at my home.

{Once you finish wrapping my thigh I pull my pants up. I pick up my things from the couch and head out while using the walls. Instead of using the front door I walked over to the back door to where I had parked my car. I felt you walk behind me. When I got to my car I look at you}

You don’t need to see me home. I could drive you home instead. Did you get your things or did you leave them inside?

{looking over to you waiting for what you had to say.}

Ehlena: “I have my things.” She holds up the small wristlet she has on her.

She had stayed close to offer assistance if he so needed it. With a soft sigh she walked around the hood of the fancy car and got into the passenger side.

“I doubt the Black Dagger Brotherhood would like me bringing a guest home, even if he did save my life. I would like to see you home, and I will not leave your side till you are in bed and resting your injury.” She growls the last word.

She clicked her seatbelt into place and gave him a deadpan look. “How about this, you can ask me anything on the way to your place but once we are there I get to talk to you about whatever I want- meaning the other night.”

Ahlex:

{watch you get into my car, as I limp over to my side I was fucking purring at the sight of you in my thing and coming to my place. I got in and started the engine up but you barely heard the notice from it.}

Fine but I do not want you going home alone. You can stay at my place and I will listen to what you have to say. Deal?

{I held my hand out for you to shake. Once our hands met I felt this electricity shoot up my arm and straight down to my cock making me hard.}

Ehlena: Ehlena offered her hand, and the warmth of his hand enveloped hers. “First thing first, what would you like me to call you?”

Once he released her hand she rested her hands on her bare thighs.

“If I go home, I will be dematerializing to the Brotherhood’s compound.”

She watched him drive and the street lights illuminate his features.

“What would you like to ask me?”

Ahlex:

My name is Ahlexandrus. I think it’s not safe for you to go out alone. I get that you want to dematerialize back but it’s not safe to do that either. I will take you home home or some other place that is just as safe.

{we finally reached my place which is outside of town, more of a private area. I limped out of my car before you even moved an inch. I open the door and held my hand out for you as well}

Ehlena: Ehlena huffed as he moved quickly. She got out as fast as she could and came up beside him and placed his arm around her shoulders and did her best to help hold him upright. “Put some of your weight on me. You can shove your pride.I wasn’t joking I will stitch my name into your thigh if you push your injury too far, do you want me to call a chosen to feed you too? Usually they are just for brothers but I can probably call in a favor”

She helped him to the door. “I’ll stay for a while till we figure out your injury and my return home. I do have to go to my job on Monday.”

She laughs softly, her job was working for the brothers, and her night shift residency through medical school.

Ahlex:

{I put some of my weight on you but not a lot.} You know I find that name stitching thing kind of sexy. What is chosen?

{We reach my front door and open it. I dropped my things by the door and went straight for my couch and dropped down on it.}

If you need to leave I can drive you there. I don’t want to be in the way of your life.

{I got up, went to my bar, grabbed one of my bottles, poured some of my drink in the shot glass and down it. Place the glass down walk over to the other side and walk over to the door}

Come on I’m taking you where you need to be at. No need to stay here. I will be fine if you can go.

{I open the door waiting for you}

Ehlena: Ehlena was confused for a moment. He thought it was sexy? She had threatened him and he thought it was sexy?

[aka217]

Ok, so 2019

This year was a mix of goods and okays. This for sure feels like a transition point, where normal is not comfortable, and change is imminent. We have our sights on new adventures in the West coast. And while it didn't come to fruition this year, the intent has been built and we are set to make 2020 a big turn. But first, let's recap 2019:

2019 was no slow down of travel from the past, which really is our ambition. With the help of Southwest companion pass, we were able to take advantage and travel to many places. Plus the job flew me out to a few additional location, as well as two interviews in San Francisco was of some one else's dime. Let's go through the list:

San Francisco: same for an interview, stayed for my 30th birthday celebration with the SF crew. Cat Cafe, a couple brunch spots, improv show. Always a good time and perhaps a little taste of what's to come. I was flown out a second time, and while quick, was able to fit in a quick night adventure with Kim. It was heartbreaking for this opportunity not to come into fruition, but on to the next as they say.

Easley SC: quick trip for work, not much here but hey, free travel

Washington DC/Virginia: fun trip with Ashley, exploring the city. At the time DC was a possible location to move, and we did get good vibes. We spent time hanging out with Ashley's old friends, and sightseeing. I haven't been to DC since I was a kid, so seeing the monuments now I had a better appreciation. Tied to this trip was a quick visit to Manassas, to see my cousins and his two daughters. That was a nice quick visit to get some ice cream in town and some real BonChon haha.

Puerto Rico: always a favorite, hanging out with Ashley's family, we went hiking up parts of El Yunque, beach times and just hanging out. I had a delicious Cuban sandwich chopped up perhaps in a Puerto Rican style. Delicioso.

Park City Utah: this was a fun trip for Sheri's birthday. A lot of the schmooters crew came out for to stay in a cabin like house within the valley of a bunch of ski mountain. We were at the tail end of winter/spring, but thanks to climate change we did see snow(and briefly hail) which added to the trip. Jacuzzi while snowing, party games, staying in, and watching the stars. Pretty awesome trip and a true showing that it we really come together for each other, not necessarily for the city.

Jacksonville: quick trip to see Ashley's cousin, little 4th of July action

St. Augustine: back to back I believe weekends from Jacksonville to see Becca Matt and Mason.

Raleigh North Carolina: Anthony's wedding, Raleigh has a surprisingly cultured downtown. Had time to grab different bites, plus explore downtown, NC state, drive pass the museum of art, and take a rest in the wildlife forest by the airport.

Titusville: a few times we visited Eddy, going to the local beach (which had some wild big waves, that was awesome to boogy board) and also see Eddy's new house, plus a rocket launch!

Portland Maine: quick work trip to diagnose an issue, caught this town in the thick of fall. Beautiful fall colors, it's a shame I never made it past half a mile from the airport. But did get to eat Maine's favorites: lobster bisque and blueberry pie.

Montego Bay Jamaica: celebrating 15 years with Ashley (officially half of our lives together), it was a fun all inclusive resort. Jamaican patties everyday, curried goat, and great Thai as well. Not enough time, but very enjoyable

Milwaukee WI: glad to get here one more time for training paid by the company. I was able to hit a few favorites plus a few new spots, saw Julia Michaels in concert, watch the Bucks play at a crazy sports bar, watched Parasite at a beautiful old theater, and listened to classical guitar at a museum of art. I love the city a lot and had a lot of time to get to know it. This may be the last time I get to go on company dime, but I really hope it's not the last time I visit. I'd love to get property to frequently visit as I get older, trully a place that has my heart.

Tampa: wild Thanksgiving weekend of Ocala straight to Tampa, including three different hotels in the 5 days. But Tampa/St. Pete is always a good time, and we were there to see Lizzo

Las Vegas: AJ's bachelor party with his cousins and the schmooters fam. It's funny to see how we grow up, because during my bachelor party we sardine canned 11 guys into 2 rooms, and went everywhere as a crew. This time most of us got separate rooms and split up frequently to do our own thing. But we had great moments together, and Ashley and I had a little extra time to ourselves. Las Vegas is always a great and expensive time. It helps to win in craps and roulette, but eventually the house always wins haha.

Wow. Every year I'm surprised by how much travel we accomplish, and would be surprised to think the next year would be just as much. But thanks to the companion pass, points, and Tracy's Hilton friends and family, we manage to do a lot on a discount. I love it and grateful we can do it year after year.

A couple highlight shows this year:

Improv show in San Francisco

Hamilton: wow worth all the hype, and loads of

listening to the soundtrack and mixtape

Sabrina Claudio: nice to see here again live, what a great voice, and to see her at a venue with her headlining

Julia Michaels: wow this one too. I love one of her songs, but being able to know the setlist ahead of time, I had the chance to fall in love withore of her songs, and to know the words to all of the songs. What a performer and her and her band make one of my favorite shows ever

Harry Potter orchestra: we did the first movie, but the composition of this movie is exceptional we couldn't miss it

Lizzo/Sam Smith: Ashley's wish to see Lizzo in concert, a whim decision in the middle of the night I planned the entire trip to Tampa. It was cool to go back to a Jingle ball concert (my first concert was a jingle ball) and the setlist was pretty decent.

Other highlights:

Story corp: Ashley and I recorded a podcast, going through our relationship. It was a fun time and cool to have a piece of us be preserved in a national archive.

Marriage classes: continuing from 2018 we did a set of marriage classes. We enjoy these to help fortify our relationship and make sure we communicate to each other clearly. Highly recommend for any couple getting married.

Coffee shop Sundays: we started this in heavy pursuit to look for new opportunities, it allowed us to explore new spaces in the Orlando area (and even in Miami). It's a nice way to spend time with Ashley, as well as follow through with our intents.

No Shave November: first time participating, I thought I'd try to see what growing my beard would be like, plus if I can raise money for Cancer. Well surpriaingly I raise $291, and matching that to a total of $581 to various cancer research organizations. It's compelling the power of contributing as a community can be, when many times it can be doubting to try and do it alone.

Okay, last tidbits:

Best thing I ate this year: Cuban sandwich in Puerto Rico

Best thing I drove this year: learned to sail a Hobie catamaran in Jamaica

Best game I played this year: Fire Emblem Three Houses

This year was a weird mix of stagnation but also pandemonium. It constantly felt like we were always going somewhere on the weekends and on vacation, with very few days of just being in the house. But also at work and our jobs, we feel very stagnant as I haven't seen any progression in my profession since last year. This has truly set a spark in Ashley and I looking collectively for new opportunities, and we hope to see this come to fruition in 2020. It surely be an adventure this coming year, we can only hope it is filled with fun adventures and fulfillment.

Cheers

[komorebirei]

The Water Was Never Afraid - Chapter 17: Simplicity

Adrien arrived at the Tsurugi estate a little before 6 p.m., feeling on edge. As expected, tensions had been running high at the office. Discontent had already been slowly building among the staff over the past few months, and the theme delay was the last straw. Today was the day everyone decided to come forward to voice their complaints. Adrien felt like he had spent all day making excuses for his father, and he was just about done.

Kagami had texted ahead to let him know she was training with her mother, and to freely come inside. So he let himself in.

“Don’t chicken out, kid,” Plagg’s voice joined him as he entered through the front door.

“Shh. Get back in there, Plagg.” Adrien removed his shoes at the foyer and padded across the glossy, dark hardwood floor toward the central hall encircling the dojo.

Plagg tucked himself into the fold of Adrien’s collar. “I’m just reminding you that I’m here, watching you, to make sure you follow through.”

“I will,” Adrien huffed.

“Just want you to be happy, kid…”

Adrien’s lips curled in a faint smile. The usually brash kwami had a soft spot and truly cared about his owner, which Adrien appreciated greatly.

Kagami was sparring against her mother with shinai. Adrien paused at the long window into the dojo to watch, careful not to distract them with any noises or sudden movements.

No matter how many times he saw her in action, Adrien never ceased to be amazed by the way Kagami’s mother moved in combat. It was as if she could anticipate Kagami’s every move. It was no wonder that Kagami was so good—her mother never took it easy on her, and the match ended in the older woman’s favor, as usual.

“Good evening, Adrien,” Mrs. Tsurugi greeted him, approaching the window. If it weren’t for the round black shades, Adrien would forget she was blind.

“Good evening, Tsurugi-san, Kagami.” Adrien bowed respectfully.

“Will you be joining us for dinner, Adrien?”

“I wouldn’t want to impose.” And he would feel horrible staying after what he intended to do.

“It’s no imposition at all,” Mrs. Tsurugi insisted, entering the enclosed hall and making her way toward the living quarters. “Dinner will be ready in thirty minutes. Kagami, you may spend your time freely.”

As soon as her mother was out of sight, Kagami slid an arm through Adrien’s and smiled up at him.

He brushed her bangs with his fingers. “How are you not sweating?”

Kagami shrugged. “I don’t sweat.”

“Lucky.” Adrien chuckled, but his insides felt hollow. He felt fatigued, and Kagami looked so pretty and serene, the exercise bringing out color in her face, which complimented the admiration and love evident in her expression. “Could we walk around the garden?”

“Of course.” Kagami kept in step with him as they crossed the dojo and took the back hall toward the garden.

They slipped on wooden sandals by the threshold, and Kagami slid the paper shoji door shut behind them as they emerged into the garden.

It was immaculately kept, shrubbery and shapely trees perfectly trimmed and planted in specific locations. Not a single fallen leaf could be seen on the ground, and large, carefully placed boulders provided dark accents amidst the green. The sound of water channeling down rocks and splashing into a small pond mixed with the chirping of birds.

Adrien looked down at Kagami’s hand resting in the crook of his arm—her pale, sinewy fingers looked graceful, yet strong.

Regardless of what he felt toward Marinette, Kagami was special to him. He felt comfortable by her side. This garden reminded him of countless other gardens they had walked through together. Conversation with her was easy and natural. Who else did he have like this as a civilian? Who else could he freely spend his time with?

He unhooked her hand and held it tightly in his fingers.

Some desperation must have bled through his grip, because she turned to look at him, alarmed.

“Is something wrong, Adrien?”

He opened his mouth. He could say it now. “… Stressful day at work.”

She squeezed his hand, giving him a gentle smile. “Your father isn’t making it easy for you, is he?”

Adrien shook his head. His mouth felt dry. Words kept rising to his lips, then falling again.

Kagami tugged his hand over to the edge of the pond. The lithe forms of koi fish slid through the water, appearing and reappearing. “Just breathe, and listen,” Kagami coaxed.

Adrien did so, feeling himself slipping into a more comfortable headspace.

He felt a jab by his collarbone.

I know, he thought, unable to speak out loud. I’m waiting for a good time.

He could almost hear Plagg’s voice answering, “When’s a good time to break someone’s heart?”

“Do you feel better?” Kagami asked.

He had been, slightly, but the reminder of what he had come here to do sent electric shocks of anxiety through his chest. He shook his head in the negative.

“What’s wrong? Did something else happen?”

Adrien licked his lips, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath through his nose. He turned to Kagami and pushed the words out before he could hesitate. “Kagami, I think we should break up.”

“… What?” She blinked several times, her eyes glossing over with shock and hurt. “Why? … What did I do?”

“You didn’t do anything—it’s not your fault.” Adrien sighed and turned to look out over the pond, hoping his words came out genuine instead of cold. “I really care about you, and I don’t want to hurt you, Kagami. That’s why… I think I’m being unfair to you.”

“What are you talking about?” Kagami’s voice wavered despite her attempts to remain collected.

“It’s Marinette.”

“Marinette?”

A bird chirped loudly as neither spoke. Adrien glanced at Kagami, to see her shocked expression transition into something more focused and calculating.

“You cheated on me?”

“No!” Adrien threw up his hands in panic. “Of course not, no! I wouldn’t do that.”

Kagami’s eyes smouldered. “But you like her.”

Adrien opened his mouth to qualify, but that was the truth, so he shut it again and nodded.

Kagami’s eyes went glossy again and she looked away.

“Kagami, I’m sorry. I…”

She took two steps away as Adrien approached.

“I’m sorry,” he tried again. “I know. I’m scum. I’m trying to fix things. I didn’t want to lie to you.”

Kagami muttered something inaudible.

“What was that?” Adrien inquired.

She turned, her cheeks streaked with tears that had fallen silently. “I said, I forgive you.”

“Forgive me?”

“I mean… we can’t be perfect, right?” Despite the evidence of hurt drawn on her face, Kagami’s expression was grave and dignified. “I forgive you for thinking of another girl that way.”

“Kagami…” Adrien scrunched his brow. It didn’t seem like Kagami understood that he was trying to break up with her. “How can we have a relationship if I like someone else?”

“Do you not like me?” When Adrien didn’t answer right away, Kagami added hesitantly, “Did I force you into this? You never liked me back, did you?”

“No!” Adrien shook his head. “That’s not what I meant. I’m the one who asked you on a date first, remember? It’s not that I don’t like you, it’s just… I have feelings for Marinette.”

“Do you intend to date her?”

Adrien paused to consider. That was a few steps ahead of his thought process. Before he could answer, Kagami went on.

“Do you really think you can? Her career is just starting off… How would it look if she started dating you now, as you’re starting to pick up the reins of the Gabriel brand as the heir of the company? People would say she’s only doing well because you favor her…”

The truth of her words felt like rocks being dropped in his lungs, and he struggled to breathe evenly. “I guess I couldn’t,” he admitted, resigned. “It wouldn’t be wise.”

“So, you only want to break up with me because you feel guilty.”

Adrien looked away, trying to think of a way to counter her statement. He couldn’t. “I… guess you’re right. Yeah.” The words tightened like a noose around his heart.

“Well, I forgive you.”

He glanced at her. Her expression was soft, with a melancholy undertone.

“Unless you really dislike being with me. If you hate it, then… feel free to go.” She turned her head, shielding her eyes under her bangs as her composure faltered.

How could he say, Okay, then I’ll go, without making her feel like she wasn’t good enough? Adrien knew Kagami. She might act tough, but she would take this personally. He didn’t know if their friendship could survive him throwing her aside that way. And he knew for a fact that Kagami wouldn’t have anyone to lean on for support.

And, anyway, he didn’t hate being with her. He liked her immensely. He just didn’t love her the way he did Marinette—if he was allowed to call it that, less than a week after realizing. He loved Kagami, maybe like a sister or a best friend, whom he didn’t mind kissing. That was close to real love, wasn’t it? Maybe he was being rash, after all. Maybe Kagami was right.

“Kagami… I don’t dislike being with you.” Plagg jabbed him again, and he winced. His gut sank—he knew exactly what was happening. Nonetheless, his foot was already in the sinking sand. “I mean, I like being with you.”

“But you don’t love me.” Kagami stepped away so her back was to Adrien, her head bowed.

He stepped forward and put his hand on her arm, hating to see her hurt like this. “I do love you, Kagami.” He opened his mouth to explain that he did love her, but maybe it wasn’t the kind of love she was looking for.

But at that moment, she turned, her eyes glittering with tears, her cheeks flushed, her face raw with pain and awe. “You do?”

He didn’t have the heart to finish his thought. Taking her face in both hands, he swiped the tears on her cheeks with his thumbs. “Yes, little tiger. I’m sorry for hurting you.”

Fresh tears sprang from her eyes, replacing the rivulets Adrien had just cleared. “Don’t be sorry,” she said. “I love you.”

Sighing, Adrien enfolded her in his arms, rubbing her back. “I love you, too.”

At least she knew how he felt about Marinette now.

She even accepted it.

He couldn’t date Marinette, anyway.

He wasn’t happy, but could the situation have turned out any better?

At least Kagami could be happy.

She deserved it.

[belvera]

[Lively 4 1/2 Tatami Room] Yuika Mitsumine Full Card Story

Mitsumine’s recent Halloween support SSR was not only a cute seasonal story, but also represented a step forward for Mitsumine and her relationship with the other members of L’Antica. I think it’s also a story many will find relatable -- Don’t we all get a little nervous when invite people over for the first time? I hope you enjoy! 

(Some background: At the time of this card’s release (10/20/19), the fact Yuika is an idol otaku is something she hides from the other idols at 283 Production, including the rest of L’Antica. Also, while not particularly significant to the story, this card’s title reveals the size of Yuika’s apartment. 4 1/2 tatami is equivalent to just under 9 x 9 feet. Her place is tiny!)

Here is a video version of this card story if you’d like to follow along! Timestamps: Commu #1, Commu #2 , and Commu #3

Commu #1: “Not as bad as I thought.”

Location: Yuika’s Apartment

Yuika: ......Let’s see............?

Yuika: This area should be all safe, now......? I hid my idol merch away over there already......

Yuika: What to do with my camera......

Yuika: ......That should be fine to leave out, right......? Photography isn’t a hobby they’d judge me for......?

Yuika: ......Yes, I can do this! It’ll all be okay, Mitsumine, have confidence! 

Yuika: ──...... 

Yuika: ......Fufu, man.

Yuika: How did it end up like this.

(Flashback.)

Yuika: ......So, these are the reference materials Producer wants us to watch to prepare for acting in that horror mini-drama.

Kogane: Ack......!

Kiriko: Wah......!

Kogane: Hmmm~......! I don’ know if I'm strong enough for this...... 

Kiriko: Kogane-chan......

Yuika: Whew, man...... We're getting spooked just from seeing the covers of the DVDs.

Kogane: It's really required that we watch all these horror movies an' dramas......!? 

Yuika: Yup. They’re our reference material, so. 

Kogane: Hweh~......!

Kogane: I’ll jus', hafta push through it.....

Kogane: Well, I that's what I’d been thinkin’...... But...... ──!

Kogane: Nobody tol' me it was gonna be stuff this scary~!

Yuika: Nfufu......!

Yuika: (They gave Kogatan this job even though she said she’s no good with scary stuff...... The poor thing......)

Yuika: (......Though, she’s still going through with watching everything. That Kogatan’s really got guts......)

Yuika: ──Crap!

Yuika: (Need to hide this stuff away too.)

Yuika: (......So, what’s left...... I still need to clean, and I guess I should buy some guest cups for Kogatan and Kiririn to use, too......?)

Yuika: Hmmm......

Yuika: (......This would be a good opportunity to get a set for all five of us...... It probably won’t be long before I’m inviting the entire unit over, anyway──)

Yuika: ──Uh-oh.

Yuika: Oh, no no no...... Not so fast, Mitsumine...... Let’s not get ahead of ourselves......

Yuika: ......Whew.

Yuika: This really wasn’t what I intended to happen, y’know.

Kogane: I know we gotta watch ‘em...... ! I know we gotta, but......

Kogane: I couldn’t handle watchin’ stuff like this if I’m at home all alone!

Yuika: Ahahah, I feel you there.

Kiriko: ......

Kiriko: Maybe we could all...... Watch them together......

Kogane: ...! Y’all’d be willin’ to watch ‘em with me!?

Yuika: All of us need to watch them anyway. So it just makes sense to watch them together! 

Kiriko:  Fufu...... Yes......

Kogane: Yuika......! Kiriko......! Thanks, y’all~......!

(Kiriko and Yuika both nod.)

Yuika: ──So, where should we host our little horror screening? Here at the office?

Kiriko: Um, well...... If we do it here at the office.....

Kiriko: ──Other people here might..... Get scared......

Kogane: Kiriko’s got a point.........

Kogane: Imagine if someone came into the office totally unaware an' saw horror on the TV. If that happened to me I'd probably start screamin’......

Yuika: Yeah.....

Yuika: (...... But, in that case, we don’t have a place......)

Kogane: ......

Kogane: ......Well, I guess, we could do it at my place then, like we usually do......

Yuika: Ah──

Yuika: (With Kogatan being so scared, we probably shouldn't watch them at her place if it can be avoided......)

Kiriko: If we can’t do it at Kogane’s place...... Maybe, I could......──

Yuika: (......Then Kiririn lives with her family...... And we’re probably gonna be really loud......)

Yuika: (............)

Yuika: ......Hey, I know! Why don’t we change it up!

Yuika: How about it, you two── Wouldn’t you like to pay your first-ever visit to my humble abode?

Kiriko & Kogane: !

Yuika: Halloween is almost here, too.

Yuika: I don’t think it’ll be anything fancier than us all snacking on candy together, but we could try and make our get-together a bit more festive──

Yuika: How’s a cozy little viewing party at my place sound?

Yuika: (Instead of “Wouldn’t you like to”, I should have said “Would you like to”.)

Yuika: (I just want to keep up my image, is all──)

Yuika: ──Alright, that looks much better! Now, there's no need to worry about them thinking I’m a freak!

Yuika: Be it Kogatan or Kiririn, my apartment’s all ready for you now! 

Yuika: ──I sure hope Halloween gets here soon~.

———– Commu #1 END ———–

Commu #2: “I know I’ll be lonely after they leave.”

Kogane: ......Why are they goin’ that way!? There’s clearly somethin' scary over there...... !

Yuika: No doubt about it~.

Yuika: But unless “something scary” shows up, the plot can’t go anywhere.

Kogane: These people are too eager to go places!

Kogane: They gotta be more careful.....! Value their lives some.....!

(Clatter from the TV.)

Kogane: ......*gasp*!

(Door creak from the TV .)

Kogane: No! Don’ open it! That doors gotta have somethin' scary behind it, I jus’ know somethin’s gonna jump out~!

Kogane & Yuika & Kiriko: ......*gasp*......!

Kogane: ......H-Huh...... I guess not......?

Kiriko: Y-Yes...... It looks like we were mistaken......

Kiriko: Thank goodness......

Yuika: No, it’s behind──

(Screams from the TV.)

Kogane: GYAAAAAAAAAAAA~!?!?

Kiriko: ......Awah!

Kogane: Trickin’ us like that ain’t fair! It jus’ ain’t faaair~~~!

Yuika: A-Ahahah...... ! That was real scary, huh......

Yuika: I thought I'd prepared myself, but it still got me......

Kiriko: Yuika-chan...... You’re amazing......

Kiriko: You could tell it was coming......

Yuika: Well yeah, the flags were obvio--......

Kiriko: ......Huh?

Yuika: Oh, nothing!

Yuika: Anyway, it still really surprised me. Even though I saw it coming!

Kiriko: Fufu...... Yes......

Kogane: ──Augh! There they go again, headin’ right into another dangerous-lookin’ room...... !

Kiriko: Ah......

Yuika: Ahhh......

Yuika: ......Horror sure is a lot, huh......

(Transition.)

Kogane: ......Phew~......! Horror really wears ya out, don’ it...... !

Yuika: It sure does...... I guess that’s one way watching these movies is helping us prepare for the drama shoot.

Kiriko: In the drama...... We’ll just have to do our best......

Yuika: Uh-huh.

Yuika: We’ve gotta make like in those movies and run right into all the dangerous-looking rooms -- Or maybe try carrying around an obviously haunted doll!

Kogane: Yuika~! Don’ go sayin’ stuff like that!

Yuika: Ahahah, sooorry.

Kogane: When yer dealin’ with ghosts the best thing to do is try an’ fool ‘em...... ! Or even better, hit ‘em with the ol’ “Trick-or-Treat”!

Kiriko: Yes......!

Yuika: Uh? But why?

Kogane: I hear sayin’ "Trick or Treat” is also a way of wardin’ off evil durin’ Halloween. So I bet it works jus’ as well for wardin’ off ghosts!

Kiriko: It’s the first time...... You’ve ever invited us over......

Kiriko: So we thought it’d be nice...... If we brought you something......

Kogane: Me an’ Kiriko thought of it together!

Kogane: An' if one of them ghosts from the movies tries to pay us a visit, we’ll make ‘em go away with a “Trick or Treat”!

Kogane: Anyhow! Trick or Treat, Yuika~!

Kiriko: Trick or Treat...... Yuika-chan......

Kogane: Here’s the candy we brought, so now it’s yer turn, Yuika~!

Kiriko: Fufu...... Yes......

Kiriko: We tell Mr. Ghost...... See you another time......

Yuika: Oh, you two......

Yuika: ......Heh, thanks a lot.

Yuika: ──I guess it’s time to get out the candy I'd secretly prepared for my treasured guests, then!

Kogane: Nfufu~! That’s our Yuika~!

Kiriko: Fufufu...... Secret...... Candy...... ♪ 

Yuika: Fufuuun! Happy Halloween... Kogatan, Kiririn!

———– Commu #2 END ———–

Commu #3: “This is a conversation we’ve never had before, isn't it.”

Mamimi: That reminds me... How did the drama shoot this morning go?

Kogane & Yuika & Kiriko: !

Sakuya: Oh, yes. I’m quite curious to know the details as well.

Sakuya: Please, do tell.

Yuika: ......I’ll tell you what happened, but......

Yuika: Can you both promise that no matter what I say...... You won’t freak out...... ?

Mamimi & Sakuya: ......!

Kogane: Oh c’mon, Yuika~! Don' start talkin’ all weird!

Yuika: Ahahah, I figured you wouldn’t like that.

Sakuya: Yuika......?

Yuika: I’m sorry, Sakuyan! Anyway, it went well! No issues at all!

Yuika: In the studio hallway there were people dressed up as ghosts who'd pop out and try to scare us. Kogatan screamed the whole time. That kinda thing.

Yuika: After the shoot they brought us snacks shaped like ghosts for refreshments, and Kogatan even got freaked by those......

Kogane: Why're ya only talkin’ about what I did!?

Yuika: Well, your reactions were what left the biggest impression......

Kiriko: Fufu...... Yes......

Kiriko: The drama...... Was a scary story......

Kiriko: But the whole time...... I was having so much fun.....

Mamimi: Well isn't that a shame.

Mamimi: Considering I’ve heard that studio is haunted.

Kogane: Hweh~!?

Mamimi: There’s been a lot of ghost sightings there, don’t you know?

Kogane: H-Hweh~~~......?

Kiriko: ......!

Mamimi: Maybe what you saw in the shoot were--

Kiriko: Mamimi-chan......!

Yuika: That’s enough, Mamimin. Kogatan is probably gonna pass out if you keep going. Knock it off.

Mamimi:  Boo.

Yuika: Look, you’re making Kiririn worry too.

Yuika: While I do apologize that our experience didn’t meet your expectations!

Yuika: The three of us have never encountered any actual ghosts, and we didn’t see any during today’s shoot either!

Yuika: Right, Kogatan! Kiririn!

Kogane: T-that’s right!

Kiriko: Yes......!

Mamimi: Well, that’s just too bad.

Sakuya: Fufu. How about this then, Mamimi.

Sakuya: While it won’t be the same as real ghosts, there’s still something spooky we could do.

Mamimi: ......You’re saying we should watch the drama they were in, right?

Sakuya: Ah, it’s as if you read my mind, Mamimi.

Sakuya: What do you think? We can look forward to seeing what they shot today when it airs.

Mamimi: ......Sounds pretty good.

Mamimi: And if I record it, I can have everyone’s terrified faces preserved on my TV forever.

Yuika: Oh hush, just how weak do you think we were?

Mamimi:  Fufu, I guess we’re gonna find out.

Sakuya: Although it will hurt my heart deeply to watch the three of you in peril......

Sakuya: I am really looking forward to seeing the fruits of your hard work.

Kogane: Me too!

Kogane: Though, watchin’ it on my own...... Might be a bit too scary~......

Kiriko: Then......

Kiriko: When it airs...... Let’s watch it together......

Yuika: Ah!

Yuika: Oh hey, in that case! How about this!

Yuika: If it’s cool with everyone, why don’t we watch it at my place──

(Everyone nods.)

———– Commu #3 END ———–

Thanks for reading! While Mitsumine is still hiding her hobbies from L’Antica, It makes me so happy to see her slowly opening herself up to them more and more. I hope that in the near future Mitsumine will be able to invite over her friends without hiding away all the things she’s passionate about. (Just gotta wait for that Mitsumine-focus scenario event...)

If anyone would be interested in using this script (with credit of course) to make a subbed version of this card, please contact me here or on Twitter!

[squiddybeifong]

Table for Two: Chapters 6-8

BabsRae Weekend Day 2: ‘Support’

@ravensflockofrobins

Ao3 here

--

Ch. 6

--

She hadn’t even worried that Babs had set her up. 

If she had she could’ve rationalized it away due to that awful accident earlier that turned seven blocks into gridlock, or even Babs’ 3 o’clock bus being off schedule, but she didn’t. No, when her iced mocha had sweat so much that the cardboard holder started to rip and the latte she’d ordered for her girlfriend had officially gone cool, the only thought that went through Raven’s mind was that something was wrong. 

Barbara Gordon was many things --basically a genius, a kickass librarian, an insane student with an even insaner work ethic, not to mention gorgeous to boot-- and punctual was near the very top of that list. For her to not only be 17 minutes late but to also not even send a single text? The knot in Raven’s stomach worsened as she got up to give up her table to an old lady, holding their drinks as she lingered near the entrance. Gray eyes kept glancing at the retro clocks that lined the cafe’s walls, counting down the seconds until 18 minutes had passed.

Her pocket buzzed and Raven nearly dropped their drinks as she scrambled to pull her phone out. Her breath caught in her throat as she spotted Dick’s message; a simple ‘SOS get to gen hosp NOW!!!’

No other explanation. Cursing under her breath more out of worry than anything, she tossed her drink and offered Babs’ to some startled passing stranger before taking off in a jog. Raven knew better than to even try the transit, yet alone how long a wait any car service would take just to get her. It took some effort getting past the rubbernecking pedestrians the closer she got to whatever accident had happened. 

Seeing that two buses had been brutally struck by a pick-up (well, she assumed it was a pick up. The vehicle was a metal ball on the side of the road) brought that knot in her stomach back ten-fold. She couldn’t spot any markings for which buses they were but Raven had an awful idea of which route one of them was on. Her jog turned into a near sprint as she pushed past some of the people milling about the sidewalks, watching as the last of the glass and random debris were being cleaned up. 

When Gotham City General Hospital loomed in her sights there was no relief. Rushing through the automatic doors, Raven practically ran up to the location desk. The woman behind the counter aimed an empathetic smile her way at how frazzled she was, “How can I help you, Miss?” 

Raven’s nails drummed on the polished counter, the tap-tap-tap keeping her sane as she rushed out, “Barbara Gordon. Do you know if she’s here?” 

A part of her practically fell through the floor as she realized she was certain that Babs was the one in the hospital, but most of her was on edge at the lack of information she had. The waitress reached for her phone and cursed under her breath when she remembered Dick hadn’t given her a room number (or any solid idea of what was going on). Before the receptionist could ask for more Raven blinked as she felt someone step up behind her. A deep, tense voice spoke, "She's with me."

The woman’s eyes widened and she stammered but caught herself. The man stepped next to Raven and he said, “Barbara Gordon, Room 706.” He glanced at Raven from the corner of his eye and put a hand on her shoulder, “We both have family permissions.”

Raven’s eyes went wide as she gaped at Bruce Wayne’s hand on her shoulder, her brain trying to reboot as she took in his morose attempt at smiling despite the mood. A part of her recognized that his money and reputation was the only thing keeping the receptionist from finding out that she technically shouldn’t be allowed to visit, but the baker stayed quiet and forced the closest thing she could muster to a smile. 

The minute and a half of getting their authorization labels passed by in a blur, Raven’s mind flicking from Babs to Bruce to the buses to Babs again. Luckily, he seemed to be just as much at a loss for words as she was. The billionaire waited until they were in the elevator to speak, his voice more a sigh than anything, "Raven, correct?"

Forcefully brought back into the present (and the ride that was bringing her closer to where Babs was), she ducked her head and tucked some loose strands of hair behind her ear, “Mr. Wayne.”

A brow rose at her formality but the Bruce took it in stride, glad for some distraction. "The boys have been talking a lot about you."

Raven bit back a soft chuckle, the sound not as genuine as she hoped, “Really?”

"Barbara's been smiling more often too," Bruce’s lips twitched a bit as he added that fact, watching as Raven perked up at the news. His eyes tightened as he watched the light fade from her, the young woman abruptly remembering why they were there. 

Gray eyes flicked up to his face for just a second and she chewed on her lower lip, "I hate to meet like this…" He nodded solemnly but Raven didn’t notice. Her eyes rarely strayed from the numbered lights for more than a few seconds, anxiously watching as they climbed from the third to the fourth floor and continued on. 

Raven’s fingers twitched against her thighs. She took a deep breath and kept looking ahead, “Do you know what happened?”

There was a short lull, then the billionaire softly explained, “Dick said she was on the bus. Apparently her seat was close to where the truck first hit.” His sapphire eyes glanced at her but she didn’t look his way. 

Bruce took in the way her fingers kept clenching and unclenching, then added, “It’s bad but apparently she’s not in critical condition.”

“Is she… gonna be okay?”

He didn’t speak. The shadow of a hum was her answer and then the elevator doors were opening on the seventh floor, effectively ending their conversation. She rushed out and Bruce was only a step behind her when she caught sight of Dick. He was hunched over in the chair opposite room 706 and his legs vigorously bounced as he stared at his folded hands.

Gray eyes flicked from him to the door and back again, “Can we…”

He slowly nodded at her unspoken question, “Yeah, the doctors left a few minutes ago. She’s still asleep.”

Taking a deep breath, Raven slipped into the room, barely recognizing as Bruce stayed behind to have a quick word with his oldest son. All her attention was on the librarian tucked away in the fluffed up pillows. One arm was in a sling and a cut roughly sliced her bottom lip, but that was the most damage that she could see. The pillows kept her head steady but there was no need for any further support, but her legs were tightly covered by what must have been three blankets.

Raven felt her heart fall to her feet at seeing her love so hurt, but she was ecstatic that things didn’t look too bad. Shakily sitting down on the bedside chair, the baker tenderly traced the lines of her girlfriend’s knuckles. Too worried about whether or not holding Babs’ hand would interfere with the multitude of wires that she couldn’t possibly guess what all of them were for, she settled for simply laying one hand atop Barbara’s, the other playing with a frayed piece of her flannel.

Bruce came in and Dick leaned against the doorframe, both men looking a smidge less worried than when she’d left them. Raven went to stand to give the billionaire her seat but he shook his head, “It’s fine. You stay there.” 

He lifted the chart from the bottom of her bed-frame, glancing over the nurses’ hastily written notes. The Gothamite didn’t remember much from his brief stint in medical school, but most of it looked hopeful. Bruce bit the inside of his cheek as he tried to decipher the list of tests Barbara would need to undergo once she woke up, one sticking out. It was probably just routine, but that didn’t keep the worry from curling around his heart.

Taking a deep breath through his nose, the billionaire glanced at Raven again. “Gordon--Her father won’t be able to get here till later,” He softly explained. Sapphire eyes flicked over her chart one last time and he put it back. His gaze fell to the waitress again and at her barely furrowed brows he offered a bit more explanation, “There’s a commotion on the other end of Gotham. He’s the commissioner.”

Raven blinked at that, taking a second to nod. Her voice cracked as she offered him a small smile, “Alright.”

“And visiting ends at six,” Gray eyes flicked to the clock --reading 4:28 p.m.-- and Bruce continued before she could worry, “But you stay as long as you need.”

The man sighed and walked to the other side of Babs’ bed, softly brushing aside some of the hair that as askew from her bun. He ran a tongue over his teeth, “With all the traffic and whatever going’s on Gordon should be here before eight. Dick and I are gonna talk to the doctor then go get the others, let them know she’s okay. We’ll probably be back a bit after Gordon.”

Nodding slowly to himself at how stable she looked despite everything, he met Raven’s stare, “You’ll stay with her?”

“Always.”

He blinked and watched as Raven seemed to shrink into herself at the impulsive answer, her fingers fiddling with the rings that she wore as her eyes flicked to and stayed on the redhead. The business mogul let out a quiet chuckle, “Good. I trust you to it, then.”

She nodded, hardly noticing as Bruce gave her one last look and ushered Dick out; hell, she was barely aware enough to move aside so that one of the nurses could check the redhead’s IVs. Her gaze didn’t stray as fifteen minutes turned to fifty. 

Someone left her an iced coffee on the sink counter and she mindlessly scooted her chair to reach it, stretching so as to not let go of her girlfriend’s hand. Raven let out a little hiss when her moving made Babs’ bag slip off the chair; as the tote fell Babs’ book toppled to the floor, it’s cover facing the ceiling. 11/22/63 shone up in bright red numbers and Raven raised a brow at the obvious style, languidly rubbing circles on Babs’ knuckles; she certainly never pegged her for a historical fiction fan. 

Quietly picking up the librarian’s current read, she flipped between the cover and the first page of the novel, her heart crumpling as she realized what genre it must have been. Reading an alternate history novel didn’t seem the best idea now of all times.

Although it certainly beat agonizing in silence…

Sighing, Raven sipped at her watered down drink and opened to the beginning, a tiny smile quirking her lips at Babs’ little pencil notes in the margins. She leaned against the side of the hospital bed and began reading, tenderly squeezing her girlfriend’s hand as the steady beep of her monitors filled the room. 

--

Babs woke up to a snore filling the room and the dull throb of sore muscles. She let out a fleeting sigh of a groan, the sound cutting off at how dry her throat was. Painfully creaking her eyes open, the redhead squinted at the dimmed hospital lights and turned her impossibly sore neck, catching sight of Raven next to her. 

The waitress was sleeping on her folded arms, her fingertips just barely resting right above Babs’ wrist. Behind her, the dingy glow of her dimmed clock read 7:34, it’s pale orange lighting up the back of her girlfriend’s head like a halo. Emerald eyes blinked at her well-worn Stephen King novel staring back at her, trying to pierce together what had happened. Shifting on the starched sheets, the clicker on her middle finger stretched as the wire tugged under her body and a monitor to her right let out a shrill beep of warning. 

Gray eyes snapped open at the sound and Raven nearly jumped out of her seat. The confusion was plain on her face as she tried to get her bearings as half-asleep legs knocked the plastic chair. Shaking her head, her face snapped to the librarian. Their eyes met. 

The air escaped Raven’s lungs and Babs practically fell in love with the relieved, lovestruck way the waitress beamed at her, “You’re up.”

She smiled back but couldn’t speak, her eyes glancing at the water on the counter. Her voice was a croak, “Can I?”

Gray eyes glanced at the foot of her bed, well aware that she wouldn’t be able to understand a word of the notes, “I’m not sure…” Raven thought for a moment and shrugged, “Probably. How about you just don’t swallow?” 

Babs rolled her eyes and Raven chuckled at her reaction. “You should be fine either way. Here,” She put the glass to the redhead’s lips and helped her drink. Raven pecked her forehead, “Better?”

“Mmhmm.” The librarian shifted the best she could in her bed, sighing as Raven helped her adjust, “What happened?”

“Your bus got hit. Apparently close to where you were sitting.” As she spoke the baker brushed aside the short strands that were sticking to the bandage on Babs’ forehead. She rose up to peck her girlfriend’s temple again, her relief palpable as she rested their foreheads together, “I’m just glad you’re okay.”

Barbara hummed at the sentiment and chanced a tease as she realized their proximity, “Am I too gross to kiss?”

Raven raised a brow and leaned in until their noses bumped, “You literally just woke up. In the hospital. I should be getting a nurse before you miss something.”

The redhead gave her a little smile, tilting her head up until their lips brushed, “But I also missed our date.”

Raven let out a little snicker and sneaked a quick peck. Her voice was a breath against Babs’ lips, “I love your priorities.”

Impatient and sore, Babs surged forward that last inch. Her baker urged her back against the pillows, not once stopping their soft kiss. Everything hurt obviously, but kissing Raven was a great distraction. 

Babs tugged on her girlfriend’s shoulder, pulling her closer. A little groan slipped out when Raven rested an elbow on the bed, her hands slowly rubbing little circles along her sides. Something was different in the way Raven moved her lips against hers, but the redhead was still a bit too foggy to fully grasp what it was. All she knew was that this was probably the sweetest, most tender kiss she’d ever had and Babs sunk into the embrace for as long as she could. 

All too soon they had to break apart for air. Before they could go back for more, someone knocked three times on the outside of her door. Jumping away, Raven hastily wiped at her mouth and fixed her hair as she plopped back in her chair. Babs smoothed the blankets back down the best she could and they glanced at each other. 

Snickering, both had to bite back their laughter at their reactions, acting like teenagers almost caught getting handsy. Clearing her throat, Barbara gave her girlfriend a wink and softly called out, “You can come in.”

Her doctor strolled in, “Evening, Miss Gordon!” His smile was comforting as he checked the list on her bed-frame, “Good to see you’re up and have company. I’m Dr. Nick.” 

He looked them over, a lazy chuckle escaping as he added, “This shouldn’t take too long, just have a few tests to do then you two can go back to doing whatever it is you were doing.” Raven palmed her face when he motioned to her smudged lip gloss and Babs let out a squeak as she rubbed the residual shine from her lips. The doctor aimed a quick smile up at them and joked, “But besides that it should be easy. No needles, I promise.”

He walked to the other side of her bed. “Now let’s get a check on your eyes…” Babs handed Raven her glasses as the flashlight shone in her face. Her shoulders relaxed when he nodded at whatever he saw, the curl of his lips relieved as her eyes came back fine. 

Both women watched as he lifted the blankets from her legs, just leaving the thin sheet atop her feet. His smile wasn’t as reassuring as the first and Raven shifted in her seat at the undercurrent of solemnity that overcame him. Babs raised a brow as he said, “Okay, second thing is your legs. I need to see if you can wiggle your toes.”

Raven tilted her head at the question, a breath of surprise leaving her. Gray eyes flicked to her girlfriend and widened at the uncertainty on the librarian’s face. “You, uh--you were moving them before he came in, right?”

Barbara didn’t answer her. She looked at her feet under the sheet, her breath hitching as she attempted to wiggle her toes. The redhead squeezed Raven’s hand as tight as she could and tried again, flexing her thighs and feeling a bloom of anguish when her knees didn’t respond either.

The doctor’s lips tightened into a straight line at the dawning horror on her face. His quiet “Miss Gordon…” was shadowed by Raven pressing a firm, desperate kiss onto her bandaged knuckles, the waitress softly whispering against her skin, “Darling…”

Babs squeezed her eyes closed and waited to wake up again.

--

Ch. 7

--

Despite the severity of her injuries the list of stretches for preliminary physical therapy didn’t seem like they’d be a problem, all things considered. Babs was in good enough shape already that moving her upper body was hard, not strenuous. Sighing as she let the paper rest on her pillow, the redhead tore her gaze from the ceiling to her girlfriend, her nose scrunching as she caught sight of the snack that was the visitor cafeteria’s dessert that day.

Ignoring her love’s pout, Raven casually munched on her bite of fruit cake as she waited for the nurse to finish redressing the few wounds Babs had, grateful that most of the injuries appeared to be healing up quickly.

She aimed an appreciative smile and a quiet “Thank you” to the nurse as she left, stretching to rest an elbow on her girlfriend’s bed. Raven batted her lashes at her favorite patient, knowing that it was best that they get right into it, “Ready to work on sitting up?”

Sure enough, Babs pouted up at her. “I can sit just fine.”

“You haven’t stopped reclining in like three days, Darling.” Biting her lip, gray eyes brightened as an idea came to her. Babs squinted at the look on her love’s face, “What are you--”

Being careful for the wires and doing her utmost best to stay above the librarian’s thighs, Raven crawled up onto the bed and straddled her waist. She grinned down at Babs, biting back a snicker at the furious blush that started to flood those freckled cheeks. Raven leaned down to rest her palms along Babs’ sides and practically purred out, “Well, Miss Gordon…”

She held up her weight as she all but laid on top of the librarian, unable to hold back her smile as their lips nearly brushed. Babs started to reach up to end the teasing and Raven pulled back an inch, “With an attitude like that I bet a kiss you can’t reach me.”

Babs let out a snort and raised up to steal a peck, a flabbergasted sound slipping out of her when Raven pulled out of reach again. Emerald eyes halfheartedly glared at her girlfriend, “Really?”

“This isn’t the context I thought I’d first say this in,” Raven shrugged. She leaned back until they were half a foot apart and tapped her girlfriend’s nose. Her hands fanned out above the redhead’s stomach as she wiggled her hips and she savored the stunned way Babs squeaked at the movement, “But right now ya gotta work for it, Babe.”

They stared at each other for a second, then the waitress’ brows teasingly jumped and she sing-songed, “PT’s orders.”

Babs pursed her lips and nodded, her breath coming out in a puff as she stretched to reach Raven. Groaning as their noses touched, she could only get a ghost of a kiss before her girlfriend was retreating again, the baker looking entirely too pleased with herself as she waited another few inches away. 

They kept at that pattern for a few minutes until Babs had worked herself up to nearly where she needed to be. Raven made sure the pillows were sturdy behind her back and let her own knees support the sides of the redhead’s hips. Chuckling, she snuck a kiss and helped keep Babs’ glasses on her face when their noses bumped. 

Raven murmured against her lips, “Can you do one more for me?”

Exhausted at finally sitting upright, the redhead stuck her tongue out at Raven, “Don’t!” The waitress paid her whine no mind, giggling as she sat back on Babs’ lap and opened her arms. Even as she took a breath in preparation of reaching even further, Barbara’s words were a pout, “You’re a dick.”

Still a few inches away, the waitress bit her bottom lip. There was a certain pride and a lot of love in her dark eyes as she teased, “Then c’mon, Ahab. Keep going and you’ll get me eventually.”

Babs pushed on for that last stretch, her victory laugh smothered by her partner’s lips. 

She sighed and let herself slump into their embrace, a little trill of a sound slipping out of her as Raven’s hands split directions; one went to entangle in her hair and the other started running along her sides. The waitress hit a ticklish patch and Babs laughed, pulling away as her girlfriend let her butterfly kisses trail down to her jaw. 

"Last time I checked," The librarian breathed out as Raven helped her settle back into the pillows, "With how we’ve been we’re supposedly in some obnoxiously fluffy romance, not a nautical adventure fiction."

“You never know, my bookworm,” Raven leaned in to steal another kiss. She hummed out as Babs cupped her face, “With all the stories you work with you might’ve fallen into one.”

Babs ran a thumb over the baker’s cheek, her head tilting in thought, “That seems more like a fanfic idea than anything.” 

Raven shrugged a shoulder, “True. But all of them involve making out at some point, right?”

Babs bit back a smile and put a finger to her girlfriend’s lips before she could lean forward, “I don’t want a nurse to walk in on us.” 

Raven snickered and lightly swayed to an unheard beat, kissing a freckle on the side of her girlfriend’s finger. Gray eyes flicked to the closed door, “Wanna be a model patient for them too?”

“I do. So no getting handsy in the hospital.”

The baker pursed her lips and blew a raspberry against the redhead’s finger. She couldn’t keep the teasing lilt out of her voice, “Even when your white whale’s right in front of you?”

Babs giggled and allowed one last firm kiss, lightly shooing her love off the bed right after, “Even then!”

--

It should have been obvious with how little time a doctor had for each of their patients, let alone how overworked and spread thin nurses must have been, but she had never really thought of the day-to-day of an extended stay. Truth be told, hospitals were mind-numbingly boring. There were less than ten channels, half were constantly showing ads, and her sling and IVs made reading a book impossible. Sure, Babs knew she wasn’t one to talk about being bored; what with Raven constantly by (or on) her side, Dad poking his head in to have a chat every two hours and the rest of the Waynes gracing her with their shenanigans what seemed to be every ten minutes, she was probably the busiest patient this hospital wing had seen in awhile. 

But that didn’t make the boredom any less stifling. Especially when her stay surpassed a week and the waitress had to keep up with her busy schedule at the Tower. Babs had to keep back a sigh at the thought of the place, wondering when she’d be off this hospital-sanctioned diet and able to each all the pastries Raven could possibly bake for her again. 

The idea of junk food made her perk up and the librarian narrowed her eyes at the ceiling, counting back the days; she had missed their last date, sure, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t go out on a date now, right?

Her emerald gaze settled on the call button and Babs grinned.

The sun was starting when her girlfriend came back. “Hey, Darling!” Raven’s voice was light and airy as she strolled into room 706 again, bringing the scent of shortbread cookies and tea with her. She couldn’t sneak any in for her librarian even if she wanted, but her gray eyes were bright as she jerked a thumb over her shoulder and showcased her dessert with the other hand, “The cafeteria’s got fruit cake again.”

Babs laughed and blew a raspberry at her girlfriend’s back as Raven set down her satchel, “You’re supposed to be helping me feel better.”

“It’s a winter staple,” The baker instinctively called over her shoulder. She pulled out a thin square package and her smile widened, “Besides, I got you something from the giftshop.”

The redhead shifted in her bed, nervous and excited at all the possibilities of her plan, “Good. I got you --well, us-- something too.”

Gray eyes glanced at her, focusing on her obvious excitement, “Yeah?”

Barbara pointed with her good hand, “Behind the curtain.”

Eager, Raven stepped to the curtain and pulled it aside, her eyes widening at the sight of a wheelchair sitting there. She let out a little gasp and snapped her head back to her girlfriend. Babs wiggled her shoulders at the look, scratching at her nape as she hummed out, “I might have gotten Bruce to get them to let me go out and about on the floor.” 

“Oh?” 

The redhead nodded, “Apparently there’s a lot of windows closer to the elevators, if you wanted to hang out there.” 

Raven blinked, her face filling with light as her smile grew, “Wanna people watch again?”

Babs fiddled with the top of her blanket, a bit overwhelmed at the brightness in her girlfriend’s face. Raven seemed to be even more excited at the prospect than she was and the librarian drawled, “I was hoping.” 

“Well, uh,” Raven giggled as she perched on the side of the bed and kissed her love’s cheek. Her words were a breathy laugh as she placed the package on Babs’ lap, “Maybe we can add this to it? Make it a real date.”

The gift was loosely wrapped so she could pull the paper away with just one hand. Babs raised a brow and bit back a smile at the ‘Recipes in Literature Classics’ that came into sight. Directly under it was a small, thin box of dark chocolate. Emerald eyes flicked up to her girlfriend, “And what are these?”

“Well, my beloved Captain,” The waitress got comfy on the side of the bed and placed a lazy kiss just above the sling’s strap on Babs’ shoulder. “Melville put a chapter all about cod and clam chowder. Once you officially get out I’ll make you some with this.” She tapped the tiny recipe book with her fingertip. After a second her head sheepishly tilted to the side, “And the gift shop didn’t have anything whale related, but the almonds kinda look like shells. Figured it’d fit with whatever sea puns we can think of.” 

Babs laughed at that and she added, “Plus, I asked the nurses. They said you can have them if you want, just gotta log how many.”

“You’re the best,” Babs shifted on her side and nudged her girlfriend’s face down towards her own. Her green eyes were bright and she brushed their noses together, softly speaking in the tiny space between them, “Thank you.” 

She let out a hum as Raven closed the gap between them, kissing her softly. Babs rose up to nuzzle closer, pouting as the baker started backing away an inch. Pale fingers lazily circled a cluster of freckles on her jaw, “Ready to get out of this room?”

Her fingers started sloppily unraveling the bottom of Raven’s braid from its elastic, “Depends. Can I kiss you while we people watch?”

Raven laughed and pressed their noses together again, “It’s a date, then.”

--

Ch. 8: Pretzels and 1Q84

--

Babs reclined in her wheelchair as she flipped through the second novel of the trilogy that her girlfriend had in her bag, relieved that she was going to have Raven with her the whole day. Dad and Bruce had given (if not requested, knowing how they were) Alfred and Dick full reign to coddle her and she was getting so sick of them constantly peeking over her shoulder. 

It wasn't as bad with Raven, though.

Babs let out a quiet little sigh as she slumped in her seat even more. Raven’s gait was steady as she pushed her up the slight incline and the redhead let her head fall back, mindlessly taking in all the little scars that graced her girlfriend’s face and neck. Her fingertips twitched around the book and the small foil bag balanced in her hand, her forearm still sore from her IVs being taken out and the press of her sling annoying against the fuzz of her sweater. 

She aimlessly popped another pretzel into her mouth, getting lost in the casual sway of her girlfriend’s long hair; Raven without her signature braid was a rare but very appreciated sight, after all. When her stare surpassed a minute gray eyes flicked down to her and a thick brow teasingly arched, “Like what you see?”

“Always,” Babs sighed out. 

She ate some more pretzels and kept watching Raven as she directed her towards their next date. The redhead had a pretty good idea of where they were going and her heart ached as she thought of the last time she had been in Robinson park. Sure, she and Raven had walked out of the park together, just barely holding onto each other as the snow crunched and slid under their boots, but everything was different now. Most of the snow had melted and spring was making her entrance known; the leaves were small but lush, the grass wild and speckled with weeds, flowers showcasing their buds as they waited until the bees were ready to open up. 

The skip of her wheelchair’s wheels and the clack of Raven’s boots comfortably blended in with the sleepy birdsongs and Babs’ smile widened as she caught sight of the bench they had used. A box of dried peaches was sitting there, decorated with a lemon bow pasted on the middle of it’s plastic top. 

She tried to pout but her laughs were getting in the way, “And here I thought we’d be enjoying carbs together.” 

Raven snickered and leaned down to kiss her girlfriend’s jaw, sighing as her nose nudged a freckle just below the librarian’s ear. Her soft exhale sent wonderful shivers tap-dancing down Babs’ spine and Raven grinned at the reaction, “I’ll take them off your hands if you’d like?”

“It’s gonna cost you,” Babs’ smile was as cheeky as her voice and she put her free hand on the baker’s bicep, urging her down. Her flannel was warm from the sun and Barbara cooed as Raven cupped her jaw. The waitress’ other hand went to her lap and moved the bag against her thigh, settling down on the bit of midsection right below her sling.

A pair of squirrels chirped as they chased each other through the treetops, slipping and shaking the boughs above their heads. Smiling into the kiss, Barbara reluctantly pulled away at the noise; Raven let out a whine and nudged an inch closer, a groan slipping out as the redhead’s hand tangled into her hair. The librarian let out a breathless giggle at the sound, “We’re supposed to be heading down to the Tower soon.” 

Emerald eyes softened as her girlfriend reached up to fix the way her glasses sat on her face. Babs rested their foreheads together, “You don’t wanna be late.”

“Is Bruce gonna be there?”

Raven’s question was immediate and the redhead only smiled, “He wanted to see you again when later this week, actually. Maybe when I get this dumb sling off.” Her hand lazily twirled some of the waitress’ hair around her fingers, amused as she remembered, “But I thought you two got along when you met? You’re still nervous about just… interacting with him?”

Pale hands began lightly tugging on her armrests as Raven walked backwards, slowly urging them towards the bench. Still, her eyes were wide and her face flabbergasted at her love’s question, “He’s Bruce Wayne.”

“You’re Raven Roth.”

Raven snorted at her and bumped their noses together, “Last time I checked I wasn't the only one rich enough to buy a private plane at the drop of a hat."

Babs batted her lashes up at her girlfriend, “And the last time I checked you were the only one that can sneak me an extra cookie at the Tower.”

Gray eyes playfully rolled and Raven snuck in one last peck, “That segue was awful.” Still, she straightened up and plucked the box of peaches off the wood, offering it to her girlfriend. he waitress kissed her hairline and muttered against her skin, “Promise you won’t fall asleep this time?”

“I dunno,” Babs tilted her head back until their noses booped, “Will you cuddle and feed me later if I do?”

Raven snorted, “That was always the plan.”

Babs giggled and pushed a pretzel into her girlfriend’s mouth, “Then I’ll stay awake.”

--

The Tower wasn’t too busy for a Thursday afternoon, but that didn’t stop the barely-contained groan of disbelief from bubbling out of Barbara as she caught sight of her siblings. Or, more importantly, at the sight of the sweaters and flowers and a whole arrangement of presents awaiting her. 

She didn’t mind the gifts but Dick was fully prepared to coddle her --again-- and he seemed to have all the others on board. Duke and Cass were poking over a pristine collection of first editions that admittedly made her heart skip a beat, Steph was showcasing what seemed to be a signature edition box of Eggos with her face on it and Damian was busy sketching in his notebook, but given the way Jason and Tim were looking over a canvas (and the fine whiskey and coffee sets that they must’ve gotten), the boy probably painted a scene just for her.  

Raven noticed her emotions and nudged her shoulder, “Wanna take a few to prepare?” 

The redhead felt some of the tension leave her, “You wouldn’t mind?”

“Don’t worry.” A kiss to her temple, then, “I know just the place.”

Babs blinked as Raven expertly maneuvered them the long way around, avoiding being anywhere near where her family could spot them until they got to the counter and slipped past. As her girlfriend let out a low “Ta-da!” Babs palmed the side of her face, biting back a snicker as they hid from her family’s view, “Really, Rae?” 

She let the burst of laughter out as she reclined in her wheelchair, “We’ve fallen to hiding in the storage room?”

Her girlfriend giggled with her, crouching down to kneel in front of her. Raven’s voice was lazy and teasing, “Is there anyplace more romantic?”

The librarian wrapped her arms around Raven’s shoulders. She drummed her nails along the flannel collar and mused aloud, “None that I can think of. Unless you think we can head out to a different reality?”

That got her a quick kiss and the wonderful feeling of Raven smothering her laugh against her lips. The baker drawled out in the space between them, “As long as there’s only one moon out when we leave we should be fine.”

“Oh?” Babs’ tongue poked at her cheek until it bulged, “You’re not even gonna look out for any air chrysalis in the trees?” 

Snickering, Raven rested her palms on each side of Babs’ thighs and pressed a loud smooch to her freckled cheek. She giggled against her girlfriend’s skin, “That’s… not really how 1Q84 went.”

Her hands fell to rest on top of Raven’s, “I’m a librarian, Babe. We’re holed up in a storage room, let me shoehorn in these references.” 

“Murakami would be proud.” She leaned back on her haunches and grinned as Babs rubbed away some of her smudged chapstick. Raven tilted her chin and softly smooched her girlfriend’s finger. “And besides, we’re in a storage room in a cafe where I work,” The waitress stressed. She rested an elbow on the wheelchair’s arm and curled closer to her girlfriend again, “I’m connected.”

Barbara couldn’t hold back her smile as she booped their noses together. Her smile turned into a grin as gray eyes winked at her, “What are you planning?”

Leaning back, Raven peeked out the door and caught sight of her favorite co-worker. He turned at the stare on the back of his head and she waved him down, grinning as he strolled up to them, “Heya, Vic!” 

He crossed his arms and casually leaned against the doorframe. His brown eyes flicked to the mishmash of three tables pushed together and Victor’s smile brightened as he guessed the obvious, “You hiding from the family?”

“Maaaaybe,” The waitress looked positively cheeky as her fingers slid in between Babs’ and she squeezed three times, “Wondering if you could hide us for a bit?”

“I gotcha,” Victor’s head tilted towards the shrouded booths near the exit, completely out of the Waynes’ sight. He glanced at the sling still on the librarian’s arm and then the wheelchair she was in, amending, “Unless you wanted something outside?”

Raven looked to her love, brushing some of the hair away from her forehead. Babs squeezed their joined hands again and softly smiled up at him, “Could it be a table for two?”

[vorthosjay]

Let’s Talk About Return to Dominaria Episode 9

This one is a fast one, because it’s late, but I feel like there’s a lot to talk about. Here’s the story link. I got exactly what I wanted from Jaya and Karn, but the compressed timeframe for the story and some transitional problems become apparent here. Sorry it’s late, but it’s been a super busy week at work and I wasn’t able to fit it into my usual lunchtime routine.

Chandra’s Outburst by Yongjae Choi

Chandra paced back and forth on the loose dirt near Karn's crater, waving her hands. "Are you kidding me? You've been lying all this time? Why?" They were surrounded by piles of smoldering trees and pieces of wrecked automatons, the air heavy with smoke. Furious, she faced Luti. Or Jaya. Or whoever this was. "Why would you do this to me?"

"Not everything is about you, Chandra." Jaya was annoyingly calm.

I already love Jaya. I’m very, very happy with how this reveal was pulled off, and I’m glad Jaya is way more than her Mother Luti persona.

Jaya sighed. "A long time ago, I went to Regatha, helped a few people, got drunk, talked a lot, apparently did some very impressive pyromancy, then left. Two hundred years later, I went back and found they'd started a religion based on me." She folded her arms and admitted, "It was all a little embarrassing, frankly."

This is quite possibly the best quote ever.

"I didn't want to be a religious icon, but I had to make sure they weren't misrepresenting me!" Jaya said, as if it was obvious. "And I thought I owed them a little guidance. Where do you think the monastery kept getting those 'long-lost writings of Jaya Ballard' from?"

This is EXACTLY what I called out in Jaya Ballard Returns. I love that this blows Chandra’s mind.

Jaya laughed. "Oh, don't look like that." She sighed and her expression turned serious. "I felt guilty. I never meant them to take me that seriously, but there they were, years later, treating me like an all-knowing deity. But I liked the work they were doing, helping young pyromancers. I'd been aging for sixty years, and I wanted to do something worthwhile for what was left of my life." She eyed Chandra. "You have some idea of how hard it can be to help those kids. They're impatient, reckless, refuse to listen to anyone . . ."

THE SHADE. Jaya is like

"And now I'll let you tell me what I need to know to be a more powerful pyromancer."

Jaya took the goggles, and her expression turned hard as stone. "Absolutely not."

"When I was Mother Luti, you dismissed me as a useless old woman. As Jaya Ballard, suddenly I'm worth listening to."

"What are you digging for?" She had been so busy arguing with Jaya yesterday, she hadn't even thought to ask.

"The Cylix," he told her. "It was created by Urza to help defeat the Phyrexians. I intend to take it to New Phyrexia and detonate it there."

"So it's like a bomb? A giant bomb?"

"Exactly like a giant bomb," Karn said.

A couple notes here.

Urza did not create the Golgothian Sylex. I can absolutely see why history would think he did.

“Sylex” is not a real word. Everything after antiquities has used Cylix. This is not an error but the fixing of an error.

"Yes, to help protect the excavation from Multani's attacks. In his semiconscious state, he senses that the Cylix is being uncovered, brought closer to the surface, and he fears it. For good reason; it caused great damage to him.

Ha! I apparently called this one, almost exactly, last month.

"Yeah." Still watching Karn, Jaya shook her head a little. "Everyone I've talked to thinks the Phyrexians aren't a threat anymore, but . . . He needs to do this. I just wish he didn't."

Chandra frowned. "They destroyed a whole plane, so why is destroying them a bad thing?" The problem with interplanar threats was that by the time you realized you were in danger, it was generally too late to do anything about them. Or that was how it had worked with Bolas on Amonkhet.

"Because it means he'll have to go back there." Jaya grimaced. "And that could be a disaster for a number of reasons."

It could be! We don’t know what effect it will have on New Phyrexia. A mission to New Phyrexia, in general, is fraught with dangers, not the least of which is Karn’s recapture.

But Chandra looked back at Multani. Karn had said he was semiconscious, that he would never do any of this if he was awake and aware. She didn't want to leave him like that. And she thought she knew a solution. "No, you two go. I want to try to fix this."

"Fix it?" Jaya asked, startled. "How?"

"Something a friend of mine showed me."

They’re leaning into Gruulfriends here a bit, aren’t they?

She said, "I know you can hear me. I know you don't want to be like this, you don't want to hurt people. That's not what you are. Think about water, still cool water. Flowing over your skin, your bark, into your branches and leaves. You're a light, floating on that water."

Just saying the words like Nissa had, visualizing them, made Chandra feel calmer. I miss her, and I don't know if I'm ever going to see her again. Chandra imagined the light floating on the water herself and let her emotions still into a calm sadness. She remembered what Jaya had said about knowing your true self and added, "I know you don't want to hurt anyone. Sink into the water, find your true self waiting there. Remember—remember who you are . . ."

"I don't want to fight with you, Jaya. I'm sorry about how I treated you and I understand why you don't want to help me. I wouldn't want to help me, either. But I hope we can still be friends."

Jaya eyed her, a small smile tugging at her mouth.

Hey, more character growth for Chandra, that’s not all that common so I’m happy with this.

Teferi lifted his brows. "Karn could help. But you forget, I'm no longer a Planeswalker. Unless Bolas comes here . . ." He trailed off as Jhoira lifted her pendant and opened it. His eyes widened.

"I'd never forget that," Jhoira said, watching him gravely. The Powerstone in the locket was reflected in Teferi's eyes. He had recognized it immediately, felt its call to him.

Karn leaned forward to look. "It's your spark?"

Teferi's brow furrowed. "How?" he said.

"The Mana Rig." She held it out to him. "Will you take it back?"

Lol, okay, so this makes it pretty clear we’re not getting the metaphysics for how this happened. Just accept that it did. That’s fine, I doubt any attempt to explain the metaphysics of it would actually help in any meaningful way.

Teferi expended his spark on Shiv to restore it. I’m sure that if Jhoira could detect the dispersed power, she could charge a powerstone with it somehow. Not a big deal.

"He didn't tell you about the Black Blade," Liliana said, with an irritated glance at him. "It's a sword that slew an elder dragon, and Gideon is too delicate to allow us to use it."

I’m pretty sure this ends with Gideon using it (which we know from the flavor text) because he doesn’t want anyone else to make that sacrifice.

A thump of displaced air made him flinch, then with a sudden blaze of blue light, someone else stood in the compartment.

Gideon shoved out of his chair and grabbed for his sword. Jaya was already on her feet, Liliana threw herself back against the wall and lifted her hands to cast a spell, and Chandra vaulted on top of the table, fire already crackling around her hair. Then Gideon froze, recognizing the aether trail almost before he recognized the newcomer's face. "Jace!"

This is heavily incongruous with the time frame presented in the Ixalan story, where Jace has been for about five months.

The time from HOU to this story, as presented for Chandra, is less than two weeks.

That’s not a small discrepancy. A few days are whatever, a few months are... significantly confusing. 

I talk a bit about my unhappyness with this continuity error here.

Basically, I’m of a few minds about it. I don’t like being the continuity police, and I’m willing to overlook quite a bit. Dominaria is weird because there is a lot of deliberately misremembered history, too, so it’s not always clear whats a continuity error and what characters don’t actually have their facts straight.

I think what happened here is the timeline for developing Dominaria and Rivals of Ixalan’s stories overlapped, and some details were lost in translation. It’s entirely possible that, simply, no one realized the timelines didn’t match up. Ixalan was a labor of love by Kelly and Alison, along with editor Gregg Luben. Those credits show an incredibly short staffed creative team that’s only gotten more so. It’s possible that simply put, no one had time to triple check for continuity errors like that. The Jace scene, as written, isn’t a big deal because that kind of thing happens all the time in serialized stories like this, but there are a few other questionable bits of continuity in the stories for Dominaria that I’ve mentioned in this series as ‘huh?’ moments.

Ultimately, I’m going to chalk it up to growing pains. I’m looking at getting an interview with the new Senior Narrative Franchise Designer so we can get a better idea of what the story development process looks like these days.

*STRONG LANGUAGE WARNING, SKIP AHEAD IF NECESSARY*

And honestly, I’ve thought about it a lot, and you need to understand how much of a continuity clusterfuck most of Magic’s history is, especially regarding early Magic history. The difference of a few months is a big continuity error to us today, but that really just speaks well to the current creative team because once upon a time timelines didn’t line up, characters existed in different forms across different novels centuries apart, and the same location existed on completely different continents, among other shenanigans.

Dominaria’s issues are incredibly minor by comparison.

Jhoira smiled faintly. "I don't know what the future holds, and this might be a moment we both regret later. But this is a weapon you should have." She pulled the pendant off her neck and dropped it into Teferi's waiting palm. "Welcome back."

How does he get his spark back out, though? Does he eat it? I imagine this is going to be another one that’s just not explained.

[imaginemexo]

Josh Washington x Reader - No-one’s Coming

Request: Could I get a Josh x Reader where the reader disappears with Hannah and Beth, but manages to survive in the mines

DISCLAIMER: Some events in this are different to the actual game, but only slightly, you probably won’t even notice.

Words: 3,512

I waited. For a sound. For anybody.

Day three-hundred-and-sixty-six. It's been one year.  

No-one's coming for me.

The transition was slow at first.  

No-one will ever believe me. No-one will ever believe what I saw.

Her skin slowly turned to the colour of ash. Her brown eyes drained from colour; they became cloudy. She grew taller by the day; lost weight rapidly. And then all of a sudden, it wasn't Hannah stood in front of me. It was someone else.  

She wasn't even human anymore.  

The first few months were the hardest; I'm used to it now, of course.

Beth died at the impact of our fall. Hannah and I somehow survived.  

Days soon turned darker than I ever had expected.  

It's my fault. It's my fault Hannah is this way. I turned her into that being. It was sheer selfishness that caused her to no longer be Hannah. It was the sheer selfishness that turned her into that thing.

I went exploring. I found a mere, small food supply. It could have lasted me for years if I really wanted it to. Just small amounts every other day, and I would be okay. I would survive.  

I never spoke to Hannah about it. I never dared to hint at the fact that food might be somewhere close; closer than we'd ever expected.  

I've found handfuls of evidence that people have been down here before. Photographs, helmets, diary entries. It seems plausible that this mine has been inhabited before, thus explaining the vast amount of food.  

It was nothing special; nothing gourmet. No meats, no caviar, no cans of coke. It was bottles of water (the plastic covered in grime, dust and dirt), shabby cans of plain beans and cans of fruit cocktail for nutrition. I eat every other day, sometimes less frequent than that to preserve.  

I wear two layers of clothes; the clothes I was wearing on that night, and Beth's clothes. There is a suffocating amount of guilt within me. I left her undignified; I took away her pride by leaving her lifeless body half-naked.  

When Hannah proposed that we turn to alternative methods for survival, I was shocked. There was a dilemma. It was either reveal the truth about the stash, or let my best friend engage in cannibalism against her own blood. I don't know why I let her do it.  

I think it was just the greediness; the fear and knowing that our supply would be dramatically shortened with two people feasting. Then, all of a sudden, far too soon, Hannah was no longer Hannah. And it was sheer luck that I made it out alive.  

Every night before I go to sleep, wrapped up in a thermal blanket I found with the supply of food, I pray. I pray for a blinding white noise; anything to get my mind off of how life is now. I pray I'll be found; I pray I will be reunited with my family and friends one day soon.

I can only hope I won't die before then.

SIXTEEN HOURS UNTIL DAWN

I prepare myself breakfast; fruit cocktail swimming in its own juices and chilled water. It's nothing different from usual, but if I pretend it is, there's some form of satisfaction in it.  

After breakfast, like a routine day, it's time to go exploring once more. I go exploring for a way out. I go exploring for a way out; a way home; a way back to the cabin; a way back to my family; a way back to my friends; a way back to my old life I left behind.  

I've looked everywhere. All routes, all methods, all secret passage ways and there's nothing. Just dead-ends. Though, there must be an exit somewhere or I could have never got down here. That’s the only thing that keeps me going; the fact that there must be a way out.  

Josh’s POV

FOUR HOURS UNTIL DAWN

It was a joke.  

It wasn't supposed to be this way.  

I was teaching them a lesson. It wasn't supposed to be malicious.  

It was to remind them. To remind them who caused them to leave me.  

My sisters. My best friend. I lost them all.  

There's no way I will ever see them again.  

Frère Jacques. Frère Jacques.

On repeat. Inside of my head on a loop.

Dolls. China dolls.  

Rocking back and forth, singing, chanting, taunting me.  

You killed us! You killed us, Josh!

Everything seems to crumble around me. My whole entire world I created. A lie I am living.

They're screaming at me, as if they actually believe I am the person in the wrong. Their eyes judge me harshly, and for a moment, I believe it. I believe that I am the person who did them wrong; I am the person to blame.  

Dr. Hill, an all too familiar face, a critical and disapproving being, wanders out from the shadows. His eyes are the colour of coal, cheeks stained with blood. My heartrate elevates to a point that for a second, I wonder if my heart will explode.

"Josh, Josh," he says, voice unable to hide the disappointment. "Look what you've done, Josh. You've ruined everything."

I have.

"Do you really think they'll forgive you for this?"

"I don't care," I lie, words spilling from my lips so easily. "I don't care!"

What is there to lose? None of it matters anyway.

Before I even realise it, the world becomes too heavy. The fear, the panic becoming too much to bare. I collapse to my knees, the repeated French childhood song getting louder and louder with each verse. Their voices becoming deeper and deeper, lower and lower with each word.  

I curl up into a ball, tucking my head into my chest.  

I feel so small; so vulnerable.

"Joshie," a voice so calm and close calls out. "Open your eyes."  

I shake my head violently. "Go away! You're not real!"

"Josh, it's me," Her voice still plush and soft like silk. "I'm real. I'm here."  

I take a stab in the dark. I hope and pray that this time it is for real, and it's not just my head playing tricks on me.  

I open my eyes.  

Before me, I find my best friend.

EIGHT HOURS UNTIL DAWN

The sky has fallen to the colour of nothing; no stars in sight; not even a big white ball that would be considered as the moon. For all three-hundred-and-sixty-six days I have been gone from my family, each night, the sky has been empty. No moon, no stars. Nothing. Just empty. Just darkness.  

By now, I would have turned back and returned to my camp. Although, there is an unsettling feeling in the pit of my stomach. A gnawing, a convincing belief that things will be okay; that tonight is the night.  

I've passed familiar spots, and I know I've been here before because I've marked my territory with objects and carvings to remind myself that this is not somewhere new. Although, there have been new discoveries. Places I have never found, locations I have not yet seen.  

My hands have grown hot, sweaty and shaky. I am holding a torch; the light source being a blazing ball of scorching fire.  

I cautiously walk through a chasm; damp and silent. The walls are grey, made from stone, and with any amount of pressure or force, it will seemingly collapse. I can hear drops of pure water drip and drop; each sound echoing throughout the cave.

My heart is in my stomach. The fear and terror is agonising. It is suffocating.

"Come on," I tell myself. "Just a little further."  

Out of the blue, a deep cackle disguised as a cry emits followed by a deafening sound of something bursting. My heart drops even lower, and I cannot breathe for a mere moment.

Ahead, a bigger, brighter light source draws closer. A hot, red, orange fire.  

I freeze.

I'm frozen.

"Help me!" A feminine voice cries.  

I don't move a muscle.  

Metres in front of me, a short, beefy man approaches, yet doesn't seem to notice my presence. He is carrying a large, intimidating contraption. Fire seems to shoot out of the end of it, coming out in thick bursts of flames.

My body is soon overwhelmed with the horror and distress. I don't know what to do.

Out of nowhere, I feel a strong grasp on my wrist. My entire body jolts, and I am no longer in sight of the stranger, but in an enclosed space.  

There's a figure resisting me, and I push them away from me with my spare hand. I shine the torch into their face, and I am immediately overridden with shock and fierce joy and relief.

"Is it really you?" I ask, jaw slightly ajar.

Emily looks at me passively, eyes cold. "Am I supposed to know who you are?"

My eyes are brimming with tears. "Em, it's me. It's Y/N."  

That's when the realisation kicks in. "Oh my god," she whispers, attacking me with a hug. "I can't believe you're still alive."  

I start to cry. "I know. I tried so hard to get back to you."  

She finally pulls away, frowning. "We all thought you were dead," She wipes away her tears. "How are you still alive?"

I look away, face scrunched up with pain and trauma. "Selfishness is why I'm here," I tell her. "It cost someone else's life to keep me alive."  

Emily let out a small sob. I think it's the panic. "What do you mean?"

I hear the man with the fire contraption draw closer, his feet slamming against the metal grate bridge. I feel myself feel tense; I feel the urge to run away and hide, but I want to embrace the moment while we rejoice.

"Hannah and Beth are dead, Em."  

She wiped away her tears with the sleeve of her leather jacket. "I never thought that they would be the ones to survive."  

I ask a hot question that is playing on my mind. "Why are you down here? How did you find me?"

Em presses her hand firmly against the stone wall, trying to steady herself. Whatever she has seen, whatever she has felt, it has resonated with her. It has hurt her, and it is going to kill her. "Matt is dead," She says. "There's a psycho on the mountain."

I open my mouth to respond with meaningless words, but I am quickly interrupted.  

"There is no psycho on this mountain," A deep, scratchy voice replies. We jump in unison, letting out a squeal of fright. "The thing that is terrorising your friends is the one who owns this mountain. And that is the Wendigo."  

I take a step back, just one step further and I stand behind Emily.  

Rather her than me; I've worked so hard to get home.

"The Wendi-what?"

The stranger grumbles under his breath, revealing a set of milky eyes and rotten teeth. "The Wendigo," he answers. "You girls better get back, because if the Wendigo finds you, that's it. The Wendigo has you now."  

Em makes a sound of helplessness and vulnerability. She puts her hand behind her back and latches onto my hand. She squeezes it hard for reassurance.

"We don't know how to get back."

A piercing, shrill cry is heard. It seems distant.

"Up the cave, don't take any turns. Just keep moving forward and you'll find your way back, I promise."

TWO HOURS UNTIL DAWN

Josh’s POV

She lays down beside me, her soft hair covered in white specs of dust and snow. She looks exhausted; her skin is pale, the colour of ash. She closes her eyes, and presses her gentle hand against my face.

The music has stopped. The world has gone silent.

"Where have you been?" I ask in a voice that almost doesn't sound like mine.

"I've been waiting for you. I've been waiting for you to come back to me."  

I gulp down, and look at her more attentively. She's wearing a decaying crown on her head. It is made out of lilac and dusty pink roses, the petals brown and gooey with rot.  

"I never left you," I tell her. "You and my sisters lived in my heart every day since."  

She shuffles closer without opening her eyes. She lays a soft kiss upon my forehead, cradling me like a baby. "I know. You never left mine either."  

I frown, my head pressed against her collarbone. I breathe heavily, feeling my warm breath bounce from her skin and back onto my face. "Will we make it out alive?"  

Her fingers comb through my hair. "I don't know, Joshie," She whispers. "I cannot predict the future. I'm not sure about me – I don't think I'll ever be able to leave this mountain, but I know you can."  

I shake my head. "I can't. I'm stuck here. I can't ever leave this place knowing that I can't have you and my sisters back."  

She fires back with a response almost instantaneously. "Life is about moving on; life is about accepting the hard truths and forgiving the way life works. Life is about understanding and acceptance."  

I let her cradle me tighter. "If I'm going, you're coming too."  

I can feel the sadness deep inside of her chest. "No, Josh. I have to stay here. I can't leave."

THREE HOURS UNTIL DAWN

Despite everything, despite the dread, despite the anxiety, I am excited. The idea of going home is pulsating inside of me. The concept of going home to find my family, and find my friends, and return to school, and return to a real, balanced diet is beyond anything I could have ever wanted. No matter what is awaiting us on the mountain, I will make it out alive. I will do anything, everything, to leave this mountain in one piece.

I walk with a spring to my step. I walk with a sense of invincibility.  

"I don't understand how you're so happy," Emily says. "We could die tonight."

I shake my head violently. "No, we won't. I have waited one year, one painful, lonely, terrifying year to go home. I have waited so long to find you, I have tried everything in my power to find a way out. John fuckin' Cena could be up there, and I would fight and fight until there is nothing left in me if that meant I could go home. I am not giving up for anyone."

Do you know what I'm most excited for?

Well, that's just it. I don't know what I'm most excited for.  

I'm excited for it all.  

I'm excited for a real meal; something unhealthy. Maybe some chicken nuggets, ice-cream with crushed Oreos sprinkled over the top (even though I despise Oreos). Just anything that could cause me a heart attack if eaten in excessive amounts.  

I'm excited to return home and find my mother and father. To have them feel a sense of relief that I'm home; the fact that they'll never take my presence for granted. A sense of thankfulness that I am home and safe.  

I'm excited to see the rest of my friends; see how they're different. I wonder how things will be different. Will they even want me in their lives? What if we're all so different that we can't stand each other?

I'm excited to go back to school. I never thought I'd say that. When you're gone for a year, your mind begins to fry. It loses all important knowledge. I have trouble remembering basic things, like birthdays, because I couldn't exercise my brain out here.  

Life is good. Life is kind.

Eventually, we find an area that felt familiar in my heart. Trees, trees and trees for miles on end. And in the distance, a cabin lays solo illuminated with yellow lights.  

I'm home.  

I made it.

I throw my torch down onto the snow. The fire extinguishes, sizzling out lifelessly. I sprint ahead, leaving Emily behind, approaching the cabin frantically. I am delirious with zest.  

My heart is pounding; it's about to shatter my ribcage.  

I fly up the porch stairs, barging open the front door without even knocking. It was not locked, which is surprising, because in a time of uncertainty like this, I would have bolted it shut.  

My abrupt arrival seems to shock my group of friends. They turn towards me, and they seem...horrified to see me. Horrified to see me alive and healthy, alive and breathing.  

They don't say anything. They seem slightly happy amidst of everything else going on.

I scan the group. Sam. Ashley. Chris. Mike.  

A lot of them seem to be missing; Jess, Matt (who I now remember is supposedly gone), Emily who is trailing behind, and most importantly, Josh.  

Josh is not here.

That's the only thing I can bring myself to even mention: "Where is Josh?"

Mike scratches at his bloody forehead, "We lost him."  

SEVEN MONTHS LATER

I wake up to the same bland ceiling, to the same bland bedroom. Each morning I wake up, there is a sense of gratefulness. My room is still decorated the way it was when I found it; you know, when I came home after being missing for a year. Decorated in sparkly welcome home banners, humongous teddy bears stuffed into the corners of my room.  

I toss onto my side, and find a tray upon my bedside table. A glass of orange juice with the pulp floating on the surface, just the way I like it, a side bowl full of scrambled eggs coated in salt and black pepper, and a wad of fluffy, buttermilk pancakes, bathing in maple syrup – just the way I like it.

Needless to say, while I've been home, I've gained all of the weight that I lost while I was missing. 

Though, it seems to be that my father has forgotten the most important thing: cutlery.  

I flip off the covers from my body, and waddle downstairs. I take it slow, like I do most mornings, admiring everything in my life once more. I never did that enough while I was safe and sound, but now, that's all I ever do...admire and thank.  

I watch all of the framed photographs.  

One from seven months ago, where I stood with my friends, all of us wrapped up in khaki blankets under police custody. The day I came home, the day I was found.  

And the rest consist of group family photos at special events, like weddings, christenings and birthdays, etcetera. However, the last one, hanging by the first step of the staircase, is a childhood photo of Josh and I. I was wearing a cute, little baby blue dress covered in polka-dots, and my feet enveloped in embarrassing, clashing trainers. Josh was mid-giggle; he looked happy. For a small period of his life, Josh Washington was actually happy.

I wonder if he's still out there. I wonder if he's alive.  

My eyes attach to the front door, and I find a bunch of letters scattered on the floor.  

I bend down and search through them; all addressed to my mother and father. All except for one. A brown envelope. Addressed to me.

I snatch it up from the ground, steal a knife and fork from the kitchen, and race back upstairs.  

I crawl back into bed, kicking the blankets underneath myself.  

I rip open the envelope, and unfold a piece of plain white paper, to find a handwritten letter.  

Y/N,

We have taken the time to write you this letter to tell you that we have found Josh. He was suffering with a severe virus in the mines of our mountain. He's been in the hospital for a few weeks, but he eventually passed away a few nights ago. The virus killed him.

We want to thank you for the unconditional love and respect you showed our son in his time of need. Years before this incident before us, you looked after our son and never wanted to hurt him. You did everything in his best interest.  

As his parents, we feel that it is our duty to tell you how much our son loved you. We'll never be sure in what way he loved you; whether it was platonic or romantic, but we know that he wanted you in his life for ever and ever.  

When you disappeared with our daughters, it affected Josh deeply. He underwent mass treatments in psychiatric hospitals to no avail, and he always believed that you would make it out alive. He had a constant gut feeling.  

Just know our son is looking down on you, sending you love and light always.  

We wish you well in your future endeavours, and we will ensure this with a gift from our son.

Yours faithfully,

Bob and Melinda Washington

And attached with the letter lays a cheque with a vast amount of money prescribed, because Josh Washington always knew how much my family needed it.

[fictionalthrill]

The Auror (Series) Chapter 6: The Hunt

Percival Graves Imagine 

A/N: Finally, another chapter. Thanks to those of you who have read the series so far and continue to read it and like it as you do. I really appreciate it all and am very grateful for it. I apologize in advance for taking as long as I do, it’s just crazy with university and all. Still, I shall continue as long as you’ll have me. More fics will be up soon, I assure you. Thanks Again! Take Care, God Bless!

Description: The Hunt for Grindelwald’s follower’s and the wizard himself, finally begins. 

March 24th, 1928.

           After the meeting that took place three days ago, the Major Investigations Department had gone through a tough transition as everyone prepared for the upcoming mission. Graves had spent his time preparing himself and the others for what was ahead. He himself was nervous seeing as it had been a while since he’s been out on the field, though he’d never admit it. Meanwhile, Julius has been shaping the trainees in a much brutal way. Afternoon training had been transformed into all day training, as Julius wanted nothing more than his trainees to be able to fend for themselves in the most proficient way possible. The pressure was still on for everybody, for whatever the results of tonight were, tomorrow could hold another destiny.

           As nighttime inched closer, the final adjustments were being made. To do a last headcount, everyone was to meet in the same room the previous meeting was held. As everyone gathered in the room, Graves waited by the table, catching a glimpse of all those who became present. For a moment, his thoughts wandered to a certain witch who was partly responsible for all this; Y/N. Because of her, MACUSA was one step closer to adjusting a safer wizarding community. A part of him hoped she wouldn’t show. That maybe she had changed her mind or caught a bug, or something. But, surely enough, she walked through the doors. Graves sighed deeply the moment he saw her. He averted his gaze to Julius who dived into a conversation with him. Suddenly, the last of the awaited individuals arrived. Madam President stepped inside the room and stood at the end of the grand table.

           “Good evening, everyone.” Madam President spoke.

           “Evening. Good evening.” The room echoed.

           “You all know why you are here. Tonight, you take on one the most important investigations MACUSA has had to tackle. For some of you, this is the first time you step foot outside as both protector and fighter for the wizarding community. Never have we consider sending out wizards and witches in training to the field, but given the situation we find ourselves in, we’ve had no choice but to take such risk,” the president said as she glanced at everyone in the room, “To you trainees, I must say, if any of you feels as if they are not capable or willing to put your life on the line for this cause, speak now…”

           The room remained quiet. There was a silence so thick, so heavy, it was terrifying. The wizard and witches in the room looked to one another, anticipating someone would speak up. In the middle of it all, Graves delicately glanced up to Y/N who stood a few feet away from him. As if she could feel his gaze, her own eyes searched for him in the room. When their eyes met, Y/N sucked in a breath. She felt a sudden weight in her shoulders, and her heart thumping erratically. Graves noticed her discomfort and furrowed his brows as he continued to stare. Then, she took a deep breath, straighten herself, and nodded reassuringly at him. She had absolutely no idea what happened to her in that moment. It’s like his stare made her question herself; it made her think twice about her decision. It was a similar feeling to when he wanted her to assure him whether or not they should participate in this mission. It’s like he doesn’t want us to be a part of this. She thought, until Madam President snapped her back to the meeting.

           “Very well. I guess we shall proceed. Graves, you have the floor.” Madam President declared.

           “Thank You, Madam President. By now, all of you have been briefed about the mission. You know the plan and you know the purpose for it. We must begin to cut any ties Grindelwald has to other wizards and witches alike. Every day that goes by, more of the community is lost to the Dark Arts. If we don’t put an end to this soon enough, well, you can all imagine what might happen…” Graves spoke. At his final words, everyone bowed their heads. It was as if he gave them a mental image of the world taken over by the Dark Arts; a world taken over by Grindelwald, “Now, I would like for miss Y/N to take over and lay down some details about Grindelwald and his methods, just in case.” As he closed, he raised his hand to signal for Y/N to step forward. When she did, she felt a bit nervous.

           “Um, as you all know, Grindelwald is a master of the Dark Arts. He believes they are the ultimate power, and the key to actual order. Due to this, there is a great chance he has his followers practicing such magic, which is why we must be prepared for anything. Mr. Weaver’s ultimate tip is to have your wands at the ready. Keep a steady hand, and a focused mind on blocking any and all attacks,” she glanced to Julius Weaver who approved, “Finally, you all know of the suspect we have identified in the building, Gustav Alvez. If by any chance one of you finds themselves confronting the wizard, do not attack first. He is known to cast the first spell, so do focus on your defense, aim to disarm and immobilize in any way. We must capture him so that we can find out what it is Grindelwald is planning.”

           “I have a question miss Y/L/N,” the president stated, “how do you all plan on infiltrating the building? I know you will all enter, but how will you go about it?”

           “Well, ahem, me and Mr. Weaver believe we should go in pairs. Two on each floor to ensure whether there is any activity going on. Also, different people were assigned at the entrances and exits, which aren’t that many. And, three have been posted at a rooftop across this building so that we have eyes up top.”

           “Good. Well, I will say the time has come for you all.” Madam President shared. With those words, the whole room begin to file out the room, and Disapparate to the location.  

           One by one, the wizard and witches began to Apparate near the building between the seventh and eighth avenues. As they appeared, they huddled up together close to where Graves waited for them.

           “Okay, I want the scouts up on that roof immediately. Keep your eyes open for any sort of strange movement or activity,” Graves ordered and the scouts nodded before disappearing to the roof, “Now, those of you assigned to the entrances and exits, find your partners and attend to your posts.”

           As he sent the others off, Y/N arrived to the mix. The final witches and wizards left gathered together and waited on the director’s words, “You all know what you have to do. We don’t know what could be in each floor, so watch your backs. Watch your own, and watch your partner’s.”

           Meanwhile, Y/N stood next to Tina who was hearing Graves talking. Tina glanced at her and nodded; Y/N did the same.

           “Given the situation inside the building, we never paired ourselves, so we will handle the pairings now. There are enough Auror’s to accompany the trainee’s left, but not all of them. Julius took the time to actually approach you and give you an idea of your companions, so those of you who know, proceed to find them,” at his command, different people began to shuffle as they found their partners. Y/N on the other hand just looked around, for she had no recollection of Julius assigning her to anyone, “The rest of you, chose someone you might be comfortable with,” he added.

           In that moment, Tina linked her arm with Y/N, as if declaring the pair. Y/N felt sure and ready, but the moment didn’t last long, “Actually, Tina, you’re with me,” Graves declared. Tina glanced back at Y/N, giving her an apologetic look. The only other person left was Montalvo, and she was well aware of how either of them wanted to be together. She only wished James hadn’t been set up as scout so that she could have chosen him, but right now, she didn’t have any other option. Montalvo came her way and stood next to her. At last, everyone had a partner, so it was time to carry out the mission.

           “Let’s go.” Graves ordered.

           Inside, everything was incredibly dark. Not even the moonlight could find itself to shine inside as the spaces were so concealed. On each floor, a pair would stay behind as they fully inspected it, given the others the lead to continue on to the rest. The higher they went; the less pairs were left. When they got close to the top, only Tina, Montalvo, Graves and Y/N, were left. Montalvo and Y/N gave the clear to continue on their assigned floor, while Tina and Graves went on to theirs.

           As Montalvo and Y/N stepped inside, they each casted the Lumos Charm to help them see along the floor, “You check that side, I’ll check this one,” Montalvo said. Y/N nodded and walked over to the far right of the extensive room. She pointed her wand at every corner she could, but there wasn’t much to see. The entire room was a mess. There were tables thrown around, chairs lying on the ground, and bottles scattered all around the floor. Suddenly, Y/N was met with a small passage in her way. She shined a light through it and found some stairs that went up.

           “Montalvo!” She whisper-shouted.

           “What?”

           “I think I found something.” She answered.

           Montalvo left his side and strutted over to Y/N. He studied the passage and looked at her a bit confused. Y/N only shrugged before continuing inside. Once her foot was in, Montalvo grabbed her forearm to stop her, “Are you insane? We don’t know where this leads…” He said.

           “Exactly, there’s only one way to find out.” She stated matter-of-factly.

           “Let me go first.” He told her.

           “Montalvo, there will be no difference. Besides, I found it, so I get to go.” She said surely, “Watch my back as I go up.”

           Even as they weren’t all that friendly, Montalvo had come to terms with the fact that Y/N was indeed a great witch. When they first started, he was disliked her very much, but in time, he’s come to respect her. Plus, right now he was just doing as told; watching his partner’s back. Though she didn’t let him go ahead, he was still alert in case of anything.

           When Y/N made it through the passage, she found a door. She tried opening it, but it wouldn’t budge.

“Alohomora.” She casted. As the door opened, Y/N and Montalvo grip their wands tightly, and slowly stepped inside. The room, like all the others, appeared gloomy. Using the Lumos Charm once again, the pair begins to inspect the ambient. Then, they are met with two hallways.

           “Of course…” Y/N says irritated.

           “We are supposed to stay together at all times.” Montalvo reminds her.

           “I know, but- we can do this. We have to. You go there and I’ll go here. If we find anything, we’ll call. If we don’t, we meet back here.” She shared.

           “You sure about this?”

           “Positive. Just, be careful.”

           “You too.” Montalvo replied.

           Through the hall, everything felt so far away, but in reality, Y/N had only gone a few feet in. The hall extended itself, and it had no other points to enter other than one at the end. As she continued through, she squinted her eyes to get a better look at a glow that came from under a doorway. The closer she got, the more noticeable was the light. But, when she got closer to it, the board beneath her feet creaked, and suddenly, the light was gone. It was as if someone had made it disappear. Still, Y/N didn’t back away at this; she went on, and she offed the Lumos Charm on her wand. When she was at the door, she delicately gripped the knob, turned it, and pushed the door inside. There was some moonlight sneaking in through some of the windows, making it easier for her to see. When she was finally in the room, the door shut, making Y/N spin at an incredible speed, while raising her wand at whatever or whoever was there. Before even uttering a spell, the girl’s eyes adjusted to the darkness, and with the help of the moonlight, she could see the figure in the room. They too were pointing their wand, but with a weight of relief, lowered it.

           “Miss Y/N.” It was Graves.

           “Mr. Graves,” she cleared her throat, “you startled me.”

           “I thought you were someone else.”

           “As did I.”

           “What are you doing here? I thought you were in the floor below us.”

           “We were. I just, found this secret passage that led me to a room, that led me here.” She explained.

           “I only see you. Where’s your partner?” He questioned.

           “He- I, insisted we separate and inspect both hallways.”

           “Both hallways?”

           “Yes, sir. There were two hallways and we separated so that we could see where they led.” Y/N responded.

           “Very well.” He simply stated before continuing to search around the room. Y/N followed steadily behind him.

           “Sir, might I ask where Tina is?” Y/N asked.

           “We too separated. She went on to inspect another room.”

           “There sure is quite a number of rooms in this place.” Y/N commented evidently.

           Graves didn’t respond at this, for he was too distracted by the large wall that was dimly lit in the corner. Together, they approached it to see more. Graves swiftly waved his wand as he illuminated the wall to get a better look. Y/N, who stood behind him, did the same while coming up next to him. They both scanned what was in front of them and noticed scraps of newspapers, photos, symbols, and even a map, all hanging on the wall. Lines were traced all over, as they connected one thing with the other. The newspapers announced different Grindelwald attacks while exposing the scene with moving images. Both Graves and Y/N just stood there, staring at everything laid before them. Suddenly, Graves spoke.

           “He wanted us to find this.”

“No, he wanted me to find it.” Y/N said while getting closer to the wall and placing her hand atop a photograph of her. Graves shifted his gaze towards her and then to the photo.

Suddenly, a voice sounded out of nowhere, “You’re not wrong sweetheart.”

At this, both the witch and the wizard snapped their head towards the direction of the voice. It seemed to have come from behind the wall. With their wands ready, both Y/N and Graves proceeded to the space behind the wall. At the entrance, they saw how this room was bigger than any other in the building. There were cement columns holding it up every few feet, and behind the farthest one, a figure was hidden. Quietly, it moved from the column, and was in plain sight.  

“Mr. Graves, what a surprise to see you up and well after all Grindelwald put you through. I’ve heard it’s quite the ordeal to be under the mans, let’s say, spell…”

Graves simply looked at the man, as if he wasn’t bothered to be reminded of his experience with Grindelwald. Y/N glanced at Graves, but quickly averted her eyes to the character instead.

“Gustav.” She stated.

“Alive and breathing, my dear.” The man said smugly.

“It appears your ego continues to be intact as well.” Y/N said sarcastically.

“Yes, well, I can never get tired of being me.”

“Right, your good for one thing and one thing only, to do someone else’s dirty work. Tell me, when is it that you’ll finally be captured by doing something for yourself, instead of committing crimes for others?” Y/N teased.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. My crimes have been all my doing. I like to work alone.”

“Right, so you’re not Grindelwald’s little errand boy?”

“Hmm, he said you’d be like this.”

“So, you’ve talked about me?” Y/N only asked playfully.

“Endlessly. Just as much as Graves.”

“So, you’ve been in constant contact with him?” Graves intercepted.

“Wouldn’t you like to know, Mr. Graves?” Gustav mocked.

“Of course, he has. Grindelwald has to make sure Gustav is doing as told.” Y/N commented.

“I’ve heard enough out of you, deary!” Gustav exclaimed right before he raised his wand to attack.

[ofriversandroads]

Making it through a 3-year long distance relationship

I don’t think about this a lot – perhaps that’s what makes it hard to write about. I’ve had friends ask ‘how do you do it’ and also friends who’ve just out right said ‘I could never do long distance’. I don’t blame them; I used to be one of them, especially after a mad episode. But that’s a story for another time.

We met during our studies abroad. He was doing a proper science degree whereas I majored in film. Despite that, I’d always been fascinated by science (just not enough to want to pursue it in further studies) and I loved how I could talk to him very comfortably about just anything. To be honest, I’d always imagined I’d date an artist, one that would complement me in our works. But I guess life had better plans and I’m honestly not complaining.

We had around two wonderful years spent together in the UK, with our biggest agony being the summer breaks when we went home. We stayed in different states, a five hours drive apart. There was no way that we could meet everyday, so we’d arrange trips, but these were often very short and ended up having just one or two meet-ups throughout the whole 2-3 months summer break. Back then, I thought it was difficult living apart, completely unprepared for what was to come.

I soon came to my final year. He still had three years of uni to go, and the imminent was at the back of my head, yet I pushed it further still with the hope that I might score a job in the same place and stay on. I went for a few interviews, but the results disappointed. I graduated, quit the part-time job I had a month before my student visa expired thinking that the finality of that would push me forward in my job hunt. It didn’t. Then the time came where I knew I ought to book my flight home. I still held onto a thin thread of hope, saying that if I received something in the last minute, I could always just postpone the flight or cancel it. I didn’t.

The hourglass is a cruel thing when you know that the sand running out means leaving the person you do almost everything with. We shared our meals and our days, and the thought of not having that was slightly terrifying. Three years was a long time to be apart and we could become totally different people by the end of it. Would we still be the one for each other? Then there were also the whispered fears of what if you find somebody else?, which were called off as crazy. That dread was unthinkable; there were only both of us for each other.

And then the day came. After spending weeks trying to pack everything I’d accumulated for the last three years into three boxes was my personal nightmare. I’ve always had trouble getting rid of things for the sake of ‘tidiness’; this time, I had to numb myself towards it and threw out or gave away what wasn’t absolutely necessary.

When he said goodbye to me at the airport his eyes were filled with tears. I was surprisingly calm at that moment, saying ‘It’s okay, we’ll see each other again soon.’ I transited at London Heathrow and Changi airport and that was when communicating through messages began again.

In many ways, we’re lucky to be living in this point of time where communication is instant and relatively inexpensive. I cannot imagine attempting long distance through costly international calls, or god forbid, posted letters that each take a month to reach the other. Here, we’ve promised each other to always stay in touch, and that’s what we do.

It’s been two years, and we continue sending photos of our food, random selfies, location updates whenever we’re out, as well as general updates of both big and little events. The eight hour timezone difference wrecked my bedtime, but for the most part, that’s okay.

Starting work in the beginning helped, in the sense that I was too occupied to mope, so there wasn’t much moping done. It was then also nice whenever he ended his classes before I go to bed, allowing us a call before I sleep. We aren’t the type of people who need the amount of assurance brought by skyping everyday, but we do have our once-a-week skype sessions during the weekend. Even then, we’re sometimes so up-to-date that we don’t have much new things to talk about, so we’d just talk a jumble of whatever comes to mind and keep each other company for those two hours. I cannot fathom how some couples actually find the time to skype everyday – surely, we all have things to do? But to each their own.

Nowadays, if someone were to ask me how I do it, I think my most honest question would be: the right person. I know that sounds somewhat ambiguous and not at all helpful, but me, it really is about the right person. I’ve always had trust in him and known that he’s my person. We don’t agree on every single thing – who does? – but we have respect for each other as individual people and hardly play by gender stereotypes which I think is very important. Of course, despite everything, we can never predict what’s to come down the line and so I like to think that I’m okay with that. Whether it really does work out in the end or not, it’s okay. But he came into my life at one of the best points, so I have a good feeling about it.

It also helps that we’re both relatively chill people. We’re okay with the other going out to socialise for work or hanging out with friends, and when we say ‘have fun’, we really do want the other to be happy. Of course, that means we also know better than to fool around, but that sort of trust foundation is what I’ve always wanted and would be a complete pea-brain to sabotage what I have.  

So if you’re embarking on a long distance relationship yourself, I’d say, let go and trust. Communicate often, tell them what you’re up to without prompting, make them feel as much of your everyday life as possible. And take it easy. This is all just temporary and if you make it through, you have a lifetime of togetherness to go – which really seems like a small price to pay. Most importantly, I’ve always seen this as a relationship first before anything else. Long distance is just a label, you’re either in the relationship or not, so act like it.

Now that all’s been said, I know that there are others out there who may have gone through a lot more than me. Mine is a separate continent, 8-hour timezone and 12-hour flight away one where the longest we’ve been away was for an entire year, so I thought it was worthy writing about. But it’s all from my perspective, of course, so if something else works for you, by all means, go ahead!

[eyez-ff-blog]

○○ eyez | seventeen

February 4 – Washington D.C.

“Wait—you for real?” Beija laughed softly as she sat across from Ari—or at least, she thought that was her name. “You don’t even look like a damn Courtney. Done let me call you Ari all this time, you gotta correct me next time,” B shook her head as she took another hot wing from the pile that they were sharing.

“Oh, no. It’s okay—I really don’t even mind,” Courtney laughed softly before she crossed her legs slowly. “Okay, so thankfully most of the production on this is finished—but once I played it at the last meeting, they wanted to tweak things a bit,” She sat her chin on her palm. “Some of the songs are already done since I’m rehashing some from the last piece of work I did,” She explained.

“Oh? Which one? I wanna hear it,” Beija wiped her hands with one of the paper towels she had been using, and Courtney twisted her lips to the side before she searched through her laptop, clicking about until some music began to play through the laptop’s speakers.

Beija stayed quiet as she took recognition to the lyrics immediately, and a bright smile crossed her face, slowly swaying to the music as she closed her eyes.

This was the first song that Ibrahim exposed her to—this was previously on her first body of work, but Beija had fallen in love with Courtney’s voice the moment she heard the song. It was something a lot of people could relate to; being afraid to let go and actually feel something for someone. Beija had always had that issue and she was having it at the moment. The level of relation and connection that the song had with her made it clear that Courtney needed to be there at the label. There was a level of honesty to her and the feelings she wanted to gain within listening to her lyrics was exactly what she had been explaining to Jermaine so long ago. She wanted these feelings to be shared with the masses, and she felt so proud of what would come in the future.

She found her mind wandering as she listened to the lyrics of the song, becoming unaware of her own emotional state. “How does it feel to know I’m wrapped around you?” That part got her every time—Beija could damn near hear the torment wrapped around the syllables. She could identify with the phrase now more than ever. Once the song ended, Beija sighed as she opened her eyes slowly. “Ah man,” She whispered. “That’s such an amazing song, I don’t care how old it is,” She said.

“Ha, thank you! I thought it was pretty good myself,” Courtney let out a small stint of laughter before she crossed her legs. “I can’t wait until all the tracks are finished up and they’re sent to me so I can do some other things. I’ve done a couple tracks already but I’m on the fence about them. I still feel so weird,” She said.

“About what?” Beija turned to face the other woman as she spoke.

“Being here. I mean...I am the only singer. I don’t sing about what everyone else raps about here. I know Jermaine just told me to be myself but I still think a bit about what I should be doing, or how I should be delivering this music,” Courtney shrugged nonchalantly.

“Well I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing to be a little nervous. But I think you’re needed here—matter fact, I know it. When I heard you sing I just knew you needed to be here,” Beija gave her a good-natured smile. “Plus, we need more of a feminine touch around here! Sucks being damn near the only girl. And I’m nearly the youngest next to Cody,” She explained.

“I don’t know how you deal with it. They’re all like teenagers when they’re not in public,” Courtney dished, and Beija giggled softly.

“Exactly! Watch; they’re gonna treat you like me and annoy you every day before long, and you’re gonna wonder why you were ever intimidated,” B shook her head.

“Oh, sounds like a real party,” Courtney laughed softly before she checked her phone, raising an eyebrow before she turned to her laptop and opened a browser to check her email. “...Oh, Grumble sent me a finished track,” She opened the attachment and the track automatically began to play.

Beija sat and listened to the track, nodding her head slowly to the beat before she grinned. “Aye! This is amazing,” She swayed a bit once the beat dropped. “You gotta use this—for what, I don’t know or care, but you gotta let this be on something of yours,” She said.

“I do...hm, let me get on that. I can at least start writing this stuff up,” She said before she took out her notebook and began to write.

It seemed that despite the craziness that overtook the beginning of the year, it was back to business for Beija. She played her role well within the media chaos that surrounded Jermaine’s divorce; she kept her head down, worked, and stayed quiet when it came to the tabloids and blogs. The less they knew the better off she would be. J was forced to release a statement explaining the situation and even after that some weren’t at all satisfied with it for various reasons. As much as Beija wanted to speak out and defend herself, she knew that flying off the handle wouldn’t help things. So for the moment being, she kept the negativity out of her mental space. If it wasn’t about she and Jermaine, or about work and Dreamville, she didn’t really care about attending to it.

The silver lining within it all was Courtney herself. The fact that the two were so close in age and Beija had pretty much been appointed as her A&R rep for the moment being, the two of them were slowly creating a friendship that Beija could appreciate. As great as J was, Beija needed more female friends that she could reach out to especially within the industry. Court was still pretty much living in D.C. and had yet to really transition to another location, so Beija decided to fly out and come and see her to help her work. It gave her an excuse to get out of the city and not show her face to the paparazzi for a while as well, so she was all for it.

The two had been in the studio for a couple of hours when Beija felt her phone vibrating, hearing the ringing of the phone only slightly due to the music playing. Courtney turned down the music as B pulled out her phone, noting the haphazard selfie photo that Jermaine took in her bed, along with his name and number flashing across the screen. She shook her head at the silly photo before she answered the call. “Hi, baby,” She greeted.

“Hey,” J didn’t sound very chipper, and B automatically went into defensive mode. “How’s everything in D.C.? You safe and everything, yeah?”

“Yeah—me and Court are at her place at the moment. Why do you sound so weird?” She asked, furrowing her eyebrows.

“I just got a call from my nigga back home,” There was a slight pause in the statement before he continued. “One of my homeboys got murdered,” He finally revealed, and Beija felt her stomach turn.

“Wait, what?” She stood up and walked through Courtney’s living room, reaching the bathroom before she shut the door behind you. “How? What happened?” She asked.

“From what they tellin’ me, it was on some street shit. Drug deal gone wrong, I’mma assume,” J cleared his throat when his tone began to quiver. “The funeral is this coming Saturday. Will you come with me?” He asked.

“Of course. I’m so sorry, J. I can only imagine how hard this is for you,” She felt so much empathy for J’s situation, considering that she knew what it felt like to lose someone she loved and was close to. “Go get some rest, okay? I’m gonna catch a flight in the morning and come home,” She decided.

“You sure? I don’t wanna interrupt your work,” J questioned, and she shook her head as if he could see.

“Just get our hotel and stuff set up for Fayetteville. I’m going to be coming home tomorrow, so don’t worry about it,” She said before she let out a sigh. “I’ll call you tonight, okay?” She promised.

“Alright. Be safe, please,” He pleaded. “I’ll talk to you later.”

“Bye,” She hung up with him, and she sighed softly as she ran her fingers through her hair slowly, shaking off her emotions before she tried to compose herself. Exiting the bathroom, she returned to the living room, seeing that Courtney was on the phone herself.

“Yeah...it’s the shit, so come over and we can get to editing these lyrics,” Courtney let out a small laugh before she nodded. “Mk. See ya,” She hung up before she looked at Beija with a bit of concerned. “My bad, girl. Had to call up some folks to get this song done. But are you okay?” She asked.

“I’m fine for now. But I can’t stay like I promised—I gotta get back to New York,” Beija said before she sighed, running a hand through her hair.

“Oh, shit. Okay, well I think I can get through the rest until I can come up to you, so no worries,” Court nodded before she glanced back at her laptop. “You sure everything is okay?” She asked.

“Honestly?” Beija began, glancing at Courtney as the woman looked at her. “I think I won’t be for very much longer. But I’m hoping for the best.

February 6 – Fayetteville, North Carolina

Beija didn’t enjoy funerals no matter who they were for. They seemed to hold nothing but negative energy for her. Even though they were meant to be beautiful and therapeutic for those in mourning, it just didn’t translate into that for her. Even the nature of the day ahead didn’t seem to coincide with a celebration of life—the skies were painted grey with thickened clouds, and eventually the rain did finally fall by the time Beija woke up. She glanced over and saw that the other side of the bed was empty; she could hear the running of water from the bathroom.

She got up from her bed and proceeded to take her medication before she entered the bathroom, seeing Jermaine at the sink as he washed his face. “Morning,” She greeted as she proceeded to use the restroom.

“Good morning,” He mumbled before rinsing his face off. “I’m gonna go get us some breakfast while you shower. What do you want?” He asked.

“Something light—eggs, toast, and bacon...some fruit,” Beija spoke between her drawn out yawn, gently patting at her head so she wouldn’t scratch at the hair she took so much time to straighten and wrap the night before. “And some water will be fine to drink,” She finished.

“Got it,” He said before he left the restroom, leaving her alone to get herself together.

Once she finished using the restroom, she undressed and got into the shower, being careful not to get any water near her head. She washed herself off and took a moment to relax her mind before she got out of the shower to dry off. She returned to the bedroom and applied lotion to her body before putting on her bra and underwear. She even proceeded to put on the girdle she packed to smooth out the little gut she had.

She put on the black dress she had packed, and had slipped on her heels when she heard Jermaine return with the food. The two of them began to eat silently, and once they were finished, Beija proceeded to get her hair and make-up together while J went to shower and take care of his other hygiene needs.

Beija actually got finished a bit before Jermaine did, and she waited patiently as he put on his dress shirt and slacks. Once he got his socks and loafers on, he grabbed his tie before he began to tie it on. She stood up from her chair and walked over to him, helping him straighten it out. “You gonna be okay today?” She asked, and he nodded.

“As okay as I can be,” He said before he leaned down and kissed her cheek lightly. “Come on. I don’t wanna be late,” He said, and she nodded as the two grabbed some of their things and headed out of the hotel room.

The two headed to the church where the funeral would be held, and from then on it was pretty standard of how the funeral played out. Hymns were sung, the eulogy was given, preaching ensued, and family members took to the podium to speak on their fallen friend. Beija didn’t know this man but it seemed that a lot of people loved him and there was this sense of wishful thinking—the hope that he’d come back for just one more day, and everyone could truly tell him how loved he was. It made Beija feel uneasy and unfortunately nostalgic. She knew she couldn’t become too flustered by it all though, because she had to be supportive for Jermaine. Even though he seemed strong and almost detached from the entirety of everything that was going on, she knew that being there was something she needed to do.

After the funeral, the two were invited to the deceased mother’s home for dinner, and that’s when Beija felt a little more at ease. She met the man’s mother, the mother of his child, and his daughter, whom all had nothing but funny stories and memories of the man’s life. The vibe of being around the family was a little more easygoing, and the food was pretty delicious as well. As exhausted as B was emotionally, she made a point to engage—she hoped that in seeing her trying to push through, Jermaine would try to cheer up a bit.

The two didn’t return to the hotel until a bit later. Both were sore and tired in all senses of the word. As J slid his shoes off and flopped onto the bed, Beija undressed and gasped softly when she was finally able to get out of her girdle. “Fuck, finally,” She breathed deeply.

“Why did you even have that on?” J let out a soft chuckle, and she turned back to glare at him as he loosened his tie.

“I had to keep this gut in check, nigga. Why you think?” She unhooked her bra and let out another sigh of relief before she rummaged through Jermaine’s bag, pulling out one of his shirts and slipping it onto her body.

“What gut? It’s like...pudge, barely,” She climbed into bed, and she watched as he moved to lay between her legs, laying his head on her chest.

“You don’t have to lie just because you got a crush on the kid,” She ran her fingers over her hair, chuckling when he sucked his teeth.

“Shut up,” He drew out his words slowly as he glanced up at her. “You beautiful, baby. Every inch of you,” He smirked.

“Oh? Even the gut?” B smiled.

“Especially the gut,” He teased before he rested his head back against her chest. “So I think I’m gonna scrap most of what I recorded for the new album. Maybe. But I have a promise to fulfill,” He mumbled.

“To your friend?” She asked softly, and he nodded a bit. “...Are you okay? I know today was a lot for you,” She continued to stroke his hair as she watched him.

“I just feel weird. I just remember him damn near kicking my ass for asking about selling brick,” He began, and her eyebrows rose slowly. “I never really took the time to realize just how real shit could get. I always think about the people who die from being in the streets, but I never thought it’d hit so close to home for me,” He explained.

“So it’s like you always knew it was happening but you never thought it’d be him,” She summarized, and he nodded in agreement. “That’s how it goes in this world—we be so caught in our own shit that we never stop to think that our time can come in any form,” She looked down and noticed the pained look on his face, and she bit into her lip. “I know you miss him,” She assumed.

“I feel like I ain’t call him enough. Didn’t do enough to make sure he was straight. Now his daughter is without a father. I know that ain’t my doing but fuck...” He closed his eyes, and she was surprised to see a couple tears sneak out of them.

She slowly wiped his face before she gently caressed his cheek. “It’s gonna be okay. With time...maybe the pain will ease. But if not, I’ll be here to help,” She sighed as she lowered her arms to wrap around his shoulders, holding him close. She watched as he laid there motionless, and more tears seemed to escape his closed eyes. He wouldn’t even allow a shudder to consume his body or a quivered breath to leave his lips. She had never seen him cry before, and it was one of the scariest things she had experienced. She felt this worry because she knew he was in pain and there was very little she could do to help. But she just sat there and allowed him to have his moment without judgement. She just wanted him to know that she was present, and here for him when he needed her. She leaned down and kissed the side of his head, and she heard him sniff. She just wished she could help him, and take the pain off of his heart, and knowing that she couldn’t tore her apart. But what escaped her lips next would shake her very core—it was not coerced or even conscious...it was like her heart was speaking for her.

“I love you, Jermaine.”

His eyes opened and he looked up at her with a bit of surprise. The two stayed silent as they gazed at one another, and she didn’t back down. There was this trembling fear within her heart as she was letting down the final wall that stood between she and the man that laid in her arms, but she would face it head on. She had fought tooth and nail for nearly a year to stay away from him and upkeep a boundary that would keep them from going too far with one another, but there was nothing further that stood between them except for herself. It was time for her to get out of her own way.

She had thought up every worst-case scenario that would potentially leave her heartbroken and with wasted time and effort. She was skeptical from the beginning, because she was always told that ‘how you get them is how you lose them.’ She was afraid that with all of the controversy that came with Jermaine, fate would slither behind her and sink its karmic and venomous teeth into her with time. But at this point, she didn’t know what else to do but to kneel and succumb to the will of the universe. If this was meant to be, nothing would stand between them. If it wasn’t, then it would crumble. But she’d never know what the ending would be if she didn’t allow things to begin.

She felt him hold her a little tighter, and she hid her face within the softness of his hair. “I love you too,” A warmth and a relief could be heard in J’s tone, and all she could do was hold him tighter as well. She never wanted to let go.